Hogwarts: Era of Darkness

Seven people. In the end, I managed to free seven of those who were put on trial, which also meant I managed to get the freedom back for everyone who was with us back in school—anyone who helped us while the TriWizard Tournament was happening. The interesting and somewhat worrying part was that Dumbledore never once opposed my arguments, never tried to push back against me, and even agreed with me twice!

He was playing it well, so it was no wonder he was the leading wizard of his century. If I would have continued pushing on more or kept trying to provoke him, then I would have started looking like an ungrateful ass, so he also forced me to change tactics and act as if I was asking for his opinions politely. He not only managed to maintain his positive appearance and righteous decorum, but he also showed those who were present that the Order was not fractured. Every time Neville spoke, he stood with him, and I could see in Neville's eyes that it surprised him, too.

Through Snape's reports, we knew that there was splintering within. Neville emerged as a new type of leader, gaining support within the Order, especially from those members who had grown up or matured into adults when he was born. But when it was time to show their unity, with Dumbledore at the helm, they did it perfectly. People on the outside would be oblivious that big problems were brewing behind the scenes.

I wasn't even mad because I never expected it to be easy or straightforward. I was just curious how long he could keep it up. When we left, nobody tried to stop us, I mean, from their side. There were people who wanted an interview, but I told them that I had to wait for my voice to return as I spoke enough for the day.

Of course, when the relevant issue of the Daily Prophet arrived, it displayed the whole thing as if I was doing everything I could to save my minions. This was already laughable because if it was that, why did Neville and Dumbledore agree with me that they should be freed? My guess was that if the Order couldn't go against me directly, they were doing it through the press. Journalists can be replaced, after all.

We didn't lag behind. On the same day, the Quibbler was out, detailing the whole incident from our point of view. It even had extra pages that described the people we freed and what they did for us. Most were from my recollections, with the help of sample pages from the journals we used, but a big part of it was Lockhart's work, painting it to be a bit more colorful and touching.

With this, our focus had to shift once again, as next was the upcoming votes and re-establishment of the Ministry of Magic. Two candidates were coming from the Order, aiming for the seat of Prime Minister. One was Shacklebolt, who we already knew about, but the other was a sudden surprise. I honestly thought Neville would be the one, but he made a public speech and made a surprising announcement. He acknowledged his age, that he was too young, and that many would say he was inexperienced... So, he nominated Minerva McGonagall for the position, someone who was also from the top branch of the Order and previously a famous witch within Hogwarts.

On the side of SPEW, Hermione was their nominee, which wasn't a surprise for anybody. We knew it would be a certainty, and she was the beating heart of it all anyway. What was maybe cause for surprise was how well she spoke before the public and how heartfelt everything she said was. She didn't only speak to wizardkind but also spoke to many marginalized magical races, be it goblins, house elves, or centaurs.

It was also something that soon put them into the crosshair of a campaign that I was sure was orchestrated by Dumbledore. It started as a rumor that grew stronger and stronger, painting SPEW and many of its members as Beauxbatons and Durmstrang spies. Outsiders who are now, after Voldemort's death, came to take advantage of Britain and put it under their rule. The issue was that there was no way to deny the connections as many of them were living in Beauxbatons. Victor was from Durmstrang. No matter how much or how well they try to say all the rumors are fabricated, they could never deny it confidently in the eyes of those who were paranoid, even if just a little bit.

And... In a country that was under decades-long regimes, paranoia was still thriving within people's homes.

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"What's our next step?" Lockhart asked as we sat in my father's old office. This time, it was me who sat in his chair, taking a big sigh when I leaned back in it. "You didn't get into the Wisengamot nor the Ministry."

"Not that he wanted to." Quincy answered for me, making Lockhart sigh.

"I know, but it would still be such a powerful move! I had drafts written up that now I can't publish—what a waste!"

