Ch 36 The Former Farm Owners
The end of February Kingsley sat at the head of a large conference table at the Ministry of Magic. Hermione was on one side of Kingsley, and next to her was Edie Evans, the head of legal affairs at the Ministry. Arthur and Harry were next to them. On the other side of the table were Scorpius and Rose Granger-Malfoy, Narcissa, and the Elves Gabriel Isaac and Grace, the head farm Elves of the formerly hidden farms in England.
"Are you enjoying being Lord of Malfoy Manor," a grinning Harry asked Scorpius.
"I have two capable witches keeping me in line," Scorpius responded. "I certainly don't dare lord it over them. But yes, I think Malfoy Manor is a more enjoyable place than it was under the previous ownership."
Kingsley turned to Scorpius, and asked, "Please tell us about the French farms."
Scorpius turned to his grandmother, who said, "We have agreed not to contest the ownership of the French farms. We could be tied up in the French legal system for years, and it is just not worth it. Some things changed even for Magi during the French Revolution, and who owns what or can claim ownership is more complicated than Scorpius and I want to be involved with."
"All three of you agree?" Kingsley asked, looking at Scorpius and Rose as well as Narcissa.
All nodded to indicate that they agreed. Scorpius added, "We are perfectly willing to let the French fight among themselves over what to do with the farms and the farms', we guess, former owners. There are other businesses affiliated with the French, some intertwined with the British and others, that we have taken in compensation for the farms. It is complicated."
"What is the legal status of the British farms, Edie?" Kingsley asked.
"Scorpius is the de-facto owner of all the farms," she let the group know. "Every one of the slaves wears a magical name tag with their given name, plus who owns them, and they all changed to Malfoy's plus their given name after the other owners were captured.
"We can charge all of the former farm owners with rape and assault, and have formally charged William Bulstrode, Thomas, Edward and Felix Yaxley, and Niles Hanley. Legally they might be able to contest Scorpius's ownership, but their legal situation makes that very awkward. They are trying to talk their wives into fighting for them, but we have made it very clear that if the wives fight what we are trying to do we will fight back, and they will not receive any support.
"Meanwhile the Malfoy family is helping to support Karen Bulstrode, Carol and Ann Yaxley and Tabitha Bainbridge Hanley."
"We have let Karen and Burley Bulstrodehelp manage the other Bulstrode properties, and have not charged Burley," Harry let the group know. "Karen Bulstrode wants to see what she and William can do so he can stay out of prison. Karen is horrified at all the stories about the farm, but she and William seem to have a good enough marriage. William seems to be trying to be repentant.
"Carol and Ann Yaxley have not had easy marriages. I am not privy to all that is going on. Some of the things they are telling the mind healers and Domestic Affairs Department are confidential. I just get the idea that neither of those wives would be too upset if they did not have to live under their husbands' domination ever again.
"I would like to keep Niles Hanley in prison or under close supervision for the rest of his life. He is wicked. Transferring all the non-farm estate to Tabitha is not easy, though."
"Niles is a real piece of work," Edie agreed.
"His son Lucius isn't much better," Scorpius added. "I spent years in Slytherin with him, and he is mean. He seems to be proud that he is not nice. I know from talking to the people on the Hanley farm that he was going to the farm with his father, and delighted in abusing people. You need to charge him with assault and rape as well!"
"Do you think we should arrest him at Hogwarts?" Arthur asked.
"Yes!" Scorpius insisted. "I don't trust where he would go or who else he knows."
"The Hanley family had contacts all over the continent, mostly dealing in dark objects or forbidden substances," Harry agreed. "I think we should arrest him before he disappears."
Arthur wrote something down. "I will send the Arrest and Transport Wizards to arrest Lucius tonight," Arthur replied. "He is legally an adult, and was when he last accompanied his father to the farm and had his way with a couple of the witches."
"Robert Rosier did not want to be involved with the evils of the farm," Harry indicated. "He and Marshall Lestrange had talked about how they could get out of the abuse and wickedness of the farms, but it was not easy to figure a way out. I'm willing to forgive Robert. How do the Elves and Magi on the Rosier farm feel about Robert?"
"They feel he was forced to do what he did," Narcissa responded. "I've spent some time talking to the witches about the abuse they endured from the farm owners. They are reasonably sure Robert Rosier and Marshall Lestrange didn't want to do what they were pretty well forced to do."
