The Eighth Year Universe
Love Wins
What If We Rewrite the Stars?
The chapter title is from the song:
Rewrite the Stars - Zac Efron, Zendaya (From The Greatest Showman)
Blacknot Castle
25th of September
When Theo woke up the morning after the twin's party, the first thing he did was jump out of bed and run to the bathroom. After hanging over the toilet for ten minutes, he dragged himself back into the bedroom and flopped on the bed with a groan.
"I think I drank too much whiskey last night."
"I know you drank too much whiskey last night," Draco muttered from his side.
Theo made a face and asked, "Did anything happen last night?"
Hermione, who was now wide awake thanks to all the noise Theo was making, got to her feet and threw on a robe, "Oh, something happened last night all right, Theo."
Theo looked at her warily, "Yeah?"
"Yeah," Hermione said. She shot him an exasperated look, "We came to bed, then you threw up and passed out."
Theo grimaced, "Shit, I'm sorry."
"So you should be," Sadie muttered as she rolled over in bed.
Theo rubbed his hands over his face and asked, "Did anything happen…after I passed out?"
"Oh, yeah," Sadie said as she got to her feet and grabbed her robe, "It was amazing, wasn't it?"
"Mind-blowing," Hermione agreed.
Draco grinned into his pillow as Theo groaned.
"Really? And I missed it?"
Draco sat up and smacked Theo around the head playfully, "No, you idiot, we didn't do anything."
"We cleaned up your mess," Sadie said, giving him a reproachful look, "Then we went to sleep."
Theo had the decency to look sheepish, "Sorry…I'll, uh, I'll make breakfast as an apology?"
"Great idea," Hermione said, shooting him a vaguely amused look then stepping into the bathroom.
Fifteen minutes later….
Theo was sitting with his head resting against the cold wooden table while a house-elf made breakfast. Hermione and Draco were drinking their coffee and talking idly, and Sadie was drinking gallons of water and looking as green as Theo.
There was a general commotion upstairs, then twin footsteps graced the stairs, and Ada and Dora stepped into the kitchen in their pyjamas.
"Morning," Ada chirped, and her voice seemed a little more piercing than usual; Sadie winced.
Dora grabbed a slice of toast from the table and said, "Do we even want to know what you guys were doing last night?"
Hermione frowned over at her, "Uh…we weren't doing anything?"
"What was all the banging about then?" Ada asked.
"Banging?" Sadie echoed.
Dora nodded, "And the weird screaming noises."
Hermione laughed, and Draco snorted into his coffee.
"That," Hermione said with an amused smile, "Would have been your father."
"Your Pops, I hasten to add," Draco said, "Not me."
"He overindulged in the family whiskey barrels last night," Hermione said as she fought her laughter, "And the banging noises you heard were us attempting to roll him into bed."
"The screaming noises," Draco said, "Did they sound like the dying yells of a red panda?"
"Uh…yes, now that you mention it," Dora said with a slight frown.
"That was your Pops drunkenly changing into his Animagus form to try and escape us, but running into the glass balcony door," Draco remarked matter of factly.
Ada and Dora both burst out laughing at that, and Theo lifted his head, only to let it drop down against the table again, "I want the ground to swallow me whole."
Sadie groaned, "Can you all stop being so loud, please?"
As those words left her lips, Cas stepped into the room and surveyed the scene. He raised an eyebrow and grabbed himself a glass of pumpkin juice.
"And that, children," He said, motioning at Theo and Sadie, " – is an example of the dangers of alcohol poisoning, Don't drink, kids."
He patted Ada and Dora on the back then stepped into the pantry.
"That boy is you through and through," Theo muttered.
Draco smirked proudly, "I know he is."
Theo lifted his head long enough to sip some water and utter, "I'm so embarrassed."
"So you should be after your singing last night," Sadie remarked.
"Singing?" Theo asked sharply, "What singing?"
"Oh, so you don't remember Susan and Caroline announcing their engagement and you deciding to serenade them with your version of Frank Sinatra's My Way?" Hermione asked matter of factly.
Theo looked up in horror, "No, I didn't. did I?"
"You did," Draco smirked, "It's been a while since you were that far gone. When was the last time you sung on a table…your 30th?"
"Yeah," Theo said. He scratched the back of his neck and muttered, "At least I remembered that, though."
"Well, I don't think anyone else is going to let you forget your display last night," Hermione said, shooting him an amused look.
Theo groaned and let his head drop onto the table once more.
Potter Manor
25th of September
Daphne felt less like the Ice Queen and more like a thawed wreck when it came time to say goodbye to Alastor. She knew he wasn't going away forever, but Brazil felt a world away even with magic.
He was due to leave that morning, but he was still upstairs pottering around and getting everything ready. Neville and Lilly had stayed over the night before, knowing fine well that today was the day Alastor left.
Daphne was the first up, naturally, and when Lilly stepped into the kitchen, she was making tea aggressively.
Lilly raised an eyebrow and poured herself a cup of coffee, "Tea doesn't fix everything, you know?"
"It fixes most things," Daphne returned stiffly, "Green tea slows down your metabolism; camomile helps you sleep. Elderflower tea can cure a common cold. Lemon balm helps with stress, and ginger tea reduces nausea."
Lilly grabbed Daphne's hands to stop her from stirring her tea excessively, "And no tea can stop your baby boy from going off into the big wide world, Daphne."
"Shut up, Lillian."
Lilly didn't relent, though, "Sorry, Marchioness Potter, the truth hurts."
