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Political Axes	By : Rettavex Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 12136 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1-Political Axes
- 2-Ch 1
- 3-ch2
- 4-Ch3
- 5-Ch 4
- 6-5
- 7-6
- 8-7
- 9-8
- 10-9
- 11-10
- 12-11
- 13-12
- 14-13
- 15-14
- 16-15
- 17-16
- 18-17
- 19-18
- 20-19
- 21-20
- 17
- 18
- 19
A/N: So this chapter is un'beta'd, as poor Slyth had rotten computer Karma recently. Once that's all fixed I shall comb over this chapter again and make necessary changes. I thought those few of you who seem to enjoy this story had waited for an update long enough. So, without further delay....

Charles Avery was now a wanted man. He had become the very thing he had tried so hard to avoid. He had done everything his mother had insisted upon� the right schools, the highest marks, the perfect friends, the best tutors in France� all in an effort to undo the damage his uncle had done to the family name. He was supposed to return to Britain and reclaim the Avery family�s place amongst proper, cultured purebloods, to scrub the Dark Mark from their past, relegating the unfortunate alliance to a hushed-up, isolated incident committed by a loony relative. Everyone had such a relative, so it shouldn�t have been hard. Yet, he had failed. And Potter was the cause. If he could have simply made it into the Aurors he could have shown the world just what the Averys were made of� their skill and wit, their cunning and bravery.

It was a fairy tale now; the dream of a man slowly losing his hold on not only his sanity, but also his freedom. And even now, listening to the two of them conspiring and planning, not even bothering to ask his opinion, he knew how this story would end. It would end the way they all did�badly.

He crept silently down the hall, keeping to the shadows. The house-elves had long since stopped bothering him. They sensed his unhinging long before he did. So, the elves just gave him a wide berth and rarely made their presence known to him unless absolutely necessary. Smart, the elves.
Joseph had given him carte blanche, but Avery rarely did more than sleep in the room provided and ingest the occasional meal inside the rather exquisite mini mansion. Even then he tended to skulk about, his footsteps quiet as a wraith. Joseph was constantly threatening to force him to wear a bell when home, just so he could know when Avery approached. Thus far, he had evaded being collared like a milk cow, and Avery was ever thankful. His ability to appear and disappear at will was one of the few things he still had going for him these days.
He stopped just outside the closed French doors, wondering not for the first time why a man like Addius Corme would take such a risk as to attempt to besmirch the character of Harry Potter. At first, when Joseph had told him that Corme was on their side, Avery had seen it as a boon. Now it only seemed to further complicate their goals. One politician was bad, but two�and a lifer at that�was worse in Avery�s opinion.

�Kingsley is too much of a Dumbledore man," Corme�s voice echoed from behind the doors. "He came up during the time of both wars and suffered due to his involvement with Dumbledore. He has now obviously slid his allegiance to Potter. I have the ear of the Wizengamot, but as long as Shacklebolt and Potter are in play we cannot achieve what our society needs."

�If I were to propose some of the laws we both agree on, even if the members wanted to pass the legislation, I can guarantee that Potter and his ilk will come out against it�and they�d win. He is a message within himself�inclusivity, tolerance, etcetera. Public opinion will flock to his side. I keep reminding Dolores that Potter is not the boy of Skeeter�s past. He is a man, a hero, an Auror, and a damn Class 5 to boot. The crime level has never been lower since the Ministry sanctioned that Class 5 team of Potter�s. The people love them, despite not knowing the full details of what they do. Rumor and legend are more than enough it seems. Everyday Potter�s legend grows, and the people�s love for him seem to know no bounds.�

Avery heard the clink of crystal and liquid being poured.
�Calm yourself, Addius, or you�ll need a supply of Heart-Ease to ease the strain,� Avery heard Joseph state coolly. �Now, what have you in the works?�

�Dolores� little plant in the Weasley girl�s department has turned up nothing. Well, nothing aside from the occasional photo of Potter entering a club with a companion, whose face is unfortunately obscured, or the snippet of unconfirmed rumor about his seedy sexual escapades. The little prig has been quite to himself lately as well. No outings, no rendezvous. Nothing.�
�Ah, so, that was your doing? I had wondered who was feeding the newshounds scraps of Potter�s private life,� Guillmere drawled.
�Well, it was a good plan in the beginning. We had to get the media at least questioning his moral principles. Seems Potter caught on rather quickly though. Damned Auror skills," Corme groused. "It�s rather hard to catch him red-handed, you know. And believe me, if anyone can, it is Dolores. Hates his guts, she does. Something terrible happened between them back when Potter was at Hogwarts. She won�t say, mind you, but we can all see it in her eyes every time his name is mentioned. She goes all stony and that girlish twitter of hers makes even my blood curdle.�
�Yes, she does seem�formidable,� Guillmere offered. �Well, since the frontal attack seems to be failing, have you a rear flanking position to employ?�
Corme took a swig of his whiskey, amber droplets clinging to his wiry, salt-and-pepper mustache. With a rather self-satisfied smile he said, �In fact, I do. It seems that they are covering up the death of a member of Potter's team. I dare say, once that is leaked it will cause quite the public outcry. The double-edge of the Class 5 being so popular is that when something happens to one of them it becomes fodder for the public as well.�

Joseph cleared his throat, feigning surprise. �Cover-up you say? What happened?�

�No one knows for certain, and Kingsley is not releasing the classified report to anyone. Still, my source managed to get wind of it, and from what I hear it didn�t happen on a mission. Which makes the fact that they are closing ranks around the topic all the more suspicious. Once the story hits the newspapers the Wizengamot can force an inquiry. We can, by issuing an order, require all files related to the case be turned over to for independent review. If they are covering it up, there is bound to be something more to it than a simple accident or attack. I�ll lead the call, and my fellows will agree. We can then call Potter before the court and subject him to a public hearing on not only the team member�s demise, but the lack of a report, failure to protect a fellow Auror under his command, and perhaps even inquire a bit about his private affairs�to get them on public record, you see.�

Avery almost rolled his eyes at the na�vet�. No one gave a shit that Potter was in a relationship with Draco Malfoy. That was news a year ago. What they would care about was that Potter had been unable to protect one of his own and tended to fuck around on his lover. It would also cause no end of grief for Potter and the current Minister, if the Wizengamot were able to ascertain that the spell used to kill that Auror was one of Potter�s own creation. Too bad, that. Avery had told Joseph using the spell, which neither of them knew much about, was a bad idea, but then again, Joseph never was one with a lot of patience.
If the two political geniuses in the study ever got their heads out of their own asses they would see that the way to bring Potter down was to make him a man, make him flawed. It was the problem with Dumbledore and it is the problem with Potter. The people had made them more than wizards; they had made them saviors, all-powerful, righteous and above reproach. Show Potter�s negligence with regard to his team, his propensity to become reckless and dangerous when inebriated, his penchant for risk, his laughable moral values, and the Golden Boy would no longer shine so brightly, wouldn�t be believed as easily, nor followed as blindly. Show them that Potter could be just as dark and dangerous as those he hunted and the masses would rip Potter from his pedestal limb from limb.

