Disclaimer: I can honestly say that after looking at my poor bank balance I do not own any of the characters that you see and recognise here from either Harry Potter or The Labyrinth, I am just having a little fun with them all

This chapter is dedicated to Carmynsorena for the lovely PM they sent me recently that got me back into writing. Thank you your words meant so much to me :)

Chapter Twenty-Eight – Christmas Celebrations Pt3 – Intermission

Amelia Bones was unsure about what she was doing and she hated being unsure about anything. She had received a letter two days ago that she suspected was a prank but due to her sense of professionalism felt compelled to make sure that there was no substance to the threats that had been mentioned in it. Therefore she had sent a reply that she would go to Gringotts and so here she was walking into the building at five to eleven.

She was about to move to the nearest teller that had no ques in front of them when she was approached by one of the goblin guards that are always stationed around the room. It gave a short bow to her and said, "Greetings Madam Bones, if you will follow me the Director is waiting."

She returned the short bow with one of her own a look of surprise flickering across her face, it was rumoured that the Directors of Gringotts Bank formed a council and helped advise the ruler of the Goblin Nation, another rumour had it that the current ruler was called Ragnok but the truth was he was merely the most senior Director and ran the Branch in Berlin, Germany.

Either way it was well known that the Directors of the Gringotts Branches never saw humans as a form of protest at the way humans treated Goblins, they didn't even know the name of the Directors thought she suspected her Australian and American counterparts may know theirs as out of anywhere in the world they were the countries that tended to get on with the Goblins better.

Keeping her tone calm and polite she said, "Greetings," but then hesitated a moment before asking, "If I am to see the Director will I have to surrender my wand?"

The goblin guard seemed impressed that she had asked, "No madam Bones, it has been decided that you are to be allowed to keep it."

She gave a single nod of her head in acknowledgment and followed as he took her through one of the doors out of the room. She had expected to be led down deep into the bank but was instead escorted up several staircases. The higher up they went she noticed more and more guards at the entrances to each floor, finally they came to the top floor.

She could only see two doors on this floor, both of which had guards standing on either side in full armour and with battle axes on their backs and in their hands, short swords also hung on their waists, one of the pair at each door also had a deep blue stipe across the breast plate that was imprinted with a crest she had never seen before, at least not until a week ago when her niece received a strange party invite and the letter she had gotten a couple of days ago.

She didn't know it but the guards with the deep blue stipe were the magical warriors of the Goblin Nation, they were the ones trained in battle magic and the deadliest members of the Kings army, they were also clan-less unlike other goblins.

As soon as they were identified as magic users when young they no longer belonged to one clan but to all goblin clans, the King had decreed it to be that way to ensure that no one clan would ever have the strongest magic users in it and use them to wipe out any of the other clans. Instead they were sent to the training academy that was on the other side of the Kingdom, out of sight of the castle and the Labyrinth to ensure no wishers ever saw it and taught control and use of their gifts, any goblin with magic that was not strong enough to become a Warrior was trained in either the field of healing or crafting.

Amelia was shown through one of the guarded doors and found herself in a very luxurious and opulent office. The floor was covered with a thick deep red carpet, while several pictures of famous painters, both magical and non-magical were arranged on the walls that showed them in the best light. A large English oak desk sat under a large circular window, Amelia wasn't sure but she thought it looked like the window you see when approaching the bank and suspected if she were to go and look out of it she would see all of Diagon Alley below.

Sat behind the desk was a goblin dressed in a long sleeved, soft brown leather shirt and had Amelia been able to see underneath the desk would have seen trousers of the same soft brown leather while on a stand behind him there was set of full armour within easy reach should the need to put it on quickly occurred.

He looked up at her and gestured to one of the comfortable arm chairs that were placed in front of his desk, "Madam Bones please come in and have a seat."

She gave a short bow before moving to one of the seats, making herself comfortable in one. While she did the goblin that had escorted her hurried over and whispered something to the Director.

When the guard was done he quickly left, the Director regarded the witch in front of him for a few moments before saying "I am Director Golgribble of the England branch of Gringotts, I would like to thank you for offering to surrounding your wand, not many witches or wizards would do so."

Amelia gave him a smile, "It's also not every witch and wizard that's gets to meet with the Director, or receives a letter from one that signs it as the King of the Goblins."

He gave a chuckle, "No I am sure they don't, I assure you the identity of the author of your letter is genuine, he is my Lord and King, though he is not of the Goblin race himself. Very few know of his existence, to most he is just a fairy tale told to children." He grew serious as he said, "He has made me aware of his request to meet with you, unfortunately he is unable to travel here to do so but has asked if you are willing to allow you to travel to him."

