CHAPTER SIXTY-SEVEN: DIPLOMACY
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 14th, 1996, Black House, Charenwell.
"I fear all we have done is awaken a sleeping giant and fill it with a terrible resolve," General Churchill commented.
"What's that?" Harry asked.
"It is what Admiral Yamamoto said after his Japanese Navy attacked the Americans at Pearl Harbor in 1941," the General replied. "Magical Britain and the Death Eaters and such have enraged Charenwell and, it seems, have or will unleash a whirlwind."
"And how will this affect Ireland?" Patrick Sullivan asked.
"Which brings us to our next topic of conversation," Harry replied.
"Ireland is the key, we think," Harry continued. "The key that will unlock the door…"
"What're you on about?" Thomas Sullivan asked.
"And what's this 'war effort' nonsense?" Sean O'Fallon added.
"For us in Charenwell," Harry began, "while we have not made it official through diplomacy, a state of war exists with Magical Britain."
"But we're a part of Magical Britain!" Patrick Sullivan protested. "You're saying you're at war with us?"
"With Magical Britain, yes," Harry said. "But not with Ireland, unless they should stand with the rest of Britain and resist. Our enemies are the Wizengamot and its leader who conspired together to deprive Charenwell of its Duke and to interfere with an ancient Treaty between the Crown and the Duke. Our enemies are those who sold my people into bondage. Our enemies are the British Ministry for Magic that has forgotten its oath to the Crown. Our enemies are the Death Eaters and their ilk who threaten the Crown. I can go on, but it is safe to say our enemy is Magical Britain and not Ireland, save but a very small few.
"We would prefer an Ireland on our side. We would prefer the Magicals of Ireland to stand with us. Our problem is … it's not just Magical Ireland. To take Ireland out of the picture, to help you Sir, requires the support of the Government of the Irish Republic. Ulster is under the governance of Her Majesty's government, to whom Charenwell has been allied since 1217. But the south is not. We cannot help in the South without support from that Muggle Government and we are well aware of the historical issues at work here."
"Our Taoiseach, also known as our Prime Minister Mr. John Burton and our President Mary Sullivan," Sean O'Fallon began, "are aware of the magical issues. I am from the office of Magical Affairs…"
"She a relation to the other two gentlemen?" a voice asked.
"No," Sean said. "Not closely. A sixth cousin by marriage, I think and no closer otherwise. My job, even though I'm a Muggle…"
"Non-magical," a voice corrected.
"Yes, non-magical. I am, in the eyes of Magical Ireland 'of magical' meaning I have magical connections. In my case, it is my children and my daughter who is now bonded to the Duke of this Charenwell. Still, I and we are rightly concerned about this war against Magical Britain. I can speak for my non-magical government and state that it concerns us greatly. Should you invade…"
"Charenwell has no issues with Ireland, North or South," Harry replied. "But you are a part of Magical Britain both North and South and, while by our Treaty with the Crown we can operate in the North in Ulster - when we're ready - we can't do so in the South. Your Non-Magical government in the South is not under the control of Her Majesty. But magically, it is under the control of the British Ministry of Magic and the Wizengamot. Charenwell's issues are with the magicals of the rest of British Isles, not Ireland. But to leave Ireland out of our planning… The Irish Republic in the South could become a safe haven for our enemies. We'd rather just deal with Britain and not your homeland and by that, we'd rather not have to deal with Ulster either. To deal with Magical Britain in the south of Ireland would ultimately require us to invade and set us at war with the non-magicals there and probably with a fair few others, far more than we can ever expect to defeat. Unfortunately, to ignore the Republic altogether would give our enemies a safe haven from which they could attack us and to which we are reluctant to go."
"And what if Ireland were no longer a part of magical Britain?" Mr. Sullivan asked.
"Politically, that would be an ideal situation," Harry replied. "We have no cause to go to war with Ireland except to the extent that it is part of and supports magical Britain. The Crown has issues with the Death Eaters and the inept magical government that allows them to prey upon Her Majesty's subjects, not with any geographic situation, at least as far as I am aware…"
"There is Northern Ireland," General Churchill pointed out. "While our government is trying to reach and accord and the troubles are not what they once were, it is still a potential powder keg."
"During the last wizard war," Alice Longbottom said, "the Death Eaters used Ulster as a training ground. I cannot say whether their predations there may have been a cause of the Troubles between the non-magicals - and there's some evidence to support they may have played a role - there can be no doubt that it exacerbated the situation. Our information suggests this was deliberate as it kept the Muggles focused on what for the magicals was a side show in the war rather than concentrating their efforts in the main theater, as it were."
"We were not blind to what you magicals were up to," General Churchill said. "But you are correct that the problems in Northern Ireland at that time were of more immediate concern."
"This was one of the reasons why Her Majesty asked the previous Duke to intervene," Sir Stephen said. "The other was she felt and still feels a magical solution to the problem is in the country's best interests. She wasted no time in conveying a similar request to Lord Potter here."
