A/N: I think I've found the right balance with regards to the number of words in a chapter- as many as is convenient to me. This means you guys can expect short and long chapters. Whatever the case, I'm going to try and be consistent with my updating.

I also want to profusely thank all of you for your support. When I began writing this story, I expected a lukewarm response at best. But you guys have been awesome. Your comments and reviews have pushed me to update much sooner than I expected.

Chapter 4: The unexpected connection.

Ministry of Magic, London (Aug 13, 1994)

The Minister's office looked more than a little crowded. Cornelius Fudge sat in his high-backed chair trying not to let his displeasure show. He had suggested using one of the many conference rooms available at the disposal of the ministry for this meeting. But Dumbledore had pointed out that holding the meeting in his office would show that he was taking this matter seriously. So now, he was stuck in this overcrowded room with no idea of what to do.

Dominic Delacour sat directly across the minister in one of the four chairs available. He had dark circles around his eyes and looked completely forlorn. Just thirty six hours ago, he had been the happiest man alive, watching the Quidditch World cup with his wife and daughters. And now, his wife was battling for her life, his girls were missing and these English pricks were more worried about protecting their reputations than finding the children. He was tired, not having slept in two days. He tried valiantly to register what the toad-faced Senior Undersecretary was saying, but it only served to anger him.

"…of course, if word about this gets out, it could adversely affect the Triwizard tournament…"

The tournament! He didn't care about some stupid tournament. He wanted his family back together. He opened his mouth to say as much when he felt a hand on his arm. He looked at Mark Rodin, trying to calm himself. He had to maintain control. His only consolation was that the English ministry would have to look seriously into this matter because Harry Potter was involved.

Rodin spoke up, interrupting Umbridge's rant about incompetent foreign aurors- "That is all well and good, Madam Undersecretary. The damage has been done and we can apportion blame when we have time for it. But for now, we would like to know what has been done to locate the children."

Scrimgeour, who was standing on the minister's right-hand side replied- "We have every auror at our disposal scouring the length and breadth of the country. But as you can understand, it is impossible to tell if they are even in the country anymore." As irresponsible as it sounded, Rodin knew it to be true.

At long last, Dumbledore spoke up. "That leaves us with one option. We answer to the note." Eight sets of eyes turned to look at the Eagle hawk that was perched on top of Fudge's bowler hat, looking politely interested in the conversation. It had arrived early in the morning with a note attached-"The three children are quite safe. I request one guardian for each of them to meet me at the "Speaker's corner" of London's Hyde Park tonight at 08:00 PM. I strongly suggest you refrain from bringing any unwanted guests as it would be severely detrimental to the well-being of the children." There was no name, no demands, nothing but an invitation for three people to a Park.

Moody murmured from a corner- "I don't know, Dumbledore. It sounds like a trap. Why would anyone want to meet in London of all places? It would be very easy to get caught."

Dominic stood up. "I guess I'll find out tonight." Camille Fletcher, who had been sitting next to him, slipped her hand into his. "You won't be alone, Dom. I'm coming with you." Dom knew better than to argue with her. Silence followed.

Moody growled- "Who's gonna go for Potter?"

Dumbledore spoke- "I am."

-#-

Mont Blanc, France-Italy (Aug-13-1994)

Harry came to. His head, strangely, wasn't hurting anymore. Quiet relieved, he sat up. The room was lit with a single white candle, perched precariously on broken candelabra on the wall, high above the door. There was almost nothing else in the room. There were no windows or discernible ventilators. The floor was made of hard stone and felt it. A small earthen pitcher stood in a corner containing, what Harry guessed, as water. Harry checked his pockets for something, anything. But they had been emptied. He cursed under his breath. How could he have been so stupid? He had just given away his wand without even thinking. Sirius would be very disappointed if he knew. But that damned ministry worker had been so convincing.

His eyes slowly became acclimated to the gloom in the room. He spotted the girls in the corner closest to him. The silver-haired girl sat cross-legged, leaning against the wall, watching his every movement. The dark-haired girl seemed to be sleeping with her head on the other girl's lap. The silver-haired girl was stroking her head and seemed to be singing a song. It didn't sound like a lullaby though. Harry actually felt a little of his nervousness and fear wash away as he heard her sing. Her voice was musical. He lost himself to the melody and when it ended, he couldn't help but say- "That was beautiful."

