"Dobby!"
The house-elf immediately popped in front of his master and
beamed, "Master Harry is calling Dobby? What can Dobby for the
great Harry Potter?"
A hint of a fond smile formed on Harry's face. He was sitting in his
favourite armchair by the floor-to-ceiling windows in his study, going
through the list he had prepared of people he suspected might be
collaborating with the Muggles.
"Did you trail Hermione Granger?"
"Yes, Master," Dobby nodded fervently, his ears flapping in
excitement. "Dobby did exactly as Master instructed him to do.
Dobby followed Miss Grangye everywhere for two weeks."
"And?" he pressed.
"Miss Grangye is not interacting with Muggles, Master," answered
the house-elf. "Sometimes she goes to the Muggle world to buy
things, but she didn't meet anyone. She is simply staying at home,
and Dobby's scans showed that she was always surrounded by
books."
Harry exhaled in frustration as he struck off another name from his
list. "So she's doing nothing suspicious?" he inquired again.
"No, Master. Miss Grangye mostly stays at home the whole day.
Dobby is not sure what she does at home. There are wards that
prevent house-elves from directly entering, but Dobby was able to
see that the book-witch was mostly reading or writing or casting
spells."
Harry bit his lip in contemplation. "You did a good job, Dobby. Thank
you. That is all."
Dobby beamed at him and Disapparated with a crack .
"I told you," said Daphne. "It was only a matter of time before
Granger resigned from her job. I always wondered why she didn't
pursue higher education and instead joined the Ministry immediately
after graduating from Hogwarts."
"It was probably due to lack of money," shrugged Harry. "Not
everyone receives a scholarship to go to a university and without her
parents for financial support, what else would she do?"
"Yeah," Daphne agreed quietly. "You know, now that I'm older and
calmer, I feel like I should have handled the situation in our fifth year
better. Maybe that Confundus Charm was unnecessary. Just making
them shut up would have been enough."
"You were a fifteen-year-old girl," Harry pointed out. "The fact that
you enchanted that book was quite a feat in itself. We never asked
her to complain to McGonagall, Daph. She being a tattletale was
what caused the problem in the first place."
"Well, she was a young girl too. I can't fault her for blaming us – me
– for what happened. At the time, I wasn't mature enough to realise
it, but should the situation be reversed, I would be pretty mad too.
Yes, Granger was at fault, but it wasn't like I was innocent either."
Harry shook his head. He still believed that what Daphne had done
then was right. Severus Snape had been a real problem during the
Voldemort war, and her Confundus Charm had managed to keep the
secret of the Defence Association from getting out and managed to
get rid of Snape at the same time. If Granger had a problem with his
teaching methods, she could have simply stopped attending his
classes. She had no right to stop others from learning.
"Anyway, Granger now pursuing higher education is not something
surprising," she shrugged. "Yes, she was a high-ranking employee,
but maybe she just wants to study more?"
"Do you really think Granger, of all people, would be fine with the
amendment?" Harry asked darkly. "Daph, we have a breach.
Information about the magical world is trickling its way into the
Muggle internet. It's getting very hard for us to erase such
information. Anti-wizard sentiments haven't been this high in a
century!"
"Yes, it is most definitely a problem, but none your suspects are in a
position of power that could help the Muggles. Maybe it's Krum."
"Even if Krum is involved, I wouldn't know. The protection offered to
the Supreme Mugwump and the heads of all the magical
governments is very advanced. Spying on him is nearly impossible."
"Why not simply crash the Muggles' network and destroy information
about magic?" asked Daphne. "That's what Obliviators have been
doing for years!"
"It's becoming harder for them to do that. Just like we have tightened
security, they have too. From what I've read from Muggle
newspapers, their governments are very strict about securing their
computers due to their own internal conflict. We're not used to such
technology, Daph. This is what I feared since I was a boy. Yet at the
time, no one believed me."
Daphne bit her lip. "I don't have a solution to this – what was the
word again?"
"Internet."
