The War for Souls

Chapter 5--Wizengamot Redux

The long summer days passed in relative peace at the safe house. Harry, Hermione, and the Weasleys had decided to call it "Padfoot's," which forced a long explanation to Neville and Luna, and drew a hearty laugh from Remus when they told him to change the Floo sign. Their training was continuing as well. Harry had a sneaking suspicion that a lot of it was Remus' twisted Marauder imagination manifesting itself--or the werewolf was channeling Sirius. Within the first week, he had been forced to recount his most embarrassing moment (Ginny's second-year Valentine), divulge the identity of his first crush (Katie Bell), and his most terrifying experience (the Third Task).

One day, Harry was afraid Remus had gone too far. He asked them all to tell the tale of their first year at Hogwarts. He, Ron, and Hermione had gotten through the story of the Philosopher's Stone without much of a hitch, and Neville had even jumped in a bit--especially to promise a terrible revenge on Hermione for freezing him in the common room--and Luna had managed to tell a rather bizarre tale of life in Ravenclaw Tower, but Ginny was another story.

She barely managed to choke out the tale of Riddle and the diary, between sobs of apology to Hermione, Ron, and Harry. Remus collected his things, and left silently after she finished. The tension in the sitting room was so thick it could be cut. "Well..." said Neville, as Ginny continued to sob slightly on the couch. "I...I need to look after my plants. Luna?"

Faster than Harry realized it, they were out the door, and Ron had made his way to the kitchen. "Gin?" Harry asked softly, reaching a tentative hand out.

She kept sobbing. He gripped her arm lightly, and lifted her chin with a finger. "Ginny, you're the bravest girl I know," he said, not caring how trite it sounded. "Don't let him get you down. You fought him for a year. Even I didn't do that much."

"I'm so s-sorry, Harry," she sobbed.

"What for?"

"For that. For everything. For embarrassing you, and making you go down there after me, and...and..." She trailed off. "You know," her face brightened as she finally met his eyes. "It was silly, the whole thing. I only started writing to him because I was frustrated that you wouldn't fall in love with me at first sight. And now, I realize...well, you probably thought girls were disgusting."

"Hey," said Hermione, whose presence Harry had forgotten. "I happened to be his best friend most of that year."

"I recall," said Harry, grateful to be able to break the tension, "that you spent most of that year in the Hospital Wing, either as a cat or a statue."

That did it. Ginny laughed, and as she did, Harry realized for the first time what a powerful weapon mirth could be. Maybe Sirius had known it, maybe Dumbledore did, but it struck him like a Bludger between the eyes as he held Ginny on the sofa of the safe house. Voldemort fought with fear. And the opposite of fear was just what he, Ginny, and Hermione were doing right now--laughing at Voldemort.

*****

Arthur Weasley was getting ready to go home, after a long day at the Ministry of Magic, when the message arrived.

Percy Weasley, Personal Assistant to the Head of Magical Law Enforcement, requests a meeting with you at your earliest convenience.

For a moment, Arthur considered not going to see his third son. It had been nearly a year since Percy had had any friendly contact with his family, and even this message came in the ultra-formal style of official inter-department mail. However, Percy had written to Harry, and had provided him with the information that, in retrospect, could have saved Petunia Dursley. Shelving his wounded paternal pride, Arthur made his way from the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office to Amelia Bones' suite further down his hallway.

Percy was waiting in his office when Arthur arrived. It galled Arthur slightly that his son--two years out of Hogwarts--had an office the size of Arthur's whole department. It especially galled him because Percy had the office thanks to his dismissal of his family. "Father," he began. Arthur tensed. "Father, I need to apologize. I...I can't believe I bought Fudge's line over what my own parents and family said."

"Percy, I forgive you," said Arthur. "And your mother will. But you'll have a devil of a time convincing your brothers to."

"I deserve it," he said. "But right now, I need to give you some information." Percy reached under his desk, and pulled out a large, thick stack of parchment, which he dropped in an envelope before handing to his father. "Give this to whomever is caring for Harry."

