Chapter: Chapter Sixteen: The International Confederation of Wizards
Author: King Harrison
Category: Action/Adventure
Sub-Category: Romance
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: SS/PS, CoS, PoA, GoF, OotP,
Summary: Wherein lies a meeting of the IFC, and two junior members are involved.
DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Also, this chapter includes some reference to an idea created and/or used by Orson Scott Card in his 'Ender Wiggin' series. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Author Notes: Chapter Sixteen is up! R&R!
"There is no good and evil. There is only power, and those too weak to see it."
-Professor Quirrel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Chapter Sixteen: The International Confederation of Wizards
The first week of class went smoothly, at least, until Potions on Tuesday afternoon. Professor Snape started off the term collecting papers and administering a quiz.
Harry quickly finished it and went to Snape's desk to hand it in. Snape looked up, sneering. "Need help, Potter? I'm afraid I can't help, because this is a quiz." That was total BS, seeing as he had just given Malfoy half of the answers about two minutes before, but Harry ignored it.
"I'm done, Professor."
Snape laughed. "There is no way that you could possibly be done, Potter. But, since you insist, I'll grade it now."
What Harry had not realized was that his quiz was quite different from the rest. It was on much more obscure and difficult potion ingredients. Having memorized the names and uses of every potion ingredient in existance, Harry knew the answers to them all.
As Snape graded the paper, he frowned more and more. Finally, he angrily marked a large spiky T at the top of the paper.
Harry stared at him, astonished. "What? I got all of them right, didn't I?"
"Yes. That's why I'm giving you a T. You obviously cheat–" Snape stopped.
He tried to continue, but found himself unable, because he no longer had a mouth. Harry leaned in close. "Severus, must I report this to Albus? I don't believe he would be really happy to find out about this."
Snape quickly shook his head.
Harry pointed at the paper. "Fix it. Now!"
Snape quickly marked out the T and replaced it with an O. Harry smiled and walked away, and as he did, Snape found that he had a mouth again. However, for a month after that, he was physically unable to say anything degrading about anyone except a Slytherin.
Many wondered what had put Snape in such a good mood, that he went a month without even deducting one point of off Gryffindor house.
About a week after the incident (two to Harry and Hermione) Professors Potter and Granger entered the Great Hall for breakfast. They were not there for long, however. The moment they had entered, Albus came striding over to them.
"What is it, Albus?"
"Today, there is to be a meeting of the International Confederation of Wizards."
Professor Potter quirked an eyebrow. "And we need to know this, why?"
Albus sighed. "Harry, this is a meeting of the full International Confederation of Wizards. The warlocks and the houses. Since you, Harry, are the lead of the most prestigious family currently in the entire magical community, you must come. Hermione, the House of Ravenclaw, while not actually a prestigious family, has earned a permanent seat in the Confederation houses, and if a member is a warlock, on the actual confederation, you must come along as well."
Professor Potter sighed. "Come, Hermione, let's go get ready."
"Meet me in my office in an hour. We will use Fawkes."
As this exchange was going on, Harry sighed. "Hermione, are you sure we shouldn't tell them?"
Hermione glared at him. "Of course! We already know for a fact what will happen today, and we also know that we don't tell ourselves about it."
"I suppose…but I still wish we could tell them."
"Harry, we already know the outcome. Time cannot be altered. And besides, they are needed for the other one…"
"I suppose. I just wish we could warn them."
"We can't. And that is final."
Professors Potter and Granger (A/N-for the meeting of the Confederation, they will once again be called Harry and Hermione) quickly prepared for the meeting of the Confederation, wearing glamorous dress robes from Harry's vault.
They hurried through the corridors to meet Albus. When they entered his office (not having to use the password since they were recognized as mages by all of the paintings, etcetera in the castle), he waited in resplendant white robes.
As soon as they arrived, he grabbed ahold of Harry, who grabbed ahold of Hermione. Fawkes rose into the air, and Albus pulled on his tail feathers. They disappeared in a flash of flame.
They arrived in a grand hallway filled with wizards constantly apparating in and out. Many were congregated at a grand doorway.
Albus led them to the throng, whispering as they went. "You are allowed to speak at this meeting, and you, Harry, have the right above everyone but a Mugwump. Being as you are not Warlocks, you will sit at the lesser table, and you will not be allowed to vote. I just wanted you to know this, before the meeting started."
Harry looked at Hermione and grinned. He doesn't even realize that we have been to this meeting before. Henry Pytter, Mugwump of Eastern Europe, and Mona Grald, Mugwump of Western Europe, are here!
Yes, but we had to leave, remember? We were brought back to Merlin halfway through the deliberation, and he and Morgan assumed the forms of Henry and Mona, for some odd reason.
I guess we'll see today.
(A/N-you will understand this later)
A ringing voice echoed from behind the great doors. "Introducing, the lesser Confederation!" Harry and Hermione quickly filed in, winking at two people who were staying behind. The other two stared and voices came into Harry and Hermione's heads. What are you two doing here?
Harry and Hermione shrugged and replied simply, See you in two hundred years!
Once Harry and Hermione had taken their seats, along with the others of the lesser Confederation, the same voice, one that they now realized came from everywhere and yet nowhere, boomed out, "And, introducing the Higher Confederation!"
About two dozen people filed in. Included were Albus, Griselda Marchbanks, and Lucius Malfoy. Harry and Malfoy glared at each other. Then Malfoy smiled and waved at the crowd seated high above the council chamber, pretending to be magnaminous and charismatic.
