"The incident was not an accident," Ichigo informed Dumbledore, Maxime, Karkaroff, and various teachers of Hogwarts. "When we examined the area where the dragons were kept, we discovered signs of tampering with the locks and chains. Also, the two dragon-keepers assigned to keep guard of the area were stunned. We interviewed them after they came to, but neither of them knew anything, and they didn't see whomever it was that knocked them out and let the dragons loose. However, we cannot let the culprit get away. The only people who had access to the dragons were the dragon-keepers, and we've gathered them all in one place. The person who released the dragons could be a Death Eater, but we've ruled out that possibility."

"Oh?" asked Snape with a raised brow. "And why is that?" He threw a look at Moody. "Didn't we establish that if the Dark Lord's supporters wanted to get at Potter, the tournament was a perfect opportunity for that?"

Toushiro nodded. "It's true that this is a good opportunity, but we have reason to believe that Riddle wants Harry alive, and the dragons would definitely have killed him had we not intervened. No, this was the work of a party other than the Death Eaters."

"So who are ze suspects?" asked Maxime. "Surely you 'ave some idea?"

"We do," nodded Ichigo. "Although you and Headmaster Karkaroff may not know, a few weeks ago we," he gestured at the assembled shinigami, "had a touch of trouble with Minister Fudge. He demanded that I be arrested for my actions during the Quidditch World Cup, which you have undoubtedly heard of."

"Certainly," Karkaroff said, a slight sneer in his voice. "That you single-handedly took on several dozen suspected Death Eaters and not only held your own, but also incapacitated several of them, is not news to me. Although I must profess myself curious about your abilities, Captain Kurosaki," he muttered, a scowl appearing on his face.

Ichigo smirked, and there were a few muted chuckles among the ranks of the shinigami. "I believe that almost everyone I've met in magical Britain has professed similar feelings. But this is neither the time nor the place for a demonstration. I'm going to be blunt with my explanation, because it is one that is definitely displeasing to all of you."

McGonagall frowned. "You mentioned the incident with Minister Fudge. What does that have to do with the situation?"

"Everything," Ichigo replied. "The Minister and the Ministry of Magic has everything to do with the attack during the First Task today."

"What are you getting at, Captain Kuro- no," Karkaroff cut himself off with a snarl as he realized what Ichigo was hinting at. A quick glance around confirmed the young captain's suspicions that the others understood as well. "The Ministry? Your government is sabotaging the tournament? This is preposterous!"

The other teachers made similar noises of disgust and discontent. Snape's expression darkened. "I always knew the man was a fool," he muttered under his breath, barely loud enough for Ichigo and the other shinigami's heightened senses to hear. "How he managed to get elected is a mystery to me." Ichigo had to hold back a smirk at the Potions Master's blatant dislike for the Minister.

"So the Minister is upset over the hubbub you caused when he tried to arrest you," muttered McGonagall, "and sent someone to sabotage the dragons, knowing that you and your companions were on security duty, in the hopes that they would be too much for you and your people to handle, and perhaps get rid of the thorn in his side."

Ichigo nodded, his golden eyes flashing dangerously in anger. "Allow me to assure you," he said, addressing Dumbledore, Karkaroff, and Maxime, the latter two of which seemed furious and distressed, respectively, "that subduing the rampaging dragons was not an overly challenging task for us. However, Professor Dumbledore, I would ask that a formal investigation be conducted over this incident. I have no doubt that my people can handle themselves in the event of an emergency like today, but the fact remains that your government has conducted an unofficial Minister-sanctioned attacked on myself and my fellow warriors. As political envoys and representatives of the magical government of Japan, this was not a wise move on the part of Mister Fudge. We do not want war any more than the next person, but if a similar situation occurs, my higher-ups' hands may be forced." Ichigo and the other shinigami had successfully inserted themselves into the magical government of Japan. It was a very powerful government, but also very small, its leading group consisting only of the Emperor of magic and a few trusted advisors. With so few high-ranking officials, it had been relatively easy to modify their memories.

Dumbledore stroked his beard pensively. "I believe I can arrange for an investigation," he said, nodding. "However, I must warn you that Cornelius Fudge has the backing of many powerful political allies. Even if we have sufficient evidence of his role behind the dragon attack, it will most likely not be enough to do any significant damage on his reputation."

Ichigo gave a short nod, his golden eyes cold. "Although he has not made an enemy of Japan, he has certainly damaged his relationship with me, the official envoy. My own younger sister was injured in the attack. She will be fine, but I'm not sorry to say that my own opinion of your government is rather… lacking."

Dumbledore grimaced. "I'm afraid I have little control over the actions of the Ministry. Cornelius Fudge has always been wary of myself and my actions at Hogwarts. Many people wanted me to become Minister of Magic right after the end of the war, but I declined."

"Albus has overwhelming support from the people of magical Britain," McGonagall said. "If he were to ask the people for a favor, I doubt there would be one in five who would refuse it. Cornelius is afraid of that power."

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "So Fudge is just another power-hungry fool. At least he isn't trying to destroy the world to get that power."

The wizards chuckled, but Ichigo remained silent. His seemingly casual comment was a painful reminder of a long-dead traitor who had wreaked havoc with their world. The wizards had not noticed, but Ichigo had said those words with a hidden layer of hatred, the hatred that all the shinigami held for the traitor captain who had tried to become God.

Snape, who had been mostly silent until now, suddenly spoke up. "Where are the rest of your compatriots? I notice that you are the only one here speaking with us."

