Hi! So, this is a pretty long chapter and covers two obviously important topics, so this is one of the ones that you probably don't want to skim!
Anyways, the politics are almost over (this should be the last one that really involves political posturing, thank God) and we're going to be dealing more with the giant Black-Masters-Potter family and less with their position in society.
Read and Review!
Love, Essie
Hey, I am the greatest
Hey, this is the proof
Hey, I work hard, pray hard, pay dues, hey
I transform with pressure - I'm hands-on with effort
I fell twice before my bounce back was special
Letdowns will get you, and the critics will test you
But the strong will survive, another scar may bless you
~The Greatest, Sia feat. Kendrick Lamar
After dinner, Sirius and Rae had decided that the kids were old enough to start playing Wizard's Chess and had them set up in the sitting room. Dany could hear them giving instructions on what piece did what from where she was idly playing on the piano. She saw Shay's shadow by the window, reading. Dany bit her lip and stopped playing and walked over to her sister-in-law.
"Hey Shay?" She said quietly and the other woman looked up with a smile, putting her book down.
"Hey. What's on your mind, Dan? There's something not right." She asked and Dany hesitated.
"Can we go sit out on the porch? I don't want the boys or the kids to overhear." She said and Shay nodded and they sat out on the side porch, in a swing.
"Alright, spill. You're never secretive with Sirius. You two tell each other everything." Her sister said and she nodded.
"I—it's probably nothing but it's just…I was talking to Sirius and I jokingly made a comment about 'if we ever have little ones of our own' and it's always been that way; it's always been 'if' because he was so phobic about kids when we were younger. But today…I don't know he just seemed to certain that we were going to have kids. It was 'you'll be an adorable pregnant woman' and 'when you're pregnant' and 'you'll be carrying my kid' and that's the first time that he's said anything remotely like he really wants his own kids. Don't get me wrong, I love Harry to death and he's our son, but…"
"But you missed out on a huge part of his life." Shay said quietly and Dany nodded. "Well have you guys ever really talked about kids?" She asked and Dany shook her head.
"Not really…I mean there was the war and then he was in jail and then we had Harry and it just never came up. I've always wanted kids, more than one, but he never really did and we never had the time to spare." She said and Shay smiled.
"Before Rae and I tried for a second, we asked Mason how he felt about it. He said he wanted someone else to play with; he really wanted a sibling. Has Harry mentioned wanting a brother or sister?" She asked and Dany thought about it.
"He's mentioned that he wants a brother or sister like the Weasleys more than once but never in anything more than passing. Does that count?" She asked and Shay smiled.
"It counts. He's not going to sit you down and say 'Mom I want a brother or sister'. He's just going to mention it. Mason asked for a sister for Christmas one year as a joke." Her sister laughed.
"Well he got one apparently."
"He did indeed…what's set your teeth on edge about this, Dany? You usually don't really agonize over much."
"I don't know…it's just that there had been only concrete words, as if he was planning for the future. For the first time in a long time, it made me wonder if Sirius actually wanted to have a baby." She said thoughtfully. Shay smiled and took her hand.
"I'd talk to him about it. You're what? 27? 28?" Dany nodded. "That's getting up there for a first, especially if you want more than one. And Harry's going to be significantly older than the baby, even if you got pregnant now, so I'd bring it up sooner rather than later." She said kindly and Dany nodded.
"I know…I just don't know how to bring it up is all." She said and Shay shrugged.
"I didn't really have the luxury of bringing it up, so I'm afraid that I can't give you pointers. It was 'Honey I'm pregnant' 'what do you mean you're pregnant?' 'It means your child is in my body, Rhaegar'. It was a great conversation." Shay laughed and Dany snorted.
"That sounds like him…oh Rae." She sighed and Sirius poked his head outside.
"We're all going to bed, ladies." He said and they both nodded.
"We were just coming in anyways." Shay said and Sirius nodded before walking off. The women walked back inside and Dany smiled before quickly hugging her and whispering "thank you". By the time Dany got to her room, Sirius was already climbing into bed. She brushed her teeth before changing into one of his shirts and lying down next to him. He wrapped an arm around her and she wiggled closer, cold. He absently started to rub her back underneath her shirt.
"Hey, Sirius?" She asked quietly.
"Yeah?" He responded and she was suddenly even more unsure of this conversation than she already had been.
"Do you want kids?" She asked and his hand stopped moving on her back.
