Greetings, one and all. It's the twenty third of april, 2020. When I woke up at six o'clock this morning, the sun was shining. It was a nice and balmy six degrees celcius, the snow was melting, and the birds were singing. What a fantastic way to wake up on the first day of summer, I tell you. Sometimes up here, when you wake up on the first day of summer, you have hurricane level winds, massive snowfall, and the roads stay closed for a couple of days.
Anyway, traditionally, Icelanders give their kids a small gift to celebrate summer. It's usually something small, a toy to play with outside. A symbolic gesture, more than anything. So, since it's the first day of summer, why don't I give you a nice little present to celebrate? Chapter fourteen of this little story :)
Gleðilegt sumar öll sömul. Happy summer, everyone!
XIV
"Well, Harry, I must say that was rather entertaining," Bellatrix breathed into his ear as he led her and Tonks into one of the doors leading away from the atrium.
"It was, wasn't it?" Harry said and grinned at Bella, who used the opportunity to kiss her lover, briefly sliding her tongue over his.
"Oi! Not the time, you gits!" Tonks hissed through clenched teeth as she walked behind them, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. "Auntie Bella," Nym continued in a sweet voice. "You may want him to put his knob in your fanny, but this is really not the time," she finished and stepped in front of them to give them a rather chilling stare that was eerily similar to the one McGonagall gave those students she caught in a broom closet.
Nym was happy to see that Bella was a little unnerved by it. Much to her dissatisfaction, however, Harry seemed unaffected by it and she assumed having been somewhat intimate with McGonagall was the cause for it.
"Blast it, Harry! You could at least pretend to be scared of me," Nym pouted.
"Sorry," Harry replied and sent her a shit-eating grin. "You're just such a cute, cuddly little chameleon that it's impossible for me to be scared of you."
Harry and Nym walked slowly down the corridor and checked each of the offices as they went along. Bella had wandered into a nearby office to examine it, but stopped for a brief moment to think about that little interplay between her niece and Harry.
Harry's use of the word chameleon to refer to her niece was very interesting and Bella had to wonder if Nymphadora was in fact one of the women that bloody centaur had been talking about. Given what she'd seen so far, she had to say it was very likely.
"I am not cute, Harry James Potter!" Bellatrix heard her niece blurt out just as she left the space she'd been checking, to bring up the rear once more.
"Yes, you are, Nymmie. Especially when you do that thing with your nose, and your hair is all pink and spiky."
Tonks glared at her friend. "If you value your life, Wonder Boy, stop using that name. It's either Tonks or Nym, to you. You got that, Hero?"
"Your wish is my command, milady!" Harry said pompously and placed a hand on his chest.
Nym rolled her eyes in defeat. "Ugh... Just shut up, Harry."
The pair kept trading shots as they walked along the hallway and Bellatrix could not help but to grin at their antics. Yes, she could most certainly see that going further, and she would fully support it. Suddenly, Harry raised his fist, and the two women stopped and looked at Harry, who raised three fingers. All three wizards readied their wands and Harry peeked around the corner, then quickly pulled back as a light blue beam raced just past his nose.
"Well, they mean business," Harry remarked. "A skin rending curse. Nasty."
"There's no cover, so we're going to have to rush them, girls. Ready?"
At their affirmative nods the three of them burst around the corner, wands firing. Tonks dodged a jelly leg curse and retaliated with a tickling charm, barely missing with her effort and the duel was on, the combatants rather evenly matched.
Meanwhile, Bella and Harry were locked in their own battles, which were quite one sided. The enemy was slowly worked into submission and finally, Harry and Bella scored a hit each with a Stupefy. And a few moments later, Nym subdued her own opponent. Harry approached his friend, who was panting heavily from the effort.
"You alright, Nym? This wanker really shouldn't have been any trouble for you."
His friend straightened up and gave him a small smile, grateful for his concern. "I'll be OK, Harry."
"You're sure? Bella and I will be fine if you're not feeling well. No one will think less of you if you need some time, given what happened. "
"Harry's right," Bella said and placed a hand on her niece's shoulder. "You don't have to force your way through this. It's dangerous enough as it is."
Nym merely shook her head. "No! I am seeing this through, then I am going with you to Egypt," she said with determination. "I refuse to sit by and watch the rest of you go fight. It's not in my blood."
"Alright," Harry said with a nod. "Then I'm going to need you focused and I do not want you taking any needless risks." And with that, the trio moved on in their quest to disinfect the Ministry for Magic.
Hermione Granger was not a happy woman at the moment, for two main reasons. Firstly, she was not at her best friend's side as he fought to liberate the Ministry from its captors. Secondly, and more alarmingly, she'd just had a discussion with a pair of women that had effectively turned her world upside down. Afterwards, at her request, they had retreated from the room to allow her to come to grips with their revelations, her new reality.
She glared into the fireplace of Minerva's private chambers and clenched and relaxed her fists in a kind of rhythm. That... that... bastard! How could she not have seen it? Had she, much like Minerva truly been so blinded by her admiration for Dumbledore, that she had not understood just what it was the late Headmaster had been doing to Harry?
"What you must understand, Miss Granger, is that people like Albus Dumbledore and Tom Riddle are extremely manipulative. Older, more experienced people than you have been pulled into their webs and not found their way out. And nothing they do is ever without reason."
Those had been Minerva's words and Hermione knew the Headmistress had been referring to herself. Hermione felt disgusted with herself, felt like a failure of a friend, despite Narcissa's and Minerva's insists that she was anything but. She hated the fact that she'd allowed herself to listen to the old man and left Harry to his grief after that horrible night in the graveyard, not to mention the awful battle at the DoM.
She would do better, she promised herself. She would help Harry reach his goals, which she shared, of course. A soft knock on the door startled Hermione and she rose from the sofa and turned to find Narcissa entering the room. The older woman closed the door with a click. She walked to the sofa and sat down and motioned for Hermione to do the same, which she did.
"How are you doing, Miss Granger?" Narcissa asked as she poured herself a cup of tea.
Hermione allowed a small smile to grace her lips. "I'm not sure, Ms Black. These past few days have been rather strange."
"Indeed, they have," Narcissa acknowledged. "And I must insist you call me Narcissa, Miss Granger. You are my Harry's best friend, and I'd like for us to get along."
"Your Harry..." Hermione mused quietly. "That will take some time for me to understand."
"Indeed," the older woman said and took a sip of her tea. "Hermione, there's a thing I want you to think about, and I'd like you to keep an open mind, if you can."
Hermione was a little nervous at Narcissa's tone, but nodded her accord. "I'll try."
"Why are you in a relationship with Ronald Weasley?"
Hermione had gone through a multitude of scenarios in her head after Narcissa's request, but that question surprised her greatly. How was that relevant to Harry and his relationships? The bushy haired young woman stole a glance at Narcissa, a little annoyed with her. She'd asked her a very personal question, and then sat and and sipped her tea as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
Hermione was about to huff indignantly at Narcissa, before she was struck with a thought. Why was she with Ron? Earlier, Harry had voiced similar thoughts. They had nothing in common, he was obnoxious arse at times, had the emotional range of a teaspoon, he a messy eater and there was no filter on his thoughts.
Harry had been right, as well. Ron cared nothing for her goals and wasn't truly ambitious about anything other than Quidditch. When she thought about it further, Ron always seemed to demand things, without having earned them. Much like he had at Hogwarts when he pestered her to look over his work, which usually ended with her doing his homework for him.
Inevitably, Hermione started comparing Ron to Harry and found him wanting in almost every way. She and Harry got on better, they shared most of the same goals and Harry was attentive, and caring and courageous; he'd saved her from a troll when he was eleven!
He wasn't without his faults, of course. He could be moody and his temper was well known and he could be frightfully stubborn. But he was also kind, just, handsome and strong and beautiful... Oh, god. She put face into her hands as the truth of her feelings descended upon her. She was in love with her best friend, and she had been for years.
"I... I may have made a mistake, Narcissa."
