Record keeping: Chapters 13-16 are essential one large chapter that I've broken up. It's the reason why by themselves they may seem incomplete. But,. I want to keep the chapters shorter but i hope they will be interesting as we continue.

Also, readers may have noticed that I have not placed HP in the center of the action at this point. He's around the edges but that will change in the very near future as the Goblet of Fire arc commences.

I will discuss Ceraine's character in more detail. She is a Californian but not of the HP world or Xanders. She is also her world's version of a Slayer but very different frokm Alex's world.

Thank you very much for reading and on with the story. And of course, everyone please be well during these times...

Master Xander

Chapter Fourteen

Hogwarts

"Nice."

Alex had to admit that the old castle looked beautiful. The classrooms were in pristine condition and most of the rooms that Alex saw never looked better. As far as he could tell there wasn't a speck of dust anywhere, which was very impressive considering it was an ancient castle. The house-elves had outdone themselves in preparation for the visitors. He silently acknowledged their hard work, giving all the credit to the little creatures because he knew that the people here hadn't lifted a finger to help other than to delegate what went where. It was slavery, but the root core of their conditions was something else he would look into, and depending on what he found, he might or might not do something about it. The wizarding society was its own, and he planned to evaluate his own actions and the consequences before he jumped in and tried to change things outside her purview.

Those thoughts didn't stop him from anticipating the upcoming feast. The time for said feast hadn't quite arrived, but his stomach was doing battle with his logic. He could smell the different varieties of food that the little creatures had prepared and were in the process of finishing.

The ghosts floating around everywhere and with one exception, were speaking excitedly about the Tri-wizard contests of old, the past winners, and the prestige bestowed onto the school and the magical country in general.

Both professors watched the excited students waiting for the arrival of the two schools that were expected at any moment, Hogwarts students were looking out the castle windows, standing in the front of the castle and crowding the doors. There were even students hovering on their brooms, waiting to get the first glimpses of both schools whose arrivals were expected at the same time.

Both Alex and Ceraine were looking forward to what promised to be an amazing entrance. The magicals of this world relied on magic to the point that it was impossible for them not to show off. Magic was so much a part of their nature, they didn't even notice it. Neither Alex's world nor Ceraine's utilize magic with such abandon. But it was part of their nature, part of who they were.

What they didn't understand was what that they were crippling themselves, being far too dependent on magic only for their very survival. As a whole, they didn't exercise. Most of them didn't know how to cook, relying on the help of their little servants. There was an almost purposeful ignorance of the outside, non-magical world. Without magic, many wizarding families would likely perish, most being unable to adapt to a non-magical existence unless they received help from the very people they loathed.

What was of greater concern was that, with few exceptions, they were slowly becoming sterile. This was especially true in magical Britain. The pure-blood mentality prevalent in most wizards and witches was hurting them badly. Their magic remained strong, but their genetic viability was faltering. Potions could do only so much in the long term. Even with the potions, overall fertility decreased every generation. New blood was not being introduced and inbreeding increased as magicals kept it in the families.

Voldemort's blood purity agenda was self-destructive and ultimately headed towards extinction, and both Americans suspected he knew it and didn't care. But the organization Alex and Ceraine were most concerned about was worse. This organization knew exactly what would happen and had factored into their agenda. They planned to protect a small group of magicals, specifically wand users, and create a ruling class that would ultimately rule this world with an iron fist.

The Vishanti would not have it. The entities Agamotto, Hoggoth, and Oshtur, the new Powers-That-Be, replaced the old Powers-That-Were, or as Alexander c labeled them, The Useless Ones. Their incompetence and lack of concern for their champions and Earth in general, all in the name of balance, got them sacked by an even greater power. The Vishanti took their responsibilities very seriously, and Alex and dozens of others couldn't be happier.

Alex watched as Dumbledore almost danced around the main entrance to the school. The man was excited, happy, but if one knew what to look for one could see the aura of it of tension surrounding him. It was obvious that he was worried about something going wrong, and Alex understood his reasons.

The Death Eater's terrorist actions had soured most of the people of magical Britain. Most people pretended that what happened was all in the past and wouldn't repeat itself anytime soon. Others simply kept their mouths shut, afraid that if they thought about it too much, then something even worse might happen. The upcoming tournament would help the people to forget the terrible threats that were just beyond their doors. Alex also knew that Dumbledore was depending on this as a distraction, allowing him precious time to continue his preparations for the upcoming battle against his nemesis. What at he hadn't taken into account, was that the one called Murphy always had plans of its own.

Alex understood this as well because he would and was doing the same. Planning was critical in war; however, what Alex didn't approve of was the lengths the headmaster was willing to take his fight. Dumbledore's obsessive desire to keep his secrets close and tendencies to manipulate everyone around him was something that Alex did not approve of, especially when it came to Dumbledore resorting to using charms on his own people to keep them compliant.

