Chapter 22: The Wizengamot

Albus Dumbledore stood at his office window and looked into the distance; down over the sweeping lawns of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, past the front gates and to the tiny cluster of buildings that made up Hogsmeade Station. He could see the billows of steam rising into the air as the Hogwarts Express pulled away from the platform and began its length journey, ferrying many of his students back to their waiting families at Kings Cross station for their Christmas break.

He sighed and turned his attention to the piece of parchment in front of him. He'd received this note a few weeks prior and, although he knew it was coming, he couldn't help the twinge of disappointment that came from losing the proxied Potter votes on the Wizengamot. He'd used those votes to great effect over the years and had seen many pieces of his proposed legislation come into law with their help. The parchment he held had been sent by a friendly source in the Office of Wizengamot Administration and outlined that Harry James Black-Potter had ascended to his role of Head of the Ancient House of Potter and would be presenting himself at the upcoming Winter Solstice session. Try as they might, however, his source had been unable to unearth anything further about the Noble and Most Ancient House that had apparently found a new heir and would also be taking their seat in just a few days.

He'd done his own digging of course but had come up just as empty-handed. The Urquart line had ended in 1985 when Minerva McGonagall's husband Elphinstone had died in an accident with a Venomous Tentacula, leaving behind his wife but no children to carry on his line. Both the Shafiq family and the Blishwicks had disappeared from the Wizarding World in the late 1930s; it was thought that both had been wiped out in the war with Grindelwald but Albus hadn't been able to uncover proof either way and so had to entertain the possibility that an heir had reappeared from one of the two.

Finally, there was the Peverell family. Albus had taken a great interest in the Peverells for many years – after all, he held one of their artefacts and had actively sought the others in times gone by. He didn't consider himself foolish enough to believe the so-called Deathly Hallows had actually been objects created by Death himself but supposed instead that wand, stone and cloak had been crafted by three exceptionally gifted brothers who had allowed and encourage the legend that appeared in Beedle's stories. There was no denying the might of the wand in his possession and he was convinced that the Potter invisibility cloak was another of the fabled items, but again, he had been unable to find any evidence that the Potters were indeed their descendants.

Placing the parchment aside he sighed once more and grudgingly accepted that he would have to wait until the Wizengamot convened to get the answer he so desperately craved.

Harry, Hermione and their friends stepped off the train and into the thronging crowd of reuniting families. Fully expecting to have to pass through the portal to the Muggle side of Kings Cross to meet up with Hermione's parents, Harry was caught by surprise when she gave an earsplitting squeal of delight and dashed off, weaving her way through the masses before throwing herself into the arms of a woman that Harry recognised as her mother. Turning to Neville and shrugging, Harry picked up one end of her abandoned trunk and, with Neville's help, lifted it onto the trolley that Harry had commandeered to transport his own. He waved goodbye to Neville and the girls, and promising to see them over the holidays, Harry carefully wheeled the trolley through the host of people whilst looking around and trying to spot Sirius. Finally, he reached Hermione, who had now transferred her warm hug to her father. Harry stood back and watched his best friend, a soft smile on his face. Hermione's mother, who had been gazing fondly at her husband and daughter, looked over at Harry and nudged Hermione to get her attention.

"Is this…?" she began.

The platform had begun to empty but Hermione looked around cautiously before speaking, making sure they wouldn't be overheard by anyone that may know the story she and Harry had told at the start of the year about their friendship before Hogwarts. "Mum, Dad," she said, comfortable that there were no eavesdroppers present. "This is Harry Potter."

"Pleased to meet you." Harry held out his hand to shake but was startled when Hermione's mother batted it aside and hugged him instead, demonstrating exactly where Hermione had learnt her technique. "Thank you for looking after our girl," she whispered to him.

"I think she's looked after me far more than I've looked after her." He replied, relaxing once the initial surprise of being hugged by a relative stranger had passed.

"It's good to finally meet you, Harry," Hermione's father's voice had an amused tone to it as he spoke.