"I will agree a magically independent Ireland solves some issues for us," Frank Longbottom said. "But unless that independence can close all magical transport between Britain and Ireland, our strategic dilemma remains. Counties Antrim and Down lay within easy apparition range of Scotland and the Isle of Man. Most magicals who can apparate can cross there. The rest of the east coast of Ireland falls outside of such range for the most part. A very powerful witch of wizard might be able to manage the jump between South Stack, which is just to the west of Holyhead to the coast near Dublin or from the Pembrokeshire Coast near White Sands to the southeast corner of County Wexford, but very few are that powerful. The north remains vulnerable unless apparition can be prevented. And unless the Floo network and Portkeys between Britain and Ireland are shut down or prevented, all of Ireland remains open regardless of any issues of sovereignty."
"Assuming Ireland was independent and its independence duly recognized by Gringotts and the ICW," Harry said, "they would gain control over their Floos and the magical detection grid which would allow them to prevent unauthorized Portkey use, particularly international use which would include use from Britain. But that grid does not prevent apparition…"
"Yet," Bill interjected. "Fred and George believe it can be manipulated to do just that."
Harry nodded. "And even if it did, there's still the threat of brooms or even boats. As we learned last week the Ministry has no issues deploying broom riders across open water."
"Oh?" Sean O'Fallon said.
"They deployed a force of about fifty broom riders against Charenwell. Only one made it, but one was more than we expected given our wards. And Ireland is a lot closer to Britain than we are. Some kind of force would remain necessary to guard against any magical incursions into Ireland or we're right back where we began, with Ireland as a major strategic thorn in our side."
"That little detail and several others were left out of the articles in the English magical press," Remus added. "They merely reported on our retaliatory strike against their Ministry. Then again, even handed reporting has never been their strong suit."
"The Quibbler will set that record straight in our next issue," Luna said speaking for the first time.
"The point is," Harry interjected, "unless Ireland can be isolated from the rest of magical Britain such that the Death Eaters and other hostiles cannot use Ireland as either a base of operations or a place of retreat, our ability to support Her Majesty and defeat the enemy is seriously weakened and, as our Lord Mayor pointed out, as desirable as an independent Ireland is from our perspective, unless all magical travel between Britain and magical Ireland can be controlled, Magical Ireland remains at risk. Without some kind of force to protect its shores from illegal migration, smugglers, infiltration and so forth, our moves against magical Britain would at best clear those Islands, but in exchange the problem and predations would relocate to Ireland. And we cannot even begin to move effectively at all until we have the force necessary to deal with the problem regardless of where it is."
"What kind of force are you suggesting?"
"Unfortunately, one we don't have at the moment," Harry said. "Ideally, a large Auror force would do the trick. But this country has little real need for such a force and besides, few can qualify and they take years to train. It's why we decided to go Muggle in the first place."
"Muggle?"
"Instead of training Aurors, we're training soldiers," Harry replied. "They'll be trained in magics, but there's no need to train them to Auror standards, is there? A Muggle weapon can kill even the most powerful of wizards. I'm told a soldier can kill at a hundred meters or more with accuracy and their weapons remain lethal well beyond that range. Not even the Killing Curse has that range. Ten meters with accuracy and it's ineffective after no more than thirty. And, more important, it takes far less time to train a soldier to do that than to train an Auror. Moreover, few can become Aurors. Why field a few score when I can easily field a force of thousands of lethal wizards in far less time? When my army is ready, we will answer Her Majesty's call and not even the combined wands of all of magical Britain will fail to stop us! The truth is, Magical Britain no longer exists. They just don't know that yet."
"And when will they find out?" Sean O'Fallon asked.
"Regretfully, unless they continue to be stupid, not anytime soon. We are still preparing to begin training our army. Right now, I can count the numbers of our trained and deployable ground combat force on two hands with fingers to spare. Rest assured, however, the day will come."
"And everything that has happened this summer?" Patrick Sullivan asked. "There was that fight in the Ministry itself, the massive fights with Death Eaters a few weeks later, the evictions, the fines, the concubines and last week. What was all that then?"
"A lot of that had nothing to do with Charenwell," Harry said. "It had to do with me and a handful of others. The battles were about that and an attempt by Voldemort to take me out not as Duke of Charenwell, but as the boy who's been a thorn in his side. The confiscations and some of the fines were about wills and breaches of trust and contracts unrelated to Charenwell or our relationship with the Crown. Prior to this summer, I knew nothing about Charenwell or my connections to it. The fight I was engaged in then was almost entirely against Voldemort and his Death Eaters. It is only recently where I've learned they are more a symptom of the problem, rather than the problem itself. Only the very recent events, as in the events of the last week or so were about Charenwell and our obligations both to our people and our alliances. Right now, our real ability to attack is limited. We can attack economically and diplomatically, but right now we lack the ability to engage in any direct combat operations that would have any chance of a successful outcome."
"You seem to be a little young to be thinking of war," Thomas Sullivan said.
