The Eighth Year Universe

Love Wins

The Public Reaction


.


BBC News at six o'clock. This is Rebecca Watts. Good evening.

This evening's main news story – witches and wizards live among us. In a ground-breaking press conference this morning, the Prime Minister unveiled a secret society that has been living among us for the past 300 years. Minister for Magic, Draco Black, spoke alongside the Prime Minister and assured the nation that this community poses no threat. While many questions remain, some crucial ones were answered by Harry Potter, the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.


.


Blacknot Castle

"The Muggles really like you, Dad."

Draco looked over at his youngest daughter and sighed, "Pops didn't last very long when he said you couldn't get a phone, did he?"

He gave Theo an exasperated look, but Theo raised his hands, "Hey, it wasn't me!"

They were sitting around the table having dinner together, and Dora was scrolling through the internet on the phone.

Ada leant back and smirked, "Aunt Daphne bought it for us, and she got Lilly to make sure that the 4G penetrated the wards."

"The what G now?" Theo asked.

"4G, you are not going to survive in the Muggle World," Ada muttered.

"Yeah, Pops," Dora parroted.

"Right," Draco held up a hand, "Firstly, how did you get Aunt Daphne to buy you a phone?"

Ada grinned mischievously, "Oh, it was really easy, actually…."

"Aunt Daphne," Ada said from where she was lying on a sofa in the drawing-room of Potter Manor.

Daphne looked over from the painting she was working on, "Mm-hmm?"

"Would you buy me a Muggle phone?"

Daphne frowned and removed her paintbrush from between her teeth, "Did you ask your dad about that?"

"Uh-huh," Ada replied.

Daphne looked between Ada and Dora, "And what did he say?"

Dora shrugged, "He said no, but it's vital if we're supposed to integrate ourselves with the Muggles properly, isn't it?"

Daphne shot Lilly an amused look, and the shorter woman chuckled, "Oh, absolutely."

"But," Daphne said, "If your dad said no, then his decision should be respected."

Ada rolled her eyes, "Oh come on, Aunt Daphne. I know he's your step-brother, but he's not the boss of you!"

Lilly snorted into her cup of coffee, and Daphne's hand froze halfway to her painting.

"Fine – iPhone or Samsung?"

"Really?" Draco asked in disbelief.

"She's like the easiest Aunt or Uncle to play," Ada said with a shrug.

"No, she isn't," Theo chuckled, "She just likes winding your dad up as much as you two do."

Hermione chuckled too, "What is the internet saying about your dad, then?"

"Mainly that he's awesome," Dora said, she made a face, "Clearly they don't know him that well."

"Dorothea," Sadie said in her 'I'm warning you' tone.

"#DracoBlackforPM is trending," Ada said, glancing down at the phone in Dora's hands.

"What's a hashtag?" Sadie asked.

"It's like a thing," Ada shrugged, "You use it on this social site called Twitter. Whatever hashtag is trending is the thing everyone is talking about."

Dora nodded, "And right now on Twitter UK, the top two hashtags are #DracoMalfoyforPM and #LoveWins."

"Never thought that Draco Malfoy, the boy I grew up with, would have given such a speech," Theo said with a shit-eating grin, "Love Wins, I mean, from Harry Potter? Yeah, that would figure, but from you?"

He shook his head and pretended to cry, "You've grown up so much!"

Draco smacked him around the back of the head playfully, and Ada and Dora laughed at their antics. The two of them were in an excellent mood this morning; they had been since the night the ministry was destroyed.

Ada shook her head and glanced down at the phone, "Some of the Muggles fancy you, dad, ugh, that's gross."

"That's so gross," Dora agreed, "They're calling him a DILF."

Draco raised an eyebrow, "What's a DILF?"

Hermione let out a loud, almost cackling laugh, which drew all of their attention to her.

Theo raised an eyebrow, "Well, somebody clearly knows."

"I know," Dora objected, "But I'm so not telling Dad what it means."

"Me either," Ada grumbled.

Hermione wiped tears of mirth from her eyes, "It's an abbreviation, Draco, commonly used when someone who is a father is found to be attractive."

Draco looked from her to Theo, "So the D is for 'Dad', what about the rest of it?"

Theo shrugged, "I could make a few guesses, but none of them are PG."

