The Dementor Ban

Morning came to Hogwarts, but no sun broke through the snow-heavy clouds and chill winter mist. Harry and Ron entered the Great Hall and made their way over to the Gryffindor table, where Hermione was already eating her breakfast. Suddenly Ron halted, causing Harry to almost bump into him.

"Hey!", Harry started, but then he followed Ron's gaze towards the staff table. "What is HE doing here?" muttered Ron. Chatting animatedly with Dumbledore sat a wizard Harry had never seen before. Next to him was Percy Weasley, apparently trying to look particularly grave and important. Harry noticed that both Percy and the unknown wizard wore identical blue caps with gold stars, which clashed rather ridiculously with Percy's ministry attire and the stranger's black-and-gold robes.

"Morning Harry, Ron", said Hermione as they joined her at the table. "You'll have to congratulate Percy again, Ron. If I'm not mistaken, he has been made a member of the European Wizard Parliament."

"Oh good, that's all we needed, the great Percy's head growing even bigger," grumbled Ron. Yet the thought did not seem to have affected his appetite, and he began piling food on a plate with his usual enthusiasm. "I wonder though, what he's here for."

They didn't have to wonder for long.

"If I may have your attention please," Dumbledore announced as he rose, "today, we welcome a Special Committee of Inquiry from the European Wizard Parliament, who will be our guests here at Hogwarts for the duration of their inquiry. It is with great pleasure that I made the acquaintance of Perkamentus Griffel" - at this, the black-and-gold wizard bowed slightly - "Belgian representative to the EWP, High Order of Maldegys, second rank, former minister of... - you will forgive me for not remembering in which of the nine magical governments of Belgium - and last but certainly not least, professor -on leave- at the Beyaard School of High Arts."

"Most of you will recognize our own Mr. Weasley, who recently replaced the late Minister Crouch as UK representative to the EWP." There was a spatter of polite applause at this statement. "I will now cede the floor to master Griffel, who would like a few words," concluded Dumbledore, sitting down again.

Perkamentus Griffel placed his goblet on the table and rose, a broad smile on his face. "Thank you, Headmaster," he spoke in accented, but otherwise fluent English. "Students of Hogwarts, esteemed colleagues, I am very glad to meet you all. Every school has a unique character, yet as places of education, of formation, knowing the character of a school often provides valuable insights into the characters of the people that graduate from it. Therefore I am always thrilled at the chance to visit other schools, and I urge you all not to miss such opportunities when they present themselves. Beyaard is not the largest school of magic, nor the oldest (Beauxbatons having that honor), but all of you are of course welcome to visit us there, should you ever find the opportunity."

"My subject at Beyaard is 'Magical tongues, organizations and institutions.' My personal fascination is with contemporary magical politics and organizations. But I guess you need to live in Belgium for the connection with magical tongues to make sense. The closest equivalent course you have here is probably 'History of Magic.'"

Ron snorted at that, and he wasn't the only one: "History of Magic" was by far the most dreary class at Hogwarts, so boring that nobody seemed to have noticed that its teacher, Professor Binns, had been dead for ages. Hermione glared at Ron. "Did you ever stop to think that there might be more to history than memorizing the names of 17th century goblin rebel leaders? That there is something like contemporary history?" she whispered.

"You know perfectly well that I never think," Ron shot back, "we keep you around for that." Hermione ignored him, having turned her attention back to Perkamentus Griffel.

"...and so I ended up in politics. To this day, I consider my greatest achievement, the proposal of the Dementor Ban. Five years ago, the Parliament voted overwhelmingly in favor of this ban, that will forever put the barbaric practice of government-sanctioned torture and murder by those foulest of creatures to end in all European countries."

The mention of Dementors had jolted Harry to attention. There was a European ban on Dementors? And there had been for five years? That couldn't be right!

"Of course, the European Wizard Parliament has no executive authority of its own. It remains up to the member states to turn its resolutions into laws. And for all the support the proposal got, there was no commitment to a deadline for member states to implement the resolution."

"I'm afraid one of the truths of being a member of the EWP is that the position carries no real authority whatsoever. We mostly just pretend it does." The Slytherin table erupted in laughter, but it quickly died out as the students realized Griffel was in fact not joking. Percy looked rather crestfallen; he was probably speculating why Fudge had really left it to him to succeed Crouch in the EWP.

