Ch 27 Various Lose Ends
Thursday morning Harry sat in a meeting in Kinglsey's office with Kingsley and Hermione, Arthur, and a couple of other DMLE officers.
"Putting a substance in water to encourage couples to mate does not seem to be much of a crime," Hermione told the group. "Pregnancy isn't considered an injury, or even, in the old laws, ever a bad thing, unless it is caused by forcible rape. What Bowman did was so beyond what any had anticipated, but I cannot find a law that applies.
"There are laws that apply to love potions, but they anticipate someone trying to make a specific person fall in love. And we are not sure if it was just a love potion or something else, because something else had to happen. It is messy."
Harry had tried to find out just what had happened that October, but it seemed that none of the people quite knew. The only person who could tell the whole story was Jezebel, and she was dead.
"What about Felicia?" Harry wondered.
"The problem we have is proving what she did, and also how much of it was done because she had to," Hermione noted.
"We have plenty of stories, but not much in the way of solid evidence," Harry agreed.
"Have you told them that?"
"We have not told them anything," Arthur replied, "but we are going to have to release them today."
"Felicia seems to need a place to stay," Harry suggested. "What if we agree to release both of them to each other's custody, as long as they stay in Bowman's house at Hogwarts. Allow them to go to Hogsmeade, but only under supervision."
"If they would agree to that, it would be fine," Kingsley thought.
"I am going to suggest to Minerva that she put George Hogg in charge of the water, and just leave the sewage to Bowman," Harry proposed.
Everybody thought that was a good idea, and that Harry should be the one to confront Bowman and Felicia.
Harry traveled to Hogwarts to make sure that the plan was acceptable to Minerva, and saw George Hogg briefly as well. Later that morning, Harry had Bowman and Felicia brought to a room in the ministry, with guards. He entered, and had everybody sit down.
"We have been contemplating what to charge each of you with," Harry started. "Bowman, you must have some idea what kind of damage you did. If we held a big trial I think there would be a number of parents who would want to kill you, as well as wizards forced into marriage and witches forced to bear an unwanted child. What do you have to say for yourself."
"It did get a little out of hand," Bowman admitted.
"Felicia Rocha, do you want me to have you transported to all the jurisdictions where someone may want to charge you with something?"
"I didn't exactly do all of it freely," Felicia countered. "No one who worked for Jezebel was exactly free to leave, or to do what they wanted. Why, who wants me?"
Harry rattled off, "Oh, the Aurors in North and South America, and several in Europe. You have been active for years. People you have worked with or who were afraid of Jezebel have started to talk as well."
Harry sat there looking at documents, as the two became increasingly uncomfortable. Finally, Harry told the pair, "Look, we are dealing with over two hundred people right now, hundreds of open criminal cases because of this mess you are part of. At least Bowman didn't try to kill anyone, and no one is quite ready to charge Felicia with a capital crime, at least not yet.
"Bowman, Minerva has agreed to take you back under the same conditions. You are free in your area of the Hogwarts grounds but are not to approach the school or most of the grounds. You are free within limits to go to Hogsmeade. The one change is that you are forbidden to go to Hogwarts to tend the water system. George Hogg is taking over that.
"Is that acceptable to you?"
"Do I have a choice?" Bowman asked.
"Do you want to go on trial?" Harry countered.
"It is better than sitting in a cell, and way better than Azkaban," he admitted, shrugging. "Fine."
"If Bowman will have you, Felicia, you can live under the same restrictions," Harry told the elderly witch. "My guess is that if you keep your head down and don't try to leave Hogwarts and Hogsmeade most of the jurisdictions will just sort of forget about you, and if I am asked I will just not go out of my way to extradite you."
Felicia looked at Bowman for some time, and he and her. Finally, she admitted, "He's better than prison."
"Thanks' for the ringing endorsement," Bowman scoffed.
"Thanks for offering me a home next to a pile of shit," Felicia frowned.
"No children," Bowman insisted.
"I'm way too old to get pregnant," Felicia explained.
"Can I put in a garden?" Felicia asked Harry.
