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.
AN1: As I looked back at the update date, I realized I hadn't updated this story in 10 months due to quite a few changes in my life that pulled me away every time I tried to. So, with much delay here is the next chapter of Harry Potter and the Veela Life Debts.
AN2: I have taken some liberties with the Soviet Submarine Base in Balaklava. The base was closed in 1996, but is now open to tourists. Also, the channel to access the base is above water, not under.
Also, at this time Vladimir Putin was still working in St. Petersburg. He didn't move to the President's Office until 1997
Harry Potter and the Veela Life Debts
By Jojobevco
Chapter 27
Submarines, Substances, and Services
November 12, 1996
7:30 AM Local Time
HMS Talent
Submerged off the coast of Sevestopol, Ukraine
The Magical and Muggle Russian Governments had a peace that was tenuous at best. It was so tenuous that no location in Russia would be acceptable to both parties. So, a neutral location was selected.
The Balaklava Submarine Base would do the job nicely. Built during the Cold War, it was a top secret submarine base built into a mountain. The base was designed to survive a direct hit from a nuclear weapon. Recently, the base had been decommissioned in the latest wave of Russian Military cuts following the Cold War. The base's surface entrance was sealed off, leaving the underwater channel the only way to access the base. Hence, the perfect place to hold a secret meeting. Control of the base had been temporarily turned over to the Duchy and Royal Navy who were responsible for security and mediating the dispute.
After landing at RAF Northholt, which had been declared the home base for any Duchy of Magic Air Forces, the team apparated to HMNB Devonport, where they boarded the Talent and went on a three day cruise to the secret underground base in the Ukraine. Now they were navigating the secret channel entrance, which required moving very slowly and staring into a periscope, the captain turned to Harry.
"Your Grace, I think we've arrived." The captain gestured to the periscope, which Harry promptly looked through, seeing a sub pen that was rather, worn.
In order to maintain the Statute of Secrecy as much as possible, there was only a skeleton crew aboard, and most of them were either magical or magic-aware already.
"Well, at least it's not caving in on us. Surface the boat, Captain, and prepare for docking."
After docking the Sub the command team, along with teams of wizards, goblins, and house-elves disembarked and Gabrielle started barking orders, "Right then, Wizard Team 1 and Goblins, you're on ward duty, I want this place as warded as the Chateau-Fort, and you have 24 hours to do it. Wizard Team 2 and house-elves, you're job is to make sure this place doesn't collapse on our heads and aesthetic improvements, nothing ostentatious, just make it look cleaner, and maybe a bit nicer. Oh, and the space expansion charms for the Magical Government transport. Team 3 you're on security patrol. This left the command staff standing on the dock with the captain, "Captain, I'm sorry, but for security reasons your crew will need to stay on the sub."
"Completely understandable ma'am, you know where we are if you need us." The captain and his crew returned to the ship.
Harry turned to the rest of the staff. "Could someone explain why we didn't just apparate here?"
Tonks shook her head, "The chance of splinching is too high; while magic would make sure you didn't rematerterialize in solid rock, the exertion of doing that would cause you to arrive in many tiny pieces."
Harry's eyes widened, "Okay then, good thing we took the sub."
The next day saw the British negotiation team waiting at another dock in the base for the Russian Muggle Government to arrive. Harry turned to Hermione, who had been negotiating with them, "How are they arriving?"
"Kilo Class attack submarine, the Mogocha. They left their home port in the Black Sea a few days ago."
Harry then turned to Fleur, "And the Magical Government?"
"They're sending their Flagship, the Aurora. Which is rather interesting, given the ship's supposed history."
After a couple of seconds, Harry motioned for her to, "Well, get on with it."
"The way the Russian Muggles tell the story, the Aurora joined both the February Revolution that led to the formation of the Russian Magical Government and the October Revolution that led to the formation of the Soviet Union. However, according to the Russian Magicals, the ship never participated in the second; instead it was simply a miscommunication about the ship's readiness status and test firing the ships guns."
"I'm guessing the Muggles aren't too happy with that."
"No, they're not. Also, they want the ship back."
There was a slow bubbling to the surface as the Kilo gracefully surfaced in the center of the channel and thrust into the waiting slip, where a gangplank was extended and the Muggle representatives exited.
