Chapter Fourteen
Arthur Weasley was known for being a bit of a late starter at the Ministry. That meant that Harry was able to catch him at The Burrow before he went into the office. As usual, Harry landed in the lawn just behind the house and made a quick visit to Charlie's grave before he went to the house.
He knocked on the door, which only a few moments later, opened with Molly Weasley standing on the other side. Harry hadn't seen or spoken to Molly since Ginny's wedding and honestly, he didn't know what his reaction would be upon seeing her for the first time. Molly, on the other hand, knew exactly what her reaction would be. She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Harry, embracing him tightly.
When she let go, Harry could see that she had tears in her eyes.
"You're here to see Arthur?"
"I am."
"He's finishing up his breakfast," Molly said, inviting him into the house. Sure enough, as Harry entered the kitchen, Arthur was seated at the kitchen table, a plate of bacon and eggs in front of him, reading The Prophet which had "POTTER AND WEASLEY WRESTLE FOR POWER" in giant words on the front page.
"Wow. The Prophet is actually reporting something accurately," Harry said, causing Arthur to look up from the paper.
"Harry!" Arthur said in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to talk to you," Harry said, "about Percy."
"Right," Arthur said, a downtrodden look on his face. "Well, sit down."
Arthur folded up his paper and set it down next to him as Harry sat. However, before Harry could say anything, Molly sat across from him.
"Harry, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for how I acted at Ginny's wedding," Molly said sheepishly. "I love my children and I always want to believe the best in them. I know that Percy has never been a great Minister of Magic, but I always held out hope that he could get better if he was given the chance."
"But I cannot accept what he said to you. As his mother, I can't believe that was the boy that I raised. I remember when you first started at Hogwarts. Percy was so proud that you were a Gryffindor. He even talked about looking out for you when he could. I don't know exactly what happened between then and now. I don't know if he decided that the Ministry was more important than his family or if he decided that you weren't family, but something changed."
Harry could tell that Percy's behavior hurt Molly far more than it had hurt him. While Harry had been offended by what Percy had said, he hadn't been surprised. He had known that Percy had made the choice between power and family a long time ago.
But Molly had clearly still held out hope that her son was a better man that everyone else knew him to be. She had to, of course. She was his mother.
"I used to fight with my brother, Fabian, all the time. We fought about everything. When we were children, we fought about who was going to play with Gideon and who was going to get a turn on the toy broomstick. As students at Hogwarts, we fought about writing letters home and which one of us was a better student, even though we both knew that he was the better student."
"You'd think that we would have gotten wiser as we got older, especially with a war on. But we didn't. One night, Fabian and I argued about something unimportant. To this day, I couldn't tell you what it was that we fought about, but whatever it was, it was enough to make me angry enough to walk out of our parents' house. The next day, I got a letter from my mother, telling me to come home. She told me that Gideon and Fabian had been out doing something for The Order...and they'd been killed. Murdered by a Death Eater. The last time that I ever spoke to my brother, I screamed at him and left the house and I will regret that until the day that I die."
Molly reached across the table and placed her hand over Harry's.
"I know that Percy isn't your brother by birth and I know that what he said to you was awful. I know that ever since he wrote that letter to Ron that you two haven't seen eye-to-eye about much of anything. I'm not asking you to forgive Percy. He's said and done things that he should not have done. But don't give up on him."
Harry wanted nothing more than to ease Molly's suffering. He wanted to tell her that he thought that Percy was a good man trapped by the position that he had found himself in. He wanted to believe, like Arthur did, that Percy was a man given too much responsibility too soon.
But Harry refused to lie to her.
"I want to tell you that things between Percy and I will be fixed someday," Harry said softly. "But I am about to have him forcibly removed from his office. How long has Percy dreamed of being Minister of Magic? All his life? Well, I'm going to be the person who takes that from him. Regardless of if he deserves it or not, and he does deserve it, he will blame me for that."
"But more importantly, he betrayed you and Arthur and me and our entire family. As much as I would love for things to return to normal between Percy and I, as much as I know that would make things simpler for all of us, I can't. Maybe someday he'll realize the error of his ways and become the man that you hoped he would be. I hope he does. If that happens and if he proves to me that he's a better man, then I'll welcome him back into my life."
