Sunday, November 1, 1994 - Evening
Eight students arrived at the Ministry of Magic. They were accompanied by their parents and guardians. No-one was happy.
The Hogwarts professors, the headmaster, and Harry arrived and were directed to the meeting room in the Registration Office.
A ministry official, an Unspeakable from the Department of Mysteries, and a goblin from Gringotts were waiting for them in the meeting room.
The Hogwarts staff were directed to sit in chairs that lined one wall of the room. The parents, guardians, and students sat at a large table in the centre of the room. The Ministry official, the Unspeakable, the goblin and Harry sat across one end of the table.
The Ministry official began to speak.
“On behalf of the Minister of Magic, I would like to welcome you all here tonight and to thank you for attending. My name is Owen Chadwick, I am a lawyer specializing in Old Magical Law, and I am representing the Minister of Magic. I would like to welcome a representative from the Department of Mysteries, who is here to advise us on the magical significance of the events we are here to discuss. If you have a question for her, please refer to her as ‘Unspeakable’. I would also like to welcome a representative from Gringotts. He is Account Manager Sharphook who is here to advise us on matters relating to Gringotts.” Those at the table who knew about goblins were impressed that a ranking goblin would agree to attend a meeting anywhere other than Gringotts.
“I believe that each of you has been presented with a copy of the Edict from Mount Olympus relating to yourselves. Has everyone read your Edict?” The Ministry official waited while the attendees nodded or muttered an affirmative reply.
“I will now ask Unspeakable to give her opinion on these Edicts.” All eyes were on the Unspeakable.
“Thank you, Owen. Ladies and gentlemen, the Department of Mysteries has examined the Edicts as soon as they were received at the Ministry this morning. The spells which verify the authenticity of any Edict were cast and every Edict has been confirmed to be true. There is no possibility of a mistake. The Gods of Olympus do not respond to questions like, ‘Are you sure about this?’”
“Other opinions have been sort concerning the authenticity of the Edicts and they have all verified that the Edicts are from the Gods of Olympus, and that they are not going to change their minds anytime soon.”
Owen Chadwick spoke again. “Which brings us to the Registration Office. All the eight vassalage bonds have been registered here at the Registration Office. No-one in the Ministry did this. It was done by magic itself as a result of the Edicts from Mount Olympus.”
“RIDICULOUS!”
“WHAT A LOAD OF RUBBISH!”
“THIS CAN’TPOSSIBLY BE TRUE!”
These and many other similar responses were shouted out around the table.
Almost every eye found Harry where he sat and glared at him.
“WHAT HAS THIS BOY DONE?” Lady Greengrass shouted.
“HE GOT HIS NAME INTO THE GOBLET OF FIRE ILLEGALLY!” Lady Abbott snarled.
“HE HAS SOMEHOW FORGED THESE EDICTS!” Madam Li screeched.
“I’ve heard enough! We are leaving! We are going to contact Ilvermorny in the States and we are transferring Hermione there as soon as we can.” Hermione’s father and mother stood up and walked to the door.
Hermione walked up to Harry who stood up at his place.
“Potter! I believed you! I argued and fought for you! But what you have done with these Edicts is despicable! This is slavery! I will not submit to it! You will not see me again!” Hermione walked to the door and left with her parents.
Harry slumped down in his seat and stared at the floor.
Arthur Weasley dragged Molly and Ginny out of the room. Molly was screaming incomprehensible threats at Harry. Ginny was red faced and glaring at him. The other families stormed out.
He did not see that one student and her parent did not walk out.
Luna Lovegood took her father’s hand and drew him around the table, and she then sat next to Harry.
“Harry, I want to tell you that I know that these Edicts are right.” Luna waited for Harry to look up.
“Yes Harry, I have been visited by Hermes, the messenger from the Gods. This was last night, before I got my Edict from the Ministry. Hermes spoke to me in a dream. He told me that the Edicts were coming and that they were right.”
“Luna has always been open to the higher realms of magic.” Xenophilius Lovegood stood behind Luna and spoke to the remaining teachers and officials. “This is why she is different from the others. When Luna was a baby, her mother and I were visited in our dreams by Apollo. He told us that the Gods would reveal their messages through Luna. We were to always listen to her and encourage her.”
“If the Edicts are right, then why does it seem so wrong. The general reaction has been what I expected. I knew that Hermione would rant at me.” Harry was back to studying the floor.
“Harry, Hermes told me that the students selected were the right ones. If any others had been picked, there would been killing curses shot at you, not just harsh words.” Luna gazed at Harry with sharply focused silver blue eyes, her normal dreamy expression gone.
“Luna, why didn’t you tell us this? You are an oracle from the Gods. None of us knew.” Professor Flitwick looked distressed. “Luna has been cruelly treated by her house at Hogwarts. They hide her clothes and personal things. She has to spend days finding them. Students in Ravenclaw and the rest of the school have no respect for her. I have tried to change this attitude but even in Ravenclaw, students are children, and they can be thoughtless and cruel. Luna never complains which makes it difficult for me to take action.”
Harry was jerked out of his self-pitying brooding by Professor Flitwick’s revelations about Luna’s life in Ravenclaw.
The Unspeakable spoke to the group. “If the Gods are interested in Harry, for whatever reason, we can expect them to intervene on his behalf with the others. They are a bit negative right now but be prepared for some attitude changes.”
“Does Harry have suitable accommodation at Hogwarts? He is the first student in a new school. Can the Potter School of Magic be situated at Hogwarts for the time being? I know that there are many unused rooms which could be converted into dormitories and common rooms.”
“There are whole towers at Hogwarts which have not been used for a century. One can be cleaned up and dedicated to the new school until the future becomes clearer. There will be no problem with students continuing with their classes as guests.” Dumbledore spoke for the first time.
“Before you get involved with planning Harry’s future, I have some Gringotts business that has to be completed.” The goblin Sharphook spoke for the first time. “I have here some magical artifacts belonging to Harry which have been kept for him until he comes of age. Gringotts is satisfied that the Gods of Olympus have declared Harry to be emancipated and is now Lord Potter, Head of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Potter. Harry, I have here your Lord’s ring which you will wear on your right-hand ring finger. When the ring accepts you, it is proclaiming you to be Lord Potter, Head of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Potter.” The goblin produced a small box from his coat which he opened, revealing a heavy gold ring with a Potter family seal mounted on it. “Put this ring on, Harry.”
Harry took the ring and slipped it onto the ring finger of his right hand. Blue light glowed around the ring, and it resized itself to fit Harry’s finger perfectly.
“GOOD! Very good! I have another Lord’s ring for you.” Another shiny box was produced and opened. A heavy gold ring with a strange seal mounted on it was in the box. The seal was a triangle enclosing a circle with a vertical line inside the triangle. “This is the Peverell Lord’s ring. When the ring accepts you, it is proclaiming that you are Lord Peverell, Head of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Peverell. Put it on your right-hand ring finger. The rings will fit together.” Harry slipped the ring onto his right-hand ring finger. When the two rings touched, they rotated and merged, resizing to fit Harry’s finger.
“When you need to present your Lord’s rings you just have to will the rings to appear and the ring you need will show itself on your finger. This completes our business for today. My Lord, your parents’ wills are to be read, their wills were sealed until you came of age. Invitations will go to all persons mentioned in the wills and a date will be set for the reading.”
“Can we conclude this meeting? There will be other opportunities for the interested parties to meet.” Owen Chadwick stood and started moving to the door.
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