"Right. Well, I don't have a solution to this internet problem, but I do
have an idea to take care of Krum."
Harry leaned forward with interest. "I'm listening."
"Witches and wizards have always been attracted to strong voices,
or should I say, powerful people who can reach out to them and
solve their problems. For ten years now, we have been interacting
with the common people around the world. Harry, you have done a
lot for them even when you weren't obligated to. People know that.
You have earned the respect of many. Over the years, our political
capital has also increased after gaining a firm hold on various
politicians. Use the opportunity presented to go for the kill."
"This soon?"
"Harry, once you achieve this, we can stop the war before it can
even begin to take shape," Daphne explained. "I know what Luna
Lovegood said, but I'm still not convinced that there is no way to
prevent war. If there are no information leaks, then why would there
be a war at all? We have achieved complete secrecy and with
Muggles not knowing about the existence of magic, there will be no
conflict between our two worlds."
"But for those information leaks to be stopped, the next stage of our
plan must take effect," muttered Harry. He stroked his chin in
contemplation.
Caral-Supe, capital of the magical province of Peru
Twenty-eight-year-old Harry Potter, a member of the International
Confederation of Wizards representing Avalon, sat in his seat amidst
the chaos and observed the scene in silence.
Since the I.C.W. did not have a separate building as headquarters,
the place the delegates were required to meet shifted very
frequently. No two consecutive meetings were held in the same city.
It promoted unity among the people, but in Harry's opinion, it also
took much longer to schedule a meeting in case of an emergency. A
separate legislative complex was needed for the functioning of the
I.C.W.
A hint of a smirk formed on his usually expressionless face. His
green eyes locked on the agitated Supreme Mugwump.
'Learn to see in the dark, Your Excellency,' he thought in satisfaction.
In three years, he had surrounded Ivan Krum in ways the man had
yet to realise. Knowing that he would need their support, Harry had
continued to interact with the common people, holding rallies globally
in order to bring them all together for a common cause. In order to
be a good and effective leader, he had to understand the mindset
and needs of the magical community. It was also necessary to
identify the flaws of their society so that steps could be taken to
improve and grow. Harry knew that the magical world was not
perfect. They had a host of problems but without sufficient sway in
the government, he couldn't get anything done.
He had also increased bilateral talks with the Goblins, Veela,
Centaurs, Vampires and several Elvin representatives. Meanwhile,
he had gained strength in the political arena, slowly bringing Krum's
allies to his side without the latter even knowing about it. While
Harry's global influence had grown, both among government
bureaucrats and among the wizarding populace, Krum's popularity
had dwindled, mostly due to the fact that he wasn't willing to take the
necessary steps to further safeguard the interests of the magical
world.
Krum was unwilling to acknowledge that exposure was imminent. He
also advocated more peace talks, going so far as to say that the
I.C.W. needed to contact their Muggle counterpart, the United
Nations, to help deal with the threat.
Harry mentally snorted. Krum had just set fire to his career. Not even
Lord Zeus could save him now.
"Let me get this straight, Your Excellency," said Anthony Goldstein, a
member representing MACUSA. "We are facing a global crisis
because information about the existence of magic is flooding this –
what was the term? Oh yes, the internet ."
"It is not a crisis, Mr Goldstein!"
"Our Obliviators have been unable to purge all records of magical
activity from their computers because as one expert said, there are
just too many pathways and endpoints," said Su Li of Magical China.
"A small but significant portion of their population believes that magic
is real. It is only a matter of time before Muggle governments get
involved. Yes, Your Excellency, it is most definitely a crisis."
"And your solution is to reveal the existence of magic to their
international body?" asked Gabrielle Delacour of Magical France,
incredulously.
"That goes against the very concept of maintaining secrecy," Parvati
Patil of Magical India took over. "Right now, only a couple of people
in the Muggle governments in Europe know about the existence of
the magical world. I doubt they pose a threat because they're alone
and no one would believe them should they say anything. However,
should you contact the rest, how long do you think it'll take for them
to reveal the information to their people?"
