A/N: as promised, Hermione tells how she really feels about Dumbledore, the problem with blood wards, and just what is on those mysterious discs.

Please see previous disclaimer.

Chapter Twelve

"Cedric, what you need to know about the computer is in the instruction book. You and Harry will be able to figure it out, I'm sure." Hermione reassured him. "The really important thing to know is what we've packed onto those drives and discs."

Cedric could recognize a cue when he heard one. "Oh?"

Hermione looked like her face would split in two with her smile. "There's more information in that one bag than in twenty Hogwarts libraries! Every spell book, grimoire, tome and scroll we've been able to lay our hands on has been scanned, digitized, filed, labeled and cross-referenced for easy searchability…." She noticed that Cedric's eyes were starting to glaze over. "Let's just say…each of these computers is a complete magical library, designed to be easy to use by a relative novice…like you or Harry. If there's a spell known to Western civilization, it's there, ready for you to use it. There are even video files showing how to properly make the correct wand motions for the more difficult spells."

"There's a comprehensive potions section, as well," Susan added. "Also three different astrology programs, an arithmancy calculator, herbology database, muggle reference works, and both muggle and wizarding travel guides with suggestions for the best places to buy dragon hide battle armor, staves, unregistered and customized wands in England, Europe, Australia, and the Americas. There are also sections on selected wizarding areas of Egypt, India, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan and New Zealand."

"Er…impressive, I suppose," Cedric said. It sounded a bit as if they could just send one of these little monsters back to Harry and forget about one Cedric Diggory.

"I tried to get them to include a sex manual or three, but I figure you and Potter can work that out for yourselves, eh, Ced?" Justin was already moving away as he laughed out the last.

"Oi! It's not like that and you know it!" Cedric protested.

"Justin! Stop being such a berk!" Susan rebuked him with a threatened smack, making him mock-cower in fear.

"Sorry, Susan love, but someone needed to say it, might as well 'ave been me." Justin slid back beside Cedric just in time to catch a thump to the arm. "Ow! I hope you don't treat Harry like that."

"Harry's not a complete, total and utter prat like you apparently grew up to be," Cedric replied calmly, turning back to study the computer. "You say that there's a library of information hidden in each of these things, and that we can get to that information easily?" Not knowing exactly who would be answering, he looked around the room as he asked.

Several heads nodded in answer to his question.

"Well, that will be helpful, whatever happens. And, I'm sure that Harry and I can figure out how to use them?" It was a question that, again, several heads nodded in answer to. "All right…now, where do we say that these came from? Obviously, Harry and I just can't pull them out of thin air without some sort of explanation."

"Japan."

Cedric had the impression that Miss Darrow-Wright had just barely beaten Hermione in answering him. When he looked at her, she continued.

"You bought…or will buy, sorry…them in Japan, one for you and one for Harry. Since they were introduced a few months before the last task of the Tri-Wizard, that's a temporally appropriate answer. Also, there is so little contact between wizarding Britain and Japan that the chances of anyone knowing any differently are very slight."

"That assumes that I will be traveling to Japan in the near future," Cedric replied. Somehow he suspected that there was an answer for that, too.

"Ideally, you and Harry will both be traveling together," Neville responded. "That's going to be one of the first hurdles you have to overcome. If possible, you and Harry--with your family, of course--will 'use your Tri-Wizard winnings' to travel over the summer, seeing the sights of the 'exotic Orient'. That would easily explain the muggle electronic devices we're going to be providing you." Cedric nodded, noting but not commenting on the plural 'devices'…obviously, there was going to be more in those bags than just a computer. He listened carefully as Longbottom continued.

"Unfortunately, the main obstacle to this little jaunt is going to be Dumbledore."

"Dumbledore? The Headmaster? Why him?" Cedric was genuinely shocked. Never had he imagined having to go against the venerable Hogwarts Headmaster.

"Because he's a manipulative, interfering, controlling, daft old coot who has always been willing to sacrifice Harry…and anyone else, at need…for his idea of the 'greater good', that's why. Oh, and he reads minds without so much as a 'by your leave', so don't look him in the eye until you and Harry both master Occulomency." Hermione spat.

"Well, that about sums it up," Draco put in with a gravely laugh.

"Hermione, please," Neville chided. Turning back to Cedric, he took up the explanation.

"Dumbledore will do everything in his power to force Harry to spend the first part of the summer with his muggle relatives. You know about them, right?"

Cedric murmured a soft affirmation. He knew that Harry wasn't happy there, and he suspected that there were reason's beyond Harry's vague 'we don't get along'.

