Chapter 8: The War of Words
As Harry and his wives and concubines approached the mob of protesters against the marriage law, he realized very quickly that they weren't going to back down so easily as the last couple of times. They were more organized and looked a lot more confident than before as if they knew something he didn't.
"Let us through!" Amelia insisted, "I am the head of magical law enforcement and you cannot bar us from entry. Failure to do so will result in arrest."
A young man stepped forward, apparently the leader of the group and Harry realized with surprise that it was actually Neville Longbottom, his old classmate.
Neville had grown up a lot in the war and had fought bravely, ending up getting almost as much respect and admiration from the people as himself for all that he accomplished, leading many to rise up in revolt of Voldemort's reign.
Right now however Neville had that same confidence and leadership skills as then now too as he stepped right in front of Amelia and declared, "we are merely concerned citizens about some of the practices that the Ministry are doing. We come entirely in peace."
"If you come in peace then you will let us and anyone else through," Amelia insisted.
"Of course," Neville replied easily, "we shall let anyone through wishes to pass as soon as we have informed them of a new change in policy."
"New change?" Ginny asked, "what are you talking about Neville?"
Neville bristled and said, "I am Lord Longbottom now and you will address me as such."
Three different girls who were Harry remembered selected to marry Neville out of the goblet in the past clung to him in support.
Neville (honestly Neville really was a better name than Lord Longbottom) then addressed everyone as he spoke loudly to everyone in the room.
"We as a people, as witches and wizards are tired of having to deal with those who would destroy everything we hold most dear, individuals who have proven to uphold death and destruction, to make everyone slaves of all those they consider beneath them. That of death eater families who would if they could see the return of You-know-who or at the very least his practices of torture and rape and blood purity. Do none of us forget what happened when we were too lenient with them after the first war with You-know-who? They only returned to finish what they started, stronger and more powerful than ever in yet another war, one we only just finished where countless lives were lost. For too long they have held too much power, had too much wealth and influence, and I say no longer! Those individuals shall be stripped of all their power and influence and allow the truly great wizards, those who have always loved freedom, who have seen loved ones die fighting for the cause, to finally gain the respect they deserve. Then there are those of other countries, who would see magical Britain become part of another country, to be annexed and taken over while we are down and weak. I say no! We are wizards and witches of Britain and we shall remain as such! Anyone who would see us stopped must either accept their new role in life or be forced out from among us."
After his little speech, there was a roar of approval from the crowd.
Unfortunately it appeared in addition to his major confidence boost, Nevill had gotten a lot more eloquent with what he said...or he had practiced this speech a lot already and possibly had someone write it for him, sounded like Neville was already becoming a politician.
Yet Neville soon proved he wasn't done as after all the cheers and applause had ended, Neville then declared, "I call for an emergency meeting of the Wizengamot, a vote in front of everyone, to decide right here and now the policies that will save us as a nation. We ask only for what is necessary: to strip all death eater families or those of foreign ties of their wealth and property, to be redistributed to those left poor and destitute by the war. Furthermore those same individuals must from now on be considered as lesser class citizens, unable to hold high up positions that would give them the chance to abuse their power. They cannot own their own property nor vote in politics. Women of them will no longer be allowed to marry, but instead become concubines and unless they shall be taken in by some noble wizard in good standing, them and their families shall be forced out from among us, wherever they go or whatever they do it matters as not, as long as they are not among us to cause further trouble. I call for all these changes right now, here and now in front of everyone!"
There was another roar of approval from the crowd as calls started being made to make a vote.
Harry tried to say something as did Amelia but it was clear the crowd wasn't listening as loud as they had gotten as they moved towards where the Wizengamot normally convened.
The Wizengamot was supposed to be made up of judges and people in certain positions in the MInistry, including his new wife Amelia, but from what Harry could tell, most members of the Wizengamot had already united with the crowd, either out of fear or because they actually believed in the cause that Neville was calling for.
At any rate, Neville was not allowing for any prevention of the law that he felt needed to be passed and as soon as anyone tried to say anything against him, the crowd only got louder as if they would allow no opposition to their plans and they would not be satisfied until their goals were met.
Much to his dismay, it seemed nearly everyone seemed to completely agree with what Neville was proposing.
"We have to do something," Ginny insisted angrily.
"I don't think there is anything we can do, this is the will of the people," Daphne observed glumly.
"Don't have that kind of attitude," Susan warned, "we'll figure something out."
"I don't think so in this instance," Hermione was forced to admit as she looked around at the crowd, "the people have suffered too much, they'll make sure this new law gets passed."
"Harry could do something," Luna said confidently as she looked at him expectantly.
He however felt unnerved by it, what was he to do or say that would prevent the inevitable from happening. He didn't agree with much of what Neville had been saying, but he could at least understand how angry people were. He'd been angry too and he hated to see yet another war occur, yet he realized that if this law wasn't passed it was likely another war would result anyway.
Yet while he felt so helpless and unable to do anything, Luna and indeed several of his wives looked at him expectantly as if waiting for him to do something.
How was he to tell them he couldn't do anything?
As he looked over at Shacklebolt, the Minister of Magic, he also seemed helpless to stop the crowd as he and the other members of the Wizengamot were forced to make their votes, and make their votes public.
Shacklebolt and Amelia seemed to be the only ones who voted against the proposed new law, amid a lot of booing from the crowd, but of course they were in the minority and the law was soon passed.
Neville and the crowd cheered loudly, proud at their accomplishment. It was all a bit sickening, Harry thought.
