Redemption

Chapter Twenty:

Heero kept an eye on Duo, who was happily chewing on a lemon sherbet. He would have thought that the boy knew better than to accept anything from someone they hardly knew. There didn't seem to be any immediate side effects, however, so he turned his attention back to the two men on the opposite side of the desk. The older one was sitting, observing them all with his fingers steepled on the desk. The other stood to the right of him. This man, too, was watching them.

The older man began to speak. "My name is Albus Dumbledore and I am the Headmaster of this school. Before we attend to business, I'm sure that you all have a lot of questions. Perhaps we should start with introductions, though?"

"My name is Heero Yuy," Heero offered.

"Trowa Barton."

"Duo Maxwell; pleased to meet ya!"

"Quatre Raberba Winner."

At Quatre's name, the younger man across from them barely hid a gasp. "Winner? As in, Winner corporations?"

"That's me, I'm afraid. The estranged son and heir," Quatre answered with a hint of sadness.

Heero stepped in to avoid any side-tracking. "And you are?"

"My name is Milliardo Peacecraft, but perhaps you might know me better by the alias Zechs Marquise," he answered.

"Zechs Marquise, huh? As in, Treize Khushrenada's right hand man?" Duo asked with a scowl.

"Former right hand man. I have renounced Romefeller and returned to my rightful place here in the wizarding world," corrected Milliardo.

"Mr. Dumbledore, if I may ask, you mentioned that you were headmaster of 'this school'. Where are we?" Quatre's question was obviously intended to change the subject before the previous topic could be taken any further.

"We are in Scotland. More precisely, this is the Headmaster's office inside of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," Dumbledore told them. "Even I am not certain of our exact location in Scotland. Hogwarts is unable to be plotted, and only the founders of the school know for sure."

Duo snorted, drawing everyone's attention. "I really can't take much more of this," he said. "Moving paintings, exploding birds... I just know I'm going to wake up any second."

"The worlds of waking and sleeping often intertwine, but I am quite certain, Mr. Maxwell, that unless we are all sharing a dream, then this is very real." Dumbledore's eyes were sparkling behind his wire frames and there was a slight twitch to the corner of his mouth. "Even so, if this does turn out to be a dream, then what is the harm in playing along?"

Duo seemed to think about this for a moment before answering. "You make a good point."

"Now, can we get back to the point?" Heero growled, glaring at Duo.

"Quite right you are, Mr. Yuy. Are there any more questions?" asked the Headmaster.

"The way we came here. What was that?" Trowa had been silently observing the conversation up until this point, but now he seemed ready to join in.

"Ahhh, we call that the Floo system. Fire places all throughout the wizarding world are connected in a network. This makes travel much easier, since our world is spread over several continents, but run from the Ministry of Magic in England. I, for one, prefer to fly by broomstick, but sometimes, Floo travel is far more convenient, especially in matters of urgency," Dumbledore explained at length.

At the mention of broomsticks, there was a quiet giggle from Duo. "Sorry, sorry," he said, holding up his hands at the glare he received from Heero. "I'll behave."

This drew a bark of laughter from Heero, but he quickly stifled it. To cover, he returned to the Headmaster. "Shall we get on with it, then?"

"Ah, yes. Very well. I received an owl this afternoon from an old Muggle friend. It contained information about G.U.N.D.A.M. and it's goals, and also informed me that four agents were being sent to us." Dumbledore paused for a moment. "Now, as I'm sure you have been briefed on, Treize Khushrenada has allied himself with a powerful dark wizard. This wizard is after a student at Hogwarts by the name of Harry Potter. For several years, he has tried to capture and kill Mr. Potter and failed. Every year, he grows more desperate. The four of you have been sent to guard one of the most famous wizards in the world."

At this point, Milliardo spoke up. "I don't understand how four teenaged boys can protect a wizard. Harry could probably defend himself better than any Muggle could."

"Were you not trained as a Muggle soldier, Milliardo?" Dumbledore turned his gaze upon the tall man. "Can you name a wizard who could chant a spell faster than a bullet can fly?"

"No, sir. But, I do know that Voldemort has scores of Death Eaters who would throw themselves in front of a bullet to save his life. I also know that not every bullet can kill," he answered with a glance at the four boys. "And if a target is not killed, magic can easily save them"

"You underestimate us," Duo said softly. "Don't judge us by our age. You should know better than most. Each of us has assassinated at least five of your men with only one bullet."

