Succession
My dearest grandson
Word may have reached you of strife within the capital and it is my unfortunate obligation to inform you that this is indeed true. A worrying development involving what were assumed to be families of high station and of the utmost respectability, has shaken our dear nation. I am almost glad that you were not present to hear the degenerate tales of debauchery and rampant criminal activities.
You recall the family who gifted upon you, a portrait of the great calmness our island can experience? It is my hope you do not because they are no longer worthy of mention to anyone of your royal station.
Aside from their activities however I enclose three documents sadly enshrining their unforeseeable redemption. We intend, with you permission my dearest grandson, to speedily and immediately confirm the needed course of action and remove them in the necessary fashion.
I did not wish to see the instrument of Paris used again in my lifetime but I appears our wishes cannot correspond with what is written in law. I request you signature upon this needed documents and pray,dear grandson, that our nation can move beyond this mournful time.
With sincere love and affection
Lady Regent of Azkaban
Evelyn Potter
"Anything interesting?" Susan asked Harry with a quizzical look as he took in the letter. The package containing it it had arrived by a blackened owl, bound with a crimson ribbon and written atop a pile of ash white papers.
"My grandmother has the most peculiar way of requesting something," Harry muttered to himself with a slight smile, he didn't even need to look up to know all eyes were on him. The odd package descending so late, over dinner, would be enough to direct attention towards anyone, he just had the added weight of being him,
"You grandmother?" Susan questioned in a tone which made Harry narrow his eyes,
"My aunt knew your parents and she never mentioned you had grandparents." She explained after a moment, Harry nodded and peeled away the crimson ribbon.
"My grandmother is either somebody you know, or somebody you are trying to forget. It works both ways, my parents were no exception." Harry muttered half to himself, half to her. His grandmother had spoken of his parents enough for him to revere them as martyrs, but with enough disdain to dissuade him from following in their footsteps. They were proud examples of a world that Azkaban is not ready to accept, a world that led to their untimely deaths, was her favourite way of saying it. She had never told him what world they represented however.
"Ok..."Susan muttered with a puzzled look, "so she sent you a letter that got here late."
"If my grandmother ever sends a letter which arrives late she will have the owl shot out of the sky for showing signs of mental deterioration. A lesson she would apply to everyone from servants to government officials if given the chance." Harry let out a chortle, something which did little to help Susan's confusion.
"She sent me a letter because she needs something, though she dresses it up enough for it to need deciphering. Thankfully Alice mentioned if before hand."
"What did she want?" Susan inquired abruptly. Harry handed her the letter,
"Have a read and take a guess." He offered, briefly considering the look of fury his grandmother would be shooting him if she knew he was disclosing his private correspondence.
"She's angry with a noble family, she wants you to expel them... do you play some kind of instrument when their banished?" Susan suggested after a few moments, handing the letter back.
"Hey Harry, Susan isn't it..." Cedric greeted before Harry had a chance to correct her.
"That's me," Susan muttered distractedly, watching Harry very suddenly roll eyes.
"Bad news?" Cedric wondered as Harry read the letter for the third time. It was extended towards him.
"Hmmm, tell you what read this and ignore the beloved grandson parts and tell me what you think the author wants." Harry smiled, Cedric took it with a curious twitch as Harry pushed his plate forward and gingerly laid three grey tinged documents on the table.
"Ok she wants you to get rid of someone? Like kick them out, is the Pairs instrument some kind of... I don't know." Cedric confessed, his grey eyes swimming with as he tried to comprehend the ambiguous nature of what he had read. Harry shook his head.
"No that was her telling me she has sentenced three members of a former house to death, for grievous sexual crimes, and will be carrying out the sentence by guillotine the moment I send the documents back." Harry corrected and watched the bizarre revelation sink in.
"Allow me to explain, the only families who can send portraits to the Lord of Azkaban are the noble ones, debauchery and rampant criminal activities mean they haven't killed anyone but have been breaking the law from a more moral standpoint, if their no longer worthy of mention they've been publicly stripped of rank and instrument of Paris is the guillotine. The instrument which has been used to deal with sexual offences since eighteen something." Harry explained slowly much to the bewilderment of Cedric and Susan.
