Power Plays Chapter 51

AN: Welcome to the penultimate chapter of Part 2 of Power Plays. I'd like to thank you all for sticking with me and this series for so long. This chapter and the next will set up what will be happening in the third and final part of this story.

Next month, I will be writing other stories besides Power Plays at the beginning of the month to give myself a break and time to prepare the outline for the final part of the story. You can expect Power Plays to return again in April.

Now, onto the chapter.

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“I still don’t understand why you didn’t let me know who her parents were,” Minister Kingsley Shacklebolt sighed as he paced back and forth behind his desk. The windows that overlooked the Ministry’s atrium were blocked off by thick drapes, but both of them knew what was out there. Even the privacy and silencing charms placed around his office weren’t enough to stop the overwhelming fury from the mob down below from being faintly heard in here.

Harry acted as the penitent man as he bowed his head slightly. “I believed that the fewer people who knew of her parentage the better chance she had of living a somewhat normal life.”

That was true, of course, but the real reason he didn’t tell Kingsley was because Harry had no faith in the man for ages now. His will had always been lacking when it came to managing a government. He’d played things too safe; he kept trying to compromise with the pure-blood factions that’d been happy to see Voldemort’s rise to power and never went far enough to change things in the positive direction that the light-aligned factions wanted. In trying to reunite politicians back together, he’d only sown more divisions.

Kingsley let out a long breath. “The press hasn’t stopped hounding us for days now.”

“Maybe you should let me punish Proudfoot and the men and women who’d been at his side when they overheard everything,” Harry suggested again. “They’re the ones at fault for this getting out.”

“And you’re at fault for not helping me prepare a way for the public to learn about Delphini!” Kingsley suddenly rounded on him, his voice booming with anger and frustration. “You will not see those men and women punished for doing their duty! Are you really suggesting that our Aurors shouldn’t follow protocol and write up proper reports?”

“I’m saying that they should use more tact when doing so,” Harry replied calmly. “I figured that you of all people would understand that, or did you document everything you did for Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix for the Ministry to read?”

“Those were different circumstances, different times,” Kingsley argued. “We were preparing for a war.”

“And I’ve been trying to stop another one,” Harry said. “Do you think that Delphini is going to be safe now that the world knows who she is? There’s bound to be more than one dark witch or wizard in the world who tries to kidnap her for the power of her bloodline. And what about Voldemort and his Death Eater’s victims? Plenty of them seem to be calling for us to throw her into Azkaban simply by virtue of who her parents were, and there’s an even louder group calling for her to be kicked out of Britain entirely. How long before someone decides to get some revenge and tries to kill this innocent little girl?”

“That’s…”

Suddenly, Kingsley collapsed into his chair, gasping for breath.

Harry was on his feet in an instant as he rushed over to Kingsley’s side. “Minister! I—”

Kingsley put one hand on Harry’s chest as he fought to regain control over his breathing. Harry watched on with concern as the man’s body trembled until he managed to calm back down.

“I’m sorry you had to see that,” Kingsley finally said, his voice quiet, weak, and defeated.

“Are you ill?” Harry asked sincerely.

“The healers at St Mungo’s believe it’s just stress,” Kingsley reluctantly admitted.

Harry stood back up and slowly returned to his seat. “How long has it been going on for?”

“Months, a year, maybe two,” Kingsley shrugged. “Time’s become a bit of a blur to me.”

Harry fell into silence. If it’d truly gone on for that long and wasn’t getting any better, then Kingsley was bound for one of two things: retirement or the grave.

Evidently, Kingsley knew exactly where Harry’s train of thought was going. “Yes, I will be stepping down soon.”

A moment passed where the two men just stared into each other’s eyes. “I’m sorry,” Harry told him. He really was. As much as he disagreed with Kingsley’s leadership, he didn’t want to see the man dead. He wasn’t anywhere near as bad as Dawlish had been. Kingsley tried his best to live up to Dumbledore’s ideals of peace, reconciliation, and second chances. The only problem was that those ideals all too often floundered in reality.

“You might be sorry about my health, but you’re not sorry about me stepping down, are you?” Kingsley asked Harry bluntly.

