Burning Day
The Calm Before
By Kinsfire
Author Notes:
...wherein this story earns its Adult Only rating...
Disclaimer: Are we at this yet again? Do I really need to remind you all that JK Rowling owns these characters (save the occasional unrecognisable one like Michaela Pamir and Janice Bardstone), and that I make no money at all from them?
Note: At the end of the last chapter, I referred to Lorelei's hands as unblemished, yet mentioned that the finger had a scar on it, which was why they knew it was hers. I can either offer that up as an oops, or tell you that it was meant to refer to the fact that there were no obvious new injuries within the last few days. Take your pick as to which you prefer.
"As near as we can figure, she studied Lorelei's hands before Transfiguring some piece of scrap into a finger," Harry said. "The finger we were sent wasn't a finger, basically. None of us thought to check as we should have." He scowled. "We've spent years in the damned wizarding world, doing what the Muggles think is impossible, and we still think like that when something like this happens. Seriously — if you walked into a room and saw what looked like Ginny and I having sex, what would be the first reaction?"
"Honestly?" Hermione said. "My first reaction would be to stun them both and see who changed at the end of the hour. I know you too well." She held up her left hand and motioned to her wedding ring. "Plus there's that little link we all have, so I'd know it wasn't you." She smirked.
"Okay, let me rephrase it — you walk out on the beach and see — oh, Severus and Minerva going at it in the sand. What's your honest first thought?"
Severus blinked at the imagery before shaking his head to clear it; not disgusted, but it was obviously not his choice of partners. His wives and the others at the table thought for a moment and nodded. "You're right," Pansy said. "First thought would honestly be that it really was those two."
"So we fell down on the job of checking this through," Harry said. "God forbid there's a next time, but we need to check carefully when something happens like this."
"So where do we go from here?" Susan asked, changing the subject somewhat. "Do we continue with the intention to tear down the current way of doing things in the wizarding world?"
"My vote is yes," Harry replied. "Umbridge wasn't the cause, she was a product of it. She gained power because of the way that the wizarding world thinks. We're not doing this for me, or you, or any of us. We're doing it so that Lorelei's children won't have the worries that we've had about a corrupt government. I want to see if we can develop an oath of office that is a real oath, to ensure that the person taking the job really has the best interests of the people in mind, rather than their own."
"Gods, I hate this," Harry growled. "I want to just sit back and enjoy that my baby girl is back. I want to just sit in a corner and cry for a while over the worries that I couldn't let myself feel. I want to kick myself for joking when I thought my daughter's life was in danger. But I can't. I have to push forward and actually be the fucking saviour of the wizard world again." His grimace showed some of his old self-loathing rising to the surface.
"If you could excuse us?" Hermione asked the assembled group. "It appears that we Potter women have to pull our husband out of the funk we should have seen coming. We'll be back in a while. You can carry on with the planning; we trust you." They gently grabbed Harry and pulled him from the room.
"Which one of them will be pregnant when they get back?" was the amused question they heard from Severus as they disappeared back to their island.
Luna stepped forward, shrugging off the robes she'd been wearing. She wore nothing beneath. "I never thought I'd say that summer in England was too cold for me," she said with a smile. "I much prefer this island. Now look at me, Harry."
He looked up at her, a deep pain within his eyes. "What kind of a man am I?" he asked. "I made jokes while my daughter was in the clutches of an evil woman, holding her hostage for whatever nefarious purposes she might have had."
She undid his robes, then his shirt, and then pressed her body against him. "The kind of man who knew to push his pain to the side in order to save his child. Save our child." She pulled him down and gave him a searing kiss. "Think what that means to me, beloved. You were so happy when you found that I was with child, carrying Lorelei. Now you will do to the wizarding world what it has sorely need for many years, and the catalyst was Lorelei. Do you know what that means to me — to us, because you would do it for any of our children — what it means to know that you literally will change the world for your children?" She kissed him again, softer and sweeter this time. "You love our children so very much, and it hurts to see them hurt."
Hermione hugged him from behind after removing the shirt that Luna had unfastened, and he felt her bare breasts against his back. "You hurt for what you did because you love them, Harry. You didn't react the way you did because you don't love them. As Luna said, you pushed your pain aside." After a pause that Harry assumed involved a look between the two, given Luna's nod, Hermione turned Harry to face her. "If you had reacted the way you used to, in school, what would have happened?"