"Oh, that seems like a long winded way of telling you something," Cedric commented and Harry simply smiled.
"If your nobility the best way to do anything seems to be to get it across in the most inconvenient way possible, and oh great she sent me the powder too." His voice suddenly became seething as a small vial of white powder was taken out of the package.
"Powder?" Susan looked at the vial and she was not the only one, more and more people were looking as Harry placed the powder in his pocket.
"It's tradition, whenever I sign a document I'm supposed to sign it, place a wax seal, then the powder, then blow the powder. I still don't even know what is about, sometimes I wonder if anyone else does. " He quickly explained as a hand tapped him on the shoulder.
"I must confess Mr Potter that I did not expect you to find a way to cause a distraction with little more than package," A kindly voice and beaming eyes made him turn around.
"Headmaster." Susan greeted respectfully, slightly looking down.
"Miss Bones, a pleasure. Now Mr Potter I hope everything is well, it seems like you have been gifted with a great deal of... paperwork?" he frowned peering over Harry's shoulder. Harry looked up at him, wondering if the man knew what these documents were.
"It's some matters of state my grandmother wishes for me to sign, I'm sorry if I caused a distraction." Harry excused himself, the old man smiled kindly.
"It is not something which has caused offence, I had hoped the regency would not subject you to matters of state here, but I suppose... what are these documents?" Dumbledore asked with a sudden firmness to his voice. Harry waited for him to skim the contents.
"The regency forces you to sign documents approving execution, surely that is far to grave a matter for someone so young." A slight ripple of gasps spread around the exchange, Harry paused and a quizzical look overcame his complexion.
"I have been signing such documents since I first became Lord, its simply something I have to do." Harry responded lightly, the old man looked at him with twinkling eyes.
"That is, disturbing. I will ask not to sign the documents here, if you must at all. I believe it would not be a, positive influence on anyone present." the request was made with a certain gravity. A calm graveness to the man's voice which made Harry pause.
"It is not as if I am carrying out the deed myself, headmaster. While I will comply if I can, this is one of the many duties I must carry out." Harry found himself speaking with his grandmother's voice.
"Yet from the looks of things, the Lady Regent has not included case papers to give you context. Must you make the decision without such essentials." Dumbledore countered suddenly with a speed to his otherwise tranquil voice.
"From the sounds of things it would not be appropriate..." Harry began but was never able to finish.
"Though it is appropriate for you to sign death warrants, I...forgive me. This is not the time or place to discuss political matters which are out of your control. The subject in question is, a topical one which brings out the worst in even me. I will contact the Lady Regent with my concerns, I humbly apologise." Without another world the man slowly walked away, leaving only silence behind.
Azkaban
Dear Grandmother,
I have enclosed the documents you requested and pray you are of sound composure during this troubled time. Though the documents themselves have caused some issue with the senior teaching staff, to ensure incident does not arise I have temporarily entrusted the signing and veto power in, regards to judicial matters, to Sir Alistair.
"Exactly what do you think you are playing at Alistair, attempting to usurp power from right under my nose?" The angry Lady Regent, still in her flowing judicial robes, half erupted into the room. A black wig held in one hands and frizzle grey hair conveying anger to the elderly man who sat behind a panelled desk.
"Lady Regent, it is indeed..." The man began slowly, considering his words.
"Don't bother, pleasantries may be essential for polite conversation but they seem almost irrelevant in the face of this outrageous abuse of your power. I will not sit idly by as you attempt to insert yourself in Judicial matters, I demand you respond to the Lord and reject this ridiculous attempt to avoid incident." Evelyn Potter seethed, almost shaking as she spoke. Sir Alistair swallowed and took a few moments to respond in a slower, deeper voice.