Alex told Ceraine what was going on, on, and she was understandably livid. Ceraine, however, was more critical about his need for half-measures when it came to the war being waged against Voldemort.

On several occasions, the three of them had very robust and sometimes tense discussions about his near obsession with forgiveness of his adversaries. All three agreed that forgiveness was important but expecting these terrorists to see the errors of their ways and turn away from the darkness simply because it was the right thing to do was ludicrous thinking. These same people had butchered so many people both magical and non-magical that it was an affront to justice and to the people that died as well as their loved ones, to allow them their freedom if they had a chance of heart. Voldemort wouldn't change his ways and turn into the light, and Albus knew that.

It took several conversations, but Alex and Ceraine were finally able to discover his true motives. Dumbledore wanted to end the war with as few casualties as possible among the magicals. He wanted them to turn from their mischievous ways and turn back to the light–his favorite phrase. Albus wanted them back at their homes in peace and to start replenishing the community. Albus wanted the non-magicals to be left alone in peace, but he really didn't care as much for them, which wasn't a surprise. His concern was for his own people and Dumbledore wanted an ending of the war.

The headmaster had the same deep-seated mindset as the rest of the wizards and witches of his homeland. He wasn't a pure-blood racist like many others, but he did agree with some of their isolationist beliefs. And he was also concerned about the infertility that plagued the wizarding community. He plainly stated that his long-term plans involved his students marrying early and starting have as many children as possible, restocking the population. He recognized the need to add new blood, but his plans involved marriages into other magical communities, not the non-magicals. Only now, after repeated talks, was he just beginning to understand the need for universal breeding with non-magicals, but he wasn't there yet.

What he could not grasp was the concept that, with the exception of Voldemort, his people would not ultimately come embrace the light and because of this deep-seated belief, he strongly discouraged his own soldiers from killing, but only battle to incapacitate and capture. His insistence placed his people at a terrible disadvantage against an enemy more than willing to kill. Dumbledore refused to believe that those people couldn't be convinced with his words of compassion and tolerance.

Try convincing Tom using pretty worlds. Try convincing Umar. Try convincing Mephisto and his wild child using words.

Dumbledore didn't want blood on his hands, but he was willing to allow his own people to die so that he could maintain his conviction. In his mind, this approach was for the greater good of magical Britain. Deep down, he knew his approach was futile, but he was a stubborn man and his carefully crafted plans were a culmination of years of work.

The Weasleys were part of that plan.

Both Arthur and Molly had a very subtle notice-me-not charms placed on them and the rest of their family without their knowledge or consent. The charms on Molly and Arthur were design to encourage their parental attentions towards Harry Potter, but at the same time ignore some of the more obvious problems of the boy. They could see that he needed to eat better because he was so underweight when they first met him. But they virtually ignored the reasons why he was in such a condition. They saw the signs of abuse, but they ignored it in favor of helping him to become a loving member of their family. The enchantments were also designed to affect their attitudes towards Ronald and Ginny when it came to Harry's situation. It caused them to miss little things that should have been obvious.

Alex could have nullified those influence charms as soon as he detected them but decided not to, at least not yet. First, he wanted to know why Dumbledore had placed the enchantments on them in the first place. Just as importantly, he wanted to understand why this young boy was so important to him.

First, there were the blood wards and now charms placed on people surrounding him. There was little doubt that Ron, Ginny, and possibly Hermione were under some type of charm or influencing potion as well. Ceraine would check them soon. Dumbledore need to control events around him were irresponsible. This approach would get his people killed unnecessarily. Now wasn't the time to explain it to him. However, Alex intended to confront him and give him the opportunity to remove the charms and spells on the Weasley clan and the children, or he would do it.

Both masters were drawn to the screams of excitement and awe. A carriage came into view, a flying one pulled by winged horses. Those were Pegasus horses, real ones, and they were beautiful!

On his world those flying horses were myths, likely extinct, or maybe hidden away like so many other things on his Earth and maybe it was best to keep those magnificent creatures hidden and safe, if they existed at all. Here he could see them, and it pleased him that things could still fill him with awe. They and the carriage they were pulling landed gently near the castle to an effervescent looking Hagrid jumping up and down in glee as he looked at the beautiful winged animals. But the excitement wasn't over yet.

There was what looked like a small boat-like object moving in the lake that caught everyone's attention. Seconds later, to Alex's surprise, he saw that the small vessel was in fact just the mast of a huge sailing vessel. It was in effect a magical submarine. The way these people used magic was impressive, he had to admit.

