Lucius Malfoy:

Lucius Malfoy found himself rather pleased. He had offered to take Cornelius to an expensive restaurant merely to 'discuss casual matters'. Cornelius understood the nature of their relationship and obliged himself to attend. Of course, he would generally be careful about what he revealed. Too much information and Lucius would have no problem using the same information to press him into a corner. The relationship was that of a temporary alliance – there was the acknowledgement that it was only for their individual benefit. Cornelius then shared the best news that Lucius could have ever hoped to hear - Harry Potter was dead and he had died from muggle heart sickness. Lucius thought it was appropriate that a filthy Muggle woman had corrupted the Potter bloodline, and now it was no more. It would be a good lesson for Draco. Lucius had noticed that Astoria had taken a liking to Draco, and this was a relationship he had hoped to encourage.

Greengrass Senior on the other hand was not interested in joining either side. Eventually, he would have to pick a side. Or perhaps he could keep his neutrality and in exchange offer Astoria. Either way, he would win. Draco deserved a good pure-blooded woman to sire the next Malfoy Heir. Lucius considered how stupid Fudge was – Fudge had always considered Lucius to be an upstanding member of society. Yet as Fudge happily drank the wine, he never suspected that it had been spiked with a large amount of Veritaserum. With Narcissa being robbed of her inheritance, he needed to know if anything had truly happened at Azkaban.

But the issue at large was that Fudge was also a manipulator – he had always suspected Lucius Malfoy.

Fudge had always ensured that he took a lesser-known Veritaserum nullifying potion before dining with anyone – it had been something that a Chinese diplomat had passed to him, in return for a favour. Fudge was free to lie, and Lucius would believe whatever he said as gospel truth. Fudge had always considered that Malfoy's money was nice, but he was the Minister of Magic.

Lucius Malfoy deserved to know his place.

Fudge explained his convenient truth.

"Sirius Black admitted to killing the Potters because he wanted to be welcomed back into the Black family line. He lamented that he would never be able to take up the Lordship."

"I see. This is rather vital to me. I do thank you for sharing this."

Lucius, who was so sure of himself was somewhat relieved. As far as he was concerned, the new Lord Black had to be someone else. Perhaps an illegitimate child had been found worthy? The new objective was to find who was the new Lord Black. Perhaps Narcissa would be able to retrace the bloodline?

Fudge inwardly laughed. He figured that Sirius Black had resumed his position as Lord Black and that Malfoy and his family had been eliminated from the Black Inheritance. Fudge understood that he would be on his way out soon and that anyone who challenged Lord Peverell would die. His job was to misappropriate as many galleons as possible and change them into muggle currency, so he could leave magical England to burn. The wrongful imprisonment of the new Lord Black – that alone could cost him his career. That combined with the death of Harry Potter, the killing of the Dementors and the death of Agamemnon Cassius? Both sides would have his head. Fudge had secretly written Sirius Black through Gringotts, and had left the following message for him:

"I will say nothing of your true identity if you make no mention of Lord Peverell, the Dementors perishing, your escape from Azkaban or the operation at the mansion. Perhaps you can hide your face like Lord Peverell.

You in return should know that Harry Potter passed away in the muggle world. He died from heart disease. I am hoping to break the news gently because the purebloods will use the event to gather sympathy. They will complain that the magical world could have offered a solution. I plan to counter this by releasing a statement that Harry Potter died under magical care in St. Mungo's. If you are not aligned with the darker families, you will do this for the greater good of Wizarding England.

I have provided information as to where you can find his tombstone. I am sorry to be the bearer of this terrible news, he was a good lad. Help me build a society where this does not repeat itself.

C.F."

Fudge was mostly concerned about access to his luxuries. He would stay on as Minister of Magic long as possible, to continue enjoying his perks. He hoped that when Lord Peverell truly came into the magical world that he was long gone. Perhaps he could assign more funding to many of the ignored departments, and then skim some galleons off the top? Yes, that would work quite nicely.

Harry, during fifteen weeks before the Azkaban operation, had slowly equipped Luis and his immediate team with smartphones. After all, this modification merely required a small titanium plate to be stuck to the device. He had produced almost ten thousand pieces through a manufacturer in China and was now sitting on the item, hoping to at least roll the item out to foreign governments. He wondered who would be first to figure out that it was merely a piece of titanium in a rubber sleeve. Surely, they would figure it out, right? Harry decided to run a timer, at the launch of his product, so he could see how long similar products would take to appear.

