Chapter Seven:
As they left the ship early that morning shortly before six a.m., Victor, Fedor and Anna looked around and found a distinct lack of one Allen Potter. This absence brought rather vicious grins to each of their faces. Due to the oath he had taken, Dumbledore was required to make sure that Potter showed up and they were fairly sure he would have informed the boy of the importance of being on time, so they could only assume that he was merely taking his time to aggravate them, as if their warning was merely a formality. He will soon discover that to be a rather costly mistake on his part. Cedric, and several others, however, were there.
"What are you doing here?" Victor asked as they approached the group.
"Well I figured I would work out with you this morning, I've been slacking off a bit lately and thought this a good time to get back in the habit."
"And all of them?"
"We just want to see Potter get run ragged." A cheery faced blond answered with a smile.
"Ah, well I shall do my best to accommodate you." Fedor promised in a rather pompous tone as he gave an exaggerated bow. The fact that he was wearing a pair of shorts and a tee shirt despite the cold morning air took away from the image slightly but no one seemed to care. Victor however was looking at his brother as if he was wondering if he had hit his head recently.
"Fedor, this is Susan." Cedric introduced.
"Hello, Susan." Cedric was actually pleasantly surprised as he watched Fedor shake the girl's hand. This was the first time he had seen the younger boy actually appear to be fourteen years old. While maturity was certainly a good quality, especially in teenagers, you can't approach every situation with a serious mindset.
"Well, Cedric, you're more than welcome to join us but our workouts can become a bit extreme." Cedric nodded in understanding and was about to speak up again when Fedor's grin threatened to split his face in two and he turned to his brother.
"What time is it?" He demanded.
"6:04."
"Excellent!" The matching grins seemed to make everyone else a little nervous.
"Err, what's so special about the time?"
"I told your Headmaster to have Potter out here at precisely 6:00 and that there would be severe repercussions if he was late. Well they just walked out onto the grounds and are four minutes late." Victor quickly drew his wand and before anyone could process the sudden movement he cast a charm on himself and Fedor. Catching on, Cedric cast the same charm on himself and sighed as he felt his muscles and tendons relax, as if he spent the last ten minutes stretching. The charm was simple enough but it wasn't widely known because overuse could lead to some very serious developmental problems. Using it once in a while was safe enough but it was best to take a few minutes to do the job right. Fortunately, for them anyway, it was not a charm that was taught at Hogwarts and normally no one would even consider teaching it to anyone under sixteen years of age.
"I take it this is one of those repercussions you mentioned?" Cedric asked with a trace of amusement. He didn't normally enjoy the discomfort of others but he took two things very seriously, other than the whole Hufflepuff loyalty thing that is, and that was Quiditch and dueling. Both demanded hard work, discipline and dedication. Tardiness was not something that could simply be shrugged off.
"What charm was that?" Amber asked Cedric in confusion but got no answer as Dumbledore joined them with a very angry Allen Potter standing slightly behind him with his wand in hand.
"Good morning, everyone. I see you have a few more volunteers this morning!" Dumbledore greeted with a smile.
"No, Cedric is the only one joining us today. The others are merely here because they are curious about our training techniques."
"Well I have no need of your techniques. I do quite fine on my own." The words were barely out of his mouth before two spells hit him in quick succession. He had managed to raise his wand but he wasn't fast enough to cast a single spell. His wand was immediately ripped out of his hand and his body went ridged before falling to the ground face first, victim of a body bind.
"Now was that really necessary?" Dumbeldore tried to interject but he found that he was unable to move, the magic of his oath preventing him from coming to the boy's aid. Fedor ignored him and tossed Potter's wand to Anna as he stepped up to his 'twin' and kicked him over onto his back so that he could look into his face.
"I would say that you need whatever help you can get because clearly you do not do 'quite fine' on your own. You already had your wand in hand and yet I was able to draw mine and fire two spells at you before you could even finish one. Your movements are slow, imprecise and flourishing your wand like a feather duster may seem impressive to you but it is both ridiculous and a complete waste of valuable time. I cast two spells verbally, had I done so silently, I would have been able to finish three, maybe even four spells while you were waving your wand like a fool. You're supposed to be a dueling champion, are you not?" He finished mockingly before he released the body bind he had on Potter, allowing him to scurry back to his feet. The Hogwarts students present had a hard time hiding their amusement from their Headmaster.
"Do you want to set the pace, or keep it?" Victor asked with a creepy grin.
"I'll set and let you have the fun this time." Fedor relied after a moment's thought before turning to Cedric and switching back to English. "Shall we, one lap around the lake?"
"WHAT? That could take hours!" Potter nearly shouted.
"Two hours, fifty eight minutes!" Victor corrected with a smirk. "At least you had better hope that is all it takes, the journey will be quite unpleasant otherwise." Incensed, Potter turned towards his Headmaster, as if expecting him to intervene, but the stupid old man wouldn't even look at him. With what he thought was a menacing growl, he was about to strip off his heavy dueling robes when Fedor spoke up.
"No, you will leave those robes on for the duration of the day."
"Now, I must object!" 'Finally', Allen thought with some animosity. "You can't expect young Mr. Potter to exert himself in such a fashion in such heavy robes."
"He chose to wear those robes to a simple workout, probably because he thought they made him look impressive. Well, now he can look impressive all day." Fedor replied without sympathy. "While dehydration will certainly become an issue, until the matter becomes life threatening, your concerns regarding the situation are neither welcome nor required."
"But it could be detrimental to his health!" Dumbledore protested strongly, glaring at the two as if expecting them to back down. The Hogwarts students present were watching on with wide eyes and open mouths. They had never seen, or even heard about, anyone speaking to the Headmaster in such a way before.
"His immediate health is not our concern, only the end result." Victor's had an obvious note of finality to it that even a hardheaded old man could pick up on. Though he was by no means happy by their lack of concern for the wellbeing of a fellow student, Dumbledore wisely kept his mouth shut. Now was not the time and this was certainly not the audience for such a debate. The last thing he needed was to have his students stand witness to a prolonged battle of wits with a pair of adolescents. It just wouldn't fit with his image.
