I am baaacckk!

Sorry for the HUGE delay, but this chapter just couldn't seem to come out right, and I had so much other ideas I had to write down it took me a LOT of time to get this finished.

But here I am!

Now, before we go on with the chapter, some things that might confuse you are explained at the end of the chapter, so read the AN before asking questions please!

On another note, I'd be really grateful if someone could PM me if this story is ever analyzed on TVTropes, I'm a bit curious about what it would bring out.

Now, onwards to the chapter!


28

Hectic first day

The next day saw Harry sleeping soundly in the bed created for him by the Room of Requirement, clad in only his boxers, and with both Akitsu and Karasuba cuddling with him. In the latter's case, it was more of the Black Sekirei draping herself over her lover's body, her leg between Harry's while she held his left arm close to her body, her head nuzzling the crook of his neck. The Ice Sekirei, for her part, had done as usual, clutching his body like a lifeline and pushing her considerable bust in his side, aided by the fact that she was, as usual when she slept, naked as the day she was born.

Instead of the dangerous, almost manic grins displayed by both the lost Potter heir and his first Sekirei when they had set foot in the Great Hall the day before, they were smiling contentedly, almost peacefully, basking in the other's presence and the feeling of their body pressed to their own. Of course, considering their luck with the British magic users, it came at little surprise that their peaceful rest was disturbed by sharp knocks on the Room's door, waking them up and disturbing the peaceful atmosphere shared between the three of them.

"Harry, door…" groaned Homura, her voice muffled by the door between her room and their own.

The Fire Sekirei had still not agreed to sleep in the same bed as her Ashikabi, mainly due to the fact that if she did agree, she would have to witness him having sex with both Karasuba and Akitsu, something that made her greatly uncomfortable. She was still trying to find a way to satisfy her Sekirei instincts, which told her that nothing was wrong with watching the man she was bonded to have sex with two other women, with her human upbringing, which had ingrained in her brain the idea of harems and multiple women dating the same man to be wrong. Needless to say, she had yet to find a way to satisfy both sides, leaving her to sleep in a separate room, although it hardly prevented her from hearing what her Ashikabi was up to, at least until she had realized she could simply use a silencing ward to block out the noise. Unfortunately, due to the fact that the ward blocked off every sound, she hadn't heard when she was called several times. This had led her to reluctantly drop the silencing ward idea.

As the knocking became more insistent, Harry groaned and left the bed, while Akitsu, who had already been awake for a while, silently began to clothe herself, while Karasuba grumbled and tried to bury her head in the pillows to drown out the sound.

"Harry-chan, are you sure we can't kill these people?" she mumbled, unhappy with having to leave the comfort of her bed and her Ashikabi's warmth because of some conceited, wand-waving human. While she listened to Harry, that didn't mean she would tolerate being disturbed like that every other morning. She liked sleeping with her Harry-chan, dammit!

With the ease born from a long habit, he ignored her, walking to the door and wrenching it open, glaring at the person on the other side, which happened to be a suddenly red-faced McGonnagal, although the color seemed to drain from her face almost immediately afterwards as she fixed his chest. His very naked chest, he realized, having forgotten to put on a shirt when he had gone to answer the door. Which meant that the irritating witch now had a perfect view of the numerous scars littering his front. She was fortunate at least to not see his back, as the worst scars, by far, were there, the Dursleys far more at ease with hurting him from behind, where he couldn't see them.

"Yes?" he asked, his voice icy. He didn't like being disturbed in his sleep, and while he was an early riser, there was a nine hours' difference between Tokyo and London, meaning his internal clock was shot to Hell, leaving him irritable and half-awake. He would get back to training as soon as he got used to the difference, but until then he would enjoy sleeping in.

This seemed to wake the elderly witch up, as she stuttered, her eyes darting to the side, while she reddened.

"Mister Minaka! Cover yourself!"

"Why?"

Her eyes fixed him again, this time making a clear effort to not go below his neckline. What the aged witch didn't understand, was that Harry, having being raised by Karasuba, and later Akitsu, had little to nothing in the way of shame, and was used to walking around in little more than his boxers, while his Sekirei, outside of Homura, hardly minded walking around in their own underwear. So Harry didn't quite mind being almost naked in front of complete strangers, having long since come to terms with his scars thanks to the Black Sekirei's unusual, if effective, advice and warped view of the world. Instead of seeing them as ugly, he took them as tokens he had survived things that would have broken a lesser person.

He knew his words infuriated the older woman, but he hardly cared. As far as he was concerned, he was in his quarters, so he could cloth himself any way he damn wanted. It wasn't as if he was taking a stroll naked, so there was little harm done to anyone.

"Nevermind." Sighed McGonnagal, before continuing: "The Headmaster would like to know when you will be ready for your demonstration."

Harry inwardly groaned. It was tradition, and as such written in the rules he had to follow, that each of the entering schools had to give a short demonstration of their magic ability. From what he had heard, Durmstrang had done so when they had arrived at Hogwarts, their students performing a warlike dance before blowing snakes of fire to circle the Great Hall, while Beauxbatons had chosen to have the female students using Charms to have fairy-like effects cast on them when it had been their turn to enter. As for Hogwarts, it had been done by having the students charming a large banner to welcome their guests, the imagery changing to fit the school they were greeting.

As a Champion of a Fourth school, he was required to perform a demonstration of his magical ability, and due to Dumbledore having likely been pressured by Karkaroff and Maxime, he had to do so in front of all three schools, probably in the hopes they would be able to glean what he specialized in. He had told Harry after the end of the previous day's dinner, just as he was leaving to return to the Room, and in front of the Great Hall, leaving him little room to complain lest he wanted to appear as some kind of spoiled brat. He had already not endeared himself to those present with his openly challenging behavior, so he could ill afford to get any more enemies.

