*puts on tinfoil hat*  The Winter/Summer could have started in a way that had nothing to do with the courts.  If you look back to the old Olympian myths and Skin Game when Hades got hitched Hecate(hint hint) distracts mother in law Demeter so Persephone and him can be left in peace.  Now then, we've got Hecate *cough mother winter cough* and the goddess of the summer and fertility together.  Another part of the myth is when Persephone spent time away from Demeter, Demeter got sad and this is what causes winter.  Maybe, rather than this causing the actual seasons this was the beginning of what would eventually become the courts. 

Maybe, back when the gods stepped down from defending the Outer Gates they created the Shide (crossing wildfae, mortals, and maybe an Olympian) to be their new partly mortal foot soldiers who would not be effected by the waning beliefs of mortals as the gods were.  Then, Hecate and Demeter were put in charge of them which created the Courts. 

Though Hestia, another one of the twelve Olympians who was the goddess of the hearth, fire, and eldest of them could also be Mother Summer. 

Did someone record it?

Post your favorite pictures, cosplay, concept art, series, videos, books, etc.  Just make it fun and interesting. 

Starting off with Just Glue Some Gears On It:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFCuE5rHbPA

Yup.  It seems to be a good series but so frustrating to read month to month.  I have contented myself to reading it by a story arc basis. 

Ulfgeir and Fox, Thank you for your recommendations.  I will get to those after I finish David Eddings' stuff (or at least those things related to The Belgariad universe). 

As long as Mark Hamil and Billy Dee Williams don't Become literary critics.

no

These cats make Cat Sith seem self-effacing and courteous.

...this is horrifying.  I am starting to think that the cats must run everything.

Seeing as people are going off on the whole Mavra thing I will post my opinion but it only goes so far as the most easily observable stuff in the books:

I say that Mavra is not Black Council.  The Black Council struck a deal with the Reds so that they would attack Edinburgh when everyone was forted up.  Mavra could have blackmailed Harry for any number of things that would have made it easier for Cowl to become a demi-god.  Instead Mavra did something that would make Harry fight them.  Also, if Mavra were black council they would have gone ahead and used the Darkhallow however many times and there would be a dozen Kemmlers running around. 

Mavra may have been at the ball and instrumental in certain things but I think that she is actively against Nemesis.