Interlude I: Reality Reshaped
Author's Note:
I am unsure if it's actually a good idea to put this here. If you choose to read this (and really, feel free to do so, unless you really hate spoilers), you'll gain a wealth of information about the setting of this story. Parts of this will be revealed in the story itself, of course. Perhaps everything, although I doubt I'll go into detail about Europe's geopolitical make-up at the time of Grindelwald, so if you really don't want to miss anything, read this! I did actually once make a map of magical Europe (which is vastly different from non-magical Europe), but I'm unsure if it'd work. Here's a link, but I'm not going to put a date on the map - perhaps just after WWII? - and it's definitely not set in stone:
imgur dot com slash KeUDtxe
Mind you, the map isn't really relevant to the story, so I won't bother you with endless paragraphs detailing every nation beyond what I have done below.
I'm posting this interlude because a reviewer requested it. And on that note... Holy hell people, I see reviews, favourites, subscriptions... You're all awesome! This story doesn't even have 10000 words (well, it does with this interlude)! I said updates will arrive at a glacial pace, if at all. And I know my writing really isn't that good (oh, I'd love to be able to write like Harry Potter and the Garden of Intrigue - Goyle is amazing!). So, really, people, everyone who read this, you're all awesome!
Decades ago, a Dark Lord known as Grindelwald masterminded a huge war devouring all of Europe. He and his friend Dumbledore were bound to conquer all of Europe, both muggle and magical. They acquired artefacts of immense power, such as an undefeatable wand called the Elder Wand. But it was this artefact that killed Grindelwald, and with him, his dream of a united Europe.
One faithful day, Dumbledore, master of the Elder Wand, betrayed his old friend Grindelwald, and in a duel throughout space and even time, lasting all day and all night, Dumbledore, former dark lord, did what many millions wished for; he slay Grindelwald, and ended his dream. Without the insane-yet-powerful Grindelwald in control, his muggle allies - Nazis - were beaten back in a short time. Apparently, Grindelwald had taken control of the muggle leader of Germany; a man called Adolf Hitler. This possession, however, drove Hitler past the brink of sanity, into the abyss of insanity. And without Grindelwald's support, the mad Hitler collapsed his own empire. Plans for making Hitler a living horcrux were discovered, but they were probably just that; plans. It is speculated that these plans would have failed anyway; Hitler would be stabilised and augmented by the soul of Grindelwald, but he wouldn't keep Grindelwald from dying. 1943, and the horrible war was over.
One is left with one question; why. In the words of Dumbledore himself: "Gellert was a visionary, a man with a dream. And he was smart and powerful enough to make his dream reality. He was a good man, too; who wouldn't want a prosperous, wealthy Europe, united under one leader, free of war, disease, and conflict? Alas, such was his dream, such was not the way it turned out to be. Gellert became mad, consumed in a quest for more power and knowledge. Magic corrupted him, artefacts ruined him... His very soul suffered unlike any other had before. And I knew I had to stop him, for literally nobody else could. And I did. I murdered my friend. I swear you, people, he meant well. We both did. Do, even. Yet I can no longer believe that the end always justifies the means. The whole greater good... It's what killed him in the end."
Some say Dumbledore just didn't want to share with Grindelwald. Whatever the case, Dumbledore certainly is strange, and most agree that he shouldn't be trusted. Indeed, some want his wand to be taken away from him, but Dumbledore is proficient in wandless magic. That, and his wand is the Elder Wand; it would repair itself when broken, and go back to its owner when taken away, unless magically disarmed. Dumbledore refused to be disarmed however, and binding his magic seemed excessive to most. He did, after all, kill Grindelwald.
Dumbledore expressed his desire to teach children. Of course, this caused a massive uproar; Dumbledore, an evil, dark, and frightfully powerful dark lord, teaching innocent and vulnerable children? Was Dumbledore looking to recruit young people, to fill their heads with lies and propaganda? Was he a rapist, a child molester? But if one were to look past these preconceptions, Dumbledore appeared to be a kind man, eternally sad, ever regretting the horrible acts he committed, and extinguished of life. Was this an act? Perhaps.
