A/N: Here's the new Chapter! Which also means the next FIVE chapters are up on my for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!
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Amelia isn't dumb.
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It had been a long time since someone outright toyed with Amelia Bones to her face. Even when she was merely the Director of the DMLE, even when she still had superiors within the Ministry, Amelia had a reputation that made even Minister Fudge himself afraid of her. Not all of his short-lived successors had been, but those who didn't fear her had a healthy respect for her at the very least.
These days, even the Wizengamot tended to fall in line behind her decisions. They were all in this together after all, and without decisive leadership, they would all sink together as well. Really, it was just the goblins who liked to really play games at this point, but even they weren't so foolish as to try and fuck around directly to Amelia's face.
It begged the question… was that really what Lord Hallows was doing right now? Was he actually just screwing with her… or was he serious about his intentions, ridiculous as they might seem? This… private investigator business he was talking about. There was something about the way he'd brought it up that was tugging at Amelia's mind.
… And then it hits her.
"It's something entirely new to the British Magical World, actually. But the muggles call the vocation a 'private investigator'."
He'd all but spelled it out for her, hadn't he? Mentioning the muggles like that. It had been staring her in the face the entire time, but only now does Amelia realize the truth… Harry 'Hallows' is not a Pureblood. And that… that unravels the entire mystery behind his origins. Frankly, it should have been obvious from the very beginning. She was getting weak minded in her old age…
"How did you survive that night?"
There's a pause, silence falling over the dining table. Both Fleur and Penelope are giving her strange looks that Amelia can see out of her periphery, but she keeps her own eyes focused specifically on Harry. The Wizard Lord pauses, his emerald gaze looking right back at her for a long moment before he grins.
"I'm not sure what you mean, Minister."
Oh, he knows exactly what she means. Does he think she'll hold her tongue? Does he think she won't say something right here, right now? No… Amelia was never one for political subterfuge and doublespeak. The whole 'say one thing out of one side of your mouth and another out of the other' had never worked for her.
"You're no Pureblood. A Pureblood Wizard wouldn't have accepted Penelope here quite so easily. Nor would they have thought to introduce the concept of a muggle vocation to the Wizarding World."
Truly, it was becoming increasingly obvious she should have figured this out far sooner. Perhaps from the first time she laid eyes on Harry, in fact. But maybe even sooner than that if she'd bothered to put more thought into it.
"That doesn't seem very fair to Pureblood Wizards. I'm sure not all of them were backwards, inbred, and ignorant of the way the muggle world worked. Arthur Weasley, for instance… did he not have a love for the muggle world?"
Amelia's lips thin out at that, because Arthur, while not a close friend, had most definitely been a colleague she liked. Fortunately for the Lord Hallows, she doesn't sense any derision or taunting in his tone. His curiosity is actually genuine.
"Arthur Weasley was the exception that proved the rule, Lord Hallows. A good man with a passion for his work… but he was the oddity within the British Magical World, not a norm. And besides, your blood status is nothing next to your true identity. You haven't exactly done a good job of concealing it, have you? I'm ashamed in myself for not figuring it out earlier."
The wizard just smiles and cocks an eyebrow, causing Amelia to huff. He was really going to make her spell it out, wasn't he?
"You are Harry Potter. The only known son to James and Lily Potter. Heir to the Potter Fortune… and somehow the Black one as well. You were supposed to have died as a baby on the same night that the Dark Lord lost his own life. And yet… here you are. Was it Dumbledore? Did he lie to us all and spirit you away to the mainland to grow up in obscurity?"
That sounded a lot like Albus Dumbledore. He'd been a great man and an even greater wizard, but Amelia made a point to have tea with Headmistress Minerva McGonagall every weekend and the stories the other witch could tell about Dumbledore had long erased much of the shine for her.
Although, one would think if anyone would know about Harry's survival, it would be Minerva. Why would Dumbledore hide the Potter Heir even from his second in command? More than that, why would he hide Harry on the mainland… unless he knew what was coming?
