Burning Day
The End of the Beginning
By Kinsfire
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Except maybe some lust over what I'm sure Emma Watson is going to look like at eighteen. Yow!
Well, Isabella Honeyspear is mine, and a few of the others that have shown up from time to time. But it's not like I can use 'em anywhere else.
Note: I haven't read any real reviews for the last chapter as of the writing of this note, but in regards to the Ginny bit in the last chapter, be aware that people can grow up a lot in five years. And that's all I'm going to say on that matter in the notes.
The face-off was tense, to say the least. With sixteen people facing off against a group of twelve standing Aurors (one was being healed, and another was doing the healing), the tension was rising. "Look," Harry said. "This child isn't leaving without a fight, and I don't think any of you are skilled enough to take us all on. Voldemort, remember? I'm the guy who had to kill him for you guys. Five of these people were right there with me when it happened, fighting him as well. None of us want bloodshed, but none of us are going to allow you to take this child because of an evil law that favours purebloods and that was also struck down well over a month ago."
"It's the law," one of them exclaimed. "We uphold the law, and we can't pick and choose which ones we enforce."
"Understood. You'd best get a superior here, though, and see how we can work this out. We don't want to fire, believe me we don't, but we will to protect a child from being taken from his family."
"But the law -" stated another.
"- is intentionally breaking up families!" he yelled. "This child has two parents, and yet he's being taken! Why? To be with a pureblooded family? Or because the idiots in charge can't get their thumbs out of their ... posteriors long enough to look through the Wizengamot records to see that the Wizengamot verbally struck down Umbridge's edict? I was there when it was done! Was it an Umbridge crony who added in the clause that allows Muggleborns and half-bloods to be taken from their families?"
Scrimgeour arrived, with Amelia with him. Both looked furious, and quickly met up with their respective sides. "Rufus, I think it would be an excellent idea if you took these people back to the Ministry, and look through the Wizengamot records for the day that Umbridge found herself abruptly out of a job. You will find the head of the Wizengamot stating that the edict that your people are acting under was rescinded. It would behoove you to make sure that it's in writing and backdate the little beggar, because all the children are returning to their families." The last was delivered as a statement of fact, not a request.
"Who do you think you are, ordering me around?" Scrimgeour yelled.
"The guy who's getting pretty damned sick of all the incompetence running rampant through the Ministry!" Harry yelled back. "Who do you think has public opinion on his side right now, Rufus? Even with you guys owning the Ministry Mouthpiece, they know otherwise. How are you spinning the child kidnappings, or are you pulling a Fudge and ignoring it, hoping it'll go away, the way he did with Voldemort?" He snarled at the Minister. "Like Moldie, this problem isn't going to go away any time soon!" He took a deep breath before continuing in a calmer voice, "Minister Scrimgeour, the has spiralled out of your hands by now. The question is no longer whether or not you can avoid it, but whether or not you can avoid the violence that comes from people trying to change the way that their government works."
"They will not find it so easy to topple the Ministry, Potter."
"Nor will you find it easy to stop them from fighting you every step of the way, Minister."
They stared at each other for a long moment before Scrimgeour said, "Fine," and began to lower his wand. As Harry's team slowly did the same, he suddenly yelled, "Manoeuvre Delta!" and began firing toward the group. He was joined almost immediately by concentrated wand fire from the rest of the Aurors.
So that's how you're playing it? Harry thought with no little anger as their wand fire began to batter his shield. Ladies, we fought Tom, he thought at them. Shall we show Rufi how it's done? He felt grins of agreement from them, and knew that they were now tapping Ron and Ginny. He knew that they agreed when he heard a barked, "Ha!" of laughter from Ron, and it was definitely not a sound of derision.
It might have been five years, but Harry noted that none of the Aurors seemed to have improved during the down time. Focus fire on the effective Aurors, he thought. Make the others protect the group.
Harry's group began to return fire, and he noted that an irate Amelia was aiming at Scrimgeour. He found himself somewhat depressed that the their group, five years out of practice, seemed to be able to hold their own — and even win — against the supposedly well-trained Aurors.
After several minutes of spell-fire from both sides, Harry had had enough. He motioned to Amelia and Isabella, then the same to Ron and Ginny. He was amused to note that Albus understood the Quidditch signals he sent to the two of them. He counted down wordlessly and then, just as he let his shield drop, fired off a wide spray Stunner that knocked almost every single Auror out, as well as Scrimgeour. Those that weren't out had gotten a shield up in time, but they were certainly slowed severely, long enough to be knocked out completely in the next hail of Stunners. Thos epeople disappeared immediately.
He looked to Honeyspear. "Do you guys carry Portkeys to get back to headquarters?"
"Yes. I'd imagine that your Stunner overloaded the ones who are still here. We should be able to activate them, though." She looked to him for instructions, and he nodded. She sent a gentle pulse at each of them, and they disappeared. "We learn that little trick as a just in case," she said. "Sort of 'waking up' the Portkey."
