Harry Potter and the Magical Tours

In the Hogsmeade Linkport, they had to wait some minutes before the service car would arrive to take them back to Hogwarts. Looking for a quiet spot, Harry grabbed Almyra, who didn't resist, while Cho followed without being grabbed. Looking into Almyra's beaming face, Harry said, "You're crazy."

Shaking her head, Almyra almost giggled.

"Oh yes, you are. If I had seen a way ..."

"But there was none; I made sure of that."

"A propos," remembered Harry, "I was asked to express their apologies once more. We had a talk, this young man and I - maybe he comes to visit us here."

Cho was grinning madly. "A young man? Harry, what's that supposed to mean?"

He shook his head impatiently, was about to explain the background with Steel Wings and Firebolts Two when suddenly realizing a remarkable lack of questions from Cho. He eyed her suspiciously. "Funny you don't ask."

"Funny you complain about that. Normally, it's the other way around."

"Cho, my darling ..."

Both girls started to giggle.

"... would you please tell me what kind of present you've got from Al?"

Both girls started to laugh, thereby giving the obvious answer.

Harry looked at Almyra. "Definitely insane."

"Quite the opposite ..." Almyra sobered up sufficiently to explain. "Imagine it would have been yours only, or hers only. But I promise you - now it's over, future presents will be less spectacular - no, I mean less pricey, since your present is a nice example how to be spectacular with small things."

Harry hugged her. "Thank you ... While I had to wait for your present, and still more after I got it, I felt as happy as a little kid."

Almyra's expression changed from beaming to teasing. "Why - do you know another style?"

Cho giggled, making Almyra blush. Cho saw her chance. "Maybe he should have said, happy as a young dog - but then, maybe he should have not. What do you think, Al?"

Almyra blushed deeper, looked reproachfully at Harry.

Cho inched closer to her friend, put her arm around Almyra's shoulders. "He didn't tell me much, said he wasn't supposed to quote someone, so I was limited to an - er, eyewitness report ... Even so, I was happy to hear it, and I'm looking forward to squeeze you more privately," she looked challenging at Harry, "without some sneaking ears around."

Almyra muttered, "Isn't there a bit of privacy?"

"Sure," confirmed Cho joyfully, "we'd never hunt wolves - would we, Harry?"

"Never."

Almyra had to laugh.

Harry asked, "By the way - any recent progress in the project?"

Almyra looked disappointed. "No, didn't work. I wish I knew what went wrong."

Cho glanced from one to the other, bowed twice, rapidly. "Little Chinese asks fol details, please."

There was satisfaction in Harry's voice. "No. It's just for balance - you can squeeze her privately, but I can discuss with her in public."

Cho glared at him. "Wait ... You'll suffer for that - I promise you."

He bowed teasingly. "That's okay, because - for this particular task, you're somehow seriously limited."

This time, it was Almyra who giggled, and Cho who blushed.

* * *

Classes in Hogwarts claimed their rightful attention from the very first day after the Christmas break. The topics appeared quite advanced, and the project nature of the lessons, which had already developed in the previous two months, was increasing. Also, most of the topics had a smell of dark magic, in particular since they did not necessarily provide a defence, quite the opposite.

In Potions, Professor McGonagall started with the Polyjoice potion, plus something like an antidote. It ended the effect of the Polyjoice potion immediately and, in addition, prevented it from becoming effective for several days. Basically, however, this counted as a test potion for authorities - if someone refused to drink, then probably because this someone was pretending to be another person.

For Hermione, the Polyjoice potion was old stuff, while the antidote was not. Even so, she scrutinized all details of the recipe again, always in search for common factors, side effects, similarities - after all, form-shaping potions were the essence of her graduate work.

In a compound project, Madam Hooch in Charms started the topic of memory charms, while Snape in Defence Against the Dark Arts started the opposite - defending against them, more exactly, detecting them and reversing their effect.

A memory charm, as Harry learned, did not really erase the memory of some events. This was impossible with a spell - it could be done by a surgeon, or with some potions, however in both cases with disastrous effects toward the brain, since neither the scalpel nor the drug could be restricted to the memory of a specific event, or timespan in life.

What the memory charm did was a twin effect. First, the specific memory was locked - more specifically, bypassed. Which meant that the person, about to touch the memory, almost reflexively bypassed it like a traumatic experience. The second effect provided a kind of replacement memory. Without that, the bypassing would be very confusing for the person itself, and easily detectable for an experienced interviewer.

In trances, the bypass did not work. So trances offered one of the techniques for detecting memory charms. The same was actually true for Muggles - only for them, it didn't mean much. When a Muggle, under a trance, revealed the true memory of something heard or seen which afterwards had been hidden by Arthur Weasley's people with a memory charm, every doctor or scientist would assume some side effect - the person's mind was having fun with some fantasy story. And the more plausible the story seemed - in terms of motives and actions, that was, the stronger grew their conviction that the person's mind had invented the plot. After all, some things simply didn't happen.

Undoing a memory charm wasn't too complicated. The tricky task came first - detecting them. Even under a trance - not a working alternative for Harry anyway - such an artificial memory could be detected only when asking for specific details, or maybe by accident. At least, there was no spell which - magically - could deactivate all memory charms that were nesting in someone's mind.

Then an idea occurred to Harry. Was Nagini a means to detect memory charms? He discussed the matter with Madam Hooch, also with Snape.

A first, simple test turned out negative. Ron had volunteered for a charm which suggested that roasted pork had been served, rather than cooked fish. However, Ron liked roasted pork a lot, while he could easily imagine a life without cooked fish.

A second test could start only after some reluctance from Ron's side, and only after convincing him beyond any doubt that it was possible to reverse memory charms without leaving remnants of the fake memory. Then, he agreed to a charm which implanted the memory that the Quidditch match against the Hufflepuffs had been lost by sixteen points.

This time, Nagini felt something. She didn't report a lie, only a serious unpleasantry and some confusion.

The latter came as no surprise. When Harry asked Ron about the Quidditch match, his friend answered with an expression of utter disbelief, "Don't you remember this disaster, Harry?"

