In 2015, actor Daniel Radcliffe was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Chapter 8
The Separation is Ended

Harry and Hermione spent a total of three days with the Wilkinses/Grangers. The newlyweds met the employees of Wilkins & Wilkins Dental; Hermione was introduced as Monica's niece. The reunited family took a one-day trip into the outback, because Hermione was keen to see it. Harry and Hermione saw live kangaroos.

But then the newlyweds had to cut their honeymoon short, when they received a house-elf-delivered message that Draco and Narcissa had been arrested as Death Eaters, and their trials would be on Friday, 22nd May.

Four days later
Friday, 22nd May
Courtroom Ten, the Ministry of Magic

Draco was tried first. Harry and Hermione didn't testify much, basically saying that during the Battle of Hogwarts, Draco was seen inside the castle, not outside, and neither Potter saw Draco fighting except in the Room of Requirement. As Harry testified, "So far as I know, he killed nobody that night."

During Draco's Veritaserum testimony, it came out that to earn his Dark Mark, Draco had raped and had killed the young Muggle mother of an infant. But apparently this was not "true" murder to the Wizengamot; Draco was acquitted of all charges.

Once Draco was released from the chains-chair, he climbed the stairs to the spectators' gallery.

Then Narcissa Black (formerly Malfoy) was put in the chains-chair, and things got wild when Harry was called to testify—

.

Mr Robards: Mr Potter, why have you asked to speak on behalf of Miss Black?

Harry Potter: Let's start with the fact that she's on trial for being a Death Eater, when I know she isn't one.

Mr Robards: Your opinion notwithstanding, I can produce many witnesses who can testify that her husband was a Death Eater, and that her son is one as well.

Harry Potter: Then you should arrest Andromeda Black Tonks and put her on trial too! After all, her sister Bellatrix was a Death Eater.

Chief Warlock Greengrass: Mr Potter, please stop with the sarcasm, or I'll be forced to discipline you.

Harry Potter: I'm bothered, Chief Warlock, because you won't give Veritaserum to Miss Black, which would end her trial in twenty seconds. And rather than say "Miss Black has no Dark Mark," Mr Robards has told this court, "Miss Black's Dark Mark apparently is well hidden."

Chief Warlock Greengrass: Director Robards, your comments?

Mr Robards: Veritaserum is expensive, and everyone knows that Miss Black is a Death Eater.

Harry Potter: I keep telling you she isn't, but you won't listen. When I took the Lord Potter ring on 2nd May, I gained ownership of all of Lord Voldemort's property, including his chattel. What was Voldemort's chattel, now my chattel? All family members in chattel houses, such as Avery and Yaxley; and all marked Death Eaters. Let me demonstrate what I can do with chattel. Draco Malfoy, you, you, you and you, stand up and show me your left forearms. Then do not move whilst you remain awake.

.

At this point, five Death Eaters were revealed in court when they stood up, pulled up their left sleeves, and held their left forearms so that everyone in court could see their Dark Marks. Only one of the five (Draco Malfoy) had been known beforehand. The other four Death Eaters were Stunned and arrested, then Harry told Draco to sit down.

.

Harry Potter: When a chattel-person is in the same room as me, I sense a connexion between him and me. I sense no connexion between Narcissa Black and me, and you've found no Dark Mark on her. What does this tell you?

.

Charges against Narcissa were dismissed immediately afterwards.

Harry and Hermione, joined by Narcissa and Draco, stayed in court for the rest of the day.

After the foursome had been sitting together for five minutes, Narcissa abruptly backhanded her son's chest, then whispered something in his ear. Draco leaned over toward Harry and murmured begrudgingly, "Potter, thank you for testifying for me."

Throughout the day, the foursome watched other Death Eaters be put on trial (including the four Death Eaters whom Harry had outed in the morning).

The punishments were a wrist-slap. For every magical person who was killed by a Death Eater, this Death Eater was sentenced to five years in Azkaban—but however many five-year sentences the Death Eater was given, those sentences all overlapped. The Death Eaters who had murdered magicals also were slapped with fines: a thousand galleons for the first murder, and a hundred galleons apiece for additional murders of magicals.

However, causing the deaths of Muggles brought no prison time and no fines. Harry was quietly outraged by this pattern, and he could tell at a glance that Hermione was outraged too.

Meanwhile, in the spectators' gallery

Maxwell Yorksby also was angry at the light punishments that the Death Eaters were receiving. Unlike almost everyone else in the courtroom, Maxwell had known two Mundane victims of Death Eaters.

