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  This chapter was edited by Gdiusx. Check his works on HP and ASOIAF, I highly recommend them.

  Ministerial meeting chamber.

  An hour before Harry barges in,

  Noon.

  The head of the DMLE,

  “Hem-hem. The chamber recognises Algernon Snodgrass from the International Magical Trading Standards Body. You may address the department heads now.” The shrill voice of Dolores Umbridge sounded out unnecessarily as the reedy-looking wizard was already standing and about to speak.

  Bloody hell, woman! This wasn't a courtroom. There was no need to introduce every witch or wizard whenever they wanted to say something.

  “Thank you, Madam Undersecretary, and thank you, Minister for Magic Fudge, and thank you all, the honourable department heads of the Ministry, for allowing me this chance to speak. Truly, it is a great pleasure to be blessed with the opportunity to talk to this august council. It was such a–”

  Not only was the following topic in no way connected to the DMLE, but she was cursed to listen to this sycophant? When would this drudgery end? Amelia Bones tuned out the wizard, giving an ardent speech to the gathered department heads. It was something inane about the width of cauldrons or the height of quills – things she neither cared about nor was she required to give counsel for.

  The oldest living member of the Bones family sighed inwardly as she gnced around the room. Despite her annoyance, Amelia maintained a stern and stoic visage for all to see, seemingly giving her utmost attention to the wizard. It was a practised skill required for all who ascended high in the Ministry.

  The head of the DMLE was not amused at being called in during her day off, especially after working te yesterday. Cornelius knew very well that she had been eagerly awaiting to celebrate with her brother's family. There were precious few members of her House alive anymore, and the graduation of a single one of them deserved to be celebrated. The heads of all the departments of the ministry, both minor and major, were in attendance around a rge round table. There were about forty of them all, with a few exceptions for some who couldn’t make it.

  One noticeably empty seat was reserved for the Chief Warlock. Why the Minister had chosen the day Dumbledore had an ICW meeting to host his annual cabinet meeting, Amelia did not know, although she highly suspected Umbridge had a hand in it.

  The pink toad had always held a strange grudge towards the headmaster from their time in school. Something about her losing her perfect badge?

  “— and that is why we need to enforce harsher regutions on the acceptable thickness of cauldron bottoms to better compete with our trade partners!” The words of the ministry official were followed by an impassioned sm on the table, jerking Amelia out of her thoughts.

  A gnce around showed that no one had realised she hadn’t paid a lick of attention to the matter. Then again, she could say the same for the other department heads as many of them whispered to each other, whether it was about whatever topic the wizard was discussing or the test quidditch scandal, Amelia could not tell.

  Amos Diggory seemed to be busy writing something, though she suspected he was merely doodling. Ludo Bagman was snickering to himself while trying to speak to Bartemius Crouch, who did his best to pretend the man didn't exist. She pitied her former superior as ever since it was confirmed that Britain would host the next Quidditch World Cup and the Tri-Wizard Tournament, he'd been forced to deal with the gambling addict on a daily basis.

  “Hem-hem, thank you for your enlightening words, Mr Snotgrass. You are, of course, correct that we should most certainly prohibit those foreigners from selling their products on our shores.” The wizard grimaced as the undersecretary butchered his name before frowning.

  “But I did not say we should prohibit anything! Only that our products must be up to international stand–”

  “I said thank you, Mr Snotgrass.” Dolores insisted, all while sporting that hideous smile on her face. “You are excused while we discuss your excellent proposal.”

  Algernon Snodgrass, and Amelia had to proverbially pat herself on the back for remembering the name, turned to his boss questioningly. Bartemius Crouch, eager to cut short whatever joke Ludo Bagman was in the middle of, nodded imperiously, and the wizard gathered his documents and left for a side room.

  Despite Dolores' reprehensible behaviour, as per the norm when the woman felt she could get away with any abuse of power, Amelia could honestly say that she was gd to see him gone. The incessant droning about such an asinine topic had easily taken nearly an hour when it could have been summarised much earlier. Perhaps the topic itself had merit, as she did receive several compints from abroad about the quality of British goods falling well below the standard in recent years. Naturally, the reports were forwarded to Bartemius, who was responsible for international affairs.

