Chapter 7 First Lord of the Treasury

We sat in the lounge as I contemplated this 'mage sight' I had been gifted with, maybe it could be useful, I wondered why I was given this gift; when suddenly there was a flare from the fireplace and Kingsley's head appeared there, "what were you needing to speak to me that was so urgent and couldn't wait until the morning...?"

He glanced around the room and noticed Gabrielle and myself seated together on the sofa, "ah! I begin to see some sense of who caused the problem. Mr. Dursley, are you the reason for this urgent summons; again I'm beginning to believe I should have had you obliviated of all knowledge of magic when you first turned up for that job interview. Might I ask, what problem have you stirred up today?"

Grinning, Harry handed him the literature that I had brought over a few hours earlier and pointed out the relevant passages. Kingsley raised his eyebrows at the titles of the books and began reading as he accepted a cup of tea that Harry handed him.

Half an hour later, he looked up from his reading, "very well I can see that you have some concerns about the Statute of Secrecy, and the fact that this Magna Carta thing, may have been breached, but, really I don't see the problem; we've been hidden for so long now, coming out to the authorities could breach the Statute!"

I sighed; once again I needed to show wizards how ignorant they were of the modern world and the advances that muggles had made. I handed him the photograph taken from Google Earth that I had showed Harry earlier. He looked at it and twisted it in his hands trying to see what the significance of the photo was. "that minister is a photo of Diagon Alley, Knockturn Alley and the surrounding muggle streets, it was taken by a surveillance satellite in orbit around the Earth, the Statute is not active in the US, so their satellites and computers are not affected either. I never thought to look, but going through the correct web sites etc I am sure I could find a photograph of Hogwarts as well. These sites were granted to the wizarding world by the monarchy and we are allowed to retain our secrecy from muggles, only as long as we do not allow our affairs to endanger the monarchy and any her subjects." Kingsley nodded at me, and motioned for me to continue. "I can think of a couple of instances where the wizarding world endangered the muggle one and covered it up, but there is the possibility that some enterprising muggle scientist or investigator could uncover the truth. If Her Majesty decided that these incidents were enough, it could mean war against the wizarding world."

Kingsley looked up in alarm. "Surely, you're exaggerating, what incidents are you talking about? It hasn't gotten that bad surely? Has it?"

"There's the incident of a bridge which the Death Eaters destroyed during the war, the muggle village destroyed by giants during the same period, and if you look further back there's an incident where an innocent man was framed and imprisoned for blowing up several muggles in a gas main explosion, where if you had any idea of the infrastructure of the area, would point out to you that the area in question has no piped gas, all the houses in the area at the time relied on oil fired boilers for their heating."

The minister looked at me and Harry for a few moments, deep in thought, "ok, Dudley, I understand the points you are making, but how may I ask are you aware of the incident involving the arrest of Sirius Black, after all you must have been all of two at the time?"

"Well, the main reason for knowing about this is muggle gossip, you may be aware of my family, and that I have an aunt, my father's sister?" I glanced at the minister who nodded. "Well, it was quite a topic of conversation for her over the years after, how a non-existent gas main in the new estate she had moved to, could explode causing such destruction. I heard my father mention something about sewers and gas build up, and I'm sure he hasn't exactly made the real connection, but the possibility is there that he could and if my father who is not the cleverest individual could possibly make the connection; couldn't others?"

"Very well, Mr. Dursley, I accept that you have made a connection there about an explosion in a non-existent gas main, but how have you connected that with Sirius Black? As far as I am aware there has never been that much detail in the muggle press about him, just that he was an armed mass murderer who had escaped from prison."

I looked a little sheepishly at Harry, "well, truth to tell minister, I learned about it from Harry, although he never told me."

"Pardon!" was the reply I got from all three of the people listening in on this conversation. Harry had a thoughtful expression on his face, wondering when he had ever told me anything so specific about his godfather."

"Harry never actually spoke to me about Sirius being innocent, but I remember his nightmares; they didn't make much sense at the time. I've managed to connect the dots so to speak since then. He used to say that it was his fault that Sirius had died; he blamed himself for the death of a boy named Cedric; he hated the fact that his friends had been hurt following him into the ministry. not all this was at the same time of course, it took place over many nights over a couple of summers, but that last summer, that Harry was living with us, I desperately wanted to know more about his school life and other parts of the life of my cousin; I didn't have the courage to say sorry to him, so I would borrow the copies of the Daily Prophet from his trunk; I don't know how I was able to read them as I later learnt there was a charm on the paper so as to make muggles think it was a foreign paper, but thinking about it now, perhaps the charm wears off after a while. Anyway, I managed to piece a lot together, of course I probably never got the whole story, but enough to make sense of what he was saying in his nightmares, and of a certain gas explosion... particularly as the ministry or the order used the same excuse to our neighbours when the house was partially destroyed by death eaters whilst we were in hiding."

