Peverell Beach House, Cornwall, 2/27/1983, 09:43
Harry sighed as he pushed his plate away, today was a wonderful day as he had the weekend off. Yesterday he and Bella had gone out into the Alley and met up with Andromeda for lunch at the sandwich shop. Harry was starting to get bored with the alley and planned on taking Bella out into muggle London as they had quite a few more things to do for entertainment.
The dragon chicks had grown significantly in the last two weeks, Newt predicted they would be weened from the mother's milk within the next two months.
For the next year or so the chicks would be flightless and hunt small rodents to feed themselves, they would remain with their mother for protection from predators until they could take flight but would have to learn to hunt for themselves after they were weened.
Harry had learned on Friday that Newt was taking him to study another creature starting tomorrow, they would be going to a Scottish loch to study kelpies.
Kelpies were a XXXX shapeshifting aquatic creature who often took on the shape of a water horse, though there was a rather famous kelpie known to the muggles as the Loch Ness Monster, that took on the appearance of a plesiosaur.
Harry knew from the texts he had been perusing this weekend that kelpies were very deadly, they would try and lure wizards onto their backs then take them deep underwater before attempting to eat them.
It seemed Newt was determined to let Harry experience the deadliest creatures the British Isles had to offer before Harry went to study under the serpent expert in mid-July.
In other news, he learned that the poachers he had apprehended were part of a massive smuggling ring working through mediators for a potion supplier out of Brazil. Amelia had been making arrests all week on information gleaned from her initial veritaserum interrogation of the leader of the poachers, a man by the name of Scabior.
The name rang a bell, Harry just couldn't place it, not that it mattered. Scabior was looking at fifteen years in prison and was required to pay thousands of galleons in fines plus recompense to the reserve for the dragon eggs he had confessed to poaching during his interrogation.
Luckily, word hadn't gotten out about this yet, though Harry knew it was inevitable that it would. After the devastating blow the Crouch debacle had caused, the minister was latching onto any positive publicity she could get. A prime example of this was the part the ministry had played in exterminating the acromantula colony and how fast the story made headlines.
The ministry busting up an illegal smuggling ring was bound to gain them more goodwill from the taxpayers and loosen the noose around Bagnold's neck.
On the upside, this would help Amelia's career tremendously, she had been an auror captain for a little over a month and already busted up an international smuggling ring!
The 'woosh' of the floo pulled him back to the here and now, Harry hadn't realized he had already finished his breakfast and was just sitting at the table drinking his lukewarm tea.
A minute later, Narcissa walked into the room, Draco walking clumsily beside her.
"Good morning Narcissa, Draco," Harry said politely.
"Good morning, Harry," Narcissa said before taking a seat across from him while Draco wandered around the dining room looking around curiously.
Harry grinned at the toddler and conjured a plush stuffed white dragon with large blue bat-like wings before animating it to flap its wings and fly over to Draco, landing on his shoulder and making the two-year-old giggle.
"Good morning Cissa, o what do I owe the pleasure of your company?" Harry asked Narcissa as a cup of tea appeared in front of her.
"I have a job that I need taken care of, though it is in a sort of grey area," Narcissa said as the dragon took flight again and Draco chased after it into the sitting room.
"Grey as in?" Harry asked as soon as the toddler was out of earshot.
"As in I wish for you to assassinate someone in the light faction," Narcissa said primly.
"I see, and who exactly is that?" Harry asked in a neutral tone.
"Augusta Longbottom," Narcissa said looking him directly in the eye.
"Whoa, they don't get much more high profile than that," Harry said quietly.
"Yes, she is the unofficial head of the light faction of the Wizengamot and very well respected," Cissa agreed.
"Why do you want her dead? I admit she's a stubborn old bat but that's no reason to kill her," Harry asked before taking a sip of his tea.
"She is the favourite for the next minister of magic, if she gets elected her first order of business will be going after my sister," Narcissa explained.
Now he understood and as much as he hated to admit it, he knew she was right about that. Augusta Longbottom had an axe to grind with Bellatrix and Harry did not doubt that she would use her power as minister to get Bella thrown into Azkaban without a trial or worse yet assassinated by Spectre VII under an executive order by the minister.
No, Augusta Longbottom could not be allowed to gain such a high position in the ministry. But did she really deserve to die though? Harry had been friends with Neville in his time and the boy had already lost both his parents, could Harry really kill his grandmother too?
