Disclaimer: See Chapter One
A/N: So sorry for the delay! The laptop I use had an unfortunate accident where the screen cracked. But I'm up and running again. So to all those who have expressed worry let me reassure you that I will not abandon this story! Want to give a big thanks to all of you who have reviewed and who continue to follow my story. I hope you all enjoy this next installment of Passageways!
Chapter 21
From Black Hills manor, Dorea and Charlus Potter, and all the adult Black family members, flooed to their respective private offices at the Ministry of Magic. Being senior members of the Wizengamot had its perks, because of their ancient and noble status they were allowed to have these private connections.
This was a boon to Harry and Bella who would not have to go through normal security checks to enter the Ministry of Magic, as guests of the senior members were given exceptions to the rule. Harry and Bella had accompanied Charlus and Dorea to the Potter office with their identities remaining a secret.
It was a surprisingly large office with a large rich mahogany desk, a small conference table that could seat about ten people, several comfortable looking leather chairs and a matching leather couch. Above the mantle of the fire place was the coat of arms for the Ancient and Noble House of Potter, with several portraits of former heads along the walls.
A security brief was waiting for Charlus on his desk detailing the events of the Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade attacks. Every member of the Wizengamot was given this brief by the department of Magical Law Enforcement. As Arcturus and Charlus had believed; the topic of the emergency session would be these recent attacks.
The brief contained a list of those who were wounded or killed in the attacks, also an estimate of the collateral damage in Galleons, including cost of repairing damaged buildings, healer response along with emergency medical services provided by St. Mungo's. There were witness statements, photographs, as well as the most recent progress report into the investigation of the attacks, i.e. the names of perpetrators, those individuals or organizations involved.
Theories, suppositions, and allegations were not a part of the official report, but Charlus knew that these things would be raised on the floor of the Wizengamot and it would be an intense oral debate. Charlus wasted no time and quickly began sending flying memos to those that were part of the Potter voting bloc; he called for a quick meeting with his colleagues before the session began.
Orion under Arcturus' direction was doing much the same with those families he knew were loyal to the Blacks or at least were indebted someway to the Blacks by fair means or foul. Both patriarchs would counsel their colleagues not to be pressured into an immediate vote of any kind today, but require the Chief Warlock to allow the customary three days of review before calling for a vote on any kind for new legislation.
Charlus excused himself to meet with his delegation and prepare them for how they were going to respond as a bloc in council. He would return after the meeting before the session began and they would all make their way to the Potter box in the Wizengamot Council chamber.
Harry was interested in how the political dynamics of the Wizengamot and its members worked, and realized quickly that it took a savvy and shrewd person to figure out how the political game was played and won. His grandparents and his new in-laws both appeared to be very knowledgeable and experienced with the real way the government worked.
Bella seemed to be in her element absorbing everything around her with childlike enthusiasm, asking Dorea question after question. Dorea was extremely patient and was very willing to illuminate the two teens on the ins and outs of political life and also educating them on the pitfalls and the cutthroat atmosphere.
"Grandmother, how would I find out if the Eveningshades were ever members of the Wizengamot?" Harry asked curiously.
"I don't know for sure but I believe that they were, but depending on their membership they may not be anymore." She replied thoughtfully.
"What do you mean?" Harry asked.
"Well, it depends, if they were a Founding member, a Hereditary member, or Common member, that is a purchased membership." She explained.
"I still don't understand, grandmother." He told her.
"A permanent member or what is commonly known as a Founding Member, Harry, is a House, who participated in the creation of the Ministry; they were the Lords of the era when the Ministry was first established and thus were given permanent member status in the Wizengamot, which is the ruling body of our government. Even if that family has become extinct, their seat still exists.
There are a total of fifty Founder seats but only twenty that are active. Thirty have gone extinct. Although according to Pollux, twenty-four of those extinct houses have resurfaced from the muggleborns. If they were to be reintegrated…well, that would indeed cause a stir." She chuckled mischievously.
"Now, a Hereditary member is a House which gained its Wizengamot position by being landowners or lords over a fiefdom, they were compelled to provide taxes for the Ministry, and wizards and witches to the government in times of war or civil unrest and in return they were given a representative seat in the government. As long as they did not lose their titles and lands, their seats would exist in perpetuity.
However, if they lost their titles or lands, either by conquest, forfeiture, sold, acts of gods, or from a vote of disenfranchisement from the Founding members, their seats would be then offered to another lord. There are only one hundred available hereditary seats. Of course with the collapse of the Feudal system, the requirements for the maintaining of the title of lord have been changed to allow titles to be passed down from father to son, without the need of being a lord over a fiefdom.
Also, if a House in this second group cannot produce a male heir, their seats will be either sold to another great house that had not been able to have a seat because of the number limit. However, a House's seat can be saved if they have a female member who is of the main line. She would have to acquire a consort bond with a man of equal status and produce a son that could take over her House's lordship. But failing to produce a male heir would result in that House permanently losing their seat." She explained.
"A consort bond?" Harry asked.
"Yes, in other words she would be the second wife to a lord of equal status to her own house. She would not carry her husband's name, nor is she or any children she would bare to him entitled to that house's titles, lands, or fortunes. Her son would become the new lord of her own family's house." She told him.
"Ug, I guess I asked!" Harry groaned. Dorea smiled sympathetically at her grandson.
"Now, where was I? Oh yes! The last group is the Commons, they are members who come from some of the newer families given House status. These houses have come to economic or social prominence through business or other means. They are allowed to purchase seats in the Wizengamot but again only one hundred seats are available to them. These seats are not hereditary and once that person is deceased or can no longer perform his duties that seat is then put up for sale, but, final approval of a new house getting those seats must come from the Founder membership." Dorea explained.
