Grand Prix Wizard

PROLOGUE

There was no such thing as "fast enough". James Sirius Potter had always been in love with speed. From the moment he was born, whether running through the house or flying on his tiny broom, he could never go fast enough. The son of two of the fastest flying professional Quidditch players in the magical world, he came by his love of speed naturally. But it was how he turned his obsession with going fast into his life's work that amazed his family, his friends, and every other witch and wizard in the world.

As it was, James was famous at birth. The first son of Harry Potter, the Ministry Auror who had defeated the greatest evil wizard of the 20^th Century as a teenager, Jimmy's baby pictures had been on the front page of the "Daily Prophet" and every other magical tabloid. Only the "Quibbler", owned and edited by a family friend, had ever published correct information about James, his father, and his mother Ginny, who was the most popular female Chaser in the World Quidditch League.

It also helped that his grandfather on his mother's side, Arthur Weasley, had a lifelong fascination with muggle technology and machines. Indeed, Arthur felt his greatest accomplishment had been helping his son-in-law dismantle and rebuild a motorcycle that had been left to Harry by his Godfather, Sirius Black. And, yes, Jimmy's middle name was homage to that Sirius...just another link to a person in love with going fast. Arthur's garage was full of muggle posters of fast flying airplanes and mysterious racing machinery.

Fortunately for Arthur, if not for the Potter family looking to slow James down, his daughter-in-law Hermione Weasley, married to his youngest son, had been born to muggle parents and raised in the non-magical world for much of her life. She had attended muggle primary schools, technical schools, and the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where she had met her husband, and Harry Potter. Potter, Hermione, and Ron Weasley had formed the famous "Golden Trio", led the forces of the light in the last great wizard war, and overcome the dark army known as Death Eaters. Ginevra "Ginny" Weasley was Ron's sister, Arthur's only daughter, Harry Potter's wife, and the mother of James.

Thus it wasn't long after Jimmy could walk before Arthur was tinkering with all sorts of scooters, wagons and carts powered by various muggle devices, some of which were called "motors" or "engines". Hermione supplied the research and theory; Arthur did the work, and Jimmy had the fastest racing karts ever seen.

It was also Arthur who insisted on calling the boy Jimmy, instead of James. This also grew out of his fascination with automobile racing. On his workshop wall was an old poster showing a famous dark green single-seat racing automobile. This car was known as a "Lotus", and it had been built in England by a muggle named Colin Chapman. Arthur had discovered that Chapman had named his racing cars after his wife's nickname, "Lotus Blossom". Hazel Chapman was a famous witch, who held a seat in the Wizengamot. In this photo, the Lotus was being driven by a Scot named Jimmy Clark, and it was widely held in the wizard world that Clark was so good, he must have also been a wizard. Arthur worshiped Clark's memory, and so to him, James was always Jimmy.

Racing automobiles don't run on fuel; they run on money. Fortunately for Jimmy Potter, money was never a major problem. His doting father was heir to a family fortune of his own, and had been left the huge Black family inheritance by his Godfather. His wife had received one of the largest professional Quidditch contracts ever offered, and Harry himself had been paid nearly as much. His affairs were managed by his brother-in-law, Bill Weasley, who had risen to a top position at the wizard bank.

The Weasley family, while pureblood, had at one time been one of the poorer magical families, but had prospered through their relationship with Harry and Hermione. Harry, Ron and Hermione had received Class One Order of Merlin awards, and lifetime pensions from the Ministry. Harry had insisted on the Weasleys taking a share of his fortune for their help during the war.

Hermione came from a relatively well-off professional muggle family, and had become a well-paid researcher in the Ministry of Magic. Ron had also played professional Quidditch, and his brother George had prospered in a magical joke shop business that had been financed originally by Harry. Arthur had retired from the Ministry on a rather large war veteran's pension, and son Percy had become the Minister of Magic.

The bottom line was that there were plenty of Galleons stored away at Gringotts Bank to support just about anything a Potter or Weasley wanted to do. Neither family had been overly generous, or allowed their children to become spoiled. They had all been required to attend a mix of muggle and magical schools, and their parents deeply believed in the philosophy that their children should blend the best of both worlds.

The family wealth made it possible for Jimmy to always have the best racing equipment his grandfather could buy or put together himself. Arthur's curiosity was never satisfied, so he was always looking for something to make Jimmy's "karts" faster and better. Originally, he built a test track out behind the Burrow, the Weasley family home. They installed a challenging half-mile road course surrounding the Quidditch field that Harry's generation had used for training when they were kids. Eventually, however, Harry built a 2.5-mile private circuit, as well as full-size Quidditch pitch, on the grounds of the family compound.

With a great backyard mechanic and his own testing and training track available, it should be no surprise that Jimmy Potter became very competitive in the English youth shifter kart racing series, YSKART (pronounced Wise-Cart). In fact, by the time he went to Hogwarts in 2016 at age eleven, he virtually dominated the series. Although his parents insisted that he finish school, his summers were filled with racing. By the time he was 17 and in his sixth year at the school, Jimmy had graduated into the European Formula 3 racing series, often racing in front of the most powerful team managers in the sport.

