5. Finishing the Task

For a full year Sirius and Remus hardly got a break. Both were at their limits, because they were working so hard. Finally they both had the impression that the whole ministry was on the way to be clean again and started to think of how to go about appointing a new Minister.

Sirius called for a meeting with the complete Wizengamot. When they filed into the conference room, which had been cleared of the large oval table and fitted with rows of chairs, he got up and addressed them. There were, of course, all the members of the Wizengamot, but Sirius had also invited press representatives for the meeting, which he thought should be public.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," he said, slowly letting his eyes glide over all of them, "you have kindly entrusted me with clearing up the chaos this Ministry has become in the past years for a good year. I believe I have started out with an illegal action but have worked hard since then to have a fully functioning wizarding administration again. I believe I have done this by regarding the law strictly."

Most of the members of the Wizengamot nodded. Some were doing it reluctantly, but those were still people called to the board through Fudge and some were probably still convinced that Sirius had done it all as a personal revenge against their former Minister.

"The budget for the coming year has been calculated roughly one third smaller than the previous year. The departments are functioning legally again and the irregularities in many of them caused by a former climate of favouritism, corruption and carelessness have ceased. We have several controlling organs which will be watching over the actions of the Ministry on several levels. I think, it is time to get a new Minister."

There was a lot of murmuring after that and one of the wizards, an elderly man with a short neck and greasy dark brown hair asked:

"In other words you want to be officially appointed as the Minister?"

"Did I say that? No, I don't want to be the new Minister. Not necessarily. I've spent fourteen months working through, cleaning up and encouraging changes where I thought they were necessary. Most of what I suggested has already been fruitful, especially when you look at the currently growing economy. Every tradesman will confirm to you that the trust of the consumers into the trades has grown, that families have more spending money after taxes had been cut and prices had been lowered after the lifting of several forms of sales taxes. In the past fourteen months we have been able to see what crimes the former government committed. If I look around at the faces I see in the Wizengamot today I think I'm seeing at least a dozen different ones than I saw fourteen months ago. Not only the administration has been cleansed, it seems to me that the Wizengamot has undergone some cleaning as well and rightly so. I also think, that I am reaching that moment at which I'm ready to pass the governmental power to another respectable member of the community to continue my work."

Again he looked around and then calmly said:

"I wait for your ideas of how we should be going about it. A general election? Appointment by your good selves? Who would you suggest?"

"Why not yourself?" a witch in the back asked.

Sirius grinned and admitted:

"To be quite honest: it's a hell of a lot of work and I need a break. A good long break! No, I don't want to do it right now. Maybe in twenty or thirty years I'll be ready for it, but right now I want to be able to pass it on to a competent other person. But let me tell you what I think this person should ideally be and bring into the job: Integrity. Sincerity. Interest. Fantasy. Ability to negotiate. Courage. Readiness to decide things on the spot. Ability to react to unexpected situations. Stamina. A really good and able mouth! And finally a certain age and experience, but the latter does not have first priority. Age does not always make wise, but many times tired and disillusioned. We must have a person with visions and alertness on this post."

It took a while until the members of the Wizengamot, other than Dumbledore came forth with ideas. They didn't have the experience the heads of the departments of the Ministry had gained in the past fourteen months and roughly fifty Monday meetings to input their ideas and comments. Sirius looked around them. They sat fairly silent. He made an impatient gesture and asked:

"Do you people ever talk with each other? Or do you just sit and decide in your head and then accept the majority?"

"We're not supposed to do anything else. We are supposed to decide individually and the majority will be accepted," one of the witches said.

Sirius stared at Dumbledore.

"Do you think that is a really wise way of handling things?"

"Yes, we do. We're not influenced by the others, our decisions are truly ours."

"Okay, then. Any names? Suggestions?"

"Who would you suggest, Sirius?"

"Someone who stands not a shred of a chance to be chosen," Sirius said immediately.

Dumbledore understood. Even with a better political climate, only very few people would vote for a werewolf. He also doubted that Remus would want the position. Sirius went on:

"We need someone who is at the same time comfortable to take initiatives and has no problems to decide on even difficult things. Someone like Minerva McGonagall for example."

