Maturity of Magic Chapter 36

NARCISSA MALFOY ENTERS MINISTERIAL RACE

In a shocking twist, Narcissa Malfoy, formerly Black, just officially announced her candidacy for Minister of Magic. The widow of deceased Death Eater Lucius Malfoy, one of Cornelius Fudge’s most enthusiastic purse-holders, has stepped out from behind the thick walls of Malfoy Manor and into the center of Britain’s most cutthroat political battlefield.

Speaking at the annual Chang Yule Ball, Narcissa dazzled the assembled reporters, aristocrats, and philanthropists with her sophistication and elegance, all while her signature blonde hair shimmered before flashing camera. She delivered a speech of such poised confidence that one would never guess she once spent her social calendar managing soirées, scandals, and a husband who treated the Dark Mark like a fashionable cufflink.

The announcement has sent shockwaves through the magical community. Many recall Narcissa’s past proximity to the Death Eaters, most notably her late husband’s supposed  loyalty to the Dark Lord. Others remember Lucius Malfoy’s famed generosity to the Ministry during Fudge’s tenure, donating enough Galleons to pave a second Atrium.

Yet, Mrs. Malfoy insists she is running on a platform of “unity, stability, and restoration.” Obviously favoring wizarding tradition, the blonde bombshell has made the race for Minister more chaotic than ever, and shows no signs of backing down. The Malfoy political machine seems to be funded by some of the oldest fortunes in wizarding Britain, with House Greengrass formally endorsing Lady Malfoy along with someone very unexpected...

That’s right, none other than Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, has stepped forward to endorse Lady Malfoy. As many will know, Mr. Potter is the declared nemesis of You-Know-Who, as well as a well-known enemy of the Malfoy family. And yet Harry Potter barely hesitated at the Chang Ball, seemingly enraptured by Narcissa’s announcement speech, and declared his endorsement for her on the spot.

Potter’s backing has disrupted the electorate in ways no one saw coming, with pollsters baffled as to how the public will react, especially in favor of a traditionalist candidate. With Britain still revering its hero, his influence is no small matter. If Potter can forgive a Malfoy, many are wondering, should the nation do the same?

Widespread speculation on what could prompt Potter to suddenly involve himself in the world of Ministerial politics is ongoing. Some blame his recent betrothal to Daphne Greengrass for it, while others cite his ongoing war against You-Know-Who as a requirement for his involvement. However, the question remains of why Potter would choose a Malfoy over Shacklebolt or Scrimgeour, with answers potentially forthcoming at the upcoming Greengrass ball…

To read further:

Professor Malfoy, Narcissa’s time at Hogwarts (Page 2)

Shacklebolt, Scrimgeour, Thicknesse, and now Malfoy? Experts weigh in. (Page 3)

Dumbledore’s Golden Boy Gone Rogue? (Page 5)

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Have you truly drifted so far from me, Harry? Dumbledore stared down at the morning paper with an unreadable expression on his face, giving nothing away to any of his nearby allies. Meanwhile all of his fellow members of the Order of the Phoenix argued all around him as they sat in the dining room of cramped Weasley Burrow, each demanding how Harry Potter could join forces with a Malfoy of all people.

It was becoming clear as day that Harry no longer needed him. More than that, the boy was outright rebelling against him in full view of the public with his latest move. He had thought Harry’s actions would peak with getting Madam Bones on his side, and that the boy would be content with having heavy influence over the DMLE Director. And yet it seemed that Harry Potter was more ambitious than he even imagined, going as far as to choose his own Minister...

It seems Harry managed to get close to Professor Malfoy right under my nose… Albus supposed it wasn’t impossible that Harry and Narcissa would get close, and in hindsight he should’ve seen it coming.

He had been suspecting that Narcissa was sent to Hogwarts by Voldemort, likely to harm or manipulate Harry in some scheme, and yet it seemed the opposite had come to pass. The boy had actually managed to charm the woman, and maybe even convinced her to throw her name into the race for Minister.

Just what could he have done to convince her? Albus already knew that Harry had surrounded himself with a coalition of close allies, and it was very likely that Narcissa Malfoy had been drawn into it. He guessed that Sirius likely helped, seeing as he and Narcissa were cousins, and that wasn’t to mention Harry’s newfound ability to attract powerful women with ease…

And as with everything related to Harry Potter, nothing could be easy. Albus had to resist the urge to openly sigh, knowing that things had become that much harder over something so avoidable. He was getting desperate, and knew that soon he would have to confront Harry’s faction in order to better combat the chief threat, being Tom Riddle.

