Chapter 21 The Alphabet Cometh

February 24, 1995

"Fuck, it's cold," was the first thing Harry said when he got out of bed the morning of the second task. The electric heaters in the room didn't make up for the small drafts that all houseboats had. It was warm under the covers and the general overall room, but the floor was freezing. Pulling on a pair of woolly socks, a thick pair of black sweatpants and a just as thick green sweatshirt, he went to wake up his friend and grumpy brother.

After much poking of Neville, the older boy got up. As usual, Jordan rose first, having woken from the noise. They got dressed and made their way to the living area. Kippy handed out mugs of hot cocoa. They sat and sipped the beverage until the rest of the school joined them. After everyone was assembled they Jumped to the castle and made their way to the champions' table.

"All ready for the task?" Cedric asked as he joined them with a few of his mates.

"Yep. You?" Harry said, spooning up some hot cereal and grabbing some fruit.

"Yup. Are you going to tell me what non-flashy thing you're doing?" the older boy asked as he dished up his breakfast.

"Nope. You?"

"Nope," the seventh year Hufflepuff said with a chuckle. "But then again, I'm trying for flashy. Professor Moody helped me out a bit," he said in a whisper as he leaned in a little. "Well, what he wanted was for me to tell you, but, you said you had it covered so I went with the idea." He shrugged in a what-can-you-do manner.

"That's weird, I thought the teachers weren't supposed to help," the boy with the streaked hair said questioningly and then took a bite off his apple with a thoughtful look on his face.

"Maybe, but he did it on the sly. He gave me a book on rare plants and told me to give it to you to borrow. However, like I said, you had it covered, so I read it myself. He was pretty put out when I told him you didn't need it," the sandy blond said with another shrug.

"Huh," was the reply, and they went back to their meals. Hmmm, he thought, I wonder if that man has anything to do with those charms. Why else would he want to help me? I'll let Mr. Scott know.

The meal progressed and the same questions about their readiness were asked by the other champions when they joined the table. It was a good breakfast. None of the other students asked what they were doing, and when the mail came no one bothered Harry about who was writing him. This separate table was a godsend, those intent wards worked like a charm, and the people who sat there had some manners.

The compulsion charms tapered off to two, they were still mild enough that Harry could fight them off without problems. No more potions were found in either Harry's or Viktor's meals. Agent Mumford was keeping record of all the charms and when the alphabet got here, which she was sure would be soon, they would know when and where, they just had to find out who and why.

Since it was Wednesday, the students had class that morning until the task began. When the afternoon came and it was time, Harry went to his room and donned a black non-magical diving suit, some gloves, a knit hat and sneakers, and put the rest of his gear on the deck. Then the entire SMI group, all bundled against the cold in school colored sweats and thick jackets, went to the stands, while Harry went to the pier.

The three other schools' students laughed at his attire, he just ignored them and looked to see who would be missing from his group. He was shocked to see his aunt in the audience, though she seemed quite angry and was being held back and talked to by Augusta. It appeared the older woman was trying to keep her calm, judging by the fast whispering going on. Sirius wasn't there, so he must be the person they thought Harry would miss the most. The youngest champion removed his hat, ran his hand through his hair and mentally prepared for the task ahead.

"What are you wearing?" Cedric asked as he came and stood next to the younger boy. He stood in the cold like it was just another day, which to him it probably was.

"It's a diving suit," Harry answered with a shrug, bouncing on his feet to stay warm. Though Massachusetts got cold there was a bite in the air here that they didn't get in New Salem. It chill went straight to your bones and took up residence. Harry just thanked all the little gods that they had electricity on the boat.

"What is a… diving suit?"

"It's what non-magicals wear when they have to go deep in the water," the tri-color haired boy clarified, and then went into a deeper explanation at the other boy's confused look. "It keeps you dry and most of the chill off. That way you don't freeze to death when you get down deep."

"Yeah, but how will you breathe?"

"There's more to it, but I've got it stashed." He waved the question away.

"Aren't you supposed to use magic?"

"How do you think I'm going to get to my gear?" Harry answered with a wink, causing the other boy to shake his head and chuckle.

The other two champions came up to the two boys and were deeply impressed by the virtues of the suit. They were not happy that they were going to be freezing in the depths of the cold lake.

Fleur was very worried that her sister was missing. Viktor still didn't know who his hostage was.

A warning bell tolled and the three older champions removed their robes. Cedric was in old-fashioned swimming trunks, Fleur was in a bikini, and you could see she was cold. Viktor sported a smaller model of swimwear. Warming charms were thrown quickly at the Veela and she sighed with relief. They then spent a minute to warm the males, each casting the charm on the other.

Bagman's voice came over the crowd and the whispering stopped as they listened to him tell what was happening for this task. "Aaannnddd now our champions must face the chilly depths of the Black Lake to retrieve what they will miss the most. Let's watch and see what each one has come up with to get that prize."

The complaining started when the audience realized that they were going to be staring at the lake with little to no action being seen.

The cannon went off and Viktor jumped over the lake and his legs morphed into a shark's tail and a bubble head charm went around his head just before he hit the water. A large splash accompanied him and he leaped into the air, showing off for the fans.

Fleur also leaped over the water and she morphed into a full mermaid, with a fish's tale, scales on her body and a full set of gills on her neck, leaving the ability to cast if she had to. She made a leap in the air to show she was in complete control of her body, gave a cheerful 'hello' to the audience and dove gracefully into the water.

Cedric swallowed some gillyweed and jumped in the water before it took effect. Then he too showed off his ability to talk and swim.

Harry Jumped to the houseboat and put on the rest of his gear, which were a pair of goggles, a small air tank, the mouthpiece and his fins. Then he looked at the map, found Sirius, folded the map and dropped it on the deck and dove to rescue him.

