Chapter Eighteen - The Birthright
A few dozen wizards and witches stood up with their wands pointed towards the stage as Harry's commodation was being awarded. Instinctually, I flung my wrist and a shimmering shield rose between the crowd and myself as I stood. I stepped towards Harry, allowing the shield to cover us. Shouts were heard as the Aurors in violet trim began an onslaught of spells towards the witches and wizards standing in the crowd. One by one, those standing were incapacitated. The Aurors in the emerald trim swarmed my mates and guardians, drawing them onto the stage. A tight circle of emerald trimmed Aurors formed around us as I flung my wrist up for a second shield. Harry groaned as a spell intended to strike him slammed into the first shield, shattering it with enough force to throw Ron off the stage backwards. I glanced over towards Headmistress McGonagall, she was casting shield after shield as a duel between herself and Kinglsey became increasingly more anguished on the Minister's end. A stray spell brought my attention back towards my mates and guardians as Kingsley bellowed out a forbidden incantation to reverse time by a few minutes, just before the spell the Headmistress cast could land on its target… him.
"Chrónos epanaforás déka leptá!" he bellowed. Time stopped and began to reverse around us. I stared at him as the people and actions taken slowly played like a videocassette recorder on rewind. He turned and his eyes met mine. I was not supposed to see this. He was unaware that reversing time would not make only him immune. It was a nymph spell that he used. We weren't as susceptible to the effects unless directly targeted, however, I felt Kingsley had much less information on us than he believed. The expression of disbelief on his face confirmed my intuition was correct.
Time returned to normal. "Thank you, Minister, for the acknowledgement and commodation." I heard myself repeating verbatim my previous sentiments as I received the Order of Merlin First Class. Before I released his hand, I dropped my voice, "Pull that again, Minister, and you will learn that nymph magic is far stronger than your wizarding magic and that I am wholly unaffected by your negligent use of the magic that belongs to my kind," turning and returning to my seat. He blanched as if I threatened his life. Gathering himself a second time, signalled my guardians and mates that something was going to happen. The Aurors on our side noticed something was wrong and one chanced to look at me. I twisted my necklace, hoping he understood. His downcast eyes and brief turn to face the way he was before offered hope. I watched as those I cared for and those protecting me withdrew their wands discreetly, preparing for what was to come. This time, nothing happened. Harry received his Order of Merlin First Class without any uprising. Kingsley declared the ceremony complete and asked that any Aurors not tasked with the "safety of the distinguished guests" to escort the crowd out of the Atrium, including the stubborn Ron Weasley who was trying to start a duel with me, and to the Floo Network.
"Hermione, your group can follow us. Your Aurors, as well." Kingsley gritted his teeth as he plastered a fake smile onto his face. He was still a public figure and in public. Cameras were still present, along with a few reporters that would not hesitate to write a column of gossip surrounding the Minister.
"Of course, Kingsley. That was a nasty spell you cast, wouldn't you agree? It shared secrets you most likely would have rather remained ignorant to," I suggested helpfully, though I knew it was anything but. Aurors and my group all stared at us.
"What spell?" Harry inquired.
"Oh, just a trifle of a spell that revealed secrets," I brushed off the question, knowing Kingsley would be interrogated for his actions of using a forbidden spell, especially one that tampered with time. This was not to protect him, but to remind him that certain magic can have effects on the caster, even if the spell's direct effects wore off.
"Shall we?" Kingsley offered the spot next to him as we reached the lifts and one opened to us.
"I would agree, however, as the entire group cannot fit in one lift, I shall go with my group and meet you in the antechambers beside the Wizengamot court chambers," I offered. I was making decisions on my instinct, and I knew Kingsley would be unable to change his plans for a capture in the one room that was spelled with an anti-magic ward. Any witch or wizard that utilises magic within feels the pain of thousands of miniscule electric attacks surging through their body until they fall unconscious. Even if you ward off the pain, your body is depleted of energy quickly. It was designed to discourage the use of magic to influence other members of the Wizengamot during deliberations and verdict decisions that were held behind closed doors. Kingsley's expression darkened. Whilst he may not know the extent of the information I had gathered at Hogwarts in the Restricted Section of the Library and from my own research outside of Hogwarts, he knew that a change in his plans could mean he had a mole within the Ministry.
