Chapter 14: He's Lived How Long?

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The next day the headlines of the Daily Prophet read, Fudge Bows out, Backs Malfoy. The article that followed depicted the confrontation that had happened between Henry and Cornelius. In it, it said that Fudge had all but said he was leaving the race and backing Malfoy. He didn't want Potter in office because he was a half-blood and that he'd rather have a Death Eater there.

The public ate it up and they were all scrambling to gossip about it. The opinions of the crowd were that Henry Potter should be the next Minister of Magic, no matter what was dug up on him next. Not that there had been anything bad said about him so far.

"What am I going to do?" Cornelius said to Lucius who had come to his office when he had read the article. There was little love lost between the men, but they had a common cause. Well, Fudge thought they did anyway. Keep Potter out of office.

"Do what the paper says and bow out," the blond man stated, brushing an imaginary lint off his trousers. His tone was bored. He was only here to pander to the other man's need to vent. He could care less about Fudge's career or public face. Or loss thereof.

"But, Lucius, that will make me look like a coward," Fudge whinged. He was pacing behind his desk, which was littered with unfinish parchments. Ever since Umbridge had gotten arrested his work had gotten further and further behind. He didn't understand just how much he had foisted off on her. For all she was a criminal, she was good at her job.

He had heard rumor that she was a half-blood, but he didn't believe it. No one as good at what she did could be. He could look at her employee record, but that would just be a waste of his time and energy. He knew she was a pureblood.

"I am the better candidate for the job. Let me take the lead and just back me like you told Potter you were going to do," Malfoy said, still dusting off his clothes, like the office was too untidy for him to be in it. He really hated being here when he could be home tending to other business. Nott wanted to do some campaigning, and he needed to at least look like he was running for Minister.

"You just want me out," Fudge stated, pointing an accusing finger at his ex-friend. This was all bluster anyway. He didn't want the job anymore; it was just too stressful. He wasn't making bribe money anymore, and the PM was breathing down his neck constantly. That man just wouldn't let up. They had been doing just fine on their own, until Black and Potter stepped in. Blast them.

"Well, yes. You are insignificant," Lucius said, like it was a given. He flipped his hand in the other man's general direction in a feeble way. "You let that muggle walk all over you. We are the superiors, and you are letting him use you as a flying carpet," he sneered, like the man was beneath him. He never liked Fudge but since that day in the Prime Minister's office, he thought him less than dirt.

"You just don't understand. The man is my boss. If you pursue this race, he will be your boss too," Fudge said, sitting heavy in his chair. He hated himself just a little bit too. He too felt they were superior to muggles, but the PM and Queen had him by the short and curlies. If it wasn't for that Merlin be damned treaty.

"I will never bow to a muggle," Lucius spat. It was just inconceivable to him. How had the ancestors given power to the muggles. He would never understand that. He would change that, if by some miracle he won this race. It wasn't like he was trying.

"Then you will condemn the wizarding world to war," Cornelius stated, holding his head in his hands, and wondering if it was too late to withdraw his backing. "I can tell you now, they out number us over a hundred to one," he added, making sure the man knew that.

"We have magic," the blond said, like that changed everything.

"On your head it be," Fudge said, still talking to his desk with his head in his hands.

"I will show that uppity muggle just where his place is," Lucius continued his spiel as Cornelius fretted. They went on like that for around a half an hour, until Lucius left.

Fudge decided that he was going to retire to Australia when all was said and done. He was going to get out of politics and not look back. He was done with it all.

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Henry decided it was time to visit Selby to see how he was progressing and to give him an update. So, he made an appointment. The next day he was shown into 10 Downing Street, and the PM looked more harried than before. He was not doing well in the polls. It wasn't a landslide, but he was down there.

There was a woman running against him and she was more popular than he was. Many thought he was too old-fashioned, and it was time for new blood. She was one of the new thinkers and quite popular among the younger generation. Who were in greater numbers. The older generation still liked Selby, but there were not as many of them. That and his opposition had the minority vote. That went a long way in the polls.

