Chapter 01

Harry Potter thanked the man with a slight nod and poured himself a cup of tea. The little alley way shop was one he had been to on more than one occasion and it had a relatively reliable floo connection and for an exorbitant price would provide floo powder that would connect to Europe.

A few moments later a man sat down opposite him and accepted the a cup and allowed Harry to pour him a cup of tea.

"I'd prefer a pint, especially in this weather," the man said, his voice still ragged from the years in Azkaban and he was still on the run.

Harry just shook his head. While it was possible to get a pint of a given alcoholic beverage it wasn't easy. It was also quite illegal where he currently was.

But considering they were both on the run from the Ministry that wouldn't have been a worry.

"Dumbledore wants to contact you." Sirius said as he took a sip of the tea and raised an eyebrow.

"Peppermint, I find it relaxing in the height of the afternoon," Harry said. He had, over the course of the past two years had to grow up, calmed down and come to terms with some things.

"Need I remind you who backed the Ministry fatwa on me," Harry asked casually.

Sirius bristled. "I wish you wouldn't use that term."

Harry took a sip of his tea. It was appropriate given where they were, and what the Ministry had claimed.

Said Ministry had long fingers in a great many pies and a great many extradition treaties. If you ran from them you had to go far. Sirius had gone to the tropics, favouring what Harry had mused on occasion was his party attitude.

But some of those places still had historic ties to the Empire, Harry needed something that had no binding ties with Europe or England, magically speaking or otherwise.

Two years ago…

He didn't know how his name had found its way in there, from what Hermione had said, and she at least had believed him, it would only choose one name from one school. So Cedric from Hogwarts, Fleur from Beauxbatons and Krum from Durmstrang.

Which left how his name had got into the cup, and what he was going to do now.

-/

He'd arrived early for the wand weighing, and fortunately, or not, Cedric Diggory was also there, the older boy eyeing him curiously.

It was then Harry made a decision; to ask for help from what was or would soon be his competitor.

"I didn't put my name in the cup," Harry said.

"I know." He said gesturing between two cabinets that would shield them from view.

Harry exhaled as Diggory cast a spell around them. He had been moved to destruction between last night and now, he'd felt all the eyes of the school on him, that he, Harry Potter had some how magicked the cup.

"The school thinks that Hufflepuffs don't notice anything, that we're the house you go to when you're not any of the others," he paused looking down to Harry. "But we're the ones that see Potter."

Harry smiled nervously. "I want to get away."

"Away?" Diggory seemed startled by Harry's sudden demand. Then realising dawned on his face. "It's a magically binding contract Potter."

Harry shook his head, trying to remember what he and Hermione had talked about late, late last night. They're talked about normal 'muggle' contracts and how you could break them it just resulted in jail or stuff like that.

He had money to fight it, or something. Harry wasn't sure if he could. He wasn't sure even why he was telling Diggory this. But if there was someone he could talk to it was his opponent, from his school. If anything his going would mean Diggory would have a better chance at the Tournament.

"Then I'll run," Harry said. But then admitted. "I don't know where." He looked around. The room was still empty, they had seemingly arrived quite early.

Cedric's eyes went wide, seemingly more aware than he was of something.

"Look what's happened the last three years. Do you think I wanted this?" Harry said almost pleading.

"Why tell me?" Cedric asked reasonably.

Harry laughed a sarcastic short laugh, one he'd learnt from the teachers ignoring his pleas about what Dudley and his 'gang' used to do. "Ron and most of the school want my guts for garters. Plus if I'm gone you're a step closer to winning it."

"A Slytherin attitude," Cedric surmised but looked softly at Harry. "If you're determined about this I might be able to help you." He said and looked around them, despite the fact they were alone. "But if you do this I…" Cedric trailed off caught in thought, "don't think...I think the consequences are grave." he finally said.

"From what I hear this Tournament could land me in an early one." Harry joked nervously.

-/

It was the weekend before the tournament would begin properly.

Cedric had passed him a piece of parchment when they'd passed one another in the hallways.

At the station there would be a work friend of Cedric's father there checking for an infestation of doxies. He'd be there to take him a port and then away. The note warned that there'd be no going back, then the note turned to ash.

