A/N: Thank you to all those that have been reviewing. I'm open to suggestions to the story so please R/R. Thanks to my betas Shadowssongs, Rivenn, haydenrocks14, and IamSiriusgrl.

Disclaimer: I wish I could be as good as JK Rowling but I'm not. This is her stuff and not to mention the influence that this story took from various fanfics.

Chapter 26
Potter vs. the Ministry

The three of them made their way into the kitchen without greeting anybody and sat down as far away from everybody as possible. Harry and Ginny started to cook a breakfast with eggs, sausages, and some toast for them to eat while Kayla set the table for them. Everybody else in the room was just staring at them at first and many were thinking that these kids were so rude as to not acknowledge everybody else in the room with them.

Remus and Tonks were looking on with amusement at the reaction of everybody especially the Weasleys to Harry and Ginny's return. The silence ended when they finished cooking breakfast and sat down to eat. As expected Kayla was eating the most while Harry and Ginny were just taking bites from some toast and sharing the same glass of orange juice.

Mrs. Weasley recovered first and approached the new trio to sternly say, "Where have the two of you been? What gives you two the right to just run off without letting anybody know?"

Ginny stopped eating and said, "Mum, it's not like Harry and me did anything really bad. We just went to his house to get away from everything for awhile."

Mrs. Weasley responded, "That still did not give you the right to just run off. You should have told somebody?"

Harry and Kayla were both smart enough to stay out of this one as the two Weasley ladies go at it with each other. Ginny said, "We did tell somebody and if you all bothered to ask Kayla earlier then you would have known sooner. It's not like it was some big secret. We didn't do anything considered not honorable either. I thought that you respected and trusted the two of us but apparently not."

Mrs. Weasley said, "Don't you talk to me like that young lady. I had trusted the two of you before but now I'm not sure anymore. Especially after the display at the Order meeting the two of you put on and running off hiding from everybody afterwards doesn't show the maturity level that I have come to expect from the two of you."

Ginny replied, "I can't believe that you are mad at us for what happened at the Order meeting because it was the Order that got themselves into this with all of your lies. As far as I can tell, the Order has started their lies when Harry was a one year old and still has not stopped. You may choose to follow Professor Dumbledore blindly but I will choose my path with both eyes open and both ears listening. Unlike the rest of the family, I will not just follow somebody because of their reputation."

Ron jumped in and heatedly said, "You blame us for following somebody blindly but you're following Harry just because he is your boyfriend. Some boyfriend you chose there also, about all he is good for is attracting danger."

Ginny turned to her brother as the anger in her was building and angrily said, "I don't choose to follow anybody blindly. I am the one that has made my decisions based on the information that I have received which leads any person with a common sense to follow Harry. Harry has not betrayed anybody here or deceived anyone like Dumbledore has. You forget that Dumbledore was the one that sentenced Harry to a life of hell and it was Dumbledore that was spying on Harry to get any piece of information from him. Dumbledore's spying resorted in the two of you spying on your best friend or I should say former best friend."

Ron's voice rose as he said, "Professor Dumbledore is a great wizard and Harry can only wish to be half as good as him. It is obvious that Harry is the secret weapon in this war and if Dumbledore has to do a little deception to push Harry to follow him then that is what he must do. It is not like Harry would not die for the greater good. Hell, he has been putting himself in needless dangers many times already."

Ginny's anger was starting to overflow as she yelled back, "Don't you get it. Harry is a person and I have no doubt that Harry would give his life up for those he loved just like I would willingly give up my life for those that I love. In Harry's case, each time those supposed needless dangers that he put himself through usually had both you and Hermione associated with him and he was doing what he wanted to do at the time which was to protect those around him. Do you ever use that brain of yours? Think of the repercussions of every major action that Harry went through and what were the results. He did it for others and not for himself."

Ron blurted out, "Yeah, just like last year right Ginny? You remember right, the Department of Mystery and the Veil of Death? You remember that? It was because of Harry that Sirius died!"

