* ~ The Eighth Year Universe ~ *
Love Wins
Defending Battles and Hopeless Wars
The chapter title is from the song:
Road Between by Lucy Hale.
"Look who eventually decided to show her face!"
Daphne smirked over at Cheryl, "A witch is never late, nor is she early. She shows up precisely when she means to."
She flipped her hair out of the way and clicked up the stairs – dragonhide trousers flashing from beneath her robes and high heels clicking.
"Aunt Daphne, the pureblood Queen – quoting Lord of the Rings?"
Daphne stuck her head into the office that the Junior Curse Breakers shared.
"Charlie Nott, you watch your mouth, or I'll tell Bill exactly where you were last night."
Charlus's smug expression flickered for a second, "Touche."
Daphne glanced behind her and lowered her voice, "Seriously, Charlie, if he finds out the wrong way, he will curse you in ways I don't even want to think about. If you like the girl, do the right thing and if you don't, let her go."
Charlus nodded, "Right, I'll…I'll think about that, Aunt Daphne."
Daphne gave him a final warning look and then crossed the hall to the office she shared with Bill.
"Good morning."
"Is it?" Bill asked, flipping a file over irritably.
Daphne raised an eyebrow, "Is this a bad morning because you're hungover from last night or for other reasons?"
"Other reasons," Bill said, running a hand through his greying red hair and then rubbing his eyes.
"Victoire, you know my daughter, who apparently moved out last year?"
Daphne bit her lip in amusement, "Yes?"
"Well, she might as well have not moved out," Bill said with a roll of his eyes, "She walked in for breakfast this morning, like she bloody lives there, she doesn't."
"And she caught you and Lara doing something a child should not see," Daphne said with a grin, "In the kitchen?"
"In the kitchen," Bill muttered. He shook his head, "I could have cursed her."
"As it is, you probably just scarred her," Daphne said, smirking at Bill and sitting down opposite him.
"Hah hah," Bill said dryly, "Honestly, Daph, with Artie being at school, I thought we'd get some privacy."
"You shouldn't have had such a big gap between your kids then," Daphne said airily.
"Three out of four of mine are at school, and the other one is far too busy with work and Almina Nott to hang around the manor. Harry and I get lots of privacy."
"Not that you'd need it, what with your sex dungeon," Bill said, leaning back and grinning.
"Nobody has ever proven that comment of Lilly's to be true," Daphne said. She sipped her coffee and picked up a file, "Innocent until proven guilty."
Bill snorted, "Speaking of guilty. When did you last speak to Astoria?"
"Oh, about two weeks ago," Daphne said, she waved her hand, "She said she wasn't pissed off when I bumped into her at Greengrass House, but she's lying."
"Course she is," Bill grinned, "We bought her out. We don't have to answer to Greengrass Industries anymore. I'm surprised your father took it as well as he did."
"Well, he found it amusing. He likes watching Astoria getting taken down a peg or two every now and again. He thinks it's good for her humility," Daphne shrugged, "And he was Minister for Magic at the time, so he didn't really care much about the business."
Bill looked over at her thoughtfully, "He was a good Minister, you know?"
Daphne looked up, "I know."
Bill thought about his following words carefully, "You gave him a hard time when he ran, but he did a lot of good in his time in office."
"He also did a lot of things that people everywhere disagree with," Daphne shrugged, "Like not getting involved in the fight against the Statute Saboteurs."
"I agreed with him at the time," Bill admitted, "They hadn't touched Britain yet. Now they have; it's a different story."
Daphne looked up sharply, "What do you mean 'now they have', Bill?"
Bill sighed and opened up a file, sliding it across the large desk to Daphne. She swallowed as she looked down at the single sheet. It was a photograph of a small chest against a wall. The symbol that had become associated with the Statute Saboteurs was on the wall behind it.
"Cheryl sent a couple of people out last night to deal with it," Bill said quietly, "It had already cursed three Muggles."
