quot;Champions! Please head for the edge of the dock!"

Chapter 13

Sitting in her solarium within Malfoy Manor, Narcissa Malfoy was having a fairly good laugh as she read the front page of the Daily Prophet again. Harry Potter Attends First Yule Tide Ball With A Non-Human! She could just imagine the expressions on the faces of the purebloods as they were reading their morning papers. 'And just to think…if I hadn't grown a set a few years ago and reached out to my cousin, I would probably be amongst those idiots who are sputtering in rage right about now.'

Looking back on it now, that decision was probably the first smart thing she'd done in years. She knew that the pureblood society as they knew it was on its last leg. 'At least here in Britain.' The majority of students that entered Hogwarts were half-bloods, although the argument could be made that some were purebloods, but it was a weak argument at best. At least a third were muggleborn, and if her little insight into the Department of Magical Education, thanks to some spicy blackmail she had on one of the clerks, she knew that that number was only going to rise in the next decade or so. 'Which meant that the so-called purebloods only numbered roughly a quarter of student body at Hogwarts.' Frowning in thought as she did the mental math; less than half of what it'd been half a century ago and less than a third of what it'd been a full century ago.

'Plain and simple, purebloods are dying out. And we have only our own stupidity to thank for that.' Narcissa paused and grimaced, 'And Voldemort only made it worse'

After deciding on her course of action, Narcissa had decided that if she was going to side with the muggles, she might as well start learning what she could. She should've known better than to send that little request off to her dear cousin. His first care package that he sent back from the muggle world was full of…quote-unquote "marital aids and literature". Her pureblood upbringing had prepared her for a lot in life, but opening a box and finding it full of smutty literature and differing sizes of…well let's just say that she'd never been so embarrassed before in her life! She immediately destroyed them all. Well…almost all…there was one or two that she'd kept hidden from Lucius. After all…a girl did have needs.

But after his rather poor taste of a joke, Sirius actually came through for her and sent her a variety of texts detailing muggle lifestyles, science, history and just about anything else he could get his hands on that he thought would be useful to her. Most of what he sent her seemed to be almost complete rubbish for the most part. But then she stumbled across something the muggles called 'genetics'. Which she'd taken an immediate likening to as soon as she understood just what the subject entailed. And after studying muggle genetics nearly three years now, she came to the understanding that by constant in-breeding with one another the purebloods were not helping in keeping their blood pure. The conclusion she drawn was that they were distorting it. Creating more and more squibs and those lucky few that were born with power were far lesser than their parents. Save for the odd case every now and then.

'Of course every pureblood idiot will deny this fact. Mostly because it came from a muggle source rather than their own trumped up ideas.'

Looking down at the article, Narcissa studied the photo that was dominating the front page of the paper. The picture captured the four champions and their dates during their opening dance. But it was obvious by the angle of the photo that Harry and his date, this Ahsoka Tano, were the main focus of the photographer. 'The girl is attractive at least. Not quite veela level, but she does have a certain exoticness to her. Amusing…without even realizing it Harry has done the Potter family proud.'

The Potters, despite their status as an Ancient and Noble House, had always been out on the fringes of pureblood society. They were the first to marry half-bloods and even muggleborns into their family. And looking through her studies on muggle genetics, their willingness to marry outside of the norm was probably why the Potters had always remained near the top in terms of sheer power. And sanity.

'And now the Heir is dating a non-human. Yes…he is defiantly doing his heritage proud. Unlike my Draco.'

Draco was without a doubt a full-blooded Malfoy. There wasn't a trace of the Black blood within her son. A fact that tore at her heart. The Black family moto of "Always Pure", didn't just correlate to blood. It meant that the Blacks stood on their own. They were not beholden to anyone or anything. A fact she wishes her sister Bellatrix should have remembered before swearing her life to Voldemort. Draco was completely besotted with his father and his ideals. And each time she tried to carefully coach him away, he reacted badly and ran to his father. And she had no delusions about what her son's reaction to this latest bit of news would be. No doubt he was concocting some ill-conceived plan to "get back" at Harry. 'Foolish Draco…how could you have strayed so far from the Black family?'

"Mistress…Master Lucy is homes and he's heading heres."

"Thank you Dobby," Narcissa sighed, spying the little elf over the top of her paper. "Make yourself scarce, but be ready. I might have a message for you soon enough."

Dobby's head bobbed back and forth quickly. "Yes Mistress!" He cried before snapping his fingers and disappearing from sight.

Just moments after her faithful companion disappeared, the doors to her solarium burst open and her "dear beloved" husband rushed in. "Narcissa." He said cordially before making his way over to her private bookshelf. "I need your book on the Histories of the Ancient and Noble Houses of Germany."

"Third shelf from the bottom, fifth book in from the left." Narcissa answered as she went back to making a show of reading her paper.

Lucius had been acting most…peculiar these last few days. He'd been sending out owls left and right to any and all purebloods he could find. And not just to Britain either if his recent interest in her books mean anything. She vividly recalled that night a few days ago when he'd returned home, more elated and scared than she could remember in over a decade. In fact…the last time he'd been in such a state was when he'd returned home from one of his "gatherings". 'Is it possible that he's returned to our shores? Sirius told me that the Voldemort was still alive. Had he…had he made contact with Lucius already?'

"Is there something you need my help with?" She asked, hoping to glean an insight into Lucius's thinking.

"No." Lucius shot back quickly, taking the book from her shelf and leafing through it as he started to make his way out of her room.

As he walked by, Narcissa angled her paper just enough so that her husband would catch the front page. "Have you read the paper recently? It appears that the Potter brat has outdone even his father and godfather in disgracing his pureblood name."

That got her husband's attention as he stopped and glanced at the front page. Only for his eyes to widen almost comically as he roughly yanked the paper away from her, his eyes glaring as he read over the front page. "That- Damn it!" Lucius growled as he threw the paper down and started mumbling to himself. "They've already stolen the werewolves…now they mean to take the rest of the beasts!"

"What was that love?" She asked. Obviously she wasn't supposed to hear his rambling, but years of blending into the background and trying to survive had taught her more than a few tricks.

"Nothing." Lucius snapped. "Has Draco written home about this farce yet?"

"No my love." Narcissa replied. "Shall we have him try to arrange something to bef-"

"No!" Lucius yelled cutting her off. "We shall do nothing! And I'll write a letter to Draco myself explaining that he is to do nothing to draw attention from Potter or to hinder him in any way! The last thing I need is for my son to mess this up."

'Well…I guess that just about answers my question about whether or not the Dark Lord is back. Lucius has been trying for years to discredit the Harry or to have him killed. And now that Lucius is "presented" with a golden opportunity, he rejects it. The only reason he wouldn't want Draco to fan the flames of debate over Potter's chosen partner is because Lucius doesn't want the news that Harry is dating a non-human to get out. If that were the case then those non-humans that sided with the Dark Lord last time might just be tempted to join with Potter. But why wouldn't he want to see the boy killed?'

Lucius' voice brought her out of her thoughts, "-wish to help, then compile a list of the Ancient and Noble families from Italy and America…if there even are any in the muggle loving infested country." Lucius snarled.

"As you wish my love."

"Good," Lucius said dismissively as he headed for the doors. "I expect dinner to arrive in my study by six."

Alone once more, Narcissa leaned back in her seat and tapped her fingers against the small table next to her. Grabbing a quill and parchment from the draw of the table, she quickly scribbled a note down for her cousin before rolling it back up. "Dobby."

With a barely audible crack, her house elf appeared just off of her left arm. "Yes Mistress Cissa?"

"Bring this note to my cousin." She said, handing the rolled parchment off to him. "And don't worry about waiting for a response either. Just hand it off and return immediately.

"Yes Mistress!" Dobby nodded vigorously before taking the note and disappearing with a snap of his fingers.

'Now dear husband…just where are you hiding your precious Dark Lord?'

Sitting at her desk with the latest copy of the Daily Prophet in front of her, Nox couldn't help but laugh slightly as she read the article over. The article, despite being written by Rita Skeeter, was actually fairly straightforward and unbiased. 'Which I guess could be contributed to the fact that despite Skeeter writing it, it was my words that she used.'

The end of the article was the only section of the paper where she had no bearing on, despite being the one who suggested it. Nearly a dozen opinions were posted about her son's "date". Half negative and the other half supportive or neutral. But the key to that section was not what was said, but rather who was saying it. All of the negative comments came from the purebloods; many of whom were in government. While the rest that were supportive or neutral were part of Nox's own little circle of influence.

The reasoning for such an opinion piece was simple. She was trying to portray her son as an advocate for non-humans. And it was working. Shaking her head, if she only knew Harry's decision would have this much reaction she might not have denied him outright, but such tests don't come very often. On her desk she'd already received another letter from the goblins expressing interest in deepening their alliance. And sitting next to it was a letter from the Veela Nation in France. But while the goblins were pledging support, the veela were merely testing the waters as it were. 'Give it time, we've only just opened the door. Now we just need to wait for them to walk through it.'

Setting aside the letters, Nox was reaching down for the next item on her desk when she felt a slight tremor in the Force. A slight crack sounded off of her right side as Kreacher appeared in her office. "Mistress Nox, Master Black told Kreacher to bring you news, so Kreacher has come."

The elf was holding a large scroll in his hand, sealed with a wax symbol of the Black family. "Thank you Kreacher." Nox nodded, taking the scroll and breaking the seal. "Were you told to wait for my response?"

"Yes Mistress." Kreacher nodded before taking a step back. "Good Kreacher waits for kind Mistress's response before returning to Master."

Unfurling the letter, Nox quickly read over what Sirius had sent her. 'Well well…Lucius…you've been a bad little boy haven't you?' "Tell Sirius that we'll be having a meeting soon about this information." She said, tossing the letter off to the side before snapping her wand out and setting it ablaze before it could get more than a few feet from her.