"Is there any way to do this without killing her?" Harry asked Narcissa calmly.
"Probably but it would be very difficult and she would still be a threat to my sister and your family," Narcissa said flatly.
"True, she has been hostile every time we have encountered her in the alley," Harry mused aloud.
"I don't enjoy this either, Harry but my sources in the ministry said that she has been building up support in the mot and has been in talks with Dumbledore to get his backing, the light side has the majority right now, if she gets Dumbledore's support then it's almost certain she will be voted in as the next minister of magic," Narcissa explained.
"Alright I'll do it but I will need a few things from you," Harry said knowing he didn't have many options he wouldn't let the woman harm his wife.
"Anything you need," Narcissa said eagerly.
"I need a way into Nott Manor, a dose of polyjuice and this has to stay between us, I didn't want Bella to know about any of this," Harry said looking her in the eye.
"I will have what you need within the week," Narcissa assured.
"That"s not all, I need a very public setting to carry this out so I will need you to host an Easter ball and invite the entire Wizengamot," Harry continued as he was quickly formulating a plan.
"Very well, I assume it will make headlines?" Narcissa asked before sipping her tea.
"Most likely International headlines," Harry agreed as a squealing Draco ran back into the room chasing the stuffed dragon.
"Are you controlling the dragon?" Narcissa asked in amusement as she watched her son try his best to catch the flying toy that was flying just out of his reach.
"Yes, I didn't think he needed to hear the conversation," Harry shrugged.
"True, by the way, where is Bella?" Narcissa asked curiously.
"She went with Andy to the apothecary to pick up some vitamin portions, she should be back around lunchtime," Harry shrugged
"She won't hear about what we discussed," Narcissa assured him.
"Good, as far along as she is she doesn't need the stress," Harry said as he made the dragon fly into Draco's arms.
"You really are good with children," Narcissa grinned as her son hugged the dragon tightly to his chest to prevent it from flying away
"I just hope it's as easy with my own children," Harry sighed.
"I won't lie, the first few months are awful, they need constant attention but they do calm down as they grow... well until they learn to walk and they are running everywhere," Narcissa corrected.
"So, not to be materialistic or anything, but how much does the job pay?" Harry asked.
"A hundred and fifty thousand galleons, my client has very deep pockets," Narcissa assured him.
"Very well, I suppose you can handle the transactions so they are untraceable?" Harry asked hopefully
"Easily," Narcissa assured him.
"Good, you have a stake in this as well, don't you?" Harry asked shrewdly.
"I do, there is a finders fee for hiring someone to get this done," Narcissa said unabashedly.
"I'm starting to think Andi was right, you are the most dangerous of the three sisters," Harry sighed
"Flattery will get you everywhere, but while I'm here I also wanted to invite you and Bella over for dinner tonight," Narcissa said.
"I'll run it by Bellatrix," Harry promised
"Wonderful," Narcissa said happily.
After that Narcissa finished her tea and excused herself to go visit the Greengrass family, she made Draco leave the stuffed dragon much to his displeasureand disappeared into the fireplace with a squirming Draco in her arms.
After they had left Harry pointed his wand at the dragon adding a surprise for Tonks when she got back from Diagon Alley then he got up from his seat and walked out onto the deck before plopping on the couch.
A few years ago he would never have considered killing someone from the light faction but his morals had loosened quite a bit since the Battle of Hogwarts. Now he understood the necessity of the job even if he didn't particularly like it, if killing Augusta Longbottom would keep his family safe, then he would do it without batting an eye.
On the bright side, if he planned this just right he could take out two problems at the same time.
He would have to recon both of his targets and begin meticulously planning this out, he already had a rough idea of how he would go about the assassination but he would have to fine-tune the plan as he went.
He was starting to feel amazed at how much his presence in this timeline was changing things already.
In a roundabout way, his presence had here had toppled the Bagnold administration.
Fudge being too close to Lucius Malfoy had inadvertently ended his life and subsequently prevented the fudge administration from ever happening.
And after this assassination, he would be changing the course of Neville Longbottom's life, hopefully for the better.
He had hoped once he started apprenticing under Newt that his life would get simpler but now he was doubting that assumption.
His luck seemed to have followed him into the past, everywhere he turned lately he was drawing attention to himself.
"I can't wait to start taking jobs abroad once I get certified," Harry thought as he stretched out on the couch.