Clementine had requested a device and she had gotten accustomed to its usage. She marvelled as combined with the ability to apparate, customers were pouring into her business. Being able to communicate instantly in a world where owls primarily did letter communication changed the pace of her business operations. Many of her older customers were quite surprised with the new office. It was full of graphic designs, posters, magical portraits, and everything in between. Lady Delacour was now rocking flatscreens, and often consulted her workers on what new equipment they could purchase – she had employed a lot of French wizards who were experts in animation and photography. She now had become a media studio, and they did both muggle and magical business. As she thought about Invictus and the one-off custom job that she had done, she had to admit that the video feed from Harry's suit had been the greatest thing she had ever seen. Invictus was an absolute powerhouse that day.

More importantly, because of both of their efforts, Fleur and Gabrielle could now talk to people. Fleur had been quite pleased when a rather handsome boy who she had liked very much, offered to take an evening walk with her. Fleur had been only too excited to relate the events of that evening to Clementine, who smiled on her end as she heard the tale. Many mornings, she would speak to her granddaughter, and it would always come down to one recurring statement.

"Harry and Hermione are the best. I have friends because of them. And they are my friends too. Both Gabrielle and I! My English is so good when I can practice regularly! Gabrielle always complained she wanted a brother. Well, she got one and mother did not have to lose her figure!"

Clementine laughed until she cried. Harry's sass was rubbing off on Fleur.

As the rumours began to pass around people came to understand that somebody had built the extraordinary devices that Fleur and Gabrielle were sporting on their wrists. Some of the other French students who came from non-magical families at Beauxbatons immediately recognised the devices for what they were - items manufactured with cutting edge precision engineering. One of Fleur's friends had noticed the device and confronted her, looking to confirm possible suspicions:

"For the rest of them, they look at your bracelet and they are amazed. I suspect that you merely found a good engineer who also knows magic. That is unusual but possible. My father is an aerospace engineer at Dassault, I know what CNC parts look like."

"I have been caught. Yes, my friend is an excellent engineer. He isn't qualified yet, but he is already building things. He did provide me with the videos as the steel was being cut. I understand the CNC process very well. Your father, does he work in business or military in Dassault?"

"He works in Business aircraft production. You know about Dassault's various divisions?"

"I am French? I love our Rafale! It is our domestic aircraft, isn't it? They are fine fighter jets!"

"Fleur Delacour, you are full of surprises. Any other admissions?"

"I like the cheap ramen, sold in the packs at the supermarket. It is trashy and undignified and truly poor dining. I feel like I am doing something super bad when I consume it. After all, we don't snack. Which is why I do it secretly? I was er…..introduced to it…..by the same people who made this device for me."

"Somebody is getting rebellious. You must have new friends eh? Why do you need to snack, it shows poor impulse control, non?"

"I have been advised to exercise frequently to build my magical core and my hunger is through the roof as my body has become more active. I can even consciously dampen the allure somewhat. The improvements have been welcome. However, I need to eat regularly to upkeep my energy, as undignified as it might look."

"Oui! I knew it! The boys have noticed your behind. It is a topic of consequence lately. Comments include that it is larger and firmer, and the motions are pleasing to the eye. They suspect some new type of Veela Magic. I think it is squats! It must be squats!"

"Squats until I hurt all over. Long runs too along with other things. I run around the castle early in the morning. Regular exercise helps with increasing my casting power. My 'rebellious' friends are approaching their 11th birthday and look almost like us. Far faster and stronger. They can run kilometres without stopping!"

"So, the Storm-Lord and the Rune-Priestess oui?"

"My friends are English and super talented. I am under oath I cannot say more. You will meet them soon. Not to worry Esme."

"I look forward to it, they must be super interesting."

"Total firecrackers, both of them. My grandmother adores them – so what do you think?" Fleur laughed.

And while this conversation had happened some time ago, Fleur had explained to Clementine that many people suspected where the device came from and that they had decided to be polite about the issue. The same evening of the operation, Clementine was having a late-night call with Fleur and Gabrielle. Fleur shared some of the suspicions and rumours that were travelling around:

"He does everything in a big way, it's the way his things look. They look different. It's the design. He likes steel and sharp lines. It is his ah…what did Hermione tell me the expression was….yes…..his calling card!"

