Author's Note: Thank you so much, livvylane, and especially Sheriff1985 for reviewing! Your review really made my day! It's nice to hear you liked it!
I'm doing my best to avoid linguistic mistakes and I'm glad you only noticed after six chapters that English isn't my first language! Sometimes, however, errors or some awkward expressions still occur, as I don't have that much practice, and I'd be extremely grateful if you could point them out, so I can correct them. Thanks!
Welcome, everyone, to Chapter 8! Please review!
"This is just unbelievable," said Harry. "Why on earth would Francois Simiol want to kill Bill? Simiol is running an election campaign in France. To be honest, I can see no connection at all."
"We all know that Simiol is a radical pure-blood fanatic," said Hermione. "In France, he stirs up hatred against our 'muggle-friendly' government. Still, this is by no means a concrete reason to order a goblin to murder Bill."
"Probably he wanted us to think the goblins are behind everything. That's why he chose Bill as target, with all his connections to goblins," said Ron.
"But why even kill anyone in the first place? What is his motive? All he should care about right now is his reputation, with an election campaign running. Or did he fear that Bill could be a danger to his ambitions? And which role do the goblins play in this game? It makes just no sense," said Harry.
Ernie banged his fist on the table. "We have to react in full determination. We will inform the Wizarding community that the candidate for the 'President Magique', Francois Simiol, was behind the attempted murder of Bill Weasley. Furthermore, we have to assume he has a connection to all the other assaults as well, to say the least. And of course we have to warn the wizarding community against any contact with goblins, who seem to be making their bread by assassinating people now."
"Slow down, Ernie," said Hermione desperately. "Is there absolutely no possibility that we misinterpreted the memory?" she asked towards Harry.
"Proudfoot and I are as sure as we can be," responded Harry. "There can be no absolute certainty, as we don't know enough about the goblin mind. The memory is clear enough, however; we reinvestigated it more than once and there is not much room for interpretation."
"I'll speak to Davies, about the press release," said Ernie and was already getting up, when Hermione shouted, "Wait!"
Ernie hesitated.
"Thinking strategically, it would be much better to talk to Simiol personally before," said Hermione. "We could threaten him with a press release, if he doesn't tell us his motifs. Besides, he wouldn't be able to blame us for attacking him in the public instead of speaking to him in person."
"And if he tells us his motifs, we're going to Fudge things up and keep the secret? He could just lie. Besides, he's a danger for the public," said Harry disbelievingly.
"Of course," said Ron at once. "We'll still tell everyone. But Hermione is right. We should really have a talk with Simiol."
"And how are we going to do it?" asked Ernie doubtfully. "I can hardly ask him to tea in the Ministry. And I won't go to France; that much is for sure. As a muggle-hater, he won't know what a telephone is, either. Besides, only a face-to-face conversation makes sense anyway, to see his spontaneous reaction."
"I have an idea," said Harry. "My son, Albus, knows Simiol's son; they are friends at Hogwarts. I will just send Simiol a letter, indicating our suspicions and asking him to be at King's Cross at the departure of the Hogwarts Express. Ron, Hermione and I can talk to him there, it would be quite unobtrusive."
"The Hogwarts Express?" asked Hermione. "So you have executed Arrington's catalogue of claims?"
"Yes, and more," said Ron. "It could be used as a tank in muggle wars now. It even has some enchantments against Fiendfyre. Although, I must say, it looks kind of ugly now. Besides, we'll be monitoring the whole route."
"Very well," said Ernie reluctantly. "For me this issue is settled, then. Harry please arrange this meeting with Simiol. I won't be there."
"I wonder what he'll say," chuckled Ron. "Probably just 'fuck off'!"
O
Actually, Albus was happy that the holiday was over. Sure, it had been nice to be with his family for two weeks, but now he was just excited to get back to Hogwarts. He was especially looking forward to the special lessons with Professor Arrington; Albus' admiration for the Transfiguration teacher had even increased after the…
The train ride. Albus hadn't forgotten about it. He was still shaken by the deaths of two students, even though he hadn't really known them personally. Besides, he was anxious about the ride back to Hogwarts. What if the cloaked person was planning another assault? Sure enough, his father had assured him the train would be absolutely safe. Plenty of enchantments had been placed on it, even against Fiendfyre. Not only Professor Arrington, but also a bunch of Aurors would be on the train, and the tracks would be monitored. Still, there remained a feeling of uncertainty.