"What is it?"

"I can't say," said Percy. "But--"

"Weasley, give all--Weasley, Senior?" Cornelius Fudge's voice came from the doorway. "What are you doing in here?"

"Visiting my son, Cornelius," said Arthur calmly. "I wasn't aware that would be a problem."

"No, not at all," said Fudge hastily. The Minister seemed to be at a loss for a moment, than turned to Percy. "Weasley, give all these to Madam Bones, and tell her that we need to meet to plan the security for the...well, we need to plan security. Good day, Arthur."

"I'll see you for dinner tonight," said Arthur, meeting his son's eye. Percy nodded, a slight smile on his face, and the elder Weasley hurried back to the lift.

That night, Arthur asked his wife to wait at The Burrow for Percy while he had a hurried meeting with Dumbledore and Moody to discuss the information his son had passed on. "Incredible," said Moody. "He actually did this?"

"It would seem so," said Dumbledore. "This merely means that we must redouble our efforts to remove him."

"How," said Arthur, "could he possibly ignore the testimony of all of these people, and attempt this?"

"It would appear," said Dumbledore, passing another parchment over to Moody, "that he claims we somehow entrapped Lucius--but not the others--in the death chamber that night, and framed him for being a Death Eater."

"How?"

"He doesn't know," said Moody. "He just needed Malfoy off."

"Of course," said Dumbledore. "Malfoy's donations and bribes have propped up Fudge's regime for the last two years--since he lost his undue influence on the Board of Governors at Hogwarts."

"Who are we putting up for his replacement?" asked Arthur. "You?"

"Arthur, I could hardly be expected to leave Hogwarts. As long as Harry is a student, it is critical that I remain there. I believe our best option would be Madam Bones."

"Good woman," said Moody. "And a fair one, too. Better yet, she listens to more than money."

"That would seem to be the most important consideration at the moment," said Dumbledore. "Particularly with Lucius attempting to buy the Ministry."

"Now," said Arthur. "You needed me to sign a form allowing someone to cast a vote?"

*****

The day after Ginny's breakdown was the first day of the full moon, so for the three days following, the students managed to avoid much questioning at all. In fact, Remus seemed to grow extremely wary of the stone and everything to do with questions after that. He introduced Hermione to the library in the basement, which pretty much assured her location for the rest of holidays, and introduced the other five to the pleasures of the beach.

Thus it was that the six students were in three separate places when Mad-Eye Moody and Albus Dumbledore spun through the Floo into the sitting room one morning. Harry, Ron, and Ginny stopped their Exploding Snap immediately to jump up and greet the top two men in the Order of the Phoenix.

"Potter," growled Moody in greeting. "The others out in the garden?"

"Hermione's in the basement library, but Nev and Luna are outside," said Harry. "What's the matter?"

"Well, Potter, we need to talk to you," said Moody. "About the Wizengamot."

"No offense, Professor," he said, "but I'll try to avoid that as much as possible after last year."

"And I imagine you would be able to," said Dumbledore. "Harry, what do you know about the structure of the Wizengamot?"

"Nothing, except that you're the Chief Warlock."

Moody's gruff voice had drawn Hermione up from the library in the basement. "Oh, Professor Dumbledore!"

Dumbledore smiled at her, and turned back to Harry. "I suppose Miss Granger would be able to explain all this to you, but I hope I will not bore you too horribly. The Wizengamot functions--as you have seen--as the high court of the Ministry, but it is also the legislative body of the wizarding world. You are familiar with the Muggle Parliament?"

Harry's mind raced to remember what he had learned from primary school about Parliament. "It makes the laws, right, Professor?"

"Honestly, Harry, don't you take Muggle Studies?" said Ginny.

"I grew up with Muggles," he said. "Why would I?"

"Well," said Hermione, "If you did, you would know that Parliament had its roots in the Magna Charta of King John, and earlier than that in the Witan of Saxon--"

"Hermione," said Ron, "I don't think that's what Dumbledore was after."

