A Knut to Start the Revolution
Chapter 14
Disclaimer: This work of fan-fiction is not intended for personal profit. All characters utilized herein which are not creations of myself belong to J. K. Rowling.
Unlike the situation where the appointment of Remus Lupin had been met with indifference or quiet contempt, the appointment of Hermione to a seat threw the Wizengamot into full uproar.
Narcissa Malfoy was screaming obscenities that Harry was happy he couldn't hear, while Cornelius Fudge looked rather pole-axed. Several other purebloods were also shouting mutinously, while Dumbledore was waving his hands for control.
Hermione, meanwhile, was looking daggers at Mrs Malfoy, whilst Ron and Remus looked startled at the vehemence of the protests against the appointment of the bright young witch.
Harry was puzzled as to why Griselda Marchbanks was grinning as though she were Crookshanks and had eaten a very fat canary. The old woman noticed his puzzlement, and bellowed into his ear, "That was the best thing I have ever seen in my entire life! I personally examined her at Charms OWLs, and if anyone can put those idiots in their place, it's that girl! Now I'm glad I accepted my reappointment to my seat!"
Rufus Scrimgeour finally brought order to the chamber when he cast a spell that created a very impressive BOOM! and shook the chairs slightly. He had a Sonorous Charm on his voice, which carried to every corner of Courtroom Ten.
"Sit down and stay quiet! I will call Aurors in here to maintain order if necessary. Quietus."
Madam Bones nodded sharply, and said, "As Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, I shall remind all present that any assault – or insult – by one member of the Wizengamot against another may, at the very least, result in temporary suspension of the offender from the day's proceedings and questioning from the Aurors if an assault occurs. In the past, some have escalated to full duels."
Harry smirked inwardly as he imagined giving Narcissa Malfoy a run for her money, remembering some of the more advanced shielding charms he'd been reading about and practicing with Tonks; Narcissa suddenly looked rather like she had swallowed a lemon. Or, Harry thought, maybe Hermione would like to, once she learned about the spells as well.
Dumbledore said, "Harry, if you would be so kind as to explain why you have appointed Miss Granger when both of you will be at Hogwarts?"
"Of course, Headm… sorry, Chief Warlock. I am the new Head of the Most Noble and Ancient House of Black, and as such it is my duty to demonstrate what the Black name stands for. Until today, it stood for all the old bastions of pureblood privilege, exemplified in the motto 'Toujours Pur'. Sirius was unable to make the changes which he felt needed to be done, as the Ministry—" Fudge seemed to shrink just a bit at his green glare, "—failed to recognise his innocence until it was too late for him.
"It is not too late for me, and today, I signal a new direction for the Black House and the Black name. One of my best friends will, today, be the living embodiment of a new motto, 'Always With Honour'. In the event that Hermione cannot attend Wizengamot proceedings I appoint Remus Lupin as secondary proxy to the Black seat. Sirius Black was one of Remus' best friends, and I honour his memory today in helping Remus to further Sirius's ideals, which were at odds with those of other members of his family."
Harry pointedly directed this last at Narcissa Malfoy.
Dumbledore spoke quickly, before anyone else had a chance to disrupt things further.
"As the matter of the appointment of a proxy voter is entirely within the discretion of a member of the Wizengamot, and the only requirement for a proxy is that the individual be of sound mind, which both proxies clearly are, I declare this matter closed," he said. "I again remind all members here that Mr Potter and Miss Granger enjoy my protection while at Hogwarts, and Mr Lupin is the guardian of Mr Potter and will also take exception to any attempt to assault him or his friends over the matter of the appointments made today."
With some difficulty, the Wizengamot settled down after that announcement, and some of the more poisonous looks Harry got shifted to miffed expressions at Dumbledore's statement. A moment later, the Chief Warlock asked for a one-week recess, to which the entire Wizengamot assented. Harry could see several members fidgeting as the vote was called, and sighed as he knew that almost certainly meant the Daily Prophet would be swiftly informed of what happened.
/\/\/\
After the Wizengamot broke up, Harry looked at his watch, and noticed it had just gone past one-thirty in the afternoon. He rapidly reassembled the group, and looked at Ron. His friend had been just as gobsmacked as most of the Wizengamot when Harry had appointed Hermione as proxy voter, but he looked a bit flushed now.
Harry, not blind to what Ron was probably feeling, said, "What is it, mate?"
"Why Hermione, Harry? We were mates before she even knew us!"
"Ron, think about it for two bloody seconds, will you? No Muggleborn has ever been appointed to the Wizengamot before, as near as I could make out when Marchbanks talked to me after session broke up. Even Remus is a half-blood, okay? Do you even realise what this means for her and all the Muggleborns at Hogwarts?"