"So there are no elected seats?" Harry asked.
"No. Though there have been attempts at legislation from this third group to have elected seats. As you can imagine, the older families do not particularly embrace the idea. So, they have not been able to get enough votes for the measure to pass." She explained.
"If there are so few permanent members in the Wizengamot, why do the other two groups fear them? It seems to me that the other groups could pretty much do as they want? How will grandfather or Arcturus stop anything that comes to the floor?" Harry asked.
"Very good question, Harry. You see, there were safe guards put into the bylaws of the Wizengamot. Any proposed legislation must have a sponsor from a permanent member of the Wizengamot, or it will never see the light of day.
This little caveat is the catalyst for many of the factions we have today. Amongst the permanent members you have those who are the so called light faction, the dark faction, and the neutrals. The memberships of the two other bodies align themselves with a permanent member who best fits their politics.
These alliances are what create a voting bloc. The light and dark factions are fairly even numbered, with the largest faction being the neutrals. However, the neutrals are not as fanatical as the other two factions and so aren't as passionate about their politics. The neutrals would better be classed as a loose coalition at best.
They rarely will get involved with legislation that did not immediately affect them in some way. Arcturus is hoping to tighten and rally the neutrals around the premise that Voldemort's true goals are not one of Pureblood prominence but the subjugation of every magical in the Kingdom."
"Placing himself, or at least the House of Black in a very powerful position politically." Harry added with a smirk.
"With House Potter as a co-sponsor, it would bring a lot of prominence to both families, Harry, not to mention what it will do for the Eveningshades as well. It is how things are accomplished Harry, you can't hope to make changes without the political strength behind you to do so."
"I understand grandmother, I do. It just feels like a sneaky way to do things."
Dorea chuckled warmly. "Well my dear, if you had been born a thousand years ago, the power of the wand was stronger than the quill, but today that is just not the case. But not to worry, your family is quite astute in the political arena." She affectionately hugged her grandson to her chest and kissed his forehead.
"Now, to answer your initial question about the Eveningshades, we'll have to look in the book of Wizengamot Houses." Dorea stated looking through her husband's bookshelf.
"Aha! Here it is." She declared pulling an old tome from the bookshelf. "Now the families are listed alphabetically…hmmm let's see." Dorea flipped through the pages quickly, glancing at the name found at the top of each page.
"Eveningshade!" She affirmed loudly. Well, it appears that your house was not one of the founding houses, I expected as much, so they are not permanent members of the Wizengamot. It does state that they did have a hereditary seat and had taken over several other hereditary seats by means of conquest or as payment for debts owed, in fact they controlled…oh my… seventeen seats. Now that's curious." Dorea frowned looking at the book.
"What's curious?" Bella asked having followed the conversation with interest.
"The dates of when the Eveningshades lost control of sixteen of those seats." Dorea said thoughtfully.
"What about them grandmother?" Harry asked.
"It's odd, because all of the seats but one were lost on October 31, 1810 and the last in 1817. It's curious that there were no heirs to take over the seats. They were simply controlled by your family one day and then the next…the seats were extinct, and new lords appointed." She frowned again.
"Well I know something happened to my great-great-great grandfather in 1817. He lost his magic and went into the muggle world." Harry told his grandmother.
"But something else had to of happened to the rest of them Harry. The Eveningshades were known to have a large family, enough siblings and cousins to control seventeen seats in the Wizengamot easily." Dorea replied slowly, her mind in deep thought.
"What are you thinking auntie?" Bella asked.
Without a word Dorea Potter stood from her seat and walked briskly to the fireplace. She threw in some floo powder from the mantle, with a whoosh the orange flames turned green and she then called out: "Wizengamot Historical Records Department!"
"W.H.R.D. this is Marjory Dunkell, how may I help you?" A sweet lilting Irish voice replied.
"Marjory dear, its Dorea. How are you today?" Dorea asked politely of her old Hogwarts dorm mate.
"My goodness…Dorea! How are you mo chara?" The redheaded director of the Wizengamot Historical Records Department asked jovially.
"Fine, fine dear, and how's your daughter Roisìn? She would be a sixth year now wouldn't she?"
Marjory pursed her lips before replying. "To be honest Dori, I'm a bit concerned. She's been seeing this muggle boy from the village named Sean Finnigan."
"Oh my, does he know she's a witch?" Dorea asked.
"No, I don't think Roisìn is wanting to scare the boy away. Devout Catholic you see." Marjory stated as if it were an obvious problem.
"Perhaps it's just a rebellious phase dear." Dorea comforted her old friend.
"Thank you dear, I can only hope so. Now I'm assuming this call wasn't a social one?" Marjory smiled.
"No, not entirely. I was hoping you could do a favor for me, I was hoping you would be able to find something for me in the historical records." Dorea asked.
"What is it that you're looking for?" the Irish woman asked, willing to help her old friend.
"Anything surrounding House Eveningshade, and the seats they controlled and lost in the year 1810." Dorea replied.
Marjory's eyes widened at the mention of the name, but nevertheless this was one of her oldest friends and she would do what she could to help. "Anything specific you want me to search for?"
"I'm curious about their sudden disappearance from the Wizengamot in that year. They had control of seventeen seats and then by the end of that year all but one was gone. It just seems a little suspicious to me." Dorea told her friend.
"What is this for Dori? Why the interest in an extinct and…infamous family?" She asked a little concerned.
