Chapter 06 – Skipping For Dummies
Harry let out a raspberry of annoyance, tossing down the parchment letter in a huff.
"What's got you all riled up?" Cissy asked. Having not seen Harry angry since the reading.
"Oh, I'm trying to get in to see Minister Fudge-it-and-leg-it." Harry said. "Bastard keeps turning me down. Doesn't want to be seen talking to a dangerously unhinged child. Cheeky bastard."
Cissy smirked at the nick name and said, "How are you attempting this?"
"I mailed him directly. Asking to see him." Harry said.
Cissy waved him off, "That is not the way to go about this Harry" she told him.
"How then?" Harry asked.
"Wait here." Cissy said, getting up and nipping out of the kitchen.
Harry glanced at Bella, "Any idea what she's up to?"
Bella shrugged, "Politics was always more her thing than mine" she admitted. "It's all too slow for my liking. Bloody annoying too."
"I have to admit, I'm right there with you on that one" Harry said, munching on some toast.
Bella smirked, "Well if nothing else, Cissy knows how to play politics just fine."
Cissy walked back in with some official Black Crest Parchment, a quill and ink pot. "Give me a moment" she said. Beginning to write, her face set in concentration.
"I didn't think of using the crest paper. I thought that was for important stuff" Harry said thoughtfully.
Cissy smirked, "This IS important stuff Harry."
"He's as important as my next eye exam" Harry said, "Well, I suppose seeing him is important though." he paused, "Don't you need to know WHY I want to see the pompous arse?"
Cissy shook her head, writing with a neat flowing script. "No, this will do it. Did you... mention to him why you wanted to talk to him."
"Not really no actually." Harry said.
"That's as well" Cissy said, "Here sign this" she said handing over the letter and quill. "Make sure to sign it Baron Black."
Harry smirked, "Why is that important?" he asked. Signing as directed. Then he read the letter, "Contributions to his campaign, Seat on the Wizengamot? What is all this?"
"A way of getting in to speak with the Minister" Cissy said with a smirk.
"Really?" Harry asked, "Huh" he added. "Okay."
"Don't use an owl." Cissy told him, "Get Kreacher to take it"
"If I do that, it's likely to end up covered in skid marks" Harry noted.
"No, he won't do that. You are the Baron, and this is to the Minister. In fact, I think he would LIKE to act as a proper elf for a change." Cissy said.
"KREACHER!" Harry yelled.
A soft pop and the ancient elf was standing beside him. "Master tells, Kreacher he has to be a proper elf, stay out of sight. Then calls Kreacher into a room full of Mudbloods." the elf muttered.
A frying pan flew off of the wall behind the elf and boinked him on the head. "Thank you Master" Kreacher said with every sign he had actually enjoyed that.
"Take this to Minister Fudge" Harry ordered.
The elf cracked a smile, and took the official Black Sealed missive and popped away with no further mutterings. Harry looked a little surprised by that.
"I did tell you" Cissy said. "He is a very conservative elf."
Harry nodded. "Thanks Cissy" he said. "For the advice"
"It was... oh" Cissy said when Kreacher reappeared only moments later.
"Minister Fudge tells Kreacher that Baron Black is welcome in his office immediately." Kreacher said.
"Thank you Kreacher. That is all" Harry said, covering his shock.
Cissy smirked.
-#-
Harry appeared back in the kitchen and shivered all over. He had been in a meeting for the last two hours with Fudge. Who had not been happy to see him at first. But they had gotten over that, in the end.
Bella was raiding the Ice cream again and looked up guiltily at his arrival. "Welcome home, Baron" she said formally. Hiding the tub of Vanilla behind her back.
"It's Harry Bella," Harry said. Then smirked, "Don't think I can't see that tub behind your back" he noted and walked towards the living room. It was where Cissy tended to spend her time, reading on a comfortable chair. He was right on the money. She was curled up on the couch reading, just as he expected her to be.
She looked up when he entered, "I trust things went well?" she asked.
Harry smirked and handed her a document.
She put her book to one side and flicked through it with the ease of long practice. She looked up at him with some surprise. Just as Bella arrived back in the room. Spoon in one hand and Tub in the other. "How did you get this? And why?" she asked.
Harry smiled, "It cost me, 50,000 Galleons into his campaign fund and if successful a photo op where I thank him for all his help."