Fleur stared suspiciously at him for a few moments before replying stiffly- "Thank you." An uncomfortable silence followed.

"May I know your name?" Harry asked politely.

"Fleur. Fleur Delacour." Jasmin sat up too. Evidently she hadn't been sleeping. "I'm Jasmin." She paused before continuing uncertainly- "Are you really Harry Potter?"

Harry smiled- "Yes, I am."

"You fought brilliantly at the campsite. Who trained you?" Jasmin seemed genuinely interested to know, but Fleur cut in- "Can you get us out of here, Mr. Potter?"

"Without a wand, I'm afraid my options are limited…Miss Fleur." Fleur's disappointment showed in her face.

Harry looked around the room again, scanning it for anything he may have missed. Nothing. He examined the chain that held them together closely. It took him only moments to decide he would be hard put to break it, even with magic. The chain was protected with a spell he didn't recognize. And even if he did manage to break it, they were still stuck in this room.

"So you can't get us out?" Jasmin's voice sounded dejected. At that precise moment, Harry's eyes fell on the candelabra. He said- "I said my options were limited, not non-existent." Fleur looked up to see a smile light up Harry's face. It started at corners of his mouth and spread to the corners of his face until his eyes burned brightly in the darkness. It was the most enigmatic smile Fleur had ever seen. "What do you mean?"

-#-

The Leaky Cauldron, London (Aug 13, 1994)

The four chairs of the only private booth in the Leaky Cauldron were occupied by Dumbledore, Camille, Dominic and Rodin. They waited patiently for Tom to serve the food and leave. When he did, Rodin was the first off his mark. "So… why Hyde Park?"

Dumbledore replied- "Any guess I might hazard to make on that matter carries a good chance of being wrong. However, I strongly believe that they chose Hyde Park as it is usually crowded with tourists. Even if we have a slew of aurors at standby, it would be impossible to apprehend the culprits without breaching the International Statute of Secrecy. Of course, given enough time, we may be able to set a trap." At this point, he reached into his sunshine yellow robes, pulled out a timepiece and consulted it before continuing- "But, I'm afraid, seven hours is hardly enough. Even time-turners have limits."

"What about the Death-eaters who tried to kidnap my daughters? Did you learn anything from them?" –asked Dom.

"Nothing, I'm afraid. We even used veritaserum on one of them, although it is against the law. The man confessed to trying to abduct the girls, but didn't know why. He is not a death-eater. None of them were. They simply wore the uniforms and believed in Lord Voldemort's ideology." Dumbledore sighed. "Such men were a common sight fourteen years ago. It is a matter of great shame that there are still those who support Lord Voldemort."

Rodin queried- "But they must have some connection with the death-eaters. How else could they have so brazenly walked around in death-eater robes without fear of retribution? And what about the Dark Mark? Do you know who fired that?"

"The man we interrogated did say they were hired by a real death-eater. But he had worn his mask throughout the transaction. We are following certain leads in that direction, but there is nothing substantial as of yet." Dumbledore took a moment to sip his rainbow-colored drink. "As to the dark-mark, we have no idea who the perpetrator could be."

"Not even a clue?"

"I'm afraid not."

Rodin tried not to let his disappointment show. Apart from being here as Dom's friend, he had been tasked by the French Minister to find out anything he can about the Dark Mark. The sign of Voldemort reappearing after fourteen years was something that concerned the entire world. And Harry Potter had disappeared on the same night. Something about that niggled at the back of his mind. "What about Harry Potter's guards? Surely they must know something about what happened."

"Harry wasn't guarded by anyone."

Rodin couldn't help it. His face may have remained impassive, but his voice betrayed his surprise. "But then… who incapacitated all those death-eaters?"

Dumbledore smiled. Rodin thought he detected just a hint of pride. "Harry of course. The reason he isn't guarded is because he doesn't have to be."

This time, the surprise was apparent in everyone's faces. Camille, who hadn't said a word until then said- "But isn't he only fourteen or something. How could he possibly have fought off all those men?"

Dumbledore chuckled. "Age, is only a state of mind." Both Dominic and Camille nodded, thinking about their own daughters. Even the shaggy black dog under the table whined in agreement.

