"And that's why this rune sequence needs to be in this order, but this one can come in either direction," Harry finished the calculations. Firefly hummed in understanding, her head leaning on his shoulder.

"But does the order of the latter make a difference?"

"In two dimensions, no."

"You speak as though there are more?" she perked up. Harry smiled fondly at her.

"Observant, aren't you? Theoretically, there could be three dimensions." Harry pulled out a blank piece of parchment and began sketching out several two dimensional diagrams. "See, these are normal runes, but if you overlay them in three dimensions…"

"Then their channels can intertwine...but it would be very difficult if not impossible to...well, the designs alone would take huge amounts of time to complete, computing the cross axial pressures at any single point...not to mention carving the damn thing."

"You're right, of course," Harry chuckled. "There's a reason why most simply ruled out three dimensional runes as impossible, and why it remains at the frontier of the field."

"How did you even manage the calculations?" Firefly queried. "The progressions, it would take several hundred lifetimes to go through the conventional way."

"Let me use an analogy. Imagine I have a loaf of bread. I cut in the middle, and eat half the loaf. Then I repeat, cutting in the middle and eat half again. How many times can I repeat the process?"

"Infinitely, I suppose."

"Indeed, but you agree that the bread is finite?"

"Yes?"

"Then you now understand the idea of a convergent series, perhaps the easiest part of understanding modular functions. You see, a squib, Ramanujan, was blessed, or cursed, depending on your view, with visions of mathematical knowledge that surpassed anything we knew at the time. Even today, the most advanced mathematical developments are mostly foundationed on his works. He believed that numbers had a greater purpose, that they could be used to connect us to higher powers. While that is not relevant, he had a remarkable gift for spotting patterns that others couldn't fathom, but in hindsight were, well, relatively obvious, and in fact created a conjecture that all algorithms are in fact, convergent to an anchor. That while from our perspective and limited understanding, we might believe that something is infinite or undefined, it may not be the case from a higher, objective view. In fact, it was his work that inspired me to create an equation able to approximate a ten thousand digit progression with roughly ninety percent accuracy."

"Using muggle technology?"

"Not really, just inspired by it," Harry shrugged. It was technically the truth: Alana had developed a 'quantum' computer that defied the laws of physics using magic which had made runes beyond three symbols deep predictable, and meant he spent far less time and energy calculating the results. "But we're getting way off topic, why don't we get back to the Colley Matrix."

"But where's the fun in that," Firefly pouted. "I can learn that any time with a decent tutor. I've only got a limited time with you, perhaps the foremost mind in runes. I'd be a fool to waste that time discussing common theory."

"Trying to suck me dry. Are you sure you're not a siren? You're pretty enough to be one." Firefly gave a tinkling laugh, lightly swatting at him.

"This from the same guy who asks me to be his date in the middle of a competition."

"Well, while other couples are going out in Hogsmeade or something of the like, we're here studying runes. I'd hardly call it romantic."

"I rather disagree. It's nice and cosy here. Besides, neither of us quite have a taste for that frilly stuff, no?" Firefly smiled up at him fondly, lightly shaking her head and causing the ends of her long hair to tickle his skin. "All the things we could get up to here in the library, I hear many fantasies about it, back at CRAM, we joke that we don't have a library with hideouts for sex, but rather a sex hideout with books. I think several students actually have conceived in the library, there was a big scandal a few years before I enrolled."

"That's...rather surprising. I figured that Chinese society was a bit more conservative than normal. I know for a fact Durstrang's water supply is laced with fertility suppressants. There's also a lot of rivalry that means very few actually have a chance to get up to such naughty business."

"Naughty business? Never heard that euphemism before," Firefly chuckled. "Have you ever partaken?"

"You?"

"I asked first."

"I asked second, your point being?"

"Fine, I'm still pure. You?"

"You volunteered information freely. I never agreed to reciprocate?" Harry shrugged, grinning at her outraged expression. "I'm sure you could convince me to."

"And how would I do that?" Firefly queried coyly, nibbling on her lip as she straddled him.

"I'm sure you'll figure something out," Harry shrugged nonchalantly, projecting amusement in his expression. "After all, the day is still young."

"Firefly th-am I interrupting?" Jade questioned amusedly at the sight of the two.

"You ruined the mood," Harry commented dryly while Firefly buried her head in his chest, too embarrassed to face her aunt. "I was about to make your niece a woman."

"Oh?" Jade questioned amusedly as Firefly hissed for Harry to stop making this worse. "And what makes you think it's a good idea to tell me your intention to take my niece's innocence."

"You've yet to win a single of our spars. I doubt you could kick my ass if I was drunk," Harry mused dryly. As Firefly winced for the inevitable explosion of anger, Jade merely chuckled.

"Always so blunt, I wonder if your fans would be so enthusiastic if they knew this side of you."

"That's why they're only fans, and you a friend," Harry shrugged. "I presume you didn't just come here to cockblock me though. Honestly, I have no idea if Firefly's just squirming for nervousness or if she's an exhibitionist."