"What is it?" Bella asked.
"It's a license to kill basically. Back dated to the start of the year and lasting 5. He must either like you, or be scared stiff. Something like this would normally cost a lot more than that." Cissy said waving the document in the air.
Harry smirked, "Yep. He wanted a cool Million. I beat him down. I know he doesn't like me, so it must be the fear thing you mentioned. The fact I was letting my magic flow around me a bit probably helped that."
Cissy smirked, "Inelegant, but effective I suppose."
Harry shrugged, "I'm a fighter, not a politician." he noted wryly.
"Isn't the phrase 'I'm a Lover not a Fighter'?" Bella asked.
"Yeah, but I'm both of those things. But not a politician" Harry said with a smirk and a wink.
Bella smirked back at him.
Cissy rolled her eyes, "It's awfully... open." she said reading again.
"He wanted it Dark Marked only. I reminded him that Voldemort doesn't have a Dark Mark." Harry said. "He went back and forth on that point for a while. I think he was hoping I wouldn't realise that, so he could get me well and truly and arrest me for murder. I wasn't going to fall for that."
"The Dark Lord and any affiliate. That's quite a broad spectrum." Cissy noted.
"Yeah, and the funny thing is by saying Dark Lord. He's left it open to interpretation of what a Dark Lord is. Or who that would be, or anyone I can call a Dark Lord. Voldemort is just one such person really. So if I felt like it, and could rustle up the proof. I could take out the minister and shout Dark Lord, Dark Lord. Na Na Na Na." Harry said with a teasing grin.
"You could, but proving it would be difficult" Cissy pointed out. "What are you planning Harry?" she asked, with a note of concern.
Harry smirked at her, shaking his head.
"Do the leg thing" Bella said, poking her.
"I'm wearing a robe Bella" Cissy replied.
"Oh, that's not going to work then." Bella said with a smirk.
"Yeah, yeah. Take advantage of my damn annoying libido why don't you" Harry said, sitting down, "Urh... After talking to that slime for the last two hours. I need a damn bath."
Cissy chuckled, "Well, before you do. When are we... Going Muggle?" she asked.
"Oh, a couple of days, to a week. I'm arranging a few things. Somewhere to live, ID, and money." Harry answered surprisingly straightly.
"Where will we be living?" Bella asked, mostly out of polite curiosity.
"London. Pier 14... It's on land owned by Black Foundation. Which I didn't make up. It's something that has been in the family for a while. It's all Muggle stuff too."
"Really?" Cissy and Bella both said in shock. Overlapping each other.
Harry laughed, "Yeah; really. Pier 14 is an up-scale block of flats. Very nice stuff. There was a cock up, massive cock up on the Development Companies side. They built it, thinking they had explicit permission to do so. I've found they did not. Rather than suing them to bankruptcy. I've, through the Goblins contacts, arranged a deal. The Goblins have a lot of Muggle connections. I've become quite reliant on them. In the process my trust and the fact I take no shit from them has built up a good working relationship. So they were only too happy to help... For a fee of course. Anyway, the arrangement is the pent house of Pier 14. It's near the docklands, a bit yuppie. But it'll do us fine."
"I don't know how you expect us to pull this off." Bella said. "I have no idea how to be a Muggle."
"You will have, I'm going to teach you" Harry said. The gleam in his eye told the sisters there was more to his statement than he was letting on.
"A Week doesn't seem long enough to learn it all." Cissy pointed out.
Harry smirked. "Well I'm going to have that bath. Then I have to go out, again. I'm going to be out all day doing this spell spread thing" he told them. "Will you two be okay... or do I have to assign homework?"
They both stuck out their tongues at him.
-#-
Harry hopped all over the country for the rest of the day, finally ending up in Little Hangleton in front of a large imposing house. Named simply The Riddle House.
Emerald eyes looked steadily at the location. Harry could feel the bastard up there. Surrounded by guards and spells of protection. The Wards were at full power and a Fidelius was in effect. Which he had completely by passed by taking the information from Bella's head. Because of the connection Voldemort shared with him Bella had been the secret keeper for this location. There were several safe houses including Malfoy Manor. That being the only one that was not protected with a Fidelius.
Using one of Dumbledore's tricks he became invisible and strode towards the manor, his foot falls silenced with a thought.
