Ninja Wizard IV: Goblet of Fire 08
By David
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. JK Rowling has that honor.
Author Notes: these marks [] indicate Japanese spoken.
Ninja Wizard IV: Goblet of Fire 08
'Christmas Break'
Harry waited in front of the portrait that was the front door to Gryffindor tower waiting for Hermione. He was a little nervous hoping that Hermione would like the corsage he'd made for her. He didn't have that long to wait. The portrait opened and she came out and Harry blinked as his jaw dropped and he forgot to breathe. Hermione looked radiant in her elegant evening dress. People watched Hermione walk up to Harry and smile. Harry stood there and just looked.
"Oooh, somebody's got it bad," a voice commented.
Harry blushed as he gave her a goofy kind of smile. "You look wonderful tonight."
"Thank you Harry," Hermione said.
Harry remembered the corsage he had. He brought it up and Hermione loved it. Harry carefully pinned it to her dress and then offered her his arm and she took it. Then they set off to the side room where they were to meet the other champions. Viktor and Cedric both inclined their heads to Hermione and Harry greeted Fleur. Cedric was with Cho Chang, Viktor had one of the Durmstrang girls, and Fleur had one of the Beauxbatons boys. McGonagall was there in the room and she looked them over and nodded.
"In a moment all of you are to go and stand in front of the doors leading into the great hall. When they open all of you will walk in and out onto the dance floor where the eight of you will dance the first dance to start the Christmas Ball. After that you are free to do as you wish. Good luck," McGonagall said.
McGonagall then left the room and Viktor turned to them. "It would be a good idea for us to decide who will lead the others in. As Miss Delacourt is the only female champion I suggest it should be her."
"I agree," Cedric said.
Harry nodded. "So do I."
"Thank you," Fleur said. "I am honored."
The door to the room popped open and the eight of them went to stand in front of the great hall doors. A moment they opened and the eight young people walked in as the watchers applauded. Harry glanced at the head table and the people there seemed to be pleased. McGonagall motioned to Professor Flitwick and the turned to the orchestra and brought them to attention. He waved his baton and the music started. Harry turned to Hermione and took her into his arms as she had taught him and they began to dance. The evening was now off to a good start.
The orchestra played for nearly an hour as people danced. Then they retreated and the dance band took the stage. Harry led Hermione to a table off to the side and then went for drinks. He found Hermione talking to Neville and Luna when he returned. He sat down once he handed Hermione her drink.
"Hey, Neville, Luna," Harry greeted them. "Enjoying the evening?"
"We are," Neville said as Luna smiled. "Best fun I've had in some time."
Harry leaned back in his chair. "Same here. Holiday plans?"
Neville nodded. "Home as usual. Luna will be joining me."
Harry grinned. "That's great! Hope you two have a great holiday together."
"What about you two?" Luna asked Harry and Hermione.
"Home to Potter House for a few days. Then off to my Japanese family for Christmas Day as they are swamped with work. Back to Potter House for another few days and then to Hermione's for the New Year's Eve and day. We'll come back together on the train," Harry said.
"Sounds like fun," Neville said.
"We hope it will be fun," Hermione said.
Luna smiled that dreamy kind of smile. "It will be because the both of you are together."
Hermione and Harry looked at each other and smiled.
"Yes it will be. Thank you for saying so Luna," Hermione said.
Ginny and her date Dean Thomas came over and joined them at their table. Dean went to get drinks for Ginny and him self as Ginny relaxed.
"You two looked so fantastic out there," she said.
Harry nodded. "Thanks Ginny. You and Dean look cool your selves."
Dean returned and handed Ginny her drink and sat down next to her. They watched the band for a few minutes and the people dancing out on the floor and having a good time.
"Going to be happy to get home for a bit. I need a bit of down time from all of this working so hard," Dean commented.
"Hear, hear," Neville said, raising his glass.
The four of them toasted and then Hermione and Harry spent the rest of the evening dancing, talking to friends, and just having a good time. Tonight Harry had no intention of worrying about anything, he had put everything away in his mind knowing he would get back to it the next day. Harry did observe Dumbledore watching him all evening and wondered if the old man was up to something. He was sure he would find out sooner or later, and he was sure it wouldn't be good.