"Now that that matter is settled, get moving!" Victor barked and Fedor began jogging at a swift pace, pulling Cedric along with him. The older boy was quite surprised at Victor's sudden mental switched from a slight annoyed and amused young man to a cold and emotionless taskmaster. It took a few moments, but he shook this off and regained control of his body's mechanics flawlessly whereas most others would probably have stumbled about with others still, no doubt, falling to the ground in a heap. Despite his momentary lapse of coordination, he easily caught back up to Fedor and the two took off down the shore of the lake at a swift pace.
"You will keep pace behind them." Allen was informed sharply. "If you speed up, I don't care, but if you begin to fall behind, well, you won't like the result. So start running." When Allen simply stood there, glaring at the older boy, Victor pulled his wand and began firing several minor, but painful curses at him. The stinging hex to his lower back was particularly effective in getting the younger man moving. Once the two were gone, Dumbledore summoned a house elf and arranged for water to be provided to the four students at different locations along their chosen course only to find that it had already been arranged. He had no doubts that Harry and the Krum boy were well prepared for such things but he wasn't so sure about young Mr. Diggory and Allen certainly wasn't. Looking around at those students gathered on the grounds, he sighed to himself before moving alongside the young lady he had seen Harry speaking to many times previous.
"Hello, my dear. And who might you be?" He asked while putting on his best 'grandfatherly' smile.
"Anna Valavicius." She answered simply without taking her eyes off of her cousins. It wasn't until this very moment that two very important facts from the day before finally caught up with Dumbledore. One; Harry's wands were made by a member of the Valavicius family. And two; his glamour charmed pendant was made by that very same person. His adopted mother. His went wide for only a moment before he schooled his features into a lighthearted expression.
"Do you not train with them?"
"My regiment is not as extreme as theirs, so I don't work out as often or for as long." Anna said simply before turning to the Hogwarts Headmaster with a raised eyebrow. "If you expect that ridiculous 'benevolent old man' routine to work on me, you're sorely mistaken. Now, will you go someplace else, the air is starting to get a bit foul?" She had to fight hard not to smile. It was always entertaining when a powerful wizard walked into a trap. And Dumbledore was supposedly the most powerful wizard in the world. No one ever took 'children' as a serious threat.
"Excuse me?" Dumbledore asked in surprise forgetting all about his own students that were nearby. This was the same question a few of the closer Hogwarts students were asking themselves when they heard the girl's statement.
"You heard me correctly. Deception is your way of life so if you honestly believe that I'm going to trust you, you're more idiotic than Fedor believes."
"I have no idea what you are talking about."
"Sure you don't." She agreed in a patronizing tone. "While your actions years ago can be shrugged off by some, after all, people do grow up, your recent actions prove that you have not. While I suppose that, theoretically, all the blame could be laid at James Potter's feet, we all know that it was you that put him up to screwing over Wayne Hopkins last year." The Hufflepuff students standing off to the side were looking at their Headmaster in shock. While it was well known within their common room that Wayne was supposed to be England's representative in the competition that Potter eventually took part in, it was pretty much unknown in the rest of the school, primarily because he begged them not to make a big deal over it. Dumbledore, however, looked slightly confused. A fact that made Anna want to giggle.
"For shame, Headmaster." She mocked with a grin. "You cheated one of your own students and you can't even show him respect enough to remember his name. Of course, I understand. You wanted to get your poster boy's name and face out there, unfortunately he didn't have the skills necessary to live up to his ego."
"I had nothing to do with that tournament! International competition is something I am no longer interested in." Dumbeldore stated hotly.
"Quite a statement for a man that fought so hard to get the Tri-Wizard Tournament reinstated. Even going so far as to use every ounce of your political influence to have the competition held here when it was rightfully Beauxbatons' turn in the rotation. While I'm sure that Potter is capable of independent action, we all know that he does nothing of any importance without consulting with you first. That is the reason he is facing a demotion in the Ministry, is it not?" She asked with a wide grin.
"What do you mean?" Susan Bones asked suddenly, causing Dumbledore to nearly choke when he finally remembered that there were others present. Susan, whose aunt was Potter's boss, had met him many times and was naturally quite surprised at this girl's accusations.
"From what I understand, Amelia Bones is one of the few within your Ministry that is both competent at her job as well as devoid of corruption. She can hardly have the captain of her Aurors passing information to, and taking orders from, someone else."
"As Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, it is my…"
"A body that has absolutely no control or influence over the Department of Magical Law Enforcement." Susan interrupted in indignation. Normally she would show every respect to her Headmaster but the fact that he was circumventing her Aunt Amelia's authority within her own department infuriated her. "Even if a situation were to arise that would require the Wizengamot's attention before a case went to trial, it is my aunt that should present it, as both Captain Potter's superior and a sitting member of that same body." Susan finished with a huff before stalking back into the school. Anna watched the girl go before looking back to Dumbledore with a slight smirk on her face. With a little extra bounce in her step, she made her way back to the ship to relax for a bit before the others got back.
'That was much easier than I thought it would be.' She thought to herself. Of course, the fact that Susan Bones was present to hear her allegations helped immensely. With luck, every word she said would be spread over the school within a few hours. The Potters' reputations would be easy to destroy, Dumbledore's would be a good deal harder unless they wanted to destroy him completely which wasn't an option at this point. If he kept pushing the matter later on down the road they may not have a choice but as it presently stood, they might have use for him later on.
XXX
The feel of the cold late autumn air burning his lungs, the pounding of his heart and the screaming of his muscles as he glided along the water's edge made him feel more alive than the menial tasks of mere student ever could. While he enjoyed his studies at Durmstrang, they didn't offer near enough challenge to suit him since the Ministry's educational policies did not allow a student to simply move up to higher classes simply because they find their current syllabus insufficient. It was his 'independent' studies that made life at school bearable during the long winter months when training outside just isn't an option. Four feet of snow on the ground has a tendency to remove outdoor activities from your schedule.
Unfortunately, while winter storms here at Hogwarts are not as severe as at Durmstrang, it would no doubt inhibit his usual routine. Thankfully, the castle had plenty of long corridors and numerous staircases that would surely give him a great workout but it was not nearly as enjoyable. The idea of being stuck inside always made him feel uneasy.
