Author's Note: Hi and welcome to Friday. Thanks to everyone who is reading and reviewing. MNF
Chapter 16:
Truths
Saturday, 9 September 1995
Atrium, Ministry of Magic
Harry heard the flashes at this point more than he saw them, as his sight had been temporarily blinded, and a headache was blooming behind his eyes. He'd come to meet the public dressed in new robes Sirius had ordered from Italy. The Potter family crest was over his head, the Black family crest beneath it. Normally, he wouldn't have picked the grey colour, but he'd paired it with a dark green dress shirt and a silver-grey tie, making him look mature and fashionable. Harry was also wearing one of the pairs of dress shoes he'd purchased a few months ago but had never broken in; the throbbing of his big toe was something to take his mind off the headache.
He wished Hermione and Neville were here. It would have been so much easier if he'd been able to look at his friends and speak to them.
More blubs popping brought him back to the present. Wizards needed digital cameras, Harry decided. He was thankful for Sirius standing slightly behind him, hand on his back as it was what was helping him stay upright. Remus stood next to Sirius and would help him make a mad-dash escape should things turn ugly. Madame Bones stood at the microphone to introduce Harry and set the ground rules for the event. If the press members couldn't follow the rules, Harry would just hand them a sheet reporting what he was planning to say.
"Now, you have all been given the facts of the situation in which Harry Potter, aged fifteen," Amelia stressed, "was present when the former Dark Lord Voldemort, born as half-blood Tom Riddle, returned from the dead and then was promptly killed again. He will NOT rehash these details. If you ask a question regarding that night, the press conference will be over. Ask for intimate details of his life, the press conference will be over. Harry will give a speech; you can then ask respectful questions, one per outlet. If you pester him, the press conference will be over. Does everyone understand me?" There were reluctant nods throughout the group, but Madame Bones felt she had been heard. "Fine then, we have the rules to proceed with. Harry, the microphone is yours."
Taking one last deep breath, Harry nodded. He wiped his hands on his trousers before taking the note cards from Sirius.
"You'll do fine, Pup," Sirius said gently. "Remember, if they make you feel uncomfortable, we have the printed sheets of paper," he emphasized, "to hand out, and we can head home. We can always try again on Monday."
"No, what I have to say is important," Harry said. "Perhaps people will listen to me."
"They will, Harry," Remus said. He was standing next to Sirius. "Speak true and from your heart. You're in a unique position in this world, and you lived most of your life without the knowledge of magic or the magical world."
"You'll do fine, Harry," Amelia said. "Give the speech like you did last night, and they will hear what you have to say. Whether they listen or not is up to them."
"Thanks, Lady –" the glower on her face made Harry stop. "Thanks, Amy."
Harry turned and walked the few steps to the podium, put his cards down, and smiled. "Er, if any of you don't know me, my name is Harry James Potter. I'm sort of famous for surviving the deaths of my parents, who were betrayed by a friend and then hunted down by Tom Riddle. He murdered them in cold blood. He murdered them because they defied him, and he murdered them because my father, James, someone born to fully magical parents, had married my mum, Lily, a witch born to non-magical parents. Tom disliked those who were the first to have magic in their families. The astounding thing was he had one magical parent and one non-magical parent. He was a half-blood, too, although I hope we get rid of the terms like pureblood, half-blood, and Muggle. They set up a hierarchy that is without basis. My mother was the first to have magic in her family, and she was the most powerful witch in her graduating year at Hogwarts. She had her mastery in Potions, and no one would hire her because of her blood status." There was grumbling amongst the reporters, but Harry chose to keep talking. He wanted to get his points out before the onslaught of questions.
"The loss of wands is something which has affected wizarding kind in its entirety. Those of us who live in houses with non-magical trappings like electric lights and plumbing, which works without spells, are having an easier time of it than those who come from magical families which have wholly magical homes. The time is now to help those who might be struggling with the inability to do the simplest spells.
"I applaud the Ministry for their new Ministry Welfare office. We should be providing for those most vulnerable in our society, but we don't need a formal office to carry all the weight. All of us can help our neighbours. Visit a friend share extras if you have them. I know magical gardens can produce more than anyone family can usually eat. We have tomatoes, courgettes and aubergines coming out of our ears at home. We will never eat all of it." There was some chuckling at that, as it was true, magical gardens did overproduce.
"We need to do a better job welcoming the first generation magicals into our community. I knew nothing when my Hogwarts letter arrived and had it not been for Hagrid being sent to help me, I would have fumbled my way through my shopping trip. It didn't end there. Much of the first few months of my education was learning how to write with a quill and learning simple spells other children already knew. I was nearly done with my first year before I learned there were cleansing spells, so brushing my teeth wasn't always necessary." More chuckles and the speech was going just as Sirius had predicted. The group seemed to be going with him.