"You too Sir."

Hermione snorted. "Sir?"

"None of that Harry," her mother admonished. "I'm Helen and this is Richard." Harry nodded and shook hands with Hermione's father in greeting.

"How did you get onto the platform?" Hermione asked. "I thought you had to wait on the other side of the portal?"

"Sirius helped us," Richard replied. "No idea where he's got to though."

"You know Sirius?" Harry asked in surprise.

"He contacted us once you told him about Hermione's trip back. We've been meeting up with him once or twice a week – he's been keeping us informed, letting us know how you're both doing…"

Suddenly, Harry was bundled off his feet as he was attacked from behind by his adoptive father.

"My boy! My boy! My sweet, innocent, helpless little boy! Oh, how I've missed you!"

"Get off you lunatic!" Harry yelled, struggling to fight off Sirius who had transitioned his hold from a hug to a headlock. When he finally broke free, Harry's hair was even more of a mess than usual, and his glasses hung wonkily from one of his ears. As he attempted to make himself presentable again he glanced over at Hermione and her parents and found them struggling to hold themselves upright as they laughed.

"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up Granger," Harry said to Hermione in faux anger as he waited for the group to collectively get ahold of themselves. "Just remember that I've got years of stories I can share with your parents."

"You wouldn't dare!" Hermione said, laughter stopping abruptly and a hint of red appearing on her cheeks. "I'm sure I've got just as many stories about you I can share!"

Harry waved his hand in dismissal. "Do you honestly think Sirius hasn't heard them all already? I live with a marauder - veritaserum in my tea was almost a daily danger at first." He grinned evilly at his friend and then turned to her parents. "Now, where should we start? 'Or worse, expelled'? Setting a teacher's robes on fire? Ooh! How about the time she punched Malfoy?"

"As eager as I am to hear about my daughter's misdemeanours and misadventures, we really do need to get going," Richard interjected, grinning at the pair as Hermione glared half-heartedly at Harry.

"Oh! Such a shame!" Hermione exclaimed, "we'll see you soon!"

"You'll see them now Hermione," Helen said, an amused tone to her voice. "They're coming for dinner."

"So!" Richard chuckled, throwing his arm around Harry's shoulders and leading him towards the exit from Platform 9 3/4s. "Tell me about my little girl punching this… Malfoy was it?"

Saturday 21st December 1991 was surprisingly warm for so close to Christmas and Harry woke early, eager and nervous for the day ahead. The Wizengamot meeting wasn't due to start until midday so Harry, Sirius, and Andi spent the morning reviewing their plans for the day. Harry was pleased to hear that all his friends would be in attendance, including Hermione who would sit with Ted and Dora in the public gallery during proceedings. The gallery itself was expected to be full to capacity as the combination of an opportunity to see the Boy-Who-Lived in the flesh, and the rumoured re-emergence of a Noble and Most Ancient House had proved to be too high-profile an event to miss. Planning accordingly, the group were going to arrive at the Ministry with plenty of time to spare.

At 11 o'clock, they stepped into the fireplace at the Tonks home, and back out into Amelia Bones' office. She looked up from her desk as Sirius stepped through first and rose to greet the arrivals.

"Good morning everyone, are we all ready for today?"

Harry greeted her and peered around her office, comparing it to how he'd had it set up during his time as head of the DMLE, and allowing the others to make polite conversation.

"Are you ready Harry?" Amelia asked, drawing his attention back to her. "Do you want to run through your speech one more time?"

"No, I've got it – thanks."

Amelia nodded. "OK then. Just as a reminder, the first order of business will be the call for new seats to be recognised. You'll be asked to take the standard oath – don't worry, it's not magically binding –" "or worth the parchment it's written on" muttered Sirius, something Amelia duly ignored "- and asked which faction the Potter votes will reside in. As you're underage, you'll also be asked to name your proxy. You'll then have a few minutes to speak -"

"At which time you'll break the Wizengamot," Sirius said with glee.