  Oh! Maybe that was what Snodgrass was talking about. A pity – anyone who wanted to get far in the ministry had to have both connections and a way with words; the tter being sorely cking in the man in question.

  Regardless, the longer Amelia stayed here, the more her patience got tested. Her presence here was demanded for the simple security detail discussion for the upcoming inspection tour of Azkaban, as well as the Wizengamot meeting – which, to her utmost annoyance, was scheduled as the final topic of the gathering.

  The many department heads around her used the lull to strike up conversations with their neighbours. Amelia herself engaged with Mafalda Hopkirk about recent surges with improper magic usage in Wales. That region always had trouble, especially with that recent Wildnd that popped up a few years ago.

  “An attack near Swansea? And you are sure it was accidental magic?” Amelia poured herself a gss of water from a nearby jug.

  “It couldn’t be anything else, as the girl knows about the magical world. Her father is a squib, and she already got her Hogwarts letter earlier this year.”

  “Interesting. The father cims it was a dark wizard who attacked them?”

  “Indeed, there were two dark wizards actually, and they were after the girl for some dark ritual and killed her mother when she tried to protect her. The father arrived te to the scene, finding the girl had gone berserk with accidental magic, dazing the assaints. Poor thing must have felt dreadful at the sight of her dead mother.”

  Any boredom was immediately repced with her full attention. Crimes like this fell under her jurisdiction. “What happened to the assaints?”

  “… When we arrived at the scene, we found the house cordoned off by muggle w enforcement. Upon interrogating them, we learned that the remains of one of the assaints was hacked to pieces and fed to the neighbour’s dogs. Killian Prewett was st seen driving off on those muggle carriages with his unconscious daughter and is now wanted by the muggle authorities. The other assaint port keyed away, but here’s the worrying thing. Both wizards wore Death Eater regalia.” Mafalda shivered, and Amelia frowned as the name rang a bell, but she couldn’t pce where she heard it from. Prewett was an obvious clue, yet she was more worried about Death Eater remnants in Wales. She had no doubt in her mind that it wasn’t an actual Death Eater attack. It wasn’t the first time some wannabe dark wizards donned the te and unmented Dark Lord’s uniforms and went on a rampage.

  None of this had reached her own desk, and Amelia couldn’t help but wonder if the Prewett man did not bother to file the case with the DMLE out of grief or did not trust the Ministry of Magic. Many squibs felt quite bitter about the magical world, after all, and with good reason. Still, all crimes reted to the magical world had to pass through her department, doubly so since they failed to handle the muggle authorities. With the girl being a witch, this severely complicated things.

  “Hem-hem.” Dolores cleared her throat in that annoying way of hers again. However, no one seemed to pay heed to her. Amelia gnced at the Minister, who was busy talking to his neighbour, a witch he himself had secured the position of department head of magical catastrophes, and the man was btantly flirting with her.

  Amelia shook her head in exasperation. While Cornelius was a widower, flirting with his subordinates was bad form and heavily frowned upon. Even far more scandalous for the Minister of Magic to do so.

  Inwardly sighing in resignation, Amelia returned her attention to Mafalda. “Why is this the first time I am hearing about this?”

  “It only happened very te st evening, and I just learned this morning that Prewett arrived in St Mungo's and–”

  “Hem-hem-hem!” Morgana’s pointy hat. Someone, please give that woman a cough drop!

  “Order in the meeting room,” Fudge spped his hand on the table multiple times. “The undersecretary speaks for me, so order, please.”

  Perhaps if he had not been so busy buttering up that girl, the minister would have heard his attack dog the first time. Nevertheless, that had the intended outcome as silence returned to the chamber. Still, Amelia’s attention was finally roused by Mafalda’s words earlier. As, it seemed like her day off would be fully scheduled, unless she finds someone to handle the matter.

  “I request we postpone the discussion on import bans for a ter date.” Dolores began as she coughed again. “We have a much more important topic that has been tabled for too long.”

  Amelia raised an eyebrow in curiosity, and she wasn't the only one.