"Percy wasn't made this way. He chose to be this person and I don't imagine that he's suddenly going to choose to be someone else. Again, I hope he does. I hope I'm wrong. But I'm not going to hold my breath."
Harry could tell that Molly was surprised to hear Harry's lack of forgiveness. But he could also see that she understood. While she was upset, she understood. She nodded, gave his hand a squeeze, and then stood to leave.
"Well, I'll let you boys talk."
"Actually, Molly, I'd like to talk to you, too."
"Why?"
"Because I'm about to remove your son from his job. At the very least, you should hear that from me. But also because I value your opinion and I'd like to know what you think I should do."
Molly looked at Harry, clearly surprised by his request, but she did as he asked and returned to her seat.
"Later today, I am meeting with Penelope Clearwater to discuss her proposal," Harry said before turning to Molly. "She has agreed to make the motion of no confidence, but only if I back her for Minister of Magic."
"Penelope?" Molly said. "You want to support Percy's ex-girlfriend as his replacement?"
"Want might be a strong word," Harry replied. "But among the people who have professed interest, she seems to be the one whose values most align with my own."
"Plus, she has the credentials for the position and is a known advocate for blood equality," Arthur added. "However, you must be prepared for the backlash that this will cause."
"From where?"
"Several places. The Purebloods will riot. The people that she has upset over the years, and there are quite a few of them, will very loudly protest. But that's not my primary concern."
"Percy," Molly said softly. "Percy will make the entire process a nightmare if he learns that Penelope might replace him."
"Percy dated Penelope right up until he thought that being in a relationship with her was negatively affecting his political prospects," Arthur explained. "He'll wonder if she's doing this solely to get back at him."
"Do you think she is?" Molly asked Harry.
"I don't," Harry stated. "I'm not entirely certain what her motives are. That's why I wanted to talk to her, but I don't get the sense that this is revenge or anything like that."
"Percy will drag her through the mud," Arthur replied. "He'll find every person who has ever been upset by Penelope and he'll get The Prophet to give them exclusive interviews. Even if the appointment process only lasts a fortnight, Penelope Clearwater's name will be in the paper dozens of times every day. It will be the hardest two days of her life."
"Do you think that she can pass the Wizengamot?" Harry asked. Ultimately, this was the most important question. If she couldn't get through an appointment process with the Wizengamot, then there was no motivation to support her except to create some noise. At the moment, Harry wasn't interested in noise.
He wanted change.
"I do," Arthur said. "There is a small group of Wizengamot members who are ready for some real change. People like myself, Amos, although he doesn't act like it, and Augusta Longbottom, we'll rally behind her. We might not love her, but we'll understand that she's the best we're going to get. There will be some reservations, some promises that both you and she will have to make to get that group's support. But if she can get that support, then most of the Wizengamot will fall in line behind us. The Purebloods will obviously nominate one of their own, but their power in the Wizengamot is waning with every passing day."
"What do you think of her?" Harry asked Molly. "What do you think of her as a person?"
Molly smiled. "She was never a very good match for Percy. Had too much of an opinion for someone like him. Ever since she joined the Ministry, I know she's been one of the loudest supporters of Muggleborn rights and that was before she had a chance at the Minister's job. If you aren't running-"
"I'm not," Harry assured her.
"And Hermione's not running-"
"She's not," Harry added.
"Then I think that she is the best chance we have," Molly said sadly. Harry knew that Molly felt as if she was betraying her son. But he also knew that she wanted what was best for all of them and right now, Percy wasn't the person for that job.
With the backing of the Weasleys confirmed, Harry was ready to speak to Penelope. At a few minutes before noon, Harry arrived at The Hog's Head and found a seat in the far corner of the room, away from anyone else who might walk in. Only a moment later, Penelope entered the bar. She looked around for a moment before she spotted Harry and quickly moved to join him.
"Harry," she said as she sat down, "to what do I owe the pleasure of lunch with The Boy Who Lived?"
"I have three questions for you," Harry stated firmly. "These questions do not have right answers, but they do have wrong answers. Answer any of them incorrectly and you can forget about my support for Minister of Magic?"
"And if I answer them correctly?" Penelope asked hungrily.
"That depends on the nature of your answers," Harry admitted. "Listen, I'm going to be frank with you. No one, not even myself, is in love with the idea of you as Minister of Magic."
Penelope didn't even bother looking surprised.