There were gasps at what Ron just said and even Ginny froze in her step and couldn't believe that Ron actually said that. Tonks said to Ron, "That was out of line Ron. You know that it wasn't Harry's fault."

After hearing what Ron said, Harry stood up, took hold of Ginny's hand, and the two made to walk out of the room with Kayla, Remus, and Tonks following them. After Tonks made her statement, Harry said to Ron, "At least now, I know where I stand with you and what you truly believe. I know now that I should never have called you a best friend. You and Hermione have hurt me just as much as watching Sirius fall through the veil but you wouldn't know anything about it. I know that it was my fault but thank you for confirming my suspicions about how you all felt about it."

After Harry left, Ginny motioned for Kayla, Remus, and Tonks to follow him out and that she'll be there shortly. She turned to Ron and said in a cold calm voice, "Haven't you learned anything yet from these last few days? Did you not learn from watching Harry practice while he was at Potter Mansion that when Harry broke down was when he felt that he had betrayed his parents? Harry's greatest fear and biggest doubt is trust. He is afraid of being betrayed and betraying others. Great job though Ron. You just alienated Harry from the rest of the Order for sure now. I just hope that you all are ready to pay the consequences for Ron's stupid actions."

Ginny left and went to find the group. They were in the drawing room with Harry just sitting there staring at the ground and the rest of them just looking uncomfortable at not knowing what to do and staring at Harry sympathetically. Ginny made her way to sit next to Harry and pulled him into a hug.

Ginny said, "It doesn't matter what they think Harry. Who cares what traitors think? They say whatever they can to try to get out of blame. There are only two people that has any right to worry about what happened to Sirius and that's Remus and you. I know that Remus does not blame you and I also know that it wasn't your fault."

Remus said, "Ginny's right Harry. I don't blame you for what happened and you're not at fault for what happened. Sirius died doing what he wanted and that was fighting Voldemort and making sure that you're safe. Remember what he told you about him being in your heart. Never forget that Harry."

Harry responded, "Thanks guys. I guess I need reminding now and then." He paused for a moment and said, "Remus, Tonks, why didn't you tell me what was going on?"

The two of them looked ashamed for a moment then Tonks said, "We knew that you already knew that you were being followed so that wasn't that big of a deal. As to Ron and Hermione, they were told to keep an eye on you which we thought was a good idea and they really weren't giving us any information that you couldn't get from anybody that was in Gryffindor. To tell you the truth, I get more headaches from the two of them then any useful information."

Remus said, "The two of us agreed that if it got serious then we would let you know what was going on. You know Harry after that little speech you gave the Order, there are a few more people that are more sympathetic to your side and willing to help you out if you want."

Harry nodded and said, "I didn't do that to try to take control of the Order. I did that to open up the eyes of its members to what was going on."

Ray popped into the room and said, "Harry Potter sir, there is something you should see in the kitchen. There are many people gathering as the Order has been called to a meeting."

Harry nodded while saying, "Thank you Ray. I'll be in there shortly."

The group went into the kitchen to find out what was going on. There were lots of movements and talking going on in the kitchen as more and more people showed up. Harry walked up to the kitchen table and saw a Daily Prophet on the table. He picked it up and read:

Announcement from the Minister of Magic

By Rita Skeeter

Minister Fudge, in a surprise move, has announced that he will be making an announcement concerning matters of magical creatures and new Ministry standards considering those creatures and an update on the war against You-Know-Who. The public forum is scheduled for today at 2 o'clock in Diagon Alley. Expected to be in attendance will be Albus Dumbledore. Ministry officials said that Harry Potter is unable to attend but extended his full cooperation with the Ministry. It is in the opinion of this reporter that the war so far has not been going well for the Ministry and wanted to use this chance to calm the public. There have been many attacks that have resulted in slow Ministry response and it doesn't look like it will improve anytime soon. I for one will be there and have faith in the Ministry considering the two beacons of the light, Albus Dumbledore will be there, and Harry Potter expressed his support.