"Give them some credit!" screamed Krum, finally reaching the end of
his tether. "They're the international governing body of the Muggle
world. The reason most European Ministers of Magic used to inform
the heads of their respective Muggle governments was so that they
could implement the Statute better. By contacting the United Nations
and seeking their help, we can control the information that is leaked
to the Muggles!"
"Now," whispered Harry to the man sitting next to him.
"I do believe we disagree, Your Excellency," said Blaise Zabini in his
usual calm voice. "I fear you have become emotionally compromised
and lost track of reality. We are facing a crisis that hasn't been seen
since Gellert Grindelwald was at the height of his powers. You fail to
see that exposure is imminent, and should the existence of magic be
revealed to the Muggles, it would not end well for any of us. You
refuse to let us take action. I do not have any faith in you to lead the
magical community. I suggest that new leadership is needed to help
us during these troubled times. I hereby call for a vote of no
confidence in Supreme Mugwump Ivan Krum."
Krum's eyes bulged out of his sockets. This was something he had
expected would happen, but not this soon. His hands were shaking
slightly due to fear and rage as beads of sweat formed on his brow.
He didn't hear the noises of agreement in the background. Krum
focussed only on the face of Harry Potter, the man who was most
definitely behind all this.
Unfortunately, he could not identify anything from Potter's
demeanour. The younger man was stoic as always.
He took a deep breath to calm himself; he couldn't appear to be '
emotionally compromised' . Potter had made a bold move, but it was
foolish as well. Only if they reached a tally of sixty per cent could
they boot him from office. And Krum was confident that Potter
wouldn't achieve those required numbers, mostly because Krum still
had a large support base himself.
As per the Charter of the International Confederation of Wizards, the
Supreme Mugwump had to refrain from voting in this particular
instance. Trying to keep his voice steady, Krum announced, "Let us
now vote on the motion of no confidence raised by Mr Blaise Zabini
of Magical Italy."
Unlike legislative votes, this was not public. A small glass plate
appeared before each member. All of them pointed their wands at it,
and there was a flash of white light before the glass disappeared.
Everyone held their breath as they looked at the screen.
Krum collapsed in his seat, hyperventilating. How was this possible?
He was so sure that he had allies in the Confederation! He looked at
the six Bulgarian representatives, his eyes burning with anger and
betrayal.
"The motion passes unanimously ," Madam Sato of Magical Japan
announced. "Please step down from your seat, Mr Krum."
"Members of the Confederation," said Neville Longbottom, also part
of the group of witches and wizards representing Avalon in the I.C.W.
"In these troubled times, I suggest that we do not postpone the
elections, but instead, choose to hold them immediately."
"I concur with Mr Longbottom's assessment," said Parvati.
"As per the by-laws of the Charter of the International Confederation
of Wizards, I nominate Mr Harry Potter as the new Supreme
Mugwump."
Krum was sitting silently, still unable to believe the injustice heaped
upon him. His face resembled a tomato, his face writ with anger and
fear. The Dark Lord Harry Potter had won this round.
Harry stood up and bowed. "I humbly accept the nomination," he
said, his voice reverberating throughout the chamber.
'This is an outrage!' thought Ivan Krum furiously. The election for the
office of Supreme Mugwump was never this easily accepted. No
other candidates were proposed, and the elections were held
immediately. Only one other person in the history of the I.C.W. had
managed to unite everyone in a manner such as this – his deceased
Master, Albus Dumbledore.
And Krum hated comparing the likes of Harry Potter to someone as
great as his mentor.
The vote was unanimous. Thunderous applause rent the air as Harry
Potter, the newly elected leader of the International Confederation of
Wizards, took his place on the highest pedestal, overlooking all the
other members.
"Members of the Confederation, I am humbled by the confidence you
have in me to lead the world through this crisis," said Harry, smiling
at them all. "This great governing body was formed nearly fifteen
hundred years ago, with many great witches and wizards in history
leading it. I will not destroy the faith the people of the magical world
have placed in me. I assure you, the magical world and all its
citizens will be safe from the threat of Muggles."