Amelia couldn't help looking both surprised and wary at this, "Your King is not a goblin?" That immediately dispelled the rumour in her mind about Ragnok being the leader of the Goblin Nation, "And just where would I be traveling to if I agree?"

Golgribble gave her a smile of his own, although it did look a little sinister this time as he knew full well all about the rumours and what she was most likely thinking but not correcting her about Ragnok's status as current leader of the Aboveground Goblins after their King, "No he is not but by his own decree I am forbidden from ever revealing what race he is from.

You need not fear about where you would be travelling to Madam Bones as the trip is short though some would say the distance great but once again I am forbidden from naming it without His Majesties authorisation. His majesty has also told me to reassure you that you will be protected under the ancient laws of hospitality while in his castle and Kingdom."

Amelia frowned, very few people followed the old laws these days, they were taught to all who would be Head of House and as Regent for the Bones House she knew them so to be told that she would be protected by them left her still wary but also intrigued as to who or what kind of person would invoke them.

Taking a deep breath she gave a single nod of her head she decided to take the gamble, "Very well I accept the Kings invitation" she glanced down at her robes and couldn't help asking, "Are my clothes ok or do I need to go home and get changed if I am to meet a King?"

Golgribble gave another chuckle, "There is no need to change, your attire is fine, His Majesty is only picky when it comes to his own clothes," He gave her another large grin as he said, "But you did not hear that from me, I quite like being able to be near people and if he heard what I said he would drop me in the Bog of Eternal Stench." He couldn't stop the slight shudder as he said this last bit.

Amelia raised an eyebrow at him but didn't say anything, Golgribble stood and moved around his desk gesturing her to follow him. She stood and he led her out of his office and to the second heavily guarded door on that floor.

Opening it he turned to her and said, "Once you are in this room and the door has closed simply say, 'I, Madam Amelia Bones, Regent for the House of Bones and Head of the Department for Magical Law Enforcement have an appointment with the King of the Goblins', the room will do the rest."

Amelia looked in at the plain white room before looking down at him curiously, "You're not coming?"

Golgribble shook his head, "I have not been granted permission by His Majesty to travel. You are to go alone."

Amelia pulled herself up straight and with a last look at him stepped into the room, Golgribble swung the door shut behind her and she moved to the middle of the room. After glancing at the door and feeling a little silly said clearly, "I, Madam Amelia Bones, Regent for the House of Bones and Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement have an appointment with the King of the Goblins"

The walls seemed to glow brighter a little for a moment but otherwise nothing changed and she was unsure if whatever was supposed to happen had worked, until the door was opened by the scruffiest goblin she had ever seen, even his amour seemed dirty and well used but not from battle.

It gave a very low bow, so low his ears seemed to brush the floor as he gave a cackle and in a high squeaky voice said, "Follow me His Majesty is waiting." Before scuttling out of the doorway, she quickly followed him and found herself having to walk quite fast to keep up with him.

The corridors made her think of being in a very old castle, although they appeared to be relatively clean they clearly had a lived in look to them, after all Sarah could only do so much after so many years of neglect by the hopeless goblins.

The goblin stopped in front of a dark, solid looking door and knocked several times before he scuttled off away back down the corridor. A muffled 'Enter' was heard from within the room so Madam Bones steeled herself once more and pushed it open to step inside.

The office she stepped in was a lot less luxurious then Golgribbles, it had a much more practical air to it, reminding her of her own in the Ministry. The figure behind the desk looked up, saw her standing in the doorway and put the quill he had been using down to sit back in his seat.

Amelia stepped further into the room, closing the door behind her before giving an awkward curtsey and saying, "Your Majesty, thank you for seeing me."

He gave a brief shallow bow of his head as he waved her in and towards one of the chairs in front of his desk, "You are most welcome Madam Bones, please come in and sit, would you like anything to drink?"

Amelia couldn't help it, she knew the stories of eating and drinking in strange lands and being stuck there forever and while she didn't know where she was the feeling in the air made her certain this was definitely a strange land so immediately said, "Thank you sire but no, I have only recently had my own breakfast."

A small smile tugged at the corners of Jareth's mouth, he easily guessed the reason for her saying no as it was something that always happened when he was visited by mortals in his own land, although with his current standing orders to the goblins Aboveground he was sure Amelia had no idea where exactly she was.

"Very well, I would like to thank you for coming to see me, I am sure you get to see and spend precious little time with your niece, especially as she now attends Hogwarts so I will do my best to not keep you too long." Jareth said, maintaining the image of a polite business man as opposed to a King.

He had heard good things about both Bones women, the younger one from his son and so was happy to have the chance to get to see if what he had heard from McGonagall about the older one was correct. If so than he wanted to try and secure an alliance with the House of Bones, after all it was one of the few Houses that had held strong political alliances with the House of Potter in the past and he knew Jared would need all the alliances he could when he took his position as Head of the House.