"What kind of curse was it?" Daphne asked, looking up at him.
"Not one we've dealt with before," Bill answered, "They have found a way to use the Imperius Curse remotely."
"What?" Daphne hissed.
"It's like a pre-loaded curse," Bill explained, "The minute a muggle touches it, they get the implanted idea in their head, and they have to do it."
"And what idea did they implant in their heads?" Daphne asked in disbelief.
"To tell anyone who would listen that witches and wizards exist," Bill said darkly.
Daphne stared at him in disbelief.
"The Auror department has been informed. I took it straight to Harry myself. He's calling an emergency meeting today if I'm not mistaken," Bill continued, "The Muggles affected have had the curse removed. Any known contacts were obliviated, but we were lucky this time. We might not be so lucky next time."
Daphne shook her head and leant back, "Just look at what happened in Sweden. Two cursed items in the middle of town, and the local news was reporting that people were building pyres to burn the witches…."
"Which has me wondering why the hell they want the Muggles to know about us in the first place," Bill said irritably.
"I know," Daphne sighed, "What happens now?"
"We're on high alert, but beyond that? It's in the hands of the Auror department."
Harry was sitting at the desk in his office. Ben was lingering by the door, watching the heads of the different Auror divisions filter into the room.
Homicide was headed up by Jason Savage, a senior Auror who didn't want to go any higher than that.
Owen Cauldwell had moved over to Organised Crime and headed that up now.
Jackson Sheppard, John's son and prodigy in every way, was leading Vice.
Blanche Montgomery [formerly Zabini] ran Fraud. Her wife, Lux, had been working at the training centre ever since she had their twins; those twins would be starting Hogwarts in September.
Missing Persons was headed up by Ivy Montgomery, Arson by Jack Gibson, and Robert Wolfe himself was still plodding along, still running CPS. John had moved on now, he was back at the training centre, but Rob was quite happy where he was.
Harry looked out at them all and said, "We have a problem."
"Think we all figured that when we read the paper this morning, kid," Rob pointed out.
Harry sighed and flipped the board behind him, "Yes, I suspect you all read the story in the Daily Prophet. How they got hold of it before us is a mystery, but somehow they did."
The others all looked at the board behind him.
"Some people, my wife included, thought I was crazy to keep tabs on the Statute Saboteurs," Harry admitted.
"Those people, for the most part, thought that there was no point because the Statute Saboteurs wouldn't come here. But I fought a war, and I lost people I loved because people thought Tom Riddle was a misguided boy, they couldn't believe a dark wizard like Grindelwald would rise in this country."
There were several nods of agreement around the room.
"And, as it turns out, I was right to be worried," Harry said. He sighed and looked out at the Aurors. They had filled the small room up, "Because the Statute Saboteurs have, up until now, operated exclusively in mainland Europe. But this morning, we all read the paper and saw that there was a suspected attack in London."
Blanche sat forward, "Are we sure it isn't a hoax?"
"I wish it was, but Bill Weasley, of P&W curse breaking, put a report on my desk this morning, and it was very thorough," Harry said, his eyes darkening, "It wasn't a hoax."
He pointed to a photograph on the wall; it was of the 'crime' scene.
"He included this picture, and as you can see, the symbol is the same. He also tested the particles, and we checked them against the particles found on the walls of the crime scenes in Europe – it's a match. The symbol was painted on, by hand not with magic."
"And it's the same paint," Owen realised.
Harry nodded, "There was also a chest on the scene, and it contained a curse. One we haven't seen before."
Rob's eyes darkened, "The last time curses we hadn't seen before popped up, it was because Voldemort was teaching his Death Eaters new tricks."
"Yes," Harry agreed, "But right now, this hasn't reached that level."
"Not here, anyway," Ivy pointed out, "But in Hungary and Austria, where this all started? They've practically overthrown the Ministry."
