- Next Morning -
Waking up cuddled between the soft, warm bodies of Fleur and Death, Harry smiled softly as he pulled them closer. The motion causing groans to escape their beautiful lips as they snuggled against his bare chest, white-gold hair splayed out on one side of the bed and ebony-black on the other.
A gentle kiss on his chest drew Harry's attention to Death as she looked up at him with love in her eyes as she smiled. "Mmmm…Good morning." She whispered, bringing her hand up to cup his face as she leaned in to kiss him softly.
Breaking the kiss, she glanced at Fleur's sleeping face before moving her hand down to run her fingers through the white-gold locks. "Wake up, my darling." She cooed, causing Fleur to groan as she tried hiding her head in Harry's chest. "Nooo…it's too early!"
Chuckling at her childish antics, Harry ran his hand up and down their naked backs, his fingertips ghosting along their skin as Fleur giggled at the ticklish sensation. "Hehehe…'Arry, stop…" She protested.
Despite her best attempts to fall back asleep, Fleur slowly opened her eyes to the sight of Death and Harry smiling gently at her as she yawned. "-ood morning!" She mumbled; her words muffled by the hand she brought up to cover her mouth.
"Good morning, my dear. Did you sleep well?" Death asked kindly.
"Oui," Fleur nodded, "It was one of the best night's sleep I've had in a long time."
After the rigorous love-making they had yesterday, she had been utterly exhausted and had slept like she used to when she was a child. The feeling of safety and comfort her two lovers provided by just being there lulled her into a sweet sleep that did wonders to help get rid of her nervous that lingered after the battles at Hogwarts and the Ministry.
Running a hand over her flat stomach, she felt an odd tingling sensation that was different from the pleasant ache between her legs. "What is this I'm feeling?" She asked aloud, merely curious by the new feeling that had been happened after her previous love-making sessions with Harry.
"That would be my doing." Death spoke up, smiling warmly from Harry's other side, as they glanced at her curiously. "I told you that I had a suitable reward in mind for completing my tasks."
"I felt it only appropriate, that with one life taken from the world, another should be brought into it." She revealed, causing them to gasp at they realized what she meant. One of Fleur's hands flying to her open mouth in shock while the other continued lying on her stomach.
Harry, wide-eyed with disbelief, spoke up. "But…I thought you said that you couldn't create life?" It was one of the reasons he had never worried for a second about releasing inside of her during their love-making. She had made it clear the first night they were together when she had taken his virginity.
Chuckling, Death shook her head. "No, my love. I told you that Life cannot be created in Death." She corrected, smirking at his stunned look.
"Do not be alarmed, I know how much you've wanted to have a family…" Death raised a hand to cup his cheek, staring lovingly into his emerald-green eyes.
He nodded reluctantly at that. It was always been a secret dream of his to have a family of his own, one filled with love and laughter like his family in his past life. "Yeah…but I didn't think it would be this soon." He sighed, "I'm still in school after all."
"Yes…But you are not alone." She replied, motioning to the still shocked Fleur who was now staring down at her flat stomach, picturing the life that was growing inside her. "And you are not the only one who has wanted a child."
Hearing Death's voice, Fleur looked away from her stomach to stare into Harry's eyes, her sapphire-blue orbs sparkling with happy tears as she smiled beautifully. "It's true, my heart. We've both said that we wanted a family together, and I was willing to wait until you were ready before we tried."
Gently grabbing his hand, she brought it down to feel the spot where the tingling sensation was. "But now that it's happened, I am…I am so happy!"
Sighing, Harry smiled back as he rubbed the spot where their child now grew. "So am I, Flower… I just hope we can be good parents to our child." He expressed the main concern nagging away at the back of his mind. They were both still so young, and the fear that he might mess up and be a bad fathered scared him more than he wanted to admit.
"You both will be great parents." Death soothed, placing a kiss on his cheek as Fleur copied the action on his other. "Do not be afraid my love, together you both can overcome any challenges that you face."
