The Lion Cub Chapter 102: Desperate times (Patreon)

Vol3: The Secrets of House Peverell

The night was chilly as usual, but it was no better than the days. There was a marked difference in climate not just in Westminster but across the entire United Kingdom. There were undoubtedly some very unfortunate events happening across the nation, and despite being the prime minister, Alvin Thomson had no control whatsoever over the situation. That was a fact, and it was being used by his political opponents to discredit him in the media.

For a moment, he wondered why his political opponents even bothered. The entitled idiots in the media were doing a far better job than his political opponents in blaming everything wrong that was happening under the sun on his head. Just thinking about those smug sons of bitches in the media and their holier-than-thou attitude made him mad. The more he attempted to put such thoughts out of his mind and relax, the more agitated he became. Whenever he closed his eyes, those smug mugs of those media reporters came to mind.

Somehow, the media was spinning the unfortunate events happening in the north and west of London as somehow the government’s fault. There was a string of strange night raids on homes near Scotland. The police reports suggest they were gang-related crimes, and he had promised all resources to the police to control the situation. There was also a string of rabies infections going around even though his people on the ground promised him the stray dogs were under control in the streets. The media claimed the vaccinations were not working, but the last report on his table suggests that the vaccines were of high quality.

Still, he formed a special committee to investigate the quality of vaccines and, in the meantime, find alternate sources of vaccines for emergency use.

Then, there was that infernal bridge collapsing that was creating a headache for the govt. How was he supposed to know when or why the bridge would collapse? He was not a fortune teller to have guessed the bridge was about to collapse. The accusations in the media were that the govt spent less on the bridge, entirely skipping the part where it was not his govt that built the damn bridge in the first place!

Still, he immediately sent a team of some of the best engineers and investigators, and they were as clueless as the government as to why the bridge collapsed. But the media was uninterested in facts and was after their ratings. The more they blamed the government, the better their ratings were.

Frankly, Alvin was starting to see that the people were the problem. His fellow Brits were getting soft-bellied lazy bums, easily influenced by some two-bit hacks in the media and their daily nonsense.

It was disparaging to think his fellow citizens were stupid, but these days, he was thinking of retiring from politics altogether. Some of his opponents even blamed him for forest fires, for the lord’s sake!

What was he? Rain? How was he supposed to foresee forest fires in West Sussex, Yorkshire, Moray, and some other areas in the Scottish Highlands? His opponents claimed it was all the government’s fault, and the media goons happily parroted the narrative. The silver lining in all of this was that Wales was spared from all these unfortunate events so far.

Shaking his head, Alvin let himself relax in his chair and switched on the TV. The first channel that came up was the BBC. He scowled upon seeing the headlines.

“A grim fog clouding Wessex.” Alvin muttered incredulously.

The reporter narrated how ’sad’ and ‘gloomy’ the people of Wessex were. Their days were supposedly cold and dreary, forcing most inhabitants to stay indoors. Parks were supposedly left vacant, bereft of children or families.

Of course, the prevailing theme of the report was that the government was not doing enough to make people happy.

How was he supposed to make people happy? He was not a jester. He was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom!

Letting out a huff, he switched off the TV and poured himself a glass of brandy. Draining the glass in one go, he immediately refilled it again.

Alvin remembered he was supposed to meet with the US President on a formal state visit next week.

‘Perhaps I should ask the guy for citizenship.’ Alvin thought with a scowl as he drained the glass again before pouring himself another shot.

His daughter was settled in Florida with her husband and the grandkids.

‘Maybe it's time I visit them. Florida will be a perfect place to retire.’ he thought, a momentary smile overcoming the gloominess as he thought of his family.

He heard a soft cough, which brought him out of his musings. Alvin looked around the empty room and frowned.

“Up here.”

Alvin could only gape as a man with a pointed nose spoke from a dirty old oil painting in the corner of the room.

‘My mind is playing tricks on me.’ Alvin shook his head.

“To the Prime Minister of Muggles, it is urgent that we meet. Kindly respond immediately. Sincerely, Amelia Bones, Minister of Magic.”

It took a moment for his brain to catch up to what was happening, and he immediately remembered his predecessor talking something about magic and all that nonsense. He had hoped his predecessor was pulling his leg or the man had gone senile. But now, he was faced with the truth of the situation. He could now understand why Ellington wanted to retire. The man and the party had trapped him by foisting all of this into his lap.

