Harry Potter and the Change of Fate
By Uncle Potter
Chapter eleven
A few days later saw Harry dealing with his problems the way he always did. He tried to ignore it. In his attempt to pretend he was alright, he finally decided to tackle another problem. Neville needed to learn about Bella.
Harry was nervous about this for obvious reasons. Honestly, how does one bring a subject like this up? "Hey, Mate, how are things your way? By the way, the evil bitch you've hated all your life isn't evil, and she's been released in my custody." talk about a difficult conversation.
Never the less, Harry was on his way to the Gryffindor common room for just that reason. Of course there is a good possibility that Neville already knows about that, seeing that his Grandmother is a member of the Wizengamot. That brings a whole new problem. If he does know, how will he take the fact that Harry hasn't come to talk to him about it, yet? Harry took a fortifying breath as he approached the portrait of the Fat Lady. He spoke the password quietly and entered.
He looked around the common room for Neville. Not seeing him, he headed up to the sixth year boys' dorms. He opened the door to see Ron, Seamus, Dean, and Neville sitting on Ron's bed talking. He cleared his throat to get their attention.
"Neville, could we talk for a bit in private?" he asked nervously.
Neville eyed him for a moment and nodded. "Sure thing, Mate."
He followed Harry to the hall outside of Gryffindor Tower. Harry put up some privacy charms.
Harry fidgeted for a few moments before he finally started. "Now I have something to discuss with you, but I want you to promise me that you'll hear me out."
Neville braced himself. He knew what this was about. Harry just better have a good explanation for this. Belatrix LeStrange is the reason for his parents being in the state they were in, but he trusted Harry, so he would hear him out. He nodded.
"You may have heard that Belatrix LeStrange has been pardoned from her illegal activities." he said, looking Neville in the eye. When Neville nodded again, he continued
"The reason for that is, none of what she did was her fault. She was under the control of her husband via the Volundus Viro curse attached to her betrothal contract. She quite literally could not stop herself from doing the things she did." Harry handed the betrothal contract to Neville as proof.
Neville looked over the contract. He understood most of it. Belatrix was basically given to Rudolphus LeStrange in exchange for a loyalty oath to Orion Black and some gold. Add in this curse that Harry was talking about, and all added up to a huge pile of shite.
"What, exactly, does this curse do, Harry?" he asked
Harry sighed, glad that his friend wasn't going to jump off the deep end. "I basically represses her own free will, and replaces it with that of her husband. Her husband wanted a wife who was devoted to Voldemort; he got a woman who was insanely devoted to Voldemort."
"That is quite possibly the most vile thing I have ever heard of." said Neville disgustedly, "And the fact that it led to my parents…"
"Actually, Nev, that was all the LeStrange brothers." Harry interrupted. "Belatrix was busy looking for information at the time."
"Harry, Are you sure?" he asked, "She was convicted in front of the Wizengamot. Hell, she admitted to it."
"True," Harry said, "but, that's what her husband wanted from her. She would have admitted to killing the queen. Hell, she might have killed the queen if Rudolphus wanted her to."
Neville shook his head in exasperation. "This is a lot to take in, Harry. I've hated Belatrix LeStrange my whole life. I don't think I can just start liking her overnight."
"I wouldn't dream of asking you to. All I'm asking is to not attack her if you see her." Harry explained. "And her name is Bella, now. I dissolved the marriage, took her magic, and cast her from the family temporarily."
Neville nodded. "Is that all, or is there another bombshell to drop on me?"
"A muggle phrase?" Harry asked, "I didn't think you'd know one of those."
"Hermione." Neville said
Harry nodded understandingly before becoming serious again. "There is one more thing, Nev."
"What now?" Neville asked hollowly
"Well, Bella found a way to get her family name back." Harry braced himself. "She found a way, using a minor form of the cruciatis curse, to return someone from deep catatonia. Meaning, that she has found a way of restoring your parents."
Neville's eyes shot wide. "Are you serious? Are you sure? How can you be certain?" he asked quickly
"I'm sure, Nev, She sent her research to three renown mind healers. They all say that it will work. Right now St. Mungo's has them on a strict potion schedule, signed off by your grandmother. It will probably take about four or five weeks with these potions before they try the spell."
"What would happen if it fails?" Neville said anxiously.
"I don't the details,"Harry said "But there should be no change at all if it doesn't work. But if it does, it will likely be several weeks before they can leave the hospital."
Neville didn't respond. He just made an indecipherable sound and turned to head back into the common room.