"You know I've always been a history and a mystery buff." Dorea replied smoothly. "And I had heard the name mentioned recently and wanted to learn more about them. That's when I discovered that they all of a sudden disappeared in 1810. I found it rather intriguing." Dorea smiled.
"Frankly Dori, I remember the ghost stories about that family when I was a child." She shivered uncontrollably at a past memory. "Scared the freckles right off of me when I was little!" She chuckled.
"A check of unofficial or sealed records wouldn't go a miss as well." Dora stated conspiratorially with an all too familiar wink and smirk to the Irish woman.
Marjory chuckled at that, she remembered all the clandestine late night excursions to the Restricted Sessions in her youth with Dorea and their little group of girls. "Alright, I'll see what I can find. Where can I reach you?" She asked with mirth in her voice.
"I'll be here at the Ministry for the remainder of the day I believe. Charlus was called into an emergency session and I'm accompanying him today." Dorea told her friend.
"It may take some time, but if I find something while you're here, I'll send an elf to you with the information. If not I'll forward it to the manor shall I?" Marjory asked.
"Thank you dear that would be lovely." Dorea told her friend. "Oh, one other thing Marjory. I'd appreciate it if we kept this just between us." She told her friend as an afterthought.
"Of course Dori. Give my best to Charlus and little Jamie." Marjory smiled again remembering how the now very proper lady was the rebellious friend of her youth.
"I will, and thanks again dear." Dorea replied warmly.
Dorea returned to her chair, where a waiting Bellatrix and Harry were giving her inquisitive looks. Dorea sat primly in her seat and took a long sip of her tea.
"Well?" Bella asked impatiently. "What was that about?"
"A hunch." Dorea shrugged non-committally.
oooOOOooo
Marjory Dunkel had worked in the W.H.R.D for twenty years now, and had been its director for the last six. Of all the Ministry jobs out there, it was by no means the most exciting, but neither was it the worst. But Marjory found it fascinating. Any piece of legislation that was passed, every monumental policy change, every court proceeding, found its way to her department.
She fancied it as her version of the Library at Alexandria, here on parchment was the history of the Wizengamot, but really what it was, was the history of magical Britain. The scandals, the victories, the intrigue, the political maneuverings, some of the most famous witches and wizards had penned many of their laws and they were all held here. Every word spoken during a Wizengamot session was transcribed here on magical parchment and then filed under the day and year.
Though it was not a secret, few members knew or remembered that even their whispered conversations and uttered diatribes were all copied down for posterity's sake. There were never truly any secret conversations within the hall.
The public records of a session were available to anybody who requested them, provided that they had filled out all the proper forms in triplicate. Those non-public mutterings were not made available to the public, an official document of release signed by both the head Warlock and Director of the DMLE was required before these records could be released.
However, Dorea being such a close friend would not have to provide such documentation. After all, a fellow Mistress of Mayhem got special consideration. Marjory smiled as memories of her misadventures with Dorea and the three other girls who were part of their group floated to the surface.
They weren't hooligans by any means, they were a group of girls who craved adventure and an ancient castle like Hogwarts, provided many opportunities for exciting and sometimes terrify exploits. And of course a girl had to have chocolate every now and then, and when the group had discovered the secret passage that led to Honeydukes in their third year, it was Avalon!
Of course they always left money on the crates in the basement for what they took; they weren't thieves for goodness sake. Of course Dorea would make quite a bit of extra spending money by selling some of her stash to other students, after a modest markup of course. A girl needed her spending money after all.
Marjory chuckled to herself as she searched for the 1810 Wizengamot records. The other members of the Mistresses of Mayhem, she reminisced, had all married well or had successful careers. Delia Stodmore was now the Lady Delia Greengrass; Agnes Finkel was now Agnes McKinnon, one of the top Hit Wizards in the country along with her husband; and then there was Minerva Dunbar who was now Minerva McGonagall, the Transfiguration prodigy who was now a professor at Hogwarts.
The five girls were the best of friends and a bane to boys and professors everywhere. Dorea had been their leader and the glue that held them together. Dorea and Delia had been Slytherins, while Minerva was the quintessential Gryffindor, Agnes was a Ravenclaw, and she was a Hufflepuff.
Dorea broke boundaries in house relations. She wasn't a trendsetter nor did she try to be. She liked who she liked and that was that. It also didn't hurt that she was a very powerful witch and a daughter of House Black, so there were very few students brave enough to give her grief over her odd friendships.
When she and the Gryffindor Quidditch captain Charlus Potter started dating, it raised a few eyebrows but no one dared to challenge the relationship. They quickly became the power couple of their year at Hogwarts. Charles was exceptionally skilled with charms, and was no slouch in the dueling arena, but his boyish charm and good natured personality didn't inspire fear in other like Dorea did.
Dorea was cunning and patient, victims of her wrath were kept in abject terror wondering when and where she would exact her revenge on someone. She loved to keep her targets in a state of paranoia never knowing when they would meet their fate. Her enigmatic smile was enough to make most male students wet themselves in fear.
Marjory chuckled again thinking about Lorcan Rockwood. The stupid boy actually was foolish enough to loudly call Dorea a frigid whore in the Great Hall, when she turned down his advances to court her. Dorea had let the boy worry for nearly three months with promises of horrendous pain, even insinuated that she would immobilize the boy and lower his body into a vat of undiluted buber-tuber puss until the acidic puss stripped away all the flesh off of his worthless bones.