"Well, I'd say that's obvious," the older woman said with a raised eyebrow. "What I simply do not understand is how you went through all those adventures, without something happening? I mean, he saves you from a troll, goes head to head with Riddle twice, and that's just the first year. Second year, if Mr. Malfoy's son is to be believed, Harry spent an awful lot of time in the infirmary when you were petrified."
Hermione shook her head helplessly, but Narcissa pushed on. "Then, Harry literally saves your soul by fighting off a hundred Dementors, after which, the pair of you rescue my cousin. Now, Harry's as dense as a wooden log when it comes to women, but you really should have made your move in fourth year when that jealous idiot abandoned his supposed best friend."
Hermione was becoming increasingly annoyed with Narcissa. "What is the meaning of this? Why the need to rub my face in it? Fine! I made a mistake! I'm in love with Harry and missed out on a chance to become the happiest woman on the bloody planet! Is this what you wanted to hear!?"
"Yes," Narcissa said simply.
Hermione sputtered a little at that. "Wh, what?"
"Well, not necessarily those words exactly, but I wanted to hear you confess your love for Harry. And now that you've done so, I can tell you that you've not missed your chance. The only question is; how far are you willing to go to grasp that chance."
Hermione tilted her head. "What are you talking about?"
"I am telling you that if you approach Harry, he will not spurn your advances."
"Hold on a minute, Narcissa," Hermione said and rose from the sofa to pace the floor in front of the fireplace. "What's going on?"
"I'm not certain," Narcissa admitted and motioned for Hermione to rejoin her on the sofa. "I think there's something pulling us all together and that we would be foolish to resist it. Before we arrived at Hogwarts, we met with the centaurs of the Forbidden Forest. One of them, Firenze, told my sisters and me that Harry would be approached by the Cat, Swallow, Owl and Chameleon, that he would need them, as well as us three sisters. The Cat has already made her move, but can you guess the rest?"
Hermione's mind was moving at a hundred miles an hour. This was very interesting indeed. Centaurs read the stars and while this wasn't exactly a prophecy, it was certainly a premonition. McGonagall was obviously the Cat, and could the Owl be a referral to herself?
Now, the Chameleon should be Tonks, and Hermione could indeed see it; the chemistry between Tonks and Harry was fantastic and they always had such a good time when they met. As for the Swallow... There was a woman who had been looking at and watching Harry with a very thoughtful gaze ever since he returned. A woman, whose race was known to be able to transform into an avian creature when under emotional distress.
"I see you've connected the dots," Narcissa said with a smile.
"But it's so... How would it even work?" Hermione's mind was working furiously. Could she, if Harry and her ever reached that far, be in a relationship like that?
Narcissa laughed softly. "Ask Harry," she said and laughed heartily at the younger woman's deadpan look. "We women will have to work it out among ourselves. That poor boy will have no idea what to do with this all."
The jovial atmosphere was pulled back down when Hermione's eyes went a little troubled. "I have to talk to Ron."
"That is not a conversation that's going to go well," Narcissa said and placed a reassuring hand on the other woman's shoulder. "I can be there with you, if you want."
Hermione shook her head. "Thank you, but no. Ron would feel as if we're ganging up on him and most likely blame you for putting this in my head."
"A wise choice, Hermione," Narcissa complemented her and passed her a steaming cup of tea. She had to work hard not to let her feelings show. She'd set Hermione on a path, and only hoped the girl would realize the truth, before she got too involved. And if she did, Narcissa honestly hoped Hermione could forgive her eventually.
Harry was panting and so were Nym and Bella after a particularly hard fight against some of the best Aurors that had chosen to stay loyal to the Ministry. The battle was almost over, and Harry saw most of his companions join them outside the entrance to the floor that held the Minister's office.
He was glad to note that almost all of the Order members were free of serious injury, but noted Fred was missing, as well as Mr. Weasley. A bit vexed with himself for not asking Arthur to stay behind with Narcissa and Hermione, Harry made his way over to George, who told him they'd taken a pair of cutting curses and lost quite a bit of blood, but quickly assured him they'd be fine. Harry sighed in relief when Andie and Fleur entered large lounge last, looking ruffled, but unhurt.
Moody limped his way over to Harry and nicked his head toward the large double doors. "I reckon we'll meet with even heavier resistance on the other side of those doors, lad. There's plenty of reinforced cover and that bastard Thicknesse has had quite a bit of time to amass the Death Eaters through the Floo."
"So, what do you suggest?"
"There's only one thing we can do, really. Blow open the doors and work our way through. It's a bloody bottleneck, but there you have it."
Harry nodded gravely and turned to his army. "You heard the man. We'll have to work together to take down the door. Once it's weakened enough, I'll blow it inwards. The rest of you try and use the debris. Shoot it into the room and we'll rush in behind it."
And with that, the gathered Liberators started pummelling the doors with a wide variety of spells. Eventually, the wards came down and the doors started creaking under the assault. Harry holstered his wand and started gathering energy into the arm braces and started moving his hands in weaving pattern which gradually became larger and larger, until the doors had finally weakened enough and the attackers retreated to the sides.
Harry then slammed his palms forward and the ball of air he'd formed there, splintered the doors completely and the combined efforts of the attackers sent the pieces shooting into the room and the resulting screams pierced their ears.
Harry led the way as the Liberators swarmed the entrance, firing spells and curses as they went and the battle was on. They were met with a large number of Death Eaters in full regalia and Harry thought he recognized the scent of one Thorfinn Rowle.
Gritting his teeth, Harry worked his way towards the man, dodging curses and flying objects. He was not about to let that bastard get away one more time. No, his time among the living was done if Harry had anything to say about it.
Harry leaned out of the way of a piercing hex and returned it with a bludgeoning one, which impacted the attacker with a sickening crunch. Just then, Harry narrowly avoided a green flash he recognized as an AK cast by Rowle. The man might have been an idiot, but he did have enough power to cast that blasted curse. One of very few who could, thankfully.
With his wand, Harry summoned a piece of debris and floated it to block the beam, while simultaneously thrusting his left arm forward and Rowle staggered to the side, but recovered before Harry could bring another attack to bear. Harry rolled out of the way of a Cruciatus and was about to retaliate, when a Bombarda came sailing toward Rowle and forced him to defend himself.
"I was supposed to be yours, you fucking degenerate!" Andromeda growled as she advanced onto Rowle, throwing magic at him with incredible speed. "So how do you like me now, Rowle?" If Andie was being honest with herself, she'd admit she was a bit glad Harry hadn't killed Rowle. Then she wouldn't be able to.
Harry was quite surprised at the display, she had to be almost as fast as Bellatrix! Not bad for someone who had worked for years as a shrink. Harry decided to let her have the duel and cast his eyes over the battle and saw it was nearing an end. He worked his way forward and quickly found himself outside the office of the Minister, who was still inside. Alone, it seemed.
Why hadn't he fled? Harry noted the last of the Death Eaters had been subdued and unmasked and he snorted when he recognized the faces of Crabbe Jr, and Goyle Jr, as well as Pansy Parkinson. Well, no wonder this fight had been so easy. It seemed Riddle had given the Ministry up as a lost cause. Harry turned his attention back to the Minister's office.
"Give up, Thicknesse!" Harry shouted. "There's no sense in continuing this. Your men have been defeated and we have control of the Ministry. Come outside with your wand snapped and I will not harm you. You have my word."
There was silence for a moment, before Harry heard the snap of a piece of wood. The door slowly opened to reveal a narrow faced man with a goatee and shoulder length hair. He stepped outside and threw the wand pieces onto the floor and raised his hands. Before he could say anything, however, Moody laid him low with a strong hit to the jaw.
"I told him we wouldn't hurt him, Moody," Harry said disapprovingly.
"Nay lad. You said you would not hurt him. I made no such promise," the grizzled Auror said and began directing people to remove the enemy down to the holding cells.
Harry had to confess he didn't really care. Hopefully, the Wizengamot would deal with the captured wizards soon. He entered the office and found, to his surprise that the Floo entrance had been destroyed. That did not make any sense.
Why would Thicknesse block off his own escape? Harry heard Bellatrix enter the room along with Tonks, Andie and Fleur. Percy Weasley came along as well and immediately started rummaging through the various files and folders, a faint look of disgust on his face.
