Chaos of the Potter Family
Wanda: Shorter chapter, again, sorry about that. I had a bit of writer's block, which I think always happens when I start winding a story to a close - yes, I've managed to keep this story somewhat self contained. Yay, I'm learning! (throws confetti everywhere)
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter
Chapter 11: The Purge
Daphne and Alys had educated Harry on what a Blood Feud Duel encapsulated. Mainly, it was a duel to the death between two parties, with no outside help. After the fatal blow was struck, the titles, House legacy, and other assorted objects of the loser went to the individual still standing. In the distant past, it was how nobles settled their differences, and how a man who believed he was framed might be able to escape unjust persecution. In the modern day, the duel mode was usually a pathetically obvious power grab. Like Draco was doing right now.
What Draco didn't know was that, aside from Harry's own (rather impressive, Tobias Abbot had admitted) finesse with duelling and defence skills, he had been tutored further first by Alys, and then by Daken – the grizzled, feared leader of the Abbot's Mercenary Troop – in the art of war.
Daphne, Pansy and Tracey all exchanged smirks. They all knew that Draco stood no chance against their husband and King. Meanwhile, Ayla was all but sitting on the edge of her seat, resisting the urge to laugh.
"Your letting your arrogance run your mouth for you again, Malfoy," Harry said firmly. Beatrice had taught him how to speak 'in court', which is where his new cold confidence was coming from. "Do you really believe you can defeat a man who killed Voldemort as a child?"
A wave of flinches went through the crowd, including Draco himself. Harry's eyes narrowed. "Look at all of you! Have you become so craven that his mere name takes away all your courage? That you would rather do nothing than face someone who threatens your families and your children?!"
Rufus straightened up at this. The man was nothing if not shrewd, and he saw the new power radiating off Harry. "Old habits die hard, Your Grace." He said calmly, earning a stunned look from Dumbledore. The old man had gone to great lengths to ensure that Harry was distrusted by, and distrusted, the Ministry. "I had intended to mobilize when I entered office, but it seems that my predecessor allowed many toadies and bootlickers of the enemy into high office. Forgive me, I haven't had the chance to remove them yet."
Harry raised an eyebrow, surprise flitting across his face. He gave Lenore a quick, discreet look. The older woman nodded slightly. Rufus had rough edges, but he was determined and loyal to Britain itself. He would do anything to restore the country's strength and internal peace. "I see. Anyone who came on the heels of Fudge was bound to struggle." He said calmly.
"Ignoring me, Potter!" Draco shrieked, breaking up the conversation. Rufus glared daggers at the boy and his equally pissy, proud looking mother. "I challenged you! Are you too cowardly to answer?"
"I merely find you to be beneath my notice," Harry responded cuttingly. "Because frankly, my sister and I have greater problems to handle at the moment."
"Lord Potter," Hestia Jones, Rufus's loyal second in command, hedged uncertainly, "I absolutely agree with you, the young Malfoy is wasting our time. However, it's highly irregular for a challenge to go unanswered. I respect and accept your ascension, so I fear that ignoring it may be a blow to your image."
Narcissa glared furiously at the half blood auror, but Harry and Guinevere both looked contemplative. "I see. Thank you for your words of wisdom, Miss...?" Harry gave her a curious look.
"Jones. Hestia Jones, sub head of the DMLE at the moment. Sir." Hestia said, a bit flustered at being called 'miss'. Rufus gave her a proud sideways look, which caused her to straighten up even more.
"Who is your superior?"
"Alexander Parkinson, Your Grace."
"Hmph." Guinevere's eyes narrowed. "I see. Another one of Voldemort's toadies."
"Lord Parkinson was released.." Dumbledore started to protest, not liking where this was going. His plans for Harry did not include the boy or his sister wielding this sort of power. The fact that the twosome had managed to pull this off under his nose was incredibly galling already.
"...because he had gold, and Fudge liked to take handouts." Guinevere interrupted scathingly. Pansy's eyes narrowed at the mention of her uncle. She never liked the man, who gave her creepy lustful stares whenever he thought her father wasn't looking. "What a lovely sign of faith for our country, for the highest level of government to be flagrantly taking bribes."
Rufus let out an angry noise at that. "I couldn't agree more, M'lady. I had known about that for years, as I was rising through the auror ranks, but I was never able to prosecute him for it."