"Ivy is right," Jackson spoke up, "Personally, I think they started in Hungary because that ministry toppled first. Three missing politicians and then suddenly, the Ministry declare an emergency Minister has been elected and that Minister starts pushing through more liberal reforms? Sorry, sir, but that screams of Grindelwald."
"He ain't wrong," Jack Gibson spoke up, "This whole thing screams of Grindelwald."
Jason nodded, "And not doing anything, not helping the European ministries, it isn't giving us a good reputation over there, boss."
Harry sighed, "I know that guys, I really do. Believe me, if it were up to me, I would have had boots on the ground in Hungary six months ago. But it isn't up to me. The Head of the DMLE has to take it up with the others head of department and the Minister for Magic, and Minister Greengrass would not budge on his stance to stay out of European affairs."
"But we have a new minister," Blanche said, raising an eyebrow at Harry.
"That new Minister has to gain the respect of the heads of department before any motion can even be put to the Wizengamot. We're stuck in the red tape here, and unfortunately, there is absolutely nothing that I can do about it," Harry said with a shake of his head.
Rob sighed but nodded his agreement, "What's this new curse these folks used then?"
Harry turned back to the board and pointed to some pictures, "In Europe, they used petty curses to give Muggles minor injuries. They targeted Muggles, using enchantments on them to tell their friends that witches and wizards exist. They even got Muggles to do their dirty work, imperiusing them into hurting Wizarding politicians."
He pointed at the chest in the photograph that had been taken in London, "This, though? It's some sort of weaponised imperius curse."
Ben frowned, "Surely that has always been a weapon?"
Harry looked up at his Assistant Head, "Not like this. It has always been a spell you cast on a person, nothing more. But this is something else. It is a pre-loaded imperius curse placed inside a chest. It is designed to put preconceived ideas into the heads of whoever touches it, whether that person is Muggle or Wizarding."
Owen was the first to verbalise the genuinely terrible consequences of that, and he did so profoundly.
"Fuck."
"Yeah," Harry agreed, "And now that they are targeting us, we need to take action."
Owen crossed his arms over his chest, "More patrols on wizarding streets then? Send the MLE squad out in their droves?"
"Don't refer to them like cattle, Owen," Harry said, giving the younger man an exasperated look.
Ben smirked and stepped forward, defending his Auror partner, "Why not? They do what they're told and move from place to place in uniform. They're exactly like cattle."
"They are also people, and it was outlooks like that which led to two wizarding wars in this country, Ben," Harry said, giving him a pointed look.
Ben nodded, "It was a joke, Harry, but I get that it's probably in bad taste right now. Owen is right, we can put more people on the street, but that's only going to act as a deterrent."
Harry sighed and said, "I don't know what more we can do right now."
"We need more scope." Ben said, shrugging, "But like you said, there's too much red tape."
"There is," Harry agreed, the cogs in his head whirring, "But we do need to do something on a wider scale, you're right. You are all right."
"You're talking about taking a task force to Europe?" Owen clarified.
Ben fell into step with his old Auror partner, "He's talking about tackling this at the source, in Hungary."
Harry nodded and looked back at the board, "This does scream of Grindelwald. You are all perfectly right. And the only way to stop these people getting as powerful as he was, is to tackle it now, at the source."
"I agree," Ben said. He uncrossed his arms, "And the only way I've ever known to cut through the red tape in this place is by putting pressure on the people who cut it."
Harry looked over at the younger man, "How do you suggest we do that?"
Ben waved his wand and conjured up a sheet of parchment, "A declaration – that the head of every Auror division wants to take action in Europe. The Wizengamot and heads of department can't ignore the entire DMLE after all, can they?"
Harry chuckled, "Benedict Smith, you're a goddamn genius."
Ben smirked and signed the parchment, "Course I am; it's why you made me your Assistant Head."
Harry smiled and leant back, "Yes, it is," he agreed.
When Draco had left, Harry had needed someone with the same mindset, the same outlook. The same pureblood upbringing, but rebellious streak. Draco had spent ten years training Ben to be his prodigy, so he was a perfect choice.
