Author's Note:
I know it's not Tuesday — but I was excited to post this one. I hope you all like it.
I think I mentioned it before, but I have a passion for history, a Bachelor's degree in it actually, and I wanted to use part of the Nuremberg Laws of 1935 to make the text of the bill that Umbridge passed, as I feel like it outlines exactly what I was trying to convey and could still come across as 'unprejudiced' to those bigots who don't read it properly (rolls eyes). For those of you that don't know, the Nuremberg Laws were drafted by the Third Reich of the German Government in order to take away some of the rights and freedoms of the Jewish people before the outbreak of the Second World War. I used almost verbatim the laws here (replacing the word Jew with Undesirable and a few other small changes) but I felt like it was the right avenue to take for what I was trying to say.
Hope you like it. I'm immensely proud of this chapter.
I also organized the Wizengamot based on the British Parliament System, a House of Commons being the Common Wizengamot Members (CWM) and the House of Lords being the Lords and Ladies of the Wizengamot (LW). My breakdown of the Wizengamot system from the last chapter is a mix of knowledge of Pottermore and the Harry Potter Lexicon.
Reviews and Comments: To Steelcode: Oh, trust me. The Death Eaters can be and will be very dark. Thank you! To rbear1231: The Death Eaters will definitely get what's coming to them, but it won't be any time soon. Thank you! To scrappy8: Thank you! To E-Dett: Thank you! And yes, it was just that, a horrible experiment that will unfortunately work. Thanks for loving Remus as much as I do. To Shamelessnweird: Thank you! I accept that LOL. To speedsONEandONLY: Wow, that is extremely detailed. But it made me chuckle, so thank you! To Wolf's scream: Harry is definitely going to make sure Ginny is kept up to date. Hagrid is very understanding. Thank you! To coloredwords: Thank you. I do think it's a very plausible and disturbing way for Voldemort to have become the baby before his resurrection. There's no way it happened without extremely dark magic underfoot. I like having Hagrid and Harry be friends as well. To Moony The Sheep: Thank you so much! I'm glad that you love my switching between the characters and the humour and the thrills. Thanks!
To SilverMidas: Thank you! To Guest: Thank you so much for looking forward to my updates every week. Harry will be slow, but he will realize just how important Ginny is to him and trust me, it will be a slow burn. Thank you! To Ketja: Thank you! Your English was fine! Thanks so much for loving the story! To jimmyjohnspizza: ASC currently has more words than Philosopher's Stone, Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban, and Half-Blood Prince combined? Interesting. Thank you! To Greaterthan84: It was meant to be hard to read because it was awful to write. Thank you!
Thank you to Bex and to Steel for their kind assistance in helping me put my thoughts into words.
Thank you to my Beta — SilverStarwolfe!
My posting schedule: Every Tuesday or Wednesday (usually the latter) and sometimes on the weekends.
As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!
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CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-FOUR:
The One With the Wizengamot
Sirius stepped into the Ministry of Magic Friday afternoon and found himself self-consciously smoothing down the front of his plum coloured robes. He had never once actually imagined himself coming here in this capacity as Lord Black. He had dressed carefully that morning, determined to make an entrance and to prove that he was more than capable of serving not only his house and family, but of being deserving of holding his seat in the Wizengamot itself. He wore black denim with black combat boots. His black silk dress shirt was tucked into the denim with a white vest underneath that could be seen at his chest, and a dark grey leather jacket over top. His official Wizengamot plum robes were open in the front, the engraved gold letter W over the breast pocket with his wand holstered at his waist. He had even tied his hair back into a stubby tail with a black leather band, the front short pieces tucked behind his ears.
He went through security, his fingers playing with the silver hoops in his ear absently as his eyes moving around the Ministry in interest before he headed up to Zee's department and to her office. She was sitting behind her desk, flipping through files.
"Bad time?"
She grinned at him. "Not at all! You look great — very professional."
He leaned down to kiss her. "Petition?"
"Over half the Ministry employees have signed it and that's not including their spouses and their neighbours."
"Good," he said with a grimace as he accepted the petition from her. "This bill is barbaric and I want them to look like fools when they realize it."
Zee smiled at him. "You can do this. Having a seat in the Wizengamot is something to be proud of, Sirius."
Sirius shrugged. "I've been fighting against doing this my entire life, Zee. To be Lord Black, to be the heir that my parents and grandfather wanted. This is what I've spent my life trying to avoid. Now I'm a member of the Hogwarts Board of Governors and I've accepted my seat on the council, it's more than I imagined."
She stood up, moving around the desk to put her arms around him. "Look at me," she demanded, waiting until his grey eyes met hers. "Would your grandfather or your parents ever approve of you taking your seat in the Wizengamot in an effort to help werewolves?"
"Fuck, no! My grandfather is probably rolling over in his grave right now!"
Zee smirked. "Then you're not running into their agenda, are you? You are embracing the role as yourself, as the Black that you want to be and not the family that you are so scared to associate yourself with. Sirius, you are the Head of the Black family and as Head of that family, you can do anything that you so choose, make any decisions that you deem fit. You have no one to impress here except for yourself."
