This requires an introduction: This was written by Ljlashlarue. A Harry Potter fanfiction in an Alternate Universe story where Ginny and Hermione are a couple. The story here.
This starts as Percy is addressing the Wizengamot.
“This assembly is called to order,” Percy announced with a slam of the gavel. “The chair will recognize those wishing to speak to the resolution before the Wizengamot to grant same-sex couples the right to the legal status of marriage as is currently provided to male-female couples. The chair also reminds you all that outbursts will not be tolerated, nor will abusive language. This is a body of law, and this resolution will be given the same respectful consideration as any other matter before it.” Percy waited a moment to be sure his message had been received. The discussion had been lively, and there had been impassioned speeches both for and against. Percy’s bailiffs had ample opportunity to practice various suppressing spells, but thus far nothing new had been said. It seemed to Percy that they would have done as well to have had the members mail in their votes.
“Does anyone else wish to speak?” he asked. Two hands were raised, and Percy recognized the first of them to rise. Arthur Weasley stood and walked to the front of the room. “Most of you know me,” he began, “I’ve been here for a long time, and many of you know how I would have wanted the vote to go on this a few months ago. Nearly dying has a way of making you think things over, however, and I believe that some of you may be under the same mistaken impression of what this resolution is about that I was.”
“This resolution is not about approving or disapproving of homosexuality. It is about respect. Respect for your fellow witches and wizards, and respect for love itself. ‘Unnatural’; we’ve heard that several times today, I’ve said it myself in the past. Well I was mistaken, and so are you, if you think that. We as humans fall in love with who we fall in love with, and no one has ever figured out exactly why. Now I’m not talking about someone deciding to go out and bag themselves a rich spouse, that’s not love. I’m talking about your heart needing someone else’s heart to beat properly, the relationship where there is a hole in your life when they aren’t there, having someone who is more than important to you; rather they are an essential part of you. I hope that all of you know that feeling, for it’s wonderful, and it’s the very best part of life. Sometimes, and more often than you might think, I promise you, for not everyone has the courage or the inclination to let it be known, a man feels that for another man, or a woman feels that for another woman.”
“All of you here today know someone who is homosexual, likely more than one. Many of you here today, are homosexual. Notice that I’m not using popular terminology, this isn’t a pub, this is a place of laws, and this is the place where we provide for the fair treatment of one other. So I’m going to explain the thing that came to me about what you’re really saying if you vote ‘no’, on this. With the chair’s permission I would like to ask some people to stand, merely stand, not speak.”
“Very well,” granted Percy.
Arthur gestured, and several people stood, a murmur went around the room.
“Order please,” Percy said.
“Familiar faces to most of you, I can see,” said Arthur, “and yes, these people you see standing now are homosexual. ‘Gay’, if you prefer. All of your lives have been touched in some way by these people, several of you owe your lives to the healers standing before you. Many of you have been educated by some of them, and all of you who are not Death Eaters owe your freedom to be here today to many of them, and perhaps one of them in particular. And there is one, not here today who would be standing with them had he not already died in the effort to secure your freedom. You all know Albus Dumbledore. Who knows how many others were lost that would have been affected by your decision today? I don’t.”
“So what a ‘no’ vote means today is that you are telling these people here before you, and those that have died, that ‘Yes, you’ve taught our children, and yes, you’ve healed our wounds and succored us in our illnesses, and advised us of our rights. You have provided us with the goods and services that are needed in our lives, and yes, you have even died for us. But, no you can’t marry the one you love, you can’t have the protections and rights that we do because; well, you’re ‘unnatural’…”
“I’m not here to attack anyone’s faith, not even to try and change your feelings. If you don’t understand how a man can fall in love with a man, then you don’t. It’s just not in you, perhaps. A ‘yes’ vote here does not mean that you approve of homosexuality, and frankly it’s not your place to approve of it, it exists whether you like it or not. And if the Supreme Being disapproves, we may leave the matter in His hands for disposal, don’t you think? If you believe that your faith tells you it is wrong, it is your right to believe that. But none of us have the right to force our faith upon others. A ‘yes’ vote here today merely recognizes that these and the many others that have been a part of your lives, are people. That’s all; we’re all just people.”
Arthur turned and bowed to the chair, and then resumed his seat, as did the others standing. There was a bit of whispering, and some chairs were slid a distance away from their neighbors when possible, there were even some that left with red faces, but there was no eruption, and there was thought evident on some faces of the Wizengamot. And the vote was up to them, the people in the gallery were there merely to voice their opinions.
I would like to thank Ljlaslarue for permission to publish this excerpt.
fandeboris 