Chapter 30
It was too early. Way too early.
"Crucio!" he shouted, as the Black daughter writhed on the ground, her scream bringing him some solace that all was not lost. Not yet.
"AHHHHHHH!" and he pulled away his wand, as the girl's body began to twitch, and the control and the power that he felt, seeing her look up to him with that devoted and fearful gaze, gave him much solace that all was not yet lost.
Not at all.
"Thank you," she whimpered as Voldemort held back his urge to hear her screams again.
"Thank you, my lord," but the pain and the screams had served their purpose already, for the men assembled behind her now all cowered in his fear once more. The doubts in their heart, now all replaced by fear.
"Go!" he ordered, as they all perked them.
"Tell them that if they dare to put them on trial, then death will come for them all," and his hand had been forced, and they were not yet prepared for a full-on war. Not quite yet.
And the masked men began to vanish, one after another, to spread out his message as Voldemort himself turned away, until only he and Bellatrix remained in the Hall.
"They knew," he snarled, as his fingers tightened over his wand.
"They knew of our plans," and that was the only reason those Aurors had been able to take them on, for that was not a patrol. They were well prepared for it.
"They were my lord..."
"Crucio!" he turned around once more, as the black haired girl began to scream once more.
"AHHHHHA," and only a minute later did he pull away his wand.
"More, my lord. More," she whimpered, but that was enough of a reminder for her. Anymore, and she might truly lose her mind.
"I leave it to you to find out the one responsible for this," he ordered, looking her in the eye, as she nodded.
"I will not let you down, my lord. I will not..." she implored, and he gave her a rare smile as he caressed her face with his long fingers, and her face was that of a child as she assured him of her devotion.
"Find them..." he ordered, as he turned away, and vanished into the darkness once more to think over his plans.
"...and then make an example out of them, so that the entire world knows what it means to go against Voldemort!"
0000
ALBUS DUMBLEDORE
Just as he had decided that an intervention on his part was perhaps necessary to halt Voldemort's ambitions, the Ministry had struck a surprising blow to his former student, as they caught him and his followers red-handed during one of their so-called outings.
The outings were a way for Voldemort to desensitise his young followers to the prospect of power, as he let them have their way with Muggles. Once a person had tasted power like that, it changed them.
He knew, of course, that for once he had been no different than them.
It was why it pained him to see his own students getting caught in the same schemes and ploys that had nearly brought him to ruin. But what concerned him even more were the rising tensions both within and outside Hogwarts, and there was a sense of understanding that they stood on the precipice of war.
Two Aurors had died on that special raid, and half a dozen more had been seriously injured. And for all of Minchum's efforts, many within the Ministry felt that they could no longer ignore the rising threat of Voldemort, for now he had chosen to make an enemy out of the DMLE itself.
They were all rather content in ignoring him as long as the violence was limited to the Muggle world. The blood purists were happy to downplay Voldemort's crimes, classifying them as nothing more than the mindless actions of a fanatic.
But now the truth was in the open, and with that, battlelines were being drawn.
Bagnold had refused to back down and was doing all that she could to put the captured individuals on trial. Individuals who included two of his own students, and she had the numbers to pull it off.
He could understand her reasoning, yet she was making a mistake. A grave mistake.
And he came upon the only wizard who could tell her that. The entire raid had been a rather well-guarded secret, and he still wondered how exactly they had learned about the location of Voldemort's so-called outing. Edgar had let no one hear a whiff about his plans, and in quite a few ways, many had suffered because of that.
Amongst them was his own dear friend.
"Alastor," he greeted his old friend and comrade, whose face was covered by bandages on one side, including his eye, while he looked at the Prophet with his sole eye.
"Albus," he returned the greeting, as he gave him a calming smile.
"How are you?" and the man scoffed bitterly.
"As well as a one-eyed man can be," and the raid had cost him an eye, and though there were solutions for his predicament, nothing could truly undo the damage done by Voldemort's Dark Magic.
He chuckled at his answer.
"Are they certain that there is nothing more that they can do?" he asked, and he nodded.
"Aye, the Head Healer explained himself. The attack. It was Dark Magic unlike any he had ever seen," and there was an edge to his voice as he mentioned that.
"They barely managed to stop it from taking my life, but they cannot do anything about the bone and tissue lost," and that was the same as what he had been told prior to his visit.
