AN: As always, many thanks to my beta reader Verlor (id: 1113797) for his great help with this chapter!
Chapter 39 - Minister for Magic Hermione Granger
August 1, 2009 – Thirteen years, one month and fifteen days after the Battle of Diagon Alley – 9:30 a.m. – Office of the British Minister for Magic
Sighing with pleasure, Hermione slumped into her new chair. It was a bit too hard for her liking – Amelia Bones apparently preferred it to be uncomfortable – but still, the moment just felt wonderful for Hermione.
For so many years she had worked towards this moment, introducing so many bills in her various positions at the Ministry to improve the lives of witches, wizards, and all other magical creatures ... and at last she had accomplished her goal. The magical community of Britain hadchosen her, a mere Muggleborn, driven by her idealism and sharp mind, as their new Minister for Magic. And today was her first day in office!
She was about to start, only briefly enjoying the moment ... the artificial sun shining through the window behind her felt so warm on her face ... the air smelled of stacks of files and freshly brewed coffee. Hermione closed her eyes, letting out another pleased sigh.
The sudden opening of the office door pulled Hermione out of her cozy thoughts. She woke with a start and saw Ron and Neville standing at the door, wearing worried expressions, even if they tried not to show it too much, but Hermione knew her two best friends far too well.
"Please," she said pleadingly in their direction. "Please no bad news on my first day."
"Sorry, honey," said Ron in an apologetic tone. "But it's really important. And the lads thought we're the best to tell you…"
Hermione straightened her shoulders. She was the minister; it was her job to hear bad news and solve problems. "What's wrong?" she asked, waving Ron and Neville over to her desk.
Neville closed the door behind them before giving her a serious look. "Bad news from Egypt," he said. "Harry and Daphne Potter showed up at the Great Library of Alexandria. And by showing up, I mean that they stormed into the library this morning, overbore the guards, and threw the Guardians out on their ears. They are understandably off the wall and have requested an emergency meeting of the ICW. For this afternoon."
Neville had said all this without pause as if he wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible. With a deep breath, he then collapsed into the chair in front of the desk.
Hermione, on the other hand, stared at her two friends in disbelief. The Potters? The Potters?! They hadn't heard from them since they had defeated Voldemort and then vanished off the face of the earth. They were still wanted for their crimes, but they had been a bit forgotten in the past few years, as Hermione had to admit. That they were suddenly reappearing, and in Alexandria of all places, one of the oldest and largest magical settlements in the world ... what could that mean?
"Hermione," Ron's voice ripped her out of her thoughts. "What do we do now?"
Hermione blinked at her husband before suddenly jumping out of her chair and rushing to the door. "What do we do now?" she called. "We go to Paris, that's what we do!"
August 1, 2009 – 3:00 pm – Headquarters of the International Confederation of Wizards (ICW) in Paris, Plenar Hall
Nervously, Hermione looked over the high stands in the hall crowned by a huge stone dome, in which representatives of all member countries of the ICW had gathered to make history. Since the Istanbul Treaty of 1742, the magical city of Alexandria with the Great Library had been under the authority of the ICW. This also meant that an international strike force could only be sent through a formal resolution by the ICW to free the city from the clutches of the Potters.
And that was exactly why Hermione was so nervous – and fearful. With every minute the Potters had more time to destroy the library and the precious books inside, thus forever erasing vast treasures of magical knowledge. The very idea brought tears to Hermione's eyes. What was Dumbledore waiting for? He should open the session already!
"It's going to be alright," Ron whispered next to her, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. As an Auror she had been able to take him with her as part of her delegation – for security reasons, of course. "They can't let such an affront to the international magical community stand. In less than a week the two will be on trial for their crimes, I'm sure."
Hermione nodded slightly but let her gaze again wander around the hall. All over the countries' delegations sat together, talking excitedly; the murmur made it sound as if they were sitting in a beehive. And then she saw Neville striding through the crowd towards them with a serious expression. As deputy head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, she had also been able to take him with her in her delegation.
"What's new?" she asked him in a whisper as soon as he got to them.
