AN: Some plans are starting to come to fruition in this chapter. Hope you enjoy.
Chapter 13
It was July 30th, the night of the full moon and almost time for Harry, Minerva, and Matthew to head over to Minerva's house where they would be for the transformation. Through the potion visions he'd taken for the past 6 days, Harry had learned his animagus form was a Grey wolf. Curious about whether his encounter with Greyback had influenced this, he asked Matthew about it who confirmed that it was highly likely. Harry was fine with that though because wolves happened to be his favorite animal anyway.
Like Matthew suggested, Harry wrote down what he saw and learned from his visions every morning. The more he learned, the more he got excited about becoming an animagus. Wolves were even cooler than he realized. They were very intelligent, fast, and had a lot of stamina. They could adapt to extreme climates when necessary. They were also friendly and family-oriented within their packs. Overall, he was more than satisfied with his animal. Even Minerva, who teased him for not being a cat, which she claimed were superior, couldn't help but think that being a wolf fit his personality.
As Harry got himself mentally prepared for the experience, he reflected on everything that had happened since his and Minerva's argument with Dumbledore and Snape.
- H.M. –
At the end of the next day's training session, Harry and Minerva informed the others about what had occurred. All of them were furious at Dumbledore and Snape's attempt to kidnap and imprison Harry, shocked that the man would go so far to control him. They readily agreed with the plans that had been made so far and pledged their assistance in any way they could. After further discussion, it was decided that they would all need to spend more time together, so arrangements were made to make it possible for those who were underage to come over during the day.
The twins managed to convince their mum to let Ron and Ginny help out at the shop to get them out of the house without rousing suspicion. Molly was nervous about her two youngest being away from home. Ultimately, she trusted the twins to keep them safe though. She and her husband were also starting to realize that all wasn't as it seemed concerning Dumbledore and the Order and were taking the time to figure out what to do about it. The more they thought back on all of the man's actions, the more they agreed with Harry and Minerva.
Amelia went with Neville to convince his grandmother to let him spend his days at Black Manor training. They also told her a bit about their grievances with Dumbledore, though they didn't give away too many details. When Madame Longbottom asked Neville why he wanted to fight in the war by Harry's side, he gave her two reasons. One, that he was sure Harry was the only one capable of stopping Voldemort for good. Two, that he made a promise to stick by Harry's side and as a Longbottom, it wasn't in his blood to go back on a promise. Madame Longbottom was so proud of Neville in that moment that she pulled him into a warm hug, a rare occurrence, and gave him her full support.
Hermione's parents were a lot harder to convince, however. They had been very upset when they found out their daughter had been injured and almost killed at the end of the school year and were set on taking her out of the country for her safety. Harry and Minerva vowed to protect her as best as they could but were forced to acknowledge that the war wasn't safe. The Granger's fears were so great that it almost had Harry agreeing with their desire to take Hermione as far away from Britain as possible. However, Hermione managed to win them over after much discussion. She pointed out that Harry needed her help and they would be forcing her to break her promise if they took her away. She also explained how it would be better for her to learn how to better protect herself than to run away. In the end, the Grangers agreed to let Hermione stay at Black Manor for the rest of the summer after Minerva assured them of its safety. Harry also offered to have their home warded to keep them safe as well, something they readily agreed to and that had Hermione hugging him tightly for his thoughtfulness.
Luna's father was by far the easiest to convince and she needed no help to get him to agree, though Charlie went just in case. In fact, he offered to let her stay at the manor on his own after Luna told him who all would be there. He figured she would be safer within the manor's wards and around so many qualified magicals than with him alone.
With the group all having more time together, things changed a bit. They still trained in the morning, but the structure of it was different. Two hours were spent on physical conditioning while they worked on Occlumency for the last hour. Since everyone was in much better shape after all of their exercising, Harry, with the aurors and Minerva's help, started teaching them unarmed combat. This was to give them the ability to keep fighting even if they lost their wand, something he knew the Death Eaters would be unprepared for.
The magical training, on the other hand, was done during the day in the training room of the manor. With more time, the trainees were taught even more spells while also learning how to fight together as a team, something the trainers joined in on when they could. Some time was also spent studying, on Hermione's insistence of course. After a few days of working together, all of the students had their homework completed. This gave them more time to focus on everything else. All of the trainees made much more progress with the extra time they had now.
