Harry Potter and the Icemaidens

The Ministry . . .

"And there it goes."

Albus' jaw dropped as a whole section of north-eastern Scotland around the area those floo connections had reached out to some minutes before suddenly went totally dark. "What does this mean, Wilkie?" he asked as he stared at Wilkie Twycross.

"It means that as of now, there can be no floo access anywhere in that stretch of territory, Albus," Wilkie stated as he indicated the holographic map. "The very same situation that exists now in that village west of London where Harry Potter once lived. It's not really a problem; no wizards -- at least to our knowledge -- live out there. But if there were people that lived out there, their floo connection would not work." He shook his head in emphasis.

"Is this permanent?" the headmaster asked.

A shake of the head. "No. This goes back to normal -- from what we've seen -- around noon hour every time this happens. Always on a Monday, once per month. We just discovered this when the Unspeakables installed the new detection wards and gave us this map we could use to look over the country back in May. Though in May, June and July, they all seemed to converge at places either in or near London. The floo links there all went off, too!" Wilkie then shook his head. "The most strangest thing, indeed. With our old system, I doubt we would have EVER been able to learn about this." He sighed. "I was going to send Caroline to speak to Amelia about this. All those floo points out there . . . "

Albus nodded. "Don't worry about that, Wilkie. I'll speak to Amelia before I head back to Hogwarts later today about this. I would suggest you don't speak of this to anyone else for the time being," he then proposed.

The other wizard perked. "Why?! If those floo points haven't been properly licensed, that's lost revenue to us! We need to make sure of this!"

A chuckle. "And I applaud your diligence on that point, my friend. But did you not recognise the location of where they all went to?"

"Where did they go, Professor?" Caroline Edgecombe asked.

"Why, none other than Balmoral Castle, my dear."

Silence.

Wilkie gaped. "Merlin! The Queen's summer residence?!"

"Yes," Albus affirmed with a nod. "No doubt, whoever these people are, Her Majesty -- who is in residence at Balmoral at this time and will remain there until the end of September -- no doubt has invited them to have morning tea with her, most likely so they can relay news from our world to her. We ARE still her subjects even if we are very much self-governing these days. You won't deny HER the right to meet with her magical subjects, will you?"

Wilkie instantly stiffened. "Of course not, Albus!"

Albus nodded. "I'm sure if you take a look at your records, you will see that Her Majesty does have floo point access at all her major residences: Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, Balmoral Castle, the Palace of Holyroodhouse and Sandringham House. I actually remember visiting her through the floo at Windsor Castle at the invitation of Minister Leach; he was quite close to Her Majesty from what I recall and she wanted to hear my recollections of the war with Grindelwald."

The other wizard gaped at him, and then he nodded. "Well, if the Queen wishes to meet with her magical subjects, who on Earth are we to stop her?"

"A good point. In the meantime, I best be off to the Wizengamot." Albus turned to leave, and then he stopped as he gazed on the holographic map. "Indeed, I should complement the Department of Mysteries on their truly stupendous spell work," he mused aloud. With a nod, he bade farewell to everyone and exited the room.

Wilkie watched him go, and then he sighed. "Mrs. Edgecombe?"

Caroline perked. "Yes, sir?"

"Go through the records. Let's make sure of things, shall we?"

A nod. "Yes, sir!"

With that, she headed off to the records room . . .

* * *

Balmoral Castle . . .

"So it is most likely that the Ministry can now detect floo movement from each of your towers to Our chosen places of residence, Dame Napaeae?"

"I believe so, ma'am," Napaeae Runcorn replied. All of the Magical Sheriffs were standing in a semi-circle around the Queen, with Wilma Skegness at the far right as the senior-most of them and Rose to the far left as the junior-most. "It is legal in the eyes of Your Ministry. With the assistance of Gringotts, we divert tax revenues from the various Reevewicks and pay them to departments in Your Ministry whenever we make use of magical conveniences that are used by all Your magical subjects. There is a great advantage of ensuring the Floo Network Authority -- for example -- has the most advanced, accurate and newest means to detect unauthorised access, especially since constructing such an access point -- all you need are some runes and a good-sized fireplace -- is easy."

"Especially for those such as the so-called 'Lord Voldemort' and his traitorous hooligans, correct?" the Queen asked, a touch of frost in her voice.

A nod. "Yes, ma'am."

"And are all of you capable of detecting this as well?"

"Through our scrying rooms, Your Majesty, it is quite easy," Selena Lovegood stated. "In fact, the system the Floo Network Authority uses to detect unauthorised floo usage uses many of the same runic calculations Ryuuji Hirosaki used when he formulated what would be used to power the Kokujun rune stones he spread across the United Kingdom during his sixth summer studying at Hogwarts."

"And as I've said many times before, it was a most wonderful gift Elder Ryuuji gave all of Our Realm when he was with us, Dame Selena," the Queen noted. She met Ryuuji Hirosaki in 1938, when Armando Dippet brought the Traveller to Buckingham Palace to meet her father King George VI and his mother (nowadays know as Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother). "Tell me, Sir Xavier: Can the Ministry tap into the Shield of Our Realm?"

