Author's Notes:
Here's Chapter 129 for you!
I had lots of fun writing this chapter. I'm so glad I was able to finish the chapter today (1st August) on the day of my 26th Birthday. My parents went camping and my sister was at work, so I spent it alone in a cafe, writing. Then I went to the cinema. So overall, a great day.
I start my new part-time job tomorrow, but I've graduated from university, so I'm going to have a lot more free time from now on to write. I can't wait.
Love, DW
PS Enjoy x
Waking up on Sunday morning, Hermione's head felt clearer after spending the late afternoon walking and talking with Draco about their meeting with President Cerys Harris. They had an understanding of what was expected of them over the next couple of months and years, but it was still overwhelming. Once they got back into Britain, they'd speak to their closest friends and pass on as much information as they felt necessary and seek their opinion. Today, their last day in New York, was for them, as a family, and they weren't going to waste it by worrying about Kingsley Shacklebolt.
She leaves Draco softly snoring in bed and enters the living area to find Scorpius stood up, his tiny hands gripping the edge of the crib. Eyes wide, she slowly approaches her son.
"Look at you Scorpius?" She grins.
Scorpius bends his knees and starts bouncing as he giggles from his mother's attention.
"DRACO!" She calls back into the bedroom as she fetches her camera off the coffee table.
"What?" Her husband's sleepy voice returns.
"Come here, quick." She replies, listening for his footsteps behind her.
"What's going on?" He asks, pulling his dressing gown around him as he walks into the living area, eyes scanning the room until they fall on Scorpius, bouncing in his crib. "Oh no!" he mutters. "It's far too soon for him to be standing. I thought we'd get at least a few more months before he became mobile." He admits to Hermione.
"He's eight months," she reminds him. "My dad was seven months when he started standing." She lines up her shot with the camera, snapping a few different angled pictures of their son smiling as he bounces.
"He's a fast learner," Draco coos, walking over to his son and picking him up. "You're so clever, son." He blows a raspberry on his cheek, causing their son to giggle louder. Hermione takes another picture.
"Okay, okay, don't get him too excited. We've got an exciting day ahead of us as it is." Hermione reminds him. "You can get him changed while I'll pack his bag for the day."
Draco whispers something to their son as he takes him into their bedroom, where all their clothes are still in the suitcase. Hermione packs bottles of milk for Scorpius and snacks for themselves into his changing bag, then collects a few spare changes of clothes from the suitcase before getting dressed.
They're all ready to leave for their Central Park adventure by ten o'clock, with Scorpius strapped into his pram, which Draco pushes. Hermione fiddles around with the settings on her camera, that's hanging around her neck on a strap and snaps a few pictures of Draco, Scorpius and New York City. There would be plenty of picture opportunities throughout their day to take photos of her young family enjoying new experiences.
It takes them an hour and a half to walk to the park's south entrance, nearest the zoo, so they decide to make that their last stop of the day before they head back to their apartment. Instead, they walk along the three miles of meandering pathways from the bottom to the top of Central Park, stopping at anything interesting to inspect and take a photo. Scorpius particularly enjoyed walking through the North Woods with all the tall trees canopying overhead and the birds twittering away. Eventually, they make their way to a small café that specialises in preprepared picnic baskets. They order one from the menu and wait for it to be made before taking their food to the East Meadow, where they lay out a blanket that came with the basket and set out their food. Scorpius sits in the middle between his two parents, and while they enjoy their sandwiches and snacks, he watches people walk by as he drinks a bottle of milk.
Afterwards, they leisurely walk another hour through the park, stopping at the boating lake to watch a few couples and families in rowing boats before continuing down to the zoo. It had already been a long day, and they were looking forward to a nap when they got back to their apartment before they went out for dinner, childfree thanks to Megan.
Out of all the animals in the zoo, Gus the polar bear appears to be Scorpius' favourite. He starts babbling and flapping his hands excitedly when they circle back round to the bear. Although Draco finds the whole encounter with Gus rather sad, the bear seems to be just constantly swimming circles around his tiny pool. Either way, his son appears to be happy, so Draco buys him a Gus soft toy, which is the same size as Scorpius, whose tiny fist grasps the toys paw as he naps in his pram on the walk back to their apartment. Hermione uses the walk to go through the hundred pictures she had taken throughout the day and deleting what she didn't want.
"I'll send this one to Luna once we get back to the apartment," Hermione shows her husband a picture of Scorpius sat on the picnic blanket, grinning and waving at a passer-by. "It's been a while since we've sent The Quibbler a picture for Lucius."
"By May, you should be able to continue your visits, as long as the Minister reviews the Decree and repeal it," Draco reassures her.
"We'd be lucky," she rolls her eyes, turning her camera off. "I'm so tired." She sighs.