"Most member states have stopped the use of Dementors by now, or didn't use them to begin with. But in some cases, there has been little to no progress. I am here to discuss this issue at the next meeting of the British Wizengamot. I will point out to them that several European ministries consider suspending their extradition agreements as long as Dementors continue to be used in Britain."

"The Parliament has also appointed this Special Committee of Inquiry" - he gestured to Percy and himself - "to gather evidence contradicting the Wizengamot's old argument; that the use of Dementors, abhorrent as it may be, is necessary and expedient. To this end, and with the gracious permission of Headmaster Dumbledore and the Minister of International Magical Cooperation, we would like to conduct interviews with students and staff, concerning two recent Dementor incidents that occurred at this school, namely the botched arrest of Sirius Black, and the unfortunate demise of Barty Crouch, Jr. Not that I expect it to do any good," at this, he turned slightly towards Percy, "but it's the perfect excuse for me to come watch the Quidditch game next week, which I'm sure will be most exciting."

The Ravenclaw and Slytherin tables gave a dubious cheer at that - it was their match next week, but by now everyone seemed uncertain whether the wizard was joking or not. Harry rolled his eyes; that Inquiry sure sounded like a complete waste of time. He turned to Ron, who was staring fixedly at Griffel. "What?" Harry whispered.

"He's doing it on purpose," Ron hissed back, "he's goading Percy." And indeed, Percy looked smoldering, casting furious glances towards Griffel, who seemed oblivious and smiled genially.

"By tomorrow morning, certain students will receive invitations to be interviewed. The interviews will be private and confidential, and will be planned so as not to interfere with your classes, but I want to stress that your participation is not obligatory, and you are completely free to decline. If you are not invited by tomorrow but think you should be, please talk to me or tell any member of the staff. Thank you."

As Griffel made to return to his seat, Percy stood and hurriedly spoke to him in quiet tone. While his words did not reach the students, his face positively oozed "Urgent Ministry Business." The Beyaard teacher looked saddened but nodded, then grasped Percy's hand in both of his, shaking it vigorously. However, Harry noticed that the sad expression evaporated as quickly as Percy left the Great Hall, and soon the man was back in conversation with Dumbledore, this time taking notes with a silver stylus on what looked like an ivory tablet.

"That was unusual," mused Neville, mirroring Harry's thoughts.

By the end of the day, Harry had forgotten all about the Inquiry, having been totally confused by the Confusing Concoction they had studied during Potions. But as he went to change out of his confusingly-smelling robes, the parchment scroll on his bed reminded him that he, of all people, was most likely to be interrogated about the Dementors' stay at Hogwarts.

The scroll bore an official-looking letterhead, and read as follows;

to Mr. Harry Potter

Dear Mr. Potter,

In light of your rumored encounters with Dementors (both in the past
and more recently), the Special Committee of Inquiry (Perkamentus Griffel
and Percy Ignatius Weasley) cordially invites you to make a statement to the
Committee.

Harry frowned. "Recently?" Were they referring to the Dementor attack on Dudley? The one that the Ministry denied had happened?

We took the liberty to schedule a first, informal meeting to explain
the significance of your cooperation, and to discuss your willingness to participate.

The letter then changed from the neat writing of a copying quill to a handwritten paragraph:

Could you join me for watching the Gryffindor Quidditch practice in two
days? We can have our meeting then, since I heard you're not allowed to fly...

Best regards,
Perkamentus Griffel, Special etc. etc.

Harry boggled. He wasn't sure what he had expected, but having the inquiry interview while watching Quidditch team practice was definitely not it. And between the lines, he gathered that the Committee during their meeting would most likely consist of only Griffel himself.

Having changed, Harry found Hermione in the common room, reading a scroll similar to the one he got. She was obviously invited too. Of course, Harry thought, she had been with him when he cast the Patronus against the Dementors attacking Sirius and himself. He sank next to her on the sofa.

"What do you figure?" he asked her. "Should we just turn him down? It would be very awkward to tell the whole story of our mutual Dementor incident," he said, carefully weighing his words, but Hermione seemed to know exactly what he was thinking of, "and it's not like it's going to do us any good whatsoever. I mean, he said so himself," he defended, as Hermione suddenly looked strangely disappointed at him.