"No, ma'am," Hogan Roper -- Remus had stifled back a laugh when the Queen had addressed him as "Sir Xavier" -- stated, firmly shaking his head. As the Magical Sheriff of London itself -- which covered only the boroughs of modern-day "inner London," including the City of Westminster (where Buckingham Palace was located) -- he was the most frequent direct contact point between the Royal Family and the Magical Shire Reeves as a whole even if Wilma Skegness held the honorary title "Her Majesty's Witch of the Realm" as the senior living member of that group. "The difference between the Kokujun runes and the runes used by Your Ministry is this: What Master Hirosaki created for us was keyed directly into the overall feelings of loyalty the citizens of Your Realm -- ALL the citizens of Your Realm, magical and normal alike -- feel towards Your Realm. And thus, by extension, to yourself (and your late father at the time the rune stones were first laid out) as the Sovereign. It was, after all, a reflection of Elder Hirosaki's own beliefs; the basic tenets of Shintou (as you learned when you met His Imperial Majesty, the Emperor of Japan) declares that all things on this planet, living or non-, are touched with Divine -- and by extension, magical -- power. Thus, the strength of the Kokujun when it is used; Elder Hirosaki's beliefs drive the runes to draw on the magical power within ALL things within range of the rune stones, even the magic in normal people. The runes the Ministry uses, however, are keyed specifically to loyalty to Your Ministry of Magic and to the maintenance of the International Statue of Secrecy. Which, regretfully, does not focus on Your Majesty since the majority of Your magical subjects live separately from Your normal subjects and strive to do all to maintain that separation."

A sigh. "Which I understand quite well, Sir Xavier. And We desire you all to help continue to maintain such a separation. While We believe the time will finally come when such needs of secrecy will be ended, we all must maintain them as too many people -- especially those who might have been victimised in the past by wizards who had, for one reason or another, strayed from what was taught to them at Hogwarts -- will not understand and will certainly not approve of wizards living amongst them."

Nods around the room. "Yes, ma'am," many of the people there muttered.

The Queen then sighed. "Well, is there anything else We should be aware of?"

"There is one interesting thing, Your Majesty."

She nodded. "Yes, Sir Xishen?"

Xishen Li, the Magical Sheriff of Yorkshire, politely bowed his head. He was a second-generation British-born Chinese who currently lived in Sheffield with his wife Dehui Wu and their daughter Su Li (both were there today). Xishen's parents had migrated to England from China in the wake of the Communist takeover of the mainland in the 1940s, which caused a massive upheaval in the Chinese wizarding community and forced many to flee in the wake of learning of the assistance the-then Soviet People's Commissariat of Magic was giving the government of the People's Republic to subvert them to Zedong Mao's control. He was the first wizard of Oriental descent to become one of Her Majesty's Magical Shire Reeves; his area of patrol was the largest in the United Kingdom as it encompassed the ancient borders of Yorkshire (now divided in the normal world into separate counties). "As you are aware of, ma'am, the place Master Hirosaki came into our dimension in 1931 is in Scarborough, at the site of the magical Scarborough Fair. I noticed this on Saturday evening. Headmaster Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape all came to that location and searched around for a while, accompanied by the headmaster's phoenix familiar, Fawkes."

The Queen perked. "Why would Our Chief Warlock do that?"

A shake of the head. "I cannot answer that, ma'am. They did not actually find the point where the dimensional breech is located -- my predecessor as Your Shire Reeve of Yorkshire successfully warded it off from outside investigations when she noted how unstable that area was becoming magically -- but they were quite thorough in their search. I suspect if they choose to repeat it, they will find it." He stared at her. "Would you desire me to assist them in this? Or perhaps contact them and warn them away from the place? No doubt, I believe they desire to contact Master Hirosaki."

The Queen hummed, and then she looked over. "Mister Lupin?"

Remus perked, and then he stood up. "Your Majesty?"

"You were part of the Order of the Phoenix, were you not?" she asked. "The organisation Chief Warlock Dumbledore formed to assist Our Ministry in dealing with Thomas Riddle and his band of traitors, correct?"

He puffed with pride. "That I was, ma'am."

"Very well. Dame Wilma, would it be wise to bring him into the group?"

Wilma sighed. "I would recommend caution when we do that, Your Majesty. Chief Warlock Dumbledore is, as head of the Wizengamot, second only to Your Minister in terms of overall importance in the eyes of Your magical subjects. If it was even suspected the Chief Warlock was straying away from what was seen as acceptable among them . . . "

"Dame Wilma, with all due respect, ma'am, Albus would never DO such a thing!" Remus immediately interjected, and then he jolted before he realised who else just happened to be present at this meeting. "My apologies, Your Majesty," he said, bowing.