Daphne sighed and turned around to look at Lilly. She rested against the work surface and shook her head, going into a rant just as Harry and Neville stepped into the kitchen.
"It's not like it's a short hop to Brazil, Lilly!" Daphne exclaimed, "This isn't the same as Teddy practically living with Nick, but still being in the house every other day for his dinner or to get his washing done! It's not Andrea, thinking about living on-site at St Mungo's in the same country."
Harry stepped forward, ready to either hug Daphne or disarm her.
"It's Brazil," Daphne said quietly, "Do you know how long it takes to get there?"
The other three all shook their heads, and Daphne replied, "10 hours if you're lucky, 12 if you end up stuck waiting in an apparition centre for a long time. Do you know how many apparition centres you have to go through to get to Brazil?"
They shook their heads again, and Daphne said, "Four. You start in London, and then you need to go to the Spanish centre in Barcelona. From there, it's on to the Nigerian centre in Lagos. Then you can travel to Brazil."
She shook her head and pushed herself off the counter, "It's in a different hemisphere!"
Harry sighed and pulled Daphne into a hug, "I know, baby, but this is Alastor's life we're talking about. Do you think Newt Scamander got to be where he did by staying in the UK where it was safe?"
Daphne shot him a long look, "Newt Scamander got to be where he was by getting involved in a very dangerous international war with Grindelwald, Harry."
Neville stepped forward, "That's not what Harry is saying will happen, Daphne. He just means that sometimes, our kids need to venture further than we would like for them to achieve their dreams."
Daphne sighed and said no more on the subject because the kids started to come in for breakfast. Alastor was the last to appear, and while the Longbottom trio ate breakfast, the Potters were a little more subdued. Thea did eat, but she didn't seem herself, and Andrea absentmindedly pushed her cereal around her bowl.
Just as Daphne was at the point of sending Harry upstairs to make sure Alastor hadn't done a run for it without saying goodbye, the floo roared to life, and Teddy stepped through it.
He smiled at his parents and Neville and Lilly, "He hasn't left yet, has he? I wanted to say goodbye."
"I haven't left yet," Alastor said from the doorway.
Everyone spun around to look at him, and he rolled his eyes, "I wasn't expecting the full red carpet. You know I'm not leaving forever, don't you?"
Daphne sighed and stepped forward to hug her son, "You don't think you are, but if you meet someone out there…."
Alastor pulled back from the hug and smiled, "Then I would bring him home and introduce him to my wild and crazy family. This is my home, Mum, I'm not leaving forever," he promised.
Daphne smiled tearfully and kissed him on the cheek, "Do you have everything you need?"
Alastor nodded and shoved his hands in his pockets, "Yeah, I'm all good to go."
Thea looked up at him and smiled, "Don't get yourself killed by an evil plant, alright?"
"Don't get yourself in a relationship with another twat, yeah?" Alastor countered.
Thea chuckled and got to her feet to hug her brother, "Deal."
Alastor drew back and smiled over at Andrea, "Am I getting a hug, Andie?"
Andrea sighed and got to her feet, "You're abandoning me."
Alastor shot her an amused look and held up a handheld mirror, "No, I'm not. The minute Freddie Wood starts annoying you, get on this and have a bitch. Whatever hour of the day it is, I don't care."
Andrea smiled weakly and stepped forward to hug her brother tightly. They had grown up like twins, always going through Hogwarts in the same year.
"I'm going to miss you, Al."
Alastor smiled a little tearfully, "Yeah, I'll miss you too."
Teddy clapped Alastor on the back, "We'll all miss you," he said, drawing his little brother into a hug, "But if you do get together with Swann Avery, let me know. I've got 20 galleons riding on that."
Lilly snorted, and Daphne admonished, "Teddy!"
Teddy grinned shamelessly, and Alastor laughed.
Neville held out a hand and smiled. Alastor grabbed it and shook it.
"Good luck."
"Thanks, Uncle Nev," Alastor said gratefully.
Lilly stepped forward to hug him and kiss him on the cheek, "Stay in touch, alright?"
"I will, Aunt Lil," Alastor promised.
He looked over at his parents – Daphne had tears running down her cheeks, and Harry smiled tightly at Alastor, in the way he did when he was trying to keep his emotions in check.
Harry held out his hand to his son, and Alastor shook it.
"You're going to be great," Harry promised, "Have fun out there, and be safe."
Alastor nodded and swallowed a lump in his throat. He looked from his father to his mother and stepped forward to hug her once more.
"I'll miss you, Mum," He whispered.
"I'll miss you too, sweetheart," Daphne returned.
Alastor squeezed his eyes together tightly and said lowly so that only she could hear him, "Thanks for choosing to be my mum."
Daphne nearly burst into tears then, but she managed to keep it to a watery smile. Alastor drew back from the hug and slung his bag over his shoulder, and Daphne gave him a slight nod – a silent sign of approval.
Alastor blew out a breath and threw some floo powder in the fire.
"See you all soon," he promised.
Then he stepped inside, said, "The British International Apparition Centre!" and disappeared in a puff of green smoke.
Teddy scoffed and leant back against the kitchen table, "She didn't cry when I moved out or on my wedding day."
Andrea shook her head in mock disbelief, "And she doesn't even care that I'm moving to London."
Thea tutted and said, "I guess we all know who the favourite child is then."
Daphne smiled tearfully and looked over at her children, "Oh, shut up and eat your breakfast."
Thea grinned, "Mum's back."
Harry chuckled and pulled Daphne into a hug.