He leaned in and kissed her softly, his hands sitting on her hips. "You are a wise woman, Zacarias."
"I've been telling you that for ages," she said with a smile. "Sirius, you running away from that life as you call it, is you still rebelling against the family that disowned you. You are raising Harry. You gave him your full attention and he deserved every second of it. But he's not a little boy anymore. He doesn't need you the same way that he did five years ago. Now it's your turn to figure out what you want to do and today, stepping up and claiming your seat in the Wizengamot to do something right, he's going to be incredibly proud of you when he finds out."
He beamed at her. "You think? I mean… me and politics… definitely not something that I ever saw happening."
Zee kissed him. "For Remus. For yourself. And honestly for the betterment of our community. Go make your stand."
He kissed her again. "See you in the madhouse."
She grinned and slapped his behind lightly as she watched him head out. He shot a grin over his shoulder at her that made arousal spear through her. He really looked too damn good in his attire.
As much as he wanted to deny his heritage; as much as he wanted to admit that he was just a man who tinkered with Muggle engines — he was born to do this. The way he lit up when he spoke about working on the Hogwarts Board of Governors, he enjoyed every second of it, and she couldn't wait to be there when he realized that he enjoyed his seat in the Wizengamot as well.
Sirius headed straight for the Chambers of the Wizengamot. The press was already outside, eager to be present for the big discussion on Bill 426-A17 as he made his way into the Grand Domed Chamber that held the governmental assembly. Dumbledore was already seated at the top in his position as Chief Warlock. He recognized most of the others, including everyone on the Hogwarts Board of Governors with him and most of the Lords and Ladies from his youth.
The Black Family Seat sat six seats away from Dumbledore on the right side of the room in the House of Lords and Ladies section. His family crest carved into the back of the regal wooden chair and he moved towards it with determination and sat down. The moment that he sat in the chair, he found the magic whirl around him and cling to him. Old magic, old ties that tested him; made sure that he was deserving of the seat, a true Black. His own magic tingled with the contact and for the first time in years, he was reminded of why the Black family name was so prominent.
It was only a few moments before Dumbledore called the room to attention and everyone settled themselves into their seats.
"As you know, we have many things to discuss today on our agenda and many things that need to be debated on not only their legality, but also on their morality. First, I would like to formally welcome Lord Sirius Black, the Viscount of Falmouth, on accepting his family seat in the Wizengamot and take a moment to officially swear him in to the House of Lords and Ladies of the Wizengamot and to the Wizengamot Assembly. Sirius, if you would please stand."
Sirius stood up. He could feel all eyes on him, but it didn't bother him. For the first time since he had held Harry in his arms after taking him from the Dursleys, he knew that this was where he belonged. It was a feeling that he hadn't expected to come over him, but he knew it to be true.
He raised his wand and cleared his throat. "I, Lord Sirius Orion Black, Head of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black, do solemnly swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to the Wizengamot Assembly, to the Lords and Ladies of the Wizengamot, to the Ministry of Magic, and to my Magical Heritage both as a Black and as a Wizard and with this oath, I shall strive to do right by all manner of people after the laws and usages of this realm, without fear or favour, affection or ill will. I do swear on my life and on my magic, so mote it be."
Dumbledore pointed to the golden goblet in the middle of the room. "Please join us."
Sirius moved down to the middle of the room, he used the ceremonial knife to slice his palm and carefully squeezed a few drops of blood into the goblet. It sizzled for a moment before turning a blinding white. His family chair glowed with the acceptance of his blood magic and settled back to normal as Dumbledore smiled at him.
"Welcome, Lord Falmouth, you are now an official member of the Wizengamot."
Everyone applauded and he nodded, moving to claim his seat once more.
Dumbledore cleared his throat before speaking. "As you are aware, the big question for today's Assembly is Bill 426-A17. It was passed through unofficial channels at the end of November and has caused an uproar here in the Ministry of Magic and in our community, which is why this bill will be debated openly and publicly today with the press present as well as any other British Magical Citizen who wishes to be present today to hear the proceedings. I would like to ask Senior Undersecretary Dolores Umbridge to read it aloud for us to hear it in its entirety."
The small toad like woman, dressed in a bright pink suede dress beneath her plum Wizengamot robes, moved to the podium at the front. She cleared her throat with a little, 'hem, hem' before she spoke in a rather girlish voice that didn't quite suit her.
"As Chief Warlock Dumbledore stated, Bill 426-A17 was something drafted by myself and a few key members of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement over the last year. It was signed by myself, by the Undersecretary to the Department Head of Magical Law Enforcement, Pius Thicknesse, approved by a few key members of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures under Agent Grimmson, and then put into immediate effect by Minister Fudge on the thirtieth of November 1993 — which is not against the rules of passing a bill into law."
"It is when the Wizengamot never sees it before it is passed," Augusta Longbottom declared, much to the agreement of her colleagues.
Umbridge merely pursed her lips. "As I was saying, Bill 426-A17 is a vital piece of legislation that was put into place to try to protect our citizens and our community. I will read the bill aloud for you now:
British Magical Citizenship Laws:
The Ministry of Magic has unanimously enacted the following law which is promulgated herewith:
Article 1:
1. A subject of the realm is a person who enjoys the protection of the Ministry of Magic and who in consequence has specific obligations toward it.