Letting her response sink in, she watched as the fear in Harry's eyes gave way to overwhelming joy as he smiled before turning to her. "Thank you, Death." He whispered, kissing her softly on the lips. While his fears would probably never go away completely, it would always be overshadowed by the joy he felt at the thought of his unborn child and the future he would build together with Fleur and their family and friends.
Turning back to Fleur, he added. "And thank you, Flower. For loving me, and for wanting to start a family with me."
Smiling, Fleur kissed him slowly, putting all of her love and affection for the man she gave her heart to into it before whispering, "Always, 'Arry."
Shifting her legs, she frowned at the unpleasant stickiness between her thighs before she sniffed the air, her nose wrinkling cutely at the smell lingering in the room. "I think we need a shower."
Feeling their own stickiness on their skin, Harry and Death nodded as they all got out of bed. Chuckling as Fleur limped around to the bathroom door, Death only laughed louder as Fleur glared at her lack of a limp. Even with the vigorous sex they had, she was still a being far beyond them, and that meant it was impossible for her to ever feel sore.
…
After a bit of fondling and another bout of love-making in the shower, the three eventually got dressed as Death prepared to depart through the portal that still resided in the living room.
"When will we see you again?" Harry asked, letting go of the long hug they had just shared.
"Not for a very long time, I'm afraid." Death replied, her black-painted lips frowning sadly as she gave Fleur a similar hug. "With the tasks I set out for you completed, there is no more reason for my coming to this world anymore."
Pulling back from the hug with Fleur, she smiled at the two teens while she pulled her hood up, casting the top half of her face in shadows. "Besides, it's not like this is a goodbye…merely a very long fare well." She smiled, cupping their faces in her hands as she stared into their emerald-green and sapphire-blue eyes, returning the love and affection in their gaze.
"I'll miss you…" Harry whispered, his tone colored in sadness as he gazed forlornly at the shadows that hid her black eyes. From his side, Fleur added her own sentiments. "As will I."
"Farewell, my dears."
And with that, Death stepped through the black portal for the last time; the portal closing behind her as the two people who knew and loved her watched her go with sad smiles on their faces.
- Timeskip: Minister Election -
"…and with the final votes counted, it is with great pleasure that I welcome Britain's new Minister of Magic…LUCIUS MALFOY!"
As cheers and congratulations went up in the main assembly room of the Ministry, Harry sat in his seat without a sound.
Things had gone from bad to worse after Death's leaving. The articles from the Daily Prophet announcing the defeat of the Dark Lord Voldemort, and the call for a vote to elect the new Minister, had brought back nearly all of the British magicals from overseas.
While that might have seemed like a good thing at the time, it wasn't until the votes started being counted that Harry realized how wrong that statement was.
Everyone had returned thinking that everything was fine now with Voldemort and his Death Eaters gone, and they all just wanted to get back to enjoying their lives as if nothing ever happened.
When some of the surviving Order of the Phoenix members tried to put forward names for the Minister position, they were quickly rebuked by the magical community who didn't think a former resistance fighter would make for stable leadership. They wanted someone who would keep the status quo, not someone who wanted to change major legislation and overturn laws regarding their society's stances on 'dark' creatures or pushing for half-blood and muggle-born rights.
Some of those who fled the country came back with stories about the troubles in the United States, and how the introduction of rights for new groups brought about unrest in the local population.
It came as no surprise then, that when Lucius Malfoy stepped up to put his name forward for Minister, touting the continuation of their traditions and beliefs, that nearly every single member of the British magical community voted for him. Despite the fact that the man had not only been a former member of Voldemort's inner circle, killing dozens if not hundreds of innocents; but had also done absolutely nothing to fight against the Dark Lord and his forces upon his resurrection.
When the cheering had finally settled down and the session called to a close by the newly-elected Minister, Harry and the other surviving members of the Sacred Twenty-Eight retired to the private Wizengamot chamber where they would discuss the future of Magical Britain.
