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Power Plays Chapter 21
🕑 Added 2023-08-08 15:59:02 +0000 UTC“This is a disaster!” Kingsley shouted as he smashed his fist into the conference table. No one seated around the table reacted this time. He’d already hit the table so many times that it was a wonder that it didn’t have an indent of his fist by now.
Halfway down the table, Head Auror Dawlish cleared his throat and leaned forward, eager to make his case. “Things aren’t as bad as they seem, Minister,” he argued.
“Really? Because from where I’m sitting, they seem really fucking bad!” Kingsley snapped. He picked up the latest issue of the Daily Prophet and hurled it down the table towards Dawlish. The headline read: Aurors Fail to Quell the Death Eater Resurgence!
Dawlish didn’t bother to look down at the paper—Kingsley had opened the meeting by reading the entire article aloud before demanding solutions. “The Prophet has always exaggerated things, especially when its articles are being written by Rita Skeeter. My Aurors have been doing their best to keep the streets safe during these attacks. It’s impossible to protect every shop and house in Britain at the same time, but rest assured—”
“Rest assured that what?” Kingsley interjected angrily. “That you’ll show up half an hour late to the burning remains of another home?”
The atmosphere chilled in the room as Kingsley’s harsh rebuke rang out. The Aurors were stretched too thin as it was, and while it was clear to everyone that they weren’t being managed as effectively as possible, it was still a low blow to make.
Dawlish’s face turned red. He looked like he wanted to storm up to the front of the room and knock Kingsley on his arse, but he was managing to restrain himself.
“Rest assured,” Dawlish continued through gritted teeth. “That the Aurors will continue to keep the Wizarding World safe.”
The rage fled from Kingsley’s face as he took a deep breath. “Yes, they will. But you, Dawlish, will not.”
“Sir?” Dawlish asked.
“As of right now, you’re on a leave of absence,” Kingsley announced to the silent crowd. “Director Bones will take over assignments and—”
“Like hell she will!” Dawlish shouted as he slammed his hands down on the table and got to his feet. He kicked his chair away from him, and the two Auror guards in the room immediately drew their wands on Dawlish. He barely spared them a glance before he jabbed an angry finger towards Kingsley. “She’s the one who fucked up the raid on Rowle Manor! It’s her fault that the Death Eaters have come out of hiding and started attacking everyone!”
The crowded room turned to look at Amelia Bones, who was simply staring back at Dawlish with an unimpressed look on her face. When she spoke, she was calm and collected. “The Death Eaters knew that we were coming for them at Rowle Manor. Someone gave away our plans. I can vouch for every single person I brought along with me on that mission, and there were only a few others who learnt of this mission before its undertaking.”
The implication was clear, and even Dawlish didn’t miss it. “You had some nerve to insinuate what I think you are, Director.”
“I am not insinuating anything,” Amelia denied. “Rather, I am pointing out an interesting situation. Somehow, the Death Eaters knew of our mission and tried to stop us. It is only thanks to Auror Potter and Hit Witch Bones that we managed to make the mission partially successful at all.”
Harry had to hold back a grin from his position a few spots further down the table. Dawlish turned his horrid gaze onto Harry, making plain his absolute disdain for him. “And yet, I have reports that Auror Potter utilised dark magic during the mission.”
“You should be well aware that Aurors are allowed to utilise lethal force in the defence of their lives,” Amelia argued back. “And while it is true that we all must be careful when utilising the dark arts, the use of such magic is protected under the legislation that allows for lethal force.”
Dawlish sneered at Amelia. “Fine,” he spat. “Have it your way then. I’m sure that with Potter by your side, you’ll manage to stop the Death Eaters in no time.” He angrily tore off the Head Auror badge from his robes and slammed it down on the table before storming off.
Kingsley watched the man’s retreating back until the doors closed behind him. “Director Bones, you will be in charge of coordinating a specialised task force to handle the Death Eater attacks throughout Britain. Auror Proudfoot will be assigned as your deputy within the department to ensure that normal Auror operations continue smoothly.”
