Errand Pt VI – ICW
Harry and Xeno arrived pretty much exactly where they had left from.
Xeno looked around, for the first time without cross eyes, and said, "While now the colors are all right now I can see everything that needs correcting." He sighed. "This is going to take forever."
Harry grinned. "Worry about that tomorrow." Thank God for Winky coming. "We're going to be far too busy getting the snorcack farm set up."
Xeno considered that and finally nodded. "Yes." He suddenly had a large smile. "Luna is absolutely going to love this."
Harry sighed internally in relief. It seemed that his hard work to get Xeno sorted out was going exactly where he wanted: Xeno once again able to concentrate on Luna and making her happy. Sometimes it was better to try something that to just sit around and try to think of what to do.
"Okay. First, I got a few hundred of these as well as an agreement in writing that these are, here, a copyright of Lovegood Presses." He gave over one of the booklets he had brought with the snorcacks.
Luckily, the presence of snorcacks in the Goblin tunnels had been left out – it only said they lived underground. In this world, no such creatures existed – until now anyway.
As Xeno quickly reviewed the book (he was, after all, a professional writer and quite literate) he eyes widened at one particular section. He pointed it out to Harry who nodded. "Now who do we know where this can happen?"
Xeno pointed in a particular direction with a questioning look on his face. Harry nodded.
"Should we go there first?"
Harry shook his head. "What we really need is to send a message asking for a meeting this afternoon."
"Or we can floo and ask them to be ready. Where are we going first?"
"We have to go to the ICW quickly." With a quick spell, Harry checked the time. It was still early and no one in Britain knew he was there yet – the second task was still about to begin. "How about I put up a glamour and we stop in on the way to the international floo. With most everyone at Hogwarts for the event, we should be okay."
Xeno nodded.
They flooed to the Ministry and stopped by the necessary desk. The man at the desk was surprised by the immediate changes he could see in his long-time friend. But he agreed that when Xeno returned from flooing to the ICW he would be available as needed.
The two quickly paid the fee and flooed – one of the only direct international floos. Most international travel was by portkey.
The arrived in Geneva at 10:30 – there was a one hour difference between Britain and Switzerland.
Luckily, Harry had anticipated and ensured he had created a sufficiently good set of IDs – he did have experience after all.
After a few questions, Xeno and Harry knew what office to go to. Finding a quiet alcove, Harry traveled back to Britain to retrieve two more snorcacks – it wouldn't do to have them inspected by the ICW without actually being inspected. Seeing that Aphrael had set up a place for feeding them and that the food was available, Harry didn't have too hard a time tracking them down.
He did see that the storage bins would need someone to move food to the feeding area until the natural environment could be fully recreated.
Still, two snorcacks were now in a cage and Harry returned to Xeno who was nervously waiting. They quickly moved to the appropriate offices.
Luckily, with so much happening elsewhere, no one was really doing much and it took little time. The resident Beast Masters were astonished to be presented an entirely new magical creature.
Xeno handed over ten copies of the booklet. The Beast Masters and the office staff each began reviewing the book.
Harry and Xeno heard a gasp. "THESE are the natural enemies of …"
Harry laughed. "Yes." He looked around as everyone read the portion that had taken his interest so.
"Why have we never heard about them then? These pests are all over the world. I would think that their natural enemies would be too," the highest-ranked Master said.
Harry thought about it and decided to come clean. "Actually, I think that somewhere in the distant past they were present but were hunted down because someone got overzealous. Or they were not properly appreciated. I don't know."
"Then how do you have them now?"
"Because I'm not from this universe. I'm an inter-dimensional traveler – who is running an errand for, whether you believe me or not, a goddess. She has decided that they need to be reintroduced to the world. I've spent quite a bit of time and effort setting this up."
After a visit from the ICW equivalent to the Department of Mysteries to question him with Veritaserum to ensure he wasn't an illegal time traveler (traveling using Dark magic, arcane rituals, proscribed or controlled magics) and was not willy-nilly upsetting the course of history without proper consideration for the timelines, his confession actually sped up the process of getting the snorcacks recognized. The ICW Beast Masters and registration office accepted his testimony that such creatures were as the booklet said they were.
No years-long need of testing and study would be needed. It helped that the natural enemy of the snorcack was well-known and a short test had proven the booklet accurate in that regard.
The International Department of Mysteries actually gave him credentials which would be recognized in any universe where they had a counterpart. This gave him license to operate as he saw fit with the understanding that he would not be acting against the interests of keeping the various universes going.