The first perimeter of security was a ward scheme. Several nasty and vicious wards of protection overlapped in an almost awe inspiring patten.
Harry thanked Bill Weasley, silently for his knowledge and began to calmly work his way through the wards. He couldn't take them down. Not all in one go, that would trigger an alarm. He had to make himself invisible to the wards instead. To do that he had to adjust the oscillation of his personal shield for every layer of warding. Sometimes within microseconds to stop the next overlapping ward from being triggered.
He lost his invisibility more than once due to changing vibration so fast, but by time he was through the final ward it was back in place. He looked around, hoping no one had seen him. Though doubtless it would've been an interesting sight. Since his shield had flashed to some very interesting shades.
Still silenced he made his way stealthily towards the door. Dodging a few more mundane protections in the process. Like the guards patrolling and oddly enough a pit full of snakes. He probably would've survived that one even if he had fallen into it. But the massive amounts of Parselmouth shouting would've roused Voldemort for sure.
Harry slid through the main door and looked around. The bastards main chamber was upstairs at the top of the house. If he was going to be anywhere he was going to be up there. While there was a lot of guards around the house, there were very few in it. Meaning that Harry only had to freeze a few times. If he could at all help it. He didn't want to wholesale massacre Death Eaters. Bella had given him a new perspective on the followers of Voldemort. Something he never though could happen.
When he felt the power of Voldemort nearby he stopped dead. Thinking of just how he would play this. He could hear Nargini talking to her master. An oddly banal conversation for a snake. Especially one that had to be around 60 years old. Though Harry supposed that even Snakes had to worry about food. Apparently Voldemort wasn't hungry. He would catch, and this made Harry want to puke, a rabbit later. His snake like looks obviously ran deeper than just looks.
Nargini started to move towards him and Harry came up with a plan.
-#-
A few minutes later Voldemort looked up from his research. His eyes narrowed and glowing red.
He could hear a steady, Thunk, Thunk, Thunk, Thunk. Out in the hallway. It was quite rhythmic and fairly loud. He wondered where the hell his guards where, then stood up and drew his wand. His black robes billowing around him. His flat nose flaring slightly as he detected the smell of blood.
The Thunking noise seemed to be going away from him. But now he could detect blood there was no way Voldemort was about to write this off as his guard patrolling. He stepped warily out of the doorway of his private quarters. His eyes flashing open in anger.
His beloved Familiar was dead. Several feet of her lower body, the tail, was missing. Blood was all over the floor and written on the wall in her blood was.
'Harry Woz Ere'
Voldemort growled. And turned as he heard the thunk, thunk, thunk. Getting closer to him.
His eyes, still angry, showed surprise. Harry Potter was ... skipping towards him. Using Nargini's lower body as the jump rope. He had an insane smile on his face and apparently was pretty good at skipping. As he was moving steadily forward, perfectly at ease with the blood flying around him.
"Potter!" Voldemort snapped. "What insanity has possessed you?" he just had to ask.
Harry smiled at him, in an even MORE insane way. Moving steadily forwards. Voldemort's wand rose up. The Dark Lord snarled out the AK and a spurt of green light shot towards Harry.
Harry didn't even blink. Timing his skipping so that the AK intersected with his 'Jump rope'. Obviously not hitting him, but it DID spoil his fun. Which was never a good thing. As his jump rope split into two rough halves in an explosion of gore Harry dropped it and waited for the after effects to die down.
Voldemort looked a little surprised. Harry was either very, very lucky, or had done that on purpose. Which was quite worthy of his concern. Harry grinned at him and finally spoke. "Do you actually know more than two spells?" he asked curiously. "All you ever do is AK and Crucio. Does that not get a little boring?"
"I am sure, I can find something suitable for you Harry"
"You know" Harry said, leaning on the wall totally casually. "Before I ripped out his mind. I did a bit of a scan on one of your death eaters. You were once a great man in the making Tom. Possible Minister for Magic. Charming, intelligent. Why, why do down this road."
Another AK was shot at Harry, who ripped out a section of wall with a glance. The wall and spell came together with an explosion of plaster and brick. Filling the area with detritus and dust.
Voldemort blinked back his shock.
