Here We Go Again (Patreon)

Chapter 15- An Unlikely Partnership

The uproar over the King’s Cross station incident had not died down despite being a week. The attack in broad daylight was unexpected and cooked up the Ministry. The newspapers had a field day slandering the government for failing to secure King’s cross. The outrage would have come regardless if the Aurors had turned up before they did. There was no way the families would have been happy with the attack on the train.

The prominent families were furious. The Ministry should have been worried about this. The Lords and Ladies of the families on the Wizengamot had barged down to the ministry, and Bagnold had not been let off easily.

Incidentally, Abraxus Malfoy and Randolph Lestrange had been seen chewing down the minister for the lack of action for the attack. The bastards responsible for the incident were making a scene out there.

Harry was furious by what had transpired. He was angry that the Death Eaters could escape what was coming for them. They could not be arrested until there was proof, and his trying to point out what was the truth was political suicide. They might be scum, but they are scum born as wizarding royalty.

“It is not looking good for Milicent.” Harry looked up from the newspaper as Charlus sat beside him and placed a cup of coffee on the table for Harry. Harry dropped the paper and sighed as he picked it up. “You think she would be removed?”

Millicent Bagnold remained the Minister of Magic until Harry was born back in his time. The woman was an effective leader, not swayed so easily, a hard-working woman who would have been an exemplary leader at any other time. She would have, too, despite all, if it were not for Voldemort.

Harry was impressed to learn that the woman was a force to be reckoned with back in his time. She had devised effective ways to ensure that the Death Eaters would not overrun the wizarding world. Strict security measures in and around the ministry, having everyone screened effectively, including her and convicting the Death Eaters without any mercy.

The woman's crowning achievement was that Tom's followers did not sway her. She remained neutral till her death when Tom came for her eventually. What followed was a role of mediocrity and foolishness with Fudge. The thought of the man being back in power had his blood boiling. He knew that Fudge was the next candidate that would be brought in if the woman was voted out.

“You know what, let us go to the Ministry.” He got up, holding the cup in his hand. “What?” Charlus questioned, surprised by the sudden decision that Harry had come to.

“Better yet, I will go alone. I will see you later, Dad.” He disappeared upstairs.

“Where is he going?” Dorea questioned, joining her husband with a mug of her own. “Ministry.”
“Why?” He frowned. “I have no idea.”

BREAK

“The Minister is very busy, sir. She has several issues, and meeting her for a while is impossible. Thank you.” Harry, deep in thought, failed to recognise the woman initially, but that annoying simpering tone filled with fake sweetness was one he recognised instantly.

It was ages since he saw or heard about Delores Umbridge. The Ministry was the last time he had encountered the woman, searching for Tom’s soul shards. She had evaded the new government and hid herself. His hand twitched in memory as he remembered the unusual punishment the woman had inflicted upon him.

“It would do well to talk to someone by looking them in their eye, Junior Underseceratery,” Harry spoke, his voice hard and low, causing the woman to look up; her eyes frowned in annoyance at the person creating a nuisance.

Her words faltered, and she stood up immediately, trembling slightly, her eyes wide.

“Lord Potter Black?” She stammered before bowing low in greeting. “I am sorry, sir. I didn’t know it was you.”

“And this is how you treat the public if I go by what you mean, do you?” Harry questioned.

“All the others who want to meet the Minister who is not a Lord would be sent away without an answer, and you not even looking at them? So this is how you respond to the people in distress?”

“N…no sir. That is not what I….” Harry cut her off. “I have no time to talk to you. Tell your minister that I want to see her.” He ordered, lowering his voice slightly to ensure the message sank. The woman paled somewhat before hastening to inform her boss that he wanted a meeting.

He should make sure that he keeps an eye on the woman. She is incapable of doing much in her position, but what she could manage to do might destroy the ministry from the inside.

The woman came back as quickly as she had left. “The Minister will see you now.” She whispered, leading him to the office of Bagnold. “Once again, I apologise, Lord Potter Black.”

Harry didn’t bother with a response, ignoring the woman and entering the minister's office.

The woman was far from well, judging by her appearance. She probably had lost a lot of sleep in the last week. Ministers, the good ones, usually would lose a lot of sleep in their job, but he was confident that the woman was being battered left and right by the media and the Noble families.

“I am positive the timing is bad, but how bad?” Harry asked the woman, who looked up from the paperwork she was engrossed in. “None of the others have managed to stop despite me trying my best. They have said their piece, and you can do so too.” She sighed.

