Summary: All is seemingly well in Wizarding Britain as the last aftershocks of the War against the Dark Lord fade away, but a series of murders lead ace Auror Daphne Greengrass to a threat that may throw her world yet again into imbalance.
Chapter 10: The Way of Politicians
The green stone took Harry not to the Ministry, but to the edge of the wards on the Burrow in Ottery St Catchpole. He frowned and looked at the stone in his hands. Could it have known? Did it judge his intention somehow?
Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he looked up at the lopsided structure of the Burrow looming ahead of him. It reminded him of a time that was, a person he had been, and friends that he had had. Had it truly been so long since the War with Voldemort, that everything he had known had changed since?
The wards accepted him as he stepped over them and began a slow walk towards the doorstep. Not since his incarceration at the Dursleys before Hogwarts had Harry felt so alone and friendless. Ron, his first friend his age, hadn't forgiven him for leaving Britain and kept a healthy distance from him. Hermione, his next closest friend, was now embroiled in her own struggles and battles, independent of him. She certainly treated him a lot better than Ron, but even so there was a chasm between them that Harry felt unable to cross.
It struck him then, that how few close friends he had had in Hogwarts. He wished he had been able to build a better network while at school - but then again, with the threat of Voldemort hanging over him every year, he hardly had had the time to worry about silly things like building relationships.
There was Daphne, he thought. The former Slytherin had proved to be an excellent partner and a solid acquaintance, but she wasn't exactly a close friend; after all, he had barely known her for a month. He trusted her - and trust was the foundation of all friendships - but friendships needed time to develop and mature.
He knocked lightly on the door at the Burrow, and was greeted by a small shriek and the sound of footsteps. Instinctively, his hand strayed towards to his wand. The door pulled open, and Mrs Weasley's flushing face peered out at him.
"Oh Harry," she cried, opening the door wide and ushering him in. "Come in, come in. Shouldn't you be at the Ministry, dear? What with everything ..."
Her voice trailed off as they entered the living room. Ron was dressed in the dragon-hide robes he had taken to wearing towards the end of the War with Voldemort. He had one arm around Lavender, and in his other arm, he was holding his daughter. Lavender was sobbing softly into his shoulder. Harry felt a pang of sadness, and no small amount of jealousy at the family Ron had - and always had had.
"Oh, it's you," said Ron, disengaging from his hug with Lavender and handing her Rose. He turned around fully to face Harry. "You're coming to Ynys Mon, right? It'll be just like old times."
His face was flushed in anticipation, and there was a glint in his eyes that Harry didn't like at all.
"No," said Harry.
Ron frowned. "You don't really have a choice, do you? You're an Auror; you have to fight for the Ministry."
"I won't raise my wand against Hermione," said Harry firmly. Lavender let out a gasp.
"Hermione's involved?" cried Mrs Weasley. "Oh dear, oh dear ... Ron, please reconsider, think about Rose."
"No," said Ron shortly. "The Minister asked for me himself, you know. Personal floo call. He wants the heroes from the War leading the Ministry's charge."
His chest puffed with self-importance. This was what he had always dreamed of - to be in charge, to be in the spotlight. He would find, Harry thought sadly, that the spotlight wasn't as friendly as those who craved it assumed. Men rose to the top, only to be brought down. Had that been him, Harry wondered. Had he reached the top, only to find himself alone and friendless?
"And of course," Ron continued, levelling a dark look at Harry, "I'm no traitor."
"Ron!" reprimanded Mrs Weasley. Harry held Ron's glare and said nothing. He ached to yell, to scream and have a good fight and then have things go back to normal, but he wasn't a teenager any more, and they weren't at Hogwarts. Adulthood had different rules. He watched in silence as Ron gave Lavender and Rose a kiss each, and disapparated with a pop.
Rose woke up at the sound and started to wail uncontrollably. There was a clang, and everyone's gaze was pulled to the Weasley family clock. Ron's hand moved from Home to Mortal Peril.
