Ch 34 "Hay-suis" Jesus Rios and Ginny Wang
Friday, January twenty-seventh, a tired looking Rose appeared at dinner at Hogwarts. She found Albus and Cleo, who were sitting with Jesus and Ginny at the Slytherin dinner table.
"You look tired and stressed," Cleo observed.
"We have found out where some of the Malfoy wealth came from," Rose replied, "and it is a horror story going back hundreds of years. I'm not sure how much of it I can or should explain, but it is going to keep us busy for months or years to straighten out."
"Are you are mistress of Malfoy Manor now?" Ginny wondered.
"Yes, Grand-mum Narcissa and I. My grandmother-in-law wants me to redecorate the place. I want her to help Scorpius and me manage the businesses and properties. I think we will have a good partnership," Rose proposed. "I gather some wives and, well, it is a strange situation. Some mother-in-laws fight with their daughters-in-law, but everyone seems to be ignoring Astoria."
"What about Astoria?" Cleo wondered. "Is she any better."
"She is pregnant, charmed by your wedding I guess, but she is very unhappy about it," Rose told the group. "I guess that some charms or something from a wizard and witch from Jezebel helped charm her as well. She and Draco were intimate right after the wedding. We have an Elf shadowing her everywhere, to keep her from hurting herself or the baby."
"Is she going to take care of the baby once it is born?" Ginny wondered.
"I would not trust Astoria yech with any baby," Cleo interjected, the sour face she made when she said 'yech' indicating her distain for Astoria.
"I'm going raise Astoria's baby," Rose insisted, slapping her hand on the table.
"Two babies, how wonderful!" Cleo grinned.
"I'm really too young to be happy to be raising one baby, Cleo," Rose responded. "It is not the babies fault, and I'll do my best, but it is really not fair."
"I always thought you would be a good mother, Rose," Cleo suggested, not quite as sure of herself in view of Rose's worry and displeasure.
"I wanted to be a mother, still do, but too much is too much, Cleo. Scorpius and I will make it work, and even make it good, but I'm not thrilled that my childhood, my adolescents, is ending so soon and suddenly." Rose sighed a big sigh of resignation.
"Too many of us are having our adolescents ending too soon and suddenly," Jesus agreed. "I wanted to learn how the world of the Magi was governed, but you need more help right now from MELL students than I thought we would have to give. I wanted more time, but Albus is going to ask us, many of us, to grow up too fast."
"I don't have much choice," Albus replied, giving an apologetic shrug. "My father never had much of a childhood or adolescent's either. I think that is why he seems to like to play with sand toys with the little children. It is like he is playing as an adult the way he was never allowed to as a child."
"I'm going to be moving all of our possessions out of our room here," Rose told the group. "Our time at Hogwarts is ended. We will receive some tutoring so we can pass our N.E.W.T.'s, but Scorpius and Narcissa are going to be busy almost full time for months if not years straightening out the estate issues, and I need to help and to be by Scorpius's side.
"I did ask Professor McGonagall, and we will be able to come over occasionally and have dinner at Hogwarts, but it is not the same thing. Maybe we can have some of you over to Malfoy Manor from time to time.
"I'm trying to make it a child friendly place, so we can have guests, and see our friends after we are all graduated from Hogwarts. Many of us are going to have children next year."
Albus, Cleo, Jesus and Ginny helped Rose finish cleaning everything she and Scorpius owned out of their bedroom and shrinking it, so she could take it to Malfoy Manor. Rose was accompanied by one of the Malfoy Elves who helped her.
Once Rose was gone Albus invited Jesus and Ginny up to their quarters.
"Both the Magi prophetesses and the High Elf prophetesses will be here tomorrow," Albus told the others. There will be others with them, some who have expertise in interpreting prophesies instead of making them. I've told them that I was thinking of making you the Regents, the next in line if anything happens to Cleo and me. We are not obligated to pass the kingship or rulership on to our children, and I don't want to establish a heredity monarchy."