-#-

Mont Blanc, France-Italy (Aug-13-1994)

Vladamir entered the cell with dinner as he routinely did. He locked the door behind him, pocketed the keys and turned to face the room. The two girls were in one corner as usual and the boy was still slumped on the floor. Vladamir wondered if the boy had moved since yesterday. Every time he entered the room with food, he was in the same position, unmoving and his plate was always untouched. Vladamir frowned, trying to make up his mind. He didn't want the boy dying today-not when his master was out and the prisoners care had been entrusted solely to him. He placed the tray on the cold, hard floor.

He walked up to Harry who was curled up in a fetal position. Vladamir tried prodding him with the tip of his toe, but he didn't budge. Grunting at the effort, Vladamir bent and shook him roughly. The candelabra that made contact with his left temple were made of rusted iron. The impact sent him reeling across the room. In less than a heartbeat, Harry was on his feet, all trace of weakness gone.

A lesser man than Vladamir would have gone down, and stayed down. But the huge Russian was either too strong or too stupid to do so. With a roar of rage that echoed around the room, he brought a huge fist to meet Harry's face. If it had made contact, it would undoubtedly have caved Harry's face in. But Harry had expected a fight and was prepared for it. Harry swung the candelabra again in a wide arc. It collided with Vladamir's fist, sending shockwaves through Harry's hands. The candelabra went flying out of Harry's hands and landed somewhere in a dark corner of the room.

For a brief moment, Harry thought it was over. But the Russian was still on his feet and he charged shoulder first towards Harry with amazing speed for someone his size. Harry hadn't expected him to recover so quickly or move so fast. He managed to dodge just in the nick of time. At the same time, Fleur and Jasmin stretched the chain between them and managed to trip Vladamir. That was all the opening Harry needed. He catapulted to his feet and swung at Vladamir's face with all his might and caught the Russian just under his left cheekbone. Harry felt his jaw shatter under his fist. Vladamir went down in a heap, knocked out cold.

It took Harry a minute to catch his breath. He thanked his stars that the padlocked chain was at least long enough to let them move around. What he had done would have been impossible to do if the chain had been even a few feet shorter. Jasmin and Fleur approached on either side of his shoulders and peered down at Vladamir tentatively.

"Is he unconscious?" –asked Fleur.

"Yeah." Harry breathed with difficulty, although that was because of the close proximity of Jasmin and Fleur. He didn't know if it was because of the deep breaths he was taking, but he found their scent intoxicating. He shook off the light-headed feeling with more reluctance than difficulty. He had a job to do.

Harry knelt down and went through Vladamir's pockets. He found nothing in the coat pockets. Harry cursed under his breath. He had hoped the Russian would be carrying a wand, but he was evidently not a wizard -just a squib or a muggle for hire. He found the keys to the door in his trouser pockets. There was nothing else in any of his other pockets. Harry was just about to get up, when his hands brushed something hard around his abdomen area. With a slight amount of trepidation at what he might find under his trousers, Harry reached in. Tucked away, in the band of the Russian's underwear, was a small knife with a four-inch jagged blade. It wouldn't be much use in a wand fight, but he pocketed it nonetheless.

Harry turned to look at the girls. "There's no telling what's outside these doors. The only way we're escaping is together. Alright?" They nodded in unison.

"Fine, let's go. Stay close." He unlocked the door a crack and peeped through it. A narrow, dimly-lit corridor stretched towards an even narrower staircase. It was completely deserted. Harry took a deep breath and stepped on to the corridor. All was quiet. Slowly and cautiously, the three of them made it to the stairs. If they moved to slow, they were in danger of tripping over the chain, especially due to the darkness and if they moved too fast, the noise made by the chain would give them away. They tried to co-ordinate their movements as much as possible.

They made their way up the stairs with Harry at the lead. He had no idea what to do if he came across a guard. Armed as he was with a pen knife, the best he would be able to do was throw it at his assailant.

When he was almost at the top, Harry flattened himself and peered over the topmost stairs. Another corridor stretched before them, but this one was lined with windows and shimmering in the light of the setting sun. Harry quickly made his way to one of the windows, Fleur and Jasmin hurrying behind him.

What he saw out of the window made his heart leap. It was one of the most beautiful sights he had ever seen. The panoramic view encompassed a snow-laden mountain-side, glittering due to the setting sun. There was a quite beauty in the greenery at the base of the mountain. On the other side of the small cluster of trees, Harry noticed a thin line in the snow- a road. Fleur appeared on his right side, her shapely mouth agape at what she was seeing. "Where are we?" –she breathed.

