September 22,1995.
"For the last time, Ares, stop freaking me out! Continue this behaviour and I will send you there." Sirius yelled, completely annoyed at the antics of his son. He was going to be driven mad before the session even started.
After spending the previous weekend in the DMLE holding cells and pranking the Lucius Malfoy and Fudge, Sirius was happy to see his son return home, and was both thrilled and sullen at seeing Ares bond with his grandfather's portrait. The teenager and portrait had spent the entire day talking to each other, leaving Sirius feeling a bit neglected. The next day, his son left the Black Manor, leaving a message that he would be at Manoir Flamel for a day or two.
Although slightly disappointed at his son not delaying the visit for another day or two, Sirius decided that he may as well get some work done in the meantime, allowing him to spend the next few days with his son. The evening on the day he left, the devilspawn returned home, looking quite ready to keel over right where he stood. An interrogation of his son and a Floo call to Lady Flamel revealed that it was severe magical exhaustion, which he did not fully believe.
People seemed to forget that despite his more mature personality of the past decade, he was quite the prankster during his schooling and the days he spent as an auror only served to further develop his skills. He had escaped detentions, suspensions and sacking several times mainly due to his uncanny ability to lie. Besides, the traits cherished by House Gryffindor, bravery and honour, did not particularly lend themselves to hiding a prank, or a crime. He knew that Ares hid much of what he learnt from Madame Flamel; Sirius was not an idiot. He did understand, much later, that Flamel's open-ended offer at the end of their meeting gave her carte blanche to teach his son anything, and everything she knew. And Ares would sooner kiss Voldemort than refuse an offer to learn more magic, a thought which made Sirius cringe in horror.
Evasive answers from both student and teacher did nothing to calm him down, especially when his son looked like nothing short of a visit to the healers of Gringotts would help. But Lady Flamel had assured him that his son would be fine by the end of the week, and Sirius had never known her to mislead him in matters of his son's health. While he had given up on his attempt at hospitalising his son, his paternal instincts aside, a vindictive part of him had been rather overjoyed that he would, finally, have an entire week of reprieve from his son's insane experiments. An event that he needed to cherish, because it might be the one and only time his son would be still. Most days, he wondered if his son's antics were his penance for all the pranks, both juvenile and harmful, carried out by him and his friends.
At least, Sirius knew what the reactions of his friends would be. James would be laughing his ass off, since he was not the one suffering from the pranks of a hyperactive, too-intelligent-for-his-own-good son with a far-too-high aptitude for magic. Lily would be both simultaneously proud and horrified; proud at her son achieving things thought to be impossible and horrified at the boy's attempts surpassing that of both his father and godfather.
Sirius had spent that entire week tip-toeing around the manor, slightly afraid that his son might have already started another experiment. But, to his disbelief, the boy had not once complained about being unable to use magic, for the entire week. It was quite surprising to Sirius, especially since James and him would have gone insane before the week ended.
Although, it did not really matter in the end. Sirius thought with a sigh. Ares and Arcturus got along like a house on fire, Sirius often playing chaperone to the portrait since Ares could not stay still in one place for long.
During that week of magical exhaustion - which Sirius suspected was not the entire truth, especially since his son had more muscle definition in his upper arms, which did not happen in a few hours or even a week or two - Ares had not endeavoured to even try to practice magic, except for the most basic of household charms. The boy had shut himself in the library for the better part of the week, usually reading some book not appropriate for his age or talking to his grandfather. The duo of grandson and grandfather spent their time talking about topics ranging from the family history to politics, the foundations of spells to the darkest of arts. To Sirius's misfortune, Arcturus Black, despite his life spent in the pursuit of political power, was a connoisseur of the magical arts and was well versed in the Black Family Magic.
Nearly two weeks since Ares had fully recovered, the day of the Wizengamot session of September twenty second had arrived. Sirius was tad nervous about facing those vultures and death eaters, not to mention Dumbledore and his cronies. He was worried about assassination attempts on the life of Ares and him; and they would occur after the announcements in the session today. His son's impatience was not helping.
"Get ready, Pad. We need to be there by eleven-thirty." Ares pestered, ignoring his father's words.
Sirius groaned. Ares really needed to learn patience. "Haven't you ever heard of being fashionably late?"
"This is a Wizengamot session, boy; not a Christmas Ball." The portrait of Arcturus Black commented quite sternly.
"Might as well be." Sirius muttered under his breath. Raising his voice, he said, "I hope both of you kids know what you are doing." Lips twisting into a frown, he continued, "Are you sure you want to do this? The consequences might no-"
Ares smiled and held his father's shoulder, interrupting his words. Pure confidence coating his words, he said, "I'm sure, Pad. Both you and me have discussed this several times already. Not to mention grandfather agreed this was the right thing to do, especially since the public is on our side for now. We delay now and we will lose. A lot more than we think."
"My grandson is correct on this matter, Sirius." said the portrait of Arcturus. "You understand very well that the British wizards and witches thrive on propaganda written in the Daily Prophet or broadcast on the WWN. Hell, if the paper or radio said the sky was blue because the Ministry made it so, I'm sure they would believe it." His words held the distinct edge of a sneer. "Follow the plan, and let the public and paper do the rest, not to mention the effects on Voldemort's supporters and sympathisers. This will effectively pull the carpet from under their feet."
Rubbing his forehead, Sirius decided that he would never win agreement against these two. Looking at Ares, since Arcturus would not listen to him, he asked, "What about McGonagall? The meeting was only two days ago and-"
"Aunt Minerva" corrected Ares, a smirk on his face. "knows exactly what she is doing. She understands the consequences of her actions and is ready to take on all corners for her beliefs. Neither you, nor I, can change that."
Four days ago…
"Why do you think Professor McGonagall would send me a private letter?" Ares asked. He extended the unopened envelope addressed to him towards his father.
