CHAPTER FOURTEEN: COVENS AND COVENANTS

Personal Office Space of Lord Thomas Gaunt

Gaunt House, Cornwall, England

20 November 1992

Lord Gaunt -

We find the contents of your missive amenable to our goals. I, however, have many qualms regarding the feasibility of your plan, particularly where the so-called Lord Dumbledore is concerned. His politics will make it rather difficult to implement your ideas, unless the political calculus in Britain has taken a sharp turn for the Traditional.

Despite the implementation troubles I forsee, I am intrigued by your plan and would like further information. What are the specific policies you plan to implement, and how will you guarantee the coven a seat on the Wizengamot?

Yours in sincerity,

Isleen Sayre

Matriarch, Sayre Coven

Lord Gaunt -

Such an intriguing morsel of information. It appears Britain is finally going to set upon the right path after many long years spent astray. We will support your mission from afar, though we will refrain from reuniting with the British and our northern sisters until you can prove that such an alliance will be more beneficial than remaining as a separate, superior Ireland. If your ill-fated campaign succeeds, we will re-evaluate the situation.

Orlaith Morholt

Matriarch, Morholt Coven

Thomas tapped his fingers idly on his desk.

"What's the word?" Lucius asked.

"Better than expected. Sayre Coven was receptive, and Morholt Coven didn't curse the letter. Orlaith Morholt was surprisingly civil."

Lucius shuddered. "I have never liked the Morholts."

Thomas shrugged elegantly. Personally, he held no warm feelings for the darkest and most dangerous coven. The Morholts had a reputation for dabbling in Olde Magick - the ancient rituals that once dominated the British Isles before and during the fall of the Roman Empire - and for often using their 'guests' as 'willing' participants for their practices. While Thomas was in no means a morally upright individual, and he fully embraced the use of the Dark Arts, he was nowhere near as twisted as the Morholt Coven and their corruption of what were once sacred practices.

"The Morholts may be our allies," Thomas said smoothly. "Orlaith is supportive of our mission, and once we are further along in our plan, we may be able to convince them to lead the rest of the southern covens to rejoin Britain. The O'Hares in the north are neutral enough to not actively hurt our cause, and all of the southern covens will certainly support us - that gives us Sayre, Morholt, Quigley, Quirke, and Rowan, with the possibility of O'Hare in the north."

Lucius frowned. "Not all of them can get seats on the Wizengamot."

"Of course not. Sayre and Morholt will require seats, and perhaps one of the northern covens as well to sweeten the pot. Most likely O'Hare, since they are the most sympathetic to our cause."

Lucius drummed his fingers. "At least three seats with have to be budgeted for the south - otherwise they'll feel the north is still getting a better deal."

"Sayre and Morholt are a given. Quirke, Quigley and Rowan will have to fight it out amongst themselves."

"So we'll end up with Rowan?"

"Most likely. Niamh Rowan is a formidable witch."

Lucius sipped his whiskey. "Indeed."

"The next question we have to solve is legislation. I believe I can finangle my way onto the committee boards, if needed, although you may be the more palatable choice as far as Regent Bones is concerned, and you have further sway given your position on the Hogwarts Board of Directors. Although," Thomas began, stopping mid sentence as an idea hit, "Narcissa may be an excellent candidate for the Primary School Director Board. She has the tact and cunning of a true Slytherin, and has plenty of connections in high society."

Lucius thought for a second. "That could work quite well, actually. Narcissa has languished somewhat this year, with Draco in school."

"Excellent. Speak with her, and find if she is amenable."

"I will. Now, to address the most important matter at hand…"

Thomas allowed himself to smile slightly. "Naturally. The matter of our errant Dark Lord. I sent Wormtail to search for him…"

"Wormtail?"

"Of course. He is expendable, after all."

Lucius chuckled darkly. "You do jest most wonderfully. Have you received any news?"

Thomas sipped his drink. "Wormtail has produced minimal information, much to my chagrin. I let him know the exact extent of my displeasure, and reminded him of my position in the Dark Lord's order. Needless to say, Wormtail should now be sufficiently motivated. He believes the Dark Lord has left the British Isles, and he now plans to search the Continent."

"Excellent. And in terms of the Dark Lord's inner circle…" Lucius asked, the smallest hint of anxiety creeping into his voice.

"As long as you keep up with your Wizengamot agenda, and succeed in implementing the majority of your policies, I believe the Dark Lord will hold you in high esteem."

Lucius smiled and raised his glass. "Now that's something I can truly drink to. To a new way of living!"

They chinked glasses, and Thomas allowed a satisfied grin to cross his face. "Indeed."

A knock sounded at the door.

"Ah, that would be Thaddeus," Thomas mused. "Come in."

