Ninja Wizard V 03
By David
Disclaimers: I do not own Harry Potter and company. JK Rowling has that pleasure.
Author's Notes: These characters [ ] indicate Japanese spoken.
Ninja Wizard V 03
"Night Moves, Potential Allies"
Harry watched the man move away in the shadows after leaving the limo he knew belongs to one Lucius Malfoy. Harry briefly wondered just how Malfoy used a limo to get around in the muggle world when he knew the man looked down on anything muggle. Seeing Malfoy senior in the limo proved to Harry that the man was definitely two faced. Harry shifted as he got ready to follow the man. Tonight he looked like one of the street kids that hung around the area. Being ninja didn't always mean running around in black ninja suits although there were times when they were very useful. Tonight Harry was in disguise as he was to follow the man to where ever he was going. The man barely glanced around before heading off down the street. Harry slumped down against the stoop of a rundown building as the man passed him. Harry managed to tag him with a tracking spell that would make tailing the guy much easier. He gave the man ample time to get down the street before he started off after him. The man led him down the street deeper into the row of tenement housing until he stopped at one. Harry melted into the shadow and waited. The man went inside the building. Harry gave him five minutes and then followed him inside. It was dark inside what was supposed to be the lobby area. Harry shook his head at all of the graffiti on the walls. He frowned at the sight of one particular bit of art. It was of a three pointed crown with a stick leaning against it, the tip glowing. That one had been popping up a lot of late according to the other ninjas that were under his command. He mentally took a picture of it and moved on. He wondered if they supported the Idiot-That-Must-Be-Named or not. The only way to find out was to catch one of them and ask. Harry filed that away in his filing cabinet.
He went up the stairs taking his time as to not spook the guy he was following. Harry decided not to worry about the guy coming up the stairs as there was some kind of argument going on upstairs someplace. Sounded a lot like a man yelling at somebody. Harry kept on going until he got to the fifth floor. He peeked around the corner just in time to see the man going inside an apartment. Harry waited until he heard the door close before moving down the hall to the room. He put his right ear to the door and listened. He could hear something going on inside. Before Harry could decided what to do his danger senses was going off. He turned to see a barrel of a gun pointed right at him. He looked up into the face of the person holding the gun and then wished he hadn't. She was the ugliest thing Harry had ever seen. Several teeth missing, her make up on so heavy she must have applied it with a trowel, clothes looked like they were dug out of a trash can, reeked of alcohol and cigarette smoke, she looked like something a cat puked up, or she had been brought here from darkest Africa, Harry couldn't decide.
"Hello dearie," she rasped, making Harry cringe.
Her voice sounded far worse than fingernails on a blackboard.
"Looking for someone?" she grinned.
"A friend of mine," Harry said calmly. "From school."
She laughed at that and the sound reminded Harry of Sybil Trelawney having one of her fits. She reached into her left pocket and produced a key. She unlocked the door and used the barrel of the gun to move Harry inside the room. She closed the door behind her.
"Looky here, Kevy!" she called out. "Caught me a little birdie!"
The man she called Kevy turned around to look. "You didn't grab him, did you?"
She cackled as she maneuvered Harry to stand against one of the walls with his back to it. "Not this one, Kevy. Had his ear to the door, he did. Now raise yer mitts, boy!"
Harry did and Kevy closed manacles around each wrist tight. "There. Now he won't be going anywhere. You can put that thing away now, Lydia."
She stowed the large revolver in the bag she carried. Harry's calm orderly mind noted that it had a large hammer on it and the barrel was large enough to fire the .357 caliber round. Harry had been trained by the Japanese Secret Service how to recognize and fire numerous types of guns, from the smallest .25 to the biggest gun possible, a .50 caliber Barrett sniper rifle. He wondered if he should install a gun range back at Potter House to practice his sharpshooting skills in the event that he had to call on those skills. He'd discuss it with Sirius later.
Kevy went back to the table for a moment and then returned. He took a drink out of the glass he was holding and set it down on the smaller table on Harry's right. "Well, let's have a look at him then. He does have a certain appeal about him. If we contact the right people we could get a fair bit of money for him."
Harry shivered at the sound of that. Even though Sirius had made an effort to hide certain Auror files from him Harry had come across information on such people and what he read had made him physically sick. Now here was one of them about to feel him up. Harry wasn't about to allow that. Harry relaxed and let himself go into full battle mode as he gathered up all of his energy. Kevy stood in front of him with Lydia partially behind him and reached out to Harry. Harry attacked, his right foot coming up and forcefully parked in between Kevy's legs, forcing the man's bits to be mashed hard against his body. Kevy stumbled back, grabbing himself as he knocked down Lydia. Harry used his magic to pull his hands free as he watched Lydia roll backwards away from them. Harry then used his left foot to kick Kevy hard in the head and knocked the man out. He turned his attention to Lydia and she was trying to pull the gun out of her bag. Harry leaped over the prone body of Kevy and jumped on top of Lydia and introduced his left fist to her already ugly face, breaking her nose and making it a bit more flat than it was. The back of her head made contact rather forcefully on the floor and she was knocked out. Harry retrieved the gun from her bag and set it aside. Using incarcerous, Harry tied them up tight. Harry sat down on the nearest chair and took a moment to calm himself down and to will his body to not upchuck at what had just happened. Harry then reached into 'shadow' and retrieved his mobile. He had some calls to make.