"I thought this was over," said Mrs Weasley desperately, wringing her hands. Rose continued wailing. Lavender flung a significant look at Harry and hurried upstairs hushing to silence the crying baby. Ron's wasn't the only hand on Mortal Peril. Ginny's was there as well, but Charlie, Bill, Fred and George were all pointed at work.
"Charlie went back to Romania," said Mrs Weasley. Her voice was listless. "Fred and George are at their shop. They refused the Minister - he reached out to them too. I'm glad they're not fighting, but I'm afraid the Ministry might decide to punish them later. Bill is a Gringotts employee, the daren't threaten him. Ginny went willingly when the Minister asked, and so did Ron. Arthur - Arthur might have to go."
"Why?" asked Harry. His voice sounded scratchy and hoarse, even to himself.
"The Ministry is calling up many its employees to bear wands," she said sadly, tracing Mr Weasley's hand. It was still pointed at Work, but as they watched it swung to Mortal Peril as well. Mrs Weasley let out a soft sob.
"I don't know what to do, Mrs Weasley," whispered Harry. "I ... I don't have anyone else to talk to, so I came to you."
Mrs Weasley forced her gaze away from the clock and looked at him sadly.
"Let me set up a pot of tea," she said sympathetically. "Why don't you tell me about it until?"
And so as Mrs Weasley bustled about in her kitchen, Harry told her of how he had met Hermione and how Daphne had discovered that there was a rebellion underfoot, and the Ministry had been galvanised.
"I wish they had been this decisive about the war with You-Know-Who," clucked Mrs Weasley.
"Yes," agreed Harry gloomily. "But the aggressors were rich and pureblooded families then. Now that it's Muggleborns without a say in the political system, everyone is quick to demonize them. Even Ron and Ginny ..."
"Ron and Ginny went for reasons other than the cause," said Mrs Weasley softly. "People fight for causes they never agree with all the time. Ron fights for glory, Ginny for bravery and recognition. I don't think they would have gone if the Minister hadn't especially called them up and offered them the opportunity."
"Couldn't you have stopped them?" asked Harry, sipping his tea.
Mrs Weasley shook her head. "I can't stop them. I can advise them, but they're adults who can choose not to listen. I love my children, but they have their own lives."
She stared at her tea, and the two sat in silence for a few moments. Mrs Weasley kept shooting nervous glances at the clock.
"What should I do, Mrs Weasley?" asked Harry. "I don't want to fight Hermione - but I don't want to fight Ron either. To defend one of my friends, I must fight the other."
Mrs Weasley reached forward and squeezed his hand sympathetically.
"You can always choose not to fight, Harry," she advised. "It doesn't take a brave man to fight, but it does take a brave man to stand for what is right."
"But what is right?" asked Harry desperately. "Hermione's right; Muggleborns are horribly treated in this country and that needs to change, but we've seen enough war. Things were finally about to settle down, and now we're getting dragged into another conflict. Opposing her means opposing her cause, which is just in my mind. Fighting with her means lending support to her methods ... Doing nothing means sitting at home and being a coward while others fight."
"It's not cowardly at all," chided Mrs Weasley. "Not fighting, telling others to not fight - Harry, that's braver than anything else. Keeping your head when all about you are losing theirs - that's what shows that you have reached maturity and adulthood."
"We must choose between what is right and what is easy," quoted Harry.
Mrs Weasley dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief. "Yes, the Headmaster was fond of saying that, wasn't he? Perhaps if he were here, we wouldn't be in this mess."
"Perhaps not," agreed Harry, standing up. "I think you are right, Mrs Weasley. I need to go talk to Madam Bones."
Mrs Weasley stood up and gave him a hug. "Good luck dear," she said. "And please be careful - the Ministry tends to be a little irrational in times like these."
"That's a bit of an understatement," said Harry with a smile, as he helped her carry her tea set to the sink. "May I use your fireplace?"
"Of course," she said, gesturing him towards the flowerpot where she put the family Floo powder. He took out a handful and stepped into the fireplace.
"Ministry of Magic," he declared, throwing the powder at his feet and disappearing in a burst of green flame.