2. The status of the subject of the realm is acquired in accordance with the provisions of the Ministry of Magic and with the British Magical Citizenship Laws.
Article 2:
1. A British Magical Citizen is a subject of the realm who is of Magical Blood, and proves by his or her conduct that he or she is willing and fit to faithfully serve the Magical people as well as the Ministry of Magic.
2. British Magical Citizenship is acquired through the granting of a Ministry of Magic Citizenship certificate.
3. The British Magical Citizen is the sole bearer of full political rights and freedoms in accordance with the law.
Article 3:
1. The Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic and the Administrative Registration Department, in coordination with the Minister of Magic, will issue the legal and administrative orders required to implement and complete this law.
Moved by the understanding that safety and the protection of our British Magical Citizens and our magical community is the essential condition for the continued existence of the safety and protection of the Magical World, and inspired by the inflexible determination to ensure that the existence of the British Wizarding World for all time, the Ministry of Magic has unanimously adopted the following law, which is promulgated herewith:
Article 1
1. Marriages between British Magical Citizens must be following the correct protocol. Each party must be a registered British Magical Citizen and not of an inbred creature or diseased individual or other Undesirables of the population, including and not limited to the following: Werewolves, Veela, Vampires, Giants, Trolls, those possessing of Blood Curses and/or Blood Diseases, Metamorphmagus, Seers, and any other relation that is deemed Unworthy and Undesirable by the Administrative Registration Department.
2. Marriages between an Undesirable and a British Magical Citizen are strictly forbidden and any marriages that have been concluded are invalid and void, even if concluded abroad to circumvent this law.
3. Annulment proceedings can be initiated only by the Wizengamot Administration Services.
Article 2:
1. Extramarital relations between an Undesirable and a British Magical Citizen are strictly forbidden.
2. Any Undesirable found to be breaking this law will be fined up to five thousand Galleons and could be sentenced up to ten years in Azkaban Prison. If the fine is not paid, the prison sentence will be extended accordingly.
Article 3:
1. Undesirables may not employ in their households any British Magical Citizens of any age.
2. Undesirables may not employ in their households any House elves as a House Elf is only to serve a British Magical Citizen.
Article 4:
1. Undesirables are forbidden to work in the Ministry of Magic or in any government-sanctioned agencies including hospitals, clinics, schools, and offices.
2. Undesirables are encouraged to register themselves as an Undesirable with the Administration Registration Department and will be given proper Undesirable Status so as not able to pass themselves off as a British Magical Citizen, but as nothing but the half-breed Undesirable that they are classified as.
Article 5:
1. Any British Magical Citizen or Undesirable who violates the prohibition under Article 1 will be punished with up to ten years in Azkaban Prison.
2. Any British Magical Citizen or Undesirable who violates the prohibition under Article 2 will be punished with up to twenty years in Azkaban Prison.
3. Any British Magical Citizen or Undesirable violating the provisions under Articles 3 or 4 will be punished with a fine and depending on the severity of one's crime, time spent in Azkaban Prison including anyone caught harbouring or illegally employing an Undesirable in a forbidden government-agency including and not limited to: Hospitals, clinics, schools, and offices.
Article 6:
1. The Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic, in coordination with the Minister of Magic, the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and the Administrative Registration Department, will issue all legal and administrative regulations required to implement and complete this law.
Article 7:
1. The law takes effect starting the first of January in the year nineteen hundred and ninety-four and anyone seen to be harbouring an Undesirable will be subject to the letter of the law.
Umbridge smiled sweetly when she finished reading and moved to take her seat next to Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic.
"Is everyone clear on what Bill 426-A17 contains?" Dumbledore asked, his eyes moving around the room.
There was a general consensus around the room.
Sirius raised his wand. "Permission to speak, Chief Warlock?"
Dumbledore nodded towards him, his eyes twinkling. "Permission granted, Lord Falmouth. The floor is yours."
Sirius stood up and all attention moved to him. The room was full with people there to sit in on the Wizengamot session, the political members and house representatives as well as the press and other members of both the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. He saw Zee sitting with her own department head and he nodded in her direction before letting his eyes move to Umbridge. He cleared his throat before he spoke.
"Thank you, Chief Warlock. First of all, I go by Lord Black over Lord Falmouth, if you please."
"Of course, Lord Black," Dumbledore said politely. "Please go on."
"I would like to start off by saying that Bill 426-A17 is an incredible injustice to not only the people that this legislation demeans, but to the entire magical community as a whole. I am head of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black and I am far from perfect. Pureblood I may be, but I at least have the moral compass to realize that by allowing this bill to stand it will be destroying our community."
"Preposterous!" Umbridge exclaimed, her eyes narrowed at him. "This will make our community safer! For all of us! It is about the protection, the well-being, and the safety of every single British Magical Citizen!"
Sirius merely raised an eyebrow. "You're looking to make our community safer? How silly of me, Madam Umbridge. It sounds to me like nothing more than bigotry and prejudice."
"Uncalled for, Lord Black!" Fudge declared, his eyes on Sirius.
