CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE: MINOR COMPLICATIONS

Millicent Bulstrode, Hermione Granger, and Lilian Moon's Dormitory Room

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Scotland

10 April 1994

Millie swallowed hard and read the letter again. While letters from home weren't terribly uncommon, they usually were banal; asking Millie about her friends, her grades, and if she'd been to Hogsmeade with any cute boys. This letter, however, was different. It didn't take a genius to read the stress and worry between the lines, and Millie could feel in her heart that it heralded something wrong.

Dearest Millicent,

I hope you are continuing to enjoy school. Your father and I are very proud of your Quidditch accomplishments and wish you and your team the best of luck in winning the House Cup. We have faith in you and know you will succeed.

Your cousins owled me asking to pass on a message to you regarding your friend Hermione Granger. They encourage you to continue and enrich your friendship with Miss Granger. She is a subject of great curiosity among their family and they hope to learn more about her character and general disposition.

We will visit the extended family in the motherland over the summer holiday, and I am certain that your cousins will be eager to learn about your friends and adventures at school.

Continue to work hard,

Love,

Mother

Millie bit her lip. The letter was almost painfully obvious, and its contents made Mille quite uncomfortable. Her cousins - clearly the Dolohovs, as she didn't have any close cousins on the Bulstrode side - essentially wanted her to spy on one of her best friends. Millie was also certain that by "cousins", her mother didn't mean the tsarvich, Eduard. Rather, Millie was rather certain she was referring to Tsar Sergei Dolohov, and his wife, Tsarina Madelaine Dolohova née Delacour.

Of the two, the tsarina scared Millie more. While the tsar was fiercely intelligent and a powerful wizard, the tsarina's perfect features masked a cold and calculating woman. She was fiercely protective of Eduard and there clearly wasn't a price she wouldn't pay to keep him safe. Millie didn't particularly blame her for that. Eduard was Sergei and Madelaine's only child, and if something happened to him, the line of succession would get quite complicated.

Relations-wise, Sergei's younger brother Antonin was closest to the throne, but he'd been disinherited due to his embarrassing involvement with the Dark Lord. After Antonin, one had to go back a generation. Sergei had been the only son and the second child of Vladimir Dolohov and Klara Petrova. Sergei's older sister, Viktoriya, had disappeared, and at that time, women couldn't inherit anyway, so she wasn't particularly important to the line of succession. The rule about women had changed, though. As long as the witch in question changed her surname to Dolohova, and her husband was of the correct sort and willing to take her name, she could inherit the throne.

This small fact was especially important to Millie. Viktor Dolohov, Tsar Sergei's younger brother, had two daughters, Anita and Anastasiya. Anita was the older of the two, and Millie's mother.

It was rather concerning to think that she, Millie, was third in line to the Russian throne. After Millie came her brother, Edmund, and Anastasiya's only surviving child, Aria Nott. After Aria, the line got even more diluted, passing to Sofia Morozova, and then to her two children, Viktor and Stefan Krum.

Millie frowned, mulling the whole situation over. She had absolutely no idea why the tsarina was interested in Hermione. Hermione was...Hermione. She was fiendishly intelligent, of course, and good friends with Harry, but Millie was also friends with Harry. They played Quidditch together, for Merlin's sake! Millie wouldn't be surprised if her cousins were trying to get information on Harry, or on Ron for that matter given both of them would inherit Wizengamot seats upon turning seventeen. Hermione, though, was muggleborn, and Millie had no idea how she tied into anything.

Signing, Millie carefully incinerated the letter and prayed. One could never be too careful when the Dolohovs were involved.

Chambers of the Wizengamot

London, England

11 April 1994

"The money, however, is not even the most important part of the equation," Lord Greengrass expounded, "the fate of our children is what we should focus on most. While the new primary school system is not yet in place, several benefits have emerged, most clearly in the restructuring and enriching of our curriculum. Furthermore, the schools provide more jobs for young witches and wizards as well as the opportunity for more education apprenticeships. By providing our teachers with more opportunities to teach, they will improve the quality of their teaching, thereby improving our education system."

"Thank you, Lord Greengrass," droned the Moderator. "Lady Brown, you are now recognized."

"Thank you. First, I would like to reiterate that I was a signatory of the Primary Education Reform Act. That being said, I do not believe we should allocate funds prior to determining how the schools will function. Rather than blindly increase the budget for school functions, I suggest we wait for one full year of operation to take place in order to allow for the most efficient funding scheme. Under this plan, we will target specific areas for improvement, which will decrease the likelihood of misused funds."

Percy found himself nodding in agreement.

"Thank you, Lady Brown. Lord Prewett, you are now recognized."

Percy stepped up to the podium, feeling only slightly nervous. He'd addressed the Wizengamot several times before, although he'd mainly agreed with points made by other speakers. This time, however, he had his own point to make.