"What do you say then?" Harry asked the others. He looked around the room, "Are we taking the fight to the Statute Saboteurs?"
Owen nodded, "Yeah, I'm with you. I don't want another full-scale war," he said, signing below Ben's signature on the declaration.
"No, I don't either," Blanche said, picking up the quill and signing.
"Yeah, I'll back you too, mate," Jason said, signing underneath Blanche's name.
"Hey, you know you got my vote, boss," Jackson said as he picked up the quill.
Harry smiled slightly and looked up at the remaining Aurors.
"I agree," Ivy said, signing the parchment, "The last thing anyone wants or needs is another Grindelwald."
Jack nodded and took the quill from Ivy, "You're right, Harry. We've gotta do what's right," he said, signing the parchment.
Harry looked up at the only person who hadn't spoken yet.
"Rob?"
Rob sighed and leaned forward, "Honestly, kid, I'm scared to take this to the next level. Out of all of us folks in this room, I'm the only one who's lived through two wars, and I don't much fancy sending my son off to fight in a third one."
"And you think I do?" Harry asked. His eyes burned into Rob's, "Teddy and Nick are partners, Rob. Wherever one goes, the other is going to follow. I lived through a war, I ended that war and the last thing I want is to send Teddy off to do what I had to do as a kid. That's why I want to nip this in the bud now before it becomes another full-scale war."
Rob looked at Harry, "You really think this is going to go to all-out war otherwise?"
"It's starting just like it did with Voldemort the first time," Harry said quietly.
"Attacks on Muggles, politicians going missing, sketchy individuals getting high-ranking roles in Ministries. Those little attacks get bigger until it's out of control. Followers get amassed; it ends in a bloody battle. Unless we act now."
Rob rubbed his eyes and ran a hand through his hair. Being a werewolf had aged him faster than normal; his hair was entirely grey now.
He nodded and picked up the quill, "Alright, I trust you, kid."
Harry nodded and watched Rob sign the parchment, "Thanks, Rob," he said, meeting his mentor's eye, "I mean it."
Rob gave Harry a slight nod, and Harry put one final signature on the parchment – his own.
The others watched him with interest as he rolled the scroll up.
"I'll take this to Draco, and with any luck, we'll get his signature too," Harry said.
"As you said, the backing of the entire Auror department might be enough to force them into taking action," Harry added, his eyes on Ben.
Ben looked thoughtful, "We do have a new Minister for Magic now. That might make a world of difference."
"I'd hope it would," Blanche said, "Our new Minister doesn't seem the type to sit on her laurels and watch Europe burn."
"She isn't," Harry said firmly, "But it's the heads of department and the Wizengamot that need convincing now, not the Minister for Magic."
When Harry walked into the head of the DMLE's office, Draco seemed to embody his father for a moment.
He was sitting behind his desk, engrossed in whatever work he was doing. Without looking up, he somehow knew that it was Harry who had walked into his office.
"Why do I get the feeling you're not just here for gossip?" Draco drawled.
"Because I'm not," Harry replied.
He threw the roll of parchment down on Draco's desk, "That's a declaration, signed by the head of every division within the Auror department, including the Head and Assistant Head. You need to take it to the heads of department, and you need to convince them to act. Nobody is content to sit on their laurels anymore. The Statute Saboteurs have targeted us here in Britain."
"I know," Draco said darkly. He turned away from the window to look at Harry, "This, only a few weeks after they assassinated the Italian Minister….I can't shake the notion that it was a warning."
"You think they plan on targeting Hermione?" Harry asked.
"I don't know," Draco admitted, "It's a gut feeling, one I hope is wrong. I keep telling myself that it's the worried husband in me, not the doting Head of the DMLE to her Minister for Magic."
"But your instincts are good," Harry said, frowning slightly, "Has she increased her guard?"
Draco shook his head and rubbed his eyes, "No, I have subtly asked her to a few times. It hasn't ended well."