Ginny asked, "What are you going to do Harry?"

Harry said, "I'm not sure, what do you think?"

The two of them didn't care that everybody else was trying to listen into what they were talking about. Ginny said, "I think that we should go to see what Fudge has to say. The idiot doesn't seem to learn his lesson unless he contacted you and you didn't let me know."

Harry smiled and replied, "Ginny, you know everything about me and haven't left my side for the last few days. I seriously doubt that I could hide something like this from you. Plus, I don't look forward to getting you mad and facing the Bat Bogey Hex."

Ginny returned the smile and gave him a peck on the check before she said, "Good, you're learning Mr. Potter. Let's go talk about this somewhere else. We have a few hours to figure out what we're going to do."

Harry nodded and the two of them accompanied by Kayla left the room. Remus and Tonks stayed behind because Dumbledore called for a meeting of the Order to discuss matters concerning Fudge and his announcement. The trio went to Harry's room and talked for a while and much to the Order's annoyance did not consider asking the Order what they thought would be a good course of action even after Dumbledore sent Rain to ask Harry to come down and talk about what was going on or going to happen.

Two o'clock came around faster then expected. In front of Gringott's was a large platform with a podium in the middle. For the first time in months, Diagon Alley was filled with people and the security level taken was unprecedented with pairs of Aurors at every corner and above every store. Most of the people were waiting for the start of the public announcement as Fudge made his way towards the platform from behind the stage with Umbridge and Percy tagging along with a group of about ten Aurors escorting them. Dumbledore was coming through the entrance accompanied by Remus, Vance, Jones, Snape, and McGonagall. None of the Aurors that are part of the Order wanted to be part of Dumbledore's entourage because many of them would be fired if they did so and would hurt the cause.

The two groups reached the stage at about the same time and Dumbledore and Fudge exchanged pleasantries. The two groups stood on opposite sides of the stage as Fudge went to the podium with Dumbledore standing next to him. Fudge spoke into what was a muggle equivalent of a microphone and said, "Welcome everyone. Will everybody please gather closer to the stage and we will begin." The people gathered closer towards the stage and more people came from the stores. A few of the stores even closed as store owners and workers came out to listen to what the Minister of Magic had to say.

Fudge continued to say, "Thank you for coming out. I would first like to introduce a few people on stage. To my left is my Senior Undersecretary Dolores Umbridge and to my right is the Headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore. We are here to let the people know that the ministry is here to help the people and to inform the public of our progress."

After some applause, Fudge said, "It has come to light that if we don't tighten our control on half breeds and other magical creatures that they will be tempted to join the side of You-Know-Who. The ministry has passed a few decrees concerning werewolves, centaurs, goblins, giants, and other minor breeds. Effective immediately all the creatures mentioned above will be required to register all of their movements with the ministry and unless specifically stated by the ministry they will not be permitted to leave the areas that are designated for them. If they were to leave without ministry approval than they will be sent to Azkaban for a minimum of ten days and a maximum of life sentence if it is believed that their violation of this decree is to harm wizards and witches."

There was some light applause but not many people really cared much on that issue. As a matter of fact due to Harry's campaign on informing the wizarding worlds about the affairs and concerns of other magical creatures, more wizards and witches have become sympathetic to their needs. It gained more momentum when rumors that Harry Potter was the man behind the educational push of the wizarding world. Since they were only rumors, nobody wanted to come out and take a stand publicly.

Fudge continued on to say, "We believe that this will lead to more stability in the Wizarding World based on many of my trusted advisors. As many people know there have been many attacks recently on Wizarding towns and families that were ordered by You-Know-Who. I am here to tell you not to worry and we are doing everything that we can to stop him. The ministry has been working around the clock protecting major cities and have been preparing for this for over a year now. We believe that You-Know-Who's capabilities have been weakened with recent defenses of cities like York where many Deatheaters were either captured or killed. As you all may not know, Harry Potter was there to help the Ministry defend the city. I have spoken to him myself and he said that all of his support is behind the Ministry and our current plans of action."