“No, I’m not,” Harry answered honestly.

Kingsley let out a small chuckle. “I’ve seen the disappointment in your eyes too many times when we speak.”

“If it makes you feel any better, I don’t think that you’re a bad man,” Harry told him.

“Just a bad leader?”

Harry’s silence was his answer.

Kingsley sat up taller in his seat and placed his palms face up on the table in a symbol of peace. “The Ministry will do everything in its power to keep Delphini safe; I can promise you that. If you’d like to oversee the management of her protection yourself, you’re more than welcome to do it.”

He would have to, but he didn’t want to.

In a way, Delphini’s life was going to become a more extreme version of what Harry’s was before he discovered he was a wizard. Back then, Dudley and the Dursleys had made his life miserable. Anyone around him believed him to be a miscreant, and he was relentlessly tormented and bullied because of it. Now, Delphini was going to suffer that same sort of ostracism from much of the public, and she’d always have to keep a close watch over anyone who tried to get too close to her in case they were doing so out of malevolent reasons.

Harry didn’t wish that life on her, even after what her parents had done. From everything he’d seen and heard of Delphini, she didn’t have hatred in her heart. She was well taken care of by Narcissa, but how long could she live without coming face to face with the public’s ire?

“Thank you,” Harry told the man. “I will oversee it.”

“Will… will she be staying with you and Daphne?” Kingsley asked tentatively.

“For now,” Harry answered. “We don’t know if it’ll be permanent, but with Narcissa being killed, Lucius being in no fit state to take care of himself even without his injuries, and Draco overseeing Astoria health in St Mungo’s…”

“I know that whatever you choose will be the correct decision,” Kingsley said.

Harry hoped so. He’d always wanted a family one day, but he’d never expected that Voldemort’s daughter might become a part of it. Narcissa had fought bravely against the monstrosities that had invaded her home, and she’d paid the ultimate price for it. Andromeda had suggested that she might be able to take in Delphini, but she already had her hands full with work, Tonks, and Teddy.

“You know, the International Confederation of Wizards is planning to give you an award for positive international cooperation between departments of magical law enforcement,” Kingsley said. “Sebastian will be there too.”

“When is it?”

“At their next meeting in a couple of weeks,” Kingsley replied. “Their owl should be reaching you shortly.”

Harry nodded his head. He’d attend, of course, and say all of the polite, nice things that he was expected to. In truth, he wanted to chastise Minister Liliane for punishing Sebastian. As far as he knew, Sebastian was still on forced leave.

Kingsley snapped Harry from his thoughts when he spoke up again.

“If you were clever, you could use this as a springboard to make a run for Minister yourself,” Kingsley said plainly. “I could even name you my intended successor if you wanted.”

“I don’t know how much I even want the position,” Harry half-lied. He wanted it solely to change Britain for the better, but he truthfully didn’t know if he wanted all of the politicking that went along with it. Politics were fine enough at a small scale, but corralling the entire Wizengamot was a challenge that seemed beyond anyone. Kingsley certainly showed the physical effects of trying to do so.

“Suit yourself,” Kingsley shrugged. “I can’t blame you for not wanting to inherit this mess.”

When silence followed, Harry knew that there was nothing more to discuss. Kingsley was already staring off at a wall, his mind swimming with countless concerns.

“Minister,” Harry said as he stood up and gave a slight dip of his head.

Harry didn’t dare try to navigate through the atrium to the floo network there. Out of the Minister’s office, the ruckus from down below was even louder and more painful to hear. Aurors were snapping off weak explosive jinxes into the air to try to get some form of order, but those calling for Kingsley and Harry’s resignations for harbouring Voldemort and Bellatrix’s secret daughter weren’t dissuaded from their protest so easily.

The stares that followed him as he manoeuvred through the corridors of the Ministry were much easier to ignore. He’d been dealing with stares all his life, and these weren’t about to change his mind on his past actions. He walked with his head held high towards the Auror Department’s private exit out of the Ministry.