“Is this place safe from prying ears?” Harry questioned. “It is.” The woman agreed, frowning questioningly. “If I have your permission. Just for my peace of mind.” He held out his wand, and the woman didn’t respond for a moment but nodded hesitantly, watching the man like a hawk.

Harry twirled his wand in a circle, and the woman watched as her surroundings turned hazy. Amidst that, Harry made out a faint pinkish hue that seemed glowing. Harry turned to the woman, a smirk on his face as he regarded the look of shock on her face.

“Just as I thought.” He muttered. With a slash of his wand, Harry dispelled the charm and the one that had been present before he came in,

“You are being heard for a while now, Minister Bagnold. By how many, I don’t know.” The woman looked like she had been slapped in her face.

“Wh…who…what….” She stuttered as she buried her face in her hands, releasing a sigh of frustration as the situation began to sink in.

“You would not like it if you learned who is responsible for this. Furthermore, if you were to learn of the grand scheme that you are a part of, this day will only go from bad to worse for you.” Harry answered.

“That is the handiwork of one Delores Umbridge.” He continued. “Your so-called Junior Undersecretary is a traitor to the Ministry.”

“Not just that, your Senior Undersecretary, Cornelius Fudge, is also in on it.” He said. “A scheme to put you down and sit here.” He pointed to her seat. “Fudge has been eying the Minister’s job for a while now, and he has the support of a few of the Noble families who would like to have a minister who would bend over backwards to further their cause.” He explained.

“The attack on the express is just an event which sets in stone, an elaborate chain of events that will destroy Magical Britain.”

The woman who listened to everything Harry had to say silently took the chance to speak when he went silent. “How do I not know that you are doing the same?” She questioned, her eyes narrowed in doubt.

“My Undersecretaries, who know everything I do and are a part of my regime, cannot be trusted. What makes you believe t will listen to a boy of twenty?” She was as blunt as she came, Harry realised. “I will not listen to a boy speaking without proper backing up, Lord Potter Black. I don’t care, even if you take offence. The least you could do is take me out of my office faster than the other Noble families combined. Nothing more, nothing less. Apart from my job at the Ministry, I got nothing to lose.”

Harry could not fault the woman at all. She was right. Although she was from an ancient family, Millicent Bagnold was the last of her line. She had no family left, Harry didn’t think she had many friends, and she was right that if there was anything that anybody could take away, it is her position as the Minister of Magic.

“At this point, the least I could do is go with my head held high, Lord Potter Black. So please spare me from whatever games you are playing. My job is the welfare of Magical Britain. I would rather die than do anything otherwise.”

Harry felt his entire view of the woman change with every word she spoke. Magical Britain went from this woman to Cornelius Fudge. He couldn’t believe the downgrade his generation would suffer.

“Then it is good that you do not need to die, Minister. We have a long discussion due.”

“What you witnessed at the King’s Cross station was just the beginning of a madman, Minister. A madman who believes blood defies where a person stands and a group who believes the same.” Harry explained.

“I don’t understand.” The woman muttered. “What happened at King’s Cross is related to me. How?” She questioned.

You don’t have a family for them to use as leverage. Everything about you is this job. Painting you as an incompetent minister would drive you out of the office. You get where I am going, don’t you?” The woman nodded.

“As quickly you are out of the office, it is better as they could bring a replacement firmly under their control—a puppet.”

“This ‘them’ you speak of. Who are they?” She questioned. “How do you know about them, and why were you silent if you had known that something of this magnitude would happen?” She questioned. “You could have brought this to my attention. Warned me of a situation like this.”

“One, I had information, nothing more, nothing less. How much of a fool would I look in the wizarding world if I made accusations with no backing? Not good and indeed not good enough to man in my position, and I won’t have that.” He explained.

“I have names. Names that you wouldn’t believe but would be better off keeping an eye on.” He began. “I want one favour.” The woman stilled in her seat as she glared at Harry.

He backtracked quickly. “Nothing of the sort you are thinking of.” He said. “The only favour I ask of you is that you look into them without hesitation. You would be surprised by what you would discover.”

Bagnold was deep in thought. She had to weigh her options carefully. She is the Minister and had to consider her options. These were matters of great concern if she believed everything taht Harry revealed. Any decision would result in severe injustice and tarnish her name.

Harry spoke again, understanding what the woman was thinking about. “I know it is a difficult decision, but you have the full support of the House of Potter-Black if that is what you are considering. I will stand by every decision, be it against my family members, if it becomes necessary. Magical Britain is my only concern. I have to lead my life in the future, and ten years from now, I don’t want my kids to be judged based on who they marry. I don’t want my kids called blood traitors just because they decided to fall in love with a muggle-born.”