Bella, Andi, and Tonks came home around noon and found Harry napping on the deck sprawled out on the outside couch.
"Uncle Harry!" Tonks yelled making him jerk awake and scowl at the giggling metamorph.
"How did it go in the alley?" Harry asked croakily as he stretched and sat up.
"Pretty well, we found all of the potions, went by Magical Home, and discovered that you made the paper again," Bella said looking at him in annoyance.
"I did, for what?" Harry asked feeling much more awake all of a sudden.
"For helping to capture six dragon poachers at the Welsh dragon preserve, why didn't you tell Bella you were working with dragons?" Bella asked testily.
"I didn't want you to worry and I'm not working with them, we're observing a nest from about half a mile away," Harry said soothingly.
"You're really working with dragons?" Tonks asked in awe.
"No, just watching the chicks mostly," Harry grinned.
"You mean their babies?" Tonks asked excitedly.
"Yes, there are eight of them," Harry said as he got to his feet.
"Bella will punish you for not telling her about the dragons, later, but I'm hungry now," Bella said in a petulant voice.
"Come on let's go get some lunch then," Harry said as he wrapped his arm around the small of Bellatrix's back and led her into the kitchen.
"Is that a dragon?" Tonks squealed as she saw the stuffed dragon flying around the sitting room.
"Yeah, that reminds me, Narcissa and Draco stopped by earlier, she invited us to dinner this evening," Harry told Bella as they entered the dining room.
"Okay, we might as well go," Bella sighed as she sat in the chair Harry pulled out for her.
"The Tonks' will be there too," Andromeda grinned as she took a seat at the table.
"Hey, come back!" Tonks shouted as the dragon flew out of her reach and into the dining room.
"Huh, she's worse than Draco," Harry chuckled as he took his own seat.
"Where did that dragon come from?" Bella asked curiously as she watched flap its tiny wings.
"I conjured it," Harry shrugged.
"So you're controlling its flight path," Andromeda asked as the dragon flew by Tonks and smacked her in the head with its plush tail.
"Oi, come back here you stupid dragon," Tonks exclaimed angrily.
"I have no idea what you mean, Andi," Harry said innocently as he watched Tonks jump and try to grab the stuffed dragon.
"Ah-ha, I got you!" Tonks crowed victoriously as she snatched the dragon out of the air, only to shriek when the dragon opened its mouth and sprayed her with a jet of water.
"Dragons are mysterious beasts," Harry grinned as the toy took flight again.
Andi gave Harry a disapproving look before waving her wand and drying her soaking wet daughter, Bella meanwhile was cackling in mirth beside him.
"That dragon was mean," Tonks pouted as she took her seat at the table.
"At least he didn't breathe fire," Harry said with a chuckle.
"But why did it breathe water?" Tonks demanded.
"Because your uncle made it to that way so he could play a prank on you," Andi explained giving Harry a exasperated look.
"Think of it as payback for last summer summer," Harry grinned.
"Just wait until next summer, Uncle Harry," Tonks threatened.
"Bring it," Harry smirked as food appeared on the table.
"So Harry, what are you and Mr Scamander working on afer the dragons?" Andi asked after taking a bite of pasta.
"We are going to some Scottish loch to observe wild kepies," Harry replied.
"What are kelpies?" Tonks asked curiously.
"Man-eating water horses," Bellatrix answered
"Cool, what are you going to be doing with them?" Tonks asked.
"Observing them, I think," Harry answered noticing the sideglance Bella was giving him.
"Well they are safer than dragons," Andi said reasonably.
"Yeah, I think Newt wants to familiarize me with the dangerous creatures of the British isles," Harry confided.
"Just try not to get eaten," Bella said seriously.
"Oh you can bet on that, I don't really like the water much," Harry assured her.
After lunch was finished Andi and Tonks left and Harry led Bella back onto the deck.
"You've been keeping secrets from Bella," Bella pouted.
"A few," Harry admitted as they got settled on the couch and watched the waves crash onto the shore.
"I suppose as long as there are no boils on your bits I won't bother pressing you bout it," Bella shrugged before leaning against him.
"There will never be any reason for me to break our contract, but some things you're best not knowing, especially right now," Harry said as he ran his hand over her pregnant tummy.
"I can't tell what I don't know, even under veritaserum," Bellatrix agreed.
