Edmund Harry Potter-Black (or, as the rest of the world knew him, "Prince Edmund") watched his father from his perch on top of a high stool, absently swinging his legs. His right hand absently fiddled with his left sleeve as he tried to articulate the question he badly wanted to ask.
'What's on your mind, mate?' Harry asked lightly tapping a finger on the boy's head.
Startled, his eldest son looked up, his eyes (which were green at the moment) losing their far-off gaze. 'Nothing much,' he mumbled, ducking his head and switching his attention to the other sleeve.
Looking back up, the boy flushed when he caught his father's eyes.
Harry only raised an eyebrow, knowing that the silent gesture would be more effective than spoken word.
'Why –' Edmund cleared his throat. 'Why are you … you know …?' he waved his hands around himself as if to make a point.
'Why am I getting married to two more women?' Harry asked bemusedly.
The boy only nodded in reply.
Harry looked at Edmund for a moment, wondering what exactly he should tell the boy. 'Well,' he said finally. 'The reason is simple. And complex all the same: politics.'
'Politics?' James' voice piped up from across the large room. 'How so, dad?'
Harry cast an amused glance at the sprawled ten year old. Even though his younger son was contentedly playing with his toys (and still was, despite asking the question) the boy clearly was keeping his ears open. That was quite an interesting quirk. A quirk that Harry hoped was developed further. A person perceived by others to be generally oblivious to his surroundings tends to get more information quickly.
'What do you know of the two women that I am marrying?' Harry asked, directing his question to both of his sons. It would be a good idea to see how much they had absorbed from all the lessons.
'Well, Gabrielle is the daughter of the new French Minister of Magic,' James said, rolling over on his back and sitting up to give his father his full attention. Crossing his legs, he absently tapped his chin with the head of the action figure he was playing with.
'Yes,' Harry replied. 'But that doesn't matter, does it?' He decided to ignore the indignant face of the animated Harry Potter figure tightly grasped in his son's hand. That toy was a result of a prank gift courtesy of Fred and George and was a part of the "Triwizard Set" including the equally animated figures of Cedric Diggory, Viktor Krum, Fleur Delacour, and the four dragons the champions had faced in the first task.
At least the champions' share from sales of the toys (by mutual consent between the three of them and Mr and Mrs Diggory) was being donated to charity. Though, the dragon toys did not do justice to the original model sitting in Harry's study next to the Swedish Short-Snout the Diggorys had been kind enough to give him behind wards to prevent two certain moppets from getting their little hands on it.
'No,' Edmund responded this time. 'After all, you are now recognised as the King of magical France, and unofficially, the Emperor of the magical empire. Also, you did sort of make him the Minister.'
'Indeed,' Harry said with a nod. 'So what other political reasons are there?' Part of his mind was still on the time when the Diggorys had given him that Swedish Short-Snout of Cedric's. It had been seven years ago, just after the birth of their second son. Amos Diggory had told him that he and his wife had finally moved on. For that reason, they felt it would be best to part with most of their deceased son's possessions. While the clothes and other odds and ends were given away or sold, the couple felt that Harry should have the dragon.
Personally, Harry did not think that they had truly moved on. After all, they had named their now seven year old son "Cedric". Though, he did know that they had the habit of calling the boy "Ricky" instead.
Mentally shaking himself, Harry decided to leave the Diggorys and their problems behind and instead focus on his own progeny. He smiled at his still silent sons. 'Here's a hint: what else can you tell me about the three Delacour women?'
The room was filled with thoughtful silence.
'Well, they are veela.' Edmund finally said. 'At least Mrs Delacour is. Fleur and Gabrielle are half veela.'
'Yes,' Harry said approvingly. 'More importantly, Appoline Delacour is also the daughter of Hans Mueller, the leader of the veela community.
'Now the veela are a proud race, and while small in number, quite powerful. They also do not trust easily. However at the same time, they easily trust family. This is mainly the reason why Appoline ended up marrying into the Delacour family. And so far, they aren't wrong. After all, Jean-Sebastian did quite a lot to improve things for his wife's and daughters' people.'
They were interrupted by a knock on the door.
'Your majesty,' said an older wizard, opening the door after being bid to enter. 'It is ready.'
'Five minutes, Jacques,' Harry said after a pause.
The man bowed at the neck and backed out, closing the door.
'I know why you have to marry Ginny!' James piped up. 'It's because she is Fred and George's sister, right?'
Harry chuckled softly. 'No, not really, it has more to do with her being really close to Gabrielle. Gabrielle has, ah, requested that she be included too.'
'Oh,' James said with a frown, trying to work it out.
'Don't worry,' Harry said, ruffling the boy's hair. 'I don't get it either.'
Harry took a deep breath. 'Now boys, I suggest you get ready. Edmund, lose the blue hair. And while you're at it, lose the pout, this is a formal occasion, and you know that. You can change it back later. But till then, keep it black, brown, red or blond. The same goes for your eyes: regular colours only. I don't want … whatever weird colour you have thought of. James, put away your toys. It's time.'
Harry had just managed to straighten James' robes when Jacques entered the room, followed by a mini-army bearing enough jewellery to pay off a small country's sovereign debt.
Once Harry had put on the various collars and medals representing both Britain and France, he lifted the crown and placed it onto his head, reflecting that the headpiece was the simplest thing he was currently wearing.
In a few short moments, he was waiting for his future two wives to arrive. He glanced at his left, to Daphne, whose own crown glinted in the sunlight that bathed Fairy's Glen, highlighting the majesty of the Scottish countryside.
He was aware that she had pushed for this marriage to happen well before he was crowned King. At times he did not know if she had known of his plans, and he had no desire of finding out. But what he did know was that she had every intention of being the dominant wife in this little harem that was going to be formed. The fact that she was standing here, next to him and in front of his sons made her intentions very clear. That is, if the bejewelled crown on her head wasn't clear enough of a message. Conveniently, the crowns of her sister wives were much simpler in nature.
Suddenly it occurred to him that the ostentatious robes he now wore (which he knew were made from Sea Silk, a very rare and very expensive material, even in the magical world) complete with the long train was not something his advisors had thought of by themselves.