Noticing what Harry was looking at, Bella walked over to the Floo. "Fear."
"Hmm?"
"It was fear that broke through the Imperious and then drove Thicknesse to destroy the Floo. One of Riddle's men will have been present to observe and I wouldn't be surprised if the erstwhile Minister destroyed the entrance when the other man went through, to make certain Riddle couldn't come through or call him."
"I can see old Snake Face killing him for failing to protect the Ministry. But I have to say, Riddle's forces didn't fight back as hard as I thought they would."
"Well, we left him scrambling and obviously made him look vulnerable in front of most of his Inner Circle. People talk, Harry."
Harry nodded at her and walked over to Percy and glanced at the parchment he was reading at the moment and was very unhappy to find that it and most of the other rolls on the desk were various laws and regulations that aimed at severely restricting the freedom of everyone in wizarding Britain, aside from the purebloods, of course. Harry vowed to himself that this would all change from this day forth...
A couple of hours after he and the others had finished locking up the criminals, Harry strode through the hallways of the DMLE and entered the wing where the offices of the Wizangamot were housed. Even though the offices were up here, the law body held court down in the dungeons, one level above the DoM. Harry knew that, of course, having once been a 'guest' of the Wizengamot. Bloody farce that had been.
On either side of the young man, there were fine oak doors, each one marked in golden plaques, the traditional holders of the seats on the Wizengamot. He passed by Abbot, Black, Bones, Crabbe and many others until he eventually found a door marked 'Potter'. It was half open and he couldn't help but smile when he peeked in and found his Narcissa in there, leaning against the ebony wood table, reading a parchment.
She looked up and her eyes lit up when he entered the room and she put down her reading. "Hello, my love."
"Hello," Harry replied and cupped her chin and kissed her gently on the lips, before he picked her up and sat her on the table. Narcissa's arms went around Harry's neck and they started kissing with a deepening passion.
"I was worried, you know, "she said and gazed into his eyes. "I hated not being there with you."
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," came a deep feminine voice from the doorway and the lovers turned their attention that way to find the Longbottom matriarch looking at them with a disapproving expression. Slightly embarrassed, Harry quickly tried to back away from Narcissa, who slid off the table and then pulled Harry back to her and grabbed his hand, before facing Neville's grandmother.
"Augusta. So good to see you," Harry's lover said in false cheer.
"Indeed," Augusta said, her expression unchanging. "I must say I find this inappropriate behaviour. I will have to ask you to restrain yourselves. You are not a pair of teenagers."
Narcissa gave the older woman a piercing glare, which did not bother Augusta even a little. "What Harry Potter does in the office of the Potter family should be of no concern to you, Augusta Longbottom," she said coldly.
Both women were glaring fiercely at each other now, and Harry felt a little awkward. There was obviously some history there, which the young man assumed had something to do with the oldest Black sister. Who just so happened to be walking down the corridor at that exact moment.
Harry palmed his face and let go of Narcissa's hand and walked over to a sofa that could be found on one side of the room. His lover gave him a surprised look, but Harry simply waved a hand in the general direction of the rest of the building, before dropping his face into his hands to await the coming explosion.
Hermione was almost finished with packing her trunk. She put in her last book, silently thanking the one who had invented Capacious extremis, the Extension charm. It was rather fortuitous the Ministry was in a disarray; the charm was not for personal use and was strictly monitored by the Ministry, because of the potential of breaching the Statute of Secrecy. She was so immersed in her work that she had not noticed she was not alone in the room.
"Going somewhere?"
Hermione turned and saw Ron in the doorway with a frown on his face. She sighed softly and levitated the trunk of the bed and onto the floor.
"Yes I am, Ron. I will be very busy for the foreseeable future and have decided to stay with Narcissa, Harry and the others at that place Harry has. Narcissa has offered to help me get used to the job I'll be accepting later."
Ron frowned at Hermione and moved into the room to lean against the desk with his arms across his chest. "You don't think us moving is something we should talk about? And what's this about a new job?"
Hermione took a deep breath to steady herself. "We are not moving anywhere, Ronald. I think we have reached the end of this relationship and it's best I leave right away."
Ron pushed himself away from the desk and walked over to Hermoine. "What!? Where is this coming from? Blimey! I know we had a fight, but this is hardly the first time, Hermione. You'll get over it."
Hermione simply shook her head. "This is one reason I'm leaving, Ron. You're so self absorbed, that you think I should get over a fight that you started because you were jealous of Harry. I can't do it, Ron."
The redhead bristled at the mention of Harry. "Bloody Harry Potter! Everything was fine between us before he came back. Now that he's here, he's mucking everything up! I suppose he got you that new job? What is it? His personal maid?"
Now, normally, Hermione would have been enraged at Ron's cruel words, but she had been ready and had steeled herself against them, and so she was able to keep her composure.
"Yes, Harry did offer me a job. And no, Ronald Bilius (Ron hated the name and Hermione was unable to resist a small jab), I am not going to work as a maid. Unlike you, Harry has actual goals and he has always been there for me and recognized my qualities, and he felt I was the best choice to act as his proxy on the Wizengamot, in the Potter seat."
Ron was struck speechless. Then he got even more angry and he felt his ears grow hot. Bloody Potter had done it again, it seemed. How was it that anywhere Ron looked, Potter was there? It had been like this for a very long time and for a while, he'd been able to look past it, but it had always grated on him and sometimes, he got fed up. Like now, for instance.
"A Muggleborn on the Wizengamot? That'll be the day," Ron said with a sneer.
Hermione sent her former boyfriend a frigid look. "You know, Harry said you'd do that. That you would not support me once I began chasing my dreams. "
"Ohh, the great Harry Potter did, did he? Why don't you go and marry him, then, since he's so bloody perfect," Ron threw at her with a vicious smirk. "You think you stand a chance against the birds he's already got? Wake up, Hermione!"
So that was how he planned to end it. Make her realize she had no chance with Harry, seeing how he was already involved with four witches. Well, she wasn't about to let the git have the last word, that was for certain.
"Perhaps. I don't know if I can be with Harry in a multi partner relationship, but I've come to realize I've been in love with him since I was twelve years old, Ron. Ever since he saved me from the troll."
Seeing his plan of attack fail so easily, Ron stared at Hermione wide eyed. "B- But I'm the one who knocked out the troll! All Harry did was-"
"-rush head first into a life threatening situation to try and save a person he barely knew? Tell me honestly, Ron, do you think you would have gone looking for me if Harry hadn't insisted on it?"
Ron had no answer for that and looked away, his eyes smouldering with anger still. "I didn't think so," Hermione said and strode to the door with her trunk floating behind her. "And you know something, Ron? You've always been jealous of what Harry has, the money, the fame... It's pretty sad, but the saddest thing is that Harry would trade all of that for what you have. In a heartbeat."
"Oh and what does poor, invisible Ronald have that Potter doesn't?"
Hermione almost screamed at how dense the idiot was. How had she ever allowed herself to be with him? "Parents, siblings, a proper family, you dunderhead. Harry's never had that. Imagine your Mum and Dad gone tomorrow and then you'd be sent to live with Muriel. How would that feel? How do you think you would feel if, every year the whole country celebrated Halloween and the day the Enemy was vanquished, and it just so happened to be the day your parents were murdered. Oh, yes. Harry's had such an amazing life, Ronald. Plenty of things for you to be jealous about."
With a disgusted snort, Hermione left Ron alone in the room and strode past a shocked Molly Weasley, who was standing stock still in the stairway. She continued down the stairs and past the small dining room and spared a single glance at the people gathered there and judging by their faces, they'd most likely heard everything. Hermione didn't care a whiff. Ron had made his bed and now he would have to lie in it.
In a different home, another couple was preparing to have a conversation themselves. Fleur took a few deep breaths and forced her allure under complete control. It would not do for William to lose his faculties now.
"Thank you for coming, Fleur. Want anything? Tea, coffee?"
Fleur shook her head. "No, thank you William. I would like to finish this conversation as quickly as possible."