The results could only be rated as unreliable. All they confirmed for sure reminded of the old wisdom - any test was good only when leaving the test object unchanged. And for a memory charm, this was something of an impossibility, without offering a trace of Zen.

---

In Transfiguration, the efforts concentrated more and more toward the Animagus spell, and Harry felt confronted with the question what kind of animal might be his choice. He thought it over - once, twice, only to find a serious problem in his thinking.

He asked Lupin for a private conversation.

With the cups in their hands, Lupin said, "All right, what's your problem, Harry?"

"I was thinking about which animal to choose - for the Animagus, I mean."

"For what else?" Lupin looked expectant. "And what have you found?"

"Erm ... Prof ... To be honest ..." For once, it was Harry who felt confronted with a friendly, questioning silence from a member of the Western culture. Eventually, he said, "I think ... my choice is none at all."

At least, Lupin didn't look disappointed. Maybe it wasn't such a surprise for him, after all.

"I certainly would like to be an Animagus," explained Harry. "The thought of my father has crossed my mind quite often, recently, but to me it feels like an attempt to dance at one wedding too much."

"And which are the weddings you're going to join?"

"Looking from the current perspective, the most important skills are haragei and getsumai no michi, based on things like aikido and kenjutsu - and altogether they're based on Zen. What will come soon is Apparition in all regards, including the techniques of pursuing someone through Apparition jumps - normally, this is just a theoretical addendum here in Hogwarts while for me, this will be the start and the end of the whole thing."

"What about Defence?"

"Concerning Unforgivable Curses, there isn't much that's missing - if anything ..."

Lupin nodded.

"... while this pursuing technique is taught there, for all I know. Well, there will be one or the other spell in addition, but - "

"And your extra lessons."

Harry looked at Lupin's expressionless face, trying to find an answer that was better than his silence.

Lupin saved him the effort. "I guess I have an idea, Harry. Severus isn't exactly an old friend, but somehow, that's the keyword which fails to get off my mind."

Lupin didn't sound as if the topic was closed, in particular since he failed to continue by talking about something else. Quite naturally so - after all, he and Sirius were very close friends. And basically, Harry was ready to reveal a bit - if he could find a way within the boundaries of his promise toward Sirius.

And less basically, he would be interested in discussing something else, about new friends, or maybe younger ones ... This association brought him the idea. "I remember how Al asked me a similar question."

This particular twist took Lupin by surprise - off balance, so to speak. He even omitted to protest that he hadn't asked a question at all, but then, they both knew he had.

"I told her to accept the apparent and the seemingly apparent without asking. But maybe I'm not telling you anything new."

Now it was Lupin who didn't answer.

"By the way, I'm sorry to hear your project doesn't proceed as planned."

Lupin grinned faintly. "I'll be glad if you've finished school, Harry. Then this damned teacher-student relationship is out of the way, and I can speak more frankly than now."

It was out before Harry could stop himself. "Yeah, sure, but ours is not the most urgent problem."

Lupin stared at him. "I think we should end this conversation, Harry."

Harry blushed. "Prof - if this sounded impertinent, I apologize - that wasn't my intention. But you must know - Al and I, we feel like brother and sister to each other, for some reason ..."

"That's great for you - but even brothers and sisters don't share everything!"

"Oh, we don't - only the important things."

Lupin looked in a mix of helplessness and desperation.

"You see, Prof - with Cho and me at the other side, Al alone is somewhat unbalanced, isn't she? And it's not exactly objections what she finds when this - er, topic comes up."

"I know, Harry, and - believe me, this knowledge has played an important role ... Anyway, things will be a lot easier at the end of this year."

"Well - it's a question of perspective, isn't it?"

Lupin looked surprised, then smiled sympathetically. "Sorry - I forgot. Yes, of course you're right."

"Prof, a thought was crossing my mind - about your project, I mean. If a wolf doesn't work, maybe another animal would."

---

It took Lupin a second to follow this turn, or backstep, in the conversation, but then he no longer refused to discuss the matter. "What did you have in mind, Harry?"

"Well - maybe a wolf and a werewolf are just too close. I was wondering if a dog might be the solution."

"You won't be surprised to hear that this idea came up already before" - Lupin smiled - "in heads more devoted to that project. Only - the difference seems so small, both shapes are nearly identical ..."

For an instant, both Harry and Lupin tried to keep their faces steady, managed - almost.

"... so we couldn't see the benefit. You know, a new shape is a bit more than homework for a rainy weekend."

Harry felt grateful for the opportunity to grin about an innocent joke. "Yeah, sure, but - I've learned, it's the intention that matters, as you know perfectly well since you're one of the teachers who told me again and again. Now - a wolf's intention is to be wild, while a dog's intention is to be a human's companion. That's what I was thinking about."

Lupin's eyes widened. "You're right. It could be just another case of not seeing the obvious. It might be crap, but this approach sounds better than all ideas we had so far."

Harry beamed. "I'm definitely not a Transfiguration expert, but maybe that's exactly what was missing in the project planning ... This mistake sounds quite familiar."

Lupin grinned. "According to this logic, you and Ron should discuss Quidditch tactics with Miss Delacour."

Now Harry's eyes widened. "Hey - you're totally right, Prof. An outsider - a bloody amateur, not preoccupied at all."

"It was planned as a joke, but it backfired. Maybe I should visit a course in project planning."

Harry grinned. "That's risky, Prof."

"Why?"

"Well - the best teacher for that is Hermione, there's no doubt. But I think you know how you would have to pay in exchange for the fine art of brainstorming and project management, don't you?"

Lupin laughed. "Yes, I know. Basically, I don't object playing the test object - only that I can't run both test series simultaneously. Imagine her potion works - we've invested too much in our own project to stop now."

"Well, then - you may tell her that. Hermione can wait, and she has still more than a year."

Lupin nodded. "I'll think about it. Now, coming back to your own topic, what are you planning to do? Would you drop Transfiguration, in favour of more time for - "

"Heavens, no! Aside from anything else, I've got my lesson."

"Your lesson?"

"Yes - about courses and teachers. For a time, I had dropped Care, because this was what could be dropped immediately. It was a mistake - Grubbly-Plank is too good to be ignored. What I'm trying to say - in the worst case, I'll pester you to teach me Social Ethics - if you get my bearing."