"He's gonna be okay," He promised.
And for the first time, Daphne started to believe it.
Blacknot Castle
26th of September
When Cas stepped into the kitchen to find Ella frying up breakfast, he raised his eyebrows.
"That for me?"
Ella scoffed, "No, it's for Dad and Pops."
"What's the occasion?" Cas asked.
"I'm going back to Egypt today, and I need them not to cry their eyes out about that," Ella said, shooting her brother an exasperated look.
"Huh," Cas mused, "I never realised the forethought that went into appeasing our fathers."
"You have no idea," Ella muttered, "Just wait until it's your turn to leave."
Cas snorted, but before he could say anything else, their parents stepped into the kitchen and surveyed the spread in front of them.
Sadie narrowed her eyes at Ella, and Draco raised an eyebrow.
"What have you done?" They asked in unison.
Hermione shook her head, "No, wrong tense."
Theo nodded his agreement and pointed the finger at Ella, "What are you planning on doing?"
Ella smiled sheepishly, "Well, I promised I would stay for Ada and Dora's birthday, but that's over now, and the international ban on travel has been lifted, so I'm all packed, and I'm going back to Egypt tonight."
Theo sighed but nodded, "That was inevitable."
"And we're always going to be sad when you go, Ella," Draco added, "But we know why you need to."
Ella let out a relieved breath and sank into a seat at the kitchen table, "Thank Merlin for that."
"Did you really cook all of this because you thought we would be mad?" Hermione asked, looking up at her daughter with an amused smile.
Ella bit her lip and shrugged, "No, I cooked all of this to stop Dad and Pops crying."
Theo snorted and stabbed a bit of bacon, "How can I cry when I've got a plate of bacon in front of me?" he asked, shoving the entire piece of bacon into his mouth.
"Beast," Sadie muttered under her breath.
Ella poured herself a cup of tea and laughed, "Can you guys promise me something?"
They all looked over at her, and Ella smiled mischievously, "Don't try and save the world, or almost die when I leave this time. Okay?"
Theo chuckled and countered that with, "Don't get knocked up before you can finish your course."
He ducked as Sadie and Hermione both tried to smack him in the head, and he shot a grin in Ella's direction. She shook her head but smiled fondly at him.
"Pops, will you ever learn?"
Theo grinned and shook his head.
"Never!"
St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies
The Diana Maternity Ward
27th of September
A knock sounded outside Lilly's office door while she was reviewing the notes of one of her patients. Without looking up, she called, "Come in, Michael."
The office door opened, then swung shut behind Michael. He stepped in, looking every part the CEO and Chief of Staff in a deep green three-piece suit.
"Trying to embody Draco Malfoy, are you?" Lilly joked.
Michael sat down opposite her, "Trying to embody the hospital colours, actually."
"Well, it is your first day in charge. I suppose you wanted to make a good impression," Lilly remarked. She closed the file in her hands and looked up at him, "What am I in trouble for this time?"
"Why do you assume you're in trouble?" Michael asked, raising an eyebrow at her.
"Because, Michael, you said you would like to have a little 'chat', but you wanted to have that chat here in my office, not at my mother's house where you live," Lilly pointed out matter of factly.
Michael sighed and leaned back in his chair, "You're not in trouble. I just wanted to touch base with you over some things I noticed when I reviewed the framework this morning."
"Uh-huh?" Lilly replied questionably.
"I know you manage your own staffing arrangements; you don't have a recruitment advisor or a HR manager," Michael began calmly, "Which is fine if that's what you want to do. But you have to ensure that your bias doesn't come into it when you elect staff."
"What bias?" Lilly asked in disbelief, "Michael, the midwifery Healers I have in here range from Avery's to Abbott's. I have girls who grew up in the Closes, girls who grew up with a silver spoon in their mouths, I've got the daughters of Aurors and the sons of Death Eaters working here. What bias could I possibly have?"
Michael gave her a knowing look, "Your most recent hire is Andrea Potter, your niece."
Lilly raised an eyebrow, "She's not my niece."
Michael smirked, "I have access to everyone's medical files; I know all about the blood pact between Harry and Neville. She's your niece."
Lilly rolled her eyes, "Fine; she's my niece. But that's not why I hired her. I hired her for the same reason that I hired everyone else in this hospital – because she's smart and she's passionate about this, and she's going to be a brilliant Healer."
"Hm," Michael mused, clearly unconvinced, "It seems that you're going to be just as much as a thorn in my side as you were to Hubert Davies."
Lilly smirked and leant forward, "Well, I hate to break it to you, Michael, but you don't get to tell me what to do, just like Hubert Davies didn't. You see, when I opened this ward, I sat through a very long meeting and helped write up the constitution and the rules and regulations for it. There's a clause in there which states that the day to day affairs of the Diana Maternity Ward is the responsibility of the Chief of Midwifery and Paediatrics, which is me, and thereby not in the jurisdiction of the CEO or Chief of Staff, that's you."
Michael raised an eyebrow, so Lilly conjured up a copy of the constitution and slid it across the desk, pointing out the clause in question to Michael.
He sighed and said, "Well, that's written in stone then. You're right; I can't tell you what to do. But if the day to day running of the Diana Maternity Ward is your responsibility, then why have my admin staff been dealing with your funding paperwork and filing your discharge forms for the past ten years? Shouldn't you have your own admin staff to do that?"
Lilly narrowed her eyes at him, then chuckled and held out her hand, "Touche, Michael."
Michael smirked and shook her hand. Then he pushed himself to his feet.
