#rufus scrimgeour

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

do you have heretical thoughts on Rufus Scrimgeour? feel like he got a bit of a bad rap. dumbledore kinda biased harry against him immediately and then he apparently died under torture to protect him. but id love 2 know what u think.

Well, I don't know what people think, so I can't promise how spicy it is.

As it is, I feel much the same way you describe.

He's a minister official who we just see doing his job, and while a bit curt in how pragmatic he is (making it clear to Harry that he should interview for the good of the morale of the nation) his reasoning isn't wrong nor are the consequences of not doing it. He tries his best and it's telling he's killed off because of it, he couldn't be left to his devices as Voldemort needed an incompetent patsy in charge and Scrimgeour wasn't it.

To me, Scrimgeour's the guy who's very by the law, an honest politician and cop, but also someone who's not afraid to be extremely unpopular to do what he believes must be done. And someone who's not afraid to die horribly in humiliation either for that matter.

Harry's antagonism towards him is not very surprising and I can't condemn him for it because a) he's seventeen b) he had a shit time with Fudge the previous year and now fucking Scrimgeour wants him to pretend to support the government "for the people" c) as you note he's completely biased against the man by Dumbledore earlier in the book and for Harry everything at that time is framed as "them vs. Dumbledore". This is a boy who proudly retorts "That's right, I am Dumbledore's man" and doesn't realize that's not something he should be proudly stating like that/that Scrimgeour's insult in that wasn't just about Harry being loyal to Dumbledore.

If Scrimgeour gets a bad rap by fandom, it's because Harry's pull as the narrator is so strong that it's extremely easy to fall into his point of view without question.

[potterwatchsblog]

People like to speculate on what the series might have been like if Neville was "The Chosen One" instead of Harry.

Well, he was.

Harry was chosen by Lord Voldemort for their own private war.

But by taking away his parents, Bellatrix and the other Death Eaters chose Neville to fight them.

While Harry was off fighting Lord Voldemort with no one to protect or think about except Ron and Hermione, Neville was battling for the soul of Hogwarts with the entire student body as potential collateral damage.

While Harry was alone in the forest, Neville was at Hogwarts fighting the Death Eaters with Dumbledore's Army, the Order of the Phoenix, and the remnants of their families to worry about.

Note:- Harry was chosen for a solo mission. Neville was chosen to lead an army. ❤️

Tag All The Harry Potter Fans ❤️

[percyposting]

I think a lot about the Ministry and how it works as such a psychological horror. To me at least. When I think about it through Percy’s eyes during the war, it’s definitely horror. With murderers running the departments, people going missing everyday, thousands of arrests being made in such a short amount of time. The fear of it hanging over his head, that one misstep might land him in Azkaban. Maybe people he worked closely with would go missing and he’d just have to move on.

I also think about what it’s like for him to be so close to the Ministers, specifically Scrimgeour and Thicknesse. I find those two very interesting as characters. Scrimgeour is a hypocrite, and he’s not even a very good Minister, but he does die for the good of the people, for Harry and for Dumbledore’s cause. I like to imagine what it was like for Percy to work for him. To know him, then one day he “disappears” and then the next day there’s a new man at the head, Pius, who Percy is just suddenly working for as well. I’ve always found it interesting that each Minister kept Percy on. I know both Fudge and Scrimgeour did it to spy on the Weasleys and possibly Dumbledore and Harry by connection, which was always so futile and silly and showed how desperate they both were because Percy wouldn’t even speak a word of for to his family. But they kept him for that purpose. But then he’s kept with Thicknesse as well. Is this to keep spying? Or is it not to raise suspicion about their silent coup? I don’t think it’s either of these because I firstly, the Death Eaters had different means of spying on the Weasleys. They would track their every move. They didn’t need him. So this is an obvious no to me. And in regard to keeping suspicions low, I feel there’s nothing suspicious about changing staff for a new head of government. It’s normal, even for wizards, I’m sure.

So then why was he kept on? I honestly don’t know. Maybe I’m bad at analyzing this, but some reasons I can think of would be a way to trap him without imprisoning him. They keep him stuck under an imperiused Minister and keep an eye on him. Maybe they’re waiting for him to slip up.

I don’t believe for a second the idea they keep him on because they see any actual value in him. Even if Percy denounced his family on every level, they would still see him as a blood traitor and a Weasley. I don’t think that he’d be the exception when it comes to their suspicion about the Weasleys. One of the biggest flaws the Death Eaters/blood purists have is that they assign a label to those they deem lesser then never view them as anything other than that label. Percy is a Weasley, and to be a Weasley is to be a blood traitor. No amount of personal denouncing will change that, in my opinion! So I don’t think they keep him on because they feel he’s chill, or something. I think it’s more of a, we keep you here, we keep an eye on you, kind of thing. They put him in the perfect position to be tracked and studied and they wait for him to slip up so they can imprison him as a traitor.

That leads me back to the whole psychological horror element. All of this feels like horror to me. Percy talks about trying to avoid imprisonment at the end of Deathly Hallows but I feel the truth is he was imprisoned. In the Ministry. I can’t imagine what it was like to serve under a Minister you must know is being controlled — I always liked and subscribed to the idea that Percy knew Thicknesse wasn’t himself. Does this make sense in terms of how he acts towards him at the end of Deathly Hallows? No! But I believe it anyway.

