CHAPTER 28 – The end of an era

The great day had finally come, and the Foundation was very happy to discover that the Daily Prophet, in its eagerness to gain back some standing with the British magical community, had inadvertently helped immensely with the changes they wished to implement.

First, at the top of the front page, as the main headline, 'Dumbledore and Fudge went too far?' led readers to the interview given by Madam Amelia Bones about their unilateral and unexplained decision to consider two of today's greatest celebrities, Sirius Black and Harry Potter, as 'traitors to the nation'. Amelia had done an excellent job showing her concern that they were being victimized by strong measures that ignored their civil rights and were charged without due process with the DMLE or Wizengamot.

In the middle third of the front page, the call for a special story by Rita Skeeter: 'Dumbledore and Grindelwald: A Stormy Romance'. Rita, informed that Dumbledore was plotting something serious, had rushed to Hogwarts and had used her animagus form to dig more information. Alerted of the unexpected visitant by the now fully active protections of the castle, and after a quick consultation of the Weasley twins on the marauders' map, it was not difficult for the children to engage the naive professor Bagshot to reveal some secrets of the headmaster's past with her nephew from the continent, very close to the ugly beetle that the map indicated was the snoopy reporter of the Daily Prophet.

To further spice up the situation, the children even made hints about Grindelwald having found the famous wand of fate. Professor Bagshot was not aware of this development, but was not astonished, and told the children how her nephew Gellert had always been fissured in the story of the three brothers and that the symbol he had adopted as his was in fact the same symbol that represented the three sacred artefacts of Death in the original edition of the book of the bard. The children proudly told the famous historian, and indirectly Skeeter as well, how Gellert had found the mighty wand in the hands of the craftsman Gregorovitch and had stolen it, then to see it conquered by Albus Dumbledore after the famous duel in which Gellert had finally been defeated.

The children were proud to see in the Daily Prophet that the bait they gave Skeeter had borne fruit. The final third of the first page was divided into two columns, half reporting the case of the wand of fate; the other half revealing that Fudge and Dumbledore's attempt to make contact with the Boy Who Lived was nothing more than an attempt to force one Prophecy to be realized.

Prophecies were subjects of much fear and respect within the magical world. They were also one of the least understood and most controversial areas of study. In the midst of fear and ignorance, the general opinion was that they should be left as far as possible in peace. It was a general consensus that bad consequences awaited anyone who dared to interfere with them, whether for or against it. That is why Saul Croaker had proposed to the Foundation to reveal the existence of the prophecy and the attempt of the two leaders of the government to manipulate the situation.

Once the revelation was approved, it was enough for Saul to send a voice message to Amelia during her interview with the press, saying loud and clear that he had found the motive behind the immediate summoning of Black and Potter, and that it was a prophecy about the defeat of You-Know-Who, so that all the present journalists would take the nothing subtle tip and put another sword on the head of the two conspirators.

And the criticism did not stop on the front page. The internal pages of the newspaper detailed the headlines and went further, reporting the Minister's interference in the DMLE, leaving the main public places of the magical world unprotected, while the Minister fled cowardly to the continent with a strong escort, waiting in safety for the end of the events. Dumbledore, too, had not escaped unharmed, with You-Know-Who and an immense basilisk in the school coming to the surface again to tarnish his reputation a little more.

That The Critical Thinker was presenting similar news only confirmed to the entire magical population that, at least this time, the Daily Prophet seemed to be speaking the truth.

-o0o-

Lucius Malfoy had not seen the paper that morning. His mood wasn't good. Like every pureblood of status, to wake up early was not his way. Arriving at the Ministry at seven in the morning, as if he was one of those poor and inefficient junior officers, was almost a humiliation in his eyes. But this was the will of his Lord, and he well knew what the consequences would be of being late. It was time to do his part in the plan of domination of his master.

His mission, shared with other Death Eaters who were Ministry officials or members of the Wizengamot, was simple. Put as many people as possible under control and program them to cause maximum destruction and death from nine o'clock in the morning, time at which he and his companions should meet with their master wherever the Portkey that had been delivered to them led him. The Dark Lord was not relying on anyone else for all his plans, but with the number of creatures and wizards of darkness he had gathered (in Malfoy's own mansion, no less!) it was certain that it would be a long day for all involved.