Harry quietly chuckled to himself. Ginny and Gabrielle may be strong-willed, but they were no match for Queen Daphne.
'Something the matter, dear?' the object of his thoughts said quietly.
'Oh, nothing at all,' Harry replied lightly. He glanced at Neville and the boys, who were standing directly behind him, with his eyes twinkling in amusement, getting a bemused grin in return from his friend. He had had great fun standing for Neville at his wedding, as Neville had stood for his. Well, both of his weddings.
Worried that his presence would overshadow the bride and groom, Harry had used his powers to make himself and his family unnoticeable to everyone present except for each other and Neville and Susan.
He had repeated the same procedure on Draco and Astoria's wedding too, partly because he really liked the anonymity, and partly because his darling sister-in-law had asked him to do the same in a very saccharine voice that wasn't fooling anyone.
Speaking of which … Harry's eyes sought her out, standing there next to her husband and mother-in-law, engrossed in a very quiet conversation with Draco.
The music brought him out of his reverie.
As he saw his two brides walk down towards him side-by-side, Harry realised that he was not being entirely truthful with his sons and with himself.
Even after all these years, the sight of Ginny was enough to get his blood racing.
Somewhere in the Middle East
The man took a step back and admired his handiwork. The last rune was in place. He had double-checked every single symbol in the array and triple-checked it just to be safe.
It was perfect. At long last, after years of careful infiltration, months spent being unnoticed as he did his work and weeks and weeks of careful carving, his mission was now complete.
Now all he would have to do is rest and wait for his final instructions.
He made his way outside, not noticed or bothered by the workers around him.
Once outside, he made his way to a small alley where donned his cloak, put the hood up and turned on the spot.
Reappearing at the safe house, he only had to wait for a short amount of time for his colleagues to appear, all hooded as he was.
The minute hand of the clock had just touched the number twelve when the door leading to the conference room opened.
Silently, the men and women filed in, taking their places at the large table.
'So, gentlemen, ladies,' the man at the head of the table said without preamble. 'I presume that we are all ready?'
The shadowed face of the leader smiled.
'Then "Thirst" is complete.' He pronounced with relish to nods of approval.
Washington D.C.
'Did you manage to finish it?'
'Y-yes,' the young man stuttered, his voice excited and nervous at the same time. 'I can't believe I managed to do this!' he said in wonder.
The man he was talking to smirked. 'Indeed, it is quite a big step, isn't it?'
'Yes!' the answer came out in a near squeak. 'The world will now be a much safer place!'
'All thanks to you,' the older man finished for him. 'You should be proud of yourself, David.'
The younger man puffed out his chest as he gazed into the distance, no doubt imagining the accolades he would receive.
'Too bad you won't be able to tell anyone about it,'
'Huh?' derailed from his thoughts, the young man looked up to see a stick pointed at him. The green light would be the last thing he would ever see.
'It is done,' nonchalantly standing over the cooling body of the Muggle, the wizard said into a mirror that he fished out of his pocket. 'And I have a bonus that you will like.'
'Excellent, Marcus,' the face in the device replied. 'Pack up and get your people out of there. His Majesty will be pleased.'
Harry looked down at his two children wistfully.
Clad in their Hogwarts robes, Edmund and James looked quite grown up. To Harry, it seemed like it was yesterday when he was changing their nappies. And now suddenly, they were about to step onto the Hogwarts Express, ready to start their first year at Hogwarts.
A glance at his left showed that Daphne also felt the same as he did.
Harry looked up as she swooped down on them, saying very motherly things to their children who looked appropriately uncomfortable as only two eleven year old boys can feel.
Well, Edmund was nearly twelve. It was only because of the fact that his birthday was nineteen days later that he could only join school this year instead of the last year. A part of Harry was quite unhappy with this: his son was losing a year because of a few measly days. That part of him wanted to use his influence to get the boy in last year. But a larger part of him reasoned that it would not be proper. As King, and future Emperor, he had to lead by example.
Besides, this meant that the brothers got to be in the same batch, thus increasing the chances of them being in the same classes. They were still close to each other.
Clearing his throat, Harry said solemnly. 'Well boys, this is the beginning of a new chapter of your lives. Soon, you will be on your way to becoming real wizards.' He put his left hand on Edmund's right shoulder and his right on James' left as he crouched down. 'No matter what you do, know that the two of us will always love you.'
Harry grunted when his sons crashed into him, hugging tightly. He placed a kiss on their heads as he hugged them back.
'Having said that,' he was surprised that his voice was still steady. 'We would greatly appreciate it if you study hard, and stay out of mischief. Or at least,' he added with a wink. 'Try not to get caught.' His comment elicited watery chuckles from the boys who were clearly trying not to cry.
'Now one last thing,' Harry said seriously. 'If you ever end up conversing with Professor Hagrid outside classes – he's a large man, you will know who he is – anyway, if you do, and I highly recommend that you do as he is a nice chap, I have one piece of advice.' He looked at them in the eye. 'Do not offer to take care of any of his pets, and do not commit to anything until he tells you what it is … and if you see him with a book on dragons, or any other creature that has more than three exes … make sure you know what's in his hut before going there for tea!'
Harry stared at his sons expectantly till he got a nod of confirmation from each of them.
Satisfied, he straightened up and nudged his sons towards the train, waving at them as they made their way towards the locomotive, flanked by a guard each. He deliberately ignored the look of confusion on Daphne's face.
Harry heaved a sigh as the train disappeared around a bend. Aside from the fact that they had grown up so fast, dropping them off at the station added a level of melancholy as it reminded him of Mark, and the number of times he had stood on this very same platform to see him off.
'Right, let's go,' he muttered to Daphne who was rooted on the spot staring into empty space.
'Oh, yes,' she replied, breaking out of her revere.
With a nod to the guards, the King and Queen Disapparated to their home followed shortly by their security detail.
'Oh my boys have become so big.' Daphne nearly gushed as soon as they were in the privacy of their house.
'Indeed.' Harry agreed sombrely. 'Well, it had to happen sometime.'
