A/N: Political intrigue anyone? At the very least, a long chapter at last.
Chapter XXXVII: Dirty Games
The initial euphoria over the return of the long-lost relatives and acquaintances died down as the daily business of survival took over in the Order once again.
Sirius caught up on the new reality relatively quickly, as the current situation did not differ very much from the last time he was fighting the Dark Side - a mad opponent bent on their destruction. James and Lily took longer to become accustomed to the rules and procedures of the new Order. Bringing them back to life triggered the loss of some of the information Harry might have told them while he was also dead, and Remus made it a meticulous job to inform them of nearly everything that had happened, more or less, in the last twenty years. Only then did Harry's parents begin to connect the details and recall odd pieces of what Harry had told them.
Ginny's double resurrection had sapped the energy out of her, and amid enjoying Draco's constant attention, which was starting to rival Mrs. Weasley's in scope, she was gradually recovering. Luna had fared better than the last time she performed a resurrection and was up and around within a day. Ron was very much relieved for the fact, and the grin didn't come off his face for two days from pride for his partner in life...
Harry also was at last introduced to the friendship between the Marauders and came to appreciate how strong their friendship was, even after so many years apart. Admittedly, he found it a bit odd his parents were close to his age, but then, what was not possible in the world of magic...
Hermione, unable to assist in bringing back Harry's parents, nor Sirius, spent time recovering longer than the rest. Her weakness progressively disappeared, and it took another few consultations with Madam Pomfrey to finally sort her out.
The looming conflict on the horizon that nobody was yet willing to acknowledge, was the power vacuum that had formed in the Ministry from the absence of Ginny, Draco and Luna from the forefront of magical politics. It was simply that the Order required the full attention of all its members nearly all the time...
The Prophet was coming out with one scathing story after another about the alleged whereabouts and activities of the aforementioned three, from dealing with the Dark Side to being a part of a secret society and using the Ministry for their own gain, while making a permanent exit, along with Harry Potter and a few other choice characters...
Harry had declared his annoyance at the articles, and took to burning each copy of the Prophet after he read it. However, he was still following what happened very closely, and it was one aspect in particular that worried him...
An alleged coup. Aside from the tripe the wizarding newspaper was running, one name in particular kept re-appearing - the forceful personality of one Gaius Black. He was an overnight success, a complete debutante on the political scene that nobody had really heard of before. His fiery rhetoric, however, was quickly winning him significant political and social support.
What was he promising? Harry reflected on that with a bit of contempt - "bring the current leadership to account for their absence in government, bring them to justice for their corrupt methods and publicize their activities!"
He honestly found these words to be a weak and pathetic way of swaying support away from them. What pressured Harry more was Lestrange's next move, but he could not leave Draco, Ginny and Luna to take the brunt of the blame that they would inevitably have to endure on return to the public eye.
This new upstart was highly irritating at best. What was needed was a way of asserting their legitimacy as the government, but the methods eluded him…
Maybe an external disturbance could provide a stage to delegitimize this mysterious nobody and restore them to power? They could stage something, but…
"No, Harry!" Hermione's voice startled him out of his thoughts, when she walked in the living room.
"What?" he was confused momentarily. "What are you talking about?"
"Whatever it was you were thinking," she told him, "I know that look on your face. So, no."
Sometimes Harry was afraid how well she knew him. But he loved her all the same - she was his voice of reason in a world of madness.
"Can you call Luna, Ginny and Draco in here? And Ron, while you're at it," he requested of Hermione. "Big problem we need to discuss."
"What is it?" she asked him before she went off.
"Ministry," he answered with one word. "Thought you knew."
She could tell he was edgy about the whole affair. "Yeah, yeah…be right back."
Minutes later, the six in question were fully assembled for the makeshift meeting.
Harry opened the discussion with the expected question. "What are we going to do?"
"Do?" Draco rebutted him almost immediately. "Isn't it all lost? That's all the Prophet is saying as it is."
"We know people in there," Harry said. "There are ways to retrieve the real story."
