Alastor Moody poked at the large hole ripped through the floor of the top box, his enchanted eye scanning the whole area. The World Cup had been canceled in the wake of the devastation of the arena and the assassination attempt on the Minister by the death eater that everyone had thought long dead.

But why now? Young Ginny Weasley testified that she’d bumped into the invisibility cloak by accident and pulled it off the man, causing him to spring into action in the following events. As well as the strange actions of the house elf near the beginning of the game. Yet none of it made any sense. He had sat invisibly, within the security perimeter for hours in the seat and done nothing. The moment he was discovered he did not fight, but immediately fled, to the point that he had jumped off the landing and broken his leg from the fall while under pursuit of the Aurors.

But then, just as he had made it away clean, he came back able to take on over seventy Aurors in combat at once. Defeating them all out then knocking everyone unconscious with a spell like no one had ever seen before.

The man was supposed to be dead, how was he here alive six years after his execution? Well, dead now. Whoever he had fought had finished him off rather thoroughly at the conclusion of their battle before leaving.

None of it made sense. How was he so powerful? Why flee then return? There were all sorts of reports of massive explosions, hurricane force winds, flames… Barty Crouch Junior had been fighting someone here. But who? Why had they not revealed themselves after protecting the minister? How had no one been killed in the crossfire if it was a true battle?

The devastation of the stands near the top box displayed the savagery of whatever battle had taken place. Whole segments of the stands were kindling, and the whole structure cracked and battered.

Moody tapped his staff on the floor again thoughtfully. Too many disjointed pieces to the puzzle, none of them fit together. He turned to his right.

“Albus?” He asked, “What’s your take on this? I have to say, I’m stumped. Who do you know that could even do any of this? Fight off someone of Crouch’s apparent power and escape unnoticed?”

“Escaping unnoticed would be simple,” Dumbledore said absently even as he kept muttering and casting spells as he inspected the damage and scene around them.

“The real question is why they would intervene,” Dumbledore continued, “Were they aware of the attack ahead of time? Or was it mere coincidence that they showed up in the nick of time?”

“And what of Crouch Junior?” Moody asked, “He was a decent duelist when I fought him years ago. But he couldn’t have done anything like this.”

“Indeed, it is concerning. Is there any word from Crouch Senior?” Dumbledore asked.

“Nothing, he’s lawyered up and won’t say a word,” Moody growled. Had he been working with the death eaters all along? He’d thought that out of everyone Crouch Senior would hate the death eaters the most.

“Hm. The magic used here… It is like nothing I had ever felt. Almost like accidental magic, nothing as structured as a spell should be. All I can say was one combatant used mainly fire while the other used ice. The winds… the magic is too widespread, could be from either of them or both. It is all very strange. Perhaps… Our new friends at Azkaban? Balthazar was it? Perhaps we should ask them for their opinion?”

“Balthazar?” Moody asked in surprise, “You want to call him for help? Are you sure? We know nothing about him or his people even now.”

“Exactly,” Dumbledore said, “I would very much like to speak with him. And who knows? Perhaps he will have some clues on our situation. He was completely unknown prior to his appearance to seize Azkaban. Perhaps… he is also aware of other actors that have remained unknown prior to now. Pettigrew, Barty Crouch Junior… I do not like how many death eaters thought dead are reappearing alive again with previously unknown powers.”

“Ay,” Moody grunted in agreement, “Very well, I’ll inform the Minister. He’ll have to approve anything regarding that. The communicator’s locked up tight, only he’s got access. Doesn’t want anyone saying the wrong thing and pissing off Balthazar since he’s so bloody rich.”

“Rich indeed,” Dumbledore mumbled, “The gold transfer went well?”

“Yes, not a single flake left behind as we deposited it at Gringotts in the appropriate vaults,” Moody said proudly. It hadn’t been easy having proper security for something for once. Fifteen checks on everything and constant checks and pass phrases that the guards had to tell each other.

Well, it worked. They had caught no less than five imposters under the polyjuice trying to sneak away some of the gold as it was being loaded for transport to Gringotts. Moody was proud of that. All those lazy sods in the Auror department had actually started paying attention to their orders for once after the first two imposters were caught.

“Excellent, excellent,” Dumbledore said, “I’ll keep investigating. But I’m not holding out much hope. Barty Crouch Junior is dead, and whoever fought him is long gone. We’ll have to hope the mysterious new owners of Azkaban can shed some light on the situation.”

— — —

Albus Dumbledore carefully inspected the circular device sitting on the table. Balthazar… The very same wizard that young Eric Potter had claimed was his teacher. Dumbledore was more than eager to speak with the mysterious man.