“I will not have my family destroyed because a fool decided that war is the only way forward and muggle-borns have no place in society. I will retaliate. My father would. My uncle would.” He said.

“The only reason I am here is to offer my help, Madam Bagnold. I expect nothing in return, and neither does my family.”

“I will certainly not fault you for not accepting my help. It is understandable. But I would certainly not deny you the information I must give.” He said.

“Malfoy, Lestrange, Nott, Carrow, Goyle, Crabbe, Yaxley, Macnair, Mulciber, Rosier, Rookwood, Dolohov, Jugson, Avery, Parkinson, Flint.” The woman grew paler and paler at every name that dropped from his mouth.

“Is this some kind of a joke, young man?” The woman questioned, looking at him like he had grown two heads. “Do you know the names you listed are the most influential families in Britain? And Rookwood? No. Augustus is an excellent individual. I don’t doubt his loyalty to the ministry. The man is an essential part of the Department of Mysteries, and in such a short time, he has been considered one of our best.” She argued.

“That is why I asked you to listen to me with an open mind. I told you the names I give would rattle you to your core. You can either trust me on that or make a background check. Either way, I would urge you not to ignore them. Nothing can save Magical Britain if you do so.” He muttered.

“They are just his most trusted and loyal followers. That doesn’t stop over there. He is certainly capable of exercising his control over the Dementors. He can offer them more than what you could. It is better if you do not trust the Dementors anymore.” He instructed.

“Greyback. Fenrir Greyback is probably in cohorts with him if I should hazard a guess. Where he goes, his pack does. Once again, the man would offer the werewolves much more than you could. This won’t stop here. The next would be trolls and giants too.”

“Who is this person you speak of?” Bagnold snapped. “You seem to tell me everything but that. Who is that man?”

“Lord Voldemort.” The woman hummed, deep in thought. “What family is that?” She questioned.

“I have not heard of a family with the name Voldemort.”

“That is because such a family doesn’t exist.” He said and continued. “The man is a half-blood.”

“Now, wait a second.” The Minister interrupted him. “A half-blood who has purebloods as his followers? Everything you keep revealing, I am sincerely hard-pressed to believe this, Lord Potter Black. I doubt the proud purebloods would take on this Voldemort man as their leader and lead a coup where they would inadvertently get caught one day.”

“Voldemort is a made-up name, Minister.” Harry drew his wand once more and repeated the actions of memory Tom from back his second year in Hogwarts. The words Tom Marvolo Riddle was rearranged to show ‘I am Lord Voldemort’.

“This Tom Riddle was the head boy back when Dumbledore was the transfiguration professor for the last time, after which he became the headmaster two years later. A Slytherin who disguised his name because Tom was too bland.” Harry smirked.

“He does have a certain point. After all, anybody would be if they managed to find out that they are a descendent of Salazar Slytherin himself.” Harry watched as the woman’s eyes grew wide.

“Impossible. The Gaunts are dead.” He mentally applauded the woman’s ability to put two and two together. “Yes. Marvolo and Morfin are dead, and so is Marvolo’s daughter, who is the mother of this Tom Riddle. She was a squib. She tricked the man who was her neighbour, a wealthy muggle landlord, Tom Riddle, with a love potion and hence, Tom Morvolo Riddle.”

“She died giving birth to him, who was raised in an orphanage, and later when he joined Hogwarts, he had already envisioned what he would become one day. He could have been anything he wished for. But he chooses to be this. The man is a bastard. A psychotic bastard but a mighty one at that. A very brilliant one at that.”

“You are sure that this man is behind the attack?” The woman questioned. “Sure?” Harry nodded. “I am.”

“You said you would help me,” Bagnold said after pausing. “How?” She questioned. “Forgive me if I say so, but you are twenty, right?” The young man nodded. “The man you just described is seemingly on par with the one wizard I know who is the same, and that is Dumbledore. It would be reasonable and reassuring if it were him here delivering this news and offering his help rather than you, excluding the political clout that your family carries.”

“I would be inclined to agree if it was Dumbledore who would have been here and telling you this instead of me. He is not now, is he?” Harry shot back.

The woman conceded his point. It was true. It was Harry Potter Black who was here and not Albus Dumbledore.

“Very well. I am all ears.” Harry’s grin could have split his face. “Excellent.”

BREAK-

“I had expected better of you.” He grumbled. “Better from all of you.” He stared down at the men who stood ahead of him. “Every single one of you brags about how powerful your name is. How rich you are. How great your ancestors are and how loyal you are to the ideology. What good are you if you are fucking six feet under the ground?” He roared, causing the lot to take a step back.

