Meanwhile, back at Number Twelve Grimmauld Place, Ted Tonks arrived to find what could charitably be described as "a household in transition" and what the neighbors might have called "a dramatic improvement in property management that probably violated several noise ordinances but resulted in significantly better lighting and considerably less ominous atmosphere."
The difference was immediately apparent. Where the house had been gloomy and oppressive that morning, it now practically sparkled with the kind of cleanliness that suggested either professional intervention or supernatural assistance with very strong opinions about proper household maintenance.
"Bloody hell," Ted said, stopping in the front hallway to stare at walls that were now actually visible instead of being hidden under decades of accumulated dust and what might have been despair made manifest in the form of really persistent grime.
"What happened here? Did you hire an army of cleaning specialists, or did someone finally figure out how to make this place look like it belonged to a respectable family instead of a museum dedicated to the proposition that living in squalor builds character?"
"Kreacher happened," Sirius said, his voice carrying the bewildered tone of someone whose entire understanding of house-elf psychology had just been fundamentally reconstructed through observation of domestic enthusiasm that bordered on the supernatural.
As if summoned by the mention of his name, Kreacher appeared with timing that would have made theatrical directors weep with envy. But instead of his usual appearance of barely controlled disdain mixed with professional obligation, the house-elf was practically bouncing with the kind of energetic enthusiasm usually associated with people who'd just discovered their life's work and were really excited about getting started.
"Master Ted returns to the Noble House!" Kreacher announced with the kind of joy usually reserved for religious festivals or really excellent news about unexpected inheritance. "Kreacher has prepared tea service in the library, organized all requested documents for legal review, and ensured that Master Harry's chocolate requirements are properly stocked for sustained cosmic entity nutrition!"
Ted blinked slowly, processing this information with the careful consideration of someone whose expectations about house-elf behavior had just been thoroughly violated by reality.
"He's... cheerful," Ted observed, his voice carrying the tone of someone who'd just witnessed something that shouldn't have been possible according to everything he'd previously understood about magical creature psychology and workplace satisfaction.
"He's been like this ever since we destroyed the Horcrux," Harry explained, settling into one of the library chairs with the satisfaction of someone who'd just completed an important project and was ready to move on to the next phase of systematic justice reform.
"Apparently, having a piece of Voldemort's soul in the house for over a decade was affecting his mood and general outlook on life in ways that probably required their own category in the literature about supernatural environmental hazards."
"A Horcrux," Ted repeated, his legal mind immediately cataloguing this information under the category of "evidence that would fundamentally change everyone's understanding of recent magical history and probably require extensive revision of existing threat assessment protocols."
"One of seven pieces of Voldemort's soul, hidden in objects to ensure his immortality," Bellatrix explained, her voice carrying the clinical precision of someone who'd been magically compelled to serve a dark lord and had developed extensive knowledge about his methods that she definitely wished she didn't possess.
"We found it here in the house—a locket that Regulus died trying to destroy. Drakor absorbed it along with all the magical knowledge and memories it contained."
"Which means," Sirius added with the satisfaction of someone who'd just learned that his brother had died a hero instead of just another pure-blood casualty of political extremism, "that we now have comprehensive intelligence about Voldemort's organization, his remaining followers, their methods, and their current locations and activities."
Ted sat down heavily in the nearest chair, his legal training struggling to process information that was probably going to require entirely new categories in the law books and definitely wasn't covered in any standard legal education curriculum.
"Seven pieces of soul," he said slowly, his voice carrying the weight of someone who'd just realized that their already complex legal case had just become significantly more complicated by the addition of cosmic horror and interdimensional artifact hunting.
"How many are left?"
"Four," Harry confirmed, his voice carrying information that had been acquired through cosmic digestion and probably wasn't available through any conventional intelligence gathering methods.
"A ring in the ruins of the Gaunt family hovel, a cup that belonged to Helga Hufflepuff currently in the Lestrange vault at Gringotts, a diadem that once belonged to Rowena Ravenclaw hidden somewhere in Hogwarts, and a diary that was Tom Riddle's first experiment in soul-splitting, currently in the possession of Lucius Malfoy."