"I don't know, but we better keep moving."

A familiar voice broke through his thoughts. He spun around to see Lucien Caron standing there, his chubby face worked in to an evil smile. "You're in France Mr. Potter, and you're not going anywhere." He had wand pointed directly at Harry's heart.

-#-

Hyde Park, London (Aug 13-1994)

Night had fallen. Looking around the speaker's corner, Dom couldn't help but think the kidnapper had chosen his spot well. The roads surrounding the corner were brightly lit and people lounged in the many park benches leisurely. But the spot where they had been told to come was itself shrouded in darkness. It was the perfect spot to have some privacy in public.

They had arrived two hours earlier on Dumbledore's insistence and waited on one of the park benches, staring at the other people in the park. As he watched a father and son play with their Frisbee, Dom couldn't help wondering about the kind of father he was. It had been a long time since he had seen his daughter's happy and now, he didn't know what their fate was. Tears stung his eyes. He wasn't used to crying in public. He wasn't used to crying at all. But he simply didn't care anymore. It was his duty as a father to keep his children safe and happy. And now, he had failed to do either.

Camille, who was setting next to him, noticed what was happening and tried to comfort him as best as she could. A shaggy black dog and a tall, old man watched this scene from the shadows. Dumbledore said- "I really do feel sorry for him. And you Snuffles. I know how hard this must be for you." Snuffles had spent the last hour digging a hole under the trunk of a tree and was now nestled snugly between the trunks. He didn't seem to have anything to say.

Dumbledore extracted his timepiece from his robes and checked it. "It's almost time. I must go now. Listen closely Snuffles. I expect you to behave responsibly and not get involved. As Harry's guardian, it is your right to be here. But I will not tolerate it if you try to interfere. I expect you to trust Harry's well-being to me. Know that I will try my utmost to get back those kids safely. Do you understand?"

Snuffles gave a short bark, and was still. Dumbledore took that to mean yes and walked over to where Dom and Camille were seated. Snuffles flattened himself to the wet ground and was about to settle himself for a long wait, when he heard it. It was just the faintest noise, but it had sounded like a soft whoosh –a portkey. Snuffles waited quietly, every fibre of his body waiting for a sound or a movement. And then he saw him.

Emerging from the darkness was a man whose lower face was covered by a mask. He was wearing a long fur coat that reached his knees and didn't entirely hide his bulging physique. His bald head glinted in the street light. As he walked briskly towards Dumbledore, a slow growl escaped his lips. Something about him was off and Snuffles didn't like it.

Dom stood up. This was the man who was holding his daughters hostage. His first instinct was to rush at him and pummel him into oblivion, but something stopped him. There they were, a senior French Ministry official and a man who was touted as the greatest wizard of this generation, and this man was walking towards them fearlessly. Those bright blue eyes of his were almost eerie.

Then, as suddenly as he had appeared, the masked man stopped dead. His eyes widened with realization at something and Dom was sure if he could see the masked man's mouth, it would be open. His face went pale under the lights and for a moment, he looked almost frightened. He stood still for nearly half a minute and before either Dom or Dumbledore could do anything, he had pulled out a necklace from under his coat and vanished. He had portkeyed away.

Dom couldn't understand what was happening. Why had he asked them to come here and disappeared without a word? What was going to happen to Fleur and Jasmin? He turned to see what his companion's reactions were. Dumbledore looked just as surprised and mystified as he did. But Camille…she looked like she had seen a ghost. Her entire face was a mask of astonishment and shock. She was still staring at the spot where the masked man had been standing.

Dom couldn't take it. "What is it, Camille?"

With great difficulty, it seemed, she turned to look him in the eye. Her mouth moved noiselessly for a few moments before words tumbled out. "That…That was Chris. Chris Fletcher...Jasmin's father.

-#-

Mt. Blanc, France-Italy (Aug 13, 1994)

Quicker than the proverbial eye can see, Harry moved. A red light emerged from Caron's wand and sailed through the window and into the oncoming darkness. Caron turned his wand around to face Harry, but the missed stunner had cost him too much time. A knife embedded itself deeply into Caron's wrist. He barely had time to register the pain, when a hard chop to the back of his exposed neck knocked him senseless. It was all over in a few seconds. Harry couldn't help but let out a chuckle at the irony of it all.

