The lift clanged as it came to a halt, marking its arrival at the most illustrious floor of the Ministry of Magic-that which housed of the offices of the Minister of Magic. Though Harry's heart was still pounding from the shock of hearing that Orion had died, he could not help but yawn again and rub his eyes as he stepped of the lift and made his way down the hall, trying to remember the last time had visited the Ministry of Magic. It was too early in the morning for that kind of mental exercise.
Harry wasn't entirely sure where the Minister's offices were housed, but he reckoned that the ostentation for which the Ministry was somewhat famous would lead him. Also of potential guidance were the paintings of former Ministers of Magic chronologically lining the hall-all asleep in their respective frames.
Harry walked down the gently curving hall and soon came within sight of approximately a dozen aurors, all stationed outside of an office that probably belonged to Cygnus Black. Just as Harry came within earshot, the door opened and a tall man with graying auburn hair exited, shutting the door behind himself. As Harry approached, he found himself face to face with the man.
"Who are you?" the man asked.
"Harry Ashworth," Harry responded. "I believe I am expected."
"I am Davian Prewitt, Mr. Ashworth."
Harry nodded, recognizing the name, as he looked up into the man's hard, aged features. Vaguely, Harry compared Prewitt to the cowboys he'd seen on Dudley's television shows. Both Prewitt and some of the tougher cowboys had appeared to be made of old leather and nails. The obvious exception was that Prewitt was impeccably dressed and had a distinctive British accent. Harry hoped to never find himself at odds with Director Prewitt. "It's good to meet you Director."
"Indeed," Prewitt said. "Minister Black is, in fact, expecting you." He then walked away, leaving Harry staring at the contingent of aurors that were serving as bodyguards for the recently bereaved Minister.
Harry passed the aurors and walked into Cygnus's office. He found the Minister sitting at his desk, looking very pale. Romulus Malfoy was angrily pacing back and forth behind the desk, occasionally pausing to look out the windows and down to the atrium below.
"It's about time you arrived," Romulus growled, pausing long enough to acknowledge Harry's entrance before returning to his angry pacing routine.
Realizing that Romulus, in addition to his grief over his family affairs, was under great stress, Harry opted to not take offense at his grouchy temperament. Rather, he turned his attention to Cygnus, the bereaved brother. "So, what are the exact details?"
Cygnus sighed. "Walburga discovered that he'd passed away in his sleep early this morning. That's all there seems to be to it."
"Well that's not all there is to it!" Romulus thundered. "Orion was healthy and strong."
Harry thought back to what Professor Dumbledore had told him regarding the original rise of Lord Voldemort. There had been many deaths and disappearances prior to the dark lord's inauguration as a public figure. It was possible that Orion had died naturally-he had not been especially young-but Harry wasn't about to be on it being a coincidence.
"I think," Harry said, taking a chair and drawing the attention of Malfoy and Minister Black to him, "that we had better assume that it was foul play and conduct ourselves based on that thought. However, there is no point in dwelling on the issue. Send an auror team over to the Black house and have them investigate. If they find anything, we can pursue the assassin. If they do not, we still assume that Orion was assassinated."
Seeing that he had the attention of both Cygnus and Romulus and seeing that they were nodding in agreement, Harry continued. "We are fighting a large-scale war against a dark lord. Sadly, one of our own friends has become a casualty. We must move forward as we fight this war lest his sacrifice be in vain."
"That makes sense," Cygnus said, happy to accept Harry's simplification of the issue. "Don't you agree, Romulus?"
"He speaks well," Romulus agreed, suddenly seeming very tired and distracted.
"Moving forward," Harry said, pressing his agenda, "it would appear that we need to take a number of actions. I see that you've already increased the number of your bodyguards. That is good. I suggest you continue that practice. Have you informed Director Prewitt that you fear the possibility of assassination?"
"Yes, yes," Romulus answered. "Davian agreed to step up the guard around Cygnus."
"Good," said Harry. "Now, for the overall war. I think we need to step up the focus on putting the Ministry itself in order. I fear that the dark lord will attempt to subvert the Ministry from the inside. There are, I'm sure, many who would thrive in an environment in which the dark lord is influential, even if they themselves never become a part of his ranks. You need to make sure these people are not in positions of power."
Cygnus nodded. "Yes, of course." He pulled out a piece of parchment and started taking notes.
"You need to make sure the people that are in power are good people-the sort that don't really seek for high office," Harry advised.
"Yes," said Cygnus, dipping his quill and scratching Harry's advice onto the parchment.
"Even innocent people can become tools," Romulus chipped in, his tone of voice rather dark and depressing.
"Exactly," Harry said. "The Imperius Curse is one way that the dark lord might try to cause trouble in the Ministry. You must take steps to ensure that it does not become a problem."
"Good idea," Cygnus declared, "but how do I do that?"
Harry shrugged. "You may need to consult with multiple departments on that one. Perhaps both Magical Law Enforcement and Mysteries. Tell them to find a way to quickly check whether someone is acting of their own accord or not. They'll understand what you're getting at."
"Department of Mysteries," Cygnus mumbled, writing it down on the parchment.
....
Join my P@treon and get 60+ advanced chapters.
Link: p*atreon.com/0LordSilvere0 (Remove the *)
Free members get 5 chapters free.
Join Right Now