"The Lestrange vault," Ted said, his legal mind immediately identifying potential solutions to what had seemed like an impossible problem, "Now that both Lestrange brothers are dead and they had no children, Bellatrix, as Rodolphus's widow, would have access to the family vault."
"Once I'm legally free from the marriage contract," Bellatrix confirmed, her voice carrying the hope of someone who was beginning to believe that maybe, finally, she'd be able to take active steps toward dismantling the organization that had destroyed so many lives through systematic oppression and magical slavery.
"And the diary," Ted continued, his strategic thinking already working through the implications, "if it's in Malfoy Manor, then Narcissa, once she's free from her own magical enslavement, could potentially retrieve it."
"Two Horcruxes we can handle through legal channels once the marriage contracts are nullified," Sirius said with the satisfaction of someone who'd just figured out how to turn systematic justice reform into practical problem-solving with measurable results.
"Which brings us," Ted said, pulling out his notes with the satisfaction of someone who'd just completed a very important negotiation that was going to change everything for everyone involved, "to the next phase of our campaign."
He settled back in his chair with the expression of someone who'd just returned from battle and was either going to deliver excellent news or terrible news, depending on your perspective on journalism, governmental reform, and the reliability of people who made careers out of destroying other people's reputations in print.
"I met with Rita Skeeter this afternoon," he announced, watching their reactions with the clinical interest of someone who'd just dropped information that was either going to solve all their problems or create entirely new categories of disaster.
"Who's Rita Skeeter?" Harry asked, his voice carrying the innocent confusion of someone who'd been living with relatives who thought newspapers were for people who had too much time and too little common sense.
The silence that followed was the kind of profound quiet that usually preceded either detailed explanations or complete nervous breakdowns. In this case, it was definitely the first, though the second remained a distinct possibility depending on how the conversation developed.
"Rita Skeeter," Sirius said with the tone of someone explaining a natural disaster that had learned to walk upright and develop opinions about other people's private lives, "is a journalist who specializes in turning other people's personal tragedies into public entertainment that sells newspapers and ruins lives with approximately equal efficiency."
"She writes for the Daily Prophet," Bellatrix added, her voice carrying the disdain of someone who'd been the subject of sensationalized reporting and had developed very strong opinions about the ethics of journalism that prioritized profit over accuracy.
"And she has the professional ethics of a starving vulture with aspirations toward social climbing and possibly several personality disorders," Sirius continued with the kind of descriptive precision that suggested he'd had personal experience with Rita's reporting methods and had not found them particularly pleasant or accurate.
"She also," Ted said with the satisfied tone of someone who'd just figured out how to weaponize someone's questionable ethics for the cause of justice, "has the ability to present complex legal evidence in ways that make the general public understand exactly how thoroughly their government has failed them, and she has access to publication channels that reach every household in magical Britain."
"You want to use her," Harry said, his voice carrying the understanding of someone who was beginning to grasp the strategic implications of turning sensationalist journalism toward the cause of systematic governmental reform.
"I want to give her the biggest story of her career," Ted corrected with the kind of smile that suggested he'd just figured out how to solve world hunger using nothing but superior legal reasoning and creative applications of existing resources.
"Complete documentation of governmental corruption, systematic child abuse, magical slavery enforced through marriage contracts, and wrongful imprisonment that reaches the highest levels of wizarding government."
"She'll destroy anyone connected to these injustices," Bellatrix said, her voice carrying the satisfaction of someone who was looking forward to watching the people responsible for her fifteen years of magical enslavement discover what it felt like to be systematically destroyed by someone with better resources and considerably less ethical restraint.
"Completely and thoroughly," Ted confirmed with the professional satisfaction of someone who'd just figured out how to win the most important case of his career through strategic applications of journalism that would probably violate several principles of civilized discourse but would definitely achieve justice.
"And she'll do it with the kind of systematic thoroughness that makes sure everyone understands exactly who was responsible for what, and why they deserve whatever consequences are heading their way."
*"I like this plan,"* Drakor said with cosmic approval, his mental voice carrying the satisfaction of someone who'd just realized that systematic justice could be achieved through public humiliation and social destruction as well as through direct consumption of deserving targets.
