Harrigan smiled in a reserved manner at something his husband had whispered in his ear, well aware of the way the pair had attracted the attention of the masses the moment they had simultaneously Apparated into the Ministry of Magic. It was the start of a new session of the Wizengamot and as such, Harrigan was excused from his classes (not that he had any on Thursday normally) and had been met by his husband at the front courtyard of Hogwarts. Both Regulus and Sirius had come up to bid their father hello, talking with the pair for a few moments before they had to depart. It was the first time they had seen him since the pair returned from their vacation three days previously.

Orion seemed determined to share the world with Harrigan and had surprised the younger male with a trip to the United States of all places, specifically the island of Oahu, part of the state of Hawaii. It was a beautiful place, surrounded by bright blue ocean and covered in the richest, broadest range of greenery Harrigan had ever seen. The pair had greatly enjoyed their short, whirlwind vacation, Harrigan somehow managing to come home with a tan (Orion seemed incapable of tanning, his skin simply skipped to burnt).

But now it was time for the first session of the Wizengamot since that winter and more specifically, the first since the threat that Tom Riddle had posed was taken care of. Harrigan was anticipating some uncomfortable tension with Dumbledore and his party, who no doubt had taken offense at the subtle insinuations in the Prophet that there had been unnecessary 'fear-mongering' going on behind the scenes that had 'undermined the individual witch or wizard's confidence' in their ability to stop the threat before it became real.

It was true, however. Harrigan had seen it first-hand at the school, Dumbledore sowing the seeds of fear and dread in impressionable minds as he treated Riddle like he was more than just a half-blood with daddy issues and an inferiority complex. Harrigan still shuddered sometimes as he imagined how it could have gone if no one had the common sense and strength to ignore Dumbledore's words and see through the image Riddle had projected.

Orion and Harrigan approached the entry for the Lords and Ladies of the Wizengamot, stopping in front of the guards and waiting patiently as they scanned the pair with complex spells, checking for any illegal objects, poisons, or signs of mental or physical tampering. If either of the latter two were discovered, the affected Lord or Lady was escorted aside by one of the guards and an on-call expert from St. Mungo's was summoned to examine them and prescribe treatment.

Considering each and every one of the individuals that passed through this doorway were responsible for the rules and laws that governed the whole of the magical UK it was a precaution that no one argued with. The consequences could be disastrous if a single individual with considerable pull in the Wizengamot was allowed through with any such sign. For example, an influential member of the Wizengamot that was under the Imperius Curse or any number of mind-control potions could pass through detrimental bills simply because their voice was so trusted by the masses.

Once it was assured that the pair were hale, healthy, and possessed no illegal object or weapon they were ushered through the huge wooden doors, engraved with the seal of the Ministry which was then embossed with real white gold, hammered into place by expert members of the Goblin Nation.

The opulent chambers inside never failed to dazzle newcomers, with the elaborate black, white, and gold mosaic floor and the rich mahogany bleachers with the comfortably plush wood and purple silk chairs. Rows of chairs were separated by a staircase lined with a rich purple runner and gold handrails.

The bottom level of the chambers was the busiest, with pages running back and forth to hand out the day's schedule of events to the members of the Wizengamot, reporters for each major and minor paper in the UK, and some international papers scratching away with their quills and the Wizengamot scribe typing away on an old typewriter, filing which members were present for today's session as well as the name and titles of the presiding officials. The upper levels were peacefully quiet, raised far enough above the floor to allow the Lords and Ladies to peruse the schedule or speak quietly to each other without being forced to raise their voices.

Orion and Harrigan made their way to where Abraxas and Lucien were seated in the fourth level of the third section, near enough in the middle of the seven-section seating area. These were their customary seats, allowing a good vantage point and excellent acoustics so as to hear and be heard by their fellow peers. Harrigan took the seat next to Abraxas, letting Orion take the one on his other side next to Lucien. Abraxas handed them both a copy of the day's agenda and Harrigan hummed in thanks, crossing his legs casually and staring intently at the three pages embossed with the Ministry logo.

This appeared to be a quiet session, at least until Harrigan spotted the very last bill. Put forward by Dumbledore himself, it appealed for a restriction from the open practices of the Old Ways by students at Hogwarts as well as a release in the subject of Wizarding Studies and Religion for Muggle-raised students. Harrigan frowned just slightly, pointing it out quietly to his husband.

"I take it you spotted it, then? Clever of the old fool to hide it for last, he's hoping people will be too tired and ready for the End of Session to argue with him," stated Abraxas in a tight voice. It was obvious by his voice and face that he was more than annoyed with the boldness of the bill.

"It won't go through," Harrigan promised his companions in a low voice, a sub-vocal growl almost audible in his voice.