The mahogany door opened soundlessly to reveal the tall graying figure of Thaddeus Nott.

"Welcome to my humble abode, Thaddeus. Would you care for a drink?"

"Certainly. Nice spot you have here, Thomas."

"Thank you." He carefully poured and passed a glass of whiskey. "How is your family, Thaddeus?"

"Excellent, actually. Diana is settling into her first year at Hogwarts, and has become fast friends with Anna Runcorn, and Tatiana Stark, of all people. The Runcorns are quite powerful, but I don't know how I feel about her association with the Stark girl - at least their family holds the right beliefs. I have no complaints about Theodore. He gets perfect O's in the classes where it matters and is on good terms with everyone in his year - which is less than what I could say for your son, Lucius."

Thomas watched in amusement as the muscle in Lucius' jaw tightened imperceptibly.

"Theodore really takes after his mother with all his tact - was Rhea your third cousin, Lucius?"

"Fourth," Lucius gritted out. "And the last of the Black Heights Malfoys."

"Yes, of course. A pity that Draco doesn't take after either of his, and his appearance

makes him undoubtedly yours."

Slight hints of pink tinged Lucius' cheekbones.

"And as for my eldest, Aria," Thaddeus continued, "she is the epitome of her mother as well. Driven, ambitious, intelligent, cunning - what more could I ask for in a daughter?"

Lucius fumed, and Thomas chuckled lightly. "Thaddeus, as much as it amuses me, leave Lucius alone. We need to plot our next legislative move, and all of us must be at top form."

Thaddeus muttered something under his breath that sounded like 'poncey arse.' Thomas chose to ignore it.

"Lucius and I have already discussed the primary schools," Thomas began. "We must chart our next move carefully. I made the mistake of beginning aggressively before, and I will not make the same error again. I have contacted the Sayre Coven and the Morholt Coven and will send word out to the Rowan Coven as well. I wish to lay the groundwork for a unified Britain."

"A wise plan, but what else?" Thaddeus asked.

Thomas smiled coldly. "Listen carefully…"

21 November 1992

POTTER, WOOD, IMPRESS AGAINST UAGADOU

by Ralph Whizzle

Despite his tender years, Hogwarts second year Harry Potter has proven himself a force to be reckoned with in the International Scholastic Tournament. Post-round one position polls rank Potter as the second best Seeker in the tournament. Durmstrang's Viktor Krum holds the top spot, and the top five are rounded out by Chloe Colarusso of Ilvermorny in third, Shu Zhong of Tang Taizong in fourth, and Elena Vasilieva of Koldovstoretz in fifth. Hogwarts sixth year Oliver Wood was another standout from the match where he saved all but five goals. His save ratio ties him for the second rank for the Keepers with Ilvermorny's Benjamin Sayre. Pyotr Isenbaev of Koldovstoretz claims the top spot. Both Durmstrang and Loihi's Keepers also had successful round one performances, with Hans Kowal and Amalia Barebone taking fourth and fifth spots respectively.

The rest of Team Hogwarts had a solid game as well, with the game against Uagadou ending with a score of 200-50 in favor of the Dragons. The Chaser machine of Marcus Flint, Angelina Johnson, and Roger Davies scored a combined ten goals, compared to Uagadou's five, putting Hogwarts in a solid lead before Potter caught the Snitch. Fred and George Weasley were equally important, disrupting many of Uagadou's plays and directly stopping three of the other team's goal attempts. Chaser and Beater ranking will be released later this week, and given Hogwarts' strong showing, it's highly likely that several players made it into the top ten.

Round two of the tournament will kick off on 12 December, where Hogwarts will face off against Koldovstoretz. The match will be played at Koldovstoretz, and those interested in buying tickets should owl Patricia Brightley in the Magical Games and Sports Department.

The other round two matches are as follows:

Tang Taizong versus Loihi, hosted by Tang Taizong School

Durmstrang versus Castelobruxo, hosted by Durmstrang Institute

Ilvermorny versus Mahoutokoro, hosted by Mahoutokoro

Ralph Whizzle is a former Chaser for the Falmouth Falcons

The Burrow

Devon, England

21 November, 1992

"Look, Bill, I just don't want to."

Bill stared into the Floo. At the tender age of twenty-two, he was busy juggling a full-time job as a curse breaker at Gringotts, his duties as a Wizengamot heir, and an attempt to act as a stand-in father for his six younger siblings. "What do you mean?"

Charlie sighed. "I don't want to. The dragons are my calling, not politics. I need to be out here, on the preserve, in the open air where I can breathe, not shut up in some chamber with a bunch of stuffy old purebloods."

"You're descended from a line of stuffy old purebloods."