"Okay — Bill, Alorkin, can you get some quick and dirty wards up on this place? They might lose it anyway, but I want to give them every chance to keep it. The rest of us will stay here in case they come back." He looked at the family. "Thank you for not getting involved in the fighting. Could have been more difficult that way. Get your stuff packed, because we're going to move you somewhere a little safer for a while."
They looked at him for a moment before heading into the house. Bill and Alorkin began to mark off some places to start. "I don't know your warding skills; that's why I didn't ask you."
Griphook merely smiled. "Were I a warder, I would not be in the front offices. I took no offence."
"Okay everyone — we need to be prepared. They'll Ennervate the group shortly, and they'll either reappear quickly, or decide that we got the family out of here as soon as they left. I'm hoping for the second choice, myself, but it does unfortunately lead to them coming back and trying something against the place. It depends on how they're feeling."
The family came out a few tense minutes later with three trunks. "I shrank as many clothes as we might need and put them in one," the mother said, "shrank the things we simply can't lose and put them in another, and left one for other things like some of our favourite things."
"Good," Harry said. "I'll be sending you to a temporary place right now, and we'll try to find you more permanent temporary housing, if you understand me," he finished with a small laugh. They chuckled nervously in response. "I'm hoping to get you back here permanently fairly quickly."
"What ... what was that about?" the husband finally asked.
"To be honest, you got caught in the middle of a revolution in the midst of beginning. What they're trying to do with your son is the thing that set it off."
"Someone finally got sick of the Ministry corruption?" the mother asked.
"Yeah, me," Harry replied. "Especially after being on the receiving end of it a few times."
"Sucks to be you," their child said.
Harry grinned and looked at his wives. "Nah. There's a lot that makes up for the crud that the Ministry has done; that makes it all worthwhile."
Bill and Alorkin arrived back to the group a few minutes later. After waving his wand over the family, he said "All right. The wards are quick and dirty, and can probably be dropped fairly fast, so we decided to get a little harsh in the response. If someone comes here that isn't part of this group, the wards will lash out at them. They'll root the person to the spot that they Apparated or Portkeyed in and then hit them with some nasty jinxes and curses. The only way they'll be able to do anything about it is if they show up a distance away and come in slowly. I don't think they'll put in that effort, to be honest."
"So it'll slap anyone that's not us that arrives, right?" Hermione asked. At Alorkin's nod, she smiled. "Good. They can drop them, but they have to take some damage first."
"I may be wrong, but I'm betting that's more effort than they'll want to put in," Bill finished.
For reasons Harry could ever fathom later in life, the little fight at the farm got to be known historically as The Battle of Fife. "For one thing, it was more like a skirmish, and what's wrong with mentioning the town? Why just the county?" Hermione would just laugh softly when he started on these rants.
The Battle of Fife was only the first, however.
Scrimgeour showed that a person can be both canny and somewhat stupid at the same time. When the attempt in Fife failed, he went on the attack. The physical side of the attack was three pronged and hard-hitting. The somewhat more dangerous side came from the Daily Prophet, however.
Daily Prophet
Harry Potter: Menace or Saviour?
by Rita Skeeter
We all can remember five years ago and more, when You Know Who was still running around, causing problems for the citizens of this country. It was a time of terror and pain, brought to an end by the actions of one man, still but a boy at the time. Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived. We have had five years of peace and quiet, for which we all are glad.
But now a different side of the Boy Who Lived rears its head. He has been seen walking the halls of the Ministry these past months, and never seems happy when he is there. He is the reason the old Minister, Dolores Umbridge, is now in Azkaban, although this reporter was unable to discover the reason why she went to prison. He is at odds with our current Minister.
And he and the late Cornelius Fudge had a long unpleasant history. Make of the information what you will, but recall that Cornelius Fudge was found murdered.
Word has come to this intrepid reporter that he may now be attempting a takeover of the lawful government. He has been heard voicing complaints about the way that things run, and speaks as if he thinks that he can do a much better job than those currently in power.
Are we seeing the birthing of a new Dark Lord?
Interviews with valiant Aurors injured in Gringott's Riot — page 3
Examination of Harry Potter's history — page 5
In depth examination of the women in Harry Potter's life — pages 7 through 20
The problems that Harry faced began to ramp up at that point. Oddly, most people did not seem to be believing the Daily Prophet as much as they once did, but it still caused him problems. His greater problems came from the Ministry itself.
First came the fact that since the reversal of the edict had never actually seen print, his marriage was once more deemed to be illegal, and it was stated that he needed to give his children to the Ministry, as per the law.
His answer was to move the children and several friends back to his island, where the Ministry had no jurisdiction.
