Summary of last chapter:
- Lily introduces the Black trio to her parents, Arcturus tells Liah and Patrick about the state of Magical Britain and advises them to leave Britain, they want to take Lily with them but Arcturus reassures her that Lily is safe enough in Hogwarts for the time being
- Houses Rubisheart and Gibbon are now permanent members of the Wizengamot
- Vega Walburga Black is born, House Black is slowly changing it's opinion about Voldemort
- Atticus Sayre invites Arcturus to his Manor to tell him that Harold Minchum is soon to be assassinated, the assassination indeed takes place but Harold Minchum survives the attempt done by imperiused aurors
- The whole situation annoys Voldemort and he plans to strike fear into the peoples' hearts
Chapter 18:
Patch Notes (Yes Really, lol):
Added MacMillan to the Wizengamot list in Chapters 12 and 13. They are a Most Noble and Ancient House and part of the Black Alliance. That's right boys (and girls) I forgot to add one of the houses I specifically mentioned in Chapter 2 to be part of the Black Alliance, shame on me.
Henceforth, I finally decided to remove the part in Chapter 12 where Voldemort calls the Black Alliance neutered completely as it makes even less sense now.
Arcturus mentions that the Progressives and the Light Moderates voted in favour of the proposal in Chapter 14 but what with Ministry and their 37 seats? Well while I had added them to the vote tally I forgot to add it to Arcturus' thoughts and so I fixed that.
So yeah please reread Chapter 12 to 14 if you originally read those chapters before 17.01.2023
28th August 1976, England, Ministry of Magic, Wizengamot:
„Houses Bristlecone and Fingerling need to be replaced my fellow Lords and Ladies of the Wizengamot as the time period where they could have reclaimed their seats is over. The seats of House Bristlecone and Fingerling are dormant for now and will have to be reactivated by a magical or appointed heir" said Chief Warlock Dumbledore „Any suggestions for houses that will replace House Bristlecone and Fingerling?" he asked the Wizengamot.
„How about we reinstate House Sprout with an electory seat?" asked Lord Potter into the round. It was common for Hogwarts Professors to get an electory seat in the Wizengamot and uncommon to lose it while they were still Professors. Indeed, Houses such as Scamander, Blackstream, Douglas and Perks once originally joined the Wizengamot because they had a staff member of Hogwarts in their house.
„Pfff so that you have one more lapdog that sucks you off?" scoffed Lord Lestrange which started a round of shouting and screaming, accusations of corruption were thrown across the chamber.
„And so another day comes and goes where the Wizengamot members behave like Hogwarts students" mused Arcturus to his business partner turned friend, Eric Greengrass. Their business partnership had turned into a friendship over the past couple of years, especially since the day when House Shafiq went extinct.
„Hah at this point even Hogwarts students behave better" laughed Arcturus' friend but he shook his head in amusement.
„Excuse me Arcturus but is there any orders you have for me and the others?" asked Emrys Avery. Emrys was born in 1917 to Dedalus Avery and Millawa Avery nee Gaunt. He had indeed been named after the surname of the legendary Merlin and had obviously failed to become as powerful as his namesake which had angered Emrys' father. Now of course you couldn't just become as skilled as Merlin was supposed to be in his time and power is something you are born with but with just slightly more than average grades and average power Emrys failed to live up to his father's expectations and by the time he was in his early 20s it was clear that he was on shaky grounds in the family. It didn't help that Emrys' younger brother Emlyn started his first year in Hogwarts around the time and that said younger brother soon proved to be far more talented than Emrys could ever have hoped to be which left him quite bitter. Then (in the late 1930s) Grindelwald's movement started to become increasingly violent and WW2 began. Emrys soon found himself pressured to gain some glory for the family and so he went to war together with people like Arcturus Black and Atticus Sayre. During the war he became known for his quick mind and well thought out strategies and so he soon was the commander of the British Volunteers. Emrys helped liberate the French and Spanish Ministries from Grindelwald's clutches and (together with his friends Arcturus and Atticus) became a war hero. He was even proposed to receive an Order of Merlin Third Class but thad didn't happen because the Minister of the time didn't want to reward so called warmongers. Coming back to Britain, Emrys learned that he had again been overshadowed by his younger brother who by now was considered a prodigy in Enchanting. When Emlyn achieved his masteries in Enchanting, Ancient Runes and Charms their father openly admitted that he considered to make Emlyn the heir Avery. Emrys snapped at the time. The lordship was his birthright, not Emlyn's. And so Dedalus and Millawa Avery mysteriously died when they fell down the stairs in their own home. Emlyn naturally didn't believe the official cause of death and accused his brother of murder which caused a fight between the brothers. Emrys only survived because he had control over the wards and was able to evict Emlyn from the manor but it was to late. Emlyn had managed to hit Emrys with an unknown curse and essentially castrated Emrys. Emrys swore revenge but Emlyn soon vanished and Emrys failed to find him in the following years and decades. Unbeknownst to him, Emlyn used this event to disappear with his friends and followed a certain Tom Riddle temporarily into the underground.
