The familiar environs of the headmaster's office brought no comfort to Dumbledore as he sat at his desk. Smiling ruefully, he took in the subtle sounds of plinking, whizzing and tooting that would normally help him unwind after a stressful day. Unbidden, a familiar quotation from Eliot came to his lips. "This is the way the world ends, not with a bang . . ."
Up until the last week, he was certain what needed to be done to avert the impending bloodbath. For decades, he had been positioning his pieces, maneuvering friend and foe alike, guided by prophecies. Now, one seemingly innocuous event had shattered the foundation of his strategy. Like dominoes, the other pieces were tumbling one after another with no end in sight. It was all he could do to formulate a plan to postpone the inevitable long enough to put an alternate in place. The greater good that he and Gellert had envisioned was indeed in dire straits.
Despite the changes that the thrice damned Discord had foretold, Dumbledore was sure he could have cobbled together a scheme to enforce the old prophecy. Harry was to be sacrificed to end the menace that Voldemort presented. After all, what was the life of one child compared to the fate of the entire wizarding community?
Dumbledore took a swig from his office bottle, barely registering the burn as the firewhisky went down. His trump card was gone. There was no way he could get close to the boy, let alone persuade him to join the cause. His latest trip to St. Mungo's was a painful reminder of the sort of power that now protected Harry's interests.
To make matters worse, a new prophecy had been revealed to the wizarding world. It was unprecedented in its scope; never before had a prophecy voided its predecessors. If only he had been there, he could have kept it a secret. How was it that Sybill could have chosen his moment of weakness to overcome the compulsions he had placed? Why had she been in the Great Hall unsupervised? Surely someone must be conspiring against him; fate would have forewarned him.
Of more immediate concern, the political landscape had been rooted with the subtlety of an atom bomb. Superficially, it appeared that he had advanced his cause. Old enemies had been removed while the forces of light had taken their places at the table. However, removing the old foes simply made way for the new, and the new legislators, while dedicated to the same ethos, could hardly be called allies. Those he had under close observation had slipped away; Tom was the most troubling of the lot. Complicating matters, those who had been his steadfast allies were now questioning his methods and motives, forcing him to smooth ruffled feathers when he should be countering new foes. Almost as if an afterthought, his control over Harry had been irrevocably stripped away. Should he attempt anything against the boy, those more powerful than his magical guardian would intercede.
There was still the matter of what, ostensibly, was his primary responsibility, the education of the new generation of witches and wizards. In his absence, Minerva had shown a disturbing sense of independence that threatened to upset the balance he had so carefully worked to maintain. The apartheid between the wizarding and muggle worlds had been established with good reason. He could scarcely fathom the horrors that integration would bring. Muggleborn would simply have to leave their old lives behind, while purebloods would never savor the temptations of the magicless.
Where there was life, there was hope. Although his grand plans for the greater good lay in shambles, he could still salvage the situation. He had been completely reactive over the past week, but now that he had a chance to catch his breath, he could again drive the agenda. However, the road forward was unpleasant in the extreme. He would have to abandon all attempts to influence Harry. Instead, he would have to revitalize the conservative factions, relying on former opponents to preserve the status quo. Surely, he had the influence to temper the ambitions of the new Wizengamot members. With the right guidance, he could let them have their victory while he preserved the wizarding traditions. Concurrently, he had find a way to locate and neutralize Tom and his ilk. But first, he had to find a spell to guard his dreams.
Dumbledore blinked, bringing his office back into focus. He had his head tilted back with a now-empty bottle at his lips. With an indignant snort, he vanished the empty vessel. He had picked the wrong day to give up drinking.
The soft-boiled egg in the gilded cup on Filthy Rich's breakfast table was his way of telling Monday to bugger off. Since they lacked anything even remotely prehensile, eating one with grace was the epitome of earth pony etiquette. It took a good eye, a steady jaw, and complete concen . . ."Good Morning!"
Blinking the yolk out of his eye, Filthy Rich regarded the sight of the wildly-grinning draconequus with well-concealed irritation. It was preferable to have egg on his face than to suffer any of the creature's more creative notions."Good morning, Discord. What brings you to my humble abode?"
“Humble?” Discord looked around at the opulent dining room, “I don’t think that word means what you think it means.” Pointing at the pony's snout, he said, "You have a little something there." The draconequus snapped his fingers, and the egg was transformed into a startled hen who flew off, dropping a fresh egg on Filthy Rich's plate as it made its escape.
Filthy chuckled and motioned to an empty seat. “I’m glad you like it. Please have a seat. My daughter should be down soon, and we’ll break our fast when she arrives.”
“How kind,” Discord commented, taking the seat. “However, I hadn’t planned on imposing on your hospitality. In fact, I shall be breakfasting with a fine young lady shortly. I just popped in quickly to get you to sign on the dotted line here.” He produced an inked quill and a contract with a snap.
“What’s this?” Filthy said, examining the offered paper.
“Is that my marriage contract?” a pink filly exclaimed, darting into the room. “Oh, thank you, Daddy! Thank you, Discord!” Effusively, she hugged both.
“Marriage contract?” Surprised, Filthy took a closer look at the paperwork. “Just a moment Diamond Tiara, let me look at this.”
“Hurry, daddy!” the filly whined, hopping in place.
“I think you’ll find everything in order,” Discord said smugly as the elder pony read the contract.
“Either party can easily negate this, without penalties, if they so decide.” Filthy noted, “Hardly a binding contract.”
