Chapter Fifteen: Banging Heads Leads to Headaches

Star Wars + Harry Potter Crossover

A/N: Chap 14 review responses are in my forums as normal.

Chapter Fifteen: Banging Heads Leads to Headaches

Harry conjured a tent in front of the Civic Center to give as neutral a spot as possible. He was pleased to see Adriana Melo walking toward him. Jose Carvalho was not with her, nor was Lady Sofia. Instead, Harry was surprised to see one of his own away team, Sabatian Quiroga, walking beside the professor. Accompanying them was an older wizard Harry had not met yet.

"Mr. Potter, I am Jorge DeVilla," the older man introduced himself.

The name rang a bell, and a second later came the memory. With the memory, came a grim smile. "Lady Sofia's predecessor at the ICW."

Jorge laughed, and it was a surprisingly free, happy sound. "Yes, the old girl beat me in the popular elections after my recall. That was quite a show you put on in there. I don't think anyone's talked to her like that since old Minister Bagnold called her a stuck-up cow."

Behind Harry, the still bandaged Rosmerta snorted. "Aye, Bagnold had a mouth on her, she did. Rosmerta Christie."

"Ah, the enchanting Madam Rosmerta. I've heard of you," Jorge said as he took her hand and kissed it. "And you must be Mr. Scrivenshaft."

"I am," the equally old wizard said politely as the two shook hands.

"Well, we have much to discuss," Jorge said. "I wish to first state categorically that I fully approve of the adoption of the ICW language in the Wizenmeet charter. Everything you did initially, Mr. Potter, worked exceedingly well."

"Then what happened?"

"You left," Jorge said with an elegant shrug. "New governments need strong leaders who are actually there to work. You are a born leader, I can see that. But like your mentor, Professor Dumbledore, you are being pulled in too many directions to be effective at all of them."

This time it was Harry's turn to snort. "I can't argue with that. That was the whole point of establishing the Wizenmeet in the first place. I knew I was going to have to leave, otherwise I would have stayed and kept everything under martial law as Mage General until we were established enough to do without."

"But you didn't," Jorge pointed out, though not unkindly. "I recall a conversation I had with your former Minister, Kingsley Shacklebolt. He told me that after you destroyed your Dark Lord, you could have used your fame to propel yourself into a position of great power. Instead, you became an auror recruit. You never once even considered taking power for yourself."

Harry shrugged. "Having to bang other people's heads just gives me a headache. It's just too much trouble."

Jorge laughed. "Yes, it truly is. Well, let's get to business, then."

~~Revenge~~

~~Revenge~~

Harry remembered that Jorge DeVilla was recalled from the ICW because of a scandal involving his son and a Muggle drug cartel. It was a huge scandal in the Brazilian ministry that ended both DeVilla's career and that of the Brazilian Minister for Magic. It was shortly after that when Lady Sofia swept into power on the tide of self-righteousness.

The man was an old-school politician. Educated in both Magical and Muggle law, he spent his entire adult career working for the Brazilian Ministry for Magic. Harry never worked with him as Mage General since he was recalled before Harry's elevation, but knew from others that he was relatively honest as a politician. That is, he was sneaky and deceitful only when his job actually required him to be.

Now, there was simply no need. "Given our past difficulties, I think it advisable that you, Madame Rosmerta, be the new Prime Minister," the man said. "Brazilians have difficulty saying no to a beautiful woman. They will be so enchanted by your lovely face that they won't hesitate to follow your sensible orders."

"Flattery will only get you so far, Jorge," Rosmerta said, though Harry noticed she blushed slightly. "Very well. I had another idea, too. A speaker for the Wizenmeet. If I'm going to the executive branch, then the legislature will need someone to shepherd the discussion."

"I agree," Jorge said.

"Guess that's you, then," Harry said. "So, let's talk about how all this started. Why were those kids running around like a bunch of feral animals?"

Rosmerta frowned. "Because they are, Harry. Those Americans and Aussiees—they're all orphans. They don't have a single adult from their own countries. Sofia tried to put her foot down and gave a few orders that they all had to go to school, but a few of the American kids protested. First day, half of the younger kids showed up. Second day, none of the Americans or Aussies did. By day three, they were raiding the grain silos and stealing food from around the whole colony. And day four…there was the assault."