…
Lucius Malfoy was in his element presiding over what remained of the Lords and Ladies of the Sacred Twenty-Eight. With the loss of Dumbledore to keep what remained of his allies together, the Pureblood Faction -his faction- now had full control of the Wizengamot.
"…and now we must look towards our history, my Lords and Ladies." Lucius stated proudly, continuing with his inaugural address. "With such terrible losses during the Dark Lords rebellion, we must do our duty as members of the oldest bloodlines in Britain…and see to it that our history is never lost."
Applause rang out from the seats of the Pureblood Faction surrounding Harry, he kept his focus on the Minister, realizing that all of this was leading up to something big…and he had a gut feeling that it was going to change Magical Britain for the worse.
"To help keep our history alive, and as my first act as Minister, I propose the reintroduction of the Pure-blood Protections Act!" Lucius declared to the resounding agreement of the other Wizengamot members.
In his seat, Harry's eyes widened at the announcement.
The Pure-blood Protections Act was an archaic piece of legislation, from back when the Wizards' Council created the Ministry of Magic and renamed themselves as the Wizengamot. It was an Act that declared all Pure-bloods would be given preferential treatment in the Ministry, and any open office in the government would first be offered to them before it could be opened to Half-bloods or Muggle-borns. Giving the Pure-bloods every opportunity to fill the positions with their own family members, and keeping out anyone else.
It also required that all current Half-bloods and Muggle-borns in Ministry positions undergo a review by the Wizengamot to see if they were worthy of keeping their position, or if there were "better" choices to replace them…choices like other Pure-bloods.
Included in the archaic Act, was a clause that protected Pure-bloods of Sacred Houses from any sort of backlash by those of lower status.
It basically gave them free reign to torment and abuse Half-bloods and Muggle-borns without them being able to respond. And if they should do so…then the Half-bloods and Muggle-borns would be imprisoned for "endangering the future of a Sacred House's line".
…
Despite his reservations about getting involved in politics, Harry had to do something before they passed the Act. Otherwise, the futures of all Half-bloods and Muggle-borns in Magical Britain would be in danger.
Standing up from his seat, he called out. "Must we bring back such an Act?" As he spoke, the voices of the other Wizengamot members quieted down to stare at him.
Ignoring their looks, he kept his gaze fixed on the frowning Minister. "Is not such an Act the reason our community suffered through two Civil Blood Wars?"
Whispers simmered around the room, and none of them good. The subtle anger in their tone at not only his presence as a Half-blood, but that he dared to speak up against the newly elected Minister, was quieted by Lucius's raised hand.
Raising his eyebrow, the Minister replied. "Ah, Lord Black…" The sneer he gave as he called Harry a Lord was matched by the disgust dripping from his tone. "How…nice of you to raise your concerns."
"In fact, I was going to wait until after we had voted on the Act to bring forth my next proposal…but I guess now is a better time." He mused, the sneer giving way to a vindictive smirk as Lucius turned from Harry to speak out to the others, who watched their interaction silently.
"My fellow Lords and Ladies of the Sacred Twenty-Eight…it is time that we focused on the root of our community's problems…the real reason why we have had to suffer the deaths of so many proud Pure-bloods, and the ends of their lines." Lucius proclaimed, pacing around the room as all eyes fixed on his moving form.
Waving a hand in Harry's direction, he continued. "As the Lord Black stated, many of our people have died during the Civil Blood Wars…" Seeing the nods of the Wizengamot members, he asked, "And whose fault is it?"
Turning to glare at Harry, Lucius paused for dramatic effect before pointing directly at him. "Half-bloods like the Lord Black himself!"
Exaggerated gasps came from the Pureblood Faction as Harry stared in shock as the Minister, who continued in his smug tone. "Not only did the Lord Black release a Basilisk onto the grounds of Hogwarts, a historical landmark of our community where our children have been fostered for generations; but I have recently learned that the one known as the Dark Lord Voldemort was also a Half-blood!"