The great hall was full of excited chatter the next morning as Harry arrived at breakfast. The Daily Prophet had shown up and Harry opened the paper to find that the Christmas Ball had made the front page. There was a nice picture of the champions walking into the great hall. There were other pictures on the third page, along with the expected third page article. Rita Skeeter had once again penned the front page article. She hadn't been very nice with her remarks. She panned the other champions, described Harry and Hermione as looking rather shabby in their dress, and called the dance band rejects. She even criticized the Hogwarts orchestra as being boring and poorly directed by Flitwick. Harry sighed as people around him began complaining about her article. Harry shook his head and sighed. Miss Skeeter had much to answer for. Perhaps this would be the opportunity he wanted to write a letter and protest Skeeter's articles. He needed to research a few of them before writing any letters. He would look in the Potter and Black libraries for information on the woman, and he would ask Sirius about her. Harry was sure that Sirius would have a few tales to tell about her. He set the paper aside and concentrated on his breakfast. He had planned on leaving right after breakfast so he had shrunk down his trunk and put it in his combat pack and hid that by the front doors to Hogwarts. He hoped he would make it out before Dumbledore found him first. Unfortunately Dumbledore did find him first, stopping Harry just before he was able to get out the main doors. As Harry had the old man's attention on him Harry saw his friends slip out the main doors with Hermione in their midst. Hermione was safe. He turned to face the old man as he took hold of Harry's left elbow and guided him out of the way of people leaving into a corner.
"Good morning, Harry my boy," Dumbledore beamed at Harry. "I am glad to have caught you. I am pleased to inform you that I have made arrangements for your Christmas Holidays as I have found you a very safe place to stay."
"My apologies, Professor Dumbledore, but I have made other arrangements. You should have come to see me weeks ago," Harry said. "Please excuse me."
"I'm afraid I cannot allow you to leave, Harry. Your safety is of importance," Dumbledore said.
Harry turned to face the old man. "You are not the boss of me. You cannot, and will not, dictate to me what I should and shouldn't do. Good day sir."
Harry turned to the front doors as Dumbledore tried to play the guilt card on Harry. He moved in a bit closer and dropped his voice a bit more.
"Does your parent's sacrifice for you mean so little to you, Harry?" he asked Harry. "They sacrificed their lives for you, Harry, to keep you out of the clutches of Voldemort. You come here wearing tattoos and earrings, a sure sign that you are going dark. Do you care so little for the lives of people around you just to go and have a bit of fun? I must keep you safe, Harry. You are our greatest hope against him."
Harry turned and glared at Dumbledore for a moment and then shook his head.
"You will never stop, will you? You will never stop until you have what you want, will you? You will say anything and do anything to get what you want. You will never learn that you can't always get what you want. I know what my parents did for me. They want me to live my life well and that includes having my friends and adopted family. I care far more for the people I love and the people I call my friends because they mean something to me. As for why I wear a tattoo and earrings, that was my decision and mine alone. I was not forced or tricked into having them. Having them does not mean I am going dark. Since you are unwilling to understand the concept of being either light or dark being a person's own choice, I will not bother to explain it to you as I have done so quite a few times already. I believe that you are the one who is going dark. Therefore there is no redemption for you. How sad, that a great man like your self has fallen prey to the dark side," Harry said.
He took a few steps away from Dumbledore and then turned around to look at him.
"For the record, I am not dark. I never will be dark, do not want to be dark," Harry said and then headed for the main doors and walked out.
Harry found Hermione in Hogsmeade. She had gone down there with the rest of their friends and they kept a lookout for Harry. When he finally appeared Hermione ran to him and hugged him tight.
"Oh Harry, I was so worried about you!" she exclaimed.
"I'm okay, Hermione. He didn't hurt me," Harry said.
Neville was waving his wand around Harry and found two tracking spells on him, one on his pack and the other on his bracelet. He destroyed both of them as Harry let go of Hermione. They went inside the little café and ordered up some food for the trip to London, Kings Cross station as it would be a long trip there. All of them settled into a compartment and Neville turned the glass dark so nobody would be looking in. Harry sighed as he settled in.
"Why does the old man keep bothering you, Harry?" Neville asked. "What's his problem? Why is he so obsessed with you?"
