Power Plays Chapter 53

AN: Welcome to the beginning of the third and final part of Power Plays. This story has been near and dear to my heart for quite some time, but I am glad that we are nearing its conclusion. This concept for this final part was my initial idea for how the story would begin, but I decided that more backstory and interesting developments would be needed to truly set the stage here. Expect a character-driven focus in this final part as we await to see what becomes of Harry and Daphne's story.

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“Today, I am officially announcing my resignation as Minister for Magic. I will maintain my position until such a time as a new Minister for Magic has been elected. It has been an honour serving you all.”

Had it not been for Harry’s efforts, the Atrium of the Ministry of Magic would’ve been filled with jeering protesters. In their place were hundreds of kind-hearted supporters, ministry officials, and members of the press, who all politely clapped as Kingsley bowed his head atop the stage he’d given his speech from. He was flanked by all of the Department Heads as well as several of his senior advisers, including Hermione, who looked more exhausted than Harry had seen her since the war.

She stepped forward, brushing her long brown hair behind her shoulders as Kingsley passed the microphone over to her.

“We will hold a brief questioning period,” Hermione announced to everyone. “Those wishing to ask a question should make their way to the aisles where microphones are being—”

Pandemonium quickly erupted; dozens of people, mostly members of the press, rushed to be the first in line. People were jostling back and forth, and a reporter was even knocked onto the lap of a seated guest.

Harry sighed at the nuisance and turned to his companion on his left. “Go remind Ettington and Barrows how to keep order, would you?”

“You’ve got it, boss,” Gabrielle winked at him before she pushed into the crowd from the back where they were standing.

It had been a pain to get her transferred over to the British Ministry of Magic, but Gabrielle was resolute in her decision to remain by his side. Evidently, she found the idea of remaining in France with a Ministry that’d shuttered her father out of a job to be entirely intolerable. Harry supposed that the infrequent sex they still had probably played a factor too, especially given that Daphne approved of it wholeheartedly.

Gabrielle helped to corral anyone wishing to ask a question into two neat queues. Harry scouted the lines for any potential troublemakers, but he found none of the usual suspects other than Rita, who was in his pocket anyway, so he didn’t have to worry about her asking something that could potentially cause issues for him.

Satisfied that things were proceeding smoothly, Harry’s gaze sought out his fiancée, Daphne, who was sitting prettily in the front row with several other members of the Wizengamot. In the weeks since the defeat of Emile Delacour, she’d been working overtime to court support within the Wizengamot for her impending campaign to win over the public at large. Her efforts within the Wizengamot and her notoriety for being a clever politician had made several wealthy families lean towards her cause, but there were just as many who hated her for being with Harry, whose efforts to dismantle the corruption in pure-blood society had cost them wealth and power.

They were scheduled to have their official announcement of Daphne’s candidacy tomorrow. It was custom to allow a twenty-four-hour grace period before any candidates announced their campaigns to the public, so Harry had no doubt that there’d be a slew of candidates coming forward tomorrow. Some chose to announce themselves as early as possible while others waited until after the eager candidates had declared themselves so that they could have a better chance of standing out and not being drowned out by a louder voice. The latter was the strategy that Daphne had chosen.

Harry would be by her side throughout it all. He was so proud seeing her work hard every night in preparing her platform and organising a list of potential events to ingratiate herself within various magical communities throughout Britain.

But they still had time before they had to nail down concrete details about their plans, and Daphne still had to announce her candidacy before then.

“Minister Shacklebolt,” the first reporter said, her voice booming loudly throughout the atrium. “What made you make the push to resign now when the people have been calling on you to resign for months?”

Kingsley looked too tired to be insulted or annoyed by the question being asked. “I acted in a way that I felt best befitted the political situation at the time, as I am now. I and many others spent a lot of time building this government back up after the end of the war, and we worked hard to prevent another one when the Death Eaters returned. It has been a difficult path, one that was not without its flaws, and I recognise that I have come to the end of my time on this road. My successor will have a far better chance of unifying the Wizengamot than I do.”

The sound of quills scratching across parchment left an uncomfortable grating sound beneath Kingsley’s words. Every newspaper throughout Britain would likely have an special edition coming out this evening dedicated solely to this event, repeating Kingsley’s words for all to hear.

Gabrielle and Ettington had to corral the reporter back to her place in the audience as she quickly tried to ask a follow-up question despite being warned before the conference began that only one question could be asked per person.

A man stepped up to the microphone next.

“On that note, Minister, have you given any thought to who your successor will be?”

There was a cry from the crowd: “Potter!”

Suddenly, hundreds of eyes seemed to hone in on Harry, who simply remained standing at the back with his arms crossed over his chest. He gave no response, no hint as to his approval or disapproval of the statement even as further calls of support began to ring out through the crowd. Although he was unpopular with some of the Wizengamot, many within the public clearly still supported him.

A few other names were shouted out as well. Rosier, Hexsmith, Tuft, Weasley, Bletchley, and then came the name of Rhys Orpington.