"Is it, Minister?" Sirius said carefully. "Bill 426-A17 is very much looking at the best interest of the BMC, I can see that. The problem is with the wording. The British Magical Citizen is only whatever the government allows them to be."
"It is about protecting our community from Undesirables!" Umbridge exclaimed. "I had a neighbour who married a wizard with a blood curse and he went mad with it and murdered his wife and children. We need to be aware of who these people are so that we can help them and keep us safe from the dangers of their inflictions at the same time!"
Sirius snorted. "Oh, so you want to help them? To me it sounds an awful lot like you want them to stay away from you and if they come near you or your precious government, you will have them tossed into Azkaban before you throw away the key."
"Order!" Dumbledore exclaimed, his wand sending up red sparks. "Lord Black, your opinion has been heard. Do you have a motion to pass?"
Sirius nodded, his eyes moving around the room. "I do. Agents Zacarias and Minnow of the DRCMC have organized a petition, the first signature of which belongs to Newt Scamander himself, might I add, and over a thousand signatures that follow belonging to Ministry employees alone that declare Bill 426-A17 to be removed from the Ministry of Magic and a formal apology given to any and all parties who were wronged by it's unlawful passing. I motion that this petition be accepted by the Assembly and put into evidence to have Bill 426-A17 thrown out."
The Court Scribe took the petition from Sirius and handed it to Dumbledore.
"As Chief Warlock, I take this petition into evidence."
"Thank you," Sirius said with a smile. "Now that it is formal evidence against Bill 426-A17, I again motion that this bill be thrown out immediately."
"Lord Black, are you saying that you don't care about the wellbeing of our community? That you are all right with your godson living in a world where the people around him could hurt him due to a blood disease or a curse or by a sudden werewolf or vampire attack?" Lord Marcus Bulstrode asked, his dark eyes on Sirius.
Sirius stared at the man. "If I remember correctly, Lord Bulstrode, your brother Philip was five or six years ahead of me at Hogwarts, and correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't he marry a half-Veela? Aren't your nieces then subject under this law? I believe the eldest one, Claudette, is a well established healer at St Mungo's. According to this new law, she is a danger to society and all of her good work over the last four years was for naught. She should be immediately fired."
"Well, that's... her grandmother was a half-Veela so, she is barely anything at all," Lord Bulstrode protested. "She was born here, a British Magical Citizen in her own right and she's a rather brilliant healer!"
Sirius shrugged, trying not to smirk at the man's flusters. "But according to Bill 426-A17, she has Veela blood, no matter how small, and is therefore an Undesirable under the law. Is she not, Madam Umbridge?"
Umbridge shifted in her seat, her eyes flashing with a manic gleam. "She would be considered to be, yes, but only after she was evaluated to not be a threat."
"Ah," Sirius said with a smirk. "That's the catch, is it not? By whose evaluation is she not a threat? Yours, Madam Umbridge? What about you, Lady Dettweiler? Your sister married Lord William Clovenfield? I'm sure that you all recognize that name. He has been a vampire for centuries; runs a winery in France, but he married a BMC and I think I heard you say that they have two twin boys together?" When she nodded, he continued, "as we know, male vampires are capable of having children with witches who grow up to be normal witches and wizards with a little taste for blood, of course, but animal blood, not human. Those twin boys are eleven and learning magic by now, why they must be Undesirables as they are clearly 'half-breeds under the law' and a right danger to the world. They should be thrown into Azkaban in accordance to the new law."
"Why I — no," Lady Lucretia Dettweiler exclaimed. "They are innocents! Children! Their mother merely mixes a bit of animal blood in with their food to keep them nourished. Clovenfield is a well respected member of society who only feeds on animals and not one of those crazed vampires off the streets!"
"Hmm," Sirius said with a smug smile. "He might be, but he's also an Undesirable and despite once being a BMC before he became a vampire, he is no longer qualified under the new law and therefore his children would also be subject to the same because of their blood status."
"Lord Black, you are taking this completely out of context!" Fudge exclaimed, his eyes flashing nervously. "Of course Senior Undersecretary Umbridge would never mean to harm children or those who are innocent of any crimes, but only those who are a danger to our community! Werewolves who have attacked or vampires of the same accord, full-blooded Veela who have fed on a witch or wizard, a blood curse or blood disease that might affect someone's life!"
Sirius nodded. "That may be, Minister, but that is not how this bill is read. If we are to follow Bill 426-A17 to the letter of the law, than I suggest that we all get in line to have ourselves tested for these so-called 'undesirable abnormalities' and make sure that no one in this room has been exposed to any form of Undesirable. I have a cousin who is a Metamorphmagus and well, I've never shown any ability for it myself, but maybe I do have it in me to one day do something truly atrocious like change my hair colour at will… to pink."
A few people around him chuckled.
Griselda Marchbanks stood up. "I agree with Lord Black. Bill 426-A17 is positively abhorrent. It subjects us all to scrutiny under the law of things that we have no control over or the right to control. We have a Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures for a reason along with a Werewolf Registry and a Vampire Registry. Not to mention that blood curses and blood diseases are already traced through family members by their healers to help contain them. Something of which would not be so rampant if certain elite Houses would stop intermarrying."
