By the time Antonio entered the council hall with Edmund, the majority of people had already settled on their seats, while the rest were just about to.
Edmund gave a brief nod of acknowledgement to Antonio before heading toward his own seat, leaving Antonio behind standing in the well. He would first be formally inducted, and only then would he be assigned his chair. That particular chair would belong to him and his future generations unless the Olario family rose in rank gaining more votes or became completely extinct like the Marius family.
While the lords and ministry officials were still settling into their seats, Antonio let his eyes drift toward the visitors' gallery. There, he spotted several familiar figures.
There was Bellatrix Black, who waved at him enthusiastically before giving him a very energetic thumbs up. This surely caught the attention of the people in the hall and the gallery.
He gave her a small nod in return, and she beamed. Bellatrix had informed him earlier that she rarely attended Wizengamot sessions and had no interest in politics, but she would come to witness his induction. A special gesture.
He then noticed Amelia Bones, dressed in her Auror robes sitting in the front robes. She gave him a small nod of greeting, to which Antonio responded with his own.
He also spotted Lucius Malfoy sitting in the front row, surrounded by his usual cronies and lackeys. The Malfoy heir was wearing his perpetual Malfoy sneer but at the same time he was also looking very thoughtful. And Antonio felt for a moment as if Lucius had been paying attention to him. Antonio had met Lucius only once and Antonio wondered what Lucius had been up to these few days.
Another face that Antonio registered was of Raphael Sinistra, Lord Sinistra. That man had a calm expression on his face. Antonio wondered if the man would remain as calm as he is when Antonio would make his move regarding Aurora.
Almost everyone had taken their places when two of the most important figures in the council finally entered the hall. Chief Warlock Albus Dumbledore and the Minister of Magic Harold Minchum. As the two took their respective seats, order and discipline settled over the hall.
"Esteemed members," Harold Minchum began, his voice booming through the hall. "Welcome to all of you to this session of the Wizengamot."
"Ideally, and as per tradition, this should have been a day of festivities and pleasantries. But given the current situation and circumstances surrounding us, we have decided," he paused, his eyes drifting pointedly toward Albus Dumbledore, "to tone down the ceremony and keep things simple."
His deliberate glance at Dumbledore made it obvious who had pushed for this change. Even Antonio narrowed his eyes slightly.
He had not cared much about whether the ceremony was elaborate or simple, but learning that Dumbledore had influenced the decision raised questions. And the way the minister had phrased it, calling it tradition and then discarding it only added to the suspicion. Dumbledore's dislike for old customs was well known.
Moreover, Antonio noted that although times were tense, they were not so dire that a ceremony could not have been held. Antonio had initially even doubted that the ceremony had been toned, maybe because he was not well accepted in the corridors of powers. But now it seemed that things were different. He quietly filed this detail away for later, part of the growing list of observations regarding Dumbledore's actions.
"As all of you know," the minister continued, "today we will be holding the induction of Antonio Olario."
"Well, another induction should have taken place today as well, Rodolphus Lestrange, but Lord Lestrange has requested that his induction be held a few days later."
This was not surprising. Today was also the day of the hearing regarding the death of his father, Reinhart Lestrange, who had broken into Edmund Bones' home.
Technically Rodolphus and his family would face no legal consequences for the father's actions. He would simply state that he had no knowledge of or any involvement in whatever his father had been planning or doing. It was certainly not something Rodolphus could publicly take pride in. He might revel in it privately as a Death Eater, but he still needed to maintain appearances.
"Lord Olario," Harold finally faced Antonio, "please."
The minister gestured with his hand toward one of the empty chairs at the back of the hall. Those with the highest number of votes sat in the front rows, while the families with one vote occupied the back rows.
Antonio gave a small nod as he moved toward his chair. He reached it and stood there with a happy expression on his face. Moments later, a man dressed in the clerical robes of the Ministry approached, carrying a bundle of parchment and a quill in his hands.
Antonio took the parchment. The oath was written on it.
"I, Antonio Olario, do solemnly swear to take my responsibility as Lord of House Olario and uphold the honour of House Olario and guard its legacy.
I pledge to act with wisdom, strength, and fairness. I swear to defend Wizarding Britain from threats within and without and to honour the laws constituted by Wizengamot, the same laws that bind and govern our realm.
Before the Wizengamot, I vow that my word shall stand firm, my duty shall not waver, and my loyalty shall remain true to the responsibilities bestowed upon me. So I swear, as Lord Olario. Lord of the House Olario."
Very cleverly, the oath was not taken in the name of magic and blood. Since every lord wavered from his oath at some point, pledging it upon magic would have forced their hands. Such was the cunning world of politics.
Antonio picked up the quill and signed his name on the parchment. The moment his signature was placed, a loud chorus of clapping erupted through the hall. Antonio had been formally inducted as Lord Olario.
The chorus continued for a couple of minutes before silence finally reigned in the hall.
"Lord Olario," the Minister of Magic said, "I, on behalf of this body, request you to say a few words to us."
Antonio nodded, his gaze sweeping over the entire council. He had prepared a few things that he had wanted to say.
#
#
#
[Add the book to your collection. Send it some power stones. Leave a rating and a review.]
[Access advanced chapter on P@treon. Replace @ with a. One additional advanced chapter each week on P@treon. ]
[email protected]/imaginarywriter