Harrigan bided his time, waiting carefully. He flicked his gaze from their supporters to Dumbledore, sitting smugly in a seat so near to the presiding officials it nearly put him amongst them. Wouldn't he just love to be there officially, Harrigan mused. He wouldn't be, nor would he be part of this body at all someday soon.

Finally, almost three hours later, the disgusting bill came up. Dumbledore stood and made his speech, listing the statistics of students that had come to him and asked to be transferred to another class, had failed it outright, or had not bothered to go in the first place. He finished in such a way that it projected the class was doomed to failure anyway and the practice of the religion could be done just as quietly as it was open now.

Smiling in an almost feral way, Harrigan stood slowly, regally. He rolled his shoulders back into a straight, imposing line, drawing the eyes of most the Wizengamot before Minister Bagnold had even turned in his direction. "Wizengamot recognizes Lord Harrigan Peverell-Black."

Harrigan allowed himself a small smile at the form of address, proudly acknowledging the bond between himself and the graceful, eye-catching Lord seated to his right. Then he looked straight into the bright blue eyes that contained a barely-withheld annoyance and said firmly, "Your proposal is all well and good for the Muggleborn and Muggle-raised students, Headmaster. But what message does it give to the students who are from magical families, those who have been raised from birth to celebrate unashamedly their connection to Magic and the Goddess? I can tell you now, it tells them that they are not worth as much to you, that their beliefs are lesser."

Harrigan took a deep breath and allowed his own magic to enter his voice, to flood his whole being. "This is in no way acceptable. Pureblood students actually have an option of Muggle Studies, but you listen to the whining and complaints of students new to our world and actually would change the whole of Hogwarts' curriculum to fit their demands? I can see wanting to make them more comfortable in their new world, but not to the point of bending over backwards for them. They have come into our world, they can put up with a single class that lasts half a school year."

"Our traditions, our beliefs, our government cannot be forced to change because of a few individuals that don't like the way it works. They are children, Headmaster, treat them as such. If they refuse to go to the class, assign them punishment as fits the system. If they deliberately fail the class or whine about it, make it clear that such infantile behavior will not be tolerated, and if they should think to fail it deliberately, make sure they know they will have to complete it again. It is our duty to educate them about what they are coming into, whether or not we change their minds is not even an equation."

"If they are going to be part of this world, Headmaster, they need to know about every part of it, not just what appeals to their childish dreams and imagery of what magic is and its history. The more we have individuals like this going out after graduation, unaware of our laws and their own obligations, the more we risk being discovered by the Muggle world and that is something we do not need."

Slowly, starting over in the second section and reaching all around the Wizengamot, people began clapping. Softly at first, it quickly gained in volume as even those that were on the lower level scurrying back and forth stopped and listened to Harrigan's speech. Dumbledore, who had been opening his mouth to object, closed it and gave Harrigan a glare so dark it was a wonder Harrigan was still alive.

Harrigan raised a hand in gentle acknowledgment of the applause and sat, leaning back. Abraxas leaned a little towards him and said with a smirk in his voice, "If eyes could convey spells I think you would be dismembered at the very least right now."

Harrigan looked over and snorted. "If he wants to bring such a one-sided proposal to the Wizengamot he should expect to be shot down like the child his behavior matches. Honestly, what did he think such a proposal would bring?"

"Now that we have had our voices for and against the last Bill, we shall bring it to vote. You may only vote once, Yea or Nay. You may abstain from the vote if you feel that your voice is not necessary to pass or reject the Bill."

"Those for?"

Dumbledore raised his wand confidently, accompanied by less than half of the Wizengamot. They kept their wands raised as the vote was tallied, then lowered them and waited patiently.

"Those against?"

Harrigan and his three companions raised their wands, followed by the entirety of those who had not voted with Dumbledore. He could see a flush of color rising in Dumbledore's face as he registered the amount of people who were voting against his bill.

"Final count is 20 for; 34 against. The bill has been rejected."

"Are there any other measures to be brought in today's session?" the Minister called.

After a short measure of silence passed, Bagnold called, "Then I officially declare this day's session to be closed. Clerk, note the official time. The results of the votes are to be published in the morning papers and be placed in the official court records. Thank you, Lords and Ladies, please enjoy your evening and we will be back in session in a week's time."

Harrigan stood, walked down the stairs, and waited for his husband, linking his arm through Orion's. The group of friends watched as Dumbledore huffily departed through the massive doors, snapping impatiently at one of the guards.

"One would think he'd lost an important battle, rather than had a bill shot down," Lucien commented offhandedly.

His companions chuckled, passing through the doorway in good humor and deciding on a celebratory dinner. After all, Lucien pointed out with a rather mischievous smirk, they had yet to share any details, interesting or otherwise, from their vacation.