Friend Since Birth

*****
Remus shifted in his seat, uneasy with the whole plan Arianna was sticking to despite the exhaustion she was still fighting and their little intervention yesterday. He had arrived early to the open Wizengamot session, claiming a seat in the highest tier of large room where few could see him, but he had a clear view of the whole room and especially the entrance. He kept quiet as the members wandered in, polarizing themselves quickly along expected lines. Lucius Malfoy stood with his fellow Death Eaters to the right and Remus kept a close eye on the man. He fully remembered that the man was currently working to escape the clutches of Riddle, but he wanted to see for himself how the blond ponse reacted to what Arianna had planned for the day. Trust was hard to come by lately and even though he was trying to keep an open mind after everything they’d been discovering, Malfoy was still a marked Death Eater. And Remus was overly cautious. Something Romulus occasionally sniggered at, the barmy twit….

Refocusing, Remus could see that Andromeda was also keeping an eye on the Malfoy Lord from her seat to the left of the door. She’d noticed his position immediately when she’d entered and had offered a subtle nod to the man before taking her seat.

This was going to be interesting…. At this point, the only ones missing were Dumbledore, Arianna, the Prewett Twins and Sirius. And Remus was already noticing the signs of the fight they were going to have. A few members of the Dark faction were trying to catch the eyes of the truly light faction, though they would need to work on their subtlety. Slytherin may have been their house, but cunning was not guaranteed, it seems. And some of the light were throwing very vicious glares at their fellows, something many of the former lions were not known for. The strong goblin-created general cleanser Bill had spelled to the door of the room was already doing its job without detection and Remus made note in his little book the ones that were showing they’d been potioned or spelled. Many were expected, but there were a few that shocked him. Including Augusta Longbottom and Lord Parkinson.

Remus sighed as he kept watch. Their hope to do away with the harsh slip in the Wizengamot was looking to be more of challenge than they’d planned. After the Aurors, it would probably behoove them to move onto the members to cleanse them…. The spell Bill had used was only temporary and wouldn’t protect them from future reapplication, but Arianna had an ongoing order for the holsters she’d perfected. Each person being cleansed by the goblins was getting offered one standard at this point, even though only a few had been added to the Fidelius with the whole story….

No one had declined one so far and Gregovich was beside himself with the commission Arianna had offered to the wandmaker. He and Wolfe would be in business a long time with the galleons they were making during this year alone. Especially since, looking around the full room and the various reactions he was noting, it would seem they’d have to keep that order going for a very long time at this point. Not that Gregorovitch would complain. The only thing he’d grumbled about was the amount of dragon hide he’d have to get, especially with the strict standards Arianna had imposed against inhumanely collected hide.

That was quickly put to rest when Charlie had casually put him in contact with the reserve in Romania so they could negotiate on the shed skins and scales some of the dragons there produced every year. The wandmaker had practically cried when he learned they normally just threw it in storage, since the workers were all outfitted in complete dragon hide robes and no one had asked before. So, the decades of stockpiled skins was beign slowly depleted as they ordered new holsters and the armor Arianna kept ordering from Twilfit and Tattings were completed. And all three businesses were soaring into high profits, something the goblins took gleeful advantage of.

But the ever increasing list of people for the goblins to see to and Arianna to dote on was not the whole reason they were here and he was playing spy. The gallery was slowly filling as others they’d reached out to made their way to the public stands. It was rare for those not a part of the Wizengamot to attend the sessions, but they’d worked hard, through Kingsley and the cleansed Aurors to put the word out that the populace wasn’t banned. Most sessions were opened to the public and only had the audience escorted out when a topic reached actual national security concerns and a privacy ward was just not enough. Which is why the public seats were now almost full as well, many of the witches and wizards Aurors that had been cleansed and wanted to see exactly what the plan was for the rest of Wizarding Britain.

Remus and Moody may have alluded to the chaos they expected to ensue.

Then Dumbledore entered in a swirl of alarmingly red robes and a garnish purple scarf.

“Apologies for my tardiness,” he said as he made his way to the Chief’s podium. “There was an incident at Hogwarts that required my attention.”

Remus tensed at that and he tensed farther when Moody smacked his leg with his cane.

