At first glance it could have been a scene from an Egyptian tourism brochure. Sitting beneath a picturesque full moon was a massive pyramid all alone on an empty plain. But almost at once details would start to jump out at a visitor, unnatural details. To start with the moon clearly wasn't our moon: it was completely white and had no craters. Then there was the ground: it was far too smooth and seemed to be made of some kind of crystal. Finally it would become clear that this was no ordinary pyramid: it was also made of pure crystal, and its surface lacked any flaws.

There were three tiny figures at the base of this otherworldly structure. Rashid—the former Gatekeeper of the White Council—was sitting in the lotus position and had been chanting in a complex mixture of a dozen dead languages for over an hour. Standing next to him was Ferrovax the dragon, who was enjoying his friend's tour de force. Sitting some distance away from the other two was the vampire Mavra, who was snacking on a Siamese cat she had brought along with her.

As Rashid reached the climax of this ancient ritual a light began to glow deep within the heart of the pyramid. The light quickly spread, and became more and more intense. When the chanting finally came to an end a column of pure energy erupted from the top of the pyramid. This column kept ascending at an incredible speed until it disappeared into the blackness of the strange alien sky.

For several minutes nothing happened, but suddenly there was a change in the appearance of the pyramid. Dark shadows started moving deep inside of that mountain of crystal, and slowly they were making their way out. The first to emerge was a massive lizard whose eyeless head was crowned with a mass of tentacles. Others soon followed: one was a brownish mass of slimy flesh riddled with holes, while another had spherical body with a head swinging underneath it like a clock pendulum. Joining these mega-lifeforms was an endless number of smaller demons who spread out over the crystal plain which surrounded the pyramid.

"I never thought I would live to see this day," an awed Ferrovax whispered to his exhausted companion.

"I have done my part," Rashid said in a hoarse voice. "Now you must do yours."

"What are you waiting for?" an anxious Mavra asked.

"Stay calm," Ferrovax relied as his human body began to shift.

In a matter of seconds his true majestic form was revealed: that of a golden dragon whose size was more than match for these Great Old Ones. His wingspan alone must have been over a thousand meters wide. Ferrovax let out a deafening roar, and placed himself in the path of a massive white worm with a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth. Rashid could feel a wave of magic emanating from the dragon, and it did caused the beast to pause for a second or two. But then it reared its long, sickly body in the air and struck at the dragon's chest. When the white worm pulled its head free it had Ferrovax's still-beating heart lodged in its mouth.

"No!" Mavra screamed as she began casting a series of deadly spells in every direction.

This magical attack caught the attention of black oak tree that was somehow walking on its roots. Two of its leafless branches reached out; one seized the vampire while the other took Rashid. The breaches twisted until the captives were facing a single red eye at the center of the tree's thick trunk. One glance was all that was needed to liquefy their brains.

With those three minor inconveniences out of the way, the Old Ones continued to march and crawl away from the crystal pyramid. When they reached a certain distance their grotesque bodies began to fade from view. Each one was traveling to a different city on Earth, attracted by the millions upon millions of victims that awaited them.

"Victory? How would you possible manage that?" Odin asked.

"We should seal the Outer Gates immediately," Ivy replied.

"Impossible!" the Norse god barked. "We attempted that gambit over a dozen times during the last incursion. There were never any survivors."

"I don't plan suicide missions," Ivy said coldly.

"Could you both just stop yelling for a second?" Dresden pleaded, much to everyone's relief. Watching a figure from ancient mythology fighting with the living repository of all human knowledge was unnerving to say the least. "Why don't you two hit the rewind button for those of us who have no idea what you're talking about?"

Ivy sighed. "The Great Old Ones—like their servants the Outsiders—come from another dimension which is incompatible with life as we know it. To overcome this limitation the Old Ones projecting an aspect of themselves through the Gates, and then use these projections to create the massive bodies which can survive here in our dimension."

"So if the Gates are closed then these new bodies are destroyed?" Injun Joe asked. "That sounds too good to be true."

"That's because it is," Odin said. "There will be a vast host of Outsiders left behind to act as guardians. And even if you could fight your way there, the bodies the Old Ones have already produced will last for several more months."

"Yes, but being cut-off from their primary source of power limits their ability to regenerate," Ivy explained. "It will be easier for our forces here on Earth to destroy them after the Gates have been sealed."

"What you are suggesting simply can not be done. This whole discussion is a waste of precious time."

