The Games Wizards Play
Ted knocked and then waited patiently for the door to open. He'd been in Dumbledore's office once before. The previous visit had been decades ago and he didn't remember the details. This time he was there on business. The eclectic collection of books and monitoring devices were beautifully illuminated by the sunlight falling through the tower windows. The room was impressive in many ways. The Headmaster was less so. Time had not been kind to Albus Dumbledore.
Solicitor Ted Tonks got to work. "Thank you for seeing me. I represent a large black dog and we're looking to buy a recently deceased basilisk. I understand you have one you don't need."
Dumbledore sat down and indicated a chair for Tonks. "A.. a basilisk? Yes, I suppose I do. Did you say a large black dog?" Dumbledore asked.
"Well, not as big as your Cerberus, but large enough, and a very Black dog all the same. I thought an opening offer of 10-thousand Galleons would be a good place to start."
Tonks didn't want to dwell on his client. Sirius Black was out of Azkaban, though his legal status was currently in doubt.
Ted got right to the point. "If you're in a position to negotiate the sale, then we can take care of removing the carcass and the shed snakeskins. For a slight fee we can clean up the discarded bones on the floor and leave the room broom-clean and ready for the next tenants."
"You seem.. um, well prepared." Dumbledore certainly wasn't.
Ted Tonks gave Headmaster Dumbledore a sincere smile. "I try to be. Those are standard terms and conditions when we turn over a project. We do that every day. I brought the Galleons if you'd like to weigh them. They are marked for easy counting. I also have the papers drawn.
"Could you clear a space for us? You might also want to make sure the door is locked until we're done and this is put away." Tonks asked.
The hardest part of this negotiation might be finding a place to work. Rolls of parchment covered the worktables like precarious mountains. Dumbledore conjured another table instead of disturbing his earlier projects.
In fact, they were not Galleons at all. Tonks put gold bars on the table. Each was stamped and bonded with the Gringotts seal. The "thunk" of gold on wood changed the very atmosphere of the room. That sound often had a magic all its own. Tonks had seen its effects, particularly if you weren't familiar with the sound. He left the expanded and lightweight carry sack with the Headmaster. It was the only practical way to move gold bars.
"Here is the contract signature, and I need you to sign here to show receipt of payment. Yes, right there. Thank you."
"I'd like you to use the quill I provided. We get fewer mistakes that way."
Dumbledore skimmed the page, then scanned the quill. Only then did he "hmmm" in reply.
"I hope I've given you enough room for your full name."
"Very accommodating," Dumbledore muttered. Tonks verified the magical signature. Albus Dumbledore stood up and suddenly found himself to be a newly rich man. He waved his visitor toward the door. "Thank you. Let me know if we can do business again."
The Solicitor, dressed in black and simply cut robes, collected his papers and sat down again in his chair. "Now that you mention it, my client is also interested in the disposition of the fourth contestant in the Triwizard Tournament. We believe the fourth contestant was forced into a binding, and potentially harmful, magical contract against his will. We have laws against that."
The magical instruments in the room ticked as Dumbledore thought about the solicitor's change in attitude. This was not what he expected.
"Yes, it is a must unusual situation," Dumbledore said.
Now it was Solicitor Tonks who waved for Dumbledore to be seated. "Is it really, sir? It seems to be a pattern of abuse."
"That is a rather harsh accusation, and completely unfounded."
Tonks looked surprised. "Oh, I'm sorry. You may be right. I'd like you to correct my misinformation. Right here I have notes about a mountain troll that was loose in this school and put students at risk. The troll injured at least one of them."
"That was years ago, and.. and they were not badly injured."
"Yes, sir. We might have to disagree. I have the reports from the Healer's scan describing the injuries. If those are in error, I also have the memories of the attack in the downstairs bathroom. Since they are the memories of first-year students facing a large troll, the memories certainly look quite dramatic with all the screaming and shouting. I'd forgotten what it was like to be a firstie. I wonder what someone else would say if they viewed those memories."
"That hardly seems necessary," Dumbledore said.
"Yes, sir. I hope so."
Tonks turned the page of his well prepared notes. "I see where a wraith of Tom Riddle was living in this school for most of the school year and again put students at risk. It rendered at least one of your students unconscious, and did so with the willful aid of one of your staff members. That shows a shocking negligence in screening your staff. Again, I have the memories in case your recollection of the event is a little hazy."
"Another unusual situation." Dumbledore drummed his fingers on the table until Tonks turned to the next page.
"One of your professors was a fraud and passed off the accomplishments of other wizards as his own. That is at least plagiarism if not criminal fraud. Again, his actions contributed to the injury of your students. One student was controlled, almost like an imperious curse, for several weeks. Others were petrified for more than a month, and yet you didn't move them to Saint Mungo's or ask for an investigation by the ministry.
"Perhaps that is another "unusual" situation as you said. Would it surprise you if I said I have those memories too?"
"There are extenuating circumstances that I'm not prepared to discuss at this time," Dumbledore answered.