"Yes Mistress," Kreacher nodded, bowing low. "Kreacher will deliver kind Mistress's message to Master Black."

With a snap of his fingers the old house elf was gone. Alone once more, Nox closed her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her nose. 'Narcissa believes that her husband knows where Voldemort is. Unfortunately we can't just simply slap a tracking charm to him. He's far too clever for that. And because of apparation I cannot just simply assign someone to tail him or use my satellites to track his movements. But perhaps we won't have too. If Voldemort is back in the country then there are only a few places he could hide. Perhaps I could send the satellites over those locations and hope for the best.'

Snapping her wand off to the side, she cast a quick tempus charm. 'Hmm…nearly time. And this is one meeting with the goblins that I certainly do not want to miss.'

"Winky." Nox called out as she rose from her seat and made her way towards the attached bedroom.

"Yous calls Winky Mistress?" Winky asked, appearing beside Nox with the faintest of cracks.

"Yes Winky," Nox nodded, not looking down at the elf. "Please go and collect Master Yoda. It's time for our meeting with the goblins."

Winky's eyes nearly double in size, a considerable feat considering how big her eyes normally were. "Yes Mistress! Winky goes and collects Master Yoda's right now!"

Entering her room, Nox quickly disrobed and summoned what she'd come to call her "Grandmaster Attire". The same set of armor-slash-robes that she wore when they assaulted the Imperial ship to save Ahsoka. 'Although I doubt that any Grandmaster in history would dare to wear a leather corset or something that left so much skin revealed. Except for Satale Shan. She actually had a fairly decent fashion sense. For a Jedi that is.'

After dressing, she made sure that both of her wand holster were securely in place before disillusioning the both of them so that they blended into the black leather of her long gloves. 'A meeting with the goblins with Master Yoda in tow…this is going to be interesting to say the very least.'

Setting the newspaper aside, Dumbledore leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers under his chin. When Minerva had first come to him and explained that young Mr. Potter wished to bring an outside guest in for his date, he'd hesitated to grant his approval. But after thinking about it for a night, he'd decided to allow it as the guest would no doubt be from his mother's little circle of influence and could possible grant him a glimpse into what Nox was planning.

But the young woman who'd appeared on young Harry's arm had completely blown him away. He'd been prepared for a pureblood witch, had actually expected it given his mother. And he feared that said witch would undoubtedly be from a dark family. But instead…instead he arrived with a half-human. Not even a half-human. A full blown magical creature akin to the veela.

After finally realizing just who, or rather what the young girl was, Dumbledore felt confused. Then elated. 'The boy is not completely lost to the darkness.' He'd thought. 'He communes with other magical species besides his own. And is even apparently intimate with her.'

But as quick as that thought came it went. 'There are just as many dark sentient magical creatures as there are light.' He thought sadly, picking up the picture and staring at the young woman again. 'And I have never heard of these togruta before.'

After the ball, he'd gone straight to his own personal library and began researching every magical creature he could find. After finding no reference to these togruta, he began to question whether or not young Mr. Potter had pulled a prank that outclassed anything his father might've done. 'But that question has been laid to rest.' He thought, his eyes scanning the article again. 'For a woman name Shaak Ti, another togruta and mentor to young Ahsoka, has stepped forward and reaffirmed Nox's claims that the togruta did exist. That they wished to remain in isolation for now. And that Nox was their representative to the magical world.'

Pushing the paper away from him, Dumbledore got to his feet and made his way towards his snow covered balcony so that he could look out over the grounds. While Harry's acceptance of sentient creatures outside of humans warmed his heart, the article made him worry. For despite it being Skeeter's words, it was as if Nox who wrote that article. 'She's gathering those who've been slighted by the Ministries of the world to her side.' He sighed, finally putting together the puzzle that'd long been before him. 'Ever since she brought Harry back to the wizarding world she'd been reaching out, trying to pull muggleborns and sentient creatures to her side. The werewolves are hers. That is the only explanation as to why their activity has been non-existent for years. Muggleborns flock to either her, Sirius Black, Amelia Bones or Cyrus and Evelyn Greengrass as soon as they graduate hoping to have their help. And now with this article…Nox will draw in even more of those who've been slighted.'

And to be sure…that was a large number. While the wizarding world was controlled and dominated by the purebloods, it was those who were half-blood, muggleborn or a creature that dominated the populace of the magical world. 'For years I have pushed for Cornelius to rein that woman in.' Dumbledore cursed, his thoughts drifting to the one person spearheading most of the legislation to remove protections and rights for those not purebloods. Dolores Umbridge. 'But instead he has allowed her almost unrestricted reign to destroy any goodwill we might have towards magical creatures and muggleborns. And now…now Nox has come in and swept them up.'

Feeling his frustrations mounting, he turned away from the sight below and started pacing around his office. 'There is no doubt that Nox is this "Pillar" that the prophecy referred too. She all put confirmed having such a title when I first met her. I need to get Harry away from her. The Lords of Light cannot be lost.'

And he'd been trying. Merlin knows he'd been trying everything he could think of try and drive a wedge between the two of them or to try and endear himself to the boy. But nothing had worked. When Harry's name came out of the goblet Dumbledore had been shocked and infuriated thinking that perhaps this was just another scheme by Nox. But then Harry gave that oath…and the words he said…no. There was no way Harry or his mother had any knowledge of his entry. But still, after the shock wore off he saw another opportunity to place himself into the boy's life. He'd been planning on petitioning the Minister to allow him to take the boy on as an apprentice of sorts for the duration of the tournament. But again Nox had beaten him to the punch by going to the Minister first; ensuring that Harry was emancipated and forcing Dumbledore to allow Harry to leave every weekend to be trained by his mother and her "tutors".

'And Merlin only knows what they have taught the boy.' Dumbledore sighed tiredly. 'Casting the Stone Prison runic spell at his age should've been impossible. Only a handful in history have been able to accomplish it. I should know seeing as how I'm one of them. And I had nearly four decades of training, I studied the spell for half a year and it took me three days to cast. Harry learned it in a manner of weeks and performed it on the run in less than an hour!'

Thinking of the tournament made his eyes involuntarily twitch towards the frozen lake beyond the castle walls. The second task was soon upon them…and Dumbledore had yet to make contact with the one who should've been Harry's hostage. 'And it's not likely that I will.' He cursed. 'She is kept safeguarded by Nox. The only way I could get to her is through Nox. And if I did that I would have to explain myself, and if I did that then Harry would undoubtedly learn of the true nature of the second task from her.'

That is one time that Dumbledore had to give a begrudging amount of appreciation to Nox for. As well as frustration. For no matter who he asked to look into or when he looked into it on his own, by all accounts the woman had done right by Harry for his entire life; helping him to excel even. 'But excel into what?' Dumbledore wondered, ceasing his pacing. 'Harry was meant to be the beacon of hope. The savior of the wizarding world. But with this Pillar guiding his every movement with a loving hand…how will I be able to help Harry see the error of Nox and set him upon the right path?'

Watching her Apprentice moving through Form I, Ahsoka tried her best to keep her attention on here and now, but it was a losing battle. Especially with what happened less than a few days ago. She could still taste Harry on her lips…she could still feel his weight pressed against her, his hands rubbing up and down her back. The feel of his hair clenched between her fingers and–

"Master? Are you alright?"

"Yes." Ahsoka nodded immediately, forcing herself out of her daydream…fantasy, and back to the present. "I'm sorry Nat. My mind has just been…elsewhere lately."

"With Harry you mean." Nat responded, a knowing grin on her face. "You look just like Master Mallie when she's thinking about Master Kento! Or Master Vos when he's thinking about Master Ventress!"

Ahsoka felt her face heat involuntarily as her mind quickly wandered back down the path towards the moment atop the astronomy tower an. "I– you know sometimes you remind me of me when I was a Leaner and even a Padawan."

"You mean incredibly skilled Master?" Nat asked, grinning as she struck a pose.

"No," Ahsoka smirked back. "I mean you're an incredible pain in the backside."

"Hey!" Nat cried, stomping her foot.

"I'm just joking Nat," Ahsoka chuckled, wrapping an arm around her apprentice's shoulder and pulling her in close. "I couldn't ask for a better Apprentice than you Nat."

Nat's large black eyes blinked rapidly and Ahsoka could've sworn that the young girl blushed. "I– thank you Master."

Giving the girl's shoulder a tight squeeze, Ahsoka took a step back from her. "You're welcome my Apprentice. Now, I do believe that it is time for you to have you lessons with Master Mallie isn't it?"

At that, Nat's face fell considerably. "History and words…can we train more instead Master?"

Ahsoka felt like laughing, and she couldn't help the chuckles that escaped her. 'Yes…she's so much like me it's scary.' "Yes we can train more," Ahsoka nodded, making Nat's face brighten. "But only after you've completed your lessons with Master Mallie first. Complete you lessons, and I promise to spar with you for the rest of the night once you're done."

Nat's face fell slightly, but when she realized that Ahsoka still intended to train with her tonight, her face brightened considerably. "Yes Master! I'll make it the fastest lessons ever!" She said excitedly before turning and running out of the training room that the two of them had sequestered for the day.

Now that she was alone, Ahsoka let out a long breath as she knelt down in the center of the floor and attempted to meditate. But peace eluded her. For as soon as she closed her eyes she was back atop that tower at Hogwarts. With Harry under her. Her lips attacking every inch of him they could reach. His hands running up and down her-

"Damn it!" She cried out, getting up from her spot and using the Force to throw a weapon stand from one side of the room to the other.