"Protecting my niece's chastity is quite high on my list of priorities," Jade chuckled sardonically, pretending not to hear Firefly's outraged protest. "But you're right, I intended to pick my niece up to get her ready for the ball, which need I remind you is in three hours?"

"Honestly, we're trained to get into a bodysuit in ten seconds, how does a bloody dress take three hours to prepare for?" Harry sighed. Both females gave him exasperated looks. "I'm just saying, if I expected perfection I'd use a doll."

"What a gentleman," Jade bit out with mock outrage. "Niece, how could you choose such a fiend as your date?"

"Honestly, auntie, I don't know," Firefly shook her head with bemusement before turning to Harry. "You couldn't have just said I didn't need the preparation to look beautiful?"

"Now, Firefly, I could never lie to you," Harry said with a straight face, causing Jade to guffaw before cackling, biting on her lip for Firefly's sake. "But I will honestly say that I'd much prefer to spend time here in the library with you than have to put on a show for a fickle public."

"There's the silver tongue I know," Jade mused wryly, pulling Firefly off his lap. The girl gave a startled yelp, glaring at her aunt. "You can play with him tonight, we need to get you looking prim and proper."

"Before you go," Harry interrupted smoothly as the two females entered a heated staring contest, pulling out a box and unshrinking it from his pocket, handing it to them, "unless I'm mistaken, I think it'll match your dress rather well."

-Break-

"Command this is Pastor. Moving in, blackout," the hooded figure intoned.

"Copy, command out," a garbled voice over the figure's earpiece acknowledged. Turning to several other similarly dressed individuals, 'Pastor' nodded once to them, and they formed up, advancing towards an abandoned warehouse in the south of the dockyards.

Two Sicilian men were lazily smoking, leaning on the railing overlooking the turbulent night waves. Pastor waved his finger, and two of the figures behind retrieved narrow metal tubes blowing on them and sending out two darts.

With a pair of soft splashes, the vicinity was clear of any hostiles, and the eight figures moved up to the dilapidated exterior's buildings.

Pressing his wand onto the lock, Pastor began the process of breaking the wards protecting the building. Crudely made, the patchwork of wards was actually more difficult than a professionally done ward, for the techniques were haphazard, and decoupling the various subgroups took increased time and effort.

He could feel the tension of the others as they formed a protective circle around him, eyes keen for any threat. Despite their training, it was natural for the body's flight or fight response to trigger, and no amount of conditioning could truly remove this biological instinct.

A quiet whir sounded before there was a flare of the wards, which gave a final sputter before collapsing, disarmed. Pastor quickly retrieved a lockpick, opening the door in several seconds with a 'click'.

Immediately, Pastor pressed forward, advancing into the facility with wand pointed forward, ready to eliminate any threat. Behind him, the other figures fanned out, covering all angles. They needn't have worried, for it seems their target had been lackluster in their vigilance.

There were hundreds if not thousands of crates stacked on the shelves, though the agents were unconcerned about most of them, knowing the contents to be filler materials of little worth intending to throw off the underpaid customs officials who actually bothered to attempt a check. Near the centre of the facility, there were several non-descript boxes that looked no different to the others.

Grabbing a crowbar, Pastor pried open the lid to inspect the contents inside, and gave a single nod to the team, confirming that they had found the right package. Powdered unicorn horn, a highly valuable and highly illegal substance. Ten grams was equivalent to the life savings of an average magical family, and the amount present in this crate was probably equivalent to a small town's annual GDP.

Retrieving portkeys from their belt, each of the figures moved next to a box and activated them, disappearing in a flash.

-Break-

Dressed in a fancy set of robes, Harry waited patiently outside the CRAM mechanical bird. Several girls descended down the ramp, giggling to each other, before noticing him. "Oh, it's you. Firefly will be ready in a few minutes."

"Thank you, and may I say, you all look rather enchanting tonight," Harry smiled politely. The girls giggled, waving goodbye before departing along the path towards the great hall. Several others passed by, and he made small talk with several individuals he was familiar with. Finally, fifteen minutes before the ball's start, Firefly descended down the ramp wearing a stunning white dress with pale gold embroidings, looking extremely nervous. At the sight of him, she gave a startled 'eep'.

"You look wonderful, Firefly," he smiled gently, assuaging her fears. Giving a nervous smile in return, she latched onto his side. He frowned at her look of discomfort and retrieved his wand, tapping her shoes.

"What did you do?"

"A temporary transfiguration. Don't worry, I'm a transfiguration master, they'll be fine," Harry chuckled. "No point making you suffer on the walk to the ball, no?"

"Thanks," she grinned. "I thought we agreed to meet at the entrance?"

"What sort of date would I be, allowing my partner to walk alone at night?" Harry scoffed. "Besides, I rather enjoy time just between us, I thought we might sneak a couple of minutes before we have to put on a show."

"Thanks, I do appreciate it," she promised genuinely, glowing at his words. "How did you know my dress, by the way? Auntie interrogated the entire designer and grooming team trying to find a leak. Several of the students were crying by the time she was halfway through her interrogations, and they weren't even the victims."

