Author's Note: Finally I figured out the last scene, and better yet, the next chapter has already started. I believe I've got two to three more chapters in this story after this.
As usual, I'd like to thank, joeyzoot, Jonas, drwho13, Matt Arnold, Mark Schmidt, and the ever dependable Jim Trigg for assistnace in writing this chapter (which actually started last July)
Chapter Eighteen: Time in Transition
"Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye, the Wizengamot will now come to order on this morning, the eighteenth day of its Summer Session on this the hundred seventy-third day of the forty-third year of the reign of her majesty, Queen Elizabeth, the second of that name to reign over the British Isles, Defender of Faith, Lord of all that is Magical. The Member from Surrey, Sir Harry, Chief Warlock Pro Tem, presiding on the orders of Her Majesty. God save the Queen."
Draco Amesbury sat in his seat with a smirk on his face. It was something he was known for at Hogwarts, an expression that his face fell into easily. It was also one he'd been trying to train himself not to use. At the moment it was appropriate, because for once hhe knew something that Neville Longbottom didn't and would really want to know.
Longbottom was sitting in substitution at the moment, not far from where Draco was. He was dressed in the rather colorful Lincolnshire Wizengamot robes in the style that Draco and Potter had introduced. Where Draco's were white (a statement alone against the Dark) and green with gold piping, and Potter had gone for navy and gold, Longbottom had four colors, green, blue, red, and yellow, to match his historical county of Lincolnshire. His grandmother wore the traditional wizarding robes in the same color as she stood in the well of the Wizengamot Chamber.
"Earl, Baron, Lords of the Wizengamot," Potter began. "Tomorrow at four the Summer Session of the Forty-Third Year of Queen Elizabeth's Wizengamot shall end. We have one more bill to vote on this afternoon, Arthur Weasley's Muggle Artifact Regularization Act. If there are any more items to be placed for vote, please notify the scribe by noon today.
"I have been informed that the Regent for the Seat of Lincolnshire wishes to address the Wizengamot on the Seat today. The chair yields twenty minutes to Regent Longbottom."
"Thank you Sir Harry," Augusta Longbottom began. "Earl, Baron, and Lords of the Wizengamot, it has been my honor to serve this body for thirteen years as Regent for my grandson Neville. At various times I have served as proxy for both his father and grandfather. According to Elphias Doge, I've spent a good twenty years time as proxy or regent for the Lincolnshire seat. Today, however, is the last day I shall spend as Regent for Lincolnshire on behalf of Neville."
Draco looked over at Neville, whose mouth had dropped open. It seemed that he had no idea what his gran was going to do today.
"As the Chief Warlock pro tem, and Baron Amesbury will be happy to tell you, Neville has been instrumental at assisting them in entering the Wizengamot. I've been reliably informed that he was the one who engineered the transition of the outfits that the Weasley brothers wore to honor Triwizard Champion Cedric Diggory to a style that defines a young lord of the Wizengamot. A good third of this body is wearing them at this very moment.
"And his influence extends beyond clothing. I was just outside the Member from Inverness's office the other day when I heard our Chief Auror say that he needed to convince Neville to support an increase in Auror funding because if you convinced Neville, Surrey and Wiltshire would agree with him. Then if you got Surrey you got his faction, and Wiltshire might even be able to bring some of the Dark faction along."
Draco had been trying to take all of his father's old faction over to the faction that he and Potter ran. Though maybe it might actually be Neville's faction, now that he thought of it. Ewart Kerr of Dumfries had been his first contribution, and Stirling under its new lady, Mary Baddock was on his side since Dolores Umbridge had died. Pansy's grandfather's Cumberland seat was also one of his contributions. It had taken him a good week to get that one. He'd found Horace Slughorn, former Head of Slytherin and Potions Master to be the Regent for his classmate Gregory Goyle. Greg was in no way ready to sit at the Wizengamot, and had been panicking when Draco had finally brought him a solution. With Thicknesse in Staffordshire and Yaxley in Suffolk attainted, their seats vacant, and Pritchard of Caredigion having died that morning foolishly trying to attack the muggle PM at a military base, their faction was the current largest at ten members.