"At least they were able to take out the eye. They think they might be able to put it back with a strap, like a pirate," and that was quite an image, but he could see his old friend's troubles with the news, for as much as he may act brashly, no man could be wholly unaffected after losing his own face.
"You would make a damn good one," Dumbledore assured him, as Alastor shrugged.
"At least the bastards will suffer for this," he said, as he put down the Paper, and Albus did not need to look at it to see the Headline.
~BAGNOLD TAKES A STAND! STATES THAT THE 'RAID' WAS SANCTIONED! THAT THE CAPTURED ASSAILANTS SHALL FACE THE FULL MIGHT OF THE LAW NO MATTER WHAT!~
by Tom Holland
And it was a declaration of war, and that was what he was here to prevent.
"Is that truly the only way?" he whispered back weakly, before continuing as he looked his old friend in the eye.
"You know what this will cause?" and Alastor's nostrils flared with rage.
"The bastards killed two Aurors, Albus! As far as I am concerned, the wars have already begun," and the words were not so encouraging for him, but Albus knew that he had to try, no matter how unsavory his words may sound; he did not think that a war would do them any good.
"It is not necessary to make a spectacle out of it. Making a spectacle of this would invite only escalation," and if his own fears were right, an escalation would make Voldemort come out into the open and cause mass chaos.
"Then let it," Alastor argued.
"We captured quite a few of them. The spectacle will serve as a warning to the rest of the scum to keep away from the so-called Dark Lord," and it seemed to him that his efforts would bear no fruit, for if he could not even convince Alastor of this, how could he change Bagnold's mind.
"Let the bastard come out in the open, and then we will hunt him like the dog that he is," and he was scathing, and of course, he was. He had lost friends. He had lost comrades, and he was asking him to show the people responsible some mercy.
"Will it truly work?" he asked.
"You have seen his power for yourself. Do you really think that the Ministry can deal with the likes of Voldemort," and that struck a chord, for until now, Alastor had seen but the aftermaths of Voldemort's prowess, or had heard whispers and rumors about it.
But now, he had witnessed it for himself.
And for all his anger, Alastor's honesty was one of his greatest virtues.
"Alone, maybe not," he accepted before he returned the question to him.
"But if we were to have your support," and Albus turned quite for an answer.
Albus had no desire to become a soldier. He had fought his war, yet now duty had come calling once more.
"If the Ministry were to consider my reque..."
"Bollocks!" Alastor cut in.
"Alastor, they are simply misguided children and using them to make a spectacle to intimidate..."
"They are murderers, Albus! Murderers!" Alastor shouted at him as he realised that they would find no common ground here.
"And they should be punished for that," he agreed.
"And that is what will happen," Alastor replied, and the conversation was over, as Albus put down the gift of sweets and treats that he had brought, and left without accomplishing anything.
It seemed as if the fates had played their hand.
"Then so be it, though I am curious about one last thing," and friendships forged in war were not so easily rattled as Alastor nodded, his gaze now focused on the empty wall infront.
"What?"
"How did you know about the location?" he asked, for he wondered if there was someone within the Death Eaters who had betrayed him.
"Why do you ask?" Alastor asked.
"I am just curious. I know that the Minister has asked for a review of the 'operation', so the question will surely come up there as well," and he was a part of that committee, for he was both Chief Warlock and the Supreme Mugwump.
Alastor waited for a few seconds before he answered.
"The tip came from your school," and the answer took him by surprise.
"What?" he could not believe it.
"Yes, it was one of your own students who procured the information. The boy they targeted at the start of the year," and he did not need to say anymore.
"Alder," he gasped, as Alastor nodded.
"I was told he even beat Frank in a duel," Alastor sounded impressed.
"He is a talent that one," and he did not know what to make of all this, as he tried to process the new information.
"He is," he agreed, mind still racing before he gave him a last smile.
"I believe it is time for me to go," and Alastor nodded as he turned around and made for the door, and before he could leave, Alastor's voice called out to him.
"The war has started already, Dumbledore, and we have no choice but to fight it," Alastor whispered to him.
"The only question now is whether you will fight with us or not..."
0000
MARLENCE MCKINNON
A few days had passed since the Ministry's so-called raid, and the school and the society were still reeling from the shock of it.
The tensions of the outside world had begun to seep into the school itself, as hostilities between Muggle-borns and the blood purists had become the new norm. The Prophet had begun to recollect all the Muggle Killings within the last year, and the number had been truly shocking, as the realization dawned on everyone that the words of Malfoy and his ilk were not just empty threats.