"No idea. But the letter won't read itself, unless she sent you a howler." Sirius replied. "That is not a howler. Just open the letter, see for yourself." Despite his casual tone, and answer, he was quite curious about the letter, especially since Professor McGonagall had addressed the letter. The old lady was the godmother of James and was his Head of House. It might just be an attempt at connecting with the child of her godson. Besides, if the wards around the manor did not destroy the envelope, both the envelope and its contents were harmless. At the very least, there were no magical substances or curses on it.
Shaking his head at his father's transparent attempt at hiding his curiosity, Ares tore open the envelope and peered inside. A small piece of parchment was all it contained. Pulling out the parchment and placing the envelope on the table beside him, he read it aloud.
Ares,
As happy as I was hearing at the outcome of the trial, and your deft touch at extricating yourself from it, I am ashamed at being unable to provide you with any help. As you might remember, your deceased father, James, was my godson and I intend to uphold the promise I made to Dorea all those years ago.
I have certain matters to discuss with you, before the Wizengamot session of September twenty second. Please reply as soon as possible with a meeting place of your choice.
Minerva McGonagall
"A meeting place? Before the Wizengamot? What is she up to?" Sirius voiced his thoughts aloud. The letter did not sound like his Transfiguration professor at all.
"What do you mean?" Ares questioned. While the letter from his professor was surprising, he was not expecting her to not have an agenda.
Sirius glanced at the open letter, and looked his son in the eyes. Speaking slowly, he said, "Ares, Professor McGonagall is one of the very few people who holds a seat in the Wizengamot and has no interest in politics. To date, she has never been a part of any political alliance nor has she appeared in the chamber either."
"I… didn't know that." Ares said, quite confused about the matter. "What about her family? A husband, maybe a son or daughter?"
Sirius frowned. "I don't think I ever heard anything about her family. What I do know is that Hogwarts has been her home since the Great War of Europe."
Ares looked at him with surprise. How can Pad not know anything about one of his favourite teachers? Resolving to learn more about the professor, he asked "What are we going to do about this?"
Sirius walked up to Ares and took the letter from his hands. Passing a glance over it, he said "Well, she did say she would appear at a meeting place of your choice. I think Gringotts would be a good venue."
"Good idea." Ares agreed. "A neutral location and the goblins would take care of any imposters and prevent attacks." Thinking it over, he said, "Reserve a meeting room at the London branch… for the day after tomorrow at eleven in the morning."
"Sure." Sirius answered. At the very least, he could find out his professor's, if it was her, agenda.
Two days ago…
Sirius and Ares appeared in a flash of blue in the customer portkey chamber of the London branch of Gringotts. The goblins, as most Noble Houses and older, highly valued customers knew, possessed private portkey and apparition chambers that could be utilised for a fee, a service offered only to highly valued clients. Besides the travel chambers and healing, the goblins offered several services; investments, land acquisition, loans, warding and curse-breakers to name a few. As such, a request for a meeting chamber was well within their purview and quite easily offered, considering the number of requests they received for such. The same request from Lord Black was accepted within two hours and private portkey provided for him and his son; Turns out, when you use goblin services quite regularly to conduct House business, you tend to be far more valued than other reasons. Sirius and Ares's respect for the establishment and their acknowledgement of the Goblin Nation went a long way.
Once they signed in with the chamber manager, the father and son duo were escorted by two armed and armoured guards to their reserved meeting chamber. Passing through several corridors, the four-member party arrived at their destination, Meeting Room 11, the words printed in solid gold on the pitch black metal door.
The armed guards took positions beside the door, facing the corridor. Nodding towards each other, Sirius opened the door, allowed Ares to enter and then stepped in himself, locking the door behind him.
The room was made of pure white marble on all sides, with a slight shimmer to the surface; Sirius knew that the shimmer was the powerful anti-privacy and anti-scry wards embedded in the marble, a feat considered near impossible since marble was not a good conductor of magic. In the middle of the room was a rectangular brown table made of redwood. Two chairs occupied one side and s single chair occupied a place opposite the two chairs.
Sirius and Ares noted that Minerva McGonagall occupied the single chair. What surprised both was the rich cut of her ruby-red robes and the parchments placed on the table to her left.
"Professor." Father and son greeted their transfiguration professor simultaneously.
"Mister Black. Ares." Minerva returned their greeting, an uneasy smile twisting her lips.
Sirius felt the rather irrepressible urge to answer her with his 'Call me Sirius' line, but he forced himself to simply smile back. Seeing his old teacher after so many years made him feel rather melancholic.
"How are you, professor?" Sirius asked, a light tremor in his voice.
"I'm good, Mister Black." Minerva replied, a slight feeling of tension dissipating from the warm greeting she received.
"Call me Sirius." Sirius replied, no longer able to deal with his teacher calling him 'Mister Black'.
Minerva laughed, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. "it is good to see you, Sirius."
Sirius nodded. Feeling Ares pull his sleeve discreetly, he followed his son and occupied the chairs opposite Minerva.
Once seated, the three of them remained quiet, waiting one for one of them to break the silence that had intruded.
"You said you wanted to talk about something, professor." Ares asked softly, knowing Pad was a bit overwhelmed right now.
Minerva gave a slight nod "Are you…" She cleared her throat, and continued, "Are you going to attend the Wizengamot session?"
Ares nodded in reply.
"I thought so." Minerva muttered. "I- there is- well, I have decided to claim my inheritance."
Sirius's eyes nearly popped out. Minerva McGonagall had decided to claim her inheritance at the Wizengamot?
Deliberating ignoring her former student's reaction, Minerva continued speaking. "As you might know, House McGonagall is an Ancient House, and I am the last to my line."
Sirius pondered his choice of words, not wanting to awake any uncomfortable memories. Trying for a slightly diplomatic question, he asked "What about your next of kin?"
Minerva chuckled mirthlessly. "I have a son, if that is what you are asking for. My son, Jason, and I have not talked to each other for decades. And he has never quite… demonstrated any interest in politics."
Sirius and Ares silently agreed to not follow this line of questioning any further
"Okay." Ares voiced, unsure as to where the conversation was leading. "What do you need from me?"