"Lord Potter," Remus said, "despite his obvious youth, is one of the most experienced combat wizards alive. He has faced death, Voldemort and Death Eaters more times than anyone should have a need to. He killed his first wizard at age eleven in a life or death duel, for lack of a better word. He slew a basilisk when he was twelve, drove off or destroyed a few hundred dementors when he was thirteen. He won the Tri-Wizard tournament at fourteen and fought Voldemort to a standstill, something no one has ever done before as far as we know. He led six youths into a pitched battle against twice that number of inner circle Death Eaters just months ago and they all lived to tell the tale while the Death Eaters in question were defeated. He also faced down Voldemort again. But, he understands full well that he alone cannot save Magical Britain from Voldemort or itself.
"I would like to think that the vast majority of Magical British are decent people. The concubine trade suggests otherwise and it is the main thing that is rallying our people to stand with the Queen. Their recent attempt to invade us is another. But for those who run the Ministry there and sit in the Wizengamot or influence them it's another matter. The government of Magical Britain and its powerbrokers are corrupt in every way you can imagine. For most of the rest of the magical world, it is a pariah nation. Were it not for Voldemort and his cause and another sect and their cause, Britain would be a laughingstock. But, the rest of us are well aware they are not - not truly. They pose a threat, one which we could do nothing against while the Dark Wizard Dumbledore controlled the ICW as Supreme Mugwump.
"Our Duke learned this only recently…"
"It was a hard lesson," Harry admitted.
"He knows how bad it is there," Remus continued. "He knows that even with his titles and such, all he can do is work within a corrupt system. He knows that for Britain and Ireland to thrive, that system must end. And he knows that he alone cannot end it. He cannot tear down and rebuild a country on his own. It needs to be done and it must be done for the better future of all magicals in Britain, their non-magical neighbors and for the rest of us. If we allow this cancer to fester there, we risk the total exposure of our world and the total wrath of the non-magicals who would then perceive us as a threat to them. Her Majesty has called upon Charenwell to take the lead in dealing with this threat to us all. Lord Potter cannot do it alone and, ideally, neither can we.
"In addition to our historic obligations and recent agreements with Her Majesty's government, we are working with our ambassadors and through our seat in the ICW to contain this problem. Politically, Britain is or soon will be isolated. We cannot count on the rest of the magical world for military support, but we believe we can, one day soon, count on them not to support magical Britain. We are months and more away - maybe - from being able to intervene militarily and a year or more from being able to do so as we would like.
"The Duke has not asked, so I must. You came here with letters from the Magical Dial - the magical provisional government of Ireland and from the non-magical government authorizing you to treat with us. Mr. O'Fallon carries letters appointing him as permanent ambassador for the non-magical Irish Republic. Mr. Patrick Sullivan is authorized to speak as and on behalf of the magical provisional government and his brother Thomas has an appointment to serve - if accepted - as the permanent ambassador to Charenwell for such provisional government.
"Lord Potter, our Duke, is our Head of State. But I as duly elected Lord Mayor am the Head of our Government. What is it you ask of us? And what is it we can ask of you?"
"We wish for nothing more or less than our independence as a magical nation," Patrick Sullivan said. "Since even before I was born, our provisional government, duly elected by our people - and that includes our Squibs and magically aligned and supportive Muggles - have effectively governed Magical Ireland. The London government neither deploys its Aurors or any other MLE types to our lands usless we request them nor do they truly rules over us. All we do for them is ensure our taxes are duly paid - or at least those taxes that they assess against us. Our land has produced no Death Eaters…"
"None that are still alive," Sean O'Fallon said.
Patrick nodded. "For the most part and the better part of a century, we have handled our own affairs. We have a handful of Aurors and scores of others to enforce the secrecy laws, although I'll admit we are less inclined to obliviate first and ask questions later when it comes to the use of magic in front of us Muggles. The English prefer it the other way, to alienate the Muggle world altogether. We're Irish. We never hated magic or non-magic. So we avoid that method unless it proves necessary - NOT convenient! When the Wizengamot was founded, a third of the seats were ours! Over time, the lines died out and the English took over our rightful seats. We began forming our provisional government over a century ago when the last of our magical seats in that body passed to an Englishman, one who had no connections to the original clans on either side of the Irish Sea. We represent over a quarter of the known magicals in Britain and have had no true voice in ages. So we decided to take London out of the equation.
"That was long before my time as a person or as a member of magical society. I was born and remain a Muggle. I knew nothing of this world until my wife and I had a magical child - our first born - who we named Irene. Not long after her first manifestation of accidental magic, we were approached by a nice young couple who were magical themselves with a son of their own not much older than our Irene. It was they who told us about magic and introduced us to this world.
"My two daughters seemed to avoid the fate of so many others like them in Britain. St. Patrick's was not a major source for concubines, despite our numbers of 'available' young women which would have made us a primary source. Our Headmasters and such sold but two or three a year into such bondage. It seemed just enough to keep the English out of our lives in that regard, but for the young ladies involved, it was two or three a year too many. For my family extended family, as one of them is my Niece, it is one too many and I'm sure my brother and Sean agree with that point even if we believe in the end our daughters have done quite well in the end.
