Unveiling Destiny: Harry Potter and the Triwizard Revelation

Harry's personal 'To do' list was growing with almost every free moment he had to think. After meeting with the hostages, the Triwizard Champions were informed that they still had to do a press conference. The DMLE would be moderating it and would be giving an overview of events. Still, Harry thought it was a gut punch. After all that they'd just been through, he had obligations to the media now?

He wasn't pleased with this turn of events. He wanted to meet with his advisors and spend a lot of time thinking of what he should do now .

Things were shifting, he just had some heavy moments with Fleur, the taste of her lips was smeared in his memory. Then he felt kind of horrible for not being able to stop thinking about it as he visited Natalia at St Mungo's. When he was just by himself, with the unconscious Natalia, her father had actually come in to drop some interesting history in preface to the advice he wanted to impart. The whole thing had confused him.

What was the angle he was trying to play with this advice? Was that a heartfelt, fatherly advice, type thing because he was emotional with his daughter having been hurt? Was the story correct and accurate? He'd need time to really let his mind work on the issue, which was why he was so annoyed with this turn of events.

Harry followed the other champions up to the podium. He sat down and looked over the sea of reporters. If it was possible, which he didn't think was, there was even more media here than last time. Harry watched as the press conference began.

"Today's press conference, for the Second Task, is being moderately differently. The DMLE has already released a number of statements and any questions we feel are in appropriate will not be answered."

Harry was quite amused to see it was Rufus Scrimgeour that was moderating the post-task press conference this time. His style was a far cry away from Bagman's. The man was dour faced and not giving off any sort of showmanship. The fierce looking man was scowling at the reporters.

"Queue up in an orderly fashion. A single question is permitted to be asked, a follow up question at my discretion. No bombarding a single champion with questions. If you all do not respect that I will not allow further questions for the champion." He paused and caught Harry's eye. They exchanged a short nod, Harry was thankful he was moderating this. He'd keep it orderly, that was for sure.

"Please state your name, who you are affiliated with and then name the person you are addressing. The organizing committee is currently indisposed. Direct your questions to Director Bones, of the DMLE, if you have questions not specific to the champions."

"Boris Gelding, Bulgarian Bugle, and my question is for Viktor Krum." He turned his gaze on Krum, "Viktor, can you tell us what went on in the task from your perspective."

Harry almost chortled. Harry thought the Bulgarian quidditch phenom was, by far, the worst option to be asked, Krum was a man of few words.

"We were to save hostages. The spiders took them. Potter went in to distract and negotiate; Diggory snuck in under Potter's cloak. Hostages were saved, then we fight for our lives."

Harry really wanted to smirk. That was the most limited overview he could have imagined that still got the salient points across.

Harry ducked his head and, in doing so, missed whatever exchange that allowed Boris to ask another question.

"Worse than World Cup. Couldn't move one side. Should have died; Potter saved."

Harry was caught in the spotlight of everyone's attention turning to him, after Krum's words. He sat there a bit like a deer in a car's headlights. Suddenly all the attention was on him.

"Next." Scrimgeour said, after stepping forward a half step, drawing attention to himself.

"Barbara Smith, New York Wizarding Times, and my question is for Cedric Diggory." Harry remembered her asking questions, and if memory served him correctly, the first two reporters were the same two asking questions, thankfully neither for Harry, this time.

"Mr Diggory, can you describe and take us through your rescue of the hostages." Barbara stepped back and was ready for more note taking.

"Well, Harry lent me his invisibility cloak. He went in… alone." He glanced at Harry before continuing to answer, "I don't know how he did that. He'd been there before; he knew what we were walking into." He shook his head, his eyes glazed over slightly as he did so.

"He walked in and talked to the leader. While that was going on, I moved in as slowly and quietly as I could. I kept searching for them but it took me a minute to locate them. Four sacs were dangling from only Merlin knows how high. I had the four portkeys which would only work for the hostages, though not for us, unfortunately."

He paused and swallowed. "I- I d- d-didn't know what to do. They were so still I thought them dead. I knew I'd have to c- cut them down, at least to return the bodies if they weren't alive still." He brought his fist up to his mouth and couched, clearing his throat.

"I setup the portkeys," his voice had regained its normal strength, "so they'd fall down onto them. They were touch activated, we were told, I just had to get them to fall onto them. I cast cushioning charms and then backed away to get the correct angle to cut them all down at once. It was then that I noticed the problem."

Harry had figured out the gist of what had gone on but wasn't aware of any sort of problem. Cedric had had perfect timing. What had he missed when dealing with Aragog? He noticed everyone assembled, including the other champions, were silent and intently following Cedric's words.

"Above each hostage, maybe six feet above each sac, there was an acromantula. If I cast a spell, to cut them down, they might have interfered or attacked the hostages as they fell… I- I didn't know what to do. With the charm slowing their fall, it would take too long for me to protect them, Fleur and Viktor were securing our exit… well they were…" He added darkly.

"A smashed up car was dropped right at the exit, blocking it." He shook his head, almost imperceptibly, "Then I looked back to the four spiders, hoping they would be distracted, but two were just looking right at them. I started to really worry then. I needed a bigger distraction. Harry had kept them busy but that wouldn't last forever. With our exit blocked I had to act, we couldn't protect ourselves and the hostages at the same time."

"It was Harry, he did it. I was looking around, all frantic-like, for any ideas when he struck. I don't know what spell it was but it flew from his wand. It was perfectly straight and deadly accurate. He killed the leader, a gigantic old acromantula. His spell put a big hole between a bunch of its eyes and that's what I needed. I cast my cutter and the four fell, the spiders were too distracted to notice and they were all gone, portkey'd to safety…" He trailed off and vacantly stared at the reporter.

"Yes, next." Scrimgeour spoke out breaking the silence.

"Barnabas Cuffe, Daily Prophet, and my question is for Mr Potter. Mister Diggory said you had some familiarity with the acromantula and their lair. Please speak to that and explain your previous interaction with them."