A few moments later, the Confederation got down to business. Most of it was drab and dull stuff that seemed mostly commonplace. There were a few debates over minor things like taxes on particular magical items.
Finally, after an hour of pure boredom, Albus ordered two men at the gates to "bring in the Minister."
Intrigued, since this had been the time in which they had been removed by Merlin from the room, they watched as Cornelius Fudge was brought in.
Albus addressed Fudge immediately. "Cornelius Oswald Fudge, the Confederation has voted to have an impeachment council reviewing your time as the Minister of Magic in the United Kingdom. Members of both the Higher and Lower Confederation will question you, and the decision of whether or not you remain in office will be decided today."
"As usual, Dumbledore–"
"Silence. You have not been addressed to speak." Griselda Marchbank's wheezy voice rang through the chamber.
Fudge turned purple and silenced himself.
"You will be addressed with questions soon enough. Any of the Higher Confederation may now ask questi–"
Harry gasped and quickly stood up; Hermione did as well.
Malfoy, who had been about to ask a question, turned angrily to Harry. "What are you doing, boy? I–"
Ignoring Malfoy, Harry yelled, "Duck!"
Some sort of power in his voice forced everyone in the room to do so. Behind the Confederation Platform came a great crash as the wall was obliterated.
Harry angrily shouted out, "As if I couldn't see that one coming from a mile away, Tom!"
A cakling laughter filled the room. "That was the point, Harry. You see, I did not create that blast."
Hermione, run routine magical scan.
Done. The power reading of the user is…mage level! It's the Rogue Mages!
"Quite right, little girl. What I am trying to figure out is how you know about us." A new voice filled the room as a black-robed man slowly entered the room through the newly created 'door.'
Harry gasped. "Hades! How dare you show your face in this realm?"
"Oh, yes, how dare I?" Hades cackled. And I'm not the only one. Ever heard of Uranus, Cronus, Osiris, and Mordred? You two little wizards couldn't possibly beat five evil mages!"
Fury pounding through Harry, he ran for the confederation platform, ignoring Albus' cries of "don't! It will kill anyone lesser than a warlock!"
Once Harry jumped onto the platform, unharmed, Hermione joined him, also unscathed. Harry grinned at Hades and said, "You would be correct, Hades, if we were but simple wizards. But we are not! We are mages also." And with that, Harry and Hermione revealed their true forms.
Hades laughed right back at Harry. "It is no matter! There are only two of you, while there are five of us. We also have a Paladin backing us.
Harry smirked. "As do we. Now, I will offer you all the chance to return to the underworld, where you belong. If you don't, well, even mages can be killed by someone strong enough."
Albus cautiously stepped in. "Harry, would you mind explaining this?"
Harry sighed. "When I was staying at Hermione's house, Merlin came and inducted us as mages. It's too long of a story to tell now–"
"Only one summer! Really only a month!"
Harry raised a hand to silence Albus. "A month that lasted three centuries, Albus. You know Mona Grald and Henry Pytter? Well, until ten minutes ago, they were Hermione and I, as we were two hundred years ago. Now, however, Morgan LeFey and Emrys Merlin occupy those forms. You might as well come out now, Grandfather."
The two aformentioned people stepped forward, and changed.
Hades sneered. "This matters not! Even with the Versages, we shall reign supreme!"
Hermione laughed. "It isn't the Versages you need to worry about! We are the Master Sages!" She snapped her fingers, and Blaise Zabini was suddenly standing next to Albus. Blaise looked around, confused.
"What-"
Hermione withdrew a crystal from her robes. "Catch!"
Both Albus and Blaise caught it at the same time. They began to scream.
Hades, followed by the other Rogue Mages, came forward quickly. "While in the test, they are vulnerable! Get them!"
The rogues threw their might toward Albus and Blaise. Nothing happened.
Hades looked shocked. "How could–you! Who is protecting them?"
Hermione shrugged. "Me. But you can't hurt me."
"I don't need to! Now that I know the direction the shield is coming from–" He didn't finish the sentence as he began an incantation. "Incantem: Du Bist Dumm!"
The spell was germanic in origin, and Harry instantly countered it. "Why not just say 'stupify,' Hades?" It wasn't Harry or Hermione who said it, however. It was Albus.
But it wasn't, really. He looked nothing like he had for so long. He was as strong and tall as a man in his prime, and his hair and beard had turned red again.
"I mean, it's the same spell, and that one takes longer in the incantation."
Hades looked confused. "Stupify? What is that spell?"
Harry laughed. "You really need to keep up with the times, Hades! It is the most recent form of that spell, actually. 'Du Bist Dumm' means 'You are stupid,' ergo, 'Stupify' is better suited for any purpose. Oh, and by the way, Stupify!"
Hades fell on his face, limp and unconcious. Harry turned to Merlin. "You want to deal with him?"
Merlin's lip twitched. "No. I'll leave him to Zues."
Harry turned to the other evil mages. "Any other takers?"
All but Mordred fled. "We will be back, my descendant, you can be sure. And we shall be stronger than before!" He disappeared with a boom.
Lucius quickly apparated away as well when Harry glared at him.
Cornelius Fudge strode onto the platform. Stupid as he was, he was a Warlock, it seemed. "Would you mind explaining what is going on here?"
(A/N) Sorry this has taken so long. I just had spring break, and I was too busy to do any writing during it. I hope to get the next part out within a week. RnR!