"This summer proved our tipping point. We've been running magical Ireland for ages now, it seems and we believe we're doing a fair job of it by our people, both magical and not, which is more than the English can claim. They loath or fear their non-magical neighbors. Squibs there are wise to flee to the non-magical world and people like me - non-magical parents - are ignored and our children taken from us either over time or through that damnable auction for daughters! We pay almost a third of their taxes and we have no voice, no protection from their predations, and no recourse in their so called courts 'cause we have no voice any longer in what was once our own magical government. They sell our young women as cattle and there's nothing we can do about it! They raise our taxes at a whim and we get nothing from them for the increases! What social services exist in Magical Ireland exist 'cause we see to it, not because they do! Our school is entirely funded by us as is our health care and yet we still have to send them money to fatten their vaults! We're done with it and with them! Our Magical Dial has unanimously agreed to sever all ties with them and seek independent status.
"As a magical government alone, we can and have run Ireland, all of it and not just the South. We only look to London when we have to, and that's usually when an English Magical causes trouble or in the rare instances when we need to send one of our own to prison. Give us independence, and we will handle our internal problems as we have for ages. But…"
"But?" Harry asked.
"We would be missed were we to up and leave." Patrick said. "We're a third of their tax base as it is and if they spend a tenth of that on Ireland, I'd be shocked. We represent eighty percent of their domestic food supply and we know that's only about eighteen percent of their total. They import most of the rest…"
"From us mostly," Harry said.
Patrick nodded. "They might take notice if we took our ball and went home as it were and we are in no position right now to do anything really if they did. For every trained Auror we have, they have several and ours are either long in the tooth, as it were, or too inexperienced to deal with an outright attack. To gain in law what we already have in fact - our independence as a government at least and as a people we hope - we need international backing in the ICW and, maybe, in terms of force."
Harry nodded. "An independent magical Ireland, one which is not a safe haven for our enemies, is in my country's strategic interest. But my concern remains at what cost to Charenwell and, more critically, what cost to the Irish Republic and all of that? By my alliance with the Queen, should I have a deployable force - and in time I shall - Northern Ireland is within her dominion and, therefore, within my mandate as her magical ally. But even if Magical Ireland is independent or declares itself so, unless my government has a similar agreement with the non-magical Irish government in Dublin, we are … we can't really do much. We will not risk unnecessary war with any non-magical government or people. In that regard, we are as bound by the treaties and Statute of Secrecy as any other magical government."
Sean O'Fallon nodded. "When it was learned less than a week ago that my daughter was here and I and my family invited to relocate here, this was, naturally reported to my superiors in the government back in Dublin, at least those cleared to know of the world of Magic. The Foreign Minister made a recommendation to our Prime Minister who forwarded it to the President as she is our Head of State and has under our constitution, significant authority in regards to certain aspects of foreign affairs, namely the final appointment of ambassadors and signing treaties. The more routine operations of our Foreign office are under the direction of the Prime Minister and his Cabinet secretary."
"What's the difference between the two?" Harry asked.
"Their President is like you in their governmental structure in many ways," Remus answered. "She is Head of State but not the Head of their Government. That function lies with the Prime Minister just as I am Head of the Charenwell Government. Unlike you, whose position is hereditary, she is elected to office to serve a seven year term. Their PM is like Britain's PM, as in he is not directly elected but appointed from their Parliament should his party or a coalition of parties he leads hold a majority of seats following the general parliamentary elections. I believe that's a fair statement."
"It is," Mr. O'Fallon said, "if simplistic."
"Fair if simple works for me for now," Harry said. "Before coming here, I knew little about governments, not that I know a lot now. What I knew of Britain was we had a Queen and Royal Family whom my Uncle claimed were spoiled, overpaid (he believed if they earned a Pound a year it was a waste of money) and several other less than flattering things; a Prime Minister he loathed. He hates Labour and thinks the Conservatives are not much better. I knew we had a Parliament and he had any even lower opinion of them. We were taught a little about such things in Primary School, but not much at all really."
"It's usually taught in greater detail in Secondary School," Hermione added.
"So the Duke is similar to our President or the British Queen?" Mr. O'Fallon asked.
"Similar," Remus said, "and also very different. As Duke, he is Head of State and has limited power in our system of government and has for ages. He has final authority over any treaties that suggest or require military alliances or such as he is Commander-in-Chief of our military, when we have had one. He also has significant authority in regards to our relationship with Her Majesty's government as his house is personally aligned with them. Aside from that, he has no control at all. Trade and domestic affairs were long ago delegated to the High Council and Lord Mayor and justice to the High Chancellor and the courts. Under our system, neither the Duke nor those in the immediate line of succession may serve directly in government as elected officials or by appointment. This ban extends to any wives-at-law or Consorts but not to his Concubines, unless they are the mother of the Heir. For our current Duke, this ban only affects his Duchess. As the Countess, her children and the children of her House are a separate line, they are not so barred.