"Hmm! A most astute piece of detective work, Dudley, I can see that the wizarding world needs to be more aware of our muggle neighbours at least in finding excuses for accidents caused by magic and this photograph you have show me, does point out that our secrecy is in the verge of discovery, whilst I do not think that the Statute should be scrapped completely, I do see the need for our two communities to have a better relationship in the future. You have certainly enhanced the way that the wizarding world perceives muggles in general, the computer is one way; we have managed to cut down on the size of the records department at the ministry quite a lot since your first introduction of it a while back. It used to be that every department head that a particular piece of legislation affected had to have their own copy of some document, now it is sent to them by e-mail, we only have one copy on file of everything on parchment, clearing up an area equal to two quidditch pitches I believe. This problem you have just presented me with however; might not have a quick or easy solution; I am curious as to why you thought that I might be able to help you with it?"

Harry looked at Kingsley; "I know that as Minister for Magic you have a limited contact with Mr. Blair, the Muggle Prime Minister, I was wondering if there was any way to use this connection to try and open negotiations for a formal reconciliation with the Monarchy?"

"Good grief Potter, it's not just your cousin that delights in causing me problems; I think I ought to get a large time turner and go back to just after you defeated Voldemort and tell myself not to offer you honorary N.E.W.T.s, and a post in the Aurors, but exile you from the country;" he sighed and then looked rather sternly at Harry. On seeing the look on Harry and my faces, he actually let out a snigger. "Oh, the look on both your faces is priceless, you know of course that that's impossible and also illegal, but I must admit that you both delight in giving me migraines with the puzzles you bring to my attention. The Unspeakables are still trying to replicate the effect that that mobile phone you charmed had in order to protect our Aurors from the killing curse and now you come up with yet another problem. I have very little to do with Mr. Blair, I had more to do with his predecessor, Mr. Major, being his bodyguard so to speak, I don't think I've spoken to Mr. Blair half a dozen times in all the time I've been minister and I have no idea how he reacts to my visits. I sort of inherited the protocol of informing him of major incidents in our world that may affect the muggles, but I honestly don't know how he reports those incidents to his cabinet or the muggle press; as must have happened in the case of Sirius Black a few years ago."

Harry handed Kingsley the book on 'Practical Defensive Magic' that I had given him earlier, "page 275!"

Kingsley raised his eyebrows and opened the book to the page indicated and the instructions for the 'The Avada-proof vest'. "Only you Dudley Dursley could negate two years of research at the Department of Mysteries with a book bought in a bookstore. Well I suppose in one way that gives us some leeway, I can have the Unspeakables look into how to reconnect with the muggle world and the Queen, and present this spell as a way of having them stop their current line of research. Have you any idea of what you are going to do next, just so I have an idea, about whether to resign ahead of time?"

"Not the future, but the past maybe, I've encountered one of the things I foresaw in my N.E.W.T Divination exam, I have talked to a centaur, whilst walking on water..."

"oh, really, you must be having me on, there is one person in history known to have walked on water and there is speculation in the magical world as to whether that is a metaphor of some kind, the man in question was not known to have been a wizard, of course it was before the importance of wizarding bloodlines was established so he may have been; but I really must say that that was the most ridiculous thing you said in your exams."

There was a loud crack at this point and our conversation was halted by the arrival of Kreacher back from his trip to Hogwarts to speak to Winky about his replacement, "Master Harry," he croaked, looking a little unsteady on his feet.

Harry looked very worried, "Kreacher, what's the matter? Are you alright? Please sit down and tell me the news of your visit."

Kreacher looked at him in disdain, "a proper house elf does not sit down in the presence of his master, it would not be right," he said, drawing himself up and trying to stand upright.

"A proper house elf does what he is told by his master," said Harry, waving his wand and producing a comfortable looking seat for Kreacher. "Now, please, take a seat and tell me what you learnt at Hogwarts."

Kreacher bowed his head and sat on the seat, trying to make it look like he was doing so under protest at his master's order, but we could all see his relief as he did so. "I has spoken to Winky and she tells me that she is pregnant with one kit, from Dobby, but will not give birth to it, unless she is a proper honest elf bound to a family and not disgraced by being paid; I is also told by the head elf at Hogwarts that I am too ill to father a kit of my own, I does not have the magic to spare, the effort to father a kit would kill me and more than likely be unsuccessful in a pregnancy." He looked disappointed at this and I suppose in a way he was, the thought that his potential child would continue to serve the Noble House of Black had quite inspired him.