Three hours later Harry was back at the Doghouse with Kotake, Shizune, Sirius, and Hiroshi. He raced up the stairs and shedded the clothes he had on when he got into the bathroom. He stepped into a hot shower and started scrubbing down as Sirius and Kotake walked in.
"Are you okay, pup?" Sirius asked with concern in his voice.
"Take those clothes out and burn them, will ya? I don't want to see them ever again," Harry said as he continued to scrub down. "Gods, I feel so dirty after those two touched me."
"Did they actually…" Kotake trailed off, afraid of the answer he would get.
Harry shook his head. "No they didn't. I stopped them before Kevy did."
Both men sighed in relief. Sirius pointed his wand at the pile of clothes on the floor and banished them.
"Come on down when you're done with your shower, son. We can talk then," Kotake said.
Both men left Harry to his shower. Harry rinsed off completely, and then soaked for a time in a hot tub until the water cooled off. He got out, dried off, and went into his room. He tied fundoshi on him and then got into a plain brown kimono. He came down the stairs and the adults in the room turned to look at him. The head of the Japanese Secret Service London was there and he turned to Harry.
[Tadeo-san, are you all right?] he asked.
Harry sighed and reached for a bottle of sake on the table and poured himself a bit. [I will be in time, Tanaka-sama. I cannot believe there are people who… are that way.]
[It is unfortunate that you had to find out, Tadeo. I know you have told your story a few times to the investigators, but I would like to hear it from you,] Tanaka said.
[I'll do you one better. I'll put the memory into a pensive and play it,] Harry said.
Sirius went to the side table and returned with a brown bowl that had all kinds of runes inscribed on it. He set it in the center of the table. "I got this one for all of us to use after operations so all of us could view memories and discuss them and look for things that the person might have missed. Oh, just to let all of you know, I've cast a translating spell so I know what's being said."
Tanaka nodded. [This pensive is very interesting. I should have one for all of my people to use after operations. However, not all of my agents are magical. Sirius-san, that translating spell is very effective. There are times I have wished for such a thing at my disposal.]
They turned to see Harry pulling the white strand of memory out of the right side of his head and depositing it in the bowl. He stood up and went into the kitchen before Sirius activated it. Harry sat at the kitchen table and sipped the sake until Shizune walked into the kitchen. She leaned over and wrapped her arms around Harry from behind him.
[I am sorry you had to experience such a thing, my son. You did well to stop them from doing you any harm. Perhaps you should stand down for a time,] she said.
[I can't, Mom. Not while Voldemort is out there. He has to be stopped one way or another, and that means fighting all of his people, no matter what. I can't let what those two did to me stop me from fighting Voldemort. I will stop him,] Harry said.
[And all of us will stand with you in your quest to free the world of that monster,] Kotake said.
Harry looked up to see all of the adults nodding their agreement.
"Even the Potter Family stands with you in spirit," Sirius said. "Can't beat that."
"Damn straight!" James Potter shouted from his painting in the living room.
Sirius had set up several blank paintings in the living room that would allow James and Lily Potter, Phineas Black a former headmaster and Sirius' grandfather, Charles Potter Harry's grandfather, access to the house anytime they needed to.
"Hear hear," Phineas spoke up. "You have some serious brass, young man."
Harry went to stand in front of them. He looked up into their faces. Lily Potter had tears in her eyes.
"You were such a brave boy, Harry. I wish you didn't have to live with that curse over your head, but you do and you have taken on that burden so nobly. We are so proud of you darling," Lily said as James and Charles nodded.
The tips of Harry's ears burned red, a sure sign that he was embarrassed. Sirius grinned as he knew Lily had just handed him great pranking material.
[I do need to get back and find out what my people have gotten from those people,] Tanaka said a moment later. [I'll send a complete transcript by the box later.]
Sirius saw him out as Harry sighed. [If all of you don't mind, I kinda like to get to bed. It's been a day and I'm exhausted.]
Shizune followed Harry upstairs and tucked him into bed like she had done countless times before when Harry had lived at home back in the Hidden Village of Izumi-Zan when he was a little boy. She sat there for a time to make sure Harry had gone to sleep and then slipped out of the room. She went down to find Kotake talking with Sirius and Hiroshi. They turned to look at her. She moved into Kotake's arms.