While he was busy with many other things, Harry hadn't forgotten about his ability to spy on Voldemort. He had been making good on his promise to Amelia, giving her knowledge of two more Death Eater raids he'd managed to learn of from Voldemort's mind. With the advanced warnings, she and her aurors were able to successfully stop them and save the intended victims. They even captured a few to interrogate, learning of two safehouses for them to raid. These successes were splashed all over the front page of the newspapers, courtesy of David, causing many Death Eaters much pain and suffering for their failures being displayed for all of the country to see. Harry felt Voldemort's anger and frustration through their link, giving him a huge sense of satisfaction to be part of its cause.
As for Operation TOMB and their others plans, progress had been made in those areas as well. Hermione helped Harry with his lesson plans and picking out books for the students. They both went to Minerva when they needed a more experienced advice. On Andromeda's suggestion, they went to a lesser known bookstore where they sold better books on DADA. Andromeda helped Matthew organize his lesson plans while she worked on her own since he'd never been a formal professor either. Meanwhile, Amelia and Andromeda continued to prepare Harry for the Wizengamot meeting.
The twins, with Ginny's help, started working on creating tools and weapons for the group. They had come up with small ball bombs, that could release different types of substances, such as smoke, tear gas, and adhesives to distract or deter their enemies. Some could even explode with varying degrees of blast radiuses. They were also working on a better form of communication, based off of muggle cellphones. To help them out, Harry bought a few cellphones along with books on their operation for the three to study. With all of the work they were doing, they had to hire a few people to help with the shop. The new workers were only involved with the commercial side of the business though, having no knowledge of the war inventions.
Minerva continued to get Harry ready for his NEWTs, working him a bit harder now that he was to be the next Defense Professor. Matthew's comments about Harry had her aiming for him to get his masteries in both subjects. She also made sure he continued to practice his elemental training, including Neville and Ginny now that she had more time with them. They weren't quite as far along as Harry, but they definitely were getting the hang of it.
Ron came up with the idea that the group needed a name as well as individual codenames as a way to protect their secrecy. After the effect Harry's alter ego had on Voldemort and the Death Eaters, he thought it should be something related to it. Eventually, they all agreed on the League of the Hoods, or the Hoods for short. Then, they came up with the codenames. After throwing out several suggestions, they managed to give everyone a name that suited their personality. Those names were as follows: Alpha for Harry; Lioness for Minerva; Scholar for Hermione; Shifter for Tonks; Barrister for Andromeda; Monarch for Amelia; Empath for Susan; Sleuth for Hestia; Aphrodite for Fleur; Oracle for Luna; Terran for Neville; Tactician for Ron; Firecracker for Ginny; Thing 1 for Fred; Thing 2 for George; Bear for Charlie; Mystique for Samena; and Eagle for Matthew.
The creation of the group name had Harry thinking about getting jackets and boots, like the ones Sirius gave him, made for the others. He went to Charlie, asking for help identifying the dragon hide used, which turned out to be the extremely rare Roman drake, thought to be extinct now. It was a wingless four-legged dragon, known for its stealth capabilities and white fire. After a trip to the Black family vault, Harry was able to discover the name and location of the person who made his jacket and boots. Her name was Jade, and she lived deep in a forest in Wales where she had a secret sanctuary for the drakes. Once Fleur took everyone's measurements, she, Harry, and Minerva went to Jade with the Hoods' request. She agreed to do it after Harry showed her the Black ring.
An argument to convince the Board was in the works as well. After much debate, the group had decided on informing them about everything that had happened at the school since Harry started. Minera suggested they mention Dumbledore's picking of unqualified or dangerous people for the Defense Professor position. Tonks brought up Dumbledore's allowance of Snape to single-handedly decrease the number of qualified potion-makers and its effect on any job that required a grade of E or above in Potions. This included healers and aurors. Hestia also suggested that, to help convince the Board they were only concerned about the safety of the students, they offer to send a contingency of aurors to patrol the castle.