Hermione bit her lip in amusement, "It stands for 'Dad I'd Like to…"

Draco's eyes widened, "Oh…oh!"

Theo snorted and let his head drop onto the table as he started laughing too.

"Strangers are saying that about me?" Draco asked in disbelief.

"Young, hot strangers," Sadie said. She looked from the phone screen to Hermione, "Maybe we ought to be worried."

"Nah," Theo said through his laughter, "They'd never be able to deal with his ego."

Draco's cheeks were flushed, and he deflected by smacking Theo's leg playfully. Theo grabbed his hand and looked up at him in amusement.

"You're never living this down, I'm already planning every Christmas and birthday present for the next decade, and they're all gonna have DILF on them," Theo said, then he started giggling, and when he caught Hermione's eye, she started too.

Sadie was helpless, and she ended up laughing too.

Ada rolled her eyes and let her head drop onto the table.

"I can't wait to go back to Hogwarts!"


.


Breaking news on the hour here on the Wizarding Wireless Network!

It has been a hot topic of discussion since the destruction of the Ministry of Magic on what has been dubbed "The Night the World Began Again", but what was that ray of blue light?

Well, after much speculation, we finally have an answer. Today we spoke to Amberley Avery, a squib born into the Avery family who has maintained her place in the wizarding world due to her close friendship with Astoria Greengrass – the CEO of Greengrass Industries.

Amberley, who prefers to go by Amber, was at a party celebrating the wizarding world's exposure when she picked up a wand, and it sparked. When interviewed earlier today, she said…

"I was baffled, but the family were all urging me to try a spell. I thought it was totally stupid, but I tried to levitate something, and it actually worked. I was able to hold a feather in the air for a few seconds. I was bloody knackered afterwards, but I actually did magic."

According to a source known to have worked in the Department of Mysteries, this mysterious blue light seems to have been a ray of pure magic. Similar instances have been seen before and are even referenced in even Muggle literature – the night that Jesus was born, as the Bible depicts, for example. Often these events are passed off as alien encounters, but they have always remained mysterious to both the Muggles and us.

Now, it seems that the mystery is solved. This ray of pure magic restored cracked or empty magical cores. Several squibs have been clamouring at the doors of the Hermione Granger School looking for answers, and Headmaster Theodore Nott, who keeps a store of training wands for his elder students, has been more than happy to invite them in to test their newfound abilities.

As news spreads into the wizarding worlds, Squibs who may have been adopted and therefore remain unaware of their true parentage are expected to come forward too. Headmaster Nott is delighted by the prospect and spoke to us earlier today about it.

"It's amazing, and it's brilliant. I don't even care about logistics, to be honest. We opened a primary school, didn't we? Maybe we'll open a college and teach magic by night school! I'm just amazed by magic, by how sentient and wonderful it is. Since the wars with Voldemort, this country has needed to heal, and by itself, it hasn't quite managed, so the magic gave us a boost. Don't quote me on this, but we could well be entering a golden age of enlightenment, and for someone who has children growing up into that, I'm just thrilled about it."

As we rebuild, both on a physical and psychological front, Headmaster Nott's 'age of enlightenment truly seems to be achievable.


.


Blacknot Castle

"Why do I have to be the one to do this?" Hermione complained.

"Because you are the temporary Head of the Department of International Magical Co-operation, Princess," Theo said. He kissed her on the cheek and smiled, "And that means dealing with the Muggle press is your job."

"I really ought to change the name of that department now," Draco mused from where he was pulling on his robes, "I think Department of International Cooperation might be more fitting, given recent events."

"And I think we all know that there is nothing temporary about this job, Hermione," Sadie agreed. She was leaning in the doorway with a cup of coffee in her hands, "Tiberius McLaggen is not cut out for this kind of work."

"I know," Draco sighed, "I'm gearing myself up for that conversation. In an ideal world, he'll just agree to keep doing the brilliant job he's doing as Head of the DMLE, but…."

"This isn't an ideal world," Sadie finished. She pressed a coffee-to-go cup into Draco's hands and kissed him lightly, "It's politics."

"Hm," Draco agreed, "Thank you for the coffee."

"You're welcome. Please try and come home before it gets dark tonight," Sadie said, using that same reproachful tone that she did on the kids when they misbehaved.

