Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Harry Potter story or characters. I do, however, reserve the rights for any characters I develop and the plot of this story. Oh, and before anyone asks, I don't own Disney.
AN: Sorry about how long this took, Real Life got in the way, and I couldn't get parts of this, like the scene at the Non-Magical Liaison department to make much sense (it still doesn't).
Harry Potter and the Veela Life Debts
By Jojobevco
Chapter 26
The Happiest Place on Earth and the Nurmengard Country Club
November 4, 1996
8:00 AM EST
Duchy of Magic CC-137, Callsign: "Duchy One"
En Route to TTS
In the Cockpit
About a hundred miles out, Duchy One was met by an escort of advanced aircraft from US Magical Air Force.
"Duchy One, this is Halo Flight Lead, you are now under escort and all airspace has been cleared. Prepare to initiate combat decent operations."
"Duchy One copies, uh by the way, what type of fighter is that."
"Oh, this? This is just my grandma's old broom."
"Uh Copy that." The aircraft the USMAF were flying didn't exist yet. A few years later, a stripped down version of the fighter jets, without magical combat and support systems, would be known as the F-22 Raptor.
In the Cabin
Harry had really wanted to take a Concorde on his first transoceanic flight to the US. He was quickly informed though that the Concorde didn't have the range necessary to reach the US Department of Magic's Headquarters (At least he should be very happy they weren't in California anymore). Instead of taking the Queen's offer of a chartered British Airways 747, he decided to take a gift.
The CC-137 had served the Government of Canada and their Queen faithfully as a transport for almost thirty years. Now, the modified Boeing 707 was gifted to the fledgling Duchy as a gift from the Canadian Ministry for Magic, who were getting a better aircraft next month.
The Aircraft had been, as the letter from his opposite number in Canada called it, "AURed" or given All the Usual Refinements. Rewired to support operations in highly electromagnetic environments, both inside and out, meaning that most magic, short of a Patronus or Unforgivable could be used onboard, magically extended fuel and water tanks, as well as auto vanishing toilets and extended galleys gave the CC-137 a range of over 13,000 nautical miles (or enough to fly from Los Angles to Sydney, and back, with plenty of fuel left over).
The crew on this flight consisted of three stewards and two pilots. The passengers were
His Grace the Duke of Magic
His Grace's Bonded Companion and Senior Undersecretary for Domestic Affairs, Gabrielle Potter
His Grace's Bonded Companion and Senior Undersecretary for International Affairs, Fleur Potter
His Grace's Chief of Security, Department of Counterterrorism and Security, Nyphadora Tonks
His Grace's "Junior Undersecretary for Press Relations" (and MI5 Liaison), Percy Weasley
Law Enforcement Liaison and Diplomatic Protection Group Agent, Department of Counterterrorism and Security, John Smith
Co-Head of the Department of Non-Magical Affairs, Hermione Granger
Co-Head of the Department of Mysteries, Luna Lovegood
Co-Head, Special Research and Development Projects, Department of Mysteries Fred Weasley
Co-Head, Special Research and Development Projects, Department of Mysteries George Weasley
Goblin Representative to the Duchy of Magic, Griphook
Duchy Representative to the Goblin Nation, England and Ireland Division, William Weasley
Deputy Director of Intelligence, Department of Counterterrorism and Security, Draco Malfoy
Director of Special Operations, Department of Counterterrorism and Security, Bellatrix Black
This left the Duchy under the rather dubious command of Sirius Black. Although Harry had given Madame Bones and Madame Longbottom wide ranging authority on stinging Sirius if he got out of line.
"You know, I think we seriously need to redecorate. Has this plane even been redecorated since they launched it?"
"Good question, but it's a temporary measure. I'm thinking about getting a BBJ."
"Every BJ you get is a BBJ."
Harry looked at her and rolled his eyes, "No, Boeing Business Jet. Apparently it's the hip new thing among world leaders. Although, it's not very big, so the Duchy wants me to negotiate for getting a C-32 or the Canadian CC-150. But, I want a BBJ just for myself."
