First of all, I owe you all an apology for the very, very long wait. Every time I tried writing again on this story it felt like walking into a blockade, which wasn't helped by that I tried spell- and grammar checking all chapters of part II, only to lose all that progress when I was nearly finished after a computer crash. i couldn't really bring myself to do all that work gain. therefore, I hope you will all forgive me when I won't, and simply continue writing instead of pushing myself to fill up all the plot holes in previous chapters and such.
This chapter has been inspired by all the lovely reviews I got, even nearly a year of having published the last chapter.
Special thanks to guest Gemini or Jess, whose review gave me a boost to write again. I could not answer due to you not being logged in but I'd love for you to pick my brain a little as you suggested. However, I don't have kik and I heard quite bad things about it so... if you have any other place we can chat or message, I'd love that.
For this chapter, I sincerely hope that I will not offend anyone with any religion. I could not ignore putting religions in as magic is out in the open and in the Muggle world, many religious movements would have a heavy reaction to that. I tried researching all religions thoroughly to come up with the most likely reactions the leaders would have to it, judging by pure faith alone - as I can't judge the actual leaders who were here then as I have no idea about their personal beliefs-
Onwards with the story..
Enjoy.
The Guardian: February 10th
Unexpected battle results in the revelation of the millennium.
The ninth of February will forever be etched in our minds after what was revealed to us yesterday. Unsuspecting citizens of London were shocked when hell seemed to break loose. Fire-breathing dragons, looking as if stepped right out of a gruesome fairytale, and cloaked, masked people firing left and right with not guns, but wands entered the scene.
It sounds like a movie-scenario or stunt for the next fantasy-movie, but according to our very own prime Minister, it is the harsh reality. Magicians, dragons, and who knows what else, have been roaming among us for centuries. Where did they come from? Where did they hide all this time? Why did the not do anything when there were illnesses wiping out people left and right? One thing is certain, they are here now, and not going anywhere.
It is unclear who is the exact leader of the sudden outbreak into our world. Names like Black, Malloy, Potter and even someone merely called 'You-Know-Who' were caught by our reporters, but up until now, no-one has officially stepped to the press for an explanation. Whoever the mysterious leader is though, they are most certainly British. Many foreigners were captured and shackled at St James' Park, London yesterday before disappearing.
What will this all mean for Britain and its people? That is the main question now, but one not so easily answered until there is more detailed information available. Until then, let us hope that the rumours and speculations will not make this even more spectacular than it already is.
The Guardian: February 17th
The Rise of the Church,
The debates that have been going on for weeks now in the Vatican have been concluded. This morning the pope appeared on the balcony and spoke to the people to guide them in faith.
"The law of God is always above the laws of men" he spoke to the followers who hung to his lips. "And the law of God abolishes evil, witchcraft and abnormality. Witchcraft has always been a tool of the devil, and Satan is now walking among us. We need to do the right thing, be a beacon of light to cleanse the world. I speak to not only Catholics, but all Christians, all those who worship the True God. Evil is surrounding us, we need to band together and stand strong through this storm. Pray for us, for your neighbours, for your friends."
This, of course, goes against the peace treaties that are being signed in various countries between normal and wizarding governments. The government of Italy, which surrounds the Vatican, has kept silent until now. Italian magicians are in uproar and claim that the government knew of their presence all along, but this is being neither confirmed nor denied.
We have yet to hear word of the other major religions in the world. Only the Buddhists replied till now, grouping around wizards to try and learn from them and raise discussion out of interest to compare lives. Muslim leaders seem to still be in debate as well, and we hope to hear more from them soon.
-.-.-.-.-.-
Remus trotted slowly through the new forest. over the past weeks, he'd gotten used to living with his own kind. He'd been wary of Greyback still at first - you didn't just suddenly like a man you'd hated all your life, even if that had been based on a misunderstanding- but gradually he'd warmed up to the rest of his... family. They had made it easy for him as well. He'd been welcomed without much of a fuss, and especially the children at the age they should have gone to Hogwarts had taken a liking to him. He was one of the few who actually knew how it was to get magical education as a werewolf, and he was a sort of hero to them, even more so as he'd even taught at the school. Of course, many of the adult in the pack had been turned when they were adults already, and had thus had education, but it wasn't the same. They had not needed to deal with their lycanthropy during it.