Amelia smiled at him, "You are correct, an unfortunate result of having such a busy job but it does mean that I can ensure Susan has the best chances available to her when she is older. I am sure you feel the same with your own son, I trust Prince Jared is well?" she asked in the same polite manner.

He gave her a full smile now, "He is, working quite hard with his Stepmother the Queen on making sure the ball I have allowed him will be perfect, though my wife and I have tried to tell him that it doesn't need to be so for his first one, it just needs to be fun."

Amelia gave a chuckle, "From the stories Susan tells me about him I could imagine how hard he is working at it, ah the enthusiasm of youth I sometimes wish I still had it."

"Indeed," he agreed with her giving his own little chuckle, "I trust your niece Susan is also well and has been enjoying her Christmas break?"

Amelia gave a nod, "She is and has, she loved the present Prince Jared sent her, I hope her own present to him and the thank you letter she wrote reached him ok."

"It did, all post sent to Jared comes through here after being screened by the goblins in the bank for anything harmful, necessary precautions I am sure you can understand."

She gave a brief nod and said, "Of course I do the same and screen mine and Susan's post before letting her near it, being in my position at the Ministry we can't be too careful."

He was pleased to see she understand, not many liked the thought of their post being scanned and could find it quite insulting. "Once it has passed through and sent here I then do one final check on it before handing anything over to Jared, I know a few tricks that the Goblins would be unable to do as result of the magic for my own species. It is in fact in relation to a parcel being sent to Jared that I finally asked to see you."

A serious look came over Amelia at hearing this, "I assume it was this parcel that was the threat you referred to in your letter sire?"

Jared looked deadly serious now, "Among several other things yes. Several days ago a package was sent to the England branch of Gringotts for Prince Jared. Naturally the goblins scanned it and upon finding some tracking and compulsion charms they decided to perform further scans, here are their results."

He passed her a piece of parchment which he had used to copy the list of what charms and potions had been detected on the parcel sent by Dumbledore, he had done it so that he didn't have to show her the whole letter as he didn't want to reveal who had done them just yet, he wanted to see her reaction to the list first. Nor did he want her to be aware that he was in talks with the three professors yet as the letter clearly implied.

Amelia read over the list and the further down she got the angrier she got, that someone would dare to use even the first low level charms, and on a child, was infuriating but the stronger ones and finally the potions listed had her wanting to hit the firing range the Aurors used and start blowing things up.

It was with a tight voice that she asked, "Do you know who sent the parcel sire?"

Jareth's Fae senses easily picked up the amount of rage she was feeling, it flowed off her and he couldn't stop a rather vicious smile from showing. "I do, the magical signature of who cast the spells, created the potions and who they were keyed to was easily picked out as a part of the detection spells used by my goblins. Before I tell you what was found I would also like to advise you of other issues my son has either been forced to deal with or discovered since returning to your world, if you are as cleaver as I have been told you are I am sure you will figure out the identity of the one who sent the parcel and so attempted to bring about war between our nations."

Amelia took a deep breath and forced her anger back, "Of course sire, but may I ask has it all been just the one person for each issue your son has had to face?"

Jareth gave a small shake of his head, "Unfortunately no, two of the three individuals I believe will be easy to deal with, but the third, he will be harder to deal with and also the reason why I have not yet filed any complaints with your ministry.

Of course there is also the fact that any complaints are likely to be ignored simply because they would come from the Goblin nation and a disturbing amount of bias and prejudice has built up against my subjects in your world." His voice was ice cold and his words dripped disgust and disdain as he said this last bit.

Amelia grimaced and looked ashamed at that fact, "I wish I could say that was not true but I would be lying and that is something I try to only do if it has an effect on the outcome of a mission." She couldn't help the slight smile as she said, "And lying is certainly not something I would dream of doing to a King, especially one that has been gracious enough to allow his son to invite my niece to a ball."

Jareth gave a small smile at her response, at least she hadn't tried to deny the prejudice, his voice was no longer icy as he said, "I am glad to hear it, though I feel should tell you that as many of my duties deal with deception it makes it one of my own specialties and as such I am able to see through all deceptions aimed towards me so it would be impossible for you to lie to me and get away with it."

Amelia couldn't help looking envious at that, "Now that is a skill I wish I could have, it would make my work so much easier." She pushed the thought away, and returned to the serious matter they were discussing, "Very well sire, I understand that there will be nothing we can do straight away if they have political power but may I have their names anyway? And what other issues Prince Jared has encountered that you believe I should be aware of?" She pulled a small notepad and small self-inking quill out of her inner robe pocket, like any good cop she always carried them with her to make notes that might later be needed as reference for accuracy in a case, "And do you mind if I make notes of what you tell me?"

