Harry Potter and the Fifth Element

Chapter 14 - Ashrak

The long-awaited day of the Ashrak - 18 July, 1996 - had finally arrived. Harry woke early, soaked in sweat and shuddering violently. He had endured no ordinary, or even extraordinary, nightmare. What he had just experienced was Auror training lesson number 128. Hermione had been reluctant to discuss this lesson and had simply characterised it as "troubling." Harry thought that "terrifying" or "disgusting" would have been more accurate descriptions.

Lesson 128 consisted of a variety of deadly curses that the Auror Corps considered obsolescent after the advent of Avada Kedavra. Harry was appalled, but not particularly surprised, at the wide variety of ways that wizards had developed to kill one another - and often themselves, as well - over the centuries. At least ten of the curses were essentially suicidal, intentionally resulting in death for not only the target but also for the caster of the curse.

Harry was not in the slightest keen on any of those curses. But if that was what it took to rid the world of Voldemort once and for all, he was willing to make even the ultimate sacrifice. And now, he shuddered, he knew how to perform such curses if necessary. Hermione absolutely did not feel the same way about suicide. No wonder she had been so appalled when she encountered these spells, even if they were not part of their training.

In addition to girding himself for the possibility of magical murder-suicide, Harry also now knew many new and grotesque ways of killing:

He could curse an opponent so that his limbs, and finally his head, were torn from his body - at a speed that could be varied to suit the caster of the curse.

There was a curse that fried the target's brains inside his skull.

Another curse instantaneously turned an adversary's entire skeleton to dust.

Another caused the lungs to explode violently, literally blowing the victim's heart through the chest wall.

Another employed reverse transubstantiation, turning the victim's blood into wine inside the victim' veins.

Another caused the stomach to fill with molten lead.

Even the gentlest curses of the lot were grotesque. Why anyone would want to kill someone with an inverted baldness curse that caused ones hair to fall in and clog the brain was beyond him.

As much as he might want to forget, Harry now knew forty-one new - well, old, actually - ways of killing. He wondered how the Aurors could practice most of these spells. They were too cruel even to use on animals. 'Well maybe not Wormtail' ... Harry reminded himself.

These curses had fallen into disfavour because their outcome was less certain. They lacked the pure killing power of Avada Kedavra. Above all, these spells were less effective because, unlike the Killing Curse, a victim could block them under ordinary circumstances. When the roster of Unforgivable Curses was drawn up following the defeat of Grindelwald in 1945, these blockable death curses were already sufficiently rare and obsolete that nobody bothered to add them to the list.

Still, more than fifty years later, they remained part of the standard Auror curriculum. It was enough to make Harry reconsider his career choice. Maybe that had been Hermione's intention, he ruminated.

His relatives had evidently decided to spend the night with Aunt Marge. This gave Harry another chance to run alone. All for the good, Harry thought, as he had a variety of vague ideas about the Ashrak and the goblin treaty that he was going to be signing. Harry hoped that he could sort things out during his run. He slapped his favorite Beatles CD - the one with the song that reminded him of Hermione - in the portable player he had gotten from Dudley and took off. Harry did some of his best thinking whilst running. By the time he finished with what was now up to ten kilometres, he had the makings of a plan.

Although he was not scheduled to meet Bill Weasley until noon, Harry was feeling skittish and at loose ends. He was uncomfortable talking with Hermione about the Ashrak at the moment, and he had made a conscious decision not to involve Eliza. Wanting some sort of dialogue, Harry decided to Apparate to the gym for an impromptu session with Lao Kung. Since his relatives were absent, Harry gave whoever was guarding him the signal to follow and Apparated directly from his room for the first time - not bothering with the usual trip to Mrs. Figg's house across the street.

That was not a particularly good idea. In addition to all of the uncomfortable feelings he ordinarily associated with Apparition - the squeezing, the stretching, and the sense of being crowded - Harry arrived feeling out sorts and with a pounding headache.

Some sort of ward, he supposed.

Seeing Harry's unprepared state, Lao Kung first sent him into the main section of the gym to expend some energy on the speed and heavy bags. When Harry returned, the Sefu put him through a battery of calming exercises, followed by some balance and sensory expansion drills that the Sefu thought would benefit Harry.

Sefu Kung was pleased to learn that Harry had come to a satisfactory arrangement for dealing with the personal issues that had been plaguing him. The outcome was quite different from his original recommendation, but hardly foreign to his experience. Lao Kung congratulated Harry on finding a "rather Chinese" solution.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Harry archly. "What's 'Chinese' about not wanting to burden my best friend with additional demands that our relationship might not be able to bear?"

The old Sefu tried to explain. "Chinese culture, Hahli, is not so ... linear ... as that of the English. In China there is no contradiction in loving different women in different ways. A Chinese man of high status traditionally has been able to have more than one wife, and to maintain different wives for different purposes. You are not as far from that as you might think."

Harry was surprised. "They're not wives, they're friends. I'm not planning on marrying anyone. I'm only sixteen bloody years old."

"True enough," replied the Sefu, "but your life has already seen violent upheavals. You are older than your years - in many ways, an adult mind in an adolescent's body."

Even after his rather confusing session with Lao Kung, Harry had left himself plenty of time to get ready for his noontime rendezvous with Bill Weasley. His guardian was to take him to the Ministry for final preparations. As best Harry understood it, he would be meeting with both wizard and goblin diplomats to review the ceremonial aspects of the Ashrak.

Harry was quite surprised to see Bill already relaxing on the front stoop of Number Four Privet Drive when he returned from the gym. Uncertain whether his relatives had returned, Harry had used his prearranged concealed Apparition spot at Mrs. Figg's. As he pushed through the bushes from behind the neighbouring house, he saw Bill.

"Bill," he shouted as he pelted across the drive. "I'm sorry, but you're quite early."

"Keep it down," Bill hissed. "I'm already enough of a spectacle just because of these robes. No need to attract the attention of the whole neighbourhood. I know I'm early, but I needed to discuss something with you privately. I didn't expect you to be out."

"I'm glad you're early," panted Harry, holding a stitch in his side from the sprint. "I need a word with you about some things too. Come inside, but please be quiet."

The door was locked from the inside and Harry had forgotten to take a key when he Apparated. "Bloody Hell," he cursed. "That's the last time I Apparate out of here without a key." Harry trotted around to the back of the house, Bill following. "Accio broom."

A tiny package zoomed out of Harry's open second storey window and into his hand. "Engorgio." The Valkyrie-70 returned to its normal size, and the boy leapt on. Bill whistled at the sight of the broom, but Harry did not hear him. He ascended slowly to his open window, jumped in and pulled in the broom after him. Bill was still staring up at the window when he heard the deadbolt on the Dursleys' back door click open.

As they went inside, Bill commented, "Harry, I couldn't help noticing that you didn't bother to take out your...."

"Ssshh," hissed Harry, also gesturing emphatically at Bill. "Not yet." He paused, flicked his wand out this time and uttered, "Surveillius confundo. Now we can talk."

Bill was impressed by the magical demonstration. "What was that all about?" he began.

"Ministry's bugged my house. I'm used to it though," Harry stated flatly, as if having his conversations monitored was perfectly normal. "Just can't discuss anything important without first using the proper defence."

"That's one hell of a broom," Bill commented.

"Sure is," Harry replied. "That's also courtesy of the Ministry. It's military issue - a brand new top-of-the-line combat broom. Ironic isn't it? The Ministry trusts me with their most sophisticated weaponry, but still bugs my house. That brings me to one of the things I need to talk with you about. I have to be able to fly to keep from going crazy with everything that's going on. Dumbledore says I can use the Hogwarts grounds starting next week, but since Hagrid's not around, I need you to help teach me...."

"Harry, you've forgotten more about flying that either I or Hagrid ever knew," Bill broke in. "The idea that we could teach you...."

Harry interrupted. "Listen, Bill, this isn't just about brooms. I've inherited Sirius' motorbike, and I want to learn how to ride that. I remember you telling stories about riding motorbikes in Egypt, and I was hoping you could teach me."

"Get out!" Bill exclaimed, before recalling that he was Harry's guardian and not a teenager anymore.

Bill continued in a more even tone of voice. "Er ... Harry, that's a lot of bike for anyone. Are you sure you can handle it? I mean, Sirius rode a Gus Kuhn Norton...." Seeing Harry's blank look, Bill hastened to explain. "That's a kind of Muggle racing bike - a BIG one. I don't even know if they're made any more. But that's the kind of person Sirius was back then. That bike could top 200 klicks easily before it ever left the ground."

"Try me," replied Harry, his jaw set.

"All right," said Bill. "I suppose you're old enough. I'll give it a whirl as long as you respect your safety. From the looks of it, that broom you've got is perfectly capable of killing you all by itself. You could hardly do worse with Sirius' bike. Where is it anyway?"

Harry did not answer immediately. Bill's comment about killing himself on the Valkyrie hit a little too close to home. Bill crossed his arms and tapped his foot, taking on the air of a parent waiting for an answer after a child let something slip.

"That's almost as brilliant as the bike itself," began Harry. "It's already at Hogwarts. Hagrid took it from Grimmauld Place. I gather the Order cleared out because Kreacher compromised security. Supposedly, Hagrid stashed it behind his hut, under a concealment spell. Only he was called away before he could give it to me."

"Fine," said Bill. "Now there's something I'd like for you to do ... but it needs to be kept rather confidential for a while. You see.... I've decided to ask Fleur to marry me, but I'm worried about the reaction...."

"Congratulations!!" enthused Harry. "I can't believe you're worried, though, from what little I've seen, Fleur is head-over-heels in love with you. I hope I'm that lucky, when ... er ... if that time ever comes." He caught himself thinking of the prophecy again.

"It's not Fleur I'm worried about," responded Bill, nervously wringing his hands. "She's been dropping hints in that direction for months. It's.... It's ... her father. I've never met him, but he has a formidable reputation. He's everything I'm not. He's filthy rich. I'm a Weasley - no need to say more in that department. He's a war hero. I understand that he helped lead the French resistance to Grindelwald, and lost most of his family doing it. Me? I've only recently joined the Order, and have yet to kill a single Death Eater. Fleur's dad is very highly placed in the French Ministry, and I'm a lowly bank clerk. He's French. I'm English. I'm petrified that he won't find me good enough for his eldest daughter."

"I can sympathise ... er ... I-I-I can try to sympathise, anyway," stammered Harry. "I doubt killing anyone is very much fun though. I've had a hand in a couple of deaths, and I've always felt terrible about it.... I'm a lousy killer...."

Don't go there, Harry thought - too close to Sirius. Harry quickly returned to the subject at hand. "But what does anything concerning Fleur have to do with me?"

"Everything," sighed Bill. "Fleur says her dad is a great admirer of yours."

"Great," spat Harry. "You want me to suck up to another big-shot admirer of The Boy Who Lived."

"It's not that way at all," said Bill as patiently as he could. He was trying to keep this conversation as low key as possible. "You're not The Boy Who Lived to Fleur's father. You're more like 'The Boy Who Saved His Beloved Gabi.' I've been told you impressed him a lot with that, especially since you did it with no thought of personal gain."

"He was also there the night you disappeared during the Third Task - came to watch Fleur, you know. I mean he was, not you. You should have seen him when you and ... er ... Cedric vanished. He went into the maze after you from the stands. Knew some special French spell for cutting through hedgerows, he did. He blasted right through the walls of the maze and reached the plinth before anyone else. It's for all these reasons that I was hoping you'd agree to be best man at my wedding. I'd like to be able to tell him that when I go to visit."

Harry was quite relieved at Bill's explanation. "Of course I will," he said eagerly. Although Harry had never even been to a wedding, he was quite relieved that Bill's request was not more difficult. "You can even tell him I'll come for a visit. We can compare notes. He can tell me about Grindelwald, and I can tell him about Voldemort."

"I knew I could count on you, Harry," thanked Bill. "There is a more immediate matter that I also need to discuss with you."

"Same here," replied Harry. "Why don't you go first? I've a feeling mine will take longer."

"Alright," said Bill. "Did I hear you correctly a short while ago that the doors here were locked because you Apparated out of the house?"

"Yeah," replied Harry with a blank look on his face. "You can ask my guard. What of it?"

Bill frowned. "You're not supposed to be able to do that. There are anti-Apparition wards all over the place here. Dumbledore designed them himself. He told the Order that the Dursleys' house is almost as well-warded as Hogwarts, and those Muggles don't even know it. Can you do it again - say, leave from your room and pop into the back yard?"

"I'll try," agreed Harry. "But I don't really like Apparition much. It's dead uncomfortable, and the last time I did it from here, on top of everything else, my head didn't stop pounding for almost half an hour, the headache was that bad." Harry went inside and a short while later Bill jumped at that sound of Harry's "pop" behind him.

"Dammit," cursed Bill. "These wards are going to have to be torn down, inspected, retested, and rebuilt from top to bottom. Your relatives didn't like it when we inspected them before you arrived, and that was scheduled spellwork. They'll be even more annoyed at being inconvenienced by an emergency inspection and reinstallation. How do you feel?"

"Awful. Even after I'm over the usual nastiness of it, I feel like I got clocked in the back of the head with a Beater's bat," groaned Harry, rubbing the back of his scalp. "Other than that I'm fine, though. I guess I've just got that old Fifth Element mojo working."

Bill offered Harry a bit of analgesic potion, which the boy declined. He also cautioned Harry, "That's not something to be joking about - not at all. Now what did you want?"

"I'd rather discuss it inside," Harry requested.

Harry took Bill into his bedroom, and used his best Silencing Charm. He explained to Bill that he had eliminated Ministry surveillance devices in his room with faked accidents. He asked Bill to see a copy of the goblin treaty he would be signing that night. Fortunately Bill had a copy of the final draft, although he mentioned that the actual documents to be signed were in the hands of the respective chiefs of protocol. Harry wondered why Bill broke into a scowl when saying this, but had more pressing things to on his mind.

Harry skimmed the text and explained how he was planning to demand a change in the last paragraph "because of Hermione," as Harry put it. "I'm not that worried about the goblins' reaction," Harry remarked. "They can add, and the change doesn't affect them at all." He asked Bill, "Do you think I'll have serious problems with the Ministry if I insist on this? It's not really the Ministry's commitment anyway, it's mine."

Bill thought about it carefully. The goblin treaty was his project for the Order, and he certainly had no desire to jeopardise it, but he sympathised with what Harry had outlined. "I really don't think so. If Fudge were around it might be a problem, but he's on holiday. He's given Dumbledore plenipotentiary powers to get the treaty done."

"What's that?" Harry broke in.

"A free hand, essentially," explained Bill. "Fudge wants the treaty very badly - particularly now that it's public. If the treaty fell apart at this point, that would be laid at his feet. Fudge is even more worried about bad publicity if there's another Death Eater escape, and he dearly wants to free up the Aurors who are now guarding Azkaban. But Fudge is prejudiced against goblins and really doesn't want to deal with them personally, so he's skipped out and essentially given Dumbledore authority to complete matters whilst he is away. I reckon by keeping his distance Fudge figures that he can blame Dumbledore if there's ever a problem."

"Why Dumbledore?" asked Harry, wondering if, in the wake of his "Great Escape," the Minister had generally ceded all "Harry problems" to the Headmaster. "Doesn't the Ministry have some sort of Goblin office?"

"It does," replied Bill, "but the head, a bloke named Mockridge, has always been more of a hindrance than an help. Then he turned out to have been bribed by Lucius Malfoy. Neither the Order nor the goblins trust the Liaison Office any more, so it has been frozen out. Fudge had little choice but to turn negotiations over to Dumbledore and the Order."

"So that means that you have to deal with Dumbledore," Bill continued. "That's not a bad thing, actually. I'm sure he'll try to talk you out of it, but if you stand up to him on this, I'm willing to bet that in the end he will consent to your amendment...." Harry's guardian kneaded his brow as he thought through the implications. "It's not a bad idea at all.... In a number of ways. And at bottom, I know he'll be sympathetic. It's what he would do if it were up to him - and he thought about it.... And let's face it ... without you, nothing can happen with the goblins. All in all, I think you can pull it off."

Bill and Harry discussed tactics. Bill was intimately familiar with the meeting that they would attend that afternoon, and explained to the boy the optimal point in the agenda for making his demand known. Harry agreed to act upon a prearranged signal from Bill. Bill was curious why Harry was quite unconcerned with the reaction of the goblins to a last minute alteration. He cautioned Harry that goblins did not trust wizards.

"Like I said Bill, the goblins can add," responded Harry. "Let me ask you a question. Have the goblins been following my litigation with Malfoy over the Black estate?"

"Quite avidly," replied Bill. "After all, it does involve the largest account at Gringotts, and the goblins are very attentive to anything that could impact the bank."

"Precisely my point, but there's more to it than just deposits," suggested Harry. "Forget deposits and consider ownership. If you put the four Black wizard shares in Gringotts together with the two Potter shares, that makes six - and six is more than a quarter of the 23 total Gringotts shares. That means I'd be able to block, by myself, any attempt to remove Gringotts from goblin control. I think that's what the goblins want, and I think they want it a lot. By bringing me into goblin society and under goblin law, they effectively eliminate the club that we wizards have been holding over their heads for more than 150 years."

Comprehension dawned on Bill's face, as he stared at Harry. The boy might not have known much about finance, but he was proving to be a fast learner indeed.

Harry commented, "That's exactly how I must have looked this morning when I figured this all out. And that's why I'm not worried about the reaction of the goblins."

The chat with Bill had taken longer than either of them had expected, and they had to hurry. After a quick shower for Harry (who was quite ripe from his session with Lao Kung) they ran through Bill's tick-list of things Harry needed to bring. Harry grabbed his robes to carry with him to Mrs. Figg's. As he pulled them towards himself, a small square card fell out of an inside pocket face up onto the floor. The card contained fancy engraved printing.

"What's this?" asked Bill curiously as he picked it up.

"Oh, right," Harry replied. "That's an invitation to dinner at Hermione's house next Friday. I got it through the Muggle post the other day - well, actually Dudley intercepted it and took the mickey out of me. . I'd really like to hex him. I've been meaning to ask you about this invitation, too." They descended the stairs, and Harry left a short note for his relatives advising them that he was likely to be quite late.