"Oh Harry, isn't it obvious that he only said that to get rid of Percy? And suppose he could get the Ministry to stop using Dementors? Just imagine, no more Dementors in Azkaban. No more Dementor's Kiss hanging over certain people's head. Ever. Again. Wouldn't that be worth trying, even if there is little chance of making a difference?"

Belatedly, Harry realized that Hermione was in full-blown SPEW mode, and probably imagined herself having found a kindred spirit in the fight for hopeless causes. So he tried to steer the discussion back on track: "But how do we know we can trust him? The High Arts of Maldegys are said to take a completely different approach from the Magic of Merlin. How do we know he is not going to use some weird spell on us and make us reveal... something embarrassing?" he concluded lamely as Hermione flashed him a look of caution. Umbridge's spies could be anywhere, so any hints to Harry's contact with Sirius were best avoided, even in private conversations.

Hermione sank deep in thought, and Harry started to wonder if he'd said something wrong. Finally, she looked him straight in the eye. "Harry, don't take this the wrong way, but... don't you trust your friends?"

Harry started. "What do you mean? Griffel is no friend of mine!"

Hermione sighed. "I'm no good at this... Harry, something I have come to notice about you over time, is how you seem determined to put your shoulders under whatever problem occurs to you - let me finish, please - it's one of your admirable qualities. But underneath I have also noticed a tendency of not trusting your friends to do the same, and this leads you to sometimes make mistakes, taking on things where you may do more harm than good."

Harry huffed angrily.

"Oh come on, Harry! I'm your friend. I hope you will return me the kindness of pointing out my blind spots if you notice them! But fine, let's not talk about that! More to the point, don't you think Dumbledore would have warned you if there was any risk of betraying... something embarrassing?"

"But..." Harry paused. Hermione was right. Dumbledore was aware of every sensitive fact Harry knew, and was infinitely more knowledgeable about any "weird spells" Griffel might use, as well as the man's background. Harry suddenly felt stupid for assuming, even for a moment, that the Headmaster might not have thought of this risk. True, things had happened last year that Dumbledore failed to foresee, but each time Harry had assumed he knew better and acted on his own, he had been proven wrong, and was only saved from disaster by sheer luck. Maybe he really did need to have more faith in his friends... He gave a lopsided smile.

"Maybe you're right; there shouldn't be any harm in just talking to him. When are you scheduled?"

The next day, Harry sat fidgeting in the Gryffindor common room, waiting for Hermione to return from her inquiry meeting with Perkamentus Griffel. Ron had been keeping him company, but was eventually compelled to move away from him in order to be able to concentrate on his Charms essay. Harry was just too agitated for homework company. Finally, Hermione came through the picture hole, an impressive pile of books floating in front of her and a hungry look on her face. Then she noticed Harry, and her expression fell.

"Harry, you've been waiting. I'm sorry. I'm all right, we had the most interesting talk about political activism and ancient magical tongues and he told me many things that seemed nonsensical yet true and I got so exited that I went first to the library to check out a few of the books he recommended and to file a request with Madam Pince to order some of the more recent works on contemporary history - did you know there have been no library acquisitions at all for 'History of Magic' since before the death of... oh, I'm so sorry to have worried you."

It was too much. Harry burst out laughing, the sight of Hermione bringing more than her own weight in books dispelled any worry that she might have been victim of some dark magic. She was her usual self all right.

"Hey Hermione, you're back," Ron called out, "listen, do you think you could have a look at my essay before you finish all of those?" He gestured towards the huge pile of books.

"I'll be with you presently, Ron." She turned back to Harry. "I'm pretty sure Griffel's interest is genuinely about the Dementors, Harry. I gave him a fairly complete account of the Sirius Black affair, up to where we saw the last of him, you know, when he was captured." She gave him a meaningful look. "But he seemed more concerned with how the Dementors had been attacking you. He is really quite interesting. He gave me some great hints about grass-root campaigning." She leaned closer and added in a low voice: "Although I don't mistrust him, I suspect he may be using some form of Legilimency. If you want to be really safe, why not ask the Headmaster to make use of his Pensieve for a while?"