“Relax, boy,” the scared man said. “If it was serious, we’d know.”

Remus nodded but couldn’t shake the fear that whatever it was, it involved Harry…. The boy couldn’t not cause trouble or stress…

“Now, I call this session-,” Dumbledore called, knocking his gavel twice.

Only to be interrupted when the doors slammed open as Arianna marched in, flanked on one side by the resplendent Lords Prewett and on the other by the deadly serious Lord Black. Fabian and Gideon were wearing the traditional orange and purple of their House, their robes a blend of traditional flowing and the even more ancient dueling robes most often seen in the dueling circuts only. The pair had blinding smiles that didn’t show the long path to recovery they’d taken since they’d been rescued. Remus couldn’t help but notice their newly trimmed hair practically blended with the orange in their clothes.

Just like Sirius’ black hair matched the brushed silk of his dueling robes where it was secured in a cuff at the base of his neck. His robes were cut in the most traditional battle style, lending to his air of danger. Only Remus’ werewolf enhanced senses could pick out the tiny embroidered runes in the same color all over his mate. The figure he portrayed in his confident stride was far from the broken man he’d been only a few months ago.

But the star of the group was his pup. Arianna was breathtaking in her typical costume of Lady Aiaia, her robes the more traditional dueling robes under her polished dragon-hide armor and her wand in its very visible wrist holster. The leather everywhere was etched lovingly with protective runes and the traditional symbols of a few of her houses including Aiaia and Arcadia.

It made sense to stick with those two Houses as her public persona, mainly, as they were intertwined. To those familiar with the Aiaia name, it was no secret that Arcadia had been tied with Aiaia, only to be inherited when Aiaia was taken up. If legend was correct, Arcadia had held such respect for Aiaia, she’d written her family charter to be dependent on Aiaia, almost a vassal house but still independent enough to exist on its own without being subsumed. It was the first time such a thing had been attempted and the goblins had crowed about it to anyone who asked when Arianna had taken up the titles. Of course, they’d waited until she gave permission, but she hadn’t held out once she’d gotten a plan in place. As soon as she’d announced herself to Molly Weasley during the slap incident, the goblins made it their mission to ensure everyone knew that two of their oldest vaults had finally been claimed by a worthy heir after millennia untouched.

And now she was making her debut, her hair once again the dyed chocolate locks she preferred when working as Aiaia. A light application of make-up in the right places altered her appearance enough that even Remus couldn’t peg her as related to Lily, though her crystal blue eyes flashed in mischief as she scanned the shocked faces around her. Sirius didn’t even try to hide his own amusement, smirking at the magicals around them and then stalking forward gracefully to flop into the traditional chair of the Black lord, smack dab between the two factions and right up front. Something that seemed to surprise both sides, despite Sirius’ grandfather Arcuturus’ infamous neutral stance despite what Walburga and Orion had done during the last war. Arianna smiled at his antics and followed, shoving his feet off the chair next to him and settling down with an eyeroll at his pout. It was a blank chair, like many in the room without a dedicated House assigned to it, but the moment she sat, it morphed to reflect the Houses she held. Though, Remus suspected the vines and flames threw many that understood the old symbols of power. Both were generic enough that they didn’t really clarify which Houses she held. The Prewett twins just laughed and joined them, making it very obvious where the newcomers fell in the light/dark debate. Their own chairs immediately shifted to the Prewett seats, the lions that were prevelant in many primarily Gryffindor Houses roaring across the backs and reclaiming the chairs that had been removed against ancient Wizengamot protocol. There were a lot of empty spots that showed it was not uncommon.

Remus noticed the second the room recognized the Prewetts and quickly scribbled his observations in his book even as the noise level increased. Shocked cries of horror and hope echoed in the chamber and a few even had the gall to accuse the pair of being frauds, demanding to know when the Polyjuice potion was going to wear off and where on earth they’d managed to find hair from the well-known pair.

Only when Dumbledore slammed his gavel twice on his desk and used a Sonorus to increase his voice did it finally die down.

“Now, my good sirs,” he said when he finally had order, his grandfatherly mask firmly in place, though Remus could just barely scent his fury. “Please tell us how you have come to resemble two of our dead heroes so much.”