Even though they were busy with everything else, those in the know also spent time trying to figure out where the rest of horcruxes were. Hestia spent a lot of her time working on this, being the most likely to figure it out due to her ability to notice even the smallest of details. She also enlisted the help of David Fletcher from the Daily Prophet. She had him track down any articles written about the Gaunt family for her to read. He agreed to help without asking why she needed them, realizing her need for secrecy. He knew she wouldn't ask him if it weren't important. He also secretly fancied her, though he tried not to show that. Hestia was aware of it though and planned on approaching him about it herself if he didn't make a move on her soon.
All in all, everything was moving forward.
- H.M. –
At a few minutes past 7, Harry, Minerva, and Matthew flooed over to Minerva's house. No one else was coming since it would be a bit dangerous for those who weren't animagi to be around for his first transformation. Ron and the twins protested a little, wanting to see how it would happen, but Matthew was able to convince them to wait for their turn. Ron couldn't be snuck out of the Burrow for twelve hours without Mrs. Weasley noticing and the twins decided to wait for their brother, not wanting to leave him out. Instead, they were busy planning Harry and Neville's surprise birthday party that would take place tomorrow evening.
Once they reached a small clearing in the woods that surrounded Minerva's house, Matthew ran through everything that would happen one more time. Then he went to check on the potion while Minerva turned to Harry.
"How are you feeling?"
"Nervous, but excited." Harry's smile fell after a moment and he looked away.
"What is it?"
"I just wish Sirius was here to see it."
Minerva wrapped her arm around his shoulder. "I do too. He would be so proud of you. For this and everything else you've been able to accomplish recently."
"He'd probably give me a hard time about becoming a professor, though," Harry joked after a moment.
"And likely blame it on my influence." They both laughed as they thought about what Sirius's reaction to that would be.
"Alright, everything's set so as soon as you're ready Harry, we can begin," Matthew interjected.
Harry took a deep breath. "Let's get started then."
Minerva squeezed Harry's shoulder once before moving to sit by Matthew as he handed over the potion to him.
"Does it taste as bad as it smells?" Harry asked as he got a whiff of it, the foul odor making his nose hairs cringe.
"Sorry Ace, but it's even worse," Matthew replied. "But at least you only have to drink it once."
"As many potions as you've consumed in your life, this shouldn't bother you by now," Minerva remarked teasingly.
"I mean, I know how to avoid tasting most of it, but that doesn't mean I like it," Harry countered before he pinched his nose and gulped the entire contents down.
"Ugh that was horrible. What's in that stuff?" Harry asked once he finished.
"Trust me Ace, you don't wanna know," Matthew warned.
Harry couldn't respond because the potion started to take effect on him. He felt like he was spinning as images flew around him, moving too fast for him to see clearly. His head felt woozy and he couldn't tell what was up or down as the world shook around him. Then his body started to shift, his bones and muscles contorting into different shapes, though strangely enough, it wasn't painful. He felt his mind get overtaken by another presence as he had an out-of-body experience. Next thing he knew, he was looking down on himself, though instead of his normal human body he saw a large Grey wolf. It had a lightning bolt shaped white mark over his right eye and a diagonal mark on the left side of his face, representing the scars on his face. After a moment, his conscious returned to his mind, though he still didn't feel in control of it.
Matthew and Minerva had transformed into their own forms once Harry had finished, an eagle and cat respectively. Minerva made hers bigger to match Harry's size. Harry's wolf sized both of them up and sniffed at the air, assessing their threat level. When he decided they weren't foe or prey, he barked warningly before trotting off in a different direction. Matthew and Minerva followed along at a careful distance, with Matthew up high in the air.
They followed him around as he got used to his new form, testing out its limits. He bounced around like a newborn cub, smelling every new plant he saw or simply the air around him. He barked at small creatures he saw, chasing after a few of them and letting the ones he caught go. He didn't stop running around until he reached the riverbank, where he stopped to take a drink.
Minerva slowly approached him as non-threateningly as she could. When Harry noticed her, he turned around and faced her, hackles raised, and teeth bared. He growled at her, trying to get her to back away but she stayed put. Curious, he sniffed the air trying to get a whiff of her scent. The familiarity of it had him slowly approaching her, sniffing continuously as he tried to figure out where he knew that scent from. Once he was right in front of her, he sniffed even stronger, finally recognizing her. He butted his head against her playfully and she did the same to him. Matthew flew down from his perch and Harry repeated the same process until he recognized him as well.