"Let me guess. I'm blunt, unrefined, and I'll need smart, subtle people around me to be successful?" Penelope replied, scoffing in particular at her last point. "I've heard that from the first day I arrived at The Ministry. Most of the people who have said that are still in their jobs while I'm the Assistant Head of the DMLE."
"Would you say that you've made many friends during your time at the Ministry?"
"Is this one of your questions?"
"No."
"Then, no, I haven't made many friends. I'm not particularly interested in friends. You and me? We're not friends. I want to get our world out of the hands of a bunch of old, Pureblood men and into the hands of the people."
"People like you?"
"No, the people," Penelope reiterated. "Right now, the general population of our country has absolutely no say in who joins the Wizengamot and who is their Minister of Magic."
"You intend to change that?" Harry asked. "What if you become Minister of Magic?"
"Why do you think that I want to be Minister of Magic?" Penelope asked. "You can't change that kind of thing unless you're the Minister. Otherwise, the Minister is just going to keep changing the bill or they'll call for a full Wizengamot vote. They'll kill the bill before anything can be done about it."
That was not what Harry expected to hear from her, although it was encouraging. Still, Harry intended to put her through his gauntlet, just to be certain.
"I'll keep that in mind," Harry said. "First question: what job would you give me in return for my support?"
Penelope didn't even blink.
"None."
"None?"
"We're not friends, remember? I need your support to become Minister, but I can be hung by that same support. If I'm seen as too close to you, then I become your lackey and that's not the Ministry I intend to run. If you want a job, you can certainly apply and you'll be considered like everyone else, but I'm not just handing you the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, because you said that I'd do a good job."
That was about as close to a right answer as Harry could have imagined. Honestly, he'd expected Penelope, who had a reputation for some less than reputable means of getting her work done, to be fine with "rewarding" her supporters. It appeared that he was wrong.
"Alright, question two: if I asked you for a favor, would you do it?"
"What kind of favor?" Penelope asked.
"Say I wanted you to kill a bill in the Wizengamot."
"I suppose that would depend on the bill," Penelope admitted. "But I'm not amending my agenda for you. If you want me to make it more difficult for foreign potion makers to import their goods here, fine. That's the cost of doing business. But if the bill has anything to do with blood status or Muggleborn rights, then you can forget about it."
While not a perfect answer, Harry supposed that it was a bit much to expect her to completely reject Harry's requests out of hand. He was the one who was ultimately going to be responsible for getting her elected. Still, the fact that she wasn't willing to compromise on the core tenets of her beliefs was promising.
"Finally, and this is probably the biggest one, your ex-boyfriend was the Minister of Magic before you, how do you intend to address Percy's failures as Minister of Magic?"
Unlike the first two questions, Penelope didn't answer right away. Instead, she leaned back in her chair and considered the question for a moment. That was already a good sign. She wasn't willing to answer a question immediately just to seem smart.
"Percy...believed that what he was doing was right," Penelope said. "I don't think that he was right, but I'm relatively certain that the person who follows me likely won't believe the same thing about me. I still...have a great deal of respect for Percy, even if we disagree on what's right for our people."
This was the answer that she thought Harry wanted to hear. She knew her reputation and she was actively trying to push back against it by seeming thoughtful, measured, and considerate. It came off poorly, like an actor doing a weak impersonation of a real person.
"That's what you think?" Harry asked. "You have a great deal of respect for Percy Weasley?"
"I do," Penelope said, clearly lying.
Harry chuckled. "Listen, you're not getting my support because you're diplomatic. You're getting my support because you're honest about what you think and about what you think is right. Now, don't bullshit me and tell me what you really think of Percy Weasley."
"He's a coward," Penelope snapped. "He's a coward who was too easily swayed by money, power, and influence and we're all weaker for that."
"That's it!" Harry exclaimed, applauding Penelope for her sudden outburst.
"I can't say that!"
"Of course you can't," Harry replied. "But I'm never supporting you if you give anyone that first line. We both know that Percy is weak. He's flexible but only so that he gains power. Honesty, above everything else, is your power, Penelope. We don't need to hear you say that Percy is a coward. But we do need to hear you condemn him. Now, is there an answer that you can give the public that lives somewhere in the middle?"
Penelope thought about it for a moment. Then, she answered.
