CHAPTER SEVEN: CHANGING TIMES

Adelin Meeting Room

Ministry of Magic, London

8 September 1994

The problem with board meetings, in Amelia's opinion, was that they were rather dull. A small and selfish part of her regretted forcing her way onto the committee - the meetings were long, and full of semantics. However, each time one of Gaunt's coterie spoke, Amelia's purpose was reaffirmed. After all, it certainly wouldn't suit for the primary schools to turn into a Traditionalist breeding ground, and it was her duty to ensure that all students, regardless of blood status, received a fair and equal education.

Amelia turned her attention back to the presentation the Rowle brothers were giving. The Honorable House of Rowle had a less than glorious reputation that had been neatly swept under the rug after the failed uprising of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. The current Lord Rowle, Erik Rowle, had been rumored to be a Death Eater, and his heir and eldest son, Thorfinn, had similar inclinations. Sten, the second son, had been in Hogwarts during the height of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's power, but Amelia doubted he'd be any different than his father and older brother.

Both brothers now taught; Thorfinn taught the Runic Scripts at the London Academy of Magic while Sten instructed History of Magic at the Liverpool Magical Primary. While both Rowles were qualified for their jobs, Amelia couldn't help but wonder how much influence Lord Gaunt had exerted to ensure that his supporters were well-placed. Her theory certainly wasn't hurt by the fact that the Primary School Director Board was headed by Narcissa Malfoy, the wife of one of Gaunt's staunchest allies. Amelia had made her way onto the board via a myriad of convenient coincidences. Each school and each political party was allotted one representative. Amelia had been chosen to represent the interests of the Neutral-Traditionalists because she not only had experience teaching as a former Auror instructor, but also had a child in Hogwarts.

Narcissa Malfoy represented the interests of the Blood-Purist sect in addition to her duties as board director. Athena Greengrass was the Traditionalists representative, and Percy Weasley, oddly enough, had been chosen to represent the Progressives. Amelia thought that was a rather odd choice on the behalf of the Progressive party, as Percy leaned far closer to Neutral-Traditionalist, but he did have the added clout of Lord Prewett as well as an outstanding academic record. The Modernists, thankfully, had not been given a seat on the board.

"School excursions," Thorfinn Rowle was saying, "Not only provide exciting educational opportunities for those who were not raised in Wizarding society, but also provide opportunities to connect what is learned in the classroom to real-world applications. As a Runic Scripts instructor, I often see students struggling to see why Runes are relevant to their daily lives. Excursions to Stonehenge, warding sites, and hillforts help them understand the impact Runes had not only in the past, but also in the present.

"Unfortunately, such excursions are not included in the school's budget and require extra fees. Some parents make the decision not to send their child on an excursion, and the children most affected by this are those from non-magical households."

Sten Rowle stepped forward. "To ameliorate this problem, we propose two solutions for discussion. First, to increase the primary school budget to allow for a per capita allowance for excursions, and second, to add school fees."

The Rowle brothers returned to their seats.

Narcissa Malfoy smiled in acknowledgement, but the gesture certainly didn't reach her eyes. "The floor is now open for discussion. McGonagall."

The Scottish wizard nodded. "Yes. I certainly agree with some of the points Thorfinn and Sten have made. We have also seen a decrease in school excursion attendance for students from non-magical households as well as from less advantaged homes. While I do think a small per student stipend - perhaps on the scale of three Galleons per student - would be beneficial, especially to have in reserve for less-advantaged students, I do not think it is the end all be all solution. After speaking with some of the halfblood and muggleborn faculty members, I learned that muggle school children regularly go on excursions to places of great cultural and historical importance. By rephrasing how we propose our school excursions to the muggle parents, we can help increase attendance without the need to spend more Galleons."
"Thank you. Moody."

Saoirse Moody stood, and Amelia sent a silent prayer to the gods above that Saoirse wasn't as insane as her great-uncle.

"I agree with Graeme's sentiments, and would like to add that adding school fees would likely lead to decreased enrollment, which certainly would impede our goals. Having a small stipend per student would be beneficial, particularly given the Floo and Portkey fees we need to pay for most of the school excursions. My main concern with that solution is where we would source the Galleons."

"Thank you. Greengrass."

Debate continued over the exact Galleon amount that should be budgeted per students, as well as whether or not the school excursions should be mandatory. Percy Weasley had several strong feelings about that, and had pointed out that if a family struggled to keep food on the table, it was unlikely they could afford extra luxuries like school excursions. More than one committee member had difficulty making eye contact with Percy after that, and it hit Amelia especially hard. Molly and Arthur had been two years ahead of her in Hogwarts, and Amelia remembered how vibrant Molly had been. All of Molly's relationships had been on her own terms, and if her words weren't sharp enough to keep unwanted suitors away, her wand was.

After the death of her brothers, Molly had leaned heavily on Arthur, who'd also been mourning the loss of his siblings. Then, several years later, when everything finally seemed to be going well, Arthur passed, which sent Molly into a depressive spiral. Amelia had seen Molly a handful of times since, and the Weasley matriarch appeared to have aged well beyond her years.

Even after the board meeting adjourned, Amelia couldn't stop thinking about the war. Amelia had lost her parents, both her brothers, and her sister-in-law to Death Eaters, and there were very few witches and wizards who hadn't lost a family member.

