For those who have asked (again) this is a crossover with the SERAted Edge Series by Mercedes Lackey, specifically the pair Born to Run, and Chrome Circle, also available together as Chrome Born. This series is also set in the same world as the Bedlam Bard series. and the Diana Tregarde Series. All good reads, but kind of hard to find as they are no longer in print.

I am writing this as a stand alone story however, and will try to explain anything you will need to know in the story as it unfolds.

That being said... I OWN NOTHING!

READ! ENJOY! AND REVIEW! Because that is and will be my only form of payment for this!

Thanks to pazed for the edits!

Chapter 28

Keighvin sat looking at the spoon full of ice cream. It was quite good, but he had had better. While Fortescue had a decent formula for his base, it was a little grainy, and not really sweet, as if he skimped on sugar. And the flavors were a touch odd…while he suspected most were forms of local candies… but who would eat something called a Cockroach Cluster?

He and Lady Ako had spent the afternoon looking over Diagon Alley and a few of the properties that Fairgrove now owned. It was quite discouraging. The entire place felt dilapidated to them, and as far as he could tell the only thing holding the majority of the buildings together was magic and a prayer.

He dropped the spoon back into the bowl and pushed it away. "Any opinions on where to open our little endeavor?"

Chinthliss shrugged, but Lady Ako had an opinion. "The end of the alley on the right. It is on a corner, windows on two sides. A good size. How do you plan to do security?"

"A private portal, to a section of the unformed in Underhill, that Tannim found a few years ago. The gate that leads there can be reset, and only three settings were used on the existing gate. Storage can be there, along with the main vaults." Keighvin sat back as he thought. "I figure four guards, and use a second setting as a fall back procedure. We'll contract with Grand Central for that, and they will cover our people if they need to escape." Lady Ako nodded, as he continued. "We'll lock the others out."

"So everything will be off site?"

Keighvin smiled. "Yeah, and it will allow exceptional security. I'll contact some friends and have the building retro-fitted, once the permanent public gate is established. When I talked to Roe, at Grand Central, he expected them to be done by the end of the month. The actual gate is complete and ready, but they are still working out the finer points of customs."

Lady Ako sighed, "The same the world over… Governments are so worried about contraband, and unauthorized usage. They always seem to want to hammer out their own contract rather than using the standard Grand Central one, even after they have explained the customizable banning list and the authorization system on the tickets…"

"Yes, but I can see where they are coming from, especially being new to the system." He stretched his back, then continued. "I did get the authorization for three private portals. We are putting one here in London at Sirius's home, one will be with our group at Hogwarts, and the last one will be placed here, for the new storefront."

He turned to Chinthliss. "Did you get in contact with the family Mr. Higgins went to visit?"

The dragon in man form dabbed his mouth with a napkin. "I did. They were receptive. The paperwork for them to obtain dual citizenship in Canada has begun, with Mr. Johnson's help. They did ask about her friend, they had passed on her information to Mr. Higgins, and to Mr. Johnson. I told them it would be no problem if her parents agreed."

Keighvin nodded his agreement. "Why Canada? Dual citizenship with the US is possible."

"It is," Chinthliss agreed. "But Mr. Johnson is concerned with some of the immigration bylaws he has come across, and those do not apply if the citizenship applied for is one with a direct relationship with the crown." He shrugged. "It doesn't matter anyway, magical students are free to choose their schooling crossing the border freely for their education between the US and Canada, and theirs will be more of an apprenticeship anyway."

"Have you spoken to Mr. Higgins about a wand using teacher?" asked Lady Ako.

"They have someone in mind, and I am planning several guest speakers from different branches of magic."

Harry was exhausted. Never before had he pushed himself or his magic as he had in the creation of the shimmering green garment that lay spread on the table in front of him.

It was beautiful. A true masterpiece, better even than the original it was based on. It was as smooth as silk and about the same weight but offered a protection that could turn aside all but the most powerful threats. The magically enchanted and connected scales were a wonder.

"It took Chinthliss and me three solid months to do the original. We had to remake it after my encounter with Charcoal…" Tannim absently rubbed the eight inch scar that reached from just above his belt line into his ribs, Harry knew its twin was on the other side of his father's torso. "That took us almost a month, your mother's set only took a week… we added some of the same improvements to hers as yours."

"Harry," Tannim said making sure the young man was looking at him and he had his full attention, "this armor is the last line of defense. Don't rely on it to stop everything, because it won't. You can still be clubbed to death, or crushed and if something is sufficiently powerful…"

Harry nodded his understanding. "Ok." He had heard the stories, hell he had seen the injuries.

