A/N:

Sabrina: Thank you for your enthusiasm!

Mella deRanged - Yes more dealing with Voldemort. Everyone else he has dealt with (as per canon) is currently dead.

Weatherbee - Don't worry about it, I know what I'm doing, they don't. they'll actually have to read to find out why I do what I do.

Isabella, and Sarah, and dreameer43, and Kris-tina4, and Dna Fan, and Miya Tomo, and - Thanks!

Ears91 - the new minister will be revealed in the next chapter.

Xugra - I write at least 6 pages a chapter, if more is needed then I'll write more. Or would you prefer I wait until I have something like 80 pages and post once a week? I find people tend to lose the story in that time.

Sami Potter - I don't think it was ... i could be wrong.

keebler-elmo - I think I said 'extended periods of time' the way I think of it is like a battery. they've charged up for a while now they can go do other things until the charge runs out. I'd say a couple of days at least then the urges start kicking in.

milky way - find out next chapter

American Mione - Tonks rocks!

Zoken - You didn't miss anything. I didn't say.

Leria ariel - Houston, Texas, and it's not because we are in Texas so don't even try to make that joke. Look around any big city (L.A, NY, Chicago, etc.) and you will find the same sad but unfortunately true.

Enough with the talking! Read!

Chapter 25

"Everyone," said Harry nervously.

"Everyone," Dumbledore confirmed.

Harry tried desperately to figure out a way not to do this.

"Um ... who's our candidate?"

"I don't want to tell you that." the headmaster answered. "I do not want you to campaign for a person, but for a cause."

Harry ran his fingers through his hair, "If I go up there, you're going to lose. I'm not very good at speaking in public."

"I disagree."

He grasped at straws, "I've never spoken in public!"

"You speak to your class everyday."

"That's different; they're kids."

Dumbledore stood and straightened out his robes. "They are no different than the people that are out there right now, Harry. In that room are people that are frightened, arrogant, logical, mislead, innocent, and world-traveled.

"Some of them are set in their ways and are beyond hope. Those are not the people we need to vote." He took out his wand and waved it at the door. The outside noise filtered in and the headmaster made his last plea. "Try for me and for your fellow students. Try for the wizarding community, Harry. For those that lack the courage to try for themselves."

Dumbledore opened the door and those that were closest parted and allowed him through to the dais, feet away.

Tonks raised her wand to Harry's throat. "This is a milder amplification charm. Sonori! Don't speak until you are on the dais."

They stepped out of the room and watched as the crowd quieted. Dumbledore had no need for the charm. He'd had plenty of practice over the years making himself heard to the students of Hogwart's.

"Again I thank you for coming here today on the rare occasion that we are in need of leadership. Your vote in this room , fifteen minutes hence will determine the survival of our way of life for some time to come."

He looked over at Harry and smiled. "I am passing on the remainder of my allotted time to a colleague of mine from Hogwart's who I think might have a fresh perspective on this matter. After which we will begin the vote."

Tonks pulled Harry's cloak back to expose the left half of his body. He was going to say something, but she cut him off.

"Looks more dashing that way."

"I believe you might know him from the papers and from word of mouth. For those that do not, I would like to introduce Harry Potter."

Dumbledore stepped off the dais and patted Harry on the shoulder. "Remember to be yourself."

Harry took his place with a smattering of polite applause throughout the crowd. He eyes darted back to Dumbledore for a last second vie for courage. He watched as the headmaster's wand flicked behind the fold of his cloak, but he could not hear the spell that was cast. Some of the faces in the crowd were familiar.

He recognized a few members of the Wizengamot from the time he was on trial for saving himself from a Dementor attack, others he thought were either parents of a few Hogwart's students or employees of the ministry that he might have seen from his first walkthrough.

"Um ... " his voice set across the room, but not quite as loudly as earlier. "Hi."

From the other side of the room a voice called out, "Come on Potter. Give us your best shot!"

Laughter welled up and died quickly.

Harry nodded grimly, "I'm not here to give my best shot. I don't even know who you lot have chosen for candidates."

Murmurs passed though the crowd Harry looked up to the ceiling to see some sort of light being reflected there It was making him uneasy, not to mention hot. Why had Dumbledore made me wear the Winter cloak.

"I'm here to tell you about ..." he paused uncertainly, and looked at some of the people in the crowd. He didn't know what he was going to talk about. They waited expectantly. Way to go, Potter. Think of something. "I'm here to tell you about ... a person that came into my life a few years ago."

He stood up straighter and raised his voice somewhat. "I'm here to tell you about a boy that with courage, strength, and honor, finished the Tri-Wizard tournament at Hogwart's in my fourth year."

The same voice came back from the crowd. "Tootin' your own horn a bit there, Potter?"

Again laughter followed.

"I'm sorry," shot back innocently. "I'm not used to making an ass of myself in public. Perhaps you wouldn't mind coming up here and giving me a few pointers."

The laughter rose a bit higher this time.

"I'm not speaking of myself, you prat. I'm talking about the boy who tied with me, Cedric Diggory."