Amelia gave a slight nod to the battle-scarred man who was seated further down the table. The man had been avoiding Harry the last few days since Amelia spoke to him about his investigation into whomever was sabotaging Dawlish. Given the fact that Dawlish was finally out of the Auror Department—albeit likely only a temporary measure until things were back under control—Harry could only imagine that Proudfoot suspected Harry more than ever.
“I expect results, and fast,” Kingsley told Amelia sternly. “We can’t allow the people of Britain to live in fear again. It’s only been five years since the Death Eaters last ruled Britain; the people still remember how bad things were then.”
“I will handle it, Minister,” Amelia replied respectfully.
“Good,” Kingsley said with a grateful smile, finally showing a bit of calmness. “Now, onto other matters.”
PAGE BREAK
“Do you think she’ll turn up again?” Susan asked as she leaned back in her chair, tipping it so that only the back legs were still on the floor. She was toying with an interdepartmental memo in her hands. The lavender-coloured, thin parchment was shaped like a muggle paper aeroplane and was sealed with a formal stamp.
Harry didn’t need to ask who ‘she’ was. “I don’t think she can help but show up,” Harry answered before he poured himself another cup of coffee. They were stuck waiting around in this meeting room until Amelia got out from her secret meeting with the Minister after the normal meeting had concluded. “Bellatrix will see what we did as a challenge. She’s already sent out Death Eaters to cause chaos around Britain; it’s only a matter of time before she shows up too.”
“You’re probably right,” Susan sighed. She tossed the interdepartmental memo in the air. Without the prick of magic it needed to activate, it flew around the room like any normal paper aeroplane would.
Harry snatched the memo just before it plummeted to the ground and tossed it back towards Susan. “This is her last chance. If she doesn’t prove that she’s as strong as Voldemort, then the Death Eaters won’t follow her.”
“But she’s not as strong as Voldemort,” Susan pointed out. “No one is . . . well, except for you.”
“And that’s why I’ll stop her.”
Bellatrix was nothing to him now. Once, she’d been a genuine threat, but his magical skills had only grown since Voldemort’s height of power. She’d escaped him at Rowle Manor, but she didn’t put up anywhere near a good enough fight. She ran from him this time, but he wouldn’t give her another chance to do that.
The door to the meeting room opened and Amelia stepped inside, looking as proud and stern and strong as ever. However, the moment she closed the door behind her and activated the privacy wards, she let her exhaustion show. She quickly sagged down into one of the available chairs and waved her wand to magically pour a cup of coffee for herself.
“Are you alright?” Susan asked with no small amount of concern in her tone.
Amelia gave a weary nod. “Long night, and many more long nights to come.”
“Taking over for Dawlish won’t be easy,” Harry said, still feeling giddy that the man had been ousted at least for the time being. “But there’s no one else who could do a better job.”
“Save your praise for when I actually manage to do something deserving of it,” Amelia said before she took a long sip of her drink. “The Death Eaters are running rampant and the death toll rises higher with each passing night. I’ve got to reorganise Dawlish’s mess with Proudfoot, and I’ve got to get results fast to keep the Minister happy.”
“If you need us to help, just say the word,” Susan told her.
“I will need both of your help, but not tonight,” Amelia replied tiredly. “I need you both good and rested for what’s to come. Take the night off and relax because it might be the last chance you get for quite some time.”
“I can stay and help you—” Susan tried to say.
“No,” Amelia interrupted sharply. “I need you rested. The two of you will become one of my fast-acting response teams. I’ll need you two to be ready to jump right into the thick of things to stop the Death Eaters wherever they appear, and you two can’t do that if you’re exhausted. I know you’ve had a couple long days at the Ministry since the raid at Rowle Manor, so you need to rest up now.”
“Understood,” Harry said quickly before Susan could protest. She gave him an annoyed look, which he steadfastly ignored.
“Good,” Amelia replied. “Now, both of you head home. I still need to finalise some reports on what we brought back from Rowle Manor, and I need to go check St Mungo’s to see how the young girl we brought back is doing.”
