Okay, so this took at least fourteen days longer than it should have. But RL got in my way and my editor's. Despite that, here it is. I suppose it also is a second example of the whole 'not good at small chapters' thing that I am plagued with when it comes to this story LOL.

This has been edited by Nad Destroyer, and me via Grammarly. I bit the bullet and finally decided I had to try the premium version, so we'll see how it goes. I will say it didn't speed up the process at all, astonishingly enough. Took me ten hours or more. Ugh.

FILFy18: Butting Heads, Changing Minds and Kicking Arse

Despite Harry's aborted attempt to tempt fate once more, the flight from Hawaii over America to London occurred without incident, the private jet landed safely at Heathrow. This caused audible sighs of relief from Lily and Rias, the two redheads cuddling together in a chair next to Harry. The little girl had woken up from her nap to spend the rest of the trip watching movies and playing games that Harry and Rias had brought along to keep her, Koneko and Mittelt, who Harry felt had something of an attention disorder, happily occupied.

Once they arrived, they had to go through customs, but this too was simple enough. Even if they had to go through two sets of them. It was near to one in the morning, and even Heathrow Airport wasn't nearly as busy at that time of night as it would be during the day. Even the magical side of things, they found, wasn't busy at that time of day.

"Ahh, Mr. Potter," a voice, interrupted the proceedings as one of the customs officers made to stamp Harry's passport, before moving on to the others. "There you are. If you and your party could come with me? There were some questions about some of the things that you brought back in on your jet."

The man speaking was a somewhat rotund individual, but he moved lightly on his feet and wore a spotless uniform. He had come out of what probably looked like a random series of offices set to one side of the other side of the customs line. But what was most interesting was the tiny wand and book pin he had on his breast pocket.

"Certainly. I thought there might be in point of fact. Still, we do have all the paperwork necessary for the animals in question," Harry replied. He made no notice that he saw the man pull out a wand subtly and cast a spell on the five customs officers on duty and the crowd of other international passengers behind him. Probably also cut out the cameras already. The Aurors Obliviators are decently well trained and well up on tech, even if I feel there's way too many of them regardless.

The others all followed Harry, with no one in the line or behind the security glass of the various security stations being any the wiser of anything unusual going on. Soon they were behind a series of Notice-me-Nots, and the man turned back to Harry.

"On behalf of the Ministry of Magic, welcome back Mr. Potter," the man intoned, although Harry noticed he didn't try to shake his hands and looked a little uneasy as Harry moved near him due to the thin corridor. "Your companions are all magicals, I assume?"

He's probably another one who isn't entirely clear where Harry Potter the hero starts, and where Harry Potter the werewolf begins. Darn it, I had gotten used to not seeing that reaction in Japan. Seeing it once more is going to take some getting used to, Harry reflected as he answered the man's query.

"Japanese magicals along with my daughter, yes, one of whom I've magically adopted." He gestured over at Asia with a smile, as the teen bobbed a curtsy to the man.

The man's eyes flared wide, before he nodded slowly, staring at her then over to Lily, who was between Yubelluna and Rias. She was talking excitedly about Harrods, and how sprawling and fun it was to explore.

"We don't have anything to declare, nothing magical beyond ourselves," Harry went on quietly, "But I have to ask is it normal for magicals to be pulled aside like that before they we're even through the non-magical customs? Surely it would have been better to wait."

"Oh, I'm an official customs representative too," the rotund man replied as he led the way through a series of doors, to a small office. "The ICW set this up years ago throughout Europe once the muggles started traveling so freely, it just makes sense. This way, if you did have something to declare, we could handle it easily, and you can go straight into the magical territories without having to deal with any more muggles. Traveling their way is all well and good, but nothing beats magic for day to day livin' ey?"

Once seated, the rotund man reached inside a compartment in his desk and pulled out a small stamp, quickly using it on all of their passports. As he did, his eyes lingered on Yubelluna, Mittelt, and Rias, something about them attracting his attention, above and beyond the sheer exotic beauty of the two women. Mittelt was good looking too, but far too young, even if her dress was exquisite, especially in comparison to the muggle outfits the two women wore.

Asia too, received some scrutiny. His examination of Asia though, was because of what Harry had already said. This was reinforced by the fact that her passport also informed the world that she was a Potter.

Rias and the others had watched the man and several of the other apparent magicals that they had passed by, all of whom had stopped and stared at Harry. Theirs was an odd expression of mixed awe and fear, and everyone else realized as Harry had that there were a lot of people on the fence about him and the whole werewolf issue.

When she realized this, Koneko instantly moved to his side. There she took one of Harry's hands in hers, squeezing it to show her support.

For their part, Rias and the others glared at any guards that seemed to be leaning a little too much toward sneering contempt or disdain rather than fear. Rias, though, noticed that Harry himself didn't seem to care about this reaction, ignoring it entirely.

"While we're here, would be willing to take a message for me?"

"Well, considering we've all been asked to tell Mr. Longbottom and Minister Shacklebolt the instant you're in the islands if you came back the muggle way, I don't see a problem with that," the man replied with a chuckle.

Harry smiled then shook his head. "I'll probably stop by to see them both tomorrow. But since you work for the ICW, my message is actually for your superior. Can you get in touch with the ICW's man here in London?"

The man blinked, cocking his head. "I can pass on a message to Ambassador Lafarge as well. Er, can I ask…"

"Just tell him that I want to speak to the Supreme Mugwump about something. He'll probably want to schedule at least a few hours to talk to me tomorrow. I will probably want to talk to him before I meet with Shack or Neville."

The man's eyes widened a little, but then he shrugged, obviously considering that it was no skin off his back to take the message, and no real concern of his what Harry what was talking about. "I can do that," he replied, repeating himself. Harry nodded good-naturedly, and the rest of the passport check passed almost uneventfully.

Almost, that is, because when Tonks got hers stamped, she was smiling literally like a shark – her teeth had transformed to match -at two of the men there, who seemed to remember her for some past issue. Thankfully, nothing but looks came from that.

Beyond Tonks and her antics and the usual werewolf baggage, none of them really drew any negative attention. Rias and Yubelluna continually drew looks, given their level of beauty, and the closeness Rias had towards Harry also drew some comments as more than a few wizards or witches passed them by just to take a look at Potter and his foreign companions.

One of the men looked at Rias and shook his head muttering, to a companion, "The Potter's always did prefer redheads, I suppose."

"Yeah, and if you're going to pick between redheads, that one's curves puts even Susan Boner to shame."

Tonks growled a little at that comment, and the man shut up, flinching away from her a little, but Tonks didn't do anything else beyond making a note of his face, and wondering if Susan knew that people still called her that occasionally. Nature and puberty had been truly kind to Susan, giving her a near-model level of beauty. And some people hadn't grown up beyond the years in Hogwarts when she unconsciously broke hearts and made boys drool in equal measure. But Tonks still remembered her as her former boss's daughter, despite the fact she had become a top-notch magical lawyer in the years after Voldemort's second rise.

After a few more minutes, the locals waved them through, still staring even as Harry led the way further down the corridor. But none of the wizards had been able to sense Rias's and the other's nonhuman origins, so Harry was going to count that as a win.

The magically protected corridor led them out of Heathrow to a small, out of the way parking lot where Harry stopped abruptly, staring. The parking lot might have initially been designed for airport personnel, but the magicals had taken it over at some point. Now it was hidden under Anti-muggle enchantments and the lights, which should have provided illumination via electricity, had been replaced by trees with glowing orbs hanging from them. Several small circular sitting areas had been set up under each. Here three more men from the ministry waited, talking idly among themselves and smoking as they waited to create portkeys to wherever incoming magicals who had traveled the muggle way wanted to go.

Sitting all by her lonesome to one side, however, was the reason why Harry had stopped, his gasp joined by Lily's happy shout of, "Aunt Luna!"

The other ministry officials looked up, some of them staring at Harry and Tonks as if they'd seen a ghost, while Luna Lovegood stood up, flourishing a large set of pom-poms as she went into an impromptu dance.

The pom-poms however were not the only thing she was wearing currently. Because Luna had decided to wear a cheerleading outfit today for some reason. A very tight, almost certainly adult-oriented cheerleading outfit that barely covered her legs and showed her small, spare frame to best effect as she went into a spiel. "Harry Potter, he's the man, if he can't do it, then no one can!"

Harry laughed, while Rias beside him hummed thoughtfully. "Now there's a thought, cosplay outfits. Rather the next natural step from our discussion with the others on the topic of naked aprons. What do you think Harry, could I pull off a look like that?"

When Harry looked back at her, Rias allowed her smile to widen into a seductive smirk as she saw his eyes go from her to Yubelluna then back again, dilating noticeably in the light of the tree-orbs as he licked his lips. "…I think if you even tried they would probably make a law to make it illegal it would be so sinful."

She chuckled at that, while Yubelluna rolled her eyes. "Personally, I've never seen myself as a cheerleader or any kind of schoolgirl. Not since I left high school anyway." She paused thoughtfully then allowed her own smirk to appear. "Now on the other hand, sexy librarian, that could be a way to go. Or sexy secretary."

Harry shivered again, his tongue running along his lips as he stared at first Yubelluna, then back to Rias his gaze almost smoldering with desire and Rias chuckled clapping her hands as she looked at Lily. The young werewolf had practically tackled Luna to the ground. "I think we will have to shelve that topic for another time, but it certainly looks as if it's one that we should come back to."

Harry growled low in his throat, the sound pure alpha werewolf, and Rias's giggle became an outright laugh as she walked ahead of him, swishing her hips as Yubelluna did the same beside her while Rias moved to greet this old friend of Harry. "Yes, definitely going to continue that later."

She helped Luna and Lily up from the concrete of the parking lot, shaking her head admonishingly at the little girl. "Is that a theme with you, tackling people to the ground?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. Besides, isn't that supposed to be a meme in anime? The little girl knocking the much older people down when she greets them?" Lily replied sassily.

"We're older, but we're not as solid as you are Lily Luna," Luna said rubbing her rear in amusement as she stared at first the little girl, then Rias and then the others.

Her eyes suddenly widened as she stared at Koneko, somehow, and even Harry wasn't going to suspect how, understanding that Koneko was different from the others and in what manner too. "Perhaps I should've worn another outfit, a catsuit perhaps?" She held up her hands as if they were paws and then winked at Koneko, whose eyes had widened at her words. "Nyaa?"

Mittelt blinked, staring Luna and then at Koneko. "Okay, how the hell…"

"Ixnay on that just now," Tonks murmured, pushing Mittelt in front of her out into the parking lot. "It's Luna. Random-ass moments of insight are just one of her many charms."

"Ladies, Loup, this is Luna Lovegood, one of my friends from when I was in Hogwarts, and one of my staunchest supporters during the war against Riddle. We sort of grew apart after Lily was born, but we were still friends even then," Harry stated, gesturing towards the blond.

She was petite, a little taller than Asia or Koneko with a chest size around Koneko's despite being in her mid-twenties. She had long, lithe legs, the legs of a sprinter, and moved lightly on them as if prepared to run or dance at any moment. Given the extremely short skirt she was wearing that was giving Loup and every other man there quite the tasty view.

Luna herself seemed oblivious to this, she was too busy staring at the women with Harry. Who in turn had not reacted to her body at all.

She also wore radish earrings and a gold wedding ring, Rias noticed as she shook the girl's hand warmly. The term 'girl' came to her mind easily enough even if she knew that Luna was older than her. There was something just unwaveringly young about the girl, even if Rias couldn't quite place her finger on why. "Charmed. Harry's told us quite a bit about you and your…husband? Harry said you were living with a man named Rolf when he left the UK."

"Yes, we were married in a private ceremony overseen by the pixies. It was glorious, just like the sex afterward. Even if I did have some chaffing in some very odd places." While Rias and the others were gaping at how blasé she had said that, Luna gestured to the watching ministry officials, asking, "Would you like to travel the magical way, or the not magical way? Personally, I rather like being in cars. Although you might want to keep the window closed, since the weather here is being very British these days."

It was only then that the devils and their friends realized the area was under a series of warming charms. Outside that, the night wind was blustery, with the moon and stars above blocked out by heavy overcast sky. The wizards and witches too, bar Luna who probably had another warming charm on her cheerleader outfit, were wearing heavy woolen robes.

"In comparison to wherever you been, anyway." She added, looking at the tan that Lily was sporting after only a day out in the Hawaiian sun.

"I think we'll travel the non-magical way," Harry replied. "We'll need a car eventually anyway. Might as well rent one here."

Nodding, Luna led the way out of the parking lot back the way they came, pausing only once by Loup, nodding her head to him, and whispering "Packmate."

The werewolf blinked, looking at her quizzically, and Harry chuckled as he followed her, his own voice low that even Loup had trouble hearing it as he fell in beside Harry as the others moved into an actual combat formation almost unconsciously. Loup and Harry were in the lead, with Rias on one side, Mittelt in the back and Koneko to the side with Yubelluna in the center with Asia and Lily. No one had even had to talk to one another about it. They had been ambushed twice already on this trip. They would be ready if there was a third one.

Luna noticed this, but Harry didn't even acknowledge it, speaking to his fellow werewolf to allay his fears. "Don't worry Loup, I doubt the others recognized your werewolf status. It wasn't on your passport, and you're not giving off any of the signs. Luna's just special that way. I don't know if it's because she was a Ravenclaw as the oddest bird in the nest, or if it's just because she's Luna, but she can see through to the truth of the matter when she tries faster than anyone I can think of. Even Hermione, though for the love of magic don't tell her I said that."

He chuckled dryly then. "It's just getting Luna to choose to do so that's often the issue. That, and understanding her when she makes her comments."

Rias took over the conversation with Luna to ask her some questions. She had heard from Harry about the young girl, or young woman rather. Rias was having trouble picturing Luna as older than them, her current outfit not helping that at all. One of the things Harry had told her was that Luna had second sight. She wanted to know if that was how she knew Harry had been would be arriving. She did so subtly of course they were in public after all, but persistently.

Behind them, Harry listened intently, hoping against hope that Luna being here was just her being Luna, a phrase that was probably going to be worn out by the time they left London, and not something deep, dark and dangerous. They already had more than enough on their plate. Would it bloody well kill wizards to deal with their own issues, and not bother me with them? He thought as Luna admitted to acting on a 'guess' that he would arrive that day.

Then a wicked thought occurred to him as he remembered the incident in America, and he spoke up just as they left the non-magical area behind. "By the way Luna, you and your father were right about there being a Rotfang Conspiracy."

Luna's head whipped around, and she stumbled into Asia and Lily as she stared at Harry in shock, her smile growing so wide it looked fit to be on a pumpkin. In response Harry whistled cheerfully as he continued on his way, "You're not the only one who can spring surprises, Luna."

Rias and the others laughed at that. Soon Rias and Harry left the others, talking amongst themselves as the two of them went to get a rental car. As Harry had said they would need it to explore Wales and Ireland if need be. It would also of course help them in nonmagical areas even in the UK.

The moment they were all ensconced in the car however, Luna leaped across and pinned Harry against the seat, Loup having volunteered to do the driving. "Tell!" she ordered.

Harry laughingly obeyed, telling her about what they'd run into, in America as Loup drove them out of Heathrow towards London proper. The rental car was not a limo as Rias had pushed for but a large Land Rover, which wasn't quite comfortable for all of them despite the fact its middle row had bucket seats that could be turned to face backward. Koneko and Lily had to sit on the others' laps, while Asia and Mittelt shared a seat, something the short Fallen detested going by her glare at the others from where she was sitting in the passenger's seat next to Loup in the driver's seat. "One word, just one word about my size, and I swear to Heaven and Hell that your bodies will never ever be found!"

"Don't worry," Harry said breaking off his discussion with Luna for a moment. "Once we're on Black property, we'll be able to modify it so long as the modifications aren't visible even to magicals and we won't be inviting non-magicals inside. It's a loophole in the Misuse of Magical Artifacts Law since that law was placed on the books after the Blacks had gotten a permit to allow them to modify non-magical artifacts, which cars apparently equates to."

"Of course," Rias replied drolly.

This caused Luna to look at her in surprise, then at the others. None of them looked at all annoyed or surprised at the idea of such a loophole in the law existing. When she saw this, Luna cocked an eyebrow at Harry.

he chuckled dryly. "Let's just say that all of them come from a group of magicals who have made loopholes and contracts, and getting around them more particularly, into an art form."

Yubelluna smirked at that, wiggling her fingers slightly. "Speaking of which if any of you sign anything while we're outside of Kuoh without my seeing it, I'm going to be incredibly put out with that all of you. That includes you, Harry."

While the others all nodded or chuckled at that, Luna was looking at Yubelluna more speculatively now, her eyes began to gleam a little. Like the gleam of a pearl almost, many sparkles of various colors as she looked from Harry then back to Yubelluna, then over to Asia and then to Lily where she sat with Koneko. "Well now, isn't that interesting," she murmured, for once her normal attitude slipping a little, letting the incredibly sharp cookie underneath it appear.

Harry chuckled dryly. "Yeah, there's been a lot of interesting things going on since I've left the islands. But, now that you know about the Rotfang, before you can question me about the rest of this, why were you waiting for me?"

"Oh that's easy. My husband and I wish to be once more under your command, Mon Capitan!" At that Luna actually saluted to the amusement of the others, even Loup as he looked at the girl in his rearview mirror.

Harry however frowned, and crossed his arms leaning back in his chair and staring at the blonde girl. "Why? What's been happening?"

"In the United Kingdom, not a lot. Oh, there's this big to-do about something coming up from Ireland, some kind of big weird magic but…"

"Wait what!?" Harry interrupted quickly, almost glaring at the girl. "Explain that."

Luna shrugged. "A few times over the past few months there's been a white light and fog appearing down there. It's been keeping the Obliviators and Aurors hopping let me tell you, and the papers that cover Ireland are in histrionics. Not a lot's been discovered about it, unless of course the Unspeakables have figured something out and aren't speaking about it, beyond the fact it isn't coming entirely from within the Wizarding World. See what I did there?" she added proudly, before blinking at the look Harry was giving her. "What?"

"Unpack Luna," Harry said, his lips twitching in a way that showed he didn't know whether to smile or frown. "Explain more of that phenomenon please."

Luna did so, or as much as was known to the majority of the Wizarding World since she herself hadn't been down to investigate just yet. The magic consisted of a pearlescent fog that spread from yet to be discovered points in Ireland, and then beyond. Beyond a certain point they also spread out from old ruins or magical sites like Stonehenge and others. Luna and a lot of others who knew about enchantments and long term spellcraft knew this was a sign of someone pulling up immense magical potential.

But no one was doing anything with it, which was odd. Odder still was the attempts by the Unspeakables and others to use it instead, just to bleed it off, had failed miserably. Beyond that, since Ireland's magical side was still under the control of the British Ministry of Magic, they had begun to work with the nonmagical government to keep its existence under wraps, but any attempt to actually examine the fog failed as well.

His fellow Briton answered Harry's question on this for a few minutes but couldn't give him information that she didn't have herself. As always, the Ministry of Magic was good at keeping the people ignorant, if not keeping actual secrets. Finally, with a sigh Harry asked Luna to go back to the previous topic of what was happening in the magical side of the UK.

"Chest pounding, diatribes tossed back and forth, money sent and Aurors across to the continent, but nothing really all that dangerous, simply because the Dark aligned houses don't have enough young blood to join in the various issues going on." Luna smiled, and while it looked airy, none of her listeners were fooled any longer by her fey looks. "In fact I would go so far as to say that a lot of what's going on in the Wizarding World in general isn't really all that important if looked at as single pieces. But those pieces are moving, as well as others."

She looked around at them all, twitching her head toward Rias then to Koneko, before looking back at Harry, flicking one finger towards Yubelluna. "Secrets are coming out, different magics coming together. You're a symptom of it Harry, but you're not the only one. There have been sightings of people with devil wings working with wizards, monsters other than werewolves, and, oh yes, Undead. Lots of Undead and lots of magical beasts long thought extinct. And not the good and fuzzy kind either, unless you find Cerberus fuzzy."

"But I'm not the cause?" Harry asked sharply.

Luna paused thinking before shaking her head. "No. I think you're moving to Japan and getting involved with these whatever you are…" she trailed off looking at Rias then the others. "I can tell you're different from wizards or witches, but I can't tell what you are nor am I going to inquire. Although I do hope that Harry trusts me enough to share?"

Harry just nodded, then made a motion indicating she should continue to speak. "We'll tell you about ourselves when we get to the mansion."

"Ourselves?" Luna jumped on that, cocking her head to one side. "Hmmm, I thought… but whatever." She nodded, leaning forward patting his thigh with one hand. "A storm is coming," she said simply. "What happens when lots of different weather patterns clash? A storm. That storm is coming," she repeated, staring into Harry's eyes. "And to survive, this ship must be under our captain's command."

"Your personal ship must," Harry said slowly staring back at her, before flicking his eyes over to Rias who was also taking this in with interest, "Or the Wizarding World must?"

"Just me and my husband for now," Luna said simply becoming grave. "I don't know why, but I feel as if we will be targeted soon. Perhaps because Rolf helped stop a raid on a Dragon Reserve, or because someone has found about my… special abilities. As for the Wizarding World," she paused thinking. "You probably won't have to lead all of it, but I think you need to be an example. Just like the Wizengamot wants, although they also want you to solve the problems on the continent too. Indeed, I know the Ministry's been getting requests ranging from pleading to demands for your intervention."

"I am sick and tired of people coming to me and assuming I will solve all their cocking problems for them," Harry growled, becoming angry. "First the French, then Spanish, then the Norwegians, on top of the British, when all they really had to do is fight as seriously as their enemies did. When was I elected principal problem solver for the WW? Especially of problems that could be solved just as easily by other people!"

"Ahh, but those other people aren't Harry Potter," Luna said leaning backward away from Harry's anger. She had known this was going to be difficult. If there was one part of his public image that Harry hated most, it was how everyone seemed to want to latch onto him as a hero one minute, then discard him the next or tear him down do to his werewolf status or the lengths he went to.

After the war he had been on call numerous times as he went for his DADA mastery to clear out local problems for various magical governments. The French were the only ones who hadn't meant to call Harry in. The others had been almost open in how much they used Harry like that. All of which had cut into his time with Lily, something he had bitterly resented and fought against as best he could, while also giving in to his People Saving Thing™.

But as she watched, Rias reached over and gently took one of Harry's hands squeezing as she whispered, "You're not going to do anything on your own any longer Harry remember that. Problem solver, for example, captain, whatever. You've got me and the rest of our family with you now."

That caused Luna to twitch guiltily.

She had not really stayed by Harry's side after the war. Luna had wanted to forget the violence, to forget everything involved, to find a boyfriend for the Moon's sake! Indeed, when other governments had come asking Harry to help them with their own local extremist issues, none of his friends had stood with Harry except Tonks beyond volunteering to look after Lily for him as Hermione and Luna had. Even when Harry had failed so miserably in his attempt to enter politics, Luna hadn't really helped him or even commiserated all that much, again being busy with her own life, something she regretted now looking back on it.