"We'd be in a bloody war right now — and I mean that quite literally; no swearing intended — and Lorelei would likely never be returned to us, because I'd have literally ripped through the opposition."
"Right. So you stopped to think about the source of your anger and put that anger to good use. By controlling it, you've cleared out a new Dark Lord and gotten rid of some of the corruption at the top, and made yourself look good in the eyes of the public. Think about that, love. The people are much more likely to listen to you now."
"Because I didn't go in all 'thud and blunder' the way I usually do?" he asked with a wry smile.
"Exactly," Luna said, turning him back to face her. "And besides, Harry, you're forgetting one small thing in your desire to punish yourself. Well, two, actually. First is that she's my daughter and I'm terribly happy with the way that you handled yourself these past days, so you shouldn't be kicking yourself." Her eyes took on a smouldering look and she added, her voice an octave lower, "Second is that any punishing is our job."
"So if you don't mind, we're going to torture you now," Hermione said, gently nibbling his ear, while Luna undid his trousers.
A moment later Luna said with a smirk and in a husky voice, "I think we've managed to get his mind onto more important things, based on the evidence." She followed that by attempting to take his entire length into her mouth, which made him groan. Releasing him, she slid slowly up his body. "Which one of us drives your desire most today, my husband?" she purred.
He gripped her bum tightly and ground against her. "A certain blonde-haired minx seems to have fired me up quite a bit. What do you think I should do about it?" he growled.
"I think you should carry her over to that table and try to give Lorelei a brother or sister," she panted. "Evil man," she groaned as he lifted her off the ground. "I'm supposed to be seducing you, not being seduced by you."
"It's your diabolical sexual aura, Luna. You're really a succubus in disguise. You must be. No normal man could last against the sexuality you exude." He placed her on the table and managed to get her to disengage her legs from around his waist.
"That must make you an incubus then," she panted. "Oh Morganna yes!" she screamed as Harry knelt at the end of the table and began to pepper the insides of her thighs with gentle kisses and soft grazing with his teeth. He kissed her directly on her lower lips, letting his tongue dart inside quickly and making her thrust toward him. He smiled and continued to tease her with thrusts of his tongue alternated with gentle suction when he captured her clitoris.
Finally, when every breath of hers seemed to be a soft moan, he stood and pressed against her, sliding in with ease. Even after a child, she, like her co-wives, had made a strong effort to get those muscles back into shape, and it had paid off. "Gods, I think you're tighter than before you had Lorelei," he groaned, not for the first time.
"For you, my husband," she moaned, which became a constant happy noise as he began to slowly stroke in and out of her. Her legs locked around his waist again, and she began to cry, making Harry grin.
She only gets like that when it's going to be a big one. Better make sure the table is cushioned properly, he thought, although not quite as coherently as he wanted it to be. Despite having his hands rather solidly gripping her hips as his thrusting gained speed, he let his magic flow in an effort to soften the table.
Luna gasped as his magic began to flow, arching her back and literally lifting completely off the table as he felt her orgasm crash over her. Vaguely realising what was causing such a powerful reaction in her, he focused all his attention on her, pulling back slightly on his magic flow. She literally glowed for several seconds as she bucked against him, and he found himself overpowered by all the sensations running through an already highly sensitised part of his body — her delightful localised tension, the ever so enjoyable friction between bodies, and now a large amount of magic — and emptied into her, seemingly forever, before finally collapsing against her on the table.
"Goodness," she giggled when she was finally capable of speech again. "I think I'm going to be sloshing when I stand up. That was quite the explosion, my love." She kissed him softly, and smiled as she felt him stiffen slightly once more. "I need to recover some more. Maybe you should show Hermione that little trick when she's finished with Pansy. Or maybe show Susan right now."
He turned to see Hermione making love to Pansy, and marvelled at the odd spells that people had created for various reasons. She had wanted to have children with her co-wives, and bear children by them, and had researched spells for it. In a collection of Japanese sexual magic, she had found the solution, although it had not been what she had expected. None of the other ladies seemed to complain about the effects of the spell, and fully understood his sex drive now. Pansy's swelling belly held a child fathered by Hermione. An odd spell, and nothing he'd ever hope to experience on the receiving end, but oddly erotic for him to watch nonetheless.
