Authors Note and Disclaimer: I own nothing other than this storyline. All intelligence properties belonging to the Harry Potter franchise are owned by J.K. Rowlings. I thank her for creating a world where I can play a bit in the sandbox.

***HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDY. 1 WEEK AND 6 DAYS AFTER THE DEPARTMENT OF MYSTERIES. 2315 HOURS***

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore sat in his office at Hogwarts resting his head in his hands, the lemon drop in his mouth long devoid of flavor. It had been a long day that had started so promisingly before it went all bollixed. He was many things: Head of the International Wizarding Conference, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, Leader of the Order of the Phoenix, and the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy, and one of the greatest Wizards since Merlin. To anyone looking at him right now, all they would see is a tired old man surrounded by stacks of parchment.

Earlier today, there had been an Emergency Session of the Wizengamot called by Minister Fudge. Given the untimely passing of Sirius Black, and the assault by Voldemort on the Ministry of Magic, such a session was to be expected. The fact that the entire Wizengamot was sitting in was one pleasant surprise for Albus, as was the first order of business… exonerating Sirius Black. Albus felt horrible about what the former Marauder had gone through…being locked in Azkaban and then living on the run all for a crime he hadn't committed. It had taken several days of working on Fudge to get him to make this step. It would all be worth it if Harry could publicly make his peace with the memory of his Godfather. The smile on Lucius Malfoy's face when that was announced was the first sign that something was about to go horribly wrong.

Looking like an overly pleased toad, Senior Undersecretary Doloris Umbridge had risen next, and much to his chagrin now, was granted the floor by Albus Dumbledore.

"My good Lords and Ladies of the Wizengamot," intoned the Undersecretary, "with the unfortunate situation concerning our dearly departed Lord Black, the Wizarding World finds itself at a crisis."

'Yes,' thinks Albus, 'the Ministry is finally ready to face the fact that Voldemort is back. Sirius, I am sorry that it took your death, but it was the final straw that forced the Ministry to see the light.'

So lost in his own thoughts, Albus had tuned out of what the Undersecretary was saying. The next words out of her mouth though, brought him crashing back to reality.

"..stability of the Wizengamot! Therefore, we at the Ministry would like to bring before the body the Lineage Stabilization Act. The Minister understands how important your families are, especially at this time. To help secure the future of your heirs, we humbly ask to bring this Act before this esteemed body."

Almost before she had finished speaking, Lucius Malfoy was on his feet, "Seconded by House Malfoy!"

"Mister Malfoy, it is usual procedure to at least the Act before we vote on it," Albus admonished him, hoping to get control of the assembly.

"But my dear Chief Warlock, " Delores said as she turned towards where Albus sat, "the Ministry made sure to distribute the bill two days ago. I know you are a busy man, but I would figure you would at least see anything that the Ministry sent you via official Owl. To summarize the Lineage Stabilization Act for our Chief Warlock: It is simply a little piece of legislation that will allow us to fill the Wizengamot to its original glory! "

"And how would that be done Madame Undersecretary?"

"Oh, Chief Warlock! It is the simplest thing ever," the toad like woman purred. "We just take all of these unoccupied bloodlines like Black and we find the closest living relative. We, at the Ministry, have already arranged for a completely legal ritual to aid in this."

"I assume you are abiding by any previous Lord's wishes?"

"As they would be outlined in his or her wills. We, at the Ministry, do not seek to dictate to the great families of the Wizengamot. We simply seek to help those families that have fallen to obscurity reemerge and once again help guide Wizarding Britain."

"And if one of those newly found Lords is underage, or heir to multiple seats?"

"Well, if they are underage, they shall be emancipated. The whole purpose of this Act is to fill this glorious assembly! Of course, they will be assigned a Ministry approved Mentor to help them adjust to their new responsibility. There are several excellent and upstanding member of the Wizengamot who would be perfect for guiding young Lords and Ladies. If a Lord finds himself as a heir to multiple lines then he or she would be expected to reestablish each line. If I remember properly, those particular criteria are covered in appendix J, sub-paragraph 34 through 46. I have never had much of a head for numbers."