"Percy Weasley is a symptom of a large problem. He's been a poor Minister of Magic, but that's because he's been run over by Purebloods with money and power and no intention of giving up either. We deserve a Minister of Magic who will push back against those people and tell them that their money and their history shouldn't mean that they get to buy their way into power."
Harry smiled. Then, he extended a hand over the table.
"Make your motion," Harry said firmly.
"You'll support me?" Penelope asked hopefully.
"I'll be waiting in your office on the day that you make the motion," Harry replied. "Once it's been made, I will come to the Wizengamot and speak on your behalf."
For the first time that Harry had known Penelope Clearwater, she smiled.
"I'll do my best," Penelope said.
"I certainly hope so," Harry replied. "One request?"
"Just one?"
"Just one," Harry said. "Hire Hermione Granger. It's up to you where, but if there's a person in the Ministry that's destined to do great things, it's her."
"Plus, it's helpful to have your girlfriend in the Minister's ear, right?"
"She's not...what? She's not my girlfriend."
"Really?" Penelope said, surprised. "That's not what everyone is saying."
"Everyone who?"
"Everyone who was at Ginny Weasley's wedding," Penelope replied. "You showed up with Hermione, got angry at Molly Weasley, and then the two of you left together."
Harry rolled his eyes. If there was one thing that he wished that he could get rid of in his life, it was the constant rumor mill that surrounded his relationship with Hermione.
"She's a friend, my best friend."
"You'd make a cute couple," Penelope offered.
"Don't you have work to do?" Harry barked.
"I do," Penelope admitted. "I'll make the motion Monday."
"Good. One last thing."
"Yes?"
"If everything goes well, you'll become the fourth highest person on Voldemort's personal kill list. Are you okay with that?"
Penelope nodded. "If I pass one law that takes power from Purebloods and gives to the people, then I'll be comfortable with whatever my legacy is, even if it means Voldemort offs me."
"That's a braver answer than most people would give."
"Well, I'm not most people, am I?" Penelope replied.
"You most certainly are not."
Penelope stood. "I'll see you Monday?"
"Send me an owl with the agenda and I'll be in your office when you make the motion."
When Monday morning came around, Harry and Hermione ate breakfast in silence at her kitchen table. Harry was doing his best to remain calm, but his nerves were starting to show. He spent most of breakfast toying with a muffin, bouncing his leg.
Finally, Hermione reached around the table and grabbed his knee. Then, she pressed it to the ground, ensuring that he couldn't bounce his leg anymore.
"Are you nervous?" Hermione teased.
"Just a bit," Harry said. "I've never really made any sort of political statement before."
"Sure you have," Hermione replied. "You've repeatedly and loudly told everyone that you think Percy is the worst."
"That's not a political opinion. That's a fact."
Hermione laughed and Harry's stomach fluttered just a bit.
"Fine. I concede that point. Still, this isn't that much of a stretch. Penelope is about as pro-Muggleborn as you can get. I think most people would assume that you were also pro-Muggleborn given your choice in best friend."
"Ron's not a Muggleborn?"
Hermione flicked a bit of egg at Harry's face.
"You're hilarious," Hermione said, shaking her head.
"I'm aware."
An hour later, Harry was seated on a couch inside Penelope's tiny office at the Ministry. While her position as Assistant Head of the DMLE did offer her a much larger office space upstairs, on the days when her work was primarily related to the Wizengamot, she used a much smaller office on the same floor. The room was little more than a closet and since it wasn't Penelope's primary office, it had only the bare essentials: a desk, a chair, and a couch where she occasionally slept if debates went late into the night.
Currently, the Wizengamot was in session just a few doors down. In just a few moments, one of Penelope's aides would come bursting through the door to let him know that the vote of no confidence had passed. At that point, he would stand and join Penelope in the Wizengamot chamber, ready to declare her as his primary choice for Minister of Magic.
It was even more nerve-wracking waiting in her office than it had been at Hermione's. Harry had never had much interest in "playing the game," but the more he pushed back against his involvement in the Ministry, the more he seemed to get sucked into it. Now, he was about to make an attempt at kingmaking by trying to get his hand-picked candidate appointed as the new Minister of Magic.
It made Harry nervous that anyone had that kind of power, but it made him even more concerned that the person with that kind of power was him. What if Penelope turned out to be Percy all over again? What if she was worse? What if she went back on the things that she had told Harry? It was entirely possible that Penelope had said what she had said to get the job, even if that wasn't the expectation that he got from her or from anyone else. Still, all of that would fall on Harry since he was the one who was going to stand up for her in the first place.