Upon finally reaching the chamber, Harry apparated straight back to Greengrass Manor and into an uncomfortable quiet. Hobsy wasn’t there to greet him as she normally was, and the only sign of noise came from the quiet murmurings and clinking of spoons in tea cups from the nearby sitting room.

Harry hung up his heavier outer robes and walked into the sitting room to find Daphne, Hobsy, Andromeda, Tonks, Teddy, and Delphini all sat around the room. Teddy was curled up against his mother’s side, and upon seeing Harry, he let out a little sob.

“Sorry,” Tonks grimaced. “He’s still a bit frightened about what happened.”

“It’s okay,” Harry grimaced back. “I understand.”

He tried to take a step closer to them, but Teddy pulled further back against the sofa. He’d witnessed Harry’s battle with Emile, which had scared him plenty, but what was more heart-wrenching to see was how he’d been avoiding Delphini for the past few days. Emile’s words about her being able to ascend to be the next Dark Lady had terrified him, and no amount of reassurances from everyone else were enough to assuage his fears.

For her part, Delphini seemed far less effected by everything. Harry could only imagine the horrors she must have witnessed growing up. She was seated down on the floor, playing with a stuffed Augurey while Hobsy encouraged her. Harry gave Delphini a warm smile, and she gave a small one back.

“Supper will be ready soon,” Daphne announced as she stood up and made her way to Harry’s side. She glanced back at Andromeda, Tonks, and Teddy. “Would you three like to stay?”

The answer truly came down to how Teddy was feeling, and from the way he was cowering behind Tonks, the decision had already been made.

“Maybe next time,” Andromeda said as she picked up Teddy into her arms. She looked exhausted. Long hours in St Mungo’s and the death of her last remaining sister were weighing on her heavily, but she never stopped moving. “We ought to get back home.”

“Goodbye, Teddy,” Harry smiled at the boy as he passed, but he just buried his face in Andromeda’s shoulder.

“Give him time,” Tonks told Harry. “He’s been speaking to healers about what happened, and they’re getting him the help he needs to move past it.”

“Good,” Harry replied. “I hope he’s better soon.”

Tonks smiled and gave Harry a peck on the cheek before following her mum and son out of the sitting room.

“We’ll be right back,” Daphne told Delphini. “I just need to talk to Harry about a few things before supper. Hobsy will keep you company until then.”

“Okay,” Delphini said in a quiet voice.

Harry followed Daphne upstairs into her study, where the door closed automatically behind him and she immediately began to question him.

“Is it true? About Kingsley stepping down?” Daphne asked.

There was none of their usual chitchat when one of them came home to see the other. It was all business, and Harry understood why. Kingsley was the only Minister for Magic since the war’s end, and him stepping down heralded a drastic change in the future of Britain.

Harry nodded simply in reply. “How did you hear about it?”

“Orpington was bragging about practically making it happen single handedly after the Wizengamot session today,” Daphne scowled. “He’s planning on running to be the next Minister for Magic, and he’s not the only one. It seems like quite a few in the Wizengamot think that they’re fit to become the next Minister, and you can only imagine how many Department Heads and high-level officials who think the same.”

“It’s going to be a contentious election to be sure,” Harry remarked. “Any front-runners in your mind?”

Daphne frowned in thought. “Orpington will have a strong support base from the traditionalist faction in the Wizengamot, and they’re the ones with enough money to make a difference in getting his name out there. Anyone who fought in the war against Voldemort will also have a strong case.”

“And let me guess, you think I should throw my hat into the ring then?” Harry questioned her, seeing where her line of thought was going.

Daphne practically pounced on the question. “Isn’t that what you’ve always hinted at? You won’t be Head Auror for the rest of your life, not with how prolific you are. The changes you’ve talked about making to society require you to be in a stronger position of power than you are now. The Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement post is still under Amelia Bones, and it likely will for some time. That only leaves the role of the Minister for Magic for you.”

For the longest time now, yes, that had been Harry’s plan. His ambitions to improve the wizarding world had never wavered once, but he had come to recognise something: he wouldn’t make for an excellent Minister for Magic. At least, not right now.