The Queen smiled at him. "Do not apologise for defending your friend, Mister Lupin. Especially since, from what I know of Albus Dumbledore, I find myself in full agreement with you. Defend your position, please, Dame Wilma."

"Of course, ma'am." A sigh. "Remus, don't think that I hate or disrespect Albus for what he's done in his life. But you don't realise how many people have come to look on that man in the wake of his dealing with his old lover forty years back. And ESPECIALLY since he took the lead in dealing with that monster Tom Riddle became!" A sigh. "Many of us, believe it or not, have been tempted to ask Albus to be one of us. He would be simply perfect for the job, especially given how he's long developed views concerning relations between the various species we all deal with. But too many people in magical society are too comfortable with the way they look on relations with other beings." She snorted. "'Oh, who cares about the goblins?'" she then said in a snide, arrogant voice as people around her laughed and the Queen smiled. "'They're not human! Why should we acknowledge their beliefs about ownership and all that?! WE are the top dogs on the food chain, not they!'" She shook her head. "Albus would never think of other sentient beings like that. You know that as well as I. But ever since he became Chief Warlock and was put on a pedestal for everyone to worship, he's had to contain himself and play the role. If he shows that he's going to change from it, how will people look on him then?" A tired sigh. "We might as well sell off nearly half of the wizards and witches in Britain to Riddle whenever he finally comes back."

Remus blinked. "I'm sure Albus understands that, Dame Wilma. But if he feels it necessary to contact Elder Hirosaki, we should help him! That's the only reason he would have gone to where Sir Xishen said he went. Help the man!"

"The Garden of the Galaxy, Uncle Moony?" Rose asked.

A sigh. "If that is the safest place where he could be contacted, kitten."

The Queen nodded. "Mister Lupin, We will compose a letter for you to hand-carry to Our Chief Warlock. Once he reads that letter, make sure he understands the need to keep the existence of Our Magical Shire Reeves totally secret. Do you understand Us?"

A deep bow. "It will be as you desire, Your Majesty."

* * *

Hogwarts . . .

"A whole group of wizards and witches visiting the Queen?!"

Albus nodded. It was sometime after lunch. "Yes. From all over the country, including Northern Ireland. It was quite impressive to watch when I was in Wilkie's work area." He walked over to sit at his desk. "Right after the Wizengamot meeting, I went back there. Caroline Edgecombe had taken some time to look through the records. It turns out that there are many more floo access points than what is publicly registered with the Authority." He swallowed a lemon drop. "And all of them pay the standard monthly rates for maintenance of those floo locations." A wink. "All of those were marked as being under Fidelius charms. As a matter of fact, they pay a considerable surcharge to the Authority to ensure no questions are asked."

Hearing that, Minerva laughed before she breathed out. "So what happened in the Wizengamot today? I read the letters in the Saturday and Sunday editions of the Daily Prophet. Most people who wrote in are saying now that Harry should be left alone until it comes time for him to attend Hogwarts. Did they go along with it?"

A sigh. "There were the understandable exceptions. Both from the radical pureblood members under Lucius' leadership and from those who are the strict legal purists who saw what happened last week as a violation of both the spirit and the letter of the law concerning orphans. Still, the motion to formally acknowledge Harry Potter as being 'temporarily separated from his next-of-kin due to most improper spell usage on said next-of-kin' passed quite handily and Millicent signed it into law right then and there. I doubt we'll have to worry anything more about this until Harry actually does come to Hogwarts." A hum. "By then, I would think Millicent will be out of office and someone else will be in her place. Perhaps that one will be just as flexible . . . "

He then stopped as a whispered non-voice echoed in his mind. Minerva was quick to notice that look on his face; she had seen it often enough. "What?"

Albus blinked. "Remus is here."

Minerva's jaw dropped . . .

* * *

"Remus Lupin! What are ye doin' here?!"

Remus laughed as he took Rubeus Hagrid's hand in his own and gave the part-giant a friendly, firm squeeze. "Hello, Hagrid! I just came to see Albus! How are you?!"

"Oh, as always! As always!" the groundskeeper said with a wave of his hand as he fell in beside the werewolf as both headed past the main gate onto school grounds. "How did ye get through the last full moon?" he then asked, lowering his voice.

Remus sighed. "It was as hard as it's been for some time now," he noted. "But I'm now working for someone who's willing to provide me with free Wolfsbane potion when I need it." He looked at his companion. "You might know of him: Hamilton St. John."

Hagrid blinked, and then he gaped. "Healer St. John?! Why, Poppy went to Hogwarts with him! I heard he . . .!" A laugh. "Well, it's good he survived it at the end! Another stick in the bloody eye of You-Know-Who! Ah! There's Severus!"

Remus looked, and then melted his face into a neutral look. "Snape."

Severus had done the same thing. "Lupin. You look well."

Noting that, Hagrid lumbered on ahead towards the academic side of the castle. As soon as he was out of hearing range, the potions master then relaxed. "How are you, Moony?" he then wondered as he fell in alongside the werewolf. "Was last week rough?"

