Chapter 107

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Hadrian laughed. "We'll make those bastards regret demanding my presence," he agreed. "What else do you want to push through?"

"What do you want to change? It will be your best opportunity to have your opinions heard," Neville replied.

"I'm torn between trying to improve the conditions for people with Lycanthropy and starting to raise awareness of the deficits in the education offered at Hogwarts compared to the rest of the world. We're not getting anywhere with the board of governors."

"You can only raise one of those issues but if I raise the other you can speak in support of the proposal. If there's a third proposal you want to push I expect it wouldn't be too hard to find someone to propose it," Neville said. "I'd ask Susan except she's already lodged a proposal to increase the funding for Auror training and armour to reduce injuries in the field."

"I'd be more than happy to speak in favour of that as well, and perhaps in my support I'll mention international training options to upskill our Aurors in some areas we are weaker in exchange for providing training in our strengths," Hadrian replied.

"Are there really things we could teach them in addition to all the things you think they have to teach us?" Neville asked.

"Yes actually. Voldemort studied dark and black magic extensively, he'd already rendered his soul so he had nothing to lose by it and there are dark rituals that have been practiced nowhere else in centuries and British Aurors are better at deciphering traces of dark magic because of that," Hadrian replied.

Hadrian and Neville spent the rest of the afternoon planning before Neville returned to London to add several new proposals to the agenda for the meeting just before the deadline.

"I feel like I should sit in the Slytherin seat and shake them all up," Hadrian said.

Neville laughed, "You haven't sat in the Wizengamot since you found out you were the Duke of Gryffindor, have you?" he asked.

"No why?" Hadrian replied.

"You need to sit in the Gryffindor seat since that is your most senior title, but when you put your ring in the slot to register that you're sitting in the seat it will read all your other houses and move the family crests up to that seat," Neville explained.

"They'll be too small to see," Hadrian commented.

"Perhaps but the Slytherin, Black and Potter seats will also start alternating between their crests and the Gryffindor crest to show that those seats are held by the Duke of Gryffindor," Neville said.

"Does that happen when you're sitting as proxy for me?" Hadrian asked.

"No each seat lights up its family crest for a moment when I cast your votes but not the whole time like they will when you're present, it's not enough to tell anyone who has cast that vote, though everyone pretty much knows I hold the proxy for the Potter seat and some of the others, I don't think it's well known at all that you are the Earl of Slytherin or Baron Evander," Neville replied. "If you want to watch the reaction of the others I would wait until everyone's there just after they shut the doors to put your ring into the reader.

Hadrian grinned.

"Do you know yet if the baby is a boy? Or if you will have to try again in a year or two?" Neville asked.

"We didn't want to find out until they were born but the position of one of them made it obvious during their last scan, so we know we are having a boy but we don't know the sex of the second baby," Hadrian replied.

"So, there will be a secondary heir of Slytherin within a few weeks and possibly a tertiary heir as well," Neville said. "Anyone trying to prevent it is cutting it fine."

"They're actually already too late, though they may not have realised it yet, when I received confirmation of the sex I was able to register the unborn child as the future heir of Slytherin, anyone else in the line of succession attempting to harm the baby will be guilty of attempted line theft and they and their descendants will be removed from the Slytherin line by magic itself," Hadrian said smirking.

"I didn't know that was possible," Neville said in awe.

"I didn't either but the goblins like me and they desperately don't want Draco Malfoy to become the next Earl of Slytherin any more than Sir Geoffrey does, it's even less in their best interests than the rest of the wizarding world's. They have proof that one baby is a boy, that both are magical and that the babies have both reached the stage that even if I delivered tomorrow, they could survive without magical intervention or extreme nonmagical medical methods, even if I died there's a chance that the babies would survive if they were delivered straight away. That was enough for the goblins, they issued me a portkey that will bring me directly to my chosen hospital through any wards if I become unconscious or my health puts the twins in any danger. It's a little known fact that the goblin have a form of portkey that cannot be warded against, most of the ones they make for witches or wizards are the standard ones" Hadrian replied.

