Kingsley sighed as he looked out of the windows of the office he was hiding in. Below him were hundreds of witches and wizards milling about their business as they entered or left the Ministry. The head of the Maintenance Department had let him hide there in exchange for Quidditch tickets. To him right now, that was a small price to pay to ensure his safety. As due to the latest law that the Ministry had passed, he was sure that even the Aurors assigned to protect him would gladly step aside to let a mob skin him alive.
The head assured him that no one would find him there as he waited for the public to get over the shock. Because a) rarely anyone ever knew about the rooms that the Maintenance Department used and b) said rooms were hidden away behind the walls of the Atrium, with windows charmed to look like the walls surrounding them. Unlike the Department of Mysteries where their rooms were hidden to hide and secure anything the public was not meant to see, this department had nothing of relevance to visitors.
It's not like that blasted Marriage Law was his idea to begin with. The whole Wizengamot agreed on it and even the Unspeakables that usually never went out of their lair in Level 9, had sent some of their own to voice in their agreement. Not that what those divinatory buffoons said was relevant in general, but seeing as they were to play the crucial role in matching up all those unmarried wizards and witches, the Chief Warlock let them gang up on him as well.
But of course THEY were all able to carry on like if nothing had happened, because no one ever went after those that hid themselves amongst the bureaucracy. No, HIS name was signed on the law so therefore HE was the sole perpetrator in the public's eyes. Skeeter was having a field day dragging his name through the mud. As far as her readership was concerned, Kingsley had terrible plans for the Wizarding World and the Wizengamot was powerless to stop him. Not the other way around.
Still gazing at the crowd below and losing himself in his thoughts, he did not notice the sound of the door gently opening. The witch noticed his lack of a reaction so she took care to close the door with a loud thud announcing her presence. Like a scared rabbit he tensed but did not otherwise move, waiting for the intruder to speak. Her heels clacked against the hardwood floor as she approached the desk and made herself comfortable in the seat designated for guests.
„Minister, are you quite done with your game of hide and seek?" Her english was fluent but had the tell-tale inflection of a foreigner. He sighed, accepting defeat.
„May I know who found me?" He asked, turning around to face the witch. She smiled when he sat down.
„You may already know my father." She replied, placing an envelope on the desk. In curiosity he reached for it, but then he saw the wax seal. Red with a crowned eagle pressed on to it, the polish coat of arms. He glanced back at the intruder. Though he had never met her before, the woman in front of him was the main reason for his troubles.
Flashback:
At the last conference the International Confederation of Wizards (ICW) held, he had had to attend it to announce the marriage law. Not that it would have been relevant in the grand scope of international relations. But due to the wording of the law, it also applied to witches and wizards born abroad that had been presently residing in United Kingdom.
The way each nation reacted, depended on it's laws regarding their citizens overseas. As apart from laws concerning trade and the statute of secrecy, the wizarding governments were left to determine their individual stances on the rest. The confederation was after all, mostly a diplomatical institution rather than one superior to all governments. Unfortunately for Kingsley, most held little legislature to be able to save their brethren from the law, so the room was mostly filled with outrage. In the end, the Supreme Mugwump had to silence them all before they could procede in determining the fates of the witches and wizards affected.
Those representing the nations whose magical folk were still under their legislature, regardless of where they resided, left soon after. After ascertaining with Kingsley that the law did not affect them, they had no reason to stay. It still left another 890 angry witches and wizards from 178 nations. Sensing the chaos, the Mugwump had the meeting adjourned under the pretense that the officials needed to consult their respective governments on the matter.
No such second meeting happened though, the 178 governments opting to individually contact the International Magical Office of Law instead. Almost all managed to come to an agreement. Almost.
A/N: Hello everyone! I am back with rewriting this lovely tale. I hope it was somewhat clear that each nation has 5 seats. Ergo 178 * 5 = 890. My previous version of this tale shall be chopped up to fit in here. I'll leave up the old chapters for now so hopefully you guys can see some improvement!