Some of the children had had rudimentary education, given to them by former family and friends, or by the other adults here, but none of them had a proper teacher with experience. And thus, Remus started his job almost instantly when arriving at the village they had lived in. It wasn't much: werewolves preferred to be out in the forest, even in human form. Remus himself also had liked to venture into the forest rather than stay inside of the castle when teaching at Hogwarts. Most houses were built without magic. It made it too easy to find them and hunt them down if they let their magical signatures everywhere. Also, they always had to be aware of having to run an taking all their belongings either behind or with them. There was no time to build up a large camp.
Or rather, there hadn't been in the previous centuries. Things had apparently gone slightly better for werewolves during the first Wizarding war, when Voldemort had briefly had enough power to influence the Ministry and abolish some werewolf regulations. And now too, all werewolf legislations were slowly being torn down. It surprised Remus: He'd always thought that it had been Voldemort who sharpened those rules. Of course, it now made sense to him: why would Voldemort have wasted some of his best allies by giving them less rights? He wondered why he hadn't realised that sooner. It was nothing for him to be so daft. Had Dumbledore had some sort of influence over him?
Well, it did not matter much. Dumbledore was dead, and Remus was finally on the right side: with his family, where he belonged. He loved it here, and he looked forward to their new home. For that was why they were on their way now: there would be no more hiding, no more running. They would finally be able to build something up. He took the crumpled piece of paper out of his pocket that he'd read over and over again. It was stained with earth and the green of grass that had been under his nails. Carefully, he unfolded it and smiled at the headline.
The Prophet: February 19th
Anti-Werewolf legislation abandoned
Yesterday, the Ministry brought forth a piece of information hat shocked many who were present at the press conference. Minister Black was the one to deliver the news: Three of the most impactful anti-werewolf legislations have been abandoned. The Werewolf registry system has also been changed, and a few new laws have been set into place, including an anti-discrimination and protection act.
It is surprising that throughout the threat of Muggle hostility and rebellions in the mainland, the Ministry is already changing the internal laws. As to the question of why the werewolf laws are the first to go, Minister Black answered: ''The werewolves fought valiantly for our freedom. They fought for witches and wizards who despised them and robbed them off their rights. It is only logical that such a great sacrifice should be noticed and rewarded. Besides, in this new society of freedom, we can't change our own. And that is what I believe werewolves to be: our own. Wizards and witches, who only have a furry little problem one night in a month.''
The words caused much uproar, especially among families who have been victims of werewolves, with members either being turned or killed. Many questioned Minister Black's sanity, but soon came to light that he knew exactly what he was speaking of: ''When I used to study at Hogwarts, a friend of mine disappeared once ever month from our dorms. He was an amazing man, intelligent, kind and brave. We soon found out that he was a werewolf. It changed my views of them. They're not monsters: they only have to get the right treatment at the moments they need it. I will ensure they have it.''
For concrete change of the laws, read further at page 6.
He was so very thankful to Sirius. Remus only hoped that the public would not accuse him of being biased in his favouritism towards werewolves. He knew the changes in laws by heart now. The legislation of 1993 that made it nearly impossible for werewolves to get jobs, had been the first to go. The one that forbid werewolves to live in cities -and in reality often meant that when a child turned, either the family had to leave their city or send the child away- had been next. The last important restriction to go was the anti-werewolf education one. Werewolves would still not be allowed into Hogwarts, for the main reason of that Hogwarts was currently strongly against the Ministry and could not be influenced by any current laws, but teachers were being appointed everywhere in the packs, like himself, and there was no trouble anymore in getting wands or other educational equipment for children.
The werewolf registry was still there, which he also had not really expected to change. after all, werewolves could be dangerous, so it was still good to know who exactly was influenced by lycantrophy. However, instead of it being kept by the Ministry, that task had been transferred too St Mungo's, as lycantrophy now fell under diseases, not curses. As a positive result, it also meant that those who registered had access to wolfsbane potion, if they could pay for it. Paying was still a problem, but as they would be able to get jobs now and live in cities again, that should not pose a problem for too long. As last change, a law had been added that made the discrimination of werewolves punishable when it came to hiring employees, selling property, and even admission into buildings or areas. The only exception of validity of the sub-law regarding admission to buildings and areas was in the time span from two days before till two days after full moon. He could live with it.