Neville paled. "Oh Merlin, if they seriously declared war on us we'd have no protection. Most families keep their house titles in their vaults. They know where to find us and could send out teams and murder us all in our beds before the ministry even got around to telling people about the threat."

"Yes," Hadrian said grimly. "We are very lucky that they stayed neutral during the war, their support for either side might have ended disastrously."

"You need to get that patron situation formalised and made public. Your enemies need to know that attacking them will cause a goblin rebellion," Neville repeated.

"The problem is that most of the purebloods won't take the threat seriously. Goblins aren't wizards and don't wield a wand therefore the purebloods think they're superior to them. Everybody sleeps through Binns classes as if the goblin wars are a thing of the past and we don't need to worry about there ever being another one but I honestly don't think that wizards have the ability to beat the goblins, unlike ours their society values innovation and learns from their mistakes. You can bet they didn't sleep through the discussions of their past losses, they sat down and devised ways to prevent wizards from being able to use those methods against them in the future," Hadrian said.

"You need to ask them to publish a list of sanctions they'd place on anyone attacking their patron. The purebloods might not fear the battle side of a goblin rebellion but they would hesitate to attack you if it meant forfeiting their gold," Neville suggested.

"Yes, and then, Ragnok can keep an eye on the vaults and if anyone tries to empty all their vaults we'd know which enemy to watch out for," Hadrian agreed.

"Do you think Ragnok would be willing to do that before the Wizengamot meeting?" Neville asked.

"Only one way to find out," Hadrian said writing a quick letter asking for an urgent meeting and using an elf to take it to the ruler of the Goblin nation.

"Do you think we should tell people that they can make portkeys that will get through any wards?" Neville asked.

"No definitely not. It would incite mass panic and hysteria and destroy the trust we've managed to build between the wizarding world and the goblin nation since their last war. It's not like the goblins are going to make us a portkey like that to examine and develop a ward against, and it would make them a potential kidnap target for a wannabe dark lord," Hadrian said.

"You've got one of their portkeys, did they make you vow not to examine it?" Neville asked.

"No, but it was given to me specifically so my babies have a chance of survival if I'm attacked or develop life threatening complications. I'm not going to risk it not working if I need it by allowing someone to cast spells at it. Not to mention what that betrayal would do to my relationship with the goblins, we're trying to prevent a goblin uprising, not cause one." Hadrian replied uncompromisingly.

"You're right," Neville agreed sighing. "I just don't like the fact that any Goblin could come into my home without warning at any time. I trust Ragnok and my account manager but we're talking about the entire goblin nation. You can't tell me that there aren't at least a few who wouldn't let their greed and ambition overrule their honour."

"I admit that the thought gave me problems sleeping too when I first realised it, but Ragnok told me that the secret of these portkeys is known to very few goblins, all of whom Ragnok trusts implicitly," Hadrian replied.

Neville breathed a sigh of relief. "You believe him?" he asked.

"I have to if I want to sleep at night," Hadrian said. "It also helps that I brought this house for Tim, through my muggle bank and the title is in Tim's muggle safe deposit box not our vault. The house was warded by myself and my elves not goblins and I've contacted Quincy about it. He doesn't know whether elf wards would block this portkey but fairly few families use their elves to ward houses. I'm happy to loan you Quincy's warding team if your elves can't put up their own wards."

"But you still don't know if they'd work?" Neville said.

"No, but I do know that my wards stop howlers and phoenix travel and elves not belonging to me unless they have my permission to enter which is more than yours did last time we visited so there is a chance," Hadrian replied.

"That's better than my current wards do. We're just lucky that the other side didn't realise that elves could pop them through most house wards," Neville said. "But you don't want your wards to stop this particular portkey if you need to use it."

"Even if they did realise it, that lot were too arrogant to be popped around by their elves, but I think this portkey would work even if another wouldn't, for one it would be leaving the wards not breaking into the house and all magic is intent based, my wards would want the portkey to take me to the healer," Hadrian replied.

"Thank Merlin that the pureblood's prejudice against house elves prevented them from using their elves as a weapon," Neville agreed.