“One single boy. One boy, not more than twenty years, stood opposing you, played you like first-year Hogwarts boys and did what I expected you would do, better than you.” He said, standing up and pacing around.

“What good are you to me?” He questioned. “If a boy can best the men, I have entrusted the ideology that is everything to me. A goal that is what defines the future of our world; I have no use for you”.

His eyes were blood red in anger, and nobody dared to look him in the eye. He could not digest that somebody had the nerve to oppose an attack he had planned. That was a scenario he was not prepared for. He knew there would be some sort of retaliation, but that was after everything ended. When all was said and done, the Aurors would turn up, return a few spells, and retreat. It was a simple plan.

“That boy alone would have been enough to fulfil my vision. He moved and fought like a seasoned veteran. He did what I expected of all of you.” He stepped back and took a seat.

“Arrange a meeting. I want to talk to that boy. Face to face.” He ordered.

“Either Harry Potter Black should end up joining me or should end up where anybody who opposes me goes.”

BREAK-

“Well?” She questioned, tapping her foot impatiently. “Patience, Daphne. You getting impatient will change nothing about it.” Harry chuckled as he shook his head. “Wait until Narcissa gets here. We will talk once she is here.” Harry pointed out.

“But what is this all about?” She prodded further, trying to find out what he was on about. To her immense irritation, her manipulations just don’t work against him.

He didn't budge as he chose to remain silent. He had been secretive, more so than usual. Daphne had chalked it up as him being himself. He had a habit of slipping into his withdrawn self, but simultaneously, he would bounce back as quickly as possible—something she was accustomed to seeing. The horrors of the war would not be easy to pass up so easily. Harry had his way of coping with the war, and she had hers.

“I thought that you were going to wait until tomorrow?” Harry and Daphne were interrupted by Narcissa entering the room. “Hello Daphne.” She greeted the young woman.

“Good thing I decided otherwise. Doing the good things as early as possible is always better.” Daphne was still confused. “What are you two talking about?” She questioned.

“Well, why don’t you wait a little longer?” Harry continued to eat. “Join us, Cissa.” He said, and the woman hummed in agreement. “Andromeda and young Edward?” She questioned.

“They will be here. Andromeda had an appointment, and Teddy was with his babysitter. They should arrive anytime now.” The three of them continued their dinner, making small talk as it progressed.

“Daphne?” The young blonde turned to face Harry. “Come with me.” He stood up and waited for the girl to follow before they began moving outside the manor.

“How is Astoria doing?” Harry questioned as they continued to walk.

“She is doing very well. Hogwarts is done, and Astoria is thinking of getting into prosecution.” Harry hummed. He had always liked Astoria. She is a very different person compared to her sister, but the conditions around Daphne was different, which is mainly why she turned out this way, cold and aloof—pureblood politics.

“That is great.” Harry smiled. “From what I know of Astoria, she would make a brilliant prosecutor.” The young woman was just as determined as her elder sister.

Harry led Daphne to the Potter Manor gardens and sat on one of its benches. It was an incredible night, and the moon shone brilliantly, lighting up the spacious gardens of the ancient family home.

“You see, Daphne, there is one thing in this world that my heart always yearns for the most.” Harry looked away when he began speaking. “Family.”

“People who were supposed to be my family never behaved so. I was always an outsider to my muggle aunt, uncle and cousin. They never considered me family, and try as I might, I could never do the same.”

“The only family I ever knew was the Weasleys. And they were special. Significantly different from my vision of how a family would be. I can never thank the Weasleys for all the love they showered my way. Things might not be the same now, but the Weasley family will always be in here.” He whispered, tapping his chest.

“I felt like an outsider. I did so until I got Sirius. With Sirius, I felt I belonged. It was so natural.”

“All of that went away the moment Sirius left me.” He said, and he felt Daphne take his hand in hers. “All that I lost, I retained when I got Teddy, Andromeda and Narcissa.” He brightened slightly.

“It felt right. I felt like I belonged. I wonder how things would have been different if my family had remained as it should have been when my father was young.”

The possibilities were endless. He always believed that his life would have been different if the Potter and Black family were alive.

“I had closed up as much as possible to be within the comfortable zone. I wanted nothing more than to be with them and close of the rest of me to the world, and yet, you came in.” He smiled as he held her hand. “You broke down my shields. You made me talk. You made me open up to you and became an excellent companion. A companion that I regret having taken so long to gain.”

“I want this companionship for the rest of my life, Daphne. I want to love, cherish and celebrate this companionship for the rest of my life.”