"We are too young, but so are you," Ginny observed. "Jesus and I have wanted to learn how the world of the Magi was governed and be part of it. I am willing to live in Switzerland with you."
"So am I," Jesus added. "That way at the heart of who rules the Magi we have someone from North America who has native American blood, someone from Asia who is Han Chinese, and an Englishman, plus Cleo, who seems to be a mix of just about every nationality and race."
"We did a couple of Muggle DNA tests," Cleo confirmed, "and I am a mix of just about every major race and group."
"Hybrid vigor," Albus grinned, something he noted every time Cleo's very mixed ancestry came up.
(Mon Jan 30)
Monday after breakfast Albus and Cleo traveled to Switzerland along with Jesus and Ginny. Jesus asked Albus, "Are we really in that much danger now? Ben and Karen Nguyen met with us, and we are not going to be able to go anywhere without guards."
"Welcome to our world," Albus replied grimly, by his gestures indicating him and Cleo. "There are plenty of beings, Magi and others, who do not want change. We are threatening centuries of laws and traditions."
They met in a large conference room at the Swiss Prophecy International Department. Steven and Valerie Bushman, head of the Swiss Prophesy Interpretation Department, and the two chief prophets of the Swiss, Nausicaa Scherica and her granddaughter Sibylla, were hosting. Also there was the oldest prophetess, Ethel Svenson. There were also two Elf prophetesses.
The Elves Galadriel and Luthien were there, along with the Goblin Elves Thorin and Beren. Also there were Gerhard Richter, the day-to-day ruler of the Swiss valley, and his wife Giselle, and the Elf Goblin Zefenslot, head of Gringotts and Affiliated Banks and apparently the chief Goblin, plus his wife Mutnesut.
"We need to talk about Cleopatra and Albus taking the Crystal Ball from Resort Cleo to Switzerland," Nausicaa told the assembly. "Once they do many things will change."
"They will become nominal rulers of the valley," Gerhardt observed.
"It is a lot more complex," Albus countered. "We become partners with Galadriel and Thorin."
"I need to go over some history with you," Galadriel observed. "It has been two-thousand years since there has been a king and queen, or a crown prince and princess, or anything like that. Only Regents who have governed while waiting for the fabled and prophesied King and Queen. Couples who could have taken the thrones did not, for a variety of reasons. The good thing for us all is that the next rulers are prophesied to have immense power to change things for the good. The bad is the power to change things for the worse."
"You know we want to change things for the better!" Albus emphasized, slamming his fist down on the table. "And I do not want to be a king governing without any restraints."
"No, you need to be something very different than the type of king and ruler that has been common in centuries past," Galadriel agreed. "You need limited power, governing with others, and you need to pass on your office to others not in your family. That is one reason why Ginny and Jesus are here.
"I want to remind everybody that in the beginning, when Elves first came to Earth, the Magi did not have kings and queens. We think that the Magi were governed by tribes, or by some sort of assembly. One very imperfect analogy would be the judges in the Christian Old Testament, in the Torah. But the last rulers of the Magi were a queen and king."
"What about you and Thorin?" Gerhardt asked. "Are you a king and queen? Do you also have to leave your offices to non-family members?"
"The situation with High Elves is more complicated," Galadriel replied. "I am both more powerful and much less powerful than a king or queen of Magi. Speaking and thinking as close to possible the original language of the Elves, I cannot exercise power without much consultation. As to who will inherit the Wand not from Earth, and the power it represents, that is not for me to decide."
"But Albus and Cleopatra can designate Regents?" Gerhardt persisted.
"They can make suggestions," Galadriel told the assembly. "They cannot just appoint anyone. And they need Regents in case anything happens to them. They need a couple here in Switzerland to take over if something happens to them."
"That is why we are here," Steven informed the group. "We need Albus and Cleo to tell us why they chose Ginny and Jesus, and then the prophets and the others governing the Swiss valley and the wider group of Elves and Magi need to agree.