They discussed the Granger invitation as they were leaving for Mrs. Figg's. Harry had never been to a formal sit-down dinner at anyone's house, even a Muggle dinner. Whenever his relatives had hosted formal dinners or high teas, he had been kept strictly out of sight. Harry knew from what he had overheard that it was traditional to bring a present of some sort, but had no idea what to do.

Bill had some inkling what the Granger dinner was all about, so he clued Harry in on the etiquette. It was expected that the guest would bring some sort of contribution to the meal, typically an apéritif of some sort. Bill thought that a bottle of enchanted Château Blackwalls champagne would be just the ticket - particularly since Harry might one day be the next proprietor of the Château.

There were many varietals. Bill thought, and Harry agreed, that a bottle of the château's classic never-empty-but-minimally-intoxicating brut would be appropriate. Everyone could drink champagne all evening, but never become more than slightly tipsy.

Since Harry was being invited to a formal dinner by the parents of a female friend of his own age, it was also traditional, Bill explained, to bring a present of some sort for the young lady. Here Bill was less certain. He said Harry should get Hermione something that she would appreciate, but that he should try not to be too mundane. They were approaching the Figg residence by this time, so the discussion ended inconclusively. Harry would have to return to this problem later.

As soon as they were in Mrs. Figg's, it was quite clear that this was no ordinary trip to the Ministry. Bill was joined by Mad-Eye Moody and Kingsley Shacklebolt from the Order and by Chief Auror Rufus Scrimgeour. There was also a middle-aged witch whom Harry gathered was from the Ministry protocol office. Harry changed into his shiny silver-blue Knight of the Realm robes, and this witch fussed over him. Harry was relieved that these were dress robes and that he would not have to bother with any sort of helmet. He was also told to leave the dark purple outer cape behind. Harry soon learned why.

A smile creasing his ravaged face, Moody directed Harry's attention to a long leather-bound package. Moving as gently as Harry had seen him around the Book of Merlin, Moody carefully unwrapped the package. In the centre, glowing even more brightly than the unicorn pelt in which they had been swaddled, were the sword and shield of Godric Gryffindor.

Harry was awestruck. Even Scrimgeour seemed rather impressed.

The boy had never worn a baldric before, so it took considerable prodding, measuring, adjusting and buckling before he was comfortable, and before the middle-aged witch pronounced herself satisfied with Harry's appearance. Harry was right-handed, so the broadsword hung from his left side in its matching scabbard, kept more or less in place by an adjustable frog.

During the ceremony, Harry would be called upon to draw the sword. The method was a sweeping cross-body gesture that he had to practice several times. At first, the sword would lodge in the scabbard, requiring him to give it a second, decidedly undignified, yank before it came free. Finally, Harry mastered the technique of drawing the sword in a single motion and bringing it to a vertical present-arms position directly in front of his face without clumsily threatening to slice anyone and anything within two metres of him.

The kite-shaped shield, emblazoned with the Gryffindor crest, was bewitched to be feather light. That was important because it was over a metre long, almost a metre wide, and made from some sort of solid metal. Harry carried the shield diagonally across his back. It hung from another shoulder belt, which crossed Harry's back in the opposite diagonal from the baldric.

Once the protocol witch declared that everything was in order, she taught Harry some very useful spells. Imago vestmentae fixed the organisation of everything Harry was wearing. Colix vestmentae caused the outfit and the accoutrements to pack themselves away. The witch cautioned Harry that, unless he was an exhibitionist, this spell should only be performed in a robing room or other suitably private place, and he needed to have a change of clothes at the ready. Restoro vestmentae restored the outfit to Harry's person in perfect order. Once again, a dressing room was recommended. All three Vestmentae spells expired in 24 hours.

Finally, there was the matter of Harry's unruly black hair. Harry had been letting it grow since he had been home (Dudley liked it; Uncle Vernon rather volubly did not), in order to obscure his scar more effectively. At the Ashrak, however, the scar was to be seen, not hidden.

After considerable experimentation and back-and-forth with Harry, the protocol witch decided that Harry' hair looked best swept back around the sides. Harry had absolutely refused to comb it directly over the top. The over the top style produced a wavy bulge in the front that Harry thought made him look like Dudley's Teddy Boy friends.

Scrimgeour said little, but pushed throughout for them to wrap things up and get moving.

The protocol witch also transfigured the unbreakable athletic band Harry used for his glasses. It became silver chain that Harry could let fall over his hair in the back in order to help keep it in place. Jokingly, Harry tried to borrow Bill's fang earring "to complete the new look."

After Harry changed back into ordinary robes, he, Bill, Moody, Scrimgeour, the protocol witch, and a couple of Aurors who had been standing guard Portkeyed to the Ministry. Harry was ushered into a large room dominated by a massive wooden table holding a model of what Harry guessed was the location of the Ashrak. Various self-important looking witches and wizards were buzzing about, and the occasional paper airplane memorandum zipped overhead. Scrimgeour melted into this crowd and soon took his leave.

Harry noticed several goblins. They were all shy of four feet tall and somewhat pot-bellied. They wore uniforms, not unlike those Harry had seen at Gringotts, but much nicer. These uniforms were cut from a rich blue fabric, and were filigreed with some sort of shimmering silver-grey material.

Someone loudly announced "the Potter party," and everyone in the room - wizard and goblin - stopped what he or she was doing and gave Harry the once over. On the opposite side of the room, an immaculately attired wizard who had been leaning over talking to two goblins abruptly stood up. Harry knew that hair anywhere. After nervously smoothing the front of his already wrinkle-free robes, Percy Weasley clapped his hands together softly and resolutely strode towards Harry.

"Mister Potter, absolutely spiffing to see you again," Percy said in a slightly overloud voice. The former Head Boy extended his hand, which Harry noticed was trembling slightly. "As Chief of Protocol, I welcome you the world of intermagical relations. I trust your trip here was safe and uneventful." After a slight hesitation, Harry shook Percy's hand. At that, Percy visibly relaxed. He continued their oh-so-correct conversation. "We are ready to start with preparations, but we await the arrival of Ambassador Plenipotentiary Dumbledore. In the meantime, could I have a quick word with you in private?"

This was not exactly a request. Percy both led and guided Harry into an alcove. Once inside, he immediately released Harry. The older man chewed on his lips a bit, put his hands together behind his back and bounced twice on his heels. Then he began saying something he had obviously been rehearsing for quite a long time.

"Harry, take out your wand, please," said Percy softly.

Harry wordlessly gave his wrist a flick and instantly his wand appeared. Percy, not expecting a wrist holster, gave a barely detectable start, but continued. "Now go ahead, hex me; curse me. Whatever you want, I deserve it. I behaved quite improperly towards you last year, and I have no defence. Just get it over with quickly, because whatever you think of me, we need to work together on ensuring that this ceremony is properly and successfully completed."

Once he realised that Percy was actually being serious, Harry briefly considered transfiguring Percy into a toad, for being a toady. The thought of making him perform some sort of anatomically impossible act, such as kissing his own arse, also crossed his mind. For many months, the mere mention of Percy had caused Harry to fume (or worse) with anger, but now confronted with the real thing, Harry felt more numb than anything else.

As sometimes happened when he was confronted with something unexpected, Harry fumbled for words. "Er ... you sent your brother ... Ron ... a letter last year telling him he shouldn't have anything to do with me because I was violent and crazy." Percy was nervously shuffling his feet, and at times Harry thought he had his eyes completely closed. "If you really thought that, you wouldn't have just invited me to hex you...."

Percy mumbled something more about being "misguided" and "out of line," but Harry was not really listening. Rather, he was figuring out what to say next.

"Ron tore up that letter straightaway and threw it in the fire. He called you something like 'the world's biggest git.' I think Ron had it about right, although I would've added 'brainless' to the description, since I rather doubt you were thinking for yourself..." There was an awkward pause. Percy had his eyes tightly shut, as if anticipating being on the receiving end of some extremely unpleasant curse at any moment.

Harry continued, "But you never did anything to me directly as far as I know. Too busy running at Fudge's heel, I'd wager. Dumbledore told me that in Hong Kong you helped keep Hermione's parents from taking her away from me. I need to thank you for that. That puts you more to my plus side than your stupid letter could ever take away.... I guess what I'm trying to say is that as far as I'm concerned, we're square. What you really need to do is get right with your family. You've hurt them far worse than you could ever hurt me."

Harry returned his wand to its holster.

Percy exhaled so deeply that Harry thought he must not have been breathing the entire time. "Thank you Harry," he said in a rather deflated tone of voice. "Ironic isn't it? You're the one I called deranged, but you're being more rational about things than anyone in my own family...."

"Hold on," interrupted Harry. "They were far closer to you than I ever was or ever will be. Because they were closer, you hurt them worse... Dammit, Percy - they loved you, and probably still do. Of course, it's not rational with them. You started this, now you've got to put an end to it!"

At that point Harry appreciated that he was practically yelling at Percy. He abruptly stopped. In a conversational voice he said, "I think we've been in here long enough. As you say, we've got work to do." With that Harry left the room.

He almost ploughed headlong into Headmaster Dumbledore, who was conversing with several goblins almost directly outside the door. Dumbledore was already wearing his Chief Justice finery, and had evidently arrived whilst Harry was closeted (literally) with Percy. 'How convenient. Probably trying to eavesdrop on my conversation,' Harry thought nastily as he stopped short.