Harry spotted the woman in the crowd who called out the name. She was a recent figure of note around the Ministry given her association with Rhys. Her name was Aurora Calderon, a pure-blood from America according to her documentation. Apparently, she was from the well-known Calderon-Boot family, a mainstay in America given the Calderon family’s fame of being exceptional healers and the Boot family’s history of helping to found the Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

The fact that Aurora lacked any official position within the Ministry was curious. When she entered the country, she claimed that she was here on an extended vacation, but it seemed that she was more intent on doing odd tasks for Rhys. From delivering letters to various shops in Knockturn Alley to meeting with the man’s aides, Aurora always saw it done quickly and without kicking up much of a fuss.

Clearly times were changing.

At the sound of Rhys’ name being spoken, several other carefully-placed individuals around the atrium parroted the name, shouting over any other name that was tried to be raised.

“Enough!” Harry shouted, having used the Amplifying Charm to make his voice boom throughout the atrium.

Instantly, the atrium fell silent, which was the exact opposite response that Harry expected. Rhys and his followers were showboats. They loved to take centre stage, dominate conversations, and make everything about themselves. Them going quiet set off alarm bells in Harry’s mind.

Once everyone returned their focus to Kingsley, Harry subtly signalled to a pair of Aurors standing around the perimeter to come over to him.

“Keep a close watch on Orpington’s supporters here,” Harry told them.

His Aurors nodded and started manoeuvring their way closer to where the disrupters were standing. They remained a fair distance away so as to not draw suspicion but still managed to have a clear line of sight towards them just in case.

Kingsley cleared his throat. “I have given it some thought; however, I am unprepared to throw my support behind anyone at this time.”

A wise political move that Harry himself had suggested. Kingsley’s support would be meaningful to anyone intending to run, but it would also act as a poison pill to certain segments of the population. They would decry whoever he threw his support behind, regardless of if they were a strong candidate or not.

The audience grumbled slightly at that. The press especially were likely hoping to have a nice follow-up story to milk for weeks to come with this.

The questions continued on in a rather boring fashion. There were no further outbursts from the crowd, and any juicy questions were often shut down quickly by Kingsley. He tended to offer more detailed explanations as to how this transition period would work as they waited for the impending election.

Eventually, a lull in the crowd formed, and that was when Rita Skeeter stepped forward to the microphone with her acid-green quill hovering in the air next to her.

“Minister Shacklebolt,” she said in a sultry tone. “I must say that it is a shame to see you leaving office so soon.”

Kingsley snorted into the microphone, more out of amusement than anger it seemed. “I would’ve thought that your biting critiques of me over the past years would’ve meant that you’d be celebrating today.”

“It’s the press’ duty to critique the Ministry,” Rita retorted with a toothy smile. “Otherwise, the people would fall victim to an out-of-control bureaucracy.”

Her veiled reference to the Ministry under Voldemort’s rule wasn’t missed by anyone.

“Did you have a question you wanted to ask?” Kingsley sighed.

“I do,” Rita nodded. “How can you justify to the Wizarding World at large that you have He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named’s daughter living amongst us?”

There was a sharp intake of breath from some in the crowd. Once again, eyes turned back to Harry while others fell upon Daphne.

The sensitive topic of Delphini was something that was still raging on throughout Britain and the rest of the world. While other countries were much more sympathetic to Harry and Daphne’s decision to take in Delphini, those in Britain and France were far more split on the issue. It was understandable in a sense. Voldemort was one of the most malevolent dark lords in recent history, and any discussion involving him was often fraught with heavy emotions. People who lost loved ones or suffered greatly under Voldemort’s rule weren’t always able to handle discussions about Delphini rationally or without bias.

While the issue had started to dwindle slightly, there were still many who wanted answers. The Ministry itself maintained a distant, neutral position, with Kingsley even speaking to reporters a few weeks ago and saying that a child could never be held culpable for the sins of her parents.

Of course, that didn’t leave everyone satisfied. There were many who didn’t want Voldemort’s child to taint their shores, and a very small but vocal minority even called for her execution.

Harry and Daphne had yet to speak publicly on the matter extensively. They’d released a few statements echoing Kingsley’s words and calling for peace and grace when it came to handling Delphini, but that didn’t seem to be enough to calm down the fervour. It was a topic that was bound to dominate the news once Daphne announced that she was running to be the next Minister for Magic.

Which was exactly why Harry had asked Rita to ask this exact question to the Minister directly while he was also in attendance.

Kingsley met Harry’s gaze. A look of uncertainty filled the man’s face, but Harry simply nodded for the man to get on with it.

“Delphini Riddle is an innocent young girl,” Kingsley announced into the microphone. A cry of protest rose at that, but one of Harry’s Aurors swiftly silenced the person with a charm. “She has suffered dearly at the hands of her mother and lived through a very difficult childhood until she found a stable, loving family to take her in. Are you aware that the Dark Lord Ekrizdis, the man who founded Azkaban, is related to no fewer than seventeen pure-blood families according to our records? Should we punish those families as well for the crimes of their progenitor?”

“Ekrizdis lived hundreds of years ago,” Rita countered. “He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named reigned only a few short years ago, and his victims still inhabit our isles.”