Lupin laughed. "Thank you for the flowers. Anyway - I don't disagree with your conclusion, Harry. Maybe you just put it in some kind of hold - if things change, or if you change your mind, you can increase the investment any time."

"Yes - that sounds reasonable."

"Just for my own curiosity - would you know which animal?"

"Well, for something handy and practical, I think a dog would be my choice, too. There's no better compromise between power, flexibility, and unsuspicious embedding in a crowd of humans."

"And what if this constraint won't play a role?" Lupin smiled. "What will be your second shape, Harry?"

"A dragon ... And I think I'd try it first."

Lupin showed little surprise. "It would have been my guess - either that or a Centaur. You should know, the Transfiguration literature counts both of them as impossible - but so what, some time ago the Golden Patronus was considered a myth."

* * *

The first dance lesson in the new year provided an interesting experience. Harry was almost late, for some reason - maybe on purpose, so he met Cho in the dance room with the other students already around.

In the first moments, nothing happened because Cho was distracted by Fleur's announcement.

"Mesdames et messieurs," called Fleur, "I want to introduce Monsieur Jean-Francois Dutronc, member of the Beauxbatons Dance Formation - unfortunately only till the end of this year, and my partner in this course - he's just too good to call him assistant."

The young man bowed, receiving the applause. For a dancer, he looked astonishingly sturdy and square-built, seemingly small - until compared with Fleur, making clear he was just broader.

The music for the first dance started, and only now Cho became aware of what Harry knew since having dressed for the occasion. She sniffed, causing her to fail a step.

"What's this?"

"Cha-cha-cha - what else?"

Definitely not an improvement of her mood. "You know exactly what I mean!"

"Oh ... It's called Clair de Hune."

"Right now, I'd like to make this light shine in your left eye. Where does it come from?"

"A shop, I'd guess; didn't look like a special bottling."

Cho failed another step. "You ... you ..."

"Oh - you mean how I got it? It's a Christmas present."

She was boiling - at least, she did it in the proper rhythm. "Would - you - please - tell - me - from - whom?"

"Sure - from Fleur."

It kicked some wind off her sails. But only some. "And why didn't you use mine?"

"I was told these perfumes are ageing - so I have to balance along, isn't that so?"

The word balance seemed to worsen things. "You've been told? By whom? Fleur?"

"No, it was Ginny."

"Can't she mind her own business?"

"She did, actually - hers is called Centauros."

Cho was about to jump and dance in a different rhythm when suddenly a small ball was floating around them, and Fleur's voice, with some amusement, chirped, "Shall I tune the music down or up?"

This reprimand was good to cancel the issue for a while, until they had a break, and after they were given the opportunity to drop any thought Jean-Francois had earned his membership through anything other than dancing skill. Sitting in a quiet corner, Cho glared at Harry.

"Listen, you piece of charme - if you're together with me, you'll wear mine, okay?"

"Hey, these are presents from - "

"Not my problem. With me, you better smell of Samurai."

"And when shall I smell of the others?"

"When you're - " Cho stopped, giggled. "Well, I have to admit, there's a serious flaw in my logic" - she glared again - "there better be a serious flaw, if you get my bearing."

"Loud and clear." A moment later, he couldn't resist. "Ginny was so disappointed when she saw yours. Then I said, I'll wear it by association - Fleur's for dancing, hers for festivities ..."

"And mine?"

"I said we'd find something."

Cho grinned.

"But Ginny pointed out some obvious conflicts that may arise."

Cho understood immediately, grinning broader. "Arise, eh? Good thinking of that sister of yours."

"Yes." It came a bit flat.

Cho had recognized it. "All right - use hers next time; it's not a good idea to categorize them ... and I'm awfully glad you're tending to older women."

"I'm not tending - and it's more than that."

Cho looked softer. "Same with me ... lucky me." Then, registering his sharp look toward her, she said quietly, "So you've found out, after all this time."

"I thought ... Doesn't matter - anyway, we have a clear agreement. And with a little luck, it'll fade."

Cho didn't answer, stopped just in time before shaking her head, rose to follow Fleur's announcement, concentrating on the next dance and on her own luck.

* * *

The second week in the new year had already passed when a card from Sirius arrived. Harry's grin at reading the first words faded quickly.

As nice and innocent as the card looked for anyone not knowing better, it had all ingredients to make Harry's neck hair rise, because it included three messages underneath, or one message with three parts.

Project was the first code word. Sirius asked for a meeting with Harry, and this meeting would certainly take longer than ten minutes.

Sympathy was the second code word. Without revealing details, it announced a request for help, and the meeting would tell Harry more about the exact nature of the help Sirius needed.

And as important as the other two, there was the third message, a warning. Feeling good meant quite the opposite, Sirius told Harry that he was under the tightest form of surveillance, so Harry's approach had to be good enough to get rid of those 'feelings'.

On the other hand, it could have been worse. The code word quite recently was missing, so the meeting request wasn't extremely urgent, which gave Harry time enough for a careful planning.

He and Sirius had established these codes long before, as well as the technique for signaling details toward Sirius without contacting him directly. The first thing Harry did was to write a response card.

He felt no wish for being in Egypt; this was just the only meaningful word in the message. During the next days, Sirius would scan the advertisements in the Daily Prophet for something in which the Egypt Circle was notified about a meeting on a certain day, at a certain time, in a certain place.

The natural next step would have been to figure out a strategy how to get rid of the shadows behind Sirius, in order to have one or two hours alone. But this step was already done - Harry had honed a plan during the past weeks, more exactly, since the time he had learned about some progress in another project.

The plan had its pros and cons. Definitely on the pro side was its beauty - no doubt, the meeting would be very private. The drawback was that Harry needed the help of two other people, and this would expose them to some risk - a limited one, though clearly more than nothing.

---

He contacted these two people and asked them to meet in Almyra's interview room.

Almyra had no objections, quite naturally so - she was one of the two. The other was Ginny.

Harry made his introduction quick and short. "I've got a message from Sirius. He asks for a longer meeting."