"No indeed," said the headmaster. "I was referring more to the structure of the Parliament."

"Oh," said Hermione. "It has two chambers, the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The House of Lords is hereditary, but the House of Commons is elected, and the Prime Minister--"

"Thank you," said Dumbledore. Hermione blushed. "The Wizengamot functions on much the same basis. There are two chambers, the Court of the People, and the Court of the Sorcerers. I won't bore you with the sources of these, but the Court of the People is an elected body. Any wizard who is seventeen or older can seek election to the Court of the People. Alastor has served thirteen terms at various times in that body, and is currently a member." Mad-Eye flashed a grizzled smile at them.

"The Court of the Sorcerers is the upper chamber, and, like the Muggle House of Lords is hereditary. The members of the oldest aristocratic families of wizarding Britain are entitled to a vote."

"How does all this affect me?" asked Harry.

"Because, Potter," said Moody, "We need your vote."

Harry stared at them. "My vote?"

Dumbledore pulled out a scroll and unrolled it. "Look at this, Harry. This is the roll of membership of the Court of the Sorcerers." Harry's eyes flashed down the paper, seeing several names he recognized. A lot of his classmates' families were on the roll. Dumbledore pointed out four names to him in particular: Black, Longbottom, Potter, and Weasley.

"These are the problematic votes," he said. "The genealogy of the House of Black indicates that the truest heir of that vote is Bellatrix Lestrange. However, I think that even Fudge would be hard-pressed to allow her to vote in the Wizengamot. Therefore, we are hoping that Andromeda Tonks can be found to cast the vote."

"That's fairly simple," said Hermione.

"Indeed," said Dumbledore. "Would that the other three were that simple."

"Why aren't they?" said Ron. "Dad can cast the Weasley vote, Neville's grandmother can cast the--"

"No, they cannot," said Dumbledore. "Your father is a Head of Department at the Ministry. That entitles him to a vote based on that, and he would be foolish to sacrifice it. Bill and Charlie have been out of the country for too long to qualify to cast their votes, and Percy's station--like your father's--carries an automatic vote."

"Fred and George?" said Ginny.

"Unfortunately, there is an antique requirement in the charter of the Wizengamot, requiring that any person who seeks to cast a vote in either chamber have received at least one N.E.W.T."

"Why?" said Hermione.

"The law was designed, a long time ago, to prevent Squibs from voting."

"So that means me," said Ron.

"Indeed," said Dumbledore.

"And Harry casts the Potter vote?" asked Hermione.

"If it were only that simple. Ron can easily receive permission from his guardian under magical law for him to cast the vote, although he is underage. Likewise, there should be no dispute of Neville's vote, as his parents are quite well-known to be incapacitated, and his grandmother would be quite willing to allow him to vote."

"I'll never talk Uncle Vernon into that," said Harry. "He thinks it's my fault Aunt Petunia and Dudley are dead."

"Harry, Vernon Dursley would not have any control over this. Under wizarding law, the only Muggle who may have guardianship of an underage wizard is their parent. Your parents' wills govern your guardianship."

"And they left me to Sirius."

"Yes, they did," said Dumbledore. "Unfortunately, Sirius' conviction--if it could be called that--removed any chance that he would be recognized as your guardian. Therefore, the guardianship reverts to your closest living magical relative."

"Who on earth is that?" said Harry. "I don't have any relatives."

"Try again, lad," said Moody.

"But who? And why haven't I heard of this?"

"Because, Harry, your closest magical relation is your fourth cousin--by marriage, I might add--on your father's side, and he will be rather loathe to grant you permission."

"Who?" A sense of foreboding was growing in Harry's stomach as Dumbledore continued to obfuscate.

"Darius Nott," said Dumbledore. "A Death Eater--and someone who has managed to avoid capture or official notice."

"Wait," said Ron. "You're saying that Harry's guardian is a Death Eater?"