[Must he do this, husband? Must he fight such a monster and others like him? Can't he just be a boy a little longer?] she asked him.
Kotake sighed. [I have been asking myself the same thing, Shizune. He must because he has sworn to and because that foul creature has marked him. All of us, as his family, must support and help him in any way we can. It has to be done. I just pray the war gods grant him the strength to survive this.]
Sirius mentally crossed his fingers.
Harry walked into the kitchen the next morning after his post workout shower to find a strange kid sitting at the table. He moved his left hand behind him and the Potter wand appeared in it. The kid looked like he had seen better days. His brown hair looked unkempt, his clothes were dirty, and he smelled. He looked to be about twelve and sported several earrings in his right ear.
"Hello, who might you be?" Harry asked calmly.
The boy looked him over. "I'm Nicky. The old man Remus brought me here real late last night."
Harry nodded as he evaluated Nicky and decided he wasn't a threat. He let go of the Potter wand and it went back to where ever it stayed until Harry needed it. Something Harry just couldn't explain. The 'shadow' as he called it just appeared one day and it kept all manner of things inside of it until Harry needed it, from a first aid kit to explosives. Tetsusaiga stayed in the claws of the dragon on his back until he needed it. That he couldn't explain either. Even Hermione did research on that and ended up chalking it up to 'a weird bit of magic' and left it at that.
"Are you one of them magicals?" Nicky asked as he bit into a bit of toast.
Harry nodded. "I am, and if you don't mind me making a suggestion, why don't you hit the shower while I dig up something much cleaner for you to wear? I think I have something you can wear."
Nicky brightened up. "That would be seriously cool, mate."
Harry led him up the stairs to the bathroom and used the Potter wand on the sly to get his sizes. He went to the hall cabinet and got a towel and a flannel for the bath and laid them on the counter as Nicky was in the shower. He banished the smelly things Nicky had been wearing and went into his room to get him better and cleaner things. He resized them and left them on top of the sink and retreated. He found Remus in the kitchen.
"Good morning, Harry," the older man greeted him.
Harry nodded on his way to the coffee pot. "Before you ask, Nicky is in the shower upstairs. I resized a pair of jean shorts and a t shirt for him and banished the smelly things he called clothes. Now, since he is here, I assume he has a story that needs to be told?"
Remus nodded as Sirius joined them with coffee. "He does, and it's thanks to that damned beast Greyback that he's here. Seems Greyback caught him out in the woods on a school outing and bit him."
Harry growled. "Why is it always the kids that have to suffer because of these bastards?"
"We constantly ask ourselves that question every day, Harry. We get no answer," Sirius said.
Remus scratched his face and sighed. "Nicky managed to clean himself up and didn't tell anyone for fear he'd be labeled a freak and sent to some secure place. Then came the night of a full moon, and he transformed in front of his very terrified family. His father shot him twice with a shotgun and Nicky got out of the house. Some super secret government unit tracked him once his father called the police to report the incident and they took him into custody at daybreak after he changed back. They locked him up in some super secret lab and were about to dissect him to find out how and why he turns werewolf. Fortunately for him, an animal rights group convinced that the government was doing experiments on animals broke into the lab and freed Nicky. One of the rescuers was a werewolf. He hid Nicky and then called me to see what I could do about the situation. I brought him here because Nicky has skills we so desperately need."
"He knows computers," Harry guessed as Nicky walked back into the kitchen.
Harry turned to him. "Feeling better?"
"Yup," he said with a Welsh accent. I know bleedin' computers real well, inside and out. I know what makes them tick, and I can make them tock, too."
Sirius barked in laughter at the pun as Remus smiled.
"I'm a world class hacker, too. Can get in and out without people knowing I been there. Before I left the lab, I spent a few very useful minutes with one of them super computers. I need to get me mitts on one so I can get back in there and get a few things I stashed. I need compensatin' for what them big brains tried to do ta me," Nicky said.
Harry had an idea what that compensation was. "Well, I do have a stack of laptops in another room that need looking at. You interested?"
Nicky giggled insanely as he stuck his tongue out a tiny bit between his teeth and nodded at Harry.
Harry grinned back. "Breakfast first, and then I show you. Can't be working on an empty tummy."
Sirius and Remus both grinned as Harry headed to the stove.
"You'll love Harry's cooking. He's kind of nasty when he cooks," Remus said.
"Yup. Beats the eggs senseless," Sirius cracked.
Both men laughed out loud as Harry groaned. "Ignore them, Nicky. They haven't had their pint of coffee yet."
"Neither have I," Nicky stated, making Sirius and Remus laugh louder.