Even Hermione and Ron had backed away from Harry and their friendship, if for vastly different reasons. And just when she and Harry had begun to reconnect, had re-forged their friendship, she had let him walk right into Ginny's betrayal. They had only spoken once after that, when Luna admitted to having known what Harry would find if he went home earlier than scheduled. She had honestly been worried he might hold it against her when she showed up at the airport and had was ecstatic that he hadn't seemed to.

Now she watched as Harry's smile came back, and his tension eased. He squeezed Rias's hand affectionately nodding at her. "Thanks for that, love." He then looked back at Luna, nodding his head sternly. "Fine. But I won't be their chief fireman, going around putting out their fires. And I'm not going to lead the Wizarding World, whatever happens. I'm a tactician, not a strategist. The Wizarding World is going to have to at least solve most of its own problems on its own."

"That's fine. So long as you are around as an example of how we can weather the storm," Luna said, after a judicious nod.

Harry nodded, leaning back in his chair as he breathed in, shaking his head and Luna continued to watch in something approaching amazed amusement as Yubelluna joined in with the redhead who she had pegged as Harry's new girlfriend/whatever to calm Harry down further. "I just wanted to be a father," he said plaintively, "a teacher, and perhaps an occasional ass-kicker. Not a bloody example, not the bogeyman that the world Wizarding governments can use to keep their darker elements in line."

"Language," Rias muttered, looking over to Lily. "There is a child present remember, Harry?"

The little girl giggled from where she was sitting in Koneko's lap, shaking her head at her fellow redhead where it was nestled against Koneko's chest. "Please, I know way worse. Honestly, you adults have some really weird views of what we kids can be, um what's the word, oh, exposed to, at times."

"Good word choice, but that doesn't mean right its right, lovey. Nor will we be any more understanding if you start cursing either," Rias admonished, with a surprisingly stern glare causing Lily to nod in understanding.

That little bit of family-type interaction had helped to calm Harry down, and he looked back at Luna. "Can you tell me what kind of 'storm' we're talking about here?"

Luna hesitated. "I don't know."

"You don't know, or you won't tell me," Harry asked, his tone becoming a little colder, causing Luna to wince. While he had moved past the fact she hadn't warned him about Ginny and her betrayal, it was evident he still remembered it all too well.

"What are you talking about?" Mittelt asked. Unlike Rias, Mittelt and the others had not been told much about Luna yet, other than the fact that she was a family friend and shared a name with Lily.

"Well, my little friend here is a Seer," Harry said, ignoring with great disdain the pout that replaced the wince on Luna's face. It wasn't her fault she hadn't ever finished growing after all. "In fact, she's one of a long line of Seers. She can't quite control when she sees the future, but when she does it is almost always accurate."

"Discerning it is much more difficult," Luna interjected with a faint sigh and a roll of her eyes at Harry's tone. Then she smiled as Harry reached over and ruffled her hair. That signified to her at least that she was forgiven for not warning him about the whole Ginny thing.

"Really?" Yubelluna asked, looking over at Rias who simply nodded.

Like Rias, Yubelluna didn't know of any devil had that kind of power, and she had never heard of any Sacred Gear users that could predict the future either. That didn't mean there weren't any, just that they weren't well known. And with that kind of power, well anyone worth their salt would keep it a secret, I suppose.

"But it's more like…" Luna scowled, shifting this way and that in her seat as she tried to think of the words. "Like looking into a whole room by a small hole in the wall and trying to describe the whole room. I can barely understand it, so how am I supposed to make anyone else understand it? I see violence. Lots of violence, some of it in very weird places, like, like a giant bathroom somewhere, or underneath what looks like an inverted pyramid."

That caused Harry's eyes to widen, but Luna was on a roll now. "There's a boy, who's got six arms, but otherwise looks almost normal, and when I see him he's complaining about trying to fit into a human shape. In a lot of those images I see magical combat out in the open, at times with what I have to believe are muggle military units. And I see you Harry, a lot, and I see the effects of it… well, do you all know about how the world's magi-sphere is gaining strength? More magic coming back into the world I mean?"

"We know, but tell me what you can," Harry commanded. "Not about the images themselves, but what you have been able to figure out from them. Your interpretations are always worth as much as the raw data, Luna."

At his tone, Luna straightened up and replied as concisely as she could when talking about her visions. "The one clear thing I can say is that the Statute of Secrets is going to fall," she said bluntly. "If things continue the way they are, it may fall within half a year. If we can somehow stave that off, then it won't be as big an issue, but it will still be bad. Beyond that I'm afraid my understanding of my visions fades. There is a dangerous threat hidden in the shadows. You have to beware of the dagger in the shadows, you and a lot of other people. But don't get distracted by the little shadows either. And you must unlock the door, and then go on a journey."

Harry scowled and waited silently glaring across at Luna where she sat in the chairs they had shifted around to face the backmost row in the SUV. Luna shifted again in her seat for a moment, then burst out, "Fine, there were a few other visions. You are standing in a plain of some kind of grass that looked like glass. That lasted about a millisecond, then you were crossing swords with someone else and you retrieving some kind of statue, and being torn between taking it and something else, some kind of form on the ground nearby. Does that help you? Because it certainly didn't help me!"

She then sighed, deflating a bit. "I'm sorry I can't help you more. I just know that I have to be with you in the long run, and that the Wizarding World had better start getting itself under control going forward, or else bad things are going to be happening. But in the short term, you need to make your voice heard like I said, and become the boogeyman waiting in the wings. That will help a lot."

Slowly Harry nodded, then asked, "Does that mean you're going to be helping us now or does that mean you wish to move in with us in Kuoh."

"Both," Luna responded simply. "You are going to need someone who looks at things at an oblique angle soon too."

Harry's eyebrows rose and he crossed his arms, looking at her cockily causing Luna to giggle. "Yes, I know I got that from one of your books, and I know you don't need my help to look at combat issues like that. But this is going to be a magical one, I think. Something or other. I don't know!" she said, throwing her arms up so hard her hands smacked into the SUV's roof, causing her to wince. "You know that the closer to the present my vision is, the worst my ability to see something clearly gets. Something about my family that even I don't know is going to help you, but beyond that I can't tell you more."

"Can I cut in here," Rias requested, looking at Luna thoughtfully. She hadn't wanted to interrupt Harry's questioning, but felt she might have something to contribute now.

Luna nodded as did Harry, and Rias reached up to her eyes. "I'm going to examine you magically, it's shouldn't feel invasive or anything like that, but it's always nice to be asked before being examined isn't it?"

"Oooh, playing doctor!" Luna said, shifting back to her more playful, airy self. "I'm sorry though, I'm a married woman."

Rias giggled, and then tenderly took one of Harry's hands and raised it to her lips, kissing it. "So am I, magically speaking anyway."

Luna's eyes widened, and they appeared to film over again with that sort of pearlescent glow. As they did, Rias's own eyes sparkled with green and black magic as she stared at Luna thoughtfully. "Interesting," the redhead mused, reaching up to her eyes and canceling the technique.

"You two are magically bound!" Luna shouted, hopping up and down. "Oh, that's so romantic! You're going to have to tell me everything!" then her gaze shifted to Yubelluna. "But then why is, um, why, that is…"

"We promised to love one another, there was nothing about exclusivity," Harry said, summarizing how he and Rias had pledged themselves to one another with a certain amount of with some amusement in his voice. He had long since gotten over the whole monogamy polygamy issue, and even before he had done so, Harry had been incredibly interested in Yasaka at the time as well, and of course there had also been his first attempt to go out with Akeno. "We'll tell you about it later. For now Rias, what were you going to say?"

"She has a bit of an odd magical signature within her, something I've ever seen before. I think she might not be entirely human. No offense," she added hurriedly.

"None taken, my best friends are technically inhuman," she said, smirking at Harry who laughed.

But then he became serious, holding out his hand to her. "All right Luna, I agree. You and Rolf can both join us while we're here in the UK, and when we're ready to leave for Egypt, yes I'm going to be sticking my oar in there too, I'll set you up with a plane ticket to Japan and a letter of introduction that will smooth things over with the Onmyodo government."

"Excellent!" Luna clapped her hands.

But Harry overrode whatever else she was going to say. "And now you can also tell me why the hell Ginny is so interested in getting her hands back on Lily."

Luna winced her earlier delight disappearing. "Right, I should've expected that."

"You mean you didn't?" Harry retorted incredulously.

Luna huffed. "Well I'm sorry but for the last week and a half, my nights have been full of almost nonstop visions so fast and so furious I can't even sleep let alone make head or tail of them. So you'll forgive me if I'm not at my best."

Harry apologized quickly, a wince on his own face this time, which segued into a smile as Koneko and Lily both reached over and pulled Luna almost over the armrest into a group hug. "You looked like you needed one," Lily said with a smile.

"Thank you dears," Luna laughed nuzzling in with abandon. "Hugs are excellent things aren't they?"

"We're here," Loup said from the front, interrupting the conversation. "Or at least this is the address you gave me."

Looking out the window, Harry realized that they were indeed in front of the address. But while it was no longer under a Fidelius, the Black Mansion had its own defenses, which Harry had turned on prior to his and Lily leaving. Unless you had the family's blood in you, the mansion looked like a rundown ruin, which in the dark looked even more forbidding, along with a muggle repelling charm. There was even a sign outside saying something about it being a historical site, though Harry had never bothered to read the darn thing.

"Drive past the gate. Once you pass the halfway point of the driveway, I'll need to get out."

Loup complied, and a moment later Harry exited the car, moving forward only to pause. Huh, I wonder if my blood will still read as Black Family blood enough to turn off the other defenses. Still it read as Black Family blood after I became a werewolf, so… Shrugging his shoulders, he moved towards a specific stone that looked like it was carved to look like a tree stump set to one side of the driveway between it and the path that led to the pedestrian entrance. There he cut his palm open and let a few drops fall onto the top of the stone.

Nothing happened at first, then a brief surge of magic appeared before dying out. Harry scowled, and then called out, "Tonks, I might need you for this."

It actually took both Tonks and Lily adding in their blood with Harry's on the warding stone to get it to activate and the defenses to fall in turn. From inside the car Loup and the others watched as the image of the mansion in front of them changed to one that was whole and hale. In the light of the SUV's lights it still looked like something from the baroque era that had been created by an architect who didn't know there were colors lighter than a dark brown, but it was at least something you could live in. If you were color blind.

Harry led the way inside, with Lily bringing up the rear with Koneko. Soon, the group was ensconced in the kitchen around a large table as Harry, Rias, and Mittelt cooked a late-night snack as Harry asked Luna to explain what she knew about Ginny's desire to get her hands on Lily.

Wincing, Luna asked, "Do you know anything about Family Magics? I'm uncertain if the Potters really went into that."

Harry shook his head. "We didn't, if by that you mean blood-locked grimoires and esoteric rules of who could access them. My family has always been a bit more open about that kind of thing. There's a few Family Magics, transfiguration spells, lightning spells," Harry counted off on his fingers "But what we mostly did was magical items, and most of those were either confiscated or destroyed during the last two Dark Lord risings. I still have a few books about runes and stuff like that from the Potter's side of things that had been hidden in my parent's home which the ministry would probably cheerfully murder for, but they're mine and the Ministry is never going to touch them."

He chuckled wryly. "The Blacks though were big on that kind of thing. Stupid buggers then didn't bother to write down instructions on how to access a lot of it. Not anywhere I've ever found anyway. A lot of the books in the library are thus unreadable by anyone today, which is a great pity. The wards of the mansion might view me as a Black, with a bit of help now I noticed heh. But those books are much more discerning."

"The rest of us also know what Family Magics are, continue, please," Rias interjected.

"Do you recall that Molly was originally a Prewitt?" Harry nodded, making no overt move to indicate that Luna should hurry the hell up, but she did so anyway. "Well, while I hope that there's more to it, politically, Molly and Ginny have reached out to the traditionalists to claim that Lily is a Prewitt as well. The Prewitt's were a matriarchal family, they have been since their inception, and that goes back even further than the Potters, even further then the creation of magical Britain if you really want to know."

"Luna…" Harry growled.

"There is a lot of Family Magic involved. A lot. The family grimoire passed down from the head of the family to the next woman in line," Luna went on hurriedly. "But then Molly got pregnant out of wedlock, and the two Prewitt brothers both died in Riddle's first rising. If they had married and if their wives had been from magical families, they might have been able to inherit the family Grimoire and their vaults. But as it was, it sort of devolved to Molly through a process of elimination. But Molly can't access it due to esoteric family rules."

"Can I interject a question here," Yubelluna asked. "How do you know all this, Miss Luna?"

"Just Luna please. Ginny used to be one of my best friends and she has commiserated with me about losing Luna, hence why I hope there is more to this than the idea of Line Theft they've used to rally the traditionalists to demand your return. As for the rest, Rolf is as good at genealogy as he is at hunting for magical animals. He's the one that really worked it out for me. For my part, it might sound naïve, but I think that having her daughter taken away has sort of awoken Ginny's maternal instincts."

Lily scowled, sticking out her tongue at the very idea. "She'd have to have them in the first place to have them awoken," she said darkly.

"Wait, so why doesn't Ginny have access to the Prewitt Grimoire already?" Harry asked, stopping his chopping up carrots to ruffle his daughter's head lightly.

"Because of her mother's actions. Since Molly had her firstborn out of wedlock, and then only married after the fact, by the magical blood put on their family grimoire she would only have become the new matriarch of the Prewitt family if the firstborn had been a daughter and there was no other legal heir. Bill wasn't a girl. So Ginny had to basically work her way back in, again by the old rules of the Prewitt line. With Lily, Ginny became the new Prewitt matriarch-presumptive. When Lily had her first monthly she and Ginny would have conducted a ritual in order to unlock the Grimoire and Ginny would have then become the Matriarch in full."

"But that all ended abruptly when you divorced her. Although, I don't even know she knew about it until after you divorced her, and she and her mother began looking for ways to pressure you to return. Or else she and Lily would have already gone through the ritual to unlock the Prewitt grimoire."

"Is there money involved as well, or is it just the Grimoire that won't respond to Ginny without Lily around?" Harry inquired.

"I have no idea, but probably more than a bit, but as you know, the goblins are sadistic about following family rules on who can access family vaults, the more twisty and painful the better. I know more about the magic side of things. The Prewitt's had some real defense against the dark arts spells, lots of conjuration, lots of subtle mental manipulations, according to Rolf. He says one of the best Beast Handler books ever was written by a Prewitt, and Charlie has always been a natural at that kind of thing, so it makes some sense."

"So that's how she's gotten the Wizengamot on her side, well, that and the whole 'we want our poster boy back' angle. We've gotten several missives to that effect. But I thought that whole angle was a blind that Neville was using in order to try to get in touch with me," Harry mused thoughtfully.

"No it's real enough. Oh, Neville might be trying to contact you, the International Confederation of Wizardry is breathing down his and Shacklebolt's neck on the Egypt issue. When they hear you're going to look into that, they'll jump for joy," Luna replied airily, as if the Egypt question didn't matter at all to her, despite the fact it might have something to do with some of her visions.

"Yeah, I've already been asked to look into that issue my someone else who I can't ignore as happily as I would them," Harry scowled irritably although there was no heat in the expression. If both the Devils and the ICW felt something was going on there, and it had also begun to show up in the news of the non-magicals, Harry wanted to look into it and hopefully stop whatever it is before it got worse.

"I'm still a little confused here. I understand Ginny's angle here, at least I think I do, but what's in it for this 'traditionalist faction'?" Yubelluna asked.

"That comes back the fact that we had two dark Lords one after another, who weren't exactly clear about anything but 'us versus them'." Luna scowled. "About three years after Riddle was first beaten by our illustrious 'Boy Who Lived'…"

"Shut it," Harry said, giving her the finger, which she giggled at, but went on quickly.

"There was a law put on the books that stated that basically no family that had true Family Grimoires could be allowed to die out if there was any way to stop it. Too many of us have died out and no longer can access entire libraries' worth of magic, and that cuts into the power base of the families that have been magical for so long. What it essentially means is that the traditionalists, and the Dark-aligned families of course, have latched onto Ginny wanting Lily back and will probably try to force Harry to give Ginny back her parental rights, and for both of you to stay here in Britain."

"Let me make one thing clear," Rias growled. She had been silent throughout most of this discussion but spoke up now, and the look in her face would have made anyone who doubted whether or not she was a devil rethink that position. "Lily is ours! If Ginny tries anything, anything at all physically, I will end her and anyone who stands with her! I would suggest that the magical government of Britain has been misinformed on this point and needs to severely rethink its priorities, if it even understands or can agree on them in the first place."

"While I wouldn't put it quite that… well, violently, I agree that the idea of trying to separate Lily from Harry, let alone Lily from the rest of us, is something I would not care to live with," Asia said from where she was sitting at the table. She turned to smile at Lily, and then frown at Luna.

The frown was rather devastating Luna thought. It was like being frowned at by the cuddliest puppy in the world, with just a hint of fang showing.

Koneko too voiced her own annoyance at the very idea, patting Lily on the leg and saying simply, "Over my dead body."

"Over all of our dead bodies," Yubelluna interjected with a chuckle.

"The alternative is going to be letting the Family Grimoire rot along with the Prewitt vaults," Luna sighed. "And that is not going to make you any friends even among the mercantile clique and the 'light-aligned' progressives. Like I said, far too many old lines have died out, leaving their magics to fade away already. And the Prewitt's were an extremely prominent magical family before the first war against Riddle."

"And there are far too many politicians still in place who fondly remember that time," Harry said with a sigh. "Regardless, my decision stands. Any attempt to force Lily and me to stay here, or to try and separate us will be met with deadly force. To say nothing of that fact I literally can't stay here due to magical oaths I have taken in Kuoh."

Lily smiled and nodded firmly. "I don't want to go anywhere near Ginny," She said deliberately using her mother's name rather than the term Mother a point that did not pass Luna by.

"Well then," Harry said simply, clapping his hands. "In that case, I will beard the ancient dragons in their lair tomorrow, I believe showing up at the Wizengamot at their regular three o'clock shite session unannounced, and possibly blowing the doors off their hinges will be just the right set up."

Rias rolled her eyes at that but decided not to point out how a more subtle, yet still forceful approach would work better just now. Instead she busied herself with getting Lily ready for bed, chivvying a yawning Koneko and Asia along with the girl.

Behind her, the conversation turned to other things, with everyone plying Luna with questions about herself, her husband, and magical creatures, something Loup was interested in particularly. Luna in turn asked lots of questions about what it was like to live in Kuoh, and what they had all been up to since Harry had met them.

Some things were not shared, not yet. But it was good getting-to-know-you time, ending when Rolf came by to pick up his wife. He thoroughly enjoyed the sight of her in her cheerleading costume, and all the remaining adults had a good laugh at how he had been so quick to shove her through the Floo back to the Rookery.

Afterward, as Mittelt and Yubelluna cleaned up, and Harry, not feeling tired just yet despite it being two in the morning, set to work magically enhancing the interior of the SUV, a Lumos charm hovering above the car. Loup stayed with him, watching intently as Harry asked the other man some questions about off-road driving. Loup had been off-road driving hundreds of times before, whereas Harry had never actually done so before. But with their exploration in Ireland coming up soon they might need that kind of skill. To that end, Loup had several different ideas on how to further enhance the SUV for that kind of environment.

At that point, Rias came back, a specific question on her mind, and she asked Harry if they should head to Hogwarts to talk to Fawkes. "The Phoenix seemed to know things about your godly powers after all."

Harry shook his head. "No. Three reasons. One, the last I heard was that Ron had gotten a job there as Quidditch instructor. I don't want to have to force him to choose sides, especially since he already chose his sister over me once. I don't hold that against him, but I'm not going to make it any harder for him or me if I can help it. Two, there is no way I could be at Hogwarts and not cause disruption for one reason or another. Hogwarts doesn't have spring break you know. And three, I got the distinct impression after the last few times he, or she, showed up, that Fawkes will know precisely when to show up on her own."

In fact, Harry had a good idea of what the Phoenix in question was in truth, and she certainly wasn't simply a light-based bird. No, Harry believed the phoenix was something else entirely. Light-based for certain, but creature? No, not technically.

Happy with his work, Harry decided to call it a night for now before he turned to Loup. "You're going to stay up, right?"

The other werewolf nodded. "Yeah. Me and Mittelt slept most of the time on the last leg, so we're both still got energy."

"Good. Search through the Black library, your mage sight should be able to tell which books are cursed or not. Find any spells we might need for this trip or hell, any books that catch your eye we can take with us. Whatever the Wizengamot might think, I do not want to be coming back here anytime soon."

Loup nodded, and the group headed back inside.

OOOOOOO

After forcing himself to sleep, Harry woke up early the next morning to the sound of something tapping on the windowsill. Looking over at the window to the master bedroom of the mansion, he noticed a large goshawk sitting there looking regal on the specially warded balcony where all incoming messages would stop, and indeed there was a message tied to its forearm.

With a sigh, Harry tried to move out of bed, finding the maneuver more difficult than normal. Given the revelation that Ginny wanted Lily back in her life for some reason, Harry had been unsurprised to find his daughter invading his bed that night, although the fact that she dragged Asia and Koneko along had made for one heck of a cuddle pile, which Yubelluna bowed out of. Yubelluna still had trouble sleeping with just Harry, occasionally having flashbacks to her time with Riser, and the more people around, the worse it became. Then too, just like the rest of the adults she wasn't actually tired thanks to the time difference.

Eventually Harry was able to break Koneko's grip on his leg, and shift Lily onto Rias's chest. Moving Across Asia proved slightly harder given how she was splayed out on her portion of the bed, but he was still able to eventually move off the bed to the window. Opening it, he took the message, seeing the official mark of the ICW on it before looking at the goshawk. "Will you want some food before you leave?" he whispered.

The goshawk bobbed its head and flew up to his shoulder. In the kitchen he found Yubelluna already up - or still up - and making a simple breakfast for them all. She didn't enjoy cooking like many of the others in the family did, but she could at least look after herself in the kitchen. Mittelt too was there surprisingly, reading a book she'd found in the black library, as Loup read another beside her, making some notes on a piece of paper laid out on the desk nearby.

"Should I be concerned that you're reading that," he asked, gesturing at the title of the book. It was titled 'Be Clothed in Darkness, The Art of Cursed Clothing, and the Subtle Arts Therein'." The one in Loup's hands was labeled 'Traveling in Style' which was a far less worrisome title.

"Since this book tried to sting me several times before I figured out a way to remove the spell on it, maybe?" Mittelt replied, shrugging her shoulders. "I saw it when I was in there last night, and I figured, well while Devils and Fallen have natural magical resistance, that doesn't apply to our clothing? If you could bypass someone's magical resistance by targeting their clothing with say, a slow asphyxiation curse, or even just raise their surrounding temperature to50° Celsius making their clothing hot around them so that they sweat more, could be interesting."