After all this thinking, it makes sense for one to come to the conclusion that Percy would never return to the Ministry again. There will always be something haunted about it to him. After Scrimgeour, especially. All it would be is a graveyard.

[saintsenara]

Harry x Rufus Scrimgeour? Maybe Harry's willing to engage in Ministry propaganda just a bit. If the price is right of course 👀👀

scrimgeour was clearly hitting on harry when he came to the burrow - all that yapping about how much he's wanted to meet him, all those hints about how dumbledore's too protective of him and he can do better, all those offers to give him an out-of-hours tour of the auror office - but his plan failed because harry james potter [a man whose response to seeing ginny half dead with a man who was sixteen in 1943 standing over her is "tom riddle, thank god you're here, picking up my wand for me like an absolute legend"] is about as capable of understanding subtext as the average piece of cardboard.

[orion-lake]

Harry Potter Rewatch | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt1

“ We won’t last two days with out her. Don’t tell her I said that.”

[starsofjewels]

HPQD: Pets

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This has been in my drafts for a hot minute, and I feel like it's time to have the second installment of the HPQD series before I start writing smut pieces 🤭. Enjoy xx

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Content: Language (Fenrir)

Barty Crouch (Sr)- Cat:

Contrary to popular belief, Barty will melt if you adopt an animal together. He grew up with dogs, as any good pureblood heir should, and a variety of kitchen cats and their numerous kittens. The moment you bring up wanting a pet he’ll scoff, and tell you he wants something that will be useful, and not simply another waste of food; an owl, perhaps, something bred to work. Of course, that’s not to say he won’t come with you to the pet shop, and the animal rescues, so that you don’t “make a foolish decision”. That is until the two of you come across a little kitten on one of your many trips to professional breeders. A perfect, grey little thing with darker stripes on her, the domestic tiger Barty would tell the breeder, who didn’t find it particularly funny. You have to take this cat home, you insist you do, and Barty agrees, more than happy to bring home his fluffy, weak little grey tiger. He spends countless amounts of money on this cat before it even sets foot in your house: the best, softest cat beds, the most expensive food and drink bowls, and luxury pet food that you are certain costs more than your trips to the market. It makes him happy, though, and you cannot deny him the pleasure of cradling the kitten in a towel and setting her down in your living room to explore your home, treating the thing as he would his own, human, child. You name the creature Lily (as in the tiger lily flower). Barty thinks he’s being quite clever, you say nothing. Lily, in true cat fashion, is not particularly stable in her showing of affection. She prefers you, but that may be because Barty’s office is quite cold, and he never lights the fireplace. Still, upon occasion Lily makes her rounds around the house, and you hear Barty talking to her as though she both understands and cares what he is saying. The cat, as it turns out, is a terrifyingly good mouser, and has even managed to snatch up a rat on occasion; you will never tell Barty how funny it is when he shrieks, finding a mouse running wild in his office, shrieking out for dear life.

Oh, Merlin! Darling, darling, come quick- There’s a mouse in the office! No, no I am not afraid of it, thank you, but I have work to do- And they carry all sorts of diseases. Can’t you teach Lily to leave them outside?

Fenrir Greyback- Tortoise:

The problem with Fenrir and certain animals is- well- wolves are natural predators. Cats? He will bark at it, make no mistake. Rabbits? Hamsters? Birds? You have about a day to bond with your precious pet, before it becomes nothing more than memories, feathers and fur. You suggest a dog, a new addition to his pack, he stares at you, half-offended: 

I’m a wolf! That’s essentially slavery, I can’t own a dog!

And so, you are left with limited options, and very little hope that you will ever find the pet of your dreams, much less something fluffy and cuddly. Fenrir attempts to fulfil your demands- Letting you snuggle him in his werewolf-y form. But he’s not always a wolf, and there’s a certain level of unnerving sentience when he looks at you, and licks you in some animal form of a kiss. By chance, one day at the office, you somehow end up in a conversation about one of your coworkers’ new tortoise, bought as a birthday present for her son. Just as you begin to question who would give a seven-year-old a rock with legs, you realise that a tortoise might just be the perfect animal for Fenrir, it comes with its own helmet, designed to keep it safe from predators. Your search for a tortoise ends in the local reptile shop, when you discover one no larger than your hand available for rehoming; a rescue tortoise, if you will. The operation to install a terrarium in your shed requires the assistance of a few of Fenrir’s Death Eater acquaintances, who teach you how to arrange the enchanted self-heating stones, and how you should properly assist the tortoise when it hibernates.

It takes Fenrir three full weeks of working in the shed to realise that his new companion lives there, and he freaks, like a child discovering a spider. He relaxes, eventually, in mild discontent that the reptile is taking over his space. He names him Lazy Fuck, but you call him Timmy. You can’t tell your new reptile-enthusiast friends the poor thing has such a name, after all.