In spite of vehement objections and even some riots, Dumbledore was allowed to become the gate keeper and caretaker of Hogwarts. Living somewhere in a hidden tower, the student populace almost never saw him, and eventually, the howlers and angry parents disappeared. He was closely watched by headmaster Horace Slughorn, however. Rumours circulate that the two of them were lovers, but those are only rumours.
But life wasn't fine and dandy after the fall of Grindelwald. To explain this, we have to backtrack and look at just how Grindelwald - and Dumbledore, until he turned tables - would have created his united Europe. It relied on the perfect execution of his plans; Germany goes on a rampage (supported by Grindelwald and Dumbledore), leaving Europe too weak to do something about Austria reforming into the Magical Empire - paradise of purebloods - and growing through 'voluntary' annexation. Eventually, Grindelwald's allies - who would mostly be fascist - would resemble this Magical Empire more and more. With most of Europe under his control - and being the most powerful by far - victory was but a matter of time.
Magical Europe looks vastly different than muggle Europe, though.
Magical Italy consists of Roma, the Sicilian Kingdom, Genova (Genoa), and Venexia (Venice). Only the latter hadn't followed its muggle counterpart by declaring alliance to Grindelwald. Instead, Venexia had demanded Dalmatia. This was unacceptable for Grindelwald; the Magical Empire (Austria and much of the Balkans) was the spill of Grindelwald's plans. Besides, Venexia was a small nation that thought itself to be far superior to anyone else. It had always demanded impossibilities and was as idiotic as it was arrogant.
Roma, a power-hungry fascist nation after a coup in 1923, wanted control of the whole of Italy, but was content to let the other magical nations of Italy exist if they cooperated. The Sicilian Kingdom was proud, but very pragmatic. Roma had power, so they'd follow Roma. Genova was the arch-enemy of the Kingdom of Burgundy, ever since the magical Papal States were relocated to Avignon in 1309, because of a Christian-Paganist split. It's not as if they cared much about that nowadays anyway, but it was the reason for the first war, with many to follow, the reason becoming irrelevant. They'd also follow Roma. That left Venexia as the fourth nation of magical Italy. Roma and Genova disliked Venexia - although the money it had brought into Italy was nice - and the Sicilian Kingdom only tolerated it because of Venexia's black market.
So after giving the green light for Roma to conquer Venexia, both muggle and magical Italy followed Germany, and thus Grindelwald. Muggle Portugal became the Estado Novo - the New State, the Second Republic - in 1933, under the leadership of António Salazar. It was corporatist and authoritarian, and close enough to fascism. It supported Germany in establishing a fascist regime in Spain, but didn't form an actual alliance.
Why not, one might ask. Portugal and the United Kingdom were firm allies. In fact, they had been so since 1373, making this the oldest alliance of the whole muggle world. This was the same for their magical counterparts, except that magical nations, generally, are much more resistant to change. So while muggle Portugal embraced Salazar's regime, magical Portugal did its best to remove it, and turned to the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom didn't help much, nor could they have; their magical armies were rather weak compared to the Fascist Forces, as they were called.
Many Portuguese wizards and witches fled the country, after it became clear they couldn't 'save Portugal from fascism'. Salazar was a powerful wizard, and his personal army was well-trained. Further, Salazar secretly aided the muggle Francisco Franco in uniting Spain under a fascist government. The Falangists, a Spanish, magical terrorist group, helped greatly in uniting and stabilising the Estado Español; the Spanish State.
Magical Spain was only united in the loosest sense of the word; separatist movements and all kinds of (terrorist) groups held control over large swathes of Spain, and only thanks to Salazar's support and the Falangists could Spain be united, not only de jure, but now also de facto. Salazar, eventually, took direct control of both magical Portugal and magical Spain. Sensing that muggle Portugal was too passive, too meek for his goals, he opted to unite the whole Iberian subcontinent under his rule, and established Iberia Maxima.