Maxwell Yorksby sat in a seat and, as ordered, he watched today's Death Eater trials and he listened to testimony in today's Death Eater trials. Tonight (or after all of today's trials had ended), Maxwell would Apparate back to post and would extract memory strands that would be put into a projector pensieve. After this, Maxwell would return to the barracks, whilst certain persons—Maxwell did not have a Need To Know who these certain persons were—would view Maxwell's memories.

Maxwell was a "first-gen" who two years ago had sat his NEWTs at Manchester Magical Academy. Currently he was serving in the British Army, in the 975th Special Projects Unit ("The Dragon-Pokers"). Maxwell was wearing "Inbred" (Pureblood) robes from Madam Malkin's, in order to blend-in in the courtroom, but his wand had come from Stiubhairt's Startling Sticks in Manchester, not from the Inbreds-favouring wand shop that was run by Garrick Ollivander.

Maxwell's haircut was regulation British Army; he deliberately had not glamoured his hair to make it look longer in the courtroom. He was curious whether any of the Inbreds in the room would figure out that one of Her Majesty's soldiers was in the courtroom, spying on them.

As best as Maxwell could tell, almost every magical in the courtroom was stupid and/or unobservant. Only Hermione Potter had given Maxwell a second look.

This was Maxwell's second Friday in a row of watching war criminals be tried by the Wizengamot. Except for Dolores Umbridge, the sentences that had been handed down were less than a Nonmagical Brit might have received from a Queen's Court, had he been convicted of stealing a car. As for Dolores Umbridge, last week the Wizengamot had bravely sentenced her to life in Azkaban—in the minimum-security wing. (Meaning, no Dementors nearby.)

Maxwell's orders were to watch the trials being held, and he did this. But Maxwell also watched Harry Potter, his bride Hermione Potter and the two Malfoys. Maxwell was puzzled—why weren't the Potters and the Malfoys duelling each other in the courtroom? Narcissa Malfoy was a Pureblood who carried herself like a duchess—she was the kind of magical person who was soundly scorned at Manchester Magical Academy. Yet she was relaxed when she spoke to Harry and Hermione, and they were relaxed when speaking to her. To Maxwell, what he was seeing was a puzzle.

The next day (Saturday, 23rd May)

After "certain persons" had viewed Private Yorksby's memories, they were amazed by Harry Potter. Not only had young Potter ignored Director Robards's clear wishes and had argued for the innocence of Narcissa Black, but Potter then had successfully proven Miss Black's innocence.

It was decided that Harry Potter and his bride would not be briefed on Operation Biscuit, but not because the young couple was untrusted.

It was just as well that certain people had decided not to reveal state secrets to Harry and Hermione, because those two were no longer in the United Kingdom to hear the secrets.

The newlyweds had resumed their honeymoon, and the day after Draco's and Narcissa's trials found Harry and Hermione in sunny Orlando, Florida, USA.

The Man Who Conquered and the Brightest Witch of Her Age both enjoyed Disneyworld.

A week later (Saturday, 30th May)

Prime Minister Tony Blair was angry.

Yesterday, the Wizengamot had tried twenty-four more Death Eaters. None of the twenty-four had been sentenced to more than five years of actual prison time, or had been fined more than eleven thousand pounds—despite the fact that the twenty-four Death Eaters, under magical truth serum, had revealed the killing of ninety-three nonmagical Britons.

Blair had been the United Kingdom's prime minister for slightly over a year. After his first day in office, back a year ago, he had steadfastly ignored the magical portrait over the fireplace; but now the PM left his desk and walked up to the portrait.

Blair said, "Tell"—he read off a slip of paper—"Minister for Magic Kingsley Shacklebolt that the prime minister requires a visit from him now. He should expect to answer questions about his conduct and about the conduct of his government."

The portrait sneered, "The Minister for Magic is a busy wizard. I'll mention that you wish to see him, but don't expect him to dance to your tune, Muggle."

Blair grinned cruelly. A few days ago, the royal wizard had told Blair something quite interesting, when it came to disciplining a rebellious Ministry of Magic head.

So Blair was himself sneering, when he replied to the portrait, "By Paragraph Eleven of the Treaty of Separation of 1642, if I the prime minister give an order to Mr Shacklebolt the M.F.M, and he fails to obey the order, I can speak a certain sentence and Mr Shacklebolt loses his magic. I understand that you lot consider losing one's magic to be a catastrophe? It would be a pity if Mr Shacklebolt did not come through this fireplace today, and so became a"—Blair's voice was filled with fake horror—"Muggle."

Kingsley Shacklebolt stepped into Tony Blair's office eighteen minutes later.

Tony Blair and Kingsley Shacklebolt sat on opposite sides of the prime minister's big desk. Unbeknownst to the magical man, a hidden microphone recorded his words.

