Chapter 36
Back in the US
By the end of June, Sirius and Katja were nearing the end of their Auror training. The last couple of months, starting with the fiasco in England, had really been hard.
After the English 'Treason'-fiasco, the two Aurors came home to a hero's welcome, and an increase in pay. Apparently, someone liked the way that they had gotten through the trial and petitioned the Director of the Auror Corps to give them a pay promotion (not an actual promotion). Instead of getting $162.50 a week, they would now get $177 a week. David Williamson-Evans would be getting a promotion back up to Major (his British rank) sometime in March or April.
After they came back, Captain Post called them into his office. "I got the report from ADE. The report said that you worked as a team throughout your stay in England, and you received a hell of a lot of assistance from a team that was already in place. This is what a good Auror always does, and I am glad that you learned it from me and the gunny."
A newspaper reporter from the Wizarding Times (New York) came to talk to them shortly after their talk with Captain Post. A newspaper article had appeared the next day.
AMERICAN AUROR CANDIDATES PERIL IN ENGLAND
by: Yoi Kisha, WNS
Shortly after Christmas, three American Aurors were kidnapped and arrested by the wizarding authorities in Great Britain. They were then forced to spend two days in a maximum security cell at Azkaban (the British magical prison, which still uses Dementors). Most readers know that Dementors were outlawed in the North American Union in the early 1960s as part of the modernization of our laws.
"It was horrible," said Auror Candidate Wagner, currently completing her Auror Officer's Course along with her fiancee, Sirius Black. "The Dementors force a person to live through their worst nightmares over and over again. The one forced on my the most was when I got Turned. If it hadn't been from the advise given to me by My Captain, Captain David Williamson, I'm not sure that I would have survived."
In a hideous display of prejudice, one of the charges against Ms. Wagner was that she was an 'Unregistered Dark Creature loyal to an Enemy of the United Kingdom and The Minister of Magic,' because she is a werewolf. One citizen of England, with known ties to the supposed Dark Lord that they call Voldemort, was quoted in the Daily Prophet as saying that Wagner was 'Trying to overthrow the government...that has stood for hundreds of years, [and that the people of America]...think their ways are so much better than ours.'
This reporter has also found out that the England Three, who all hold English Citizenship, along with their Auror Canadian Citizenship, were initially denied access to a phone call. Fortunately, the team was able to contact the Embassy in London with enough time to procure legal representation. Another Auror (in the JAG Corps), Commander Jim Roberts, an accomplished attorney with a specialization in the laws of the United Kingdom represented the three at their trial.
"The prosecution really didn't have much of a case," Commander Roberts replied when we contacted him at the Embassy in London. "Most of the evidence was highly prejudicial i.e. a cousin of the aforementioned Malfoy was a witness in the case, and had no more evidence than the fact that the two main Accused were at a 'Muggle Airport.' The second witness was one of our own, and they twisted General Smith's testimony to the fact that it was untrue." The commander then went on to explain that "Muggle" is the British term for "Mundane." He continued on, "I had good witnesses who, if they hadn't got my clients off the hook, it would have been a huge miscarriage of justice. Her Majesty was contacted by the Headmaster of the school the three had attended, and she put in a personal appearance at the Wizengamot, the British court and legislative body."
When asked what the Queen did, he just replied, "She really put the Minister in his place, telling him that the type of conduct found in Britain would not be acceptable any longer, and that she told him to shape up or ship out, not in those words, of course."
The Minister was also called out by Her Majesty for using an improper title. The Minister commonly referred to himself as the "Minister of Magic," instead of his correct title, "The Minister for Magic of Great Britain."
When asked about the incident, Captain Williamson, due to be promoted next month, said, "Dementors are evil creatures. When going to Britain, all we wanted to do is go to the Wedding of a close friend of Candidate Black. I, of course, was the designated Officer who was supposed to keep them out of trouble, but seeing as we all went up to inform the Minister of our Oversees Duty, we were all arrested. I'm just glad that the Ambassador was able to help us out. He actually performed the ceremony for the Family Friend." This newspaper will respect the privacy of the 'family friend' by not naming them.
As this story was going to press, we learned that the International Criminal Court is pursuing Corruption Charges against the British Minister and many of his top aides. No word on how the Magical Communities of Great Britain are taking this news. We here at the Times, along with every major Magical Newspaper in our Territories, are glad that the three Aurors are relatively safe. We also hope that the Wizard Communities of the world see this and work to implement change in the world.
–/-
Near the beginning of February, Her Majesty's Government in England announced that the Minister for Magic had resigned after the charges had been brought against him by the ICC. This facilitated the need for nationwide electionsin England to choose a new Minister. Another piece of news from England was that the Wizengamot had finally split the position of Chief Warlock from the position of Minister. Albus Dumbledore had been nominated by a 51% vote of the Wizengamot, and had taken the role on a temporary basis almost immediately. According to the times, Dumbledore vowed to step down if not popularly elected.