So, at exactly seven o'clock in the morning, Malfoy reached the lobby of the Ministry by one of the many chimneys there, and soon afterwards the spell "Imperius" made its first victim.

-o0o-

At the same time that Lucius Malfoy arrived at the Ministry, breakfast began in the Great Hall of Hogwarts, still lacking half of its student population.

The headmaster of the prestigious educational institution was worried. No news of his spy among the forces of evil, Severus Snape, had come so far, and Albus Dumbledore feared for the luck of the already unfortunate boy if Voldemort discovered the betrayal. But Dumbledore also feared an attack, a heavy attack of the forces of evil against his own person, and the special wand he controlled.

No sooner had the venerable wizard seated than his attention was demanded by Professor McGonagall.

"Albus! Look at this!" she said, passing him the latest edition of The Daily Prophet.

The old man barely had time to take notice (and tremble for fear of the repercussions) of the headlines as the doors of the Great Hall suddenly burst open, letting in a child, a child for whom he had been searching for a long time.

"HARRY POTTER!" He shouted, getting up in surprise.

"Then you know who I am. Do you know why I'm here?" asked the boy, advancing with steady steps toward him.

The whole contingent present to the Great Hall observed the boy's advance in amazement. His figure was well known to all from the covers of countless books depicting his pretended adventures in the magical world. Black hair in disarray, glasses, lightning scar on forehead. For those who had known his parents, the exact image of James Potter at the same age, except for his eyes, emerald green like his mother's.

"N-No. Would it have been for being summoned?" the headmaster stammered, surprised at the event and not yet reinstated.

"No. I am here to defeat a Dark Lord, as was prophesied that I would," replied the boy, a malicious smile appearing on his lips.

"The prophecy! How did you find out about it?" asked Dumbledore, fearing what other surprises that day would bring.

"It's none of your business!" replied the boy, finally reaching the front of the teachers' table.

"WHAT!" had time to declare the old headmaster startled, before he found himself silenced and his body caught in a body-bind spell. His wand, his precious and powerful wand, flew to the boy's hand as a black vertical hole opened behind him and he said words that made the mighty Albus Dumbledore, possessor of so many titles and fame, tremble with shivers: "The Dark Lord I came to defeat is defeated! He will be delivered to the DMLE, who will judge his actions..."

At that moment the wand of fate had reached the boy's hand, and everyone present felt the great energy that surrounded him in contact with the mighty artefact. The weapon and its new master shone for a moment, and a strong wind circled the Hall.

"Wow! Well... One Dark Lord, another remains. Excuse me, and sorry for the interruption," were his last words before bowing to the teachers, turning around and following the headmaster's floating body through the portal, which closed shortly after he passed.

For a long, long moment, complete silence and immobility reigned in the Great Hall of Hogwarts. Then, of course, it was total chaos.

-o0o-

Lord Voldemort woke slowly, flexing his muscles and preparing for the special day ahead. The day of eliminating one of the two biggest obstacles to his success: Albus Dumbledore. The day of acquiring the most powerful weapon this world has ever seen: the wand of fate. The day of gaining control over the British magic community, in its first step to global dominance!

Only not. As soon as the vilest and mightiest Dark Lord had begun to stretch, he felt his body restricted in its movements. Frightened, the evil wizard opened his eyes and scanned the place, finding it utterly strange.

Voices, no more than murmurs, came from a strange arc before him, covered by a veil that swayed in the wind, a wind that did not exist where he was. Weird!

"We are in the Department of Mysteries, in the room known as the 'Death Hall'. And you are our guest of honour for an important ceremony. The extermination of the most lethal and malignant creature that ever lived on this planet!" said a clearly disguised voice, belonging to a person approaching, hidden under a hood and cloak that he knew well as belonging to the leader of the Unspeakables.

"Release me immediately and I will make your death quick and painless," answered the Lord of Darkness. "Do you think you can get rid of me like some low creature? I AM LORD VOLDEMORT, AND I AM IMMORTAL!"