Suddenly, the door opened and an aide who looked to be just barely over seventeen walked in.
"Mr. P-potter, the m-m-motion passed."
"What was the vote?" Harry asked as he stood and buttoned the jacket on his suit.
"Two hundred and forty-one in favor, seventy-seven against."
A firm victory. Harry smiled. As of just a few minutes ago, Percy Weasley was no longer the Minister of Magic. Now, it became his job to try and get the next one appointed.
Harry was escorted to the end of the hall where he entered Courtroom One, the largest of the courtrooms in the Ministry of Magic and the primary gathering place for the Wizengamot. Unlike Courtroom Ten, which was more or less a giant auditorium with all the seating on one side, Courtroom One was, quite literally, a political arena. It was at least twenty rows high, a slightly ovular shape with a pedestal in the middle.
Normally, this would be where Percy would sit with Amos Diggory, the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot. However, since he had just been removed, he now sat at a desk in the fourth row where he could sit until a new Minister of Magic was appointed. Harry had no doubt that desk was where Percy would make his final stand.
Currently, the center pedestal was occupied by Amos, who was joined by Arthur Weasley, who would run the appointment process for the new Minister of Magic, and Amelia Bones, who would be the back-up in case Arthur was considered for Minister of Magic. The rules for this process were fairly simple: people were nominated for the position and if they garnered a second for the nomination and subsequently accepted the nomination, they were then placed on a list of people to be considered. This process worked until the nominations were closed by a motion from the floor. Once nominations were closed, the Wizengamot would go into a deliberative session. At this point, the goal was for one candidate to receive fifty percent of the votes from the active members of the Wizengamot. Once that was done, a Minister of Magic was appointed and they began work the next working day.
Penelope, by virtue of her position as the Assistant Head of the DMLE, had a seat in the third row where Harry joined her. He did his best to remain subtle, but Harry knew that the moment he entered the room, all eyes were on him. To be fair, that was what he wanted today as strange as that seemed to him.
"Are you ready?" Penelope whispered as he sat down.
"Where are we at?" Harry asked.
"Arthur Weasley is reading the appointment rules," Penelope explained. "He's almost done. When he's done, Amos will open the floor for nominations. It is tradition for the person who made the motion to have the first nomination."
"But you'll be nominating yourself."
"Not exactly," Penelope replied. "I'll be electing to pass my speaking time to you as a guest of the Wizengamot. From there, you'll have three minutes to make your case."
"Three minutes? That's it?"
"As bloated as the Wizengamot is, we're surprisingly brief when it comes to appointments. I suppose that when they wrote these rules, they knew that the people that wanted to run for Minister of Magic could talk about themselves for hours."
"That list includes you."
"Yes, it does."
Just then, Arthur finished reading from the scroll in front of him. Seeing that he had finished, Amos stood from his podium and turned to Penelope.
"As is customary, the first opportunity to speak during this nomination period is granted to the member who made the initial motion. Miss Clearwater, the floor is yours."
Penelope stood and spoke clearly.
"Chief Warlock, I yield my time to Harry James Potter as a guest of the Wizengamot."
The murmurs in the room, which had started the moment that Harry had walked through the doors, only intensified as Penelope sat and Harry rose to his feet. He looked around the room and saw that, as expected, every set of eyes was on him, including Percy's (which Harry noted with a certain sense of satisfaction).
"Ladies and gentlemen of the Wizengamot, it is my pleasure to speak to you this morning. We all know that I have long been in favor of a new direction for the Ministry of Magic. Today, I believe that we take the first step in that direction with the removal of former Minister of Magic Percy Weasley."
Even from his seat, Harry could see Percy scowl at him on the far side of the arena.
"However, the next step is arguably more important. The person that we choose will lead us into a better future, a future that is free and equal for all members of our society, one where a person's merits determine their role in our society, not their blood status. I believe that Penelope Clearwater is the person to take us there. She has a long history of supporting Muggleborn rights despite her own blood status and yet has done so without completely alienating half of this body. To that end, I am formally requesting that Penelope Clearwater be considered for Minister of Magic."
At this point, the voices in the room grew to the point where Amos finally had to ring out his gavel three times to restore order.