"Henry, what's this I hear you are running for Minister of Magic?" Selby said, as they finished greeting each other.

"Well, it was me or a Death Eater," Henry said, taking a drink of the fizzy drink he had been given. He gave him the run down about what was happening in the wizarding world and then said, "Tell me about your opponent. I hear she's quite the looker." He was tired of talking about Malfoy and Fudge. The less said about those two the better, in his opinion.

"She's a firecracker alright. I know that if anyone can do a good job of it, she will. For all she's running against me," Selby said, lifting his beverage in a toast. "I still have a chance, but she's definitely got me beat in the looks department," he said with a chuckle.

His opponent Stacey Lovelock was a woman in her early forties. She was a solicitor and a member of Parliament, of course, and she, like him, was from a humble background. She had worked her way up via being a model part-time. She felt no shame in this and was quite proud of it actually. She had paid her way through law school with it. In her opinion, as long as she kept her clothes on, she was morally in the right. He related all this to Henry.

"Well, it's a good thing that that doesn't matter in the long run," Henry said, knowing that Lucius was a much better-looking man than him. He had that Veela quality to him. Henry was not an unattractive bloke, he was quite handsome in his books, but there was an air about Malfoy that women just swooned over. "Other than that, how to you think she'll take the whole magical world?" he asked, knowing that if she won, he'd have to work with the woman.

"Well," Selby said, slowly, "she's a very pragmatic woman, so there might need to be some hard convincing. But once one sees magic done in front of them…" he trailed off with a shrug, remembering the first time they showed him it was real. He was new in office, and they came in and turned his desk into a monkey that had climbed all over the office before they turned it back.

It had been Fudge and Amelia Bones. They had come and given him the spiel of magic and then left without so much as a by-your-leave. He had had to go to the Queen and verify everything. She had not been amused and had to tell him all She knew. She was unhappy with how that particular part of her kingdom was being run, but she was unable to see how to change it. It had been Black and Potter that had given them the foot in the door.

Now they were more in depth into the magical world than they had been in centuries, and they had the control they were supposed to have. If Henry was Minister, they would be right where they needed to be. They wouldn't even need the spies they were planning on planting. They would still have some, couldn't get too compliant.

"Pragmatic I can work with," Henry said, sighing in relief, bringing Selby back to the conversation. It was pigheaded he had issues with. The last thing he needed was someone that would take the world badly.

If that happened, then, well, it would just be complicated. She might ignore them at best or enforce stricter laws on them at worst. She might convince the Queen to enforce Martial Law. That would lead to war, which none of them wanted. He was hoping for a middle ground and that the woman was reasonable.

"I don't think you'll find any problems with her, as long as you do your job. If you win. Now if it's Fudge, or this Malfoy character, they might have problems," Sorrel said, looking at the still covered up portrait on the wall.

He'd only met Malfoy the one time, and that was plenty enough to know he didn't like the bloke. Arrogant prick. He would have to be wary of him, if he remained in office. He would warn Stacey if she won. That was a man not to be taken lightly.

"Yeah," Potter said thoughtfully. "They might not like that she's female either. They don't like the Head of the DMLE for all that woman can kick their arses." He chuckled a bit.

Amelia Bones was a woman to be reckoned with when she was on the warpath. She was still looking for Sirius Black even after all these years. There were no leads, of course, but that didn't stop her. She found out that he never had a trial, and she was bound and determined that he get one. He was kind of touched by that.

"They're idiots," Selby said, finishing off his drink. He pushed a buzzing button and said, "Yes, Suzy?"

"Your ten o'clock is here." The voice crackled throughout the room.

"Thank you, give me a moment." He sighed. It had been nice to take a break from politics for a while.

"Very well, sir," she said, and the line went dead.

"Looks like our time is up," Selby said, letting go of the button and standing, holding out his hand to Henry.

