Battle of the Heirs

Harry, Hermione, and Professor McGonagall rejoined Ron, Lupin, and Tonks in a meeting room at the back of the Leaky Cauldron. A few minutes later, they were joined by Professor Marchbanks, Augusta Longbottom, Neville and Luna. "We're just waiting for Katie now,"Harry whispered over to Ron.

"I'm surprised she isn't here yet; you know what she's like, always on time."

"So Luna, what's your summer been like so far?"Hermione asked. They hadn't seen either her or Neville since the beginning of summer, getting off the Hogwarts Express.

"I've been helping Daddy out at the Quibbler. Nothing all that hard, really; just making sure that the reporters have been keeping up to our usual standards. I've been spending the rest of my time at the Longbottom Estate with Neville."Ron looked at Neville questioningly, and the other boy blushed.

"So, Nev, when were you going to tell us you were getting hot and heavy with Luna?"Ron said under his breath.

"When I thought it was something more than a fling..."Neville heaved a sigh of relief when he was interrupted by a knock on the door, announcing that Katie Bell had arrived. As much as he loved his friends, he had no desire to go through this line of questioning with his grandmother present.

"Sorry I'm late, it was crazy at the Prophet; everyone's on edge today because of the hearings. Editor Cuffe is scared that the new Minister will demand his resignation - he's been too close to the last two, hiding what they wanted to keep quiet and creating stories to fill the pages without checking his facts,"Katie said, frowning. "He's more interested in selling papers than he is in telling the truth - and the public have had enough of that with Fudge and Scrimgeour."

"Katie, if Cuffe was to be replaced, who would be the next candidate?"Harry asked.

"Rita Skeeter would probably be the most likely; she's the current assistant editor. Although the owners and the board may want to bring someone in from another newspaper - I'm sure that they're at least considering it."

"Tonks, could you run back to Gringotts and ask Bill to buy me shares in the Daily Prophet? I want enough so that I have some influence in the appointment of the next editor."Tonks stood up without a word and walked out of the room. "So how are you, Madam Marchbanks?"

"I'm feeling old, Harry, even if I say so myself - I'm considerably older than even Dumbledore was. I think that my time on the Wizengamot and the Wizarding Examinations Authority is coming to an end.

"You may know that I actually stepped down from the Wizengamot more than a year ago, due to the appointment of Umbridge as Hogwarts High Inquisitor. However, neither Fudge nor Scrimgeour was ever able to put someone in my place, and as is customary within the Wizengamot, I had to keep my seat until a replacement could be found, as did Tiberius Ogden. I was surprised that they could not find a replacement for either of us, but I told Tiberius that I would get my retirement eventually! Now, Augusta has managed to persuade him to keep his seat for a little longer, and I hear that you think you may have found a new elder to replace me?"Professor Marchbanks said with a smile.

"Yes. I would like to recommend that Remus Lupin take your spot on the Wizengamot, Madam. I am sure that you will find him to be very fair and honest."

"Remus Lupin?"She turned to him. "I assume that you are the son of John Lupin? He was a great wizard, a good man."

"Yes, he was my father. It's a shame that he upset the Death Eaters so much - he would have been a great Minister for Magic. Even Minister Bagnold said so, before she retired."

"Griselda always did have a liking for good, strong people. There are times that I wish she had kept her position as Minister just a bit longer. I was just telling her the other day that she should join the Wizengamot in my place - that was before your suggestion, of course, young Harry."

Mrs. Longbottom interjected, "If Tiberius still wants to step down, perhaps we could ask if she would be willing to take his position instead. Her period as Minister was one of the darkest times in recent history, and she managed well during the first war, so I'm sure she would be an asset to the Wizengamot."Harry nodded. It was best to let Mrs. Longbottom take charge here - though he knew that she wouldn't do anything without discussing it with him first. Neville had told him enough about his gran over the years for him to know that she trusted his judgment fully.

They spent the rest of their lunch discussing various topics, from the N.E.W.T.s to Quidditch. About halfway through the meal, there was a knock on the door - before Harry could even look up, Professor McGonagall and Remus were both on their feet. Harry turned around - in the doorway stood the witch whose picture had been on the books Hermione had given him that morning.

