Disclaimer: Nope, still not mine.

Chapter 8: Meanwhile, Back in the States

US Department of Magic, September 5

Secretary of Magic Robert Paulson sat at his desk, perusing a letter from Cornelius Fudge, recently appointed Minister for Magic of Great Britain, when the intercom on his desk buzzed.

"Yes, Erin?"

"Sherman Potter is here to see you, sir," said the disembodied voice of his secretary.

"Thank you, Erin. Please send him in." He stood and walked over to the coffee pot on the credenza, refilling his mug and grabbing another for his guest. He had just finished pouring when his door opened. "Hiya, Sherm!" he said, handing a cup to his friend and waving over to the couch.

"Morning, Bob," he replied, accepting the coffee and taking a brief sip before sitting down. "I assume you didn't have me come all the way to Washington for a social visit."

"Direct as always. You're right. I remember you telling me that young Harry would be attending his birth parent's alma mater… Hog-something wasn't it?" he asked.

"Hogwarts. Headmaster is a man by the name of Dumbledore."

Paulson's face darkened. "He's also the Supreme Mugwump of the ICW and head of the UK's magical legislature. Old fart keeps trying to tell other countries, especially us, that they're the premier Wizarding society in the world and that we would do well to emulate them. Their government is positively medieval, Sherm. All the seats on their Wizengamot as they call it are hereditary, much like the UK's House of Lords, all belonging to old pureblood families. I did some digging and found out the names. It turns out that the Potter's are one of them and that Dumbledore has held the proxy vote since the death of James and Lily Potter back in '91."

"He had Harry brought to his office Saturday night, shortly after their Welcoming Feast." Sherman passed Paulson Harry's letter. "Seems the old man is upset that Harry wasn't living with the people he was left with when his parents were killed. I'm glad I taught Harry Occlumency. Dumbledore tried to riffle through Harry's mind to find information on me and our family. Anyway, you asked me here for a reason."

"Ever since I found out about the Potters and Dumbledore holding the proxy for the family, I've been trying to find a way to change that. According to British Wizarding law, a proxy is supposed to be held by a blood relation whenever possible. I checked with Gringotts and it turns out that you are in fact a blood relation to Harry. A bit distant, but related nonetheless."

"How distant?"

"Your great-grandfather Nicholas Potter was the younger brother of one Henry Potter, Harry's great-great-great-great grandfather. You and Petunia Dursley are Harry's only living blood relations, but as Mrs. Dursley is a Muggle, she would be ineligible to serve as a proxy. Dumbledore obviously thinks that she is his only blood relative. This, along with him being Chief Warlock, was enough for him to claim magical guardianship and the Potter proxy. However, he did not officially register the guardianship, so when your grandson adopted Harry, that allowed you as the only magical Potter relative to officially claim magical guardianship of Harry. And since you are both Harry's magical guardian and a Potter by blood I would like for you to claim the proxy and be my eyes and ears over there. Ambassador Williams is a good man, but he's not able to get much useful information out of their government. They stonewall him on nearly everything, saying they can't give Wizengamot or Ministry information to an 'outsider'. As a proxy for a family with a seat on the Wizengamot you'll be privy to a lot more, as you would have a duty to keep the family you represent informed."

"So how do I go about this?"

"We want to keep this under the radar until it's a done deal to keep the old man from interfering, so I've arranged for you to be able to use the portal in Gringotts here in DC to get to Gringotts London Saturday morning. The goblins will perform a blood ritual to provide proof that you are in fact a member of a cadet branch of the Potter Family. You'll take that to the Ministry, I'll make an appointment for you with Minister Fudge, and have him call a session of the Wizengamot. I will impress upon him that Dumbledore is not to know that you have taken over the Potter proxy until after the Wizengamot has confirmed you."

The pair spent some time talking before Sherman left to prepare for his trip.