Chapter 57: Wizengamot
If you like what you see and what more please drop a Favorite up above, a comment, or give a 5 star. It would mean the world to me, thanks!
Also you can find advance chapters, and bonus content are on my Patreon page https://www.patreon.com/Mark_Ward
The next day Rita worked her magic and as everyone was having breakfast, newspapers came flying in on the talons of many different papers and even one of the first Mirror Apps he designed, the Daily Prophet showed alerts on everyone's Mirror Phone.
The news of the day was the vicious attack he suffered as it held the headlines front and foremost. From his seat, he could see Snape seething as this was not good at all for his career as a teacher if people especially parents knew that he was viciously attack students.
Dumbledore looked a bit disturbed as this was a bad reflection on him too since he was the one that hired the greasy old bat in the first place and was the Headmaster of the school and this happened under his watch.
If he could have, Harry would have kissed the sneaky woman, she took great pains to talk about the emotional and physical damage he suffered and how fearful the students were of Snape's ruthless evil reign.
If the lady was good at anything, it was riling people up as she conveyed wonderfully how the man singled him out an orphaned child who suffered a bad childhood. And this was no child, but the boy-who-lived a public figure and idol to most children.
As classes begin, he could see countless owls flying in as his phones were yet to completely fazing out the old form of communication. From among them he could see a bunch of howlers finding their way to Snape's office and Dumbledore as well, plus most of the teachers, as well as this, was a bad look on them too.
Some parents made some very public views of their opinions especially Ms. Weasley who had the loudest and most numerous howlers sent in about how dare they harm him and how they could let a heartless wizard teach their students.
In class it was obvious that Snape had lost all respect and fear he held among the students as nobody was listing to him and were running wild amock especially the Twins who had a fun time doing carrying out all the pranks they could have wanted to their heart's content.
It would seem that he was right, after his ability to removed and give points were taken and he couldn't give detentions, he had no ability to rein in anyone at all. And the students made sure to bring forth all the bad emotions they had stored up for him.
Smiling all day as he took great pleasure in all the discomfort that the greasy bat was suffering, and was hailed by a champion and hero by everyone especially the Twins most vocally by bringing down Snape's tyrannical rule.
When the week was out it was time for him to take care of his lordly duties, so letting Professor McGonagall know that he was leaving, he fire teleported out of the castle. Fire teleportation was a magical form of travel much superior to Apparition since you could easily bypass any wards put up that blocked teleportation.
He discovered the ability when one day in his castle he woke up in the cellar far away from his bed. That's when he realized he had the legendary ability of the Phoenix.
Appearing in the family Manor, Tobry was there alongside Rem and Ram who had his judicial clothing laid out for the Wizengamot. It was a silly thing with long white ceremonial robes and a pointed weird hat.
But he just shrugged, as Sirius put in the much funnier the hat, the much higher the office. Putting it on without a word, it would be well worth it if he had to wear this so he could see Dumbledore brought to justice.
"How do I look," he asked the girls as he spun around for them.
Rem laughed sweetly saying nothing, but Ram did not have those sorts of compulsion, "You look like a clown!"
"It doesn't matter," Tobry cut in, "this is the highest court of the land so traditions are traditions."
In magical Britain, the Wizengamot predated the Ministry of Magic itself, dating back to the days of the Wizards' Council which ruled and governed this land.
While the British Ministry of Magic acting as the Executive branch of the government with the Minister at top and his Undersecretary followed by the Departments Heads. The Wizengamot was both the legislative and judicial branch of government, basically both high court of law and Parliament.
It was made of Great Houses just to show the purely aristocracy the land was.
Precisely at the moment, Sirius stepped through from the fireplace from 12 Grimmauld Place as Harry connected their floo networks a while back. He had on the advisory robes since he would be tagging along with him and his Yankee disguise.
"Ready to go?" the older man asked with a grin.
"Yep," he said with a nod, then called out to the fireplace, "Wizengamot courtroom number 14." Then without a word, he stepped through the fireplace and appeared in a large courtroom where countless people wearing the same silly robes and hat just like him stood around discussing among themselves in groups.
Taking it all in, he noted the people wearing white robes, those wearing black, and those wearing grey. They were the main parties that made up the Wizengamot, the Light, the Dark, and the Grey. There were other people wearing different colored ceremonial robes such as blue, green, brown, and so forth but they were of little importance in the grand scheme of things, minor parties that held little power and sway in the Wizengamot.
Just then a severe looking and very formidable elderly woman walked up to him with a group of white robed wizards and witches behind her.
"If you would excuse me," Sirius said as he went to mingle with the others and see where the wind was blowing in the court
"Harry Potter," the woman pronounced as she stared up at him.