"I should also inform you that the Minister plans to attend your demonstration." Added the Transfiguration Mistress, scowling. It was a badly kept secret that none of Dumbledore's supporters liked the man, even less so since he had been the one to call to have him removed from his position as Chief Warlock. The fact that Fudge was far less competent than the Leader of the Light also had not endeared him to those who believed in the old man. After all, what right did Cornelius Fudge have to ask for Dumbledore's destitution as Chief Warlock when he himself could hardly be called competent, to the point of being little more than a puppet for Lucius Malfoy.

"Splendid." Snarked Harry. While he disliked Dumbledore, he also had no wish to meet Fudge, who was considered to be a joke even by European standards, let alone international ones. While the man was clearly competent in leaning his pockets with gold, as evidenced by the reports he had gotten from Gringotts, he had next to no competence with dealing with everyday affairs, let alone in a time of crisis. The pudgy little man was known to be a simpering little shit, who would do anything to keep his seat in the hopes of getting more gold in bribes. It would do him well to have the man in his pocket, but he didn't wish to spend any more time than what was strictly necessary around him.

"Tell the old man that the demonstration will be as soon as we've eaten breakfast, and that it'll be outside the castle." He grunted. At least then it would be out of his way, and he'd be able to focus on the First Task, and tracking who had put his name in the blasted flaming cup. Besides, it wasn't as if he didn't have an idea as to what he'd show, he'd simply have a mock fight with Akitsu, Homura and Karasuba, with them using their wands instead of using "wandless magic". That should make the idiots trying to piss him off think twice before attempting anything.

"Very well. Will you be eating in the Great Hall, or in the kitchens?" she asked, her face sour. She did not appreciate him and his Sekirei not wanting to mix with the other students, especially since she apparently felt he was a teenager and as such should belong to a school, namely the school his parents had gone to. She was clearly among those that felt that he should return to the Potters, as if their blunder had never occurred in the first place, or the fact that he was a legal adult and very much didn't want to see James and Lily Potter didn't count.

"The kitchens. Karasuba is likely to maim one of your students if she's bothered before her breakfast, so it's best for us to avoid the Great Hall at the moment. And I enjoy some calm in the morning."

"That is another matter I wanted to talk about. Is there no way for you to curb your companion's behavior? Not only does she act like a scarlet woman, she is a danger to all those in these walls! Why would you even bring her here when you yourself have admitted she did not want to come?" asked the Scott witch, looking unnerved by the casual admission of possible violence, although the expression lasted for but a moment, as her face was once more schooled in a scowl.

"And did I want to come? No, but I am here, and I think I can say without lying that I am as much of a threat to your students than she is." Growled Harry, who leant forward until his mismatched eyes were glaring in the older woman's. "In fact, I might even be more of a threat to your students than she is, for the simple reason that I loathe morons praising me without thinking about how impossible it would have been for me to consciously defeat Voldemort. At least Karasuba hates all of you equally. And I would never ask her to change her behavior, and especially not to please you. If your students get hurt, it is their own damn fault for being pushy little shits with no sense of personal space."

With a glare, McGonnagal left, huffing, while he closed the door, rolling his eyes. Clearly the woman didn't see things his way, as while he could understand her concerns, she didn't seem to want to see things from his point of view. She was obviously of the belief that he was still a child in need of guidance, only taking into account his age, and not the fact that he was far more mature than some of her own students. Hell, the Marauders had kept up their school-wide pranks even when they had been in their Seventh year, from what Flitwick had told him. And although he would freely admit that it had probably helped them learn spells and potions not commonly found in the schoolbooks, they could have done so without disturbing the other students. He wasn't nearly as bad, even if he was far more violent.

Closing the door, he went to prepare himself, and to motivate a sleepy Karasuba to get up by promising her the opportunity to exert some violence on his person. It always motivated her like nothing else.

-Break-

Dumbledore, despite appearing only slightly curious, was currently steeling himself as he, along with Karkaroff and Madam Maxime, and their students, were outside of Hogwarts and waiting for Harry Potter-Minaka to arrive for his demonstration. All of them were curious, as they had no idea of how strong the Boy-Who-Lived was, or even what type of magic he specialized in. Although he himself had an inkling that he knew, even if he hoped he was wrong. It has been rather easy to compare Harry's group to the mercenaries who had killed many Death Eaters at the Quidditch World Cup, and he had a strong suspicion that the two groups were in fact one and the same, since their numbers were the same, while their clothing styles were strikingly similar.

This bothered him greatly. If he was right, and he strongly believed he was, as his mind rarely failed him, then Harry was not only exceedingly powerful, no doubt thanks to the use of Dark Rituals, but also showed little to no regard for human life, as evidenced by the massacre of the Death Eaters that summer, when he could have done the right thing and handed them over to the DMLE. This was deeply concerning, as he would need to work that much harder to counter the influence of the Horcrux on his mind, or, if nothing else worked, he would have to partially Obliviate him and modify his personality. Obviously, this was the very last resort, as he would be basically violating Harry's rights, as well as greatly endangering himself, as should it come to it and he was caught, then he would be Kissed. And while he was ready to accept whatever waited for him in the afterlife, he did not wish to forsake his soul. But he had failed a student once, and it had given birth to the greatest Dark Lord of the last two hundred years. He could not allow this mistake to be repeated.

"So, Dumbledore, where is your boy wonder? He has made us wait enough." Sneered Karkaroff.

He was about to chastise his colleague when a hand patted the man's shoulder, making the Durmstrang Headmaster jump as he turned to see Harry and his group, standing right behind them. The teen even had the audacity to give them a mocking smile while giving them a wave of his hand as a salute.

"We've been here for five minutes already, Karkaroff. Granted, under a Disillusionment spell, but it speaks rather poorly of your skills if you couldn't even notice something so simple. Maybe you need to contemplate naming your replacement, someone competent, for instance?"

The foreign Headmaster reddened in anger, and was obviously gearing up to deliver a scathing retort, but Harry and his companions had already stepped forward, past them, and casually strolled until they were about fifty feet from the assembled three schools. The grey-haired woman, Karasuba, was smiling, a sadistic grin that stretched her face in a way that sent shivers down the spine of more than a few, while Akitsu, as usual, was standing silently and dutifully behind Harry. Finally, Homura seemed to be uncomfortable, her gloved fingers twitching slightly, and Dumbledore's deceptively perceptive eyes caught the flicker of a small flame for a bare second, before it disappeared, as if it had never been there in the first place.

