Chapter 24
The Heirs
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
The same day
After the strategy group left the Chamber of Secrets, Harry took Ron aside. "Mate, now that your father will be recognized as Heir to Gryffindor, and you as the Heir Apparent, would you feel better if you moved into the Noble's dorm area?"
"Harry, the last thing I want to do right now is hurt your feelings, but we need to talk about a few things. Knowing that the walls have ears…. Yeah, I saw that motion you made to Mad-Eye, can we go someplace where the ears have been plugged?"
"Sure, my room is safe." Harry led Ron down to the Noble's dorm, whispered the password, then had him follow to his room. "Now, what's up?"
"Harry, for the past five and a half years, you have been my best mate, not that I have been deserving of that title for some of it. Many times I have been jealous of you because everything seemed to come so easily to you. Youngest seeker in over a hundred years, money, fame, influence… yes, I know that the fame is not only because of something your mother did, that you can't even remember, and that the money is, for the most part, blood money, you still would have been raised a world apart from us, and I know now that you would have given it all up to have the people you love back. I was still jealous; that and insecure."
"You see Harry, From day one, I have been the side kick. Not that I don't appreciate you being my friend, but being the youngest out of six brothers, all of them excelling in their own way, the only claim to fame that I had was that I was Harry Potter's friend. I was a slightly smarter, skinnier, and better looking Crabbe or Goyle. For years three of the closest friends were the poor pureblood, the wealthy half blood, and the middle class muggleborn. You have to admit, in this world, that is a strange combination. I still love you like a brother, and I still love 'Mione like another sister, but since you have come into your own, we have all moved on with our lives."
"Ron, I never meant to slight you and Hermione….." he stopped when Ron waved that away.
"I know you didn't, and believe it or not, I'm not jealous, at least not anymore. But the fact remains that we aren't as close anymore. Your closest friends and allies for the past few months are a bunch of wealthy pureblood nobles. Now I find out today that I am a member of that group, but when it is all said and done, I'm still Ron Weasley, the youngest son of Arthur Weasley, a great guy who happens to be one of the few honest guys working at the Ministry. Where you can spend whatever you want and never have to work a day on anything other than breeding kids to take up your titles and money when you pass away, I have always known that I would have to go out into the world and make a name for myself, and not just ride your coattails to success. Now I don't know what the Gryffindor vault has in it as far as money, maybe a lot, maybe not, but I recognize that being the Heir or Heir Apparent is more than just money, it is a sacred trust. The vault has been inactive for generations because of the terms of inheritance being hidden, so it could be that interest has been pouring in, but maybe not. I know that Dad will treat it as a trust, and I will do the same thing. Whatever is in there is not ours, anymore than the Crown Jewels belong to the Queen of England. It is there for our use, but it is also our responsibility to be good stewards of the vault."
Harry looked at his friend with a new respect. "You have grown up; I just don't see what that has to do with staying or moving into a different dorm."
"Simple, I may now be a 'Noble', for whatever that is worth, and I may, through an inheritance be rich, but still not like you guys. Now maybe in fifty years or so when I am sitting in one of the Founder's seats in the Wizengamot, maybe I will feel differently then, but for now I am still just Ron Weasley, not Lord Gryffindor. My closest friends right now, the guys who I have been spending most of my time with, are Seamus and Dean, a half blood and a muggleborn."
"Harry, everyone in the wizarding world who can read a newspaper, knows that you are courting Daphne Greengrass and Jennifer Dumbledore… Don't give me that look, you should know that celebrities have no privacy, you three have been all over the society pages, thanks to Colin Creevey's camera. But did you have any idea that 'Mione and I have been dating other people?" At Harry's stunned look, he continued. "I have been dating Pavarti and Hermione has been dating Terry Boot. And we're happy. I don't need to be a side kick anymore, and 'Mione has found someone who is her intellectual equal."
"I think that I can speak for Hermione when I say that we are still your friends, but we also have our own lives. And remember…" He took Harry in a headlock and gave him a noogie, "We are still family. I plan to stay in my regular dorm and be a regular guy. Besides, I still think that Malfoy is a sneaky git, and Crabbe and Goyle are walking adverts for birth control and marrying outside the family."
"Well, what can I say to that? Ron, I am glad that you are my friend and family, and I respect your decision. Now, tell me all about you and Pavarti….."
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Return of the Founder's Heirs!
Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, and Ravenclaw Made Known!
Exclusive to the Daily Prophet
Staff Writer Miranda Kelewles
The Wizengamot came to a standstill yesterday when the Heirs of three of the Founders went public and claimed their seats in the Wizengamot. Arthur Weasley, the Head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts, claimed his seat as Heir of Gryffindor, Minerva McGonagall, Headmistress of Hogwarts, claimed the Ravenclaw seat linked to her office, and Lord Harry Potter-Black claimed the seat reserved for Hufflepuff. A representative of Gringotts, Account Manager Flickaxe, affirmed the validity of the claims.