"I hope you're done with packing, we're leaving in half an hour," said Ginny. "We'll meet your father at King's cross; he is taking care of the security measures at the station. Besides, he wants to talk to Mr Simiol, Quentin's father."
"He wants to talk with Quentin's father?" echoed Albus. "Why?"
"Oh, just something political. Nothing about you kids, don't worry," said Ginny.
"How do we get there, without Dad?" asked James.
"Do you think your mother is incapable of driving the car?" snapped Ginny.
Albus laughed inwardly. His brother really had a talent of accidentally asking dangerous questions.
An hour later, after an uneventful car ride, they ran through the barrier to Platform Nine and Three Quarters and stood in front of a huge train. It didn't look like the Hogwarts Express at all, however. It wasn't red anymore, but armoured with matt, black metal. It seemed kind of bigger than before, as well. Where there had been windows before, were now black emergency doors. It looked quite intimidating.
"Albus!" cried an excited voice. Scorpius Malfoy was running towards him, followed by a breathtakingly beautiful woman, who was dragging her husband along behind her. "Scorpius! It's great to see you! What was your holiday like?" asked Albus.
"It was great! We went skiing, in Austria! We - oh, Mum, Dad, this is my friend Albus Potter," he added hastily, when the beautiful woman cleared her throat.
"It's wonderful to meet you at last," she said, smiling. "Scorpius has told us so much about you. I am Astoria Malfoy, Scorpius' mother."
"Draco Malfoy. It's a pleasure to meet you," said the blonde man sincerely. Albus shook Mr and Mrs Malfoy's hands, when his father appeared next to them.
"Albus! Sorry I couldn't make it earlier, I was quite busy - oh, hello Draco, Mrs Malfoy."
Draco Malfoy nodded curtly, whereas Astoria beamed and said, "Hello, Mr Potter. Scorpius just introduced us your son, Albus. He's just the nicest boy."
Harry smiled. "Yes - thank you - excuse me, I see Francois Simiol over there, I wanted to have a little chat with him as well. Good day to you, Mrs Malfoy; Scorpius, I wish you a nice term. I'll be back in a minute, Albus." With this, he hurried over to a very tall man with short, brown hair. He was wearing a precious, velvet black cloak. Next to him was a short, fat blonde woman with oily hair and Quentin, who looked a bit frightened. Albus hesitated, then he followed his father.
Quentin recognized him and slightly winked at him. His father noticed it.
"Whom are you winking there, boy?" he asked sharply. "Isn't this the Potter brat? Does this maybe mean you're even friends? You told me you were friends with Malfoy's boy!" he hissed.
"I - we are in the same house," said Quentin timidly.
"Francois Simiol. I'd like a word with you," interrupted Harry sharply.
Mr Simiol looked down at him, as if he had just noticed him for the first time. "And Potter senior. I assume you have a very good reason for dragging me to a British train station?"
"Your son takes the train to Hogwarts, so I assumed that would be enough of a reason," responded Harry, frowning. "Obviously I was wrong there. Anyway, I wanted a quick word with you, Francois. In private. Do you mind?" he asked, pointing towards a toilet.
Simiol's eyes narrowed. "Very well," he spat. "Quentin, you stay away from those muggle-lovers, as I shouldn't have to tell you. And if it somehow reaches my ear that you didn't obey me, you'll wish you were never born, boy."
With this, he followed Harry to the toilet and vanished out of sight. Quentin gave Albus a pleading look, who nodded and ran back to his mother.
O
"Do you know a goblin called Grubok?" asked Harry without preamble.
"What's that supposed to be, Potter, an interrogation?" snarled Simiol. "I have never heard that name, anyway."
"Grubok tried to kill Bill Weasley. Do you know who ordered him to do so?" asked Harry.
"Why don't you just tell me, Potter?"
"It was you, Francois. We used Legilimency on Grubok. We know the truth, and we will tell the public. Unless, of course, you tell us about your motifs. Why do you want to murder Bill Weasley?"