Neville then had some of his followers bring forward both Narcissa Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson, to be used to make an example of, Harry realized. Pansy looked terrified as the crowd yelled insults and threw garbage at her as she was brought forward. Narcissa on the other hand kept her head held high, doing her best to ignore the crowd and anything else that came at her.
"These women are guilty of crimes too terrible to imagine," Neville told the crowd, "the wife of You-know-who's greatest supporter Lucius Malfoy and the woman who would have married her son, Draco Malfoy and daughter of other death eater supporters. Both of these women while not actively having participated supported true evil and would if they could see every last one of us dead or made slaves if they could. They both deserve immediate execution, but instead out of infinite mercy, mercy they didn't give to our own families who were killed by them and their kind, we shall instead banish them forever, that we might no longer have to endure their presence."
"We don't have any place to go, Britain is my home," Pansy managed to say, tears in her eyes as she looked around, still afraid of the mob.
Neville just grinned maliciously and said, "it is true no other country will accept this human filth nor can we blame them. In the case of foreigners no country will even accept those of their own country in fact! The witches and wizards of the world have turned their backs on our beloved country, to see us kill each other off and left to suffer and die, but we shall prove them wrong! Since we cannot get rid of our own human filth to other countries, I say it is only natural and just that we instead banish any and all foreigners and death eater scum to the island where Azkaban prison once stood."
That was pretty much a death sentence, Harry realized. He had visited what was left of Azkaban after the war to find out if it could still be used as a prison to house any remaining death eaters that had somehow survived, but it was really just a completely uninhabitable ruin, the whole island in fact was just a barren hunk of rock that no single person, nor indeed hundreds of people could expect to live on it and survive. Being forced to live there was effectively a death sentence, a slow and painful one as they eventually all starved and died. No one deserved that he thought, even Narcissa and Pansy.
The crowd however cheered in approval at Neville's plan but then as they quieted down, Harry finally saw a chance to be able to speak and be heard and he chose to begin with some of what the people also agreed with so that he might actually be listened to."
"The law must be upheld, the law must be upheld!" Harry said loudly.
His wives and concubines also got involved as they started yelling for him to be listened to.
"Harry Potter will speak! Harry Potter will speak!" Luna yelled the loudest of all.
Finally everyone quieted down out of respect for him to hear what the great Harry Potter had to say.
"Indeed the law must be upheld," Harry agreed, to which there was a roar of approval and more calls for banishment.
"However," Harry added, "one of the provisions of the law that was just signed is that those of death eater or foreign origin not be banished if they are taken in as concubines or made part of a family of a noble and capable wizard willing to take them in."
Neville, not sounding pleased at having finally been interrupted and contested, argued, "yes, but that provision is meant for those who have perhaps committed lesser crimes and helped fight in the war on the right side, certainly not these two women for example."
"I don't remember either of these women being given a real trial and being convicted of anything," Harry argued, "in fact I don't remember anyone you want to banish being given any trial whatsoever, so who are you who gets to decide who is banished and who isn't? In fact I'm sure if I looked hard enough I could find that you have ancestors who are foreign born, so why don't we just banish you?"
"My family are all noble, pureblood witches and wizards," Neville claimed in annoyance, "besides it should be obvious who really needs banishing and who doesn't. Foreigners were some of you-know-who's greatest supporters in the war and it is only fair that they should be forced to leave."
"There were also plenty of foreigners who fought hard against Voldemort, individuals who fought alongside you in fact," Harry answered.
"If they have been proven to be of noble intentions then they need not worry about banishment," Neville reassured him, "they shall be taken in as concubines by wizards who appreciate their contributions."
"So you're saying that they don't need to be banished if a noble wizard finds them and their family to be worth saving?" Harry asked.
Neville looked a bit less sure of himself as he admitted, "well yes, but who could consider the likes of Narcissa Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson for instance to be worth saving?"
"I do," Harry answered with a slight smile, "in fact I think all of the individuals you want to banish are worth saving."
Shacklebolt came alongside him in support and said loudly, "I also agree, I think they should all be worth saving."
"You can't possibly save all of them," Neville argued.
Harry just smiled and said, "try me."
At that Shacklebolt started calling for any wizards with enough means willing to take any of those to be banished in. At first people were reluctant and nervous, afraid of angering the crowd but as more and more rose up in support of both him and Shacklebolt, there was a domino effect as more and more felt brave enough to also agree.
Harry suspected some just wished to get yet more concubines, but whatever their fate, it was bound to be better than the alternative of having to go to the island of Azkaban prison to slowly die.
Neville certainly did not look happy at this plan, but he seemed stumped as to what to do to stop it. In fact many people did not seem to like this plan but partially out of respect for him and Shacklebolt and partially because more and more people were showing their support, they didn't do anything to stop it.
It was still rather dangerous, but they had at least managed to score a major victory in the war that was still apparently going on. He was just going to get a lot more concubines because of it he thought.
Members of the Family P = Pregnant
Harry Potter age 18 Gryfindor
Wives
1. Ginny Weasley Potter age 17 Gryffindor P Twin girls
2. Hermione Granger Potter age 19 Gryffindor P Twins boy and girl
3. Luna Lovegood Potter (alpha) age 17 Ravenclaw P Quintuplets four girls and a boy
4. Susan Bones Potter age 19 Hufflepuff P Triplets three girls
5. Daphne Greengrass Potter age 18 Slytherin P Twin boys
6. Amelia Bones Potter age 47 Hufflepuff P Twin girls
Concubines
1. Gina Greengrass Potter age 39 P Twin girls
2. Astoria Greengrass Potter age 17 P Triplet girls