*"Very efficient use of existing social structures to achieve educational outcomes. Plus, it means more people will understand exactly why certain individuals deserve very creative applications of cosmic justice."*
"What happens after the story breaks?" Harry asked, his practical ten-year-old mind already working through the implications of turning public opinion against the people responsible for systematic injustice.
"Public outrage forces governmental reform," Ted said, counting off expected outcomes on his fingers like someone who'd mapped out a campaign that was going to systematically dismantle corrupt institutions through superior strategy and really excellent timing.
"The Wizengamot will have no choice but to address these injustices publicly and thoroughly. Trials, investigations, systematic review of marriage contract law, complete overhaul of child protection protocols."
"And if they resist?" Sirius asked, though his tone suggested he already knew the answer and was looking forward to it.
"Then they discover what happens when you try to ignore cosmic entities with strong opinions about justice and access to detailed intelligence about governmental corruption," Harry said cheerfully, his voice carrying the anticipation of someone who was really looking forward to educational demonstrations involving creative applications of interdimensional law enforcement.
"Master Harry Potter speaks wisely!" Kreacher announced, appearing with a tea service that looked like it had been prepared for visiting royalty and probably cost more than most wizards spent on housing. "Kreacher has prepared celebration refreshments for the Noble House's campaign of systematic justice reform!"
The house-elf was practically glowing with happiness, his entire demeanor transformed from barely controlled resentment to enthusiastic domestic service that bordered on the supernatural. He moved around the library with the kind of energetic efficiency that suggested he'd rediscovered his life's purpose and was really excited about getting back to proper household management.
"He's been like this all day," Sirius said, his voice carrying the bewildered tone of someone whose entire understanding of house-elf psychology had been fundamentally reconstructed through observation of domestic enthusiasm that violated everything he'd previously believed about magical creature workplace satisfaction.
"Ever since we destroyed the Horcrux. Apparently, having a piece of Voldemort's soul in the house was affecting everyone's mood, including Kreacher's."
"Master Sirius is most perceptive!" Kreacher said with the kind of joy usually reserved for announcing lottery winnings or really excellent news about unexpected inheritance. "The dark magic was like a weight on Kreacher's spirit, making everything seem hopeless and impossible. Now that it's gone, Kreacher can serve the Noble House with proper enthusiasm and appropriate dedication to excellence!"
"It's honestly a bit unsettling," Sirius admitted, watching Kreacher arrange the tea service with the kind of meticulous attention to detail that suggested he was trying to set new standards for domestic perfectionism.
"I'm not used to house-elves who seem genuinely happy about their work. It's making me question everything I thought I knew about magical creature psychology and possibly the ethics of house-elf employment in general."
"Perhaps," Andromeda suggested, appearing in the library doorway with the satisfied expression of someone who'd just completed extensive medical consultations and was ready to report on progress that exceeded all reasonable expectations, "the difference is that he's finally serving a family that actually appreciates his work and treats him with basic respect and consideration."
"How do you mean?" Ted asked, though his legal mind was already beginning to process the implications of what his wife was suggesting about magical creature employment law and possibly systematic abuse of domestic workers.
"Look at how he's responding to Harry," Andromeda said, settling into a chair with the brisk efficiency of someone who'd completed a long day of complicated medical work and was ready to share her professional observations.
"Harry thanked him for his service, asked about his welfare, treated him like a person whose comfort and happiness mattered. That's probably the first time in decades anyone in this family has shown him basic human decency."
"Master Harry Potter is most kind!" Kreacher confirmed with the emotional overwhelm of someone who'd just received recognition for decades of loyal service and was having difficulty processing the novelty of being appreciated.
"Most considerate! Most respectful of Kreacher's dignity and dedication to the Noble House! Kreacher is honored to serve such a worthy master!"
Sirius looked like someone who'd just realized that his family's approach to house-elf management might have been considerably more problematic than he'd previously understood, and that maybe systematic reform needed to include magical creature rights as well as human rights and governmental accountability.
"Right," he said slowly, his voice carrying the weight of someone who'd just added another item to an already extensive list of social justice issues that required immediate attention, "add house-elf labor law to our list of things that need systematic reform."