Blair told his dark-skinned, magical subordinate, "Over the past three Fridays, you've put sixty-five Death Eaters on trial. One was actually acquitted, despite evidence of guilt. As for the other sixty-four, each convicted of multiple murders and tortures, their sentences have all been slaps on the wrist."

Shacklebolt replied, "We gave them the strongest sentences we could. Those Death Eaters had family and friends amongst the Wizengamot seat-holders. Even when a defendant had no family or friends in the Wizengamot, the seat-holders were sympathetic to the beliefs, though not the actions, of the Death Eaters."

Blair was not buying this line of We did the best we could. "What makes me especially angry was that Death Eaters were not even charged when they admitted to killing nonmagicals. Take this man"—Blair ran his finger down a list—"Draco Malfoy. He confessed to one murder, of a nonmagical woman. But because he hadn't killed any of you lot, you acquitted him! He's a confessed murderer, and he's free now!"

Shacklebolt replied with exaggerated patience, "If the Death Eaters had been charged for murdering Muggles, the seat-holders never would've convicted them—and in the process, I'd have wasted political capital that I could more profitably spend elsewhere."

Blair said, "Moving on. Whilst Voldemort was de facto ruler of Magical Britain, your government put every first-generation magical that they could find, on trial for the imaginary crime of stealing magic. Every magical person who was tried for this 'crime,' was sentenced to prison. Are such trials still going on?"

"No! We aren't barbarians!"

Blair's expression said he thought otherwise. Aloud, he said, "Yet first-generation magicals still are treated terribly by the rest of you, right? When they have just as much magic and magical knowledge as the rest of you, right?"

"They've the power, yes, and they've the knowledge, but they don't have the manners. Muggle-borns don't act like us, they act like Muggles. Which isn't okay with us."

"Why does this matter enough to excuse blatant discrimination?"

"Manners are big with us—our sort of manners. Let me show you what I mean. There's a department head in the Ministry named Arthur Weasley. He's a Pureblood, which counts for a lot with us"—Blair scowled—" and he's a hard and conscientious worker. A likable chap, and he's fought Voldemort in his off-hours. On parchment, he's golden, right? But he'll never be promoted above where he is now, because his wife is notorious throughout Wizarding Britain for having no more manners than a fishwife. If he were to speak a divorce-declaration against her today, he'd be promoted tomorrow, this is how much she's holding him back."

Blair said sarcastically, "If your problem with first-generation magicals is that they don't know your sort of manners, then teach them your sort of manners."

Shacklebolt shrugged. "No money in the budget, either the school's or the Ministry's."

Blair threw himself back in his chair and said sarcastically, "Well, this meeting is proving productive."

Then Blair said, "Mr Shacklebolt, I'm putting you on notice. I find the convicted Death Eaters' sentences to be unacceptable, and Her Majesty finds their sentences to be unacceptable." Shacklebolt's eyes widened, hearing this. "I, and she, also find how you treat first-generation magicals to be unacceptable. Her Majesty is considering options now, and be aware that the royal wizard isn't advising her to treat you kindly, nor am I. You are dismissed."

Shacklebolt's face looked thoughtful as he stood up from the chair. Then the magical man turned and walked towards the fireplace. Blair saw him grab something off the mantle, toss it onto the fire and disappear, somehow without being burned by the suddenly green flames.

The next day (Sunday, May 31st), 9 a.m local time
Hollywood, California, USA

Harry and Hermione were walking along the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Which, they learnt, was not a straight-line path along Hollywood Boulevard only, nor was the HWOF only a few stars. (By 1998, more than two thousand stars had been laid down for the Hollywood Walk of Fame.)

Some of the starred names might have had "fame" in the 1960s when the HWOF had begun, but in 1998, Harry and Hermione did not recognise those names at all. "Sic transit gloria mundi," Hermione commented.

In all the walking-about that the Potters did, nobody, absolutely nobody, asked Harry for his autograph. He found the experience to be refreshing.

At one point whilst Harry and Hermione were steering so that they could stare at stars, and were completely ignored by everyone else outside, Hermione said, "I wonder what Prime Minister Tony Blair thought about the letter we wrote, nearly a month ago."

Harry replied, "Hermione, let's be real. Remember how McGonagall acted when we pointed out problems? Remember how Fudge acted when we told him about Sirius? I'm sure one of Blair's workers binned the letter before he could read it—but even if the prime minister has read our letter, he won't do anything about what we wrote."

Hermione sighed. "You're right. There's been no reply letter by owl, no reply letter by elf, and there's nothing in the newspaper. I was so hoping that for once, an adult would do his bloody job."

Meanwhile in London
5 p.m British Summer Time

In the Ministry of Magic, Minister Kingsley Shacklebolt was meeting with his department heads about whether the DMLE budget should be increased or should remain the same. But suddenly—

—Kingsley was elsewhere. However he got here, wherever "here" was, the moving of him did not feel like Apparation, a Portkey or elf-popping.

Kingsley found himself in a room with an old woman who was wearing an expensive Muggle dress, a man in his fifties who was wearing a Muggle suit, and another man in his fifties who was wearing his own Muggle suit—whilst wearing a wizard hat. The third man who was present was Tony Blair.

The man wearing the wizard hat was holding a wand, which was pointed at Kingsley's feet. Kingsley looked down, and discovered that he was standing in a heptagram (seven-sided pentagram) that had been drawn with chalk.

The room was filled with expensive furniture; and with large, detailed oil paintings of people dressed well in old-fashioned Muggle clothes, with the paintings held in ornate gold frames. None of the people in the paintings moved.

The wizard broke the silence to say acidly, "Mr Shacklebolt, you stand before your queen. Do you not know to bow to her, or are you too arrogant to do so?"

In Kingsley's defence, the old woman with the wavy white hair was not wearing a crown. But the face—once Kingsley took a second look—was indeed that of Queen Elizabeth II.

"Your Majesty!" Kingsley blurted. He hurried to bow from the waist.

"For future reference, Mr Shacklebolt," said the wizard, speaking as to a child, "When you meet Her Majesty for the first time that day, you need only bow your head, not half your body."

"Erm, thanks. Why am I here?"

"Before I answer this, let me perform introductions. I'm Colm Maguire, the royal wizard. My schooling was Manchester Magical Academy, then Oxford." Maguire stared into Shacklebolt's eyes, then snapped, "Both my parents are nonmagical. If I applied for a position at the Ministry of Magic, you might hire me to clean toilets."

Maguire, now calm, said, "The lady is Her Majesty Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories, Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith. The older gentleman is Ian O'Toole, president of the Republic of Ireland. You already have met Prime Minister Tony Blair. Your Majesty, President O'Toole, this is Kingsley Shacklebolt, the Minister for Magic, who is the highest-ranking government official in Magical Britain."

Kingsley had not drawn his wand, which was in a wand-holster on his left forearm. Kingsley now wondered if in addition to the royal wizard who was visible, there were other wizards in the room, Disillusioned, who also were loyal to the queen, and these invisible wizards had wands pointed at himself. Kingsley decided to not make any sudden moves.

"Play the tape," the queen commanded.

At Maguire's feet was a harmless-looking flat black box. Maguire made a swish and a flick with his wand, and the box rose up to where he could grab it with his left hand. (An event that visibly startled President O'Toole.) Maguire pocketed his wand, then used his right index finger to press down on something on the box.

Prime Minister Blair's voice came from the box: "Mr Shacklebolt, I'm putting you on notice. I find the convicted Death Eaters' sentences to be unacceptable, and Her Majesty finds their sentences to be unacceptable. I, and she, also find how you treat first-generation magicals to be unacceptable. Her Majesty is considering options now, and be aware that the royal wizard isn't advising her to treat you kindly, nor am I."

As the royal wizard floated the black box back down to the floor, the queen said to Kingsley, "We have considered Our options, and We have made Our decision. A question: How familiar are you with the 1642 Treaty of Separation of Magical Britain from Nonmagical Britain?"

Kingsley suddenly had a bad feeling about why he had been summoned here. He answered, "The 1642 treaty was assigned reading in the Auror Academy. I can't remember much of the text, though—the treaty didn't seem to have much relevance to my life."

The queen's slight smile was cold: The treaty is about to get much more relevant to you.

The queen said, "Lord Wizard, speak the preamble to the rejoining ritual."

Kingsley felt dread. "Rejoining ritual"?

Maguire raised his wand and spoke formally, "The Treaty of Separation of Magical Britain from Nonmagical Britain of 1642 was between Magical Britain, as represented by Ares Black, the Chief Warlock of the Wizards' Council; and Nonmagical Britain, as represented by Charles the First, the King of England and Ireland, and King of Scotland. Today Magical Britain is represented by Kingsley Shacklebolt, Minister for Magic; and Nonmagical Britain is represented by Queen Elizabeth the Second for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and by President Ian O'Toole for the Republic of Ireland. These statements are true, I swear on my magic." Light flashed in the room.

The queen commanded, "Read to us Paragraph Seven, then Paragraph Eight."