Susan sidled up to him, and as she flowed into his arms, he realised that he could actually hear her heart pounding, albeit extremely softly. "Wishing you were Pansy right now?" he whispered as he nibbled her neck.
"Oh yes," she hissed as her knees wobbled slightly. "Harry, please don't tease me. I'm too horny right now, and I just want a good, hard fucking. I need you inside me now."
"Your wish is my command, my wife," he said as he gripped her perfect derrière for a moment before spinning her around, making her lean her arms on the wall, and then sliding all the way in in a single stroke. He let his magic flow again as he had with Luna, and she growled deeply, a sound that seemed to shoot down his spine and straight back into her, since they were now coupled. This was going to be a hard and fast one, he knew, as the sound she made caused him to start thrust with abandon, making a smacking noise as their bodies met. Considering she liked to be spanked, he wondered if his body striking hers felt anything like that. He added some force to his thrusts, making her growl change to a satisfied moan.
In short order, he was once again releasing what felt like an unbelievable amount into his beautiful redhead wife, and collapsing against her. She squeezed him once or twice, managing to make him prove that he wasn't quite finished, and then laughed a throaty laugh. "So, what do you think of your torture session, Mr Potter?"
"I can honestly say, Mrs Potter, that a quote from a Muggle children's film works best here. 'If this is torture, chain me to the wall!'" he answered her with a laugh.
"That comes later, love," both Pansy and Hermione said. Hermione was rampant again, not having cancelled her prior spell.
"Sorry, Hermione, but I'm rather enjoying where I am right now, and don't feel like leaving," he grinned. She blinked in surprise and then looked down, blushed slightly and cancelled her spell.
"Sorry about that," she said, the blush worsening.
"If it disgusted me, I'd tell you. I won't partake, shall we say, but neither will I complain if I see any of you in that condition." He thought for a moment and then smirked and slapped Susan lightly on the bum, drawing both a delighted squeak out of her and a quick throb against him. "We'd best be returning to the rest of the group. We have a war council to work on."
They all chuckled at Susan's disappointed noise as Harry pulled out, and were impressed by the redness of her bum. "You have got to do that to me again sometime," she purred. "That's one of the most powerful orgasms I've ever had with you, and that's saying something."
Once they had reluctantly dressed again ("God, it feels like my nipples are going to explode, they're so hard," Susan moaned as the silk robes slid over her breasts), they went back to England for the meeting.
Soft laughter echoed through the board room when both Luna and Susan sat rather tenderly. "Should we expect a new delivery in about nine months?" Severus asked, his amusement evident.
"I can't say as that would necessarily bother me," Harry said brightly. "But that's for the future. We need to deal with right now."
He looked to Ragnok. "I don't know if I've said it yet, so I'll deal with it now, and if I'm repeating myself, please forgive me. I want full ownership of the Daily Prophet. I don't want the ownership being in the back pocket of the Ministry, so that the Ministry can libel anyone they want to and not have any worries. Any problems with that?"
"I doubt it," Griphook said. "You are the richest wizard in England and several European countries, such as Luxembourg and France. Oddly enough, there is a Belgian chocolatier whose monopoly on the finest anti-Dementor medication puts his fortune just barely above yours. The fact that he sells to the Muggles as well under a different name helps in that regard. If the acquisition of the Malfoy fortune happens as we expect that it will, the entire situation becomes moot, as you will be the richest wizard in all Europe, and most likely Asia if my sources are correct." Harry snorted softly, making both Griphook and Ragnok smile. "Thank you for your assessment," Griphook finished with a small bow, actually dipping the head to expose his neck for a moment.
"You do me great honour, Griphook," Harry said, placing his right fist on his left breast and bowing in the same manner to the goblin.
"And some wonder why we chose to ally with him," Ragnok was heard to murmur with a humorous tone in his voice. "Now that the Daily Prophet is a given, what else might we goblins to for our friends?"
"I've never planned a full scale rebellion before," he said. "Any suggestions? I know that we need to topple the Ministry and rebuild it, since the only way to make sure that all of Fudge's and Umbridge's cronies are out is to start from ground level and build up."
