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Chapter 4

"You are home Harry," responded the old man. "Come along and we'll have you looked over by Madam Pomfrey, our resident healer."

"Albus," said Sirius, under his breath.

"So this is him, the Boy-Who-Lived?" said a man stepping down from the entrance. He was short, rather plain and dressed in dark robes with a matching bowler hat perched upon his head. He had his hand extended as if to shake Harry's hand. "Cornelius Fudge, Minister for Magic, I am very pleased to make your acquaintance after all this time young man. You know how to make an entrance! It is good to see you back. I trust your studies have gone well? Are you prepared for the tournament?"

Harry looked at the man oddly, and shook his hand out of reflex as questions bounced around in his mind, all of them refusing to make any sense of this. "Ummm… Sorry sir. I think you have me confused with someone else."

Walking past the man his eyes landed on his car. "Man, Keighvin is going to have my head." He leaned in the window and after a loud ripping sound pulled a leather bag from inside, and laid it on the roof of the car. "Anyway, can someone point me toward a phone?" He pulled the bag open and pulled out several objects.

Turning, he flipped open a box and pulled out a pair of dark aviator style sunglasses and slipped them on, then grabbed a dark blue baseball cap off the roof, it had a logo that said Fairgrove stitched on the front with a stylized tree making up the F. "Look, I'm sorry that I spoiled your renaissance weekend, help me find a phone and I'll get someone to come deal with my car as soon as I can," he said unzipping the top of his fire suit and pulling it loose to hang at his waist, then tying the arms in the front, showing a powerful build not unlike that of a swimmer. "How close is the nearest town?"

"Harry, I must insist that you get checked over," Albus said.

"Look, I'm alright, just a little stiff and sore. I need a phone," he said looking around again, then yelling out at the crowd "Can someone tell me where a telephone is?"

"There is no need to worry about your vehicle, my boy," said Albus, sliding his wand from his robes. With a swish, twirl, and a jab… the car disappeared.

"MY CAR! WHAT THE HELL! What did you do?" Harry rounded on the man, storming closer. "Do you have any idea what that car is worth? The engine alone was $50,000 it's all aluminum, a prototype, and all the fabrication was by hand! Damn it, it's not even mine! It's Fairgrove property! Where the HELL is it?" His eyes were staring the old man down.

"It needed to be done, the tournament needs to get underway, so I vanished it. You have your bag therefore your wand. Now come along we need to get you sorted and the First Task underway," said the old man.

"I'm not going anywhere till you tell me where my car is, I'm responsible for the damn thing!" Harry glared at the group.

Sirius let out a long sigh, placing his hand on the young man's shoulder. "It's gone Harry, the headmaster vanished it... it's gone."

In a flash of movement, the headmaster crumpled forward as Harry's fist connected with his stomach. He leaned close and spoke quietly to the man, "When the bill gets to you I hope you choke on it, and I suggest you be ready to pay. That was a prototype, if any of those designs show up elsewhere our lawyers will hang you." As he was lifting his arm for another punch, Sirius grabbed him and pulled him back.

"Now see here young man, I can understand how you may have been attached to your muggle toy, but..." said Fudge.

"TOY! I can assure you that was no TOY! That was a state of the art Racing Machine! Highly modified and hand built from the ground up. It took months for my team to build! It was worth a fortune!"

"Then why was it in the hands of a child!" a new man sneered, he carried a cane and had blond hair.

"I've been behind the wheel since I was seven. I was on the Cart circuit at eight. Drove my first SERRA sponsored event at ten, moved to the Unlimited class at twelve, next summer I'll start my training in Grand Nationals and run a limited season, at sixteen I'll be able to race for the full season, and if I have my way I'll be sitting in a Winston Cup car soon after my eighteenth birthday. It was in my hands because I am the best driver at Fairgrove! AND I have the trophies to prove it!"

The blond man looked down his nose at the boy, then turned to Dumbledore. "This is the training you had the Boy-Who-Lived doing? Playing at muggle racing? What a joke, the vaunted hero of our world. Plays like a muggle, and fights like a muggle."