"I am not trying to insert myself into any matter outside my control, the Lord simply does not wish to sign documents in the full glare of his peers. It is his right to delegate power and recall it whenever he wishes. I have already accepted the honour." He replied after the moment had passed.
"You take advantage of his vulnerable position, he is currently alone in a school far beyond what he is used to. He must accept that he is beyond his peers, and any action of state defies their whims. I will not have him repeat the mistakes of his father, rest his soul." The Lady Regent swept into the room, her eyes challenging her rival's.
"He is only making moves to delegate his responsibilities, surely he is supposed to be focusing on his work at the school, his training is important. So important we require a regent." Sir Alistair remarked lightly. The Lady Regent leisurely exhaled.
"My role is to the guide the nation while he becomes accustomed to his responsibility, if he neglects them in favour of this branch of imprudent education, then the island will be at risk. I will not tolerate..." she cut herself off quickly.
"You will not tolerate, my Lady Regent surely you are not trying to direct the actions of the Lord." The man smiled, picking up on her words nonetheless.
"Tread lightly Sir Alistair, attempting to interfere with judicial matters is a grave abuse of your power, it represents the inaccurate notion that power can be taken away from the nobility who deserve it. If you are attempting to orchestrate any power grab, I will see to it that it is stopped and you are punished. Remember my husband lies dead, your position is far more fluid than it once was." she hissed turning on her heel and moving towards the door.
Hogwarts.
"You have a plan." Luna giggled as Harry slowly moved past her, he paused and sat down, despite his intentions to the contrary. He gave her a puzzled look as he sat down, beckoning her to explain.
"What do you mean?" he asked when no explanation presented itself, while gently reaching for toast. Her hand snaked around his, directed it towards another rack.
"Try this one, less burnt." Her tone became almost friendly and then dipped into a fiendish giggle.
"You have a plan, or maybe you do and don't know it yet. More likely, you've seen a way to spark everything into an inferno yes?" She spoke quickly, distractedly. Harry nodded but he doubted it was necessary to continue the exchange.
"You saw those untouched by what transpires in these halls, you saw an opportunity but maybe you don't know it." She was almost laughing and Harry just looked at her.
"You know perceptions matter, a symbol is a symbol and the person who the people think while defile a symbols may just be the person blamed." Luna muttered to herself and Harry looked back at the Hufflepuff table. Five girls were at the head, Susan had pointed them out to him. The ones who were exempt from all due to their families or their money, or whatever it was they had.
"Look at the girl over there," Luna nodded to a blond girl, one of the five that Susan had pointed out.
"Pretty maybe but her father and brother were in Sytherin, powerful family. She's not a target, while say that young first year." She expanded their observation to the far end of the table, looking at a young first year in oversized robes.
"Poor family, already a target and he will be for quite some time. You see the two extremes, one who isn't a target, one who is. Now look at your friend, Cedric." Her clarity directed them to to Cedric who was around the middle of the table.
"Handsome so he stands out, though he's hasn't got what others have, so he's a target but he's got friends so he's not a major one. A moderate example." Luna continued cryptically
"I know this, it wasn't exactly hard to work out. Some are target, some aren't..." Harry muttered, Luna turned to him, her eyes fare more alight than usual.
"Exactly and yet they know this," her voice became lower with every breath, Harry just listened, watching her with more and more questions snaking their way into his mind.
"Hufflepuff have got used to the idea that some of them are exempt, depending on their influence. It's not just an accepted fact it's..." Luna trailed off and Harry's eyes lit up slightly.
"It's security, they need to know their position because they either want it to be better." It clicked and Harry took over the conversation.
"Or know it could be worse. Now you see." Her smile became wide. relieved even.
"Why do you want me to see it?" Harry asked quickly, too sudden for her expect it. She stiffened, just slightly.
"Maybe I think you should know where your new friends are in the structure of this place, maybe I think you can change things, maybe I've already drawn the same parallels you have, or maybe I'm just a mad girl whose inviting you into a fantasy that doesn't even exist." She giggled with a final flourish, then she stood up, made a bow, and strolled out of the Great Hall.