Ragnok steepled his long fingers for a moment as he thought. Finally he said, "I can assume that you would like it to be as bloodless as possible for as long as possible?" Harry nodded. "Well, one way involves some trickery and may cross a line that you might not wish to cross." He stopped and looked directly at Harry.
"Worst I can do is say that the idea doesn't appeal to me," he replied to Ragnok.
"The last few Ministers have been ... less than honest or fair to the goblins or other species. A case could be made that some of the edicts that came down in the last few years are dangerously close to breaking the treaty signed at the conclusion of the last war between wizards and goblins."
"Actually sir," Griphook said, "we never had a chance to deal with the most recent one, enacted by Madam Umbridge. Shall I find it?" At Ragnok's nod, Griphook left the room and was back far faster than anyone expected, grinning widely, to the point of showing his teeth. Harry found himself wondering what would make a goblin show that level of happiness to this many non-goblins.
Ragnok looked at the parchment and laughed. "This edict falls directly into our hands when we need it most, Harry. Take a look at it."
He took the parchment that Ragnok handed him, and almost immediately began to laugh. "That woman ... this thing proves that bigots are morons." He slid it to Hermione, whose eyes went wide.
"That ... she ... ooh, I'm glad she's in prison! How dare she!" Hermione fumed.
Pansy gently pried the parchment from Hermione's fingers, and began to laugh. "If this didn't play right into our hands, then I'd be angry too. But for her to have ordered that all Gringott's books are now subject to Ministry oversight? That's a polite way of saying that she's nationalising the bank — that the Ministry now owns Gringott's."
Ragnok nodded. "To continue my idea — we use this latest edict as an excuse to cut ties with the Ministry. We either insist that we talk to you, or perhaps Madam Bones, or someone highly placed that you trust. We use as the reasoning that in our previous dealing with you in major business matters, you have never attempted to treat us as inferiors or cheat us, and that we respect this." He shrugged. "It never hurts to use the truth in judicious amounts."
"So the general public sees the Ministry as the ones leading to the reason that they can't get at their money, and then sees me as the shining knight who rides in to save the day, allowing the regular wizard and witch to get at their money."
He sat back, thinking about it. "In my own way, I will be turning into a Dark Lord, as far as some people will be concerned. I can't help but realise that there will be those who are lost in the dismantling of the Ministry that didn't deserve to be hurt that way. But it needs to be done in order to help future generations not have to worry about their government trying to abuse them." He shook his head. "Think about what we're talking about here. Remember a few years back, how I railed and ranted about the 'sheeple' of the wizarding world? Now I'm planning to take advantage of that very attitude of theirs in order to give them what I think will be a better government. I really am doing it for the greater good."
He scowled. "What gives me the right to force my will on others? Even if it's not for power's sake or money's sake, isn't it supposed to be wrong to destroy a duly elected government, even if it's corrupt?"
Ragnok and Albus both smiled. "Harry, your very worry about such shows that there actually is little worry," Albus said. "As for overthrowing a duly elected government? Let me put you in touch with some of my international contacts. I believe that they might well be able to help you see your way clear on this issue."
"I certainly hope so, sir. I didn't kill Riddle just to become him."
Luna cocked her head and said, "Besides, the anagrams you can come up with for your name just aren't that terrifying. Who's going to run from the Dark Lord who calls himself Jerry 'A-Hater' Stomp? Or 'Mr Troy, a phaser jet?'"
"It's certainly better than 'Pretty Smerj O'Hara'," Hermione quipped.
Harry started to laugh. "If I decide that I must be a Dark Lord, then Hermione's has to be my Dark Lord name, just to keep me humble. Thank you," he said honestly.
"Any time," she replied with an impudent grin.
"Is there really anything we can do right now? If we're going to actually bring down the Ministry, it will likely eventually get into an actual fight. What do we do in that case?"
"People die in war, Harry," Ragnok said. "It is a fact of life, and something a warrior needs to remember."
"I never wanted to be a warrior," he said simply. He looked to his wives. "And given how Hermione responded to the post battle stress, I might not survive this time if she fights, although I guarantee my corpse will have the biggest smile anyone has ever seen."
"Harry!" she squeaked.
"Quite all right, Hermione," Albus said, his twinkle in full force. "Often many people react to death by celebrating life."
The meeting continued with various ideas tossed about what they might do, with nothing but the goblin protest being decided upon.