God, does it do anything? All it does is sit around and eat that lettuce, lazy fucker- I have a name for him, Lazy Fuck! It suits him, doesn’t it? Well… you can call him Timmy, I’m calling him Lazy Fuck. 

Rufus Scrimgeour- Hunting Hounds:

Rufus is a little more serious when it comes to animals. He is a rather busy man, and his duties as Minister are much more important than taking care of a pet. After all, it wouldn’t be fair to leave the poor thing alone all day, and who knows how many nights, whilst you attend galas and dinners, and all of the perks that come with being the Minister’s little companion. You beg him for a dog, looking into doggy daycares close to the Ministry. A dog would need to be cared for whilst you are away, after all.He asks why you can’t just have a cat, or something small, and you give some vague response. 

Rufus caves solely on envy. 

He takes a weekend in the north, hunting, where one of his friends is accompanied by a small group of beagles. Because of those dogs Rufus does not win the competition they hold every hunt, and decides he must have his own pack of, much better, hounds. He gets himself a group of English pointers, which come in different, distinguishing colours, so he can tell them apart. More than likely, they all have classical names, from mythology, which he assures you are very well thought out- Think Marcus and Minerva, for the Roman gods of war and victory respectively. The house comes with ample space for the pointers to run about in the mornings and evenings, and upon disturbingly close inspection he eventually settles for a “luxury” dog care facility, the same one copious other ministers use for their own pedigree dogs. Rufus is rather happy with these dogs, but he quickly realises that it was you who begged for an animal, and he is not one to deny you. He comes home one day with a little, long haired dachshund, dressed up with a bandana in your favourite colour, and those tiny shoes rich people tend to buy for their dogs, named Frank Furter, of course. He will give in to the sausage puns, as long as they remain reasonably discreet, and you never tell people the dachshund has a surname. Frank stays with you in the house when Rufus goes out for his trips, running up to you with the prey his powerful siblings bring as though he helped.

I know you were upset the pointers are for my hunting, so I brought you a present. Look, don’t you love his little legs? He’s cute, isn’t he? Just like you, my love- here, I’ll put him down for you, why don’t you get to know each other?

Lord Voldemort- Guinea Pigs:

The Dark Lord’s household is cursed by snakes. He speaks to them in the darkness, large and small, and they come to him, as requested. They never hiss or bite in any way untoward, but you still find them everywhere. And it is not fair. He can call for serpents at any time, and yet you still have no pet to call your own. Nagini is long gone, returned to the ancient jungles, and mother to a clutch of snakes almost as large as she. He has his own history with animals, and not a pleasant one. As sure as you are that Lord Voldemort has matured from his days as the orphan, pre-magical Tom Riddle, something leaves you unsure. There is something odd about his behaviour, as he coos at the grass snakes who appear in the garden, and sneak into the warmth of your kitchen over the winter. Enough is enough, you deserve a pet too. 

Your home has ample outbuildings you can use to your heart’s content. He has no reason for them but simple storage, and merely batting your eyelashes and asking for one for your personal use will get you exactly what you’d like.

And you would like pets.

The Dark Lord puts his head to the table and groans when you ask him for animals. Eventually, he hands you pamphlets and brochures for all of the best Guinea pig breeders in the country. You may find it strange, but he has his reasons: Hamsters are irritating and die in odd ways, cats and dogs require too much attention, and he will not let you disgrace the name of serpents by trying to put one around your neck and wearing it as a statement piece to freak out Lucius Malfoy.

You get two female Guinea pigs- One black and white, the other brown and white, with fluffy hair you could brush if you so wanted to. They are named Lolli and Pop, and you will never explain why your new animal friends have such odd names; you just think it’s funny, but you pretend there is some deep-seated meaning as to why. 

The Death Eaters find it hilarious that the Dark Lord owns a pair of Guinea pigs, and even more hilarious when you begin fashioning tiny robes for your pets, complete with a selection of hats. He doesn’t particularly mind, not now that his followers have made it a point to give him Guinea pig-related items as opposed to candles and jewels. He has saved a small fortune on food and toys for your pets, after all.

Ugh- Another luxury grooming set from the Rookwoods. Is this amusing because of your little rats, or because I am hairless? Both? I thought as much. Put this with the others, and be thankful the money you are saving me on products for those infernal beasts is greater than a little childhood teasing. They said thank you? They cannot talk, dear.

Igor Karkaroff- Class Fish:

Igor despises all animals. He will accept no debate or argument on this. He hates them. There is no heartwarming moment when you bring him a stray dog and he falls in love with it, or an orphaned owlet you raise together- No animals. Full stop. You have very little options, as he will find a pet in your home in a matter of hours, and have you send it back from whence it came. But, you realise, he has no power over your classroom or your office. He may be High Master, but your rooms are yours to decorate as you see fit, and you want an animal. It doesn’t take very long to decide on either a reptile or something aquatic- Small rodents are noisy, and not much fun to play with during the day, anything too big is off limits completely. You think of a bunny rabbit, but it would be cruel to keep the poor thing in a tiny cage, when it should be out roaming the grass. It comes down to the popular vote of your upper classes, who all decide you should have an aquarium. Fish are more relaxing to look at, apparently. Working in a school with students whose pocket money amounts to more than your entire yearly salary comes in quite handy for acquiring an aquarium, an impulsive purchase from a boy’s mother, brought to you from years in their cellar, and very quickly you begin to amass a collection of items for said fish: live plants, gravel and even the fish itself. One of your juniors brings you a beautiful, red and pink betta fish in a little bag, and you are more than happy to take him in. Igor knows you’re up to something, now that you’ve barred him from entering your classroom, and have sworn all of your students to complete secrecy. He won’t ask, he assumes you’re having a moment, and are doing something odd- His current bet is painting your classroom orange.  