“Is it not telling that Harry Potter, the vanquisher of Voldemort and one of the greatest victims to his cruelty, was the one who chose to take in Delphini?” Kingsley retorted.

“Then perhaps I should be directing my questions to our Head Auror instead,” Rita said.

And there it was. Harry had to hide a smile at how well this had played out. Rita truly was gifted at her craft of manipulating conversations to go the way that she wanted.

“Minister?” Harry called out loudly. “May I take the stage and address this question directly?”

“Of course,” Kingsley said graciously. Harry expected nothing less from the man. For all their turmoil, Kingsley still respected Harry greatly. It was a shame that Kingsley wasn’t a strong enough politician to see that he was being played here. Or, if he did see it, wasn’t strong enough to stop Harry from doing as he wished.

Harry slowly made his way around to the front of the room, soaking up the attention from everyone. Cameras flashed as they snapped his photograph. Undoubtedly, his response here would make it near the front of every newspaper this evening.

As he climbed the steps up to the stage, he was met with Amelia Bones’ frowning face. She’d known that she was Bellatrix’s daughter due to the testing they’d done when they’d first rescued Delphini, but Narcissa was the only one who could truly confirm that Delphini was Voldemort’s child, and they’d kept that a secret from everyone. Between this and all of the suspicions that Proudfoot has been whispering in her ears for months now, it seemed that whatever little trust remained between the two of them was gone now.

Kingsley stepped aside from the microphone, allowing Harry his moment. He took a calm breath as he met Daphne’s gorgeous blue eyes and that small smile of approval on her lips. They’d planned for this, rehearsed this, and now it was time to put their work into play.

“As you all know, I was orphaned as a baby,” Harry said into the microphone. He wasn’t speaking directly to Rita, not really anyways. He was speaking to everyone, hoping his message would come across. More importantly though, he needed to put an end to this ceaseless debate around Delphini. Both for her peace and for Daphne’s campaign. “Voldemort came into my home, slaughtered my parents, and then left me with a scar.

“I was not raised in a loving household. In fact, I didn’t know anything about magic until I turned eleven, and I was wholly unprepared for the world I entered into. I faced persecution because of who I was. When I announced Voldemort’s return, I was attacked in the press for months, and I never had anyone to help guide me through that.

“Delphini was orphaned because her parents were evil. She, however, is nothing like either of them. She’s a young girl who likes to spend her time playing with her cousin, collecting an unhealthy amount of stuffed animals, and running through gardens. Narcissa Malfoy raised her as her own, and after her untimely passing, I decided to step up and take care of her. Delphini deserves a happy and healthy living environment. She deserves to have someone who has gone through what she’s going through to help guide her.

“If any of you spent one single afternoon with this girl, you’d realise that she’s not some evil mastermind who needs to be watched. I eventually came to terms with what Voldemort did to my family, but I’ve never had to have that same reckoning with Delphini because she wasn’t involved in any of it. I don’t need to forgive her because there’s nothing to forgive.

“I say that no one needs to justify Delphini living among us, just as I see no reason to justify the existence of any other child within our shores. Delphini has just as much right to grow up happily as the rest of us do, and I will not allow our flawed systems to make a mistake again and lead to a mistreated child growing up to believe that they should not exist.

“I feel sorry for those of you who still feel some reservations about her. Truly. I wish that your past traumas weren’t still affecting your judgements about her. But if I’m capable of doing it, then so can you. I would ask that you handle this topic with grace and empathy. My fiancée, Daphne, and I are lucky to have this wonderful girl in our lives, and I hope that you will all one day come to see just what a shining beacon of light she is.”

The applause was immediate upon Harry stepping away from the microphone. He didn’t know if his words had the intended effect or not—that would take days, if not weeks, until his words had been dissected to death by the press and public discourse—but everyone seemed to clap and cheer to any speech he gave as of late. Ending the Death Eater threat once and for all had certainly renewed his public support. He settled himself at the side of the stage, next to Hermione.

“Thank you,” Rita said to Harry. “My readers will be quite pleased to read your words.”

Kingsley returned to the microphone. “That will be all of the questions for today. Further enquiries can be directed to… Amelia?”

A stunned look of surprise crossed Kingsley’s face as Amelia gently pushed him out of the way from the microphone. Everyone sat up straight in their seats, looking at the unusual action with great interest.

Harry hoped that she really wasn’t about to do what he thought she was.

“I apologise for interrupting, but I fear that I’ve lacked the opportunity to speak my mind freely under Minister Shacklebolt’s rule,” Amelia said, as stern and stiff as ever as she stared out into the crowd, meeting any eyes who would meet hers. “I have bore witness to the failings of this government, and I can abide by them no longer. I remained a dutiful Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement until now as I believed that the rule of law was crucial in the post-war era, but now it is time for me to tell the citizens of Britain that I am here to provide you a brighter, safer tomorrow.”

“Don’t,” Harry muttered under his breath.

“This is my formal announcement that I will be running for the position of Minister for Magic,” Amelia declared.