“What do we do, Dumbledore?”

He looked up from the article, to see Kingsley looking at him for guidance. Their faction’s candidate for Minister was sweating under the pressure, and Albus could hardly blame him. After all, what chances he had of becoming Minister had all but vanished with Lady Malfoy’s candidacy, especially with Harry Potter publicly backing her. If anything, the man had expected Harry to support him.

The group was looking to Albus for guidance then, and he put on a strong front before speaking. “I’m sorry, Kingsley, but I’m afraid you cannot become Minister.”

The Burrow’s occupants groaned as one, while some even cursed. Not that Albus could blame them, as their group had been campaigning tirelessly in Kingsley’s name, only to have whatever chance they had snatched away in an instant. More than that, it meant the upcoming war against Voldemort wouldn’t be directly controlled by the Order through the Minister.

“Our best chance now is to have you drop out and support Scrimgeour.” Dumbledore decided. “I would ask for Rufus to drop out instead, and give us his support, but sadly that wouldn’t go over well.”

Alastor snorted. “He’s too much of a narcissist for that, he’d never accept the damage it would do to his ego.”

“Indeed.” Albus agreed, before a certain part of the newspaper article stood out to him. “However, I think it’s best if we wait till after the Greengrass ball until we take any more bold actions.”

/////

“Still think Potter’s not fucking Malfoy’s Mum?”

“Bugger off!” Ron groaned, throwing a pillow at George as the twins laughed at his misfortune.

The group of brothers had sequestered themselves in Ron’s bedroom as their parents held a secret meeting downstairs. And while it was annoying for the Weasley home to suddenly be invaded by Dumbledore’s Order, Ron could hardly complain when it involved his best mate.

“If anything, Harry deserves it.” Fred grinned, walking over before sitting next to him. “Giving Professor Malfoy his full endorsement to become Minister is better than anything we could do.”

For a moment, Ron wondered if he could woo Malfoy’s Mum by offering to campaign for her. He imagined how grateful she would be if he started passing out flyers, knocking on doors and doing those annoying floo calls that his mother hated so much. Then Ron realized that nothing he could do would measure up to Harry Potter’s endorsement.

“He really leaves scraps for the rest of us.” Ron moaned out, falling back on his bed in despair.

Harry had the hottest girls in the school hanging off his arms, leaving them only to wonder how he managed to pull it off. Fleur Delacour always sniffed in distaste when Ron got close, and the Slytherin Ice Queen, Daphne Greengrass, always looked at him like he was a flobberworm. Not that he had a chance with them, but a man can dream…

It seemed Ron would be reduced to using his hand while imagining the women Harry was fucking on a regular basis. And it just so happened that the newspaper was covered in full-page spreads featuring Narcissa Malfoy, one of the women he fantasized about the most when he was massaging his wand. At least there’s one upside to all this…

“Look at it this way, Potter’s witches would sooner eat us alive than give us a kiss.” George patted his shoulder in solidarity. “And it’s not like we’re the only ones being confunded by Harry’s moves with the ladies.”

The Order was meeting in the Burrow kitchen right below them, and even Ronald Weasley was smart enough to figure out what they were likely talking about. Kingsley had used the Weasley home a lot for running his campaign, and it only made sense that the new developments in the race for Minister would elicit an emergency meeting.

He could imagine the group of full-grown wizards meeting downstairs, painstakingly strategizing over their opponent’s next move when Harry was likely doing this whole thing just to get in Narcissa Malfoy’s pants.

/////

For once, it wasn't just him on the cover of the Daily Prophet and Witch Weekly, as Narcissa had taken his place. Not that Harry was complaining, as he was just glad to be out of the spotlight somewhat for once.

“I guess I can expect to see myself in the paper more often.” Narcissa idly commented.

“Better you than me.” Harry sipped his tea at her side while they sat in the dining room with Sirius. “Although, I’m sorry you have to deal with all of this.”

“The sentiment is appreciated.” Narcissa leaned in closer to his side comfortingly.

She had left Lucius for him, fled from her previous life to fight against the Dark Lord she used to serve alongside her husband, and now she was putting herself out there to become Magical Britain’s next Minister. Even if she liked his more dominant and dangerous side, he still wanted to be nice to his Courtesan from time to time.

“Sorry for the delay.” Andromeda said as she entered the dining room then. “This required more care than I anticipated.”

Behind Narcissa’s sister floated the cup they had taken from Bellatrix’s vault, safely wrapped in cloth. Even then the obscured cup still made the room feel ten degrees cooler as she placed it down on the table.