"What? Are you pregnant?" He asked and she sat up to look him in the eye.
"No, no I'm not pregnant. It's just that we were talking today at work and everything you were saying was 'when we have kids' and not 'if we have kids'…I don't know, it was just different is all. I was curious. Never mind, I'm overthinking." She said and he looked like he had no idea what was happening. He sat up too.
"Hey Dany, love, we're not just dropping this. What's going on? Really, I want to know what's going on under all that beautiful hair of yours." He asked gently and she shrugged.
"I was just curious; I didn't know if it was just me overanalyzing or not so I thought I'd just ask you." She said quietly and looked up at him from where she was staring at her hands.
"That's what you were talking to Shay about on the porch, wasn't it?" He asked and she nodded.
"Yeah…I told her what I just told you and she thought that I should probably bring it up, especially because my clock is kind of ticking if you do want kids. I'm getting a little old for a first child, especially if you wanted more than one." She said and he looked concerned. She was becoming increasingly anxious about this conversation and she had no idea why.
"Okay, you're not old; you're 27." He corrected and she shrugged.
"Yeah, but it's just anything past 35 is high risk and I don't want to be like 60 when my kids graduate Hogwarts." She said and watched his expression. "And I know you were against kids when we dated and I knew that and I was okay with it, I really was. I was just wondering if that had changed at all." She murmured and looked down at her hands. This was debatably one of the most uncomfortable conversations she'd ever had with her husband…or with anyone in general.
"Yeah, I think I do." He said and she looked up at him, surprised. She had been expecting him to gently say that this was a really bad time and they should wait. And then they'd keep waiting for longer and longer and then she would be too old to conceive. She hadn't been expecting him to actually want kids.
"Really? You're being serious?" She asked and he nodded.
"Yeah, I am. Being a parent wasn't what I thought it would be; it's kind of wonderful. Harry's amazing and I really love watching him grow up day by day." He said quietly and she heard the unsaid question; he wanted to know why Harry wasn't enough for her.
"Harry's my son, he always will be because we're raising him together, but he's just not…I mean, we didn't conceive him, I didn't carry him, and I didn't bring him into the world. Lily did all of that and I'd like to have that. We missed seven years of his life that we'll never get back. I want to be there every second for someone." She said quietly. She had never talked about any of this with anyone.
"I know we missed a lot. And I know that you've wanted kids for as long as I can remember. I knew that if I married you that I'd be a dad one day; I went into this marriage very aware of that. Maybe he or she will get my hair." He said.
"You're not saying this to humor me are you?" She said. Sirius shook his head.
"I told you when I proposed that I'd give you a pretty house full of kids, if that's what you wanted. I meant it, love." He said softly.
"That's what I want. It really is." She said with a smile and he smiled and touched her face.
"Good thing we already have the pretty house because I hear the real estate market is a nightmare right now." He whispered and she laughed a little "Do you want to start trying now or wait a little bit?" He asked her and she bit her lip. She had brought up a baby in general so he could pick on that.
"What do you want?" She asked and he smiled again softly.
"I think I want to start trying now. Besides, it's not like unprotected sex once and then you're suddenly pregnant on the first try." He said and she nodded.
"No more protected sex for us then." She laughed and he chuckled.
"I think that might be every man's favorite sentence." He said and she smiled as he lay back down, bringing her with him. She settled back into bed and a silence fell. "I wasn't kidding today, you know; you'll be even more beautiful when there's a baby in here." Sirius whispered and rubbed her stomach softly. She smiled before she fell asleep.
Sirius had been taken completely off guard by Dany's question about kids. He had taken one look at her face and it was very obvious that she was concerned about this conversation. Did he want kids? He had a kid already but the way Dany had said that it wasn't the same…they had missed seven years of Harry's life. Adopting a little boy at eight was very different than watching your wife carry your child. It was apparent that she was dying to have a couple more. The older she got, the stronger her maternal instincts were. He didn't see the harm in trying and the way her face had lit up when he had agreed had further cemented his feelings on the topic.
He woke up the next morning and she was still asleep next to him; he tried to imagine her pregnant. He tried to imagine Dany with a baby bump and her rolling over in the middle of the night to ask him for bizarre foods. He tried to picture what it would feel like to put a hand on her stomach to feel a baby moving. He wondered how they would break that news to Harry if she managed to get pregnant at all. Dany started to shift and soon her eyes opened. She looked over at him and smiled.