When Harry started running around the forest again, Minerva was by his side with Matthew right above them. They continued this for the rest of the twelve hours, taking breaks or short rests when needed. After a few hours, Harry gained more control over his form, no longer feeling like a passenger in his own mind. Minerva tried to teach him a few skills that both their animals shared, but mostly they played around as Harry got adjusted to his new way of movement. Harry had one of the best times of his life as he enjoyed the feeling of pure freedom. In that forest with Minerva and Matthew, he could leave behind all of his fears, worries, and problems. It would always be a fond memory of his for as long as he lived.
As the end of the twelve hours came, Minerva led Harry back to her house. By the time they reached it, all of them were feeling the exhaustion. Thankfully, they only had to wait a few minutes for Harry to change back.
"Well that was fun," Harry muttered once all of them were human again. Then his legs gave out on him and Minerva just barely managed to catch him before he fell to the floor.
"Seems like it was very tiring as well," Matthew remarked. He moved to help them and together the three of them managed to floo back to the manor.
"Thank you, Matthew. I have him from here," Minerva said once they had reached the third floor.
Matthew gave her a curious look but didn't argue. "Alright then. You two get some rest."
"You as well," Minerva replied.
"Thanks for everything," Harry muttered, barely audible.
Once Matthew was headed down the stairs, Minerva brought Harry to his room. She helped him into bed and cleaned him up with a wave of her wand. Then she switched his clothes into something more comfortable for sleep. Harry was so out of it that he barely paid her actions any attention. She thought he'd gone to sleep until he spoke up.
"Hey, Minerva," he called out softly. He seemed to have gained a bit more strength in order to tell her something.
"Yes, Harry," she replied, moving closer to be able to hear him.
"Thank you for tonight. I don't say it nearly enough, but I really appreciate everything you've done for me."
"You're welcome, Harry." She was about to leave but saw the hesitation on his face, making her realize he wanted to say something else. "Whatever it is Harry, you know you can tell me."
"I uh… well it's just that my transformation has me feeling a bit… strange. I… will you stay. Just for tonight." What he didn't say is that his feelings for her were really intense at the moment and he didn't want to be apart from her. Even while he slept.
When she didn't respond for a while, Harry thought he'd overstepped his bounds and tried to fix it. Just as he started to apologize, Minerva held up her hand to stop him. "I'll stay for the night."
Harry was surprised she agreed but didn't question it, worried she would change her mind. "Thank you."
Minerva left to get ready for bed. Harry was sleep by the time she returned, so she quietly slipped under the covers and moved until she was in her usual starting position. As she ran her fingers through his hair, she couldn't help but chastise herself for giving in to her desires. It's worth it though, she thought as drifted off.
- H.M. –
The next day, he and Minerva woke up in an intimate position, as was typical when they slept together. This time they tried not to make a big deal about it, however, and were able to untangle themselves with minimal embarrassment. Minerva then wished him happy birthday before going to her room.
Once both of them had gone to their bathrooms and performed their daily hygiene rituals, Minerva was quick to lay down the law for the day. He was not allowed to use any magic whatsoever for the entire day. Neither was he allowed to exercise or lift anything heavy. Harry tried to argue against it at first, but it was half-hearted since he was still feeling the exhaustion from last night. Then she had Dobby bring him breakfast in bed before relegating him to his room until dinner time.
Samena arrived shortly after Harry finished eating, deciding to keep him company as the others finished up the preparations for his surprise birthday dinner.
"Well, how does it feel to officially be an animagus?" Samena asked as she sat down in a chair beside his bed.
Harry smiled in remembrance of last night. "Brilliant, though it'll be even better when I can actually use it. Minerva pretty much has me on bloody lockdown for the day."
"I'm sure she's only doing it to keep you safe."
"I know, but that doesn't mean I have to like it." Harry shook his head before changing the subject. "Anyway, how did everything go on your search?"
"It went very well if I do say so myself. Managed to find everything on my list and I've already started on all of the potions. Also decided where to take you to collect the unicorn blood."
"Where?" Harry asked, curiosity piqued.
"There's a small forest near the Lake of Virtue in Greece where I had to get the water for the ritual from. It has a good-sized herd of them there."
"I get to go out of the country, then? Good thing I have a passport."
"You've never travelled before?"
Harry shook his head. "Never really had any time or the ability to do so. But now I do. How will we be getting there?"