"More subtle than I expected," Harry replied. "But so long as you're careful about what you try out of any of the books in the library here, feel free. Most of the curses and defensive enchantments on the books which can actually be read are far too specific to my mind, but some of them can be interesting."

Mittelt nodded at that, although she had no intention of availing herself to the majority of the library, believing much the same as Harry, that the wizard type spells within were too specific to be of much use. The clothing thing was simply interesting: Strangulation, your clothing suddenly developing spikes pointed inwards which ruptured your body like an iron maiden. Your shoes coming undone or becoming a bear's mouth and beginning to eat your feet.

Although oddly enough for the size of the book there didn't seem to be all that me actual spells, most of it was devoted to interesting examples of how they could be used, which had made for interesting bedtime reading the night before. Still, I wonder if spells targeting a Devil or Fallen's clothing will work? How far away from our physical bodies does our magic resistance extend?

For his part, Harry had already turned to other things, that being Yubelluna and watching her flit around the kitchen. She wasn't trying to be overtly sexual or anything like that, but she was wearing exercise shorts that hugged her rear and waist and a shirt. Her legs were absolutely amazing, a little bit longer than even Rias's and just as sculpted. Further, every time she turned to address this or that pan, Harry saw quite a bit of side boob given the cut of her exercise shirt. "Hmrrm…."

Hearing Harry's appreciative rumble Yubelluna felt her heart speed up but did not transfigure her clothing to something else or ask him to look away. Given the stage of their relationship, if Harry wanted to look that was fine with her, so long as he didn't try to touch. "Um, could you look after the bacon for me?"

Seeing the goshawk on his shoulder starting to drool out of the corner of his eye, Harry nodded, letting on hand travel along Yube's side as he took up position next to her. The touch sent a shiver up and down Yube's spine, and Yube smiled feeling it without feeling Harry trying anything else.

The two of them continued to work on breakfast for the clan for a time, then, with the goshawk happily munching on some bacon, Harry read the message that the goshawk had delivered. As he had known from the method of delivery it came from the ICW. Specifically from the Chief Mugwump, who had agreed to meet with him that morning at eight-thirty sharp. So is that because of who I am, or because of how shite things are right now? I suppose I will discover the answer soon enough.

Looking over at the clock, Harry noticed that it was seven forty-five now. "Hmmm, not a lot of time to get ready and head over to the International Floo."

"Are you going alone?" Mittelt asked, not looking up from her attempt to eat and read at the same time. "Not that I care, but after we've been attacked twice on this trip, I rather think any of us, not just the chibi, being alone is a bad idea."

"Actually, could I accompany you? I agree with Mittelt, and I doubt that Rias or the others will really need my skills, bandrui or otherwise," Yubelluna interjected.

"Hmm, okay, if anything does come up I rather think having a lawyer with me might be a good idea. I'm going to hop in the master shower now then, and we'll meet in the sitting room. I'll warn you now though, Floo travel is an… acquired taste. One I have never developed." Harry joked.

Nodding at that, Yube followed Harry out the kitchen door, leaving Loup and Mittelt there alone. The two of them were silent for a second then Loup looked up from his book, asking, "What did I bet on again?"

"You bet that Yubelluna would stop beating around the bush five days into the trip and they'd go to at least third base. I bet she'd jump Potter's bone on the way home," Mittelt replied promptly.

Loup paused, thinking. "Hmm, how much was it again? I'm thinking of doubling down."

"You can't do that. You need to place a secondary bet on whether it will have been the culmination of a planned romantic moment or a random act of kindness that pushes her over the edge," Mittelt lectured, causing Loup to scowl.

Upstairs on the third floor, Harry had paused outside the door to the master bathroom, which could be accessed by two doors, one from the bedroom next to it, and the other from the hallway. "Hello?" Inside, he heard the sound of water being turned off, and a second later the door opened revealing Rias, her hair still matted to her back and head, a somewhat weary, but welcoming smile on her face.

At that, Harry leaned forward, kissing her. "Morning, love."

After a few seconds she pulled back, humming appreciatively under her breath. "Are you off then? It's not normal for you to have a shower before everyone's eaten," She guessed, looking down at a suit he'd picked up from the luggage that he held in his hand.

"I'm afraid so. The Chief Mugwump has asked me to meet him earlier than I expected, so I have to get going. Yubelluna has asked to come with me, so I'll be taking her to the International Floo with me. What about you all?"

"We'll keep ourselves busy this morning, Tonks has said she'll show us around with Luna, who should be by for breakfast. Then we'll head into Diagon Alley for my meeting with Gringotts."

Last night, Rias had sent a request via Harry's Patronus that a representative would be arriving to discuss bank business at Gringotts, before heading to bed last night and they had replied that morning with the message:

We have received your notice with great interest. A representative of the bank and your account manager will be available for a meeting at ten-thirty London time promptly.

Remember that the bank's time is money, and any lateness on your part will be paid for out of your account with the bank.

Signed, Gringotts, United Kingdom branch manager, Darkhoof'

Blunt to the point of rudeness and exceedingly short it had still told Rias all she needed to know.

"Send a Patronus if you can get away to meet with us for lunch, or if we should expect to see you for dinner instead." Rias looked at Harry worriedly. "Just remember Harry, that in politics, control, setting the stage and seeming reasonable is going to have more of an impact than raging. Rage, and you seem childish and controlled by your emotions. Speak softly but let your presence say much more and you will be taken more seriously."

"Heh. I'll try to remember to keep my temper intact, though I find it wrong that you are saying that to me. Or do I not have to ask that you please not kill Ginny if you see her?" he teased, before going on more seriously. "The fact that I'm back in the UK will start to spread quickly, and she'll be looking to confront me about Lily, regardless of her reasons for wanting access to Lily again. I doubt she has any hint of you or the others though, except for the fact that you're all magicals."

Unless of course some of those workers in the customs office are the gossiping sort. If so, she'll probably have heard about the possibility that I have moved on at the very least. Not that it's any of the business of hers any longer, he thought acerbically.

"Don't worry if I run into Ginny, I won't kill her out of hand. Crippling however is still on the cards," Rias drawled, although internally she was kind of apprehensive. Oh, she believed Ginny was not looking to become a part of Lily's life again because she wanted to, she really was after the Prewitt vault and Grimoire, whatever Luna thought of her old friend. But she was worried that Lily might, in a moment of weakness, think as Luna did, which would open up a large can of worms to say the least.

Harry laughed at that, although he knew that Rias really wasn't joking, and he changed the topic adroitly. "But before we go I'm going to call Hermione. I'll see you later."

With that, Rias moved out of the way to let Rias out of his way, heading into the bathroom. Soon after, he was kneeling in front of the fireplace, the flames bright green in front of him. "Granger-Patil residence."

In Italy Hermione looked up from where she was reading through a stack of papers to gape at the face that had just appeared outlined in the green fire that flashed up from her fireplace. "Harry! You're on the Floo network, but I didn't think the Japanese used it. Or did they make a special dispensation for you? Extending the Floo network that far…"

"No, we're back in the UK. I did send you a message saying we would be."

"Yes but you didn't give me any dates. Darn it, I wanted to be there to help you address this can of worms Ginny has opened."

"And I told you you shouldn't be!" shouted a second female voice.

Hermione's image rolled her eyes, then looked back into the fireplace. "That was Padma, of course."

Padma's voice sounded out this time much closer, her own head appearing in the fireplace as she budged Hermione over slightly. "Your problems with Ginny are your own. Whatever she's set in motion adding Hermione to the mix would simply compound them. I seem to recall a certain Ravenclaw girl who was literally tossed off your lap when Hermione whistled for you, and I'd wager Ginny does too."

"I didn't whistle," Hermione muttered, "I just needed his help us all."

"And Harry, as the good friend that he was, tossed aside his current girlfriend for you. Is it any wonder rumors about your being together followed both of you all the way through Hogwarts?" Padme asked, her tone making it a rhetorical statement rather than a question.

"In my defense, I don't think three dates, all of which ended up with her sniveling on me mean that I really was going out with Cho Chang. In fact even now I bet if you asked her a simple question about Harry the man, rather than Harry Potter the Boy Who Lived, she wouldn't be able to give you an answer."

"Your favorite color is green, you like steak, but that's only your werewolf side talking. Your human side prefers fish, particularly small little dainties," Rias replied from behind him, just before Lily hopped on his back and smooshed his face down into the bottom of the fireplace, thrusting her own head into the fire. "And that just looks wrong. But if there are any allegations on that score ladies, I will be the one addressing them. Right now, Harry has a meeting he needs to get to."

"She's right girls. We'll talk again sometime soon, I'll be in this hemisphere for at least a week probably more. I just wanted to tell you we were here." With that verbal pause given, Lily started to speak to Hermione and Harry left her and Rias there, meeting Yubelluna in the foyer.

There Harry found Yubelluna dressed in a women's business suit rather than the normal wizard robes. The business suit consisted of a semi-tight skirt that fell to just above her knees, a slightly less tight blouse and jacket combo, and high heels that made her long legs even longer and possibly better looking too. It looked excellent on her, but it would probably ruffle some feathers later. Not that Harry cared, too busy just taking in the view. "Damn, have I mentioned you're gorgeous lately?"

Smiling, Yubelluna linked her arm with his. "Not today. And you're looking rather handsome too, my lord," she teased.

Harry patted her hand, then a playful glint entered his eyes. "Tell me because I can't remember, have I Apparated with you yet?"

"No, if I've needed teleportation Rias has been the one to supply it. I am now wondering if I should have skipped breakfast from what I've heard about the process." Yubelluna pouted at Harry, then batted her eyelashes at him. "Please be gentle?"

"Always, my lady, unless of course I'm asked not to be," Harry said leaning forward to press his forehead against the purple-haired woman's who flushed slightly at the contact and the banter going with it, licking her lips. "Close your eyes. It makes it easier the first time."

"…okay, was that an innuendo or an actual bit of advice," Yubelluna said leaning backward even as she closed her eyes. "Because I have to say when we get to that point I am about as far beyond a…"

The next second the two of them had disappeared from the Black mansion, reappearing in a small cubicle that was set to the side of a large, somewhat busy hallway. Yubelluna stumbled into Harry, who caught her, his arms around her while Yubelluna's stomach fought against itself. "Oooh, you… you…" She growled, jabbing him in the chest hard. "Warn me next time, you oaf!"

"But that would have made you tense up, and that would have made it worse. Trust me, I know. Side-along Apparition is no fun," Harry commiserated with her, gently stroking her hair.

Eventually she recovered enough to stand upright on her own, and Harry led the way to the Floo they would be taking to the ICW headquarters building. As he did, Yubelluna looked around them in interest. There were only about seven people here at this time, two Aurors on duty by a large doorway to one side of the brick and stone hallway they were in, and five other people moving to or from the three fireplaces set along one wall. To the side of each fireplace, which was as large as a tall man, was a bowl on a plinth holding scintillating green powder.

Yubelluna's mode of dress drew some frowns, but Harry there drew even more looks of shock and even some alarm. One woman nearly had Yubelluna calling on her Sacred Gear when she hissed and drew back against the wall, grabbing her children to her and muttering "The werewolf always wins out." But she womanfully refrained, simply settling for glaring the woman until Harry had pulled her along to the correct Floo.

"Come on My Lady," Harry said, using his semi-nickname for her, causing Yubelluna to smile despite herself. "They aren't worth it."

"But you are," she whispered back, causing Harry's wry smirk to shift into a bright smile.

But then they were in front of one of the fireplaces and the smile fled his face. "Right, this is going to be bad whatever. However, make certain you enunciate your destination clearly. Otherwise, well, let me go first and I'll try to catch you." Harry pinched a bit of the Floo powder, tossing it into the fire, then intoned clearly, "ICW Headquarters," before stepping forward into the fire.

When it became her turn, Yubelluna exhaled and did the same, thinking dark thoughts about wizards and their modes of magical transportation. The only one that makes sense is the flying carpet, and it's mostly outlawed in Europe! Idiots.

On the other side she stumbled, her legs feeling like Jell-O and fell forward onto the grumbling pile of Potter at her feet. She felt her breasts flatten against his side and their legs tangled for a moment before she regained control of herself, pushing off of Harry and then standing up, grateful she'd opted for the long skirt option with her business suit and blouse combo. "What was that about catching me?" Yubelluna groused

"Have I mentioned I hate Floo travel," Harry retorted, also standing up as they looked around them, not looking at the four guards on duty who were trying not to snicker at them. Or mutter about how lucky Harry was to have Yubelluna falling onto him like that.

Moving away from Harry so he could get to his feet, Yubelluna looked around with interest.

The international Confederation of Wizardry Headquarters was, of course, a massive white tower located deep in the Alps of Austria. It was almost forty stories tall and looked so thin it should sway in the breeze but didn't. To one side of a large, standalone fireplace was a walkway leading to a large amphitheater. The amphitheater looked to be built along the same lines as one that could be found in Roman times, if smaller, and with something that looked almost like a latticework of gold and gray barely visible fibers above it, possibly a magical canopy to keep out wind and rain.

Around them a garden of shrubs and small bushes, with a few trees here and there, spread in every direction. The Bandrui in Yubelluna almost caused her to scoff at how fake it all looked. There was nothing in sight that looked like a real forest should. The Wailing Willows nearby which rattled their large fist like branches towards Harry and her were somewhat interesting though, and Yubelluna wondered if they would have time to examine them. From a safe distance of course.

Harry ignored them though, nodding his head towards the largest security guard that was standing near the entrance. He looked as if someone had crossed a troll with a human, obviously having been chosen for the intimidation factor. "Mr. Potter, we were expecting you. Head on up, Mr. Pascal will see you momentarily. Your companion…"

"My lawyer, just in case. She can wait in the Supreme Mugwump's waiting room, I presume? Just in case we require her professional input," Harry stated, smirking somewhat as he turned just enough to wink at Yubelluna.

Yubelluna nodded to the guard who grunted acceptance, since no one in the ICW knew why Potter was here.

He held out a clipboard, which Harry signed, noting the sting in his hand as it took some of his magical energy, marking Harry, and then his companion, as themselves rather than someone else under an illusion or Polyjuice. If Harry had written some other name down, his own magic would have rebelled against him. And as Harry and Yubelluna entered the building, he felt some of the wards around it activate. They would in turn make certain that Harry wasn't under the Imperious curse.

Inside, Harry and Yubelluna immediately entered an elevator, which instantly took him up to the eighth floor the moment he said who he was here for. "If I didn't have an appointment, the elevator wouldn't have worked, and would instead have opened right into the security room, where there was always at least seven on duty Aurors. The ICW took its security seriously."

"So I see. It's fascinating from a magical perspective, but from a strength perspective…" Yubelluna opined.

"Agreed. Once other magicals can see past the Notice-Me Not arrays they can overpower anything else within the normal Wizarding World," Harry answered in an almost whisper.

The two of them made small talk for a time until the rather slow elevator stopped on the fortieth floor where Harry got out, finding himself stepping into a waiting area, fronted by a desk set next to a doorway leading into the Chief Mugwump's actual room. That secretary looked up and gaped. "Potter! You're his emergency meeting?"

"Hello to you too Ernie. How's life been treating you?" Harry drawled, moving towards the door. Ernie MacMillan and Harry had never gotten along in school. Harry found Ernie pretentious and far too much of an arselicker and gossiper, particularly of malicious gossip, for his taste. It didn't surprise Harry that Ernie would become a secretary for an important man, which the Chief Mugwump was, but Harry hoped he didn't have the man's ear too.

"Not nearly as good as you obviously," Ernie grumbled, glaring at Harry then away to Yubelluna and back again.

"I'd say clean living, but it's mostly the need to keep myself in fighting trim," Harry shrugged, deliberately not commenting on that look. "Now, if you would announce me to your boss?"

The door opened before Ernie could reply, and an old, extremely tanned face appeared there, poking his head around the edge of the doorway. "Ernie I heard you, ah Mr. Potter. If you could come in? I understand you wanted to speak to me about something important?"

The man's tone was nervous, as well as unctuous but Harry didn't take it personally. He didn't know Mr. Roberto Lyle very well, but he had heard good things about him. Harry thought he was Portuguese or something like that, but whatever his original language had been, had disappeared into an urbane English accent by this point in his tenure. He had taken over the position of Chief Mugwump from Dumbledore during the Riddle's second rise to power.

He was obviously a politician, but he was a well-regarded statesman, who understood his own limitations, always was willing to ask for expert advice, and often times did so before problems arose rather than during or after. That made him an odd and very precious duck in political terms regardless of the world he was currently in. An example of this was how he asked for opinions on Riddle's second rise to power and what it could mean, and then sent international Aurors in to help when it became clear that the war was going to spiral out into the non-magical world. They hadn't been much help in actually taking the fight to Riddle and his followers, but they had at least helped to confine the violence in the magical world.

"Good Morning Mr. Lyle, and yes, I do have something important to talk about. If my lawyer could wait here, I doubt we'll need her for most of our discussion, but we might require Yubelluna's aid near the end."

"Of course, of course. Ernie, if you could get the charming young lady a cup of tea, or whatever she wants? There should be one of those ever-updating newspapers somewhere around here, or a three-dimensional crossword puzzle. Please come in, Mr. Potter," The man said, his voice brisk, but very quick to boot.

Yubelluna picked up on this, then leaned in to grab Harry's arm, whispering in his ear, uncaring of how this looked to the other two men in the room. "He's too eager to see you Harry, especially after you were the one to reach out to him. Remember that and remember to charge for any services you are asked to render."

Harry nodded, then winked at her before gently pulling his arm away from her and entering the office behind Lyle.

The inside of his office was spare, almost spartan, but for the shelves of law books along one wall. It also had a nice glow globe in the opposite corner. This was a place where he worked, not a place he lived in, utterly unlike Dumbledore and his offices, Harry reflected. Harry had seen this office when it had been one of Dumbledore's, and even in comparison to the office in Hogwarts, it had been incredibly cluttered. Not so much with furniture like his bed or anything similar, but of trophies, items and knickknacks. This made for a dashed good change in Harry's opinion.

Roberto moved towards his desk, gesturing Harry into a seat after shaking his hand firmly if nervously. "So, you, you wanted to speak to me about something? But the message that I received didn't indicate what it was going to be about. If this is about the request we passed to the Japanese government asking for your help in…"

Harry frowned. He hadn't gotten any missive from the ICW, only from the Ministry of Magic and Neville in his position as Head of the Wizengamot. But then he felt something tremble in the ground underneath them. With the recent attacks on him and his family and making him paranoid Harry reached out quickly to grab the man's arm before it could even fall back to his side, tossing him to the floor just as the outer wall of the building exploded.

"Protego!" He shouted, creating a shield around both of them, as the entire building was rocked by a blast. "I think, Chief Mugwump, that what I'm here for can wait," he intoned dryly.

As he spoke, several powerful spells, one a cutting curse and another a Bowel Exploding curse, smashed into his shield, followed by a conjured spear of stone, which Harry shattered with his own offensive spell. Cocking Nora! What is it with me being attacked these days?!

Outside, three people were hovering in the air on a magic carpet. Two of them were now lobbing Bombarda spells into the opening they'd created a moment ago. The third, was a woman who was preparing some kind of longer enchantment. She was not human whatever her guise however, Harry could tell that just by how much power she was radiating to his senses. She must have been the one to shatter the wards around the building.

Below, the Aurors were already responding. They were fighting off several other attackers, along with conjured creatures and what looked like a manticore that had somehow been smuggled onto the grounds of the headquarters building. They seemed to be holding their own, but there was no response yet to the trio in the air.

"Down with the ICW! Up with the magic! Lord Ares will rule all!" The attacking wizards shouted.

The other one, who was most actually not a witch but something else entirely, didn't bother shouting out a slogan. Instead she was whispering out a long stream of words, obviously an enchantment of some kind.

An enchantment that Harry did not intend to let her finish. "Tell your Aurors to concentrate on the land assault, Yubelluna, lob spells down on that manticore," Harry said, hearing the door behind them smash open as Yubelluna barreled in. Behind him, Ernie was still sitting behind his desk on the floor, looking utterly shocked at the sudden upheaval to his nice, sane world.

With Yubelluna behind him, Harry moved towards the now open office wall, stepping through the rubble calmly. After all, for him, it was just another Tuesday. "I will deal with the aerial assault. Accio flying carpet!"

The carpet underneath the trio in the air jerked, grabbed by Harry's magic and pulled in his direction like someone had just pulled on a rubber band. The three people on it were able to retain their footing, and one of them even shot out a spell, which Harry contemptuously batted aside with one hand. He then sent out a stunner, followed by a massive Lumos spell that blinded all three attackers and stopping the nonhuman magic user from using whatever spell she had been preparing.

By the time they were able to see again, Harry was in the air above them, landing lightly on the carpet, no one the wiser in how he got there bar Yube. Two Stupefies sent the two wizards into unconsciousness. Then Harry was pressing his finger into the chest of this third person, glowing with magical potential, just as his eyes were currently. Behind the thing-in-woman's clothing in front of him, Harry saw Yubelluna starting her own attack, using the verbal shout of Bombarda and Reducto to cover her use of her Sacred Gear on the manticore below.

Knowing she could handle the creature and feeling that the fight on the ground was already cooling off, Harry kept his own attention trained on the Devil, Fallen or other in front of him. "Now, what are you? Your no wizard," Harry said, his mage site on as he stared at the creature. 'Creature' was the right word, Harry reflected. Harry had never seen the colors of the magic within this being a kind of dark, almost pulsing brown and umber. And it's strong too. And it reeks of decay, makes me glad I'm not in my werewolf form.

The thing in woman's clothing sneered at him, and then raised her hands very slightly and slashed forward, forcing Harry to duck under hands that were suddenly more like massive claws than anything else. The spell however had already left his lips, "Sectumsempra!" The dark cutting curse slashed into the creature, heavily overloaded with Harry's magic. Whatever resistance it might have had against a normal wizard was not up to stopping or even partially halting Harry's spell, which cut the thing into flinders from the waist up, sending quite a lot of offal off the side of the flying carpet to land among those below.

Hmm, okay that was a bit much I'll admit. I wanted to injure it severely, not make it into pate. Still, what's done is done. Grabbing the two prisoners, Harry slowly navigated the carpet back down to where Roberto, was gaping up at him, landing next to Yubelluna who smiled at him, while the sounds of combat started to die out below. "So, where do you want me to drop these two?"

Several hours later, after Harry had sent a text by cellphone to Rias telling her he would probably be a little later than he had hoped and that lunch was off the table, Harry sat down across from Roberto's desk. Repairo spells had done their normally excellent job, while a group of wizards was going over the wards of the area trying to figure out what had happened to them. Yubelluna was once more waiting outside, being waited on by a suddenly much more circumspect Ernie.

"W, well Mr. Potter, I see that semi-retirement into becoming a teacher hasn't slowed you down much. On behalf of the ICW, and for myself, thank you very much for stepping in as you did." The old man said, mopping his brow with a handkerchief which was still sweaty with remembered fear even now long after the fighting had stopped. He was not a fighter in any way, and the brush with death was going to give him nightmares for days.