“Is that a problem?” Discord asked?
“No, it’s just unexpected,” Filthy said still reading, “This will bypass all the laws Celestia has in place for marriage contracts?" The stallion shot a glare at his daughter. "Diamond Tiara, stop that bouncing this instant.”
“Daddy!” she whined.
“Twilight seemed to be impressed by the last one I drafted.” Discord smirked.
“How does the spirit of chaos manage to be so good with the laws?” Filthy asked.
“My good sir, laws are merely chaos masquerading as order. Why else would we have lawyers?” Discord shrugged. “Besides, I had a friend draw it up; it’s kind of her thing.”
“I would almost say that this is too good to be true,” Filthy said. “As a rule of hoof, when something seems too good to be true, it normally is.”
“And we all know what I think of rules,” Discord countered.
“There is that,” Filthy agreed taking the quill with his mouth. “What it comes down to is if I am willing to take the risk to ensure that my princess has this opportunity. And I’m well aware it’s only a matter of time before the princesses close whatever loopholes you are taking advantage of. Some things you just have to hop on when the chance presents itself.”
“Yeah!” Diamond Tiara pranced around her father as he signed to secure her future.
Monday evening found the Gryffindor herd settling into their routine. Now that classes had ended for the day, they gathered as a study group in the library to complete their homework. Having others to discuss concepts sped comprehension. For the practical exercises, when one herdmate struggled, the rest were quick to pitch in to tutor and demonstrate. To the envy of the other first-years, the herd was finished for the day with plenty of time to spare for rest and relaxation. As they filed back to their tower, Hermione stayed behind. She insisted that she had some independent study she had to finish, and that she would join them later. True to her word, she crawled into bed with the rest of them, but only after arriving late and taking another shower instead of a bath.
In suburbia, Tuesday mornings were rarely pleasant. Just as she had her hands covered in suds, there was a knock on the front door. Sourly, she rinsed off her hands and turned off the faucet. The morning dishes would have to wait. It was much too early for doorstep selling; this did not bode well. She dried her hands on her apron as she went to answer the door.
“Oh,” she said listlessly upon seeing who was waiting, “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised to see you. It was only a matter of time.”
“Petunia,” was the greeting she received, “won’t you invite us in?”
Wordlessly, she stood to the side and gestured for the men to enter. Closing the door, she indicated the seats she wanted the two to occupy. Woodenly, she left her guests to make themselves comfortable and made a quick trip into the kitchen. Soon she reemerged with three water glasses and a gallon bottle. A picture of a man in a red coat briskly walking was on the label.
“Isn’t it too early for that?” Remus asked.
“Even if you aren’t going to need it, I know I will.” Petunia placed a glass in front of each of them before taking a seat for herself.
“How bad was it?” Sirius demanded, anger evident in his voice.
Petunia closed her eyes and gave a small hiccupping sob, “She was my sister.” She began quietly,” I hated her for having something I could never have. I despised her for leaving me behind. I envied everything she had accomplished . . . all the wonderful things her life contained. BUT SHE WAS MY SISTER! . . . And, I still love her.” Tears were freely flowing as she curled up in her chair. “If it had been me, she would have taken Dudley in and raised him as if he were one of her own! I wasn’t even allowed to do that! I hate him. I hate him so very much. No matter how much I try not to, I just can't stop. I hate him.”
She sobbed bitterly as the two men looked on aghast. “They,” she started but sobbed again, “they said they couldn’t prove he cast the spells. Promise me that you’ll make him pay. Promise me!”
“We are working on it,” Remus said as Sirius opened the bottle. It was going to be a long morning and one wasn’t going to be enough.
James Tilley was once again manning the service counter when a familiar wizard walked into the Records Department. “Good morning, I’ll be with you in just a second,” he said. Quickly, he annotated an interdepartmental memo. After casting an authentication spell, he charmed the note to fly to its destination in the form of a paper airplane.
Satisfied that the message was on its way, he addressed the newcomer. “How may I help you this morning?”
“Just some more notarizations for you my good man,” Discord said, holding up a stack of papers.
“Another marriage contract?” James asked, accepting the paperwork.
“Why yes,” Discord answered and spent the next couple minutes watching James do his job.
Before long, another wizard entered the Records Department and strode over with purpose. “Mr. Discord,” he said with a nod of his head.
“Saul Croaker.” Discord returned the nod. "Are you not supposed to speak?"
“You know of me?” Croaker asked in surprise.
“No, but I couldn’t let you be the only one who mysteriously knows the names of complete strangers,” Discord replied.
Croaker studied Discord for a second before continuing, “I see that you’re filing your second marriage contract within two weeks.”
“Yes,” Discord confirmed.
After waiting a few seconds to see if the wizard would volunteer anything else, Croaker said, “I see. You’re not the type to beat around the bush.”
“I have been beating the bush a lot recently.” Discord noted.
Croaker gave Discord another odd look. “Yes, well, the reason I am here is because we’ve noted your interest in marriage contracts. We assume this means you have a surplus of women back in your homeland.”
“A fair assessment,” Discord acknowledged.
“Would you be open to talks of maybe allowing some young ladies to emigrate to Britain? We would be happy to integrate new blood into our populous.”
Discord blinked in surprise, “I must say, that is an unexpected proposition. I must confess, though, that the fees and paperwork are a burden for the average citizen.”
Croaker shrugged. "The paperwork is a necessary evil. As for the fees, that's something we should be able to pony up."