"But, when trying to state what the Duke's authority really is, we have to look at his many 'hats.' The Duke of Charenwell, sovereign and Head of State is but one and it's the most recent as it came into existence in 1217. Lord Harry is the twenty-seventh Duke. The separation between the Duke and the local government predates that. That separation dates back to 699 and the ascension of Harfeld, Second Lord of the Isle. Lord Harry is the forty-first Lord of the Isle."
"And what's that?" Thomas Sullivan asked.
"This land was first settled by colonists from Mercia under the leadership of Dargoth, First Lord of the Isle and second son of Atherol, a Lord in Mercia. As second son in his line, he would not inherit his father's lands or titles and was expected to make his own way in life in that regard. He was not truly cast out on his own. His father provided him with ships of that time and supplies. He left Britain in four such ships with his five sons, several cousins who were also lesser sons, their followers and their families and landed here in 680. Upon landing, Dargoth effectively became head of this new Clan which meant head of the people and owner of all the lands he claimed for them, which as this island was uninhabited meant most all of it. He was not expected to have any remaining interests in Britain at all except, perhaps, as a place for trade. But in 697, his father and older brother died in battle. We don't think he ever learned of this as he died himself less than two years later. His son Harfeld learned of it on a trading mission to Mercia not long afterwards.
"Harfeld became the tenth Lord Potter of Mercia, Anglia and Umbria and twenty-fifth Head of House Potter. As Lord Potter, he became responsible for extensive lands in England as Vassal to more than one of the Saxon Kings of the time and as a member of the ruling council of magical Britain. To give up those positions would effectively divest his family back in England of their lands and protections which had been held for almost 600 years. But to retain those positions required Harfeld and his successors to maintain a physical presence in England much of the time. He could not 'rule' in both places at once, so his people here set up the current system where they manage their own local affairs while he retained authority over their relations beyond the sea.
"What he did retain here was his control over the land itself. For all intents and purposes, he owns almost all of it. Port of Darby, part of Pottersport and parts of what we call East Farm were originally granted to some of his followers and have remained independently owned ever since, but the rest of the lands are his and as the owner he has significant say as to their use. Most of us live on his lands as a kind of tenant. If our 'lease' is for farmland, we cannot build a town or factory without his leave. There are similar restrictions in lands designated as village or town. And, he controls development of the undeveloped regions, such as the lands where the new city of Jamestown is being built. Without his leave, no one can build there.
"As he controls the land, he has also retained absolute control over immigration. No one can move here without his leave. Through much of our history, 'immigration' has been limited to the importation of concubines, although there have been periods of exception and individual exceptions such as myself. The last significant exception was during and immediately after World War II when the Duke allowed the RAF to operate and air base here and later, when the war ended, allowed those who lived there or had served there the right to remain or move here permanently. When it comes to opening lands to settlement and development, he has total control."
"And what about the burden on the government?" Thomas Sullivan asked. "How do you pay for that city and the services it needs?"
"The city is being built at my own expense," Harry said. "Although it sounds like I can change our tax needs at a whim, that's not how it works. I have no say in taxes except by virtue of being this country's largest – dare I say majority taxpayer. I can't force the High Council to raise taxes, but I can prevent them from doing so under certain circumstances none of which seem to apply here."
"So you're paying for all of that?"
Harry nodded. "It's a long term investment in our future," Harry said. "My family should see a return on this investment in time, although I might not live to see it. My return shall be from increased rent revenues and investments in the various businesses. As for the services that are provided by our government, for now I am covering those costs as well, although we hope the increased tax base will more than make up for that fairly quickly at least fairly quickly as compared to the cost of building the city and moving the people here."
"That must be a fortune!"
"Assuming no unanticipated costs," Bill said, "Lord Potter will still realize a net gain for this year. He just won't make nearly as much as he would have otherwise."
"And your military?" Mr. O'Fallon asked.
"It is being funded in part by Her Majesty's government," General Churchill replied. "The Duke already owned the planes that currently make up his Air Force. They will be armed mostly with refurbished surplus weapons and the Duke owns the company that will supply their munitions. What Her Majesty's government does not fund…"
"We're selling bonds to offset those costs," Mr. Dawkins said. "We're hoping to avoid any increase in taxes and we're even less inclined to borrow directly. Bonds are, after all, a kind of loan, but it's one without recourse should our economy go pear shaped. That is also something our Ministries are now working hard to avoid. Right now, we see these projects as feasible without significant impact upon our finances or economy and particularly if we get the new residents gainfully employed and therefore paying taxes in short order."
"So, you've now heard about our problems and we yours," Harry began.
"You're not concerned about what you have told us?" Thomas Sullivan asked. "I cannot help but think at least some of our discussions today are not meant for dissemination back in Britain."