"It's only five in the afternoon; we can take a nap before we got out for dinner. Megan seemed excited to take Scorpius; I'm sure she wouldn't mind taking Scorpius a little earlier." He comments, becoming familiar with the street as they near their apartment.
Once inside, they take the lift straight up to Megan's floor and knock on her door. She is more than happy to babysit Scorpius a few hours earlier, taking him in her arms as soon as she opens the door.
"Don't worry about getting back early; we'll be fine," Megan mentions as the couple leaves.
"Thank you, Megan," Hermione gives the other woman a quick hug before they take the lift to their floor.
Draco and Hermione end up napping for nearly two hours once in their room. They take their turns showering and dressing, ready for their first date night since Scorpius was born. During their walk back from Central Park, they had spotted a small Greek restaurant preparing to open, and the smells emanating from the open back door had watered their mouths. They arrive just after eight o'clock, and despite the restaurant being busy, the Host finds them a small table at the side, since it's only the two of them.
They spend their date sharing Draco's beef stifado, Hermione's lamb kofta and the side of halloumi fries, and laughing as they forget all about their original purpose for being in the United States and reminisce on their first family holiday. They only leave when the restaurant closes at half-past eleven, ensuring to tip extra to thank the restaurant staff for being so accommodating. They collect a sleeping Scorpius from Megan and head to bed on their way back to their apartment.
Unfortunately, due to their two-hour nap earlier, both Draco and Hermione struggle to fall asleep once they find themselves in bed, so they continue their reminiscing by laughing about the less painful parts of their shared time at Hogwarts, in between lazy kisses. When Scorpius wakes up from his sleep, they decide to pack their belongings and head home early. They hope that if they return to the Ministry before six o'clock in the morning, Minister Shacklebolt wouldn't have arrived yet.
At half-one, Hermione goes up to Megan's apartment to leave her a letter of thanks under her door, then she meets her husband and son in the foyer. They reach MACUSA's Portkey room nearer to two o'clock and order one to the Ministry, which takes a few minutes. They make it to the Ministry's Portkey room at quarter past six with a sigh of relief and looking forward to being in their own bed, in their own house.
However, when they exit the Portkey room, they see Alexander Vyner sat on the floor next to the only entrance to the Portkey Department, legs outstretched, ankles crossed as he reads a Muggle newspaper. His eyes flicker over the top as they approach him, and sighing deeply as he recognises them, he stands, folding the newspaper beneath his arm.
Hermione notices that he's wearing the same robes he had been wearing when he rushed them into the Portkey room on Friday. "What's going on, Alexander?" She asks, thoughts running through her head.
"We are in some deep trouble." Alexander's head nods up as he says, "He seems to be under the impression I helped you leave the country, which is completely true, but besides the point. Minister Shacklebolt hasn't left his office since I had to tell him you had already departed, and I've been waiting for your return since. He's ordered me to take you up to his office as soon as you return." Alexander Vyner guides them out of the Portkey room towards the lifts.
"What does he want?" Draco asks, wondering how much of their meeting with President Harris could have made its way to the Ministry.
"I told you there were rumours about your trip before you left, but then someone confirmed that you were meeting with the President of MACUSA to help convince them to sign the new tax contracts," Alexander eyes them both, obviously not believing that. "I'm assuming Shacklebolt will want to discuss that and your entire trip in general."
"This might actually work in our favour; we need your help, Alexander." Hermione states.
His shoulders deflate slightly, "What now?"
"President Harris needs copies of the questionnaires to prove they had little to do with how couples were paired together, and the pairings were in fact against the ICW Wizarding Rights Act," Hermione explains. "We need the questionnaires from the Weasley's and their partners, Blaise Zabini and Luna Lovegood, Gregory Goyle and Megan Jones, Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan, and Neville Longbottom and Hannah Abbott."
Alexander's eyes widen, "You really are trying to take him down." He whispers as the lift arrives.
"I thought you knew,"
"I assumed," he shrugs as they enter.
"Vyner, can you help? We understand if you don't want to risk your job." Draco ensures the man doesn't feel pressured to help.
"I would if I could, but my own access to the Archives have been restricted. When you two were given access, I had a map that would alert me whenever anyone entered the Archives and which filing cabinets were opened. The Minister confiscated it when he found out you had given up your access." He explains. "We have to submit a report whenever we want to go down there now."
Hermione walks herself through the Archives in her memory, trying to calculate how long one would need to walk through the entire maze of filing cabinets, collect the questionnaires they needed and get out. "You'd only need ten minutes to get into the Book Vault, collect the evidence and leave, right?"
Alexander's brow furrows as he seems to conduct the same calculations, "Theoretically, yes?" He agrees.
"Here's my plan," Hermione begins as the lift reaches the Minister's floor. "It's quarter past six; we'll wait five minutes before knocking on his office door. That should give you enough time to get down to the Archives. Then wait two minutes while we distract Shacklebolt by disrespecting him into a rage. That's when you enter the Archives and get all the questionnaires we need, and leave within ten minutes. We'll leave at half-past six, and you can apparate to our house when you've finished work." Hermione theorises.
