Disclaimer: I am not George Lucas or J.K. Rowling.
Enter Elphias, Williamson, and Dirk, outside Hogwarts Castle.
Dirk. I'd feel better if Albus were here, or even Black. In the Forbidden Forest, Sirius and I . . .
Williamson. Albus is pinned down on Minsk, and Black is out of contact in Little Hangleton. The Dark Lord has revealed himself, and we dare not hesitate. Think not of if, Master Cresswell. This duty has fallen to us. We will suffice. We will suffice. We will have to.
Elphias. Peace. McGonagall is coming.
Enter Minerva.
Minerva. Master McKinnon and Caretaker Pringle will direct the castle's defense. We are shutting down all nav beacons and signal lights, we have armed the older Trainees, and all blast doors are sealed and code-locked. It's time to go.
Elphias. And Potter? What of the Chosen One?
Minerva. I have sent him to the Order Headquarters until our return. He has done his duty, Masters. Now we shall do ours.
The Aurors mount their broom.
Dirk. I'd still feel better if Albus were here . . .
The Aurors fly toward the Ministry Headquarters, where they make their way to the Minister's office.
Enter Lord Voldemort, in his façade as Minister for Magic Tom Riddle.
Voldemort. Professor McGonagall. This is a pleasant surprise. I take it General Mulciber has been destroyed, then. I must say you're here sooner than expected.
Minerva. Hardly a surprise, Minister. And it will be pleasant for neither of us.
Voldemort. I'm sorry? Master Cresswell, hello. Master Doge, greetings. I trust you are well, Master Williamson. I see your horn has regrown. I'm very glad. What brings four Auror Masters to my office at this hour?
Minerva. We know who you are, what you are. We are here to take you into custody.
Voldemort. I beg your pardon? What I am? When last I checked, I was Minister for Magic of the Ministry you are sworn to serve. I hope I misunderstand what you mean by custody, Professor McGonagall. It smacks of treason.
The four Aurors ignite their lightwands.
Minerva. In the name of the Council of Magical Law, you're under arrest, Minister.
Voldemort. Really, Professor McGonagall, you can't be serious. On what charge?
Minerva. You're a Death Eater.
Voldemort. Am I? Even if it's true, that's hardly a crime. My philosophical outlook is a personal matter. In fact, the last time I read the parliament, we have very strict laws against this type of persecution. So I ask you again: what is my alleged crime? How do you expect to justify your mutiny before the Wizengamot? Or do you intend to arrest the Wizengamot, as well?
Minerva. We're not here to argue with you.
Voldemort. No, you're here to imprison me without trial, without even the pretense of legality. So this is the plan, at last: the Aurors are taking over the Ministry.
Minerva. Come with us . . . now.
Voldemort. I shall do no such thing. If you intend to murder me, you can do so right here.
Minerva. Don't try to resist.
Voldemort. Resist? How could I possibly resist? This is murder, you Auror traitors. How can I be any threat to you? [to Williamson] Master Williamson. You're the Legilimens. What am I thinking right now?
Williamson frowns and cocks his head.
Voldemort ignites his own lightwand.
Yaaah!
Voldemort moves in and decapitates Williamson.
Dirk. [gasps] Williamson . . .
Voldemort strikes down Elphias.
Elphias. It doesn't . . . hurt . . .
He dies.
Voldemort stands back, in the façade of a frightened old man.
Voldemort. Help! Help! Security, someone! Help me! Murder! Treason!
Voldemort smiles and stabs through his desk, deactivating the listening device that has recorded this conversation.
That's enough of that.
Voldemort approaches Minerva and Dirk.
If you only knew how long I have been waiting for this . . .
Voldemort duels Minerva and Dirk.
Voldemort stabs Dirk.
Dirk. O! Aah!
He dies.
Minerva and Voldemort move through the Minister's office, slashing their blades.
It is clear that Minerva underestimated Voldemort's power. She is struggling to defeat the Death Eater. Meanwhile, Voldemort is struggling to defeat Minerva.
Neither one noticed James's broom land on the landing platform outside.
With a slash of her lightwand, Minerva shatters the glass of Voldemort's window. She then kicks Voldemort to the ground. The Death Eater drops his lightwand, and it falls down into the city below. Minerva now has Voldemort cornered, her lightwand pointed in his face.
Enter James.
Minerva. For all your power, you are no Auror. All you are, my Lord, is under arrest.
Voldemort. James. I told you it would come to this. I was right. The Aurors are taking over.
Minerva. Save your twisted words, my Lord. There are no politicians here. The oppression of the Death Eaters will never return. It's over. You have lost. You lost for the same reason the Death Eaters always lose: defeated by your own fear.
Voldemort. Fool. Fool. Do you think the fear you feel is mine?
Voldemort shoots a burst of crimson light at Minerva. The Auror deflects it back onto Voldemort with her lightwand.
Minerva. James. James, help me. This is your chance.
Voldemort. [to James] Destroy the traitor. This was never an arrest. It's an assassination. He is a traitor, James. Destroy him.