"The important thing," Ted said, bringing the conversation back to their immediate strategic priorities with the focus of someone who'd learned to manage complex cases by dealing with one crisis at a time, "is that Rita's story will be published tomorrow morning. By evening, every wizard in Britain will understand exactly how thoroughly their government has failed them."
"And then?" Bellatrix asked, her voice carrying the anticipation of someone who was really looking forward to watching systematic justice unfold through public accountability and social pressure.
"Then we present our case to the Wizengamot," Ted said with the satisfaction of someone who'd just figured out how to guarantee victory in the most important legal case of his career.
"With public opinion on our side, complete documentation of governmental corruption, and the kind of evidence that makes opposing counsel consider career changes in fields that don't involve defending the indefensible."
*"And if they're still stubborn about acknowledging their mistakes?"* Drakor asked with the cheerful tone of someone who was really looking forward to providing educational experiences about the importance of proper legal procedures and ethical governmental management.
"Then they discover what cosmic justice looks like when it's applied with precision, creativity, and really excellent timing," Harry said with the satisfaction of someone who was looking forward to showing the wizarding world exactly what happened when you underestimated ten-year-old boys with interdimensional allies and access to centuries of accumulated legal precedents.
"Either way," Ted said, raising his teacup in a mock toast, "this time tomorrow, the wizarding world is going to be a very different place."
"To systematic justice reform," Sirius said, raising his own cup with the satisfaction of someone who was finally going to see his wrongful imprisonment addressed through proper legal channels and possibly some very creative applications of cosmic accountability.
"To cosmic education," Harry added cheerfully, his voice carrying the anticipation of someone who was really looking forward to teaching people about proper ethics, child welfare, and the inadvisability of treating innocent people like property or inconvenient obstacles to political convenience.
"And to house-elves who are finally appreciated for their dedicated service!" Kreacher added with joy that practically radiated from his entire being like domestic satisfaction made manifest.
As they settled in for what would probably be their last quiet evening before everything changed forever, Harry couldn't help but feel that maybe, finally, the world was about to become the kind of place where children were protected, innocent people received justice, and systematic oppression was met with the kind of cosmic accountability that ensured it never happened again.
It was going to be beautiful.
---
The next morning dawned gray and drizzly over magical Britain, which was appropriate because by the time the Daily Prophet finished its morning delivery route, several high-ranking government officials were going to be experiencing weather patterns that made thunderstorms look like gentle spring rain.
Rita Skeeter had outdone herself. The front page of the Daily Prophet looked like someone had taken every governmental scandal in British history, compressed them into a single article, and then illustrated the whole thing with photographs that made everyone involved look like they were personally responsible for every injustice since the invention of unfairness.
The headline stretched across the entire front page in letters large enough to be read from low Earth orbit:
**"THE BOY WHO LIVED: A DECADE OF SYSTEMATIC ABUSE WHILE WIZARDING BRITAIN CELEBRATED"**
Beneath it, in smaller but still impressively dramatic lettering:
**"Exclusive Investigation Reveals Government Conspiracy, Wrongful Imprisonment, and Marriage Contracts That Amount to Legalized Slavery"**
In the Leaky Cauldron, the morning rush of wizards who'd come for breakfast and casual conversation about Quidditch scores and weather complaints had ground to a complete halt as everyone stared at their newspapers with the kind of stunned silence usually reserved for natural disasters or really spectacular Quidditch accidents that required medical attention for multiple players.
"Bloody hell," muttered a wizard whose morning routine had just been completely derailed by discovering that everything he'd believed about their government was apparently wrong. "They kept Harry Potter in a cupboard? For ten years?"
"Says here the Dursleys starved him regularly," added a witch whose coffee had gone cold while she read details that made her question every assumption she'd ever made about child protection in their society. "Locked him up for days without food or water. While Dumbledore knew where he was and apparently thought this was acceptable guardianship."
At a corner table, an elderly wizard was reading the section about marriage contracts with the kind of horrified fascination usually reserved for witnessing accidents that were both terrible and impossible to look away from.
