Chapter 21

Samuel gave him a mock scowl but climbed the platform anyway and addressed the crowd saying "so that's what I propose. Are there any other ideas on how to do so; or are there any modifications you would like to implement to my proposal?"

A man stepped forward and once he was in front of the crowd said "my name is Geraint Ashton and I do have a few questions and proposals." Seeing Samuel gesture for him to speak he said "my first question would be concerning the gathering of new members. You see I was approached by my long time friend Halyn Vaughn and decided to join as well and I'm thankful he did so but my concern now is that there exists a great possibility that someone could offer membership to someone who either rejects them or to do so in such a manner that they're overheard."

Samuel nodded and said "I've thought about that for awhile as it occurred to me as well and I was thinking that we could set up a system where three or four people that are respected and known as good people to the world are selected to go with the person offering recruitment. How this would work is that the person being recruited would be approached by a person wanting to offer membership to someone and one of the selected people would accompany that person when they recruit. That way the person being approached would not only be soothed by their friend or acquaintance but by a respected member of the community. The designated person would also ensure that any conversation would take place in a secure environment with the possibility of being overheard being negated. In addition to these people I would suggest that we designate someone in Hogwarts as well as they could approach someone there as Harry has already done so in the person of Hermione Granger."

The group talked this over for awhile before eventually deciding that this would be beneficial and much more secure. After about five minutes Samuel looked the crowd over and said "is there consensus on this issue?" Seeing that there was he turned to Geraint he asked "what are the rest of your thoughts Geraint?"

Geraint looked at him and said "my next question would be concerning the Wizengamot and what happens if we are discovered, as well as the hope that we will be able to change the laws concerning this and spells powered by the magic field."

Augusta stepped forward and said "if I may I believe that I can answer the second part of your question for you." Seeing him nod as well as Samuel she continued on with "as all of you may know I am the current proxy for my grandson for the Ancient and Noble House of Longbottom. I am currently working with Lord Abbott and some others to get the laws overturned but we are working against centuries of established procedure to do so and I fear that it will take a long time if ever for those laws to be overturned. As a matter of fact I don't see it happening without the one side or the other gaining a lot more seats." She then went on to explain the current breakdown on the parties as well as what they stood for. Once she finished she said "now as it stands we're really in sort of a deadlock and nothing is really getting done. Unfortunately the result is that the Ministry is gaining more and more power with little to no oversight. The neutral or moderate party recently gained some votes that bring our totals up to about 35% total of the votes but we are still not enough to enact any changes. Brian and I were thinking about this and have started to ponder reaching out to known allies and friends that sit or vote on the Wizengamot and invite them to join us. Obviously this will have to be carefully thought over as it may prove not to be worth it in the future, but with the current make up of the Wizengamot we're stuck."

Geraint nodded and said "thank you for explaining to all of us how the votes in the Wizengamot break down as most of us don't really pay attention to it all that much."

Samuel said "now on to the rest of your questions or proposals Geraint?"

The gathering spoke for about two hours and it was eventually decided that they would follow their ancestor's ways in this matter and cast the spell on Imbolc. They also decided to pick five people from all walks of life to be the spokes people for recruitment. Once this was decided Samuel spoke once more "now I would like to propose that these five people serve as sort of a committee for us until the spell can be cast. This way you all know who is on it and can talk to them if you have concerns. This group would also allow us to have a measure of safety until the leaders are chosen as the committee could decide some things if an emergency should take place. All of them would have to give a full recounting of their actions or decisions at our next meeting but it offers a little help if it is ever needed." Looking at the crowd he nodded when everyone signaled agreement with this, so he continued on with "now I would also like this group to be permanently in place as well. The reason for this proposal is that they would work in conjunction with the leaders; the way I see this working is we would have our leaders selected by magic and the group would distribute their directions to the entire group. This would relieve some of the burden that the leaders would be under, it would also allow any proposals or concerns to be transmitted to the leaders if there isn't a way for you to get directly into contact with them."

The group talked this over for about ten minutes and it was decided to go with that proposal for right now and possibly modify it in the future if it was ever needed. Samuel stepped forward once more and said "the last thing I think we need to go over tonight is to decide on whom we will place into the group as well as how we should select them."

