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Chapter Thirty-Nine

Seven Weeks Between Task 2 and 3

Dean eyed the schedule and announced, "The fuckers set the task for the week before we break for summer."

Hermione eyed the announcement with great disfavor, one might even say hate. "Well, when did the idiots in charge of this mess ever think? Fifth and Seventh years will be cramming for OWLS and NEWTS, and all that hoorah will really help that." Her sarcasm was duly noted.

Yusuke shrugged. "Serve the officials right if no one showed up. A maze? I ask you."

Neville shrugged irritably, "With some of Hagrid's pets in the nexi. That's going to be so much fun." His expression proved he thought the opposite.

Dean snorted. "If I knew how, and was a contestant, I'd skip the whole thing."

Yusuke's sudden, blank expression made Hermione wince. "Yusuke, what deviltry are you planning?"

"Not sure. Tell you when I know what I want to do." He grinned unashamedly, "But only if I can't figure out how to do it."

Neville shook his head. "Just don't break the rules." He smiled in a way that showed too many teeth and not much humor. "Really, really bending them is okay."

As there was nothing much to do, they headed for the juku to work on reports. Hermione had a personal project she was working on, something she wasn't sharing just yet.

After over two hours, Neville tossed his last report onto the desk. "That's that. Gran made a deal with some jackass in Hong Kong. She's a real old battleaxe, but she's vulnerable to flattery, and she's screwed us to the wall."

Yusuke held out a hand for the report. "Is the contract in there?"

"Yes." Neville rubbed his face, tiredly wondering how he was going to fix this one.

Yusuke read, made notes then announced, "I'll ask Shiriusu-oji to look into it. It looks like a strong-arm job to me. If he says, I'll ask Chichi if I can go break some heads. You don't need to put up with this shit. Who said she had right of parley anyway?"

Hermione snickered. "You sound like a pirate. Right of parley?"

Yusuke shrugged. "I don't know the English for it."

Hermione thought for a moment, "Tell me in Japanese."

"Kōshō-ryoku"

"Bargaining power. The right to make a deal for someone else." Hermione turned her attention back to her book.

"Okay. So. Neville?" Yusuke turned back to Neville.

"I don't know. She sure shouldn't have it. I'll have to contact my lawyer and find out if I can get out of this disaster." Neville frowned; the chances that his grandmother was getting senile were slim, but there. He hoped not.

"Don't worry until it's time." Yusuke finished his letter and motioned to a waiting gaki. "Take it to Shiriusu-wakagashira." The gaki received the letter with both hands, bowed, tucked the letter into an inner pocket, and left. Yusuke watched him go, then grumbled, "Post boxes are still unreliable. Damn Dumbledore anyway."

Hermione glanced up from her book, nodded then said, "And there's no way to secure them. Dumbledore just asks for a favor and people fall all over themselves to 'fix' things for him. Rokudenashi!"

Yusuke snickered then returned, "Well, I do believe his parents were married, but ... I take your point. It's bad when some Kuso jijī cons government departments into violating the law and their own regulations."

Neville agreed. "Yeah, and Dumbledore could flimflam Lockhart. And that's sayin' something."

Hermione interrupted, carefully, "But ... well ... um ... it's signed. The contract, I mean. So what can you do about it?"