"I don't know, Neville. I can only speculate as to why he wants me under his control. I think there are a number of reasons for it. Trying to take the Potter Family vaults from me, the properties, and keeping me from finding out about my wizard's heritage is a big clue. Kazuya did find a number of blocks on me when I first arrived at Izumi-zan. He believes that Dumbledore wanted to keep my magic so weak that it would build up to the point that when I do confront Voldemort, at some point in the encounter Dumbledore would release all of my magic, and in doing so, my magic would react and the result would be catastrophic to Voldemort and me. Dumbledore would then jump in and finish Voldemort off and kill me at the same time. Dumbledore would then announce to the wizarding world that I had died in the confrontation and he killed Voldemort in retaliation. That would get him all of the attention he wants and then he could very easily take over the wizarding world," Harry said.
"It's very possible, too. I had asked my self what would happen if Dumbledore did put those kinds of block on Harry's magic. I went to the library to research that question and found nothing. The last time I was at Potter House I looked for answers to that question and found what I wanted to know. The 'explosion' of Harry's released magic would kill anything within range and Harry would die," Hermione said.
"I am going to inform McGonagall of this," Harry said as he pulled out a bit of parchment and began to write the letter. "When we get to London, I'll go into Diagon Alley and send McGonagall an owl."
Neville pulled out a bit of parchment. "I'll tell her about the tracking spells that I found on you. He's supposed to leave you alone."
Neville and Harry finished their letters and sealed them up. Hermione snuggled into Harry and he wrapped his arms around her. Nothing else was said for the rest of the trip.
Harry sat down at his desk in the library of Potter House. He closed his eyes as he sighed. He was so tired of it all and he was starting to consider leaving Hogwarts and study magic on his own and various ways he could defeat Voldemort if he did rise again and Harry had no doubt the spirit of Voldemort would find a way to regain a body. If and when that did happen, the magical world was in trouble. Sirius and Remus found Harry in the Potter library sitting at his desk. One look at his face and both of them knew there had been trouble. They sat down on the couches in there and waited for Harry to say something. Harry sighed and opened his eyes to find them there.
"Hi guys," he said. "What are you guys up to?"
Sirius regarded Harry for a moment. "Not much, pup. You look tired."
"Nothing's changed," Harry said. "Ravenclaw house still won't give me the time of day, Snape's still a greasy git, and Dumbledore hasn't changed his stripes."
"What the hell did he do now?" Sirius growled in anger.
Harry told them everything and both men were angry. Sirius fought back his anger as he stood up and paced the floor for a bit.
"He's supposed to leave you alone," Sirius snarled.
"For the most part he has, up to now," Harry said. "He's back there and I'm here and I plan on enjoying my Christmas Break with my family, my girlfriend, and my friends. No way is he gonna ruin any part of that."
Remus nodded. "Good for you, cub. You can start by going to bed. You look like you're about to drop."
Harry nodded and left the library for the master bedroom that was his. He stripped down completely and crawled into bed. He needed sleep, the healing kind of sleep as the stress of the last three months was getting to him. He'd sleep in and then go workout when he woke up. Harry sighed as he sank down into the very comfortable bed under the warm covers. Having a lie in did help him and he woke up feeling a lot better. He was up by eleven, the latest he ever slept in, and he deserved it. He got into a pair of black skintight shorts and padded downstairs to find a pot of tea on the stove. He poured himself a cup of tea and headed downstairs to his training center and got right to work. He needed to burn off the stress he was feeling.
Dumbledore was angry. The boy still couldn't see reason. Harry and Neville's letters to McGonagall had brought the very livid woman to his door and he had to endure her anger as she let him have it. Dumbledore managed to placate McGonagall and she left once she was convinced that Dumbledore had been put back into his place. Dumbledore paced the floor for a time as he thought of a way to crack the boy and very subtly get him under his control. The brat had cost him much and he wanted revenge in the worst way. There were two tasks left. Dumbledore wondered how he could turn them to his advantage. Taking Miss Granger as one of the hostages to be placed at the bottom of Black Lake was to be the second task. He wondered how he could turn that to his advantage. He could arrange for her to be killed and then blame Harry for the murder and spend a little time in Azkaban. The dementors would have a field day with the boy and Harry would be so messed up that he would look to whoever got him out of there as his friend and Dumbledore planned to be the one who would get him out of there after a few months after producing evidence that Harry wasn't the killer and that it was one of the merpeople that did it. All he needed to do was to make it all work. If that didn't work, there was the third task. He just needed to figure out a way to make that work. He needed to make contact with his spy among the merpeople. It had been so easy to manipulate the young merboy into informing what was going on with the merpeople's council. A few words, the right kind of spell, and the youngster would carry out his wishes. Dumbledore sat back and smiled. There was hope for his master plan after all. He just needed to be a little bit patient.