Looking to his right side, he saw that Cedric was keeping pace fairly well, though he looked to be tiring a bit. They were halfway around the lake now and despite his fatigue, Fedor had no doubt that the older boy would finish at the pace they had set. He was in good shape and wasn't the type to give up on something once he started. Besides, he probably didn't want to fall back and finish behind Potter. Hearing a scream of pain and anger from behind him, he let out a loud chuckle which certainly didn't help the other boy's pride any. Cedric was a decent enough guy to keep any laughter or mocking comments to himself.
XXX
James Potter was standing outside the office of Amelia Bones for just a few moments when the door opened and Kingsley Shacklebolt stepped out, with a rather shell-shocked expression, which was surprising to see on his normally impassive face. Shacklebolt a good man and a good Auror. He was five years younger than him but James had no doubt that he would make an excellent captain when the time came. When the black man caught sight of him, he closed his eyes for just a brief moment as he calmed himself.
"I'm sorry, James." He sighed before walking out of the room. It was a simple statement but caught him off guard for three reasons. One; Kingsley always observed the chain of command while on duty and as such always referred to him as Captain Potter. Two; what did he have to be sorry about? And three; there was an underlying tone of anger in his voice as he spoke that was clearly directed at him. He tried to think of anything he could have done to cause this unusual situation but he came up with nothing.
Shaking his head slightly, he put it out of his mind for the time being. He would talk to Kingsley later to find out what was wrong with the man but right now he had more important things on his mind, such as dealing with Bones. He wasn't quite sure what this meeting was about but if he had to guess, it probably had something to do with another round of retraining for all Aurors. While he may not agree with all of Amelia's decisions, he couldn't deny that she was intelligent. Most would probably allow the Aurors to get fat and lazy but she made sure everyone stayed in peak condition even though there hadn't been a serious threat in thirteen years. That was something he would have to make sure is continued once he had the job.
Stepping into her office, the first thing he did was look around as he tried to imagine what it would look like with his possessions adorning the many shelves and tables. While the office gave an impression of strength and order, it still had a feminine feel to it. A quiet, but firm, clearing of the throat pulled him out of his musings. Turning towards the desk on the opposite side of the room, he almost flinched. For the most part, her face was expressionless, but there was a great deal of rage burning in her eyes. He had no idea what was going on but he got the distinct feeling that it was not good.
"Did you honestly believe me to be so blind?"
"Excuse me?" James asked in confusion.
"I have known for some months now that Dumbledore was looking to have me replaced with someone more inline with his way of thinking. While I was certain that you were his choice for my replacement, I was unaware that you were actively aiding him until this arrived." She said as she slid a packet of parchment across her desk. A little wary, James took a couple of steps forward and picked it up. Flipping through them, he suddenly felt sick as he read written transcripts of numerous conversations he had with other Ministry officials over the last couple of months. This certainly went a long way towards explaining Kingsley's out of character behavior outside. Bones would certainly look into this matter and he was a very competent investigator and so he was the logical choice to head the investigation. It also explained the anger he had sensed from the man. Amelia had saved his life when he did something rather foolish as a rookie, landing her in Saint Mungo's for three months. While he respected Dumbledore, his loyalty had always been to Amelia.
"Is this a joke?" He stated firmly, trying to salvage anything he could. The cold look on her face didn't change. She didn't even blink. "Someone sends you this bit of rubbish and you instantly believe it? Anyone could have written these."
"They were also kind enough to include the recording crystals that those transcripts were copied from. Voice recognition and magical signature scans matched for all parties involved. Including your own."
"But, but surely you can see that someone sent these to discredit me."
"I don't care who sent them or why." Amelia snapped before continuing with a predatory grin. "Despite the potential you have shown, or rather because of it, throughout your career, I find myself sorely disappointed. I would have expected more of a challenge from you and Albus."
"Err, what?" James was feeling decidedly uneasy, this didn't seem like the same woman he had known for the last fifteen years.
"I simply find it amusing that the two of you were working so hard towards a goal that would never be achieved. My position here has never been in any danger, I made sure of that as soon as I took this office. I didn't spend thirty years of my life in the field to simply roll over when some self righteous old man feels I've outlived my usefulness. Now, as I'm sure you're wondering where this meeting is going, I'll get right to the point. Effective immediately, you have been suspended indefinitely while we investigate this matter thoroughly. Senor Auror Shacklebolt will oversee operations on an interim basis until his promotion to captain becomes official."
"WHAT! Captain Shacklebolt?" Sure, he was planning to promote the man as well but where did that leave him now.
"Of course," Amelia answered with a small smirk. She really was enjoying this. "Of course, Scrimgeour is the ranking officer right now, but Shacklebolt is more than competent enough for the job and has no real political aspirations of his own, unlike yourself and Rufus."
"But, but what about me?" James nearly screamed. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He had busted his ass for Amelia for fifteen years, either when she was his team leader, Auror Captain or department head, he had always given her everything he had.
"What about you?" She asked in mock confusion. "You're suspended remember. I suppose you could return as a team leader if our investigation doesn't turn up any legal wrong doing, but I'm afraid that your actions have proven that you can not be trusted enough to handle the responsibilities associated with a position beyond that. On a side note, if you choose to seek employment elsewhere within the Ministry, I think you'll find you will get no sympathy or assistance from the other departments where a ranking position would be involved. You have already tried to subvert me, they certainly won't be lining up to give you the opportunity to do it to them as well. You really should have thought this through more thoroughly, James."
XXX
"Sirius!" Looking up from his desk, the current head of the Black family wasn't as surprised to see Lily Potter approaching him as he would have been the day before. In fact, he had been expecting her to show up sometime today but currently he was in absolutely no mood to deal with her or her temper. He had been reviewing reports concerning Voldemort's possible location in Albania and the connection, if any, to the disappearance of Berth Jorkins. He had thought that by transferring from the Aurors to the Department of Mysteries that he would be doing something else but it would seem that while the Aurors policed England, the Unspeakables were stuck investigating every foreign threat that presented itself. While the assignments were certainly interesting and the regular trips around Europe were great, it seemed most of what he did was chasing down a supposed 'rising Dark Lord' only to find that its nothing more than some petty crook with an over inflated ego. There was also a great deal more wet work. With a sigh, he closed his file.