"You may have noticed that the Auror budget is up by twenty-two percent this year," Augusta Longbottom said. "He also managed to increase research for Cruciatus Curse victims, a cause near and dear to both our hearts, a cause that in thirteen straight years I have been unable to increase funding for. He did it all without drawing pity towards himself. Instead he quietly traded a few minor favors around, and suddenly not only was there a special fund established by the Ministry for the study with a significant initial expenditure, but ten of you donated princely sums as well. And I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for that.
"My grandson has proven himself to be ready for his seat, so with permission from Her Majesty the Queen, today I step aside, Regent for Lincolnshire no longer, and ask my grandson to step forward into his place. I ask for the Royal to swear him in. I yield the remainder of my time back to the chair."
Three sharp raps of the gavel echoed in the chamber, as Potter called for the on duty Royal. Draco wondered which one it would be, fingering the coin embedded in the desk before him that commemorated his own swearing in. It had the date, his name, and the arms of Wiltshire on the Reverse, but on the Obverse there was the Queen enthroned, as he was one of ten members who had been lucky enough to be sworn in by a reigning monarch. Potter had the Duke of York on his, and Percy Weasley had the Princess Royal, by far the most common obverse of those currently in the Wizengamot.
Draco noticed that Neville had not moved yet. He stood and moved over to him, joined by Potter who had somehow managed to leave the dais without Draco noticing. Together they escorted Neville Longbottom to the well of the Wizengamot. Standing there was the Prince of Wales, who despite his position as heir to the throne, the current incumbent only had one other current member sworn in under his name.
As Draco stood on Neville's left, and Potter to his right, Potter spoke up. "Your Royal Highness, I present to you Neville Longbottom, minor member by inheritance since the declaration of his father's irrecoverable condition in January of 1982, which the members of this body wish to request by acclamation, previously taken, the early assumption of his seat of Lincolnshire by right. Thy royal mother, the Queen, having previously granted a waiver of his minority."
"Neville Longbottom of Lincolnshire, are you ready to take your oath as a full member of this body?" the Prince of Wales asked.
How Neville answered in such a clear voice, Draco would never know, "I am."
"Then take your oath now."
"I, Neville Longbottom, swear by my magic that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, her heirs and successors, by law and by magic, So mote it be."
"Surprised, Neville?" Potter asked, leaning over to whisper in his ear as the three boys headed back to their seats. With the Prince of Wales presiding over the Wizengamot, Potter could go back to his seat for a few minutes. It seemed that the Chief Warlock Pro Tem didn't like presiding.
"Yes!" Neville said. There had been some judicious rearranging of the seats, which put Surrey next to Lincolnshire, and Draco was actually right behind Surrey's seat. "I don't know how you pulled this off."
"Oh, and we're not done yet," Potter said, with a smirk that Draco thought looked better on his own face.
"Augusta Longbottom!" the Prince of Wales said, striking the gavel. "Do not sneak out of the chamber. Wils! Escort her back to the well."
Draco sat back in his chair, his arms folded in front of him, as Augusta Longbottom returned to stand before the Wizengamot. It looked like she had no idea what was planned for her, either.
"You served this body as regent and proxy for quite a number of sessions," the Prince of Wales said. "So much so that my mother informed me that she wasn't going to give you an option other than this, what county do you wish to serve?"
Draco wished that he could have seen Neville's expression, but the expression of surprise on his gran's face was enough for the moment. It was obvious that Augusta Longbottom had forgotten the fifteen-year rule for regents and proxies. And it looked like the Queen was not prepared to let Augusta Longbottom come around to accepting the automatic offer of a merit seat.
There was nearly complete silence in the chamber for a couple minutes before Neville's gran drew herself up straighter. "Herefordshire," she said, firmly.
"Then Augusta Longbottom, take your oath," the Prince of Wales said.
"I, Augusta Longbottom, swear by my magic that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, her heirs and successors, by law and by magic, So mote it be."
A new desk and chair had already joined the end of the row that Neville and Potter sat in, and it was now decorated with the arms of Herefordshire. Draco leaned forward and got Neville's attention. "Drove your gran all the way to the other side of England, I see."
"Gran's got a cottage there that she keeps saying she'll retire to some day," Neville said. "I don't think she's going to get to retire now, though."
"Neville, one does their duty as long as Queen and Country wish them to do so," the new merit member from Herefordshire said. "Now pay attention."