"Time!" a furious Ivy hissed. No one had ever seen the teenage girl this angry before. "Tell them how much time it took to beat back the last incursion! Tell them you smug bastard, or I will use my Death Curse to take your other eye!"

"Over three-hundred years," Odin admitted. "But the wizards of that period were few in number, and the mortals were armed with little more than stone axes. That is hardly the case now."

"Yes, the weapons used by the mortals are more advanced today, but your foolish strategy of attrition remains the same," Ivy snapped.

"We must defeat them here first here on Earth before attacking into Nevernever. It is the only viable solution!" Odin thundered.

"I know this is going to sound selfish, but what is going to happen to the Realm of Winter while this little war of yours is taking place?" Queen Maeve asked.

"The Outsiders will invade and devastate your lands," Ivy replied. "According to Mother Winter and Mother Summer that is what happened during the last incursion. It was only by chance that they managed to survive."

"Titania, is this information correct?"

"I fear that it is, Maeve. That is why I have been so eager to form an alliance with the Archive and with the White Council," the Queen of Summer explained. "I had hoped that we could prevent history from repeating itself."

"Things are going to be different this time," Ivy said. "Harry Potter and I are going to travel to the Outer Gates today, and I know exactly how to seal them. But I will need help with the ritual."

"No offense Odin, but living through another three-hundred years of bloody warfare is the last thing I want to do," Injun Joe said before turning to Ivy. "So hypothetically, what kind of help would you need?"

"The three Knights of the Cross, both Sidhe Queens, Harry Dresden, and Elaine Mallory," Ivy answered at once.

"Me?" a shocked Elaine asked. "Why do you need me for?"

"It doesn't matter what the Archive's reasons are. You will play no part in this fool's errand," Nicodemus sneered.

These were the last words the Denarian leader ever spoke. In a flash John Marcone drew a knife and sent it flying directly into Nicodemus' right eye.

"Please excuse the interruption, but I've wanted to do that for some time now."

"That is quite alright John," Ivy graciously allowed before continuing. "Miss Mallory, I need you for the same reason I need Dresden. You have a unique power over the Outsiders, and if you are involved in this ritual it will have a greater chance of succeeding."

"Elaine, I am going with her," Dresden told his first true love. "For all her faults, Ivy is still absolutely brilliant, and if she thinks this plan will work that is good enough for me."

"We are going too," Murphy said as she held on to Neville's hand. "The faster we kill these Old Ones, the more lives we save. That's the reason both of us signed-up for this job in the first place."

"I guess I've been outvoted," Thomas muttered.

Ebenezer studied his two grandsons closely, and then turn to Titania who was for all intents and purposes his wife. The Sidhe Queen playfully winked at him. "Well, we did appoint Dresden as the new Gatekeeper, so I say we let him do his job."

"This will gain us nothing Ebenezer McCoy," Odin said in a harsh voice. "They will all die."

"Maybe you're right, which is why the rest of the White Council will stay here in Edinburgh under your personal command," Injun Joe said, speaking as the Merlin. "If they are killed on this crazy mission it will cost us very little in the larger scheme of things."

"We can not afford to lose a single Knight of the Cross," Odin argued. "I have spoken with the Archangel Michael, and he claims that Longbottom is our best hope. Using the sword as symbol we can unite the mortals under the boy's leadership during the long war that is to come."

Neville walked over to Odin. As tall as the Knight was, he still seemed short and skinny when compared to the towering god. "I'm sorry, but I won't abandon my friend Harry Potter if he is asking for my help. He saved us all once before, and I know that he can do it again."

"Such loyalty is a rare and wonderful thing," Queen Titania commented. "I too will join the Archive on her quest.

"And I will do whatever is necessary to protect Winter," Queen Maeve declared. "When do we leave for Nevernever?"

Ivy smiled. "Soon, but first we have to make a little trip to Africa."

Even though he had lost the argument, Odin was still willing to open a portal directly to the headquarters of the Legion of Light in northern Chad. The base seemed oddly deserted expect for Harry and a handful of his centurions. He came out to greet them at the edge of the powerful wards on a flying carpet.

"It took you long enough," Harry complained as he hugged his wife. "We were ready to move an hour ago."

"Debating with an ancient deity is never an easy task," Ivy complained in turn. "This is where some of us will be parting ways. Mr Marcone, Miss Carpenter, Miss Dresden, Justine, and Tycho will be traveling on to our secondary base with Kincaid. Mrs Tonks and Teddy are already waiting for you there along with a few of our most trusted allies."