Lord Tiberius Ogden snorted. "I agree with CWM Marchbanks. I married a Muggleborn witch and it was the best decision of my life. This need to be pureblood nonsense is just that, nonsense. My son is even more magically inclined than I am. In fact, I would say that trying to control the magical blood makes us weaker as wizards."
"We might as well have let Lord Voldemort win the war if this bill is approved as it sounds like something he was mad enough to orchestrate," Sirius added, ignoring the gasps from the Assembly at the mention of the Dark Lord's name. "After all, doesn't it always come down to what the magic in our blood is defined as?"
"When did this become a debate about blood purity?" Lady Amelia Bones declared, her eyes on the room.
"It always comes down to the purity of the blood, Lady Bones," Lucius Malfoy drawled from his seat.
Sirius merely shrugged. "I say potato you say poe-tat-o. This legislation is basically stating that blood purity is what's important. Senior Undersecretary Umbridge is using it to push through her own prejudices and fears and it's appalling that our Ministry, that our government has allowed for it happen; that it passed through the hands of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, the Department for Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures as well as the office of the Minister of Magic himself — and yet was still approved. The article on declaring marriages invalid alone would be immediately overturned by the International Confederation of Wizards as our Ministry has no legal standing to declare international law as null and void, which is another point against the legality and morality of this law. I again motion for the entire bill to be thrown out and a formal apology issued to any and all citizens who lost their jobs or have suffered in any way because of it."
"As Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, I second Lord Black's motion. My Undersecretary may have approved this bill, but I did not sign it and nor do I approve of it now," Lady Amelia Bones declared, her wand raised in agreement.
"Miss Skeeter?" Dumbledore asked, seeing the platinum blonde reporter with her quill in the air. "The press would like to address the Wizengamot on this issue?"
Rita Skeeter, well known for her less than kind articles on almost everyone, issued a fake sweet smile to the Chief Warlock. "Thank you, Dumbledore. I would like to ask Lord Black if the reason he is so incessant on this bill being thrown out is because he truly believes it to be immoral or is he only trying to hide something hidden and undesirable about his own adopted son? After all, Lord Black, you have kept young Mr Potter out of the limelight for over a decade now. He must have something undesirable inside of him to have made him defeat He Who Must Not Be Named as a child?"
Sirius glared at her, his eyes flashing dangerously. "I have kept my son out of the limelight so that vultures like you can't sink your claws into him! Harry is a thirteen-year-old-boy who lost his parents to a murderer before he could even remember them. The last thing that he needs is people like you reminding him of that fact. But if it gets this immoral piece of legislation thrown out of the court, we can test his blood too. I have a few medi-witches on standby waiting to be invited inside the Assembly today. Who would like to volunteer to go first and find out how many of us are harbouring Undesirable defects in our magical bloodlines?"
"Order!" Dumbledore exclaimed as the court erupted into bumbling protests. "Lord Black, you have made your statement clear. Does anyone have anything else to add or counter before we put this to a vote?"
Augusta Longbottom stood up with a stern smile, her wand raised. "I think Lord Black is trying to intentionally ruffle feathers so to speak, and might I add, he's quite successful at it. I haven't seen anyone with such a presence in this Assembly since Lord Arcturus Black sat where you are sitting, Lord Black. I happen to agree with Lord Black's words, this legislation is full of prejudice and demeaning to anyone who is a not a so-called pureblood citizen of magic, no matter how much it is looking to pass itself off as a simple case of ensuring British Magical Citizenship under the laws of the Ministry of Magic. The fact of the matter is, no matter what this bill contains, Bill 426-A17 was illegally passed without the approval of the Wizengamot. That is in direct violation to the Wizengamot Charter of Rights. Article 17-E, Section 12 specifically states: 'If the time should come when our Government deliberately passes an Act without the express agreement of the Wizengamot, any Legislation, Act, or Bill is immediately expressed as void and null.'"
Dumbledore sent sparks up once more as the court began to chatter amongst themselves. Mrs Longbottom took her seat, giving Sirius a small smirk as Dumbledore called everyone to order.
"As Lady Cumbria has stated, the Wizengamot Charter of Rights, Article 17-E, Section 12 does indeed declare Bill 426-A17 as null and void at this time. Senior Undersecretary Umbridge is however in her rights to present this legislation at the next Assembly or any thereafter for debate to be voted upon. In the meantime, Bill 426-A17 is no longer permissible or valid under the Ministry of Magic's laws and the Wizengamot Charter of Rights."
Umbridge looked livid as she leaned over to whisper something to the Minister of Magic. Sirius couldn't help but smirk in her direction as Dumbledore issued the press out and any viewing parties who had been present for the debate on Bill 426-A17 including the interested members of the other departments. Once the room had emptied outside of the fifty-two people present in the Wizengamot, minus the empty seats of those unable to attend or like Sirius, had been ignoring their seats or had heirs not yet of age to sit on them, Dumbledore called them to order.
"As stated for the press, Bill 426-A17 can be revisited at one of our next Assembly sessions to be officially voted upon, but for now we must move on to our next topic of discussion — wand regulations. Lord Mackelbee, I believe that you wanted to talk about the existing law of only carrying one wand?"