After graduation from Hogwarts, his parents insisted that Jimmy complete two years of muggle university in a marketing and public relations course of study. During their own pro Quidditch careers, Harry and Ginny had often complained that they had not been trained well enough in the art of dealing with sponsors and the media. As soon as Harry realized that Jimmy had true talent, he wanted to make sure his son approached his career as professionally as possible. By the time he had moved on to the International Grand Prix 2 Series, he was a handsome, well-polished and extremely urbane 21-year-old.

CHAPTER ONE: THE BEST OFFER

Jimmy Potter stood between his father and grandfather in the Grand Prix 2 paddock after the Japanese round, staring down at the tires on his Advanced Vehicle Systems Proton 3. It had been an extremely close, competitive race, and it had been made more difficult by the fact that his left front tire had blistered three laps from the end. Ever since the banked portion of the Fuji Speedway had been updated in 2023, navigating the circuit placed tremendous forces on left front tires; not only was there the banking to contend with, but the long right hand sweeper leading onto the main straight was the most important corner on the track.

Jimmy had barely been able to hold his lead until the end. A blistered tire loses some of its grip because it reduces the contact patch with the road. A blistered tire also runs hot, which further compromises its ability to hold the road. And of course, a blistered tire has a greater chance of suddenly blowing out at a critical moment.

"I'm pretty sure it would have let go if I hadn't used a mild durability charm on it," Jimmy told Arthur Weasley. "You know I wouldn't do that to cheat, but I'm not going to risk my life on whether or not a tire fails on the banking."

"Don't you worry about it, boy," said Arthur. "We lost two of the greatest drivers in the world to failures like that at Monza. Don't you ever be ashamed of the fact that you can use your ability and training to the fullest!"

"Right," Harry said. "As long as you don't go hurling body binding curses at the other drivers, I don't think anybody's ever going to figure out you sometimes use magic to keep from wrecking."

"Besides, half the competition are wizards," exclaimed Arthur. "The greatest drivers of their generations have been magical people. It's well-known the Schumacher brothers attended Durmstrang."

"And even if there were jokes about their sexual orientation, every girl who's ever been a successful racer went to Beauxbatons," Harry joked.

"Anyway, Henri almost outbraked me going up into the hairpin, but luckily it's a left-hander so I didn't have to be careful. Then I just hung on and prayed as we dashed around the sweeper...he could never get his momentum back after I shut the door on him."

"Well, it was a very cool finish, James," Harry said. "I'm glad your mother wasn't here...Ginny would have broken my hand on the last lap!"

"Does have a strong grip, my daughter!" laughed Arthur.

At that moment, a tall man with a grey beard and wearing a long black coat approached them. "Great drive, Jimmy, absolutely fabulous car control," he said.

"Thanks, Mr. Nickels," Jimmy replied, brushing his longish dark amber hair back from his forehead. He bent over and placed his helmet in the seat of the dark green car. Two of the AVS crewmen began pushing it off in the direction of the transporter.

"Please call me Don, Jimmy. Just two more rounds to go, my young friend. Have AVS said anything to you about their plans for next year?"

"Not really. Dad?"

"I don't think Andy can pull off the move into Grand Prix One," Harry said. "Andy Andrews is a great guy, and AVS has been wonderful to work with, but let's face it...we've been propping him up for two years. Not even my family can support a truly competitive Formula One team."

"And there are your other children as well," Nickels said.

"Right."

"How do you manage all that, Harry? You must go crazy trying to see all three of them in their competitions."

"Ginny and their grandmother are really good about looking after their Quidditch, and James and I see as many matches as we can, right, son?"

"Mum's a whiz at keeping us all organized...sometimes you'd think she was my Aunt Hermione!" Jimmy said.

"Actually, Ginny says Lily has a right good chance of getting an even bigger contract than she had. A real natural flyer, that girl. And Al will definitely get a shot at the World League too. I think he's good enough for anyone, but if no one else will give him a chance, he'll play for our team." Harry and Ron Weasley had bought the Chudley Cannons after they retired, and Ron managed the club for which he had been a lifelong fan and goalkeeper.

"Great. What an extraordinary family you all are, and so kind and good to everyone as well. Well, look. The reason I stopped by. I wondered if the three of you could do me the honor of joining me for dinner tonight. I have a private dining room reserved at the hotel," Nickels said. "It will be a business meeting, but please come relaxed and prepared to enjoy lots of sushi and Kobi beef."

The three looked at one another. There was a subtle exchange of information and agreement between them. "Absolutely!" Jimmy said. "We'd be delighted."

"See you around eight, then," Nichols said. "The concierge will be expecting you in the lobby, and will know exactly where to direct you. I'm looking forward to it, mates!"