"Of course not," Jareth replied as he then sat back in his chair and took a moment to organise in his mind the best order to tell her what Jared had notified him of in his letters, "Well to begin with the first person to insult and irritate this family is the Headmaster of Prince Jared's school, on his first night there it took several times of being informed how he was to address my son before he finally understood, not an encouraging start I might add, my son is to be under the care of this man and yet he cannot seem to get his name right.

What I believe is worse, though my son cannot prove this as no outward signs were shown to anyone else present but I know he would never lie to me about this, the Headmaster attempted to enter my son's mind without his or my permission, thankfully Prince Jared has been taught how to protect his mind from such attacks."

Madam Bones frowned at that, her anger beginning to grow again at hearing of the attack on the Prince's mind but with no evidence she could only note it down along with the problem over names, she also vaguely remembered a letter from Susan back at the start of the school year mentioning something about problems with names, she would have to pull them out when she got back home and re-read them.

"The very next morning on Prince Jared's first day attending this school of human magic he and some of his house-mates are then insulted by a fellow year mate from a different house and when my son called for an apology was then not only insulted but treated like a piece of dirt by a member of staff, treatment that was then supported by the Headmaster himself. Even if my son was not a prince I would still find such treatment of a child deplorable, as it was my son he decided that if this was the way he was to be treated he would not remain within the school."

Amelia looked horrified at what she was being told, she could easily guess which member of staff had insulted Jared considering the complaints and action the school governors had taken during the first few weeks, she had not been able to attend the emergency meeting due to an undercover operation she had been running at the time but she had received a copy of the minutes from it.

She kept her silence with some effort and continued to make notes as Jareth carried on, "Prince Jared, even though he had every right to call a formal duel on all three individuals that had insulted him chose the better path and walked away, he returned to his room to begin packing his belongings, it was at this time that he contacted me though a secure method of communication we have, it is a secret to all members of our family, I believe you would call it family magic,"

He paused and got a quick brief nod from Amelia and then continued, "As soon as I was aware of what had occurred I travelled to the school to retrieve my son. Once I arrived I was met by the Deputy Headmistress and my sons Head of House, it was only through talking to those lovely ladies that agreements were made and led to my son remaining at the school. I would like to say that was all my son has had to face but unfortunately there is more."

Amelia looked grim but calmly said, "I am glad to hear at least two members of staff at the school were able to do something, Minerva and Pomona have always been two of the most sensible people I know. Please continue sire."

He gave a small incline of his head to acknowledge her comment before carrying on, "After this incident my son has been subject to a great deal of attention from all of the students within the school, however due to the fame he has been given by your society since the attack that killed his birth parents we had already expected this to a degree and it has not been too inconvenient for him, unpleasant but it has not interfered with his studies and so he assures me it is something he can handle.

What I find troubling myself is that he was forced to handle the situation of a member of staff treating him yet again like a something they had scrapped from the bottom of their shoe himself, rather than have a teacher deal with the member of staff. To be treated in such a manner by an adult that is in a position that holds a great deal of responsibility and my son was put in the position that he had to formally challenge and duel the man. I believe you are a member of the school board of governors and so I presume you are aware of what I speak about?"

Amelia gave a nod, "I am sire, I was able to attend the day of the duel but not the emergency meeting that followed due to my duties at the time but I am aware of it all. I must say I was greatly impressed with Prince Jared's ability's during the duel and his behaviour afterwards, my niece told me about how he acted when she returned home for the holidays."

Jareth again gave a nod to her words, "Thank you and I too understand that sometimes the duties of your work can stop you from attending certain things. As you are aware of what happened I will not repeat it to you, but were you aware of what the Headmaster attempted to do on the afternoon of the day before the duel?"

Amelia almost sighed in resignation but managed to keep it internal as she calmly said, "I was unaware of any incident occurring sire other than the one involving the member of staff Severus Snape that resulted in the duel."

Jareth looked grim now, "The headmaster insisted on speaking to my son, naturally as a part of the agreement I had with his Head of House she attended the meeting with him, I refuse to allow my son to be in the same room as that man alone. They went to Professor Sprouts office and it was there that he proceeded to once more address my son in an informal manner which he had not been invited to do, and while it is something which any member of a royal family tends to consider a minor insult it is still an insult.

After he had been corrected on this by Prince Jared, he insulted him further by telling Prince Jared that he was a silly child for defending his honour, something he should not have had to do had the Headmaster fulfilled his duties with competence. Instead the Headmaster showed that he was yet again supporting the bullying actions of his staff member, I am beginning to wonder if my son is truly in a secure environment considering the endorsement such vile actions are being given by the ones in authority at this school, not to mention the death threat given to all of the students on their first night there if they simply go to corridor within the school, I understand that there can be dangerous areas to any location but surely a school filled with children should only have some staff only areas that are protected by mundane punishments such as detention not death threats."