The Minister for Magic had a lot on their plate. From managing the entire Ministry of Magic to handling the Wizengamot and maintaining positive international relations, there was a lot of gritty political work that needed to be done, and Harry didn’t know if he had the temperament for it. He was excellent at rallying people against evil causes, but he wasn’t as strong at finding peace with his enemies. He’d always been a fighter, and other people had handled the peace-making processes.

With the Wizengamot as fractured as it was, Harry knew that it would be a tough road ahead to bring things back into order. Progress would be measured in millimetres, not kilometres, and Harry was unsure if he had the patience for it. Look at how the Wizengamot saw him right now! He was more like a hammer pushing through his agenda to clean up Britain rather than a precise scalpel making the exact right moves at the right moment to avoid ruffling any feathers.

But could he just lose this opportunity?

“Kingsley did offer to name me his successor,” Harry informed Daphne.

“Kingsley has been floundering for years now,” Daphne rightly pointed out. “If you latch yourself onto him as his supposed successor, then you’ll go down with him. The Wizengamot won’t look kindly on you.”

“That doesn’t matter much anyways,” Harry said. “Most of them already hate me for going after their crimes, and the Wizengamot is too fractured to bypass an election and offer the post to someone like they tried to do with Dumbledore.”

“You’re still going to need some of them on your side for the election and beyond,” Daphne argued gently. “These are the men and women who have the funds to help promote your campaign. Even if you are the Boy-Who-Lived, positive publicity always helps. And then if you get elected, you’re going to need to work with the Wizengamot on a daily basis. Having a solid bloc of support in there was crucial for Ministers like Fudge to get anything done in office.”

Harry scowled. Daphne was right. She was always right with things like this. She had a mind for politics well beyond her years.

Which was exactly what a Minister needed right now.

“Why don’t you run instead of me?” Harry suggested.

Daphne blinked her eyes in genuine surprise. “You want me to run?”

Harry nodded emphatically. “There’s no denying that you’re a better politician than me, and you already have good inroads into the Wizengamot—”

“Hold on,” Daphne interjected. “I can’t just run for Minister for Magic.”

“What do you mean?”

“The public is the one that votes, not the Wizengamot,” Daphne pointed out. “And the public doesn’t really know me other than as a name they might vaguely remember from a few articles in the Daily Prophet. You’re a household name! You’d have a better shot than me at winning the election. I thought that you’d leap at the opportunity for this.”

“I might have a year ago,” Harry admitted. “And I honestly think that I wouldn’t have done the best job. I don’t have much political experience besides the inter-office politicking that goes on at the Ministry and dealing with being grilled by the Wizengamot over me doing my job. You’re the one with the real mind for politics, and I could support you during the election.”

“That would help but it wouldn’t be enough,” Daphne argued. “Wizengamot members with twenty times my experience have tried to run and failed, even with big names backing them.”

“But were those supporters as famous as me?” Harry asked cheekily.

“That’s besides the point,” Daphne rolled her eyes, hiding a small smile. “I’m telling you that it wouldn’t be enough. You just said that I’m the one with a mind for politics, right? Trust me.”

“You see!” Harry exclaimed. “You know how to use logic to dismantle the opposition’s arguments. You’d make for an excellent Minister.”

Daphne snorted in amusement, but she still seemed unsure of Harry’s argument. However, a moment later, a spark lit up in her eyes.

“I think I know of a way we could maybe make this work,” she suddenly said.

“Maybe?” Harry repeated.

“It’s a better shot than what we’d have now,” Daphne replied. “Do you remember how Minister Fudge named Lucius Malfoy Advisor to the Minister for Magic? And how Scrimgeour did the same for Fudge when he took office?”

“Vaguely,” Harry admitted. He hadn’t been as keen on political manoeuvrings as Hermione had back then.

“Well, it’s sort of a vague title that changes from administration to administration,” Daphne told him. “Sometimes it has direct political power, other times it doesn’t.”

Harry raised his eyebrows. “Who sets the limits on it?”