"Oh, we're prepared to take care of this, do not worry," said another voice, belonging to a boy approaching the lighted area where he was. Behind and around the boy, other figures began to make themselves noticed, but Voldemort had eyes only for the approaching boy and the object he held in his hands: his diary, his last horcrux!

"NO! It cannot be! You didn't know the whereabouts of the diary! I saw the deception that you tried to make me swallow with that lying report! You didn't know where it was, no one knew, and I didn't go back there!"

"Oh, but the decoy was not for you to go there; we didn't need that much..." said a blond girl who had joined the boy carrying the diary. "It was enough for us to make you think about where it was hiding."

"Mount Markham, Antarctica. A region of very difficult access, little explored. One of the few good decisions of your life, Tom," said the boy, to the dismay of the evil wizard.

"You! I'll kill him with my own hands!"

"No, Tom, it will be just the opposite," replied the boy, tossing the diary through that strange veil.

"NNNOOO!" cried Voldemort, trying to get up, before falling exhausted and apathetic on the bed, still heavenly trapped by moorings.

The boy raised his right hand in the direction of the body of his archenemy and made him float, still chained, through the same veil.

It was over!

Voldemort was finished. The nightmare that had plagued Paul Zurkhoff, also known as Harry Potter, for so long was no more!

Present reporters were trying to get more information, while photographers continued to spend rolls and rolls of film photographing everything and everyone. Amelia asked that everyone retire to the conference room of the Atrium, saying that soon enough more information would be provided. There was some protest, but it was enough that the iron lady of the wizarding world pulled out her wand for everyone to run to the exit door.

In a corner of the room, still muted and with his movements restricted, Albus Dumbledore was amazed. Tom Riddle, the most perverse and powerful of all dark masters at all times, could have even been defeated so easily? No, it could not be that easy. And Harry Potter was still alive. That scar, that scar was a powerful asset in his favour. Only he, Albus Dumbledore, knew for certain the terrible truth about that scar on the boy's forehead, and that would be the key that would make him shine again to the public's view as the supreme defender of the good that he was.

-o0o-

The whole group, including Albus Dumbledore, was now sitting at a meeting table in one of the conference rooms of the Department of Mysteries. It was time to check that everything went well in all sectors, if all the machinations had succeeded, and to start planning the future, starting with what and how to tell the rest of the population. But before, it was time to decide what to do with the old wizard present, the only one not involved in the conspiracy that had eliminated the greatest danger that British magical society had ever seen, but still a weighty figure in politics and in the hearts of that Society, and that had to be neutralized so as not to interfere with its future.

Liz had been in high alert all the time during the operation. Until Voldemort was eliminated, her main mission was to monitor the wicked man to ensure that he had no contingency plan. Once fear and panic overtook the wizard at seeing his last resort against death at Paul's hands, or Harry Potter, as he was impersonated at the time, she had given the green light for the boy to proceed with the rapid elimination of that threat. There was no reason to brag about it or explain the situation to the Dark Lord, as villains used to do in cheap adventure movies.

After the immediate threat was eliminated, her attention turned to the next threat: Dumbledore. She then immediately noticed the plans being formed on the old mage's head, and telepathically reported them to Paul, who opened the conversation immediately destroying Dumbledore's cherished hopes.

"Before we start, I'd like to remove this makeup first, since it itches too much!" he said, removing from his forehead the plastic sheet containing the fake scar he had worn during his show.

"WHAT?" cried the old wizard of the white beard, realizing that his lifeline in that wreck of planes had just sunk.

Looking at Dumbledore in the eyes, Paul gave the final blow: "Too bad you thought we would be naive to the point of not realizing what kind of danger lay behind that scar, old man. The fraction of soul of that maniac who had hidden in my scar was taken away from me several years ago by someone far more competent and less ambitious than you."

"Who?" asked Dumbledore, but was completely ignored.