“You know, my dear brother, I do believe they really don’t know,” Fabian said, turning to his twin in much the same way Fred and George tended to act. At least now Remus knew it was pretty common with magical twins. Or at least those with Prewett blood. More and more he was glad he and Romulus were just twins. Not magically connected. He wasn’t sharing Sirius and he was not dealing with the almost uncanny quirks the two pairs he knew shared. It was bad enough they did the Twinspeak, but he was going to love trying to fool others with pranks. Polyjuice was brilliant and Romulus didn’t mind carrying his scars for a bit.

“Not too surprising, my gorgeous other me,” Gideon said, staring at Dumbledore.

Remus had no doubt all four had their wands subtly pointed at the man and it was a toss up if one of them would actually act on their rage at the man. Not that Ari needed a wand…

“Yet I don’t remember ever having to prove myself when attending this snoozefest in the past,” Fabian said.

“Perhaps they believe the tale of our demise.”

“Well, that’s nonsense. Those tales are greatly exaggerated.”

“Yet who would believe the truth? I barely do and we lived it.”

“Perhaps an oath?”

“Right you are, dear brother.”

“We, Fabian and Gideon Prewett, do so swear upon our magic that we are the true Lords Prewett, alive and well after our announced death,” they said in unison voicing the traditional words of an oath. Then lit their wands together with matching smirks, the light produced almost blinding with the power they put into it.

Remus shuddered at the familiar antics, both glad the brothers were back to their old selves and in horror at what the pair, with the Weasley twins, and Sirius would get up to. He wouldn’t even try to curb them anymore. He was far too outnumbered now. Add in Romulus, Arianna, and Harry and the world would be lucky to survive… Granted, the current world could use a razing, so he’d have to see if he could help, without seeming to help. After all, someone had to be responsible and it couldn’t be the group from America. They’d proven decades ago that they were liable to cause just as much trouble as Harry on his own.

“I can’t wait to see the absolute shitshow those four are going to get up to in here,” Moody whispered gleefully.

Remus just groaned, the sound swallowed by the chaos still reigning below him.

The powerful silencing spell left the hall ringing, but Arianna just narrowed her eyes and spoke, shocking the room as she plowed through Dumbledore’s spell easily.

“I suggest you don’t treat us as misbehaving school children again, Chief Warlock,” she snarled, her faked American accent clear and voice practically dripping with scorn and power. “You may be most used to dealing with such, but we are the magicals of the Wizengamot and I at least do not appreciate being treated so.”

“Seconded,” the three men around her chorused, glaring daggers at Dumbledore.

“I merely wished to stop the panic the return of two of our own has caused,” Dumbledore soothed, retaking his seat.

“No, you’re wanting to get this over with as soon as possible,” Arianna denied, glaring at the man. If looks could kill, Albus Dumbledore would have been dead as soon as she stepped in the room. It was the first time she was in the same room as the man since she’d apparated out of her coffin and Remus could tell it took everything within her to keep from cursing the man. That and Sirius’ casual but firm grip on her robes where only those looking for it could see. “I do believe the good people here deserve the right to freak out a bit, owing to the fact that the Lords Prewetts were declared dead, with no bodies to bury, and Lord Black was wrongfully imprisoned for twelve years and on the run for two more with no one actually looking into the crimes he was accused of until recently.”

“An oversight that has been corrected,” Dumbledore denied.

“No thanks to you, Chief Warlock!” she snarled and Remus was concerned she was about to break, but she only sneered and continued. “My understanding is that you were such at the time he was first sent away as well and never questioned the accusations or miscarriage of justice that surely, a man in your position, should have.”

That led to murmurs around the room and Remus took to his book again. Moody noticed and then started muttering comments under his breath to the wolf as they watched. Each word was a plus or minus for one of the members and Remus took heart that Moody was actually being honest in his judgments. There had been concerns that the paranoid man would still hold his hatred of the Death Eaters, but it was proving more that he hated everyone. Or was at least suspicious of them…. How Dumbledore managed to potion him, they still didn’t know, but it was an issue for another day.