Alexander nods along with the plan, "I'm already in the deep end; I might as well start treading water to stay afloat rather than drown."
"Is that some Muggle idiom?" Draco asks.
"No, that's just me talking," Alexander shakes his head. "Where do you live?" he asks.
Hermione takes a scrap piece of parchment out of her handbag and scribbles their address down, "You'll have to apparate to our gate. We have many wards up over the house and grounds."
Alexander nods, pocketing the address, "I guess there's no turning back now, good luck," he steps back into the lift and presses the button for the floor to his Archives.
"This is all happening rather quickly," Draco comments, keeping Scorpius distracted in his chest carrier.
"It's good, though; we're making progress very quickly," Hermione mentions.
"How are we going disrespect Shacklebolt into a rage?" He smirks.
"Darling, we do that naturally?" She grins. "I'm sure we'll think of something," she checks her watch. "Come on, we're on a tight schedule." She takes his hand as they walk down the corridor towards the Minister for Magic's office.
The Minister's secretary would be due to arrive until eight o'clock, along with the majority of the other Ministry workers, so they wait patiently and quietly until twenty-past six when Alexander should have made it to the Archives. Hermione then knocks on the door to the office of the Minister of Magic.
"Enter," Minister Shacklebolt's voice croaks from inside, probably from the lack of use over the weekend and being holed up in his stuffy office.
Draco reaches for the doorknob, but Hermione halts him, "If he answers, he'll be away from his desk," she points out, and so they wait.
"I said ENTER!" The door flies open with a wave from Kingsley Shacklebolt's wand, revealing the man standing over his desk and glaring through the threshold at whoever had dared disturb him this early in the morning.
When Hermione's eyes meet Kingsley's, she instinctively steps backwards. The man in front of her looks wild, his robes are askew, his face a couple of days unshaven, and his eyes shifting as they adjusted to the corridor's light streaming into his dim office.
Upon seeing the couple responsible for his current state of appearance, Kingsley straightens his posture, rolling his shoulders back and clears his throat. "I had been wondering when the two of you would make an appearance." He comments.
Despite not being invited into the Minister for Magic's office, Draco takes Hermione's hand and leads her. Hermione squares her shoulders, prepared for whatever is to come as they stop in front of Kingsley Shacklebolt's desk.
Before they have a chance to reply, Minister Shacklebolt looks behind them as his office door swings shut. "Where is Vyner?" He asks, unimpressed.
"I assume he's gone back to his office," she shrugs. "We're more than capable of finding our own way to the Minister's office; we didn't need an escort," Hermione retorts.
"Mr Vyner was not your escort," the Minister lets a small smirk grace his lips. "He was supposed to be here to corroborate your story." He explains.
Hermione laughs lightly, "Our story? Since you ordered us in here, I would have thought you knew everything already, and none of it is fictitious."
While the Shacklebolt and Hermione were having their back and forth, Draco took the lack of attention on himself to scan the Minister's desk for the Archive's map. It's a difficult task as the desk is littered with mounds of overlapping pieces of parchments. He becomes very suddenly aware of the map when on the edge of the desk, the visible outline of the Archive map lights up red, signifying the door opening. Vyner had entered the Archives right on time, but the map is directly in the Minister's line of sight.
Thinking quickly, Draco states, "We've heard there have been rumours spreading around the Ministry; no doubt you've heard them too."
Minister Shacklebolt's head turns to Draco, as expected, and snaps, "Of course I've heard the rumours, I'm the Minister of Magic." He reminds them. "What you fail to understand is that rumours are like a house fire in the Ministry." He claims. "And when enough people are stoking them, the rumours rise like smoke." He clarifies. "So, it didn't take long for the rumours I'm sure you set aflame to reach me up here in my office." He glances back at Hermione.
"Great analogy. Have you spent the whole weekend thinking about it?" Draco asks, drawing the Minister's glaring attention back. "It's rather obvious you haven't left your office since Friday." He scans the Minister appearance.
"We haven't set any rumours, and we've been very open about everything we've been doing. We followed all the legal restrictions you put in place to stop us from going about our lives. We haven't seen most of our friends since the 'Death Eater Decree' was announced." Hermione argues.
"I believe that reflects more on the type of friends you have, if they're all on the Watchlist," Shacklebolt counteracts, catching Hermione off guard.
"The majority of the Watchlisters were never involved with the Dark Lord; most of them are either married to an ex-Death Eater or a suspected one," Draco begins.
"All thanks to your Marriage Decree," Hermione adds.