"See, another AK. I thought you promised something more interesting..." Harry sighed, "Oh well. SO tell me Tom, was it truly worth becoming what you,... are. Is immortality so important. Having more and more magical power added to your already impressive abilities... When you could've worked to change the world. Some of your original intentions ... they weren't too bad. I'm not into the whole Muggle killing thing. But wanting to preserve magic, that's a laudable goal. And surely the Minister For Magic... That's a powerful position is it not?"
"Not powerful enough Potter" Voldemort said and spat out a vicious looking curse. Harry notice it was the Bone breaker curse. One interesting thing he had found was that a spell shot. Like that one, or even the AK. In fact any cast spell from a wand. It was in part light, a physical thing. Something he could effect. So with a twitch of his fingers he deflected the spell without even having to tap his magic.
"A bit better I suppose, still a bit pedestrian" Harry noted. "I really want to know Tom. Why? Becoming a Dark Lord. It's asking for trouble. Standing out in the limelight and saying I am Evil, you all must die. It's like advertising for some crack pot to prophecy your death. Sending white knights after the dragon of legend. All converging on you from the moment you open your stupid yap. So wouldn't it have been better to work from the shadows?" Harry asked smiling as a curse splashed off of a shield created just to take out that single spell. He hadn't even paused in speaking.
Because Sirius had not been joking. The power ritual had worked. Dangerous gambit that it had been. The knowledge in his head and abilities he now possessed. It was all designed to fight evil. Well most of it. He knew more about dark magic than anyone else in the world. With the possible exception of the creature in front of him. He also knew the counters to most of those magic's. The other more esoteric abilities were really just a nice bonus. Because at the end of the day. Voldemort was a hell of a lot more dangerous back when he had been Tom Riddle. Now he was just evil power personified and a bit dumb with it.
Without retaliating once again, Harry blocked an incoming barrage of curses. Looking at Voldemort patiently. "No answer Tom?" Harry said.
Voldemort was looking at Harry with the first stirrings of worry. Just then two Death Eaters on patrol heard the ruckus and rushed up the stairs, arriving behind Harry in the hallway.
Nargini's fangs were ripped out and shot towards the startled Death Eaters. Stopping at their foreheads. "Surrender and you can run away" Harry said. Trying to keep his promise to himself. Trying to remember that Death Eaters, may not be slaughtered wholesale.
The two men, the fangs digging into their masks, shuddered in fear. "I..." one began to say before two AK's launched in quick succession from Voldemort's wand.
"Cowards!" he spat as they dropped lifeless to the floor.
Harry would've liked to save them, but was well aware there was a lot more battle to come. He had not tested the limits to this ability yet, and just couldn't afford to push it. It saddened him that they had died through his inaction. But while he was willing to allow them to run. He was not willing to risk his neck to save them.
"Such a waste Tom. I mean, honestly. You've had some amazing followers. Powerful Intelligent, and you've turned them into mindless monstrous drones... Why would you do that? Why waste such potential?" Harry said conversationally.
"I mean" Harry went on, "Some are idiots. Like Malfoy. If he had been successful with that Diary ploy of his... Well, there would be TWO of you running around. One not so warped as you. I suspect that one would be the one to take you out in fact. Has it occurred to you, had you not attacked me when I was 1. You would probably be ruling the world by now?"
Voldemort yelled in a rage, a dizzying display of power ensued as he sent curse, after curse, after curse at Harry. The hallway filled with a detritus as Harry used everything he could to block the spells. Floorboards, bit's of snake and even the Death Eaters behind him became barricades. Blocking spell after spell. A haze of visible power appeared around Voldemort. A haze that by FAR eclipsed Harry's own power levels. But then, Harry wasn't fighting fire with fire.
Voldemort broke off his attack and glowered at Harry. Looking around at the mess Harry had made of his ancestral home. "You will eventually run out of protection Harry" he said. His voice firm in his conviction.
Harry smiled, "Perhaps. But then I'll have to start using magic won't I?" he said.
Voldemort looked confused before he caught the expression.
"Yes, that's right" Harry said. "I've not hardly begun to tap my magic yet." Harry nodded beside Voldemort. "Do you feel any magic not of your own right now?" he asked.
Voldemort glanced to the side. A reflex action, and one he wished he hadn't. But Harry wasn't taking advantage of the opening. Instead letting Voldemort see what he wanted him to see. The remains of Nargini tied into a knot and floating beside the Dark Lord.