He was assured that the tattoo that was hidden on his shoulder blade would even reappear after a burning day as a phoenix. While Xeno was filling out parchmentwork, Harry was learning spells and recognition codes.
When he considered it, he was surprised that the matter hadn't actually come up beforehand. No matter. It could only help him in the future.
When they were done, Xeno gifted the Registration Office Beast Masters the two snorcacks he had brought. It would allow them to study the creatures and the two would be a source of amusement – snorcacks tended to be funny.
Before they left, and being backed up by the Department of Mysteries, Harry reported to the ICW the violation of the Atlantis Accords by Albus Dumbledore during the second task of the TriWizard tournament.
If Harry had not reported it, it would have taken much, much longer for the ICW to act. Word was sent quickly to the French and Bulgarian Ministries, Veela Enclave (their Matriarch had to be notified), and the international leader of the Mer Colonies – although Harry was of the mind that these could just rot in hell as far as he was concerned.
The ICW tried not to take sides even if they privately agreed with him. Still, the violation of the Accords being reported as the act of a Wizard would prevent another war which Harry was all for. The British Merpeople would be censured for allowing him to do so in the hopes of capturing and killing the Granddaughter of the Veela Matriarch. The Merpeople had been less than straightforward in their agreement with the Headmaster.
By 3:00 Geneva and 2:00 British time, the two were headed back to Britain.
There was a madhouse, as Harry had expected. People running up and down the hall in response to what had occurred at Hogwarts.
Harry and Xeno were pretty much ignored.
Harry once again retrieved two snorcacks while Xeno went to make arrangements for a meeting a Gringotts for his friend and he regarding the breeding of snorcacks.
At 2:30, Xeno Lovegood was once again entering the Registration Office at the British Ministry for Magic.
Errand Part VII – Ministry for Magic
The two clerks in the Registration Office were bored out their minds.
While they often worked on some application or another or some license or another, with the Second Task of the TriWizard Tournament and the fallout, not much was happening at the Ministry for Magic – unless you were Law Enforcement or the Department of International Relations. Those blokes had it hot today.
The first clerk, the more straight-laced and unforgiving of the two long-time friends and coworkers, looked at the new arrival and snorted. The second looked up from his reading and asked, "What?"
"Lovegood again."
The second clerk grinned. "Oh, don't be like that. He's a load of fun. And I love his stories about Goblin meat pies and the Minister – a good laugh."
The first clerk considered that and gave a small smile in capitulation. "True."
"What can we do for you today, Mr. Lovegood? Things going well for the Quibbler and all of tha'?" the second clerk asked.
Lovegood smiled and the two were taken by how comparatively normal he now looked. "Fine, Fine. Right on schedule. The next issue will be quite a doozy."
"Really now? And why's that?" the first clerk asked.
Xeno put the cage he was carrying on the desk and said, "That's why."
The two clerks looked at the creatures presented with wide-eyed shock. "That's that Crumple-Horned Snorcacks you're always going on about!"
Xeno nodded. "And if you remember, I set up a license a few years ago and I need to activate it."
The two clerks looked at each other and both saw that this was a forgotten thing between then. "Oh, yes. Quite proper," the first clerk said while the second clerk went to get the records.
The clerks pored through the application. The second clerk said, "Right. Need a few things. ICW Certification?"
Xeno pulled this out and pushed it over. The first clerk verified it – yes. Legal.
"Good. Documentation." Xeno pushed two booklets over. The clerks skimmed through, notating the 'Natural Enemies' section toward modification toward records on that creature. "We'll send off one of these to the Department of Magical Creatures. Their defense mechanism makes them ideal for ownership even among Muggle families."
Xeno nodded. "Yes. It explains why they were so hard to find – not many wizards go where they were found."
The first clerk checked his list of requirements. "And Gringotts certification as to financial stability or at least financial presence." Xeno retrieved copies of the original investment, which noted how much was put in the bank for the venture and how it was to be used until the creatures were registered. Both clerks had wide-eyes. Financial stability was a check.
When it was all done, Xeno asked the two, "Do either of you have any pre-Hogwarts students at home?"
The first clerk said, "I got a little girl who starts next year."
The second answered, "My boy is seven. He's still a few years off. The others are older."
Xeno nodded and left the cage on the desk. He pulled out two more books. "Okay. Keep this quiet as my daughter doesn't know yet and the first one is for her, but you take these as gifts for your children. I hope they learn to love them."
After final words Xeno left. The second clerk looked at the creatures and to his partner. "That was a mighty fine gesture. Still nothing illegal. And since they're not being sold yet, there's no price tag or needing to register a gift."