"Albus, Cleo, why have you chosen Ginny and Jesus, some of the youngest of the Magic and Elf Language Learners?"
Cleo turned to Albus, who began, "The most important reason is that Ginny and Jesus are more interested in governing than their MELL classmates. What Cleo and I are going to be charged with is going to involve much administration, much that is less magic and more governing. They have also worked to become our friends, and are willing to live in Switzerland and govern with us.
"Jesus, Ginny, please tell this group why you became interested in how the Magi are governed, and a little about yourselves."
Jesus and Ginny looked at each other. You could see the nonverbal communication as they decided who would go first.
Jesus Rios started, "The English language is a very egalitarian, and the Magi in North America are a very egalitarian group." He turned to Ginny, indicating that she should speak.
Ginny Wang continued, "Chinese society and the Chinese languages are less egalitarian, much more hierarchical. We both grew us multilingual, and became fascinated by how different,different languages were, and how you could think in different ways when you were thinking in different languages.
"I grew up speaking Mandarin and Cantonese, plus English. I easily learned all the languages the MELL students learned."
Ginny then turned to Jesus, pronouncing his name the Spanish way as she and all the MELL students always did, "Hay-suis."
Jesus added, "I grew up speaking English and Spanish, Mexican Spanish, but also learned American Sign. We have a few deaf Magi, not many, but I acted as one of the translators for two of the deaf students we had at the Los Angelis school. American Sign is very different than English. Then of course I also learned all the languages we MELL students learned. Both of us also grew up with Elves and learned to speak Elfish and have been fascinated by how the changes in the Elfish language, much of it but not all because of discovering some of the earlier versions of the language, have been changing how the Elves are seeing themselves and governing themselves."
"I've been very aware of how patriarchal most societies are." Ginny observed. "I have no desire to live in a matriarchal society, trading the dominance of males for the dominance of females. From what I can tell, what the High Elves are struggling to create is a society much less individualistic, much more corporate, with decisions decided by groups and not individuals." Ginny turned to the Elves for confirmation.
Galadriel agreed, "Yes, we are trying to create a High Elf Society where decisions are made as nearly as possible by consensus. It has not been easy, but the Old Elfish language, the oldest way it was spoken, seems to have encouraged you to try always for a consensus, and decisions made against a consensus and for the good of an individual and not the group was 'sinning' or wrong."
"I have been fated to be a warrior," Thorin admitted. "Prophesies confirm what my own desires and my position demand, that I will have to lead the High Elves in a confrontation with The Lord of the Dementors and his allies. At the same time, as the spouse of Galadriel and one of the leaders of the High Elves I must always wish to act within consensus, never being a lone leader but always leading willing followers with as much agreement and consultation as possible.
"Galadriel is the holder of the First Wand, and magic came first from the female, but the fourth tense, the couple tense, is not at all matriarchal. It is balance, consensus, working for the good of all. It is many decisions being made by couples, and groups of couples. It is Galadriel and me, along with Luthien and Beren, talking to groups, explaining our history, explaining how our lives and the lives of everyone can be better if we are we, and not just me."
Thorin turned to Jesus and Ginny, looking for them to say something.
"I'm comfortable telling people that magic came first from the female, and that leadership is a shared job, not something one should attempt to do alone," Jesus let the group know. "Ginny and I have talked about being Regents. We will do it if asked, but we both hope we will not have to take Cleo and Albus's place for a long time, or for very long. And we have agreed with Albus and Cleopatra not to try to leave leadership roles to our children. If they want to work in governing that is their choice, but no one should inherit the leadership of the Magi."
"What do the prophetesses say?" Albus wondered.
"Not as much as we would like," Nausicaa admitted.
"Our job, Valerie and mine, is to manage the prophetesses, plus the few male prophets," Steven told the group. "We also have some skill in interpreting prophesies. I think in this case the decision on who to appoint has more to do with what we decide and less to do with trying to discern prophesies. I cannot see any prophecy that would discourage what Albus and Cleo are doing."