With a sullen shake of his head, Avery crept away from the study doors and melted away into the shadows. He would speak with Joseph when the chief warlock left and give his strategic opinion on how best to expose Potter. Joseph was smarter, more cunning that the warlock anyway. It was Joseph�s show; Corme was just stepping stone to power for the Frenchman, and Avery knew it. Too bad Corme didn�t. Joseph would play the eager prot�g� when needed, but in the end, if Corme became a problem, Avery would be called, just like all the other times. That was their friendship, if one could call it that. Guillmere promised Avery power, long overdue praise, and a place in his administration; Avery�well, he fixed problems. He fixed them so that they never became problems again.
_____________****************________________
�How the hell did they get the classified report, King?� Harry growled, looking at the current Minister of Magic in disbelief.
�There is a leak. We haven�t found it yet,� Kingsley said, his facial expression showing his dismay quite clearly.
�Fucking Ministry,� Harry growled low. �Every since I was a boy this fucking place has been like a goddamned colander, nothing but leaks. Does it never end, King?!�
Kingsley felt exhausted. Becoming Minister shortly after the fall of Voldemort had been a hard decision for him, but one he had made rather quickly when the others who would be Minister appeared either incompetent or too easily corruptible. They had all fought too damned long and hard, lost too many, to see the Ministry fall into the hands of another political beast intent on nothing more than enriching themselves and their cronies, while upholding the status quo. All in all, the last several years had been good. He had been able to institute quite a few changes that he and others who held the ideals discussed among the Order of the Phoenix had long desired. The wizarding world was once again prosperous and safer than it had been in quite a long time. He enjoyed an unsurpassed level of popularity as Minister, and his subordinates gave him little to no trouble. Still, the job was exhausting even under the most ideal circumstances, and now, to hear that he was faced with the same problems his predecessors had faced�leaks, treachery, and spies with unknown motives�he truly felt his age.
�I hear history repeats itself,� Kingsley replied blithely.
�Now is no time for joking,� Harry shot back, irritably.
�I�m not. Merely stating what appears to be rather obvious. We are experiencing d�j� vu, it would seem.�
�Where�s the hole, then?� Harry asked, flinging the letter from the Wizengamot to the floor in disgust. There was to be an inquest into Syl�s death in two days time, and Harry was being subpoenaed to testify regarding the matter. Under wizarding law, as an agent of the Ministry and employee of same, he had no recourse but to comply. A refusal would be tantamount to insubordination. The minimal punishment for insubordination for an Auror was immediate suspension and likely removal from the corps. There was no way Harry would risk removal with Syl�s murder unsolved. No doubt the members of the Wizengamot assumed as much, which is why instead of simply asking Harry to appear they had issued such a formal request.
�I�ve my suspicions,� Kingsley said. �The only two teams who knew anything about the attack were the Class 5s and the Class 3s, who caught the initial call on Syl from St. Mungo�s. You and I both know none of your members would have done this, so the leak must originate with the Class 3 squad. Someone there is slipping information to outside parties.
�However, the real question we should be asking, Harry, is who is interested enough to pry into Auror business and why?�
Harry glanced over at Kingsley, eyes narrowed as he thought about breaking the latest news to come from Blaise and Max. The man did look tired, Harry mused, but there was nothing for it. They were in this together, and if one of them were under siege, chances are the culprits wished both of them harm of some sort.
�Take a deep breath, King. I�m about to tell you something that would surely turn you gray if you had any hair left.�
Kingsley gave a derisive snort and cocked an eyebrow, looking at Harry expectantly.
�Tell me, how much do you trust Chief Warlock, Addius Corme?�

_____________****************_________________
The gavel banged loudly inside the courtroom. Harry sat in the witness box, staring impassively at the members of the Wizengamot sitting in front of him. The Chief Warlock was attempting to quiet the swell of murmurs and shocked whispers that had erupted after the details of Syl�s death were recited by the court recorder, a stuttering little wizard eerily reminiscent of Colin Creevy, had the young boy lived to reach adulthood. To the naked eye Harry was calm, but what they couldn�t see were the series of deep breaths the man was taking to keep his anger in check. Now would not be the time to for his magic to create a scene.
�Mr. Potter��
�Auror Potter, if you please, Chief Warlock Corme,� Harry interrupted. �Since I am here under official business, it would seem appropriate that my title were noted for the record.�
The warlock sneered slightly and cleared his throat. � Of course. Auror Potter, please explain to the court why the details of the death of your subordinate, Auror Sylvanius Thorne, were kept classified and a proper investigation was not undertaken?�
�I do not classify or declassify information. Surely you know this, Chief Warlock. And as for the investigation, well, I wouldn�t know anything about the investigation as I am not heading up the team responsible for investigating Auror Thorne�s death,� Harry answered dryly, his eyes boring into those of the obviously irritated Chief Warlock.
�Surely, Auror Potter you have inquired into the death of one of your own, have you not?�
�I have.�
The Chief Warlock let out an aggravated breath. �Well?�
�Well, what? You asked if I had inquired about his death. I told you that I have.�
�What were you told?�
�By whom?�
�Really, Auror Potter. This evasive behavior on your part is not at all needed or welcomed. Simply tell us what you know of the death of Auror Thorne.�
�I know what you know. Auror Thorne was attacked by an as yet unknown assailant or more, and suffered serious head trauma as a result of that attack, injuries which ultimately claimed his life. When I inquired about participating in the investigation Minister Shacklebolt informed me that the Class 3 Auror team was heading the investigation, and that any further involvement from me or members of my team would be inappropriate.�
It was nearly the truth. Thank goodness the use of Veritaserum was not sanctioned for inquests. Thanks to Kingsley the substance could only be introduced in criminal trials and investigations.
�Tell us, Auror Potter, is it true that on several occasions you and Auror Thorne fraternized outside of the workplace?�
�I fail to see how that pertains to this��
�You will answer, Auror Potter, or face sanction,� Chief Warlock bellowed.