Amelia frowned at that, "I am starting to wonder about some things myself sire, I have had a few worrying letters from Susan since the start of school, but nothing as bad as what I am now hearing. Certainly not about any death threats about going to a corridor in the school I will have to look over Susan's letters again and have a chat with her as well while I look into that. I also hope working together we can resolve any problems Prince Jared is facing and so return Hogwarts to what it was when I attended."

Jareth gave a small smile to hear that before returning to the grim look he had since starting to tell Amelia all that had been going on, "The final issue that has occurred with the Headmaster was only recently when he attempted to keep Prince Jared from returned home for the Christmas holidays.

He summoned my son to his office again he was accompanied by his Head of House. As soon as Prince Jared had taken a seat the Headmaster preceded to covertly cast spells at Prince Jared and I wouldn't be surprised if he cast some at Professor Sprout as well, my son identified the ones cast at him as compulsion spells, he has been trained to detect such charms and throw them off since he was young, a necessary precaution for an Heir to a Throne so as to ensure the security and protection of not just the King but all of the royal family and the Kingdom itself.

These were not the only spells my son detected during this meeting, it would appear that there are numerous spells, Prince Jared informs me they are also compulsion spells of varying strength as well as a few strong glamour's, layered over all of the furniture and the walls of the Headmasters office."

Hearing this Amelia there and then made the decision to never walk willingly into the Headmaster's office until she had her people clear it of all these spells. While there might not be any evidence to prove that they are there without examining the office she felt sure they were and the mention of the glamour spells intrigued her, just what was the Headmaster hiding behind them?

She was quickly coming to like King Jareth and had a feeling, more of a gut instinct that he had not once told her a lie yet, nor would he in matters this serious and so she believed what he told her about the Headmasters office, Amelia knew that it would be hard to get a justifiable reason to search and confirm the existence of the spells but was determined to find one.

A spark of her anger was starting to show through in her voice as she said, "Thank you for the heads up on that one sire, I'll have to see if I can find a reason for my people to do something about that. I also have a feeling I can answer my next question but I still can't help hoping I'm wrong, did the Headmaster attempt any other spells stronger than compulsion charms or try to invade your son's mind again to force him to not leave the castle?"

"Thankfully no, all though they would have all failed if he had. I am sure you are aware of the Phoenix that currently resides at the castle," he saw her give a nod of yes to that, "When he entered the office Prince Jared, thanks to having contact with the Royal family of the Phoenixes gave the proper greeting to one of their ambassadors.

It is not known amongst humans but there are only seven Phoenixes, one for each continents in your world, although I believe the one for the Antarctic does tend to get a bit bored and spends most of its time visiting the others, the rest of their species reside in their own Kingdom. Each one in your world holds the title ambassador, Fawkes is of the Fire Clan and was selected to be the ambassador for Europe.

As a Prince of a Kingdom and someone who is friends with the Royal family of all the Phoenix clans Jared knows the name and clan for all the ambassadors, as such good manners dictated that he greet Fawkes upon entering the Headmaster's office. Thankfully this show of good manners earned him a gift from Fawkes. During the meeting Fawkes added a layer of protection to Prince Jared against any attempts to either enter his mind or corrupt it to a view not his own. It was placed in his hair by Fawkes and while it would only last until Jared washed his hair again it was enough to ensure his protection for the meeting."

Amelia had initially been pleased to find she was in fact wrong having expected Jareth to tell her that Dumbledore had attempted to enter Jared's mind again but after what she had then been told about the Phoenix that the British Wizarding would were under the impression was the familiar to Dumbledore, she now sat wide eyed in awe and wonder.

She knew Phoenix's were rare but hadn't realised just how rare or that they were official representatives. She would have to make sure she greeted Fawkes as one next time she saw him, after all she was a high ranking member of their Ministry and it would be rude of her not to greet an official representative when in their presence.

Secretly Amelia was also pleased that this meant Fawkes was not Dumbledore's familiar as too many times that had been used as an excuse as to why he couldn't have possibly done something that was questionable, after all a Phoenix wouldn't bond with someone that could do anything that wasn't Light! Of course know she knew they were Ambassadors she knew that they wouldn't bond with any other species as it would compromise their positions, her own political training told her this, they could offer friendship but nothing more.