"Is this other base of yours safe?" Dresden asked.

"No place on Earth is truly safe at the moment, but the wards are extensive," Ivy offered. "It is the best we can do for them."

"Is all the communication equipment I need in place?" John Marcone asked.

"Yes, and you should send the codes in ninety minutes regardless of what happens to us," Ivy told him.

The two groups quickly spit apart after a series of painful good-byes. Harry led their group deeper into the mountain fortress, while the others took an underground tunnel which headed out into the Sahara Desert.

"I know your people hit the White Court Vampires hard a few months back, but we are going up against some tough customers," Murphy commented as they reached the huge chamber at center of the mountain. "How many of your type of wizards will we have backing us up on this mission?"

"A fair few," Harry said with a smile.

"What's that suppose to mean smartass?" an irritated Dresden asked. Leaving his young daughter behind again had left him an emotional wreck, and having to deal with Elaine and her Denarian Lasciel wasn't helping matters.

With a small wave of her hand Ivy opened a large portal to Nevernever. "Take a look for yourselves."

Waiting for them on the other side was a vast sea of wizards and witches. Every ethnic group from around the world was represented. Some were just teenagers like Harry, while others were old enough to be grandparents or even great-grandparents. And they were all mounted on either magic carpets or racing brooms.

"Some days it's good to be the Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards," Harry mused as a room-size carpet floated down to meet them. "This is our ride."

"How many are there?" a stunned Elaine asked as she gingerly stepped aboard with the help of Dresden.

"Five legions in all."

"Thirty thousand people?" Murphy asked she and Neville sat down. "I didn't think there were that many wizards in the entire world."

"The crowd at the Quidditch World Cup a few years ago was over a hundred thousand," Harry explained as they lifted off. "But I only took recruits who were capable of a certain level of magic. Here, put these goggles on."

"What the hell is that?" Dresden asked at he pointed to a bizarre animal being carried by four brooms. Looking around they saw hundreds of unconscious creatures being taken aloft into the night sky by the aerial armada of wizards and witches.

"That is a cockatrice," Neville answered as they started to increase speed. "It's a cross between a dragon and a rooster. Those are acromantulas over there, and that looks a couple of basilisks."

Murphy pointed to a trio of huge leopards in distance. "Those are Nundu. I had to kill one in Nigeria because it was about to attack a little magical town."

"You killed one of those things all by yourself?" Thomas asked.

"What can I said? I'm tiny, but fierce."

"Harry and his legions have spent the past few months hunting and capturing every dangerous magical creature they could find," Ivy explained. "The plan is to use them as cannon-fodder once the battlefield has been sufficiently prepared."

"We even have fifteen giants," the proud General added.

"So this is why you married him," Dresden said accusingly. "You have been planning for this day all along."

"We are facing a possible apocalypse," Ivy replied. "I felt that helping my husband recruit, equip, and train the Legion of Light was a productive use of my time. Perhaps I should have focused on building magical models in the basement instead."

"Yes, because everyone knows that evil never strikes outside of the city limits of Chicago," a grinning Harry added.

One of centurions approached their carpet a few minutes later. "Sir, several of the legionaries have broken formation, and are headed this way."

It was the Weasleys. After being rescued from the Raiths, Ron and George had joined the Legion to be with their baby sister Ginny. Unfortunately Charlie Weasley hadn't survived being a guest in a house full of White Court Vampires, and it looked like his remaining siblings wanted revenge on the last member of the Raith Family.

Harry placed the Elder Wand against his throat to magically amplify his voice. "STAND DOWN!"

The ginger trio ignored his warning and continued to approach. "YOU JUST EARNED A TEN SECOND CRUCIO, DO YOU WANT TO MAKE IT TWENTY?" That stopped them cold, and they finally turned their brooms around.

"What a pity," Queen Maeve remarked. "I have always enjoyed that quaint torture curse your little Dark Lords are so found of."

"What was that all about?" Dresden asked.

"The Raiths murdered their brother Charlie," Ivy explained. "So quite understandably they wish to kill Thomas here."

The trip continued for another hour until the tip of the crystal pyramid became visible on the horizon. "Hey, we were here before when we were traveling to Mexico. I like the view better at night," Murphy remarked.

"There is a Way at the base of that thing which leads to the Giza Plateau. Why didn't we just cross-over from there?" Dresden asked.

