AN: This was written for round three of season two of QL. (Write about A settlement/colonization)
Prompts; (nursery rhyme) ba ba black sheep, Indisputable and Decision
Historical!AU
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Word count: 1,662
Lost Colony
"…One for the master, and one for the dame, and one for the little boy who lives down the lane…"
"One more time, mommy," he said.
His mother gave him a small smile. "Oh, alright, but only one more time, then you've got to go to bed."
His mother's soothing voice, telling him his favorite nursery rhyme, was the last thing the boy heard before he fell asleep.
The day started out as any other for the people of Roanoke Island on the small coast of North Carolina. People traveled into town for early shopping, townspeople stood about chatting about work or the weather while others headed in for work. There seemed to be an air of peacefulness hanging over the small village and a soft wind blew.
Two boys walked down the cobblestone path towards the town; the first one older than the second.
"What are we doing again?" the younger boy asked, annoyed at being woken up at such an early time. His voice still thick with sleep.
The older boy couldn't help but smile at his brother's antics. "We have to go into town to get some things for mum. And maybe pick up a present for her birthday while we're at it."
The boy gave a sleepy smile. "Okay."
The boy followed his brother into town, making sure to hold tight to his brother's belt loop. He didn't want to risk getting separated and not being able to find his way back to his brother. As he followed his brother through the town square, he couldn't help but think that something was off.
He couldn't quite place it but something was…
Different.
And not in a good way.
That's when he saw the dark clouds overhead and a women screaming followed by laughter and more screaming. He was scared and frightened. Maybe this was just all a nightmare and he would wake up – but somehow, he knew it wasn't. Whatever was happening, it was all very real. And dangerous.
That was when he felt something hit his back and the world around him faded to black.
The news of the disappearance of the colonist of Roanoke spread through the ministry faster than the minister would have liked. He hadn't wanted it to become public knowledge, but it was beyond his control now. He just had to make sure he could handle the damage control.
He took deep breaths as he paced his office. His pacing was a regular reoccurrence and he was surprised that here wasn't an indent in the flooring yet.
In a few moments, he was scheduled to lead a press conference to set the public's mind at ease. He refused to believe that the disappearance of the various muggles and the death of the boy last years were because of him.
Because of the stories of a fifteen year old boy, the public was having a panic attack, believing that He-Whom-Must-Not-Be-Named was back and behind the various disappearances. It was plain rubbish, that's what it was. There was no proof to even know who was behind the missing colonist – yet alone accuse a certain evil wizard of it.
As he finally made his way through the ministry and the lifts to enter the main hall, his stress level raised the closer he got. He stood in front of the many reporters and various other people that stood in a line, waiting for him to show.
He cleared his throat before he began to speak…
The Daily Prophet, August 25, 16—
Roanoke: The Lost Colony
What happened?
Following the press conference Minster Fudge held e inside the Ministry discussing the matter of Muggles disappearing from Roanoke Island – Kingsley Shacklebolt, head of the auror department sent aurors to begin an investigation.
As of right now, the investigation is being hushed, hushed by Shacklebolt, but my theories are perhaps the colonists were at the wrong place at the wrong time. Or perhaps they're many were lost at sea or starved to death.
Contrary to the ravings of a confused, muddled and obviously emotional unstable teenage boy who has been through so much and is craving for attention, there are no signs that it is the work of a well known dark lord.
While it is known that the dark mark appeared in the sky like at the World Cup the year previous, it is not necessarily connected to You-Know-Who. It could very well have been caused in the same way as the one which appeared at the World Cup.
Our sources will keep you informed on the facts as much as possible throughout the course of the investigation.
Three weeks later Kingsley Shacklebolt sat at his desk filling out the required paperwork after an investigation was completed. There was a knock at his office door. He took a breath, set his quill aside and called the person in, already knowing who it would be.
Minister Fudge slowly walked into the space, closing the door behind him. He cleared his throat before looking over at the other man.
"I take it you've found nothing of interest at Roanoke?" Cornelius questioned.
Kingsley shook his head. "There was nothing but the charred remains of a village, various personal items from the missing colonists and that dark mark. No trace of what happened."
"There were no survivors?" the minster prompted.
"A few," Kingsley replied. "A boy and his brother remembered some but not enough to go on. The survivors were treated and had their memories of the attack altered."
Fudge nodded. "It doesn't seem enough to alert the public just yet. I won't bug you any longer," he added before he left the office.
As the weeks went by, neither the aurors nor the order were any close to figuring out what happened to the missing colonists. There were also two more disappearances of muggle colonists. Order members were scattered around 12 Grimmauld Place's kitchen with a heavy silence hanging over them. None of them wanting to speak or admit what they all thought.
Despite what Minister Fudge constantly said to the media about it not being the work of a certain Dark Lord, they knew that it was.
"So what happens now?" Sirius questioned, breaking the uncomfortable silence.
Kingsley stopped his pacing for a moment. "I don't know what more we can do about the missing colonists or about tracking Voldemort….I've sent small groups of aurors to keep on other muggle colonies but right now, my hands are tied."
Tonks sighed. "There's really not a damn bit of good we can do until Fudge actually believes that Voldemort is back."
"Tonks is right," Remus spoke up. "I think all we can do now is keep a close eye on Harry since Umbridge has taken Dumbledore's place as headmaster."
They continued to discuss methods of keeping the boy safe while also trying to figure out how to prove to the minister that Voldemort had returned. None of them wanted to, but they couldn't help but let the topic of an impending war creep into the conversation.
If things kept going how they were going, there would be denying that a second wizarding war could happen. It was something they wouldn't be able to stop and they had to be ready – whether they liked it or not.
The months went by with Minister Fudge still convincing the public that everything was fine. The aurors stationed near the only muggle colonies kept sending in process reports to Kingsley explaining that things were quiet but that the colonists were unnerved. Apparently the disappearance of Roanoke had them all on edge.
Kingsley was almost at his wits end and was about to give up with convincing Fudge that Voldemort was back. There wasn't much else he could do about it. Until he got word that Harry had left Hogwarts and was somehow in the department of mysteries. Before he knew it, he and the order were making their way to the ministry.
Upon arriving at the ministry, they engaged in battle with the death eaters. Curses were being shot left and right followed by grunts and thuds as the battle continued. He lost track of his surroundings and just focused on the battle at hand.
Minister Fudge stood in the middle of the Ministry Atrium, stunned at what he'd just witness. You-Know-Who had stood a few feet away from him before disappearing.
"Merlin's beard – here in the ministry of magic!" he found himself saying. "How is this possible? How can it be?"
It didn't seem real. It couldn't be real that he was back. But it obviously was real – there was indisputable proof right in front of him just seconds before. He sighed. As much as he hated to admit it, now he had no choice but to believe that the Dark Lord had returned.
This is not good, he thought.
The Daily Prophet June 24, 17—
He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named: Returned
Means behind the Lost Colony of Roanoke learned
Contrary to the ramblings of former Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has indeed, returned. He was spotted in the Ministry Atrium just four days prior, leaving behind destruction in his place.
It seems undeniable now, that the cause of the missing colonists of Roanoke was none other than the Dark Lord and his followers. The few survivors of the attack have since been moved to another colony with no reanimation of what happened to them. We can hope that it will be enough to keep them from remembering anything.
Fudge has since been removed from the Minister position and replaced with Rufus Scrimgeour….
Kingsley sat the newspaper aside and breathed out a sigh. It was finally out there that Voldemort had returned and the lost colony of Roanoke was finally taken care of. He could rest easy for that but he knew everything was far from over. Whether they were ready or not, this marked the beginning of a war.