Originally Posted 2/19/16, last revised 10/27/16.

Disclaimer:I don't own Harry Potter, and while I've never met her and am not one of her subjects, I have nothing but respect for the Queen. Information about British law and letters to and from the Queen comes from online research and is accurate to the best of my knowledge.

Chapter 21: Ruminations

Albus Dumbledore sat in the observers' gallery, watching the proceedings and thinking on both what he'd seen, as well as what he'd been told to expect after things were finished here. He knew from the start that today wasn't likely to go his way, but when he first arrived at the Ministry he had no idea exactly how far from it things were going to go.

It had started with the Minister's refusal to stop the sham that was Harry Potter's trial, not that he had expected him to stop it. But when Harry had arrived and refused to even discuss his defense, he knew it would only go downhill from there. His shock at seeing Sirius Black in the courtroom was only compounded by Sirius's open presentation as Harry's adviser, followed by concrete proof that Sirius had never gotten a trial. At that point he knew he had lost control of Harry, but he had still had hopes that he'd be able to influence things his way; after all, it was for the greater good.

With the arrival of the Queen's Chief Wizard, and the subsequent revocation of the Wizarding Charter, that last vestige of hope was lost. Worse yet, the arrival of the Queen herself, with first his snubbing, and later dressing down, had shown everyone just how little influence he retained in the new regime. Now, as he watched yet more changes being made right before his eyes, he considered his remaining options as well as his original plans.

Madam Bones was currently going through the department and sub-department heads, asking for their oath and taking those who wouldn't or couldn't into custody. She'd already cleared out the Auror corps, which resulted in a few surprises but no major revelations. There were half a dozen Aurors waiting to be questioned under Veritaserum, along with two who were being held for further investigation after being questioned, but the remainder of them had either taken the oath successfully or had sufficiently passed questioning to be retained on active duty.

There were also two Death Eaters who worked in the Ministry currently in custody, bound and stunned, awaiting transferal to Her Majesty's custody. Yaxley had been taken by surprise during the cleanup of the DMLE, and the presence of the Dark Mark had been confirmed here in the courtroom for all to see. Macnair had actually put up a fight, according to the team sent to capture him, but they had anticipated it and there were only minor injuries reported. He too had had the Dark Mark confirmed in the courtroom, and the entire Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures had been placed on lockdown until everyone in it had been cleared. As it was, the head of the department had yet to report for work, meaning everyone else was stuck there waiting for him.

He looked up from his contemplation after hearing a familiar voice and saw Arthur Weasley speaking to Madam, make that Governor General Bones. After a moment, Mister Weasley raised his wand and took the oath that everyone had been asked to take, then proved its validity by lighting his wand. Governor General Bones nodded and thanked him, and he turned to move away before spotting Dumbledore sitting in the gallery.

Mister Weasley approached Dumbledore with a concerned look on his face, and asked, "Albus, are you alright? You don't look well."

Dumbledore gave a wan smile and replied, "No, Arthur, I probably don't. And I honestly don't know if I'm alright or not. I feel like everything I've worked towards for so long has come crashing down, and I don't know what I can do about it."

Mister Weasley nodded, not knowing what to say to that. "Well, I've been told that I need to wait a few before I can return to my office. Can you tell me what happened with Harry? And how is it that the Wizarding Charter was revoked? Madam Bones told me not to worry about it for now, but I need to tell Molly and the children something when I get home."

Albus nodded. "Harry was cleared of all charges, as was Sirius. But before that happened it was clear that Fudge was trying to force a guilty verdict before even holding a trial. In fact, it was that action which resulted in Harry revoking the Charter."

"Harry?" exclaimed Mister Weasley, "but how is that possible?"

"I believe that the Queen had previously given him the authority to revoke it in her name. I don't think he really wanted to, but after Percy came to his defense, and even quit the Ministry after Fudge ordered him to stop, I guess he felt he had no choice."

"Percy came to Harry's defense?"

"Yes, he did. You should be proud of your son, he stood up for what was right, rather than what was easy..." Dumbledore trailed off, his mind suddenly whirling about many different things.