"Fortunately," said Dumbledore, "it would appear that Mr. Nott is blissfully unaware of his status. However, until we can manage to have Sirius cleared--and his will thus allowed--it may be difficult for Harry to vote."

"And why exactly do you need my vote?" asked Harry. He wasn't sure he liked where this was headed.

"Removing Fudge," said Moody bluntly.

*****

It was the second-to-last day of July when Dumbledore returned to the safe house. The students were in the middle of breakfast when he arrived, in a rather harried mood. "The time has come, Harry," he said. "All of you, go quickly and dress in your best robes. I must return to the Wizengamot, but Remus will be here shortly to escort you."

The safe house flew into activity. The girls raced upstairs to change first, while Harry, Ron, and Neville waited in the sitting room for Remus. Fifteen minutes later, the door opened, and the girls emerged, one by one. Hermione was wearing a set of pale blue robes with puffed sleeves that were considerably more adult than the last set of dress robes Harry had seen her in. Ginny, on the other hand, was wearing that last set of dress robes, having obviously outgrown the yellow ones she had worn to the Yule Ball. Luna's were multicolored, plastered over with all sorts of exotic magical plants. Harry and Ron stifled a laugh at that, and all three boys ran up to change.

Ron seemed angry as he tugged on his gray dress robes. "What's the matter?" said Neville, running a comb through his hair.

"She's beautiful, that's the matter. And I'm...well, look at me."

"Ron, I promise you," said Harry, "Hermione sees you as yourself, no matter how much money you have or how beautiful she manages to make herself."

"And remember," said Neville, "under all that, there's still a bossy bookworm with big front teeth." Ron looked embarrassed but Harry laughed heartily.

Remus had arrived when they got downstairs, and held out a bag of Floo powder. "Ministry of Magic," he said, and they all stepped through the green flames and into the crowded Atrium.

Security passed them through without a second look--except at Harry's scar--and they made their way to the bottom of the Ministry. As they stepped out onto Level Nine, ready to walk down the stairs to the massive Wizengamot Chamber below, Harry stopped, staring at the door to the Department of Mysteries. Ginny was beside him in a second. "Harry?" She put a hand on his shoulder.

"It's not my fault," he said.

"No, it's not."

"Goodbye, Sirius," he said, and he turned down the staircase to Level Ten.

The group split at the door to the Wizengamot Chamber. It looked remarkably like the courtroom in which he had been tried the previous summer--writ large. Harry saw Mr. Weasley beckon to them from the left-hand benches, and he, Ron, and Neville made their way towards him while Remus helped the girls find seats in the Gallery.

The Court was obviously in recess, as a number of wizards were mulling about, having little private discussions here and there, and many were coming in and out of the hall. Harry was on the right of the trio of Gryffindors, and Mr. Weasley was in the row behind them. The seat immediately to Harry's right was vacant, but on the other side of it was a very familiar plait of long, reddish-blonde hair, turned away from Harry and his friends and chatting with a stately wizard in long golden robes. Harry knew he knew the owner of that long strawberry hair, but for some reason, he couldn't put a name to it.

Suddenly, with a melodious laugh, the girl turned towards Harry, and her pretty, rosy face broke into a huge grin. "Harry!" She slid through the vacant seat to engulf him in a huge hug, before noticing the other two wizards behind him. "Hello, Ron, Neville," she said politely, and Harry knew her instantly. Susan Bones, a Hufflepuff in his year, and a rather dedicated member of the D.A.

"Hi, Susan," said Neville cheerily. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh." Her voice fell. "Well, we're an old family, so we have a vote, and since my dad is dead, I have to cast the vote."

"Me too," said Harry. "And Ron's just stuck because his brothers didn't bother to get their N.E.W.T.'s." Susan laughed again at that, and then curled her mouth into an embarrassed 'O'.

"Harry, Ron, Neville, you know Ernie, right?" They nodded. "This is his father, Giles Macmillan. Ernie's here in the Gallery somewhere."