Harry looked at the man and had to think quickly. Did he go for the full disclosure, or did he try and frame his answer to get a specific result? It didn't take him long, though he had gotten better at suppressing his first instinct, the one to leap without looking, he decided to go with his gut here.

"The first time was actually because of Minister Fudge." He said, staring directly at the man. He knew Slughorn was friends with him and that he was coming to the event that was upcoming… Harry was pretty sure he was the editor of the paper. That begged the question of why he was here asking questions.

The man blinked in shock, twice, before he "The MInister? Really?"

"Please expand on this Harry." Scrimgeour said, looking eager to hear more as well.

"It was back in my second year here. When something was attacking students, he came with Lucius Malfoy. People were being attacked and it didn't seem it would stop. Apparently they were reminiscent of a previous series of attacks, which resulted in Rubeus Hagrid being expelled and his wand snapped, despite the lack of evidence. That is really where the tale begins."

Harry looked over and saw he had everyone hanging on his every word. This was going to work.

"You see, Hagrid was originally arrested for raising a 'monster' within the castle. A girl, Myrtle Warren, had been killed but it wasn't Hagrid's 'monster'." He paused for dramatic effects. "The creature in question was none other than Aragog, the acromantula that ruled the acromantula in the Forbidden Forest before I killed him when he told me he planned to kill us all."

Harry closed his eyes and counted within his head, un, deux, trois, he pushed back the memories that were threatening to overwhelm him, from yesterday's events.

"And the Minister told you this?" Cuffe asked, his voice conveying he didn't believe that was the case.

"No," Harry responded immediately, "The Minister had come to Hogwarts with Lucius Malfoy. I will never forget what his justification for sending Hagrid to Azkaban was. He said 'We've got to be seen doing something'. I had been visiting Hagrid just before that and he told Ron Weasley and I to 'follow the spiders'. That led us to meet Aragog, proving that Hagrid was innocent as Aragog, the monster accused of attacking students, was obviously not in the castle petrifying students, not that an acromantula could ever petrify anything anyways."

That has got to be a killshot. Between Bones' earlier moves, and Harry's current comments were akin to throwing him in front of a moving train. Fudge was incompetent and within the enemies control. If Harry could help get Bones into the position of Minister, it should be an improvement.

"You're claiming the MInister put a person in Azkaban without any proof of wrongdoing?" Cuffe asked with disbelief.

"Yes and there's more than just that. Malfoy was involved both times, he is, afterall, the Minister's advisor and close confidant." Harry stated emphatically.

"There is another in Azkaban that you claim is innocent?" Scrimgeour interjected before Cuffe could respond.

"He's innocent and the man who committed the crimes is free. Oddly enough, it has benefitted Malfoy, greatly."

"Who?!" Scrimgeour growled out, demanding to know."

Harry didn't respond right away. He looked out over those assembled. This was going to cause a furor. Sirius and the twins would think this was a great prank. It would probably annoy his lawyer, seeing as they had their own plan to free Sirius, but this would help sink Fudge and get Sirius his freedom.

"My godfather. A man whom the Supreme Mugwump and Chief Warlock attested, to Fudge, was innocent, after three other individuals and myself, saw the real person who blew up a street, killing a dozen muggles. A man innocent of betraying my parents while the muggle murdering rat got an Order of Merlin, supposedly posthumously."

The mummering grew louder and louder as Harry kept talking. His wording was deliberate, he wanted to draw it out and get the charges against Sirius attributed to Pettigrew.

"The innocent man is, none other than," he delayed saying the name and Harry felt he was the only still breathing, as everyone else held their breath in anticipation, "my godfather, Sirius Black."

Calls of denial, shouts of exasperation, shocked disbelief and all manners of outrageous responses were rampant. Harry grinned at the scene. No way was this going to result in anything less than Sirius getting a fair trial now. The entire Wizarding World was going to be all over this, demanding the ministry gets to the bottom of this.

"SILENCE!" Scrimgeour bellowed out. He had his wand raised and it was sparking angrily, warning those who may day to defy his order.

The room quieted down and Harry watched as Scrimgeour calmed as well.

"Mister Potter, for the record, you are claiming to have met Peter Pettigrew, who is known to be deceased, and Sirius Black, the man being hunted with a kiss on sight warrant?" Scrimgeour asked, what he felt should be clarified so it was abundantly clear.

"Not just me. Albus Dumbledore, Professor Severus Snape, Minister Fudge, Professor Remus Lupin, Hermione Granger, and Ronald Wasley all met Sirius Black, at Hogwarts. The minister tried to have an innocent man kissed by a Dementor, the same dementors that tried to kiss me on three occasions that year, again, the same dementors stationed at Hogwarts by Fudge, at the behest of Lucius Malfoy."

Harry didn't actually know if that was true but he was going to throw shit at the man and hope it sticks. He knew Dumbledore had fought against it so it would be natural for Malfoy to argue for it.

"How would it have benefitted Malfoy for Sirius Black to be kissed?"

"With Sirius dead, or souless, there would be no males born from the Black line alive, leaving an opportunity for Draco Malfoy, the son of Narcissa Malfoy née Black, to try and claim the Black Family Regency upon reaching his majority. He would have reached it before myself and you can be sure Minister Fudge would have done all he could to help his good friend, even if it was against the will of the last Head of House Black."

A cacophony of voices broke out and Harry could see quills working furiously to write down everything that was being said. He smiled, this was going to work out beautifully. His mind wandered back to Lacroix and how she had scolded him for not understanding that his words were far more reaching than he had intended. He hoped he'd not misstepped here but he didn't think he had.

The fallout would hit Fudge and put a spotlight onto Malfoy. Their names would be dragged through the mud across the entire wizarding world, as he saw Barbara Smith taking notes.