That they indeed were capable of committing the very heinous actions they used as threats. The Ministry itself had begun to shift, for the death of the Aurors had sparked a great war within its Halls, and there were rumors that the old Minister was out on his way, with Bagnold set to replace him soon.
And at the centre of this whole affair were the two missing Slytherin students, whose absence had confirmed what had been but a rumor before. That Malfoy and Lestrange were amongst the two captured by the Aurors.
And though the Prophet had not yet named them still, it would not remain a secret for much longer, given the Headline on the paper in front of her.
~TRIAL DATE SET! BAGNOLD REFUSES TO BACK DOWN~
by Yoshinobu Yamamoto
And it was not a simple trial that the Ministry was going for. No. The DMLE was showing no leniency and was asking for either the Kiss or Azkaban for life. It was harsh, really. Deserved. But harsh, nonetheless.
"They are going to put them on trial," Lily began from the side, and McKinnon nodded.
"Still, Abraxus Malfoy has put in a motion in the Wizengamont to stop it," and she had received a letter from home, mentioning the proceedings, for her parents had no son, making her the heir apparent of her family.
Her grandfather was still the Lord, yet it was her father who handled most of the family matters and estate.
"They can do that," Lily asked, still not entirely used to their customs and traditions.
"They can, but the motion will fail," she added, unless a miracle were to happen.
"Oh," Lily replied as she began eating her lunch, and with the exams fast approaching, they had little time for gossip and politics.
But it was not Lily she needed to talk to. No, it was him. And as soon as she saw Alder coming into the Hall, she moved as Lily frowned and called after her.
"Where are you going?" she asked.
"I will be back in a minute," she answered, as she blocked him on his path.
"Hey there, McKinnon," he said.
"We need to talk," and he frowned as she took him to the garden outside.
"What happened?" and none of them said the quiet part out loud, but there was a near-silent consensus within the group that Alder was somehow involved in this raid.
None of them knew how? But all of them just had the same hunch?
And it had been right, for her grandfather had been on the Review Council, and through him she had learned about his exact role.
"What the hell were you thinking!" she screamed, a bit frustrated by his disregard for his own safety as he frowned, continuing to act oblivious.
"What do you mean?" and she saw him cast a silencing ward with his hand.
"Do you have any idea what you have done? Of the danger that you have put yourself in?" she asked, and he refused to budge.
"McKinnon, I don't know what you are talking about," he continued to pretend, forcing her to sigh as she looked him in the eye and uttered out the secret.
"I know that it was you who told Deputy Bones about the location," and she did not know how he had managed to do so, or how the two of them had gotten involved, but he had painted a target on his back.
And his face shifted in an instant, the smile vanished, and was replaced by a somber look.
"How?" he asked, and she took a deep breath to let herself calm down.
"My grandfather was part of the board that reviewed the raid. Your name came up, and given that he had heard me mention it before, he asked me to warn you," and she wanted to commend him on his daring only if she was not so entirely worried for his safety.
"They are trying to make an example out of Malfoy and Lestrange. There will be retaliation," and everyone in the Ministry was certain of that, and he looked away, perhaps to hide his nervousness as she implored in desperation.
"What were you thinking?" she asked, and a part of her knew exactly what he was thinking. The happenings of the Black gathering were no secret, and none had forgotten that it was Malfoy that Narcissa Black was betrothed to.
There was also their fight earlier in the year. But still, she wondered if his affections had not played a greater part in his decision.
She knew that he was seeing her. That he was doing so despite her betrothal. It was his choice. And she had hoped that he would have chosen differently, but he was her friend, and that was not going to change.
Not because of her.
"Who else knows?" he asked after a few seconds of silence, his voice hard and serious.
"Apart from Bagnold and Bones, there are five members on that board," she replied, and thankfully, none of them were pure blood sympathisers.
"One of them is my grandfather, Ogden Sr, Bones Sr, Lord Greengrass, and the Headmaster. All of them know," she replied, and that was quite a number, and she heard him curse as he understood the implications of his decision.
"You need to take precautions," if not for himself then for Lily and his family.
"I will put up wards and other measures," and that would not be enough.
"I don't think that will be enough," she retorted, as he took a deep breath.
"Then what do I do?" he asked, and she had given it some thought herself.
"You and your family should spend the Summer at my home..."
0000
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