"Good morning." She yawned, obviously stretching.
"Morning. Sleep well?" He asked and she nodded.
"Yeah, I did actually; it was great. How about you?" She asked and he nodded.
"Me too…what time is it?" He asked and she rolled over to check the time.
"Eight. Damn, we need to get up." She sighed before pushing the covers off of her body. She was in her underwear and her, well it was actually his, shirt had ridden up and had left her stomach exposed. "So Dany…" He said.
"Yeah?"
"You know what you said about trying for a baby?" He asked and she nodded.
"Yeah, if you want to change your mind on that, it's totally fine I just—"
"I think I'd really like to try. I mean right now. At this very moment." He said and she laughed.
"So we're going to be having sex all the time now, right?" She said and he nodded. He hadn't really thought about that part of having kids. "Hm, I might have to go out with Shay and pick out something fun to wear." She teased as she rolled on top of him and ran her hand through his hair. He laughed.
"Sounds amazing, not going to lie. You haven't worn real lingerie since our honeymoon, love." He said and she laughed and kissed him, gently biting his lip. He gripped her hips tightly.
"I guess I haven't. Hmm, well maybe I'll fix that. You wouldn't happen to be partial to anything, would you?" She asked, clearly amused by the conversation.
"Nothing white." He said and she laughed before kissing him again.
"Too bridal?" She asked and he nodded.
"Too bridal. I have to admit that I wasn't thinking about this part of having kids, but I'm enjoying it." He added and she smirked before kissing him again, sucking on his lower lip.
"Oh, I bet you are. I really bet you are…but I'm on my period right now so it's going to have to wait." She whispered into his mouth and then grinned.
"You've got to be joking." She laughed.
"Sorry, but it's that time of the month." She said and he groaned.
"Damn, that sucks; you had me talking about panties and bras and then you drop that bomb. I'm looking forward to using that as an excuse to take your clothes off at any given moment though." He said and she chuckled.
"I'll let you know when my body finishes telling me that I'm not pregnant and then you can use that excuse all you want." She said and he silently thought that he probably would be utilizing that gratuitously. "I wasn't kidding about the lingerie, just by the way." She said quietly with a wink before getting out of bed.
"What? No, you can't say that then get out of bed." He protested and she laughed before walking into the bathroom with her work clothes.
Rhaegar cornered Dany as soon as she came home that night.
"Danilynn Charlotte, what the hell were you thinking, getting involved with David Jones' legislation?" He said, pulling her out onto the front porch.
"Excuse me?" She said and he shook his head.
"I saw the bill at work today; you might as well have written your name on it. Have you gone mad?"
"David came to me last week and asked me to look it over. I agreed. That's it, really." Dany said, crossing her fingers behind her back subtly. "I gave him my edits on Friday and he apparently introduced the legislation over the weekend."
"The trial's next Monday. Less than a week. This is going to crash and burn." He sighed and Dany leaned up against the railing.
"You don't know that, Rae; no one can." She said and he shook his head.
"Have you ever seen David speak? He'll choke." He said. "He'll choke, it'll fail, and Fudge will try to make my life a living hell because I'm sure he thinks that I did this somehow." Dany sighed.
"You haven't done anything, Rhaegar. Besides, we can handle a twat like Fudge. Our children can handle themselves better than he can." She said and he smiled a little at her.
"Thanks, Dan." He said and she nodded.
"Of course." She said and they looked out over the yard.
"No matter what happens, everything's going to change for all of us." He mused and she nodded slowly.
"Not everything. We'll all still have each other. Family's what's left when everything else is gone."
"What do you mean 'David is in St. Mungo's'?" Dany said sharply to Amelia Bones, who was standing in her sitting room, the night before Fudge's trial.
"He had a stroke this afternoon and is currently kept in a medically-induced coma." She said calmly. "I stand very firmly behind him in this, so I've come here to ask you a favor." She said and Dany knew where this was going.
"You've got to be joking. I already told David no." Dany said and Sirius walked in, apparently hearing her raised voice.
"Everything okay?"
"David Jones is in the hospital and the trial is tomorrow." Amelia said and Sirius' eyes widened.
"Dan—"
"Get someone else to do it. I'm not the only decent public speaker in the world, you know." She said and Amelia shook her head.