Mister Weasley looked around the courtroom, finally spotting Percy on the far side talking to a couple of Aurors. Not realizing that Dumbledore was already lost in his own thoughts, he excused himself to go speak to his son.

Percy Weasley was busy, but happy. While not part of his official job at this point, he had retaken the position of scribe while Aurors who had not taken the oath were being questioned under Veritaserum. Much to his relief, most of those questioned had not revealed any significant misdeeds, and with one exception everyone had cooperated without needing to draw wands. The one time it had happened, he'd ducked behind his table, only to emerge embarrassedly after it was over. He was currently finishing up annotating the latest Auror's transcript when he saw his father approaching.

"Hello, Percy," said Mister Weasley. "I hear you've had an exciting day."

Percy gave a little smile, which his father returned. "You could say that, though I think the word I'd choose is unbelievable." He paused for a moment, then continued. "Thank you for our discussion earlier this week. I know we haven't seen eye-to-eye lately, but you helped me understand that I needed to look at things from a different perspective."

"I'm proud of you, son," said Mister Weasley, putting an arm around Percy's shoulders. "I know it must have been hard, but from what I heard you did the right thing. I know things will be hard without a job, so if you need to you're always welcome to move back home with your mother and I."

Percy gave his father a confused look for a moment, then broke into a big smile. "Ah, about that. Yes, I did quit my job, but I've already gotten a new one. From the Queen herself, in fact."

Mister Weasley stared at his middle son dumbfoundedly, his mouth flapping up and down making unintelligible noises. Finally he was able to say, "What?" before his words failed again.

"After the Charter was revoked," said Percy, "Harry apparently talked to the Queen about me, and put in a good word. She offered me the job of researching and reconciling Wizarding and Muggle law, and preparing a detailed report for her on what's different and what needs to be changed in some way or another. It's going to be a lot of work, but I'm up for the challenge, and when I'm done I can probably get any job in the new Ministry I want."

"Wow," said Mister Weasley, drawing Percy into a hug. "I know I already said it, but I'm very proud of you, son. And I know your mother will be as well."

An embarrassed Percy returned the hug and replied, "Thank you. Now, since I can't really get started until the rest of this is done, I need to get back to acting as scribe so we can finish clearing the last of the Aurors." He pulled away gently, and Mister Weasley let him go.

"Alright, Percy, good luck. And please, once things get settled a little, come home for dinner. Just send us an owl so we know when to expect you."

Percy nodded. "I will, Dad. Say hi to Mum and everyone else for me."

Mister Weasley nodded and patted Percy on the shoulder, then turned and walked away while Percy went back to his papers.

Albus Dumbledore's thoughts were whirling. As crazy as today had been, it was nothing compared to the self-analysis he was performing after talking to Mister Weasley. He'd always chosen the right path over the easy one, hadn't he? While he had always advocated it, he'd never really assessed his own behavior to determine whether he'd actually followed his own advice. Now, after being treated by the Queen like a first year caught out of bounds after curfew, he was taking a look at his own behavior for the first time since dealing with the death of his sister.

"You have held multiple positions of power in the Magical world for many years," the Queen had said, "and yet you have done nothing with them to improve your world." Was that really true? Wasn't he the Leader of the Light? Hadn't he worked for the greater good and kept the Darkness at bay? Only he knew that Voldemort would return, and that only Harry Potter would be able to permanently defeat him. And it was only after Voldemort's final defeat that things could really change. Wasn't it?

As the thoughts went round and round his head, one thing slowly became clear to him. Even if he had been right before, even if he'd done the best he could for the world around him, that world was different now. And while he had never been completely in charge, the influence he used to wield was mostly, if not completely gone. If Albus Dumbledore was to remain relevant in the new Magical Britain, he was going to have to find a new way of influencing people and events. The question was, would anybody listen to him?

He didn't have an answer to that, and as his mind continued to whirl he knew that if one came he might not like what he found. As a thought exercise he tried to focus on something, anything really, that he could follow a specific line of reasoning from start to finish and see where he might be able to salvage something, but there was too much going on. Eventually he had to fall back to using Occlumency to try and clear his mind just to settle things down, but even then it was going to take time to make some headway.

