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Disclaimer: This story is based on characters, ideas, and situations created by JK Rowling and owned by her and her publishers. I own the original elements & characters. No money is being made by me, and no trademark or copyright infringement is intended.



Chapter XVI

It was just over a week after Harry had killed the three Death Eaters, and he had been trying to get to a meeting with Su Li. Harry hoped that she had an answer to his letter, outlining his proposals for reforming magical Britain after Voldemort was destroyed. She had finally agreed to meet with him that afternoon.

What was standing in his way at the moment was Draco Malfoy, with Pansy on one side of him and Montague on the other, all three with their wands drawn.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" Harry asked, annoyed.

"You just have to be greedy, don't you, Potter?" Draco spat. "You can't leave any gravy for the rest of us, can you?"

"You're training your own army here, Potter," Pansy nearly snarled. Harry thought she looked rather like Aunt Marge's bulldog. Still, he did see why the DA could look like a small army in training.

"You want to take over the magical world once you defeat the Dark Lord," Draco accused.

"Draco, you're an idiot," Harry said contemptuously. "First of all, nothing I want or am doing has anything to do with things outside of magical Britain and Ireland. That's hardly the magical world. In fact, it's less than one percent of the magical world. None of my ideas are going to be easily accepted, even when I kill Tommy-boy. Once Tommy is gone and I turn seventeen, I'm releasing everyone from their sworn oaths, just like I'm not holding anyone to reswearing once they turn seventeen if they're underage now. As for the Defense Association, what's the matter, you don't like people knowing how to stand up for themselves? Are you three upset because there are less people you can bully?"

Harry glared at them, and each of the three started to sweat. "Now, put your wands away and bugger off, or I'll take them away and shove them so far up your arses that sparks will come out your gobs each time you smile."

Pansy's nerve actually broke first, to Harry's surprise. Montague left next. Draco continued to glare.

"Well?" Harry asked, "are you going to do something, or are you going to be smart for once in your life and bide your time? Now is not the time to be loudly defending the old Pure-blood agenda, Malfoy. Wait a few years, and when people forget how bad things were, how asinine the positions are, you'll be able to drum up support again."

"I will be back, Potter," Draco swore, and he marched off. Harry rolled his eyes.

"Oh, dear," Su Li said with a small smile on her tiny lips (for she was a very petite, small-boned young woman), "you don't seem to be in a good mood." Harry had come into the small seminar room with an angry look.

"Sorry." Harry shook himself out of his remaining irritation. "I ran into Malfoy, Parkinson, and Montague, and at first they thought they wanted to fight."

"Well, I am glad you decided to frighten them off instead of killing them," a woman said, revealing herself.

Harry bowed, "Madam Ramsey," he said.

"You know me? Or did one of your brilliant consorts identify me?"

"I knew of you," Harry answered. She had been an ally inside the Ministry during the civil war, but had not revealed the Ravenclaw Coven to him that time. "I'm happy to see you."

"It is a trick I may use at Hogwarts, as a representative of Mistress Ravenclaw."

"Ahh," Harry said with a smile. He disappeared, and reappeared several steps away. "I suppose it's good to know that I would be undetectable as well."

"Unless Hogwarts herself were to reveal one of us," Ramsey agreed. She gestured and sat at the table. Harry sat, but at first Su stood behind Madam Ramsey, until she gestured to Su to sit as well.

"We have studied your proposals, Lord Potter," Ramsey said. "They are radical in intent, but they would not really have as radical of an effect as most people would think at first."

"I want to liberalize our society, and provide more protections for magical sentients," Harry agreed. "That would mean that the core of conservative Pure-bloods who run things would lose some power, and their reactionary supporters, who sit back and pull strings in the Ministry and who support people like Grindelwald and Voldemort, would hopefully lose even more."

"In the short term," Ramsey agreed, "assuming they do not rebel."

"They'll be discredited once Voldemort is gone, which I would hope would take care of the short term, and the type of people they partially control are already in charge," Harry said. "In the sort term, they can hardly rebel against themselves, and the most extreme ones are Death Eaters, and they are going to be dead or discredited. In the long term, those families are fast dying off."

"Not fast enough, and we are a long-lived people, Lord Potter," Ramsey said. "May we suggest several things, in addition to your proposals?"