"This isn't about Harry!" Lily said immediately, recognizing the look on Sirius' face as the one he gets right before he shuts down and doesn't respond to anything around him.
"Really?" He asked in a disbelieving tone. What else could she possibly be here to talk about?
"I would think that after being married to him for sixteen years that I know James enough to know that you aren't nearly as unreasonable or as 'traitorous' as he claims." Sirius merely grunted in reply. "So, um, what are you working on?"
"While you may work in this department as well, you know perfectly well that research and development personnel are not permitted access to information from field agents unless…"
"Yes, yes, I know." Lily interrupted in aggravation. Ever since joining the Department of Mysteries, she had been deeply curious about what it was that Unspeakables did but she was never able to get a definite answer. Some said they were spies and assassins, others claimed they were merely investigators while others still believed they were actually all three. Lily was inclined to believe this last one above the others. While she didn't like to imagine Sirius killing people, she couldn't very well imagine the department financing so many Unspeakables to simply look for more things for the research department to study. When he first transferred from the Aurors she thought she might actually be able to get a solid answer but with every question she asked, she always got that same damned answer.
"So, if this doesn't concern the Krums, what is it?" Lily suddenly seemed unsure of herself as she looked around to make sure no one else was listening. This simple act was enough to get Sirius' interest piqued as well as make him worry.
"Um, what do you know about Necromancers?" She asked quietly despite the privacy wards that surrounded every desk in this wing of the Ministry. Harry's argument, almost supporting the practice, got her deeply interested in what the magic entailed. Ever since she entered the magical world, all she ever heard was that it was an extremely dark and evil brand of magic, and she had believed it. But the way Harry had talked about it, it sounded more neutral than anything else, much like elemental magic. If this was indeed true, why would Albus have abandoned his studies after years of dedication and turned on his master as he did? Under normal circumstances, she wasn't one to let others to do her thinking for her, so she decided to get as much information on the subject as she could and if any of her friends had access to such material, it was certainly Sirius, who's family had always embraced the darkest of all magic.
Lily's question deeply confused Sirius for several reasons. For instance, why was she suddenly taking an interest in such an art? Why was she coming to him? And, why did she phrase her question as if she knew nothing when she had access to the department's library? To get the most out of any conversation, she always researched as much as the topic as she could before asking questions. But in this instance it would seem that she was reluctant to do so. Suddenly a small smirk spread across his lips as the answer came to him.
"Ah, so, you've found out about Albus, have you?" That certainly explained her lack of knowledge. She didn't want their colleagues and superiors asking questions concerning her motives. She never was a very good liar.
"How do you know about that?"
"You'll find that he was not as thorough as he would have liked. I have no doubt that it is widely known within the department but I am unaware if they have any hard evidence. How did you come by this fascinating piece of history?" Lily was thrown off by his attitude. He seemed almost like Snape when he talked about how ignorant his Gryffindor students were. It was clear that whatever respect he had for the Headmaster was cast aside a long time ago.
"Last night Harry tried blackmailing Albus. He claimed to have a journal that once belonged to Gellert Grindlewald, proving that he was once Grindlewald's apprentice." Sirius began coughing violently at that bit of information. While he had known of Dumbledore's past studies, he was unaware of where he learned the art.
"Grindlewald? Are you sure? I mean, it couldn't have been a ruse to simply get the old man off his back?"
"Absolutely not!" Lily said with certainty. "The way Harry described it, left no doubt that he had at least seen it and read through it before. Dumbledore went completely white at that point and actually tried a memory charm. Judging by Albus' reaction, I'm certain everything he said was true."
"Hmm, this could actually be good." Sirius mused.
"Good? How can this be good? Do you know what this information could do to our world?" Lily screamed. She couldn't believe that he was taking such an 'oh well' attitude about this.
"Now you're just being dramatic, Lily. Have you looked outside of England lately? Most of the world wouldn't care. Sure, they would be shocked, probably even outraged, but they would move on with their lives. England, however…" Sirius sat in silence for a few moments as he thought things over. "Do you know how much power Albus truly has? Judging by the look on your face, you clearly have no idea what I'm talking about. Well, let me give you a little overview of the political landscape at the moment.
"Albus controls the courts, he controls both Hogwarts and through his 'stooges', the Board of Governors as well. He has James, who he has been molding for years to assume Amelia's responsibilities, giving him control of the law enforcement. He is constantly whispering in Minister Fudge's ear to the point where, like James, he will no longer make any serious decision without Albus' impute and consent. He has either direct or nominal control over almost ever aspect of our society. Now, you tell me, where does that leave us?"
"Well, if what you are saying is true…"
"Don't give me that bullshit, Lily." Sirius snapped angrily. "Put that childish awe you have every time you look at the man aside for one goddamned minute. You know perfectly well that everything I have said is one hundred percent accurate. Now, let's try that again, shall we? Where does that leave us?"
"In a dictatorship."
"With the illusion of a democracy." He agreed. "And much like Slughorn did during our time at Hogwarts, Albus consistently works on promising young students to the point where they come to think of him as a wise, caring grandparent figure so that once they graduate and establish themselves, he has extra eyes and ears. Don't get me wrong, he wants what he feels is best for our world but who is he to decide what's best for us? If Albus got what he wanted and had complete control, even if he did everything right, the man is one hundred and fifty years old, Lily! For Merlin's sake, what do you think will happen when he's gone? We will have a government that has no idea how to operate without him there to tell them what to do. That journal could go a long way in marginalizing him, allowing people to do their jobs without his interference even if it is never made public."
The two old friends sat in silence as Lily thought this over and she couldn't come up with any other conclusion, much to her disappointment. However, beyond that, she was greatly surprised that it was Sirius of all people that she was having this conversation with. She had never really thought of him as a deep thinker. During there time at Hogwarts, and for the first three years after, he was probably the most immature person she had ever met, even surpassing James at his worst. But after Voldemort attacked, and they thought Harry dead, he had closed in on himself, creating an entirely different person but one that, once again, she wouldn't expect to take matters as seriously as he seemed at the moment.
"What did you mean when you said that Albus was looking to have James replace Madam Bones?"