"Oh yeah!" Ron smacked his forehead. "Old Kingsley. He's still in the department. After Voldemort died he chose a less involved role as my advisor…hasn't been too active on the political scene, so I could talk to him and ask what's going on."
"Can you bring him here now?" Harry's impatience was beginning to show on Draco.
Ron was stumped for a moment, but quickly recovered. "I don't see why not."
Without awaiting a response, he stood up, twirled on his heel, and was gone with a crack.
"What just happened?" Ginny broke the awkward silence that took over after Ron's departure.
"Ron's going to see to it that he brings Kingsley back so he can tell us what's going on with the Ministry," Draco said matter of factly. "Apparently."
"Well, while we wait," Hermione tried to move the matter at hand along, "we can still try and figure out how to approach this whole mess."
"Well," Luna joined in, "as Minister of Magic, I think the appropriate course of action is to go in directly and confront whatever it is we need to confront."
Hermione rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Before you do or say anything else, just read this latest article from the prophet…it's about some bloke named Gaius Black. Apparently he's our biggest issue."
The newspaper was duly passed around in the circle, and the expressions went from surprise, to condescendence, and finally, irresolution.
"If he has significant support, what can we do," Ginny pondered out loud. "We may have to run for an election, and I think we can all agree our government track record hasn't been good, considering all the Order business."
"The other option is we go in and forcefully take power - fire those who don't comply, replace them with favourites…" Draco casually offered. "Of course, there will be ramifications."
"Yes, that's definitely a bad idea," Luna slashed his proposition. "Even better, we might go public and expose what we're doing in the Order of the Phoenix…talk about the fight against Lestrange, but omit the bit about the spells we're protecting."
"And what if then she goes public?" Hermione raised her voice unintentionally. "It could destabilize the entire system."
"Well then, what are the available options?" Ginny could not suppress her frustration.
"I know," Harry declared loudly enough to silence the others. "We need to regain control of our respective departments, and after that, use that support to secure the Ministerial post. Namely, you, Luna," he pointed at her.
"We have no idea how loyal they are," Draco objected to that idea. "It could take months to consolidate them, and Ginny and I have the most difficult jobs here. In the meanwhile, Lestrange could do anything!"
"Not anything," Harry corrected him. "I think an appearance by me, Ron and Hermione might convince them to switch back to our side. After all, the case of Lestrange is still in progress, no?"
"It is, but communication with the Minsitry has been lacking," Ginny said. "I'm supposed to be heading the department, and here I am doing resurrections! Who else is supposed to do my job?"
It was at that moment that Remus made an appearance at the door, with Tonks in tow. "Me."
"What?"
"I've been keeping in contact with the Ministry, Ginny," the werewolf walked in confidently. "And Tonks has been doing the same with the Magical Law Enforcement folks."
"But you were dead for a while," she objected. "How did you manage it?"
""Simple," Lupin smiled. "I have connections, Ginny. Wizards and witches I've known through the years."
"Then why didn't you say anything!" She looked about ready to curse him.
"Not to interfere with what was going on in the meanwhile with our Death Eaters and the resurrections. But don't worry about it, those two departments are safe from penetration by that Black character. And once you have them, there is little any opposition can do."
"You mean this meeting is pointless, then?" she still steamed at the werewolf.
"No, not entirely pointless," Remus rejoined calmly. "You're still going to be subjected to a lot of backlash when you make a public appearance. Just explaining your absence will be a chore on its own."
"Remus," Harry intervened, "we're going to take the blow for Ginny, Luna and Draco. On paper, me, Ron and Hermione are still the leaders of the government, and those three are our deputies. It's only fair we take the brunt of it."
"That's noble of you, Harry," Lupin pointed out, "but it won't save your public support from taking a plunge."
"Is that as important?" Harry asked him. "As long as we're in power and Lestrange is kept at bay."
"I know, Harry, and as little threat as this Black personality may be, he is still a loose cannon. Who knows who he could ally himself with and set you back in one way or another."
