Cornelius Fudge was sitting in his comfortable armchair behind his mahogany desk. Yes, being the Minister for Magic definitely had its perks; and by now he didn't need the advice of Dumbledore anymore. He was the man in the top position. He loved his power. He decided, and the others followed his decisions. The hard work was the job of his subordinates. He especially was fond of Dolores Umbridge, a fine pureblood woman, who was more than capable upholding the discipline in his office. Yes, life was good indeed.
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Discover moreComicsCookiesMoviesBooksCartoonsAmelia would calm down once she realized that the dementors at Hogwarts were a regrettable, but necessary, protection for the school. They were talking about You-Know-Who's right hand man on the loose. No, this was the right decision; even Dolores had the same opinion. The purebloods would understand; the halfbloods and muggleborns didn't count. They would fall into line, being powerless as they were.
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A young witch entered his office by the open door.
"Minister Fudge, a group of wizards and witches including Harry Potter wishes to speak with you" She announced.
Discover moreDownload Sci-Fi BooksDiscover Fantasy BooksDiscover Picture BooksExplore Sci-Fi MoviesExplore Top AudiobooksHarry Potter wanted to speak with him? That was rather curious. It was during the school term. The boy should be at Hogwarts. Well, surely it was to thank him for being that understandable of his situation, which led to him leaving his relatives house.
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"Please send them in, Agatha." Fudge said.
If he had seen the evil grin on the young witches face, he would probably have been scared.
It took five minutes for the group to enter. It was an illustrious group; Amos Diggory, Marcus Greengrass, Arthur Weasley, Minerva McGonagall, Amelia Bones, Augusta Longbottom even Rufus Scrimgeour was there. Some other purebloods as well he couldn't place at the moment. What could they want? Then there was Harry Potter and a man he didn't know, but who seemed close to Harry; perhaps this Comte who was Harry's guardian. Last, but not least, was Rita Skeeter. Interestingly, she didn't have her normal green quick quotes quill with her, but a blue one. The part he didn't like was the look on all their faces.
Discover moreAnimeRead Graphic NovelsWatch Classic CartoonsBook Movie TicketsDiscover Fantasy Books"Ladies, Gentlemen, to what do I owe this surprising visit?" Fudge asked.
"You dare even ask that?" Augusta roared. "What the hell has possessed you to order a guard of dementors around Hogwarts? Were you trying to injure innocent children?"
Fudge shrunk in his chair. Nobody was immune against the fury of the Lady of Longbottom house. Not even the Minister of Magic, especially if the Minister was a weak-minded fool like Fudge.
"Lady Longbottom is absolutely right, Cornelius." Rufus Scrimgeour added. "It is absolutely foolish to even think they would make appropriate guards. I would really like to know why my office hadn't even been consulted on this matter. It is my specialty to ensure protection of important people or institutions. I am the head of the auror office after all, and I have a niece attending Hogwarts in her sixth year. Please tell me how the students should be protected from the dementors, dangerous dark creatures class 5?" He thundered.
Discover moreDiscover Picture BooksDownload Sci-Fi BooksExplore Sci-Fi MoviesWatch Classic CartoonsExplore Top Audiobooks"I fully support Rufus's statement." Arthur Weasley added. "I have five of my seven children at Hogwarts right now and I know how vile dementors are. They don't distinguish between friend and foe; they only care to have enough souls to throw into misery. I expected better from you, Cornelius."
"I thought I taught you better than this, Cornelius. You are the Minister of Magic, for Merlin's sake. You should be able to make responsible decisions and not be swayed by public expectations." Minerva's stern look let Fudge further shrink in himself.
Amos Diggory and Marcus Greengrass were only nodding. None of them had yet told the man, that the dementors had attacked the Quidditch game between Gryffindor and Slytherin. That was Harry's job. They only thought it right for the victim to have this pleasure. He nearly died because he lost hold of his broom when there were too many after him.