Dumbledore's thoughts were interrupted by a commotion in the entrance to the courtroom. Two Aurors were carrying a woman in between them, while she was shouting at them to put her down and other invectives. A third Auror followed a couple strides behind, out of arm's reach, carrying a wand that was probably hers. As they approached Governor General Bones, he recognized her as Madam Edgecombe from the Floo Network office, who was also the mother of one of his students.

Madam Bones looked up from the Auror questioning transcript she was reading and took in the sight before her. "Auror Savage," she intoned, "please explain."

Before the Auror could say anything, Madam Edgecombe launched into a tirade about being accosted in the Floo Regulation office and ordered to disrobe.

Madam Bones let her ramble for a moment before holding up a hand and saying, "Enough. You will get a chance to speak once I determine what's happening. Auror Savage, report."

"Yes, Ma'am. We were checking everyone in the Department of Magical Transportation for Dark Marks when Madam Edgecombe refused to comply. Since we didn't have any female Aurors with us, and given the level of protest she raised, we decided to simply bring her down here on suspicion of possessing the Dark Mark and having you explain things to her."

Madam Edgecombe began to splutter, and was again silenced by a look from Madam Bones. "Madam Edgecombe, you have a simple choice. You can either bare your forearms and let us see whether or not you have a Dark Mark, or I will simply order your sleeves removed to achieve the same result. Which will it be?" asked Madam Bones.

"You can't do this to me," shouted Madam Edgecombe, "I know my rights as a pureblood!"

Madam Bones gave a hard-edged smile, and said, "Things have changed, Madam. By order of Her Majesty the Queen, everyone entering or present in the Ministry is to be checked for the Dark Mark. As Governor General of Magical Britain, it is my job to enforce Her Majesty's orders. Now bare your forearms, or I'll do it for you!"

Madam Edgecombe's face fell as Madam Bones explained the new state of affairs, then turned fearful as she was again ordered to bare her forearms. She tried to fight once more, but Madam Bones was having none of it. Pulling her wand, she pointed it at Madam Edgecombe and said, "Stupefy."

Madam Edgecombe slumped, unconscious, and the Aurors took the time to check her forearms. When they did so, the reason for her reluctance to show them was clear, as the Dark Mark showed clearly on her left forearm. They then cut her left sleeve off to prevent any questions about its presence, before binding her both magically and physically. The were about to take her over to where Yaxley and Macnair were being kept, but Madam Bones stopped them.

"Rennervate," she said, waking Madam Edgecombe back up. Madam Edgecombe's eyes went wide as she realized her Dark Mark was exposed, and that while no longer stunned she was thoroughly restrained. "Madam Edgecombe," said Madam Bones, "as you are in possession of the Dark Mark, you are hereby charged with treason and sedition against the Crown. You will be remanded to the custody of Her Majesty's Magical Military Squad for interrogation, after which your fate will be determined by Her Majesty's courts. I would advise you to cooperate as fully as possible, as the penalty for treason is death by hanging." Turning to the Aurors holding her, she added, "Put her with the other traitors," before turning her back.

As Madam Edgecombe was re-stunned and placed with the other two prisoners in possession of the Dark Mark, Dumbledore shuddered and decided that he did not want to get on Governor General Bones's bad side either.

It was nearly noon when Her Majesty and company returned to Buckingham Palace via the Floo from the Crown Ambassador's office. The first thing the Queen did was declare that there had to be a better way to get to and from the Ministry; Harry couldn't help but agree with her, but the Crown Wizards who were waiting for them apologetically stated that there unfortunately wasn't. After asking them to investigate the possibilities, she turned to Captain Lee and said, "Captain, I need you to take care of three things for me right away."

"Yes, Ma'am," replied Captain Lee, giving a nodded bow.

"First, have your men find a place where Madam Umbridge can be quietly kept in isolation for a few weeks. I want to give her an opportunity to think about her crimes before I give her a final chance at repentance. She is to be fed appropriately but plainly, and other than the times she is fed or taken for showers and exercise, she is to have no interaction with anyone. You may keep her stunned until you place her into her cell, but afterwards no magic is to be performed around her. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Ma'am," he responded. "I know just the place."