"President Yeltsin."
"Duke Harry."
"May I present Minister of Foreign Affairs Yevgeny Primakov and my Advisor for Magical Affairs, Vladimir Putin."
"And may I present My Bound Companion and Senior Undersecretary for International Affairs Fleur Potter and Co-Head of the Department of Non-Magical Affairs, Hermione Granger."
The two sides sized each other up and both found the other wanting.
8:30 AM CET
Saint Peter's Square
Vatican City State
Albus Dumbledore was the Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, as such he was privileged to certain information, information that was top secret in the wizarding world and unheard of in the Muggle World. He chuckled as he realized that the conspiracy theorists were right, the Vatican was hiding something, although it wasn't nearly as great or malicious as they imagined.
That secret was that the Vatican was, to a small extent, magical. That secret had been kept for hundreds of years as a result of one of the greatest disinformation and intelligence gathering services in the history of the world. The Vatican Secret Intelligence Service.
It was formed during the Middle Ages when something…interesting…happened right in front of the pope. In 1527, Emperor Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire, with the aid of a dark wizard working for Aeternum Purus, sacked Rome and launched a direct attack on the Vatican. This wizard killed the majority of the Swiss Guard, who were involved in fighting a delaying action, and had started pursuing the fleeing Clement VII down the Passetto di Borgo (the Pope's escape route from the Vatican to a fortress about a kilometer away). The dark wizard had closed to within point blank range of Clement when he was killed by a young Cornelius Agrippa and (a relatively young) Nicholas Flamel. In a pursuing series of conversations, it was revealed that there were actually 'good' witches and wizards in the world. It was also revealed that Aeternum Purus had been attempting to collapse muggle society for centuries, most recently by pitting countries and religions against each other. Flamel cited the unending and, after a while, pointless Crusades, as an example; they were actively encouraged by Aeternum Purus.
VSIS emerged as a direct result of this. It was clear that the Vatican needed to defend against Aeternum Purus and prevent the muggles from discovering what was happening. Thus, the Inquisition was developed. Well, the real Inquisition, a specialized VSIS team of magicals and magic-aware Vatican soldiers that engaged and defeated Aeternum Purus at every turn. The "Inquisition" that used torture and the occasional completely pointless witch burning was mostly extremists and idiots although it was an excellent tool to "dispose of" (and secretly relocate) muggles that had seen too much.
Today, VSIS stood watch, monitoring the world through the most advanced and widespread network of intelligence assets for the return of their most hated blood enemy.
Albus walked over to the obelisk at the center of St. Peter's Square and consulted it. The Obelisk was the centerpiece of VSIS's detection grid and the wards surrounding the Vatican. For 4,400 years it has served as one of the most powerful warding stones in the known world standing at Heliopolis, Alexandria, and Rome before being moved to its current location. Albus discreetly taped his wand against one of the symbols at the base. A click was heard and a secret entrance opened. Albus walked through as a Notice-Me-Not charm kept the tourists blissfully unaware. The platform he stepped on rapidly descended to a few hundred feet below the square where it entered a narrow corridor leading to a reception desk, manned by a surly old lady and two Swiss Guards who aimed their pikes at him.
The receptionist glared at him, "Name and purpose of visit."
"Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Supreme Mugwump, International Confederation of Wizards, here to see Cardinal Rossi."
Suddenly, a corpulant man who was at least as old as Albus, yet possessed the same inner strength, stepped out from a hidden door in the corridor. Cardinal Giovanni Bernardo Rossi wore the vestments of a cardinal with one key exception. He did not wear the traditional white "collar."
Cardinal Rossi, head of the Vatican Secret Intelligence Service, appointed in secret, or in pectore, is the last unordained Cardinal of the Catholic Church, who is not eligible to be a member of the College of Cardinals and practically unheard of except among the highest levels of the Church. In fact, it is tradition that VSIS and the Cardinal are introduced to new Popes in the Room of Tears, directly following the initial Urbi et Orbi address. The only reason for the Cardinal rank is because of the position that the head of VSIS holds as the Vatican's magical head, similar to Harry being named Duke, or the former Minister of Magic, or the US Secretary of Magic.
"Supreme Mugwump."