Voldemort looked back to Harry, his eyes holding an unasked question.
"You know... I've been dying to tell someone. Get it off of my chest as it were. My god father, as it turns out. Was not a white hat. He had a bit of a dark side. He arranged, and then tricked me into attending, a power enhancement ritual. As you are no doubt aware, it should've killed me. Since I'm still magically maturing."
"Yes, yet you are alive and well I see" Voldemort said with a note of regret in his voice.
"I'm a lucky bugger. You must've noticed." Harry said with an ironic lilt to his tone. "Well, he didn't do what you would. He didn't drain those attending. Just took some of their power. Power they thought was for the special reading. There were a lot attending, and each piece of power added to my own. So yes; I am much more powerful now. But... Well... The Prophesy is of interest to you isn't it?"
Voldemort nodded, actually leaning against the wall down the hall from Harry. Taking a moment to listen, allowing Harry to give him time to regain some power.
"Well it goes like this..." Harry said.
Voldemort was amazed, the fool was about to willingly tell him!
"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches.…born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies…and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not.…and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives." Harry intoned in an over the top Seer voice.
Voldemort mulled that over as Harry went on to say.
"Dumbledore thinks that power is Love. You and I.. We're from similar backgrounds did you know that? Orphans, raised by those that hate us. Treated like shit all our formative years and he thinks it's LOVE?" Harry said laughing. "Pfft is it fuck as like. I think, the ritual unlocked that power. And a few like it." Harry said. "Because, so far I've used two shields, a cutting curse on your snake and that would be about all the Magic I've had to tap."
Voldemort snarled, "You think it easy to defeat me boy?"
"No" Harry said, "I'm not being arrogant here. Or stupid. You probably think I'm here, sent by Dumbledore, for a final grand battle."
"Are you not?" Voldemort said, preparing a volley of some of his best spells, letting the fool talk himself to death.
"No, I'm here to supersede you" Harry said. Grabbing Voldemort in his minds grip and lofting him into the air. "You are the past. I ... I am the future." he said smiling.
Voldemort growled, his wand snatched away from his hand and snapped into three in front of his eyes.
"This lifting thing... Not the power in my opinion. I think I'll try..." Harry trailed off, his eyes starting to move. Voldemort watched in shock as Harry's eyes seemed to become emerald fire. Then he felt it. A tickle inside of him. The tickle became warm. Then hot, then burning. A scream was ripped from his throat as the Burning became too much to bare. His very blood seemed to be boiling. His robes burst into flames. Licking at his reptilian skin. He barely noticed. The internal fire much more pressing.
Harry watched as Voldemort became a pillar of flame. Ripping off the Dark Lords head with a mental tug before the flames reached it. Partially in an act of mercy, and partially for proof. The Dark Lord Voldemort's screams stopped at that move, but his body continued to burn. Emerald flames now licking the roof of the hallway.
Harry watched, raising the heat of the flame slowly until finally only ash remained of the once Dark Lord.
Then he mentally picked up Voldemorts head, putting it in a rough hewn sack he conjured. Turned around and walked out the way he had arrived.
The only pause he made was to incinerate the Bone's Of the Father and any other family members he could find. Then he Apparated to the Ministry. In particular the DMLE Auror booking desk.
"Can I help you?" a Junior Auror asked. Looking up. Not realising that Harry had just apparated straight through some of the best anti Apparition wards in England.
"Yes, I would like to report a death." Harry said with a smile.
"Oh, and who would that be sir?"
Harry tossed the sack on to the Auror's desk.
The Auror scowled at him and then opened the sack and went white. A piece of official paper was then also tossed onto the desk. "Better wake up the Minister" Harry said with a smirk.#
-#-
"Ladies and Gentleman. The Minister of Magic" an official voice said.
The reporters in the room shuffled around, flashes went off and notepads began to record what was to be said.
Minister Fudge walked into the room with a big smile. Harry trailing after him, his face virtually expressionless.
"Welcome" Fudge said with an oily voice. "To this fabulous day in this administrations history. Which will forever be remembered." he went on to say in an officious sounding voice that grated on Harry's nerves more than a little. He knew he had to play this game. Especially if he wanted to be able to have some sort of life in the future and not have Fudge hounding him. Or sending him to Azkaban for murder.