This would affect Dumbledore as well, and it might put a bit of a backlash toward the DMLE, but neither issue was done under the purview of Madame Bones, so it should help bolster her when she corrects the errors of the previous administration.

Harry had zoned out in thought and missed a few seconds of whatever Scrimgeour was saying but he had caught the gist of it. There would be no further questions on Sirius Black, nor Peter Pettigrew, until the DMLE could properly assess the situation. Both the Head Auror and Director of the DMLE were unaware of the capture of Sirius Black as Fudge had not reported it. They'd be launching an immediate inquiry into the situation and should update the public as soon as they were able to.

"Barbara Smith, New York Wizarding Times, and my question is for Miss Delacour. Can you comment on Harry's role of being the bait and distraction and then how you were all able to survive. To my knowledge, acromantula lair's normally require teams of no less than ten trained professionals and extensive preparation and all of you were able to escape without lasting injury."

Fleur responded right away. "'Arry was magnifique. 'E came up wiz the plan and without his presence we would not 'ave survived. When ze spiders attacked us 'e was sensationnel. Cedric and I watched one way, Viktor covered above us and 'arry protected a whole side by 'imself, 'e even 'elped the rest of us. At first I think we were all upset 'e was included, now, I think I speak for us all when I say, we wouldn't be alive without 'im and we are glad there are four champions."

She smiled brilliantly at Harry and Harry could see Viktor and Cedric nodded in agreement.

Harry felt the comments by Fleur were more flattering than the reality of it, however, he wasn't going to make a deal of it in front of the press. Good publicity paired with his acerbic comments could be nothing but beneficial.

"Marie Dumont, France Witch Weekly, my question is for Fleur. Fleur, we saw you were levitated out of the forest by Harry Potter, given that, and how you credited him with saving your life, how do you feel about him?"

Harry could see the sparkle in her eye and the hope that Fleur would comment in some sort of romantic fashion.

Fleur gave a charming smile to the the reporter, Harry didn't want to meet her eyes, he was worried about what she might say. She could tell the truth and make it an outrageous statement. Simply by saying 'we spent the night in bed together last night and plan to talk with my father about it' would be both the truth and incredibly inflammatory.

"I first thought 'arry was arrogant, distant and a glory seeker. He didn't try and get to know me, a Delacour, and had never returned our owls. I have since learned 'ad no knowledge of 'is patrimoine. 'Arry is a perfect gentleman and if 'e was not already the most eligible bachelor 'is age, I would say 'e should be."

Harry breathed a sigh of relief, he was actually worried she'd say something provocative. His earlier comments would already cause enough political and legal turmoil he didn't need added speculation on his romantic life, in public. There already was some in the papers, that he may be in a relationship with Natalia or Fleur.

"Even you?" Marie asked, her inflection clearly willing Fleur to say yes.

"attendre et regarder; wait and see." Fleur translated her own response with a sly grin and small shoulder shrug.

The press conference continued with another half-dozen questions being focused on the tournament itself, security, its continuation and further topics along vein, ones Harry didn't need to pay much attention to. There were another half-dozen that were focused on asking champions specific questions but Harry hadn't paid too much attention. He didn't need to really care about how Cedric had prepared with his Hufflepuff friends for the task…

"Barbara Smith, again, Cedric, those watching were able to see massive pillars of smoke coming from the forest. What were they from?"

Harry suspected Barbara was asking Cedric the question because he was the least careful in answering. Viktor was a man of very few words, when interacting with the media, Harry had been cagey and the way Fleur had answered her last two questions, speaking many words that ended up saying very little.

Harry felt a little worry that Cuddles would come up and out in the open and he didn't want that. Though all four of the champions had said they'd keep it quiet, he hoped Cedric remembered that before answering. The anxious and strained features on his face weren't encouraging to Harry.

"Err… Fleur had been using fire spells to limit the ways the spiders could rush us. She also lit bodies on fire so they were not used as cover by approaching acromantula. And Harry did something fire based, something big . I didn't see it cast; I've no idea what it was."

Barbara Smith was evidently pleased with his response. "Mister Potter, are you able to comment on your spell? It must have been quite something for it to have caused so much smoke."

Harry leaned forward, he'd been resting his back against the chair as most of the questions were not coming to him, thank Merlin. "It was a spell I've been working on. It worked in the heat of the moment but I've been having troubles with it. It's something that will be a part of my family magic."

Family magic was such a catch-all get out of trouble excuse. Unexplained magic can be deemed as Family magic and the laws protects your right to keep secret your own spells. It was a convenient way to get away from saying it was Cuddles or trying to showcase his experiments with replicating dragonfire.

Harry could see she wasn't pleased with his non-answer, she'd hoped for a story there.

The press conference wound down as the Scrimgeour only allowed three more questions before allowing three other questions, none of which were directed at Harry.

Harry stood, when the final question had been answered, and descended off the platform. He was ushered, with the other champions, into a cordoned off area.

Harry didn't know what he should do now. Head back to the chamber? Find Slughorn and Cyrus? Talk to Fleur? Go see Natalia again? He needed food too, at some point.

"'Arry, did you want to speak with Papa?" She had come up beside him and taken hold of his arm, her left hand falling into his right and her right arm holding his bicep.

He glanced over at her, when she'd grabbed onto him, and he had to suppress a small instinct to draw his wand.

"Sure." He said, not sounding as convinced as the word indicated he was.

They both exchanged departing pleasantries with Cedric and Viktor before Harry followed Fleur out of the castle to the Beauxbatons Carriage.

The carriage was expanded, greatly, on the inside and felt more like the interior of a muggle school mixed with apartments. Mostly, on the right hand side of the main corridor there were academic rooms like classrooms and the library, and on the left were short hallways with numbered doors, Harry assumed they were the living spaces.

Heading toward the end of the main corridor they came to a hallway that had but a single door. The door was clearly marked for the Beauxbatons Champion, Fleur Delacour.

