A Hop Skip And A Jump Away

The worlds still turning

The paper the next morning practically blared Harry's new status, much to his chagrin. The only saving grace was the fact that Skeeter had been singing his praises. She very gleefully pointed out that it was better that he had been made the royal magical heir over both Dumbledore and Voldemort. Somehow she had gotten her hands on reports of some of the things he had done during his first four years and very happily told everyone. Thankfully she still didn't know that he had surpassed those accomplishments in the other timeline. Those memories still gave him nightmares, nightmares that were only eased by his fiances.

Harry deeply suspected that both that article and the section on his unusual time travel circumstances, reiterating that they had come back to save everyone, was the doing of his two Slytherins. The references to the trial they were very probably going to be having that day were surprisingly less inflammatory than he had thought. Unfortunately, his two sneaky serpents were entirely immune to his glares of intimidation that morning and wouldn't say anything on the subject of what was in the paper, insisting that they couldn't skip out on the Wizengamot meeting that day. He gave in with a suspicious grumble and could practically feel Death laughing his ass off at the entire situation.

They returned to the Ministry and the room the Wizengamot was using directly after breakfast. Harry was more than a little surprised to find almost no one was glaring hatefully at them. Though there was more than a little fear, which he put it down to Voldemort being there publicly and everything. There was even a representative of the Royal family and a few Royal servants waiting for him when they got there. The information that they were his attendants and were to school him in what he needed to know as a part of the Royal family wasn't really that much of a shock. The fact that he had a bribery fund for covering up indiscretions, was another matter completely.

"What do you mean I've got a bloody bribery fund?!" Harry shouted angrily. Only Voldemort and Severus quick actions to pin him between them and sooth him saved the man from being either cursed or clocked. The rest of the Wizengamot politely looked away from the confrontation while quietly filing that information away for a rainy day.

"The special fund is for when you inevitably make mistakes my prince," the suited middle aged man informed him, completely unruffled at Harry's outburst.

"I don't make or use bribes," Harry growled low, his anger barely dampened by his fiances' efforts at cuddling/restraining him as he spoke from between them. "I expect people to do their job in a reasonable and timely manner. When they don't I can always prank them. Of course now that I'm in charge of the ministry I could also fire them."

"Your pranks are a menace whenever you employ them," Severus said flatly. "You managed to use a single wet starting firework and three pieces of string to explode an entire army base in the last timeline. It was only your stubborn sense of Gryffindor fairness that kept you from targeting obvious civilians."

"No, it was my fear of becoming like the bastards who decided it was a good idea to rape a four year old and then torture her to death in the middle of the street for calling a cuddle toy across the room! Anyone harming a magical child for any reason had their life automatically declared forfeit!" Harry snarled out, half clutching at the comforting and grounding arms of his fiances. He kept his eyes lowered and the power under his skin leashed tightly as it practically burned with the need to destroy such evil. The two non-descript muggle men paled to bone white as the younger one got violently ill.

"Fair doesn't belong in war or on the battlefield," Voldemort agreed bitterly. "But that doesn't stop some of us from trying to adhere to a sense of honor, no matter how tattered."

"If that fund is going to be used, let it be used for the children and families that suffered in the last war. Or for orphans and those with abusive families so that they can get out of those situations into a chance at a life. If a bribe is needed or used I'm obviously not doing my job right," Harry spat, his emerald eyes glowing with power. A color that scarily reminded the Wizengamot members of the Killing Curse.

"As you wish your majesty," the older muggle agreed softly before moving on to the next item on his list. "The Queen thought it would be a good idea for you to have files on your new family. She also asked me to inform you that unless a vital issue arises there is a family dinner you and your fiances need to be at in two weeks. There is also going to be an official interview about your adoption, which you must be at, in a few days. In the blue file there are several scenarios for you to choose your background story from, including one that reveals the magical world. You may also choose to reveal the true circumstances which brought this about. We do, however, need to know which one before the interview. Should you wish to reveal the existence of magic and the British magical community your adoption falls under the same laws and qualifiers as a peace treaty re-enforced by a royal marriage. The goblins went over the laws with a fine toothed comb and verified it as well as the fact that it is binding on all British citizenry."

"Anything else?" Harry asked in resignation, moving from between his Slytherins to openly sulk in front of the two muggles.

"Your official residence has been provided by her majesty and tailors have been hired to provide you and your fiances with an appropriate wardrobe. The purple files have the laws, peerage, and other important minueta that you need to learn quickly. You are in line for the crown after the rest of the Windsor family as the youngest and adopted prince," the younger muggle attendant explained handing over the pile of files. "All of this is a summary so that you have some idea what's going on as quickly as possible. The yellow file is for your fiances."

"The black dragon skin one with the mark of my Hallows is from me," Death whispered invisibly into his ear before his presence disappeared.

"I despise paperwork," Harry informed them all, glaring balefully at the pile of folders. With a deep sigh of resignation he accepted them only to shrink them and put the whole pile in his pocket for later. "Alright, any other reason I have to be here?"

"The entire day is dedicated to Dumbledore's trial and the associated trial of three abusive muggles in his employ. Apparently they took care of young wizard on his behalf and badly mistreated him," Severus said quietly. "We collected them several days ago and didn't have the chance until now to hand them over to the Aurors."

"Stubborn snakes, I thought I told you that I just wanted to forget!" Harry growled but didn't object when the turtlefied Dursleys were handed over to the nearest Auror.

"If you are unwilling to get justice for yourself how can you be expected to get justice rather than revenge when seeking it for others?" Voldemort reasoned as he led them to their new seats behind where the minister's seat was.

The ornate and very comfy set of plush thrones that sat there waiting for them had Harry glaring at the shear indulgence. He allowed himself to grudgingly slip into the slightly taller throne in the middle when both of his fiances looked at him pointedly. When he finally turned to face the prisoners Harry had to silently admit that they might need the obvious theatrics. Dumbledore stood there tall and fresh as a daisy, twinkling at them all as if this was little more than a child's tantrum.