Sirius sat forward. “Well? You figured it out, didn’t you?”

Andromeda let out a slow, controlled breath before she looked down at the cloth-covered object. She used her magic to unwrap it, revealing a golden cup decorated with badgers that gleamed up at them. Harry couldn’t help but notice how ornate the cup looked, and yet it did not give off a warm sensation, but rather something watchful that made his arm hairs stand on end.

“This cup.” she said quietly, “Belonged to Helga Hufflepuff, and yet it hosts the darkest magic I have encountered.”

Sirius stiffened, meanwhile Narcissa’s fingers curled around his arm in caution.

Harry swallowed. “So it is cursed.”

Andromeda’s eyes turned to him. “Not merely cursed, Harry. It is infected in a way, saturated with a type of magic that should not exist.”

She lifted her wand and traced a small shimmering rune above the cup. The symbol then twisted, writhed, and collapsed in on itself like a dying star before dissipating. He didn’t know what that was supposed to do, but could tell it was bad.

Narcissa inhaled sharply. “That is parasitic magic the likes of which I’ve only seen once before.”

“Yes.” Andromeda said. “Soul magic.”

Harry’s stomach churned. “Voldemort.”

“I am afraid so.” Andromeda nodded. “This cup contains a sliver of someone’s soul. I have no doubt whose.”

Sirius’s jaw clenched hard. “Bloody hell.”

“This fragment is autonomous, aware, angry. It is dormant only because the protective enchantments around the cup function like a cage, keeping the soul locked inside. Bellatrix did not know what she held, but she tended it with the devotion of a zealot.” Andromeda inhaled shakily. “Bella only joined the Dark Lord after getting closer to the Lestranges, and it makes me wonder if it was this cup that brought her over to You-Know-Who’s cause. It would certainly explain why she had it safely protected in her vault.”

“Like the diary in my second year.” Harry frowned, and then spoke when the table’s occupants gave him questioning looks. “Ginny Weasley came to possess a diary that Voldemort owned. It… Took over her mind, and tried to turn her into Voldemort at the end of the year. I only managed to stop it with a basilisk fang.”

“Yes… That sounds very similar to what this is.” Andromeda concluded, eyeing the cup warily. “Based on what you told me, I wonder if the Dark Lord has other objects like this in his possession. But that begs the question of what exactly are they?”

As tempting as it was to ask Bellatrix, Narcissa had cautioned against pushing her sister any further. The woman was obviously more sane than before, and not nearly as loyal to Voldemort, but they didn’t want to risk any of the progress they had made by showing her this cup.

“So Bellatrix actually drank from this thing?” Sirius couldn’t hide his scowl. “The thing is obviously bad news, and its not like its a good idea to keep it around. Just have Harry get a basilisk fang and stab it again.”

A cough interrupted Sirius then, and of all the people Harry expected to join their conversation, it was the last one he would’ve guessed. Kreacher entered the dining room, a small wooden chest clutched in his arms.

“What have you brought, Kreacher?” Narcissa asked.

“Good Master Regulus asked Kreacher to hold onto this…” The elf spoke shakily. “Just like how Mistress Bella was asked to hold onto the Dark Lord’s cup.”

The elf sat the wooden box on the table before opening it, and Harry flinched. It was the same feeling he got from the cup, in that whatever was inside the box was terribly evil. “Whatever is in there gives me the same feeling that the cup does…”

“So it’s also one of Voldemort’s objects.” Andromeda used her wand to carefully levitate the object upwards, revealing an ornate locket.

“You had this the entire time?!” Sirius asked Kreacher incredulously, before trailing off. “Regulus…”

“Master Regulus asked Kreacher to destroy the locket. However, Kreacher has failed in his task, and is unable to do so.” The elf looked down in shame

“So Regulus betrayed Voldemort in the end.” Narcissa frowned, a far-off look in her gaze. “It seems that we’re hardly the only ones, cousin.”

“Indeed.” Sirius smiled at the irony. “Just took you and Bella a few decades.”

“What happened to Regulus?” Harry asked.

“Disappeared during the war, towards the end of it.” Sirius waved dismissively. “Most of us assumed he got killed in a raid.”

“And he had this soul object belonging to Voldemort the whole time.” Harry stared at the locket and cup. “We just need to figure out what they are…”

Disclaimer: All Characters are over the Age of 18

A/N: Shorter chapter for today, as the holidays are disrupting my normal writing schedule

To those who celebrate, enjoy your Thanksgiving!