Amelia gave him a look that should have made him quail but Sirius' smile only grew wider. Focussing on Harry once more she continued. "Once you've claimed your seats I'd suggest collecting your friends and leaving. That way, when we're finished, you won't have to deal with Albus trying to interrogate you…"

"And you get to avoid sitting through the rest of the session," Sirius interrupted. "They're usually as dull as feeding Flobberworms."

This time Amelia merely sighed and shook her head. "How do you put up with him?" she asked.

Harry shrugged "I enrolled at Hogwarts. I get 10 months of peace a year now."

Ignoring Sirius' spluttered objections to that comment, the group made their way out of Amelia's office and walked the short distance to the chamber that usually housed the Wizengamot meetings on the second floor of the Ministry of Magic. As they stopped outside the chamber, Sirius gripped Harry by the shoulder and bent down to speak to him quietly. "You'll do fine. Good luck Pup. Your Mum and Dad would be so proud of you today."

"Thanks, Sirius," Harry murmured quietly, trying to control his emotions at the unexpected mention of his parents.

A final squeeze of Harry's shoulder and Sirius joined Amelia as they made their way through the members' door, allowing Harry and Andi to climb the stairs to the Public Gallery entrance. Harry had been to the meeting chamber many times in his adult life, and found them vastly preferable to the courtrooms down on level 10, but hadn't experienced it from this point of view before. The Public Gallery gave its occupants a fantastic view of the opulent chamber which was split into three tiers arranged in a semi-circle around an open space where speakers and petitioners could stand in full view of the assembly. The Noble Houses were seated on the lowest tier, with the Ancient Houses above them and the Noble and Most Ancient Houses seated at the top. Whilst the seats were not strictly split into the voting factions, the Dark faction tended to congregate to the right side of the tiers, with the Neutrals in the middle and the Light on the left. The box that was set aside for the Minister for Magic and the department heads was at the same level as the Noble houses and placed firmly in the centre, as were the seats designated for the Chief Warlock and scribe.

Harry thought back to his favourite memory of this chamber – watching Hermione being sworn in as Minister for Magic – and smiled softly to himself. As the gallery had not yet filled with the general public, he quickly spotted Hermione, Ted and Dora and was delighted to see that they'd been joined by Susan, Hannah, Neville and Daphne, each of whom had attended to support their friend, not knowing the uproar Harry would cause in less than an hours time. He greeted them all enthusiastically and took his seat next to Hermione, where she took his hand and gave it an encouraging squeeze.

Finally, with the gallery packed and at standing room only, the large doors below them swung open and a voice called "Please be upstanding for the Chief Warlock and the Minister for Magic!" Harry watched as Albus Dumbledore strode into the room, exuding authority, and closely followed by Cornelius Fudge. The pair took their seats and the assembly sat a moment later. Albus Dumbledore surveyed the chamber in a stately manner, meeting the eyes of those he favoured and radiating the confidence and power that had seen him recognised as the most powerful Wizard in Britain and granting him his position as Chief Warlock. He stood once more and opened the meeting.

"Welcome all to the 1,792nd meeting of the Wizengamot of Great Britain."

This statement was met with short but generous applause which ceased immediately when Dumbledore raised his hands to ask for silence.

He looked up into the Public Gallery, seeking Harry's face and finding it amongst a knot of his first-year students. Knowing the answer, but following the acknowledged procedure, he asked the traditional first question of any Wizengamot session. "Our first order of business, are there any that come before the Wizengamot today to claim their seat?"

Harry took a breath and stood calmly. "I do." He called from his place in the Gallery.

"Come and stand before your peers and present your credentials."

Andi handed Harry a folder of parchment that contained all the information regarding his claim to the Potter line, as well as Gringotts acceptance of the claim, signed in blood. Neville patted him on the shoulder encouragingly as he passed him and Harry whispered his thanks for the support in return. He made his way down to the chamber floor and stood before the Chief Warlock, meeting his gaze, safe in the knowledge that even if Dumbledore wanted to try to read his thoughts using Legilimency, he wasn't stupid enough to do so in front of the entire Wizengamot. Continuing to follow procedure, Dumbledore spoke again.