"The reason of this meeting, and the only reason you have not yet been transferred to a cell awaiting judgment for your acts, is to ascertain whether we can reach an agreement between the parties and prevent all the filth committed by you and your friend Cornelius to be washed publicly," said the head of the DMLE, putting the conversation on course, impatient with the amount of tasks she had ahead.

"Amelia ..." began the old mage, in a benevolent tone.

"It's Madam Bones for you!" interrupted Amelia, serious and annoyed at Dumbledore's condescending tone.

"All I did was for the greater good, to ensure the safety of our world ..."

"Including abuse of power and placing children in danger exposing them to a teacher possessed by Voldemort?"

"I didn't know Quirinus ..."

"And yet you used the philosopher's stone as bait to capture Voldemort."

At that point Dumbledore preferred not to argue anymore. He was alone against a group of people who were against his views, and would not accept his arguments. However, among the manipulation of facts he had seen in The Daily Prophet that morning, the action of little Potter accusing him of being an Evil Lord in front of the whole school, and the fame that the boy would surely accumulate with Voldemort's final defeat, he also knew he would have difficulties facing a jury in Wizengamot. So he decided at least to see what kind of agreement that group was likely to propose.

"What kind of deal would that be?" he asked, hopeful they wouldn't ask him too much.

"You currently accumulate too much power and positions, and are visibly overwhelmed. If you want to escape a public trial, you should give up your positions at the International Confederation of Wizards and at Hogwarts," explained Madame Bones.

"Ame ... Madame Bones, that is unacceptable. Hogwarts is my life. I agree to leave my positions in the Confederacy and the Wizengamot, but I must remain at Hogwarts..."

"With no students?" said Beth, much to the astonishment of the current headmaster. She continued then, to make clear the situation he would face if he persisted on that path. "If you stay at Hogwarts, the first year will be reduced to no more than seven students, and the next first year will have no more than five students, and so on. Is this the Hogwarts you're so busy in managing?"

"You cannot stop the kids from going to school! They need education ..." Dumbledore began, but was quickly cut off.

"That we can do more efficiently in the Foundation! And we will not stop anyone from doing anything. That will be their choice!" completed Beth firmly.

Dumbledore let his head fall, resting his chin against his chest, sighing deeply in the process. It was clear that they expected him to make a decision of this magnitude quickly, perhaps even during that meeting, and would not give him a chance to get in touch with his admirers, probing the magnitude of the damage to his image, or how much support remained to try to prevent such concessions from him.

He feared seriously the picture unfolding before him. Soon his beloved Hogwarts would again be invaded by Muggleborns and their consumerist and progressive culture, with new generations growing increasingly oblivious to the traditions and customs that not only characterized as defined the British magical society. Amelia would be the new Minister, and the Ministry would undergo a profound change, with many pureblood losing their little fiefdoms within the governmental structure to others of less pure lineage. And the Wizengamot would be forced to accept changes in the laws, with the current elite losing much of their privileges and perks.

Not that he was a champion of the purist tradition, but he feared the resentment that this abrupt loss of power and privilege would surely cause. It was clear what would come next: a new Dark Lord! Could they not see this danger? Could they not realize that doing so much in such a short time would eventually create an equally strong reaction that would ruin everything?

In the end, the big question was whether he should start fighting the excesses right now, refusing the agreement and preparing for a major trial in the Wizengamot, throwing all his forces at once and running the risk of suffering great harm, and perhaps even suffer a condemnation; or wait, regroup his allies, avoid additional scandals that would denigrate his image still more, and put himself as the voice of reason and conciliation between the forces of traditionalists and progressives?

Certainly this second option was the most favourable to his nature and his ideals. His position in the Confederacy was not so important at the time; the fight he wanted to buy would be fought internally. Losing his position at Hogwarts was a hard blow to him, but it could be a temporary situation. The Wizengamot had some rights to the school, under special conditions it could force to occur, and more power could be gained by passing new laws which he, as head of the legislative body, could help to propose and approve. His decision was then made; it was now the case to try to reduce the damage suffered and ensure the maximum freedom he could achieve for his future actions.

"Well, if these are the terms of the agreement ..." he began, but was quickly cut off once more.