Harry sighed, "Well, you can give a Thestral fresh meat, but you can't force it to eat."
Draco rolled his eyes, "Isn't that the truth?" he muttered.
Harry nodded, his eyes meeting Draco's, "We need to act. Hermione needs to convince the Wizengamot-"
"Hermione needs to get through the emergency briefing I just called for 5 pm tonight with the Ministry Council before we go any further with this," Draco cut in.
"You called an emergency meeting already?" Harry asked, blowing out a sigh of relief, "Thank Merlin. I thought I might have to use that declaration to push you into acting."
Draco shook his head, "No, Harry. I am just as aware of the danger these people pose. I was a part of a political insurgent group as a kid, remember?"
Harry nodded and leaned against the desk, "What's the plan for this emergency briefing then?"
"Honestly?" Draco said, looking at his friend, "Convince the council to take this to the Wizengamot."
Harry sat down on the edge of Draco's desk, "You think you can?"
"I think maybe, between us, Hermione and I can," Draco answered, "But we have to face the fact that most of the other department heads are not going to want what we do."
"Oh, don't worry," Harry said, smirking up at his friend, "I'm sure Hermione is prepared for a fight."
Draco chuckled, "She will be, yes."
Harry smiled slightly, "I'm working on this as best I can, but without authorisation from the ICW to operate abroad, there's a limit to what I can do. If there's anything else you can do, then now would be the time to do it."
Draco sat down behind his desk, "I'll send a request down to the Department of Mysteries. The last time they lodged a research proposal, it was about reversing the effects of the Imperius curse without a counter-curse. I'll instruct them to change tact and focus on a way to do that en masse, ideally in liquid or gas form."
"Can't you just ask Sadie about it privately?"
Draco shook his head, "When she joined, she named her 'one' person, and that's Theo. She took an unbreakable vow to keep the secrets of the department. If she talks to anyone apart from him about it, she'll die."
"Jeez, talk about safeguarding," Harry muttered.
"With the sort of things it's rumoured that they do down there, are you really surprised?" Draco quipped.
"No, not at all."
"Sadie!"
Sadie turned around as Natasha Wolfe strolled towards her with an envelope in her hand.
"Memo from up on high."
"How high?" Sadie asked.
"Way higher than me," Natasha said, shooting Sadie an amused smile.
"Who's above you, Addie Weasley?"
Natasha turned around and looked at her colleague, Briar Gibbon. Briar was almost 30; she was Lacey's best friend and, coincidentally, a close colleague of Sadie's. She hadn't quite hit Senior Unspeakable yet, but she would soon. She had come to the role later in life, like Sadie had, having worked as an Auror in CPS straight out of school.
"Bold of you to assume she was the top in our relationship," Natasha muttered.
"She's a lawyer," Briar said with a grin, "A scary, leather jacket, high heel wearing lawyer. You're just a little biker chick with a moped."
Sadie frowned, "Wait, what did you mean was?"
Natasha shrugged, "We broke up last week."
"What?" Briar asked in disbelief, "I thought it was true love!"
"Briar," Sadie said, giving the younger woman a warning look.
"There's no such thing as true love," Natasha said bitterly.
"Not at your age anyway," Briar agreed.
"Or yours, apparently," Natasha bit back.
Sadie shook her head, "Ladies, some decorum, please."
Briar grinned mischievously, "What's in the letter?"
"Only the queens themselves know," Natasha replied, "It's marked top secret, for the eyes of Senior Unspeakables only."
"Well, I'm almost one-"
"Doesn't count, Briar, sorry," Sadie cut in, giving her an apologetic smile.
Briar made a face and grabbed a robe before pressing her hand against a pad to allow her access into the Time Room, "Fair enough. Want to go and experiment with some space-time continuum shit, Nat?"
"Hell yeah."
"You better be kidding!" Sadie called as the door buzzed.
"Course we are. We're just gonna check the timeline for anomalies," Briar said, shooting Sadie a smile and disappearing into the room with Natasha.
