Disclaimer: Did Dumbledore announce where the Philosopher's Stone was located to the entire school instead of keeping quiet about it and putting the strongest locking spells he could find on the door so no student could just wander into Fluffy's lair?
If so, I don't own the Harry Potter franchise; it belongs to J.K. Rowling, Scholastic Press, Warner Bros., and whomever else she sold the rights to.
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"This emergency session of the Wizengamot is now in session!"
Jen rapped her fingertips on the desk in front of her in a series of staccato bursts while the blonde witch standing behind Dumbledore's podium returned to her seat. This congregation was already different than those she had attended on the odd weekends this year; there was no idle chatter as people took their places in the Chamber's stands, no last-minute wheeling and dealing. Everyone was serious and, if their pale faces were any indication, more than a little terrified.
Then again, considering how Voldemort had popped up only a few hours after their session the previous Saturday, that honestly should not come as any great surprise.
The old man stood and walked up to the podium. "One week ago today, the Dark Lord known as Voldemort"—the number of people who didn't shudder numbered less than a dozen—"or, more commonly, You-Know-Who, appeared in Diagon Alley. He destroyed three buildings, proclaimed his return from his previous state of incorporeality, killed eight Hit Wizards, and then retreated when all of the DMLE that could be gathered Apparated into the Alley, Madam Bones at their head. This attack cannot be ignored." He pulled off his half-moon glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose for a moment before replacing them. "The floor is open for suggestions."
Cue the cacophony of everyone yelling at once.
The black witch had to hold back a snort as she parsed out some of the suggestions. Negotiate? Capitulate? It was no shock that most of these comments came from her and Sirius's neighbors, placed as they were near the edge of the section reserved for the Dark Houses; all she had to do was look out the corner of her eye to find Lucius Malfoy demanding that the Minister organize a parley, the Houses of Nott and Carrow his most vehement supporters. Glancing over to the Neutral Houses, she saw that the largest segment of the Wizengamot was fractured: most were afraid, some pleased and trying to hide it, and a few even looked bloodthirsty. Amelia and Susan were both scowling, and a quick glance to where Stella Zabini sat showed the succubus gnawing worriedly on her knuckle.
That's less than encouraging, Jen thought with narrowed eyes. Then again, Sirius did say that in the first War, Voldemort counted Dark creatures in his army, though no mention was made of the Lilin. Of course, since he already had vampires, maybe he just didn't want two species that feed on mankind in his troops.
I'll have to keep an eye on her. If it looks like more succubi are going to come to Britain from Italy, I might have to break out the Order of Hunters costume again and remind her that's a bad idea.
Dumbledore raised his wand and fired into the air a spell that sounded off like a cannon blast. "There will be order!" he shouted. Once the assembly calmed down, he continued, "Anyone who has an idea of what to do, light your wands and wait to be called upon. Dowager Longbottom."
"Thank you, Chief Warlock," the blonde witch replied as she stood. Crossing her thick arms over her chest, the regent for the Ancient and Most Noble House of Longbottom declared, "I will be brief. All of us remember what happened the last time You-Know-Who was active. Disappearances. Murders, of those magical and those not. Wizards and witches placed under the Imperius Curse and forced to commit acts they would never otherwise be capable of, even slaughtering their own families. I myself lost my husband, my son, and my daughter-in-law to those monsters," she snarled, "and I know I am not the only one who did. How many of us had family and friends torn away from us? How many suffered under this Dark Lord? And are we willing to go through that pain again? No!
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B.Q. Book Two: Black Princess Ascendant
FanfictionSecond in the Black Queen series. Last year, Jen had to contend with a deadly Tournament, a revived Dark Lord, a meddlesome Headmaster, and worst of all, reconciliation attempts by her parents. Surely her OWL year can't be anywhere near as complic...