"What is your name and which seat do you wish to claim?"

"Harry James Black-Potter. My claim is for the Ancient House of Potter."

"Please step forward and present the scribe with your credentials."

Harry passed the folder over to the scribe who swiftly sorted through the pieces of parchment and presented the appropriate documents to Dumbledore. He glanced at them briefly and then examined Harry over the top of his half-moon glasses.

"You are rather young to be taking on such responsibility… I wonder perhaps it would be in your best interest to postpone this ascension until you are a little older – 17 perhaps?"

"Objection!" Sirius roared from his place in the Black family seat, over the murmurings of the other members. "The Chief Warlock is out of order to even suggest that the seat belonging to the Ancient House of Potter not be filled. Lord Black-Potter was recognised by Gringotts as the rightful Head of House Potter on his 11th birthday, as directed by the Last Will and Testament of James Charlus and Lily Marie Potter. It is not the Chief Warlock's place to contravene decisions clearly laid out in such a document."

Mutterings of discontent over his action began to grow in volume around the chamber and Dumbledore moved quickly to silence them. "Of course not Lord Black, I was merely enquiring how Harry here would propose to fulfil his obligations as a member of this revered body whilst at school."

"That's 'Lord Black-Potter' Albus," the dusty voice of Griselda Marchbanks called from the second tier, disapproval clear in her voice. "And if you'd get on with it, I'm sure he'd be able to tell you himself."

"Of course…" Dumbledore assumed a suitably penitent expression whilst fuming silently inside at having been smacked down by both Black and Marchbanks. Glancing down once more at the pieces of parchment in front of him, he cleared his throat and spoke again. "The documents all appear to be in order so please raise your hand and repeat after me, the oath of allegiance."

"I, Harry James Black-Potter, do hereby swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to the Wizengamot, and will defend and protect, to the best of my abilities, the people of Wizarding Britain."

Knowing the number of Death Eaters that held votes in this chamber, Harry could understand Sirius' previous declaration; 'not worth the parchment it's written on'.

A round of applause, polite and abrupt from those in the Dark faction and warmer and longer from the Neutral and Light factions (and impressively enthusiastic from the Public Gallery) rang out around the chamber. When it stopped, Dumbledore continued. "Which faction will the Potter votes be representing?"

"The Light."

"Will the Scribe please note, an additional 2 votes will be added to total for the Light faction... As you are not yet of age Lord Black-Potter, I assume you will be appointing a proxy to represent your interests?"

"Yes, Chief Warlock. Madam Andromeda Tonks has kindly agreed to assist."

Dumbledore looked once more to the Gallery. "Madam Tonks, would you please make your way down to the floor?"

Moments later, Andromeda was stood next to Harry, giving her own oath to cover the time she would serve in the seat of the Potter family. "Very well," Dumbledore said, "Lord Black-Potter, you may take your seat."

"Point of order Chief Warlock!" an unfamiliar voice called out from somewhere in the Neutral faction in the second tier. Harry saw a gentleman rise to his feet – his features seemed somewhat familiar but Harry couldn't place him.

"Yes, Lord Davis?" 'Lord Davis' Harry thought 'Tracey's father perhaps?'

"I believe it is customary for new members to be allowed to speak before taking their seats, is it not?"

"Yes it is Lord Davis," another member stood, this time from the first tier. "This is the third time you've had to be reminded of your responsibilities Chief Warlock. Unless you would prefer to take a seat in the Gallery, I'd suggest you remember yourself."

Harry was close enough to see the flicker of irritation that passed over Dumbledore's face. He must be pissed to let that slip through his Occlumency shields.

"Of course, my apologies. Lord Black-Potter, the floor is yours." Dumbledore sat back in his seat and templed his fingers, watching Harry attentively and displaying no outward hostility for the repeated admonishments he'd received.

"Thank you, Chief Warlock," Harry nodded to him politely then looked up at the waiting Wizengamot members. Andi stepped to the side, but remained on the floor, providing a level of support to Harry as he began his well-rehearsed speech. Harry stood straight and clasped his hands behind his back. Lifting his eyes to the third tier, he sought contact with the man who had, despite his tendency for whimsy and irresponsibility, been a rock for Harry since his return.

"I stand before you today as I claim my family seat and membership to this esteemed council. I look forward to working alongside you all for the betterment of all of Wizarding Britain." Harry began to walk slowly, up and down in front of the lowest tier as he spoke. "The Potter seat has been empty since my grandfather, Fleamont Potter, passed away. My father, James Potter, never got the opportunity to take his rightful place among you as he and my mother were cut down in their prime, leaving me orphaned." Harry paused and looked over at Andi who smiled encouragingly. "The Tonks family took me in when I was 8 years old and raised me to understand and respect the traditions of our society. My Godfather, Sirius Black, assisted with that when he was absolved from the crimes he had been falsely accused of and was released from Azkaban. I thank both for their support, and Sirius in particular for adopting me and formally gave me with the family I lacked until the Tonks' granted me sanctuary." There was an outburst of noise at those words from both the Wizengamot members and the Public Gallery. Just what had the Boy-Who-Lived been experiencing that he felt he required sanctuary to escape it?

Harry allowed the room to settle but continued to pace. That statement would ensure some uncomfortable moments for Albus Dumbledore in the near future, something that Harry knew he would have regretted in his old life, but now didn't bother him in the slightest.

"When my parents Will was read and I was told of the responsibility that would be mine to bear, I understood I would need support and advice. I turned to those I knew and respected to help me learn more about our world. It is that learning that has shaped my beliefs and values and will guide me in casting the Potter votes in support of those same principles. It may sound ridiculous to you all – an 11-year-old stood here in front of some of the most powerful members of our society, telling you about what he has learnt in his few short years of exposure to Wizarding Britain - but sometimes a fresh pair of eyes, a new perspective, can bring new conversation to the table. I saw first-generation witches and wizards join our world and seemingly trample on our culture and traditions, but our society made no effort to make them aware of our culture in the first place. I saw many bright young witches and wizards, deserting Wizarding Britain and fleeing to Europe or America in search of jobs and opportunities… I know there are those here today that would be pleased to see these people go but the long term effect on our society will be devastating. The more people that leave to start their lives elsewhere, the less money flows into our economy… our population falls… our businesses start to falter and eventually collapse as fewer and fewer people spend money in our shops and we struggle to hire those qualified to work…" Harry stopped walking now and looked up at the watching assembly instead. When the spoke, the passion was clear in his voice and belied his youthful appearance.

"The Potter family votes will be eagerly cast in favour of plans that protect our culture and traditions, but not at the expense of destroying our world. I believe we should be encouraging those first-generation magicals to become integral parts of our society. We should be educating them when they join our world, encouraging them to understand our culture and join with us in creating a better and stronger Britain. Under the leadership of Minister Cornelius Fudge," he took a moment to acknowledge the Minister for Magic, who beamed at the recognition Harry had shown him, "we've made a promising start but there is still much more to do." He paused as a wave of spontaneous applause broke out from the Gallery behind him. Harry took a breath, knowing his most controversial statement was yet to come. His eyes sought Sirius once more who was looking down proudly and approvingly from the Black seat.

"Today, I placed the Potter votes in the Light faction, but it has been made increasingly clear to me that the factions that unite us with like-minded individuals are also choking our personal beliefs and responsibilities. People aren't willing to step away from their blocs and speak their mind for fear of being cast out and losing their voice, however subjugated that voice may be. Whilst the Potter family will remain a light one, I announce today that a new Alliance has been formed consisting of progressive, like-minded families that desire to protect our heritage but help to move us forward into a new era of prosperity. We will stand as a bulwark against those who seek to undermine and harm Wizarding Britain and act, not in the interest of the people, but instead in the interest of themselves..." Harry had to wait as the majority of the Wizengamot tried to voice their opinions on this development at the same time. Dumbledore was furiously banging his gavel and attempting to restore order to the proceedings, and Harry took a moment to look up to the Public Gallery where he could see Hermione's sparkling eyes watching him proudly.

When a modicum of order had been regained, Dumbledore addressed Harry directly, speaking loudly to overcome the last dissenting voices. "Lord Black-Potter, you've repeatedly said 'we' in your statement – would you care to share who exactly 'we' represents?"

"Certainly Chief Warlock. Today I am pleased to announce that the Ancient House of Potter has entered into an Alliance of mutual aid and support with the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black –" Sirius stood and smiled down at Harry, "the Noble and Most Ancient House of Bones –" Amelia stood next to Sirius, " and the Noble and Most Ancient House of Longbottom –" Augusta Longbottom now climbed to her feet, providing a powerful image of the three current Noble and Most Ancient Houses standing unified for the first time in decades.

Dumbledore appeared to be about to speak so Harry pressed on. "The Ancient House of Abbott –" John Abbott quickly stood and looked around proudly, "and finally, the Ancient House of Greengrass." Cyrus Greengrass, Daphne's father stood slowly to the astonishment of those around him – the Greengrass family were notorious for their neutrality, managing to avoid committing to either side during the rise of Voldemort, so for Cyrus Greengrass to publicly bind his family to such an alliance sent shockwaves around the Wizengamot. "The Potter Alliance will work with anyone that truly wants to act for the benefit of Wizarding Britain. I look forward to serving alongside you all."

There was a smattering of applause but most of the members were still trying to wrap their heads around what they had just heard. The Potter Alliance now controlled 15 votes, more than the entire Neutral faction, and had catapulted themselves into a prime position to have a major impact on any legislation moving forward.

Dumbledore, realising suddenly that the session was getting away from him, banged his gavel once again. "I know it is unorthodox to call a recess so soon into a session but I believe we would all benefit from a short break right now. We will continue in 5 minutes time." Banging his gavel again he rose and stepped down from his seat, planning to have a quiet word with his student. Harry, however, had seen him coming and retreated to Andi's side where she pulled him into a hug and congratulated him on his performance. Sirius and Amelia had quickly made their way down to the floor as well and Amelia moved to head off the Chief Warlock as Sirius took over from Andi and hugged Harry tightly. "Excellent work Pup!" he said delightedly.

"That was bloody terrifying Padfoot."

"I know, but it's all downhill from here. One last part to play and you're free to head off and stare longingly at Hermione for the rest of the day."

Harry glared at Sirius and spoke through gritted teeth. "If we didn't need to present a united front right now I'd find a way to force you into your animagus form and then neuter you."

Sirius smirked in response. "Now, now Pup! Is that any way to speak to your roguishly handsome father figure?"

Unable to provide response he wanted, Harry simply glared at Sirius, who let out a booming laugh in response and turned to see Dumbledore returning disappointedly to his seat, having been unable to reach Harry in the allotted time.

The Chief Warlock banged his gavel, bringing the session to order once more and waited for the last few members to scurry back to their seats. Putting this so-called 'Potter Alliance' to one side for the moment – it required more thought than he was able to give it right now - he tried to move the session along, allowing the council to focus on the event that many, including himself, had been waiting for – the re-emergence of a Noble and Most Ancient House.

"Who else comes before the Wizengamot today to claim – " Dumbledore broke off abruptly as he realised Harry and Andromeda Tonks were still standing on the floor of the chamber. "My apologies Lord Black-Potter. You may take your seat now."

"Actually Chief Warlock," Harry replied, grinning wickedly. "I think it would be wasted effort on my part. Please continue."

Albus looked down at Harry in shock who continued to grin back at him. It must be the Peverells… the boy must have somehow found a link he had missed…

Dumbledore cleared this throat. "Who else comes before the Wizengamot today to claim their seat?"