Remus smiled. "It was, Severus. Thanks for asking. I put myself in the National Forest in Leicestershire. Napaeae Runcorn found me there the morning after the full moon, then got me to someone who was willing to help me: Hamilton St. John." He then perked before reaching into his blazer pocket, drawing out a rolled sheet of parchment for the other man. "Oh, speaking of which, here's a present for you."

Severus took it, and then opened it. One look had his jaw hanging near his knees. "Dear Merlin!" he breathed out. "When did he do this?!"

"Actually, he was working on something similar when the first versions of the Wolfsbane potion officially came out," Remus replied. "Hamilton's version of it was being used by Nancy and her friends where we live. So when Hamilton saw the formula for Wolfsbane, he mixed what he came up with into it . . . " A chuckle. "Nancy and the others -- there are six of them living with him now; seven including myself -- simply swear by the stuff. I'll get to try it next month. Right now, I'm on some healing potions to get me back to full strength before the next full moon."

A low whistle escaped the potions master. "My God . . . this is brilliant." He then blinked. "Though some of these potion combinations are somewhat unique."

"That's because Hamilton gets supplies ordered through the Mundus Magicus. He actually was trained there before he began apprenticing at Saint Mungo's."

Silence.

Severus stared wide-eyed at his former schoolmate. "There . . .?"

A nod. "Yes. That's why I'm here, actually."

Severus took that in, and then he nodded . . .

* * *

"The Magical Shire Reeves . . . "

Remus stared at Albus. "You've heard something about them, Albus?"

The headmaster shrugged. "When I was a child, actually. It was an interesting fairy-tale my mother told me once to make me go to sleep. She made it sound like they were enchanted warriors -- as great as the Founders themselves -- that served the Wizards' Council on behalf of the King." He smiled as he gazed on his former pupil. "Well, she was half-right. They did -- and do -- serve the Sovereign."

"And make sure problems that the Ministry can't -- or won't -- deal with are dealt with, properly and quickly," Remus finished. "Just to advise you of this, Albus: There is an open declaration that was made in Her Majesty's name by Her Majesty's Wizard of the Realm, the senior-ranking of the Magical Shire Reeves serving at the time -- it was Sir Glaston Tore when it was done; this was back around 1972, I heard -- that declares Voldemort and his Death Eaters traitors to the Realm, to be dealt with on sight if they break or seek to break the law and are beyond Ministry control. That declaration has not been rescinded and will not be until Voldemort is truly dead."

"Thus explaining Daniel Rosier and Helena Gibbon," Severus stated.

Remus nodded. He was alone with the three people that had been identified by Xishen Li at the meeting between the Magical Sheriffs and the Queen at Balmoral. The headmaster's office was now layered with a dozen silencing and anti-monitoring charms to ensure no one could hear what happened in here at this time. "Xishen Li was the one who dealt with Rosier. Napaeae Runcorn eliminated Gibbon," he said.

Albus nodded. "A dreadful thing to do, but clearly necessary. And, as you just told us, quite legal since it was approved by Her Majesty and -- unlike the muggles -- we are still directly answerable to the Crown since the Wizards' Council never agreed to the provisions of the Magna Carta in 1215 and when the Ministry of Magic was founded, it still refused to acknowledge the Magna Carta. Because of that, we do not have a properly constituted, elected parliament which could govern in Her Majesty's name. All that really exists of one in our world is the Wizengamot."

"Which -- as The Right Honourable the Lords Magical of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Wizengamot assembled -- is all hereditary and not ultimately answerable to the desires of ALL Her Majesty's magical subjects," Remus noted.

"So we must take this oath to Her Majesty before we could even begin to approach this Garden of the Galaxy, correct?" Minerva asked.

A nod. "Yes. Once that happens, you will all then be magically free of any sort of controls that can be placed on you by the Ministry, thus becoming a direct magical servant of the Crown, as I have done. How you choose to live your life after that is your choice; Her Majesty only would desire you to be prepared to serve her at either her request in time of open rebellion or at the request of any of Her Majesty's Shire Reeves whenever there is an emergency." The werewolf then sighed before he turned back to the business at hand. "I have a portkey with me that will take us directly into the bottom floor of the Reevetor at Beckery Hill, where I live now with Harry and Rose. We'll go up to the second floor scrying room so Rose can administer the oath -- she is seen magically as the Shire Reeve of Somerset even if Her Majesty has not formally declared her to be as such due to her youth -- and then we'll show you around so you can see what's there . . . " -- A chuckle -- "Believe me, you have to SEE the Garden to believe it! -- not to mention meet up with a lot of interesting people."

Albus, Minerva and Severus exchanged a look, and then they nodded. Soon enough, all four of them were heading out of the castle. Before they could get to the front gate and be clear of the anti-portkey/apparation wards protecting the school, a voice then called out, "HALT! Remus John Lupin, you are under arrest!"