Although you are a little sad that your betta fish cannot live with any fishy friends, you understand that the creature will probably turn violent, and you cannot handle the possibility of explaining a fish massacre to a collection of twelve-year-olds.

The name of your new pet is put up to vote, again, and they decide, in shockingly agreeable fashion, that  it will be called Igor Sharkaroff, one of your personal favourite name options, and the one you voted for. 

Igor, unable to handle the mystery any longer, forces himself into your classroom, only to be met with his namesake fish. He rolls his eyes, tuts to you in words you know are swears and leaves, never to speak of the fish again. 

Until he finds out you've named it after him. 

Yes, I know I told you the classroom was yours to decorate, but I did not mean this! Ugh- No, the name is not funny, it’s a disgrace... Alright, it is a little bit funny, but I am not burying that thing when it dies. What do you mean, fish funeral?

[hxuse-xf-black]

[A mission went wrong and Tonks has to explain herself to Scrimgeour] Tonks: The risk I took was calculated. Tonks: But man, am I bad at math.

[tascha-schwarz]

I've been thinking about writing a detective story about the Aurors' everyday life, but ended up with some Mad-Eye one shot ideas, which contain zero detective and a tone of fluff and stuff. I'm not sure if I'll ever get to editing them for being published.

Also, I made a couple of Moody moodboards some time ago, which I'll probably share in the nearest future.

[ashesandhackles]

For @hprecfest Day 1: A favorite fic under 5k words

A wilder beast from West than all were by eldritcher

Mature. Rufus Scrimgeour/Andromeda Black Tonks

This fic has me in a chokehold and I will take every opportunity to rec it. Myth of Andromeda breakdown, social commentary and everything else in this restrained, beautiful prose.

Summary:

Scrimgeour investigates the myth of Andromeda.

2. The Snow Child by @saintsenara

Merope Gaunt/ Tom Riddle Snr.

My first introduction to Asenora was this fantastic (and vastly underrated among her work) folklore horror!

Summary:

Once upon a time, there was a girl who wished for a child with hair as black as a raven's wing, and skin as white as snow, and eyes as red as blood.

3. Runaway Boys by Delphi

Delightfully surreal and strange fic of Snape experiencing his puberty, with characters from Peter Pan.

Summary:

Severus dreams of pirates, and Lily closes the nursery window.

4. Entracte by @shes-a-gryffindor

Sirius' visit to Godric Hollow the night Lily and James died - the prose is so masterful with building tension, and how it seamlessly moves from Sirius' anxiety, to shock to grief and to rage.

Summary:

Sirius Black visits Godric's Hollow for the last time.

[rampanttheories]

On the Order of the Phoenix

At some point in time between the third task in GoF and Harry getting picked up during the summer the Order of the Phoenix was called back into existence and subsequently moved into Grimmauld Place.

Presumably, Dumbledore vouched for Sirius' innocence around that time as otherwise I doubt Molly Weasley would allow her children in that place and Sirius would probably get attacked by three competent aurors at varying stages of their careers.

Speaking of which:

Three competent aurors with a drive to do good (as evident in their joining a militia against Riddle) learned of Sirius' innocence and wrongful incarceration. And not one of them did anything about the gross miscarriage of justice under their noses. Which sounds off to me.

We have a very young auror at the beginning of her career and a blood relation to Sirius, so overall with very limited influence on the topic in Tonks. A retired auror known to be close with Dumbledore, who is subject to a smear campaign at that point, and a known paranoid bastard in Mad-Eye Moody. And an auror established in his career in Kingsley Shaklebolt. In my eyes the most likely candidate to attempt something.

From what we see of Kingsley he is well respected in the Ministry and regarded by the Minister himself. Fudge brings him along to try and arrest Dumbledore later in the year which speaks to a certain level of social and political aptitute. Additional evidence in this direction are Kingsley being appointed magical bodyguard to the muggle PM during Scrimgeour's term and Kingsley's own election to Minister of Magic following the Battle of Hogwarts. So we can assume him to be well-connected and able to raise topics at opportune moments in a way accessible to his audience.

The Ministry at this point in time is having an awful time and has been for pretty exactly two years. Starting with Sirius' escape, which rattled faith in Azkaban, the dementors and the aurors specifically who failed to re-apprehend him. Continuing with the repeated issues with the dementors at Hogwarts. Continuing on further with the embarassment of the Quidditch World Cup being overrun by deatheaters. And finally, most recently, the desaster the Triwizard Tournament ended up being with the UK having two champions, audience-unfriendly tasks, a judge disappearing, a champion dying and finally the claims the magical world's latest terrorist was returning from the presumed dead. And of course, the initial escapee was still on the run. The Ministry was scrambling to at least appear in control of everything, both domestically and internationally. Hence the attempts to discredit Dumbledore and Harry as the other regional public figures and seize control over Hogwarts.

