Leaning back in his plush chair, Harry Potter basked in his office. As the Head of the DMLE, he was one of the most powerful men in Wizarding Britain, though most would say that the Minister was above him. Which was true, from a certain point of view. Those looking at it from a different angle would see that being the head of the wizarding communities law enforcement brought a lot of perks, and even better information. Nasty secrets better left covered up, or uncovered if he wished, were like currency in his department. The more you know, the better off you are.
And Harry had his finger on the magical communities pulse. He knew that Longbottom's approval rating had taken a slight hit from his recent Separation Act, something Harry would be sure to fix soon. He also knew that most muggleborns had a very positive opinion of himself, viewing him as some inspirational figure for their kind, despite being a half-blood. And he knew that Hermione had started her own little group to oppose him.
The Muggleborn-Activist Group she called it. He let out a scoff at the name, as if he hadn't helped pass laws and gone through great efforts bridge the gap between muggleborns and purebloods. But no, she had refused to grow up, and all these years later still fought "for the oppressed" just like her ridiculous SPEW back when they were in Hogwarts.
Personally, he thought it an overreaction to her getting fired from the ministry, something she personally blamed him for. She was right to, because he did have a hand in it, but she had no way of knowing that.
"Stupid little bint." He muttered to himself. "Maybe I should conduct a raid on the Burrow to "search for some dark artifacts"." Frowning, he shook his head. "Nah. Molly was good to me. Shame her son and daughter-in-law were so rotten. Apple falls far from the tree, doesn't it?" Speaking of an apple, it was almost lunch time-
The mirror-phone in his pocket vibrated. Pulling it out of his dark robes, it looked much like a muggle woman's makeup mirror, round and flat. A recent invention by a witch over in Germany, it was meant to mimic the smartphone's the muggles had developed, even coming with a texting feature. Flipping it open, the bottom half revealed a tiny text pad while in the top mirror, he saw the face of a familiar woman.
Daphne Greengrass was a very mousy woman, tall and pale with freckles across her sharp cheeks and long blonde curls that traveled down her back. Her aquiline nose made her look a bit distinguished and sharp, making Harry reminisce about all the times he'd thought her cold back at Hogwarts. There were smudges of dirt on her cheeks, and were she to pull away, he was certain that she would have them on her arms too.
"Daphne," Harry opened the drawer in his desk and pulled out a cigar. Blast-Ended Cigars, his favorite blend, crafted from Hagrid's own beasts on a farm Harry owned, run by some muggleborns. At least one good thing had come from those little buggers. He thought as he flexed his will, the tip of the cigar flaring a hot red. A small trick, but wandless magic was a fun way to show off.
He was a Gryffindor, so that came natural to him.
"Harry." Daphne said. Her younger sister, Astoria, was the bubblier of the siblings, while Daphne was far more direct. The truth was that she simply didn't care about anything that didn't advance her studies, especially in the arts of alchemy and herbology. "I've called to give you an update on our project, as part of our contract."
"I hope this is good news." Harry took a deep drag of his cigar, letting the smoke settle in his mouth. It tasted bitter, with a hint of cinnamon and honey to it. Slowly, he let it loose, flexing his magic to form the red smoke into the shapes of lions. "Thousands of Galleons have went into this, and I'd hate to have all of it wasted."
"You needn't worry." Daphne asked. In the background, he could see a golem hauling a massive glass container full of seeds on its back, the stone creature marching into a nearby room. "Everything is on schedule. Actually," A small smile crossed her face. "Even a little ahead."
"My wife will be happy to hear that." Harry grinned. "Pansy loved the low-grav walk, even if the orichalcum suits were a bit…stuffy." Those damn enchanted-brass suits had been uncomfortable as hell to walk in, but it was worth it for the experience. "To be one of the firsts to walk on the red planet…who would have thought we'd have seen the day?" Harry shook his head. "But before I get off topic, how far ahead are we?"
"Years." Daphne eagerly smiled; her green eyes alight with a fervent joy. Almost fanatical even, but Harry was the primary funder of her projects, and so she was a bit more chipper with him than most. Sure, there were other funders, most of them investing in Project Albion, but they were a scattering of others from across Africa and the Middle East and they put in far less than he did. "Turns out, Mars had far more water than we originally thought. Originally, it had been believed that most of it was in the frozen poles, but we found that a bunch of it was hidden away underground. With the Black Grass spreading across the surface and producing atmospheric gases and the Mushroom-Trees eating up the radiation and enhancing the soil, along with our own drilling efforts, Project Albion should be finished within a couple years. Already, the few settlers we have can breathe without suits for at least a couple minutes!"