"I meant precisely that. Amelia isn't the type to bend over for anyone, no matter how powerful they might be, so Albus has been subtly working on Fudge and many others with the Ministry to have her reassigned. Probably to an advisory position somewhere that carries little, if any, real weight. And with Albus' help, James has been positioning himself to be the only logical choice to assume her duties afterwards. Unfortunately for them, Aleksander Krum caught wind of it and had Amelia anonymously informed two days ago. She believes strongly in the whole chain of command issue so naturally she was a bit upset that one of her subordinates was circumventing her."
"WHAT? But what's going to happen to James?" Lily asked frantically.
"He was scheduled to meet with Amelia fifteen minutes ago, where she no doubt informed him that he was being demoted pending a full investigation."
"But, but its only temporary, right? He will get his job back once the investigation is over, wont he?"
"No, Lily, he won't. The evidence presented was incontrovertible. The results of the investigation will merely determine whether or not he will be let go entirely, along with anyone else involved."
"How did Krum get this information, why is he even getting involved?"
"I would think that would have been obvious. If you witnessed Fedor's meeting with Albus, I'm sure you are aware that Aleksander has absolutely no interest in giving Fedor up and likewise, Fedor has no wish to leave. Since they first found out about the Tri-Wizard Tournament, they knew that he would be one of those chosen to come to Hogwarts and by extension, that Albus would discover who he was. As things now stand, if you were to prove that he was indeed Harry Potter, the Krums wouldn't have a chance. You and James are pretty influential in you own right, after all, and you know the weight Albus carries. So if they are going to win they have to remove that influence. Aleksander will be working all the political angles he can, Olivia has snatched The Daily Prophet out from under Albus and from what I understand, Victor and Fedor are winning over the Hogwarts students quicker than they thought possible. By the time this matter gets taken before the Wizengamot, the Potter name won't be worth very much in the eyes of the public while Fedor's will be golden."
"Obviously, you don't think we can win, and clearly you feel Harry is better off with them. So why are you telling me all this when we can work to head it off?"
"You can't head it off, Lily." Sirius stated sadly. "Everyone that has an inkling of what is coming knows that it is a foregone conclusion. If this was your normal political games, sure, you could do something to stop it. But they're not going to come after you with lies and rumors that your friends, colleagues and those that respect you can simply ignore. They're using the undeniable truth. Everything! James' corruption on the International Dueling Committee, directed primarily at Fedor, no less. His involvement in Albus' attempt to get Amelia sacked. Dumbledore's cover-ups concerning Allen's bullying at Hogwarts. That alone could cost him his position as Headmaster. And that's just the beginning. They are going to ruin you.
"As for why I'm telling you this, call it a warning from an old friend. You are much better off by letting this go. James chose to disregard just about everything I said to him last night and to be honest, I'm tired of talking about it when I have no doubt that you are going to ignore my warnings as well. So…"
"What does Romulus Valavicius have to do with any of this?" Lily asked suddenly, knowing that Sirius was ready for her to go but still wanting to get as much information as she could. She wasn't able to get much understanding out of James' rant earlier that morning but unlike her husband, she had heard the name before. She just couldn't see how such a criminal was involved with Harry. Sirius merely sighed.
"He is Olivia Krums grandfather." Lily instantly paled. "You have access to a lot of information down here that James would never see, or would likely ignore, believing that it doesn't effect him, so I'm sure you can understand the very real potential for violence present in this situation. James seems to want to ignore it, believing that Albus knows what he's doing, but please, Lily, don't let him do anything stupid." Lily quietly gave him her promise before returning to her own work area where, just before sitting down, she growled in frustration as she realized that while caught up in their conversation about Albus, she had completely forgot about her reason for speaking to Sirius in the first place. Looking around her desk and seeing that she didn't have much to do at the moment, she decided to just take her chances and visit the department library.
XXX
"ALBUS!" Dumbledore looked up from his pacing to see the head of James Potter in his fireplace. "I'm coming through!" He said curtly before pulling back. The old man waved his wand at the fireplace, removing the blocking charms, as he sighed heavily. Not two seconds later, the man stepped through and he looked irate.
"That bitch went and fired me!" Albus blinked for a moment in confusion until the Valavicius girl's words concerning a 'demotion' came back to him. It would seem that after his meeting with Amelia, James had gone to just about everyone in the Ministry he had thought could help, even Minister Fudge, but no one would even see him, let alone help him get his rightful position back.
"This is most distressing." Dumbledore commented as he sat down behind his desk after James finished explaining. "Though it does help to explain that while many had appeared enthusiastic about aiding us, they were unwilling to offer their full and open support." Those that had the power to have Amelia replaced were either political allies of hers or were afraid of crossing her, afraid of whatever her numerous files may hold. While Dumbledore routinely used an official's wrongdoings as leverage to get what he wanted, for the most part he was unwilling to actually use that information in an offensive manner should his demands not be met. Madam Bones would show no such restraint.
"I'm ashamed to admit that I have underestimated Amelia. I would not have expected such tactics from her. In light of today's events, I believe we must make the Ministry aware of Harry sooner than we planned."
"Why?" James asked in confusion. "This doesn't really change anything. Their investigation will be over soon enough and I'm sure that once she has calmed down, Amelia will realize that I'm much more useful as Captain." Albus looked at him in bewilderment for a moment before grabbing The Daily Prophet off of his desk and dropping it into the younger man's lap.
Plastered all over the front page was a formal apology to their readers for the false and misleading articles that had dominated their pages for the past several years. According to the article all of their reporters had been replaced, the only one to survive this purge was Rita Skeeter, both for her popularity and the fact that she was a gossip columnist, she was paid to write her opinion on the news, not necessarily the news itself. No matter what their claims, neither James or Albus gave much weight to this particular announcement, they probably merely had their writers change their pennames as opposed to finding new reporters.
According to the editor, for the foreseeable future, there would now be two editions of The Prophet each morning. One to bring the current news and the other to retract and correct their previous statements. James went red with anger as he turned the page to find that the first article they chose to reprint was their coverage of last years dueling tournament. They apparently chose this one to feature first because Rita Skeeter had arrived at Hogwarts several hours early to witness the Weighing of the Wands, and had witnessed Allen Potter attempting to humiliate Fedor Krum only to have it backfire. To make sure that the event was reported on fairly, instead of writing up a new article themselves, they printed the official press release of the International Dueling Committee. The committee's evaluation of Allen's skills did nothing to improve his mood, neither was the fact that as a companion piece to this article was a report regarding his ejection from the committee and Allen's ban from competition as well as the reasons behind those actions.