„Tell them to remain silent for now, Emrys. We will see which houses will get proposed and vote accordingly" Arcturus told his Alliance member and turned back to Eric.
„Hmm coming back to our conversation, perhaps Hogwarts students do behave better than the men and women in this chamber but certainly not everyone. I remember a certain Transfiguration Professor complaining about my grandson Sirius for causing a lot of trouble ever since he began his first year in Hogwarts" chuckled Arcturus.
„Oh? A Black being anything other than a prim and proper pureblood? Do tell me more my friend" said Eric with a raised eyebrow.
„Indeed Eric, Sirius and Lord Potter's son James together with two more friends seem to have become quite infamous these days in Hogwarts for their continuos pranking. They call themselves the Marauders and are quite skilled in their own preferred subjects. Don't tell anyone about this though, it seems they want their group name to stay mostly secret"
„Certainly my friend, I see no reason to spread this around. I do have a question though. You haven't forced your grandson to abandon the not so noble art of pranking?" a grinning Eric asked Arcturus.
„I do not think that I could if I wanted to. He wouldn't listen and I just managed to build an actual familiar relationship with my grandson, I don't want to destroy any progress I made towards him becoming Lord Black."
„Do you honestly think that he would dishonor his house by refusing his duties?" Eric asked incredulously as the shouting went on around them despite Chief Warlock Dumbledore's best efforts to silence the chamber. It was unheard of for a pureblood heir to not want to become Lord of their respective house.
„2 years ago? Definetely. Thinking back to shortly before the death of his mother he would have definetely declined to take the lordship after my death.
But now? That's hard to say. I think by now he has understood the political influence he will have when he becomes Lord Black and how he can support his ideals with said political influence. I am not willing to risk it however you know?"
„Hmmm but it wouldn't be that bad if he refused would it? What about young Regulus?"
„It is unknown whether he will survive the war... should it end within the next few years. Regulus will undoubtedly join the death eaters once he has graduated from Hogwarts and you know how Voldemort operates"
„It's not like you have to tell me, he killed Qeldon after all and he will pay for it... in time. Tell me Arcturus, what can I do about what he did? I really don't want to leave the Alliance but I am yearning to teach that bastard a lesson"
„We cannot do anything yet. Not anything obvious that is. I advise you to remind your heir of his duties and to forbid him from joining the dark wanker because he is the last remaining heir of your house. I still have Orion, Sirius and Regulus and now that I think of this also Leo as potential future Lord Blacks so I am covered on that front."
„I might have to stop doing business with the houses of the Traditionalist faction... hmmm what about the so called True Moderates? You have known Lord Sayre for quite a while now, haven't you? Do you think the Sayre Alliance is working with Voldemort now?"
„Unlikely. I do know Atticus quite well by now and I can't see him bowing down to anyone, especially someone as cruel as Voldemort. Besides, the dark wanker is only a self proclaimed Lord, we don't even know if he truly is one."