Harry pondered that as Hermione went over to Ron and his Charms essay. Did he really have anything left to hide? He realized, with some disgust, that Snape had probably used Legilimency to molest all of his thoughts already in his rather disastrous attempt to teach Harry Occlumency. Then he thought back to what Hermione had said the day before. Why indeed was he trying to figure this out by himself? He went to the dormitory, grabbed his cloak and the Marauders' map, checking for the wereabouts of Filch and Mrs. Norris as he made his way down. After an uneventful walk through the deserted corridors, the gargoyle statue at the entrance to Dumbledore's tower office let him enter.

"Come in, Harry," the Headmaster said, without looking up from the papers on his desk, "what trouble oppresses you mind on this fine evening?"

"Headmaster, it's about the Inquiry." Harry swallowed. Why doesn't he look at me? "Hermione... she thought that this Mr. Griffel might be a Legilimens. I was wondering... is it safe for us to see him? We do know who is in the Order..."

Dumbledore smiled and looked up - but did not meet Harry's gaze. "You need not worry about such things, Harry. Everyone in the Order is aware that secrecy is too often an illusion to rely on it for safety. 'Constant vigilance!' remember? But aside from that, I happen to trust Perkamentus Griffel. His reasons for being here are completely in character with his anti-Dementor activism of the past decade. I don't believe you will come to any harm with him. Miss Granger is quite right though, he is a strong Legilimens. Very astute of her. Goodnight, Harry."

Harry was being sent away, and still Dumbledore did not meet his eyes. He felt like screaming, or doing anything to draw one look from the Headmaster, even an angry or shocked one, but finally he simply turned and walked out of the office. Fawkes sang a single, plaintive note as he left.

The following morning was still icy cold, but most of the snow seemed to have fallen during the night, for the sky was clear, the dawn glorious, and conditions were excellent for Quidditch practice. Harry huddled in his winter robes on a sunlit part of the otherwise deserted stands. Groaning inwardly, he watched Angelina berating Ron again for his apparent lack of concentration when, in a blur of flaming red, Ginny Weasley dropped to a breathtaking halt mere feet in front of Harry, waved, then pointed towards the black-and-gold figure that was making its way towards them, before zooming off again on Harry's Firebolt.

"Mister Harry Potter, I presume?" Perkamentus asked, but didn't wait for Harry's nod to sit beside him. He looked graver now that he was wearing a black fur hat instead of the ridiculous blue cap from two days earlier. "Thank you for coming. My name is Perkamentus Griffel. Mr. Weasley sends his apologies – unfortunately, he had pressing concerns at the Ministry that demand his immediate attention, but he will review all conclusions of the Committee, so you can rest assured that your Ministry will not be unfairly treated in our report." Harry thought that this was definitely the least of his worries. An impartial treatment of the Ministry should already be damning enough...

"Now I have two reasons for meeting you, Mr. Potter; the official one and a not so official one, but before we address either, I would ask your forbearance for a short lecture. My conversation with the delightful Miss Granger has revealed certain holes in the education of you youngsters, and I greatly desire your understanding." He looked askance, and Harry nodded. His suspicion was raised by the mention of "unofficial" business, but for now, he could only listen.

"First, you should know that the different countries vary considerably in their relations to the Magically Challenged population. An almost complete separation of worlds like in this country is fairly uncommon, and would also not be very practical in some of the more densely populated countries, like Belgium or the Netherlands. In part, this also goes back to differing interpretations of the meaning of magic. If we look back to our origins, to the lives of the great Wizards of the past like Merlin or Maldegys, we see that they used their magic to actively direct the development of the Magically Challenged world, to the benefit of all. As a result, in many parts of the world the non-magical institutions are close reflections of their magical counterparts."

Harry considered this. So Wizards being as ignorant of Muggles – or Magically Challenged – as the reverse was not universal?

"What I said about the EWP having no real authority is the truth, but only half of it. You see, Mr. Potter, one should never confuse authority with real, magical Power. Now to understand the philosophy behind the EWP, it is necessary to have a look at the mindset of its principal founders. In Belgium, we have created nine separate, overlapping magical governments, to make sure that none of them could ever actually govern. It's the only way to get things done in such a small country."

