Epilogue
Alabraxia looked at her colleagues manning the crystal balls they
had used to look out for their four wizards and Draco with. Now the crystal
balls were clouded and they feared the worst.
"Get out. Everyone leave," she sighed.
The dozen wizards with her, all dressed in black, reluctantly
began to leave. This was the last coven of the Subterranean Sun that Alabraxia
knew of. They used to number in the thousands centuries ago. Now there were a
handful. In their warm candlelit archaic chamber far below London, the
Subterranean Sun had organised many a protest against the Ministry. Their
members walked freely amongst the muggles above and never took violent action.
The Ministry had allied itself strongly with the British
government. Small secret muggle groups formed and actively helped integrate the
wizards into society. Muggles was a offensive word, for they were all human at
the end of the day.
And this was the point. Muggles had embraced wizards. In every
home, everyone knew the legend of Merlin and the such. In the select arcane
clubs, muggles allowed rogue wizards to enthral them with their conjuring
tricks and inspire them. Wizards were impressive on the small scale. Wizards
had power. Yet muggles outnumbered wizards a thousand to one. A wizard could
entertain a crowd, but could not defeat a mob.
And so the Ministry had been founded. At first to protect the
wizards. Now it used them as political currency. A great betrayal of every
right and liberty that wizards everywhere should enjoy. They were humans forced
to live in hiding for their beliefs and their talents. The Subterranean Sun was
one of many activist groups founded to bring the Ministry to justice for it's
betrayal.
Hogwarts had been a masterstroke for the Ministry. It had helped to
create the myth that the world of the muggle was to be pitied and the world of
the wizard to be special. And that it was always two worlds. Separate and
always so. A muggle could not enter Hogwarts nor could a wizard enter the world
of muggles. Segregation of another minority: its what the muggles did best.
And it was the same the world over. America had a strict policy
against wizards, most of which migrated to Canada and Mexico. Europe was more
relaxed with Russia, Africa and China being surprisingly welcoming of wizards,
whose only real opponents were the church. And yet wherever you went, wizards
and their non-human cohorts were treated as beasts and outcasts.
You could be a wizard, but you had to have permission. Until then,
you were just another muggle.
There was a scream behind her. Alabraxia knew this day would come.
She turned and saw that a plague of insects had begun pouring in through gaps
in the stonework around them. Within seconds, each member was picked clean of
flesh.
The Subterranean Sun was no more.
Draco opened his eyes. Around him bustled the many voices of
wizards. He looked around and saw their dove white coats flocking to their aid.
"Come away please," said a firm yet warm voice by his ear. Draco
turned to look into the eyes of a young woman next to him. "Please. We're here
to help."
Draco relinquished Ginny and was instantly nudged to one side by
the wizard and an assistant.
He stood up, blinking in the warm afternoon sunshine. The Chamber
of Artefacts was immaculate. Padding over to the window, he examined the glass:
not even cracked.
Turning back to the room, he surveyed the wizards around. They
were six of them. They were all strangers. Four were now busy saving Ginny's
life. The remaining two, notably older than the others, ambled towards Draco.
Both were white-haired men and looked around Dumbledore's age.
"What's your name?" asked one as the other began examining the
cuts and bruises on Draco's arm.
"Get off me!" he protested. Memories of the carnage and death
still flitted through his mind, raking their claws through every fear and pain
inside him.
Draco pushed them aside and made his was over to Ginny. She lay
flanked by the four wizards. Her robes had been cut open and one of the wizards
was dissecting her exposed chest. Draco felt faint and was caught by one of the
elderly wizards.
"It's okay. You have been through a lot boy. Come. Come and sit
with me." The pair of wizards tended to Draco's wounds whilst he sat in a
beautiful armchair. He saw the rays of sunlight coming through the window and
prayed Ginny would be fine. Through the dusty sunlight walked Albus Dumbledore,
his white robes glowing in the sun. Draco stared at him as if he were a ghost,
or even perhaps, an angel.
Dumbledore embraced Draco like a son and hugged him until they
were both quite tearful.
