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Chapter 58

Tannim dropped into the overstuffed chair, letting out a loud grumble. "I can't believe that man is in charge of anything! He's an idiot!"

Shar looked up from her book. "I take it you had a chance to corner Bagman?" she asked, with a slight smile curling the corners of her lips up.

"Mmmm…" Tannim replied as he rubbed his eyes. "And he was everything you would expect of an ex-sports star put in his position because of his name… useless." He pushed himself forward, placing his elbows on his knees. "He was given general guidelines for the tournament, but no direct direction. He was left on his own for the majority of the work, even though he had assurances that Dumbledore would be available to oversee the preparations."

"That was what Amelia found out as well, did he tell you anything else?" she asked as she shifted slightly.

"Just the extent of the old man's efforts to avoid him." Tannim shrugged. "It was just about as we thought. It looks like he wanted the final contract to be deliberately wide open, and what he did help with guided the sections he wanted included."

"So Dumbledore was the one behind Harry being entered into this… farce!" she growled.

Tannim placed a hand on her leg, his eyes urging her to relax. "He had a hand in it of that much Chinthliss and I are sure, but he has insulated himself with plausible deniability. He has gone to great lengths not to be directly responsible for much of anything, and I don't think he was lying when he said he did not know who put Harry's name in the goblet. I do believe, however, he has a strong idea of who did. The man is a game player and manipulator. I've asked a couple of people to take a look a little deeper into his history."

Tannim shifted Shar's feet enough to allow him to sit next to her on the couch and rub her feet. "What we were able to learn about him, from official channels and the books we found in the alley, paint the picture of a benevolent leader of the 'light', as it were. He seems to have been on an academic track for the majority of his life, other than his brief pursuit of a man named Grindelwald during the tail end of World War Two."

Shar sighed, her tension evaporating under his hands as he continued. "From what we have surmised, this Grindelwald person was claiming the damage done by the Nazi bombing as an example of his power. While he was quite powerful in his own right, he never gathered sufficient numbers to be a true threat during his rise to power within the United Kingdom."

Tannim switched feet. "When the bombing slowed due to the blitz coming to an end, he pulled up stakes here and moved his campaign to the mainland and began again. It was there he found his greatest success using the same tactics. Months later he was tracked down by Dumbledore and... get this, they dueled in an epic struggle lasting on and off for several days ending with Grindelwald being captured. It reads like something Tolkien would have written."

He concentrated on her ankle as he continued. "It was after that Dumbledore began to dabble in politics. He was soon elected the leader of their governmental congress, the Wizengamot, and head of the ICW, International Confederation of Wizards… which seems to be more of a social meeting rather than a place to iron out problems, though they do deal with the occasional issue. Both of which he has held ever since, along with being Headmaster of Hogwarts."

Shar moved her book, placing it on the coffee table. "So he is held in high regard both in Britain and the rest of Europe?"

Tannim nodded. "Not as high outside Britain as he is here but he is respected; several of those countries have been speaking with the Magical UN over the years but have dealt more with the ICW." Tannim chuckled. "If Dumbledore had wanted he could have even been Minister for Magic! Several times! He could have had complete control of their government from the early fifties on."

Shar sighed. "You said he captured this Grindelwald?"

Tannim changed ankles. "Yeah, evidently he had started running his little power scheme again against the backdrop of World War Two, using the destruction caused by allied bombing and troops to help terrorize much of their magical populace. He would claim the damage done in 'muggle' areas as his own, forcing their own policing forces out of position, then attack magical communities with explosive spells. It was quite effective."

Shar chewed on the inside of her mouth. "So why did Dumbledore decide to go after him?"

Tannim shrugged. "We haven't found a good answer for that yet. All we know is just about the time the school year ended in 1945, he left for the mainland, then hunted the man down."

Shar pondered this as Tannim continued his ministrations. "I agree we are missing something…" She sighed. "We'll figure it out eventually. At any rate, how are the preparations coming for our trip home?"

Tannim smiled. "Well, I believe Cedric and his parents the Diggorys will be joining us, along with his girlfriend Cho Chang… I think Keighvin is planning on inviting her parents as well, just to keep everything on the up and up… Fleur and her family of course, as well as the Grangers, and the Parkinsons, and Victor Krum…"

He paused for a moment, thinking. "As for professors, Cedric's head of house is going to accompany him, Professor Sprout… And while Cho's head of house would like to as well he is busy helping Minerva in the capacity of interim Deputy Headmaster, so Professor Babbling, their Runes Professor, will be accompanying us instead."

