Chapter three

The following morning, an hour before the meeting, Harry knocked on Kingsley's door.

'Come in Harry.'

'Thanks,' Harry stepped into the room to see an identical room to his. He figured with Kingsley being minister he would have a bigger room.

'What can I do for you?'

'There is something I was told when the unspeakable found out about the blood lines. When I heard what he told me, I did a bit of searching and found something. I never mentioned it before as I wasn't sure if you were going to remain as minister and if you did would you…sorry, do a good job for everyone.'

'You don't have to explain Harry. You were one of the people the ministry caused so much trouble for, more than anyone else. I doubt there would be anyone in the ministry you would trust, apart from Arthur. You would need to wait and see first before you decide what type of person they are and what they planned for our world.'

Harry nodded, 'Yeah. I do trust you and Arthur. But we all know that people can abuse their positions when they get a bit of power.'

'As I said, you don't have to explain.'

Harry put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a small velvet pouch, 'Apart from what I told you about being the last living descendant to Slytherin and Gryffindor, I found out that I'm also the last blood descendant of…' Harry hesitated, 'Merlin.'

'Oh my. Many of us spoke and speculated about you and him, that maybe you were a descendant.'

'Yeah, with the attention I get now I didn't need more. I never planned to tell anyone. When you asked about this team and the meeting, then last night talking, I realise I had something in my possession that might help. I'm not sure how yet, but I figured I should mention it as it might give you an idea. I did have an idea that could help with people who work for the ministry and Hogwarts. After I found this item I searched the ministry's public records. We know there were a lot of lies and manipulation, this is connected to some of that.'

Harry pulled out a smoky crystal orb, 'What is that?' Kingsley asked as he stared at the orb.

'It's Merlin's power scale orb, the real one. As his blood, I was able to find his…well, home. It wasn't like what we would call a home, more like a cavern. Only someone of his blood could find it and find the orb. I read through a lot of his old scrolls. The description of the Merlin orb doesn't match the one that Malfoy said he owned, it was a fake. Without anyone knowing, I checked their power level from this orb to what is on record. At first I didn't think I could find out what others power levels were. I didn't know that at birth the power level is recorded.'

'It is, but we could never get a reading after that. We know the level increases at different times. Seven, eleven, fourteen, seventeen, twenty one and fifty. Malfoy said he used the orb to test his family and friends. He even said he tested others to prove pure-bloods were more powerful. He refused to allow the unspeakables the use of the orb to test everyone. Are you sure that one is real?'

'Positive. I can show you the main page from the scrolls that came with it. I can have Winky bring it if you want to look through them. But the reason I brought this and why I mentioned it. I was hoping these meetings would be exactly what you said they would be. I was hoping these ICW people were good and trustworthy and were really trying to help the wizarding world, not just pure-bloods. See if they were, then I figured the orb could be used, by the ICW to test every magical person in the world to get an official record.'

'It has been spoken about many times hoping Malfoy would change his mind. We even figured he could be offered a fee. He refused. After he was sent through the veil and his wife and son sent to Azkaban, the Malfoy home was searched. We never found the orb.'

'I know Arthur has had two readings. When he was born and again ten years ago. It's in the records, but it was buried. Now I checked Ron and bill's score when I was at the Burrow, I…um, secretly used the orb. The one on file for Arthur is wrong, it's lower, a lot lower than what he recorded now. Going on the information Merlin left, after the age of 17 your levels usually increase by between 1 to ten points. The recorded level for Arthur as to ten years ago was 38. If you increased that by ten every year the most it would be is 138. Now you know that most people will only increase by five at most unless they were really powerful. Going on that Arthur would be at most 88, as you get your last increase at the age of fifty. It has been known that some will have another increase at 70. Either way Arthur would be between 88 to 138 using the Malfoy's one. The orb showed Arthur at 202, which could be considered average for a wizard his age, unless he was like Dumbledore.'

'What was Ron and Bill's?'

'Bill is 218, and Ron is 102.'

'I was one of the aurors that Malfoy allowed to be tested. I was 125, can you check for me?'

Harry nodded then levitated the orb so it floated over his head. The smokey centre swirled and swirled then began to brighten. Numbers appeared. Harry levitated it down so Kingsley could read it.

'222, that's almost 100 points more, which would be impossible, unless you were someone like Merlin.'

'Right, so what do you think? Should I mention the orb?'