Black Lake lived up to its name, it was dark and murky. Harry had a hard time seeing where he was going. He swam down and used the silent point-me charm to make sure he was going in the correct direction. He ran into the Giant Squid and sent the creature a tickling charm, causing it to purr, if water creatures could purr that is.

He came upon a village in the depths of the lake. It was made of coral and had statues littered throughout. There were mere-people everywhere, pointing and appeared to be laughing. Some of the younger ones played in the bubbles he was creating. The inhabitants seemed mostly harmless, there were a few that were guarding certain buildings, but for the rest they were simply watching him swim by.

Harry swam on; he wasn't too worried about his godfather. He didn't think that the British Magical Ministry would be stupid enough to actually endanger anyone. Still, he tried to make good time. It was in the center of the village that he saw four statues. Tied to each one was a hostage. Harry took a minute to figure out who belonged to whom.

Sirius was of course his and he was dressed in non-magical clothes that stuck to his body. Granger must be Victor's, she was in her nightgown and it was floating up to her knees, it seemed they were smart enough not to embarrass the poor girl. That bully, Cho, had to be Cedric's, she was in more provocative nightwear, but someone charmed it so you couldn't see her assets. While the little blonde girl must be Fleur's, who was wearing what looked like travel wear, she must have just come to visit for the task when she was taken.

The boy with the streaked hair was fuming about the fact that there was a child in this dangerous task. He hoped her parents knew where she was, and if they didn't then maybe they would join the lawsuit. He waited around to see if Fleur showed up and soon enough saw all three champions swimming in a race to get to their hostage. You could see the French Veela was very upset that her little sister was tied to a statue in the middle of a freezing lake.

Harry waited until all of the others got their prize, and then he untied his godfather and started to the surface. When they hit the top Sirius came to and gasped for breath.

"So," Harry asked casually as he wandlessly banished his headgear and air tank to the houseboat, "did they ask you?" He tried to Jump, but it looked like you needed something under your feet to do so.

"Nope, and I can tell you, that was a big mistake," the jokester grinned as he started to swim, after he too failed to Jump to the SMI territory.

"Bigger than if they snagged Aunt Gilly?" the teen asked as he too started to swim.

"Yup, I'm a pure-blood," Sirius said as if it explained everything.

"Right," was the reply.

They got to the boat, dried off and Jumped to the pier. The crowd slowly clapped since they really didn't get to see how he did what he did. All they saw was him disappear and then reappear with his godfather.

Gilly flew down to make sure they were okay, followed more slowly by Neville, Jordan and Luna. Nurse Parks joined them, waved her wand, casting a warming charm and then made sure the two that had been in the lake took some Pepper-up Potion. She then receded back into the crowd.

After much reassuring they decided to wait for the other champions, instead of going to the hospital tent. It was very boring. While they were talking, the judges made their way to where the small family stood. "Harry, my boy, you were supposed to use magic to get your hostage," the old man said, disappointment in his face and voice.

"I did," Harry said with a nonchalant shrug, no longer bothering with honorifics for this man, "and quit calling me your boy, dammit," he bit out.

"Alas, I do not believe that your form of Apparation counts," Dumbledore rebutted.

"It was magic. The rules said use magic. I did. Just because it wasn't something spectacular doesn't mean it wasn't done. It's not my fault the rules said nothing about using non-magical help." He faced the old man with a rising of his eyebrow.

"He is correct, Dumbledore. The rules do not say he cannot use his diving gear," Mr. Scott said in defense of his student.

It was at that moment that Fleur emerged with her sister, she had morphed back into her regular form and you could see she was frozen to the bone. Victor wasn't far behind, also in his normal body, dragging Granger behind him, with a very confused look upon his face. The medical personnel of all the schools flocked to the champions and covered them in towels and robes and handed out the Pepper-up Potions.

The judges went back to the stands as the crowd exploded with clapping, stomping and cheers. Cedric came up only five minutes later. He had to wait for the gillyweed to stop working, so his girlfriend went to the shore without him to be nursed by Madam Pomfrey.

After much deliberation the scores were given. Fleur was first, getting full points from all the judges, even Karkaroff, for the full body transformation, so she was awarded fifty. Victor placed second, since his half body transfiguration was deliberate; his score was forty-nine. Cedric was third for his use of the gillyweed. He was given forty-seven. And Harry placed last, for using Muggle equipment, but only just, since he did return first with his hostage. He was awarded forty-four. The youngest champion didn't care; he was still in second place.

"Oh, by the way, Mr. Crouch, Headmaster, you will be hearing from my lawyer," Sirius said cheerfully as a smug Gilly gave him a one-armed hug around his waist. "Cheers," he said as he and his soon to be wife Jumped away.

Harry, Jordan, Neville and the rest of the SMI students laughed their asses off at the gobsmacked looks on most of the judges' faces. They all got up and Jumped to the boat.

"Did you see the looks on their faces?" Jordan asked as he collapsed onto one of the chairs.

"It was hysterical," Harry said as he made his way to the end of the room near the dorms.

"Yeah, they were scared Aunt Gilly was going to sue. They must have figured that since Sirius is British he wouldn't," Neville said, still chuckling as he pulled Luna to one of the sofas.

"I'm going to go change," Harry said, and turned to do just that. After he put his sweats back on he rejoined the rest of the students. Kippy fussed and gave him a huge mug of hot cocoa and grumbled to herself about freezing lakes and wacky wizards.

"Well, that was entirely boring. I think I would much rather have had classes," Nicole said, picking up the book that was on the table next to her.

"Oh, believe me, I know. I didn't want to be in that lake. It was fucking freezing," the green-eyed boy said, giving a full body shudder.

"It wasn't very warm where we were either," Neville argued. "But, I suppose the lake would be colder."

"So, Luna, are we going to get any flack for Harry's exhibition?" Jordan asked, changing the subject.