The crowd quieted. They knew one of their own Amos Diggory had lost a son that year.

"We tied because earlier in the last contest, I had helped him from being killed. In turn he saved me. I was injured by a giant spider, at the end, that was intended to stop Cedric. But he wouldn't go on with out me."

Harry could feel the beads of sweat on his forehead.

"The Tri-Wizard cup, the title of Champion and a thousand Galleons was only a few feet away but he wouldn't go on without me, because he was honorable. He chose honor over money."

Harry looked down and back up at the crowd. "He was the first person I saw destroyed by the order of Voldemort."

Several gasps and screams lit throughout the room. And suddenly Harry was mad.

"Oh grow up!" he yelled. "Every one of my students at Hogwart's has shown more courage than you lot. You're scared of a name! How can you have the courage to do what's right and fight against the one person that is making you hide in your home and shake like five year old children in the dark!"

He raised his arm and pointed out randomly in the crowd. "You people are actually talking about money instead of doing something about finding Voldemort; being paid off to vote for someone who will lead us down the same stupid path as the last minister. I can see it now, tomorrow's front page of the Daily Prophet: IT WAS ALL A BIG JOKE. YOU-KNOW-WHO ISN'T BACK. JUST KIDDING! as the new minister pockets yet another thousand Galleons from Lucius Malfoy's estate. That's right, Lucius Malfoy is a Death Eater and Fudge was taking money from him; thought he was the right kind of person to be around, followed his every suggestion."

"Then we can all go back to where we were a year ago with Death-Eaters on the Ministry payroll and the minister himself, the biggest pocket stuffing blind man who ever lived."

He turned to his side and clenched his fists trying to soothe his anger. "Five months ago I watched as Bellatrix Lestrange killed my godfather right in front of me in the Department of Mysteries. She did it happily laughing about it as she tried to do the same to me."

The crowd watched on, not knowing the exact details that had been kept hidden from them for the last few months by Fudge.

"You want to know who was by my side that day?" he dared them to ask. "Neville Longbottom. Remember him? Or perhaps you remember his parents who're at St. Mungo's as I speak, tortured insane by Voldemort's Death Eaters led by Bellatrix Lestrange. His parents would have been proud of him. He had a chance to get away before they were going to kill him and instead he stayed to be by my side and suffer while Lestrange used the Cruciatus Curse on him.

"My best friend, Ron Weasley and his sister Ginny. Ron's still got scars up and down his arms, from the battle. Luna Lovegood who wanted nothing more than to help out, no other reason. Hermione Granger who was almost killed by a Death Eater trying to keep them from their ultimate goal."

"Four fifteen year-old kids and two fourteen year-olds against the best that Voldemort had to offer. You people have nothing on those five kids that risked their lives to help one person. They're the bravest people I know and you should be ashamed."

Sweat was pouring down his forehead and he wiped it away with the back of his hand and he looked over to Dumbledore.

"I'm sorry Professor. I can't stay here any longer. I'm going back to be around people that have some sort of back bone and actually care about their friends and people around them. I'm going back to Hogwart's!"

He stepped down off the dais. "Now get out of my way!"

Not a word was said as he paved a path through the crowd. People stepped aside and let him through without pause. He wasn't surprised at all when he saw the doors to the lift were open and being held for him. He stepped in and the crowd watched as the doors closed and heard his last words.

"Stupid, money grubbing, self-centered ..." The rest faded out as the lift went off.

**********************

"Harry, stop!" Tonks yelled as she ran out of a separate lift trying to catch up with him.

He was already throwing his badge at the attendant who ducked out of his way.

"Harry!"

He finally stopped and swung around in a rage. "I'm not going back up there!"

She almost laughed and stopped before him with his Firebolt clutched in one of her hands. "Are you kidding? You were brilliant, Harry. Best speech I've heard in years, and with this bunch, that's saying a lot." She paused in her excitement. "Put'em right in their place."

She held out the Firebolt and Harry took it.

"I wish you could have seen it, Harry. Galleons on the floor when they disapparated to go vote, hundreds of them. Shamed the lot, you did! Dumbledore was gathering them up when I left."

At that a loud pop sounded ahead of them by the fountain. Harry turned and saw him upending a very large bag into the fountain. He and Tonks joined him.

"I suppose these will do more good for the people of St. Mungo's than the ministry." the headmaster said. "You have turned a great many heads today, Harry, and made even more enemies., though these enemies are merely political."

Harry shook it off, "I don't care about them or their politics."

Dumbledore nodded and looked at the bag. He took his wand out and tapped it to the cloth. "Portus!'

"This will take you back to the Great Hall. I had other plans for you today while we waited for the vote, but I think you have provided the turning point for us. Take a well deserved rest and have an enjoyable Hogsmeade weekend"

He handed the empty bag to Harry, "I think you might have a surprise waiting for you when you return, as well."

"Bye, Harry." said Tonks, waving.

"What?" asked Harry as he felt the familiar pull behind naval.