"Professor Flitwick!" called the teen, catching the attention of the diminutive teacher, "would you mind to put up dueling shields in front of the students? Things might get a bit…heated."

He quirked an eyebrow as the small, Half-Goblin teacher strolled forwards, waving his wand, and causing shimmering silver shields to appear in front of the students. He filed this away for later, as he would have to ask the Head of Ravenclaw how the two of them knew each other. While it was possible Harry had simply read about the teacher's former tenure as a professional duelist, he did not want to miss a single thing that might help him bring Harry back to the light.

"And Minister?" added the teen, almost as an afterthought, "I'll see you once this is done. No offense, but we've made everyone wait long enough."

Fudge, who had seemed quite displeased with being ignored, seemed to calm down, although by his side, Dolores Umbridge, his Senior Undersecretary, and a known Pureblood supremacist, was scowling in displeasure, her reddened cheeks clashing with her bright pink clothing.

Meanwhile, the group of four had separated, each stepping away from the others until there were about a dozen feet between each of them, and they formed a loose square. With a sharp twitch of his fingers, Harry's wand was suddenly in his hand, while his companions suddenly appeared in their fingers. The ease with which they manipulated them made it clear just how experienced they were, and how familiar they were with them.

Then, and without a single warning, the four burst into action.

Karasuba was the first to act, sending a silent exploding spell towards Harry, who simply jumped to the side, retaliating with a spell that made countless metal spikes appear in the air, and launched them at the grinning female, although he had to jump back again, as a gust of fire scorched the earth where he had stood moments earlier. The caster, Homura, hastily summoned a wall of fire to stop the sudden volley of icicles sent her way by the sleepy-looking Akitsu, who had simply pointed her wand at her companion to summon them. An explosion, created by Karasuba, caused the spikes sent her way to land harmlessly around her, before she retaliated with wide cutting curses, the spells almost cutting Harry's arm off as he once again dodged, grinning, and sending a quick chain of spells her way, before turning his attention to the lone brunette of the group, and conjuring lightening that stuck a hastily erected wall of ice, which sprouted spikes that grew until they were the size of a fully-grown man and launched themselves at Karasuba and Harry. The first cackled as she made them explode, while the second avoided them by casually leaning to the side with something akin to resignation on his face.

Eventually, the fight, for this could not be called a spar by any of the three schools' standards, reached a climax, with countless birds made of fire surrounding Homura, Akitsu summoning life-sized felines like lions and tigers made of ice, Harry's wand beginning to sparkle with lightening, and Karasuba's beginning to light up with a dark glow.

With a cry from Harry and Karasuba, their spells collided, creating a giant explosion, while Homura and Akitsu's constructs attacked each other, until none of them were left.

-Break-

Ivy could barely believe her eyes, as she stared at the fight unfolding, standing next to her fellow Slytherins, who for once, didn't comment about her presence, too busy as they were to observe the Boy-Who-Lived's performance. And what a performance it was. Jumping and dodging with the grace of a professional dancer, her brother was casually flicking around silent spells the likes of which she had never seen, and given the awestruck expressions of the older students and even some of the teachers, that were hardly common either. The fact that each spell was also clearly lethal also meant that quite a few people were openly gaping, as a single wrong move would spell the death of those involved, a very painful death given what spells were being used.

"Holy Merlin…" muttered one of the students next to her, summing up everyone's thoughts.

This kind of spellcasting was something to be expected of the greatest wizards, the like of Dumbledore or Voldemort, people with far greater magical power than average, and the decades of experience required to make the best use of said power. They were using spells that even the seventh years didn't seem to know about, if their gobsmacked expressions were any indication, and by the awed looks on the foreign student's faces, they didn't know these spells either. Or it could be the fact that they were watching someone who was fourteen, fighting with the ease of a seasoned war veteran against people who seemed to very well be stronger than even their respective Headmasters and Headmistress.

"Did you see that one?" asked a seventh-year Ravenclaw, "It wasn't the Cutting curse."

"Maybe an overpowered Severing Curse?" offered one of the boy's housemates, although even she looked skeptical at her offered explanation.

Glancing at the student who had spoken, she was surprised to see among the Ravenclaws, Hermione looking entirely unsurprised, although there was a glint in her eyes that sent shivers down Ivy's spine, an almost hungry one, as well as near-worship. She was more than a little confused by this, as her friend had told her she would now always be wary of strangers, and yet displayed signs of clear infatuation (although she could be wrong) with her brother. She knew it wasn't because of the books on his life, as she had long since stopped believing in everything she read, so the only other possible explanation would be that she knew Harry. But then why would she have kept silent all this time? She knew that if she had known, that Hermione would have told her, as she had made little secret of her desire to find her brother and reconnect with him.

We'll need to have a talk.

However, for the moment she decided to focus on her brother's fight, mentally doing a dance at how powerful and how good a fighter he was. She had known this from the start, that her older brother would be perfect! Oh, how her father would regret abandoning him! Maybe this would allow him to get his head out of his ass, and see the world for what it was, instead of the tinted glasses he seemed to watch it through! Just because she was in Slytherin didn't mean that she was evil, it only meant that she had a lot of ambition and/or cunning! Gryffindor didn't mean Light, nor did Slytherin mean Dark! Although given how Dumbledore favored the House of Lions, then it was hardly a surprise to see them becoming more and more bitter, and start delving in the Dark Arts. After all, nothing worked better at making people interested in forbidden knowledge than disappointment, anger, and a burning desire for revenge.

Now more than ever, she wanted to be close to Harry. She was really curious about his life, especially now that she saw how good he could fight. She was pretty sure that even Aurors would have trouble against his friends and him, and that was not the kind of skill obtained through normal training. Even rookie Aurors had at least three years of training behind them, yet hardly any of them were skilled enough to take down Dark Wizards or Witches at first.