"Magical slavery," he whispered, his voice carrying the shock of someone who'd just discovered that practices they'd thought were relegated to ancient history were apparently still happening in their supposedly civilized society. "They're saying pure-blood marriage contracts have been legally enslaving women for centuries. Making them property of their husbands."
"And the Lestrange brothers," added his companion, a witch whose normal cheerful demeanor had been replaced by the kind of cold fury that suggested she was already composing letters to government officials that would probably require hazard pay for anyone who had to read them.
"Dead. Consumed by something the article calls 'cosmic justice with educational components.' What in Merlin's name does that even mean?"
Meanwhile, at the Ministry of Magic, Cornelius Fudge sat in his office surrounded by advisors who looked like they'd all just received news that their worst nightmares had come true and decided to throw a party to celebrate their complete professional destruction.
The newspaper lay on his desk like a piece of evidence that would probably be used against him in whatever trial was inevitably coming, its headlines seemingly growing larger and more accusatory the longer he stared at them.
"How bad is it?" Fudge asked, though his voice suggested he already knew the answer and was just hoping someone would lie to him in a way that made him feel better about his impending political apocalypse.
"Complete disaster," confirmed Amelia Bones, who'd arrived at the office to find her entire department's credibility destroyed before she'd even had her morning coffee. "Rita's published everything. The medical evidence of Harry's abuse. Copies of James and Lily's will showing explicit instructions against placing him with the Dursleys. Documentation of Sirius Black's imprisonment without trial."
"And the marriage contracts?" Fudge asked, his voice getting progressively smaller as the implications of governmental complicity in systematic oppression became clear.
"Full legal analysis of the magical slavery provisions. Expert testimony from goblins about the enforcement mechanisms. Personal testimony from victims," Amelia said, reading from the newspaper with the clinical precision of someone cataloguing evidence that was going to require extensive legal response and probably complete restructuring of several governmental departments.
"Rita's even included a sidebar explaining how these contracts were used to force pure-blood women to commit war crimes they were literally incapable of refusing."
"Public reaction?" Fudge asked, though he suspected he really didn't want to know the answer.
"Howlers," said his secretary, appearing in the doorway with the expression of someone who'd just watched their entire mail system become a weapon of mass communication deployed by angry citizens with very strong opinions about governmental competence.
"Hundreds of them. Thousands, possibly. The mail room is refusing to open them after the first dozen made the building shake and probably violated several noise ordinances."
"And that's not the worst part," Amelia added with the tone of someone delivering news that was going to make everything else seem like minor administrative difficulties.
"What's the worst part?" Fudge asked, though his political instincts were already telling him he definitely didn't want to know.
"Rita's promised this is just the first article in a comprehensive investigative series," Amelia said, her voice carrying the weight of someone who'd just realized their professional reputation was about to be systematically destroyed by someone with access to information that made governments very nervous.
"She says she has enough documentation to expose 'decades of systematic corruption, cover-ups, and failures that have turned the Ministry of Magic into a monument to bureaucratic incompetence and moral bankruptcy.' That's a direct quote."
The silence that followed was the kind of heavy quiet that usually preceded either great revelations or complete institutional collapse. In this case, it was definitely the latter.
"What do we do?" Fudge asked, his voice carrying the desperate tone of someone whose political career was currently being consumed by journalistic fire and was hoping someone might suggest effective damage control that didn't involve complete professional suicide.
"We prepare for the emergency Wizengamot session that's inevitably coming," Amelia said with the resigned efficiency of someone who'd just realized her department was about to be investigated by people with very pointed questions and probably very little patience for bureaucratic explanations.
"And we hope that whatever cosmic justice helped Harry Potter escape his situation has better things to do than systematically destroying everyone who was complicit in his abuse."
Meanwhile, at Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore sat in his office reading the newspaper with the expression of someone whose carefully constructed legacy was being systematically dismantled by truth, justice, and really excellent investigative journalism that made years of strategic maneuvering look like the actions of someone who'd lost perspective on what was actually important.
Every word Rita had written was accurate. Every accusation was supported by documentation that he couldn't dispute. Every revelation about Harry's abuse, his wrongful placement with the Dursleys, the ignored provisions of James and Lily's will—all of it was true, and all of it made Dumbledore look like either a fool or a monster, depending on whether you believed his failures were due to incompetence or willful blindness.