Nicky began acting up, rapping on the table with a pair of knives pretending to play the drums and making noises. Sirius and Remus brightened up and grabbed their utensils and joined in. Harry closed his eyes, sighed, and dropped his head down. Sirius was bad enough, having Remus join him was even worse, and now knowing Nicky was the same way just was going overboard.
[The gods give me strength to deal with these children,] Harry muttered as he turned back to the stove, getting the feeling it was going to be a long day.
Nicky, Remus, and Sirius calmed down long enough to enjoy the breakfast Harry made. Remus, Sirius, and Harry then demonstrated their magical skill in cleaning things up in the kitchen and Nicky had been impressed. They took him down to the basement rooms and showed him the spell arena, the potions room, and most importantly, their 'werewolf rooms' as Nicky called them.
"So I would be safe in here when I turn that one night a month," Nicky said as he stood inside the room, looking round it.
"Yes," Remus said simply.
"Good. Cause I don't wanna harm anyone like that bleedin crazy did to me. Here I am, amblin' along, just minding me own business when he comes jumping outta the trees landing on top of me. Starts chewing on me neck, and I start stabbin' him with me knife lotsa of times until he stops, grins at me, and runs off. I hadda use me t shirt to clean me up in the river nearby and zipped up me jacket hopin' nobody notices until I gets home. By then the wound is gone, no traces of it. I start thinkin' I'm gonna be okay until I changed one night. Damned crazy kind of pain just drives me nuts. Next thing I know I wake up nekkid in some kind of hospital with them big brains talkin' like I wasn't there 'the child needs to be looked at' they says, not even using me name. I yells at them and they gagged me to shut me up. A group of them orderlies then strap me up and cart me off to some kind of room with big lights overhead and they manage to strap me down onna metal table in me birthday suit. Just before they jabbed me with a needle, the place goes nuts. Loud sirens, red lights twirling, and a very loud voice yelling 'intruder alert' over and over again. Them big brains go running out of there leaving me alone until a group of people come running in. They freed me and got me out of there. One of them introduced me to the leader of a werewolf clan and I had been traveling with them for a time until I meet the old man Remus here. So here I am," Nicky said.
Harry shook his head. "Well, this is your home now. Nobody's going to get in here to cause you any kind of pain. There are definite benefits to being here. Twenty four hour live entertainment from the Marauder Twins. You get your own bedroom, and you can set it up any way you want. You will have friends, and not just the three of us. You'll meet them as they pop in from time to time. All the toys you want to play with. A computer lab that's your own territory to set up any way that makes you comfortable. A gym room to work out in. A swimming pool to swim in year round. An education second to none."
"Can't go to school no more mate," Nicky stated.
Sirius nodded. "Remus and I can teach you what you need to know."
"We can get you anything you need," Harry said.
Nicky smiled. "Cool. I got me a list made out but we can do that later. How about showin' me them toys you say you got?"
"Good thing you got England cable to kit out the house Sirius," Harry said as they headed upstairs to the ground floor.
"I do like watching the footy games every now and then," Sirius said.
Nicky grinned. "England National, mate. Does the set up include wireless?"
"It does, and there's a box in the computer room." Sirius said.
Harry watched Nicky inspect everything before he turned to them with a grin. "We so in business, mate. Gonna enjoy this job."
Nicky picked up the first laptop that Harry had gotten and booted it up. He went to work with it and before long he has something up on the screen.
"We definitely need a large screen on the wall," Sirius said.
"Sixty inch, high def, surround sound," Nicky offered up.
Sirius grinned. "Done."
"Printer to handle large printing jobs. Bookcases. Bookcase stereo with a tuner and CD player. Music CD's for the stereo, give ya a list of what I want. Office chairs. Recliner in the corner. Leather couch against one wall. A Dell desktop for my own use, give ya the specs later. Last but not least, a carton of Players, regular 100's and a Zippo lighter," Nicky requested.
"You smoke?" Sirius asked.
Nicky nodded. "Yup. My old man always had as far back as I can remember. I started up a month before all of this insanity came along and fucked up me nice neat orderly life."
"Us werewolves do have some kind of self healing factor that allows us to recover from any kind of damage," Remus said. "Nicky's healing talent should protect him from smoking, drinking, and what passes as Sirius's attempts at cooking."
Harry laughed out loud at that.
"Ah come on. My cooking isn't that bad," Sirius grumbled.
"Says the chicken you burned horribly in the oven last week," Harry said.
Nicky laughed out loud. "Bein' with you lot is gonna be a lot of fun."
Harry was glad that Nicky was starting to feel safe here. "Okay, let's get busy on what Nicky needs in here. We can split up the list. I could make the run on several music stores and pick up a mess of CD's and the bookcase stereo. Sirius and Remus can handle the rest. Yes ,daddy, I'll be careful out there."