All four turned to see a half-dozen Aurors storm up from the area close to the Whomping Willow. Behind them was a smiling Albert Runcorn. Albus was quick to recognise the leader of the D.M.L.E. team. "Ah, good afternoon, John," he called out to John Dawlish. "What brings you out here this lovely day?"

"Ministry business, Headmaster," Dawlish stated. "Professor Runcorn contacted us when he spotted the rogue werewolf Remus Lupin on school grounds. We're here to take him off to the Ministry and question him on the disappearance of Harry Potter."

Severus and Minerva both tried not to moan on hearing that declaration. Remus was only shaking his head. Albus had a smile on his face and his eyes were twinkling with their usual mirth. "Well, much that I do admire your diligence to your duties, John, I have to inform you that there is no investigation being run by the Ministry concerning Harry's disappearance. That was decided in the Wizengamot today."

Dawlish blinked, his eyes widening on hearing that. Around him, the other Aurors were quick to tense. "Still, there was a tracking charm placed on Lupin to ensure he stayed away from Harry Potter, Professor," another of the Aurors -- Wayne Proudfoot, a part-Navaho Apache whose father had married a diplomat from the Ministry to the American Department of Magic, then later came with her when she returned to England -- then stated. "That was ordered by the Minister herself. We have to find out how that was removed from him and then have it re-added to him. He cannot be allowed close to Harry Potter, Professor. That is the Minister's orders."

"And those orders are illegal."

Everyone blinked on hearing that voice, and then Albus turned before he smiled. "Why, Napaeae! How good to see you again!" he said as Napaeae Runcorn came up to them.

A nod. "Headmaster, it's good to see you again as well," Napaeae stated before she gazed on the Aurors, reaching under her cloak -- Remus was quick to see that her personal insignia as the Magical Shire Reeve of Cheshire wasn't on it -- to draw out a roll of parchment, sealed with a royal blue silk ribbon and a wax imprint, and then she handed it to Dawlish. "Here you go, John. You better read that."

Dawlish took it, and then he unsnapped the seal to open the parchment. A quick look of it made his jaw drop. "Merlin!" he breathed out before reading aloud:

To the Aurors of Our Ministry of Magic,

This declaration, done per forms prescribed by The Right Honourable the Lords Magical of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Wizengamot assembled, declares Our Desire on this, the Twenty-fourth day of August in the Year of Our Lord One Thousand, Nine Hundred and Eighty-six and in the Thirty-fourth Year of Our Reign: Remus John Lupin, of Blackpool in the County of Lancashire, a wizard never charged of any crime against any of Our subjects magical and non-magical, has sworn before a competent witness the Loyal Oath to the Crown as mandated in Paragraph (1) of The Magical Pardon and Oath of Loyalty to the Crown Act, enacted 14 March 1703.

To this end, let it be known from this day forth that any actions carried out by the Aurors of Our Most Loyal Ministry of Magic against Our sworn subject Remus John Lupin that was not authorised by either Us or Our Chosen Magistrates Magical will be viewed as an Act of Treason against Us and Our Most Loyal Ministry of Magic.

La Reyne Le Veult

On pronouncing the ancient phrase which would translate into modern English as "the Queen wills it," all the Aurors froze for a second as a flash of magic washed over them. Noting that, Albus blinked before he whispered, "La Reyne le veult."

"La Reyne le veult," Napaeae firmly declared.

"La Reyne le veult," Minerva, Severus and Remus chanted together.

As soon as the light faded, Dawlish blinked before he breathed out. "Well, this seems to be in good order," he declared as he rolled up the parchment before turning to smile pleasantly at Remus. "That was a very gutsy thing you did, Mister Lupin. I'm sorry to have disturbed you today. Do take care of yourself, sir." He then nodded to Albus, and then his friends. "Headmaster Dumbledore. Professors. Mrs. Runcorn."

The Aurors turned and marched off the school grounds, activating their portkeys once they were clear of the wards so they could return to the Ministry of Magic. The others watched them go, and then looked at a slack-jawed Albert Runcorn, who had been utterly gobsmacked on seeing his attempt at putting down -- what he believed to be! -- a dangerous dark creature stopped in its tracks by something he had never HEARD of. Noting that, Napaeae then smirked. "Demaratus," she hissed out, which made him wince as she walked over to glare into his eyes. "Believe me, mister, if I so much as even SMELL that you did this at someone else's prompting, I will make your life a living HELL," she snarled before smiling. "Now get the hell out of my sight."

He quickly retired in considerable disorder for the castle. She watched him go, and then shrugged before walking over to rejoin Remus and his companions. "May I have the pleasure of escorting you to where Rose and Harry are, Napaeae?" Albus asked as he offered his arm, and then smiled. "Pardon me. Dame Napaeae?"

"You may, gallant sir!" she said as she looped her arm around his.

They headed off the grounds and soon vanished . . .

* * *

Beckery Hill, two hours later . . .

"My word. And Ryuuji carved all these, Ms. Buckshire?"