"Fawkes," he said quietly to his phoenix companion, his voice carrying the weight of someone who'd just realized that his attempts to control Harry's development for the greater good had resulted in systematic abuse that could have been prevented if he'd simply honored the boy's parents' wishes instead of thinking he knew better.
"I fear I have made mistakes that cannot be unmade, caused suffering that cannot be undone, and lost the trust of the one person whose welfare should have been my highest priority."
Fawkes trilled softly, a sound that might have been sympathy or might have been phoenix commentary on the predictable consequences of treating children like chess pieces in games they never consented to play.
Dumbledore stood and moved to his window, looking out at the grounds of Hogwarts where Harry should have been learning magic and making friends instead of wherever he was now—probably planning systematic governmental reform with cosmic allies who had very strong opinions about people who failed to protect children from obvious abuse.
The truth was uncomfortable in the way that truth always is when it forces you to confront the gap between your intentions and your actions, between your self-image and your actual impact on the people whose lives you've influenced.
He'd thought he was protecting Harry by keeping him away from the wizarding world, by ensuring he grew up humble rather than spoiled, by maintaining control over his development so he'd be prepared for the role Dumbledore believed he'd need to play in the coming conflict.
But what he'd actually done was sentence a child to ten years of systematic abuse while convincing himself that the greater good justified ignoring the explicit wishes of parents who'd died trusting that their son would be loved and protected.
"I should have listened to James and Lily," he said quietly, his voice carrying the regret of someone who'd just realized that his arrogance had caused irreparable harm to someone he'd claimed to protect.
"I should have honored their wishes instead of substituting my judgment for theirs. I should have investigated Harry's welfare instead of assuming that blood wards were sufficient protection against relatives who saw him as an unwanted burden."
And now Harry was somewhere out there with allies who specialized in cosmic justice and had already demonstrated their approach to education involved consuming people who'd wronged innocent children. Allies who probably had very detailed plans for everyone who'd been complicit in Harry's mistreatment, including one old wizard who'd let his plans and prejudices blind him to a child's suffering.
Dumbledore found himself hoping that when those plans came to fruition, they might include the possibility of redemption for someone who desperately wanted the chance to make amends for failures that had nearly destroyed the boy he'd sworn to protect.
Though given what he'd learned about cosmic entity approaches to education, he suspected that conversation was going to be significantly more intense than any he'd ever had with the Wizengamot, the Ministry, or anyone else who'd underestimated the consequences of failing children who deserved better.
This was going to be very interesting for everyone involved. And by interesting, Dumbledore meant it was probably going to require extensive soul-searching for anyone who survived the educational experience.
---
Back at Number Twelve Grimmauld Place, the morning's entertainment was watching various government officials discover what it felt like to be the subject of Rita Skeeter's journalistic attention when she was armed with actual facts instead of creative speculation.
Harry sat in the library surrounded by newspapers—not just the Daily Prophet, but international magical publications that had picked up the story and were running their own analyses of British governmental incompetence and systematic institutional failure. The headlines were getting progressively more creative as editors around the world competed to capture the scope of the scandal.
*"THE GREATER GOOD: How Britain's Chief Warlock Destroyed a Child to Save His Conscience"* ran the headline in the French magical newspaper La Gazette du Sorcier.
*"BLOOD WARDS AND BLOOD MONEY: The Economics of Child Abuse in Modern Britain"* was the lead story in the German publication Der Zauberbund.
*"MARRIAGE CONTRACTS OR SLAVERY BONDS: An International Legal Analysis"* dominated the front page of the International Confederation of Wizards' quarterly legal review.
"I think," Harry said, his voice carrying the satisfaction of someone watching systematic justice unfold through public accountability and really excellent timing, "Rita exceeded even our expectations for comprehensive governmental destruction."
*"She's very thorough,"* Drakor observed with cosmic approval, his mental voice carrying the admiration of someone who appreciated competent work regardless of the field. *"Very systematic approach to reputational destruction. I respect professionals who take pride in their work, even when their work involves character assassination and public humiliation instead of interdimensional justice and educational consumption."*
"The international coverage is particularly satisfying," Bellatrix said, reading from a publication that appeared to be conducting a detailed legal analysis of magical slavery contracts and their enforcement mechanisms throughout European wizarding society.