She truly hoped that he could help her with her Slytherin troubles, as while she loved her House, she absolutely refused to see the custom of having the female members whoring themselves out to the male ones for protection to continue. She didn't care that the older years deemed it a good exercise at learning to read who they should be asking favors from, it was barbaric and sexist. And unfortunately, until someone broke the House out of it, it would continue. And given the way Dumbledore and Snape closed their eyes on it, it was the only way to get it to truly stop.

Shaking her head to clear those depressing thoughts, she focused back on the fight, determined to not miss any more of her brother's performance.

-Break-

As the dust from the explosion cleared, it revealed all four wizards and witches standing, unharmed, and, surprisingly enough, without a hair out of place. The assembled students burst into awed cheers, while the Ministry delegation and the teachers were silent, most of the Ministry workers and schools' staff more than a little suspicious at how powerful the group of four was. As most of them knew well enough that most of the British magic users were nowhere near as powerful, their minds, as they had been trained to do by the Ministry propaganda and their Hogwarts education, had already begun to associate that kind of power to something unnatural, and attained through the use of long-forbidden rituals and magics.

However, it appeared that the demonstration was not yet finished, as while the four had put their wands away, they had not moved from their positions, and had instead taken odd stances, that some Muggleborns recognized as martial arts' stances, making them suddenly more interested in the demonstration. They had been taught since their arrival in the magical world that anything Muggle was worthless, that they were worthless, and that nothing created by Muggles could hope to injure a proper wizard. And given the amount of skill shown in magical combat by the Boy-Who-Lived and his companions, they were greatly curious about his skills in hand-to-hand combat. Maybe this would show the older wizards and witches, those convinced of their invulnerability that Muggles were far from being as worthless as they thought.

As if a sudden signal had gone off, all four rushed towards each other, and started attacking each other with punches, kicks, and feints that seemed to be coming out of a martial arts' movie, although few of those present could make the connection, as most Purebloods had never even heard of television, or treated it as a "worthless" Muggle invention, while few of the Half-Bloods and Muggleborns were keen on those kinds of movies. Although the lack of knowledge didn't stop them from admiring the sheer grace displayed by the combatants, the fluidity of their moves or their flexibility, as they spun, kicked and punched, showing acrobatics that had many slack-jawed. Many of the males also appreciated the fact that Karasuba and Akitsu's choice of clothing allowed them to catch glimpses of their underwear, something they hardly got to see unless their girlfriends/wives were in the privacy of their bedroom with them. Due to the highly conservative Wizardry culture, women showing more than their ankles was something seen as provocative, and what would be considered provocative in the Muggle world would likely cause aneurysms or heart attacks in the Wizardry World, in Europe at least. So, highly attractive females fighting and showing them tantalizing flesh was more than enough to get a few boners from the male population.

Many winced as Harry blocked a kick from Karasuba, only to be blasted a dozen or so feet away, a distinct cracking sound telling them that his arm had been broken, which they assumed would mean he would drop out of the fight. Which is why many openly gaped when he merely took his arm, set it right, and actually jumped right back in, an almost manic grin on his face. They simply couldn't understand that kind of action, as centuries of potions and healing magic had left all but a scant few people unwilling to get hurt, which also explained the fact that the majority of the population had shied away from Voldemort's threat in the war: they were so used to being comfortable and in good health that they were unwilling to fight, even if it was to defend their way of living. Aurors were not looked to as weird because someone had to fight against the Dark Wizards and Witches, but most simply didn't understand those who chose the carrier, especially those like James Potter, who could have lived a comfortable life without even working.

Eventually, the fight died down, and as Harry brushed a stray strand of hair out of his face, Madam Pomfrey, the school nurse, was already stomping towards him, her face set in a stony glower, much to the amusement of Karasuba, while Akitsu had seemingly appeared right behind him, like a loyal bodyguard.

"Mister Minaka! May I inquire what in Merlin's name you were thinking when you continued this" she spat, obviously referencing the fight," despite the fact that your arm is clearly broken?!"

A few winced, perfectly aware that despite being a very caring individual, the nurse was very quick to anger when she was faced with what she considered dangerous behaviors, and many of the more reckless students, most of them on the Hogwarts' Quidditch teams, had been treated to impassionate rants followed by threats of healing them using the most uncomfortable means at her disposal, and therefore had made sure to avoid angering her again. They were quite curious as to how the teen would react, as he appeared to dislike people telling him what to do, and Pomfrey disliked having her concerns ignored.

"Madam, while I am thankful for the concern, I've suffered far worse before, and kept fighting with a lot worse than a broken arm. I know how to heal myself, so kindly stop screaming my ear off, I am not deaf."

His words were ignored however, as Pomfrey made to cast a diagnostic spell on the young man, only for it to return negative results, shocking the nurse. Frowning, she tried again, only for her spell to return the same result.

"This can't be right…" she mumbled to herself.

"What appears to be the matter, Poppy?" asked Dumbledore, who had strolled down as soon as he had seen his school nurse stomping towards Harry. He figured he might as well use the opportunity to learn some information pertaining to Harry, while hopefully placing himself in the role of the worried older wizard. While he really wanted to ask Harry where he had learnt to fight like he had shown, he would much rather wait until Fudge wasn't there, and in a more private setting.

"Headmaster, this says that nothing is wrong with him, that he has no injury, when you and I clearly heard his arm breaking. It makes no sense!"

"Actually," piped up Karasuba, who had a large grin on her face now that she had been allowed to use some violence," Harry-chan simply channeled some magic in his bones, and it fixed them. So your spell doesn't show anything wrong with him because there is nothing wrong with him. It's hardly his fault if you don't know about that."

The nurse looked horrified. The use of magic for something like that was incredibly dangerous, or at least it was what all Healers were told during their studies, since it required to be able to channel magic without a wand and a very good knowledge of the human body lest the magic accidentally remove an important organ while trying to fix an injured one.

She was about to berate the teen for his actions, when his glare pinned her in place.