„True the man might not even be from a noble family for all that we know. Anyway it looks like our fellow Lords are finally beginning to calm down"
3 hours of shouting combined with small periods of actual discussion later:
„Finally... it certainly took them long enough" muttered Arcturus. A 30 minute recess was announced by Chief Warlock Dumbledore and so they went to WCR 7 (or Wizengamot Conference Room 7) that had been assigned to them for the session today. The 13 members of the Black Alliance sat down on their respective seats and the meeting began
„Soo dear Archie who do you think we should be voting for?" asked Celine Bulstrode to the right of Arcturus. Turning around he saw that she was once again flirting with him and fluttering her eyelashes at him. Arcturus sighed, he missed Emil who was Celine's older brother but Emil had unfortunately been poisoned a couple of months ago and was still recovering in St. Mungos. Celine's and Emil's younger brother Argus was not of age yet and their parents were killed in an attack in 1971 so the 20 year old Celine was currently representing House Bulstrode in the Wizengamot and flirting with everyone around her. She was originally meant to marry into the Shafiq family but that was now exstinct, after that she was contracted to marry Jordan Shacklebolt who was 3 years her junior but he was infected by a werewolf roughly a year ago and thrown out of the family. Emil didn't have enough time to find a new future husband for Celine before he was poisoned and so Celine remained unmarried for now who took the chance to enjoy life before she was married off to some unknown man.
„Mhmmmm let me see Celine. Let me think about this for a while since we haven't proposed a House of our own. House Rockwood was proposed by the Traditionalist faction so it is reasonable to assume that they will join Voldemort's other lackeys. House Sprout was proposed by the Progressives and while it is only 1 vote we probably shouldn't give Dumbledore anymore votes he can use to abolish our traditions. House Walker was proposed by Lord Parkinson but the parkinsons are too closely affiliated with the Malfoys for my taste even if they are not part of the Traditionalist Block yet so thats no option aswell. The Fawcetts were proposed by the Light Moderates and are already allied with the Diggories. They may often vote with Dumbledore but they haven't vote in his favour so far whenever his faction proposed one of their more radical ideas so they might be an option. Now House Whitehorn is an interesting case. They have been proposed by the Sayre Alliance who often vote with us so that certainly is an option aswell." Arcturus told his Alliance members.
„What about House Copperfield? They have been in England for some time now and aquired the Noble title some time ago." asked Quirinus Yaxley.
„Hmmmm they were proposed by the Goldsteins. The Goldsteins are allied with the Scamanders and have been for some time now. It might make a lot of sense to vote in favour of them, maybe they will feel indebted to us and join the Alliance sometime in the future" mused Marvin MacMillan.
„Unlikely but it is worth a shot, so do we have an accord?" asked Arcturus into the round and after a while all Alliance members had signaled their agreement.
„Fantastic, then lets go back"
35 minutes later and every House had given their vote.
The votes were counted. The results were in.
(1) House Copperfield: 56 + 18 votes = 74 votes
(2) House Walker: 37 + 15 votes = 52 votes
(3) House Sprout: 62 + 9 votes = 71 votes
(4) House Fawcett: 31 + 41 votes = 72 votes
(5) House Whitehorn: 30 + 10 votes = 40 votes
(6) House Rockwood: 58 + 19 votes = 77 votes
„Damn this was close. In fact I think it was never this close when 2 houses
had to be replaced" muttered Eric besides Arcturus.
„This was too close. Of course everyone knew that this would happen eventually if noone of Fingerling or Bristlecone survived, especially Voldemort's lackeys since they knew that noone survived but still" said Arcturus. Marvin snorted besides them making them look over to them.
„Hah this makes one think what happened behind the curtains so to speak. I couldn't help but notice Houses Umbridge and Higgs voting in favour of Rockwood."
„Mhm I find it also very interesting that most Unaffiliated Houses voted for the Fawcetts who were the Light Moderate Choice. It seems they wanted a House that would never vote in favour of Voldemort but also wouldn't vote for Dumbledore whenever he came around with one more of his radical ideas" said Eric agreeing with Marvin.
„Hmmm well too bad Voldemort got the house of his choice on the Wizengamot... this continues a worrying trend of him getting more influence in the Wizengamot" muttered Arcturus to his friend.
Check the end of the chapter to see which Unaffiliated House voted for which proposed House.
3rd September 1976, Scotland, Hogwarts:
Former Minister Jenkins found dead in family home! Remaining members of House Jenkins missing!
The new schoolyear had just begun and there already were multiple headlines about people being found dead or missing with this probably the most worrying one.
