Causes of Rebellion

Words: Astra of the Grey Shadows (c) 1974 Ann Cass
Tune: Retreat along the Wabash (Martha Keller/Juanita Coulson)

Tell the truth to a lord you trust,

“Neville? It would be a good day to stay in the common room, I think.”
Neville looked at everyone there and nodded.

More truth to a lord you hate.

“You REALLY don’t want to be here Malfoy.”
“Bugger off scarhead.”

Lie to a lady, if lie you must,

“Luna? Go be with Neville, he is really interested in seeing you right now. Here’s the password to our common room.”

But since the nobles sit far away,
And will not heed what the people say,
Lie, lie, lie to the Council, lie to the Lords of State.

“Minister Fudge? I didn’t know we had a meeting scheduled here today.”

Where the low hills sit by the foggy bay,
And the ground all shakes with fire,
The high lords sit in council today,
Let them consider the price they pay,
For calling a man a liar.

“Remember everyone, ‘Never Tickle a Sleeping Dragon.”

With title goes a certain power,
And a much more certain schooling.
A child may play in a castle tower,
But a lord who does will see the hour
He hasn’t a land worth ruling.

“WAIT!! WHAT ARE……. AAAARRRRGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

For there isn’t a man but has his doubt
Of the worth of them that rule him,
But the good ones he will not turn out,
Unless he finds he’s pushed about,
Or he thinks they’re trying to fool him.

Plastered over the Headmaster and Staff’s doorways are posts from the Prophet stating the Ministry propaganda, blood smears along the edges of each piece of paper and no staff about now.

There’s many a man in the lands of the East,
And a few in the West and the Middle,
Who hold a lord sits last to feast,
Thinks first of his men, their lands, their beasts,
And then of his pride a little.

Karkarov never made it home and Durmstrom was in lockdown, while Maxine sipped her Cordial of wine at the table of her students.

Now what a man says and what a man writes
Are ruled by law and reason.
But half the cause of all our fights
Is that one man calls his Natural Rights
And another man calls treason.

The Ministry floos were in turmoil as they were invaded by those who bypassed the guards and stunned everyone coming at them, all while bellowing “FREEDOM!” While bowling Umbridge’s head and what was left of those meeting with the Headmaster down the Auror Alleyway.

Take care, all ye who sit in state,
Take care when you come to judge,
The cost of a word in anger is great,
But higher still in lasting hate
Is the cost of holding a grudge.

It would have been a return of the French Revolution this time in Britain if the Queen had not intervened and brought peace with her troops of magical muggleborns who then set up tribunals for the survivors to then get tried for their crimes against the lowborn.

So tell the truth to a lord you trust,
More truth to a lord you hate.
Lie to a lady, if lie you must,
But since the nobles sit far away,
And will not heed what the people say,
Lie, lie, lie to the Council, lie to the Lords of State.

Muggleborns in the background played at being an Addams with the toys they got diagrams and blueprints for from the London Library as you never knew they just might come in handy.

Fini
2/19/2026