“Has she said anything yet?” Susan asked.
Amelia shook her head. “Not a word. We just got back our blood test results on her: she’s not related to Euphemia Rowle. Rowle won’t give up who she is, and unless we get approval for the use of veritaserum from the Wizengamot, she won’t tell us unless we grant her total immunity to prosecution. We’re going to check her against the records we have of the Death Eaters we saw at Rowle Manor. Hopefully we’ll find a match in there.”
Harry’s mind flashed back to the moment he saw Bellatrix looking back in terror as his fiendfyre phoenix nearly crashed into the old woman, Euphemia Rowle, and the young girl. “You should check to see if she’s related to Bellatrix.”
“She’s on our list to check,” Amelia confirmed.
“What’s going to happen to her?” Susan asked.
“Well, if she has any surviving family who aren’t criminals, then she’ll end up with them,” Amelia explained. “Otherwise, she’ll become a ward of the state and enter foster care.”
Harry grimaced at that. Although the magical foster care system had improved after much public petitioning from him, it still wasn’t at the level it needed to be. Children like Teddy who had a werewolf parent were still discriminated against, and the Ministry was still too lax on checking up on the orphaned children.
“Let’s hope she has someone then,” Harry muttered.
“Enough of this,” Amelia sighed. “I need to have a quick rest before I get back to work, and the two of you need to get home to rest up too.”
After saying their goodbyes, Harry and Susan departed the meeting room and headed for the Atrium. It was late enough into the evening that most Ministry workers had gone home for the day, but there were still dozens of people milling about the Atrium as they talked with colleagues.
Harry and Susan had made it passed the checkpoint and were nearly at the fireplaces that would let them floo out when a voice called out.
“Oi, Potter!”
Out from the shadows beneath one of the alcoves lining the walls of the atrium came a snarling face on a man Harry loathed.
“Rhys Orpington,” Harry murmured. He subtly readied himself for battle if it came to it. His wand was in his holster, but a simple flick of wrist would have it in his hand in an instant.
The snarl on Rhys’s face looked too large for his gaunt face, like his lips were stretched impossibly wide. His skin seemed paler than it had just a few days ago at the Wizengamot session. He stormed up to them aggressively, so much so that even Susan took on a defensive stance and openly held her wand in her hand. She kept it at her side though, and Rhys barely spared it a glance.
“You think that you’re so brave leading a raid on a pure-blood manor?” Rhys snapped as he got right up in Harry’s face.
The tip of Susan’s wand was pressed against the man head in an instant, but that didn’t stop him from saying his piece.
“You and your idiot friends in the Ministry are making some big mistakes, and there are a lot of us who are ready to put a stop to the damage you’re doing to our society,” Rhys finished with a growl. His pale eyes held nothing but hatred in them for Harry.
“You and your Death Eater buddies, you mean?” Harry retorted calmly, despite how much he wished Rhys would attack him just so that Harry could take him down.
Rhys looked furious enough that Harry thought he was about to own up to Harry’s accusation, but he pulled back at the last minute and took a deep breath. The snarl on his lips was replaced by a sly smirk, like he knew something that Harry didn’t. It reminded Harry of the look he had on his face during the Wizengamot session, right before Cyrus and Nerys mysteriously escaped from their incarceration at the Ministry.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Rhys replied. “I’d tell you to watch your back, but it’s clear that you don’t even have the mettle to handle what’s right in front of you.”
Rhys held his arms open, like he was giving Harry a free shot. Harry didn’t rise to the bait.
After a moment, Rhys spat on the floor between them. “Figures,” he mumbled. “Always knew you were soft.”
“I’d suggest you leave now before you land yourself in trouble like Nerys did,” Susan said coldly.
Rhys sneered at her. “Be careful, Bones.”
“I always am,” Susan replied. “Now, leave.”
Turning on his heels, Rhys strode towards the nearest fireplace. With one backwards look that was filled with loathing, he activated the floo and disappeared.
“Bloody nutter,” Susan grumbled as soon as the man was gone. “He’s just trying to cause problems, isn’t he?”