"Mr. Potter, as a guest of a member of the Wizengamot, you are able to entertain a motion to nominate Miss Clearwater. Would you like to do that?"
This was the biggest step that Harry could take a civilian. By entertaining this motion, he was creating an official record of his support for Penelope. The next words out of his mouth would define Harry's legacy at the Ministry of Magic for years to come.
"I would like to entertain a motion to nominate Penelope Clearwater."
"So moved!"
Harry looked down to see that Augusta Longbottom, one of the longest tenured members of the Wizengamot, had stood and confirmed Harry's motion. Now, it needed a second.
"Seconded!"
That second came from Amelia Bones. If Harry's initial support was a big deal, then Amelia's support, both as the Head of the DMLE and as Penelope's direct superior, was almost as big. Having the support of one of them would have been huge. Gaining the support of both of them was an almost insurmountable task for any of the other candidates who hoped to surpass that level of support.
For the rest of the day, people were nominated and seconded. Some confirmed their nominations while others denied. At the end of the day, thirty-seven people were on the list of nominations. As was customary, an informal poll was taken at the end of the day. This would be done at the end of each day until a candidate was confirmed. At the end of day one, Penelope led the pack with roughly thirty percent of the vote. Amos Diggory was in second with eleven percent, the only other candidate to crack ten percent.
The most disconcerting names were third and fourth on the list. Third place was held by none other than Percy Weasley, who had been nominated by a member of the Wizengamot who was so old that multiple people joked that he was now one with his chair, which he had held since 1913. Thankfully, Percy only garnered eight percent of the vote.
Fourth place was held by Theodore Nott II, Harry's former classmate and a right piece of work. He also held roughly eight percent of the vote, a sign that things were nowhere near as secure as Harry would have liked them. When Percy had won the Minister's position four years earlier, he had started with just six percent of the vote. But as the days passed, he built a coalition until he collected almost seventy percent of the vote. Harry knew that it was not out of the realm of possibility that Percy or Nott could do the same thing here.
By the end of work on Wednesday, the list of thirty-seven had dwindled to just seven: Penelope, Diggory, Percy, Nott, Roger Davies, Mafalda Hopkirk, and Tiberius Ogden. Of those seven, only four stood a real change. Penelope's lead had dwindled over the first two days from thirty percent to twenty-seven while both Amos and Percy's shares of the straw poll had grown from eleven and eight percent to fourteen and twelve percent respectively. Nott, meanwhile, had retained his eight percent share over the last two days, a sign that those that supported him were committed to him above all others. None of the others were polling at more than seven percent with a fair number of the members refusing to vote at all.
On Thursday morning, while working at Potter Manor, Harry received a letter from Penelope asking him to come to the Ministry. Five minutes later, he arrived in The Atrium where Penelope was waiting for him. He couldn't tell whether the news that she was about to give him was good or bad.
"I need you for a meeting."
"With whom?" Harry asked as they made their way to her Wizengamot office.
"Davies, Hopkirk, and Ogden. They're considering dropping out of the race together and endorsing one of the other candidates. Together, they're currently holding about sixteen percent of the vote."
"That's a pretty big chunk."
"It is," Penelope replied. "If we can get them on our side, we might be able to convince some of Diggory's supporters to jump ship. I'm not picky, Harry. I don't need some sort of landslide win, but I do want a win. They want to meet with you before they support me."
"I'll do what I can," Harry replied, "but I don't know what I can do."
"You can listen to them. They're going to ask you to ensure that I don't go nuts and piss off a bunch of Purebloods."
"But I want you to piss off a bunch of Purebloods."
"Well, then we're in a bit of a conundrum, aren't we?" Penelope said. "Because if we can't secure their votes, then they're going to go to Diggory or, Merlin forbid, Percy and that's the last thing that I want to happen."
"Agreed."
Moments later, they reached Penelope's office where Roger Davies, Mafalda Hopkirk, and Tiberius Ogden were waiting for them. Davies had been two years older than Harry at Hogwarts and the captain of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. He hadn't been known for being particularly bright, but he was handsome and that was enough to make him popular.
He had used that popularity to quickly rise in the ranks of the Ministry. Currently, he was one of the top officials in the Department of International Magical Cooperation. He had an official title, but his job could be most accurately described as "meet people, smile, and don't piss them off." While that might seem like an insult, Davies was very good at the job, which was why people were considering him for Minister of Magic in the first place.