The fact that the Minister had simply resigned and didn't act defiantly against the ICC surprised Katja, as she thought that the Minister would force England out of the ICC.
She was even more surprised when a piece of mail from the Ministry came for her, Sirius and Major Williamson in early March. They were identical, and when they opened them, they found an absentee ballot for Minister and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot. There was the names "Millicent Bagnold" and Lucius Malfoy and another spot for a write-in vote. The section of the ballot for the Wizengamot Chief Warlock was similar, with Albus Dumbledore's name and a write-in.
All three quickly filled out the ballot confirming their votes for Bagnold for Minister and Dumbledore for Chief Warlock and sent them back through the Wizard section of the United States Postal Service, which was not cheap at all—costing them around $40 total. The reason that the Americans used the Postal Service was that America is a much larger country than England, too great a distance for most owls. As she was sending off the ballots, Katja noticed that they would need to submit an expense form to the Minister for the amount of postage, which would be refunded.
Later in the month, Captain Williamson received orders to brevet the rank of major, and on 1 February, the ceremony took place. This ceremony was a lot different from the ones in England, for it was a little longer. Katja and Sirius were invited to watch the ceremony, along with a large amount of Lieutenants. As would be expected, Captain Williamson and Major General John Smith were both wearing their Dress Whites Uniforms. At exactly noon on 1 January, the General called the Assembly to order.
"Good Afternoon, everyone. We are very pleased that you could all join us for the promotion of a former Guest Officer. Assisting us today will be the Officer's student, an Officer Candidate by the name of Katja Wagner.
"Attention To Orders: The President Of The North American Union, On Advice From The Director Of The Auror Corps, Has Placed Special Trust And Confidence In The Patriotism, Integrity, And Abilities Of Officer-Captain David James Evans-Williamson. In View Of This, And His Potential To Serve In A Higher Grade, As Demonstrated In The United Kingdom, Captain David Williamson Is Hereby Promoted To The Grade Of Major, North American Auror Corps, Effective 1 February Nineteen-Eighty, By Order Of The Director Of The Auror Corps.
"Candidate Wagner, will you please remove the Major's incorrect shoulder-boards?" Katja went up and took of the offending items, handing them to the general. In return, he gave her the new shoulder boards.
"I will now administer the oath of office," stated the General. "Please raise your right hand, and speak the oath.
"I David Williamson, having been appointed to the rank of Major, do solemnly swear that I will well and truly serve Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, her heirs and successors according to law, in the North American Services until lawfully released, that I will resist Her Majesty's enemies and cause Her Majesty's peace to be kept and maintained and that I will, in all matters pertaining to my service, faithfully discharge my duty. So help me Merlin! I also swear to support and defend the Constitution of the North American Union against all enemies, both foreign and domestic, that I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion."
"Congratulations, Major Williamson!" stated the General. "This concludes today's ceremony. There will be drinks in the lobby."
That March had a blue moon, which was really hard on any werewolf, even one that had received the Native American Indian treatments that Katja had received. Of course, the two moons caused Sirius to also shift into his Animagus form. The times that Katja was immune, so was he, but when she transformed, it was full force.
The Healer at the Base Infirmary was very intrigued by this. She had never seen a being like Sirius before—a human involuntarily transformed every month into a Grim. She was very interested in studying him as much as she could. The Healer found that the bite Katja gave Sirius, combined with the healing from a lightning phoenix and the fact that it was not the full moon, instead of making Sirius more wolf-like, made him more dog-like instead.
"It's like this," said Healer Barclay. "You said that another of your friends was Bitten on a non-full-moon, and didn't develop the whole symptoms?" At Katja's nod, the Healer continued. "The Bite makes a person more canine-like, which we learned through the study of Mr Black here. When you Bit him, it also created some sort of link between the two of you. That is why Mr Black transforms when you do, Ms Wagner."
On the Weasley twins' second birthday (1 April 1980), Katja received a call from Scotland.
"This is Auror Candidate Wagner," she answered the phone.
"Hello, Candidate Wagner. How are you doing?" asked the voice on the other line.
"Professor McGonagall? I'm good; how are you?" replied Katja.
"I have good news," responded the Assistant Headmistress. "Your Grandfather has been elected to the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, and is about to take the oath. I will put my mirror to the phone."
Over the phone, she could hear Albus Dumbledore talking. "I, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, do swear that I will well and truly serve our Sovereign Lady Queen Elizabeth II in the office of Chief Warlock of Her Majesty's Wizengamot, and I will do right to all manner of people after the laws and usages of this realm, without fear or favor, affection or ill will."
Katja then heard someone say, "Congratulations, sir! You are now the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot! Three cheers for His Hon our, The Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"
He then yelled, "HIP HIP" and was answered "HORRAY!" The crowd did this three times.