Roberto looked Harry thoughtfully, lips quirking wryly. "Honestly, from what little I've been able to discern about your Hogwarts years even now, far too few people have actually expressed gratitude to you over the years."

"Perhaps but regardless you are welcome," Harry replied noncommittally, seeing that as a ploy to get on his good side. "However, what would be more welcoming would be to tell me what the heck all that was about?"

"They were shouting the name of Ares," Roberto sighed. "The Greek revolutionaries must have heard that there was going to be a vote today about creating an intervention team to go in after them."

"So they respond with an attack on you and the ICW confederations building? That seems counterproductive. It makes them more of a threat, not less," Harry protested.

"That would be true, in a normal, logical world. Unfortunately, the delegates to the ICW are not very logical, and I do not doubt that there have been other attacks like this today. Further, Ares, that is an assumed name we know although we don't know who's behind it, has allies in other countries. They will help to disrupt the vote. Furthermore, the need to protect sites like this and elsewhere from more attacks will cut down on our manpower. With so many other countries dealing with their own internal issues, I don't think that we'll be able to pull together the manpower I had hoped to deal with Ares and his ilk."

"Do they have a name?" Harry asked, while thinking deeply. This wasn't how I hoped this meeting would go, but perhaps it can be worked in my favor regardless.

"Ares and his group? The Nationalist Party for Magical Supremacy is their official name. The Chimeras are what they are called and what they call themselves when they are about their acts of violence. A particularly fitting name, considering that several times they have actually used Greek Chimeras in their terrorist acts."

Harry winced. A Class Six dangerous creature as the wizards thought of things, Greek Chimeras were exceedingly difficult to put down, for most wizards anyway. Harry had been able to deal with one during his Defense Against the Dark Arts mastery test with relative ease, but even then Harry had been several dozen times stronger than most wizards. Now of course his power was even greater, but for the average Auror or Hit Wizard, it would take a team of dedicated beast hunters to put one down. "I presume that's part of the reason why the Greek government wasn't able to deal with them?"

"That, and the fact that the Greek government was already dealing with other issues," Roberto said with a sigh. "We were within a few weeks of basically declaring the Greek Ministry of magic a nonfunctioning government due to its own inherent corruption and other issues before their Minister was assassinated. This is the furthest beyond their borders they have reached. But we have seen the writing on the wall coming for a while."

"And you say that manpower would be the major issue in your being able to deal with them?"

"Indeed. Even chimeras would not be all that difficult to handle with dedicated teams. Dedicated teams who wouldn't be worth much in simply guarding buildings. Now, it would be more anti-wizard work than anything else we would need more manpower for."

"Then I think we might want to be able to help one another," Harry replied, and watched as Roberto set up straight, looking at Harry with even more interest than before.

I'm not willing to deal with this issue in Greece, not without the ICW at least making it effort first. Sirzechs might have said that they were worried about the issue in Greece just as much as in Egypt, but he didn't sell me on it very well. But I bet after I drop my news they might be able to see to it themselves.

"You see in my travels over America, I came across something interesting. Something that you can probably use to browbeat them into offering the manpower you need. What would be the international Confederation of Wizardry's response to the idea of one of its members keeping tabs on foreign nationals as well as plans to use magic to influence non-magicals?"

"Horrible annoyance, and then great rage," Roberto said coldly,, his hands gripping together hard on the desk. "That kind of misuse of magic, I'm assuming you're talking about something beyond simply keeping magic a secret, is precisely why the International Confederation of Wizardry was created. Furthermore, there are laws about magically tracking people, which are among the oldest the ICW enforces. After all, if you track someone through their blood, it is a truly short jump to controlling them with it."

"From what I saw they weren't using blood so much as hair, teeth, and nails, but the point is well taken. I presume you have access to a Pensieve here?" Three minutes of small talk later the pensive role arrived, and Harry implanted his memory into the bowl.

Roberto dove in, watching the fight against the locals on the beach from Harry's perspective. A fight where none of the Devils showed anything but wizard spells, and European spells at that. The only bit missing was Loup and Koneko closing the distance and using their hands and feet to fight.

From there, Harry's memory skipped straight to the interior of the Vault and what it looks like inside. Roberto looked around with interest, scowling as he noted some of the same names that Harry had made a note of before. "Suddenly I am extremely glad that I have never had to travel to America. And you're saying this tracking would work wherever you were in America? But not outside of it?"

"I think it would work in Canada and in South America as well," Harry cautioned. "I believe the only limitation to it is ocean travel, and the distance inherent thereof."

"Stop the memory," Roberto ordered suddenly, looking to the side where several names Harry hadn't noticed before were shown in the periphery of his memories vision. Roberto moved over to them, reading them slowly then exhaled through clenched teeth. "I take it you don't follow American politics?"

"I wouldn't follow any politics if I had a choice," Harry replied dryly. "Why?"

"If you had, you would know that at least some of these are indeed American, South American, and Canadian names of especially important people, including the American President. A few magicals here, and a few non-magicals. Odd, I would've thought that the non-magical boxes would've been delineated in another color given everything else here. But this is more than enough proof for me to take to the ICW American ambassador and force some concessions. Quite a lot of concessions in point of fact. As well as to eventually shame them into shutting this program down. The Americans might be powerful in terms of numbers, and obviously magical engineering, but if it's found out that they are flaunting ICW law like this, they will face severe repercussions."

Moments later the two of them were back in Roberto's office. For a moment Harry just sat, thinking, as Roberto wrote out several different notes, before putting them to the side for now as he leaned back in his chair once more to look at Harry. "So, what did you want in return for the use of those memories? I can obviously see what they can do to help me, and the situation in Greece in particular, but the way you stated that we could help one another seems to imply that you want something rather than are just passing this on to us out of the goodness of your heart."

"From the Americans? I want access to some of their magical engineers in the future. I was immensely impressed by their construction work, if not what they used it for. Not right now but call it a debt going forward. I will ask for them and you will help to convince the Americans to provide them."

"Done," Roberto said with a nod. "I won't even argue or ask what you want them for. Bloody hell, I doubt the Americans would argue much about that, even if they don't like their citizens to leave America."

With that memory and concessions I can force from it, my manpower shortage is going to disappear! He thought to himself. While Harry had obviously not been overly impressed by the Aurors of the Americans, it was a fact that America was easily the largest magical community in the wizard in the world. In fact, they almost matched the next two largest, that of Canada and India, combined.

"My other two requests are not as simple. You might not know this, but there have been some noises in the Wizengamot of the United Kingdom to pressure me to return to the United Kingdom, and furthermore, to allow my former wife to at least have partial-parental rights to my daughter. After the breakup, this is the last thing I want to allow. I want them off my back," Harry ended bluntly. "I want the Wizengamot to leave me and mine alone. I want the ICW to do the same. I will handle Ginny on my own, so long as she cannot get the law on her side. To that end I want to make certain that no laws or acts of government will be passed that will attempt to force me to return again."

Roberto nodded instantly. "We can put some pressure on the United Kingdom for that kind of thing, easily. After all, making a law that is basically aimed at a single person is not a proper use of a government's power. And I can make a call to my ambassador to the Ministry. Lafarge will make a statement in the British Wizengamot when you confront them. What else?"

"Second, while I am not very interested in stepping in to help you solve this issue in Greece unless it is proven that even this strike team of yours is going to be overmatched, what can you tell me about what has been going on in Egypt?"

Sighing inwardly in relief, Roberto smiled slightly. "Well, not a whole lot, but I can tell you what my investigators have been able to tell me…"

OOOOOOO

While Harry and Yubelluna were having their interesting day in Austria, Rias and the others had planned to spend their morning sightseeing in the magical world. The only exception was Mittelt, who stayed home exploring the mansion's library, and Loup, who was doing the same, and would meet up with them for lunch.

At first Rias and the other non-wizards had problems even getting into the Wizarding World. The Notice-Me-Not arrays were so powerful that unless you came from that branch of magic and had that type of magical aura, getting through them was impossible without a witch or wizard helping you. Tonks and Luna did so, but even then, for a few minutes as they passed through the outer area of the first Wizarding community they would have to lead Rias and the others forward. They didn't have wizard-type auras despite being able to use their spells had trouble not wanting to turn around and almost flee the area.

Eventually though they got over it and had some fun. With Luna and Tonks playing as tour guides, they had spent the early morning exploring some of the less well-known shopping districts around Britain. These were places that specialized in one area or another of using magic: clothing, musical instruments, tents, charmed household items, and so forth. Rias came away from it all with a sense of bemused wonder and some chagrin. While a lot of the magic on the show was extremely specialized, it was also beyond what most Devils could recreate easily. Doorways that could be told to tell people to go away? Self-emptying lavatory seats? Clothing that cleaned itself? Tents that could hold an entire house within, without breaking the cloth with the power of the enchantment?

The name of the game for the wizards seemed to be innovation and application. In contrast, devils, Fallen and Angels all specialized in combat, brute force, mental magics, and, to a certain extent element and dimensional manipulation. But it wasn't as if they couldn't have thought up some of the charms and enchantments wizards could use, it was simply that the idea would never occur to them to do so. For all their magic, most of the Three Factions used far less magic on a day to day basis than wizards and witches. Moreover, Rias knew from experience at this point that Devils and those of equal strength sometimes had trouble learning wizard-style spells given that difference in power.

And yet, she could also see why Harry had been so determined to give Lily an education in the non-magical world. In other areas, astronomy, math, geology, geography, history, current events, and so forth the Wizarding World was incredibly backward. The clothing everyone wore was late Middle Ages if that. Robes for men? Robes for women? There didn't seem to be much innovation or social progress despite their amazing magic.

And that didn't even count the times when Lily was recognized. The others didn't exactly blend in, but after a few glances most people simply assumed they were foreign muggle-born and ignored them or looked at them with disdain for it.

Lily though? A few people who recognized her looked as if they wanted to go up to her and say something, while others just simply glared at her nastily, or turned away entirely, muttering under their breath so that Rias couldn't hear them. Of course if they glared a little too long, Koneko noticed, and her flat, narrow-eyed stare, seems to unnerve even the largest man rather quickly.

Lily cheerfully ignored it all. The whispers and rumors and name-calling had gotten to her before she had left. That was no longer the case. She had friends, she had people who cared for her more than just her daddy. She had her big sisters and everyone else in the clan. The opinions of strangers no longer bothered Lily at all. Indeed, she almost smirked back at them occasionally, as if daring them to say anything.

They got back to Diagon Ally at around ten-twenty, and Rias looked at the others. "Koneko, Tonks, could you take Lily and head back to the mansion?"

"I'm also plum hungry, so let's get a move on shall we?" Tonks agreed with a nod.

"Actually I have a better idea. Let's go to my home. I think you will enjoy it there, and while it is close to the Weasley's place, it is also warded against intrusion," Luna interjected. "I'll cook for us there, since I know Tonks' idea of cooking is knowing the names of the nearest muggle restaurants."

As the others left Diagon quickly, Rias, Loup and Asia at the front of the bank around 15 minutes early for the meeting, and Rias smirked as she saw some of the goblins on guard outside the building notice her and realize what she was. Interesting, they know both what I am, and what Loup is evidently, but they don't seem to pick up on Asia as a threat.

"Are those goblins?" Asia whispered, staring at the two guards on duty. They were short creatures, only coming up to just below her chest and had gnarled features, with dark beady eyes set deep in their faces, long ears, sharp teeth and perpetual sneers to go with their Large noses and large halberds in hand. The two guards wore gleaming plate armor, as well as perpetual scowls on their faces, which seemed to have deepened when the trio approached the doors, their eyes locked on Rias.

Rias nodded, also examining the two guards for a brief moment before moving between them to the doors. She watched the guards, out of the corner of her eye, the halberd heads twitching as if to come down to block her path. But neither did, and she reached the doors. One of them however did growl out a warning in their own language. "Beware Devilkin, we do not know how you were able to get past the wizard wards but know that ours are made of stronger stuff. If you are here to make mischief, you will find yourself feeding our lesser dragons faster than your heart can bleed."

"Any trouble that I run into here won't be because I started it." Rias replied tartly.

The goblin who had spoken growled at that, but then seems to shift away from Asia, a confused look on his face as he noticed for the first time the cross she wore over her more typical witch's garb. She curtsied to them, which seemed to confuse them even more, making both of them almost dismiss Loup entirely as he followed the two women into the bank.

Inside, Rias found a teller that didn't have anyone in front of him at the moment. Again she noted that the goblin seems to recognize her race at the very least, stiffening in shock, before its eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What can Gringotts do for one of your kind?"

"One of my kind is it," Rias muttered, shaking her head. "And here I thought that your distaste for me was more of an institutional thing since we devils are also good at business and handling money and contracts and such like. It seems a bit more visceral than that however." And makes me wonder if I read these goblins as businesspeople first wrong.

The goblin harrumphed, before gesturing her to speak again. "You didn't say what you were doing here. Time is money succubus."

"Was that supposed to be an insult?" Rias asked, her brow furling before she shook her head. "If it was, it was a rather poor one. In any event, I am Rias Gremory-Potter. I have an appointment at ten-thirty."

That seemed to make the goblin scowl even deeper, and Rias realized that the goblin's dislike of her had changed from an impersonal thing to a much more personal one. It was evident that the goblins hadn't gotten over the fact that Harry had transferred so much of his money out of his vault yet. "Key."

Without a word Rias handed over the key and the Goblin scowled, holding it for a moment, then handing it back. When she took it, he handed over a pen, which Tonks or Harry would have recognized as a Blood Quill. "Write your full name on this piece of paper. The paper will turn black if you are not in fact married to Potter as you claim."

"I claim nothing, I have simply stated fact," Rias retorted, before writing out her name quickly and neatly in English. She felt a brief sting from her hand and noticed that the color of the writing matched the color of blood, which made Rias realize what the pen was.

To the teller's chagrin, the paper remained white, Rias's name on it written out neatly, before glowing a soft golden glow, one letter after another sizzling out. Grumbling, the teller realized that yes, Rias was who she said she a final snarl the teller rang a bell, and a runner appeared next to them, a younger goblin, whose face wasn't nearly as craggy or hairy. "Take this one and her companions to meeting room one thousand, one hundred and eighty-six."

The runner glared just as much as the teller had, before nodding his head abruptly, and gesturing them on. "This way."

A moment later they were shown to two mining carts, where the goblin got in first, and gestured them into the cart behind him. They had barely gotten settled in their seats before it took off, speeding through a long series of twists and turns as they delved deeper underground.

Loup grinned, thrusting his hands up into the air, enjoying himself immensely while Rias simply smiled and sat back liking the breeze on her face. Asia on the other hand seemed a little queasy, and clutched her rosary with one hand, while clinging to Loup's arm with the other. "I, I don't suppose we could go slower? Or take a more direct route?"

"One speed only. And no foreigner will ever be allowed to take any so-called direct route in Gringotts," the goblin barked, seemingly amused by her discomfiture. However his amusement faded as became clear the other two weren't bothered at all, only Asia. One out of three was a poor score in his opinion.

As they traveled deeper into the earth, Rias began to frown, feeling a little odd. Nothing purely physical, Rias just began to feel a beat off. Strange. Perhaps a response to the number of defensive enchantments and wards around the place? Or something purely antidemonic? Hmm… When the feeling didn't grow stronger, Rias decided to set it aside for now.

Not nearly soon enough for Asia's stomach, they finally arrived in front of a series of doors, marked with letters rather than numbers on one side of the mine cart. On the other side were several guards, all of whom stiffened, and seemed to glare at Rias. Yes she thought to herself, I think I have misread the situation here. Why would goblins dislike devils so much? Are our similarities when it comes to business and how we spread our influence enough for this kind of hatred?

Regardless, the three of them got out of the cart, with Loup steadying Asia as they followed their guide down a corridor. He led the way through a series of tunnels, each offshoot of which was blocked off by another guard. But these guards, unlike the ones in the doors to the bank didn't have ceremonial halberds, rather they had short swords and black and armor, complete with a helmet looked altogether more forbidden, even if they didn't react as the others had to Rias being there.

The room they were shown into was a small office, dominated by a desk that took up about a third of it, behind which a single goblin waited. There were chairs in front of the test, three of, so someone had obviously called ahead. But they do look nearly as comfortable as the large plush chair behind the desk. Another power play Rias reflected but making no outward sign of anything beyond cold confidence. She gestured Asia into a chair between himself and watched as the goblin behind the desk slid his eyes towards her, then away, confusion plain on his face.

"You're late," the goblin behind the desk barked, finally turning his gaze away from Asia to glare at Rias. "The Potter accounts will be fined for this."

"No they will not. I arrived at the bank with ten minutes to spare. If your internal transportation system is not able to get me to an appointment within that timeframe, that is no business of mine. Indeed, you should pay me a penalty for wasting my time instead," Rias replied tartly leaning forward. She waited a moment as the goblin snarled, before asking "Can we cut through the posturing now, or do we have to continue?"

"Your message said that you wished to discuss a business proposal. It is Gringotts' policy to not do business with devils, even if they have somehow manipulated their way into a marriage with one of our traditional clients in the Wizarding World. So unless your business is related directly to the Potters Vault or their money, I fail to see that you have anything to say to me."

"And you are? Rias drawled. "I asked for a representative of the bank and the goblin nation to be here, not just the Potter account manager. Are you both? Or am I still having my time wasted here?"

The goblin's teeth were bared in a snarl. "Have a care devil! Your greater amount of magical power will tell you nothing here. Nor will the werewolf at your side." His eyes flicked over Asia, seeming to lose his train of thought for a moment, before flicking back to Rias. "You will keep a civil tongue in your mouth, or I will remove it."

"I am answering your own level of civility with mine, it takes two to tango as you well know," Rias growled back.

In the chair next to her, Asia started to look a little worried. She didn't really like confrontation, violent or otherwise, and this was just about as violent a confrontation could be without actual spells or fists being exchanged. Still, Rias asked me along because she thought it might be a help, I will stick it out for her.

"Very well. I am senior account manager Lord Grindstone. I am a senior account manager, which means that yes, I can speak about Gringotts policies. Any changes to that policy will require higher authority, but you will not be seeing any higher authority until you prove to me that it is worthy of their time and money. That too, is policy," Grindstone finished with a sneer.

Rias thought for it, then slowly nodded. "Very well, but are you an expert on Gringotts business practice and policies as it ascertains to the non-magical world?"

"There are strict laws and fines for anything going from Gringotts into the magical world. Those laws and dictates were made by the wizards. So if you are here to discuss a large-scale business deal which involves the movement of gold or other properties from Gringotts into its non-magical subsidiaries there will be penalties and fines, as well as quite a lot of paperwork to fill out," Grindstone replied.

"That wasn't what I asked. I asked if you're an expert on the movements of your bank in the non-magical world."

Grinds stones scowled angrily. "I just said that that kind of thing is highly illegal and unlawful as per the agreements and rules that we have made with the wizard authorities."

"But that doesn't necessarily mean you don't do them. If you are ignorant of the moves your bank has been doing in the nonmagical world, then you need to speak to someone of higher authority, now."

Grindstone glared at her for a minute, maybe two, by which time Asia was fidgeting in her seat next to Rias, but Rias had not shown anything, no sign of weakness or anything else. She simply gazed back at the old goblin. "What kind of moves are we talking about here?"

"There is a lot of gold moving into the non-magical world, through people, businesses and places which are tied into a terrorist group called the Khaos Brigade. The Devil authorities have slowly become aware of this, and due to my own connection to the Wizarding World thanks to my relationship with Mr. Potter, I volunteered to look into it. What would it take for the goblins of Gringotts to…"?

That was as far as Rias got before Grindstone slammed one hand down on the table in front of him. Instantly several dozen guards appeared, seeming to phase into existence from out of the very rock walls all around them. "I do not know how you were able to figure that out devil, but do not think you will leave here alive!"

Rias and the others reacted quickly. Rias turned to one side, lashing out with a scythe of Power of Destruction, incinerating to nothing several Goblins to her right. At the same time, Loup charged the group at their back smashing into them as he shifted into his werewolf form, his claws slashing out to cut faces, arms and legs with impunity.

As Rias turned back to Grindstone all around the room a red and golden light flared, and Rias gasped, suddenly back into her chair stumbling against it and to the floor as all of her energy left her. Grindstone saw this and cackled even as Loup continued to toss goblins around, breaking armor and backs with ease. "You are not the first devil we've dealt with! And werewolf we have silver weapons just for your kind, never fear! The time before the revolution has come! We goblins will rise to the surface and claim what is ours!"

"Protego!" Asia shouted, as the daggers and swords of the enemy closed in on Loup and Rias. A sphere of blue energy surrounded the trio, pressing back against the weapons of their enemies. But a few of them seemed to have anti-magic properties, cutting through the shield towards Rias and Loup.

Loup grabbed that goblin by the arm, wrenching him into a punch, then kicked out another one, howling in fury. At the same time he launched several cutting spells with no wand in view, something that seemed to catch the guards by surprise. For all of three seconds anyway, before the spells, sliced them into pieces cutting through their enchanted armor and only slowing slightly.

Asia closed her eyes to the violence, and helped Rias to her feet, only to nearly lose her grasp on the woman, as she fell backward. "Rias, wh, what's wrong with you, h, how can I help?"

"Use Dawn Healing on me," she muttered, her voice almost slurred beyond the point of comprehension. This was some kind of ward specifically designed to shut down devil magic, something that was disrupting her own magic. And because as a Devil, Rias was a magical creature, it was affecting her health in a way that it wouldn't have a wizard of a similar age except under extreme circumstances. But if the wards were affecting her in that manner, then Dawn Healing might be able to help.

Nodding quickly, Asia summoned up Dawn Healing, the two bands of fiery gold and red bracelets appearing on her wrists as she touched Rias gently. As she did, the single diamond set into them glowed with a light green light.

A brief second later Rias felt better and surged to her feet. A wave of Power of Destruction flashed out in front and to the side. The next wave of goblin guards that had been coming out of the very rock as if it was water died, the walls separating this room from the next disintegrated under the Power of Destruction. The goblin guards waiting their turn were immolated as well.

She then turned her attention towards the other wall and the doorway leading out into the tunnel, where more guards had appeared and were fighting in close with Loup as Asia's Protego faded, its powers also being sucked away by another ward or enchantment. Several overpowered cutting and blasting curses later, all of the guards were down.

But at the same time Rias swayed again, almost falling to her knees. It had taken a bit longer, but even using wizard spells, her magic still contained the same color as normal, and caused her to be vulnerable to the same wards as before. But she ignored her weakness as much as she could, pointing at Grindstone, who was shifting through the back of the office wall. "G, grab Grindstone!"

Loup leaped over the large desk, grabbing at the old goblin. But he was too slow, his hands slamming into the stone of the wall behind the desk.

Behind him, Asia once more healed Rias, frowning now. "Whatever is affecting you came back the moment you used your powers Rias. I don't think that simply healing you again will do it." She frowned thinking hard, then sighed. "I'm afraid them going to have to be continually using Dawn Healing on you, I've never had to do that before so I don't know if even that will work in the long run, but it should help you to access your magic now."