  “Oh? And what could that topic possibly be, Senior Undersecretary Umbridge?” The head of the DMLE was tired of all the dawdling and peacocking – not now when there was more work to be done. Dolores’ particurly unpleasant visage as she was basking in the attention and the anticipation was of no help to Amelia’s already dwindling patience.

  “Why, I am gd you asked, Director Bones. It has come to my attention that with the recent murder in Hogwarts, the school is no longer safe for our children.”

  Some shifted in the chamber as many department heads straightened up, betraying their interest in the topic.

  “I thought we agreed that the cause for the murder was the board of governors' poor decision of removing Dumbledore from office.” Amos had his fingers folded in front of him as he stared impassively at Umbridge.

  “But the headmaster still has had the whole year to deal with the threat, yet he had failed.”

  Many of the department heads felt offended on Dumbledore's behalf, and Amelia gnced at Fudge, noticing his impassive look. It took her a moment to figure out what his game was and why today of all days was chosen for the cabinet meeting.

  “What do you suggest then, Madame Undersecretary?”

  “The Hogwarts staff have proven unfit to protect our students. The st time a death had occurred in the esteemed school was a muggle-born fifty years ago, who sadly did not have any magical family to compin on her behalf.” No one missed the disgust the woman had when she mentioned muggle-born, nor her fake sincerity.

  “And this time it’s a pureblood, changing things?” It was the stony voice of Dirk Cresswell, of the Goblin Liaison Office, scowling at the woman who did not even gnce at him.

  “With the murder of a pureblood student, I have received numerous letters from concerned parents regarding the safety of Hogwarts. I believe it is time for the ministry to have more say in how our children are protected in the prestigious school. I hereby submit a draft on that matter, and I should like you to peruse it.”

  Dolores Umbridge waved her wand, allowing paper packets to be distributed to everyone around the table. To say that her decration caused an uproar would be an understatement. Many department heads furiously argued over the audacious idea, while some read over the details in the paper, but the stormy expressions on their faces was clear for all to see.

  Amelia put on her monocle, which had an enchantment that gave her extra focus on anything she looked at. It required a prodigious ability in Occlumency, lest all you received was a headache, but it had always been nifty, along with its other features. The proposed draft was bare-bones, and Amelia wagered there was a more detailed one that would be provided for the Wizengamot meeting. Essentially, the draft would allow the ministry to interfere in Hogwarts’ security during times of crisis. How that interference would transte, as well as the definition of crisis, were intentionally left vague.

  “This is an outrage! Hogwarts School has always been outside the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Magic. The st time the ministry had interfered was to implement the OWL and the NEWT exams, and that was after a lot of careful consideration.” Amos waved the roll of parchment angrily at the toad-like woman.

  Many other voices strongly objected to the proposal, and Umbridge scowled as a few of them insulted her intelligence in even proposing such a draft. The unpleasant woman gave back as good as she got, but Amelia had eyes only for the minister. Cornelius Fudge gazed impassively at the proceedings, yet she could tell from the glint in his eyes that this whole proposal was a ruse. In her vast experience working in the ministry, Amelia could tell that Cornelius was using his undersecretary’s acerbic personality to test the grounds for the proposal itself. If it showed promise, he would push for it and cim the benefits. If it showed poorly, as was shown now, he would abandon Umbridge and wash his hands of the matter.

  Clever yet short-sighted, Amelia mused as she drank from her gss of water. The Minister had already decred that his undersecretary had spoken on his behalf not five minutes ago, a simple mistake but a costly one. That meant the proposal already had his approval, and she could tell from how the other department heads looked at him that they did not miss that fact. Why the Minister for Magic decided to provoke the headmaster like this was a mystery.

  While Amelia did not particurly like Dumbledore, none could deny the man was the most powerful and dangerous warlock in Wizarding Britain, if not the whole world. It was rational to keep him as an ally rather than alienate him in any way.

  “Enough of this! A student died because of the carelessness of Albus Dumbledore. Parents are terrified of sending their children to Hogwarts and have sent us several compints on the school’s security. They implore us to act. It is time we safeguard our children's safety, and anyone who disagrees is inherently flippant about our great nation’s future.”

  If the prior argument was a gentleman's debate, then Dolores' outburst had now truly angered the department heads. Amelia maintained a stoic expression, but she was smirking inwardly. There was one thing that should not be done if you wanted to succeed in the ministry – questioning the honour and integrity of prideful witches and wizards in public would guarantee that they would not give a lick in return.