"Cardinal."
He then walked up and hugged Albus, which was kind of awkward, considering how much shorter and rounder he was.
"How have you been, Albus?"
"Could be better, Giovanni. They're back."
"Aeternum Purus, we thought it was a copy cat?"
"No, it was really them."
"Merda! Let's go to my office."
1:35 AM CST
A RCMAF CP-140A Arcturus
Circling Meighen Island, Northern Territories, Canada
Fred and George Weasley were considered insane by some, geniuses by others, and not at all serious by everyone. The polka dotted parkas they were wearing while just about freezing their asses off circling an island at the top of the world was proof of that.
"Colonel, are we sure the area is empty?"
Their pilot a Magic aware RCAF Colonel shouted above the engines, "Yes, there is nothing around. What's the cover story going to be?"
George shouted, "Meteor strike."
The Colonel nodded, "Well, I'm as ready as I'm ever going to be."
The Weasleys were here testing a new weapon, far from any prying eyes. Two nights ago, they had woken up with an identical idea, 'what if we set dragon blood on fire with fiendfyre?'
One of the uses of dragon blood was as a near inexhaustible fuel source. John F. Kennedy's eternal flame was powered by dragon blood, as were the torches in Hogwarts. A single drop of the stuff would burn for over a century.
Now, the Weasleys were about to try to weaponize it.
The design for the 'Dragon Bomb' was crude, a glass beaker with a stored fiendfyre spell on the bottom and a drop of dragon blood in a separate vial above it. All they had to do was hit the switch and they'd be in business.
"Well, Gred, this is it."
"Yes it is, Forge."
"Fiat lux," They hit the button.
For a moment, nothing happened, and then suddenly, there was a fire storm a thousand feet high, spreading outward from the point of impact at the center of the island. A specially constructed model home crumbled and a slab of concrete the size of the airplane they were in melted away. That's to say nothing of the snow, which rapidly burned off, leaving bedrock in its place. The fire stopped burning about five miles from the blast site, but the snow kept melting across the entire island, only stopping when it reached the Arctic Ocean, 150 miles away.
Instruments placed on the island showed that the island had become superheated. When a survey team from Groom Lake went in a few days later they were amazed at the devastation. The shoreline was now a balmy 212 degrees Fahrenheit (up from -100 a few minutes ago) and the blast point was reading 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
Later analysis determined the Weasleys had not actually discovered something, but instead had rediscovered it. An analysis of the damage from the explosion revealed it was almost exactly 1/8th the damage of the 1908 Tunguska Event and almost identical in the type of damage. The Russian Magical Government had never solved the event, instead choosing to obliviate anyone in the area, making them think a meteorite had fallen. Although, an examination of the original investigation revealed a one line reference that noted Magical inventor Nikolai Pylchykov had disappeared shortly before the explosion and was never seen again.The Weasleys had just reinvented the world's first weapon of mass destruction.
11:00 AM Local Time
Conference Room
Balaklava Submarine Base
Sevestopol, Ukraine
Harry Potter was far from an ordinary boy, or even an ordinary wizarding boy, yet right now, he was doing something most fifteen year olds usually did.
Playing a Game Boy while waiting for the adults to finish their "meeting."
Of course, he was still Harry Potter. He was supposed to be running the meeting between the senior members of the Magical and Muggle Russian Governments, and the Game Boy he was playing had been presented to him by the Japanese Imperial Wizard when they crossed paths in Florida. He was playing a prototype English version of the game "Pocket Monsters" hand signed by Satoshi Tajiri.
As for why he was playing the game, the moment they had walked into the conference room and even before they sat down, the two sides had started pointing and yelling at each other. After trying to calm them down for five minutes, Harry just sat down and pulled out his Game Boy. "Pocket Monsters," was oddly addictive, despite the horrible translations. After the Russians had been yelling for over an hour they comically turned as one to see Harry playing his Game Boy.
Harry, noting that the room was now quiet, saved and turned off the game, placing it in his jacket pocket. He then spoke quietly, but with a will of iron.
"I don't like big adults who yell a lot. But, I sensed you needed to get that out of your system. Now, what seems to be the problem?"
The yelling started again. Harry drew his wand and let out a rather big bang.