Next came the arrest of Severus Snape on charges of being an as yet uncaught Death Eater. Protestations of his friendship with Harry fell on deaf ears, and he was placed on trial and sentenced to life in Azkaban.
Harry himself was declared to be an outlaw and was to be detained immediately upon sighting him. The same went for Susan, Pansy, Luna and Hermione.
The Quibbler
Daily Prophet: Ministry Mouthpiece or Real News?
An editorial by Lawrence Lovegood
We at the Quibbler have seen the reaction of the Ministry and the wizarding world toward our saviour, Harry Potter, and frankly, we're a little disgusted.
Not at you, gentle reader, but at the rag out there that tries to pass itself off as a real newspaper.
The Daily Prophet has for years quoted just what the Ministry has wished them to. Now that Harry Potter chooses to fight the valiant fight against Ministry corruption and bigotry, they do just as their puppet masters motion them to do — flay the man in the press.
The Ministry doesn't want you to know about the Dark Lord that really rose, and how Harry Potter came to be back in England. Well, I know, because I was unwillingly made a part of it by the very Ministry that now vilifies him.
It is no secret that one of his wives is my daughter Luna. My granddaughter visits quite regularly. So regularly that certain members of the Ministry were able to discern the pattern. One day, while she visited, people broke into my home and kidnapped my little granddaughter.
Aurors.
Yes, you read that right. There is proof of this, but the guilty have still not been punished for the invasion of my property. But that is for another time.
We later found the reasoning behind her abduction from my home. Dolores Umbridge had her kidnapped so that one of her fingers could be sent to Harry Potter, to convince him to return.
"This makes no sense!" I hear you cry. I agree, if it were as straightforward as it reads above. Instead, the Ministry had been hiding the emergence of a new Dark Lord, calling himself Lord Basileus. The note with the finger was sent in the name of this so-called Lord, who proved to be none other than a major financial contributor to the Ministry upper echelon, Draco Malfoy.
Malfoy was met and rapidly defeated, solely by Harry Potter. It was quickly discovered that he did not have the child. By this point, I had recognised one of the Aurors, who when she found what had happened, told everything — how Dolores Umbridge had conned her into grabbing Lorelei and handing her over to Umbridge.
Now put yourself in our shoes for a moment. More precisely, put yourself in Harry's shoes. Or to phrase it the most precisely of all — put yourself in the shoes of a parent. Your daughter has been kidnapped, and her finger has been sent to you. Now you find that it was your own government that did it. What do you do?
Well, he actually didn't, because your Ministry has remained standing. Remember that we are talking about the man who killed the worst Dark Lord in over a century. How does the Ministry repay him? By enacting a law making his marriages null and void, and ordering him to turn over his children to the Ministry.
With some help, it was discovered that Dolores Umbridge had concocted that edict that she wrote or the sole purpose of making his marriages illegal. She was caught at it, and sentenced to Azkaban, and the law she enacted overturned. That's not the worst of it, though. She put us all through untold mental anguish for nothing, because Lorelei was unharmed. No missing finger at all.
But the worst is yet to come. We still reap the foul wind of her law, because in it she stated that all illegitimate children were to be given over to the custody of the Ministry. In true bureaucratic fashion, a new money-wasting department was created to house the children.
And the Aurors are going out and picking them up still, even though the Wizengamot overturned the law. Why? Because the rescinding of Umbridge's law has yet to be put to paper for some odd reason, so they don't consider it officially done with.
Scrimgeour himself has been to a site where a pick up was to be done. As was Harry. Harry was there to prevent it, because he knows that you must fight injustice to prevent further injustices.
And now they have declared Harry and his wives to be criminals. His good friend Severus Snape has been sentenced to Azkaban, despite a known history as a spy for the side of Light.
Why has this happened? Because Harry and his wives don't like the rampant corruption in the current system, and are paying the price for complaining.
And neither should you.
An American Muggle write some interesting words that we all should consider. He wrote them over two hundred years ago, and they sadly are quite relevant today.
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.
While we are not a colony of the wizarding world, think long on these words. Why does our Ministry seem to treat us as their vassals?
Think hard on those words. Make of them what you will.
Lawrence Lovegood giggled semi-maniacally as he stepped from the fireplace. "Well, I'm a traitor to the wizarding world and all that!" he said finally. "After printing that Declaration of Jefferson's, it appears that some miscreant may have fire-bombed the Quibbler offices. The Ministry couldn't get there in time to prevent the complete and utter ruin of the interior of the premises, but they certainly worked to keep the fire from spreading." Harry raised an eyebrow at the reaction of his father-in-law. "Pity for them that I'd already moved the offices to the building you found me."
"We'll never prove that the Ministry was behind the bombing, will we?" Luna asked.
"Not likely," Lawrence said. "I'm not worried, though. The important stuff was already moved, and the building itself was owned by one of Scrimgeour's cronies, so I don't really have any worries about liability."