This absurdity made Harry's head spin. How could a crippled government do anyone any good?

Griffel gazed up appreciatively at Ginny chasing the Snitch, high above the field.

"Do you know the history of Quidditch, Mr. Potter? In the 14th century, the Golden Snidget was close to extinct. Governments reacted by heavily regulating the sport, allowing only the rich and powerful to play, and laying increasingly heavy punishment on anyone who caught a Snidget unauthorized. Then, as you know, master Wright invented the Golden Snitch." He turned to look at Harry. "In your opinion, who displayed true magical Power? The governments that clung to control of the increasingly scarce Snidget, or the man who, with an afternoon's work, placed Quidditch within the reach of everyone, unto this day? Governments can have control, Mr. Potter, but only people can have Power. And more often than not, power remains beyond your reach as long as you cling to control."

Harry noticed that Griffel's eyes seemed to have taken on the color of the sky, giving the strange impression that he was looking through the man's head. With a small start, he remembered about Legilimency, and quickly averted his eyes. But Griffel's words had struck a chord in him. When he thought of Fudge and Umbridge, both Ministers with high positions, he had to admit that their authority seemed to allow them little more than annoying others and keeping people from doing anything worthwhile. He wouldn't say they had any "real, magical power." Harry suddenly got an inkling as to why Dumbledore had always refused the position of Minister of Magic.

Griffel continued: "Also, governments, by their controlling nature, tend to resist change, rather than foster it. If we look in detail at some of the great historic advances, we see governments grudgingly acknowledge the change – always after the fact. But the advance itself is always due to people with Power, not to those in control. I discussed this in detail with Miss Granger yesterday, so I will now leave it at that."

"This is only the shortest of explanations, but I hope I have given you some idea of how the EWP's power derives partly from the fact that those in authority don't take it seriously, and partly from bringing together people who understand the difference between power and position. I'm afraid that Mr. Weasley has yet to learn this lesson."

Harry wasn't sure he understood, but he now had the mental image of the EWP as some international Order of the Phoenix, undercover in plain sight under a cloak of apparent irrelevancy.

"Now, for the official part of our meeting, I would like to question you about your encounters with Dementors. I am particularly interested in the authorities' reactions to those events. If you agree, I will cast a privacy spell for us, and I should also warn you that I will be verifying the truth of everything you tell me. At the end of our interview, you will have the opportunity to strike any resulting revelation from the record, and you have my word that I will treat these with the utmost discretion. Do you understand? Do you agree?"

Harry hesitated for a moment at the other's sudden formality, but then responded likewise: "I understand and agree."

Griffel's smile grew wider. He withdrew a silvery wand from his robes, and intoned: "Esphaerios!" A stream of what looked like soap bubbles shot out of the wand, surrounding them in a shimmering of rainbow sparkles that slowly merged into a single quivering bubble, enclosing them completely. "Imperturbatus!" added Griffel, and pocketed the wand. He then withdrew a faceted crystal, looked at it as if to check something, then, apparently satisfied, turned to Harry. "Now, first please tell me, in your own words, about your most recent meeting with a Dementor."

Harry was immediately on his guard: was this the trap? All the time, he had suspected that the interview was just a cover to interrogate him about Sirius, but perhaps he himself was the target? Officially, he had never been attacked by two Dementors over the holidays, so talking about that could be seen as further evidence of his "delusions", but if he didn't, it would be like an implicit admission that he had made the whole thing up. Harry felt cornered; he wanted to look Griffel in the eye to try and read his intentions, but he didn't dare risk that with a Legilimens. Finally he decided on a gamble, and countered: "I'd rather start from the earliest meeting, if you don't mind. It's easier to tell events as they happened."

"Of course I don't mind, but Miss Granger already gave me a rather satisfactory account of the events at Hogwarts. Unfortunately, since the Dementors were hunting a highly wanted criminal, their actions could easily be explained away as over-zealousness. On the other hand, a Dementor attack on a schoolboy in Little Whinging leaves far less room for interpretations."

Harry thought that Griffel was being very clever at covering his little trap. Or perhaps it hadn't been a trap after all? It didn't actually change anything, sooner or later he would have to address last summer's attack, and there was really only one way about it: to tell the truth.

