Hey everyone,
I will admit, this chapter's subject was HARD! It took me so long to think of a good way to make Fudge discover about Harry and his actual heritage, that I actually felt absolutely ridiculous when I realized that, at the start of this story, I actually wrote something that makes it so bloody easy to make the man know of this.
Yes, I wrote the answer to this super hard subject in one of the first chapters of this story and I totally missed it until now. Seriously I thought of so many ways – Fudge comes to save Umbridge, Dumbledore takes Umbridge to Fudge, Gryffindor and Merlin announce their return – and yet never realized this easy mistake.
Anyway, enough said, enjoy,
Venquine1990
Chapter 18
Change Will Indeed Come
Aldair's POV
It has taken my daughter a few days to come clean, but I am ever so happy with all the news I received in her last letter. The first thing she wrote may have been an apology for bringing this a good week late, but once I fully got through her entire letter could I only smile and happily allow my wife to read the letter alongside me.
Dear mother and father,
First of all, my apologies. I should have written you about this a good week ago, yet many events have taken place in the last week and all of them have been beneficial to me, my future and that of Hogwarts School.
Harry has discovered things I could never imagine, yet the most important of all is his actual royal heritage. He has discovered this 8 days ago now, yet while he discovered his engagement to me at the same time, did other things also happen that made me postpone writing this letter.
I am – and I know you will be shocked – pleased to announce to you all that I am not to be the only wife of Harry James Potter. I have also agreed that it is not to be me who should take up the title of Queen of England.
Yes, Harry and I discussed this and thanks to his other lineages and the lines he descends from, is it quite safe for me to keep up the Vow our ancestor made to King Arthur and still marry Harry and be one of his partners in life.
His others are actually chosen for him by his very own magic, which allows all eight of us to wear a beautiful circlet around our foreheads, which is made of gold and silver and has several gems encrusted into it.
His other mates are five males who are named Even, Ienzo, Lea, Terra and Ventus and two females known as Aerith and Aqua. Aqua has also been chosen to inherit Harry's royal heritage and take to his side as Queen.
The most amusing thing that happened this week was Harry making Ventus, Terra and Aqua admit that they have been harboring romantic emotions for each other for the longest time. The sweetest thing was when Harry found his Potter Mate in Lea, who is a redhead and has already been wrapped around Harry's little finger.
I know we have waited five years for this to happen and that it didn't happen as we had expected, yet Harry has taken to his royal status like no tomorrow. He has already implanted a rule into the Hogwarts foundations that makes it much safer for many of us living here and he has initiated better communication between Muggleborns and Purebloods.
I can assure you that, once you actually come to meet him face to face, you will be enamored by who he really is. All the things said about the Boy-Who-Lived are complete hearsay and yet, at the same time, does Harry live up to all that amazement – in his own way.
Forever your loving daughter,
Daphne
PS. Astoria says hi.
The letter is great, yet the fact that Harry has discovered his royal heritage leaves me with a very important task, one I had sincerely wished I could have been ordered to do at the start of this school year or even at the end of last as this news, especially now, will not fall well with the person I am to deliver it to.
Yet the fact that my daughter finally writes a letter that speaks from her heart instead of her mind as she has been doing for years to protect herself against any possible suitors and keep herself fresh for her prince makes me determined to end the ridiculousness that is Fudge's beliefs in the boy that is my son-in-law to be.
Therefore, with my full Greengrass Lord Robes on my person and my Lordship badge and ring in plain sight, do I now stand in an elevator of the Ministry heading for the Minister's office, my face passive, yet my eyes burning to prove that I am indeed a man on a mission and a Lord that is not to be messed with.
This is a reputation I have been building up ever since my own father told me of our royal heritage and even without the fire that is visible burning in my eyes do people part their ways for me out of respect as I never showed my disrespect to any kind of people, having made alliances with Halfbreed, Halfblood and Pureblood lines.
There were definitely quite a few Purebloods who had been shocked and confused that someone like me would be willing to work alongside with either Halfbreeds or even Halfbloods, yet I have always kept my daughter's engagement and future spouse in mind when making these alliances and now I feel ever so proud of having done this.
Of course, there were quite a few Halfbreeds and Halfbloods who questioned me openly, whereas Purebloods just looked at me strangely, yet I had constantly given them the same answer: "It's for my daughter." And just the fact that Harry is now King to be will make sure that, sooner or later, all those alliances will understand.