"Well since you have a passport, I think we should fly to Greece and then apparate to the forest. We could use a portkey, but where is the fun in that." Samena had a mischievous smirk on her lips.
"I've always wanted to get on a plane so that sounds good to me."
"I thought you might like that. So, tell me what you all have been up to since I left."
Harry gave her a detailed account of everything that had occurred while she was gone. By the time he was finished, Samena could only shake her head at the foolishness of Dumbledore.
"If he really thought he could stand between Minnie and someone she cares about, then he never knew her at all!" Samena exclaimed before calming down. "As for being the potions professor, I suppose I can stick around for a school year. She'll have to find someone else afterward though."
"I don't think she expected you to stay for any longer than that," Harry agreed.
The two of them talked for a little while longer until Kreacher brought Harry his lunch. Throughout the rest of the day until dinner time, the others took turns keeping him company, so he didn't feel alone. When it was their turn, Ron and the twins asked him all kinds of questions about his transformation. Harry's answers had them eagerly waiting for their turn to do it and they spent time trying to guess what animal they would become. Hermione, Ginny, and Tonks also asked about his animagus form, with Hermione writing everything he said down. For research purposes of course. Luna meanwhile gave him a cryptic message about the right time fast approaching, something Harry was still too out of it to try and figure out at the moment. The rest simply came to talk to him about normal topics, trying to keep his mood upbeat.
When it was finally time for dinner and the party to start, Minerva collected him from upstairs. As they opened the door to the kitchen, everyone yelled "Happy Birthday", causing Harry to stumble. He would have fallen down if it weren't for Minerva holding on to him. Every member of the Hoods was gathered around the table which was full of food and presents.
"Blimey, you guys didn't have to do all of this for me," Harry remarked.
"Of course, we did mate, it's your birthday," Ron exclaimed.
"Something that's supposed to be celebrated," Ginny added.
"What about Neville's birthday. His was yesterday," Harry protested.
"That's why I'm sitting here," Neville said from his spot at the foot of the table. He'd spent most of the day with his parents and grandmother at the hospital wing and had only arrived at the manor a few minutes ago "Did you really think all of these presents were for you, mate," he added jokingly.
"Just sit down and enjoy it already and stop making things so difficult," Tonks cut in.
Minerva led Harry to the seat at the head of the table, opposite of Neville. Hermione, who was sitting to his left, put a plate of food in front of him, cutting off any more protests from him. After that, they ate, laughed, and shared stories. No one talked about Voldemort, Dumbledore, or any of their other problems. Instead they used this time as a much-needed break from the chaos of the war.
Once they finished eating, the presents were passed out to the two guests of honor. Neville's gifts were mostly herbology-related, including a rare plant from Samena found during her recent trip. Harry, who had remembered Neville's birthday but not his own, gave him a rare book on magical plants he'd found in his vault. Neville also got items that would help him in the war, such as an auror-grade wand holster.
Both wizards received an assortment of treats as well as a hand-stitched sweater from Molly and Arthur. Harry's gift included a request to meet with him and Minerva, something he planned on accepting once he talked to the witch in question about it.
Harry's gifts were an assortment of things, since he was a bit harder to shop for. He got books, joke items from the twins, a magic-infused dagger from Matthew as well as a few other things. Andromeda, Amelia, Tonks, and Fleur had collaborated to have an outfit for the Wizengamot session made for him. It included a pair of black pants, a long sleeve black button up, a silver sweater vest with the Black Family insignia, and formal black boots to go with it. Instead of a robe, since they were aware of his distaste of those, they had a black cape made with the insignia on the back of it in silver. The whole outfit was formal but still loose enough for him to be able to fight in.
His favorite gift, however, was from Minerva. She gave him a locket that depicted a dog, a stag, and a lily in honor of his parents and godfather. On the inside was a picture of his parents and Sirius with Lily holding him as a baby. She'd found it in her stuff a while ago and thought he would appreciate it. When Harry finished examining it, he could only nod in gratitude, a single tear falling down his face.
Soon after that, Harry and Neville thanked everyone for the party and the gifts. Then they all dispersed for the evening. As Harry and Minerva got to their floor and were about to go to their own rooms, Harry pulled her into a tight hug.
"Thank you, Minerva. This is the best gift I've ever gotten," he whispered into her ear.