Minerva smiled. "I wish to name you as my successor-" Ares and Sirius gave a start. "-for my Ancient House of McGonagall."
"Me?" Ares asked in disbelief. Whatever he had been expecting to hear during this meeting, this was not one of them.
Minerva's smile widened at the startled reaction of the two boys. "My will stipulates that the contents of the House vault and my personal vault will pass to my son. Considering my son will not return to Britain and has no interest in politics, I hoped that the addition of a Noble and Ancient House in your alliance would strengthen your political standing." She paused for a moment. Steeling herself against the grief of her memories, she continued. "I was unable to save my godson and the woman I considered to be a daughter. I was powerless to stop Dumbledore from his attempts at kidnapping you from your father. I am useless when the aurors came to arrest you. I have made plenty of mistakes over the course of life but I will be damned before I do not provide you with all the help I possibly can."
Ares was quite shocked at the turn of events. From the words, it was apparent that the elder woman was unforgiving toward herself and carried guilt for her actions, or inactions in this case. That was quite clear from their conversation after his first Transfiguration class. From Pad's description of her, she was supposed to be a passive personality. However, it seems that his arrest had finally spurred her to take action.
While Ares would love to accept her offer, simply for the extra capital it provided, he knew the minute she stepped into politics, she would paint a far bigger target on her back, both metaphorically and literally. But the steel in her eyes, the absolute conviction visible in those irises stopped him from trying to dissuade her.
"Ares you… sure, Professor?" he asked finally.
Minerva nodded. She had decided on her path and no one, not even Albus Dumbledore would sway her. She was a Gryffindor and it was time to utilise the courage she had, no matter how late it was.
Ares looked at his father for confirmation. Seeing his father nod, albeit reluctantly, he turned to Minerva and said "Very well. What should we do now?"
Sirius remembered the ritual of succession that had occurred immediately after and the discussions that followed said. All things considered, it had been a fruitful meeting.
Still, it was his former teacher, and she was going public with her support. Whatever target the death eaters painted on her back was no going to grow bigger. "Alright. But I'm still going to make an emergency portkey for Minerva. She will be safe on one of our estates. However, we still need to consider Dumbledore. He won't just let her go."
Ares raised an eyebrow. His father was not suggesting what he thought he was, did he? "Do you honestly think that Albus Dumbledore would try to force her to change her motives? Or put her under a compulsion or loyalty potion?"
"You can never trust that man," Sirius sneered. "I blame him almost as much as I-"
"Yes, I know." Ares interrupted his father with a sigh. He did understand where his father was coming from. With all the attempts at kidnapping him and trying to get Pad arrested and turning Remus against Sirius, no wonder his father was so hostile towards the old wizard.
Over the years, Ares had spent quite some time studying the history of Albus Dumbledore. While his childhood was mostly obscured by time and a lack of records, his time as a professor, his participation and his political moves were well-documented. From his analysis, Ares realised Dumbledore was an extreme conservative; values contrary to the words he spouted during speeches. His grandfather, Arcturus Black, had a saying: A conservative was someone who makes no changes and asks his grandmother when in doubt. Ares simply disliked the man for his subtle attempts to manipulate everyone around him, especially when said attempts were directed towards him and those he cared for.
Checking his attire and equipment once again, and ensuring his wands were in their respective holsters, Ares wiped imaginary lint off his new, prim Wizengamot robes. The plum robes had a silver 'W' on the left breast, and did not possess any of his House banners. Looking at his father who was dressed similarly, his shoulder-length hair and steel-grey eyes giving off quite a formidable appearance, he nodded.
"Ready?" he asked.
The Wizengamot was comprised of a total of ninety-two seats, with eight seats representing Noble and Most Ancient Houses, twenty-eight seats representing the Noble and Ancient Houses, thirty-three seats for the Noble Houses, thirteen seats for the Ministry, including the Minister, ten seats for Order of Merlin recipients.
The distribution of votes was fixed and immutable for each member of the Wizengamot. Each Noble and Most Ancient Houses enjoyed five votes; the Noble and Ancient Houses, three; Noble Houses possessed two votes; Ministry seats and Order of Merlin recipients exercised a single vote. The three exceptions to voting were the Chief Warlock, the Head of the auspicious body, the Chief Clerk, responsible for calling in the Order of Business for every session, and the Court Scribe responsible for recording the minutes of every session.
Over the past millennia, several Noble and Most Ancient Houses were declared to be either dormant or extinct. And the last wizarding war of Britain had brought down the membership of the Wizengamot to a mere fifty-six. At present, with the Black seat under dormant status, the House of Longbottom was the only Noble and Most Ancient House that was considered both extant and active.
Since it was illegal for members of the press to hound the Wizengamot members before the start of the session, the Ministry Atrium was rather empty, all members of the press and the Wizengamot occupying rooms adjacent to the ancient chamber.
Sirius and Ares smoothly walked out of a Ministry Floo, cleaning off any dust with a wave of their wands. The notice-me-not charm worked its magic as father and son swept past the check-in clerk, a couple of loitering reporters and into one of the recess rooms reserved for members of the Wizengamot.
Moving past them without notice, the duo entered the Wizengamot chamber, passing a glance around the chamber. While Ares smiled upon remembering the last time he was here, Sirius grimaced at the same memory.
Many members were seated in their places while several milled about at the centre. A quick glance around let Ares spot several people he knew. The first was Jonathan Greengrass, the Lord Greengrass and a family friend. He briefly noticed Daphne, who seemed oblivious to the presence of him and his father, busy interacting with Theodore Nott.
Since they had removed their notice-me-not charms upon entering the chamber, the blue-eyed boy noticed Ares and his father and subtly nodded, a gesture that did not miss Daphne's sharp gaze. Spinning around, her eyes widened in surprise as she spotted Ares. Her eyes narrowed and fists clenched before she realised where she was. Sending a warning glance towards her boyfriend, she composed herself before someone noticed her slip.