'Perhaps I should pack together some sweets and nibbles …' Daphne said suddenly. 'Remind them that we are nearby.' She got up with determination.
'Daphne,' Harry interrupted her gently. 'Sit, please.' He guided her to a sofa, sitting next to her. Nuzzling her hair, he continued to speak. 'They aren't little anymore. It is time to let them have some of their freedom. Let it go. We discussed and agreed to this before. Aside from letters and any other parent-teacher conferences (which, of course, will entail the teachers coming here) we are going to allow them to spread their wings. Coddling them isn't going to serve anything.'
Daphne sighed. 'You are right.' She said, dabbing at her eyes. 'But it is hard not to worry.'
Harry snorted. 'That is your right as a mother. Now,' he sat up. 'I believe we have a choice. Sit around and mope, or carry on with our day. Personally, I think the latter option is best. It will help take our minds off. Well, that and I do have a lot of paperwork.'
Seeing her nod, Harry got up. Helping his first wife to her feet, he continued down towards his office. 'Perhaps you, Ginny, and Gabrielle could spend some time to get to know each other.' He commented lightly.
Not waiting for her answer, he slipped into his office. Sinking into his chair, he gazed contemplatively at the grounds.
Unbidden, memories of the past twelve years flashed past before his eyes. He remembered the mornings where he used to run around with the boys, the various games they would play, the times they had gone "exploring" on their own (at least as far as they were concerned – they did not know about the elves shadowing them) to return in a deplorably filthy state, bearing all sorts of things they found fascinating. Harry could not help but let out a chuckle as he thought of the time where they had brought home the jawbone of some long dead animal. The look on Daphne's face was priceless!
Despite what he had told his wife, Harry spent the better part of the morning lost in memory. He joined his three wives for a light lunch before sequestering himself back in his office.
This time he was determined to go through all the paperwork sitting at his desk.
The first few reports were dry, consisting of mundane things going around in his kingdom. He signed off on a few new regulations, and marked down other bits of legislation for further editing or review. While he was happy to let the Minister and the Wizengamot do most of the running, he still insisted on reviewing everything that was done. It was his responsibility, after all.
Catching himself nodding off, he headed down to the grounds for a short walk and a bit of fresh air.
Getting back, he first took out the Evening Prophet to look at the Quidditch scores.
About to set the paper aside, he stopped when he noticed a heading.
Slowly, not believing his eyes, Harry read the article below. It was a marriage announcement.
'Xenophilius Lovegood and Rita Skeeter?!' he ejaculated in disbelief.
Reading further, he found out that the two had been seeing each other since he was in fifth year. It turned out that writing that one article for the Quibbler had set the sparks off between the reporter and the editor. They had an on-again-off-again relationship for the next few years till he proposed to her.
'Well, that was unexpected,' Harry muttered.
Setting the paper aside, Harry reflected that it was a good thing that Skeeter had stopped snooping around as a beetle and had officially registered her form. Though, he supposed the fact that he knew about her abilities ensured her compliance.
Not that it stopped her stories from being any less sensational.
Snorting, he got back to work.
First off was a report from the Department of Mysteries' research division. After decades of research, they had finally managed to create a device that could give people the ability to change into any animal.
The device was inspired from the Animagus process and the Polyjuice Potion, both of which were tweaked and modified. Initial testing was promising. The magical apparatus allowed a person to acquire the DNA of any animal permanently and change into that animal as many times as they wanted. There were some limitations, however. First, there was a time limit. After two hours, the user would be forced back to his human form. Secondly, the process of changing from human to animal was much slower.
At the same time, the advantages were phenomenal. The number of morphs was unlimited. And just like the Polyjuice Potion, a person could change into another human, without going through any of the pain that came with the potion. Also, injuries sustained in one form heal automatically as soon as the wizard morphs to a different form or resumes his original form.
Harry's mind went on overdrive as he imagined the many, many ways this could be useful. Sure changing into another form required a lot of energy, making multiple morphing a very tiring endeavour, but it made intelligence gathering very easy. Add in the fact that magical animals could be morphed …
With a large smile, Harry put the file down. He would look this over later. Possibly see a demonstration as well.
He gave a small exclamation of delight when he saw the next report.
Operation "Impotence" was finally completed. What was more, his operatives had gone above and beyond expectations.
With a lazy flick of his wrist, Harry called forth a bunch of Patronuses which all cantered off.
It was time for another meeting. One that would finally, finally start the master plan.
Jumping to his feet, he strode to his window, looking out at the grounds. A feeling of nervous excitement was coursing through his veins, not unlike how he felt when he was about to take Voldemort down.
He looked at his watch. The train would have reached Hogsmeade by now.
He wondered what the sorting was going to be like. Which house were James and Edmund going to be in? He didn't have to worry about them being separated. After all, McGonagall had agreed to give them quarters of their own, but still, he wondered what the Sorting Hat would see.
Harry had his suspicions. Naturally, as their father and the person who raised them, he felt that he would know his own sons and thus which house they would end up in.
He would have to wait till next morning to get a letter from them.
Unless…
He looked behind him at the door. His wives would be busy right now…
With a twitch of his fingers, he opened the large recently installed floor to ceiling windows.
Stepping forth into thin air, he floated for a moment.
A small unnecessary flex of his legs later, he was rocketing past the grounds of his manor.
Disapparating silently, Harry ruminated that this was the best way to go, otherwise, he would not only have to deal with his wives, but his security team as well.
Reappearing above Hogsmeade, he quickly made himself invisible.
He watched as the train entered the station and the students disgorged. It took a moment for him to spot his sons as their bodyguards had managed to disguise themselves effectively to look like regular Hogwarts N.E.W.T. students.
Dropping his invisibility spell, Harry morphed to his Animagus form. The chilly night air was definitely not suitable for a diurnal raptor which relied on warm currents of air to stay aloft. Thus, Harry quickly winged it to the great hall, only pausing to gaze wistfully at the First-Years who were boarding the boats, led by Hagrid.
Quickly locating the hidden passageway that allowed the owls entry into the Great Hall, Harry was soon perched up in the rafters of the well-lit room, hidden by the ancient enchanted ceiling, watching the students slowly filter into the hall.