Bill ran a hand through his hair. "I suppose you're right. What happened to us, Fleur? I don't understand why you've been so distant lately. You refuse to come home, you won't answer my calls... And now you've decided to run off to Egypt, into a completely unexplored ruin with Harry, without even talking with me first. You know how dangerous those places are!"
Fleur nodded grimly. "I do know how dangerous they are and that's precisely why Harry needs my help."
Bill threw up his hands. "But why you? Why not someone else? How about Richard? He's the best 'breaker in our team."
Fleur glared at Bill. "Harry's my friend. Do I need another reason?"
"I suppose not," Bill relented. He'd have done the same for a friend, after all.
"As for our problems, William, I'm growing tired of having to constantly rein in my allure. It's exhausting and I don't think I should have to do so in my own home."
Bill stared at her, confused. "What? I'm fine around you, Fleur. Always have been."
Instead of answering, Fleur simply looked at Bill and let go of her allure tiny bit by tiny bit. At first, nothing happened, but then her fiancé started to sweat and his eyes became strained and desperate. He was fighting it with all he had, but it was all for nought. Before Bill lost all sense of self, Fleur pulled back and brought her allure under control again. She'd used less than half her power.
"I don't.. I don't know what to say, Fleur," Bill confessed as he returned from the trance. "I thought I was immune."
Fleur smiled sadly. "You were, but the allure keeps growing stronger as I age and I doubt I'll reach my peak for another two years."
"But that's... What does this mean for us?"
Fleur sighed softly. "You know what it means, William," she said and took off the engagement ring and placed it onto the table between them. "We cannot go on like this. It will make us both miserable, and I'd like like to think we care too much for each other to see that happen. But I do hope we can stay friends."
Bill blew out a breath and nodded. She was right about that. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he felt anger and resentment at her, but he understood this was no one's fault, least of all Fleur's. She was who she was and she could not change her nature, no matter how much she wanted to.
"So, what now?" Bill asked as he pocketed the ring.
Fleur rose from the chair and put on her coat. "I think I'll go to Gringotts and get ready for the trip to Egypt. Harry will be busy with the Wizengamot today, so I'll use the time to gather what we need."
"Alright. Just promise me you'll be careful, Fleur."
"Of course," the French Veela said with a dazzling smile and left the flat.
Hermione knocked on the door to Harry's office and was a little startled when Neville's Grandmother opened it up almost immediately and strode out. Her face was set in an even sterner expression than usual, something Hermione had honestly thought was not possible, before now.
"Good morning, Miss Granger. How are you today?"
"I'm quite well, thank you, Madame Longbottom," Hermione answered automatically.
"Good. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some matters to attend to," the older woman said and almost stormed down the corridor.
Hermione gazed after the Longbottom matriarch for a moment, before entering the office to find Harry there with Bellatrix and Narcissa. They were looking at a pair of envelopes that had yet to be opened.
"Oh, hello, Hermione. So, how do you like your new office?" Harry asked with a smile when he noticed she was there.
The bushy haired girl took a moment to examine the room and had to admit she rather liked it. She had passed a few open doors on her way here and quite a few of the offices beyond those doors had been showy and gaudy. But this office was different.
It was simple, modest and practical. Bookshelves lined one wall and a couple of filing cabinets stood against the opposite one, beside a sofa, to the left. In front of the door, there was a large mahogany desk. It was clearly very old, but it was neatly polished and looked well cared for.
On the wall, above the window, opposite the door was a large oak plaque, on which a simple 'P' was engraved into the wood without any sort of gilding or such things. It, like the rest of the office was modest and unpretentious. A bit like Harry, she supposed.
"I love it, Harry. You know I'm rather practical and don't have any need for overly elaborate things. Yes, it will do quite nicely. But I have to admit it's much plainer than most of the others."
Narcissa sneered at that. "I suppose this can be used as a small lesson, you two," she said and looked at Harry and Hermione. "Some people try to cover their lack of intelligence and guile with flashy things," she said and closed the door with a flick of her wand, before turning to Bellatrix, who was standing by the bookcase. "If you would, Bella?"
Bellatrix nodded in understanding and studied the shelf for a moment, before she reached for a large leather bound book. She brought it to the desk and opened it. 'The Sacred Twenty-Eight'. Harry looked at the book and saw on the page a list of names and realized it was an index. He scanned the names and recognised almost all of them.
"Are these the members of the Wizengamot?" he asked Narcissa.
"This is a list of the Houses that were believed to be still pure of blood in the 1930's. There are a few members not included in this list, but all those Houses are, or were members of the Wizengamot. It's missing names such as Bones, Davis, Diggory and Lovegood, McKinnon, Potter and Prince and a few others." She added the other names on the bottom of the page.
"Prince? As in Snape's Mum?"
"Indeed," Narcissa said and flashed Harry a smile, happy that he at least knew a little. "Now, as I said before, there are those who try to hide their shortcomings with impressive things," she continued and marked a few names with her wand. "Carrow, Crabbe, Goyle, Flint, Macmillan and Nott, Umbridge are prime examples of that. They are idiots, but still have, or had a vote in the Wizengamot and can do a lot of damage."
She marked a few others with another colour. "Then, there are the true powerhouses of this place. "Abbot, Avery, Crouch, Greengrass, Longbottom, Malfoy, Prewett, Rosier, Selwyn. And of course we must include Bones and Potter," she finished and wrote the last two names onto the page as well.
"There are a lot of Dark families here, Narcissa," Hermione remarked as she ran her eyes over the list. "And almost all of these houses are affiliated with Slytherin."
"This surprises you, Hermione?" Narcissa asked.
"No, it does not. It's just a bit disconcerting, that's all."
Harry frowned and started pointing at some of the names. He eyed Narcissa, who looked down at the book.
Bellatrix made a strange noise in her throat and stared at the page in wonder, then looked a little dumbfounded.
"You've both noticed, I see," Narcissa said gravelly.
"How has it come to this?" Bella asked and sank down in the sofa, her expression very troubled.
"Money and power, sister, dear," Narcissa said. "People like Mr. Malfoy preventing an official investigation, since this development was in their favour in the beginning. It has since become clear it has spun out of control."
Hermione had been staring at the page, trying to figure out what they were saying when it hit her like a diving Hippogriff.
"Oh my god! These families..."
Narcissa nodded. "Indeed. Something we'll talk about further, before the Wizengamot session later today, Hermione. Now, I would like to take a look at those letters, if you don't mind, Harry. I do have a feeling I know what they are, though."
Harry picked up the envelopes and saw they had been sealed with wax and looking at the book again, he recognised the seals as those of Greengrass and Parkinson. Harry opened the one from Greengrass and scanned it and the women in the room saw his eyes darken and a scowl form on his face. He handed the letter to Narcissa, then opened the other one and shook his head, before he handed that one to Narcissa as well.
"Oh, you fools," Narcissa said with a little smirk. "You don't send such contracts to people you don't know." She handed the letters over to Hermione.
"This is barbaric!" Hermione seethed as she read the letters. "How can this be legal?"
Narcissa smiled at Hermione. "Welcome to pureblood politics. But don't worry. We can use this to our advantage," she said and made her way over to a large tome that was placed on a stand to the side of the bookshelves and began leafing through it. "Can you tell me when slavery was abolished in the Muggle world, Hermione?"
Nymphadora Tonks slowly walked up to the house she had once shared with Remus. She entered her home and simply stood in the small foyer and listened. No sounds. Nothing. She fought down the tears and idly wondered why she had rejected her mother's offer of going with her.
No, she was a strong woman and could take care of herself. She went further and stepped into the kitchen and found a letter sitting on the table, written in Remus' elegant hand.
My dearest Dora.
If you're reading this, then the worst has happened and I have met my end. I can only hope I died fighting against Riddle and his degenerates. There are so many things I want to tell you, Dora, but I've never been a man of many words, as you know, so I'll keep this short and to the point. I know you're a woman of passion and emotion, but I will not have you wallowing in grief and anger and I forbid you to go seek revenge in my name. Do you hear me?
Now that that's out of the way, I do have a wish, Dora. What I want is for you to go and seek happiness and live a long, fulfilling life with the other man who resides in your heart. Yes, I know. Hermione aside, I do not think there was a single person more miserable during the time Harry was missing, than you.