"And Neville." Harry said, causing the boy to turn once again, "I don't think it would be a good idea to mention this to anyone until we know whether or not it works. Well, maybe Luna."
Neville said he would keep it secret and went into Gryffindor Tower. His hope for his parents finally restored. Once in his bed, Neville silenced his curtains and screamed in frustration. What was he supposed to think now? He had spent almost his entire life hating her for effectively leaving him orphaned. And now to find out that she wasn't guilty was just too much to take in. Also she could possibly be responsible for returning his parents to him. How was one to take that?
Albus Dumbledore sat in his office thinking about everything that has occurred since the unfortunate events at the Department of Mysteries. He had finally informed young Harry of the prophecy. Or rather, he began to. During Harry's moment between life and death, he had found out that and a few other things. Most important of them was the confirmation of Tom's horcruxes.
Aside from that, Albus found that his relationship with Harry to be quite strained. Not that he blamed the youth. Harry was cordial with the headmaster, and even polite, but the trust he once had with Harry was all but gone. Albus wasn't fooled by the embrace that he received upon his explanation. Harry was angry and hurt. Albus would have to work hard to repair the bridge he had damaged by his need for secrecy.
He stood from his desk and paced the room, lost in his thoughts. Rarely did the aged headmaster doubt his actions, but on this night, he thought of how he might have done things differently.
He should have had better monitoring of Harry's upbringing. Minerva told him how despicable those muggles were, yet he ignored her. Harry's safety was more important than his comfort. Yet was Harry truly safe? With the neglect and abuse Harry had suffered, he was lucky to have survived. Also those same conditions may have caused Harry to become a hateful, vengeful person. Albus thanked whatever gods were listening that this had not come to pass.
Harry's safety inside the school was also compromised at least once per year. This was a painful failure to Albus. He took pride of the lengths he went to make Hogwarts as safe as possible. Only for it to fail in regards to the 'golden trio'.
And to be truthful, Harry should have been told of his destiny years ago. Maybe after his second year. He had already faced a basilisk. He proved that he was mature enough to handle the prophecy. Also he would have begun his training much earlier.
The triwizard tournament was a surprise to everyone, Albus included. On his way to the antechamber, he spoke to bartamius, trying to find a loophole or something that would allow Harry to withdraw, alas when Harry took the parchment from Dumbledore's hand, it symbolized Harry's acceptance of the nomination and sealed the contract.
The rest of the events of that year were difficult for him to understand. For instance, everyone knew that mermaids and veela were bitter enemies. Poor miss Delacour was almost killed upon entering the lake. Also and more alarming, why hadn't he realized that Alistor was acting peculiar. He had known the grizzled auror for over thirty years.
Another problem he should have reigned in was Severus. He made it perfectly clear on Harry's first lesson that he was not welcome in that class. True Dumbledore would reverse any point reduction that Harry would receive unfairly, but he did little else to stop Severus's bullying. All so he wouldn't lose his spy. A spy that was, until then, unneeded.
It was time to pull out the pensieve. These observations didn't add up.
Voldemort sat on his throne in was Malfoy Manner. When he initially heard the news of the failed mission to kill Potter's relatives, he was furious. Two low level death eaters died because of his fury. Yet now, he was pensive about this new development. Dolohov was dead, but that wasn't important. What was interesting was how he died.
Apparently, Harry Potter grew some fangs. He may not have liked the idea of killing, but he didn't hesitate in doing so. This could be a concern or something to be exploited. He would ponder this further, and figure out how to turn this to his advantage.
Kat Landley sat in her office, going over the notes that her new employer had given her. Most of the steps were there and were almost obvious to the project. The first part of the potion was so simple that, she was truly surprised no one had done this yet.
A bit of wolfs bane here, monkshood there, a few other more rare ingredients ground into a compound of sage and powdered bezoar. Any fledgling potioneer could come up with this much, yet they all over thought it. She included herself in this list of potion makers.
The real challenge comes with the next few steps. Ocean water collected during the high tide was crucial, as well as the blood that Harry collected. Now it was just figuring out boil duration, stirring techniques, and simmer length as well as cooling time. She had enough of the blood to experiment a bit but it wasn't an endless supply by any means. She would have to be careful.
Kat understood why Harry was entrusting her with this knowledge. He was desperately hoping to cure his friend, Remus Lupin. The problem was, this ritual wasn't exactly a cure. It was integration. It would kill the wolf itself, but many of the wolf's traits would be brought into the man. Some were helpful like the increased strength, dexterity, and senses. However some were not so helpful. Mr. Lupin would be a nit more reckless, often hostile and territorial. Hopefully with some occlumency, he may be able to overcome those to a degree. Harry would need to discuss this with Mr. Lupin before undergoing the ritual.