The two girls looked at him, then, with some consternation, at each other - wondering why the other was involved, surprised not be the only one who knew more than the public version.

The moment was somewhat tickling, and certainly in the wrong direction, but Harry had no choice. He said, "Sirius is under tight surveillance, and the first task is to shake off the shadows. For that, I need your help."

The number of questions they had was probably growing by the second; for starters, however, both Almyra and Ginny nodded.

"Before you agree - are you fully aware what it means? This kind of hide and seek isn't harmless."

Ginny was biting her lips. Almyra said, "Yes - I know."

Harry looked at his sister. "Ginny?"

"How - dangerous is it, Harry?"

"The plan is good, only the other side doesn't ask twice. But I'll never be far away."

Ginny nodded. "Okay."

"Now - next Saturday afternoon, you, Ginny, will meet Sirius in a hotel in London - not exactly luxury class, but no dirty rathole either ..."

Something like utter astonishment appeared in Almyra's face, while Ginny's ears were slightly colouring.

"... and when coming to him, you'll be in the company of a large dog."

Almyra's face changed to grinning admiration.

"Shortly after you've met him in his room, you'll leave the hotel again for an hour or two, then you'll come back - of course always together with a dog ... Well, that's the plan from the outside."

Ginny, lacking some knowledge, still looked uncertain.

"Now from the inside," said Harry, "and with some more details: Ginny, you'll arrive at the hotel with a large dog - except this dog will of course be Almyra ..."

Ginny's head jerked around, looking toward Almyra, who nodded, grinning.

"... and she'll wear a flaming red necktie - it's common these days to have them around dogs, especially in fancy hotels, or not so fancy. Anyway, this will make sure nobody recognizes fine differences between the dog led inside and the one led outside, which of course is Sirius. From that hotel, you'll walk to another one, where a room is booked under the name Dursley. There, we'll talk ... Then you'll walk back to the previous hotel, visit Sirius again, to come out a few minutes later, looking as angry and upset as you can master. Once outside the hotel, you simply travel back to Hogwarts."

Almyra asked, "And I'll stay in that room?"

"Basically yes. You'll not respond to any knocking at the door, or phone call, or whatever. If it looks as if things get out of hand, or if they'll try to break in - I mean, it's very unlikely, but just in case: before someone can see you, you have to disappear through the window."

"As a falcon."

Harry nodded. "Exactly." Toward Ginny, he added, "There's something else. When arriving the first time, you'll come with a bag - about the size you'd need to stay in a hotel for a day. When leaving the hotel for the first time, you go without that bag. When coming back and leaving it again, a few minutes later, you take it with you ... Any comments?"

Almyra brought it to the point. "Better not."

Harry looked at her impatiently. "Do you see any flaws?"

"No - provided the other side buys the story that - "

He interrupted her. "They will. Can you manage the two hours?"

Almyra nodded absent-mindedly, still thoughtful about her previous question.

Toward Harry, Ginny asked, "And you? Where are you?"

"When you go in for the first time, and until you come out and walk away, I'll be at the other side of the street - probably in a tree, but in any case under my Invisibility Cloak. I'll check if someone's following you. Probably, I'll join you a minute later or so."

"And what if someone's following me - us, I mean?"

"This someone will encounter a falling stone, or something similar - that is, for all he knows afterwards. But that's very unlikely."

"And after the meeting?"

"Same as before. I'll leave the other hotel a minute before you. I'll be across the street."

They discussed more details, for example the travelling between Hogwarts and London. Harry admonished the girls to travel at different times, in order not to be seen together.

"And you?" asked Almyra.

"I'm not using the portkey link at that weekend ... I don't know whether they're recording it - at any rate, for all they know, I won't be in London next weekend."

"Then how will you travel?"

"Like in the good old days - with a broomstick, except it will be a very fast one. I always wondered how it is to travel several hundred miles - Viktor did it twice, and now's my opportunity to find out."

"But - it's deep winter."

"Didn't I tell you what I've got from Dobby? A face mask - don't worry, I won't freeze to stone."

When all details were settled, Ginny left the room first - pretty quickly, apparently anxious not to be asked any question aside. Harry wasn't quite as lucky, because Almyra signaled him to stay a moment longer.

"Harry," she said, "I'm not very happy with the thought of Ginny involved in that stunt."

"Don't you trust her?"

Almyra looked angry. "That's not the point! She's too young for that - especially for such a scenario. A hotel, booked for some hours - really!"

"Okay, it doesn't look nice, but I had no better idea, none that wouldn't compromise Sirius."

"Wouldn't compromise?"

"From the perspective of the other side, I mean."

Almyra couldn't decide whether she was not believing or not wanting to believe.

Harry came to a quick decision. "Al - Sirius' life is at stake, and for me that's reason enough to make things very clear. You and Ginny, you both know about Sirius. You both are involved in this stunt. You both share another common factor. For all I know, although Sirius refused to tell me details, he's blackmailed with photos of him and Ginny."

Almyra was speechless, then furious. "How could he?"

"Don't blame him. It was my own idea, and it was very hard to convince him."

"You??"

Harry nodded.

"For Sirius' plot, you ... How did you convince her?"

His grin was a bit weak. "You track it down the wrong direction. There was - erm, a certain problem, and Ginny didn't know how to solve it - in contrast to you, if you know what I mean. Then I suggested him to her - that was the easy part. Well, and as part of my argument toward him, I suggested using it as an opportunity to get blackmailed."

Almyra stared at him. "I wonder whether I can trust my ears, Harry."

"Well - it's somewhat unconventional, okay, quite in contrast to the ordinary habits of the other people around ..."

She grinned. "Okay, okay. So you could convince him, huh?"

"Actually, no. But at the end, it worked."

Almyra laughed. "Small wonder ... and little by little, I get a feeling that this has been some kind of desperate measures."

"You bet."

"Well, there are sisters and sisters ..." Then another thought struck Almyra. "Does she know about me?"

"Certainly not from my side," assured Harry, "probably not from Sirius. But when this stunt is over, she may know. Imagine - she comes to Sirius with a dog, and next moment, this dog changes to you. His face will be very interesting to watch."