<<**>>

They returned to the hotel, and Jimmy went through his usual post-race workout. Top racecar drivers are athletes. The sport requires tremendous upper body strength, and the sort of physical endurance expected of cross-country runners, footballers or Quidditch players. Jimmy liked to lift weights for 30 minutes after a race. His physical trainer told him that lifting after the event, when he was already used up and physically tired, was the best way to build additional strength. On non-race days, Jimmy often trained for four hours, with a long running component in his regimen.

After his workout, Jimmy showered, changed, and joined his father and grandfather in the lobby. James, Harry and Arthur were escorted into the private dining room. Don Nickels was already there, sharing cocktails with a beautiful blond woman. She was tall and slim, her hair bobbed short just at the bottom of her ears. Expensive jewelry hung from her lobes, her wrist, and around her neck and fingers. "My wife Penelope," Nickels said.

"Pleasure," said the three guests.

"Please call me Penny," she grinned, as the double meaning began to dawn on them.

"And just how long did it take you to find a Penny Nickels?" Harry asked with a huge smirk.

"Oh, not so long! She pretty well found me in school," Don replied.

Don Nickels was a lanky six-foot-six. His long face was lined and craggy, to the point it almost looked scared. He wore a grey goatee-style beard and mustache surrounding lips that most generally stayed in a non-committal straight line across his face. His grey hair was rather long, and swept back on the sides. At times, it looked like folded wings on the sides of his head. His eyes were blue, sharp and intelligent. He was dressed, as usual, neck to toe in black.

Nickels was a mysterious and shadowy character in the racing world. He was almost certainly a wizard, but would not admit to it. He had simply appeared on the scene one day, and two months later, reappeared with his own team. He said that he came from the United States, and his accent was borderline southwest American. It was said that he had operated a rent-a-ride Formula Atlantic team in the support series for Indianapolis 500 racers.

It was also rumored that he could be a dangerous man. According to at least one legend, Nickels had headed a secret Central Intelligence Agency department in which wizards and witches were used for espionage. While all such information was classified, and no one had ever proved whether this was grounded in fact, it was true that international auto racing provided excellent cover for people who wanted to move about the world. Nickels never confirmed or denied his professional background.

"However, it is true that I had an ancestor deeply involved in the sport," Nickels was telling Arthur and the Potters. "He spelled his name differently, but he was very active in racing in both the US and overseas. He made his money and connections selling tires, here in Japan as it happens. Had an unfortunate run of bad luck in Formula One racing; lost several drivers to freak accidents. Very sad actually. Some of his team stabbed him in the back and stole his company away from him in the end."

"Yes," Arthur said. "I've read a bit about the transformation of Shadow Cars into Arrows in the 1970s. Some wizard named Black Jack Olive, or Martini, or something Italian like that involved, wasn't there?"

"Erm, well close enough," Nickels said, choking back a laugh. "There was an Italian banker who lost his head over the deal. Literally. They found his body along a railway and his head several miles away!

"Anyway, I assume by now you have guessed why I wanted to host you tonight," Nickels continued. "Phantom Cars intends to advance into Formula One next year. Jimmy has won the Formula Ford Festival race, the Monaco and Pau Formula 3 races as well as the championship, and he has won five GP2 races this year. It appears he will be the GP2 champion merely by finishing well in the two remaining races.

"I would like to talk to you about Jimmy becoming our lead driver next season. I think I am actually in a position to offer you a contract that will go a long way towards paying back your investment in James over the years. We have a substantial sponsorship package in place, but I will admit that some of it is contingent upon our signing Jimmy. That gives you some negotiating power I don't usually give up," he said, not looking particularly happy about revealing that information.

"Right. Well, stepping up to GP1 is certainly the next logical move for James," Harry said. "But it has to be the best offer. We've seen some pretty impressive young drivers flame out in Formula One because they took a less than competitive seat. One non-negotiable is that Arthur runs Jimmy's car."

"I already expected that would be the case, and given his record with Jimmy, we wouldn't have it any other way."

"Who are the sponsors?" Jimmy asked. "I'm not willing to endorse just anyone."

"Of course, of course! We have already secured overall team sponsorship from Wizard Products. Wizard will have the only large logo on the car. Most appropriate, don't you think?

"The cars will be dark green and gold, just like your AVS car. Those happen to be Wizard's main color scheme in their stores. I'm sure you've been in a Wizard store, haven't you?"

"Oh sure! Everyone gets all their muggle electronics and gear from Wizard," Jimmy said. "I'm liking the sound of this more and more as you go along, Don!"

"Arthur, I have a question. Is your grand-daughter Rose still seeing Scorpius Malfoy?"

"Well that's an abrupt turn of direction, Don, but yes, she is. Fact is, they recently became engaged, although I'm not sure how happy Hermione and Ron are about that development."

"Well, I think it's brilliant, and it should hopefully make this next part a little easier to swallow. The one thing I was afraid you might not like about the Wizard Products association was the ownership, given the past history of your families. You do know that WP is owned by Draco Malfoy, don't you?"