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When Harry had left to warn Hermione, Daphne grit her teeth and marched out of her office. She felt a little embarrassed at her weakness in front of Harry. She could see that he wasn't a traitor ... yet. It was obvious that he was wavering. Still, she put it out of his mind. She didn't know whether he would come back or not, or if she might not face him on the other side at Ynys Mon. Forcing those thoughts out of her mind, she concentrated on the task at hand, and headed towards Draco's office.
His floor was a complete mess. Confused looking witches and wizards were scurrying about - so many of them that the absence of half the Ministry's workforce was completely disguised - and very few of them seemed to know what to do. Most of them tried to seem like they were doing something. Her lip curled in distaste at the obvious excess of incompetency. She wondered how many of them had been selected for higher jobs over their Muggleborn coworkers for which they really weren't qualified, because a family member that was willing to put in a good word.
She came to Draco's door, and dodging a brown-haired Wizard who couldn't see beyond the armload of files he was levitating in front of him, she rapped smartly on Draco's door.
"Come in," came Draco's voice. She opened the door and stepped inside.
"Auror Greengrass," greeted an unfamiliar voice, and Daphne almost froze in shock. It was the Minister of Magic.
"The Ministry's premier Auror," said Draco proudly. "Incidentally, she is also my sister-in-law." He sounded as though being the latter was a bigger compliment.
Daphne opened and closed her mouth, feeling completely tongue-tied. She didn't know what to say.
"Why don't you take a seat," said the Minister kindly, politely ignoring her discomfort. She nodded and slid in next to him. "Are you able to arrange a cup of tea for Ms Greengrass, Draco?"
Draco shook his head.
"The Muggleborn who makes tea didn't show up," he said grimly.
The Minister winced. "Of course. Auror Greengrass, what do you think is the best way forward?"
Daphne was shocked to be asked for her opinion, but luckily, this time she found her voice.
"I'm not sure if I should go behind Madam Bones' back ..." she began unsteadily.
The Minister interrupted her. "We don't have time to wait for formality, Auror Greengrass," he said, softly. Daphne was Slytherin enough to recognize the glint in his eye and know there was trouble if she refused. Draco nodded emphatically at her behind the Minister's back.
"We can hazard a good guess that the Muggleborns are at Ynys Mon," she said, swallowing a lump in her throat. Draco and the Minister both gasped as the realized the implications.
"The tracking charms that failed near Ynys Mon ..." whispered Draco.
Daphne nodded miserably. "They're all congregating there. We think they might have some form of organization going on over there."
The Minister raised an eyebrow.
"An organization," he almost shouted. "You mean to tell me there's a rebellion going on, and Madam Bones hasn't seen fit to tell me yet?"
"Minister," said Draco warningly, and the Minister seemed to calm down.
"To be fair," said Daphne, "we only discovered that they had an organization this morning. We haven't had a chance to report it yet to Madam Bones."
"I see," said the Minister sagely. He steepled his fingers and frowned at the floor, deep in thought.
"Minister, something must be done about this," said Draco. "Ynys Mon is British territory, and under the Ministry's laws, no Magicals may live there for their own safety. Any Muggleborns who have gone there have broken Magical Law, and should be punished." He took in a deep breath. "Besides, we have traditions - there is a reverence for Ynys Mon in our culture that ought not be discarded."
"Indeed," said the Minister thoughtfully. "Perhaps we need to engage these Muggleborns. Auror Greengrass, have you had any contact with the leadership of this organization?"
Daphne shook her head. "I have not, but my partner encountered a witch who claims to be associated with their leadership," she said, deliberately choosing vague words to avoid further questioning. The Minister didn't seem to notice, but Draco's eyes narrowed at her.
"Well," said the Minister, clapping his hands in delight. "That should be good enough for the ICW. We attempted to negotiate, and since the Muggleborns disappeared en masse, that counts as a refusal to negotiate. I'm off to see Madam Bones - we'll get these rebels taken care of shortly."