'She already knows I'm up to something illegal,' Harry realized as he draped his arm over her shoulder and placed a kiss on her forehead.
"Exactly," Harry whispered into her hair.
The rest of the day they spent out on the deck mostly just snuggling and watching the waves.
Loch Morar, Scottish Highlands, 2/28/1983, 11:24
Harry was having a serious case of deja vu, he was currently swimming through a fathoms deep lake with the aid of gillyweed, swimming at his side was Newt with some weird contraption that generated a bright light that lit up the murky water thirty feet around them in every direction.
Harry was not afraid to admit that he wasn't at home in the water but like all his adventures in the past, he had sucked it up and took the dive... literally.
Harry had learned this morning that Newt planned on interacting with the kelpies in this loch, he seemed to have a certain fondness for the creatures, the same fondness Harry had for serpents.
They could only take one-hour trips with the gillyweed and had to wait a few hours before they could take it again or risk being poisoned by an a toxin in the plant. Right now they were so deep n the loch that the water was pitch black outside of their sphere of light.
Every once in a while Harry caught glimpses of fish swimming through the lit area around them but other than that they didn't see much else.
The watch on Newt's wrist buzzed causing bubbles to rise up around it and the face to lit up a luminous red.
Newt stopped swimming and pointed his finger upward, Harry nodded to let him know he understood and they both began swimming toward the surface.
They swam upwards for what seemed like an eternity but finally, they saw light through the surface of the water. A few minutes later they were near the surface snd began swimming back toward's the shore, breaching every so often to orient themselves.
It wasn't long after they arrived near the surface that Harry felt the water seem to get colder on his skin he felt sharp pains on either side of his neck knowing it was time to raise his head above water as the gillyweed had run its course.
Harry surfaced, coughing up the water in his lungs and looking around, they were about a hundred yards from shore.
"That was unfortunate," Newt said as he surfaced beside him and tread water.
"Is there any way to lure them to us?" Harry asked as they started swimming for shore.
"No, they usually only show themselves to attempt to lure people onto their backs," Newt said as they made it to the shallows and waded the rest of the way to shore.
"So how do you usually observe them?" Harry asked feeling the cold March winter wind and shivering violently.
"I haven't been able to document them much in tbe wild, they seem to sense my intentions and have no interest in being studied. I had one many years ago that I rescued from a muggle fishing net. I raised him from a colt but sadly he passed on many years ago," Newt explained as he dried himself off with his wand.
"Oh, maybe they have some type of passive legilimency or something like a boggart," Harry suggested as he dried himself with his wand and drank down a vial of pepper-up potion.
"It's possible, I know some creatures seem to sense human intentions," Newt said thoughtfully.
"I guess we just have to walk the shoreline and hope one shows up," Harry said before handing Newt a vial of pepper-up potion.
"Thank you and yes, that's the best option for now. We should be able to go back in by two if we strike out on the shore," Newt said after drinking down the potion.
They set out walking the shoreline hoping to catch a glimpse of the elusive water creature, Harry thought he saw a large outline in the water but when they got closer it was gone.
"I think there is one nearby, I can see the bubbles," Newt muttered after they had been walking for a while.
Harry looked in the direction Newt was looking and could see the bubbles breaking the surface, looking out into the open water he caught movement and stared in surprise.
For a split second, he saw a large white horse's head break the surface, its red eyes looking into his own, he could make a lush green mane of long hair similar to the colour of the merpeople's hair he had seen in his fourth year and pointed ears before it submerged again.
"I just saw one," Harry whispered to Newt who had been looking off to the left.
"Are you sure?" Newt asked excitedly.
"I believe so, it had red eyes and a green mane," Harry said scanning the surface of the water to catch another glimpse of the beast.
"Excellent, it seems you have drawn its attention," Newt said excitedly.
"It thinks I'm food then?" Harry asked flatly.
"It thinks that you will fall for its tricks," Newt corrected with a grin.
"I'm not quite as excited about that news as you are," Harry said deadpan.
"Not to worry bait, I mean mate, all you have to do to make it docile is to slip a bridle on it," Newt said calmingly.
"Sounds easy enough," Harry said sarcastically
"Excellent, Here's a bridle, do you happen to know the placement spell?" Newt asked handing him the bridal.
"I do, do I have to wait to put the bridle on until he submerges?" Harry asked resignedly.