"I know you're not, but David made an alteration to the legislation last night and you should see it." Amelia handed her the paperwork. "It's the second to last paragraph." She said and Dany flipped to the back and read it, her eyebrows crawling towards her hairline.
"He wants to nominate—?"
"He does. I'm assuming your brother would have no complaints with being involved? Honestly, he's involved through existing anyways." Dany shook her head.
"I don't think he'd be troubled by it." She murmured, looking back at Amelia.
"I know you don't want to do this, Danilynn, but you're the only one that has extensively read David's legislation. No one else is in the least prepared to make a speech tomorrow morning." She said and Dany looked over at Sirius.
"Give us a minute, Amelia?" She asked and the other woman nodded before walking out of the room. "What do you think?" She asked Sirius.
"She has a point, you know…the only other person who knows the bill so completely is in no state to be speaking in front of the Wizengamot." He said.
"I just—I could do it, and I could do a good job, but I'm terrified, honestly."
"I know you are; it's all over your face. You have every right to be afraid." Sirius said. "If you want to do it, I'm okay with it, Dan. If this is going to happen, it should be done right and by someone who knows what the hell she's talking about."
That night, Dany and Sirius decided that Harry wasn't going to lessons tomorrow. He was going to go to work with Sirius because they didn't want him out of their sight while this happened. He was delighted when he was told the news. Dany went through her wardrobe that night, looking for something to wear, before she crawled into bed with her husband.
Neither of them slept that night, both of them fully aware that Dany could be dragged off to Azkaban tomorrow if she failed and Fudge retained his position and arrested her for treason. They were both aware of the fact that tonight might be the last night they got to sleep like this. Tomorrow night, she might be sleeping in a jail cell, alone and cold. Thinking about his wife, who was sensitive and gentle by nature—despite trying to hide it—in Azkaban made Sirius hold her tighter to him. They couldn't take her from him; they weren't losing anything else to Azkaban.
There was a secondary reason they were keeping Harry out of lessons. If this went wrong, really wrong, they could up and leave. Dany could send word and Sirius could just Apparate away with Harry, out of the country, and meet Dany there. It was a terrible possibility, but one that needed to be considered.
The sun started to come up and neither of them had slept a wink. They had just lied in each other's arms, silent and trying to memorize the feeling, just in case.
"Hey Dan?" Sirius said quietly. She looked up at him.
"Yeah?"
"I love you so, so much. You're everything I ever wanted…so strong and smart and kind and beautiful and brave." He murmured and she smiled a little.
"I love you. I love you so much." She whispered back and kissed him. He could tell by how she kissed him that she was afraid. They both knew exactly why he was saying this now: in case he never got the chance to tell her any of that again. "I need to start getting ready." She added and sat up.
Sirius had at least another hour before he had to even consider getting ready so he just sat in bed and watched her get ready. He watched the way she brushed her teeth, how she put on mascara with her mouth open, how she put on a bra, and how her arms twisted behind her to zip up her blue knee-length dress. He tried to memorize the way used her wand to curl her hair and how she put on lipstick, committing to memory how she put on her heels—holding onto the heel and shoving her foot in, balancing on the other foot.
"Do I look okay?" She asked him, looking around uneasily. Sirius blinked in surprise—she never asked for anyone's opinion on what she wore.
"You look fantastic, Dan."
"Yeah, but do I—I don't know…"
"Do you look the part?" She nodded. "Perfectly. Besides, it doesn't take much to upstage Fudge's bowler hat." He added and she smiled before leaning down and kissing him.
"Thanks. I'll come by the Department once its over, okay?" She said and he nodded.
"Course. If anything goes south, send a Patronus and then…Australia." He said and she nodded sadly, sitting down next to him for a moment.
"Australia it is. Give Harry my love, okay?" She asked and he nodded.
"I'll tell him. Good luck." Sirius whispered. She smiled a little, nervous.
"Thanks…I'm going to need all of that I can get." She said and he kissed her forehead.
"I love you." He whispered into her skin.
"I love you too." She murmured back. "I need to go." She added and stood up. She smiled a little at him before she Apparated away.
Dany appeared to the First Floor, not far from the Minister's office—she dearly hoped that she wouldn't be seeing him until the trial, as he was unaware of her participation in it today.
Unfortunately, luck was not on her side because when she reached the courtroom, the doors were still locked. She wasn't surprised, as she was early thanks to her nerves. She was alone for a few minutes until Fudge appeared around the corner.