Ten weeks had passed since her threat, but everyday she gave him that look which promised that his day was coming soon or she would show up unexpectedly in front of him and smirk evilly at him. Lorcan Rockwood, after ten weeks, had a severe mental break down and was taken from the castle in a nearly catatonic state. It was rumored he was admitted into St. Mungos mental ward, where he finished out the school term.
Needless to say Dorea had achieved "Don't f**k with me" status through the remainder of her school days. To outsiders, Dorea appeared to be a dark witch you did not want to cross. But to those who truly knew her, knew her as a passionate and loyal friend. To her closest friends it was no surprise that she later became a healer, ironically her strength was in helping those with mental disorders, and she had help more than one veteran of the Great War deal with their traumas both physical and psychological.
Many a witch and wizard who had been affected by the Great War had stories upon stories of her compassion and generosity. She had been the one to offer Potter Manor as a convalescence center during the war, and had personally treated many of the injured and had comforted the dying in their last moments. She became affectionately known to thousands as simply "The Lady."
Marjory was confused as she looked through the magical shelves which contained the files for the Wizengamot. Each shelf was clearly labeled with the year that it pertained to. To her left was the shelf labeled W-1809 and next to it to the right was the shelf labeled was no sign of the shelf that should be labeled W-1810.
She looked around at some of the other shelves and realized that several other dates seemed to be missing as well. Someone had stolen at least two dozen years worth of files. But that did not make any sense; even if the files themselves had been taken the shelves should still be there.
"They're hidden!" Marjory told herself in sudden realization. "But why?"
Marjory took out her wand and pointed it at the area where shelf W-1810 should be. But before she cast she suddenly felt an urge to go to lunch. "I-I just had lunch." She told herself shaking her head. "Why would I need to go eat again?"
She shook her head again. "A compulsion charm?" She hesitated a guess. "It must have been cast some time ago." She could still feel the compulsion but it was weak. She raised her wand again and fought against the compulsion.
"Finite Incantatem!" Marjory cast her strongest dispelling charm. Suddenly a shelf shimmered into existence with the label of W-1810. On the shelf was two old leather bound books. One book contained the official record of proceedings of the Wizengamot for that year, while the other contained every conversation held with the Hall for that year.
The books were magically shrunk and held much more than they appeared to; they also had a voice command feature on them so as to call up each individual session or a certain piece of proposed legislation and each conversation held within the Hall of the Wizengamot. With the use of keywords you could narrow your search and quickly wade through the voluminous pages of script.
Marjory opened the second book knowing that her friend was not wanting the official transcripts but rather the occult and hidden conversations. "Reference search…Eveningshade!"
Marjory felt the usual tingle of magic that told her that the book was cataloging every conversation that mentioned the Eveningshade name. However there was a pulse of magic that was not normal for a search. It almost felt like a notification ward, similar to the one that was on her office door to let her know that someone had entered.
"Odd." She thought briefly. Her attention was then redirected to the first page of the book which was now bringing up any and all conversations where Eveningshade was mentioned.
She was surprised that there indeed were many whispered conversations about the Eveningshade. Many were vitriolic in nature. It seems many houses distrusted the Eveningshades, not that she could blame them they were a rather dark house from what she had grown up hearing.
Some conversations actually showed the Eveningshades in a favorable light. In one such positive conversation, the infamous family had helped a family out of a rather nasty infestation of vampires on their property. The nest of vampires was wiped out within days and the Eveningshades price for their help was ten percent of their crops and livestock for the next season. The family found it a small price to pay for peace of mind.
Then she found something else, something sinister. There was a plot, a plot to wipe out the entire Eveningshade clan. Her eyes widen in disbelief and she lost all color in her face as she saw the names of those who were conspiring to commit genocide on the Eveningshade family and their reasons why.
"Morgana have mercy!" She gasped. This was dangerous information to have, extremely dangerous! The more she read, the more sickened she became. If someone found out she had this information, there was no doubt in her mind that she would not live to see another sunrise.
"What have you got me into Dori?!" Marjory breathed in panic. "My gods! The notification ward on the book! Someone knows that I've read the book!"
Marjory rushed from the archive room with the books tightly held in her arms and entered the main office. She grabbed her cloak and threw it on in a hurry. She needed to find Dorea quickly and inform her of what she had found and warn her. As director of the department she was the only one capable of removing original material from the archives, without serious ramifications.
She sprinted out of the door and headed for the lift. She stopped suddenly as she made the corner, hearing voices in the lift as it was coming to her floor.
"You guard the door to the office while I go in a deal with the problem." A gravelly voice stated.
"Wha dya tink is in da book that 'as him so worked up?" Another man with a heavy nasal laden voice asked.
Marjory gasped and jerked her head side to side looking for a place to hide. She found a small alcove that was covered with a floor length tapestry. She ducked behind the tapestry and pressed herself against the wall and held her breath.
"Dun no. Something serious enough, that 'e doesn't want the knowledge to get out. And then telling us to do what it takes to contain the problem." The first man replied.
"Gonna kill 'er then?" The nasal man asked.
"Not 'ere, we'll get 'er to come wit us. We'll do it in the alley after we find out what she knows."
Marjory was near panic as the two men walked by her hiding place. She remained there until she heard then turn the corner to where her office was at the end of that hall. Peeking out from behind the tapestry and assuring herself that the coast was clear she bolted to the lift.
"Who were those men?" she rasped out as she fell against the back of the lift. She cast a tempus to check the time. "Damn! The Wizengamot session has already started! It a closed session, I won't be able to get in after it has started. Shite! Shite! Shite!
"Okay, calm down Marjory. We need to think." Marjoray told herself as her mind rushed to decide her next move.