"You're welcome, Harry. I just wish there was a way to give you more time with them," she replied.
They stayed in that embrace for a few moments longer before reluctantly separating to their own rooms for the night.
- H.M. –
Harry got increasingly nervous as the day of the Wizengamot session got closer and closer. By the time it was Monday, Harry had convinced himself that he would mess everything up. After their training session in the morning, Hermione pulled him to the side to try and calm him down.
"Honestly Harry, you're getting yourself all riled up for nothing you know. You're going to do fine," Hermione scolded lightly.
"What if forget what to say, or say the wrong thing and mess everything up, though?" Harry retorted.
"Harry, you're going to be fine. Even if you do forget what to say, you know how to improvise."
"But…"
"But nothing Harry," Hermione said sharply before softening her voice. "You can do this. Everyone believes in you so it's time you start believing in yourself."
"She's right you know," Amelia cut in, having overheard their conversation. "All you have to do is announce your lordship, nominate Andy as your proxy, and call for a vote of no confidence."
"But what if I'm not able to convince enough people to vote on our side?" Harry asked.
"Trust me when I say this Harry. That won't be hard for you to do. You have a natural charisma and charm despite what you may think," Amelia explained.
Harry looked at her skeptically. "How do you know that?"
"You managed to get all of us on your side, didn't you? We're all here because we believe in you and your ability to end this war," Amelia stated. "Plus, most of the public are on your side anyway after the Department of Mysteries incident."
"See, all you have to do is be yourself and everything will work out, so stop overthinking things. That's what usually gets you into trouble," Hermione declared.
Harry ran his hand through his hair sheepishly, seeing the truth in their words "Thanks for calming me down."
"That's what I'm here for," Hermione replied.
"Me as well," Amelia added.
Crisis averted, everyone returned to the manor to eat breakfast before those who had to go to the session went to get ready. Only Harry, Andromeda, Amelia, Tonks and Hestia were going, with the latter two serving as guards for Harry and Amelia respectively. As Harry was trying to figure out how to put on his tie without magic, someone knocked on his door.
"Come in," he called out distractedly as he struggled.
Minerva stepped inside and chuckled lightly at his efforts. "Let me," she said as she moved toward him. She effortlessly tied it into a Windsor knot before straightening out his vest and smoothing his collar. She also straightened out his locket, secretly happy to see him wearing it. Then she placed glamour charms on him to disguise his face. When she tried to hide his newest scar, he stopped her, saying he didn't want to hide it anymore.
"You do realize you could have tied that with magic," Minerva remarked once she was done.
Harry shrugged. "I wanted to try it the muggle way for once. Didn't realize it was so bloody difficult though."
"Are you ready then?" she asked, a touch of concern in her tone.
He smiled reassuringly at her. "I am now after Hermione and Amelia calmed me down and made me realize I was overthinking everything."
She shook her head at him. "Well at least you're calm now, though you really need to get out of that habit."
"I'll try."
"Now go have fun overturning our government."
Harry smirked and saluted her. "Yes ma'am."
- H.M. –
After going over the plan once more, the group of five apparated outside of the Ministry before separating into two groups so no one could guess that something was up. Amelia and Hestia went one way while Harry, Tonks, and Andromeda went another.
No one payed the trio any attention as they moved through the Ministry since Harry was unrecognizable. They were able to make it outside of the atrium where the session would be held, without any delay. Andromeda led them to office outside of the Black family seating area, locking the door behind them. Then all they could do is wait until everything started.
Once the session was called into order by Dumbledore, who had reclaimed his position as Chief Warlock, the trio slipped into the atrium proper. Harry sat down in the head chair with Andromeda and Tonks sitting beside him. They glanced at the full reporter section, making eye contact with David who had been asked by Hestia to be in attendance for the day. While she hadn't told him exactly what would happen, she had hinted that it would be something he didn't want to miss.
"Before we get into regular business, does anyone have a matter they'd like to bring to court's attention," Dumbledore stated once he finished the official opening.
Harry stood up at that and took a deep, cleansing breath. "I am announcing my ascension to the Black family Lordship," he stated firmly. This caused much murmuring to break out throughout the atrium. Those who had been talked to by Andromeda and Amelia gazed at him curiously, realizing this likely was part of the surprise the witches had mentioned.
