Chapter 31: The Dinner
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Tom had a lot of sorting to get through before he called it a day. If he had known that paperwork was going to take up a majority of his time ruling the British wizarding world, he might have given it a second thought. Nah, he liked being in control too much. He wondered if he should hire someone that liked to organize. What kind of person would that be though? He'd have to ask at the dinner to see if they knew anyone.
Speaking of the dinner, he had better get going or he was going to be late. He waved his wand and put a stasis charm on his office. He didn't want anything to be disturbed until he came back. He had worked far too hard putting things just where he wanted them.
He got up and put his outer robe on and left. It was a short trip to the Leaky Cauldron.
Tom, the bartender, was waiting for him. "They are waiting for you in one of the banquet rooms, Mr. Minister," the man said, smiling at him. He looked like a cracked walnut when he did that, but Tom was a good sort that his looks didn't matter.
"Thanks, Tom," Tom said, going to the room the man had pointed to. It was off to the right and beyond the main dining area. There were three such rooms, set aside for large parties. It wasn't what one would find in a hotel, it was just a large room with a large table. There were no other amenities.
Tom stepped into the room and saw that Sirius had left the head of the table open for him. Harry was sitting to the right with the Granger girl next to him. Sirius was sitting to the left with Bones next to him. Next to the Granger girl was a blondish girl that Tom didn't know. It must have been Bones' niece. Next to her was Tonks. On the other side of the table next to Bones was Mad-eye and next to him was Lupin.
"Welcome, Marvolo, we saved you a seat," Harry said, pointing to the empty chair at the head of the table.
"I feel privileged," Tom said, taking the chair with grace and poise.
"We should order," Sirius said, pointing to the menus in the middle of the table. There were enough for everyone to grab one, which they all did. It was a simple selection. Mostly common fare, like shepherd's pie, beef Wellington, steak and kidney pie, fish and chips, roast chicken, roast pork, or roast beef. To order all you had to do was select what you wanted with your wand. It would appear on your plate in due time.
Everyone ordered and it was only a short wait until their food arrived.
"So, what happened with you today, Harry?" Tom asked in a kind voice. And that got the chatter started. Everyone started talking to their neighbors or across the table.
"After I left you guys, my day was boring, Marvolo," Harry said, his voice full of amusement. "I know yours was more exciting, Mr. Minister, sir," he said in his most cheeky tone. Sirius had told him all about the mess that Fudge had left behind.
"Harry," Hermione said, scandalized. She smacked Harry's arm. Harry just grinned at her. "You can't talk to the new minister that way. I'm sure he's sorry, sir," she said to Tom, her cheeks ablaze with embarrassment.
"I knew Harry before I was minister. I am also an adult, if I feel that he has overstepped his bounds I will chastise him myself, young lady," Tom reprimanded her. Harry had told her about her bossiness, but to see it firsthand, well she was quite the pushy young lady.
"Yes, but," she said, her face burning with either anger or embarrassment. Or both.
"You would do well, not to play at being a mother, until you are in fact one," he stated, seeing that she didn't understand that she had done anything wrong.
Hermione hung her head, and they all thought she was going to cry. Harry put his hand on her arm and smiled at her. He knew she didn't like getting schooled by adults, but she needed to learn that she couldn't just push her views on everyone.
"Harry tells me that you have an issue with me. Would you care to discuss it?" Tom asked, wanting to get to the bottom of it sooner rather than later.
"I don't understand why the headmaster has such a dislike for you," Hermione said, lifting her chin up in a show of bravado. "He is one of the kindest men I know. If he doesn't like you, there must be a reason."
"I informed you, when last we met, that myself and the headmaster were politically incompatible," Tom reminded her in a gentle tone. He knew Harry wouldn't like it if he made his friend cry.
"What could you possibly stand for, that Professor Dumbledore would be against?" she asked, remembering all the things that Harry said the man's platform were. She agreed with most of it, so she didn't understand what the headmaster could be against.