Kingsley could absolutely go up to the ambitious Scrimgeour, I doubt his aspirations were unknown, and suggest building a small task force to catch Sirius Black. After all, the Ministry and especially the Aurors needed a win in the public eye and with all the other things going on Black wouldn't expect it. So if he could maybe have access to all files pertaining Black? The potential for Fudge becoming the scapegoat for all the recent troubles and Scrimgeour emerging as a new and trusted leader based on achievements remains unsaid yet is understood by all.

Potentially Scrimgeour takes the idea and runs with it himself. After all, the Ministry is adamant about aurors not being actively needed at the moment, he has the time. And he reads every single document on the case Black. Including any trial records and evidence filed. Which is astonishingly little.

Concerningly little.

Promisingly little.

Especially since Fudge was personally involved in the case and has been publicly bragging about it (see PoA in the Three Broomsticks). So it would very naturally reflect badly especially on Fudge and his administration if Black's guilt were to be re-exmined. And Scrimgeour himself would not only be a fresh face, but one righting the wrongs of his predecessors. With the support of a notorious house if the only surviving bearer of the name Black owed him a favour. It would also neatly subvert the issue called Potter. He'd probably be very busy getting acclimated to a new godfather if custody was transferred from that muggle family. Fewer claims of a second coming of that bloody bastard. All the better. Smear campaigns against children were never a good look on anyone. Now to get that innocence established, weren't there statements Fudge ignored last year...

Kingsley is very happy to stand back and watch self-interest get the right thing done. Scrimgeour would remember who gave him the idea and the Order would gain a powerful supporter and fighter. Wins across the board in his book.

TL;DR: Kingsley not doing something about Sirius' innocence is bullshit. Especially not when at that point everybody was ready to see Fudge go and establishing Sirius as innocent would be a perfect thing for him to fall over. Political intrigue accidentally fixing problems ensues

[grumpymartyrs]

I always hated it how the movies treated minor characters, particularly Rufus Scrimgeour who was erased from "The Half-Blood Prince" and whose role was basically reduced to bringing Dumbledore's will to the Trio.

I especially hated it how they didn't even mention his heroic death. Until today.

I may be imagining things (I most certainly am imagining things), but if you look at the dark times speech scene, there is this tiny moment right at the end of it

showing Scrimgeour standing alone in the Atrium

facing the crowd of reporters

with their cameras clicking loudly and all those flashlights that resemble... spells?

Could this be an allusion to the Fall of Ministry? I doubt very much that it was intentional but you know what

now I'm going to see it as one.

[fanaticforlife]

Victoria & Melbourne - Goodbye, Lord M

"And you can have music, whenever you want."

[ihsnamih]

[moreduckspron]

нарисовал Руфуса Скримджера (лучшего деда) нельзя так взять и не порадовать себя новой заставкой для телефона (да поза с фотки)

[saintsenara]

so here for scrimgeour investigating kingsley enemies to enemies who are lovers arc. but also what if Scrimgeour wasn't even sus? what if he was just trying to make conversation with Kingsley bc he wanted to ask him out and is really awkward about it so he keeps asking random things about the investigation . Kingsley is like 'he's obviously on to me' and is sweating bullets. especially with he keeps running into the man everywhere. meanwhile scrimgeour is convinced he's in a romcom

write this.

[braveclementine]

Chapter 3

Warnings: None. However, future chapters will contain sexual content so readers that are under the age of 18 may have to skip those chapters (Please keep note of the warnings).

Copyright: I do not own any Wizarding World characters that J.K. Rowling wrote. I do however own Elizabeth Kane (main character) and Trang Nyguen (best friend). There should be no use of these two names without my permission. I also do not condone any copying of this.

🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

Uncle Moody's funeral was only a day later since the wedding was also very close. I didn't go down with the crowd, instead watching from the bedroom window, holding Remus in my arms. 

I would've gone down, except I had a strange, almost psychopathic response when I got around people who were crying in a depressed atmosphere. I always started to laugh and I hated it. Especially since I loved Uncle Moody so much, it felt disrespectful. So I had stayed inside to avoid it. 

Dad came in later and told me that Uncle Moody had left his house to me in his will since I was the closest thing to a relative that he had. That sent me over the edge with the tears I had been trying so hard to keep in. 

Sirius had left me a house. Uncle Moody too. I already knew that it was in Dads' will too. Severus might've as well, if he had a will. 

And I would give all of it up to have them alive. 

🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

The days leading up to the wedding were full of work, getting the house ready for the Delacour family. Trang and I mostly worked together around the house after Mrs. Weasley discovered that we weren't going with the other three. But Harry, Hermione, and Ron on the other hand were kept separated at every possible moment. 

There was a lot of Order members coming in, which was always nice because I enjoyed seeing Kingsley. The others I didn't care all that much about. 