Harry bent down to pick up Caron's fallen wand. It was considerably longer than his own and felt very unfriendly in his hands. Hoping against hope, Harry searched Caron's pockets. His heart leapt when his hands brushed against three long pieces of wood. Caron still had their wands with him. It was a lucky break he couldn't have hoped for. Quick as he could, Harry handed the girls back their wands and pocketed Caron's just in case. When he got back up, both the girls were staring at him oddly. "What?"

They looked at each other before shaking their heads. "Nothing"–said Fleur. "So what do we do now?"

Harry turned to examine the corridor. The light was starting to fade and it was getting dark outside. They couldn't have picked a worse time to make their escape. There was no telling how many more guards there were in this place and even with wands, it was foolish to assume three teen-agers could take them all on. Spending a night out in the snow-clad mountain was out of question. Not even the best warming charms could keep them alive in this weather. That left one option, and a great deal of it would have to depend upon chance.

"We keep moving. Don't hesitate to attack anyone who might seem like a threat. Our lives depend on it." The girls nodded their agreement.

The building they were in was eerily quiet. Harry couldn't hear a thing. They passed doorways and staircases as they moved along the corridor, each leading deeper into the building, but nothing that looked like an exit. Harry, once again at the lead, kept his eyes open for Klein. Something told him running into Klein would be bad.

Shortly, they came to an intersection that led to even more similar looking corridors. Harry barely had enough time to wonder how big the place was when he saw movement. He cast an arm back to warn Fleur and Jasmin.

Two men were walking side-by-side and chatting animatedly. Harry recognized them instantly. They were the two men who had been with Caron at the world cup. He waited just long enough for them to come into range and whispered- "Stupefy".

It was a direct hit. He went down without a noise. The other man didn't even have his wand out. He fumbled inside his robes for it, but realized Harry was already pointing his wand at him. He opened his mouth to scream. Harry's second stunner hit him just a second too late. He had had just enough time to yell- "ESCAPE".

Harry stood there silently, praying no one had heard him. But almost immediately, the sound of running footsteps started echoing through the corridors. Without thinking about it, he caught hold of Jasmin's hand and yanked it to make her run. Her hand almost slipped through his. It was silky smooth and Harry suddenly found himself enjoying the feeling. But Jasmin flinched and withdrew her hand instantly. They stared at each other for a second, Jasmin apologetically and Harry sheepishly. Simultaneously, they said- "I'm sorry".

Stunners flew over their heads, reminding them where they were. As Harry turned to face his attackers, he slashed the air with his wand. The non-verbal spell caused multiple arrows to shoot from the tip of Harry's wand. The first three men who had piled onto the corridor were bombarded with shiny arrows that seemed to be made of nothing but light. The rest backed away hurriedly into the adjoining corridors. But Harry knew it was only a temporary respite. There were just too many guards and they were all heading towards them. Some of them sent stunners and body-binds at them. Both Jasmin and Fleur cast shield charms as they backed away.

As soon as the guards realized they weren't being attacked by arrows, they threw themselves into the corridor again trying to aim properly. Harry knew that the three of them couldn't withstand a prolonged assault. It was time to do or die. He checked what was behind him. As he had hoped, there was a window that looked out onto the small patch of greenery below.

Harry raised his wand and said- "Fumos". Thick grey smoke erupted from his wand and shielded them from their attacker's line of vision. It gave him just long enough to do what he wanted. He turned to face Jasmin and Fleur. "Do you trust me?"

It was an odd moment. Jasmin and Fleur turned to look at each other. It was almost like they were speaking to each other with their eyes. The seconds stretched on and after what seemed like a long time to Harry, they spun to face him. And then…they smiled. Harry's heart almost leapt out of his chest. If they had been beautiful when they were angry and scared, then there were no words to describe them now. Harry felt himself floating away. "Yes, we do." –said Jasmin, while Fleur nodded.

Harry swallowed. "Okay then. Hold on to me." They immediately obeyed. He quickly pointed his wand at the window and said- "Defodio". The wall surrounding the window crumbled and they were staring into the last rays of the sun. The smoke was starting to clear and the sounds of the guards were getting closer. Harry didn't wait any longer. Swirling his wand around his head, he yelled- "Flipendo Tria".