Krum pursed his lips as everyone applauded.
" Supreme is a title that has always been given to leaders of the
I.C.W. I wonder if I'm worthy of it, but my grandfather always taught
me growing up that age-old values and traditions are very important;
they define our culture, our way of life, and hence I have to respect
it. The suffix to this title has changed many times over the centuries.
We've had Supreme Warlocks, Supreme Mages, Supreme
Sorcerers, and of course, Supreme Mugwumps. The title of
Mugwump was chosen by Albus Dumbledore to represent that he
was always neutral in politics. Whether he truly was neutral is not for
debate, however, in today's climate, neutrality is not what we desire.
In keeping with the traditions of the I.C.W., I hereby change the
name of the office of the Supreme Mugwump to that of the office of
the Supreme Chancellor!"
'How you can bring yourself to insult the great wizard at every turn is
beyond me, Harry Potter,' thought Krum darkly. 'But mark my words,
Albus Dumbledore will be avenged. My parents, wife and child will
be avenged for what the likes you did to them. You are no different
than Grindelwald. I will ensure that you are taken care of soon
enough!'
Harry continued after the applause had died down. From the corner
of his eye, he could see the recording crystal suspended in mid-air,
transmitting everything to media outlets. Within an hour, everyone in
the world would know about the change in leadership.
"The Peverell Clan has always believed that our traditions are very
important. As a child who grew up in such a family, I too was raised
in a similar fashion, with our culture and traditions seeped into my
very blood. The members of my clan also believe that for any
venture to be successful, one needs to seek the blessings of Mother
Magic. It is for that reason that every Lord and Lady Peverell before
me and my wife also had to swear an oath, saying that they would
protect the family at all costs."
"All members of the magical world, comprising of Humans, Elves,
Goblins, Veela, Merpeople, Centaurs, Vampires, Giants,
Werewolves, Dragons, Phoenixes, Nundus, Thunderbirds, Unicorns,
and every other species – are my family. And just as I swore to
protect the members of the Peverell Clan, today, as your Supreme
Chancellor, I, Harry James Potter, swear in the name of Mother
Magic that I will always stay true to the needs of my people and will
always follow the will of Magic, whatever it may be. I will do my duty
and bring honour to my family, which all the people of the magical
world are a part of. This is the solemn vow of a Peverell!"
A wave of magic from Harry's body lashed out, encompassing the
entire chamber. Various members of the International Confederation
gasped at the spectacle, but the others were stunned by the
Supreme Chancellor's display. One of them applauded, starting a
chain reaction as everyone got up to cheer and applaud for their
chosen leader – one who swore an oath to the people of the magical
world and considered each one of them his family.
Harry bowed to them, his green eyes suspiciously moist as his
emotions got the best of him. Since he was the Master of Death,
magical oaths such as the one he had just made would not affect
him, but that didn't mean that he would break it. Harry was many
things, but a liar, he was not. He was now the Supreme Chancellor
of the International Confederation of Wizards. It was said that the
office of the head of the I.C.W. was only powerful if it had the people
backing it. Harry was confident that he could help the magical world,
for there was still a lot to be done. Their society was far from perfect.
For more than a decade he had worked hard for this moment. He
was here for the protection and development of all the people of the
magical world.
"From this moment onwards, there will no barriers between anyone
in the magical world," Harry announced once the applause had died
down. "We may all be different species, but we should not forget that
we are interconnected by the primordial force in the universe –
magic . Humans, Elves, Goblins, Veela, Centaurs, Dragons,
Merpeople, and so many other sentient magical being are all one –
the children of Mother Magic. Our planet is the sacred home of all
our species. It has given us the space to live and grow. It has
nurtured us like a loving mother. Today, on this auspicious occasion,
let us commemorate the energy that breathed life into us. Let us
respect the fact that we are all one. We are all magical beings; we
are all equals. A great man once said that the law applies equally to
all. Let us go back to our roots and remember that the same law that
binds the poorest, least educated magical being also binds the
Supreme Chancellor to the same effect. From the eyes of the law,
there will be no difference. Achieving this will be our goal!"
