"I can't believe you convinced me to come to this, on my birthday no less!" Alexander gave Lilith a smirk. "Really? It's your birthday now?"
Lilith blushed, before huffing irritably. "You said it yourself, I might as well call it my birthday. And that's not the point!" Alexander patted her shoulder. "I know, I know. It was a bit mean, but you did make the bet that you would have that construct of yours done by yesterday evening. And you lost." Lilith sat back cursing under her breath. "I got it done last night!" Alexander chuckled. "After midnight. Not only did you not finish it within the day, you also didn't finish it in the same month, or even the same year. Besides, will it really kill you to get to know at least one of the Potters? And Euphemia doesn't count. Blood she might one day become, but she is more McKinnon than Potter." Lilith sighed, resting her chin on her palm, her elbow propped up on the arm rest. "No, it wouldn't. Still, there were better things I could be doing with my time. Like plotting my revenge on you after your stunt with the snow in the backyard." Alexander chuckled. "Always be aware of your surroundings, my dear. It's the number one rule of combat, regardless of the circumstances. Besides, you needed to be sure it could handle the cold climate." Lilith muttered a few choice curses under her breath until some activity down below drew her attention. Her eyes immediately locked on to the figure of Henry Potter as he was in a heated discussion with someone who looked like an older version of Neville Longbottom. Lilith briefly wondered if the Longbottoms were already under the influence of Dumbledore's words, or if it was just starting.
Alexander and her had spent a great deal of time inside of a Pensive looking over the information that she had concerning Albus Dumbledore and his objectives during and after The Fall of Grindelwald. Based on brief observations, as well as the information that Sirius Black personally knew, what Walburga's Portrait provided, and Severus Snape's own musings, the two came to the conclusion that Albus Dumbledore was a Light extremist that sought the suppression of all traces of the Dark Arts from Magical Society in general. The laws that conferred instant imprisonment in Azkaban for the use of curses, rituals and possession of dark artefacts all came to be during the height of Grindelwald's War and soon after. This suppression of the Dark Arts, either directly or indirectly, increased the animosity between families of the former factions, which led to the first so-called Blood War, with Voldemort and Dumbledore on opposite sides. Unfortunately for Magical Britain, the war led to further polarization and resentment, with the Dark becoming ever more radical in its violence and the Light ever more oppressive in its crackdowns on anything that challenged their narrative. Voldemort's creation of Horcruxes and the constant, almost manic use of the Dark Arts twisted the original Knights of Walpurgis group, until only the Death Eaters and their cult remained, with Dumbledore and his Order becoming self-declared beacons of virtue, all the while undercutting the importance of the Aurors and the rule of law.
Unfortunately for Lillian's life, those virtues of the Order didn't mean much if Dumbledore's plans didn't include the protection of the innocents. For all of his support of Muggleborn integration, the man did nothing to save them and their families during either war. Even the Light Families like the Potters, McKinnons, Longbottoms and Prewetts, people he should have protected, were all wiped out, leaving little if no traces of centuries of traditions and history. Alexander had agreed with her when she suggested that perhaps part of Dumbledore's plan included the extinction of not only the Dark Families, but all Ancient and Old Estates, regardless of political stances. It was why he never bothered to check if she was being cared for by her extended family, who had seen fit to discard a one year old child at an Orphanage in London, just in case someone tried to locate them afterwards. No one bothered to check until her letter arrived. In Lilith's eyes, Dumbledore was no better than Grindelwald. One sought the subjugation of the Magical Races through action, while the other sought to profit from inaction, whilst others did the dirty work for him. She had suggested that the two wizards might be acting in an organized form, gathering the forces of the Light and the Dark to their sides and influence, as part of some master plan, but Alexander felt that it was more likely that the two simply shared similar beliefs, but differed greatly in their methods and conclusions. Lilith decided to reserve judgement on that, just in case Dumbledore proved even more untrustworthy.