"Who are you to claim that position?" Lord Nott shouted derisively.
Harry turned towards the man calmly, his face indifferent. "I am the chosen heir and godson of Sirius Orion Black, the previous Lord Black."
"Black was stripped of that position when he was sent to Azkaban. Lord Malfoy held that seat since then and it is supposed to go to his heir," another challenged.
"You are mistaken. My godfather may have been illegally imprisoned, but as he was never formally convicted, the lordship still belonged to him. He named me his heir in his Will, therefore I am Lord Black," Harry corrected, flashing his ring to prove his point.
Before anyone else could protest, Dumbledore banged his gavel, silencing the room after a moment. "As I was a witness to Sirius Black's Will, I can confirm Mr. Potter's claim. He is the rightful Lord Black and to be afforded all rights, responsibilities, and privileges so forth."
The trio could just barely hear the hint of bitterness in Dumbledore's tone and they smirked smugly at it. After all, they had just backed him into a corner. If he had denied Harry's claim, they could show the copy of the Will they had brought with them as proof. This would bring him under close scrutiny since it clearly shows that Dumbledore was mentioned in the Will and therefore had to have been present at the reading of it.
"Thank you, Chief Warlock," Harry stated, bowing his head in acknowledgement as he tried to keep his enjoyment of Dumbledore's dilemma out of his voice. "I am honored to be here among all of you and to have the chance to serve in this great body. However, I am still a student of Hogwarts and with much to learn about the work and procedures of the Wizengamot and my responsibilities as Lord Black. Therefore, after this meeting, Andromeda Tonks will serve as my proxy until I am better prepared to handle my duties."
Andromeda stood up with Harry and nodded to the assembly. "Thank you, Lord Black. I will endeavor to perform my duties as your proxy in a way that you approve of for as long as you need me to do so."
"Very well. Does anyone else have a matter they'd like to discuss?" Dumbledore asked as Andromeda sat down. Harry, however, was still standing, something Dumbledore picked up on once he finished his question. "Is there something else you'd like to say, Lord Black?"
"Yes, Chief Warlock," Harr began. "In light of the acknowledgement that Voldemort," Harry ignored the gasps of shock, "is alive, it comes to my attention that a change in Ministry leadership is in order. To fight this war effectively, we need someone with better experience who is more capable of leading this country to victory."
Fudge jumped to his feet indignantly at Harry's words. "I have been the Minister of this country for the past 7 years. I have done a great job and have the necessary experience to lead this war." he insisted.
"A great job?" Harry mocked. "You, who has continuously taken resources from other departments to fuel your selfish desires. You, who has taken funding from the auror department and assigned them to unimportant tasks. You, who thought it was a good idea to have dementors at a school full of children, despite the fact that the escapee you were chasing had already managed to slip past them before. You, who arrested the innocent Gamekeeper of Hogwarts during the Chamber of Secrets debacle instead of having the aurors investigate the matter, wanting to look like you were doing something instead of actually doing something. You, who allowed yourself to be led and bribed by a man who now resides in Azkaban. What good have you done for this country? What positive changes have you made? Because of you, other countries look down on us and have very little faith that we'll be able to handle Voldemort or his Death Eaters."
"You are a mere child and know nothing about intricacies of leading a country."
Harry scoffed at Fudge dismissively. "This mere child was unafraid to accept the fact that Voldemort was alive. This mere child has stood in front of Voldemort and come out alive. More than once." Seeing Fudge's continuous flinching as he said Voldemort name had Harry shaking his head in disgust "And this mere child can say and hear the name Voldemort without cowering in fear. Unlike you. So, forgive me for doubting your ability to run this country effectively during a time of peace, let alone in a time of war."
As Fudge began to splutter insults, Harry ignored the man and turned his attention to Dumbledore. "As I was saying, Chief Warlock, I would like to call a vote on removing the current minister from office and installing another."
"Does anyone second that motion?" Dumbledore asked hesitantly.
The atrium was quiet for a moment before a wizard stood up. "I, Lord Davis, second the motion." Harry nodded to him, receiving one in return.
"So ordered," Dumbledore replied. He called for the vote and had the secretary count them, though that was only a formality. Those in favor far outnumbered those against. "The motion to remove the current minister from his position is passed. Minister Fudge, I am afraid it is time for you to step down."