  “I do wonder, Senior Undersecretary Umbridge, who were the parents who sent you those letters fearing for the safety of their children?” While watching Umbridge flopping around and making enemies for herself was amusing, Amelia decided to cut this farce short as there was work to be done. As, it seemed that she wouldn’t get to taste Susan’s cooking anytime soon.

  “Naturally, for their safety, I shall not divulge such information. I can assure you that they are respectable members of our society.”

  “Oh? So they were not involved in the incidents themselves? If I recall correctly, three muggle-born students were attacked, as well as a half-blood student, one whose father is a respectable associate of mine. Then we have the tragic murder of a pure-blood student who was attempting to rescue his sister from a deranged teacher who was forcibly assigned by the board of governors. A board that was forced upon the school by the ministry to enforce their standard of education. You agree with me so far, Dolores?”

  Silence pervaded the chamber as everyone watched the back and forth between them. Amelia observed with a calm gaze as the woman's visage gradually morphed into a hue reminiscent of puce. Cornelius looked like he regretted having this topic opened and was trying to subtly wave Dolores to stand down. The prideful woman, however, stubbornly gred at her.

  “I do not see a purpose to this line of questioning. What are you trying to get to, Madam Bones?”

  “I just find it curious that such letters pertaining to public safety made it to your desk in the first pce. I was not aware that the Senior Undersecretary to the Minister had jurisdiction over matters of Education or Law Enforcement, Madam Umbridge.” Amelia levelled her most no-nonsense gre at the squat woman garbed in hideous pink. While Umbridge’s position had afforded her quite some power, it not only required the full backing of the minister, but it was far from absolute.

  Not nearly enough to run roughshod over the DMLE and Wizarding Examination Authority.

  As the head of the DMLE, any such reports or letters of concern were to be forwarded to her at once for review before compiling them into a report for the Minister to view. Assuming Umbridge was telling the truth regarding those letters, then the unpleasant undersecretary knew she should have sent them straight to the DMLE way before using them in some political ploy. There was already enough corruption in the ministry as it was, and there was no way Amelia would condone nor tolerate any attempts to question her authority.

  “I-I assure you, Madam Bones, that such letters would have made it to your desk post-haste. However, considering the circumstances, I had taken the liberty to look into them first. I did not wish to encroach on your already busy schedule.” The woman's attempt at arse-licking was nauseating.

  “I assume, then, that you also reviewed the letters of correspondence from the parents of the students who were harmed?”

  “I am unsure what they would have to do in the matter. They are muggles, and would not know any better.”

  “It is interesting, then, that none of the aggrieved families of those who were harmed compined about a ck of security in the castle and were satisfied with the indemnity seized from Lockhart’s assets. Yes, not even the parents of the muggle-borns, who had been contacted and were very understanding on the matter.” Amelia added as she saw the other woman trying to interject.

  “Well, of course, they would not compin, those… muggles would not know any better, the moment you waved a sack of gold at them… It is up to us, to… champion their voices for a good cause. In fact, we should always have a respectable member of our society in charge of correspondence with those… people, as their children are as much our future as our own.”

  The sickly sweet tone did little to hide the sheer venom and disgust behind that tongue. Umbridge speaking of representing muggles to assure their children's safety and security was not only distasteful but lost the undersecretary plenty of her already dwindling respect she was trying to command. Several department heads were shaking in their seats from stifled ughter, regardless of their own stance on the matter, while Amelia herself nodded understandingly.

  “That is very kind of you, Madam Umbridge, to volunteer to contact them yourself and apologize on behalf of the magical world for what happened to their children.” Dolores’ face twisted into an obscene scowl, and she looked like she was about to spit venom at her. “Nevertheless, I would remind you that despite his position as head of the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office, Arthur Weasley is still a respectable pure-blood member of our society. He might be known for his fascination with muggles, but he is still under my employ. I request that you refrain from questioning his ability to represent or protect his family.”