"Change," was the succinct answer. Tom looked at her and was judging if he should say more when their conversation was joined.
"Speaking of Dumbledore, I did get a confession out of him," Bones said, sipping her butterbeer that she had ordered with her roast chicken. "In addition to potioning Harry here, he was the one potioning the student body," she finished, looking at Hermione with a raised eyebrow. She wondered how the girl would take the news.
"But," Hermione said, looking at all the faces around the table. "He's the headmaster," she said, like that meant something. She had been going over and over in her brain who might have done the deed, and she had thought it might be Professor Snape. He had the means and he hated children.
"He's still human," Tom said, trying to be consoling. "He doesn't like change and keeping the children under control would prevent them from thinking for themselves. They would listen to him and admire him." He wanted to make sure the girl understood why the old man did what he did.
"But," Hermione said, thinking that there must be some mistake.
"I got the confession out of him myself," Bones said, still lifting her eyebrow, this time in an 'are you questioning me' manner.
"I mean, of course, you are telling us the truth. I just can't believe it was the headmaster," Hermione said, pushing her plate away. She had only eaten a few bites of her steak and kidney pie, but she was no longer hungry.
Tonks leaned behind Susan, who was patting Hermione's arm, and rubbed her back. "I understand it's hard to see someone fall off the pedestal you put them on, but he did a bad thing," she said, still rubbing her back.
"Let's change the subject," Harry suggested, removing his hand from Hermione's arm, and taking a bite of his fish. "What's next for you, Marvolo?" he wanted to know what to expect from the Dark Lord now that he was in power.
"You mean after I straighten out the mess that Fudge left in my office?" Tom said, his tone disgruntled.
"And quite a mess it is too," Sirius agreed with a chuckle, sharing a look with Bones. They had spent an hour with the man helping him sort it.
"I know someone who can help with that," Harry said, looking at the upset man with sympathy. "He should be working in the minister's office already. Percy Weasley. He'll have your office organized in no time," he said, having heard of the man's obsessive need for tidiness. "Ron says that there isn't a mess that he can't untangle."
"Sounds like he's OCD," Hermione chimed in, remembering how tidy Percy was.
"Could be," Harry agreed, though he knew little about the disorder.
"What is OCD?" Susan asked, wanting to be in on the conversation.
"Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. It generally means someone who has the need to have everything around them in a certain order or neatness. To the point that they will repeatedly do things to make sure that everything is correct in their eyes. Maybe Percy is just tidy," she said, thoughtfully. She never saw him react in such a manner as a full-blown OCD patient.
"You're probably right," Harry agreed, thinking much on the same lines as she was. Still, he knew little about the disorder.
"Oh, it doesn't sound like a bad thing," Susan said, picking at her meal.
"It can rule their lives to the point that it interferes with daily living. Some people have to have minders to remind them to do normal things. It can be a debilitating disorder," Hermione explained, not unkindly. She had read up on it a bit one time when someone had called her obsessive need to have her books in order an OCD trait. It wasn't, just her being neat.
"Oh, well I can see where that would be a bad thing," Susan said, looking to Harry, who nodded. She then looked to Tonks, who just shrugged.
"So, you didn't answer my question, Marvolo. What's next?" Harry said, the whole table had quieted down to hear what the man would say.
"I'm going to talk to the Prime Minister. We need to discuss how to keep the magical world safe. Those cameras that are going to go up in the muggle world are putting this world into jeopardy," Tom said, taking a bite of his Beef Wellington.
"I can see where that would be bad," Harry agreed, echoing Susan's previous statement. Hermione and Tonks nodded with him.
"What cameras?" Bones, Black and Moody asked all looking at those that nodded. They knew so little about the muggle world, but they knew what a camera was.
"There's a movement going on to put video cameras on each street corner to catch criminals. They will see everything, and it will be recorded. That means that all those kids going into King's Cross Station but not getting on to trains, will be recorded and wondered about. The reverse is the same. People apparating in and out of the muggle world will be caught on tape and soon we will be exposed," Tom explained, putting his fork down so that he wasn't eating and talking at the same time.