"But what I don't understand is the purpose of this decree in the first place. You've said yourself that you don't believe in the New Dark Lord, and yet you're afraid the Death Eater's would cause such a scene that other countries would withdraw from our trade market?" Draco questions rhetorically. "You know there aren't that many old Death Eater's left, and what's to say that the new Death Eater's are on the watchlist? Looking at who actually is on the watchlist, it seems to me that you wanted to restrict the meeting of those who protested against you and embarrassed you at the War Anniversary dinner, and then again at the Marriage Anniversary dinner." He hypothesises. "But those people would never join the New Death Eater movement when the majority of them fought against the Dark Lord during the war. It seems rather counterproductive to put restrictions on those people and leave everyone else, who are more likely to have joined the New Dark Lord, free to meet with each other."
Hermione smiles proudly as her husband belittles the Minister for Magic. "We've said our piece, and we're done. We have no need to continue plotting against you. We told you how we feel about the Marriage Decree and the continuation of reminiscing on the tragedy of the war, now we want to get on with our lives and raise our son." Hermione states.
"You're really not that special, Kingsley," Draco smirks, watching the rage ignite behind the Minister's eyes at his use of his first name. "You may be the Minister for Magic right now, but we don't need to plot against you. You are placing too much value on our influence in the wizarding world; you're going to lose the next election with or without our input."
"Your Marriage Decree affected more than just the people you forced to marry, but also the various generations of family and friends that had to watch us get married and have children. Now you've gone further and alienated many of the people who voted you into office the first time by placing them on the Watchlist because they couldn't afford to leave their ministerial job when Voldemort took over." Hermione points out. "When the time comes for the next election, do you truly believe you've done enough to assure your re-election? Do you truly believe you can do enough, that you can make enough amends, to be re-elected?" Hermione asks.
Kingsley Shacklebolt glares at Hermione; her questioning has obviously gotten to him. He clears his throat, finally sitting down behind his desk, and steeples his hands. "What was the purpose of your trip to New York?" He asks, getting them back on track.
Hermione sighs, rolling her eyes, "A family holiday." She simply answers.
"I know that to be a lie. You stayed at the MACUSA Apartment Complex, which is used for invited guests of the President and foreign staff, such as Mrs Goyle. Also, the apartment has to be booked in advance." He glances between Hermione and Draco, watching for their reaction, of which they show none. "Why did President Harris invite you for a meeting?" The Minister asks.
"It was Megan Goyle who invited us." Hermione clarifies. "You sent her back to New York to work alongside the President and the Secretary of State, Tiffany Tyler. Megan was struggling to convince them to sign the new trade contracts, so she invited us, as a 'war hero', and an ex-Death Eater, to help her convince the President to sign."
"How would the two of you help convince President Harris?" He sounds doubtful.
"We were on opposite sides of the war. I spoke to Cerys," Hermione pauses for a moment before correcting herself. "I mean, President Harris. I spoke to President Harris about how Britain has rebuilt itself after the war, Draco spoke about the downfall of Voldemort and his Death Eaters, then we both discussed our role as Hogwarts Professors and the future generation of British wizards and witches." She finished.
"You'll soon find out just how effective we were. The newly signed trade contract from MACUSA should be on your desk by this morning." Draco adds.
"President Harris signed the contract?" He frowns in disbelief.
"Yes, and you're very welcome," Draco grins awkwardly, trying to keep the Minister's attention as the Archive map lights up once more to signify Alexander Vyner leaving the Archives. "You got what you wanted, and I hope our effort will be thanked in your review of the Death Eater Decree on the first of May. Now, if you would excuse us, we'd like to get home before the Ministry becomes warming with workers." He states.
"Very well," the Minister nods. "I will review the Decree once I've analysed the MACUSA Trade Contract."
That's all Draco and Hermione could hope for, so they nod their goodbye politely and leave, letting the Minister's office door swing closed behind them. Neither of them speaks as they make their way down to the Foo Floor, both in too much shock and surprise to celebrate this slight win.
However, once inside the comfort of their own kitchen, after flooing home, Hermione wraps her arms around her husband's neck, kissing him square on the lips. "That went much better than I expected, and we barely had to lie." She grins.
Draco chuckles at his wife's joy. "I'm not sure about that; he seemed rather angry at me. I did push him a little far, but he did seem reluctantly impressed at the end."
"Yes, he did." She agrees. "You were amazing," she kisses him again, giggling. "'You're really not that special, Kingsley'," Hermione repeats the words that had infuriated the Minister for Magic most. "I could have kissed you right there. You really know how to find and target his point of weakness." She compliments him.
Draco frowns slightly, not entirely sure that's worthy of a compliment, but he'll take it anyway. "I don't think Vyner will be showing up until this afternoon. We should try to get some sleep." He suggests.
The couple places their still sleeping son, who had napped through their whole encounter with the Minister for Magic, down in his crib before retiring to their own room. The relief of confronting Kingsley Shacklebolt, after ensuring the signing of the new trade contract and the hope of easing restrictions, meant Hermione and Draco fell into a relaxed sleep almost as soon as their heads hit their pillows.