"Do not presume to tell me what I can and can't do with my body. I have been using this technique since I was twelve, and I've never had the slightest problem with it. I don't care what you think you know, I can do this, and the only aftereffect is more of a benefit than a detriment to my health. Now, please stand aside, the Minister is coming this way and I'd rather not have to entertain him with you glaring at my back the whole time."

The silence that followed the quiet dressing down was almost eerie, although it was understandable. Madam Pomfrey was nicknamed "Hogwarts' Dragon Nurse" for a reason, and nobody, not even Dumbledore himself, had ever dared speak to her with that tone of voice, and those few who had dared be even remotely insulting or dismissive of her abilities had often regretted it when she had torn into them like an angry Banshee. Only Molly Weasley's explosions were more feared in Hogwarts, and it was really saying something, as the Weasley Matriarch was known to have the same foul temper as a Hungarian Horntail and the overbearing attitude of a nesting dragon.

The silence would likely have continued for a while, had the Minister and his delegation not reached the group at that moment, the man smiling wildly.

"Harry, my boy! Magnificent display! You're growing to be a fine wizard, young man!" grinned the porty man, extending his hand for a handshake, which the Boy-Who-Lived grasped and shook, his grasp a bit too strong as Fudge grimaced, discreetly cradling his hand once the handshake was finished.

Moving his fingers to get the blood circulating again, he added:

"Oh, but where are my manners? Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic. Let me tell you, young man, that we at the Ministry are truly happy to see you back where you belong. It was a dreadful affair, I tell you, to hear about your disappearance. We mobilized every resource at our disposition to find you and bring you back to your parents, but we were, unfortunately, unable to find you. If a certain someone-" the man glared at Dumbledore," hadn't assured me that you were safe and cared for, we would have seen you back at your parents' home as soon as the matter would have been brought to my attention."

"Thank you for your concern, Minister." Nodded Harry, before gesturing to his companions. "Allow me to introduce the woman who raised me, Karasuba."

The grey-haired sadist gave a cheery wave, her sword once more out as she inspected it for defects, a wide grin stretching her lips after the rather violent fight between her and her companions.

"'lo."

Some among the Ministry officials seemed indignant to receive so little recognition, but after what they had seen, they were rather leery of antagonizing someone who seemed to relish in violence.

"Don't mind her, she never was one for formality anyway, and she tends to dislike people on principle." Sighed the grey-haired teen, before gesturing to the brunette standing a few feet behind him.

"This is Akitsu. Again, don't expect too much from her, she doesn't like to speak much."

True to his word, the brunette gave a small bow, one that made her large chest bounce in a way that seemed to draw the attention of just about every male in the area, and even when she straightened, more than a few stares were glued to the large cleavage displayed by her clothing.

"And this is Homura."

"Hello, pleased to meet you." Smiled the young woman, giving a small bow.

"Splendid! Harry, -can I call you Harry?" started Fudge, receiving a nod from the young man, "I must say, in all my years it is the first time I see such fine witches! Where did you find them, if I may ask?"

With a smile, Harry gestured to the castle.

"I'm afraid it is something of a secret only shared between us. But before continuing this discussion, what would you say about going back inside? It is getting chilly, and while warming charms are rather convenient, it would better to talk over a good breakfast, don't you think?"

-Break-

Harry was doing his best to restrain himself from hurting someone at the moment. While Fudge was surprisingly easy to deal with considering how his reputation portrayed him, the man still wasn't the brightest by any stretch of the imagination, and dealing with him was draining, especially considering he was trying his best to not antagonize the man. And while he was more or less used to politics thanks to Tom's memories and his time as Miyuki's teacher, he was far more used to be in control and being able to do as he wished. And doing as he wished at the moment would involve some rather harsh words and perhaps even bodily harm onto the person of the Minister and the pink toad who was following them like a lost puppy, which he couldn't afford.

He was not stupid. He was well aware that at one point or another, his nature, and the one of his Sekirei would be exposed, and while his status as the Lord to three Noble Houses granted him a lot of protection, it did nothing for his Sekirei. He would have to rectify that and soon, but that would be easy, as all he had to do was have them betrothed to him, something that would make their position similar to his own. However, even that protection would mean nothing if someone managed to convince the Wizenmagot to strip him of his position on the grounds that he was unfit. And with the way Magical Britain was run at the moment, having "creature blood" would likely be more than enough to see him brought down to nothing but a mere representative of the Houses he was supposed to be the lord of. Add to that that he was only fourteen, no matter what his body looked like, and a sufficiently determined individual could very well manage to seriously endanger both his position and himself. Which was why, he was forced to play along with Fudge.

As they entered the Great Hall, however, the students already having returned to the warmth of the old castle and the comfort of a good breakfast, Harry spotted something that made him groan. Following his line of sight, his Sekirei showed similar expressions, Karasuba frowning, Homura looking exasperated, and Akitsu quirking an eyebrow.

Flying in circles among the rafters was a large Spectacled Owl, holding what appeared to be a large, round contraption. Unfortunately, Harry recognized the device, he recognized it all too well after having Minaka drag him to his office to show off the first of what was likely to be a long line of holographic projectors.

As if on cue, the bird suddenly stopped flying in circles, instead dive bombing him with a screech, stopping just a few moments to get rid of its package, before speeding away, as if to get as far as possible from the castle. Harry had a sneaking suspicion that Minaka had left a rather bad impression of mankind on the poor bird, and offered a short and silent prayer for it. Nobody deserved to be exposed to the man's insanity without warning.

As the projector landed, it rolled several times, before stopping. Then, with a whirling noise, six electrical legs appeared from underneath, lifting it, then skittering until it stopped in front of their group.

"What is this?" asked a confused Ministry worker, before shrieking in shock as the top of the device opened, projecting a giant MBI logo in the air of the Great Hall. By now, everyone inside the room had stopped doing anything, save for a few Ravenclaws whom Harry could hear mumbling about how electronics weren't supposed to work in high-magical environments, opting instead to stare at the giant hovering hologram.