The entered the room and Harry was a little surprised at how large it was. They'd entered into an actual entry way with tall ceilings and marble floors. Harry followed Fleur into a large open room that functioned as a sitting area, dining area and it even had a kitchenette. He could see where there was a bedroom and a bathroom, possibly another bathroom attached to the bedroom, for Fleur's personal usage.

Already seated were Apolline and Patrice Delacour. They were sitting on the three person couch, leaving a two person loveseat and a single armchair available.

Harry may have preferred to sit in the single arm chair but Fleur still had a hold of his hand and gently guided him to the love seat. He sat and Fleur pressed herself right against him, learning into him with her left arm falling across his thigh, her hand holding just above his knee, giving him gentle caresses with graceful movements of her fingers.

He could feel his face burn, embarrassed by her ministrations. It was precisely the reason that he had wanted a separate seat, Fleur rarely missed opportunities to be physically affectionate or to tease him.

"It is nice to see you again, 'arry." Apolline said, giving him a welcoming smile in greeting, her soft blue eyes warm and alight with amusement, enjoying Harry's embarrassment.

"The press conference went well." Patrice said, by way of saving Harry.

"Oui, the remarks were all rather flattering for you, 'arry." Apolline was correct, Harry thought, the other champions had been very kind with their words, taking steps to ensure Harry was recognized for what he'd done. He felt a bit guilty for it, they were only in the forest, to begin with, because of him.

"The headlines should be interesting, that's for sure." Patrice responded to his wife's comments. "Are you two alright? It's been a long couple of days, do you need to go lay down?"

Harry was looking down as Fleur's fingers were still busy slowly running back and forth on his leg, he missed if Patrice had any indication as to whether or not he was joking. He didn't seriously just ask if Harry would go to the same bed with Fleur again.

"Non, we can always do zat later, non?"

Harry didn't look at her, he could hear that she was teasing him.

"I 'eard, from Fleur, I should be talking to you about a certain contract. We've always told our daughters they would be able to choose their matches but there will be contract negotiations that we decide upon."

Harry nodded, feeling the tension in the room heat up, Fleur hadn't stopped her caressing, if anything, she sped up.

Harry could feel his heart beating erratically, this was such a weird conversation to be having, seeing as he hadn't even gone on a date with Fleur. How could these be the preliminary discussions towards marriage, a lifelong commitment, if he'd never done anything more than kiss her, if they'd only known each other for such a short time?

Oddly, his gut wasn't nervous about that. If he had any indication, and he wasn't sure it was an overtly clear decision, he felt rather comfortable with her and the possibility of marriage. It was like she'd said, she was smart, beautiful and she was a person of great character. She loved her family and stood tall in the face of great adversity. If he made a list of attributes he was looking for in a potential wife she'd tick every box and then some.

"I'll need my advisors with me before I could negotiate at all." Harry said, looking back up, directly at Patrice.

"Who are your advisors?" Fleur asked quickly, her head tilted and a frown on her face.

"Horace Slughorn and Cyrus Greengrass." Harry state quickly, not failing to notice the looks he received when he stated their names.

"Can you trust them?" Fleur asked, dubiously.

"Oh yes, more than anyone. Even more than my parents closest friends." He knew that would probably be taken as more of a shot at them, with the Delacours being friends of his family's. He was alright with that. They needed to know some information before any heavy negotiations could happen anyways. If they were going to tie their heiress to Harry he wanted to disclose the voldemort information that they had. If they were given that information it would only be with an unbreakable vow in place, there would be no Pettigrews in his circle of trusted individuals.

"Are you sure it's wise to trust your Steward so? There have been lots of cases throughout history where a Steward is not working for the best of a family…" Patrice played a more neutral response, giving sound advice, he was still, clearly, upset with the situation.

"Normally, no. In this circumstance, yes." With his eyebrows raised, and a calm demeanor he responded. He brought a free hand up and used it to rub Fleur's forearm affectionately, hoping to soothe her.

"Why in this circumstance?" Apolline asked, her eyes slightly narrowed and her legs now crossed with her hands clasped, resting on the top of her upper knee.

Harry flicked his wand out and looked at Patrice and Apolline, "May I?" He inquired, obviously intent to cast a spell.

Before any further items were said by him there would be privacy charms he knew he could trust. He'd felt some when he came into the room but he wasn't spilling any information he preferred to keep quiet.

After receiving a nod he cast his privacy spells and stowed his wand back in his holster.

"An unbreakable vow of loyalty." He informed them the reason he was so certain of their loyalty.

Harry heard three gasps. Fleur had tightened her grip on his thigh, he felt. Patrice's eyes had grown hard and he looked distinctly uncomfortable while his wife had her wedding ring clad hand covering her mouth.

"A Steward… I can somewhat understand… Not Horace though. That is too hard to believe." Patrice said. "The man is a consummate Slytherin. He's sly, cunning and you can't pin him on anything. 'E wouldn't 'ave given you one." Patrice shook his head minutely as he finished. "Non, 'e wouldn't." He added again, confirming his previous thought verbally.

Harry shrugged. "He did, after I met his conditions." Harry revealed without getting into any sort of details.

"Is this Slughorn important? What about the Greengrass Steward, is he?" Fleur asked her father.

Harry relaxed back into the love seat. He was curious what Patrice would say about his two advisors.

"Horace Slughorn was a professor here. He taught potions and was the Head of the Slytherin House for nearly a half century. In his time he helped shape the educations of all of Hogwarts students and he was famous for spotting talent and helping to nurture it. He introduced students to alumni and grew a vast network of contacts. It's safe to say he knows everyone worth knowing and has decades of detailed knowledge many would kill for. He plays from the shadows and is very cunning, though he plays the part of a kind and dopey older portly man. Never forget how knowledgeable he is. It is said he knows everyone and they all owe 'im a favor."

"That is good for 'arry then, non?" Fleur asked, shooting Harry a look of veiled surprise, her hands getting back to their earlier ministrations.

