Chapter 20: The Gala
The next evening Harry stood in his room wearing the shirt, trousers and boots from the formal robes Sirius left him.
The evening before Harry had left Draco and his mother in Inyugami, Li and the Healers there had set straight to work and the prognosis was good for her making a recovery in time. In the mean time Harry and Draco had agreed to set aside their feud until Harry could explain things to him.
Resting on the bed in front of him were his weapons, his daggers, his two pairs of guns, Force Lances, his claws, wrist blades, the Hunters Pike, the Masamune and the Katana.
After a few moments Harry decided that his best bet was his wand, his father's knife, his Beretta's, his daggers and the Hunter's Pike.
After strapping his Blaster's to his back at the waist Harry sheathed his daggers in a shoulder harness between his shoulder blades and the small of his back, and concealing the Hunters Pike and the Hunter Glaives on his belt.
Then Harry threw his robe on and tied his hair into a ponytail.
"You look good Son" James said from his portrait.
"When you go back to Hogwarts the girls will be killing each other to get you" Sirius laughed
"Well they can look" Harry grinned "As long as they don't touch. My eyes are set on one woman and one woman alone"
"There isn't a woman alive who can resist the Potter charm Harry" James grinned
Lily's response was to slap her husband across the back of the head "I resisted you"
Harry laughed as he downed a shot of fire whiskey and went downstairs calling "Don't wait up"
A short time later Harry appeared silently in a clearing five miles outside Zurich. With a single oak rising to the night sky in the centre, its leaves beginning to feel autumns grip.
And under the tree rested two marble tombstones. The first read.
Yuri Volte Hyuga
1893 – 1962
Lover, Husband, Warrior, Badass.
May you continue the freedom in the next life, which you held dear in this one.
From Margarete and Halley.
The second read
Alice Elliot Hyuga
1893 – 1960
Lover, Wife, Healer.
You were a light in the lives of all whose hearts you touched.
From Zhuzhen and Keith
"I was right" Harry grinned "Yuri did it; the son of a bitch actually did it"
Harry laughed as he stood up and brushed the dirt from his knee.
After looking at the grave for a few moments Harry smiled and bowed before turning and walking away, apparating in mid step.
Harry sighed slightly as he mingled among the witches and wizards already at the Gala. He had arrived half an hour earlier, it was seven pm and he was already bored. Neville and the others were due to arrive any time.
As he passed through a group of Lords and Ladies Harry passed a man wearing a Muggle tuxedo, looking incredibly lost.
Harry, who while not having watched much TV in recent years recognised Tony Blair, the British Prime Minister, and decided to take pity on him.
"I know the feeling" he announced as he came to a stop next to Blair.
"Feeling?" the Muggle asked
"Totally lost with no clue what to do or what the hell is going on" Harry said "I felt that way a few times myself over the years"
Blair looked at Harry for a few moments "You look a little young to be a Lord, no offence meant"
"None taken" Harry said "And I've only been a Lord for a week. It's the unfortunate duty of being the last of your family" then he put out his hand to the Minister "Harry Potter"
"I've heard a lot about you Mr. Potter" Blair said as he shook Harry's hand.
"Lies, every word" Harry smiled "And please, call me Harry"
Blair smiled as he took a glass of champagne from the passing tray and turned to Harry again "What's your opinion on these attacks?"
"I don't know much about what happened during Riddle's last rise" Harry said "But if I had to guess, I'd say the games are only just beginning. This war is going to get real ugly real fast" then Harry sighed as he said "The fact that the new Minister is taking the threat seriously is a good sign though. But the problem is that Fudge spent last year ignoring it and destroying my credibility"
"I didn't like him much when I met him" Blair said "He was and still is an asshole"
"We agree on that" Harry said "It wouldn't surprise me if he ended up taking the Dark Mark"
"Rufus said the same thing" Blair said as he nodded to the French Prime Minister as he passed.
"Out of curiosity" Harry said "What's opinion among the other World Leaders?"
"The Queen is scooting fire and brimstone at the fact that Voldemort was able to return unnoticed for a year" Blair said "The French Minister and the Japanese Emperor are furious that Rufus allowed the Death Eater situation to leave England. And Bill Clinton is gearing up to send a battalion of Battle Mages to deal with the problem himself"
"That's not a good idea" Harry said "If open Magical War breaks out on Brittan's streets it will be very difficult to keep the world from finding out the truth"
"And also very dangerous if the truth did get out" Blair said "It would be the Salem Witch Trials all over again"
"Except they wouldn't just stop with people who can apparate" Harry said "It would be kids who can't defend themselves"
"But we also need to prepare for the possibility that it will go public" Blair said
"How do we do that?" Harry asked
"You let me worry about the media Harry" Blair said "You just focus on stopping Voldemort"
"Right" Harry said as he moved past the Prime Minister.
Harry had just spotted Neville standing looking immensely bored in his dark blue family robes next to his grandmother when the announcer by the entrance boomed "President of the United Muggle and Magical States of America Bill Clinton. And American Minister of Magical War Hayden Iasant"
Harry almost dropped the glass of champagne he had when he heard that name. The son of Koudelka Iasant, and Edward Plunkett. Harry remembered the time Yuri had met him in London while searching for Albert Simon and discovered the source of the voice which had been guiding him down the road for several years, it was also the point where Yuri discovered the existence of the three Tomes which had been stolen from the Vatican ten years earlier, the Pulse Tract, the R'lyeh Text and the Émigré Manuscript.