"Masters? What are you doing here?" He asked incredulously.
"The same as you, Cornelius: waiting for someone to come along and unlock the doors." She said tiredly, trying to ignore the butterflies in her stomach.
"Yes, but for what?" He asked, looking at her and dreading the answer…he knew David Jones had been recently hospitalized and had hoped that they had picked someone last minute that didn't know much of anything about what was actually happening. If whoever spoke against him was incompetent, he had a pretty good job of retaining his position; besides, Danilynn Black had already declined to speak the first time she had been asked to—everyone knew it.
"I'm sure you're aware that David's in the hospital." He nodded. "One of his supporters came to my home last night and asked me to speak in his stead." She said blandly, confirming Fudge's fears. He had to admit that he had never seen her speak in front of a crowd before. Perhaps she wasn't nearly as good as her father had been—maybe she would choke in front of all of the people or maybe she preferred to be behind the scenes like her mother had.
Then again, she was too much like Daniel to be very shy. Rhaegar was good as well—as Fudge had discovered in his recent experiences with him on Wizengamot—but he was much softer than Daniel Masters had been; he appealed to sympathy, not the more volatile emotions like hope and justice like his father had.
Suddenly, Albus Dumbledore opened the doors to the courtroom.
"Danilynn, a pleasure as always—I'm glad someone found a speaker on such short notice. It would have been dreadful to delay…the paperwork would have been dismal." Dumbledore said idly as the three of them walked in.
"It's good to see you, Albus. How are things at Hogwarts?" She asked, making small talk.
"Hogwarts is…well, it's been very quiet since you graduated, to be honest." He said and she laughed.
"I'm sorry about Sirius and James…they enjoyed causing trouble for the sake of it, I'm afraid." She sighed.
"I'm very aware, dear. Now, for the trial Cornelius will speak first—normally David would, but he isn't here so as Minister and a member of the Wizengamot, we defer to Cornelius going first. Danilynn, you'll speak second." They both nodded and Fudge could have sworn he saw a smile flit across her face. "Of course, formal titles are all required whilst in trial—it's only polite—and as the Minister is the accused, I will be conducting the trial." Dumbledore continued to say and both nodded.
"Is there a time limit on speaking, Albus?" Danilynn asked and the elderly wizard shook his head. Fudge got the distinct impression that she had no idea what she was going to say yet. That also spoke to her father's style: Daniel Masters had been a glorious improviser—he was actually much more effective when he didn't prepare, allowing himself to be caught up in the emotions of the audience. Daniel had played to whom he was speaking to, but he had never catered what he said to his audience. Maybe his delivery differed, but the man stuck to his message.
"Where should I sit during the trial?" Danilynn asked. Albus looked around.
"As the entire Wizengamot will be here, you can take a seat in the section normally reserved for the public. I'm afraid that we don't have space to put you somewhere more prestigious." Albus said and she nodded.
"Of course—I wouldn't expect anything different or want any special treatment on the court's part." Fudge snorted despite himself. He was ignored. "I'm not a member of the Wizengamot, after all. Speaking of them though, my brother won't be attending today—he doesn't want to be seen as an instigator and feels that his presence would imply that." Well, at least that would be one person that wouldn't be voting to impeach him—if only because he was absent.
"Understandable on Rhaegar's part, of course. Seeing that he won't be here, I don't see the harm in you taking his seat. You won't be able to vote of course, but it might be a bit more comfortable—the public seats are dreadful on one's back." Dumbledore said and Fudge's mouth almost dropped open. That wasn't protocol by any stretch of the imagination.
"Albus, as Minister I cannot allow her to sit on the Wizengamot while she is not a member." He said, refusing to give her any kind of exceptional treatment.
"Minister Fudge is right, Albus. I'm not on the Wizengamot and it wouldn't be right. I'll be more than fine on my own." Danilynn agreed and Fudge almost groaned. She wasn't making it easy to make her seem entitled to one person—let alone an entire courtroom full of people who had known her since she was born. At that moment, members of the Wizengamot started to trickle in. As they came in, they nodded at Fudge, Dumbledore, and Danilynn. Dolores came in and smiled at Fudge, walking over and giving a nasty glare to the woman waiting to speak against him. No one had said why she was here, but apparently people had guessed correctly.