Harry looked at Kreacher, "are there any of your descendants alive anywhere, any kits that are descended from you?"

"No, Master Harry, the last kit I fathered died over a hundred years ago, rescuing a Malfoy heir in a fire, I has no other family, I was the only child of my mother, and I know nothing of the family of the elf who fathered me."

Kingsley gave a cough, "I'll leave you to this family discussion, and set the ball rolling tomorrow with the Unspeakables with this solution to the avada you've given me and the new problem you've set."

Harry nodded, "thanks Kingsley..." Kingsley promptly stepped into the fireplace and flooed off to a destination that I didn't hear the name of.

Harry was looking thoughtful, obviously trying to think of some solution to this little conundrum that he had set himself. From what I knew of house elves, there needed to be no familial connection between the elves that served a family through the generations, though there usually was. His thought processes were halted by the sound of the phone in the hallway ringing; he excused himself and went to answer the call. Kreacher sat on the chair that Harry had produced for him, he looked better than he did when he had arrived back, but it was obvious that he was still a little down to think that his family line would die with him. I decided to try and help his thought processes along and try to prompt him into thinking of any other family he might have. "Kreacher, your kit that died in the Malfoy fire, do you know if it had any kits of its own, does the possibility of one of them being able to serve Harry's family exist?"

"Kreacher does not know, he has had no contact with the Malfoy family for many years since before Master Orion died, the father of Masters Sirius and Regulus; I is not sure I could go to the Manor now, I is not known to Master Draco, who is current Lord Malfoy."

At this point Harry returned from the hallway with a pleased expression in his face. "Kreacher, that was Ginny, she has agreed that we will take on Winky as a house elf for our house and Dobby's child as well, now that James is getting a little older and running about a bit more, she thinks she could do with the help in looking after him; Winky can be properly bonded to our house if that is her wish, but there will be conditions to her employment, similar to the ones you are now working with; she must dress appropriately as an elf, to show the honour and status of serving our house, she must accept a small payment which will allow her to purchase the materials to make her own clothing; this does not mean she is being paid..." Harry looked at me over Kreacher's head, as he was saying this and I could see what he was doing and winked at him. Technically he was paying Winky to be his elf, but at the same time, this money was not to be seen as wage by her, but an allowance to dress herself as a Potter elf.

Kreacher looked up at Harry and drew himself upright, "I will go to Hogwarts and inform Winky of Master Harry's offer," he bowed to Harry and made ready to disappear.

"Kreacher stop! You are not to go anywhere tonight; you have the rest of the evening off to recover from the trip you made earlier. You can go tomorrow to Hogwarts, but only if you are healthy enough! What's more, if Winky accepts the offer you are to take it easy, I do not want you dying on me from wearing yourself out with work."

"But, Master Harry, I..." said Kreacher in protest trying to find a way around this order. I looked at Harry and beckoned him over and whispered in his ear, he grinned at took his seat in front of Kreacher again.

Kreacher, I am not forcing retirement or anything like that, this is a promotion, you will be Head elf, this means it will be your responsibility to make sure Winky and her child are worthy of serving the Ancient and Noble House of Potter

"Yes Master Harry," replied Kreacher, although he still looked tired and ill, it seemed there was a sense of pride to him now, as he made his way out of the room to rest until tomorrow.

Harry was sitting looking thoughtful on the sofa; "this still means that we need to find an elf for yourself and Gabby, I know that Ginny is quite taken with the idea of having two elves and will appreciate all the extra help with James, not to mention when Teddy comes around, between them they can be a pair; I pity poor Hogwarts when they go, a future set of Marauders if I ever met them; thankfully they'll be in different years."

"What about writing to this Draco Malfoy and making enquiries of him, is that not possible?"

"Draco and I were not the best of friends at school; he was in Slytherin and I was the Gryffindor golden boy so to speak. On top of that his father was a Death Eater and died not long after the war, killed by one of his former colleagues who was trying to take over the Death Eaters with himself as head. We tentatively made our peace at the end of the war, but I've not really spoken to him that much. I don't know how he'd respond to such an odd request; most purebloods see their house elves as unworthy of their notice unless they need them for something, and let's not forget that Dobby was a Malfoy elf before I freed him, I don't know how Draco would regard that fact if he even knows about it!"

I had no idea how to respond to this revelation; it certainly was a bit of a poser. Our thoughts were all brought to a conclusion by a loud rumbling from Harry's stomach which Gabrielle took as an opportunity to invite him over to ours for a meal, which put an end to our brooding on this subject.