"How do you know all this?"
Harry held the report up from his desk, "I'm reading about it right now."
Fleur giggled at his response before walking toward the main cabin at the back of the plane, she wanted to talk with her staff. Harry turned to Gabrielle and waggled his eyebrows, "You know the ropes holding these curtains look fairly comfortable, want to join the mile-high club my Veela?"
"Your Grace, Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the cockpit, we're about to begin our descent into the Shuttle Landing Facility at Kennedy Space Center, home to the United States Magical Air Force. Please fasten your seatbelt and secure for landing. This will be a corkscrew landing. If you have not been through a landing like this before, please take an airsickness bag from the cabin crew as a precaution."
As Fleur was returning to her seat, Gabrielle looked a bit nauseous.
"You okay Gabrielle?"
"Yes, I was just thinking of who probably joined the Mile-High Club on this plane before us."
Harry digested her statement for a moment, and went in search of an airsickness bag.
2:00 PM Local Time or 8:00AM EST
Nurmengard
The North Sea
Off the Coast of Germany
Very few people made the connection; Nurmengard was an exact replica of Azkaban, right down to having a very similar island in the middle of the North Sea. Unlike his muggle "ally," Gellert Grindenwald did not have a penchant for architecture. Although his building plans were just as enormous as Adolf Hitler's.
Albus arrived at the boat dock and tipped the ferryman before heading into the prison. He desperately needed to get out of the cold; even wearing his bright purple parka and a warming charm couldn't deal with it entirely. Damn, Tom Riddle, if he had just given up like a good boy then Albus could be relaxing on a beach right now. And the "For the Greater Good" (written in English, French, German, Dutch, Spanish, Italian, and Russian) really didn't help his mood.
He arrived at the entrance which was manned by the warden, a man who was almost as old as Albus and had held his post continuously since 1945. Nurmengard was the base of operations for the ICW's peacekeeping force, currently heavily engaged on borders around the world. So, the building was rather empty. There were only 100 guards and one prisoner. The Warden verified Albus's identity and authorization to see Mr. Grindenwald (signed by Supreme Mugwump, Albus Dumbledore) and led him to the magical elevator to take him to the "penthouse suite".
8:15 AM EST
Shuttle Landing Facility, part of the John F. Kennedy Space Center
Merritt Island, Florida
The US delegates watched as Duchy One went through a series of aerial acrobatics, its escorts following close behind, before coming in for a landing as it's escorts leveled off and overflew the two mile runway. Duchy One came to a stop directly in line with the red carpet that had been set up. A stairway was rolled up and the door opened.
The first people to step out were Agent Smith and Tonks, followed by Fleur and Gabrielle, then Harry, and then the rest. They walked along the red carpet to the delegates.
"Duke Harry, welcome to the United States, I'm Secretary of Magic William Franklin the Third."
Harry shook his hand, "A pleasure to meet you in person, Mister Secretary."
He gestured toward the shack off the runway, "This way, please."
The US delegates led the British into the shack and down the escalator into a underground station. Suddenly, in a flash of green, a purple and gold train appeared on the single track.
"Please stand clear of the doors, Por favor manténganse alejado de las puertas."
Hermione muttered, "You have got to be kidding me," before turning to the delegates, "Mr. Secretary, exactly what is the Department of Magic's relationship with Walt Disney World?"
"Walter Elias Disney, Secretary of Magic from 1929-1966, one of the most celebrated Secretaries in history other than my great, great-grandfather. Kind of our Roosevelt and Kennedy combined. The company named after him is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Department of Magic. It employs a quarter of the magicals in the US, and it makes us a rather nice profit."