"I am the head of the Department of Control of Magical Creatures; and I can't even think of a single, valid, reason why one would willingly put children in the presence of dementors. My son is at Hogwarts, Cornelius, and he has to take his O.W.L.s this year. How shall I explain to him that he will be disturbed by a bunch of dementors hovering over the school like a death veil? If you want to avoid a bunch of howlers in your office for the next month, undo this outrageous nonsense." Amos Diggory demanded.
A coughing sound was heard behind them.
A toad like woman was standing in the doorframe.
"I'm sorry, ladies and gentlemen, but I thought you were criticizing the Minister of Magic, the highest authority in our wizarding government." She said if a sickly sweet voice.
"Ah, Dolores, nice to see you." Fudge said.
"Minister, with all due respect." Harry began speaking.
Fudge wondered why the boy seemed so pale and shaken. He shouldn't be in this state. It would look bad for him if this could be connected in any way to him. Except, if he could blame Dumbledore for it and then be the nice helping Minister. Yes, that would be good. But he didn't like the look on the boy's face.
"I think you have made a grave mistake by placing dementors around Hogwarts to ensure my safety. I don't think that an attack on me during a Quidditch match, when I was several dozen feet high in the air, chasing the snitch, is my definition of safety. Don't look so surprised. What I am telling you is absolutely the truth. If not for my patronus charm, which only helped me for some seconds, in which I caught the snitch and managed to get a bit nearer to the ground until dementors surrounded me, I would be dead right now. Only the fast thinking and taking action of Professors Flitwick, McGonagall, and Sprout saved me. They somehow stopped my fall magically."
"The charm is known as aresto momentum,Mr. Potter." McGonagall supplied.
"Thank you, Professor." Harry said smiling sincerely.
"I'm sure you are exaggerating, Mr. Potter." said Umbridge.
"No I'm not, Madam Umbridge. If you doubt my words get a pensieve and see for yourself what happened during the match. Do you think I like being reminded of the night my parents died? Dementors show us our worst memories; that is mine. That damned Halloween night of 1981, when my life was destroyed by a maniac; who had been manipulating Great Britain for far too long. And I am sure Professor McGonagall can confirm my accusations against the dementors." Harry said without raising his voice once during his speech.
The adults were solemn. To have the boy be reminded of that night was horrible.
"But, Mr. Potter, the dementors are for your protection against Sirius Black. It is unfortunate that something like this happened, we will make sure it won't happen again." Fudge tried to explain. Harry interrupted him.
"Yes, I know about Sirius Black being after me. Supposedly after me that is. I ask you why would my godfather, my father's best friend, want to hurt me? I know of the theory of him betraying my parents to Voldemort." He rolled his eyes at all the grownups flinching at hearing the name. "But has anybody cared to check his left forearm if he had a dark mark? From what I read in the history books that my uncle let me read at his home, all the Death Eaters were branded with it. Surely, his supposed right hand man would have one. Did you?"
No one really wanted to answer this question. They didn't and here was the one person accusing them of not upholding their own laws, who had a right to do so. The boy who was the victim of the betrayal that had taken place.
"He was careful enough to escape suspicion until it was too late." Fudge said.
"That wasn't the question, Minister, but I will entertain you. So even during wartime, the Ministry didn't think of the most obvious measures to protect the population by checking their own employees for dark marks? Didn't it occur to you that Voldemort would have had an easier time taking over our country, which the Ministry tried to prevent, if he had his spies inside our government?
"This doesn't paint such a good picture of the abilities of our government. Moreover, all of the employees of the Ministry of this time were wrong in their opinion of Mr. Black; this paints a sad picture of our government, I have to say. How could a man, that everybody thought the personification of a loyal friend, who would rather die for his friends than betray them, deceive you all? He was an auror at the time, from what I managed to find out. Mr. Scrimgeour, you're the current head of auror office as you just reminded the Minister, aren't there obligatory personality tests for recruits before they're even allowed to start their training?"
