Reluctant Truth

Hermione stood at the center of the Chamber of the Four and cleared her throat. Currently, the center of the Chamber was arranged to look like a corporate board room. "Okay, first official meeting of Unity on the first day of November in the year Nineteen Hundred Ninety-Four, called to order by Chairperson Lady Lianna Kari Mori Subaru but for all practical and personal reasons be forthwith referred to as Hermione Granger—"

Ron yawned loudly. Hermione shot him a scowl before continuing.

"Unity recognizes the Recorder, Miss Videl Satan?"

Videl stood with a notebook. "Recorder notes that there were no previous official meetings to mention. However, Recorder Satan recognizes the fact that there were training sessions where Unity members were working rather productively. Not including Madam Chairperson and Unity Secretary, progress within Unity exceeds forty-nine percent so far this quarter."

"Thank you, recorder. Unity Chair recognizes the Secretary, Gohan Son?"

Gohan rose. "The purpose for today's meeting will serve several functions. First, the goals for Unity and possible recruitment to the team. Secondly, the election of a president and vice president. And lastly, discussion and plans concerning recent events."

Vegeta chuckled, nudging Piccolo. "Reminds me of some of Father's meetings on Vegeta-sai. How… proper."

Hermione nodded. "Thank you, Secretary. The first item on the agenda is future goals for unity. Any suggestions?"

"Defeating Voldemort." Harry said automatically.

"Chair recognizes Potter. Who motions a second?"

Ron rolled his eyes. "I second," Ginny said.

"Miss Weasley seconds. All in favor?"

Every member in Unity raised their hands, Ron's going up rather sarcastically.

Hermione hammered her gavel. "Motion passed. Defeating Voldemort is now a Unity goal."

Harry, Videl, and Ginny grinned.

Ginny raised her hand.

"Chairperson recognizes Madam Timekeeper," Hermione said.

"Thank you, Madam Chairperson," Ginny said, suppressing a giggle. "I motion that Inter-house Cooperation be a Unity goal."

"Madam Timekeeper motions that Inter-house Cooperation becomes a Unity goal. Who seconds the motion?"

Gohan raised a hand.

"Secretary Son seconds the motion. All in favor?"

Everyone except Fred, George, and Ron raised their hands.

Hermione smacked her gavel. "Motion passed. Inter-house Cooperation is now a Unity Goal. Any other future goals?"

No one spoke.

"Very well. Moving on to the next item on the list. Possible recruitment of other students into Unity."

Fred shook his head. "I don't think we need any more members," he said firmly.

Videl piped up. "We're supposed to be about House unity, right? But there are only Gryffindors here. The other houses are seriously underrepresented."

Fred glared. "Well, Hermione's a Slytherin…sort of."

Ginny scoffed. "Come off it, Fred! Hermione might be related to Slytherin, but she's a Gryffindor! We need representation from each house to be a completely legitimate Inter-house Unity group. And the representation needs to be nearly equal…and fair."

"But Ginny," Harry interrupted. "There are eight of us. If we were going to be equal, that means twenty-four people would have to be added to our group, eight from each house! And it would be a miracle to find eight from Slytherin."

"I nominate to invite Mill and Legolas as potential members of Unity," Gohan said suddenly.

Ron stared. "Are…you…mental? You're going to let some Slytherins just waltz in here and get cozy in what was once the Chamber of Secrets?"

Hermione scoffed. "Of course not, Ronald. Gohan said potential. Legolas and Mill both would have to prove their commitment to our cause before we'd let them in on the Chamber of the Four."

Fred frowned. "Lemme get this straight. If we vote yes, the two snakes won't be automatically inducted into Unity, is that right?"

Hermione nodded. "Not until there's a majority to vote them in as permanent members."

Fred shrugged. "Can't get fairer than that. I second."

"Excellent. Enforcer Weasley seconds. All in favor of extending invitation to Bulstrode and Malfoy?"

Everyone raised their hands except Ron.

Hermione nodded. "All right. Since the two recruits will be new to our training, we will need volunteers to help them acclimate to Unity aims, such as training and such."

Videl nodded. "I'll help with Mill. Ginny, want to partner with me?"

Ginny smiled. "Sure. It'll be fun…all girls."

Harry shrugged. "I might as well help Legolas. I'm going to be in the tournament with him anyways."

Hermione frowned. She was still struggling with the distrust of Legolas Malfoy or Moody. "Gohan, will you help Harry with Legolas?"

Gohan nodded. "Of course."

