Wait! What? Minister?
Thanks for all the reviews.
I have no idea where this idea came from. It just popped up and I ran with it. It takes this fic in a whole new direction, but still on the same track at the same time. It also opens some doors that I closed that I needed to reopen.
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Suddenly there was a hat thrown in the ring for the Minister of Magic selection. It was none other than Lucius Malfoy. Why he suddenly wanted to run was a mystery, but Vic was wary. For all he knew it was a trap for nefarious reasons, but what, he didn’t know. There was nothing the man could do about it but throw his own hat in and hope it didn’t bite him in the arse. The last thing he wanted was to be Minister, but he didn’t want Malfoy there either. He would do a better job at it than that popinjay.
“Are you sure you want to do this? Your whole history is going to be combed over,” Arcturus said, looking down at him from his portrait. “I’m not sure it will stand up to the scrutiny.” While they had paid top galleons for those parchments, that didn’t mean they were foolproof.
Spike was the best at his job, but did that mean that the best was the best in these circumstances? There was no Abigail Spinster, will they look for her in the muggle world? What if they find a woman with that name? She will have no clue who Victor Henry Potter is. This was going to be a clusterfuck.
“It’ll have to,” Vic said, pacing back and forth in front of the painting. “That and Malfoy was a Death Eater. That is one large strike against him,” he added, rubbing his forehead to stave off a headache. He had had Spike go over many of his documents and records just in case and verify they would stand up to inspection. He knew someone like Mad-eye Moody would be in charge of looking and if anyone could find something, it would be that man. He, like Arcturus, was going over all the things that could go wrong.
“I know, but…” the painting said, tapping his ring on the arm of his chair like he did when nervous or bored. “You’re right, there are far more skeletons in Malfoy’s broom closet than yours. You at least have been a pillar of the community since you’ve come on the political scene,” he added, sighing at the things that Vic had done since he had become a Potter.
“We’ll just have to trust that it will work,” Vic said, finally sitting down and sighing in relaxation. He did what he did because he had to. “I will be going out tomorrow and campaigning in Diagon Alley. I’ll take Harry with me, and we’ll canvas the people and get a feel for the climate. I’m sure with the Boy-Who-Lived by my side, I’ll have this in the bag,” he said, trying to smile. He knew Harry would hate it, but he would do it to help him.
“I hope you’re right,” Arcturus stated, looking at the doorway, like Harry would come in at any moment. However, the boy was at his spy classes, and he would be gone for two or three hours. Harry was taking to spying like a unicorn to the woods. He learned how to tell the signs of lying early on in life, which made life easier and harder for the two men that were his parental figures. They couldn’t surprise him with birthday parties, but they were not caught unawares by people around them either.
“Do you have any idea why the man would even think that he could become Minister?” Vic asked, trying to think of Malfoy’s reasoning. “I mean, he has a dark past. What made him think he had the clout to run?” he wondered out loud. He was still trying to reason that out. He just didn’t understand what the man’s motive was.
“He’s got a lot of people that will back him, and the purebloods on his side. There are people who want to see the Prime Minister’s influence diminished. They think that if a pureblood is in office, then that will stop. They just don’t understand that the treaty will prevent that. They want things to go back to the way they were before. Even if Malfoy was to pull this off, I want you to make sure that doesn't happen,” Black said, leaning forward in his chair and looking intensely at his ex-grandson.
“Don’t worry about that. I will do everything in my power to prevent that. Even if I have to raise an army with the Prime Minister to take over the wizarding world. I know the Queen has a backup plan to do just that if needs be,” Potter stated, hoping beyond hope that it never came to that. It would devastate the magical world as they knew it. It would start in England and snowball from there. All the countries might follow suit. Then magicals would be under the rule of muggles. There would be war, and many would die. He just knew it.
“Good. If it does come to that, grab Harry and get the hell out of England. Learn to hide in the muggle world. It will be your only hope,” the old man said, looking around the room. “Make sure you take me with you. You two would be helpless without me,” he said with a chuckle.
“Too right,” Vic agreed, chuckling along. He was already making contingency plans to that effect. There were bank accounts set up and a house or two purchased and rented out as bolt holes. They had somewhere to run if need be.
The two men settled down and talked about Vic’s campaign and what he was going to use as his platform. He decided that he was going to use equal rights for everyone. It had been used before, and he had to be careful. He wanted to make sure that he pandered to everyone and not just the muggleborn. That had been the mistake of those in the past. They overlooked the half-bloods and the poorer purebloods and only campaigned for the muggleborn. There were others that needed help and should not be neglected.
