"Acting Madam Minister and Chief Witch pro Tempore Madam Bones," he called. "With my apologies, the Noble and Most Ancient House of Longbottom hereby and unequivocably withdraws its objection to Lord Harrison James Potter ascending to his rightful place upon the Wizengamot."
Bones gave a simple slow nod back and quietly said, "Accepted. Are there any other objections?"
No; of course there weren't. No one would dare.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
After Harry had taken his Seat, Frank then took his.
Alice, with Neville practically affixed to her side as if with a Sticking charm, took them both back to sit with Hermione.
Bones then stated there would be an immediate call for votes for Chief Warlock. Until that day, most thought Augusta Longbottom a probable shoo-in for the slot, even as Regent. However, the honour went to Lord Miles Ogden.
Walking back up into the tiers, Neville almost yanked Hermione out of her seat and laid a massive hug on the girl. "Thank you!" he practically sobbed into her hair.
"Neville!" Alice quietly and amusedly scolded him.
Muffled by the boy's shoulder Hermione said, "It's okay, Lady Alice. This one's easy to forgive."
Once Neville stepped back and wiped his eyes dry again, he sat between his mother and Hermione.
When two reporters tried to surreptitiously slide over to ask questions, Neville snapped to his feet, spun on the pair of them, drew his wand and actually growled at them. He even had the curled lip quiver, flashing a hint of teeth on the side, right.
That had both quickly scurry away again. One row back, Sirius blinked once in surprise and then quietly snickered.
As Hermione lightly chuckled, Alice was looking up at Neville with surprise and love.
A long glare later in warning towards the now quite distant reporters, he carefully spun back and sat down again with a huff.
With a smile Hermione quietly said, "There's that heart of a lion Harry keeps telling you beats in your chest."
Neville gave a little blush at the praise, but kept silent. He was too busy holding his mother's hand, just as he'd do for almost an hour in Saint Mungo's every chance he got. This time, though, that hand he held was a lot more lively and a lot less frail.
After Ogden moved to take the Chief Warlock's Seat and Bones moved back to the Seat for the DMLE, he then called for nominations for the position of Minister. Elections would be held and the decision voted upon at the February meeting in nine weeks. There was no January meeting.
Almost the first to do so, but definitely the first to be recognised, Madam Marchbanks stood and declared, "The House of Marchbanks nominates Lord Harrison James Potter of the House of Potter to the Seat of Minister."
While Harry turned and stared at her in gobsmacked shock, to which she smirked back, another blurted, "Are you out of your freakin' mind?"
Even Harry gave an amused snort at that.
After a couple of gavel bangs, Ogden called, "Lord Potter; do you accept the nomination?"
Giving his head a quick shake to get rid of the shock, Harry stood, thought about what he wanted to say and said, "While I would not state my question in the same manner as a fellow Member stated a moment ago..."
That earned him a few chuckles.
"... I believe I would... respectfully echo his sentiments."
A few more chuckles.
"As such, I must humbly... decline the nomination at this time. However, I also thank the House of Marchbanks for the honour and respect it has bestowed on me and the House of Potter with the nomination." And sat again.
As he sat, he looked back at Marchbanks with an eyebrow cocked, slight smirk on his lips and a slow head shake.
She, smirking back, mimicked doffing a hat to him.
There were about five nominations where the member so nominated rose and accepted. One of them was Caracticus Nott. Harry was unsure about the leanings of the other four. At the moment, he didn't care.
After that, the session broke with best wishes for the Yule season and reminders the next General Meeting would be in February on the third Tuesday. That made it the sixteenth of the month.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
As the Wizengamot began to disassemble, Bones immediately 'corralled' Harry, Frank and Andi - freeing them from the near mob of Members, who all tried to converge on Frank and even Harry, at the same time. And sent her aurors to collect Hermione, Sirius, Alice and Neville to take all seven back to her office.
Once in the safety of her DMLE office, she gave her own sigh of relief before she went to a hidden cabinet and pulled out a bottle of muggle scotch and a fistful of shot glasses.
Taking them to her desk she put them on the top and quickly conjured a series of chairs. This time there were seven in total on the other side of the desk.
"Bloody Hell!" she vehemently stated before she began to pour glasses.
Before she got to do more than that, Neville called, "Harry?"
Harry, surprised, turned to the boy. "Nev?" he asked.
Neville physically grabbed him and laid a massive hug on him even stronger than Hermione's best. "Thank you!" he quietly stated.
Harry found himself unable to draw breath and gasped. "Nev? Air! Breathe!"
Neville finally released him as Bones finished pouring shot glasses.
Still quietly, he said, "Harry... whatever you need or even want... it's yours."
Bones called, "Tinker!"
With a light pop a house elf appeared. "Yes, Mistress Ami?" it asked
"Three butterbeers, please," she asked it.
Harry said to his friend, "It's what friends do for one another, Neville. But, I'm sorry about your grandmother."
A few moments later three small bottles all appeared on the desk. Bones first handed out the shot glasses of scotch to the other three adults and handed the three butterbeers to the three teens.
"No, Harry," Neville disagreed, accepting his. "This goes, as I once heard Seamus say, 'above and beyond'."
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