Ginny sat upright with a start, blood spittling from her mouth.
Air rushed into her damaged lungs drawing in life and restoring her. But pain
wracked her body. Agony gnawed at her. A kindly wizard had repaired her robe
with their wand so it fitted snugly to her tender chest.
"You've had a nasty fall little girl," cooed one of the four
wizards tending her needs. Ginny smiled and her heart leapt when she saw Draco
nearby.
Draco bounded over and hugged her. They stared into each others eyes
in the sunlight.
Rexil had survived the fall. Six Dementors had survived the
battle. Lord Ames had survived the blast. All were debriefed by Ministry
ministers as to their futures. Rexil had lost an arm in the conflict. Lord Ames
had been blinded. All were offered retirement. All felt compelled to accept and
were never seen in the Ministry again.
"But how did we survive?" begged Draco as the three of them
groggily made their way back into their carriage home.
"Ah well, you see," smiled Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling as if he
had been bursting to tell his story, "I managed to mimic myself into looking
like one of those Dementors when one of them crept out. Then I snuck in and was
just in time to see you two cowering away behind the broken chairs and whatnot.
I saw that you were to be zapped, so I froze you in a bubble of time. This gave
me enough time to dispel all sorts of spells and put to sleep everyone else."
"But your wand?" asked Ginny, "you did not have it did you?" Then
she slipped her hand into her pocket and pulled out Dumbledore's wand. "See! I
had it!"
"Ah, well, in times of emergency, you make do with whatever you
can find!" smiled Dumbledore, and produced Ginny's wand from his pocket.
"My wand! But how?"
"Oh well, wizards get old and always forget where they put their
wands. A useful trick is to 'wish and fish' for a nearby one and hope whatever
floats on through your door is the right one! And lo and behold, of all the
wands in the Ministry building, I get to find your one!"
"Wow! That's amazing!" cooed Ginny as the pair exchanged wands.
"I think it helps if it is a wand you are familiar with, and you
and Draco were practically hitting each other with them all the way here, so I
guess that's why this one remembered me – it must have thought I was a better
owner!" Ginny laughed. Draco remained quiet.
"Are you okay Draco?" asked Dumbledore kindly.
Draco sighed. "So, how come the Ministry building looks okay
again?"
Dumbledore laughed. "Dear Draco, the Ministry is a building that
has survived more attacks and plots than the Houses of Parliament! If we
wizards were to have our own Guy Fawkes night, then we'd be setting off
fireworks every week! The Ministry even has a team of wizards whose sole
purpose is to redecorate the Ministry after such an attack!"
Draco smiled at the craziness of the idea. As he stared at the
Ministry building disappearing into the distance, he knew in his mind that it
was probably true.
"And we never got to give our speeches," sighed Ginny.
"Don't matter. They would not have really listened anyway," winced
Draco.
Ginny held his hand all the way back to Hogwarts.
Cornelius Fudge announced that terrorists had broken into the
Ministry and had killed eighteen fine wizards before being caught and slain. As
a counter-measure against possible future attacks, there would be a tightening
of defence and more power to stop and search anyone, wizard or muggle,
suspected of having a grudge against the Ministry.
"The time has come where we must stand up to those who would
rather use violence than negotiation to make their point. The time has come
when we, as a people, must ensure that our way of life is preserved. At any
costs. There can be no half-measures in the war against terrorism." The elite
wizards and top government ministers applauded loudly as he concluded.
THE END.
[no really, THE END]
That's to everyone who supported me on this, my trickiest one yet
- ta.
Hope you enjoyed the conspiracy part – sorry it got so gory.
It was difficult yet enjoyable, especially making out that it was
a bad ending.
J Sorry! L [but necessary] J
Why not try out *~*Ginny*~*'s
new website at http://blazingquills.tripod.com/ and read
exclusively my new story, Rainfall. Cheers.
Disclaimer:
The characters and setting are all thanks to J.
K. Rowling. I claim no ownership of these characters, though the events I put
them through are all mine. Mwah hah ha.