un-snarling the ministry mess

Kingsley's head was pounding viciously long before he and Weasley were summoned to Minister Harcastle's office. If he had his way, Wakefield would be in custody simply for the headache of all of this. His headache only worsened at the group assembled already. A Seelie Court member of some sort, an exceedingly tall black man in a rust colored patterned kaftan, four rather stony-faced wizards in plain trousers and shirts under open robes not much off the design of Kingsley's auror uniform robes, and a very irritated looking goblin were all looking as unhappy and ready to start hexing the next person to say something stupid as Kingsley was.

"What is going on!" Harcastle demanded.

"Auror Weasley is better to explain as he was actually present for a number of the incidents."

"We wait for Mr. Giles."

Kingsley was shocked when a short while later the final person apparently necessary for this meeting was ushered in by Harcastle's aide. Exhaustion shoved away almost visibly into something more dangerous and unpredictable as the tired man straightened.

"I do not know why we had to include that Muggle." Harcastle glared at the blonde auror-dressed Wizard.

"I was roused from my bed and dragged here nearly at wand point without a bloody word of explanation."

"Muggle?" Ron stared a bit shocked.

"If by that you mean I'm unable to practice your version of magic, yes."

"You're taking this awful well for a muggle, my in-laws would be half out of their minds."

"Again, I wish to know why I am here?"

"Mr. Katalah thought your presence was necessary." the blonde Wizard answered.

Kingsley was slightly startled by the American accent.

"Auror Weasley." Harcastle demanded.

Ron swallowed as all eyes turned on him, and not a one set of eyes anything less than severely aggravated, and a couple of sets of eyes downright murderous. He started with the dragon hatchlings and tried very hard to keep the disbelief out of his voice. The muggle looked murderous at his demand for explanation being ignored and even more so as Ron explained.

*

Giles groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. Dragons? Bloody DRAGONS!

"Are you people that bloody incompetent that you embroil everyone in an international farce of a situation like this?" he demanded.

"It is A'zhandi'ar. He has a talent for these things." the T'bori said

Giles frowned or a moment. A'zhandi'ar? Well the T'bori potions master that had been at the council earlier claimed Xander his son. He supposed a T'bori name would go in line with the adoption by the T'bori. "Xander has a talent for somehow winding up targeted by the nearest evil and becoming their obsession. And it seems that carries over to bloody imbeciles." Giles sighed. "The boy is going to send me 'round the bend on of these days if the girls don't beat him to it."

*

"Exactly who are you?"

"Rupert Giles, head of the Watcher's Council."

Kingsley managed to keep the shock off his face. He'd only been briefed on the Council and the treaties with it when he'd been promoted to Field Director of the Aurors.

"Watchers? One of these people is--"

"Xander is not, nor has he ever been an employee of the Council, nor has any member of his team. He has done favors for the council--as personal favors to me. But the Council has absolutely no place in this beyond that Xander and his team are all fully aware of the Council."

"You're violating the treaty involving a Wizard in the council in anyway!" Harcastle's aid piped up.

"That Treaty only prohibits the Council from actively trying to detain or recruit a citizen of Wizarding Britain. Xander is American first of all, and was well aware of demonic activity and the council before he was even aware that Wand Wizards existed." Giles glared. "There is nothing that prohibits the council from answering any questions of a wizard who comes along to say hello either."

"There certainly should be!"

"Yes you lot would be afraid of little girls fighting for their lives against evil." Giles snorted disdainfully.

"The American Wizarding Congress and the Canadian Parliament are both far better informed, Mr. Giles," the blonde auror-dressed Wizard spoke up again. "We would simply be more a hindrance than a help more often than not when it came to much of what you do."

Kingsley's head pounded all the more as he wondered what that meant. He just might be paying Mr. Giles a visit to fill the holes in what he had been briefed about the Council by his predecessor, and Treaty? Enforcing the laws and treaties that British Wizarding Citizens were accountable to would be a good deal easier to do if he had a blasted clue they even existed.

"Why would a Wizard deem to do personal favors for someone like you?"