"Starting today, that comes to an end," Harry proclaimed, before standing up. His wives moved to form a line behind him as he walked down, Tracey taking his overcoat as he slid it off over his shoulders. "Perhaps starting with the family who thinks that their name means the whole world is theirs to exploit and torment. Draco, I warned you, and you did not back down. I hope you're ready for the consequences."
~Line Break~
Harry grimaced as he looked down at Draco's dead body. Narcissa was screaming next to him, her hands stained with the blood from the gaping hole in his chest. He felt a mixture of guilt, regret, and exhaustion. Daphne had warned him about the 'chains of commanding'. You end up having to do some things you, personally, may not care for. Judging by the way Guinevere was standing rigidly, his sister was feeling similar.
"The Victor is our Lord Potter-Black..." Lenore started, before Harry raised a hand.
"And assorted titles. I don't wish to annoy everyone by having them repeated every time someone speaks to me," Harry said dryly, earning some chuckles from the assorted aurors and dignitaries who had witnesses the duel. Dumbledore, of course, looked upset, but his attempts to speak out of turn were shut down by Rufus.
The former Minister, now DMLE head again, seemed to be willing to throw his weight behind Harry as the new King of Magical Britain.
"So the name of Malfoy, the fiances and the land titles go to him."
"I think I have enough as it is," Harry said in a self deprecating manner, earning scattered laughter throughout the Ministry.
Dumbledore jerked. He was just about to stand up and protest, try to make Harry see that he was 'acting just like the men they meant to take down', only for the young man to pull the rug out from under him.
"Instead, I think I shall move the title to another who I have trust in." Harry turned his eyes towards Ayla, who was bouncing her seat and looking hopefully at him. "I doubt many of you know this, but Lucius Malfoy had sired a half blood on a muggle woman while his wife was pregnant; in flagrant defiance of the anti muggle baiting law that had been passed in the wake of our first conflict against Voldemort. The result of that abuse is sitting with my trusted Master of Legal Affairs. Ayla Hydra, please rise."
A huge ripple of surprised mutterings as Ayla stood up and walked over until she was standing two-three feet away from Harry. Then she knelt in front of him. Harry nodded at Daphne, who stepped forward and drew the ornate handled sword that had been buried in the Potter vault, from the time of Mu. "As the last, undisgraced member of that family by blood, I hereby transfer the name of Malfoy, and all that is attached to it, to you and your mother. I leave it in your hands."
Hestia Jones lead the clapping as Ayla Hydra Malfoy stood up again, smiled and curtsied before returning to her mother's side.
Harry and Guinevere returned to the duel Minister seats, Daphne, Tracey, Pansy and Hannah to the row beneath them. "Well," Harry projected his best kingly voice again, "Now that this has been dealt with, I recommend we return the important topic at hand. Lady Slytherin?"
Pansy stood up and faced the crowd. "I have found the 'proxies' who have entered the Ministry through my house to be extremely wanting." She announced, her voice frigid as ice. "They show no cunning, no wisdom to them. They are nothing but foolish cowards, bowing at the feet of a half blood pretending to be a dark messiah. I call upon all the Authority my house grants me, and I cast them out of the Ministry and the places where they have used the family name for their own purposes. So mote it be!"
Umbridge, who had been in her office, let out a shriek as she was suddenly teleported out of her office and was roughly dumped on the road.
"I imagine there are a number of important positions now left empty," Harry said dryly. "Rufus Scrimgeour, you are my new head of the DMLE. Might you lend me assistance with finding some trustworthy individuals to enter these stops?"
Rufus smiled. "Yes, of course. I'll put a list together for you before the end of today. Miss Jones?"
"Of course, sir." Hestia said promptly, before hurrying out of the room.
"Good." At this point in time, Hannah's father raised his hand. "I recognize Tobias Abbot. You have something to speak about?"
"Yes. I offer my family's Mercenary Guild to assist in the fight against Riddle and his followers. May no more people get harmed by him!" Tobias shouted. Several ragged cheers burst out.
"Permission granted. Take as many as you can."
End Chapter
So next time, Death Eaters get curbstomped, Harry, Pansy and Guinevere discuss names for the little Heir of Slytherin, which Tracey interupts with surprise news, and Tom Riddle falls for a trap. Because he is not a smart enemy. Seriously, watch Code Geass, then reread Harry Potter and then realize what a flaming moron Riddle was.
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