"Are you still there, Katja?" asked McGonagall.
"Yes, I am still here, Professor," responded Katja.
"Albus and I have fallen deeply in love with each other, and will be getting married in a small ceremony towards the end of July," responded McGonagall. "And please, you are not my student any more. Please call me Minerva. Especially if I am going to be a part of your family!"
"Was the election close?" asked Katja. "Or was there no one stupid enough to run against Grandfather?"
"He won 98.9% of the vote. The others were a concerted effort by the Forces of Evil to put one of their own people in the office. I've got to get back to grading papers. I had to go to Dufftown to get this phone."
"Thanks for the call, Minerva," responded Katja as she hung up the phone. It was obvious that Minerva knew that they had leave time coming up in July and August, since the training ended in May. They had already planned to take some leave time at the end of July for 'Family Reasons' so Minerva's timing was quite good.
Sooner than they expected, it was suddenly May. They had finals and final Physical Training to do before they could graduate, so Katja was in her element, creating study timetables and encouraging others to study. On the 31st of May, Katja's class lined up in front of the Commandant in their best dress uniforms (which obviously didn't have shoulder-boards yet).
"It is a great pleasure to be here today," the Commandant stated. "It is always a pleasure to welcome new officers into the Auror Corps. Tonight is the end of one part of your life, and the beginning of another. Tonight, after the ceremony, you will receive your Auror's Robes, which you will wear on duty when you aren't around Mundanes. When I call you name, please come up here, collect the coin, receive your Boards, and receive your first Salute."
The Commandant started calling names. Soon, he called, "Black, Sirius!" and Sirius went up to the platform, collected the Salute coin, and received his shoulder-boards from the Commandant himself. The announcer then called, "Receiving his first salute from Gunnery Sergeant Krycek is Auror Lieutenant Sirius Black!" Gunny Krycek snapped to attention, and saluted, to which Sirius saluted back. Sirius then put the coin discreetly in the gunny's palm as they shook hands, as was the time-honored tradition.
Since her named started with a 'W,' Katja was one of the last people to receive her Boards. When she got down to her salute, there were a number of wizards standing there. She got saluted by the Gunny, and went back to her spot. As she was walking, she noticed that the wizards near the Gunny were following her. I'll deal with this later, she thought. What are they doing here, though?
They then took the oath and were dismissed to their barracks. Once Katja and Sirius left the hall, the leader of the people following her called out, "Lieutenants Wagner and Black? Please wait here."
He came up to them and said, "I'm Auror Commander Brendan O'Brien of Her Majesty's British Auror Corps."
"What do you want, Commander?" asked Katja. "Our previous encounters with England haven't been all that good."
"Under Protection Act 1980, you are hereby authorized to have an Auror Escort," O'Brien responded.
"Why do I warrant a bodyguard?" asked Katja. "Not that I'm complaining."
"You and your mate require a bodyguard based on two things. One, there have been a hell of a lot of prophesies that involve you two and Major Williamson, and two, your Grandfather is the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot. I am hoping that you will use my team if you go off-base and you aren't on a mission, ma'am. You may choose your own team for other times."
"What if I wanted Americans? Would you be all right with that?"
"No, we don't care. You're the bloody Chief's granddaughter, so you can choose whichever team you want."
"All right," said Katja. "If you can remain discreet off-base, you can be Team One. Major Evans-Williamson, Lieutenants Davis, Garcia and Young will be Team Two, Lieutenants S Brown, J Williams, and Trooper Johnson will be Team Three. You may use any other of your teams to round those out. Major Williamson will be able to work it out with the Commandant."
Once they got back to the Barracks, they had some free time, so Katja looked at her and Sirius's finances. It was a good thing that she still had money from this year, and a couple of dollars left from the previous year, because it was going to take a lot of money to fly to Britain. When O'Brien got back from talking to Major Williamson, he announced that the Major had gotten them seats on a C-130 to London, care of the USMC. Both teams of Bodyguards would be coming of course, so Major Williamson would be coming along once again.
A/N: ADE stands for Auror Division: Europe. The promotion ceremony is mostly taken from the ceremony for Promotion to 1LT on navywives[dot]com, the oaths are Canadian Forces and US Officer Oaths
WNS stands for Wizarding Newspaper Syndicate
ICC/IWCC Stands for International Criminal Court and is synonymous with International Wizarding Criminal Court
I know that Britain generally does not accept write-in votes. This is my story, so my Wizarding Great Britain is slightly different
I also know that in the United States in 1980, there was no full moon in February. Both January and March had blue-moons. I tended to forget about that, as I usually just use a UK Calendar (which makes it so that the full moon does fall on 1 February)
Somewhere in Chapter 35, I passed 100,000 words archived on Fanfiction
POA -20,176 words
words "Magic" as in "Minster of Magic" is 85,152 word in the story