Chapter 3: Convincing Mother

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU SAID YOU'D GO!"

Nanoha winced at her mom's screaming in Japanese, leaning the edge of her pink cell away from her ear. She'd just finished giving Momoko a quick rundown on Dumbledore's visit the day before, and Momoko hadn't taken the fact that he daughter had agreed to go off to another magical society very well.

Fate, who was seated next to Nanoha on the bed they shared, winced and squeezed Nanoha's hand in sympathy.

"Told you she'd be mad," Miyuki sent as she came into the bedroom as Momoko continued to rant about Nanoha's injuries.

Nanoha's next words though, words she had saved for exactly this situation, shut Momoko up. "He knows about how I got my scar and how Papa was killed."

There was silence on the other end of the line as Momoko was shocked into silence. "You're kidding," she said after a moment, "Not even the British Scotland Yard knows what happened." The investigation into the murder of Takamachi Shiro and two other adult and the attempted murder of an two year old Nanoha and another boy on a trip to England was still an ongoing investigation, though now considered a cold case, and thus not activly pursued.

"If magic had been involve they won't," Nanoha said, shifting her tone to the professional one she usually only used at the Bureau. "It's Bureau standard policy to hide any magical activity from Non-administrated local authorities."

"That's right," Fate said, also switching tones, "It would make sense that any hidden magical society would do the same, especially since they managed to hide from the Bureau all this time."

Both Miyuki and Momoko winced slightly, the tone of cold professionalism that should never come from an eleven year old bluntly reminding them that although children, and one severely injured, Nanoha and Fate were still the family experts in magic.

"You'd know more about that than I do," Momoko admitted, "but I'm still worried that you can't do much magic yet Nanoha. What if you get into trouble?"

"I'll be going in with her," Fate put in, "And except for a few simple things we hid the fact that we know magic already. We won't be able to use most of our own magic without giving ourselves away."

"And in comparing the energies from the sound barrier and summoning spells Professor Dumbledore used to the ones Master and Mistress Fate use, the Wizard spell require significantly less energy," Raging Heart put in from her position around Nanoha's neck, the red jewel flashing with each word, "And according to recent scans of her Linker Core, Master will be able to perform the Wizard spells in an academic setting and still continue recovery as long as she doesn't use her own spells beyond Divine Shooter."

"My scans support the results, Ma'am," Bardiche's deep, masculine voice agreed from his own place around Fate's neck, the blue jewel of the yellow triangle flashing.

Momoko thought about the devices words. Though it had taken the rest of them a while to get used to, Raging Heart and Bardiche, along with a few others- especially the Wolkenritter- had become just another member of the family. It was times like this when Momoko was forced to remember that the devices were highly advanced computers, weapons, and only Kami-sama knew what else controlled by a sophisticated AI deeply devoted to Nanoha and Fate; Raging Heat in particular.

"Besides," Nanoha added, "It's just a school. How dangerous can it be? and a well hidden school would be a good place to recover without risk of attackers."

Momoko started at the word 'attackers', but had learned not to question what Nanoha and Fate did in the Bureau. "It goes against my better judgment," she said after a moment, "but I'll support you. You know I will."

"Arigato Mama," Nanoha said happily, sounding once more like a child, "Dumbledore-sensei will be here in a few hours, so Fate and I have to get ready."

"OK, just be careful." They could hear the smile in her voice as she added, "All four of you."

"Hai!" Nanoha, Fate, Raging Heart, and Bardiche chorused