"Of course," Harry said. Madam Ramsey first handed him some parchments, which Harry glanced through. He looked up. "As you know, we've already talked about restarting the Education Fund. I like this scheme, and would happily donate fifty thousand Galleons when I reach seventeen."

"That would be most gratifying, but we were going to ask for at least sixty thousand and hoped for ninety," Ramsey retorted with a smile.

"I'll donate forty thousand up-front, and then another thousand for each ten thousand raised after that from private sources, up to an additional thirty-five thousand," Harry offered. "Say a ten year time limit?"

"That is a good idea," Ramsey agreed.

"Assuming that you have all this in place before I'm seventeen," Harry added, waving one sheet of parchment, which summarize Harry's positions as well as the education scheme.

"Of course," she said.

"As for the required teaching of a two year course on Magical Culture to us Muggle-raised, and mandatory Introductory Muggle Studies for the Magically-raised. . . ."

"Yes?"

"Since you have a high position in the Ministry, I presume you are at least a Full-Blood?"

"I am."

"And your Coven?"

"We have no Muggle-born members, but there are some who have been raised in a mixed environment. Why?"

"Muggle Studies is as poorly taught here as History. Both need better teachers. This course needs to be taught by someone who was Muggle-raised, but who has a background which will command the students' respect. It will also have to emphasize how dependent we are on Muggle food and basic supplies, as well as on how to pass through the Muggle world without being noticed."

Ramsey nodded. "Excellent points. Anything else?"

"No, I like all these proposals."

"Now," Madam Ramsey asked, "What other intentions do you have?"

"Very few," Harry answered. "I know as well as you that the magically-raised live with an underlying fear that we will be discovered and have to go deeper underground to escape persecution. That, and the natural arrogance of any group of self-contained people, explains most Pure-Blood attitudes."

"And what do you think of that fear?" Ramsey asked.

"I hate to say it, but it's probably very well-founded for lots of reasons," Harry had to admit.

"Such as?"

"If Muggles knew that most magical beasts were real, how many would want to go hunting for dragons, griffins, or even unicorns?" Harry asked, which made both Madam Ramsey and Su shudder with horror. "How long would it take Muggle science to track magic, at least large-scale use of magic, and if needs be send a missile in to attack some place like Hogwarts? That's assuming that their secret services can't do that already." Madam Ramsey looked horrified, but had to admit that was possible. "How long before our rather primitive economy would be overwhelmed by the Muggle, and we'd be selling our magic for food and shelter? I don't agree with ninety-nine percent of the Pure-blood agenda, but I do understand the underlying fears that help cause it, even if I loathe the bigotry that goes along with the fear. I also know that we can never control the Muggle world." Harry smiled. "If we could, we would have long ago, before Muggle technology became so powerful."

"So, you don't think much of our chances?" Su asked.

"Our chances for what? Improving the magical world? I do think we can do that. Our, and your, proposals are good first steps. For ever integrating the magical and Muggle worlds? Even in my grandchildren's lifetimes? No, not unless we gain more significantly more numbers. We're only about one out of every twenty-seven hundred people. We'd have to be at least one out of every hundred to stand a chance. There are just too many Muggles and too few of us."

"I meant our chances of staying hidden," Su retorted.

"I understand there are plenty of magic users hiding in plain sight all across Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Americas," Harry answered. "Do you know why magical Europe are the most paranoid in the world, besides all the Pure-Blood bigotry?"

"Why?" Ramsey asked sardonically.

"Two reasons," Harry answered, "one good and one bad. The good reason is because how the Communists used Muggle-born infiltrators to wipe out large chunks of the old Magical communities in Central and Eastern Europe, not to mention in China, Indochina, and North Korea. That tells us right there that the Muggle world can't just be trusted." Harry's expression darkened. "It's almost amazing that it's almost never mentioned here, even by the Pure-Bloods, isn't it?"

"Why isn't it?" Su Li asked.

When Ramsey didn't answer, Harry said, "Because it rather undercuts the Pure-blood claims of magical superiority in some ways, doesn't it? All those Muggle-raised magical users did was point out where the magical communities were. They were wiped out, often in pitched battles, by the Communist Muggles."

"How?" Su asked.