Harry had no opportunity for additional thought. Percy came bustling out of the alcove. He collided with Harry from behind, knocking him into Dumbledore once again.

All three of them stumbled about for a bit, and made their excuses. Then Dumbledore spoke. "Mister Potter ... Mister Weasley.... There you both are. Mister Potter, allow me to introduce you to Kamar, the goblin chief of protocol." The Headmaster then said something in Gobbledegook to a well dressed, stocky goblin with a grey beard and elaborately bobbed ears.

Kamar extended a wiry arm and said, "I'm very pleased to meet you Sir Potter. I have long time been looking forward to this moment. We make history tonight, yes?"

Harry was momentarily taken aback. He had never heard a goblin speak English so well before. The Gringotts goblins he had met knew only a few phrases. Recovering, he tried to think of something appropriate to say using the rudimentary Gobbledegook he had learned from Hermione's phrase book. "Gradnuk, Kamar. Asi vrakici kram samduk. Asi Impatok Ragnok amdaklah qam slag." [Thank you, Kamar. I will try my best to do that. I am looking forward to meeting King Ragnok.]

Kamar was visibly delighted at Harry's effort to speak the goblin tongue- halting and badly accented though it was. He started speaking in very fast Gobbledegook to another goblin, who was obviously on his staff.

Turning back to Harry, he said. "Excellent, Sir Potter. I see that truly well-deserved is your reputation for everyone's expectation to exceed." With that, Kamar took his leave and waddled off to sit with the rest of the goblin contingent.

Percy called the meeting to order.

Dumbledore guided Harry to a seat next to him, and the next several hours were spent going over the conduct of the Ashrak in excruciating detail. On occasion, Harry and others actually walked through some of the more complicated manœuvres. As Ashrakadan, Harry had a fair amount to say and a great deal to do.

The process would have been a lot more difficult, had Dumbledore not given Harry an enchanted quill and showed him how to use it. With the quill, Harry took written notes on the various steps in the ceremony. After he finishing scratching out each paragraph, Harry would circle it with the quill, tap the tip of the quill three times inside the circle and then touch the quill tip to his temple. The material in the paragraph was thus imprinted on his brain.

The quill was sort of a reverse Pensieve. Harry mused aloud that he could have passed even his History of Magic O.W.L. with this quill. Dumbledore replied that Harry had just discovered exactly why use of such devices by students was strictly prohibited at Hogwarts. Outside, school, however, they were dead useful.

When the agenda reached the actual execution of the treaty, Harry started watching Bill. Harry knew it was almost time to voice his demand for an amendment to the treaty. Percy was droning on when Harry saw Bill give a tug on his fang earring. Harry stood up.

"...and the order of signing will begin with Ambassador Dumbledore for the Ministry, followed by Impatok Ragnok for the goblin nation. Ashrakadan Potter will finish the signing..."

Harry interrupted. "Excuse me, but before we go any further, I want to add an amendment to that part of the treaty concerning my actions and obligations."

The effect was instantaneous. The boredom and distraction permeating the room evaporated, and all the participants focused their eyes on Harry. Percy nearly dropped his wand, which he had been using as a pointer. Percy answered.

"Er... an amendment, Potter?" asked Percy. "At this time? I'm afraid that's quite out of the question."

Trying mightily to look more confident than he felt, Harry responded. "I'm sorry Chief Weasley, but if you expect me to sign the treaty, then my wishes must also be respected. I haven't been party to any of these negotiations, so I haven't given my consent to the provisions of the treaty concerning myself... a bit of an oversight, I'd say."

Percy stood there dumbfounded. Once things wandered off-script, he was essentially useless.

Instead, it was Dumbledore who ventured to speak. "Now Mister Potter, this is a little late in the game is it not? The negotiators worked out the final language weeks ago. If we start entertaining changes now, it will lead to a reopening of negotiations by the goblin side as well, and we cannot afford the delay."

Harry was expecting Dumbledore to offer an objection of this sort, and was prepared. "No it won't, Ambassador. I was not shown the language of the treaty until this morning...."

This was technically true, but Harry had not previously bothered to request a copy of the treaty either.

"The amendment I have is only to the codicil concerning myself, and it's not really a matter of negotiation. It's what I want to do. Either it's accepted or I will reluctantly decline to sign and go home."

A drone of whispered conversation started to fill the room. Before either Dumbledore or Percy could address Harry, Kamar rose and spoke. "Amendment to hear I would like, Sir Potter." The conversation abruptly ceased.

Trying hard to use firm gestures and steady speech, Harry pulled a folded up copy of the treaty out of his pocket, uttered the Displea Charm, turned to the last page. After a calming breath, Harry started to read from the notes he and Bill had prepared.

"On the last page, in the final substantive codicil, the third sentence reads, 'Should he defeat He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named,' - meaning Voldemort...."

Nervous twitters arose from many of the wizards present at the sound of the Dark Lord's name. Harry noticed, however, that none of the goblins flinched.

"'...Sir Potter solemnly affirms that he shall, without fail and without falter, devote all his efforts to secure passage of legislation by the Wizengamot and the Ministry of Magic. Said legislation is to ensure that all members of the Goblin Nation enjoy in perpetuity rights, privileges, and immunities that are in all respects equal to the subjects of said Ministry....'" As he reached the end of the pre-existing treaty language, Harry stopped and took a second deep breath.

"Here is where I want to make an amendment," Harry explained. "To that last sentence, I want to add, at the end, 'and thereafter that such equal rights, privileges, and immunities be extended in perpetuity to all sentient magical beings.' That's it. It's the only change I want to make to the treaty. It doesn't affect the Ministry's obligations, nor does it affect what the goblins agree to do. It changes only my obligations, but even there it does not affect the primacy of what I'm promising the Goblin Nation I will do...."

Harry made most of his explanation whilst looking Kamar straight in the eye. When the boy finished, Kamar announced that the Goblin side needed to caucus, and all of the goblins filed out of the room.

Dumbledore addressed Harry, "Mister Potter, why are you doing this? Although you are correct that your proposal affects only your obligations, surely you recognise the implications of having that language added to a treaty that is to be formally endorsed by the Ministry."

Aware that everyone in the room was listening to their conversation, Harry answered Dumbledore firmly, "Of course I do. I'm not daft. That's the purpose - and that's the commitment I want to make. It can't be halfway. There can't be equality for just one set of beings. That's still discrimination ... like they're honorary wizards or something."

"But Mister Potter," remonstrated Dumbledore. "You know that I quite agree with your sentiments. Unfortunately, there is the matter of timing. We have a war coming on. This will change the entire character of the war into...."

"If not now, then when?" answered Harry, his jaw set and his eyes shining. "It's been a century and a half, just for the goblins. I'm sorry, but on this my mind's made up. I've been agreeable to everything else. I haven't asked for anything for myself. But this is what I want. Now, do I stay, or do I go....?"

Dumbledore was shocked by Harry's resolve. He started to probe. "Mister Potter, inflexibility of this sort is not a virtue in this situation...."

The Headmaster never had time to finish.

A door's loud clack announced that the goblin representatives had returned from their caucus. All eyes turned to the goblin contingent. Kamar tersely announced, "To the Goblin Nation acceptable the proposed amendment is. No counter-amendments do we offer."

By throwing their unconditional support to Harry, the goblins aimed the Snitch squarely at Dumbledore's goal.

All eyes, including Harry's furious gaze, now turned to Dumbledore. The wheels turned in his head for a moment before he acceded. "Very well," agreed the Headmaster, with an unaccustomed air of defeat to his words, "the proposed amendment is acceptable to the Wizengamot and the Ministry of Magic. You may draw it up."

Harry was so busy beaming at Dumbledore that he did not notice that Percy had fainted dead away. He eyed the Headmaster as he stood next to him, "You won't regret this, I promise," he whispered.

"I can only hope that you are proven correct," the older and wiser wizard replied in equally hushed tones. "But in the end, it just might make for a stronger - and broader - alliance...."

Since it was too late to prepare new documents, Harry inserted the amendment by hand onto the last page of the three English-language copies of the treaty. His interlineations were closely observed by both wizard and goblin representatives. Wizard and goblin translators were consulted and the amendment was translated into runic Gobbledegook script for the two goblin copies of the treaty.

To the considerable amusement of many of the career bureaucrats in the room, Harry insisted on trying to verify personally the translation using Hermione's phrase book. He was able to locate some nouns and adjectives, but could not understand the verb conjugations. At length, Kamar produced a full English-Gobbledegook, Gobbledegook-English dictionary, and helped Harry through the complete translation. When Harry was convinced that the translation was accurate, he, Kamar, and Dumbledore initialed the handwritten amendment on all five copies of the treaty.

That completed, the three of them simultaneously clasped hands in a weird three-way goblin handshake that Kamar proposed. None of the wizards had ever seen the like before. As several goblins also appeared taken aback, it was evident that they had not either.

The meeting closed with no additional incidents more significant that Fawkes' sudden appearance to collect a message from Dumbledore to Professor McGonagall.