"Conflicting reports," said Neville. "The Guardians are still spreading their horror stories that half of Alexandria was on fire and the streets littered with corpses, but that doesn't match our intelligence."
"What do our informants say?"
"Just the opposite," Neville replied with a frown. "It seems that many in Alexandria hail their seize of power because they have announced that they want to make the library's wealth of knowledge accessible to all. And they have appointed a native Alexandrian, a young Lutin woman named Ganda, to be the interim administrator of the library."
Hermione clenched her fists. What did the Potters think they were doing? How could they presume to rule Alexandria? Didn't they see that their actions could spark a war?!
At one point, the babble of voices in the hall died down, and Hermione saw that Dumbledore, the current Supreme Mugwump of the ICW, had stepped onto the podium in front of the rising stands, where he sat down on a grand chair behind a high desk.
Dumbledore pointed his wand at his throat before speaking in a magically amplified voice. "I welcome the delegates to this extraordinary session of the ICW General Assembly," he said calmly. "This meeting was requested by the Guardians of Alexandria, represented by Master Lukian. Although the Guardians are not members of this General Assembly, they are, as representatives of the city of Alexandria as mandated territory of the ICW entitled to propose and speak. So I hereby give Master Lukian the floor to present his request to the assembly."
Dumbledore lowered his wand and pointed to an old wizard with white hair and a purple robe who had risen from one of the lower stands and now also held a wand to his throat. Master Lukian was surrounded by other old men and women who all had impatient, even downright furious expressions on their faces.
"Dear delegates," said Master Lukian, his voice trembling with barely suppressed anger. "I'm standing before you today out of fear for the future of the magical world. For this morning two demons, the wanted criminals Harry and Daphne Potter brought Alexandria under their control in a craven act of violence. With magic of the darkest kind they have overwhelmed the guards and expelled us Guardians, who have been tasked with administering the city and protecting the immeasurable knowledge of the library. This act of tyranny cannot go unanswered, dear delegates. The International Confederation of Wizards must intervene and restore order to protect the lives of the Alexandrians and the knowledge of the library. Therefore, I urge you to vote in favor of our request and thus authorize the dispatch of international troops. In this hour of need we must stand united against the darkness to lead the light to victory!"
At his last words, Master Lukian raised his clenched fist and thunderous applause erupted in the chamber. Hermione also clapped excitedly. The applause lasted so long that it took Dumbledore some time to make himself heard again.
"Thank you for this emotional speech," he said. "With that, I am putting the request to send troops to Alexandria to a vote. Voting is done by lifting wands. The motion will be adopted if the majority of the delegates vote in favor and none of the veto powers against."
As he spoke, Hermione looked at her colleagues in the front row of the plenary, the heads of government of the Holy Roman Empire, Russia, and France. Together with Great Britain, these countries formed the founding members of the ICW, and their right of veto was a holdover from the principle of unanimity at the time. If Hermione wanted, she could stop this whole thing with a single movement of her hand, which of course she would never do. Tyrants had to be stopped. The fact that these particular ones had killed another tyrant thirteen years ago did not change that.
"The delegates who vote in favor of the motion proposed by Master Lukian may now please raise their wands."
A jolt went through the assembly as at the same moment a multitude of wands were raised; Hermione also held her wand high above her head. It was her first official act as minister … and it just felt great. She looked across the chamber and it seemed to her that all countries were agreeing. However, her gaze then slid to the table next to her, at which the French President of Magic, Thomas Mercier, was sitting with his delegation. He was the only one who had not raised his wand but was sitting with his arms crossed and his face grim. What was wrong with him?
Before Hermione could worry more about her French colleague, Dumbledore's voice rang out again. "126 votes were counted in favor of the motion," he said.
Hermione got a bad feeling. The ICW consisted of 127 member countries. Why hadn't France voted for the motion?
"Now please the delegates who wish to abstain."
No wand was raised. Whispers broke out in the chamber, but Hermione's eyes were fixed on President Mercier, who still hadn't moved. Could it be –
"And now, please, the wands of the delegates who are voting against the motion."