"Do it," Rias ordered. She then thought, reaching over to Loup and grabbing his arm while trying to create a teleportation circle. It failed, and she cursed. "They've even been able to block my teleportation ability."

Rias was rather affronted by that. As a Gremory that was a particular annoyance. Especially since the goblins should not have come into contact with her type of teleportation before this.

"Were going to have to fight our way out then," Loup growled, towering over both girls in his werewolf form. Then he smirked, a lupine sort of smirk that showed quite a lot of teeth. "Aren't you glad you brought me along?"

"Very. Loup lead us off. Asia, stick close to me. If anything attacks us, put it down. If anyone sees a goblin giving orders, stun it. I want to ask some questions later. Keep the magic and destruction contained to hostiles, I'll try to do the same." With the Power of Destruction that was a tall order, but doable.

Loup nodded, and moved forward, loping along the floor of the tunnel ahead of the two girls.

Two doorways later they came under attack. Once again, the goblins seemed able to move through the rock of their underground warren as easily as someone else could have waded through water at certain points. It wasn't an illusion, Rias had long since turned on her own mage sight, and after living with Harry as he started to get used to his new powers, spotting illusion from reality was almost second nature. Then too, an illusion wouldn't have been affected by her Power of Destruction blasting through it, which she did several times as guards began to appear around them

As Rias dealt with the attackers from their sides and back, three Goblins closed with Loup right on top of the werewolf, coming up out of the ground. Loup jumped back which was a good move since the goblins were holding silver weapons. The silver cut into his arms and a shallow cut along his side, causing Loup to hiss, but two of the goblins died swiftly, their faces smashed into paste by his fists. The third cut in another slice, but Loup blocked it with his forearm, responding with a Bombarda that blew the goblin into pieces.

They fought their way back to the mining shaft, where Loup moved to the front cart, grabbing the controls gleefully. He looked at them with amusement, shaking his lupine head as he cleaned the blood off his claws. "Would it surprise anyone that there were several different speeds available?" He quipped, his words coming out in a grunt from the effect of the silver.

"Not at all," Rias said, helping Asia into the car. Her continued use of Dawn Healing to keep the aura created by whatever enchantment or wards were in effect that would've completely depleted Rias of energy eventually.

However, when Loup made to start the mine cart, they realized the problem. It didn't have a reverse. They would have to keep going, which would probably take them ever deeper into goblin territory. That wasn't good, that wasn't good at all. But it was better than staying here and getting bogged down further, and Rias nodded to Loup, sending them on their way.

The minecart raced off, leaving some of their pursuers behind, but not the word of what was going on. The goblins began to prepare ambushes for them. One came in the form of a deadfall, but Loup smashed it out of the way with another Bombarda. The second came in the form of other carts attempting to crash into them from the sides as they came to an intersection.

The impact nearly smashed their own mine carts off the shaft they were riding along, and Asia screamed as she was nearly flung out of the back of the cart. But Rias reached out and grabbed at her, pulling her back into the cart with one hand while her other hand annihilated the cart to their right and the goblins within it.

After that, the goblins in the other cart had leaped onto their own. This reduced Rias to just hurling them off using what hand to hand skills she had. She was unwilling to use the Power of Destruction or any other attack spell so close with Aisa at her feet and Asia was only slowly recovering from her fright.

While they were still fighting off those goblins, more appeared from the walls of the tunnel, causing Loup to turn his attention their way. Protego spells on the front and sides blocked them from attacking them with odd-looking guns which fired out silver shards like a shotgun would buckshot. Silver shards slammed into the spell, bouncing away.

Other attacks came through in the form of steel spears sliding through the Protego like the shield wasn't there.

They would have impacted Loup, skewering him between them, but they were disintegrated at the last second by the Power of Destruction as Rias finished off the goblins who had boarded their carts. Whatever property that made them able to cut through wizard type defensive spells were not able to protect them from that.

Behind her, Rias felt Asia slowly start to slump against her. But Asia kept on using the Dawn Healing to combat the wards around them so that Rias could use her magic. She was only able to launch a few attack spells of her own, such was the impact on her reserves of constantly using Dawn Healing.

Eventually the mine cart came out into a much wider area. It seemed to be a massive intersection point as well as a gathering center, with numerous alcoves set into the walls and ceiling. On the floor of the cavern were dozens of scattered goblins working on anvils or other things, while along their route through the cavern two creatures reared up. "Dragons!" Asia shouted pointing at them, and even looked Loup looked a little startled. Worse for them though, the other side of the room was packed with more goblins, all of them armed and armored.

Rias however simply stared at the two overgrown flying lizards and shook her head. "Please, we've all seen Tiamat and some of us have even seen Ddraig. These are not real dragons."

With that, Rias summoned up a blast of Power of Destruction. It formed above the still racing mine cart, taking on the form of a wolf to her mind before she sent it howling forward in a condensed, aimed assault. It hit the dragon on the left, causing it to disappear almost entirely except for its feet which had been below the attack radius. So too did the walls and ceiling directly above the dragon, causing a disturbing rumble through the large cavern.

The other dragon instantly quelled, ducking down and stuffing its head under its wing, no longer willing to seem even slightly threatening to the creature that had just wiped out its fellow so easily. The goblins however were made of sterner stuff and kept their formation, a wall of shield and gleaming pikes. And the goblin guards at the far end and a large amount of the goblins all around them also grabbed up weapons and moved to attack from all sides.

Grimacing, Rias once more held up her hand Power of Destruction scintillating there, a corona of red and black energy. "Let us go or die!" she shouted, pointing her hand straight up. If push came to shove she'd bring the whole warren down on top of them and trust she and her friends could get clear via continued use of her Power of Destruction.

The goblin warriors in front of them surged forward but before Rias could make good her threat, another group of goblins appeared in the mouth of a tunnel high in the rightmost wall. This group had different armor on and was led by a tall goblin standing at least 2 feet taller than the others. He bellowed a warning and gestured with a sword he held in one hand towards the goblins in their way. In the other another sword was held to the side, halting his own troops' surge forward.

Rias's inherent devil magic translated his words for her. "What is going on here! Why are there so many guards dead, what sparked this violence in my realm?!"

Before any of the goblins facing them could get a word out, Rias took a chance and shouted out "Oh great king, I came here in the hopes of doing business with Gringotts based on some of your moves in the non-magical world. But when I stated that was our reason for being here, we were instantly attacked by Account Manager Grindstone, who had laid an ambush for us of many goblins armed with anti-magic weapons and silver! We have since been fighting our way out."

Her words earned a glare from the king, but she kept speaking. "I have to warn you, there are others who already have all of the information I have: that Gringotts is backing a terrorist group called the Khaos Brigade which is attacking other magical communities and inciting violence in the Wizarding World! Not only we Devils, but the Fallen, the wizards, and even the Angels will know about this soon. Though there are few among the rest of us who can access the Wizarding World, we are not without allies in that world either. Can Gringotts long survive if the wizards know that you are aiding those who are behind so much violence in their world?"

Snarling angrily, the king jumped down from the cave on high, landing next to the cowering dragon. It tried to halfheartedly take a bite out of him, and the king without even looking at it stepped sideways and stabbed it through the eye with one of his swords. He left the sword there embedded in the thing's skull, as he stalked forward. His guards followed, creating a ring around the guards that had been fighting Rias and her two companions.

"You said a business deal. Was that true, or was that simply a mask so that you would lay that accusation at our feet? A threat rather than a business deal?"

Rias realized that as a king, this goblin could not be seen to back down in front of his fellows. If it had been a threat, the three of them would be instantly attacked not only by the group they had been already fighting, but the Goblin King and his guards. And with how weak Asia is getting, I don't know if we'll be able to fight our way to the surface, she thought with a pang of worry for the young nun.

So she answered honestly. "Great king, while it might have seemed a threat, it was in point of fact a business deal. I have no interest in stopping Gringotts from making money. In fact, I think that the fiscal laws and regulations constraining your bank from interacting more openly with the non-magical world are stupid and economically inane. I am more interested in the Khaos Brigade and understanding its movements and everything else that you can possibly tell me. I was hoping to make a deal to gain that information in return for Devils such as myself acting as more middlemen to allow you to continue to get around those rules."

That was the carrot to go along with the stick of threatening to reveal the information Rias had discovered. She had hoped the threat would be enough, but Rias had this in mind as a backup plan. Good thing I did, because in every other way I badly underestimated and misread the goblins, Rias castigated herself.

The King snarled again, but this was more of a thoughtful noise than anything else. "I see. And before you could say anything, Grindstone attacked you?"

"He ordered the attack. Grindstone himself did not take part in the combat, he fled," Loup said, cutting into the conversation.

There were some more growls and glares at that, but Loup simply stood there, his arms crossed as he stared down at the king not backing down at all.

The goblin King snarled again, but this time the snarl was directed at his guards. "Get the Pensieve." He then turned back to glare first at Loup than Rias. "We will have the truth about this."

"My king, surely you will not take these outsiders words over our own! The report was unequivocal! They began to attack when their demands to…"

"Enough!" The goblin King barked back, indicating with a finger that the speaker should be seized by one of his guards. The speaker had been the commander of the group that had been blocking their path forward, and he tried to slink back, but the goblin King's guards bowled their way through the other goblins to grab him dragging him to the front. As they did, something slipped out around his neck.

It was a small symbol of some kind, about the size of two fingers put together on a chain of demasked steel. The symbol itself was that of a silver skull, with sapphires for eyes.

At the sight of that pendant, the goblin King's rage resurfaced, and he backhanded the other goblin across the face, sending him slumping into unconsciousness. He then seemed to calm down turning back to his own guard captain. "That is a mark that these three are possibly telling the truth. Still, bring the Pensieve to my office. We will get to the bottom of this there."

With the king's guards on every side, Rias helped Asia out of the mining cart, and the two of them followed Loup, who shifted back into his human form as he walked in front of them, his body tense like a spring, his arms still bleeding from where he had been sliced by silver swords.

They were soon ensconced in a relatively nice sitting area, where Rias leaned back, gently stroking Asia's head where it nestled into her arm, the girl having almost utterly exhausted herself. Thank goodness I thought of bringing her along. I didn't think that I would need her like this, but I am very darn glad I did.

It must be some kind of Blessing of a holy site like Harry ran into at Mount Huaguo, only different in how it attacks other magic users. Wizards and witches would feel a debilitating effect instantly, and most wouldn't have the strength to power through. But we do, even Loup is stronger than most wizards, though he stopped using offensive spells quickly didn't he? As for a completely magical being such as a Devil like me, the impact was much worse.

Asia though, given her own faith and the fact Dawn Healing is a Sacred Gear, would be immune to such unless the god who made the question was stronger than the God of the Bible. And in turn, her faith would cause the goblins something of the same discomfort I felt on the ride down.

The door opened soon after Rias made that connection and Grindstone came in propelled inward by two more guards. He began to gnash his teeth at the sight of them, but remained silent as the king entered afterward, with two more guards holding a large Pensieve between them. It was far larger and more ornate than the one Rias had seen previously, and heavy to judging by how the goblins were having trouble lifting it.

They set it down in front of the sofa where the three of them were sitting, and the Goblin King peremptorily gestured towards it and then Rias. "Your memories of the start of this incident. Now."

Rias nodded, still seemingly calm in the face of the king's anger, and she gestured to the side of her head with one finger, pulling the memory out, to set it into the Pensieve. A moment later, the goblin King thrust his head into it, along with one of his advisors.

Moments later the two of them were back, and the goblin king turned to Grindstone. "Fool," he snarled. "If you had but waited for her to keep speaking, you would've learned there was still profit to be had. You let your prejudice and your religious tendencies get the better of you. Moreover, you attacked a representative of the account that you are in charge of. And were caught doing it! There is no way but blood to expiate that."

Grindstone seemed to quail, stuttering "Your Majesty I…"

"Take him away," the King growled, and two more guards moved into the room grabbing Grindstone by the shoulders, literally dragging him out of the room screaming and kicking.

Next to Rias, Asia sighed her hand going to her rosary as she breathed a prayer for Grindstone. He might've attacked them and been wholly unpleasant before that. But the fear on his face and Asia's generally inherent kind nature meant she didn't want to see him harmed.

The goblins all around them flinched back at that, but said nothing, just looking immensely uncomfortable for a moment. A moment Rias filled by asking, "Religious tendencies?" Her tone was calm and questioning, showing none of the impact of their harried flight through the tunnels, or any hint of her own squeamishness.

The goblin King sighed sitting down in an ornate chair on the other side of the small table in front of the sofa. "We goblins, we are a created race as you no doubt know, being one yourself."

Now it was Rias who flinched. No demon liked being reminded of the fact that Lucifer Morningstar had basically created their ancestors by somehow breathing life into the sins of humans during the time of the Tower of Babylon, and then bringing further creatures from the voids between worlds.

"But whereas your ancestors were created in a single massive act of powerful magic, we were created by a slow mutation of our spirits over time. In the land of Hades. Who we all still worship, to greater or lesser degrees. And of late, there have been certain signs, signs that point that our God may still exist."

Rias his eyes widened, before she could gain control of her expression and the goblin King caught it. "You have seen something similar?"

"We have been told that old religions, old gods that hid away during the rise of Christianity, have been coming back slowly, although when the process actually began is anyone's guess. Ophis's presence in this plane is acting as an enhancer, creating more magic and funneling it into the world, and with it, the old religions, or those survivors of them anyway."

"Exactly. Lord Hades is somehow connected to the Khaos Brigade. Or at least those who believe in the signs of his return believe so. That belief, and the fact that we were created to obey his commands like so many house-elves, is eroding the existing order. Such as the position of our royalty. That is why we made the agreement with the Khaos Brigade that we have."

"That, and our people's general chafing under the laws and leadership," he sneered the word, "of the wizards. Oh, before the coming of the Internet and the modern technology-based economy, those rules were smart enough. But the wizards have not moved with the times. Those of us who would rather take up the business quill, hear the lamentations of our enemies that way rather than at the tip of our swords, are chafing under them."

Rias nodded, trying not to show her shock at what amounted to the admission that Hades, one of the most powerful of the ancient gods was still around. And he was a Greek God. And you expect me to lead my family into that big brother?! Fuck you, and the horse you rode in on! If the wizards can't handle what's happening in the Wizarding World, then you and yours are going to have to when it boils over, she thought to herself grimly, thinking how best to phrase that point later on.

She'd share what she'd learned already, but actually dealing with Hades? That was hitting quite a bit above their weight level at the moment. Give Koneko a few more months of training with the boosted gear, give Harry full access to his godly powers, and myself that time to train with my Power of Destruction and teleportation powers then maybe. But not before.

"I understand completely. Trust me, what I have to say about the rules of how rigid the economy of the Wizarding World in general is not printable or safe for young ears," she said gesturing with her head towards Asia, eliciting a snort of amusement from the Goblin King. "But would you be willing to share information with us?"

"What kind of information?" the King asked bluntly. "I am not in a position to end those agreements, not without dealing with a rebellion of my own. But information sharing is possible so long as I can keep word from becoming common knowledge that we have done so. That will be more difficult now with this debacle, but it can be done. Yet that silence too will cost you."

"I'll pay for it in gold, drawn from the Potter accounts," Rias said bluntly. It's more expedient that way, but Sirzechs will be paying us back for this, oh yes. "As for the actual information, anything and everything we can get on the Khaos Brigade, Information on their holdings, information on how they are recruiting, where the whatever is bought goes, their likely bases of operation. That kind of thing."

"Some of that we can give you. Some of it we won't be able to. How long are you going to be staying within the United Kingdom?"

"We need to head to Ireland tomorrow," Rias said, and carefully did not comment on the flicker of interest she saw cross the Goblin King's face at that. Evidently he too knew what Luna had passed on about what was going on there. As in not a lot.

"Very well, I will have information on that topic brought to the Black mansion tomorrow morning," then the goblin smiled, a very disturbing smile which showed quite a lot of teeth as he leaned forward. "Now, about my price for keeping that silent, and those further business deals…"

At that point, Rias asked if Asia and Loup could be shown to a room where they could change their clothing and get a shower. The discussion went on for more than three hours, by which time both of them had taken the time to bath and make themselves more presentable. Rias did the same when she joined them, heading straight to the bathroom on the other side of the small room they'd been shown to, which was like an apartment underground with all the modern wizard-style amenities.

"Well?" Loup asked, looking up from where he was sprawled out on the sofa, with Asia quietly reading her bible, praying for the souls of the dead goblins that they had slain today. Loup's arms too had already been healed, and he had been meditating when Rias came in.

"Well, we have an agreement. The goblins will provide us with ongoing information, we'll provide them with more access to the non-magical economy. I predict that in the future we might regret that, if Darkhoof is any sign of how sharply the goblins do business, but we're done for now. Shall we go and meet the others?"

And if the goblins don't come through, I will release the Harry on them, Rias thought, chuckling internally at her word choice. There was always the threat of betrayal in such business dealings, after all. But the goblins, while important on the information side of things, weren't a threat if you knew to prepare for them and could deal with them without entering their tunnels. Harry, herself, and Sirzechs could do that together or separately. Or someone from the Sitri clan and their water-based powers.

Loup nodded, and then looked down at the small package that Rias was holding in one hand. "And that?"

"Goblin poison, the strongest they can make, to quote Darkhoof, 'the next best thing to basilisk venom'. As you know, goblin weapons take on the properties of whatever they're dipped into. I was thinking of mixing this with basilisk venom-infused Sword of Gryffindor. That should make an already deadly weapon even deadlier. A weapon against anyone who threatens our clan."

Loup grunted at that and after Rias had time to shower, and make sure that her clothing hadn't developed any rips, the three of them left the bank, meeting up with the others at Florian Fortescue's. There she found Lily standing in line trying to decide what to do, and knelt down next to her, nuzzling her head against the little girls. "Hey Lily, how are you doing?" she asked, letting loose a happy smile as Lily turned, and nuzzled back, uncaring of the stares they were getting from a few people around them. "I'm personally thinking of something with chocolate, chocolate decadent death perhaps."

"If you add cherries you have a deal," Lily said with a laugh.

With nothing more to do in Diagon Alley, the group headed home, where they found a message from Harry saying that he was going to go directly from the meeting with the ICW head to the Wizengamot, and then meet with Neville and Shack. "Don't wait for dinner on me, loves. This is going to be a busy day."

Sighing, Rias stretched her arms above her head, then looks down at Lily. Hah, I know all about busy days now Potter. Ooh boy are we going to have things to share later. Although I wage I'll have my hands full stopping you from declaring war on the goblins for their attack on us. But they are much more valuable alive feeding us information than turned into so much buried offal. Hades being alive… that is big. Very big.

After dinner, Luna left the group to head home, at which point the family gathered in the library. Loup and Koneko worked with Lily and her familiar Titan, putting the griffin through a series of exercises along with the young girl, training her to give commands and Titan's limitations. There were of course many of those in terms of physicality, Titan being a young griffin. But mentally Titan's intelligence proved to be quite high for such a young creature. At the same time, Rias started to write up her report to her Nii-sama, and Mittelt and Asia played some board games.

However, all this activity came to a halt as a screeching voice was heard from the first-floor sitting room. "Harry James Potter, I know you're there! We need to talk!"

OOOOOOO

At the same time that Rias and her group were meeting with the king of the goblins, Harry and Yubelluna, we're preparing to beard an entirely different group of enemies in their lair. And that was the way Harry thought of them.

Late in the morning, Harry's meeting with Roberto had been interrupted by a missive from the British Wizengamot. In it, they had demanded his presence to answer charges.

Official charges that were first based on Harry's breaking a law he had never heard of before he had already left Britain. The law stated that as a head of a Most Noble and Most Ancient Family, he or another member of the family had to live in the United Kingdom or lose that status. On top of that nonsensical, ancient and foolish law, there was, as Luna had warned, a charge of Line Theft laid against him from Ginny Weasley nee Prewitt, Matriarch Presumptive of the Prewitt family.

If that wasn't enough (it really was) Harry's attempts to enter politics had not instilled in him any respect - or anything else really - for the Ministry of Magic, the Wizengamot and how they were run. If such a word could be used to describe the 'old boys club' atmosphere, they both retained when there wasn't a clear and present crisis.

And when it came to crises their track record wasn't good either. Harry still blamed the Ministry for how feckless they had been in the second war against Riddle. The half-arsed gestures. The way Fudge tried to ignore Riddle's return despite how Harry had proven it conclusively during the Tri-Wizard Tournament. How much Lucius Malfoy and others like him had gotten away with unless they were caught red-handed. Indeed, several times Harry and his people had been reprimanded or even vilified for fighting the war as if it was a war rather than a police action.

With all of that and the information Luna had passed on about what the Wizengamot was thinking about doing now, the Wizengamot in particular were truly in danger of becoming his enemies now. Keeping the old magic alive was well and good, and he well understood that family grimoires were precious, the older the family, more precious. But, trying to legalize basically confining Harry and his daughter, or at the very least Lily to the United Kingdom? No, that just wasn't going to fly. Damn it Neville, I thought you and Shack would have headed off shit like this!

Thankfully by the time he and Yubelluna were able to escape from the meeting with the Chief Mugwump, they had about thirty minutes to grab a bite of food before heading to the Ministry of Magic. At the entrance to the elevator there was a grating, over which was inlaid over a small bowl. Yubelluna looked at it quizzically before a voice came out of the grating. "State your name and your business with the Ministry of magic."

Harry Potter smirked and leaned forward. "Harry Potter. I'm here to give out some spankings to a group of naughty adults."

Yubelluna laughed at that thinking it some joke until a small token fell down into the hopper. It read, 'Harry Potter, Chief Spanker'.

The purple-haired woman read the token as Harry placed it on his shirt, then seemed to fight with herself, before shaking her head. "There are far too many things to laugh about at the moment, I just can't choose one of them. Um, do I need to do that as well?"

"Oh, the people who run the desks are always on the lookout for ways to poke fun to the people who enter the Ministry. The more important, the more they take the mickey out of you, it's traditional," Harry laughed, and waved her forward.

She gave her name then looked over Harry and said, "And I am here to aid Harry Potter in his endeavors if need be."

When it arrived her token read as 'Chief Spanker's Security Blanket', and Yubelluna finally lost it. It was just too silly, she just couldn't be serious right now despite the dangerous nature of the reason for their presence. Harry had to half drag her into the elevator when it opened.

In contrast Harry's humor faded, and he released Yubelluna's arm quickly as the elevator started to work its way upwards, heading to the level where the group he had sometimes called the Wizened Old Men met in Council. Once they reached that floor, the elevator released them into a longish corridor leading to a large, heavy pair of doors.

They were impressive those doors, large, ornately carved in places, with the shape of lions and other creatures here hare and there, the whole thing a dark, rich wooden color Yubelluna didn't have a name for. Here these doors proclaimed, was the center of a government. If you are called in here, you had better be certain who holds the balance of power.

