Happy Friday!
Chapter 111
It took nearly four months after the battle to bury the dead, make sure the government didn't collapse on itself, arrest a multitude of dark lord sympathizers, heal from injuries and get Brightbark's trial in motion.
Once it started, it didn't take long to find him guilty of murder and attempted murder. Granted, he was brought before the Wizengamot, which consisted of a lot of Black Family sympathizers. Jasmine and Sirius had to recuse themselves, since he had tried to kill them. They were witnesses.
The sentencing was going to occur later this evening, but both Jasmine and Sirius didn't care to hear it. The man was guilty, that was all Jasmine really cared about. Sirius was worried he would hex him, so he stayed home, but Jasmine also knew that he didn't like people staring at him while he was in his magical wheelchair. Bella was present at the trial and she would give them a lovely play-by-play of what happened.
The Wizengamot, except for criminal trials, had been adjourned for the last few months to deal with the fallout within the different pureblood families before coming before the masses and voting on any new bills. In two days' time, they would be voting on new werewolf legislation. Jasmine was hoping that they could get some of the more archaic laws out and push for a more modern approach to magical creatures' legislation. And, with all the deaths and arrests within the more conservative sides of the Wizengamot, Jasmine might have a chance of pushing this through without it being overly contested. Dumbledore was also stepping down as Supreme Mugwump. The headmaster had decided it was time for him to start stepping away from politics and let the younger generation start to take over. Which, meant they were also going to be voting in a new head to the Wizengamot. It had been quite a few decades since that happened.
While she had made time to sort through bills and different jobs Gringotts needed her to focus on. Jasmine had spent most her free time updating her home to accommodate a magic wheelchair. Sirius had specific modifications in mind for the muggle device. He had taken most of his inspiration from his motorcycle that was in their back shed. Theo had urged him not do anything too drastic to the chair. Her friend didn't want to have to heal Sirius' further than he already had to on a regular basis.
Theo would kill Sirius if started breaking bones that were only recently healed.
The wheelchair hadn't been modified that heavily, well, for Sirius' anyway. Jasmine had been supervising most of it, since she had done the rune work on the damn thing and Lily had done most of the charms. Between the two of them there were enough safeguards on it to make sure that Sirius wouldn't get hurt. The chair had the capability of minor flight, it could hover a meter or so above the ground and could be instructed to move in different directions via a joystick Jasmine had designed especially for the chair.
The kids thought it was "wicked" and the twins loved traveling with Sirius around the house. Charlie loved the fact that it could fly and he could be like a real dragon. Though, he also had a broom that could go faster and higher, but she wasn't going to argue with his logic, as long as he was having fun.
It only gave Theo minor heart palpitations. Merlin, was Theo a blessing sent to Jasmine from Lady Magic herself. He had been staying with them for the past few months while Sirius started healing after the murder attempt.
It had shaken the boys to see Sirius hurt, but they were all just happy to be alive. Weekly mind healer appointments had been mandatory for all family members up until recently.
Bill had started back up at Hogwarts at the start March. Apparently, Bill was ahead in all of his classes. He complained about being bored in a few of his letters…until Jasmine offered to send him more homework, then those complaints stopped.
Though, he did visit Arthur on weekends across the pond. His recovery was a mixed bag of good and bad. Arthur was showing a slow, but steady gain of lucidity, which was a relief. The healers think that within a few more years, he might be able to spend more than a few minutes with the boys without a chaperone. He wasn't ever really going to be able to take care of the boys again, but he would be able to spend time with them without going into a manic episode.
Tom had made an extremely powerful and potent torture spell. Jasmine knew that Bella and Sirius were looking into it when they were in the Department of Mysteries. She wasn't allowed to know any of the finer points of what would go on behind closed doors, but Sirius did tell her some minor details here and there.
Jasmine was currently in her home office, just getting a bit of work for Gringotts done before lunch. Sirius was due for a physical therapy appointment in two hours and she wanted to have the afternoon clear in case something didn't go well. There had been a couple incidents of accidental magic while Theo put Sirius through his paces. She was finally putting the finishing touches on the warding or Malfoy Manor. The Hogwarts project had been finished three weeks after the final fight at the ministry.
The office was relatively the same as it had always been. She had brought a few of her Gringotts instruments to her home office so she could work longer hours at home, but other than that, she still had the same set up. Her floo distracted her from her thoughts as it lit up a bright green and a piece of burnt parchment fluttered towards her desk. Jasmine snatched it out of the air and unfolded it. The message was from Albus asking if he could speak with her. An odd request, but she had some time.
She flicked her wrist and the floo turned a bight blue, allowing visitors to enter. A moment later, Albus was walking out of the fireplace and dusting his bright aqua robes off. She motioned for him to take a seat in the chair in front of her desk. His eyes had that blasted twinkle in them as he sat across from her. "Ah, Lady Peverell, I'm happy you had some spare time to speak with me. I had a few questions for you before the Wizengamot meeting tomorrow."