Lord Mackelbee nodded and stood up, clearing his throat. "The Aurors are known to always have an extra wand on their person for official use as are the Hit Wizards, but the law pertaining to regular citizens from carrying an extra wand should be addressed for our own safety."
"CWM Shacklebolt, as Head Auror, what are your thoughts on citizens carrying more than one wand?" Dumbledore asked.
Kingsley stood up, straightening his robes as he did so. "As Head Auror of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, I agree with Lord Mackelbee that the law does seem designed to favour those in power, but if all citizens carried multiple wands, it would be even more dangerous for the Aurors to protect them."
Sirius listened with half an ear, making a few notes on the parchment pad in front of him before he raised his wand to speak. "If I may?"
Kingsley ceded the floor to him and he smiled.
"One wand per witch and wizard is the norm as most witches and wizards only can really find one wand that fits them well enough to use. As Mr Ollivander is so fond of saying, the wand chooses the wizard. If a citizen wants to obtain a second wand for their personal protection, they should have to register it, that way if the wand goes missing, it can be reported accordingly and the Department of Magical Law Enforcement will have access to the registry if they are concerned about someone harbouring a second wand. Anyone found to be harbouring an unregistered wand can be fined and punished accordingly by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."
"I agree with Lord Black's motion. If the wand is registered, I see no cause for it not to be allowed," Kingsley stated.
"I second that motion," Lady Amelia Bones declared. "It is only in the last century that the laws have changed pertaining to wand ownership after all."
A general motion was passed and Dumbledore moved on to the subject of underage magic and what the limits were. Students were discouraged from using magic outside of school, but often needed to resort to it for homework purposes. The question was, what kind of rights and responsibilities did a parent have in terms of how much magic their children could and could not perform underage in the presence of their parents or guardians. They moved onto the Hogwarts Board of Governors and the new educational programs that had been implemented.
Dumbledore presented a letter from both Professors Carthaginian and Birmingham talking about the successes and failures of their courses and what could potentially be improved upon or changed for the following school year. A bit of debate on the new courses took place, but most of the Wizengamot agreed that the two new courses: Life in the Magical World and the new and improved Muggle Studies courses were great amendments to the school curriculum. The Common Wizengamot Members were even more supportive of the new curriculum courses than the Lords and Ladies of the Wizengamot.
Then Fudge stood up to address the issue of the TriWizard Tournament being held at Hogwarts the following school year and Sirius' head popped up in surprise at his announcement. The trouble, Fudge explained, was organizing the tasks to ensure maximum safety and security as well as proper accommodations for Beauxbatons Academy and the Durmstrang Institute, who would both be participating in the tournament. Fudge had reports from the many different department heads who were all working together to try to make the TriWizard Tournament possible as it would be the first time the tournament was being held since the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century.
Fudge spoke about the delegations from each school and about Hogwarts hosting the tournament, the importance of the Weighing of the Wands Ceremony and of re-instating the Yule Ball specifically for the Tournament (the annual Yule Ball at Hogwarts had stopped in 1979 due to the escalating war and had never been reinstated), as well as the opportunity to have all three educational institutions come together in friendship to promote unity and international cooperation with other European Ministries of Magic.
Re-instating the TriWizard Tournament for the first time in over two hundred years meant that new rules needed to be put into place. First, the age was being changed to include witches and wizards of legal age only. The details of which were still being worked out. Second, the tournament would consist of three tasks designed to test the champions in many different ways: Their magical prowess, their daring, their powers of deduction, and their ability to cope with danger. And third, that each chosen champion from the Goblet of Fire would be forced into a legal and magical binding contract stating that they must participate in all tasks or risk being stripped of their magic and/or life upon refusing the Goblet. To ensure that this would not be an issue, names would be submitted only by the volunteers themselves, but the details concerning this were still underway.
They lastly moved on to discuss the new bill on retirement and pension plans for Ministry and non-Ministry employees and finally by half past four that afternoon, the Assembly was called to a close with plans to meet next on the eighth of April.
Sirius unbuttoned his robe as he stood up and stretched, smiling when Augusta Longbottom caught his eye. He moved down a row to speak with her, shaking her hand. "Thank you for your support today, Lady Cumbria."
Mrs Longbottom smiled warmly at him. "You impressed me today, I'll admit it. Never thought I'd see the day that Arcturus' rebellious grandchild sat in the Wizengamot like a true Black and argued his way through changing legislation and making laws. I should have known you would be good at it, as your work on the Hogwarts Board of Governors has been nothing but exemplary."
He smiled at her. "Thank you." He looked around the emptying room fondly. "To be honest, I didn't expect to enjoy myself so much."
She chuckled. "When tensions are high and the words start spewing it is quite the sight to behold. The debates are quite stimulating and exciting and it's nice to be part of it. I admit, at my age I thought that I would have given my seat over to my son by now, but a few more years and I will pass it onto my grandson instead. Griselda loves it, says it keeps her young and that I do have to agree with."
"Does she still do the testing for OWLs?"