"James Rosier?" Harry asked.
"He had become more used to it, but he didn't relish in seeing people suffer. The people who remember Lucius Malfoy agree that Lucius and the whole Hanley family were the worst," Narcissa suggested. "I've spent plenty of time with all the witches, trying to understand the character of the men, and the witches are willing to forgive James Rosier.
"I've even had Cleopatra over, once, examining the some of the people, and she agrees that the Rosier family is redeemable."
"Then you have the Lestrange family," Kingsley noted. "The largest group. They seem to be right in the middle, neither as bad as Hanley, Yaxley and Bulstrode senior, or as redeemable as the James Rosier family.
"It is a big family too, several generations," Narcissa reflected. "The family was all horrified at the casual cruelty of Bellatrix, and her casual promiscuity as well. She and her husband and his brother were not welcome in the family, but during," Narcissa looked at Harry, knowing Harry insisted on calling him Tom Riddle and not Voldemort, deliberately said, "Tom Riddle's reign there was not much they could do. After the war there was much discussion and debate in the family about the war.
"In the meanwhile, the one branch, the men in line to run and inherit the farms, had this frankly wicked enterprise they were involved with. It wasn't just losing the farms. If they tried to get out of running the farms it was probable that the Hanley's and a couple of the French wizard families would attempt to kill them and their children.
"I understand that the Domestic Affairs Department of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement is working with healers at St. Mungo's to see if they can reform the male members. We don't need them to run the farms. Between Gabriel Isaac and Grace, the Elves, and the people who have been working the farms, we are in good shape there."
Scorpius continued, "There are some businesses connected with the farms that Bill Weasley and his staff have helped me with. Mother is more involved with the farms, and especially with the people and Elves working the farms. I have become more involved with the businesses, the trading and the like, although I have to show up on each farm every week at least."
The discussion continued for some time over the legal situation of the Malfoy farms.
"Elves are all becoming Malfoy Elves," Grace told the gathering. "They are free but tied to the group like the Potter/Weasley Elves are, actually very free. In the beginning all except the children will stay working at the farms or for the Malfoy family, but later they will be able to find other jobs if they want to. It is communal and more complex for Elves than for Magi, but good."
"Freeing the Magi slaves is more complicated than I thought it would be," Hermione informed the group. "When I was at Hogwarts I thought that all I had to do to free the house elves was to give them clothes, and they would be free and happy. I found out that the word I understood was free, probably because Dobby was so happy to be free, was to the average house elf more like thrown away, abandon, sundered from the relationships that are so critical to the wellbeing of Elves.
"There is something similar going on with the Magi slaves. The magic is very different, but the Magi slaves do not want to be abandoned. Muggles would say they have been brainwashed, but that is too simple an explanation. There is some magic involved, and we are going to have to be very careful in how we change the magic. It cannot just be undone with some simple spell."
That evening Richard and Annabella Fagan ate dinner at the Hufflepuff table with some of Richard's friends.
Albus and Cleo were eating with Jesus and Ginny and filling them in on some of what was going on. They were surrounded by MELL students. At one end of the table was Lucius Hanley, rather loudly complaining to Xenia Avery and Mack Goyle, who were complaining right back. Mafalda Weasley was not saying much, but she seemed to be looking on in satisfaction, turning her nose up at Albus and the others. Mafalda was also pregnant and beginning to show, but she would not identify the wizard who impregnated her, or even acknowledge her pregnancy.
As dinner was ending several people from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement came in. They went up to the head table and talked to Minerva McGonagall, and then came over to the Slytherin Table. One of the officers went up to Lucius Hanley and told him, "Please come with us, Lucius."
"Not unless you tell me what is going on," Lucius loudly protested.
"We need to talk to you at the ministry," the witch replied.
"You have no right to ask me to leave Hogwarts!" Lucius forcefully responded. "I will let my father know, and he and our lawyers will make sure you leave me alone."
"Your father is under arrest for assault, rape, and a world of other charges because of what he did in the hidden farm you formerly owned," the witch proclaimed. "You are an adult and were one the last time you visited the farms."
"What we do with our property is our business," Lucius insisted.
"Slavery has been illegal in most of the world of the Magi for a very long time," the witch replied. She nodded to a wizard who was holding a pair of Portkey handcuffs. The wizard put the handcuffs on Lucius, and he promptly disappeared.