"The attacker was Australian," Harry said, more for the three Brazilians. "The girl could not distinguish between the British and Australian accents, and evidently her father has some bias against the Brits, so her attacker became British in her mind. Teddy probably scanned her too—it's what Aurors are trained to do in cases like this."

"Yes, unfortunately the British were not the most popular people in South America," Jorge said. "However, as you have repeatedly pointed out, there is no more South America. We must move on. Can you find this boy?"

"Yeah, that wouldn't be a problem. The problem is the situation itself. The boy is likely just a symptom. And I have an idea about that…."

They talked for five hours, even through their breaks. Occasionally witches or wizards from the Civic Center or the school would come and listen, since they made no effort to keep the discussion secret or private.

Nor was everything discussed concerning the students.

Melo, for instance, excitedly told Harry about the discovery of several strains of magical plants and animals that did not surprise Harry at all, given the powerful ley lines of the planet. This led to a discussion of the Wookiees which even now were waiting in orbit to come down.

"I think a treaty is a good idea," Rosmerta finally summed up the conversation. "Just like the Sentient Creatures Treaty your friend Mrs. Weasley pushed through. We aren't going to get near that forest on the mountain any time soon, and when we do, having friendlies there will help anyway. So, let's draw up a treaty and make sure right up front that they're happy with it."

Jorge nodded, and as the new leader of the Brazilian faction Melo and Quiroga both agreed.

"In the meantime, we need crops in the ground and people in shelters," Rosmerta said. "The Civic Center is starting to smell!"

"The school is worse, I assure you," Jorge said. "This has been a productive meeting. Before we adjourn, however, I would like to bring up one more matter. It concerns you, Mr. Potter, and your position on this body. I could not help notice that despite your years you look seventeen. Eighteen at the most. Are the rumors of the Hallows true?"

Harry nodded. "They returned to me despite my disposing of them."

The old politician considered him with narrow eyes. "I had wondered. I'm not as versed in the legends as Lady Sofia, perhaps, but it is obvious you are not aging. I would like to propose to my fellows a revision of the charter regarding you. I honestly believe you should not be a voting member. Being Master of Death has, in a sense, removed you from the immediate experiences of the people. And yet your leadership and power cannot be denied, nor should we fail to take advantage of it. I propose that you be appointed as a permanent Consul. Though you would not have voting rights, you would have something more valuable—veto rights while you are on the planet. It is my experience that at times politicians become so mired in the minutia that we forget the point of what it is we do.

"In the meantime, I would also recommend that you continue with your old role as Mage General of Avalon. In your hands we would place the defense of the world as a whole. You've already done more than any of us could do. The funding or authorization would come from us, but it would be foolish not to acknowledge the fact that you are already our military leader."

It was rare to truly shock Harry. He was shocked now as he looked over the faces of his fellows. "There is no way you could have not planned this."

"Actually, we discussed it right after you left before things went pear-shaped," Bartleby said with a wry smile. "Well, Sofia did. And by discuss, I mean to say she ranted extensively against you being part of any government when you weren't going to be here. This is the first I've heard of the consul business, but I have to say it's a refreshingly good idea."

Rosmerta pursed her lips. "You were never one to sit around and talk when something had to be done, Harry, and you know it."

They were kicking him off the very body he helped create. They are doing what they think best, a familiar voice whispered in the back of his mind. How can you be a leader for a people you will hardly ever see?

With a deep, calming breath, Harry forced himself to nod. "I understand why you would discuss something like this. I dumped you all here, gave a few orders and then walked away expecting you to all figure out what I wanted. And when I came back, things fell apart."

"You cannot be an absentee leader, Mr. Potter," Jorge pointed out gently. "But I truly do believe the Consul position would be more suited to your personality and abilities. In ancient times, Roman Consuls held veto powers over even each other. You would only exercise the power while on the planet, but it is still an extraordinary power for someone who would not be elected or subject to dismissal."

Harry ran a hand through his hair. "Actually, you should probably include something that does allow me to be dismissed, though make it hard, please. I'm not perfect, and I have no idea how long I'll live. I may make it to five hundred and go nuts. If that happens, there needs to be a legal means to remove me from my position."

"Agreed," Jorge said. "Do you understand why I suggest this?"