"Everyone, I would like to introduce you to Finvarra Thorne. She will be joining us in September as the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor. This is her son, Connor, who will be starting his seventh year at Hogwarts."The teen just nodded his head.

"Hello, Mrs. Longbottom! It's been a while since I last saw you - how have you been?"Professor Thorne said in greeting.

"Just grand, Finny. How was your stay in the States?"

"Well, I had planned on making it permanent, but when Minerva sent me that letter, I knew that I had to come back. I've got no idea how they managed to keep Voldemort's return out of the news over there, but somehow they did, and I haven't spoken to my brother in years, so it is no surprise that he did not tell me that He had returned."

"Sorry, but - why would he not tell you?"Ron asked.

"Oh, so you don't know who I am?"Professor Thorne said with a smile.

There was a pause until Harry finally said, "We know you were friends with my Mum and Dad."

"That's right, Harry, I was friends with your parents - I was very close to your mother in particular. In fact, she wanted to name me your Godmother. I'm not sure if she ever did, but I did make her Conner's Godmother. Your friend here-"she placed a hand on Ron's Shoulder, "-must belong to Arthur and Molly Weasley. It would be hard not to see the resemblance!"Harry nodded.

"To answer your question, Mr. Weasley, I am Finvarra Malfoy Thorne, and my brother is Lucius Malfoy. Needless to say, we have our differences - especially as I refuse to believe in his ridiculous beliefs regarding the lives of Muggles and Muggle-borns. If he would just take the time to study his own family tree, he would see that there are many members of his esteemed family to whom he would refer as 'blood-traitors'. I myself married a Muggle-born wizard, but he died along with your uncles, who called Micah for assistance when they realized they were being followed; I know that they managed to kill quite a few Death Eaters before they died, but Gideon and Fabian fell with them. Micah was the only one who initially survived the battle; he managed to stay alive long enough to tell Auror Moody what had happened, but in the end his injuries were too severe for the Healers to be able to save him."

"I'm sorry,"Harry whispered.

"Oh, don't be; Micah died doing what he loved. It has taken me close to seventeen years to get over him - and now that I am, I'm back in Britain, and I plan on making sure that every student who comes through my classroom is ready to face whatever dangers may be out there."

"I am sure you are, Professor Thorne,"Madam Marchbanks said with a smile. "I remember being very impressed with your skill in your Defense N.E.W.T. - though I did catch part of Harry's O.W.L. and I think he may have outdone even you! I have also had the pleasure of reading all of your books. They were incredibly well researched; not many authors would think to use the methods of when taking on dark wizards, dismissing his techniques because they were mainly used on water trolls rather than wizards. I must say, I applaud you for thinking outside the box on that one."

"Why, thank you, Professor. Though I must say, I got a lot of my ideas from your book - I am yet to come across a more thorough collection of counter-jinxes."She turned to McGonagall. "Minerva, who else will be joining the staff this year?"

"I was planning on asking Lupin,"she replied, gesturing to him, "to come back to the school, in the position of School Tutor. We haven't had one for some years now, but I believe the children would benefit from me re-instating the position this year. I-"She was interrupted by Lupin.

"Sorry, Minerva, but how do you think the parents would react to that? I've already left the school in disgrace once; I'm not willing to go through that again. Don't you remember the letters they sent to Dumbledore when the truth came out last time?"

"I read those letters - there were some negative ones, I will concede to you on that. But over half were supportive, saying that they trusted you and thought you were a competent teacher. Besides, they all trusted Snape - and look where that got them! Since he was the person who disgraced you, that is likely to work in your favor. I don't think we should have trouble convincing people to accept you."

"If you can sort it out with the parents, I suppose I have no reason not to..."Lupin still didn't look completely happy about it.

"It will be fine, Remus. We'll talk about it properly later. Now, who else was there..."she paused to think, "... Oh yes; Alastor Moody has expressed an interest in being located on site as a security guard - he thinks that we need extra protection after what happened in June, and I must say, I'm inclined to agree with him.