With both muggle and magical Italy, Spain, and Portugal at his side, and Scandinavia mostly neutral, Gellert easily crushed France. Sure, their muggle army was good, but their magical army was utterly destroyed by a coordinated invasion from Spain, Italy, and Germany herself. It was imperative to keep the British out of the war, so that Grindelwald could focus on the east front. Magical Britain is naturally isolationist and still has a competitive dislike for France, but the muggle government declared war over the invasion of France. And the influx of Portugese wizards and witches slowly but surely tipped the public's opinion to favour war in magical Britain too.
To dissuade the British, Grindelwald started a terror campaign; targeting innocent civilians and infrastructure with both muggle bombers and magic raids. Death Squads, these raiders became known as. The British were held at bay, continental Europe was under control of Grindelwald, and the newfangled Coalition of Slavic Warlords had no hopes of stopping Grindelwald's march east. The Magical Empire - a simple yet fear-inspiring name - had been established, and especially with Germany doing rather well for herself, victory was assured... But then Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, master of the Elder Wand, betrayed his cause and allegiance, betrayed Grindelwald, and betrayed the Empire.
Being the master of the Elder Wand, one would think this fight wouldn't last long. But Grindelwald was, besides a highly capable warrior, a scientist to boot. A mad scientist, that is; an experimenter, a tinkerer. He and Dumbledore revolutionised magic, and indeed, it's suspected that, without the two, the wizard world of today would have been much more backwards. While Dumbledore enjoyed discovering, learning, and inventing, Grindelwald had a more practical attitude; he enhanced himself beyond any former limits through gruesome rituals. Thus when Dumbledore sealed Grindelwald away in an infinitely small pocket of unmoving time, Grindelwald broke out, and battle commenced. A battle lasting more than 24 hours, involving rituals, clones, illusions, and careless manipulation of space and time. Lesser minds would have gone insane - have gone insane - trying to comprehend this battle. Yet Dumbledore and Grindelwald fought it. And Dumbledore won.
Dumbledore, of course, was too powerful to be contained, to be locked up. The International Federation of Warlocks (IFW) - the 'army' of the International Confederation of Wizards (ICW) - was powerless against him. And he had killed Grindelwald, thereby ending one of the darkest and ugliest wars ever. So Dumbledore, to the outrage of many, remained free, yet carefully watched. Dumbledore requested to become a teacher at Hogwarts, which was promptly denied. But Dumbledore, voluntarily confined - one might say, imprisoned - to Hogwarts for most of the year, was an attractive prospect to the IFW and the ICW. Hogwarts herself, and her headmaster Horace Slughorn, were capable of watching over Dumbledore, as much as anyone could, if not better.
While nobody really is certain of what happened to Grindelwald, Dumbledore claims he's locked up in Nurmengard. Nurmengard itself being sealed away in a pocket dimension. The most likely theory is that Dumbledore used a combination of the Mokeskin Enchantments, the Undetectable Extension Charm, and the Collapse-Prison Charm, tuned up to eleven. Whatever the case, Grindelwald is a non-issue. And Dumbledore became safely locked up in Hogwarts, becoming the gate keeper and caretaker, but always working from the shadows. Some wonder if Dumbledore truly is at Hogwarts, because next to nobody has ever seen him. which might be for the best, really.
Under Horace Slughorn, a progressive wizard with an open and keen mind, favouring knowledge and learning, gladly incorporating all the new and exciting magic uncovered by Dumbledore and Grindelwald, Hogwarts flourished. The Academy of Magic in Wales lost many of its students, now only attracting those who want to see a Common Welsh Green - a dragon - in real life. The Oxford-Cambridge Magical University was the place for any wizard or witch desiring a throughout education in economics, management, and other such things. Now, with Hogwarts having re-installed these courses, rumour has it the University is going to close its doors. Only the Irish Frodleikr Fjall hasn't seen a dramatic decrease of students. Frodleikr Fjall isn't really a coherent name; 'frodleikr' meaning 'lore' and 'fjall' meaning 'mountain'. It was established by the Vikings, and mainly focuses on seamanship and water elementals.