"Looks like," Henry said, shaking the hand. He picked up his briefcase that he never seemed to leave home without anymore. He never thought he'd be the responsible one of his group of miscreants when he was growing up, but here he was. "Good luck in the polls," he added, moving to leave the office.

"You too," Sorrel stated, really hoping the man won. He hated dealing with Fudge and didn't want to deal with Malfoy at all. He really didn't want to hoist them on anyone new. Especially not a nice lady like Stacey. She worked hard to get where she was and didn't deserve to deal with arseholes like those two.

"See you around, Selby," Henry said, leaving the office. He nodded to the two secretaries and the man waiting and went home.

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In the end, Henry Potter won the race. It wasn't even close, but that was okay. It was what Malfoy had planned all along. Nott was pissed. He had campaigned hard and thought that Malfoy was going to bring the purebloods back to the top. He wasted a lot of money on the man who seem to not care that he didn't win.

Lucius was taking it all in stride. He was still digging up dirt on Potter, and now that he was in the public eye, it was going to make the downfall even greater. He had people scouring the muggle world for the man's mother, but they were inept at finding anyone. They couldn't even seem to find this one woman. It was like she didn't exist. The only one they found was only twenty years old. Far too young to be Henry Potter's mum.

Then again, this panned out to what he reckoned about the man being Sirius Black. However, he still couldn't prove it. He needed more. He needed solid proof, but there was none to be found. Yet.

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Henry, on the other hand, hated every minute of being Minister. Not only was everyone demanding every minute of his time, but there were tons of parchment work that needed to be done. And most of it was left over from Fudge being a lazy arse. He hadn't done anything but the barest minimum of his job. There were years of backlog needing to be signed.

Henry spent the first week of his term in his office giving his fingers permanent cramps. He was sure his hands were going to stick as claws when he got home every night. Thank goodness for house elves and their creams.

Harry came to see him every day and let him know that he was doing okay. The house elves were taking excellent care of him, and Andromeda was coming by every night to make sure that he was in bed until Henry came home late at night. They didn't get to see one another during the day, but for that short office visit. What with Harry's schooling and Henry's work, but they did leave messages with Arcturus who got to see each of them daily. Or nightly in Henry's case.

Stacey Lovelock won on the muggle side, but Henry hadn't had the chance to see her yet. She had yet to call him, so he put it off. He would use the phone at his house to make an appointment tomorrow. Tonight, he was just too tired.

This next week he was meeting with all the heads of the departments. He wanted to get a feel of who was doing what and how things were going. He knew that a lot of the corruption was gone from the Ministry, but he wanted to make sure that funds were being spent correctly. He would make his appointment for the end of the week, so he had something to report other than 'Hey, magic exists and I'm your Minister.'.

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It had been a grueling day and now he was meeting with Arthur Weasley. It was the last such meeting of its kind. They were talking about family now, having gotten the business end of the meeting over with.

"I have a boy Harry's age," Arthur said, smiling like he was sharing a great secret. He pulled out a picture of his family and showed it to the new Minister. There were six boys and one girl. Molly, his wife, and himself at the back. All redheads and dressed in drab, but clean, clothes.

"Ronald, wasn't it?" Henry asked, having read the file. He looked at the picture and saw a proud and happy family. He lifted a picture of him and Harry, with Arcturus and showed it to Arthur.

"Yes, my youngest son," the redhead said, smiling proudly. He was proud of all his children, no matter what their accomplishments. His two oldest being independent and having quite lucrative jobs. Sure, they were out of the country most of the time, but they maintained close contact with the family.

"It must be hard on you taking care of seven children. I know I have a hard enough time with just Harry," Henry said, giving the man an appraising look. He took the picture back and placed it on his desk and handed Arthur his back as well. "You have a lovely family," he added, smiling at the man.

"It's not so difficult," Arthur said, waving it away. He placed the picture in his pocket where he always kept it. "Molly does the bulk of the work. She rules the house with an iron fist. Now that the two oldest are gone, it's much easier on her. We have little to give them. I just wish we could afford to give them more pets, but alas until recently, the only one with a pet was Percy, and he found his." He always felt that animals were the way into a child's heart. It gave them a sense of responsibility.