"Wait a minute!" interrupted Amelia. "It is best that we specify exactly the rights and obligations of each party to this agreement, so that everything is clear."

"Of course," agreed Dumbledore, and remained attentive, waiting for the cards to be placed on the table.

What followed was a slow negotiation, with many back and forth, interspersed with Dumbledore's attempts to get more information about those people, their methods, knowledge and goals. It was a game where patience was the most important weapon on both sides, but the old wizard realized he was at a serious disadvantage. While all his opponents seemed immune to his attempts at legilimency, that blond little girl did not hesitate to tell all his innermost thoughts and motives behind every proposal or rejection that the solitary magician interposed.

Finally, tired and with a pile of tasks requiring her attention, Amelia made a copy of her notes, handing it to Dumbledore and summarizing the final position the Foundation adopted: "Since we are still from agreement after all this debate, this is our final proposal, and it will not be discussed again. You will have some time to study it while enjoying the hospitality of our cells. Later I will ask you for a single answer, a simple yes or no to what is specified here. Take care!"

With this, Saul and Amelia accompanied Albus to one of the cells, where they left him to quickly return to the meeting.

"How about we start with a summary of the facts? I'm a bit lost with the speed of events," Amelia said as she settled back into the room.

"As we had previously discussed," Beth began, "it all started with the crazy idea of extracting knowledge about the whereabouts of the last horcrux directly from Voldemort's mind. When he learned, through one of his followers, of the article we published in The Critical Thinker about his impending defeat, Liz and Paul were present, hidden, in the same room, and as we suspected, fear and uncertainty made Voldemort immediately thought about the hiding place of his precious diary and the protections he had put in place to protect it. We don't know if the form of legilimency used by Liz is immune to detection or if it was Voldemort's state of nervousness and apprehension, but he didn't realize that his thoughts were being read and with that we managed to retrieve the diary without activating his defences."

"It wasn't an easy job," Selena interjected. "Voldemort made extensive use of spells in the language of serpents. Without Paul's help to intonate counterfeiters it would have been virtually impossible to deactivate them without Voldemort coming to discover our actions."

"Antarctica, then?" Saul commented. "A continent of ice, practically uninhabited. It would take us months, maybe years, to look for this horcrux in such a vast region, even if we knew it was there. As Paul said, one of Tom Riddle's few wise decisions. Well, the first part of the attack was done by the closest Death Eaters to him, his inner circle of followers, here at the Ministry. As most of these elements spent the night in their own homes, we had to treat them in a different way. As soon as Lucius Malfoy, the leader of this group, arrived at the Ministry, I personally put him under the Imperius curse..."

"WHAT!" exclaimed several members of the group, aware of the penalty expected for the use of an unforgivable spell.

"This is a secret that will remain between us," Amelia quickly clarified. "Saul needed to confirm the details of the plan and make sure that last minute changes had not occurred. Lucius was duly obliviated after our information was confirmed, and he will not recall having assisted in capturing his companions."

"In fact, it seems that old Lucius wasn't so happy with his master and his old companions," said Saul smiling. "He even seemed happy to help in their final defeat. Voldemort caused serious damage to his fortune, and the Malfoys never cared much more than seeking personal gain."

"The potion that the Davis invented worked splendidly!" commented Selene. "The kids opened the necessary portals, and we adults had fun flooding the Malfoy mansion with the sleep gas they created. The few wizards and creatures that came to realize that something was wrong were trapped in the anti-apparition and anti-portkey protections that Beth and Daniel had created. Our special Auror team and Foundation staff did quick work on stupefying the few who remembered to use the bubblehead spell to avoid the gas."

"And where are all these people?" Amelia asked.

"Still in the mansion, in handcuffs and under severe supervision," replied Beth. "There are many, I don't know if Azkaban will have room for everyone."

"Almost half are creatures, they will need a different treatment," said Saul. "As for the wizards, most are foreigners. We can deliver those wanted in their countries of origin so that they receive penalties there. After that fiasco, I don't think they would want to return to our island any time soon, especially if we make it clear that their heads will be on prize in British soil."