“Trying and succeeding,” Harry sighed. “After seeing what the Wizengamot was like even before he was stirring up trouble there, I can’t imagine how bad it’s gotten in the days since.”
“We don’t need to worry about that right now,” Susan replied. “All we need to do is to focus on capturing Bellatrix and stopping the Death Eater attacks.”
Except, Harry thought to himself, he did need to worry about the Wizengamot. If he was going to make grand changes to the Ministry and British magical society as a whole, he needed to understand how the Wizengamot worked, how to manipulate them, and how to stay in their good graces. If they remained fractured like they were now, it could make Harry’s life much harder when he tried to climb the ranks of government. He needed to be bold when he made his claim to become the next Head Auror, and he’d only be able to get away with it if the people believed in him. Even defeating Voldemort wasn’t enough to outdo the years of negative press he’d received. Defeating the greatest threat to the magical world since Grindelwald just didn’t have the staying power in people’s minds to win him near-universal acclaim.
But this wasn’t the time to argue the point. He’d let Susan in on his plans after she’d been clever enough to figure a lot of them out on her own; she understood what his long-term goal were, but she was more focused on the immediate problem at hand.
Still, that didn’t mean that he was going to solely focus on this. If there was one witch who could help better understand the Wizengamot, it was Daphne.
“You’re right,” Harry acquiesced. “We should both go home and get some rest.”
“If you want to come round mine, we could have a cup of tea first,” Susan offered coyly. Her real intention was clear, but Harry had other plans in mind for now.
“Sorry,” Harry replied with a gentle smile. “But I’m feeling quite worn out. Maybe another time.”
“Sure,” Susan said with a smile that Harry knew wasn’t entirely genuine. “I guess I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Yeah, see you then,” Harry said.
He graciously let Susan take the floo first, and then he stepped into the fireplace himself.
“Greengrass Manor,” Harry called out before releasing the handful of floo powder.
He disappeared in a rush of flames before he was spat out in the Entry Hall of the manor. There was a quiet popping sound as Hobsy appeared.
“Lord Potter!” Hobsy exclaimed gleefully as she gave him a low bow.
“Hi, Hobsy,” Harry smiled kindly at her. “Could you tell Daphne that I’m here please?”
“Lady Greengrass is already aware of your presence,” Hobsy told him. “She asked that you wait for her in the east parlour and said that she’d be down shortly. I can show you the way there if you’d like.”
“Please,” Harry said, gesturing down the hall.
Hobsy guided Harry through the wide corridors. Harry remembered most of the manor from his first visit, though half of the names of the portraits and busts escaped his memory. It was only a short walk through the manor until they reached a cozy-looking room with bay windows overlooking the green rolling hills that stretched out for acres around the manor. Harry seated himself on one of the wide couches as Hobsy popped away with the promise that tea would arrive shortly.
Harry didn’t have to wait long for Daphne to arrive. She looked gorgeous as always in a blue and white sundress that clung to her figure perfectly. Her blond hair was tied up in a loose ponytail, and she had just the slightest hint of makeup gracing her delicate features.
“Harry,” Daphne beamed happily as she rushed to his side. He stood up to greet her, and she enveloped him in a gentle hug before she pulled back. “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine, thanks,” he replied with a grimace. “I’m guessing you’ve heard everything that went on by now?”
Daphne nodded her head. “Everyone in the Wizengamot loves to gossip, especially with the newest member, whom they’re trying to get to spill some of her own juicy secrets,” she laughed lightly. “It’s a silly game, and so many of them are terrible at it, but that just means that there’s more for me to gain.”
Well, if she’d heard everything, then there was no reason to play coy. “I’m sorry that I let Bellatrix get away,” he told her honestly. “But I promise, it won’t happen again.”
Daphne gazed at him with that same light-hearted expression she had on when she entered into the room, but Harry felt like she was staring into his soul, looking for any little crack in his armour that would make him crumble beneath her will. If he didn’t have firsthand experience with the spell, he’d have sworn that she was using legilimency to read his mind.
