Who'll Fill a Coward's Grave? ↣ Harmione

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter 21 - Winds of Change

Albus sat calmly in his ministerial chair, prominently placed within the Wizengamot Chamber, while chaos reigned supreme all around him. After yesterday's events, there was always going to be an emergency meeting called for today. The reason for the chaos however was the deliberately provocative article on the font page of today's Prophet.

While the main headline, 'Dark Lord Dead' - and accompanying photograph of a sheet-covered dead dark lord - was certainly cause for countrywide celebrations to commence, it was the secondary front page article below that iconic headline which had the Wizengamot members riled up with anger.

It was now obvious to Albus that Miss Skeeter must have witnessed his conversation with the soldier who had finally ended Lord Voldemort's life. As such, the official statement of what had taken place yesterday must have been immediately consigned to the wastepaper bin in the offices of the Daily Prophet. In hindsight, approaching and mentioning awards to someone who had just battled inferi, dementors and then tore Voldemort into so many pieces the body was eventually carted away in buckets, was not Albus' finest moment.

'Minister Told by Ungrateful Hero to Stick Any Award up his A**E'

If that was all that had been said, some of the Wizengamot members might actually be having an irreverent chuckle at their Intern Minister of Magic's public embarrassment, but that was not the case. Rita's article then proceeded to deliberately provoke discord and disorder over this ungrateful muggle-born's ridiculous response, in her own inimitable shit-stirring style, before then printing Ian's answer verbatim. It was Ian's righteous rant that was responsible for the furore currently surrounding Albus. The Wizengamot members outrage focusing on someone who had dared to publicly criticise them - and the society they led.

'Over a decade ago, magical Britain made it abundantly clear to a teenage muggle-born that he would always be an outsider in 'their' society. The best that I could ever hope for was to be tolerated, while being looked down upon and lorded over by the self-proclaimed pure-blood elite. A brief return to this world is more than enough for me to see that things haven't changed - and don't show any signs of altering in the near future.

You've had years to deal with these problems and haven't, because all Voldemort's supporters were pure-bloods - and doing anything constructive would mean punishing these so-called respectable witches and wizards. That's not something your Ministry of Magic was prepared to even contemplate, far less consider implementing.

Her Majesty ordered this problem dealt with, her innocent subjects being murdered by dementors was never something that would be acceptable to her - it shouldn't be acceptable to your society either. Today, her government and armed forces carried out those orders that you clearly couldn't or wouldn't.

Yes I killed Voldemort today - that was the entire purpose of us being stationed in Hogsmeade Village. We protected the villagers and visiting students, killing the bastard after he tried to murder Harry by cursing the lad while his back was turned. Harry's betrothed shielded him, then I took care of the problem.

I don't see these events changing much though, it didn't the last time. A heroic pair of parents gave their lives so their son, Harry, could live - not so things could just return to what you consider normal with murdering animals simply granted forgiveness out of hand. Think on this - who's going to clean up your next mess?

Take your award and stick it up your arse, I want nothing more to do with you people. I will never return to a society where the circumstances of my birth sees me treated as a second class person. With our task now over, I would expect to be rejoining my old unit. Goodbye and, if I have anything to do with it, we will never meet again.'