Legal Disclaimer: I own my stuff, but not the original source material. That belongs to whoever. Also, the opinions and interpretations I use here may not reflect the same in said whoever that owns the source material. Look, I'm just a poor college librarian. Suing me isn't going to get you anything but tears.
Warning: This work may be offensive to some readers. Feel free to back out if that's you.
Author's Note: I've got nothing.
Submitting Info:
Stacked with: Hogwarts (Term 10); MC4A
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Gryffindor MC; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux; Sett to Destroy
House: Hufflepuff
Assignment No.: Term 10 – Assignment 7
Space Address (Prompt): 4D (Sheep/Lamb)
Representation(s): Harry Potter
Bonus Challenges: n/a
Tertiary Bonus Challenges: SN (n/a)
Word Count: 397
(^^)
Disgustingly Familiar
(^^)
Harry Potter threw down the copy of the Daily Prophet that he had just finished reading. A small part of him was disgusted at how far the magical population of the British Isles were willing to go to pretend that all was well. It was never stated outright, and if he hadn't decided to read more than the headlines, he would have missed it, but it seemed that Fudge had decided that the best way to discredit any rumors about Voldemort's return was to attack anyone making the claim.
Dumbledore had been demoted from his position as Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, though he could not be moved from the body without being stripped of his Order of Merlin and his power as Hogwarts headmaster. Fudge had been able to completely recall all of Dumbledore's diplomatic authority, effectively rendering him ineligible to serve in the International Confederation of Wizards at all, let alone as its head. Unfortunately, Harry himself didn't have any formal positions of authority to attack, only his fame for being the Boy-Who-Lived, which meant that he was slowly being painted as a delusional braggart.
Even as disgusted with it as he was, Harry couldn't help but be a little bit impressed with the tactic. It would probably work, too. Harry had seen enough in the last year to know that the influence of the press could sway even people who seemed reasonable. Mrs. Weasley had certainly believed the articles about Hermione despite having met her. Just announcing his guilt in the paper had been enough for everyone—including close friends—to believe that Sirius had done what they accused him of.
The wizarding world was always sacrificing people on the altar of appearances.
How was it any different now that it was him?
The whole thing was absolutely vile, but Harry could see how it would work.
There was real way to combat it either. If he refuted his claim, that was as good as admitting they were right. If he kept talking about the truth, then they could paint that as proving that they were right. Either way fed into their perspective. It was politics that made him feel like he needed ten thousand showers to wash off.
Harry was trapped in a mess that he hadn't made.
But then, how was that anything new?
It was practically the story of his life.