"Members of the magical world, as your chosen leader, it is my
promise to you that if we all work together, we can create a nearperfect
society that shall be celebrated for millennia. Ours will be a
society without discrimination; a society where everyone gets the
opportunity to pursue their interests; a society where the leaders
shall work for the people, not for their own selfish interests; and
finally, a society where magic thrives , as it always should."
The entire room seemed to tremble due to the emotions invoked in
the passionate speech of the Supreme Chancellor. Harry Potter
seemed to be speaking from his heart, evident by the tears that
seemed to have filled his eyes.
This was a man who loved every inch of the planet, whose very
existence seemed to be based on serving his people; serving Mother
Magic herself.
"Let us make our great ancestors proud," shouted Harry. "MAGIC IS
MIGHT!"
The members of the Confederation seemed to be rejuvenated.
Raising their right arms high in the air, their fists clenched, they cried,
repeating the words of their leader, their devotion towards the sacred
cosmic energy clear, "MAGIC IS MIGHT!"
"Magic is might!"
"Magic is might!"
In a corner of the room, former Supreme Mugwump Ivan Krum kept
staring at Harry.
He kept staring .
The Himalayan ranges, at the foothills of Mt Everest
"Group, begin attack!"
General Dylan Lestrange, the head of International Confederation's
emergency task force, watched silently as his team practised once
more. They were on the outskirts of the still-under-construction
capital city of the I.C.W. Sounds of battle echoed everywhere, but
Dylan was calm, standing on top of a small hill, observing them all.
On the ground were one thousand witches and wizards, handpicked
by him three years ago. They were the elite, consisting of some of
the best warriors in the world. Many of them were graduates of the
Siberian Academy of Battle-Magic. For three years, Dylan had
restlessly pushed them, taught them, and trained with them as they
prepared for war.
A war that would hopefully never come to pass.
There was a crack of Apparition to his left, and he saw his brother
and Croaker walking towards them. He immediately flew to his
designated spot in front of his soldiers.
"Attention!" barked Dylan. The members of the task force
immediately froze. There was a simultaneous crack of Apparition,
and in an instant, they were standing in a neat, organized manner,
facing their military chief.
All of them, at the same time, brought their clenched fists and
banged it on their chest and bowed, executing a full military salute.
So did Dylan.
"Chancellor," he said formally. "Admiral Croaker. Welcome to our
training program."
The moment Harry had been elected as the Supreme Chancellor, he
had given his assent to many of the secret projects the Department
of Mysteries had been doing illegally, just to keep Krum from finding
out. The construction of Sowilo City , the new capital of the I.C.W.,
had been on-going for over two years now. That was not the only
change. To ensure that people knew of the hierarchy, Harry had
introduced the system of military ranks. Due to his skill, knowledge
and experience, not to mention was qualified for the job, Dylan
Lestrange had been given the title of General. The Emergency
Taskforce was officially disjoined from the Department of Mysteries.
It was not yet an army, as Harry needed approval from the
Confederation to recognise it as such, but that didn't mean they
would train their people any less.
The title of Admiral, a rank equal to that of a General, was given to
Algernon Croaker, the head of the Department of Mysteries. Harry
felt it up to them to decide the lower ranks. From what he could
gather, the succession in the department was quite complex, but one
person was always chosen beforehand to lead them should the
current head resign or die unexpectedly. The rank of Vice-Admiral
had been given to Daphne, Croaker's choice for his successor.
Not that anyone planned to replace Croaker, but ranks had to be
fleshed out.
Harry moved forward, inspecting the presentation of the task force.
One thousand men and women stood at attention as they presented
a unified front.
"Impressive, General," he finally said. Turning towards the
assembled group, he spoke, "I've been observing you all for several
hours. Your hard work has most certainly paid off. Good work,
everyone."