"Minister," said Draco carefully. "Wouldn't it be better to send an official delegation to treat with them?"
"Nonsense," said the Minister cheerfully. He seemed in high spirits for a man whose government had just been crippled. "To treat with them means to recognize them, and we're not going to make that mistake. Likely, it's just a ragtag group of Muggleborns getting ahead of themselves. The people need to know," he added conspiratorially, "that I am no Cornelius Fudge. I can recognize a threat and cut it at its root."
And with that, he got up and left. Daphne just stared at his back as he exited the room.
"Is he being serious?" she asked Draco, feeling dazed. Draco nodded.
"Unfortunately, politicians have a way of deciding what they think is right before even hearing the facts," he said bitterly. "I know the Minister well enough to know that he won't change his mind now that it's made."
"He can't make an Act of War without Wizengamot approval," she protested.
"You just gave him an excuse," he pointed out. "They're on Ynys Mon without Ministry approval. It's not an Act of War now, it's law enforcement - that's why he went to talk to Madam Bones. And in case the ICW doesn't see it that way, he'll claim that Potter was sent to negotiate and was refused."
"But Harry wasn't sent to negotiate," said Daphne, frustrated. "What if he says so to the ICW?"
"Then it was a terrible misunderstanding and he was misinformed by a member of the Auror Corps," he looked at her pointedly. Understanding, terrible understanding dawned on Daphne. "Of course, I don't mean to say you will be made a scrape-goat - in all likelihood, if it comes down to that, we will make something up about you being confounded, or under the Imperius, and it will all blow over. Politics isn't about telling the truth, it's about saving face."
Daphne wasn't so sure. She felt terribly stupid, to not see this coming. For Merlin's sake - she was a Slytherin! She gnawed her teeth in frustration and kicked Draco's expensive desk.
"Don't worry about it, Daphne," said Draco, looking at her in pity. "You're my wife's sister - for all intents and purposes, you are part of the Malfoy family. I'll make sure nothing comes out of it. The Malfoy name carries enough clout to ensure that."
"Thanks Draco," she said gloomily, making her way towards the door. "Good luck with ..." she gestured towards his paperwork.
"Good luck to you too," he said quietly as she closed the door behind her.
Outside, she felt incredibly alone in the chaos in the hallways as Purebloods tried to figure out what their Muggleborn colleagues had done for so long. She was grateful for Draco's offer for protection, but just like Astoria, she had been reduced to needing a Pureblooded family's protection. The reason she had avoided the Pureblood socialites and taken a job as an Auror had been to live without depending on a Pureblood husband or his family for protection. Keeping her head down and avoiding people who would view her as a threat, she had thought she would succeed, but life had other plans. Not for the first time, Daphne wished her father was still alive.
She headed back to office, to find a purple memo with a summons to Madam Bones' office waiting for her. Sighing, she got up and headed towards there, pausing for a moment to glance at Harry's empty desk. She wondered where he was and whether he had succeeded in getting Granger out of Ynys Mon. She suspected he hadn't - Granger was known for her stubbornness.
The Minister was waiting in Madam Bones' office, and Madam Bones looked less than pleased.
"Auror Greengrass," she said coolly. "I discovered from the Minister that the Muggleborns have an organization of Ynys Mon. Isn't that something I should have been telling the Minister."
"Now now Amelia," soothed the Minister in an oily voice. "I'm sure it was a rookie mistake."
"I only discovered it this morning," said Daphne calmly.
She was burning internally at being called a rookie - the man had just acknowledged her as Britain's best Auror in Draco's office. She recognized it for what it was - a powerplay of the Minister's over Madam Bones by calling her best Auror a rookie.
"Nevertheless," said Madam Bones, looking displeased. "You should have been more prompt in bringing these critical details to my attention. The Minister is demanding I send a task-force to bring these Muggleborns to justice - how many do you think is adequate?"
Daphne was taken aback by the question.
"I'm not sure Madam Bones," she said. "We have no information about the numbers they have. Even Draco Malfoy's numbers only represented ratios and not absolutes."