Surprisingly, what appeared wasn't the grinning image of Minaka, instead, it was merely his office. Then, while those present were busy looking at the hologram, trying to understand why all they were seeing was an empty office, Kabuki music began to play, making Harry sigh and rub his eyes in an effort to calm down. While he was somewhat used to his adoptive father's insanity, his antics were still more often than not irritating, and not amusing. He had no idea what the lunatic had in mind when he had sent the owl carrying a hologram projector, but he couldn't even scrap the possibility that the man had just done it on a whim.

What has that moron imagined this time?

"From the deepest forests…" chanted a voice, as a white clad, and at least to Harry and his Sekirei, familiar, figure danced into the screen, stopping at the left side of the hologram, taking a pose that was likely supposed to be impressive, but was overall completely ruined by Minaka's clothes, as well as the poorly imitated Kabuki mask the man was wearing.

"To the highest mountains…" this time the man danced to the other side of the hologram, before taking a pose mirroring the one he had taken before. By now, most of those present in the Great Hall were openly gawking at the scene, save for a good part of the Slytherins, although a few seemed to be barely able to hide their bafflement.

"I seek the Gods, for I am the mighty-Buhaaaa?!"

As Minaka started dancing once again, slowly inching towards the center of his office, no doubt to take yet another ridiculous pose, he was sent crashing in his desk by a kick to the stomach, courtesy of an enraged Takami, the geneticist looking slightly haggard and more than a little angry.

"MINAKA! What the fuck are you doing?! And take off this mask, you look ridiculous!"

Harry couldn't refrain a satisfied smirk as he watched the scientist kick MBI's CEO in the groin, before grabbing his clothes and shaking him like a ragdoll. It never got old to see one of the most powerful men on Earth, at least on the political side, cower before his angry lead geneticist. Then again, Takami would likely be able to stare down an angry Hungarian Horntail, so perhaps expecting him to stand up to the woman was a bit too much. On the other side, Minaka was insane, so perhaps there was still some sanity left in him that he recognized the threat for what it was.

"Takami-chan, I was introducing myself to Harry's familyyyyyyyyyyy!" whined the subject of the scientist's ire, while dodging her clipboard. No doubt, to the wizards and witches present, the scene was surreal. While those from Hogwarts were used to fierce women, they were most certainly not used to witness a grown man wailing like a child while being kicked around by an angry woman.

"Ahem." Politely coughed Dumbledore, the old man poorly hiding his mirth, most likely finding the scene humorous, yet trying to hide it.

His cough had the intended effect, as Takami glanced at the projector's camera, a twitch showing in her eyebrows, before she turned back to Minaka, kicking him one more time before composing herself and turning to face the camera.

"Get up, idiot!"she growled towards her boss, her face set in a furious scowl. "Hello, Harry."

"Hello, Takami." He smiled, happy to see the woman again. While it hadn't been long since the last time they had seen each other, he was used to her presence, and she was quite certainly after Karasuba, the closest thing he had had to a mother while growing up in MBI's Tower. While he loathed most people on principle, or at least was neutral towards them, she was one of the few outside of his Sekirei he considered as family, and someone he respected immensely. She, unlike the aliens she had the charge of, had no special ability to carry her in her life, and she had reached her position through her own hard work and stellar intellect, something that was easier said than done in the very masculine world of scientific research.

"I see Minaka has been up to his usual antics." He smirked.

"True. You'd think the moron would learn after so many times of getting pummeled by an angry woman, but I guess his genius doesn't extend to that domain." Grinned Karasuba, giving the hologram a lazy wave. "Hello, Takami-chan. Nothing interesting since we're gone?"

Hologram-Takami sighed and rubbed her eyes tiredly.

"Not really, no. Don't worry, we'll call you if we need someone to deal with some idiots. Anyway, who's who? I recognize Dumbledore, McGonnagal and Snape, but who's the guy behind you, Harry?"

"Ahem. This is Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic. And you are?" simpered the pink abomination next to the Minister. Harry had stayed as far away from her as he could, for even he couldn't fathom if Dolores Umbridge, the Senior Undersecretary of the Minister, was actually human or the lovechild of some human-sized toad and a drunken woman. Although if the woman (and he used the term loosely) actually had some creature blood, which wouldn't surprise him given her facial features, then she was a hypocrite, considering that she was a diehard blood fanatic, and, in some ways, even worse than Voldemort. The Dark Lord, while he believed those of non-magical blood or mixed blood to be of lesser status, still fully intended to rule them, even if he certainly didn't mind killing off as much Muggles as possible. But at least, he understood that he couldn't kill off every Muggle in the world, it was simply impossible. Umbridge fully believed it was not only possible, but also desirable to kill off over ninety-nine percent of the Earth's population.

So it was with glee that he watched Takami glance at her, before ignoring her.

"Meh, good for him. Doesn't look like much to me, and if what I've heard is true, then he's even less impressive than what he looks like. Anyway, any idea as to why the idiot set this up?"

He shrugged. He had stopped trying to understand Minaka long ago. What little he could grasp of the man's character was his obsession with the Gods of olds, which was already more than he needed to have him dance in his hand. Aside from that, he had abandoned the very idea of trying to find a logic behind his adoptive father's actions, which were more often than not, completely random, or at least appeared so. He was not a fool, the way each time MBI's CEO implemented an apparently crazy measure, it was more often than not that unforeseen benefits (for Minaka, at least) sprang from it. Unfortunately, trying to discern his motives was an exercise in futility, especially since it would require having the same information as the man.

"I'm glad you asked, Takami-chan!"grinned the previously downed man, appearing right next to his chief geneticist, a wide grin splitting his face in two. "The reason is twofold. First, I wanted the chance to introduce myself to Harry's family."

His grin didn't leave his face as he took a pose, pointing at the ceiling.

"I am MBI's CEO, Hiroto Minaka! And for those of you who wouldn't understand what this means, it means I am a very powerful man in what you call the Muggle world, enough at least to have lunch with your Queen whenever I see fit. I hear she was very impressed with our technology.

I am also, and this I'm quite sure Harry-chan didn't tell you, his adoptive father."