"No, it would be best if you placed before you get on the kelpies back, actually," Newt said.
"Right," Harry said walking to the edge of the loch while Newt retreated farther up the embankment.
Deciding to use this to test his theory, Harry cleared his mind of all thought using his occlumency.
Harry looked far across the lake to the shoreline on the other side wishing he could get there, yearning to get across this body of water thinking, ' how am I going to get across this!'
Harry heard a snort and turned to see the white horse with the algae green mane and red eyes coming out of the water, it stopped about ten feet from the shoreline standing with water coming up to its underbelly.
Harry approached slowly wading through waist-deep frigid water, he made sure to keep the bridle behind his back.
Harry got within three feet and calmly asked, " can you help me cross the loch, girl?"
Somehow he could tell this was a female but he had no idea how he knew.
The horse neighed, slightly nodding her head making her long mane shift around on her neck. There was just something that screamed female to him.
Harry came closer and ran his right hand over the side of tbe horse's neck, making the animal close his eyes and enjoy his attention for a moment.
Gently Harry brought his hand up between the kelpie's ears and ran his fingers through her forelock causing her to snort appreciatively.
With his left hand, he carefully brought the reins up over her head and slid them down her neck. He held the bridle by the nose strap waiting patiently for the right moment as he continued to pet her.
Harry started massaging the area between her ears for a moment, the kelpie opened her mouth slightly and he slid the nose strap over her nose. Grabbing the nose strap with his right hand he started pulling it higher up her nose the bit now inches from her mouth.
Suddenly her eyes snapped open and she neighed angrily, Harry jerked the bridle back pulling the bit into her mouth and deftly used his right hand to slip the backstrap over her ears. The kelpie calmed as soon as the bit was in her mouth so he took time to adjust and tighten down the noseband so it didn't constrict the reigns.
"Well done, very well done. Few even attempt to bridle them by hand much less succeed," Newt exclaimed as he waded out to where Harry and the kelpie were standing
"I think there might be something to my theory," Harry said as he ran his fingers through her mane.
"Yes, I am starting to believe there is something to that as well. I take it you were wishing to cross the loch and she appeared?" Newt asked as he took out his measuring tape.
"I was, is there really any point in measuring her? She's a shapeshifter after all," Harry asked quizzically.
"I believe the aquatic horse is the truest form of a kelpie, a base form if you will," Newt said distractedly as he began measuring different areas of the kelpie starting with her head.
"Nineteen hands, that is very large," Newt muttered to himself.
"So I have to ask, is it safe to ride her?" Harry asked looking at Newt curiously.
"Yes, as long as the reins are on her, she'll go wherever you lead her," Newt said distractedly.
Nodding Harry walked to the left side of the horse and clambered onto her back while Newt was examining her tail. Grinning mischievously Harry snapped the reins and she took off galloping through the water sending a wave of water splashing behind her and completely drenching Newt in the process.
She sunk into the water as Harry steered her out into the middle of the loch so only her head and Harry's torso were above the surface. Once she got low in the water she seemed to move much faster, sending wake behind her as she sped across the loch at speed boat speed.
Harry assumed she had transformed her legs into flippers and fins to resemble something of a fish horse hybrid and wished he could see what she looked like under the water.
Harry was amazed at how fast she travelled through the water, he let her take him almost completely across the loch before he pulled on the reigns and guided her back towards where Newt was still standing waist-deep in water. His teacher seemed a bit annoyed when Harry trotted back into the shallows slowly rising out of the water.
"I suppose I had that one coming for the spider colony," Newt sighed as Harry slid off the kelpie's flank.
"I had no idea they could travel that fast," Harry whispered in awe shivering as the wind blew across his wet clothes.
"Yes, they are even faster under the water," Newt added as he went back to measuring the girth of her neck.
"Alright, do we have enough measurement," Harry asked as the cold really started to get to him.
"Yes indeed, I even collected a few hairs from her tail," Newt said happily.
"So should we release her, now?" Harry asked.
"Yes, though we should get back onshore before we remove her bridle, she is likely to be very agitated when it is removed," Newt suggested
"You got it," Harry said as he waded back to shore.
Harry waited for Newt to get back to shore before flicking his wand and unfastening the bridle before summoning it to him.
As soon as the bit left her mouth her ears stood up and she charged at them coming to a stop where the water met the shore, she snorted angrily before turning and bolting back into the loch.
