A Swiftly Tilting Planet

A Swiftly Tilting Planet

"My wizarding brethren, my message today is one of solemnity. For a decade, the Wizarding Republic has tried to build a stable and democratic government. A government that would prevent the resurgence of another Dark Lord after the havoc of first Grindelwald and then Lord Voldemort. A government that would heal a society as broken this one was after the war. A government that would be representative and transparent so that no Minister of Magic could ever again be the servant of the Dark Arts. My citizens, I have led you for these past ten and mostly harmonious years. And we have succeeded."

Although the Wizarding Congress was meeting far from where she was, Hermione could hear the storming applause and cheers of "Minister!" as if she were standing right there, next to the man that had been the shining beacon of the magical world since Voldemort's power had broken and Harry Potter had broken right there with him. A new page, he had called for. A new page for a new future. We will move on, we will never forget, but move on we must. And moved on he had.

"For ten years, we have lived in peace with our neighbors, established stronger ties with the ever growing American wizarding community, and transformed ourselves into a model for the rest of the world to follow. For ten years, we have kept the pureblood extremists from returning to their ways while allowing them to reenter society. For ten years, we have lived in a world our ancestors could never have dreamed of. That, my friends, is how far we have progressed."

More applause, and Hermione remembered what it was like, the first time she had heard him speak. Always eloquent, always rational, but never elitist despite his background, and when he had fixed his eyes on her - only a junior representative from London at the time and elected because (so most of her detractors thought) of her intimate relationship with Harry - how privileged she felt to be in the sight of the greatest man in the history of the wizarding world. Then she won reelection, and again, and again, until she rose to the very top, a brilliant orator with a sharp memory and grasp of the facts, a true champion of equality and justice. And she caught his attention too.

"There was always opposition, though. It would be folly if anyone were to say that the whole of Britain was enthused with the idea of introducing democratic ideas into our way of life. It would also be folly, however, to say that we, as the Wizarding Republic, have not extended our warmest welcome to everybody. Amnesty applications are still being accepted, ten years after that cataclysmic event, and, please, I urge continued holdouts to step forward and repent. We will receive you with open arms."

He stopped her once after a heated debate about immigration policy and told her how amazing he thought she was and what a dedicated woman she was to the new order. Asked her whether or not she would like to be his official policy advisor but quickly reminded her that she could always refuse if she chose to stay a lawmaker in the congress. Hermione told him that she needed a day to think about it, but of course, she announced her resignation the next day in front of the congress and then marched right up to his office, absolutely beaming.

"It is easy to believe that our new world is flawless. Rarely has the British wizarding community ever lived through such a long period of stability and unprecedented growth, and certainly there are times I would like to pretend that all is perfect and well."

Chuckles. Hermione quickened her pace, the heels of her shoes echoing through the cavernous halls of the complex. She had heard him rehearse this speech before. Many times. The first time, disbelief and skepticism. The second time, fear and panic. The third time, only a sweeping coldness and the deadening awareness that she had been painfully, painfully deceived. Now, there he was, the deceiver, deceiving the world as he had deceived her.

"For years, low-intensity civil unrest has been reported from various parts of the country with increasing frequency. It was in the hope of the Wizarding Republic government to exterminate it before any real trouble could occur. Our first thought was that it must be the last remnant of extremists that had eluded authorities, but Bellatrix Black is sitting in prison, slowly rotting away, and her compatriots are either assimilated back into the world or dead. Imagine, if you will, my fellow citizens, my utter shock when I discovered that these disruptive activities were and continue to be propagated by those who claim to love the Republic most, the Muggle-borns."

His voice grew louder as she drew nearer, fatigued. You don't have to do this, she told herself. But I do.

"This republic was created with the sole purpose of protecting all rights but no such step would have been taken had it not been for the Muggle-borns' constant plight. Shunned for centuries, scapgoated for everything, they feared the Dark Lord more than anyone else. During the creation of this government, I pledged to protect their rights and sovereignty unlike any other wizarding leader had done before. They are the fastest growing group, in terms of population, in this country. Of course they must be protected."

Liar, liar, liar. She wondered how he had the gall to tell the world such things when Muggle-borns formed half of his cabinet, when Muggle-borns were the predominant group in the congress, when a Muggle-born had coordinated his policy alongside him for years. Hermione already knew the answer. Locking her office after a late night's work and preparing to Apparate home, she heard whispers, dark and ominous, issuing from the room next to hers. His room. In that room, she found the heart of evil emanating from the center of what had empowered her and so many others with the one thing that had been missing from those dark years. He had given her hope.

"Yet they remained unsatisfied, these Muggle-borns. They were given rights, they were given even local autonomy in their stronghold in Scotland, but still, they were unhappy. What else was I to do? I beseeched their leaders to urge them to directly petition the government, to petition me, to petition the congress for any reforms that they might want to undertake, but the Muggle-borns are intent on relying on methods of violence - the same methods, might I add, that proponents of the Dark Lord once used."

"Miss, we are not permitted to allow any unauthorized persons to enter this room."

Hermione ripped her identification card from her pocket. " 'Unauthorized persons'? For Christ's sake, I'm his policy advisor! There's something very important I need to tell him."

"The Minister?"

She marveled at how clueless this guard was. "Yes, the Minister! Could you please let me in?"

"Unless you have been personally invited by the Minister or are a member of the congress, you are not authorized to - "

The guard fell to the floor. Hermione stowed her wand away.

"This is not a startling news, I should hope, but this insurgency, if you will, these blatant acts of terrorism have escalated in the past month. The people crave action. That is why, today, I propose to the Wizarding Congress a bill to revoke citizenship for Muggle-borns."

"No!"

Hermione rammed her shoulder against the thick oak doors and tumbled into the room while thousands of eyes looked in her direction. Propped up by her shaking arms, she looked up at the Minister, standing behind the podium, the podium that looked so natural against his resplendent attire, his entire presence. He looked back at her, smiling, alluring as he had always been. You evil, wicked bastard, she thought. I trusted you, but everything you ever said about civilization and progress, about forgiveness and compassion...it was a lie. It was always a lie. You were a lie.

"Hello, Hermione." She cringed at the lilt in his voice. "You just missed it, I'm afraid."