Harry slid down onto one knee without letting her hand out of his grip. “Daphne Greengrass?”

Daphne’s eyes widened considerably as Harry’s hand revealed a beautiful diamond ring that he held in his hands. “Will you marry me?”

Daphne could not believe it. This was not what she envisioned when she arrived this evening. As time passed, she and Harry had grown close, first into friends and then into a couple. She had not envisioned much for the future, She just wanted this to go one day at a time, and now, he was down on his knees, holding out a beautiful engagement ring as he asked her to marry him.

“Yes,” Daphne whispered, nodding happily. “Yes, Harry. I will marry you.”

Harry chuckled as he placed the ring on Daphne’s finger and kissed her softly.

“I love you, Harry Potter.” Daphne stared into Harry’s eyes as she confessed her love to the young man who had become her world.

His beautiful green eyes shined as he smiled. “I love you too, Daphne Greengrass.” The two shared another kiss, lost in each other’s arms and to the outside world.

Daphne woke up with a jerk, her eyes wet with tears as she felt her memory kicking in. She had wondered why she ended up here with Harry. She didn’t understand how. She was his friend, and gradually, they began to date. She remembered that. But that didn’t give the answer she was looking for. This memory, gave her the answer she needed. She was engaged to Harry. That was what the feelings were all about. All this time, she had chalked it up to attraction, but she didn’t understand the magnitude of their relationship.

“Daphne?” She looked up and found Dorea staring at her with worry in her eyes. Her eyes widened slightly when she recognised that the girl was crying and rushed up to her.

“You are crying?” She questioned in surprise. “What is the matter, dear?”

The young woman could not stop crying for some reason. She tried to compose herself but failed to do so. “H..Harry?”

“He has been to see the Minister, dear. He has not yet returned from the ministry.”

“We are engaged?” She didn’t know if she was asking or telling the woman. “Harry and I were engaged before we came here.”

The woman chuckled as she understood the situation. “You got back your memory, did you?”

“We all knew, dear. Not James or anybody else, but Charlus, me and Euphemia knew about it.”

“What?” She couldn’t believe that they kept something from her—something of this importance.

“Why didn’t nobody tell me anything? Why would somebody keep this from me?” She raged, anger overtaking her senses. She didn’t understand why Harry and the others kept the fact that the two of them were engaged. It was a sensitive issue, and that was not right to keep it from those who were affected.

“I know what you are thinking.” Dorea consoled the now unstable girl. “But Harry kept it from you for a good reason, and we agreed with his reasoning. You were not in the right state of mind, dear. I know it didn’t seem like it, but you and Harry felt like strangers among us. To date, we are learning about you and getting to know you. With Harry, we watched his entire life unfold before our eyes, but the same could not applicable for you. Things like this are not something you can just force on a person. Revealing this to you in the state of mind you were in would only have worsened things. You would have no memory of the matter, and that would just make you obligated to remain so out of respect for what Harry was doing in a very difficult period for you, without your family. It might blossom into something that is born out of favour and obligation. Not love and respect.”

Daphne calmed down considerably when she heard this explanation from the older woman. She was right. The future would have turned out exactly as the woman would have predicted. She could never do that to Harry. That will be a grave injustice for a wonderful man. A man who yearns for a loving family.

“Please don’t talk about this to anybody.” Daphne requested. The woman frowned questioningly.

“I want to remember everything. Everything that happened till we came back.”

The woman hesitated, but smiled softly. “Alright. I will let you handle this.” She held Daphne’s hands in hers. “I would like to officially welcome you to the family, Daphne.”

Daphne smiled as she nodded her thanks, her mind wandering to the events that she had witnessed. She couldn’t wait to reveal this to Harry. Keeping him in the dark was not right, but she would make sure that she would walk upto him the first thing the moment she remembers why they came back here and talk to him about everything. She will speak her heart out, she promised herself.

TBC—---

Hello guys. Sorry it took a while. But I am finally done with college and other issues within my family. Henceforth, I am confident of keeping up with my readers out there.

That being said, I have come up with a plan to bring forth a third story along with the two that are already in progress. A remake of one of my older stories that is already six or seven chapters old in FF.net. I would like to know what you guys have to say. Let me know about that. The other thing is that, this story would be available for the tiers Black and higher, and that is if I manage to get enough of you to give me a green signal.

I will open up a poll. Make sure you let me know if that is what you need. Like always, ideas are always welcome. In fact, I would  urge you to give me ideas. I would hate it if good ideas go to a waste.

Thank you and see you soon…….