"But since you've brought it up, there was one thing I would like your confirmation on. According to Miss Granger, the Dementors actually tried to kiss you? Kiss you, an innocent schoolboy, while leaving the escaped criminal, Sirius Black, who was right there?"

Harry's resolution to tell the truth a moment ago got the better of him. "Sirius is not a criminal! He was framed!" he blurted out, glaring at the elder wizard. Then, he realized in horror what he was doing. But it was Griffel who broke the contact, and looked down at his hands.

"My apologies. Unfortunately the question of Mr. Black's innocence is way beyond the scope of this inquiry, so I'm afraid the best I can do for him is making a good case for the Dementor ban."

Now, Harry threw caution to the wind. "Are you reading my mind?" he asked, crossly.

"Not in the way you think," Griffel laughed. "Sorry, that joke is getting old. As you have been told, Mr. Potter, I have some skill in Legilimency. At the moment I follow your surface thoughts, which gives me what I can best describe as the annotated version of what you say. It's efficient. I'm not prying in your mind, and you would know if I were, I assure you. You have faced Legilimens before, so you know what it feels like."

At this, Harry nodded. While he had been caught unaware by Voldemort in his first year at Hogwarts, his recent lessons with Snape had taught him to recognize the peculiar sensation of having your train of thought directed by someone else.

"So, the Dementor Kiss?"

Shuddering, Harry remembered the cold, cold hands around his throat, the icy, putrid breath on his face, and his mother's screaming...

"Outrageous!" Griffel spat. "Those Dementors were completely out of control!" He added: "You can hardly blame a Dementor, of course, poor wretched creatures, they can't help what they have become. Letting them go on living is cruelty almost beyond words."

As Harry gave a puzzled look at that, Griffel continued: "I see they have not told you everything about the Dementors. Strictly speaking, this is information has been classified by your Ministry, so it would not do for me to reveal it to you. But I couldn't help it if you figured it out for yourself, could I? Mr. Potter, do you know what a baby Dementor looks like?"

Harry shuddered again. He could not possibly imagine Dementors mating, let alone produce offspring. The very idea seemed unnatural, preposterous even. "No. I can hardly believe something like that even exists!"

"Very good. You are absolutely correct. Now, do you know what happens to someone who receives a Dementor's Kiss?"

"They still live, but their soul is gone forever. They just exist, without memories, without sense of self, like empty, soul-less..." The realization hit Harry like a Bludger. Horrified, he gasped: "They turn people into Dementors! They would have turned Sirius into... into..." He couldn't say it. The thought made him feel sick to the stomach. His next words were filled with determination, and cold fury: "I will help you, Mr. Griffel, I will do whatever you ask. You must put a stop to this!"

"Thank you, Mr. Potter. I am moved by your resolve. I will definitely try my utmost. Now, can you tell me about the attack on you this summer?"

Harry began telling about Dudley, the two Dementors, his inability to produce a Patronus, Mrs. Figg, the letters from the Ministry and the hearing. Along the way, Griffel took some notes on his ivory tablet, then asked about actions taken by the Ministry as a result of the Dementor attack. "None," hesitated Harry, "they didn't believe me, you see, so I was just lucky to get off without being expelled from school."

"They didn't believe you?" Griffel looked incredulous. "Tell me, what steps did the Ministry take to verify the truth of your testimony? Were you questioned by Aurors? Was the event reconstructed in a Pensieve? Were you offered to make a statement under Veritaserum?"

Harry thought. "The thing is, I think the Ministry doesn't want to admit that they lost control over the Dementors. They seem to believe the problem will go away if they pretend it doesn't exist."

"Interesting, very interesting indeed. This could prove most useful... You see," he added, as Harry looked non-plussed, "if your assumption is correct, the easiest route to our goal will be for me to make the Ministers realize that adopting the Dementor ban forthwith is their perfect cover-up. The Dementors will be hunted to merciful extinction in Britain, the question of whether they were well-managed need never come up, and everyone will be happy."

It was now Harry's turn to look incredulous. "You mean you are going to help them with covering up their lies?"