Dumbledore looked up. A wizard in the back remarked that they now at least had a name. Sirius just shot back:

"You could throw in names as well, it's there for the discussion and for these people to run if we have more than one possible candidate. It should just be someone who's sincere enough to put the office in front of his or her person. Professor McGonagall would do precisely that. Only I have no idea if she'd be interested."

"I'm not really willing to give up on my deputy and one of the best transfiguration teachers Hogwarts has ever seen yet, Sirius," Dumbledore said in an amused tone.

"Well then, offer something."

Someone finally mentioned Amelia Bones. After that someone else mentioned the owner of the Leaky Cauldron, a man named Marcus Zander. In the end, Sirius had several names on a list.

"Now, there we are, that's some basis to talk about. How do you suggest we proceed? Should I talk to each of these people? Yes or no? Please hold up your hand for yes…"

All the hands went right up.

"Good. I will talk to these people and then we might hold a meeting to decide on the way the Minister is appointed. If memory serves me right it's usually the Wizengamot who appoints them, isn't it?"

"That's correct."

"Well, that's what we do then. I talk to the candidates and those who want to consider running should then present themselves to you in another meeting. After that you decide. I think we can close today's meeting."

Everyone shuffled out of the room. Sirius took his list and went back to his office, where he called for Hermione to fix dates with the eight persons on his list.

"Here, these are the people I'd like to invite to offer them to run for the Minister's position. Write to them that the Wizengamot thinks about possibly appointing them and that they should inform us if they were interested or not. Then fix a date with those who are interested, so I can talk to them and tell them what the office really means…"

Hermione grinned.

"More than you expected, eh?"

"Actually exactly as much. But I didn't expect it to run me down that badly."

"Well, let's hope we find someone who's as efficient as you are."

Hermione took the list and left the office. A week later the first interview took place. Amelia had decided to run for the office. Sirius thought she was the best candidate in the whole lot, so he encouraged her. There were two others who were interested and one of them Sirius thought would not make a better figure than Fudge. But he handed the candidate's list over to the Wizengamot with his personal recommendation being Amelia Bones. He didn't know if this would help her or not, but he had built up a good relationship with most of the younger members of the Wizengamot and certainly with almost all of the witches on that board. That was a majority already.

The vote took place in October 1999 and Sirius was very relieved to hear the result an hour later from Dumbledore who had been named the spokesman.

"The voting was in favour of Madam Amelia Bones, Sirius."

Sirius and Remus smiled. They were relieved, because they knew in Amelia's firm hands the work they had done would continue to be fruitful.

"That's great, I'll have the press statement out in a moment and will call for a press conference for tomorrow. I'll inform Amelia right away, Albus."

"I am very happy that this transition has gone by so well. I would have thought you might like the position enough to be a candidate yourself, Sirius."

"That would not have worked well. I started out with the promise to return to a properly appointed Minister as soon as possible and I intended to keep that promise. As I said, I might be interested again in a few decades. But until then… I want to finally live!"

"Good. Personally I will like to work together with Amelia. She's a very brilliant mind. She does have a heart and uses it. She has a lot of experience within the Ministry."

Sirius nodded.

"She's done very well on her end. She supported me from the beginning. I'm going over to her office right now and tell her about the decision."

After Dumbledore left, Sirius went straight to Amelia's office. He found her secretary and asked:

"Could I have a very quick word with Madam Bones, please?"

"I think, she's occupied at the moment, Governor, could it wait for a couple of minutes?"

"I really only need to tell her something very important. If you could interrupt her…"

"I'll see what I can do."

Two minutes later, Amelia came out of her office and greeted Sirius.

"Sirius! What can I do for you?"

He grinned.

"You can relieve me from my duties, Amelia! The Wizengamot has appointed you to be the new Minister of Magic!"

She looked at him with an open mouth, then beamed and said:

"Really? I was so insecure with my presentation!"