"Percy," Kingsley's undeniable cursed tone spat.
"No, that cursed tone you just spat towards a respected and loyal employee of the Ministry of Magic should be aimed at my grandmother. You may know her, Kingsley. Phoebe was a formidable witch from what I have heard," I shrugged and turned towards the lift opening next to his.
"Hermione, stop this before an action is taken that cannot be rewound," Kingsley begged as I stepped into the lift with the Aurors in emerald trim, my guardians, my mates, Harry, and Professor McGonagall. There was another small group of five, all decorated in subtle emerald trim that accompanied Kinglsey back into his lift with the Aurors in violet trim. I recognised two: Mafalda Hopkirk, whom I impersonated a few months ago, and Oliver Wood. However, the rest I could determine their children and thus their lineage: Katie Bell's father, Hannah Abbott's mother, Emma and Romilda Vane's father.
xXx
My group had no sooner cast spells to assess our safety than Kingsley's lift came to a halt just before reaching the floor. I looked towards the Aurors with us, waiting for their assessment. "Run. Now! No magic, Asteriae!" Archibald called as he summoned another version of himself to stand guard. We ran towards the antechamber.
We were a hundred or so metres away from the entry when the lift collided with the floor and we all looked back to see Kingsley and his Aurors having incapacitated the remaining members of our team. We still had one more person to rely on and she was running with us, Headmistress McGonagall. A forcefield shield was cast by her, wall to wall, floor to ceiling. It would not hold for long, but it bought us time. A metre away from the entry to the antechamber, the shield was broken. Archibald and his other versions of himself began casting spell after spell as they slowed down the Aurors and Kingsley. Thomas shoved my mates and me into the antechamber before shoving Ginny in. Blaise and Thomas fought at the entry, waiting for the break to enter inside. Headmistress McGonagall cast Petrificus Totalus on Kingsley, body-binding the Auror that moved in front of him to block the spell. The distraction allowed Archibald and his various versions, Headmistress McGonagall, Blaise, and Thomas to enter the antechamber with us. Heaving deeply, they dropped into chairs.
"Undoubtedly, they are calling for reinforcements and will keep us here," Archibald informed us through his deep breaths. Something felt wrong about the situation. Kingsley needed to present me with my birthright, it was an old law that passed judgement of its own when violated. We were waiting. Kingsley would need to personally enter the antechamber to present the scroll. This offered us one opportunity to leave safely.
"Archibald, do portkeys work in here?" Blaise asked. His mind was planning escape routes, and our best one fell to the portkeys I produced earlier.
"Not entirely sure, to be honest. I would not risk the pain that would come with activating one if it fails," he explained. "We thought of every situation that could arise. The Lost Nymphs are on their way to aid our escape if Kingsley refuses to allow us to leave of our own volition."
"Kingsley may be acting brashly, but he cares more about appearances and protecting the image he has rebuilt the Ministry into. When he enters, and he will, we will apprehend him and use something to tie his arms to the chair using ties," I suggested.
"Hermione, is not a great idea. Holding him as hostage will make it more difficult for you to correct your image, and Harry is going to have to do enough damage control," Ginny's reasoning was undoubtedly sound.
"If we cannot use the portkeys in here, we need to be able to leave and activate them. If our opponents are waiting for us to leave, they will have the first spell of a duel, which means activating a portkey or casting a spell before them will be nearly impossible. We would need to leave under cover of sorts," Blaise added.
"I know-" came the over-eager voice of George.
"Smoke bombs!" Fred completed the thought.
"We have a few of them, at all times, you never know when you need to escape a prank that went tits up." George laughed, causing the rest of us to chuckle.
"Brilliant! Once Kingsley offers you the scroll, sign it and we will begin our escape. How many smoke bombs do you have?" Blaise turned towards the twins.
"Six" Fred and George voiced simultaneously.
"Pairs… we need to assign pairs for the escape," Blaise took charge of the escape plan.
"Gin goes with Thomas. Draco with Blaise. Charlie takes Harry. George with Professor McGonagall. Archibald can have my coin. I will go with Hermione," Fred insisted.
"Fred-" George began before I interrupted.