"Oh," Henry said, fringing interest. He really didn't care for animals. They were messy and took too much energy to care for. It wasn't that he didn't like them, but he didn't have the time or energy to care for one.

"Yes, he found him ten or so years ago. A rat of all things," Arthur said, his eyes getting a faraway look, like he was recalling the day. "A fat thing with a fat tail. He was missing a toe. We found him shivering in the yard and we took him in and gave him a home," he said, still with a drifty glaze. "Percy gave him to Ron this year, when we got him an owl for making prefect," he smiled proudly. "That's three in a row," he added with a great sense of pride.

That brought Henry up short. Wormtail. Finally, a lead on Wormtail. It had to be him. Ten years, a rat, fat tail, missing toe. Who else could it be?

"Arthur, I want you to listen to me very carefully. Rats only live for three years. Tops. What your son has is no rat," Henry said, pushing a rune on his desk and calling his secretary. "Get me Amelia. Right now," he barked into the magical intercom. He'd apologize later for being so short with her, but this was important.

"You mean an animagus?" Arthur said, his face going pale.

"Yes, and a criminal if one has been hiding that long," Potter said, drumming his fingers nervously on his desk.

"What should I do?" the now scared father asked, rising from his chair, and standing uncertainly. "Should I go and retrieve it?"

"No, wait for Bones," Henry said, waving the man to sit, even though he felt like going and doing just that. He had waited for years for this moment and now all he could do was sit and wait.

Weasley sat and fiddled with his fingers. He was so nervous that he didn't know what to do with himself. He wanted to storm the castle and make sure his children were alright. He wanted to rage that his house had been home to a criminal for years and they didn't know it. He felt like a fool. He should have realized that the rat was too long lived.

Henry was also nervous but for different reasons. He wanted his old name cleared at long last. This was his chance, but too much could go wrong. That rat was a wily character, and had escaped once, and could do it again. If he went to ground, they'd never find him.

Amelia came in the door and looked at the two nervous men. "What did you need, Minister?" she asked, standing almost at attention. She was still unsure how to treat this man. After years of dealing with Fudge, she was wary.

"Arthur's son, Ronald, has a rat that has lived for over ten years," Henry said, waving to the now sweating man.

"That is rather long-lived for a rat," Amelia said, narrowing her eyes. She turned to Arthur. "Where is this rat now?" she asked, pulling out a notepad and biro.

"Hogwarts," the redhead said, taking out a handkerchief and wiping his brow. "Gryffindor. Ron was sorted into Gryffindor." He really hoped she caught the man. He didn't want his son around this criminal any longer.

"I will look into this right away," she said, and sharply turned and left the room. She would go there right now. She'd take Tonks with her. The girl was a trainee, but she could look like a student and trick the rat into getting into a cage. It was wonderful having a metamorphmagus on the force.

"I'm sure she will get to the bottom of it," Henry said, trying to placate the other man. "Why don't you take the rest of the day off," he suggested, hoping the man would worry less if he were at home. It might take his mind off it at least a little bit.

"No," Arthur said, immediately. "Then I'd have to go home, and Molly will know something was the matter right away. I'd rather tell her after the fact," he explained. He loved his wife, but she was a bit of a nag.

"I see," Henry said, understanding the man's reasoning.

"I'll just go and sit in my office and wait for news," the slightly portly man said, getting up and nodding to the new Minister. "It was nice meeting you, Minister," he added. It was true, he really liked this new man. Fudge would have never caught on that there was a criminal living as a rat. The man wouldn't have looked at pictures of his family or listened to him ramble about his kids. This new Minister was a standup bloke.

"It was good meeting you too, Arthur. It'll work out," Henry said, holding out his hand to shake. They shook and Arthur left. Henry sat down heavily. He really hoped what he said was true. It would finally put Sirius Black's memory to rest.