Title: Steps on a broken path
Author: Knife Hand
Feedback: Constructive feedback appreciated, flames unappreciated
Spoilers: Up to Halloween in Goblet of Fire.
Rating: R
Disclaimer: I do not own Hermione, or Luna, or Ginny, or Cho, or... I would buy them all but I am broke.
Summary: Harry's life is broken, and he know it. So does Hermione. They both expected Harry's name to come out of the Goblet of Fire and were prepared for it. What follows after, not so much. AU divergence from Halloween in Goblet of Fire.
A/N: Lots of dense dialogue and circular logic in this chapter. Sorry, it needed to be done. Painkillers on standby.
Harry sat on their, his and Hermione's, couch in the Gryffindor Common Room, re-reading an 'Idiot's Guide' to the Wizengamont in preparation for his first Wizengamont meeting in a few hours. Hermione was laying on the couch with her head in his lap as she read about the History of the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Ginny was curled up in a single seater next to them, doing her homework reading for the next Charms class.
Harry and Ginny had discussed the events of Ginny's First Year at the beginning of the previous year. Harry had made it clear that he had gone into the Chamber to rescue her as she was Ron's little sister, though he admitted that he would probably have done it for most residents of the Castle, not because he had any feelings for Ginny. Ginny had admitted that she had poured so much of herself into the Diary because she had felt isolated and lonely in her first weeks at Hogwarts, with her brothers ignoring her to a large degree; she was too afraid and enamoured with the idea of Harry Potter to actually approach him and hardly knew anyone else from a bar of soap. They had decided to be friends, with an almost sibling like relationship, though one that was vastly different to the one Ginny shared with her real brothers.
Hermione had calmly accepted Ginny once Ginny had shown that she was actually willing to do her work and only asked Hermione to review it, not do it for her like Ron usually did. Ginny had grown closer to Harry and Hermione while Ron had slowly started to drift away. Ron still hung out with them a lot, but he was also spending more time with Shamus and Dean.
Hermione purred slightly in Harry's lap, and he softly scratched her scalp behind her ear, which caused the purring to increase. After the Polyjuice incident, Hermione had picked up a couple of feline traits. An increased preference for cream. A tendency to want to curl up when relaxing, which for Hermione meant reading, on the couch with her head in Harry's, or Ginny's, lap. An ability to do what Harry called 'power nap', which allowed her to rest from short ten minute naps throughout the day and allow her to stay up late reading. And, of course, the purring and the sensitive spot behind her ear.
Harry looked down at his watch and closed his book. It was time to start getting ready, as Dumbledore had said he would escort Harry to Wizengamont Session after Madam Bones had grilled Dumbledore for six hours as to all of the events that had happened since Harry had started his education.
"Mione, I got to get ready." Harry said. "Ginny, you mind?"
"Nah, it's fine." Ginny replied, standing from her chair.
Hermione tilted her head to the side, angling her book as she did so she could continue reading, allowing Harry to stand. Ginny sat in the spot Harry had been sitting, and Hermione lowered her head into Ginny's lap, unconsciously doing the hitching purr that both Harry and Ginny had worked out meant someone had stopped scratching behind her ear and she wanted it to continue. Ginny started scratching as she read while Harry went up to his Dorm Room to start getting ready.
"Sorry to interrupt, but I am a bit new at this." Harry said, getting a chuckle from a few of the Wizengamont Members. "Why exactly do you think that Muggleborns are intentionally trying to undermine Wizarding Culture?"
Harry looked around the Chamber to see the various Wizengamont Members sitting in their seats, except one standing to make a speech. Dumbledore was sitting in the Chief Warlock seat, but Harry was kind of relieved that neither Fudge nor Malfoy Senior were part of the Wizengamont. Harry own investiture had gone smoothly, with many of the Members welcoming back the Seat of House Potter to the Chamber.
"Because they don't respect our traditions." The Member who had been making his speech replied. "They refuse to listen and insist that we are wrong and that we have to change. There are very good reasons why most of our traditions exist."
"Ok. Tell me one that they challenge the most." Harry replied.
"Well, the appropriate Consortship Laws." The Member replied. "They always say it is unfair that the laws allow for the Preservation of Lines through a Wizard Consorting or Marrying multiple Witches, but ban the abomination of a Witch Consorting or Marrying multiple Wizards."
"When it is described like that, I can see their point." Harry said, holding up his hand to stop outraged shouts. "Give me the rational reason why one is allowed, encouraged even, and the other is banned. Pretend I know nothing about the issue at all."
Harry was kind of glad the Member had raised this particular law, as it was one of the ones that most outraged Hermione.
"If I may, Lord Seaford?" Amelia Bones interrupted, getting a nod from the Member who had been speaking. "There is a fundamental, Magical difference between Witches and Wizards. Not in their ability to cast spells, but in what happens to the excess Magic they radiate."
"Excess Magic?" Harry asked.
"Magicals only have conscious access to approximately seventy percent of the Magic our Cores generate. Most of the time it simply radiates into the environment for other Magical plants and animals to use or builds up in the ground to become a Magically saturated area, like Hogwarts." Amelia continued. "There is another use for this excess Magic, which is differentiated along gender lines. Wizards are what we call Generators while Witches are Purifiers. Over a long period of time, enhanced by the Bond of a Consortship or Marriage, Witches and Wizards can become attuned to each other's magic. In and of itself this is not a bad thing and causes no issues, but when and attuned couples are… intimate…."
"I am a teenage boy, not an idiot." Harry interrupted with a smirk. "I know you mean sex. Let's not dance around it."