"Not much," she answered in her dreamy voice, "mostly from those that didn't like us before the task. Though, now the other students will be more welcoming, since Harry placed last. Too bad Cedric didn't get a higher score."

They all settled down and did their homework for the day. Harry made sure to shoot off an email to Jessie to let her know how the task went. The rest of the night was spent partying and soon enough it was time for bed.

The next morning they went to the Great Hall and sat at their table. The other two schools joined, along with a large group of Hogwarts students. It was the first time the table was full.

"I want to zank you for giving us a challenge," Fleur said as she loaded her plate with crepes.

"What do you mean?" a very confused Harry asked as he also filled his plate with the French pancakes.

"'Ad you not done such a wonderful show the first task, we would not 'ave pushed ourselves to do better," she explained. "I was going to do a simple bubble-'ead charm, but I wanted to impress my school. I worked very 'ard on my transformation. It was all because a leetle boy … 'ow you say, showed me up." Her eyes sparkled with mirth.

"Oh, well, then you're welcome," the green-eyed boy said.

The other two champions said much the same, while the rest of the SMI students explained what Harry had done to the magical raised. It was an enjoyable breakfast, until two people decided they had been ignored long enough.

Granger came and sat next to Harry and said importantly, "You know, Harry, if you had come to Hogwarts you would have been able to do something more magical in that last task."

The streak-haired boy actually spit his juice across the table and looked at her in amazement. "What?" at first he wondered how she got to the table. Then he realized that she actually thought she was doing what she was doing with good intentions, plus she meant no harm, therefore not triggering the wards. Unfortunately, those were some of the flaws in intent wards.

"Well, it's obvious that your school didn't teach you how to use magic to go underwater," she said in her I-know-better-than-you-do voice.

"You just keep thinking that," Harry said with great sarcasm dripping from his voice.

"You really should think about transferring here," she continued, ignoring the snipe.

"We don't want his kind here," came the stuck-up voice of Draco Malfoy, who was not actually at the table, but near enough to not have to raise his voice. So while he truly believed what he did, he meant to be harmful.

Harry shook his head and said, "You two take the cake. Don't worry, Malfoy, I don't want to come to this backwater institute." And he turned back to his breakfast, causing Granger to bristle at the slight on her school.

It was at that moment that McGonagall, Snape and Mr. Scott descended on the group. "Is there a problem?" Mr. Scott spoke first, hoping to ward off the other two professors.

"No," sniffed the blond-haired boy as he turned and made his way back to the Slytherin table.

"Of course not, Professor," said a more contrite Granger.

"Harry?" the Vice Principal asked.

"Not if she leaves," the younger boy said with a shrug.

"Honestly," huffed the bushy-haired girl as she got up and stormed off.

"There really wasn't a problem," chimed in Neville, "just Granger trying to get Harry to switch schools. No cussing or fighting or anything." He too turned back to his meal, having said his piece.

"Very good, Harry," Mr. Scott said, clapping the boy on the shoulder.

"If you were…" Snape started only to be cut off by McGonagall.

"Severus, your job is done here," she said in a voice that brooked no argument.

His cloak billowed behind him as the Potions Professor stormed off. The Transfiguration Professor gave a tight smile and followed. Mr. Scott giving the boy's shoulder one more pat, rejoined the Staff Table.

Harry really needed to visit his aunt and Sirius to see how the man got kidnapped in the first place. "Hey, guys, up to visiting the adults? I want to know how they got my godfather," he asked his friend and brother.

"After classes?" Jordan inquired, he too wanted to know.

"Sounds like a plan," the youngest boy said and they all returned to eating.

Classes went smoothly. Mr. Scott made the announcement that they were going to give tours of the boat and asked that everyone volunteer at least once to show people around. Harry and Neville were down for later that month, since they already showed the champions. Mr. Scott and his two oldest apprentices were scheduled to take the first group and then it would go down the line. It would all start this weekend.

Harry and the gang finished their homework and told the Vice Principal that they would be visiting his aunt. After getting consent and told to be back before dinner, they left Jumping straight to the front yard.

Gilly was at her little table with one of the Hogsmeade residents, the cauldron's fire was going full blast to ward off the chill. She waved the group to the house and they went to find Sirius. He was sitting in the living room, sipping a cup of tea and reading the Prophet.

"So, Dogman, want to tell us how they got you?" Harry asked as he plopped on to one of the arm chairs.

The man's face took on a sheepish look as he rubbed the back of his head and gave a small smile. "I was being stupid," he confessed with a small blush on his face, like he had been caught in the cookie jar. "I went to get your Aunt Gilly some chocolate. Since we were so sure they were going to snag her, I didn't keep a lookout for myself. I mean, I'm a Lord and a pure-blood, we didn't think they would have the balls to snag me. So we warded the house every way we could to keep anyone out, which is why I went out. I heard someone call my name and turned and the next thing I knew I was waking up in that freezing lake."

"That'll teach ya," Harry said smugly.

"Oh, believe me; I got an earful from your aunt about not protecting myself better. She was in a state all night long, trying to figure out what happened. Not that she was overly worried, just that I disappeared. She knew what was happening, but well… anyway, it was a good thing Gussy showed up or she would have leveled Hogwarts. That would have been bad politics," he said with admiration in his eyes for the woman he loved. He knew she was powerful when angry, and it would have been wicked to see that power unleashed on the organizers of this fiasco.

"I'm shocked that Gran could hold her back," Neville said from his place on the sofa. "How did she even know to come?"

"I'm not, Aunt Gilly respects older women," was Harry's rebuttal. She may not always listen to the aunts, but she did respect them deeply.

"Kippy went and got her," Sirius answered the other question.

"It also helped," said Gilly from the doorway, "that Evie mirrored in and told me that he was fine. She warned me that if I took out my anger on those bastards that it would cause more problems in the long run. It was all I could do to sit here and wait." She moved into the living room and sat on Sirius's lap. "I'm glad Gussy showed."