"Ridiculous! I have no idea what you're talking about," snapped Simiol. "How dare you make such allegations? I have most certainly not given such an order!"
Harry didn't believe him for a second. "Are you behind all those other murders, too? What is the purpose of this madness, Francois, if I may ask?"
"Enough," said Simiol. "I'm going now. I understand that you don't want me to become President Magique, but even I would never have thought, Potter, that you would resort to such means. You are on dangerous territory, Potter. Don't try to interfere in our election, or I guarantee you that you'll regret it."
"Is that a threat, Francois?" said Harry loudly.
Simiol only snorted and left the toilet. Harry followed him musingly. He couldn't just arrest Simiol on the spot, as a mere memory wasn't enough of a proof, especially not a goblin's. However, he was absolutely sure that Simiol was guilty, judging by his reaction.
A loud, metallic sound from the huge, black train jolted him out of his thoughts. He had only five more minutes to say goodbye to his sons. Looking around, he found his family still standing with the Malfoys. Albus was animatedly chatting with Scorpius, whereas Ginny, Astoria and even Draco seemed to have a friendly conversation. James was nowhere to be seen, probably he was already meeting his own friends.
"Time to board the train," Ginny was saying, when Harry hurried towards them. "I wish you a great rest of term, Albus. Stay safe, and please write us."
"Bye, Albus," said Harry, hugging his younger son. "Enjoy your time at Hogwarts. Don't prowl around at the grounds. And keep your friendship with Quentin, regardless what his father is saying."
"I will," said Albus, giving his mother a final hug, before hurrying onto the train.
O
The train ride was extremely boring. According to Scorpius, this was only fair, keeping in mind the excitement at the last one. But without windows to look outside, time was progressing really slowly. Quentin was sitting in a compartment with them, but he was very silent. Albus knew that the dialogue with his father bothered his friend, and didn't pressure him. Rose and Phobos were discussing theories about the identity of the mysterious Fiendfyre-caster, but none of them seemed especially likely. Albus mainly listened to Scorpius' enthusiastic report about his skiing holiday. At last, they arrived at Hogwarts safely without any further incident.
Late in the evening, Albus finally got the chance to speak to Quentin in private.
"What are you going to do now, Quentin?" he quietly asked his friend, while they were sitting in the Ravenclaw common room, watching the stars through one of the huge windows.
There was a long silence, and Albus already thought he wouldn't get an answer, when Quentin sighed, "you are my friend, Albus, and nothing my father says will change it. I don't know, though, what I'm going to do if he gets wind of this…" He shuddered. "My father can be really terrible, you know… Anyway, I'll go to bed now."
"He won't hear of it, Quentin," called Albus. "Don't worry."
Quentin nodded sadly, and went into their dormitory. Albus followed him; he had to be fit tomorrow. Not only because of the regular classes, but especially for his first personal lesson with Professor Arrington tomorrow in the evening.
O
"So, after all, Simiol was denying all accusations," finished Harry. He had just filled Ron, Hermione, Proudfoot, Ernie and Percy in about his conversation with Francois Simiol at King's Cross.
"Besides, he threatened me, in case we intervene in his election campaign. Concretely, he said I would 'regret' it," he added.
"Preposterous! We cannot tolerate this bold demeanour!" shouted Percy. "We will inform the public and send a request to the French Ministry to extradite Simiol!"
Hermione groaned. "How often have I told you, Percy? According to our laws, a memory isn't enough to arrest a person. We have no proof whatsoever that the memory is accurate, that we correctly interpreted it and that it wasn't meddled with. Against this background, it seems doubtful if we should even release a public statement. We may be wrong about this, after all, and we would be rightfully accused of slander. It's all a mystery," she added, sighing. "Which role are the goblins playing in all this? And who killed Firenze? What has this Fiendfyre person to do with it? After all, we know almost nothing."
"Still, the likelihood that Simiol is at least behind the recent incident is very high," said Proudfoot. "The memory was crystal-clear."
"Harry!" shouted a voice behind them. Harry's godson, Teddy Lupin, burst into the conference room. His hair had his favourite colour, turquoise. He had a newspaper in his hand. Almost having finished his Auror training, he was one of the very few persons who knew about the Simiol-issue.
"Lupin, that's not quite the moment -" began Percy angrily, but Harry interrupted him.
