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Harco Empire	By : Toddy Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 34430 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or films. I do not make any money from the writing of this story, just enjoyment.

Chapter List
- 173
- 174
- 175
[Note: “x-x” = speech & ‘x-x’ = thoughts & *x-x* = telepathy & #x-x# Parseltongue]
Apologies for duplicating the previous chapter
HACIENDA
The ward team had been busy meanwhile. It had started with Harry being called to Gringotts. He was slightly puzzled and, remembering what Dumbledore had done, wondered if someone had been syphoning money out of one of their accounts. When he voiced this concern to Barnstable Bogrod the goblin governor laughed.
“We keep a special watch for things like that Harry, no need to worry, the Trust’s and your accounts are still intact. You forget that the Blakes’ combined incomes are one of the leading assets of the bank. No, it’s about something else entirely. One where both mage’s and goblins’ interests intertwine.”
Harry heaved a sigh of relief: “I thought that maybe we were in trouble.”
“Trouble it is, or at least a suspicion of trouble to come. It’s a request for help. There are twenty-seven places in Great Britain where our way and change stations connect with the air, nearly all those coincide with a mage’s domain. They are all mages we can trust, and most of them are families of your Dumbledorians.”
“I think I can see where this leads, Barney. The Warding team are to use your phaeton network to erect or enhance the domes around your shafts and combine them within the domains’ domes.”
“Yes that was in our minds. Then, of course, your team could continue to use them when updating.”
“I’ll chat to Zac, I’m sure they would be willing.”
Barnstable chuckled: “It was their idea to begin with. However I did not want to sour our new-forged relations by allowing them to jump the gun.”
It was Harry’s turn to chuckle: “Thanks for the consideration. My lot quite often do this to us. Work out the details and then ask for our blessing. They feel empowered that way, and we act more like a clearing-house. Just occasionally we ask the magicals concerned to rethink their idea. It’s usually because they missed a section out of their considerations. We try hard not to sit on positive initiatives.”
“That’s how we work too. So I’ll authorise on our side.”
“And I’ll do the same on ours.”
A week or so later Harry and Draco went on an official inspection tour of the way-stations; going up to the land surface and meeting the magely family. All of them were grateful for the continued protection and very pleased that there was a safe way to visit many essential magical areas. Most times they were offered a meal and, if it were late, a bed for the night.
One such place was on the Island of May. According to the muggles this place was uninhabited and dedicated as a bird sanctuary. This was not entirely true. Under a tholus, rather like the one at Glaswelltdy, the goblins had a mine which produced garnets and an occasional diamond. The goblin family in charge were very hospitable and had one of their offspring at the mining academy. It was late, so D&H stayed the night. The following morning was clear and bright and a feeling of Spring was in the air, before they ate breakfast in the sun on a disguised terrace inside one of the cliffs, they were invited to take a dip in the cave beneath. Obviously this had been planned in advance. For who should be waiting for them but Nigel and Morgan. There were some other undines as well, they seemed to know some of the goblins.
In the end D&H stayed for the whole day. They needed to rest after their underwater exertions. In the afternoon they managed to insert themselves into a party of muggle ornithologists who had arrived by ferry and were being shown the various nesting sites. At the end of the tour, Harry’s cloak became very useful when they were herded back on to the ferry. Two extra people aboard caused some consternation. However, by the time the recount was taking place, they had enveloped themselves in the cloak, resized the miniaturised duple, and flown back to the goblins’ terrace.
~~~ MONDAY 7^TH APRIL ~~~
Kingsley called Harry and Draco into his office: “Apart from the day Ginny gave birth and Sunday mornings at church; you two have not had any holiday since Christmas. I know we’ve been short-staffed and that the flu epidemic mucked all the rotas up, but we’re back to full strength now. Michael and Tracy could do with some more responsibility, so let’s give them some. Their review-board is in a few months’ time and if they exercise that charge wisely it will give them a good report towards their promotion prospects. You know you did extra duties so that those trainees being confirmed could have undisturbed meditation before Easter. Now Easter’s finished so stand down for at least ten days. Do you understand?”
“YES SIR!”
“We’ll tidy up our desks today and start our holidays tomorrow.”
“Very good!”
Grumbling together through their mind-link, Draco and Harry did as they were told. However, it was the Iberian clerics who found the next horror for the Dumbledorians to deal with. That week Heironimo convened a meeting with the four seers, the two Spanish clerics and Señor Garcia.