"I think we'll call it a day, tomorrow we will go to loch Dione," Newt said after checking his watch.
"Alright, I'll meet you in Hogsmeade at seven," Harry said and got a nod of agreement before Newt disappeared with a 'pop."
Harry chuckled at Newt's abrupt departure before drying himself off he turned to look at the lock and saw the kelpie's head about fifty feet offshore they locked eyes one more time before she disappeared under the surface.
"Goodbye, girl," Harry whispered and disappeared with a soft 'pop.'
Peverell Beach House, Cornwall, 3/5/1983, 11:24
Harry woke up to the sound of giggling coming from downstairs, the last week had been fun if not a little exhausting.
Newt had been taking them to lochs all over Scotland to observe kelpies, Harry's theory was gaining credence. They had documented seven kelpies in the last five days, all of them had approached Harry when he used the occlumency technique.
Next week they would be going to the preserve to document the dragon chicks' growth before moving on to the next animal though Harry still had no idea what that was.
On the bright side, there was only two more XXXXX creature left on the British Isles the Hebrides Black which was slightly larger than the Welsh green and quite a bit more aggressive and the quintaped which was a five-legged monstrosity that preferred human flesh.
Harry was starting to think that Newt was taking him to see the most dangerous animals that were native to Britain and Scotland so he could assess Harry's ability to handle himself under pressure.
Harry was actually quite glad to be out in the field, there had been articles every day regarding the smuggling ring that Harry had inadvertently turned them on to.
He knew he was going to have to introduce Bella to the muggle world, since going into Diagon Alley was becoming a real pain in the ass of late.
Deciding it was time to get up he went through his morning routine and made his way downstairs to find the Black sisters sitting at the table while Tonks and Draco were playing with blocks on the floor.
"You're finally awake," Bella grinned as she sipped her tea.
"Yeah, I didn't mean to sleep that late, the week must have caught up with me," Harry shrugged.
"Did you do anything newsworthy this week?" Andromeda asked a smirk playing on her lips.
"No, we just bridled kelpies, took their measurements, and collected their hairs," Harry assured her.
" Where are you going next week?" Narcissa asked.
"Back to the dragon reserve to document the dragon chicks' growth," Harry replied as a breakfast plate appeared in front of him.
"That sounds fun," Tonks said from the floor.
"It's interesting though there is a lot of sitting and taking notes," Harry admitted.
"I am looking forward to more of your exploits in the Prophet," Narcissa said a slight grin playing on her lips.
"I'm not, I still don't know how the Prophet found out I was involved with catching the smugglers a the dragon reserve," Harry admitted between bites of his omelette.
"Rita Skeeter is sleeping with John Dawlish, that is her source inside the auror department," Narcissa explained with a disapproving shake of her head.
"Interesting," Harry muttered to himself
"I hope you two will come to the manor on Sunday, I really would like to make Sunday dinners a regular thing," Narcissa said as she looked between Harry and Bella hopefully.
"We'll be there Cissa, just make sure that alfredo from last Sunday is on the menu," Bella answered.
"Excellent, I will try and talk Sirius into coming as well," Narcissa said looking pleased.
Hogwart's Head's Office, Scotland, 3/5/1983, 21:38
Albus sat in his chair feeling very lucky, the meeting with the board of governors had gone well, all things considered. True, he had lied through his teeth and denied having any knowledge of the acromantula colony. There were quite a few on the board that questioned the truthfulness of his claim but luckily the majority of them believed him and he managed to keep his job.
That is where the good news ended unfortunately, the governors had voted unanimously to fire Hagrid and banish him from the school grounds, so when his old friend was released from the CDF he would be homeless.
Albus had started modifying his old home on Mould-on-the-Wold to accommodate Hagrid for the time being but he was honestly stumped as to where his half-giant friend would be able to find more work.
Albus had checked with his contacts in the Committee for Disposal of Dangerous Creatures and learned that Hagrid was very close to finishing his task, so he should be released around the fifteenth of this month.
Thankfully, the press had found something new to report with this whole smuggling ring business coming to light giving the headmaster some breathing room.
Harry Peverell was definitely making a splash in the field of magizoology and he had only been working there a month.
Rumour had it that Peverell had summoned the poachers to him from over a half-mile away, and with the help of Newt had incapacitated all six of them.