"That's not the end of it, you know," Harry said. "They want me, and they've shown a willingness to do whatever it takes. Amelia's running several risks staying where she is, but she's got several Aurors on her side, and they're doing bodyguard work on a rotating schedule. The ones I worry about are Hermione's and Pansy's parents. They've shown a willingness to destroy buildings; are they willing to kill people to make the point?"
"We all know the answer to that," Hermione said softly.
"Then get your parents here yesterday," he said suddenly. "I don't care about their house. Save them and anything that they feel that they can't live without. Use a Time Turner and do it, if you have to. Same with Alonso and Aldonza. Buildings can be rebuilt. Dead is dead."
Albus came into the room with most of the Weasley clan behind him. "I agree completely with your assessment," he said. "Buildings can be replaced, but life is too precious for that." Smiling, he said, "We have some good news for you, Harry. We now know where Charles is."
"You found Charlie?" Harry asked happily. "Where is he?"
"Right now, he's at the Burrow," Arthur said, "recovering from a five year long drunk."
"How did you find him?" Hermione asked.
"When the Ministry was dealing with the Quibbler offices — I'm sorry, by the way — they rather rudely shoved people aside. Percy happened to be in the Alley at that time, having worked late , and recognised the slurred voice of one of the displaced people. He's drying out at home."
"I'm glad we know where he is. I hope he gets better soon," Harry said.
"I just hope that they don't decide that the drunks in the Alley set the fire with their Firewhisky," Arthur replied.
"Well, if it looks like they might try to blame it on him in some way, bring him here and we'll keep him as safe as we can," Harry added. Arthur nodded.
With that, Hermione and Pansy left to talk to their respective parents.
Daily Prophet
Harry Potter: Madman or Dark Lord?
by Rita Skeeter
In the weeks since the rash of attacks on the Ministry began, we at the Daily Prophet have curious what goes through the mind of the one-time saviour of the wizarding world.
Harry Potter was once a respected individual, yet now he roams he attacks the Ministry and its employees with startling regularity. We have word that several employees have gone completely missing: Michaela Pamir, Janice Bardstone and Isabella Honeyspear to name three.
We find it interesting that all the missing employees are female, and that two of them are said to be young and very attractive.
Is this one-time saviour building a bigger harem? Is he kidnapping them for nefarious purposes?
Either way, we need to worry about the young man's sanity, and work harder to bring his children from such a dangerous environment into the wizarding world where they can be cared for properly.
No child deserves to grow up in a home with no love, or with a father that is insane.
"You were right," Dorothy Granger said. "Our home is a total loss. Mind you, they've tried to leave evidence that it was you and your group that did it."
"Luckily we know better," Keith Granger said. "But the question now is — now what?"
A voice spoke from the doorway. "You've been doing what you accused us of doing during the Second Voldemort War. Reacting." They turned to see a much more sober Charlie Weasley standing there. This was the first time in a long time that he'd not been either drunk, in pain from withdrawal, or hallucinating, so they were glad to see the new improved (and upright) Charlie Weasley.
Charlie continued. "You have to take the fight to them." He scowled. "Do to them what Bill and I did to you six years ago. Destroy them."
"Charlie -" Harry started to say.
"Don't you dare tell me that you forgive me, Harry," he said. "I don't deserve it. I'm glad I'm dried out now, because I'm done with hiding from my part in it all. But I won't accept forgiveness when I've done nothing to earn it."
"Except try to drink yourself to death," Harry said. "Why was that?"
"Because I knew what I'd done to my sister and to you. I was trying to hide from my part in it."
"Seems like you've been punishing yourself rather well. Why should I continue?" He grinned at Charlie. "Besides, isn't that the harshest revenge of all on you right now? Forgiving you when you know that you don't deserve it?"
Charlie raised an eyebrow at Harry and then shook his head. "I can't stop you, that's for sure. Let's talk about what needs to be done."
The Quibbler
Finding Out the Truth
by Ginny Weasley
This is time for something that the Ministry won't give you these days — the truth. There are articles in the Ministry Mouthpiece — oh, I'm sorry — the Daily Prophet about the attacks throughout wizarding England, and how they're being blamed on Harry Potter, trying to make him out to be another Dark Lord.
Ballocks.
Get someone who saw some of the fights between Harry's people and the Ministry, if they haven't been arrested on some trumped up charge. Ask them to catalogue the spells. Ask who's throwing around the spells that are killing and maiming people, and who's throwing the shielding to try to save those same people?
The Mouthpiece carefully ignores that little bit of information.
Do the research for yourself. Find out who owns the Daily Prophet, and then see how much you can trust what they say about anyone or anything that disagrees with the Ministry.
Find how much you can trust the Ministry or their Mouthpiece.
But do what the Ministry doesn't want you to — discover the truth for yourself.