Dylan bowed low in respect. Their numbers were still not large
enough for war, but they didn't need to worry about that. Not yet. For
now, Harry had instructed him to worry only about the training of
these one thousand men and women.
And he had followed his leader's orders perfectly.
"Let's execute another drill," Dylan ordered. "Form up! Infantry units
one and two, begin attack! Air units three and four, evasive pattern
Delta Five . Attack pattern Omega . Fire at will!"
HP*SAVIOUR OF MAGIC*HP
Sowilo City
Headquarters of the Department of Mysteries
Unspeakable Padma Patil checked her calculations once more. The
runic array was perfect. She turned towards her former classmate
and colleague, who was also now her best friend.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" asked Daphne wearily. "Maybe
we should check –"
"Daph, you've checked the enchantments three times. They're
holding. The runic array is flawless. It's time to test it. Master, with
your permission …"
Croaker nodded, excitement bubbling within him. This was a lot
more interesting than watching Dylan's taskforce practice. He had
brought Daphne here as a consultant. She specialised in other
areas, mostly on the Asthron and its sister devices, and while she
didn't have much knowledge about time travel, her expertise in
enchanting could not be denied.
Padma entered the room. The door sealed itself, the locking charms
trapping her inside. Croaker waved his wand and tapped several
devices, muttering under his breath. The computer to his left was
beeping constantly, the transparent glass screen glowing light blue
as usual. Daphne kept her eye on the Varasma sensors.
"Magical energy flow is stable," she announced. "Enchantments are
in place."
"Acknowledged," muttered Croaker. "I'm activating the temporal runic
array – now!"
They waited for nearly five minutes. Just when the last few seconds
were ticking, the clock moving closer to five minutes, Daphne began
counting.
"Five – four – thee –"
"The runes are activating again," said Croaker, holding his breath.
"– two – one – open the door."
With a flick of his wand, Croaker unlocked the door to the room
where Padma had disappeared five minutes ago. Slowly, she walked
out. She looked irritated.
"It works," said Padma without preamble. "I was in there for a month.
Five minutes for you both, I suppose?"
"Yes," Croaker beamed. "Our calculations were perfect. We did it!"
Padma grumbled. "I'm dying for some good food after one month in
that hell-hole. Damn, I'm a terrible cook!"
Daphne burst out laughing. Shaking her head, she followed her
friend who kept complaining about how the isolation annoyed her.
She was also pining for her family.
"My daughter is going to be so mad at me," she grimaced, "I don't
know how my poor husband managed to handle her for a month!"
" Ahem , Padma? It's only been five minutes, remember?"
The former Ravenclaw stopped walking, her eyes wide in shocked
disbelief. She groaned.
"I'm going crazy. Where's my husband? I need sex!"
Daphne couldn't help it. She started laughing hysterically again.
"How did you adjust without him for a month?"
Padma grinned sheepishly. "My finger?" she said weakly.
"Ah ha!"
"Oh, shut up, Daph! What would you do in my position?!"
Daphne grinned. "Oh, Padma … why use your finger when there is a
charm specifically to help you? Just cast it on yourself and let the
vibration do the rest!"
There was a pause. "You bitch. I hate you."
"Hey! I told you not to go in there alone! You were the one who said
that reading relaxes you after a tiring day."
Padma covered her ears, refusing to hear any more excuses.
Daphne chuckled.
HP*SAVIOUR OF MAGIC*HP
10 Downing Street, London
"You were thrown out?" exclaimed the Prime Minister. He was quite
surprised. In the time he had known him, Ivan Krum had acted as
though he held the strings in the wizarding world, and now, the man
was telling him that he was no longer the leader?
"Yes," Krum exhaled. "Potter executed the deed masterfully. My own
allies rebelled against me."
"I'm sorry," said the Prime Minister softly. As a fellow politician, he
could understand the other man's pain. Rising to the top level was
never easy. It took decades of work and for it all to fall to pieces in
front of your eyes because of your most hated enemy, like the leader
of the opposition, for example, could no doubt drive anyone into a fit
of rage.