"So Nancy told me when I first came here, Headmaster Dumbledore," Elaine Buckshire stated as Albus walked around the base of one of the trilithons that ringed the Garden of the Galaxy. "He actually made use of a Time Turner to get them done before returning to Hogwarts in September that year." Her eyes focussed once more on the runes that held Albus' attention. "They're totally different from the runes around the inter-dimensional gateway in Ariadne that is linked to this place, but I believe it's because Elder Ryuuji designed this place as a jump-off point not just to our world, but to other dimensions. Including his own."

The headmaster nodded as he spared the Cornu post-graduate student a glance before he turned back to gaze on his runes. "I dare say it is a very good thing that we didn't bring poor Bathsheda here with us today," he mused aloud. "I must confess that I am not as knowledgeable in runes as I should be. If she was here, I swear she would pass out in orgasmic delight on viewing even ONE pillar . . . "

"Grandpapa, don't say silly adult stuff like that!"

Albus winced, and then he gave Rose -- who was sitting on a marble bench nearby, with Severus and Minerva to either side of her, Remus and Harry standing behind them -- an apologetic look. "I do apologise for that, Rose. I mean to say that Bathsheda -- she's our professor of Ancient Runes, Bathsheda Babbling -- would simply die . . . "

"And don't say UNLUCKY stuff like that, Grandpapa!"

Albus winced again as he waved off Rose's angry glare. Seeing this, Elaine laughed on seeing the elderly headmaster being scolded by a four year-old. Napaeae Runcorn had gone into the Reevetor to look for the master rune book Glaston Tore had kept around to pull up all information as to how to use the Garden of the Galaxy to send a message to Ryuuji Hirosaki's home dimension. Noting this, Remus chuckled. "Tell me, Severus: Doesn't she remind you a little TOO much of Lily?"

"That she does, Remus," the potions master affirmed with a nod, and then he turned the page of the large photo album that Rose had brought with her. "Merlin!" he then gasped. "Ms. Buckshire, is THIS Ariadne?!" he asked, pointing to one picture.

Elaine walked over to gaze at the picture that had caught his interest, and then she nodded. "Oh, yes. That was taken when Elder Ryuuji and Sir Glaston first visited our world back in 1936. I can tell you right now that those peninsulas you see in the background on the seashore are now all built up. Physically, Ariadne is as large as London, counting in the boroughs that are now known as 'Greater London.'"

"And the entire city is a giant school?" Minerva asked.

"Oh, it's not just one school, Professor McGonagall. There are 530 schools that exist in Ariadne. Spanning from basic magical schools for very young lambs to the very special apprentice schools for the highest form of magical mastery study."

"And the city is completely structured to support these schools?" Remus asked.

"Yes," Elaine answered with a nod as she warmed up to her topic. "In essence, Ariadne was formed pretty much as I've heard Hogwarts was founded. In your society, Master Gryffindor, Master Slytherin, Mistress Ravenclaw and Mistress Hufflepuff came together to create a single institution to allow the lambs of your society to come together and learn a set standard of magic in lieu of the apprenticeship system your society followed up to that point." She waved to the Garden of the Galaxy. "On our world, senior mages from all the Tribes made their way to Ariadne over the years -- as it was not a piece of territory claimed by any of the Tribes -- to establish their own schools. Since there was a lot of infighting between the many Tribes, the Great Schoolmasters elected to leave the hatreds and rivalries of their relatives outside of Ariadne. That's why our city is considered neutral territory on the Mundus Magicus. And from that, all of the Tribes -- by the time Elder Ryuuji and Sir Glaston came to visit our world -- eventually came to accept peaceful relations between each other."

"And thus formed a world government?" Albus asked.

A shake of the head. "More of a world governmental alliance, Headmaster Dumbledore. Like your International Confederation of Wizards," Elaine answered. "The Tribal States have formed two large alliances -- the Northern Federation and the Southern Commonwealth -- but the Tribes, in effect, are countries of their own."

"Are there muggles on your world?" Severus wondered.

"Non-magicals?" A shake of the head. "If there were, they probably died out before recorded history began on our world, Professor. We would be quite wary on the idea of bringing normals from your world to ours. Not to say anything of . . . " -- She bit her lower lip before breathing out. -- " . . . well, let's just say . . . "

Albus blinked. "'Primate supremacists,' shall we say?"

Elaine nodded. "Quite true, Headmaster. And much that I would prefer not to say it as I can sense that the concept is quite loathsome to you, there are many of them in your society, especially in senior leadership positions in your Ministry."

The elderly headmaster nodded. "Hence the decision of your Chief Sorceress at the time, Mistress Fredia Goatherd, to only agree to make the treaty governing contacts between your world and ours -- and by extension, the use of the Garden of the Galaxy -- with only His Majesty King George VI and not our Ministry of Magic or the International Confederation of Wizards, correct? With Glaston as the direct agent of His Majesty -- and after 1952, Her Majesty the Queen -- on our side of the dimensional barrier."