"One at a time. President Yeltsin."
He points at President Ramius of Magical Russia, "This Svoloch' dares to deny their theft of a treasured heirloom."
"Presdent Ramius, your response?"
"Theft? It's ours by right!"
Harry sighs, walks to the door and yanks it open, "Tonks!?"
"Haven't heard back from him yet."
"Call him again; the Ruskies finally got their heads screwed on straight."
Hermione shouted, "Harry they are Russians not 'ruskies!'"
Harry shot her a look and went back inside.
10:20 AM CET
Office of the Director
Vatican Secret Intelligence Service
Deep under St. Peter's Square
Vatican City
"Albus, I'm telling you, if they're back…"
"They are."
"Then we have a big problem. We're supposed to see them, if we've can't then we are useless."
The Cardinal's phone rang and he answered it, "Pronto!"
"Your Eminence, please come to the control room, there is something you need to see."
"Si." He hung up and looked at Albus.
"Problem?"
"Could be, let's go to the control room."
The control room, incidentally, was across from Rossi's small office.
"What's wrong?"
"The wards on the Western Wall are malfunctioning. We've sent out a warder and security detail to investigate."
"This is the Detail, we're approaching the ward now. There seems to be some sort of interfering ward stone. We're moving to clear it…wait! Wait!" Suddenly their heard crackling indicative of spell fire over the mirror, "It's AP, they've returned! AAARGH!" The mirror went dead.
The room quickly sprang into motion, "Secure Shepherd, evacuate the Vatican, now!" Klaxons and lights started going off. But within moments it was clear that something was wrong.
"Where are they going? The Papal Apartments are the other way. They're headed for St. Stephen's but the only thing there is our back door."
Albus put the pieces together, "They're after us. I'm here today! That's why they're here."
Giovanni nodded, "Agreed," he turned to his staff, "Dispatch all available guards and security to secure Shepherd, The Supreme Mugwump and I will handle the strike team, prepare to evacuate and trigger the auto-destruct if we fail."
They nodded, "Understood, Sir!"
With that, they ran out to the far end of the bunker and up the tiny staircase that was the emergency exit. It came out just behind the altar of St. Stephen's. St. Stephen of the Abyssinians is the oldest surviving church in the Vatican, it was built by Pope Leo I around 400 AD, the church was then rebuilt many times over the years, most recently in 1700 when it was connected to the VSIS bunker and in 1928 when it was reinforced against magical attack.
They ran into the church and took cover behind the large altar.
"Now, we wait."
Albus shook his head, "No, they're already here."
There was a beat, and then battle was joined.
11:35 AM Local Time
Conference Room
Balaklava Submarine Base
Sevestopol, Ukraine
"Eighty years of fighting for nothing."
The Russians were standing around the table, staring at the evidence that had been faxed over from Sirius Black in London. He had gotten it out of an investigation file that Albus directed him to over the sounds of spell fire.
Suffice it to say, it provided a definitive answer to the Aurora incident. Once again, Aeternum Purus was to blame. Apparently, they had placed an operative on the ship during the year 1917. In February, his orders were to incite the crew to riot and join the Bolsheviks. In October, the operative obfuscated the orders with a confundus charm and magically triggered one of the ships guns to go off.
The reason no one knew was that the pieces of the puzzle were held by separate actors. VSIS knew that Aeternum Purus had an operative in the Admiralty Shipyard in Saint Petersburg in 1917, but no more than that. Russian Magical Intelligence knew that the Captain at the time had suffered some sort of mental episode during the assault on the Winter Palace. But, it was Albus Dumbledore who had put the pieces together with one of his own. Dumbledore had spent the last fifty years of his free time filling in the missing gaps of Gellert Grindenwald's life. Recently, in an effort to do the same for Tom Riddle, he came across a photo that placed Grindenwald, the deputy head of AP at the time, in Saint Petersburg in 1917, wearing a Russian Uniform. A quick cross-referencing of the Aurora's crew manifest confirmed it. Gellert Grindenwald had single-handedly caused a rift that separated the Russian magical and muggle governments for over eighty years.
"So, where do we go from here?"