They had bigger things to worry about and the ex-Auror was well armed if need be for this meeting. His own holster was secured to his wrist and Moody had at least one backup that Remus knew of. Remus also knew that the guards were still stationed outside the doors and there were a few scattered across the audience gallery. And only the ancient magics of the hall to prevent harmful spells kept those same guards from confiscating all wands and weapons at the doors.

“And who are you, foreigner, to come in here and shout accusations?” Dolores Umbridge’s voice cut through the noise, causing Remus’ teeth to clench and Moony to surge close to the surface. Harry’s tales of her idiocy at the school did not go unheard.

“Oh, don’t you know?” Sirius asked with a smug smirk, eyes lighting in glee as he stood with a flourish and a bow. “May I present the Lady Aiaia, holder of the oldest vault in Gringotts and Head of the Most Noble and Most Ancient House of Aiaia.”

The room erupted into chaos again, many pushing their chairs back to stand and bow quickly while others, like Molly as proxy for House Weasley, simply sniffed and glared, staying firmly seated. It amused Remus that most of those bowing were of the dark faction. And they all looked a little green. It wasn’t often that such an ancient house was retaken after it was thought to have died out. Then again, it also wasn’t common for one woman to hold thirteen houses. The unlucky number aside, that was a lot of power for one person, a lot to risk if she died without naming heirs, but there it was.

“Funnily enough, you can live in America and still be of British ancestry, what with the colonial settlers coming from here and all. Accent isn’t everything. Is it normal procedure to question those that claim seats in this hall? Shall I offer an oath that you still won’t believe, like the wonderful Lords Prewett? Or is my house crest on my robes not enough? Shall I bleed for you all to prove I am who I say I am?” she asked sarcastically and if they hadn’t already discussed this portion, Remus would be worried she’d follow through with something and unveil a secret they weren’t ready for. But she continued before he could start doubting her. And before Dumbledore could actually demand something like that. “Unfortunately for you, I will do none of that. My mere presence down here, in this seat, should be enough. I’ve studied the laws and magic of this hall and you all should be well aware of the protections in place here. The magic of the Wizengamot chamber allows only those with the right to be here to enter the lower levels, while everyone else is only allowed in the audience tiers. So, whether I prove I am Aiaia or not, I hold at least one of the seats here.”

Remus wanted to be with them, to take advantage of his own lordship, but he knew why they were concealing it for now. There were so many empty seats as it was; filling them too fast with the prejudices held right now and no overwhelming number to add at once was just asking for him to be targeted. Add in the little issue of his monthly furry problem, even if he was no longer a danger when transformed, and he was not actually going to help the situation. Not yet anyway.

“Now, were we here to discuss my right to be here or are we here for other matters?”

*****
Fabian smirked at the little firebrand they’d fallen in with, exchanging a knowing look with his brother as they settled down again for the first Wizengamot meeting they’d attended since the war. It surprised them both just how many of the old guard was still around and how many seats were standing empty. Arianna and Sirius had tried to warn them about the situation, but they’d been hard pressed to wrap their minds around the fact that more than half the seats were abandoned, because the Lord or Lady was dead, missing, unknown, imprisoned, or any other such situation. And many more were empty because there was no proxy for the known under aged Head. So many families led by the orphans created in the war... It was a dire situation and it explained so many of the laws the Americans had reviewed. They had their work cut out for them undoing the mess their world was in thanks to the last hundred years. The time since the last war, however, was the worst. He was not looking forward to wading through the biased laws and blatant corruption but as one of the Lords Prewett, he would to save their world.

But as Arianna took control of the room, easily chastising the old man and gaining the respect of some of the more adamant of the dark or light followers, they had hope. The groundwork she was laying down today would be easy for them to work from moving forwards, allowing her to take the time she needed to reclaim the childhood stolen from her. They weren’t ignorant to the stress she was under, but they’d had their own issues to deal with, stemming from their rescue and the work they’d had to do to untangle the mess that was their own accounts. And acting as liaisons with the other rescued purebloods from St. Mungos.