"Yeah, I do," Harry admitted, though slowly as the true weight of the suggestion continued to settle. "I'm not going to pretend I like it, but I understand it. And I'll respect the vote of the Wizenmeet. Make your amendments and I'll abstain, and abide by whatever you decide."

Harry didn't hide his surprise when Rosmerta reached across the table and took his hand. "You're a good man, Harry Potter. And that's why I think you'll make a good Consul. You'll be able to thwack us on the nose if we ever lose our way. Now, let's go find something to eat. We have a long, hard day ahead."

~~Revenge~~

~~Revenge~~

That evening, the Avalon Wizenmeet hosted the Elder and a group of younger Wookiees at a rather thin feast celebrating their arrival. They presented the treaty, which Charlie translated word for word not into Basic, but into Shyriwook. It sounded almost like Charlie was singing with his grunts, barks, roars and gutturals. When he finished, the Elder turned to his followers, raised his massive hairy arms and roared in approval.

The other Wookiees roared their own approval, and with a flourish that belayed how small the quill was in his huge hand, the Elder signed his name in flowing Basic script. The Sentient Creatures Treaty of Avalon was signed, and the Wookiees on board his ship had a new home.

The next day was just as busy as Rosmerta warned. It started with Charlie Weasley personally leading the Elder and fifteen-hundred other Wookiees on the cross-country hike toward their new lands. They carried on their backs all of the colony's captured herbivores, since with brooms the magicals were in a better position to replace their livestock than the Wookiees.

The day just got busier when a contingent from the school led by Professor Carvalho placed minor wards around the fields and began planting seeds for those crops that thrived the first time. The witches and wizards conjured huge torrents of rain just on those fields while the professor herself placed the enchantments that would accelerate the growth to just a couple of days rather than weeks and months.

Harry was shocked when he saw that not all of those working on the fields were Brazilian. "Dominique?" Harry asked.

Bill Weasley's youngest daughter looked up from the group of thirteen-year-olds she was guiding in the planting of what Harry guessed was broccoli, and smiled prettily at Harry. "Uncle Harry!" She glided past the wide-eyed kids to give him a hug. "What are you doing here?" the seventeen-year-old witch said.

"Touring the fields. The real question is what you are doing here?"

"Miss Weasley here is our new lower-division rune mistress," Professor Carvalho said with a surprisingly kind smile on her otherwise judgmental face. "Her parents are well known in the field because of their curse-breaking experience, and evidently gave her a great deal of pointers. I personally affirmed her knowledge in the area, and I must say she has done an excellent job with the younger children. Given how many children we have versus how little staff, we are glad to have her. She volunteered to help enchant some fertility rune-stones."

The attractive, red-haired young witch curtsied to Carvalho. "It's my pleasure to help, Professor. It's better to use the stones than sex magic, after all."

It was hard for Harry, who changed Dominique's diapers when she was a baby, to hear her so casually mention the more traditional methods of fertility magic. "I'll take your word for it," Harry muttered.

Dominique laughed. "You are such a prude, Uncle Harry. How is it do you think Mama and Papa Weasley had seven kids and bumper crops every year?"

Harry wisely chose to flee.

Aside from the crops, Rosmerta personally led a huge contingent of workers to finish, or in some cases, start anew the construction of housing. Their original plan of temporary housing remained in effect, though they were already making plans of more permanent housing once they ensured everyone would survive what their diviners predicted would be a cold, six-month long winter.

While all this was happening, Harry could not help but notice the masses of kids which flowed away from Rosmerta's crew like a flock of fish in the sea. "The American and Australian kids," Fleur noted when she joined him and Maria later that afternoon. Bill remained helping his son in law finish warding what would be their holding cells for the fledgling law enforcement building.

"And in the middle of that is a rapist," Harry muttered.

"Only one, you think?" Maria said. "You've never seen the Favelas. When there is no authority, things like rape happen all the time. They are wild. We need to bring them under control. It is an issue for the Mage General, no?"

"I've been thinking about it," Harry admitted. He looked at Fleur. "I know you and Bill joined my crew, but I was wondering if you might be willing to take on another role here."

Fleur smiled—she truly was a beautiful woman. Though she was approaching fifty, she didn't look a day over thirty. "Harry, we were going to stay anyway. I am pregnant again."

"Wow," Harry whispered. "Please tell me it didn't happen during any fertility rights. I think your youngest daughter has scarred me for life."