"Perspective, Mr. Potter. I understand how exposing the Ministry's bungling would be personally satisfying for you, but think about it: what good will such vindication really do? Replace the current Ministers with others who are equally incompetent?"

"Expose to the people that the Ministry is corrupt, and they will shrug and go on with their lives, because in their hearts, everyone already knows this. It is the nature of authority, remember?"

"No Mr. Potter. We should bless them for their incompetence, because it is what will allow us to work our magic. Really, you should take a fresh look at the lives of Merlin or Maldegys. You will notice that their most powerful magic was always strongly linked to the foibles of their contemporaries."

Griffel remained silent for a moment, watching Ron fail to catch the quaffle – again, then turned back to Harry. "I will talk to the Minister before anything else, because if Mr. Fudge can be persuaded, convincing the Wizengamot becomes a mere formality. But there was also an unofficial matter I would like to get out of the way."

This time, Harry found himself unable to look away, as if his gaze had been trapped by Griffel's eyes. The experience was very different from when Snape had performed Legilimency on him, but Harry nevertheless recognized it as such, and braced for what would follow.

The question, when it came, was asked with surprisingly gentleness: "Have you truly witnessed the return of the dark wizard Voldemort?" In a flash, Harry saw the graveyard, Cedric's dead body, Pettigrew, the cauldron, and Voldemort rising from it in his gruesome rebirth, the Death Eaters surrounding him... Then Griffel broke their eye-contact, and Harry knew he no longer needed to answer. The elder wizard sat slumped, seemingly lost in thought.

"Sir?" Harry prodded after a while.

"I apologize for springing it on you like that, without warning. But it was important for us to know for certain. That will be all, then, for my unofficial business."

Thoughts and ideas whirled through Harry's head. "Does that mean... Will you... I mean, the EWP..."

"I will give you a few words, Mr. Potter, if you'll permit me; a word of encouragement, and a word of caution. You are understandably upset about your Ministry's coverup of Voldemort's return. I expect their charade will not last for much longer. But be warned, Mr. Potter; public knowledge of Voldemort's return will not significantly change the situation. The wizards who now leave it to the Ministry to form their opinions for them will then cower behind the same Ministry for protection. But the Ministry can't solve this problem, only people of true magical power can. You know that. Don't put too much stock on the acceptance or rejection of those clinging to positions of authority."

"And take heart. Like the Ministry, Voldemort tries to control the world, but he doesn't control himself. He could have great power, but he has let his fears rule him. In the end, the dark wizard can't possibly win. All the same, I fear he will yet cause much harm before that wisdom is revealed to him, and to his followers..."

Griffel had taken out his wand again. "You have been of great help to me, Mr. Potter. In return, I hope my advice will be of some help to you. Remember the principles – it's not just about defeating the dark wizard, it's about the choice between Control and Magic, Authority and Power. This will not change, even after the impending fall of the dark wizard, much work will remain before us."

After Voldemort? That was not something Harry had considered before.

"Finite!" The giant bubble shattered in a rainbow of glitter which slowly drifted off over the Quidditch field.

"Good luck, Mr. Potter. I expect we'll meet again before long." With these words, Harry was left alone on the stands. Ginny spinned a loop around the cloud of bubbles, squealing as she trailed sparkles in her wake.

END.

Author's notes:

- Chronologically, this story happens somewhere during OotP, but should probably be considered "alternate universe".
- I think the HP universe sorely lacks political vision. Hence this story.
- The name of the "original" character is based on the names for Dumbledore and Granger in the Dutch translation of HP. It's my way of making a small protest against changing personal names in translations. Beyaard and Maldegys are inspired by the medieval story of the Aymon boys.
- Percy now works for Fudge, but we don't know who succeeded Crouch as Minister of International Magical Cooperation, and if Percy changed departments. So I ask your indulgence for the presence of Percy in this role.
- I imagine the Elves, in this case Dobby, could deliver scrolls on students' beds.
- Harry should really be kicking himself for not taking Occlumency more serious, but he never does in the canon either.
- I wonder how often they have done: "Are you serious?" Black: "That's my name."
- I made up that stuff about the privileged Snidget killing.
- Note that Ron can't keep a Quaffle out while Harry is watching...
- I don't think the canon mentions where the little Dementors come from.