Chapter 177 – Homecoming
I somewhat expected that Dumbledore wouldn't answer our letter, not before it became public. Maybe he wanted to see the people's reactions first. I would have loved to see his face when he learned that our newspaper sold out completely when the first publication was distributed, not to mention the multiple pre-orders we had before it. I heard from Luna that his father was already printing the second and third batches and was ready to send them out before the end of the day.
Of course, there were multiple reasons for this. Our personal experience, the story of my Father, and our claim to my old home were one thing. What made it probably even more interesting was that we endorsed the newly appearing party, the Society for the Promotion of Everyone's Welfare, or S.P.E.W. for short. It was the one that Hermione and Krum established just a few days ago. I don't know if it was the time spent in France that made her unaware of the acronym ahead of time or if it was intentional... oh well, it is their problem. We just included a paragraph in which we were happy to see them and agreed with many of their ideas and visions for the future.
I didn't mind that they were getting into the forefront. Heck, it gave us more time to focus on looking at the board from a step away from the table and not be caught up in the more minor details. They can handle that. So, we began searching for people who would join their ranks, work with them... and also inform us of happenings within S.P.E.W.
Sadly, not everything was going smoothly. There were many former Death Eaters who were forced into servitude, conscripted straight from Hogwarts, people who took our offer of a way out. When they finally returned, they were arrested and thrown into the reopened Azkaban. Our next issue in the Quibbler will tackle precisely that, as I won't let people, old friends, and former Housemates rot in there, especially not when they were forced to join Voldemort.
We could break them out, but that would harm everybody—not ideal for us or them. So, instead, Professor Lockhart is writing a paper advocating for the establishment of a new Magical Law and Order, one that would be wholly independent of the reforming Ministry of Magic. This entity would be separated from all political powers, and its purpose would be upholding wizarding law, even over those who were in control and making the decisions.
This was nothing new; it was a return to form and reestablishing something like the previous Wisengamot. The only difference was that we were going to push for the fact that anyone who is part of this version of the Wisengamot can not hold any other power, neither in the Ministry nor in Hogwarts. Yes, they could teach in Hogwarts... but becoming their Headmaster? No. One man can not have too much power, or we risk the rise of another Voldemort. That is going to be our argument.
Well, it is still in development, and we only hinted at it in the first issue. What was not a hint, though, was the fact that Quincy published her very first paper, which was then accompanied and commented on by Slughorn's report on the same issue. Her first publication introduced no less than six new potions, all dealing with dispelling and curing curses, mostly related to the ones Death Eaters were using. Moreover, she included the complete recipe list and detailed brewing method. Maybe it was what made the paper sell so quickly... I couldn't be more proud of her!
Also, I wasn't joking when I said we would trouble Dumbledore openly. Let's see if he can spin his tale again, saying that we are dangerous fugitives or implying that my father was a mad dog that served nobody. Heh... I wonder if he ever thought about that. I have information on him and his decisions almost the moment he announces them. While he used Snape as a double agent, I can't help but ponder whether he would even consider the fact that Snape was continuing his profession, but instead of Dumbledore, it is us who he reports to in secret.
"Father... you were right from the get-go... I can trust Severus Snape... I can see that now."
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