“It’s okay,” Daphne said after a moment’s deliberation. “I trust that you’ll hold up your end of the bargain. You’re not the type to lie about something like that.”
Harry sighed with relief. He’d been worried for a while after Bellatrix escaped his grasp that it’d cause problems with him and Daphne, but she proved herself to be far more understanding than he expected.
“Thank you for your trust,” he replied.
“We’re allies, Harry,” Daphne rolled her eyes like he’d just said something silly. “Close ones. If I didn’t have a fair amount of trust in you, then I’d have made a bad choice picking you.”
“A fair amount of trust? Not all of your trust?” Harry replied teasingly.
“If I put all my trust in you, I’d be a complete idiot,” Daphne retorted playfully. “The only one you can trust fully is yourself, and sometimes not even that much trust is warranted.”
There was a degree of logic there that made sense, but it made the world seem too dreary for Harry’s liking. Where would he have gotten without his friends along the way? He’d trusted Ron and Hermione with his life for years, and it’d only served him well.
Something on his face must have shown his discomfort with the idea because Daphne quickly changed the subject.
“Do you want to spend the night?” She offered. “I still haven’t had supper yet, and I was planning on having a relaxing night in.”
Harry didn’t need to think about it too hard. There was still more he wanted to talk to her about, and a relaxing night sounded just like what he needed. “That’d be lovely.”
“Great,” Daphne smiled. “Hobsy!”
Hobsy appeared, balancing a tray with a pot of tea and a couple of cups in one hand and a tray of biscuits in her other. “Yes, Lady Greengrass?”
“Harry will be joining me for supper tonight,” Daphne explained. “Please set a place for him at the table, and then leave us for a while. I’ll call on you again when we’re ready to eat.”
“Of course, my Lady,” Hobsy said respectfully as she deposited the trays on a nearby table before disappearing again.
“Why’d you send her away?” Harry asked.
Daphne gave him a sly smile. “You look exhausted, like you need a bit of relief. I didn’t think that Hobsy needed to stay around to watch that.” She dropped to her knees in front of him and placed her hands on his belt. She looked up at him with her big, beautiful, blue eyes. “I can’t leave you backed up like this.”
Harry shivered at the sight of this angel before him. She was so mind-bogglingly beautiful that it was impossible to resist her. “I suppose you can’t,” Harry replied.
“Good thing you showed up then,” Daphne said as she started to unzip his trousers. “I was getting a little bit peckish.”
Harry watched in amazement as Daphne took his entire flaccid shaft into her mouth in a single go. He wasn’t small by any means, even when he was flaccid, so to see her take his full length so smoothly was a little surprising, especially since he had been her first partner. Her red lipstick-covered lips formed an ‘O’ around the base of his shaft while her tongue swirled around his cock.
In seconds, Harry’s erection started to grow in Daphne’s mouth. The unbelievable warmth that was enveloping him helped to stimulate the flow of blood. Daphne opened her mouth wider and wider to accommodate for his growing size, but once the tip of his cock hit the back of her throat, she had to retreat back down his shaft.
She ended up with half of his cock still in her mouth by the time he was fully erect. Truthfully, Harry couldn’t even complain about that. The feeling of her mouth around him was unlike any other woman he’d ever experienced. There was just something about Daphne that lit this spark inside of him and made everything feel so much more intense. It was hard to quantify, but the effect was undeniable.
“Let your body relax,” Daphne murmured to him as she kissed the tip of his cock. “Why don’t you sit back down?”
That sounded just perfect. Harry walked backwards to his former seat on the couch slowly. He never expected Daphne Greengrass of all people to crawl on her knees while holding onto his cock, but here she was doing exactly that. Her brilliant smile never wavered as she kept pace with him.
Daphne gave the tip of his cock one last kiss as she climbed onto the couch beside Harry. She stretched out across it with her legs dangling over the far armrest and her head resting against his thigh. After making sure he was watching her, she lewdly stuck out her tongue and licked all the way up his shaft.