Sirius just shook his finger under Harry's nose in mock anger as Harry walked out laughing. Nicky turned back to the laptop he had been working on and pushed that aside and wrote out the specs on the Dell desktop he wanted and handed it off to Sirius. Sirius left the house and took the nondescript van with him as he had planned on getting the furniture for the room. Remus elected to stay at the house and watch over everything and it would give him a chance to spend a little time with Nicky.
Harry apparated into the nearest town in the shadow of an alleyway. He casually leaned against the wall at the entrance to the alley and observed things for a bit before going walkabout. If anyone looked his way, all they would see was an ordinary teenager in jeans, a footy t shirt, sunglasses, and brown hair cut short. Harry headed for the nearest store and began browsing the CD's and began selecting a few to buy. He got a third of the list including a few that he liked. Walking out the store, he found cover two blocks away and tucked the bag of CD's into his magical backpack. He went to a few more places and eventually got everything on Nicky's list, including a few CD's that he had been looking for. Just as he left the last store to head home, he discovered another DE of interest standing to the corner not too far from him. Harry decided to tail the DE. The lady started off with the light, crossing the street. Harry crossed the street behind her and then managed to tag her with a tracking spell. He was able to fall back using a drinks machine as cover. He stood in front of it and spent a few minutes looking at the buttons trying to decide what to get. He finally made his selection, a cold bottle of Gatorade and opened it for a drink and then set off after her. Harry stopped at the news stand half way down the street and pursued the magazines that were on display as she had gone into the three story building across the street. Harry counted off three minutes and then crossed the street after her. Once inside the building, Harry realized it was an office building. Okay, he'd play whatever act he needed to in which ever office the target went into. Harry followed the trail up to the second floor and stopped, allowing Getsumi no Michi to kick in. Now he knew just which office she had gone into. A lawyer's office by the description on the doorplate. Harry retreated knowing that the place was probably wired to record anyone who walked in, and the receptionist would be a hard sell to get past. He decided to hand the break in and search job to another ninja who was much better than him at that. Harry knew he could do simple break in and search jobs, but a professional office was a bit more complicated. He noted the address of the building and who the occupants of that particular office was and then left. He kept going up the street for several more blocks and when he was sure nobody was tailing him, he ducked into the nearest alley and checked himself for anything. He was clean so he apparated back to the Doghouse. He found Nicky and Remus at the kitchen table, drinking cold ice teas and playing gin rummy. By the looks of it Remus was losing badly.
"Harry, watch this kid if you play cards with him. Kid's a card shark," Remus said as he looked up. "How did the shopping expedition go?"
"Got everything on my list, and caught an unexpected bonus. There was a DE on the street in front of me so I tailed her to a lawyer's office in the downtown area. I need to pass on the address and the names to my Dad so he can assign somebody the breaking and entering to investigate," Harry said as he wrote a quick letter.
"A female DE?" Remus asked. "That's unusual."
Harry nodded. "I know. Voldemort is so hard to figure out. He's sexist, but he'll use anyone he can to get the job done. Look at what he's done to Bella. He kicks her around like a bit of trash but isn't afraid to give her jobs because he knows she'll do it and gets it done by any means necessary. Not only that, she effective at asking questions and using whatever technique to get her answers."
Nicky shivered at that. "Sounds like one seriously screwed up bird."
"Who's screwed up?" Sirius asked as he walked into the kitchen.
Harry went into the living room and deposited the letter in the messenger box as Remus repeated what Harry had said. Sirius frowned as he looked at Harry's notes.
"I think I've seen that name before someplace," he mused. "I need to wash that name through MLE files and see what I get. I got what Nicky wanted for his room. All in one place, too. It's a second hand place and everything I got is in great shape. Just a couple of scratches here and there. I need Harry and Remus for the unload job."
Sirius had come through. He found a large corner desk set up for the computer room that Nicky pronounced perfect. The Dell desktop was brand new, Sirius couldn't believe that somebody had left it there unboxed.
"You never know what you'll find in places like that mate," Nicky grinned as he set the monitor on the desk. "You got one hell of a deal, too."
It didn't take long for everyone to get the stuff assembled. Sirius took care of the desk, Harry the three bookcases, and Remus floated in the recliner and sofa.
"Magic is so cool mate," Nicky grinned.
Remus nodded. "That it is. Your room upstairs has what you need already, a bed, dresser, and a smaller recliner in the corner. I'll walk you round to collect what it is you want to make it truly yours."
Sirius was setting up something in the window. "It's one of those window fans designed to pull air out of a room. Give it an hour and you can light up. I got you your requested smokes, lighter, juice for the lighter, and a glass ashtray. Cleaning it is your responsibility."
"Understood, boss man," Nicky said as he was going through the CD's as Harry was assembling the bookcase stereo. "Hey Harry, you got some really cool stuff here as well as all of my favorites."