She shook herself out of her thoughts and returned to her research. That would be a discussion for another time. Now she had work to do.
Right now she had history to make.
Narcissa and Bella were sitting at the small table in Bella's room, discussing the treatment that Bella had discovered. Narcissa was understandably proud of the accomplishment. The best mind healers at saint mungo's had worked for the last fifteen years to help the Longbottoms without success. But her sister was able to in two short months.
Belatrix, on the other hand, was still too upset to enjoy it. She had lost over twenty years of her life to Rudolphus LeStrange and Voldemort. And just when she gets her freedom from her ex-husband, she loses her magic and her family. The loss of her magic was a blow that was nearly unbearable, but the loss of her family… that almost killed her.
Not that she didn't understand why it happened. It was the only way to be truly free of the curse and Voldemort. If Lord Black hadn't cast her from the family, any husband that she might have in the future (though she doubted marriage was in the cards for her) would have complete control of her free will. And by taking her magic, he had also taken the Mark from her. This severed the tie to Voldemort, forever freeing her from his grasp. She truly was grateful to her Lord. But she hoped that he would take her back into the house of Black once again.
The door to her room opened and two people walked in. one was once her favorite cousin, Sirius. The other was the reigning Lord Black. She curtsied and Narcissa gave a deep feminine bow. Lord Black motioned for them to rise and sit, which they did. There was a tense moment before Harry opened his mouth to speak.
"Bella," he said seriously, "I have looked over your work and the letters from the mind healers. They are planning to start the treatments a week from tomorrow. You'll be happy to know that they are expected to make a full recovery based on your work."
She nodded demurely.
"On a different subject, I have a few questions, if you don't mind."
"I will answer them to the best of my ability, Lord Potter-Black" she responded formally.
Harry nodded to himself. "Do you Love your old family?" he asked
Bella wasted no time answering, "Yes, Milord. With all my heart."
Harry paused. "Would you die for them?" he asked
Again she answered, "Without a thought, Milord."
"Would you protect them?"
"With everything I have."
"Would you live for them?" he asked softly.
She looked up into his eyes, seeing his sincerity. "Every day."
"Would you swear to it?"
"IF I had magic, I would."
Harry smiled. "Then, Rise to your feet , Belatrix Black and stand with your kin."
Tears immediately rolled down Bella's cheeks as she stood. "Thank you, Mil-"
"Harry." Harry interrupted. "We're family, now/"
She laughed a watery laugh of relief and happiness as she hugged him tighter than Hermione ever dared, thanking him over and over. She didn't have her magic, but she had her family. She could do anything, now.
As time went by, Hermione got more and more worried about Harry. He went about his days like nothing had happened. She watched him teach his classes (not being allowed to take the class still irked her) as well as train and take his other classes. To anyone else, it would appear that nothing had happened. And indeed, the ministry covered up the attack on the Dursleys spectacularly. Hermione knew better. The weight of what happened was holding Harry down.
She wished she knew what she could do to help him. They studied in his quarters every evening. She watched as Harry tried to deal with the guilt of taking a life by himself. She would give him small forms of comfort like small touches on his hand when they were reading together and such. But until he confided in someone, there was little to be done for him.
She entered his quarters for their nightly study session to see Harry sitting on the edge of the sofa with his face buried in his hands. There was no movement of his shoulders to signify that he was crying, but she knew that he was. Harry showed no outward signs of weeping because of long years of training from his relatives. He would often be punished severely for sobs that might come from his cupboard and interrupt the rest of the family. Because of this, Harry learned quickly to cry silently. Another thing that those Dursleys would pay for.
She dropped her books unceremoniously to the floor and ran to her boyfriend.
"Harry, what's wrong?" She asked though she knew the answer, but he needed an opening. She wrapped arm around his shoulders for comfort.
"I can't do it anymore, 'Mione." he said thickly, "I can't keep going around pretending that I'm not a killer. That I didn't look into a man's eyes as he died because of MY blade. That I'm not a monster."
Hermione grabbed his hands and pulled them from his face so she could look into his blood shot, red rimmed eyes. "Harry James Potter, you are not a monster. If you hadn't killed him than he would have killed Tonks and probably dozens of other people, as well." she said through her own tears.
"Then I go and tell the Order that it was a good thing, and we should do it more often. What kind of man does that?" He cried.