Spotting his friend, Jonathan waved Sirius and Ares towards him.
"Any troubles reaching here?" Jonathan asked once the two Black family members approached him.
Sirius replied, "Not at all. It was surprising easily to get here without getting mobbed."
A smirk on his face, Jonathan said, "Oh, I am sure it was just magic."
Sirius smirked at his friend while Ares studiously ignored the burning eyes of his girlfriend. Spotting Minerva and Madam Longbottom nearby, he excused himself and, lip twitching in amusement, dragged his son towards the two elder women, and away from girl ready to kill him with her bare hands.
As they neared the two ladies, Augusts spotted them and spoke to Minerva, who turned towards them.
Standing near them, Sirius wished the two matriarchs. "Lady Longbottom. Professor."
"Mister Black." Augusta Longbottom returned in a slightly imperious tone. Minerva just nodded in acknowledgement.
"It is time." The Longbottom matriarch replied and turned towards her friend. "I must go and take my place." She passed a final glance towards the two men, excused herself and walked to her seat.
A few minutes into the discussion between Sirius, Ares and Minerva, other members began noticing the presence of the boy who was recently on trial, and, more importantly, his adoptive father who had been missing for the past fourteen years. However, none dared approach him. Several members noted Lucius silently gnashing his teeth at them. Sirius and Ares simply ignored it all.
Another few minutes later, the chamber was filled, with all members seated in their respective places, including the Minister and the respective Department Heads. Ares and Minerva stood in the ante chamber awaiting their call. A silence fell over the Chamber as the Chief Warlock Tiberius Odgen entered it, swiftly followed by the Chief Clerk Albert Dullard and Court Scribe Percy Weasley. Odgen stood over his chair, as the Wizengamot members stood up in respect. He then cleared his throat and sat down, with the rest of the audience following him swiftly after. Dullard and Weasley occupied their respective seats next to the Chief Warlock.
Passing a glance towards the entirety of the Wizengamot, Odgen said, "Seal the doors. As Chief Warlock, I, Tiberius Odgen, call the session of September twenty second 1995 to order."
The doors of the Wizengamot closed with a great sound and the ambient magics of the chamber came into effect. The enchantment made sure that no wands could be drawn by the occupants of the chamber unless permission was given by the Chief Warlock. All the members shuddered slightly as the enchantment took hold.
The Chief Warlock then turned to the grey haired clerk and said, "Chief Clerk, call the Order of Business for the session."
Dullard stood up and cleared his throat. "The first order of business is alterations to the membership of the Wizengamot. I call in Lord Black to come up and take the oath."
Albus Dumbledore, seated amongst the other Noble Houses, looked towards the lowest tier as Sirius Black, wearing Wizengamot robes, walked towards the center of the chamber.
"I witness the calling of Sirius Orion Black to the seat of the House of Black." Odgen called out in a monotone once Sirius stood in the middle of the chamber.
Speaking with a loud and firm tone of voice, Sirius said, "I, Sirius Orion, Lord of House of Black, swear to act with honour and justice and uphold the prestige of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, by blood, by magic and by oath. As I have sworn, so mote it be."
A wave of magic pervaded the chamber as the seat of the House of Black glowed brightly with blinding white, signalling that the Most Ancient House was once again active.
"I confirm your oath to be valid, and recognised by magic, Lord Black. Please take your seat." Odgen ordered.
"I request your permission to declare certain notifications on behalf of the House of Black, Chief Warlock." Sirius asked in a formal tone.
"Proceed."
Ignoring the whispers around him, the marauder said, "My first notification: Ares James Black is the Heir Apparent of the House of Black, by blood, by magic and by oath."
None of them made any moves since they were all embarrassed by allowing the previous sham of a trial. None would contest the claim.
Sirius cleared his throat. "My son, Ares James Black, formerly Harry James Potter, son of James and Lily Potter, has taken up the Headship of the House of Potter. As is stated in the Last Will and Testament of the late James Potter, I, Sirius Orion Black, accept the role of the Regent of the House of Potter."
The Potter seat glowed bright gold in acknowledgement.
"I confirm your oath as the Potter regent to be valid and recognised by magic, Lord Black." Odgen declared.
Sirius smirked. "As the Lord Black, I declare an alliance of mutual aid and support between the Houses of Potter and Black. As Regent of the House of Potter, I accept the alliance. The Houses of Potter and Black now stand together in alliance. May our Houses always stand together, in peace and in war." Twin flashes of magic spread from his body.
Odgen said, "Duly recognized."
Sirius glanced momentarily at Jonathan and said, "As Lord Black, I proclaim that the House of Black is in an alliance of mutual aid and support with the House of Greengrass."
Jonathan Greengrass stood up from his seat. "As Lord Greengrass, I confirm the proclamation. The House of Greengrass stands together with House Black."
"Acknowledged." Odgen intoned.
Sirius took a deep breath. "My last notification as Lord Black. As the Lord of Black and the Regent of House Potter, I declare Ares James Black as my proxy."
"I object." Dumbledore interrupted loudly and stood up.
"Seconded." Amos Diggory, Head of the Department of Regulation and Control of Magical creatures, stood as well.
The Chief Warlock turned towards Dumbledore and asked, "Please state your objections for the record."
Dumbledore stood up. "Ares James Black is an underage minor and is-"
"The age restriction prevents anyone below the age of thirteen from taking on the role of proxy, Chief Warlock." Jonathan Greengrass interrupted the old man before he made his arguments sound too convincing. "Ares Black is fifteen and well above the requirement."
"Objection overruled." The Chief Warlock asserted and turned towards Sirius. "Please proceed."
Dumbledore, Diggory and Jonathan took their seats, the former two quite reluctantly.
"That is all, Chief Warlock." Bowing to Odgen, Sirius walked towards his seat, passing a discrete glare towards Dumbledore, who blithely ignored him.
Odgen gestured to Dullard who looked at the Order of Business and said, "I call in Lady McGonagall to come in and take the oath."