"Well, that will certainly reduce the number of prisoners we will have to deal with to a manageable number," Amelia concluded. "Any casualties on our side?"

"None!" said Beth with visible happiness. "We had full control of the situation all the time, and with the level of intelligence we had about their plans, everything went perfectly! Although I'm still not happy with the degree of participation these two had in the events," she concluded, looking at her two children. Although she was well aware of the power and maturity of both, as a mother she had been concerned all the time that one of them had been exposed to danger, and she was relentless in her quest for alternatives and precautions to ensure that they exposed themselves as briefly as possible.

"I got word that Fudge is already staying in one of our cells," Amelia said. "With him we'll not make an agreement. His image is so worn it will not be necessary. He will lose office and will be judged for his acts by the Wizengamot. I don't know if he will be condemned, it is difficult to predict the reaction of those old mummies in such cases."

"They have a high tendency to always be magnanimous and benevolent when judging other purebloods, hoping to receive equal treatment if their secrets ever arise and they find themselves in the same situation," Saul commented, concluding. "But Cornelius' political career is definitely over, and that's already a breakthrough."

As Saul spoke, a portal opened into the room, and Daphne, Luna, Xeno, Susan, and Su Li came from it. Xeno was flushed, and then gave Amelia the complete prisoners' report. Certainly that information would help the DMLE chief in calming the reporters.

"Well, make yourself at home here, if you want, or go back to the Foundation if you prefer. Paul, if you decide to go to the Foundation, make sure that at least one of you able to open a portal is here in this room, in case I need to contact you urgently, yes?" said Amelia. Receiving confirmation from the boy, she turned to Saul. "Saul, please, could you help me with the reporters? I know you like them even less than I do, but with your Unspeakable pose, you can play some 'this is on investigation and will be remain quiet for now' to get rid of the worst, isn't it?"

As a result, the two Ministry officials, Saul and Amelia, plus Xeno and Luna, went out to deal with the insatiable hunger of journalists for details. Meanwhile, Paul opened a gateway to Diagon Alley, while Daphne opened one for Hogsmeade and Su for the reception at St. Mungos Hospital.

"Remember we were curious as to why so many people had joined the Death Eaters so promptly?" Daphne asked the people in the room. "I think we found the answer: the laws of inheritance in the magical world."

"What are in these laws that lead so many people to such revolt and hatred? Is it for family money?" Liz asked her friend as she prepared a large receiver so they could follow the press conference.

"Yes, in a way it's the money. But the worst is that the system is in fact unfair to men who are not the first-born of the main branch of the family," Daphne explained. "Most of the family's fortune, and the head of the household, always goes to the eldest son of the head of the family. The brothers and cousins end up getting in a very difficult situation. In addition to receiving little money from the family as a whole, they still have little money from their parents, since everyone has the primary obligation to contribute to the family's global fortune, as if it were a kind of compulsory tax."

"Let me get this straight," Paul said. "If I'm the brother of the head of the family, I'll have to give my brother a share of what I earn before even covering my family's expenses, is that it?"

"Yes, and the amount to be contributed isn't proportional to your revenues, but it is a fixed amount," explained Su. "If you have had a bad year and you have not earned enough, you will have to sell some of your assets to cover the debt."

"That's really unfair," agreed Beth. "Make the whole family wealth grow at the expense of the wealth of its members."

"Some household heads don't let this happen, and they don't require more than each can collaborate," continued Daphne. "But there is one more important factor: in addition to money, the head of the family also has extensive powers over the lives of members of this family. It can determine with whom single members are to marry, and what professions or type of business men may or may not exercise, and so on, including using family members as a personal small army under their command."

"It's too much power in the hands of a single person!" Liz revolted.

"Sure it is!" Su Li agreed. "And the worst is that this power has only increased over the last three hundred years. With family heads holding legislative offices in every magical nation, they have not only been creating laws to put themselves above Muggleborns or half-blood but also to put the remaining members of their own families under their full control."

"No wonder it was so easy for Voldemort to find discontents between the purebloods," commented Beth. "I thought that first-generation wizards and witches would be the first to rebel, given the visible contempt they receive from the powerful. I had not realized that there was so much discrimination among the purebloods themselves..."