"There is plenty of fertilizer," Harry laughed. "I see no reason why you could not have a garden."
"I wanted to retire and settle down, but Jezebel didn't exactly have much of a retirement plan," Felicia grumbled. "Fine."
"Just sign these documents, and I will have the two of you transported back to Hogwarts," Harry finished with. Both of them signed documents stating that they were part of the plot that had caused all the witches to become pregnant, as well as other unspecified crimes, and that they accepted as punishment being confined to a portion of the Hogwarts grounds and certain specified parts of Hogsmeade. Violation of the terms would cause swift and severe punishment.
"The witch and wizard who tried to kidnap Scorpius and Cleo are back here," Arthur told Harry when he came back. "Once they found out that Jezebel was dead they calmed down. When Cleo comes back we need Scorpius and her to come here and identify them. We do have ways of examining their memories and doing some spells to positively identify them."
"Good," Harry replied. "I have a feeling that collecting evidence and trials are going to take up much of the next year."
"The other problem we have is trying to figure out how much was done under duress, or just because the people didn't have any choice," Arthur pointed out. "What justice demands and what mercy would suggest can be two very different things. You of all people should know that there is a difference between following the letter of the law and following the spirit of it."
"Almost everything easy is decided before it gets to our desks," Harry sighed.
At breakfast Thursday Narcissa told Scorpius and Rose, "Once married a Malfoy couple is given an allowance and their own vault at Gringotts."
"NO!" Astoria yelled.
Narcissa stared at Astoria. "They are as much a part of this household as you are." She turned back to Scorpius and Cleo. "I think Draco and I need to go with you to Gringotts to sign some papers."
"I won't sign anything," Astoria insisted.
"It is a good thing you don't need to, then," Narcissa snapped. If she remembered the documents she signed when she married Lucius, Astoria did need to agree to the support of her child and his wife, or not agreeing would come with certain financial penalties. Narcissa was sure Astoria's reluctance to be a wife was going to come back to haunt her eventually.
Is there anything you need now that you have your own money to spend?" Narcissa asked Scorpius and Rose.
"New bra's, maternity clothes eventually," Rose told Scorpius and Narcissa.
"By all means then introduce Scorpius to Mother Minerva!" Narcissa exclaimed. She remembered the first time she had Lucius in the foundations and maternity shop. Lucius was not easy to embarrass, but he was.
Mother Minerva, Foundations, Maternity Wear the sign said above the stairs. Rose led Scorpius up the stairs. They were greeted by an elderly witch with the biggest. Scorpius tried not to stare. She was really too big on top, and instead of hiding it she was celebrating it. The bra she wore pushed her up and out, and the dress showed plenty of cleavage and just enough of the bra to be advertising for her products.
"I understand you are pregnant, Rose," the witch greeted Rose. "Welcome, Scorpius. Rose, you need to buy some new bras for your pregnancy and nursing. Let me examine you."
The witch waved, and Rose and Scorpius were led back to a private room. Mother Minerva proceeded to examine Rose with her wand. She led them to a room with more female undergarments, of more types, than Scorpius could imagine. With a wave of a wand a bra was in Mother Minerva's hand. "You push this and the part that covers the nipple disappears and you can nurse," Mother Minerva explained. "It has absorbent padding, because nursing witches leak a little."
"I know," Rose replied. Scorpius looked at Rose, like this was something he didn't know.
"Well!" Rose exclaimed. "They are not just things to play with. They make milk for the baby, and when you are lactating of course they leak sometimes."
The couple went into the changing room, and Rose took off the bra she was wearing, telling Scorpius, "I was getting to the end of how much I could make them larger with spells." She put on the new bra, and pushed the piece of embroidery that covered or exposed her nipples a couple of times. Satisfied, she kept the bra on, put her blouse back on, and went back to the front of store.
"Most witches buy four of those, if they can afford to," Mother Minerva told the couple.
"That is not going to be a problem," Scorpius replied.