"Me too, babe, me too," the dogman said and kissed her on the nose.

"Anyway," whined Harry, "before you two get all mushy. When are you going to confront the Headmaster and can I be there?" he asked in an excited voice, not wanting to miss that fight.

"Tomorrow, Mr. Roberts is coming by, and we'll be going over the paperwork, and no you can't be there. Sorry, sweetie, but adults only," was Gilly's reply.

"He is an adult," Luna reminded them dreamily. "He's going to have to assign a proxy soon if he doesn't want to sit on the Wizengamot while he is finishing school."

"Dammit," the boy with the tri-colored hair all but yelled, "I completely forgot about that. Do we even know anyone who could be proxy?" he looked to the other member of the Wizengamot in the room.

"Well, Dumbledore has been sitting as your proxy since you disappeared, but I'm guessing you want someone else. Let's ask Mr. Roberts when he comes tomorrow. His firm is neutral, so he may have some ideas." Sirius rubbed his chin in thought.

"That and he can get someone to draw up a contract for the person assigned," added Jordan. They all nodded their heads at that and changed the subject to how Harry did on the task. The rest of the visit was spent teasing the couple about letting their guard down and soon enough it was time for dinner, so the students left back to the houseboat.

The next afternoon Mr. Scott came and got Harry for the meeting with the Headmaster. They Jumped to the castle and set off to the office. After giving the password, they trooped up the stairs and Harry knocked. After being bid to do so they entered the room and noted that Dumbledore, Snape, Gilly, Sirius and Mr. Roberts were all in the room. The tension could be cut with a knife.

"Ah, Harry, my boy, please sit," the old man said jovially, waving to the chairs in front of his desk.

"Hello, old man," the teen said as he sat down and promptly ignored the scoffing from the teacher and the affronted look on the headmaster.

"And a cheery good afternoon to you too, Albus," Mr. Scott said sarcastically as he too took a seat.

"Of course, good afternoon, Mr. Scott," Dumbledore said as an afterthought.

"So," Harry said, turning to his aunt, "why is the air so prickly?"

"The Headmaster won't make Snivellus leave. We've been talking for over twenty minutes that that man doesn't belong here," she spat, the air started stirring again.

Before an argument could ensue there was another knock on the door. Bartemius Crouch Sr. entered and took a chair behind the Headmaster.

"Severus has my complete confidence," Albus said wearily, like he had been saying it over and over again. You would think by now he would get the clue that they didn't care.

"Well, he doesn't have mine," Sirius rebutted again. "For the last time, Albus, you can tell him whatever you want when we're done, but I will not speak to you while he is in the room." He folded his arms over his chest, and leaned back in his chair as if these were his final words on the subject. Everyone on that side of the desk copied his movements and no one said another word.

Surprisingly it was Barty who broke the silence. "Really, Albus, make the man leave so we can get on with this… fiasco," the Ministry worker snapped. He never trusted the ex-Death Eater.

"You should also dismiss the creepy guy in the corner," Harry added, looking at the DADA Professor hiding under a disillusion spell.

The scarred man removed the charm, barked with laughter and shouted out, "Constant Vigilance! Good job, Potter." He nodded his head towards the youngest in the room.

"What is the meaning of this?" Gilly said, standing from her chair. "We came to you to talk business, and you have people hiding in the corner! Just what kind of man are you? You'd better get your act together Dumbles, or I'm going to start getting angry!" she yelled as she slammed her hands on that antique desk, causing everything on it to rattle.

"I meant no harm. These men have my complete trust; however, you and yours are unknown. Can you begrudge an old man for being cautious?" he asked with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Don't you give me your grandfather routine," she snarled as her hair started to lift. The other members of her family stood with her, each placing a hand on different shoulders, but looked angrily at the Headmaster for this blatant display of distrust. "We didn't ask to come here. We didn't ask to be scorned at every turn. We didn't want to be kidnapped and placed in the Black Lake. However, this is what has happened since the moment we stepped foot in your school."

"Albus, tell your watchdogs to leave," Mr. Crouch said firmly, hoping to calm the very frightening woman.

"Alastor, Severus, if you will excuse us," the Headmaster conceded in a tired voice. Snape gave the group a scornful once over and left the room. Moody, one the other hand, gave Harry a praising look before he followed. "Now, perhaps, we can get down to business. But, first, Harry, my boy, why are you here?"

"Well, Albus, ole chap…" the young man started as he sat, followed by Gilly and Sirius.

"That is Headmaster or Professor," the old man corrected with a disappointed frown.

"And I've told you time and time again, my name is Mr. Potter, not Harry or my boy. If you are not going to listen to me, why should I show you any respect?" Harry stated with a disappointed look in his eyes, making them twinkle. He wished he had glasses so he could mimic the old man completely.

"Very well," Albus sighed, he didn't seem to be winning any points tonight.

"Back to your question," Harry said with a broad smile. "I'm here because Mr. Roberts and Agent Mumford are a bit upset that there seems to be no progress on finding out who put my name in the Goblet. It's been months now and Ms. Mumford is standing by waiting to hear good news from you, so she doesn't have to call her bosses and report that nothing is being done. See, if she has to do that then Magical Britain will be flooded with the alphabet soup by morning," he finished smugly, like it had been the plan all along, which it had.

"What exactly does that mean… alphabet soup?" Barty asked, with sweat forming on his brow.

"You know, secret agencies, FBI, CIA— alphabet," the teen answered with a shrug.

"Aren't those Muggle agencies?" the very nervous man asked, making the ones on Harry's side of the desk share a look.

"We have the magical equivalent," was Mr. Scott's answer, taking over the conversation.

"I am sure such drastic measures are not needed," the Headmaster said, looking over his half-moon glasses.