"Oh come now," said the Minister impatiently. "Half a dozen Aurors? Or how about a dozen, Amelia - we can make it a little flashy. Bring in Turpin, maybe an accomplice or two, and the rest will come running back to the comfort of their Ministry jobs."
"Madam Bones, there is also that issue about the unknown magic we encountered at the Notts," said Daphne quietly, "and the green stone we found on Richardson."
"Unknown magic?" asked the Minister interestedly.
"Auror Greengrass thinks the Muggleborns have rediscovered Druidic magic somehow," snorted Madam Bones. Daphne's heart broke at the condescension in her boss' voice in front of the Minister. "She needs to remember that these questions are best left to the Department of Mysteries. The DMLE's job is to enforce the law."
Daphne gave up. She excused herself and slipped out of Madam Bones' office. She doubted the Minister or Madam Bones would even notice. Thick tears welled up in her eyes - she didn't know what to say or think. It seemed to her that her world had shifted so dramatically in just one morning.
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Harry floo'd into the Ministry to find it in an uproar. He nearly barrelled into a harassed-looking wizard when the floo spat him out, and the man shot him a dirty look as he scuttled away. He weaved his way toward the lifts and squashed into one with another dozen wizards. When the doors opened on the DMLE's floor, he had to push his way out. The Department looked like a warzone as he entered. The force had had Muggleborns in it, but it wasn't as heavily dependent on them as other departments. Even slightly depleted, it seemed better off than the other departments he had seen on his way down.
He slipped towards his office and was surprised to find Daphne sitting at their desk, idly doodling on a piece of parchment.
"Daphne?" he asked. "What's wrong?"
She made no move to respond to him, so he levitated his chair over to her and sat down on.
"Daph," he chided gently, tapping her on the shoulder. That seemed to start her out of her reverie.
"Harry!" she said, sounding surprised. "How was it? Did you find Granger?"
He nodded. "She didn't want to leave though," he said sadly. "What's been going on here?"
She looked more somber that he had ever seen her before, and as she updated him on what had happened in the Ministry since he had left, he understood why.
"I'm so sorry," he whispered.
She shrugged and straightened in her chair.
"There's nothing to be done about it," she said, sounding a little better now. "What's done is done. I expect the Minister's task force will be decimated by the Muggleborns, and then we'll be called in to do our work a dozen Aurors short. I am glad, by the way," she added, "that you came back."
Harry opened his mouth to tell her why he had come back, when the door to their office opened and a purple airplane memo flew in and landed on Daphne's desk. Harry looked over her shoulder as she read it. It was a summons from Madam Bones.
Taking in a deep breath to summon his courage, he murmured, "Let's go."
They walked in silence, each grateful for the other's company after their harrowing day. The door opened to admit them when they knocked, and inside they saw Madam Bones standing in a corner while the Minister paced on the floor.
"What can we do for you, Madam Bones?" asked Daphne, ignoring the Minister's exclamation of surprise at the sight of Harry.
"Our original taskforce of twelve Aurors hasn't returned from Ynys Mon," said Madam Bones grimly. "We lost all communication with them once they crossed over the Straits of Menai ..."
"That's unsurprising," interjected Daphne. "Given the nature of the magic on the island, ordinary spells and enchantments tend to not work properly."
"Even so," said the Minister. He was looking directly at Harry, making him feel uncomfortable. "We don't know the fate of those brave men and women and we are running out of time. I've gained the Wizengamot's approval - in record time, I might add - to marshall the Ministry's entire defensive apparatus and direct it towards Ynys Mon. We'll have this case wrapped up before nightfall. I'm sure the capable men and women in the Auror corps will have no trouble taking care of a rag-tag group of Muggleborns."
"That's not true," said Harry, steadfastly looking away from the Minister and refusing to meet his predatory gleam. "Madam Bones, Daphne tells me she informed you of the threat posed by the magic the Muggleborns possess. Why are we not giving this threat enough weight? Surely we can bring in someone from the Department of Mysteries ..."
