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Scorpius Malfoy and the Salem Witch Trials by Hotrav

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The stands were crowded around pitch number one for the match between Brazil and Egypt; it was the pivotal game for the ACE group. The United Kingdom team had already won its final match. Now if Brazil won, the United Kingdom would make it to the semi-finals also known as the round of four. If Egypt beat Brazil, Egypt would take the tie breaker because they had been a previous group winner.

Upon his arrival at the campus, Harry and the omnipresent Daily Prophet people walked to the cabin that served as the Headquarters of the tourney. He had made a show of signing in and getting guest credentials while the photographer’s camera filled much of the office with purple smoke. After the photos were taken, Harry and his opposite number, Hayes, the head of the NAMED agents, went into the office of Tournament head, Baum.

Harry found the American was not treating his assignment as a police officer walking his beat (canvassing the area getting to know the neighborhood and the lay of the land), but more like a soldier protecting a base in enemy territory by strengthening and holding its perimeters. Harry stood up with a cup of brutal-almost-undrinkable coffee in hand and reviewed the map of the sentry search patterns used for campus security. He noticed they had not located Hoyle’s campground near a spring just west of the ACE group, his two treetop ‘safe house’ observation platforms just inside the woods, nor the clearing Zabini had been using as a base before the battle.

He gave the American a verbal summary of the four page report about the jewelry worn by one of the attackers. He even gave the man the name and history of the suspected attacker. He conveniently gave no information about the other man. Hayes was unimpressed.

–So this man, Zamboni, is part of some British magical criminal organization, huh?”

–Yes, Zabini is. He seems to be a low level operative. He could be here just to scout for further activities or to test your security for holes.”

Hayes snorted and shook his head slightly as he gave a blank stare back at Harry. Hayes did not or would not release anything from his investigation in return. Harry wondered if Hayes might be a distant relative of Minister Lee. The two men had much in common.

Trying to keep his frustration in check, he asked about the names and types of spells being used to divine the location of the source of the intruders and was told that information on a need-to-know basis and he didn’t need to know. Hayes continued use of that combative attitude and gave a quick ending to a meeting that could have otherwise been productive.

At the end of the meeting, Harry and Hayes released a carefully crafted statement to the Salem Inquisitor and Daily Prophet. The release praised Hayes’ security and thanked the United Kingdom’s Ministry for its rapid and full cooperation. The drafting of the statement had taken much longer than the actual meeting had. As the post-meeting photo opportunity drug on through a very uncomfortable ten minute frozen handshake, Harry hoped that Teddy was having better luck with Grindus’ man in the woods.


He actually bumped into his family on his way from the Headquarters to ACE camping area. Harry was walking, taking in the strange feeling of being enclosed by this pine woods and not Hogwart’s Forbidden Forest. He was almost to the flagpole sporting the Union Jack, when he was practically tackled from behind by Lily.

–Daddy!” she shouted.

Almost wrenching his back to keep from falling face first onto the hewn lumber walkway, he hugged his daughter as he noticed his wife and sons in a full run towards him. As he gave Ginny a hug and a kiss a bit too romantic for the young company, he whispered in her ear. –I need to meet with you and Devon alone.”

Ginny put on a pouty face. –I was hoping to get you all alone. You know, somewhere where my brother or the ministry can’t find you.”

Ginny jumped as the unnoticed Prophet Photographer captured their second kiss for the front page of the gossip and celebrates columns with an explosion and purple smoke.

Undeterred, Harry finished the kiss. –Sorry, this is a day trip and only publically unofficial.” He saw his wife’s disappointment.

Devon stepped in between the couple and the members of the press. –Please, this is the first time in weeks that they’ve been together. Give them a chance to breathe.”

The man snorted as if Devon was joking by making his request. Devon reached over to Geoffrey Grindus and pulled the Beater’s bat out of the boy’s hand and ‘accidently’ struck the camera, knocking it to the ground.

–Sorry, my fault.” The bat was deftly returned to Geoffrey and the team rushed into the caravan and Lily shut and locked the press outside.

Harry looked over at Devon and mouthed the word thanks. Devon smiled. –I know how it feels, I was famous for about a week a few decades ago.” Devon jerked his head towards a door marked Office. Ginny practically pulled him through the door.

–Gross,” said James.

Devon stood a few steps in front of the door to give privacy, but also to block access. Ten minutes later, the door opened and Devon was called into the office.

Inside the caravan’s office, Harry told Bobby Devon and Ginny most of what they had learned. The attack was by a wizard chosen by Lucius Malfoy, but the reason for it was unclear. Harry chose not to disclose the identity of the second wizard to Bobby.

With the security briefing done, the adults turned to yesterday’s victory. As Bobby began to describe the goals that Albus and James had scored in their last match, a knock came at the front door. A minute later, Scorpius knocked on the office door.

–There is an old woman outside who wants to see Mr. Potter. Should I let her in?”