Almyra chuckled. "And then? How will she react?"

"Toward you? Oh, more positively than anything else, I guess - you know, common factors unite."

"Do they? In this case, maybe yes."

Only after a moment, Harry realized which common factor between Ginny and someone else was badly suited to unite, was doing quite the opposite.

* * *

Next afternoon, he cancelled his training with Kenzo, because this offered the biggest amount of time he could win, and because Kenzo wouldn't discuss it with other teachers - or Heads of Houses. Then he travelled to London.

Two hotels in the proper distance, one of them with an entrance that could be watched from the other side without being run over - pedestrians hardly took care of people under Invisibility Cloaks. Then he walked to the Daily Prophet office.

The advertisement he ordered addressed all members of the Egypt Circle, announced a meeting in the Starlight hotel, next Saturday at five o'clock, and reminded them to book their own rooms.

In the hall, he took his time to read today's issue, checking the news as well as the organization of advertisements in pages. His glance fell on a box, looking like an advertisement, except it was on the news page, and with a black border around.

Good old Rita - dead, no doubt killed while trying to uncover one scandal too much, or with the wrong people involved.

Harry had a bitter taste in his mouth when travelling back to Hogwarts, and a cold stare toward all Magical Tours orderlies he met on his way. If anything had been needed to alert him sufficiently for the coming task, this news would have done the job.

He hoped this ad went unnoticed in Hogwarts - at least for the next days, at least by Hermione. He wasn't in the mood to discuss the event, decided not to inform Almyra or Ginny. Sirius certainly knew, maybe the issue would come up in their meeting.

Friday evening, when he prepared for his journey through the night, calming down Cho took longer than anything else.

"It's about Sirius," he explained. "I'll meet him, and it's a bit complicated to do it unnoticed. I'll be back tomorrow, some time during the night."

"Funny that Al's doing a trip to London at the same weekend, isn't it?"

He kissed her. "No, it's not. I'll tell you - "

"What's she supposed to do?"

"Walk around a little bit - except on four legs, that should tell you enough ..."

It told Cho enough to look still more concerned.

"Please - it's carefully planned, and we'll be very watchful."

She hugged him. "I wish I could come with you - which doesn't mean I won't be more scared than Al probably is."

He grinned. "But you have no Invisibility Cloak, and otherwise there's only room for four-legged animals."

"Tricky Potter - that was very close to breaking a promise."

At least, after this hidden reference to her old nickname China Duck, Cho looked better than a moment before. This, in turn, made Harry feel better when jumping into the air, on his Steel Wing, under Dobby's face mask, under his Invisibility Cloak, with Ron's knapsack on his back, containing clothes and other utensils rather than Nagini.

Getsumai no michi on a larger scale was a fascinating experience. However, on this journey he used it more for practising purposes, rather than for necessity - the lights from the towns down below provided enough navigation points, after Harry had memorized the map for quite a while. And he was grateful for every piece of clothing he'd donned, most of all for Dobby's face mask and the new gloves he'd bought. Together with the head shield from the Steel Wing package, he felt protected well enough while thundering through the night.

---

Already close to midnight, he arrived at the Regent, the second hotel in which he had booked a room for himself - under the name Weasley, after all, Harry Potter was taking too much attention.

He slept as long as possible without losing the option of a breakfast. Still six hours to kill, and walking through the streets was out of discussion. In good foresight, Harry had prepared himself with Hermione's present, the book about Zen.

What he learned first - the Kamasutra seemed an interesting literature, although the remarks remained a bit unclear, though probably more inviting than this book. Not exactly a flop, however, pretty soon Harry came to the conclusion that his own understanding of Zen already ranked beyond that of the author. And the few koans quoted in the book were all known to him.

He dropped the book and spent the next hour in careful exercises of aikido movements, with the emphasis on stretching and flexing, and the thirty minutes afterwards in a meditation. Then it was time to find something to eat on the street, and to position himself across the entrance of the Starlight hotel.

Sitting low in a tree, he watched the coming and going across the street, for almost an hour before he saw Sirius arrive. This hour didn't feel boring at all - surprising how you could entertain yourself with bets about the next guest, and the next time the door would open, only it was cold, and the tree not the most comfortable place to sit.

When Sirius had disappeard through the door, Harry tried to locate the shadows, and found them quickly - not because they were somehow remarkable, not at all, seemed to melt into the street scene, but his haragei could identify them easily, with this significant discrepancy between their movements and the feelings he received. One of them kept outside, the other stepped in, probably to wait in the hotel lounge.

Then he saw Ginny coming up the street.

The outside shadow showed no remarkable emotion when she entered the door.

Ten minutes later, Ginny reappeared in the door. For Harry, the differences between the two dogs looked obvious, but for all he sensed, he was alone with this feeling. The necktie did its job - a result of Snapes lessons. "To hide something," Snape had said, "you have to make it outstanding, so that everybody can't help recognizing it. This trick is ages old, and still it works always."

The second shadow came out of the hotel and talked with his mate on the street. Harry tensed. If one of them would follow Ginny, things would get complicated.

The two exchanged a few sentences, then the first one went back inside. Obviously, the bag had done its duty - they expected Ginny back sooner or later. Well, they shouldn't be disappointed.

Harry reached the Regent together with Ginny - visibly, gesturing her to ignore him. At the reception, he waited until she had received her key before asking for his own. Moments later, he was in her room.

Sirius looked angry. "Did you have to get her involved? And Al too?"

"How would you've done it?"

"Well - since I have no good answer, I shouldn't complain ... Did someone follow?"

"No. There are two - they discussed it for a moment, then settled back to their positions."

Sirius nodded. "It's just standard routine ... With two, they can't split for such a case. If they'd suspect anything, there had been four at the minimum." He smiled appreciatively. "It's a good plan, Harry."

"That's what I thought. Okay, what's up?"

"Before I start - have you heard something from Rita Skeeter?"

The expression in Sirius' face left no doubt - he knew and had chosen his words with respect to Ginny, who didn't know, and who still had to perform the second part of her role.

Harry answered, "Nothing from her personally, no."