An elaborate state dinner followed, with Harry (somewhat underdressed in regular school robes) seated at the dais along side Dumbledore, Kamar, Percy and other luminaries. Harry was underage, so he was not allowed to drink the champagne that was freely being dispensed - an irony, Harry thought, given the distinct possibility of his being the next proprietor of the château that produced it.

Various dignitaries made various toasts, during which Harry faked his way through the libations. He realised to his discomfort that he would surely be called upon to offer a toast himself.

When his time came, Harry remained largely at a loss, so he settled for stating out loud how he felt. He raised his glass, "Enough talk. It's time for action. Let's go to war together against Voldemort." Then he sat down.

There was a collective gasp, and Harry wondered what faux pas he had committed this time. Then he comprehended that diplomatic gatherings were yet another place where the Dark Lord's name was just not said.

Sure that he had just made a spectacle of himself; Harry put his head in his hands. He didn't pay attention to the stream of Gobbledegook from the next speaker - until he heard the word "Voldemort." Harry looked up and saw Kamar smiling back at him with bared teeth, his glass raised. Plainly, the goblins had none of the fear of the name that increased fear of the man himself.

Realising this after an awkward pause, Harry grabbed his glass, stood, and tapped Kamar's. Several tables of goblins started clapping, and then Dumbledore joined in. At length, the entire room rang with appreciative applause of the alliance that was being forged.

It was time to go to Gringotts, and so to enter goblin territory for the ceremony itself. Harry and a number of others had to change into the formal garb they would be wearing. Harry decided it would be best to see a wizard about a Hippogriff before changing. He was by himself conducting his business, when Dumbledore walked into the WC and positioned himself at the next urinal.

"It was a noble and risky thing that you did today, Mister Potter," Dumbledore remarked. "At a stroke, the war between Light and Dark has been reoriented. It could well become a war of liberation. The Light and Dark sides have fought for millennia, but the war you are interested in waging has almost no precedent. The risk is that you have handed Voldemort the added weapon of anthropocentrism. The corresponding benefit is that you have greatly complicated his efforts to recruit giants, werewolves, vampires, and all other magical beings to whom your manifesto could apply. If we act wisely, Voldemort may even have trouble maintaining the allegiance of the Dementors. I admit I remain skeptical but, upon reflection, I must say 'well done.' We chart new ground tonight and from now on...."

"Don't forget to thank Hermione the next time you see her, then," replied Harry evenly. "I really wasn't thinking grand strategy at all - I'm not that clever. My narrow interest was to do something for her. She's been somewhat out of sorts lately, and she asked me to remember the house-elves the last time we were together." Harry flushed, and left the WC.

Glittering in their formal diplomatic finery, the treaty party departed as a group. Harry first thought they were going to Apparate. Then when the party made for the Atrium, Harry supposed that they were going to travel by Floo. However, they entered the lifts rather than the fireplaces.

All along their route, knots of Ministry employees gathered in the halls to watch the treaty party go by. The Ashrak had been front-page news for several days in the Prophet, and many Ministry workers had stayed late to see the treaty party off.

Instead of going down, as Harry was accustomed, the lifts rattled upwards to Level B, and the familiar mechanical female voice announced: "Employee gymnasium, motor pool, magical recycling and disposal, access to Muggle London."

The group traveled down another long hallway, out a set of large retractable glass doors, and down a well-lit stoop. Outside, a line of Silver Spur limousines, their doors wide open, awaited them at the curb. Each limousine had the flag of the Ministry of Magic and the pennant of the Goblin Nation fluttering from their front fenders. As Ashrakadan, Harry shared highest diplomatic status with Dumbledore, who was Ambassador Plenipotentiary. Therefore the two of them rode together in the lead limousine, just after the security force.

The trip through Central London went quickly, as traffic seemed to jump out of the way of the speeding motorcade. Harry openly gawked at the luxurious handcrafted appointments of the limousine's interior. He explored the available creature comforts - playing with the walnut burl finished wet bar, the refrigerator, the television, and the on-board GPS system. Awkwardly positioning his sword, he craned his neck out of the window as they crossed the Thames on the Tower Bridge, hoping for a glimpse of Eliza's high rise. The motorcade's route, however, did not pass close to Canary Wharf.

Harry asked Dumbledore how the Ministry got away with these cars, since Arthur Weasley's lowly Anglia was considered an illegally charmed Muggle object. As the motorcade rumbled into Diagon Alley from an entrance that Harry did not even know existed, Dumbledore explained, "Actually, Mister Potter, these are not really motorcars at all."

"Magic?" Harry asked.

"Quite," Dumbledore affirmed. "Underneath all of the spellwork, these are nothing but wizard carriages, similar to those at Hogwarts. However, they have been enchanted to resemble the finest motorcars in the world. All of these amenities ... powered by magic, not by Muggle technology."

The motorcade glided to a stop in front of Gringotts and the limousine doors magically opened. Harry stepped out and immediately noticed that a considerable crowd had gathered, restrained by magical ropes and stone-faced Aurors.

As Harry alighted, a broadside of flashes from wizard cameras met him. Reporters from the Prophet were in attendance, and a number of people in the crowd had their own cameras. Through the purplish spots the flashbulbs left in his field of vision, Harry recognised a number of people in the crowd. Colin and Dennis Creevey were there. Colin had one of the cameras, of course, and was fiddling with some complicated dials. Harry also saw Neville Longbottom and his grandmother, Lavender Brown (wearing a tube top, he duly noted), the Patil sisters with their parents, and Michael Corner. Harry heard some shouting and waved to Fred and George, who had obviously made their way down from their premises a couple of blocks away. Even a Slytherin, Daphne Greengrass, was present.

Harry would have been happy to talk to any of them (well, maybe not Lavender, whose outfit was certain to leave him tongue-tied), but each time he approached the crowd, it surged forward and he risked being mobbed. From behind a line of Aurors spaced every metre or so, the crowd seemed to be a forest of extended arms - some seeking to shake his hand, some wanting autographs, and some apparently just wanting to touch him.

Harry chanced only one real foray, to talk with the Creeveys. He gave a note to an Auror and asked him to pass it along to Colin. It had Harry's Muggle address and a request for a copy (on Muggle film) of the pictures that Colin had just taken of Harry emerging from the limousine. Harry wanted to show them to his relatives, who put great stock in fancy cars.

Colin was shouting something. Harry wished he knew a charm to enhance his hearing. He moved closer and heard part of what the boy was shouting, "Have you talked to Hermione? We've accepted." Harry could not chance getting close enough to the crowd to find out what that was all about.

Harry turned away and noticed, to his embarrassment, that the entire treaty party was waiting for him. As he strode hastily around the limousines, Harry felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Dumbledore, who told him, "Easy does it, Mister Potter - slow down...."

"But I'm holding everything up," Harry protested.

"Hardly," the Headmaster replied. "It is your pace to set. Remember, you are Ashrakadan. In your capacity, you have no need to hurry. Slow and steady wins the race."

"But everyone else.... The goblins...," Harry stammered.

Dumbledore was infuriatingly calm. "Relax and let yourself be Ashrakadan. This is diplomacy, not a trip to Hogsmeade. You should act your rank. Primacy and appearances are important tonight. It is not a matter of rudeness to tarry, so long as you are not excessive. You may move at a leisurely pace, and thereby set the pace for the rest of us."

Harry understood - and yet he did not. He still tried to hurry.

"Perhaps," Dumbledore asked, "you would like a souvenir of the trip."

"Umm ... I guess so," Harry readily agreed.

The boy stood by in shock as Dumbledore snapped the ornament off the bonnet of the limousine that had brought them.

"Very well, a souvenir it is," Dumbledore chuckled, as he and handed the figurine to a scandalised Harry. Tentatively, Harry accepted it. Upon examination, it turned out to be a silver statuette of what he supposed was an angel - it was a woman with wings at any rate. He anxiously pocketed it and turned again towards the entrance to Gringotts.

Dumbledore gave a bemused sigh and followed the boy.

Gringotts bank was the largest building on Diagon Alley. It was constructed from impossibly white marble. Five three-storey columns formed its imposing main entrance, behind which was a single set of solid bronze doors some four metres high and equally wide. Harry took his indicated place close to the forefront of the procession. Everyone walked towards a double line of goblins that extended from the bottom of the steps all the way to the front doors. Both front doors to Gringotts had been thrown wide open, something Harry had never before seen.

As the treaty party approached, various clipped commands in Gobbledegook rang out. The double line of goblins performed precise synchronised manœuvres. As he came closer, Harry could tell that the goblins were handling some very sharp looking swords and pikes whilst conducting precision, close-order drill.

At the top of the stairs, there was an exchange between Auror in charge - Scrimgeour had appeared again - and a uniformed Goblin. With that the Aurors who had been guarding the party smartly departed. Henceforth, the treaty party passed under goblin protection. The group of humans who actually entered Gringotts was much smaller: Harry, Dumbledore, Bill and Percy Weasley, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and half a dozen aides, all of whom seemed to take their direction from Percy. Kamar was also present, leading a contingent of eight goblins.

The scene as the treaty party moved through the halls of Gringotts was reminiscent of that at the Ministry. Clots of goblins, presumably Gringotts employees, stood in the halls watching them pass. Clearly, the treaty that was to be signed was every bit as important to the goblins as it was to wizardkind.