Soon enough the First-Years were being lead inside by Professor Flitwick, the deputy headmaster.
Hogwarts had changed a lot since he had last set foot here as a student. The student strength was now nearly two thousand strong, the majority of them being first and second years. Voldemort's death, along with the Magical Child Protection Act had resulted in quite a population explosion. The next batch of First-Years was expected to be even larger than this one. As a result, the core subjects (now including Muggle Studies) now had six to seven teachers each, one for each year with the N.E.W.T years being handled by one teacher. The additional subjects taken during third year and beyond had one to two teachers depending on the number of students.
Harry had already commissioned the building of another school in Wales, the Queen's school for Young Witches and Wizards (named so because Daphne was the one to suggest it first) to accommodate the influx of new students. After all, there was only so much magical expansion charms can do to avoid overcrowding.
'Potter-Black, Edmund,'
The sound of his son's name brought Harry out of his thoughts. He watched as his eldest stepped forward and made his way towards the hat. As per tradition, titles did not hold any meaning in Hogwarts grounds. Thus, despite being princes, his sons used the surname of "Potter-Black".
'Hello, dear,'
The sound of Daphne's voice startled Harry. Jumping slightly, the King turned around and spied his first wife sitting in the chair of his dark office.
'Hello,' he said in a casual voice, seating himself in one of his armchairs. He indolently draped a leg over the armrest. His attitude belied the nervousness he felt within. She didn't sound angry, but he had learnt long ago that women, especially Daphne, rarely let men know that they are angry. They liked to play with their prey first.
'Went out for a little stroll, did we?' Daphne replied lightly, as she casually caressed her wand.
'Yeah,' Harry replied just as lightly. 'I was feeling a little cooped up being in the office all day. I thought a bit of fresh air would help.' Idly he called up some of his magic, ready to throw up a shield.
'Oh? And how was it? Did it have a nice Scottish burr?'
'I don't quite – alright, alright,' he said raising his hands in a placating gesture. 'Yes I went to Hogwarts.'
Daphne scoffed. 'I knew it! And you were accusing me of "coddling".'
'Oh come on!' Harry replied. 'I hardly think watching from the rafters completely unnoticed by everyone in the hall is coddling!'
Daphne only sniffed. 'Still makes you a hovering father. After all, I don't think every single parent flew all the way to the school and disguised themselves just to spy on their children. What next? Do you plan on hovering around during their first flying lesson? Or are you going to be sitting at the back of the class when they learn Transfiguration?'
Harry did not see the need to dignify those questions with an answer, so he held his silence, adding in a lofty expression for effect.
With a great sigh, the Queen broke the silence. 'So where did they get sorted?'
'Why, don't want to wait till tomorrow?' Harry replied cheekily.
Daphne fixed him with an icy glare. Suddenly smirking, she rose from her seat gracefully.
She deliberately made her way towards Harry, making sure to put one foot in front of the other sashaying her hips as she made her way towards her very surprised husband.
Harry, who had sat up properly by then was silent as Daphne straddled his lap. Grabbing his collar, she started off with a sensual kiss, then moving down his jaw. She nibbled at his neck, making him moan.
'Won't you tell your wife which house her children are in, my lord?' she whispered seductively into his ear. 'I will be sure to pay your majesty back.' She slowly moved her hips against his lap, applying the right amount of pressure to drive him wild. 'Handsomely,' the last word was filled with lust.
'Edmund is in … Gryffindor,' Harry moaned. 'James is in … Slytherin.' He bent forward to nuzzle his wife's neck.
'Oh, is that so?' Daphne's voice abruptly became light. Sitting up, she tapped a finger to her lip, all but forgetting about the man she was sitting on.
Pecking her confused spouse on the forehead, she got up. 'Thanks, dear!' she gaily replied as she made her way towards the door.
'Wha – hey, wait!'
In response, Daphne stopped at the door and looked at Harry over her shoulder. 'What's the matter, darling? Oh, you must be wondering what just happened. Well, you went out, on your own, without telling anyone. So I seduced you, got you all hot and bothered … and am now leaving you … very unsatisfied. And that's your punishment. It is too bad that Ginny and Gabrielle have gone to visit Fred and George.' She said with a mock pout.
'Goodnight, dear,' and without a backwards glance, Daphne all but glided out of the room.
'Bugger,' was all Harry had to say.
Huffing, he headed towards his chair.
Settling down, he tapped the desktop at a certain spot, making it rise up till it was at a forty five degree angle.
Muttering the password, he tapped the sheet of parchment that appeared under the desktop. Leaning back, he studied the map, staring at the stationary dots.
He smirked. Originally, he was planning on telling Daphne, but now … Nah.
Harry wondered if his sons had found the copies of the Marauder's Map in their trunks yet.
Hermione stared down at the water from atop the cliff.
After Dumbledore's portrait had told her what he knew from his investigations, she had been quick to relay that information to the King of Spain and the American Minister of Magic.
The very thought of the implications hinted at were enough to send a shiver down the spines of all involved.
Due to the secrecy that was necessary, a very few individuals were informed of this. It would not do for the Dark Lord to know of their plans. And with the power he now held, it would be all too easy for him to find out if they weren't careful enough.
So there Hermione was. From what she knew, the last place Harry and Dumbledore had gone to before Dumbledore had died was a cave where a young Tom Riddle had tortured some poor Muggles.
Of course, finding said cave was hard, as the people in question, if they hadn't died already, would be quite hard to find.
So the Minister had assigned some agents to covertly investigate the orphanage Voldemort had grown up in.
The agents (who really didn't know why they were doing what they were doing) had soon found the location after some really hard work. As the only expert on all things Voldemort present with them (and therefore, the leading expert) Hermione had been instructed to go there and "check the place out", as her handler told her. For her safety, two other agents from the Auror force would accompany her. They would pose as a family out on "vacation" (another word her handler used that for some reason just wouldn't leave her mind – accent included).
Personally, Hermione saw no point in going to see the site. She knew that the object had been removed from that location long back ago and had been replaced with a fake. She had even pointed that fact out.