"Granddaughter, both of them gotten up to even more impossible things. I cannot say without his permission. Harry has discovered some scientific optimisations for magic, and I do want you to learn from him. The best time will be for the holidays at the end of your academic year. I believe I have a message from Invictus. We will talk soon."

"Au Revoir, grand-mère"

Clementine then listened to the voice note from Invictus:

Hello Clementine,

I suppose it was too much to ask for my grandson to get a break from misfortune. It follows him like a persistent dog. While he and Hermione triumphed, they did so at a high cost. My dear grandchildren have lost their innocence. They were forced to kill.

In short – some sycophant from the distant past kidnapped Harry's mother and her friend Lorna. The man's intention was to rape - he clearly said so. Due to a unique piece of jewellery, we were alerted, and Harry and Hermione sprang into action. Grace nailed the location, bypassed the wards and carried a fully armoured Harry in with Remus and William supported by an assault rifle, pistol and the shielding devices you saw in the Azkaban breakout. Hermione acted as recon and went in with the drone, with the turret gun fully activated

Grace, that magnificent bird, got both women home, and Hermione was forced to clear the room with the lethal fire. Perfect aim. Fast and ruthlessly efficient. Harry on the other hand called upon the full Peverell Battle Magic – something that even I as an adult, struggled to master. He charged in snapped necks, tore spines out, and utterly pulverised all the men who were highly armed. He even conjured lightning, which is something nobody in the lineage has ever done.

William, I understand he must have been a hell of a soldier. The optic feed from the rifle – he is a brilliant tactician. He cleared the whole courtyard. Remus has shown fantastic amplitude with pistols. No injuries were sustained, but we killed seventy two of theirs. It was a massacre, not a fight. A very one-sided massacre.

It only gets more horrendous. We discovered a full human trafficking operation. Or more correctly a Chattel Market. About eighty eight women were found raped, abused and ready to be sold to the highest bidder. I suspect Luis and other Head Aurors from other countries, will get involved as many of the dead wizards seem to be foreigners.

Attached is a recording. Understand that the suit feed is ghastly as it is a first-person view of how Harry dealt with the combat. Men were torn apart and you might need to watch it in slow motion to recognise faces. I would not be surprised if you can't get through it. However, if it can help Luis with his operation let us know. I will provide extra footage. Harry and Hermione will not hesitate to provide memories, either.

Harry and Hermione's genius has prevailed once again. Harry had a viable defence against the Killing Curse. The Armor did a good job of protecting him, and Hermione's runes were rock solid.

I am hoping that after such a terrible ordeal, perhaps some time in the French countryside will ease Hermione and Harry. They are children who are carrying adult responsibilities, and yet I cannot see how Harry's mother could have been saved without us taking such drastic measures. As the young people say:

This sucks.

Call me if you need anything clarified. With much thanks.

Invictus.

Luis and Clementine reviewed the footage and found that many of these men were on the I.C.W most wanted list for many years and they had not been found. Luis was flabbergasted at how much destruction Harry could cause, especially when supported by his little family. The situation had been truly dark and the eighty eight women who had been saved. This was a win against the infamous "Black Hand."

When Luis arrived on the scene with Amelia Bones the next morning, he was already quite aware of what had the day before. From the footage, he was able to determine how they had approached the situation. William had boxed them in and cleared them out. The bloodstains on the second floor had been impressive and organs had been scattered quite liberally. Truthfully, Luis was happy these men had been eliminated. There had been I.C.W bounties on each man who had been slain, and it would result in a considerable sum of money. Luis then decided that the best way to take advantage of the situation was to explain who Hadrian Peverell and Hermione Granger were to his Minister of Magic, as they were the right fit for the December operation. He proceeded to the office of the French Minister of Magic that evening.

"Afternoon Luis, I understand we have some urgent business to discuss. Care for some wine Luis?"

"Certainly Minister. After what I saw this morning. I could use a drink. This is the nature of this discussion."

"Oh. I read the report that had been compiled. Unless that was not all?"

"Far from it. The ringleader for this cell of the Black Hand happens to be an English wizard. He started off the night by kidnapping the Artificer's mother and her friend. He then threatened to rape both of them, and also suggested that all the men with him could take turns."

"Merde! The Artificer? Did they threaten his mother? I am aware that they built the production line, and I visited to inspect it for myself. His skills are impressive. I have a feeling it ended badly for them."

