the marriage stone (Discontinued)

Chapter 66 - Synesthesia

Draco had joined the study group in Gryffindor Tower, and despite the strange fog in his brain, Harry had to smile as he entered the room. He doubted he'd ever get used to the sight of the elegant, blond Slytherin amongst all that red. Neville was still nervous around the boy, but Dean and Seamus didn't seem to mind his presence. Lavender and Parvati liked having yet another boy to flirt with - though their attentions were lost on Draco. Around the Gryffindors, he didn't do much to hide the fact that he was utterly smitten by Charlie.

They all greeted Harry as he entered. Despite the fact that the sixth-years had claimed the common room for their study session, there were dozens of other students crowded into the room. Harry could feel all their eyes upon him as he joined his friends near the fire. He resolved to ignore them, and he gratefully sank down onto the couch between Neville and Dean. There were dozens of books spread out on the coffee table along with parchments and quills. Most of the heaviest books were in front of Hermione. Despite this, there seemed to be very little actual studying going on.

The newspapers were still making the rounds, and the topic of discussion seemed to be the events in the Ministry. Despite the lock down, word had spread about what was going on. Afternoon special additions of the paper had been filled with bits and pieces of news along with wild speculations. Photos of armed Muggle soldiers in the streets around the hidden Ministry building had caused all sorts of reactions. And everyone was second guessing what Lucius Malfoy might be up to.

When Severus and the others had told him that it was possible that Lucius Malfoy might be seeking a future alliance with him, Harry hadn't know what to think. Was he just supposed to forgive the man? After what he had done to Remus, he wasn't certain that was possible - he'd tried to have Remus euthanized. He knew he should be focusing on the bigger picture - but right now it was difficult to focus on anything.

"I just don't see how it's legal?" Hermione was complaining, directing most of her words toward Draco.

Draco just shrugged. "He's been talking about a return to the old ways all my life, but I never thought it would actually happen?"

"Can he do that?" Hermione asked. "Just take seats by dueling?" She looked at Harry for an answer.

Harry tried to remember what Dumbledore and the others had explained to him that morning. The haze in his mind wasn't making things easy, but he did his best to force his way past it and organize his thoughts. "Apparently without a Minister in power, the Ministry reverts to some older form of government where such things are legal."

"But that's. . .," she shook her head and glared at Draco. "A return to the old ways?"

"Before Muggles began influencing our society so much," he clarified, and they all heard vague traces of the old prejudices in his voice. No doubt he'd been raised listening to such talk. "All the top leadership positions in our society were held by Right of Magic until Muggles began influencing our world. Someone got the idea of holding elections - and before we knew it our government was being run by bureaucrats instead of warriors."

"It's called a democracy," Hermione informed him.

He just shrugged his shoulders. "Democracy and elections are what gave us a Minister like Fudge."

"And you think we'll be better off with your father?" she scoffed.

"I didn't say that," Draco protested. "But some times things fall apart - and the only way to fix them is to go back to the beginning."

"So Lucius Malfoy is just going to snap up as many seats as he can?" Hermione asked. She looked rather horrified by the idea.

"There must be some limitation?" Dean protested. "What happens if he takes all the seats? Does he just become the default Minister or something?"