However, the Minister had a counterpoint: what proof did Hermione have that confirmed that the locket given to her by Harry came from the cave and wasn't, say, conjured up and given to her to put her off the trail?
After all, if Harry had already been affected by the soul fragment in his scar and had his body taken over by Voldemort, then it would stand to reason that the locket he had given her was something he thought of on the fly.
The Minister then proceeded to point out that it was possible that Harry – as – Voldemort had possibly waylaid Dumbledore, taken the great wizard by surprise, and then tortured the old man for a few hours before staging the old man's death. It was entirely possible that Harry had found out about Dumbledore's plans to end his life at the hands of Severus Snape.
Conceding these points, Hermione set off with the others. Appearing at the location, they booked two rooms at one of the pubs nearby and then started their work. It took several weeks of searching before they finally came to the most probable cave.
The cavern was quite hard to reach without the aid of magic, a main reason why they had initially dismissed its eligibility. However, since they had not found anything anywhere else, they were forced to consider a famous saying by one of Hermione's most favourite authors who had written, appropriately enough for this situation, a series of books on a detective.
'The place checks out,' one of her team members, Thane Cook, said.
'Huh,' her other team member, Rhonwen Gabriels, said. She had been the one who had originally dismissed the location out of hand.
'It seems impossible to imagine that a boy who is ten years old, or younger, with no formal training or knowledge of magic would be able to get himself down here along with two others without the aid of magic. And it is equally impossible to scale that using Muggle means!'
'"When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth"' Hermione couldn't help but say that, seeing as she was thinking of said quote a few moments back. 'There are no other places around that match the readings we are getting, so it stands to logic that Tom Riddle managed to successfully bring himself and two other children here. As we're pressed for time, I think we can discuss on the "how" later.'
'I think I know how to get through this opening,' Cook said from the back of the cave where he was standing.
'How?'
'It … um, requires … blood.'
'Blood?' Both women replied with disgust.
'Blood,' he said succinctly. 'What else do you expect from a Dark Lord?'
After some consensus, it was decided that being the only man in the group, Cook would do the gallant thing and donate his blood. This he eventually did, after a fair bit of swearing.
The minute the entrance materialised, they were hit with a gust of warm air.
'Ugh,' Hermione said, turning away in disgust. The smell that assaulted her nose was decidedly unpleasant. She wasn't the only one; the other two were coughing, instinctively jerking back.
'Well,' Cook said as he turned around to face them. 'That was –'
Before he could complete his sentence, a figure leapt from the gloom within, latching on his back with a guttural roar.
Both the women shrieked as Cook started screaming, trying to get the thing off him.
'Inferius!' Hermione yelled in panic.
'No, really?' Gabriels said sarcastically, her eyes and wand trained on the pair as they struggled, waiting for her shot.
'Cook, I need a clear shot! Try and throw him off!'
With a heave, the man managed to shove the Inferius off him as he scrambled back. Bringing his wand to bear he cast a cutting curse.
The curse lopped the head of the Inferius off while Gabriels' blasting curse tore a hole in its chest.
Chests heaving, the two looked at the corpse.
'Oh, come on!' Cook said in disbelief as the headless body started slowly getting back up.
'Incendio!'
The flames from Hermione's wand stopped the thing halfway towards its head. In short order, it was burnt to a crisp.
'Only fire can work against Inferi,' Hermione said. She turned away quickly. The smell of burning flesh wasn't pleasant.
'Right,' Gabriels said. 'If you're done with the lecture, 'Cher, could we continue?'
Hermione blushed at the nickname the two of them had given her. Due to her habit of launching into lectures and spouting random facts, her companions had taken to calling her "'Cher", which, as they said, was short for "teacher".
Of course, she never knew that the two of them had many more nicknames for her. None of those were flattering.
About an hour later, the three of them materialised back at the cliff.
Hermione couldn't exactly put a finger on how she felt. She was equally frustrated and vindicated. While she knew that there wouldn't be anything remaining, she couldn't help but feel let down.
At the same time, the cave had left them with more questions. For one, the air in the cave was practically saturated in components of the Draught of Living Death. Thankfully, the potion, being superheated, had lost all of its viability. Otherwise, they would all be in a lot of trouble.
Aside from that, they had discovered the distant echoes of serious magic. Magic associated with the Fiendfyre Curse. This along with what they realised was clumps of ash, lead them all to believe that the cave originally contained a small army of Inferi. Knowing Voldemort, they all were probably submerged in the lake full of the Draught of Living Death before becoming crispy fried.
Slowly the three of them made their way up to the hotel. Cook was badly injured from his tussle with the Inferius. A fact that he only realised once they were done with their investigation.
None of them noticed that Hermione's disguise had fallen. Nor did they notice the magical couple who were staring at them slack-jawed, evidently having recognised her.
Harry strode into the large chambers of the International Confederation of Wizards.
'Ministers of Magic,' Harry said as soon as he was seated. 'After many years of planning, our schemes have finally come to fruition.'
A frisson of excitement went through the room. Excitement that was amplified as Harry himself felt the same jubilation at the very thought of this happening.
'Soon,' he said. 'We will no longer need to hide. We will come out in the open, and show those dogs our might.' He made a fist at the last word.
'But first, before we take that step, there is one thing that must be done in preparation. And we all know what that is. So I ask, are we ready?'
'Greece is ready.' The minister of the mentioned country said, as he stood up.
One by one, the other heads of state followed, all of them giving their assent.
'Good,' Harry replied. 'Now I am sure that you know that we need to act quickly. Our attack must be perfectly coordinated. Let's not have any one of our targets slip through.'
Sitting up straight, Harry changed the subject. 'Now, I think it is time we formalised our union. From this day forth, we are now all a part of one entity. We are united under one banner: An empire, The Empire of Magic!'
His proclamation was met with cheers. Cries of, 'For the Empire!' and, 'Long live the Emperor!' rang out throughout the room.
Harry was brought out of his musing when he heard the knock on the door.
'Come in.'