Theo chuckled and pushed himself to his feet, "Best do as she says if you want an easy life."

Draco smiled and leaned forward to kiss Theo, "Shut up, Mr 'age of enlightenment," he murmured.

Theo grinned and kissed him properly, stalling Draco from running off to deal with politicians all day. Draco didn't object; he returned the kiss and stepped into Theo's space.

Hermione shook her head and looked over at Sadie, "Is it just me, or are they worse than ever?"

"Oh, they're definitely worse," Sadie said, but she was smiling in amusement.

Theo broke the kiss and admitted, "I told them not to quote me."

Draco chuckled, "Which means any reporter will quote you. Sometimes I don't know how you can be so intelligent but so thick, Theo."

Theo scoffed playfully, so Draco added, "It's endearing, but really?"

Theo grinned shamelessly, and Draco reached down to kiss Hermione. She leaned up and kissed him back quickly. Although she acted as if this was nothing, he could feel her nerves.

"Don't worry," He whispered in a reassuring voice, "It'll be fine. You are a natural when it comes to public speaking."

Hermione managed a weak smile in return, and Draco flung his scarf on, "I love you all, see you tonight, before dark!" he added, shooting a smile in Sadie's direction.

Theo clapped his hands and said, "Well, he's in a good mood today, and that's your camera all ready to go, Mione."

"You're sure it will work?"

Theo whacked his hand to his chest and looked horrified, "Am I sure it will work? Am I the man who invented a ground-breaking map of London?"

"Which got burnt to a crisp," Sadie pointed out dryly.

Theo snorted, "You think that's the only copy? I'm a paranoid old fart; I've got two spares."

Sadie raised an eyebrow, "Two? Isn't that a little excessive?"

"Knowing him, he probably has one in the house and another in his Gringotts vault," Hermione said, shooting him an amused look.

Theo rolled his eyes, "Am I really that predictable?"

"Yes," Sadie said. She smiled and crossed the room to kiss him, "But we love that about you. Even if your map is redundant now that the ministry isn't in London."

Theo smirked and kissed her softly. When he drew back, he said, "Still got an Order of Merlin for it though, didn't I?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and pointed out, "Yes, because it was brilliant. But you can't pretend it's the same as modifying Muggle technology to work around our wards.

"I know it isn't, but don't worry," Theo said with a warm smile, "I am sure that it will work."

It had been such a long couple of days, but somehow nothing could break their spirits right now. They had survived, and Theo and Sadie's magic had been restored. They didn't have the threat of a shorter life hanging over them, and nobody felt like they were living on borrowed time anymore. It was amazing how none of them had realised quite how heavy that weight was until it was lifted.

"Okay," Sadie said, stepping forward, "Let's get this laptop up and running. You go live to the Muggle world in five minutes."

Theo shot Sadie a grin, "While you're trying to figure out your new career, you might want to think about adding Personal Assistant to the list."

Sadie gave him an exasperated if amused, look, "Dream on."

Hermione laughed then took a breath to calm herself down. Theo flipped open the laptop and smiled over at her, "Don't worry, Princess, you'll be great."

Sadie squeezed Hermione's shoulder and added, "You always are."


A Recording Studio in London

"Hello and good morning!" A blonde woman chirped, "You are watching This Morning in Britain with me, Polly."

A grey-haired man smiled and said, "And me, Bill."

Polly smiled into the camera, "The world is still in shock after discovering that witches and wizards aren't just in our children's storybooks but living amongst us!"

Bill nodded, "It has been two days, and there have been so many heartwarming stories about families coming together and that real community spirit rearing its head between the magical and non-magical community."

Polly nodded too, "But of course, we still have so many questions! The Minister for Magic, Draco Black, gave a beautiful speech which is being dubbed as the 'Love Wins Speech' and it has captured the nation."

Bill laughed in agreement, "He has captured the whole nation, Polly. Minister Black seems, generally, to be very well-liked. He answered several of the questions on our minds during his speech, and so did the Headmaster of the only magical secondary school, Harry Potter."

"But," Polly cut in, "Today, we are joined by Hermione Black, the Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation within the Ministry of Magic - "

She took a breath, and Bill said, "Woah, that was quite a mouthful for you, Polly!"