They still had some way to go however. For now, werewolves still huddled in packs like theirs, having become used to that style of living, both in wolf-form and out. Many might not even want to return to a normal life outside of the wilds, but at least it was a choice now. For now, he too would stay here. perhaps they could build up a city of their own, with a school building where he could properly teach. Voldemort had appointed them a new, large piece of land with a forest, as reward for Greyback's services. He looked forward to hunting there when the full moon would come. But first, there was a lot of work to do.
The prophet: February 22nd
War truly over?
Claiming that coming out in the open would have no consequences at all would have even the largest fool laughing. However, that the consequences could be so dire was not predicted either. Muggle groups, especially religions, banded together, some standing with, some against us. While this was expected, it seems to be leading to a holy war against several religious groups.
Catholics, Protestants and other Christian groups laid aside their differences to form what they call a 'beacon of light amongst evil' and are depicting the Dark Lord as Satan, with Minister Black a demonous creature. In the meantime, Christians are also running an anti-Islam propaganda, even more so than before, as a majority of Muslim leaders came to the conclusion that magicians are the final proof of the existence of djinn, beings that are supernatural, but not necessarily good or evil, same as humans. In absence of a physical devil in their religion, there seemed to be no other logical explanation to them.
"Islam has always embraced all of Allah's creations and the possibilities of those creations. To deny some to walk the earth would be an insult to Allah himself. Once, Islamic countries were the most developed in the world as we embraced science as Allah's gift. Now, it is the time to embrace magic." (Mirza Tahir Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih IV)
This comes as a pleasant surprise to magicians in Islamic countries. Sadly, in Europe and America, things are not as well, with Christianity's threat of rising up to rid the world of us. The Dark Lord does not seem to regard the threat as very severe however. Through Minister Black, the Dark Lord's words also became known: "No weapon in their (Christian's) hands is powerful enough to kill us. The witch hunts of before were a laugh to magicians. They will only harm their own people if they try to repeat those."
However, despite those words, one has to ask oneself to what extent we can relax. The Queen of England is also head of the church of England, and while the British government empowered us and tolerates us, final laws have to go through the Queen. Furthermore, in a society where we all want to live in peace, witch hunts of the church will not be welcomed no matter whether the victims are magician or Muggle. There is still a long way to go.
The Quibbler: March 1st
Britain, the new Avalon?
Discussions have come to a close for most countries. While the constitution of most European countries states that law and religion should be strictly separated, there is a clear correlation between countries with a high percentage of Christianity and countries that rejected magic. Numerous magicians think this could not be clearer, but is this really the case? Yes, the Witch Hunts were founded by the Church, but they were not the only ones. Conspiracies all over Europe came together and forged weapons of unspeakable cruelty, and were only stopped when a plague broke out amongst them, caused by illegally bred chicken-hybrids.
However, whoever the real prosecutor, the general message is clear. Magicians from Italy, Spain, Portugal and Poland especially are streaming towards Britain, which threw open its borders to magical refugees. This did go over the heads of the Muggle governments, however, the British as well as the governments of the countries the refugees are coming from. With this, Britain appoints itself as first haven for magicians fleeing prosecution from highly Christian-countries. This is, of course, a reminder of when, in Merlin's time, magicians set sail for Avalon, the island always hidden by magical mist, a place even mythical to most magicians now, where magic thrives and the land has become sentient. Will the same happen with the whole of Britain? Will our mountains rise up higher and the grass begin to whisper as more and more magic is poured into the earth of our home? Time will tell.
The prophet: March 8th
Elementary system starts with Muggleborn test groups.