Harry cracked the door and told Scorpius to escort the old lady to the office. Scorpius was holding onto the old woman who was wearing a plaid shawl, walking hunchbacked and leaning heavily upon a walking cane. Scorpius stopped just inside of the door looking the room over. Harry recognized a recon mission from the dozens he had performed by the boy’s age.

–Thank you, Scorpius. I’ll let you know when she needs to leave.” The boy turned on his heel and walked to just beyond the door. Harry pulled out his wand and cast a spell to ensure that all anyone on the other side of the door would hear was static.

–Bobby Devon, I’d like you to meet my godson, Teddy Lupin.”

Devon was confused and began to express it when Teddy changed into his normal state. –Blimey, I’ve never been around a Metamorphmagi before. It must be useful in your line of work.”

Harry cut across Devon’s comment and looked at Lupin.

–Report.”

Teddy looked from Bobby and back to Harry.

–Just the necessaries, Ted.”

Lupin nodded. –I found the camp that the Americans couldn’t locate; it was just inside the woods and it has been abandoned for about half a week. I also found four or five places where the forest seems dead.”

–Dead?” asked Devon.

–No animal noises or places where revealing spells seemed to not reflect from.”

Devon seemed concerned and Harry wanted to belay the fears. –Could be nothing. Perhaps the NAMED agents have a camp of their own or maybe the attacker sent up couple of hiding places where he could quickly disappear into later. Did you let the proper people know about these dead spots?”

Teddy nodded. The term ‘proper people’ meant Grindus’ new man, not Hayes.

–How was the news accepted?” Devon asked, his tone was still worried.

–Great, they will get right on it.” Harry nodded.

–Now that doesn’t sound like him to me. He seems to very sure of himself and of no one else.” Harry returned a non-committal nod.

A gong sounded, Ginny and Bobby began to laugh at what they saw. At the strange sound both of the Aurors had pulled out their wands and were standing back-to-back preparing to repel an attack. Ginny reached out to touch her husband’s wand hand.

–The Gong means one hour until the Brazil vs. Egypt match. We are all going to cheer for Brazil. Rose has even taught the teams some cheers in Portuguese.” Harry looked into his smiling face and fought the urge to ask her to stay behind with him.

–Well, let’s go. Teddy?”

Lupin was already changed back into his guise of the old woman when the Malfoy boy showed up. As the pair walked across, Harry bit his tongue to not laugh and give Teddy away. However, when Lily walked out of the girl’s room and saw the pair she ran to them and throwing her arms around the old women’s neck shouted, –Teddy! What are you doing looking like that?”

Totally busted, Lupin pulled off his shawl and morphed back to his real shape. As the gasping died away, Ginny rushed forward.

Mrs. Potter waved her hand to hush her team. –You must keep this silent. Teddy came here to try and find the wizards that almost got us kicked out after the Egyptian fiasco. No one can know, promise?”

The team, still murmuring about the old woman who became a man, all nodded in acceptance. Teddy stripped off his dress and old lady shoes and joined the team as they headed for the pitch.

When the team got to the stands, Harry noticed something odd about the seating arrangements. A boy, he did not know, speaking with a Balkan or maybe Russian accent, came over to talk with Rose. After they talked, the pair moved down a row and to Harry’s left. At the same time Scorpius Malfoy began waving toward two girls. The young females, both dressed in yellow sun dresses, and constantly talking to each other, left a large group and moved towards Scorpius. The girls stopped half way between the United Kingdom team and a group wearing red, white and blue. The pair was quickly joined by Geoffrey Grindus and Scorpius Malfoy to his right.

Harry turned to ask his wife about all of this; when she, having watched his head swivel back and forth, interrupted his question. –Don’t ask. Let’s just say there has been more than just Quaffles in the air around here.”

Harry looked from Rose coyly holding hands with her ‘date’ to his left and Scorpius feeding popcorn to the girl on his right. He thought, –I’ll have good news for Ron when I get back.” Ron, unfairly to Harry because he was a good kid, disliked Scorpius on principle of his lineage. Harry’s next thought was if Ron would send an Auror-in-training to hunt down the identity the boy who had stolen his only daughter’s heart. Harry’s third thought was finding Lily and making sure no boys had moved in on her. He was glad to find his ‘princess’ sitting between James and Kaitlin. Lily had a glint in her eyes that meant she was up to no good, but as a little sister, the look was common enough to not make him worry too much. A thought came to him. In two weeks, his little ‘princess’ would have a wand of her own and be boarding the Hogwarts Express to go off to school. He wondered where all of the years gone to. He also couldn’t believe how fast they had flown by.

Without looking, he reached to his right to find Ginny’s hand and squeezed it. When she turned to look at him, he leaned in and gave her a passionate enough kiss to get both of his sons to complain about it and Lily to snicker. When the kiss was over, neither he nor Ginny pulled back. It was only the whistle signaling start of play that stopped them from looking into each other’s eyes.