When Harry and Hermione entered the Great Hall, they noticed that some of the members of the Order were already present, which dampened their spirits. They knew they would have to recount everything that had happened during their search, and the prospect didn't excite them. Neville and Susan joined them shortly, and after the meal, they headed to the headmistress's office.
Upon arriving at the office, the gargoyle moved aside, revealing the stairs leading to the office. They knocked on the door and were welcomed inside, where almost everyone was already waiting for them. They greeted everyone and took their seats, waiting for Kingsley to arrive. After just a few minutes, they heard the sound of the Floo activating, and two unfamiliar people entered the room. The headmistress greeted them warmly, indicating that their presence was expected, so Harry wasn't too concerned. A minute later, the Floo activated again, and this time, it was Kingsley himself. He greeted everyone and took a seat in the front row of chairs. Professor McGonagall then began the discussion.
She introduced everyone, revealing the names of those strangers. The first one was Gawain Robarts, the new head of DMLE. The second person that Harry was not familiar with was Saul Croaker, head of the Department of Mysteries. Then she gave the floor to the Golden Trio so they could tell everyone what they were doing and why. Their story was long and detailed, as they wanted this to be the only public conversation about their hunt. Even though the trio had told them everything they could remember and was important, many people had questions for them. But before anyone could start asking them, the Minister decided that a few minutes break was needed to clear their minds. When the pause was over, they went back to their seats, and Kingsley spoke first.
"Harry, Ron, Hermione, on behalf of the whole of wizarding Britain, I would like to thank you for all of your sacrifices not only during last year but for everything you have done during your years at Hogwarts. Our whole nation owes you a debt that cannot be repaid. You are heroes in every meaning of this world, and you are role models that future generations should follow." His words were met with applause from every person or portrait in the room. After a minute, the clapping had ended, allowing him to continue.
"Now, even though I know you have done your best to tell us everything you know, we still have some questions that need to be answered. Some of the questions are not pleasant, but I beg you not to take them as an attack on you. We all know that you have done your best, and no one has any right to criticize your decisions. Nonetheless, we still need to ask them to get a full sight of the story, and so we can learn from the mistakes that were made by our society." He told them gently.
The trio had looked at each other, and they let him know that they were ready for the questions. The first one to ask them was Auror Robards.
"Okay, so let's start. Why did you not ask anyone for help with the hunt? You are a bunch of very talented people, but you are only 18. You could have benefited by having some experienced adults with you."
Harry was the one who answered this question.
"It is a very complicated question. First of all, we had very little time to plan our hunt. After Dumbledore's funeral, we separated and went straight into our homes, which was a big mistake. I should have never come back to Privet Drive. But I did, and we spent almost a month apart, with no way to safely communicate and plan anything. After the Order evacuated me from Surrey, we had a few days until the wedding, so things were so hectic that we decided to spend a few days after the wedding preparing. But of course, this plan failed as during the reception, Death Eaters took control of the ministry and we had to run after their attack. Then we had no way to safely communicate with anyone." Harry explained. Auror Robards nodded his head, accepting the answer. The next one with a question was Susan.
"Why did Dumbledore not try to inform anyone of what was going on before Voldemort returned? Even though most of the people would not have believed him, Auntie Amelia would have if only he had shown her what proof he had. And she would have been able to beef up aurors to prepare for war."
This time it was Hermione who replied: "It's true your aunt would have believed him, but Fudge would not. He would hide his head in the sand, declare anyone who believed him unstable, and he would stop any preparations in the Aurors department by cutting their budget. Also, you need to think that the second he would hear about Voldemort, he would contact Malfoy and the rest of the Death Eater ilk that were his 'friends'. Official confirmation from Dumbledore could cause them to start actively looking for him instead of simply waiting. And it could end by him returning even faster."
"Did you manage to mend things with Gringotts? Going from war into goblin rebellion would be a disaster," Bill asked.
"Yes, I did. The first time they saw me, they went up in arms ready to kill me on the spot, but I managed to convince them to listen to me. After that, it was pretty easy as they hated those artifacts as well. So don't worry, we are not in danger of goblin rebellion, and your job is safe," Harry replied with a little smile.
"Do you think that anything else could be done to prepare for a battle? I can't stop thinking if we could wait for a bit, call more people, or do anything," said Auror Conner.