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Harry came home and was told what was going on. He wasn’t sure how he felt about it. “You want to be Minister?” he asked, his eyes were wide. He knew his uncle was serious, but to run for office after all the bellyaching he did about politics after every Wizengamot meeting. It was surreal.
“Yes,” Vic said, his eyes narrowed, not liking his tone of voice.
“As in the one in charge?” Harry asked, his tone turning mirthful.
“Are you making fun of me?” the other man asked, a frown puckering his brow.
“Well, not really, but…” the child said, a small giggle escaping his lips.
“Quit laughing at me,” Vic said, his eyes narrowed further.
“I mean, I know you take good care of me, but the whole nation?” This time there was a full-blown laugh released from Harry’s mouth.
“I could do it,” Vic said, indignantly.
“I’m just taking the mickey,” Harry said, sobering up. “I think it’s a great idea. I mean you are a great guy and I, for one, think you’re up to the task. I know I give you a hard time, but you’ve handled both the Potter and Black accounts. You hold both seats in the Wizengamot and you’ve kept Dumbledore off our backs for years.” He had nothing but great respect for his Uncle Pads. He thought the man hung the moon and would do a great job. However, he was worried. It was a heavy responsibility, and it came with threats and dangers. Malfoy was one of them, and they all knew it.
“Yeah,” Vic said, proudly. “I have done all that,” he stated, puffing out his chest. He too was proud of himself.
“You may not be a lawyer, but you don’t need to be in the wizarding world,” Harry pointed out, going over things that were different in the two worlds. “You do know the laws though,” he added, like that was important. “You know more of them than any of the other Mot members,” he stated, thinking of the other fogies on the Wizengamot. They just sat there and thought they knew everything. Uncle Pads had put them in their place many times, though he had been wrong once or twice, and that had been pointed out by Malfoy and his ilk.
“Well, maybe not Malfoy, but I’m going to change that,” Vic said, thinking of studying law in his spare time. He didn’t want to get tripped up by something that man might pull out of his arse.
“Maybe now might be a good time to get that Time Turner,” Harry said, slyly. He really wanted to get some extra study time in too. He had been hinting at it for years now.
“No,” Arcturus said, slamming his hand on his chair arm. “I still don’t think someone as young as you should use one,” he stated. He had made his opinion quite clear on this subject and just because he was dead, he wasn’t going to be unheard.
“I meant for Uncle Pads,” Harry said as quickly as he could. No one believed him though. They all knew how much he wanted to study. The boy was a machine when it came to his studies.
“I might do that, but you aren’t going to touch it,” the older man said, not wanting Harry to have a Time Turner until he was much older. Maybe when he was fourteen. Then his core would be more stable, and he would be going through puberty. That was a bit important. It was a magical time for wizards, and they were more prone to maturity. Well, in some things, not so much in other things.
“Why?” Harry whinged.
“It’s all about your core and emotional stability,” his Uncle Pads said, taking his shoulders and setting him down in front of him and settling in for a long debate on magical theory. They talked for about a half an hour until Harry finally understood that they weren’t being mean. That they were looking out for his wellbeing.
“Fine,” he said in a huff. Just because he understood, didn’t mean he liked it. “Why did Tonks get to use it when she was twelve?” he asked, and that led to a discussion on how girls matured faster than boys and that took another half an hour and a bit more confusion on the boy’s part. “Oh,” was all he said in the end and left it at that.
“I’ll let you know when you can use the Time Turner,” Vic said, his words had a finality to them.
“Okay,” Harry said, sullenly. He folded his arms and sighed in resignation.
“We’re having pizza tonight. I know you like that,” his uncle said. They had more of Harry’s favorite foods now that Arcturus was dead.
Vic didn’t really care what they ate, and Arcturus had ruled the menu when he was alive. Now that Harry was Head of the House, the elves catered to his whims. So, there were more pizza nights and Spaghetti Bolognese was on the menu more often than not. There was also more English Fry-ups for breakfast. Lunches were sandwiches with crisps instead of meals. You could tell that the elves were working around a preteen and not an adult.
“Yay,” Harry said, running from the room to go and study. He didn’t have homework, per se, but he did study like no one else he knew. He’d study until dinner, but he’d eat with gusto. He loved pizza and the elves made the best. They even had stuffed crust and everything. There was garlic bread and some cinnamon crisps with ice cream for afters. They really went all out to make him happy.
“Are you sure you should be spoiling him so?” Arcturus asked, looking at the door the boy had just disappeared through. While he liked to see the boy happy, there was such a thing as overindulgence.