"Good. Second, I want you to take Mister Malfoy and give him a full military interrogation. Double check what we already know, and find out anything else you can. Make a note of whether or not he cooperates, and let him know what awaits him for certain if he doesn't. Also, be prepared to do the same with any other prisoners that Madam Bones sends to us. If you need Magical assistance with the interrogation, the Crown Wizards will be at your disposal."

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Finally, I want to see you and Major French in my study at three o'clock this afternoon to discuss how to deal with this terrorist organization and eliminate the threat to the realm. I do not expect to have an answer by then, just a discussion of what we can and should do."

"We'll be there, Ma'am. May I dismiss my men to return to their duties?"

"Yes, Captain, and thank you all for your service this morning."

Captain Lee gave a slightly deeper bow, then turned to his men. "Lansdell, Penfold, bring the prisoners and place them in the holding cells while we organize transport for prisoner number one. Prisoner number two is to be watched at all times by at least one Wizard. I want everyone else in the briefing room in ten, make that fifteen minutes. Dismissed!"

The soldiers moved out one and two at a time, until only Captain Lee was left. He turned back to the Queen and said, "By your leave, Ma'am?"

"Of course, Captain. I will see you this afternoon at three."

"Yes, Ma'am," said Captain Lee. He then gave another small bow before turning and leaving as well.

The Queen watched them go, then turned to Harry and Sirius and softened her expression. "Sir Harry," she said, "I would be pleased to have you and your godfather join me for lunch. While we have discussed much about the situation with the Magical world, I would like to get to know my newest knight a little better without the urgency of your trial hurrying us along."

"Thank you, Ma'am" said Harry, looking over at Sirius. Getting a nod in response, he continued, "We would be honored to join you."

"Very good," replied the Queen. Looking over at one of the Crown Wizards, she asked, "Will you please escort Sir Harry and Mister Black to freshen up, and then bring them to my private dining room." Addressing the other, she added, "Please summon my steward."

Both wizards chorused, "Yes, Ma'am." The one she addressed second picked up the phone to call for a steward, while the first said, "If you'll follow me, please," and led Harry and Sirius out of the Crown Wizards' office.

Harry and Sirius ate a quiet lunch with the Queen, with Her Majesty asking questions about their lives and Harry and Sirius doing their best to answer them. It was hard for Harry to open up about his time at the Dursley's, but Her Majesty seemed to know when to push and when to back off, and he found himself relaxing a little and telling her more than he expected. In many ways, she reminded him of how he had first thought of Dumbledore; she was a famous, powerful person who could also be a kind grandparent when she wanted to be.

As he was answering a question about his schooling before Hogwarts, admitting that he had lowered his performance to avoid getting better grades than Dudley, he realized that he was telling the Queen things that he'd never even told Sirius. He looked at his godfather, who was watching him with sadness in his eyes. As he finished his story, Sirius gave him a wan smile, and he felt his own eyes tearing up.

"I'm sorry I never told you," said Harry.

Sirius shook his head. "It's OK, we'll have plenty of time to talk about the past. I'm just glad you're getting it off your chest."

The sat there for a few seconds, looking at each other and thinking about future conversations, before the Queen cleared her throat to get their attention.

"Mister Black," she said, "If I remember correctly, last night you requested to formally adopt Sir Harry in the non-Magical world, yes?"

Sirius nodded at her, then looked at Harry. "Assuming you still want to, pup?"

Harry nodded then looked at the Queen. "Yes, I'd like that very much."

The Queen smiled, saying, "That answers my next question, thank you. While I cannot simply make it happen, I would be happy to assist in that process in any way that I can. If nothing else, I can put you in touch with an excellent solicitor with experience in adoption cases and provide a reference if needed." The last was said with a slight smirk, causing Harry and Sirius to chuckle.

"Yes, please," answered Sirius. "I wouldn't have the foggiest idea of what to do, I just know I don't want anything to prevent Harry and I from being together as a family."

Harry just nodded, tears of happiness dripping slowly down his face as he was overcome by emotion. He had only vaguely remembered the conversation from last night because he had been so tired, but now it came back to him clearly. Sirius planned to adopt him in both worlds, and one way or another they were going to be a family.

The Queen nodded, and they finished their meal in silence, each just enjoying the knowledge that things were going to work out for them.