"First things first, I need to get to some where safe. Home? No, if they know who I am that will be the next place they'll go. Thank Merlin Daobh is out of the country for the week! The Leaky Cauldron, I can hide out there until I can get a message to Dorea!"
Marjory exited from the lift out into the atrium and headed to one of the public floos. She threw in some floo powder than stepped into the green flames and called out her destination. Twenty minutes later and she was sitting in room 317 of the Leaky cauldron. Through Tom the barkeeper, she had sent a message to Dorea at the Ministry. The note instructed her to meet her as soon as possible. She signed the note M.M. Banshee.
Marjory let out a weary sigh, and then downed her third shot of Fire Whiskey. She set the empty glass on the table next to the chair she was sitting in that was facing the door. She was never very good at casting wards, but proficient enough to give her at least a second or two of warning when someone came to the door.
So she sat their facing the door with her wand drawn and hoped that Dorea would get her message soon. She felt the magic from the door pulse; she stood up and pointed her wand shakily at the door. But no one knocked; she stood there for a few more seconds and was just about to sit back down when suddenly the door silently flew open.
A red light hit her wand and it flew from her grasp. Two large men snarled predatorily as they lumbered into the room. They wore their hoods up so their faces were obscured in darkness. Marjory could feel the foulness roll off of the two men. The smell of cheap cigars and alcohol filled the room quickly.
A man with a revolting nasally voice then spoke to her. "Allo poppet, we 'ave some business wit you." With a flick of the other man's wand the door closed itself and silencing wards were cast.
oooOOOooo
Charlus returned from his meeting in thoughtful reflection. It had been very informative meeting; apparently the Eveningshade rumor had become widespread throughout the peerage. Most had dismissed it as hysteria and unfounded gossip. But there were a few who were terrified at the thought of the infamous family's return; and still there were a few others who found it all rather intriguing.
But in the end he had the consensus he was hoping for amongst the bloc members, they would not rush to vote on any measures or legislation brought before the body today. 'Now if Arcturus was as successful.' Charlus mused. There would be enough opposition to keep anything that Dumbledore proposed from being voted upon before the mandatory three day review time lapsed.
"Are we ready to go?" Charlus asked his little entourage, rubbing his hands together.
Dorea, Harry and Bella all stood at his inquiry and gave him nods of eagerness. Charlus lead them through a door just to the left of his desk. It led directly to the Potter box within the Wizengamot Council chambers. The chamber was a large oval room with stadium like seating.
A raised dais half way down the seats on one end of the room consisted of a large throne like seat wear the Chief Warlock sat with two smaller but similar chairs placed on either side but just behind it with small desks in front of the chairs
These two seats were occupied by the executive secretary of the Wizengamot and the Wizengamot historian. The seats that were directly behind and to the sides of the Chief Warlock's dais were the one hundred hereditary seats, fifty on either side.
Directly in front of the dais were the hundred seats of the Common Houses. At the very top of the chamber above all of the other seats and circling the entire chamber, were the box seats of the fifty permanent houses of the Wizengamot.
Each seat of the Common Houses consisted of a nice desk and two leather chairs. The seats belonging to the hereditary houses were much nicer and consisted of a more elegant desk and four very comfortable leather chairs. The permanent members enjoyed luxurious boxes that included only the best furnishings that money could buy.
They were allowed up to ten visitors in their boxes and were also allowed house elf services, not to mention their respective offices were connected to their box seats. The family crests were ornately placed in front of the boxes for the rest of the Wizengamot members to behold. Position in the Wizengamot was important and the founding families proudly displayed their house crests.
Charlus took his place at his desk while Dorea sat back with Harry and Bella in the guest seats. Harry looked around and noticed the Potter seat was to the right of the Chief Warlock Dais and centered along the longer wall. He noticed that the House Black was seat was directly in front of him, so as to put it left of the dais.
Harry noticed many familiar names as he looked at the crests of the permanent members. He was surprised to learn that a couple of names he recognized were founding members, and that others he assumed were weren't.
Dorea noticed her grandson looking at the box seats with interest and decided to educate him on the factions within the permanent membership. "Harry dear, remember me telling you about the three factions?"
"Yes grandmother." Harry replied.
"Well, the light side families are Weasley, Prewett, Doge, Lovegood, and Abbott. The darker families are Rosier, Rookwood, Crabbe, Nott, Macnair and until recently the Blacks. Rosier is the voice and sponsor of the Purist party within the permanent members. The neutral families are the Potters, Longbottom, the Bones, Greengrass, Bagshot, Davis, Edgecombe, McKinnon, and Turpin. However, the neutral faction is not a unified group and a few sway with whichever way the political wind happens to be blowing."
"Wow, I didn't realize that the Weasley's were a founding family." Harry stated.
"They are a very old family and before the Great War were quite wealthy, not on the same level as the Blacks and Potters but respectable."
"What happened to them then?" Harry asked.
"They lost their family fortune in fighting Grindelwald, gave the bulk of it to Dumbledore who recruited them to his fold of backers. Supposedly he used the money to buy informants and spies to follow Grindelwald's movements."
"Huh. What about Dumbledore, I thought his family would have been a founding family?" Harry asked.
Charlus turned around at hearing the question. "Oh no!" Charlus chuckled. "I'm sure he wishes, no; his family has a hereditary seat. They have only possessed it for about a hundred and sixty years, a relatively new house within the Wizengamot." His grandfathers stated before returning to his reading of the security brief.
The sound of a pounding staff, stopped Harry from asking any follow-up questions as the emergency session was about to start. "Hear ye Hear ye, this emergency session of the Wizengamot is now in session! The most honorable Chief Warlock, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledorepresiding!" The chamber herald announced.