The Prince of Wales still stood in the well of the Wizengamot. "Her Majesty the Queen wishes to inform her loyal Wizengamot that upon the capture of any followers of the so called Dark Lord Voldemort, also known as Tom Riddle, who were members until their recent expulsion, or the aforementioned Tom Riddle, this body will be required to go into session as the Supreme Wizarding Court to judge them on charges of insurrection and treason the next morning after their capture. Stand at ready."
And then the Prince of Wales turned to look at Potter and nodded. "I yield the chair to the Member from Surrey."
You had to pass the Lincolnshire Offices to get to the Office for the Merit Member from Surrey. Which made it really hard not to see Hannah Abbot snogging Neville Longbottom right opposite the door to his offices. Hermione and Ginny had to slid around the snogging couple with the last bit of final research that the were both conducting for Harry. He wanted an outline of what he'd have to do if he had to preside over a trial. It was the opinion of both girls, that Harry was right to be prepared, but needed more time as a teenager instead of a Lord of the Wizengamot. Fortunately, they had a plan.
"Call it in the air, Hermione," Ginny said as she tossed her lucky knut into the air.
"Heads," Hermione replied as the coin rotated through its peak in the air.
Ginny watched the coin land on the table, somehow bouncing up on to its edge before bringing a spiral down flat ... on heads. Maybe the coin wasn't lucky anymore. "So, your choice, tonight or the night before we go to Hogwarts?"
They'd tossed the coin to determine which of them would be going out with Harry tonight. In their lunchtime briefing Hermione had brought up that Harry hadn't gone on another date. He'd gone on a rant that in the quiet of Hermione's consideration of her choice Ginny still couldn't get out of her mind.
"Date? Who would I go on a date with? When I ask someone out, it always turns into a disaster of some sort. Either they turn me down, I don't know what to do, or something goes wrong. Yes, my date with Parvati went rather well, but that was an apology date, because I was so bad a date at the Yule Ball. I didn't even ask her. It was all arranged for me. I'm pretty sure that if I hadn't been a Triwizard champion neither Ron or I would have had a date.
"I was so desperate to have a date to that Ball. I would have even traded in on being the Boy-Who-Lived, and you know how much I hate being called on that. My Mum died to save me, I just survived. Anyway, any girl would probably be trying to go after me because of my Wizengamont seat now ... yes, being Chief Warlock pro tem too, Hermione ... Someone please stop whoever else wants to pile honors on me.
"Hermione, Ginny, you're probably the only two that I can trust aren't just seeing the Boy-Who-Lived, and I'd try to do my best to do a good date at the moment. And I'm not entirely sure about you Ginny, with that white knight saving thing ... no bat boogey hex, Ginny. I was just kidding!"
She's sent him a tickling charm instead, sending him back to presiding over the Wizengamot in a lot better mood. Hermione hadn't let him go though, until he'd promised to take them both out. Now she was waiting for Hermione to decide.
"Tonight for me, I think," Hermione said. "I'm not expecting what Harry did for Parvati, and I think you deserve better. I'm just his bookworm friend who happens to be a girl."
"Don't sell yourself short, Hermione," Ginny replied. She didn't think she was going to get a big production, and wasn't really looking for one. She agreed with her mother that it was too early to say you found your one true love, and her crush hadn't been on Harry, but on the mythical Boy-Who-Lived. Proper treatment by a mind-healer during her second year following Riddle's possession had allowed her to see the difference. "And you deserve as much as I do. We're both going to this as friends, I think. At least that's what I want to try."
Hermione stared right at Ginny, as if she was trying to make sure that Ginny was telling the truth. Ginny met her gaze, unyielding, but with a natural neutral expression. Oh, she'd accept Harry sweeping her off her feet, but she was going to do her best to make sure she wasn't the driving force behind any relationship between her and Harry. He didn't need someone pursue him. Harry had enough of that as the Boy-Who-Lived before you got to all the girls that had stopped by looking for him at his office after word got out about his date with Parvati.
"Okay, I believe you," Hermione finally said. "I'll go tonight and you go the next time. I'm hoping for a nice slow night."
"Hermione, you've just doomed your date," Ginny said. "Harry never has a nice slow night when he's trying to do something special. Need I remind you of the night he took his Aunt and Uncle out to dinner."
"Point," Hermione said. "We'll need a healer on duty early tomorrow, it might be the last scheduled session, but with Harry's luck, they'll have to push that back. Let Neville know I jinxed Harry."