Scrimgeour was impressed with the boy. He stayed calm and knew his arguments. A perfect picture of a pureblood heir; but wasn't the boy a halfblood, raised by muggles? Or were the rumors he had heard true and he was a pureblood?
"You're right, Mr. Potter. There are thorough personality tests and Sirius Black passed them all with flying colors."
"So, as I think this would be the first thing to raise at least a little bit of doubt, why did nobody investigate this matter further? I'll give you some slack, it was a really dark time and you had problems getting all of Voldemort's old supporters rounded up. But after things calmed down a bit, didn't it even occur to you that you were breaking your own laws by denying several people a fair trial? Three drops of Veritaserum or a foolproof taken memory viewed in a pensieve would solve all the cases easily. A skilled legilimens would be able to extract the memories without permanently damaging the mind of the suspected culprits.
"And even better, you could have asked the supposed Death Eaters who the others who supported Voldemort were. Did it ever occur to you that people like Bellatrix Lestrange could know an awful lot about those who were on Voldemort's side? I mean, it doesn't really take much to get this information. And the Ministry even gave the aurors permission to use the unforgivables during the hunts for Death Eaters. Some methods to ensure you found out the truth wouldn't have been a problem. That would have been justice. I bet none of those who were innocently imprisoned would have held a grudge against the Ministry for long if they were given a proper apology. It was dark times, after all. So may I ask why nobody bothered doing it?"
They were keeping an uncomfortable silence. Harry was right. They kept their quiet until Dolores Umbridge decided to speak.
"Excuse me, Mr. Potter, but as you were sadly raised by your muggle relatives, I fear you don't really know about wizarding laws and their peculiarities. I'm sure I'm mistaken, but it sounded as if you were accusing the Ministry of incompetence."
"Madam Umbridge, I was merely stating facts. And do you really think that I, as heir to six ancient and most noble pureblood houses, wouldn't make sure to learn everything about my heritage?" Harry asked politely not giving the woman any surface to attack.
"Six houses?" Fudge asked impressed and more than a bit worried.
Umbridge looked especially sour. It was as if she hated the thought of Harry having that kind of political power in the future.
"Oh yes, I only recently learned that my mother was a pureblood witch that was adopted by muggles, because she was found as an infant and put into a muggle orphanage. The goblins at Gringotts have an infallible inheritance test. It is procedure to confirm the identity of a customer by using this special potion and to determine if the person in question is possibly heir of an extinct family. As you know, we lost a lot of pureblood families in the wars against Voldemort, and Grindelwald before him; think about the Prewetts, the Boldons, and the Juneurs, to only list a few of them."
The adults were taken back into the past, remembering friends from those families that had died because of Voldemort. Harry continued; his training in speech really paid off now.
"As they refused to sink so low to bow before Voldemort, a halfblood wizard by the way-descended from Salazar Slytherin himself but nonetheless a halfblood-they were hunted without remorse and they were slaughtered. There isn't another fitting term for Voldemort's crimes. He used the pathetic excuse that they were blood traitors. As if. A blood traitor is not a pureblood who dares to befriend muggles. A blood traitor is someone who betrays his own blood by doing unforgivable crimes to them or their beliefs, or those who betray those standing them as near as blood relatives.
"Like friends who have gone through tough times and came out stronger together. If somebody betrayed such a bond, he would be worthy to be called a blood traitor. Voldemort used his heritage of one of the Hogwarts founders to deceive people, to charm them; believe me when I tell you he was really good at it. I met his sixteen year old self last year that he managed to transfer in a diary somehow." He left out the part about his knowledge of horcruxes. That would only raise suspicion he right now didn't need.
"Wait, how do you know that You-Know-Who was a Halfblood?" Fudge asked.
"I am sure you are aware off the article Miss Skeeter wrote in August regarding my 'adventures' at Hogwarts. In the Chamber of Secrets, from where my friend Ron Weasley and I rescued his sister Ginny; I met, I think an avatar is the closest term to describe it, of a boy called Tom Riddle. He boasted of being the heir of Slytherin and having possessed Ginny through the diary to do his bidding. He was especially interested in my survival in 1981." Harry explained, having a pained look on his face.