Ahsoka could do little more than stare completely shocked as the weapon stand shattered like glass upon impacting the wall. Staring down at her hand, she flexed her fingers in and out. 'I– I didn't even mean to do that. Why did I even do that?' Her emotions had been…fragile as of late. Just like Master Nox had warned her they would be. 'She told me that it would be rough. That I would probably lash out every now and then. But I– I never expected anything like this!'

As she lowered her hand, she mind started to wander back to her old Master. 'Sky-guy loved Padme. That much was plain as day to anyone who spent more than two minutes with the two of them while they were together. I think I understand. I– I can't say that I love Harry like Anakin loved Padme. But I do care for him. And it's so conflicting! Part of me says that it's wrong while another part of me is telling me that nothing could be more right! Is this what Anakin felt all the time?'

Her thoughts turned towards pity as she thought of her former Master. 'Master Nox is guiding me through this…transition. But Sky-guy…he had no one to help him. No one save for the last person in the galaxy that should've been helping him.'

As quick as her thoughts turn to pity, they stopped and changed gears and turned to rage as she thought of the Sith Emperor. 'He's the one who's at fault! He's the one who took one of the best the galaxy had to offer and turned them into a monster! Everything is his fault!'

Feeling her anger rapidly rising once more, Ahoska stopped her pacing and took several deep breaths to try and calm herself. When that failed, Ahsoka turned on her heel and marched out of the training room and back to her room. There was only one thing that could settle her mind at the moment. Once she was in the safety of her room she made her way over to her balcony. The fresh cool air felt good, but that wasn't what she was seeking at the moment.

Focusing her mind, Ahsoka brought her power in on herself as she felt her body start to shift. Within a split second Ahsoka was gone. And in her place was a four-foot tall Corellian banshee.

'That is still one of the oddest sensations I've ever felt.' Ahsoka thought as she turned her head to carefully look over her avian body to make sure she wasn't missing anything. The transformation wasn't painful, nor was it necessarily unpleasant. But still…the sudden shifting of one's body into a completely different shape, even if it was over before one could think twice, was still strange.

Stretching her wings, her taloned feet pushed off the floor bringing her over to the floor length mirror in the corner of her room. 'Harry's going to flip when he sees me like this.' She thought proudly as she examined herself in the mirror.

Like all Corellian banshees she was quiet tall for an avian species and she had grey-white feathers coating almost all of her body with black stripes stretching from the tips of her wings and across of her back. Her head was covered in brown almost black like feathers. What truly distinguished her from other banshee's however were the white markings stretching across her head. They were exactly the same as the ones that adorned her face when she was in her normal form.

'That…and I'm not sure if I actually can screech like a true banshee.' She thought, flapping her powerful wings enough so she could move over to the railing on her balcony. 'Although I'm too scared to try here. Maybe if I go somewhere isolated I can try.' A banshee's cry could be heard from over a mile away and was known to burst the ear drums of those who were ventured too close.

Looking down, Ahsoka stretched her wings out fully and leaned forward until she fell off of the railing. Her wings caught the wind quickly enough as she leveled out and began making laps around the Temple. 'I love flying a fighter, or any ship for that matter.' She thought as she closed her eyes and just enjoyed the feel of the wind against her face and under her wings. 'But this…there is nothing that can compare to this. And I can't wait until Harry sees me like this! He's going to flip!'

Catching the sharpened edge of the spear in the palm of his hand, Yoda stared at the shocked warrior before using the Force to throw the young warrior clear across the room and into the far wall. Despite the impact with the wall and the floor, the warrior managed to keep a lose hold on his spear.

"Too young, reckless, impatient, you are." Yoda sighed as the young warrior struggled to regain his footing for a moment before giving up and collapsing back into a heap on the floor.

Sighing, Yoda called his walking stick to him and began to limp back towards where Master Nox and the leader of the goblins, Ragnok, were standing and watching him while all around them the three dozen warriors he'd defeated lay moaning and groaning on the floor.

When he and Master Nox had arrived at the bank that was home to the goblin representatives, Yoda more than slightly curious. He could feel the Force emanating from the building like a beacon. Yet only when he was close enough to touch. Any further away and the feeling was muted to the point of nonexistence. He was also quite intrigued with the goblins themselves. Almost a mix between a Lannik and Yoda's own species. 'Master Piell's sense of humor, they have indeed.' He thought as he hobbled out of the arena. 'But his skill with a lightsaber, they have not.'

These goblins certainly held a great deal of respect for Master Nox, as the moment they entered the building they were immediately greeted by four armed warriors who escorted them past the many others who were waiting in line and towards the back of the building. It was only after they'd been escorted into the backrooms that Yoda lowered the disillusionment charm that'd surrounded him. But surprisingly enough, none of their escorts seemed at all surprised by his sudden appearance.

They were left alone for only a few moments before Ragnok made his appearance. Yoda had met untold numbers of rulers and leaders in his time and he could tell the good from the bad. Ragnok appeared to be one of the good ones who would do well by his people, but would not hesitate to destroy anyone who dared to bring harm to what was his.

"Master Warrior Yoda." Ragnok nodded politely. "That was quite a display. Three dozen of my best, and without even a proper weapon at your disposal. Beyond impressive. Madam Nox did not lie when she said you were a warrior beyond measure."

That had been the line which had started this whole unsavory business in the first place. When Nox introduced him to Ragnok she'd referred to him as such. Many of the warriors in the room took offense to such and accusation and one had even been idiotic enough to step forward and challenge Yoda to single combat to prove Nox's words.

Yoda knew what type of species the goblins were after first hearing from them from Nox. And while he did not always approve of such recklessness, he knew that there were times when a show of force was the only way to get through to someone. The young warrior had only managed a single charge. A sloppy overhead strike that was meant to cleave Yoda in two from head to toe. But it was all in vain as Yoda simply sidestepped the attack and smacked the young warrior on the back of his head with his cane, knocking him out cold.

Of course that was only the start. After watching one of their own fall so quickly and effortlessly, the other goblin warriors in the room, and even those in the nearby vicinity, had abandoned what they were doing in favor of the challenge of facing him. Despite the numbers, Yoda never once felt the need to draw his lightsaber or his wand. He merely used his hands in conjunction with the Force to take down one opponent after another until they were no longer able to stand.

"Well trained, your warriors are Master Ragnok." Yoda responded politely. "But young, inexperienced. Long path ahead of them, they have."

Ragnok nodded thoughtfully before turning towards Nox. "I must say Madam Nox…you certainly find the most unusual allies. First these 'togruta'. And now Master Warrior Yoda. Both magical species that we goblins have no recollection of. If I didn't know better Madam…I would almost think that you were hiding something from me."

"And if I was Master Ragnok, it wouldn't be because I didn't trust the goblins." Nox responded calmly. "Rather, it would be because such facts could change the very foundations of our society."

Ragnok's eyes flickered back and forth between the two of them before nodding and moving away while motioning for the two of them to follow. Yoda hobbled along for a moment, before shaking his head and leaping upwards before perching on Nox's back. "Careful Yoda." Nox growled, her eyes twitching. "I'm not some beast of burden for you to ride."

"Neglected to mention I would be attacked, you did." Yoda shrugged, reaffirming his grip on Nox. "Consider payment for you neglectfulness, this is."

Nox growled lowly in her throat again but didn't say anything further as the trio walked through the halls of Gringotts towards a large set of ornate double doors. Once inside, Ragnok made his way to the other side of the large desk in the center of the room while Yoda hopped down from his perch atop of Nox and settled into one of the two chairs opposite where Ragnok was sitting. "So then Madam Nox," Ragnok began, grabbing three glasses and filling them with a black liquid before pushing two of them towards Nox and Yoda. "Are you here to talk more about this little business venture you teased me about a few months ago? I believe that last we spoke you asked if I had a fear of flying. And now you appear before me after revealing not one, but two previously unknown sentient magical species."

"Is there a question in there?" Nox asked, grabbing her glass and draining it in one go.

Picking up his own glass, Yoda gave the substance a tentative sniff before wrinkling his nose. It wasn't the worst smelling concoction he'd ever come across, but it was by no means pleasant either. Hiding his distaste, Yoda drank only a small amount before setting the glass back onto the desk.

"Speak plainly, we should." Yoda sighed, knowing from experience that Nox and Ragnok would more than likely spend the next hour or two speaking circles around one another. "In the end, only harm between allies do secrets cause."

Both Nox and Ragnok looked at him queerly. "Ah Jedi. Always taking all the fun out of double talking and politics." Nox sighed dramatically before giving him a wink. "But I guess that Yoda speaks the truth in this matter. Ask your questions Ragnok and I will answer them truthfully."

"Very well," Ragnok nodded leaning back in his seat. "I won't ask of your allies' origins just yet, although I believe that I have a fair idea about that. But honestly, it doesn't concern me as long as you and your allies' do not act against the interest of the Goblin Nation. So we'll table that for the moment. What does interest me is the mining project you brought up a few months ago."

Yoda was actually mildly surprised that Ragnok was willing to let such a secret slide for the moment, but if he didn't want to pursue it, then Yoda wasn't about to push the subject along. "Very well then," Nox nodded, setting her empty drink aside before reaching into her robes and pulling out a datapad. "I take it you know how to work one of these?"

"We here at Gringotts are not so ignorant of the non-magical world as those pesky wizards." Ragnok growled, taking the offered datapad. "We just find that most muggle technology is inferior to our magic."

"Good," Nox nodded. "Then you must know that recently my company has been approved for a substantial project of putting a base on the moon. This mining venture however…will take place quite a bit farther out."

Ragnok's eyebrows rose before his eyes went back down to the datapad in his hands. After scrolling through the screen for a minute his eyes widened. "Well…I think quite a bit further out than the moon is understating things Madam Nox. You certainly are ambitious."

"Of course I am." Nox laughed. "It's why I'm still alive after all."

