He tightened his grip on the elder wand.
"Could they with the required ring, please come forward to take the swearing in oath before they take their seat?"
One figure stood and Dumbledore had to reign in his surprise. In fact, he was so shocked he forgot he was supposed to be on alert.
Lady Sunny Greengrass, wife of the leader of the Neutrals, descended the stairs from the visitor gallery to the Wizengamot floor, decked out in full Wizengamot regalia. And on her robes, clear to be seen by all, was the crest of Slytherin house.
What did this mean? Had the Neutrals fallen to the Dark? That would be the worst possible outcome. With the Neutrals in their pocket, the Dark would, for the first time ever, command a majority in the chamber, and could push through whatever laws they wanted. That would be a disaster of the highest order.
But…something didn't feel right.
He looked out across the hall and took in the faces of the chamber.
Despite the advanced occlumency every member learned as a matter of cause, he could clearly see the emotions broadcast across the hall. The Dark and Light were shocked, but not a single neutral looked surprised.
Lucius Malfoy looked like he'd just bitten into a cockroach.
What did it mean?
He returned his focus to the elegant, blond-haired witch standing in front of his podium. "Lady Greengrass," he said, "do you stand here today to accept the seat of Slytherin House on behalf of Lord Slytherin, and wear his proxy ring?"
She flashed a hand, on which appeared a very distinctive silver ring. "I do."
"And do you swear on your family's honour to uphold the laws, customs, and honour of this chamber, and work towards the betterment of magical kind in all its forms, both present and future?
"I do."
"Very well, please take your seat."
"Chief Warlock," the Lady said, "I believe it is customary for a newly seated member to give a speech to the chamber."
He considered. This would give them an insight into what Tom's positioning was. So much about what was going on confused him, Any information would be helpful.
"Very well, Slytherin Proxy Lady Greengrass. Please go ahead."
The newly minted Slytherin Proxy turned and beheld the chamber.
"My fellow Lords and Ladies, wizards and witches. My Lord Slytherin has asked me to give you this speech, prepared by him.
A thousand years ago, the founder of my line helped build an establishment that has lasted to this day. Hogwarts castle and its school stand as a monument to what a person, supported by friends, can achieve. Since that time, many of the greatest wizards and witches of our world have been members of my house, a fact I am immensely proud of. That notoriety has also, for some, become a tool in and of itself.
In recent years, it has become fashionable to wear the clothes of the ancients to better pitch a modern ideology. None has suffered from this more than Slytherin house, and it is my intention to work closely with all those who identify with my house to reestablish the primacy of the honourable and ancient traditions of the house that Salazar Slytherin founded.
Those traditions are, ambition, drive, and the ability to understand what lies at the core of our humanity, both the good and the ugly, and work with it to achieve great things. These traits give those who call my house theirs the potential to achieve greatness, and with that potential, and its realisation, comes power. If there is one absolute law of power, it is that it brings out the true character of those who wield it. Slytherins must, above all others, exercise restraint, sound judgement, and, dare I say it, cunning, in all their dealings, to prove they are worthy of being called a Slytherin.
Those that prove themselves worthy can truly be included in my house and my family.
Ever since Merlin forged the Albion family magics, the value of family has been spellbound into the very fabric of our people. Those old and ancient magics rule over our lives and help ensure our culture and society continues.
The Hogwarts houses are unique among the ancient families of our culture in being the only houses that accept members from outside their direct bloodlines or unions, into their families. For everyone who ever sat on the Hogwarts stool, and was called to the Most Ancient and Noble house of Slytherin, a small amount of Slytherin family magic runs through your body forever, regardless of how high you rise, or low you fall.
As Lord Slytherin, the head of said Most Ancient and Noble house, it is my intense wish to see you, the members of my family, rise high.
Who here doesn't fight for their family. Who doesn't fight to ensure we have a future we are happy to hand over to our children. Ensuring the families of our world have a place and future is the legacy of those old, ancient magics, and I look forward to the day I can pass on the baton to future generations, happy in the knowledge that they do.