"My fellow lords of the Wizengamot please be seated. I have called this emergency session to address the incidents of this last week. Dark days are upon us my friends when such wanton acts of mayhem, destruction, and the shedding of magical blood can be perpetrated in the heart of our magical towns and villages and the ones responsible still walk freely among us!" Dumbledore began his oration with a thunderous voice.
"Two days ago I walked along the streets of Hogsmeade Village. And do you know what I saw?! I saw cratered streets, burned out buildings, and bodies! Bodies of students lined up all in a row, bodies of unmoving children cut down before their prime, never to grow in to adulthood, never to fall in love and have families, never to see the wonders of the world.
But that is not all I saw my friends, no; I saw another row of bodies…this one with several adult witches and wizards butchered in the most heinous of ways. Murdered because of their ideology, slaughtered because they were misguided and frustrated with a society they feel is in decline and that has turned their back on them. Witches and wizards of old families cut down before they could be shown mercy and the error of their ways and brought back into the fold of their government's embrace."
"That arrogant…duplicitous…windbag!" Dorea hissed under her breath. Bella turned to Harry and gave him a wicked smile while motioning toward Dorea.
"My friends we are few, and can ill afford the lackadaisical killing of one another because of misunderstandings. The Great War took a heavy toll on magical populations throughout Britain and Europe. Many old houses have become extinct and our heritage thins with every generation. All you need to do my friends is look up at the empty box seats of those great houses whose lights have forever been darkened to see the truth of my words." Several pairs of eyes looked up to the Founding seats and saw more than half of them dark.
"It is with the promise of preservation of our world, that I am proposing new legislation today that in part will make it illegal for any government agency; specifically our Auror and Hit Wizards departments from using deadly force in the apprehension of any magical except in the most dire of consequences. Also to make it up to a lifetime in Azkaban offense should any private citizen use deadly force against another witch or wizard!" Dumbledore proposed.
"I ask that this law be made retro-active, beginning at January first of this year, so that we may seek justice for those who have lost their lives in these two heinous and cowardly attacks." Dumbledore added.
"Well that's interesting." Dorea commented to the two teens. It appears that he wants to bring you two to justice."
Murmuring erupted in the hall, Harry noticed some shaking of heads in opposition, but he also saw others who were nodding and voicing their approval. Still there were others who were looking calculatingly at the long bearded old man in front of them.
Dumbledore waited patiently as the hall digested his words. He knew he would have to play things very carefully. He gave the traditionalist including those of the purist movement something they wanted and that was a show of support for heritage and tradition.
He gave the liberals and lighter side families something they wanted, that being harsher penalties for those who use deadly force against others, including lengthy stays in Azkaban.
The neutrals and grays would most likely remain largely apathetic to the legislation as long as it did not affect them in any manner. It had been so for centuries. The Weasley's and the Doge's of the Founding seats, had already agreed to sponsor the bill, what he needed now was at least fifty-one percent of the remaining members of the Wizengamot to agree to immediate implementation.
Once passed, he would order a warrant for the arrest of the young dark haired boy that was purported to be an Eveningshade. Though he doubted that the boy was truly an Eveningshade, they were wiped out after all. He could not let the memory of the family resurface. Not now. Already an unsubstantiated rumor of the family had caused the Malfoy family to flee the country.
So panicked was the family, that lady Malfoy risked stunning the guards protecting Abraxus Malfoy's hospital room while he was still in custody. Lucius had been pulled from school the next day and supposedly had joined his family. A warrant had been issued for Abraxus Malfoy, but if he had gone to France as was assumed, the Ministry would not be able to touch him. Magical France and Magical Britain did not have reciprocating extradition agreements.
"Chief Warlock!" A voice from down in the gallery suddenly called out.
"Lord Darby." Dumbledore acknowledged the lord from the Commons.
"I find this bill utterly unacceptable!" He stated as he flipped through the stack of parchment in disgust. "Not only is the bill incredibly vague with undefined regulations and limits, it in essence removes the DMLE whose role is to prosecute capital crimes and puts it into this…"
Lord Darby searched the bill for what he was looking for. "…ah…its states here that the Chief Warlock will appoint a secret five man panel, whose responsibility will be to investigate all capital cases and basically act as judge, jury, and executioner!" Lord Darby held a lot the bill and looked at his fellow Wizengamot members with fire.
"I need not remind this body that we are not the judicial branch of the government! We are the legislative branch! The DMLE serves that purpose! This seems to be an attempt by our Chief Warlock to usurp authority that does not belong to him!"
More and more angry voices began to make their selves known as members began to look closely at the bill. Dumbledore tried to regain control of the room, by banging his gavel several times on the podium.
"My fellow members!" Dumbledore called out. "I feel it is necessary to form an independent counsel to police the DMLE. How can we expect the DMLE to investigate incidents of abuse of this law within its own house?" Dumbledore replied.
Charlus Potter was on his feet and responded to Dumbledores statement. "You know very well that they have their own Internal Affairs division, Dumbledore. And I for one do not like the idea of constraining our law enforcement officers in this manner. We rely on these brave witches and wizards to protect us from those who would seek to do harm. The Purist movement has demonstrated that they have little regard for the sanctity of life and…"
"I STRONGLY OBJECT!" Lord Rockwood shouted jumping to his feet. "I refute the allegations that any of these attacks are somehow linked with the Purist Movement! And furthermore…"
"LORD MALFOY himself was arrested at the site of the attack in Diagon Alley! Is he not an influential member of the Purist movement?!" Lord Bran Bones replied heatedly.