Jareth hadn't seemed to notice her momentary lapse in concentration, that or he chose to ignore it as he carried on, "Now, while Jared's mind was not attacked this time he was heavily insulted by the Headmaster, a 'spoiled little prince' I believe my son said his exact words were, this was after my son had rightly asked the Headmaster how as the only student being confined to the castle against his will and forbidden to contact his family these acts were not classed as kidnapping. No other student was told they could not leave and yet Prince Jared was. Had Fawkes and Professor Sprout not intervened I believe the Headmaster would have held my son hostage.

I am sure you have now also figured out who sent the parcel to my son?"

Amelia couldn't stop the sigh from escaping her this time as she said with resignation, "Albus Dumbledore sent it didn't he sire when he couldn't get Prince Jared to remain at Hogwarts for the holidays?"

Jareth gave a single grim nod and his voice turned ice cold again, "He did. Jared is my Heir and Prince to the Kingdom of the Goblins, had he been held hostage or influenced by any of the spells or potions on and in that parcel I assure you Madam Bones the British Ministry for Magic would have very quickly found itself at War with the Goblin Kingdom.

All treaties with your government would have been broken.

The branch of Gringotts in your country would have been immediately closed with no access to anything held within its vaults, and they would have all been sealed. I am sure you can imagine what kind of economic crash that would cause for you.

Attacks would have been launched against several key locations throughout your country and as much destruction and chaos as possible would have been caused by my warriors, and I promise you they would have been from my true army and not the ones you have seen when the Clans kept having those ridiculous squabbles you try to teach at your school. My true warriors are far more formidable.

All of this would have happened because one man has control issues and tried to exert that control over my son. He is the Headmaster of my son's school, tell me Madam Bones outside of matters pertaining to my son's education what right has this man to try and control his life? To meddle in his life in the way that only a parent has a right to?" His eyes narrowed and he gave off a sinister aura as he asked, "And where did he obtain enough blood of my son to brew such potions that were detected?" He fell silent, his face and posture was calm but his narrowed eyes held a cold hard anger in them and the sinister aura remained.

Amelia had gone very pale at hearing what would have happened had Jared not been allowed to leave and return home. She was quite friendly with several goblins at Gringotts, she had found being so tended to help her when it came to matters of the law.

It was through these friendships that she was more aware than most Witches and Wizards just what kind of people the Goblins really were, they were not the push over accountants most thought them to be. And when it came to fighting, well get a wand away from the Witch or Wizard and she knew they were no match for a single half trained goblin let alone a whole regiment of well-trained ones and to hear these were nothing compared to what was being held back from them terrified her.

It took Amelia several moments to get her mind away from the mental images she had of what Jareth had described, even without the fighting he was right if they sealed the bank the economy would disintegrate.

Amelia tried to keep her voice as calm and steady as she could but a faint tremor could be detected as she said, "Sire I wish I could answer your questions, unfortunately all I can say is that Albus Dumbledore has amassed a significant amount of power and sway over the people, to my shame I too had fallen under his influence but what you have told me here today, I swear to you that I will not let myself become so blinded again.

I wish I could say that I will immediately see to his removal from his position as Headmaster as he is clearly abusing it but as previously mentioned he has a great deal of political power, but if you will allow me to, as soon as I have returned to my office I will begin to make plans to see about bringing him down, I will try to ascertain how he got a hold of your son's blood and I will also see what can be done regarding Severus Snape and his actions towards Prince Jared. You have my oath on that Your Majesty."

Jareth regarded her for a few moments in solemn silence before bowing his head slightly and allowing himself to relax slightly and the sinister aura to dissipated, "I was told that you are an honest and worthy woman Amelia Bones, I find myself agreeing with that judgement and I am happy for you to begin making plans and taking action against Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape on my behalf."

He pulled open a drawer on his desk and withdrew a rolled up parchment sealed with a blob of deep blue wax that had his family crest pressed into it and matching blue ribbon tied around it. He placed it on the desk and said "This is an official writ declaring you to be an emissary of mine in the Human Wizarding World. If you have any need of assistance from any goblin show them this and you will have it."

Amelia blinked in surprise at him but leaned forward and took the document, "Thank you sire."

He gave a brief nod of acceptance to her thanks, "I feel I should also mention to you that the blood used in the potions detected on the contents of the parcel was purely for Harry Potter, and not the blood of Prince Jared.

When I adopted my son a blood ritual was performed, as a result his blood was altered, not enough to affect any claim on his heritage as a Potter but enough so that there are differences between what his blood was like before the adoption, as such while there is a chance that enough Potter blood remains in his veins for the potions to have an affect it would not have been to the extent had he still been just Harry Potter. This is information I would not like others to be aware of."

Amelia gave a short nod, "I understand sire, if it were to become known then Dumbledore would get rid of all evidence that he ever had any of Harry Potter's blood and try to gain a fresh sample of Prince Jared's. In keeping this knowledge secret there is a chance we may be able to detect where he kept the blood and if he still has anymore."