"It's the school colours," Harry replied amusedly. "Gold would have to be in the theming for the school's champion, even if complete yellow or gold would be too obstinate. That meant either white or black, and as much as Jade likes black, it wouldn't make a good contrast for my suit."

"You follow fashion?" Firefly asked incredulously, before hastily adding, "Not that there's anything wrong with that, just that...well I didn't think you were the type."

"I make it my business to know what is relevant. The smallest details often send the greatest messages, after all," Harry chuckled, before frowning at Firefly's tensing. Lifting his free hand, he stopped them and cupped her cheek. "Hey, I'll be there by your side. Just relax and enjoy yourself."

"Right," she forced a smile. "Right, thanks."

"Any time," he nodded, and the two continued the remainder of the distance to the castle in companionable silence. Entering the side chamber, McGonagall frowned at them.

"Finally, any later and we would have to start without you two. Where are your dates? You're due to enter any minute now!"

"As you can see, the lovely Firefly is my date, as I am hers," Harry answered crisply. McGonagall's lips pursed.

"And you did not inform the committee of this? The seating arrangeme-"

"Are you not a witch?" Harry interjected firmly at Firefly's uneasy look. "Surely a transfiguration mistress would be able to handle dealing with a few extra chairs. If not, I'm sure you could find a student to do it."

McGonagall's lips thinned even further, nodding stiffly. "Very well. You will enter in precedence of reverse ranking thus far in the tournament."

As she left the chamber, Harry's attention turned to the other champions and their dates. The females all had dresses reminiscent of their school colours, while the males wore formal dress robes. Fleur appeared the most radiant of them all, in her pale blue dress, and he felt her allure faintly permeating the room. Harry did not allow himself to be affected. Before any conversation could be had, the doors slammed open, just as McGonagall's voice rang out.

"And now, the champions! First, Fleur Delacour of Beauxbaton, and her date, Vudel Gim of Durmstrang." The two stepped out of the chamber to much applause. One by one, the pairings were called out, causing the numbers in the chamber to thin until only Harry and Firefly were left. He squeezed her hand gently, causing her to look up.

"Hey, I'll be there by your side. Just you and me," he smiled down at her. She bit on her lip before nodding, determination washing over her.

"Lin Xi Hui, and her date, Harry White," McGonagall called out. Firefly made a noise of outrage, for this was a clear snub against him, refusing to announce him in the pole position.

"It's fine," he assured, placing a kiss on Firefly's head and stealing her breath away. Shaking herself out of her stupor quickly, she nodded in reluctant agreement as the two stepped through the doors. To Harry's bemusement, the champion's table had four seats remaining, leaving two gaps. It was yet another snub. Helping her into a chair, he took the one adjacent, leaving two gaps between him and the closest member of staff, being a British ministry official.

"Welcome, everyone, to the Yule Ball," Dumbledore greeted with a benign smile. "Tonight is a night of celebration and friendship. In such troubling times as these, it is important to remember the power that love and companionship can bring, for even the direst of circumstances cannot stamp out the spark that is the human spirit if we remain firm in our resolve. Let us not forget that even in competition, there are friendships to be made, love to be found, memories to be made together. With that said, I wish you the most enjoyable of nights, and officially open the Yule Ball!"

Polite applause was given as menus appeared in front of everyone. Dumbledore picked it up and intoned "Pork Chops", causing a plate to appear in front of him. Others followed, and Harry eyed the list to see many extravagant dishes present. To his amusement, there was a list of soups available, and he requested, "Borscht."

A generous helping of soup appeared in front of him, though his lips thinned upon realisation this was Chinese 'Russian Soup' rather than authentic borsch, evident from its reddish-orange colour and the generous inclusion of cabbage along with the distinct lack of beet. Beside him, Firefly had ordered a fillet mignon, and eyed his choice with curiosity.

"I prefer the simpler things," Harry chuckled, taking a sip of his soup. It was not unpleasant, and were it not called borscht, something that insulted his sensibilities, he would conclude it a rather good soup. Though considering the 'borscht' of the camps contained barely any edible ingredients, he supposed in spirit it could be considered such.

Ending that train of thought, he turned his observations to the great hall, which had been transformed completely. Beautiful ice statues stood at the foot of the pillars around the room, while the long benches had been replaced with circular desks of eleven to a table save for the champions' one, which accommodated all the headmasters and headmistresses, top ministry personnel, the champions and their dates, making for forty two individuals. Instead of a round table, they sat in a straight line where the staff podium was before. It made for poor conversation, and was meant more to show off the champions than anything else. It made for a rather suitable parody of the entire tournament in his mind.

Neither felt the need to talk, merely eating their meals in companionable silence before the plates vanished. Dumbledore then rose up again. "Now that we are all well fed, I would like to invite the champions to open the dance. If you would all rise?"

With a flick of his wand, though Harry knew it to be elf magic, the tables and chairs vanished, leaving the pristine, glowing floor clear for dancing. Harry placed his arms around Firefly, a move she reciprocated. With a teasing smile, he queried, "How advanced do you want to go?"