Mechanically going through the protocol, Harry thought back on the day where he had spoken to the members of the International Confederation. The dates for his coronation as Emperor had been finalised easily. It was the location of the event that was up for debate with the heads of each country volunteering a location in their nation. The issue was not that of national pride, as wizards, unlike Muggles, had a very limited sense of nationality. It was more to do with the folklore and the history surrounding those sites. Naturally, as sovereign, he had to stay neutral. So he excused himself, stating that at this point, security and secrecy from the Muggles was paramount.
Eventually, it was decided to hold the ceremony in Britain itself. The security was the best there, with an almost negligible chance of any Muggle getting involved.
'Gentlemen,' Harry began the meeting once everyone was settled down. 'I have spoken to each and every one of you, and you all have made your reports. However, for the sake of formality,' he turned to Nicolas Flamel.
'What is the status of Fire Sale?'
'The same as before,' Nicolas replied. 'Agents are awaiting your signal to put it in motion.'
'Minister?'
'Stage two is complete. As Lord Flamel says, we await your signal. Impotence is also completed, and our men have gone the extra mile, just as I said in my report.'
'Hellfire has been fully tested and is now a viable tool.' The Lead Unspeakable said when Harry looked at him.
'Excellent,' the King replied, with growing excitement. 'And we know how well Instant Gratification is working out. That leaves…'
'…Project Thirst.' Thomas Belby said with a smirk when the King looked at him. 'And I am happy to say, Your Imperial Majesty, that that is also fully complete. We only need to activate the final stage.'
'Good,' Harry said, allowing a large grin to spread slowly on his face. 'Let's begin then. Nicolas, you and Belby start with your plans after the coronation ceremony. By then, all the various treaties should be signed. I don't really mind which operation finishes first, but I would be very happy if Fire Sale were to happen before Thirst.'
'At once, sire.' Both men stood up and left.
'Robert, get your men ready to initiate Hellfire. Coordinate with Belby along with your counterparts across the world. But first, we have to speak to the troops.'
Saying so, Harry rose, almost immediately followed by the Lead Unspeakable, the Minister and the Head of the Auror force.
As soon as they opened the door, they were met by an excited looking young Auror.
'What is the matter, Mathers?' the Head of the Auror force said with a hint of impatience.
'Sir,' the woman said excitedly. 'We have sighted one of our Tier One Targets.'
Robards' face lit up in anticipation as he stepped out into the corridor. 'Really, who?' he asked eagerly.
'It's Granger.'
'Is that so?' At the sound of Harry's voice, the remaining two men inside stepped to the side, allowing the monarch to step forward. He looked at the Auror intently, his powerful eyes gleaming.
'And what actions are being taken?'
The woman's eyes were wide. She had not seen the monarch until he had stepped forward. 'W – We are setting up a taskforce to the area where they were spotted.' She stuttered. 'There were two other people with her, um, your majesty.'
Harry raised an eyebrow. 'Who are they?'
'W – We have no idea, sir.' Seeing the other eyebrow rise, accompanied by a sharp look from her superior, she added hastily, 'Yet! But we are working on right now as we speak. So far, we have confirmed that they are a witch and a wizard. We got the news just five minutes ago.' She all but babbled.
'I see … and where were they spotted?'
'They were found in, um …' she took out a folder and started skimming through it quickly. Giving a small cry of triumph, she rattled off the name of the location.
'That is odd …' Harry said thoughtfully. 'Of all the places in Britain…'
'Very well,' he finally said. 'I want a copy of the results on my desk as soon as the operation is complete. Please see to it, Miss Mathers.' Nodding to her, he swept past her, followed by his three companions, the last of who gave his slightly perspiring subordinate a look that clearly stated that he would be calling for her as soon as he got back to his office.
'Yes, sir,' her voice was all but inaudible. She slowly sank to the floor as soon as the men were out of sight.
It took her a few calming breaths and a few moments to realise that she really had nothing much to fear, really. After all, she wasn't handling the operation. She was only a messenger. As a new recruit, her job was to observe the proceedings.
Of course, with the monarch's last statement, it meant that she would have to compile her first after-action report. And it would have to be good too, considering who would be seeing it.
The surge of relief was suddenly gone now.
'Bugger'
Flanked by the Lead Unspeakable and the Minister, Harry stood before the officers of his army.
'Ladies and Gentlemen,' he began. 'Today, I stand before you, filled with a certain amount of pride. You are the best of the best: Dedicated men and women who all have a high position in the military: whether it is in the army, the navy or the air force.
'And your journey has not been an easy one! Yes, you are all results of a project called "Instant Gratification" but I know that it has not been "instant" for you all.'
Harry paused to look them all in the eye.
'As you no doubt know, Time Turners can be used to go back in time. Now normally, there is a limit; a person cannot turn back for more than a day. However, by using three per person, and a ritual designed by the Department of Mysteries, we have managed to send all of you back thirty years.
'You have gone back that amount of time with one mission: to pose as Muggles, join the armed forces of any Muggle country, participate in their wars, gain a high enough position and through that, understand battle and warfare. For while we may have magic, and have seen our share of wars, it isn't the same as the wars the Muggles have participated in.'
Harry's voice grew soft. 'It certainly wouldn't have been easy for you all, to give up being who you are, and going into the past. Add in the temptations you all must be facing, knowing what you know of the future and yet not doing anything to change it. Most of you have lost someone to the two wars that were fought on British soil thanks to Voldemort.' He paused for a long moment. 'Some say that it takes courage to act, yet, I say that there is even greater courage in standing to the side and not interfering.'
Harry took a deep breath. 'I myself know of what you must have gone through. Most would believe that all the Time Turners were used up when we sent you back in time. However, that wasn't entirely true.' He looked at them all in the eye.
'I too did the same as you did.' He said to the surprise of everyone save the Lead Unspeakable. 'I also went back in time. I joined the army under an alias and like you all, spent about thirty years there. And as I was twenty six then … well, I think you can guess that it was much before my parents died.
'But we persevered. We all worked for a better future. Not one that could be had by changing the past, but one that could happen by learning from it. And here we are, about to make that future happen!'
