"Don't even attempt to stop me attending, Albus," sighed Harry. "You've not won any of the confrontations we've had about me leaving the school to attend to my duties. You're not going to succeed this time, either."
Dumbledore sighed and said, "I really don't think you should attend, Mister Potter."
"That is very much obvious, Headmaster," replied Harry. "And, yet, I've already received a written rap over the knuckles for not attending the previous one. The Wizengamot, even the Minister, is insistent I attend this one. Therefore, I will attend.
"Now, unless in the past few hours you've somehow managed to completely rewrite centuries old law about attendance at Wizengamot meetings, the law states I must attend. Do we need to go over how even you cannot ignore the law just because you want to?"
"No, Mister Potter; we do not," said the Headmaster. "At least allow me to organise an escort for you, for your safety."
"No need," replied Harry. "I've organised my own." He looked out the door and said, "And... here they are, now."
In walked Sirius and Matthias. "Ready, Harry?" asked Matthias, looking a little angry at Dumbledore.
"I am," replied Harry. "Shall we go, or do you need to have words with the Headmaster?"
"As long as he's not stupidly trying to forbid you from attending, no," said Matthias.
"Oh, he tried to talk me out of it," said Harry. "But, even he cannot just ignore the law because it happens to be contrary to what he wants. Oh, yes; he's done it in the past, alright. But, that was with people who didn't know any better. His problem is; I know better now."
"Very well," said Matthias as Dumbledore just stood there. "Then, let us go."
Harry turned to Dumbledore and said, "I'll see you there, Chief Warlock." And followed the other two out the main doors.
On the way in, Matthias reminded Harry, again, what was expected of him for the first day, at least. By the time they reached the Wizengamot chamber. Harry was as prepared as he was ever going to get.
As the Wizengamot was called to order, Dumbledore, as Chief Warlock, called for the first order of business, the sitting of new members. There was only the one - Harry.
As Harry came forward to the middle of the floor, Dumbledore asked, "Is there a member of this body who stands as reference for Mister Potter?"
"I do," said the Minister, first to stand; quickly followed by Madam Bones.
Dumbledore nodded and said, "We note that both the Minister and Madam Bones stand as reference for Mister Potter. Minister, the floor is yours."
Harry then had to stand there for yet another speech. This time it was of the Minister praising his acts of bravery 'on behalf of the witches and wizards of magical Britain' and was pretty much a rehash of the presentation ceremony. Harry thought Dumbledore had deliberately picked the Minister knowing the man would gush on and on, annoying everyone.
When the Minister finished, quite pleased with himself, Dumbledore said, "Mister Harry James Potter, holder of the Order of Merlin, First Class, on the recommendation of Minister Fudge and the Wizengamot, you are welcomed to take seat among your peers. As I say, so I swear."
The entire Wizengamot rose and applauded Harry as he walked to one of the sets of stairs into the risers of seats. A few, unsurprising, were rather slow in rising and rather reluctant to clap.
Once he'd found a seat, planned in advance, near the so-called faction for the Light, Harry was first to be seated out of a mark of respect. The rest of the Wizengamot sat immediately after.
That then led into the normal course of business for the day. And two hours of sheer boredom.
The Wizengamot rose for lunch - on the Ministry's sickle - and Harry was escorted through to an antechamber set up with fine dining. In there, the first of his now fellow Wizengamot members began to approach him trying to feel him out on various issues.
As he was already prepared for such, his oft repeated response was, "That will require a great deal of thought. I shall consider it." Others were, "No, I do not consider myself a supporter of Dumbledore," and "Just because I may not support a policy of the light, does not make me dark; nor vice versa." Through the whole boring session, both morning and afternoon, Harry would look to people like Madam Bones to decide whether or not to support or oppose each matter. He never rose to speak for or against such, which had others within the tiers wondering just where his personal policies lay.
On one occasion he specifically voted against something Dumbledore clearly supported. This had those within the tiers who were watching him most carefully, look at him with surprise if not shock.
'Idiots!' he thought. 'Surely, by now, they know I'm not Dumbledore's man.'
Thankfully, Harry was able to escape the chamber shortly before 3:00pm and make his way, accompanied by Sirius, back to Hogwarts. As they walked together, Sirius said, "You handled yourself well, Pup. It was quite amusing to see you oppose Dumbledore during one of the votes."
"It was necessary," Harry replied with a shrug. "I need them to understand I'm not one of Dumbledore's little blind followers. I forge my own path. No matter how many articles are written in the Prophet about how I keep zinging Dumbledore; there are still those who think I ride about on the hem of his robes."
Returning to the apartment, Harry was almost blasted with questions. While Hermione's 'training' in curbing her impetuosity and demand for answers continued without the apartment, once they were within and in private, she could ask as many as she wanted. "Well, I had to, once again, listen to Cornhole Fudgepucker tell everyone how good he is, while supposedly singing my praises," he replied. "Then Dumbledore, bless his shrivelled heart, had to 'invite' me to take seat within the members' tiers.
"After that, it was almost two hours of listening to people drone with much ado about nothing, a long lunch in the member's dining room, and another two hours of the same thing. However, I now know why Binns hasn't been fired as the Professor of History of Magic. It's to train up the next generation of Wizengamot seat warmers in staying awake to someone who's as... riveting of your attention as being forced to watch grass grow."
Daphne lightly laughed. "Father would say almost the same thing. He also said that, for every hour of boring nonsense, you'd get about five minutes worth of excitement. He used to attend just so he'd be there for those five minutes."
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