Harry bristled at the man�s tone and the doors to the court chamber rattled as though a strong wind were trying to break through. Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath before answering, pulling his magic and his anger inside.
�Yes, I have socialized with all members of my team outside of the workplace. I have found that it fosters trust and a sense of familiarity, which is essential to the type of work we do.�
�I see, but isn�t it also true that you and Auror Thorne shared a closer relationship than most?�
�Exactly what are you implying?� Harry asked, his anger obvious now.
�I imply nothing, Auror Potter. However, you must admit that it is quite unusual for the head of an Auror squad to know their subordinates so�intimately?�
�Intimately?�
�Well, yes. I have here affidavits signed by the proprietors of two hotels, one in London and one in�where is it�oh, yes, one in Juarez, Mexico stating that you and Auror Thorne shared quarters while staying in their hotels. If this were official business, surely the Ministry would have paid for separate accommodations. I can only assume that these stays were�personal?�
Harry ground his teeth but remained quiet for several minutes.
�If you are implying, Chief Warlock, that I had anything beyond a professional, platonic relationship with Auror Thorne, then I suggest you produce far more proof than a few hotel receipts to back up such a ludicrous allegation. Those trips were, in fact, Auror business. The files on those cases can be forwarded to your offices. Simply submit a request to my department and you shall have them.�
�You have still not told us why the need for the shared rooms? How do we know that this young man�s death was not the result of some�personal tiff gone bad, or that perhaps you have abused your position over this young, deceased Auror.�
�If you had done your homework, Chief Warlock, you would have found that I have shared quarters with each and every member of my team when on overnight Auror business. It is the preference of my team to stay two to a room. Our jobs are highly dangerous, and the practice of sleeping two to a room has saved our lives more than once.�
That garnered a rather loud murmuring from the spectators sitting in the chamber. Harry could tell by the looks on the faces of several members of the Wizengamot that they were satisfied with his answers. What bothered Harry was that Corme also looked oddly pleased considering his insinuations had been seemingly put to rest by Harry�s response. Yet, Harry knew better than to trust that his answers would put an end the issue. He knew all too well that, sadly, the mere insinuation of impropriety was enough to cause at least a minor scandal. Attach his name to it and the story wouldn�t die for at least a month, unless something far more salacious or catastrophic came along.
Harry glanced from around the chamber slowly, noticing just how packed the chamber was. Normally an internal inquest didn�t garner the attentions of anyone outside of those required to attend the hearing. A low front row held at least three reporters, their quick-quote quills scribbling furiously. No doubt Corme or one of his underlings had seen to it that at least a few members of the press were invited, public record and all that rot.
Yes, it was all beginning to make sense now, Harry thought as he gazed challengingly into the brown eyes of Addius Corme. He was to be the warlock�s whipping boy, held up as a model of incompetence and unreliability, all wrapped in the veiled suggestion of his moral turpitude. Not very original, but it was a tried and true tactic when it came to Harry Potter. It had been used over and over throughout his childhood, stories, mostly made up, challenging his veracity, his sanity, and now his professional ethics. Each time Harry rebounded, effectively pulverizing the crude characterizations that were used by his enemies, coming out of the fog of yellow journalism more popular than before. He grew weary of this game, weary of the fickle nature of wizards. Well, if Corme wanted to play this game, Harry would meet it head on. The mere fact that Corme chose this moment, a moment when he had to know Harry was vulnerable due to the loss of a friend and colleague, then Harry knew that Blaise�s information was spot-on. Corme was a player in this whole stinky mess. The question was, just how deep was the Chief Warlock involved?
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Political Axes