"That is why," Ivy said as she pointed to the massive army of Outsiders which was now coming into view. "If we came in too close to the pyramid they would have simply overwhelmed us."

"Coming in from a distance gives us room to maneuver against a stationary target," Harry said before again placing the Elder Wand against his throat.

"JAVELINS."

Up until this point the armada had been flying in a rather loose formation, but now five distinct groupings began to emerge. Slowly they separated from each other, and then stretched out into a long curved line facing the Outsiders. Finally at less than a hundred meters from the enemy they all came to a gentle stop.

"We experimented with plastic explosives, but they didn't seem to work well in the magically saturated environment of Nevernever," Ivy commented. "So we went back to good old-fashioned dynamite. The individual sticks are enchanted to explode on impact."

"FIRE," General Potter ordered.

Thirty thousands wizards and witches immediately sent bundles of dynamite flying hundreds of meters towards the Outsiders. These demons were extraordinarily resilient, but even they had their limits. Those limits were soon tested as the Legion of Light then repeated the process ten more times. The massive explosions had the added bonus of waking-up all of their captured dark creatures.

"CUT THE CABLES."

The long line of brooms and carpets quickly dropped until they were hovering less than ten meters off the ground. Their enraged prisoners—a few of which hadn't been fed in months—were released and fell to the crystal surface below. Some of the animals began to bite at each other, but enough saw the charging Outsiders and decided to kill them instead. It was pure chaos, but that was exactly what Harry and Ivy had planned on.

"I must say that you certainly know how to arrange a proper battle field," Queen Maeve commented as the two sides began to rip each other apart.

"This next part took months of constant training, but I think you will find it very interesting," Ivy promised the bloodthirsty Sidhe.

"FIRST SHIELD."

Freed from carrying their live cargo the Legion's movements were now much more rapid. A huge flying sphere quickly took shape, along with a thinner shell of witches and wizards surrounding it. Those who were flying in the outer shell drew their small wands and started yelling at the top of their lungs. Bright silver lights in the form of animals began appearing all around them. More and more of them came until they actually formed a solid shield around those in the center who weren't casting any spells.

"I feel like I just injected some pharmaceutical-grade heroin," Thomas said as a wave of euphoria hit them. "What is that?"

"That is six thousand wizards and witches casting the Patronus Charm all at once," Harry told them.

"What good will this light show do us?" a disappointed Queen Maeve asked. "Mortal magic does not affect the Outsiders."

"That is not quite true," Ivy said.

"SECURE THE PYRAMID."

The Legion of Light moved forward, and their shield of pure magic cut the demonic horde in half. As they reached the pyramid the egg elongated until it reached all the way around the perimeter. Another twelve thousand Patronus Charms were cast to create a second shield protecting the pyramid, and the first wave of spell-casters was allowed to rest. Once the Outsiders had been pushed away by the wall of silver magic the dead body of a huge dragon Ferrovax became visible.

"I see that the fool received his just reward," Queen Titania remarked when they saw the massive hole in the dragon's chest.

"RING." General Potter ordered.

Another room-sized magic carpet put down next to the base of the crystal pyramid. This one was carrying a large ring made of gold and silver and iron. A number of wizards lifted the artifact off the carpet with their bare hands and placed it on the ground. A marble platform was then added to the inside of the ring.

"What is that platform doing there?" Dresden asked.

"I think you know exactly why it's there," Ivy replied. "It will take me ten minutes to purify and prepare this circle. You have that long to convince Miss Mallory and her Fallen Angel Lasciel to take part in the ritual."

"Oh wonderful," Queen Maeve said as she began clapping her hands. "We shall see Dresden perform once again, and this time with such a lovely mortal."

"When exactly did she see you perform the first time?" Elaine asked through gritted teeth.

"Let's just say that Queen Mab had a very interesting way of initiating her new Winter Knights, and leave it at that."

"You had sex with Queen Mab? Please tell me you wore a condom. No, please tell me you wore two condoms."

"Sorry, but on the bright side there are no new rashes on Little Harry or a burning sensation when I pee."

Despite the grim situation Elaine started laughing. "Damn you Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden. I'm not having sex with you in front of the thirty thousand wizards and a million extra-dimensional demons. It's just not happening."

"I'm the one who has to get it up here, and in case you missed it we are facing the end of the world." The wizard then closed his eyes and let out a deep moan. "Oh Christ, I just remembered that I'm now the Gatekeeper. That would make you the Keymaster."