Bloody wanker!

‘I should’ve listened to my wife and remained an MP or even quit politics altogether.’ Alvin thought.

“I have other matters to attend.” Alving explained, “You see… it’s not a very good time for me. I have a Cabinet meeting, and I need to prepare for…”

“That can be rearranged. This is more important.” the blonde-haired man in the portrait said firmly.

“You don’t understand. This meeting is very important.“

“We shall make other arrangements for that meeting. Meanwhile, please respond immediately to Madam Bones.” the man said again.

Alvin straightened himself and adjusted his tie, preparing to project confidence. He didn’t want to show these magic folk how rattled and out of depth he was. So, he adopted what he hoped was a stern look and stared at the door, waiting for his guests to stroll in.

But that quickly changed when bright green flames ignited in the grate beneath a white marble mantlepiece. He openly gaped as people in funny clothing walked out of the flames as if the devil was walking out of hell.

“Good lord in heaven, give me strength,” Alvin muttered, clutching the silver cross pendant his mother had given him.

All of these magic folk were wearing pointy hats and blue robes except for one woman who was wearing long red robes. The woman stood in the front, her eyes stern and red hair glittering eerily under the fire.

“Amelia Bones, I presume.” he said bravely, forcing himself to regain his composure. “Please, take a seat.”

“Prime Minister, I’m afraid I’m on a rather tight schedule. I was supposed to have this meeting at the beginning of the month, but certain circumstances forced me to postpone it. Thankfully, it also gave me time to prepare.”

“Understandable. Please take a seat and…” Alvin offered, but the magic woman declined promptly.

“I will be brief, Prime Minister. Our people are at war, and that war has spilt into your world.”

Alvin froze in his chair and stared incredulously at the red-head woman.

“You mean… everything that is happening is your people’s fault?” Alvin asked after finding his voice.

“Unfortunately, yes. We’re facing an insurgency within our people led by a dangerous Dark Lord. The followers of the Dark Lord are responsible for these attacks. We’ve had some of these attacks in our world as well and…”

“Now, just wait a minute. Why is this Dark Lord…” Alvin couldn’t help but make a face at the unfamiliar term, “…attacking us? What could we’ve possibly done for one of your people to attack my people?”

“You exist, and that’s reason enough for the Dark Lord.” said Amelia.

“He is attacking us because we exist?” Alvin asked incredulously.

“Yes. The Dark Lord hates muggles, and he supposedly claims to want to eradicate all muggles and establish the rule of wizards.” said Amelia said with a roll of her eyes.

“What? Why would such madmen be allowed free reign? You’ve got to do something to stop this,” Alvin demanded, his voice rising.

“We will take care of such unstable elements shortly, Prime Minister. First, we must secure your govt’s protection. We cannot allow the Dark Lord to gain undue influence over you or your cabinet.”

“I can take care of myself, and I’ve got some of the best security details in the country. I won’t be needing your protection.” Alvin said morosely while shooting a disgruntled look at the blue-robed men and women behind his magical counterpart.

“I’m afraid I was not asking for your permission. I’m saying that your government will be placed under our protection.” Amelia said firmly, her stare eerily reminding him of the Catholic school teacher he used to fear in his younger days.

“How do you plan on doing that? You people are not exactly inconspicuous with your silly hat and dress robes. Besides, how can this Dark Lord influence my govt?”

“The Dark Lord and his followers can use spells to control the minds of men in key positions of power in your govt.”

“They can do that?” Alvin asked in horror.

“I’m afraid so, yes.” Amelia nodded.

“This is just preposterous! How can we defend against mind control?”

“We could post our aurors within your protection detail, but I scrapped that plan because I need all my best forces to destroy the Dark Lord and his followers. So, I came up with a much more simpler solution.”

“Oh. What’s that?” Alvin asked curiously, even if he was overwhelmed by the strange tangent his life was taking.

“It’s quite simple, Prime Minister. We take control of your minds before the Dark Lord can.” said Amelia.

“Wait, what?” he stared dumbly as one of the blue-robed women stepped forward and pointed a stick at him.

The stick glowed eerie bronze before he heard a faint whisper.

“Imperio.”

The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom was not the only one to be put under the spell. In the span of a few hours, the entire British government fell under the control of their wizarding counterparts. Amelia Bones was the first Minister of Magic to take such drastic steps to maintain order in the history of the wizarding world. In doing so, she also proved just how vulnerable the muggles were to wizards despite their advancements.