"You ought to have a couple of bras that show more cleavage and skin, for when you are wearing pretty garments," Mother Minerva continued. So Rose tried on and purchased two more bras. She then purchased two maternity trousers and four maternity tops. She purchased one dress with an empire waist, that she needed the skimpiest bra to go under. It was cut to show off her expanding shape, on top as well as the baby bump that would be developing.
While this was going on Scorpius was drawn to a display of nightgowns. Some of them were practical nightgowns. Others were so skimpy and transparent that, that it would almost be sexier than wearing nothing, or maybe sexier sometimes than wearing nothing.
"A number of your aunts and cousins have one of those," Mother Minerva pointed out to Rose, seeing what Scorpius was looking at. "Your grandmother Molly has three. You should have seen Arthur's face when he purchased the last one. I'm not sure that Molly ever wears the knickers. She's a randy witch."
Rose laughed.
Scorpius had the grace to look embarrassed, although he smiled as well.
"Do you want one?" Scorpius asked.
"I can tell YOU want me to have one," Rose kidded.
Scorpius didn't say anything, but by the grin on his face you could tell he agreed.
"There are two pair of knickers, one for your period or when you need something a little more substantial," Mother Minerva told the couple when they agreed on one.
The couple ate lunch at a new restaurant in Diagon Alley, and then went back to Malfoy Manor, and spent part of the afternoon on homework from the Married Sex book.
Just before Dinner Rose brought out the new trousers and maternity tops, and the dress, to show everyone. She finally brought out the nightgown.
"It's a magisilk fabric, a magical silk that disappears when your husband is looking at you!" Rose beamed.
"It's obscene wearing something like that!" Astoria snapped horrified.
"I think it is charming," Druella replied.
"My grandmother Molly has three of them!" Rose exclaimed. "Mother Minerva says she doesn't think she ever wears the knickers, though."
Narcissa laughed. "I bet she doesn't," she agreed, as she continued to laugh and giggle.
Druella smiled, remembering.
"We need to prepare to proclaim Cleopatra and Albus as Crown Princess and Crown Prince Cleopatra and Albus Preverell," Gerhard Richter told the small group that had gathered at the Palace. "They also need to appoint new regents, although that can wait until this summer."
Galadriel added, "It would be very awkward if the new regents did not know elfish. We are to rule together, and we need to know how to speak to each other to rule correctly."
"What will trigger the proclamation?" Gerhard asked.
"Cleo bringing the Crystal Ball back to the palace," Nausicaa informed the group. "We have to warn them, though. Once proclaimed rulers there are a world of things they must do."
"There is already too much for them to do," Gerhard told the group. "They have already hired a couple to help them answer letters, which shows both how wise Albus is and how much is going to be demanded of them."
"We are not ready for them," Galadriel let the group know. "I'm not sure we will ever be truly ready; Elves have their own battles. We should be as ready as we need to be before Easter, though."
"They need to finish their schooling here, then," Gerhardt told the group. "Once here there is too much for them to do to be students at Hogwarts."
"Let them go back to Hogwarts," Nausicaa suggested. "Once there we will have to meet with them. They need to be here in Switzerland no later than Easter, and probably sooner."
"What is happening with The Lord of the Dementors?" Gerhardt asked.
"He is furious, but also uncertain," Galadriel replied. "To tell of what he and his allies are doing with the descendants of the Elves is a story way too long to tell. We look united at the International Conference of Witches and Wizards, but we are not. Right now The Lord of the Dementors is mostly worried about the High Elves, and he and his allies are battling us, but he will turn his attention to Cleo and Albus eventually. They are prophesied to, if they win, defeat him, but at a terrible cost to themselves and us.
"It is a fight we have to fight, but I am not anxious for it to come any sooner than it has to."
"I have a message from Nausicaa to leave the Crystal Ball here," Albus told Cleo and her parents. "She and others are going to meet us here and accompany us back to Switzerland when it is time."
"You are going to go back to the Potter house, and then to Hogwarts?" Ann asked.
"That is the plan," Albus confirmed. "We will leave for England in the morning. I have arranged for a room for the Fagans in Potter's New Burrow. It is only a Floo, or Closet, away."
2022