"And if the young Lord or Lady does not wish to be married?"

"But they MUST! It is for the Greater Good, after all, isn't it?"

The vote was pushed forward and went almost as Albus had feared. The Wizengamot has many dividing lines. Rich and Poor, Light and Dark, Liberally Conservative and Conservative. The one thing that every member had in common is the fact that they are all Pure Bloods. A quick read of the parchment that he found on his desk told Albus all he needed to know about the Lineage Stabilization Act. It was a way for the current Lords to not only secure their own power, but quite possibly expand it through a son or daughter who might be connected to one of the missing seats. The Lineage Stabilization Act passed with an overwhelming majority. The only significant votes nay were from House Longbottom and House Greengrass. Moderate would be the best way to describe House Greengrass, but they were a pureblooded family with only daughters.

It wasn't until the end of the session when Albus finally started to put the pieces together. Draco, who was there to observe his father, walked over to the seat of House Black and began to caress the chair possessively while Lucius strode over to Lord Greengrass with a rather cocky grin. The Greengrass line is purely patriarchal, as are most of the Lordships in the Wizengamot. Lucius was going to try and grab up the Black seat and the Greengrass seat through Draco! The Black seat… maybe Sirius did something about it in his will? He needed to think, and it wasn't easy with Dowager Longbottom loudly giving voice to the fact that Neville wasn't ready to take on the responsibilities of Lord Longbottom quite yet. She was quite the taskmistress for Longbottom. Pity she can't see how fine a young man he is growing into, especially since he developed a friendship with Harry.

Harry.

By Merlin's beard! This pertains to Harry! Potter is another one of the Empty seats. Harry was going to get drug into this mess on top of everything else that has happened to him. A second of panic flashed in his blue eyes as Albus Dumbledore stood to leave the Wizengamot and return to Hogwarts. So wrapped in his thoughts, he didn't hear the man approaching him from behind. That's why he could be forgiven the slight yelp when the man grabbed his shoulder. Turning around, Albus Dumbledore came face to face with Lord Ethan Greengrass.

"We need to talk, " Greengrass said.

Now, several hours later Albus was sitting at his desk wondering how he got himself into this situation. He hadn't meant to make those arrangements…

Something caught his attention. Actually, make that three somethings. The first was a letter from the DMLE concerning one Mundungus Fletcher. Apparently he had been arrested forObviating muggles around 4 Privet Lane and robbing them. Apparently he had been doing that for quite some time under the guise of 'guarding Harry Potter.' The list of items that Mundungus had managed to gather over the years from the muggles was quite extensive, but the one that bothered Albus the most were the ones from Childs Services.

'That was kind of Amelia to send them. I am sure there is a big misunderstanding though. Harry is safe with Petunia. Lily's sacrifice ensures that Voldemort cannot harm them as long as he remains there. Lily was such a lovely and kind girl, Petunia must be the same. There is no way that Child's Services would need to be…'

Albus's mind stopped. Looking at the paperwork in front of him, there was no way that these reports were real. Systemic physical, mental and emotional abuse for over 15 years? Lily would never let anything like this happen to a child! Still, it was all there, including an arrest warrant for Vernon and Petunia Dursley for causing grievous bodily harm to a minor. It was the statement that Vernon gave that threw Albus off the most: "I'm a perfectly normal and well behaved citizen! The boy is a freak, and you have to beat that out of them before they can be normal. It worked on Petunia. No, it is not abuse. It is about helping them be normal. Kind of like how those camps fix those gay people. "

Dropping the file like it was burning with Fiendfyre, Albus picked up the second. It was a letter from Gringotts for Harry. Albus had all of Harry's owl mail directed to himself, as Grindelwald used the mail owls to locate his enemies during the Reich. This letter requested Harry's presence in a day's time to hear the will of one Sirius Orion Black.

The third was a letter from the Australian representative to the IWC, requesting a meeting to discuss. The man was a world renowned expert in dealing with magic and the human soul.

'This might just be a good day after all,' thought Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. 'Perhaps I can save this situation after all. But first, I have a letter to write. One can only hope he reads it'.