They all got in and the doors shut behind them, "Ladies and Gentlemen, Welcome aboard the Walt Disney Magical Floo-Monorail System. You are on the Latitude line, making stops in Walt Disney World, The American Midwest, Nevada, and Anaheim, California. Our first stop will be the Magical Zoological Institute, located beneath the Centaur Vacation Zone and Disney's Animal Kingdom, currently under construction. Please brace for floo jump."
There was a slight jolt before the train came to a stop in an animal themed station. As a heard of centaurs got out of an adjacent car, Harry looked at Secretary Franklin, "Centaur Vacation Zone?"
"Centaurs can't exactly go on vacation anywhere, so we made a resort for them. A rather nice resort, there's a large lagoon, beach, racetrack, rollercoaster, paintball, and observatory."
"Our next stop is the Magical Shopping and Nightclub District, located under Downtown Disney. Please remember to not drink and apparate and that the drinking age in the District is twenty-one."
The train stopped and once again, people got out. A few got on, with a large number of stuffed shopping bags.
"Our next stop is the Department of Non-Magical Affairs, located under Disney's MGM Studios."
Hermione, Percy, and Hermione's staff got off here, while a tour group of muggleborns and their families entered the car behind them.
"We are approaching the Department of State, Embassy Row, and Mermish Vacation Zone, located under Epcot." Griphook and Bill got off.
Gabrielle turned to the Secretary, "Merpeople! You have Merpeople on this train?"
Yes, but they're not the kind of Merpeople you're thinking of, watch."
Gabrielle looked out the window and saw a family of rather attractive Merpeople, and one rather fat and old Merperson get out. They were rolling around in some sort of motorized bathtubs, smiling and laughing among themselves. All of the younger ones had red hair. There was one really attractive one who was being followed by a bunch of paparazzi screaming, "Ariel!"
"They look nothing like our Merpeople."
"Exactly, contrary to what your Merpeople think, the Veela didn't steal their beauty and invade their temple. Instead they started breeding with Grindylows."
Everyone started feeling nauseous.
The train started moving again and stopped at another station, "This is the Transportation and Ticketing Center, transfer point to the Longitude Line, with stops in Washington, DC, the New York Academy for Wizards, Atlantic Fleet Headquarters in Boston, and Salem."
A young Quadpot team got off here, being followed by a group of giggling girls. Then the train started moving again stopping a short time later, "This is the US Magical Army and Special Operations Headquarters, located under the Magic Kingdom Parking Lot." Smith, Draco and Bella got off here, along with the remaining staffers. A group of soldiers and officers got on and the train started moving again before stopping a short while later as very happy music started playing, "Ladies and Gentlemen, on behalf of the Secretary of Magic and his Staff, and the Cast and Crew of the Walt Disney World Resort, welcome to the Magic Kingdom."
The Secretary and his delegates, Harry, Fleur, Gabrielle, and Tonks got out here, leaving only Luna, Fred, and George onboard. The train quickly spread off again. "Ladies and Gentlemen, please brace for Floo Jump." There was a quick jolt. Before the train came to a stop again, "This is Cheyenne Mountain Station, exit here for NORAD, The Rocky Mountain School of Magic, The North American Magical Detection Grid, and Stargate Command." Luna got off here and waved as the train departed, carrying only Fred and George. After bracing for another Floo Jump, they found themselves in Las Vegas, "Ladies and Gentlemen, this is Las Vegas, Nevada, home of the Desert Institute of Mathematics and Magic." No one that got off looked like they were going to College, instead there was a Veela and a Goblin, a Veela and a human, a Giantess and a Human, a Goblin and a human, and a Veela and a Giant. Las Vegas was just as much the wedding capital of the wizarding world as the muggle world. There was another Floo Jump, and the train stopped again, "This is the Groom Lake Technomagical Facility, and the Area 51 SMOC. Our next and final stop will be Anaheim, California, home of the West Cost School of Magic, the Department of Magic Archives, and Pacific Fleet Headquarters."
Fred and George got off and were met by a man in a lab coat with crazy grey, "Welcome to Groom, gentlemen, if half the things they say about you are true, then we're going to get along great. I'm Dr. Albert Einstein, but you can call me Al."