“You can touch me if you want,” she told him as her free hand reached down to the hem of her sundress. She flicked the material up, revealing her perfectly-shaped arse and the tiny thong that disappeared between her cheeks. “But this is all about you, so don’t—”
Harry interrupted her by happily groping her arse. “Merlin,” he groaned. “How did you end up with such a perfect arse?”
“Good genetics,” Daphne suggested. “And regular exercise.”
“It’s a work of art.”
“You’re free to stare at it all you want.”
“I intend to.”
Daphne popped Harry’s cock back into her mouth and sucked hard on him as he squeezed her arse in his hand. He loved how perfectly jiggly it was as he playfully smacked it. Daphne wiggled her arse, enticing another smack from Harry’s hand.
It surprised Harry to see how happy Daphne seemed to be to let him have all the pleasure. She was getting more confident in taking more of his shaft into her mouth. Her head bobbed up and down freely while her lips provided a tight seal around his shaft, allowing her to suck hard on him.
Feeling a little guilty, Harry’s hand moved from her arse cheek down to between her thighs. He could feel the wetness of her thong-covered pussy through the thin fabric, and it was even more noticeable as he pushed the material aside.
Daphne parted her legs a bit more to give him more access to her core. Harry pushed two fingers inside of her tight, wet pussy while his thumb circled her clit. Her walls clamped down on him, but that didn’t stop him from finding that perfect sweet spot inside of her that would make her—
Daphne suddenly cried out around his cock. Her face screwed up in a look of pleasure as he applied a fair amount of pressure to her clit and g-spot simultaneously. Her mouth vibrated around his cock as she practically purred at the delicious feeling shooting inside of her.
Harry only stopped his ministrations briefly to give Daphne a chance to catch her breath and refocus, but he kept his fingers inside of her pussy as she went back to sucking on his cock with as much vigour as possible. She slipped one of her hands inside of his pants and started fondling his balls as she pushed her lips further and further down his shaft.
This time when Harry’s cock hit the back of Daphne’s throat, she didn’t pull back. She held still for a minute, adjusting the to the new sensation, before she sank lower onto him.
All of Harry’s nerves were on fire as Daphne took his entire length into her mouth and throat. With his free hand, he ran his fingers through her hair as he let out a satisfied moan of pleasure.
“That’s it,” he sighed happily.
Daphne held herself in place for several seconds before she worked her way back up his shaft. “I had to figure out some way to reward you,” she grinned. “After all, you’re mine now.”
The possessiveness in her tone made a tingle run down Harry’s spine. He liked the fire in her eyes as she made her declaration.
“And you’re all mine,” Harry replied as he pressed down on her clit.
Daphne moaned and quickly took his cock back into her mouth. She was bobbing her head up and down like a pro, and it felt like her tongue was determined to touch every inch of his skin. Harry kept applying pressure to her sensitive points and intermittently pumping his fingers in out of her pussy, but he was finding it harder to keep up a consistent pace as he grew closer to the edge.
Daphne must have sensed it too because she started deepthroating him again. She gagged around his cock but didn’t stop even for a second.
Harry grabbed a fistful of Daphne’s hair and groaned when his release hit. He held Daphne’s head in a place as he fired a torrent of cum straight down her throat and into her belly. Daphne kept her lips sealed around his shaft and kept lightly fondling his balls as he released every drop of seed he had to offer her.
All of the built-up tension left Harry’s body with his orgasm. He sagged back into the chair and felt himself truly relax for the first time in days.
Daphne slowly extracted Harry’s cock from her mouth, put it away, zipped his trousers back up, and sat up beside him. She pulled out her wand and cast a quick cleaning charm on her mouth before she snuggled up against his side and planted a kiss on his cheek.
“You look like you needed that,” she said with no small amount of amusement.
“I did,” Harry smiled at her. He wrapped an arm around her waist and squeezed her. “Thank you.”
“I always like to have an appetiser before supper,” she winked at him. “Speaking of which, I’m quite comfortable where I am here. Do you want me to ask Mimsy to bring up supper here?”
How did she know just the right thing to suggest?
The look on his face must have given it away because Daphne leaned in and kissed him again.