Eventually, Chief Witch Fawley brough the session to order, with the Visitor Gallery being quite full, as the magical population was excessively anxious about today's possible vote. After the Chamber was brought to order, the Chief Witch spoke up. "First thing on the docket today is the request for the authorization of the deployment of the DMLE's Aurors in theaters of active combat against Grindelwald and his Hexenmeister forces. Director Crouch. Your report please." Lilith watched as an aging man stood up, clearing his throat. "As of this moment, we have several dozen fully trained Aurors ready for deployment to help safeguard magical communities around the world, with hundreds more under an accelerated training course getting ready to be deployed when needed. We cannot go further into specifics for safety reasons. The ICW Peacekeepers will continue the training of any Aurors stationed with their forces when time allows. We-..." Crouch's report was interrupted as the main doors to the chamber opened, with Lilith blinking in confusion as Arcturus Black walked up to the Speaker's Stand, and spoke with the Chief Scribe, handing him a few documents. The Scribe handed the documents to the Chief Witch, who nodded after reading through them quickly. Arcturus then turned to the Assembly. "My apologies for the interruption, the Ministry Clerks and Gringotts accountants aren't capable of speedily processing a change in Lordship. I, Arcturus Black, hereby claim the Seat and Vote of the House of Black as the Family's current Head of House."
The Chamber erupted into loud discussions, with sections of the Dark Faction screaming their indignation. Eventually a silencing spell went up, followed by the Chief Witch addressing the Chamber. "Order! Lord Arcturus Black has brought all the documents that confirm his appointment as the Head of House. You will all behave yourselves accordingly. Dark Faction, until such a time as a vote of no confidence is issued and ratified by your faction, the position of Speaker of the Dark will remain with the person sitting as Head of House of Black. I will not have your internal matters derail a full session, Is that CLEAR?!" Lilith popped out her ears as sound returned to the Chamber. "Well, she is certainly a decent Chief Witch." Alexander shook his head, clearing out his own ringing ears. "That she is. So far, it seems that the removal of her cousin from the position of Minister has served her well. She has been forced to step up her own performance, rather than rely on the family's agenda and passing votes by general consensus the entire time." Lilith spotted Henry Potter standing up. "Speaking about performances." The elder wizard cleared his throat as the Chief Witch granted him the opportunity to address the chamber. "Thank you, Chief Witch Fawley. Lords and Ladies. Members of the Wizengamot. Last year we began taking concrete steps in standing up to the grave danger that threatens our world."
After taking a sip of water, Henry continued. "In the time since, our brave Aurors have been training themselves, as well as volunteers and recruits, in the hopes of improving everyone's chances when facing Grindelwald and his Hexenmeister forces. Director Crouch and Head Auror Shafiq have assured me that our forces are ready to safeguard the Magical communities under threat of extermination. It therefore falls unto us the responsibility of authorizing the deployment of our Aurors into the conflict. I ask you all to please not allow this moment to pass us by again. Our censure of Grindelwald for his crimes against Magical and Non-Magical civilians took far too long, delayed by forces who have sold their commitment to home and country for political gain. I beg you all not to repeat this mistake again. We stand upon the edge of war and we must not let fear keep us from standing by our oaths and duties as members of the ICW, Magical denizens of Europe, and even as righteous and decent sentient beings. I understand that we are risking the lives of our best and brightest, our greatest generation, but if we do nothing, they very well may be among the last of our kind born free in this world. Let us not condemn our children and grandchildren to such a fate. I, as Speaker for the Light, move for a vote on the authorization for the deployment of our forces into the warzones of Europe and elsewhere, wherever magical expertise may be needed to bring a speedier end to this global catastrophe." The members of the Light, many of the Neutrals, not to mention a large portion of the Visitor Gallery, clapped their hands as Henry returned to his seat, the effort taking a lot out of him.
Chief Witch Fawley spoke up. "Do the Speakers of the Neutrals or Dark have anything to say?" Lilith perked up as Arcturus stood up, taking his position. "My utmost respect for Lord Potter, as he presented us with the importance that this vote holds not only as private citizens, but as he so eloquently put it, the lives of our children and grandchildren, which are at stake at this very moment. I wish to be clear that I do not oppose the deployment of our Aurors to answer the call of duty and common decency. In fact, I believe it is in our people's best interests to face off against Grindelwald's barbarity. That said, we cannot blindly send our best and brightest to war, certainly not while at the expense of our people's safety. Over the last year, the DMLE has prepared these volunteers and recruits for war in Europe. What I ask of the Director of the DMLE is what measures are being taken to secure our own borders, for we should not lie to ourselves in believing that this war will not find its way home, for many already know that the war is already here. Refugees, suffering from the loss of home and family, walk amongst us now, some perhaps are even sitting within the visitor gallery at this very moment. They know the horrors of war unlike any of us. So I will ask what many of them are wondering: how safe are we here? The German Military has already harmed our Magical community using conventional and exceedingly modern weapons of war. If the Hexenmasters were to attack our shores, would we truly be ready to face them without the better part of our forces?"