"As far as you're willing," she returned with a challenging grin. He nodded, and as the music began, led her on an advanced waltz, a variation of the international gold. They promeladed past Reyes Roshan, moving in a simple box step with his date, a fellow Darius student. They twirled past Tyler Rogan, awkwardly shuffling with his Castelobruxo date. They circled Isyla Mirlande and her date, a tall and brooding Beauxbaton boy.

Each step Harry took, Firefly matched in grace, until the music finally ended, and the two parted a step away, him bowing and she curtsying. They received rambunctious applause, which both acknowledged before returning to each other.

"You kept up," he mused, surprised. She gave a tinkling laugh.

"I've trained since near birth, it was good practice for duelling. I never liked it, but now, I'm glad I was made to," she admitted. "I didn't expect you to know such moves."

"I practiced when I was young as well. Dancing was a rather useful skill to have, and my tutors made sure I was proficient," Harry said as they continued dancing to the second song, though limiting their movements, with far less space to maneuver once the crowd had joined in.

"How many swaps do you want to do?" Firefly queried.

"And if I told you that I wanted to just remain by your side?" This drew a faint smile from her.

"Then I would gladly remain by your side. But you'd offend the sensibilities of many others, and I could not, in good conscience, neglect my duty as your date to recommend that you dance with at least all the other champions," Firefly answered amusedly as he twirled her.

"How about we swap with Elisa then?" Harry proposed.

"Works for me," she agreed. At the song's end, he had navigated them to the couple's side.

"Want to swap?" he offered Allard, who looked to Elisa. After she nodded her assent, Allard took Firefly's hand, while Harry took Elisa's proffered one, just in time for the third song's start.

"You look spectacular, Elisa," he greeted fondly. She beamed at the compliment.

"You're rather dashing yourself," Elisa returned. "I admit, I was rather disappointed when you didn't ask me out, though I suppose I can understand. Firefly is a great match, after all."

"Are you not happy with Allard?"

"It is not that. Politically, he is an excellent match, and not unlikable as a person, just that he lacks...how do you say? An umph," Elisa mused with a delicate shrug. "With him, we both know where we stand."

"Would now be a bad time to ask for your hand in the coming Spring Ball?" Harry queried lightly. She stumbled, though his grip on Elisa was firm and prevented a stumble.

"I'd be delighted," she answered pleasantly. "Are you sure Firefly won't mind?"

"She knows where we stand," Harry mimicked, causing her eyes to widen. "You thought differently?"

"Aside from your schoolmate, I think Zakharov, the top duellist? Apart from her, you spend most of your private time with her. People expected you to go with her, in actuality, though those rumours were quashed when she accepted Tomoaki's proposal," Davalos shrugged. "People talk, you are, after all, solidly in the lead for the tournament thus far, not to mention that the entire Durmstrang contingent seems to orbit around you."

"You think too highly of me," Harry chuckled. "I'm sure you wield quite considerable influence yourself."

"Oh?" she arched a challenging eyebrow. "And how much do you know?"

"Enough to know that you could probably do anything short of murder and get away with it in the Americas," Harry shrugged, causing her to still. "Your father is a rather powerful man."

"He is," Elisa nodded. "Will his...line of work be a problem?"

"You are your own person, I think it rather unfair to judge you based on him, no?" Harry mused. She hummed, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. The two continued the rest of the dance in companionable silence, before Fleur arrived, almost dragging him away in the next dance, her allure's flair causing several couples beside them to stumble.

"Ah, 'arry, finally, I get my hands on you," she grinned, wrapping her arms around him. The tango music began to play, with the two being one of the few pairs still on the dance floor, many not daring to attempt the fast paced move.

As the two began the series of moves in perfect coordination, he questioned, "How was your night so far?"

"Excellent. Vudel has been an attentive date, if a bit stiff," Fleur chuckled. "He is surprisingly resistant to my allure, and knows quite a bit about Mediterranean culture. It made for good conversation."

"And Gabrielle?" Her eyebrows raised. "Your sister, I don't see her here. Your parents keep her away?"

"Very observant," she grinned, stalling for time as she pondered how much to tell him. "Oui, her dancing is...not great, and she is a more private person."

"Really? She seems rather cute and bubbly."

"Don't let her hear you call her cute," Fleur laughed, a melodious sound. "She is rather touchy on that. But I'm surprised you know her."

"She's representing your school in Gobstones. I believe Viktor lost to her, it made for great teasing," Harry answered the implicit question. She nodded, and the two completed the next set of moves in companionable silence.

"Are you not going to ask moi to the next ball?" Fleur spoke up as the song neared its end.

"Alas, I've been promised for both," Harry chuckled. Fleur gave a disappointed pout but nodded in understanding. "I'll save you a dance, I promise."

"I'll hold you to that," she warned playfully, placing a kiss on his cheek before reluctantly parting from him. He found Firefly in his arms once again, and it was not difficult to see the jealousy she tried to hide.