Another thing decided upon was to put the entire Potter Manor grounds under Fidelius, with Ragnok as the Secret Keeper.
The next day, the goblins protested the edict from the prior Minister, Dolores Umbridge. That edict regarding them had not been struck down by the Ministry and the new person in the job was exactly what the wizarding world didn't need, but who managed to play directly into Harry's hands. Rufus Scrimgeour had previously been Head of the Auror Office, and was a no-nonsense sort of man. "Rufus is a man of action," Albus told him. "With him at the Ministry's helm, I fear that this will eventually be forced to battle. He will not 'go gently into that good night', as the poem says. He has supported the current set-up for many years, and I believe is set in his ways. He would be an excellent man to have on your side, but I do not believe that such is possible, unfortunately."
Scrimgeour was of a mind to talk to the goblins about the edict, rather than overturn it, because he felt that there was merit to the decision that Umbridge had made. This did not endear him to the goblins. The wrangling point quickly became the reciprocity that the goblins requested. If the Ministry were to see all their books, then the goblins wanted access to the Ministry books. This, of course, was unacceptable to the Ministry.
The wrangling continued for days, and in the middle of it, Albus approached Harry. "My boy, I have managed to get you a meeting with a very prominent American wizard. He is by far the oldest of us all, to my knowledge. I am but a child to him." He smiled at Harry's somewhat incredulous look. "Perhaps phrasing it this way will make the point. When I was born, he was approaching his one hundred fiftieth birthday. That he is still alive is beyond astonishing. That he is still walking unaided, albeit slowly, is miraculous. His mind and wit are as sharp as ever, and he wishes to meet you."
"Certainly. When?"
"How does today strike you? It is barely five o'clock in the afternoon now, so that makes it roughly noon in Philadelphia." He paused. "Yes, that is correct. British Summer Time and their Daylight Saving Time match quite closely with their durations." He shook his head. "Perhaps some of your wives might wish to come along?"
"Come along where?" Hermione asked as she walked into the room.
"Harry is meeting with a diplomat from the Americas that I think he could learn quite a bit from. You might find meeting him interesting as well."
"Who is he?" she asked, interest piqued.
"A man well known historically throughout the United States and Europe. Benjamin Franklin."
"I am pleased to meet you all," the man said as he motioned them all to seats. He looked to Hermione with a twinkle worthy of Albus Dumbledore and said, "It does my heart good to know that I still have that effect on women."
"That's one of the few times in my life I've ever completely understood why they call it 'squeeing'," Pansy said to Susan, both of whom were giggling madly at their wife's reaction to meeting the famous American diplomat.
Hermione was blushing madly at the teasing. "I'm sorry, sir. I know you must get that sort of thing from American wizards all the time."
"Usually they aren't quite as attractive as you four ladies are," he replied with a smile that put them all at greater ease. "Now that we have the flirting out of the way, shall we talk about the reason you all are here? Albus tells me that you are attempting the overthrow of the current ruling body of your wizarding England. Why?"
"They're corrupt!" Pansy said with some heat in her voice.
"Prove it," Mr Franklin replied. "Give me the reasons why you think they're corrupt. What have they done?"
"The current administration is trying to keep an illegal edict in force against another sentient species," Luna said.
"Which one do they have a hate-on for? The centaurs, the goblins, or the merfolk?" Franklin asked.
"They're trying to get a look at the goblins' books," Hermione said, "and do not understand that the chagrin and anger they feel at the goblins request reciprocity is what they are causing to the goblins."
Harry shook his head. "The past several Ministers have done things that shouldn't be legal. Minister Bagnold threw an innocent man into prison because the evidence seemed to point to his guilt. He spent twelve years there before escaping. A trial likely would have shown his innocence. They've passed laws that nearly drove the creatures that they deemed dark straight into the clutches of exactly whom they were trying to fight, supposedly. Let's not forget the law regarding what to do to a werewolf that bites someone — execution of a sentient being as if all they are is a rabid animal. The Minister that was murdered a few days ago fought hiring new Aurors to fight Voldemort until such point as he actually saw Voldemort with his own eyes, which had allowed Voldie to grow and solidify his base. I was put on trial for defending myself. They were actually likely to snap my wand and expel me from Hogwarts. It was a sham trial, as Fudge and Umbridge tried to prevent me from putting on a defence by trying to prevent me from making it to the trial by rescheduling it. Umbridge, who took over for Fudge when he was assassinated, used Aurors to kidnap one of my children to get me to deal with the new Dark Lord that was rising. Mind you, they were doing everything that they could to keep the public from knowing about the Dork Lord Basselope."