In stereo Fred and George shouted, "No Way!"
As they went up the escalator, Geroge turned to the doctor and asked him, "What's a Smock?"
"S.M.O.C. Stupid Muggle Observation Center, you should see Area 51's Funniest Surveillance Video's sometime, you'd like it. To think we got all those nuts to believe in aliens!"
2:05 PM Local Time (or 8:05 AM EST)
High Security Rooms (AKA The Penthouse)
Nurmengard
The North Sea
Off the Coast of Germany
Supreme Mugwump Dumbledore stepped off the elevator and knocked on the single door on the floor. With the prison only holding one prisoner, who had been very well behaved, Gellert was now given a suite of cells as opposed to just one. The door was opened by a man who looked just as old as Dumbledore, maybe a bit older.
"Albus! Well, this is an unexpected pleasure!"
In his youth, Albus Dumbledore had been enchanted with Gellert Grindenwald, so much so that he fell in love with him. A love that Gellert had twisted for his own purposes. Albus would never be burned by him again. Yet, they were still cordial to each other.
"Gellert," Albus grunted. (Well, mostly cordial).
"Please, come in. Can I offer you some tea?"
"No, I'm afraid I don't have a lot of time." And, he was afraid of being poisoned.
Gellert led Albus into his opulent sitting room. Gellert had, as an ex-Dark Lord done quite well for himself on the lecturing, consulting, and writing circuit. While half of all the proceeds were donated to a fund for victims of Dark Arts, the other half was his to use. And, since he couldn't exactly leave his room, it all went into that.
"What can I help you with?"
Dumbledore looked at Gellert with a serious expression, all the twinkle was gone from his eyes, "A few days ago, there was an attack on the headquarters of the Duchy of Magic. The man who carried out the attack claimed to be a member of Aeternum Purus. He used a version of the Blood Maker Curse and killed our French Gendarme Liaison. I was wondering what you knew about that?"
"Let me answer your question with a question, how long has the Aeternum Purus been around?"
"Since ancient times."
"Exactly, do you seriously think I was their leader? Well, I was, but do you think I was actually in charge? I was just a pawn in a much larger scheme. I was just following a 2,000 year old plan."
"So what happened?"
"You did. Aeternum Purus didn't expect you to defeat me. They were unprepared for the eventuality. They were expecting for me not to lose until the Atomic Bomb was online. I presume they spent the last fifty years rebuilding from the rather solid trouncing you and the allies gave them."
"What would you suggest we do now?"
"You're going to need allies, a lot of them; Aeternum Purus was starting its endgame when I was in power. Now, they've probably started it again. You're going to need everyone on your side. Deal with Voldemort, Albus; you need him out of the way first. In the mean time, inform the experts."
"You mean…?"
"Yep."
"Bugger."
"Indeed."
Dumbledore sat and looked at Gellert, "You know, if you have some firewhiskey, I'll take it now."
8:25 AM EST
Department of Non-Magical Affairs
Under Disney's MGM Studios
Lake Buena Vista, Florida
Hermione, Percy, and Hermione's staffers were sitting across from their opposite numbers in the US.
"Right now, the major problem we see, is that you're going to be fighting a primarily magical war in the age of television. This will cause some problems."
Another one of the staffers spoke up, "Never before has a magical war been fought right in front of TV cameras, TV cameras we can't control or obliviate."
"So, we've come up with a solution." A staffer handed the director a file which the director opened took out a series of pictures of an aircraft.
"You have got to be kidding."
"I'm not, it's a modified version of an fighter jet the US was developing in the late 40s, ironically called the XF-85 Goblin. Originally it was designed to be carried by long range bombers to act as covering aircraft. We've modified it so it appears to be a standalone aircraft. The key is that any broom combat will be covered by illusions of this aircraft. The excuse will be that it's a new development by a terrorist group, and that the Americans have developed similar aircraft to counter them."