Thank you."
She walked up the stairs to take her new seat.
There was a smattering of applause, mostly from the Neutrals, but most, Dumbledore knew, were too busy decoding all messages in what they'd just heard.
He certainly was.
What the hell had that been? That wasn't a speech Tom would give. Hell, there were plenty of positively Light messages in there, mixed in with Darker ones, but definitely more traditionalist than blood-supremacist. It was practically, well… neutral.
The realisation hit him, hard.
Despite how seemingly impossible it was, Lord Slytherin wasn't Tom. But then, who would it be? Who was Lord Slytherin? The only name even remotely in the running was Harry Potter, because of the right of conquest, but that was impossible, both because of Tom not being truly dead, and the boy's age.
Might Morfin or Marvolo Gaunt have sired a bastard child without anyone knowing? It seemed impossible given what he knew of the family, but it was less impossible than it being Harry Potter. Come to think of it, if there was an unknown male line running around, it might explain why Tom was never able to claim the Lordship.
It wouldn't explain why they'd never been picked up before though… they'd have had to have been outside the country. Okay. So what he had here was a recently returned male bastard line of the Gaunt family, which, apparently, was extremely neutral and gray in its philosophy.
And they were about to attempt to massively influence the students and graduates of Slytherin house. That was something that couldn't be allowed to happen without careful oversight. He'd have to talk to this Lord Slytherin and persuade him to work with him to ensure he wasn't making any grievous errors. He couldn't allow a breeding ground for dark lords to form.
Someone in the chamber coughed loudly, and he realised he'd been lost in his thoughts, silence filing the hall, for a full thirty seconds.
"Ah, yes. Thank you, Slytherin Proxy Lady Greengrass, for those words, and please pass on our thanks to your Lord Slytherin. I'm sure you've given many people a great deal to think about. Let's now proceed onto other business."
The new Slytherin Proxy Lady Sunny Greengrass, temporarily the most interesting person in the wizarding world, arrived home after many hours of snacking on finger food, pretending to drink, and fielding questions.
She immediately felt something wrong.
From the sitting room, came the sound of sniffling and sobbing.
She walked in.
"Dear?"
The sight of her daughter, Daphne, curled up in a ball on one of the couches, gently rocking herself, tears streaming down her face, wrenched at her heart and shredded all thoughts of work.
Daphne looked up, and hiccupped. "I don't want to," she said, her voice barely reaching across the room.
Oh dear. She closed her eyes. The regular after-Wizengamot meeting with Lord Slughorn had obviously not gone well.
"I don't want to," the girl repeated, a little louder this time.
She walked across the room, sat down next to Daphne, and wrapped her up in her arms, holding her close, stroking her hair. She didn't say anything. She couldn't think of anything to say.
"He's horrible!" her daughter suddenly burst out. "I don't want to, I don't want to, I don't, I don't," she cried, clutching at her robes, and soaking them with tears.
Lady Sunny's heart broke. She felt so helpless. If nothing changed soon, the signing would happen in the next few weeks, and her daughter's match would be sealed. She couldn't bear to see her Daphne's spirit slowly crushed like this. It was too painful.
Screw it. She knew she could get in a lot of trouble for doing this, but she didn't care anymore.
"Dear," she started, softly, continuing to stroke the hair of the little blond in her arms, "I really don't want to get your hopes up, but I think I should tell you that we have spoken with another about your betrothal."
Daphne sniffed. "Who?"
"Harry."
The girl stilled in her arms, and stayed that way for a long time.
Finally, Daphne spoke. Her words were barely audible. "And what did he say?"
"He said he'd consider it."
More silence.
.
.
.
🍀Visit my site at tiendup for more advanced content...🍀
🍀Read the complete novel in PDF, available at my Store!🍀
https://sunflowersfic.tiendup.com/