Three years had passed since the Prime Minister had met Hermione
Granger. Just weeks after he had met the woman, he had been
contacted by Ivan Krum, the person who claimed to be the leader of
the magical equivalent of the United Nations. At first, the Prime
Minister had dismissed Krum's existence entirely; after all, if the U.N.
was anything to go by, the leader would only be a figurehead with no
power. However, it turned out that the wizarding world did not
function that way. The Supreme Mugwump – what a strange title,
thought the Prime Minister – was, in fact, the leader of the global
legislative body of the wizarding world with substantial powers.
When he had met Krum, the Prime Minister had been intrigued. The
man claimed that Harry Potter, a person Granger had also warned
him about, was in the process of claiming more power for himself
and that he was also a complete authoritarian who went out of his
way to harm non-magical beings. After a few meetings, where the
Prime Minister had been stiff and aloof, he realised that Krum was
actually a very intelligent man.
However, despite being warned about Potter's actions towards
Muggle-borns – oh, how he hated the word Muggle – he had still
been unable to do anything about it. Only a few top brass members
of the government knew about the existence of magic. He needed
the lower levels to implement any change, which was not possible
due to them not knowing about magic.
Unfortunately, the wizards were quite efficient. Even now, the Prime
Minister didn't know which child was taken and replaced. It had been
done masterfully. That had happened two and a half years ago. He
had also come across a potential risk – wizards were able to gain
access to information without them even knowing about it. He
couldn't really care about any magical child Potter was taking away.
As far as he was concerned, such freaks didn't deserve to be in their
world, and the citizens of the U.K. were better off without them.
However, due to the concerns of leaks in information, he had brought
the Director-General of the Security Service into the fold. They had
to ensure that their computer systems were not tampered with.
The Prime Minister was not an idiot. He knew that Krum wanted to
stop Harry Potter by any means necessary. Even though Krum
appeared to be nice, he had quickly gotten annoyed at the Prime
Minister's lack of action towards the kidnapped Muggle-borns. But he
had not broken off their partnership. And that's what it was – a
partnership, with the Prime Minister wanting more information about
the magical world and in return, would help Ivan Krum defeat Harry
Potter.
However, the Prime Minister didn't mention to Krum that he had
taken steps to reveal the existence of such a cult to the rest of the
world. He wouldn't be a sitting duck. Slowly but surely, more
information about these freaks would make its way to everyone
through the internet.
No, Krum and Granger might be his allies for the moment, but he
wouldn't ever reveal that he had taken steps to safeguard his people
from the threat that was magic.
"What do we do now?" he asked.
Krum sighed as he massaged his temples with his fingers. "I knew
that Potter would have me thrown out of the I.C.W., but I never
expected that he could gather so much support this soon. The fact
that he is now the Supreme Chancellor is worrisome."
"Surely someone would stop him," the defence secretary exclaimed.
"He can't be all-powerful!"
"Unfortunately, he does seem to portray the image of being allpowerful,
especially after surviving that many assassination
attempts," Krum smiled wryly. He paused, thinking hard. "We need to
get rid of him as soon as possible before things get out of hand."
The Prime Minister mentally snorted. When Krum was the Supreme
Mugwump and had legitimate power behind him, he had not acted.
Now, when he was booted out of office with practically no influence,
he wanted to get rid of Potter?
"What do you have in mind?"
"If Potter is allowed free reign, he will do everything in his power to
destroy the non-magical world," said Krum. "My parents, wife and
daughter were killed because of wizards like him. I won't allow him to
win. But in order to stop him, I need your help."
The Prime Minister leaned back as he listened to Krum's idea. It
made sense, and his mind began calculating on how best to turn it to
his advantage. Of course, he had to ensure that his people were not
caught in the middle of this scheme. It would need to be handled
carefully.
"I'm not sure this plan is foolproof," said the defence secretary. He
took a piece of paper and sketched out what he wanted to achieve.
"Andrew, you can't be serious!" exclaimed the Prime Minister.
