The Saviours of the Wizarding World
1st of November, 1979
The screams startled the people closest to the fountain with the statue of the witch and wizard, in the Atrium. Without knowing what else to do, people started to run. Shoulders bumped against backs, chest and other shoulders as panic grew. Aurors arrived and started to shout at people to get out of the way as they tried to approach the fountain. It was a futile tactic. There were just too many people in the Atrium and too little space for them to hide in.
The fear in the eyes of those who were closer to the statue concerned the Aurors as they got closer and closer. What could be the reason for all the teary eyes and paled faces? Several of the Aurors looked grim as they moved forward while others were openly shaking with anticipation and fear.
“It's him!” one of the Aurors shouted as he saw the figure by the statue. Some of the man's colleagues tried to grab him when they saw the Auror running away. Though the man's reaction caused some of the other men and women from the DMLE to proceed with caution, they refused to not investigate the reason for all the chaos.
Shock and dread coursed through the bodies of the Aurors when the figure became visible. This time, the screams came not from the public as they cowered in fear, but from the Aurors who, just seconds ago, were resolute in finding the cause of the madness.
“It's You-Know-Who!” Auror Oscar Worrall shouted and stepped back, bumping into his colleagues as he tried to create more distance between himself and the dark wizard.
“Wizards and witches of Britain,” the hissed voice echoed in the Atrium, silencing all other sounds. No one dared to breathe or move as they waited for He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named to continue speaking. Many people were crying in silence, the horror they felt too great for them to withstand without showing any emotions. “I come here today with an offer. Put down your wands and kneel before Lord Voldemort and your lives will be spared. Fight against me and you and your families will suffer the consequences. You will soon learn that I am a benevolent leader, but only towards those who follow me withou-”
“Voldemort!” two voices shouted in unison, drawing everyone's attention to the two wizards passing through the crowd of people.
“It's Peverell and Black,” Worrall whispered to his colleagues Francisca Acker and Jasper Atteberry. The two only nodded faintly.
“They are mad,” Acker said while shaking her head and watching Hedwyn Peverell and Regulus Black approaching You-Know-Who.
Without saying a word, a flash of green light lit the Atrium, causing people to stumble against each other as they tried to flee while still looking at the three wizards by the statue.
Regulus Black was quicker than the Killing Curse, however, and conjured a mirror to shield them. Cheering echoed as the people rejoiced in seeing the next Lord Black's quick thinking. The cheerfulness soon died as the dark wizard aimed his wand at the crowd. However, before You-Know-Who could cast a spell, a beam of purple light collided with him. The man took the unknown curse from Peverell without showing how much pain it caused him.
The battle unfolded as a captivating spectacle for all the onlookers. Hedwyn Peverell's tactics exuded power and aggression, as he lunged forward with forceful strikes. In contrast, Regulus Black fought with a composure that was as striking as it was effective, executing his moves with deliberate precision and keen awareness of his opponent's every move.
Flashes from cameras all around the Atrium documented every moment of the battle. From You-Know-Who's never-stopping Killing Curses to Peverell and Black's intertwined attacks that forced the dark wizard to put on shield after shield.
As the minutes passed, the strength of the foe of the Wizarding World was clearly diminishing. Eyes followed the man's every move as the people waited for the end of the fight. People were either biting their lips, tapping their feet or sweating nervously as they became more impatient to see who would win. And if they would suffer under the victor.
Eyebrows raised as Black and Peverell lifted their wands at the same time and shouted an unknown spell. The tip of their wand shone a bright blue light that went sailing towards You-Know-Who, hitting the man on the chest.
Everyone stopped breathing and it felt as if time stopped. Black and Peverell stood still, their eyes fixed on the wizard in front of them.
The wizard's body hit the floor and people all around the Atrium gasped.
People started to cry and others to cheer. Many hugged others around them and some dropped to the floor, crying and laughing at the same time. It became hard to speak as no particular sound could be heard in the cacophony of happy and relieved noises. Not even the Aurors cared about anything else at the moment other than hugging their colleagues or crying with them.
At some point, someone levitated Voldemort's body and left it levitating above a cheering crowd. Small fireworks of all colours could be seen as people relished on their new freedom.
Regulus Black and Hedwyn Peverell were lifted and paraded around on men's shoulders as people thanked them and called the two heroes. The couple was waving and smiling at the witches and wizards around them.
The festivities continued for hours as an increasing number of witches and wizards gathered at the Ministry to unite with their fellow countrymen. As time went on, it became evident that the names Peverell and Black would be revered as titles of great honour, with the two men being celebrated as the saviour of the Wizarding World."
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The room was filled with an air of celebration as the Minister's voice echoed around the chamber. "We gather here on this glorious day, mere hours after our liberation," he proclaimed. "to congratulate our saviours, Regulus Arcturus Black and Hedwyn Aelius Peverell!"
The words were met with thunderous applause from the diverse crowd gathered in the chamber. Journalists, Ministry workers, and members of the esteemed Wizengamot alike had all come together to honour and pay tribute to Hedwyn and Regulus for their heroic efforts.
As for the couple, they sat on conjured chairs placed where the Minister's seat used to be. Both chairs were transfigured to appease the two heroes. The symbol of the crow with the Deathly Hallows on its chest was chosen by the couple to represent them, and was plastered all around the room — in banners on the walls and flags people waved left and right.
Harry smiled and waved at the people while Regulus gave them a thankful look. Glancing around, Hedwyn made sure to meet the eyes of the wixen from the Inner Circle. Malfoy, Lestrange, Rosier and the others all looked extremely uncomfortable to be there.
“Do stop staring at them, darling,” Regulus whispered in his ear. “We’ll deal with them tomorrow, but you're making it too obvious that we know something. Don't spoil our fun.”
“The Ministry and the people of Britain all thank our heroes for their magnificent duel against You-Know-Who. Not only Hedwyn Peverell and Regulus Black defeated the man who, for years, created chaos in our country, but they also gave us the list of every single Death Eater. Every single one! And I tell you now, with great relief, that our Aurors are already hunting those criminals.”
The Minister waited for the applause to go down before speaking again. “But the reason for us being here today is not to talk! We are here to compensate our heroes for their marvellous display of magic and the subsequent fall of Lord Voldemort. First, our saviour will be given the Order of Merlin. First class! Then, in accordance with our Chief Warlock Albert Smith, as well as a majority of this chamber, our heroes will appoint someone of their choice as the new Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot. As they were already part of the Wizengamot per their noble names, Lord Peverell and Heir Black are acquaintances with the inner workings of our esteemed institution. I can assure your their choice will be nothing but great.”
Hedwyn would have to thank Death for suggesting he put that idea in the Minister and Smith's heads. There would be some not-so-pleased noises from the Light Faction, but he knew they would not dare to question one of the saviours of the Wizarding World. Turning towards Regulus, the two men exchanged a look and then turned to the crowd.
“For his knowledge of the workings of the Ministry, as well as his honourable character, our choice could not be anyone but Lord Arcturus Cetus Black,” as expected, some of the light wixen groaned or huffed at their choice, but the sounds coming from them was quickly overpowered by the applause. “Lord Black has worked in the Ministry for decades after succeeding his father, Lord Sirius Phineas Black II. For many years Lord Arcturus Black has brought forward important pieces of legislation, such as the Magical Forrest Protection Act and the inclusion of a program to bring more children from impoverished families to Hogwarts. In my and my fiancé's mind, there is truly no other illustrious figure as trustworthy and competent as Arcturus Cetus Black III.”
“A great choice indeed!” said the Minister. The man then proceeded to acknowledge the resignation of Albert Smith, which went swiftly, as expected. It had not been as easy to probe Lord Smith's mind and convince him to step down, but Harry was determined to make as many changes as he could in a short period of time. He knew how susceptible to change public opinion was, so he didn't want to risk losing any opportunity.
Lord Smith rose from the seat designated for the Chief Warlock and made his way to the esteemed chair of the House of Smith. Arcturus stood up from his seat and proceeded to the centre of the grand chamber, where he would formally take the oath of office.
“Do you, Arcturus Cetus Black, swear to uphold the morals and ideals of this body with faithful deliberation and with consideration towards your own ideologies and wishes?” the Minister asked Lord Black.
“I do,” Lord Black said with his wand to his chest. A golden glow formed around the man, signifying the acceptance of the oath. The man then walked towards the seat assigned to the Chief Warlock and sat down.
To the shock of many after his grandfather finished his initiation, Regulus raised his wand and pointed it to the chair of the House of Black. The tip of the wand glowed purple and the Dark Faction clapped in respect. Regulus would now be Lord Bearer to the House of Black, in the Wizengamot. His duty was now to oversee the matter assigned to his house as the current lord occupied a new role. Harry looked at his fiancé with shiny eyes and a beaming smile. Watching his lover show his new political power did something to him that it was impossible for Hedwyn to not worship Regulus with his eyes.
“The chamber recognises Heir Regulus Arcturus Black as Lord Bearer to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black,” the new Chief Warlock Arcturus Black acknowledged Regulus' claim.
When the additions and the flattering were over, the Minister and most of the public left, leaving only the members of the Wizengamot and some reporters. The Chief Warlock then began an emergency meeting, asked by Hedwyn before the Minister had left. As Chief Warlock Black asked Hedwyn to come forward and present his thoughts he rose his seat and looked around at his colleagues.
“Honourable members of the Wizengamot. I first would like to apologise to you for an emergency meeting on a day such as this, but the issues I bring forward must be addressed in order to avoid the problems that brought us Voldemort,” many in the chamber shivered at the name. “I would like to propose that all wixen are to be introduced to the Wizarding World at the age of four. I know such an idea is controversial, but I ask you to hear me first. As some of you know, part of the reason for the reluctance our majority pureblooded society feels towards those raised under Muggle ideologies is the newcomers' refusal to learn more about our world. Of course, now we have a class in Hogwarts for those raised in the Muggle world, but I believe that is not enough to appease tensions. My belief is that, once children are introduced to our world before Muggle thinking can take root in their minds, the new generations of muggle-raised children will no longer try to force changes in our world. I am aware not all children will choose Wizarding traditions over the Muggle way of life, but I do believe most will. It is not a perfect solution, far from it. We should all aspire to change the conditions that led someone like Voldemort to gather so many of our own. None of us here are powerless or naïve, therefore there is no reason for us not to pursue the necessary changes to protect our traditions and lifestyle.”
A discussion took over the chamber as Hedwyn sat down and waited for his colleagues to deliberate about his proposal. Most members of the Grey Faction seemed interested in the idea, including prominent members such as Lord Amir Shafiq and Lord Constantine Boot look, who even tried to sway the opinions of their fellow factioneers.
Lord Shafiq, who Harry thought was the most reasonable person within the Greys, formed a group with Lords Boot and Smith to bring more of their fellow faction allies to their side. Amir Shafiq truly behaved like a factionist, dividing groups within his faction in order to speak first with those who were reluctant to vote in favour of the proposal.
As he saw the Greys and even the Lights discussing his idea, Hedwyn glanced over the Dark Faction. Now, without Voldemort, many of his colleagues would be more confident in voting for his proposals without the fear of the dead lord going after them. There were people debating the proposal, but he knew it was only so they didn't look odd waiting in silence as the other two factions discussed his idea.
“Lord Peverell,” a voice called his attention. To his surprise, it was none other than Alice Longbottom, or Fortescue-Longbottom, Lady Fortescue, who called to him. He acknowledged her call with a nod. “Where would the children learn about the Wizarding World? Do you propose they are sent to Hogwarts?”
“No, I believe Hogwarts would have too much trouble having all of those children,” he explained. “I would propose children are to be sent to one of the two new schools being built in Caershire, Springhill Academy for Magical Children would be my preferred choice.”
“But how would the muggle-born and other children that live in the Muggle world travel to a school in a magical village?” Florence Rosier-Burke, Lady Burke, asked from the side of the Dark Faction.
“Well, I believe it's a matter of logistics. We would have to get to a solution that is both simple and safe for the children. For example, we could give them a portkey, but that could come with unforeseen problems, or hire a teacher or member of the academy's staff to collect the children. We don't have many muggle-born or muggle-raised children anyway, so I don't think there would be many kids for someone to pick up and Apparate to the academy with them.”
“The second choice does seem more reasonable,” Lady Fortescue said. “Indeed, we do not have many wixen children that live in the Muggle world, if I'm not mistaken only five to nine muggle-borns go to Hogwarts every year as first years, so it's not as if it would take hours to get all the children.”
Alice Fortescue-Longbottom's words seemed to have an interesting effect in the Light Faction, as many of the people in it looked a lot more agreeable towards Harry's proposal. It isn't an odd occurrence, he thought. All of the Wizengamot was made of a majority of purebloods and only a few half-bloods, so even the Light or Light-adjacent witches and wizards were not fierce supporters of Muggle traditions.
As the debate period ended, Chief Warlock Black called for the voting that would reveal if Hedwyn's proposal would pass and who would be responsible for creating a system to implement it.
The Dark Faction was the first to lift the wands, unanimously voting in favour of Harry's plan. As the most prominent member of the Dark, together with the Black and the Malfoys, the name Peverell put Hedwyn in a position where very few in his faction would dare vote against him in matters of upholding wixen values. Though some of them might resent him now for the defeat of Voldemort, the purebloods knew an influential man like Harry could do great things for their cause.
The Greys followed soon after, also with a unanimous vote in Hedwyn's favour. Though their reasons were not completely the same as the ones the Dark had, they thought the implementation of a way to prevent someone like Voldemort from arising was necessary enough to side with Harry. With more children from the Muggle world respecting and even participating in wixen traditions, it must seem reasonable to them that part of the animosity between people of different blood status would diminish, mused Harry
With the Darks and Greys all voting in favour of the proposal, the Light Faction's vote mattered very little since a majority had already been reached. But, to the shock of many, a sizable number of members of the Light decided to vote in Harry's favour. People closer to Dumbledore did not look as if they agreed with some of their colleagues' decision. Both Harvey Longbottom and Elphias Doge were so red one could think the men were about to explode. It took everything in Harry to not laugh at the men's faces, but he did smirk at them.
“A majority has been formed!” Chief Warlock Black announced. “I will immediately send to Ms Elisaria Pyrites from the Department of Magical Education and Mr Dominic Max from the Department of Magical Transportation letters informing the need for, first, the creation of classes for those children who are either born from Muggle parents or live in the Muggle world to teach them about our ways and traditions, as well as a way for them to travel — safely — to Springhill Academy for Magical Children, in the Black and Peverell village of Caershire.”
The members of the Wizengamot, tired of the eventful day, wasted no time before getting up from their seats and leaving the room. For many of them, the rest of the day would be filled with celebrations, but for others, particularly those who were Death Eaters, they would probably hide in their homes and hope their names were not on the list Hedwyn gave the Ministry.
Hedwyn and Regulus sat alone in the chamber after everyone got out, too tired by all that had happened to move and go home. With their fingers intertwined and shoulders pressed against each other, the two men stayed in silence. In Harry's mind, there was only happiness in their plan which was succeeding at every step.
Though their work was hardly close to over, Hedwyn knew the next part of their plan was nothing in comparison with the work that was defeating Voldemort. But that hardly mattered to him. As long as Regulus was by his side, Harry knew they could take on the world and win.