Chapter 183 – Prepare a Summit
Seven people. In the end, I managed to free seven of those who were put on trial, which also meant I managed to get the freedom back for everyone who was with us back in school—anyone who helped us while the TriWizard Tournament was happening. The interesting and somewhat worrying part was that Dumbledore never once opposed my arguments, never tried to push back against me, and even agreed with me twice!
He was playing it well, so it was no wonder he was the leading wizard of his century. If I would have continued pushing on more or kept trying to provoke him, then I would have started looking like an ungrateful ass, so he also forced me to change tactics and act as if I was asking for his opinions politely. He not only managed to maintain his positive appearance and righteous decorum, but he also showed those who were present that the Order was not fractured. Every time Neville spoke, he stood with him, and I could see in Neville’s eyes that it surprised him, too.
Through Snape’s reports, we knew that there was splintering within. Neville emerged as a new type of leader, gaining support within the Order, especially from those members who had grown up or matured into adults when he was born. But when it was time to show their unity, with Dumbledore at the helm, they did it perfectly. People on the outside would be oblivious that big problems were brewing behind the scenes.
I wasn’t even mad because I never expected it to be easy or straightforward. I was just curious how long he could keep it up. When we left, nobody tried to stop us, I mean, from their side. There were people who wanted an interview, but I told them that I had to wait for my voice to return as I spoke enough for the day.
Of course, when the relevant issue of the Daily Prophet arrived, it displayed the whole thing as if I was doing everything I could to save my minions. This was already laughable because if it was that, why did Neville and Dumbledore agree with me that they should be freed? My guess was that if the Order couldn’t go against me directly, they were doing it through the press. Journalists can be replaced, after all.
We didn’t lag behind. On the same day, the Quibbler was out, detailing the whole incident from our point of view. It even had extra pages that described the people we freed and what they did for us. Most were from my recollections, with the help of sample pages from the journals we used, but a big part of it was Lockhart’s work, painting it to be a bit more colorful and touching.
With this, our focus had to shift once again, as next was the upcoming votes and re-establishment of the Ministry of Magic. Two candidates were coming from the Order, aiming for the seat of Prime Minister. One was Shacklebolt, who we already knew about, but the other was a sudden surprise. I honestly thought Neville would be the one, but he made a public speech and made a surprising announcement. He acknowledged his age, that he was too young, and that many would say he was inexperienced... So, he nominated Minerva McGonagall for the position, someone who was also from the top branch of the Order and previously a famous witch within Hogwarts.
On the side of SPEW, Hermione was their nominee, which wasn’t a surprise for anybody. We knew it would be a certainty, and she was the beating heart of it all anyway. What was maybe cause for surprise was how well she spoke before the public and how heartfelt everything she said was. She didn’t only speak to wizardkind but also spoke to many marginalized magical races, be it goblins, house elves, or centaurs.
It was also something that soon put them into the crosshair of a campaign that I was sure was orchestrated by Dumbledore. It started as a rumor that grew stronger and stronger, painting SPEW and many of its members as Beauxbatons and Durmstrang spies. Outsiders who are now, after Voldemort’s death, came to take advantage of Britain and put it under their rule. The issue was that there was no way to deny the connections as many of them were living in Beauxbatons. Victor was from Durmstrang. No matter how much or how well they try to say all the rumors are fabricated, they could never deny it confidently in the eyes of those who were paranoid, even if just a little bit.
And... In a country that was under decades-long regimes, paranoia was still thriving within people’s homes.
...