Mafalda Hopkirk had previously been an aide in the Improper Use of Magic Office up until Percy had taken over. Then, she'd been promoted to Assistant Head of the Department of Magical Transportation. She was known for being kind, bright, and completely inoffensive as a person. For some who believed that unity above all else was what mattered, she was the ideal choice. For someone like Harry, who thought that unity with Purebloods like Theodore Nott or Ezekiel Greengrass was lunacy, she was almost as bad a choice as Nott himself.
Tiberius Ogden, on the other hand, had been a loud proponent of Harry's during Fudge's campaign against him, even resigning in protest to the appointment of Dolores Umbridge as High Inquisitor of Hogwarts. Ogden's beliefs were fairly close to Harry's own and had he not openly supported Penelope already, Ogden might have been a good choice. However, Ogden was a diplomat first and foremost. Much like Hopkirk, he was known for "bridging the divide" in the Wizengamot. While he might support Muggleborn legislation, he would never do so at the cost of upsetting the Pureblood establishment.
Ogden, as the elder statesman (and the clear leader of their coalition) stepped forward and extended a hand to Harry.
"Mr. Potter, a pleasure to finally meet you."
"Please, it's Harry," he said as he took Ogden's hand. "Everyone, please sit."
Penelope took a seat at her desk while Harry sat in the flimsy chair across from the couch where the other three prospective Ministers sat.
"Now, Penelope tells me that you're considering supporting her for Minister of Magic. I must say that I'm confused why you felt the need to meet with me."
"Because you are the power behind Miss Clearwater's campaign," Ogden said bluntly. "No offense, Miss Clearwater, but I think we can all agree that if Harry hadn't publicly supported you, you would not be running at all, let alone leading the pack."
"Yes, we can agree on that," Penelope said, although Harry could sense her displeasure from across the room. Rather than let Penelope stew, Harry pushed the conversation forward, knowing that the quicker they got to the point, the less likely it was that Penelope exploded on them.
"I supported Penelope because I believe that she is the best candidate for the job," Harry said firmly. "Based on the support that she's getting, it seems that a number of people agree."
"People agree with you, Harry," Davies countered. "This is why some of us asked you to remain quiet when the nomination process began."
Harry had never read any of the letters that Ron had shown him. Now, he knew that at least one of them was from Roger Davies.
"Roger, did you remain silent when the subject came up?" Harry asked tersely.
"Of course not. But I'm a member of the Wizengamot whereas you are-"
"I'm what?" Harry snapped. "I'm a concerned citizen. Yes, we can all agree that my voice speaks a little louder than most, but that's not going to silence me. I believe in making our world a better place. I believe that Penelope can do that."
"We're sure that your faith in Penelope is well meant," Hopkirk replied. "But we have concerns about Penelope's...demeanor."
"What we mean," Ogden added, "is that Miss Clearwater can be-"
"Aggressive," Davies growled. "Pedantic, overbearing, ab-"
"We get the picture," Harry replied. Clearly, Davies was only here because Ogden and Hopkirk had convinced him to come. "I get that you might not prefer Penelope as Minister of Magic. That's obvious since you are, in fact, running for that same office. So, let's get the point here: what do you want?"
Davies and Ogden looked to Hopkirk. She gave Harry a smile, one that was well practiced, the kind of smile that someone used when they were about to tell you something that you wouldn't like, but they wanted to present it in a way that seemed favorable to you. He'd seen that same look on his Aunt Petunia one too many times.
"We don't like the idea of someone pulling the strings behind the curtain," Hopkirk stated. "Therefore, we want confirmation from both you and Penelope that you will not have a say in the day-to-day functions of the Ministry of Magic should we endorse your candidate."
"Absolutely. Done," Harry said easily.
"No."
Everyone in the room turned to Penelope, who had clearly turned from frustration to fury.
"I'm sorry," Hopkirk replied in a way that told Harry that she was anything but sorry. "Did you say no?"
"I did. As you so eloquently stated, the only reason I'm even being considered is Harry."
"Yes, that's exactly why we have a problem with him," Davies said before immediately realizing that probably wasn't something that he should have said out loud.
Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw Penelope smile.