The first order of business that the Heirs put forward was the nomination of Amos Diggory, father of the late Cedric Diggory, Hogwarts Tri Wizard Co-Champion murdered by Peter Pettigrew at Tom Riddle's return, as the new Minister of Magic. Mr. Diggory has worked for several years in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, and has a sterling reputation as a voice for the Light in both this, and the first Voldemort war. Lord Gryffindor's nomination of Mr. Diggory was seconded by Lady Marchbanks, Minister Pro Tempore. The election of Mr. Diggory was passed by acclimation.
The new Minister then introduced a bill which would give not only Aurors, but also every magical citizen, the absolute right to use any force, including deadly force, in the defense of one's self or the defense of other innocents. The bill was passed by a narrow margin following much heated debate.
"There will be blood running in the streets, I tell you! If any citizen can use the Killing Curse or other such means to settle their differences, people will be dropping dead all around us!" claimed longtime Wizengamot member Stanford Wooley.
This claim was countered by Lady Ravenclaw. Fixing that stern gaze that Hogwart students over the past four decades have experienced, Lady Ravenclaw said, "Right now blood is running in the street, innocent blood. Aurors cannot protect everyone, there are not enough Aurors, and even they have had their hands tied. When a government disarms its citizenry, they are telling the citizens that they do not trust them and that they fear their own citizens. Every witch and wizard is armed with a deadly weapon, their wand. Right now, the forces of evil are using those weapons to slaughter innocents. If the criminals are stunned, their accomplices reenervate them so they can continue their killing, Azkaban has had a revolving door for Death Eaters, with Voldemort reclaiming his minions and recruiting more from the common criminals. To keep doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results, is the definition of insanity."
This view was supported by Lord Potter-Black-Hufflepuff. "Had the entire wizarding world stood up against every wannabe Dark Lord dictator over the years instead of counting on either the government or some 'Chosen One' to do their dirty work for them, there would be no Dark Lord problem. A people who is unable to protect themselves are little better than sheep. American Muggles have that right of self defense in most of their areas, a burglar or rapist tends to have second thoughts when he thinks that he might be killed or badly injured carrying out his crime."
The final vote on the bill was close, passing by a very small margin, with old alliances shattered. A secondary bill allowing all magical people to use muggle weapons including something called a 'firearm' or 'fireleg', passed by the same margin. This bill would allow squibs and muggle members of muggleborn families to carry and use these muggle 'firearms' or 'firelegs' without fear of reprisal from either magical or muggle authorities in defense of their families. The Muggle Prime Minister in a statement, opposed the bill, but was told that should a protected person be prosecuted, the magical government would Obliviate any witnesses or muggle law enforcement as needed. He then grudgingly informed the Wizengamot that his office would refer all cases of deadly force use by protected peoples to the DMLE.
The self styled Lord Voldemort, Tom Riddle, who claims to be Heir of Slytherin, was asked in an owl interview if he would be attempting to claim the reserved seat for the Slytherin Heir in the Wizengamot. The owl sent to Riddle with the questionnaire was returned, without comment, plucked and roasted, with a hint of garlic and basil. Knowing Riddle's half blood heritage, it is doubtful that he would be able to claim the seat in the pureblood Wizengamot, even should he prove to be Slytherin's Heir.
For more on Lord Gryffindor, turn to B-2
For more on Lady Ravenclaw, turn to B-3
For more on Lord Potter-Black-Hufflepuff, turn to B-4
For more on Amos Diggory, turn to B-5
For comments on the new laws, turn to the op-ed page, A-16
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Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Noble's Dorm Common Room
Harry had just returned from a grueling Transfiguration exam when he was braced by both Daphne and Jennifer on the way into the common room. They each grabbed an arm, led him over to a sofa, and pushed him down. Daphne glared at the others in the room.
"Out," she ordered. Malfoy, Nott, and Avery, knowing her temper, were tempted to try to stick around anyway, it seemed like the high and mighty Potter was about to get a dressing down, and they would have given anything to see Hurricane Daphne in action, as long as she wasn't aiming at them. However, since she had ordered them out, they were not planning to incur her wrath by disobeying. Besides, Draco had a couple of pairs of Extendable Ears, courtesy of the twins, and they could at least listen in from the other side of the door. They scrambled out of their seats and left through the boy's dorm door.
"Dobby!" called Jennifer. The excited little elf popped in.
"What can Dobby be doing for Mr. Harry Potter's Dumbleydore?"
She gave him a tickle on the ear, something that she found the little elf very fond of, and asked, "Can you disable the Goblin monitors here?" Dobby nodded enthusiastically and made the hand motions to do so.
"Can Dobby be bringing you anything else? Some tea, maybe some biscuits?"
"That sounds good, just wait about fifteen minutes before you come back." Dobby smiled and popped out. Harry snickered.
"You have him wrapped around your little finger."
"No, I have just taken the time to really get to know him, and I don't take him for granted. Which, by the way, Loverboy, is the reason that you are here with the three stooges listening on the other side of the door. Daphne?"
Daphne pointed her wand at the bottom of the Boy's dorm door and sent a spell unfamiliar to Harry at the two cords sticking out from under the door. There was a flash of white light, and two pained yelps from Draco and Nott, while laughter was heard from Avery. The fried Extendable Ears were quickly withdrawn, then Jennifer put up a silencing spell. Daphne started out.