"Bill!" Polly exclaimed as she tried not to laugh at the innuendo.

Bill laughed and motioned to the screen that was coming to life. After a few seconds, Hermione came into view in the castle's dining room. The signal was surprisingly good, and the picture very clear. She made a mental note to thank Theo later.

"Good morning, Mrs Black," Polly said politely.

Hermione smiled and replied, "Good morning, Polly, and please, call me Hermione."

Polly smiled and said, "Of course, Hermione. I'm surprised by how clear your picture is. When we spoke on the phone, you said connectivity may be a problem."

"I thought it might be," Hermione returned with a chuckle, "Generally speaking, magic and electricity do not mix well. Technology, in particular, is often short-circuited by magical wards on buildings like my home, but I have a brilliant inventor in my family who managed to get us all connected up."

"That's great because our viewers have got a lot of questions for you," Polly said, "But if you don't mind, starting by telling us a little about you?"

"Yes, of course," Hermione returned politely, "I was born as Hermione Granger, my parents met at a Shakespeare play, hence my unusual name. I grew up in St Albans in a non-magical community. My parents were dentists, and I went to public primary school. When I was 11, the Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry came to my house and explained to my parents and myself that I was a witch. She told me I was a Muggle-born which meant that I was a magical child, born to two non-magical parents. Muggle is the term that we use to refer to non-magical people, but it is an out of date, frankly disrespectful term, and I hope that soon changes."

Polly nodded eagerly, "So you had no idea that you were magical before you turned 11?"

"I think I had an idea that I was different," Hermione admitted, "But you don't really think that way as a child. My earliest memory of sensing that there was something different about me was when I was about eight years old, I had just read the Roald Dahl book 'Matilda', and I lifted my hand to try and make the furniture move around like she does in the book. When I closed my eyes and concentrated, my lamp floated then fell from the cabinet. My mother was furious, of course, and I didn't dare tell her what had happened, but looking back, I think that was when I knew."

Polly smiled broadly and asked, "And was it surreal, your first foray into the wizarding world?"

Hermione laughed and nodded, "Absolutely! Yes, it was so surreal. My parents took me to Diagon Alley, which was our shopping district. I had no idea where to go first. There were cauldron shops, book shops, robe shops and of course broom shops."

"So that cliché is true then?" Bill asked, "Witches fly around on broomsticks?"

"Some of us do," Hermione admitted, "But we don't use broomsticks as a method of transportation anymore. We use them for a sport that we call Quidditch, I cannot fly, and I am terrified of heights, so I am not the best person to describe Quidditch, but I would say that it is like rugby, but in the air and rather than scoring a try over the line, you have to throw a ball into a hoop."

Bill nodded, "That's…."

"It was a terrible description; I'm sorry," Hermione said sheepishly.

Polly chuckled and shook her head, "It is by far not the most pressing question. We have had tweets in from several of our viewers who are surprised that witches are not green or warty and that they look just like any other person."

Hermione laughed and nodded, "Yes, on the outside, we look the same as you. The only difference is the magical gene we carry. In our descendants, this is always present but sometimes dormant. That is why Muggle-borns like myself occur; magic can lie dormant in a family for a generation, as was my case, or for several generations until that gene activates once more."

Polly nodded, "But of course, safety is what is on the minds of most of our listeners. We have all seen what happens when humans get superpowers with the rise of superhero movies."

Hermione laughed and nodded, "Yes, but I hasten to add that this is different. We don't get injected with a serum and turn into a super-soldier or lose our parents and decide to become a vigilante."

Bill laughed, "Witches and wizards watch superhero movies too, then?"

"Oh, I have been subjected to plenty of them by my children," Hermione said with an easy smile, "Most of us are raised with magic around us from birth. We raise our children to understand how blessed we are to have magic but how dangerous it can be when misused. From the age of 11, magical children are taught how to use their magic, but also how not to use it."

Hermione paused for a breath, "Our Ministry operates much like your government does. We have a Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and within that, we have our Magical Law Enforcement squad, which is our police force. We also have our Aurors who are Detectives, but also our army rolled into the same department."

"That seems very efficient," Bill agreed.