Yet, as happy as this thought makes me, as quickly do I straighten my expression to one of pure seriousness and great power as the elevator stops at the hallway leading to the Minister's office. I walk out, through the hallway and after a quick knock, do I enter the Assistant's office, feeling relieved not to see Umbridge there.
Yes, like myself many of those working at this floor and many of the other Purebloods that visit the Minister on a regular basis are very glad not to have to meet with the awful woman, yet I have a secondary reason other than her horrible behavior and her nasty beliefs; I know she is the descendant of King Mordred.
This also was something my father revealed to me when he told me of my own heritage, yet when I discovered that the woman had, somehow, gotten herself into such a high position as the Assistant to the Minister had I felt worried beyond words for the future of both the world I live in as well as that of my daughter and her future spouse.
I enter the office and keep my face passive when I see Percy Weasley at his desk as almost half the Ministry doesn't believe that the boy deserves a position like this after the many mistakes he made during the year of the Tournament, let alone how he behaves to Arthur, a man well-respected within many Departments here.
Yet out of respect for Arthur does no one really speak their minds about the boy's position to him in person and instead of that do I cough and say: "Young man, please inform Cornelius that I have come with very important information regarding him and his future as ruler of our fine country." And this alone shocks the boy.
Yet, due to Cornelius' behavior towards to my son-in-law to be has my respect for the man and his people sunken lower than the Chamber of Secrets and many of those working at the higher functions at the Ministry know this, at least half of them agreeing with me, yet most of those too afraid for their jobs to come out and say this.
Then I am indeed seated at Cornelius' office, Percy sending me one last worried look before I say: "Back to your desk, boy, this conversation does not concern you." My tone breaking no room for argument and even Cornelius himself keeps quiet, which the boy takes as his cue to indeed close the door behind him.
Instantly Cornelius turns to me and I say: "No need to worry yourself, Cornelius. My message to come in here may have sounded ominous, yet I only wanted to make sure we can speak to each other as adults – without either you or your assistant using your so-called titles against me." I then bite at the man at the end.
The man reels back in shock and I decide to be the voice of truth for my son-in-law's sake and I say: "Cornelius, I may not know what kind of Minister you wanted to become when you took the position, but I can assure you only people like Walden Macnair would want the reputation you have now – and you have yourself to thank for it.
You aren't known for your intelligence or your care for your people, Cornelius. You're seen as a tyrant that cares only for himself and his own opinion. You're even called a Communistic Minister, Cornelius and no, I will not tell you who says this, because I have no doubt you will fire them just to make yourself feel better."
The man turns red with either anger or embarrassment, yet I care not for this as I say: "Cornelius, for crying out loud! You are so into papers, titles and self-importance, you've ruined Hogwarts. I have here twenty letters from Daphne alone that tell me she would rather kiss the ass of a Troll than go to one more class of your assistant."
And while the man looks shocked, do I show him the letters I have been collecting for exactly this reason along with letters from others that Dolorus thought were supportive of her and thus for who she allowed the letters to pass through without interception and who all wrote how much they actually despise and hate her guts.
I hand the man the full package of 215 letters that I have been able to collect over the last year and when Cornelius says: "Wait, that is way more than twenty." Do I nod and say: "The twenty here are from Daphne, yet all the others are from kids who agree with her. And no, Cornelius, none of them are from the Weasleys or Potter.
Yet even if it's not from either of them, I can assure you it's all the same topic. These students hate Umbridge – and because they know that you send her, do they hate you. I even sorted some of these letters and the ones I have here are of kids begging their parents to change your mind and call Umbridge back.
I also got the replies the parents send back for that and they all say the same. "I'm sorry, my son/daughter, but for the sake of me keeping my job and Fudge not setting that lowlife bint Skeeter on us can I not go against anything our Minister has decided. He rules our country and we must accept that his word is law."
This actually makes the man smile, which makes me glare and slam my hand on his desk with the words: "MERLIN BE DAMNED, CORNELIUS!" The man looks at me shocked and I say: "Look at the way this is written. It's not full acceptance, it's fearful acceptance. They fear you! You're not loved, you're feared."
The man looks shocked and I sigh as I say: "I was hoping those letters would make you see sense. Now I see I have to come with something stronger." I then look up and say: "I never wanted to reveal this to you, Cornelius, but – some people here don't care if He is back or not; they think you're as bad a ruler as he is.
They feel that their freedom of speech, belief and faith is as safe with you as it would be if He were Minister. There are even rumors saying that you accepted his role as Heir of Slytherin to boost your chances to the position and that you don't want to believe in his return because you love being him in power too much."