  “I-I… I didn't, I wouldn’t dare to–”

  Whatever Umbridge was about to say was interrupted by a banging sound as the double doors leading to the outside corridors were kicked open. Immediately, Amelia was on her feet with her wand drawn, only to stare in shock as a wisp of a boy threw an overly rge man several feet into the air and crashed on the table in front of Dolores.

  Long years in the Auror Corps had given Amelia a pretty good judgement, and the throw was a thing of beauty. Putting aside the finesse and ease with which the big man was thrown, the angle at which he nded looked painful but was such that the unconscious man would not break his spine or neck.

  The woman in pink squawked indignantly while the rest of the chamber went into an uproar. Looking at the intruders, Amelia was fbbergasted by the sight. One woman, whom she recognized as Narcissa Malfoy, a younger woman in ministry uniform, and finally the young d with piercing green eyes. A snap judgement honed over long years in service told the head of DMLE the boy was not here with nefarious intentions and she rexed the grip on her wand, but still kept it pointed at the intruder.

  “W-what is the meaning of this?” The unpleasant shriek indicated that Umbridge was the first to gather her bearing.

  “Apologies, Minister Fudge. I believe you said your doors will always be open for me?”

  Amelia turned to Cornelius who had an utterly shocked expression with his eyes wide and jaw dropped.

  “Harry Potter!”

  Murmurs sounded out around the round table, and Amelia spied one of the reporters sneaking in and taking pictures, yet she couldn’t be bothered to stop her. Cornelius insisted on hand-picking the door guards and refused to have more Aurors for security inside the chamber. Whatever those two fools were doing, she was going to tan their behinds once this was over.

  The-Boy-Who-Lived calmly walked towards them, his eerily glowing eyes gazing at each one of them in turn, before settling on her own. Amelia met his stare evenly and couldn’t help but notice the boy had eyes far older than his face should suggest. The glow reminded her of her niece, yet it felt inherently different. Activating the rudimentary Mage Sight she had managed to enchant into her monocle from studying Susan’s powers, Amelia could tell that Harry Potter had even more power than her niece.

  Never had she put much stock in the talk of the Potter heir being Dumbledore’s successor or the one to vanquish the Dark Lord, but the sheer magical intensity flowing from the twelve-year old suggested otherwise.

  The youth gnced at her wand, still pointing at him, and Amelia squinted her eyes for a moment but lowered it, deciding the boy was not a threat. The show of dominance was amusing but ultimately harmless, far more heavy-handed than Dumbledore usually did. If the Potter heir studied and trained hard, he would be a force to be reckoned with in the magical world for sure. As if it were a signal, several other department heads lowered their wands, though she could spy Bartemius scowling at the interruption. At least he seemed curious enough to see where this was going.

  “M-Mr Potter! W-what are you doing here? Who is this man? Why is he hurt so badly?” Fudge looked completely out of his depth, and turned to Umbridge of all people, for help, yet the woman was now gaping at the unconscious man strewn atop the table.

  “T-Thorfinn Rowle! He's the overseer of the Office of Records and reports directly to me – I mean, the Minister's Office. What did you do to him, you savage boy? And you! You're Marshall’s girl, why are you standing with this hoodlum?!” Umbridge’s eyes bulged out in anger as she gred at Potter and his younger companion.

  The green-eyed boy ignored the shrill woman and stopped by the ornate and empty seat of the Chief Warlock, yet he did not sit on it. His two companions stood a couple of paces behind him as he stared at Umbridge, and Amelia detected a lot of disdain in his eyes at her outburst.

  “Before I expin why I am here, Minister, I must first protest at the treatment I and my companion have suffered for the past few hours we have been here.” Potter decred in a clear and booming voice that beyed his young age. Morgana’s tits, the boy had quite the lungs on him. “I have come to the ministry to cim what is rightfully mine, Potter Manor and the Cottage of Godric’s Hollow. Instead of this being a simple case of providing me with information, unsealing my property then flooing to my destination, I was treated most horrendously. Worse, my companion and chaperone was viciously assaulted by one of your own employees. One, whom your Undersecretary had just confirmed, reported directly to you.”