Every eye turned towards the antechamber as Minerva McGonagall, the Transfiguration professor of Hogwarts, walked in with a steady gait and stood in front of the Chief Warlock, ignoring Dumbledore who was staring at her in surprise.
At Odgen's gesture to move ahead, Minerva said, "I, Minerva Emily McGonagall, Head of House McGonagall, swear to uphold my House with fairness and equality as the Lady of the Noble and Ancient House of McGonagall."
"I object." Albus Dumbledore called out once again and quickly stood up. "The House of McGonagall is Ancient, true, but it is not Noble since it has been dormant for over three centuries." He glared at the woman standing in front of Odgen and avoiding his eyes.
"Sustained. Does the House of McGonagall have an introducer?" The Chief Warlock asked.
Whispers broke out in the chamber. It had been ages since an Ancient House awoke from dormant status. Such a House required another Ancient House of higher to introduce them to the Wizengamot in order to regain their seat.
"The Noble and Most Ancient House of Longbottom stands for the House of McGonagall." Augusta Longbottom replied imperiously, standing from her seat.
"Seconded." Sirius Black stood up a second later.
Everyone looked in awe. Two Most Ancient Houses had stood up for acknowledging the introduction of a fellow Ancient House.
The Chief Warlock nodded and said. "Please continue your oath, Lady McGonagall."
"So have I sworn, so mote it be." Minerva finished briefly, as the seat of House McGonagall glowed a pale blue.
"I confirm your ascension as the new Lady of House McGonagall." said Odgen.
Minerva nodded. "I have some notices to declare, Chief Warlock." Once Odgen gave his permission, she began. "I, Minerva Emily McGonagall, Lady of House Ross-" A palpable wave of shock went through the members of the Wizengamot. "-swear to uphold the values of my House with fairness and Justice, as the Lady of the Noble and Ancient House House of Ross."
The seat of Ross glowed, as the Chief Warlock acknowledged it. The members went through various emotions as two Ancient House became active in a single session. An event that was rare and nearly unheard of. Not to mention the person leading the two houses was someone who they had never expected to see in the Wizengamot.
For the first time, Minerva smiled. "The House of McGonagall announces an alliance of mutual aid and support with the House of Ross."
Once again, no surprises there.
"The House of McGonagall announces an alliance of mutual aid and support independently with the Houses of Potter and Longbottom."
That quietened all detractors before any objections could be raised. Knowingly or not, Minerva McGonagall had just declared an unofficial alliance between the Most Ancient Houses of Black and Longbottom.
Odgen said, "Duly recognized." It was a rather good political move, all things considered. An Alliance with two Light Houses while offering an unofficial alliance with a Dark House. For someone new to the political arena, he considered it be quite a wise move.
Minerva cleared her throat. "As Lady McGonagall, I declare the House of Urquart as a vassal."
Instantly, the House of McGonagall glowed brightly with a shade of magenta, as the magics of the Chamber recognized the announcement. Having a vassal simply meant an additional vote for the liege House.
"My final notification." Minerva continued, ignoring quite a few sputters from the members and glares from Dumbledore. "I declare Ares James Black as the Heir Apparent of House Ross and House McGonagall by oath. So I have sworn, so mote it be."
Sirius Black stood up once again and spoke clearly. "As Potter Regent, I verify the announcement to be true."
Chaos reigned the chamber at the words.
In a single move, Minerva McGonagall had given Ares James Black control of two Noble and Ancient Houses; that was seven votes along with the eight he currently possessed. The members realised that this would skew the voting towards the light bloc.
"Order!" The Chief Warlock banged his gavel and fired a sound charm. Once the members had settled – several glares directed at the unfazed woman standing in the middle – Odgen asked "Do you have any further notifications to declare, Lady McGonagall?"
Minerva shook her head.
Odgen said, "Very well. Please ascend to your seat, Lady McGonagall-Ross."
Dullard witnessed the new Lady McGonagall walk towards her seat on the second tier, as the two seats of Ross and McGonagall fused to become one. Once Minerva had taken her seat, he cleared his throat and called out loudly. "I call Lord Nott to make his declaration."
Every single person in the Dark Alliance stared as Edward Nott stood up and walked towards the centre of the chamber.
Standing on the platform at the centre and staring straight at the Chief Warlock, Edward declared, "I, Edward Tiberius Nott, declare that my son, Theodore Maximus Nott, has succeeded me as the Head of the Noble and Ancient House House of Nott."
Ignoring the confused glares and stares from several quarters, he continued his declaration. "However, the new Head of House Nott is not of the required age to claim the seat. Thus, I have been appointed as the Proxy of the House of Nott." The seat glowed a bright silver, proving that his claim held true.
"Duly acknowledged." Odgen replied. This is turning out to be quite the fun session.
"Thank you." Edward nodded in acceptance and walked back into the tiers and occupied his seat.
"I must say, we are having a rather active Wizengamot this session. Two awakened Houses and a vassal house." Odgen commented genially, as he turned towards Dullard. He asked, "Are there further additions to our membership?"
Dullard looked back onto the file to check in. Without observing it in detail, he nodded his head. "We have one final addition, Chief Warlock. I call in the Lord-" His eyes bulged out, as he read, and then reread it. Rubbing his eyes to ensure he wasn't dreaming, he looked at the line again. Finally, in a rather faint voice, he intoned, "I call in Lord Slytherin to take the oath."
The entirety of the Wizengamot was stunned into complete and utter silence.
Lucius feared he had nearly suffered from an aneurysm. The notices given by Sirius Black had already pushed him to the edge. He did not like the fact that Potter, Black and Greengrass were a single coalition, a rather powerful concentration of political standing. Then, Minerva McGonagall of all people had thrown everything into disarray. First by raising two Ancient Houses from the dead, and then literally gifting the Houses to Ares Black. Fifteen votes? It was a political nightmare.
He had nearly been driven spare. Now, Lord Slytherin was going to take up his seat. Lord Slytherin! He quickly glanced around, hoping that his Lord was disappointed with him and had finally decided to take matters into his own hands.
Spotting Sirius Black walking down the steps towards the centre of the chamber, Lucius wondered what the man was thinking. Was he going to battle the Lord in the middle of the chamber?
As a few seconds passed by, and his Lord did not appear, and Sirius had neared the platform close to the Chief Warlock, realisation finally hit Lucius.
"Are you kiddin' me?" He roared out loudly.
Sirius Black stood in front of the Chief Warlock, ignoring the feeling of every single eye in the chamber focused on him. Inwardly, he was laughing his ass off at the reactions of the members who had, as soon as the announcement was made, began to wildly look around in fear of Voldemort appearing in the chamber. He had nearly laughed aloud at the expression on Lucius Malfoy's face when he realised why Sirius stood in the centre. Even Dumbledore was looking at him in open shock, something Sirius would privately savour in his pensieve later.
"Lord… Black?" The Chief Warlock questioned in hesitation. "You are the Lord Slytherin?"
Despite the glares of the entire chamber, especially Dumbledore, the Marauder could not help his smirk. "Shall I make the oath?"
Tiberius Odgen gulped slowly. "Proceed."
Sirius cleared his throat. "On behalf of Lord Slytherin, I, Sirius Orion Black, swear to uphold the prestige and honour of the Most Ancient House of Slytherin as the Regent of the House. As have I sworn, so mote it be."
The Wizengamot descended into chaos, with Albud Dumbledore and Lucius Malfoy standing together in objection. Several members of the Dark faction, formerly imperiused death eaters, stood up in support of Lucius Malfoy's objections. As members of the other factions stood up in favour of the objections, none of them noticed the flash of magic from the Slytherin seat.
"Order!" The Chief Warlock proclaimed repeatedly, banging his gavel.
It took a few minutes before order was restored to the chamber. Still, over half the Wizengamot glared at the Lord Black.
Turning to Sirius, the Chief Warlock asked, "Can the Regent of House Slytherin name the current Lord of the House of Slytherin?"
"I can, but I do not see how that pertains to the subject." Sirius objected with slight amount of disdain in his voice.
"The House of Slytherin has been declared extinct for nearly eight hundred years. The Wizengamot requires proof that the current Lord is legitimate." said Odgen.
Sirius raised an eyebrow. "And what proof would satisfy the Wizengamot about the legitimacy of my claim?"
"The formal presence of the Lord during this session, who will have to take his oath and activate the seat in the first place." Odgen answered.
"The current Heir has taken the Headship of House Slytherin. However, he is not of age to take the Lord's oath." Sirius returned smoothly.
"In that case, we will need a demonstration of Family magic from you." Odgen declared.
Sirius chuckled. "The Blacks are as old as any Most Ancient House, if not older. However, I do not have enough Slytherin blood in me to call upon the Family Magic, despite my status as the Regent. With your permission, I would like to call the current Head of House to demonstrate the legitimacy of my claim."
Odgen seemed conflicted for the moment. He looked at the Chief Clerk. "Are there any provisions for such a… situation?"
Dullard drew his wand, pointed it up and muttered an obscure incantation and a tome appeared on his desk. Flipping through the pages, he found what he was looking for. "There is a provision-" He began, "-that if the current Head is not of age, he may appoint his regent. Furthermore, the Chief Warlock may call on the Head to prove his claim through a demonstration of Family Magic."
Odgen nodded. "Very well. Proceed."
Dullard closed the tome and called out, "I call the current Head of House Slytherin to prove his claim."
Every single pair of eyes, besides those in the know, spun towards the antechamber as Ares James Black walked through the doors, wearing the Wizengamot robes. The Potter and Black crests occupied his right breast and the Ross and McGonagall crests occupied the left.
Ignoring the entire gamut of looks he was receiving from the members, Ares walked towards the Chief Warlock, and stood beside Sirius.
Father and son glanced at each other, communicating their silent amusement.
Odgen stared at the boy in shock for quite a few seconds. Finally shaken out of his stupor by Dullard, he nodded in thanks towards the man and turned towards Ares. Raising his voice, he asked, "Heir Black, you are here to prove your claim to the House of Slytherin. Correct?"
"Yes, Chief Warlock." replied Ares, determination, and slight amusement, coating his words.
Nodding, Odgen said, "Please proceed with the oath, Heir Black."
Ares smirked. Drawing his white wand, glamoured to look like his black wand, he spoke loudly. "I, Ares James Black, successor to the Serpent Lords, claim the title of Lord Slytherin and the Basilisk as is my birthright. As I have sworn, so mote it be." A wave of bright green magic radiated from him.
The members stared in awe as the Slytherin seat glowed in acknowledgement of the Head and the crest of Slytherin manifested over the robe of Ares Black.
Ignoring the stares, Ares took a deep breath and hissed in parseltongue, "Familius Magicus Corporis."
The Wizengamot watched in awe and fear as magic, the colour of the killing curse, coalesced above Ares. The energies slowly formed an ethereal basilisk which stared at the members in an all-devouring hunger, sending shivers down their spines. Hissing at the entire chamber, the basilisk slowly coiled itself around Ares and glared at them all.
Edward Nott stared at Ares Black with a mixture of emotions. Pride at his son for befriending a powerful lord. Surprise at the Potter Heir being the Lord Slytherin. Horror, at the feeling of the Slytheirn Family Magic. He pressed his right hand to his chest, remembering the abject fear he felt at the feeling of his magic recoiling away from the Slytherin totem.
Edward's eyes passed over the ethereal basilisk, over the reactions of the other members, over his death eater allies and landed on his son, Theodore looking at him with a smirk. Now that he had seen the truth, he understood Theo's words during their last conversation.
Father, I hardly think that there is even a single legitimate political reason for following the Dark Lord.
But why would Theo hide such an important- Ah! Of course. Secrecy vows.
