Chapter Eleven - A gift from the Dark Lord

The Ministry of Magic lobby was just as full of life as usual when Tonks arrived; although she seemed to be seeing it in a different light. Thoughts that in twenty four hours it may not be here kept popping annoyingly into her mind.

Waving vaguely to the receptionists, Tonks strode straight to the elevator, which was helpfully held open for her by a tall man with shaggy hair and a revoltingly-patterned shirt.

'Evening Richard.' Tonks sighed, watching the lobby vanish. 'Nice day?'

The man wrinkled his nose. 'Not really. I can't find Dumbledore anywhere. Hogwarts is empty; did they all go on a trip or something?' He glanced down at her and she shrugged.

'Or something, I guess...' she supplied, feeling relieved when the doors slid open and she could step out. 'Bye.'

'See you later.'

Snape apparated outside Voldemort's hidden manor and began walking to the door. The Dark Lord had only been using this place for headquarters for the past few months; its previous owners had been very cut off from society, which was why it was so convenient for the Death Eaters when they had been disposed of.

Disposed of... incinerated it more like it. Come to think of it...

Casting a glance to his right, Snape smirked slightly at the sight of two smouldering corpses swinging from an elm tree.

Thought so.

He knocked a rhythm on the door and waited, impatiently, for Goyle to open the door. The larger man grimaced and stepped back to allow Snape entrance.

'Where's Crabbe?' he growled, slamming the door again and leading the way into a vast wine cellar. ''E went to-'

'Black's house?' Snape asked, lightly twisting a silver ring on one of his fingers. 'I know; it was bloody stupid of him too. He's probably under arrest right now.'

'Severus...' a thin voice spoke out of the gloom and the two men fell instantly silent, both stooping into bows. 'I am glad to see you here at last... now we can begin...'

Voldemort stepped out of the shadows and the Death Eaters formed a circle around him. Snape took his usual position beside Crabbe; the place where the Malfoys should have stood looking suspiciously bare.

'Lucious and Draco...' the Dark Lord said in a voice no louder than a whisper. 'They are still at Hogwarts?'

Snape nodded his confirmation and Voldemort turned away, twirling a wand idly in one of his grey hands as he paced before his men.

'We have finally accomplished... the annihilation, obliteration and destruction of the Ministry's threat to us... I know for a fact that two Aurors... by the names of Kingsley Ryan Shacklebolt and Nymphadora Tonks, if I am not misinformed... are on their way to the Ministry of Magic now...'

Snape tensed at Tonks' name, his dark eyes flicking up to watch Voldemort's progress around the circle of Death Eaters. Gritting his teeth, the Potions Master willed himself to forget about her for the time being; if the Dark Lord sensed any feelings of fear or treachery he would 'annihilate, obliterate and destroy' him without a second thought.

'... and I believe they are planning to... gather the Aurors in preparation for battle against us... perhaps they hope to rescue their foolish Dumbledore...'

The Death Eaters chuckled faithfully.

'But fear not...' the Dark Lord turned around and reptilian eyes met Snape's stare directly. 'I've left a little present there for them.'

The Aurors were gathered in the meeting room, all listening avidly to Shacklebolt and Ratchet. They all looked around when Tonks opened the door and attempted to enter unnoticed; subsequently tripping on a folder and falling into a chair.

'Sorry.' she winced. 'Just got back.'

Kingsley beckoned her forward. 'Where is everyone else?' he asked.

'Harry, McGonagall and Lupin are seeing to Sirius; Snape's gone to Voldemort to see if he can figure out where they've got Dumbledore and the kids.' Tonks replied, rubbing her hand and glowering at the folder. 'So what's the plan of action?'

'We're waiting for confirmation from the Minister to see what we do.' Mena put in, biting a hangnail and looking uncharacteristically nervous. 'I sent Willoughby down to him fifteen minutes ago and he hasn't got back yet. Don't know what's keeping the fool...'

Tonks sighed. 'Want me to run down?'

Mena looked at her with an eyebrow raised. 'Go down and see what's keeping him; yes, but don't run because you're dangerous when you do.'