Today, the department of Education had reason for celebration: two magical elementary schools open their doors to Muggleborns. The registration system of magicians has had a rigorous change: from now on, children are not checked on having magic when only eleven, but every year, starting from their fifth birthday. Lord Voldemort himself had a hand in the enchantments necessary to set up this advanced system. With magical elementary schools accepting Muggleborns, they will be able to catch up to their peers and start at equal level in secondary school. Of course, practising magic is still forbidden for all children under eleven, but Muggleborns can learn the ways of magical culture, history and way of life next to their normal classes of language, calculus, geography etcetera.
As magic does not always manifest by the age of five, the plan is that Muggleborns will be sent to Muggle elementary schools until magic is shown and they can be transferred. For now, only the elementary schools Bloxam's toadstool in Devon and Ptolemy elementary in London will accept Muggleborns to see how successful this new way of education is. The first groups will be able to join coming September. In the following months, the schools will gather all necessary materials to make the Muggleborns feel at home, prepare their current students, and also expand their current curriculum to include Muggle history and other courses to create an educational mix.
The Times: March 18th
First victims claimed over treaty.
With treaties signed right and left and threats flying back and forth, one might wonder about how close to war we are. The prime minister, however, let us know yesterday that "If it is a war, it's a very cold one." His words, while having calmed the public, turned to dust as a row broke out in the very front of the palace of Westminster. While no wizards or witches were present during the actual battle, supports and opponents of 'the new era' as it is already called now among the public, attacked each other when the Queen of England at long last signed a treaty with Minister Black, resulting in three deaths and many injured. The treaty had been approved of by the House of Commons and the House of Lords already in a procedure that went faster than any other seen before, and according to the Queen, she followed the advice of her personal advisors and the Prime minister.
Opponents doubt how much her decision was her own, and how much it was influenced by magic. The Prime Minister, first to accept magic openly in the British government, has been painted by many supporters of the church as a Devil's advocate.
The treaty itself will give magicians the rights to practise magic openly without prosecution, and gives protection from zealous religious followers, making discrimination by magic a punishable crime. In return, only a certain number of foreign magical refugees will be accepted into the country, though one may wonder how this will be regulated by our Government.
The fight in front of the palace was finally broken up by arriving wizards who separated the parties and protected their followers, a gesture that did not go unnoticed. Afterwards, a supporter spoke "Our gods are here, protecting us. If their God would have anything against magic, wouldn't He come down and protect them too? If He is real, I don't think He would let creatures exist that He does not want here."
The battle is certainly not over among the public, even now the governments have signed peace.
''What are we even still doing?'' The sentence broke the silence in the teacher's meeting room. Flitwick had been the one to speak, his head barely reaching past the surface o the table, even with all the pillows on his chair. When seeing him like this, it was hard to believe he was a master duellist. Flitwick looked at all of them. ''Well? What good is going to come out of this? Look at the news! treaties with Muggles, werewolves are getting rights, Muggleborns are getting education... What are we fighting against?''
''Since when did you doubt Dumbledore's plans? Didn't he tell us to keep fighting? To destroy You-Know-Who?'' McGonagall answered, though her voice sounded like a broken record.
''Dumbledore is dead! Killed by the very boy he put his hopes in! I've taught Potter for years, as have many of you. Was he easy to manipulate? Easy to control? Of course not, he thought for himself, but most of all, he always stood up for what he believed was right. We are fools to still think Voldemort -Oh please, we can certainly say his name now can't we?- is influencing him so much that he can't see right from wrong! Dumbledore said that darkness would reign when Voldemort would come into power. Well, it didn't. Where is the bloodshed? Kidnappings? Anyone heard of people going missing? No, I've heard of Muggleborns who will get proper education soon, I've heard of old celebrations being put into place, I've heard of creatures getting rights. If it's all a ploy and an illusion that will break down, it's a damned elaborate one! So I ask again: What are we still doing?''
''Even from beyond death, Dumbledore can still advice us.'' Firenze replied. ''Why don't we bring his portrait here and see what he has to say?''
''Portraits are imbued by magic. It is not Dumbledore himself and he does not have all insight and memories of a living person. It is madness to take advice from canvas and paint! And are you all missing the points I am making?'' The skin around his eyes wrinkled as he looked around.