Harry stepped forward and said "I have a proposal on that." Seeing Samuel nod in acquiescence Harry continued on with "I think we need a person who is rather well known in the political structure so I would propose Brian Abbott and Augusta Longbottom as they are known as the leader of the neutral and a visible presence in the light factions respectively. Next I would suggest someone well known in Knockturn Alley, as I don't know anyone in that capacity I leave it up to all of you to decide. Next I would suggest someone well known in Diagon Alley to be their counterpart. Next I would suggest a well known muggleborn since I believe that we should start heavily increasing our presence amongst them as while they are the second largest group they are heavily discriminated against and if we offered a way for them to join and stay in our world they could stem or even eliminate the brain drain that is taking place as they leave this country in ever increasing numbers. Finally I would suggest that we select a person that is non-human such as a werewolf." Harry paused as there was a gasp at this proposal and continued on determinedly when it was over "as some of you are aware of I am currently employing Patricia O'Shanery as a Herbologist and general instructor right now. She currently holds a Masters in Herbology and was working on her mastery in DADA when she was bitten by a werewolf while working abroad. She has been very helpful so far as well as extremely loyal to me and I have no problem with her having as my dad put it 'a furry little problem' especially since she has access to the Wolfsbane potion. What none of you know of is what happened to her when she dedicated herself as we have done. To explain to all of you what has happened I ask her to step forward and tell you."

Patricia nervously stepped forward onto the platform and said "hi all. My name is Patricia O'Shanery and I discovered about the dedication ritual along with Harry at the same time. I was accepted at that time which was in August. Since then I've gone through four full moons. As you may know when a werewolf sees the full moon he or she transforms into a large wolf that is absolutely vicious and mindless. As far as I can tell we go mindless during that time as the wolf instincts are dominant and in pain from the transformation. The Wolfsbane potion takes the edge off the transformation and thus makes the transformation better than it would be if they didn't take it. What happened however is that I forgot to take the potion during the full moon two months ago; fortunately I was in a secure location and no one else was in close proximity when I transformed. However something remarkable happened in that the transformation was absolutely painless and when I was transformed I had full control of my actions; in addition I've discovered that I'm able to use the instincts of the wolf in my human form which I didn't think was possible outside of those who let the wolf control them such as Fenrir Greyback and his 'pack'. I can only assume that these results have come about are due to dedicating myself to magic; I have since gone through two more full moons in a secured location and the same thing has happened."

The crowd muttered and spoke in astonishment for several minutes until a person stepped forward. He said "hello my name is Dafyd Wilding, a half blood who works in Diagon Alley, as a journeyman enchanter. I was wondering if you think this could hopefully happen to others who have been bitten as well; I ask this because my sister's son was bitten five years ago by Fenrir. He is now about eight years old and suffers heavily from the transformations and we can't always afford the Wolfsbane potion. He currently lives with us as his parents were killed at the same time he was bitten and I know he is magical as well but I have been concerned for a long time how he would even be educated since he is a werewolf and Hogwarts doesn't allow so called half-breeds to attend."

Patricia shrugged and said "I don't know if he will receive the same benefits or not but we can at least try. I also don't know if he is old enough to carry out the dedication."

Harry stepped forward and said "I could answer the second question. I've been reading on the customs and ways of our ancestors as they pertain to this group and I have found that our ancestors had two stages for people under the age of 11. The way they carried it out was thus: there is a dedication ritual that the parents of children under the age of five can carry out that will partially connect their child to the magic field. This will not only allow the child's magical core grow faster it will also provide a protection for them from any spell or mishap that children will sometimes suffer by using not only the child's core but the magic field itself. In return the parents have to promise to raise their children in a manner pleasing to the Goddess and God as well as magic and to instruct their children in the ways of the Children of the Dark. The next ritual the child must carry out when they reach at least five years of age, though from what I have read most parents waited until their child reached the age of seven, which dedicates them to the God and Goddess. Then when they reach 11 they can carry out the same ritual that we do. Harry pause then said in a musing tone "as an aside I think my mother somehow tapped into the first ritual when she did whatever she did the night Voldemort attacked." Clearing his throat Harry concluded "now the only downsides that I could find about the ritual was that the child will not receive the markings or be able to use spells powered by the magic field. Since children are not likely to be able to use magic anyway before the age of eleven then this isn't really too much of a downside."

Dafyd nodded and said "thank you Harry. Now onto the first part of the answer given by Patricia I thank you as it gives me hope that my nephew can have a semi-normal life despite being bitten." He bowed his head then turned to the group and asked "may I have permission to bring my cousin here if he accepts and have him carry out the child's dedication?"

The crowd shouted in a loud voice "aye!"

Dafyd, who had a few tears leaking at the acceptance his cousin could find here, nodded and said in a chocked voice "all of you have my thanks and gratitude."

Samuel waited in silence for several seconds to allow Dafyd and his wife to gather themselves and then said "I ask if there are any other proposals?"

Harry cleared his throat and said "I have some that I would like the group to think over, as none of them need to be decided right now." Seeing Samuel gesture for him to go on Harry said "my first proposal is that the parents in this group seriously consider adopting any wizarding children that are orphans. The reason I ask this of all of you is because of a factor that any of you who grew up in the muggle world know of. It seems that children under the age of nine or so can sense that there is something different about magical children; so being children they often bully or persecute them. Now this can have a serious affect on those persecuted children in that they usually either gain emotional or mental scars from the persecution and they could become bullies or even end up hating muggles. We can't do anything for those children who have guardians in the muggle world unless those parents do something illegal. However those in the foster care system or in orphanages could be adopted by us and raised in the magical world by the parents in this group. This would help us in two ways: one is we could prevent any child from being harmed by those who don't understand them and the second way is that if they are raised by the parents in this group then they would more easily become members of this group."