"Yes, it did. His mother is the young master healer who will be starting soon with us if you remember the Medi-Spray deal. I understand that his mother has a whole new suite of spells, and she has developed a healing artefact, that is coming with her. Bonham 75 spell triage in a fraction of the time. They are aiming for 10 seconds. It would not have been beneficial for the Magical World to lose such a mind."

"Oh dear! That would have been terrible! I took it that English Aurors were impotent as usual, so he handled the business himself, Luis?"

"He broke into the compound and flattened all of them, with utter impunity. Our potioneer also dealt with clearing the room. I have video footage from his battle suit. I however must get permission to provide this to you. Everything I have revealed so far is that which is not protected by oath.

After examining their effectiveness, his team will be good enough to handle the South American operation. They do not hesitate, and they take no prisoners. They are the people you send when you need the criminals outright killed. They also have many personal inventions that our Aurors cannot operate – or would require much training to become proficient. And they use communication technology. We will get a remote video feed, as that is a standard part of their missions. In fact…."

Luis took out his smartphone and dialled Harry. He and put Harry on speaker. After the three initial rings, Luis began the conversation:

"Hello Hadrian"

"Hello Luis."

"Hadrian, I am calling because of the incident last night. Invictus had a little chat with mother. They figured you could use some time in the countryside after what happened."

"I…yes that would be nice. I don't feel…too good. I know your mother always looks out for me and Mione like we are her own grandchildren. Seeing Fleur and Gabrielle would be nice. Anything else you need?"

"I would like permission to show the battle suit video feed to the French Minister of Magic."

"Invictus sent it I suppose. Maybe that is not a bad thing. Fudge is a fucking moron, the insufferable dolt.

You have permission to reveal anything to your Minster of Magic that will help those women get home or locate the perpetrator's organisation. Even my real name. Hell, I will even offer all of us a physical debrief if you want. We cannot trust the people back home one bit. Lorna is digging, some of the Wizengamot folks had ties to these scumbags. It only gets worse in Magical England. As long as our secrets and innovations are protected we will cooperate. Grace will drop off a copy of all our memories. Send me a personal email for the Minister later."

"Thank you. What you and your family did was very brave."

"I know – but this is not an easy thing to deal with. It haunts me. I had no choice. I could let them rape the woman who found me abused and malnourished in a cupboard almost two years ago, the woman who rebuilt my entire body from scratch or murder the spineless cowards. Nobody – Nobody fucks with my family."

"Understandable. There were bounties on each of the men's heads. It might work out to be a substantial amount. We are looking at almost two million bezants."

"I don't want a cent – share it up among the women. They deserve something as they try to start over their lives. I am happy you called. I am going to work on the pistols soon. How many units do you want? We are looking at something better than my initial prototype. 100 bezants a piece. The price is on par with muggle firearms."

"That is cheap. We were expecting something like 300 bezants a pistol," said Luis.

"God no. I want you to give you a good deal. Cheap means you will buy more units. You can send them if they break, I will repair them. I want the criminals to suffer. Stun and death by plasma are the two firing modes."

The French Minister whispered "Fifty" and nodded while smiling. Luis nodded.

"Fifty units is enough for a trial. I want the veterans to take part in a pilot program. That should be enough."

"Done. I hope I will see you soon. How has the phone been working? I wanted to be sure they could take punishment. It is very experimental and I have no long term information on how they will hold out."

"Quite well. I am in a magical place and have no issues. It has been handy that we can apparate with them. My unit is quite happy with them, we can coordinate regardless of location. We charge them all at a non-magical place or home. When you are ready, we will require a large number of smartphones modified for our senior and administrative staff."

"That won't be an issue. Send a list and I will provide the item for you. Just stick it on, in a non-magical place. Less than one bezant a piece. This was nice. Take care, Luis."

"Luis you have been holding out on me! You have a working smartphone that works in magical places?"

"Yes, he modified this one for me"

Luis then handed the minister his phone.

"As you heard very experimental. And they survive apparition. Full data and internet connectivity. What do you think of him?"

"I am happy we got the preferential access to the potion from the girl, so naturally I want to meet the young man. I want France to adopt their innovations first. From the time he said Fudge was an idiot, I knew he means business. The incident has him shaken?"

"Very much. He is coping the best way he can, probably building something. It was his first… kill. Same for our potioneer."

"He can get a contract to supply weapons after we field test them and they offer benefits. I understand your mother knows both of them well?"

