Sorry for the long delays. Hope you guys enjoy. P.S, I don't own Harry Potter, never have, never will.

Chapter 44: The Proposition

Three weeks later…

Assaults in Hogwarts Cease!

By Rita Skeeter

Earlier this week, I received information from an anonymous source that the brutal attack within Hogwarts had ceased and all traces of the unknown perpetrator vanished. The start of this could be traced to the middle of last month as attacks seemed to stop completely during that time frame. The Ministry seems to be largely unaware of these events to date and Hogwarts has yet to release an official statement.

The Minister is scheduled to meet with Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, to talk of what had occurred. With them will be Amelia Bones for the official debriefing. So far, it seems Harry Potter has no involvement with the case whatsoever and is an unfortunate scapegoat of the real, albeit conveniently missing, assaulters.

Reports indicate that young Mr. Potter is making a full recovery and is said to have passed his finals with flying colors. He arrived at Hogwarts just a few days before the attacks were reported to stop. So far, the Potters have released no comments as to what may have transpired in the school. Could there be some reason for them to stay silent against those who wronged them? Yours truly intends to find out.

Alex looked up from his paper to see Harry approach him. "When were you planning to tell me that you got rid of the beast?"

"What made you think it was me?" Alex asked, feigning innocence.

"Who else could it be?" Harry asked, not being fooled for a second.

"Dumbledore for one, he's quite capable you know." Alex pointed out. He knew that this probably would not convince his brother.

Harry raised a brow at him. "Is that the best excuse you have?"

"It seems like a pretty good excuse to me." Alex said, crossing his arms in a rather childish way.

"True, but you don't seriously expect me to believe that do you?"

"No, but I can hope can't I?"

"You could, but we're getting off topic here. Why did you hide this from me?" Harry asked, returning to the original point of the conversation. Alex silently cursed, his trick failing entirely.

"For several reasons, brother. Right now, you have the public's sympathy and affection. This makes our enemies nervous and unsure of their next move. An uneasy enemy is less likely to make bold moves. They become predictable, and more importantly, limited. We should maximize this effect. Otherwise, the benefits of your suffering in Azkaban would not be used to its full potential. If I was caught in such a thing, it would be alright as I do not have a direct relation to the beast, but you were accused of unleashing it. It's not proper for you to be the one to vanquish it as well, at least, not in the eyes of society that is."

Harry stayed silent. His brother did have a point. If he was known to be linked to the monster's sudden disappearance, accusations might fly of how he was covering up his trail or what not. Personally, he didn't feel up to being tried again on the same basis again. Frankly, he had much better things to do than defend his name. However, his position in life and the general bias of the Wizarding World forced him to defend his name or get unceremoniously thrown into Azkaban. Finally, and after careful deliberation, he spoke. "That's no reason to keep this from me after the event had transpired."

"There's no point in telling you. You would have figured it out by yourself anyhow. Why say something that need not be said? Besides, you don't need to be worried with this matter. You should concentrate on keeping up to date yourself in your life. You've missed quite a lot I reckon. Anyways, I'll see you ate home Harry."

"You won't be taking the train?" Harry asked.

"No, I'll be rather late at getting back this year. I have to… discuss something with the Headmaster first." Harry looked uncertain as to what it was about, but decided to leave the question unasked. Some things were best left untouched. Silently, Harry left his brother to his business, deciding to find Neville or Drake.

Ionos…

Falthas Rigan sat in his chair, watching as the chosen senior members of the Guardians streamed into his office along with his most trusted conspirators. Key amongst them was Guardian Commander Faren Serathi and Commander Sinther Atheros, current head of the Dragon Elites. Together, they made up the backbone of the Armed Forces of the Kingdom of Ionos. These were the best of the best the Kingdom had to offer in terms of military might.

Rigan waved his hand at them, signaling them to sit. "I have asked all of you to come here today to discuss a very important matter. I am, for the first time since this all started, in need of some advice. Since this is still considered as a limited secret of our select group, we are the only ones who can be here. Recently, we received intelligence from several Guardians on duty that the Heir had been freed from Azkaban. Following this was a week or two of seemingly normal activity and silence. Then the reports suddenly indicated a sudden change in residence, Hogwarts. He was presumed to be taking up his final exams for the last two weeks.

Now we come to the heart of the matter. With his temporary captivation in Azkaban, he was emancipated officially as a citizen of Magical Britain. This means he fulfills the last requirement for possibility of succession. As an adult, he can be crowned king by the Council, despite his age. And believe me, it is easily possible to make him king. The question now, is this: is he ready for the task in mind and spirit? Is he ready to take on the burdens of our nation? Is he mature enough to lead us? Or shall we fall further under him? And if he is ready, when do we approach him?" Silence was their first response. They expected something important, but not something this monumental and shaking. They were shaping the future of their nation, for better or worse.