Harry wiped the sweat off him as he sat back and listened to Sirius and Remus after his workout a few mornings later. Harry was feeling a lot better now than he had when he arrived at Potter House a few days ago. Both Sirius and Remus noted the change in Harry and knew it was because he had worked off the stress and the anger he was feeling towards Dumbledore. Sirius and Remus had pushed Harry to his limits and the young wizard ninja had done well. Adding Hiroshi, Kotake, and Ichiro to Harry's routine whenever the three men had free time on their hands had improved Harry's skills immensely. The interactive program could only go so far, and feeding the AI that the goblins had developed every little detail possible to provide Harry with the training he needed made it possible to run the program, but facing live targets gave his training the edge he needed to stretch and grow, learning even more in how to defeat your enemies. Daily training was what helped Harry to keep his skills sharp. Harry was getting to the point where he could act on instinct, not stopping to think of how he was going to defeat his opponent. He just reacted.
"You did good this morning Harry," Sirius said. "That spell we taught you yesterday is working better than we thought."
"You guys are great teachers," Harry said as he sipped on cold orange juice. "Using my memories of my previous fights with the DE's and the deranged werewolves in the interactive training program worked out better than I thought it would."
Sirius nodded as he dropped his towel on the floor and leaned back in his chair. "Don't know why I didn't think of it before. Your big advantage over these guys is that they tend to rely on their magic instead of learning how to fight the muggle way if they lose their wands. Your ability to blend your magic with being ninja is your second big advantage and that's going to carry you through any kind of fight situation, kid."
"That's what Kazuya said to me when I first started learning magic from him. All of you guys are doing more for me than Dumbledore has makes me glad I can count on all of you," Harry said as he worked on his after workout stretches.
"Good," Sirius said. "Just don't get too involved in your workouts that you forget how to have a little fun. I know Lily and James would insist on you having a little bit of fun every now and then. Too much work can mess you up."
Harry had every intention of having as much fun as he could before he grew up.
Harry had planned on spending Christmas with his family so he went to the Japanese Embassy a few days early. Everybody was happy to see him again and he relaxed in the family apartment close by. Miyoshi was as active as ever, and Harry was happy to see him. As Miyoshi went to bed kind of early in the evening, it gave Harry the opportunity to sit down with Hiroshi, Kotake, and Ichiro for discussions. A lot was discussed and plans made for the coming year. Of big interest to everybody was the tournament, and Dumbledore.
"He has been here," Kotake said. "He has demanded to meet with us. He is well known to the Japanese Secret Service wizarding branch. Oh yes, the Japanese Secret Service does have a division staffed by wizards. England has one, and so do the Americans. The three departments have been discussing the Voldemort problem and the consensus currently running is that something is going on or the DE's would not have come up for air at the Quidditch Cup. It had been decided to allow the meet but he was very carefully watched and monitored in a room that was wired for video and sound. We got him on tape trying to convince your mother and I to give you up to his custody."
"When did he do that?" Harry asked.
"Just recently. Once we produced the trial transcripts from all three sessions he backed off. He just looked at us and then walked out of there," Kotake said.
Harry nodded as he sat there for a bit without saying anything. "He's not going to give up. He tried to keep me from leaving the castle for Christmas Break. I sent McGonagall an owl and haven't heard back so I can assume the owl was intercepted. I'll go see her when I get back."
Kotake nodded. "Good. I would suggest that you document everything he says and does to you so you can sue him once more."
"Good idea, Dad. I'll do that. I'll even get Hermione to do the same," Harry said.
Hiroshi joined the conversation, handing Kotake a beer and Harry a can of soda. "I am really not comfortable with this situation. The old man is capable of anything and getting away with it."
Harry nodded. "That's why he is teaching the history class at school. So he can be watched. Up till now he hasn't done anything against me. He is still a part of the tournament but he's being watched there, too. I sat down with my crew and we have discussed the situation and have come up with a few plans in the event he tries something. Even then he could do something completely unexpected."