"A man who wants for his loved ones to survive a war, Harry." she explained softly "You were right when you said that we were never going to win this war if the death eaters kept getting arrested and then freed. that's like taking a knife to a fight only to find that your enemy has a bazooka. You can't win."
Harry cried for a few more moments. "You have no idea how hard it is looking at myself in a mirror. Seeing a face just like my dad's, with eyes just like my mum's. how disappointed they must be." he ended the statement in a whisper.
"I seriously doubt that they would be disappointed in you, Harry." she said "They would likely be more upset of the necessity of what happened. You can't let this control you, Love" she pulled him into a hug that he seemed to need more than air.
They continued to talk for another three hours. Well, Harry did most of the talking. He needed to get this off of his chest in a bad way. And Hermione was only too happy to let him.
The next morning, Harry woke up feeling lighter than he had in weeks. Knowing that Hermione wasn't disgusted with him was a huge load off his mind, but also, he was able to start working past it. He still needed to talk to Sirius about it, but thanks to his wonderful, beautiful, brilliant girlfriend, he could get through it.
However, he had another concern, this morning. He had awakened to find an owl next to his bed. Obviously sent by his Potter Proxy in the Wizengamot, Andromeda Tonks. There was to be an emergency meeting of the Wizengamot at ten o'clock that day to try Cornelius Fudge and elect an interim minister for magic. She advised that Harry attend.
Harry had full intentions of attending the meeting. He had been the one to call for an investigation against Fudge to begin with. Now the git was going to trial. Harry noticed that the letter said 'trial' not 'hearing', so he assumed that they had levied criminal charges against him. That thought gave Harry a small smile.
Harry saw that it was 5:30 am. He put on his training gear and went on to his normal morning routine. At around eight a.m. Harry returned to put on his formal robes, and noticed Pansy sitting on his sofa, reading her charms book. Harry cleared his throat to get her attention.
She looked up and stood. "I'm sorry for entering without your approval, Milord, but the portrait said that it would be alright." she explained quickly.
Harry waved it off and asked "Is everything alright, Pansy? "
She nodded. "I heard about the Wizengamot meeting through Daphne. Her father is on the Judicial board. I thought that you might like a bit of foreknowledge about what today is to entail."
Harry raised his eyebrow. "You know what's going to happen?"
She shook her head, "Not the final outcome, no." she said, "I was speaking of the trial itself."
Harry nodded. "I get it." he said in understanding. "You were trained from an early age to deal with the Wizengamot because you were supposed to marry Malfoy, right?"
"That was the plan, Milord." she said with her eyes downcast.
"Would you please stop with this formal 'Milord' stuff?" Harry asked with a little irritation. "While we're not in a formal setting there is no call for it. I'm Harry, Not Lord Potter-Black. Alright?"
She looked him in the eye as though searching him, trying to figure out whether or not he was serious. Then nodded. "Alright, Harry."
Harry smiled. "Kinda weird hearing you say my given name after five years of just calling me Potter." he said jokingly. "It's nice, like we're friends."
She grinned and nodded. "I wanted to be your friend to begin with, but being betrothed to Draco, it wasn't good for my future plans."
Harry frowned and thought for a few moments. "Well, we don't have to worry about the great white Ferret anymore, so let's start now." he stuck out his hand. "I'm Harry." he said and smiled.
Amusement shown in her eyes as she accepted his hand. "Pansy."
Harry beamed. He really was feeling better after his talk with Hermione. "So, you said that you could fill me in on what's going on today." he motioned for her to sit.
She sat and nodded. "Today from what Daphne tells me is going to be in three parts. First is the No confidence hearing. That is just a formality, to be honest. Very few if any of the members want to be associated with Fudge after the debacle that led to my former betrothed to being stripped of most of his wealth."
Harry nodded. Politically he could understand that. Rats will be the first to abandon a sinking ship.
"Then you will be electing an interim Minister. This is done when some people will make nominations. Only four nominees are allowed so if you want someone to take up reigns be quick. Then each nominee will have three minutes to speak or have someone speak on their behalf. Once that's done, the Wizengamot votes. Any questions, thus far?"
"No, it's pretty straight forward." Harry said.
"It is. But it's the politicking that you need to think about." she said. "You have a great amount of political clout in this world, Harry." at his frown she smiled and continued, "I know that you don't really like it, but you need to come to terms with the fact that people will listen to what you have to say. Especially after that whole mess with the prophet last year, they'll want to try and make it up to you."