-o0o-

Robards and Kingsley were waiting with the minister's full security detail, Neville and a couple of other Aurors that had worked well with Harry before he'd left Britain, at the apparition entrance as Hadrian arrived with the help of two exhausted looking elves. "Thank you for your help. Feel free to go to the Grimmauld Place flat and rest until you feel like going back to work," Hadrian told the elves before they popped away.
"Welcome," Kingsley greeted.
"Kingsley, is everything okay?" Hadrian asked.
"It's fine, I just thought that the extra security might be a good idea since we still don't know the motivation for insisting on the original protocols, and Neville mentioned that you would be better off surrounded while you walk to avoid letting anyone get a decent view of the way you waddle, they've been spelled not to gossip," Kingsley replied, gesturing to his detail.
"Thanks," Hadrian said dryly, making those who knew him well laugh. "Is there anything unexpected added to the agenda in the last few days? I haven't had the chance to catch up with Neville."
Kingsley handed over his copy of the agenda. "No the Supreme Mugwump wouldn't allow anyone to add anything after the deadline," Kingsley said.
"Anything about the case we should know?" Robards asked.
"No, the culprit was Australian, some people just don't know their international accents," Hadrian replied.
Robards chuckled. "Please tell me they didn't drag you out into the field for that. Clancy would have their heads."
"He just about did anyway when he saw my timesheet. They called me in to interview the kid after they arrested him and I spent five hours each way on a muggle train under glamours and he had to pay me thirteen hours including travel time and paperwork for a two minute interview, he threatened to take it out of their pay as a fine for laziness in not establishing nationality before calling me in," Hadrian replied.
Kingsley laughed. "There's a few people still around the ministry that I wish we could dock their pay for idiocy sometimes," he agreed.

Hadrian cast notice-me-not and disillusionment charms before heading towards the lifts. It was more than an hour before the Wizengamot session started but his bladder emptying spell was more than up to the task of spending several hours in his seat until the chamber was empty again so nobody would see how slowly he could move and how hard it would be for him to defend himself in a duel. The Gryffindor box allowed him some privacy and protection. He spelled the lights in the box off until he entered his ring in the reader to confirm his presence and was overlooked by members entering the chamber chatting to each other, trying to sound out personal views and make last minute temporary alliances on the items of the agenda to ensure votes went the way they wanted. Neville was careful not to glance his way as he entered his own seat though he fancied that he could feel his friend's eyes on him.

Finally, the clock chimed the hour and the chamber was sealed against latecomers. Hadrian waited until the Supreme Mugwump was beginning to stand then put his ring into the reader lighting up his box and the family crests he was head of house for. Gasps echoed through the chamber as the Gryffindor and Slytherin crests lit up and the other four crests began to flash with the Gryffindor crest signifying that they were now part of the Duke of Gryffindor's control. Harry, Kingsley and Neville all watched carefully but couldn't see any reactions other than surprise or shock. Even Draco Malfoy looking up at the Gryffindor box and seeing Hadrian merely looked curious. Draco nodded to him respectfully. He didn't look upset to see Hadrian there but Hadrian reminded himself that in spite of his Gryffindorish lack of emotional restraint and impulse control as a teenager, the man was a Slytherin born and bred and as an adult was more than capable of hiding his emotions and reactions behind his Slytherin masks.

The clerk quickly calculated. "We have enough numbers for a quorum without proxy votes," he informed the Supreme Mugwump.

"I call this meeting of the Wizengamot to order, under the original protocols each vote must be passed by the holder of the seat one at a time, members are not under any obligation to vote all of their seats the same way if they believe that a particular issue requires them to split the vote in order to vote in the best interests of their houses,"

Hadrian chuckled, that sounded like a desperate attempt to remind him that the houses of Slytherin and Black were originally Dark aligned houses and therefore did not have to support the light which would otherwise have a potential majority if everyone voted along the lines of their traditional allegiances.

"For the first piece of business the Wizengamot calls Madam Cadwallender, head of Wizarding Child Protection Services to speak," the clerk read.