"That would be a nice and tidy answer to my origins, wouldn't it? I certainly see how you reached your conclusion."
What? He was really going to try and deny it? Amelia narrows her eyes at the younger wizard across the table from her.
"Are you truly going to attempt to convince me that I'm wrong? You're the spitting image of James Potter… and you even have his wife's eyes. Not to mention, you have their son's name. As I said, you're not exactly hiding."
Harry shakes his head and suddenly his wand is in his hand. Amelia stiffens, as does Penny, but before either of them can react, he's already pointing the wand at himself.
"I am willing to make a magical vow that says otherwise if it will placate you, Minister. Merely give the wording and we can handle this right now."
He's serious. Or he's bluffing. Either way, it doesn't matter.
"That will not be necessary. Please put your wand down, Lord Hallows."
Raising an eyebrow, the Wizard Lord nevertheless does as he's told. Amelia gets one good look at his wand before it vanishes back up his sleeve. Longer than most, approximately fifteen inches… and made of elder wood from what Amelia could tell. A powerful wand more than likely, given that elder wood was exceptionally rare.
"I'm surprised that you're willing to trust nothing but my word that easily, Minister."
Huffing, Amelia shakes her head.
"I'm not. But I also don't need to push the issue… Lord Hallows. In the end, it matters little if you won't confirm it or otherwise. Voldemort is gone either way and your true origins mean little in the face of what your presence in our world means to us in the here and now. You must understand… the British Magical World is dying."
To his credit, he makes no quips and no remarks to that. He just inclines his head in acknowledgment, something Amelia can appreciate.
"… There are vanishing few wizards left on the British Isles… and more than that, there has been talk at the ICW of quarantining our community."
Fleur jolts hard at that, having the greatest reaction at the table. Which made sense given that Penelope already knew and Harry Hallows was… well, quite prone to underreacting to things.
"Oh? That seems rather harsh. As I understood it, the deaths have been contained to the isles have they not?"
Nodding, Amelia sighs.
"They have, yes. So far. And so far, the majority of witches still living in the British Magical World remain here. But as I said already, our society is dying. We will not last forever, and eventually there will be a mass migration to the mainland once the situation becomes truly untenable in the coming years. Or rather, there will be if the ICW allows it. However, there are some fears that we might be… contagious."
That draws a scoff from Harry.
"Contagious? There are still plenty of muggle men on the British Isles, all living within rather close proximity to the magical world even if they don't know it. None of them are dead yet."
Here, Amelia can't quite hide her flinch. And of course the Wizard Lord picks up on it.
"Ah… is there something you wish to tell me, Minister?"
Huffing, Amelia gazes at Harry from across the dining table.
"There have been some witches who sought to rectify our issues in a number of different ways. Bringing in foreign wizards from abroad was one idea… it failed of course and the prospective wizard immigrants dried up rather quickly. Afterwards, the next thought was to… bring in muggles."
Emerald green eyes flash and Amelia can feel Harry Hallows' scrutiny.
"And was this… willing?"
She wishes she could be more offended, but the truth is, he's right to ask. Still, she straightens up and clenches her jaw all the same.
"Anyone who did not get full consent was caught and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law by Ministry Aurors, I can tell you that much."
Then, she slumps.
"… Unfortunately it didn't matter either way. Any male muggle brought into contact with the Wizarding World died all the same. It is the belief of some within the ICW that every single British Witch should be quarantined to these isles and never allowed to leave. There isn't enough support for them to actually move forward with the quarantine just yet and travel remains unrestricted for now, but it's only a matter of time."
The situation was dire, to say the least. She was the Captain of a sinking ship and she knew it. The rest of the world had tried to help them at the start, both out of sheer altruism and for their own gain, but nothing had worked and as the death tolls had mounted, all international support had vanished.