Fudge asked, "Are there any questions?"

There were many people yelling out questions but quieted when he pointed to a wizard in the front who said, "Where is Harry Potter? Why couldn't he show up today?"

Fudge said, "Mr. Potter went home for the holidays to get some rest after a busy semester at Hogwarts. Mr. Potter said that he believes the Ministry is heading on the right path and when he believes that it is time, he will make an appearance."

A wizard from somewhere in the crowd yelled out, "What are we supposed to do to protect ourselves?"

Fudge replied, "If you followed the pamphlet on simple charms to place on your house than you should be safe. Don't worry about it; the Ministry will take care of everything else."

There were three bursts of flames on the stage as Harry, Kayla, and Ginny were lowered onto the stage by Nightlight, Sunrise, and Sunset. There were either cheers from people who noticed that Harry arrived or awe from those that were quiet because they were distracted by the three phoenixes. Fudge was ecstatic. This was just what he needed, to have the Boy-Who-Lived to show up and give his support to the man which would pretty much guarantee his re-election and get him out of any hot water from all the criticisms his administration was getting.

Harry walked over to the podium flanked on both sides by Ginny and Kayla. The Minister backed away to let him talk. What nobody on the stage outside of the trio and Remus realized was that this boy had a big surprise and Remus was excited at what was going to happen.

Harry started off calmly but quickly let his emotion take over which was anger. He said, "Thank you Minister Fudge." That was the end of calm and the anger was let loose here as he looked at the minister while standing next to the podium and yelled, "You are nothing more than a large piece of crap and don't deserve to be the Minister of Magic. You have done nothing but lie and still continue to do so to this day. We have never met and talked about any of this because if we did, you would have known better than to associate me with anything that has to do with the Ministry. I think that the current administration is nothing more than greedy little bastards that can't do anything unless it lines their pockets with gold first. I have repeatedly warned you of the return of Voldemort," there were many squints and shivers at hearing the name, "and the threat that he posed yet you did nothing but called me an attention seeking lunatic. I have always hated having attention brought on me but you forced my hand here with your lies and now I have to set the record straight."

Harry turned his attention to the people and with all of his emotions and conviction said, "I will tell you the truth of what has been going on. I warned Fudge about the return of Voldemort and even provided another witness besides me but what does he do. He brings Dementors with him and immediately kills the only other person to witness the return of Voldemort over two years ago. He refused to listen to what I said and tells everybody that I am a lunatic to discredit both me and Dumbledore. To make matters worse, his Undersecretary sends Dementors after me last year over the summer holidays and they tried to send me to prison for protecting myself. Umbridge and Fudge conspired last year to take control of Hogwarts by making Umbridge a teacher at the school and slowly giving her rights that rivaled that of the Headmaster. It culminated in one night at the end of the semester where Umbridge stripped the students of all privileges and threatened to use the Cruciatus Curse against me. She also tortured students when they tried to stand up to her and speak the truth. Considering that all of her powers came from the Ministry, it would lead me to believe that Fudge knew about all of this but decided to cover it up. I also never agreed to help the Ministry because I don't believe in working with such incompetent fools. If I had to depend on the Ministry to do anything, I'm better off just killing myself because the Ministry seems to only be good at making up stories or taking the credit for what others have done. That leads me to the battle at York a few weeks ago. I showed up to defend York because I wanted to protect the orphans and the orphanages. It became obvious to me and the citizens of York that it was up to us to protect the town because the Ministry was no where to be seen yet a kid hidden away in Hogwarts managed to do something about it. You all need to get rid of this man and elect a new minister that is competent, non-corrupt, and will defend the people not rich contributors to his campaign."