Ragnok lowered the datapad and stared at Nox. "A tale for another time I gather." The goblin murmured before setting the pad down on his desk. "What all will you require for this little venture? And what shall Gringotts receive in return?"

Filling her glass again with the vicious alcohol, Yoda watched intently as Nox idly swirled the liquid around her glass. "I'll be paying for all of the Goblins wages while they work. Their normal wages. Not those inflated wages you quote wizards and witches who are too dumb to notice. Also, Gringotts will take on three-quarters of the cost to create the mining equipment and the shelters. Which will be created by my company and to my specifications to allow for more than just goblins to work in the mines. I will handle the cost of transportation of both the miners and the raw ore to the refinery I'm setting up here on Earth. And in return, I will allow Gringotts to keep a quarter of the refined ore that is mined. As well as one-quarter of all profits earned off of the mine."

Leaning back, Ragnok laced his fingers together. "One-half of the costs. And one-half of the profits and spoils."

"No." Nox countered back. "I will lower it to two-thirds cost. But the one-quarter profits and spoils will remain. I have need of that ore. And besides, you and I both know that without having to pay for your workers' wages, you'll be in the black on your investment within a year. Two at most."

Remaining completely still, Yoda watched as Nox and Ragnok stared one another down in silence. "Very well." Ragnok nodded, holding out his hand. "We have an accord Madam Nox. Gringotts will supply the miners and cover three-quarters of the cost. In return you will pay our workers' wages and we will receive one-quarter of all spoils and profits."

"Agreed." Nox nodded, shaking Ragnok's hand before rising to her feet. "Always a pleasure doing business with you Ragnok."

"You as well Nox." Ragnok nodded as he turned towards Yoda. "And Master Warrior Yoda. Please feel free to come back at any time. My warriors are often in need of a good beating to teach them humility."

"A pleasure, it was Master Ragnok." Yoda replied diplomatically before turning and following Nox out of the office.

Once they were clear of the room, Yoda pulled his wand out of his cane and cast a bubble around the two of them so they could speak privately. "Understand you reason for bringing me today, I do not."

"Because I needed the goblins to see that I have allies outside of the werewolves." Nox answered back without missing a beat. "Right now the werewolves were my only allies that the goblins knew about. And between the two the goblins are the stronger ally. Eventually they would've taken hold of the Order and bent it to their will. But now that they see that I have allies, powerful allies, they know that they can't just pull one over me like they do with the wizards. Because now, thanks to you, they see that I have powerful enough allies that their help is no longer required. Helpful yes. But required no. Which is a very valuable negotiation tool."

Yoda stared up at Nox appraisingly. 'If with the Jedi Order Nox was, doubtful such a tragedy would've befallen upon us.' "Understand Sith politics, I shall never."

"Oh, I wasn't practicing Sith politics." Nox laughed. "That was just regular politics. Trust me…had I been practicing 'Sith politics', as you phrased it, most of the goblins in this bank would be dead and those still alive would be indentured to me."

Standing in her overlook, former Jedi Master and now Guardian Master Shaak Ti watched as the first batch of new recruits were being drilled by Commander Gregor. Beside her stood the newly appointed General Rex, a position he'd more than earned in the eyes of every Jedi. "This first batch sent to us by Master Lupin are proving most promising General." Rex reported as they watched Gregor explain to the recruits the drills that they would be running that day.

Rex was quite right in his assessment. Despite having only arrived a week ago at the training facility, the recruits were performing quite remarkably. Nowhere near the level of the clones that she oversaw during her tenure at Kamino, but definitely a cut above the average. 'It might have something to do with the fact that every single recruit we've been sent is a werewolf. Because of that they are stronger, faster and have better senses than the average human.' She thought. "We will see General," Shaak Ti said out loud. "And I'm no longer a general."

"Ah, forgive me ma'am," Rex coughed awkwardly. "But you'll always be a general in my eye. And please ma'am…its Rex. I'm still not used to this whole 'General' thing."

"As you wish, Rex." Shaak Ti nodded before turning back down towards the training area.

Gregor had the men and woman all lined up and was sending them into the target structure six at a time. The goal was simple. To get through the maze and out the other side. However as they made their way through they would be hampered by built in mounted turrets that were concealed within the walls. And there were also several holographic displays that would activate as they progress showing either a non-combatant or an enemy combatant. Should they lose a single squad member the trial was a fail. If they failed to kill all enemy combatants, they failed. If they harmed a single non-combatant then they failed. The test wasn't quite the "Citadel" level of difficulty, but it wasn't far behind. And plus, they would be running a variation of the Citadel trial soon enough.

"Has there been any news from Commander Wolffe?" She asked as the first team of six made their way into the maze before quickly disabling the first hidden turret and taking down their first enemy combatant.

"Yes ma'am." Rex replied immediately as he pulled a small tablet computer out from behind his back. "The brains over at the other R&D facility have taken his designs and are currently working on modifying them to match what we have available to us at the moment. Best estimate is that within two months we should have a working variant of the LAATs. However the tanks are going to take a while. We've given designs for a TX-130 Saber-class, the HAV-A6 Juggernaut and an AT-TE. But with the priority that was set upon us by Grandmater Nox for the creation of the LAATs, our best guess is that we'll have a working prototype of the AT-TE in about six months to a year. The Saber and the Juggernaut however will take well over a year to get a working prototype into service."

Nodding, Shaak Ti lips tightened as one of the squad members was hit by strafing fire from one of the turrets, effectively ending their run. "They made it halfway through," Rex observed as he continued to scroll through the screen before him while taking notes. "Not bad for a first run."

"Not bad at all." Shaak Ti agreed, watching as the next batch lined up.

Crossing her arms as she watched, her fingers subconsciously sought out the small leather bracer that was underneath her left forearm. Even though her wand was in its sheath, she could still feel her connection to it. Even though she'd only had it for a few weeks she couldn't imagine living her life without it now. It was just like Master Yoda said. It was like a part of herself she didn't even know was missing was returned to her the moment her fingers curled around the smooth wood.

But at the same time, using her wand almost felt like…she was cheating somehow. It was so much easier to utilize the Force while she held her wand. She could slip into a meditative trance as easily as sliding into a deep sleep. And after only a few short weeks studying in the library at the new Temple, she'd learned more about the Force than she had in all of her time in the Jedi Order.

'If only the rest of the Order could've joined us here as well.' She thought sadly, her mind drifting to the Jedi they'd lost during the Purge and those who were still out in the galaxy hiding from the Sith Empire. 'We will find you, brothers and sisters. I swear it.' She silently swore as the second group made it just slightly farther than the first before accidently shooting a non-combatant hologram. 'And one day…we will bring justice to the Sith.'

Blocking an overhead strike, Aayla spun in a tight circle while slashing her wand across her body. A sting made of fire burst forth from the tip of her wand, snaking through the air before wrapping around her opponent and tossing her off to the side like a rag doll. Rolling quickly, her opponent slashed her wand viciously across her body sending a wave of energy at her. Aayla quickly created a shield which absorbed the immature spell before sending her own cutting curse at the downed woman and then apparating behind her.

Her opponent just barely managed to roll out of the way of her attack, but unfortunately was not prepared for Aayla's sudden appearance behind her. Which made it easy for Aayla to hit her opponent with a disarming charm, sending both lightsaber and wand up into the air which she promptly captured with the Force. Even though her opponent was disarmed, that didn't mean she was giving up by any means.

Springing up to her feet, her opponent coiled her legs under herself before launching herself into the air while throwing a vicious kick aimed at Aayla's head almost faster than the eye could follow. A year ago the attack might've worked. Leaning her head back out of range, Aayla responded with a Force Push to put some space between the two of them before following up almost immediately with a full-body bind which hit her opponent right in her chest bringing an end to their spar.

"Nicely done kiddo." Her former Master clapped lightly as he stepped forward from where he was watching. "You too luv."

"Shut up." Asajj growled between clenched teeth as she fought against the invisible binds holding her in place. "Release me. Now."

Hitting Asajj with the countercurse, Aayla held out her hand to the one time Sith Apprentice. "A good spar, Master Ventress."

Asajj growled before slapping her hand away and rising to her feet under her own power. "Don't call me that." Asajj scoffed. "I still haven't decided whether or not to join this little club of yours or not."

Behind Asajj, Quinlan shook his head telling her not to press the issue. Asajj, while undeniably skilled, was still unwilling to commit fully to the Guardian Order. 'Although I guess that I can understand that.' Aayla thought as she handed Asajj her wand and lightsaber back. 'After suffering betrayals from Dooku, Sidious, her own bounty hunters and countless others. I too would be wary about pledging my allegiance to anyone other than myself.'

"Still, it's good that we're getting these sparring sessions in now." Quinlan shrugged, pulling out his own wand and making a show of examining it. "Once Asajj and I leave, I don't know how much time we're going to have to actually practice with these things."

Being reminded that soon she would once again be forced to let go of her former Master it brought a slight pain to her chest. "Are you still set on leaving?" She asked the two of them, somewhat hopeful that they'd had a change of heart. Quinlan was her former Master, and more than that a man she trusted implicitly. And Asajj…while there were still more than a few rough edges to the former Sith Acolyte, Aayla still respected her.

To her chagrin however, Quinlan simply nodded. "Yes we are. If there's one good thing I can say about Nox, besides her looks of course, she knows her people. Even though we've only been here for a few months, Asajj and I are already ready to head out again. And besides," Quinlan murmured, staring off to the side and not meeting her eyes. "I can…feel like something is pulling at me out there."

At that, Aayla stared at her Master suddenly confused. It was rare, incredibly rare, for her Quinlan to sound so…pensive. Unsure. "Are you alright Master?" Aayla blurted out before she could catch herself.