Being prepared for his reaction, Amelia had stationed some of her aurors near where Fudge was sitting. Now they moved to drag the man out, holding him tightly as he struggled to get away. Fudge yelled the entire time and his screams weren't silenced until the doors were shut behind him.
"Now we need to vote on our next Minister of Magic. Those who would like to nominate someone may begin now," Dumbledore stated. This was followed by several names being thrown out around the atrium. When names were put forward, many glanced toward Harry to see if he would second them, trying to gauge who he would support. He sat back calmly, though, giving no emotions as the names were called.
Eventually a few managed to get seconded. Lord Nott was the first to successfully get nominated. Amos Diggory was next. Two others Harry didn't know were picked as well. Those who called for them all gave short speeches, touting their supposed worthiness for the position. Still Harry was quiet, seeming almost disinterested in the process, making some question why he called for the vote in the first place. They expected him to nominate someone personally, but he wasn't concerned with their expectations. He was a bit nervous that no one would nominate Amelia, but Andromeda calmed him down by placing her hand on his shoulder and whispering for him to be patient.
Near the end of the nomination period, Lord Greengrass stood up and cleared his throat. "I nominate Madam Amelia Bones for Minister of Magic. She was an exemplary and honorable student during her time at Hogwarts, serving as a prefect for the house of Hufflepuff. Since she joined the aurors, she has worked tirelessly to protect and defend our country. During the first war, she made a name for herself as a fierce and brave warrior, being instrumental in many of our victories after she graduated school. She rose through the auror ranks quickly on her own merits and hard work, never asking for any handouts. As the Head of our Department of Magical Law Enforcement she has reformed that department to make it run more effectively and efficiently, despite the previous minister's substantial cuts to her department. I am more than confident that as Minister of Magic, she would be able to not only win this war, but change our country into a better place, making it an example that others would want to follow."
Those who'd been nominated became increasingly nervous as Lord Greengrass spoke, but it was Harry's next words that nailed the coffin into their dreams of becoming the Minister of Magic. "I, Lord Black, second that nomination."
Amelia fixed a slightly surprised expression on her face as she stood and accepted the nomination.
Like the first one, this vote was merely a formality as Amelia won overwhelmingly with Harry's support. Most didn't want to go against the man who even Voldemort couldn't defeat. Then Amelia stood to give a few words.
"Thank you for giving me this opportunity to lead our country. I promise to earn the faith and trust you have shown me today, by upholding the laws of our country and making it a safer place. My first action as your Minister of Magic will be to officially declare war against Voldemort and his Death Eaters. They are to be classified as terrorists and any who are found working with them will be treated as traitors against our country. Because of this, I will immediately increase the funding for the auror department to give them the tools and equipment they need to fight this war properly. My former department will also be left in the capable hands of Rufus Scrimgeour, who I'm sure will do an exemplary job running it.
I will do everything in my power to save this country from the tyranny of Voldemort, but I can't do it alone." She turned to look directly at the reporter section, her gaze focused on David and his camera man. "I want this message to be sent out as soon as possible. Those who want to be able to fight back against our enemies, I invite you to come join the auror department. Learn how to defend not only yourselves, but your family and friends as well. Our enemies may seem strong, but together we can be even stronger." To finish, she turned back to face the atrium at large. "I know many of you have questions, but they will have to be asked at the press conference I will hold tomorrow. Right now, I need to get to work to get our Ministry back on track."
Amelia, guarded by Hestia and another auror, exited the room after that, leaving the atrium buzzing with noise. Harry, Tonks, and Andromeda also slipped out before too many could notice him.
Dumbledore did notice however, and he was left trying to figure out what was going on. Unfortunately for him, he wouldn't find out until it was too late.
- H.M. –
Early that evening, the Hoods gave a toast to their new Minister of Magic and the success of their plan.
League of Hoods Members:
Harry – Alpha
Minerva – Lioness
Hermione – Scholar
Tonks – Shifter
Andromeda – Barrister
Amelia – Monarch
Hestia – Sleuth
Fleur – Aphrodite
Luna – Oracle
Ron – Tactician
Neville – Terran (means earth)
Fred – Thing 1
George – Thing 2
Ginny – Firecracker
Charlie – Bear
Samena – Mystique
Matthew – Eagle
