Greetings...here is the next chapter...hopefully it is too your liking ;) warning: will involve swearing...
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Chapter 24: Negative Negotiations
"Withholding information is the essence of tyranny. Control of the flow of information is the tool of the dictatorship."
― Bruce Coville
The next few days where some of the worst that Harry had ever experienced at Hogwarts and that is including the second year Parslemouth incident, the Triwizard tournament fiasco and Umbridge.
It wasn't as if the rejection and hostile stares of the entire school population, was a new experience for Harry or anything. In all honestly, he could barely bring himself to notice them anymore… much less care.
It was his confusion and uncertainty that were making this time so much worse than any of the other time in the past. Zyren had gone back to avoiding him whenever possible; he didn't call on him in class or glance his way, in the great hall he didn't look out at the students much less in Harry's direction. Harry was both hurt by his behavior and pissed off.
Even back when they had first met in the Shadow realm, Zyren hadn't avoided him….he acted like an angry, first class prick but he hadn't ignored him. Harry wanted to hit the stubborn, idiotic daemon over the head…repeatedly.
Then there was his confusion over the attraction he felt towards Draco…something that he was had been unable to explore due to the fact that the Blond seemed to be avoiding not only him, but everyone. Whatever had been bothering Draco since they had returned to school had obviously not gone away. But what could h do? It wasn't as though he could force the stubborn Slytherin to confide his deepest darkest secrets. Hell, they had just barely moved past hated enemies.
Not to mention Dumbledore had been increasingly persistent and annoying with his need to know every little thing Harry was up too. That, added to the fact that this time around he was aware of just how immature and irritating the other two parts of the golden trio were equaled, one incredibly shitty week.
He decided that he needed to do something to get his mind off of everything (aka: Zyren and Draco) so he decided to try and deal with the ministry. He just needed to figure out exactly how to do that…..
Thankfully the answer to that question was brought to him by non-other than Dumbledore… although he was pretty sure that his solution was not what Dumbledore meant when he encouraged Harry to mend broken bridges and all that crap.
But, if listening politely to Dumbledore's rainbow filled speeches and nodding as though he agreed with the old man, allowed him an approved pass to leave Hogwarts for the day (without having to resort to sneaking out), then who was he to complain?
After having both of their names so thoroughly smeared in the papers and by the ministry last year Dumbledore was surprisingly amendable to forgiving and forgetting….or at least pretending too. Harry wasn't sure what exactly the headmaster hoped to achieve by offering a proverbial hand to Fudge, but he was sure it wasn't out of some altruistic, turn the other cheek principle.
Regardless of the real reason Dumbledore was so adamant that Harry go to the Minstery to meet with Minster Fudge (because apparently the minster had requested a meeting with the 'savior') it gave Harry the chance to observe for himself just what the Minster was hoping to achieve by allowing (and likely encouraging) the latest attacks on his character.
Severus of course thought he was stupid to go along with anything that both Dumbledore and the minster agreed upon, but Harry needed to find out for himself. Plus he was sure that the two irritating men were not going to get what they thought they were from him. Dumbledore might have started to see his new backbone, but the Minster was still firmly under the delusion that Harry was the scared little boy he had met in third year.
Harry was looking forward to proving them wrong.
He took a deep breath and moved confidently away from the arrival docket in the Minstery not bothering to so much as spare the guard out front a look as he walked past him. Intentionally not stopping and depositing his wand. (Which unbeknownst to the guard he hadn't bothered to bring…there were some definite perks to being an immortal, and wandless magic was one of them) at the check in counter.
He was moving at a pace quick enough that he had already reached the elevator doors before the old guard realized what happened and was shouting after him about needing to register. Harry sent the flustered (rather rotund) man a cheeky wink before the elevator door's slid shut. If he was going to meet with the Minster of magic, it was going to be on his terms….if he so happened to break every little rule on the way to said meeting…well so much the better.
He wondered briefly just where he had gotten his need to break rules from…it was definitely not from the immortal's he had spent the last decade around, they tended to be very strict about things like decorum and following laws and such. Most likely it was inherited from his mortal parents (and perhaps a godfather or two)….
His train of thoughts was interrupted by the pinging of the elevator, announcing to its occupants that they had arrived at their chosen destination. Harry moved confidently out of the lift and across the hustling floor, easily weaving his way through the various desks and paper pushers occupying them.
He finally came to what could only be the minister's office, stopping short before a desk holding a very familiar occupant who was currently on a magic-con (magical equivalent of a muggle phone) berating whoever happened to be the poor soul on the other end.
"….now listen here! Minster Fudge is a very busy man! He does not have time to deal with such petty grievances….no…no I can assure you that someone in ministry will get back to you….yes…of course….you too…good day madam" a harried looking Percy Weasley said before clicking the com off.