Minister Fudge, Amelia Bones, and Moody stood next to him. Moody used a levitation charm to lift a small paperweight that had been placed next to the device and tapped on it twice on the top to request a connection.

The device’s black surface pulsed red for a few minutes without anything happening. Minister Fudge shuffled in place and shot the rest of them a questioning look. Dumbledore stroked his long white beard as he considered the implications. This Balthazar did not view a request to speak from the Minister of Magic as something worth his immediate attention. Was it arrogance or something more?

Finally after over ten minutes of the device flashing, it solidified as fully red and a pair of eyes and strip of the face appeared as an illusion above the device as it had been described by Dumbledore. He peered with interest as the device worked. What a fascinating contraption…

The eyes scanned them for a moment before becoming unfocused for a moment, “Ah, apologies. Another minute please.”

The illusion suddenly disappeared again for another three minutes before flickering on again. The pair of eyes focused on Fudge, “Apologies for the delay, Minister. I was in the middle of a delicate procedure. I’m glad to hear the paperwork went through for the transfer of the island to me and my people.”

“Delicate procedure?” Fudge asked, “Of the medical sort or the magical?”

“A bit of both actually,” Balthazar said lightly, “I’m researching for a cure to a magical illness at the moment. It’s been proving quite the conundrum for me. It’s not often I struggle to find a solution to these kinds of problems.”

“Who is your patient? Are they a British citizen?” Amelia asked, “You need a license for that kind of magical or medical procedure even if it’s proven to be perfectly safe.”

Balthazar’s eyes swiveled to Amelia, “Do I? Was I not buying Azkaban from Britain? Why would I follow your laws? But don’t worry, our patient is more than happy to be in my care and she is being treated well. And as far as I’m aware she isn’t a British citizen according to the laws of your Ministry.”

Amelia opened her mouth to say more, but Fudge gave her a sharp look. Amelia looked frustrated, but cut off what she was about to say.

“I see,” She said in a sharp tone.

Balthazar’s eyes scanned the group again and stopped on Dumbledore.

“Dumbledore? I’ve heard much about you in rumors. I believe it is the first time we met.”

“Indeed,” Dumbledore said, stepping forward slightly, “Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts school of witchcraft and Wizardry, and chief of the Wizemgott. A pleasure to meet you at last. You are certainly making waves with your entrance upon the public scene so far.”

Balthazar chuckled slightly, “I can see that I must have, to get the attention of one of your caliber so soon. Is this simply a social call? I’m a rather busy being, so I’ll need to schedule a better time for an in depth conversation if that’s the purpose of this call.”

Moody stepped forward, “Have you heard of what happened with the Quidditch World cup? The attack by the death eater?”

“Yes. But only partial accounts,” Balthazar admitted easily, “I heard that no one was killed except the attacker themselves?”

“So it wasn’t you?” Moody accused.

Fudge stepped forward and started sweating slightly.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“Alastor! Balthazar, he didn’t mean it like that. Of course we…”

“No, it’s quite alright Minister,” Balthazar said calmly, “It’s a reasonable suspicion. No, this wasn’t me or any of my people.”

“Do you have any idea of who could have done it?” Moody asked, “Trained Barty Crouch Junior to that level of skill, or the one who fought him off?”

“Perhaps. How about you tell me about your findings and I will see if I know anyone that fits the description.”

“Why can’t you tell us who might be involved now?” Moody asked, “If you know anyone else hiding among us then it would help prove that you aren’t the one behind it all.”

Fudge looked like he wanted to stop Moody again, but also looked curious at what Balthazar’s answer would be. Balthazar stared at Moody for a moment.

“No. Not everyone likes being in the public eye like Dumbledore or Nicholas Flamel. There’s a reason no one knew who I was before I chose to announce myself. Why create enemies by exposing them to you and the world when they don’t wish to be known? Not unless I know for a fact it’s for a good cause or in my interests?”

Moody opened his mouth to say more, but Fudge jumped in to cut him off more firmly this time.

“Alastor, that’s quite enough. Let’s not be so hostile with Balthazar, shall we? I have no doubt he was not behind the assassination attempt. I was the one that approved the papers for his purchase of Azkaban after all.”

Moody went quiet at the orders from the minister, even if he didn’t look happy about it.

“Amelia, how about you fill in Balthazar in on what we know?” Fudge said as he nodded to the woman.

“Yes, Minister. Witness reports say that…”

Amelia went through everything they knew with exhaustive detail. Witness reports, everything that happened that day… everything relevant. Balthazar listened, his eyes focused on Amelia the whole time as she spoke.