The change in you after that night where he brought me home was quite something. I don't doubt you love me, Dora and I love you, but I knew Harry had found his way into your heart even before we became a couple and I have to say, I wasn't surprised. You two get along great, and understand one another very well.
Harry faces a long and difficult road and he will need you, of that I have no doubt. But you will need him also, Dora. He will want to help you get over your pain and please let him in when he approaches you. Harry needs to help those he cares for when he knows they're suffering. These are perilous times, Dora. Do not wait too long and follow your heart. That's all I ask.
Love always,
Remus.
Tonks stared at the letter in her hands, not quite believing what she had just read. Remus was right, she did have feelings for Harry and had for a long time, but she had long since accepted nothing would ever come of it. And it hadn't really bothered her. And she certainly hadn't been substituting Harry with Remus. Old Wolfie had been a good man, a good lover and Tonks would miss him terribly.
Could she really honour her late husband's wishes and approach Harry with her heart in her hands and present it to him? What would he do with it? She heard someone enter the house and her mother came into the room and sat down on the other side of the kitchen table.
"I thought I told you I wanted to be alone, Mum," Tonks said with a little glare.
Andie gave her a look her daughter knew very well. It was the look that told her she had heard her, but not cared. "Did you honestly think I would let you come here alone? Give me a little credit here, Nymphadora. My daughter's hurting and I will keep an eye on her. So what is in that letter that has you so upset?"
Reluctantly, Tonks pushed the letter over to her mother, who picked it up and began to read. Her face changed expressions several times during her reading and eventually settled on surprised.
"Is what he's saying about your feelings toward Harry true?"
"Yes. It's true. I mean, who wouldn't fall in love with Harry, you know?"
"I do know," Andie said with a teasing smile. "And I plan on loving him tonight, actually. He's headed for Egypt very soon and I really want to.."
"MUM! What the bloody hell is wrong with you? I did not want to know that," Tonks shouted at her mother, while holding her hands to her ears. "I could have lived a perfectly happy life without any knowledge of that. Bloody, buggering Hell!"
Andie laughed at her daughter. "Oh, you're such a baby, Nymphadora. This is what adults do. Now, I am going to ask you to do as Remus said, to follow your heart, sweetie. But please do not rush it. Just stay with him and keep being his friend for a while. I know in time, Harry will reciprocate your feelings, so do not worry."
"Are you really OK with this, Mum? I mean, sharing Harry with all those other women?"
Andie was silent for a moment and contemplated her answer. "I was raised in a pureblood house, Honey. I've told you all about what it was like, and what was expected of young women in such a household. True, I never thought I'd have to call upon my... 'training' after I left, but I must thank my parents for it now. Otherwise I do not think I'd be able to accept it."
Tonks nodded and went upstairs and grabbed a trunk from beneath the bed and started packing. Manually. She was never any good with household charms. She had decided to ask Harry for a room at that Stronghold of his.
"So I assume you're going to stay with us?" Andie said and entered the room.
Tonks nodded and put a pair of socks into the trunk, before she took an old sweater of Lupin's out of the cupboard. She stared at it for a while, then brought it to her nose and took a deep whiff. She started shaking and crying into the sweater and her mother stepped up to her, turned her around and wrapped her arms around her.
"Shhh. It's alright, sweetheart. I'm here. Let it out. Don't hold it in where it will fester. I know it's unfair and difficult, but you're not alone. You have so many people to help you. Me, your aunts, Harry and Minerva... We're all here for you. Just remember to let us help, sweetie."
"I will, Mum," Tonks said when she had cried herself out.
Andie smiled at her daughter. "Alright, then. Now, let's go and get you settled. Hermione's going to live with us too, so it'll be quite nice when we're all settled."
Harry made his way to Madame Longbottom's office and knocked on the door. She bade him to enter, which he did. Inside, he found four people; the Longbottom matriarch, Neville, Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones. Harry's former classmates stared at Harry as if they'd never seen him before. Which they hadn't, of course. Not this Harry, anyway.
"Susan. Hannah. It's good to see you both," Harry greeted them with a smile.
Both girls seemed a little reluctant to speak, until Susan, always the more assertive of the two, walked over to Harry and hugged him briefly, and was followed by Hannah a moment later. Harry took her hands in his and looked into her eyes.
"I was sorry when I found out about your mother, Hannah," Harry said and squeezed them tightly and then turned to Susan. "And I never offered you my condolences when your Aunt Amelia died, Susan. She was a good woman."
"Thank you, Harry," Susan said while Hannah simply smiled at him.
"I have spoken with the girls and Neville, and they have agreed that it's time for them to take their rightful place on the Wizengamot and I, as Chief Warlock have accepted their application," Madame Longbottom said and sat down in her chair. Then, Hermione and Narcissa arrived in the office and Hermione immediately went over to the Susan and Hannah and hugged them and told them how happy she was to see them.
"Mr. Potter, the other members of the Wizengamot are arriving downstairs and I will call the meeting to order in an hour. Are you ready?"
Harry nodded and Hermione and the other two girls joined him at her table. "Yes, as much as we can be."
"Good. I have accepted your appointment of Miss Granger and Ms. Black as your proxies on the Wizengamot. I do not think I need to tell you that this will cause quite a stir among the people here."
"Good," Harry said and grinned. "This place seems it's in a need of a good stir. It's gone stale."
Madame Longbottom arched an eyebrow. "Indeed. Now, there's another matter I think prudent we discuss before we head down. I was hoping you had someone in mind to name as a candidate for the office of Minister."
"Already?" Harry asked. "It seems a little soon. Thicknesse's chair has barely gone cold."
"It is, but we must try and work as normally as possible, Mr. Potter. The people need the Ministry to look strong, and for that, we must have a Minister."
Narcissa tapped her finger on her lips a few times in thought. "We need someone who knows the rules and laws of the Realm thoroughly. Someone who is unwilling to bend the law and a stickler for rules and will not be bought with promise of wealth."
Harry stared at his lover wide eyed, before he leaned his head back and groaned. "Is there no one else?"
Hermione bit back a grin. "You know she's right, Harry. I know he's not exactly fun, but for better or for worse, he's exactly what we need right now. Plus, he's a pureblood, which might smooth things over a little."
Harry sighed. "He's still a sanctimonious, self righteous git."
"Do you want me to talk to him?" Narcissa asked.
Harry shook his head and opened the door, leaned out, and spotter his prey. "No, it's best it comes from me. It'll ensure his loyalty, if nothing else. But I swear, if he mentions cauldron bottom thickness even once, I'm booting him through the bloody Veil. Hey, Percy!"
Madame Longbottom surveyed the chambers of the Wizengamot with a practised eye and took note of all who were there and was satisfied with how many had attended. Of course there were a few missing, due to a number of reasons, but just about two thirds were in attendance, which was more than enough for them to get to business. She thumped her gavel down a few times.
"Order!" All those gathered took their seats quickly and gave the old matriarch their undivided attention. "I hereby call this session of the Wizengamot to order. Due to the abruptness of the summons, this session is largely unplanned and there are but a few items on the agenda."
No one said a word and Augusta went on. "Right then. Esteemed members of the Wizengamot, there are quite a few empty seats here today, but I am glad to inform you all that four of those seats will be filled this morning, as the heirs to those seats have staked their claim."
A loud buzzing went around the chamber and forced Madame Longbottom to once again thump her gavel onto her podium.
"Hannah Abbott, Susan Bones, Neville Longbottom and Harry James Potter approached me this morning and I, as acting Chief Warlock, have accepted their application."
The doors of the courtroom opened slowly and the four people she had mentioned walked in, their heads held high. All of them, were wearing the outfit traditionally worn by the lawgivers of Wizarding Britain. Except for Harry, who had insisted on wearing his normal clothes, much to Narcissa's annoyance.
There was absolutely no chance he was going to be wearing one of those hats.
Many of those seated were quite happy to learn there was to be an influx of young minds into the Wizengamot, but quite a few of the more conservative members, and especially those suspected to lean to the extremes Tom Riddle was known to preach, were very worried. All those kids were heirs of families firmly rooted in the Light. It was sure to upset the balance.