"You can certainly understand that this will not be good for our cause, we must give both the press and the general public something else to talk about and the return of Harry Potter will certainly do just that."
XXX
With a little less than a mile left to go, Cedric had turned his head and hunched over slightly as he lost the remains of his small breakfast but he didn't stop running. While he was in great shape, when at Hogwarts he tended to neglect his usual summer routine due to classes and Quiditch. Looking at Fedor, who was still right beside him, he noticed that while he was breathing heavily and sweating profusely, he looked like he could go for quite some time now. Groaning slightly, he realized that if he were to have a hope to win this tournament he would have to find the time to get back into peak condition since fitness will no doubt be a factor in at least two, but probably all three, tasks.
Though they had been facing in that direction for some time now, it wasn't until they reached their starting point and he began to walk around as he cooled down, that he noticed that the small crowd that had gathered outside the school when they had begun almost two hours before had grown at least six times over with students from all four houses as well as some from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons. Even a few professors were present. Though Dumbledore seemed to be absent. He had been sure that the man would have been present the entire morning if for no other reason than to make sure Allen didn't get himself killed. Madam Pomfrey, however, was there. With a disapproving scowl on her face.
Many were looking at him and Fedor in shock. They obviously couldn't believe that someone would willing run around the entire lake, much less do so without stopping to walk at some point. Many others had retrieved a pair of Omnioculars from their dorms, or had borrowed them, and were looking farther, much farther, down the shore with wide grins on their faces.
Looking back with squinted eyes, Cedric couldn't see much other than two distant figures and an occasional burst of light. He was however able to hear the screams, though he couldn't make out the actual words. Despite his usual kindhearted nature, he couldn't really bring himself to feel sorry for the boy any more than he would feel for Malfoy if he were in that same position. In his opinion the only difference between the two fourth years was the house they were sorted into. While he didn't usually go for the whole house rivalry thing, except on the Quiditch pitch, he didn't like bullies one bit and saw it as poetic justice.
"What was our time?" Fedor asked Anna as he struggled to keep his breath steady.
"Two hours fifty two minutes and twelve seconds. Almost six minutes faster than last week. I'm sure Potter will appreciate that, if he gets back here alive, that is." She added sarcastically.
"How did it go with Dumbledore?"
"Perfectly. I'm not sure how much of the school knows about it, but many of the students out here came out after hearing about it to see what really happened. Most seemed to want to give Dumbledore the benefit of the doubt but when they heard about his unconvincing denials and that he had actually tried to defend his reasoning for interfering with Madam Bones, they seemed to get upset with him."
"That's good to know. By now, Potter is probably out of a job, or at least busted down to a file clerk or something, and The Daily Prophet should be here soon."
"You realize, of course, Dumbledore will have no choice but to come after you real soon?" Anna asked with in a worried tone. Unlike the rest of her family, she wasn't one hundred percent sure they could win a legal battle against Dumbledore and the Potters. They knew their plans were as good as they could make them but she still had her doubts. The product of growing up in a family of criminals. She was always nervous that something would happen to her father or grandfather. As long as she was pessimistic about such things, she could never be completely caught off guard if something were to go wrong.
It wasn't until a little over half an hour later that Potter and Victor showed up. Potter immediately collapsed to the ground, panting hard and wincing as he aggravated the numerous boils and welts he had received thanks to his inability to keep the set pace. Victor never once thought about telling the boy that he should walk around for a bit to keep his muscles from seizing up. Though tired, Victor was still in complete control of his body, walking wide circles around the fallen boy as he cooled down, paying no attention to the watching crowd until Madam Pomfrey stormed over with an irate look on her face. She pulled out her wand and after casting a diagnostic charm she was about to heal some of the exhausted boy's wounds when Victor stepped between them.
"I apologize, but I can't let you do that."
"WHAT? But he's hurt, get out of my way you stupid boy!"
"According to our agreement with Headmaster Dumbledore, no one is to interfere, that includes you. He is not in any danger of dying at this time so your presence is not required. If you have a problem with that, you can take it up with your employer." Not giving the woman time to respond, Victor leaned down and grabbed Potter by the collar of his robes, pulling him roughly to his feet and leading him off as the younger boy screamed and cursed the entire way.
Neither Victor or Fedor had any intention of allowing Potter to inhibit their workout so they decided to just get the matter over with which led to the two younger boys facing each other with blunted swords in hand. They wouldn't break the skin but they sure as hell would hurt, maybe even brake a bone or two if hit hard enough. Potter had initially complained that he didn't have any experience with sword but Fedor just waved that off, explaining that he wasn't trying to teach him fencing, it was merely an exercise to increase his strength, stamina, speed, reaction time and hand/eye coordination. All of which he believed Potter severely lacked. What followed was a ten minute beating. No other word for it.
Throughout this process, the watching students looked on in morbid fascination. Though they were certain that he was in a great deal of pain, they couldn't bring themselves to be overly sympathetic. As a matter of fact, most were enjoying the show immensely. It grew to well beyond comical proportions when Potter finally seemed to snap and reached for his wand only to remember that he had never gotten it back when he had been disarmed earlier that morning.
Growling in frustration and anger, he merely charged forward, intending to beat Fedor over the head with his sword. The fact that the other boy looked unconcerned by this only enraged him further. A sudden roar of laughter erupted in the on looking crowd as Fedor easily knocked the blade aside and swept Allen's legs out from under him. He tried to get up again but his cramped and exhausted muscles refused to obey his commands. He just laid there looking up at the sky as his lugs burned as he tried to suck in as much air as he could. His eyes narrowed as Krum step up beside him, looking down with a smirk on his face. The last thing he saw was Krum lifting up his leg before bringing it back down again, then all went black.
