Chapter Text
~sSs~
Year 4: Entering the fray
~sSs~
‘To my friend S:
I’ve received your letter and reasoning for moving forward with the motion you described. If this passes the Wizengamot vote, the return would certainly be highly favourable.
However, are we not biting off more than we can chew? Public opinion has only begun to turn in favour of leniency towards the dark arts, and even then the extent of the shift is unclear. Can we really expect to be allowed to legalize the use of nearly three-quarters of dark arts, albeit for defensive purposes only?
Perhaps it would be safer to move more slowly? We’ve already succeeded in reclassifying over a hundred dark spells since our momentous solution to the Muggle Protection Act. Would it not be more sensible to continue the steady progress, squeezing as much out of this opportunity as possible before Dumbledore and his allies become alarmed enough to push back?
Regards,
Montressor Selwyn’
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‘To the Ven. Mr. Selwyn,
I realize that my most recent proposal is a large step above all of our efforts so far on the dark arts front. However, the present moment is an excellent time to be ambitious.
You know as well as I that public attention must be sustained by tangible, relevant changes, lest it die down and leave us stranded with the status quo. The business opportunities generated when this motion passes will provide that change, in a way that reclassifying obscure spells cannot. Not only are we in a prime position financially to take advantage of the legislative relaxation, my friend, a dramatic move such as this is necessary if our political objectives are to advance further.
The reason why we should do it now, however, is Dumbledore.
Recently, the Minister’s Senior Undersecretary drafted a Werewolf Registration Bill, which is currently scheduled to be reviewed by the Wizengamot next month. This is a legislation which Dumbledore will go to great lengths to stop. While he is campaigning for the deregulation of dark creatures that are dangerous and misunderstood, it will be difficult for him to rally the public or his allies against our campaign’s nearly identical themes. He will not interfere with us at the risk of sabotaging himself, at least in this instance.
In keeping with this strategy, our motion should ideally be reviewed by the Wizengamot prior to that of Mme. Umbridge’s. It would be in our interest for Mme. Umbridge to have sufficient capital to run a proper campaign (I believe you are in the best position to ensure this, Mr. Selwyn), but publicly we will be completely disinterested in the werewolf bill. Send the signal that our votes can still be won, so that Dumbledore will be further incentivized to make concessions elsewhere.
Strike now, and our chance of passing the Wizengamot vote will be unprecedented.
To success, my friend.
S.’
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‘My mysterious friend,
We have accelerated the bureaucratic pre-processing procedures. Our motion is scheduled to be reviewed two days before Umbridge’s werewolf bill. I can only hope that Dumbledore will choose to prioritize that one over ours.
May I inquire as to the source of your insight on the behaviour of Dumbledore and his allies? You seem quite optimistic about Dumbledore’s lack of interference.
Yours,
- Nott’
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‘My dear skeptical comrad,
That is excellent news. Yours and Ven. Mr. Malfoy’s success will improve our prospects tremendously. At this stage, all that remains is to continue our current campaign. We should expect 90% of the neutral voters and just under half of Dumbledore’s bloc to vote with us, giving us a clear majority.
I expect many of us will be obligated to vote with Mme. Umbridge, but I would strongly recommend that we block the werewolf bill. To side with Dumbledore in this instance may incentivize him to cooperate with us again in similar situations.
Best regards,
S.
P.S. My prediction of Dumbledore’s reaction is based in part on the interests of his allies and the interest of people he believes he will potentially need on his side in the future. To say any more would be to release sensitive information, my friend. I am sure you understand.’
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‘Hello S.,
I had to pass up your previous request for my help in establishing a ministry-run fund to stimulate the growth of charms and enchantment businesses. I must admit that I am regretting my decision. You could have told me that your backup plan was to hand a million-galleon investment opportunity to Lucius and Alessandra.
I am writing to let you know that I want in this time.
Cheers,
Maurius Bulstrode’
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‘Dear Maurius,
I am glad to see that someone is planning for victory before the battle even begins!
I am grateful too, because we have reached a stage where every second counts. The faster we move, the more we all maximize our gains.
It would be tremendously helpful, for example, for there to be a support structure to attract talented wizards/witches to the fledgling profession of dark warding. Imagine all the business opportunities that everyone will go after. Imagine the labour shortage that will occur as a result.
But I believe you must have thought of this already. You did reach out to me, after all.
All the best,
S.’
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‘Albus,
I hope your week has been enjoyable, because mine has been the perfect reminder of why I hated this head of house business. Honestly, I’d thought this was off my shoulders when (my?) dear Mother blasted me off the family tapestry, but apparently our inheritance rules didn’t allow disownment from the Black family itself. I’m still not entirely sure how that leaves me as the one who gets to play politics. Parties are supposed to be fun, but all the ones I’ve been to this summer are as far from it as imaginable. But of course, anything compares favourably to Azkaban.
Harry insists on going to these “parties”, funny enough. I think his friends are making him go just so they don’t get too bored there themselves.
Anyways, on to business. I’ve managed to convince MacDougal and Smith to vote with us. I’ve been told that Greengrass might be interested as well, but I haven’t tried her yet. McLaggen is still undecided, and he’s ridiculously hard to convince. I thought he’s supposed to be on our side?