Arcturus looked toward the DMLE Director and Head Auror. "I do not doubt the skill and dedication of our protectors. I am, however, concerned that we are about to stretch ourselves too thin. As it is a matter of security, I can understand the reticence regarding the sharing of information, especially when members of our own Wizengamot have made their allegiances to our enemies clear. As such, I wish to petition that the vote for the deployment of our forces be delayed, until such a time as the DMLE can inform the Minister, the Chief Witch and the three Speakers of the Assembly concerning the extent of the security measures we will be keeping in order to guarantee that not only our Aurors are as safe and well trained as possible, but that they are not going off to war, only to return to a society in ruins." Arcturus stepped back, receiving a surprise amount of applause from members of the Dark and Neutral Faction. The Visitor Gallery itself was a mix of applause and private discussions, as the Speaker for the Neutrals stood up. "It seems that the Dark have not lost their voice as they may have initially thought. I believe that Lord Black is correct. As an Auror, I myself am aware of the preparations that have been taking place within the DMLE. The same cannot be said for our general population. There are many of our populace who are concerned over this deployment. It would do well for our elected officials to be able to offer our civilians assurances based on facts, not hearsay, even if they cannot be fully upfront about all the measures being taken. I, Lord Bones, back Lord Black's petition to delay the vote until a report to the pertinent elected officials is completed and delivered, as well as a necessary redacted report that can be presented to the members of this Assembly and the general public."
Lilith's eyes locked onto Henry Potter, who was speaking with his allies, though she noticed a man stepping up, petitioning the Chief Witch to speak to the Assembly. His bright red hair made Lilith's hackles rise. The moment he spoke up, she knew he might be a symptom of a greater problem. "While I hate the fact that I am agreeing with Lord Black on delaying the vote, I wish to bring up an alternative that the Wizengamot seems to be actively ignoring. Rather than sending our young men and women off to war, we should keep these trained Aurors to secure our own borders and defences. Let Europe deal with the monster they created. With a strong enough force we can keep our home and families safe!" Lord Potter took the Speaker Stand. "Mr Weasley does not represent the will of the Light Faction and his words should be taken as his own private opinion, which should have remained private. On behalf of the Light Faction, I am agreeing with Lord Black's proposal to delay the vote until the pertinent elected officials have been briefed on the security measures that will remain in place during this period of war while our brave Aurors and Peacekeepers go to war, so that they may better reassure their faction members." The chamber broke into private discussions, though Mr Weasley was clearly getting berated by his fellow faction members. Lilith turned to Alexander. "That was unexpected. The delay may not have been in Lord Potter's plans but even he would have been remiss to ignore the opinions of the other Speakers. Weasley's stunt, however, is grounds for concern."
Alexander nodded, keeping his eyes on the Light Faction, gauging their reactions to both Lord Potter's decision and Mr Weasley's opinion. "Cedrella Black's elopement with Septimus Weasley caused quite the stir among the Old Families. The House of Weasley lost the support of their more traditional supporters in the Light, while the Dark and Neutrals have isolated them as much as possible for taking such a rash action without proper discourse between the families or even Ministry Mediation. It wouldn't surprise me if they have thrown their allegiance behind a minor House, like the Dumbledores, now that they only have their name to go by." Lilith hummed to herself. "I always thought that the Weasleys were in Dumbledore's pocket. It seems that they have been there for quite a while. I suppose we will have to wait and see what Arcturus does with Cedrella's situation. Speaking of Arcturus, you may have to tell Henry Potter to let the Blacks consolidate their position first, before he brings them in using the Alliance oaths. Getting the Blacks to back them too early might lose them some support inside the Dark Faction. They will need to secure his position as Speaker, though his words today would certainly have helped ease some of the Dark's concerns regarding his future among their faction." Alexander sighed. "Yeah, that makes sense. I was planning to talk to him in person after the Session. Which reminds me." Alexander turned to Lilith. "You brought your Cloak, right? Unless you want to speak to him directly, you better put it on." Lilith glared at Alexander. "I am going to get you back for this." Ruffling her hair, Alexander chuckled. "And I have no regrets about tricking you into agreeing to this. They are your family and you deserve the chance to meet them, even if it's only one at a time and without their knowledge."