Harry looked at her confused. "Make it up to me?"
She nodded. "They'll want you and your influence on their side at some point, so they'll try to make up for the mess that Fudge made last year, hoping to gain favor."
"That sounds pretty underhanded." Harry said with a little disgust.
"That's politics, Harry." Pansy said with an amused grin. "You just need to learn how to hone your political power. Whether you like it or not, you are famous. You should use it. It could make a real difference in the magical world."
Harry let that sink in. he hated the idea of using his fame for anything. He didn't earn it. However Pansy was right, he had it regardless, and he could possibly use it to make things better. He just needed to learn how. He came to a decision.
"Pansy, How would you like for us to become closer friends?" he asked innocently.
Her eyes widened. "um… err, How close?" she asked nervously.
Harry laughed loudly. "Not as close as that question sounded apparently." he said. It was clear that he was teasing her.
She let out a breath. "Not funny, Potter." she said, though she was smiling as well. "What did you have in mind?"
"I was thinking of hiring you as my political consultant." he said simply.
Her eyes once again widened. "Are you sure?" she asked,
Harry nodded, "Yeah, and I have two reasons for this decision. First, you are here, on your own volition, helping me prepare for a Wizengamot meeting. No one asked you to help me, but you knew that I wouldn't know much about it."
She nodded in understanding.
"And second, I know that you'll do your absolute best in this, because you are a really good Slytherin, and could live the rest of your life from this job if you play your cards right."
She eyed him thoughtfully. "That is a very Slytherin way of thinking, you're right."
"Well, I probably would have been a Slytherin if I hadn't met Malfoy first. I argued with that hat for quite a while." he said.
"Now you're just funning me." she chuckled.
"No, it's true." he said simply. "The hat said I'd do well in Slytherin, but I had met Malfoy twice at that point and wanted nothing to do with him. I fought tooth and nail with that hat before it said Gryffindor.
Pansy couldn't help it. She laughed. "Oh that's just too good. Just imagine, the Boy-Who-Lived as an evil, Icky Slytherin." she said through her chuckles.
Harry laughed, as well. "I think Ron would have a stroke. The Hero of the Wizarding world taking up with you guys."
"Oh how I would have loved to corrupt you, Harry." she said.
"Down, Girl, " Harry said. "I am a one woman Bloke."
She stopped laughing and blushed furiously. "I didn't mean… I, um…"
Harry laughed again. "Too easy, Pansy." he said. "So do you want the job?"
She didn't have to think too long on the question. "I would like that, Harry."
"Great." said Harry. "Now I need to get ready so, what's the last part?"
"Oh." she said getting back to the reason she was there. "The third art of the meeting will be Fudge's criminal trial. I don't know what the charges are, but I could guess. Anyway, The judicial board will preside over that. There will be a prosecutor as well as Fudges defense solicitor. Charges will be read out by the foreman of the board and each solicitor will either present evidence or refute it. Once all the evidence has been discussed, there will be a vote. If he's found guilty, the board will decide what his punishment shall be. However any member of the Wizengamot can make suggestions."
Harry nodded and thought about it. "Alright. I won't be voting but I can talk with my proxies and we can work the details out. Thanks, Pansy."
"Any time, Boss." she said with a teasing smile.
"Remember that, Pansy" he said in a mock stern voice as he retreated to his bathroom.
Cornelius Fudge was ushered into the court room by a pair of aurors just as Harry was taking his seat. The man looked horrible, his face was white and a little pasty. He had lost some weight and his eyes were bloodshot. It looked as though he hadn't slept since the last Wizengamot meeting.
Harry waited for about ten minutes as the rest of the Wizengamot entered and took their seats. There was general murmurs and shuffling as Harry looked over to his Godfather and Potter proxy. Neither had any expression on their face as they waited for the Chief Warlock to begin.
Dumbledore banged his gavel twice and began, "I now call this emergency session of the Wizengamot into order." he said loudly. "Our first order of business is the motion of No Confidence for Minister Cornelius Oswald Fudge made by Lord Nathanial Greengrass. Are there any seconds?"
Sirius Raised his hand and said. "The house of Black seconds this motion."
Dumbledore nodded. "Very well, Minister Fudge, these are the reasons for the motion." he picked up a sheet of parchment. "We have evidence of bribery, misuse of Ministry funds, libel, slander, and abuse of power. Have you anything to say in your defense?"
Fudge looked around the room. Hoping for some kind of support. He saw none. He knew he was a goner. "No. Nothing." he said.