Remus and Sirius both looked up at Harry.
"Did you remember some of our favorites?" Sirius asked.
Harry grinned. "Sure. Including all of Led Zeppelin as well."
"Oh right on," Nicky said as he unboxed the Dell. "I like those guys. Wished I could have seen one of their shows."
Sirius and Remus turned their attention to the big screen TV they got. All four of them worked together and got it mounted on the wall. Sirius used a very strong sticky spell for added strength. Nicky then wired up the big screen for cable, the computer, and the Xbox that Sirius had gotten. Nicky sat down in the big overstuffed office chair and booted up the Dell and went to work customizing it. Harry, Remus, and Sirius left the computer room to let Nicky work.
"So what now?" Harry asked as he sat down in the kitchen.
Sirius rubbed his face as he thought hard. "Well, we haven't heard from everybody just yet, so let's look at what we do have. I do find it very interesting that you saw Malfoy senior in the back of a limo. Two things come to mind. It really belongs to him and that makes me conclude that he's got business dealings in the muggle world, or somebody else owns it and he was in the middle of making a deal with that person. I kind of find it very hard to believe that he owns it, knowing just how he feels about the muggle world. Narcissa, my sister, shares a lot of his opinions. Not all, mind you, but most of them. Both of them no doubt, have made it a point to constantly bombard Draco with their ideals on a daily basis, which amounts to brainwashing."
"That would explain why he sounds like a parrot all the time," Harry said as he leaned into the refrigerator for a bottle of ice cold iced tea. "Cold drink guys?"
Harry sat down at the table after delivering two very cold cans of Guinness to them.
"I'm not surprised by that," Sirius said. "I've had some ideas as to where freaky boy is hiding out. He's either at the Riddle House, or he's taken over the Malfoy mansion."
Sirius sighed. "Be nice to know."
Voldemort's Lair, Malfoy Mansion
Voldemort reclined in the bed he was using in one of the guest bedrooms in the Malfoy mansion and waited for Snape to tend to him. The Hogwarts potions master arrived with a goblet in his hands.
"Severus, my old friend, what do you have for me now?" Voldemort asked.
Snape bowed. "A restoring potion, my Lord. It is one of several potions you need to restore you completely. The ritual that Wormtail conducted was good enough to return you to a body. Now I am working on potions that shall restore you to greatness."
Voldemort nodded. "Thank you, Severus. You always had anticipated my needs and served me well in the past. Now you have risen to the task of helping me. Most commendable. Now come, let me have that which you possess, and sit with me awhile. I desire information as to what has befallen the world these past thirteen years."
Snape sighed as he handed over the goblet. He used the few moments that Voldemort spent in drinking the potion to gather his thoughts together. He knew that Voldemort already knew what he wanted to know. He wanted to hear from Snape from his viewpoint what had been going on. Snape sat there for a few minutes and observed Voldemort to see if his restoring potion had worked. He observed Voldemort looking a bit more alert and he nodded to himself.
"Good. The potion I gave you is indeed working. I think a few more and you should be able to get around easier," Snape said after a few moments.
"Thank you Severus. Your efforts are most appreciated," Voldemort said. "Now speak."
Snape nodded and then began his narrative, giving Voldemort the facts, careful not to include his opinion, as it had not been asked for. He included his observations of Potter and what he knew of him and how he acted in the castle. Voldemort listened, and then when Snape had finished, began asking questions about certain events that interested him.
"So you say that the Potter boy did not turn out like Dumbledore wanted?" Voldemort asked.
Snape nodded. "Yes, my lord. The Potter boy had much confidence about himself. It was obvious that he had some training in his magical skills prior to Hogwarts. He did come from Japan, and I was unable to find any information as to where he lived in Japan prior to Hogwarts. I do know the family who adopted him works for the Japanese Government as minor diplomats. Very little is known about them and I am making efforts to find information on them. The brat wears a dragon tattoo. I have seen it. It greatly upset the old man and he is convinced that the Potter boy is turning dark."
"They had words in the great hall when his name was drawn out of the goblet of fire?" Voldemort asked.
"They did. It convinced me beyond a shadow of a doubt that the old man had some kind of agenda regarding the Potter boy and that did not sit well with the boy. He went as far to sue the old man in the Wizengamot, the ICW, and the school board. He won his suit in all three places. It was revealed to all that the old man had his fingers in places that he should not have them in," Snape said.
Voldemort rose to a sitting position, his black eyes glittering. "He was stealing from the Families? Could it be, that the old man is not so honorable as he would have the Wizarding world believe?"