Franklin chuckled and raised his eyebrows at that. "Sorry, I went to Hogwarts with the new 'Dark Lord'. I defeated him rather handily.He was calling himself Lord Basileus."
"Doesn't think much of himself does he?" Franklin asked with a laugh. "'Lord King'?"
"That's Draco Malfoy for you," Harry laughed. "Arrogant little ... individual." He shook his head. "Back to the story at hand. Mind you, the Fudge assassination was done by Malfoy, but my daughter had been kidnapped prior to that, in hopes of getting me so angry at Malfoy that I'd just wander in, blow through everything and perhaps ... I don't know honestly what she was she was thinking. As soon as I had dealt with Malfoy, she tried to take me to court for attacking a well-respected citizen, and I don't think you need more than one guess the well-respected citizen she was thinking of. As soon as we humiliated her in the case, proving that Malfoy had admitted it in front of the head of the Department for Magical Law Enforcement, she ran out and created an Executive Order dissolving all polygamous marriages in Britain. Ours was the only one, a fact we proved before the Wizengamot."
He scowled. "The problem is that they only change these things if someone complains. People are allowed to enter the highest office I'm aware of in British wizarding society and then blatantly pursue vendettas against people. They get away with far too much."
Franklin looked at them for a long moment before standing and walking over to his roll-top desk. They were all amazed to see a laptop in the space exposed. He tapped a key and a picture appeared, more than slightly risque. "Whoops!" he said. "Hope none of you ladies are offended by my desktop picture."
Susan spoke up. "We're not all married to Harry; we're all married to each other. If we were offended by naked breasts -"
Franklin laughed as he continued to work, and suddenly several sheets of parchment appeared on the desk next to the laptop. "I love how they've managed to blend mundane and magical technologies." He handed the sheets of parchment to Harry, who began to read.
Somewhat puzzled, Harry read aloud. "In Congress, July 4, 1776, the unanimous Declaration of the thirteen United States of America." He cocked his head.
"Keep reading son. I gave you the final version to read, but the rough draft is in there as well. I know more about your situation over there than you think, but I wanted to hear it from you. At no time have you said that you think you could run things better. You're offended that the government is so corrupt and resistant to change and want to change it."
"So reading this -"
"- will let you know that it's been done before, and successfully. You do sit, after all, with one of the signatories of the document that you now are reading. It sounds as if you are in need of a rebellion."
"I think so too, sir. I just ... it's the inevitable loss of life, sir. Is it really worth it?"
Franklin looked at him for a moment before picking up one of the documents and began to read. "When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation."
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new guards for their future security — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government."
He put the sheet in his lap and looked at Harry. "It was written for the colonies that became the nation you now are visiting, but think of what those words mean, Mr Potter. That it is possible to reach a point where bloodshed is preferable to living under the old regime. War is not an option that a smart man jumps into quickly. Would that I could talk to our current president here — I'd have warned him about this incursion into Iraq. This will not end well, I believe." He scowled. "I dislike what I seem to be seeing, but that is our problem, not yours."
"Would you recommend tearing down the wall between Muggles and wizards?" Susan asked.
Franklin thought for a long moment before answering. "It's a difficult question to ponder, but my thought is that having an arm of the government whose job is specifically to keep your world secret is just asking for the same corruption to arise and threaten again in a generation or two. You aren't changing things for just yourselves; you're changing them for your children's children's children."
Harry sat in his chair with his eyes closed, obviously deep in thought and not wishing any distraction. When he opened them again and met Benjamin Franklin's eyes, everyone could see the resolve there. "That's the Harry we fell in love with," Pansy said. "I think we'll be heading home soon to start our war."
"Yes, but not before I have a chance to at least offer to take this man out for dinner. He's done so much for me, possibly without knowing how much."
Franklin grinned widely. "I would be honoured, good sir. I would take great pleasure in dining with this generation's real sons and daughters of liberty." He rose to his feet, meeting Harry, and they shook hands.
Author Notes:
I think you can guess the subject of the next chapter's title?