Hermione wakes at one in the afternoon to her mobile phone ringing out. She absentmindedly lifts the phone to her ear and answers with a croaky, "Hello?"
"Hi, it's me, Harry," Harry informs her. "I don't know what you've done, but the rumour mill is going crazy here."
Hermione sits up, glancing beside her to where Draco should be, but she finds him gone. "What rumours?" She questions, pulling on her dressing gown.
"Apparently, you two had a meeting with Kingsley this morning, and he's been in a meeting with Oscar Crawford, the Minister for Defense, since ten o'clock this morning. Word is, there is going to be an announcement tonight about the lifting of the Death Eater Decree." Harry excitedly informs her.
Hermione makes her way downstairs, "That's amazing. Kingsley said after our meeting that he would review the decree once the MACUSA trad contract came through." She finds Draco and Scorpius sat at the couch in the kitchen, eating toast together.
Draco mouths, 'Who's that?' nodding at her phone, and Hermione relies on mouthing, 'Harry', to which Draco nods, going back to watching Scorpius gnaw on his slice of toast with his gums and the few teeth he had coming through.
"Anyway, Molly's throwing a little get-together tonight to celebrate when the announcement comes through, but we have to follow the restrictions up until then, so you and Draco and Ron and Pansy are the only Watchlisters being invited," Harry explains.
"That seems fair enough. What time do you want us there?" She asks.
"We're getting there for half-six, so any time around then?" Harry says.
"We'll see you there then." Hermione agrees, then hangs up after they each say, "Goodbye".
"Where are we going?" Draco asks.
"The Burrow, there's talk of the Minister easing the restrictions tonight. Rumours are going wild at the Ministry, and Kingsley's been talking to the Minister of Defense." She quickly repeats her conversation with Harry.
"Alexander should be here once he finished work at five o'clock, so we'll have plenty of time to get ready for dinner." She points out.
"Do you want to go for a walk down by the river this afternoon, or do you want to wait in for Vyner?" Draco asks.
"We can go down the river; I'll ask Mitty to make us a packed lunch for a picnic," she grins, kissing both her boys on their cheek before leaving out the back door, in a pair of slippers, for Mitty's flat.
The House-elf has been very vocally thankful about her and Draco gifting her the apartment above the garage. She still doesn't believe she deserves it, but after everything she has done for Draco and now Scorpius, it's the least they could do to show their own thanks, especially since Mitty absolutely refused to accept payment for her work.
Hermione knocks on the door. She hears a crack behind the door, the tell-tale sound of a house-elf apparating, then Mitty opens the door.
"Hermione?" She squeaks. "I not knows you and Master Draco back."
"It's fine, Mitty. We got back this morning and went straight to bed. We didn't sleep last night in New York." Hermione assures her. "Did you have a nice couple of days alone?" She asks.
"Yes, Mitty did lots of knitting." She smiles a toothy grin proudly.
"That's great; if you need any more wool, just ask." Hermione reminds her. "We're thinking about going for a walk down by the river. Would you be able to put together a little packed lunch for the three of us?" She asks.
"Mitty happy to, Hermione," she states, then apparates to their kitchen, leaving Hermione to close Mitty's front door and walk back to her house.
Hermione and Draco bathe their son, then shower themselves. By the time they're dressed and downstairs, Mitty had a picnic basket packed for them.
The house-elf awkwardly toes the wooden floor, looking down in shame as she hums, "Hermione, Mitty need more wool. Red and green please?" She asks.
"Of course, Mitty. I'll order some from Diagon Alley tomorrow."
Mitty smiles, "Thank you, Hermione, thank you." She jumps up and down excitedly then apparated back to her apartment.
Scorpius, attached to his father by the chest carrier, waves goodbye to Mitty, making both his parents laugh with how adorable their son is growing up to be.
Their walk down by the river takes them two hours, with a twenty-minute break on the pebble shore to eat their sandwiches, fruit and crackers. Scorpius had enjoyed picking up pebbles and bashing them together, curious of the noise he makes. Draco, at one point, rolled his trousers up and took his shoes off to paddle in the river with his son, holding Scorpius' tiny fists as he attempts to walk across the slippery and uneven pebbles on the river bed. Hermione had taken the opportunity to snap a couple of pictures. Suppose Kingsley eased restrictions tonight during his announcement. In that case, she might be able to resume her visitations to Lucius. The man would be able to see his grandson in person. Still, just in case, she would send a picture of Scorpius giggling as he kicks his legs around in the water to Luna, so she can publish the image in the next edition of the Quibbler.
At quarter past five, they are alerted to the arrival of Alexander Vyner as he crosses their protections wards, and an alarm rings three times through the house. Draco waits in the foyer until the man knocks on the door.