"It is quite a coup to have him as an advisor." Patrice affirmed. "He's beyond knowledgeable in the social and political circles. He's also rather learned in magic and is a very talented potion master."

"He really is an excellent potioneer, an excellent tutor as well." Harry grinned, not minding giving them more information, it would be assumed by Patrice and Apolline anyway.

"Oh, we finally get to learn of one of your tutors. If they are all of his caliber you'll continue with the superb scoring in your examinations." Patrice praised and teased. He turned his focus to Fleur, as he answered the second part of her earlier question.

"Cyrus Greengrass was the Black Steward brought on by Arcturus Black after the Grindelwald campaign. He was doing amazing things for the Greengrass family and their allies, financially, at the time. Arcturus worked out some deal and until his children took over the running of the House Black Cyrus began to work his financial magic for the Blacks. If he is loyal, he will do very well for Harry's finances and he is deft at politics as well, his family being quite connected to the business minded folk in the Wizengamot."

Harry was pleased to hear this information, he was already aware of it, from his own research, but it was good to have it confirmed.

Fleur was smiling widely at him. "I was so worried about your age and a possible lack of maturity; I 'ave nothing to worry about there, wiz you." She craned her neck forward and left a lingering kiss on his cheek.

"I'm okay to talk but nothing will be actually negotiated or decided upon without them." Harry was quite curious as to what they were going to say and wanted to know.

"You've never been involved in talks like these?" Apolline asked, her gorgeous visage reminding him of just how beautiful Fleur would remain, even after motherhood.

"No, I've had some discussions on potential matches and the benefits and detriments of them." Harry hadn't really asked too much about it and neither Horace nor Cyrus had brought it up.

"Negotiations at this level are… complicated matters. In a less complex situation than yours, there would be discussions on every facet of joining the families, heirs, economics, magic, social, political and so on and so forth." Patrice began to explain while his wife smiled softly at him and shuffled over so that her side was touching his, her upper body leaned away, slightly, so she could get a clear view of her husband's face, as he spoke.

"Your situation is… convoluted."

Harry tensed in his seat, his muscles contracting, however, he didn't think that would be noticeable to Fleur's parents. He doubted Fleur would miss it and could feel her hug into him, trying to relax him.

"When Charlus Potter married Dorea Black it was… against the grain. Is that the English phrase?" Patrice was uncertain of his word choice.

"It was against their natural inclination to marry one another?" Harry asked, not liking how that made things sound.

Patrice frowned, his forehead creasing and the skin around his eyes tightening. "Non, particulier, étrange, inattendu; peculiar, strange, unexpected. Though they had worked together to end Grindelwald, the families have polar opposite politics."

Harry tried to pick up what he was saying, "And I'm the Regent Black and Head of House Potter. I have the opportunity to sire the heirs to both families."

"Not just that, 'arry," Fleur said, from beside him, "you 'ave been on extremely public dates with Natalia, a Pavlov. You 'ave a business oriented neutral family as your Steward, and 'ave been associating with the Heiresses Greengrass, Bones and Delacour."

It was now official. He was going to be sitting down with Horace and getting him to handle all this garbage. With Voldemort and trying to stay alive, his plate was overfull already. No way was he going to be handling all this betrothal negotiation stuff. They hadn't even gotten into any negotiations yet and his patience was already waning. He considered it may just be all of the events over the last couple days that have worn out his patience.

"You associate with all spectrums of the English political landscape. To try and summarize the situation, and keep in mind it is not this well divided, nor simple, the Wizengamot has four major factions. The families that supported You-Know-Who and support the Pureblood agenda. There is a more mercantile, business oriented, faction that normally runs more neutral, they want no part of wars that destroy business opportunities. There is the Dumbledore-led faction and finally those that oppose the Pureblood agenda and don't agree with either.

"House Potter has always been a part of the latter. They are not so business orientated that their economic interests override their convictions. In fact, your grandfather, Charlus, was famous for taking shots at Dumbledore, Pureblood, and Mercantile positions. He shamed them, for their inaction against Grindelwald, allowing Europe to burn without their opposition. It was he that spearheaded help for the ICW when the Wizengamot tried to keep out of the conflict. He blazed a path for joining those that still fought against the tyranny of Grindelwald."

"Wait," Harry interjected, "I thought Arcturus and Charlus worked together against Grindelwald." Slughorn had told him that, he distinctly remembered this fact.

Patrice nodded in agreement, "They did, however, Charlus was on the offensive against all those who opposed fighting in the rising conflict. Arcturus was one he convinced to act. They went on to be formidable allies, however, their personal politics didn't match. Charlus allowed his only heir to marry a muggle born witch and Arcturus' continued to support the pureblood agenda, until the rise of You-Know-Who. They remained good friends, but friends do not always agree on everything… Like I'd said, complicated."

"Papa," Fleur spoke up again, "you've gotten off track." She pouted at her father. Harry could tell it was a show to put on the pout.

"I have indeed, my daughter, I have indeed." He sat up a little straighter, not that he had been slouching, he'd been more relaxing into the contact with his wife, something Harry wouldn't blame him for. His own posture wasn't perfect with Fleur being so affectionate against him.

"You have been associating with the Pavlov family, a very traditional dark family, the Greengrass family, mercantile to the bone, the Bones heiress, a family known for being lighter orientated but never within Dumbledore's camp, and ourselves. I'd like to think the Delacour family is known for supporting equal rights, for all, and strong economic political platforms so our country stays strong. When everyone is working and making money they are happy and wars are unnecessary."

This political point of view was something Harry would really have to look at. He had two houses to consider. He hadn't even worked out his own views…

"The Pavlov family is very traditional. They would be a mixture of pureblood and mercantile. We have frequent clashes with them in the ICW over Veela rights and on economic iss-"

"Nope. Nope, nope, nope. My head isn't into this right now. We'll need to have Horace and Cyrus here." Harry cut him off, he was already mixing things up and didn't want to get a headache. He had so much on his mind that politics and tedious details were going to be of no help. He was cutting it off now, before anything went anywhere. Plus, they didn't even knew the major information that they'd have to take a vow, or sign a contract, for. He wouldn't get betrothed to Fleur if she had no idea that Voldemort was still around and had made multiple attempts on his life.