"We told you from the start we wanted to see something being done. Nothing has, so your time is up. If you do not give me something during this meeting then Agent Mumford will call her boss and it will be out of your hands," the Vice Principle said casually.

"Alas, there is nothing to report," Dumbledore said tiredly. "We have searched every venue and could find no one who wanted to put this young man's name in the Goblet of Fire. We have come to a standstill. I am sure that your… agencies will do no better." He didn't let them know that the DMLE didn't look that hard, they, like everyone else in the Magical Britain, wanted Harry Potter to stay.

"Really, I don't remember being questioned," Harry said sarcastically.

"We felt that you were telling the truth and did not take that course," Albus stated with a wave of his hands.

"Looks to me like you didn't try hard enough, because no one I've talked to said anything about being questioned," the tri-color haired boy said snidely.

"Like I said, it is now out of yours and our hands," Mr. Scott said firmly, in a tone to tell his youngest student to drop it.

"I'm afraid I cannot let your government come here," the irate Headmaster stated. He stood and whipped out his wand and made a sweeping motion, stunning the SMI contingent to their chairs.

Harry, seeing his opportunity, used the Owens magic and thought the Wand to his hand. The Elder Wand flew across the room and landed on his thigh. Disarming the old man gave him great pleasure. Now he had all the Deathly Hallows. He just had to figure out what to do with them.

At the same time Gilly, in a blink of an eye, unstuck herself and waved her hand to release the others. When he felt his bonds loosen Harry grabbed the wand. When the rest were released, they all stood; Harry, Sirius, Mr. Scott and Mr. Roberts pointed their wands at the other two. It happened in a split second.

Barty was sputtering that he had nothing to do with what Dumbledore had planned.

"You just made an enormous mistake, old man," Gilly's chilly voice filled the air as she waved her hand and stunned the two on the other side of the desk. "You must be the stupidest person I've ever met. There is a lawyer present and you stunned him and four others with the intent to wipe their memories. Do you really think you are all that powerful? Or that we didn't have backup plans just in case you did something like this? I hate people that think they are above everyone."

Dumbledore wasn't listening to her rant. No, his eyes were solely on the boy who now held the Elder Wand. His lifelong dream was crashing right in front to his eyes. His mind was in turmoil, he knew the Potters had the Invisibly Cloak. However, they didn't have the Resurrection Stone. Perhaps if he found it first he could keep this young brat from gaining the power of the Hallows.

"Mr. Scott," Mr. Roberts said, joining the conversation for the first time, "can you tell Agent Mumford we have a situation here?" Mr. Scott nodded his head and left the room in a hurry. The rest of the group sat down, and the lawyer got a predatory look on his face, "Now, let's talk lawsuits." He started pulling out sheets and sheets of parchment.

The Owens group got vindictive looks on their faces and they all settled down and let the attorney handle it.

"Now," Mr. Roberts stated as he looked over the parchment in his hand, "as you know kidnapping a pure-blood is against the law, since you didn't ask Mr. Black if he wanted to participate in your games. it constitutes as such." His smile got bigger. "You'll probably hear from the French as well, kidnapping a child without parental permission is a big no-no," he added, wagging his finger at them in a very unprofessional way. "I have talked to Miss Granger; she decided not to join this suit. I have yet to talk to her parents though. Miss Chang and her parents have also declined."

"I am sure it will not be held against us in court," Dumbledore said, knowing he had a lot of sway over many of the Wizengamot. He was pleased that his students didn't turn against him. "It was merely for entertainment purposes and not meant to be harmful."

Albus was still trying to move the rest of his body so he could get back the wand. He was frustrated that the only thing he could move was his head; it was an impressive piece of magic, yet still annoying. Without the use of his hands he could not call the wand back to him. It did make him wonder how the stunned Harry accomplished such a feat.

Harry seeing the man struggle put the wand in his Mokeskin bag and smiled smugly.

"My client doesn't agree and neither do the Delacours," Mr. Roberts said, and his smile got wider, if possible. He always liked putting hubristic men in their place. His firm had been trying to get something on Dumbledore for years. They didn't like that one man held so many prestigious positions and were all agreed that no one should hold that much power, so if this lawsuit and the American government played out the way they planned then it would take some of those positions away from him. The Headmaster's earlier actions would be held against him.

Shaking himself from his happy thoughts, he continued, "You took my client off the pavement, stunned him and put him in the bottom of the Black Lake in the middle of February. You snatched a child from under the eyes of her parents and did the same. That is placing them in a harmful, possibly deadly, situation. Now I can't speak for the Delacours, but I have informed them of this lawsuit and they are speaking to their attorneys."

"Surely, Sirius, you could see that it was all meant in good humor," the old man said, turning to his former student with a twinkle in his eye. "You and your fellow pranksters had no problem setting up innocents when you attended this very school." He gave the man a serious look, trying to remind him of the leniency that was given to him when he almost got Severus killed.

"And you had no problem brushing off attempted murder," snapped the Animagus. "What would you have done if that prank had gone too far? Would you have swept it under the carpet? No big deal; just a poor little half-blood, with no political standing. What's that compared to two pure-bloods who can give you money for your vigilante group? As much as I hated Snivellus, and still do, you should have disciplined us far harsher than you did." His eyes flashed with regret and then steeled in anger to glare at the old man. Sirius now knew it was thanks to Gilly and her family the he had matured enough to understand what he did was wrong. Not to mention the scolding he got from Harry, who didn't talk to him for weeks when he heard. He didn't need the Headmaster trying to guilt him about it. He was still put out with the man for getting Snivellus off and leaving him in Azkaban.

This was the main reason they did not pursue the compulsion charms and love potions. Albus too many names Dumbledore would have just swept it all under the carpet. He would have smack whoever on the wrist and told them not to do it again. He showed that he had a lot of pull in the Wizengamot and DMLE, since nothing had been done to find out who had put Harry's name in the Goblet. Now that the alphabet was coming, whoever was caught will be prosecuted for whatever they were guilt of. Plus, Harry had the full backing of the American Government.