Finally, Amelia finished and the room was in silence for a few moments and Balthazar looked thoughtful.

“So?” Fudge prompted as the silence stretched, “Do you have any idea why somebody would attempt to assassinate me like that?”

“Why do you assume that the death eater was there for you?” Balthazar said, “He was invisible and did not attack you for hours. Perhaps he was waiting for something else.”

“Like what?”

“To ambush whoever appeared to stop him after he returned to the arena. They did arrive to fight him rather quickly when he returned from what you have said.”

“But then why wait in the Minister’s box to do so?” Dumbledore asked, “It seems a difficult seat to claim just for an ambush. And why flee with his obvious magical power when he was exposed by young Ms. Weasley?”

“He could have simply changed his mind. Fleeing not the Aurors but the mysterious stranger that attacked and ended up finishing him off. After reaching the edge of the arena, the death eater may have realized that he would not have another chance for an attack for whatever reason and returned for a less certain head on battle. One that he ended up losing. Which would make this a battle between these two people of great power versus a targeted attack on any one of you that is liable to be repeated.”

Dumbledore stroked his beard. It was plausible. More plausible than most of the theories he’d heard of what had happened among the Aurors.

“Do you have any idea of who this person could be?” Fudge asked, “How could Barty Crouch Junior have become so powerful?”

“Perhaps your answer lies with Pettigrew or the other two escaped Death eaters from Azkaban,” Balthazar said, “Pettigrew was a death eater as well, correct? Once is a coincidence, twice is a pattern. That’s the second death eater thought dead that has escaped with powers and skills previously unknown to you. Perhaps you should go over records and make sure there aren’t any more mistakes. If you can determine how the both of them survived and how they have remained hidden for all these years… then you may have your answer.”

Fudge nodded sharply and turned to Amelia Bones, “An excellent idea. Amelia, make sure to focus our efforts on the old records as Balthazar said. He raises an excellent point, a thorough check is needed. We don’t want anything like this surprising us again… And we must get Crouch Senior to talk and find out what he knows.”

“Yes, Minister.”

There was some further discussion with Balthazar occasionally providing input. Dumbledore was mostly silent as he assessed Balthazar. The man was largely calm and steady. Logical and aloof from the concerns about Pettigrew or the death eaters striking in Britain once more. Because that’s what the conversation morphed into. Pettigrew was forming a group under him including Barty Crouch Junior, with Pettigrew acting as the next dark lord. That was everyone’s conclusion as Balthazar watched them silently and only occasionally spoke to refocus the conversation when they became distracted on a tangent.

The scenario with Pettigrew was a scenario that Dumbledore found disturbingly plausible. Dumbledore had already destroyed the fragment of Voldemort’s soul that had possessed Quirrell two years ago as best as he could. Dark Lord Voldemort should be dead with only tiny remaining portion of his soul passing into the afterlife from Dumbledore's efforts.

Without Voldemort in the picture, it must be Pettigrew that was orchestrating things. Dumbledore had thought him a coward… but he had also not thought him a traitor. Perhaps he had hidden layers, and much could change in ten years…

“Is that all? I do have work to get back to,” Balthazar said as the conversation began to wind down.

“Ah, yes,” Fudge said, “The Ministry and I much appreciate your help with this, Balthazar. Do let us know if you need any assistance in the future with anything and we won’t forget about this favor you’ve done for us.”

“Thank you, Minister,” Balthazar replied politely, “Very well, I will…”

“Ah,” Dumbledore interjected and brought the attention of the room to him, “Balthazar, I don’t suppose you’d be willing to schedule a meeting with myself? I wished to talk about an old student of yours. Nothing urgent, but I believe he attends my school…”

“Eric… Potter?” Balthazar said slowly to the shock of the rest of the room, “Is that who you’re referring to?”

“Yes, that’s him. He was your student then?” Dumbledore said, trying to disguise his interest in the subject as best as he could by acting casually. The rest of the room was not so subtle and glanced between the illusion of Balthazar’s eyes and Dumbledore.

Balthazar didn’t speak for a long moment.

“Yes, he was. Why do you ask?”

“Well, I was made aware that you rejected him as a student after he disappointed you in some way? Is there anything I should be concerned about? Given the… nature of the spells you taught him I thought you’d be willing to shed some light on it.”

“I taught him what he wished to learn,” Balthazar said, “He chose to leave my tutelage, insisted on it in fact. I have no interest or stake in him any longer. Any problems he causes will be yours to deal with.”