They were meeting on the island when a call came from the Ministry. "Harry! They're on their way to Potter Manor!" Percy's call was suddenly cut off.
"Wonderful. Another supporter in Azkaban before the week is out, if I understand that cut-off correctly," Harry growled. "I'm sick of this. We've been gentle about it. What has gentle gotten us? Destroyed homes and businesses, and damaged reputations. No more Mr Nice Guy, I think the saying goes."
"Are we going to Potter Manor, then?" Hermione asked.
"I'm going to. I know it's just property, but I think we need to take a stand. Do the rest of you agree?"
"Yes," Keith Granger said. "We're not worried about our house, to be honest. It's gone, and we'd gotten everything we wanted to keep, out. We were thinking of moving here to your island, since it's certainly large enough and you had offered. We're wealthy, due to good money management before and after meeting a certain son-in-law. But you're talking your ancestral home. You need to protect it. And your Minister has made the fight personal now, much to his stupidity."
"So who's coming with me?" he asked.
Luna made a great sacrifice at this point and didn't make a joke. "I'm with you," she said instead.
Harry arrived at Godric's Hollow to a madhouse. There was an Auror strike team attempting to get into the house, and another trying to damage the dower cottage where he'd spent the last few months before being thrust upon the Dursleys. He literally saw red a few moments later, however, when he saw a team of Aurors damaging the cemetery on the Potter lands.
He was about to go barrelling into a fire-fight when a cadre of goblins arrived, with Ragnok at the lead, Griphook and Alorkin flanking him. "Wait, Harry, and we shall teach these people a lesson. Remember that what are in that place are but shells — that which was your mother and your father is not there. Their real crime is desecrating a place of solitude, where you go to remember those who have gone before."
"I bow to your decision, Ragnok."
"Are you against causing actual damage to them?"
"No. I don't want them dead, but I'm not going to fight like crazy to prevent it. What happens, happens."
Ragnok smiled a toothy smile, and motioned to Griphook and Alorkin. Without a word, both split away and headed for a group of Aurors, taking some fo Harry's people with each group. This left Ragnok, Harry and his small team, which quickly sped toward the desecration team.
It was a small team of Aurors, only about five, and they were laughing. "Can you imagine the look on that little prick's face when he sees what we did?" one of them said.
"I think it was a little over the top," one of the others said, "but it should serve the purpose.
"Personally, I think you're all sick," the tallest one said. "If I knew that you'd done that to my family's cemetery, they'd never find all the pieces of you little fuckers. I feel dirty having been part of this."
"Ah, you're just a bloody pussy about it," the first speaker replied. "He's a Dark Lord. Fuck him."
"No, why don't we have a little chat?" Harry growled as he cast a Silencing Charm silently and with no wand. "He looked to the goblins. "I want to see what they did. Feel free to toy with them, but try to leave them alive, in you can." Ragnok smacked his gauntleted fist against his breast in salute.
Inside the fencing, Harry found broken stones and the like, and general defacement. It was when he reached the gravestones of his parents that he felt the strongest killing rage that he had ever felt, even stronger than the one that he had felt for Riddle.
The reason was what would have been a fine piece of animated Transfiguration had the subject matter not been chosen to offend him. Rather than seeing the pleasant silver-white marble that once had been there, he instead found an animated statue. The person in question had either known his mother or seen pictures recently, because her face was correct, and contorted in what he believed was supposed to be pleasure as his father's Animagus form performed certain sexual acts on her.
He turned slowly and walked back toward the group. The Aurors, save the one who had registered disgust, were on the ground with swords at their throats. "You want a Dark Lord?" Harry whispered in a voice that they had no problems hearing. "Do you really want me to give in to my darker side and deal with you the way you deserve to be treated?" He motioned to the goblins. "Release them, but keep them from leaving. They're big, tough, strong Aurors; they should be able to take on just one of me."
The goblins stepped away. "Oh yeah, this should be good," the first speaker said as he climbed to his feet. "Little Dark Lord wannabe thinks he can take on five Aurors? We can deal with him and then the little goblin freaks."
The tallest speaker simply stepped away from the other four. "You arseholes are on your own."
"Don't think we'll forget this," another one snarled.
"You won't live to," Harry growled as he jabbed his wand toward the speaker. The guy had been paying so much attention to threatening the other Auror that he had no chance to raise a shield in time, not that it would have helped. The spell struck the man, and the effect was as if Harry had struck him with a brick wall moving several hundred miles per hour. He was a wet sack of dead meat almost instantly. The other three stared wide-eyed for a moment, giving Harry time to down a second one with a Blasting Curse that tore a hole that a small child could climb through in another one's chest and throw up a skin-level shield.