Hermione felt as if she was watching a horror film in slow motion as President Mercier slowly released his crossed arms and held up his wand. Suddenly bedlam broke loose in the chamber. People jumped up and yelled at the French delegation, Hermione did too, but President Mercier still sat calmly, his wand raised above his head. The other members of the French delegation, however, looked at each other in shock, as if they could not believe how their boss was behaving.
Dumbledore had to shout several times and finally cast a silence spell on the rest of the chamber before he could announce the result. "The motion is rejected due to the French veto," he said in a professional tone, for which Hermione truly envied him for at that moment. "This means that no ICW troops will be dispatched to Alexandria. The session is therefore closed."
August 1, 2009 – 3:45 pm – Headquarters of the International Confederation of Wizards (ICW) in Paris, Chambers of the British Delegation
Furiously Hermione paced up and down the room. She still couldn't believe what had just happened in the hall. What the hell was the French President thinking by single handedly preventing an intervention? Didn't he want Alexandria to be liberated? What information was she missing to make sense of all this dragonshit?!
Suddenly the door opened with a loud squeak and Ron stepped in. "Well?" Hermione shouted. "Have you found anything?"
Ron just nodded briefly before closing the door so that they could not be overheard. "Neville and I found something that might explain what just happened," he said. "Do you know the wife of the French President?"
Hermione pondered, trying to remember all the receptions and ceremonies she had attended as part of her career in recent years. "Yes, I think so," she said hesitantly. "I think she was a nice and polite young woman, but I heard that her daughter has a rare disease. Why?"
"Do you remember her name?" asked Ron, taking her hand.
Hermione was about to groan in exasperation, telling him that she had no time for his games – he enjoyed knowing something she didn't know far too much – but at the last second she changed her mind and just shook her head.
"Her name is Astoria Mercier," Ron said. "She took her husband's last name after their wedding. Before that, her name was Delacroix."
"And why is that important?"
"You'll understand in a moment. Delacroix was not her birth name, but the name of her aunt, who became her guardian when she was ten. Before that, she lived in England." Ron took a deep breath before continuing, "Her name was Astoria Greengrass."
Hermione froze. Greengrass? Astoria Greengrass? That meant she was –
"Exactly," Ron said. "That means the wife of the French President is the sister of Daphne Greengrass, now Daphne Potter."
September 15, 2009 - 7:30 am – House of the Granger-Weasley Family, Dining Room
"Say Ahh. Yes, that's good, sweetheart. That tastes good, doesn't it? Yum yum!"
Hermione was feeding her baby daughter Rose when her husband Ron came into the room, his face buried in the morning edition of the Daily Prophet, frowning.
"Anything new?" Hermione asked, bringing another spoon to her daughter's mouth.
"Yes, from Alexandria," muttered Ron, while joining them at the dinner table, his eyes still on the newspaper.
Hermione looked curiously at him. A month and a half had passed since the Potters had seized power and the international magical community had failed to respond. Their regime was not recognized by any magical government in the world, but the conflict had not escalated yet, mainly because the first horror reports from Alexandria had not been confirmed. Whatever plans the Potters had, the destruction of the library and the city wasn't one of them...
"And what?" she asked.
"I don't quite understand," said Ron thoughtfully. "Apparently the Potters were made Principes by the Alexandrians, whatever that – Heyyy!"
Before Ron could finish his sentence, Hermione had snatched the newspaper from his hand, staring at the article on one of the back pages, as if the Daily Prophet did not understand the importance of the information.
"What was that about?" asked Ron indignantly. "And why are you so upset? What does that mean?"
Hermione groaned. "God, Ron! Have you ever paid attention to history?" Without waiting for his answer, she went on, "Do you know what the title Principes means? It means the Potters are now the First Citizens! That is the same title Augustus bore, the first emperor of the Roman Empire who effectively ended the Roman Republic!"
"But what do we care what some Muggles did millennia ago?"