"I asked him why he had that interest as Voldemort was after his time. He showed me the reason. His full name was Tom Marvolo Riddle. If you exchange the position of the letters, you get 'I am Lord Voldemort'." Harry stated to the shock of many of the adults.
None of the assembled adults, except for Sirius, had known that little bit of information. The Dark Lord was a halfblood; talk about hypocrisy with him prosecuting everybody but purebloods.
"He also said that he invented the name to escape the stigma of having to bear the name of his worthless muggle father that abandoned his witch mother during her pregnancy with him."
Amelia and Rufus were looking at each other. They would have to talk with each other soon. This was valuable information.
"He murdered innocent people just because he could. He had fun doing it. His opinion of muggleborns, who have the same powers as other wizards born to pureblood families, was less than scum. Foolish. All the pureblood families had, at one point in time, been muggleborns. It just dates further back in time. Merlin himself was a muggleborn wizard and he was the most powerful wizard of all times. And there are not enough pureblood witches and wizards living in Britain to preserve the gift of being born able to use magic to be so retarded to stick to outdated beliefs.
"The only difference between muggleborns, halfbloods, and purebloods is their upbringing; and with me being a prominent example that things happen in life, that would even dissolve this barrier. I am a pureblood wizard, yet I was raised by muggles because a certain old fool decided to go against my parents will, let a traitor escape to who knows where, and sent an innocent man to Azkaban."
Everybody saw Harry clenching his fists at his sides now. Comte de Jarjais was putting his hand on Harry's shoulder to give him moral support.
"My parents, Lord James Potter and Lady Lily Potter nee Boldon, clearly stated in their last will and testament-of which a copy is residing in the department of inheritance at Gringotts Bank-that their secret keeper was Peter Pettigrew. And if they would be betrayed to Voldemort he should be thrown into a cell in Azkaban and the key thrown down the icy depths of North Sea. I, Harry James Potter, heir to the ancient and most noble houses of Potter, Boldon, Black, Peverell, Ravenclaw and Gryffindor, swear on my magic that everything I told this audience is true. So mote it be!" A golden light engulfed Harry coming from his wand.
"Would you allow me to cast a lumos spell, Minister Fudge, to prove that I still have my magic?" Harry asked. Fudge just nodded.
Harry took out his wand and cast the spell with the result of a bright light coming from the tip of his wand. Rita was excited like never before in her life. This was the story of a lifetime and she was the only reporter present to write it. That would be a big bonus this month from her publisher. She didn't even need to spike things up. The truth was much juicier than anything she could have made up.
"This is an outrage, how dare you try and show up the Minister of Magic? And why are you the heir of the house of Black?" Umbridge yelled at Harry who kept his cool.
This time Sirius intervened.
"Madam Umbridge, I would advise you to be careful what you say. Harry has only told the truth as his magical oath has proven. And, by the way, the thing with him being the heir of the Black family is easily explained. Sirius Black has no children, only his godson Harry Potter. As long as he doesn't have a child of his own, his godson counts as his heir. As Harry is of Black descent, the pureblood rules support this. Harry's grandmother on his father's side was a Black, as far as I am informed.
"Under decree number 12 of the founding Charter of the British Wizarding Community, which is part of the hidden decrees of the Magna Carta that allows the wizarding world to exist next to the muggle world without being directly influenced by the sovereign of Great Britain- which at the moment is her Majesty Queen Elisabeth II. It's stated that regardless of social standing, blood status, confession, heritage, race or nationality every witch and wizard has the same rights in the wizarding community. The British system is dangerously close to losing a good part of its magic.