The effect was instantaneous. Miniature tornadoes erupted in the narrow corridor as the ceiling started to collapse. At the same time, Harry, Jasmin and Fleur were flung out of the hole Harry and created. Held together by the chain, they landed thirty-five feet away on the cushioning charm Fleur and Harry produced simultaneously. But they had landed on a slope. Gravity and momentum worked together as they rolled down the snow until they crashed into the undergrowth of the small patch of trees.

Harry was the first one to find his feet. He had seen a road near the trees. It was their only hope out of here. If they didn't manage to get out of the cold, given their inadequate clothing for this weather, they would freeze to death by midnight. Harry trudged through the snow to where Jasmin and Fleur had come to a halt. They were battered and bruised, but seemed fine from the fall. As one, they looked towards the building in which they had been incarcerated. It was a mess. Great chunks of wall had collapsed. The fragilely positioned building looked even more precariously balanced now.

Harry let out a huge sigh. They weren't safe yet, but this was better than where they were an hour ago. He turned to see the road about fifty feet away. Wordlessly, with Fleur and Jasmin close behind, Harry plodded to the very edge of the road.

"No one is going to be driving through here at this time of the night." –said Fleur. Harry was about to answer when he saw movement on the other side of the road. Harry raised his wand. He knew who it was. He had been expecting to run into him.

Klein walked forwards until he was standing in the middle of the road. Strangely, he didn't have a wand in his hand. Instead, his hand was half-raised and it was pointed at Jasmin. Harry was shocked to see tears in his eyes. This looked nothing like the man he had seen yesterday. He briefly wondered if he had cracked his head in the fall.

Klein almost whispered- "Jasmin….I'm so sorry." He made to move again, but Harry stepped in front of Jasmin. "Not another step more, Klein."

Only then did Klein seem to realize Harry was there. "You don't know what you are doing. I'm not going to harm her. I'm not going to hurt any of you. I promise."

Harry was impressed. It was quite a convincing performance. But this was not the time for second thoughts. This was the time to put his plan into motion. Taking a deep breath, he stepped forwards, onto the road, with his wand outstretched.

Everyone was motionless for an entire minute. The icy wind sent shivers up Harry's spine. Or maybe it was just the anticipation of what was about to happen. Klein who had stopped, started advancing again. Close up, Harry thought his eyes looked unhinged. "Get out of the way, Harry Potter. You're in my way." And then, with a huge BANG, a violently purple, double-deckered bus burst into being right in between them and Klein. The doors of the Knight Bus immediately opened to reveal a pimply youth. Without even bothering to see where they were or who he was talking to, he burst into speech- "Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen. Welcome to the Knight Bus. My name is Stan Shunpike and I'll be you-". The rest turned into a gargle when his eyes fell upon Fleur and Jasmin. Harry didn't wait to be invited. He caught hold of Fleur and Jasmin and pushed them up the stairs to the Knight Bus while yelling- "GET US OUT OF HERE, ERN."

Ernie Prang, the wizened old bus-driver should have just listened. Instead, he turned to see which one of his former passengers had been nice enough to remember his name. That one moment cost him dearly. A powerful beam of blue light shattered the windshield and struck him right below his heart. He slumped over the wheel.

Stan seemed to come to his senses, although it didn't help much. He simply let out a high-pitched scream and dived under a bed. Harry hopped into the bus and ran towards the driver's seat. Another pane of glass exploded, sending shrapnel everywhere. Harry reached Ernie, heaved him off the seat a red stunner missed him by inches. Staying as low as he could, he turned the keys in the ignition. The dashboard came alive. Knobs, dials and buttons of all shapes and sizes stared at Harry. Hoping that the basic action required to make the bus move was the same as Uncle Vernon's car, Harry turned the wheel in a wide arc and stomped hard on one of the two pedals he could find. With another huge BANG, the bus shot forward into the gathering darkness.

-#-

A/N: Two clarifications- (a) "The Knight Bus can go anywhere on land" –Shunpike said this in POA, not me. For the purpose of this story, let's say the Knight Bus can go anywhere in Europe. If you still find it hard to believe, read the next chapter before you come to a conclusion.

(b) The chain that holds Harry, Jasmin and Fleur together is impervious to magic.

This was an important chapter on the whole- a few important revelations; Harry's daring escape and the return of everybody's favorite pooch.

I promise we're done with major AU for a while. Next stop Hogwarts and Triwizard tournament. See ya.