"Would you like to go for a drink?" Harry offered.

"Let's," she agreed. "Enjoy yourself?"

"More that you are by my side again," Harry returned smoothly, smiling as some of the tension dissipated from her. "You?"

"Likewise," Firefly returned with a glowing smile. The two approached a table, each taking up a glass of champagne. They clinked their glasses before taking sips. "Krum spoke most highly of you, he credits his success in great part to your reforms at Durmstrang."

"He is too kind," Harry waved off. "Viktor prefers to give credit rather than accept it, a good trait, I suppose."

"Perhaps. Looks like the girl who lived wants a bite of you as well. Auntie told you to save a dance for her as well, and with several more champions to go, I don't think we'll be getting back together till the final dance."

"Anticipation makes resolution sweeter."

"You have a quote for everything," Firefly chuckled just as Rose arrived, a hopeful look on her face.

"Harry, may I have a dance?"

"If Firefly doesn't mind?" Harry turned to his date, knowing the answer but asking for courtesy's sake. Rolling her eyes, Firefly nodded her assent, and Harry took Rose's offered hand.

"You look beautiful, my dear," he praised, the comment causing her to glow in radiance.

"How many times have you said that tonight?"

"So far? Only to you, Rose. I find compliments lose their meaning when given too often," Harry chuckled. She rolled her eyes amusedly.

"And how many synonyms did you use to be able to say that statement truthfully?"

"Enough to not lie," Harry returned amusedly. "I've taught you well, my little cynic."

Rose blushed at the compliment, but couldn't help looking pleased with herself. "I had a great teacher."

"I'm glad to hear that. Perhaps I'll be lucky enough to meet them some day."

"Prat."

"Dolt," he returned with a fond smile. "How's your evening been so far?"

"Decent enough. I got to snub Malfoy, so that's always a plus," she grinned unrepentantly. "Never quite liked these public things, but it's not as bad as some of the pureblood galas I've been forced to attend. Mum's been nagging me on making useful connections, if you can believe it. Dad's actually been holding her off so I can have some breathing room, so there's that. Is there a reason that one of your lackeys is glaring at me?"

"Two actually," Harry corrected. "The first one is Sarah Sitara, we've had a...disagreement that has soured things a bit between us. The second one is Jasmine Genet. Things were done that can't be taken back by either of us. But don't worry, I won't let them hurt you...too much, anyways."

"How reassuring," Rose mused dryly before nibbling on her lip. He quirked an eyebrow, causing her to blush.

"You know you can ask."

"It's…well…"

"The worst thing that could happen is for me to say no."

"I'm not sure I have anything worthwhile to offer in return, and I won't allow myself to be indebted."

"Ah," Harry chuckled. "I'm sure we can work something out. But you'll never know if you don't ask."

"Can you help train me to duel?" Rose questioned. "I know you're probably already very busy as a champion, but I would really appreciate it."

"Sure, we can do sessions once a week, Saturday nights," Harry agreed. Rose blinked twice.

"Just...like that? Not that I'm ungrateful, just...don't…"

"If it makes you feel at ease, then let's just assume I want to know the girl who lived's abilities," Harry chuckled. Rose shook her head in exasperation.

"What's the actual reason?"

Harry pondered for a moment on how to compose his answer. "If I only made deals that benefitted me to a degree that actually matters, I would make very few deals. Sometimes, you have to think in the long term. If I can get you in the habit of making deals with me, it provides an advantage for the future. If I can deny you the need or want to make a deal with someone else, it means your dependency on me increases. If nothing else, you'll feel some reciprocity bias and act more generously to me in the future."

"Heh, I guess it was too much to think it was out of the kindness of your heart."

"Come now, Rose, you know better than most that is never the case. For all you can critique our relationship for, you can know that I will never lie to you."

"And I appreciate that, more than you could know," Rose assured. "Thank you."

"Any time," Harry smiled as the song ended. He bowed while she curtsied, and he was quickly swept up in a dozen other dances, with seemingly dozens of females wanting to dance with him. By night's end, he had danced through thirty three of the thirty five songs, and found himself with Firefly for the closing dance.

"Have fun?"

"I feel like I barely spent any time with you," she bemoaned with a sigh. I guess this is why pureblood couples host so many of these things; they barely have to be together during them."

They pressed closer than strictly necessary, with her head on his chest as the two swayed gently to the beat. Most of the other couples had either turned in for the night or found alternate places to be, meaning that the dance floor only had roughly three dozen couples.

As the last song ended, they smiled warmly at each other. Firefly leaned forward, "I know you're not looking for anything long term, but kiss me?"

"Of course," Harry agreed, pulling her in for a soft kiss. Neither felt the need to end it, briefly moving their lips to reconnect at new angles and rub against each other. Tentatively, she prodded his mouth with her tongue, and the two deepened their kiss, until both were breathless several minutes later.

"That was…"

"Indeed," Harry agreed. "I'll take you back?"

"That would be lovely."