Hermione had given him a warning look when he'd taken his invisibility cloak to go to Hogsmede.

It had scared him slightly, Moody seeing through his cloak and telling him to see him later in the forest. A meeting he wouldn't keep.

Pulling off the cloak and slipping it into the bag he'd brought with him, the only things he'd taken was his cloak, money and his wand. His beloved broom he'd left behind.

But the wizarding world had been unbending in its decision to force him into the Tournament. Between then and now he'd been to see Dumbledore who informed him what he already knew, that the contract was binding. But Dumbledore was doing everything to try and find out who placed his name in there. But with no parchment and the cup inactive until the next tournament there was nothing much he could do.

Harry would have to do his best, as 'I know you will Harry' Dumbledore had said.

"You Potter?" Harry almost jumped, but didn't. Over the past few weeks he had become hardened against the stares, looks, asides, comments and insults from his fellow schoolmates and Malfoy.

"Yes," He simply answered.

"Alright, take me hand, you ever done side along before?" The man asked. Harry noted the man's hands were calloused, much like his were. Harry's were that way from years of tending the gardens of the Dursleys, the man's probably from picking various creatures that had nested in people's chimneys.

What happened next was totally unlike anything, but sort of like using a portkey. But not.

And then, swaying slightly he was standing on a small pier and opposite him was a man he'd met briefly before.

"Boss." The man said tipping his non existent cap before disappearing with a pop.

The man who was left before him stood awkwardly for a moment and then thrust out his hand. "Amos Diggory."

"Harry Potter," Harry said shaking the man's hand.

"Yes," he chuckled to himself. "just by shaking your hand we've committed more offences than I could comfortably count."

"Thank you for-" Harry was cut off by Amos.

"You reached out to my son. I know his judgement and trust it Mr Potter, and I know that if Cedric were in your impossible situation I would do anything to help him. And," he paused for a moment. "You're Harry Potter, you've gone through enough young man."

"Contracts be damned?" Harry asked lightly.

The man took his glasses off, polishing them. "Not lightly Mr Potter, though I'm not an expert regarding the cup. Contracts my department deals with can be paid off" he said in an annoyed tone. "Can be broken with a fine, can be enacted, or they can be manoeuvred around or ignored all together." He looked out to what Harry assumed was the sea. "Ah, I can see they're coming now." Harry looked around and put his hand above his glasses to shade them. He could see a medium sized sailing ship sailing toward the pier.

"Magical contracts, Mr Potter are not gotten around easily," he said in slightly darker tone. "It is not something anyone just runs away from. But outside the Ministry's reach and away from any trade and political agreements they have little power. They might think they've got the power, but it is limited, if only they'd ask the people who have to enforce their laws," he said slightly to himself.

"Thank you Mr Diggory for..." Harry dug around in his pockets for his money bag.

"No, Harry," Diggory pushed the money away. "Keep it. My associates will help, but you'll still need everything. I'm sorry I couldn't risk taking you to Diagon Alley."

Harry shook his head smiling. He had had nothing with the Dursleys. Each year at Hogwarts had threatened to leave him with nothing, not even his life. So returning to nothing would be something he could manage.

They stood making idle, if that was the word talk while the ship approached. Mr Diggory explained about the trace on his wand, and how it would nullify when they passed into international waters, it had something to do with the path that was taken an ancient path that crossed several ley lines but meant for a swifter passage of travel.

They stood in silence as the ship docked and cargo and goods was magically unloaded; floating off the ship.

Then it seemed it was time to go.

"Tell Cedric, good luck, do Hogwarts proud," Harry said as he embraced Amos Diggory in a hug.

"Well...yes...of course..." The man blustered, somewhat startled by his hug.

As the ship sailed away Amos wondered if he had done the right thing. He had just assisted the saviour of the wizarding world to leave the protections of not just wizarding England but wizarding Europe. Not just that, but also assisted the underage wizard to run from a magically binding contract. One that he had deliberately not researched, he did not want to know the particulars of it.

The ones he had to deal with in the department were difficult and worrying enough.

But his son had been persuasive in his letters and his son was a Hufflepuff through and through and knew the character of a person, and one thing that Cedric had said was that Harry Potter was scared of what might befall him in the Tournament. Much more so than the Ministry of Magic and what they might do to him.

