Energy Stone settlement, two chapters of reward sections updated, wish everyone enjoyable reading.
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Tony followed Seraphina with cautious steps, his hand buried deep in his robes, fingers wrapped around his wand like a lifeline. From the moment they'd entered this imposing edifice, his beloved FRIDAY had gone silent—completely jammed by whatever magical interference permeated these walls. In this alien environment, the smooth cypress wood provided his only comfort, though he'd mastered barely a handful of spells.
"Breathe, Stark. You're wound tighter than a clockspring," Gemini murmured, noting the rigid tension in his shoulders. She moved closer, her voice barely a whisper. "Stay close to your grandmother. This isn't the time for heroics."
Tony's slight nod was the only indication he'd heard her. Gemini fell back to her original position, boots clicking softly against the marble floors that seemed to stretch endlessly in all directions.
"We've arrived." Seraphina halted before an imposing obsidian door that seemed to absorb light rather than reflect it. "When you hear the summons, enter immediately. I'll be waiting inside."
"Wait—you're not coming with us?" Tony's voice cracked slightly, betraying the anxiety he'd been fighting to suppress. His eyes darted to Gemini with something approaching desperation. This place radiated power and danger in equal measure, and she was his only anchor to sanity.
"Of course, Madam Picquery. We shall await your signal." Gemini executed a perfect curtsy, her diplomatic training evident in every graceful movement.
Seraphina offered Tony one last reassuring smile before disappearing around the corridor's corner, her footsteps fading into the building's oppressive silence.
"Remind me again why we're here?" Tony tugged at his formal robes with increasing agitation. Every instinct screamed that he was walking into a trap, yet he had no choice but to trust a teenager whose true loyalties remained frustratingly opaque. The realization made his jaw clench with barely controlled frustration.
"Relax, you absolute disaster," Gemini said with fond exasperation. "Whatever else happens, my connections will keep you breathing. The Black name still carries considerable weight, even on this side of the Atlantic." She caught his wrist before he could start pacing. "Stand still and try not to embarrass us both. You're paying me handsomely for this protection detail, remember?"
Tony's tension finally cracked, allowing a genuine smile to break through. "Right. Old friends and all that. Don't worry—your fee will be appropriately astronomical."
Their quiet conversation was interrupted by the door's ominous creak. A narrow gap appeared, revealing nothing but impenetrable darkness beyond. A man's voice echoed from within, carrying the weight of absolute authority:
"Mr. Anthony Stark and Miss Gemini Black—you are summoned."
Gemini gave Tony one final inspection, ensuring his appearance met MACUSA's exacting standards. Satisfied, she gestured for him to take the lead. They pushed through the obsidian portal together, crossing the threshold into the unknown.
The chamber beyond was a void—absolute darkness that seemed to swallow sound itself. The moment both figures crossed the threshold, the door sealed behind them with finality that made Tony's heart skip. He spun around instinctively, but found only empty air where the entrance had been.
Gemini's sharp glare stopped his nervous fidgeting before it could begin. Tony cleared his throat awkwardly and forced himself forward.
Only when they reached the chamber's precise center did illumination flood the space, revealing a breathtaking amphitheater. Tiered seating rose in perfect symmetry around the walls, creating an arena where two simple chairs waited like an island in a sea of judgment.
"Please be seated, honored guests." The voice belonged to a distinguished wizard occupying the highest tier—middle-aged, with silver threading his dark hair and eyes that missed nothing. Gemini studied him carefully but found no recognition. Only when she spotted Seraphina's encouraging nod from the shadows did her shoulders relax enough to accept the offered seat.
"Ahem." The silver-haired wizard cleared his throat with ceremonial precision, lifting an official document that seemed to glow with its own authority. "Let us commence these proceedings."
His voice carried the weight of decades spent in positions of power. "I am Samuel G. Quahog, current Minister of MACUSA. You are indeed Mr. Anthony Edward Stark?"
"Unless you've confused me with some other devastatingly handsome genius inventor," Tony replied with trademark irreverence, settling into his chair with the casual confidence of someone accustomed to congressional hearings and board meetings. "Though I suppose that's unlikely."
Scattered chuckles rippled through the gallery, accompanied by a low buzz of whispered commentary. Minister Quahog retrieved a small gavel and tapped it against his podium with practiced authority.
"Order, distinguished colleagues. We all have pressing matters awaiting our attention. Shall we proceed with appropriate efficiency?"
Silence returned immediately. Tony caught Gemini's eye and mouthed smugly: See? Universal charm, just like I told you.
"To the matter at hand," Quahog continued, consulting his documents. "Are you familiar with your mother Maria's maiden surname?"
"Picquery," Tony answered, his demeanor shifting to something approaching respect at the mention of his mother. "Though I'm beginning to suspect that name carries more significance than I previously understood."
"Indeed. And prior to recent events, were you aware of your mother's... magical heritage?" The Minister's tone remained carefully neutral, but Gemini caught the subtle tension in his posture.
"I discovered that particular family secret approximately forty-eight hours ago," Tony replied with characteristic precision. "When I accessed the memories she left behind. That's the correct terminology, isn't it? I'm still learning the proper magical vocabulary."
"Lies!" The word cracked through the chamber like a whip, dripping with venom and barely contained rage. "Who knows what deception this No-Maj is peddling? A sealed Muggle couldn't possibly breach a wizard's enchantments to access protected memories!"
Gemini's head snapped toward the interruption, her expression darkening as she identified the source. An elderly witch sat in the second tier, her gray hair wild with indignation, clouded eyes burning with the fanatical hatred Gemini recognized from her studies of Death Eater ideology. The woman's malice was almost tangible, poisoning the air around her.
"Councilwoman Rappaport," Minister Quahog's voice carried a warning sharp enough to cut glass. "You will observe proper protocol, or you will be removed from these proceedings. Need I remind you who holds the Minister's seal?"
Gemini understood immediately—a Muggle-supremacist, the American equivalent of Voldemort's followers. Such bigotry disgusted her on principle. Since arriving in America, she'd immersed herself in No-Maj literature and scientific advancement. In countless ways, non-magical humans had surpassed wizarding achievement through pure ingenuity and determination.
"I am a duly elected member of this Congress!" Rappaport slammed her fist against the railing, rising to her full height with theatrical fury. "I have every right to voice legitimate concerns! Answer me, Muggle—what vile trickery did you employ to violate a wizard's sacred protections?"
The chamber erupted in competing voices—some supporting Rappaport's challenge, others protesting her breach of decorum. Gemini's enhanced hearing caught several witches expressing outright disgust at the Councilwoman's behavior.
Gemini rose with fluid grace, her voice cutting through the chaos with aristocratic authority enhanced by a subtle Sonorus charm:
"Permit me to introduce myself properly. I am Gemini Black, sole heir to the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black, ward of Harry Potter the Boy Who Lived, sister to Kingsley Shacklebolt the Minister for Magic, sister to Draco Malfoy the Head of Malfoy Enterprises."
Her words fell like stones into still water, creating ripples of recognition throughout the assembled Congress. "I trust my credentials grant me standing to address this distinguished assembly?"
The chamber fell into absolute silence, every eye fixed on the young woman whose casual recitation of connections had just rewritten the political calculus of the entire proceeding.
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