"I will remind you, Auror Potter," snarled Madam Bones, "that I am your superior and not the other way around. For your information, we have already contacted the Department of Mysteries, and they have informed us that they can't give us any information. They also assure us that no hidden, Druidic magic could possibly have landed in the hands of those Muggleborns. As the Minister mentioned, we are running out of time."
"I wasn't aware you were Auror Greengrass' partner, Auror Potter," said the Minister, looking at him keenly. "Auror Greengrass mentioned her partner had been in contact with one of the rebels. Was it you she was talking about?"
Harry was unable to stop himself from shooting Daphne a surprised look. Madam Bones, however, was livid.
"Greengrass!" she raged. "How dare you not mention this! You know better, especially in a crisis like this! You'll be on probation for the foreseeable future, and after this has blown over, we'll have a discussion about your future in the Corps. Potter, who did get in contact with? Turpin?"
Daphne bowed her head and said nothing.
"I tracked down Hermione Granger," said Harry coolly. His respect for Madam Bones was dropping by several notches. There was no use hiding Hermione's involvement; it would come out sooner or later, and maybe he could use her name to chasten the Ministry.
Madam Bones certainly seemed taken aback. She glanced uncertainly between Harry and the Minister. "Minister perhaps we should reconsider ..."
"Nonsense, Amelia," said the Minister with forced cheerfulness. "Hermione Granger can't be more intelligent than the entire Department of Mysteries. In any case, we have instructions from the Wizengamot to attack - not even I can contravene the Wizengamot's orders."
"Perhaps in light of the new information ..." tried Harry, but the Minister cut him short.
"I'm afraid m'boy that there simply isn't enough time," he said in a grandfatherly voice that reminded Harry of Fudge. He was sure the Minister wouldn't appreciate the comparison. "Now I've enlisted some of your old friends to lead the Ministry forces - I know you're close to the Weasleys - and we're going to have you join them. There are ..."
"I'm afraid that won't be possible, Minister," said Harry quietly.
"Pardon?"
"That won't be possible, Minister," repeated Harry. "This is an unnecessary conflict - you need to treat with them ..."
"Auror Potter!" exclaimed Madam Bones. "Some respect for the Minister, please!"
"I'll remind you, Auror Potter, that you are an Auror," frowned the Minister. "Your job is to fight. My job, as the head of the Ministry, is to tell you when to fight. Unless you think you can do my job better than me?"
There was a challenge in his voice, but Harry ignored it.
"Need I remind you what these people did to the Notts?" asked Madam Bones.
"And need I remind you what the Notts had been doing to the Muggles and Muggleborns? Or what Elphias Doge did to Penelope Spencer?" shot back Harry. Daphne gasped behind him at his insubordination. "Perhaps if you had been as quick to bring Wizengamot members to justice as you are with Muggleborns, Minister, we wouldn't be in this situation."
"You have sworn Magical oaths, Potter," gritted Madam Bones.
"Magical oaths?" asked Harry, genuinely confused. "I didn't take any oaths."
"He skipped Auror training," interjected Daphne. "We take the oaths then."
Understanding dawned on Madam Bones' face. She exchanged a look with the Minister.
"You are still a part of the corps, Auror Potter," she said quietly, reaching for her wand. "You will be court-martialled for this disobedience. Greengrass, arrest Mr Potter."
Harry's hand flew towards his wand, but before he could bring it out, he found himself pushed onto the floor face first. A pair of magic-suppressing handcuffs clinked around his wrists.
"I told you to work on your physical strength," whispered Daphne as she got up and brushed the dirt off her robes. The Minister wore a pleased look on his face. Madam Bones was still frowning. Frustrated, groggy - had he hit his head? - Harry tried to reach out for his magic, but then there was a flash of red and he knew no more.
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AN: Thanks for reading. If you like what you've read so far, I encourage you to follow the story and drop me a review. If you don't like the story, or have any recommendations for improvements to my writing style or my English, I would love hear them.
Update Policy: Updates at some point in the future. Please review, I appreciate your reviews :)