"Cornelius, It's good to see you. This is absolutely ridiculous, this nonsense about impeachment." She said sweetly. At least Fudge could count on her to vote in his favor. "I just know that it was Rhaegar Masters who instigated it—we should have seen it coming, honestly." Fudge really wished she hadn't said that so loudly. Dolores hadn't ever dealt much with the Masters clan and insulting family members was just a good way to piss them off and make them even more dangerous.
"Actually, Rhaegar had nothing to do with this." Danilynn Black said, turning around with a smile. "If you'll notice, he isn't here today. He thought that voting in this trial would imply that and he very much wants to be left alone." She said very matter-of-factly. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I don't know you…?" She trailed off, prompting for a name.
"Dolores Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary for the Minister of Magic." She said, shaking Danilynn's hand. Fudge saw Danilynn clasp Dolores' hand with both of hers, her quite large engagement ring on display for the other woman to see. Dolores obviously looked down at the rings worth more than the rest of the jewelry in the room combined. Fudge suspected it was the younger woman's way to remind Dolores of whom exactly she was speaking to.
"Umbridge? Are you related to the Umbridge that used to work in Magical Maintenance?" She asked. Fudge raised an eyebrow, surprised that she remembered something so obscure.
"No, actually—"
"You must be. You have the same exact nose. Certainly not a brother, so he must have been your father. I remember him; he was always very kind to my brother and I." Danilynn said, looking the other woman up and down. "I'm sorry, I didn't introduce myself—I'm Danilynn Black." She added.
"Of course. Well, I'll be taking my seat, Mrs.—"
"Dany." Danilynn smiled briefly before turning around to greet Amelia Bones, Dolores Umbridge forgotten.
"Amelia. It's lovely to see you. How's Susan? She must be nine by now." She said, hugging the other woman. She nodded.
"She'll be nine next month. She's running me ragged and I'm only her aunt. How my brother manages is beyond me." She said and Danilynn laughed.
"I know, I see Rhaegar and Shay manage two children and it never fails to astound me." She said.
"Well surely Harry has to be presenting a few challenges for you and Sirius—he's James' son after all."
"Harry's a rather easy child—despite his Potter blood. I think the Lily in him is showing." Danilynn admitted. "We must catch up outside of all of these titles and stuffy clothes." Amelia nodded.
"I'll contact your lot later, Dan. I should take my seat." Amelia said and left the youngest Masters sibling to speak to someone else. Dumbledore called the Wizengamot into session, forcing people to shuffle around to their seats. Danilynn Black took her seat, facing the Wizengamot, looking completely unconcerned about being alone in rows of empty seats.
"Presiding Chief Warlock Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore calls the Wizengamot into session, this fifteenth of November to try and deliver a verdict on the impeachment of Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge." Dumbledore declared. "If any member of the Wizengamot has a problem with these proceedings, please speak now." A man Fudge didn't recognize raised his hand. "Yes, Mister Flagler?"
"Why is the Lady Black sitting over there?" He asked, nodding towards where Danilynn Black was sitting. Fudge had quite forgotten she carried a title—despite her husband telling Fudge to call him 'Lord' not five minutes before his wife had stomped in and told Fudge to release him or so help her she'd do it herself.
"I informed Lady Black that she may take her brother's seat as he will not be attending today, but she declined on the grounds that it would be improper because she is not a member of the Wizengamot herself." Albus said. "Anyone else? No? Splendid." He said before shuffling a few papers.
"As you all surely know, David Jones was admitted to St. Mungo's recently and remains in a medically induced coma for the time being—obviously rendering him incapable of making a case here today. A supporter of his legislation has asked Lady Danilynn Black to speak in his stead and she has graciously agreed. However, because—as she earlier pointed out—she is not a member of the Wizengamot, Minister Fudge will speak first and then the Lady Black will speak on behalf of Mister Jones. In order to prevent us from being here all week, there will be no call for witnesses." Fudge listened to Dumbledore's words with more and more dread. "Minister Fudge, if you'd like to take the floor?" He prompted and Fudge stood and walked down onto the floor of the Wizengamot. He had spoken to these people countless times—except for the one behind him, but still. It was the same thing.
Wait, she was behind him. Should he look back at her occasionally when he spoke or just ignore her altogether? No, he should ignore her; he wasn't going to give her that and he wasn't speaking to her anyways.
"Whenever you would like to begin, Minister." Dumbledore said.