"That works well for me. Thank you, Fred. I will go with you," I closed the argument before it began. I knew George would rather be with Fred, but Fred was asking for help without anyone else understanding something was wrong. "Pairs should be beside one another before Kingsley comes in. Before you exit, once we drop the smoke bomb in here, hold hands with your partner. First team to exit needs to use the smoke bomb whilst the other blocks any spells. Activate the portkey as soon as the smoke fills enough of the corridor to obstruct views. We want the portkeys to be a surprise. Second team follows, defensive spells only, ten seconds after the first team. Third team follows suit. Fourth team will need to toss another smoke bomb into the corridor. Whomever remains in here needs to trigger another in here. We all need to be by the entry with Kingsley further inside for this to have a chance to work," I began taking lead.
A plan was formed with a few variations, based on possible outcomes of the situation we were about to face. I needed to avoid magic use in the Ministry. It would cause more harm than it would avoid in the long term, and I knew Fred, now, needed support. I stepped towards him and brushed the back of my hand onto his. His hand quickly enclosed around mine and our fingers interlaced. I could feel his pulse through his grip. I offered a gentle squeeze before tracing my thumb along his in a soothing motion.
xXx
Kingsley called out to me through the entry. I turned and spotted the scroll in his hands. "Hermione, come out and I will offer you your birthright.""
"Kingsley, you know as well as I do that once I set the terms for my birthright, you need to obey them, so long as my terms were set within the walls of the Ministry and do not violate any magical laws at the time of setting the terms for signing," I chastised his actions. "Furthermore, I did state that we would sign it within the antechamber, with you and my group, as witnesses. You need to dismiss your Aurors and reinforcements, or you will be in breach of the magical contract you agreed to when you became Minister." I fabricated the last demand and the consequences, but if what I understood of his knowledge of nymphs was accurate, he would not know that he could keep his Aurors and reinforcements, as long as they did not interfere with the scroll being signed.
"You are quite the clever one, are you not?!" Kingsley rasped as he turned to instruct his Aurors to guard the lifts and not allow any disruptions until the scroll was signed.
"Kingsley, so long as you remain compliant, you will be safe here. Should you act against any of us, we will take appropriate defensive measures," I informed him before he turned back to face us.
"I have no weapons and magic will harm me, should I attempt to use it in there. I will be compliant until you sign the scroll accepting your birthright." Defeat had taken over his expression and tone. We had thwarted his current plans, though we still needed to escape as soon as I signed the scroll.
Kingsley entered the antechamber. He placed the elaborate vine decorated scroll in front of me on the mahogany table and opened it. He offered a self-inking quill that I readily took before reading my birthright. I read, in fine calligraphy at the bottom, that the scroll belonged to me once I signed, which would remove the Ministry's control over the Wizarding World if I removed the scroll from the Ministry. Without warning anyone else of what I planned to do, and knowing it would cause more chaos, I slowly signed my new name. "Draco and George, go on." Asteriae was penned. I saw George toss the smoke bomb in the antechamber as Draco exited with Blaise, the second smoke bomb going off. The portkey was triggered and George took Professor McGonagall next. Charlie took Harry as I signed Jean. Thomas and Ginny took the next portkey and sent another smoke bomb rolling down the corridor as Fred released another in the antechamber.
"Hermione, we had an agreement!" Kingsley bellowed.
"No, Kingsley, you created a false narrative based on a girl you used to know. The one before your betrayal changed how she saw you," I stated as I completed my name with Granger. Archibald had just exited with his portkey as I swiftly collected the scroll, rolling it sloppily with the hand I used to sign my new name. My other hand had never left Fred's. I signed my name, any agreements were completed, including our safety. He pulled me as Kingsley launched himself towards us.
"Hermione!" Kingsley's finger brushed my sleeve as he threw himself across the table through the smoke. Seconds. We had seconds before he found his footing. Fred yanked me into the corridor, where the Aurors were clearing the smoke bombs. We triggered the coin between our hands as a spell seared into my shoulder. It felt as though Glacius had been cast. The icy burn started settling into my veins as the portkey pulled us away from the Ministry of Magic and outside of the boundary for the Lost Nymphs. I landed on my knees and felt my body slowly stiffening as the spell froze my blood. Fred noticed my body stiffening and turning colder by the second. He screamed out for help, and I lost consciousness with my last thought, "I failed my mates."
Author's Note:
'Chrónos epanaforás déka leptá' is Greek for 'Rewind 10 minutes of time'.
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