Melainia Cadwallender, the head of Wizarding Child Protective Services stood and began to read out the proposed law. "We propose to have it made mandatory to have all children registered with the department of child protection at birth, to have all children assessed for their magical potential at the time of their registration and those children found not to have enough magic to be classified a witch or a wizard to be immediately removed from their families to be placed in a muggle orphanage for adoption by muggle families so they have the chance to grow up to live a useful and purposeful life."

"Surely there is no need for a law like that. The rumours of squib deaths among pureblood families is merely an attack by the muggleborn on the pureblood way of life. They cannot convict those of us who did not follow the Dark Lord so they're inventing scandalous false rumours to discredit the old family lines," Amos Diggory refuted.

"Unfortunately, the rumours have been thoroughly investigated and have been proven to be true, there were nearly as many eleven year old purebloods who died between turning eleven and the following September as there were pureblood children who survived to start their first year at Hogwarts some years," Head Auror Robbards announced.

"Surely you don't think that…" Several other voices started to shout without waiting to be recognised to speak.

"If we didn't already know that they would kill their children, there would be no need for such a law to have been proposed in the first place," Susan Bones refuted.

The chief Warlock approved Hadrian to speak. "I applaud the desire to protect these squib children but I am extremely concerned that this bill may not be the saving of them that you hope it will be. I am worried that the families that are ashamed enough to kill their eleven year old children for failing to receive a Hogwarts letter would take extreme and dangerous steps to hide their wives pregnancies until private testing can assure them that the child is magical, resulting in a number of maternal and infant deaths from the lack of an obstetric trained healer being present at the birthing," Hadrian said.

"These men are sociopath's at best, willing to kill their own heirs, children they've spent the last eleven years raising, what makes you think that they'd hesitate to put their wives and unborn children at severe risk of death?" Neville asked.

"Yes those men were socoipaths but most purebloods are decent people who love their children, not murderers," Gerard Greengrass declared.

"But the children might have magic?" Ernie MacMillan argued, forgetting that he was only a guest at this meeting and therefore not permitted to speak to the assembly.

"I think you'll find that they'd be willing to take the chance, telling themselves some ridiculous tail that the child would survive if it's magic were strong enough," Hadrian said. "Where I can tell you conclusively that in countries where it is possible to determine the strength of a dead child's magical core, that infant deaths in childbirth are in no way related to magical strength. There magic is too immature to protect them and an infant wizard is just as susceptible to birthing complications as a squib infant or muggle infant. It also needs to be considered that infants damaged by the birthing process because a qualified healer isn't present will not all either die or recover. Damage to the brain is not curable in a child that young and will affect their development both mentally and physically for the rest of their lives. What would happen to those children if they were not healthy enough to go to Hogwarts and appear normal? Surely they'd be murdered just the same as their nonmagical siblings would've been even if they did have magic."

"I have to say I'm in Agreeance with Lord Gryffindor-Slytherin and Lord Longbottom. My father willingly sent my mother mad, tortured her, killed her children in front of her and told her that their deaths were her fault because her children weren't magical, when it was the Malfoy line that had been producing squibs for the last few generations, and kept her under the imperious curse to hide her madness and to force her to keep having children without any guarantee he wouldn't murder them as well, he would've had absolutely no hesitation risking her life to hide the fact he was producing squibs, and many of his friends would've done the same," Draco Malfoy said. "Whiile I would agree that Lucius Malfoy was a sociopath or possibly even a psychopath he was for years, also a member in good standing of this esteemed body and an advisor to the minister of magic. Having a title, old family connections, money and reputation doesn't make a man good."

"Lord Malfoy is correct Madam Cadwallender. How do you propose to keep these mothers and infants safe and force their husbands to allow them adequate care of registered healers? Do not think that you could simply introduce another law that children not born in the presence of a licenced healer not be admitted to Hogwarts? Or that all witches of child bearing age be forced to present themselves to be tested for pregnancy every three or four months so all pregnancies are known and there is no way to keep a baby secret until it's been proven to have magic? Legislation alone will not save these children. We need to put a better system in place that children without magic can be disowned by their families if they don't want them and then properly looked after while they're taught how to function in the muggle world."

"Or perhaps we should propose that the vow not to kill your children be added to every legal marriage? Because that is the only way that we could think of that would actually have the effect your proposal intended to have," Neville asked derisively.

"Or you could demand the vow not to deliberately kill their own children from everyone you meet, all graduating seventh years, all ministry employees everyone convicted of even the most minor crimes. It may not reach everyone but it would save more lives than this ill-thought-out law would. In fact, simply demanding an oath that all WCPS workers do their jobs completely without bias would do more to protect children than removing squib children from their parents," Hadrian added.

"That's terrible slander, those deaths weren't WCP's fault, there was no evidence that the children were in any way mistreated before their deaths," Melainia Cadwallender shouted.

"I'm afraid I must agree with Madam Cadwallender. There is no proof that the WCP has failed in their duties," the chief warlock stated.

"I was an orphan from the age of one, but I never received a visit from them," Hadrian said quietly.

"Just because you don't recall a visit doesn't mean they didn't occur. You would have been too young to remember," Melainia scoffed.

"If one of your workers did visit my aunt and uncle then they were negligent in their duties or completely incompetent, not to have removed me from their custody, there was ample evidence to justify that action every single day I lived in that house. But you forget that I am still a British Auror, I have access to your files and there wasn't even a single record of a meeting with my guardians in spite of dozens of incidences of defensive accidental magic recorded occurring inside that house," Hadrian replied.

Neville stood. "I was also legally considered an orphan under the WCP definition and my uncle attempted to kill me in my home on more than one occasion before I had my first bout of defensive accidental magic. There are no records of your department visiting my home either, in spite of the fact my accidental magic was a lifesaving event," Neville replied. "I took the time to compare the number of accidental magic of a defensive or lifesaving nature reported for pre-Hogwarts raised children with visits from your department and there was a glaring lack of visits that are mandated by your charter."

Draco stood and was given the right to speak. "I find myself again in the disconcerting position of

agreeing with Lord Potter, it seems that the department of Wizarding child protection needs to be overhauled to make sure it is protecting our children the way they should be protected instead of proposing to take them away without evidence of wrongdoing.

I also believe that Lord Potter has proposed a surprisingly intelligent and excellent solution to the hidden deaths of infants without magic in our society. No decent witch or wizard would have trouble making a vow not to murder their children. My brothers and sisters are dead. Dead at the hands of a man I use to look up to and love, and who I can now no longer think about without abhorrence and a feeling of total betrayal. There is no way in the world I want my son to one day have to deal with the heartbreak of finding out that one of his parents killed his siblings. I would not only vote for enforcing such a vow I willingly make it now in front of all of you without any coercion. I Draconius Lucius Malfoy, head of the house of Malfoy and member of the house of Black and of the house of Slytherin vow on my magic that I will never willingly kill a child whether they are magical or not except in the defence of myself, my wife or my other children, so mote it be." He looked defiantly at Neville and Harry.

The assembled witches and wizards were astonished to see Harry Potter pull out a muggle device, push a couple of buttons and hold it to his ear before speaking quietly, instead of immediately responding to Draco's vow with one of his own.

Neville stood to try to draw attention away from Hadrian. "I, Neville Franklin Longbottom, head of the house of Longbottom vow on my magic that I will never willingly kill a child whether they are magical or not except in the defence of myself, my wife or my own children and godchildren, so mote it be.

Hadrian meanwhile was having a hurried chat with his healer. "Will it harm the babies for me to vow on my magic not to do something?" he asked quietly.

Healer Roberts grumpy at the interruption snapped, "Not unless you plan to do it anyway. If you lose your magic then the twins will need to be delivered within quarter of an hour at the absolute most. I would recommend that you obtain a portkey that will work for a muggle and come directly to the hospital before you kill your children."

"I have no intention of breaking my vow and it's not the sort of vow you could break by accident," Hadrian replied.

"Be very careful, the twins are sharing your magic at the moment, they may also be bound by your vow," healer Roberts warned him.

"I have no problem with committing my children to not willingly killing a child," Hadrian said sternly.