Ichigo shrugged casually. "Oh, they're just interrogating the dragon-keepers." At the somewhat wary looks he received from those wizards who had caught a glimpse of what the shinigami could do against the dragons, he hurried to reassure them. "Don't worry, they're not going to harm them, just ask a few questions. Although I can't speak for Kenpachi, Gin, or my dad," he added thoughtfully. "Those guys are batshit crazy."

#

"Oy, you idiots!"

Ichimaru Gin was interrupted by the shout of his temporary superior for his mission. Withdrawing his face from the sweating, slightly trembling dragon-keeper, he grinned widely. "Yo, Ichigo," he greeted the orange-haired mission leader. "Somethin' wrong?"

"I thought I told you not to intimidate them," Ichigo said, gesturing to the dragon-keeper. "We don't need any bad PR with the British Ministry now."

Gin pouted. "Aw, but Ichi-taicho, yer ruinin' my fun!"

"You aren't here to have fun!" Ichigo yelled, a tick mark appearing on his forehead. "You realize that the moment you stepped out of that senkai gate into the school grounds, you entered my jurisdiction? I'm in charge of this mission, and I don't care that you didn't come here sanctioned for the mission, you interfere with my mission, I get to order you around, and you have to follow my orders. Understand?"

"Hai, hai, I get ya, Ichi-taicho. Anyways, I figured that this guy seemed a bit more suspicious then the rest, so I took the liberty of interrogatin' him myself."

Ichigo sighed heavily. "And I suppose your idea of casual interrogation would include obvious intimidation tactics?"

Gin pouted again. "I didn't intimidate him, I jus' looked at him while askin' him questions!"

Ichigo gave a wry smile. "I guess you don't really realize that your face is intimidation in and of itself, huh. At any rate, as leader of the mission, I order you to leave him to me. Go away, Gin."

"Yeah, yeah, I hear ya," Gin said, turning and walking out of the tent. Waving his hand casually at the dragon-keeper, he give the poor man one last snakelike grin before disappearing from view.

"Sorry about my companion," Ichigo said to the man, whose trembling and sweating had visibly ceased upon Gin's departure. "He can be a bit scary at times, ne?"

The dragon-keeper, a pale man with long, scraggly dark hair, nodded fervently. Ichigo frowned imperceptibly. This man had the same dark reiatsu as Moody, Snape, and Karkaroff. This was another factor that he would have to keep an eye on.

"I just have a few questions to ask you," he told the man. "First, let me introduce myself. My name is Ichigo Kurosaki. I'm the special envoy from the magical government of Japan. Normally I wouldn't be the one asking questions, but one of my companions was injured in the attack by the rampaging dragons. This, naturally, is a cause for concern. You understand, right?"

The dragon-keeper nodded. "The names Macnair. Walden Macnair, sir," he said, straightening. "I work for the Ministry's Department for Regulation of Magical Creatures. I volunteered when I heard that they needed dragon-keepers for the Tri-wizard Tournament. I'm afraid I have no idea how the dragons got loose. I wasn't among those assigned to the pens," he said smoothly.

Ichigo knew at once that the man was lying. The subtle reiatsu fluctuation was proof of that. But as long as Macnair denied his involvement in the releasing of the dragons, and they remained in Britain and were subject to Britain's laws, there was nothing he could do. So, without batting an eye, the Captain nodded. "I see. I believe you, Mr. Macnair. You're free to leave."

"Thank you, sir," Macnair said as he rose from the chair he was seated on and exited the tent. Moments later, the rest of the shinigami entered.

"He was lying," Byakuya said without preamble.

Ichigo nodded. "I know," he replied, beginning to pace. "So our suspicions were confirmed. I assume you all felt the dark reiatsu from the guy's arm?" Murmurs of confirmation came from the group of gathered shinigami, and Ichigo continued. "So my suspicions were confirmed. There's somebody actively sabotaging the tasks. But this begs the question: which party is responsible? The man was a Ministry employee, so he could have been acting under the orders of the Minister, who wants us 'Japanese envoys' gone, as payback for humiliating him. However, he could also be a Death Eater plant within the Ministry, whose goal is to get at Potter somehow. I probably won't have any trouble dealing with the Ministry if it's them trying to get rid of me, but if it's the Death Eaters after Potter, then there may be some trouble."

"So what are you going to do?" asked Toushiro.

"At this point, due to the dragon incident, it would not seem out of place to bring in at least another 'envoy' to Hogwarts," Byakuya mused.

"That is true, but more presence would alert both the Ministry and the Death Eaters and possibly make our jobs of destroying Riddle more difficult, especially if we are still subject to the law," countered Kyouraku.

"I think I will continue to be the only 'envoy' at Hogwarts," Ichigo interrupted before an argument could break out. It will draw less attention to us, and I'll get Luna to keep an eye on Potter. This will allow us to make sure Potter is safe, as well as for me to observe Luna's abilities. A case like hers has never occurred before, and it's an excellent chance for us to document something like this."

"Hn," said Byakuya. "Then we shall return to Soul Society and report to Yamamoto-soutaicho." He drew his blade, thrusting it into the air and giving it a quarter turn. The glowing senkai gate opened in the tent, and the rest of the shinigami stepped through, leaving Ichigo alone.

He shook his head. "Geez," he muttered to himself. "Every time they come, something stupid comes up. Maybe I should just request that I continue this mission on my own…"

#

Gah, finally, I found enough time to write the next chapter! This one doesn't have much action, it's mostly plot development. And we figure out who released the dragons! But is Macnair working for the Ministry or Voldemort? Stay tuned to find out!

Drop a review of you could, I appreciate all of them a lot, and thanks for reading. See you all next chapter, which hopefully won't take a month to write. Peace!

~fokker333