"You're right." Milliardo stared at Duo for a second, opened his mouth to speak, and then thought better of it. Finally he spoke again. "All I'm trying to say is, a Death Eater needs only one spell to kill. Give them one tiny window and it's over."

"We understand that," Quatre said, speaking for all of them. "And we may not be able to help, but then again, we may. Isn't it worth the risk?"

"You are quite correct, Mr. Winner. Harry is a remarkable wizard for his age and has escaped certain death several times through luck and skill, but it most definitely could not hurt for him to have the protection that you four boys offer. I daresay, though, that there are others who will take it upon themselves to protect him." There was a hint of mirth in Dumbledore's eyes and Heero could have sworn the man was hinting to him.

Now he was almost certain that Wufei was here, and all at once, he felt both relieved and anxious. How could he carry out his orders? Was he still expected to? Perhaps if Wufei cooperated with them on this mission,he wouldn't have to...

Heero was pulled from his thoughts as Trowa's voice cut through the speculative silence which had befallen them all. "Perhaps this would be a good time to make our mission clear. We have been sent to guard Harry Potter, but our primary objective is against Treize Khushrenada. It seems that these two objectives are parallel for the time being, but Treize is our priority no matter what the mission may be. Do not forget that."

"I understand perfectly well, Mr. Barton, and I would not dream of hindering your purpose. On the contrary I believe that if all goes well, we may come to form an alliance that could assist you in your mission," Dumbledore answered with an underlying tone of hope.

"Perhaps, but I think any talk of alliances is ahead of it's time. Right now, all we need to focus on is the current situation." Heero watched as Dumbledore nodded and agreed once more. The old man was a puzzle to him. Whilst he seemed to take everything very lightly, he was also obviously very wise and knew more about a great many things he was letting on. "When will we meet the charge?"

"He will be in the Great Hall for breakfast tomorrow; along with his friends, who, I'm sure, will insist on being included in any meetings which may take place. I think, for the moment, it would be best to hear of some of the boy's history with Voldemort. Milliardo will fill you in on those details whilst I attend to some business within the school." Dumbledore stood up and bowed his head to them. "Please excuse me."

The Headmaster strode past the table and left the room. After a short silence, Milliardo began to tell them of Harry's exploits from his first year at Hogwarts up until the recent Quidditch game that afternoon. The tales were told in only minimal detail and probably only an hour and a half had past by the time Dumbledore returned, just in time to hear the story of Sirius' death last year.

Heero listened carefully and found that he was developing a kind of respect for the boy who had gone through so much. His own life had been full of death and destruction, but he was trained for it. This boy had never had a choice.

When Milliardo finished, there was a short silence before Quatre spoke softly. "That's quite a tale. No wonder this Voldemort wants to get rid of Harry."

"Yes, well now that you know what you're guarding and what from, I believe it's time to hear what plans you may have made," Dumbledore told them, cutting through the mood in the room.

This was Heero's area. He had assumed somewhat of a commanding role in this mission. "Duo and Trowa will stay here to guard the target. Quatre will infiltrate the nearby village and keep an eye out, and I will join the ranks of the enemy as a spy."

"I see. Perhaps, after tomorrow, you may wish to reconsider some of your decisions. As for you, Mr. Yuy, are you aware that there is a double agent right here in Hogwarts?" Dumbledore looked a little disturbed by the news that Heero planned to join Voldemort.

"I am. That doesn't mean anything. It is my duty to provide my team with information. This is not something I would entrust to another person," Heero answered. "I am also aware that he will kill me if he knows that I am, what I believe is termed, a Muggle."

"And what do you plan to do about this?" Dumbledore asked, concern showing in his eyes.

"I'm still working on that." This was a problem that Heero had yet to resolve.

"I may have an idea, if you are willing to hear it, but not tonight. It is well past time that we all got some rest. Quarters have been provided for you on the third floor. We can continue this discussion another time," the Headmaster concluded.

"Great! I could do with some sleep." Duo yawned loudly, but Heero noticed his subtle glance towards Trowa.

"Thank you, sir," Quatre said to Dumbledore.

Milliardo led them all out through the same door that Dumbledore had exited through. "The House Elves should have arranged some refreshment for you in you rooms. The password to both paintings is 'Yellow Holocaust'. You can change it once the inhabitants of the paintings hear the preset one."

"Yellow Holocaust?" asked Trowa with a smirk.

"Hey, I didn't set it," the man said with a shrug.