But while Hogwarts flourished, not everyone who graduated did the same. Take, for example, young Tom Marvolo Riddle. An orphan, abandoned by his muggle father who had been fed love potions by his magical mother. She promptly died upon giving birth, leaving Tom all alone in an orphanage. This orphanage, then, was destroyed in 1933. Dumbledore himself - and possibly a few of his followers - had come to raid an underground potion's laboratory owned by Horace Slughorn, said to have invented Bibemperius. A bottled variant of the Imperius curse, this would be highly useful to the two dark lords. Something went wrong though, and by the time Slughorn arrived at his laboratory, Dumbledore had long left and a magical shock wave had utterly destroyed the laboratory, as well as the orphanage above it. With Tom's orphanage destroyed, Tom was left in the hands of two ordinary muggles; Rufus and Ross Parilis.
These muggles, however, were rather poor, although they loved their adopted child like most parents would. They sympathised with the socialists and communists, and this all greatly influenced Tom Riddle. No longer was he the abandoned, hated child, who none the less was more powerful, more special, and more worthy than his peers - and even elders. No, this Tom Riddle was loved, disliked discrimination and racism, and thought it to be unfair that some had so much, while others had so little. Yet nurture doesn't completely overcome all of nature; he still had the brilliancy and ruthlessness of the old Tom.
In 1938, Tom entered Hogwarts. Sorted into Slytherin, he was a caring, friendly boy, always willing to help his peers. He was also brilliant, a genius, really. He envisioned a world free of bigotry, poverty, corruption, and all-around negativity. And he had the brains and willpower to make this vision reality. Alas, during his fifth year - 1943 - his life took a turn for the worst. Just as the school year had ended, the legendary duel between Dumbledore and Grindelwald commenced.
It began with Dumbledore and Grindelwald battling at King's Cross Station. Not wanting to risk civilian causalities, Dumbledore apparated into the pocket dimension through which the Hogwarts Express travelled, seeking to collapse this dimension and trap Grindelwald in what could best be described as a broken, half-existing space-time continuum.
The only problem was that the Hogwarts Express had already left Hogsmeade Station and therefore had entered the pocket dimension - and with the train inside it, reinforcing its stability, the pocket dimension couldn't collapse from the inside. Dumbledore, realising his mistake, apparated back to King's Cross Station. Considering the only entrances and exits of this pocket dimension are King's Cross Station and Hogsmeade Station, this seems like a logical decision.
It's just too bad that King's Cross Station was blown up in the ensuing duel. Both the muggle and magical parts, and including the entrance of the pocket dimension. The pocket dimension deflated and collapsed, like a huge balloon with a tiny hole in it. The Hogwarts Express was propelled out of it at a speed faster than sound, and thundered right through the streets of London before crashing to a halt. Hundreds of wizards, witches, and muggles were killed, including about 40% of the students on board of the train. And including Tom's parents.
They didn't die instantly; his mother found herself without most of her legs, and his father's side was crushed and torn apart, but they were alive when a bruised and battered Tom ran out of the ravaged Hogwart's Express. They were also alive when Tom begged a passing Mediwizard to heal his parents. And they were long enough alive to hear the reply, too. That they were just muggles, that there were much more important people to heal, like wizards and witches. And then they died.
From that day on, Tom Riddle became a vehement supporter of muggles, muggleborns, magical creatures, and everyone else who wasn't part of the pureblood elite - everyone who had to endure racism and discrimination to some degree. Of course, he had always disagreed with the casual discrimination, but now it had killed his parents. He had always been an outsider in Slytherin, because of his half blood status, his tolerance, and his Hufflepuffish character in general. Yet now, with Tom going on a crusade against this discrimination, tensions rose to a new high. Not even a month had passed, after returning back to school, and Tom Riddle had relocated to the Hufflepuff common room.