"That is welcome news." Harry clicked his tongue. "But none of this has slipped to the public, has it? It wouldn't do for any saboteurs to ruin our efforts."
"Not a word has spilled past our lips." Daphne glanced to her right as she several Mushroom-Trees floating next to a wizard. Prototaxites was what one of the muggleborn alchemist's had called them, but Harry preferred the other name better. "Our oaths are ironclad. Though I will admit, I think you worry too much about it getting out."
"Project Albion is intended to be a new home for Wizard-kind, where we will be free to practice our magic without the necessity of secrecy nor the fear of persecution. You would assume that most would understand this and wish for the same, but there are those who are of the less…enlightened sort." Harry shook his head. "They would have us bring muggles with us, wishing for equality with those who will always hate us for what they don't have."
Though he thought Blood Purity was a bunch of nonsense, and provably destructive in Voldemort's case, he did not particularly care for muggles. All he had seen from them over the years had shown that they could barely tolerate each other over things like religion and skin color.
If they couldn't tolerate even that, then there was no way that muggles and wizards could co-exist. The Dursleys had taught him well enough of what a muggle would do when given power over a magical. They would abuse and take what they wanted from them, constantly pouring hatred onto them for the crime of "being a freak". The cases of Obscurials he had been called in for had cemented his views, reinforced by the orphanage he had founded to help house abused magical children. Magicals and non-magicals could not be together, no matter what.
A view that Minister Longbottom shared, for despite being among the more liberal among his peers, he was a pureblood, and they'd little kindness for muggles.
"Muggle lovers." Daphne shrugged. "What're you gonna do?"
"I can think of a few things." Harry muttered. "Well, thanks for the update. Contact me if anything comes up. And if it isn't too much trouble," Which it had better not be considering he was funding most of this, "Can you set up one of the dome houses for my family? Y'know, just in case things get a little dicey."
"I'll have the construction crew build a large one." Daphne tilted her head. "Big enough for…eight right?"
"Pansy and I are trying for our seventh, but no luck so far." But luck wouldn't stop Harry. Being an orphan himself, he'd always wished for a large family, and with Pansy so eager and their houses so decimated…well, his wish had come true. "But just in case…have them build a manse."
"That'll cost a pretty knut, especially with the Gravitia Wards." Daphne clicked her tongue. "You sure?"
"Gold isn't a problem for me." Harry said. The combined wealth of the Potters, Parkinsons, and the Blacks flowed through his vaults, along with all his many investments. Casinos and betting agencies were his main money makers, spread out across Magical Europe as people spent coin on everything from slots to quidditch matches. Of course, a smart wizard diversified, so he owned several entertainment and news properties, along with a few farms that produced massive amounts of food for the wizarding community, enough to quickly rid the magical community of its dependence on muggle markets for food. "Just see it done."
"We will." Daphne nodded her head. "Goodbye, sir."
The mirror went blank, reflecting his face back at him. At twenty eight years old, he scarcely looked as he did back in Hogwarts. His hair was a slightly more tamed dark mess, while he had a new scar on his cheek that nearly reached up to his eye to join the faded lightning bolt scar on his forehead. His glasses were more for show than anything else, a ritual having fixed his vision, but he thought it complimented his short trimmed mustache and beard quite well.
Handsome devil, His wife had whispered once. Just remembering those words brought a smile to his face. Glancing down at the watch on his wrist, he saw it was getting close to his interview.
A fierce grin spread across his face, Harry taking a few puffs of his cigar as he basked in the pleasure of it all. Yes, there were those wizards who couldn't look into the bright future that laid ahead of them, wanting to crawl along with the muggles that so despised them.
But after his interview with Romilda…he wondered if they would feel the same?
AN: This is kind of an experimental fic of what I could see a Dark Harry Potter being like. A lot of fics like that have him go full edge lord Death Eater 1488 Race War Now! type deal, but I think a darker Harry would probably use his reputation to influence political decisions and policies that he likes, all while remaining hidden rather than going full on out as a Dark Lord. I also can't really see him as a Blood Supremacist, as that was Voldemort's whole schtick, and Harry proved that it was complete bullshit by the end. However, I can still see him as a Wizard Supremacist, someone who absolutely disdains muggles, but sees the muggleborns as their superiors and wizards just like him. And considering the bomb he's going to drop in the next chapter, I'll make sure to start showing the policies and reasoning behind why he is the way he is. Just to give you guys that little fun!
As always, you can read a chapter ahead on my p-a-t-r-e-o-n (Halo3vsloz)!