"Are you saying he might support Lestrange behind the scenes?" Draco asked before Harry could reply.
"It's a fair chance," the werewolf nodded. "He is a radical by the looks of it - exactly the type that festers with Lestrange and company."
"A radical," Hermione echoed him with interest. "Can we use him to our advantage?"
"And how do you propose we do that?" Ginny could not help but be sceptical.
"Well, we could portray our view as far right, or far left, when it isn't, for the sole purpose of luring him away. Just keep him occupied, as if he was a child, until what we do is over, and then we just let him go."
"I say - "
However, whatever Harry was going to say never materialized, since the sound of Ron coming back along with Kingsley Shacklebolt shook the atmosphere anew.
"I'm back," the redhead declared his presence, "and brought Kingsley with me."
"Hello, everyone," Shacklebolt greeted his old and new comrades. "Pleasure to see you all again."
His gaze lingered slightly longer on Draco Malfoy, examining the youngest member of the Dark family with curiosity. "Since when did you switch sides?"
The question was frank, and took Draco off-guard for a moment. "What do you mean?"
Kingsley took a few steps towards him. "You were being primed for a Death Eater last I heard of you before Voldemort was defeated."
"That was a long time ago," Draco answered forcefully. "I'm on the Light side now."
"I see," Kingsley remained ever so patient. "But why the switch?"
Everyone in the room knew the reasons for that were rather personal to Draco, and he did not discuss them openly. "My parents," he said clearly, implying he wanted to bring the abrupt discussion to an end.
Kingsley seemed to take the hint. "Sufficient enough," he nodded, and retreated back towards Ron.
"Now!" Ron's voice carried impatiently. "If you're done your interrogation, I wanted to ask you to present to everyone here what's going on with the Ministry. You'd know best, after all."
"It's true," Kingsley said slowly. "The Prophet has been printing bullocks as usual, so I wouldn't trust it." And then he paused, seemingly in thought.
"Well then, what's the truth?" Hermione prodded him to continue.
"The paper is right about something," the Auror went on. "This Gaius Black is indeed garnering a lot of support, but it is mostly from the civilian affairs sectors of the ministry that it's coming from, and not from the core institutions, such as the Aurors and Magical Law Enforcement. They're still loyal to you," he gestured at the three deputies to the Golden Trio.
"What about Lestrange?" Ginny pressed the always-dominant subject. "What do you know about her?"
"Well," Kingsley referred to his memory bank once again, "we have several spies in her organization, but none has managed to infiltrate at the deepest level where the decisions are being made. However, from the available intelligence, we can say with definition that she is planning something big. There are signs that it may be in one or two stages, but what the nature of this will be, remains a mystery."
Harry and Ron shared a look at his words, and reached a consensus without words.
"Kingsley," Harry said, "I think it would be a good idea if you met the two newest members of the Order."
"You have more new members?" Shacklebolt was taken by a light surprise. "Besides the Malfoy boy?"
"Yes," Harry nodded, "hold on one minute."
Ron turned on his heel and went into the hall to retrieve Demetris and Avery. He returned promptly with the two of them behind him.
"Introducing Demetris Snape and Jonathan Avery," Ron said out loud to Kingsley.
"You!" Avery suddenly recoiled at the sight of Kingsley and whipped out his wand.
As a vastly experienced Auror, Kingsley already had a shield up, and had managed to stun Avery before he could fire a single shot.
"Stop it!" Harry and Ron bellowed in a unified voice, while Draco grabbed Kingsley from behind to stop him from doing any more magic. Harry waved his own wand, and Kingsley's flew out of his hand, landing at Harry's feet.
"Sit down," he commanded to Kingsley authoritatively.
This time considerably taken aback at being told off by someone decades younger than himself, the Auror nevertheless complied, and sat in one of the empty couch chairs.
"Ennerveate" Harry pointed his wand at the still figure of Avery, and in the next moment, the former Death Eater sprang up on his legs.
"Let me at him!" he sneered, but found himself magically restrained.