"I know how you feel, as I thought about it myself. But the truth is that if we waited even one hour to arrive at Hogwarts, Tom would be here first. He would pick up the diadem, leave the school, and we would lose any hope of killing him. As for delaying the battle, I think it would also cost us a war. By fighting that day, we used the fact that he was totally enraged and was not thinking straight. If he did, Nagini would not be here, but hidden in some location under Fidelius. So this battle was our now or never to defeat him."
"Harry is right," Kingsley said, and Croaker was nodding, agreeing with the Minister. "We had one shot to win with them, and we did it. Now that we know that nothing more could be done, let's stop thinking about 'what ifs' and start focusing on rebuilding this country as we have tons of work."
Hearing that, Neville knew that it was a good moment to tell them about his and Susan's work.
"Glad you started this topic, Minister, as I have something for you and Auror Robards." He stood up and took out a parchment from his pocket and handed it to the Head of DMLE.
"Auror Robards, this is a list of volunteers who agreed to help the Aurors, as we know that you are very heavily understaffed. Everyone on this list is trusted and capable of fighting. The list is divided into two parts. The first part contains people who offer their help in the coming weeks but don't see their future as aurors. The other part has people who would like to start auror training in the future and work full-time in your department."
The Minister and Head of DMLE were speechless. It took them a few seconds to compose themselves, and then Robards replied.
"Mr Longbottom, as much as I would like to decline your offer, as you don't have any official training, I am very grateful for your proposition, and I accept. Also, I would like to personally thank you and Miss Bones for your initiative. If you are free, I would like you and Susan to stay after the meeting. We would talk about details."
"Does anyone have any questions, or would like to raise some subject for discussion?" the Minister asked.
"I have something, but for now, I would like it to stay between you, me, Susan, and all the teachers," said Harry. His response surprised many people, but no one voiced their opinion.
"So let's do it this way. We can officially end our main meeting. Neville and Gawain will go to the Ministry building to discuss the volunteers, and you, me, Susan, and the teachers will stay here a bit more." Everyone agreed, and after everyone said goodbye, only those mentioned stayed in the office.
"I need to say, Harry, I am a bit curious. What would you like to talk about?"
"I will start by asking a weird question for all of you. How much do you know about the Founders of Hogwarts?"
Everyone but Susan was very surprised by his question. After a second, Professor McGonagall replied.
"They were Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin. They all founded the school and were running it until the fight between Slytherin and Gryffindor. Slytherin left the school, and the rest of them carried on until they died. But you know all of that. Why are you asking?"
"And has anyone of you ever heard about their wills and their inheritance?"
He was met with silence again, this time because no one had ever heard anything about that. Harry, seeing their reaction, decided to carry on.
"When the founders created the school, they put most of their fortunes into that goal. After Hogwarts was built, whatever was left was put into a vault in Gringotts. It was also supposed to be the main Hogwarts vault. As, during that time, the school didn't have an official headmaster, they decided that, in a situation where they wanted to use money from the vault, at least three of them had to agree to that. In the future, when they die, their heirs will also need to abide by this rule. They also decided that this rule would stop being valid when at least two of their main lines would die out. And when their line stops existing, their share of the ownership of the school goes to the remaining owners. This system worked perfectly until they all were living in the castle. When Slytherin left, they were still able to access that money, as three of them were there. Unfortunately, Rowena passed away shortly after, and her daughter died childless as well only a few years later. Gryffindor and Hufflepuff couldn't get Slytherin to agree to anything, and this stalemate situation carried on. Helga and Godric established a vault that could be accessed by the headmaster or deputy to ensure that their school would carry on. The original vault was locked and waiting for the next generation to die out so that it could be opened. However, over the centuries, the next generations forgot about the vault. As they could not access it, they lost interest in running the school, and Hogwarts was mostly left to themselves until the Ministry came and took it into their care. The main lines of the founders had married into other families and changed their last names, and everyone thought they had died out, but that was not true. All three of the main lines were still active, waiting for others to pass.
Teachers and Kingsley were listening to this story with interest, but they still had no idea why Harry brought this up. They didn't have to wait long for that information.
"The reason I wanted to speak to you about it is simple. During the Battle of Hogwarts, the last heir of Slytherin died in the battle, leaving only the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff lines active."