Presently, a horde of heavily armed goblins fell into step around the treaty party. Everyone passed through a final set of bronze doors, as tall and wide as those in the front of the bank. The party filed into a set of goblin railed carts. Whilst the waiting carts outwardly resembled the ones Harry had ridden before when accessing his vault, these were much nicer. Not only were they well oiled and fully padded, but they also moved much more sedately. The rails underneath lacked the sharp turns and abrupt dips that he had come to associate with his gut-wrenching trips to withdraw money from his vault. As they moved at a slower speed, Harry had more of an opportunity to look around. He was sure he saw an Antipodean Opaleye down one of the side corridors.

After gently descending for about fifteen minutes, the railed carts rounded a curve and a dual track appeared parallel. The corridor had broadened significantly, and ahead Harry saw what looked to be a giant mirror that spanned the entire tunnel. He expected the carts to come to a halt, but instead they accelerated.

The goblin piloting the lead cart said something in Gobbledegook, plunged through the mirrored surface, and disappeared. The surface of the mirror vibrated and rippled, as it absorbed the cart and its passengers. Otherwise it remained smooth and intact as the lead cart passed through. The second cart, containing Dumbledore and Kamar, similarly traversed the mirror and vanished. Harry was in the third cart...

Bloop. The cart smoothly crossed through the mirrorlike surface. It passed around them like some vertical liquid. Behind it, the environment immediately changed dramatically. Gone were the torches in sconces that had provided the only illumination. In their place were glowing cubes on the ceiling that emitted pure white light, without so much as a flicker. The temperature was a good ten degrees cooler.

The walls of the tunnel, which before had been dominated by the browns of slate and sandstone, were now much darker - mostly rough black stone. Here and there, veins of white quartz, sometimes sporting gigantic hexagonal crystals a metre or more in length, broke the monotony. Scattered along the tunnel walls were glimpses of golden shimmering pyrite crystals. The tunnel on this side of the mirror seemed much older. Water dripping through cracks in the ceiling had left calcium deposits up to a foot long. They must have taken centuries to form.

Harry had little time to ponder these changes before the carts came to a station. Hundreds of goblins were waiting. Here, light came not only from cubes, but also from a wide variety of different colored and shaped crystals. Runic writing was omnipresent. In places he noticed pictures of goblins engaged in everyday activities - eating, drinking, using various gadgets or wearing distinctive clothing. Apparently, adverts were something shared by both societies.

The goblin hosts led the treaty party through the well-behaved throng to a row of leather-covered chairs placed two abreast. As soon as everyone was seated, the chairs began moving across the floor, in formation but with no visible means of power. They passed through a corridor lined with heavy blue cloth that looked like velvet. The moving chairs filled the passage with a low humming noise. This ride lasted for about a minute and a half, when the chairs approached what looked like a shimmering curtain. As he passed through this entryway, Harry grasped that the curtain was really formed from a myriad of gold and silver chains, each made of hundreds of tiny, intricately woven links.

On the other side of the chain link curtain was the largest cavern Harry had ever seen - or even imagined. Mentally comparing his surroundings to the model back at the Ministry, he surmised that the treaty party was on the far right hand side of the stage. But the model had utterly failed to convey the immensity of the place.

The stage must have been fifty metres long and an average of 15 metres deep. The large oval pillar at centre stage was not featureless as in the model, but rather was huge column of more or less cream-coloured flowstone, at least seventy metres tall. From top to bottom, it resembled a series of frozen waterfalls - or row upon row of massive teeth - Harry could not decide which description was more fitting.

The altar where the treaty signing and the ritual bloodletting were to occur was located directly in front of the flowstone column. It was carved from a single piece of flawless alabaster two metres high and almost five metres square. Absolutely symmetrical, it was richly inlaid with runic writing embossed with gold.

To each side of the altar, about halfway between towards each end of the stage, were massive 3-metre bowl-shaped metallic objects. They hovered in midair about a metre above the stage surface.

Arranged onstage at both sides of the flowstone column, and carrying around in front, were more than 200 crystals of various sizes and shapes. Each one of them glowed softly. Some of the crystals were gigantic, over ten metres in length, and others were no bigger than Harry's finger.

The stage, as magnificent as it was, could not compete with the rest of the hall in stark grandeur. Beyond the stage were huge grandstands, about half the size of the Quidditch World Cup stadium Harry had seen almost two years previously. These grandstands were ornately carved from the living rock. They were faced with deep blue stone that was interspersed with patterns of the same odd silver-greyish substance Harry had noticed on the uniforms of the first goblins he met. Row upon row of grandstand extended upward and backwards until Harry could no longer see them clearly in the gloom. Harry estimated the grandstands could seat maybe 50,000 people, and considerably more goblins, since goblins averaged a little less than four feet tall.

A shimmering floor about five metres wide ran the width of the cavern and separated the stage from the grandstand. Harry knew from the afternoon's planning session that what looked like a solid floor was really quicksilver - liquid elemental mercury - about a metre deep. Harry and Dumbledore would be sitting in the visiting dignitary's box in the first row of the stands, and on cue would walk across the quicksilver (which although liquid, was heavy enough to support their weight easily) and climb a solid crystal staircase to the stage. Harry was glad to be wearing his Auror boots to ensure he would maintain his balance upon what could be a tricky surface.

From top to bottom, the walls of the cavern were covered with hundreds of larger, heavier versions of the intricate silver and gold chains that had demarcated the entrance through which Harry had passed. Upon closer inspection, each link in these chains was fully six inches long and must have weighed at least a kilo.

At their uppermost ends, the chains were all anchored to a circular fitting, maybe 30 metres in diameter, located in the centre of the cavern's ceiling. From there, the chains radiated outward more or less horizontally until reaching a second set of anchors placed where the irregularly shaped ceiling met the cavern wall, more than fifty metres above the floor. From those anchors, the chains extended downward and ended at a third set of anchors at floor level. These anchors fixed the chains at the corner where the floor met the wall.

Blanketing the walls behind the chains was more of the ubiquitous blue velvet cloth. The overall effect made the stone cavern appear as if it were the interior of an enormous, two-level tent, with a starburst pattern in the ceiling. The thirty-foot circle in the centre of the roof contained numerous orbs of various colours. At the time, only the white orbs were glowing.

A fanfare announced the arrival of the royal goblin party - Impatok Ragnok and his retinue, consisting of his queen, Runasa, his son, the Impratrax (crown prince) Maragnok, the Imprexii (princesses) Imuna and Karanata, along with numerous courtiers and servants. They entered from stage left. King Ragnok was dressed from head to toe in that silver-grey material the goblins fancied, and wore a peaked headdress decorated with large feathers plucked from birds of prey.

Kamar motioned to Percy to follow him, and both of the protocol chiefs hastened to present themselves to royalty. Kamar prostrated himself in the goblin custom. Percy bowed rather stiffly. After some conversation, the goblin king came to greet the treaty signatories. He spoke in Gobbledegook with Dumbledore for a minute, and then motioned for Harry to approach.

Through a translator, Harry heard the King say how pleased he was finally to meet "the remarkable Harry Potter of whom so much we have heard," and how the goblins looked forward to a "fruitful and ultimately successful alliance" in the war against Voldemort.

Before using the translator, Harry again tried out his phrasebook Gobbledegook. "Gradnuk, Impatok Ragnok. Asi vrakici kram sos Voldemort rasho. Asi amdaklah Gablankansta tallof ardan." [Thank you King Ragnok. I will try my best to help defeat Voldemort. I am looking forward to being forever allied with the Goblin Nation.] Harry then turned to the translator, and spent the next ten minutes discussing his high regard for goblin prowess in combat. He claimed that to have learnt about this from his History of Magic classes at Hogwarts - an assertion with only the most tenuous relationship to the truth.

Kamar brought the conversation to a close because it was almost time for the audience to enter, and everyone needed to take their places for the opening of the ceremony. Three goblins motioned for Harry and Dumbledore to follow them. They passed through a door on the right of the stage, went down a twisting corridor, and into an anteroom to await their planned entry.

About fifteen minutes later, Dumbledore let Harry know that it was almost midnight. Within a few seconds, the lights in the anteroom dimmed. Soon, the boy became aware of a powerful low-pitched hum - so powerful that he felt it as much as heard it. It was time. The goblin at the door opened it and motioned them forward.

Harry, followed by Dumbledore, began walking down the aisle in front of the first row of seats. At once they were bathed in brilliantly white spotlights from the very top of the cavern. They walked past the rest of the Wizard contingent (minus Percy, who was already onstage with his goblin counterpart) to the seats of honour at the centre. Harry could see goblin the King and Crown Prince doing the same from the opposite end.

They met at the centre aisle and took seats across from one another in the visitors' and royal boxes respectively. Aside from the spotlights, the only light in the cavern came from the two metal dishes on stage - which now contained blazing fires with crackling flames that shot as much as five metres high - and from the much softer glow of the largest crystal on the stage.

A haunting melody filled the air as the goblins on the stage conducted the opening rituals of the ceremony. Harry quickly deduced that the music came from the crystals, which glowed when they vibrated. All of the crystals were linked to a keyboard and formed a huge goblin version of a pipe organ.

