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"Do you not think it dangerous to pass a law which does not clearly define its own aims, Madam Umbridge?" asked Lady Longbottom. "It seems to me that if you wish to deprive certain beings access to various benefits of society, that you had best classify exactly what—and whom—is being denied."
"Exactly!" another voice spoke up. Porter Friesinger was a moderate whose family had come to Britain some centuries early from Germany, and were also rumored to claim fairy blood in their past, though the family was largely Pureblood from the time they emigrated. "I should not like to vote for a law which would prevent my own family from gaining an education."
"Mr. Friesinger, I am certain we can come to some accommodation and make an exception for… certain members of good standing, whose loyalty and pedigree are well known." Umbridge's simpering voice was even more grating in her obviously rising annoyance. Moreover, it was clear in the instant that she finished her statement, that she had made an error of judgment. In order to carry the day, she would have to convince those moderate members who had certain elitist tendencies. However, this selective ban that she now appeared to be proposing was now clearly exposed for the intolerance it espoused.
"You cannot have it both ways," Lady Longbottom said in a stern tone, her disapproval clear in the censure of her words. "You propose to disallow all 'creatures' from attending due to the danger of educating them, and now you propose that there can be exceptions. Are there exceptions to the safety of our children? Are there those who are creatures that mean us harm, yet will be eligible to attend due to some… exception? And who would determine just whom will be awarded an exception? Really, Madam Umbridge, you appear to have given this little thought. Perhaps you should go away and redraft your proposal—if you were to bar all truly dangerous creatures, such as vampires or giants from Hogwarts, it may be something I could support. Of course, as we have never had such creatures attempt to infiltrate our education system in the past, your bill appears to be worth less than the parchment upon which it is printed. I would ask you to avoid wasting the Wizengamot's time."
The mottled red of Umbridge's face indicated the complete loss of her patience, but Dumbledore, deciding that it was time to end this farce of a proposal, cut in before she could reply.
"Come, Madam Umbridge, let us be honest with one another, don't you think?" he said, keeping a careful eye on her reaction to his words, along with the reaction of her superior. "I hardly think there is anyone in this chamber who does not understand the reason for your reticence in defining your words. Your strategy is to get your law passed and then leave the rest up to the Minister to further define your target group… or the particular person you target, is that not correct?"
"I have no idea what of you are speaking," the Undersecretary snapped.
"On the contrary, Madam, I believe you understand me perfectly," was Dumbledore's steely response. He glared at her for several moments before she was forced to look away. He smiled grimly in response.
"Your proposal is meaningless—the friendlier races, such as goblins and centaurs—are contemptuous of us and our brand of magic, and have no desire to attend Hogwarts, even should we extend the invitation. The darker groups, by contrast, have no interest in being educated by us, and would not fit into our society even if they did.
"And as for those others who I have no doubt you would brand as 'creatures,' lycanthropy is a well-documented disease which does not take away the humanity of a person. And as for Veela…"
No one in the room missed Dumbledore's emphasis, least of all Umbridge. "Yes, I know what the thrust of this… this travesty is," Dumbledore snapped, waving the parchment in the air before crushing it in his fist. All trace of the grandfatherly persona he often projected was now gone in favor of making an impression upon this stupid woman of just how formidable he could be when provoked.
"Make no mistake, esteemed members," he continued, addressing the entire chamber. "If this bill passes and Miss Delacour is not allowed to attend Hogwarts with her betrothed, then Mr. Potter may very well decide that he has had enough of us. I have heard from my French counterpart, and Madame Maxine has assured me that Harry Potter will be welcome at Beauxbatons any time he chooses. If you wish to be the means of forcing one of this nation's greatest heroes away from our shores, then I suggest you support this bill. If you are a right-thinking, rational person, then the choice is clear—Madam Umbridge's proposal is defamatory and discriminatory. It must be defeated.
"Now, I call for a vote on the member's private bill."
"Seconded!" exclaimed Amelia Bones.
Needless to say, the members of the Wizengamot, unwilling to appear to the Wizarding public as though they had driven Harry Potter from Britain, were cowed by Dumbledore's words. The motion was defeated soundly.
Cornelius Fudge, Minister for Magic of Magical Britain, sat behind his desk, at once amused and annoyed by the spectacle he was witnessing. The meeting of the Wizengamot had concluded over an hour earlier, and while his senior Undersecretary had arrived almost ten minutes previous, she had not stopped her ranting and raving the entire time she had been in his office. Even now she paced in front of his desk, her screeching grating on his nerves, the way she threw her hands up in the air to punctuate her words making him concerned her gyrations would cause her to suddenly take flight.
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