“The Wizengamot,” Daphne said. “They need to approve the posting, but if I were to promise the public that I’d name you as my Advisor to the Minister for Magic and win the election in the end, the Wizengamot would be forced to either support it or deny me and go against the public’s will, which I could use for quite a great deal of political leverage. I could propose that you have the power to enact legislation and effectively continue to work within the Department of Magical Law Enforcement without being beholden to what Director Bones orders. And having you in a capacity like that might win over popular support, barring the current issues you’re facing at keeping Delphini around.”

“If we do this, I need you to know that I won’t be sacrificing her as a political pawn,” Harry said seriously. “I truly want her to grow up and live as normal a life as she can.”

“I agree,” Daphne replied, softening. “It doesn’t matter who her parents are. She deserves to be happy just like any other child.”

Harry smiled and took Daphne’s hand in his. Her warm skin felt so right under his touch.

“Have you thought about where she should end up?” Harry asked tentatively. “The ritual to cure Astoria of her blood curse will be ready by the weekend, but then they’ll have a newborn on the way in only a few weeks. They can’t take Delphini in too, and Andromeda looks exhausted.”

“I know,” Daphne nodded her head sympathetically. “I was thinking about letting her stay here too, but…”

“But what?” Harry asked.

Daphne bit her lip nervously. “I love you Harry, but we’re only dating. What happens if… if we ever break up?”

“Do you love me with all your heart?” Harry asked her.

“I do,” she answered sincerely.

“Have you ever thought about breaking up with me since we’ve been together?”

“Not once.”

“Do you ever imagine us breaking up?”

“Only in my nightmares.”

“Then let me put those nightmares to rest.”

Harry pulled out the tiny box that he’d been carrying around with him since the day after he killed Emile. Seeing Daphne suffering from the aftereffects of the Cruciatus Curse and every other injury she’d been afflicted with had nearly driven him to tears after everything was over. The fear that’d settled in hadn’t quite left him yet. There were so many things he wanted to say to her and experience with her before it was either of their times to leave this world. So, he’d gone through the Potter vaults and found an old ring that’d last been worn in the sixteenth century when a Potter had married a Greengrass.

Harry dropped onto one knee and opened up the box to reveal the glimmering emerald ring inside. The kite-cut emerald was surrounded by tiny diamonds and had a twisted golden band that was enchanted to automatically resize to the wearer’s finger.

Daphne looked too stunned to speak. One hand went up to cover her open mouth while her eyes kept flickering between Harry and the ring.

“Daphne Greengrass, will you marry me?” Harry asked with all of the love in his heart.

At first, Daphne could only nod her head. And then when the first tear fell, she emitted a blubbery, “yes.”

Harry caught her as she collapsed into his arms and hugged him with all of her might. A wave of relief and joy flooded through Harry as he kissed the top of her head and held her against himself.

When Daphne’s tears stopped, she pulled back and offered her left hand to Harry. He plucked out the ring and gently slid it down Daphne’s finger. When it reached the base, the band magically resized itself to fit snugly around her finger.

“I love it,” Daphne said in awe as she held the ring up to the light. “It’s more beautiful than I could have ever imagined.”

“You’ll look even better when you wear it when you announce your candidacy for Minister for Magic,” Harry beamed as he pulled her in for a kiss.

With an upcoming election, their lives were going to become more hectic than ever, but Harry knew that they would weather the storm together.

“Do you want to adopt Delphini?” Daphne asked Harry quietly when they broke the kiss.

“I do,” Harry admitted. “I don’t want another orphan to grow up in an orphanage or by an unloving family. Do you?”

“I think so,” Daphne said. “I’ve always wondered about adopting children instead of having my own because of the blood curse, so I’ve looked into it a bit. Now that we have the ritual to cure it though, we can have both.”

“Delphini can be our first child together,” Harry smiled. “And then sometime later once our lives aren’t so crazy, you’d want to have more?”

“Of course,” Daphne said.

“Then we should go ask Delphini what she thinks about this,” Harry said. “I think she’s old enough now to have some say in what she’d like. It’ll help that Draco and Astoria will be moving in here after she’s out of St Mungo’s until Malfoy Manor gets repaired.”

“Definitely,” Daphne said as she pulled Harry in for another kiss. “I love you, Harry.”

“I love you too.”