Edward looked at his son with pride. His son had given him a hint to the truth without triggering his oath. It had been his own fault for not realising the truth, especially when Ares Black had publicly revealed his status as a parselmouth.
The more Edward thought about it, the more it made sense. In the very first week, Ares Black had shown a neutral stance, and had done so by publicly assaulting Heirs of both Light and Dark factions. He had demonstrated an open disregard and apathy for Dumbledore and the Dark Lord. As the pieces fell into place, Edward smiled at the boy- no, man who had just played them all for fools.
He wanted an audience.
The fact that the Malfoy debacle happened at the same time was no coincidence. He had to know that Lucius Malfoy would not leave things as they were; Lucius would react in anger and arrogance, without thinking of the consequences. Every member, besides Lucius and their allies, thought the trial was far too public and had tried to keep it under closed doors. But Lucius ensured Fudge made it as public as possible and, during the trial, Ares Black looked like he wanted it to be pu -
Damn.
The cunning man had used the opportunity to effectively neutralize any public backlash against his Parselmouth ability. Using the trial, he had effectively ended Malfoy's hold over the Dark Alliance and ensured the public was on his side.
Now, Ares Black had declared his legitimate claim to the status of Lord Slytherin, a position that the Dark Lord could not achieve. He was now Heir to two Most Ancient Houses, and Head of three Ancien Houses, two of which were effectively gifted to him by Minerva McGonagall.
Twenty fucking votes. Merlin! The trial... that was just previews... this is the opening night... and Ares Black is a full-tilt diva...
"What do you think about my judgement, father?" Theo asked politely, a soft smile playing on his lips.
"I think…" Edward replied, staring at the now disappearing basilisk as the Chief Warlock acknowledged the claim and Ares moved towards the Slytherin seat. "-that you will make a very effective Lord Nott."
The stupefied audience watched as Ares James Black walked up towards the Most Ancient row and took his seat as the Head of Slytherin. Dumbledore's eyes narrowed at the Boy-Who-Lived, wondering how he could have claimed the right. Lucius's expressions ranged from murderous to unadulterated fear. Member of the Dark and Light factions were gnashing their teeth at the duplicity.
Despite all their ire, anger and fear, the bottom line was not lost to a single member of the Wizengamot. With her declaration of alliance with two Noble and Most Ancient Houses, she had effectively united three Most Ancient Houses, including one considered lost to time, under a single unified banner. They could feel the shift of power that nearly threatened to destabilise their own political foundations.
The death eaters knew their Lord would not be pleased about the events. A shudder went through several as they realised one of them would have to carry the news to their lord, and none of them envied the messenger. The more fanatic of the lot had begun hatching plans to kill the one who had just stolen their lord's birthright.
Amidst the looks of fear, rage, murder, envy and the sound of gnashing teeth, Ares sat on the seat of House Slytherin, nary a lip twitch on his perfect mask of a face. Turning around, Ares passed an amused glance towards his father, receiving a look of same in turn.
Turning back towards the Chief Warlock, Ares stood up and said, "The Noble and Most Ancient House of Slytherin would like to make an announcement, with your permission, Chief Warlock."
Seeing Odgen nod with quite some reluctance, Sirius had a faint smirk on his lips. It would not do for a Lord to laugh out loud, especially in the middle of the Wizengamot.
Receiving the Chief Warlock's permission, Ares stood up from his seat. Passing an amused glance to the other members, he walked towards the centre of the chamber.
Just as Ares reached the raised platform in front of the Chief Warlock, Yaxley stood up and yelled, "I object!" Seeing other members turn towards him, he said, "The boy-" He sneered at the word, murder in his eyes. "-is not of age and has no ri-"
Sirius stood up and said, "While he may not be the Lord Slytherin yet, he is the Head of the House. Wizengamot rules state that a Head of House who is not of age cannot vote under their personal discretion. The same rules do not forbid said Head of House from making announcements in the chamber, provided they receive permission from the Chief Warlock. The Head of House Slytherin has requested for, and received, permission from the Chief Warlock for the announcement he wishes to make. I suggest you keep your baseless objections to yourself, Lord Yaxley."
Odgen, noticing the storm brewing between the two Lords, banged his gavel, drawing their attention to him. Taking a deep breath to steel himself, he said, "Objection overruled, Lord Yaxley. Lord Black is correct. The Head of House Slytherin has received permission and he will be allowed to speak."
Growling under his breath, Yaxley took his seat, staring at the Chief Warlock and Ares with murder in his eyes.
At the same time, Sirius took his seat and the Chief Warlock turned to face Ares who had ignored the commotion with a look of calm about him.
At Odgen's gesture to proceed, Ares cleared his throat and said, loudly, "The House of Slytherin has always been led by the Serpent Lords. Parseltongue, the ancient language of the serpents, is an integral part of our family magic. Possessing the ability does not make a person the Heir of House Slytherin, much less the Lord."
"Before my House vanished from the eyes of history, several families such as the Noble and Most Ancient House of Selwyn and the Noble House of Gaunt have either married into our House or members of the Slytherin lineage have married into the respective Houses. These Houses now gained a measure of our Family Magic. History has shown us that certain descendants of these Houses, including several seemingly unrelated person or persons have displayed the ability to speak the Serpent Tongue. Yet, none of them have claimed to be the Heir of Slytherin."
Ignoring the death glares he knew he would be receiving one part of the chamber, Ares continued to speak. "As Lord Slytherin, I wish to establish the fact that having the ability to speak Parseltongue does not necessarily mean that the witch or wizard in question is a descendant of House Slytherin. Hence, effective immediately, I declare that one Thomas Marvolo Riddle, the last Lord of House Gaunt, also known as Lord Voldemort-" Several members shuddered at the mention of the name. "-was never the Heir of Slytherin. A descendant, yes. But not an Heir."
The entire Wizengamot stood silent at the proclamation, as members hung to every word spoken by the current Lord Slytherin.