On Tuesday evening, Sweetie Belle couldn't decide what was worse, losing her turn at the game console or being summoned to Professor McGonagall's office -- again.
Nervously, Sweetie Belle climbed into the chair in front of the desk of her head of house.
“There is no reason to look so anxious, Miss Belle.” Professor McGonagall never lost her stern expression, but a little of the stress noticeably drained from Sweetie Belle.
“Okay,” Sweetie Belle said as she fixed her professor with a questioning look.
“I called you here tonight to let you know that Arthur will be here tomorrow morning to escort you to the Wizengamot meeting.”
“I thought he was going to act as my proxy for all these meetings.” Sweetie Belle cocked her head.
“He will be, but tomorrow a new minister shall be selected. All Wizengamot members and their proxies should attend as a sign of respect. I know it is all new to you, but I do believe you will be able to manage admirably. I know that you have had a lot of responsibility foisted on you in the last couple of weeks, and I am proud of the way you are handling it.”
Sweetie Belle sighed. “It’s going to be a boring ceremony, isn’t it?”
“Most likely,” Professor McGonagall agreed.
Defeated, Sweetie Belle wilted. “I’m sure I’ll figure something out to make it less boring.”
“Please don’t,” Professor McGonagall pleaded.
Wednesday’s breakfast brought a new and unexpected milestone to the Gryffindor table. The majority of the herd had scarcely sat when Magah made a grab for the most popular platter. “Baa kon!” she gleefully spouted, pulling the dish close and digging in face first.
“Seriously,” Apple Bloom said, glaring at her, “that’s your first word? Bacon?”
“Baa kon!” Magah smiled, stuffing another piece into her mouth.
“After as much time as she’s spent watching Lavender play, I would have guessed her first words to be something like ‘I told you to jump, you wanker.’” Dean commented, “As it is, I count us lucky that she has a bacon obsession.”
“She took all of the bacon!” Sweetie Belle whined, trying to reach around the woman to get at the platter.
“Yup, she’s definitely Sweetie’s unicorn all right,” a third-year Gryffindor boy said as he sat next to the herd. “There’s another platter of bacon right here if you’d bother to look.”
“You know,” Neville said, “you’re supposed to limit the amount of bacon you feed your owl; I’m sure that applies to pet unicorns as well.”
Philomena trilled her agreement from Sweetie Belle’s shoulder, greedily eyeing the bacon.
“You try and take it from her,” Ginny said, gesturing toward Magah. “In the meantime, pass the sausage.”
“Bad unicorn,” a fifth-year girl said, reaching out to bop Magah on her nose. “Don’t eat directly from the platter; use your plate.”
“Gah!” Magah cried, bringing her hands to cover her nose and smearing even more grease on her face.
“Good morning everyone,” Hermione said, making her way over to the Gryffindor table.
“Hermione!” Abigail greeted in return. “Glad you could make it. Did you find what you were looking for? You’re spending all of your time in the library.”
“Yeah, you almost missed curfew last night,” Seamus commented.
“I’m sorry I’ve been such a bad friend.” Hermione looked down in shame. “But this is important.”
Magah threw a handful of oatmeal at the girl who had bopped her on the nose. “Baaa d!”
“If it’s important, we can help,” Scootaloo volunteered. “What exactly is it that you’re researching?”
“Oh no you didn’t!” The fifth-year girl reached for the yogurt.
“I’m not sure if I should say,” Hermione said. “I kind of brought it on myself.”
“Hey!” Apple Bloom yelled, after finding out that transformed unicorns could dodge just fine. “It’s not even raining out!” She grabbed the scrambled eggs.
“Doesn’t matter if you brought it on yourself,” Harry reassured Hermione. “We’ll still help.”
“You do realize, this means war!” an egg-covered Hufflepuff from the next table over shouted before grasping some tarts. It was at that point that the nutritional content of their breakfast became moot.
“Good morning, Arthur.” Minerva greeted her friend as he exited the floo in her office.
“Morning, Minerva,” Arthur said, brushing the soot off his clothes. “Is Sweetie Belle ready?”
“The children are most likely at breakfast. I am sure that she will be presentable. I told her last night to wear something more formal for today and she does seem to have acceptable fashion sense.”
“Good.” Arthur said, “Shall we go get her then?”
“If I weren’t positive that Molly had already fed you, I would offer you breakfast in the Great Hall first.”
“There isn’t much of a chance of leaving the Burrow without being fed,” Arthur agreed as he followed Minerva out of her office.
“That was wicked!” Ron exclaimed excitedly as the herd left the Great Hall. For once he had more food on the outside than the inside.
“What was with jumping on each other’s backs?” Abagail asked. “Not that it didn’t work well, given Scoot’s aim, Sweetie blocking with a platter and Apple Bloom grabbing everything in sight.”
“It’s just something they do,” Parvati said, wiping fried eggs off her robes.
“I’ve got jelly in my hair.” Lavender complained, “We’re going to have to take a bath now.”
“No!” Hermione panicked. “We’ll miss class!”
“I think the professor will understand if we are a bit late,” Dean said.
“What in the name of Merlin happened here?” The children were startled by the sudden appearance of their head of house, who was glaring at them.
“Baaa un corn!” Magah explained.
The Wizengamot chambers were once again filled beyond legal capacity, prompting the room to expand to accommodate the crowd. Curiously, there wasn’t as much background noise as one would expect for such a large gathering. Instead, there was a general hush as the wizards and witches present ogled at the two spectacles occupying the center of the room. One was the expected pedestal bearing a stone goblet. The blue flames it held were seductive, but not unexpected.