"I was just testing you with that question about Andrea Potter, by the way," Michael said from the doorway, "But your own smartassery really backfired on you there."
Lilly made a face, "It tends to do that, but you do make a fair point. I'll hire an admin team."
Michael smiled slightly, "When you do that, maybe think about renaming this place."
Lilly frowned at him, "Why?"
Michael shrugged, "I think it ought to be called 'The Diana Maternity and Children's Hospital' because that's what it is, Lilly. It's never been a ward of St Mungo's, and you know that."
Lilly smiled back and bowed her head, "Thanks, Michael."
12 Grimmauld Place – Temporary Ministry HQ
27th of September
It had been over a week since the world changed, and as such, it was time for an emergency meeting to work out where they were going next. The formal dining room of Grimmauld Place was in use for the first time in years. Even when Draco and Hermione had lived there, it had gathered dust because they tended to eat in the kitchen or the informal dining room attached to the lounge.
But for this occasion, the large oak table was useful. Draco sat at the head of it, tapping his fingers against the wood absentmindedly as the rest of the attendees made their way in.
Phineas Nigellus Black's portrait was the only one that still hung in this room. The Malfoy portraits had been moved to Blacknot Castle long ago, but Phineas had staunchly said that "that uppity muggle-born is not moving my portrait again!"
Draco had raised an eyebrow at Hermione and mouthed, "Again?"
Hermione had shaken her head and whispered, "Long story."
And Phineas had won that debate and stayed in Grimmauld Place. He was taking a great interest in today's events and, of course, proudly puffing out his chest because the Minister for Magic, who was a Black, was holding a meeting of the emergency council in the Black family home.
Draco smiled or bowed his head to everyone as they filtered in, and when they were all present, he swept his gaze around the room. Every department head was here, bar the Head of the Department of Mysteries because the first piece of emergency legislation that Draco had pushed through after the destruction of the ministry was to dissolve that department.
In her capacity as Head of the Department of International and Interracial Co-operation, Hermione sat on one side of the table, closest to Draco. Next to her was Tiberius McLaggen, the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. By his side was Arthur Weasley, the Head of the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes. Next to Arthur was Charlie Weasley, the Head of the Department for the Care and Protection of Magical Creatures. At the far end of the table was Ernie Macmillan, the newly elected Head of the Department of Magical Transport, and Gwenog Jones, the Head of the Department of Magical Sports and Games.
On Draco's other side sat Harry, who was here to represent Hogwarts, of course. By his side was Theo, here to represent the Hermione Granger School. Between them, they represented the educational sector of Wizarding Britain.
By Theo's side were Lilly Longbottom, the Chief of Midwifery and Paediatrics of the Diana Maternity Ward and Michael Corner, the Chief Executive Officer of St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies. They were there as representatives for the Health sector.
At the far end of the table was Astoria Greengrass, the Chief Executive Officer of Greengrass Shipping Ltd, and Ragnok, the Governor of Gringotts. They represented the financial sector of the wizarding world.
It was a true emergency 'cabinet' meeting, and it had to be because some massive changes were afoot in the wake of their foray into the Muggle world. When he looked out at everyone, it terrified Draco for a brief moment because he knew that the people at this table would make history.
He cleared his throat and sat up in his chair, "Good afternoon, everyone. I believe you all know why you were called here today."
There were several nods around the table, and Draco clicked his fingers, causing brown files to appear in front of everyone.
"It has been just over a week since the destruction of the ministry, so the question on all of our minds is 'what now?' and that is what we will seek to decide today."
Draco opened the file in front of himself and said, "In the file in front of you, there is a proposal for new infrastructure, but it is all subject to your agreement. I do not plan on becoming a Minister who does what he wants over what the nation wants. The people I have asked to attend this meeting represent every part of our world's infrastructure from education to health, and from financial to transportation."
He looked around them and bowed his head, "So we decide how best to move forward together."
Harry smiled slightly and opened the folder in front of him along with all of the others at the table. He scanned the first page and nodded.
"Well, I agree with the proposal not to rebuild in Diagon Alley," He confessed.
Hermione nodded, "As do I. While I understand it is a historical place, it is also dangerous. We ought to have learned from the first, or the second, war with Voldemort. In an alley that narrow, there is nowhere to go in the case of an attack."
Tiberius looked up, "Hermione is right. Logistically, it's a difficult location to defend, and too many people know of its existence now."
Ernie frowned and looked up, "Where do we rebuild?"
"Hogsmeade," Draco replied, "The details of which are outlined on the next page."
There was a general rustle of parchment, and every one scanned the following page with the plans for rebuilding and relocating the services in Diagon Alley to Hogsmeade.
Arthur nodded thoughtfully as he read through, "It would require a substantial amount of capital to extend the town so much."
"Greengrass Industries have kindly offered to help fund the expansion, in return for a 5% share in every company they build a base for," Draco said, bowing his head in Astoria's direction.
"Of course they have," Theo said, shooting Astoria a vaguely amused look.
Astoria smiled politely in response.
"But of course, that will be up to every individual business to decide if that is an offer they are willing to accept," Draco added, giving Theo a pointed look.
Ragnok, the goblin, shook his head, "No."
Draco hadn't been the only one expecting this reaction because it didn't cause mass outrage. Charlie did roll his eyes, but thankfully the goblin didn't notice.
"You have a problem with the plans, Ragnok?"
The goblin made an irritated noise at the back of his throat, "Yes, I have a problem with the plans. Gringotts is not included in the list of businesses to move to Hogsmeade."