****

While the entire British government was being systematically taken over by the British Ministry of Magic, a desperate mother begged an old friend for help.

“Severus, I wouldn’t have asked you of this if there was no other way. Please Severus. Draco is just a boy.”

“A boy initiated by the Dark Lord. His fate…his mission…it’s beyond me, Narcissa. You already know this.” Snape said curtly.

“Draco is foolish like his father. He doesn’t understand what he is getting into. He doesn’t…he is just a boy, Severus.” Narcissa said with tears rolling down her cheek.

“Yes, he is foolish. His petty feud with Potter has clouded the boy’s mind and filled it with thoughts of revenge. He has eyes, but he refuses to see how dangerous it is to incur the wrath of an enemy like Harry Potter.” he said calmly and took a sip from the glass of wine to wet his dry throat.

“I agree. But he won’t listen, and he goes ahead without a moment of thought. The Dark Lord is also punishing us for Lucius’ failure. You know as well as I do that there is no other reason for this…unreasonable demand foisted on Draco.”

“Careful now, Narcissa. You are skirting close to treason against our lord.” Snape warned.

“My son’s life is all that matters to me, Severus. The Dark Lord means for my son to die trying in this ridiculous task. He wants vengeance for Lucius’ mistake, for Bellatrix’s mistake… he is punishing my son… my son!” Narcissa let out a choked gasp.

“I’m afraid the Dark Lord’s mind is set on this matter, Narcissa. There is nothing I or anybody else could do to change his will. Draco must prevail in this task now that he has taken the mark.” Severus said firmly.

Narcissa cried in earnest as she gazed at Snape beseechingly.

“Please, Severus. He is my only child…my baby boy. I have no one else I could ask for help.” Narcissa sobbed.

“If Draco succeeds, he’ll be rewarded by the Dark Lord.” Snape said in a softer tone.

“He won’t succeed!” Narcissa wailed, “How can Draco succeed where even the Dark Lord has failed? The Dark Lord wants my son to die trying.”

“I do not think the Dark Lord intends for Draco to succeed in his task, nor does he think Dumbledore will kill Draco.” Snape said, looking away from the grieving mother.

“Please, Severus. I beg of you.” Narcissa fell on her knees, “I urge you to ask the Dark Lord to spare my son from this burden. He’ll listen to you. You’re his most trusted advisor. If you say that Draco will fail in this task…”

“The Dark Lord will not be persuaded by me or anyone else for that matter. He is… displeased with Lucius and Bellatrix for failing to retrieve the Prophecy. He is wroth with the position he is dealt with after Potter wounded the Dark Lord before the whole world to see.” Snape shook his head after taking a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Narcissa.”

“My son… my only son…” Narcissa wailed in despair

She fell from her knees and sat on the floor as she cried.

Snape seized her by her arms, helped her into a couch, and gave her a glass of wine.

“I cannot change the mind of the Dark Lord, but I might be able to help Draco with his task.” Snape said slowly.

She sat up, her face pale white while her eyes remained red and puffy. But there was desperate hope shining in her eyes as she gazed at Snape.

“Severus – you would help him? Help my son! Would you look after him and see to it that he returns safely with no harm?”

“I can…try.” Snape whispered.

“Oh, Severus!” she flung herself into Snape's arms and hugged him in utter relief.

“I need to know some things from your Narcissa. I need to know anything Lucius might’ve shared regarding Harry Potter and anything that happened at the graveyard on the night of the Dark Lord’s revival. It might be completely inane, but anything at all would be of great help.” Snape said.

“Lucius never told me anything, but I got the feeling that he was afraid.”

“Afraid? Afraid of who?”

“Afraid of Potter. When Draco returned that summer in his fourth year, Lucius was adamant that Draco stay away from Potter. He ordered Draco to stop antagonising Potter or any of his friends.” Narcissa said, wiping the tears from her eyes.

“Have Lucius ever said something like that to Draco before?”

“No.” Narcissa shook her head, “But I’ve told Draco many times to stop his unreasonable behaviour with Potter.”

“Did he say anything about what happened during the night of the Dark Lord’s resurrection?” Snape asked a curious glint in his coal-black eyes.

“No, Severus. He never told me anything. I had asked many times, but Lucius never said a word. But he was terrified of Potter.”

“I see.” Snape frowned as he thoughtfully stared out the window of his home.