"Very well, shall we vote?" he looked around. "All those in favor of No Confidence?" almost all wands lit in the air. "All opposed?" none. "Abstained?" seven.
Dumbledore wrote something on the parchment before he addressed the Wizengamot again. "The Wizengamot has spoken. Cornelius Oswald Fudge, You are hereby expelled from the post of Minister for magic and shall remain in custody of the Dept. of Magical law enforcement until your trial later today. Any questions?" Fudge shook his head.
Dumbledore nodded. "Our next order of business is to elect a new Minister for magic. Are there any nominations?"
Andromeda Tonks stood. The House of Potter Nominates Amelia Bones for Minister."
Harry smiled. They had spoken just before the meeting about this. He and Andromeda had agreed that Madam Bones would be a perfect minister in a time of war. He looked to Madam Bones where she sat. her eyes widened in surprise for a moment, but otherwise showed nothing.
"Any seconds?" Dumbledore asked.
Again Nathanial Greengrass raised his hand. "The House of Greengrass seconds this nomination."
Very well, Lady Bones, Do you accept this Nomination?" Dumbledore asked
Madam Bones stood and said, "I do with thanks, Chief."
Dumbledore noted this and asked "Are there any more Nomination?"
Another man stood. "The house of Yaxley Nominates Pius Thickeness for minister."
Dumbledore nodded "Any seconds?" another hand raised. "The house of Parkinson seconds this nomination."
"Very well, Lord Thickeness, Do you accept this nomination?"
He stood. "I do chief." he sat.
"Are there any other Nominations?" Dumbledore asked. A man stood. The House of Diggory nominate Harry Potter for minister."
Harry's eyes shot wide. This was not good.
Dumbledore hesitated. "Are there any seconds?"
Another man stood, "The House of Blackburn seconds this nomination."
"Lord Potter do you accept this Nomination?" Dumbledore asked.
Harry stood. He thought quickly. "I thank You for your confidence, sirs, However I cannot in good conscience accept this nomination." He said, "I am still attending Hogwarts at this time as well as preparing to help rid the world of the Dark Lord. Therefore I cannot give the post of minister the time and devotion that it deserves. Perhaps later, when I'm little older and wiser, but for now I must decline with my thanks." Harry sat down.
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he listened to Harry. He then said, "As you wish, Lord Potter. Are there any other nominations?"
There were none.
"Very Well, at this time we will take a short recess so that our two nominees can prepare." he banged his gavel.
Harry rose from his seat and left the room. He wanted to speak with Madam Bones about her nomination. He understood that he was new to this and she probably would not listen to his ideas, but he wanted to, ay least, try.
He saw her speaking with Andromeda Tonks in the atrium. As he approached he realized that there was a privacy charm around them as he couldn't hear them speak and there lips seemed to blur. Andromeda saw him and pointed her wand at him. A moment later he could hear them speak.
"Lord Potter, I understand that it was your idea to nominate me. I thank you."
"Well, I thought you would be the best person for the job at this juncture. There is a war starting and we need someone to take charge of it. It's also imperative that Thickeness not get that spot. Parkinson Yaxley and Parkinson are behind him. Parkinson is at least sympathetic to Voldemort and I know that Yaxley is a Death eater."
Madam Bones nodded. "I came to the same conclusion."
"Well, I was thinking that I could say something on your behalf, Madam." Harry said. "I don't like using my fame, but I know that I have some pull because of it. And we do need someone like you for minister."
"I would appreciate that, Lord Potter." she said.
"When we're not in official settings, please call me Harry. I'm only a lord because of something my ancestors did."
Madam Bones smiled. "Very well, Harry. And in the same situations I would insist that you call me Amelia. After your speech, I would say that you have shown the maturity to be considered a colleague."
"Thank you, Amelia. I already have an idea as to what I'm going to say, but what say we fine tune it?" he said.
They spent the next few minutes discussing what would be said in the Wizengamot chambers. They decided that it would best if Harry did the talking seeing as he is who h is. Harry mad a face upon hearing Andromeda say that which caused both of the older women to chuckle.
Once back inside, Dumbledore banged his gavel once again. "We have two nominees for minister for magic. We shall now allow the nominees to say a few words. Lord thickeness?"
Pius thickeness stood and walked over to the raised dais. His long dark hair hung around his thin face and over his narrow shoulders. His dark eyes swept over the crowd as though he was a teacher looking at a particularly ignorant group of preschoolers.