"I was under the impression that you were stepping down, Albus. What would you need me for?" She replied as shuffled a few contracts off her desk and into a magically sealed drawer.
A tray of tea and cookies appeared before them.
Albus took a cup and Jasmine nibbled at the end of a cookie.
"That is true, but I wanted to tell you the results of the sentencing. I feel that Brightbark was my responsibility. I'm truly sorry about what happened to the Black Family as a whole. I hadn't realized how far gone he was by the time the final battle rolled around."
Jasmine let out a sigh. "You'll need to apologize to Sirius separately. I'm in no position to accept any apologies on his behalf. What Brightbark did to him was awful. Now, let me know his sentence."
"He will be serving the werewolf community up north for the rest of his life. Bellatrix is going to get to decide how he is serving them, privately."
Brightbark was going to be in a living hell for the rest of his life and Jasmine was okay with that.
"Though, I was wondering if you were going run for my position at the vote tomorrow."
The offer had been made to her by more than one ally. She had defeated a Dark Lord, so Jasmine had the political backing if she wanted the position. There are plenty of people that wanted either Sirius or Jasmine to head the Wizengamot. In the end, neither of them really wanted to be career politicians anymore than they had to be. They had agreed that would be an awful idea, since the two of them had too many vested interests that leaned too far politically one way or another. Both Sirius and Jasmine had thought of an alternative that they were going to propose once the next session started.
"I'm not planning on it, not unless there is no other choice. Between the boys, my job and Sirius I have my hands full at the moment. Granted, Sirius had been a fulltime job before the boys were a part of the family, but what can you do," she replied with a shrug as she watched Albus for his reaction.
His brows furrowed as he took a sip of the tea. "I'm surprised. Not many would turn down the opportunity."
She placed the ginger biscuit down on the tray in front of her. "I've never been one to conform to societal expectations. I've made my career prior to the Wizengamot. Though, I doubt that this is the only reason you're here today?"
To be honest, Sirius and Jasmine had both been wondering when the Headmaster was going to stop by. There had been a change in Hogwarts attendance and Jasmine knew Albus was going to stick his nose in it. The man cannot leave well enough alone.
"Yes, well, I noticed that young Charlie was not on the list to attend Hogwarts. I was curious how that was possible?"
"Charlie will be attending a private school that specializes in the care and handling of magical creatures. He was accepted into The Yosemite School of Natural Magic and Preservation. They start a year earlier than Hogwarts, so he will be leaving for school next September."
"You do realize that his family has been attending Hogwarts for generations?"
"Yes, and Bill is currently attending Hogwarts, and as of right now, the twins will be starting their education there when they turn eleven. Charlie has an interest in magical creatures. Hogwarts does not have a program that would cater to that in a way that Charlie needs until his third year. The School of Natural Magic is a hard school to get into and Charlie passed their entrance tests, I'm not going to stop him from doing something he wants."
"Charlie is a child. You would let him decide his future at age eight?"
She rolled her eyes. She had future knowledge to work off of that let her know that she wasn't wasting her time with this, but Charlie had to pass specific magical entrance tests. They had examined his attunement with nature and his affinity for wild magics. He had placed in top percentile for both.
Jasmine had a feeling that Molly and Arthur hadn't been able to afford the school the first time around. She doubted they even allowed him to take the tests. There were some pretty steep discounts for returning families to Hogwarts. She wasn't going to be the person to stop any of the boys from chasing their dreams.
"What would Arthur say to this? Have Gideon and Fabian said anything?"
Ah, the twins…they had visited the house a few times since the fall of Voldemort and each time Jasmine is less and less impressed, but they were the boys' family, so she would put up with their antics. Though, they had been excited for Charlie. They even bought him a new stuffed dragon to celebrate.
"I have spoken with them and they offered to pay for some of books he would need. They didn't seem overly heartbroken over the fact that he would be going to a school in the states."
Honestly, Britain was so far behind with magical creature studies and rights that Jasmine was happy Charlie was going somewhere else. He could really specialize in any field that he'd want without any kind of restrictions. He could also play with all the dangerous creatures he wanted with professionals there to make sure he didn't get himself into too much trouble.
"Are the professors there up to the standard of Hogwarts?"
"Newt Scamander is currently teaching there and oversees most of the programs. It is one of the best in the world. You don't need to worry about Charlie's education. I have that under control," Jasmine replied with her arms crossed over her chest.
Albus was about to respond when the thundering of little feet could be heard approaching Jasmine's office. The handle to her office door jiggled and little giggles could be heard from outside. "Boys, what does Jazz say to do when the door is closed like that?"
There was some unintelligible grumbling from the other side that had a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Give me one moment, Albus," she said as she stood up and opened the door to see the twins pulling on Sirius' arms and roll his chair a bit in the process. He had the manual brakes on, so he wasn't going to roll away on them. Sirius didn't seem bothered and gave Jasmine a wry grin. The boys launched themselves at her legs and hugged her like that hadn't seen in her weeks instead of two hours ago at breakfast.