Another nod. "That's correct. That allows the Tribes to make separate and independent agreements -- with the government of Ariadne and the Magical Shire Reeve of Somerset acting as diplomatic intermediaries -- with the equivalents of the Tribes on your world, especially goblins and gnomes. Quite civilised sentient beings they are."

Albus chuckled. "It truly warms my heart to know that there are sentient beings that DO see them as what they truthfully are, Ms. Buckshire. I only hope and pray that as time goes on in my world, more and more of my people will see that as well. Perhaps when they become the majority, direct contact between your governments and our magical governments can then be opened and trade expanded to include all sides."

Elaine smiled. "I hope so, too, Headmaster." Her smile then slipped from her face. "However -- and I'm basing this on my own observations, of course -- I fear that can only happen the day the barriers between magicals and normals finally come down."

He stared at her, and then he sighed. "You may be right, Ms. Buckshire. But we must never loose hope." He then took a deep breath. "In the meantime, Rose, with your permission, I would like to borrow your living room so I can compose my letter to Ryuuji and then call Fawkes here so that we can send it off into his dimension."

"I'll take you there, Grandpapa," Harry then offered.

Albus smiled. "Thank you, Harry."

* * *

"Grandpapa?"

Albus looked up from the letter he was writing. Harry was now petting Fawkes, who was trilling happily on having his feathers stroked like that. Bessie was currently serving some light snacks. "Yes, Harry, what is it?"

"Why did you have to leave me with Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon?"

A sigh. "The primary reason was that our law states that you, as an orphan, had to go to your nearest relatives when your mother and father died." Albus then rubbed the bridge of his nose. "But there was another reason which was just as important as that. Harry, when Rose and Lilian came to you last Tuesday, did Lilian explain to you what your mother did to keep you safe when Voldemort attacked?"

The younger man frowned. "She said something about special magic wards that were tied to my blood." A shrug. "I really didn't understand it."

"Well, you'll most likely learn this as you live here and take your lessons from Jane." Remus had explained to the headmaster what each of the six now-human looking elves did in the household. "The type of magic your mother used was based on blood magic, which is an extremely powerful type of magic to use." He paused before smiling. "You watch Star Trek, don't you?" On seeing Harry grin and nod, Albus nodded, smiling in return. "Well, it would be as if Scotty could funnel all of the power from the Enterprise's warp core into her deflector shields. The shields would then be able to withstand all sorts of heavy bombardments, even from a fleet of Klingon battlecruisers or Romulan birds of prey." A sigh. "Of course, there is a problem with doing that as any fan will tell you, Harry. Since the warp core is needed to also power the engines and the weapons systems -- especially after the Enterprise was rebuilt before that incident with V'ger . . . " -- the headmaster was quick to realise on seeing Harry's nod that he had seen the movies, too -- " . . . Captain Kirk would be quite limited in his options of firing back except for photon torpedoes since they're actually missiles and have their own drive systems." As Harry nodded in understanding, Albus turned back to his letter. "Such was the case with the blood-wards your mother set up around you. It needed a very powerful trigger to make them activate -- your mother's love for you and her willingness to die for you -- and a constant source of energy -- the blood of a living family member -- to power them. And since your aunt is your mother's older sister, she would become the warp core of THAT deflector shield system until such time as it is no longer needed. Usually, that would be when you become a legal adult in our world, in eleven years time when you turn seventeen."

Harry hummed as he considered that, and then he nodded. "Wouldn't Rose have be better, Grandpapa? She's my sister. That's closer than being an aunt, right?"

Albus sighed. "Well, if we knew that Rose was alive . . . " He closed his eyes. "I would believe that it would not have been enough, Harry. Rose is almost two years younger than you. Her magical core needs time to grow. Just like yours does. It would hurt her -- and you -- if she was the one who was needed to power those blood-wards." His eyes twinkled. "There was your mother's genius. Indeed, I don't think even Mr. Spock would have done better." He paused before continuing to write on the parchment. "Atop that, we now have to factor in Glaston's sacrifice. Just like your mother's love for you protects you, Glaston's loyalty to his country and his clear concern for your mother and your-then unborn sister now protects Rose. And since you are now living together, the wards protecting you will now merge and grow stronger."

"Indeed they will."

The headmaster perked, and then he turned as someone walked in. "Ah, Hamilton! My, you look quite proper today. I'm sure Her Majesty was most impressed," Albus stated on seeing the healer was still in uniform. "What brings you about here?"

"Look at this."

Hamilton handed Albus a sheet of paper. The latter glanced at it, and then his jaw dropped in surprise before he stared up at the healer. "Is this accurate?!"