"Lords and Ladies of the Wizengamot, I am a lowly servant of the people. Though there are difficult times ahead, I am sure that we will triumph over the scurge that threatens our very way of life. I will work tirelessly, if appointed, to rid the Wizarding world of this very threat. I will stop at nothing to help bring a new dawn to the Wizarding world. I shall start a thorough investigation to rid the ministry of the taint of undesirable witches and wizards. Also I will support laws that protect the GOOD people of our world. I thank you all for your consideration."
"Thank you, Lord Thickeness." Dumbledore said. "And now to say a few words in Lady Bones's regard, Lord Harry Potter-Black."
As Harry stood and walked to the dais, he thought about what Thickeness said. Funny how he didn't say which people were the good people, or who the undesirables were. That slimy git told them ll that he was supporting Voldemort without actually saying it. He sugar coated it and twisted it until people who didn't know he was a death eater would think he was firmly against Riddle. He showed himself to be a true politician.
Harry reached the dais and cleared his throat. He looked at the crowd and began to speak. "Lords and Ladies, I may not be the most experienced person in this gallery. I don't know the first thing about running for public office, however, I do know that Lady Bones is the best possible choice for the post of Minister for magic at this time. There is an evil that threatens us all and we need someone to defend us. We need someone who knows how to fight this evil. I support Amelia Bones because she understands that there is a war coming and that we all are in danger. I believe that she will work tirelessly to bring a lasting peace to the Wizarding world. I believe that she will be a fair and impartial leader, who will work for the betterment of our lives. And I KNOW that she will help us all see to the defeat of the self proclaimed 'Dark Lord'. I support Amelia Bones because she will not succumb to fear or bribery, and because she has shown countless times, that she is dedicated to not only the ministry, but the people of the Wizarding world. I urge you all to consider Amelia Bones for the Post of Minister for Magic. Thank you." Harry left the dais and went back to his seat.
"Thank you, Lord Potter-Black." said Dumbledore. "We shall take ten minutes for deliberation."
Thickeness and Madam Bones went to the front of the room and started answering questions from members of the Wizengamot. Both did very well in their own way. Thickeness made sure not divulge too much about his plans but assured them that he would work for the 'good' peoples' benefit. Amelia also didn't go into detail about her plans and ideas, but gave some thoughts. She made sure to be a bit more specific as to who she would be serving as minister. Which is to say all law abiding witches and wizards.
The vote was a close one. Amelia Bones won with fifty four votes to Thickeness's forty one. With five abstaining. Harry sighed in relief. Amelia Bones Was the new Interim Minister. There might be a chance to win this war without Voldemort turning the ministry against him. A fair Minister might help Harry defeat Voldemort once and for all. He hoped that it was enough.
Amelia Bones stepped up to the dais once again after her inauguration. "Thank you all for the confidence you have bestowed upon me." she began. "My first order of business is to conduct a thorough investigation within the ministry to weed out any of the 'Dark Lord's' supporters. There is no room in he ministry for corruption and I shall not tolerate prejudice of any sort. While doing this, I shall begin preparation for the fight against the 'Dark Lord' and his death eaters. Thank you again."
A few moments passed with polite applause from the Wizengamot members. Harry noticed that the more obvious of the death eater contingency withheld their applause. He also noticed that several of those same people seemed to be a little too stone faced for comfort. He would need to warn her before he left for Hogwarts. He would like for her to live long enough to enact some of these policies.
Dumbledore banged his Gavel and started the next part of the Wizengamot meeting. "Thank you, Minister Bones." he said cordially. "And now, I ask that the Judicial Board take their places, so that we can begin the trial."
Approximately five minutes later, the Judicial board as well as the two solicitors were in place. The Board was made up of five people. Harry recognized most of them. Amelia Bones as minister was one of them, as well as Dumbledore as Chief Warlock, also Nathaniel Greengrass. Harry didn't recognize the other two. He did notice that Rufus Scrimgeor was acting the part of prosecutor, but din't know the defense solicitor.
"As we have all gathered and prepared, let this trial of Cornelius Oswald Fudge commence." he held up a scroll and read, "Cornelius Oswald Fudge, you stand accused of slander, corruption, abuse of power, child endangerment, and obstruction of justice. How does the defendant plead?"
The defense stood. "The defendant pleads not guilty."
"Very Well." Said Dumbledore "Your opening statements, councilor."
The man stood again and addressed the people. "Lords and Ladies, throughout these proceedings, I will prove that Mr Fudge acted out of the best interest of the Wizarding World. I will also show that the Former Minister's crimes were carried out not by him, but a former employee of the ministry, without his knowledge. I will also bring to mind his years of exceptional work to show his impeccable dedication to the ministry. Thank you." he bowed slightly and retook his seat.