"You should learn to forgive, Sirius, my boy," the Headmaster said and were he not petrified he would have waved his hand. "Just like that time, there was no one hurt and therefore it should be forgotten." Now that he felt he couldn't manipulate Sirius's past to his advantage, he would dismiss it so it couldn't be turned on him.

"That's not why we're here tonight," the barrister said sharply. "We're here because you broke the law and are now being sued for it." He knew of the prank in question, it had been all over the school when it happened and caused more animosity between Gryffindor and Slytherin. Since he had been in Slytherin at the time, he had a hard time getting around it when Sirius started using his firm. But, with Harry being the man's godson, he put it aside and blamed the Headmaster for the strain it put on the two Houses. "Let's not forget the attempt to Obliviate of all the people here, I'll be filing a separate suit for that, that one will be criminal."

"There must be something we can do to appease you, gentlemen," Crouch spoke up. Bribes weren't uncommon in the Ministry and he had no problem doing just that. "And lady," he added quickly at Gilly's look.

"Nope, sorry, these lawsuits are going to happen," Sirius said with a malicious grin. This was the man who threw him in prison without a trial; there was nothing Barty could offer to get him out of this predicament. He hated Crouch more than he hated Snape.

"Here are the complaints we've filed. You should receive a summons as soon as it appears on the docket," Mr. Roberts said, placing the parchments on the desk, not caring that neither man could get to them. "If I were you, I'd be ready to answer some serious questions from the DMLE about the criminal charges."

Just then the door opened without anyone knocking. Mr. Scott and Agent Mumford walked in and stood behind Harry. The agent threw some papers on the desk. It was what held them up, these had just been faxed to her. "Tomorrow this place is going to be crawling with agents. You better warn your staff and students that they will all be interrogated. Letters should be sent to parents so they can be here, or we will just take the questioning to them," Claire said, folding her arms in a no-nonsense manner. "These are the orders from the ICW and they are all legal. Had your Ministry done its job, and had you not threatened our citizens, we would not have to do this." Oh, yeah she was mad. She was going to throw the book at this… person. "And don't think we've forgotten all the mind altering things that have been done to Harry. We will find out who, and they will be prosecuted."

Dumbledore sighed. He had tried so hard to keep the ICW out of the happenings in Britain, now every single one of his plans to get the Boy Who Lived to move back to England were ruined. It was even worse that he no longer held the Elder Wand. He attempted once more to get free of the spell that blasted woman had placed him under, but to no avail, which made him wonder just how powerful she was, and how much she had taught Harry. There was no way the boy would sacrifice himself if he were powerful. If he had the Hallows, well, all was lost.

Crouch started to sweat again. He had his own worries and this stupid tournament and the idiotic lawsuit were the last things on his mind. He still had no clue where his wayward son was. He didn't even bother to get loose; he was too worried about landing in Azkaban. Thank goodness he had freed Winky the moment his son disappeared; now she couldn't be questioned about the goings on in his household. He had no idea what happened to her and really didn't care, as long as she wasn't a liability. Still his believed dead son was still out there and probably causing mayhem. If they found his son, well, then his life would be over. He might be able to bribe his way out of prison, but his career would be done for.

"Well," Mr. Roberts said jovially, "looks like we're done here. See you two in court." He took up the rest of his parchments and put them in his briefcase, stood and made his way to the door, the rest followed.

Everyone trooped out, Gilly being the last. "I told you not to make me angry," she said with great cheer, and waved her hand to release the two men. She then slammed the door behind her as quickly as she could, threw a temporary locking spell on it, not wanting to have to fight them if they gathered their wits enough to start throwing curses. The SMI group and Mr. Roberts made their way down the stairs and got to the Entrance Hall unmolested.

"You know," said the barrister, "I've never been on your houseboat. Can I come and take a look around?" He was eager to see the updated equipment he had heard so much about, maybe he could get the firm to move their offices to non-magical London so they too could get these wonderful inventions.

"How very thoughtless of me," Mr. Scott said, a hint of pink on his ears. "Of course, you are welcome anytime. Can you Jump?"

"Not yet," was the sheepish answer. "Miss Owens has been teaching me, but I don't quite have a handle on it."

"That is not a problem, I can take you," the Vice Principal said, holding out his arm for the man to grab.

They Jumped to the shore and then to the boat. Mr. Scott showed the attorney around and waxed poetic on the use of computers and how it would make the man's job easier. The older two men wandered off to the computer room so Mr. Scott could impress Mr. Roberts with how the kids did their homework and kept in touch with their families. He would take him to the office and show him the fax machine, without which he would never complete his work.

Harry, upon entering the boat, jerked his head to the stairs, he wanted to go to the practice room. It should be empty this time of night and he wanted Luna to hear what happened. Because of the room wards, she couldn't go to their dorm. Harry, Neville, Jordan, Luna, Gilly and Sirius all moved to the room. Harry told them what happened in the office. They were shocked that the Headmaster would try and go to such extremes to keep the government from interfering. The youngest male laughed and said it served the old man right. And then he sobered, reached into his Mokeskin bag and held up the Elder Wand for them to see.

"That is a very powerful wand," commented Sirius, who was a little spooked that his godson was now the Master of Death.

"Yes, it is," spoke a voice from the shadows as Jim stepped forward.

"So, what does it all mean?" a confused Harry asked.

"Nothing for you to worry about right now," Death said with a dismissive wave of his boney hand. "What you need to concentrate on is that you now have powerful tools. I know you plan on using the Cloak in the final task. I suggest you keep all the Hallows with you at all times. They could be most useful when you least expect it."