The Chief Warlock quickly had the four of them take the oath and Susan, Hannah and Neville took their seats, leaving Harry behind. What was going on now? The boy should take his seat so they could move things along.
"Throughout the history of the Wizengamot, there have been a few occasions where a member has held two seats, as the heir of two Houses. And the young man in front of me is the heir of one Sirius Black and is the current Head of the Noble and Ancient House of Black."
Ignoring the shocked faces of some of her fellow Wizengamot members, Madame Longbottom marched onwards. "But, as the law states, a member of this august body can only sit one, and a proxy must be named for the second. Now, Mr. Potter, who will act as your proxy on the Black seat?"
Harry nodded at the Chief Warlock. "I have asked Narcissa Black to act as my proxy, Chief Warlock. She has my complete trust and I have faith she will act in the best interest of Britain, or as her conscience dictates."
Silence followed Harry's words. Then a man rose from his seat and cleared his throat. Augusta motioned with her arm. "Mr. Selwyn."
"Narcissa Black... I had heard rumours she had taken up her maiden name, but I thought it had been just that... Rumours."
Harry grinned at the man as Narcissa made her way from the gallery and into the rows of seats and sat down in the seat marked for the Blacks. "Nope. No rumours, Selwyn. I've voided the marriage contracts of both Narcissa and her sister Bellatrix. They are Blacks now, and beholden to no one."
Selwyn stared at the boy. "This is highly... irregular, Mr. Potter. When marriage contracts are in play, pureblood families work out their differences."
Harry snorted and shook his head a as he looked around the gathering. Then he walked over to the speaker podium and the Chief Warlock motioned for him to speak. Harry reached into his coat pocket and removed a few envelopes and placed them on the podium.
"Are you suggesting I try to work out the differences between Narcissa and that disgusting piece of shit she was married to, Selwyn?"
The other man sneered at Harry. "The Malfoys are a distinguished family of the purest blood and Lucius is a man of great means, Potter. I rather think you should curb your tongue."
Harry laughed. "I'm not afraid of Lucy, and he doesn't deserve any respect, nor does anyone who willingly serves Tom Riddle. They're nothing but criminals who should be put down like the dogs they are."
"Some believe Riddle is the only one who's willing to do what is necessary to preserve our way of life, Potter," Selwyn said heatedly and was clearly becoming angry. Harry had to hold back a grin. This was going exactly as Narcissa had predicted.
"The way of purebloods, you mean," Harry shot back and glared at the man. "I could talk all day about how completely wrong you are on that point, Selwyn, but I don't have that long, so... Abbot, Bones, Crouch, Diggory, Longbottom, Lovegood, McKinnon, Potter, Prewett. My fellow Wizengamot members, I ask you, do those names mean anything to you? What do most of them have in common?"
Selwyn sat down and joined the other members in the silence that followed Harry's words, then the whispers started. "Riddle is the protector of the purebloods and their way of life, is he?" Harry asked. "Well, let's take a closer look at those names, shall we? Hannah is the last Abbott, and Susan is the last of the Bones. The Crouches are gone, as are the Diggorys. Neville is the last of his own line, no offence, Chief Warlock."
"None taken, Mr. Potter. I am rather unlikely to bear more children and Frank and Alice... Well everyone knows what happened to them. Please, do go on."
"Thank you. The McKinnons are gone, I'm the last Potter and the Prewetts are gone. And Luna, of course, is the last of the Lovegoods. Xenophilius Lovegood was murdered by Avery, Macnair and Mulchiber, all members of Riddle's Inner Circle, his elite. I arrived too late to save him, but those three won't harm anyone else. I made sure of that."
A huge ruckus erupted and many of the conservative members of the purebloods leaped from their seats, shouting and waving their arms and didn't stop until Madame Longbottom shot a blast out of her wand.
"Order!" Slowly, the pandemonium died down and people returned to their seats.
"So you willingly admit to being the person known as the Vigilante?" someone asked.
Harry scoffed. "Of course I do. I'm not about the let someone else take credit for my work."
"There's something known as 'due process', boy!" Selwyn shouted and stood up, yet again. "You cannot go around murdering people! Aurors, arrest this man!" None of the Aurors moved, however.
"So, I can assume you lot assembled a tribunal, and ordered Xenophilius executed?" Harry asked sarcastically. "Sit down and stop making a fool out of yourself. I didn't murder them, I killed them, there's a difference. We're at war, in case you didn't know and people die in war. Let me make this clear!
Riddle doesn't care even a bit about the status of your blood. He's just using it as a platform for his conquest. He cares about himself, his power and nothing else. And if he wins this war, he will lead this world to ruin. Something has to change! And I've written down some of what I think needs to happen."
"You mean this," Parkinson said and waved a copy of Harry's notes in his hand. "This effectively takes centuries old traditions and eliminates them from our society. You cannot expect us to pass any of this," the man said and frowned on the parchment in his hand.
Harry shrugged. "And why not? It's the pureblood bigotry and arrogance that landed us in this mess and it only makes sense to me to throw it out," Harry replied and scanned the room once again.
"The rest of the world has left us behind, everyone. Wizarding Britain has not moved forward in at least two hundred years, and you know why? Because of pureblood fools who are more interested in maintaining their wealth, status and power, than moving society forward."
At that moment, Greengrass rose from his seat. "These are some very serious accusations, Mr. Potter. Do you have anything to substantiate your words? And may I say, for the record, that I find your disregard for our traditions troubling."
Harry snorted at that, with evident disgust. "And which traditions are you referring to? Something like this, perhaps?"
Harry picked up the envelopes he'd received earlier that morning that bore the seal of Greengrass and Parkinson. Both men became rather uncomfortable at the sight of them. Surely he the boy wouldn't. This was a highly personal matter, not fit for discussion in such an open forum. Unfortunately for them, Harry was indeed about to have a "open discussion" about the contents of those envelopes.
"Slavery was abolished in the British Empire in 1833 and the wizarding half of the empire followed a few years later. And yet, here we are almost 170 years later, and men are still selling people. I hold here in my hands a pair of contracts sent to me this morning by one Cyrus Greengrass and Perseus Parkinson. Apparently, both of them see me fit for a son-in-law, since they're offering their daughters to me, a man they don't even know!"
Greengrass cleared his throat and stood, clear anger in his features. "How dare you! How dare you refer to my daughter as a slave!"
Harry arched an eyebrow and shrugged. "Isn't that was she is, though? I sincerely doubt Daphne was asked whether or not she wanted this, which I doubt she does. We don't even know each other. I honestly don't think I've said a single word to her."
"I am her father and Head of House and I decides what's best for my House," Greengrass said.
Harry made a face. "I couldn't help but notice how you mentioned your House. I can only assume from that tidbit, that this was a power play on your part. I will never work with people who use their children as bargaining chips."
A sigh escaped Harry's lips. "We're not in the fucking middle ages any longer. It's almost the year two thousand, for Merlin's sake. Oh, and by the way, Parkinson, your daughter is down in the cells. She was fighting with the Death Eaters when we retook the Ministry. She has a rather interesting Mark on her left forearm. I'm assuming you didn't know, since even a brainless idiot would have realized I would never even consider marrying someone who willingly took Riddle's Mark."
Incredibly, Perseus managed to hold his temper and said nothing, as there was nothing to say. He had suspected his daughter had foolishly allowed herself to be branded by the madman Riddle and all he could do now was distance himself from the fool girl.
"Nothing to say? Well, I can't say I'm surprised, really. But speaking of contracts. They need to stop. It cannot go on, such bartering of people. Some," Harry said and opened yet another envelope, "were even so intent on having their daughter married off to the 'right' person, they were willing to Compel her to their contracted spouse."
A murmur went around the chamber at Harry's words. "I hold here in my hand a contract between Cygnus Black and Corvus Lestrange, which was charmed with a compulsion, tied to Bellatrix, and effectively made her Rodolphus' puppet. What's even worse is that the witness placed his own compulsion on the contract. Tom Marvolo Riddle, also known as Lord Voldemort."