"Almost every Seventh year here could throw up a shield that will stop a bullet, given sufficient warning," Harry answered. "Not one wizard out of a hundred can throw up a shield that will stop twenty bullets fired at it in less than two minutes, and that is easily accomplished by Muggle weapons. Not one wizard in a thousand can contain the power of a simple hand grenade, and the Muggles have much more powerful ways of killing that those." Harry shrugged. "Like I said, if we could control the Muggles, we already would have, back in the days when they just had swords, spears, and arrows."

"And the bad reason?" Su asked. Ramsey grimaced, correctly suspecting the answer.

"All of magical Europe is woefully under-taxed," Harry said. "To do the job right, the Ministry would have to be both more efficient and hire on more people. But if they hired on more people, they couldn't all be the 'right' kind of people, meaning people from the 'right' families. The only reason why the aurors are even semi-efficient, given that they are only at about half the strength they should be, is that for the most part the 'right people' are too lazy to meet the requirements, despite Snape's efforts to misteach Potions to everyone except for Slytherins these past dozen years or so."

Su looked at Ramsey, who merely nodded.

"Well, Professor Snape is hardly a problem now, is he?" Ramsey asked.

"No, ma'am," Harry agreed. "Now, what is it you wanted to really ask me?"

"You might have the brains for Ravenclaw and the guile for Slytherin, but you are too direct for any House but Gryffindor," Ramsey said with a smile.

"Let me test your theory about my brains," Harry said. "I am the Heir of Gryffindor, and an heir of Hufflepuff. There are no known blood heirs left of Ravenclaw or Slytherin."

Ramsey frowned, "I thought You-Know-Who was the last blood Heir of Slytherin."

"Tom Riddle was, but he's dead," Harry answered. "Voldemort has returned, and he is a magical heir of Slytherin. He doesn't have a drop of a genetic relationship to Slytherin, since he was made up of unicorn blood and venom, the bone of his Muggle father, the hand of his slave Peter Pettigrew, and a bit of my blood. That makes him a very distant relation by blood, and I've already filed all the papers and said the spells which disinherit him. I have already been recognized as a magical heir, and since he was just reborn to his body a few months ago, I am the senior magical heir. I've disinherited him as an heir to Slytherin as well." The Slytherin vault had considered that, and on a flying visit to the vaults a few weekends earlier, had finally confirmed that it also considered Voldemort disinherited.

"So," Harry went on, "unless Voldemort somehow has children. . . ." Harry shuddered at the thought. "I get to restart the lines to both Ravenclaw and Slytherin, plus continue the line of Gryffindor." He smiled. "I am sure you're more concerned with Ravenclaw."

"We are, but have spared a thought for Slytherin as well," Ramsey agreed.

"I will not take a Slytherin consort, at least not to provide Slytherin with a new heir," Harry said. "Trust me, I think I'll have enough children to be Sorted all around. I once heard a prediction I'd have twelve, and I trust the Sorting Hat to choose at least one for Slytherin, and that will be the start of a new Slytherin line, and to do the same for Ravenclaw."

"You wouldn't object?"

Harry shrugged, "Not if Slytherin once again becomes a House of honest ambition, and not greedy, greasy, gits." Harry smiled and added, "And yes, I know your family is split between Ravenclaw and Slytherin."

"I have to admit," Ramsey said, "you are a lot different than I had been led to believe."

"I had a very hard childhood," Harry said with steel in his voice, "and learned to hide whatever talents and abilities I have. I had to let that side out last year, and I didn't like it so I tried to put it away. I had to use it this summer, and learned that I have to show that side to the world now. What I was before last year now only belongs to Hermione. The whole gestalt that is Harry Potter belongs to Luna and Padma." His hard voice grew incredibly cold and terrifying. "If anyone hurts one of them, they will wish for what I did to Snape."

"I understand," Madam Ramsey said. She was not about to cross the-Boy-Who-Lived, even if she might sometimes have to oppose him.

"So we have a deal?" Harry asked.

"We have a deal," Madam Ramsey said. "We will start feeding our combined ideas through the Wizengamot over the next year, starting at the next meeting in December. I hope you will endorse the ideas, through The Quibbler if not The Prophet."

"I think that can be arranged," Harry said. He stood and bowed to Madam Ramsey and to Su Li, and then took his leave.

"I knew he had changed," Su mused, "but I hadn't seen how much until today."

"So you believe Chang's descriptions of his character were accurate, at least for last year?" Ramsey asked.

