Revelation--Atrum

Jen gave a heavy sigh, though it came out as more of a groan, and pinched the bridge of her nose. It was hellish and irresponsible of her to join Grindlewald and though he’d promised many things she wondered whether it had been the best idea on her part. Self-preservation she supposed. But now, seeing as Gould thought she would, Jen apparently had to go and make a speech to the press and to anyone who really had nothing better to do with their day and decided to come. With a heavy sigh she got to her feet, her wand in hand, and made her way up the steps to the stage structure. She put her wand to her neck, mumbling ‘Sonorous’ and bit her lip before wetting her lips and beginning to speak.

“In a similar fashion to Ms. Gould though not nearly as in such a reserved, sane manner...I think it would probably best - or so I am told - to say that the new Minister for Magic has the full support of the Department of Law and Enforcement. Good? Does no one care? Great. Thank you for allowing me to waste your time. Have a nice day.” Jen smiled grimly and dropped her wand before turning and walking off of the stage, each footstep betraying her irritation.

"Christmas it is, then," Michael smiled, extending his hand to shake with her. "Two hundred galleons, due to be paid to me on Boxing Day. Fair enough?" MIchael was confident enough in what he knew was to come that he knew he'd be seeing the girl well before then.

"Marlboros? Who the hell with any taste smokes Marlboros? Nasty things. They taste like weeds. And not the cannibis sort of weed either. More like ragweed, if you ask me." He took a silver cigarette case from his jacket pocket and opened it and handed her a couple of the imported handrolled Italian cigarettes with the brandy flavored tobacco. Each one was ridiculously priced, but well worth every little moment. He handed her two. "There. Try those. One for you and one for your brother. As for the gin, I can take that or leave it. Its not really my style. Thats yours to enjoy. So long as you and I aren't at the same table while I'm on the Hogwarts payroll, I'm fine with it.

"As I said, though. Don't let this time go to waste. Remember what I said, dueling....or running. It just might keep you alive. I'm sure I'll be seeing you around my office in due time."

Millie didn’t intend on paying anyone two-hundred galleons, let alone some random guy. That money didn’t come easy and she knew she’d either have to stop buying off of Miles or started paying Spencer in kisses if she wanted her fix. She was determined not to lose but she didn’t want to be stood there with nothing in her pockets bar a lighter and a half-empty packet of cigarettes come Christmas. That would be embarrassing. Millie could foresee a lot of Quidditch bets needing to be placed if she was going to get enough cash. She was sure there was a Puddlemere game coming up so that was twenty galleons or so in her pocket if she could figure out who was going to win. She just needed her angle. A quick look in the Prophet would surely help her out. She couldn’t tell whether she was going to need the money or not, though.

“Who said I was going to lose?” Millie asked with a smirk. “I need two-hundred, would be a nice New Year’s thing...should support some sort of party shouldn’t it?” Millie held up her hands. “Hey, I’m not fussed. It’s expensive. Not nearly as expensive as the weeds we all wish they taste like but sometimes you just need a bit of nic and you’re willing to have whatever you can get. It’s not as if I have a lot of money to spare on fags when it goes to other poisons. Half the time he,” Millie gestured to her brother, “is smoking Sterling so Marlboros are better by far in my opinion.” Millie perked up a little at the sight of the cigarette case and took them carefully. She handed one to her brother, who was distracted by something or someone, and watched out of the corner of her eye as he lit up. “Is this your attempt at education.sir?” She teased, bringing the cigarette to her lips.

She took her lighter from her pocket and flipped the lid back, her eyes reflecting the glow of the flame. Millie brought it to the end of the cigarette and lit it carefully, quickly taking the first few inhales to taste it. Millie pocked her lighter again and blinked before taking the cigarette from her lips. She exhaled the smoke and nodded a little. “Very nice...a little out of my price range I’d wager. Maybe I’ll save this...smoke it later.” She smirked. Oh yes, this was a cigarette for late-night ‘flying lessons’ with Spencer in the park. She had a feeling he’d like something like that but he’d soon whack out whatever he’d been taking all day. Millie took a couple more drags before rubbing the cigarette against the side of the fountain where they were stood. “Let me guess. You teach duelling or something? You keep mentioning it. Or P.E? Running and all that. Sounds like a bloody good laugh. Maybe I’ll just sign up.”

