While the Double Serpent Society was plotting against Shawn, he was holding a grand assembly of his own.
Every summer holiday and Christmas was a time for loyalty tests within the Throne.
Hundreds of people had gathered inside the hidden Throne Palace beside Hogsmeade.
Apart from a few promising young wizards from Hogwarts, even the lowest-ranking people eligible to attend were squad leaders in the Wizarding Army or the Wizarding Police.
Former members of the Order of the Phoenix, such as Tonks and Kingsley, were also present.
By now, there was no Order of the Phoenix left. Without anyone quite noticing, the Throne had absorbed it entirely.
In fact, Dumbledore and Grindelwald had more or less become commanders without troops.
Snape, McGonagall, Flitwick, and the others were also in the palace. They had chosen not to attempt the rings of fire, and Shawn had respected that choice, allowing them to observe the ceremony.
The great hall was shrouded in purple Fiendfyre, divided as usual into three towering curtains of flame.
The wizards taking the loyalty test were plunging into those curtains one after another.
Dressed in a fitted white robe patterned in purple, Shawn sat on his magnificent, imposing throne, silently watching his subordinates attempt the rings below.
Another six months had passed, and the number of people capable of reaching the second ring had grown exponentially. More than half had made it through.
Two rows of lavish chairs flanked the throne, occupied by the holders of the Sequence Cards.
Today, a few new members had joined those seats.
They were Vita and Carrow-er.
Vita had been made the Duke of Diamonds outright, while Carrow-er held the Marquis of Hearts card.
As for how their houses had been determined, that was simple: Purple Shadow had merely been sent to the