"Fine, when the have sex, the Wizard's excess Magic is transferred to the Witch and her body converts it into a more… I guess potent is the best term for it. A more potent form which can be used to power Wards and various other useful things in a proper ritual." Amelia explained, rolling her eyes at Harry's comment.
"Approve Rituals." Lord Seaford interjected. "Banned ones are… nasty."
"To put it mildly." Amelia agreed. "Anyway, Witches and Wizards can be attuned to multiple others, though a single Witch/Wizard relationship is considered normal. A Wizard transferring to multiple Witches simply empowers each Witch individually, so it is often used when there are only females left of a particular Family line to hopefully produce a male Heir. Two Wizards together do nothing, as they can not absorb the excess Magic; the same with two Witches together, as neither can generate the excess Magic. The issue with one Witch attuned with multiple Wizards is that once she absorbs their excess Magic, the different Magics war within her. She will either die, go insane or, in very rare cases, become a spreader of the Decay Plague, where her Magic will infect anyone she sleeps with and corrupts their Magic to do the same."
"Many believe that is why Bellatrix Lestrange is so crazy." Augusta Longbottom interjected. "Both of the Lestrange brothers, scandalous."
"What about Magical Prostitutes? I know they exist." Harry queried.
"Without the Bond of Consortship or Marriage, it takes much longer to attune." Amelia explained. "There are legal limits on how often a Wizard can see a particular Worker and there is a potion, provided by the Ministry to the Brothels, that basically resets the attunement of the Witch. There are side effects but there is a compensation program if they occur. It's not perfect but it works, mostly."
"Why is none of this not taught at Hogwarts?" Harry asked.
"It is the duty of the parents to teach Magical children this." Lord Seaford replied.
"And if the child does not have parents?" Harry asked. "Like an Orphan."
"The it falls to Magical Godparents." Lord Seaford said. "Then Relatives, then whatever family the child gets fostered with."
"What if none of those options are available to the Magical child?" Harry asked.
"In those rare events, then an appropriate Tutor is provided for the child, as appointed by this Chamber." Lord Seaford clarified.
"So why are you not assigning relevant Tutors to ever single Muggleborn or Muggle Raised child, like me, who enters Hogwarts?" Harry asked pointedly.
"It is not our responsibility." Lord Seaford replied primly.
"Muggleborn parents are forbidden from know any of this information, or even most information about the world you force their children to live in." Harry shot back, his voice hard and cold. "Muggleborns are forced to leave behind everything they have known for eleven years, interrupting their education and meaning for most of them they will never be able to have a decent job or career in the non-Magical world. They have no Godparents, they have no Magical Family to learn from. Their parents are not dead, so they are not fostered with anyone who knows these things."
Harry glared around at the Members and noticed a few others glaring as well, not at him but at everyone else, many of whom looked confused and the rest looked shocked at this 'revelation'. Dumbledore, Amelia Bones and Augusta Longbottom were amongst those glaring.
"You refuse to educate them on any of the relevant traditions, bar them from most occupations in the Magical World as they don't know the traditions or the reasons behind them and then stand here, bold as brass, with you head up your ass and try to tell me that they are intentionally trying to undermine Wizarding Culture?" Harry's words were coming out as a growl now and more than a few could feel his Magic pulsing in the chamber. "I am introducing a motion that Hogwarts immediately begin offering a class to teach Wizarding Traditions and the reasons behind them, initially only to Muggleborn and Muggle Raised, but eventually to all students so there is consistency. Also, we will organise, publicise and fully pay for an education program for all Muggleborn and Muggle Raised adults to teach these Traditions and reasons. Not only will this hopefully open up greater opportunities to fully utilise an entire segment of society that is currently being neglected but will also interrupt generational perpetuation of ignorance of the reasons for these traditions."
"Seconded." Both Augusta Longbottom and Amelia Bones said at the same time.
The vote went quickly and predictably favourably after that. No one wanted Bones or Longbottom pissed at them, let alone both. Ritual Suicide was a safer, quicker and less painful alternative to that.
"I recommend Andromeda Tonks as an interim Instructor for the Hogwarts position." Amelia suggested. "She was raised in the Traditions as a daughter of House Black and can understand the perspective of the Muggleborns as she married one."
"Will she leave her position as a Healer at St Mungos?" a Member asked.
"In addition to the teaching duties, I can also offer her a position as part time School Healer, alongside Madam Pomfrey, with the option of making the position permanent." Dumbledore said. "There are times Hogwarts can use a second Healer, such as responding to emergencies when there are students in the Infirmary that still need care and supervision."
"That sounds like a wonderful idea, Chief Warlock." Harry replied, with a nod of his head.
TBC….
A/N: Ok, there are things that need to be cleared up and I didn't want to spoil the story by putting this at the start of the chapter. Firstly, in this story the Wizengamont is like the British House of Lords. You have to be part of the Peerage (of a Noble House) to have a seat. Fudge is not part of the Peerage, nor are the Malfoys; Umbridge or most of the Death Eater Families. The Blacks are, but like the Potters before Harry's Emancipation and investiture in the Chamber, their seat is vacant as the only eligible Black of age, Sirius, is in prison. Much of Draco's assumption of superiority is based on the fact he believes he will become Lord Black when he reaches his majority. Andromeda was Cast Out and both Narcissa and Bellatrix were required to give up allegiance to their birth House and swear to their new 'Lord', but a male heir can claim a place in their Mother's House, under certain conditions.
Most of the prejudice against Muggleborns in this Fic will be based on the above view they are intentionally snubbing Magical Traditions, not on Blood Status. There will be Blood Purists but they will be mostly a Death Eater minority.