Almost all of them realized where this was going, so Professor Flitwick decided to ask them directly.
"Are you and Susan heirs of the founders and owners of Hogwarts?"
"Yes, we are," declared Susan.
It was silent again until McGonagall woke up from the shock.
"What are you planning to do now?"
"When the most urgent repairs are done, we will assemble all teachers again, and we will discuss everything. We will gather all ideas to improve the school and discuss them together," Harry hinted.
"Are you planning a revolution at Hogwarts?" asked Professor Flitwick.
"Let's be honest, the last seven years should never have happened. We have useless ghosts as teachers who have no idea what is going on around them, and I could write a book about Snape. His work as a teacher here could only be described as disgusting. And those are only the main problems. So, yes, I want to do a revolution so that Hogwarts can become the best school in the world. But I know that Susan and I can't do this alone. So, we need your help. We need you to think about everything, what is good and what is bad.
The teachers knew that Harry was right. Of course, they were a bit afraid, but if a 17-year-old could make a little revolution happen, it had to be Harry Potter.
Kingsley listened to everything and wondered about the Ministry's role. He also thought about the impact these changes would have on the whole country. Furthermore, he realized that Harry would not want to stop at Hogwarts. As he knew that he inherited the whole Potter and Black fortunes and titles, he knew that this teenager was the biggest political powerhouse in the whole of Britain. He suspected that Harry would push for changes in Wizengamot, and if he had to be honest, those visions didn't scare him. He knew Harry too well to be worried. He decided to ask Harry about those plans directly.
"You will try to make a shift in Wizengamot, won't you?"
"I will. Members of Wizengamot are the main reason why Voldemort was able to take control of the Ministry. If they had only put all the Death Eaters in Azkaban after the first war and stopped Fudge and his cohorts from cutting the DMLE budget, the second war could have been far easier and less bloody. So, yes, I will try to make a shift in Wizengamot."
Everyone who had gathered there knew that they were in the presence of a new leader. This person would be responsible for leading their country into a new century and a new millennium. They would be responsible for the path that the country takes in the future.
"A worthy goal, Mr. Potter. But I must warn you, you have a long and difficult road ahead of you. Many will oppose you and they will not hesitate to use dirty tactics to destroy you," said Professor McGonagall, looking him straight in the eye. "But you can succeed, Harry. And I know you will. Listen to your instincts and keep your friends close."
Harry was touched by Professor McGonagall's words of support. He knew that she wouldn't say that if she didn't mean it. It gave him motivation and reassured him that he was making the right choices.
"Thank you, Professor. It means a lot," he replied to her. He started to think about their words of encouragement and what they meant. But then he realized something that made him laugh a little. Everyone was surprised by his sudden laughter. "What's so funny, Harry?" asked the Minister, surprised.
"You know, King, a few hours after the battle, I was speaking with Hermione about my plans. I told her that I didn't want to plan anything and that I would take my time to think everything through. But only a few days later, I am sitting here talking about changes in the government and the school. I realized that I struggle to stick to any plans, so much so that even when I don't make any plans, I still can't follow through.
Everyone chuckled at that, and after a second they ended the meeting. Before they left Kingsley asked Harry for a quick word.
"Harry, I have a big favor to ask from you and Hermione."
Harry was a bit surprised, but nodded at him, suggesting to him to carry on
"I would like you and Hermione to meet with the muggle Prime Minister"
"Why you don't meet him yourself? Don't get me wrong I can certainly do it and I know that Mione will agree as well but I am curious why do you want us to do it. "
" First of all, my knowledge of the muggle world is below average at best. I know how to dress accordingly, and have very basic knowledge of muggle inventions. The whole time I spent protecting him, I was simply following him behind and trying to not look too weird, and it was not a hard task, as no one would comment if the minister guard acted a bit weird." He then paused for a second. "This will be the first meeting with PM since Scrimgeour visited him about 3 months before his death. I want our side to make a good first impression on him and I am afraid I will make some mistakes that will make us look bad. I know that you will lay a good foundation for our future relationship. Today's meeting and the way you acted have proven that. So can I count on you?"
"I will do it. Let me know when you will have a date for the meeting, I will take care of the rest." Harry replied
"Thank you, Harry." Then they said their goodbye and parted ways. Harry decided to visit the kitchen for a quick supper, and after that, he went straight to bed.