"Well, don't drop your guard around him," Hiroshi said.
Harry nodded. "I won't ever let down my guard around him."
The men looked relieved. They went to other subjects and discussed them until it got late. Harry headed to bed as he knew tomorrow would be a fun day.
Miyoshi whipped the covers back to reveal a sleepy Harry. He opened one eye and saw the excited little boy there before him. He managed to snag Miyoshi and drew him into the bed. He got the hyper little boy to calm down and back to sleep as five in the morning was just far too early to carry out a raid on the Christmas tree. Kotake found the both of them asleep with Miyoshi snuggled into his big brother. He went and got his camera to get pictures so he could have some teasing material for later. He retreated, and they woke up around nine thirty. Miyoshi bounced out of bed as Harry sat up on the side of the bed and groaned. He wondered if he could send Miyoshi to the Weasleys for the day and considered it to be a great prank on them all. He took care of business and headed out to the living room to see what was going on and found Miyoshi doing his excited dance in front of the tree.
"You were like that when you were his age, Harry. Made us laugh," Shizune said. "Now it is his turn."
"And he excels at it, Mom. I think he should patent it," Harry said on the way to the coffee pot. "Make a fortune at it."
Hiroshi chuckled. "That he would. If you are ready…"
"I am. Go ahead and turn him loose," Harry slumped down on the couch at a safe distance from the tree.
Miyoshi began handing out the presents and Harry liked his. As Harry was now fourteen, he was getting stuff suited for his age and he was cool with that. Of course Mom would get him some nice shirts to wear and he liked them. The guys gave him things that were ninja related and he appreciated those greatly. As Miyoshi really didn't understand what was going on, Shizune had found a nice book for him to give to his brother, and it was an in depth study on the samurai. Harry flipped through the pages and liked what he saw. He was definitely reading this and keeping it in the library he had down in his trunk. He hoped that everyone liked what he had given them. Christmas Dinner was everything he remembered it to be. Good food and family together around the table. This is what holidays were meant to be, family getting together and celebrating life.
Harry went to Hermione's for Boxing Day and it turned out to be a great day. The only sour note was Dumbledore having put in an appearance the day before Christmas and trying to convince the Grangers that they should convince Harry to follow Dumbledore as he knew best for him. Dan walked Dumbledore out the front door and told him that he was not welcome there anymore and that the next time he walked into their house Dan would report him to the ministry. Dumbledore had glared at them before walking away. Hermione immediately wrote a letter to McGonagall and reported the intrusion. The fact that Dan's brother Benjamin had a combat shotgun pointed at Dumbledore's head the entire time convinced the old man that he would be in serious need of either medical help or a funeral director. Dumbledore was unable to pull his wand and do anything as Benjamin had the weapon pointed at him. Dumbledore swore revenge against them all as he left. Harry met Hermione's uncle and immediately liked the man. Hermione had told him about her being a witch and Benjamin had taken it very well. As the man was involved in the Queen's Navy Seals doing things he couldn't discuss openly he asked a question about how the wizarding world policed it's self and their armies. Harry suddenly wondered just how many wizards were in the Queen's military as Hermione took on the questions. He immediately dashed off a letter to Kotake asking the question as he had an idea in regards to defending the castle against the DE's if and when they tried to storm the castle. He put that little tidbit away inside his mind and turned his attention back to having a good time.
Harry ran that little bit of information past Sirius a day later during dinner. Sirius sat there for a bit and thought about what Harry had just said.
"Magicals in the muggle armies," Sirius said as he leaned back in his chair as Remus sipped at his goblet of wine.
"Interesting idea, Harry. Worth looking into," Remus said.
"I can approach Amelia Bones," Sirius said.
Harry knew who she was after meeting her at the Wizengamot trial. "I wrote to Hiroshi and Kotake about the idea and they said they would look into it right away."
Sirius chuckled. "And speaking of looking into something, did I tell you about the time your Dad and I got a very interesting case?"
"Oh God, not that one!" Remus sighed. "If anyone knows about the muggle militaries, it's her."
Sirius grinned. "Well, we got a call to go investigate a report of an underage wizard who 'borrowed' his Daddy's wand and put a large hole into the fence of a nudist colony. We told our boss that we would go and look into it."