"Welcome to our house," Draco politely greets Alexander Vyner, motioning for him to enter and follow him into the kitchen, where Hermione is sat with Scorpius.
"You have a lovely home," Alexander comments just as politely as his eyes scan the massive house.
"Thank you, Alexander." Hermione stands to greet him. "How was your mission? There were no issues on our end. Draco managed to distract Kingsley's attention away from the map." She explains.
Alexander Vyner nods, "I was called up not long after I assume you left. I thought I'd been caught, but he just yelled at me for not taking you up to his office himself. I think we're in the clear." He removed a large pile of parchments from the inside pocket of his cloak and hands them over to Hermione. "I got the questionnaires of everyone you asked for, and I know you didn't ask for the rules, but I got them too. I wanted to see them for myself. It's disgusting how the Decree was conducted." He shakes his head.
Hermione thumbs her way through the pile of parchments, scanning the names of each person and ticking them off her mental list. "Thank you, Alexander. You've been a great help."
"I assume you've heard about this announcement Shacklebolt is making tonight?" Draco questions.
"Of course, it's all anyone is talking about. He's been having meetings all day with Crawford, West and Montgomery." He sighs. "Something big is going to happen tonight."
"He told us that as soon as he had the MACUSA trade contract on his desk, he would review the Death Eater Decree," Hermione explains.
"One can only hope," Alexander shrugs. "Anyway, I should be getting home. May I use your floo?" He asks.
"Of course," Hermione shows him to their floo room next to their back door. "Thank you again," she says, just before he leaves, and Alexander salutes before throwing the floo powder down and speaking his address clearly.
Just after half-six, Molly squeals at the appearance of Hermione and Scorpius through the floo network; throwing her tea towel on the counter, she rushes over to pull them into a giant hug. When Draco arrives seconds later, Molly grabs his shoulder and drags him in too.
"I've missed you so much," Molly admits, taking Scorpius from Hermione's arms and kisses his cheeks and forehead. "Harry has told me some of what you've done to ease this stupid decree. I'm so proud of you two." Molly tells them. "Now, go join the others in the living room. I've got the kids in here." She places Scorpius in the large playpen where James, Phoebe, Philip and Fred were already playing with wooden blocks and cuddly toys.
Hermione is greeted by hugs from the Weasley's in the living room, all excited to hear about her meeting that morning with Kingsley Shacklebolt and what occurred on their weekend trip to New York. Hermione leads the story on the meeting with Kingsley, with Draco interrupting to add smaller details when needed, mainly a description of the Minister for Magic's face at specific stages of the meeting.
"What about your meeting with the President of MACUSA?" Ginny asks; Teddy is sat on her lap, playing with a bowl of beads which he threads onto a shoestring.
"I'm not sure we're allowed to discuss the particulars of that meeting," Hermione admits, sowing seeds of interest in those listening. "It was a very productive meeting, though." She adds.
Harry catches her eye and raises his eyebrows as he nods his head up in a questioning manner. Hermione nods, assuming her friend suggests they meet upstairs later to discuss everything that happened with MACUSA and President Harris.
Arthur opens the living room door, calling everyone to dinner before anyone can question her further, which Hermione is very thankful for. Teddy jumps off Ginny's lap, running after Arthur with his bead necklace 1still gripped in his hands. It is only now her friend isn't hidden by the young boy that Hermione notices just how much Ginny's pregnancy bump has grown in the past month since she'd last seen her.
"Wow, Gin, how long do you have left?" Hermione asks.
Ginny smiles, hands coming up to pat her bump, "We've got sixteen weeks left. We're due the fourteenth of August."
"Well, congratulations. How are you feeling?" She asks as they sit beside each other at the long kitchen table.
Ginny leans closer to admit, "It took a while for me to get used to the idea, but I'm ultimately delighted."
"Hey, Hermione, we've worked out the dates; the new baby will be in the same Hogwarts year group as Scorpius. They'll be best friends." Harry calls over from where he's sat with Ron and George.
"Scorpius will be nearly a whole year older," Draco points out.
"And I'm sure Scorpius will never let Baby Potter live that down." George jokes.
The Weasley's and their extended family enjoy their dinner, with the radio on at the centre of the table, waiting for the Minister for Magic's announcement. It hasn't come by the time they've eaten, so they remain at the table with cups of teas or coffees, or in some cases, a glass of firewhiskey.
Finally, at eight o'clock, the familiar voice of Poppy Montgomery, the Minister of Media, speaks out of the radio, "A message from the Minister for Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt."
"To the citizens of Britain, I call upon you all to listen to this message carefully," the Minister for Magic begins his message, the same as the previous one. "I promised to review the new decree on the first of May, but here I am two weeks early with an announcement. As Minister for Magic, it is of my opinion that the loyalty of former Death Eaters and their partners have been appropriately tested."