Feeling all of these things overwhelming him he cut Patrice off, rudely.

"Can we invite them 'ere, 'arry?" Fleur asked, her arms snaking around him and pulling him into a hug.

Harry appreciated her comfort while, simultaneously, being annoyed that it was partly responsible for confusing him. His emotions were in turmoil, after seeing Natalia unresponsive, talking with Ivan and then being around Fleur again. All he needed was for Daphne, Susan and Hannah to come and tease him, with each declaring their intention to marry him, oh and Ginny too, just to make it a properly bollocksed up situation.

He realized he'd been in his thoughts and hadn't responded to Fleur yet. Harry didn't like that the meeting would be here, where the Delacour's were far more familiar. He'd rather move this to Arcturus' study, or even the sitting area, than here. It would help him feel more comfortable.

"No… I should probably go meet with them. They need to be brought up to speed on what went on in the forest. Would you come for after dinner? I can have you over to the former office of Arcturus' Black. It will be secure, more secure than school lands.

It hadn't taken long to get Horace and Cyrus to the office. Ackerly had stopped by briefly before Harry sent him off to get some work done for him, but mostly because he didn't want Ackerly to learn everything that might be spoken of.

They were sitting in the informal sitting area, it was just a more comfortable place to sit, and they wouldn't need to relocate when the Delacour's arrived.

"So I should probably confess some more stuff to you two…"

He wasn't worried about this. The lawyer had already had them both sign magically binding contracts to cover anything his oaths may have missed. He'd had them prepared because he knew he'd need them in the future. If Sirius, Remus, Ivan, Patrice, Natalia, Daphne, Fleur, or anyone else, was going to be brought into the know.

"The first task… well, I, err, may have,… killed… the dragons. And, I put a potion into the Black Lake so it wasn't usable for the Second Task."

If he expected either man to freak out, or get upset at him, he would have been disappointed. Both men were remarkably calm about it.

"We've suspected for some time." Cyrus said, amused by the disbelief on Harry's face.

Harry huffed, annoyed. He spent all this time worried and his two advisors already had figured it out. He'd gotten all worked up and spent all that mental energy on working up the courage to do it for nothing.

Horace chuckled. "My dear boy, it's more than Cyrus is letting on. I can tell you've engaged in ritualistic magic. How far are you and what is the end goal?"

"You knew? How?" Harry wanted to know, he'd come to admit information on him and was finding out that their advanced years over his made them far more knowledgeable about him that he'd hoped. He immediately wondered who else would be able to figure it out. The thought worried him.

"Your magic. It's imbalanced. For those that know what to look for, for those that know how to sense it, it's obvious." Horace said as it was the most normal thing before he leaned forward and casually picked up a tumbler with firewhiskey, taking a small sip while Harry processed what he'd heard.

"Who else might know?" Harry asked, hoping they'd know.

"Most certainly Albus," Horace responded without looking, he was swishing the firewhiskey, and three perfectly circular ice cubes in the glass, finding it far more interesting than looking at Harry, "I'd wager Filius, Severus, Septima and possibly Babbling and Minerva. Beyond Hogwarts, it's hard to say. I'd assume Bones, Parent and Scrimgeour." He gave a disinterested shrug, still focused on his drink, the three ice balls hypnotically rolling around in the glass, "Who knows from the foreign delegations. Most internationals don't have the background material to be familiar with it. Only the eldest of families still house knowledge from before it was taboo."

Harry was mollified by the fact neither man was making this out to be a big deal. He decided to answer the earlier question."

"I'm aiming for seven sets of seven. At roughly two rituals per week I'll be well finished before the Third Task."

Slughorn choked on his drink when he heard Harry start. "Seven sets of seven, did I hear you right, Harry?"

"Yes." He said clearly.

Cyrus whistled. "I didn't even know that was possible. Wouldn't they interfere with one another and make him too unstable?" Cyrus asked Horace, as if Harry wasn't in front of him.

Horace put his drink down and rubbed his chin. "You'd think so… theoretically, it's possible. The sets of three are less balanced and geared more toward power. The sets of seven are more balanced, few have ever ventured past three sets of seven though.." He mused aloud. "It's possible… I've just never heard of anyone who could attempt such. Forty-nine separate rituals that do not conflict, seven sets that are different and balance together… An unheard of masterwork but possible."

"Have others done this before you? Is it Potter family magic?" Cyrus asked, his eyes narrowed. "I know it's not from your Black heritage."

"It's not Potter. It's the Slytherin family's knowledge."

The drink in Cyrus's hand fell out, the glass shattering, alcohol exploding onto the floor and the ice balls rolling away, not that anyone noticed.

"S- S- Slytherin?!" Cyrus exclaimed, not even noticing his feet were covered in broken glass and alcohol.

Harry turned to Horace, who had been silent so far. His face was pale and he was horrified. "Tom did the rituals?" He asked Harry sharply, his gaze piercing.

"I believe so." He responded honestly.

"You- you've got to bring me those notes. Tom, he was… imbalanced. By the time he left Hogwarts… his magic was worsening, becoming more imbalanced."

Although he'd read Salazar Slytherin's warnings about botching rituals, he still wanted to hear from another source. "How bad is it to have imbalanced magic?"

"Harry, your magic, it is your life. Losing your magic is a death sentence, only those very young can survive it and live a mundane muggle life. It's like having an imbalanced potion, it's volatile and has dangerous side effects for any who would dare to ingest such a thing. It would wreak havoc on your body, on your magic and, most importantly, your mind. There aren't many documented cases. Ritualistic magic has been taboo for many centuries. Too many died from experiments."