Dad and Tonks weren't staying at the Burrow like I was, because they had agreed it was safer for me here and I couldn't apparate every day with Remus. You weren't really supposed to apparate with young children and he wasn't even six months old yet. 

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were all rather in a bad mood when Mr. Weasley set off to go and fetch the Delacour's. Trang was only slightly annoyed and I was mildly annoyed. I liked house work for the most part, but my fingers were hurting from the scrubbing I'd done. 

"Yeesh, I almost wish I was going with them." Trang complained under her breath. "What are we-" 

But she didn't get to finish her question as an unnatural laugh rose on the air. I shuddered a little, shaking my shoulders, even though I knew it was just Mr. Weasley. 

"Maman!" Fleur ran forwards to embrace the adults. "Papa!" 

Madame Delacour was a beautiful woman with long blond hair, wearing leaf-green robes. Mr. Weasley was laughing at whatever she had been saying. 

Monsieur Delacour was not handsome, but made up for his looks with his good nature. He came up to Mrs. Weasley, kissed her twice on both cheeks. "You 'ave been to much trouble." He said in a smooth, deep voice as Mrs. Weasley flushed, "Fleur tells us you 'ave been working very 'ard." 

"Oh it's been nothing, nothing! No trouble at all!" Mrs. Weasley flushed. 

"Dear Lady! We are most honored at the approaching union of our two families! Let me present my wife, Apolline." 

His wife glided forward, kissing Mrs. Weasleys cheeks too, which started setting of Trang's giggling. She bit on her palm to make it look like she was just hiding a yawn. 

"Enchantee, Your 'usband 'as been telling us such amusing stories!" 

Mr. Weasleys' maniacal laugh set off my own struggles not to laugh. And after Mrs. Weasley threw him a look, he set his face gravely, like he was standing by the sickbed of a dear friend. I bit hard on my bottom lip while Trangs' giggles started to become more audible. 

"And, of course, you 'ave met my leetle daughter, Gabrielle!" 

Gabrielle looked exactly like Fleur and batted her lashes at Harry while hugging Mrs. Weasley. Ginny cleared her throat loudly and Trang started to cackle, ducking back into the house to hide. 

I snickered, following. Trang was cackling and I shook my head, amused. "Grow up Trang. Yeesh, you'd think Gabrielle would realize the age gap is to large." 

That set Trang off again until she managed to say with a grin, "And what was the years between you and Sevy?" 

I flushed. "Shut up." 

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Waking up on my birthday felt weird. I had never been good at following the no magic rule, especially when I was in a wizarding house where the Ministry couldn't register the difference between normal and underage magic. But knowing that I could freely use magic wherever, whenever I wanted was strange. 

"Happy Birthday." Trang said as I sat up. She was already up and dressed, pushing over a present. 

"Thanks Trang." I grinned, picking up her package. It contained two art journals. One was leather bound and about the size of an average book. Complete with a book mark and a strap to keep it together. The other art journal was pocket sized, meant for smaller sketches. She had also paired it with a new pencil set with different graphite darkness. 

"This is great." I grinned at her. 

"Well, I thought you'd like it." Trang smirked. "Anyways, I can smell the bacon from here. Let's go." 

Downstairs, I found that Mr and Mrs. Weasley had gotten me a gift, which was a small necklace that they were handing down to me. I nearly cried. 

The Delacours had gotten me roses and chocolates. Hermione had gotten me The Subtle Knife, the second book in the Golden Compass series; The Shining, Cujo, and Doctor sleep which were Stephen King books. 

Ron had gotten me Sugar quills. Fred had sent me charms to add to my bracelet. 

I handed Harry my present for him. It was a journal, not unlike the journal Trang had given me. I had filled half of it with notes about Voldemort, curses, jinxes, offensive and defensive spells. I had drawn wild plants and labelled which ones were safe to eat and which ones were not. I had drawn the Horcruxes in it, though I had also written a note that he should memorize them and then burn the pages in case it fell into the wrong hands. 

Half of it was also empty, just in case he wanted to write in it himself. 

Later, when Dad and Tonks showed up, Dad gave me a watch. It had a purple band and the outline of the face was purple, though pearl coloured inside. "It was your mothers." He murmured in undertone. 

"Thank you dad." I murmured, already putting the watch on as tears pricked my eyes. Tonks pulled me into a tight hug. It was really only then that I noticed dad seemed stressed, because Tonks was beaming with happiness. 

I already knew, of course, that dad was feeling very uncertain about the baby in Tonks stomach. I knew that he would run after some time, but Harry would rebuke him and he would go back. Since it worked so well, I wasn't going to interfere. 

Hagrid gave me a journal that was not unlike the one that I had given Harry. Inside were watercolour drawings of all sorts of magical creatures, with paragraphs about them. But the other half of the book was empty for my own drawings and notes. 

Harry and I were sharing a cake, which Mrs. Weasley had baked and made. It was the size of a beach ball and was in the shape of a golden snitch. Half of it was vanilla and the other half was chocolate. There were actually 34 candles on the cake, seventeen of them being red and the other seventeen were purple. 