“Severus…my son…”

“You do not have to worry, Narcissa. The Dark Lord has tasked me to see to the success of the task. I promise you…Draco will be unharmed if he listens to my advice.” Snape said curtly.

“Thank you, Severus. I’ll make sure he knows to follow your command in Hogwarts.” Narcissa said with relief.

****

Tonks stretched her back and yawned tiredly in her bed.  She had arrived late at night from work. The Aurors have been working overtime with Minister Bones’ aggressive moves in the last two weeks. The momentum the Ministry gained from arresting Death Eaters from Potter Manor worked like a charm in public. Madam Bones had naturally exploited the political milestone she was handed on a silver platter in a direction Tonks or the rest of the Order had never thought of.

She immediately passed on the information about Madam Bones’ actions in the muggle world to Shackbolt, who had no doubt passed it on to Dumbledore. The Headmaster had correctly identified that Madam Bones would pursue the war far more pragmatically and ruthlessly than her predecessors. But never to this extent.

She hadn’t thought Madam Bones would be callous enough to use the muggle govt under the Imperius Curse. This was why she passed on the information to Shackbolt. She knew it was a risky play on her part, but she felt like she had to inform someone responsible. She’d have gone to Harry with the information, but despite his recent success against the Dark Lord, she saw him as a kid. Besides, Harry already had the Dark Lord to worry about. It didn’t feel like a good idea to involve Harry in whatever mess the Ministry was getting into.

If something were to go pear-shaped, she wanted someone like Dumbledore in the know to pick up the pieces.

At the same time, she understood why Madam Bones was taking extreme measures. The Dark Lord had unleashed legions of Vampires and Werewolves into the muggle world, wreaking havoc, and this had forced the Aurors to be stretched thin. The presence of Dementors nesting in muggle towns didn’t help either.

Taking control of the muggle govt certainly removed any escalation from their part. But it was a slippery slope. Who was to say that the Ministry would continue to hold the reins of the muggle govt indefinitely?

Thus, the reason for her snitching on the Minister despite the sensitivity of the information. There was also the slim possibility that the Aurors could be sympathetic to the cause of the Dark Lord. It was a less likely case with Harry sharing his Dark Mark screening ward with the Ministry. They had used that useful little ward to clean house in the Ministry. Madam Bones had been all too gleeful to haul off all marked Death Eaters.

Suddenly, her nose picked up the aromatic smell of French roast in her flat. Tonks pushed the sheets to the side and climbed out of the bed. She walked out of her bedroom following the smell and found a beautiful spread on her dining table.

There was coffee on the table, as well as bread, butter, boiled eggs, and bacon. She immediately took a plateful of everything she liked and eagerly dined. She was starving as she hadn’t had the chance to have dinner last night.

“’ave you ‘eeven brushed your teeth?” Fleur asked as she walked into their dining room dressed in a bathrobe. Her hair was dripping with water, and she was drying it with a towel.

For a moment, Tonks was mesmerised by the beauty of her lover. Fleur’s blue eyes were sparkling, and her skin had a glow to it. It also helped that the bathrobe left nothing much to the imagination.

“I’m starving here. My teeth understand the demands of the stomach come first and foremost.” Tonks grinned.

She saw Fleur shake her head and join her at the table.

Luckily, she had no duty today and could spend time with Fleur. She supposed she could accompany Fleur to Marauder’s Den. Tomorrow, she’d be posted at King’s Cross to ensure the safety of the Hogwarts Express. Keeping Hogwarts safe was now a priority, and she needed to blow off some steam before she was thrown into work.

The DMLE had proposed an alternative to the Hogwarts train, considering the security risks involved. But Madam Bones had put her foot down on the proposal and killed it. She reasoned that the Ministry would be perceived as weak if they cancelled the Hogwarts Express.

‘Bloody politics.’ Tonks thought.

At least she knew someone would be happy with the results. She had seen how Harry was acting all lovey-dovey around Daphne. She suspected the two were up to no good in those long train rides like she had seen many couples do in her time at Hogwarts.

“Why make ‘zat face?” Fleur asked.

“Oh, nothing. Just thinking about all those Hogwarts kids who get to ride on a train all warm and cosy while we aurors get to escort that bloody train for a whole day.” Tonks grumbled.

The tinkling laughter that escaped Fleur’s throat lifted her spirits a little bit. In these trying times, laughter was the only remedy to preserve hope.