Hermione was looking at him shrewdly. "He hasn't told you about them, has he? No, he wouldn't, not Harry," she answered herself. "Cedric, what you need to know is that the Durstley's are absolutely horrible to Harry, and have been all of his life. They starve and abuse him, both mentally and physically. That deprivation and abuse is the main reason that Harry's so small."

Well, of course, that made sense. Cedric fitted that with what he already knew from Harry, and suddenly a number of things fell into place. Harry's scrawny, underfed stature, many odd scars, reluctance to speak about his childhood or home life…and he, Cedric Diggory, Hufflepuff extraordinaire, had let his feisty young boyfriend divert, dismiss and dissemble to keep him from finding out the truth! Well, when he got his hands on that little Gryffindor, he would….

He would see to it that Harry never, ever had to endure that situation again, by Helga's garters! Clenching his jaw, he interrupted Hermione without thinking.

"So, how do I keep Harry away from his relatives? I'm sure that you've got an answer for me…short of kidnapping him myself, or killing Dumbledore, that is." From his tone, Cedric wouldn't have minded doing either just then.

"Dumbles will rattle on about some supposed 'blood wards' at Harry's relatives that keep him safe from You-Know-Who," Susan told him quickly. At Cedric's skeptical look, she nodded. "I know, you know, even the Gryffindors know that blood wards like that would collapse under his relatives' feelings for him within hours, forget about lasting for years. It's all a complete fabrication by Dumbles, probably to keep Harry beaten down and easily controllable. So, what you have to do is to come up with an acceptable rationale to satisfy Dumbles AND get Harry away from there. Oh, and then there's the Dementors, too," she finished.

"Dementors?" Cedric squeaked.

"Oh, did we forget to mention that, in our time, Harry was attacked at his relatives' home by Dementors during the summer after the Tri-Wizard? Despite Dumbledore's oh-so-necessary-and-powerful blood wards? And that Harry was tried before the Wizengamot for underage magic use after he defended himself and his cousin from said Dementors? Silly us," Susan laughed.

"Not funny, Susan. Don't play with young Cedric; just tell him about the ritual." For the first time, Justin Finch-Fletchley sounded serious.

"Dementors first, then blood rituals." Susan patted Cedric's arm reassuringly. "Don't worry about the Dementors, Harry can cast a corporeal Patronus spell…as long as you give him some happy memories," her eyes sparkled as Cedric blushed. "At any rate, if things go according to plan, you won't be in Little Whinging to worry about the Dementors. You see, we've found a relatively simple ritual that will convince Dumbledore that his precious blood wards are being maintained without Harry actually having to be there."

Cedric smiled in anticipation. "And I'll find this ritual?" he asked.

Susan returned his smile. "It's in a book in the restricted section of Hogwarts library called Blood, Body and Spirit: Rituals of Self-Magick. The ritual is called Sangeous Substitutia Somaetia, and uses a small vial of Harry's blood as a replacement for his actual presence. The beauty of this particular ritual is that once the vial is anchored to the wards, removing the vial from inside the wards destroys the vial, the blood, the wards, and most likely the person removing the vial! It's a perfect solution, and Dumbles won't be able to argue against it…especially with your father arguing with you."

Cedric's grin widened at this last. Yes, his father would be arguing with him on this one. Already a Harry Potter fan like most of the wizarding world, Amos Diggory had gone through a brief period of what Cedric called 'Harry-itis', being angry at Harry for 'cheating' to enter the Tri-Wizard Tournament.

It had only taken Cedric one rather heated 'discussion' with his father to convince the elder Diggory that Cedric had no such illusions and that he, Cedric, had only the highest admiration for Harry Potter and would not tolerate any disrespect of the young Mr. Potter in his, Cedric's, presence. He had then informed his father that he fully intended to ask Mr. Harry Potter to spend a part of his summer hols at Diggory House, regardless of the outcome of the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Furthermore, as a guest of Cedric's, Harry Potter was to be accorded the same courtesy and consideration as any other guest of the family Diggory…or he, Cedric Diggory would find another home to call his own.

If his father was surprised at the…vehemence of Cedric's defense of Harry Potter, he gave no sign of it. However, he did cease his derogatory and degrading comments about young Potter.

As Cedric's smile morphed into a smirk at the end-flight he was going to make around the Headmaster, he heard Susan saying, "oh, and don't worry about remembering the exact book and ritual, Cedric. If you forget it, it's on a parchment that I put…."

"In the instruction book, I know, I know." Cedric's smirk was full-blown now, and he was gratified to hear several of the others chuckling with him.

A/N: Next Chapter--more toys, and it's NOT a flying carpet! It's an aerial mobile wizarding domicile based on a faux-Persian chassis. Got it?