It was the first birthday that I had really shared with Harry. Truly. I wondered if Mrs. Weasley had her suspicions- as Hagrid and McGonagall and Dumbledore had- that we were truly siblings. It was like the adults that I knew, knew that we were, but no one said anything. 

I wished Kingsley could've been here, I'd asked him if he could come. But the Muggle Prime Minister was definitely more important. 

Charlie and Hagrid were talking as I made my way to sit down between Dad and Trang. Trang was listening in attentively to the discussion about Norbert, pardon- Norberta . 

"They're a lot more vicious." Charlie was saying, before looking over his shoulder and muttering, "Wish Dad would hurry up and get here. Mum's getting edgy." 

"He's been held up by Scrimgeour." I explained, setting Remus down in my lap. Dad tensed next to me at the name. "The Minister will be coming. And you don't have to leave Dad, there's nothing to worry about when he comes here." 

The Ministry was very anti-werewolf at the moment. Partly on the Death Eater side since they were half-breeds and not considered pure-blood wizards. Partly on the Ministry side because of Greyback and also the long prejudice against them. 

Mrs. Weasley hadn't heard me as she came back over saying, "I think we'd better start without Arthur. He must have been held up at- oh!" 

 The Patronus of Mr. Weasley, which happened to be a weasel, stood on its hind legs as it ran across the garden and then stood at the table. "Minister of Magic coming with me." 

Dad became fidgety, but I squeezed his hand in reassurance and he stayed where he was. The Minister and Mr. Weasley appeared very soon after it. Scrimgeour looked much older and I felt a stab of pity. I might not like the man, but he was better than Fudge and I had seen his future. He was a good man at heart, truly. 

"Sorry to intrude. Especially as I can see that I am gate-crashing a party. Many happy returns." 

"Thanks." Harry and I said together as he looked at both of us. Now, I was wondering if he too was seeing me as Harry's sister. Then I realized that I didn't really care. 

"I require a private word with the both of you. Also with Mr. Ronald Weasley and Miss Hermione Granger." 

"Us? Why us?" Ron asked. 

"I shall tell you that when we are somewhere more private. Is there such a place?" 

I got up, handing Remus over to Tonks and patted Trang on the shoulder as I walked into the house first. "This way, Minister." 

I moved through the house to the living room, perching on the arm of the sofa while Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat on it. 

"I have some questions for the four of you, and I think it will be bets if we do it individually. If you three-" He pointed at Harry, Hermione, and I, "can wait upstairs, I will start with Ronald." 

"We're not going anywhere. You can speak to us together, or not at all." Harry decided. 

"Very well then, together. I am here, as I'm sure you know, because of Albus Dumbledore's will." 

I kept my face stoic, only slightly surprised. Not about the will, but the fact that I had been included in it. Though, perhaps I shouldn't have been surprised. 

"A surprise, apparently! You were not aware then that Dumbledore had left you anything?" 

"A-all of us? Me and Hermione too?" Ron asked. 

"Yes, all of-" 

"Dumbledore died over a month ago. Why has it taken this long to give us what he left us?" Harry demanded. 

"Isn't it obvious?" Hermione asked. "They wanted to examine whatever he's left us. You had no right to do that!" 

"I had every right. The Decree for Justifiable Confiscation gives the Ministry the power to confiscate the contents of a will-" 

"Which was created to stop wizards passing on Dark artifacts." I interrupted now. "While also having powerful evidence that the deceased possession are, in fact, illegal before seizing them. I find it hard to believe that the Ministry thought Dumbledore would pass onto us, something cursed." 

"Are you planning to follow a career in Magical Law, Miss K-" 

"Lupin. Miss Lupin." I said firmly. "And no. Law bores me. But that doesn't mean I don't know it. You have to know what the law is to break it." 

Ron smirked but Scrimgeour just looked annoyed. 

"So why have you decided to let us have our things now? Can't think of a pretext to keep them?" Harry asked. 

"No, it's because the thirty-one days are up." Hermione and I said at the same time. She continued, "They can't keep the objects longer than that unless they can prove they're dangerous, right?" 

"Would you say you were close to Dumbledore, Ronald?" Scrimgeour decided to ignore the both of us. 

Meanwhile, Ron stupidly replied with, "Me? Not- not really. . . It was always Harry and Elizabeth who. . ." 

"If you were not very close to Dumbledore, how do you account for the fact that he remembered you in his will? He made exceptionally few personal bequests. The vast majority of his possessions- his magical instruments and other personal effects- were left to Hogwarts. Why do-" 

"Hold on." I interrupted, frowning. "What about his private library? In the vision I saw of this conversation he left the library to Hogwarts too." 

"In good time Miss. . . Lupin." Scrimgeour said, eyeing me. "Well, Ronald?" 

"I. . . dunno. I. . . when I say we weren't close. . . I mean, I think he liked me. . ." 

"You're being modest, Ron. Dumbledore was very fond of you." Hermione said, trying to fix the situation. 

Scrimgeour pulled out a scroll and read from it. "'The Last Will and Testament of Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore'. . . Yes, here we are. . . 'To Ronald Bilius Weasley, I leave my Deluminator, in the hope that he will remember me when he uses it.'" 