At that, the Potters, along with quite a few people, started and glanced at him for confirmation. It was with great difficulty that he kept his face impassive, although inside he was seething. While he had no trouble admitting that Karasuba raised him, he had more trouble with admitting Minaka had taken him in, especially since the man had only done so on a whim, and because he was fascinated with his powers. While the Black Sekirei had been the same, as in she wouldn't have given him the time of day if he had just been another normal human, she at least had spent enough time around him that he didn't care. That, and she didn't start telling people things he would rather have kept secret. He didn't want anything about his life made known to the public without his approval, but it seemed that the director had other plans, although he had no idea of what they were.

"Is this true, Harry, my boy?" asked Dumbledore, the old man's eyes twinkling merrily.

He had little doubt that behind the merry smile the aged wizard was showing, that he was already weaving new plans with that knowledge, plans that likely involved probing into his past by using Minaka's careless words to find as much as he could about the time he had spent outside of Britain.

"Oh, it is." Answered Karasuba, looking unconcerned. "Although we didn't see him often. He swung by a few times to ask Harry-chan questions about his magic, but that's about it. He was more than happy to leave him with me."

"Quite true, Karasuba-chan. Why, when you were with him you weren't killing my employees! Do you know how hard it is to find competent people these days?" pouted the CEO.

"Wait a moment. Killing your employees?" asked James Potter, who was looking at the Black Sekirei with something akin to shock on his features, while Lily Potter, who had been completely silent so far, gave a small cry of distress. "You mean my son has been raised by a murderer?"

This time, Minaka's grin turned positively evil, the man's behavior shifting abruptly to a much colder one. This was not the goofball who did things on a whim, this was the CEO of an international company, the man who ordered overpowered aliens to slaughter armies to keep his plans going. At his side, Takami was scowling, and dragging on her cigarette, her eyes cold.

"And you must be James Potter!" grinned Minaka, before smirking: "Do tell me, what right do you have to judge Karasuba? While she is unstable, and hates just about everyone outside of Harry, she at the very least raised him. You and your wife, on the other hand, abandoned your son, and while you might have had the best intentions in mind at the time, the fact is that you never once checked on him, which hardly corroborates your words."

James flinched, and Lily gave a wail as she put her head in her hands. Most in the Great Hall were looking between the hologram, Harry, and the Potters, unsure of how to react. While the Potters were widely respected in the British Wizardry society, even by the darker families, if only for their family history, Minaka's words weren't wrong, either, and most Purebloods were raised to respect family above all else.

"Now see here!" scowled Fudge, interrupting the CEO, "The Potters are upstanding citizens, and I will not have you slander their good name! They were at the forefront of the effort to rebuild our society after the war with You-Know-Who, and-"

"And nothing." Cut the no-longer grinning man, "They have no right to judge Karasuba. The moment they left him to Dumbledore, they forfeited any right they had to have a say in his life. One man's mistake is another man's opportunity, as they say. And I'm happy to say it provided us with the wonderful opportunity to raise Harry. Why, I heard from our Ministry that he has destroyed the world record for the youngest wizard to take his NEWTs, and that his examiners had never seen someone as gifted as he was with magic. Add to that Karasuba's training, and Harry can now defend himself against just about anything, which I daresay, is a good thing, considering what happened with this Dark Lord of yours."

"Ahem, there is no need for him to know how to defend himself." Simpered Umbridge, "The Ministry would be more than happy to provide him with a few Aurors for his safety if need be."

Minaka chuckled.

"You clearly haven't talked with him then. From what I heard, he considers your society a bunch of incompetent and inbred idiots, with so little talent in magic you might as well be toddlers given a weapon of mass destruction. I highly doubt he would go to people he sees as little better than children for help when he can deal with things himself."

Several of those present look at Harry with wide eyes, unwilling to believe the great Boy-Who-Lived could have such an opinion of the society that idolized him, of the people he was supposed to save. Yet instead of offering any kind of denial, the teen simply glared at them, as if telling them that not only did he actually consider them such, but that quite frankly he didn't see why he should change his opinion.

"What kind of nonsense is this?!" spluttered Fudge, looking moments away from having an attack. "Harry, my boy, surely you don't think like that?"

"…And why shouldn't I think like that?" asked the teen.

While he would have liked to avoid alienating Fudge at the very least, Minaka's intervention had thrown his plans through the window, and while he could probably salvage the situation by playing the understanding fellow, he held himself to a higher standard than that. His own pride would not allow him to degrade himself by trying to scurry the favors of a government he knew was corrupt, filled with incompetent fools far too busy to either line their pockets with gold or push their own agenda through to actually do their job. Had he been alone, without any kind of support, perhaps then he would have considered actually reassuring the sweating fool in front of him, but his wish to have Fudge on his side had been more for safety's sake than anything else, which was why he was not going to bother hiding his distaste.

"While you were running around looking for me, I took the time to learn about your great society. A society brought to its knees by a group of nothing more than a hundred people, because nobody was willing to actually fight, and where the entire government was so corrupt that it was a wonder it ever got anything done. I've had the magical society from my own country to compare, and you are centuries behind them in any matter you could care to name.

Laws? Your laws are so outdated that they'll give a good laugh to any magic user worth their salt. Your "progress"? What your people consider a significant advance in the field of magic has been discovered decades ago by other countries. The matter of my disappearance was just what the ICW needed to be convinced that your country is not even worth belonging to it. As it is, there have been talks to boot you out of it, at least until you actually manage to root out the blatant corruption and inbreeding weakening your country. And with the way things are, I don't see it happening anytime soon.

I don't even need to look that far for an example. Your country hosted the Quidditch World Cup Final this summer, didn't it? Which meant you were perfectly aware of the need for more security, since sportive events are likely to see drunk idiots breaking into fights. Yet did you actually give the DMLE the means to do their jobs? No, you didn't. You stuck your head in the ground, and crossed your fingers, hoping that nothing bad would happen. The result? An attack of Death Eaters, who, by all rights, should have all been thrown into prison after the end of the war. An attack only stopped by Hitwizards hired by Amelia Bones, who was apparently the only one to realize the need for security to be tightened.