"One man's alleged involvement in the attack does not prove collusion with the party, only that he showed poor judgment in associating with those who do support violence!" Rockwood argued.
"Every terrorist that was killed in Hogsmeade has a connection to the Purist party! I doubt that it is coincidence!" Another man yelled out.
"Again, there is no proof that the attackers and the party are linked! The party stands for a peaceful return to our values and traditions as a people. We do not advocate violence! Need I remind this body that these dead witches and wizards are not here to defend themselves from these false allegations, and that this type of capricious speculation only leads to false assumptions?
I have not heard a word uttered about the other two people involved in these incidents! Where is the call for their arrest?! Why are we not condemning their actions?!" Rockwood asked with his arms spread open wide.
Harry and Bella shifted nervously in their seats as suddenly the identity of the two people involved in beating back the terrorist became the new hot topic. It was now just a matter of time before the rumor would be brought up and no more than a minute into the new discussion was brought up did the name get mentioned.
"IT'S BALDERDASH!" Elphias Worthington yelled from his seat. "The Eveningshades no longer exist. Not a trace of them has been seen in over a hundred years. I will not believe that by some miracle that family has reappeared!"
"I believe otherwise, Elphias!" Marius McKellan replied from the Hereditary seats. "My granddaughter was at Hogsmeade during the attack. She saw two spells fired at point blank range at this mysterious man and they passed right through him! Who else but an Eveningshade has ever been known to be able to do that?!"
The hall exploded once more into exclamatory shouts, some were shouts of fear and others of disbelief. Harry and Bella sat quietly as they took in the scene unfolding below them. It was clear that the Eveningshade name elicited powerful emotions amongst the Wizengamot members. Curiously Dumbledore allowed the mêlée to continue for some time before calling the hall to order once more.
"It is precisely for this reason that I am proposing this piece of legislation. The Eveningshades may or may not be back, but this legislation will stop killers like the Eveningshades from running amuck. And we need this special committee within the Wizengamot that can't be intimidated by any house with such leanings.
The eye for an eye philosophy that the Eveningshade family was known for would be outlawed and such acts would be punished most severely. But only through a special committee whose members would remain a secret, thus avoiding bribery and intimidation, which would be the case if the DMLE were the ones to prosecute these types of cases." Dumbledore explained, his eyes twinkling as more heads than before began to nod in agreement.
Surprising everyone, Lord Arcturus Black stood and addressed the hall. "Chief Warlock, really now…a secret court that trumps our DMLE…" He began silkily "…With a secret membership no less?"
"Hmm…what else? Oh yes…unchecked authority and power, and this panel would be judge, jury, and executioner. Why with no oversight you would quickly become a very powerful if not feared man. Convicting who you want or clearing who you want." Arcturus rubbed his chin in mock appreciation.
"A truly Slytherin move that Salazar himself would be proud of. Such ambition, Albus. I never realized how incredibly…STUPID you must think we all are." Arcturus' voice became hard and accusatory. This farce you call a bill is nothing more than an attempt by you to wrest power away from the DMLE, and giving you unparalleled power within the government." Arcturus accused.
The murmurings began again and many distrusting eyes now turned toward the Chief Warlock, all wondering what is motives truly were. "I take offense sir! My only concern is for the greater good of our people…"
"I'm sure there are those within this hall that believe that Dumbledore. I am not one of them. What your true motives are I can only speculate. But what I do know is that to give someone such power over our legal system is foolhardy.
Couple that with this idiotic law that punishes our citizens for defending themselves and ties the hands of our Aurors from meeting deadly force with deadly force, I'm forced to ask myself what is your agenda here?
Maybe, it's to get rid of all those who might actually have the bollocks to defend themselves against an oppressor. Are you trying to become that oppressor, Dumbledore?" Arcturus asked with an inquisitive raised eyebrow.
For a third time the hall erupted with shouting, shouts from those who attempted to defend Dumbledore, but the majority this time were accusatory. Dorea smirked as the tide had definitely just turned against Albus, she would have to give her brother a big wet kiss for his remarks. She doubted the bill would ever see the light of day now.
Dorea jumped slightly as a house elf suddenly appeared next to her with a note in its hand. Bowing deeply the elf squeaked. "An urgent message from Director Dunkle, your ladyship." The small elf bowed handing her the message and then popped away.
Dorea unfolded the parchment and began to read the obvious hurried script written in her friend's hand. As she read the note her eyes widened more and more in worry. She suddenly stood and hurriedly whispered in her husband's ear who gave her a concerned look and nodded his head.
"You two come with me, we need to hurry to the Leaky Cauldron." Dorea told the two teens as she exited out of the box door and into her husband's office not bothering to see if Harry and Bella were following.
She made her way quickly to the fireplace and grabbed the floo powder off of the mantle. Throw your cloaks on and pull up your hoods. We're going to the Leaky Cauldron; keep your wands in your hands. And stay close to me." She told the pair.
Bella and Harry nodded and did as they were told. Dorea was the first one into the floo quickly followed by Bella and then Harry. Harry stepped out of the floo with a barely noticeable balance check. When his eyes adjusted to the lower lights of the tavern, he nearly panicked as he saw half a dozen aurors interviewing witnesses.
"Damn it Bones! I thought I told you to secure that floo! This is a CRIME SCENE for Merlin's sake! We don't want to contaminate further!" Auror captain Alastor Moody screamed at his protégé.
"Sorry sir!" Amelia Bones apologized hurriedly. "I'm taking care of it now!"