The dark bloc looks like they’ve been busy too. Malfoy and Pike are making some sort of a sales pitch for loosening the laws around dark arts. What’s our plan for that?
Best wishes,
Sirius’
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‘Dear Sirius,
I must commend you again for taking on this responsibility. It’s a heavy burden to bear, but essential to our cause. At the moment you and Amos are our strongest influencers in the Wizengamot apart from myself, and you have a better chance of persuading the neutrals than anyone else.
It is important to remember the distinction between allegiance during the war and political alignment, Sirius, now much more so than thirteen years ago. The McLaggen family is with us by virtue of being anti-dark, but they are fearful. This is precisely why some of our wartime allies may need a bit more convincing.
The situation you described is interesting indeed. You may be surprised to find that Aaron Pike, despite his evident Death Eater affiliations during the war, is considered politically neutral. Meanwhile Alessandra Greengrass, neutral with respect to the war, is in fact one of the central members of the dark-traditionalist bloc. She is also, excepting Augusta Longbottom, the only member of the Wizengamot who also sits on the Senate. I would very much like to view your memories of what exactly was said about Mme. Greengrass’s intentions and the context, please. I suspect we are being sent some sort of message, and it is entirely possible that more than a single vote is on the table, so to say.
Best wishes to you, Remus, and Harry,
Albus Dumbledore’
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‘ 10 000+ spells legalized for warding, expected to create new industry
Alec Hasting, Daily Prophet politics correspondent’
Yesterday, the Senate ruled in favour of Bill E13, put forth by the Wizengamot on August 14th. Bill E13 modifies the Usage of Magic Act and adds more nuances to the legislation around potent magic, many of which are still presently classified as dark arts.
Experts believe that Bill E13 will enable warding and related services to grow from a smattering of shops to a full industry, creating opportunities for investors and job-seekers alike. Those with curse-breaker training or similar expertise, for example, can consider a career in property warding, security systems, or the enchantment of related supplies.
According to analysts at the Department of Finance, this legislative change is expected to stimulate the economy and raise the GDP of magical Britain by 5.2% (i.e. 30k Galleons)…’
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‘Proposed Werewolf Registration Bill rejected in Wizengamot voting
Darryl Key, Daily Prophet junior politics correspondent…’
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‘My dear friend S.,
I expect you are already aware of our victory in the Wizengamot. Given our excellent representation in the Senate, when we passed the Wizengamot vote one could consider the Snitch caught.
I must admit, I did not expect to succeed this time. You’ve accumulated a reputation for surprises with your string of recommendations over the past year, but to try to legalize almost all branches of dark arts, albeit with restrictions, is incredibly bold even for you. Nevertheless, your plan accomplished its most important goals, and for that I commend you.
My husband Darius will be hosting a ball in a week’s time to commemorate this political milestone, and he tells me he is preparing to triple the size of our little party last year. We are inviting all of our connections, and everyone is welcomed to bring their own friends as well. Is there any chance we will be discovering there the mastermind behind the cause of our celebration?
Please do be kind and clue us in now, my friend. Perhaps I should inform Darius that he need not bother with the main entertainments of the day.
A toast to victory,
Alessandra Greengrass’
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‘My dear friend Alessandra,
From what I hear of your upcoming ball, it sounds like I will almost certainly be there. Please rest assured that I do not yet intend to reveal my identity, however. The spotlight will be on our host and hostess, as it rightfully should be.
I, too, am delighted by the results of our campaign, and even more excited by the doors that we have now opened. I look forward to corresponding with you again.
My compliments to you and your family,
S.’
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‘Albus,
Are we really going to let them get away with this? Legalization of most branches of dark arts for “defensive enchantment”, and probably some more through loopholes hiding somewhere in the wording? Merlin knows what they’re going to try next, now that they’ve managed to pull this off. The dark-traditionalists are literally having a ball!
Alastor Moody’
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‘Dear Alastor,
I appreciate your concerns about the deregulation of dark arts. However, I am afraid this is a time when we must pick our battles. You saw for yourself the results of the Wizengamot vote on the Werewolf Safety Bill. Without the cooperation of the dark-traditionalists we would have been defeated, given the number of ministry members who sided with Mme. Umbridge and the reluctance within the light-progressive faction itself.
I hope you can appreciate that Mme. Umbridge’s legislation is more dangerous than the most recent move by the dark-traditionalists, Alastor. Oppressive and discriminatory legislations like this are the fuel that drove werewolves to Voldemort’s side during the last war, which I am still hesitant to declare as over (if you recall our previous conversation). Not only do we owe it to some of our own friends and allies to stop this inhumane treatment, it is highly valuable to subvert this rallying point to our side – or remove it failing that.
Regardless, we are no longer in a position to undo the efforts of the dark-traditionalists at the present moment. Now that their motion has passed into law, we would need to pass a bill of our own to reverse Bill E13. The Senate will of course never allow such a thing to happen, even if we may be able to sway the Wizengamot in our favour.
At present we must make our peace with the development, Alastor, and be ever more vigilant in ensuring that the dark arts deregulation movement does not gain too much momentum. Although it will be more difficult, the train has not run away yet, and we are here to ensure that it does not.
Best wishes,
Albus Dumbledore’