"I'll let the Member from Lincolnshire know," Ginny replied. "And the Member from Wiltshire, too. Harry designated Amesbury to preside over the morning session. It seems he expects to sleep in tomorrow."
"Like that will happen," Hermione said. "When was the last time Harry didn't get up before dawn and wasn't sick or injured?"
"I'm betting it was when he was two," Ginny replied.
Harry had not expected to really enjoy the movie that he'd let Hermione pick for them to go see. He would have preferred Batman Forever, but Hermione's choice of The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill but Came Down a Mountain, hadn't been that bad.
It had been a good date, which had Harry a bit worried. His luck with dates had be a bit uneven. Even when the date went well, like his second date with Parvati, while he'd been on it, Dumbledore had been attacked. That had made him Chief Warlock Pro Tem, and resulted in an auror being stationed on Privet Drive.
As they walked down Ifield Avenue, crossing right before Town Barn Road, Harry held Hermione's hand. It felt right to do so. It had been a rather nice evening, going to a nice restaurant next to the cinema. He'd even found himself enjoying the movie. "My favorite character, Morgan the Goat, definitely," Harry replied to Hermione.
"Morgan the Goat?" Hermione said. "I admit that Colm Meaney is a good character actor, his bit role in Last of the Mohicans was really well done, but it starred Hugh Grant, and he can play a role. I saw him in Four Weddings and a Funeral last year."
"Dudley told me that I should pay attention to Morgan the Goat," Harry admitted. "Apparently Meaney is big in one of the shows that his girlfriend watches. Porta gets tapes from across the pond ..." Then suddenly Harry went silent.
"Harry?" Hermione said softly. Long association had apparently clued her in that he'd spotted something wrong.
"Have your wand ready," Harry whispered back, turning towards her and pulling her close. "I think I just spotted a couple of Death Eaters casing out your house." Then louder he continued. "Dudley tells me that it's a better show than the sixties show, even if it doesn't, STUPIFY!"
And with that a stunner shot out of his wand towards a crouched figure behind a pin oak across the street from Hermione's house, but on the side of the street that they walking on. He'd cast to the right, targeting the closer Death Eater. Somewhat to Harry's surprise, Hermione seemed to have her own wand on her, and with a stunning charm of her own, shot the Death Eater who was further down the road.
Harry hit right on the center of the target, the result of practice from before the third task. Hermione wasn't quite as accurate, but she was good enough. He scanned the road ahead, and spotted no one else, then he looked behind, to discover that he'd apparently had aurors on duty, as they dropped their invisibility cloaks.
"Sir Harry, I thought we were supposed to handle this," a pink haired female auror said.
"I thought you said it was unlikely they'd go after my date," Harry replied. "And perhaps I need to ask Madame Bones why it wasn't handled, Auror?"
"Tonks, sir. Actually, we caught six others in a sweep right before you turned down the road." There was a sudden crash from across the street. A glance revealed that someone had fallen off the roof of the house before Hermione's and onto the car parked in the driveway.
"Ouch, and I hope someone can fix that," Hermione said, her wand still out and pointing toward that roof. "That's Pastor Ingqvist's prized 1993 Jaguar XJS that he got from his parishioners when he retired from some Lake parish."
"I'm definitely going to have to talk to Madam Bones," Harry said, stepping up to the now tied up Death Eater who he'd stunned. He removed the mask. "Pius Thicknesse," he identified. "There will be a Wizengamot session after all tomorrow it seems. Tonks, call the Royal Wizard, I want all of these Death Eaters ready to stand trial at nine sharp tomorrow."
"No need to call me," Prince Edward said. "I'm already here, and if we can get these to Windsor we might just be able to call them all."
"Reversing possessor summoning?" Hermione asked. "But what about the anchoring and creation factor? I thought that precluded reversal."
"Mother did the calculations, but with the well of the lines of Windsor, we should be able to make them the anchor instead, if we have enough of them," Prince Edward replied. "It will crack the Fidelius charm on Findlater Castle, if You-Know-Who is there, causing a big sonic boom. How many marked ones did we catch here?"
"Four, sir," one of the aurors replied.
The big smile on Prince Edward's face, lit from the street lights promised that he had something very interesting up his sleeve and it had to be good. An evil grin like that could only portend something bad for You-Know-Who.