"Prosecution, your opening Statements." said Dumbledore.
Scrimgeor stood and nodded to the Board before Addressing the people with his grizzled voice. "Lords and Ladies, throughout this trial I will show proof of dealings with people who have shown themselves to be criminals. I will show documented evidence if his interference with Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, leading to the endangering of no less than twenty five students. I will also sho evidence of his dealings with the Daily Prophet that show his decision to slander not only Lord Potter-Black, but also Chief Warlock Dumbledore. I will prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is indeed guilty of the crimes that he is accused. Thank you." he nodded to the crowd respectfully and sat.
The Trial was was a lot shorter than most would have thought a high publicity trial would be. Fudges solicitor tried to pass the buck for most of his crimes off to Umbridge, but Scrimgeor was able to produce signed orders for most of the things she did, including the use of a blood quill. Scrimgeor also showed documents, obtained from the goblins of Gringotts, that showed exponential increases to his vaults that were far beyond his yearly pay as minister. He also showed signed orders written to the Daily Prophet telling them what kind of articles they were to print in regards to Dumbledore and Potter. The last thing brought up by Scrimgeor was the duel between House Potter-Black and House Malfoy. The defense tried to use Fudge's career as a servant of the people to gain some sympathy, but it was too late.
"Now the Board will deliberate on the verdict." Dumbledore announced
The deliberation lasted almost two minutes before the verdict was reached. Harry almost laughed at how quickly they made a decision.
"The Judicial Board of the Wizengamot find the accused, Cornelius Oswald Fudge, Guilty of all their any words from the Wizengamot?"
Harry looked around and saw non. Finally, he nodded to his Proxy.
Andromeda Tonks stood "Chief Warlock, House Potter has a suggestion."
Dumbledore looked at Harry and nodded. "You have the floor Lord Potter-Black."
She didn't move. " Lord Potter personally suggests that the gold he accrued from illegal means be devided. One part to help fund the auror program and one part to start a fund benefiting victims of the war and their families. Beyond that, I have no further suggestions." she sat.
Dumbledore looked proudly at Harry before addressing his colleagues. "All in favor of Lord potter-Blacks proposal." all five hands raised. "Very well. The funds from Mr Fudge's Illegal dealings will divided equally among the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and a new charitable organization to benefit victims of death eaters." he banged his gavel.
He paused a moment, letting his featured once again become neutral. "Also Mr. Fudge, you are to be sentenced to ten years in Azkaban for the charges of child endangerment and obstruction of justice. After your release, you shall be exiled from Britain for the rest of your life in accordance to the law regarding corruption and abuse of power. And finally you will be fined thirty thousand galeaons for the slander against myself and Lord Potter-Black do you understand the sentence. "
Fudge could only nod.
"Very well, Aurors take him." Dumbledore addressed the rest of the Wizengamot, "Thank you, Lords and Ladies for attending on such short notice. This meeting is adjourned." he banged his gavel one last time and stood to leave with the rest of the Judicial Board.
AN: Thank you all for your patience. I am sorry for the huge delay. I have a bit of a financial crisis at the moment and cannot afford to keep my internet running. I am using a friends computer to upload this chapter.
It's a bit longer than I had originally intended. I try to keep my chapters pretty close to the same length but sometimes that can't be helped. I wanted to address a number of things in this chapter, like the Belatrix angle, and Neville's reaction. Remember that he trusts Harry, and that's the only thing that kept him from going off the deep end. Well that and the fact that she found a way to help his parents.
I also wanted to get past the guilt thing. I didn't want that to take over the story for too long. True, it will likely change the character a small bit, but I didn't want it to become the story like some writers tend to do. Howsever I wanted to make sure that readers could see that taking a person's lif, regardless of how evil the person is, is not an easy thing to overcome. I've read too many stories where Harry kills death eaters and it doesn't phase him at all. That is not reality.
And lastly I wanted Fudge out of the way. There likely won't be too much more in the way of Wizengamot meetings in the future of this story, but that doesn't mean that Harry won't be learning more about politics. Mostly it will be under duress, but he will be taking lessons from Pansy. Primarily, this is because I have plans for that particular Slytherin later.
Thank you all for reading. If you have suggestions as to how I can improve the story or my writing methods, please review and let me know. And please forgive any typos that appear in this chapter. Beta readers are apparently a dying breed.