The more memorable spectacle was the little girl on the unicorn. A purple- and pink-haired young girl rode her prancing mount in a circle around the goblet, cheerfully waving at the gathering. It was a mesmerizing sight. She wore pristine white robes that matched the unicorn’s fur perfectly. She radiated serenity and joy. Her very presence brought a sense of peace and contentment to all who watched. The phoenix on her shoulder was just overkill. The singing avian guaranteed the crowd would stay quiet, if only to relish the rare melody.
As the starting time approached, the girl forgot herself. When she had first arrived, she had been nervous over being the center of attention. After parading around, she had subconsciously begun to sing. Blending her voice with the phoenix’s own song came an experience heretofore unknown to human ears. It was as though she were sharing not only her voice, but also her heart. What little noise the crowd was still making ceased immediately. Afterwards, none could say what the girl had sung, they just understood that it had been a song about hope for the future.
Immediately following the song, silence reigned for at least a minute as everyone present savored the last echoes of the harmony. There had been magic in the song, magic and a promise of a better tomorrow.
So began the Wizengamot meeting.
Clearing his throat, Dumbledore struck his podium with his gavel and said, “Good morning my friends, may we have a round of applause for the lovely Miss Belle?”
Instantly, the gathering rose to their feet and a thunderous applause claimed the room.
Blushing furiously, Sweetie Belle waved once more before guiding Magah toward a beckoning Arthur Weasley.
“Now,” Dumbledore continued once the applause died down, “as Chief Warlock, it is my honor to call this special assembly of the Wizengamot to order.”
The people still standing quickly found their seats as the old wizard smiled warmly at everyone gathered.
“As you are all undoubtedly aware, we are gathered here today to choose a new Minister for Magic.” Dumbledore surveyed the assembly, “But first, is there any new business to be brought before the Wizengamot before we proceed?”
Almost as one, the gathering turned to look at Alice Rutter expectantly. She just sat in her seat with a huge grin and waggled her fingers in a wave, before shaking her head.
“I have new business,” a member of the Wizengamot said, finding his feet.
“Ah, Mr. Miller.” Dumbledore said, frowning internally. This couldn’t be good, it looked like change was about commence. “Since you are a member, I must ask you if your new business couldn’t wait until our normal session. I am sure many of the witnesses currently present are here to greet their new Minister.”
“This shouldn’t take too long,” Greg Miller stated. “My new business is actually old business that should have been taken care of ages ago.”
“Can I not persuade you to wait?” Dumbledore tried again. Why was no one listening to him lately?
“No,” Greg said firmly. “I have been reading our mandate, something I’ve recently had access to due to my new position. It has come to my attention that all laws pertaining to the arbitrary segregation of the populous are categorically forbidden by the mandate. I remind the members of the Wizengamot that we have all sworn on our magic to uphold and enforce it. In fact, the original drafters seemed to be concerned that the untitled would attempt to claim the same privileges as the titled.”
A murmur ran through the crowd as some saw where this was heading. Paling slightly, Dumbledore said, “I’m afraid I’m not positive as to how this is significant to our current situation.”
“It means that all laws pertaining to segregating muggleborn, half-bloods and purebloods rights are unsanctioned and must be removed immediately,” Greg said triumphantly.
The murmur that was wafting through the assembly turned into a roar as realization of what was proposed was digested.
While he still smiled on the outside, Dumbledore felt his stomach lurch. The new Wizengamot member had just gone straight for the jugular. While the previous incarnation of the Wizengamot generally agreed that the segregation mentioned was not arbitrary in nature, it didn’t take a seer to realize that the new Wizengamot would not see it that way. All the unique rights of the purebloods would now be under attack, en masse. Dumbledore was well aware that he needed to stall.
“This is indeed a revolutionary viewpoint.” Dumbledore said, striking his podium for order, the magic of the room making him easily heard above the ruckus. “However, I’m afraid it is well outside the scope of this special session and deserves more attention than we can devote to it today. As such, I’m afraid that it needs to be tabled until our next regular meeting. This will give you time to do additional research on the subject.”
“What?” Greg declared in disbelief, “It’s rather straight forward. All these laws need to be struck down.”
“I’m afraid it is not that simple.” Dumbledore shook his head. “If it were so, then all of the previous Wizengamot members would have been bereft of their magic. I must insist that the matter be tabled until our next session.”
The noise slowly died down as attentions began to refocus on the conversation.
“Very well, Chief Warlock,” Greg Miller said sitting down. “We will revisit this at our next meeting.
“Thank you for being reasonable,” Dumbledore said with an approving smile, “I apologize if you feel slighted, but this assuredly is not the time to tackle this issue. We have a new minister to appoint, and he or she will need some time to build their cabinet so that they may properly investigate your concerns. I do hope you can see how this will be in the best interest of government. We need to be made whole, first and foremost.”
“I suppose you have a point.” Greg Miller sighed.
Satisfied by the time he had bought, Dumbledore once again addressed the assembly. “Once again, I ask for any new business.”
A couple of wizards actually started to get to their feet but thought better of it and remained seated. There would be time for new business during the next meeting. After all, they were now well aware that putting their requests through the review process was a curtesy that could be overridden if necessary.
“Very well,” Albus Dumbledore intoned, “now onto the business that you have all journeyed here to witness. Dolores, as the highest remaining member of the previous administration, would you kindly do the honors?”