"Ok, I've had enough!" yelled the young man. "Stop acting as if you know me. I sure as Hell don't know any of you! You tell me I'm in Scotland, ok fine. What I want to know is," turning toward Sirius and the old man. "How did I get here? Last thing I knew I was in North Carolina, happily testing my beautiful new SERRA Unlimited car. You all call me Harry, act as if you expected me and know me. WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?"

Looking at each person in turn, taking in each shocked expression till he reached Sirius who had a wide grin on his face and was looking at the others as well. "Well?" He stood staring for a number of seconds. Then turned and said, "On second thought, I don't care. I need a phone. NOW! People at home are going to be worried." And he started to walk toward the arena exit, rummaging through his bag.

"Stupid…" he was muttering to himself, as he pulled out a foil wrapped bar. "Breakfast of champions!" he said sarcastically, ripping it open and taking a bite of the dark colored bar and then grimacing, "Oh, god! That's awful! How does he eat these things?" he said to himself looking at the offensive object, and spitting part of the mealy ration bar. "Wish I'd eaten before I did the test this morning. How could he eat these things on the road?" he asked himself as he continued on giving an odd look to the now burnt champions' tent, then continuing on the path up the hill toward the only sign of civilization he could see, a large castle. 'Surely there would be a phone there or in the office of the park,' he thought to himself, all the while completely ignoring the shouts and arguments that had erupted in his wake.

He was over halfway to the castle when he heard a female voice behind him. "You won't find one there," it said. Slowing he looked behind him.

"There's not an office up there?" he asked coming to a halt and turning to face the young woman, she had long auburn hair with red highlights and deep blue eyes. "Ok, where is the main office of the park? I'm sure they will have a phone."

"Um, this isn't a park it's a school and no there are no telephones, probably for several miles. I'm Susan, by the way, Susan Bones," she said offering her hand.

"Harry" he said shaking it. "You're sure there are no phones? What do you do if there is an emergency? Open a window and yell?"

"No we make a floo call."

"A…floo call. What in the world is that? Some form of radio phone?"

"No, you throw some floo powder into the fireplace fire then stick your head in and talk to whomever you wanted to be connected to."

He looked at her face closely. "Oh, I get it, Ha Ha. Now, you've had your fun, please tell me where a phone is."

"I'm afraid you misunderstood it's no joke, it is how things are done here."

"You expect me to believe that you just walk up to any fireplace, throw some powder into it, stick your head in and talk to someone doing the same? Right…"

"I admit, it can be hard on the knees, and you need to know the correct address, but yes," she said in all seriousness.

He gave her a stunned look. "Well," he said looking back up at the castle. "I guess that's out." Looking back at her he asked, "Is there a town nearby?"

"Yes, Hogsmeade is just past the gates of the school, but..."

"Just past the gates, ok thanks!" he said and began to walk up the hill.

"If you would stop for just a moment," she said to his back, as he began to walk away. "I'd tell you that that won't help you either."

"What? Why?" he said looking back.

"No telephones there either."

"A radio then, something?"

"No. Well you could write a letter..."

"That will take too long," he said. "Look, I need a way to get in contact with my family, fast. They'll be looking for me, and it could be bad if I can't get in touch with them before they find me."

"I'm sure they will be worried bu-"

Harry cut her off. "No, you don't understand!" he said frantically, then gaining some control. "They will be looking for me and They. Will. Find. Me, count on it. Then they will come to retrieve me," he continued stressing the word.

"And this is a bad thing? I would think you would be glad they love you so much."

"I am, trust me, they would storm the gates of hell for each other and me."

"See it is a good thin-."

"Yes, and no… Just help me get some place I can contact them. Please."

"Well, my aunt may be able to help she is the head of the DMLE, Department of Magical Law Enforcement. She'll want to talk with you anyway, she's been looking for you for years," she said.

"Lead the way then… Looking for me? Why?"

"You're Harry Potter of course!" she said as if that answered everything, as she turned to walk back down the hill.