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"I'm flattered by the confidence you have in me. But they're only four of us to stop the tide at Hogwarts. All our efforts will only be sand castles if other wizard and witches don't become aware of the dangers posed by the Ministry and Dumbledore's governance."
The two Heiresses looked at each other, trying to guess what the other one was thinking from an historical point of view and both arriving to the conclusion nothing good would be in store for the future if the situation was left unchecked.
"So?" Asked Morag. "Are you going to push that rook or should I declare victory?"
Alexandra grumbled, but moved her black chess piece to avoid checkmate. It was only a delaying tactic, though. Four exchanges later, one black bishop and two black pawns lost, the game was over.
"Perhaps you should ask Weasley to give you chess lessons?"
"Don't joke about that!"
30 December 1992, Ministry of Magic, London, England
"Order! Order in the courtroom!" Bellowed Cornelius Oswald Fudge, Minister of Magic for the British Isles. "This is the Wizengamot, not a bordello of Knockturn Alley! ORDER!" The sentence was pronounced in a somewhat martial tone, with large strikes of a wooden gavel against his desk.
No one in the Ministry Courtroom number 3 bothered to listen to him. Assuming the Lords, Ladies and other officials would have managed to listen to him in the multitude of screams, accusations, denials and protestations, it was possible they would have chosen to ignore him anyway. Cornelius Fudge was a well-known quantity and easily buyable when the occasion called for it. And as such, easily discarded by the wealthy and important pure-bloods busy vilipending their political opponents.
On his seat in the upper benches, Lord Glenn MacDougal watched the political disaster unfurling under his very eyes with an annoyed look. The Libertarian and Traditionalists groups were screaming at each other in anger, exchanging arguments which had nothing logical or reasoned. Thanks to the Magical Oaths, the Wizengamot Charter prevented every witches and wizards to use her or his wand in an official courtroom except under ceremonial purposes. It couldn't make them behave in a dignified manner unfortunately. Lord Nott and Lord Yarrow had tried to murder each other with their bare hands not thirty minutes ago and had nearly succeeded. What damage they could have done with their wands in a restricted space, the Head of the Most Noble and Ancient House MacDougal tried very hard not to think about. The rest of the assembly had also abandoned all partiality and dignity. Many of his fellow Neutrals were discussing or preparing their own proposals for the next sessions, ignoring the Pro-Muggle and Conservatives' recriminations.
Today had been supposed to be the session where the Muggle Protection Act of Arthur Weasley should have been voted. Originally scheduled for September, endless debates and quarrels between supporters of this bill and their opponents had delayed it far beyond Chief Warlock Dumbledore and Fudge's optimistic schedule. By the way things were unravelling, trying to pass the law now was going to be an impossibility until the political climate calmed up a bit. With the Dark Houses going to vote against no matter what, the Moderates votes in the Neutral block were more important than ever. Thanks to Merlin and Morgana, Albus Dumbledore had been unable to persuade more than a few independents and lone lords by words or more earth-to-earth incentives, and the Moderates were far from only the block composing the Neutrals. There was also his group, the widely derided 'Irish-Welsh Entente' - because said faction was led by his own House and House Slughorn of Wales – and together they formed a block of fifteen Houses. Then they were the Independents, who were a flexible mix of Houses varying from near-light like the Ancient House of Carrington to the truly infamous Most Noble House of Zabini. The latter two categories had withdrawn all support from the Light laws since June and returned the Grey-Neutrals to...a more neutral stance.
"Order! Order!" Continued Fudge, but his voice faded as the Wizengamot members energized arguments soared in a loud cacophony towards the upper balcony where a few idle onlookers stared at this picture of disgrace.
On the Minister's left, Amelia Bones was showing an emotionless expression to the rest of the world, a stern attitude supported by her red hair trimmed with gray and her monocle. Glenn knew like the rest of the Wizengamot that the interim Lady of the Noble and Ancient House of Bones held Dumbledore and Fudge guilty of the current chaos in the political arena. It wasn't like she had made any secret to it! But despite House Bones being counted among the Moderates, the powerful witch was too rigid and impartial for his taste, proof if there ever was one the centre of politics really attracted characters having no common policy. Of course, her impartiality towards any Wizengamot group was the reason she had stayed at her post for so long. If the little band of sycophants surrounding Albus Dumbledore at every occasion were not properly brought to account, the Traditionalists and the Conservatives would have demanded her head years ago. If the former Death Eaters and their Anti-Regulation friends were free to organise sabbat every night, the Libertarians and the Reformists would have had a field day, not to mention the Statute of Secrecy wouldn't have survived the aftermath of the last war.
Amelia Bones would never win any popularity contest, but she did her job – something few Department Heads could boast – and by all accounts, the majority of the lawbreakers during her mandate ended paying the price of their crimes. The Aurors, Hit-Wizards and the majority of the DMLE enforces stood with her. A good thing too, because Dumbledore and Malfoy had done their best to infiltrate her department and shift her funding for the most ridiculous reasons it was possible to think of.
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