Harry cocked his head looking at Yubelluna as she finished giving her impression of the doors. "Is there a reason why you are trying to make light of this situation?"

She shrugged. "I'm not really, it's just so pretentious and I've had my fill of pretentious arrogance. I far prefer simple confidence," she said, looking at Harry with a faint smirk before becoming serious, reaching forward and gently tapping his cravat. "Project that Harry Potter, not your anger. Don't blast the door off its hinges, as I know you were just thinking about. Hell, I was thinking about it. Control Harry. Set the stage with your entrance, control the room with your presence, don't simply lash out. Hint at the prospect violence, don't actually threaten them. Let them draw their own conclusions of who really holds the balance of power here."

Despite the moment of levity earlier thanks to the tokens, Harry had been a boiling mass of barely contained fury thanks to the missive he'd received, his tone sardonic, his words dry, but his eyes what his friends called 'the AK eyes'. That message had proven to him that Luna's earlier warnings about the Wizengamot wishing to basically order him back home to deal with the problems around the Wizarding World was correct. So were the concerns about a law making him bring Lily back to live in the UK as a way to pressure him. And of course, those old laws had a horrible tendency to be enforceable via some magical means, which meant Harry had to take them seriously.

As Yubelluna watched, Harry breathed in deeply, calling on his Occlumency and meditation skills to slowly release his anger. When he finished he opened his eyes and bowed his head towards her, with a faint laugh. You and Rias. When both of you are telling me the same thing, I suppose that means I should listen."

"He can be taught," Yubelluna teased, then bowed her head formally. "After you, my Lord."

"Thank you My Lady. And thank you both for giving me your advice, and for standing beside me," he said, his voice dropping in a register, so much so that it was a bass rumble, sending a pleasing tingle down Yubelluna's spine. The fact that he had emphasized his British accent had only added to the effect.

She was still trying to regain control of her faculties when Harry placed both hands on the doors seeing the magic overlaying them with his mage sight. It had been locked and would only be unlocked by someone inside given the runic array on the doors.

Harry knew that was part of the formal start of every Wizengamot meeting: The Chief Speaker and the leaders of whatever factions existed at the time would work in conjunction to lock the door. It was supposed to show that the people within would keep working until they had come to a solution to whatever problem or law they were currently discussing was solved. In reality it didn't matter much at all, save as a show of power and the fact that, just like the doors themselves declared, this hall was home to an august body of powerful people.

I wonder if Neville has fallen into all that folderol since we last talked. I remember the two of us joking about it being just another way to show off but that was back when I was attempting to be a politician.

Regardless of Neville's reaction, Harry knew just how to, as Yubelluna put it, set the stage. An instant later, Harry's Alohomora shattered the spell on the door with ease despite the fact Harry hadn't really had to put much energy into it. The next second, Harry pushed both doors open, and strode forward into the hall beyond like a king about to do battle.

"Gentlemen and ladies of the Wizengamot," he intoned in a loud voice, overriding the few shouts and gasps that his entrance had evoked as he strode forward. "Old friends, old allies, old enemies I've yet to kill, how are you all doing this fine day?" Then he paused and turned to the door. "But I do apologize, let me close the door, it would be frightfully bad manners do leave it open."

Yubelluna was barely into the hall herself when the doors crashed shut behind her. The next instant they glowed the bright red and teal of a locking spell as Harry, with the same silent gesture, locked the door.

The wandless magic was much more interesting to the men and women of the Wizengamot than the woman who had entered the room just then, with only Shacklebolt and one or two others paying her any mind. Obviously, many of the people in the room had heard or knew firsthand that Harry could do wandless magic, but even so the silent wandless casting of two spells so quickly was startling.

As was the aura of power Harry was exhibiting. Indeed, many of the old members were gaping in their seats, completely frozen in the face of Harry's affable, almost smiling face, because they could feel the power behind his appearance, an almost visible force around him.

In all honesty it could have been far worse but thanks to Yubelluna, Harry was no longer teetering on a killing mood, merely angry. But even barely a fortieth of his aura was enough to put every wizard or witch there on the backfoot.

Shacklebolt, who wasn't quite as shaken by Harry's entrance as the others, had his attention grabbed by Harry's next comment, which was directed toward him as he strode towards the speaker's podium, the words a bare whisper. "I presume you haven't been involved in this foolishness to order me back or to give up my daughter, Shack."

Shack winced, then, knowing Harry had caught it, answered honestly. "I didn't wish to try to order you back home, simply request your presence. As to the other, no I haven't had anything to do with the issues involving your daughter, what do you take me for? That's only gained momentum recently and the Light Faction and the neutrals will drop it like a dead rat now, though the Traditionalists will probably not unless hit over the head."

"Good, then you're not a complete idiot, just forgetful. I seem to remember saying that I hated being held up as a poster boy, but maybe my memories playing tricks on me," Harry drawled. "Regardless, we'll talk later." With that, Harry promptly ignored Shack turning to stare around at the room at large as Shack stepped away from the podium.

This left Harry alone to stare around at the assembled Lords and Ladies of the United Kingdom's magical society. Yet among the old, shocked, fearful, antagonistic and worried faces filling the amphitheater, Harry saw a few friendly faces, like rocks sticking out of an ocean of unknown faces and plum-colored robes.

To one side Neville leaned back in the chair of the Chief Speaker with his wife Daphne next to him quite obviously pregnant. Both of his old friends had wide eyes but seemed to be regaining their faculties from Harry's sudden entrance faster than the rest. Although if Neville even hints at being on the side to the idea of forcing Lily and me back to the UK thanks to this stupid Family Line law, I don't know if I'll be calling him a friend soon.

There were others though none were so close to being called more than acquaintances. Angelina Johnson sitting in the Johnson seat was a surprise, although the fact he had she had one of the twins next to her wasn't. I wonder which one it is? Harry had long since decided never to inquire as to how the whole Alicia, Angelina, Fred/George group worked, especially since he knew that the two twins were not in point of fact interchangeable. Thankfully though there was no Weasley seat here, their family not old or important enough to have gained one.

Here he saw the International Observer, the diplomat of the ICW nodding to him. The man seemed to have gotten his marching orders already, which was a good sign. Over there was Tanner Wood, Oliver's old uncle, who was leaning back and watching events with interest. There was Susan Bones, looking as annoyed as ever to dress up in the plum-colored robes traditional to the Wizengamot.

The Abbot patriarch wasn't looking nearly as friendly, nor were the Changs or many others whose children Harry had known back in Hogwarts. But that didn't surprise Harry. His pro-werewolf and anti-corruption stance had not won him any friends when he tried his hand at politics before.

But that's fine. I'm not here to play the game. I'm here to make certain the game-masters know not to play with me and mine.

"Why the long faces and shocked glances gentlemen, ladies? You wanted me, you got me," Harry began, actually allowing a warm-seeming smile to appear on his face.

This astonishingly won him some faint smiles from people who didn't realize that Harry was as coiled like a snake about to strike. Others though seemed to regain control of themselves and, judging by their red faces, were not nearly as happy about Harry's presence, or at least the manner of that presence. But Harry went on smoothly, having no wish to get bogged down in shouts of 'how dare you', or 'disrespect of this august body'. He had nothing but disrespect for this august body after all.

Two Riddles' risings on top of a Dark Lord who waged the equivalent of a world war in the Wizarding World, and this body of mostly old men haven't changed nearly enough! Thank god most of their young blood died in the war, or else it would be even worse, shouts and curses rather than glares and sidelong whispers.

"You wanted me. The Man Who Conquered, killer of Riddle, the Lestrange brothers, several of his other chief lieutenants, destroyer of France's local attempt to emulate Riddle, and all-around general Dark Wizard bogeyman. You wanted me back. Here I am."

Then the smile instantly disappeared, the snake baring its fangs as Harry leaned forward, magic literally crackling in an aura about him in a way that few who had not seen Dumbledore or Grindelwald at their peak could even comprehend. It looked like a heat haze in the air, crackling with something that made the hair of those nearest the podium stand on end.

"But let me be clear. I am not here to answer your so-called summits. If you had just requested my presence, perhaps we could have met halfway. But no. I am not here to deal with your petty concerns, your worries, or to answer any trumped-up charges of… what was it Yubelluna?" he suddenly asked, looking towards the doorway.

"Conduct unbecoming of the Lord of the Most Noble and Most Ancient House in a blatant attempt at Line Theft,'" Yubelluna replied, from the doorway where she had been watching all this, barely keeping from biting her lip at how well Harry was controlling the hall.

Many of the seated lords and ladies turned to look at the gorgeous woman that Harry had brought into the hall for the first time, taking in her appearance, some appreciatively, others looking scandalized. Even Susan and Daphne were shocked at how good this woman looked, and the clothing she wore was practically scandalous! Although admittedly, that thought had some positive overtones for many of the women, not just the men. Styles in the Wizarding World were a bit of a sore point in Britain for many of the female side of the society.

But then Harry turned back to them, and suddenly all eyes were on him once more as the aura around him flared further into the visible spectrum. "Yes, that. I couldn't give a bloody fuck about the Wizarding World's conflicts, or your demands I return and deal with this that or the other. I was not happy about them, nor was I happy about the attempts to attack me because I, as the last male Potter should have stayed in England along with my daughter due to some ancient law or other. My reasoning for leaving was my own and is well known. And on top of all that you will all have the gall, the sheer effrontery to say that I have broken some other ancient law in not allowing my ex-wife control of our daughter? To allow her to then access the Prewitt family grimoire? My daughter!"

He seemed to calm down after that outburst, but those who had seen him during the war took note that his eyes were still locked in the deadly 'AK eyes'. "Many of you are parents yourselves, you pride yourselves on that, equally to your family's place in our society. Many of you think your family magic is an important part of that, an important part of our society's very structure. Very well, to you it is. To me it is nothing," he hissed, the energies around him crackling again, causing everyone there to shrink back in their seats.

Now even Neville realized he had never seen Harry this furious before. Oh my, I'm very thankful I never backed that idiotic Line Theft shite.

"Some people believe that I defeated Riddle for the good of the Wizarding World. Some people think that I continued to fight the good fight after his fall when asked because of that, because I know that I can do things other people can't. But while that might be true in a way, it is also false. I do not fight for causes like that. I might have a saving people thing, as my friends have more than once put it. But I'm not stupid, nor will I be manipulated. Not any longer. Because while I would save a stranger who could not save themselves, I killed Riddle and those like him because they were a threat to myself and my friends."

Harry paused there, letting his words sink in before going on. "I will do anything for my friends. For my family. Being a father is how I define myself, everything else is secondary. I would do anything, literally anything to defend Lily and the rest of my family. Look to France, ladies and gentlemen. Look to what Tonks and I did to their terrorists in France when they tried to kidnap Lily."

No more words had to be said on that subject, and indeed with Harry's presence the words already spoken were terrifying enough. Added to the impact of them was the fact this all was so totally unlike the Harry Potter most people here knew about, even for his friends.

It showed a mastery of word and stage that was quite outside Harry's normal actions. Yes, people had expected him to object, to be angry. Those who had really studied or been around Potter had even expected him to be wrathful. But to come here, to literally browbeat the whole Wizengamot? To take them to task like they were children? To show this much power and presence? No.

After this performance it wasn't just the Dark-leaning families who were now feeling real fear in the presence of The Man Who Conquered. The Traditionalists, who had been the ones to really push the idea of accusing Harry of Line Theft since they hated to see Family Lines die out, were now very, very worried. Even the neutrals and Light-aligned houses were in shock, worried that the pliable, somewhat easily-manipulated Harry Potter was a thing of the past, and that perhaps his werewolf side's 'pack tendencies' were getting to him. Regardless, none were brave enough to challenge him, not with the man right in front of him.

It surprised absolutely no one that after a moment of silent contemplation Angelina raised her hand and said, "All in favor of striking that accusation from the books say Aye?"

It was obvious after only a few seconds that the ayes had it. Even the most rabid Traditionalist who was wroth at the Prewitt's magics disappearing, or the most embittered Dark-aligned family who blamed Harry for the death of their younger generation, were unwilling to push this new version of Potter.

There would be no more talk from the Wizengamot in their efforts to force Harry back to Britain, or legally give Ginny's parental rights back. There would still be some grumblings behind closed doors about yet another ancient family losing what made it really important, still more about Potter dancing close to the Dark or being too arrogant and so forth. But that would be behind closed doors and would not see the light of day for a long time.

Harry listened to vote being cast smiling politely, throughout it, then nodded to Minister Shack. "I will see you in your office in about twenty minutes, shall I? I've heard about some issues in Egypt, and I figure, as a carrot to go with my stick, I might look into that."

The relief Shack felt at that was in no way lonely, as many of the mercantile party and the Light-aligned families took heart at that. Even a few of the traditionalists did, because the news coming out of Egypt was getting worse with every passing day, and it was becoming clear that whatever was going on was beginning to be a threat to the Statute of Secrecy.

Shack looked around the room, then nodded. "I believe that should be enough for me to finish up here, Mr. Potter."

As Harry nodded and without another word made for the door, Daphne, who had been silent throughout all this, now whispered out a single, heartfelt phrase. "Fuck me!"

Coming from his wife who very rarely if ever cursed, outside of childbirth anyway, that caused Neville's eyes to widen. It didn't stop him from replying in an appropriate manner though. "Haven't I already…"

She elbowed him hard in the side, causing him to wince as she slowly explained why she had cursed to him as if she was talking to a small child. "Someone taught Harry how to play politics and the importance of appearance. He just basically rode in here lay down the law and told everyone here that we have no power over him, that he's no longer playing by our rules, but that he still is willing to fight the good fight. There goes any idea of trying to control him or what-have-you, and indeed any idea our dark-leaning families might have thought about trying their hand at violence once more.

"Further, you think word of this isn't going to get out to the other countries? Harry Potter's back! And he's pissed! None of the people out there who are thinking about joining in on the violence or following this or that 'dark lord' that are trying to make names for themselves are going to want to tangle with him. And he's going to go on to Egypt too, so a lot of us are going to be happy about that despite the rest of it."

Daphne then frowned, looking over at her husband, a sad look on her face. "You though? You might be in for a rough time, and Shacklebolt too. After all, Harry just told us all what he felt about being summoned back and everything else, and while we might not have backed the whole Line Theft thing, we didn't exactly try to stop it either, hoping it would force Harry back here to where we could talk him around. But I don't think this new Harry's going to care about past friendships."

Now it was time for Neville to curse. "Fuck me…"

Daphne couldn't stop herself, she really couldn't. Looking down at her distended stomach she quipped mockingly, "Funny, I thought I had already…"

While the married couple had their little discussion, outside the Wizened Old Men's playroom, Harry was being very, very thoroughly snogged by Yubelluna. She wasn't usually so turned on by the whole power and authority thing as a lot of Devil girls were, but used in this manner, it still called to her in some small fashion. Watching Harry lay down the law like that had been a hell of a treat.

Sighing faintly Harry pulled back away from her, putting on his arm around his waist as he gently turned them down the hallway again. "So I take it you approved?"

"God yes! You took my suggestion and just upped it to the tenth degree, Harry! If Rias was here, she would probably be demanding you two find a restroom somewhere for a quickie," Yubelluna gushed.

"We don't do those really," Harry said with a laugh. "But I understand the sentiment. Now, let's head up to the minister's office, we'll wait there for him and maybe Longbottom too."

Harry's eyes were still vaguely glowing from his mage sight, which had earlier added to the visual impact of his confrontation with the Wizengamot. So it was that he noticed a bug that had far too much magical potential within it, and the yellow color of wizard type magic auras to boot.

Whipcord quick a single stunner flashed out from a finger, catching the bug and making it flop to the floor, where a spell forcibly shifted the Animagus back into human form. The mousy brown-haired woman the bug had turned into then found herself flung against the wall. When the woman woke up under a Rennervate, she found Harry smiling at her like a shark. "Alas poor Rita, up to your old tricks again? I thought they made illegal Animagus a special target after the war was over. Was I wrong?"

Rita seemed ready to stammer out some kind of response, but Harry wasn't having any of it. "Whatever, I honestly don't care about your breaking the law in an attempt to get a scoop. As long, that is, as your targets do not include me!. Which, according to a little blond lady of my acquaintance, they have of late. Trying to set up a sob story about Ginny missing Lily, and me being a domineering father or husband was it?"

Harry leaned forward, glaring at the woman from barely an inch away now. "You're going to stop that right the fuck now. You can instead report about what happened in there, completely honestly with no slant, or anything else. And nothing about this lovely lady with me, myself, or what we were just doing. Just the Wizengamot portion. If you don't like that idea, well, what's one less bug? Hmmm?"

She babbled something or other, joining the people who had found themselves having to reassess Harry Potter. Before, Harry would have threatened, indeed might well have outed her secret entirely to the public, possibly even by just going into Diagon Alley and using a Sonorus to get the message across. This new Harry though, he was willing to go a lot further than that just to head off trouble, whereas before it would have taken a direct act of violence on his daughter or friends for him to even make the threat.

With that, Harry released the spell holding her against the wall. "Are we clear?" he asked his tone much calmer now.

Yes Harry, err, that is Mr. Potter Sir, milord," she stammered. "I won't, that is I, um, coverage of the Wizengamot session only, yes, that, that I can do."

"Excellent. I'm glad we had this talk," Harry replied. Then he waved his fingers lightly, indicating she should leave, and Rita did so with alacrity.

"Are you trying to drench my knickers, Potter?" Yubelluna asked tartly, swinging her hip into his. "I hate reporters most of the time, and seeing you deal with that one, after what Luna told us, was almost as hot as the Wizengamot meeting."

Harry laughed, then took her arm, and gently let her down the hallway. "Not just yet my dear. Give me time though."

To that, Yubelluna could not find a reply as they ascended up to their meeting with Shacklebolt.

OOOOOOO

"You know we don't have to talk to her lovey," Rias said after a second's silence, looking down at Lily. "There has to be some way of shutting that Floo thing off. Heck, we could just silence the fireplace, let her stew in her own juices. With Harry stopping all over any attempt to use the law against him and you, you won't even have to confront Ginny personally at all." A part of Rias would regret that, but Lily's thoughts and desires in this matter took priority.

Lily frowned, thinking about it, then surprising no one there shook her head. Her face firmed up and her emerald eyes, so like Harry's, hardening noticeably. Courage comes in many forms, and Lily had a disproportionate amount of all of it. "No, I want to hear what she has to say. I want to confront her. To confront Ginny," she emphasized, once again calling her birth mother by her given name.

"We'll be right here beside you puppy," Koneko said, sitting down next to her, and wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

Rias nodded, getting up from her chair and moving toward the door, However, Tonks beat her to it, waving her back into her chair. "I got this. You all just wait here. And maybe send Titan back. A griffin is not exactly a normal pet after all."

Downstairs in the main sitting room Tonks found Ginny's face delineated in green fire thrust out of the back of the fireplace, a scowl made all the more annoyed-looking by the medium. She smirked as she knelt down in front of the fire, sneering at Ginny, who recoiled as she saw who had answered her Floo call. "Why hello Ginny, Harry is not here right now, but I am. You want to talk to me instead?"

The image in the fire seemed to rally itself after a second, growling out, "Yes dammit! I want to talk to you about my daughter! As much as Harry doesn't like to me admit it, Lily's is as much mine as his! He has seemingly forgotten that and so have you."

"We weren't the first to forget that, or the fact that the two of you were married in the first place. Or are you going to argue that point too?" Tonks replied tartly.

The image of Ginny's face winced, looking away. "That, that was a mistake, a big one, I'll admit. But the real problems in our marriage started well before that. And the problems with our marriage were not the problems with how we were rearing our daughter, those are two separate things, and while I am willing to admit our marriage is dead, that doesn't mean I don't want to be a part of my daughter's life. Dammit Tonks, you're a woman too, can't you understand what I'm talking about?"

Tonks was stunned. Not because she was at all agreeing with the other woman, but with the idea that Ginny would even try to play that card after their last meeting, regardless of that meeting being months ago. The effrontery of it cut her to the quick, and it was all she could do not to jump through the Floo connection and start cursing.

However, she decided to at least put off hexing Ginny to bits in order to let Lily get some closure on this part of her past life. The thought was still on the table though. "Come on through then. We'll see what you have to say in person."

A moment later Ginny passed through the Floo, actually keeping her feet, something that both Tonks and Harry would never be able to do and which made Tonks growl a little under her throat, but she kept it down instead asking, "You wanted to talk to me, or do you want to talk to Lily? She's here too."

Ginny blinked at that while behind her, Molly, Arthur and Ron came through. None of the other Weasley men were present, but this was more than enough to put Tonks in a bad mood. "Oh great, and you brought the clan with you. There goes any chance of this being a quiet conversation."

Molly proceeded to prove that statement all too accurate as she shouted, "Where is that boy!? As happy as I was to hear that he and Lily have finally come back home, the fact that he is still refusing to let our Ginny even try to regain her parental rights to Lily is just abhorrent! And we've heard rumors about him coming back home with some foreign tart too! A fluff of nothing with a chest that can't be real and dressed in a scandalous manner too. What kind of environment is Harry raising Lily in on that foreign island? And you, you're no help either if you can't keep those foreign slatterns away from him!"

"Molly," Tonks growled back, her own temper starting to rise even higher, her hair flaming into black and red colors, "I suggest you keep a lid on that temper, and don't shout if you want to be here at all. We have friends and family here, who are more than capable of permanently shutting you up and will do so cheerfully if given the excuse."

Molly scowled, crossing her arms. "If you think that Fred and George are going to threaten their mother then…"

Tonks interrupted that statement almost as soon as Molly began, barking a laugh. "You think I'm talking about the twins! Oh my word, you really are out of the loop."

"So you're you talking about this redheaded trollop Harry brought back? Ginny asked scowling angrily.

Like clockwork her mother instantly dove on this. "Exactly what kind of example is that woman to set a child? Having a loose woman like that around a girl, I won't have it! I thought I raised Harry better than that."

"A loose woman am I?" Said Rias from the doorway, having decided not to wait for Tonks to bring the interlopers to her. "Would you care to make that statement to my face Madam!?"

All of the Weasley clan stared for a moment, with Ron whispering "Blimey! If that's how they grow 'em in foreign lands then…"

"Ron!" Molly barked, before turning to glare at Rias. "Don't take that tone with me young woman, you're no better than you should be! Whatever your relationship," she sneered the word as she glared at Rias, "is with that poor misguided boy, we're here to talk to him and Lily, not you."

"'No better than you should be'…I don't think I've ever heard anyone use that phrase before outside of books. Good grief, you people really are behind the times aren't you, you ginger-haired harridan," Rias retorted, shaking her head. "As for you talking to Lily, you'll be doing that only on my sufferance. Introduce me why don't you Tonks?" Rias asked, crossing her arms under her chest, one finger tapping on the upper arm of the other as she glared at the Weasleys.

Tonks smirked, gesturing grandly with one hand. Heh, this should be good. "Molly, Ginny, Weasley men, might I introduce you to Rias Gremory-Potter, Harry's wife as bound by magic and oath."