Ron fell silent, and Harry pressed his advantage. "Look, mate, if I had another seat I'd put you in it for sure, but I don't. There'll be some other chances for me to single you out, Ron. I wanted to make some political points today. I'm sick of letting the likes of the Malfoys walk all over us and this is the way I want to let people know I'm done fooling around. I need you, Ron, to be my strategy expert. Remember my idea for the DA?"
The freckled boy grinned wanly, and said, "Yeah, I remember. Fake Galleon and all. It's just… look, the Weasleys don't even have a seat, just the Prewetts. I don't even know the Prewett side of our family that well, and it'll be ages and a long shot for me to have a chance at that seat."
Harry sighed, and ran his hand through his hair in frustration.
"I don't know what to say, Ron. I'm just sorry I didn't warn you beforehand about what I was going to do so you wouldn't be so disappointed after. I guess my strategy of aiming for maximum surprise was a bit too effective, yeah?"
The two friends chuckled, and Harry looked around. He noticed that the room was beginning to thin out, and Dumbledore was heading over to the group. The old man twinkled again in delight, as he offered sherbet lemons all round, and then popped one in his mouth.
Talking around the sherbet lemon, he said, "Harry, my boy, I must confess you surprised me today. But I think you have made your mark as a confident young man who will not be deterred by custom or ritual from doing what is right, and today you have done what is right. Miss Granger, in case you have not already been informed, I have double-checked briefly and no Muggleborn has ever sat on the Wizengamot, as proxy or through inheritance, prior to your appointment. Your appointment confers upon you certain rights, although they are restricted in their applicability. One advantage to you is that for as long as you hold proxy status to the Black seat you will be considered effectively equivalent to Harry when it comes to certain pureblood social rituals and traditions."
Ron grinned widely, and Harry asked, "What is it, Ron?"
"This is great! Listen, Hermione, next time Malfoy insults you, ask him if he does so in his mother's name. If he messes up and says 'yes', it becomes a matter between two members of the Wizengamot, and you know what Bones said about that."
The redhead waggled his eyebrows, and Hermione got the hint, allowing herself the briefest of gleams in her eye. "Thank you for that information, Ron, although I won't be eager to try for a duel on school grounds."
He looked just the tiniest bit frustrated as he imagined seeing Draco Malfoy humbled before Hermione Granger.
Dumbledore broke in, saying, "Yes, you should remember you are students on Hogwarts grounds and it would not do for any of you to be seen as openly, as the expression goes, 'spoiling for a fight'. Now, we should probably leave this room before the wizarding press members become eager to locate us."
Harry thought, shite, he's right. Blasted Rita Skeeter!
That reminded him of the Daily Prophet. He made a note to settle his accounts with them as well when the time was right. He then remembered a few things he needed to wrap up, so he asked if anyone minded gong back to Gringotts. With no objections to that, the group swiftly flashed back to Gringotts, startling the goblin guards again, Harry endured the brief Probity Probe scan and asked for Griphook to convey him to the Potter ancestral vault.
He stood before vault five hundred and eleven, fidgeting as Griphook ran his finger down the door to cause it to swing open ponderously; Harry wished that he had more time to look through the cornucopia of family books, robes, paintings and so forth as he rushed in, looking for the Potter family ring.
The goblin broke in on his rambling thoughts, as he said, "Mr Potter, I can assist you in finding your family ring. If you would step back to the vault opening for a moment."
Harry did so, and waited.
"Good. Now, simply extend your left hand, and summon the family ring into it."
It couldn't be that easy, could it? He thought. He looked sceptically at Griphook, and then, feeling foolish for doing so, took out his wand and said, "Accio Potter Family Ring!"
To his extraordinary surprise, a small box flew off a table below a painting of a mansion on a green hill, and landed with a resounding thwack in his hand. Fumbling the box open, the bespectacled teen saw a ring very similar to that of the Black ring, but with a different crest.
Harry, for the first time, wondered at the magnitude of what had been obscured from him for all the years he had been in the wizarding world. He was part of a tradition nobody had ever bothered to explain or clarify for him. He had… grandparents. He saw, for the first time, the faint glimmerings of what a true family had beyond just the people that made it up – they had memories bound up in the little knickknacks and mementoes passed down from generation to generation.
Harry closed his eyes and tried to keep them from watering too much; he quickly gathered himself, and then placed the Potter ring above the Black ring. As it sized itself to his finger, it, like the other before it, recognised him as the legitimate heir, glowing a brief green and enveloping him in warmth before fading away.
He banished the box back into the vault. Thickly, he said, "Get me out of here, Griphook."