"So there is something I need to worry about later?" asked the boy with the tri-colored hair, a wary look in his eyes. He didn't miss that tidbit of information, and was now worried that this whole Master of Death thing was more than what the story made it out to be.

"Yes, later," the skeletal man said, not offering any more than that. "Heed my words, keep the Hallows close," he said, and then he disappeared the same as he always did, into the shadows.

"Sometimes he really pisses me off," Harry said with a grumpy tone to his voice.

"Still, what he did say was important," Luna predicted, making everyone look up. "Those tools are going to be vital in the final task, and the following fight."

"Can you see how?" Neville asked, worried about his cousin.

"No, the nargles are interfering," the little seer said. "You're not wearing your necklace," she accused the youngest champion.

"Oops, I forgot to put it back on after the task. It would've floated off me in the water and I didn't want to lose it," the youngest male said, making the girl glare at him. "I'll put it back on when we're done here," he quickly said at that look.

She simply nodded and stared at the creatures currently muddling the boy's mind.

"Okay," Sirius said, "now that we've talked to Death and got in his normal riddle, let's get down to what you're doing for the final task." He was going to let the FBI and Mr. Roberts handle the attempted mind-wipe.

So they spent the next half an hour going over the finishing touches on the plan and how Harry could use the Hallows to their fullest extent. It was decided that he would keep them in the Mokeskin bag tied to his belt. It was now time for dinner and the newly engaged couple went home. The SMI students joined their peers and had a nice meal of mac-and-cheese with hotdogs. Mr. Roberts joined them and was delighted to partake in the simple American fare.

Harry approached the man when dinner was done. "Mr. Roberts," he said politely, "I have a dilemma that I need your help with. Can you come to the magic room?"

"Of course, Mr. Potter, it's one of the reasons you pay me," the lawyer said as he grabbed his briefcase and stood to join the boy.

The two went to the room and Harry conjured two chairs. Mr. Roberts threw up some privacy wards. They sat and the attorney waited for his client to begin.

"I need a proxy for my Wizengamot seat," Harry stated, running his hand through his hair, "since I don't plan on taking it until I finish school, if at all. I'd also like to get what laws the old man has voted for in my stead. I don't trust him to vote for things I'd approve of."

"I can have someone for you in the next day or so," the man said, settling back in his chair. "So, rumor is true, you might not come back at all?" he added as an afterthought.

"Well, I have been training all my life to take the seat, but the way these people are treating me makes me want to run away as fast as I can," the tri-colored teen said firmly. "After what happened today, and that man being in charge, well, let's just say that the United States politics are looking very appealing."

"Yes, I've heard the stories about your less than polite treatment by the Hogwarts staff and students," Mr. Roberts nodded, rubbing his chin in thought. "Not to mention the press," he added with a wicked smile, pleased that he had silenced the Prophet and that damned Skeeter. "Until criminal charges are filed there is little I can do. However, I will be having my firm draw up papers to help with their investigation."

"It has a lot to do with those stupid books," groused the young man, slumping in his seat.

"I did try and get them banned, but there are no laws against them," Mr. Roberts said a bit aggressively, thinking the teen was blaming him for not doing better.

"Oh, I don't blame you," Harry waved the defensive voice away. "No, I fault this backward society."

The barrister sighed in relief and perked up at the new challenge. "Tell me what your political stance is and I'll see who we have to take up the position as your proxy." He pulled out some blank parchment and a non-magical pen, which was just given to him by Mr. Scott.

The two went over Harry's views on magicals, magical creatures, laws, non-magicals and general politics. It took the better part of two hours to get it all on paper and Mr. Roberts said he would have a few people for Harry to interview in the next few days. With that the man gathered up his papers and went to thank Mr. Scott for an enlightening evening and the wonderful writing instrument.

Harry joined his friends, who were playing a rousing game of Life, which Luna was winning, and told them what he and Mr. Roberts talked about. Soon enough it was time for bed and everyone put their games, homework or books away and went to their dorms.

The next day as predicted the United States agents swarmed the castle. They had been on stand-by waiting for the go ahead for months, and were ready with questions and to take affidavits. Right now they were questioning the staff and recording everything that was said on recording crystals, making sure that each person they talked to knew that whatever they said could be used against them. There were a dozen men and women. They didn't even care it was Saturday, they had waited long enough.

The Hogwarts staff, on the other hand, cared that their weekend was being interrupted by these pushy Yanks and were not very helpful in their answers. That and they were extremely upset that anyone would be as thorough as these men were. They were disbelieving that the Headmaster was being vilified in such a manner. What they didn't seem to realize is that the hostility they were showing was making it easier on the agents to see just what was going on in the castle.

The other two schools gave honest answers, since they had nothing to do with Dumbledore or the Boy Who Lived being put in the tournament. They gave permission for their students to be questioned, since they were all over age. Karkaroff was questioned thoroughly about his time as a Death Eater, what he had done since he went back to his home country and where he stood now. He made sure to tell them about Viktor being potioned and that he would be taking it up with the ICW soon.

Agent Mumford was standing behind Harry with a vicious look that dared anyone to tell her she shouldn't be there. It had been decided that she would need to guard him better in case their questioning was taken out on the teen. There was actually a small argument that morning on whether the young man should join the school for breakfast. Harry won by stating that she was going to be with him and that he had handled himself fine the night before.

When the SMI contingent made their way to the Great Hall for breakfast, they spotted the men in business suits talking to the staff. It made them cheerful that they had one-upped the British Magicals who had done nothing to impress them thus far.

"So," Cedric asked as he sat at the table, glancing at the mean looking woman who stood behind Harry like a bodyguard, "what's with the Muggles?" He then looked at the men in suits that he had never seen before, wondering how they got into the castle.