Brian looked back at Jess. "You and Robert were never off the same page. Neither one of you really recognized it at the time. He still considers you a friend. Otherwise he would not have asked the things of you that I know he did." He knew full well that Robert had asked Jess to help protect his family. Robert had always considered Jess one of the top people on his list that he trusted. That had never ever changed. Never.

"Robert wants to meet with you. Not here. You need to be read in. There is far more going on here than you've had any clue about. Unfortunately, it was necessary. I only have some pieces of it. I dont' have all of it either. All I know is that he's decided its time to bring you into what he knows. Any chance you can get away from here when the main act is overwith? For even an hour or so? I can take you to Robert. You're one of about two people he will trust with the whereabouts of his family."

Brian did know a few more bits than that, but this was not the time to unroll the game plan in plain sight. Not here. Not now. But the time did need to come. Today. The sooner, the better.

"After," He agreed, nodding his head discreetly as the Head of Magical Beasts and blah blah blah stood up and said her bit.

"I don't know what he knows, but if he's seen this coming, why didn't he act?" He asked, before waving Brian off. "Don't answer that, I'll ask the man himself later, but this is bad. He seems to have at least one of the major departmental heads against him, It might be difficult to reinstate him," he muttered, trying to think of a way to delay the proceedings long enough to bring Robert out of hiding, a day or two perhaps.

But then Jen Dent stood up and pretty much echoed Gould's words, albeit in a much more informal manner, sealing the front against Robert. With the Law Enforcement office turned directly against Robert, he had little chance of regaining power in the immediate future. "Damn her," he spat, "I never trusted that woman, and I knew Robert shouldn't have either," he muttered angrily.

"Who is it," he suddenly said, looking keenly at Brian. "Who is the new minister you seem to know. How has this happened? It must be someone really pow-" he said, before feeling the floor below him drop out.

"No," he mouthed, words failing him completely. "Brian," he said, "it's not.. No. Brian?" He said, tripping over his words.

"There's an old, old muggle movie," Michael said calmly. "A muggle girl goes and finds that everything she believed in was a sham. And she finds it by finding a charlatan behind a large theater curtain. Turns old the old sot pretended to be a wizard and was nothing more than a snake old salesman. Anyway, I know I'm going to win because, my dear, I've already seen behind the curtain, so to speak. But, just to make it fair game, and more amenible to a student budget, I'll deposit the 200 galleons into an account. If things dont' go the way I think they will, the key to the vault will just be given to you. If it does, the key stays with me. Sound a little better?

"As far as for what I teach, I could teach you a good many things, and dueling and running would probably be something I could teach. But it isn't what they hired me for. They hired me for Practical Magic. Not that dueling and running arent immensely practical. However, that is a bit of a different cirriculum. What I can teach you is how to survive when you find yourself between a rock and a very hard place. That is perhaps what I do best--whatever skill it takes to do that.

"As for the cigarette, that's not on the lesson plan either. Thats just a very small sin." He looked and saw Jess Potter looking about like he was ready to give birth to a litter of kittens. "Excuse me one moment," he said to Millie. He slipped away and went over behind Jess and laid his hand on his shoulder.

"Potter," Michael said very quietly. "hold onto your hat, Mate. Its looking like you're finally about to get onto the right page in all this. Just remember, the game is far from over." Then he looked over at Brian and said just as quietly. "Congratulations, Junior. Beautiful children. So when are you going to make an honest woman out of her?"

"As soon as she'll have me," Brian said, shrugging. "Now that her divorce from Dent is final. Thank God. That was almost two years over due."

"They weren't even married that long," Michael frowned.

"Exactly my point," Brian said dryly.

"No problems with that part of the plan, then?"