"Madam," he said with a bow of his head, showing her the respect due. "It's an honor to meet you, your grandson Neville has spoken highly of you."
"Did he," she asked with a snort as she was known for her legendary tongue.
Madam Augusta Longbottom, Head of the Longbottom family, Earls of Harrington, and the grandmother of Neville.
During the summer, Tobry and Sirius gave him a complete run down of the Wizengamot and described to him the parties that made up the places and what factions they were further divided into.
The Light was lead by Dumbledore but it was divided into three parties which the Dark was similarly divided into, the Conservative, the Moderate, and the Libertarian. The Moderate that held the middle ground in the party was lead by Amelia Bones, the Libertarian which were on the far left was lead by Dumbledore of course, and finally the Conservative were lead by Madam Augusta.
"Okay," he admitted with a chuckle as he wrapped his arm around her's which she allowed and they began to walk off. "That might be stretching it a bit."
"That boy," she said with a shake of her head, "I am hard on him because he needs to live up to his father's reputation, and one day be a strong leader of his house."
"I understand, Ma'am, but you forget Neville is his own person, not his father," he came to the defense of his friend, he saw the effect his grandmother's pressure on him on daily bases.
Snapping her head at him, she sharply rebuked, "Don't tell me how to...."
"I mean no offense," he interrupted, "You would be surprised at the level of bravery and competence he shows. I remember well our first year in Hogwarts where he stood strong with his opinion against all odds. All I am saying no son can be exactly like his father."
"You seem to know my boy pretty well, huh?" she asked shrewdly.
"I count him as among one of my closest and best friends," he answered truthfully.
Nodding her head, "it is as it should be our Houses have been like blood brothers for centuries on end. Now," she said as her eyes turned sharp, "What will it take to get your support to depose Albus?"
Doing a double take, he nearly tripped and fell but was able to quickly get a command over himself. He heard the legendary feud between the elderly woman and Dumbledore, it was said she blamed him for what happened to her son and daughter-in-law, and rightfully so.
It was thanks to his conservative and very lenient policies during the war that so many Light wizards and witches got brutally murdered including his parents. Plus him letting the purebloods that obviously participated in the war on Voldermort's side off the leash with bogus excuses that anyone could see through, did him no favorites.
Inside he felt like doing a small gig, this was too great, he thought he would have to ask her to depose him of some his positions and owe her a favor.
"Nothing," he answered with a shrug, "I have my childhood to thank him for."
"Good, I see that you are not a blind follower of his," she commented with a nod of her head.
"Now that I have you here," he voiced as this was as good of a time to ask for what he wanted, "I want your support in turn for a matter I will be bringing before the Wizengamot."
"You have it," she answered without even asking what he wanted her support in.
"Now if you would excuse me, my dear boy," she said as she unwrapped her hands from his. "I need to rile up some more support. If I can get Amelia Bones, then the rest are sure to follow."
"You don't have to worry about," he said airly.
Giving him a narrowed eyed look, she whispered, "you got support to depose him didn't you?"
Not giving any answer away, he just grinned up at her, "I did say I have my childhood to thank him for, so what sort of man would I be if I don't even the score with him."
Giving a low chuckle and a pinch on the cheek, "Ahh, you remind me of your great-grandfather. I remember him well when I was a young maiden. He was a sneaky old fox that danced in the light!"
[A/N: Henry Potter, he was the Minister of Magic, chapter 23]
"There is nothing you have to fear from me," he comforted, "just my enemies that would harm me or my friends and loved ones. Anyways," he continued in a more altruistic tone, "I think we could do with your wisdom in the place of Professor Dumbledore."
"You don't mean...."
"Yes, I think I do," he said with a wink as he left her there with thoughts of what he said.
As he took only a few steps in any general direction, the second person in the day approached him. "Lord Malfoy," he greeted the haughty wizard.
As much as it pained him the man was the leader of the Dark just as Dumbldore was of the Light. He represented the Moderate faction of the party which came to him as a surprise. The Conservatives were lead by Tobias Nott a vicious man that he wondered why he wasn't in Azkaban already.
Then there was the Libertarian which was lead by Sirius's cousin, the head of the Mort family, Amaryllis Mort.
"Lord Potter," he returned the greeting as his wife also acknowledged, still the sensational beauty as ever. He wondered what the man ever did to deserve a woman like that, but keep it to himself.
"You have my deepest apologies for what Severus did to you, he was always prone to bursts of anger," he began with, trying to mitigate what his son's godfather did to him.
"You will quickly find that us Potters are made of much sterner stuff."
"You should visit our Château over the summer vacation," Narcissa uttered, turning the conversation to more pleasant thoughts. "It is quite lovely when the flowers are in full blossom and the fairies flitter about."