Sirius nodded, understanding as well. Then he started to talk, and for the next hour, Harry was mostly listening, and Ginny all the time, while Sirius revealed the current state, the result of his undercover role and his plan for the events to come.

---

After the other side had come to the conclusion that Sirius was sufficiently hooked, they'd asked for one favour, then for another, then for a bigger one - pretty boring stuff, except of course for the criminals involved, at least nothing of interest for Harry and no trace whatsoever toward Magical Tours.

And now, with the hook neatly fixed, they'd asked for a very big favour. To be correct, it was no longer a favour, and they hadn't asked. They wanted access to the wizard prison.

Harry felt electrified. "Did you ask them why?"

"I played the ball as low as possible. So first I asked, 'Do you want to put people in or out?' The answer was, 'It's none of your business.' And I said I wouldn't care too much this way or the other, only that the techniques are different."

"Did they buy it?"

"Sure - for the procedure it's true, and for my interest - they know I'm only interested in Bel's murderer, which of course has nothing to do with themselves, as they're never tiring to tell me - their approach is to run it like with me. Anyway, what they want is to get people out."

If there was any proof needed that Voldemort could be found somewhere in the background, this request did it. The only possible explanation - Voldemort tried to fulfill his part in the trust bond with his Death Eaters. Recognizing this kind of trustworthiness didn't make him a bit more sympathetic - more likely, it was easier this way than to find another bunch of wizards with an equal combination of evil will and magical skill.

The only public knowledge about the wizard prison, the replacement for Azkaban, was that it existed. Rumour had it the prison could be found on an island, as had been the case with Azkaban. Now Harry learned more.

The prison was maintained entirely by Goblins. It could only be reached through a portkey link, except this link remained non-operative most of the time. To activate it, first the Goblins had to be contacted. An unauthorized attempt would most likely end in a closed room with no exit - all links to and from the prison were one-way links, and to proceed from one to the other, a visitor had to pass checks. And of course, like at Hogwarts, apparition was not possible there.

Harry asked, "Is it an island, Sirius?"

"I don't know, and I don't want to know ... This is the most secure prison we ever had, and maybe ever will have. Look into history - try to find a traitor under the Goblins! You may find one, but only between different groups, while against wizards, they stand united. We were lucky to settle this contract."

"Then what will happen if this action fails - if some prisoners escape?"

"What I'm telling you now is something I didn't tell the other side, Harry. The port to the prison leads to a station in-between. As long as any link is active between that station and the outside world, links between the station and the real prison are disabled. And before they'll be activated, you have to wait, and expose yourself to a thorough check. Maybe you have to strip naked, I don't know. At least they'll never come closer than to that station, and our own forces have to wait there."

"When? ... And how long?"

Sirius grinned. "I could fix them to a known date. I said the only possibility is ten days from now, when one of the prisoners is due for release. More or less, it's even true - and that's why we don't have to wait days or weeks until they feel like giving it a try."

And then Sirius came to the specific help he needed. Someone had to tell the Goblins, if possible yesterday, and make sure they were warned, and would wait with a troop of well-trained warriors.

"I can't even visit Gringotts," explained Sirius. "My - er, friends trust me in a normal way - normal for them, which means they don't trust me at all but they don't expect treachery. But if I'd contact Goblins - they have a simple reflex, if it could be that you have betrayed them then you have, and if not, it's your own fault."

"What about other forces?"

"Good question - what can you offer?"

Yes - what could Harry offer? According to Sirius' description, everything would take place in rooms, maybe underground - definitely not a battleground where the remaining members of the Flying Squad could help. And the idea of confronting people like Katie and Alicia with criminals in an infight at closest range - he didn't have to think twice in order to know the answer.

---

On the other hand - they had to gather at least some people. It was a question of honour as much as trust - if the Goblins saw a group of wizards, ready to stand against the intruders, at the risk of being killed, they wouldn't mind if their own troops were twice as many, or a tenfold, or whatever. It was the intention that counted, and this intention had to be presented in the shape of some wizard warriors.

Harry looked at Sirius. "What about Law Enforcement people?"

"No way. There are only few I'd trust, and right now, none of them is trusting me, for obvious reasons. What's more, any attempt of contacting them would invariably be noticed by some of the others." Sirius' expression hardened. "Harry, if this thing's over - believe me, there'll be a big clean-up."

"Provided you're still in the office."

Sirius had a short and bitter laugh. "Yes ... But if I manage to come out alive from this story, holding the position will be easy play in comparison. The Goblins will be at my side, that's an argument very hard to beat."

"All right. I'll talk with Dumbledore. If it works out, I see about half a dozen people we can get together."

"But not Al."

"No - not Al, and not Cho either. Regarding students, I only think of Ron - and of myself, of course."

"Ron? Harry, please don't take offence, but - "

Harry interrupted his godfather with a grin. "Relax - his job is coordination, and he's good in that."

Sirius looked relieved, while Ginny showed a mix of pride and worry.

"For the fighting," said Harry, "I hope I can get Lupin, Snape, Kenzo, and Viktor."

"Kenzo?"

"My sensei. I don't know how good he is with a wand, but he's quite artful without a wand."

Sirius nodded. "Now listen. We won't have another opportunity to talk, and this is crucial. Those wizards have to be placed so that they can jump back quickly. There'll be some people waiting at the gate, I mean they won't come in - and I want to catch them too. So, if it'll take longer, the fighting in the station has to be done mostly by the Goblins. About five minutes after the entry, the return link must be activated, so we can jump through and get those who are waiting outside."

"That sounds highly dangerous."

"Oh, really?" Sirius grinned thinly. "Well, the first person coming through will be that prisoner. If they see him, they expect another prisoner next; it's only natural - and this moment of surprise must be enough."

"Then Kenzo should be the next - he's fast, and I mean fast."

Sirius nodded. "Why not? After me, of course."

"Sirius - that's no time for pride."

"You don't understand, Harry. No matter what it looks to the outside, I'm still chief of police, actually the only cop in the story - and this is a police action. But calm down, I'll jump through and then aside."

Harry could laugh. "Okay ... If there's something new, can you signal through ads in the Daily Prophet?"