Resisting the urge to swear at her, Tonks nodded and left the room. Kingsley's voice started up again as she closed the door and made her way back to the lift, careful to take Mena's advice and only walk at a swift pace.

She held her thumb on the down button and tapped her feet impatiently, waiting for the doors to slide open. When they finally did she found herself stepping back in surprise. The second set of doors didn't open completely; they merely jerked once before giving up and remaining immobile.

But it wasn't this that worried the Auror.

Hanging out of the doors was a torn strip of yellow and green material; the very same material she had seen moments earlier on Richard Castor's shirt. Frowning, Tonks stepped forward, wand drawn, and touched the lift doors. At her contact they jerked again and flew open.

Tonks screamed involuntarily.

Richard was still inside the lift. His corpse was on the floor, twisted in a very unnatural position, and a nastily large amount of blood was smeared across the metal bottom of the elevator.

His hand twitched and the Auror jumped.

'Richard?!' she exclaimed, diving forward and crouching beside him; one leg sticking out of the doors to prevent them from closing on her. 'Castor, what happened?'

Richard twitched spasmodically and his rolling eyes snapped onto her. He gave a gurgling sound and was still.

Tonks was unable to move for a long time. Eyes wide and vaguely aware of the lift door attempting to close several times before reopening again, she stared down at the blood and Richard's broken body before finding the power to open her mouth and scream.

And scream.

And scream.

She didn't stop screaming until half of the Aurors were crowding around her, gasping and shrieking down at Richard's body.

'Jesus... what the fuck happened to him?!' Ratchet's panicking voice brought Tonks back to earth. Someone; she assumed it was Kingsley; grabbed her around the waist and pulled her out of the lift.

A scream sounded below them. And another above.

Tonks closed her eyes and willed it all to go away. 'What the hell is going on?' she demanded of no-one in particular. 'We have to find out what's going on!'

'How?!' one of the Auror cadets yelled in a terror-stricken voice. 'What if it's You Know Who?!'

'What have you been trained for?!' Tonks shouted, exasperated. Spurred on by the pink-haired Auror, Mena nodded and began taking control in her crisp bark.

'Dawson, Johnson, you take the cadets and patrol up and down this floor. Watkins, Alan, Shacklebolt and Tonks; we're going to the other elevator to find out what the hell is going on here.' the woman commanded, drawing her wand and cracking her knuckles.

Tonks nodded and led the way down the brightly lit corridor, wincing every time one of the lights flickered. Magic lights weren't supposed to flicker.

'Any guesses?'

Chris Alan, a muggleborn son of a basketball champion and an African model, looked down at Tonks, his face creased with either confusion or concern.

She shrugged and shook her head. 'Couldn't even start. If this really is Voldemort's work then he's been fucking busy tonight; first he makes the entire population of Hogwarts vanish into thin air, then he sets something loose here... Jesus...'

'What do you mean, 'sets something loose'?' Alan paused, his grip tightening on his wand. 'You mean this isn't just Death Eaters?'

They reached the other lift and Tonks gingerly pressed for down. The doors slid open and the lift was thankfully devoid of any blood, guts or corpses, and so they stepped inside.

'Which floor?' Alan asked.

'Lobby.' Tonks said. 'If there's something in here, I say we get out.'

Ratchet shook her head. 'No; we have to make sure there isn't anyone in here that needs to be out. We have to make sure the Minister is alive.'

Crap.

Tonks had forgotten about the Minister.

'Where is he?' she asked. The lift jerked and she felt her heart stop, but it continued smoothly. 'In his office?'

The Head Auror grimaced and shook her head. 'No. He was... uh... he was in the courtroom. It's Evangeline Cotton's hearing today and he didn't want to miss a Death Eater being put away.'

Tonks stared.

The courtroom.

She had to be kidding.

So they had heard screams from up and down, a mangled corpse had been found in the lift and they were heading for a vast room with lots and lots of wooden benches for things to hide behind.

Brilliant.

:: End of Chapter Eleven ::

God I hate this chapter. I hate hate hate hate hate this chapter. It sucks hairy ass. Maybe I wont even bother putting it up. If you're reading this, obviously I have.

Wankish chapter.

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