The suit they were filing against the place for blatant negligence in researching their patients didn’t help, but there was no way they’d be able to audit all the patients if no one spoke up. Romulus was proving invaluable acting as their solicitor and they were close to getting a settlement and permission to review all patients once the families gave consent. Or any unclaimed persons. It stood to reason there would be a number of such individuals and the goblins had only been allowed to rescue those with ties to the Potter siblings’ houses, even if they were tenuous, and a few that had been very explicit in their wills to allow Goblins to care for them if necessary. Clauses that had been largely ignored for some reason. Their own rescue was only possible because their nephews were geniuses and found a loophole in a goblin contract. It didn’t hurt that Fred and George were also soulmates to the younger Potter, even if the three were nowhere near bonded. Fabian and Gideon had no wish to allow their fellow prisoners to continue to languish in magical comas when they could free the lot.
And it was a project they’d created on their own to take something off of young Arianna’s shoulders.

As she started casually ripping through Dumbledore’s latest argument in defense of the current bill under consideration, Fabian wondered briefly if she was part dragon with how viciously she was cutting. But then again, Dumbledore wanted to have all muggleborns returned to their families with permission to speak freely about the Wizarding World to all and sundry…. Arianna made the point that the relatives weren’t bound to the Statue and it would be very easy for news to spread. And she was winning the argument.

In the end, it was overruled and Fabian tried valiantly to not snicker at Arianna’s smug grin.

Then the Umbitch, and Fabian would have to thank his namesake for that nickname, tried to propose a bill to require all magical creatures, especially those labeled dark, to register with the Ministry and check in once a month.

Fabian was about to tear the woman to shreds for the audacity, then Arianna cut in before he could.

“Would that include yourself?” she asked sweetly.

“I am no filthy half-breed!” the woman screeched, mortally offended and showing her true colors spectacularly with one question.

“Oh, but surely you just have to be half toad with that face and short stature!” Arianna said, eyes wide in feigned innocence.

Fabian had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing and his brother wasn’t much better. Sirius was full on cackling and there were stifled laughs around the room as well.

“Now, my dear, there is no need for that kind of talk,” Dumbledore tried to interject, just for Arianna to turn on him sharply.

“And there is no need to try and subjugate citizens that look to us for protection. I may be new here, but I see no reason to try and control people in such a way. They may be labeled as magical creatures, but centaurs, werewolves, vampires, and the like still have at least human level intelligence. Which you would know if you spent more than five seconds talking to one or, I don’t know, picked up a book. One of your own, a Newt Scamander if I’m not mistaken, listed them in his encyclopedia, did he not? Then provided a full book on magical beings, being clear in the distinction between creature and being? If I remember correctly, he advised they can integrate into magical society if only given a chance and shown the respect they deserve. Might even improve things, since some of them are so long lived and many have perfect memories. Imagine the history we could recover if we gave a vampire access to a pensive so they could share their lives. Or one of the elf species. Imagine studying merfolk and being able to fully understand their culture and language with access to a few of their memories. But they’ll never cooperate and provide some if subjugated and constantly told they are lesser because they had the audacity to not be human, regardless of their classification of ‘light’ or ‘dark’. Especially since many would have been born well before that distinction was codified into law. And to vilify children that take on traits of their parents when those same ‘creatures’ dare to fall in love with a human? The ones that come into inheritances when they reach critical ages? To try and punish them for simply existing? You’re reaching. And crossing the line to eugenics similar to Grindelwald.”

The murmurs around the room seemed to escalate and Fabian was pleased to see that many were nodding in agreement. He chanced a quick look to where Remus has sequestered himself and had to hide a smirk at the dumbstruck expression on his face. If only one speech could sway some in the room to look on magical ‘creatures’ in a new light, it was not surprising. It meant that the laws around currently were products of a very small portion of the population, while the rest fell in line. Apparently, there hadn’t been an advocate for the oppressed populations in a very long time and Fabian was ashamed of his fellows. Though, he had to remind himself that many were under spells and compulsions…

If Arianna didn’t get her way today, then he and his brother would ensure she did over time. She made a lot of valid points. Fabian’s own views had been challenged just by meeting Remus. It was the first time he’d met a sane werewolf, the tales of Fenrir Greyback far more prevalent. He was loathed to admit it, but he’d fallen into the trap of the stories and had painted them all with the same brush. Well, he was man enough to admit when he was wrong.

Well, Marlene would argue about that, but Gideon would defend him from their mate.