"MEDIC!" Fedor called out before turning away from the unconscious idiot. While kicking him in the head was probably unnecessary, it certainly felt good. Upon hearing Fedor's yell, Victor looked over at him with an odd look on his face. His break in concentration earned him a good pop in the ribs by Cedric, who, while not great with a sword, was a quick study. After calling his sparing partner off, he turned back to his little brother.
"Medic?" He asked in a disbelieving tone.
"What? I always wanted to say that." Fedor defended himself with a shrug before looking at the others present, many of whom were reading the morning's edition of the Daily Prophet while talking excitedly with those around them. "Well, one of you take him to the hospital wing." With a shake of his head, an older redheaded Gryffindor student stepped forward and levitated Potter off the ground even though he looked like he would prefer just stick him behind some bushes and forget about him. As he walked past towards the castle, Anna handed the guy, one of the Weasley twins, Potter's wand to take with him.
Looking towards his brother, he found him still sparing with Cedric while also giving him advice. Sighing, he was about to put away his sword to move onto his magic when Fleur came up behind him. She didn't say anything but he could feel her restrained Veela allure tickling on the edge of his mind. Turning around, he saw her lean down to pick up the sword that Potter had dropped before looking at him with a quirked eyebrow as she weighed the weapon. Apparently not liking the feel, she took out her wand and easily transfigured it to something more comfortable for her. The blade thinned out quite a bit but lengthened until a classy looking rapier rested in her hand.
"Ah, so you've handled a sword before?" He asked her in French. She seemed a bit surprised by this since he had not used his knowledge of her language before now. "Are you any good?" She simply smirked as she lunged forward and almost to fast for him to see, parried his larger blade aside. Fedor's eyes crossed a bit as he looked down, feeling the tip of her blade gentle resting against his Adams apple.
"I practice a small bit if I have the time!"
'Small bit, my ass.' He thought to himself. Thinking he may get a challenge today, after all, he quickly removed the charms that increased his swords weight during practice before shifting it to a similar style as hers. As the sword was magically bond to him, he could change its general dimensions with a simple thought.
"Before we begin, let us move away from prying ears." This immediately piqued both his curiosity and his suspicion but complied nonetheless. They moved closer to the lake's edge before she removed her blue Beauxbatons student robes to reveal her loose cotton pants and brown leather vest that she wore over a plain white long-sleeved tunic. No, this was certainly no spur of the moment thing, she came prepared for a fight. Fedor nodded in approval before they began without a word. He was instantly impressed. She was both fast and accurate and her reaction time was fantastic.
"What most do not know about Veela," She began as she casually parried his trust aside before her attack was likewise deflected. "Is that small scale illusions do not effect us the same as they do humans, no matter how sophisticated." She immediately seized advantage of his momentary break in concentration to jab him right in his sternum, causing him to hiss in pain. While the charms would prevent any fatal injury, it still hurt like hell to get poked in the chest like that.
"Your point being?" He tried to sound casual but he was getting really nervous. He hated performing memory charms on people whose magic was still developing, it could cause serious problems later on in life if he were to make the slightest mistake.
"At first, I could not understand why you wore that silly charm, but then Potter confronted you during lunch with his insipid arrogance. While your hair is longer, complexion darker and are in better shape, the resemblance is there despite his constant condescending expressions while yours are more impassive. While I had my suspicions, I was not certain until this morning when I figured out that scar on your forehead." Fedor cursed to himself. Veela were aura readers, he knew that but it never crossed his mind. She would have been able to see it whether his glamour worked on her or not.
"Well, now that you've confirmed your suspicions, what do you plan to do with that information?" Fleur didn't seem the least bit intimidated by his threatening tone.
"Nothing. It seems that this will be far more entertaining if I not interfere."
"Entertaining, how?" He was feeling very uneasy. He hated loose ends but in this situation a memory charm was out of the question. Even if he wiped her memory of it altogether she would simply figure it out again soon enough.
"I don't think anyone else will connect you or your family with the new direction the English press is going this morning, at least not until after Dumbledore exposes you, for certainly he knows who you are. I find it very humorous that you plan to tear apart this country's illusions about their 'savior'."
"That isn't why we are doing it?"
"Of course not, but its part of it. Dumbledore won't like that you have been raised out of his power and he'll certainly seek to get you within his grasp. To prevent that you must cast doubt on the suitability of the Potters as guardians and to do that you must show them for whom they truly are, not the image they want seen. While I don't know much about you birth parents, I do know a lot about Dumbledore and seeing him get brought down a few pegs will certainly be amusing." Fedor only nodded in agreement, he was quite looking forward to that as well.
They continued sparing in silence, with each scoring several hits. He was usually a very good judge of other people's abilities but he was caught off guard in this instance. While he was aware that she obviously had her skills, she was chosen as a Tri-Wizard champion, after all, he couldn't imagine her as a fighter. It was a rather pleasant surprise.
They went back and forth for nearly ten minutes before they found themselves only a couple of feet apart with the other's blade pressed up under their chins. They eyed each other critically for just a moment before they both moved once again, only to come to another stalemate, blades resting against the sides of their necks. Not giving the French Veela a chance to back off, he ducked his head to the side as he reached out to grab her off hand. Spinning her around and pulling her in, he pinned her to his chest with the edge of his sword pressed firmly across her throat.
While he couldn't see the look on her face, he was able to feel the steady pace of her breathing showing that despite their rather enthusiastic duel, far from being exhausted, she was more than capable of continuing for some time. Then again, he had yet to meet a Veela that was not in perfect shape.
"Well, it would seem that I win this round!" He whispered into her ear. He had a hard time keeping his voice steady. While her 'charm' would not work on his to the extent of others, the feel of her body pressed against his had the natural reaction of young men everywhere.
"I think not." Her reply confused him for only a moment until he felt a couple of gentle pokes to the right side of his chest, just underneath his arm pit. Having no doubt what he'd find there, he looked down to confirm what he already knew. When he had grabbed her, she merely altered her grip and twisted her wrist so that her blade ran along the length of her arm, pointing skyward. She was obviously experienced enough to position her arm outward enough to ensure that her body would not hinder her strike. As a result, no matter which direction he moved, she would be able to deliver a killing blow.