"It's not just a British scandal anymore—it's become an international examination of systematic oppression and governmental failure that's making other countries review their own marriage contract laws and child protection protocols."
"Three different governments have already announced emergency reviews of their legal frameworks for marriage contracts," Ted reported, consulting his professional correspondence with the satisfaction of someone whose strategic gamble had exceeded all reasonable expectations for success.
"The International Confederation of Wizards has called an emergency session to address what they're calling 'the British Crisis.' And apparently, several other countries are demanding explanations about why Britain was allowed to systematically violate international standards for child protection and human rights without intervention."
"How are things at the Ministry?" Sirius asked, though his tone suggested he already knew the answer and was looking forward to it.
"Complete chaos," Ted said cheerfully, consulting the latest reports from his professional contacts with the expression of someone watching his most optimistic predictions for systematic destruction come to fruition ahead of schedule.
"Fudge's office is reportedly buried under thousands of Howlers from constituents who have very strong opinions about governmental competence and child welfare. Three different department heads have submitted their resignations rather than face questions about their roles in maintaining these injustices."
"And Dumbledore?" Harry asked, his voice carrying genuine curiosity about how the man who'd placed him with the Dursleys was handling the revelation that his decisions had resulted in systematic abuse.
"Hasn't been seen since yesterday," Ted reported, consulting his notes with the clinical precision of someone tracking the movements of people who were probably going to require legal representation in the near future.
"Apparently, he's locked himself in his office at Hogwarts and isn't responding to official correspondence, press inquiries, or demands for explanation from various governmental agencies who have uncomfortable questions about his decision-making process."
"Kreacher!" Sirius called, his voice echoing through the house like someone summoning either assistance or entertainment, depending on how you felt about house-elves who'd developed genuine enthusiasm for household management and possibly gossip distribution.
The ancient house-elf appeared with his usual dramatic timing, but his demeanor continued to radiate the kind of joy that suggested he'd rediscovered his life's purpose and was really excited about sharing household intelligence with masters who actually appreciated his contributions.
"Yes, Master Sirius!" Kreacher said with enthusiasm that bordered on the supernatural. "How may Kreacher serve the Noble House in their campaign of systematic justice reform and governmental accountability?"
"What's the word from your contacts in other magical households?" Sirius asked, because house-elves, as it turned out, maintained the most comprehensive intelligence network in the wizarding world through their own methods of communication that operated independently of human supervision and government monitoring.
"Oh, Master Sirius asks the most excellent questions!" Kreacher said with the satisfaction of someone who'd just been given the opportunity to share information that was both incredibly useful and thoroughly entertaining.
"The house-elf network reports great excitement about systematic reform and proper justice for families who deserve better treatment! Many magical households are discovering that their marriage contracts include similar problematic provisions, and wives are demanding legal review and immediate nullification!"
"How many households?" Bellatrix asked, her voice carrying the hope of someone who was beginning to understand that her situation hadn't been unique and that systematic reform might help other women who'd been trapped in similar circumstances.
"Kreacher hears reports from seventeen different pure-blood families whose contracts include magical binding clauses," Kreacher said with the precision of someone who'd been taking detailed notes and was prepared to provide comprehensive intelligence about systematic oppression throughout British magical society.
"Some contracts are worse than others—some include provisions for lending wives to other families for 'specialized services,' some require complete magical obedience for all household decisions, and some apparently treat wives as security deposits that can be claimed by creditors if their husbands default on financial obligations."
The silence that followed was the kind of profound quiet that usually preceded either complete governmental reform or systematic revolution, depending on how much patience people had for gradual change versus immediate justice.
"Seventeen families," Ted said slowly, his legal mind already calculating the implications of systematic marriage contract reform across multiple pure-blood households simultaneously. "That's going to require comprehensive legal review and probably complete restructuring of magical marriage law."
"And probably some very educational experiences for the men who've been enforcing these contracts," Harry added cheerfully, his voice carrying the anticipation of someone who was looking forward to demonstrating cosmic justice to people who'd spent years treating women like property and legal assets.