In fact, the most communication Amelia got from outside of the British Isles these days tended to be Lady Apolline Delacour's constant requests for further updates about her daughter's situation. And if Lord Hallows and Fleur were telling the truth, those official requests would be coming to an end. Funny how Amelia didn't know whether to be happy or sad about that…
"I see. It certainly sounds like you're getting desperate."
Amelia stiffens, but Harry's tone is mild and unassuming. There's not a hint of nastiness in his voice, even as he looks at her from across the dining table.
"And you think I can save your world, is that it? I wonder… what do you expect of me exactly, Minister Bones? What is my role in fixing the British Magical World to be?"
Letting out an explosive breath, Amelia straightens up.
"… We need to keep you alive at all costs. We need to keep an eye on you and make sure that whatever killed all of the others doesn't get to you as well. It could already be on its way. You could already be dying for all we know. There is a lot that I would have you do for me if you would be willing, Lord Hallows. A full medical check-up from a St. Mungo's professional mediwitch for one. A full protective detail of Aurors and Unspeakables for two. You also need better wards than the ones on this mansion."
Harry rolls his eyes at that last one.
"Yes, yes, I've only been living here for a day. I'll get around to it."
Leaning forward, Amelia shakes her head.
"You won't need to if you simply put yourself in my custody, Lord Hallows. We can bring you to the most secure locations in all of Magical Britain and then make it even more secure for good measure. We can keep you safe, if you'll let us."
Tilting his head to the side, the Wizard Lord just hums.
"… To what end? Keeping me alive is one thing. But let's say I agree to submit myself to all of these measures and allow you to put me in protective custody. Let's even say it works and I'm alive a week from now, or a month, or even a year. What will I have been doing in all that time, Minister Bones?"
Straightening up, Amelia finds herself chewing hard on this next part. It was easy to be blunt about everything else. But this…
"If we can reliably keep you alive long enough, then we can potentially tout the curse as being ended. It can't possibly last forever after all, and the last wizard death was over a year ago. If you're still here a month from now, or a few months from now, that signals to the rest of the world that we don't need to be quarantined… and might even draw in more foreign wizards again as well. We could start rebuilding."
But Harry isn't letting her get off that easily. His eyes are twinkling in a way that reminds her of Dumbledore, oddly enough, even as he chuckles softly.
"And what role would you have me play in that rebuilding?"
… Fine. Out with it then.
"If you were amenable and ONLY if you were amenable… it would be extremely helpful if you would be willing to help us begin reversing our population decline, Lord Hallows. Every potential candidate would be carefully vetted beforehand of course. If all went well… you would be the father of a brand new generation of wizards and witches here in Magical Britain. You would be the Savior of the Wizarding World."
Wizards liked that sort of thing, being called a savior… right? So then why does Amelia mentioning it cause a shadow to appear over Harry's face? Still, she can't help but think she's getting through to him just a little bit.
"Please Lord Hallows… you don't have to do anything you don't want to, but if you're going to let us help you, then we have to move fast. You are potentially in danger here. You are potentially in danger everywhere."
He ponders her words for a moment and Amelia lets herself start to hope. And then…
"I'm afraid I must decline your generous offer, Minister. I must stay the course and my path… my path remains unchanged regardless of your fears."
Damn it all. Amelia closes her eyes, the weight of failure pressing down on her. And then…
"Although, if you wish for my help with that last part… well, I assume none are more vetted than you and the Senior Undersecretary here. So if you truly want me to give it a try, I'd be happy to help you both become mothers right here, right now."
Eyes snapping back open, Amelia stares in disbelief at the Wizard Lord for a long moment before realizing he's not just making a joke at her expense. He's deathly serious.
O-Oh.
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The Vote:
[X] Both of them will take him up on his offer - 73%
[ ] Only Amelia will take him up on his offer - 6%
[ ] Only Penelope will take him up on his offer - 12%
[ ] They're not that desperate yet, they reject his offer for the time being - 10%
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