Tom had friends in all houses, although not many Slytherins stayed loyal to him. Still, he had a large group of friends, growing even larger now that he was a figurehead preaching against the discrimination and bias so prevalent in the wizard world. He was still his friendly, polite, and helpful self, yet he was cold - and later, even cruel - against those who discriminated. He was also extremely powerful, for underneath his friendly face was a sharp mind, the mind of a genius. Tom Riddle was very much a mastermind, and some, who have a rather black-white view, debate whether he truly had any friends at all. Perhaps he was cultivating followers, they suggest. It has to be said, however, that Tom Riddle had the uncanny ability to get whatever he wanted.
Tom graduated with excellent marks, and entered the outside world. Thus started a darker chapter of his life. First of all, Tom had to get money. As such, he sold a few inventions and helped a friend start up a potions shop (for which he, in return, got a share of the monthly revenue). He also used his knowledge of both muggle and magical economics to quickly raise a good amount of money. It was, however, not exactly legal. That didn't bother him really; he was just playing the market like so many before him. None the less, after researching his ancestry, he discovered that he was probably one of the wealthiest persons to ever live, and stopped his money-making scheme.
Indeed, as it turns out, the half blood Tom Riddle, was heir to one of the most famous wizards of magical Britain; Salazar Slytherin. A man widely known to be evil, to hate so-called mudbloods, and to call for the extermination - or at the very least, segregation - of all non-purebloods. A man who built Hogwarts, and who was driven away from it, leaving behind a terrible monster to finish the cleansing of Hogwarts, as legend goes. Salazar Slytherin, the very antithesis of Tom Marvolo Riddle.
With his new-found wealth, Tom, cunning and sharp of wit, entered the arena of lies, of forked tongues, of deceit, treachery, and, some few times, assassination. Politics. Lord Slytherin, barely an adult, a plaything for the elite of magical Britain. He couldn't hope to stand against these giants with their experience and connections, with their vast amount of followers, carefully tied to them by magical contracts and oaths of fealty. This, indeed, would become Lord Slytherin's downfall.
Oh, it must have been an epic moment; the entrance of a young man, cloaked in one of the most expensive cloaks, carefully crafted specially for him, coloured black, silver, and green, with typical Slytherin decorations. Head invisible, shrouded beneath darkness, and a silver staff shaped like a snake radiating pure power - and closely resembling the staff the future Lucius Malfoy would carry. Emerging from the darkness, upon announcing his presence, he was met with cheering and vows of loyalty, so exhilarating and addictive was the power - the magic - radiating from this imposing being.
But this all ceased the moment he announced his views. Suddenly, he was a mere boy getting in way over his head, spouting nonsense about equality. Why, they were the political elite, the ones with the power to mercilessly crush whole families. And all of them, of course, purebloods. What a ridiculous notion it was, to grant power to virtual slaves and serfs, worth barely more than house elves? What good would their power be if there was nothing to rule over? Being pure of blood instantly set one apart from the rabble, the underclass, for those with pure blood held power - and fully deserved so, too, considering, on average, the top 10% of British wizards and witches consisted solely of purebloods. They obviously knew best. Let the common man work, get drunk, and die, not achieving anything of note whatsoever. But without the rule and guidance of the upper class, anarchy would fall, and the eventual extinction of all magic would be inevitable.
Preposterous, really. What did this stranger, this mere boy, think? How arrogant could one be? Nearly everyone silently agreed. Yet politics called for realpolitik. And the political battlefield had long since been dominated by the Triple Alliance; the Conservatist-Traditionalist-Purist Alliance. And wouldn't it be fun for the Equalists, or for the Progressists to be in charge for once? Wilbert Philippe thought so too, and as presiding Chairman of the Communists, he alone welcomed Lord Slytherin in their midst.
A few days later, the political arena had been turned upside down. Equalists, Liberalists, and Communists, supported tentatively by the Progressists and a large faction of independents, had broken the Triple Alliance's hold on power. This was only possible thanks to a remarkable number of Traditionalists defecting to the Progressists, and the fact that the Imperialists refused to cooperate with anyone else. None the less, Lord Slytherin was seen as a prodigy, a hero, and perhaps even a messiah, by many of the Communists. He, and he alone, had turned the tables around.