"Also, I wish to shed light on certain events, events that, according to my father, have not been fully resolved due to the absence of Lord Slytherin. The event I speak of is the opening of the Chamber of secrets at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry during the 1992-93 school year."
Whispers broke in amongst the audience at the words. While they all knew about the petrification of several muggleborn students and the death of one student, they had never truly found the culprit or the location of the chamber. As such, Ares was now being paid more attention than ever before.
"There is an ongoing rumour," said Ares, "that my great ancestor, Salazar Alistair Slytherin, created the Chamber of Secrets, and had contained a monster within it, in hope that a descendant of the House would purge the muggleborns attending Hogwarts, and ensure that only those pure of blood would learn of magic." Looking straight at the Chief Warlock, he asked, "With your permission, Chief Warlock, I would like to read an excerpt from the journal of Salazar Slytherin."
Ignoring the whispers and excitement rushing through the chamber, Odgen nodded. "You have my permission to proceed, Lord Slytherin."
Ares smiled and put his right hand into the inner left pocket of his robes. Removing what appeared to be a well-worn roll of parchment, he unfurled the scroll and began reading aloud.
"Godric and Rowena are fools dressed as the wise. Do they not realise that revealing the school to the non-magicals would only hasten our destruction. We have seen the executions of our folk in the name of a faceless god. We have witnessed the burning of entire villages on the suspicion that one of our folk resided within. Have they not seen the blood dripping through the soil? Do they believe it to be mere illusion!? Hundreds have died, and my two friends wish to bring about the destruction of thousands.
I have debated long and hard, explaining all of my reasons in excruciating details and valid arguments, but they do not listen. They do not heed my words. Why do they think me a monster for taking away magical children from their mundane parents? It would help hide them from persecution and keep our world safe. They could be taken in by magical folk willing to adopt them. Even the school could take them in. We can certainly take care of them, especially with the number of house elves we have.
We are magicals. We must stand together to survive. Unlike what the Council may think, blood or ancestry does not matter. Only magic does. We must keep ourselves, and those like us, hidden away from the eyes of the mundane king and the bloody warlord who calls himself the pope.
However, my dream is not going to become a reality. Godric and Rowena will go ahead with this foolishness. I must protect the school, no matter what my friends may think of it.
I shall soon place my family guardian in the chamber I now occupy. It shall stand as the line of defense, should the school ever fall to mundane hands. If nothing else, it shall protect any students who still live.
I cannot leave them vulnerable to hands that would prey on them.
Ares folded the parchment and placed it back into his robes. He took a
moment to relish the silence pervading in the Chamber. Clearing his throat, he said, "Those lines were taken from the Slytherin Family grimoire. Over the years, the truth has been distorted, and my ancestor has been debased as a bigot, a killer of children and a proponent of blood purity when he has always been a silent guardian… A watchful protector. Even in death, he ensured the protections would not fall. The Chamber has always existed for the protection of all the children of Hogwarts." He paused for a moment. "From my investigations, I have learnt that the Chamber has been opened since 1940, once in 1942, and once again in 1992. It was used by… malicious entities wishing harm upon the innocent children walking the hallowed halls of the institution. While the House of Slytherin was not the cause of the tragedies that occurred, we wish to offer restitution to the affected families. This does not, in any manner, lessen our responsibility in the matter. The Chamber belongs to our House. We have find the culprits responsible and execute them for corrupting the name of our ancestor and for harming Hogwarts."
He paused as everyone waited with baited breath.
"The House of Slytherin shall provide a restitution of one thousand galleons to the families of students petrified by my family guardian. It has come to my attention that a student of Hogwarts fell prey to these entities, and was forced to be an unwilling participant. I offer them one thousand galleons and the services of a mind-healer so that they may return to full health. Two students have also lost their lives during the time the chamber was active, one Myrtle Warren in 1942 and one Romilda Vane in 1993. No amount of gold can equal the value of a life. The House of Slytherin shall provide the families with a restitution of five thousand galleons and any services we can offer in the hope of reducing their grief."
Ares took a brief pause. "In the name of my great ancestor Salazar Slytherin, and my mother, the late Lady Lily Slytherin, I, Ares James, the current Head of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Slytherin have created a vault for the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Under the command of Deputy Headmistress Minerva McGonagall, the funds in the vault are to be used for muggleborns-"
Ares quickly moved back by a single step, feeling air rush across his chest before a small thud was heard to his lower right. Passing a quick glance over the slashed cloth of his Wizengamot robes across the chest and the knife embedded in the floor to his left, he moved into a battle stance, body standing on its side to present a smaller target and hands moving into a defensive posture as killing curse eyes focused the outstretched hand and the brown haired moron attached to said hand.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Yes, the story is more political. Yes, there will be more mind-numbing politics coming up. No, we shall not deviate from our path. And yes, we are basically ignoring canon wiki completely. No, we do not care. AT ALL.
Well, me and my co-author are stuck in a bind between two stories and three blocks which we hope to clear soon.
Answers to Reviews:
DaSalvatore : You did raise quite a few valid points. We shall correct it. The blood based Fidelius is just as difficult to revoke as the usual Fidelius. You can't just remove people with a mere thought. These are wards, not simple spells. Remus… well, let's just say we have a plan. Or we will have one soon enough.
AP: No, DaSalvatore, we do not believe that talking to no one makes secrecy simpler. Ares's thoughts aren't some super-secret Fidelius stuff that needs to be kept under unbreakable vows. Daphne isn't a fanon Hermione, and has her own personality. Hold your bits until you see it coming.
To all Flamel theorists: You're close. Keep working on them.
This week's special episode is cancelled due to an invasion of Teletubbies and crumple horned snorkacks. Due to combat operations involving a surplus of chocolate and Mc'Donald's special Chinese sauce, we shall be unavailable for the forse-
Crumple Horned Snorkack: LICKS!
Shit! Skadarken, get the jelly bean launcher. MOVE! MOVE! MOVE!
Authors and Cast: FOR CUDDLES! CHARGE!