Hermione hammered the gavel. "Motion for invitation to Bulstrode and Malfoy passed. Next, electing a president and vice president—"

"Why do we need a president and vice president, Hermione? We already have a chairperson…you." Harry said, shaking his head in exasperation.

Hermione cleared her throat, blushing. "Well, I didn't get this seat by election, Harry. In fact, none of us did—"

Harry rolled his eyes. "All in favor of Hermione being Chairperson?"

Everyone except Hermione raised their hands.

"There! Motion passed. Bang the gavel, Hermione. It's done. Next business!" Harry said quickly.

"But—but…what about a vice Chairperson?" Hermione stammered.

"I nominate Gohan," Harry said quickly, sighing, "Who seconds?"

"I do," Videl said enthusiastically.

"All in favor?" Everyone except Ron and Gohan raised their hands.

"Well, bang you gavel, Hermione, and that's that!" Harry said with a grin.

"But—" Gohan said, completely shocked. Vegeta laughed.

Hermione shook her head in exasperated amusement before whispering, "Boys." She addressed the group again. "Very well. Hang on, Gohan can't be vice chairperson. He's already Secretary."

Harry rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Then George will be chairperson! Who cares, Hermione?"

Fred mocked indignation. "What am I? Chopped Dragonheart?"

Gohan spoke enthusiastically. "I nominate Harry as vice Chairperson!"

Harry's eyes narrowed. "What?" He said in a low voice.

Vegeta grinned. "Perhaps I was wrong. This is considerably more entertaining than Father's meetings usually were!"

"I second!" Videl said happily. Harry glared at her.

"All in favor?" Everyone except Ron raised their hands. "Harry Potter is now vice Chairperson." Hermione hammered the gavel.

Fred and George Weasley cracked identically evil grins. "This is great—"

"—Vice Chairperson Potter—"

"—and Lady Chairperson Voldana—"

"—match made in heaven—"

"—or hell, never can tell—"

"—with the Boy-Who-Lived—"

"—and the daughter of You-Know-Who."

Hermione shook her head, smiling at the cackling twins and Saiyan Prince. "Oh, do shut up!"

Piccolo stood away from the wall he had been leaning on, smirking. "Now that all the foolishness is over, perhaps you can discuss your plans for Harry's unfortunate placing in the Triwizard Tournament?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes. All right. Our next item on the agenda is the circumstances surrounding—"

Ron opened his mouth and began loudly. "Come on! Everyone knows—"

Hermione glared at him. "Mister Weasley, this is an official meeting of Unity! Please refrain from raising your voice! And we are not here to pass judgment or to criticize! We are here to discuss the…consequences and precautions surrounding the event!"

Harry gave her a grateful look before he spoke. "I thought a lot about it last night. I think it would be in everyone's best interests if I avoided open displays of my strength. We don't know who put my name in the Goblet of Fire—"

Harry shot a scorching look at Ron as he interrupted him with a derisive snort.

"—so it would be a bad idea to let that person know how strong I am. Or how weak. I will perform to the best of my wizarding abilities and keep most of my physical strength and ki usage hidden."

Hermione and Gohan nodded. "This is better than I expected, Harry. I was going to suggest a similar approach, but let me introduce one caveat: use the best of your abilities if it gets too hard for you to handle. We don't know who put your name in the Goblet or why, so it's best to have a strategy going in.

"Also, you have your locket and your ki if you run across any significant danger, Harry. If something appears off, or if you get captured, or if you are in mortal danger, use your locket or give a ki shout…or both! Your life is far more important than some silly game," Piccolo admonished.

Harry nodded.

"Did you write to Sirius yet?" Hermione asked for the umpteenth time as they walked down the Charms corridor.

Harry rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Yes, Hermione. I wrote him."

"Good. Because he'd probably hate not hearing it from you first."

"Yeah. Just like he'd hate not hearing that you are Riddle's daughter from you first," Harry said with an annoyed look.

Hermione gasped, her eyes darting around covertly. She glared angrily. "Harry! This isn't my fault, so stop taking it out on me!"

Harry stopped, sighing as he looked over at her. "You're right. I'm sorry."

Gohan frowned. "So what do you think the first task will be?"

Harry shrugged. "Not that it will be a problem."

Gohan stared down a dark hallway, frowning thoughtfully. His eyes narrowed, nose quivering.

Hermione huffed impatiently. "It might well be if you want to get through the challenge without tipping everyone off that you are a ki-user." Suddenly, she shivered with recognition as her eyes darted down the passageway, her ki sense on high alert.