Wilbert Philippe didn't take much notice of this undercurrent of feelings though. Wasn't he the elected Chairman of the Communists? He had the mandate to carry out his plans now. His plans, not Lord Slytherin's plans. But Lord Slytherin was... Different. He attracted people towards him, managed to convince even the loudest nay-sayer of saying yes, and radiated both power and promise. After only a few weeks, the Communist Party came together and, under heavy protest of Wilbert Philippe, voted Lord Slytherin in as the new Chairman.
Preposterous! For one, there was no precedent; a Chairman was elected every five years and couldn't just be voted out of office! And secondly, Lord Slytherin stylised himself as an aristocratic lord, the enemy of the working class, the antithesis of the Communist Party! Thus started a political deadlock. The old Triple Alliance wasn't powerful enough to accomplish its goals, but the Communists suffered from infighting. Indeed, the faction supporting Wilbert Philippe even staged a raid on Slytherin's vault in Gringotts. Most of them died, and Riddle, disgusted, left the political arena for good - together with those Communists loyal to him.
Political power slowly seeped back into the hands of the Triple Alliance, although the Progressists and Equalists would see a slow but steady increase in power over the coming decades. The Communists had, for all intents and purposes, collapsed, but a tiny core kept the party on permanent life support. Nothing concrete is known about Riddle during these times, but we can accurately predict his thoughts; 'if those bigoted idiots won't listen to the pen, why, perhaps they will listen to the sword.'
The years went by. Riddle's power grew phenomenally, and really, there wasn't anything extraordinary about the occasional person going missing - although the disappearance of the whole household of Arthur Weasley did raise a few eyebrows. But then, more important people went missing. People with power and influence. People affiliated with the Purists. People openly espousing bigotry. Investigation after investigation turned up nothing, and slowly but surely, an atmosphere of fear materialised above the people's heads like a permanent, dark cloud. Especially when Conservatists, Traditionalists, and anyone not completely supporting an end to bigotry began to be targeted too. Like a creature from the night, Riddle struck, unseen, swift and silent, but deadly all the same.
Riddle tried to both kill or otherwise silence any opposition, as well as to intimidate the rest into executing his schemes. He often worked through proxies; nobody could be trusted. Meanwhile, relations between the House of Black and the House of Malfoy had been deteriorating further and further, and the government was completely unable to fight Riddle. How could they, when nobody even knew Riddle was behind all of it?
Eventually, it was Orion Arcturus Black who extended the hand of friendship to the House of Malfoy. This symbolic ceremony - for it was undoubtedly a political move discussed first behind closed doors - took place in the Wizengamot, and marked the beginning of a new stage in this war. The government had failed. Time for these two powerful Houses to take matters into their own hands.
The old Triple Alliance of Conservatists, Traditionalists, and Purists, lead the fight against Riddle, but they were backed up by the Imperialists, large numbers of Progressists, and quite a few Equalists and Liberalists. Many preferred a peaceful solution over a violent one. By initiating violence, Riddle hadn't endeared himself to the world at large. Only scant days later, Riddle finally revealed himself as the mastermind behind all of it. He demanded that sole control of all governmental functions would be handed over to him. He demanded an end to violence, but more importantly, an end to bigotry.
He was ignored. Violence would go on, although Riddle's numbers increased massively with a huge influx of muggleborns, some half-bloods, and even a few purebloods. Two more unexpected factions fought for him too; creatures such as vampires, werewolves, or snakes, flocked en masse to him, and even muggles were eager to fight for their rights. The latter faction introduced a plethora of tactics, tools, and weaponry, scoring great successes for Riddle. But the augmented Triple Alliance now had a concrete target; Tom Marvolo Riddle. The war moved away from assassinations in the dark, moved towards duelling and open war in broad daylight. Both sides fought hard, and both sides suffered immensely.