Molly fell silent, stepping back a pace in shock, while Arthur's eyes widened in surprise and Ron whispered something about Potter having all the luck. Ginny on the other hand became angrier. "Well, it didn't take him long to move on then, and with someone younger at that!"

"You have no right to say that after what you did you little bitch!" Tonks shouted, leaping forward to physically assault Ginny, held back only by Rias grabbing her by the back of her shirt.

"I agree with the sentiment but not right now Tonks. As for our being married, that occurred accidentally after we made vows to one another while handfasting. Despite it being an accident I don't regret it and neither does Harry," Rias admitted, before her blue eyes flared like blue stars as she bit out her next words, glaring so hard it was a miracle her magical reserves hadn't responded to her apparent desire to immolate the thing in front her.

"And I'll have you know that I was a virgin when I went to Harry's bed, Molly Weasley. And no other man will ever touch me," she added, sending a cutting glance towards Ginny, who cringed a little.

Molly scowled, but nodded agreement and actually took back her earlier words. As much as she loved her daughter, Ginny's actions in looking elsewhere for affection was something she felt was anathema. The row she'd had with the younger redhead on that point was the stuff of legend in Ottery St. Catchpole. But ever since, Ginny had been remarkably repentant, and had acted as if the divorce and being away from Lily had been a wakeup call.

Moreover, just because she was wrong on that point didn't mean that Molly approved of Rias being around Lily. "You look as if you're only in what, your last year at Hogwarts yourself dear, or the equivalent in whatever it's called in foreign parts. Surely you can understand that watching a child's full time is…"

Rias interrupted Molly before she could get going again. "Quite a delight actually. However, I think we would be better served by allowing the little girl in question to have her say, and for you to put your case before her. I really don't want to allow that," she admitted. "I'd much prefer to immolate you all where you stand for daring to even think of taking her away from us, but, when in Rome, one must do what Romans do. And Lily herself has said she wants to talk to you."

While Ron gulped and took a step back, realizing this woman had not just made an idle threat but a real one given Tonks' villainous grin. The others however thought she was simply venting her spleen, and Molly in particular was ecstatic. "You see," she said, delight infusing her features as she patted Ginny on the arm. "She's missed her mother I told you she would, a few minutes conversation alone, and everything will be right as rain, and Harry will have to admit you still have a place in Lily's life."

Ginny frowned at her mother's easy assumption, while Rias laughed coldly. "If you think I'm going to leave any of you alone with Lily, you really must have your heads examined. I said you could talk to her, I never said anything about doing so alone."

With that she turned before anyone could reply, shouting out over her shoulder "Follow me."

Upstairs in the library, the three girls had waited, while Mittelt in a corner facing toward the doorway watching it intently, her books and notes nowhere in sight. Across from her in a similar position sat Loup.

As they entered, Ron saw the two in the perfect ambush position and halted, his wand flashing down from a holster on his wrist into his hand as he stared at them warily. Molly looked at him quizzically, and Ron ground out,, "They're sitting in an ambush position on the door Mum. If they wanted to, they could have opened fire on us the instant we entered the doorway from both sides."

Mittelt laughed wickedly, the sound giving her appearance the lie it truly was. "Eh, let's say it was just in case, you know. Paranoia in anyone around the trouble magnet that is Potter is a good idea, right?"

"Yeah I can see that, sort of. Though being paranoid here in the Black Mansion is a bit much," Ron muttered, staring at them both, holding up the rest of his family in the doorway despite his mother trying to push him out of the way. Ron hadn't grown as large or as wide as Charlie, but he was still a decent sized man with a lot of muscle on him who kept himself in decent shape.

Loup just nodded at him, then leaned his head back in the plush chair as if going to sleep, while Mittelt pulled out a book once more along with her notes. "Don't mind us, we're just here in case things go sour."

"Right…" Ron shook his head not liking their chances against this group if all of them were magical, which they almost certainly were given they were in the Black Mansion in the first place. Still he had no choice but to move aside and let his parents and Ginny enter.

Ginny however ignored the two bodyguards in favor of staring at Lily, ensconced between two teenage girls. One of them had multi-colored hair, with a single blonde streak which reminded her of Narcissa Malfoy for some reason, though the same black hair as Harry. The other one had white hair, which was highly unusual especially given her age, cropped short like a boy's, despite the fact that she had somewhat decent womanly curves. Indeed, she had much the same build Ginny had: tight, athletic, built for speed over everything.

Molly bustled forward happily, ignoring the two foreign girls in favor of Lily herself. "Lily dear, so good to have you home again, don't worry you won't have to go back to the foreign place ever again, I honestly don't know what Harry was thinking taking you away with him like that."

But she never reached her. As Lily cringed back into the girl with the blonde streak in her hair the white-haired girl stood up and gently but irresistibly pressed one hand into Molly's stomach. "No." she ordered, pushing Molly back two feet with a subtle shove of her hand.

"Actually Granny, I'm quite happy living in Japan," Lily chirped, smiling at Koneko in thanks. If Lily were asked her honest opinion, she had never really liked Molly's hugs, they were just a bit too smothering, and not in a good way either.

"Excuse you but I…"

"No!" Koneko growled. "Do I have to get out the rolled-up newspaper?"

Molly blinked at that, while Arthur gently tugged at her arm. "Surely hugs can wait for a moment, my dear."

"Again, I'd really like to speak to my daughter alone," Ginny said, feeling that they were very much outnumbered here. Darn it, Bill, where are you when I need you? Bill not wanting to be a part of this had cut her to the quick even worse than the Twins refusing, having told them a bit Harry's actions in the Wizengamot. Not that they had been believed.

"Oh, now I'm your daughter," Lily muttered, rolling her eyes at that.

"Lily Luna Potter!" Molly barked, "don't talk to your mother like that."

"Funny, I seem to remember that my Daddy divorced her," Lily growled, before somewhat acquiescing. "But she can talk to me, I just don't want to talk to her alone. I want my sisters here, and the rest of my family."

"Sisters?" Ginny asked before Molly could start to rage again. Sometimes Molly's attitude toward foreigners really showed where Ron got his, she reflected. Better, Ginny felt, to concentrate on what was really important here. "What do you mean, sisters?"

Asia bobbed her head politely, a smile on her face even though she really didn't want to smile at these people. Still, good Christian charity meant that she had to smile at people who were walking so willingly into the lion's den. "My name is Asia Potter. Tou-san, that is, Father adopted me. Blood adopted me in fact," she said, tapping her dark hair for a moment. Several months after the fact, she had finally gotten used to it. But Asia always took delight in the fact that the change in color meant that her connection to Harry and Lily was so permanent.

"And this is my big sister Koneko," Lily said, nuzzling into the side of the other white-haired girl as she sat back down. Koneko returned the gesture, an arm around her shoulders, and a glare on her yellow eyes for Molly and Ginny. "Family is what you make of it, and we made ours like this."

"And Mittelt and Loup are part of our extended clan from my side of things, I suppose you could say," Rias interjected. Loup's specific position was up in the air, the werewolf having decided to not become a devil, but his position within the pack certainly was not up for debate. "So you will say your piece in front of the whole group, or not at all."

At that, Ginny tried to stare Rias down knowing that she was the decision-maker here. Looking between the two of them, though, everyone there could see not only how that battle of wills would go. There was literally no comparison here, and Ginny felt herself growing red with rage the longer she stared at the taller redhead with the supermodel body who had apparently married her former husband. Then again they could be lying about that. Married by magic? Who would believe that? The witch scoffed internally.

Arthur paid this contest of will no mind, and he stepped forward between Molly and Ginny smiling down at Lily. "Before anything else has to be said my dear, I'm happy to see you well. You look fit as a fiddle, and I understand that you lived in Japan for a while? How fascinating that must have been."

"It's very fun, grandpa," Lily said with a smile and nod. She had never really gotten along well with Arthur either, but that was more because she hadn't seen much of him. Whenever Ginny or Harry had brought her to the Burrow, it was always Molly that was bustling around the place or spending time with her or trying to smother her as Lily thought of it both then and now. Arthur was just a kind of nonentity to her. Outside of the few birthdays she had clear memories of anyway.

With her father having popped the tension in the library like a balloon, Ginny sighed but then nodded. She sat in a chair across from Lily concentrating on her daughter and now ignoring the younger, taller, and oh had she noticed, prettier redhead.

Whatever this Rias bitch might think, if I can get my daughter on my side, then that's all that matters. Harry might have basically terrified the Wizengamot, but who knows how long that will last if I can prove that Lily wants to be with me? That'll be enough for both the light and the Traditionalists, and the moment he's away, the Dark-aligned families will only be too happy to jump on anything that'll annoy him. Now I just have to convince her that what I want is the best thing for her.

Ginny was trying hard not to think about the fact that she was completely surprised by almost everything she had walked into here. Like her mother, she thought Rias was just a foreign tart after the Potter fortune. But instead, she found that the younger girl was Harry's new wife! And that he had adopted one girl, and that Rias had adopted another, both of whom acted like they were Lily's sisters? The protectiveness I expected from anyone Harry would allow around, let alone leave, Lily with. The amount of family feeling… This isn't going to be easy.

She didn't have to look to her mother to realize that at least half of the woman's forward momentum had evaporated by this point, even with their mutual desire to gain access to the Prewitt magics and vaults. Overbearing, overprotective, practically domineering and all too controlling, and everything else she might be, but Molly Weasley also was a woman who put family first, even above her own heritage.

And from her perspective, there's another way for me to be the one to gain access to it after all, shethought crossly, keeping a look of utter disgust at the very idea off her face with difficulty. Fuck if I'll go through remarrying and then another nine months of hell!

When she spoke, her voice was soft, with none of her inner thoughts appearing to mar it at all. "Lily, I realize that, that I wasn't a good mother to you. But you have to understand, I was so young when I had you, barely eighteen at the time. And not everyone can take to motherhood like my own mother did. I went into it with expectations, with an idea of what becoming a mother would be like, and how I wanted my own life to go. They weren't compatible, and when, when that happened, it was my relationship with you that was sacrificed. Harry was always so happy to take on the role of house husband, to spend time with you, that by the time I realized that I wasn't there as often for you as I should, there wasn't any more room for me between you."

She saw Lily stiffen her nostrils flaring, and went on quickly, changing tactics a little. Evidently attacking Harry even slightly wasn't going to do anything here. Dammit, Harry has always had her wrapped around his little finger and vice-versa.

"And then there were our own tastes and interests. Again, before I had you, I didn't realize how much of my own life I would have to change in order to become your mother. So when I tried to be with you, and our interests didn't intersect, I just stopped trying. That was my fault," she said, gesturing towards herself with both hands and looking as repentant as she possibly could. "But I think, that being separated from you, and yes, even Harry, though I don't think his and my relationship will ever recover even to the point of friendship," she added.

She was unable to stop a glare center Rias's way at that point, which the younger redhead took with aplomb. She simply crossed her arms under her practically inhuman bust as she glared back at the older redhead, everything about her screaming disdain.

With an effort of will, Ginny didn't take up the challenge inherent in that look and turned back to Lily. "But I think our relationship can hopefully be healed if we both work at it. I want to be your mother again, I want to at least try to form that kind of bond with you. I want you to come back to live with me here in the United Kingdom. We'll live here in the Black Mansion, our original home. You can start to learn magic early, I don't care so much about that, I can even get you enrolled in a non-magical school I suppose if you want to continue that aspect of your education. But I want to be a part of your life again."

Next to her, Molly harrumphed while Arthur looked a little bemused as if he was uncertain about why that was a talking point, let alone an important one. For all that he was incredibly enthusiastic about muggle devices, he had the typical wizard's bemused condescending attitude towards muggles and their science.

Ginny ignored them staring back at Lily. "Are you willing to give me that chance?"

Lily cocked her head to one side, staring at her thoughtfully. Maybe if Rias wasn't already in her life, taking up that giant hole that was labeled 'Mother' in her mind, Lily might have wanted to give her birthmother a chance. Maybe if Luna hadn't told them about the whole Family grimoire and rights thing that Ginny and Molly had been pushing in order to get the old farts in the Wizengamot on their side, she might have thought about it.

But even then, Lily didn't think she would have agreed. And now, looking at her mother, she was struggling to see anything of herself in the older woman. My hairs much redder than hers, my eyes aren't hers, I only have a few freckles. Maybe a bit of the chin? I don't have her temper, that's for sure.

"Moving back here would mean leaving all my friends, leaving my new family behind," she said, starting off slowly.

"You can make new friends, Lily. Especially at your age, friends come and go, but family is forever," Molly said from behind Ginny, placing a hand on her shoulder. "And whatever these… people… might think we are your real family. The fact that Harry has attempted to move on from Ginny is one thing, that does not mean that this young woman is prepared to give you the parenting necessary for all young girls."

"Family is what you make of it," Lily said, grabbing Asia and Koneko's hands in hers and squeezing as she repeated her earlier words. "And as for parenting necessary for young girls, I have that in plenty. I have Asia and Koneko for big sister hugs and roughhousing, and Rias for everything else."

And Kala as someone who can teach me how to cook, Akeno as another teasing-type big sister and Yasaka as another mother figure and Kunou as a best friend and sister, she added mentally though she didn't say aloud.

They'd decided not to complicate matters in the Wizarding World by even hinting at the multi-relationship going on around Harry. While in certain parts of the Wizarding World that was actually normal, here in Britain, in this day and age it would raise a lot of eyebrows and would serve as fuel for people who felt that Harry was not providing a proper environment for a line-heiress like Lily, who would be seen as a Prewitt first since the Potters were patriarchal.

"And as for giving you a chance…" Lily leaned forward, locking eyes with her birthparent angrily. "Daddy and I gave you lots of chances. Do you think I didn't hear the arguments between you two when it let me learn from Aunt Hermione so I could go to a non-magical school? Do you think I don't remember the times when Daddy would ask you to look after me, and you would refuse, forcing him to take time off whatever he was doing?"

Lily breathed in deeply, forcing the words to come out without tremor of remembered sadness or new anger as she went on. "You say you've changed, how am I supposed to know that's real? How am I supposed to know that you really want to become my parent again, rather than something else? Something else, like this whole Line Theft thing! How dare you accuse Daddy of doing that when we had no idea about the whole Prewitt thing at all?!"

Despite the young redhead's last few words came out in the snarl, as she glared first at Ginny then at Molly, who recoiled slightly from the glare from the little girl. Then she bunched herself up and seemed about to bark back when Arthur grabbed her arm. Molly whirled on him, but the look in his eyes caused her to wilt.

While it was Molly who ran the roost most of the time, when the rooster put his foot down, everyone in the Weasley family listened. And he did so now. "It's a legitimate question. I was never happy about that tactic as you well know Molly-wobbles."

While Rias tried to keep a guffaw in at the utterly demeaning nickname, Ginny bit her lip to keep from answering angrily, nodding her head slowly as if Lily had made an important point. "I can't deny that is a point and has been one we've been using to gather support to force Harry to bring you back home. But it isn't the main one for me, Lily. I do want you back in my life. I do want to try to be your mother again."

At that point, Ron became aware that someone was standing behind him near the doorway. He was about to turn, his wand in hand when an arm looped around his neck, squeezing very lightly. A familiar voice then whispered in his ear, "Calmly Ron, don't do anything we'd regret. I want to see how this plays out."

"Wanker," Ron whisper-grumbled, but didn't argue with his old friend. Not when that old friend already had an arm around his neck anyway. There had been a time when Ron was the bigger of the two, the more physical outside of Quidditch. But that time had passed in their third year when Harry had been bitten by the werewolf, and while Ron had kept himself in fighting trim, he hadn't kept fighting over the years like Tonks and Harry had.

The ginger-haired man watched as Harry lifted a finger, which had something that looked like a metal claw fit over it at the moment for some reason. The tip of it pointed between Molly and Arthur towards Ginny's back, but there was no flare or flash of magic, so Ron didn't do anything but watch. "Now, let's see…"

Lily had smelled her father arriving as had Koneko, though neither gave any indication they had. The others had missed his arrival, concentrating on the tableau in front of them. Lily fought to keep a smile of welcome off her face or her eyes from straying in that direction. She didn't quite succeed, but no one else had noticed, and Lily shook her head at her birth mother. "No. You talk a good talk, but all I've heard about is your wants, you are trying to make decisions for me. What would you do if I said I didn't want to leave Daddy or Japan, but I was willing to let you into your life?"

"That's not how this works," Ginny retorted. "You and I have to live here in Britain."

Before Ginny could wonder why that had come out like that, Lily continued her interrogation. "Everything you've said has all been about me making sacrifices, and you get the benefits. How's that fair?"

"Good word choice on both sacrifice and benefits, lovey," Rias approved, earning a smile from the little girl.

Ginny opened her mouth to interject, but Lily quickly turned back to her again, actually frustrating Harry a little since he had wanted to see how Fragarach acted on whatever Ginny had been about to say. "I still remember when I came to you crying, saying that the other children around the house had called me names. You told me you were busy. You told me to toughen up. Rias told me how to fight back without my fists. I remember when I decided I preferred to wear jeans over dresses, and how long we argued about it until Daddy came home. I remember how rare it was that you would make time for me," Lily continued, her tone astonishingly mature for such a young girl causing Koneko and Asia to hug the girl even tighter than they had been.

"I remember all that. And now I'm supposed to think that our being away from each other is supposed to have changed that? When you're still not saying that you would be willing to compromise on the big things I supposed to think that you would compromise with me on what I want to do, not just where I want to live?"

"Because I know what's best for you! Besides, what does the non-magical world have to offer that the magical world doesn't!? What do your new friends matter, when we can get our hands on the family magic of the Prewitt line, and all their money too! Are you honestly happy having Harry try to make you into a second female version of himself? And as for me making time for you as if he ever allowed her to be time for just us as if you ever saw my side of things!" Ginny suddenly let out, her eyes widening even as she continued to speak, unable to stop the words from coming. "But no, by the time you became at all interesting, Harry had you wrapped around his little finger, just like this Japanese tart obviously has him with her big tits and her big ass and…!"

She finally clamped a hand over her mouth, staring wide-eyed Lily, then around at the others, stammering slightly. "I, I didn't, that is…"

"Ginny," Arthur sighed while Molly looked appalled, shaking her head wildly from side to side, wondering what the heck had just forced her daughter to share all of that. "I don't know why you suddenly decided to spout off like that, but I think you and I need to have a long talk about what is really important."

"I think we've heard enough," Harry agreed from the doorway, causing everyone there to start and turn towards him, beyond Koneko, Loup, and Lily. He moved away from Ron, patting his shoulder mock-playfully, as he moved around the Weasley's, deftly enlarging the sofa where the three girls were sitting so that he had a place to sit, pulling Koneko and Lily into his lap, while Asia nuzzled into his side, staring mournfully at Ginny. She had so hoped that it could really be reconciliation between the two, if not a reconnection. Now it seemed as if Ginny had been manipulating everyone all along.

"My daughter said 'family is what you make of it' just as I arrived, and I agree with her. We've made our own little family, our own little clan in Japan, and we're not giving it up, neither of us. Not for anything in the United Kingdom, and certainly not for your selfish desires. I can understand wanting to become rich, I remember all too clearly a time when I had nothing. I can understand a desire to become important, to even be, powerful magically or socially. What I cannot understand is sacrificing or using a family member to do it."

Lily growled, her teeth bared as Koneko hugged her from one side and Asia gently wrapped an arm around her too as Lily shook her head. "You've never really been my Mother, you've never wanted to be one either. And nothing you've said today makes me think that's changed. I don't want anything to do with you anymore! I would've been fine with just Daddy but then Koneko came along as my big sister, and then Rias, as well…" Lily floundered a little before going on firmly, pointing up at Rias. "she's my Mum now. And I don't need you! I don't need your family magics, or the money, or anything! I just want to keep what I already have."

"… As much as I hate to agree with you breaking any lingering connection between the two of you, I have to admit that what Ginny has said today disturbs me too, as well as how she went about all this. We will leave you all alone," Arthur said firmly, glaring at his daughter who had whipped her head around to stare at him in betrayal.

"Arthur!" Molly shouted, also turning to glare at her husband waving one hand towards Rias then to Yubelluna who had just entered the room, and then over to Mittelt. "You surely can't think that these women can be any kind of example for a young girl! While I disagree entirely with Ginny's priorities, it really is in the best interest of Lily to…"

"I don't think any of us have the right to say what is in the best interest of Lily bar her father," Arthur said firmly. "And we will be talking more about this at home."

"I'll see you out," Rias said, gesturing towards the door.

Arthur nodded and pushed the still protesting Molly in front of him, while Ginny simply sat there for a moment until Rias gripped her shoulder and pulled her to her feet. The fact that she hadn't even strained to do so made Ginny's eyes widen. "Perhaps you missed it, but you have overstayed you're welcome, Ginny."

Ron was already out the door, shaking his head at how this at all gone down. He wondered what Harry had to do with Ginny's sudden verbal vomiting there but couldn't bring himself to care. It was obvious that he had chosen the wrong side here, and he would have to live with the consequences of having chosen his sister over his best friend, as he had for months now.

The quartet of Weasleys was silent as Rias led the way back down to the Floo fireplace. There they seemed to regain some of their earlier fire, and Ginny was growling under her breath, glaring at Rias then up towards the hallway leading into the library. But Rias did not allow her to regain any of her forward moment, grabbing the woman by the shoulder and twisting her around to stare at her while Arthur moved to pick up some of the Floo powder.

"You know, I don't hate easily. It's always seemed a pointless waste of mental energy to me. But you, I could grow to hate you with little encouragement."

Ginny sneered at that, but Rias went on, glaring into the shorter woman's eyes, then over to Molly. "What woman acts like you did? Waiting I can see, not having a child in the first place I can see, but having a child in a world where you have access to contraceptives spells, morning after potions and so forth, which are 100% accurate? And then deciding you don't want to be her mother? Going out of your way to push her away as you did? When you weren't trying to control her? Then realizing you could use her to gain money and power too late to do anything? That I can't understand at all."

She shook the older woman gently. Just once, but to Ginny, it felt like she had just been shaken by Fluffy so much her bones and body rattled. Then she found herself propelled towards the Floo, a hand grabbing at her wrist when she tried to reach for her wand.

"Don't make it any worse," Rias added, pulling the thing out of her hand and tossing it to Ron, who caught it deftly. A glare towards Molly and a quick spell caught her own wand, which was tossed to Arthur, who looked at his wife sadly, shaking his head.

Rias then leaned in, glaring down from her own height at Ginny. "You will never ever be around Lily ever again if I have anything to say about it, and as her Mum, I do. Harry and I will see to her education. We will see to raising her, will see her grow into the magnificent, amazing woman she can become. And you will have nothing to do with it. When she's discovers kissing can be fun and all that she will come to me. When she realizes the pains of becoming a woman for the first time she will come to me. All her joys, all her triumphs, everything in her life, she will share with Harry and me. You are nothing to her now."

