Harry nodded. "When I took Excalibur it wasn't just because I was Arthur Pendragon's latest descendent. He's just an ancient ancestor of my family line. But the Sword has always been the Badge of Office of the House of Avalon, from which all other magical Houses can trace their lineage. It was the original House of Magic, sired by Merlin, the first of the Ancient and Noble Houses in British Magical tradition. The old seats of power in Wales have been dormant for hundreds of years, since the English crown subjugated this country."