"It's a horrible plan."
"We know, so we came up with an alternative option." He pulled out another set of aircraft photos, "This is a modified version of the Ohka, "Cherry Blossom", or as we called it, the Baka, the "Idiot." It was a Japanese Kamikaze rocket plane during the war. This version is smaller, and doesn't have a bomb in the nose."
"Still doesn't seem that believable."
"The only other option we've considered is space aliens, besides, we will work with you on techniques of limiting your exposure and advanced obliviation tactics."
"What about for other cases."
"Giants are freak wind storms, or tornados, but in your case a freak wind storm would seem more likely. Crucios are advanced Tazers, and AKs are heart attack inducing poisons. The key is just keeping the press out of the way and contained."
Hermione buried her head in her hands and sighed, this was a big problem, with no easy solution.
8:30 AM EST
US Magical Army and Special Operations Headquarters
Underneath the Magic Kingdom Parking Lot
Bay Lake, Florida
Smith, Draco, and Bella were sitting at a table, looking at a set of identical folders. It was the US's offer of assistance. It was very generous.
"100 Special Operations solders and the use of an E-4 and a squadron of Raptors for the duration of the crisis as of next week, and an additional 200 soldiers and law enforcement in the next month. Full access to Cheyenne and Groom Lake research, and assistance in developing our own technomagical program, a cache of Magic Enhanced Assault Rifles (MEARs), and detaching the Constitution to us for a year. Really, General, I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop here."
"I can assure you Director Black, it is in our best interests to make sure your new Duchy prospers and becomes an important part of the international magical community. We all are just happy you got rid of Fudge."
"Fine, but we want assurances; first, you will leave when we say you will leave."
"Done."
Smith jumped in, "Second, this is a partnership of equals, we are not your client state."
"Of course."
Draco added on, "You will recognize that Duke Harry is the Supreme Allied Commander, your troops will follow his orders."
The generals thought about it for a moment, "Fine, but we get a military liaison position, just like the French, and he gets an American attaché on his personal staff."
Draco, Bella, and Smith looked at each other and nodded, "Done, now, tell us about this rifle."
The general waved over one of the guards in the room and took his rifle, putting it on the table, "Ladies and Gentlemen, meet the XM-29 MEAR, the deadliest assault rifle in the world."
8:35 AM
Office of the Secretary of Magic
Cinderella Castle, the Magic Kingdom
Bay Lake, FL
Duke Harry had been amazed by what he had seen so far. He had certainly come a long way from a cupboard under the stairs. Now he was sitting with two of the most powerful men in the magical and muggle world, and Walt Disney (who death had been greatly exaggerated).
"Duke Harry, it is our goal to help you defeat Voldemort and to help you stabilize your government. While we cannot provide significant support, we will do what we can."
Fleur had some concerns about that, "Not to sound greedy, Mr. Secretary, but compared to the French, you are committing a lot less of your forces."
Secretary Franklin nodded, "Yes, we are, since Somalia and Vietnam before that the people are somewhat uncomfortable with the idea of committing troops to a conflict, especially one as volatile as this. We are hoping to help you with the increased technological and support aid."
"It will help, and quite frankly we need all the help we can get right now."
"The rest of the government will also do our part; we have worked closely with our magical populace for years. We will support this endeavor where we can."
Gabrielle narrowed her eyes, "Excuse me for being blunt Mr. President, but that seems awfully vague and political sounding."
Walt nodded, "It is."
"What are we supposed to do? You know that people will draw an immediate corollary to Vietnam and Somalia. We can't do much, our traditional troops are useless, and most of our equipment too."
"But we're not giving them all our equipment."
"What are you…" He sighed and shook his head, "You can't be serious."
"Oh, shut up William, Now, Duke Harry, have you ever heard of a Hercules Class Air Cruiser?"
9:00 AM EST (6:00 AM MST)
United States Magical Detection Grid
Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado
Luna Lovegood was shown into the control room of the US Magical Detection Grid by her tour guide, a Magical Air Force General.