"Sir, this is the only way we can guarantee success," he pointed out.
Krum too was feeling uneasy about this. Nothing in his plan had
been anything this drastic, but he could also see the efficiency
behind what the defence secretary suggested. Potter was insanely
powerful. His eyes widened when he remembered something.
"Potter has dealt with your kind of weapons before," Krum stated.
The Obscurial attack. "I think this plan would be more suitable. I'll
also add a few elements to it in order to ensure that the threat of
Harry Potter will never rise again."
"Fine," spat the Prime Minister. "If we're doing this, I have a condition
of my own."
"Name it," said Krum.
"What are they discussing?" whispered Hermione Granger. "They've
been in there for over two hours!"
The Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation,
Percy Weasley, nodded. "I don't know, but do you think this is wise?
It's been three years, and the Muggle Prime Minister has done
nothing to stop Potter's activities."
Hermione grimaced. She wholeheartedly agreed with her husband.
According to the I.C.W., nearly fifty thousand Muggle-borns from
around the world had been 'rescued' and adopted by various witches
and wizards. There were many who protested against the
amendment, but Potter had held rallies in every country, doing his
best to convince everyone why the amendment was necessary.
Unfortunately, Hermione had to grudgingly admit that Potter was an
outstanding orator. Thousands would flock to him, just to hear him
speak. She was not surprised at all that he managed to oust Ivan
Krum to become the Supreme Chancellor of the I.C.W.
"Why is he doing this?" she wondered out loud. "What could he
possibly gain? "
"I don't understand it either," frowned Percy. "Apart from that
amendment to the Statute of Secrecy, he's actually proven himself to
be a good leader. There's a reason why the public adores him."
Hermione scoffed. "That doesn't negate the fact that he's a bastard
who thinks stealing children from their mothers is acceptable," she
spat. "He has kids too, doesn't he? Do you think he would be willing
to give them up?"
Percy chuckled humourlessly. "Do you really want me to answer
that?" he asked wryly.
" See? Then how can he expect others to do so? He doesn't care
because the parents of such children are Muggles, and Muggles are
beneath the likes of him. He's all about the greatness of the magical
world. I really see nothing different between him and You-Know-
Who."
"That's harsh, Hermione."
"Maybe," she acknowledged after a pause. "But his actions do
portray him that way."
"Do you believe Potter wants to wage a war with the Muggles?"
asked Percy. "Mr Krum certainly seems to think so."
"I don't know, Percy," Hermione sighed. "Mr Krum knows how
Potter's mind operates. He was Professor Dumbledore's apprentice;
that should be enough proof to show that he's very intelligent. Have
you realised that all his observations of Potter were proven true?
Just after Potter entered politics, Mr Krum predicted that Potter
would become the Chief Warlock and a member of the I.C.W. He
was right. He told me that Potter would make his stand on the
subject of Muggles clear; he was right. He was absolutely sure that
Potter would replace him as the Supreme Mugwump. Granted, his
timing was not perfect, but he was right once again! What if he's right
about Potter wanting to wage a war against the Muggles?"
Percy breathed deeply. "He could be putting the entire world at risk
because of his fanatical hate for everything Muggle. If he's anything
like Grindelwald …"
"Oh, he is very much like Grindelwald," Hermione muttered darkly. "
The amendment is necessary for the safety and security of the
magical world. That's the same as Grindelwald claiming that
everything he did was for the greater good."
Her husband hummed. "Though I do wonder how he swore that
oath. Media outlets around the world are buzzing about that."
Hermione snorted. "Oh, I don't doubt for a moment that it's fake."
"You can't fake –" began Percy but was interrupted when the door to
the cabinet room opened. The Prime Minister, Defence Secretary
and Ivan Krum walked out.
"I'll have my people report to you as soon as I assemble the
materials," Krum said quietly.
"Understood," said the Prime Minister, doing his best to hide his
glee. "And remember, Mr Krum. It's Potter and Black. That is my only
condition. Good day."
The former Supreme Mugwump nodded. There was work to be
done