The first clerk agreed. "Someone's going to come around when this gets out. I don't know who, but they won't like it."
The other clerk shrugged. "Won't matter. The license is over the time limit where anyone could protest the 'Exclusive' aspect. That's five years and the license was filed thirteen years ago."
The two continued 'working' by spending time learning about their children's new pets.
Errand Pt VIII – Gringotts Bank
Harry Potter, Lone Traveler; Xenophilius Lovegood, Publisher of the Quibbler; Arthur Weasley, Director of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts; Molly Weasley, Housewife; and Slipknife, Gringotts Accounts Manager.
These five found themselves in a meeting which would, in a small way, change the course of history. Some changes would be obvious, and some subtle. If the ways of finance moves a society, the changing fortunes of its members reflected this. And neither the Lovegood nor the Weasley Clan had been in comfortable financial position for quite a while. Certainly the Lovegoods were more well-off than the Weasleys, but not truly by much. This meeting would actually change the fortunes of both.
Harry, the Traveler, didn't know how but he was certain it would be interesting.
First however, he had to tell Gringotts AND the Weasleys a few truths.
"Account Manager, before we begin, I need to inform everyone here a few truths that have come out in the last few hours. If Gringotts deems this information less than important, we will pay the standard rate for time in consultation, but I do believe that the value of some of the information will be important enough to delay the other business we have here. Or perhaps you can say whether it is important or not and we can discuss it outside of Gringotts."
Slipknife was dubious but curious all the same. "What kind of information?"
Nonchalant, Harry replied, "Oh, such as the identity of the thief who broke into an empty High Security vault on 31 July 1991 and how he met his death and who killed him? Or maybe an example of the magic Herpo the Foul was most known for finding its way into one of Gringotts' vaults. Or the 1000 year-old basilisk corpse that even now lies in the bowels of Hogwarts, the killer of which doesn't know the value of it. Should I just forget these things and speak outside of Gringotts or does Gringotts want to know this information?"
Slipknife could barely contain his interest or his anger. However, he knew that getting angry with this one would do no good. Goblins recognized power and this one was power living. He finally got himself under control. "Perhaps I will forgive the fees for one hour so that these matters can be discusses as long as I am allowed to bring in an important Goblin who would wish to be privy of this information."
Harry nodded. "That would be fine. Xeno, you will want to discuss – later – with Slipknife what information can be published in the Quibbler. And when. While we're in the middle of other business, the Quibbler is a wonderful part of life in Britain and you should not stop publishing it. Regardless of other concerns."
Xeno nodded. "Yes. The next issue will, of course, be about the snorcacks, but after that …"
"That's fine," Harry said.
Very soon, a much more important looking Goblin was brought in, as well as a couple of guards. The new one said, "Speak."
Harry nodded. "First, understand that my name is Harry Potter." He wandlessly removed the glamour he had been wearing. Those watching were shocked. "I am from another dimension. Due to a poor choice I made and divine intervention, I have become an agent of forces which would prevent the destruction of different societies and worlds. Through direct intervention or due to things only minorly involved with my actions, I am taken to worlds where my knowledge and skill and application of Free Will can prevent either impending destruction or destruction in a far off future. Do you all understand?"
The listening audience nodded, fascinated.
"Now, in this world, I arrived at 10:45 this morning to the Second Task of the Triwizard Tournament."
Xeno was a bit confused but also knew the power of the man before him. "You were with me then – and you had arrived at 8:00. And I met you 13 years ago when we registered the Crumple-Horned Snorcack and set up the Gringotts Account for the company to breed them."
"I'm a dimensional traveler who has learned to travel deliberately at need in time and space."
Xeno nodded.
"Now, I arrived to the sound of Harry Potter coming out of the Black Lake crying that they were going to kill her. I immediately understood that this meant the Merman were going to kill the sister of the Bbeauxbatons Champion. Having lived through a different version where I actually was successful in bringing the little girl back, I immediately knew where to go. I quickly cast a bubble-headed charm and, using my talents, went directly to her. The scene I found was horrible."
The older Goblin was curious. "Describe it."
"Would you like to see it?" Harry asked curiously.
"No. I can put the memory in a Pensieve and show you all an image of it."
"We do not have such a Pensieve."
"With permission, I can conjure one that will last several hours. As long as you acknowledge that the design is from House Potter and you place a record of it in the Potter Vault, I will allow you to make them as you want with only a small 10 Galleon commission for each you create being paid – at least those used by Gringotts."