The goblin closed the vault door without a word, and then accompanied Harry back to the cart.
The cart ride back seemed to take no time at all, as Harry let himself slip into a bit of melancholy. He remained quiet and non-communicative as the remainder of the group said their goodbyes. Remus and Ron then Flooed to the Burrow from the Leaky Cauldron (the werewolf would then Floo to Grimmauld Place from there; it would be safer, even if Dumbledore was the Secret Keeper), whilst Hermione and Dumbledore said their goodbyes in Harry's bedroom before Fawkes flashed the pair away.
/\/\/\
True to its reputation as being a notoriously fickle rag that would sell anything if it gathered in the Sickles and Knuts, the Daily Prophet made much of the events at the Wizengamot, which had leaked out not long after the meeting broke up.
HARRY POTTER ON THE WIZENGAMOT!
Assumes Ancient Potter and Black Seats, Appoints Surprise Proxies!
Breck Wahl, Special Correspondent
In breaking news today, Harry James Potter (see our special article on Page Two, entitled Boy-Who-Lived: The Chosen One? for a recap of our recent reporting) attended a session of the Wizengamot. Traditionally, such sessions are closed to all outsiders, but we have gained reliable reports as to just what occurred.
Harry Potter first petitioned for access to the ancestral Potter seat, a full year before his age of majority. He was admitted by a nearly unanimous vote, and applauded as he assumed a seat that has been vacant for fifteen years. Then, the real surprise began as he revealed that he was made the heir to the enormous Black family fortune, as well as the Headship of Family (for a startling account of the Ministry's reversal on the issue of Sirius Black, see our article on Page Five, Sirius Black: From Alleged Supporter of You-Know-Who to Black Sheep of the Family). To the further shock of the Wizengamot, he petitioned for, and gained, the Black seat as well.
To the surprise of almost no-one, Harry Potter appointed the known werewolf, Remus Lupin (see our article on Page Three, The Dark Creature: Defence Teacher Extraordinaire or Danger to Students?), who was a close friend of James Potter for several years at Hogwarts, as proxy to the Potter seat in the event that he could not attend proceedings. However, Mr Potter was not done yet. His blistering bombshell of an appointment came when he appointed a proxy to the Black seat; for the first time in recorded history, a Muggleborn was given the signal honour of being a proxy voter on the British Wizarding World's highest judicial body – Harry Potter appointed one of his best friends, the renowned Hermione Granger (For more information, see our special article on Page Four, entitled Hermione Granger: Our Previous Reports), as proxy for the seat of the House of Black.
We have reliable evidence that the Wizengamot was sent into an uproar over this surprise appointment, which was sustained owing to the privilege that any Wizengamot member has over who may be appointed. We fully expect that the controversy will not die any time soon, and readers may rest assured that this reporter will be keeping a close eye (and ear) out as to unfolding events.
/\/\/\
Draco Malfoy was rarely gobsmacked, but words failed him as his mother wearily informed him that the Mudblood Granger had been appointed to proxy the Black seat on the Wizengamot. It only got worse when the Daily Prophet arrived, with articles all about the damned meeting splashed all over the pages.
It was bad enough that Scarhead had re-attained the Potter seat and been made Black Family Head, but this! Mudbloods overrunning the wizarding world! Draco seethed as he raged at the unfairness of how Potty and his friends always seemed to come out ahead of the game no matter what he did! And now his father wasn't even around to do whatever he did that cowed people and brought them into line.
The blond was sure his father would have seen to it that the Mudblood lost her proxy status right away, and that Potty would be barred from Wizengamot sessions until he was seventeen, regardless of what laws and customs he had to violate to get his way.
He made up his mind: he was going to kill that old coot Dumbledore! And then get Harry Potter right after that!
/\/\/\
Severus Snape inwardly smirked to himself as Wormtail fidgeted over the article in the Daily Prophet. It made up, somewhat, for having to see the damned newspaper fawn all over the Brat-Who-Lived-To-Annoy-Him-Again.
The Potions Master said evenly, without a trace of malice, "Well, well, Wormtail, see how far you have fallen? Are you, perchance, wondering if you might have played your cards differently? Gotten yourself a Wizengamot seat instead of the werewolf?"
Even having to brew healing potions for Poppy Pomfrey, which he could practically do in his sleep, didn't quite take the edge off his amusement at Wormtail's poorly hidden look of jealousy.
Author Notes:
Hi everyone! Sorry for taking so long to get back to this. I'm repurposing old chapters I used to have, so I'll be cutting out some bits and expanding others as I continue this fic, hopefully with more regularity in the coming weeks and months. :)