"We also need to learn to appreciate what the non-magical know that we do not. Paper is made from trees rather than parchment derived from animal skins. I understand that much of the parchment we purchase has been created by duplicating an existing piece, but it still is a lengthy process even to replicate it. Eventually, a new piece of parchment must be created. Paper is made from any kind of plant material, although wood is the most common. A new tree can be planted for each one which is cut down. If we employ magic, the trees can be more quickly grown so that forests aren't destroyed in creating our writing surface. If we used a renewable source, like bamboo, even less impact on the world would be felt.
"Also, as someone who can't write with a quill very well, I would advise we move to the non-magical devices of pencils, biros, and highlighters. They're far more economical, and the writing of students like me would improve markedly. There's also the added benefit of not needing small pots of ink in our bags, which tend to spill or ink blots on our assignments or exams." The journalists passed knowing glances back and forth. Everyone had experienced an ink spill in their Hogwarts days, and many still did. While it could be cleaned up with magic, if it spilt on parchment, a faint stain would always be there.
"The non-magical also have greater advancements in subjects we consider the domain of the magical. For instance, we can only study the stars we can see even if we use our telescopes. The non-magical have telescopes that orbit the earth and can see past what we see and into areas where new stars are being formed. And into galaxies which can only name, like our closest neighbour, Andromeda. These are some of the pictures I took with a digital camera attached to the telescope on a recent visit to a Muggle telescope." Sirius and Remus turned the enlarged pictures, which had been on easels with their backs turned to the group gathered to listen to Harry. There were oohs and aahs over the photographs.
"The non-magical can use our help too. For example, no one dies of cancer in the magical world because we can simply eradicate the tumour with magic. A healer could slip into an operating room, assist in the surgery, and leave and the prognosis for the person with the tumour would be much better. We could share so much while still abiding by the Statute of Secrecy." Harry paused, took a sip of the water sitting there for him, and moved forward.
"Now, to address the changes which are likely to take place on Monday when the Wizengamot meets for the first time since the wands disappeared, I believe our government needs to represent our population better. The make-up of the governing body has skewed distinctly toward those who come from strictly magical backgrounds to the exclusion of any who were non-magical born. When the group last met, there was a single member of the ruling body who was first generation magical, and they were only in the seat because it was one the Ministry filled with an employee. More people like me, with a set of magical and non-magical, than any other in the magical UK, but we are rarely seated in the Wizengamot. A few wives take over the seats when their husbands pass, and several individuals who fill the Ministry seats are of mixed heritage, but overall, there are simply too many old families who help make the laws. Inevitably these laws benefit those like them and often damage those new to magic.
"An example of this is the infrequency that those of non-magical heritage can obtain jobs of significance within the Ministry. With the help of Minister Bones, I reviewed all the workers within the Ministry who were in jobs above the entry-level for their department before the wands disappeared. I was surprised to find that less than five per cent were filled with people new to magic. I was further surprised to find that of those who left Hogwarts with more than three NEWTs, only twelve per cent of those new to magic were still in the magical world just five years after their schooling ended. Further, of that twelve per cent, most were employed by shops or Gringotts. We, as a society, are doing a horrible job of retaining those who are new to their magic after the age of twenty-five. Many of the jobs I found were created for magicals from long-time magical families often had no job descriptions, nor could Madame Bones tell me what they did. This is not a plan for success. To put it in simple terms, Purebloods took care of their own. We as a Wizarding world need to take care of everyone who lives in the wizarding world." Harry was finished with his prepared speech. His job was to raise points, get people thinking and hopefully, when the Wizengamot met, a bit of what he raised would be discussed.
"As I said when I began, these are my thoughts, and I want them seen as simply that, my thoughts. I haven't spent my life in the magical world, so sometimes it is easier to see the flaws when you see them with fresher eyes. I know many of you have questions, and please, follow the rules set by Madame Bones. I will not answer any questions regarding the night the wands disappeared; please don't ask me. Now, who should go first?" It was already decided that Harry would take his first question from the young woman from Witch Weekly since he knew she'd ask him if he had a girlfriend or what he looked for in a girl.
"You, in the lilac robes," Harry said, hoping he had named the right shade of purple.
"Tabitha, Witch Weekly," she said. "What would you look for in the perfect witch?" Harry inwardly smiled, just as he'd predicted.
"I want someone who can listen, someone who is kind to everyone and smart. I hope that the person I end up with is happy to engage in the simple things in life, like sitting in the warm grass and enjoying ice cream." Sirius, Remus, and Amelia refrained from showing it, but Harry's answer had surprised them, especially since he'd done just that last night with one of the young women living in the mansion. "Next question, you in the blue robes."
"Robert Wringwright, Weekly Prophet. What makes you think you have the right to dictate change to the Wizarding world?" His tone was rough, and he was a horrid shade of red that Harry had only previously seen on Uncle Vernon.
"I don't think I do," the young wizard continued. "As I said, these are my opinions, and I decided if I had to come and stand in front of you, I was going to talk about something which mattered to me. No one must take my idea further than reading about them in your paper, but I hope some will. We need to make changes, or we will be left behind in the modern world."
"What was it you said about seeing beyond the stars we can see, even with our telescopes? Is that true?"
"And you are?"
"Stella Singularity, World Astronomy News."
"It's true, Ms Singularity. A few weeks back, my pater, Sirius, took a few friends and me to visit one of the non-magical telescopes and the image through the eyepiece was astonishing, as you can see. Did you know that they have a telescope that isn't impeded by the earth's atmosphere, so none of the images looks wavy or distorted? It circles the earth in a geosynchronous orbit, and they share the images on a linked computer network to the world." Many of the journalists were confused by the idea of a computer, so Harry decided to put them out of their misery. "A computer is like a typewriter, but with it, you can save partially written documents or financial charts and come back to them in a day or a year. You can connect your computer to another to share your files."
"Mr Potter," an elderly woman in green robes piped up, and Harry turned to her and nodded. "Are all children who were raised as Muggles, er sorry, non-magical as insightful as you?"
"Well, my friend Hermione is, and so are some others I know who grew up without magic, but that doesn't mean we all are. Thanks for the compliment, though." The question, or comment, Harry wasn't sure which, made the tension break and the rest of the questions felt easier to answer. A few people were upset at him, but he kept his cool, and after about ten or fifteen minutes, Sirius and Amelia ended the press conference. Harry was quickly escorted to the DMLE offices, where he used Amelia's private Floo to go back home with Remus. Sirius was home about fifteen minutes later with lipstick on his collar and face.
ITWAU ITWAU ITWAU ITWAU
Sunday, 10 September 1995
"What are we doing, Sirius? Shouldn't we be getting a good night's sleep?" Harry asked as he and his pater met in the sitting room off Madame Longbottom's bedroom with her and Neville. The question was asked jokingly, as Sirius and Amy often retired 'early' to get a good night's sleep. Harry wished they'd just admit they were in a relationship, but neither said anything, so Harry and Susan didn't ask any questions.
"Hilarious, pup. No, Madame Longbottom and I want to prepare you for what might happen at the Wizengamot meeting in the morning. There will be significant machinations going on for seats, and while they do not directly affect either of you or your standings, you will be involved regardless." Sirius lifted a rather large book with what looked like bits of parchment sticking out at odd angles and laid it on his lap.
"What is that?" Neville asked.
"This is my great-aunt Cassiopeia's Book of Secrets. The woman knew more gossip than anyone in the wizarding world, and she wrote it all down. There is enough blackmail material in this book to make nearly every magical family hand over the keys to their vaults. No one knows I have it, but it was specifically left to me in her will since I was the person who cared for Auntie Cassie once my father died. I visited her weekly, even with the war going on. I fed her banana pudding and walked around the retirement home while she told me stories of the Black Family before the darkness set in. She made sure this book went to my vault when she died, even though I was in prison." Sirius sighed as he came back from his memory. "Everyone thought the Black family madness had taken her, but it was just show. The woman was as sharp as a tack. She died while I was...away." He sighed and then tapped the book on the book with his hand. "Auntie Cassie was a bit of a seer, and more than a fair bit of what she saw came true."
"Better than Trelawney then?" Neville said with a quirk of his eyebrow.
"Auntie Cassie actually had the sight; your professor happened to make a single – although powerful – prediction. Anyway, Auntie Cassie said that I would require her book when it was time to reshape the Wizarding world. I had no idea what she meant at the time, but now I do. So, we will judiciously use a bit of this information to make sure people behave as they should."
"Isn't that immoral or illegal?" Neville asked, and Harry nodded.
"No, it's just politics," Augusta said. "The most powerful house – because he bought loyalty – used to be the Malfoys. That was in the past. Now they have a lone scion, Draco –"
"Prat," Neville said under his breath.
"Prig," Harry did the same. Augusta merely raised her eyebrow at them and continued.
"-but he is underage, and there is no one to sit in the seat in his stead. In theory, Narcissa could, but we will ensure she will not."
"Why?"
"Lucius stole the seat from the Weasley family, and we believe it would be best if the seat reverted to its original family," Sirius said. "I don't need this book to make sure Narcissa falls in line as she is still drawing on the Black family gold for her monthly allowance. With the Malfoy vault closed to her, she and Draco live on my knut. Should she make waves, I will remind her that I don't need to pay her allowance. Arthur will need to choose a son to sit in the seat, I recommend Bill, as he has a seat as the head of the Welfare Department."
"Excellent," both boys said before breaking out in a hearty laugh. There was nothing like taking the blonde ponce down.
"Now, the Bulstrode family is in a similar position but more precarious, as their only scion is their daughter. Now, Millicent is too young to take the seat, but the real issue is that her mother was not married to her father," Sirius went on. "The woman going by Lady Bulstrode will attempt to buy favour with some of the houses to ensure she can sit in her husband's seat until Millicent is of age. Aunt Cassie, however, was prepared for this..."
Two hours later, Harry and Neville wandered off to their own rooms feeling rather amused and excited to be going to the Wizengamot in the morning. They'd decided there wasn't a wizarding family with at least something to hide, and the more outlandish the skeleton, the more the family would undoubtedly do to keep it in the closet.