Harry and Remus both groaned as Sirius laughed.
"Getting the magicals in the military to assist in the event that Hogwarts is attacked by the DE's is a good idea, Harry. The idea would have to be looked at by a lot of people and if we want that idea to pass muster we need to get the ball rolling on it right now. The same could be said about your ninja clan. How many of them are magical, and how many of the 'normal' ninjas would come to our assistance?" Remus asked as Sirius started to roll on the floor he was still laughing.
Harry sighed as he looked at Sirius. "Tickle charm or stinging hex?"
"Stinging hex," Remus replied and both of them pulled their wands and attacked Sirius with the stinging hex until he stopped laughing.
"I mentioned that in my letter to Hiroshi and Kotake," Harry said as Sirius took his place at the table giving them the sad puppy dog face.
"Okay. Who is the one person besides Hermione that is good at strategy?" Sirius asked Harry as he rubbed his arms. "Those hurt!"
"Ron Weasley," Harry said instantly. "Fred and George have told me that Ron is very skilled in chess."
"That is a game that involved thinking at least several moves ahead," Remus said.
"Teaches strategy, defensive and offensive," Sirius agreed.
Harry sighed. "Only problem is knowing if he can come up with a great battle plan for defending the castle should Voldemort start something with us. Hogwarts is supposed to be a very safe place and people look to it as a sign of safety. Should it ever be attacked and fall, there will be a mass exodus from England's magical world."
"I talked to Arthur last week. Ron has improved to the point that he's getting his chance to go back to Hogwarts. Ron's looking forward to it and from what I've seen he's definitely improved in a lot of areas. I think he might be counted on to be a great ally. I would approach him carefully first. Be his friend. Watch him for a few weeks and if it seems like he's a different Ron then start commenting on what's going on to see how he reacts to them. Then, if he seems sincere, take him into your confidence. One of the things he's learned is Occlumency. His mental defense is great," Remus said.
Harry nodded. "Thanks for the advice. "I'll make my approach over the summer and see what happens. Approaching him on his home territory would be a smart move."
Sirius yawned. "Go for it. What do you have to lose?"
Remus pulled his wand and waved it over the dinner table. Everything began a slow march into the kitchen, leftover food into containers and into the refrigerator, the dishes into the sink, and trash into the trashcan by the back door. The three of them moved into the living room to continue the discussion.
"So once we get our army together, we find out who's good at what and form smaller units with them," Remus suggested.
"Hermione's uncle Benjamin is military. Let's see what he has to say when we go to the New Year's party at the Grangers. My Japanese family will be there," Harry suggested. "He might have ideas."
The only reply he got was Sirius' loud snores.
The New Year's Eve party plans got changed at the last moment as Emma, Dan, and Benjamin got invited to another one. The Yamada Clan was needed at another party, so that left Harry and Hermione on their own. Neville Longbottom called them at the last moment so they went to Longbottom Hall for the evening. There were a good number of witches and wizards there so the teens went into another room for a little party of their own. There wasn't much to say about the party other than the food was great, the games were okay, the discussion about various things got boring at times, but ringing in the New Year made up for it all. Harry decided to host a small family only event at Potter Hall to celebrate New Year's Day was in order and that it would be a simple affair. The footy games on a big screen in the bar for the men to look at while having games on the billiards table. Tea and gossip for the ladies in the sitting room. Sandwiches and salad on the menu. Harry at one point asked Benjamin about his military experiences and they got a few funny stories and his honest opinion as to the current state of the military. Harry then pitched his idea to Benjamin and the big man thought about it for a bit before rendering his opinion.
"I am sure there are magicals in the SAS, Harry. I know about magic thanks to Hermione. As to finding them, well, that's going to be a job. One just doesn't go up to a soldier and ask him if he is magical. You'd be laughed at. That is something that can't be done unless there is a way of finding them," Benjamin said. "You have my support. I will do what I can to help as this Voldemort character sounds like a very bad man."
"He is," Sirius said. "More than you'll ever know."
"Does he have a crew behind him?" Benjamin asked, getting serious.
Harry nodded. "A lot of them, and they are called Death Eaters. They would qualify as terrorists, and they are a thousand times worse than any terrorist groups that are out there. I do follow the papers."
"Because they use magic to commit their crimes," Benjamin said.
Remus sighed. "Yes they do."