"Witches and Wizards of the Wizengamot, we have been called here today to question whether I am a qualified leader. To answer this you need only look at how far we've come since I was elected as Minister! Death Eaters are in Azkaban and have been largely neutralized and people are happier than ever. This bill was—" Fudge took a deep breath before just going for it. What did he have to lose? Besides, what if it worked? "This bill was orchestrated by the Masters family to instate Rhaegar Masters as the Minister of Magic—this isn't what the people want; this is what people like her want. They obviously miss the power they were accustomed to and they really can't be faulted for it; none of them grew up knowing what it was like, to have to work for something."
People murmured a little and Fudge took that as a sign of encouragement.
"They're manipulating the political system, just as they always have! The 'dynasty' I've heard so many praise didn't defeat Death Eaters; I did—the man that didn't come from some great family. " People continued to murmur. "They didn't defeat You-Know-Who and the time that their last male descendent spent in office was riddled in war, conflict, and strife. What have they done for us in living memory? Remember, it wasn't Daniel Masters that defeated You-Know-Who—it was me!"
Fudge heard a gasp from someone in the Wizengamot. Whoops. Actually, he heard quite a few of those. He looked around a bit more to see the looks on people's faces: he had pushed that too hard.
"Not that Daniel Masters didn't do great things in his life, but can we promise—be positive—that his son, or anyone from his family, will do the same? I've been successful and the Wizarding World has been prosperous, so I see very little need for change." He said and people were intently watching him as he backtracked slightly. Dolores nodded a little, listening. Fudge didn't really have anymore to say and looked over at Dumbledore and nodded to signal he was done.
"Thank you, Minister. If you'll please retake your seat." He said evenly and Fudge walked back up and sat down. No one sitting near him said anything. "Lady Black, I'm assuming you'll be taking this time to respond?" She nodded, standing up.
"I will. If it would be permissible and agreeable to the Wizengamot, I'd like to also briefly address the night my father died—I'm afraid that Minister Fudge touched on a subject I'd very much like to clarify. There were also some false accusations and I'd like to defend myself on those topics as well." She said and Dumbledore looked around.
"All in favor?" Everyone but Fudge and three others raised their hands.
"Thank you." She said before walking down onto the floor. She caught Fudge's eye and he realized very quickly that he'd gone too far by dragging her dead father into this. She now had every intention of eviscerating him.
"You'll all have to pardon me if I become a bit emotional at first, but discussing my parents' murders is still very painful for me. Now, Minister Fudge isn't aware of how my parents died—he obviously wouldn't be, as those details were classified by the Auror Department, but I would like to share them with you now. I was staying with my parents through pure chance that night. I was already married and Rhaegar was living on his own, but we wanted to stay at home for a few nights as we so rarely saw our parents anymore. I woke up in the middle of the night and walked downstairs to see Death Eaters in my kitchen. I ran back upstairs and woke up my parents and brother. We locked ourselves into my parents' bedroom—the room I now share with my own husband—and my mother told us both that she was glad we were safe and my father told Rhaegar that his time in England had come to an end for now and that he must leave to protect himself and ensure that our family would endure, as it always had." She obviously took a deep breath and looked around, looking very close to tears.
"We left their bedroom and were faced with six Death Eaters. Between the four of us, we managed to escape the six of them, but once we walked downstairs, my dad kissed my forehead and my mom hugged me and they told Rhaegar to take me and leave the house."
"My father—your Minister of Magic—sacrificed his life to save his children. Both of my parents would still be alive today if it hadn't been for Rhaegar and I staying in their home that night and I still hold myself responsible for that and I always will, as I know my brother does. So, I came here to speak today not because I want power but because Minister Fudge is a disgrace to the office he holds and it is a disgrace to my father's memory and I refuse to sit idle any longer while he slanders and defames a man that died to protect his children. Now, if I may continue in regards to our actual reason for being here?" She said, looking to Dumbledore, who nodded.
"Thank you. It's been eleven years since that night—since Death Eaters murdered the previous Minister of Magic in his own home. It's been eleven years since Cornelius Fudge was chosen to lead in the wake of my father's death. It's been eleven years and I'd like everyone in this room to try to think of eleven things that Cornelius Fudge has done that has positively impacted them, personally or otherwise, in that span of time. Don't worry; I'll wait. Anyone who can actually get to eleven, please stand up and share with the rest of us." She paused and nothing happened. "No? Well how about we ask the Minister what exactly he's done in the past decade that has helped anyone other than himself?" He had been wrong to hope she wasn't a good speaker. She was as good as her father had been and she was pissed. "Please Minister, we're waiting."