Moody grumbled something unflattering under his breath as he walked toward the new arrivals. "Lady Potter?! What brings you hear?" He asked softening his voice from his normal gruff barking tone.
"Alastor…what's happened?" Dorea asked with some trepidation.
"A ministry employee was murdered upstairs. Whoever did it, worked her over pretty good before they killed her. Nearly every bone in her body was broken." Moody stated shaking his head in disgust. "Apparently she had something they wanted."
Dorea swallowed hard and steadied herself. "W-who was it Alastor?" She finally asked.
Moody looked at her curiously but then realization dawned on him. Dorea had been close friends with the victim. "Have a seat Dorea." Alastor offered gently to the woman who had saved his life all those years ago.
"Alastor, please…just tell me." Dorea implored with wet eyes.
"…Marjory Dunkel…"
"Oh gods!" Dorea gasped.
"I take it, that it's no coincidence that you're here?" Moody asked. Dorea slowly shook her head.
"I received a message from her, to meet her here, she said it was urgent." Dorea explained. She happened to look toward the staircase as two Aurors were floating a sheet covered body down the stairs. The white sheet was covered in large swaths of red. Dorea stumbled at the sight of a limply swaying arm bruised and misshapen. Moody caught Dorea before she could fall. He gently sat her in a chair and then pulled another one next to it so he could comfort his old friend.
"Grandmother?" Harry whispered lowly and knelt in front of her. Dorea grabbed Harry's hand and held it tightly in her lap. Bella hugged her from behind and kissed her cheek gently.
"I know this is an awful time to ask this…but can you tell me why you were meeting Marjory?" Moody asked sympathetically.
Dorea looked at her old friend and then glanced toward Harry and then back to Moody. "I asked her for any Wizengamot information on the Eveningshades." She leaned forward and whispered to the Auror captain. "Specifically in the year 1810."
Moody sat back in his chair with a confused look. "Any particular reason?" He asked.
"Not here Alastor." She looked around the tavern. "Too many ears." Moody nodded.
"Later then." He gave her a tired half smile.
"You mentioned that whoever k-killed her was looking for something?" Dorea asked.
"Huh…oh yeah. The room was destroyed; it looks like they were searching for something the way the room was tossed. Whether they found what they were looking for…I don't know." Moody sighed heavily.
"M-may I take a look at the room Alastor?" Dorea asked hopefully.
"Dori, it's a right state. I don't think you'll want to see it. And besides we haven't finished processing it yet."
"Please Alastor, if Marjory felt she was in danger she would have hid whatever it was they were looking for." She told him.
"We've searched the room Dorea, we couldn't find anything." Moody replied.
"I would like to try, Alastor, please." Moody sighed and looked appraisingly at the regal lady.
"Very well, but I have to be with you, agreed?" He asked.
"Agreed." She told the man. "I'd like Harry and Bella to come as well."
Moody was about to argue, but he never could deny Dorea anything she truly wanted. He owed a debt to the woman he could never truly pay back. "Very well, just don't touch anything." He told Bella and Harry who nodded.
The four of them climbed the stairs to the third floor and made their way to room 317. Moody dispelled the ward that kept people from entering the room and then opened the door. Dorea had to catch herself against the door frame as she witnessed the state of the room. She was not a stranger to blood and gore, but knowing that she may have inadvertently been the cause of her friend's death it left her sick to her stomach.
Dorea straightened herself up and took a deep breath to compose herself. "Now if she hid anything she would have used a displacement spell on a section of wall, floor, or a mirror." She stated with more confidence than she was feeling at the moment.
"Yes, it creates a hidden cavity within an object; I developed the spell while in school. My friends and I used it to hide our…well…contraband from our roommates and professors." She stated.
"Really?" Bellatrix asked interestedly. "So how are we to find it? Do we use a revealing spell?"
"No, that won't work; I created it to be undetectable." She replied.
"Then how are we to find it?" Harry asked looking around the destroyed room. Pieces of furniture lay scattered around the room.
"She would have left our mark over the spot she hid it. It will be two capital M's next to each other." She explained.
They searched the room for twenty minutes without success until Bella called out from the bathroom. "Auntie! I think I found it!"
"Let's see child." Dorea said as she entered the bathroom.
"Just there." Bella pointed to two M's seemingly etched into the lower left hand corner of the bathroom mirror.
Dorea smiled. "This is it. Good job Bella." Dorea took her wand and touched it gently to the double M's. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." She stated clearly.
Harry looked at his grandmother gob smacked at hearing those words. He would definitely need to talk to her about that at a more appropriate time. The glass mirror seemed to melt away as a large cavity appeared. Inside were two old leather bound books. She removed the books and looked at the binding and read the titles.
Dorea sighed heavily as she held the books to her chest. "I'm so sorry Marjory." She whispered to herself.
"Shall I ignore that those are here?" Moody asked rhetorically.
"Please Alastor, I promise I'll bring you up to speed as soon as I can." Dorea told her old friend who nodded understandingly.
"I'm here for you Dorea, you know that right?" The old veteran asked.
"I do Alastor, I do." Dorea the shrunk the books and placed them in her cloak pocket.
Dorea looked at her grandson and his wife with silent determination. "Harry, Bella, lets head back to Black Hills. We have some research to do."
oooOOOooo
A/N: A lot of information in this chapter and a bit of intrigue. Not a lot of Harry and Bella in this chapter but never fear next chapter will have a lot more as Harry has to decide what to do with himself now that he has decided to stay in Bella's time. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and would be gracious enough to leave a comment or a review! Again thanks for reading!