'Not yet. Let's wait until we've had our meetings. We need to see what these people are like and if they are trustworthy. I already believe they are, but I only had a short meeting with one of them. Either way, you should work on being present when people are being tested. You could get someone you trust to do it if you don't want to.'

'That would take a long time. I might do it but not all at once as it would mean remaining with the ICW for a year or more.'

'True, so for now you've got time to think about it. We could start off with our own country first. But also have an unspeakable examine the orb and the scrolls to prove they are authentic. Malfoy used Rookwood who was an unspeakable and a death eater yet we didn't know that at the time.'

'So that's why people believed it. Alright, when we head home I'll get you to set up a meeting with the same unspeakable who did the heritage test. He never revealed who I was related to. Only you know about Gryffindor, Slytherin and Merlin.'

'You never told your friends about Gryffindor and Slytherin?'

Harry shook his head, 'I care for them, but Ron has a habit of speaking before he thinks. He also gets jealous of me when it came out that I've got money. If he found out who I was related to, he wouldn't handle that. I couldn't tell Hermione and expect her to keep something like this from her boyfriend.'

'Okay, I get that. But the truth, you don't fully trust them either, do you?'

'I don't trust Ron, no. He turned on me when I was fourteen and he left us when we were searching for the horcruxes. He often said some stupid or cruel things to me and just expected me to forgive him. Hermione went behind my back about the Firebolt. I get that she was worried but instead of doing the right thing and speaking with me about her concerns, she went straight to McGonagall. Then there was our sixth year, she was a right bitch to me during that entire year. She also refuse to listen to me when I told her where I believed one of the horcruxes was and kept going on about where she believed they were. She refused to believe me when I told her Draco Malfoy had taken the dark mark. I trust her to keep this to herself if I asked her to, but I just don't trust her enough with anything this important. Also, it would not be right to ask her to keep it from Ron.'

'Okay, I don't blame you even if I don't know everything. One thing I do know about you Harry is if you feel like you have been betrayed, you don't give that trust again until they have proven they are trustworthy.'

'I trusted Dumbledore and he proved all he cared about was defeating Voldemort any way he can. I never trusted anyone until Dumbledore. One of his main problems, I think anyway, is how he allowed Snape to act and treat the students. I lost my trust in him, but then it was Hermione and Ron and what both had done or didn't do. They would listen to him over me even when he was wrong. By the end of my third year I didn't trust anyone. I've pretty much forgiven Hermione, she stayed with me when Ron wanted her to leave with him. She refused. I began to trust Neville and Luna, but I never got a lot of time with them.'

'What about Sirius?'

'I had begun to care about him but I was wary. I had doubts, like why he never tried to escape years before. Why did he escape then? Was it just he wanted to kill Peter and not because of me? I was never game enough to ask him and we never got to spend a lot of time together.'

'I know it could not have been easy on Sirius having to put up with dementors for all those years. I'm not making excuses, but without knowing what he was going through you can never know the truth. Now Remus, I noticed you never really got close to him considering he was a friend of your parent's.'

'Sort of the same thing. He was out there but I never saw him nor did I even get a letter. I grew up thinking no one wanted me, that I was a freak that no one could love. It would have been nice to hear that my parent's did love me, also that they were well liked. It would have been nice to hear that instead of being drunk lay-abouts. I know he only told me he knew my parent's because Sirius escaped. Remus probably thought I would find out about his friendship with my parents.'

'I do know that the wards Dumbledore did around the muggle house stopped dark creatures. That doesn't excuse not writing though. When you told me what they were like and how they treated you, I felt terrible that I just accepted Albus' word that we had to keep you there.'

'I know, you told me and you would have taken me away if you knew. It was that statement that made me forgive you. Anyway, I best get ready for the meeting.'

'Right, it starts soon. I'll see you downstairs.'

'I'll be there.'

Kingsley watched Harry leave. He knew what Harry said was the truth. He had the true Merlin orb. Now he saw how far Lucius Malfoy's manipulations went. He made it seem like his power level was double that of Kingsley's, when it was probably lower than the fake level. Malfoy made it seem like all his death eater friends, the pure-bloods, were powerful, when they probably weren't. One thing Kingsley was anxious to find out, was what Harry's level would be. All he knew was Harry was powerful and even if it was a guess, Harry's would be a lot higher than his was.