“Problems?” Dumbledore asked despite having an idea of what Balthazar spoke of, “Whatever do you mean?”

“I’m sure you’re already well aware of what I mean, Headmaster,” Balthazar said, “As an educator you must be working even now to curb his excesses and promote his growth in a more positive direction. Best of luck in doing so. Now, I have my work to get back to. Until next time, Minister Fudge, Moody, Bones. It was a pleasure.”

With that, the illusion flickered off and the disk turned black again. Conspicuous in Balthazar’s last words was the intentional snubbing of Dumbledore himself.

“Dumbledore?” Fudge asked, whispering as if they would be overheard, “What was that about? What do you know about a connection between Harry Potter and Balthazar?!”

Dumbledore sighed. Well, may as well inform Fudge. Voldemort was dead, and Pettigrew should have little lingering interest in Eric. There was no great plan to accomplish anymore, and so no need to hold this particular secret anymore.

“Very well,” Dumbledore said, “If we can move to a…” He glanced at the black puck sitting on the nearby table, “Secure room, then I will explain.”

The four of them moved to the Minister’s office silently and Fudge locked the door with a spell and stared at Dumbledore expectantly.

“Well?” Fudge said, “What is it?”

Dumbledore took a deep breath. Then he began to explain Eric Potter’s upbringing and the events that had occurred and the magic that he had displayed.

By the end all three of them were shocked by the story.

“Wandless Imperius, you say?” Fudge said, “Why, I’ll have to check. Have we even recorded a case of that being accomplished?”

“I said it was like the Imperius,” Dumbledore clarified, “It is likely not actually the imperius curse itself, but many of the effects of it appeared similar from what was described by his Aunt and Uncle. Even with someone like Balthazar teaching him, he must have had extreme talent with those kinds of spells to be able to cast them with such skill at only nine years old and without a wand.”

“The Africans don’t use wands or other magical foci for their magic,” Moody supplied, “They are much weaker but more versatile than us wand users. Able to alter their structured charms to get them to do more than us wand users do. Do you think that Balthazar could have been raised in their tradition of magic? It could explain why Eric Potter could have learned this wandless magic so well at a young age. Some African wizard took him in and started teaching him after hearing about his defeat of Voldemort as a baby?”

“Perhaps,” Dumbledore said, “That would be the most plausible scenario.”

“And what of the boy’s behavior in school?” Fudge asked, “What are these problems that Balthazar alluded to?”

“He… he is a strange boy,” Dumbledore said, “He enjoys punishing students that choose to bully others from what I’ve observed. Pranking, hexing, and such if he thinks they deserve it. Perhaps he goes a bit too far in some cases… But nothing I’ve observed has been more serious than that.”

Amelia Bones caught his eye and Dumbledore hesitated, “Well…” He continued, “I did suspect him to be the famed ‘Mad Potioner’ for a time as well. But Amelia and I determined that the disaster at the Halloween feast was likely Pettigrew and not the same as the other spiking of drinks with love potion from the rest of the school year.”

Fudge rubbed his chin, “The Mad Potioner? Harry Potter? That would be trouble if people knew… I see, I see. So a troublemaker, perhaps one that goes a bit too far on occasion. But not more than that? Is that your thoughts on the boy, Dumbledore?”

“Yes, that about sums it up, Minister,” He said. He could see the Minister was frustrated with him for keeping all this information from him for so long. But Fudge was choosing to not address the issue given Dumbledore’s status as the chief of the Wizemgott. But Dumbledore was sure that he’d be paying for this in a hundred small ways over the coming years as Fudge took petty revenge on him for not being upfront with him from the beginning.

Fudge thought more for a few more moments.

“Ah, well,” he said eventually, “As much as I’d like to question the boy, that would be a bad idea. He and Balthazar seemed to have had a sort of falling out, and it may irritate Balthazar if he learns that we’re questioning his former student on his personal matters. No need to risk our image to somebody so valuable just because we’re a bit curious about his personal life. Although that is a good catch about the African wizards, Moody.

"We’ll have to investigate that, see if there’s anyone that could be Balthazar that is known down there. Now, I think we all have a lot of work to do. Amelia, you start searching the records for death eaters and any inconsistencies as well as verifying that they’re actually dead as best you can. Also get some people working on investigating some leads on Balthazar in Africa. Moody, work with her. I’m sure you’ll have some things to say given you were there for most of the death eater’s trials, Alastor.”

There was a pause and then Fudge looked at Dumbledore, “Dumbledore, you can see yourself out. Thank you for assisting with our investigation up to now.”

“My pleasure, Minister. Good day.”

They all left the Minister’s office.