"Between the damage down to Hogwarts at the Lord Black's hands, the deaths of so many Pure-blood families at the hands of the Half-blood Voldemort, and the stagnation brought on our community at the hands of Dumbledore -who himself was a Half-blood!- all of our peoples' suffering can be laid at the feet of these three!" Lucius's voice shouted out over the jeers and angry remarks of the Pureblood Faction who were cursing Harry's, Voldemort's, and Dumbledore's names.
"And I will NOT allow our people to endure any more suffering at their hands!"
Clearing his throat, the Minister stared into Harry's eyes as he announced, "As Minister of Magic, and Lord of the House of Malfoy…I call for the removal of House Black from the Sacred Twenty-Eight!"
- Wizengamot -
Utter silence. That was what followed the newly elected Minister, Lucius Malfoy's statement.
To call for the removal of a House from the Sacred Twenty-Eight had never been done before. It was only added as an option by the first Lords and Ladies of the Wizengamot in the event that one of the House's betrayed Magical Britain, but no-one that was a member would ever do such a thing when the country was basically theirs to do with as they willed.
And not only had it never been done before, but it was considered an impossibility to succeed as it required a unanimous vote by every Lord and Lady of the Wizengamot to pass. All it would take is a single refusal by a House other than the one being voted on, and the proposal would fail.
Looking out at the remaining members of the Sacred Twenty-Eight Houses, Harry realized with growing dread that Lucius not only knew that, but could very well succeed.
With the entire Pureblood Faction on his side, all Lucius needed was to convince the remaining members of the other Houses that once followed Dumbledore to agree with his plan.
And there were so few left that had to be won over…
Originally, Dumbledore's Faction included the Houses: Abbott, Longbottom, Ollivander, Prewitt, Shacklebolt, and Weasley.
The Abbotts, after the death of Minister Bones, had taken in her niece Susan Bones as their ward. With the loss of her parents in the first Civil Blood War, and the dead of her aunt in the last, Susan had gone to the family of her close personal friend Hannah Abbott and pleaded with them to take her away from Magical Britain as they fled Britain along with half the country at the announcement of Voldemort's resurrection.
Ever since then, the Abbotts had moved to the United States and never returned, even after receiving a summons to join the Wizengamot for the election of the new Minister. Both Susan and Hannah had been transferred from Hogwarts to Ilvermorny, and all of their vaults' contents had been moved to the American branch of Gringotts.
Now, their chair sat empty in the hopes that the family would eventually return to British shores. Meaning their vote would not be counted as 'For' or 'Against' any proposals put forward, and would allow for the current proposal to continue on unimpeded.
That left Harry with the Longbottoms, Ollivanders, Prewitts, Shacklebolts, and Weasleys.
After Garrick Ollivander had been taken by Voldemort's Death Eaters in the attack on Diagon Alley, the man had never been seen from again. Those that might have known where the Dark Lord took him were either keeping quiet about it, or were killed in the final battle at the Ministry, leaving another empty seat in the Wizengamot as the community held out hope that the famous wand-maker would return and once more open his shop in Diagon Alley.
After all, Britain had very few other wandmakers in the country, and all of them paled in comparison to the skill of the Ollivander family.
Meaning it was down to the Longbottoms, Prewitts, Shacklebolts, and Weasleys.
Kingsley Shacklebolt, the former Lord of his House who would have been the only one capable of giving Lucius a run for the Minister's office, had been killed by Walden MacNair; who had taken up the role of attendant to the Dark Lord in place of the deceased Wormtail, before being killed by Jacques. In place of the respected Auror was his cousin, Ainsley Shacklebolt, who disagreed with Kingsley's support of Dumbledore, and was a staunch advocate of the Pureblood Faction.
As for the Prewitts and Weasleys, their votes were tied together with the marriage of Arthur Weasley and Molly Prewitt, with Arthur taking control of both Houses votes.
Unfortunately, because Harry had gotten rid of the Horcrux in his scar, he had never received a vision of when Nagini snuck into the Ministry to find where the Prophecy was being held. And so, no one was able to reach the man in time to save him from the snake's attack.