'I just can't catch a break, can I?" sighed Albus hanging his head a little. It came to no surprise that the current political climate was quite stressful for the aging headmaster. His bonded friend was a boon as always as Fawkes trilled easing the stress and fatigue in the aging man's bones. He conjured a Patronus and sent it to Moody.
„Alastor my friend, I think it is time for our friends to have another meeting, wouldn't you agree?"
5th September 1976, England, Ministry of Magic, Wizengamot:
In the end, House Rockwood joined the Traditionalists while House Copperfield remained Unaffiliated for now. The gamble of the Black Alliance had failed which made it's members not very happy.
End of Chapter
An overview of the Wizengamot as of August 1976:
Electory Seat(e): +1
Heridetary Seat: +2
Noble : Peverell (+1 vote) ; Most Noble : Peverell(+3 votes)
Ancient: Peverell(+2 votes) ; Most Ancient: Peverell (+5 votes)
For Example: If the Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Slytherin had an heir that suddenly came from somewhere it would have +2+3+5 so 10 votes
Unaffiliated:
Burke, Crouch, Zabini, Parkinson, Ollivander, Brocklehurst(e), Brown, Patil, Douglas, McCormack, MacLaggen, Goldstein, Umbridge(e), Prince, Hemlock(e), Stonehorn(e), Perks, Dawlish, Edgecombe, Minchum(e), Copplestone(e), Greenford(e), Scrimgeour(e), Johnson(e), Spinnet(e), Accrington, Harlemshake(e), Slughorn, Runcorn, Wilkes, Gibbon, Lowe, Higgs, Cornfoot, Scamander, Lovegood, Robins(e), Jones(e), Copperfield(e)
→ The Unaffiliates share 127 votes between them
Progressives:
Potter, Longbottom, Prewett, Dumbledore, MacGonagall, Weasley(e), Moody, Shacklebolt, Wintringham, McKinley, Wood, Tripe, Sinistra(e), Vector(e), MacDougal, Kettleburn(e), Bell(e)
→ The Progressives share 62 votes between them
Light Moderates:
Bones, McKinnon, Abbott, Diggory(e), Silverling, Firewheel, Chang(e), Bletchley, Pyrites, Bagnold(e)
→ The Light Moderates share 31 votes between them
True Moderates:
Sayre, Ruslanovich, Blackstream, Serpengold, Montague, Thicknesse
→ The True Moderates share 30 votes between them
Dark Moderates:
Black,Greengrass, MacMillan, Rubisheart, Flint, Bulstrode(e), Selwyn, Travers(e), Avery, Yaxley, Trembley(e), Orpington(e), Fudge(e), Max
→ The Dark Moderates share 56 votes between them
Traditionalists:
Malfoy, Lestrange, Fawley, Rosier, Rowle, Carrow(e), Goyle, Crabbe, Nott, Mulciber, Dolohov(e), MacNair, Rockwood(e)
→ The Traditionalists share 60 votes between them
Ministerial Seats :
Minister of Magic: 8 votes
Chief Warlock: 5 votes
Senior Advisor to the Minister: 5 votes
Senior Undersecretary: 3 votes
Head of Department of Magical Law Enforcement: 3 votes
Head of Department of Mysteries: 3 votes
Head of Department of Magical Education: 2 votes
Head of Department of Magical Research: 2 votes
Head of Department of Magical Accidents...: 2 votes
Head of Department for R. and C. of Magical Creatures: 1 vote
Head of Department of Intern. Mag. Cooperation: 1 vote
Head of Department of Magical Transport: 1 vote
Head of Department of Magical Games and Sports: 1 vote
All in All the Ministry has 37 votes available
Additionally on the Wizengamot are people with:
Order of Merlin First Class (+3 votes)
Order of Merlin Second Class (+2 votes)
Order of Merlin Third Class (+1 vote)
Because I like statistics,
Houses and the amounts of votes they have:
Please keep in mind that I have no idea yet who the heads of departments are, the only one I know of is Crouch Sr. being the head of the DMLE
Burke : 10 votes
Crouch : 5 votes
Zabini, : 7 votes
Parkinson, : 5 votes
Ollivander, : 8 votes
Brocklehurst, : 1 vote
Brown, : 3 votes
Patil, : 3 votes
Douglas, : 3 votes
McCormack, : 4 votes
MacLaggen, : 4 votes
Goldstein, : 3 votes
Umbridge, : 1 vote
Prince, : 4 votes
Hemlock, : 2 votes
Stonehorn, : 2 votes
Perks, : 3 votes
Dawlish, : 3 votes
Edgecombe, : 3 votes
Minchum, : 1 vote
Copplestone, : 1 vote
Greenford, : 1 vote
Scrimgeour, : 2 votes
Johnson, : 1 vote
Spinnet, : 1 vote
Accrington, : 3 votes
Harlemshake, : 1 vote
Slughorn, : 3 votes
Runcorn, : 4 votes
Wilkes, : 3 votes
Gibbon, : 3 votes
Lowe, : 4 votes
Higgs, : 4 votes
Cornfoot, : 3 votes
Scamander, : 5 votes
Lovegood, : 4 votes
Robins, : 1 vote
Jones : 1 vote
Copperfield : 2 votes
Potter, : 8 votes
Longbottom, : 7 votes
Prewett, : 5 votes
Dumbledore, : 5 votes
MacGonagall, : 4 votes
Weasley, : 1 vote
Moody, : 4 votes
Shacklebolt, : 3 votes
Wintringham, : 7 votes
McKinley, : 4 votes
Wood, : 3 votes
Tripe, : 3 votes
Sinistra, : 1 vote
Vector, : 1 vote
MacDougal, : 4 votes
Kettleburn, : 1 vote
Bell : 1 vote
Bones, : 8 votes
McKinnon, : 5 votes
Abbott, : 3 votes
Diggory, : 1 vote
Silverling, : 3 votes
Firewheel, : 4 votes
Chang, : 1 vote
Bletchley, : 4 votes
Pyrites, : 3 votes
Bagnold : 1 vote
Sayre, : 10 votes
Ruslanovich, : 5 votes
Blackstream, : 5 votes
Serpengold, : 4 votes
Montague, : 3 votes
Thicknesse,: 3 votes
Black, : 10 votes
Greengrass, : 8 votes
MacMillan : 7 votes
Rubisheart, : 3 votes
Flint, : 4 votes
Bulstrode, : 1 vote
Selwyn, : 7 votes
Travers, : 1 vote
Avery, : 4 votes
Yaxley, : 5 votes
Trembley, : 1 vote
Orpington, : 1 vote
Fudge, : 1 vote
Max : 3 votes
Malfoy, : 7 votes
Lestrange, : 8 votes
Fawley, : 8 votes
Rosier, : 4 votes
Rowle, : 3 votes
Carrow, : 2 votes
Goyle, : 4 votes
Crabbe, : 4 votes
Nott, : 7 votes
Mulciber, : 4 votes
Dolohov, : 2 votes
MacNair, : 5 votes
Rockwood : 2 votes
List of Unaffiliated Houses and which proposed House they voted for:
As a reminder:
House Copperfield = 1
House Walker = 2
House Sprout = 3
House Fawcett = 4
House Whitehorn = 5
House Rockwood = 6
Burke: 5
Crouch: 4
Zabini: 4
Parkinson: 2
Ollivander: 4
Brocklehurst(e): 1
Brown: 4
Patil: 4
Douglas: 1
McCormack: 2
MacLaggen: 2
Goldstein: 1
Umbridge(e): 6
Prince: 1
Hemlock(e): 2
Stonehorn(e): 4
Perks: 3
Dawlish: 2
Edgecombe: 2
Minchum(e): 1
Copplestone(e): 4
Greenford(e): 4
Scrimgeour(e): 1
Johnson(e): 3
Spinnet(e): 3
Accrington: 4
Harlemshake(e): 4
Slughorn: 3
Runcorn: 6
Wilkes: 6
Gibbon: 6
Lowe: 6
Higgs: 6
Cornfoot: 4
Scamander: 4
Lovegood: 1
Robins(e): 4
Jones(e): 3
**Empty Space lol**
Characters in this chapter and the amount of chapters they have appeared in so far:
- Albus Dumbledore (5)
- Fleamont Potter (3)
- Rodolphus Lestrange (1)
- Arcturus Black (12)
- Eric Greengrass (3)
- Emrys Avery (1)
- Celine Bulstrode (1)
- Quirinus Yaxley (1)