"It is," Hermione assured them, "I will not lie and say that there have never been dark wizards because, of course there have been. But the threat they pose to the non-magical community is very low. When non-magical people have been targeted, it is because they are the family of a magical person that the dark wizard sees as a threat somehow. Our law enforcement team work around the clock to protect both the wizarding and non-magical citizens of this country."

Polly nodded and asked, "And what do you know of the mysterious blue light that was reported across the skies, the night the Ministry of Magic appeared and then disappeared?"

"Not much," Hermione admitted, "I know that it restored the magic in people that we call 'Squibs'. This term needs to change; it refers to someone born from two magical parents who possess no magic themselves. A lot of these people do not even realise because sadly, they are adopted by non-magical people at a young age."

Bill nodded and cut in, "Yes, it feels rather like a movie at the moment. All across the country, ordinary people are discovering the ability to levitate with their mind, or that they are stronger than they were a few days ago."

"Yes, this is how magic manifests itself, to begin with," Hermione agreed, "And we have a centre here which is helping anyone who is experiencing this. We want people to be able to control their magic, after all."

"To prevent the danger you spoke of earlier," Polly realised.

Hermione nodded, "Yes, exactly. We are just beginning to process the full extent of what happened. When a person has a full enough magical core, they develop a magical signature which is sort of like their DNA. We can trace people by this, and we are identifying all of the new magical signatures so that we can help everyone who has discovered their magic and prevent any of them from using this newfound magic for ill will."

Polly nodded and opened her mouth to ask another question, but before she could, a shriek sounded on Hermione's end of the line.

"ADA!"

Hermione did an excellent job of keeping her facial expression neutral instead of rolling her eyes, turning around, and shouting at her daughters.

"MUM!"

"Mum's on her news thing. Shut up, Ada!"

The two presenters struggled not to laugh, and Polly giggled when she caught Bill's eyes across the couch that they were sitting on.

Hermione shook her head and said, "One moment, sorry."

She got up and turned around, "Adeline, I am busy. This petty squabble that you and your sister are having can be dealt with by Pops."

"I'm on it!" Theo called from off-camera, "Ada, bedroom now. Dora – kitchen."

There was some grumbling, then Hermione turned around and sat down to face the camera once more, "I'm sorry about that, my youngest are twins, and everything has to be a battle."

Polly chuckled, "I think all of us working mothers have been there, but that does lead us onto some of the other questions our viewers have for you."

Hermione nodded. She already knew where this was going.

Polly smiled and looked at a card in her hands, "What other questions do our viewers have…oh yes, we all know, of course, that you are Minister Black's wife."

Hermione nodded, "I am, yes."

Polly nodded and looked up at the screen, "Some people have said they saw Minister Black embracing a dark-haired man after his speech who sources say is his best friend. There have been some rumours that he is involved in your relationship. Would you mind commenting on that?"

Hermione bit back a sigh, "I do mind because I don't feel I should have to. But because my husband and I are both public figures, I will explain."

Before she could say anymore, Theo pulled a chair up next to her and sat down, "No, you won't because it's not your job to explain that. Hi, I'm Theodore Nott, the minister's friend you just mentioned. I'm also the Headmaster of the Hermione Granger School for Young Witches and Wizards, named after this brilliant woman next to me, by the way."

Hermione fought a smile at the shocked looks on the faces of the two presenters.

Theo carried on brightly, "And I am leading the push to gather all Squibs with newly discovered magical powers into training themselves to control them. Our base is in London, and I'm paying the expenses of anyone in need of our assistance. You can check out the details online; our daughters have set up a Facebook page about it, which I'm told is the best way to reach out to people these days."

Hermione bit her lip and nodded, "Theo, you are waffling."

"Sorry, love," Theo said, he shot her a grin then looked into the camera, "So, Polly and Bill, in answer to those questions that your nosy but perceptive viewers have, yes, I'm involved in the Ministers relationship, and so is my wife, Sadie."

Sadie ducked down and waved to the two presenters.

"Hi!"

"You would have the whole family here if Draco weren't so busy in meetings," Theo said with a boyish grin, "But just to wrap it up – Sadie and I, we live here with Draco and Hermione. Between the four of us, we have six children. I think that's all the explanation that you really need. At the end of the day, we believe that people can love whoever they want and that there is no limit on the number of people that someone can love."