It was only after he had removed his head set, that he took notice of a rather imposing looking man standing in front of his desk. He could feel the aura of power radiating off of the green eyed man and straightened his posture unconsciously. The man actually looked rather familiar….
"Percy….it's been too long" the handsome stranger all but purred at him, offering him a mocking smile.
That voice….and then it all came together. "Harry?" the redhead asked in disbelief not quite able to wrap his mind around the fact that this tall, confidant, powerful man...No teen, was the same skinny, bespectacled youth he had seen at the full court hearing last year.
"Indeed…" Harry smirked at him, "now…as fun as it has been seeing you again…why don't you let your little boss know that I'm here"
Percy felt himself bristle at the mocking tone Harry was using but stopped himself from lashing out at the youth, knowing that as sarcastic as the boy had meant his comment to be..he was partially correct. The minster would indeed be pissed off at him if he delayed Fudge's access to the boy hero for even a moment. Percy settled for offering the teen a condescending look and sniff, "wait here…I will inform him" before strutting his most confident strut away to do just that.
Harry had to stop himself from snickering …Percy had always been a pretentious little prick…it was fun rankling his feathers a bit. It wasn't even two minutes before the redhead returned looking rather put out and sulkily told him to go right in.
Harry gave him his most charming smile (with perhaps a bit of an edge to it), "always a pleasure Mr. Weasley" he said loudly, before moving away from the desk and entering Fudge's office without so much as a knock. He knew just how much Percy had tried to separate himself from being associated with the Weasley name.
On his entry Fudge nearly fell out of his chair in surprise (despite the fact that he had just been informed that Harry Potter was coming in to see him…honestly how the British public could elect someone as stupid as Fudge was beyond him).
"Ah…M-Mr. Potter….good to see you, have a seat" he stuttered slightly before recovering enough to adopt his usual blustering confidence.
"Wish I could say the same minster" Harry replied sweetly, but there was no mistaking the iciness underneath, "You wished to see me?"
Fudge swallowed convulsively and fidgeted nervously under the cold green stare, but unwisely soldiered on, "Yes…I-I wanted to discuss your responsibilities" he finished in a brave tone, one that was somewhat belied by the sheen of nervous sweat appearing on his forehead.
"Responsibilities?" Harry asked the word falling like poison from his lips.
"er…that's right…your…your responsibilities to the British public" Fudge stumbled on.
"I'm sorry Minster…but I was unaware that I had any…'responsibilities' as you call it…to anyone, much less the idiotic British public" Harry stated, his harsh glare never leaving the fidgeting man in front of him.
Somehow the minster managed to find an ounce of his old swaggering confidence and bring it to the forefront, "Now see here! Dumbledore has said something or other about some prophecy that named you…you-know-whose conqueror… there for it is your duty to do something about him!"
Harry stared at the man with something akin to disbelief. Was he serious? And what the hell was Dumbledore playing at? Shaking his head slightly to bring himself back to the present, he snorted.
The words that came next were born out of the past week of frustration, and a whole lot of pent up anger…he had, had enough…at the moment he could care less about Britain or any of the people in it (well there were a few exceptions but right now he wasn't thinking of them).
"To Hell with some bullshit prophecy made by a drunken, fraud…." Harry stated gone was the syrupy softness being replaced with hard, coldness.
"…tell me Minster…is it not in your job description to defend your constituents from a threat? So if your outlook on duty is correct… then really shouldn't you be going out and facing dear lord Voldemort?" Harry asked mockingly
"Now listen here! You have no right to speak to me like that! The prophecy states…" Fudge had sprung from his seat, his face flushed with anger. He could not believe that this little whelp was not doing as he was told…Dumbledore had assured him that faced with his 'responsibilities' the boy would cave. From the looks of things Dumbledore was just having a go at him!
Harry cut him off, "no, Minster…my answer is no. Do it yourself, or find someone else…because frankly I do not give a shit anymore!" he spat angrily, standing up and moving towards the door to leave. Honestly, this was not how he had wanted the meeting to go but he was just too fed up to try and manipulate the idiot.
"Y-You can't say no! t-this is your duty!" Fudge cried out in disbelief
"I believe I just did Minster…good day" Harry retorted opening the door and leaving quickly making his way towards the lifts (ignoring all of the stares directed at his person). He heard fudge cry out, "..th-this is treason! I-I will have you arrested….you owe it to Britain!"
Harry spun to face him just as he got back onto the lift and sneered, "Please minster…just try…I dare you…" he paused to look at everyone who was gaping at him in shock, "…But be warned Minster, Voldemort is not the worst enemy you could have"
And with perfect dramatic timing the doors slid shut.
Harry sighed to himself wearily and leaned back against the back of the lift. Shit…what had he just done? Threaten the minster? Check….possibly made himself some powerful new enemies? Check….had a blast doing it? He couldn't help but smirk to himself…check.
Well come hell or high water there was no taking it back now….he refused to lie down and be their martyr any longer…he would just have to live with the consequences.