Jareth looked grim at the thought but left it there, "As you can understand I am more than irritated at the actions of Severus Snape and so any effort you can make to have him removed from my son's life as he attends school would be greatly appreciated by both the Queen and I. Now there is one final issue I wish to discuss with you that Prince Jared has mentioned to me in his letters. Since the first night he arrived at Hogwarts he has been sensing a rather dark presence around one of the teachers, a Professor Quirrell."

This really surprised Amelia she had been expecting it to Snape again but now that she thought about it the King had said that there were three people he wanted he to look into with Snape and Dumbledore obviously being the first two, "So far Prince Jared has been unable to ascertain as to why he senses such a presence surrounding the man, he can only tell that it is quite malevolent. He is still only eleven and only a half-blood of my species so his ability to sense anything past that is still a little beyond him"

Jareth left out the fact that Jared had also mentioned the headaches caused by his scar whenever he was near Professor Quirrell as that was something they had already figured out would happen when he was near Voldemort many years ago and knew couldn't be dealt with until he was older as advised by the High Lord himself.

As soon as Jared had realised that was what had been causing his headaches and written to Jareth about it they had both known Quirrell was either in contact with Voldemort or possessed by him. Given the constant dark presence around him at all times they suspected possession but Jareth didn't intend to tell Amelia that as it would lead to questions they were not yet willing to answer or show they had the knowledge to answer just yet.

Amelia frowned had noticed Jareth specifically not mention what his species was, it was quite the topic of gossip and intrigue that Jared was only half-human, it had eventually come out at school and the children had of course written about it to their parents and now everyone wanted to know just what the other half species he was, something Jared had managed very easily to keep to himself, her gut also told her something else was being kept from her about this but she wisely chose not to mention it and instead simply said, "I can certainly look into it, but I would ask that if Prince Jared does sense anything else from Professor Quirrell he lets me know, if that is acceptable sire?"

Jareth gave a small smile he could tell she knew something was being kept from her but had not said anything, he was really starting to like this witch, not to mention impressed that she had even detected something was being kept from her, "It is and I will inform Prince Jared to do so. I will also have the goblins of the bank send you the files for all three individuals to you."

Amelia gave a nod of thanks once more and scribbled it down in her notepad along with all the other copious notes she had been making though out.

Jareth relaxed in his chair slightly, now that all of the unpleasant issues had been discussed, out of politeness he asked, "Do you have any questions?"

Amelia flipped her notepad closed and put it along with her small quill back in her pocket before saying, "Well there is one thing I wanted to ask sire and I hope I cause no offense but I wonder if I may be permitted to ask, where am I?"

Jareth couldn't stop the chuckle from escaping at her question, a genuine smile of amusement on his face now, one Amelia reflected with her own.

"As you are my emissary I think it only fair that you at least know that, come I will give you a brief tour." He stood and Amelia quickly stood up as well, he led her out of his office and down a corridor, "You are currently in my castle that stands beyond the Goblin City." They entered the throne room and he led her over to the large window and indicated she should look out and as she did so couldn't stop going wide eyed at what she saw, he said in a grand voice still laced with amusement, "Welcome to the Underground Madam Bones, you are in the Goblin Kingdom where The Labyrinth resides."

Spread out before Amelia was a hot arid country, a dirty haphazard city surrounding the castle and beyond that she could see what she had only ever heard about in children's stories, the great Labyrinth itself. Even from where she stood she could feel the power emanating from it.

"I am the King of all you see, it is my duty to take those wished away and give the wisher the chance to win them back by running my Labyrinth. One day Prince Jared will inherit all of this but first he must be trained and attend to duties that require his attention Aboveground in the Wizarding world, but I will not abandon him to that fate simply because he has turned eleven and has now returned to your world. He may have once been the one you call Harry Potter but he is now my son and as such a child of both worlds."

Amelia stood staring at what she saw, finally she turned back to him and with a smile said, "I only ever thought such a place existed in stories, Prince Jared really is lucky to live here and to have a father that cares for him so much."

Jareth returned her smile but before anything else could be said a young woman walked into the throne room carrying a large shaggy fur in her arms, "Ah Jareth there you are have you finished your meeting with the witch from Aboveground?" clearly she hadn't seen Amelia when she walked in.

Not looking at Jareth she walked over to the throne and began draping the fur over it, he raised one eyebrow at her, "I have, I am giving Madam Bones a quick tour and showing her where we are. Sarah what are you doing with my favourite fur?"

Sarah spun around a look of surprise on her face at his words, only now spotting Amelia, "Oh my Madam Bones I do apologise I didn't see you there. And I was giving it a clean, it stank and I hate to think what was living it."