Cheers rang out at his declaration.
With a raised hand, Harry quietened the room. 'We have dipped our hands in battle once. Taking on the goblins was quite a fun little task. However, the real work begins now. In a few short weeks, the main show shall begin. Let's finish all our last minute preparations.'
Once they were alone, the Minister asked him. 'Did your majesty really go back into the past?'
'Indeed.' Harry replied steadily. 'After all, I too need to know what is going on if I am about to be waging a war.'
The Minister grunted. 'I do wonder, though. None of them look a day older than when we sent them back. How is that?'
Harry cast an amused glance. 'We do have an alchemist, Minister. A very successful alchemist, as you no doubt know.'
His expression became solemn. 'I wasn't about to rob them of time, if I could help it. Besides, it would raise questions if men and women suddenly became thirty years older without no apparent rhyme or reason. While most of them have little family to speak of, they do have enough friends.'
It began like any other day.
Ron was sitting inside a restaurant at a table by the window, enjoying the weather and the day.
Today was his day off. Normally, people would be having a bit of a lie in, or would do something relaxing. Ron wasn't ashamed to admit that he would have been that kind of a person a few years back. Not that there was anything wrong in being that kind of person.
However, he was planning on taking advantage of his day off. Since Hermione wasn't in the house, out doing who knew what for the Ministry, he was assessing the competition.
Namely the restaurant he was sitting in.
Well, to be honest, it was more of a café (well he called them a café, he didn't feel that they deserved their self-styled title of "English pub") and they really weren't much of a competition, but they did have some excellent pastries. And Ron wanted to see if he could woo the person responsible for them.
Their current pastry chef wasn't as brilliant.
Having placed his order, he looked around the café. It was quaint … almost (but not quite like) an English pub filled with various men and women in their suits, sipping their coffee (Ron winced) and eating breakfast. There was a machine that he recognised as a television showing what he guessed to be news. Ron remembered the name of that gadget all right, he had sold the one his wife had brought home. It was far too distracting.
Ron was very much aware that he was quite out of place here, what with his rather casual attire and laid-back attitude (he hadn't even shaved yet) but it did not bother him. He took out a notebook and started making notes losing himself in his own world, knowing that he looked very much like a teenager.
He was soon jolted out by loud exclamations.
Looking up, he noticed that everyone was focused on the telly. Almost in a trance everyone in the establishment started crowding around the machine as someone turned the volume up.
Ron did not understand what the woman in the box was saying. However, judging by the big red arrow that was being shown dropping down like a stone, he had a feeling that it wasn't anything good.
'Excuse me,' he politely said to the person in front of him. 'But what exactly is going on?'
'Can't you –?' the woman stopped mid-sentence when she properly saw him.
'I'm guessing you are no businessman, kid' she said hurriedly and a touch condescendingly. 'Normally I wouldn't bother with college kids like you, but, this is something you should know.' She took a deep breath. 'To put it in simple terms, we are broke.'
'What do you mean we are broke?!'
The President of the United States of America sat there, looking at the Secretary of the Treasury with disbelief colouring his face.
'Well, sir, that is the oddest thing,' the man said, clearing his throat. 'The Federal Reserve has bought a great amount of government bonds.'
'How much?' the President demanded.
The Secretary took out a pen and wrote an amount on a pad of paper sitting on the President's desk. The amount was so high, he felt nervous just saying it out loud.
The President's eyes bulged when he saw the amount.
'I am having trouble understanding your writing. Is this a "B"?'
The Secretary nodded.
'So that's a Billion? With a "B"?'
'Indeed, sir,'
The Secretary was quite fascinated at watching the President's face drain of colour. The nearly orange skin was quite … disturbing to look at as it became white. As was the blond hair (which the Secretary thought was a headpiece till he saw it hold up in a stiff wind).
'Why would they do such a thing?' the man finally asked incredulously.
'We are trying to figure that out right now, sir,' the Secretary replied. 'A committee is being –'
'You are the Secretary of the United States Treasury, are you not?' The President said in a condescending voice. 'Then I think you should know what this means!'
'I am quite aware, Mr President,' the Secretary said with gritted teeth. And at this moment he really wished he had no idea.
The Federal Reserve was the central banking system of the country. Among the many functions it had, it was supposed to set the interest rates in the country as well as buy and sell government bonds.
Government bonds were basically loans taken by the national government. They sold these bonds to fund their various programs and basically pay their bills. Bonds were generally bought back when the country experiences a boost in the economy.
However, what had happened right now was a large amount of Treasury Bonds being bought by the government in a very short time. And it was done with money that the government could ill afford to spend.
A direct result of this was the market being flooded by U.S. currency. This had the effect of depreciating the value of the dollar.
Severely
In simple terms, at the moment, the dollar was worth less than the paper it was printed on.
While the country wasn't exactly broke per se, it was getting there. The cost of everything, from fuel and food to utilities was increasing dramatically by the second.
The frustrating bit was that there wasn't anything that could be done to immediately counter this. Moving Congress to possibly pass a bill or whatever would take some time, even if the situation was this dire.
Meanwhile, prices everywhere had already started skyrocketing. It was barely a day, and the price of oil and gas had increased phenomenally. A conservative estimate put it at a thousand per cent increase by the end of the day.
'So start buying up the currency,' the President said a bit impatiently, his bushy blond eyebrows contracting.
'That is what I have come here for,' the Secretary replied. 'I don't need to tell you that it is going to be very expensive. This is going to set us back by quite a bit. Till we even reach a semblance of stability, things are going to be crazy. We have a long road ahead of us, sir, and it isn't going to be easy.'
The President was silent for a long moment.
'We shall meet in two hours,' he finally said. 'I want all possible ways where we can start acting.'
Catching the look on his subordinate's face, he snapped irritably. 'I will be working on another solution in the meantime. Now, please. Go.'
As soon as the door closed, the President looked at a portrait that was handing in an unobtrusive corner.
'Get me Amanda Rutgers.'