"Ah, so, we'll call it a draw, then." He suggested with some embarrassment. He honestly didn't think that any student there could compete with him other than Victor and while they had seemed evenly matched, he believed that she was at least a little better with a sword than he was. Possibly as good as Victor. When he had mentioned this to his brother a few hours later as they headed back to the ship to shower and change for lunch, he wasn't prepared to be laughed at.
While he knew about some of the Veelas' powers, he never thought to look into their history. Victor, who had studied their culture a bit when he got a crush on a Veela student in his third year, explained that while they were certainly good looking, they could also be very dangerous. Like the goblins, they were once a warlike people, a necessity when wizards and muggles alike, compelled by lust, would seek to enslave them. They settled down slightly after the magical and muggle worlds separated and then again after a treaty was signed with the International Confederation of Wizards in 1709, outlawing the slavery of 'near human creatures' and giving the Veela the right to punish any transgressors as they saw fit. While the treaty itself did little to stop the 'hunting' it took only a few instances of wizards being buried up to their necks in red hot coals for the point to be made.
Though they no longer actively train for the event of open war, by tradition, they still teach these skills to their children, especially those that live outside of their own settlements where humans are forbidden unless they have been taken as a mate. Presently, it is rare, but there have been instances where those that live or travel among wizards and witches are attacked and her 'allure' is not enough to subdue them and their abilities to fight becomes essential.
For the rest of the day, you could find students with their heads buried in their copies of The Daily Prophet as they laughed and talked to their friends. Those that had witnessed Potter's performance in the competition, either from being present or from watching his duel in Defense Against the Dark Arts, confirmed the IDC's evaluation to their fellow students. The high point came when Allen Potter limped into the Great Hall for dinner after being released from the hospital wing. As he made his way to the Gryffindor table he was painfully aware of the stares and giggles that followed him. Thinking that they were mocking him because of those idiot Krum brothers and their sadistic workouts, he merely glared at everyone present before taking his seat.
After a few minutes thought, Seamus Finnegan, deciding that it would be best for Allen to find out sooner rather than later, pulled out his copy of the paper and slid it over to his friend. Allen looked confused for a moment before he began reading. As he got further along, his complexion alternated between a pasty white and a sickly green before finally settling in a deep scarlet red. With a scream of rage, that only seemed to bring more laughter, he threw the paper down and stalked out of the hall. If it was anyone else, they may have felt sorry for him, after all, a panel of some of the greatest duelists in the world calling your abilities sloppy and mediocre could not be good for your ego.
The following two weeks proceeded in much the same fashion. The English press continued distributing their corrections everyday which often left Dumbledore, the Potters and many within the Ministry, annoyed, irritated or just plain angry while many others who had been victims of unscrupulous reports in the past breathed a sigh of relief when their specific apologies and retractions were printed. It wasn't completely smooth for the paper, however, as some were furious that such things were being printed about their nation's hero, whether it was true or not.
During this time, Victor and Fedor continued with their training, with Cedric participating most of the time and Fleur had even joined them on a few more occasions, mostly to keep her fencing skills in good order as well as work out her magic. Victor had learned that the first task in the Tri-Wizard Tournament was to involve dragons and this greatly excited the two brothers and they went over every way they knew who to either avoid, subdue or kill the creatures, they didn't particularly care which of the three would be required.
With ten days left until the first task, the biggest change within Hogwarts happened just as they were sitting down to dinner. Everyone present could see that Dumbeldore was very excited about something but couldn't figure out what until four Aurors entered the Great Hall and approached the Hufflepuff table were they stopped right behind Fedor Krum. Everyone was watching with wide eyes as they tried to figure out what the boy had done. Both Potter and Malfoy looked especially excited about seeing the boy dragged off to Azkaban, no matter how miniscule his crime may have been. Fedor, himself, didn't look particularly worried as he continued to eat, choosing to take no notice of the men behind him.
"Harry James Potter, you are ordered by the Ministry of Magic to accompany us to the office of Amelia Bones, Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, regarding your kidnapping by Aleksander Krum." The only sound that could be heard was the clattering of silverware as students and professors alike dropped them in shock. Everyone was looking between the Aurors and the Durmstrang champion who still seemed to pay the four men no attention at all. Victor made no effort to keep his smirk off his face as his little brother continued to eat as if they had said nothing at all.
"Harry James Potter…" He continued a little louder but was cut off.
"I'll give you a piece of advise, gentlemen. If you want him to do anything beyond disregarding your presence, I suggest you not use that name again." Victor advised. The lead Auror looked a little put out but heeded the advice nonetheless.
"Fedor Krum…"
"Yes, yes, I know. I'm finished anyway." Fedor finally looked up as he stood and almost laughed at all the gob smacked faces. "Well, thanks to Dumbledore, it looks like I won't be needing this anymore." He announced as he reached into his shirt and removed his pendant. Having no desire to discard it, he simply placed it into his pocket. While he no longer needed the illusion, his mother had created it for him a long time ago and so it carried a certain amount of sentimental value.
The Aurors got a little jumpy by this action and drew their wands before stopping in shock as his features began to morph slightly. They had been told that the boy was actually the kidnapped son of their former captain but they were apparently unprepared as the reality came crashing down on them. Once again, a gasp ran through the hall as everyone stared at the face of a slightly darker and more serious version of Allen Potter.
"Well, shall we go, then?" He asked, showing no concern at all, before walking out of the hall. The Aurors took a few moments but eventually regained enough control over themselves to follow. Once they were gone the hall exploded as everyone seemed to want to make their voices heard at once. The only exceptions were the majority of the Durmstrang students, who simply didn't care. Fleur seemed to find the situation amusing. Dumbledore was still looking out towards the doors with a calculating expression and Professor McGonagall who was watching Dumbledore.
She had no doubt that he had been aware of this before hand, maybe even influenced when the Aurors would arrive to suit him. It was absolutely ridiculous that they would make such an announcement in such a public forum. Amelia Bones would certainly never condone such actions much less put the boy on public display like that. She didn't quite understand what was going on but it was clear to see that Albus had his own plans.
Other than those previously names, one other seemed unconcerned about the events taking place around him, and that was Allen Potter, himself. This was because he didn't seem to be capable of formulating his thoughts, much less vocalizing them. He just sat there perfectly still, staring off with unseeing eyes.