“Of course, Chief Warlock,” the large woman in pink said, climbing to her feet before waddling over to the goblet with exaggerated dignity. Once next to the artifact, she stopped to smile and nod, acknowledging the gathered warlocks and witches in each section of the audience.
“Ahem. Attention please,” Dolores Umbridge said unnecessarily. “I will now retrieve the name of our next honored minister.” With those words, she held her hand out over the chalice and waited.
The object in question seemed to suck in all the light from the room before it flared and spat out a single orange slip of paper. With baited breath the gathering watched as Umbridge easily caught the paper and read what was written on it. The mask of pleasantry the woman wore slipped off her face to be replaced by a scowl as she stared at the paper.
“No,” she declared, “I refuse to be a part of this travesty!” Angrily she shredded the orange fragment into confetti before whipping out her wand and reducing the confetti to ash.
“Stop!” Dumbledore said, storming toward the goblet, followed closely by some aurors and Director Bones.
“I wash my hands of this farce!” Dolores shouted, storming away from the center of attention even before the others arrived.
With a sigh, Dumbledore swished his wand at the fragments littering the floor, and a restored slip of paper floated up to his hand. Once again, the crowd held their breath as he read. When he did not immediately say anything the tension in the room doubled.
Finally, Dumbledore looked up and said, “It would seem that our next minister is none other than Mister Xenophilius Lovegood.”
Ack! Hermione's cutie mark reveal waits another chapter!
Hmm... Magah speaks!
Ack!! Minister Lovegood!!!
Hohoho. Pony.
Chaos and Justice working together nothing will be the same ever again.. Umbridge needs to GO
While I suppose he does fit the specified requirements, he certainly wasn’t who I expected.
I couldn't stop laughing the whole way through this chapter.
While I'm not against Petunia being redeemed i wish it wasn't being done in such a lazy manner.
Lovegood as minister? Well, he's certainly eccentric enough for the post!
8807588
I think it was a good chance and start for her think about encounter Discord, maybe he could find a way to change the spell, while she still blames of what happened, she really wants revenge from someone who did that to Harry making her never have a chance to take care of Harry. It was a good start.
MOAR! uhm, if thats okay.
Loved the update!
Oh yes.
... That's also why we have so many laws.
Father of Luna (Loony) Lovegood & publisher of The Quibbler,. I suspect Discord
Yay! I'm always happy to see this update!
... Xenophilius Lovegood as minister?
Xenophilius is rather intelligent at times... but also... Well he's the friggin editor for the Quibbler, the wizarding equivalent of the National Enquirer... Perhaps they should have thrown in honesty. Or does this go back to the discussion about honest politicians being a myth?
Magah speaks! And her first word is Bacon! I'll be interesting to see how else she grows as a character. Magah hasn't met Rarity, Twilight, or any of the other adult ponies yet, has she? That will prove interesting.
Croaker knows something. The question is what does he really want?
And I can't wait until the CMC discover that Hermione got her cutie mark. There's going to be one heck of a celebration.
And when does Draco meet Diamond Tiara? Will DT be drafted into Hogwarts also? Discord's proven he can mess with time before so I don't see why he wouldn't add DTs name to the registry if necessary.
And it's Wednesday! Just a few more days and Scootaloo can finally fly!!! Snape WILL get his hugs! Wonder if RD will be present for Scootaloo's first flight by her own wings. She might kill Discord if she misses it.
Aaaand in the next day's news, the frog lady was gored by a crumple horned snorkack as she exited the elevator on her way out of the MoM. ºoº
Now awaiting word of her successful optrectomy surgery, which will, incidentally, remove the horn from her butt.
8807750
I'm fairly certain that Xenophilius 100% believes everything he publishes. So honesty isn't an issue, but maybe they should have included "good judgement".
I gotta say, it is a little irritating how basically every character has had their agency removed. The Dursleys are just shitty people. Making everything Dumbledore’s doing seems to cheapen a lot of themes of the series.
....... Now which Lovegood will we be getting, the man, or the mask he wears to protect his daughter.
Does it go something like "When the ketchup laughs at the rain, the tripod fish will write a song"?
Oh boy. That is not something I would expect would happen. Well played sir
Odd. Most ponies from the show more or less freak out at anything Discord did, and then here you have Filthy chuckling at something only somewhat funny. Am I missing some character development that happened in a past chapter between Filthy and Discord?
Apartheid? I feel like the comparison with South Africa, if intended, is a little uncalled for. Also, was Dumbledore being in favor of pureblood rights canon?
Another compulsion spell? Really? Your Dumbledore is giving those things out like candy. You don't need a compulsion spell to be a nutball who believes her own hype. If I recall correctly, Dumbledore kept her around because she occasionally spewed forth true prophecies that she couldn't remember afterward.
At this rate, I expect Dumbledore to be behind Voldemort's rise to power in the first place, along with having put a compulsion spell on Gavrilo Princip to shoot Archduke Franz Ferdinand to kick off the Great War.
You are a frustrating author, Dogger. You write delightful, magical fluff and shenanigans, but you lace it with vendetta! Dumbledore's being terrible is the most consistent plotline we're following, and I'm tired of reading about it.
I'm not tired of reading about the CMC in Hogwarts, or about their interactions with their herd. I'm not tired of Hermione discovering that her destiny is to out-bookhorse Bookhorse Purplesmart. I'm especially not tired of mixing Equestrian and Human magics to solve problems of either world in novel ways. Can we get back to the fun stuff like that, please?