There were loud cheers from the people when Harry finished. There were also chants of 'out with Fudge' and a few 'Potter for Minister'. Fudge was caught off guard by the speech and made a hasty retreat knowing that his career was over followed by Percy and Umbridge. Many of the Order that accompanied Dumbledore had looks of approval but Dumbledore seemed a little disappointed. Ginny gave Harry a kiss on the cheek and a hug which was immediately followed by a hug from Kayla.

The cheering went on for a few more minutes when it died down a little and a lady yelled out, "What is your stance on the decrees on magical creatures that the Ministry just passed?"

Harry thought about it for a moment and said, "I think that it is ridiculous if the Ministry believe that passing those stupid laws will do any good. If anything it will do more harm. I have personal experience when it comes to being held to unjustified restraints due to the desires of those who shouldn't have rights over me. I spent over ten years of my life in a living hell which consisted of living in a cupboard under the stairs and being a slave to those that I lived with. That's part of why I know that it is wrong to impose the will of one group over another. There is no point in making enemies when we know that we can live and co-exist with each other in peace. Look at our relationships with the Goblins. Why try to start something when all we have to do is treat them with respect and they in turn will more than likely respect us which won't result in anymore wars between wizards and goblins. That's what I want to say. We have to learn to co-exist and share with each other. To make friends with a centaur means you have a friend in the forest and they have a friend when they leave the forest. We need to embrace them as friends and treat each other with respect. Therefore, I call upon each and every one of you to pressure your Ministry officials to repeal those laws that were recently passed and all other prejudicial laws. We must learn to understand each other and get rid of ignorance because it is through ignorance that we develop fears and through fears prejudices form. In time prejudice will develop into discrimination which will result in hate. We can stop that from the beginning by learning about each other."

There were lots of clapping and a few cheers as many people nodded their agreements. Another lady asked, "Are the rumors true? There are rumors going on about you starting educational and public information programs to help people understand each other and different magical societies better."

Harry nodded and said, "It is true but I did not want to be associated with these programs at first because I wanted the people to make the decisions themselves and not because of somebody's popularity. If we study the facts to both sides of a problem then we will make a more informative decision."

There was a wizard in the crowd that asked, "What do you think we can do against You-Know-Who?"

Harry said, "There are some good things in those pamphlets the ministry gave out but you can do more and I mean much more. Everybody can brush up on their defense skills and practice some charms and transfiguration while they are at it. Go to the library or a book store and find some references that can help you. I also advise on having a few escape plans in case you were to be attacked at home or out in the streets. It is always good to be prepared but don't forget to live your lives. Voldemort has already won if you let him dictate your lives by hiding in your houses and living in fear. There are many more of us and too few Deatheaters to do anything. For example, if the people here at Diagon Alley were to rise up together and fight the Deatheaters then they will lose for sure. I'm not going to paint a pretty picture because there will be casualties and if you fight than there is a better chance that you will die."

Another wizard asked, "What gives you the right to say something like that? You don't have a family to take care of."

Harry replied, "You are right. I don't have what many would be considered a family left because I lost all of them in the fight against Voldemort. I lost my parents when I was one because they were there to protect me just so I can live one second longer. That one second turned out to be years. I lost my godfather Sirius Black, because he came to rescue me in the Ministry of Magic last year and was killed by Bellatrix Lestrange. I do have somebody that I would die for and love more than life itself and I know that each one of you out there knows what I am talking about. It can be a wife or husband, a boyfriend or girlfriend, a child, a parent, a niece or nephew, a friend, and even for some people their pet. There are many of you out there that I don't know but I have no problems dying if it meant that I can take Voldemort with me."

A witch asked, "Why did Sirius Black come to help you? I thought that he was trying to kill you and betrayed your parents."

Harry shook his head and said, "Sirius Black was not the Potter Family secret keeper. The secret keeper was changed shortly before my parents were betrayed and it was changed to Peter Pettigrew. Pettigrew was the one that betrayed my parents and he is still alive. Sirius Black was an innocent man sent to Azkaban without a trial which is another reason why I despise the Ministry of Magic. We must clean up the ministry so no more innocent people are sent there while those who we know are guilty get out like Malfoy, Nott, Parkinson, McNair, Crabbe, and Goyle."