"Yeah." Quinlan nodded, shaking his head back and forth before adopting his trademark grin once again. "Why wouldn't I be? I'm learning incredible aspects of the Force I've never dreamed of. And I've got the most gorgeous Dathomiri who shares my bed every night that does this amazing thing with her ton-"

"And if you wish to continue that, you will keep that little bit of information to yourself." Asajj growled while igniting her yellow lightsaber and pointing it towards Quinlan's lower region. "Unless of course you wish to lose that part of your anatomy permanently."

"What is it with you women?" Quinlan cried as he jumped back, putting several yards between himself and Asajj. "Ever since we came to this world you women are always threatening my…well…bits. These Earth witches have been a bad influence on you all." Quinlan sighed dramatically.

Aayla couldn't help herself as she burst out laughing. "Just…make sure to take care of yourself Master."

"Don't worry kiddo," Quinlan smirked, walking back up to her and lightly punching her on the shoulder. "After all, we're taking Bee-Bee with us. What more protection do we need?"

Setting a book at the base of the shelf, Mallie Marek marveled as the book rose up of its own accord and slid itself back into its assigned slot on the shelf. 'I've been on this world for nearly half a year now, and I'm still having trouble adjusting to just how ingenious these people have mastered the manipulation of the Force, it's truly is amazing.' She thought as she moved down the row of books, holding up the odd book or two so that they could return to their places. 'Some of it seems so…disrespectful of the Force. But…Force knows it is handy at times. I know that Master Nu would've loved it here…for the books and the holocrons. I think this place could even rival the Jedi archives at times with all the books Sirius keeps sending our way.'

Thinking of the aged Jedi Master made Mallie falter. Master Nu, while not taking her on formally as her Padawan, had definitely been a mentor to Mallie while she was still a youngling. She'd kindled her thirst for knowledge and history. A thirst that had never died even after she left the Jedi Order in order to follow her heart.

'And now here I am.' She thought, running her hand down the leather spine of a book. 'Surrounded by more books and holocrons than I'd ever thought to see in my entire lifetime. Even if I'm not allowed to see some of them.'

With that thought her eyes drifted towards the back of the library where the holocron vault laid. While there were some holocrons, innocent ones, that were available on the shelves of the library most had been stored in the vault. As well as some of the more nefarious books that were donated to them by Sirius.

She'd spent more than a few hours in that vault, cataloging over every holocron that she could. Sith and Jedi alike. Perhaps the only one to spend more time in that vault than her was Master Ti. But despite her position as the Librarian of the Guardian Order, a title made official by the newly appointed Grandmaster Nox, she did not have access to the fourth level of the vault. The only two who did were Grandmasters Nox and Yoda. And part of her was glad that she didn't. Master Yoda only entered the fourth tier once. He was in there for maybe half a day, but when he emerged he looked more aged and tired than she'd ever seen him. 'Whatever is in that last tier of the vault…I want nothing to do with it.'

Feeling a familiar presence enter the library, Mallie let a small smile grace her lips as she felt her husband stealthily made his way through the bookshelves. Feigning ignorance, Mallie kept putting books away as her husband came closer and closer. When she felt that he was just behind her, she pulled her wand out of her sleeve and sent out a stinging hex. Which, judging by the sudden high-pitched squeak coming from behind her, found its mark.

"Sithspit Mallie! What was that for?"

"For trying to sneak up on me." She responded calmly, turning around to face her husband while he rubbed furiously at his thigh. 'Hmm…two inches off the mark. I need to improve my aim a bit.' "You and Sirius should both know better than to do that to Amelia and I."

"Yeah yeah…I still curse the day Amelia taught you that spell." Her husband grumbled, still rubbing the stinging out of his leg.

"Perhaps," Mallie smiled, turning back to her work as she placed another book at the base of the shelves and watched as it rose on its own. "But it's the best way to keep rogues like Sirius and yourself in line. Now, is there something you needed of me Kento? I thought you were looking after Galen?"

Ceasing his rubbing, Kento reached out and picked up a book off of her cart and placed it on the shelf. "He's in our room. Kenobi came by earlier with Luke while Aela and Remus are off doing only Force knows what. He said that he'd watch the both of them for the night."

"Really?" Mallie asked, a sudden swell of heat swirling in her chest. "Well then…if we're without Galen for the night…whatever shall we do then my husband?"

A mischievous glint appeared Kento's eyes as he stepped towards her and wrapped his arms about her. "Oh, I think I have an idea on that front."

Mallie had only the briefest of warnings to brace herself before she felt the violent lurching of apparation as the world swirled around the both of them. "Sithspit Kento!" Mallie shouted as she smacked her husband upside the head. "Warn me before you do some crazy shit like that! I'm still not used to apparation and– oh. Whoa."

They were up on one of the corner towers, not the one that Harry and Ahsoka had claimed as their own private spot that everyone knew about. But one of the others. The sun had long set but the dim lights from the Temple allowed the stars and the planet's moon to illuminate the area as well as if it were the middle of the day. But that wasn't what truly caught her eye. A blanket had been laid out on the balcony. Atop it were several lit candles with a bottle of wine and light snacks.

Turning to her husband, she saw that he was trying, and failing, to conceal his grin. "Are you expecting to get lucky tonight, Kento?"

"No," Kento said, shaking his head as he came forward and held her in his arms. "Just hoping."

Smiling, Mallie wrapped her arms around her husband's neck and pulled him down enough so that their lips could meet.

Walking into the Room of Requirement with Daphne and Susan flanking him on either side, Harry emptied the room of all obstructions save for three chairs situated in a circle. "So…how exactly is this supposed to work?" Susan asked as the door shut behind them, sealing them inside.

"Honestly…I'm not entirely sure." Harry responded with a chuckle as he pulled out the package that his mother had sent him just the other day.

Inside was a large flat stone almost the size of a dinner plate. Dozens of runes had been carved into the stones surface, making a mass of interconnected lines that no one could duplicate. Supposedly, the runic array was supposed to act as a holographic projector and transmitter. Although how exactly it was supposed to do that, he had no idea.

"Just put it on the floor in between the chairs." Daphne shrugged, taking one of the three seats for herself.

Staring at the device one more time, Harry used the Force to float the stone down to the floor in-between the three chairs before taking a seat. Once Susan was seated, the three of them pulled out their wands and channeled a small amount of magic into the runic stone. The effect was immediate as the carvings glowed briefly before letting out a pulse that passed through the three of them. Once the pulse passed them by, a small sphere of light rose from the center of the stone and flattened out just below eye level.

"Oh…now that is just wicked." Susan gaped as the sphere of light transformed into an image of a dozen or so chairs all facing one another in a circular pattern.

What was more surprising though was the fact that all of the seats had someone in them. His mother and Master Yoda were situated next to one another. Around the circle he spotted all of the Guardian Masters that were on Earth with them as well as his godfather, Madam Bones, Aela and Remus. But the one figure that drew his immediate and undivided attention was the small togruta that was sitting next to his mother. Harry had to fight hard against the heat rising in his face as he stared down at Ahsoka, his mind immediately going back to those few moments the two of them shared atop the astronomy tower after the Yule Ball.

"Thank you for that assessment Knight Bones." Nox said, turning her head so that she was looking right at Susan.

The three of them gasped slightly, making most of the dozen or so small holographic figures before them laugh. "Yes we can see you. And hear you." Sirius laughed, turning towards Harry. "Don't worry, you're not the only one. I think Amelia here just about fell over in fright when we activated our own runic stone over here."

"Watch it mutt." Amelia growled, her head turning towards Sirius. "Unless you feel like sleeping on the couch for the foreseeable future."

"If you are all quite finished threatening one another, perhaps we can begin." Nox sighed before turning her head to her left. "Master Shaak Ti. Would you please begin by bringing us up to date on your progress?"

Nodding her head, Master Ti faced the rest of them. "Our first three squads are doing remarkably well. General Rex is highly impressed with them and sends his commendations to Aela and Remus for their keen eyes. By my own estimation, seconded by General Rex and Commander Gregor, all three squads will be battle ready within three months."

"Good." Nox nodded before turning towards Aela and Remus. "What about the armaments?"

"All I can say on that is that Commander Wolffe has been a gift from magic." Remus responded with Aela nodding along. "He may not necessarily have the scientific mindset that some of our researchers have. But he more than makes up for it with his technical prowess. At the moment though we're having a slight bit of a problem well…dumbing down the technology I guess you could say. But besides that construction has begun on the first of the LAATs and we should be ready to field test them in a month or so at best. Four months on the outside. The tanks however are going to take quite a while longer however. But our fighter production is going steady at the moment."

"Impressive Remus." Nox nodded before moving along. "Master Mallie. Is the library settled?"

Leaning back in his chair, Harry bit his lip as Mallie explained how she'd finished her organization of both the holocrons and written texts and how she was preparing to depart in a few days' time to start pursuing book stores for more tomes that they might be missing. Next to speak were Quinlan and Asajj, who had just left the solar system after finding three or four asteroids in the asteroid belt that would be suitable for mining.

As the meeting went on, Harry was more than slightly impressed at how easily all of the adults seemed to be able to build off of one another. Ideas were shared back and forth, debated and then either accepted or rejected. And through it all he, Ahsoka, Daphne and Susan sat there like bumps on a log. The longer the meeting went on, the harder and harder Harry found it to concentrate on what was going on. It wasn't that he was bored. No far from it actually. His attention was just…divided. Throughout the meeting he kept throwing glances towards Ahsoka and every now and then she would do the same. Whenever their eyes met, there was almost an unspoken conversation that passed between them, which distracted the both of them from everything else.

"Sirius. How is your search coming along?"

Forcing his eyes away from Ahsoka, Harry turned towards Sirius. "Well I've completed my list." His godfather shrugged. "You'd actually be surprised just how many of the old families have 'squibbed out', I guess you could say. And quite a few of them have gone into military service which helps us. One name that I found surprised me quite a bit. Mr. Dan Granger, British Special Air Services, move to reserved status in the SAS five years ago just before Hermione entered Hogwarts. Highly decorated and respected."