''I think you do have a point,'' Sameer said. The broad and tall Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher seemed the opposite of Flitwick, towering over many others. He looked like a true warrior, with leathery skin that was tanned darker than his already dark natural colour because of being outside so often. Thin scars crisscrossed his body: a reminder of the training he'd received at the assassin's guild before his escape and being rescued by Lord Voldemort.
The full-fledged assassin Eyolf, known amongst the others here as Senka, the name he had taken for this job at Hogwarts, stood behind Sameer and nodded thoughtfully. As caretaker and alleged Squib he did not really have much of a voice in here, but the teachers did not want to discriminate and thus he could at least attend. On the other side of the table sat the last two dark allies: Snape and Ambrosius, who had taken Sprout's position after she had been killed in the raid of Grimmauld's Place.
Eyolf wondered how long his job here would still last. At first he'd come to protect Potter, then he'd stayed as he'd received money for spying on Dumbledore. Now, he was here to spy on the other teachers, McGonagall especially, but he was slowly growing bored. Perhaps he should go look for another job. the Dark Lord paid well, but it was a question how much he was willing to keep paying. The rates had also gone down as it was not exactly a life-threatening job anymore with Dumbledore down. Maybe it would be good to disappear as soon as his newest contract had terminated. It wasn't that he needed the money anymore really. he was being paid by the school for this job, paid by Voldemort, and had received housing and food for free the past seven months. It was action that he lacked. His contract would not go for much longer anyways. He had four-month contracts, and that meant that the first of May he would be able to leave without any troubles.
While he'd been thinking about the possibilities of a new job, the teachers had begun to... squabble, there was no other word for it. It seemed that they would not reach an agreement today.#
''We need to think of the children! If we let Hogwarts fall into his hands...''
'' I am thinking of the children! They should be taught without bias, dark or light. As it is, many are children of families who support Voldemort. We are not the ones to try and sway their views. we are their teachers, not their parents. We should not push our political views on them!''
''And we will not, but that does not mean we will have to submit to the Ministry...''
''Can't we reach a compromise...?''
''Have you forgotten that some of our colleagues have been killed? Pomona? Sybill?''
''They knew what they fought for, and that there was a chance of being killed.. It was a battle, not a massacre following a surrender!''
''Hogwarts will keep wearing the banner of the Phoenix until Voldemort himself personally comes here to burn it!'' McGonagall finally decided, bashing her fist on the table in a manner that was very unlike her. ''I will honour Albus' death by upholding his ideals. Giving in to a murderer, thief and liar is not one of them. I know how he is. I went to school with Tom Riddle. He'll charm his way through everything, until he stabs you in the back. I will never hand this castle over to him. Those are my final words.''
Flitwick, red in the face, slowly lowered his eyes, his stare seeming to burn a hole in the table. ''As you wish.''
The Prophet, March 28th
Saving Muggle lives
At long last, after nearly two months of fighting, the first waves of war have calmed down a bit. The virus that spread through mainland Europe and caused many Muggles to fall ill or even die, was stopped with the help of magical remedies. Wizards were appointed to hospitals, saving lives that would undoubtedly have been lost otherwise. It caused a shift in public opinion of magicians.
How the virus started is still unknown, but for magical people it came as a chance to prove themselves. We hope that this will be the end of our people being painted as demons.
''I knew this was your doing,'' Harry sighed, putting his broom away as he entered the room. Marvolo was studying several glass tubes with oddly coloured fluids inside of them. He merely hummed, not looking up. ''Wasn't it?'' Harry pressed, putting the newspaper on the table.
''What if it was?'' the man said, carefully eyeing his fiancé.
''Then I think you haven't lost your brilliance.'' The teen spoke, grinning. At the surprised look, he only commented: ''No really, I'm not judging. Releasing a virus in the mainland, sending wizards to hospitals to help and having them be heralded as saviours to turn the public's opinion of magic? I'd say it's brilliant. I would have preferred if the virus hadn't been deadly in some cases, but then it might not have been taken seriously.'' He removed the vial Marvolo was holding from the man's hand and dropped down on his lap, hugging him. ''You know I love you right?'' he suddenly asked, and the tone made two red eyes narrow. Harry felt prodding over the mind link but kept it firmly shut, something he could finally fully control.
''What did you do?''