Sadie frowned and pushed the swinging door into her office open, "Regina? You here?"
"One sec!"
A connecting door opened, and Regina Rowle walked in wearing safety goggles and an apron. She pushed the goggles up onto her dark hair and surveyed Sadie with curious, blue eyes. Regina was a unique person, a pureblood taken in towards the end of her childhood by Lupin House. She had spent every summer there and had always been relatively close to Harry because of that. In her seventh year, she had entered and won the Triwizard Tournament, making her the first Slytherin in history to do so. Then, when she left school, she became an Unspeakable, and despite the ten year age gap, she and Sadie had become instant friends.
"What's up?"
"Memo, for the eyes of Senior Unspeakables only," Sadie said.
Regina pulled the office door shut and frowned, "They only do that when it's something really bad."
"I know," Sadie said, opening the memo and stepping back.
Surely enough, it wasn't a paper message but a recorded one. It projected an image onto the wall, a picture of the crime scene where the cursed box had been found.
Accompanying the image was Draco's voice.
"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I have to hurry your research on remote ways to break the imperius curse. This box carried a weaponised version, capable of carrying a pre-loaded imperius curse to implant the same idea into the minds of anyone who touched it. We need a way to break it, preferably in gas or liquid form, and we need it now."
The picture disappeared, and Regina looked at Sadie, "So your hubby doesn't know that we're nowhere near?"
"He's not my husband; he's Theo's husband," Sadie said, giving Regina an amused look.
"But no, he doesn't have any idea," Sadie admitted, "I don't talk about my work at home unless I really have to. You know our rule, Regina, we can only talk to one person about what we do here, and there are three other people in my relationship. It's why I'll only vent to Theo about work if I have to."
Regina sighed, "Well, looks like we're putting some late ones in the lab then."
"Yeah," Sadie agreed, biting her lip anxiously, "It looks like it."
"Hey, we'll get it done," Regina said confidently, "We always find a way, so don't worry too much."
"It's not that I'm worried about," Sadie admitted, looking at her friend, "It's my daughter, Almina, she's an Auror, and this has gotten to this point…."
Regina nodded, "There's a chance she's going to have to fight these people."
"Yeah," Sadie said quietly.
"Well, if she's anything like either of her mothers, she'll kick their arses," Regina said, smiling warmly at Sadie.
Sadie managed a weak laugh in response, "Thanks, Regina. Pull Briar and Nat out of the time room for the moment. We need all of our best minds in the research lab."
"On it."
Even if she appeared calm on the outside, Draco could tell that Hermione was nervous when she took her seat that evening for the emergency briefing with the Ministry Council.
Draco couldn't blame her for that either. Hermione had been in this room before. She had sat at this round table but as the head of a department, never as the Minister for Magic.
The table was round and stone-made, covered in runes. Some people said it was the legendary round table. It was undoubtedly hidden away well enough to be a relic. The room they were in now, lit by gas lamps alone, was in the depths of the ministry, as low as the courtrooms.
When Hermione walked into the room, everyone rose to their feet and remained there until she was seated. She bowed her head and lowered her hand, and they all sat down once more.
Hermione raised her head and looked at the seven people sitting around the table with her. She knew as well as Draco did that she was going to have a fight on her hands.
"Good evening," Hermione said calmly, "Thank you all for coming."
Mafalda Hopkirk, the fossil who ran the Department of Magical Catastrophes, bowed her head, "Indeed. It is rather unfortunate that an emergency meeting of the council has been called so early into your tenure as Minister, Mrs Black."
Hermione's eyes flashed, "It is unfortunate, Mafalda. But if it is quite alright with you, I would prefer you use my first name or refer to me as Minister. I fought to become Minister for Magic. I most certainly did not have it handed to me because I fought with Harry Potter in the war or because I am the wife of an upstart pureblood."
Draco's eyebrow quirked up at the phrase 'upstart pureblood', but he said nothing.