"They're not non-magical," answered Harry, who was sporting a huge grin. "They are the magical equivalent of the CIA and FBI." At the confused looks he explained, "Central Intelligence Agency and Federal Bureau of Investigation." This only caused more confused looks. "The MIA, which is the Magical Intelligence Agency, is here to get a better understanding on the politics of the British Ministry of Magic. The FBI: Magical Branch is here to find out how my name got into the Goblet of Fire and a few other things."

"Wait, why would they need a better understanding of the Ministry? I thought that was all public information," the confused Hufflepuff asked.

"Well, as I understand it, the USA isn't under the ICW so they don't interact with your Ministry very often. They want to make sure that any civil war that broke out in this country didn't bleed over to the States and with the hostilities between the pure-bloods and the new magicals, or what we call the Returners, it's sure to happen soon. So they are using Harry's name being drawn, since it a Ministry event, as an excuse to get the info they need to report the state of your government to the head honchos of our government," Jordan explained as he finished his coffee, thankful for the pot that was in the middle of the table as he poured himself some more.

"Ah, and the… FBI?" his voice cracked with the mention of war. He had been a young boy when the war with He Who Must Not Be Named was going on, but he remembered the fear well enough to not want it to happen again.

"They're going to find out who put my name in the Goblet," Harry said again with a shrug. He had far more faith in the FBI than he did in the DMLE of Britain. "When they find the person who did it, that person will be brought up on attempted murder charges. They will be extradited to the States to stand trial." He didn't mention the compulsion charms, because no one needed to know.

"Can they do that?" one of Cedric's mates asked. Everyone had been listening to the conversation.

"Sure, I saw the papers last night. The ICW is pissed that little has been done by your DMLE and they want answers. So they gave the go-ahead for the alphabet to be here," the younger teen said.

The talk turned to less important things and breakfast continued peacefully, though the thoughts of the Hogwarts students were in turmoil about how there were foreign government officials all over their school. The talk of civil war had many of them worried. Being Hufflepuffs they had always looked up to the Headmaster and taken him at his word. However recent happenings were making it clear that the old man might not have been quite truthful with the student body. They would have a House meeting tonight to discuss what the SMI group told them.

Every now and then they looked to the Staff Table and saw many silent arguments. The one that seemed the most pissed-off was Snape as he was questioned about his time as a Death Eater, how the Headmaster had gotten him off, just what he had done as a spy and where he stood today. Unlike Karkaroff, he was less than cooperative.

Just as Harry and his friends got to the doors of the Great Hall, "I cannot believe you are doing this, Harry," came that dreaded voice of Granger. A glare firmly on her face, though when Agent Mumford glared back she smoothed her face to a more questioning look. She being Muggle-born knew just who the men in suits were and was irritated that anyone would bring them to the school.

"I'm not doing anything," he snapped. "I have no control over the government." He really wished this girl would leave him the hell alone.

"Right," she said scoffed, "The Boy Who Lived has no say in politics." She eyeballed the woman who she knew carried a gun, but her question will be answered. Besides, she wasn't threatening the streak-haired boy, yet.

"Not in America, there I'm just some punk ass kid," he said smugly. He knew it was the old man's own fault that the agents were here, and nothing anyone said would change that point of view.

"The Headmaster is a great man," she said in a harsh voice, "and you are trying to ruin his reputation." She didn't believe for one moment this boy had nothing to do with the men who were questioning everyone.

"And I say again, I have nothing to do with this. So why don't you take your unrighteous indignation somewhere else." With that said he turned and left the affronted girl to stew. The rest of the SMI students and Claire joined him.

He could hear Cedric say as he left, "He's right you know. You're accusing him of something he has no control over." They never heard her reply as they made their way out of the castle.

"So, Luna, please tell me that's the last we're going to hear from the know-it-all," Neville begged when they got to the houseboat.

"Oh, yes, Cedric is going to talk to her and McGonagall is going to take points and assign her first detention, since she tried to start a fight, which they were warned not to do," the little seer answered.

"Thank God," Harry said in a loud voice, causing everyone to chuckle.

Mr. Scott entered the room followed by Professor Flitwick and five of his seventh year students, who were all carrying hover-boards and had happy faces. "As you can see this is the living area, where our students play games, eat and generally relax," he said, showing the group around the room. "Over here we have the entertainment center, which houses the TV, the VCR and the gaming system. Our students are scheduled for when they can play, since there is only one, since our seniors are on self-study, they can play during school hours, when they are not tutoring, and the younger students can utilize them in the evening. There is also a movie night for everyone, or if the system is not being used then anyone can watch a movie."

"What delightful things you have here," squeaked the tiny professor, who was clapping his hands at the marvelous inventions. It was too bad they wouldn't work in the castle; some student might not get in as much trouble if they were to have something to occupy their down time. He glanced at Luna with remorse.

"Yes, they do keep our students out of trouble, mostly," Mr. Scott said, echoing the Charms Professor's thoughts and shooting a playful glare at his champion, who gave him an unrepentant grin. The Vice Principal shook his head and then moved the group towards the bookcases explaining the board games and recreational books. After he explained the rest of the living area he moved to show them the computer room.

"Oops, I forgot about that," Harry said with a snap of his finger. "We'd better get our lecture notes together so we don't come off as unprepared." Though they did rather well with the Champions, it might be better if they sounded more professional to the other students.

"Yeah," Jordan agreed, and they conferred on what could be explained using simple words for the rest of the night.

It was a very thoughtful and impressed group of Hogwarts students and professor that left when the tour was completed. It had been one thing to see the school books and hear from the SMI students, but it was quite another to see communications that were instantaneous. Not to mention easier to read homework and out of this world entertainment. Professor Flitwick had gotten the spell to ward off the opposite sex for the dorms, which he felt would be far more useful than collapsing staircases.

Harry and his group decided to finish their homework until it was time for them to play the video games. It was a relaxing Saturday, now that the government was here to take most of the pressure off Harry and Mr. Scott. They were sure that the Headmaster would get his comeuppance.