"None whatsoever," Brian said. "Like clockwork. But thats another thing Jess hasn't been read in on. So you know, Jess, as you can imagine, one of Robert's concerns was in protecting his family. That's been done. But if you know Robert at all, you already know that would be one of his concerns. Oh, and you need to expect more newspaper nonsense coming out of St. Mungos. I was to give you this." He drew out a parchment out of his pocket and handed it to Jess. It was a Ministry order making him Acting Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot for the duration of Khaat's maternity leave, as would be determined by her healer. And that, of course, was Robert. It had been dated well ahead of time of this mess. Signed approximately 2 months ago. "He did say he sent you a copy already, but he wanted to be sure you had it," Brian said. "The thing didn't actually go into effect until Khaat had the babies anyway."

Jess nodded as Michael appeared suddenly, spouting a few words of Wisdom, as he usually did. "It's only just starting, isn't it," he said, a shadow of a grin playing on his lips as he thought of it. Not a happy grin, mind you, a really quite cynical one in fact, but a grin nonetheless.

"Well, good luck. You're ten times the man Robert was, and I'm pleased it's finally been made official, it's a weight off everyone's shoulders, I think, knowing that that piece of slime is gone from our circles forever," he said, looking back up at the empty podium and wishing things would hurry up a little.

"It's a given," he said, looking distractedly back at Brian as he started talking about Robert's family values, "We all know it, you can skip the age old lecture, because everyone who's ever met Robert has given it to someone else at some point in their lives," he said with a smile.

"But thank you," he said, taking the piece of paper and slipping it into his breast pocket. "I did know, but I hadn't received it in writing. Strictly speaking, Khaat was the only person verified to send this, but Robert will suffice, i'm sure," he said with a shrug, patting the piece of parchment as he spoke.

"He's always a step ahead though, isn't he?" He added with a chuckle

Ne'Os Had arrived with Grindelwald and Zada he hoped his presence would help discourage any would be assailants today. Unlike Zada he wore much darker clothes, he had purchased a set of dress robes that looked fashionable but allowed for quick movement should he need it to block any spells. He placed himself on the on the other side of Grindelwald from Zada so that he would be guaranteed protection from both sides.

He made sure to have a firm grip on his wand, it was aimed at the floor but it woulds till give the impression that he would cut down anyone who was stupid enough to attack. He glanced at Zada for a brief second, from the way she was holding her wand it was to look more relaxed. He knew however that she was just as prepared as he was. Looking back at the crowd he slowly scanned from left to right making sure to take in every face he noted a few faces he recognized as order members though he hoped they would be discouraged from trying anything foolish. He now waited for Grindelwald to speak.

James smiled a horrible grin as the two heads of department he and Gellert had managed to buy over onto their side stood up and said their piece, sprouting the pro-ministry rabble which was soon to appear in every copy of The Prophet from now until the end of the year.

Pointing his wand at his neck, James magically enhanced his voice, before mounting the podium, and looking out amongst the crowd.

"Silence please," he boomed, his magnified voice echoing throughout the atrium.

"As you all know, you were called here to join in the announcement of the new Minister for Magic, but before we reveal who it is to all of you, I feel it's important to tell why this man, and that's your first hint right there... to tell you why this man was selected to replace outgoing Minister, Robert Lupin, a man who's arrogance and pride have kept him from attending this very ceremony today," he told them all, shaking his head disapprovingly.

"The man who waits to walk to this podium only returned to our country earlier this year, and soon after he came he was shocked to see the state of it, how crime was rampant, and how the Ministry turned a blind eye towards anything disruptive in the world.

"He was appalled by it, disgusted, and soon set about making it right, working quietly behind the scenes, right up until the most horrific thing our world has seen for many centuries forced him to reveal himself.

"The Ministry's slaughter, and aid to murderers only strengthened my friend's resolve, he knew that soon there would be a time for change, one which needed to come down with an iron fist of resolution, one which would not relent and allow for the remnants of the former regime to corrupt and infect any new governments coming into office.

"And so it happened that after weeks of campaigning, that our newly elected Minister managed to finally seize cnotrol, and oust the deteriorating Minister, that he managed to liberate us, his people, from the shackles of complacency.

"And thus it is, for the greater good, that I invite our Minister to step up, and make himself known!" Concluded James, tapping his throat and applauding loudly as he turned to face the new Minster for Magic.