The group talked this over for quite some time and many parents nodded as they decided that this was a good thing and would probably do so. Guy Lisbon stepped forward and said "how could we find these children as I don't know of any way other than somehow stumbling onto a child in an orphanage doing accidental magic."

A man stepped forward and said "my name is Reginald Cattermole a halfblood that works for the Ministry, in the maintenance department, and I think I can answer your question. As I work in maintenance I have been everywhere in the Ministry except for the Department of Mysteries and one of the offices in the Ministry has a listing of a current magical child's name, their location, their guardianship status and their age. I believe that I could gain access to this list rather easily and distribute it to the group if there is enough interest in my doing so."

The group talked this over for some time and it was eventually decided to have everyone think it over and decide at the next meeting their decision. Seeing this Harry cleared his throat and said "my last proposal concerns all the muggleborn students who have been cast out by their families when it was announced to them that they were magical. I don't know of any way to find this out unless they are also on that list Reginald mentioned but I think it would be a very good thing if we found them out and offered our homes to them."

The group talked this over and again decided to decide on this at their next meeting. Seeing the consensus Samuel stepped onto the platform and asked "is there anything else that someone wants to propose or ask?"

The entire group was startled by a voice calling out "I have something to say to this gathering if I may?"

Harry along with the group turned and he was startled to see Cherion coming forward. Seeing that the group was somewhat stunned to see a centaur addressing the group Harry stepped forward and said "I welcome you to this place Cherion and thank you for your unceasing protection of this place from those who would despoil it."

Cherion stepping into the light cast by the globes nodded and said "I thank you for your courtesy and manners Mr. Potter as it is a welcome change from what centaurs normally receive." He looked over the group and said in a carrying voice "as you might have just learned my name is Cherion and I am the leader of all of the centaurs in this forest. I come here tonight for a few reasons. The first thing is to express my admiration and joy in seeing witches and wizards once more worshipping the Goddess and God as well as dedicating themselves to magic itself. For too long has wizarding kind separated themselves from nature and realize that there are greater powers than any being can comprehend or control" he said as he bowed to them to express his thankfulness. Straightening up he said "the second reason I come this night is to inform you that my herd is willing to protect this gathering on the nights when you congregate here from anyone who would wish to discover or disrupt you."

Samuel stepped forward and nodding his head said "my name is Samuel Greengrass-Davis and I want to personally extend our thanks and acceptance of your generous offer. Personally I wish there was some way we would be able to repay you for this, as it is generous and I personally feel that we are not worthy of such a gift."

Cherion shook his head and said "it is not really a gift per se Mr. Greengrass-Davis as it is merely the centaurs doing what we once did in times past for your ancestors."

Samuel gave a slight bow and said "then I thank you and if there was something that our ancestors did in return I ask that you inform us as most of our history has been lost or forgotten."

Cherion looked at him then nodded and said "I will do so and I thank you once more for your kind actions and the respect you have shown here," Looking around at the group he said "there is one last thing that brings me here tonight and that is the actions of something in the forest that might pose a danger to you. The centaurs have been aware for a moon or so that there is a creature, we have never encountered before, that has entered the forest at night several times. All we can tell is that it seems to be searching for something and it reeks of evil. We know that none of the students or any of you is connected to that creature but we wished to warn you of the possible danger it poses."

Harry stepped forward and said "Cherion might I have a word with you privately?" Seeing him nod Harry went over close by and whispered "the creature might be the remnant of Voldemort, if so he might be searching for the unicorns for their blood."

Cherion reared in shock at hearing this and once he was on four feet again asked in an urgent yet quiet voice "are you sure? I know you came back in time and you have a great destiny but have the fates allowed you to keep your memories?"

Harry's jaw dropped in absolute shock at Cherion's statement and asked "you know about that!!! How in Hades did you learn about that?"

Cherion smirked as he replied saying "all centaurs know when a pivotal person has been sent back after their untimely death Mr. Potter, as while the current human understanding of the stars is practically worthless centaurs have developed it immensely. Now are you sure it's Voldemort and that he is after the unicorns?"

Harry nodded and recounted the tale of his first year to him, once he finished he pleaded "please don't tell anyone that I've come back as it sounds impossible and I could be locked up for having delusions or even worse they could change the timeline to such an extent that it could make things immeasurably worse for the world."

"Have no fears on that score Mr. Potter as we centaurs will never tell anyone important information like that" Cherion stated as he patted Harry's shoulder. He then turned to face the crowd and said "I now know what has been creeping into the forest and I believe that all of you should be safe but please be on guard if you decide to wander the forest at night."