"I do." Harry spoke once more, refusing to take his eyes from Albus and allowing the cacophony of voices to raise once more around him. Dumbledore again had to resort to repeatedly banging his gavel to regain a semblance of control.

"Come and stand before your peers and present your credentials."

Andi produced another folder which Harry held onto tightly as he stepped forward.

"What is your name and which seat do you wish to claim?" Dumbledore asked, the twinkle noticeably absent from his eyes.

"Harry James Black-Potter. My claim is for the Noble and Most Ancient House of Peverell."

Dumbledore took a sip of water, buying himself a moment to try and regain his composure. "Please step forward and present the scribe with your documents."

This time, Dumbledore poured over the documents that the scribe handed him, desperately looking for the evidence that had eluded him in his own investigations… and there it was… Iolanthe Peverell, the granddaughter of Ignotus, had married Hardwin Potter many generations ago. The Gringotts seal on the document confirmed Harry was the only living heir and had been accepted as the Head of House… Dumbledore lifted his head and found the chamber waiting in silence for his reaction.

"The documents all appear to be in order… As you have already taken the oath there is no need to do so again. Which faction will the Peverell votes be representing?"

"The Neutral, although for the sake of completeness I would also state for the record that the Noble and Most Ancient House of Peverell is also a member of the Potter Alliance." Harry could see cogs turning in several members heads as they tried to calculate how this would affect the voting blocs and the sudden realisation that the Potter Alliance had not only held their advantage over the Neutrals but now equalled the votes of the Dark faction too. This single meeting had turned British Wizarding politics on its head and the repercussions would be felt for a long, long time.

"And your proxy?" Dumbledore said, feeling as though the earth was shifting beneath his feet.

"Andromeda Tonks, Chief Warlock."

Dumbledore nodded. "Once again, there is no need to retake the oath. Do you have any further comments Lord Black-Potter?"

"Not at this time, although I will now take my leave from the chamber and allow my proxy and fellow Alliance members to enjoy the rest of the session. Thank you for your time and patience." With that, Harry turned and hugged Andi one more time. He watched her begin the climb to the third tier where the Peverell seat waited, the strode from the room leaving silence in his wake.

Once he was clear of the doors and they had closed behind him, Harry let out a huge sigh of relief and slumped against the wall, allowing the tension to drain from his body. The clattering of feet on steps forced him to pull himself upright but the appearance of his friends a moment later, with Hermione in the lead, allowed him to relax again. Hermione reached him first and pulled him into a hug, which developed into a group hug seconds later as the rest of his friends joined in.

Susan was the first to speak. "Oh my god, Harry! That was incredible! Are you OK?"

"Yeah," he said, extricating himself from the hug and leaning back against the wall again. "I'm glad I don't have to do it again though. That was terrifying."

"You were brilliant Harry," said Daphne. "I can't believe you convinced my father to join your Alliance!"

"I barely did anything, Sirius and Amelia did all the legwork…"

"Regardless," she interrupted before he could go any further. "My father wouldn't have agreed to be a part of it unless he could see the benefit of doing so. You said your ideas are the reason the Alliance was formed, right?"

"Yeah…"

"Then whatever plans you've made have clearly impressed him – and he's not someone easily impressed. I don't think you understand just how big of a deal this is for my family, Harry. My mother told me the stories of the war with Voldemort… we stayed neutral despite weekly visits from Death Eaters, first trying to buy our support with promises of gold and power, then trying to take it with threats against our family. We held our ground despite that, so for my father to take a side now…" Daphne let the thought hang in the air.

"Right, enough seriousness!" Dora took charge now. "We need to blow off some steam. Fortescue's sound good to everyone?" With a collective cheer of agreement, the group began to move off. Hermione hung back to stand beside Harry and she slipped her hand into his, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Well done, Harry." She whispered and placed a soft kiss on his cheek before turning and pulling him after their friends.