Her laugh sounded like music. "Yes, so she said. No, we conceived after we landed here. I am still very early, but a Veela always knows these things. And it is good. We will need more children if our people are to grow strong. Now, tell me your idea, Mage General."

"Well, it has something to do with an item listed in the ship's manifest."

~~Revenge~~

~~Revenge~~

Well after dark, numb from physical and mental exhaustion, Harry walked alone through the halls of the now mostly silent ship. The ship was being maintained by their volunteer former conscripts, a handful of Wookiees and a rotating crew of witches and wizards who were just there to make sure the ship didn't crack open or something equally ludicrous.

He walked through the idle craft until he reached one of the many cargo holds. There he found a series of large crates, each the size of bus. "What I thought," Harry muttered to himself. He touched an intercom button. "Booker, are you awake?"

"At the moment," came the response.

"I'm going to need five Wookiees and at least five magicals for some heavy lifting. Please send them down to the cargo hold."

"Will do, boss."

~~Revenge~~

~~Revenge~~

A whole Imperial-style complex popped up overnight in an open area on the edge of the Wards, just half a mile from the current school buildings, and a quarter mile away from the original outline of wards where they planned the permanent school building.

The buildings themselves were trapezoidal in shape, and predominantly white and blue in color. The structures appeared to be two stories high and formed a large U shape around a pole glistening with solar panels. It provided almost a hundred thousand square feet of living space. Considering it would be housing almost three thousand students, it would still be crowded. Harry had no doubt expansion charms would be utilized liberally.

At the urging of Rosmerta and Jorge, almost a third of the entire adult population agreed to Operation Chav Rescue. Before dawn on his third morning since returning to Avalon, Harry led the force of volunteers into those areas of the colony they had not finished building and raided the overnight shanties and huts for the kids. They quickly stunned and disarmed the sleeping children before apparating them to the Imperial barracks.

Maria caught the last five trying to run toward the Wookiee forest, completely ignorant of the land dragon that had been stalking them. When at last they were all in, Harry gathered the volunteers from the community and opened the door. Already the semi-feral orphans looked ready to spill out until they found a wall of stern-looking adults blocking their path.

"Go to the cafeteria," Harry ordered. "Now."

"Who the fuck are…" The speaker, an American of sixteen, did not get another word out before Harry very intentionally slugged him in the jaw. The kid dropped with a cry and the other children backed away in fear.

"Last warning, get your arses to the cafeteria now," Harry said again. He pointed at the fallen boy. "And take him with you."

"Harry?" Maria asked. "Was that necessary?"

Surprisingly, it was Jorge who answered. "Sadly, my dear, I believe it was so. As a father of unruly boys, I can tell you that if you do not establish authority early, you will never have it. Believe me, in this I know."

Harry nodded grimly, and remembered a particularly vicious fight he and Albus had once when his second son was sixteen. "I didn't want to use magic on them," he admitted Maria quietly.

The adults stepped into the Imperial barracks and found a long hall lined with what looked like cubicles. Each cube had a bed and desk that each folded down from the wall. Curtains hung in front of each cube, providing some privacy, though admittedly not much. It was more than Harry had in his dorms at school, though. Ahead, kids were running out of the barracks toward the cafeteria.

"I'll go sweep the second level," Bill volunteered.

"I'll go with you," Fleur said. "Perhaps if your scars do not scare them, I can use my allure on them."

Bill grinned, and with his old werewolf scars, Harry had no doubt the allure would not be necessary. He quickly scanned the area with magic and found two hiders. "Both of you, come on out. We won't hurt you if you don't make us go after you."

Hesitantly, two younger girls climbed out from under the beds. Like the other kids, both appeared to be filthy, with only the clothes on their backs. Their faces also looked sunken with hunger.

"Go on, we won't hurt you," Maria said with a sad smile.

The girls darted past.

Barracks by barracks, the adults corralled all the kids into the cafeteria, which was now the largest structure on Avalon. Inside, almost three thousand angry, hungry kids milled about, or worse. Harry spotted five separate fist fights just where he was standing. Without hesitation he cast his patronus and watched as Prongs pranced through the crowd, stunning the fighters and leaving those terrified in silent awe.

Conjuring a platform so the kids could see him, he walked up with the other adults behind him. "Eyes front!" Harry barked.