"My apologies, Minister," Mafalda said curtly.
Hermione cast her gaze forward and continued.
"The Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement has called this emergency meeting due to the recent actions of the Statute Saboteurs, a little closer to home than we would like."
She looked at Draco, who nodded and said, "We got word this morning of an attack on London. A cursed chest, marked with the logo we know the Statute Saboteurs are using. The Aurors matched the particles on the logo to those found in crime scenes across Europe, and it matched. What we are dealing with is real; it is not a hoax. Thankfully, on this occasion, the Muggles afflicted were cured, and those they spoke to obliviated, but this reflects a bigger problem."
"Why?" Tiberius McLaggen, who was now Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, asked, "Why is this our problem?"
Draco fixed him with a stern look, "Because the curse they put on that chest is unheard of. Both here and in Europe. They weaponised the imperius curse. In that box was a pre-loaded imperius curse. It was engineered so that everyone who touched that box got a specific idea in their head – the idea to tell everyone they knew that witches and wizards existed. Now, this was one chest, placed in the dead of night. They knew we would find it before too much damage could be done. This wasn't a serious attack; it was a warning."
"Then we should heed it," Mafalda said.
Michael I Corner, who was the Head of the Department of Magical Transport, leant forward, "I was a young man when He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named rose to power. People believed his attacks on Muggles were a warning too. They thought if they appeased him, he would stop, but he didn't."
Hermione fixed him with a look and nodded, "You are right, Michael, but please call him Voldemort. He has been dead for over 20 years now. We have no reason to fear him anymore."
Tiberius scoffed, "With all due respect, Riddle was a psychopath who was obsessed with power. These people are not like him. They have a goal-"
"And they will do anything in their power to achieve it," Charlie, who had replaced Hermione as Head of the Department for the Care and Protection of Magical Creatures, said.
"Just like Grindelwald and his followers did."
"Charlie is right," Draco said, "Do we really want to take the risk of waiting too long again?"
"We did not wait too long with Grindelwald," Mafalda objected, "He was defeated by Dumbledore before he could come to Britain."
Hermione sighed, "With respect, Mafalda, recent knowledge has proven that Albus Dumbledore very nearly did not defeat Grindelwald. If it were not for Newt Scamander, he would not have had that chance. We cannot pin our hopes every time there is any suspicious activity on a mythical hero riding out of the mist to save us. Be that Albus Dumbledore or Harry Potter."
"Still, Minister," Tiberius said distastefully, "I agree with the previous Minister's opinion that this is a continental problem. Should we heed the Statute Saboteurs' warning, I believe they will leave us alone."
"Until they can't," Hermione cut in, "Don't you see? They want freedom. They want to rip down the International Statute of Secrecy. They will not stop until they do that, and if we do nothing now, then we are allowing that to happen."
There was silence around the table, and Hermione surveyed them.
"What do you think will happen to us when the Muggles find out?" Hermione asked, "What do you think will happen to our way of life? Because I can guarantee you, Tiberius, that they will not be won over by your money or your mansion. They will fear you, they will see you as a threat, and they will eliminate you."
Tiberius raised an eyebrow, "This coming from our most liberal Minister yet? So the papers say."
Hermione laughed darkly, "I may be liberal, but I am also a Muggle-born. I know Muggles. I know the best of them and the worst. Muggles fear what they do not know, and I am sorry Tiberius, but it does not matter how much power we have. It does not matter how many powerful witches and wizards we have on our side. If the Muggles drop a nuclear bomb on Diagon Alley or Hogwarts, our wards will merely blunt the explosion. People will die, and wizarding society will be decimated to a mere few in minutes. This threat is real, and we need to accept that."
Gwenog Jones, the Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports, nodded.
"I have witnessed a Muggle attack," She said quietly, "When our wards slipped during a Quidditch game, and a seeker flew too high. She was shot from the sky by an aerial device with so much power, she died instantly."