Jareth frowned at her, "It did not stink, it had a natural musty odour that I quite like and it was very clean, as if I would let anything live in it when it sits on my throne."

Sarah merely glared back at him, "Jareth we can discuss that later now perhaps you would like to introduce me."

Jareth gave a final frown at her before half turning back to Amelia, "Madam Bones my I present my wife Queen Sarah, Sarah this is Madam Bones, Regent for House Bones and the Head of the Department for Magical Law in Britain Aboveground."

Amelia quickly bobbed a rough curtsey, hardly believing that this young girl, who looked to only just be about twenty was the Queen and wife to such a roguish looking man as Jareth, "Your Majesty." She said politely, "I thank you for inviting me to you home."

Sarah gave her a warm smile, "Not at all Madam Bones," A hard look came into her eyes now. "If you can assist us with destroying that despicable old fool then you are more than welcome."

Amelia had to swallow back her sudden fear at the look on Sarah's face, she had thought Jareth to be strong and intimidating and now it looked as if his Queen was just as bad if not more so. The power she could see on these two made her think Dumbledore really was a fool to have angered them, had she even suspected that she had irritated them she would be on her knees grovelling for forgiveness, to have done what he had she would be shaking in fear at the thought of the retribution they could bring down on her head.

As quick as it had appeared the cold hard look was gone and Sarah was smiling warmly again, "Jareth why don't I give Madam Bones the tour and you can go back and finish your work, remember you promised Jared that this afternoon you would help him choose what to wear to his ball."

He gave a quick nod of approval, "Of course," turning to Amelia he gave a short bow which she returned with another curtsey, slightly less wobbly as she was starting to get the hang of them, "Madam Bones it has been a pleasure, I hope you will join your niece for Prince Jared's ball, you would be more than welcome."

She gave him a smile, "I would be honoured Your Majesty."

"Very well then I will see you in a couple of days." He said before turning and heading back to his office.

Once he was gone Sarah came over and said, "Well now Jareth is gone we can be a little more informal, please call me Sarah, I hope Susan is looking forward to the ball?"

Amelia gave her a genuine smile in return, "You must call me Amelia than and yes she is, ever since she received her invite she has changed her mind on what to wear at least a dozen times. I would also like to thank you for inviting her."

Sarah gave a wave of her hand, "Not at all she's a friend of Jared's, come why don't I show you the ballroom we have just finished re-decorating it." She then led Amelia out on a tour of the castle, during which a friendship began to form between the two women. It was two hours later that Amelia found herself being escorted back to the room that would take her back Aboveground and her work on making plans could begin.

xxxx

A/N wow ok so I know it has been a while since I updated but there you.

In case it was missed at the top I would also like to dedicate this chapter to Carmynsorena in thanks for the lovely PM/review that they sent me. It was your message that actually got me to finish this chapter :)

I would also like to say this, to try and encourage an author to update their fic with a new chapter in a review is in my book an acceptable thing to do, even I have done this in the past what I do find unacceptable is to send PM's to the author and even if it is either politely worded or rudely demanding that they update or insisting that they write things in the fic as they think it should be written. I have had both from a few different people.

Tell me would you write or go to your favourite authors and demand they write the next book on your say so or put in it what you want in it? No you give them the respect of doing it as and when they do (Publishers aside as it's their job to do that and a contract is signed between them and the author regarding this) and you don't dictate to them what they do in their works, that is why we have fanfiction so we can play and do that ourselves so I will tell you now such demands or 'requests' are what actually put me off writing as it makes me feel like why should I do what I enjoy if it is going to get spoiled by me being made to feel like I dance to others tunes and not my own. Also if you don't like or want to do things in a different way to what I have written then stop reading my fic and go write your own because that is the only way you will get what you want.

To me PM's are there for private conversations between people that respect each other, don't patronise (some even going so far as to treat me like nothing more than a little child in how they speak to me) each other as some have tried to do to me regarding mistakes in grammar and spelling, mention it in reviews by all means as this is constructive criticism and a part of what reviews are for but not a PM as that is invading my private 'post box/life' and insulting me. If I reply to a review about it then I am inviting you to a conversation not asking you to then think you can take it as the go ahead to make demands or patronise me. PM's are in my view akin to a private life and something that should be respected. I would never dream of just randomly PMing an author to insult them like that.

Apologies for the rant and I hope I haven't offended anyone with my opinions but it is something that has really been putting me off writing just recently.

Keep writing and have fun

V.

A/N Updated 11/11/2015 Re-reading the earlier chapters to double check something I realised I had made a small mistake in the Duel chapter and put Madam Bones in attendance but then in this one had her saying she wasn't there. Corrected that little problem

I am also working on the next chapter and hope to have it up soon so please be patient.

Keep writing and have fun

V.