"What's the matter, Teddy?" he asked calmly.
"You don't need to discuss any more if you tell the public or not," said Teddy. "Simiol has just done it himself."
"What?" said Harry, confused.
Teddy threw Harry his newspaper. "Francois Simiol gave a press conference," he said.
"'Yesterday, Harry Potter once again confirmed all my reservations against the muggle-friendly British Ministry of Magic. Apparently, a goblin had tried to murder Potter's brother-in-law Bill Weasley. While I condemn this despicable assault utterly, I was extremely surprised when Potter dragged me into a toilet at the station King's Cross, where I was just saying goodbye to my son, who took the train to Hogwarts. Potter then accused me to be behind this assault. According to him, it was I who ordered the goblin to kill Mr Weasley. He then threatened me to tell the press about this, to discredit my election campaign. I'm sure you will agree with me, that this is just another heinous attempt by the false British muggle-lovers to influence our free election. However, you will be pleased to hear, that as President Magique I will occupy a much more strict position against those blood-traitors. Your Francois Simiol stays a stronghold of our wizarding world, a stronghold against the lies and Fake News of muggle-borns and blood traitors, a stronghold of our democracy!'" Harry read loudly.
He looked up from the newspaper. "Great. Now we stand there like idiots. No one is going to believe us after that, and my reputation is in the toilet, at least in France."
"Give him his due, he is a brilliant politician," said Hermione. "He completely outmanoeuvred us. Now his campaign will get a boost, and we are disgraced."
Ernie groaned. "This is a blow," he sighed. "He most probably ordered a murder, and we can't do anything about it. He really makes us look like schoolboys."
"It's my fault," sighed Harry. "I'm sorry, Ernie. It was stupid and unprofessional to question him at King's Cross."
"I must say, it was indeed very irresponsible, Harry," said Percy importantly. "The Department of International Magical Cooperation should have settled the matter. Instead, we weren't even consulted. This outrageous solo action -"
"Shut up, Percy. Don't worry, Harry, we have to stand together now and think about what to do next," said Ernie.
"We can't just do nothing," said Ron. "At the very least, we should send an Auror to France, to monitor his activities."
Harry sighed. "You know, of course, that without the consent of the French President, this is highly illegal? And extremely risky, I should add?"
"It's necessary," shouted Percy. "He might order more kills! Our safety is threatened, measures have to be taken!"
"I'll do it," chimed in Teddy. "I'm a Metamorphmagus, and no one in France knows me anyway. Besides, I have good relationships there through my girlfriend, Victoire, and her mother, Fleur. It so happens that this is Bill's family, after all. You see, everything fits together. It would practically be no official mission for the Ministry, after all, but only a personal measure."
Harry slapped his forehead. "Of course! Why haven't we thought about that? Bill's wife is French! This might be a motive, after all. Although I don't see, how Fleur or Victoire could be involved into all this."
"No idea," said Teddy. "But I will find out, if you let me go to France."
Harry hesitated. His godson made a good point, but Harry was reluctant to send him into danger alone, not even having completed his Auror training.
"Most certainly not!" shouted Percy. "As Head of the Compartment of International Magical Cooperation, I forbid it! This is important, Lupin, it has to be done by an expert. My brother was almost killed, this is not a playground for beginners like you -"
"Careful, Percy," interrupted Harry angrily. He thought very highly of his godson and didn't like the sound of Percy's derogatory criticism. Teddy was an extremely talented young wizard, after all; not only Harry was sure he would become a very fine Auror. "Whom we send on which mission isn't your business. It's only the business of the Auror office. Besides, Teddy is no beginner." He paused briefly.
"We will - think about it, Teddy. I'll tell you tomorrow. We cannot decide hastily now. The situation is most delicate," he said finally.
The young Auror nodded. "Thank you, Harry," he said and left the room.
Harry sighed. "Can we risk it? I know that Teddy isn't even a fully trained Auror -"
"That alone should be reason enough -" began Percy.
"If you would please let me finish a sentence, Percy," said Harry warningly. "In principle, he is more than capable of doing it, but sending him alone on such a dangerous mission… I love him like a son, after all," he continued.