The remaining two began to fire rather nasty curses at that point. Harry felt an acid yellow one glance off his shield, and it caromed off toward the main house. He responded with a shout of "Telargentum!," which caused a silver spear to explode from his wand. It likely would have been an arrow for any other caster, but he had considerably more power to call upon. This spear exploded through one of the men's shields and went straight through the man's chest, actually exiting the other side and spearing a tree. Wide-eyed, the man looked down before falling flat on his face. Harry spun to the last man, who was firing spells that were clearly Dark in nature, based on the results — organ boiling; skin eating; explosion of organic material — and simply screamed "Expeliarmus!" at him. The final fighting Auror's wand exploded from the man's hand despite his tight grip and sailed well over Harry's head.
"So I'm disarmed," the man said, still being surprisingly snide, despite obviously being on the losing side. "You're too much of a goodie-two-shoes to kill me in cold blood."
Harry grinned. "That tells me more about the Ministry than you could ever know, my idiotic friend. And you're right. I won't kill you with my wand. Now we get to go hand to hand." He tossed his wand to Ragnok, who caught it with ease. The two men began to circle each other, and Harry was impressed when the man lunged and actually caught his jaw. He hadn't properly studied fighting, though, because he left himself open for Harry's punch to his ribs. Harry also wasn't admitting that he was using his magic to augment his punches, so the feeling of ribs giving way slightly didn't surprise Harry in the slightest.
This was followed by several quick kidney punches from the man, and even a solid jab to Harry's ribs. The man was not a hand to hand fighter, however, because he kept offering Harry options that a trained fighter wouldn't have, such as the one that Harry used to end the fight — and the man's life. A quick rabbit punch to the back of the man's neck and it was all over.
When he had finished, and turned to face the last man, he found him holding his wand out toward Harry, handle first. "I might think that you're going about fighting the Ministry the wrong way, but I wanted no part of that shit in there. Knocking over a headstone that magic can just as easily repair? While I think it's less than proper, maybe it'll make a point. But that ... I won't fight you over them."
Harry turned to face the rest of the fight after the goblins had taken the man into their custody, and found that the rest of the fighting was over. There were another eleven Aurors dead. Two of them, it turned out, had died because of Harry's fight. One had been struck by that acid yellow curse and had promptly had half his body melt away, while the second had died when a wand shot out of nowhere and buried itself deeply in his neck.
There had been minimal damage to the two houses — the house elves were already working to fix it now that the fighting was over — leaving only the cemetery to fix. They had more than thirty Aurors in custody.
Daily Prophet
Potter's True Colours Exposed!
by Rita Skeeter
Yesterday, Harry Potter, the Dark Lord Who Lived, showed his true colours. In a mission to bring him in for questioning the brave Auror team went to his home in Godric's Hollow.
They were met there by savagery unheard of since You Know Who and Grindlewald.
Fifteen Aurors lost their lives fighting against this ... this monstrosity that we once supported. Fifteen brave people who should be remembered forever for their stance against the unmitigated evil that is Harry Potter. And at least thirty more languish in whatever prison this creature has forced them into.
We opened our hearts to this boy, and he repays us like this. Were it in my power, I would have his name struck from the history books, referred to only as an unknown who helped bring down You Know Who.
Potter and the women ... no, the harlots, the scarlet women that have allied themselves with him should be sentenced to the Dementor's Kiss when they are finally brought to justice.
And I will be there to report it, I promise you.
The Quibbler
A Clarification
by Lawrence Lovegood
By this time, you've doubtless read the story that the Ministry Mouthpiece wants you to read, about fifteen Aurors who lost their lives at Potter Manor. It passes as news, but it missed some important facts, and as a real journalist, I find that I can not in good conscience continue to call myself a newspaperman without giving you all the information that you need.
First, let us start with what was done. There were three teams that struck that night. One hit the main Manor home, another hit the house on the property that Harry grew up in. The third team, which had one survivor, hit the most heinous target — the family cemetery.
Now, destruction of a cemetery is bad enough, but the Aurors weren't happy with that. No, they had to be cruel in their vandalism. Harry walked in to find that the simple marker, the one that marked the final resting place of the parents that he never really knew — a marker beautiful in it's simplicity — had been altered to a lewd image of his parents. It was animated as well.
They had desecrated his parents' graves.
The only survivor from that team had been the only one to register disgust at the rest of his team.
Two of the other eleven died because of the fight that Harry was in — a fight for his life. The ones who desecrated the Potter cemetery threw everything they could at him, including their wands, if the death of one Auror is to be believed, found with a fellow Auror's wand through his neck. The other was literally melted from a dangerous curse thrown wild.
But the Mouthpiece won't ever tell you that.
Because Scrimgeour acts like the King.
Just like Fudge did, and we all know the depths he took us to.
"Horrible. Just horrible," Harry said, shedding a crocodile tear as he watched the flames reach the sky. The Daily Prophet had just ceased being a going concern as a newspaper.
After making sure that their spells to ensure that the flames went no further than the Prophet's printing facility, he turned to the others. "Are we clear on our mission?"