"Oh, yes," Mrs Longbottom said with a smile. "She has no plans of retiring any time soon and when her wits are still so sharp she has no reason too. It's been lovely speaking to you, Sirius, and I hope to see you, here, from now on."
Sirius smiled at her. "You will. I look forward to the next one, especially if Umbridge decides to bring that bill up again. I quite enjoyed knocking her down a peg or two, the prejudiced old bat."
Mrs Longbottom smirked at him. "There's the troublemaking rebellious sot I remember." She pat him gently on the cheek. "You did very well today. Euphemia and Monty would have been so proud of you."
He flushed at her words, smiling. "That means a lot, Lady Cumbria."
"Mrs Longbottom works just fine, Sirius," she said before she smiled and made her way out of the government chamber.
Sirius made small talk with a few of the lords and ladies before he excused himself and headed out. He met Zee in the atrium of the Ministry where she was chatting with a blond man. Lady Godiva saw him and immediately moved towards him, rubbing her head against his palm in greeting.
The man turned in interest. "Lord Black, the halls have been buzzing with talk of you today."
Sirius nodded as he pat the panther gently on the bed. "Good, at least I know I made an impression." He leaned over and kissed Zee softly. "You done for the day?"
"I am. I was just waiting for you. Sirius, this is my partner, Tripp Forester, Tripp, Sirius Black."
Forester extended his hand with a grin. "Nice to meet you."
He nodded, accepting the hand. "You work with Zee and Lady G."
"I do, she's pretty fantastic. One of the best agents in the department."
"That she is." Sirius said with a smile. "We have to be going though."
"See you on Monday, Forester," Zee said as she laughed when Sirius put his arm around her shoulders to hold her close as they headed out into downtown London.
"I hate that guy."
She snorted and hit his abs. "You do not! You literally just met him."
"He's a prat."
She stood on her toes and kissed him softly. "Okay, Mr Jealous Much." At his annoyed look, she smiled. "You were amazing in there today. You tore apart her entire bill with just a few statements and then made a mockery of anyone who thought it was for the protection of the British Magical Citizen. It was absolutely incredible."
They ducked out into an alley and Disapparated to Sidmouth as Sirius kissed her deeply. She caught her breath and grinned as they headed up the drive to Black Cottage, her hands slipping between the buttons of his silk shirt.
"Do you have any idea how fucking sexy you were standing up there telling those bigots off?" she murmured, standing on her toes to kiss his neck.
He grinned. "Sexy, was I?" he asked as his shirt became untied and untucked as he half lifted her into his arms and her hands slid over his abdomen as he tried to unlock the front door.
Lady Godiva made a huffing sound and prowled past them into the house and into the kitchen as Marauder barked in excitement at the sight of them. Sirius laughed when Zee closed the front door behind them and shoved him up against said door and pushed his robes off. She sucked on the side of his neck, her hands tugging off his jacket and then his shirt as her hands slid over his abs, up to brush his nipples and over his shoulders.
Marauder made a whining sound and wandered off, realizing that they had no intention of paying any attention to him.
"I had no idea that watching you up there was going to be such a turn on. But the power you exuded, the authority that you held as you put them all in their place, as you tore that bill apart was just — breathtaking," she told him, as her lips trailed down his chest. "You were so fucking sexy!"
He slid his fingers into her hair and attempted to tug her up to his lips, but she ignored him, her tongue sliding across his belly button, along the subtle v lines of his hips as she unbuttoned his black jeans.
"Zee," he groaned as she untied his combat boots and ordered him to step out of them before she stood up and kissed him roughly, pinning him back against the front door again and pushing his jeans down his hips. Her tongue met his deeply, roughly, and he groaned against her mouth just as she pulled away and knelt in front of him.
"Zahira," he moaned, but she only smiled at him and took him in her mouth.
He groaned her name as her tongue worked him over, stroking and nipping, squeezing and sucking until he was almost on edge and then she kissed her way up his chest, kissing his neck, his ear, his chin, and then his mouth.
Sirius lifted her legs up around him, one hand sliding between their bodies to undo her belt and he opened her slacks, pushing them down as she kissed him. He tugged her knickers aside and she simply took him inside of her in one quick motion and he groaned.
Zee put her hands on the front door on either side of his head as she rode him hard against the door, his head slammed back against it and she bit his naked earlobe and rode him faster. Sirius' hands were on her hips and he made to move one between her legs, but she grabbed it.
"No, just you," she hissed, and his head hit the door again as she bounced harder, taking him deeper inside of her until he came, gasping her name desperately. She came soon after, crying out his name as she rode out her climax.
Sirius kissed her passionately, attempting to stumble onto the couch. Her robes were spread open, her bright blue blouse untucked, partly unbuttoned, and her dark slacks hanging off of one leg with her red knickers. She still had her heeled cowboy boots on. She wrapped her arms around his neck as she nuzzled his throat.
"Did I mention how sexy and amazing you were today?"
He chuckled and finished unbuttoning her blouse. "It came up, yeah."
She smiled as he unhooked her bra and bent his head to lick one of her dark brown nipples. "Mmm," she murmured. "I think I could sleep for a week now."