"The Freedom of the Press Act was repealed—" She stopped him there.
"Of course, how could I forget? But do you—can you—call that progress? Do you call silencing the press a good thing? Now, I'm not saying that the Minister has done anything illegal or horribly wrong, but I am saying that he has done nothing at all and that is the problem." Danilynn Black was starting to pace slightly, looking every inch her title and name.
"He has allowed the Wizarding World to merely exist and has done nothing to ensure not only the wellness, but also the betterment of the people he is supposed to be leading. He simply is not allowing or enabling our community to flourish." This was why David had asked her to speak: she brought back memories of Daniel Masters through the hair and the eyes and—most of all—the passion. Rhaegar was Rhea: reserved and polished. Danilynn was Daniel: fierce and inspiring.
"How can we be expected to follow a man that refuses to even acknowledge, let alone address, the issues that his people are facing? The truth is that we cannot be expected to follow a man that refuses to address the needs of all people and not just the ones that slip him money under the table." The whispers got louder.
"Lady Black, you don't mean to imply that the Minister is taking bribes?"
"I'm implying nothing at all. There is a source in his office, who has understandably asked to remain unnamed, that has stated that twenty percent of the Minister's funding comes from the pocket of Lucius Malfoy."
Fudge felt his mouth drop open. How she had heard that was beyond him. There were much louder whispers. "How many people in this room have ever had a problem with the Malfoy family? Please, raise your hands." She said and most of the hands in the room went up.
"Does anyone else find it strange that the Minister of Magic would be accepting money from such a questionable donor? How many of you want Lucius Malfoy being the one to run our world from behind a smokescreen?" Every hand in the room went down. "Now, if you are only going to take one thing from this speech, let it be this: Who do you want to follow?" She was starting to border on yelling. "Do you want to follow a man that muzzles the press? Do you want to follow a man that is too weak to make his own decisions and has Lucius Malfoy make them for him? When you decide whether or not to impeach Minister Fudge today, ask yourself that." She said and then nodded at Dumbledore to signal that she was done. The room was very silent for a moment.
"Lady Black, if you don't mind waiting outside? Although you were asked to speak on behalf of the author of this bill due to his sudden ailment, you are not a member of the Wizengamot and cannot be in the room for this vote. Minister, as the subject of the vote you must exit the room with the Lady Black." Dumbledore said and Fudge opened his mouth to protest. "I'm afraid I must insist." He said and Fudge followed her out of the courtroom. Danilynn leaned up against the cold wall.
"Who in my office told you that?" Fudge said and she closed her eyes, resting her head on the cold wall. Fudge didn't care about her body language—he wanted to know who talked to her.
"Go to hell, Cornelius; I don't answer to you." She snapped. A silence fell and they stood outside for a while, waiting in the cold hall. They both walked back in when called and Fudge saw Amelia Bones' face and he knew he was done.
"Cornelius Fudge, by decree of the Wizengamot you have been dismissed from the position of Minister of Magic, effective immediately. A successor will be chosen by the Wizengamot and as such, has no further use of you." Dumbledore said. "Lady Black, I'm assuming that there was a name suggested within the bill for a successor?" She—unsurprisingly—nodded. Fudge was rather hoping she'd just melt into a puddle at this point.
"There is. Mister Jones wished to suggest my own brother, Rhaegar Nathaniel Masters, as the next Minister, should Cornelius be removed from office." She said and no one said anything for a moment, which Fudge found somewhat hopeful. Even though Rhaegar had been nominated, someone had to second it for anything to happen. Half the people in the room suddenly stood up to second and Danilynn Black smiled, despite obviously trying to hide it.
"Hush, hush all of you…now Rhaegar must be contacted and he must either accept or decline the nomination. Then if anyone else wishes to nominate someone else, they may." Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling. "I do believe our business for today is adjourned. Until a new Minister is found, it is my duty as Chief Warlock to perform the Minister's duties; so please, direct questions to me…and not Danilynn Black and her family." He said and banged the gavel on the podium in front of him to end the session. Fudge watched Danilynn Black walk out of the courtroom and not look back.
Talking suddenly broke out; it looked like having a Masters as Minister again was on the horizon.