"Extraordinary," Dumbledore said quietly. He sat in his chair silently, contemplating events. The Order watched him, unsure of what to say or where to go. Finally, Dumbledore spoke. "I can't help but get the feeling that we are missing some vital information about how things are truly functioning with the Black family and their friends. The death of Orion has made things even more curious. Has the Ministry been able to discover more surrounding the events of his death? Was there foul play?"
Everyone looked to Moody for the answer. Moody shrugged. "Officially, we have been unable to discover anything. There was no evidence of foul play on the corpse, though that would have easily been hidden by magic. His widow has not been cooperative, either."
"Maybe you should arrest her for the murder until she cooperates," Emmeline said.
"Unfortunately, she's prepared for that eventuality," Moody grumbled. "She willingly submitted to a truth serum and declared that she did not kill her husband."
"What about her sister-in-law?" Minerva asked. "Everyone knows those two are thick as thieves."
Moody nodded in agreement. "It is an admitted fact that she was at the house that night. However, she too took the truth serum and denied that she killed Orion. Once they were above suspicion, their cooperation with the investigators ended."
"His death achieved little for them," Caradoc interjected, preparing to argue that their innocence made sense.. "The rumors are that when the estate was settled, control of the Black fortune did not pass to Walburga or either of Orion's sons."
"Cygnus, then?" Minerva asked.
"I don't know," Caradoc replied.
Dumbledore cleared his throat. "It would appear that facts are not going to give us clues about Orion's death. We should move on. We have other matters on which we must make decisions. Perhaps we can all keep our ears open for more information. I am particularly interested in knowing who now controls the Black fortune."
"Agreed," intoned Edgar. "I can make some discreet inquiries. The goblins are secretive by nature and work hard to maintain that reputation, but they may inadvertently drop some information. What do you wish to address next?"
"We need to discuss recruitment," Dumbledore said. "Our numbers need to increase, I think. It should be easier now that the dark lord has shown his hand to the public. We also need to discuss where we are to hold future meetings. I'm not sure that Hogwarts is the most practical place."
.....
Harry yawned and leaned back in his chair, wishing he had not declined Romulus's offer of a glass of firewhiskey. He had wanted to avoid downing his sense so that he would be at the top of his game if he had time to practice his fighting strategies in the Room of Requirement later that night. He glanced across a short conference table toward Cygnus who was shuffling through one of many folders filled with sheets of parchment.
Romulus was up and pacing the room as he sipped on his own glass of firewhiskey. It was a rectangular room and sat on one of the upper floors of Malfoy Manor. Delicate windows lined one wall while a single fireplace sat in the center of the other wall.
"I suppose we can move on from our discussion regarding proposed tax increases," Cygnus said, making it sound more like a proposal than a decision.
Romulus waved his hand dismissively. "We can come back to it," he said. "Have your bureaucrats make up some reports about possible ways to shift the budget and free up funds. We need the support of the masses, and raising taxes isn't the best way to garner it, even if we need the funds for a good cause."
Cygnus nodded, expressing his agreement with Romulus's analysis of the situation. He sighed and shuffled through a few more folders. Finally, he came to a thin one. "Perhaps I should bring this up before we move onto the next subject." He set it on top of the stack. However, instead of opening it, he glanced directly at Harry. "Harry, I've decided that your working at Hogwarts is not working out anymore. We need you in the Ministry, now. Are you willing?"
"Of course," said Harry as he mentally reviewed his mental list of things to do. Killing the basilisk was really the only thing that he would not have been able to do from outside of Hogwarts. Spying on students was no longer practical or especially probable.
"Good," said Cygnus, sounding as if he had almost expected Harry to turn him down. "It's going to be a stretch, but I don't think I'll lose too much political capital over this. I want you to assume a position as one of my undersecretaries. You'll have broad powers, but as of yet, no specific or permanent responsibility other than being my deputy. I feel that it is broadly known that you are one of my key advisors. I think there will be less resentment if it is in an official capacity."
Harry nodded slowly, masking his surprise. "Unless Romulus sees a better step, I'm game."
"Thank you," said Cygnus, glancing briefly at Romulus who still seemed slightly distracted. Detecting no contrary opinion, he continued, "You'll have to submit your resignation to Professor Dumbledore. At the earliest possible moment you can be released from your duties at Hogwarts, you'll start at the Ministry."
"Very well," Harry said. "I'll see what can be done."
Cygnus nodded and hesitated for a moment before addressing Harry again. "On a more personal note, I wouldn't mind if you… continued your association with my daughter Bella." He looked down and touched his firewhiskey glass, making like he was about to pick it up and take a sip. "You've been a good influence on her."
"I've tried," said Harry, his lips quirking into almost a half smile.
Cygnus smiled, abandoned the whiskey glass, and sat back, the burden of his responsibilities evaporating for a moment. "I'd like to think that before long you two might consider marriage. An undersecretary position is a very advantageous stepping stone. You'd be able to start off well. I can't imagine myself being Minister for very long, so your undersecretary position wouldn't be permanent by any means, but it would still leave you in a very good position if you take the advantage to make friends and cultivate connections. Maybe one day you'll be Minister yourself. You've certainly got enough talent, I think."
"We'll have to see what the future holds," Harry said modestly. He wasn't sure that he wanted to pursue such a career, but he also knew that if he married Bellatrix, she would be disappointed if he didn't.
....
Join my P@treon and get 60+ advanced chapters.
Link: p*atreon.com/0LordSilvere0 (Remove the *)
Free members get 5 chapters free.
Join Right Now