''I may have joined a professional Quidditch team? Oh and a Bludger broke my foot but it was healed instantly after so no worries.''
The groan that followed could be heard throughout the whole manor.
Harry had been enjoying his breakfast when the doors were slammed open. Usually he'd think it was Marvolo in a bad mood and continue eating. As it was, he knew his lover was gone for a few days on a press conference trip - not to actually interact with them, Marvolo disliked the press quite lot, but to pull strings from behind as Sirius spoke to them-. He'd tried to get Harry to join, but the teen stayed firm in his decision to not have anything to do with the politics if he could help it. Besides, while he couldn't stop the papers from writing about him, he surely wouldn't willingly go to them.
When turning around, he noticed to his surprise that it was Ron, all red in the face and enthusiastically waving a piece of paper around. ''You're up early,'' Harry noted, used to his friend's antics. ''Pancakes?''
''No time for food!'' Ron shouted, a sentence that instantly alerted Harry. Certainly something on catastrophic scale must have happened. ''Is it true? Tell me it's true!'' He then pushed the newspaper into Harry's face, causing the paper to become covered in sticky sugar.
''Maybe I'd be able to see if you were not covering my eyes with it,'' he dryly remarked. Still breathing heavily, Ron put the paper down on the table, almost lovingly, as if the news printed on it belonged in a temple and should be worshipped. That it was something printed in the Prophet that caused that reaction made Harry certainly curious, and he quickly noticed what all the fuss had been about. An explosion of orange, amidst which Harry's face floated, brought back memories of yesterday.
The Prophet: March 29th
Harry Potter goes for the snitch!
Harry Potter, famous for the fall and rise of the Dark Lord, has left the battlefield to exchange it for a playing field. Youngest Seeker of the century at Hogwarts and apparent spar-mate of none other than Viktor Krum, he applied for the position of Seeker for, to everyone's surprise, the Chudley Cannons. To the question why he joined a team that has been in a permanent all-time low for the past decade, he answered 'I guess I like orange', leading fans of the team to overload him with everything orange they could find.
Will this lead to Harry Potter shooting the team up in the ranks? The first match of the Cannons is only a month away!
''Oh that. Yes, well it's true.'' he said.
''Since when did you go for the Cannons? You never showed any interest in any particular Quidditch teams besides the Gryffindor one at Hogwarts.''
''I know,'' Harry answered. ''And I really didn't, which was why I thought it would be a nice idea to join the favourite team of the one who introduced me to Quidditch in the first place. Well technically it was Hagrid who told me what it first was, but I'll never forget our talk in the Hogwarts express in first year, where you explained the game to me, and the enthusiasm with which you spoke about the Cannons.''
''You...'' Ron had calmed down now, looking at him as if Harry was his new saviour. ''You're the bloody best friend anyone could wish for, you know that?''
''Oh yeah, they also unexpectedly promoted me to captain,'' Harry said. ''Hadn't seen that coming, but there you go. It'll be nice to lead a team, I never got the chance to do that. I hope I'm not too inexperienced...''
''Harry, you led us in the war. No, no words about your beloved snake Lord, it was you who convinced loads of people to come to our side, myself included. You led, you blew up Dumbledore, you came out victorious... If anyone can get the cannons return to their former glory days and win the first league in a century, it's you. I'm want to be able to shout 'We shall conquer' again when watching a game. 'Let's all just keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best' doesn't really sound too motivational and honestly, it just doesn't trip off the tongue does it?
''I'll do my best Ron... I'll do my best.''
Quibbler: April 12th
Famous pranksters do it again!
The most infamous duo our world has seen in a long time do it again: a prank on nation-wide scale. Aware of the gap between their fame in the wizarding and the Muggle world, Mr and Mr Weasley decided that everyone should know who they are. Now the Muggles are getting used to magic and focusing on the more intriguing details of the magical communities, Weasley Wizard Wheezes went big, having Muggle papers everywhere announcing Gred and Forge Weasley's Muggle line. Not only did they manage to come up with a completely new line of products, the -according to Mr and Mr Weasley- age-old inside name joke, got spread through Muggle Britain. As we are all aware of the slowness of most Muggles, we are all looking forward to when they will discover they have been fooled before even knowing the two.