Man with the way things are going discord should just get some help getting a furry love dating website set up .... single alicorn mare looking for strong reliable and caring stallion to spend a few 100 years with must have well groomed coat no bad breath and like bananas and cake .... that'll get some wizards scratching their heads .... lol. No killer dolls this week *sigh*. They can list any amount of traits they want but that cup will pick who it thinks best ... So lovegood was it *sigh* .... I was hoping for Arthur Weasley especially since muggle studies are apparently gonna be needed real soon with the world finding out about wizards. Man I hope snape still gets a happy ending here you have a guy you hate for 95% of the story then you find out that some of the reasons Harry was still alive by the end was because he was protecting him from the shadows and was just upset because Harry made his job harder to do it. I mean he was used to spy on the most vilest despicable murderous monster ever and died just before the final battle and he did it outta love for a woman who chose a different man. Which is weird because James potter and his crew bullied snape her 1st wizarding friend. Yah he said something hurtful ... but him being bullied day after day probably led to him making friends with those haters for protection to begin with and when it finally comes to a head he snaps at her because she was getting along with his tormentors rather then him her first friend. We know what's said in anger is people lashing out in the most hurtful way possible to get back at someone. I'd suspect James used a compulsion charm or love potion to break up their friendship because he wanted lily and snape was a slytherin.I think after Lily and snape calmed down they woulda tried to fix their friendship ... I mean come on the guy was so in love with her his patrouns was a mirror copy of hers. You trying to tell me he never tried to fix his friendship.
8808020
Honestly I read this for the fluff. It’s not an adventure as it was in the Harry Potter stories, it’s more of a slice of life at this point, and I’m okay with that. I mean, yea it removes the threat, but the threats not the focus. The focus is both the griffindor herd(I still find that funny) and watching a chess master get outplayed. Do I think Albus was evil? No, but I still can enjoy this story.
My current concern? How long can Hermione hide her cutie mark?
8808111
The problem is that everything is being made Dumbledore's fault to the point that it's just getting silly (and not in the fun way).
8808002
No, you didn't miss anything. This one is going down to my own personal headcannon. I've always seen Filthy as an exceptionaly down to earth buisness pony. I think of him as more unshakable than the average pony. If this is OOC then I'm just going to have to own this one.
I agree with many others that the 'Dumbledore is a vile person' route has overstayed his welcome by now. He doesn't have to be responsible for every little thing wrong in the wizarding world to the point where he is even throwing around compulsion spells on friends. Yes, we get it, the Dumbledore in this fic is an asshole. We've seen enough of that, we really don't need even more of it. Especially with more interesting things going on like Hermione's cutie mark, the Gryffindor herd slowly approaching the point where they learn what a herd actually means, and where the wizarding world is moving after the immense upheaval.
We also haven't really visited Voldy after his departure, but the dark wizard himself is hardly going to lay dormant forever.
8808002
Actually, I think the first time we see ponies who aren't the mane 6 interact with Discord when there isn't a disaster going on is in Discordant Harmony, and they treat him pretty casually there. Nobody even bats an eyelash as he casually strolls through Ponyville and the shopkeepers are all rather friendly, if a bit confused by his exotic requests.
Damn this is good.
"Apartheid" is not how I'd describe British wizarding culture. It's more an entrenched class structure than a race-based caste system. After all, if it went solely by blood purity, then the Weasleys would have a mountain of rights that they're presumably waiving for no apparent reason. And there's the fact that "Muggleborn would simply have to leave their old lives behind, while purebloods would never savor the temptations of the magicless" describes a segregated state. Specifically this one. Muggleborn already leave their lives behind, if not at eleven, then at eighteen. And any pureblood who prides himself on that purity might sample said temptations, but he's certainly not going to marry them.
And yeah, going to echo the sentiment that Dumbledore puppet-mastering all of wizarding Britain, being the source of all the nation's problems, and citing the greater good more than the Tau Empire? Off-putting.
That aside, I honestly pity this Dumbledore. He's an old dog who can no longer learn new tricks. The world is changing and he, set in his ways as he is, sees only the destruction of what he knew and not the creation of new potential. Also, the non-Albus-repated scenes were most entertaining. Here's looking forward to more, especially now that the new minister is sure to eradicate the cabal of crumple-horned snorkacks that are really behind all of Britain's woes.
8808020
I like the idea of "Bookhorse" being a title. If Twilight is Bookhorse Purplesmart, then Hermione can be Bookhorse Safety Cone.
And this is the root of my problem with your Dumbledore. Namely, in the books, specifically Book Four, Dumbledore realized Harry did NOT have to die, thus the "look of triumph". And D's "greater good" was NOT the one he envisioned with Grindelwald, he explicitly rejected that after his sister's death according to Book 7. You took the worst elements of D you could find, deliberately erased everything else, and have spent FAR, FAR too much time doing nothing BUT abusing him. Plot? What plot? It's a series of wacky hijinks sprinkled around Dumbledore Abuse. Yay?
WE UNDERSTAND YOU HATE DUMBLEDORE. WE UNDERSTAND YOU WANT EVERYONE ELSE TO HATE HIM. ENOUGH ALREADY!
..............Oh no
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8808338
The problem is that, while some may be tired of the Dumbledore-is-an-asshole-ness, in the story, it’s literally been one week from the start of the story to the start of this chapter. He’s not an old dog who can’t learn a new trick, he’s a person who (in this story) has spent years setting up plans only to see them fall apart in one week. He’s encountered this great hurdle to his master plan, and has only had days to try to think up a solution. It seems drawn out to you, but it’s been hell week for him.