-Break-

Marshal Ivarin, staring forward with her binoculars, smiled grimly as the artillery barrage began pounding the Red's defences. Some fifty thousand of the Russian Communists' best troops were stationed here in Narva, as both sides knew if this fell, the Russian lines would collapse all the way to and Moscow.

The Reds had, in a desperate gamble, used their anti-satellite missiles to take out the roughly dozen Polish satellites in existence, meaning that only traditional surveillance with aircraft and scouts was possible. But if the Reds were hoping it would be enough, they were to be sorely disappointed.

With the entire world suffering from trade restrictions reminiscent of the mercantilist strategies of old, the complicated supply chains required to create most smart weapons had dissolved, with only the Americans and the Chinese possessing both the raw materials, technical expertise and manufacturing capacity to make any meaningful quantity of advanced electronics. The rest of the world had seemingly turned the clock back to World War Two. The Polish military had long contended with inferior equipment and support to the Russians, and this was hardly a hindrance.

Her Baltic allies had been pushing to begin this offensive for weeks, no doubt eager to expel the Reds from their home country. Ira was sympathetic, but did not budge on waiting for her supply trains to catch up. Her intelligence had told her the Reds were preparing to negotiate, and she would be damned if she let up an opportunity to gain as much territory prior as possible because of some politicians back in Warsaw.

Officially, she was supposed to stop once the old war borders were reached. Ira had no intention of heeding, and all of her command staff were fully on board, more loyal to the woman who fought by their side than to some snivelling politician.

'Operation Phoenix', the secret operation that called for the Polish army to push from Minsk to Moscow, had been months in the making, with vast quantities of material having been quietly diverted from the front into a huge reserve ready to be unleashed. With all the chest pounding and publicity regarding the alliance's work in the Baltics, along with some clever tactics on her part that delivered crushing blows to the Russian, greatly exaggerating the strength of Polish forces in the Baltics.

It was a true shame that she would not be leading that charge, for much like Patton during D-Day, she needed to make the enemy believe she was the main force. Alas, she had a difficult task of her own: that of deception.

There were roughly ten thousand Poles along with another ten thousand Baltic troops, meaning she was outnumbered five to two against the elite of the Reds. She somehow had to keep them hunkered down without attempting a breakout, for every last reserve in Poland had been taken for this campaign, meaning if the Reds broke out, they would face virtually no resistance up till the Polish-German border.

For this, she had sent away nearly all of her motorised and mechanised divisions, with only a small crust of infantry protecting the vast amount of artillery she had brought. It was a gamble of the highest order, but the die was cast, and she need only hold for one week before her second, a brilliant muggle commander by the name of Olev Rootare she had managed to co-opt into her confidence.

Peering through her binoculars, she sighed at the sight of a line of Russian tanks pushing out, followed by waves of infantry. Ira turned to her second in command. "Second line fire at will."

"Yes Marshal," the officer replied crisply, and in seconds, shells exploded in the midst of the Red's advance, blowing apart tanks and men alike. An order was given, and they retreated, smouldering wrecks of vehicles and bits of corpses lying in the open fields.

The Reds had been repelled, but they would be back. After all, the most dangerous enemy is a cornered one.

-Break-

Sarah frowned as she observed the pair of world maps pinned on the wall of her room. The one on the left represented the muggle world, the one on the right the magical. Just two years ago, the number of red dots could be counted with two hands. Today, there were several hundred pins, at least three dozen in Europe alone, from the Franco-German border to Gibraltar in the South of Spain, to the Balkans, and that was only on the muggle side. On the magical side, you had Grindelwald, Voldemort and the ICW in a three way brawl, several contending dark lords and ladies vying for power in South America, tribal conflicts brewing in Africa, everyone in Asia seemingly at each others' throats...and most of these didn't even involve Harry's interference!

Enoch had sent increasingly dire reports suggesting that the BMU was reaching a tipping point. Despite the efforts of the state apparatus, resistance groups ranging from anarcho-environmentalists to fascists and everything in between had risen up, making the country near ungovernable. With little options, he had negotiated a deal with her: send her agents to take out opposition figures discreetly in exchange for an unspecified favour she could collect. It was a no-brainer: further Harry's agenda and collect debts that could return her to favour.

Of the roughly one hundred 'true' agents under her command, nearly half were deployed in Europe, around half of that number in the BMU itself. Others were busy collecting intelligence, recruiting 'outside' agents and plundering resources for their war chest.

Turning to her desk, she pulled out the stack of reports she had yet to go through, having been busy networking during various events. Most of her missions were on if not ahead of schedule, as expected given the efficiency she had drilled into her recruits. Still, several were behind, notably the negotiations in Brazil with a budding dark lord over access to rare magical fauna. It seems the man had grown too ambitious and wanted to renege on their deal. Agent Gamazda, blood thirsty even by her standards, had wanted to level the entire section of forest along with everything in it as a show of force. Sarah couldn't help but smirk in amusement, wondering if this was how the more meek of Harry's circle saw her.

