AN: This will be one of probably many shorts dealing with how Harry from 'Brutal Harry' would respond to a variety of common HP fanfiction tropes. This one can be assumed to take place during fifth year, but will not be 'canon' Brutal Harry to the eventual sequel. This is really largely written as a way for me to blow off steam from personal issues, so I'm not putting exhaustive thought into it either. I also ended up running out of steam partway through and it ended shortly, but meh, this is crapspace fiction dump, so I'm posting it anyways.
Brutal Harry responds to Marriage Law implementation:
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If Harry had been a more 'normal' young man, he would have asked if Hermione was joking. Instead, he just stared at her, and asked a single question.
"Do you think they mean to actually go through with this?"
"In part," Hermione said awkwardly, "It's because of what happened at the graveyard in Little Hangleton. A lot of pureblood families are in danger of going extinct after that, and Lucius Malfoy is trying to ensure that his power base doesn't get wiped out, especially since most of the new heads of house are students here at Hogwarts."
"And he wants them to produce heirs before I get it in my head to kill them," Harry said, saying what Hermione wasn't quite willing to say herself.
"Probably," Hermione said sadly, looking away from Harry, "I'm sorry, if I hadn't let myself-"
She was cut off by Harry laying his hand over her mouth, then pulling her over to him so that he could wrap his arms around her protectively. Hermione curled into his side, even though he was smaller than her, and wrapped her arms around him tightly as well. Of all the things that had changed since the graveyard, this was one of her favorite. Harry now not only initiated physical contact, rather than always waiting for her to do so, he did it frequently.
"It was not your fault," Harry said firmly, "Just ask my mum if you want a proper explanation why, but it was not your fault."
Hermione shivered slightly, before nodding her head against Harry's chest, closing her eyes, and just luxuriating in togetherness. She did not begrudge Harry the past years of their friendship, but greatly appreciated now having someone who took the time to comfort her.
Harry felt a little awkward holding his best friend for more than a few moments, but the strength of her grip on him clearly indicated she wished to stay right where she was, so he kept holding her anyways.
"What'll you do about this?" Hermione asked, her voice slightly muffled by her face still being pressed into Harry's chest.
"Stop it, of course," Harry said.
"How?" Hermione asked, pulling back to face him with slightly watery eyes.
"Sirius made me his heir before he abdicated his position as head of house Black," Harry said, smiling at Hermione, "Which means I have a seat on the Wizengamot. I think it's time I use it."
"Please don't hurt anybody permanently," Hermione said, smiling wryly at Harry, her smile brightening when he smiled and nodded in response.
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The next evening, when the Wizengamot met, they assorted members were surprised to find Harry Potter present, having arrived before even those who customarily arrived quite early, seated in the rearmost of the meeting chamber's seats. While he drew some comment, no one approached him before the session began, though a few astute observers noticed that when Lucius Malfoy entered the chamber and spotted Potter, he immediately notified the attendant at the door that he would not be able to attend the session, and left.
The last man to enter was Albus Dumbledore, Head of the Wizengamot. When the ancient wizard spotted Harry, he sighed, but continued to the chamber's podium to call the meeting to session. When he called for the first order of business, Harry spoke before any other.
"I believe it is necessary to arrange for the repeal of a bill passed last week," Harry said.
"The Chair recognizes Lord Black," Dumbledore said, "Speak your piece."
Harry leapt lightly out of his seat, and strolled down to the floor of the chamber, before turning to face the assembled Wizards, and handful of Witches, of the Wizengamot.
"Last week," Harry said, "The Wizengamot passed a bill that made marriage compulsory amongst 'pure' and 'half' blood witches and wizards after they had completed their O.W.L.s. There was some shoddy justification, which I honestly don't care about."
He turned to face Dumbledore.
"I mean to have that bill repealed, by one means or another, by the time I leave this chamber. Do you intend to stop me?"
"That would depend," Dumbledore said cautiously, "By the means by which you intend to accomplish such, Lord Black."
"Very good," Harry said, turning to face the members of the Wizengamot again, "In order to expediate this, I would request that all who voted against this bill raise their hands?"
"It is entirely legal for votes to remain anonymous," Dumbledore said from behind him.
"Yes," Harry said, keeping his eyes trained on the assembled members of the Wizengamot, "But are those of you who opposed the bill ashamed to admit it?"
"Hardly," Augusta Longbottom said, and raised her hand.
Her doing so broke the ice, and very soon just over a third of the Wizengamot had raised their hands.
"Excellent," Harry said, smiling ferally at the assembly, then whipped out his wand and growled a single spell, "Petrificus Totalus."
Rather than affecting a single target, the spell struck the entire body of the Wizengamot, freezing every single member in place.
"Now," Harry continued, swiftly un-freezing those with their hands held up as he spoke, "We will be holding a new vote, one I believe which will have a startlingly high number of people abstaining."
Dumbledore sighed, but decided he would rather not provoke bloodshed, and did not interfere.
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Harry sat down beside Hermione, and lay a hand on her shoulder. She started slightly, jolted out of her studious reverie, and set aside the book she'd been reading.
"Well," She said a bit nervously, "What happened?"
"The law was repealed," Harry said, "Oddly enough, every member who'd voted it in abstained."
He paused for a moment, then smiled at her wryly before continuing.
"No casualties."
"Good," She said, breathing a sigh of relief, "What did you do?"
"Used Petrificus Totalus on every Wizengamot member who'd voted to pass the stupid thing in the first place," Harry said.
"I suppose," Hermione said, sighing in exasperation, "I will have to settle for that."
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End.
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AN: For those of you waiting for the sequel to Brutal Harry, you can expect work for it to begin once I've completed my most recent major story post, War in Tokyo. That is for work on it to begin, not posting to begin. Posting on it will begin either when it's mostly complete, or I've finished Cameron's Legacy, and thus cleared my plate to just bulldoze through it and write and update without needing a backlog to keep schedule. Because when I *do* start posting the sequel, I intend to post weekly until it's finished.