“There are curious lights in the ruined Peninsular War castle above our pueblo,” Heironimo informed them: “Someone went to investigate and was later found wandering around with badly torn clothes and signs of having been beaten up. Imelda says that, whilst she was patching him up, the man told her that he had fallen down a cliff and had no recollection of visiting the castle, not that everyone believes him. The ruin has had an unsavoury reputation for many years and some of the older habitants believe that it is haunted. Now, it seems, a couple of youngsters have disappeared and the Guardia are unable to find a trace of them. They had dogs out but the trail ends on a road near the foot of the mountain. The Policia think that they were offered a lift and have placed them on the missing persons list.”
“That’s the official viewpoint to the general public,” put in Garcia: “However they contacted our department and asked us to look into it. Since then five of our operatives have disappeared in the same area so we’re asking if your society can help again, please. As it is we’re very short of buscados.”
*Buscado, what’s one of those?*
*Spanish name for Auror, I surmise.*
“I think we should ask Imelda to join us,” suggested Harry, to general agreement.
Estéban stared in amazement when Draco produced a map out of thin air whilst they awaited Imelda’s arrival: “Okay Estéban, show me where the castle is?”
“It’s about there, under my finger. The map’s a bit small to be exact.”
“No problem!” Draco waved his fingers and the map altered to a bigger scale; showing the section that Estéban had indicated.
“Erm … That’s a good trick … Now let me see … Yes there’s our pueblo, and there’s Castillejo de Cerroverde on the mountain.”
“Is that the distant one I saw when we first came here? The one with a ruin on top of it,” asked Harry.
Luiz appeared bringing Imelda with him.
“I imagine it’s about the Castillejo de Cerroverde,” she said as she came into the Hacienda’s dining room.
Everyone greeted her
“I haven’t ventured near the place to any extent,” said Imelda: “Very recently quite a few people appeared up there all giving off bad vibes. They warded the place thoroughly and, being by myself, I did not venture to counteract the wards or penetrate them. Nigel and Leanne backed my judgement too, when I told them. I mentioned it to Ronnie and I assume that’s why we are meeting. However, Arnetz and I have been keeping a low profile – he’s the Brujo in the pueblo on the other side of the mountain – we didn’t think to advertise our prowess, much as in the Franco days, really.”
“You were very wise – what wards does Arnetz have there?”
“Just the basic ones.”
“Hmm … I thought so … We really need to have more mages resident here if we are to investigate properly.”
“I have a magic attic, like the tents, males one side females the other. I’d be honoured if you used my abode.”
“Thanks, Imelda; we will need to add a vision-shield to the dome around here to hide any extra mages arriving.”
“Good idea, do you think I could have a medallion for Arnetz otherwise he won’t be able to visit?”
“We’ll go and visit him after dark, shall we?”
“I think I know where Hermione and her team are,” said Astoria: “I’ll go and fetch them to create the shield and expand Arnetz’s wards, shall I?”
Having everyone’s approval she ported away; reappearing with them after quarter of an hour. Meanwhile Imelda had shown them her magic attic. However Hermione was not with them neither was Grammarian. It was some substitutes.
###
“Exactly where is the castle?” asked Probert as he appeared with Zacharias and Monach.
“Here!” Draco pointed to his map: “We’re in the mountains close to the border between Spain and Portugal. We suspect there are satraps up in the castle. Imelda would like you to create the usual pattern of village wards around Arnetz’s croft please and make a shield on these wards to disguise the troops arriving?”
“Okay! Hello Imelda, please show me your present limits and we will set the shield for you, I take it Arnetz’s are fairly basic.”
“Yes I’ll do that, you included some more when we were coupled to the Hacienda’s wards. His original ones are just for domestic use; same as mine were.”
“Yours were reasonably strong; however if that is the Seignior or his satraps up there, we need something even stronger. I’d like to include you in their fabrication. Perhaps we ought to include the whole pueblo in some village protectors as at Godric’s Hollow. What do you think?”
Imelda and the ward team walked the Pueblo de Alfareros’s boundaries considering possible village wards and about focussing them on the church’s cupola. Next they fabricated the shield in front of the wise woman’s dwelling on the side which had uninterrupted sight of the castle and, being nearer, had a much better view than that from the Hacienda. After that Harry, Astoria and the team flew along the stream to Arnetz’s house to perform the same offices – Ginevra came along to check on his positive aura and Harry to present him with a medallion.
###
After a scrumptious rural dinner at Imelda’s, Harry and Draco mounted their duple and, placing themselves inside the invisibility cloak, went on a very careful recce.
The two mages were very circumspect in their approach to the mountain-top Castillejo, relaying what they saw via the mind-meld to Ginevra and Astoria.