"Yeah, and I want nothing to do with them!"

"It's your duty!"

"And I don't want to do it!" Charlie all but shouted. "It's not like we have a shortage of capable people to take my place - Fred, George -"

Bill snorted. "Please. They're less suited to politics than you are."

"-Ron-"

Bill thought for a moment. "You could be onto something there. He's so young though…"

"He's just as old as the heirs to the Nott and Malfoy seats," Charlie pointed out. "Besides, Ron stopped being a little kid when Dad died."

"Theodore Nott and Draco Malfoy won't have to sit on the Wizengamot until their fathers pass or otherwise cede the position to them. Ron would be bound to sit once he turns seventeen."

"That's no different than the position Harry Potter is in," Charlie argued. "And Ron has us to support and help him, while Potter has nothing."

"I thought you said you wanted to have nothing to do with the Wizengamot?"

"I don't, but you and Percy are heavily involved."

Bill sighed. "You aren't wrong."

Silence hung in the air, and suddenly Charlie chuckled.

"What?"

"It's ironic, isn't it, that the one Slytherin Weasley will be holding the Gryffindor seat."

"Funny."

"How's Mum doing?"

"...it would have been better if you hadn't asked."

"That bad, huh?"

"She's been working a lot, over at a small Spanish place in Sydewaize Alley, but it's long hours for little pay. Percy landed a good internship at the Ministry last summer and made a good bit of money. He didn't tell Mum how much of it he put towards Ginny's school supplies - it's funny, you wouldn't necessarily expect it of Percy, but he's got a protective streak a mile wide, especially when it comes to Ginny. Ron works hard over the summer, too, and takes at least one meal a day at the pub so that he doesn't strain the family's finances. It's sad, seeing a twelve-year-old like that, and even sadder seeing Mum not realize it. You're old enough to remember how she use to be…"

"Yeah, I remember. Never thought I'd wish to hear her yell."

"None of us thought we would."

A great feeling of melancholy filled the room, and Bill sighed as he checked his watch. "Look, Charlie, I've got to get to work now. It was nice talking to you, though, and I hope you'll give the Wizengamot seat a second thought. Get back to me by the end of next week - if you're going to bypass your duty, then I have to owl George, then Fred, and if they bypass as well, then Ron will inherit, and he'll need to prepare for that. Take care, Charlie."

"See you," Charlie mumbled before pulling out of the Floo.

Bill raked a hand through his hair. He had enough on his plate without Charlie shirking his family duties. He needed to work, navigate the insidious political landscape of the Wizengamot, and somehow find time to date and find a wife. He was getting old, and time was slipping through his fingers.

Bill straightened his cloak and threw a handful of Floo powder into the flames, shouting "Gringotts Employee Entrance!" before whirling away in the emerald fire.

"Mr. Weasley! Nice to see you this morning!"

Bill dusted the nearly imperceptible soot off his shoulders. "Good morning, Gresco," he said, nodding in the general direction of the portly wizard, who proceeded to beam at him before bustling off.

"Bogrod!" Bill called suddenly. "Greetings!"

The goblin nodded in acknowledgement.

"I was wondering if I could have a word."

"Certainly. In my office?"

"That would be preferable, thank you."

Bill followed Bogrod across the foyer and though the maze of corridors that formed the office side of Gringotts. As a curse breaker, Bill was more than familiar with the corridors and the goblins that ran them. The Goblin Nation was a ruthless and cunning people, and over the years, Bill had realized that goblin businessmen are incredibly shrewd, and make most Slytherins look like first year Hufflepuffs in terms of cunning. Their internal politics were just as nuanced as those of wizards, who most goblins held in high disdain. Bill seemed to be the exception to that particular rule, which caused him no small amount of worry. It was highly out of character for goblins to be genuinely respectful towards wizards, and they made no overtures of friendship without an ulterior motive.

"Here," Bogrod said, interrupting Bill's thoughts.

Bill followed him into the small chamber, and took a seat before the desk. "I have a question about the new junior cursebreaker program," he began. "Grausam mentioned it to me last week, and I was wondering what the details were."

"You're asking on behalf of your youngest brother, then?"

"Yes. I haven't said anything to him about it yet, though. I didn't want to get his hopes up in case it wasn't feasible for us."

"Prudent. The program is a ten-week immersion experience where a select group of young witches and wizards are able to learn the basics of curse-breaking - mostly the low-level arithmancy work. It's a paid position."

"How much?"

"More than sufficient for your younger brother's needs, should he pass our entry requirements."

"Thank you, Bogrod, I will pass that information onto him." With that, Bill left, still feeling like the goblin had somehow outwitted him during their exchange.

A/N: And the politics continue...