That surprised Harry more than slightly. 'Hermione always said that her father was in the army. But the SAS? Holy shit…'

He wasn't alone in his surprise either. Nox's eyebrows rose more than slightly. "Really? Hmm…he neglected to mention that little bit of information when we spoke. I'll have to send him a care package and an offer to become a private contractor as well. Continue Sirius."

Wincing, Sirius shrugged. "Unfortunately that's about all I've got. I've been reaching out to the muggleborns and their parents with offers of friendship, but despite our reputation they seem happy where they're at. And as for the squibs…well I'm actually having a bit of a problem actually tracking them down."

"Is such a thing unusual?" Obi-Wan Kenobi asked leaning forward. "If I remember correctly, squibs are the offspring of at least one Force sensitive individual that are born without the ability to use the Force. Wouldn't their families keep track of them?"

"No." All eyes turned to Daphne, who sat up slightly straighter in her seat. "In the magical society, squibs are just shy of being resented. In the past almost all pureblood families, including my own to my shame, considered squibs a disgrace to their house. If the child was lucky, it would be left to fend for themselves but they would be disowned by the family and forgotten. At worst, they would be killed."

Obi-Wan winced and shook his head. "How uncivilized."

"None of us here agree with that treatment however." Amelia was quick to add. "But unfortunately many families still hold true to the belief that squibs are a stain that must be removed. So tracking them down is never easy."

"Keep trying to get in contact with them though." Nox said frowning. "Now Harry. Have you figured out the second task to the tournament yet?"

"Yes mother." Harry nodded. It'd nearly cost him his hearing, but he figured it out thanks to a tip from Hermione about sound waves relative to the density in the air. "The clue was in Mermish. It looks like something that I value will be taken from me and hidden at the bottom of the lake here at Hogwarts and I'll have an hour to get it back."

"Do you have an inclining about what they would take?" Aayla asked curiously.

"Not what, rather who." Susan answered drawing more than a few shocked and outraged looks. "We looked it up. Apparently in the past tournaments it wasn't outside the norm to have to rescue a hostage from a dangerous situation. This looks like one of those times. And unfortunately…it wasn't unheard of for the hostages to die either."

"Unbelievable." Kento murmured. "Is anyone else besides me starting to wonder just why in the name of the Force they actually brought this tournament back?"

"A question for another time, that is." Yoda spoke for the first time before turning his ancient eyes towards Harry. "A plan, you have?"

"Yes Master Yoda." Harry nodded automatically. "I plan on informing the other champions of our suspicions, if they haven't already figured it out. Then the week before the Task is set to take place I plan on tagging everyone that I'm close to with a tracking charm so that I always know where they're at."

"A sound strategy." Nox nodded. "And while we're discussing the tournament, I've received news from one of my spies. I believe that Voldemort is once again on British soil."

"You know this for a fact?" Amelia asked, leaning forward in her seat.

"No." Nox responded. "But according to our spy, there's been a recent increase in chatter amongst the purebloods that managed to escape incarceration after the last war."

"One of the werewolf clans that live on the continent have also been contacted." Remus added. "This particular clan stayed out of the last war and turned down our offer a few years ago to join us. They prefer solitude and we were willing to leave them be. But according to them, just the other day they received a visitor dressed completely in black that all but demanded their loyalty. It didn't end well for the messenger. But the message was clear as day."

"Unbelievable." Asajj sighed. "If you know the identities of these, 'purebloods' as you call them, why don't you simply kill them?"

"Don't tempt me." Nox smiled. "Trust me, I've contemplated that more than once. But leaving them alive for the moment helps us because then we know who to watch. If we just simply killed them, then someone else, someone we don't know, would take command. This way, we at least know who our enemy is."

"Makes sense." Master Kenobi nodded. "But why has this Dark Lord of yours come back now? If I read correctly, he's been a…wraith? Yes a wraith for over a decade now. Why has he returned now?"

"We don't know." Nox answered, shaking her head. "Last time he resurfaced was three years ago and that was to try and obtain the Sorcerer's Stone so that he could create a new body for himself. Harry foiled that attempt. And if he's resurfaced again it more than likely means he's found another way to regain a body. But that is all guess work. All that we do know for certain is that he's the reason why Harry is entered into the tournament."

"But why?" Shaak Ti asked. "From what you've told us, this Dark Lord has some sort of vendetta against Knight Potter due to a prophecy that was spoken just before he was born. And he has already tried to kill him on several occasions. And while this tournament is certainly dangerous. Entering Knight Potter into the tournament to kill him doesn't sound like how this Dark Lord would operate. Too much is left to chance."

"He doesn't expect this tournament to kill me." Harry responded, drawing everyone's eyes to him. "I've thought about this a lot. Why would he want me to be entered? Like Master Ti said, there are too many variables and no guarantee that I would be killed. And plus, from everything that I've heard from Sirius and everyone else who lived through the war, Voldemort is extremely prideful. He'd want to kill me himself. So no, I don't think that he's using this tournament to kill me. Rather, I think that he's using it to try and figure out my skills. I surprised him last time we met three years ago. More than likely he's trying to figure out just what I can do to better prepare himself for when we meet again."

The Masters all went quiet as they digested what he said. Out of the corner of his eye he caught a brief glance of Ahsoka. Her lips were pressed together and her fingers were curled tightly around the arm rest of her chair. "Unfortunately it's a little too late for you to hide all of your abilities." Nox said, breaking the silence. "Between your confrontation with him three years ago and your little display against the chimera, he probably has a decent feel for what you can do. But to be on the safe side try to limit yourself during the rest of the tournament. And whatever you do, avoid any 'wandless' techniques. That's one little ability we'll want to keep hidden for as long as possible."

"Yes mo– Master." Harry nodded.

His mother gave him a slight smile before turning back towards everyone else. "Is there anything else? No? Good. Vos, Ventress. I expect a report as soon as you arrive on Odessen."

"Of course." Vos nodded.

"Be wary, you must." Master Yoda cut in. "A disturbance in the Force, there is around Odessen. Felt it in deep meditation, Master Nox and I have."

Vos blinked, his eyes moving back and forth between Nox and Yoda. "We'll make sure to keep our eyes open then."

"Good." Nox announced. "Then this meeting is at an end. May the Force be with us all."

Walking through the destroyed halls of the base, Darth Vader carefully took note of the dead bodies that were littered throughout looking for any that might still be alive. To his satisfaction, he found none. Using the Force to throw a corpse out of his path, Vader walked into the deepest section of the base. On his knees in the center of the room was a human boy of a Padawan's age. His arms were locked behind his back, his clothes torn and bloodied. Yet despite his current predicament, the boy dared to meet Vader's eyes. "Traitor!"

Vader stared down at the boy. He couldn't name the former Padawan, but he did recognize him. He was one of the few Padawans that managed to escape the Purge of the Temple. Looking off to the side, Vader recognized one of the corpses in the room as she used to be one of the non-Force sensitives that worked in the Temple. 'So that is how he got out. The Rebels more than likely took the two of them in, hoping to use the boy as a rallying point. Pathetic. The boy isn't even that powerful. I would've crushed him without hesitation had he dared to come against me.'

Turning away from the kneeling Padawan, Vader looked off into the shadows of the room. "You've done well."

A single figure covered from head to toe in black cloth emerged from the shadows before kneeling at Vader's side. "Thank you, my Master."

Staring down at the figure, Vader smirked behind his mask. 'Yes…hatred has made this one strong.' "You have proven yourself capable. But I have one last trial for you before you've proven worthy to become my apprentice."

"Name it, my Master. And it shall be done." The figure responded without hesitation.

Tilting his head ever so slightly, Vader stared down at the now shaking Padawan. "Make him suffer, but do not kill him."

His assassin didn't even hesitate before lifting their hands. The boy screamed in agony as his bones shattered audibly as his assassin tortured the youth. Taking a step back, Vader watched with interest as his assassin broke the youth before his eyes. His bones were shattered one at a time. Then his skin was burned and cut against the edge of a lightsaber. His eyes were pulled out from his head and his tongue was cut out. After nearly an hour the Padawan was reduced to a whimpering pile of blood and flesh writhing against the floor.

"Enough." He called out, bringing a halt to his assassin's attacks. "End it."

Again, there was no hesitation as his assassin brought they're lightsaber to bare, severing the boys head from his shoulders. "It is done. My Master."

"Yes." Vader breathed. "Kneel before me and show your face."

His assassin hesitated for just a bare moment before reaching up and pulling back on their hood. Underneath was a scared, yet very much alive Barriss Offee. Barriss's hatred of him, of the Empire, of the Jedi, of everything had given her the power to resist and survive both his own questioning and the questioning of the Grand Inquisitor for months. After learning that she was still alive, and after losing his preferred apprentice Ahsoka, Vader faked the former Jedi Healer's death and brought her to a secure location so she could recover. When she'd recovered enough to stand on her own two feet, he began punishing her again and again, bringing her anger and hatred to the surface as she unknowingly delved deeper and deeper into the Dark Side. And now after months of punishment and careful nurturing of her hatred, Barriss's blue eyes were gone. Replaced by the yellow tint of the Sith.

"You have done well on this first trial." Vader mused, pacing back and forth before her. "Your hatred has made you powerful."

"It is thanks to your teachings, my Master." Barriss groveled, lowering her face towards the floor.

"Yes." Vader nodded. "And you have surpassed my expectations. From this day forth, Barriss Offee is dead. You will hence forth be known simply as 'Apprentice'. My apprentice."

"Yes, my Master." Apprentice intoned, lowering her face even close to the ground.