"All or nothing," Michaela Pamir said. "We try to take over the Ministry as best we can. Between Madam Bones and Aurors Shacklebolt, Tonks and Honeyspear, as well as about thirty others who came out of the woodwork for us, we should be able to close off access to the majority of the facility."
"I've word from some of grandfather's contacts in the Unspeakables that no action will be taken by them," Harry added. "Officially, they are on the Ministry's side. Unofficially, if they could have acted around their oaths, they would have done this ages ago."
"We with Apparation access to the Ministry will jump in when you've begin the descent," Amelia said. Kingsley Shacklebolt was in the process of agreeing when his Muggle beeper went off. He was nearly shot by several people before he found it and checked it. "It's nine pm! What's the PM want?" He rolled his eyes. "I'll be back as soon as possible."
"You'll likely be joining a rebellion already in progress," Hermione said in an announcer voice.
"Get back as soon as you can," Harry said. Shacklebolt nodded and Disapparated away.
The group approached the telephone booth in Muggle London, and Harry asked Amelia, "Is the garbage in that tip real, or just some sort of illusion? I don't think it's changed in seven years, since I had to come be put on trial for protecting myself."
"It certainly smells real," one of the team gagged.
Harry squeezed into the telephone booth along with his wives and dialled the number — 6-2-4-4-2 — and the voice asked the usual question. "Purpose for visiting the Ministry and name?"
"Overthrow of a corrupt government," Harry said with a laugh. "Harry Potter." The others echoed his comments, and moments later they all had their silver badges as the lift dropped. Harry laughed as he read 'Harry Potter — Government overthrow', while Luna brayed her laugh at being described as 'Minion' on hers.
The doors opened and they spilled out, Susan looking sharply at the group, who all looked quite innocent. "Somebody pinched my bum," she said dangerously, although there was a twinkle in her eyes.
Eric Munch sat at the security desk, as it seemed that he always did. "Are you a real person, Eric?" Harry asked. "Or do you literally live in that chair?"
"Nah," he said. "You've just managed to arrive when I'm on duty. Odds are against that sorta thing, but it happens. By the way, just to let you know? I haven't seen you, if you get my meaning."
"Thanks," was Harry's heartfelt reply. "Is the Minister still here?"
"As far as I know." They nodded to the man and headed to the lifts.
"He surprises me," Harry said as the lift rose. "Then again, they also serve who stand and wait."
The lift opened on the top floor, and it opened to show a large waiting room. There was no one in the room, but there was a light coming from beneath the Minister's door.
"Time to check that spell that Bill taught me," Harry murmured. "Hope we're not walking into too big of a balls-up." He walked silently to the door and cast the spell that could be said to have begun the series of events that had led to this very moment. The door became transparent, and showed Rufus Scrimgeour sitting inside with six Aurors.
"I heard the lifts, so they're probably here," he said. "That Potter bastard's a canny one, though. Oh, remind me to fire Munch in the morning."
"Something's not right," Harry whispered. "There's got to be another exit from that room."
"There is," an Auror said from behind him. "Pity you were too fucking stupid to think of it before venturing out here. We've got him, Minister!" Several men stepped forward and held the small group at wandpoint. The one who had been speaking took Harry's wand as he jabbed his rather hard in Harry's neck.
Scrimgeour stepped out of his office. "It's been a fun little rebellion, Mr Potter, but it's time you give up your little game and realise who the winner is, and always will be. It's a pity the way that things are going to turn out, though."
"Ah. Here's where you apologise, but since I'm a figurehead, there's no other real verdict for myself and my wives -"
"You aren't married to them, Potter. Don't you remember?"
"- wives," Harry insisted harshly, "we'll of course be sentenced to death. Is it the kind death of the Veil, the death of the Dementor's Kiss, or will it be the death that was given to Guy Fawkes?"
"Hmm, that sounds like an option," Rufus said with a pensive look. "Remember, remember, the Fifth of November; gunpowder treason and plot. I see no reason why gunpowder treason should ever be forgot." He focused on Harry and his eyes went dark. "I think you've hit it precisely, young Potter. The other methods of killing the five of you are too quick, and too likely to be forgotten. But we want people to know that you do not ever turn on the Ministry. Treason of this degree deserves a return to the old punishments."
"You're a vile man," Hermione spat at him. One of the Aurors guarding her slapped her hard enough to draw blood.
"I'd watch my tongue, little lady," Scrimgeour said amicably. "If you're nice, I'll see to it that you die by hanging before they actually start the drawing and quartering."
He was answered by the surprisingly loud sound of a large number of mechanical clacks happening in the room. They looked to see what Harry and his wives recognised as military weaponry. You ladies still remember the physical shield? At the feeling of assent, he threw up his, and felt them do the same. "Feel free to open fire, guys," Harry said. "We're protected from gunfire."