"Yes, I didn't expect you to be able to move it, what with the vaults penetrating deeply into the ground," Draco explained.
"Precisely why we can't move it," Ragnok agreed. He glared up at Draco, "It seems you expect us to remain in London, then?"
"It won't be the only thing staying in London," Lilly pointed out, "Nobody is asking us to move our hospitals."
"And we would say no if they did ask us," Michael added, "You are within your rights to want to stay where you are."
"Stay where we are?" The goblin asked furiously, "Stay in a street that will become infested with the non-magical sort? You decided for witches and wizards to become known to the non-magical people."
He nudged his head in Draco's direction, "But you do not govern us; no man does."
"I know that," Draco reasoned, "But I don't know what you expect me to do, Ragnok. I cannot rebuild in Diagon Alley when you are the only party that wants that. The deal the Muggle Prime Minister and I struck was a good one – the Mayor of London buys Diagon Alley, and we use the proceeds towards the rebuild in Hogsmeade."
Hermione spoke up before Ragnok could rant some more, "Uh, excuse me, Mister Ragnok, but could I put forward a suggestion?"
Ragnok looked up, seemingly perplexed by the fact a witch had given him a title.
"Yes, go on then," He said shortly.
Hermione frowned slightly, then looked at the goblin, "I am aware that goblins possess powerful magic that we do not, so would it be possible to create a façade of the entrance to Gringotts in Hogsmeade? I suppose the magic required to transport a visitor from Hogsmeade to London when they passed through that doorway would be easy for your kind to create."
The goblin frowned, then nodded, "It…well, of course it would be, we're goblins."
Hermione smiled kindly, "Then that would solve the problem, would it not? You have a façade to the bank in Hogsmeade where everyone will be shopping, which is how people enter. It would enable you to put up strong anti-Muggle enchantments on the building itself, and as nobody would be entering from Diagon Alley, it would not arouse any suspicions in the Muggles."
"You make a valid point, Witch. I shall discuss it with the board in due course," Ragnok said stiffly.
Draco fought a smirk as Theo sent a thought his way through their mind link, Trust Hermione to use the goblins' arrogance and logic against them.
Only she could, Draco thought back. He flipped the page and then cleared his throat.
"Thank you, Ragnok. The Mayor of London assures me that his plans for Diagon Alley are vast. He plans to create what he calls a 'melting pot' between the non-magical community and us," Draco explained, "The buildings will be restored and will remain in keeping with those that survived. It will not be knocked down for redevelopment."
"And do you believe him?" Tiberius asked shortly.
"He isn't lying," Hermione assured the rest of them, "By law, there is nothing that the Mayor can do. Those buildings were kept in such good condition for so long with magic, but the basic framework is Tudor. In the non-magical community, they have a law pertaining to what they call listed buildings; these are buildings that are vital to our understanding of the past, and they cannot be knocked down for redevelopment, there are strict rules on how to restore them to ensure that the restoration process does not damage them."
This seemed to appease the others, so Draco bowed his head and continued, "I plan to hold a meeting with the business owners from Diagon Alley as soon as possible to discuss the move to Hogsmeade. Susan Bones-Weasley is the landholder for the majority of that region, and she has already pledged to move the contracts without increasing the rents, which I hope will appease most of them."
"Some of them will be grateful for the move," Theo admitted, "I know a lot of them prefer Hogsmeade, but it's generally quieter. If it's the only shopping district, it won't be anymore."
"But," Harry spoke up, "And I hate to rain on your parade here, there is the matter of Hogsmeade weekends. I, personally, do not think it's safe for the children to be sent to somewhere as busy and large as Diagon Alley by themselves at thirteen years of age."
"There is an argument that thirteen is too young," Theo pointed out, "Would you perhaps consider raising the age for the trips to fifth year and above?"
"Fifth years are even less responsible without supervision than third years are, Theo," Harry pointed out dryly.
Lilly leant forward, "Can I put forward an alternative idea?"
Harry looked along the table at her, "Please do."
Lilly pointed out, "We cannot argue that the world has changed in the wake of the non-magical community finding out about us. I presume you are already planning on making Muggle Studies compulsory from first year through to at least O.W.L level, but you could take that a step further and solve your Hogsmeade weekend problem."
Harry raised an eyebrow, "How so?"
Lilly gave him a pointed look, "Replace Hogsmeade weekends with Muggle weekends. Take a year group at a time, or perhaps two houses from a year group. Introduce them to Muggle museums and culture; they could have an opportunity to shop then. As much as the students would hate it, it would also stop them from filling their pockets at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes and having prank wars that last the year long."
Harry laughed and shook his head, "Ron and George Weasley will always find a way. I wouldn't put it past them to find a secret passageway into the castle and sell from there."
Lilly smiled slightly and said, "For the fifth years and above, you could take them into Hogsmeade with chaperones. But this solution would allow the third years a little freedom too, with the added opportunity to learn about the Muggle world."
Draco smirked slightly and looked over at Harry, "Does that meet your approval, Headmaster Potter?"
Harry gave him a long-suffering look, then looked back to Lilly, "Yes, it does. Excellent idea, Healer Longbottom."
Hermione rolled her eyes and said, "Would you two stop being so professional? We know your best friends."
Draco smiled slightly and looked out at them all, "Are there any other questions regarding the relocation to Hogsmeade?"
Ernie nodded and looked up, "Would the Three Broomsticks be equipped in the same way as the Leaky Cauldron? The floo network there was vital, and the Three Broomsticks has far fewer bedrooms."