Snape nodded. "It would appear so. He even interfered with the Potter Wills, sealing them up so nobody could get at them. But he did not count on the cunning of the goblins, as they made duplicates and locked them away in their own vaults. The Potter boy first learned of the old man's manipulations when he met with the goblins at his first appearance in Gringotts. He claimed the Potter Family Ring, the titles, the seats, and everything that was Potter Clan related. Rumor has it that he struck a deal with the idiot Fudge 'grant me emancipation and I'll never seek the minister's office' and got it. It's been whispered to me that Umbridge and Fudge are plotting to discredit Potter and that they already have bought off Amos Diggory if Cedric keeps quiet. Oh yes, the Diggory boy survived the night in the graveyard and has been keeping a very low profile and has said nothing at his father's urging claiming his son sustained a head injury that caused him to hallucinate. Both of them are leaving England."
"And what of Potter?" Voldemort asked.
Snape sighed. "I have people looking for him. He is not at his relatives. They left for other parts of England after the one month that Potter spent with them. They are the worst sort of muggles and refused to talk about Potter. Slammed the door in Sally's face after she made contact with them posing as English child welfare. I can only speculate as to where he goes during the summer holidays."
"Even though Dumbledore has been reduced to that of a teacher, he is still a danger to me. He must be removed from my path if I am to succeed in my quest to conquer the Wizarding world. But the time is not quite right. I must be stronger than I am now, Severus. His time is coming, Severus. When we do strike him down, the ministry will crumble as well and then our agents can step in and assume control. We must take our time and slowly work our people into key positions. I have one pawn already in place. She will strike when the time is not right. She shall be instrumental in moving our people into the right places. There is one thing yet to be done and I am contemplating the right people to carry it out for me. For now I must concentrate on my recovery and I look to you for help in that goal. Do not fail me Severus," Voldemort warned. "You have never failed me yet. I trust you to do what is needed to help me recover."
"Thank you for your trust in me, my lord. I will work hard in my efforts to assist you. One more thing. Potter encountered the Dementors a fortnight ago while going to the mudblood Granger's house. He is in dire straits with the Ministry due to the fact that he performed the Patronus spell in full view of a muggle, the Granger muggle. I shall keep you informed of those developments," Snape said.
"Good. Perhaps we can turn this to our advantage, Severus. Watch from a distance and keep me informed. Now I must rest," Voldemort said by way of dismissal.
Snape stood and bowed. "By your command, my master."
He spun round and his cloak billowed outward and then again as Snape walked briskly to the door. He had much work to do.
The Doghouse, location unknown
Harry sat at the head of the table as everyone took their places. Harry nodded as he looked at the serious faces of his friends sitting at the table. Everyone had the grand tour round the place and Harry had introduced Nicky to all of them.
"So now all of you have seen the house and the grounds and have met Nicky who is going to be our high tech guru. What say all of you?" Harry said.
"I say Nicky is in," Hermione spoke up. "With his computer set up, researching things will be a lot easier not to mention tracking the various DE's and what they are doing as well."
There was agreement from around the table. Nicky was sitting at the table next to the Weasley Twins.
He stood up. "I gotta thank you all for includin' me in this thing. I gotta score to settle with the bleedin' crazy who… who screwed me good when he tried to lunch on me. Harry tells me he's thrown in with this bloody wanker who's tryin' to take over your world. I say we tell them to sod off in any way we can and make it hurt."
Harry leaned forward. "Oh, we will tell them that, Nicky, and a lot more. Hurt them? We will, for hurting innocent families."
More agreements from everybody.
"Right now I have a serious problem that needs immediate attention. As all of you know by now, I took on a pair of Dementors when they attacked me and Dan Granger a few nights ago. Because of them I now have to go on trial to defend myself on charges of breaking the Secrecy Laws. Those who have sworn allegiance to the Idiot-Who-Must-Be-Named will no doubt vote against me. Those who stand with Dumbledore will vote in my favor at Dumbledore's urging. Those who have declared themselves neutral in the coming conflict might go either way. I have no idea how Gring is going to defend me as he has not said anything to me yet. Hermione has provided him with a number of cases where kids my age or younger have defended themselves and others using magic in full view of the muggles for him to study and at last communication he is planning to work them into some kind of defense. So please keep your fingers crossed for luck," Harry said.
"What if they rule against you and snap your school wand?" George wanted to know.
Harry grinned. "Hey, fine by me. I still have the Potter wand and it would give me the opportunity to work full time against the DE's to try and make their lot in life miserable."
"Ronnie is going to be on the train this September," Ginny informed the group.
"Percy got demoted for his 'failure' in the tournament business," Fred spoke up.
Neville set down his glass. "Bet he didn't like that."
"Been ranting and raving about 'that Potter brat ruining everything for me' almost nonstop," George stated. "Dad finally put his foot down and shut him up."
"Down his throat or up his arse?" Neville asked.
The twins grinned. "A bit of both."