“He’s not spoiled. And it’s not me, it’s the elves. They can’t help but do what they do. He is their master,” Vic said, settling down in his chair and grabbing the drink that appeared next to him. It was a glass of firewhiskey on ice. “Thanks,” he said to the air. He wasn’t sure which elf gave him the drink, so he was general in his appreciation. He really needed it after the stress of the day. Not that he was a heavy drinker, but on before dinner wouldn’t hurt.
“You could order them not to spoil him,” the old man pointed out. While Vic wasn’t their master, he was the Steward, so he could put his foot down.
“To what advantage? They are not hurting him, and he’s not acting arrogantly. He’s still a good kid. So what if he gets pizza every now and then? If he starts getting fat, or bigheaded, then I’ll step in,” the dogman said, waving the other man’s complaints away. He was just glad Harry was happy. He was an easygoing kid and did his studies, kept his room clean and didn’t argue with him, too much.
“On your head it be,” Arcturus said, really hoping that the boy didn’t get spoiled. The last thing they needed was an uncontrollable teenager. And one as powerful as he knew Harry was going to be…
“He’ll be fine,” Vic said, leaning his head back on the back of his chair. He would make sure of it. He remembered how much of a prat James had been. As much as he loved the man, he had been a tool. He didn’t want that for Harry.
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Malfoy was sitting in his well-appointed sitting room in his stately manor like he had not a care in the world, sipping his firewhiskey, satisfied that he had gotten what he wanted. All he had had to do was run for office and now Potter was running too. It was all going as planned. He was going to run that man to the ground. He was going to drag him through the mud and see what came out in the end. There wasn’t going to be a rock that didn’t get unturned when he was through with him.
“Darling, aren’t you coming to bed?” Narcissa asked, coming into the room. She was dressed for bed in robes that cost more than most would spend on living room furniture. They had gold embroidered in the hems and were made of silver silk. Sure, they were years old, but they suited her taste. They had not been able to be lavish on wardrobe in years, so she was careful with what she had.
“Not yet, my dear,” Lucius said, looking at his lovely wife. They had married for convenience, but he had fallen hard for her in the end. It was too bad that she had borne him only one son. They had tried for more, but alas it was not meant to be. Still, he was happy with his son. Proud actually. He could not ask for a finer child.
“What are you planning, my love,” she said, hoping he wasn’t going against Potter. The man had made it clear that he would not put up with her husband’s shenanigans.
“I am running for Minister,” he said, putting his glass down. He looked like a kneazle that had swallowed a niffler.
“Do you have backing?” she asked, knowing he had lost a lot of standing in the community. She had told him at the time not to hire those thugs, but he had not listened to her. She was just a female after all. He would do well to remember that she was born a Black.
“I still have some friends,” he stated, a bit upset that she had to ask.
“I meant, those that have pull in politics?” she reiterated, sliding into a chair, and snapping her fingers for some wine. A glass of white wine appeared at her elbow. It was only half full, like she desired. It was her normal drink before bed.
“Nott will be my sponsor,” he stated, with a grimace. He wasn’t overly fond of the man. He was too brass for his taste, but they had similar platforms.
“Nott? Really, Lucius. He’s so… rude,” she stated, settling for the least offensive thing she could think of.
“He has the most money and he will do as I say,” Lucius said, sipping from his glass again. He then placed it back down. “Not that it matters too much. I don’t plan on winning. My main reason for running was to get Potter to run. I will expose his secrets to the public if it is the last thing I do. Draco will be Lord Black if I have anything to say about it.”
“Not this again,” Narcissa said, placing her half-drained glass on the table. Lipstick marred the rim, though that disappeared as soon as the glass rested on the table. She hated to see it and the house elves made sure that it never stayed long. “Lucius, darling, Harry Potter is the heir. Not Vic Potter. You can expose the older Potter all you want, Harry will still be heir,” she attempted to explain to her pigheaded husband again.
“No, don’t you see, if I expose Vic, then Harry will have to hand over the lordship,” he said, with some erratic logic. “He will do anything to prevent a scandal,” he stated, knowing his son would do that for him.
“It doesn’t work like that,” she tried again, only to be hit with a dark look.
“Then I will find out Harry Potter’s secrets too,” the man said, like a child was hiding something dark too.
“So be it,” Narcissa sighed and finished her wine. She firmly set the glass down, and then rose and went to bed and left her delusional husband to his plotting.