He nuzzled her breasts before he kissed her mouth, his tongue dancing along with hers. "You and me both."
Zee grinned and reached down to tug her boots and bottoms off. Sirius flung her knickers behind the couch and she laughed. "Your dog better not chew those."
He smirked and tugged off the rest of her clothes, sighing when she ground herself against him. "What happened to sleeping for a week?"
Zee merely smirked. "We will, after you fuck me again." She reached between them and stroked him, but he was already rising to the occasion which made her smile. "See, someone wants to participate in round two."
Sirius smirked at her and slid them down to the floor, rolled her on her side, lifted her leg and plunged into her. Her eyes rolled back at the impact and she cried out his name. He rolled his hips deliciously and her entire body seemed to respond immediately as his fingers stroked her. He hugged her leg to his body as he pounded every inch of himself into her and the orgasm shocked her. She screamed his name as she came and he groaned, his breath catching in his throat as he followed her over the edge. He kissed her ankle and her knee as he slid out of her and rolled over, breathing heavy.
Zee sighed in satisfaction and snuggled up against him. Her finger trailed a circle over his heart. "Now we can sleep for a week, Lord Black."
He snorted and closed his eyes. "Glad I could help."
She kissed his chest, her leg sliding across his hips. She licked the salt off of his skin, and kissed his neck. "Sirius, I was honestly so impressed with you today. I knew that you had it in you, but to see you up there, you were so bloody magnificent."
Sirius smiled, his eyes still closed as his heart finally went back to a normal rhythm. "I liked it. I… I never thought I would. Taking my seat in the Wizengamot Assembly, being part of the government like that, it was what I tried to avoid my entire life. Now, here I am, thirty-four-years-old and doing it willingly, and agreeing to be part of the Lords and Ladies of the Wizengamot and… I find myself enjoying every second of it. The debate, the arguments, the… laws — everything. I liked it and I'm good at it. I never imagined that I would be. I guess I just wanted to pretend that I wasn't so that my family wouldn't make me and when they disowned me I just… I never put any thought into it again. I never wanted to be the Viscount of Falmouth and I guess I never realized that I could just be Lord Black and still be me — and that's kind of a nice thing to learn."
Zee's fingertips continued to dance along his chest, across his abdomen, over his ribs, outlining his muscles and he shivered when her finger slid into his belly button and then over to his ribs, running along the lines of his motorcycle tattoo, tracing the letters of Harry's name.
"Seeing you like that today, I think I fell in love with you all over again."
His eyes opened and he grinned at her. "Oh, yeah?"
She nodded. "All of a sudden… I just wanted you. I wanted you so desperately that I soaked right through my knickers."
His eyebrow rose in amusement. "Wet for me, were you?"
"Desperately," she murmured, her lips trailing along his chest. "I watched my man up there, arguing his way to the top to make life better for his best friend, and all I could think about was how much I wanted to touch you; how much I wanted you to touch me. I imagined walking through the middle of that assembly, getting on my knees in front of you, and just sucking you off right there."
"Merlin," he murmured, his cock twitching again at her words. "You'll be the death of me, woman."
She smiled and slid her hand between his legs to stroke him. "I watched you. I watched your eyes, the way they glinted in amusement, to heated emotion, to satisfaction… and I thought about how many of those emotions I could make come to your eyes with my mouth wrapped around your cock."
Sirius panted now as he began to harden again under her ministrations. The power she had over his body sometimes alarmed him. "Zahira…"
She deliberately licked her lips and the glint of amusement that crossed his eyes made her grin. "I was so proud of you. I was so enthralled by you and moved by what you were doing; what you were accomplishing. I thought about how I wanted to show you how much I was impressed by you. How amazing and sexy and wonderful you are," she said, her thumb wiping his tip before she licked her thumb. "And then I thought, that sexy, magnificent man up there, he's all yours, Zahira. He's yours, and when you get him home, you're going to show him just how much you appreciate him."
And then she slid down his body and took him in her mouth again.
Sirius' fingers clutched her dark caramel hinted curls desperately and he gasped, grunting in pleasure as her mouth worked him over and he emptied himself, watching her swallow in satisfaction, licking every last drop from his member, before she lay her head on his stomach.
His fingers stroked her hair contently for a few moments and he smiled down at her, incredibly satisfied and happier than he had ever imagined he could be.
"You're mine too, baby, and I'm madly in love with you."
She smiled up at him in sleepy satisfaction as he continued to stroke her hair and soon they both drifted off to sleep.
End Author's Notes:
Wizengamot Members mentioned:
Albus Dumbledore (Chief Warlock)
Lady Amelia Bones (Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement)
Lord Cornelius Fudge (Minister of Magic)
Lady Dolores Umbridge (Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic)
Lord Pius Thicknesse (Undersecretary to the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement)
Lady Augusta Longbottom (Lady Cumbria)
Lord Tiberius Ogden
Lord Aaron Mackelbee
Lord Lucius Malfoy (Lord Wiltshire)
CWM Griselda Marchbanks
Lady Lucretia Dettweiler
Lord Marcus Bulstrode
CWM Kingsley Shacklebolt (Head Auror of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement)
Thank you for reading and please review!