"What's this about Minister?" a reporter called out.
"Today is the day. I announce this administrations successful defeat of the Dark Lord, He who must not be named."
"Oh for ..." Harry muttered to himself.
The reporters present all went wild firing off questions. Fudge rose his hands and called for silence. Which didn't come until Harry smacked his hands together with a resounding thunderous noise.
Fudge glanced at Harry, "Thank you Baron" he said, then turned to the crowd. "Baron Black, formally Harry Potter working with myself directly was able to duel and defeat He Who Must Not Be Named... Late last night. It was no doubt an epic battle, but as you can see. The Baron has been healed by my personal medics and is here to answer your questions."
Harry rolled his eyes. He had nicked himself on a nail... other than that... Not exactly in need of dire medical treatment. The Duel, if you wanted to call it that, was hardly epic either. Though Harry was quite pleased with the twist he had put into it. Knowing that down in hell. Voldemort was screaming because Harry had said he would take over from him. Obviously Harry had no intention of that. But he was pretty chuffed with that little dig into the bastards ego. Still, he wouldn't want to stretch the truth and call it an epic twist. Just a fun one.
"Harry... Harry" was called out as a dozen reporters all shouted at him at the same time.
Harry glanced at Fudge who stepped back from the podium with a smile. "Go ahead Baron, You are a Hero."
Harry looked over the sea of shouting faces until he spotted a face he recognised. He smiled, "Rita" he called out and pointed at her.
She beamed at him, "Baron Black... Can you describe the battle for us."
"With difficulty" Harry said, inwardly laughing. "It was a bit of a blur. I feel lucky to be alive." he told her. He did, every damn day he felt like that though. "He was incredibly powerful. Through decades of dark rituals he had immense power." Harry said.
"How did you defeat such a foe?" Rita asked.
"Carefully" Harry replied, gaining a chuckle. "It was mostly luck. It is my belief any one here could've done it. I am nothing special. I was just lucky." he told them.
"I think you're being modest Baron" Fudge said.
"Well, perhaps Minister. But if not for your help and support. I think things would've ended differently." Harry said, there the endorsement he had promised. Fudge beamed at him. Despite the fact Harry had been a little vague.
Rita smiled, noticing Harry's hedge. "How did the ministry help you Baron?"
"The Minister allowed me a licence to fight the Dark Lord. To kill if I had to, and I'm afraid as much as it pains me... I was forced to in the end. Information gained and passed on to me helped me to find Voldemort's safe house and from there was the luck I was talking about before." Harry said. Wondering just how much Cissy was going to hit him for all this. For one thing he hadn't yet had chance to check in on them. He was also quite proud that he had inferred the minister had supplied the information but had not actually said he had. "I brought the remains of Voldemort... Oh stop flinching he's bloody dead and it's just a name..." Harry said cutting himself off to have a bit of a rant. "Anyway, I brought his remains back to the Ministry for proper processing through the DMLE. Who's are even now working tirelessly to fight the remains of Voldemorts organisation."
Harry thought he needed to make this sound as much of a team effort as possible. One, he didn't want to piss of Amelia Bones, and two he didn't want to be taking the credit anyway.
"If I may make a bit of a personal statement" Harry said as Fudge went to take the podium back. "Then I will leave you all in the Minister's more than capable hands."
Fudge looked a little concerned, then covered it with a smile. "Of course Baron."
"I'm 16 years old." Harry began, "I am no hero. Through my mothers ingenuity I survived something no one else has. But it had nothing to do with me. I have not come this far on my own. If not for the help of my friends and others. I would be dead, without doubt. I am not special. I am just a teenage man who would have preferred spending last night snogging a hot girl. It is not the place of an individual to slay monsters like Voldemort. But of society and it's government. I was forced into a situation where I had to do this. I do not think I should've been. I've been vilified in the press at times. I understand why, I am not telling you off" he said flashing a charming smile at the reporters. "But at the end of the day, I'm just like the rest of you. My aspirations simple. My talents not especially amazing. My goals at this moment in time are to leave the public eye. To go to school. To find a girlfriend and to relax. I hope, I pray, that you will now let me do that." Harry smiled warmly, "Thank you for your time." he said and walked out of the room.