"Ouch," Nicky spoke up. "That can adjust an attitude."
That got a laugh. Just then the letterbox at Harry's right elbow chimed. Harry reached into it and opened the letter and read it.
"Sirius, I need you to go to the Japanese Embassy and escort my family and Daito Souta here. The code word is 'rice balls covered in molasses', and yes, it does exist, and it's a great treat. Mom's invention. Time to find out what he has to say and offer," Harry said.
"On my way pup," Sirius nodded and left through the arrival room just off the front door.
Harry turned to the group. "Let's take a break. Fred, George, can I see the both of you in the gym?"
The twins followed Harry into the gym room and Harry closed the door. He turned to the table in the room and opened the box to reveal the thousand galleons he'd won in the tournament.
"This is for you guys. I want to invest in your joke shop business," Harry said, handing them the box with the money inside of it.
"Are you sure about this, Harry? You did win the money," Fred said as George fingered the coins obviously counting them.
"Very sure. You guys have a good thing going, and I know that you two want nothing to do with the Ministry, having seen the effect it had on Percy. I say take the money. Build new and improved gags and jokes. Build devices that we can use out in the field against the DE's in the event we come up against any. Just make sure that you keep all of this on the low down as I will not be paying medical bills due to the acts of angry mother. Once you two are seventeen, you can do anything you want and get away with it, and angry mother can't stop you," Harry grinned.
Both of the twins looked at each other and Harry was certain they were doing the twin thing. Then they turned back to Harry.
"We'll take this on the condition that you become a full partner in WWW, Weasley's Wizardly Wheezes," Fred stated.
"Are you sure about that?" Harry asked. "You guys could become targets if it became public knowledge that I'm the third wheel in your company. You might get visitors of the wrong kind."
Somebody knocked on the door. "Harry? You're needed out here."
"We're not worried. Just means we get to test pranks and gags on them," George grinned.
Harry sighed. "I almost feel sorry for them."
All three laughed as they came out of the gym. The twins stashed the box in their backpack before turning to see who the new arrivals were. Harry hugged Shizune, greeted Kotake, Hiroshi, and Ichiro, and then turned to Daito Souta.
[I am honored to have you as a guest in my house. Thank you for coming,] Harry bowed.
Daito returned the bow. [I am honored to be a guest in your house. Thank you for inviting me.]
Harry turned to the group and made introductions. More chairs had been added to the table and everyone took seats except for Daito Souta. He looked around at the group and people settled down underneath his powerful gaze.
"The reason I am here is twofold. There are a group of magical people in an organization that I am aware of who wish to offer their assistance in this matter. They believe that an attack on one person is an attack on all magical people. If this upstart is successful in the Wizarding world, what is to stop him from reaching the muggle world and enslaving them? He needs to be stopped. They wish to help. The second reason in on behalf of the Japanese Magical Ministry. They wish to loan their magical detector in an effort to stop the DE's from destroying all of magical England," Daito announced. I have been told that this magical detector had recorded many magical signatures. It will not take up much space."
"What do you want in return?" Harry asked.
"To help you cancel their ticket. Such dishonorable people should not be allowed to live," he growled. "They must be held accountable for their actions against people."
Harry agreed. "Can anyone be taught to monitor it?"
"Of course," Daito replied instantly. "Do you have people in mind?"
Harry nodded. "I do, and they are present."
Nicky immediately stood up along with Remus and Sirius. Daito nodded.
"This one is half the size of the one the English Magical ministry uses. It has been here in England for the last twenty years, quietly recording the magical signatures of all magical people living here. It can identify the DE's once they have used the unforgivable against innocent people and at present count there are about a thousand of them active and who knows how many more hidden, and you can bet they will not show themselves until the time is right," Daito informed them.
"Would an attack on something major bring out the hidden ones?" Harry asked.
Daito's eyes narrowed. "Such as?"
"The Ministry. Diagon alley. Hogsmeade Village. Hogwarts. Other smaller magical villages," Harry replied.
"A sound tactic to attack all those places at once," Daito said. "That is where the people I represent would come in. They would help protect those places and help those caught in the attacks escape. The attackers, of course, would not be allowed to live."
There was a heavy silence in the room as everyone thought about what had been said.
"I motion we accept their help for when the time comes," Neville spoke up.
George nodded. "I second the motion."
Harry knew there was no going back now. The time had come for war, and the DE's following Voldemort had fired the first shot at the Quidditch match with their public outing. "All those in favor, say aye. Those opposed say no."
Everybody around the table called out aye, making the vote to accept help unanimous. Harry turned to Daito and reached out to offer up his hand.
"It is done. We accept your offer of help. There is no turning back now. We openly declare war on Voldemort and his DE's."
With that, the war for the Wizarding World had started.
Next Chapter: The first battle, Harry's trial