The royal wizard conjured a big sheet of paper that floated in midair (which startled President O'Toole again), then Royal Wizard Maguire read from that paper—

"Paragraph Seven: If a magical person murders a nonmagical person, the courts of Magical Britain shall sentence that magical person to death. If a magical person magically tortures a nonmagical person, the courts of Magical Britain shall sentence that magical person to life in prison. If a magical person steals the will of a nonmagical person by the spell called Imperius, the courts of Magical Britain shall sentence that magical person to life in prison; if the will of the nonmagical person is stolen by use of a lesser spell or potion, the courts of Magical Britain shall sentence that magical person to five years in prison. If a magical person steals property or money from a nonmagical person, the courts of Magical Britain shall sentence that magical person to five years in prison."

Maguire the royal wizard asked the two heads of state, "What say you about Paragraph Seven of the Treaty of Separation?"

The queen looked Kingsley in the eyes as she said to Maguire, "Lord Wizard, this treaty was proclaimed in 1642. When was the last time that the magical court sentenced a magical person to death for the murder of a nonmagical person?"

Maguire replied, "It was 1669, ma'am."

Kingsley frowned. This fact by itself showed any outside judge that Magical Britain had violated Paragraph Seven of the Treaty of Separation. Actually, Kingsley knew that by 1998, Magical Britain had violated all five parts of Paragraph Seven.

In the Auror Academy, Kingsley remembered, the centuries-long violation of Paragraph Seven had been presented as no reason for concern. Paragraph Seven supposedly had been written into the treaty in order to appease the Muggles so that they would stop doing witch hunts. When the Muggles stopped doing witch hunts, Magical Britain saw no reason to uphold Paragraph Seven anymore.

Meanwhile, the queen was speaking formally: "Magical Britain has broken faith with Paragraph Seven of the treaty."

President O'Toole nodded. "Magical Britain has broken faith with Paragraph Seven of the treaty."

The royal wizard now read from the floating paper, "Paragraph Eight: In magical courts, magical persons with nonmagical parents may be convicted only for proven misdeeds, not for theories or suspicions."

The royal wizard asked the two heads of state, "What say you about Paragraph Eight of the Treaty of Separation?"

The queen replied, "Magical Britain has broken faith with Paragraph Eight of the treaty."

President O'Toole replied, "Magical Britain has broken faith with Paragraph Eight of the treaty."

Kingsley realised that the Auror Academy had taught him that it was okay to ignore the laws that the treaty had put on the books to protect Muggles—so was it a surprise that the laws that the treaty had dictated about Muggle-borns were ignored too?

Meanwhile, Royal Wizard Maguire was asking the queen and was asking President O'Toole, "What remedy do you require for these wrong actions, failures and omissions by Magical Britain?"

The queen replied, "That the separation of Magical Britain from Nonmagical Britain be ended."

President O'Toole said, "That the separation of Magical Britain from Nonmagical Britain be ended."

Maguire pointed his wand at the ceiling and said formally, "So mote it be!"

The room flashed with light. All four people in the room gasped at the brightness of that light—enough to hurt everyone's eyes.

One second later
Elsewhere in London, in the Ministry of Magic

In the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, the seventeen wizards and one witch who were in holding cells, vanished from those holding cells—despite it supposedly being impossible for this to happen even one time, much less eighteen times.

Every other wizard and witch in the Ministry building—whether he or she was a Wizengamot seat-holder, a department head, a bottom-level government employee, or a member of the public who needed a Ministry service—felt an irresistible urge to walk along floors and up stairs till he or she was at the Floos Corridor; there the witch or wizard felt compelled to stand quietly in a queue till he was at the head of his queue, to state a destination and password, to toss Floo powder into a fireplace, to step into the fireplace's green flames, and to depart the Ministry building.

Within fifteen minutes, the only beings who were left in the Ministry building were the house-elves who worked in the kitchen of the Executive Dining Room.

To the eventual annoyance of the International Confederation of Wizards, every Obliviator in the Ministry building was part of this magically compelled orderly evacuation.

Meanwhile, most Ministry employees who at the moment were working outside the Ministry building, such as Aurors and Obliviators, felt compelled to stop work, to Apparate home and to remove their work robes.

As soon as the Ministry building was completely free of all wizards and witches, the Floo-fireplace flames all died, and the door of the telephone box was magically locked shut. Now only house-elves could enter the Ministry building.

Within the Ministry building sat many parchment records, going back to 1642, on shelves and in boxes. These records remained unchanged and unharmed, though at the moment no wizard or witch could view the records.

One group of Ministry employees was not compelled to leave their work: the wizard guards at Azkaban Prison.