Steven looked around the room. There seemed to be a consensus, with no objections.
"I don't want to go over and take the Crystal Ball back to Switzerland alone," Albus insisted. "I would like plenty of help, with prophetesses or people who have handled other Crystal Balls with us to help in case taking that object back is not as easy as we would like."
"You will have help, including from Apollo and me," Nausicaa replied. She looked at Galadriel.
"We will come as well," Galadriel responded. "I think all eight of us, Cleo, Albus, Ginny and Jesus as well as the four of us," looking at herself, Luthien, Thorin and Beren. "I anticipate a procession to the palace."
"That's not very subtle," Albus suggested. "Do we really have to process in?"
"Processing in with Thorin and me, as equals, is one of a number of ways we should indicate that there are four equal rulers," Galadriel proposed.
"I don't want to wear the Fertility Goddess dress!" Cleo exclaimed. "There will probably be times when I should wear it, but not for a procession through the whole valley!"
"I agree," Sibylla agreed. "I've gone from not being able to become pregnant to just having to think baby and I'm expecting another one."
"So then the four of us own the castle?" Albus wondered.
"Ownership has become very complicated," Zefenslot replied. "Not just a king claiming to own the whole valley, but two kings and two queens ruling, but ownership and how to govern all in flux. Have to go from medieval view of kings to being a modern country. Very complicated, and much fighting and controversy."
"Do we at least get a salary, some money of our own?" Albus wondered.
"You will not be poor, but the situation, as Zefenslot noted, is very complicated and subject to mammoth changes," Gerhard confirmed.
"It is a good thing none of us grew up as princes and princesses expecting to be king and queen and absolute rulers, then," Albus proclaimed. "I'm fine with that."
"Does anyone object to Jesus and Ginny Wang Rios becoming the Regents?" Gerhart asked.
No one did.
"I think you need to proclaim them as Regents when we come with the Crystal Ball," Gerhard told the group. "Zefenslot and I need to prepare paperwork to allow Albus and Cleo to govern with Galadriel and Thorin, and the four of you are going to have to confirm it. I'm also going to prepare documents so that it is mandatory for spouses to sign significant documents."
"Couples of some sort," Zefenslot agreed.
"Usually heterosexual couples, but not always," Albus added.
"Humans are complicated," a frustrated Galadriel agreed. "You are correct, Albus, but humans are very complicated. Humans and sex is very complicated."
Monday Arthur Baker accompanied Narcissa as she toured the farms, helping her look at the finances. "I know how to make sure all the Magi on the farms are registered in the Ministry records," Arthur had told Narcissa, and she eagerly accepted his help.
That night at dinner Arthur told Narcissa, Scorpius and Rose, "I can take a leave of absence from my job at the Ministry to help you with the farms, if you would like that."
"I would really appreciate the help," Narcissa added.
Scorpius and Rose did not have any problem with that. Scorpius did call Bill Weasley the next day to ask him about hiring Arthur, and after making a few inquiries Bill indicated that having Arthur's help would probably be a good idea.
The rest of the week Arthur ate dinner with the Malfoy family before going back to sleep with his daughter and her family.
Tuesday Hermione met right after breakfast with Scorpius, Rose, Narcissa, Arthur, and the Elves Gabriel Isaac and Grace.
"I've been going over as many of the documents as I could find to see what spells and charms have been done on the Magi at the farms, and what we can do to reverse them. I've also looked at the wands, but I think it is going to be easier to procure new wands for them than to try and fix the old ones.
"All of the children who are young enough to go to Hogwarts are going to be fully free and members of our society. Freeing the older ones is a more complex problem than just telling them that they are free, however."
"It is easier with the Elves," Grace told the others. "Not easy, but easier. They will all be Elves of the Malfoy family, but free as Elves are to manage themselves, in time."
2022