Chapter 14

Coming out of hyperspace, Quinlan Vos stared at the rapidly growing planet directly in front of them. "Well…here we are again." He murmured as he turned around to face first Asajj, who'd been dozing in the seat next to him, and then BB-8. "Hey Bee-Bee. Kick up the scanners will you? Let's see if there's anyone home."

The little spherical astromech extended one of its arms and gave him a salute before rolling towards the back of the cockpit and plugging into one of the terminals. "It's about damn time too." Asajj grumbled from beside him as she rubbed the last remnants of sleep from her eyes. "Despite the modifications our new friends did to this ship…two months is still a long time to spend in it."

"It was still worth it." Quinlan shrugged, flipping through the controls of the ship to prepare for entry into the planet's atmosphere.

Part of their mission had been to search out possible planets that would be eligible to sustain life while they were following the path that Master Nox had set through the Unknown Regions of space. They didn't stray too far off of their set route, but they had managed to pick up a system on their long range scanners that appeared to have a planet that could sustain organic life. The other reason as to why they'd taken their time in getting to Odessen was the warning that Master Yoda had given them about feeling a disturbance in the Force around Odessen.

'Although how the old man can feel a disturbance in the Force that far away that accurately completely boggles the mind.' Quinlan thought as the ship started to enter the atmosphere. 'But as I've learned…never question Master Yoda. The old man is usually right.' But despite countless hours of meditation by both himself and Asajj, neither of them felt anything.

Just as they were leveling out through the clouds however, BB-8 started whistling and beeping loudly. "Sounds like the little guy found something." Asajj commented before pulling up her screen. "Huh…looks like there's some sort of small power-downed craft near the ruins to the old Alliance base. Hmm…looks like it's been here for a while too."

Staring at the now clear landscape beneath them, Quinlan opened himself up to the Force. He could feel something, or rather…someone familiar yet at the same time not. Yet one thing that he could sense was a complete and utter lack of hostility in the presence. 'Who are you?'

"Set landing coordinates for the ruined base." He said, coming out of his trance. "We need to find out who this is. And more importantly, how did they get here."

"Really? You want to ask how? What part of powered down craft did you miss." Asajj said dryly then sighed, seeing the mountain that hid the old Alliance base come into view. "We're about to get our answer. Whether we like it or not."

As their ship touched down, BB-8 detached himself from the terminal and was rolling towards the exit before either Asajj or Quinlan could so much as get out of their seats. "Well," Quinlan chuckled as the little droid whistled. "He's certainly anxious isn't he? Let's go see what's got him so worked up shall we?"

Stepping out of the Wind, Quinlan hesitated only for a brief moment as his eyes fell upon the strange ship that was sitting just in front of the entrance to the abandoned base. 'Hmm…that's a old Republic T-6 shuttle…what in the name of the Force is it doing all the way out here?'

Ignoring BB-8 for the moment, Quinlan stepped around the spherical droid and made his way over to the shuttle. 'Strange…the loading ramp is down but the inner door is sealed.' He thought as he circled around the ship before squatting down next to the end of the loading ramp. 'A single set of tracks…light weight. Humanoid build. Possibly female but…hmmm…a slight hand print on the ground. Let's see if you left any more clues stranger.'

Using his ability to track other through the touching of inanimate objects was almost second nature to Quinlan. But tracking one using his ability and their tracks left on the ground was much more difficult. As his hand pressed down on the indent, he opened his mind to the Force. In his mind's eye he saw a figure robed in light brown robes leaning over and pressing their hand to the ground. The figure's hooded head rose slightly and look at the ruins before them before standing upright, bringing an immediate end to his vision as their hand left the ground.

"Well?" Asajj asked, kneeling down next to him. "Who are we dealing with?"

"I don't know." He answered, staring towards the base. "The vision wasn't clear enough for me to see their face, but they were wearing a brown robe. A light brown robe. And they were powerful in the Force. Incredibly powerful. I'm talking nearly on par with the old man and Nox."

Asajj blinked dumbly before turning her head slowly towards the cavern entrance. "Who?"

"I have no idea." Quinlan answered honestly as he stood up and brushed the dirt off of his hands. "But…I think they're friendly."

Asajj shook her head. "You think? And what are the odds that they're not?"

"Eh, this day and age I would say it's about a fifty-fifty shot." Quinlan smiled over his shoulder as he made his way towards the entrance. "So come on, what's the worst that could happen? Bee-bee, stay with the ship until we get back. And if we're not back by sunrise send a long range transmission to Nox."

BB-8 gave another salute before turning tail and rolling back into the Wind as Quinlan and Asajj made their way into the darkened cavern. "Now," Quinlan muttered as he pulled out his wand. "Let's see if I remember how to do this again."

Unfortunately despite the fact that they were stuck inside the ship for nearly two months, neither he nor Asajj had gotten in much practice in terms of practical applications with their wands. Sure they were able to do a few charms so they could get used to the feel of channeling the Force through them and into their wands. But practicing complicated spells was not the best idea when one was locked inside a small ship traveling through hyperspace.

It took Quinlan a few tries, but eventually he managed to recreate the spell that Nox and Yoda had used last time they were here to create a small ball of floating light. "Ha! Admit it…I'm good aren't I?"

Asajj merely gave him a queer look before snapping her own wand off to the side duplicating what'd taken him multiple tries on her first attempt. "You were saying luv?"

"Bloody show off," Quinlan grumbled lowly before moving past his lover and into the darkened cave.

The old base looked exactly as he remembered it. Everything was in the same place, nothing had been dug up or moved. In fact, the only indication that someone had even ventured into the base at all the ship parked just outside the entrance. Kneeling down off to one side of what was once a control room, Quinlan made a careful examination of the crisscross of footprints that'd been left in the dust. 'These are all useless. Most, if not all of them, were left by us the last time we were here. And this new figure…their tracks are roughly the same size as a few of those girls from Earth.

"Quinlan, over here."

Standing up, he made his way over to Asajj, who was kneeling down just in front of a small opening the wall. An opening that wasn't there the last time they were here. Nodding to Asajj, the two canceled their spheres of light and drew their lightsabers before slipping silently into the small opening.

Emerging from the slight opening, the two found themselves in a new branch that led off of the main hall. A single set of footprints left in the millennia worth of dust leading off down the path. 'Is that…is that running water I hear? There must be some sort of underground stream running through this section of the base.'

Moving slowly to avoid making any sound, the two of them made their way through the pitch black corridor relying only on the Force and the sound of running water to guide them. A few turns down the corridor later, and the two pulled short as they spotted light coming from further down the hall.

Pressing themselves against either wall, the two moved silently towards the large cavernous room at the end of the hall. The sun was shining through a large crack in the ceiling, making the partially moss covered room completely visible. At the opposite end of the room, water was running freely down the rocks and into a small pond in the floor. And just before the pond knelt a single figure that was wearing, what Quinlan now knew for a fact, a Jedi robe.

"I see you two have finally decided to join me." A distinctively feminine voice called out. "Come out from the shadows. You have no reason to fear me."

While Quinlan was wracking his mind trying to place the voice, Asajj went completely stock still.

"No…it can't be." Asajj murmured to herself but Quinlan heard her looked at her with a raised bor.

The figure's hooded head tilted slightly to the side. "Ah…Ventress. I see…interesting. Not quite so full of hatred and bile this time. Has your time amongst the Sith finally shown you the truth of their nature?"

Taking a few steps away from the wall, Asajj stood still in the entrance to the room and stared at the figure as if she were looking at a ghost. "Asajj?" Quinlan questioned as he stepped over to her, his lightsaber still in his hand and ready to be used should the need arise. "Who is this?"

Asajj gave no indication that she even heard him. Her eyes trained solely on the robed kneeling figure in front of them. "You're dead. I killed you. I felt your presence fade away. You– you can't be her!"

Laughing, the figure rose to her feet and pulled back her hood, revealing a youthful face of almost unparalleled beauty surrounded by golden locks of hair. Even though he'd never met her, Quinlan knew who this Jedi was. Just as every Jedi who'd gone through the Jedi Temple in the past few hundred years knew who she was.

"You should know young one…in the Force nothing is impossible." Jedi Master Fay answered with a smile.

Pacing the length of the training room he'd created in the Room of Requirement for the twentieth time in as many minutes, Harry felt the tenuous control he had on his temper starting to slip even as he repeated the Code of the Guardians over and over in his head. 'Passion, yet peace. Serenity, yet emotion. Chaos, yet order.'

Yet despite the mantra, his control was slipping and in a fit of rage he lashed out with the Force and completely obliterated one of the weapon racks lining the walls. Reducing both the shelf and the weapons that'd been attached to it to splinters.

Hearing a loud bang reverberate throughout the room, Harry waved his arm towards the entrance, using the Force to unlock the dozens of locks lining the door. Once the door had opened enough, a clearly nervous looking Hannah entered the room.

"Well?" He demanded, before immediately cursing himself as Hannah flinched. "Sorry."

"I'm fine." Hannah responded unconvincingly. "But…it's like you thought. Susan's missing. She was in our room last night when we went to sleep. But this morning…she was just gone."

Unfortunately, Harry wasn't surprised by this news, but that didn't help his anger at all. "Thank you Hannah." He managed to get out evenly before turning his back on the blond haired girl. "Please leave for a while."

Hannah didn't respond, preferring instead of back out of the room silently. As soon as the door shut, Harry let out an inhuman yell as he raised both hands up to shoulder height. Anything that wasn't nailed down in the room floated up off the ground before compacting in one themselves as Harry's hands clenched tightly into fists and falling back to the ground. 'Damn them all to hell! I hate it when I'm right!'