Su thought about that. "Probably, but if he was interested in Granger last year, he was putting it aside because of his interest in Cho." She shook her head. "I can't imagine what he went through in the Third Task. It obviously changed him more than any of us guessed."

Ramsey thought about that. She also wondered what exactly had happened at Harry's farce of a trial. The Heir of Merlin was not a person to press for too many answers at one time.



"Harry?"

"Yes?" Harry looked at Padma. "What is it?"

"Next weekend is the first Hogsmeade weekend."

"True," Harry agreed.

"My parents would like to meet you."

Harry merely nodded and looked at Luna. "Should I be meeting your father then, too?"

"That would be nice," Luna answered. "I always like seeing Daddy."

"Professor Slughorn wants us to attend one of his little get-togethers that night as well," Hermione said.

"You and me, or the four of us?"

"Oh, the four of us," Hermione assured him.

"Then tell the Professor that, if I survive meeting the Patils and Mister Lovegood, we'll be there."



Padma clasped her hands together and made a slight bow to her father. "Father, Harry Potter. Harry, my father, Chandragupta Patil." Padma looked around. "Mother is not here?"

"Your mother is with Mister Lovegood," her father answered. "Mister Potter and I have things to discuss." Padma repeated her gesture, and led Luna and a scowling Hermione away. "Mister Potter," he said, gesturing to a private parlor.

Harry nodded and went in and sat.

"I did not invite you to sit," Mister Patil snapped.

"True," Harry answered. "Sit."

"What did you say to me?" Mister Patil thundered.

"I said SIT!" Harry ordered.

Patil sat, much to his own surprise. "Now," Harry continued, "we can be reasonable men, or we can posture. You have seventy years on me, and I have more wealth, a lot more power, and in this part of the world, the more important ancestry. Which do you prefer?"

"I was hoping to posture a bit more, but it seems rather futile," Patil admitted, irritated.

"Sir,"Harry teased, "I've faced down Voldemort, Dumbledore, a troll, a dragon, Hermione's parents, and Molly Weasley, and killed a number of men, one of them in a very public way."

"True," Patil agreed ruefully. "I hope you'll honor me by putting me somewhere on the list."

"Above the troll, the dragon, and Dumbledore; below the Grangers and Voldemort, and certainly below Molly Weasley."

"I have met her," Mister Patil agreed.

"Is there a problem, or was this display required for some Indian custom I'm not aware of?" Harry asked.

"I was wondering if there was some reason that you only gave my daughter the minimum amount required for her status," Patil stated.

Harry blinked. "Is that because you're worried that Hermione's status will be that of full bondmate instead of consort? That in the eyes of the Muggle world, she'll be my wife, and the others at best my mistresses?"

"Yes," Patil said. "I understand that, along with your personal preferences, you are making a political statement by bonding with a Muggleborn and taking two Pure-bloods as consorts."

"I don't mean any offense, but is Padma considered a Pure-blood? I understood that her mother, while from very old magical bloodlines is, well. . . ."

"A Squib? Well, yes," Patil admitted. "However, few people know that, as she was an only child. People in Britain assume she was educated in India, people in India presume she was educated here or in America, as her mother was. She is also a very knowledgeable potions brewer. As an American friend of mine would say, 'she can talk the talk'."

"So everyone just assumes she a witch, because they have no reason not to," Harry said, amused. "To give you the explanation you want, yes, all of the Potter magical property is entailed, so it will go to the oldest son I have with Hermione. If we don't have a son, it will go to the first son born to Luna or Padma. None of the Muggle property is entailed, and I will be dividing most of that up between any other children I have, with life-interests for their mothers, if I live so long to officially get married and have children. Beyond that, I really shouldn't say."

"Possibly not," Patil agreed.

There was a knock on the door, which turned out to be Mister Lovegood. "Hey, Sandy! I heard you were trying to intimidate our future son-in-law. Need some help?"

Chandragupta Patil winced. "Lionel, how many times have I asked you not to call me that?"

"I haven't kept a tally," Lionel admitted. "But who wants to keep saying 'Chandragupta'?"

"As we are to be indirectly related, you may call me Chandra," Patil said. "In fact, please call me Chandra."

"Be sure to tell all my future children to call him 'Grandfather Sandy', though," Harry said gravely.

"Nonsense," Lionel said. "He'll be 'Pappy Sandy' and I can be 'Pappy Lion'."

"I knew this incarnation was going too well," Patil said wearily.