"It would have been too much work, not to mention the distractions it would have caused." Grindelwald interjected, standing at the windows, leaning leisurely against the wall, "Politics is best left to others who then you can control or give suggestions to. Participating in it? It is a headache, trust me. Voldemort made the very same mistake that I did and tried to be at the forefront of it."

"That is why you don't see Dumbledore doing it." I agreed, trying to explain it to Lockhart, "He is totally fine with being the Headmaster of Hogwarts because, from that position, he oversees future generations' witches and wizards. He will always have a hand, a voice, a say in how politics is handled through them."

"..."

"Anyway!" I clapped after letting him think about it for a little. "I have an idea, and I invited Miss Granger over for dinner for tomorrow night!"

"What is it all about?" Lockhart asked, feeling that he was the only one who was out of the loop.

"Do you remember our tale, what we did after separating from you?" I answered with my own question, seeing him put it together, a lightbulb appearing above his head.

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When Hermione arrived, I wasn't surprised she was accompanied by Krum; what surprised me was that they were dressed elegantly. Of course, we were, too, expecting that somehow, somewhere, paparazzi must be doing their best to make a story out of it. Hells below, I was banking on it. That is why so many of our security spells were tweaked to let them get a scoop.

After a pleasant but quick welcome, we invited them into our home, where a dinner table was already ready. I could see that Hermione was somewhat annoyed that two elves were serving her, but she was aware enough to not mention it. Well... not immediately. After the appetizers were gone, she brought up the fact that if she gets to have a say in it, there will be debates about freeing all elves. Just by hearing her, Winky managed to drop a cup, letting it shatter on the hard, wooden floor, making me smile.

"What about elves like her?" I asked seriously, watching our two elves quickly clean up.

"She was brainwashed from a young age." She answered me immediately, and I could see in Victor's eyes that they probably had the same conversation a few times because he looked blankly ahead, eating, as if nothing was happening.

"It could be the case, then what? Will you brainwash them? Remove their memories, wiping their personalities?"

"What? No! They need rehabilitation."

"Look, I understand." I shrugged, leaning forward, "I had an elf who served our house for a long time, Squeaky. She was more of a sister and mother to me than my own mother ever was. I will tell you now because you never had elves or experienced their nature... but some of them wouldn't want to be free."

"That's–" She started, but it was Winky who interrupted her with a loud yell.

"That's right!"

"I do agree," I continued while smiling at Winky, "that those elves who wish for their freedom should be able to get it. If an elf wants to be free, then there should be no opposition against it! But you also can't forcefully free every one of them."

"They–"

"They can make their own decisions." Quincy said, cutting her off, "Give them free will, the same thing you are campaigning for. Let them decide their fate. Isn't that what SPEW is saying? You can't drastically change things like this. Not unlike you do it forcefully..."

"..."

"If you want to transform it," my wife continued, "Make it gradual through education."

"I understand." Hermione shrugged deeply at the end, shaking her head, "But who says we will have a chance to make changes at all? The smear campaign has hurt us deeply..."

"We can deal with that." I chuckled, making both of them fall silent. They looked at me without blinking, waiting for me to continue. "Let's hold a summit."

"What for?" Krum asked after Hermione remained silent.

"A summit for the future of European wizardkind. Three schools were counted as the cornerstones of the wizarding world for many centuries... We could make it happen again, and I could make it so that Dumbledore and Hogwarts have to accept the meeting proposition and attend it. Through that, we could make sure all their lies would simply wash off of you and that they would have no more grounds to attack you."

"You would really do it?" Hermione asked, a bit taken aback.

"We were supposed to be allies, no?" I shrugged, making her blush a little, nodding her head. "Yeah. I will do it. I have friends in Durmstrang. I know they are already working with Beauxbatons, so we can paint a peaceful and harmonious future for everyone. If Dumbledore and his side of the Order are going to try and oppose it..." I grinned, looking at the two, "Then we are as good as putting you and Neville on the seat of Prime Ministers."