"You may not have signed the Magna Carta personally, but your ancestors did. Their magical oath to uphold the laws, written down then, binds all the wizarding community of Great Britain. The Ministry had the right to modify the laws and pass new ones as long as they don't go against the laws written down in the magical part of the Magna Carta. If you continue to deny some members of the society their rights, you will lose more than you can imagine. Why do you think my fellow wizards and witches in France follow the achievements of democracy that the French Revolution brought so intently? They made similar oaths, but there the degree of equality is not a hollow case. It is lived."
"And who do you think you are to be in a position to criticize traditions that have been good for our society in Britain for centuries?" She demanded to know.
"I am the current Comte de Jarjais, Madam, a title higher than a normal Lord here in Britain. It's an old title that comes from a time when France was ruled by a king and not a democracy. If you are educated in French history, you probably know that nearly all nobles of France became victims of the French Revolution. Not the de Jarjais'. We were loyal to the king, but always had the best of our people at heart. That is the reason why we are one of the few ancient and noble houses in France that still exist. And we are nobles in both worlds, wizarding and muggle. And we are proud of it."
"I would be careful, Madam Umbridge." Rita piped in. "You now insulted two pureblood noble lords in a span of a few minutes. I think this is not in balance with all the pureblood traditions you try to uphold so reverently."
"What are you even doing here?" Umbridge outraged.
"Getting the story of the century. Ministry outsmarted by The-Boy-Who-Lived, heir to two founders of Hogwarts. That's gold."
"You will not print this. The Ministry forbids it." Umbridge ordered.
"You can't order the Prophet to keep quiet, Madam Umbridge" Harry interrupted. "The Daily Prophet is a privately owned newspaper and only the majority owner can order something like this."
"The Ministry holds the majority of the shares. No other stockholder has that many shares." Umbridge triumphantly stated.
"Wrong, Madam Umbridge. You see, the Potter Family holds 20 % of the shares, the Juneur family holds 12 %, Boldon family 23 %, Romanov family 11 %, and Stuart family 10 %. This combined makes 76 % of the shares. The Ministry has 24 % of the shares. And coincidentally I am the heir of all those families and therefore majority owner and I asked for Ms. Skeeter to be invited to this meeting as I want the public to know what the Ministry thinks is best for the safety of their children.
"Remember, we came here because of the attack on the match of Gryffindor versus Slytherin. It is obvious that it is not only ridiculous, but also dangerous for the students, to post dementors at a school. It's not healthy for the students. I would think the parents of the students of Hogwarts, who are not here, would react the same as these fine ladies and gentlemen. Who are all pureblood witches and wizards of high social standing: Ministry employees, a teacher at Hogwarts, a well-known and respected businessmen." He motioned towards Mr. Greengrass.
"What do you want to do, Minister Fudge? It is no shame to admit a mistake; it makes you look like the better man in the eyes of the public. If not, well I think you can imagine the reactions to Ms. Skeeter's article. They will happen nonetheless, as you decided to ignore Madam Bones' warnings at the beginning of the school year. But what do you think will happen if you ignore this?" Harry stated calmly while he was mentally grinning like a mad man.
"You are sure that Sirius Black is innocent?" Fudge asked.
"Unseal my parents will if you don't believe me. Look at the memories that Madam Bones received anonymously. Take action. Then you might save something. I won't accept that my innocent godfather will be hunted while the man that is responsible for the murder of my parents is left free. I would recommend keeping this part quiet as long as you haven't caught him; it would make the auror's jobs a lot easier, I suppose. But imagine what the public would say if they found out that you did everything to ensure justice is served."
Fudge was fighting with himself. Not only was he cornered, it was by a thirteen-year-old boy who could very well turn the public against him. There was only one way out.
"Rufus, Amelia, get the dementors away from Hogwarts. Rufus, send as many of your men you think appropriate to guard the school if we would really chase Sirius Black. He is right, we sometimes have to swallow a bitter pill to cure a decease."
Fudge definitely didn't look happy. But he had to do damage control. When the article was published he, at least, could say he wasn't a man who couldn't see reason. He was well aware, that the public would certainly support the heir of two of the Hogwarts founders. This really was not his day.
That was the chapter. Next one is coming up soon.