The Brightest Sun

Chapter 12

The Wizengamot and the Small Council: Harry
Chapter Text

He watched in amusement as Elia wrangled a stubborn Rhaenys into sitting for her lessons. For once Teddy was seated beside the younger girl, his son unamused at having to take lessons instead of playing outside in the snow.

They had been more careful since Elia’s incident, Harry taking the children out by himself as he nagged the Dornish Princess into staying put inside. She had thrown him several scathing looks in response, Harry merely smiling angelically to her irritation.

Her health had been steadily improving, a bit more colour to her though they were still on tenterhooks. Elia seemed unable to believe there had been something that could cure her of her proverbial frailty, and Harry was tense with anxious energy in hopes that it went well.

Something had to go well. The runes he was learning were slow-going, the process requiring him to learn Old Welsh runes alongside the Greek alphabet, and he once more cursed himself for taking the easy route at Hogwarts.

“Is there not some matter that requires your attention?” she said sharply, glowering at him as a smug smile touched his lips.

“Nope,” he replied.

“I’m fairly certain I saw some missive from your government on your desk,” she pressed, brows raised.

“A draft of a bill,” he waved off. “They’ll be debating in a months time, I don’t have to worry about it just yet.”

“Is that what you call your laws?”

He hummed, staring down at the stack of parchment with a slight grimace. “This is more of a proposal to change the funding structure of the Ministry.”

Budget amendments were the bane of his existence. For all that Harry groused about politics, the ruling class of Magical Britain was particularly vicious when it came to their money and fought over every knut.

“Do you not have a treasurer?” she asked, a curious tilt to her head. “Or someone else to handle the monetary aspect?”

He was shaking his head even before she finished the sentence. “There’s not one person in charge. You try getting a bunch of Lords and Ladies to agree to a single person having complete control over the finances and we’d most likely find ourselves in another war.”

Elia was no longer keeping watch over the children, Aegon in hand as Rhaenys and Teddy sat patiently as Iolanthe regaled them with some tale. The portrait of his many greats grandmother was particularly talented at getting them to keep writing as she entertained them, and Harry cocked his head to the side as he regarded the Dornish Princess making her way to his table.

“Do they do things differently in Westeros?” he asked as she sat across from him, Aegon squirming to be released.

Harry pulled out his wand, transfiguring a random paper into an animated toy soldier to his delight.

“Each kingdom has its own ways of ruling,” she told him as she smiled fondly down at her son. Egg was nearly two and far more active than when Harry had first met them, forcing him to reactivate all the wards he had used when Teddy was his age. It was all they could do to keep the little boy from getting into the oddest places.

“The King also has his own small council, mainly consisting of Lords that currently hold his favour.”

“I suppose favouritism is the same in any world,” he muttered. “Only lords?”

She rolled her eyes, causing his lips to twitch in amusement at the uncharacteristic reaction. “Except for Dorne, the other kingdoms have male preference inheritance laws, though they do place the daughters of the lord or heir above any siblings or cousins.”