I still have to fill the Transfiguration position; I am currently waiting for a reply from Professor Tiberon, who I have asked I have asked to return - he specialized in Charms, but I think he would be skilled enough to teach Transfiguration. If all else fails, I can always teach it myself."

Madam Marchbanks spoke up, "Minerva, I will return to teach Transfiguration if no one else seems to be available. It would be for one year only though,"she cautioned. "Going back to Hogwarts may be good for me - I am ready to give up my duties on the Wizengamot, but I am not yet ready to just sit in my house all day, knitting!"She gave a small smile.

"In that case, the only position left to be filled is Head of Gryffindor House - Professor Marchbanks, if I recall correctly, you used to be Head of Ravenclaw?"The other woman nodded, and McGonagall continued, "In that case, I have narrowed my list down to Professors Hagrid, Hooch and Thorne. Professor Thorne, would you be willing to take on that responsibility? Any one of you would do a good job, but I think that Hagrid would be too keen to just befriend the students, and I would be worried that Madam Hooch would place too much importance upon Quidditch. I think that you would be the best choice to ensure that they follow school rules, and encourage good House spirit.

"I also happen to know that you were Deputy Headmistress at the Salem Witch's Institute. Would you be willing to take the same post here at Hogwarts? I have already spoken with Professors Flitwick and Sprout, and they are both happy with their current positions."

Professor Thorne looked slightly surprised, but she quickly recovered. "We would have to talk about the details, but yes, I should think I would be perfectly willing."

"Wonderful."McGonagall checked her watch. "We need to be at the Ministry soon! Harry, go get your dress robes, please. We should just have time for you to sit your Apparition exam first, but you will have to go straight there afterwards."

An hour later, Harry and Ron emerged from the Testing Office, holding their Apparation licenses. "So, now we're heading to the swearing-in ceremony, right?"Ron asked.

"Yeah. I dunno where it's going to be, though - do you think it might be in Courtroom Ten?"

"How should I know? None of this has anything to do with me - I plan on using this time to work with Fred and George on making as much noise as possible,"Ron said, grinning. He paused thoughtfully. "It'll be good training for the election."

"Just try not to make me look too stupid - I think that'll already be well covered, between Fudge and Scrimgeour,"Harry responded, but he was grinning as well.

Harry led the way to Courtroom Ten, where they found most of the members of the Wizengamot already assembled. "Ah, there he is,"said Augusta Longbottom as Harry approached the front of the room. "The man of the hour."She led him to a room just off the main courtroom, labeled 'Wizengamot Chambers'.

She shut and locked the door, casting a quick Silencio before turning to Harry. "First of all, Harry, congratulations on passing your Apparition exam. They call this a ceremony, but that's a little misleading. Well, Dumbledore called it 'a tad misleading'; I call it greatly misleading. All you need to do is take a Wizard's Oath, and then we inscribe your name in the record as a member of the Wizengamot. Once that's been done, we can start our pre-trail. Now, if you would step over here to the Official Record."

Harry walked over to what looked, to him, like an oversized book. Hermione, he thought with a grin, would love to get her hands on the book, just to see what information it contained.

"Hold out your wand and point it at the Record, and repeat after me,"Mrs. Longbottom instructed. "'I, Harry James Potter, of the House of Potter, do hereby accept my seat on the Wizengamot. I will uphold the laws set down by my forefathers. I will ensure that I seek justice in every case. I will acquit those whom I believe to be innocent and condemn those whom I believe to be guilty. I will be fair, no matter who sits before me.'"

Harry repeated the oath behind Mrs. Longbottom. When he was finished, red and gold streaks flew from his wand and encircled the book, then faded away. "Now that that is done, I am going to present you with the robes of the Wizengamot,"Mrs. Longbottom said, handing him a set of plum-colored robes with a silver W stitched onto the left breast. Harry quickly put the robes on over his dress robes and Mrs. Longbottom opened the door, allowing the rest of the Wizengamot to enter.