Draco nodded, "The Leaky Cauldron will re-open in Hogsmeade. There have been preliminary talks with the owner, and she plans to buy the Hogs Head. Since Aberforth Dumbledore died a month ago, its lease has been awaiting renewal. That will provide Hogsmeade with two good lodging houses, both with adequate floo access."
"And what about Muggle access?" Hermione questioned, "There will still be Muggle-borns whose parents bring them to buy their school equipment."
"There will be," Draco agreed, "And I'm sure Ernie will agree with me when I say that the way they access our world needs to change. Three people around this table grew up in the Muggle world – two of you are from London, one of you is from St Albans - "
"Surrey," Harry cut in, "Don't lump me in with the Londoner."
Lilly glared at him along the table, and Draco gave Harry an exasperated look.
"The point being, Harry, that it wasn't exactly difficult for you to get to London to buy your school supplies. You took a train, didn't you?"
Harry nodded.
"You were driven there by your parents, Hermione?" Draco looked at his wife, who nodded.
"And Lilly?" Draco questioned.
"Uh, I took the Tube," Lilly replied.
Draco raised a hand, "But what if the Muggle-born is from Scotland or Northern Ireland? We simply expect them to take a ferry or a train all that way to buy their school supplies? And to come to Hogwarts, we expect people from all over the nation to meet in London? It does not make sense from a logistical point of view, so we need to find a better way for Muggles to access these places."
Ernie nodded and jotted something down in his notebook, "Floo powder is accessible to everyone and easy to use - "
Lilly shook her head, "To wizards who mostly do not use electricity, yes, it is. But to Muggles? It isn't. I grew up in a block of flats, and not a single one had a fireplace. I don't think I ever went into a house that did have one."
"The one in the Dursley's house was boarded up," Harry admitted.
"My parents had one, but they were quite well off," Hermione said sheepishly, "And in the Muggle world, a real fireplace is the sort of thing that you tend to find in more expensive houses."
Theo raised a hand, "I hate to break up this little debate, but when I opened my primary school and made it accessible to all witches and wizards, I bought the Ministry's store of old Auror boxes so that Muggle-born students could use them to get to school."
Hermione nearly facepalmed because she'd helped him come up with that solution, "Of course you did."
Theo smiled slightly.
"Over the years, we had put one into a town when a Muggle-born was admitted to the primary school, but there are still plenty left in the store, and I would need to double-check the numbers, but I feel fairly confident that we could put one in every major city in the UK. That would mean that Muggle-borns only had to travel a short distance, then they could floo directly to Kings Cross or Hogsmeade."
"It does involve putting fireplaces into the magical platforms at Kings Cross, though," Hermione said, looking pointedly at Ernie.
Ernie nodded and said, "At this point, would it be pertinent to suggest that we install a reception area in the magical area of Kings Cross? As it is, people have to walk through the wall in-between various platforms to board the train they desire. A reception area with competent staff would make a little more sense, I think?"
"Perfect sense," Draco agreed, "Make that your first priority, Ernie."
Ernie smiled proudly and nodded, "Yes, sir."
Draco flipped the page, "Any more questions regarding the relocation to Hogsmeade?"
They all shook their heads, so Draco motioned to page three in their files, "Excellent. Next on the agenda, an act I propose to push through the Wizengamot at an emergency meeting tomorrow evening."
They all looked down, and some eyebrows were raised higher than others when they read his proposal.
"A welfare act?" Tiberius asked.
Draco bowed his head, "Yes, tackling the five giants that prevent adequate reconstruction – want, disease, squalor, ignorance and idleness."
Hermione looked up at him, "This is the 1945 Beveridge report."
"It is based on that, but the fact the Muggles pushed this through in 1945, almost 80 years ago, tells us that we need to act on it sooner rather than later," Draco pointed out, "Our society has a huge poverty divide – the rich are very rich, and the poor are painfully so."
"And you propose to change this by taking money from our pockets to put it into theirs?" Tiberius asked sceptically.
"Shall we call you Robin Hood?" Lilly joked.
Theo snorted, and Hermione said, "No, I don't think he could pull off the tights."
Draco gave them a long-suffering look, "Do I need to remind you that we are operating in an official capacity here?"
Theo grinned shamelessly, "Terribly sorry, Minister, old chap. Do carry on, yes? Tally ho and whatnot."
Draco sighed in a long-suffering way and looked over at Tiberius.
"No, I am not Robin Hood. But it is true that we do not need to earn what we do, Tiberius. We come from old money; we have plenty of wealth in our vaults and in the property we own. We do not pay tax like the Muggles do. Our ministry relies on charitable donations and the profits our government-run services make. We cannot carry on like that, and we shouldn't. All that infrastructure does is make us richer and them poorer. We are all magical beings; that can truly be said now that whatever happened last week seems to have cured squibs."
Hermione cut in, "The style of government that we're accustomed to would be what the muggles have historically referred to as 'Laissez-Faire' which they began to move away from around 120 years ago. You all speak French; I'm sure you all know what the translation is."
"Let it be," Lilly said with a nod.
Hermione nodded, "Exactly – don't interfere. If the poor are poor, let them die and decrease the surplus population."
"Thank you, Ebeneezer Scrooge," Lilly said, shooting Hermione an amused look.
Hermione smiled in response and continued, "But we cannot carry on like that. The miracle that cured squibs has the potential to turn everything around for us. Since we went into hiding over 300 years ago, our population has been steadily decreasing thanks to pureblood inbreeding and the wars that have taken place over that time. But now, our numbers are vast, and we have a chance to change that trend."