"Probably not. During the last week, they'll watch me in the shithouse - sorry, Ginny, but I mean it."

After another pass for dates and times, they were done. Harry hugged his godfather. "Watch your back - don't blow it in the last minute." About to leave, he turned again. "How's your drinking?"

Sirius grinned. "No need to worry - those people don't like employees who drink too much."

Out in the street, Harry kept ahead of Ginny and her dog, saw them disappear through the entrance of the Starlight hotel, felt something like satisfaction in the shadows, and saw Ginny with the same dog appear minutes afterwards, looking truly upset. If Harry wasn't much mistaken, Sirius had helped her performance by sending her a good one into the face - one cheeck looked considerably redder than the other.

The shadows saw it, too, and felt no reason to follow, or to get excited. For all they knew, what had looked like a night watch would end pretty soon.

In fair distance from the two hotels, Harry approached Ginny - without unhiding from under the cloak. "Ginny - it's me."

She jumped a bit.

"I've thought it over ... I'll stay here in London to talk with the Goblins tomorrow. There's a two hour's opening of Gringott's Sunday morning ... That means, I'll arrive at some time in the afternoon. Please tell Cho ... Okay?"

"What can I tell her?"

"If you're sure nobody is listening but you, she, and Al - everything ... Otherwise, nothing."

"Okay. How is flying in this weather?"

"Cold - otherwise it's an experience ... See you."

* * *

Another night in the Regent - spent with sleeping as early as possible, after a supper honoured best by forgetting it quickly, and after some thinking while lying awake in the bed. Then it was Sunday morning, nine o'clock, Harry had checked out from the hotel, had walked with his luggage, and Gringotts was open.

These clerks looked all very similar, even to Harry. Maybe the uniform did it. One of them asked, "May I help you, sir?"

"Yes, please. I'd like to talk with Mr Moroney."

"I'm awfully sorry, sir - Mr Moroney will be in the office again tomorrow. This is just our Sunday service."

"Hmm ... I apologize for my stubbornness, but there's something in my files which may indicate the reason for my asking - my name is Harry Potter."

The clerk had a feeling for hidden messages, or this was common among all Goblins, or the name Harry Potter had done the trick. He said, "Would you please come inside, Mr Potter - it will take a moment, and I'll see what we can do."

Harry sat in one of these small rooms - according to his knowledge, it could as well have been that of the chairman of the board.

Ten minutes later, the door opened again, and another Goblin came in, showing another ageless face, lacking all insignia of rank. But, as Harry had learned, this was a good sign.

"Good morning, Mr Potter," said the Goblin. "I'm glad to meet you after all this time. My name is Dogan Defreak."

A nice little test. Harry passed it easily.

"Mr Defreak - I'm very grateful to meet you here, and today. Technical services is indeed the proper keyword for my visit, except it has nothing to do with open-air services, more with inside services - very inside, sir, I may say."

"In which scope, Mr Potter?"

"It's about a business in which I wasn't involved so far - except at the beginning, since the open-air services were contributing quite a lot to deliver the customers for the inside services. Do I express myself clearly, Mr Defreak?"

Could Goblins smile? Hard to guess. This one said, "I was able to follow you, Mr Potter - not about all details, but I see the outline."

"I may have information about new customers, Mr Defreak - although they may come as a surprise, while we may have reason to return the surprise. Could be these customers are - er, I'm not fluent in bank terminology, but I think the term is high risk - or unreliable, I'm not sure."

"And what you recommend is to check them, Mr Potter?"

"Well - yes, in a way, in particular since I've heard about a location which is excellently suited for checks ... It might need quite some help, and since this information is pretty new, I had no opportunity yet to look for help from our side, but this afternoon I'll check around."

Mr Defreak savoured Harry's explanations for a moment. Then he asked, "These customers, Mr Potter - who recommended us as the place where to look for that business?"

"Someone who took time and efforts to contact them, since they were quite reluctant to go public. It's Sirius Black, chief of the Law Enforcement Squad and also my godfather."

Mr Defreak thought again. "Mr Potter, what you've told me so far makes clear this could be a very interesting business. I have to contact some other people, and these people will probably have more questions, about details. It will take me a day, maybe two - how urgent is this business?"

"These - er, clients expect to settle contracts nine days from now."

"Very good - so it's time enough to get all papers ready, and anything else that may help in the negotiations. Mr Potter, how can we contact you?"

"As this is highly confidential, I have reason not to show my face around here in London. I remember a meeting at Hogwarts, that's why I hope the same meeting room is no inconvenience for your people, Mr Defreak."

The Goblin's face produced two more creases. "Not at all, Mr Potter - as you certainly know, Goblins appreciate such omens very much."

"Yes - numbers and rooms, isn't it? I'll inform the owner of this room, Mr Defreak, and until then, we'll certainly know how we can contribute to this business from our side."

Yes, Goblins could smile. "Excellent, Mr Potter. It is always a pleasure to do business with you, whether by mail or in a direct conversation."

"Thank you. I feel lucky to have met you, Mr Defreak - after all, this particular branch of business is somewhat of a specialty, I could imagine."

"Yes, indeed - quite so, by all means, Mr Potter."

"A last question, Mr Defreak - I'd like to leave unnoticed, more upward than to the side. If you could show me a place ..." Harry pointed to his Steel Wing and revealed a bit of a very fine cloak.

"Certainly, Mr Potter - if you would follow me, please. By the way, a very interesting broomstick, by the look of it ..."

---

Travelling back didn't turn out as nice as Harry's journey in the night. The daylight turned out counter-productive by offering considerably less bearings than city lights in the dark, and most of the time, it was raining. When arriving at Hogwarts, Harry felt like an ice sculpture.

So it was only natural that the first thing he had in mind was a shower, a hot water tub, and a steam room. However, in the Great Hall, he found people sitting at the remnants of a late lunch, among them Cho and Almyra.

Lunch - five minutes out of the shower, he would be hungry as a wolf, while the lunch would be gone. Eating now, he would start sneezing within a few hours.

He went to Cho. "You're the closest thing to a house elf around - please do me a favour and ask them for an extra late extra lunch. I'll be back in twenty minutes."