"Really. You will be installed as Minister from on the 1st November. Now, I don't want to hold you up, but it will be kind of important that you prepare yourself for a lengthy press conference tomorrow afternoon. The press communiqué is leaving the office as we speak, so expect to be the headline of tomorrow's Daily Prophet. They will swarm in on you soon, sorry."

"I'm prepared for that." She turned to her assistant. "Well, that means all my appointments for tomorrow afternoon are cancelled, Robin. Please inform the respective people about that."

"That's all. See you tomorrow!"

The Daily Prophet announced the prepared statement from the Ministry in the same words it had been sent to them by Hermione:

"The Wizengamot appointed Madam Amelia Susan Bones to be the new Minister of Magic – The decision has been made today that the current head of the Ministry's Department of Magical Law Enforcement will be starting her new office on 1st November 1999…"

Of course the room where the press conference was held was completely full the next afternoon. Sirius looked around. He'd got used to be in this room, holding a press conference about once a week in the past year. He made only a short statement:

"The time has come to act as I've promised when I took the office of a Governor fourteen months ago. I'm clearing my desk for the new Minister of Magic. Ladies and Gentlemen, please meet Mrs Amelia Susan Bones."

With that Sirius retreated to the back and left the stage to Amelia who had to reply to dozens of questions about herself, her political views, her position in the previous wars, her work in the Department and her career. Sirius turned to Remus and whispered:

"Do you know what we'll do on the day after she's safely started her new job?"

"Be somewhere warm and make love until we can't move anymore," Remus replied smugly.

Sirius grinned. "Precisely!"

"Which is why I have already booked a hotel in Bali for the duration of three weeks. And woe to anyone who's going to disturb us there."

When the next day's Daily Prophet was dropped on their breakfast table, Remus and Sirius found, that not only had it a lengthy story about the new Minister, but there was a story just as long about Sirius' achievement. Remus was mentioned a couple of times, too. It was pure praise. Within that one year, Sirius had managed to clean up the Ministry and pass through several of the corruption trials, which sent Fudge and some of his cronies to several decades to Azkaban. Sirius frowned, when he remembered that he hadn't even started on that project regarding the replacement of Azkaban. Or rather the guardians of Azkaban. He would contact Amelia about that when he returned from their much needed and deserved vacation. But for now he looked up and smiled at his lover, passing him the article. Remus was still reading over the leading article about Amelia.

"Is it okay?"

"Yes, it's very good. Amazingly."

They also looked through several other papers, but basically everyone was following the Daily Prophet's view that it remained to be seen what the new Minister could achieve.

For two weeks Sirius cleared up his office and introduced Amelia to her new job. She talked with Hermione and asked her to stay on for a while until she was comfortable in her office, because by now Hermione was well known to be a very competent assistant. Hermione accepted, but she was of course sad to see her cooperation with Sirius end. The two and Remus had worked together very well. Remus left all of his things in his office and of course it was so well organised every beginner would find out what was to be done. On Halloween, their last day at the office, both were a bit wistful, but both didn't regret one moment in the past fifteen months.

Harry had held his promise and had found them a home. It was a stately country estate, neither too big nor too small, three floors, with a huge living room and library, a winter garden and a solid cellar. Four bedrooms and a bathroom on the first floor and another two bedrooms and a bathroom on the second floor. Sirius had bought the house on the spot. It was a Muggle house, but he couldn't care less, because it was nicely situated off the nearest small town with a forest nearby and there was a lovely park around the house. Over the past year they had slowly furnished the house and Remus had started on the library, which filled steadily.

Now they apparated directly out of the Ministry to their home and both breathed a sigh of relief. This would be the centre of their lives from now on and Sirius was determined that nothing much would be able to lure him out of the house. They had made a lot of friends inside the Ministry and outside of it and expected to be invited out a lot and have friends coming by equally often. But for now they just packed their stuff, all Muggle clothes, for their vacation in Bali.

They made the work on the next day a short bit. In a short ceremony Amelia received the symbolic key to the Ministry and after a ton of photo flashes for the press and a few last statements they left. They apparated home, picked up their suitcases and apparated to a hidden corner at Heathrow airport.