Disclaimer: I am not George Lucas or J.K. Rowling.\
Enter Granger, outside the Ministry Headquarters.
Enter the Floo image of Millicent Bagnold.
Bagnold. Charles. What's happened?
Granger. Have you seen this morning's decree?
Bagnold. Yes, I have.
Granger. It's time, Millicent. It's time to stop talking, and start doing. We have to bring in the Wizengamot.
Bagnold. I agree. But we must tread carefully. Have you thought about whom we should consult? Whom can we trust?
Granger. Not in detail. Lorcan McLaird springs to mind. I'm sure we can trust Mad-Eye Moody, too.
Bagnold. Agreed. What about Dugald McPhail? His heart is in the right place. Or Ellie Cattermole.
Granger. [shakes his head] Maybe later. It will take a few hours at least to figure out exactly where they stand. We need to start with Senators we know we can trust.
Bagnold. All right. Then Hepzibah Smith would be my next choice. And, I think, Evans of Spinner's End.
Granger hesitates.
Granger. Lily? I'm not sure.
Bagnold. You know her better than I do, Charles. But in my mind, she is exactly the type of Senator we need. She is intelligent, principled, extremely articulate, and she has the heart of a warrior.
Granger. She is also a longtime associate of Tom Riddle. He was her ambassador during her term as Queen of Spinner's End. How sure can you be that she will stand with us, and not with him?
Bagnold. There is only one way to find out.
Exit Bagnold.
Granger returns to his quarters, later that day.
Enter Lily, Bagnold, Mad-Eye Moody, Lorcan McLaird, and Hepzibah Smith, who sit down.
Granger. Now that he has control of the Order of the Phoenix, the Minister has appointed governors to oversee all regions.
Mad-Eye. When did this happen?
Granger. The decree was posted this morning.
Lily. I am no happier than the rest of you about this. But I've known Tom Riddle for years; he was my trusted advisor. I'm not prepared to believe his intention is to dismantle the Wizengamot.
Bagnold. Why should he bother? As a practical matter, the Wizengamot no longer exists.
Granger. Riddle no longer has to worry about controlling the Wizengamot. By placing his own lackeys as governors over every region in the Ministry, he controls our domains directly. He's become a dictator. We made him a dictator.
Hepzibah. The parliament is in shreds. Amendment after amendment . . . executive directives, sometimes a dozen a day. What can we do about it?
Bagnold. That's what we asked you here to discuss, what we're going to do about it.
Mad-Eye. I'm not sure I like where this is going.
Granger. None of us likes where this is going. That's exactly the point. We can't let a thousand years of democracy disappear without a fight.
The other Senators look at Senator Granger, shocked.
Hepzibah. What are you suggesting?
Granger. I apologize. I don't mean to sound like a separatist.
Bagnold. We are not separatists trying to leave the Ministry. We are loyalists trying to preserve the democracy within the Ministry.
Granger nods in agreement.
Granger. I asked you all here because of all the Senators in the galaxy, you four have been the most consistent, and influential, voices of reason and restraint, doing all you could to preserve our poor, tattered parliament. We don't want to hurt the Ministry. With your help, we hope to save it.
Bagnold. It has become increasingly clear that Riddle has become an enemy of democracy. He must be stopped.
Lily. The Wizengamot gave him these powers. The Wizengamot can rein him in.
McLaird. Senator. I fear you underestimate the amount of corruption that has taken hold of the Wizengamot. Who will vote against Riddle now?
Lily. I will. And I'll find others, too.
Granger. You do that. Make as much noise as you can, keep Riddle watching what you're doing in the Wizengamot. That should provide some cover while Senator Bagnold and I begin building our organization, the Order of Merlin . . .
Lily. Say no more. It's better to leave some things unsaid. Right now, it's better I don't know anything about . . . anything. [aside] Don't make me lie to my husband, Charles. Please. Don't make me lie to him. It will break his heart.
Seeing her expression, Granger nods.
Granger. Very well. Other matters can be left for other times. Until then, this meeting must remain absolutely secret. Even hinting at an effective opposition to Riddle can be, as we have all seen, very dangerous. We must agree never to speak of these matters except among the people who are now in this room. We must bring no one into this secret without the agreement of each and everyone of us.
Bagnold. That includes even those closest to you, even family. To share anything of this will expose them to the same danger we all face. No one can be told. No one.
All nod.
Lily. Agreed.
Exit all.