"What is a video camera?" Sirius asked, looking to Tonks to explain. He knew she'd keep it simple.
"Think of it as a pensieve, only in real life," she explained as best she could. "They have a way of making it like a portrait, so they can show it to anyone," she added, thinking in wizarding terms.
"This is not good. We have to get the Wizengamot to pass a law that forbids apparating in the muggle world," Bones said, taking out her pen and paper and writing that down so she didn't forget. Not that she thought she would, not news like this.
"I was telling someone, Rita Skeeter, I think, anyway, the way we dress is also going to get us caught. Look at Harry and Hermione, they are dressed like normal muggle teens. Jeans, t-shirts, and trainers. Now look at Susan, she is dressed like someone from over a hundred years ago. She will stand out in the muggle world," Tom said, giving the girl an apologetic look.
Susan looked at Harry, Hermione and even Tonks, who still looked like you could dump her in a punk concert and lose her. Then she looked at her dress, with all its ribbons and lace. She saw that, while she was very pretty in it, she looked nothing like her tablemates.
"So you're saying you're going to try and bring the wizarding world into the twentieth century?" Harry asked, a good deal of humor in his tone. "I'd like to see that," he added, looking at the way all the others were dressed. Only Sirius and Remus came close to muggle dress, and they were wearing slacks and button-ups.
"It shouldn't be all that hard," Tom said, taking a bite of his meal again. When he cleared his mouth, he continued. "Not once I tell them how close they are to being caught."
"I guess fear will be a good motivator," the teen said thoughtfully.
"Damn right it will be," grumbled Moody. He might not like Tom Riddle but what he was saying made sense.
"I didn't know that that was what you were trying to do. Why was Professor Dumbledore against that?" Hermione asked, still not sure why there was animosity between the two men.
"Because he is old and set in his ways," Sirius said, his voice had laughter in it.
"Close," Tom agreed, "Albus doesn't like change. That is why he never hired a new History teacher. Binns is good enough for him. Why change it?" His tone was bitter.
"Professor Binns is hard to get used to," Granger conceded.
"He's impossible to get used to. 95% of the class falls asleep. Only you and a few Ravenclaws stay awake," Harry said, with Susan and Tonks nodding in agreement. There were even a few adults nodding along. Binns had been there that long.
"So, what's going to happen to those of the Order that were caught during the raid?" Remus asked, changing the subject again.
"They will get a trial and if found guilty, they will get a few months in lockup," Bones said, cutting her meal and taking a bite.
"You're going to throw them in Azkaban?" Harry asked, not sure if that was appropriate.
"No, silly," Tonks said, looking at him queerly. "There's a general lockup for those lesser crimes." She drank some of her coffee. She had to work when they were done.
"Oh, sorry," Harry said, feeling foolish. Of course, they didn't throw petty criminals in Azkaban. At least he hoped not. Then again, what did they consider petty crime? Rita Skeeter seemed scared to be found out. Was being an illegal animagus petty, or was it because she used it to get her stories?
"I wonder what Arthur is going to do with Molly in lockup?" Sirius asked no one in particular.
"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, not sure why that would be an issue. The children were all old enough to be without supervision.
"None of the other Weasley's can cook," he said with a laugh.
"Oh," she said, wondering if she should offer Winky's services to them for the duration of Mrs. Weasley's sentence. It wasn't like she had much for the elf to do. Then again, the two youngest did try to potion Harry. "Did Mrs. Weasley confess to potioning Harry?" she asked, Madam Bones.
"That is none of your business," the woman snapped. "It is part of an ongoing investigation."
"But you told us about Dumbledore," Hermione protested, not seeing the difference between the two cases.
"Because that effected all of you," Bones said, raising her hand. "That and it was in the newspaper, therefore already common knowledge."