The music ended. Kamar ascended the altar and issued the call for his King and the Crown Prince to join him onstage. The ceiling lights bathed the chamber in deepest blue. King Ragnok and Impratrax Maragnok rose and expertly traversed the moat of liquid mercury, as the silvery metal glowed like the sky on a perfect morning. Additional music reverberated through the vast chamber. Kamar prostrated himself as the King approached. After reaching the altar, King Ragnok read a proclamation in Gobbledegook, with the Impratrax standing about two paces behind him.

Percy Weasley ascended the altar. He issued the call for Harry and Dumbledore to join him. The ceiling lights bathed the chamber in brilliant red. Harry and Dumbledore rose and began traversing the quicksilver, which glowed like molten lava. Because ancient goblin practice accorded more status to the Ashrakadan than to an ambassador, Harry led the way. He hoped that Percy had no plans to prostrate himself. That would be embarrassing.

Harry was about ten feet from the staircase when, over the music, he thought he heard a disturbance in the stands. He craned his neck and saw what appeared to be goblins on brooms flying around the cavern. This was definitely not in the planned programme.

Dumbledore reacted as well, levitating himself to the stage in one prodigious leap; drawing his wand whilst he jumped. Startled by Dumbledore flashing by, Harry whirled around and flicked his own wand into his hand. The music stopped abruptly.

Unfortunately, as Harry spun, the Gryffindor sword got caught between his legs and tripped him. Harry fell heavily to the surface of the quicksilver. Flat on his back, Harry saw the white orbs on the ceiling come on - but only for a moment as several cries of Reducto rang out. The orbs shattered and went dark. Broken bits of crystal showered the crowd, which started to stampede. Although the fliers in the cavern appeared to be goblins, they made magic like wizards, used wizard spells, and most importantly, were wand users.

Goblins could not use wands. That was one of many sore spots between the two peoples.

King Ragnok rose to his feet and called out a loud command. Such was his control over his people that the stampede in the stands stopped immediately. By stopping the stampede, however, King Ragnok revealed himself as a target to the fliers. At least ten of them swooped down, targeting the altar and peppering it with green blasts of Avada Kedavra. Kamar leapt in front of his sovereign and took the one truly aimed curse square in the chest. He died on the spot.

Standing firm as errant spells blasted bits of alabaster from the altar, Dumbledore cast some sort of Fogging Charm that enveloped the entire structure. Harry heard him cast a Shield Charm as well. To maintain two spells of that size simultaneously took all of the concentration that the Headmaster had.

Two fliers spotted Harry on the quicksilver and strafed him with curses. Harry downed one of them by casting a Summoning Charm on the flier's broom. The broom came to Harry and the flier fell screaming into the grandstand, where he was immediately set upon by enraged goblins and torn limb from limb.

A hail of arrows, bolts, steel shot and other objects from goblin arquebus and cross-bows knocked the other flier from the sky - and convinced Harry that this was neither the time nor the place to engage in an aerial dogfight riding an unfamiliar broom. He soon saw two flashes. What remained of the fliers' corpses was incinerating spontaneously. This was proof positive that, whatever they resembled, the fliers were in fact Death Eaters.

The goblins quickly regrouped and laid down a withering fire using a wide variety of unfamiliar, but nasty looking weapons. This bombardment soon brought down two more Death Eaters who had returned for a second attack. The rest of the Death Eaters, of which Harry counted ten, retreated to the upper reaches of the cavern where they were effectively out of range of the goblin fusillade.

Momentarily Harry relaxed, as it appeared that a stalemate was developing. Harry saw spells ricocheting off of the ceiling of the cavern. He thought it was Shacklebolt and Percy firing curses at the Death Eaters - but he was wrong. Harry soon located Shacklebolt in the flickering firelight that now provided the only illumination. Shak had his wand out, but was not casting spells. Instead, the spells being fired at the ceiling came from the Death Eaters themselves.

One of the flying Death Eaters cast a spell from a low enough altitude that Harry could hear it over the din of the discharge of the goblin weaponry. It was the Reductor Curse. With that, the Death Eaters' intent suddenly became clear. They were attempting to collapse the cavern roof and bury everyone beneath uncountable tonnes of stone. Cursing under his breath, Harry made another determined effort to stand. Burdened as he was by his bulky robes and the Gryffindor sword, Harry had trouble getting the soles of his Auror boots under him on the wobbly quicksilver surface. He was able to rise only to his knees.

Harry again considered using the Death Eater broom he had summoned, but again thought better of it. Ten to one odds were extremely poor, and the goblins were discharging their weapons at anything that flew.

The mercury, although extremely heavy, was still a liquid, so when Harry moved, it sloshed slightly from side to side. Harry would never be able to aim his wand accurately enough to take out the flying Death Eaters in the very poor visibility conditions of the gloomy cavern.

As Harry was wracking his brains trying to think of something useful to do, a flash of gold caught his eye. One of the Death Eaters' Reductor Curses had cut one of the chains very near the top. The chain fell heavily into the crowd, no doubt causing several casualties. The opposite end of the chain hung limply from its anchor high on the wall. All at once Harry had a capital idea. He might not be able to hit a moving target like the fliers, but he could surely hit a relatively large stationary object like a chain.

Harry cleared his mind like Lao Kung had taught him. He concentrated as if the lives of everyone in the cavern depended upon him. He raised his wand, aimed for the chains just above their upper wall anchors, and fired the best and most powerful severing charm he could conjure. Harry severed a golden chain right where he wanted to, immediately above its upper wall anchor - then another, and another. Like suddenly freed pendulums, the chains swung through the air, anchored only to the ring at the very top of the cavern. Harry kept on severing chains, and soon a dozen or more were swinging through the air.

The flying Death Eaters could not avoid so many chains slashing through the air from so many different directions. Soon, amongst the jingling noise of the swinging chains, came a thud as a chain connected with a Death Eater and knocked him or her from the sky. Then there was another thud. Shak and Percy grasped what Harry was doing, and begun firing their own severing charms. Dumbledore also understood. He abandoned his Shield Charm, and "Diffindo!" he produced a sweeping Severing Charm that sliced through a dozen chains at once.

Now the air was filled with swinging chains - the harbingers of defeat for the flying Death Eaters. Inevitably the chains collided with one another or with flying Death Eaters, lost their energy, and came to a halt. But well placed Kineticus Charms would set them moving again.

Some of them, anyway.

Near the back of the elevated grandstand, a number of severed chains dangled barely overhead.

Some nameless goblin in a back row had a brilliant idea. He stood on the shoulders of his neighbors, grabbed a hold of the end of the chain, and started climbing, a crossbow over his shoulder. Other goblins imitated him, and soon a dozen goblin warriors were climbing a dozen chains to the ceiling - grimly intent upon finishing off those Death Eaters who had taken refuge from the swinging chains high amongst the ruined crystalline orbs in the centre of the ring. Seeing his climbing subjects, King Ragnok gave everyone the attack command.

Goblins started jumping on one another's shoulders reaching for the dangling chains. Using Mobilicorpus, Harry and Shak levitated goblins to chains that hung closer to the stage. The air rang with goblin attack cries. Harry heard the crackle of spells and the discharge of goblin weaponry. Sure enough, four Death Eater bodies fell into the crowd over the next five minutes, where they almost immediately self-combusted. At least as many goblins also fell. The surprise Death Eater attack had been defeated, and all of the greatly outnumbered Death Eaters had died at the hands of the goblins.

Dumbledore returned to where Harry was still struggling with the quicksilver. He helped the boy to his feet and got him moving once again towards the stage. Just as Harry was reaching for the guardrail on the staircase, he heard a grinding noise followed by series of loud pops behind him - as if objects the size of elephants were Apparating. Wheeling around, Harry saw to his horror that a huge chunk of the left-hand side of the cavern over the grandstands was breaking loose. Harry had no time to do anything but react. "WINGARDIUM LEVIOSA!!" he roared.

But for his Auror boots, the recoil from the spell would have sent Harry sprawling once again over the surface of the quicksilver. Harry vaguely heard the staccato of falling rocks striking the grandstand. King Ragnok gave an evacuation order, and Harry heard the shuffling feet of tens of thousands of goblins filing from the stands in an amazingly orderly fashion.

The Levitation Charm, however, was not intended for objects remotely as heavy as a 50-metre chunk of solid rock, and after about thirty seconds, the wall/ceiling began creaking ominously again. Dumbledore called out to Harry from the stage, "Harry, the Feather-Light Charm, on my count of three - and maintain!"

Harry and Dumbledore simultaneously shouted "Pondopennius" at the teetering section of the ceiling, and held the spell. It seemed to be working exactly as intended until Harry felt the pressure of the boulder slowly sinking him into the liquid mercury. Dumbledore could not see Harry from his vantage point, and Harry realised that just to call out would break the concentration required to maintain the spell at the necessary magnitude.

The quicksilver around him seemed to be sparkling. Harry dearly hoped that the information in the briefing, about there being not much more than a metre of quicksilver, was accurate. He agonised as he continued sinking in the quicksilver - past his knees, and past his thighs. Harry noticed the sword of Godric Gryffindor sword floating upwards, he supposed because solid steel is lighter than mercury. Harry saw the mirror-like surface of the mercury pass his waist in an eerie reprise of the boundary mirror he had passed through earlier. Harry was chest deep in the shimmering liquid before, thankfully, he stopped descending.