Lucius watched her go and didn’t understand why his wife didn’t see the brilliance of his plan. He pondered this for an hour and then joined her in bed. She was long asleep, and he left her to her dreams, and was soon dreaming of taking the Black lordship. Those turned into nightmares of winning the Ministry and having to do a buttload of parchmentwork.
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Because Vic was running for office, his book was selling like hotcakes again. Everyone wanted to reread his story. That helped his campaign and his background history. It solidified his story in everyone’s head and made it harder for Malfoy to vilify it in the public’s eye. So, when the headline, Who is Vic Potter? flashed across the Daily Prophet no one really paid attention. They all thought they knew who he was.
The article that followed was full of hints and allegations that the man was hiding his background. That he had come from nowhere and that his entire story was made up. That nothing was substantiated. But, the book and Vic were there, and everyone believed them.
Vic and Harry spent all their free time in Diagon Alley and made sure to be seen answering questions for the public. They also answered them for the Aurors who came calling. The press was a constant companion as well. One Rita Skeeter was caught by their wards many times, and they knew her secret. Vic made sure to let her know that too. She would not be spreading lies about him. It also made her wary of telling any truths she might dig up.
“So, you thought to run against me?” Fudge said one day when they ran into him at the Ministry. They were there doing some parchmentwork for the Wizengamot and making sure that Harry’s homeschooling parchments were filed correctly.
“No, actually, I’m running against Malfoy,” Vic said, placing Harry a bit behind him. He didn’t like the looks of Fudge’s bodyguards. Sure, they were Aurors, but they looked shady. Like they were pureblood fanatics. “As long as he isn’t in office, I don’t care which of us wins,” he added, not taking his eyes off the people in front of him.
“I’ll have you know Lucius is a fine upstanding citizen,” Cornilius stated, puffing out his chest. Even though he and the other man had had a falling out, he didn’t want this half-blood in office.
“So am I,” Potter said in a calm voice. “I have contributed much to the community since I have adopted Harry,” he added, placing a hand on Harry’s shoulder, which was awkward, since Harry was still standing slightly behind him.
“Yeah,” Harry said, like a petulant child. “He’s done a lot,” he stated, peeking from behind his Uncle Pads, acting like a kid that was telling off bullies.
People were starting to gather around, and Fudge was getting nervous. He wasn’t doing well in the polls. Well, he didn’t want this position anymore anyway. But he didn’t want Potter to have it either. This might break him, so he was going to make a show of backing this man’s opposition.
“What makes you think you’re qualified for Minister?” he asked, looking the man up and down like he was lacking.
“After you? A flubberworm would be qualified,” Vic said, then held up his hands and said, “Sorry, that was uncalled for. You will find that I am more than qualified to hold the office. I have all my NEWTs and requirements. I know most of the laws and have held both the Potter and Black seats for over five years. I have the backing of many prominent members of society. Arcturus Black recommended me before he died. I just didn’t want to take it up. Then when Malfoy ran, I decided that I would prefer to take the seat rather than have a Death Eater sit there,” he stated, still eyeballing the two bodyguards, and keeping Harry behind him.
“Lucius Malfoy was found innocent of those charges,” Fudge said, sweating a bit. He knew it was a flimsy claim that never held up to the charm work.
“No, he wasn’t. He claimed he was Imperiused. He was never given a trial,” rebutted the other man. “If he had been he would have been questioned under Veritaserum. Then we would have found out the truth about him and many others. Besides, would we want a man who was susceptible to mind control in office?” he added, glancing at the crowd. He gave them a winning smile that made them all relax.
There was a lot of mumbling and nodding. There were many who believed that Malfoy was a Death Eater and bribed his way out of Azkaban, like so many other criminals.
“Still, my support goes to Lucius Malfoy,” Fudge said, firmly putting his bowler hat on his head.
“Anything to keep the half-blood out of office, huh, Minister?” Potter asked, edging Harry around the three men, and going on his way. “Good luck with that. Times are changing and you can’t stop it. Even if Malfoy wins, the Prime Minister will still be the boss and Malfoy will be in for a nasty shock,” he added, making his way to the other side of the room to the floo. “You let him know that, yeah?” he said, sending Harry through the fire. He then waved to the crowd and went home.
Fudge stood there fuming. He knew the man was correct. No matter who was in office the Prime Minister would be in control and there was little the Minister of Magic could do about it. Gone were the days when they could govern themselves. Blast Black and Potter for reminding the muggles of that fact. Maybe, just maybe it would take a Death Eater to get those days back, but at what cost. Did he care? There was a part of him that did, but it was a small dying part.