"It's not something openly commented on," Daphne explained. "And not all traditional families get to treat their own relatives so badly. But bringing together the disadvantaged around the world, the number ends up being great."

"In the meantime, those of first generation come to an obviously different and traditional world," said Su. "They are deceived by false promises, thinking it is only a matter of time and hard work for the families they are founding to raise to the same position, wealth and respect the older ones enjoy, and they are slow to realize that the whole situation is turned against them."

"This is another point that we will have to address if we are to maintain peace in the magical world," said Beth. "But for now we must prepare ourselves for the most urgent tasks: to neutralize Dumbledore and to put Amelia as Minister."

"Has she finally accepted?" Daphne asked, since Amelia had been declaring that she did not want the job.

"Almost," answered Beth. "We have already convinced her that she is the best option available to the post. It only remains for her to capitulate and accept. "

-o0o-

The Foundation needed to ensure that the entire magical population had access to some important information: Voldemort's final defeat; the involvement of the Foundation and Harry Potter in his defeat; the cowardly escape of Minister Fudge in the face of imminent danger; and the need to elect a substitute for his place. And they had prepared for it, and very well.

When Amelia called the precincts in order to begin the announcements, her voice and image could not only be clearly perceived within the enclosure, but also in the lobby of the Ministry, the hospital's reception, the Great Hall of Hogwarts, and various points of the Diagon Alley and the main street of Hogsmeade, on large screens specially prepared for such event by the Foundation, in addition to the live broadcast by magic radio.

The entire presentation, including the long Q & A session with reporters, lasted just under an hour, and ordered the end of all day activities. After seeing Voldemort defeated and humiliated, the chief of the Unspeakables confirming that this time was definitive, and the Dark Lord's army arrested and awaiting trial, the whole people took the opportunity to celebrate for the rest of the day. To the consternation of the kid who had helped out at the events, everyone greeted and toasted Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Won.

-o0o-

As the adults continued to chase the magical world back in order and Amelia, already inducted as Acting Minister until a new election could be held, had a strenuous agenda, including all department heads in magical government, faction leaders of the Wizengamot and Prime Minister John Major, the children returned to the Foundation, contacted their parents and friends to make sure they were well, then went to rest and talk in the edge of the indoor thermal pool.

"I didn't expect the Wizengamot to accept Auntie as Ministry as easily," said Susan.

"What do you mean?" said Daphne. "With all that she did for Voldemort's defeat, plus the support of the Department of Mysteries and our saviour, the mighty Harry Potter..."

"Daphne, please!" returned the boy, already back to his normal appearance of Paul Zurkhof, but blushing much with the compliment, as was the intention of Daphne.

"After the minister's cowardice to try to throw all the responsibility on a boy's back and flee the country and the danger, six months in Azkaban and the fine was too easy for him," Tracy said indignantly.

"The important thing now is to turn Amelia's position from temporary to permanent," said Padma.

"If it depends on the votes of the purists and Dumbledore's allies the odds are not so good," Anthony commented. "These two groups shouldn't be very happy with us at the moment."

"If we get the election to involve votes from the entire magical community, the situation would be much more favourable," Kimberly said. "First generation and half-bloods know that the Foundation is supporting Amelia, and how much we are able to do for them."

"Do you think we will be able to establish a true democracy? It seems such a great step compared to what it was until now..." commented Hermione.

"Auntie is thinking of using a little-known law that enables a plebiscite," Susan commented. "Only three plebiscites were held in British magical history, and the last occurred in the seventeenth century, with the approval of the Statute to hide us from the normal world. Changing the regime to full democracy is a change drastic enough to allow its use..."

"Could the Wizengamot block this plebiscite in any way?" asked Morag.

"Not if they want to retain a minimum of respect from the population," Blaise explained. "This has been tried a few times in other countries, and the results have been tragic for the counterfeiting staff. In Greece, for example, there was a civil war that wiped out their Wizengamot, replacing it by an assembly entirely elected by the people. Something similar happened in France during their Revolution. "

"It looks like Britain has fallen behind in these advances," Audrey said.