If possible the glare leveled on the Minister of Magic would have incinerated him where he stood. Kingsley had to feel just a bit sorry for Harcastle who had the mess of the last three administrations plus the lingering fall out from the War with Voldemort to deal with. The disasters left by Fudge and Scrimangeor had only been compounded by Watson during his short interim term. Kingsley had worked with Harcastle several times, the Minister had actually been his trainer his first two years as an Auror. Watson had managed somehow to interfere with protocol and work it that Weasley and Potter not only weren't paired with an experienced auror, but paired together with the argument Potter had defeated Voldemort and Weasley had helped him, they were an experienced team already despite being straight from the Aurors Training Program. The two were slowly getting better at remembering there were things such as protocol and rules and laws. They tended to hare off and end up in a mess up to their eyeballs just like they had as teenagers.

Kingsley recognized the fed up I want an answer now tone of Harcastle's. Diplomacy never had been the older man's strong suit but he got things done, and the mess things were still in eight years after the Battle of Hogwarts, Harcastle's hard line, no-nonsense if rather abrupt way of doing things was needed.

"I've known the boy since he was fifteen and I was field active. He attended the same high school as my charge."

"Muggle Secondary School, students are the same age as fourth through seventh years at Hogwarts." the American auror spoke up at the numerous puzzled looks.

"Why would a wizard attend a muggle secondary school? And why would a charge of someone like you attend a muggle secondary school?"

"His parents refused to send him to any of the Wizarding schools, three of the five in United States were willing to accept him despite the fact he was born in Sunnydale." the Auror clarified.

"Compulsory attendance for school is, and has been, the norm in Europe and North America for decades." Giles glared. "I dare say the California Board of Education would not have accepted the fact my charge did not need to attend school due to her calling, nor would her mother have tolerated it either. They were friends all through high school and remain friends to this day."

"Has any crime been committed?" Harcastle demanded

"No." Kingsley said tightly. "None that I can see."

"Sheffield see Mr. Giles safely returned to his home. Mr. Giles, my apologies and if possible I would like to arrange a meeting, the information I have on your organization is incomplete to say the least I am sure. If you would consider it."

Giles nodded curtly with a glare. Kingsley was pretty certain that wouldn't be a very cordial meeting but likely one that would happen, if only for the fact he knew Harcastle's sheer bullheadedness.

"Shacklebolt, Weasley, see that Mr. Smythe, Mr. Amakahar and Mr. Ambrose are released, all their belongings returned to them, that they are unharmed. Escort them back to their rooms at the Leaky Cauldron." Harcastle snapped off and then turned his attention to the glaring remainder of the group assembled.


*
*

"YES!" Xander shouted and grinned as Kafu, Medraut and Henry entered the room above the Leaky. "All straight?"

"I think so." Ron said warily.

"Kingsley! Someone sane finally. Will you tell them to give it up, that Slayer's are a myth."

"They're not. I've never seen one but they're supposedly real enough." Kingsley said.

Charlie gaped.

Xander ignored the Wizards in favor of studying his friends. "Medraut?"

"I am well," Medraut murmured quietly. "The one had some sense and exchanged the iron for silver."

Xander's eyes narrowed.

"I am fine, Xander." Medraut repeated.

"The idiot that put iron on him in the first place--"

"Is out a job if I have anything to say about it." Kingsley assured Xander.

"Kingsley's a good guy, Xan," George spoke up. "And he's head of the Field Operatives these days."

"Your Giles will be wanting to see you this afternoon or this evening." Kafu spoke up.

"Is Giles your boyfriend?" Luna asked.

"WHAT?" Xander yelped and turned to gape at the witch. "Are you insane? No! He's --he's like an uncle to us or something. He was Buffy's Watcher and was our high school librarian. JUST NO!"

"Luna!" George and Neville both glared.

"What? I just wanted to know if Neville or I could use him as an excuse if Hermione or Ginny became truly impossible about pairing us off with someone." Luna said innocently.

George and Neville both looked more than skeptical of Luna's innocent act.

"You're just plain evil, aren't you?" Xander spluttered.

Luna somehow managed to look even more innocent.