"Thank you, Moderator," Percy began, making an effort to keep pomposity out of his voice. "I concurred with the sentiments conveyed by Lady Brown, and would like to offer another point for consideration: Hogwarts. Due to the primary school curriculum, namely History of Magic, Herbology, and Runic Scripts, the Hogwarts curriculum will need to experience significant changes. The curriculum currently projects students to take the History of Magic O.W.L. in third year and the Herbology O.W.L. in fourth year, which will allow for more specialization and freedom of scheduling. Furthermore, if Runic Scripts is offered in primary school, students ought to have the option to take Ancient Runes starting in their first year. I have numerous other ideas for curriculum changes, and suggest a separate committee is formed to handle them."

"Thank you, Lord Prewett. Lord Gamp, you are now recognized."

Percy made his way back to his seat, noting with satisfaction that several of the lords who'd been nodding during his speech were now whispering with their neighbors. Percy settled into his chair, and opened the note waiting for him.

Well-spoken, brother. Who would be included on this theoretical committee of yours - besides yourself, of course.

Percy mentally rolled his eyes. Bill was always eager to give him a hard time.

I would include three main groups on the committee - current primary school teachers and Hogwarts professors, recent Hogwarts graduates, and current Hogwarts students. This will give a clear picture of where education ideally goes, how it actually impacts graduates, and how it can be made better for current students.

Percy folded the note into a small aeroplane, and tapped it once with his wand. "Lord Weasley," he intoned quietly. The aeroplane whizzed off, and Percy relaxed in his chair. Debate had moved from the primary schools to foreign policy, and Percy listened idly as Lord Slughorn made a point, jowls quivering with each word. The man clearly didn't understand the intricacies of international banking. Out of the corner of his eye, Percy saw Bill raise his wand to be recognized to speak. Lord Slughorn finished his diatribe, and Bill rose next, quickly dismantling the other man's argument. The Gringotts Liaison, Sigmund Scrimgeour, spoke next, and supported Bill's arguments. Percy felt rather smug about the situation.

"All those wishing to speak, raise your wands," said the Moderator. There was a long pause. "Seeing none, we will move to the next item of debate: those petitioning for High House status. There are currently forty-one High Houses, and six petitioning Lower Houses. The Wizengamot can chose to Ascend none, two, or all six."

Percy nodded along. There always had to be a prime number of High Houses.

"The preliminary vote will take place momentarily. This vote is merely for consideration, and does not guarantee any increase in status. To move onto the next stage of the process, at least eight High Houses must be in favor of Ascension. We will now move into voting procedure. All those who wish to hear further discussion on House Diggory, raise your wands."

Percy craned his neck. He personally wasn't in favor of the Diggorys, but Lord Abbott was, as well as Lady Brown, Lord Flitwick, and, surprisingly, Lord Fawley and Lord MacMillan.

"House Diggory fails to receive the requisite number of votes. All those who wish to hear further discussion on House Marchbanks, raise your wands."

Percy raised his lighted wand, along with Bill, and all the Progressives, and most of the Neutral-Traditionalists.

"House Marchbanks receives twelve votes, and will undergo further review. All those who wish to hear further discussion on House Ogden, raise your wands."

Unsurprisingly, the Ogdens failed to receive enough votes. House Rookwood received nine, almost all from the Blood-Purist bloc. House Runcorn garnered even more support, receiving fifteen votes across the Blood-Purists, Traditionalists, and Neutral-Traditionalists. Only the Progressives seemed displeased. The last House Umbridge was the last on the docket, and barely managed to receive eight votes.

"This concludes discussion for today, and this session of the Wizengamot is now adjourned."

Percy stood up, stretched, and made his way over towards Bill.

"Nice speech," Percy said as they made their way out.

"Thanks. It wasn't really anything special, just clearing up the details of international banking."

"Lord Slughorn didn't know them."

Bill scoffed. "Of course not. If you haven't noticed, he's rather long in the tooth. He should have ceded the Slughorn seat to his son years ago."

Percy wracked his memory for wizards with the surname Slughorn. "To Horace Slughorn?"

Bill shook his head. "No, that's Osgood's younger brother. The son's name is Oliver."

Percy felt rather stupid. "Oh."

"Don't worry about it. Say, do you want to grab a pint and discuss that idea of yours?"

Percy smiled despite himself. "Sure. Let me change out of my Wizengamot robes - one

moment." Percy retrieved his Extra-Compact Wrinkle-Free robe pouch from his cloak pocket, and shrugged out of his violet Wizengamot robes. He folded in carefully, smoothing his had once over the Prewett crest before tucking them in the pouch and withdrawing a plain navy robe. He put it on, and caught Bill smirking at him.

"What are you going on about?"

"You and your fancy clothes storage. That and the fact that I got away with wearing dragonhide boots with my formal robes."

"Bill!" Percy protested. He wasn't squawking. He was just mildly alarmed.