"As for the refinements…" He picked up the shirt half, the sleeves were three quarter length reaching to the middle of Harry's forearm when he had it on. He hooked his finger just inside the neck of the garment and ran his finger down, the scales splitting to open much like a zipper. "It opens just like mine or Mom's," - he helped Harry slip into it, "but unlike ours if you need to you can remove the arms at the shoulder, and the legs can be split and removed at mid thigh. We did this to give you more options, as well as allow access in an emergency without removing the entire suit."

Harry slipped on the pants and sealed the waist to the shirt, flexing to settle it in place. "The fewer people that know about the suit the better… and don't let your grandparents see it." Harry nodded again. He knew the Drakes, Tannim's parents, had been kept in the dark about magic and what their son had been through. It had led to some… inventive stories, to say the least. "They will be here this week, in time for the award ceremony. Keighvin put them up at the Ritz, since that is where the awards ceremony is."

Harry shook his head, as they finished packing things away. "That's a bit much isn't it?"

"You tell Keighvin that!" Tannim said turning the lights out. "He even got us rooms for the four days, and I quote, 'you need to spend time with your family, they are important'." Tannim snickered. "He even arranged a couple of golf outings for you and Dad."

Harry jerked to a stop. "NO!"

"You're the one who told him you enjoyed it." Tannim stepped into the truck and slammed the door.

"And I bet you got out of it because of your famous hay fever?" Harry jibed, walking to the other side.

"Nope, I was honest. When he asked I said the game wasn't for me." Tannim chuckled. "It will be you, Dad and Joe, so far."

Hermione sat at the Ravenclaw table lost in thought. Luna had taken her to visit the 'House Elves' and the idea of the little creatures disturbed her.

When they had entered the kitchen they had been greeted by one that called himself Mippy. He stood maybe two and a half feet tall, had bulging blue eyes, long floppy pointed ears, and was draped in what looked like an old stained pillow case.

"He called me master," she mumbled under her breath.

Fleur looked up from her breakfast. "So you met them?" she asked softly.

Hermione glared at the older girl. "I bloody well did! It's horrible! They are slaves!"

Fleur sighed. "In a way yes…" Hermione's eyes flashed with anger, but Fleur cut her rant off before it could get started. "Before you start… you need to understand something…" She paused for a moment. "They are difficult to explain… before they were bonded to families or places like this they were seen as a plague."

Fleur paused again searching her limited English vocabulary for the appropriate words. "I don't know if you have been taught about them in your care of magical creatures class," - Hermione shook her head. "Long ago they were seen in much the same light as rats. In small numbers or alone they broke into our homes, ate our food and caused all forms of mayhem. If they came in great numbers they caused famine, and left a trail of destruction that was worse than many natural disasters."

"Unlike most creatures, including us, that replenish their cores through the gathering of ambient energies and rest as well as what we consume, their magical core is replenished only by what they eat."

Hermione startled, "Then the more magic they use…"

"The more they need to consume… Yes." Fleur nodded. "In the 1600's there were even men that made their living hunting them, turning in their heads for a bounty offered by the governments."

"Then how did they…?" she asked.

"Become as they are? That is something that Elric the Odd had to do with." She picked at the food on her plate. "He realized that they were more than just mimicking the words they were using. They were trying to speak… People called him odd because of what he was doing, but in the end he learned that they meant no harm in what they were doing."

"They were starving…" said Hermione.

"And they saw that humans had so much… They even tried to pay for what they took…. by helping the person whose house they were visiting."

"Then the damage…"

"They lived in empty caves… they had no concept of what the things were in a home…"

"So they threw them out…"

"Or vanished them, transformed them…"

"But that doesn't explain how they became… slaves…"

"Odd also discovered when he accepted one as a servant a bond formed allowing it to draw on and use the excess magic we generate after our core is filled. As payment for this bond they became servants."

Hermione crinkled her nose. "Then the bond is voluntary?"

"Yes… and no…. It is voluntary… BUT most of them are scared of being asked to leave, some lines have been with their families so long they know nothing else, and are terrified that they may be seen as a plague again and then will be hunted again. They see it as a personal dishonor, and if dismissed they have been known to allow themselves to wither away. This fear has led to them being abused and punished harshly, although I doubt that would happen here. There are even laws at home dealing with their treatment."

Hermione knew she had a lot to think about. "What were they called before they were 'House Elves'?" she asked.

"They are part of a grouping known as imps, but I have also heard them called gremlins."