Kingsley Shacklebolt stepped forward. "Minister Rufus Scrimgeour, I am requesting that you and your men stand down before we are forced to open fire on you. And we will, if necessary."
There was the sound of wands clattering to the floor. "Accio," murmured Amelia Bones.
A few minuted later, with all the Aurors under control, Harry, his wives, Amelia Bones, Albus Dumbledore, and Rufus Scrimgeour found themselves in a boardroom facing both the Prime Minister and Queen Elizabeth II. "We know that the current administration has to be changed," she stated. "Threatening to hang, draw and quarter them? I think not, Mr Scrimgeour."
"They were threatening the stability of the wizarding world!" he exclaimed.
"We've got a better view of what's going on in here than you think, Rufus," the Prime Minister said. "The last several of you have ended up treating the position as if you had been elected King or something. That is going to stop."
Luna raised her hand to be noticed. "Yes?" he asked, both amused at the schoolgirl quality of her action, and impressed that she was actually trying to be noticed.
"How can you stop it? They'll just start this all over again."
"I think that, for a time, we'll need to take over the reins of governing the wizarding world ourselves, while we look at methods of giving you back the ability to govern yourselves."
"May I suggest something?" Harry asked respectfully.
"You may, Mr Potter," he replied. "Don't think that we'll automatically listen to your suggestion. We aren't entirely happy with your performance here either."
"Nor am I. What I wish to suggest is that you contact a certain individual living in Philadelphia, in the United States, and ask for his input. It would be both amusing and enlightening, in for more ways than any of us could imagine."
"And who might this man be?" the Queen asked.
"Benjamin Franklin," he replied. "I spoke with him within the last few months. If he's still alive, then he just might be willing to help."
"We just might do that," the PM said. "Now to the meat of the matter. What do we do with you people?"
"Jail for him," Rufus Scrimgeour said. "Treason is treason."
"And so it is," Amelia said. "I was there for that ruling that you seemed so eager to ignore. You knew quite well that the entirety of the law was struck down, yet you intentionally acted as if it weren't. Sounds like a case could be made for treason there as well. Using the government for a personal vendetta?"
Scrimgeour growled at her, but remained silent.
"I don't know," Harry said. "In a way, he's right. I was actively fighting the Ministry, but I was trying to put into place a better system. But it's still treasonous as it stands. I'll miss seeing my children grow up, but I don't think that there's any real choice but to arrest both Rufus and I and throw us in jail, or banish us, or something."
"You would willingly go to jail for your part in this?" the Queen asked, an interesting look in her eyes.
"Yes, Your Majesty. My rebellion was illegal."
"Unless we declare that it was legal," she replied. "After all, as the Prime Minister stated, we are quite aware of what has happened here. Until the attack upon your family's cemetery plot, where the abominable desecration happened, you made every effort not to kill, while it seemed that the 'legal' Ministry had no such qualms." She looked to the PM for a long moment before turning back to Harry. "You are hereby pardoned for your part in this, on one condition. Since you had the drive and the belief as to what needed to be changed, you are hereby charged with rebuilding the government of wizarding Britain. You will meet with us on a weekly basis. By us, I mean both the Prime Minister and myself. You are permitted to contact this Mr Franklin to see if he might be interested in helping you." She smiled a very small smile.
Harry looked stunned, and then pushed back his chair and dropped to one knee, head down. "It shall be as you command, Your Majesty," he said, and all knew that there was no ridicule in it.
"Your Majesty?" Susan asked in a very quiet voice.
"Yes?" asked the surprised monarch.
"Might Harry be permitted to make polygamous marriage legal again? I don't ... I'd prefer it if our son James Edgar wasn't considered a bas ... uh, illegitimate." She tried to meet the monarch's eyes, but couldn't for very long.
"Yes, he is permitted to do so," she replied with a smile. "In fact, the laws that should be in place should remain in place until such point as a new government can be formed. Therefore, you are still married, since ex-Minister Scrimgeour was ignoring the rescinding of an illegal law." She looked sharply at the leonine man. She stood, obviously declaring the meeting at an end.
"I'll expect to see you for our first meeting on Monday," the Prime Minister said to Harry just before he left. "When we meet, I'll tell you when your first meeting with Her will be." Harry nodded, still in shock. Scrimgeour was carted away with the military men, to be placed in special confinement until they could decide what to do with him.
"So, it's over," Hermione said.
"That's what you think," Harry said, a little green. "I was hoping to get someone else to take the reins of government, but they decided that I'm the best guy for it."
"So what happens now, Harry?" Albus asked.
"We get on with living, and turning this government around, what else?"
While the ending might be a little weak, this is really a first draft. I will be picking this story back up at some point and giving it a proper rewrite, expanding things, doing certain things
earlier, dropping others, and explaining a hell of a lot more.
But for now?
My first project of NaNoWriMo 2006 is complete.