  A few people shifted awkwardly at the mention of Potter Manor, yet everyone mostly had worried looks. The pox outbreak of ‘79 was particurly brutal, even more so than any other year, but it seemed the Potter heir had no idea bout it. The fact they were allowing so much leeway for The-Boy-Who-Lived was a testament to his reputation. Never before was Harry Potter seen in public prior to his friend's funeral, and to learn that he was in the ministry right under their noses yet was so grievously mistreated?

  If this got to the public… Amelia whipped her head to where the reporter was, only to groan in dismay as she could barely catch her sprinting towards the lift like the hounds of hell were after her. The woman had impeccable timing and instincts. She got pictures of the saviour of the wizarding world, as well as an indirect statement from him.

  … Whatever, it was not her problem to deal with scandalous reports or the media. She waved her wand, and sealed the doors, preventing other journalists from sneaking in.

  “Perhaps we should backtrack for a moment, and expin from the beginning, Mr Potter.” Considering the accusations, Amelia decided to take point and treat this as a formal compint. She waved her wand and brought forth a roll of parchment with a dicta-quill.

  “Of course, may I know who I am speaking to? You have me at a disadvantage, yet just in case; I am Harry Potter. This is Narcissa Malfoy, my chaperone, and Eleanor Fawley, a very helpful employee here in the ministry. Something to be treasured, from what I've seen so far.”

  Amelia nodded to the Lady Malfoy, receiving an imperious nod in return. How the wife of Lucius Malfoy ended up being trusted enough by Harry Potter to be his guide, was a mystery for the tabloids. The younger Eleanor Fawley had a bnk gaze that she recognised as someone who had just pulled an all-nighter, yet was only surviving through the power of potions and caffeine.

  “A pleasure to meet you, Mr Potter. I am Amelia Bones, head of the DMLE.”

  Potter’s hard face softened slightly. “Susan's aunt? An honour and I wish we could have met under better circumstances. Ah, Eleanor? If you could surrender the wands, please?”

  The Fawley girl looked exasperated at the younger boy before producing two wands from her pocket. “One of them is Mr Rowle’s, the other is the Auror’s. Can’t remember which is which.” She finished with a yawn, and Amelia accepted the wands with a sigh of aggravation. To think one of her Aurors would be so easily disarmed?

  “Thank you, now if we could begin?” Amelia conjured three seats for them to sit, which they appreciatively took.

  Harry Potter proceeded to retell his experience in the ministry with feedback from his companions. The inefficiency and apathy of the ministry employees were duly noted, but it wasn’t until they arrived at the scene of the attack that everyone paid attention. Mrs Malfoy expined how Mr Rowle had insulted her honour multiple times before spitting on her and threatening to cause bodily harm.

  Many, Amelia included, frowned in disgust at that and gred distastefully at the still unconscious man on the table who was levitated by an official through a side door, presumably for Saint Mungo’s. The younger Ms Fawley corroborated, mentioning an interesting titbit about the man forcing her to work overnight to cover for his backlog.

  “I must protest! There is no proof of any of that happening but for their words.” Umbridge shrieked and pointed a stubby finger at the boy. “You expect me to believe this slip of a boy subdued Thorfinn?”

  “Are you calling me a liar, Miss Toad?” Harry Potter reached for one of the packets on the table and skimmed through it, ignoring the outraged squawk of the Senior Undersecretary. His eyes barely gleamed the paper for a few seconds before scoffing and handing the packet to a curious-looking Mrs Malfoy to read.

  “If you do not believe I could subdue some fool who didn't know how to treat a dy, then I am ready to give you a demonstration. Perhaps you could volunteer?” Several people snickered as the woman's face paled when Potter flexed his fingers. The subtle insult at him not seeing her as a dy caught on, and Umbridge’s face reddened again.

  “Regardless, I am not here to py a mummer for anyone. Miss Eleanor has provided me with the documents necessary regarding my properties. I would like to begin with my parents’ cottage in Godric's Hollow. Who dared to approve such a travesty? To rob me of my rightful inheritance and even collect donations on my behalf? Donations that I have never seen a knut of?!”

  The chamber had strangely got colder the more Harry Potter spoke and, as one, they all turned to Fudge.