There had been times in the past weeks when Harry wondered what had happened to those three texts. Especially the Pulse Tract and the R'lyeh Text. In Riddle's hands either one of those books could bring destruction of untold proportions upon the Earth.
"Do you know Shana's granddad Hunter?" Neville asked as he approached.
"Not personally" Harry replied as Shana swept towards the teens, her sky blue dress hugging her frame "But Yuri Hyuga did. As far as I know the last Yuri heard of him was on the French front during World War One. I don't know where he went exactly after he and his mother took the ship from Southampton to New York in nineteen fourteen"
"Will he know you?" Neville inquired
"His granddaughter is a Harmonixer" Harry said "It's plausible that he would be able to sense my power"
Neville nodded as they moved through the crowd towards President Clinton, the ninety six year old Halley and Shana.
"Looking lovely as always Storm" Harry smiled
"And you're still a flirt Hunter" Shana grinned from behind her lightly made up face as she smoothed her shimmering white spaghetti strap dress. Harry could tell that she had some weapons hidden somewhere, but not where.
"So this is the legendary Harry Potter I've heard so much about" Halley said in a Brooklyn accent, although he could still hear traces of the London slang in his tones.
"And you're the Legendary Halley Iasant" Harry said "Former Leader of the London Rat's, conformed Psychic and holder of Congressional Medal of Honor for charging a Machine Gun post and getting a bullet in your right shoulder after shoving a grenade down the Germans throats on the French front in the summer of nineteen fifteen"
"I got a Purple Heart and a Silver Star for that too" Halley chuckled "Has Blair told you we're considering talking the fight to Riddle?"
"Yeah" Harry said "And I'd advice against it. Europe has proven time and again that they fear what they don't know. And don't take this the wrong way but America isn't much better in that respect"
Halley nodded "He is right sir. If we start open warfare with Voldemort then we risk something worse than burning crosses outside homes and skinheads with Swastika tattoos"
"But I'm not denying that the war has to end" Harry said "We just need to do it in a more subtle way. Out of the Muggle public eye"
"What did you have in mind?" Shana asked
Harry smiled lightly "I was thinking of…" but before he could finish another voice boomed out across the brightly decorated ballroom.
"Representing the Valentine Clan and the Vampire Nation, Lord Keith Valentine, Lord Joachim Valentine and Lady Hildegard Valentine"
"Ah good Keith is here" Halley said as he searched through the crowds for the five hundred and twenty year old vampire." Now we're just waiting for Li to arrive with the Emperor and Yoshiko"
"Yoshiko?" Harry asked "As in Yoshiko Kawashima, the late Emperor's granddaughter?"
"Correct" Shana said "Her uncle Naniwa Kato is her bodyguard"
"So Lieutenant Colonel Kawashima married Masaji Kato?" Harry asked
"Six months after we brought down Astaroth as I recall" Halley said "Naniwa was born after World War One ended"
"Did Alice and Yuri ever have children?" Harry inquired
"Alice couldn't have kids" Halley sighed "What short time she spent in Dehaui's care in Shanghai robbed her of that right"
Harry growled to himself as he saw the familiar faces of Keith and Joachim approach, garbed in suits and robes along with an elegantly dressed female vampire who he was guessing was the Pink Bat Joachim received the Dark Tower from in Le Harve before the assault on Taka Maga Hara, his little sister.
"It's good to see you again Keith" Halley said "How long has it been?"
"Kurando's vuneral" Keith replied in an Eastern European accent "Nineteen zeventy three in Inyugami"
"It has been too long Halley" Joachim said in a Mexican accent
"It has Joachim" Halley said before looking at Harry "He made me a rich man back in the thirties. Undefeated in every tournament he competed in, in both North and South America"
"Zo zis is ze new Harmonixer I've been told so much about" Keith said as he turned to Harry "Kurando's heir"
"Harry Potter-Black" Harry said as he shook Keith's hand "And technically I'm not Kurando's heir, David is, he's the one who drew Mumerio"
"But you're the one who inherited big K's power" Halley said "By rights if anything Happens to Yuri and Li, you're next in line for leadership of the Clan and the Dog Guardians"
Harry nodded silently as he glanced at his watch, David had said he would be arriving with Li and the Emperor at seven thirty, it was coming up on that time now.
And right on cue the same booming voice that announced Keith said "Emperor of Japan Hironobu Kissargi, Minister of War Li Inyugami and Foreign Minister Yoshiko Kawashima"
Harry looked towards the voice and saw Li standing at the end of the red carpet leading into the ballroom with DJ, a formal looking elderly man wearing a black Japanese style suit, a man who reminded Harry immensely of Masaji Kato and a young woman with wearing a suit as well.
"That's it then" Harry said "That's the last delegate. The attack should start any time"
"I'm ready" Shana promised
"Same here" Neville agreed as he ran his fingers along the leather holster on his right thigh.
Harry nodded silently as he checked the safety on the blaster he had resting beneath his robe.
Harry spotted DJ walking towards them and smiled.
DJ was a few feet from them when an explosion rocked the area and a shower of glass pelted the centre of the ballroom and two dozen black shapes dropped through the ceiling.
In an instant Harry and Neville drew their Pulse Weapons and opened fire.
Moments later three silver pulses of energy struck the chests of three of the Death Eaters, interrupting their slowed descent to the ground below.
In the time it took the others to land the three fallen Death Eaters had smashed into the ground and most likely were dead.
The remaining Death Eaters all stood in a circle and raise their wands. And the fight was on.
Done.
Next time the delegates bite back.