Almost every person in the room flinched at the mention of the name, but Harry ingored it. "I'm sure most of you understand what this means."
Harry looked around the chamber and took in the disgusted faces of the people assembled there. He caught the smiling face of his lover Narcissa and he winked at her.
The Chief Warlock spoke up next. "I have had this confirmed by a third party and I move to have Bellatrix examined by a mind healer at St. Mungo's. Her sister, Andromeda has been working with her ever since the compulsion was broken by Mr. Potter." At that point, Augusta took a deep breath. "I can scarcely believe I am saying this, but I move we drop all charges against Ms. Black, pending an investigation, and levy them against the ones who are responsible; Riddle and Lestrange."
A fairly loud commotion followed the Chief Warlock's suggestion, but ultimately, it was agreed that Bellatrix would be under probation, until such a time a mind healer, other than her sister could declare her fully sane. After that, the Wizengamot session went for hours, as the mages discussed a great many things, most of which was centered on Harry's memo.
No point was talked about in too much detail, as it was more of a forum for Harry to explain his views and the reasoning behind them. They were after all, merely memos and not bills of law. Things went rather well, all things considered, with minimal fuss, until Harry announced he was not going to be manning the Potter seat himself.
"Is there anything else, Mr. Potter," Chief Warlock Longbottom said once they had gone over all the notes in Harry's memo.
Harry inlined his head her way. "Yes, Chief Warlock, there's one more thing I wish to announce. As I stated earlier, there's a war on and I fully intend to be on the front lines as much as I can. Because of that, I have decided to delegate my responsibilities as the Potter representative to my best friend, and the smartest person I know, Hermione Jean Granger."
If Harry thought some of the things he'd said that day had been explosive, nothing could have prepared him for the utter chaos that erupted at this latest revelation. Almost all of the most conservative members of the Wizengamot were practically frothing at the mouth and some were even fingering their wands. Predictably, Selwyn sprang to his feet as Hermione made her way to her seat, her head held high.
"This is an outrage! A Muggle-born on the Wizengamot? And sitting in for one of the oldest Wizarding families? Surely this cannot be allowed to stand!? The very idea is threatening to make me vomit, and I'm not the only one, I'm certain!"
Harry spied Narcissa and quite a few others shaking their heads at the man. Had he learned nothing at all? Narcissa rose from her seat to speak for the first time.
"I for one will welcome Miss Granger into this gathering with open arms," Cissy said with a smile. "Miss Granger has been spoken of as the brightest witch of her generation, and I can say with confidence, that she is very much deserving of the title. She is extremely intelligent and will no doubt be an incredible asset to the Wizengamot. And let us not forget the law, which clearly states Miss Granger's appointment is, while unprecedented, perfectly legal."
Selwyn became even angrier at that. "A Muggle-born has no business telling wizards what to do."
Narcissa actually laughed at that. "Well, by your logic, it could also be said wizards have no business telling goblins, centaurs, vampires, werewolves, Veela, or giants what to do, and yet, we've been doing so for centuries."
Harry slammed his fist into the podium and it cracked under the pressure. "This is exactly the kind of attitude that needs to be eradicated from our society. I cannot see a single person in here more qualified to sit in the Wizengamot than Hermione, and you lot would dismiss her simply because of her birth."
Harry shook his head, in irritation. "Our closest allies, across the Channel judge people based on merit, and that's why they've left us behind completely. All you need in this country, to have a decent life is to have pure blood. We could have Hermione and Goyle Jr. apply for the same position in the Ministry and Hermione wouldn't even be considered, because she's a Muggle-born."
"Well, the Goyles are an old, established family," Greengrass said. "Tradition dictates..."
"Goyle Jr. is a bloody halfwit, who has no business working for the Ministry in any capacity. I'm honestly surprised he isn't dead yet, because I'm fairly certain he cannot walk and breathe at the same time. We should always opt for the most qualified person available, irrespective of their blood status."
"And I suppose you want to get rid of the purebloods, then?" Selwyn asked with a sneer.
Harry shook his head. "No, of course not. I've repeatedly said today, that I believe everyone has to have a voice in here. Every view is needed for the Wizengamot to be able to make an informed decision."
Casting a discrete Tempus, theChief Warlock thumped her gavel a few times. "Well, this session most certainly went on a lot longer than expected. I suggest we postpone this meeting to next week. Our members will then have had more time to ponder over everything that was said today."
Harry was utterly exhausted as he sat down in front of the fire in his room. How incredibly relieved he was to know this was the only time he would ever have to spend any time on the floor of the Wizengamot. Jesus bloody Christ, that place was horrible. It was like people went out of their way to make things difficult. Well, Hermione had always enjoyed a challenge.
He had travelled to his Stronghold a few minutes earlier, leaving Narcissa and Hermione at the Ministry, as they had wished to discuss the day's events. They had told him they would not be home until very late, since a lot of people had expressed a desire to speak with them, so they would have many meetings to attend.
Harry heard a pair of voices approach the room and within a moment, Andie and Nym entered. He sent them a tired smile, which they returned. Tonks waved at him, while Andie walked to him and plomped herself onto his lap and latched onto his lips with her own. At first, Harry was a little uncomfortable, knowing Nym was there, but Andie certainly wasn't and acted as if they were alone.
"Ahem," Tonks cleared her throat. "You two do realize I'm still here, right?"
The lovers stopped then and Andie made herself comfortable on Harry's lap. "I invited my daughter to come and live here. I hope you don't mind, Harry," Andie said.
"Of course not," Harry replied. "You're more than welcome to stay here with us, Nym. You know that, don't you? I'm here for you if you need to talk, OK?"
Tonks gave him another smile. "I do, Harry. Thank you. I'll take you up on that, one of these days, I reckon. I suppose I should go and help Fleur prepare. I'll see you in the morning."
And with that, she left and closed the door behind her. Once that was done, Andie waved her wand and Harry could hear the door lock itself. Another wave and the room became soundproof. Harry arched an eyebrow. Andie put a finger to his lips, and got of his lap. He attempted to rise as well, but she pushed him down firmly.
"Stay, and enjoy," she said huskily and began to move slowly, to a rhythm only she could hear.
She started with her blouse. Agonizingly slow, one by one, she removed her clothes, until she was completely bare. The show was incredible, and she was utterly perfect, and Harry was almost fit for bursting. He leapt from his seat and descended upon his lover like a massive, ravenous bird of prey.
And hungry he was. He straddled her and trailed kisses all over her body, encouraged by her moans of approval. He started removing his clothes, in the same slow manner as she had, but apparently, Andromeda Black figured she had waited long enough for this. She vanished his clothes and gave him a look of pure lust and need.
"Come to me, my love."
It was well after midnight when Narcissa and Hermione Apparated into the cave, where the door into the Stronghold could be found. The older woman led the younger one toward the door. Hermione was fascinated by the place, and stopped to examine the door, which opened by itself, when Narcissa touched it.
"This way, Hermione. This has been a quite a day and I long for my bed."
Hermione looked a bit shameful. "Yes, of course."
The pair of them entered and Narcissa led Hermione toward the kitchen. They were both quite hungry, and had planned to have a little something to eat before going to bed. They entered the kitchen, only to find Harry there, his back turned to the door, as he busied himself with something. Having reined in his senses, and engrossed in his work, he'd not noticed them arrive. Hermione's gasp tore hiss attention from the fruit he was slicing.
"Harry! What..."
Hermione was speechless, as she stared at her friend's naked upper body. While she realized on some level that he had become an incredible specimen of human anatomy, her eyes, at that moment could only focus on the scars that littered his body. A number of fresh, bleeding claw marks could be seen on his shoulder blades.
"Oh. Hello, you two. I was wondering when you were going to come home. It is rather late, you know," Harry said to Narcissa while ignoring Hermione, who was still staring.
"Well, there was a lot to do, Harry," his lover said and kissed him lightly on the lips. "I suppose these," she pointed at the sliced fruit, "are for Andie?"
"She was hungry," Harry explained and picked up the plate.
"Ah." Narcissa examined the new wounds on his back with a grin. "Who knew she'd be the one to do that? My gold would have been placed on Bella."