"I can put your name to the DMLE's current boss, an Amelia Bones, and she's no pushover," Sirius said. "She offered me my old job back, Harry. I accepted."
"What about your lawsuits against the Aurors that turned on you?" Harry asked.
Sirius smiled. "All of them have been settled. It's business as usual kid."
"What would she say about me wanting to help?" Benjamin asked.
"She'd take you on in a heartbeat. You most likely would be an advisor in muggle combat tactics," Sirius speculated.
Benjamin opened another beer. "Good, and if these Aurors as you called them can benefit from what I can teach them and use them to survive combat, then I've done my job. I've done some consulting in the past."
Harry didn't doubt that. They needed to be prepared in the event that the DE's started making a ruckus once more. Any kind of help they could get would be welcome.
Getting back to Hogwarts Harry hoped that the second part of the school year would go a lot better than the first part had. He followed Hermione into the great hall and went to his usual spot at the Ravenclaw house table. He glanced up at the high table and saw the teachers and staff there. Dumbledore wasn't looking very happy and Harry was sure that he had been dressed down by McGonagall. Harry was sure that he would be visiting her in the next day or two. The two schools Durmstrang and Beauxbatons would be returning in the next few days having gone home for the holidays. Harry sighed and turned back to his crew.
"Back to the fun and games," Neville said cheerfully.
Harry had to smile at that one. "Can't wait to see what's next."
"We'll be supporting you Harry," Hermione covered his hand with hers. "I believe in you."
The others said the same thing and Harry felt a little better. Ginny turned to Harry.
"Mum and Dad wanted me to give you this," she said and handed over a bit of parchment. "Thank you for the gifts you sent us."
Harry opened the letter and it was a thank you note for what Harry had sent them for Christmas. It was nice having friends in a time when you needed them. The hall went silent when McGonagall stood up.
"A Happy New Year to all of you," she began. "I hope your holidays had been the best. Classes will start up again on Monday morning. A reminder to all that the second task is in the middle of February. Information about the second task will be revealed on the day of the second task. Our guests will be arriving in time for Wednesday night dinner. That is all."
Harry turned back to his friends. "I still haven't figured out how to get the clue from that egg. Trying to figure out how to do it has given me a headache."
"Go see the other champions," Ginny suggested. "They might have an idea."
Harry perked up. "I'll do that."
Cedric approached Harry as he was leaving the great hall. "We need to talk to the other two when they get back on Wednesday night, Harry. We need to crack the egg and get that clue."
Harry sighed. "I had my godfather and my uncle help with the problem and they got nowhere. There's got to be a way."
"Well, I decided to set it aside for a time and pick it up later and see if that helps," Cedric rubbed his head. "Damn thing is giving me a headache."
Harry chuckled at that. "I know. It's driving me buggy too."
"Thanks for the Christmas card, Harry. My folks thought that was really nice of you to send it," Cedric patted Harry on the right shoulder.
"You're welcome," Harry smiled. "I sent Viktor and Fleur one."
Cedric turned as Cho Chang approached them. "Hey, I gotta go. See you round."
It was getting late so Harry escorted Hermione up to Gryffindor tower and then went to his flat. Miyamoto was there and he let Harry in.
[No intrusions to report,] he said as Harry settled down into his recliner.
[Thanks Miyamoto,] Harry said.
Harry stared off into the distance as he contemplated things as they stood. He had the funny feeling that things were about to get very interesting from here on out.
To Be Continued
Author's Notes: Thanks to all who have been reading and reviewing. A couple of things.
To Kytrin: Wow, thanks for your review! You made some excellent points, and I will do my best to watch my words. Yeah, there were some places where I thought I was rushing things a bit and went back to see if I could change them and was unable to come up with anything good. I'll try not to do that. As for your other nit picks, well I'll try to incorporate them in the remaining books.
To Aetheogh: Harry is certainly not stupid and neither am I. I did not know that about dragons and if I had, I would have done that bit differently. Kind of hard to remember details when you're in the heat of things. The one thing that I did change from the book and the movie was that the dragon lived. Harry didn't want to hurt it so he used the narrow tunnel to trap it thinking that the Hogwarts elves or the dragon handlers would rescue the dragon. I have seen a story where Harry did talk to the dragon and thought it had been well done. Thank you for your review.