This spoke volumes about Peverell as only truly powerful wizards could summon six objects weighing near two hundred pounds from that distance and even fewer could summon another witch or wizard.
Most wizards had to summon people by their robes as the wizard that was casting the summoning spell had to be significantly stronger magically than the wizard they were attempting to summon.
The fact that Harry and Newt had overpowered six men was not as hard for Albus to believe, Newt was quite talented at duelling and could even claim to have incapacitated Grindlewald in nineteen twenty-six.
Albus also had a hunch that Peverell was a fighter, something about the man told the aged headmaster that Peverell was experienced in combat.
He had talked with Newt this afternoon and learned that he had taken Harry to find and document wild kelpies. Albus knew that Newt often referred to these trips as chasing wild geese because it was very difficult to find a kelpie unless they wanted to be found.
Newt was bursting with excitement when Albus brought up the subject, it seems they had much success in the past week and Mr Peverell may have discovered something groundbreaking about the species.
Harry believed the creatures possessed some type of passive legilimency similar to their distant cousin the boggart to locate their prey. So far their tests had shown promising results, but they still didn't have definitive proof as of yet.
For the time being, Albus was content to leave Mr Peverell be and was starting to believe he was being overly paranoid about the man and had rushed to judgement because of who he had married.
Besides at the moment he had more important things to worry about, the ministry was still trying to recover and the minister's seat was up for grabs in June. Two candidates were already trying to secure the position and Dumbledore was wary of either of them taking the post.
First, there was Augusta Longbottom who was already contacting him on a regular basis trying to drum up support.
The woman was too volatile for the position in his opinion, he still remembered the tantrum she had thrown in the great hall when she had been denied to take N.E.W.T level charms after scoring a 'D' on the O.W.L. That's not to say she wasn't talented in her own right, she had broken records with her scores in transfiguration and was quite formidable in the duelling ring.
Still, Albus would prefer a calmer personality to take over as minister of magic in a time of peace.
Worse still, was the dark horse running for the minister position, Cassiopeia Black.
The woman was extremely cunning and had the support of the dark faction and was quickly building support from the neutrals as well. The last thing Albus wanted was for one of Grindelwald's acolytes to run the country.
Cassiopeia Black was vicious and made Vinda Rosier seem like a kind-hearted first year in comparison. Ms Black had only escaped imprisonment due to her family's prominence but the rumours of her contributions to Grindelwald's cause were still bandied about in dark corners of the wizarding world.
Aside from the new minister he would also have to focus considerable effort on ensuring the inner circle death eaters remained in Azkaban after their retrials, which had been slated for mid-June.
At present, there were only six of them. Three had been killed on the island, one had been acquitted of her crimes, and one had escaped the island, been recaptured, and administered the dementor's kiss.
Out of those six, only one was really someone to truly be feared, Antonin Dolohov.
The man was a savage, and deadly with a wand. According to Severus he was Voldemort's number two right behind Bellatrix LeStrange and was well known for his cruelty towards women.
Jugson, Travers, Mulciber, Gibbon, and Cromwell were not known for their skill in combat.
Mulciber was an expert in the imperius curse but never very talented at fighting choosing to use his puppets to do his dirty work.
Gibbon and Travers were more politicians than anything else and had it not been for Igor Karkoroff trying to make a deal they would never have been discovered as death eaters.
Jugson was another savage and was charged with countless acts of muggle baiting as well as numerous counts of using the unforgivables on a human being.
Cromwell was the least threatening of the lot, he was the first spy inside the order and was ousted after they discovered his involvement in the attack on the McKinnon family in the summer of eighty-one. Dumbledore was usually above disliking his fellow man, even his enemies, but he loathed Rupert Cromwell.
He would have to ensure those six received veritaserum during their trial, he knew that if they went free the crime rate would skyrocket and Voldemort would regain power much earlier than he should.
Truthfully, Albus never wanted Tom to rise again but knew it was necessary for the accursed prophecy to be fulfilled so that Voldemort could be vanquished for good.
With all of these problems Albus was just glad he had managed to keep his position at Hogwarts, he really did love moulding young minds and enjoyed the isolation the post as headmaster granted him from the rest of the wizarding world. For the immediate future, he would focus on Hogwarts and worry about other problems as they arose.
'I suppose in the meantime I need to find a new groundskeeper,' Dumbledore sighed as he got up from his seat and heading into his quarters to turn in for the night.