The next morning was mine and Gabby's first back at work since our honeymoon and as usual, after any break in my work schedule I found a mountain of paperwork waiting for me, what was it about holidays that seemed to inspire my department to generate a mountain of paper for me to plough my way through? By the lunchtime I felt as if I needed another holiday to get over all the reports etc, I had waded my way through, but then again I always did at this point after a break. Gabrielle and I were sitting together in the canteen at the ministry enjoying a quiet lunch together when she broached the subject of Draco Malfoy and a possible way to open communication with him

I drafted a letter on official ministry headed parchment and addressed it to Draco: Lord Malfoy and put in my out tray to be sent at the end of the day by ministry owl, I didn't want him to know that I was enquiring on behalf of Harry; from what I'd heard through ministry gossip that probably wasn't a good idea where this Draco Malfoy character was concerned. His family had been on the wrong side during the war with Voldemort and indeed his father had been removed as head of house and Lord Malfoy after the conflict. Pureblood politics, what a nightmare, almost made me glad I wasn't a pureblood, though being muggleborn had its share of problems too.

At the end of a very tiring day I made my way home with Gabrielle and told her of the letter I'd sent off, and the response I hoped for. She agreed that a letter from the Ministry from a Wizarding Lord was probably the best way to deal with a pureblood snob like Malfoy; she'd never met him herself but she knew the type; indeed some of the ministry snobbish types were rude to her at first upon learning of her 'veela' ancestry, bigots, the lot of them.

It was a couple of days later when I finally received a reply from Malfoy:

Lord Dursley,

I must admit, receiving a letter from the Ministry with such an unusual request came as bit of a shock, why anyone would worry about the familial status of a mere house elf is beyond me; but on reading your letter, I did make enquiries of our house elves. One elf, Stinker by name, admits to being the daughter of the house elf in question and that she is indeed carrying a kit, but refuses to give birth to it; it being the kit of an elf that was disgraced by being freed by my father, one Dobby by name. This is quite a surprise to me, as I was told by my father that Dobby was dead after my second year at school, a pity as he had been the elf who had been mine up to that point and I quite liked him, but hated the fact that my father was abusive to him whilst I was away at Hogwarts; the punishments he was ordered to give himself were horrific.

I must also admit to some surprise to hear of yourself, Lord Dursley, I pride myself on being a bit of an expert on the wizarding families of England and the continent, and do not recall hearing of your family. I must assume that the family is from the more Eastern European nations as most of those families do not associate much with the European Nobility, although the name does not sound that way, I can only assume you must have Anglicised it slightly on taking your position at the English Ministry of Magic, indeed I have never heard of a Minister of Social Services before so it must have been a department made especially for you, a new department with no real responsibility to go with it; sorry if that offends you, but I know that is usually the way our ministry works; 'mudbloods' and 'half bloods' and 'foreigners' given important sounding, but often pointless jobs. I'm sorry if the use of the above terms offends you; although at one point I was extremely prejudiced myself about such things, but find that my views changed after the war with Voldemort when our world was saved by the efforts of a pureblood, half-blood and muggleborn, indeed they even saved my own life at the risk of their own.

I am sorry that I cannot be of further assistance to you in this matter, but if I can be of help with other matters in the future, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Yours sincerely,

Draco Malfoy (Lord)

Well, that was slightly hopeful; at least there was some possibility of getting a house elf for Harry that had the wanted connection with Kreacher, although what the full story was with this Dobby, I don't know, I would need to bring it up with Harry at some point in the near future. I also found it encouraging that he seemed to be less obsessed with blood status than Harry maintained he would be; maybe there was hope for the magical world after all.

I was thinking of taking a lunch break when there was a knock on my office door and Kingsley entered. "Ah, good you're still here, I was hoping you hadn't left for lunch yet, I've had some research done in the old archives and it seems that the Court Mage would report to the First Lord of The Treasury in the muggle government, but unfortunately, this office seems to have died out, I can't discover who the present successor is; any ideas...?"

A/N Do any of my readers know who the current successor is to the title of First Lord of The Treasury? The title is correct and someone in the British muggle parliament does actually have that position, although it is not used too much today. Until next time, thanks for reading and a Happy New Year to you all.

Thank you to all the readers who have read and responded with a review. A special mention at this point must go to sachaelle, who has asked about Justin who was such a main player in 'A New Beginning', the first story in this series so far; Justin will not be a major player in this story but will be making a guest appearance at some point. He/She also enquired about the 'appearance' of 'Al' and 'Rose', their first mentions will occur shortly. There are no plans for Ron & Hermione to buy #13 Grimmauld; they currently live in the village of Ottery St. Mary, which is near to Ottery St. Catchpole, on the other side of the Rookery which is of course the Lovegood Residence, and incidentally can be found in Wikipedia and probably on Google Earth!