Gwenog pushed her hair back, "And I was left with this scar."
A circular burn mark covered one side of her neck. She looked up at the others and said, "If this is what one of these aerial devices could do, imagine what they could do on a wider scale."
"Muggles do fear what they don't know," Charlie agreed, "And they fight wars across the globe, frequently. If we go to war with them, we won't win."
Hermione bowed her head and tried her best not to catch Draco's eye across the table. She clicked her fingers, and the lights in the room dimmed, "I believe the time has come for us to make a decision. All in favour, raise your wands."
She held her wand towards the sky, and Draco followed suit immediately. Charlie, Michael and Gwenog each did the same.
He hesitated for a moment, and then Tiberius raised his wand too. He cast his gaze over Mafalda and said, "It is the only way to preserve our way of life."
With a reluctant sigh, Mafalda rose her wand too.
With this, their eyes all fell upon the final figure, the one who never spoke. They were the heads of the Department of Mysteries. Nobody knew who they were because they wore a black cloak that covered their entire head. The representative was shrouded in darkness and mystery. Most of the people in the room did not know if they could talk.
As such, most of them were surprised when a voice came from beneath the cloak. It was disguised, distorted, almost like the person was speaking from the bottom of a lake.
"The future depends on how we act in the present."
Before anyone could ponder those words, a hand extended from beneath the cloak. It was gnarled, like the hand of a dementor, but it held a wand that it raised towards the sky.
"Then it is decreed," Hermione said, holding her wand out towards the middle of the round table. Everyone else did the same. When all wands were aligned, a beam of silver light shot from them, combining into a silver orb in the centre of the table.
The stone retracted slightly, and the orb slid into the table, rolling down a concrete chute to be stored somewhere that only those who worked in the Department of Mysteries knew about.
The action would alert the Wizengamot to the fact a motion had been called by the Ministry Council.
Now, all they had to do was win the vote.
"Upstart pureblood?" Draco said, smirking as he fell into step with his wife on their way out of the Ministry that evening.
"Well, you are an upstart pureblood, darling," Hermione said, shooting him an amused smile.
Draco chuckled, "And you are a Minister for Magic who is going to make waves if you tread carefully."
"Great leaders don't tread carefully, Draco," Hermione pointed out.
"No, but treading carefully does ensure you don't get assassins coming after you," Draco said, lowering his voice.
"That happened in Italy, Draco. It did not happen here," Hermione said, giving him an exasperated look.
"Yes, Hermione, it is what happened in Italy," Draco agreed. His eyes met hers.
"It happened to a liberal Minister, just like you, who publically stated they would not stand for terrorism. Now that's practically what you just preached in that room. If you preach that to the Wizengamot on a radio broadcast, who do you think they are going to come for next?"
"While I acknowledge the possibility, Draco, I am not going to hide behind a wall of Aurors," Hermione said firmly.
"I didn't during the war when Voldemort hated me because of the blood running through my veins, and I won't now either."
Draco grabbed her hand, "Hermione, do you really not understand what this is? I'm asking you. Merlin, I'm begging you to increase your personal guard because maybe you don't want to appear weak, but I cannot handle losing you."
Hermione looked at him, and although they were in the atrium of the Ministry where she would usually refrain from acts of affection, the pain in his grey eyes made her heart ache. She pushed herself onto her tiptoes and kissed him softly, wrapping her arms around his neck. Draco leant into the kiss, deepening it and letting his hands drop to her waist.
When Hermione broke the kiss, she rested her forehead against his and whispered, "You won't lose me, I promise."
Draco opened his eyes, and they shone with tears, "Don't make me promises you can't keep."
"I never make promises I can't keep," Hermione promised, her voice soft and quiet, "If things get worse, if there are more attacks, I will increase my guard, I promise."
Draco swallowed and nodded.
"And for now, I'll stick with the one Auror on guard duty," Hermione said, pulling away a little to smile at him, "If Harry Potter can't protect me, then no one can."
- TBC -