"I forgot the whole decree was a loyalty test," Ron mentions but is 'shushed' by the majority of his family, who is trying to listen.
"Furthermore, the so-called 'new Death Eater Movement' has been silent. Without any new actions or words from the New Dark Lord, the Wizengamot and I are confident the new Decree has worked as intended."
Draco scoffs, unimpressed, but continues listening intently.
"However, it has been brought to our attention that there is now another group, who have shown disloyalty to the Ministry of Magic, and who are not a part of the Death Eater Movement. Some members of this new group were on the watch list; however, perhaps even more worrisomely, some members are everyday citizens of Britain. Therefore, in the review of the Decree, the rules placed upon the Watchlisters will now apply to all adult citizens of Britain. Additionally, you may now meet in groups of no more than seven adults, accept in places of employment. This new amendment to the decree will be reviewed bi-monthly to ensure the actions are being taken appropriately. The amendments go into effect immediately, thank you, and goodnight." Shacklebolt finishes.
"This has been a message from the Minister for Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt," Poppy Montgomery ends the broadcast, leaving the table in the Burrow silent.
"Did he just say it goes into immediate effect?" Percy stands, rushing to the kitchen window, eyes scanning across the garden for Ministry Officials.
"He did," Harry confirms.
"We better go then," George stands to his feet, quickly collecting his son from the large crib. "It was nice seeing you all, not sure when we'll do it again unless you come into the shop."
"George, don't leave yet. There's no one here." Molly grabs her son's wrist. "We've only just gotten the family all together again."
"No, he's right, Molly," Arthur rubs his wife's shoulder's, calming her down. "All the rumours in the Ministry today were about Hermione and Draco's New York trip. It seems obvious that this new group the Minister was talking about is the two of you and us, your friends. Kingsley is paranoid that the two of you have got it out for him. I wouldn't be surprised if all of us are at the top of his new watch list." He explains.
"We should go, George, stay with your family," Hermione announces, feeling beyond angry and upset at being the cause of this new amendment.
"I think you need to tell us exactly what happened in New York," Harry states.
"Harry's right; we need to get ahead of the game. Shacklebolt is clearly trying to do the same by stopping us all from getting together. He obviously thinks you're planning something, so we need to know why he thinks that and what we can do to change his opinion." Percy agrees.
Hermione awkwardly exchanges a guilty look with Draco. How could she tell her friends that they were planning something, and with the President of MACUSA?
"Okay, so you are planning something," Percy nods. "We still need to convince Shacklebolt that you aren't and then work together to do whatever it is you're planning. The more people involved, the less attention will be on you." He thinks aloud. "Is that what you needed our questionnaire answers for?" He asks.
"Yes," Hermione admits, just as multiple cracks ring out across the garden.
Percy and Arthur glare out, making eye contact with multiple Ministry Officials currently storming across the Burrow's Garden.
"Molly, get the kids out. Hermione, Draco, stay here; we'll talk." Arthur announces, pulling his wand out as he steps out of the kitchen door with Percy behind him, closing the door behind them. "Can I help you, boys?" He asks.
"We'll leave too," Pansy tells Hermione, Philip in her arms. "But you better tell me everything later."
"Of course, I will," Hermione promises, following her friends to the fireplace where George has just disappeared with Fred, and Angelina follows quickly behind.
"Ron, your turn, quick," Molly kisses the top of Phoebe's head before ushering her son into the fireplace. "Come on, Pansy, dear."
"Yes, Molly, we're going." Pansy rolls her eyes at Hermione with a smile. "I'll see you soon." She nods pointedly before leaving.
Molly dabs her forehead and neck with a tea towel, rushing to the kitchen door to face the Ministry Officials with her husband and third eldest son. "Will you please leave us alone?" Molly cries, wafting the Ministry Officials away with her tea towel.
"Mrs Weasley, we have the right to search your property if we believe there are more than seven citizens grouping together." The lead Ministry Official states.
"I know the law, it's only just changed after all, but you couldn't give us ten minutes to say goodbye before you came storming onto my property with your wands out." Molly angry gestures at their wands gripped tightly in their hands. "Actually, take those wands and scan the area again; you'll find there are only seven of us here."
The lead Ministry Official grits his teeth, not liking to be told what to do, but does as much since it's the next step in the search anyway. "There's seven of them." He admits after his wand emits seven pulses of light to signify the number of adult wizards and witches within a fifty-metre radius.
"I will now ask you, politely, to leave my property," Arthur says, puffing his chest up in an attempt to appear more authoritative.
Reluctantly, the Ministry Officials leave, walking back across the garden and disapparating away.
Arthur sighs in relief, guiding his wife back inside. Percy locks the door behind them.
"I think we could all do with a cup of tea while these two tell us just what happened on their holiday," Molly announces, teasingly chastising Hermione and Draco.