"The whole wizarding world knows that you are courting us, but we have seen no evidence of it. You spend more time with Draco than you do either of us, and when you do deign to grace either of us with your presence, it is nothing but either political maneuverings in my case, or studying with Jennifer. You had a strategy session with a whole bunch of people the other day, and I never found out that the Founder's Heirs, of which you are one, returned until you announced yourselves in the Wizengamot. That is embarrassing! Do you not trust us enough to let us into your life?"
"No, it's not like that!"
"Then just what is it?" Jennifer picked up the quaffle.
"I don't want to put you in any danger!" Harry immediately saw that this was not going to work. He was right.
"Then you truly are an idiot. We are in danger every day by refusing to let Riddle take over our lives. He knows about us, Jennifer's Great uncle is the only wizard he ever feared, and my father died under mysterious circumstance while taking the others and me to be marked. I also cut off his access to my vault. Even if I was not one of your girlfriends, I am still bound to you as an ally! Don't you think that it is time that you treated me like one?"
"I never meant it like that!" Harry was sweating, he really had no good excuse for the casual way that he was treating the girls.
"Then how did you mean it? Did you once stop to think that we could be something other than your future trophy brood mares? Maybe that we have brains and feelings of our own, that we could possibly contribute something which might keep your skinny, but still strangely attractive arse alive? My family has dealt with the Dark Lord for over forty years, Jennifer comes from a family of schemers that would put Salazar Slytherin to shame. Do you somehow think that we were raised in some sort of bubble and didn't pick up anything along the way?"
He looked up at the two girls in amazement. "I have no excuse; I have wronged both of you. I have been a prat, an idiot, a fool……"
"Keep going, you're doing good," said Daphne. Jennifer nodded in agreement. "Just to let you know, both of us are in agreement on this. You need to step back for a bit from this war, I don't mean that you should neglect your duties, far from it. But you need to become human for a while. You have, from what I gather, responsible people doing different jobs. Let them do the job and quit trying to micromanage them. Bounce some ideas off of us, you never know, you might just be too close to the situation; it might help to get a different view."
"You're right; so how do I correct these terrible errors in judgment?"
"Simple," said Jennifer. She pulled a galleon out of her robe. She flipped it up in the air. Daphne called it.
"Heads, damn it, it's tails. Okay sister, you get to go first." Jennifer smiled and hopped on the sofa, putting her arms around Harry's neck.
"We start out with a good snog session. You bargained with Jonathon for the right to court me, but have never even kissed me. I need to find out how good you are. Can't be marrying someone who has lips like a piece of calves liver, can I?" She lowered her head to kiss him. "Hmmm, definitely not liver."
"Save some for me, sis."
"You had some already," Jennifer pouted.
"But it has been quite a while, I seem to have forgotten."
At that point, Dobby popped back in with the tea and biscuits. He took in the sight leaned forward to whisper at Jennifer. "Scratch his ear, he should like it."
All three of the lovers broke out in laughter. As Dobby poured the tea, he muttered, "Well, Dobby like it." Jennifer sat back on the sofa, then gave Dobby a hug, scratching his ear. The little elf turned red, grinned, then bowed and popped out.
Daphne sat down on the other side of Harry and pulled him over to her to kiss him, while Jennifer cast a warming spell on the tea to maintain the temperature. After a good half hour of three way snogging, Harry was dazed. The girls let him go, then picked up their tea cups.
"So where do we go from here?" he asked.
"You get to take us on a date, a real one, not some insipid session at Madam Puddifoot's or drinks at the Three Broomsticks. Dinner, dancing, the whole works," said Daphne. "We need to show Riddle that we are not going to allow our lives to be ruled by fear. But first, we are going into your room to talk and really get to know each other. You tell us what you are doing, if you need an oath of secrecy, we will give it. We are going to be equal partners in your life, you might as well get used to it now."
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Voldemort's Hideout
"There you go, Master. The bandages are off; can you see anything?" Dolores Umbridge held her breath.
"I can see, but it is very fuzzy and out of focus."
"Well, we can wait and see if it clears up, if not, we may have to either get you some glasses or contacts. We can kidnap an eye healer to make you some glasses at night if you like."
"And look like that fool Potter? If it comes to that, I will remove my eyes and have the magical ones put in. Let me see the ones that you got."
Umbridge brought out a case with the implantable eyes. Voldemort brought one of them close and peered at it.
"GREEN!?!" he raged. "CRUCIO!" This time, he did not miss.
A moment later, he lifted the curse. "Round up every marked Death Eater. We are going to leave the country for a while. With this new law about self defense, we need to recruit more people or we will be wiped out in no time. Let the fools start killing each other while we are gone, they will repeal the law and we will come back stronger than ever."
"Yes Master, where will we be going?"
"I think that Spain might be nice this time of year, so we will go to Albania instead. I don't want to recruit soft, useless troops, I want people who are hardened by adversity. And by the way, Dolores…."
"Yes, Master?"
"CRUCIO! That's for the time I missed and you pretended to be hit. Fake screams just don't sound the same."