Harry laughed at that. "Yeah," he told her, before bidding her good night and then he left.
Narcissa picked up an orange from a bowl on the table and started peeling it with her wand. "Would you like a piece of this fruit, Hermione?"
This seemed to rouse the bushy haired girl from her reverie. "The scars... I had no idea... Just how was he able to survive on his own for so long?"
Narcissa smiled fondly at her new friend. "He's really rather stubborn, that one. Orange?"
Hermione accepted the offered fruit, but did not eat it. She stared at it for a long until eventually, she took a small bite, savouring the taste, which allowed her to calm down a bit. It didn't do anything to allay her guilt, however. Where had she been when he'd been out there, risking life and limb for his country?
"Don't do this to yourself, Hermione."
"What?"
"Do not blame yourself for any of this, because it's not your fault, or anyone else's. This was the road Harry chose, and it was a lonely one, but we will change all of that. Andie, Bella and me. And the others, of course. He will never be alone again. We will see to that," Narcissa said with conviction.
"How do you deal with his brooding?" Hermione asked after a while and helped herself to another piece of orange.
Narcissa gave Hermione a mischievous grin, which the younger woman did not notice, as she was looking around the room with interest.
"Well, I've found the activity in which my sister and Harry indulged earlier and are most likely repeating right now to be a very good way to lift his spirits."
Hermione choked on her orange and gave Narcissa an scandalous stare. "Wh... What?"
"Oh, come now, Hermione! You cannot tell me you didn't think of something like that when you saw him earlier."
Hermione went crimson and could not meet Narcissa's eyes. "I did not!" She bit her lower lip anxiously. "Alright, I did, but that's just because..."
"Because he's fitter than Brad bloody Pitt?"
Both women were a little startled by the appearance of Tonks, who was leaning on the door frame, grinning at Hermione, who turned even redder, if possible.
"He is a fine one, isn't he, Nymphadora? Fleur?" Narcissa asked and flashed her niece a brilliant smile, ignoring her annoyed look at the use of the name.
"Oui. He is trés magnifique!"
Tonks entered the kitchen properly and allowed Fleur Delacour to come in as well. Narcissa inclined her head to the Veela and went into the larder and brought out more food. Her niece and her friend were clearly hungry.
"You've completed the preparations, Miss Delacour?" she asked and waved her wand and dishes, as well as utensils were summoned to the table.
"Yes, what preparations can be made at home for such an expedition," Fleur said and reached for a slice of bread.
"Very good," Narcissa said. "Now, please, eat. I have something for the pair of you."
Narcissa quit the kitchen, and reappeared quickly with a couple of boxes. She handed Tonks and Fleur one each, before she sat down and picked out another fruit from the bowl, an apple this time and sliced it with a knife.
"As soon as you two announced your intentions to accompany Harry on this latest adventure, I went ahead and commissioned two more of the suits my sisters and I wore when we went to Hogwarts."
The two women opened the boxes and extracted the suits, and Tonks let out a whistle of appreciation. "Bloody hell, aunt Cissy, these are brilliant!"
Fleur nodded in agreement. "Yes, they are very well made. You certainly have an eye for quality, Ms. Black."
"Please, it's Narcissa."
"Harry doesn't have one?" Hermione asked as she examined Tonks's suit, taking special note of the intricate rune work.
"You reckon Harry should try and crossdress, Hermione? Expand his horizons?" Tonks asked with a grin.
Narcissa chuckled at her niece. "He does. I had one made for him as well, but I'm not sure he'll want to wear it," she said with a rueful smile.
"Why ever not?" Hermione asked wide eyed, but then shook her head in exasperation. "I suppose he'll tell you he won't need it, that he's been fine so far. That boy..."
"Indeed," Narcissa confirmed with a small laugh. "You certainly know your friend, Hermione."
"Hmmph." Tonks huffed. "I'll make sure the idiot wears it, then."
The women had had their fill, and Narcissa waved her wand, and everything was sent to its proper place, followed by the automated wash starting. Tonks and Fleur excused themselves to their rooms to try out their armours while Cissy and Hermione made their way to the lounge and made themselves comfortable, all notions of sleep forgotten.
After a moment, the Veela and Metamorph joined them in the lounge and Cissy had to mentally congratulate herself on the work. The suits fit them beautifully and they were both obviously very comfortable. Before anyone said anything, however, Hedwig came flying in from her perch in the hallway, and landed on the mantle, her eyes intent on Narcissa.
"So," Narcissa began and turned to Fleur and Tonks and eyed them, her gaze extremely serious. "You're leaving for Egypt tomorrow night. Now, there's something I must discuss with you two before you do. While I know this is a bit much to throw at you now, I believe not telling you about it before you leave is worse."
Fleur seemed unruffled, but Tonks became a bit uncomfortable at her aunt's intense expression. "What is it?" she asked.
Narcissa took a deep breath. "What are your feelings toward Harry?"
Whatever the two women had been expecting, that question hadn't been it. How they felt about Harry? What business of Narcissa's were their feelings? Tonks eyed Fleur out of the corner of her eye and found she was just as flustered as she herself.
"You love him, don't you?" Narcissa asked, pressing them further.
Another question that left them reeling. What? How did she know?
"I do not see how that is any of your business, Ms. Black," Fleur said coldly, her mask slipping into place. "It has no bearing on any of this."
"Yeah!" Tonks agreed. "What she said."
Narcissa shook her head. "While it may be true, that it isn't any of my business, it does in fact have everything to do with all of this."
"Then I suggest you go ahead and tell us, Narcissa," Fleur said.
Narcissa nodded and went over everything the centaur had told them in the Forbidden forest, and the two women became a bit overwhelmed by it. Seven women? That was utterly ridiculous; how would it even work? Were they even willing to share the man they loved?
The idea was honestly preposterous. Sure, every woman in the room knew more than one woman was not that unusual, in itself, but seven? Despite feeling a weird about the whole thing, Tonks felt she was taking things better than both Fleur and Hermione. Of course, they didn't really do things like that in France, and Hermione was a Muggle-born. Was Narcissa truly certain of Hermione's involvement in this?
"There's something brewing and Harry will be at the centre of it and will need our help and support," Narcissa said. "It is very possible I may have made a mistake in telling you about what the centaur told us sisters, but I have a very strong sense that we mustn't wait."
"She's right."
Every woman in the room turned toward the door and saw Andromeda enter. She was wearing a silk robe, that was loosely tied together in the front. She was clearly tired, but at the same time, looked strangely refreshed. Satisfied. There was a glow about her.
"Oh, you're here," Bella said with a grin. "I'd have thought-"
"Shut it!" Tonks growled at her aunt. "I don't need to hear it."
Bella's only response was a little laugh and a wink.
Andromeda walked over to the Floo, threw a pinch of powder into it and disappeared, only to reappear a moment later with a somewhat flustered Minerva, who was wearing her nightgown and it was readily apparent that Andie had woken her up.
"Unless Harry's in dire straits, I am going right back to my bed, Andromeda. I need my sleep," Minerva said, a little of her accent breaking through in her annoyance. "What is so important, that it cannae wait til the morrow?" Her eyes roamed the room and she raised an inquisitive eyebrow.
"I'm sorry for waking you, Minerva, but this cannot wait, since Harry and the others will be leaving for Egypt tomorrow," Andie said and sat down next to Bellatrix.
"Alright."
Now, we're all here," Narcissa said and began pacing in front of the fireplace.
"What do you mean by that, Narcissa," Minerva asked.
"Those of us who are in love with Harry."
Minerva's eyes found Fleur's and Nymphadora's and she could see the truth of it. So, they were the Swallow and Chameleon. She had to admit finding it strange that Miss Granger and Harry had never gotten together at Hogwarts, but after these recent developments, she had to ask herself if Hermione could be the owl. She had her doubts that Hermione could see past her upbringing to be a part of something so unusual.
Andromeda sat in a conjured chair and ran a hand through her tousled hair, then gazed into the fire for a long while. After a moment, she turned troubled eyes upon her sisters.
"So, how are we going to make this work?"