Hermione stood up from her chair, never gladder to be leaving the office of the American Minister of Magic. In her opinion, the meeting was quite uncomfortable as it was a discussion about their trip to Britain. Not only had they found nothing, but Hermione had been spotted, and the whole team had nearly been caught by the Aurors. It was only chance that allowed them to escape.
She was inches from the door when it burst open, revealing a very flustered wizard.
'Ma'am, we have a problem.' The breathless man wheezed, clutching a stitch in his side.
Not waiting for his superior to utter a single word, he staggered in and collapsed into the seat Hermione just vacated, ignoring the woman entirely in question.
'We … have – have … no money.' He said amidst great gulping gasps.
'Pardon?' the minister said politely. 'Could you repeat yourself, Harvey? I didn't catch that.'
'I said,' the man took in a deep lungful of air. 'We have no money.' Seeing the look of incredulity on the Minister's face, he elaborated. 'Gringotts is closed, ma'am. It hasn't opened at all.'
Suddenly a portrait cleared its throat.
'The President requests your presence, Minister. He says that it is an emergency.'
Rutgers looked between the portrait and the wizard in front of her for a long moment.
'Right, this is what we are going to do.' She said in a low voice. 'Harvey, take a small contingent of Aurors with you and go investigate the bank. I am sure that it is nothing. Perhaps there was some internal issue. Meanwhile, I will go and see what the Muggle wants. Hermione, stay here and contact me if there are any updates while I'm away.'
Soon enough, Hermione was sitting in the office all alone.
An indeterminate amount of time later, the fireplace came to life.
Looking at the green flames, Hermione could make out the head of a clearly worried Harvey.
'Where is the Minister?' he asked a touch frantically.
'She isn't here at the moment,' Hermione replied. 'But I was told to take a message.'
'Oh right,' the man said, clearly frazzled. 'Well, you might want to tell her that things aren't looking too good. We have just finished investigating the building as well as the first tier of vaults, and we are about to go in deeper, but we haven't found anything nor anyone. Not even a sliver of a Knut nor a goblin janitor. We still have to finish, but I doubt there will be anything in the lower vaults. The place is completely abandoned! And empty!'
'So we are in agreement then?'
'Yes sir,' Amanda Rutgers said steadily. 'We shall have the gold sent to you shortly.'
Just as the Minister was about to get up, the magical portrait that was used to communicate between her and the Muggle President cleared its throat.
'A Mrs Hermione Granger-Weasley wishes to see you urgently. She is rather insistent that she meets you.'
'Send her in,' the Minister said after a short pause as the President raised a blond eyebrow.
Hermione had just stepped out of the fireplace when the President's phone rang.
'Yes,' he said, lifting the receiver.
'I see. Send him in, then.'
Putting the phone down, he looked at Hermione. 'Well, don't just stand there looking suspicious, sit down and act like you belong!'
With a start, Hermione sat down next to the Minister, discreetly observing the Muggle.
The President was … quite interesting to look at. The blond hair on his head was far too strange looking for it to be anything other than a wig. Perhaps it was the office the man held, or perhaps it was the fact that Hermione knew in general terms that he was a successful real estate mogul before he was elected, but Hermione couldn't help but be intimidated by the man.
And that was despite the fact that his skin was very orange.
Hermione's thoughts were interrupted when another man all but burst into the room.
'Mr President,' he said as he approached the television. 'You have to see this.'
Out of the four occupants, only two understood the full import of the situation.
'The Euro, the Pound and the Yen are in a similar condition?!' the President finally said. 'Dear god!'
Turning to the Minister, he remarked. 'It looks like we won't be able to use your resources. The whole market has crashed.'
Rutgers herself wasn't completely oblivious to the situation. 'Once is an unfortunate happenstance,' she said slowly. 'Twice is a coincidence … but four times?'
'Um, what exactly is the issue?' Hermione tentatively spoke up.
'Well,' the Minister replied. 'Basically, the dollar is currently devalued.' She spent a few moments explaining the situation.
'Which is why the President called me, so that he can make use of our …' she cast a subtle glance at the Secretary. '…Resources. However, with the Euro, the Pound and the Yen in a similar situation, we won't be able to make that happen.'
'Not that we would be able to anyway.' Hermione said blankly as she processed what happened. Casting a more obvious glance towards the two Muggles, she continued. 'Harvey just spoke to me before I came here. I am afraid that his, um, initial observation was right.'
The Minister looked at her, horror-struck. 'No,' she whispered.
'Excuse me, but who the hell are you two?'
The voice of the Secretary seemed to bring both the President and the Minister out of their shell-shocked state.
'Could you give us a minute, John?' The President said, looking at the two women.
'Alright, now what were the two of you whispering about?' He demanded once the Secretary had left.
Hermione was the first to break under the rather intimidating stare. 'Our gold has vanished.'
She glanced at her fellow witch and mouthed a "sorry".
The Minister, who was pinching her nose, gave no indication of having seen Hermione. Giving Hermione a deadly look, she reluctantly looked at the President. 'It would appear that we are in the same situation as you are. All of our gold has mysteriously vanished. The bank is completely empty.'
The President leaned back. 'You are right. This is intentional.' He mused.
'And the person or persons responsible are magical.' Rutgers said grumpily.
Hermione suddenly started. Leaning forward, she said in a low voice. 'I have a feeling that we know who it is…'
The foreboding in her voice gave the Minister a clue as to who the witch was talking about.
'You can't be serious!'
Miles away, the man both the witches had in mind was watching the news reports, a slow smile growing on his face.
Fire Sale was a success.
And here is Chapter 44! The idea for Fire Sale was something that I had thought about a long time back. You could say that this idea, screwing the economy of the world up to make everyone broke, was the idea that spawned this story.
Now, I am no economist, I know little of the subject. Which is why I spoke to someone who did. I would like to thank him for putting up with me and my questions (and I am sure they must have been really stupid questions to him) all those years ago.
So, Scott, wherever you are, if you are reading this, thanks a tonne mate!
And to all those people who actually understand economics ... if you find something wrong with what I put up, let it go ... I don't claim to understand everything perfectly.
So there!
Oh, ten points to the person or persons who guessed whom I made the President of America in my happy little world!
A hint: he really really loves his name!