Alex expected that the passengers wouldn't officially enter the school for another hour since they were preparing for their big entrance. Alex and the other professors had a little time to finish preparations and get a quick snack from the house-elves.

Ceraine was sitting next to a beaming Sybill. The woman was dressed in her usual style, but there was one notable difference. Her glasses were different, more up to date, and Sybill loved them. She could see now without straining her eyes. Sybill turned to look at a smiling Ceraine.

"Thank you," she whispered. "Do you, if you have the time, want to go London shopping again next week?" It was clear she enjoyed her little outing. "I must confess that there are a few things that caught my eyes."

"I thought you were uncomfortable around the non-magicals," Ceraine gently chided.

The seer turned sharply. "Oh no, that was you, my dear. They are not that bad," she huffed. "Professor Delane, I'm rather surprised at you. You didn't seem to have prejudice against the muggle," she responded in an airy tone that reminded Ceraine of an upper-class Brit dismissing something they had said less than a week earlier. "I felt very comfortable around them but if you can, I would like to wear some muggle clothing so that I won't stand out that much like last time. Will you help me find something more muggle, I mean no-mage? Everyone kept looking at my style of dress. It looks fine to me but, you know how they are. They notice every little thing!"

"Of course, I'll help." Ceraine sat back in her chair, struggling to close her mouth. "I created a monster in only four hours," she muttered to herself.

Ceraine was about to say something to Alex when she abruptly stopped. He sat next to Professor Snape, and apparently some words had been quietly exchanged between the two. Severus looked angry. No, the man looked pissed. Alex said something else and Snape prepared to issue a blistering retort when Dumbledore quickly intervene. There were quiet, intense words exchanged and the potions professor closed his mouth and glared daggers at both Alex and Albus.

Whatever was said between the two, she was sure it was just the beginning of a very big blowup. She'd find out soon enough.

Seeing her staring at him, Snape turned and glared at her in contempt. She smiled darkly. Her eyes went dark brown and Snape quickly looked away. That's right, little man. Be careful who you glare at. She wasn't as tolerant as Alex was. And it was a shame, too. Severus was almost tolerable lately.

There was no more time for reflection as the event began. The students and their teacher had arrived. The students of Hogwarts dressed in their best robes and sitting according to their respective houses were besides themselves with excitement, as was to be expected. The headmaster was announcing the first of the Schools to enter the halls of Hogwarts. It was the Beauxbatons Academy School of Magic. All the students were young ladies of various ages dressed in identical, very elegant blue-gray suits with lovely matching berets. As they walked towards the front of the room, they threw magical flower pedals and other items into the room as they moved and petals were floating everywhere. Their headmaster was tall, very tall, almost Hagrid's height.

Ceraine was under the impression that this school had both female and male students. But these were all girls. She would look into the school a bit more later when she had the time.

Stealing a quick glance at the half giant, she saw him looking at the female headmaster. It looked like love at first sight. The woman was looking at Hagrid, too.

How cute, really. They matched somehow. Rough and elegance, both eyeing each other while trying not to look too hard. Ceraine decided to take an active interesting in seeing how this played out.

The entrance by the Durmstrang Institute was as different from the Beauxbatons students as night from day. First, they were all male, carrying an air of manly pride which was almost overwhelming as they generated magical sparks and flame from their staffs which they pounded on the floor with synchronous perfection. This was a proud school steeped in old European tradition. One of the students was elevated among the others, and everyone could see it. He was, in Alex's opinion, the 'lead jock'.

Viktor Krum was one of the greats, known worldwide for his athleticism of the game that the wizards and witches of this world loved so much–quidditch. The game was their equivalent of soccer and American football and basketball, but played with flying brooms while chasing a crazed ball thing.

Headmaster Igor Karkaroff immediately set off Alex's senses. the One Who Sees didn't like what he saw. He was aware that the school's approach to magic and its outright rejection of so-called muggle-born wizards and witches. Harris wasn't surprised at this, given the short lecture that Dumbledore had given him concerning the two schools. Both or the Americans had listened carefully to Albus's words. There were cultural norms that needed to be understood, and Alex and Ceraine didn't want to create an incident.

Karkaroff and Dumbledore warmly greeted each other. The Hogwarts professors nodded or gave quick greetings. The Durmstrang headmaster gave a quick nod of acknowledgement. When he looked at the two professor of no-mage studies and dismissed them. Alex didn't even try to pretend he missed the subtle slight.

However, there was no time to fume over it as Dumbledore had called for the students of Hogwarts to welcome the visitors in song. The hall rang with the sounds of harmonious young voices.

Situated around the corners of the massive main hall were dozens of reporters covering the momentous event, including one Miss. skeeter looking excited but very apprehensive with her floating quill recording everything on parchment.

She saw Alex and quickly averted her eyes.

TBC