Sat back down at the Burrow's table, now all with a cup of tea, Harry, Ginny, Percy, Molly and Arthur all listen as Hermione and Draco explain the outcome of their holiday to New York and their meeting with President Cerys Harris.
"Basically, we learned that MACUSA has been working with the International Confederation of Wizards to remove Kingsley Shacklebolt from office. They have many low-level moles within the Ministry, which is how they get their information since the Daily Prophet has been banned in the United States. Still, they're trying to get some more high-level moles. They're hoping to arrest Kingsley for breaking quite a lot of the ICW's Wizarding Rights Act. We have been tasked with collect as many questionnaires as we can to support our claim that they were irrelevant except for the Blood Status and sexuality question. President Harris has asked me to write an essay about the ineffectiveness of the previous Marriage Decree, which will be published in the Congress Times in the States." She explains.
"As soon as your essay is published, Kingsley is going to know you're officially working against him and with MACUSA. They'll be no hiding that, and he'll make your lives a living hell." Percy claims.
"I know," Hermione agrees. "But it's an important step. President Harris has said the whole operation may take a few years before they can arrest the Minister. What if we get a pushback, and it takes even longer? I want people to understand just how manipulative Kinsley was since he knew about the previous Marriage Decree. If the next election comes before he's arrested, I don't want to take the risk of him being elected again. I want the whole of Britain to understand." She explains.
Percy nods, understanding her point.
"The plan is to have a catch up with President Harris every three months, and by our next meeting, she wants a list of people who would be willing to help. She brought up the Order of the Phoenix," Draco admits. "She thinks a similar group would be effective." He makes eye contact with Harry, who's holding back a grin.
"I wanted to restore the Order to take down the Death Eaters, but if we can take down Kingsley too, well then, that's quite an achievement, isn't it?" Harry admits.
Hermione narrows her eyes at her friend, "I heard all about that, recruiting my husband behind my back."
Harry's eyes widen, "It was all Draco; he asked if he could join."
"Well, it seems I'll be joining too now. We need to do something about Kingsley, and this is as good a way as any other." Hermione agrees.
"I'll join too, of course. Although meetings are going to be difficult with this new rule-of-seven." Percy points out.
"I've been thinking about that while I've been listening," Ginny admits. "I think the best way to conduct Order meetings would be for there to be the main group of seven. I'm thinking Hermione and Draco, Harry, Dad, Ron, George, and Percy. Then that person has their own group of six who they feedback to at a separate meeting. Hermione can do Hogwarts Professors since you can talk to all of them at once without worrying about the rule-of-seven. Draco can talk to your friends, Blaise, Greggory… I don't know your friend." Ginny shrugs. "Harry and Dad can work through the Ministry. Ron can do your friends from school, Neville and Hannah, Dean and Seamus, Luna, Dennis. George can do his friends from school, Alicia, Katie, Lee, and Oliver."
"Who am I feedbacking to, then?" Percy asks.
"I don't know, the past members of the Order that are retired, you know, Dedalus Diggle, Andromeda, Slughorn. You can talk to Bill and Charlie too." Ginny shrugs.
"That's a great idea. I love it," Harry kisses his wife's cheek.
"We need to ask everyone and make sure they all want to join the Order." Hermione states. "I can send a message through the coins, but the best I can do is a time, date and location." She adds.
"I know it's only been three years, but if we get McGonagall's help, we can perhaps throw a reunion for students who partook in the war; that way, everyone who was in the DA will be there, Harry suggests.
"If I send a message through the coins for the same night as the reunion, and set the location as the Room of Requirement, then only the old DA members will come, and we can ask them as a group." Hermione smiles, glad that some form of plan was coming together.
"It's going to be at least two months before we can have a reunion." Percy points out. "Students break up for the Summer at the end of June now, right?"
"Yes, that gives me time to write this essay for MACUSA, which might help convince everyone to re-join the Order, and for us to work throughout assigned groups. We need to go slow. Make sure you're confident the person you're talking to is on our side before you bring up the Order. We can't afford to mention the regrouping to someone loyal to Kingsley." Hermione says.
"Okay, if we give ourselves until the thirtieth of June to gather some names for the Order. Then we'll ask McGonagall for the use of Hogwarts for a reunion on the first of July. I think that's something small to work towards right now. We take our time, and we don't put our necks out too far. We need to stay under the radar." Harry finalises their plan.
Once everyone has agreed, they finish their sups of teas and hug each other goodbye, with the hope of seeing everyone soon, but knowing it'll be difficult with the rule-of-seven to see their friends and family all in one room together again. However, hope was not all lost, not with their treasonous plan put in motion to help the ICW and MACUSA to take down Kingsley Shacklebolt.
You should follow me on Instagram (delilah . wise) to find out when the next chapter will be uploaded. Also, I might ask for more help for other chapters.
Thank you so much for reading.
Please FAVOURITE, FOLLOW and COMMENT. It will be much appreciated.