"My God, Ron," said Hermione. "Back then, wizards had a bigger influence on the Muggle world and history, but that doesn't matter ... it means that de facto everything stays the same, so they are the sole rulers of Alexandria, but at the same time they try to give their reign a legal stand. It also indicates that they have even bigger ambitions. And that means that we're not dealing with Dark Lords like Voldemort, but with new Grindelwalds."
"Oh," uttered Ron, his face suddenly pale.
"Exactly," said Hermione, jumping up from the table. "So I have to go to the office immediately! Will you take care of Rose, please? She still must finish eating – and she's just peed herself. Thanks, love you!"
August 1, 2010 – 1 pm – Office of the British Minister for Magic
Frustrated, Hermione tossed the intelligence report on the desk in front of her. It was exactly a year since she took office as Minister – and Harry and Daphne Potter had seized power in Alexandria. And what had happened since then? Nothing, absolutely nothing, at least from the magical governments. No international troops and no economic sanctions. The latter had failed mainly because the Potters apparently had an inexhaustible gold supply to cover all the costs of the library and city.
For the costs had to be immense, after everything she read in her regular intelligence reports on the situation in Alexandria. Not only had the Potters abolished the admittedly horrendous library fees, but the magical city was also growing at a breathtaking pace. More and more witches and wizards moved to Alexandria, especially the young ones, either for a research stay or to settle there permanently. And many other magical beings moved there as well. If it continued like this, Alexandria would soon surpass Tokyo and become the largest magical settlement in the world.
By now, Hermione had given up all hope of liberating Alexandria; even if it were possible, it would certainly result in bloodshed. The Potters alone could probably take on half an army if the rumors of their skills were even remotely true, which Hermione had no doubt about; after all, they had defeated Voldemort, which even Dumbledore had not managed. No, now she was just hoping to limit the Potters' influence. Alexandria might be lost, but she certainly wouldn't leave the world to them without a fight.
February 4, 2011 – 5 pm – Cabinet Meeting of the British Ministry of Magic
"He did what?!" Hermione yelled in disbelief.
"Like I said," repeated Richard May, head of the Department of Magical Transportation, in a professional, although somewhat shaky tone. "Dumbledore portkeyed to Alexandria yesterday. I just found out about it from my staff. Apparently they didn't realize the implications…"
"Didn't realize" Hermione muttered in consternation as she slumped back into her chair. "They didn't realize the implications..."
When Albus Dumbledore, the acting Supreme Mugwump of the ICW and one of the most famous and highly respected wizards in the world, visited the Potters, it only meant that the international community surrendered to the new status quo, after just a year and a half. They lost.
"That's not all," said Neville next to her. "The Daily Prophet will also report on this in its evening edition. They even have pictures from Alexandria. And guess who went with Dumbledore? Nicolas and Perenelle Flamel."
"Well, then at least we know where they got their gold from…" Hermione muttered. Has the whole world gone mad?
December 31, 2013 - 4 p.m. – House of the Granger-Weasley Family, Winter Garden
The light of the setting sun hit Hermione's half-full wine glass, bathing her white blouse in a reddish sheen as if she was slowly bleeding to death, but Hermione did not suffer from external injuries. Internal wounds, however, were another matter altogether.
It was supposed to be a fun evening with her friends and colleagues. From the garden and the other rooms, a lively babble of voices and laughter of the children playing came to her, but Hermione couldn't help herself, she just couldn't relax. For here in the winter garden of the house, a little away from their starting New Year's party, she was sitting with her friends Lavender, Parvati and Hannah, Neville's wife, before them the evening edition of the Daily Prophet – and from the front page the beaming faces of Harry and Daphne Potter smiled at them. The Daily Prophet reported in detail over three pages how the two Principes of Alexandria had announced the pregnancy of Daphne Potter. It would be their first child.
"I just can't believe how she can look so young," Lavender said, a hint of jealousy in her voice. "I mean, just look at her. As if she were still at Hogwarts ... although, she didn't look like that back then."
"Right?!" Parvati called. "She was always so pale and sickly. Not to mention her cold aura. Granted, she looked really gorgeous at the Yule Ball, but when did the Wannabe Dark Lady become such a beauty?"