"Let me guess, the Archive brought a strap-on for me to use."

"Listen to me closely Elaine Lillian Malloy: I have loved you since the first moment I saw you. You know that's true."

"Harry, we were both ten at the time."

"It doesn't matter. When it comes to the two of us nothing else matters—not even that psychotic bitch inside of your head," Dresden told her. "This isn't how I wanted to get back together with you, but we can do this. We have to do this."

"Doing this was never a problem for us," Elaine said just before she kissed him. The pair quickly started shedding their clothes.

Neville had turned his back on this unseemly but oddly romantic spectacle, and was instead watching the Outsiders. "Harry, a lot of those Patronus Charms are starting to fade, and the Outsiders are pushing hard on the shield. How long can your people hold out?"

"We practiced for up to an hour at time at Azkaban, but we weren't facing this many opponents. Ivy, what's your time frame?"

"At least five more minutes," his wife replied as she continued her complicated work on the circle. On the plus side of the ledger Dresden and Elaine were already performing their part of the ritual.

"I hope they don't finish too early," Thomas said to Maeve and Titania as they all watched the pair with interest.

"SECOND SHIELD." General Potter ordered.

This was one of the Legion's more complicated maneuvers. A second wave of twelve thousand legionaries had to cast their Patronus Charms, and then flew forward to replace those wizards and witches who were tiring. It didn't go as planned, and several hundred legionaries were lost as the Outsiders continued to press their ferocious attack.

"Ivy, what exactly do these Old Ones look like?" Neville asked.

"They are very big and very ugly."

"Sort of like a huge pile of moving entrails and eyeballs?" Neville asked. "Do they look something like that?"

It was difficult to see through the Patronus shield, but the creature Neville had described was indeed headed towards the pyramid. And it had brought along a few of its friends.

"There is no way we can hold those things back," Harry said.

"I know that the four of you are here!" Ivy shouted. "Show yourselves, you worthless cowards!"

Four nondescript men suddenly appeared just outside of the circle. "You do have any idea what I did to the last person who insulted me like that?" the Archangel Michael asked. "It would be wise of you to choose your words more carefully in the future."

"Go to hell," Ivy snapped as she continued to work at a feverish pace.

"You forget your place, child."

"No Michael, you forget yours. The three Knights of the Cross are here, and they brought me Elaine Mallory just when I needed her for this ritual. That means your Great White God isn't interested in the Holy Crusade you and your buddy Odin have cooked-up. He wants this incursion ended right now, just like I do. Now either shit or get off the pot!"

The four Archangels exchanged uneasy looks. "We will stand with you today," Michael said as his human body began to blaze with a strange light. "But tomorrow there shall be a reckoning."

"I am looking forward to it." Ivy replied sarcastically.

Other than the Archive, no one present had any idea what an angel really looked like, not even the Sidhe. They were all expecting wings, halos, and perhaps a set of beautiful white robes. What they got were beings as huge and hideous as the Old Ones. Each had four faces: one of a man, an ox, an eagle, and a lion. They moved with blinding speed and began to grapple with the approaching Old Ones. The two sides appeared to be evenly matched, and a stalemate soon developed.

Much to Harry's amazement the Legion was maintaining the Patronus shield in the face of the epic battles taking place out on the crystal plain. "How long will the Archangels last against those things?"

"They will last long enough," Ivy replied. "The ritual is ready."

"FINAL SHIELD."

When the legionaries heard that command each one of them cast their Patronuses. If the ritual didn't work in the next few minutes if wasn't going to work at all, so magical exhaustion was no longer a concern.

"Murphy, Neville, and Thomas: standing inside of the spell circle and then drive your swords into the crystal plain," Ivy ordered. "Queen Titania, Queen Maeve: please take your places."

As soon as the two Sidhe stepped inside the circle a burst of magic sealed them all inside, and locked the three holy swords in place. "What did you just do?" Titania asked as she touched the powerful wall of magic.

"In order to power this ritual you will all have to die," Ivy calmly explained.

Even Dresden and Elaine stopped what they were doing when they heard that. "Don't worry, you two don't really have to have sex. It was just a way to keep you all distracted while I was preparing everything."

"Plus it was kind of funny," Harry commented.

"Yes, it was kind of funny," Ivy agreed. "Queen Titania, thank you for all of your help. If that paranoid bitch Queen Mab was still alive she would have never fallen for a trap like this."