"I quite understand. There are always extenuating circumstances when a wizard breaks the law. That is precisely why we have laws so that we know when to stop even if we're distracted by events."
Dumbledore looked at Solicitor Tonks and then looked away. He repeated that several times as if he thought Tonks would disappear.
"Headmaster, should I go on and cite the number of accidents from flying lessons and from the potions laboratory. Again, I know you are so busy that those things might have escaped your attention. I see that you have a pensive so we can review all these memories today and be sure that we are talking about the same events."
The solicitor didn't level accusations or comment on character. He simply presented evidence. Honest wizards could still disagree about what the facts meant. Unfortunately for Headmaster Dumbledore, the evidence as a whole was far more damaging than the individual parts in isolation.
"Headmaster, both magical and mundane businesses have mandatory reporting requirements when someone is injured on their premises. Those requirements are more demanding when there is a custodial relationship like patients in a hospital or students in a school. I checked, and I didn't find these reports on file with the ministry. Was that an oversight on the part of your staff?"
"Perhaps," Dumbledore said. He became less talkative as the meeting wore on. Dumbledore's mouth was dry and he started to reach for a lemon drop. He stopped himself and turned his attention back to his visitor.
"You also signed documents today that said you were the owner of the basilisk through either a legal purchase or through a hunt and the right of combat or conquest. That isn't quite true, now is it."
Being prepared with the facts sometimes shortened negotiations from months to minutes. Now the Solicitor waited for Dumbledore to speak.
"I take it that you want something," Dumbledore said.
"I want to talk about our mutual interests. I've read the rules for the Triwizard Tournament. Perhaps we can put that time to good use."
Dumbledore nodded for him to continue but didn't say a word.
"There must be at least three contests. Until they are eliminated from the competition, each contestant has to participate. Additional events must be held to break any ties so that there are clear winners of the first, second, and third place. Does that suggest anything to you?"
"Yes, the organizers were most thorough. I don't see what that has to do with Harry." Dumbledore said.
"You can release the magical contract on Mr. Potter after he is eliminated in three magical games and the other contestants are tied for score. He need not participate in the tie-breaking rounds. I suggest three rounds of rock-paper-scissors to test the contestants legilimency and occlumency skills. Of course, the choice of magical contest is entirely up to you."
It took a moment for the Headmaster to wrap his mind around the proposal. Ted Tonks didn't move as Dumbledore thought through his options.
"That would be most unusual. I'm not sure that roshambo is in the intended spirit of the games." Dumbledore replied.
"But having an underage wizard entered against his will is in the spirit of the games? We live in an imperfect world. Let's correct the largest injustices first, shall we?
"Headmaster, I have never asked anyone to do something against their will or against their interests. So far, I have convincing evidence in my possession, and with a documented chain of custody. You would face almost a dozen charges of criminal negligence resulting in injury. That doesn't include the contract fraud and ministry procurement violations you committed this morning. Financial fraud of that magnitude is a felony.
"What should we do?" Tonks asked.
"You'd like Mr. Potter to lose," Dumbledore said.
"I want Mr. Potter to never compete in a tournament he never entered. I've shown you a path to achieve that. Mr. Potter can be free in a few days. I know you can be persuasive. You also have 10-thousand reasons for the other judges to see things your way."
Solicitor Tonks turned his head toward the gold bars lying on the table. Albus eyed his new wealth as well. He was not a businessman, but there were a lot of things he could accomplish with that amount of gold. The Triwizard Tournament only required three champions, and perhaps Harry's training could wait for another day.
Dumbledore tilted his head. "Ten days at the most, I'd say."
Ten days wasn't the best answer, but it was good enough. They could look at getting Mr. Black a trial once Harry was free and couldn't be held hostage.
"If you'll sign here, we can transfer the legal ownership of the basilisk from Mr. Potter to you."
Tonks retrieved his quill and the Headmaster signed the transfer.
"So Harry was in on this?" Dumbledore asked. The wizard looked tired. He reached for copies of the documents but Ted kept the contracts in his hands.
"My client is the Black dog. Mr. Potter was eager to trade a snake he didn't want in exchange for his freedom." Ted took both copies of the contract and put them in his expanding bag. "I'll return your signed copies once we're sure Mr. Potter is free of his magical contract.
"I can show myself out."
As he walked down the long hallways, Tonks was reminded of the many dark corners in the castle. It may be a vanity, but he thought he brought a bit of light to those dark places.
This wasn't the end, but he could see end of the beginning from here. Tonks would count the days until Harry no longer had the Triwizard Tournament hanging over his head. They had made sure that Dumbledore had the means to buy Harry's freedom. It had cost them the equivalent of several million pounds, but it wasn't as if they actually gave the money to Dumbledore. The headmaster was just renting the money for a while. Sirius Black's civil trial should recover all that from Dumbledore, and considerably more.
For his sake, Ted hoped that Dumbledore remembered to declare the 10-thousand Galleons on his taxes.
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