Another wizard asked, "Why do you use You-Know-Who's name like it is nothing?"

Harry said, "To me that name is nothing. I am not going to be afraid of a person's name. Besides Lord Voldemort's real name is Tom Marvolo Riddle." Harry showed them how the name was an anagram. He continued on saying, "His biggest secret is that although he claims to be a pureblood he really is a half blood. His father was a muggle that abandoned him which made him angry. Tom grew up in a life filled with hate and was continually sent to people that abused him. He grew to hate and only knew hate which is why he became so evil. His past is filled with sorrow but the only way to finish it is to kill him because he is beyond saving. He is pure evil now especially with all the rituals he has gone through."

There was a pause as more questions were being yelled out begging to be answered, but Harry raised his hands to calm the people down. He said, "That is all the questions I will answer today for I have to go but I want to leave you with a few thoughts. First off, we must teach ourselves and always try to see a situation from all sides of a puzzle. We must treat everybody with respect and care. The results may not be felt immediately but will change people down the road. Always stand up for what you believe in but respect the wishes of others. Stand up for those who can't defend themselves because you know that there is always somebody out there to help you if you need it. Work together with your family and friends and clean up corruption around you. Together we can stand and protect each other. To prove a point to Tom, everybody should celebrate tonight but be on guard to send the message to Voldemort that we will not go down without a fight. We will stand to the last man, woman, or child and we will win when it is all over."

The crowds cheered and were celebrating in the streets when Harry was done. There were people talking about going to the bookstore and getting what they needed to understanding things they didn't know. Others were talking about going to go play tomorrow while many talked about cleaning up their towns and the ministry. Everybody agreed on one thing which was they were going to bring the Deatheaters hell and Voldemort was going to pay for what he had done to the Wizarding World.

As Harry finished the three phoenixes came down from their positions above the crowd and lowered their tail feathers to Harry, Kayla, and Ginny. With three bursts of flames from the respective phoenixes the three teenagers were gone and more cheers erupted with many people yelling, 'Potter' and 'Justice'.

Harry was tired from using so much emotion in his speech and everything went as planned. Ginny was proud of Harry and couldn't even be pried off of Harry because she was hugging him and repeatedly kissing him. Kayla was also proud of him and went to send word to her mom by owl to let her know what had happened. The three knew what was going to be the headline of the Daily Prophet and every major newspaper across Europe tomorrow and hoped that it would be enough to mobilize the people to rise up and take a stand.

The Order was at a loss of words. They left shortly after Harry left had and called for an emergency meeting to discuss what had just gone on. In less than an hour, Harry Potter managed to do what for over a year the Order had failed to do. The people were listening to him and didn't know where to go from there. The general consequences were that the good side won out big today and that Harry was playing for keeps now. Many of them had a new found respect for the teenager while others like Dumbledore, McGonagall, Hermione, and the Weasleys weren't sure if this was going to turn out well because the wizarding world was now being lead unofficially by an angry teenage boy.

Harry took a short nap and spent the rest of the day training with Ginny and Kayla down in Ginny's trunk. Kayla was caught off guard at how strong Ginny had become which immediately reminded her that Ginny was now Harry's equivalent. The three of them was definitely a force to be reckoned with and if anybody wanted to pick a fight with them will have both a difficult time surviving both with their lives and socially due to their new status in society as the new Golden Trio. The question to most people outside of the Order was where Ron and Hermione were in all of this.

The next morning, The Daily Prophet had pictures of the celebrations that were going on in the streets and pages of what Harry had said. There was also a call for Fudge to step down as minister and for reform. This angered Voldemort; and many of his followers paid dearly that evening into the night with most of them barely able to walk the next day. Corrupt officials and suspected Deatheaters were now afraid of being caught in the streets and being persecuted in public.