"So this is actually a human sacrifice?" Dresden asked as he put his duster back on. Thomas was trying to free his sword, but it would not budge.

"To be precise it is a human, Sidhe, and angelic sacrifice, since Lasciel is going to die as well," Ivy told them as the circle began to vibrate and hum. "Harry, that is our cue to leave."

"RETREAT."

The young couple than climbed aboard their magic carpet as the pyramid began to glow once more. "Sorry about all this Neville," Harry said as he put his goggles back on. "But as Dumbledore always use to say: it's for the Greater Good."

The Knight, who had his arm around Murphy, gave his former classmate a hard look. "I understand."

"Well I don't understand!" Dresden yelled as the light from the crystal pyramid continued to grow. "Ivy, you can't do this to us."

"I already have."

A year later Harry and Ivy were having lunch in the same French bistro they had visited during their courtship. Thanks to the destruction of Brussels and most of the other cities of Europe, Marseilles was now the capital of the European Union. As a result the city had made a respectable recovery, but most of the world hadn't been so fortunate.

Less than twenty million people died during the incursion by the Old Ones, but just as the Circle predicted human civilization had collapsed under the stress of an "alien invasion". That is what the mortals were calling it, and in a way there were right: the Old Ones were in fact extraterrestrials. Law and order had been restored for the most part but only after violence, hunger, and especially disease had claimed over a billion lives.

Without asking, a tall man pulled out a chair at their table and sat down. "The Circle was never your real target, was it?" Odin asked without preamble.

"I already had this discussion with Michael," Ivy said.

"Now you are going to have it with me!" Odin thundered.

"The Circle was just a symptom. The underlying disease was the White Council itself," Ivy admitted. "Which is why Edinburgh was hit by the ten nuclear weapons with earth-penetrating warheads."

As the Archive, Ivy knew all the launch codes for the world's nuclear weapons. Before leaving for Nevernever that fateful day she had given those codes to John Marcone, who in turn had order tactical strikes on every Old One left on Earth. After the Outer Gates had been sealed none of them had the strength needed to survive a nuclear explosion at point-blank range. The incursion had been defeated within a matter of hours.

"You could have prevented all this from happening in the first place," Odin said accusingly.

"As the Archive I was not allowed to interfere directly with the Circle's plans."

"But you did interfere. You slaughtered the entire White Council by destroying their headquarters."

"No, John Marcone is the one who used those launch codes," Ivy replied. "Nor did I actually perform the ritual which sealed the Outer Gates. My hands are clean."

"Your hands have more blood on them than anyone else in human history," Odin snarled.

"I disagree. You are the one who trained Merlin, and he in turn is the one who created the White Council. You gave the wizards knowledge, but not wisdom. So you are the one ultimately responsible for the creation of the Circle, and the extensive damage it caused."

"And now that the White Council is gone who will protect the mortals from the various supernatural threats they still face?" Odin asked. "That is the reason I trained Merlin in the first place."

"The Legion of Light has already begun hunting down and destroying the few remaining vampires," Harry said. "We are also in the process of returning the magical creatures of the world to their proper homes in Nevernever. Finally we have created a world-wide network of overlapping wards design to alert the ICW if any new warlocks begin abusing their magical abilities."

"So you have simply replaced one magical regime with another. How do you know that they will be any better than the Council?"

"Wizards like my husband lack the raw power needed to destroy the world," Ivy replied. "Rashid was one of the greatest wizards since Merlin, but even he barely had the strength needed to open the Outer Gates."

"What of the threat posed by the Sidhe?" Odin asked.

Harry tilted his head towards a neighboring table. Sitting there drinking cocktails were Queen Luna of Winter and Queen Lily of Summer. When they saw Odin looking over they waved their tiny pink umbrellas at him. Lady Hermione of Winter, who was holding her little god-daughter Ariel Potter, huffed loudly at their childish antics.

"I think we have that particular situation under control," Harry said.

"By your own logic there is one more menace that needs to be eliminated," Odin reasoned. "If the vast power of the White Council posed an unacceptable threat to the safety of the world, then so do you. Your recent crimes prove that conclusively."

"See Harry, I told you the overgrown viking would want to kill me," Ivy commented.

"No little girl, I am going to kill you."

Ivy and Harry looked at each other and started to laugh. They had been looking for an excuse to start a new war against their remaining enemies, and now that Odin had directly threatened the Archive they had one.