The stalemate could very well have lasted for years, had Riddle not paid a visit to the Potters. There, in the anticlimax of anticlimaxes, he died. Why or how, nobody knows. The Blacks were one of the first to be at the Potters' residence, where they found a lot of powerful and strange residue magic, as well as a fire devouring the whole neighbourhood. The Potters had all died; James, Lily, and Harry Potter. They had been very rich, but had decided to stay away from politics. Interestingly enough, Lily Potter had actually been Lily Evans, a muggleborn. None the less, James Potter had been a friend of Sirius Black, and Sirius confirmed that the Potters were firmly on the right side; against Riddle.
In one tragic night, all that had been left of the Potters was wiped out. They had become heroes now, for in that same tragic night, Riddle, too, was wiped out. Why Riddle targeted the Potters in specific - and why they had all died - remains one of the greater mysteries of these times. Rumours, all unlikely, some ludicrous, range from time travel to prophecies, but nobody knows. What is known is that, for some reason, the Potters had relied almost completely on the Fidelius. Why had they not stayed in their ancestral home, why had they moved to this almost defenceless manor? Why had they entrusted a filthy werewolf with their secrets? A werewolf, Remus Lupin, who had betrayed them to Riddle. A werewolf, who was now rotting in Azkaban, if not dead already. Good riddance, said many; the Potters were the people's heroes now.
And thus the war ended in an absurd manner fit only for fairy tales. Reality, as they say, is often stranger than fiction. The war was over now, at the cost of many hundreds - thousands - of lives. Everything could go back to normal now; people celebrated and feasted, bigots freely ranted against the subhuman, Blacks and Malfoys could hurl insults at each other again... And ten years later, a certain child could go to Hogwarts. A boy, thought to be dead. A boy named Harry James Potter.
And though all would view this as an auspicious event - their saviour, returned from Death's doorstep! - some few people saw it as a prelude to darkness. The war had ended when the Potters had ended. Now, a Potter was back. Was the war, then, back too? 'No', they said, and that was that.
'Yes', said a clique of very wise men. War would begin anew. And they would thrive in it.
The Government and the Political Parties of 1991
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28% Conservatists
24% Progressists
15% Traditionalists
13% Equalists
11% Purists
6% Liberalists
2% Imperialists
1% Communists
Conservatists want to keep the status quo. They aren't led by any House per se, but the vast majority of wizards and witches identify themselves with this party. It could be regarded as the base upon which many other parties are built, and is one of the more fluid and flexible parties - as well as the largest. New politicians often adhere to this party, and if a politician denounces his oath of fealty to one of the Houses, he or she often finds himself in this party.
Progressists, led by the House of Prewett, care for knowledge, research, and, indeed, muggle technology. The latter position has caused them to lose quite some potential followers, but the Prewett family as a whole refuses to cede. Where the Traditionalists care about the research and discovery, the history behind it, and respecting the proper rituals, the Progressists are more rash, and like to tinker and experiment with their research, to see if it can perhaps be improved. And while the Traditionalists are purely focused on magic, the Progressists are highly intrigued by muggle technology, too. It's a typical Ravenclaw party, with a brush of Gryffindor, as careless experimenting and tinkering could easily lead to one's death.
Traditionalists, led by the House of Black, care about traditions, and to a lesser extent, magic. Ancient Runes, Ancient Rituals, and Old Magick, long lost knowledge that should be rediscovered. Traditions, rituals, and etiquette are very important, not only because it is required of an upper class man - or woman - to behave according to his class in public, but also because many traditions and etiquettes originate from old magic, rituals, and rites. Paganistic elements and references to gods of ancient pantheons play an important role in the life of a Traditionalist. Traditionalists aren't necessarily supportive of blood purity or conservatism, and, indeed, they're all for the research and advancement of magic and the endless pursuit of knowledge, which is rather contradictory to the Conservatists. However, the vast majority of non-purebloods knows next to nothing about the history of magic, and don't know much beyond the basics taught at Hogwarts, which means Traditionalists see them as boorish, barbaric, and dumb. Traditionalists could be considered an intellectual elite, often foregoing work straight out of Hogwarts, and instead travelling the world or take advanced lessons in various subjects.