"Oh," was all Hermione could say. "I was thinking of lending my house elf to Mr. Weasley," she said in way of an explanation.
"You can ask Winky to deliver meals to the house without lending her out," Harry said. "Have Mr. Weasley pay for the food. Winky can cook it, and then deliver it."
"That could work," she said, her cheek still dusted pink. She just seemed to be putting her foot in her mouth a lot tonight. "Harry, whatever happened to your friend Tom?" she asked, desperately hoping to change the subject to something safe.
"Tom?" Harry asked, a mild panic in his tone and he looked to the adults.
"He moved away," Sirius said, coming up with the first thing he could think of.
"Yes, it was sad. He decided to move," Harry said, a bit too quickly.
"Who is this Tom?" Tom asked, laughing inside at Harry's predicament.
"He was a friend of Harry's," Hermione answered, pulling her now warm plate back towards her and smiling her thanks when Madam Bones hit it with a heating charm. "He was supposed to be painfully shy, which is why I never met him," she finished, cutting her roast pork.
"Painfully shy?" Tom said, lifting an eyebrow towards Harry.
"Yes, he didn't like to be around people," Harry said this time with tongue in cheek.
"Imp," Tom said, giving the smug boy a look.
The dinner went well after that and soon it was just the adults back at the minister's office. The teens were at the Bones Mansion. They were discussing Hogwarts and what it will be like without Dumbledore. Remus was with them. Tonks was at work.
"How are you going to prevent the Death Eaters from outing you?" Moody wanted to know. He still didn't like Tom Riddle, but he thought he might like this Marvolo fellow.
"I can kill them through the mark," Tom suggested. He had no qualms doing it either.
"Can you Imperius them through it?" Alastor asked, thinking that if he could, he could control what they say.
"I've never tried," the Dark Lord said, thinking on all he had put in the mark. There was a mind-altering element in there, but he never used it before. Could he control them that much?
"I think now is not the time to test that?" Bones said, nixing it before it became an experiment.
"I disagree," Moody said, really wanting to test this theory.
"We don't have that kind of time," she argued, putting her foot down.
"She's right," Tom said, knowing they had little time.
"So, what, are you just going to kill them?" Sirius asked, hoping that it was true. They could ruin everything and then Harry could be in danger again.
"That's up to Bones, and Moody," Tom said, looking at the two lawmen. "I promised, vowed even, to keep the killing to a minimum. If you say the word, they will be dead by morning," he offered.
"No," Bones said after a few long minutes' of thinking. It was against her morals. It was one thing to do it in battle, but another to kill unarmed men.
"I disagree, but she's the boss," Moody said, then focused his magical eye on Tom. He was trying to convey something to the new minister.
Tom got the clue. He would try the Imperius. He would have to meditate on it tonight. It would be hard to do without a mark in front of him. No, it would be improbable without a mark in front of him. He was going to have to draw it out and try to tweak it from there. He wondered if he could mark a rat.
"I need to get Harry and Hermione home," Sirius said, looking at the clock on the wall. It was going on eleven in the evening. "Madam Bones, if you would," he said, holding his arm out for her to take.
She took the offered arm, and they went to get the kids.
"You're going to try it?" Moody said, glaring at the man.
"I'll try," Tom said, his voice calm as always.
"Good," the other man said as he left.
"He's warming up to me," Tom said to no one. He then looked around and sighed. He had so much to do. He decided to look up this Percy Weasley tomorrow and tonight he was going to work on tweaking the mark.
It took hours and he had to use many rats to do it, but he did succeed. He could control the Death Eaters via the dark mark. He erased all memory of him being the Dark Lord from their minds. They only remembered the old him. The bald scaly man with no nose, that was only known as Voldemort. He was glad the only Unspeakable that was among them died in the raid. That man would have been almost impossible to enchant.
Now Harry was that much safer.
He was still not going to go to the trials. No need to tempt fate. He was going to Dumbledore's though.