So tell me, Fudge, why I shouldn't think of your people as children with weapons they are in no way and shape ready to wield? Your government is immature, irresponsible, and worse of all, complacent, yet you would stand here, smile, and tell me that I am safe? I WAS ENROLLED IN A TOURNAMENT KNOWN TO KILL THE PARTICIPANTS, WITHOUT MY CONSENT! HOW IS THAT CONSIDERED EVEN REMOTELY SAFE?!"

By the end of his tirade, the Ministry's delegates were gasping for breath, Harry's magic having flared and brought them to their knees by its sheer pressure. The only ones faring remotely well were Dumbledore, whose own great magic allowed him to counter the effects of Harry's own to a degree, and several members of the staff with greater than average magic power. Needless to say, the worst off were undoubtedly Fudge and Umbridge, who had fallen to their knees and were heaving, their faces pale and sweaty.

However, Harry was rather satisfied to see the foreign Headmaster and Headmistress, as well as several of the foreign students, nodding with his rant. It was a known fact that the British were rather pigheaded, what with them believing themselves to be the most advanced magical society in the world, as well as the one with the greatest wizards. Just because Dumbledore was known internationally didn't mean that he was the most knowledgeable wizard alive, or the most powerful one either. While he was certainly up there in terms of both knowledge and magical power, the aged wizard was still showing signs of growing senility, and his recent slip-ups had shed light on just how far he had fallen. The fact he had been allowed to keep three positions of power, one of them involving the safety of children, despite this, was something foreign countries found more than distasteful. It was dangerous, and the only reason Hogwarts was still the host school for the Triwizard Tournament was because it was their turn by tradition. The multiple reassurances from the British government had also helped slightly in that aspect.

"Now, Harry, while I like to see you these fools their just desserts, I have one more thing for you, and then I'll be on my way. MBI won't be running itself alone, I'm afraid!" chuckled Minaka.

"I'm listening." He growled, glancing one last time at the slowly standing wizards and witches behind him.

"Recently,"Harry realized that the matter was most likely related to the Sekirei if his adoptive father slipped back to Japanese, "number zero-five has come to me about the matter of his Ashikabi. Apparently, for the last two summers he has been reacting to a young, European teenager, who in his own words, had "abilities similar to those of a Sekirei". Since nobody knows about magic, aside from Takami-chan and me, it is of course impossible that Mutsu would invent a story like this. After a bit of probing, it appears that his Ashikabi is a bushy-haired witch, and after Takami-chan showed him the photo of your little pupil, he confirmed it was her.

Now, you know me, I would not dare challenge the will of the Gods by keeping a Sekirei-Ashikabi pair separated, more so when the Ashikabi has close ties to you. So I have sent him to England, for you to introduce him to…Hermione-chan, was it?Anyway, I want you to take him to Hogwarts with you, so that he can meet his partner in the game of the Gods!"

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!" he roared, cutting off the Ministry officials who had been complaining about how they didn't understand a word of what was being said, and were demanding that they switch back to proper English. "The last thing we want is the Sekirei becoming known to wizardkind, even more so the British wizards! Do you have any idea of what they would do if they were aware of the fact that there is a race of super-powered, mainly female aliens waiting to bond with their partners, and who would do anything for said partners?! All you needed to do was give me a fucking call, I would have explained things to Hermione before taking her to meet with Mutsu! Instead of that, you're risking the discovery of the Sekirei by a bunch of narcissistic, inbred morons who would sooner enslave them all than actually consider them sentient beings!"

"Don't worry," smiled Minaka, "I'm sure you'll think about something. Now, good luck with the Tournament, ta-ta."

With that, the man cut the connection, although Harry felt slightly vindicated to see Takami poising her hand to strike him before the device stopped showing the CEO's office.

However, that did not change what had just happened. In a single setting, Minaka had utterly destroyed his plans to integrate himself in the Minister's entourage, while dumping number zero-five, Mutsu, on him, and all but demanding that he bring the Sekirei to Hogwarts. From what remembered of what he had been told on that particular Sekirei, he was male, a true one, which was rare enough to be noted, as well as a rather skilled swordsman, though nowhere near Karasuba or Miya's league. His main type of fighting relied mainly on creating small earthquakes using the scabbard of his sword, as well as a small degree of control over Earth.

"Mister Potter?" came the meek voice of the Minister.

Glancing at the sweating man, he gave him a last glare, before storming out of the Great Hall.


So this chapter is done. For the questions you undoubtedly have:

1-why would Harry want to keep a low profile and yet give a public demonstration of his powers? Simple, he doesn't want to keep a low profile, what he wants is to be recognized for his own merits, and not for something he doesn't remember. The demonstration is there to show that he is not just a name, but actually a competent wizard, as well as a way to give a warning to those who would try to oppose him: he has the skills necessary to deal with the petty power plays the Slytherins could try to attempt.

2-why would Harry blow up at Fudge, when he wanted to have him on his side? Because he has a short temper, and that Minaka's antics might compromise all his carefully made plans. Thus he wasn't exactly in the mood to play nice with someone he privately despises, and didn't need per se.

3-why would Minaka blow Harry's cover? He didn't blow anything himself, he just introduced himself and pissed off Harry by telling him he was sending Mutsu to Hogwarts. What is likely to blow his cover is Mutsu's presence itself: people are now assuming that he and his Sekirei have been close for years, which is more than enough to avoid unwanted questions. However, if Mutsu starts following Hermione around, people are bound to notice that he's a bit too devoted for a mere bodyguard, and to start asking questions.

Now, some bad news. The reason I didn't update as expected, is, as I said, because I had a lot of ideas that wouldn't leave me alone until I wrote them down. It is still the case. So, and as I don't want to force this story out since it would then be crap, I'll be updating a bit more randomly than before. I'll try to keep up the schedule, but I might not be able to do so every month. So don't worry if I don't update every month, it's just that I'm trying to write the best chapters possible.

Arawn D. Draven, out!