He hurried away before Cho could start complaining about confusions between house elves, servants, and other personal relationships.

When returning from the recreation room, he was indeed hungry - Almyra might know how it felt for a wolf, at least he was as hungry as a young male human could be, and very expectant to see if Cho had done what he'd asked of her.

Cho and Almyra were still sitting there - no plates. Cho stared at him. "Come closer, young man, gimme a welcome that's worth the name, then bow and say, please."

He did.

She smiled. "Now turn and look what's there."

A plate, full to the extent, steaming.

"See - a magic word does miracles."

Nobody else was within earshot. Between bites, Harry reported his actions since yesterday afternoon.

Cho looked thoughtful. "I really would like to know whether I should be relieved or disappointed, not to be part of your planning. What if Voldemort is one of them? Shouldn't we fight him together?"

Harry shook his head. "Not in the literal sense. And besides, I don't think he'll be around; this is a job for hired hands."

Almyra asked, "And why not me? Or the Squad members, except on their feet rather than on a Steel Wing?"

"That's no Battle of Hogwarts, they're not attacked, they're not involved - why should they help stop some criminals from storming a wizard prison?"

A good argument. He heard it again some time later, in Dumbledore's office and from the office's rightful owner.

"Hogwarts," explained the Headmaster, "has nothing to do with this plot, Harry. I'm not going to gather all teachers, or a selected number, to ask them for help. I can understand your concern, I agree with you that some wizards should be involved, and of course I'll offer my office when the Goblins arrive - but otherwise, you're on your own."

Harry stared in consternation.

Dumbledore smiled. "What I'm not going to do either is stop you - from talking with certain people, from jumping through portkey links in a few days, neither you nor anybody else - and I wouldn't be surprised if, about nine days from now, some teachers would be absent. Although I dearly hope they'll be back the next day."

It wasn't exactly what Harry had expected, but Dumbledore was of course right. Only, it meant a lot of talking - always the same story.

He talked with Ron first - with him, the story fell shorter than for others.

"If I'm not supposed to fight," asked Ron, "then what exactly do you expect me to do?"

"Maybe nothing, maybe what you did during the Battle of Hogwarts. At least, it's no mistake to get in touch with Goblins - they have a long memory, and they'll remember who was with them to defeat these people. Imagine - you want to go into politics later, and for all I know, it pays off well to be close with Goblins."

"But isn't it the other way around? I mean - isn't this a wizard problem, only we need their help to solve it?"

"Yes and no. Sure, it's wizards who'll try to break in and release some prisoners, and the prisoners are wizards too - but the Goblins have a contract to guard the prison, and you know how seriously they take any kind of contract, whether business or bonds of honour."

"Yeah ..." Ron grinned. "I'm with you, Harry - and it doesn't even give me an ob on you."

"Of course it does."

Ron shook his head. "I'm doing it for someone else, except she's dead already."

Next on Harry's list stood Viktor. To shorten the procedure, Harry talked with Viktor and Hermione together.

Viktor's answer was simple and short. "Yes, Harry."

Hermione looked worried, naturally. "You could get killed."

Viktor smiled. "And you could die from a heart attack."

Harry said, "While on the subject - Hermione, did you read the Daily Prophet recently?"

"Only headlines. Why?"

"There was an obituary - Rita Skeeter died in a car accident, and it was a hit-and-run."

"You mean, she was after this story?"

"That's what I think. When I met her, she had some hints in that direction."

Hermione looked more worried. "That's just the encouragement I need."

Viktor put his arm around her shoulder. "Harry is right, to tell it now; we have to be sure abouth whom we're dealing with. And calm down, Bulgarians die at the age of hundred-and-five, in bed, while trying to do it a last time ..."

At least, Hermione no longer looked worried - with all that embarrassment in her face, there was just no room left.

---

When Harry came to Lupin, he found himself expected with a smile. "In the short version," said his friend and teacher, "yes. And now let's do it in the long version."

"How - "

Lupin's smile turned to a grin. "Save it - it's a stupid question, isn't it?"

In a way it was, and Harry had only to add the details of his conversation with Dogan Defreak.

Kenzo was next, and the first of the two cases which felt more complicated than Ron, Viktor, or Lupin. After asking for a conversation, Harry reported all details of the story. Before he could come any further, Kenzo said, "I would feel privileged to participate in this action, Harry."

Harry bowed. "Thank you, sensei. I'm deeply obligated for your help."

Kenzo smiled. "Not as much as you think, Harry. First, I'm your sensei, who wants to see his sennin in real combat. In addition, this is an opportunity to break the last barrier."

It gave Harry an opportunity to show his own skill in the art of silent questions.

"I'm still an outsider here, Harry ... It has nothing to do with prejudices, or any kind of hostility - only, not so long ago, all other teachers fought together in the Battle of Hogwarts. This forms a strong bond. And now, this plan - I know that officially it has nothing to do with Hogwarts, only that all wizards come from here, except for your godfather, of course. It will form a smaller bond, and this time I'll be inside."

This done, there was only one person left in Harry's list.

Snape showed a thin smile. "I would have been very disappointed - if not to say angry, if you hadn't asked, Harry. Yes, of course I'll come."

"Thank you, Prof ..."

Snape waited a moment, then said, "I still see a question in your face."

"Yes, Prof. To be honest - you've been the last on my list, because ... well, although you knew more about it than the others, for me it was more difficult asking you - "

"As if I didn't know." Snape looked amused.

"Yes, somehow it's stupid, but - "

"Remember what I said, Harry? We won't be buddies, so it's only natural ... But I'm still waiting for your question."

"Erm - I was wondering how it is for you, together with the others of - "

"You mean Sirius and Remus? Well, it won't surprise you to hear that, somewhere, there are still mixed feelings - not unlike your own, coming to me. Old habits die hard. On the other hand, the thought of being excluded would be unbearable - it's like a challenge, and I'm probably the only one who can fully appreciate what Sirius did ..."

Snape chuckled. "You see, Harry - this is really an opportunity for me, because afterwards, I'd say Sirius and I are quids. That means - if I ever again feel like it, I can hit him on the nose."