"I'm going to be the next Minister of Magic with or without your assistance. Now, you can vote for me or you can go fuck yourself for all I care. But I am not going to abandon the person who showed faith in me simply because the idea of his influence makes you uncomfortable. In fact, if the idea of Harry Potter having influence in the Ministry of Magic makes you uncomfortable, maybe you ought to go home and take a look at yourself in the mirror. In either case, I don't really care what you do other than get the fuck out of my office!"
Davies, Ogden, and Hopkirk all looked at each other, stunned at the turn this conversation had taken. Then, silently, they stood and walked out of the room, glaring at Harry as they walked by.
"What the hell are you doing?" Harry asked once they were out of earshot.
"Come with me," Penelope said as she stood up. "We have another meeting."
"We do?"
"Yes, we do."
Penelope led Harry out of her office and down the hall where they entered another small office. This one was occupied by Chief Warlock Amos Diggory. Penelope and Harry entered the office and then closed the door behind them. Much like Penelope, Amos only had a couple of chairs in his office which Harry and Penelope immediately sat in.
"Well?" Amos said, clearly expecting them.
"It's exactly as I told you," Penelope replied. "They wanted to ensure that Harry didn't have a place at the Ministry. When do they meet with you?"
"Twenty minutes."
"Wait, what the hell is going on here?" Harry asked in confusion.
"Penelope and I don't agree on everything, but we do agree that you having a role in the Ministry of Magic is a good thing. However, there are some, notably the three that you just met with, that think that your presence is toxic and that you could choose to do whatever want and people would just agree with you."
"The idea of that sentiment isn't necessarily wrong," Penelope admitted. "What those people don't understand is that while the general public may listen to you because you're Harry Potter, your friends and allies trust you because you're a good man and a smart man. When I learned that Ogden, Davies, and Hopkirk were considering supporting me, I knew that their condition would be ensuring that you had no role in the Ministry."
"But I don't want a role at the Ministry," Harry stated. "You could have assured them that I would have stayed out of things and just won the Minister's office."
"True. But then I would have been without the person who got me here. I may be a Ravenclaw, but I value loyalty, Harry. You got me here and I would very much like you to have a place in the Ministry."
"But you haven't won the Minister's job yet."
"She has," Amos replied. "It became clear to me over the last few days that Penelope and I were pulling votes from each other. The last thing either of us wants is more time with Percy Weasley in charge. It would have been my preference for Penelope to garner enough support from other sources so that I could have remained in the running, but it's become clear that won't be happening."
"Those three are going to put their support behind Percy," Penelope explained. "They won't support Amos, because he's not going to assure them your silence, which means that Percy is their next bet. They might not like him, but they're more concerned with ensuring that you don't have power than that someone competent is in charge of the Ministry."
"But if Amos supports you, then you become the front runner," Harry realized. "Ogden and the others could support whoever they want, but it's not going to make a difference."
"Correct. In the end, it will be me," Penelope stated. "I've agreed to support Amos in his bid to remain Chief Warlock. In return, he'll suspend his campaign and encourage those that voted for him to vote for me instead. That won't quite get me to fifty percent-"
"But it should encourage the others to join in and vote for you," Harry added. "You won't win by a landslide, but you'll get to fifty percent."
"And that's all we need."
Sure enough, that's exactly what happened. That afternoon, Amos Diggory announced his support for Penelope Clearwater. At the end of the day, Penelope earned forty-five percent of the vote. The following morning, Ogden returned to Penelope's office and informed her that his coalition would be voting for her as well.
An hour later, an official vote of the Wizengamot was called for. The vote took nearly three hours, but by the time it was done, Penelope Clearwater had garnered sixty percent of the vote, an even larger number than they had expected. Harry stood at Penelope's desk while she was invited to the Wizengamot floor and immediately sworn in by Amos and Arthur as the newest Minister of Magic.
In her acceptance speech, Penelope promised equality for all witches and wizards regardless of the circumstances of their birth. She stated that she would run the most progressive Ministry of Magic that Britain had ever seen and she stated that never again would people like Lucius Malfoy run the Ministry.
Harry smiled as she spoke. He had been uncertain about Penelope Clearwater even until the moment when he had supported her. Obviously, there was still time for her to make mistakes and he was certain that she would. But he was also confident that she would keep up her end of the bargain. For the first time in a long time, Harry could see a brighter future for the Ministry of Magic, one that he just might get to enjoy once Voldemort was finally taken care of.