"Calm down," Harry told him. "Nobody's going to hurt you."
"This bastard almost killed me last time we met!" Avery objected loudly.
"Well, serves you for making the wrong choice and sizing up with a better wizard," Ron jabbed him. "Now be a man and sit your arse down."
Avery now seemed to realize there was no significant threat to his safety, and grudgingly obliged.
"Now, as I was saying," Ron retook the word, "Kingsley, meet Demetris Snape, and your old friend Avery here…"
"I've heard of you, Demetris," Shacklebolt focused in on the old man. "You were part of the original Order of the Phoenix, weren't you?"
Demetris smiled. "I was," he confirmed mysteriously.
"What happened to you?"
"You know how you can't seem to breach Lestrange's inner circle?" the ancient wizard led in with a question.
"I assure you, it is frustrating," Kinglsey nodded patiently.
"Well, I spend nearly twenty years in Voldemort's and then Lestrange's inner circle. I was a Death Eater in appearance, but not in spirit. I always remained true to the Light. It was only after so many years that I managed to connect with Harry Potter through two rather dimwitted Death Eaters who were dealing with him in secret."
"Are you saying I'm stupid?" Avery piped up in protest.
"Be quiet, Jonathan," Demetris told him indifferently. "In any case, they were smart enough to conceal their traces, but it was because of me they were still alive. You see, my talent lies in reading minds, so I knew everything they were doing, and had I not intervened, they would be dead, along with my chance to escape Lestrange's clutches for good - something an old man such as myself ought to deserve."
"Couldn't agree more," Kingsley echoed the sentiment, before turning to Avery. "And what of this one's sorry story?"
Avery took the opportunity to speak for himself. "First of all, my story is not sorry at all. I've lost my family, and more than one close friend through all of this mess. I don't need some senile old fool adding salt to the injuries."
"Then, pray tell," the visiting Auror said slowly.
"Fine, and then I'll kill you," Avery's flair had still not disappeared. "It was me and Theodore Nott. We worked with the Order while completing assignments for Lestrange. That is, until Snape here began to work with us until the point where we could no longer sustain the practice of fooling her - eventually she would have found out, and we'd be dead meat. That's why we made the jump to the Light. Unfortunately, Nott was killed in the last encounter when we eliminated Antonin Dolohov…"
"Dolohov?" Shacklebolt's eyes widened. "You killed Anotnin Dolohov? We've been after that son of a bitch forever…"
"You didn't know he was dead?" Avery's amazement checked his anger for the former enemy.
"Now I do," Kingsley shook his head. "I ought to keep up with you folks more often."
"Well, that's my story," Avery suddenly grew defensive once more. "What of it?"
"You have far more insight into Lestrange's operations that we could have ever hoped for in the department," he explained.
"We had," Demetris corrected him. "There is a bounty on our heads now. We're no longer a part of the Death Eaters."
"Right, well," Harry interrupted the veer from the original topic. "We still need to decide how we're going to reclaim the government."
"Simple and easy," Kingsley answered his question. "You six," he carried his hand through the air, "will make an appearance on Monday morning, where the Auror and Magical Law Enforcement departments will publicly declare their loyalty to you all. From there, the Weasley girl, the Malfoy boy, and the pretty blonde there take over operations, with our support. It won't be a complete fix, but will put that loudmouth Black at bay."
"But how can you guarantee that their loyalty will remain true?" Luna spoke for the first time in a while.
Shacklebolt smiled. "You know Lupin, an old friend of mine from school. He's been keeping in touch with me. We both know certain people in the system, whose names and positions carry a lot of weight…a question of an arrangement behind the scenes, nothing more. Pure politics, if you will."
So Remus had been right earlier in his claim that their return would not be their downfall. Everything had been prepared. No other magical department carried enough force or weight as the combined alliance of the Aurors and Law Enforcers. Coupled with the strong presence the trio projected, they would certainly win the day against the new challenger…
A/N: Alright! Political showdown coming up next…don't you just love it? I promise, things will be blowing up again soon enough.
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