By Xenophilius Lovegood.
Weasley Wizard Wheezes was as colourful as ever, and the rest of Diagon Alley was also turning back to normal now the internal Wizarding war was over. Harry smiled as he read the article, which was attached to the wall together with all other newspaper- and magazine articles they had ever been mentioned in. With the ruckus they caused, the whole wall was full by now.
''Still not ginger I see?'' confused, Harry looked up, his hand shooting instantly to his disguised blond hair. The Weasley Twins ere grinning down at him.
''How did you know-''
''That it was you?''
''Harry, Harry, you should know-''
''Once you use a disguise a single time-''
''It's useless against us.''
''But really, use some variation.''
They had a point, he thought. He usually used the same disguise when going to Diagon. Perhaps he should change it. Something very strange had to happen before he would ever use the familiar Weasley hair colour though. He didn't want people constantly speaking him, thinking he was some distant relative they should know. He knew Ron often had that problem. Speaking of Ron, he should also be here somewhere. He had temporarily moved back in with the Twins because they had asked for help. With the war over and new laws passing constantly, all people wanted to celebrate and prank. The overall mood in Wizarding Britain was good.
''So, how is business going?''
''Wonderful. I assume you're not here for yourself though?''
''Marvolo wants to know how the progress is with combining magic and electricity... You didn't report in a while...''
''Stumbled upon some problems. You know the whole system we had with biding magic to objects to replace electricity?''
''Turns out that it's not just the electricity that clashes with magic.. it's also the devices themselves. there are some materials used in it that clash with magic. they've been so far deformed that there is hardly anything of the original natural materials left... went through chemical processes and such... We're currently trying to see how to imitate those parts with other materials sp e can replace it.''
''It's not so much that it's unusable if we power a device with magic that isn't fully compatible, and it doesn't do any strange things-''
''-The main problem is that it wears out, and those magic balls take some time to correctly dose the power of.''
''Isn't it an idea to replace the magic after some time? Even if it's hard to make...I think it's easier than trying to find more natural counterparts for all pieces that don't fit well.''
''We're trying, but they're harder to produce in mass production than we thought. But don't worry,''
''We'll never give up! We'll deliver what we promised.''
''It'll just take a bit more time than expected...''
''Take your time... we're currently still building everything up. the Muggle World and magical world are still very separate in a lot of ways... Just make sure that when you do finish it, it's really working well.''
''Of course-''
''Young Lord,'' George made a ridiculous bow, and Harry rolled his eyes.
''Don't say it too loud,'' he replied, shaking his head, but he knew that it didn't matter much. there was so much noise in the shop that no-one who stood further than a yard away would be able to hear anything. ''Now, I'll go say hello to Ron.''
''See you later Harry!''
''Do you think we did good with all of this?'' Evelyn asked her husband. He simply replied with a shrug and kept working, which she considered as a good sign.
They had married not very long ago, wanting to secure their love right before the war they had known would break out. A war they had tried to warn many about, to no avail. Perhaps now the friends of her and Phillip would finally listen. They had been two of the four people who had been initially chosen by the Dark Lord Voldemort to be part of the 'Muggle test group', as they called themselves jokingly. Sadly one of them, a girl named Sarah, had left quite abruptly without giving a real explanation. It had been clear that the girl had been infatuated before with the Dark Lord, maybe something had happened there? Evelyn did not think she wanted to know, especially as from what she'd gathered, the boy who was usually there, Harry, had a relationship with him that was certainly more than master and student. It had never been implied while they were there, but there were glances and brief touches that were not usual in a platonic relationship.
To her, it did not really matter much who was together with who. A few decades ago, her own interracial marriage would have been looked down upon in society, so who was she to judge?
She hadn't had time to think about it much. More people had joined their group, and there were about thirty of them now: thirty non-magical humans who had been thoroughly introduced to magic before the rest of the world had been. Together they would try to help as many people adapt to the changes as possible. Sadly, they were only a small group, and there were millions of people who had trouble accepting magic.