That wasn't to say Arthur was dead… Nagini's venom was actually a paralytic that put one into a magical coma so that the snake could swallow them whole while they were still alive. Because of that, he was now a permanent resident at St. Mungo's until the Healers could develop a cure or the effects of the venom wore off.
In Arthur's place, his eldest son Bill Weasley took up the role as Lord of both Houses. And Harry felt a small bit of hope as he looked to the long, red-haired man with a dragon-tooth earring…Only for it to be crushed at the glare being sent his way.
Bill Weasley, who had never fallen in love with Fleur and joined her in becoming a member of the Order of the Phoenix, blamed Harry for his father's current condition. Saying that if Harry had done something sooner, or had defeated Voldemort the first time, then there would have been no reason for his father's coma.
On top of that, without Harry having built a relationship with the Weasley family…and Ron's constant complaints and exaggerations about how Harry was treated like a prince at Hogwarts -not to mention Ginny's broken heart when she learned that the Boy-Who-Lived was in a relationship with a girl who wasn't her- meant there was no chance of the eldest Weasley supporting Harry.
That left his only hope in the hands of the Longbottoms…
More specifically, Neville Longbottom, who had taken up the Lordship of his House after his grandmother Augusta passed away.
…
As the Minister called for the other Lords and Ladies to cast their vote on the Black Family's removed from the Sacred Twenty-Eight, a resounding 'For' was echoed by every member of the Wizengamot…until it came to a halt at the Longbottom seat.
Seeing all eyes were on him, Neville trembled nervously in his seat.
In the storybooks, it was thanks to Harry's continued support and encouragement, backed by the others in Gryffindor House who supported the Boy-Who-Lived, that Neville eventually grew a backbone and became the courageous Lion that stood up to Voldemort himself. Even being able to pull the Sword of Gryffindor out of the Sorting Hat.
…only, Harry wasn't sorted into Gryffindor this time. Nor had he ever spoken with Neville in all their years at Hogwarts. In fact, Neville had never grown up from the scared boy who struggled at most forms of magic that didn't involve Herbology, and cowered at the mere thought of being the center of attention.
And as the most powerful Lords and Ladies of Magical Britain stared at him, the boy who never found his courage caved to their peer pressure and quietly voiced his 'For', shattering the last bit of hope Harry had of stopping the proposal.
…
"Then it is by unanimous decision of the Wizengamot, that the House of Black is henceforth removed from the Sacred Twenty-Eight!" Lucius's victorious call rang out, glaring at Harry's slumped form.
It was in that moment, that Harry realized how masterfully Lucius had played it all. The man had never forgiven him for taking the Lordship and Vaults of House Black, and that hatred only grew with Draco's death at the hands of Harry's lover/girlfriend.
This was his payback, and as Harry was forced to vacate his seat and walk out of the Wizengamot chambers to the sounds of their jeers and shouts, he realized just how much his actions had changed the fate of Magical Britain.
Recognizing how dangerous the country now was to his and Fleur's future, he needed to hurry and make sure that all the contents of the Black Vault and his own vault in Gringotts were completely transferred out of Britain and into France's branch before the Minister and his Wizengamot could pass some sort of law to take control of them.
Moving quickly to the repaired Floo section of the Ministry, Harry felt an odd sense of elation as he passed sections of the Ministry's main lobby that hadn't been fully repaired yet.
Now that he was no longer a member of the Wizengamot, there was nothing requiring him to ever return to Britain after he and Fleur portkeyed back to France. He had already sent a letter to Minerva, who was more than happy to visit them any time with all of the vacation she never used; and Marietta and Cho were already in France waiting to see if they should return to Hogwarts or go through with the transfer to Beauxbatons.
Feeling much better about the situation, but still moving fast to get everything done in time, Harry grabbed a pinch of the silver Floo Powder before calling out, "Leaky Cauldron!". He and Fleur had a future waiting for them in France, including a baby on the way, and he couldn't wait to get started.
It was the last time Harry Potter was ever seen in Magical Britain…