"Mmmmm..." Shar replied, tapping her finger on the back of the couch. "We need to invite some press as well… that woman… what was her name? The one that wrote the pieces in the Prophet…Skeeter…Rita Skeeter. She's a touch melodramatic… but I think for this type of opportunity she may be able to curb those tendencies."

Tannim nodded in agreement. "That's a good thought. Maybe one or two others as well, one from France, and one from Bulgaria, and one photographer between them. I'll talk to the others about it… Are you about ready to head home?"

Shar's shoulders sagged. "Yes… but I'm still not happy about it."

Tannim chuckled. "I never thought you would be, but we talked about this, we don't want the baby born here. If something went wrong our only choice would be to go to St. Mungo's for the birth, and that just isn't an option after reading some of the 'half-breed' laws that are on the books. Even if they don't recognize you as a Kitsune, they will see you as non-human… I don't want our child to be seen as anything other than what he or she is, a blessing."

Tears formed in the corners of Shar's eyes. "I know, I just don't like the idea of not being here for Harry…"

"We included him in the discussion about this, sweetheart." Tannim reached over and wiped away the tear that had begun to fall down her cheek. "He understands and wants what's best for you and the baby. Besides, your mother has promised to stay with you, day and night while we are gone, and Keighvin got Harry, Chinthliss and I 'Home' tickets from Grand Central including emergency routing to the spot at the hospital, just in case."

Shar smiled widely at that then grasped his hand in both of hers. "Just make sure you bring our son home, when this is over."

"Count on it," he said capturing her lips with his.

The weeks came and went quickly for everyone, weekdays were spent in class or answering the myriad of questions posed to them by their soon to be traveling companions. While the weekends were spent arranging small shopping trips for the same groups for them to obtain more… suitable attire for the trip abroad.

The nights however, now seemed longer for the divided family, despite nightly calls and assurances that they would soon be home.

Finally they were all gathered at the portal out of Britain and to Grand Central. Several faces showed nervous energy and apprehension about this form of travel, as they made their way to the Leaky Cauldron separately, then rode to their departure point by private bus supplied with the compliments of the British Government.

Keighvin gathered his group's attention after exit stamps had been placed on each passport. "Now for those of you that have not traveled via portal before, there is nothing to fear, just a couple of small things to remember. First, as you step through expect a small down step, it is less than an inch but more than one person has taken a nasty tumble when they forgot. Second, Grand Central, where we will be just on the other side of the portal, is neutral territory. This is strictly enforced by the guards there, so no matter what, take no offensive action! If something does occur allow them to deal with the situation, they are more than capable. Other than that please stick together and follow me to the Fairgrove portal. We will arrange a visit to the Duty Free shopping area for you on our return to Great Britain if you wish."

"Duty Free?" asked Mr. Diggory.

Tannim nodded, and answered as Keighvin prepared the gate. "Tax free purchases… usually not the best deals though unless you are looking for something very expensive."

"Mr. Tannim…" Victor began.

"It's just Tannim… No mister, Mr. Krum," he replied as Mr. Diggory talked excitedly with his wife.

"Then I insist that you call me Victor," the stern looking boy said. "Where, exactly, is this Grand Central?"

Tannim chuckled. "In Underhill."

"Underhill?" Victor asked.

Tannim nodded. "It is a realm inhabited by many magical creatures, elves, Fae, many others as well. I would recommend visiting many of the areas, they are quite beautiful, but you would best be accompanied by a guide, at least until you learn more about traveling there."

The young man nodded, and stepped away to take his place in line toward the portal.

Once he was out of earshot, Tannim turned to Harry. "Did anyone come with Victor?" he asked.

Harry shook his head. "No, he came on his own."

Tannim nodded. "He's been watching us exercise in the mornings, I've seen him on the deck of their ship. Has he asked about training with us?"

"No," Harry replied. "Evidently he is a professional Quidditch player, and even played in their World Cup series over the summer."

Tannim shrugged. "He might bear watching while we are at home."