*"Oh, I'm going to have so much fun with this,"* Drakor said with the satisfaction of a cosmic entity who'd just been presented with a comprehensive list of people who deserved very creative applications of interdimensional education about proper human rights and ethical behavior.
*"Systematic oppression across multiple families, generations of magical slavery, and enough accumulated injustice to power educational campaigns for decades. It's like Christmas morning for cosmic entities with strong opinions about treating people with basic human decency."*
"The Wizengamot emergency session is scheduled for this afternoon," Ted continued, his voice taking on the focused intensity of someone preparing for the most important legal presentation of his career.
"Public pressure has forced them to address these issues immediately rather than trying to delay and hope everyone forgets about systematic governmental failure and child abuse scandals."
"What's our strategy?" Sirius asked, though his voice suggested he was really looking forward to watching systematic justice unfold through proper legal channels and possibly some very creative applications of cosmic accountability for people who'd spent years ignoring obvious injustices.
"Complete transparency," Ted said with the satisfaction of someone who'd built an absolutely devastating legal case using nothing but facts, proper documentation, and the kind of evidence that made opposing counsel consider career changes in fields that didn't involve defending systematic oppression.
"We present everything. Every document, every piece of evidence, every testimony that demonstrates how thoroughly these institutions have failed the people they were supposed to protect."
"And if they resist acknowledging their failures?" Bellatrix asked, her voice carrying the anticipation of someone who was really looking forward to watching the people responsible for her fifteen years of magical enslavement discover what cosmic justice looked like when it was applied with precision and creativity.
"Then they discover what happens when you try to ignore cosmic entities with detailed intelligence about governmental corruption and very strong opinions about systematic reform," Harry said with the cheerful tone of someone who was really looking forward to educational demonstrations involving interdimensional law enforcement and creative applications of cosmic justice.
"Master Harry Potter speaks most wisely!" Kreacher announced with the kind of joy that suggested he was looking forward to serving a family that actually stood for justice, proper treatment of all individuals, and systematic reform of oppressive institutions.
"Kreacher has prepared formal robes for all family members attending the Wizengamot session, organized transportation through methods that ensure privacy and security, and coordinated with the house-elf network to provide comprehensive intelligence about which officials are likely to support reform versus which ones will require more... persuasive educational experiences."
"More persuasive educational experiences," Sirius repeated, his voice carrying the kind of amused appreciation that suggested he was beginning to understand that house-elves had their own opinions about systematic justice and were prepared to provide support for reform through methods that probably weren't covered in any legal textbook.
"Indeed, Master Sirius!" Kreacher confirmed with satisfaction that bordered on the cosmic. "The house-elf network has been documenting systematic abuse and governmental failure for decades, and is most eager to ensure that proper justice is achieved through whatever methods prove most effective for comprehensive reform."
As they prepared for what would probably be the most important legal session in wizarding history, Harry couldn't help but feel that everything was finally falling into place. They had evidence, they had public support, they had legal representation that understood both magical law and cosmic justice, and most importantly, they had allies who were committed to ensuring that systematic oppression was met with the kind of comprehensive reform that made sure these problems never happened again.
"Time to show the Wizengamot what happens when you underestimate the power of truth, justice, and really excellent legal preparation," Harry said with the satisfaction of someone who was about
---
Hey fellow fanfic enthusiasts!
I hope you're enjoying the fanfiction so far! I'd love to hear your thoughts on it. Whether you loved it, hated it, or have some constructive criticism, your feedback is super important to me. Feel free to drop a comment or send me a message with your thoughts. Can't wait to hear from you!
If you're passionate about fanfiction and love discussing stories, characters, and plot twists, then you're in the right place! I've created a Discord (HHHwRsB6wd) server dedicated to diving deep into the world of fanfiction, especially my own stories. Whether you're a reader, a writer, or just someone who enjoys a good tale, I welcome you to join us for lively discussions, feedback sessions, and maybe even some sneak peeks into upcoming chapters, along with artwork related to the stories. Let's nerd out together over our favorite fandoms and explore the endless possibilities of storytelling!
Can't wait to see you there!