He looked past her and spotted Albus. "I didn't know you were expecting company. Do you need me to reschedule my appointment with Tahatan?"
Jasmine shook her head and ruffled the boys' hair. "No, I should be done in a few minutes. Boys, go and find your brother. Lunch should be ready soon. I heard that Mipsy is going to be making macaroni today."
That got them bouncing off towards Charlie's room. Sirius squeezed Jasmine's hand as he followed the two little monsters to the residential wing. Jasmine closed the door behind her. Albus was watching her as she sat back down across from him. "I meant to ask months ago, but with the trial and clean up, it kept slipping my mind. How did you know that Peter was using Polyjuice potion? From what I understood at the trial, you know immediately and Peter wasn't even sure how you knew."
That had been something she had explained to Sirius the day after the battle and he had nearly pissed himself laughing. It was something so simple, but only people that were close to her would understand.
"He called me Jasmine," she replied with a shrug as she took another cookie.
Dumbledore frowned. "Isn't that your name?"
It was, but it wasn't how Sirius had really ever addressed her.
"Yes, but Sirius never calls me Jasmine. He gave me a nickname the moment we met. I don't remember the last time he called me Jasmine outside of an official meeting, and even then, he usually would call me by my title."
That had been the tell and Jasmine figured that Peter probably still didn't know what gave him away, but she was just glad the rat hadn't been around them long enough to realize that Sirius called her Jazz constantly. Otherwise, things could have ended very differently.
There was a loud crash from the floor below. Jasmine winced when someone started to cry. "I suppose that is my cue to leave. I wish you the best of luck, Lady Peverell. I will see you and Sirius at the vote."
Yes, she supposed he would.
The Wizengamot meeting was packed again. Naturally, there were a few empty seats from families that had been arrested as dark lord sympathizers and others that had been outright killed during the battle, but for the most part, everyone was gathered to vote for a new head for the Wizengamot. Sirius was seated with Bella, who had a shiny engagement ring resting on her finger. Amelia had proposed not long after the final battle. Nearly dying seemed to have pushed her towards marriage. Bella had readily agreed. Jasmine was excited to see where their relationship went. They were a shocking couple when she found out, but they suite each other. It wasn't often that she saw a Hufflepuff and Slytherin combination, but they make it work. Even if Bella is a gremlin half the time. She had enjoyed toying with Sirius' wheelchair before the meeting had started. Bella had found the invention particularly fascinating and loved to touch the runes that propelled it around.
Albus was at the main podium, his orange robes were, as always, an eye sore, but he seemed cheerful for a man that was about to step down from a major job. Then again, he was finally getting to retire. At least he was a Light Lord that knew his time was at an end. Jasmine was just glad that she didn't need to fight him. Beating an old man just didn't seem worth her time or energy.
"Now, we have gathered her today to vote to replace me. Now, please stand and put forth your submissions."
There was some moderate grumbling from the crowd, but no one was saying anything. The nominees had to be nominated by a house other than their own, then they had to accept the nomination, then be seconded by a different house from another alignment. And that was before the voting even happened.
Different names were thrown around.
Sirius and Jasmine both declined their nominations from various houses.
They were both far too busy to lead the chamber.
Severus' name was tossed out, but he quickly rejected the offer. The Wizengamot wouldn't make it with Sev in charge. He didn't have the patience for it.
A few of the darker families tossed their names in, but weren't seconded, due to their affiliation with Tom. The Wizengamot couldn't risk a Voldemort sympathizer leading them. Their international standing was already in question. They didn't need their allies distancing themselves further.
Eventually, Sirius raised his hand and drew the attention of most of the Wizengamot. "I nominate James Potter."
All eyes moved towards her cousin, whose mouth was agape and his eyes wide. "I accept?" He answered, his voice cracking towards the end of his statement.
The room was silent for a moment, James seemed to still be processing that he had been nominated before Jasmine replied, "I second the nomination."
James smacked his head on the table in front of him. Were they blindsided him a bit? Yes, but he was the best choice at this point. Augusta could have been a good choice, but she had been extremely stubborn when dealing with anything outside of her comfort zone. She also needed to pass down the title to her son. Frank was more than old enough to handle the Lordship, but Augusta hated change.
That wouldn't work for the laws that Jasmine and Sirius wanted to push. James had enough connections on all sides of the wizarding world to make compromises and get the court to work together. It was more than Jasmine could do. Monty had spent the better part of five decades building lasting business and personal relationships with different members of the Wizengamot and beyond.
"Let's bring it to a vote."
Jasmine had a feeling that this was the start of new era.
And here starts the beginning of the actual end. The world is changing, moving in the right direction. Brightbark has stood trial and been sentenced. One more chapter left! The final epilogue approaches. Three and half years of writing finally ending.
Thank you for all the reviews, favorites and follows!
I will post the last chapter next week!
~Animerocker