Harry swallowed hard. His mind blanked, too filled with worry to be coherent. Fear was paralyzing his ability to think.

"You've got to bring me your notes. I can try and assist deciphering the long term effects of the rituals you're undertaking because you can't stop. You must complete the full total or you'll be even worse off." There was a degree of worry in his voice.

"You can't read it. It's in parseltongue." Harry informed him as his brain had rebooted itself, finding a way to break the cycle of worry and fear.

Now that he thought about it further, he was more confident. Salazar Slytherin was a great and powerful wizard. He was a Founder of Hogwarts. He claimed to be the foremost expert on rituals. There was no way Harry would believe that he would leave behind a path to assist his heirs that only ended in imbalanced magic. There must be something more to it.

"I don't believe Salazar Slytherin would have doomed his students. Riddle must have screwed up the rituals, or done too many. I can't imagine Salazar would have researched so extensively and left detailed instruction only to have them result in getting imbalanced magic."

Horace slowly dipped his chin, then let it rise. "Yes… there is some sense in that line of thought."

Harry looked over to Cyrus. He had his wand out and repaired the drink, the alcohol and ice went back into the cup. He downed it after sporting a massive grin.

"Ahhh." He said, very pleased with himself. "Harry, you might be the best thing that ever happened to my family." He was positively euphoric in gaiety.

Harry looked at Horace, perplexed, his eyebrows raised high on his forehead. Slughorn didn't have an indication as to why the man was suddenly to happy, he hadn't had enough firewhiskey to get drunk.

"You swore to provide all access to all knowledge on rituals that you possess. And, now, you've found Salazar Slytherin's personal trove of ritualistic magic. Amazingly enough you've found the only known artifact that would allow my family access to read it, in parseltongue, Salazar's own locket. If my daughter wouldn't be jealous, I'd kiss you!"

Harry's jaw dropped and his mouth formed a perfect 'O'. He'd never even considered this possibility. He'd meant to give them access to the Black of Potter knowledge, not access to the Chamber of Secrets. The vow would force him to deliver on his promise, if it was possible to do so.

"It's hidden in the school. I- it's probably best if Daphne is the one to peruse it…" Bollocks! He didn't want anyone to be aware of that place, let alone entering it. Now he'd have to give Daphne access. He'd keep it to supervised access. He'd have to be very careful to ensure nobody but her became aware of it.

"That's fine," he waived off Harry's response, "she's even more determined to fix the curse than I am. She's studied everything I've compiled on it since she was a little girl. Better her than me, I'd think."

Harry was glad there was a lull in the conversation. He hadn't really wanted to talk further about it. He spent the time thinking through how he would work with Daphne down there. After a time, he brought up the questions he wanted to go over before the Delacour's arrived.

"There were a few things I wanted to cover. First, what should I do about my education. I'm woefully prepared to be a politician and businessman. Secondly, I need advice on the marriage contract situation, advice in what's best for me and the Houses I need to repopulate," He sent a challenging look at Cyrus, who met his gaze without reaction. "Thirdly, I think I should bring others into this group. The three of us cover a lot but I worry it's the three of us planning against Riddle, who has a whole organization of followers. Lastly, what are your thoughts on what Ivan shared? Do we need a response?" Harry quickly laid out the topics he wanted to cover with the two men. He'd been thinking it over and didn't want to miss anything.

"That's a lot to cover, my boy…" Horace refilled his tumbler with Firewhiskey before he deigned to consider answering.

"I think you should specialize for now. We can cover the legal, social, economic and political side. Where we lack, versus Riddle, or even Dumbledore, is a magical titan. From the reports of how the task went, and your earlier grades, you're well on your way. You should focus in combat magic and let a team of advisors and allies sort out the rest. When Voldemort is defeated, or you're a magical titan, you can work to learn the other aspects."

Harry considered that. It went along with his mantra of doing what it took to stay alive. He didn't like the idea of not being fully educated in the other realms but wizards had long lives. If it took him to thirty or forty to become fully up to speed on all of those areas he'd have most of his life still left. It could work, though he didn't like having only Cyrus and Slughorn to rely on. He'd need more allies.

"Sensible." Slughorn commented, now that his glass was full. "While I have a great depth of magical knowledge, I am not a fighter. My mind is my weapon, not my wand. Cyrus was a good dueler, in his day, but good is no match for the likes of Tom and Albus." He caught Harry's eyes. "If or when Tom returns, it will be you, not Albus, that must end him. The task is monumental and we'll aid you but it will be your wand against his, there are no other candidates. With forty-nine rituals, I trust you'll be an even greater powerhouse than you already are."

Harry leaned back, it was true. Dumbledore had defeated Grindelwald but had never been able to best Riddle. With their knowledge of the horcruxes, they could make this work, if they manage to find and destroy them all.

"As for marriage advice, oho, you should marry five women."

Harry had just grabbed, and opened, a butterbeer. He was enjoying a swig when he choked on his drink. " Five?!" Why in Merlin's name would it be so many?!" Harry demanded to know incredulously. It didn't help Cyrus' schadenfreude during this exchange, he was holding his tumbler up, as if he was about to sip it, hiding behind it, but he kept chortling and couldn't actually risk drinking at the moment.

"You have two families to repopulate and that would give you allies. With another generation you'd have a dozen kids, each of them establishing allies, a main branch family and multiple other branches started. You'd set the families back into stable places."

"Couldn't I do that with one or two?!" Harry wanted to know, not liking the idea of five wives.

"Two wives for each family, each should give you at least three children, and there are heriesses that would like to gain your bloodline and would give considerable terms to have the children continue their line, instead of one of yours. Greengrass, Delacour, and Bones you are all familiar with, and they aren't the only family with a sole female heir, there are others too. You could leverage two or three of those situations into quite the advantage."