"At least two of you are remaining here with your families," Harry said. "One is from the government of the Republic of Ireland where I assume there is some kind of official secrets rules and these discussions fall within those rules."
"That is correct," Patrick Sullivan replied. "I will be returning because of my seat in the provisional government, but my brother and Mr. O'Fallon will remain regardless of the outcome of today's discussions."
"So, there's really no risk in telling you what we've told you, especially because most of this information can be found in our newspapers which, of course, we don't send to Britain. Even if this somehow got back to Britain, the only ones who should really be concerned about it are the three of you. When we are ready, it is doubtful Magical Britain will be even if they start right now. But should they learn of your plans for independence too soon, they could take action against you and we would be hard pressed to do anything but complain in the ICW."
"Who may well turn a deaf ear," Mr. Davidson from the Foreign Office said. "Until Ireland is recognized by them as an independent nation, their actions fall within the internal affairs of Magical Britain and would not raise an interest with the ICW absent a serious breach of the Statute of Secrecy by the Magical Brits. If the Irish were to be the breaching party, the ICW would only become concern if the Brits fail to take appropriate action."
"And what would it take for the ICW to see it differently?" Mr. O'Fallon asked.
"First off, recognition of your right to self rule by the Muggle governments with concurrent jurisdiction over the lands, specifically Her Majesty's government for Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland for the South."
"I'll need to consult with London, naturally," Sir Stephen interjected, "but in principal I don't see this as an issue. It is known to us that magical and non-magical boundaries and sovereignties are not identical. After all, all Magical Ireland is now governed from the British Ministry of Magic in London in law if not in fact, including the South. So long as an independent Ireland maintains the relations required by treaty with Her Majesty for Ulster, the fact they govern themselves and all of Ireland from Dublin or wherever is a minor issue really."
"That is the opinion of my government as well," Mr. O'Fallon said. "Again, in principal. The devil is in the details. We also feel that given the current non-magical divide and the fact that the events in magical Ireland could affect either or both the interests of Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland, some sort of intergovernmental communication regarding magical issues of common concern may need to be established."
"This might fall under your bailiwick, Arthur," Mr. Davidson commented. "A possibility would be to set up such a liaison through the Irish and British non-magical missions here in Charenwell. For the last two centuries or so, our meetings with the Crown and the British non-magical officials have been held here either at Government House or at the Crown's estate in South Farm. In that way, knowledge of the magical world is limited to those who already know or by virtue of their position and need to know. The lower level types who typically would show up for international discussions are therefore excluded since they are not allowed to travel here."
"That and we can keep the British Press out entirely," Remus said. "It's a major reason why Her Majesty and her family visit almost every year. Our press maintains a discreet distance as it were."
"So, we meet with our British counterparts here?" Mr. O'Fallon said.
Mr. Davidson nodded. "While we ignore the Statute of Secrecy within our own borders, we are still bound by it. Our means of communication with the Crown and the Crown's government has been approved with few conditions by the ICW. A more direct communication might fall afoul of the concord. Logistically, assuming your embassy here has sufficient communications with Dublin – which should not prove too difficult – it would be less complicated than having to open a similar mission in London right under the noses of the very magicals you seek to disassociate with.
"Now, assuming you have the ear, if not the approval of the non-magical governments with concurrent jurisdiction over your future Magical Ireland, you also need for Gringotts to recognize you as an independent entity."
"They already do," Patrick Sullivan said. "We've had our own national branch in what is now Leinster since about the sixth century which was before the formation of the Wizengamot. Our primary branch is in Dublin, but the controlling goblin clan resides at the original branch."
"We figured that was the case," Mr. Dawkins from Finance said. "We were aware there was a goblin clan in Ireland that did not answer to the London Clan except through their own international council which is suggestive of goblin recognition that Ireland is separate in their eyes from England. After all, Ireland was totally independent of England until the reign of Henry II and remained largely so for a few more centuries. From the Goblin perspective, the twelfth century is relatively recent history."
"Which leaves the issue of magical recognition," Mr. Davidson said. "You need the sponsorship of three seats in the ICW before it will even consider recognizing Ireland as independent and deserving of a seat of its own. Naturally, Charenwell would be willing to act as sponsor, but that leaves two more. Now, as a result of recent events, marriages and betrothals, we can probably count on support from Magical France if for no other reason than they led the effort to oust the British from their decades of dominance in the ICW. Actually, it is possible to count on the support of several other countries on the continent as they all seem eager to stick it to the Brits, but France is the key."
"Not Charenwell?"
"No. Our rather unique situation in regards to the Statute of Secrecy has made us a rather minor entity within the ICW in terms of influence in such matters as we do not have to deal with nearly as many of the secrecy issues as the other member states. Our support is useful, but alone is of little moment."
"Then again," Remus said, "if we were to be the guarantors of Irish sovereignty and were able to do so, our support would be critical. The last thing the ICW wants is get involved in such matters. It would be one thing if the British Ministry was willing to let Ireland go. It's quite another if they should object."
"Which we expect they will," Patrick said.