Most of the problems she had seemed to originate solely from the BMU, with the government's forces folding faster than expected. Already, large chunks of several cities' outskirts had been burned to ashes in uncontrolled flames. While that wasn't necessarily a problem, for it provided lots of potential recruits, this was also true for other agitation movements, which were growing in strength at an alarming rate. All the setup for a government takeover would be for naught if another entity seized it before Harry had the chance to claim the throne.

This brought Sarah a conundrum: she knew that Harry wanted to keep most of the opposition leader figures alive until his takeover, for having identified them they could be swiftly eliminated. Yet, by allowing them to remain largely unopposed, these figures had grown in influence and boldness, with several having outright formed rival governments. The only good thing to come of this was that no politician dared challenge the need for emergency powers to be maintained by Enoch to prevent the situation from completely collapsing.

If she eliminated opposition leaders, it would make Enoch's life easier but the eventual takeover of power more difficult, which would undoubtedly raise questions from Harry that she had no intention of answering. On the other hand, she had been tasked with ensuring Enoch managed to hold the line, and any failure of that would undoubtedly cause a far more dire punishment, unacceptable given her already tenuous position in the circle.

An owl meekly hooted, as though afraid of drawing her ire. Sarah frowned, not having heard it enter the room, a failing on her part. Shaking herself from her musings she turned to the creature, retrieving the envelope and opening it.

As she read, her eyes flashed dangerously, causing the creature to whimper as it cowered in the corner of the room. Sarah's attention, however, remained solely focused on the letter, which spontaneously combusted as she finished reading it. Another shipment...if only she wasn't needed here for the tournament, she would hunt down the perpetrators and have a very serious conversation with them herself. As was, this represented yet another failure on her intelligence's part, something which had grown alarmingly common.

Uncertainty was something Sarah could not and would not tolerate. She was a spymaster! It was her job to know everything pertinent! And yet she was being made a fool of! A soft knock on the door caused Sarah to lock her occlumency into place, as she moved out to answer.

At the sight of Jasmine, she smiled. "Ah, excellent. Right on time, come in, come in. We have much to discuss, and I could use your input."

"Anything for Raven," the girl agreed with a smile, stepping inside.

-Break-

"Allow me to raise a toast to herald the new year," Harry said smoothly to the room of about thirty. Among them were six other school champions, as well as the influential and promising from all the schools. Sarah and Katerina were holding similar meetings, the former to recruit potential agents, the latter to recruit potential fighters. "Today, we are here, not just because of convenience, but because of our convictions. We all share a common dream for a better future, and today, I'm going to share with all of you my vision for this."

Taking a magical picture, he expanded it, sticking it to the wall so all in the room could see. "The magical world has gone stagnant and complacent. We have believed magic has made us above muggles. The truth is, while we are superior in potential, this does not translate to genuine prowess. How many magical individuals in the world could cast a proper shield charm? Certainly all of you in this room could, but among the general populace?"

He pointed to the picture, showing an army of ten thousand charging forward, firing their rifles. "While our conflicts deal in the hundreds, the muggles deal in the tens of thousands, if not more. Where they lack magic, they have innovated, developed tools to supplement such a weakness."

He pulled out a pistol, shooting the glass of water next to Isyla and causing her to jump up, startled. "Incredible precision and power with minimal effort from the user. With several weeks of training and this equipment, a muggle is able to replicate the damage of some of our most potent spells for single combat, with the ability to hit far beyond natural vision's limits.

It is true that a muggle does not possess the ability to wield magic, and in that, a magical will always be superior. Yet magic has become a crutch, a gimmick more than an actual tool we wield. How much time are we taught useless things: transfiguring a teacup to a tortoise, charming a cauldron to be squishy, brewing variations of the exact same potion with no discernible difference in effect?

Muggle children in China start educating their children at age two! How many among even in this room, let alone in wider society, barely started meaningful learning until eleven? While we may not have reached magical maturity, does that mean we cannot memorise potion ingredients, learn the tenets of arithmancy, or begin reciting the various runic languages?

Because our societies remain so isolated, they have been allowed to grow stagnant without weakness being exposed. In the muggle world, cross pollination, sharing and iteration on ideas is near constant, in an ever continuing struggle for survival. Where is this spirit in the magical world? In muggle society, children dream not of ancient heroes, but to define their own legacy, to become the next conqueror, inventor, leader. And yet, in the magical world, we seem content worshipping Merlin and Morgana, content to accept no individual has managed to come close to matching their prowess.

Thus, I put forward to you that the magical world needs the muggle spirit. How many advancements were made during Grindelwald's war? How much stronger did society get as weakness was purged in favour of strength? In those dark times, we became our worst selves and our best selves, and yet...we've lost that.

The Statute has made us weak, relegating the witch hunts of old to childhood stories. Perhaps today, we might survive against the muggles. In twenty years? Fifty? At what point will we go the way of the dodo?

I ask you to join me today on a crusade, not for power, not for glory, but to secure our very existence. So, who amongst you will stand tall, and who will fall?"

"I stand with you," Isyla, the Koldovstoretz champion, agreed quickly, slamming her right fist on her chest. The others in the room followed quickly, as though in a race not to be the last. Harry smiled. T'was a good new year indeed.