It was the day of the second task, and just as he had predicted almost two months ago several of his friends had disappeared. Both Ginny and Hermione had been with him before he'd gone up to his room the night prior, however when he woke up mere hours ago both of them were gone. And now thanks to Hannah he knew that they weren't the only ones as apparently Susan was missing as well.

'That would make the hostages for Viktor, Cedric and myself.' He nearly hissed out loud as he made another pass within the training room, his eyes searching for something else to vent his anger out on. 'The old fuck is just lucky he couldn't get his hands on Ahsoka.'

Just the mere thought of his togruta girlfriend brought a halt to Harry's pacing and a slight grin to his face. Their relationship so far had been quite frankly…fantastic. Despite the fact that neither of them had ever been in a romantic relationship before. For her it was more of the Jedi Order's ridiculous ban on marriage and relationships in general, which only hardened after something called the Ruusan Reformation according to Ahsoka.

And for him, it was because he simply didn't have the time. It also didn't help that the only real female company he had until the age of nine had been his mother.

So together the two had been stumbling through their relationship together. Or rather…stumbling into one another as frequently as possible at least. Their brief little escapade atop the astronomy tower awoke something in the both of them. A hunger neither of them even realized they had.

Ever since then the two were joined at the lips whenever they were alone. Be it in the library, one of the meditation gardens, the landing bay behind a shipping crate. Even once on top of a chandelier. It seemed like no matter where they were whenever they were alone for at least a minute or more either Ahsoka or he would turn towards the other and that would be it.

But despite their best attempts at being secretive about their little…sessions they had still gotten caught. Although in hindsight, making out in cockpit of one of the Blackwings was probably not the best of all ideas. Especially when said Blackwing had already been signed out by Master Secura for training purposes that day.

At least the look on the twi'lek's face when she opened the canopy to find Ahsoka straddling Harry with their lips pressed together was priceless. The eight straight hours of meditation that they'd both been sentenced to thought was not priceless as Harry was positive that Master Secura had found the most jagged rocks possible for both of them to sit on while they meditated. His distracted musing was interrupted by a voice.

"Harry."

Growling low in his throat, Harry looked over his shoulder towards the entrance to the room. Standing just within the door was Daphne, who was pointedly looking directly at Harry and not at all of the damage that he'd caused to the room. "What is it Daphne?"

If Daphne was put off by his tone, she didn't show it as her face remained completely calm. "It's time."

Giving her a stiff nod, Harry made sure that he had his little bag of tricks shrunken and in his pocket before he marched towards the exit. Just as he was passing by Daphne, her hand shot out and grabbed his arm stopping him in his tracks. Cold blue eyes met crystal green as the two stared at one another. "Use it Harry," Daphne said, staring at him right in the eye. "Don't let it use you."

Holding her gaze, Harry nodded once before Daphne let go of him allowing the two of them to walk out of the Room of Requirement. Just outside of the room, the rest of Harry's inner circle minus Hermione, Ginny and Susan were pacing back and forth in the hall waiting for him. Ron and Tracey were standing next to one another as usual.

Astoria was comforting Hannah. And Luna was off by herself staring up at the rafters while moving around in slow circles, which he noticed were actually the steps to Ataru. But as soon as Daphne and he entered the room fully, all of them stopped and turned towards the two of them.

No words were spoken as Harry met each of their eyes before continuing on past them and down the stairs and through the empty halls of Hogwarts. 'Everyone is already down at the lake.' Harry thought as they reached the ground floor of Hogwarts. And he was right. As they stepped out into the sunlight Harry could just make out a large three story dock jutting out into the lake that'd just been constructed specifically for the second task and several rows of stands lining the shore.

As they drew closer, Harry felt two quick brushes against his mind. 'Mother and Ahsoka…' Sparing only a quick glance up towards the top of the stands where he felt the pulses originate from, Harry left his friends behind and climbed up onto the dock where the rest of the Champions awaited. Near the end of the dock he found Viktor staring resolutely across the lake and Cedric nervously pacing back and forth. But it was Fleur that made his steps falter. The half-veela looked absolutely apocalyptic.

"Fleur." He called out tentatively as he drew even with the irate veela. "Fleur…who did they take?"

Fleur's eyes were positively ablaze as she rounded on him. "My sister…those bastards took my sister!"

Flashback

Standing on the balcony in the astronomy tower overlooking all of Hogwarts, Harry waited with his back pressed against one of the pillars for his guests to arrive. There was a sense of peacefulness to Hogwarts at night that was second almost to none. That…and the fact that this tower had suddenly become central in most of his dreams of late definitely made it one of his favorite places in the world.

Feeling three presences rapidly approaching, Harry pushed himself off the pillar and turned towards the only door leading out of the balcony. 'It's about time.' He thought as the door opened revealing Fleur, followed by Cedric and Viktor taking up the rear.

"Well…we're here Harry." Cedric said as Viktor closed and locked the door behind them. "So…what's with all of the cloak and dagger stuff?"

Instead of answering immediately, Harry turned and stared back out at the landscape. "Have you all figured out the clue for the second task?" Harry asked over his shoulder. "That we have to retrieve something we hold dear from the bottom of the lake?"

Turning back around, Harry found that none of the Champions seemed to be surprised by this. 'They already knew. Go figure.' "And what of it?" Fleur asked, clearly curious. "It doesn't seem too hard. A simple bubblehead charm and a watchful eye on your surroundings and you'll be able to obtain whatever they've taken quickly enough."

"I'm not necessarily concerned with retrieval." Harry said before wincing. "Alright…actually I am. But it's not about what we're retrieving. Rather, who we're retrieving."

Fleur's and Cedric's eyes both widened as realization dawned on them. However Viktor didn't seemed to be surprised at all. "It's not so surprising is it?" Viktor shrugged. "Hostages have been used in past tournaments."

"What?" Fleur gapped, turning around to stare at Viktor.

"He's right." Harry confirmed. "Hostages were often used as a motivator during at least one task in almost every tournament. It's actually one of the reasons the Tournament was banned. It wasn't considered uncommon for at least one hostage to die each tournament."

"But- but the Headmasters assured us that there would be precautions throughout the tournament to ensure safety." Cedric said slowly.

Harry couldn't help but scoff. "Well, seeing as how I'm standing here as the fourth champion, an underage champion, in a 'Triwizard Tournament', I think that it's safe to assume that their precautions aren't worth hippogriff shit."

Fleur gave off a snort and shook her head. "Point taken Harry. Well…as I'm sure we can all agree that the so-call 'precautions' aren't worth anything…what are we going to do about this?"

"We?" Cedric asked, turning towards Fleur while Viktor merely raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, 'we'." Fleur sighed. "That is why you brought all of us up here tonight Harry, no? To work together on this Task?"

"As shrewd as smart as you are beautiful." Harry responded with a wink, which made Fleur chuckle.

"You best be careful little boy. Lest your girlfriend think your eyes are straying."

Harry couldn't help but laugh out loud. "She has nothing to worry about." Fleur's eyes narrowed at that, and Harry found himself quickly trying to backtrack. "Um– I mean not that you…well you're definitely worth it and– but I'm a one woman man. And Ahsoka knows this. So that's why she has nothing to worry about."

"Nice save Harry." Cedric laughed while shaking his head. "Now…what is all of this about working together? Not that I'm against it, but we're supposed to be in competition with one another. If we all work together…isn't that cheating?"

"Technically there's nothing in the rules that state that we cannot work together." Harry shrugged. "So it isn't cheating…just skirting around the whole 'competition' aspect of the tournament so to speak."

"But why should we?" Viktor grumbled. "This is a competition against one another."

"Yes it is," Harry nodded. "And I know that you three entered willingly to prove yourselves and I didn't. But…I don't think that any of you are willing to stake the lives of those you care about just for a few coins or some ill-conceived notion of glory. Because I'm not and besides, according to Bagman the first two tasks are almost meaningless.

"The only task or trial that actual means anything is the last one. So the question is…are you three willing to work together with me to save the lives of those we care about? Or are you going to let your pride get in the way?"

Fleur, Viktor and Cedric all started casting glances at one another as the three older champions held a wordless conversation amongst themselves. Cedric was the first to give him an affirmative nod, followed shortly by Fleur. Viktor held out, but eventually faltered under the glares he was receiving from Fleur and Cedric. "Alright Harry," Viktor sighed. "Let's hear this idea of yours."

End Flashback

Moving alongside Fleur, Harry gently placed his hand on her shoulder while at the same time shooting a glare towards the second story of the dock where the Headmasters and other judges were standing. "We'll get her back Fleur, I promise you."

"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome back to the Second Task of the Triwizard Tournament!" Ludo Bagman's voice echoed across the lake. "During the First Task our brave and noble Champions proved their skills by going toe to toe a ferocious beast! Today…their resolve and valor will once again be tested! For somewhere in this vast lake a person that our Champions hold dear lay waiting to be rescued!"

A low growl rumbled in the back of Harry's throat as Bagman droned on and on either completely oblivious to the hostilities emanating from Harry and the Champions or simply not caring about it. 'I swear…does that idiot have an "off" switch or am I just going to have to break his jaw. Although I don't think even that will stop him as Madam Pomfrey will have him fixed with a few flicks of her wand.'

As one, the four moved towards the end of the dock, stripping off their outer robes and down to their bathing suits as they moved. Harry's arms felt bare as he had forgone both of his usual wand holsters. But seeing as how he wouldn't be needing his lightsaber, or rather he didn't want to be tempted to use it, he'd decided to leave both of them behind and simply carry his wand the old fashion way. In his pocket.

As they drew closer to the edge of the dock, Harry caught a glimpse of Fleur out of the corner of his eye. 'Morgana's tits…how can a one-piece bathing suit look so…sexy…I wonder what Ahsoka would look– No! Mind. Get the fuck out of the gutter! How soon until I can jump in the cold water…for fuck's sake Bagman…just say go already!'