"So are our girls," said Ron. Susan looked at him oddly, but nowhere near as oddly as the look Harry thought he was giving him.

Our girls? Since when have they been our girls?

"I mean, Hermione and Ginny, and Luna." He added the last name almost as an afterthought.

"Oh, right. The ones who went with you to...upstairs." She dropped her voice to the barest of whispers and leaned towards Harry. "I know about Sirius Black," she said. "I know he was innocent. Aunt Amelia found out everything. We're with you." Harry smiled fondly at her, remembering how much the declarations of support from her, Hannah, and Ernie had meant the previous year, and realizing how much it meant to hear that from her now.

His thoughts were interrupted by a tap on the shoulder from Mr. Weasley, calling his attention to the dais at the front center of the hall, where the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot had now taken his seat. Dumbledore was sitting on what could only be described as a throne at the front of the room, and the various members of the body were arranged on three sides of the room around him. The headmaster rose. "The chair welcomes to the Wizengamot the heirs of the houses of Potter, Weasley, and Longbottom, and without objection, grants them their charter votes."

"Objection!" Harry had expected this. A man he didn't know had risen in the top row across the well from him.

"The chair recognizes Mr. Baddock." Harry recognized the name. Malcolm Baddock was a few years below him--a Chaser on the Slytherin Quidditch team.

"Chief Warlock, I object to all three votes, on the grounds that none of these children are of age to take their places."

"Chief Warlock!" Mr. Weasley stood behind Harry. "As the father of Ronald Weasley, I give permission for him, as the eldest qualified heir, to cast the charter vote of his house." Dumbledore acknowledged this, and did the same when Neville's grandmother stood in the gallery and gave him the same permission.

Then Remus stood in the back row of the gallery and amplified his voice. "I have been named guardian of Harry Potter by the will of the late Sirius Black, and hereby grant permission for him to cast the charter vote of his house."

"OBJECTION!" screamed Baddock. "Who is this man, Dumbledore? And since when has the Wizengamot admitted the wishes of mass murderers to its proceedings."

"My name is Remus Lupin," said the werewolf, stepping into the well. "And as Sirius Black was named as guardian of Mr. Potter in the will of the late Lily Potter, his mother, the guardianship was his to dispose."

"Have we any proof," said an unfamiliar voice from the row behind Dumbledore, "that Black is dead, or that his will actually dispenses of the guardianship in this manner?"

"There is no need, Moore," said Baddock. "I think a majority of those here will agree that Sirius Black, alive or dead, suffers from the great disability of having been convicted of multiple murders."

"Convenient," whispered Mr. Weasley, "how the lives of innocent Muggles matter so much when it suits their cause to convict Sirius, and so little when You-Know-Who holds his revels."

"Of course," Harry muttered bitterly.

"Chief Warlock," said Remus. "Could you order the will of the late Lily Potter examined, as a point of Order?"

"Chief Warlock!" said Baddock. "I was unaware that werewolves were entitled to make demands on the Wizengamot.

"Oh, bugger," said Ron, but Neville was already on his feet.

"Chief Warlock, could you do as he asks, please?" Dumbledore smiled broadly at Neville, and nodded.

Ten minutes later, after a lot of bickering back and forth, a rather put-out looking clerk hurried to the well with a large parchment roll. "The will of Lily Potter," he said.

Dumbledore muttered over the will for a few moments, and then read aloud to the room. "Guardianship of my son, Harry James, will pass to Sirius Iain Black, or, if he is unavailable, to Peter Vincent Pettigrew."

"Well," said the man Baddock had called Moore, "it would appear that Mr. Potter is the ward of a deceased man, or his murderer--or perhaps, two deceased men. Either way, it would seem that under Clause 18 of the Underage Wizard Protection Act of 1531, Mr. Potter's guardianship would revert to his nearest relative."