Equalists, led by the House of Bones, strive for equality. Originally, this meant equality for blood and even races. Purebloods, muggleborns, centaurs, all would be equal. This made the party basically dead on arrival. Under Jonathan Bones, however, there wouldn't be a push for equality for more races, rather, there would be a push for equality before the law. Thus; a pureblood couldn't walk away scot-free while, had this pureblood been a muggleborn, he or she would've gone to Azkaban. A secondary position is that the dementors of Azkaban should be abolished, and that Azkaban should become a proper, ordinary prison. While still small, thanks to Jonathan's efforts, the party has definitely grown.
Purists, led by the House of Malfoy, care about blood purity. Openly by some, and secretly by many, regarded as a shallow and arrogant party, they are rather small, arrogant, and egocentric. They vastly overestimate their own importance, too; caring about the purity of blood is the norm, there's no need for a party specially made for that purpose. However, the Malfoy family, while small - and sometimes ridiculed for having French origins, not being as pureblooded as many others - is shrewd and not blinded by ideology, contrary to what one would think based on their party. Thanks to realpolitik, a large amount of alliances - albeit mostly with minor Houses - money, and intelligence in general, the Purists are more influential than what would be expected.
Liberalists, led by the House of Brown, want freedom. Absolute freedom of speech, for one. The freedom of a democratically elected government, too. The freedom of not caring whether one is black or white, magical or not so. The freedom to choose one's own path in life, to not be entrapped by pureblood etiquette and societal norms. The freedom of migration, so that others can move into British society and experience its joy. And so on. As such, the Liberalists are an interesting mix of Communists and Equalists. They were more powerful than both, until they followed the Communists and added another freedom to their manifesto; 'freedom from government'. The moment the leader of the Liberalists turned his party into anarchists, the overwhelming majority left the party. And although this has long since been reversed - the Liberalists don't want to abolish the government anymore - the party never really recovered.
Imperialists, led by the House of Blishwick, are similar to the Purists, in that they, too, think pureblooded humans are well within their rights to lord over the rest. But where the Purists are internally focused - on Great Britain - the Imperialists seek to spread this ideal to the outside world. Slavery is perfectly fine, the military should be much larger, and a totalitarian - or fascist - state is desirable. So long as they, the Imperialists, are in power of course. One of the most well-known issues of this party is the complete removal of the goblins of Gringotts, to give wizards and witches their own gold back. That, and the annexation of the Reservations and Nightshade, as well as Unionist Iceland. The core of this party is rather small, but people flock to it in times of war or dissent.
Communists, led by a Chairman, want equality for all. This party is the only party that has elections. Instead of being founded by a House, Jose Scartages, the first Chairman, made all members swear a binding oath to be loyal (when it comes to politics) to the current Chairman. Every five years, a new Chairman is elected by all members of the party. They all give their own twist to the party's politics. Originally, the party wanted equality for all humans and creatures, and a strong government that should make sure everyone had work and enough money to live a relatively comfortable life. But overtime, these goals became twisted and corrupted, according to many. Eventually, the party stated that the government should just be removed, with the Chairman (and therefore, the party) assuming sole command of the nation, so that he or she could easily redistribute resources and wealth, so that everyone could live in peace and prosperity.
However, Lapland, set up by Russian communists in cooperation with the Fins who wanted to be independent of the Tsardom, became a failed, feudal state. With Lapland being the only example of communism in action, not many were inclined to cast their lot with the Communists, especially not when the party's line changed frequently. The Communists would eventually collapse due to infighting, culminating in a raid on Gringotts. Some conspiracy theorists suggest Riddle carefully manipulated the party, but the majority disagree. It is true though, that those few Communists left generally all joined Riddle.
Author's Note:
Right then. The next chapter will be, at last, about our protagonist; Harry James Potter. He's with the Dursleys, but one would wonder how he came to be there. 'Nobody' (uh-huh) knows, so it won't be revealed any time soon.
Once again, because it can't be repeated often enough; you, who are reading this, are awesome!