"Okay, on to business."At a flick of her wand, a round table with seats for about fifty materialized out of nowhere. "Everyone take a seat, please. Harry, yours is next to mine."She pointed to a chair beside where she was standing. Hermione moved so that she was opposite Harry, and Professors McGonagall and Marchbanks sat on either side of him and Mrs. Longbottom.

"As this is the first trial since I became Chief Witch, I have not yet named any Interrogators. The Interrogators hold the chairs of the three committees that make up the Wizengamot: Law Enforcement, Civil Court, and Legislative. In the past, the Chief Warlocks have been more than happy to insert members of the Ministry into these positions, but as you all know, I have not been very happy with the Ministry of late. I am going to use my right as the elected Chief to change this practice. I would like to appoint Headmistress McGonagall to chair the committee of the Legislative branch. I am sure she is more than capable of keeping an eye on the Ministry and ensuring that the events of two years ago are not repeated.

"I am also going to return to the tradition of letting the House of Potter chair the Law Enforcement committee. Harry may be young, but we all know that he has fought and survived He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named on a number of occasions. He is more than capable of ensuring that justice is served. I expect him to have a working relationship with the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement - currently, Mafalda Hopkirk holds that position. That leaves the committee of Civil Court. As you well know, this committee oversees any complaints that one wizard makes against another. I have decided to let Tiberius Ogden head this committee,"she finished, nodding at the elderly wizard sitting across the table from her. She flicked her wand and notebooks appeared in front of every member of the Wizengamot.

Like the robes, the notebooks were plum colored, with a silver W in the middle. "This is your official agenda for the year. It contains your committee placement, as well as meeting times. As you can see, it shows when the regularly scheduled meetings are. Please note that each committee will meet at least once every two months - during that assembly, you must schedule trials and arrange any extra meetings. The full Wizengamot will meet once every six months. If any Committee head decides to add an extra meeting to the agenda they are within their rights to do so.

"Now, onto tonight's meeting. Tonight is the Impeachment trial of Minister for Magic Rufus Scrimgeour. The motion was set down by Madam Hestia Jones with a call of no-confidence. The Wizengamot Charter of Rights states that when a vote of no-confidence is called, the Wizengamot must launch a formal investigation. If you look in the agendas that you have just received, you will find the results of that investigation."

Harry quickly scanned the results. Hestia had been released from the hospital only a few hours before calling for the Minister to step down. In her original motion, she had said that the defense of the British Wizarding world was one of the last things on the mind of the Ministry. Amongst others, she gave the examples of the collapse of Azkaban and the lack of arrests in connection with the numerous Death Eaters attacks. Harry tried not to show the smile that was growing on his face; Hestia had outlined everything that she could think of to give the Wizengamot reason to vote for the motion.

He turned the page to see the motion of confidence written by the Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic, Dolores Umbridge, but her information was not as complete as Hestia's. It stated that the Ministry was working hard to ensure that justice was being served, then went on to say that the investigations undertaken showed that all of the people who had been arrested had claimed to be Death Eaters and that the Ministry was certain that these arrests would contribute towards the defeat of Voldemort - not that Umbridge actually used his name at any point.

Harry continued flipping through the notes. He found the briefing from the Aurors who had taken part in the investigation of the events at Azkaban, and the files connected with the arrests of three suspected Death Eaters, including Stan Shunpike - it appeared that Scrimgeour had actually interviewed them himself.

"... Now, I have appointed Alberic Shingleton to present the case for the prosecution. He is a good solicitor and the best candidate to ensure that this is a fair trail. He has acted as prosecutor many famous trails, including those of the Lestranges and Bartemius Crouch Jr. I was informed earlier today that Minister Scrimgeour has chosen to allow Undersecretary of Magic Dolores Umbridge to present his case."Harry looked up at those words. He had heard everything she was saying but wanted to make sure he caught the full extent of this part.

"Are we all agreed that Mr. Potter, Mr. Ogden, Mrs. McGonagall, and I should act as the Interrogators?"There were murmurs of assent from around the table. "Good, then! The rest of you will take your places in the judges' balcony. Remember, if there are any questions that you would like to be asked of the Minister, please write them down and pass them to one of the four Interrogators. If that is all, I believe we need to start getting ready for the trial."