Clunk. Clunk. Clunk. Professor Moody stepped from the shadows, beckoning toward the group. Hermione held her breath. How long had he been standing there?

"You all right, Potter?" Moody's magical eye darted from Gohan to Hermione, lingering on the latter for a moment.

Harry stiffened. "Yes, sir."

"Mmm." He limped away a few paces before turning again. "Come by my office at eight you lot. I have something to show you."

Unity closed ranks on Harry as the rest of the school seemingly placed their support with Legolas Malfoy, surprisingly so, because of the unprecedented siding with a Slytherin. Because of Legolas' even temperament, many felt justified in their spurning of the boy who had allegedly cheated to enter the Tournament. Even Draco Malfoy cast his preference with his hated Blood Traitor of a brother.

Gryffindor had never been so divided. Only half of the House supported Harry. The other half of the House joined the others in their shameless disdain for the Boy-Who-Lived. To top it off, for the first time in Hogwarts history, it was the other three Houses in unity…with Gryffindor being the shunned lot. The Slytherins were taking advantage of their new position of power, even being cordial to the Muggle-Borns and Half-Bloods, reveling in their new heightened status.

Hermione shrugged, trying to appear unconcerned. "Who knows what will come of it. Maybe this would be a good political climate to work with."

The three trudged slowly toward Moody's office. He grinned his lopsided smile as he invited them in. "Have a seat, you lot. Have a cuppa tea."

Harry, Hermione, and Gohan accepted their cups and held them.

Moody nodded. "So. I imagine you are quite nervous about the tournament, Potter."

Harry shrugged. "Just a little."

"Mmm. Surprising, isn't it? How most of the school has sided with the Slytherin champion?"

Hermione frowned. "That's good, isn't it? It might be helpful for Slytherin to be one of the Houses to participate in Inter-House unity."

Moody's whizzing eye shot a glance at Hermione before responding. "Perhaps. Is that an ambition of yours, Granger? Inter-house unity?"

Hermione blushed as she sipped her tea. "Well, it should be everyone's goal to try and get along. We do have to live together for three more years."

"Hmm. Interesting. What do you think, Potter?"

Harry shrugged. "I think Hermione has a point. But it's easier said than done with Draco Malfoy in Slytherin."

Moody chuckled. "Draco Malfoy, hmm? Not the entire family of Malfoys?"

Harry frowned. "Legolas isn't that bad, I guess."

Moody's brows lowered. "Don't be quick to trust someone just because they're 'nice.'"

"I said he wasn't bad. I never said I trusted him," Harry said in annoyance.

"Yet," Hermione added with a meaningful scowl. Moody smirked at her, shifting his eyes toward Gohan.

"How about you, Son? You trust Malfoy?"

"Yes," Gohan said as he raised his cup to his lips for a second time. Hermione frowned as she examined the slightly oily sheen on the surface of the liquid. She started in shock.

"((Don't drink anymore, Gohan,))" she whispered in Namekian as she set her cup down. Gohan blinked before setting his cup down. Hermione cast Harry a meaningful look, who automatically spluttered on his mouthful.

Moody's real eye narrowed as he examined the exchanges between the three. "Is there a particular reason why you no longer appreciate my tea?"

"Yes," Hermione answered truthfully before clamping her hand on her mouth, her eyes wide. Having the same idea at once, the three bolted from the office and raced down the corridor.

...

"We need to see Professor Snape right now!" Gohan said loudly to his companions as they selected a secret hall behind a tapestry that would take them to the stairs leading to the dungeon. They stopped outside the classroom, panting not from the exertion but from the adrenaline. "Wait here. I'll get the professor."

Gohan quietly opened the door to the classroom. Snape's eyes narrowed momentarily until he spotted Gohan's fearful face.

"Yes?" He said calmly.

"Emeralds," Gohan said, repeating the password used for emergencies.

The professor's eyes snapped momentarily before retreating behind the emotionless mask. He whirled his cape, glaring at his students. "I will be momentarily leaving the classroom. You are to continue to work silently. If I hear of a single outburst, the lot of you dunderheads will suffer my…displeasure."

He closed the door and turned, opening his mouth to speak.

Hermione cut him off. "Professor, don't ask questions now. Is there a place we can go where we won't be overheard?"

Snape raised a brow at her boldness. "Of course there is, silly girl. This had better be important. The opposite classroom." He turned behind them and opened the door with his wand. The three entered without hesitating. Snape entered behind them, casting a nonverbal silencing charm on the door. "All right, I'm waiting."