Minerva. He is the traitor. You are the Chosen One, James. Take him. It's your destiny.
James. Destiny . . .
Voldemort. I have the power to save the one you love. You must choose.
Minerva. Don't listen to him, James.
Voldemort's once-handsome face is quickly vanishing.
Voldemort. Don't let her kill me. I can't hold it in longer. I can't. I'm weak. I'm too weak. James. Help me. Help me.
As the lightning vanishes, Voldemort's face is now bald and pale with slits for nostrils and blood-red catlike eyes.
I can't hold on any longer.
Minerva. I am going to end this once and for all.
James. You can't. He must stand trial.
Minerva. A trial would be a joke. He has control of the Council and the courts.
James. So are you going to kill all of them, too? Like he said you would?
Minerva. He is too dangerous to be kept alive. If you could have taken Yaxley alive, would you have?
James. That was different . . .
Minerva. You can explain the difference after he's dead.
Voldemort. I'm too weak. Don't kill me. Please.
James. It's not the Auror way. He must live.
Minerva raises her lightwand.
Voldemort. [feigning fear] Please. Don't.
James. I need him. I need him alive. I need him to save Lily.
Voldemort. Please. Don't.
Minerva is about to strike.
James. No!
James ignites his lightwand, and slices off Minerva's 'wand arm. Her lightwand goes flying out the window.
Voldemort smiles and shoots out more lightning at the defenseless Auror. His voice turns cold and high-pitched.
Voldemort. Power! Unlimited power!
The lightning pushes Minerva out the window, towards her death.
James drops to the ground.
James. What have I done? What have I done?
Voldemort stands up, and approaches James.
Voldemort. You're fulfilling your destiny, James. The Aurors are traitors. You saved the Ministry from their treachery. You can see that, can't you?
James. You were right. Why didn't I know?
Voldemort. You couldn't have. They cloaked themselves in deception, my boy. Because they feared your power, they could never trust you.
James. Sirius . . . Sirius trusts me . . .
Voldemort. Not enough to tell you of their plot. I do not fear your power, James. I embrace it. You are the greatest of the Aurors. You can be the greatest of the Death Eaters. I believe that, James. I believe in you. I trust you. I trust you. I trust you.
James looks up at Voldemort's inhuman face.
Now come inside.
James and Voldemort enter the Minister's office.
[sighs] And so the mask becomes the man. I shall miss the face of Tom Riddle, I think. But for our purpose, the face of Voldemort will serve. Yes, it will serve.
Voldemort dons his black Death Eater robes.
James frowns at Voldemort's casual use of the Magic.
You must learn to cast off the petty restraints that the Aurors have tried to place upon your power. James, it's time. I need you to help me restore order to the galaxy. Join me. Become my apprentice. Learn to use the dark side of the Magic.
James. I . . . I can't.
Voldemort. Of course you can.
James. [shakes his head] I . . . came to save your life, sir. Not to betray my friends . . .
Voldemort. [snorts] What friends?
Voldemort sits, his hands folded over his desk.
And do you think that task is finished, my boy? Do you think that killing one traitor will end treason? Do you think the Aurors will ever stop until I am dead?
James looks down.
It's them or me, James. Or perhaps I should put it more plainly: It's them or Lily.
James makes his right hand into a fist.
James. It's just . . . It's not . . . easy, that's all. I have . . . I've been an Auror so long . . .
Voldemort. There is a place within you, my boy, a place as briskly clean as ice on a mountaintop, cool and remote. Find that high place, and look down within yourself, breathe that clean, icy air as you regard your guilt and shame. Do not deny them; observe them. Take your horror in your hands and look at it. Examine your phenomenon. Smell it. Taste it. Come to know it as only you can, for it is yours, and it is precious.
James closes his eyes.
You have found it, my boy: I can feel you there. That cold distance, the mountaintop within yourself . . . that is the first key to the power of the Death Eaters.
James opens his eyes.
James. Yes.
Voldemort. Yes to what, my boy?
James. Yes, I want your knowledge.
Voldemort. Good. Good.
James. I want your power. I want the power to stop death.
Voldemort. To cheat death is a power only my Master truly achieved. But if we work together, I know we will discover the secret.
James. The Aurors betrayed you. The Aurors betrayed both of us.
Voldemort. As you say. Are you ready?
James. I am. I give myself to you. I pledge myself to your teachings. Take me as your apprentice. Teach me. Lead me. Be my Master.
Voldemort. Good. Good. The Magic is strong with you. A powerful Death Eater you will become. Kneel before me, James Potter.
James kneels before Voldemort.
It is your will to join your destiny forever with the Order of the Death Eaters?
James. Yes.
Voldemort. Then it is done. You are now one with the Order of the Death Eaters. Henceforth, you shall be known as Severus . . . Snape.
James. Thank you, my Master.
Voldemort. Rise.
The newly proclaimed Death Eater Severus Snape rises.
Exit all.