"Unfortunately," said Dumbledore calmly, "Mr. Potter has no remaining magical relatives, and his sole Muggle relatives were victims of Lord Voldemort's attack on 26 June of this year. Therefore--"

"Pardon me, Chief Warlock," said Baddock, "but I believe that your information is erroneous. Mr. Potter is the son of James Godric Potter, as I believe is universally admitted. The elder Mr. Potter was the son of Harold Rhys Potter, the son of William Rhys Potter, the daughter of Lysandra Brandt Potter. I can produce charts to this effect, but I think that you would admit this."

"I do," said Dumbledore.

"What's going on?" hissed Harry in the direction of Mr. Weasley.

"I'm not sure," came the response.

"Lysandra Brandt Potter was the sister, according to Nature's Nobility, of Cronus Dorian Brandt. Cronus Brandt had three children, but we are concerned with his eldest daughter, Electra. This is the same Electra who married Samuel Nott, and the mother of Stanley Robert Nott. Stanley Nott is the father of Darius Nott, Senior, and therefore the grandfather of Darius Nott, Junior, a charter voting member of this Wizengamot. It is therefore in Mr. Nott's discretion to allow--or not--Mr. Potter to vote."

A tall, thin man Harry had last seen behind a white mask in the Little Hangleton graveyard rose in the opposite section. "Chief Warlock, while it pains me deeply to deny a member of so old a family his vote, I am concerned about several reports that Mr. Potter suffers from psychological ill-effects resulting from the attack on him by You-Know-Who several years ago. I would not want to so cheapen the proceedings of this body by allowing an allegedly disturbed adolescent to cast a vote."

Harry was about to give an angry retort--and Mr. Weasley was holding Ron down--but at that moment, Moody stumped through the door. "Chief Warlock, I report for your immediate consideration a measure of the Court of the People. Resolved, that the Wizengamot express its lack of confidence in the leadership of the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Oswald Fudge, and declare the position vacant, pending an election. This measure has passed the Court of the People." Moody slammed a parchment down on the desk in front of Dumbledore, and stumped back out.

"Chief Warlock!" Percy had risen. "I request an immediate recess to study the matter. Perhaps an hour would be sufficient."

"So ruled," said Dumbledore.

In about three strides, Percy had crossed from his seat on the dais near Dumbledore to the row where Harry sat, grabbed Harry by the collar of his robes, and begun to drag him from the Chamber. "Get out!" he hissed. "Before Nott can find you! Get back into hiding!"

Evidently Remus had the same idea, because he managed to shepherd the girls out of the room and into what looked like a closet outside the doors. To Harry's consternation, not only Ron and Neville, but also Susan had followed Percy and himself from the well. The chaos of the hallway spilled into the narrow cubby where they were hidden, as all nine people began to talk at once. "Look," said Percy imperiously. "Just get out, before we lose everything."

For once in his life, Harry was in total agreement, but had no idea how to go about getting out. Ron and Neville were talking in hushed tones to Remus about something, after which he shooed them back to the chamber. "I've got it!" said Susan all of a sudden, and she raced out of the room as well.

"Got what?" said Hermione, looking very bewildered. "And why is she here?"

"I have no idea," said Remus, "on either count."

"Glad to know we're not the only ones lost," said Ginny. Percy muttered another apology to Ginny and Harry, and ducked out of the room again, apparently to find his youngest brother.

"Susan's coming back," said Luna rather blandly. "She has a chair leg with her." If it had been anyone other than Luna saying this, Harry would have thought they were crazy. As it was Luna, he fully expected what happened next.

Susan Bones burst through the door of the closet, out of breath and clutching what definitely appeared to be the leg to a wooden chair. She thrust it into Hermione's hands, panting for air as she tried to get her words out. "Portkey..." she wheezed. "Spell activated...take you to Hogwarts. Got Aunt Amelia to do it." With that, she raced back out of the door, calling back a goodbye.

"Wow," was all Harry could say before Remus jammed his hand onto the Portkey along with the three girls who weren't voting and the closet was replaced with the Entrance Hall of Hogwarts.