Chapter 20.4- Doom Days

“Of course of course” Even Fudge could take a hint if it was clear enough. He ceded the point with a bowed head before perking up again as the man opposite him coughed pointedly.

“Yes Harry, I promised to make introductions and I have been a bit remiss in my duty by taking so long to getting down to it. Please do accept my apologies, Gentlemen” He said to the men arrayed around the table, and they nodded. “And lady” he said, tilting his head to the asian woman in shining white robes. She nodded her head at him recognition and he smiled easily. It was easy to see how Fudge had made it as far as he had. The man just had an infectious joy about him. I could already tell he would be a hoot at parties.

“This is Harry Potter, who I am sure we all know one and all, Gentlemen and Lady. He is accompanied by the ever-enchanting Fleur Delacour who I am told weilded a sleeping charm against a hellhound so powerful that it would have worked even against a dragon. Now, Mr Potter, Miss Delacour, I will introduce you to my contemporaries from across the continent and even beyond” He said, getting a nod from me before he began. So these were other Heads of State? Well, the books definitely hadn’t said anything about this being a gathering of the who’s who of the Wizarding world. To be fair, Harry was much too busy sulking over Hermione’s choice of date and worrying about embarrassing himself to notice, so maybe it had been.

“From left to right, the man with the lovely beard and impressive baritone is none other than Vladimir Reindhart, who has the honour of serving as Switzerland’s Commissioner of Truth”

“It’s my pleasure to meet you, Mr. Potter. And your date as well” The man said, adding the last bit almost as an afterthought, making me assess him in a particular light. Fudge was right though, that was one hell of a baritone. His voice was so deep, I was almost certain I’d felt it in my bones. Beyond the black braided beard, he was by far the most ordinary-looking of the eclectic group of Heads of State. He was, like Fudge, dressed in a pair of black robes, but his were clearly of the more expensive variety. Not acromantula silk, but something that looked close to the quality, from what I could tell.

“The pleasure is all mine Minister”, I said accepting the greeting with a nod of my head before posing my question. “Commissioner of truth?” I asked with a raised eyebrow. It was probably some sort of title that effectively meant he was their Head of State, but the choice still seemed strange to me.

“Is there any truth greater than magic? Anything truer than the power that flows through our veins?” He asked in return and I conceded the point with a nod. It still seemed pretentious, but he did indeed have a point.