By now the man is white with shock and I glare at him as I say: "You want to know what I believe, Cornelius? I believe that you are selfish and arrogant and power-hungry. Why else would you go so far as to state that a fifteen year old boy is lying about the return of the man that killed both his parents fourteen years ago?"
And with that the man looks ready to faint, making me feel sick to the stomach as it proves that he didn't think of the Potter's' sacrifice for their son even once and I shake my head as I say: "Oh Fudge, how I hate having to give you this letter." And while this confuses the man do I hand my most important letter for him to read.
I, Harry James Potter son of Lily, Heiress of Arthur Pendragon, hereby swear upon all that my family left me that I wish only to rule alongside Minister for Magic Cornelius Oswald Fudge and to give this country both a Minister, a Ministry for Magic and a Ruling King and Queen. So I Swear, So Mote It Be.
The man's eyes widen as he reads this and I nod and say: "Yes Fudge, Harry's mother – who died to save him from Voldemort – is Heiress to King Arthur, something I have known ever since my father told me of my Heritage as we of the Greengrass line have kept our eyes on Arthur's line ever since Lancelot left Camelot.
What's more – and this is the whole reason I hate giving you this letter – is that the same boy you have been publically slandering, insulting and humiliating still wants you to rule alongside him and his upcoming queen. He doesn't want to fight you or replace you even after everything you have allowed to be written about him.
Cornelius, you are so into titles and power, you've forgotten one vital thing – or better said, you chose to overlook it." The man looks at me and I say: "The first word of Harry's famous title. Boy. You are so into the title and how it was acquired, you forget the actual meaning behind the most important word of the title.
And now, tell me honestly, would you really want to be famous – for losing your family? Or for the sake of others worshipping you one day and calling you Slytherin's son the next? Is that really something you would want? Whether now – or as a teen? Can you honestly tell me you would ever want such a thing?"
The man, by now, has his head down and I sigh as I say: "Cornelius, Lily and James are dead. They died for the sake of their son. Yet, before they died, did I get the chance to meet with Lily and that is the whole reason I am here now meeting with you. For my daughter, Daphne, is engaged to Harry and he accepted this and the crown.
He is now my son and I sincerely hope that, as Harry rises to the crown and takes his place as my son-in-law, you will, at the very least, apologize for not realizing not who but what you were publically slandering and that you will help Harry make the world realize that, king or not, famous title or not, Harry is a boy first and foremost.
And that boy now has a family, a girlfriend and, if I have to believe my daughter, several other mates to help him continue several other lines that he is soon to inherit. And that same boy, Cornelius, sees no need to fight or turn to war against you – because it already has an enemy soon to endanger his country and his people.
So tell me, Cornelius, do you still believe that Harry would lie about the return of the man that killed his parents? Or are you willing to make sure that, when Harry officially takes the crown, he does this in a safe, war-free country? Because I certainly know which side my wife, daughters, alliances and I pick. Good day, Cornelius."
And with that, the letters to prove how bad Umbridge is still on the man's desk and the man having his face in his hands, do I leave, Weasley looking at me questioningly and my heart telling to slightly go against Arthur's wishes as I say: "You might want to make a round across the Ministry, Weasley, to get to know your colleagues."
And while the boy himself looks at me with eyes filled with confusion and while I know that I still have a long way to go as now I have to call all my alliances together and inform them of the recent events that transpired, do I leave the office, the floor and the Ministry; sincerely hoping that soon, change will indeed come.
Hey everyone,
Wow, that chapter didn't go as I had expected, yet I am still very proud of it. I mean, anyone with a brain knows that, had James and Lily still been alive, no one – not even Fudge – would be stupid enough to slander the Heir of the Most Noble and Most Ancient House of Potter – but a young man with fame – different story.
So, now that Harry has accepted his engagement with Daphne, does it only stand to reason that the family Harry gets with this will indeed step up for him and protect his honor – as it's their honor too. Combine that with the fact that Harry is now king and Fudge will really have a reason to change his ways.
Now, next chapter will actually end the war before it can even begin and I can tell you this; it will not cause for any kind of fight between Harry and Voldemort or even a fight from Voldemort in the first place. It brings up a very old and clichéd topic that has been used many, many times before; Good Riddle, Bad Voldemort.
Enjoy the holidays,
Venquine1990
PS. The chapter title – is actually the title of a song from a new Dutch Girl group, anyone know which?