Harry nodded too.
"But to do that, the people who can and the people who do have, need to look out for the people who can't and don't have."
"Which means we bring taxation into effect," Draco finished.
Ragnok smirked and bowed his head, "I must commend this decision. It is something we have long suggested to the ministry to no avail."
Astoria scoffed, "Of course you would agree with it, Ragnok. As a banker, taxation is every birthday come early."
Lilly raised an eyebrow at Astoria, "I wouldn't be so quick to turn petty. Astoria. If taxation does come into effect, that does not just affect your very handsome salary."
Charlie snorted at the other end of the table.
"It would include taxation on the import and export of goods, and seeing as that is your business, I would assume you could make a pretty penny on that," Lilly finished.
"Thank you for that insight, Lillian," Astoria said stiffly.
Lilly smirked at Astoria, then whispered to Theo, who was by her side, "No problem, sweetie."
Theo grinned and whispered back, "Daphne has been a bad influence on you."
"Entirely," Lilly agreed, shooting him an amused look.
Draco pressed on with the point at hand, "The introduction of taxation is vital to the welfare act, and I am steadfast in my belief that welfare needs to be introduced to our society. Let me outline the five giants the act refers to, and then, you may pass judgement on the act."
There were nods, or people bowed their heads.
Draco began with, "Want – there has always been a divide in our world between those who have magic and those who don't. With the disappearance of Squibs, we can no longer use that excuse, but there were still be a skill divide. That will mean that Squibs, who did not go to Hogwarts, will be unable to find jobs as well paying as those who did, and that is through no fault of their own. We need to realise that there are now many people who have magical powers and are not trained to use them; these are not children who can attend Hogwarts."
"And you propose to change this, how?" Tiberius asked.
"With a wizarding college," Arthur said with a smile, "As Headmaster Nott said to the press."
Draco bowed his head in agreement, "Precisely. Head Auror Smith has recently come into his inheritance with the untimely demise of his older brother. As Head of the Smith family, he has offered substantial funding towards educating these people and creating a wizarding college."
Harry nodded thoughtfully, "That's very generous of Head Auror Smith, but knowing him personally, I'm unsurprised by that."
Draco smiled slightly, "The funding would cover the upstart costs, and from there on out, the college would begin to generate its own income, and the shortfall would be covered by taxation."
Lilly nodded and looked at Draco, "You mentioned disease as one of your giants. I know that was in the Beveridge report because I had to study it at school, but I'm unsure how that relates to wizarding society? We have made huge advances here where Muggles haven't."
"We have," Draco agreed, "And your hospital is truly revolutionary, Lilly. You created a grant, funded by the Greengrass family, I believe."
Lilly nodded, "By Daphne Greengrass, yes."
"That enabled women from the Closes to access healthcare in pregnancy and for their children," Draco explained, "And since then, the infant mortality rate has gone down by 78%, which is such a brilliant achievement, and one that you won an Order of Merlin for."
Lilly looked down and nodded, "Uh, yes, thank you, Minister," she said, her cheeks flushing for a moment.
Draco looked from her to Michael, "That needs to be recreated on a larger scale to cover care in St Mungos. How many people who grew up in the Closes got to 80 years old? It's not a very big number because they die of diseases that are curable because they can't afford healthcare."
Michael nodded, "Taxation couldn't cover a grant like that for the whole hospital. There would need to be a substantial charitable donation."
"I am aware of that," Draco agreed, "And I spoke with Neville Longbottom earlier today. When Aberforth Dumbledore died, he left everything he had to Neville. Everything Aberforth had was also everything that Albus Dumbledore had. Neville doesn't have any need for that money himself. Given what happened to Albus and Aberforth's sister, Ariana, Neville wants to donate it to St Mungo's with the proviso that a good proportion of it is gifted to the Janus Thickey Ward for long-term spell damage – the place that should have helped Ariana Dumbledore, and did help Frank and Alice Longbottom."
Michael raised an eyebrow at Lilly, who smiled in a way that told Michael that yes, she had known all about that during their little debate in her office earlier that morning.
"That's….that's excellent," Michael admitted.
Draco leaned back in his chair slightly and smiled, "Ignorance can be tackled relatively easily by making further education more accessible. My daughter went to Egypt to study Alchemy, and I can tell you that had I not been a wealthy man, I could not have afforded to send her there."
Harry nodded, "My son's off to Brazil to study Exotic Herbology, and it cost me a pretty penny to get him there," he agreed.
Draco bowed his head in agreement, "In recent years, we've been incredibly successful in getting more Hogwarts leavers into Healing programmes and the Auror programme. Department-led apprentices at the ministry have been successful as well. But the area we lack is extremely skilled work like alchemy, Herbology, curse-breaking, or any course that needs to be studied abroad. The only way to change that is to introduce a fund to make these programmes more accessible."
"Which I have offered to do," Harry said with a nod, "As Headmaster of Hogwarts, I feel it's my duty to do the best for my students, and that includes helping them get to where they need to be after they graduate."
Draco cleared his throat and continued, "Another area that, arguably, needs to be reviewed is the number of people gaining a Mastery in a subject. It has substantially decreased in recent years, and Harry will be able to tell you about the effect that has on education."