—/ — \\-

Sirius loosened the scarf he had around his neck. "I don't know how you stand this heat."

Harry had been here for two years since he'd left England. Not specifically here. But Amos had been right, the Middle East was far beyond the Ministry's control, none of the countries even recognised the Ministry's law let alone would extradite someone. Especially over something as stupid as a school tournament.

"Dumbledore still supported the Ministry's manhunt for me," Harry commented, picking up Sirius' earlier request.

Sirius grinned. "I've got a set now. Wanted posters for you and me."

"We can get them framed, hang them in the house." Harry said as he poured both of them more tea as Sirius chuckled.

"Is it the one where it says I ruined the tournament? Or the one where it says I'm dangerous and mad?" Harry asked.

Sirius grinned again. "Dangerous and mad."

Harry laughed. "Yet they never admitted there was something wrong with the tournament." Harry muttered to himself.

He had heard about it even out here, though he'd had to go to a reading room to get access to an English language magical newspaper, and then sent a letter to Amos Diggory.

It seemed that Cedric had done well throughout the tournament, rescuing Cho Chang from lake, capturing the egg, and making his way through the maze. But the cup had been charmed and he and Viktor Krum had been whisked away to a graveyard. Where Pettigrew had been and Voldemort was resurrected. Krum was killed but Cedric had made it out alive, somehow and taken Krum's body with him.

That hadn't stopped the Ministry though they'd said, at one point that he was the one who should have been there and died in place of Krum, though that person had been revealed to be a death eater, but still.

Relationships between the Ministry and the other magical entities in Europe were testy after that.

"So what does Dumbledore want to talk to me about?" Harry eyed Sirius. "And I thought you were done with him?"

"Voldemort's back Harry, and with the Order back together..." he trailed off and shrugged. "Plus I can walk the streets with my pardon and everything." He grinned.

Harry's look of surprise made Sirius laugh loudly. "You bastard Sirius."

"I wanted it to be a surprise," he grinned. "Was it?" He looked worried for a moment.

"What do you think?" Harry shook his head as he laughed with joy.

As they finished their tea two hookahs were brought over to them.

"So what does Dumbledore want? To apologise" Harry asked doubtfully.

Sirius shrugged and blew out some smoke. "Something to do with Voldemort."

Harry was tempted to say Dumbledore and Voldemort could fight it out with bananas for all he cared. But there was the rest of the wizarding world to consider.

Most of them could go and hang too. But, a small handful he did owe his life to, for introducing him to wizarding Britain and helping him escape it.

"Fine." Harry said after musing for a long while.

-/

The courtyard was a secluded grove between three mosques. He'd discovered from the wizards that he stayed with that magic and magical life functioned somewhat differently here. Some magic was open and known and some was suppressed. Others just were nullified. The mosques, the prayers within them and other things, the ancientness of them cancelled out a lot of magic. The courtyard that he was sitting in was a historic meeting place where no magic functioned.

Dumbledore walked in wearing a confused expression on his face. Harry had a tea kettle sitting above a warmer waiting for him.

"You look well Harry." Dumbledore said as he sat down and pulled out his wand motioning at the cups on the table. They remained where they were. He raised an eyebrow. "Your teachers have taught you well."

"This place is suitable for meeting, and that wasn't me." Harry said as he poured the tea into each of the cups.

"Of course." Dumbledore took a cup and breathed in. "Ah rose hip."

"For someone who escaped a magical contract and a death warrant on my head I am doing surprisingly well," Harry said looking over at Dumbledore.

Dumbledore at least had the courtesy to look a little uncomfortable. "That was unfortunate. But it was something you should not have done Harry."

"Would you have forced me to participate in the Tournament?" Harry asked calmly.

Dumbledore remained silent, he merely stared into his tea.

"Contracts exist in the magical world Harry," Dumbledore stated.

"Even ones you don't agree to? What sort of legal system is that?" Harry questioned.

"A better one than exists here Harry." Dumbledore bristled.

"I have survived here. How do you know I would have had I faced Voldemort?" Harry queried. "I might have been the dead one instead of Krum."

"That would not have happened Harry." Dumbledore said softly.