The DMLE officers left.
Minerva McGonagall stood up and tapped her wand on the table. The Great Hall, that had been abuzz with people talking, became quiet.
"Lucius Hanley has just been arrested," Professor McGonagall announced. "I doubt if he will be back this year. I am not going to say any more at this time, although I am sure that more of the story will be told shortly."
"Do you think it had anything to do with the farms?" Jesus wondered.
"You would think that the Daily Prophet would be all over the story of the hidden farms, but I have not seen any mention of them," Ginny observed.
"I wonder why?" Albus pondered.
The next morning there was a story in the Daily Prophet about the farms.
Hidden Farms and Slavery
For almost twenty centuries there has been slavery and hidden farms and businesses at the heart of some of the larger fortunes in the world of the Magi. One group of these hidden farms that have been worked by slaves has been centered in England and France. The Ministry in England has broken the secrets of the farms, and the English and French Ministries are in the process of freeing the slaves.
It appears that the Malfoy family, as the group that revealed the existence of these farms, will end up obtaining or retaining ownership of much of the British property, although the final disposition of everything may take months or years. The French farms are not included in this, although some other French properties are.
Families who were involved include the Bulstrode, Yaxley, Hanley, Lestrange and Rosier families. Some of the members of these families have cooperated with the investigation and other members have not. The Ministry prefers not to go into too much detail about each family and member as the investigations and negotiations are still ongoing.
The article was written by Cindy Hudson with the assistance of Scorpius Malfoy.
"There isn't any mention of how key Scorpius was to revealing these hidden farms," Annabella Fagan noted. "It wasn't the Malfoy family that was responsible for revealing the hidden farms. It was Scorpius."
"There wasn't any mention of the rape and abuse that was at the heart of those farms either," Albus added. "I wouldn't say any more about that, though. Even Scorpius, from what I understand, was forced by his father to take part in some of those evil actives when he was younger. The less we say about it the better."
The small group that was part of the conversation, Albus, Cleo, Jesus, Ginny, Richard and Annabella agreed to say as little as possible about the farms and what they knew.
It was nine in the evening Tuesday, March first, when Rose went into what was now Scorpius's office at Malfoy Manor. "It is time to quit for the night," she told her husband.
"I need help," Scorpius responded, looking at the paperwork piled on his desk and around the room. "Your mum suggested that I needed a secretary, to begin with, and Uncle Bill agrees."
"Do you have any ideas who you could hire?" Rose wondered.
"Uncle Harry suggested Delores Hanley," Scorpius replied. "I asked him for help, and he made some inquiries. She is still at Hogwarts, taking some advanced classes, but I guess it has been strongly suggested that she move on. It is her ninth year at Hogwarts, and it is not like she needs any of the more advanced magic she is studying.
"Uncle Harry did talk to her, as did Professor McGonagall. She seems willing. She doesn't think anyone will hire her because of who her father is and the family reputation, but it is not fair to blame her for what the males in the family did."
Scorpius contacted Professor McGonagall the next morning, and she sent Delores over mid-morning.
"Hello, Delores," Rose greeted her when Delores Hanley came through the Floo. "We are hoping you could work for us and help Scorpius with some of the paperwork."
"Our family has a bad reputation," Delores argued.
"Like the Malfoy family doesn't?" Rose wondered. "I know you and your mother left your father and brother to escape the bad. That should count for something."
"I guess," she sighed.
Rose led Delores into Scorpius's office, noting the mess of unfiled papers. "It looks like you need some help," Delores noted.
"I was just keeping up with the workload before Mrs. Hudson and I wrote that article, but since then it has been a job just keeping track of the letters, plus all the other work," Scorpius observed. "Uncle Harry and Aunt Hermione told me I needed help, and suggested you."
"I will try," Delores replied.
They talked a little about pay and hours, and that afternoon Delores Hanley received some instructions from Scorpius, Rose, and Hermione, and met Narcissa.
"Farm questions should be referred to Mrs. Malfoy first, usually," Scorpius told Delores. "You will figure out the exceptions soon enough, and no one will care if you make a few mistakes."
"I think you are doing a very good job of managing the Malfoy estate," Rose told Scorpius that evening after dinner. The couple had retired to the library, a slightly more comfortable room than the huge living room. "I hope you like what you are doing."