Spring had already begun to visit the hills around Charlotte, North Carolina. Green buds filled the trees, and fresh grass had begun to grow. After arriving in the early afternoon, the travelers were given a brief tour of the grounds then shown to their guest quarters.

Harry quickly went back to his normal routine, including helping stock the motor home for the weekend. However there were a few changes, as the Grangers, Delacours and Victor Krum had decided to accompany them on their trek as well.

Harry swung himself onto the highest step of his car hauler. "Al? Al? You in here?" he asked trying to look around the pair of cars in his way, stacked one above another on their lifts.

"I'll be out in a minute Harry! Just making a final count of things before I send the hauler out!" said a disembodied voice from somewhere toward the front.

"Alright!" Harry called back. "I'll be at the sales truck when you're ready!"

After an affirmative response Harry jumped down and slammed the door shut, making sure it locked, and made his way toward the other semi sitting in the parking lot.

"Hey Deek!" he said to the man with a clipboard at the back of the truck. "This train about ready to head out?"

The man nodded. "Just about Harry. We want these two to travel as a pair, we need to make sure they both make it to the vendor area as a pair so we don't spend too much time shuffling them around in the vendor alley." Deek looked up from his work. "We want to use the pair of new cars as part of the display to show off the new lines. Then use the hauler for storage and a break room."

Harry nodded. "Will you need me there to help set up?"

Deek shook his head. "Not at first, you can help get our guests and the team RVs set up at the park. I'll have someone bring over one of the golf carts as soon as they are unloaded so you and Tannim can come over when things are finished there."

Harry nodded, and adjusted his cap to block more of the morning sun. "Alright. Al is finishing his final count now. He said it would just be a couple of minutes," he said.

"Good, I want these on the road as soon as possible. I'm trying to leave with them. I don't want to have the same issues as last year; if there is a dispute about our vendor area I want to be there to handle it. Besides we want to be set up as soon as possible, better chance to adjust things if I don't like what I see."

At that point Al made his presence known, and handed Deek a stack of papers. "Hauler is loaded and locked up. Harry could you head up to the office and send the drivers down?"

"Good, Al you're with me. Harry we'll see you later tonight," Deek said clapping his hand on the younger man's shoulder.

"Right, see you two tonight," Harry said, waving as he headed toward the main building.

On his way he spotted a figure watching him from the window of the cafeteria, Victor Krum.

Later that evening, after getting their camp set up and everyone settled Harry joined his parents in the RV's living room just before heading to bed for the night.

"I tell you, it's creepy!" Harry said waving his arms. "Everywhere I go he shows up, it's like he's stalking me!"

Tannim chuckled. "I think he is just trying to get a read on his competition. That's all."

Harry sighed. "I don't care! It's creepy! The way he just stands there! We've made offers to all the champions to train with us in the mornings, Fleur was even there with her sister, Gaby, this morning. But did he come to with us? No, he just stood off at a distance and watched!"

Shar had to agree with her son. "That's true, he could have joined them… and you must admit it is rather odd."

Tannim sighed. "I'll try and talk with him tomorrow…" He turned toward Harry. You better enjoy the next couple of weekends in the RV, Harry. These will be the last couple of trips for her with us."

Harry looked at his father, confused. "Why?"

Tannim smiled and grasped Shar's hand. "The baby Harry. Your mother and I decided that we could probably use a little more space. The new RV will be quite a bit bigger, built on a bus frame, like the ones built for Greyhound, so mechanical breakdowns won't be as much of an issue. Keighvin talked to several of the NASCAR owners and helped us find someone to build it."

Shar spoke next. "It will have enough room for the baby to be able to stay with us, after he or she can sleep through the night. Though there will be a few new things we'll need to get used to, I think it will be a good change."

Harry looked around him, almost able to see the ghosts of his history that surrounded him, the victories as well as the defeats. He could see their point though, between all of their things, his race gear, and the things they carried for the team it would be really tight if they added even a quarter of the things they had already began putting in the baby's room at home.

Still it would be sad to see the old girl go. "What's going to happen to her?" Harry asked.

Tannim smiled. "There is a family at one of the other Fairgrove compounds that is interested in buying her. Once we get done next weekend, she'll be unloaded, cleaned up and the boys will go over her good and make sure she is in great shape mechanically, then it will be sold to them. She'll have a lot of good years yet with them."

Harry nodded, glad that she was going to take another family out on adventures like she had done with his.