Still, she'd do her best. The past months, from when she'd been introduced to magic till now, had been some of the best in her life. Her view of the world had been broadened, there had been excursions to magical places, she'd seen people fly with nothing but brooms, and there had even been that one occasion where she had seen a real, live unicorn. It was all so much, and she'd only seen the tip of the iceberg, she knew. there had been a whole, wonderful world hidden from her eyes before, but now that veil of ignorance and disbelief was gone, she could see things for what they were. It was sad that she was biologically so limited. some creatures and places were literally invisible for the non-magical, but she was glad to be part of an era in which some of it would be available for her.
The things she had feared: people losing their jobs now magic was everywhere, people being oppressed by their 'betters' and such, had not been founded. Perhaps there were simply too few magicians in relation to Muggles. Perhaps they just did not care enough. Or perhaps that was a phase that was still to come.
Currently, she and Philip were working on messages to be sent out to bank. They had been the primary choice for it, as they both worked at Lloyds banking group, and were good friends with the branch manager, who in turn regularly had dinners with one of the big bosses, as they'd known each other since college. Something like that at least, there might be one or two more steps involved. In either case, their message was sure to be heard by the people who mattered.
A knock sounded at the door, and Philip got up to answer it. When he came back, two stocky Goblins followed him. She'd seen Goblins before, and didn't much like them, but they were the ones they were sadly currently working for.
''How far are you?'' one of them asked, glancing at her desk.
''I have several draft messages, but I still need to pick one or maybe combine them. Explaining what is going on and what we want isn't hard. I am just hesitant on how to word the threats of his head landing on a tick when he doesn't comply. It's not... not regular.''
''If you are really certain it should not be added, leave it out,'' the tallest of the two said surly. ''But if it does not work, we'll have your head.''
''I doubt Lord Voldemort could be happy to hear of my demise,'' she replied, arching an eyebrow and planting her arms in her sides, looking much braver than she felt. She'd read up on Goblins in the Dark Lord's library, and they were indeed very bloodthirsty creatures.
''And I doubt that he'd be happy with failure,'' the other replied. ''To make a whole new monetary system work, we need cooperation of the large Muggle banks. We could enforce it by law of course, but it would be preferable if they show their goodwill and cooperate of their own accord. Besides, if we will include this in the bank regulations, then Gringotts will also have to hold ourselves to it. We prefer being as independent of the government as possible. They may be able to tell us how to live, but how we work is our business.''
''I understand... I understand very well,'' she told him. ''We're working on it.''
''Be sure that you do...'' the Goblin's hand wandered to a knobbly wand that hung on its belt. ''Or else we will have to make sure that you work harder through other means...''
She hoped that the uttered threats were only empty, but she could only guess. By magicians she had only been met with hospitability or, at most, curiosity, but she did not know what to expect from these creatures. She only knew that they were allies of the same man.
The Times: April 20th
Britain's foremost banks working with Wizarding bank in a financial experiment.
HSBC, Lloyds Banking Group and Barclays have announced to have formed a network with Gringotts, the Wizarding bank, in an attempt to create a new system. ''Magicians have other money, you see,'' said a representative of Lloyds Banking Group. ''To make shopping for everyday products easier for magicians, and to make items in the Wizarding world buyable for normal people as well, we need to work together to get an easy exchange system.''
Before, exchanging money with Wizarding money was done solely through Gringotts, who lost money on that as there was no way to exchange that money anywhere again for Wizarding gold. The new system will enable people to freely exchange money in both directions at any location of the aforementioned banks.
The Quibbler: April 26th
Big day for the Cannons?
Today it is finally there, the match that we have been waiting for months, fan or not: Potter taking the sky for the Cannons. How will they play? Will the beaters, who have been cursed for years with anti-aiming spells but are too proud to admit it, take in some of that Potter luck? And will the Keeper manage to not set his rings on fire? Have any on the team been replaced since Potter became captain? Read more in the special edition of tomorrow! No pressure Potter, but we're all rooting for you. Luna turned her room orange!
And there you have it. Interlude II, finally finished... and some of my inspiration back again. Next chapter: Cannons Quidditch match, see what the Dursley think of this new world, and you all for not giving up on this story and continuing to read.
xx GeMerope