Curious, the older Goblin asked, "Just 10 Galleons? I would assume it would be more."
Harry grinned. "You're doing the work of recording it and placing it in my counterpart's vault. When he sells them to Human's he can charge 100 Galleons commission for each one made. The smaller price is for your part in allowing this to occur."
The Goblin grinned. "That is acceptable." They could find uses for such a device worth far more than the commission paid. Being able to review a cave or tomb from the scouting Cursebreaker before the full team went in made it more than worthwhile.
Harry showed the memory and the resulting confrontation with Dumbledore. Those watching paid close attention to the details. Even the Goblins would never threaten the Atlantis Accords.
Molly was besides herself that one of her heroes would make such a large mistake. She still thought that it was just a mistake. She would soon learn otherwise.
"Instead of describing the meeting, I will show the memory of it as well. However, at this rate, we shall be here until tonight. Will Gringotts allow this – we'll all end up having to eat here and won't be done until close to 11:00 tonight or so."
Those around discussed it and decided that it would be worth it. Harry suggested that Gringotts attempt to bring Bill and Charlie Weasley from wherever they were because by the end of the night they would be needed. Their time would be paid for from the vault which would finance the Snorcack farm.
When they continued, Harry was reticent because Mrs. Weasley would be entirely pissed off. But it had to be done. "This next bit is what caused Dumbledore to be arrested. Arthur, I recommend sitting with your wife because very soon she will need some help calming down. As a matter of fact … can I buy a calming drought or two? It will go much easier." He paused. "Actually – make that three."
Slipknife sent for three droughts. One would go to Molly and the other Arthur when the Diary incident was reviewed. And the last for Xeno when Luna was found.
As expected, by the end of reviewing everything, including the Diary, Quirrell, Dumbledore, the Chamber, and finding Luna, all three droughts had been taken, the Goblins were wanting to claim Dumbledore and throw him to the Dragons, and Harry was being very cautious not to piss off any one any further.
"While the meeting tonight is to set up the Snorcack farm, I though you all should know what exactly was going on."
The important Goblin had sat through everything and agreed that the information was of extreme value. "What do you need of Gringotts?"
"Well, one of the soul shards is in a Gringotts Vault. I would ask that a representative of your Nation bring the item to the Veil when Death is summoned once more to take the final pieces of Tom Riddle. You can act as whatever Contracts you operate under declare beyond that. But Death was pretty adamant about wanting those pieces."
Bill Weasley, who had come in an hour earlier with his brother Charlie, nodded. "We can ward a container to hold any influence away from whoever takes it. What is the item?"
"Hufflepuff's Cup, stolen by Riddle from Hebzedah Smith when he killed her and framed her house elf, and enchanted with a piece of his soul after. Riddle told Bellatrix to put in into her vault as the idea of Gringotts protecting it was … delicious … to him. From what I understand, he was amused by making those lesser to him do his dirty work."
The Goblins snarled. They would no longer be a patsy for this abomination. They would do as requested.
Finally the real meeting got started. Arthur asked, "Exactly why do we need to be here to talk about a snorcack farm?" All of the Weasleys were curious.
Harry grinned. "From what I understand, the Burrow has the distinction of having one of the largest populations of garden gnomes in Britain. Is that correct?"
The Weasleys sighed. It was one reason their quite large tract of land did not produce enough of an income to make much difference. For some reason, garden gnomes loved the Burrow and its surrounds. "Yes. It makes it unprofitable as a farm. And although we could have imported Jarveys to take care of them, the Weasleys are not willing to soak the land with gnome blood. And Jarveys are sometimes just as bad." Arthur had a soft spot for gnomes, even if they made the Weasleys poor over the centuries.
"I think you'll be interested in hearing this then." Harry opened the pamphlet describing the Crumpled-Horn Snorcack to a particular passage and read it out loud.
"Known Enemies: Garden Gnome, Jarvey
"One of the only known enemies of the Crumple-Horned Snorcack is the Garden Gnome. Although, calling them enemies might stretch the truth a tad bit. The other is the Jarvey – which is of only minor concern.
"As regards Snorcacks and Gnomes: In truth, the two species could be considered symbiotic.
"When one species is present or the other but not both, Snorcacks and Gnomes are often considered pests. Each eats rooted vegetables and, uncontrolled, make any farm where such is grown a horrible proposition to make a profit on.
"Recently, however, it was found that introducing BOTH species together produced a curious result: The Garden Gnomes, normally lazy, devious pests who would uproot the gardens and fields where they lived almost out of spite, changed almost entirely to faithful protectors of the crops.