"It wouldn't have?" Harry pressed, he'd had letters back and forth with Cedric, he'd spoken to some of the magical men and women whom he'd learnt from in this area of the world about it. From what Cedric had said and what had happened at Voldemort's resurrection it seemed they had been expecting him to be there. "Even if I had failed every task, I would still need to have competed, correct?"

Dumbledore remained silent for some time before nodding.

"Moody, or whoever it was impersonating him would have ensured that I was placed at that cup. Without it seeming too obvious of course," Harry commented cynically.

"The outcome of the tournament is not what I have come to speak with you today Harry." Dumbledore interjected in Harry's dialogue.

Harry sipped his tea. "No. Sirius said you had something that was making you and Snape worried."

"Professor Snape." Dumbledore added needlessly.

"I haven't been at Hogwarts for two years Headmaster," Harry said as he forced himself not to get angry and instead relaxed back against the chair. "I don't think you're in any position to ask me to use terms like 'professor'." Harry paused and looked at Dumbledore carefully. "You endorsed the death warrant."

"A mere formality Harry, it was imperative for you to return, I mistakenly thought that would hasten the investigation."

"That worked so well when that was launched against Sirius." Harry countered.

"Who is now pardoned. As you may well be." Dumbledore said.

"Well?" Harry asked as he poured himself another cup of tea, Dumbledore he noted had not drunk any of his.

"May we go somewhere less open Harry?" Dumbledore asked.

"We are protected here," Harry gestured around. "This grove lies in the shadows, I'm sure you know that means nothing will occur here that is untoward."

Dumbledore looked at him and sighed. "It concerns a prophecy and what Voldemort has done to prolong his life."

Harry put the cup down as Dumbledore finished speaking. "I want to say, that this…problem is yours."

Dumbledore looked at him with wide eyes. "Harry, a prophecy is not something to be walked away from."

"That is what they cautioned me about when I ran away from the contract." Harry countered.

"That is different." Dumbledore said in a short tone.

Harry breathed a breath of the hot afternoon wind in. "And if I say no?"

"I could force you to return Harry," Dumbledore said in the same tone as Harry had imagined when he'd read of the death warrant against him.

Harry laughed. "Not likely. You can't apparate here, portkeys don't function, you can't even float a tea cup." Harry gestured around the walls. "I could run to any of those sides and disappear," he paused fixing Dumbledore "I could be sailing down the Red Sea by evening, away from your tales of prophecy and horcruxes."

Dumblodore looked shocked at him. "Harry, what of your friends?"

"Who endorsed the Ministry's actions or the one you threatened with expulsion lest I return?" Harry countered. Hermione had left Hogwarts following that and was completing her education at Beauxbatons. She had told him, via a letter that it was definitely not his fault. Dumbledore's and the Ministry's threats had illustrated to her and her parents what sort of society magical Britain really was.

"An unfortunate turn of events," Dumbledore said simply.

"I won't help you with your quest for these splinters of souls," Harry said with certainty. "I ran because I had to Dumbledore, because you didn't give me a choice, send your lackeys to find these shards, why would I have any more success than you would?"

"And of the prophecy Harry?" Dumbledore asked.

"I will consider it, my final contribution to wizarding life," Harry said standing. "Or maybe I would prefer just running and looking, trying to see if there is a hit wizard on my trail." Harry finished, paraphrasing what the Minister had said, endorsed by Dumbledore. That had been their final word to him. That he couldn't just run forever.

Through all the countries that didn't have extradition treaties.

Dumbledore stood looking uncomfortable at being quoted those words. "That was…."

"Unfortunate?" Harry asked, turning to walk away.

"Harry, how might I contact you?" Dumbledore called, but Harry had disappeared around a corner leaving the headmaster alone.

—/

A/N:

This is one of the stories that inspired me to develop 'The Lawyers Against the Cup' into a story. I started this in 2012, and recently came across it when I was searching through chapters / folders of another story trying to find something.

If 'The Lawyers Against the Cup' is all about the lawyers and the law, this should be all about extradition and running away. But I couldn't really make it work beyond this first chapter. I've made an effort to write a second chapter, just because I'm loathed to publish a single chapter story without finishing the tale.