*There is a dome-like set of wards, one is an occluding protector preserving the ruined castle image, some of them resemble the ones that Probes and his team make; others are new to us and seem to have blood magic origins. I’ll sense them and we can put them in a Penseive for Herms’ team to research … There seems to be a patrol out … We’re going to get near them to see if we can overhear anything.*
*Do be careful, we haven’t enough people here to rescue you yet.*
*Point taken – no heroics!*
Harry managed to steer them in between but slightly behind the patrolling pair. Touching Harry’s skin, Draco deployed his supra-legillimens gift. The two satraps were grumbling to each other.
*“… Bloody Seignior, we could be snug in bed, but for him.”*
*“I’d rather be having fun with those five Spanish Buscados; they were going to try to link them up in a circle.”*
*“I like the everlasting shag he’s got those Muggle couples doing.”*
*“Are you sure he said he’d felt some extra magical activity nearby; I didn’t feel anything; did you?”*
*“Nah … It’s just him making up excuses so that we miss the fun. I’m all for packing it in.”*
*“So am I, but you know what he did to the last two who did that, don’t you.”*
*“Are they still impaled on the cones?”*
*“I think so!”*
*“Better grit our teeth and do this pointless whizzing round; I don’t fancy being widened like that. You’d be able to get the night bus up my arse afterwards.”*
The other one giggled nastily.
*“If we’re lucky we’ll get our turn with the captives when he sends out the patrol to look at that old biddy. Last time he felt magic she was only curing a bloody villager’s cow.”*
*“I don’t see why he didn’t get rid of the old crone to begin with, or that senile wizard in the next village. I’m sure they represent some sort of threat.”*
*“Maybe! However I want to keep my balls intact, thanks. I suspect he doesn’t want to stir up the locals too much. Otherwise the other side might get to know.”*
*“Remember Jacobi, when he said we ought to get rid of them.”*
*“Yes, I see! I bet having them ground between the millstones hurt.”*
*“Mmm … The noise that he made … That’s why it’s safer to obey him; isn’t it?”*
Draco and Harry continued to patrol behind those two but, apart for more complaints and grouses nothing new came to light. They even managed to watch as the relieving patrol came out. Feeling exhausted they decided to go back to Imelda’s croft.
After landing they walked to the Hacienda and placed the ward info into a Penseive and had a quiet chat with the others.
“As we have the portal properly shielded we can bring in reinforcements as necessary.”
“Yes we can; however, their patrols might see extra activity, even if they cannot sense the thaums.”
“So Nigel and Leanne will need to make a glamour to hide the activity hereabouts?”
“Meanwhile let’s just keep the expanded shield confined to the front Imelda’s croft. Can you do that Probes?”
“It’s already done, the shield is a bit wider than just the croft; it allows for hordes of mages going there, once we decide to attack.”
“Okay, you two need some sleep after your patrol,” Astoria was in her organising mode: “Ginny and I’ll sort out the problems.”
###
So it was that Draco and Harry slept in the seer’s bedroom whilst their team got on with the preparations at Imelda’s croft. The seers had adapted the large back wing room for their use because Nigel and Leanne now occupied the Main suite. Later on, the two female seers crept into their bed in the same room. The babies in their cots gurgled happily as Ginevra looked over them. James had a separate small bed there, as well. He woke up and asked endless questions as to where they were and what they were about.
~~~ TUESDAY 15^TH APRIL ~~~
Alerted by the activity and leaving Vernon, Ronald and Percy at WWW; George came along, teaming up with Lee and borrowing the invisibility cloak to form the next patrol.
By the time Harry and Draco were compos-mentis and had walked to Imelda’s, the two watchers had reported a visitation by a dark guard, who had seemed satisfied with Imelda appearing to cure one of the villager’s goats.
“I don’t normally de-louse them by magic,” she smilingly explained to the awakening pair, “I have powders for that kind of thing. However Him-up-there doesn’t know it and Probes said treating the herd would disguise the magic that his team used when they added to the wards. Will home-cured bacon and free-range eggs be in order for your late breakfast? Will your wives be here in a few minutes? When they arrive I’ll get the elves to cook for the four of you.”
“Thanks, Imelda; that would be great. Ginny and Tor were dressing and seeing to the children as we left.” Harry side hugged the old witch: “Have you any coffee for my fair haired mate, he gets grumpy if he doesn’t have his caffeine fix each morning.”
“Here’s the mill, you grind some; I’ll scald it for him. I have a brother in Brazil who sends me the beans.” Imelda scooped a few beans out of a jar and put them into the top of the grinder.
Harry wound the mill handle round, enjoying the smell of the fresh grounds as they fell into the drawer below.