"I don't have much of a choice," Scorpius responded. "I would like to write more. I'm excited to be on the Wizengamot. It just would have been nice to be able to graduate from Hogwarts and have a couple more years before being grown up."
"You are doing a lot of good," Rose told her husband. "I'm very proud of you."
"I'm still ashamed of what I had to do before, when my father took me to the farm," Scorpius muttered. "Sometimes it is hard to forgive yourself, even if I was Imperiused."
Rose glared at her husband, and then her visage softened. "I know you felt both guilty and confused after your father brought you back from what we now know was the Malfoy farm. You did the best you could. I do not think you did anything wrong. You were Imperiused! But if you did do something wrong, you are Christian, or are trying to be. Your sins are forgiven. Live in the victory of freeing the slaves. Don't become a slave to the past you didn't have any control over."
"I know," Scorpius resignedly admitted. "Maybe it is just that I'm tired."
"Sit next to me and relax, Scorpius," Rose told her husband as she arose, took his hand, and led them over to a large couch. "Put your head on my lap."
Rose sat down, and Scorpius looked at what was left of Rose's lap. Rose felt the growing baby bump and grinned. "The lap is going away," she admitted.
He sat down next to Rose and felt the growing bump. "Lean against me, let me feel the baby," Scorpius told Rose. "I love feeling the baby move in you."
"She doesn't wake you up in the middle of the night," Rose noted. "It really is amazing, though, thinking that we are creating another human being."
"You are doing all the work now," Scorpius replied. "Thank you."
"Welcome," Rose mumbled. She briefly dozed, and before long Scorpius led them both up to bed.
Rose arranged to remodel the office area of Malfoy Manor, so Delores had a desk outside of Scorpius's office, and much of the filing was in the modest reception area. Scorpius's office was a little smaller than before, but that didn't bother him.
Malfoy Manor had to be a home, an office, and a place to entertain. Rose was struggling with how to remodel the house. She had turned the nursery into an office and art studio, temporarily, but that should change before their daughter Elanor was born.
Friday March third Rose went to Mother Minerva's to look for another nightgown, and maybe something sexy for Scorpius to wear to bed. She had been fussing with their bedroom, and the big four poster bed. With pillows, some silky fabric, and her decorating skills the bed could look very inviting, more a love nest than just a place to sleep. Being pregnant had made her feel sexier, and even more eager to make love.
Once she told one of the salesgirls what she wanted the witch called for Mother Minerva herself, and the elderly witch led Rose into a special room with sexy garments, reserved for adults.
After examining her Minerva brought out a skimpy nightgown. The part covering her breasts let you know that she had grown, by magic knowing how big she was before becoming pregnant, and that they were bigger now. They almost shouted out 'touch me, play with me.' The garment had an empire waist and was cut to show that it was going to become bigger as she became bigger. Rose was beginning to show.
The garment came down to, to … If she didn't have the knickers on it more revealed than covered up where Scorpius would go in and the baby would come out.
Mother Minerva looked down at what Rose was looking at and smiled a sexy smile. Somehow both Cleo and Minerva were sexy without being exceptionally pretty, but Cleo's sexiness was always maternal. Mother Minerva, despite obviously having born several children, could be just plain sexy.
"You could use boxers for your lover," Minerva suggested, grinning. Minerva obviously relished in everything sexual and sensual. She showed Rose the smallest, sexiest, silkiest garments you could imagine a wizard wearing.
"Do they grow when he grows?" Rose wondered.
"They shrink, exposing that other magic wand wizards have," Minerva giggled. "He shouldn't wear them if you need to sleep right away. They will actually help him stay … my husband and I have actually worked hard on the spells on those boxers. It has taken lots and lots and lots of practice! They should make you glad you are a witch and him glad he is a wizard."
A blushing Rose left the special adults only section of the store, the garments in hand.
A thin elderly wizard went up to Minerva, and she went into his arms, both of them hugging while he held on to some paperwork. He kissed the top of her head, and then he gazed at the substantial cleavage her garments always displayed. They turned to face Rose. "My husband, Marvin," Minerva introduced the wizard. "Rose Granger-Malfoy. She has just purchased a pair of the special boxers we worked so hard on."
"Hard on," he repeated, and then he blushed. "We did work on the spells on and for those boxers."
"Could you come into the office for a moment?" Marvin asked his wife. "I have a couple of invoices I need to go over with you."
Rose took her leave. She left eager to try out the garments that evening.
2022