8808020
Going off context, his compulsion was not to change her behavior, but to prevent her from giving True Prophecy in crowded places, and also probably to prevent her from remembering them.
Considering the things in the books that ARE his fault, his positions of authority (Chief Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, Head of the OotP) and the not entirely listed canon powers given to those positions, as well as the fact that canon Dumbledore sort of wanted wizards to rule others (benevolently instead of with an iron fist, but still rule) it’s not much of a stretch from Kindly Grandfather type to Chessmaster type. Especially sinceDogger presents the kindly moments the same, but from an altered perspective.
8808102
While I agree that Muggle Studies will be important, the wizard community has been separate from muggles for so long that they could hardly be considered accurate. For instance, Arthur is the Head of his department (of two people, but still), and is so fascinated with muggles that he must have taken MS at Hogwarts. He still doesn’t know what a rubber duck is, thinks plugs are a collectable novelty, and has so little understanding of electricity he can’t even say the word correctly. And he’s a government authority on the subject. Not saying that it couldn’t be Arthur, just that Wizards on the whole are very uninformed about Muggles.
And as to the whole “Snape should get a happy ending” thing... you’re in one of two camps. You either think Snape is a tragic hero (as you seem to be) or you think Snape is an irredeemable ass who got better than he deserved. As I do.
And no one is saying that he didn’t try to patch things up with Lily, it is canon in the books that he did. She rejects him. Multiple times. In school, out of school. At the end she only seems him out of respect for the friendship they used to have. Not just for calling her a mudblood when he was angry, but because his attitude when he was angry at her is the attitude he has to other muggle-born. It’s like being friends with one black person and then being obscenely racist towards every other one, then trying to not have that influence the one friendship. He picks as many fights with James as James does with him. His friends are all bigoted like he is, and they all become Death Eaters together. He became a spy to protect Lily, yes, but he didn’t do it to protect anyone else as he could have earlier.
He only cared about Harry as far as he had to, otherwise he treated him like dirt. He didn’t treat Harry like Lily’s child, he treated him like he wanted to treat James. One of the first things he tells this child is that his dead father was a prat. He bullies Neville to the point that he is Neville’s worst fear. Not something that is supposed to be dangerous, but his teacher. He penalizes Hermione for getting an answer correct and calls her an insufferable know it all. He reveals Remus’s condition to the newspaper and publicly outs him as a werewolf even though that will potentially ruin his already-difficult life.
Snape is not a good person. His only redeeming quality was the love he had towards one woman. He became a double agent first to try to protect her, and later to get revenge on the man who killed her. Towards anyone else who is not a Death Eater or the child of one, he is tolerable at best and a monster at worst.
And finally, it’s said in the books that James shaped up and became a better person by the time Lily started dating him. It’s also Word of God (JKR) that children conceived under the effect of compelled love (I.E. a love potion, as Voldemort was) are incapable of loving anyone but themselves. Did James hate Snape for being a Slytherin? Probably at first, but many Gryffindor hate Slytherin and vice-versa on principle alone. In the end he hated him for being a bigoted prick, and also saw him as a romantic rival for Lily.
8808414
OH YEAH!
8808458
I'm calling it right now. There's gonna be an official deathly hallows hunt by the end of the week.
8808456
I understand that, but the pile of crap he's pulled just keeps getting bigger. Every other chapter reveals yet another abhorent thing Dumbedore has done. Can't we just... focus on what he has done instead of making the list longer and longer?
Well. Hmmm... Ponies have ritual that allowed that can resurrect any spirit, while Resurrection Stone can summon spirits of loved ones. And Xenophilius Lovegood is Deathly Hallows hunter. I just can imagine all victims of the last war being resurrected.
Can you quit it with Dumbledore? There is no point to make him antagonist. Seriously. What next we will learn? That he placed compulsion spells on a children in Voldemort's orphanage? I really hope for him having redemption before Christmas.
Maybe after new Minister being appointed Equestria and Magical Britain will establish official diplomatic relation because I doubt that Celestia will allow Discord randomly transport Equestrian mares and wed them away.
8808456
Heh like you said we're in two different camps so I can't fault you for your opinion. Don't get me wrong Snape was a d**k to Harry at times but by the end of the book series you understood all the times he saved and helped him. The only reason he took a shine to Draco was because he was friends with nymphadora Draco mom. If Lily had married anyone else that coulda been Harry but he hated James so much. As for the James thing yah he was cool in the end ... but him black and remus in snapes memories were bullies ..yes they matured with age but they still bullied him in school. In the books they never said why snape and Lily never fixed their friendship ... i just think the author didn't care enough to put enough interest in a unimportant background. So it leads to open season as to why ... truthfully him becoming a death eater after school was finished was probably the main reason. But her not trying to fix her friendship with a childhood friend while they were in school is weird to me ... especially over a few words said in a bout of anger and jealousy.... it's just sad. Guess im too hufflepuff over grypyndore.
8808456
*slow clap*
8808456
There's definitely a sense of time dilation. So much has happened among so many plotlines that it's hard to keep track of when it's supposed to be.
8808338
8808020
Okay, woah. Apartheid is definded as any system or practice that separates people according to color, ethnicity, caste, etc. While I freely admit that it is mostly thought of in relation to South Africa, that is not the origin of the word. In this story it is used with the context that muggle and wizard societies are independent of each other, nothing more is implied. The baggage you are associating with the word was not the intent.