Hermione bit her lip. "Sir, we have reason to believe that Moody used Veritaserum on us tonight."

Snape's eyes widened. "What makes you say that?"

"I saw the oily sheen on the tea's surface."

Harry stared at her. "But Hermione, Veritaserum is colorless, odorless, and tasteless."

Snape snorted. "Very good, Potter. I'm impressed you managed to remember that."

"Yeah, well, I'm not an idiot…sir," Harry said in defensive defiance.

"Of course not. Just a miscreant troublemaker who thinks he's above the rules."

Harry stood, the serum in full effect. "Oh, really? Well, at least I don't judge people based on the actions of their parents!"

Snape smirked, ignoring Harry's angry remarks. "What do you think of me, Potter?"

"That you're an annoying, snarky, greasy git who gets kicks out of making first years wet their knickers." Harry said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Snape smiled in satisfaction. "Good. So, Potter, did you enter the Tournament?"

"No," Harry said tersely, glaring at the potions master for taking advantage of his vulnerability.

Snape turned his eyes on Gohan. "Mister Son, what's the pattern on your underwear?"

"Teddy bears, like Daddy's," Gohan said with wide eyes, his hands flying to his mouth in horror. He blushed deeply.

Snape turned his eyes toward Hermione, his lips twitching. "Lady Subaru, I believe your assumption was correct. Wait here. I will fetch the antiserum."

After they drank the counter potion, Harry asked, "How can Hermione have seen the Veritaserum?"

Snape smirked. "The exceptional senses of her race, Potter. Her mother could see the same effect of Veritaserum. Let's just hope Moody doesn't make that connection. I'm also curious as to why he would lure three students to drink Veritaserum. It's illegal to interrogate students using those methods. Moody may be extremely paranoid, but he's never shown blatant disregard for the rules like this. I believe it would be wise for you three to avoid meeting Moody in private. His behavior of late is becoming increasingly alarming."

Gohan, Hermione, and Harry exchanged glances.

Snape stared at them. "Where's Mister Weasley?"

Harry glared at his shoes. "He's not happy with me right now, Professor."

"Is that so? What did you do…that split up…the dream team?"

Harry scowled at him. "He thinks I entered the tournament, and that I'm lying to him. Or so he says."

Snape smirked. "I see. Well, Mister Son, Lady Subaru, I expect I will be seeing you tonight for our next lesson?"

Gohan and Hermione nodded.

He stood. "Then this is goodbye until then."

Legolas Malfoy's lips twitched in amusement. "So, you want me to join your focus group on Inter-house unity?"

"That's not all we do," Gohan said enthusiastically. "We train to get ready for the bad guys like Voldemort and Cell. We study skills in both magic and ki, develop new fighting techniques, even have formal meetings. Our group may be called Unity, but we do so much more than that."

Malfoy nodded. "So, what do I need to do to join this group?"

Gohan nodded. "Well, I suppose we will have to start on your martial arts training. Also, you are a candidate, so you need to get two-thirds acceptance of members to become a member. That means you have to get at least five votes from current members. You have to gain the trust of five members."

"I see. Do you have any other possible applicants?"

Gohan nodded. "Yep. We also have Millicent Bulstrode, Cedric Diggory and Susan Bones, and Cho Chang and Luna Lovegood."

Legolas Malfoy's brows rose at the last name. "So, who can I get to vote for me?"

"Well, there's Harry, Ron, Hermione, Videl, Fred, George, Ginny, and…Gohan!" Gohan said.

Legolas nodded. "I believe it's a noble undertaking. When do we start my training?"

Gohan nodded. "Meet me at the edge of the Forbidden Forest after nine."

Legolas frowned. "That's after curfew, Son."

Gohan's eyes darted around as he pulled a golden card from his inside gi pocket. Legolas nodded in understanding.

Significant Characters (does not reflect ki suppression, numbers may vary from canon):

Gohan Son: 2,150,000; SSJ: 6,325,000; SSJ2: 18,975,000(complete); oozaru range: 19,700,000-60,000,000

Hermione Granger: 420,000; Transformed State: 1,120,000

Harry Potter: 3,200

Ron Weasley: 2,700

Ginny Weasley: 2, 698

Videl Satan: 3,050

Dudley Dursley: 600

Supporting Characters:

Piccolo: 5,000,000 rest; SuperNamek: 10,000,000-13,000,000

Vegeta: 1,965,000; SSJ: 4,365,000; SSJ2: 15,750,000(complete): oozaru: incapacitated.

Fred Weasley: 1,500

George Weasley: 1,575