"I say we crown him now. I can get a security detail assembled immediately for extraction. Just give the word and it shall be done." Faren declared.

Sinther nodded in agreement next to him. "It's better if we extract him now from his family. Hyde may try something, sir."

"True, but we must take into account that the Potters are rather powerful by themselves. We cannot force an extraction. We must let the heir willing come, or we risk everything with the Ministry. They could even choose to invade us, and possibly succeed despite their ongoing war. Our guards would never be able to match up to the damn Aurors in this state and the Elites and Guardians are too few to make a difference in a full-scale war, I believe." He said, sighing. The defeat at Azkaban had made him bitter and doubtful of how well another battle might fare. Faren shared his sentiments and did not speak. Sinther sensed great tension in them and decided to stay silent as well. The rest were not willing to defy the Council Lord's statement.

"So how do we lure him here, and explain the situation to the heir unnoticed?" Sinther asked.

"We have to deceive him. It's the only way he would come willingly that I can think of…unless one you has another idea?" Rigan asked, half hoping, and half doubtful anyone could present a better one. The silence that ensued only proved his point.

"And how do you propose to do that exactly?" Faren inquired curiously.

"Well, I thought I'd offer to show him around his country and teach him a thing or two about politics. He'll want to know how to hit the Ministry the hardest in revenge for his incarceration. I can provide him that knowledge. With a little luck and persuasion, I have no doubt we could convince him to stay for a few days. That would be all the time we'd need. Sinther, has there been any progress with the Operation Reclamation?"

"I've gathered and recruited thirty thousand men from the populace as well as our garrisons. Only a tenth of this is serving actively right now. The rest are waiting for orders to mobilize. They have been given orders to converge on the docks the minute word of mobilization is given. However, they are little better than militia and are poorly armed. There are few capable leaders within their ranks detected thus far, making it difficult to control them." Sinther declared. "We will have to rely on sheer numbers and intimidation to overrun enemy positions."

"Very well, that is acceptable. Give the orders to stop recruiting for now and concentrate on preparing the crafts for departure. They shall be tested soon enough I suppose. Faren, how well do you think your men would fare in covert operations right now?"

"They should be ready to take on the task in a week with enough success, although they would hardly volunteer to associate themselves with traitors even for the betterment of the Kingdom. I am sure I can teach them how to hide their emotions, and it's not as if they will have a choice in this matter."

"Step up their training Faren. I want them ready for Battlefield Defensive Duties in two months." Rigan ordered.

"That soon?" Faren asked, raising a brow.

"Yes, I strongly doubt the heir would delay in subduing rebels. Even if he is not inaugurated, he can order me to subdue them and I would be helpless to go against his will. I thing it is better to be safe in this case. As for the rest of you, begin organizing the Guards into groups for battle. We are nearly there my friends. The goal is within sight. We need only persevere in our efforts."

Harry…

Harry stared out the window, ignoring the friendly chatter of his two best friends, Neville and Draco. With them were his sister and the bickering couple who were her friends. And then, for reasons personal to Neville, Hannah and Susan came with them too. Their compartment, to say the least, seemed crowded. However, magic was not without its uses, and by bending a few rules on physics and mass, the eight of them were comfortably seated in the otherwise small space.

Hedwig was constantly flashing in and out of the room, traveling to God knows where. The inhabitants were now so used to this fact that they had ignored it completely. A feat Harry thought would have never been possible. Phoenix's were magnets in the wizarding world. They attracted attention wherever they went, whether from humans, animals or unholy terrors of the dark. And Harry was usually in the middle of it all.

These past few weeks had been awkward for him, to say the least. As an ex-convict and having an unknown emotional state, everyone around him thought him to be fragile. Fragile! If only they knew. Had I been fragile I would have never survived Azkaban with those floating demons. Only the strong survive in that ice chamber. Yet, they were not without reason to think so. For all they knew, he could be insane, unstable, or suicidal. After all, men far older then he had fallen to the Dementors, and those who survived turned out to be lunatics in the first place.

Hedwig's trilling brought his attention upon the wonderfully ordained bird. It pecked Harry's forehead once before dropping something on his lap. Who would send me a letter? Curiously, Harry opened the letter and scanned its contents. It seems this summer won't be as boring after all. Of course, I'd have to convince mum and dad first, but a little sweet talking ought to do the job.