Changing direction, Amelia kept the shocks coming. She really didn't want to see the Ministry in turmoil, it would make supporting Harry so much harder for her to do. She was trying here to get Fudge off his back, leaving Harry only one other problem - apart from Voldemort.
"Did Dumbledore tell you he's missing six professors and a healer from Hogwarts? Three Heads of House are amongst those professors who have resigned. Hogwarts is rapidly falling into utter chaos, and all Dumbledore is worried about is regaining control over Harry. We all know what's supposed to take place at Hogwarts next term, I would say the Ministry sponsored tournament is now in serious trouble."
"I spoke with Albus today, surely he would have mentioned that?"
Shaking her head, Amelia worried at how naive Cornelius could be sometimes. "Albus Dumbledore only tells you what he wants you to know. In trying to replace two Heads of House, he sent another two professors contracts with powerful compulsion charms on them. I've had that confirmed by a Gringotts curse-breaker, and both of these professors intend to tell Dumbledore where he can stick his scrolls - and jobs."
"Amelia, what would you have me do? Can you take me to Lord Potter and perhaps we can sort this out?"
Shaking her head, Amelia was desperately trying to hide her smile of victory. "Sorry, Cornelius, my portkey is set to take only me to where he is. The wards on his home are some of the strongest I've ever seen. That house being Lord Potter's property changes everything, simply give the true story to the Prophet. They'll be no more support coming from Malfoy or Parkinson, time to cut your losses- and let my department search both homes so we don't get any more nasty surprises like wardstones. Better to do that now, than make an enemy of Lord Potter over this. We can't change what happened, we can't change this Blood Feud, we can change our stance on these matters - I honestly think the Ministry has to."
Nodding at a now thoughtful Cornelius, and an enraged toad, Amelia left to let Remus know what she'd done here. The door had hardly closed when Dolores exploded.
"Surely you don't believe a word of that?"
"I watched a young boy take down one of the most dangerous wizards working at the ministry, Potter made it look easy too. Macnair was a Death Eater, I heard him confess to not knowing how many people he'd murdered while wearing his mask. If these pure-bloods are, as Amelia says, Death Eaters fleeing the country then I say that's good for us. It's bad enough we're going to have to out Malfoy and Parkinson as Death Eaters, the consequences of doing that could drag on for weeks - or until Potter lets slip that he's the chosen one."
"Why would he do that?"
"Because he and that witch of his are scarily clever, and that news being known instantly elevates his status to the Boy-Who-Gets-Whatever-He-Asks-For. If he asks for Amelia Bones to become the Minister of Magic, the witches and wizards of Britain would insist those demands were met - and we are both out of a job. If we can gain his support though, our positions would be safe for decades. Whether we believe him or not is immaterial. The only question that matters is whether those same witches and wizards will believe their Boy-Who-Lived."
Both knew the answer to that, hence the reputations of Malfoy and Parkinson would now be getting sacrificed.
...
Bill was about to have one of the strangest conversations of his life. Considering even the last twenty four hours, that was really saying something.
"Poppy, can I have a moment of your time?"
"Where's Ginny, is she alright? We need to keep a careful watch on her for any signs of regression."
Suddenly feeling a lot better about this conversation, Bill put her mind to rest. "Ginny's fine, though still the reason I'm here. The Italian Ministry are adamant that Ginny doesn't return to Britain, at least until everything is sorted to their satisfaction. That's something we both agree with. What they also want though, is to assign her a temporary guardian - or we can appoint one that they approve of. While I would be suitable, it's not really feasible for me to look after Ginny until this gets sorted - which could take years. Harry suggested your name, and I wanted to see if this was something you might be interested in."
"Harry suggested me?"
"Everyone can see how well you and Ginny get on, which is a massive plus in your favour. You're already known to the Italian Ministry, through working with their mind-healer, and we can't see any objections coming from them. The other massive plus was pointed out by Harry. Whoever takes up Ginny's guardianship could face a lot of pressure from back home. No one though can question the integrity of Poppy Pomfrey, just as no one will be able to say you wouldn't do your absolute best to help Ginny. Generations of students who attended Hogwarts can testify to that."
"I'm flattered and honoured, really I am. I have one condition however that's non-negotiable - this must be something Ginny wants too. If she does, then I'll do it."
After some discussion, Bill left a lot happier than when he arrived. Any child placed in the care of Poppy Pomfrey would be very lucky, and the whole of magical Britain would know that. In a stroke of a quill, they would take away one of the main avenues they expected the public attack to come from. All Bill needed to do now was explain the situation to Ginny, and then let his sister make her choice.
.....
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