"The Crumple-Horned Snorcack will attempt to raid the field for food and the Garden Gnomes would go forth to protect against them. Plants that are left unprotected or least protected by the gnomes seem to be those that are weakest and most likely to fail.
"As a result, these are the plants that are often eaten by the snorcack. The portions of such plants that are left after the retreat of the snorcack are harvested by the Gnomes for their own food.
"This peculiar behaviour has led those studying this phenomenon to the conclusion that one or both of these species was a product of a past wizard or witch who wished to ensure the health of their crops.
"If only one or the other is present, the crops suffer due to the depredation of either species, likely out of sheer boredom by the remaining species. When both species are present, the farmer can expect a much healthier and more profitable crop to be harvested in the fall.
"Neither species will particularly overly harm the other. The Snorcack will knock the Gnome down with their soft horn and the Gnome will rush a Snorcack to bite the horn to drive the other off, but one or the other will withdraw before true harm occurs to either.
"Both seem to band together if a Jarvey comes onto the Farmer's land – the rude speech of the Jarvey seems to enrage the gnomes and snorcacks equally and the two species will work together to repel the Jarvey, who will often move on to other lands where easier prey can be found. The snorcacks and gnomes then go back to their normal, competitive natures."
Harry looked up. "If we're going to have a healthy area for Snorcacks, where better than the place where Garden Gnomes are most prevalent?"
The Weasleys were absolutely astonished by the information.
Arhtur finally looked up from the pamphlet. "So what do we want to do?"
Harry said, "Well, we have a trunk which has 400 breeding pairs of snorcacks plus extra food to feed them until the crops growing in the trunk are fully grown. I don't know how long it will take for another generation to appear, but we need to introduce Gnomes to the trunk and Snorcacks to the Burrow. If we can come to an agreement, we can pay to get Bill here to oversee a warding crew from Gringotts to surround the Burrow with wards to prevent snorcacks and gnomes from emigrating off the land and prevent those who wish to steal either or both from coming onto the land.
"We place the trunk near the Burrow and open it permanently, allowing the snorcacks and gnomes to move freely between both. Charlie here is an expert with Magical Creatures, even if he's stuck on Dragons. Maybe he'd be willing to work as a consultant to ensure the environments are optimized for both creatures.
"And then, of course, you will have to make arrangements to sell the plants that are grown that are not eaten by the two species. The Weasley lands could become one of the more profitable farms in Great Britain. Perhaps you can then sell the produce to Hogwarts or other magical communities or even to the Muggles. We have a budget to pay for any modifications that are needed and to pay the Weasleys for the use of the land.
"I think that in the end, Weasley/Lovegood Snorcack Farms will make both families very comfortable and give them a future path to economic stability. And the extra snorcacks can be sold to pet shops"
He opened to another page.
"Magical Defense
"Due to their magical nature and appearance which is not found in the Muggle world, there had been concerns that such a creature could violate the Statute of Secrecy if introduced to near to Muggles.
"However, extensive testing and testimony has proven the following: When confronted by a Crumple-Horned Snorcack, Muggles do not see a magical creature. Instead, the see a bunny rabbit. Just as Crups are mistaken for Terrier dogs by muggles, Crumple-Horned Snorcacks have their own camaflouge. And unlike the Crup which reacts violently to non-magicals, Snorcacks just act as friendly bunnies. However, a Snorcack which is claimed as a pet by a Muggle will find that their 'bunny' has 'escaped' after a time and therefore they are unlikely to be bred by Muggles."
Harry looked up. "Because the snorcacks look like normal bunny rabbits to anyone who isn't magical, they won't violate the Statute of Secrecy. They make a good pet for children. And if you can raise enough snorcacks, you could export some to other countries or farms which had problems with Garden Gnomes. With a proper commission to you for each one they then breed and sell."
The watching Goblins were almost salivating at the possible profit of such a setup. Neither family had been of much use to Gringotts as neither one had ever had much of a financial base. Properly set up, both families and Gringotts could make a lot of money bringing the snorcacks world wide.
Even if they only sent them to places which had Garden Gnome problems, that would be quite a lot of profit.
They were more than willing to guide the two parties to a profitable and equitable agreement.
Harry ensured he was out of Gringotts by 10:30 PM though. He had one more errand tonight and he would ensure it was done properly.
A/N: Hint: You can't interfere with what you already know has happened, but there are things that can be done. Who wasn't seen when Luna was found? Curious. Curious.