Harry took the moment, the key part here was protecting the Duchy's interests, "We move forward, together, Russian, British, and American. Aeternum Purus is back. They made that rather clear in my Atrium last week. Right now, Britain needs your help. We are approaching our darkest hour and we cannot succeed without help. Last time it took the Russians British, and Americans working together to stop them. This time, it will take magical and muggle working together to end them once and for all. Together, you are the greatest threat to them, their worst fear."
Yeltsin asked, "What about the Aurora?"
Ramius responded, "We command it together, a joint ship; a symbol of cooperation."
"This won't be easy."
Harry chimed in, "Albus Dumbledore once told me we have the choice between doing what is easy and what is right. This is right."
Then, the Russian Muggle President extended his hand to the Russian Magical President. Who took it, they shook once and let go.
Yeltsin turned to Harry, "Duke Harry, the Russian Military stands ready to assist you."
Ramius was quick to chime in, "The Russian Magical Government as well."
There was still a lot to work out, and a lot more battles ahead, but this was the first step to peace.
Suddenly, Tonks burst into the room, accompanied by the heads of security for the Russian delegations, "Your Grace, the Vatican is under attack by Aeternum Purus.
10:36 AM CET
St Stephen of the Abyssinians Church
Vatican City
Albus Dumbledore lashed out with a foot, hitting a member of the Aeternum Purus Assassination team in the knee, bringing him to his knees before firing off a spell to blow him through a solid brick wall. Cardinal Rossi was equally engaged, blasting another assassin through the ceiling.
Aeternum Purus members made Death Eaters look like apes, each member was highly trained, focused, and could go toe to toe with a fairly good magical. In a group of five, they were nigh unstoppable and should have been able to trounce Dumbledore, had Rossi not been there.
While Albus Dumbledore was the most powerful wizard alive, Rossi had decades of intensive study of the Vatican's Secret and Magical Archives. He was a scholar at heart, but was almost as powerful as Dumbledore.
With the team of five now down to three, Dumbledore and Rossi pressed the attack, moving down to the first row of pews, Dumbledore shot a solid wall of magic blowing out all the windows and throwing the assassins back. The Assassins quickly responded with a row of high powered flame spells that pushed Dumbledore back to the altar as Rossi lined up a shot and turned one of the assassins into an exploding chicken. Dumbledore threw all the broken stained glass at another one, who turned it into smoke and sent it flying back at Dumbledore. The other of the two remaining assassins threw a column at Albus conjured a whip from his wand and swung on one of the chandeliers to avoid it, the column missed him by inches before blowing out the back wall of the church and collapsing part of the ceiling, Albus, swung back down and fired a spell at the assassin's feet, blowing him into the air and disorienting him as his wand arm was cut off with a cutting curse and he was blasted back into the vestibule.
This left the final assassin, who tried to apparate out as he was disabled by two stunners from Dumbledore and Rossi, who promptly bent over and started panting for air.
"I haven't had that much fun in a long time."
"I haven't had that much fun ever."
An Undisclosed Location
Voldemort's eyes flew open as he surveyed the room around him; it was bare, with only the bed he was on and a chintz armchair which held a slumbering Wormtail. He felt his want near him and called it to him wandlessly before shooting a stinging hex at Wormtail, throwing him out of his chair and sending him groveling to his bedside.
"My Lord, you've recovered!"
"From what?"
"The Muggles attacked you daring to think they could defeat you. They were wrong."
"Our forces?"
"Most of your inner circle was captured in the attack on the Ministry, and Bellatrix."
"Crucio!" Voldemort used one of his non-psychologist approved relaxation techniques, "I never want to hear that name."
"Yes, my lord. We have had some success with recruiting former ministry employees and others who dislike the new regime."
"What new regime?"
"Harry Potter is the leader of Magical Britain; he took control from the ministry in a legal coup."
"A child? Leading Britain? People must be flocking to join our cause."
"Well, actually, most people seem to support his new regime, they're much less corrupt and actually getting stuff done."
"Crucio!" Okay, Wormtail had that one coming.
Voldemort released him and got out of bed, "Then now is the time to strike."
AN: Please Review! Thanks to those who have.
AN2: The following are the next chapters:
Chapter 28: Voldemort's Volley
Chapter 29: [REDACTED]
Chapter 30: The Chase Begins