I perked in interest, seeing the object in Scrimgeour's hand, before he handed it over to Ron. I remembered Uncle Moody using it when we were returning with Harry to the original Order of the Phoenix headquarters. I felt a swoop of sadness flow through me. 

"That is a valuable object. It may even be unique. Certainly it is of Dumbledore's own design. Why would he have left you an item so rare?" When Ron didn't answer, Scrimgeour continued, "Dumbledore must have taught thousands of students. Yet the only ones he remembered in his will are you four. Why is that? To what use did he think you would put his Deluminator, Mr. Weasley?" 

"Put out lights, I s'pose. What else could I do with it?" Ron asked. 

Scrimgeour turned back to the will, "'To Miss Elizabeth Kane Lupin, I leave to her my private library in the hopes that she finds it enjoyable and explorative. I also leave Fawkes, in the hopes that she puts him to the best of uses.'" 

My heart soared, hearing both of those, the memories brought back as well. 

"And why do you think he left you these things?" Scrimgeour asked. 

"Well. . . I always told him I enjoyed his library." I said with a small smile. "And I've inherited them before so I suppose this is no different. But with Fawkes. . . I told him something in the future that I cannot explain to any of you. Fawkes is to help me with that. He told me he would help me before he died. This is the only thing I can think of." 

Scrimgeour seemed a bit please to get an answer out of me, even if it wasn't a straight one. With a wave of his wand, Fawkes was there, sitting in a cage. I opened it immediately and he flew to sit upon my shoulder. "The private library has been moved with his specific instructions to your art studio." 

I only nodded. 

"'To Miss Hermione Jean Granger, I leave my cop of The Tales of Beedle the Bard, in the hope that she will find it entertaining and instructive.'" 

I zoned out a little, admittedly. It helped that I already knew what the rest of the possessions were. Dumbledore had given me Fawkes, whose tears were an antidote to Basilisk poison. Was it possible that Dumbledore believe Fawkes tears could be used to save Severus' life when Nagini bit him?

I wasn't sure. It was hard to hope for that. And it wasn't like it could be tested out first. I had made other plans, of course. Brewing Felix Felicias first of all. Carving protective runes into the skin above his heart and on his neck so that Nagini would be deterred and would have to bite him somewhere else. 

"This is not a joke, Potter!" Scrimgeours angry voice cut through my thoughts. "Was it because Dumbledore believed that only the sword of Godric Gryffindor could defeat the Heir of Slytherin? Did he wish to give you that sword, Potter, because he believed, as do many, that you are the one destined to destroy He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?" 

"Interesting theory. Has anyone ever tried sticking a sword in Voldemort? Maybe the Ministry should put some people onto that, instead of wasting their time stripping down Deluminators or covering up breakouts from Azkaban. So is this what you've been doing, Minister, shut up in your office, trying to break open a Snitch? People are dying- I was nearly one of them- Voldemort chased me across three counties, he killed Mad-Eye Moody, but there's been no word about any of that from the Ministry, has there? And you still expect us to cooperate with you!" 

"You go too far!" Scrimgeour shouted, standing up and Harry and I were on our feet in an instant. Scrimgeour pointed his wand at Harry, a hole burned in his T-shirt. My wand was pointed at him in seconds. 

"Oi!" Ron jumped up. 

"No! D'you want to give him an excuse to arrest us?" 

"Remembered you're not at school, have you? Remembered that I am not Dumbledore, who forgave your insolence and insubordination? You may wear that scar like a crown, Potter, but it is not up to a seventeen year old boy to tell me how to do my job! It's time you learned some respect!" 

"Insubordination." I snorted, lowering my wand an inch. "God all you Ministers are all the same. First Fudge, now you. You're not Kings." 

"It's time you earned it." Harry said at the same time while footsteps came running down the hallway. 

Mr.  and Mrs. Weasley were first, followed closely behind by Dad and Tonks. 

"We- we thought we heard-" 

"Raised voices." Mrs. Weasley finished for her husband. 

Scrimgeour took a few steps back while I lowered my wand completely, putting it in my pocket. "It- it was nothing. I. . . regret your attitude. You seem to think that the Ministry does not desire what you- what Dumbledore- desired. We ought to be working together." 

"I don't like your methods, Minister. Remember?" Harry asked, raising his hand to show the 'I must not tell lies' on the back of his hand. 

Scrimgeour left without another word, Mrs. Weasley hurrying after him. I strode out of the room and outside, leaving the others behind, wandering more into the garden. Fawkes cawed softly and I stroked his head. "Yeah, that was stressful, wasn't it?" 

I watched something flying towards me in the distance. An owl?

It was a smoky, midnight black coloured owl with large orange eyes. It had a small box in its talons and flew off immediately after I took the small box from him. 

It really wasn't big and I wondered what was inside of it. I opened it up and pulled out the Elizabeth Magnolia flower inside. It's white-yellow petals were soft and waxy, the inside was a soft red. In the very middle of the flower- the pistil- was the smallest black heart, burned by a wand. 

I smiled, closing my eyes, putting the flower against my heart.

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