"It would be my pleasure," he replied and for a moment he could have sworn he seen the women bite her lips sensually.
"Now on to more pressing matters," the git declared, "these trails before us require a delicate touch so I was wondering what would it take... let say for your...."
"For my support in kicking off Dumbledore from off his high horse," he finished for the man with a slight raise of his eyebrow.
"Yes," he answered politely.
"Well you see," he begin with, "I would like your support in two agendas of mines."
"Two?"
"Yes, the first you instate Augusta Longbottom as Chief Warlock, it won't be wise of us you see to remove a member of the Light for let's say the Dark or Grey and magic forbid some one else from the other parties."
"I see," the man simply said, if Harry knew him well enough then he imagined he wanted to put himself in that position. However he had to know that wouldn't be possible, the Light and Grey would admittedly refuse and it would be doubtful if his whole party would support him.
"Now," Harry continued trying to make him see some sense, "Madam Longbottom is a noble pureblood like all of us, unlike Dumbledore who you can't tell if he loves the muggles or the muggle born more than his own kin. She has the best interest of all us Great Houses in her heart whether it be Light, Dark, Grey, or whatever!"
If he had to play the part of a snobbish lord how saw muggles as nothing more than animals and muggle born as only servants, then so be it. He would use every trick in the book to get what he wanted, o so help him magic.
"You make a good point," he finally consented with a nod.
"Yes, and if you do this, I can promise you I can put in a word to her and your chance of deposing Dumbledore is all that much assured!"
"What is the second thing you wanted Lord Potter," the lady of house Malfoy asked as they both could see he had the man.
"Its about Barty crouch senior," he admitted.
"Of course he would be going to Azkaban, his house-elf all but admitted everything that day," the man waved away as his hate for the man was palpable.
He could understand why, Barty senior brought on an age of harsh Auror state[police state] where they cracked down on just about everyone that was suspected for supporting or harboring and most importantly being a Death Eater.
As Sirius told it, they brought just as much harm as they did good- setting neighbors against each other and torturing any suspects and so much more.
"No, it's about the cases he prosecuted."
"What do you mean?" Narcissa asked.
"Well I want to reopen them to be reviewed," he said with a shrug.
"What?"
The plan was two fold really, to weaken the Death Eaters as he got ride the most vicious and cruel of his men before the war even began. And to get Sirius the trail he needed, he knew if he asked for his godfather to get the trail he deserved many would block him for one reason or another. This way instead he could be sly about it and hit two birds with one stone.
Anyways if he set the ire of Voldermort against Lucius Malfoy that would be a wonderful plus for him.
"You heard me, my lord, I believe it's time to do away with Voldermort's last few supports," he said with all the sincerity he could muster as if he believed all that was left were those behind bars, even though he had one right in front of him.
Just at the name, he had sharp hisses of breath as if they feared even the mention of the man. He had to give it to the man, he did a wonderful job of stricking fear into foes and allies alike.
"My lord, we all know he is dead," he said with a grin not blinking even at the lie. "There is nothing to fear."
"I know," the man said as he wearily glanced around, "still its best to avoid it."
"Tell me, my lord," he said as he changed up the subject, "how many votes are there in the Wizengamot."
"3,000," he answered without hesitation, "1,000 for the Light, 1,000 for the Dark, 800 for the Grey, and the other 200 for the rest."
"Did you know there used to be 10,000 votes here," he stated as he looked around the place. "What happened to the other 7,000 you ask, all gone since those families are no more.
"Tell me, my lord," he said then as he looked down at the man with deadly seriousness in his tone and mannerism, "Have we not suffered enough from these last two wars? Kinsmen lay dead by the thousands, whole branch families are wiped out, and we are only down to one or two scions of Great Houses now."
"Now knowing all that, Tell me, my lord, what do you think would happen if these criminals got out and began Voldermorts work again?" he nearly shouted at the end.
After long moments of remaining silent, the man finally spoke up, "I can get you support on getting Madam Longbottom as Chief Warlock, but for this...." he muttered as Harry could see he had the man completely.
"Tobias Nott would refuse outright and Amaryllis..." he said as he glanced over at his wife.
"I really don't know, Lord husband," she answered with a shrug, "my cousin has always been fickle if you would say."
"My lord," Harry said, "are you the Head of the Dark pray or is Lord Nott and Lady Mort?" he asked playing to the man's arrogance and hubris of himself.
"I am," he answered quickly as he stood to his full height.
"So if you say something would the Dark follow you or them."
"Of course me!"
"Well then that settles it," he said with a smile as he gave the man a pat on the back.
Then as if magic was on his side, the court crier shouted, "The trail of Albus Dumbledore will begin in 5 minutes!"