"Yes, absolutely," Harry agreed, "The last high-profile Brit to achieve a Mastery was Minerva McGonagall when she trained under Albus Dumbledore, who is a Master of Transfiguration. But the practice has fallen to the wayside, and hiring competent teaching staff from this country is becoming a real struggle. Anyone who had to endure Gilderoy Lockhart's teaching in the early 90s will agree, I'm sure."
Ernie groaned, and Astoria nodded in agreement.
Draco chuckled and said, "You make a valid point. This is why we will be temporarily waiving fees on Mastery exams. There will be many people, such as yourself, Headmaster Potter, who may be qualified to Mastery level but have never formally taken the exam. Once these people begin to do so, they can take on apprentices to further educate our younger population."
There were several nods around the table and no objections to that proposal. So Draco took a sip of water then carried on.
"With regards to the giant of 'squalor', I think we all know what must be done," Draco said calmly, "Diagon Alley will not be rebuilt, but we cannot sensibly relocate those who were displaced from the Closes to Hogsmeade. That is why I propose a new wizarding-only village."
Charlie looked up, "You're going to build a whole new village?"
"No," Draco replied with a smile, "The population of Godric's Hollow has been declining for quite some time now. The ministry has thereby managed to acquire the town, most of which was owned by the Longbottom family, I hasten to add. Much like the Muggle government did after their second world war, I propose that we move those from the Closes into the more appropriate housing in Godric's Hollow. Every child deserves to grow up with green space around them, not the pollution of a city and a cramped flat that lends itself to illness and disease."
"The rents need to be lowered too," Theo pointed out.
"I agree," Lilly said, "The rents have always been ridiculous on those flats in the Closes. I don't blame Susan for that because I know she only owns the shops beneath them, but there's been a problem with bad landlords for a long time."
Draco nodded, "Which is why the ministry will set the rents because the ministry has bought the entirety of Godric's Hollow. We will set low, affordable rents but still receive some income from Godric's Hollow as a result."
"Smart," Tiberius noted, "And a very Slytherin move, I hasten to add."
"Proof that being in Slytherin is not a bad thing," Draco said simply.
Tiberius laughed, "Draco, you have just persuaded an old-fashioned, traditionalist wizard that welfare and taxation are necessary. I do not think anyone could call you a bad Minister right now."
Draco smiled slightly and closed the report, "Thank you, Tiberius. I appreciate the sentiment."
He cleared his throat and looked up at the room of people. "The final giant is idleness which is, of course, unemployment. The expansion of Hogsmeade will go a long way to help change that, as will the introduction of a reception area in Kings Cross, and the opening of a wizarding college, as previously discussed."
Harry smiled and nodded, "It all comes together, and suddenly, the future looks brighter."
"Precisely," Draco agreed, "The final matter regards the rebuilding of the ministry. This will be done on the outskirts of Godric's Hollow – the location is secure, and it's fairly close to the border with Wiltshire and, therefore, Lupin House Orphanage and the Hermione Granger school. But there is enough distance for safety. We will no longer operate everything out of London – having Hogwarts and the shopping district in Scotland and the hospitals in London, we spread ourselves across the nation more. That makes things more accessible for the population, and it's also imperative in the worst-case scenario of another attack like that on Diagon Alley."
Ernie asked, "Are we going to remodel the new ministry on the floor plan of the old one? Or will it be an entirely new design?"
"That is yet to be decided," Draco admitted, "But there will be no Department of Mysteries. Instead, there will be a separate building for magical research, and the Minister for Magic will regulate it. No more secrets, no more Unspeakables, that only leant itself to danger."
Everybody nodded in agreement, and Draco finished, "The ministry itself will be similar to the original, I suspect. But it will not be underground, and I think everyone will delight in being able to look out of a real window and see the real countryside."
Arthur chuckled and nodded, "Hear, hear."
"Absolutely," Charlie agreed.
Draco smiled and said with a note of finality, "The minutes of this meeting will be sent via owl post to you all, with estimated timelines on each of the goals we have discussed. In due course, I will arrange individual meetings with you to discuss how we ought to proceed. But my first priority is pushing this welfare act through the Wizengamot tomorrow evening and moving those who lost their homes in the Diagon Alley attack into them before the term starts on the 1st of October because, as Headmaster Potter rather rudely informed me this morning, he needs his bloody school back."
"How dare you want your school back, Headmaster Potter?" Lilly asked sarcastically.
Harry rolled his eyes and looked at Draco with an amused smile, "I very much doubt you will have a problem passing the welfare act, and I volunteer to help relocate people to Godric's Hollow. Partly because yes, I want my school back, but I know Godric's Hollow too. I could be of use to you."
Draco nodded, "And I appreciate that, thank you."
Ragnok bowed his head, "I will speak to the board about everything discussed. I do not foresee any problems. They will object to the plans to introduce a façade to our bank from Hogsmeade because the spells required will be complex to ensure they are iron-clad from a security point of view. But I do believe the introduction of taxation will take the sting off that for them."
Ernie nodded and placed his wand out into the centre of the table, "You have my support, Minister."
"And mine," Tiberius agreed, placing his wand at the centre too.
Everyone followed suit, but when Lilly held her wand out, she leaned in to whisper to Theo, "He has my sword."
Theo sniggered and held out his wand, "And my axe," he whispered.
Harry rolled his eyes from Theo's other side and placed his wand at the centre of the table, "Honestly, you're like children," he muttered.
When all of the wands met at the centre of the table, a beam of white magic shot upwards then disappeared.
Hermione smiled at Draco and said.
"I believe that motion is passed, Minister."
Draco smiled warmly at her and nodded.
"So it seems."
- TBC -