It was with a heavy heart that Amelia headed to her second meeting of the day. She'd been surprised when Rufus initially owled her to request a meeting. The Chief Auror was highly competent, and with almost five years of experience, he scarcely met with her outside of departmental meetings.

Amelia had good instincts, and her instincts were screaming with wild abandon. In all likelihood, it wouldn't be a pleasant conversation. Amelia knocked lightly on Rufus' office door.

"Come in."

Amelia entered the office and shut the door behind her. The telltale chill of privacy wards washed over her, and Amelia took a seat. "Good afternoon, Rufus."

"Good afternoon, Amelia." Light bags sat under Rufus' eyes, and the steaming mug of tea in front of him spoke volumes about his day. "I called this meeting because I wanted to discuss several concerns with you."

Amelia nodded. "It caught me a bit off guard."

"Mm. It goes without saying that nothing leaves this room?"

"Of course."

Rufus exhaled sharply. "Good. Because nothing I am about to say is particularly decorous or professional, especially given my position as Chief Auror. I am deeply, deeply concerned about our current political situation."

Amelia's heart leapt into her throat. "Do continue."

"I've heard about the latest Ascension debate," Rufus said, thumb fiddling with the handle of his mug, "Runcorn's potential Ascendancy doesn't bother me too much… it's the rumors I've been hearing about Rookwood that do." Rufus' hand stilled. "Is it true that Rookwood is likely to Ascend over Marchbanks, and that the vote will go through?"

Amelia swallowed. "Yes."

Rufus swore quietly. "That's what I was worried about. You see, I'm not only concerned about the number of recent graduates from the Auror Academy, but also their ability to perform in combat."

"You've lost me. I'm not getting the link between Ascendency and war."

Rufus' fingers drummed out a quick rhythm on the edge of his desk. "Look, Amelia, you are free to call me paranoid, but I'm very good at seeing patterns."

Amelia nodded. Rufus had the highest number of cold cases cracked next to Alastor Moody, and his ability to leap from point A to point O, along with his leadership skills, were why he had been appointed Chief Auror.

"In 1972, during the height of the rise of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, there was a surge in the Blood Purist and Traditionalist power base." Rufus paused. "I fear it will happen again."

Amelia felt rather lightheaded. "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?"

"No. But something similar. I trust my instincts, Amelia, and my instincts say to be ready. There's too many of His former supporters still at large, even if they were allegedly innocent. Now, I know it's not professional or proper for me to say that, but it's the truth. They've got their hands in everything now, if you look carefully enough...seats in the House of Lords, and the House of Commons if you think that even matters. Seats on school boards, and seats next to Fudge, whispering in his ear. There's something brewing, and say what you will, but I don't trust it."

Amelia's head spun. "Rufus...I think you're right…"

"I realize it's a lot of conjecture, but I'm glad you believe me."

"No, it's that there's another factor that supports your theory that you haven't even considered yet. In fact, most people wouldn't consider it, because they don't know about it. Merlin, how could I have been so stupid?"

Rufus made a go-on gesture.

"The wards. The Irish wards."

"You're going to have to extrapolate a bit on that."

"I pulled an old favor to get a trusted source into Ireland," Amelia began. "I wanted her to check the ward lines, just to make sure the Irish weren't trying to move them. All the wardstones were still in place, but the power behind them had been increased. The last time that happened was -"

"-around 1972."

"Yes. And not only that, but the covens are deeply unsettled. The Morholts continue to isolate themselves from the rest of the southern covens, and I have reason to believe that the Sayre Coven and the Rowan Coven are behind the change in the ward schema...although I don't know the reason why. It could be to ensure that Britain stays out of Irish affairs, or it could be to keep certain people...in...Ireland."

"Do you think there could be collaboration between some of the Irish and certain wizards in Britain?"

"By Hretha, I would hope not."

"But you cannot definitively rule it out."

"Yes."

Rufus looked away.

"There's one other thing I ought to tell you, before I forget."

"About the Irish?"

"About the Morholt Coven."

Rufus paled.

"Do you remember the explosion that made the news in 1990? Happened around June?"

"Yes. It was the one that the Irish blamed on the Aos Sídhe, though any fool knew the Aos Sídhe would never cause that type of backlash."

"I was informed that it was the Morholts. Specifically, a ritual performed in Ciorcal na cinn Ársa by three Morholt witches."

"And it rebounded that badly. By Frey and the mighty gods above, what the name of Merlin were they doing?"

"My source wasn't certain, but likely a bastardization of one of the Olde Rituals. Given the witches who went missing, I would guess it was one that channeled the energy of the Maid, the Mother, and the Crone."

The remaining color drained from Rufus' face.

"The three Morholt witches perished during the ritual, and Ciorcal na cinn Ársa scarcely contained the rebound."

"And the three Morholt witches...they were one the ones fulfilling the roles of the Maid, the Mother and the Crone?"

"Again, my source was not certain," Amelia said slowly, regretting her lack of information and hesitance in sharing it. "But there were several things that were clear in the aftermath of the ritual: the Morholt witches attempted to corrupt the ritual to suit some other purpose, the ritual backfired horrifically, and there were four witches in Ciorcal na cinn Ársa."

"Four?" Rufus checked.

"Four. Three Morholts, and one other."

"And does anyone know what happened to this mystery witch?"

Amelia shook her head. "No. But there's no way she could have escaped the ritual unscathed."

A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Next chapter we will jump back into the action with the arrival of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang.