Bloom
His days blended into each other in an amalgamation of boredom-filled hours spent in the presence of his colleagues at the Ministry of Magic, with endless discussions about the most mundane of things — such as reforms in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office, and the changes to the statues of the Atrium. It was an adaptation to bring Britain to the international standard, the modification of the statues, especially with non-humans being slowly integrated into the Wizarding Society, but discussing what kind of statue was acceptable or not — or of it was not golden enough, to Hedwyn's ire — was too much for him to handle.
It also did not help that Regulus took his newfound annoyance towards the political side of things as a source of amusement. Many times, Hedwyn imagined what would happen if he took down the Ministry and instated an anarchist, Ministry-free country. But, alas, at the end of every session, he was persuaded otherwise by his very convincing fiancé. If he was too weak to continue his brooding after a few hours of being with his lover, then that was between him and the gods.
The upcoming wedding was also a good distraction from the boredom, though Lady Black refused to give details about how the ceremony was arranged. It had been decided that Hedwyn and Regulus would no longer stay at Gwynt Keep to prevent them from seeing the wedding preparations — even though they would not happen inside the main building. Hedwyn suspected another reason for them having to leave at Grimmauld Place, to his immense displeasure, was that Melania wished to speak to the Peverell portraits about ancestral wedding customs.
Though he sometimes wished he could have more of a say in his wedding other than choosing flowers or French dishes he had never heard of, he had to admit that having someone take on the weight of the ceremony was quite a nice way of just enjoying his wedding, and not having to spend hours upon hours stressing about every little thing.
Hedwyn spent most of his days with no politics intruding on his peace, with Regulus by his side. Even in Grimmauld Place, so close to Orion and Walburga, he was able to relax and enjoy the company of the man he loved. Lunch, teatime and dinner were the only moments of the day he spent with his fiancé's parents and for that, he was immensely thankful. It was not as if he hated Orion and Walburga, he actually cared very little about them, but the two were so boring to him that being in their presence was quite a challenge. How Regulus was able to deal with them he did not know.
Not all were flowers and sunlight, however, as the Wizengamot was not the only thing Hedwyn was finding more than annoying to deal with. At least once a week Regulus had to basically drag him to a meeting with the Knights of Walpurgis, so the self-important members of Wizarding Britain's most affluent families did not forget to whom they held allegiance. Hedwyn didn't do much in those meetings, other than ordering his Knights to infiltrate more into other departments or offices in the Ministry. “There is no such thing as enough power,” Regulus told him after he questioned the reason for more control inside the government's infrastructure.
In all honesty, Regulus was the one playing the cards. Hedwyn mostly stood beside his fiancé, looking as intimidating as possible, which was not very hard to do once your subjects knew you could control death. He was quite pleased, however, to witness the confident way Regulus behaved towards their Knights. No one dared to move or speak before Regulus, and every time he touched the dagger in his new baldric — which he insisted on buying — just so everyone could see it and not forget who had the power to punish them. It was curious, however, that not all Knights were wise enough to not step over implied boundaries.
Evan Rosier, with the desperation to rise above the other Knights of Walpurgis clear in his eyes, tried many times to talk to Regulus as if they were the best of friends, but Hedwyn always made sure to make the younger man cower away with one look. Others, such as the Black sisters and Crouch Jr. tried to get into Regulus' good graces by talking amicably to him, but the Black Heir never gave them more than a bothered glance.
Politics aside, Hedwyn and Regulus' days were passed by visiting as many new places as they could. Their trip to the Isle of Skye was, perhaps, the most mesmerizing one. As soon as they portkeyed to the Ministry-designated spot, which prevented visitors from appearing in a possibly dangerous — random — location, Regulus and Hedwyn's gaze moved to the enormous beings far away on the water.
Three figures stood closer to the beach, all with their backs to the couple. One — a man — with long dark brown hair and a complete lack of garments, was crouching on the water, though only his knees touched the surface. His hands moved inside the water as if he was searching for something. The tips of the giant's hair brushed the water, creating a cloak-looking cover between the giant and his unadorned body. The second tallest of the giants, a woman with red hair — just as long as the man's —, had her gaze set on the ocean before her, looking for someone, or for something, that the two humans could not see. The smallest of the three, a boy with hair as red as his assumed mother, played in the cold ocean water as if it were the best toy in the world. The boy splashed water on the two adults, causing the man to let out a gruff noise, which seemed to entertain the boy immensely.
Regulus laughed softly when the boy, in all his 10 feet of height, started to run on the beach, his feet splashing water everywhere as he ran. The mother stopped her staring contest with the ocean for a moment, glancing at the cheerful boy. A smile adorned her face before she looked away.
Both Hedwyn and Regulus jumped when the man let out a barked laugh, his giant hand rising from the water in clenched fists.
The man and the woman left the water, both mumbling incoherent noises as their feet touched the sand, only stopping their stroll when they got closer to when the grass met sand. The ground shook as the two sat down, looking unconcerned by the cold wind running through their naked bodies.
The woman groaned loudly and hit her fist on the ground, making everything shake in the process. Hedwyn had to hold onto Regulus in order to remain standing, his cheeks red with embarrassment.
More shaking occurred as the boy started to run and jump towards the two adults, though he wasn't big enough yet to cause the same earthquake-like effect as the woman. The boy sat next to the other giants, his big hazel eyes staring at the man's hands. As soon as the man opened his hands, the boy quickly dug his hands into whatever it was in the man's palms.
Regulus watched quizzically as the boy shoved the contents of his hands inside his mouth, chewing it eagerly. “Best fish in the world, I'd guess,” he heard Hedwyn murmuring. Absentmindedly, he nodded, his mind too concerned with watching the giants eat to pay full attention to his partner.
Knowing how rare it was to see giants in nature, especially ones feeding, Regulus could not waste the opportunity to watch their every move. Even as his legs hurt from standing in the same place for too long, he refused to move.
Hedwyn on the other hand, was more interested in the familial aspect of the giants' interaction with each other. A smile appeared on his face when the boy, after finishing eating, crawled towards his mother and laid his head on her thigh. Cute was all he thought of as the boy yawned and closed his eyes, relaxing as his mother put her hand on his red hair.
“I wish more people could see this,” Regulus whispered, not wanting to disturb the giants. “Can you imagine a world where they could walk around free and undisturbed? It used to be like that, peaceful. Now there are so few of them... and our world cares more about them not being seen by Muggles than about helping giants to regain the freedom and numbers they've lost. It's so unfair.”
Hedwyn put his arm around Regulus' shoulders and brought him closer, “I know, darling. It's beautiful to see them having this moment, unconcerned about how few of them there are.”
“Do you think we can help them?” Regulus laid his head on the crook of Hedwyn's neck, looking away from the giants for the first time in a while.
“Help them? I guess? We can do a lot now, you know that. I'm not sure what we can do, since we cannot just bring giants to Caershire, but I'm willing to do something to help them.”
Hedwyn flushed when he felt soft lips leaving a kiss on his neck. He nuzzled against Regulus' dark hair, softly inhaling his sweet scent.
The help given to the giants came a few days after the couple visited the Isle of Skye, in the form of a new doctrine for the British Wizarding World. With a chamber full of journalists, common folk, and representatives from many beings' and creatures' communities, the Wizengamot introduced the Dogma for Magical Preservation and Spurring to the Wixen World.
The new set of credos for the country, which was to take place after the New Year, would set a new precedent for Britain. For the first time in the history of the Ministry of Magic, the ideology to govern the land was the one of preservation and incentivization of the culture, fauna and flora of the country. No longer would the Ministry's reason to exist be to act as a barrier between wixen and Muggles, but as a bastion of all that pertains to Magic.
“Forget the fear and cowardice towards those devoid of our gift,” Regulus' voice resonated around the chamber, as well as on the many wireless across the country. “We will now preserve everything that is magical in our world, and we will ignite a new fury inside of us. No longer will we watch as our world withers away, but we will persevere and thrive, as we always should have.”
As the new ideology of the Magical Ministry dictated, no more concessions were to be given to preserve Muggle populations from creatures and beings that have inhabited certain places for centuries before any humans. To guarantee the preservation of magical fauna, Muggles residing too close to magical habitats would be spelt to leave the location and seek homes elsewhere.
There were some concerns about what a response from the Muggle Prime Minister would be when he learnt about people being forced out of their homes, but Regulus reminded them of who held the real power in that case. He pointed out how organised and centralised the Wizarding World was, in contrast to when the witch hunts occurred, and that the Prime Minister was dealing with bad opinion poll numbers. Many in the chamber quirked an eyebrow at the implication that the Prime Minister would care more about polls than about their citizens losing their homes, even if the number of Muggle leaving in magical habits was low, but Regulus stood his ground and urged the Minister to do everything in their power to guarantee the Muggle Minister's understanding.
The new dogma also dictated how the International Statue of Secrecy was to be upheld.
“To bring a new age of magic to our country, we need to guarantee the protection of every witch and wizard that resides in the Muggle World. Beginning in the next year, our usual modus operandi in relation to our own people will change drastically. A new set of protections will be added to the homes of those living in proximity to Muggles, to ensure the privacy of those who wish to do magic more freely, as well as for children to — under the guidance of the parents or guardians — learn magic outside of a school setting. For too long we have allowed our children to remain untethered from our gift while outside of Hogwarts. I say enough! Enough of denying the youngest of us something intrinsic to them, while allowing those that live fully in the Wizarding World to do magic without restrictions,” Regulus said every word with care and confidence, making eye contact with several people in the audience. “Wards will be placed around the homes of every wixen that live in places where Muggles may see magic being cast. Security and Privacy will be the motto of the new Department for Secrecy and Soundness of Magic.”
Regulus' words travelled around the country in a wave of both excitement, for those wishing for more thoughtful politics regarding the protection of the magical world, and apprehension, for people too scared of sudden structural changes. Both sides, however, would observe all the changes with watchful eyes.
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On the cusp of the change of months, the last thing she thought of experiencing was the curious or disdainful eyes of her world's most powerful people. The robes she wore, hideous as they were, with the weight they brought with them, did nothing to diminish her worries — quite the opposite.
As soon as she saw their faces — first of the older man she was quite familiar with since marrying his son, and then of the two imposing figures, a couple known for their power, both political and magical — she understood the shield she would have to mould around herself.
This was not a place for the weak.
“State your name, my lady, together with your title and then swear your vow,” the old man's voice, clear and commanding, shook her today more than ever before. His grey eyes pierced through her, making her wonder if the man's wintry gaze was laced with either hatred or pity.
She cleared her voice before speaking, not too keen on relying on her body's goodwill to not embarrass her.
“I, Lily Clarice Potter, Lady of the Noble and Most Ancient of House of Gaunt, hereby vow to uphold the morals of this institution — as well as those I see fit for my house.”
Murmurs and whispers travelled around the room with the last line of Lily's vow. To have someone so openly stating they would exert more control over their houses rather than abide by ancient traditions was almost unheard of. In a place where people considered tradition to be above most things in life, going against such a concept was pure solecism.
The sounds of chattering and the light coming from the chair with the silver symbol of a viper, all felt too much for Lily at the moment. She felt as her legs moved against her will, a necessary betrayal her body was carrying out against her brain. She was thankful for the natural way her instincts prevented her from making a fool of herself in front of those who were now her colleagues.
So clouded by anxiety was her mind that she did not realise the chair she sat on was rooted in the Dark Faction's side. It was for the best, perhaps, to take the seat — passed down from the Slytherins to the Gaunts — out of the grips of the Dark would be a laborious task Lily was not in the correct state of mind to perform.
In her mind, she cursed and chastised herself for her novice-like behaviour. She explained to herself all the books she read before today were not for nothing, while her other side shouted in insecurity about how she remembered nothing; and as the chamber opened to discuss a law proposed by Lord Ollivander, about less regulation pertaining to wand components, Lily's was occupied playing a seemingly endless game of a tennis-like debate with herself.
The lords and ladies moved from Wand Regulation to a motion by Lord Longbottom, about censuring a few subjects of the new Dark Arts course at Hogwarts. However, people were so tired of the man after his many attempts to forbid dark-leaning knowledge that hardly anyone bothered to pay attention to him.
While that was happening Lily seemed to be clearing the fog that vexed her thoughts, lifting her mind from a cloudy veil of self-doubt. Her eyes moved to those in the chairs beneath hers, seeking a momentary distraction from her recent mental sobriety. Heads with thinning curls, others with luscious dark, blonde, or brown locks of hair. It was hard for her to discern who was who, especially since no one wore anything other than those garish purple robes.
A quiet sigh left her lips, the feeling of being drained by the mental battle she had gone through proving to be a challenge to deal with while in the Chamber of Boredom, as she quickly called it.
She glanced at Fleamont, but he was too absorbed in Lord Macmillan's speech about the need for more funding for the Floo Network Maintenance Office to notice her eyes on him. At a glance, Hedwyn almost made her laugh, as he was a master at expressing annoyance. The young man's face was a perfect example of distaste for the monotony of the Wizengamot. Lily herself was finding it hard not to leave the room in search of something more interesting to do.
Lily's heart hurt for a moment; the man who was also her son was a source of trouble within her. On one hand, knowing that such a great person was her son brought her a joy she hadn't known was possible to feel, but she also felt deeply conflicted when she thought about the changes he was promoting for their world. Many times since the truth was revealed to her, James and Sirius the only word that came to her mind was regret. Regret for a version of herself, that she knew was not so different from the woman she was now, and for how that other Lily chose a war over her son. Why did they not leave the country? They could have asked for shelter, begged another country for asylum, or disappeared to one of the many Potter residences around the world. Alas, they chose to remain in the United Kingdom, possibly to continue fighting the war in the future.
They did not choose their son, and that pained her immensely.
Her eyes moved away from Hedwyn, now was not the time for languishing in regret again. Green met grey as she looked at the man beside her son. Regulus Black — and he was looking at her. Her mind immediately thought something was wrong, that maybe she committed a faux pas that only the Lord Bearer was a witness to.
He nodded, a small gesture, then turned away.
What in the-, she was confused, utterly so. Her insecurities were washed away as puzzlement took centre stage.
Regulus Black was never one for explanations, that she knew, but why did he acknowledge her? Perhaps it was mockery? A small, almost imperceptible sign, that only the noble and pompous would understand? Lily knew Black was a man of his class, deeply unenthusiastic about giving those beneath the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black any scrap of the knowledge families such as his have guarded for centuries.
But the gesture didn't feel malicious, did it? No, it was most certainly not. Why then? Maybe he wishes to make peace? A good gesture for the mother of his future husband? she suppressed a groan, too aware that the people around her would interpret it as nothing more than the gaucherie of the newly discouvered half-blood.
She put her thoughts of Black aside. Now it was not the place for such considerations. Any strong feelings could make her react in an unbecoming way. Lily would not make a fool of herself. She was there to show the pureblood lords and ladies of Britain that a half-blood had just as much competence and the right to be there with them.
Straightening her shoulders, and moving her gaze to the Chief Warlock, Lily listened as the man spoke of an ancient procedure that forbade Lord Carrow to bring some sort of magical device inside the chamber. She would show them. If there was one thing she, Lily Potter, first every lady of the House of Gaunt, was capable of demonstrating that thing was her aptitude. She did not bow at eleven to those who thought to be superior to her, and she would not bow now.
Unknowingly to her, there was another red-haired watching her now. The man smiled at the sight of the woman, looking as if she had been in a thousand meetings before, and thought to himself how glad he was to call her mother. After all, if there was someone he was inspired by that person could only be Lily Clarice Potter.