Polly smiled a little tearfully, "That's a beautiful sentiment. In that case, is the wizarding community more open than ours?"

Theo laughed, "No, absolutely not. Draco and I have had feelings for each other since the late 90s when we were in secondary school together. We didn't act on them until…."

"2005," Hermione added helpfully.

"2005," Theo said with a nod, "And even then, it wasn't exactly accepted within our community. Our friends and family didn't mind, but the wider world did. I wouldn't say that changed until a few years later."

Hermione nodded, "In 2014, we elected a man called Cygnus Greengrass as Minister for Magic. He was by no means a liberal minister, but he did push through some reforms on that front. It was only then that same-sex marriage was allowed by wizarding law, and I do believe that is around the time that same-sex marriage was legalised in your community."

Bill nodded, "Yes, but polyamorous relationships are still very much a rarely discussed thing here."

"Oh, same here," Theo said with a nod, "We are not the norm, not by any stretch of the imagination."

"I think the only way I can explain the difference between our world and yours is by comparing our world to Victorian Britain," Hermione admitted, "It's a strange analogy, but the wizarding world sort of got stuck when electricity was invented. We could not make electricity or technology work with magic, and somehow, we ended up stuck in the past. That accounted for our values too."

Theo nodded, "It wasn't that people weren't gay. They were, but they had to hide that. Our society has what ignorant people have always called 'pure-bloods'. These old wizarding families claim that they have never married into the non-magical community. Those people lived in their manor houses and wrote marriage contracts for their children. They married to provide an heir, and then they had an affair with the person they really wanted to be with."

"That seems so old-fashioned!" Polly exclaimed.

"Oh, barbarically so," Hermione agreed, "And the terrifying thing is that our," she gestured between her and Theo, "generation is the one that changed that. We were really the first generation to push for change and equality and vow not to write up marriage contracts for our children. Draco is pushing for even more change and would like that to become law. That is why the time is right for us to live side by side with the non-magical community because we are stuck in the past, like any civilisation forced into hiding, that stunted us. But now, it is time for us to live in the 21st century."

The reporter smiled and nodded, "Thank you so much for your time, Hermione, and you, Theo."

Theo bowed his head in response.


Blacknot Castle

Hermione snapped the laptop shut and let out a breath. She dropped her head onto Theo's shoulder and said, "Thank you."

Theo put his arm around her, "For what?"

"For being there," Hermione admitted. She kissed him on the cheek and got to her feet, "I didn't want to answer that question, so thank you for not making me."

Theo smiled and grabbed her hand, "No problem, Princess. You know I've always got your back."

Hermione nodded, then pulled him into a hug.


Oldeacre Care Facility

Surrey

Vernon Dursley was sitting in front of the television, grumbling and complaining as usual. None of the orderlies took any note as he changed the channel and muttered that there was nothing decent on tv these days.

He was an old man, unwell due to years of eating unhealthily and drinking too much beer. His son no longer spoke to him, and that was just fine because he'd gone and gotten himself mixed up with the same freaks that Harry Potter had done.

When the news broke about the wizarding world coming out of the shadows, he grumbled about it all day, but then he shelved it and forgot about it because he would be dead soon anyway.

"Vernon," An orderly called, "It's time for your medication."

Vernon grumbled about that too, so the orderly picked up the television remote, "Let's put the news on, hm? That always calms you down; you like the news."

"I'm not a ruddy child!" Vernon snapped irritably.

"Settle down now, Vernon," The orderly said kindly, "Let's take this medication and keep you calm."

Vernon grumbled and looked at the television, which was now showing a breaking news segment.

"Breaking news, just in. Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, has just announced plans to knight the two heroes who are acclaimed for leading the wizarding community out of hiding. Viscount Draco Abraxas Black and Marquiss Harry James Potter - "

Vernon growled and got to his feet, "That boy! That ruddy freak!"

The orderly tried to stop him, and Vernon knocked the entire tray of pills out of the man's hands.

In a pure rage, Vernon stormed towards the television.

"Vernon, calm down! Anger is bad for your heart!"

Vernon growled and picked up the television, then threw it onto the floor and stomped on it for good measure.

"That boy!" he said again.

Then he groaned and clutched his arm, "That ruddy boy!"

"We're going to need an ambulance in here. We've got a code blue!"

- TBC -