As Ginny reeled back more from the sheer vitriol in Rias's words, Rias pushed her back another step towards the Floo. "And if you have any idea to try to regain Lily in some other fashion than talk…" Rias held up a hand a finger that was aflame with black and red coiling energy in front of the shorter woman's eyes. At the same time, an aura of immense power rolled off her in waves, nearly driving the wizards to their knees in fear and shock at the unknown pressure bearing down on them all of a sudden. "I would urge you to think again."

"I am not Harry," she added, looking around at the rest of the redheads, the pressure slowly letting up. "I am not nearly as forgiving as he is, nor am I as constrained by past positive memories of you all. Harry will hopefully have gutted the political aspects that you all started in motion. Take that and take what happened here as a sign that this is one fight you have already lost. Because if you continue it, I will be getting involved further, and none of you want that."

For a moment, the four of the Weasley's were still, then Rias pulled her aura back under control, and smiled mock-sweetly at them, gesturing to the fireplace. "Now get out."

The four Weasley's, even Ginny, could not move fast enough after that.

As Rias reentered the library, Harry looked up from where he had been stroking Lily's hair. As Lily too became aware the older redhead had returned he released the girl, to hop out of his lap and race over to Rias. She knelt, smiling at her, as the little girl flung herself into Rias's arms. No words were needed as she held the girl and slowly stood up before moving over to the sofa. There Koneko nuzzling into her side almost instantly as Asia and Harry cuddled together on her other side.

"Well, I think that went about as well as we could expect. I think that Lily being the one to basically refuse Ginny, and the little threat I left them with should stop anything more from the Weasley's themselves. And you, Harry? How has your day been?" she asked, mock-brightly while Lily giggled into her chest. Now that the confrontation was over Lily was dealing with a lot of anger and residual grief at her birthmother's actions and motivations, but she seemed to be getting over it quickly thanks to the support all around her. "Hopefully not as fraught as mine."

"Fraught? No, not really. Only one extremely underpowered attack, for me and Yubelluna anyway, when I was talking to the head of the ICW. "Yubelluna and I dealt with it. As for my meeting with the group of merry old men who think they know best for the United Kingdom's wizard community, that went remarkably well."

"Awe and fear tend to have the effect of stealing one's ability to think," Yubelluna replied dryly from where she lounged in solitary glory on a plush chair to one side of the sofa, while Mittelt and Loup moved from the shadows of the library into the light, sitting in other chairs.

"Another attack? Joy, although it sounds as if you dealt with it a lot easier than we did the one on us," Rias grumped.

At Harry's interrogative look, Rias shook her head gesturing down to the girl between them. "I'll tell you later. Right now I think it's family time."

Given how physically exhausted she was before the confrontation with her birth mother thanks to Koneko, Loup, and Titan, Lily wasn't able to stay up for much longer thankfully. Harry turned her over to Koneko, who gently hefted the little girl into her arms and with Asia following, headed to bed.

After that, Harry and the others compared notes. To his surprise, Yubelluna had actually kept a very decent running account of the information they'd had on Egypt from both the ICW and more importantly Shacklebolt. Harry had been a bit too busy 'discussing' his unhappiness with Neville and Shack's inability to head off the whole Line Theft concept. They'd convinced him that they hadn't backed it, but they had still wanted to use Harry and his known skill at violence back waving the flag for the powers-that-be. That had nearly made him angry enough to march out, but the need for more information on Egypt, given how little the Chief Mugwump had given him, had made him stay. Regardless, his friendship with Neville had most certainly taken a hit.

Listening to it, Rias had to agree that it sounded more as if something had been covered over by the Wizarding World, rather than originated within it, and was now rising to the surface. That meant that yes, Harry and the others would be the most logical decision to deal with. Greece on the other hand, there Tonks basically bluntly said "We shouldn't get involved with something that large-scale. Not after what you told us Rias about Hades."

"Agreed," Harry said with a nod. He had been incensed at the attack on Rias, Asia, and Loup of course.

But Rias had taken him to task for being overly protective and said 'I'm a big girl Harry, as you've noticed many times. I can look after myself."

This had forced Harry to retreat from his initial idea of burying the goblins in their warrens, but he wasn't happy about it. And before they left the UK Harry would make certain the goblins understood his displeasure. But that could wait until after they were done in Ireland.

"The wizards might believe that their troubles there all come from inside the magical world. Let them deal with that aspect. But for the rest, tell your brother that Hades is alive out there, and active now. If we handle the issue in Egypt, he's going to have to do something about the one in Greece," Harry finished.

"Considering that my brother is one of only two Devils alive who could possibly match a God in power, I'm afraid that's all too accurate. I've already started to write up my formal report. I'll send it off with one of my familiars. Unfortunately given the distances involved and the fact that I don't know of any nearby devil holdings in the United Kingdom – the nearest Gremory holding is in Finland - it will take time to get to him."

"That's fine. Whatever is happening in Greece can't be our priority. We have to be aware of it, but it's for other people to handle, not us. Now that the ICW will have its manpower issues solved for it, we can hope to see a lessening of violence in the Wizarding World at least, and that'll hamper the Khaos Brigade's continued attempts to recruit. Beyond that, I'm willing to handle the issue in Egypt, mainly because I think we're going to have to get involved anyway either now or later," he drawled, looking down at a wizard-type picture as it moved, showing a scaled, clawed hand holding what looked like a spear of some kind. A spear with a very unusual shape to it, one out of myths and legends. Specifically Irish myths and legends.

Staring at it, Rias slowly nodded once more. The image of the spear of Ireland's most favored son, Cú Chulainn. The Gae Bolg, a weapon of indisputable power, possibly even worth being a Longinus type Sacred Gear. In the hands of someone in Egypt.

So yes, Harry would certainly probably have to get involved with whatever was going on there. "Although how the heck it got from Ireland to Egypt is a question."

"A question answered by the hand wielding it no doubt," Harry drawled, making Rias realize she had spoken aloud.

With a chuckle at her own curiosity, Rias looked at Harry and asked, "And what about the Unspeakables? Did they talk to you about the issues in Ireland?"

"I'm afraid not. The Unspeakables weren't willing to answer any of my questions, even though the minister was able to browbeat them into letting us examine the Veil of Death. I wasn't able to find anything about that rune I recognized, although I think it might have something to do with movement." Harry scowled, remembering the hour he'd spent staring at the Veil, taking note of the runes on in it while Unspeakables, covered in spell, cloak and full facemasks watching him from all around.

"If the Unspeakables know anything about those runes that are on it, they're not saying. So whatever answers we're going to get, we'll have to figure out on her own. And remember to throw them off the trail because they will be following us."

"I agree," Yubelluna interjected. "Those Unspeakables struck me as almost miserly. They keep what secrets they have and are not happy if others discover things they can't figure out themselves. They were not happy they had to bow even to the Minister's demand they let us see the Veil. The less we have to deal with them the better."

"Fine by me," Tonks muttered.

She had volunteered to try and sneak into the Department of mysteries, but Harry had informed her that he didn't need to know what was there, he needed to know what the Unspeakables knew. Tonks knew that despite all her abilities, she wouldn't fool any of the other Unspeakables if she attempted to sneak in.

"So, are we all going to be ready to head to Ireland tomorrow?" Harry asked.

Everyone nodded, but Rias added a caveat. "Asia has requested that we let her go to St. Paul's cathedral, and Lily has not stopped raving about Harrods. But beyond that," Rias sighed, stretching and very deliberately thrusting her chest out towards Harry. "I don't have any objections to moving on."

"Yes, I think we're done for the day," Harry said hurriedly, getting up and moving to take Rias by the hand and pull her to her feet. He looked over at Yubelluna, one eyebrow rising in query.

The purple-haired woman looked torn for a moment, staring between them. But she slowly shook her head. "Not yet," she replied to that unspoken question. "While I am not against the idea of fooling around, I'm not ready to go all the way with you just yet, Harry."

"In that case, My Lady, I will see you tomorrow," Harry replied, some remorse but no annoyance in his tone as he leaned over and planted a lingering kiss on Yubelluna's lips.

He left her there with a wide smile on his face, watching him go. Today had been a very full, but informative and… an enlightening day all around, she reflected. She didn't look away from the doorway Harry and Rias had exited through until Mittelt sidled up to her. "So…any idea how long it'll take you to make that jump you just mentioned? Inquiring minds want to know."

OOOOOOO

St. Paul's Cathedral was one of the most famous churches in London, a tourist destination and a place of worship. It had survived or been rebuilt after numerous fires before one had claimed the old cathedral entirely in the Great Fire of London, 1666. Each time it had burned down, even after that fire, it had been re-consecrated and rebuilt, the last time by the architect Sir Christopher Wren and the Bishop of London upon the work's completion.

It was an amazing edifice with a high domes center point, a high, vaulted ceiling inside. The interior of the cathedral was painted in a series of amazing frescoes, which drew the eye towards the high altar at the far end.

Asia entered the sanctified church, and set and breathed in the atmosphere, and the energy that she could feel in this building, the first truly consecrated place she'd been in since her excommunication. She was much more aware of that energy now thanks to Harry's teachings, then she had been when she had simply been the holy maiden. Oh, she had felt it, but Asia hadn't understood it. The church had never given her training in how to further harness the energy within her that came from having a Sacred Gear, almost like a byproduct of it.

Now she did. And the feel of the God -type magic, the blessing of this sanctified church spread over Asia, causing her to smile beatifically. They hadn't been able to get away from breakfast for the morning services, alas. And as a tourist attraction, there were bands of tourists being shown around the church with numerous signs of please no flash photography and such. But she knew where she was going they wouldn't be allowed to follow.

She took her time, still taking in the interior of the building, looking at the frescoes with delight. Around her more and more of the tourists, and a few lay brothers who worked here noticed her. A few frowned, thinking she was some kind of cosplayer, the cut of her nuns habit not matching any they had seen before. Two priests however simply looked at her in confusion thinking that they had seen her somewhere before or at least heard a description that matched her.

As Asia had predicted when she came to St. Dunstan's Cathedral, they were gently but firmly turned aside by a few priests. She was let in, though again she garnered an odd, confused look while Harry and Lily, who had come with her to show solidarity, stayed outside. The two of them shared a single headset, listening to the history of the Cathedral, as Harry pointed out the frescoes to Lily. She wasn't all that interested in them, but she was more than willing to spend time with Asia.

The looks of frowning confusion faded from the priests' faces as Asia knelt in front of the altar, her hands clasped in prayer before her as she began to intone her daily prayer. "Our Father, Lord in Heaven…"

From there voice fell into a whisper as she continued her prayer, feeling the power of Faith in this place more than she had ever since she had been kicked out of the church. God may be dead as that horrible Valper man said. But he was wrong about the most important thing. The Lord being dead has not lessened His message to the word, or the power of our Faith nor the good works done in His name. You may not be able to hear my prayers, oh Lord, but I still believe in thee and your message, in the freedom of choice that you allowed us.

She paused at the end of her prayer, thinking further on the road that had brought her here. My journey has been strange. Vastly different from what I thought it would be. Difficult, bizarre at times and yet very rewarding. I have found happiness and joy fit to make me burst. Thank you blessed Lord, for bringing me to where I could meet Harry, my father. Thank you blessed God for my little sister Lily, for Rias and the others, even though it might seem sacrilegious in their case. Thank you, for showing me that even those not raised in the faith can still be good and worthy and those raised in it can still fall to evil. Thank you for showing me that I need to follow my own path in this life, and for allowing me to choose that path, I love thee.

"Thank you for this life," she finished allowed, before ending her prayer.

It might have been the imagination of the other worshipers, and it was so odd they didn't think to share it with one another. But many of the people around her almost saw something like a halo appear there, as the little blonde girl knelt there.

It was that sight that caused the senior priest on duty to gasp, hurrying towards her. "The Holy Maiden!" He whispered moving towards her as she finished her prayers. "We are blessed beyond belief by your presence here, but, but we were not that is, is there a reason..."

She shook her head with a smile reaching out to shake his hand. He took it a little limply, staring at her still but she simply smiled and said, "I'm not just the Holy Maiden any longer I am Asia Potter, and I'm here with my family."

The priest blinked at that, then turned his head to stare at where Aisa indicating, seeing Harry and Lily waiting outside St. Dunstan's.

With a curtsy Asia moved around the priest towards her family.

The priest stared after her, then shook his head. If the church didn't know about this, they would have to be informed. The Holy Maiden having a family was one thing, but her movements would still have to be protected wouldn't they? Someone of her power would be a lodestone to danger, after all.

As Asia was exiting the church, she was still looking over her shoulder at the priest, bemused by her welcome. As such, she crashed into another girl, who was exiting the St. Paul's, causing both of them to fall onto their rears in the vestibule. "Oh I am so sorry," Asia gushed, standing up quickly and then reaching down to help the girl to her feet.

"No, no, it's my fault entirely, I wasn't watching where I was going," the other girl stammered, pushing down on her skirt's behind as she stood up. She wore a somewhat old-fashioned skirt and blouse combination, with an odd, gaudy pendant around her neck. The skirt was a little longer than her knees, but it had been pushed up her rear when she fell.

"No, it's my fault, I wasn't aware watching where I was going either," Asia replied, bowing as the other girl also curtseyed while apologizing. For a moment, the two girls paused, looking at one another, then began to giggle both of them struck by the silliness of the moment.

Watching from behind Asia, Harry smiled. It looked as if Asia was making a friend. The look of the new girl however caused him to cock his head to one side quizzically before he made his way over to them, with Lily and Loup following behind. "Are you two all right?"

"I'm fine Father," replied Asia, smiling at the other girl. "Are you okay?"

The girl wasn't looking at Asia at the moment. Instead she had turned to look at the man who had addressed them only to stare at Harry, in particular his forehead, with a look of awe and surprise on her face. "H, Harry Potter!" she squeaked.

"That is my name," Harry said with a gentle nod. "I take it from that answer that you're one of my sort, shall we say?" He obviously wasn't going to use the word wizard out here in public and didn't want to chance using magic near a sanctified church. Indeed, he'd been feeling a bit odd ever since entering the building.

"Oh, um, yes," the girl stammered, nodding her head. "I'm so sorry, you probably get annoyed by all the fans and fawning I suppose."

"At times it has been annoying, although the sidelong looks and the whispers of fear that I might be becoming a Dark Lord are somewhat more so, especially these days," Harry replied dryly, gesturing the two girls out of the doorway, as a few other tourists were beginning to get a little annoyed by their group filling up half the exit. Both girls noticed this at once and spent at least a full minute apologizing to everyone around them, until Harry gently nudged both of them outside.

"Can I ask miss if you are one of my sort, why aren't you in school?" Harry asked. He estimated her age at either Asia's age or a year at best in either direction, which should mean she was a Hogwarts student. And it certainly isn't school break for Hogwarts.

"Oh, I've never gone to school, even though I didn't want to when I was younger. My family believes in following normal educational guidelines first, and then our sort's second," the girl replied evidently deciding to use the same metaphor that Harry had been using. "It's worked for the last two generations, and they didn't see a point to changing it up for me, especially when my big brother proved to be a normal sort."

"That makes sense, although I take it you have started instruction?" Harry asked.

"Yes, although not as much practical instruction. Mostly book learning at this point and I believe you would put them as first-year instruction, mostly in…" She frowned, a ridiculously cute little moue on her face as she tapped her chin trying to think of a word to use that could be substituted for charms and failing.

Harry interrupted her before she could flounder further. "I see. But as nice as it is to see someone who doesn't fawn over me," or obviously automatically thinks that I'm going to be the next dark Lord or want something from me, "whatever that might be, I'm afraid that my family and I have places to go. Are you here with someone? I didn't notice you walking with anyone in the crowd with when you bumped into Asia."

"Family?" the girl asked, looking at the three girls around Harry. She waved back shyly at Lily's energetic and nodded her head politely to Loup while smiling at Asia again. Then the question seemed to register for her and nodded, pointing down the street to a small café. "My brother is waiting for me in the café. He doesn't really like the tourist thing, as he puts it. He feels it's a waste of time."

"In that case do you want us to walk with you to the café?"

"Oh would you? I have so many questions! Not," she added hurriedly "about well your adventuring that, just um, what school was like and so forth." The girl seemed to pause thinking. "But, didn't I read that you had left the United Kingdom? In fact I know I've read that," she went on in a firmer tone. "There have been a lot of newspaper reports and stuff about that, and a lot of opinions, mostly a lot of people spouting out how it was wrong or how you were betraying the country or some such tosh."

"I did. Now I am back to deal with a bit of old business, some of which is probably behind all that, and I agree, it is the toshiest of tosh," Harry replied, see no reason to share the real reasons behind their trip with this girl. She was likable enough, and from their interactions so far it was evident that Asia had found a kindred spirit here, but even so she was still a stranger who hadn't even given them her name yet.

The girl seemed to take that polite refusal in stride, then looked over at Asia, then Lily. Harry could see the questions forming, after all it was public knowledge that Harry only had the one daughter, and Asia was obviously older than Lily. However, Harry was pleasantly surprised to see that she forbore commenting on that, simply moving over to Asia as they walked down the street and asking her about her own instruction, whether or not she went to school and so on. That seemed to be enough for the girl, who did not try to ask Harry any further questions, and the two of them soon started to chatter happily to one another about school life, clubs, and various other interests. Lily was watching this fondly but had no indication they wanted to join in instead talking excitedly about the next stop on their list to Loup, where they would meet up with Rias and the others at Harrods.

Their pleasant walk continued until they reached the café where a young blonde-haired man, his hair the same color as the girls, looked up at them. Harry caught that movement and turned back from answering a question from Loup to lock gazes with the young man, who stared back at Harry, his gaze flicking from him to Loup and back, assessing.

That young man is dangerous Harry thought, studying him closely as they came to the gate separating the outside sitting area of the café from the street. Those eyes, those are the eyes of a combat veteran at the very least. Perhaps a serving soldier.

"Oh, that's my brother," the girl said, waving at him.

The man's eyes flicked to her and instantly softened, becoming much more normal, as he waved back very lightly, then tapped a pot of tea in front of him meaningfully. She smiled at that, before turning back to bow towards Harry and the others. "Well thank you for talking with me, and walking me here, but I think my brother is getting a little impatient. He's a bit of a tea snob, so I doubt the tea in this café has held his attention," she added her voice louder now.

The boy huffed, shaking his head before nodding politely towards Harry and the others as the girl made her farewells.

"You never did give us your name you know," Harry cut in, poking the girl shoulder lightly. "For all the questions you were plying Asia with, supplying us with your name should have been assumed."

The girl blushed, then nodded. "I am so sorry, my name is Le Fay."

"There, was that so hard," Harry teased, causing her to flush further as he ruffled her hair and then gently pushed her in the direction of the café's gate. "It was nice to meet you, but I'm afraid we have to go."

"I hope that you have a nice day, Le Fay," Asia said, shaking hands with the girl while Loup and Lily waved before Harry led the way further down the street away from the café.

Behind them, Le Fay sat next to her brother Arthur, who raised one eyebrow at her. "Well, that was an odd coincidence wasn't it? Or was it a coincidence at all?"

"It seems to be. I mean, they don't have any idea we are anyway, how could they? I've never been on any adventures for the KB, and you've never been active in Japan, or here in the United Kingdom." Le Fay answered, before adding tauntingly, "Unless you count our 'running away from home' of course."

Arthur refused to rise to the bait however, shaking his head. "True enough, I will put one instance of our meeting Harry Potter and his allies down to pure coincidence, even if when we left the KB there was no hint of their ever stepping foot out of Kuoh. That, and the Holy Maiden's presence I suppose. If they are in London at all, her visiting the Basilica is rather obvious. I don't like their presence in the isle though. I am concerned about how this will complicate things. But I suppose we cannot do anything about that." With a shrug of his shoulders, Arthur shifted topic asking, "Did you discover anything?"

At that, Le Fay tried not to look guilty. She had convinced her brother to let her come to see St. Paul's which, like Buckingham Palace and Big Ben, she had always wanted to see in person, should be added to their itinerary for the day. She had said it was because she had wanted to see if the church knew anything about the issue that their cousin had asked them home to look into: that of the glowing fog of magical potential that had occasionally interrupted out from Ireland. Subtle mental spells however had shown up nothing. Good thing I did that first and toured the cathedral after. Who knows if Harry Potter could have sensed me using magic there?

"While the chief priest and many of his fellows are aware of the supernatural, they aren't aware of the fog or anything else. So we won't be interfered with by the church, but neither did they know anything that we could use," she said with a shrug. She hadn't thought they would have, but confirmation of that fact certainly hadn't been enough to spend several hours on.

"That was to be expected I suppose," Arthur said with a nod. "So, where to from here?"

"Home?" Le Fay asked, smirking at the suddenly wooden expression on her brother's face, before she switched from her own chair into his lap, nuzzling into his chest. That drew some looks, but neither sibling cared about the opinions of the random passerby. "Well if not home, then how about we go take some pictures of Big Ben, I've always wanted to be there, and then we can meet up with Cousin Daniel for dinner? I'd like to read over some of the first-hand reports about what this fog is like. But after that, I'm afraid we're going to have to head down to Ireland for any real answers."

Arthur nodded, then gently set her on the floor and stood up himself. "In that case let us be off." He pulled out exact change for the tea he had been drinking, then motioned her towards the gate.

"Was the tea that bad?" Le Fay asked, looking from the exact change to her brother's face. He normally left a decent tip.

"You have no idea sister dear," Arthur replied shaking his head. Still chuckling at that, Le Fey led the way out onto the street, thinking wistfully that had things been different, perhaps she and Asia could have become friends, instead of simply random strangers. It would have been nice to have friends beyond Arthur, not that I'll ever say it aloud. Still, I do wonder what brought Mister Harry and his family back to the UK…

OOOOOOO

After an hour spent chasing Lily around Harrods with Koneko and an early lunch, the Kuoh Companions, as Tonks called them, piled into the SUV, heading to Holyhead. There they would take a ferry to Dublin, Ireland. They left behind a thoroughly frazzled and shocked group of wizards and witches, if many of them were hopeful that Harry would, once again, at least solve some of their problems. Others were just shocked and appalled, their plans completely derailed.

For Harry and his family though, everything they had done in the past day was just that, in the past. All of them were eager to take up their next adventure in Ireland now.

End Chapter

Woot. So, as you can see, the issues in the Wizengamot and the goblins are done with. Ginny has been sent into retreat, by Lily herself rather than Rias or Harry, and now has no allies to speak of when it comes to get Lily back under her control. The issue in Greece has been explained, handed off to Zirsechs, and Luna has joined the fold, dragging her husband in with her. A connection between Harry's new powers and Egypt has also been hinted at, although how that has come about is something of a mystery... And now Harry and the others are off at last to see what they can discover about his Demi-god powers.

And I have proven once more that small chapters for this fic are nigh impossible LOL. Anyway, despite that, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and as always leave me a review. Now it's on to ATP to see if i can get a small chapter out for that before Sunday. Wish me luck LOL.