8808638
When people hear "apartheid", they think of South Africa. When you use words, you also use the baggage and connotations that comes with them. It's why while holocaust historically meant "a Jewish sacrifice that is burned completely on the altar", it's going to mean "that one time Hitler tried to kill all the Jews" or some other form of wholesale slaughter when people hear it.
Besides, with all the mud flying at Dumbledore in this fic, it really is understandable that you'd associate him with such distasteful things.
Hah. Uh oh.
8808405
I would imagine that to be so he could keep his trump card, not so much that he cared per se.
Who doesn't feel glee on knowing that your one-shot superweapon is suddenly reusable?
8808727
Harry wasn't a super weapon his importance was simply due to his role in the prophecy nothing more.
8808723
I can defend this more aggressively, since it was added by my editor and is something I whole support. The original word I had used was segregation (or something similar; I'd have to dig into my backup files to be certain) . Ironically, that word also has a lot of baggage associated with it.
First of all, with Holocaust. I've seen the word used in other writing, not referring to the well know horror you mentioned. When I have, I took it in context of the story as presented. I only ask that you do the same here.
Also ironic is the fact that your accusation of Dumbledore mud flinging is, in this case, essentially targeted at Rich. I'm going to mention that I have been reading a lot of anti-Dumbledore fanfiction lately, and my original draft for that scene reflected it. Rich is in your camp when it comes to views on Dumbledore and he greatly reduced the darkness factor. In fact it's fair to say that the first scene is his work, not mine.
I put way too much effort into defending this story's use of Dumbledore. Mainly because as these debates are written that makes it hard not to come across as an ass when I use aggressive arguing. I end up erasing most of what I type because I do not want to upset people. I have tried to point out that the view I'm using is not mine alone nor is it poorly thought out. I respect that you and others idolize Dumbledore to the point that any negative characterization is seen as a personal affront and lessens the enjoy ability of the story for you. In return I ask that you respect that there are those, myself included, who have major issues with the character. For this particular story, you will not be getting a positive portrayal of this character. Maybe, if I write another story, he will be less dark, but for this on, his color has already been set.
8808816
See the problem is you assume anyone who doesn't agree with you must idolize Dumbledore, the truth is we couldn't care less about him. It would be one thing if you just portrayed him in a negative light but you are going out of your way to not only ignore any good he's done but push the blame for every bad thing that happens in this universe onto him.
The Truth is most of us don't care about him as much you seem to and we are just sick of you constantly crapping on the character all the time. It's not funny and it's the least entertaining part of the story. At this point I'd prefer you just kill him off and be done with it rather than continue to pursue this silly vendetta.
8808816
The fact that you always phrase it as "idolizing" Dumbledore when people question you making him an over the top villain does a lot to make it seem like a personal vendetta of yours, to be honest. It's outright implying that anyone who doesn't agree with your own views on the character must be biased. It's not really fair to tell people they should "respect that there are those, myself included, who have major issues with the character" when you have been repeatedly disrespecting anyone who doesn't.
8808816
You don't respect us, and you dismiss us as being members of some opposing camp.
I came here for what should have been a fun, interesting, what-if? crossover, with a healthy dose of magic and adventure. I'd hoped we'd get to see how the magics of Equestria and the Wizarding World would mix, and see how the school year could have gone differently with ponies (and tree sap) in the mix.
Instead, I got a combination fix- and revenge-fic that has random side-plots crop up like kudzu without advancing the story. The fluff was cute and fun, at first. It was enough to keep me reading for a while. But then our recent conversation made me think about why I was still reading this story, and I came up blank.
This fic was a huge disappointment with a lot of squandered potential. I'm giving it a downvote and getting out.
8808889
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8809246
Yes, idolize. Like I idolize Luke Skywalker and was less than happy at how he was portrayed in the last movie. This in no way weakens my arguments in that debate, nor makes them dismissable. Again, I say that I respect your position even if I do not agree with it. I say this with no belittlement.
Once again I firmly but as unconfrontational as possible assert that in this story, Dumbledore is not going to be the wise if fallible grandfather image.
8808741
Wasn't Harry supposed to be a really good wizard? At very least, he was a main character, so I'd assume he was special somehow.
The other option is that he really was only special wrt the prophecy (at least to Dumbledore), but he's happy to keep a student in the book.
I will admit that he seems a bit more adversarial here (maybe? I have not read the books, but he doesn't sound that good there, either), but he's also afloat without the prophecies that he's relied upon and controlled by for so long.
8809398
Just because we don't like your Dumbledore doesn't mean we idolize him. I guarantee our feelings towards him play only a small part in concern to how we personally feel about your Dumbledore.
8809406
I mean yeah Harry was pretty good, probably at least above average, but it's not like he was super strong or anything. It's implied that the only reason he could even go toe to toe with Voldemort is because Voldemort was using a wand that wasn't truly his.
The main reason Dumbledore protected Harry was because Voldemort was actively trying to kill him. Yeah it was Harry's destiny to destroy Voldemort but for most of the books Dumbledore mostly tried to keep Harry away from the whole Voldemort business.
8809412
Really? I'm trying my damnedest to get this whole debate to end and you keep finding reasons to be offended?
When I say you idolize Dumbledore I mean cannon.
I know this is my first fanfic, but I've been writing it for near a year now. I would hope that people have realized by now that if I'm not backing down from something probably means I'm building a plot point. I would also hope that you realize I don't like giving away what I have planned, ahead of time.