"Why on earth would anyone demand that you make a vow like that?" Roberts asked shocked.

"They're not, I'm at the British Wizengamot, they are trying to get a law passed which will stop British witches and wizards from killing squib children to avoid the embarrassment of their child not being magical by testing them at birth and removing those who do not have magic, the problem is that the new law is badly thought out, those who proposed the law didn't think hard enough about the potential loopholes so someone else has proposed making wizards vow not to kill their own children, magical or squib is the best alternative to prevent squib deaths without putting pregnant mothers at risk. If I make the vow, peer pressure will help to convince others to vow as well," Hadrian retorted.

"Then good luck to you Hadrian, I hope you can succeed," Healer Roberts wished him well.

Hadrian stood and was acknowledged. "I Hadrian James Potter-Black- Evander-Peverell-Gryffindor-Slytherin, head of the house of Potter, head of the house of Black, head of the house of Evander, head of the house of Peverell, the Duke of Gryffindor and the Earl of Slytherin, vow on my magic that I will never willingly kill a child whether they are magical or not except in the defence of myself, my spouse or my own children and godchildren and their children, and descendents, so mote it be." He said clearly and calmly before turning to the rest of the chamber. "Before any witch takes the vow you need to be aware that if you are currently expecting a child it is safe to vow on your magic as long as you intend to keep the vow but that doing so may also be binding your unborn child to your vow as well because you are currently sharing magic, so you will need to make sure they are informed about any vows you have committed them to as they grow up.

Susan Bones-MacMillan stood up. "I have no problem with committing my baby to not killing my grandchildren, I wouldn't want to raise an heir that could murder a child. I Susan Amelia Bones, head of the house of Bones and wife of the House of MacMillan vow on my magic that I will never willingly murder a child whether they are magical or not except in the defence of myself, my husband or my own children, sons or daughters-in-law and godchildren and their children and spouses, so mote it be." Her husband looked at her in shock as she sat down and she glared at him demandingly.

Sighing he stood, "I Earnest Xavier MacMillan, secondary heir of the house of Macmillan vow on my magic that I will never willingly murder a child whether they are magical or not except in the defence of myself, my wife or my own children, and godchildren and their husbands, wives or children, so mote it be."

Before anyone could stop the momentum, heir after heir of both dark and light aligned families stood and vowed not to murder children.

Hadrian and Neville exchanged triumphant glances wondering whether any of them had paid attention to the fact they were copying each other repeating the vow as Malfoy had first said it in spite of adding more people they would be able to kill in defence of, none of them had changed the wording from 'a child' to 'my child'. If the law was passed with this wording, or even if making the vow in front of your family and friends caught on it would make their entire world safer. None of the people who made the vow could risk attacking families in their homes or places like Diagon Alley where there were always children present during the day, the next war if there was one would have to be fought strictly between adults, as it should be.

"I vote that we table the proposal to test for magic and remove children from their parents, it no longer seems so urgent," the minister for magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt suggested smiling.

"I second the motion and put forth the recommendation that the Duke of Gryffindor's suggestion that all child protection workers be asked to give an oath to perform their duties without influence by bias or friendship. After all they are responsible for looking out for the most vulnerable amongst us. We must have certainty that their work is carried out without any loopholes," Head Auror Robbards said.

"Yes I will also order the Auror department that the entire WCPS department be assessed to ensure they receive the training and support necessary to protect all our children," Kingsley agreed. He meant of course that someone would be assessing their ability and suitability to do their jobs without prejudice, Neville's and Hadrian's comments on the whole situation had been almost as big an embarrassment to the ministry as the fact that people were killing their children for not having magic and nobody had taken any notice.

Melainia Cadwallender, the head of the department of wizarding child protection looked sullen at having the efficacy of her department questioned but nodded her agreement, knowing that she truly did not have a choice.

A/N: Thank you to all those who reviewed followed or favourited this story for your support.

I wish everyone the best in this time. Please stay safe and keep your distance, stay at home if you can and keep in contact with family and friends on line, take care of your mental and emotional well being and seek help if you need it.