"Welcome to the Magical Detection Grid, Director Lovegood."
Luna was impressed. The room was massive, hidden deep inside a mountain behind magically hardened, nuke proof, blast doors. There were a number of desks, some computers, and some rotating 3-D magical displays of buildings across the country that showed tiny dots moving about. The desks were all facing a giant screen that showed a map of the United States with thousands of twinkles on it every second.
"From this room, we can track every single use of magical spells or large bursts of magic in the United States. Most of the time, we don't care, but when someone uses a dark spell above a certain threshold, such as an unforgivable, it triggers an alert. For example-" the General spoke into a phone and suddenly an alarm blared and the giant screen zoomed in on a map of Yellowstone National Park, with a big flashing dot in the middle of the woods.
"That was a magical park ranger shooting a deer with an Avada Kedavra."
"How does it work?"
"For that you can thank the largest public works project in history, The Eisenhower Highway System. As the highways were being built, we buried runestones around them. These stones are passive, detecting magic around them, while being shielded to prevent them from interfering with automobiles, most of the time."
"Hmm?"
"We've found out that the recent introduction of electronics to cars has the advantage of making them susceptible to magical bursts. With the flick of a wand, we can trigger a burst that will kill all the automobiles around a targeted stone. It's great for diversions from magical incidents. Or, if we wanted, we could kill the entire system and plunge the country into chaos, all from this room."
"That's…terrifying."
"Yes it is, but it's also a good option to have. It's always nice to have a catastrophic shutdown plan. The overwhelming majority of Americans use the interstate every day, with the flick of a switch, we can destroy this country if we need to."
"Why would you want to do that?"
"Any number of reasons, civil war, revolt, invasion, or if the general populace discovers magic. The full name of the system is the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways. The whole project was for the sake of National Defense, this was our contribution. Imagine if the enemy could be stalled or forced to take surface streets while your troops have the ability to get anywhere much faster and much more efficiently. It's not sinister, it's tactical."
Luna nodded, "I see."
"Now, let me show you what we have downstairs."
November 8, 1996
8:00 AM EST
Duchy of Magic CC-137, Callsign: "Duchy One"
Shuttle Landing Facility, part of the John F. Kennedy Space Center
Merritt Island, Florida
After a further day and a half of negotiation by the Americans and British to work out the kinks in their new alliance and a day and a half of seeing the sights, the delegation was ready to move on to their next destination. There was the minor diplomatic incident caused when three female members of the delegation, who shall remain nameless, decided to turn Splash Mountain into "Flash Mountain" by giving the camera a view of their lovely breasts. The fact that the Duke was in the same ride vehicle made the incident only that much worse, it took bribing three house elves with copious amounts of butterbeer (and hiding the whole incident from Hermione) to make the problem go away.
Most of the delegation would be leaving on Duchy One to go to Russia that day. Fred, George, and Luna would be staying an extra few days for extra training on Technomagic before returning directly to the Department of Mysteries to try it out.
As the plane taxied along the runway Gabrielle turned to Harry, "You know, I had the Americans reupholster the plane. So, we can now join the Mile High Club without fear of previous users."
"Really, you want me to do that? After that stunt you, your sister, and my chief of security pulled on Splash Mountain?"
"Well, then, Master, will you please 'punish' your lowly Veela?"
Harry glared at her, "Assume the position, Mrs. Potter."
Thanks to silencing charms, no one heard the screams and moans coming from the Fleur or Gabrielle. No one except Tonks, who stood guarding the door with a smirk and more than a hint of lust.
AN: Please Review, Thanks to Those Who Have.
AN 2: Many of the thinks mentioned in this chapter, that have not been fully explained, will become moderately important and fully explained later on.
AN 3: Chapter 27: The Russian Resolution and Research
Chapter 28: Voldemort's Volley
Chapter 29: [Redacted]