"Who the hell are you?" one of the older Aussies yelled.

"I'm Harry Potter, Mage General of Avalon. This is Jorge DeVilla, the Wizenmeet Speaker, and that is Rosmerta Christie, the Prime Minister. And we're here to clean up a mistake we've let go on too long!"

"You don't have any authority of us!" An American boy shouted. "We never acknowledge this stupid government."

"No, you didn't," Harry said. "You were too busy raping innocent girls and stealing food you didn't help grow. But that ends right now."

That shut them up.

Harry looked over them—they all looked semi-feral, with torn, dirtied clothes and a look of hungry desperation on their faces. They were as much victims as criminals, and they were lacking direction.

"Here's how it's going to be," Harry said. "For the rest of today, you will form separate lines based on the first letter of your last name, and you are going to register for a barracks spot. Once you are registered, you will go and sit down until your den parents are ready for you. You will have den parents. They will switch off occasionally with other den parents, but there will be at least two adults per barracks at all times. You will listen to them and obey them, because the Wizenmeet has endowed them with the authority to act as your parents. That means they can spank you if they need, with a belt or a wand."

It was an empty threat, Harry knew. Wizards rarely punished their children physically. "By order the Wizenmeet, school is compulsory. That means you will all be going back to school. Each of you will be fitted with a tracking charm, so there is no point in running away. Unless you just want to die. The five boys that Auror De La Rosa here brought in were about two minutes from being dragon food."

The boys in question looked physically ill at the thought. Harry continued in his best command voice.

"When you are not at school, you will maintain this facility and perform community service for the colony, to be determined by the Prime Minister, the Wizenmeet and the administrators of this facility. This also is not voluntary. In return, as wards of the colony, we will ensure you have clothes to wear and food to eat. We will protect you from each other and from yourselves, and educate you so that when you are adults, you will have a place in society. If you're good, chances are you'll even have some fun. If not, you won't. We will take care of you, all of you. Because that's what responsible adults do."

Harry stepped down from the platform, and then held out a hand to gracefully help Rosmerta onto the platform. "Like Consul Potter said, I am Rosmerta Christie, and I am the Prime Minister of this colony. I look around at all of you, and I realize how hard this has been for you. We were so caught up in our own losses and fears that we forgot about you. All of you have lost your parents, and many of you have lost your friends or other family. I lost my daughter too. I'm not going to lie and tell you we can make everything alright, because we can't.

"But what we can do is give you a place to live, and the tools you need to make your own life, and someday maybe make your own families. We might even be able to give a few hugs. You deserve a right to live and succeed, and that's why all of us have come today."

She stepped down and Jorge took her place. "There are some of you who are legally of age," the elder wizard said. "If you are of age, then when you register you will be given an opportunity to serve the colony. We have recently named Charlie Weasley as the Wookiee Liaison. He and the Wookiees have formed a group we call Rangers to scout out new lands around his world. It can be dangerous, but it can be exciting too.

"If you wish, you can apply to the school to be a professor's aide. There are far more students than staff available to teach them, and so any help there would be appreciated. If you wish, you may consider continuing your own education in self-study, or if a professor agrees with an apprenticeship.

"And finally, you may consider applying for training as a peace officer. It's going to be hard, and you will be held to a higher standard than anyone else. But you'll also have a chance to start new traditions that will influence the future of law enforcement for the world."

"What about Potter's space ship?" someone called.

Harry stepped forward and shook his head. "No, and I'll tell you why. We could die at any moment out there. We're fighting a war bigger than anything any of us have seen before—a war in which whole worlds can die. You are young, and strong, and if you can get your act together, our people need you to survive. We need you to help build this community, to marry those you love and raise families. We need you to grow up and help our people be strong again. Until you do, there is no place for you on my ship."

He stepped back and let the politicians take over. His job was done—he had the children gathered and in place. It was now up to the civilian adults to ensure that the project worked.

As the children started to line up, Harry went to Teddy and pointed out one blonde boy in torn Australian robes. "That's our boy," Harry whispered. "Pick him up after registration."

"Right."

The children lined up, terrified, but also for some, Harry thought, hopeful as well. That small hope was all he could offer to them, really.

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Author's Note: Once again I just wish to stress just how much I appreciate Teufel1987, JR and Miles for beta reading yet another of my stories. As always, they make everything better.