"Come off it, Harry, you can't wrap him in cotton wool forever," said Ron. "To me, this mission doesn't feel especially dangerous. He's not really hunting Dark Wizards, after all, only spying a bit on a politician."
"Well, Simiol is a person not to be trifled with," said Hermione. "But I agree with Ron, Teddy is ideally suited for this mission. The final decision is up to you, Harry, but I think we should send him there. He is certainly responsible and intelligent enough not to place himself in unnecessary danger."
"Don't you realize that my brother was almost killed?" shrieked Percy. "My wife is already dead! And you want to send a boy, who is not only a novice, but also a slacker, a freak -"
"Shut up!" shouted Harry. He was boiling with rage. The last time he had felt this way, had been shortly before he had blown up his Aunt Marge many years ago. "You have no idea, Percy! Teddy is a wonderful young man! The only reason you don't like him, is the colour of his hair! If you insult him once again, then you'll have me to be contend with!"
Percy's face was red with anger. He just wanted to answer furiously, when Ernie banged his fist on the table.
"Enough. How dare you both to lose your composure like that in an official meeting? Percy, don't insult young Mr Lupin. Harry, calm down. Teddy will go on this mission; his training is practically completed and this is the ideal opportunity for him to prove himself. As a Metamorphmagus, he is ideally suited for this task. It's not incredibly dangerous, and I have complete confidence in him. I don't want to hear any backtalk," he said sharply.
Percy looked still angry, but remained silent.
Harry took a deep breath. "Okay. You're right, Ernie. Then we should prepare everything as fast as possible. Let's go, Ron, Peter, and speak about the details of the mission with Teddy. He will be delighted…"
"Wait a minute," said Hermione. "We still have to decide how to answer publicly on Simiol's press conference."
"We tell them the truth," said Ernie. "There is no choice."
"You know, of course, that many won't believe us, after Simiol's press conference?" asked Hermione.
"Sure, but as Ernie said, there is no choice," said Harry. "There were enough witnesses on the station who saw me and Simiol go into the toilet, so we can't just deny everything. I can't see an alternative to the truth."
"Very well," said Ernie. "I will prepare a press release. We have an excellent reputation; I think that many people will still believe us and be sceptical about Simiol's integrity. Maybe this will damage his campaign severely. It would be a disaster for our British-French relationships if he became President Magique."
Hermione snorted and shook her head. "Maybe in Britain people will believe us," she said. "But in France most certainly not. The amount of pure-bloods is much higher there, and many share Simiol's resentments against muggle-borns."
"That is not our business," said Ron firmly. "All we should care about is our British magical community. Let's go now, Harry, Peter, and speak about the mission with Teddy."
Harry and Proudfoot nodded and followed Ron out of the conference room.
"I'm worried about Percy," said Ron while they were walking. "He isn't the same since Audrey is dead. He is irascible, aggressive, and irrational. I mean, of course I understand that her death was a big blow for him, but he's in this state now for months. According to Rose, his daughters are also mentally quite unstable. I'm really anxious about where this is going."
"It wouldn't be that fatal if he wasn't in such a high position," said Harry. "In this state, he is absolutely not capable of being the Head of an important Department. I would talk to Ernie about suspending him temporarily, but in that case, I'm afraid, he would finally lose his mind."
"Please don't be cross with me, but it turns out to be a problem that you are all related to each other," said Proudfoot. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not questioning your qualification at all. But you two, Hermione Weasley, Percy Weasley, now Teddy - you are all occupying very influential positions. If you start valuing your personal feelings or worries higher than the Ministry's good, then the situation might become dangerous. I mean no offense, though," he added politely.
"None taken, Peter. You may have a point there," said Harry thoughtfully. "I will talk to Hermione about this."
"I can't see the problem," said Ron. "It's Ernie who is the Minister, after all. But anyway, now we have to concentrate on Teddy's mission."
"My mission?" asked Teddy, who looked up from his desk when Harry, Ron and Proudfoot came inside.
"Yes, Teddy, your mission," said Harry. "Percy doesn't agree with it, but the Minister and I have complete confidence in your abilities."
Teddy beamed. He became serious again very quickly, though. "I won't disappoint you, Harry," he said earnestly.
Harry smiled at his godson. "I know you won't," he said. "Now let's start planning your mission. There is much to talk about."