"People here were more sensible," Neville explained. "They saw what was happening in the rest of the world, and they decided to anticipate. They made some concessions, and they managed to maintain the old system without much change."

"Yeah, but as soon as the period of instability has passed they have not only reversed the concessions they gave but created more and greater privileges for themselves," complained Lilith. "Well typical of what you can expect from politicians!"

"It only makes it clear that such decisions are too important to be left in the hands of a small group of people so unprepared for this role!" Hermione scolded vehemently.

"We have to do everything we can to get this referendum to take place," said Tracy. "He would take away the power of the pureblood oligarchy that today commands the Wizengamot, and still leave Dumbledore in a difficult position to block the advances we want."

"But we have a lot of material against Dumbledore if we need to, right?" Mandy asked.

"Yes, but this old man is smart," Liz said. "He still has a lot of people believing that nobody knows more or is purer and nicer than him. We should not give him chances, or we'll regret it later."

"The best thing for me is that Lucius Malfoy is in prison, and must be condemned," Beatrice declared. "That will give me a chance to nullify that damn betrothal with his son. We're having a party when that happens, right?"

A chorus of voices agreed with the idea. Nothing like a good reason for a party!

"What about Hogwarts?" asked Hannah. "We have little more than a month of classes before the holidays. Are we going to start some changes already, or just for our second year?"

"I think the sooner the better," Padma commented. "Will McGonagall be headmistress in substitution of the white beard?"

"It would be the simplest and most logical transition," agreed Su Li.

"But would it be the best?" Daphne questioned. "After all, she has a great friendship and respect for Dumbledore."

"Indeed," agreed Tracy. "But remember, she gave us considerable support during the year."

"That's true," Hermione confirmed. "I think she deserves a chance to prove her worth. In fact, she did it in part by blocking the investigation of that snooty Percy Weasley."

"Maybe if the Foundation sent a letter to her, probing her opinions and her willingness to make the necessary changes ..." Daphne suggested.

"That's something we can do," said Paul. "Hermione, would you, Luna and Audrey draft this letter for us? You're the best of us for that sort of thing. This way we take away a task from the adults, who are already overwhelmed."

"Great idea, Paul," agreed Sally-Ann. "What about the rest of us, is there anything else we can do to help?"

"Maybe we could start contacting the normal-borns who came out of the magical world and explain to them what's going on and how much their situation could improve here if they collaborated ..." Parvati suggested.

"As soon as we get back to Hogwarts we could start doing some sort of research on the desired changes," suggested Hermione. "Thus, we would verify their acceptance among the students and identify the most urgent ones to begin with."

"I can help with formulating the questionnaire," offered Padma. "Uh, Daphne, Susan and Justin, come and help me?"

The three quickly agreed, and the children, finding nothing more readily available to help, spent another leisurely time in the pool before preparing for the tasks they chose. Tomorrow morning they would be returning to Hogwarts and their classes, and were excited about what they could do for the school.

-o0o- END OF VOLUME ONE –o0o-

Author's Note: Thank you to all who have followed this story so far, and a special thank you to those who left your opinion and / or marked it as a favourite. Eventually I'll be starting the second and last part of this story under a new title. It will probably take some time, because I will have to pay attention to some other matters before, and do some research. I'll put a warning here when I start posting it, for those who are following this story to be warned. At the moment, I'm working on the tentative title of 'Brave New Universe', and yes, our planet is too small for this group, which will soon be in search of other worlds. Maybe they could find some interesting planets like Abydos, Arrakis, Naboo, Solaris, Trantor or Vulcan? Do you recognize these names? You can find each one on Wikipedia, at least in English. Do you have any preference for any of these other worlds of fiction? Your opinion could be decisive for its inclusion in the sequel. By the way, I'm not totally satisfied with the way I'm finishing this first part, and I may be rewriting it soon. Too anti-climactic and really poor on the consequences of the victory… Sorry about that, but as I don't know when I'll have the time and inspiration to do a better job, I preferred to not let you waiting too long before closing it.