In due course the grandstand was completely evacuated. Harry heard Shacklebolt whisper in his ear from behind. "Harry, I don't know what you're doing, but Dumbledore wants to switch from the Feather-Light Charm to a Hover Charm so we can let this thing down easy. On my count of three, OK?" Sweat glistening on his forehead, Harry nodded slightly, to acknowledge. On three, Harry yelled "Suspendeo."

Carefully and steadily Dumbledore and Harry lowered their wands. Numerous small avalanches flowed from the damaged area. The cracked cavern ceiling and wall resolved into a massive boulder, which gradually detached and came gently to rest on the grandstand, slowly crushing it. As the boulder settled into a stable position, Harry felt himself abruptly ejected from the quicksilver, which abruptly ceased sparkling.

Harry landed heavily on his backside, and soon felt Shak helping him to his feet.

"What just happened?" Harry mumbled.

"Nobody's sure," Shak responded in a whisper. "You started giving off sparkling light, and some force around you repelled the quicksilver. Because your sword was suspended over your head, I think the force was some sort of reverse magnetism. Let's get you out of here."

Shak half guided, half carried the exhausted Ashrakadan off of the quicksilver and up to the stage, where a heated argument had broken out. Percy Weasley and Queen Runasa were insisting that the rest of the ceremony be cancelled due to the possible structural unsoundness of the cavern. King Ragnok was just as insistent that the ceremony be completed in the same place where every Ashrak in the history of the Goblin Nation had been held. Seeing Harry, King Ragnok, called out, "Callagosto tavi, Harry Potter" [What do you think, Harry Potter]?

From the phrasebook, Harry understood that simple question, and provided an equally simple response, "Kastor calco, sav tasi calido" [Finish the job, all those who want to].

The king nodded. His will, with Harry's support, settled the matter. The ceremony would continue, but without the audience, the visual effects, and the music. Impratrax Maragnok would not leave his mother. Queen Runasa refused to leave her son and husband. Impatok Ragnok simply refused to leave. After Bill insulted Percy's manhood, Percy decided to stay as well.

With the death of Kamar, there was no goblin chief of protocol, so King Ragnok undertook that role as well. He gave a series of detailed instructions to the remaining goblins, including the Impratrax, who were to assist with the modified proceedings.

Dumbledore whispered to Harry that there was going to be a "slight change in plans." Instead of Harry simply receiving the tladimax marking him as a goblin citizen, King Ragnok had decided that Harry was going to become a blood brother to Impratrax Maragnok. His actions had been essential in saving what amounted to the entire goblin nation, thus Harry would become a prince - an Impratraxis - himself.

Harry was hardly enthusiastic over that prospect, but there was no way to decline such a singular honour without causing a rift with the goblins. He had not been frightened by all that had happened so far this evening, so a mere ritual was nothing that could scare him now.

Harry said his lines, and at the appointed time he and Impratrax Maragnok stepped forward. They placed their arms - Harry's left and Maragnok's right - next to each other on the now spell-pockmarked altar. King Ragnok himself wielded the magical goblin dagger. He formed the tladimax with two cuts in each of their wrists, which joined in an inverted "V".

Harry winced but the incisions caused no pain. Instead, there was an oddly cool sensation, similar to what Harry felt whenever he walked through a protective ward around his relatives' house. Once the cuts had been made, Ragnok said a few unintelligible lines of Gobbledegook, pulled out what looked like some leather binding, and tied Harry's and Impratrax Maragnok's wrists together so that their blood would intermingle.

The formal execution of the treaty was the next part of the ceremony. Harry chafed a bit because he was considerably taller than Impratrax Maragnok. It was uncomfortable for him to have to stoop all the time. Harry thought that, if the blood brother bit had been planned, somebody would have been clever enough to provide something for the goblin prince to stand on. Since nobody seemed in the least inclined to remove the binding that affixed him to the prince, Harry resigned himself to having to drag poor Impratrax Maragnok around with him whilst signing the treaty as Ashrakadan.

As planned, Harry was called forward to receive his manmak, a signet bearing goblin runes that established Harry as a legal person - and in this case a prince - in goblin society. King Ragnok opened the box, and examined the manmak carefully. He did not make the expected move to give it to Harry. Departing from the script once again, King Ragnok placed the manmak on the altar, muttered something in Gobbledegook, and touched both his index fingers to the signet. It briefly glowed red. King Ragnok examined the manmak again, nodded in a satisfied manner, and gave the signet to Harry.

Still bound to Harry, Impratrax Maragnok had no choice but to follow him around. For the same reason Harry had to stoop to his left side whilst executing all five official originals of the treaty. When he signed the English-language copies, they glowed with the characteristic blue of a binding magical contract. He saw nothing when he placed his manmak to the Gobbledygook-versions of the treaty. Judging from the start that Impratrax Maragnok gave at the precise moment Harry affixed his seal, something equivalent must have happened. Harry recalled that goblins could see in different wavelengths.

Each of the signatories: Harry, Dumbledore, and King Ragnok, received one original. Another original was given to Percy for the Ministry's records. In Kamar's stead, King Ragnok retained the fifth copy, in runic Gobbledygook, that was intended for the archives of the Goblin Nation.

Mutual solemn oaths of fealty followed. Harry underwent the vladaskat, and received a commission as a general officer in the goblin army. In connection with the vladaskat, he acceded to the rights and obligations of a goblin citizen under goblin law. Harry managed the sword removal and salute bit quite admirably. However, he fumbled the return of his weapon to its scabbard because he was being particularly cautious to avoid skewering Impratrax Maragnok (who flinched visibly when Harry first wielded the sword), and making him yet another casualty of the ceremony.

Finally - and to Harry's great relief - King Ragnok severed the leather strap that bound the boy to Impratrax Maragnok. The king performed goblin magic that healed Harry's arm so completely that there was no visible trace of a tladimax scar. After that came a few perfunctory closing remarks, and the ceremony ended.

Now that the Ashrak was over, Harry's adrenal glands shut down, whilst his guilt instinct kicked into overdrive. On the one hand, he was so tired that all he wanted to do was sleep. On the other hand, he was unable to clear his mind of the images of Death Eaters plunging to their fate amongst throngs of murderous goblins.

For over two years, Harry had tried to avoid it - done everything within his power - but it had not been enough. For the first time in his life, he had blood on his hands. It was Death Eater blood, to be sure, but all the same the inevitable had occurred. He had killed someone tonight, several people actually.

This time death had been no accident or quirk of fate. Rather, death had come through Harry's conscious acts. He had summoned that broom; he had severed the chains and turned them into pendulums. In both cases Harry had voluntarily chosen to become a killer. His first kills had certainly been necessary, but nevertheless he felt awful.

Dumbledore was deep in post-Ashrak conversations with King Ragnok and others in the goblin hierarchy. Feeling faint and queasy, Harry slipped away to the anteroom where, well over an hour ago, he had waited for the Ashrak to start. He was sick almost as soon as he sat down. Muttering a Scouring Charm, he slumped into a chair, and tried to clear his mind like a good Occlumens. Perhaps his exhaustion helped, but for whatever reason within minutes the boy was sound asleep.

Once it was noticed, Harry's absence nearly caused an incident among the goblins. They were in a state of high dudgeon following the serious breach of their security precautions. The twitchy goblins almost sounded a general alarm before someone discovered the whereabouts of the missing Ashrakadan. Mercifully they let him sleep.

Unbeknownst to Harry, Bill and Percy almost came to blows when Percy insisted upon waking Harry for an interview with a reporter from the goblin information office. Bill finally prevailed by pointing out that the reporter could just make up a few quotes. The goblin press was strictly controlled, so the quotes would be innocuous in any case.

Dumbledore, who had wanted to discuss the ramifications of Harry's becoming a blood brother to the goblin crown prince, took one look at the exhausted young wizard and decided that the conversation could wait.

Harry had no idea how he got home that night/morning. All he knew is that he awoke in his room with his alarm clock showing 3:30 a.m. and Albus Dumbledore staring him in the face. Dumbledore told him he could - and should - go back to sleep, but that he wanted to give Harry the signed original copy of the treaty to which he was entitled. He handed Harry a half-metre jade cylinder covered with goblin runes and told him that he would find the treaty inside.

Dumbledore also collected the Gryffindor sword and shield. He reminded Harry that they had an Occlumency lesson together the next evening and left. Still feeling uneasy, all Harry wanted to relieve himself, and to get out of his cumbersome formal robes.

Before going back to sleep, Harry pondered what to do with the treaty in the jade cylinder, since he really didn't have any good place to keep it. Remembering that Hermione collected signatures, Harry decided to give it to her. He dashed off a quick note to Hermione, and fashioned a package for the cylinder that he could attach to Hedwig.

Harry knew he would have to talk to Dumbledore about his feelings, but not at this time. The last time he had a conversation with the Headmaster on too little sleep and in the immediate aftermath of disturbing events, he had wrecked Dumbledore's office. After sending Hedwig off, he turned to his alarm clock and groaned. It was now 4:15 a.m. and Eliza was picking him up at 9. Harry set the alarm for 8:15 and cast a lasting protective spell around his clock.

- 52 -

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C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\My Documents\HP & The Fifth Element.ch14 ashrak.doc 09/28/03