"Hence, unless you can keep them out of your affairs and your country on your own or with the aid of an ally, the ICW might be reluctant to recognize your independence before the fact. Until your independence is an incontrovertible fact, ICW intervention or sanctions against Britain would be deemed as unnecessary involvement in a purely domestic dispute. The ICW is concerned with keeping magic as secret as possible from our non-magical neighbors and maintaining the peace between its member states, not getting involved – for better or worse – in local politics which would be how they might see this if you cannot stand on your own."
"What do you mean by 'guarantors'?"
"If Ireland can govern itself…"
"We're already doing that."
"And keep the British from exercising or regaining its control, then Irish independence would be a foregone conclusion. But they're not going to get involved if the British seem capable of regaining control."
"So, just declaring our independence is not enough?"
"Was it truly enough when non-magical Ireland sought its independence from the rest of Britain? As I understand, that was a difficult struggle even when the majority in Britain and a significant faction in their Parliament were at the very least sympathetic. It was true for the Americans as well at least until France saw an opportunity to stick it to its historical rival and even then it was by no means assured."
"Good point."
"Excuse me?" Harry interjected. "Can someone tell me why the ICW is so important to any of this? Why does Ireland need them at this time?"
"Leverage," Remus replied. "If Ireland is recognized as independent, and better yet if they have their own seat in the ICW, were Britain to even attempt to regain control, it would be seen as an act of aggressive war and Britain would be subjected to embargo and blockade at the very least. International intervention could follow. As arrogant as they are, I doubt most of them think they can truly stand alone against the rest of magical Europe. Although, if Ireland can be defended without ICW support by themselves or with our support, it would have the same practical effect, which is the maintenance of an independent magical Ireland, one which we need not worry about as a safe haven for our enemies across the water."
"We have no interest in remaining either pawn or vassal to the Ministry of Magic in London or the various factions vying for control over there," Patrick said. "That being said, at this time while we are politically ready to govern ourselves, we are not in a good position to deal with London should they object. Basically, our defenses are at best limited. And this brings up a point we have not addressed today, at least from the Irish perspective, which is your proposed evacuation of the Muggle Borns and others in the 'at risk' population. To depopulate us by a quarter or third runs counter to supporting our desire for independence from Britain. We cannot hope to stand against them unless we all stand together.
"Right now, even if all magical Ireland stands together, it would be a difficult thing to manage should London make a serious effort to keep us within their control. As stated earlier, while we have a few trained magical fighters, they are not nearly enough to police our country and stand against another. We need to train for our own defense and protection and to take away up to a third of our potential manpower base is counter-productive. Should you do that – and we understand this relocation is purely voluntary – should you do that, then to stand against England would require 'foreign' intervention at the outset and going forward for some time."
Harry nodded. "You have a valid point. Our relocation plan had two goals regarding Britain. One is to relocate those at greatest risk from the current troubles to a safe new home. The other was to deprive magical Britain of manpower that might stand and fight when we choose to intervene. If Ireland is not part of that problem, the relocation is of less critical importance. However, I would still recommend a limited one, particularly insofar as there are Irish in the at risk population who through their work or school are and will for the foreseeable future remain somewhat tied to Britain. This would include at the very least those families with children attending Hogwarts or on the list to attend Hogwarts or any schools in Britain other than St. Patrick's. But, should Ireland succeed in becoming truly separate from Britain, the remainder of the population – which I assume is the vast majority – would no longer either be at risk or factor into any possible defense of Britain.
"Still, all of this is based upon the assumption that Ireland can break away successfully and keep Britain out. Unless I misunderstood you, right now Ireland cannot hope to prevent Britain from regaining control should they desire to do so and I must point out at this time we are in no real position to help. We have no Aurors, no Army, and no Army in training as of today. A year from now it will be very different. But right now, the only reason Britain is of little threat to us despite the trouble we've been giving them is because they can't get past our wards. We're safe from them. But right now they are also safe from us and until that changes, most of this is academic. How long from now will we be able to take action?" Harry asked somewhat rhetorically.
"We've modified our force projections over the last couple of weeks based upon what we are learning about certain magical solutions to various problems mainly in the areas of logistics and transportation," General Churchill replied. "Unless we are in agreement about the need for artillery and motorized transport, which we now think may be less necessary, we're now looking at 1000 man Battalions with about 600 shooters and 400 in the support elements. At least one will need to be airborne to secure a beachhead for follow-on units arriving by ship or maybe Portkey. Still, we think we'll have three combat ready Battalions ready by April or May, June at the latest with two more nearing readiness just based upon our current recruiting numbers…"
"With at least some air support," Air Vice Marshall Graham said. "Our force limitation is aircraft, not so much personnel as the full Air Force will not be ready until late next fall. It seems right now we can train aircrew and such faster than we can assemble the planes in storage, although that might change."
"And if we were to send some of our lads?" Patrick asked.
"That will need to be coordinated with the non-magical governments," Sir Stephen said. "My government would be concerned about training and arming troops from Northern Ireland, given the situation there…"
"And mine would be concerned about training under the British Army without any representation from the Irish Defense Forces."
"Coordination issues aside, if Ireland was to send recruits, could we train them?" Harry asked.
"Without regard to the political questions," General Churchill said, "and recognizing our current priority is training Charenwell and others who will fight in Britain or against Magical Britain, training the Irish to defend themselves seems feasible on the surface. And it need not be just the lads. How the Irish choose to man their units is their concern, not ours. Charenwell has chosen to man its infantry units with just lads, but the supporting units can and will include women as well. The 'fighting lasses' will be in the Air Force, the 'fighting lads' in the infantry. Otherwise, we have no recruiting restrictions from a policy standpoint. Aside from the emphasis on women pilots, our manning policy mirrors that of many Muggle armed forces."
"So the answer is?" Harry asked.
"My recommendation would be if the Irish are either incorporated into Charenwell units or if the Irish units we train are part of the overall force that will one day deploy against Magical Britain, I see no real issue aside from the fact that an all Irish Battalion or Brigade would form after at least our first Charenwell units. But if their lads are strictly for home defense, they would be of lower priority unless we wish to further delay intervention. That's not to say they won't be trained as soon as possible after arriving. It means they would not be fully organized into combat units as quickly."
"I had hoped for an answer of some sort today about all of this," Harry began.
"We did not expect to solve the problems of the world or even Ireland today," Patrick said. "We came here to start the process one which our people back home know will take time. The issue of an Irish force alone would require us to consult with the Provisional Magical Government, the Republic and the Crown. I dare say, Irish volunteers could be sent fairly soon, but to stand up a magical Irish force would require negotiations far beyond what we are capable of deciding today and well beyond what I am authorized to discuss without consultation. But as I see it and given these times, an Irish force is necessary if only to defend Ireland from the magical British."
"Would it be possible for us to do both?" Thomas Sullivan asked. "I understand we can't decide what Ireland can do right now, but for the purposes of discussion and assuming the parties can agree and work it out, would it be possible for Ireland to both support directly the war against the darkness to our East and defend ourselves? A part of me is concerned that if we were to stand with Charenwell against Britain, either because our lads are in their Army or fighting alongside their Army, it would leave Ireland undefended and yet were we to focus entirely on our own defense to the exclusion of the problems to the East, it would seem somewhat ungrateful particularly should Charenwell play a significant role in securing our freedom."
"There are possibilities," General Churchill said. "The British Army as both a regular, standing force and a reserve. The Territorial units were initially formed for home defense, although they have been deployed abroad at times. But when used overseas, they generally don't go it alone but are incorporated into the regular force for their time. A possibility would be to train a two-tiered Irish force. One tier would be a force to fight alongside Charenwell and the other would be primarily, if not entirely for home defense. The later could be part-time and older soldiers."
"That sounds acceptable in principal," Patrick Sullivan said.
"For now," Sir Stephen interjected, "we can forward these ideas to our home governments for consideration and continue informal talks."
"There's still the evacuation."
"We can work with you to discuss the scope of the relocation," Remus said. "Given the transportation issues and the fact that for now Ireland is not at immediate risk, they are not yet scheduled for large scale relocation. Our focus right now is on Britain. Our transportation folks are hoping to get a gate for our planes in Ireland to facilitate the bulk of that evacuation and we're not there yet. They feel the logistics of moving your at risk population from Ireland to London for relocation are less than ideal and were working that problem. But, if we agree on significantly lower numbers… I think we can all agree in principal that if one way or the other Ireland is part of the solution to the current crisis and not part of the problem, then to depopulate Ireland is not in the best interests of anyone concerned. I would agree, however, that the relocation should proceed as planned with regard to those Irish who live or attend school in Britain as they are most likely on lists that are not in their interests."
"We can agree in principal," Patrick said.
The remainder of the discussions focused on the nature of the Irish Mission or Embassy as Harry and his government were more than willing to establish some sort of formal relationship with the Emerald Isle, both Magical and non-Magical. It was decided that "Ireland" would have a "joint" Embassy facility, even if it had two or three different missions, the third being the non-magical Irish mission to non-magical Britain regarding magical affairs. For now, there would be no true exchange of Ambassadors primarily because Ireland was still a part of Magical Britain, with whom Charenwell maintained no diplomatic relations and was technically at war. That and there was the fact that Charenwell would need a building or some such in Dublin and that might take time. However, the end result was effectively the establishment of relations between Charenwell and the Republic of Ireland and "informal" relations with the Provisional Government of Magical Ireland. Mr. Thomas Sullivan (Erin's father) was accepted as "Permanent Ambassador" for Magical Ireland and Mr. O'Fallon as the same from the Republic of Ireland. The three Irishmen would spend the better part of the next week working at Government House to develop formal proposals for their respective governments which Patrick Sullivan would take back with him to his homeland.
A/N: RELATIONSHIP SCORECARD:
No changes from last chapter.