"Somewhat. They are recent acquaintances, but she adores both of them. He initially wrote to my mother to request such a strange portrait modification. By the time he was ready to leave, I did not believe it. He managed to get a portrait to operate numerous pieces of technology. Hadrian and Hermione also built Fleur's bracelet overnight. They solved a problem that nobody had any solution to, and my daughters have many friends now!"

"Anything else of interest I should know?"

"His Godfather was wrongly convicted and put in Azkaban. You know, Azkaban is famous for its Dementors. Only the English were cruel enough to subject their prisoners to that creature. There have been cases where innocent people had to suffer their presence. He killed the Dementors and he smashed the prison to pieces.

He could flatten many of our senior Aurors, myself included in a fight. He doesn't carry about himself with any arrogance though. He behaves like a pretty normal but very excitable child as long as you feed him and provide him with an unending supply of coffee. Very physically fit, him and his sister."

"He can join the Auror Legionnaires if necessary, as a contracted kill team, after I see evidence of his capability with the video feed from his suit. If he does well for the December operation, I will personally have him and his unit assigned to the Alpha Kill Team for the I.C.W Peacekeeping force. Since the last Dark Lord in England killed the previous unit, we have had no replacements."

"True enough. There are any number of insurgencies that are occurring throughout Europe and we have not interceded, because we don't have a team to deploy. They could be a small but highly mobile squad to once again deal with the issues that we have been ignoring."

"This has been good Luis. Sometimes we need a personal touch, particularly with those who are talented. I am happy the boy seems to like you. We will keep in touch as the times unfold."

"We will, Minister."

Over the next couple of days, Lucius was only too happy to explain to Draco, the danger of mudbloods. He revealed that Harry Potter had died from a muggle disease and that he was deserving of such a fate. Draco was also instructed not to reveal anything to anyone because only the minister would announce the information at an appropriate time.

"Remember Draco, the Dark Lord was so powerful, that merely the presence of the scar on his forehead was enough to cause him headaches and chest pains. Even in death, the Dark Lord is supreme. I understand that the boy was quite large for his age and brilliant at the muggle subjects. He might have been quite powerful, yet he perished."

Draco nodded.

"The Dark Lord will return, and when he does, we will return to a world where we reign supreme. He had mentioned in passing that he found a way to conquer death. And he does not lie."

"Yes father. Will Minister Fudge find the dirt who assaulted us?"

"They did not face us in a fair duel – they were cowards. They are in hiding. Do not let that bother you, they are dishonourable. Children cannot win against adults. They were lucky, and one day they will reveal their faces. Then we will act."

Sirius read Cornelius Fudge's letter aloud and Harry laughed at the cheapskate manipulation tactics.

"I think that we should humour them. Or maybe we can send someone to represent House Black and string them along. We will have to figure something out."

"Prongslet, that will be a worthwhile prank. Perhaps I can contact Augusta now. What is your itinerary looking like?"

"Seventy pistols on the job list. I am manufacturing them with unique id numbers and remote disable features. I am sealing the components inside high-temperature epoxy and I will install a pouch with a liquid that burns through the wand core if the gun is opened, or if we need to permanently put the thing out of action. I have a little machining to do again and then we can assemble your new wand."

"I have no idea what epoxy is Harry, but it must be important. I will figure it out as we go. Now, what is this I am hearing about the Weasleys?"

"The term should end in one week. First is Luna. We are going to give her and her father Xeno a tour of the muggle world. Then we can deal with the Weasleys. We are going to win the Weasleys by giving them access to wealth – they are proud, hardworking people. From what I hear, what they need is just a little juicy 'muggle' knowledge to understand that their food is worth many pounds in London. She and Grandma? That is something I want to see especially when they start to experiment.

I want all the Weasleys in dammed Acromantula when they get their Hogwarts uniforms this year. Nobody has been able to afford it, but if the same uniform pattern is utilised, it should not be a problem. I believe that Twillfit does higher-quality cloth for many of the Slytherin children already. I want Draco to suffer the indignity, the little shithead.

Finally, how airplanes stay up, a presentation courtesy both Me and Mione."

"Can I go with you to the Weasleys? I want to see the presentation too?" asked Sirius.

"Sure!" Harry replied.

Sirius quickly changed into Padfoot and jumped on Harry's lap.

"Good Sirius, Good Sirius, sometimes you Sirius, are not….sirius"

Sirius changed back from his dog animagus form and rolled off the couch, laughing.