"She's happy now," said Hannah softly, but no one paid any attention to her.
Hermione, meanwhile, had had enough. "That doesn't matter!" she exclaimed, exasperated. "The question is, why is the Daily Prophet reporting on them like they're some celebrities? They preside over an illegitimate regime that came to power only through violence. So how can it be that more and more people admire them or even join their regime?"
At her words Lavender and Parvati looked embarrassed at the floor as if they did not dare to contradict the angry Minister. It was Hannah who finally gave a small sigh, putting her wine glass on the table in front of her to look firmly at Hermione.
"Maybe I can bring some light into the darkness," she said. "As an innkeeper I have a lot to do with people, the common people, as many would probably call them. I also talk a lot with travellers from other countries. And in all these conversations I have noticed that the Potters are seen by many as liberators and benefactors ... No, no, please let me finish, Hermione."
Hermione had already wanted to protest but now closed her mouth again.
"The reason why many people like them," continued Hannah, "is that they have made the knowledge of Alexandria accessible to all. Their crystal balls, which you can use to access the books in the library from anywhere in the world, are just a miracle. And then they are also affordable for everyone ... I mean, a bottle of very good Firewhisky is more expensive than such a ball – that's incredible! And yes, they are probably the most powerful wizards on the planet, but they use their power for good things, even you can't deny that, Hermione. Just how they finally found a cure for Lycanthropy, where so many failed before. It may be that the way they came to power wasn't the most legit of all, but no one can deny that they changed the world for the better, starting with their victory over You-Know-Who till the present. Through them, Alexandria has become a utopia, a place of magic, knowledge, and art where everyone is welcome. THAT is, Hermione, what fascinates people so much, why Alexandria has become the symbol of all their dreams."
Hermione looked perplexed at her friend, the thoughts swirling in her head. No one had ever spoken to her like this before. "But ... but," she stammered, "it's still a dictatorship!"
"To many, a caring dictatorship seems more beneficial than a corrupt democracy," said Lavender, before suddenly clapping her hand to her mouth as if she could not believe what she just said.
"I wouldn't choose the same words as Lavender," said Hannah, "but she's not entirely wrong. At least I'm glad that they're the most powerful wizards in the world and not You-Know-Who."
"But since when do you think like that?!" Hermione cried. "You were also afraid of them back then, weren't you? When did Harry and Daphne Potter become popular people? Have you all forgotten their crimes?"
"Sometimes people change," said Hannah. "The two seem to have left their past behind, Hermione. Perhaps it's also time for you to finally let bygones be bygones…"
September 29, 2014 – 1:00 pm – House of the Granger-Weasley Family, Dining Room
Hermione skimmed through the newspaper while sipping her tea and just enjoying the moment of peace while her children, Rose and Hugo, took a nap in the next room. Her eyes rested on a picture of two parents with their newborn daughter, whom they had named Lilian. It was a pretty name ... and the couple looked happy as if their greatest wish had come true.
The joys of parenthood – the two of them had no idea what they were getting into. Hermione laughed. Being a mother was exhausting, but she would not give it up for the world, even if she could already hear loud screeching from the next room again.
Smiling, Hermione rose from her chair before putting the newspaper back on the table and stepping out of the room. Maybe she should invite them over to have some tea sometime, that is as soon as the Wizengamot had decided on their pardon, which was only a matter of time. They would certainly have a lot to talk about, even if it was just dirty nappies and teething babies...
Next chapter: Principes of Alexandria
Preview:
"Love?!" Astoria shrieked in disbelief. "What do you know about love? You've always been as cold as a block of ice. You have no heart. You're just an insensitive monster, unable to love or –"
"That's not true!" Daphne now shrieked as well. "I'm not a monster! And I can love!"
AN:
As you have probably noticed yourself, this chapter did not form a continuous narrative. Rather, it should give an insight into the further lives of Harry and Daphne (and a few other characters) after their victory in the final chapter. Besides, it should show what Harry and Daphne have done with their gained power and freedom, here from the perspective of Hermione. In the next chapter we return to our two lovebirds, don't worry ;)