"Don't worry about it," Bill said, pulling a set of red robes over his shoulders. "Come along now. I've got a table reserved at the Leaky."

They headed to the Leaky Cauldron and ordered dinner. Percy wasn't the biggest fan of the Leaky's food - it was a bit too greasy for his tastes - but Bill insisted on paying and Percy wasn't about to turn down a free meal. The conversation slowly turned from politics to work.

"Did you decide to take the job in Legal, or did a better offer come up?" Bill asked.

Percy finished chewing his bite of cottage pie before answering. "I'm taking the job in Legal. The salary isn't bad, and I'll also be taking two classes per semester at the Wizarding College at Cambridge. They're paying for it, too, and I'll get a higher pay grade once I get my Politics and Economics certificate."

Bill grinned. "Well done! Good on you."

"Everything, of course, is contingent on good N.E.W.T.s…"

Bill made a dismissive sound. "Don't worry about those. You'll do fine."

"I have a rather heavy course load…"

"You've been getting O's in every class, Percy. You're not going to have any problems."

They sat in silence for a moment.

"So, do you know how Mum's doing?" Bill asked.

"Er…"

"Is she not doing well, or did you not bother to check in?"

"She's...really not doing well." Percy scratched the back of his head, trying to stall. "She's been very depressed lately, stopped showing up to her job at the pub, actually. They were going to fire her, and I convinced them otherwise. Not sure how long that will hold out though. If she doesn't show up, there's no point in having her on staff, and if she doesn't work, she can't afford to eat."

Bill sighed. "I'll take care of it. I'm due for a raise in a couple months, and if I can convince Fred and George to get real jobs this summer we'll have even fewer problems."

Percy scowled. "I wish they'd pull it together. Ron's been doing quite well for himself, and Ginny even earned money last summer."

"Look, if it's their way of coping, let them do it. They were old enough to remember how Mum use to be."

Percy looked away. "What even happened to her?"

Bill shrugged. "Depression. Shock. The Daily Prophet articles against Dad didn't help either."

"She use to be so strong."

"She lost both her brothers in the war along with her parents. Her only cousins are incapacitated or missing and presumed dead. It's a lot for one person to take, and after Dad passed...well, he was her rock. No matter what happened, he was there for her, and she was there for him. When he died she lost that, and she just...broke."

"Is there anything we can do?" Percy asked.

Bill shook his head. "Nothing can fix a broken heart."

Zamok Holodnogo Ognja

Eastern Russia

16 April 1994

"Hello, husband."

"So you have word, then."

Madelaine smiled. "The best kind. We located your aunt."

Sergei raised an eyebrow. "Where was she?"

"Britain. England, to be specific."

"Explain."

"In the 1940s, an allegedly Jewish muggle woman made her way into Britain from Russia under the name Viktoriya Dvorkina. The British muggles assumed she was fleeing the war, and allowed her into the country. She went on to marry a muggle, Tristan Sanders, and anglicized her first name. They had one daughter: Helen, who turned out to be a squib. Helen grew up ignorant of her magical heritage, went to university and became a muggle Tooth Healer. She married another muggle Tooth Healer named Jack Granger. Their daughter, Hermione, is a witch."

"Mm. And this is the girl you've had young Millicent watch?"

"Yes."

"What do we think of this Hermione?"

Madelaine took a moment to collect her thoughts. "She's highly intelligent, and clever. She was sorted into Slytherin House at Hogwarts, the same one as Millicent and Aria, which prizes ambition and cleverness."

"In short, she's a Dolohov."

"Precisely."

"She must be brought into the fold. It would be unspeakably bad if one of our enemies got ahold of her, or if anyone else discovers her secret. Since Viktoriya was disowned, Hermione Granger has no claim to the throne. However, that could be changed, if we think Hermione would be better than Anastasiya or Millicent. At any rate, if she's as intelligent as you say, she would be an asset to the family. We must play this carefully. There's no need to spook the girl."

"We will have several more family members in Britain this year," Madelaine mused. "My cousin, Fleur, will be a part of the Beauxbatons contingent. I would assume that both Viktor and Stefan will attend with Durmstrang?"

Sergei nodded. "Naturally. I have high hopes for Viktor, and Stefan continues to not disappoint, even if he is a bit immature."

"Viktor coddles him too much."

"Mm. It's only natural. Viktor is very loyal to his family. I am certain he can handle our

situation with tact."

"I trust Viktor to act as he sees fit. As for Fleur, Millicent can introduce her to Hermione. Perhaps Fleur can offer both girls some beauty tips."

Sergei looked at her in askance.

"Hermione has the Dolohov hair, and you've met Millicent."

"I understand. I anticipate hearing from our cousins. After all, the family must endure."

Madelaine smiled. "Indeed."

A/N: Updates are likely to be less frequent in the next six weeks - I'm heading in a very busy part of the semester. I will try to update every two weeks but can't make any promises since some professors are unpredictable.