"It is," Hamilton said before he nodded thanks as Bessie handed him a glass of juice. "Joanna Spelthorne did the first test on Harry when she examined him at the Dursley home; she fire-called me the result. The reading then was 138, which is normal for a young wizard that has lived for a considerable time among normals. It's quite respectable as you'll know. When I examined him after Remus came here on Wednesday, the reading had jumped up already to 157. I put a monitoring charm on him then to see what would happen. Readings over the weekend were 170 on Friday, 183 on Saturday, 189 on Sunday and 192 on Monday. At that rate, it'll level off at around 195 and stay there until he starts getting some intensive training on going to Hogwarts."

"What is that, Uncle Hamilton?" Harry asked.

A smile. "It's a very good test that we use to determine how much magical potential a person has, Harry," the healer explained. "It's like testing for one's I.Q. Do you know about that?" On seeing Harry nod, Hamilton pointed at him. "Your sister has a rating of 205. I myself am rated at 149. How about yourself, Albus?"

"A rate of 225. That was two years ago," the headmaster reported.

A nod. "Albus here is considered one of the strongest wizards alive today. Many actually say he IS the strongest wizard alive today. That test now says that Rose and you are very close to him in magical potential. And he's over a century old. You're six and Rose is four." Hamilton then chuckled. "I wouldn't want to be in Voldemort's shoes if he ever faced either you or Rose on the battlefield, especially when you two get some training under your belts. You'd leave him in the dust."

Albus gave the healer a warning look, which Hamilton completely ignored. That was understandable; in the times Albus had met Hamilton St. John during his tenure at Saint Mungo's, the healer had often proved himself to be many times more stubborn than Poppy Pomfrey at her worst. Harry considered that, and then he sighed. "I'd have to fight Voldemort, you mean?" he then asked. "He'll come back, right?"

Hearing that, the headmaster winced, his heart aching as one of his worst fears was just realised. Seeing Harry stare pleadingly at him, Albus took a deep breath. He could lie to the young man, but after learning of what Harry had been told of his parents' fate by the Dursleys before the effect of James' prank was lifted off them, he knew Harry would not trust him in the future if he learned of such a blatant lie. And holding off on that truth seemed as bad as lying. Closing his eyes, Albus then nodded. "Yes, Harry. He will come back. And sadly, you will have to fight him. Did Lilian tell you of the prophecy Sybill Trelawney made before you were born?"

Harry nodded. "It could have been me or Grace Longbottom's brother Neville. Why did Voldemort come after me though, Grandpapa?"

A sigh. "I cannot truly say, Harry. Even now, I can't understand how Tom -- that's his real name, Tom Marvolo Riddle, of course -- thinks." On seeing Harry nod, the headmaster added, "Still, part of Sybill's prophecy states, And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal." He pointed to Harry's forehead. "Your scar, Harry."

Harry took that in, and then he nodded. "Speaking of that scar, Albus, I'm a little concerned about it," Hamilton then said. "There's something dark and almost living inside of it. It's not affecting Harry's magic or health, but I want to keep a very close eye on it. We may have to bring the Unspeakables into this sooner or later, especially those who are experts on how dark magic affects a person over a long period of time." The healer gazed at the headmaster. "Do you know Ian Boot?"

Albus perked. "He's the one with the weretiger wife, if I recall correctly. Charming fellow, indeed. Is he aware of people like Glaston and Napaeae?"

"Hogan Roper patrols old London itself -- the boundaries of each Sheriff's patrol territory these days were the county boundaries as they existed in the 1930s, when Ryuuji Hirosaki gave them control over the Kokujun rune network he set up -- and he administered the oath for Ian's whole family." Hamilton then nodded. "I believe he can be trusted to stay quiet. I heard that after Augustus Rockwood was discovered to be one of Voldemort's men, the Unspeakables went through that place like the leaders of MI6 did to their organisation after they learned about Kim Philby."

Albus blinked as confusion crossed his face. "I know MI6 is the muggles' internal security department, but I've never heard of Miss Philby . . . "

Hamilton laughed. "He was a man, Albus!"

Harry giggled as Albus gave the healer a helpless shrug. "Well, that goes to show that I need to pay more attention to muggle society." More laughter filled the room. "Well, I would recommend caution when it comes to bringing in more people to learn about this," Albus then warned as he gazed on Harry. "I'm worried that if news gets out to certain parties, it could wind its way eventually to Voldemort. And he will try to exploit it as best as he can. Are you knowledgeable in Occlumency?"

Hamilton nodded. "Quite fair. Some of the Sheriffs are experts at it. And Elaine is quite good at her own version of it."

"What's Occlumency?" Harry asked.

"It's protecting your mind from outside scanning," Albus said as he pointed to the side of his head. "Think of them as making deflector shields for your brain."

Harry blinked, and then he nodded. "Oh, dear God! And I thought all the elves working for Rose and Harry were bad enough?! Now YOU like that show?!" Hamilton moaned as he painfully rolled his head towards the ceiling, rubbing his eyes. "Whatever happened to simply watching episodes of Coronation Street?!"

"Oh, what did happen in the last few episodes?" Albus then asked.

Harry laughed as Hamilton gaped at him . . .

* * *

To be continued . . .