-Break-

"Welcome, witches and wizards, to the third task of the Trials of the Champions! Today, the theme for the task will be runes and charms. Our champions will be placed inside one of eleven chambers they will need to escape from. With twelve hours to escape, we will see who maanges to escape."

The floor rumbled, as eleven discs of stone rose up. "Champions, please go to your assigned disc, and fair fortune be yours!"

After all had stood on their spots, the discs rumbled as they descended beneath the ground, causing the audience to 'ooh' and 'aah'. After several moments, the opening from the top covered itself, and Harry found himself alone in a circular room with hundreds of runes engraved along with the wall, and a splatter of various items strewn about in the room. Even in the dim light provided by a single torch at the center, he could see several keyholes.

Reaching out with his senses, he was almost overloaded by the various auras of magical items in the room. Literal hundreds of signatures were all on full blast, forcing him to dial back his sensitivity until he could properly concentrate again. Narrowing his eyes, Harry cast several detection charms, finding nothing before picking up the piece of parchment in front of him. Seeing a bunch of random runes, he quickly found no pattern and disregarded them, dropping it on the floor and reaching out with his senses.

The exit was easy to locate, being discreetly tucked into a corner of the room rather than the large ornate door that opened to reveal a small inlet before quickly meeting a dead end. Moving to the true exit, he cast several detection charms, and began to unravel the various wards entangled.

The difficulty with diffusing ward schemes was, with few exceptions, now because any countercharm was particularly difficult. Time consuming, yes, but not difficult. The problem was in how wards were interwoven: in the best case, while weakening one ward one might be inadvertently strengthening another. In the worst case, it may cause a cascading collapse that causes the ward to react violently.

There were roughly eighteen wards interwoven, and Harry made some mental calculations before nodding. While the third and seventh wards were going to be slightly tricky to unpick, it would be little problem. Harry set to work, beginning to cast the countercurses to the various wards, frowning as he noticed that their ends extended into an overlay, something that was only discernible after he had already begun to unravel the initial wards.

An overlay was essentially a ward within a ward, best described as two mirrors facing each other. If there was any distortion, then the mirrors would essentially be misaligned, resulting in a violent eruption of magic that would cascade into a failure.

Frowning, he slowed his pace, taking care to work around several such safeguards within the wards. It was, if not necessarily difficult, a time consuming endeavour. By the time he emerged from the room, he was rather surprised to see that three of the other champions were already there.

"And in the most incredible display of technical curse breaking thus far, Harry White of Durmstrang unravelled all eighteen wards!" the announcer sputtered in disbelief. Harry arched an eyebrow at the implication that there was an easier solution; he knew, reasonably, that they wouldn't actually be expected to curse break, and that it would be more like an escape room. Yet, he had expected such a winding series of tasks to take far longer and require more backtracking. "With a time of one hour and twelve minutes, this puts him in fifth place, though he'll certainly be getting bonus points for such prowess."

Harry waited patiently, the other competitors having taken the remaining eleven hours, with five not emerging at all. Much of the audience had left and were just returning as the announcer banged a gong, signalling the end of the task. The remaining champions were retrieved, and the eleven assembled in front of the audience. "Finishing in first place, Darius student Reyes Roshan, who figured out that the piece of parchment actually corresponded to the symbols on the inlet, successfully accessed the ward stone behind his door and broke it, allowing him to escape in forty four minutes. Next our was CRAM's Lin Xi Hui, who followed a similar train of thought but was slower in casting, making two missteps causing her to have to repeat herself. Her time of fifty one minutes just etched out third place's Uagadou student Badru Okorie, who, in an excruciating fifty two minute journey, slowly crossed through the wards, using some obscure magic to allow him to somehow not trigger the wards. In fourth place, Harry White of Durmstrang, who has gobsmacked most by actually dismantling the wards. In fifth place, Tyler Rogan of NWM followed two false leads before managing to access the wardstone, emerging with a time of six hours and thirteen minutes. And the last to emerge, in sixth place, Fleur Delacour of Beauxbaton, who attempted and failed to unweave the wards before following the clues and successfully managing to complete the task. I have just been handed the scores...in first place, Reyes Roshan is awarded the full one hundred points for a flawless completion of the task. In joint second place, Lin Xi Hui, for a near flawless performance, and Harry White, for managing to beat the wards in an incredible display of charmswork and curse breaking, with ninety points each. In fourth place, Badru Okorie with eighty points, fifth place Tyler Rogan with seventy points and Fleur Delacour with sixty. Thank you all, and see you at the next task!

Author Note:

Apologies for the delay, real life got in the way, with a bunch of unexpected things eating away at my time. As always, if you enjoyed, consider leaving a follow and favourite. Just a few clicks of the mouse or taps of the finger really shows your appreciation for the love and effort that goes into this story, as well as brighten my day. If you're interested, there's a discord server where you can chat with fellow fans about the story. Join with the code: Jew89k8Jp8. Otherwise, until next time, toodles!