Harry was aghast at how cavalier Horace was being. Marry so many women. Did love not matter? Did him raising his children and being an active participant in their lives not matter? How could he personally raise a dozen children, or more, from five or six different women? Would he have his own little town? Start a Potterville with five or six estate homes for all his wives and rugrats? This was madness.

"I agree with Horace. If Daphne is able to remove the curse we'll be doing everything possible to increase our numbers. The Weasley family is one of the few that is well off. Seven children to continue their lines. There will be a whole brood of them. Their seven children will have progeny. They used to be a much larger family but were down to just Arthur. Molly had two brothers to carry on the Prewitt name but they were murdered. You want to avoid that. I'd be interested in negotiation to keep a child between you and a daughter of mine as a Greengrass, others would be too, Horace is correct on that."

Harry hated that he could not detect any sense of them misleading him. They were both serious about it.

"What about love and raising your own kids? Does that not matter?" Harry asked in a small voice. He hoped it did.

Horace softened his voice as he spoke, "Harry, it does but you have to look at this differently. You are the last of your family, one that has been around for centuries. You won't be matched with anyone that you dislike. Imagine one of Fleur or Natalia. If you get betrothed to one of them, or even both of them, think of how you'd treat them. You'd both want it to work. There is no divorce option. You'll treat them well, you'll look after them and cherish them. They are both very attractive young witches and you'll have no issues with the physical side, or least I presume you wouldn't."

The smile Horace gave him unnerved Harry. Old guys shouldn't have that look on their face when thinking of a fifteen and a seventeen year old witches. He shuddered just at seeing the lecherous look.

"Don't you think you'd love them? They'd bear your children, would you not love them? It might not be your fairy tale, or muggle idealised, marriage. But even your mother, who didn't like James when she signed her contract with his parents, grew to like and love your father. Could she have married for love and been happier? Possibly. I can't say for sure but I can tell you that she'd never had considered another option. She loved your father and she loved you, most of all."

Harry could see a small tear form in the corner of Slughorn's eye. He brought his hand up and wiped it away before downing the rest of his drink. A morose look came on his face.

"It's sound advice Harry. You don't need five wives right now. Starting with one or two is more than fine. You can add more, there's no rush to fill every space. There is some in the sense of gathering allies though."

Harry nodded, he'd have to think on this more. He didn't like the idea but both of his advisors were giving him oath-bound advice that was best for him. If he took just one wife, Daphne wouldn't work. Fleur would have three children, a Potter, a Black and a Delacour, and that was cutting it thin. Natalia could give him more children, theoretically, but would that leave her more like Molly? Seven children in even a decade would destroy her career. Being pregnant for five and a quarter years, in a decade, and that's not even getting into taking care of a newborn, would certainly destroy her ability to train, let alone improve at ballet.

The ugly reality was there were serious drawbacks to having a single wife. He'd have to consider this more. With Fleur coming, he was sure to be doing just that, very soon.

"Ackerly will take care of the magical contract but it's not enough to bring people fully into this circle. It would be secure enough to let someone know that Voldemort is not dead but you'd never consider saying the word horcrux without an unbreakable vow being involved. Anything that covers illegal acts, past, present and future, should be covered by an unbreakable vow. Loyalty and secrecy vows for those that are actively advising you. If they are going to betray you it should cost their lives to attempt to do it. You can't afford another Pettigrew."

Harry hadn't been too certain on Cyrus being a good advisor but the man was sharp and pragmatic. If the Delacours were correct, and he didn't doubt they were, he was a financial wizard and that would explain why Arcturus had him as a Steward. Harry was coming to appreciate the man more and more. He'd be spending time with Daphne in the chamber so he'd certainly get to know her better too.

"And Ivan's comments?" Harry led him to continue onto the last topic.

"Crouch Jr is dead. Crouch Sr and Bagman are both dead. I'm not sure what message you need to send. You've already blasted Fudge and the press is going to maul the tournament organizers. We know it's Riddle and we don't have a way to strike him directly."

Cyrus gave him a pretty succinct summary, Harry already knew that but thought Ivan was correct. He couldn't let his enemy keep dictating the terms of engagement. He needed to get offensive and not just wait and react. His opponent was weak and he needed to press his advantage, or so he thought.

"Riddle is the enemy. His hidden agent is exposed and dead. You've helped sink the Minister controlled by the Pureblood faction of the Wizengamot. You've struck back already." Horace added, for good measure.

Harry couldn't help but disagree, he doubted he kept this off his features for the other men to notice.

"I don't think so. We stopped a plot of Riddle's. Are we just going to sit around and wait for another one to come at us now? We need to be doing something . We need to be proactive and work at dismantling his support." Harry said, embers of his righteous anger stoking as he talked passionately about what the thought.

"We are doing something. We've neutralized a horcrux and are rebuilding your Houses and allies." Slughorn pointed out carefully, Harry thought he didn't want to antagonize the situation any further.

"You've both told me you are great at politics, finance, and socializing. Neither of you are fighters, commanders, generals. That's what we need. We need someone that can help us defeat the enemy." Harry said critically, seeing if either man would disagree.

"Just who might this person be, Harry, my boy?" Slughorn asked him, taking a sip of his whiskey after asking, not exactly pleased with the turn in conversation.

"I don't know. I'll talk with Remus and Sirius. I'll see if they'll join us. If things go well with the Delacours then Patrice is a possibility. Ivan Pavlov could be another, though we'd have to offer something like a betrothal to Natalia to get him on board I'd suspect." Harry mused aloud, slumping back in his chair and bringing his open hands to his face. All this plotting was exhausting.

"They'd all have to agree to vows, unbreakable ones, if they were to join us." Cyrus reiterated his earlier point.

"They'll willingly do it or not join." He stated, resolutely.

They'd been talking for quite a while now and Harry checked the time, the Delacours should arrive any minute. This was going to be interesting. He could imagine how great it would go over. 'Hey Fleur I need five wives, want to be number un?'.