  “Don't look at me! I've only been Minister for a bit over a year. Now, Harry,” Cornelius had managed to recover some of his senses as he adopted a fatherly look towards Potter. “Perhaps we can postpone this to a ter date? I am sure we can talk further in the morning, and perhaps discuss why you are searching for property at such a young age. We are very busy at the moment, you see, with extremely important topics that–”

  “I can certainly see how busy you've been, minister.” Narcissa Malfoy interrupted as she threw Umbridge’s packet at the table. “Pnning to usurp Dumbledore's position and authority? Not even the Dark Lord was bold enough to aim for such an… ambitious pn.”

  “Er, well–”

  “On what right could you cim to have any understanding over the matter?” Umbridge spoke over the minister, much to his annoyance. “Have you forgotten that your husband had been the reason for the attacks in school? I'm surprised you would consort with the wife of the man responsible for the murder of your friend, Mr Potter.”

  Amelia's eyebrows jumped to her forehead in shock. What did she mean by that? Around the table, many department heads also whispered and murmured in confusion. Contrary to what she expected from the accusation, Narcissa had a satisfied smile as if Umbridge had fallen for her trap.

  “Who I associate with is nobody's concern but my own, woman. Besides, I thought that Dark Wizard Lockhart was the one responsible?” The boy growled back, before taking a deep breath to calm himself. Amelia did not miss the look the Malfoy woman gave the young boy, and she had a feeling that the blonde woman had her own agenda at py. The mention of Lockhart had most of them shuffle uneasily – everyone knew this was a cover-up, of sorts, despite not many knowing the full details. Still, it being thrown back in their faces was unpleasant.

  Potter withdrew a roll of paper from his vest pocket and threw it across the table to settle in front of Fudge. “I'm more concerned with you and your minister using the death of my friend for your own gain. You had the gall to trade in lives for some inane power-grab – I wager you were also the one who drafted that idiotic packet.”

  “How dare you? I had done no such thing. Young Robert's death was a tragic accident and –”

  “It was murder, you incompetent twat! Seven bloody hells, you don't even know his name? And you pn to usurp the authority of the man who could turn everyone in this room into a gnat with his eyes closed and one hand tied behind his back?”

  Cornelius, who had been reading what Amelia recognised was a news article from the Daily Prophet, flinched at the boy's angry roar and pocketed the paper. Several other witches and wizards used this chance to loudly throw support behind The-Boy-Who-Lived, as he unknowingly condemned the draft that would have been the main premise of this summer's Wizengamot.

  Throwing caution to the wind, Fudge pinched Dolores' side, before dragging her to her seat, whispering furiously in her ear as she paled significantly. Apparently, the woman had not realised how monumental her fuck-up was.

  “It appears the minister knows best what to say and when to say it, unlike you, Dorothea.” More snickering as the woman's pale face once again turned red, yet Cornelius held her down before she could speak. “I have come here in good faith, minister, truly believing you when you assured me of your continued support. It appears that I was mistaken. A shame, I suppose I will have no choice but to take my concerns to the public. I believe a personal friend of mine owns a noteworthy public paper and had even requested an interview with me regarding the details of my dangerous undertaking in the Chamber of Secrets. I wonder how the people–”

  “Alright! Alright, already, you've made your point.” Cornelius Fudge gred balefully at his undersecretary yet resignedly looked at the Potter heir. “Name your demands.”

  Harry Potter had a wolfish grin on his face as daring words flowed out of his tongue. Amelia Bones could barely hold back her ughter and looked forward to speaking with her niece to learn more about what truly happened in Hogwarts.

  Such a savage boy indeed.

  Starring; Amelia ‘you dragged me from my day off for this?’ Bones. Dolores ‘I’m important and Cornelius loves me!’ Umbridge. And Harry ‘I don’t give a fuck’ Potter.

  Harry’s celebrity status is not to be underestimated. No one had a chance to smear him yet, so the public would eat up anything he says. Same for Dumbledore, he is beyond respected right now, which scares Fudge and this was his subtle attempt to disarm the headmaster. I just didn’t like how in book 5 he was capable of destroying both Harry’s and Dumbledore’s reputation overnight without any obvious legwork.

  Suffice it to say there will definitely be consequences for his stunt in the future, but Jon understands that no reward comes without risk. Harry understood the consequences but decided the results were worth it.