The smell aroused Draco from his lethargy: “I think we ought to get one of those Harry.”
“Talk to Winky first, I’m sure I’ve seen her grinding coffee before meals.”
“Oh right! I might even volunteer to do it for her occasionally, that smell’s heavenly.”
Zacharias appeared from the Hacienda: “Draco, I’m glad you’re awake. We’ve been looking at the Penseive images that Harry made. There are a number of dark wards that the team doesn’t like the look of. Would you mind coming back to our lab and having a look at them, please. I strongly suspect that we’ll have to raid the very restricted section of the Hogwarts library for some help. I’ve got Uncle Travis chasing ideas too”
Draco looked at Harry questioningly.
“You go, Love. I have no intention of doing anything rash until we know what we’re up against.”
Draco gave Harry a hug and a wet kiss and departed, being replaced when some more reinforcements arrived.
###
“Hi, Godfather. Probert told us you were gathering the clan for something exciting. So we thought we’d volunteer. We’ve got our fire-sticks and are itching to use them.”
Ganymede and Selwyn had entered; so Estéban renewed his friendship with the Godsons and quite a few Dumbledorians, whom he had met during his locum-ship at Godric’s Hollow.
“I thought you were in training at the Aurorbunker, Godsons,” remarked Harry.
“Tracey gave us two, permission: ‘Time to get ourselves bloodied,’ she said,” Ganymede unformed them: “After all, we’ve been Dumbledorians for over a year now. Dad says he can call some of his linked colleagues over if you want them.”
“My Dad says the shop’s quieter now with all the students at Milkwood on holiday,” Probert told Harry “That’s why I inveigled Herms to let me come.”
“Thanks, I’ll bear that linking idea in mind for later. All we’re doing at the moment is scouting. Draco and Zac are working on the wards. Come and meet Imelda, our hostess.”
The three goblins were officially introduced to Heironimo and then to Imelda.
The next arrival was Kreacher with a number of house-elves: “Good day Mistress Imelda. We’re Harry’s support crew, I suspect you’ll need help feeding and laundering for the hordes when they get here.”
“Why, thank you Kreacher. Yes I will. We’re beginning to run short of dairy products, any ideas?”
“Yes – Just a minute!” Kreacher closed his eyes and concentrated.
Pop: “Guten tag Kreacher; help, you need?”
“This is Imelda our hostess; she’s a little tight on dairy products.”
“Yah! Dairy products in abundance, we have. I, Hans am, Imelda-furstin, Proctor-elf to Die Schwartzmeisters am I. Harry; how much do you need?” He gave a bow to the witch.
Imelda smiled and bowed back to Hans: “Come with me to the cellar and we’ll discuss what would be useful.”
Kreacher, Hans and Imelda disappeared down the cellar steps. As they did so, George and Lee came in on the duple:
“Hi Harry, awake now? What have you done with Draco?”
“He’s with Zac, Probes and Monach researching the wards. Anything more to report?”
“Nah – unless you want more grumbles about Him-up-there. Any chance of a relief, please.”
Ganymede and Selwyn almost snatched the cloak and duple from the two incoming Magicals: “We’ll go … Oh … Can we please, Harry?”
“No heroics, Okay? We’re just quietly patrolling and sussing out the lay of the land.”
“I’ll fill them in, Harry,” said George.
The four scouts went into Imelda’s front room for a briefing and a little later the two goblins took off, hidden under the cloak. Probert came in looking miffed having seen his two friends taking off.
“Probert?”
“Yes Harry?”
“Wasn’t ward making one of your best subjects?
“Yes Harry, I got an O+ why?”
“That’s why you are better used helping Draco, Monach and Zac, please return to the very restricted section at Hogwarts, and carry on looking for ways to combat those nasty dark wards.”
“Yes Harry. I’d only come back to see what my mates were doing. It’s very interesting; Madam Pince has quite a few goblin books in there as well.”
Fawkes: *Well done my son, he’s the key to your success.*
~~~ LONELINESS ~~~
Little more happened that day apart from extra Dumbledorians drifting in to offer their services and the patrols reporting more grumbling from the Seignior’s satraps. Imelda’s crowded front room began to resemble a common room as the throng filled in time waiting for the ward investigators to report back.
In the seer’s hacienda bedroom that night Harry felt very lonely. It was the first time Draco had been away overnight for years and Harry was missing him terribly; despite the fact that the girls inhabited a double in the same room. James had been fractious earlier so Harry took him out of his bed, before he disturbed the other babies, and cuddled him in the double bed, thus giving everyone some uninterrupted sleep.
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