In The Darkness
Chapter Eleven: The Dark Lord'Are you okay?' Remus asked, rubbing the sore knuckles on his hand as Sirius sat up against the wall, rubbing his head, a grimace indicated that Sirius was still all there, no more damaged than normal. 'So what now?'
'We try and find Cho Chang, she's the current Minister,' Sirius replied.
'I've found her,' Mundungus said soberly from the entrance to a doorway nearby, stepping back he looked away as Sirius and Lupin moved into it. There were three bodies, Cho lay against a wall, her blood leaking into the floor, another wizard lay slumped on the floor, his head bleeding profusely, the third was face down in front of them, shot in the back he had been the first Ministry wizard to arrive.
'Oh God,' Arabella breathed as she looked in behind them, turning round she was embraced by Mundungus as tears flowed from her eyes.
'Find Arthur Weasley, he's still got influence to get some control,' Sirius said to Lupin, 'I've got to warn Harry about this, they're going for our organisation first.' Then without another word he changed and was around the corner before Lupin could reply, a few seconds later he strode off to find Arthur, an eagle and wolf trailing behind him.
* * *
Running into the entrance of the Ministry building Seamus and his team were in time to see a large black dog run full-pelt in the opposite direction, shaking his head as if bewildered Seamus continued into the building, heading towards the upper levels and the head offices. Halfway up he stairs he ran into Lupin who was descending from the office floor, 'Bloody hell!' he exclaimed, 'this is a day for old friends to return.'
'Thank you Seamus, but this one does not bring good news.'
'Later, I have to see Ch-' Seamus's face tightened as he said it, 'oh hell. Remus, what the hell is going on?'
'That I do not know, but I have been told to warn Arthur Weasley and I intend to.'
'Fine, we'll come with you, Harry sent us to watch Sirius, but I think he's gone already?'
'Yes, he could never do the sensible thing…Arabella, will you and Mundungus go find him?' Lupin asked the witch and wizard who had materialised at his side, with two nods they ran down the stairs of the building. A few seconds later an eagle came soaring out of a window and a wolf ran down the steps, both following the black dog that had left minutes earlier.
* * *
With a mad roar another force of Death Eaters came charging out of the alley, spells already flying from their wands, bullets springing from guns, catching the wizards manning the barricades by surprise, several were felled by curses, bullets and jinxes that filled the air. Finding most of the wizards around him lying stunned or worse, Harry was suddenly in the thick of fighting as a swarm of Death Eaters clambered over the barricade in front of him.
Throwing his arms out around him he sent out a wave of crimson light as the first few attempted to tackle him to the ground, the bubble that sprung out sent them all flying into the air, but by then the next had arrived. With a mad yell he found his arms pinned as he fell to the floor with several Dark Wizards on top of him, grunting with effort he found he couldn't shift the pinioning arms. Looking up into the skull like masks above him he saw glinting eyes behind them as the three standing over him lifted their wands and aimed at his heart, shutting his eyes Harry missed what happened next.
A large black haired dog flew over him to crash into the three sending them staggering backwards into a fusillade of jinxes that were released by the charging figures of Draco, Neville, Terry and the rest of the wizards who were still alive on the other side of the alley, then an eagle and wolf appeared, joining the dog in attacking the Death Eaters who were holding Harry on the ground. Opening his eyes, Harry was just in time to see the Death Eater to his left take a boot in the face from Neville and roll unconscious into the dust and rubble. 'Thanks,' he managed, rubbing his winded chest.
'No problem, but I think we should be going,' Neville replied as more Death Eaters came charging out of Knockturn Alley.
* * *
'What the hell are you lot doing here?' Arthur Weasley asked as Seamus and Lupin burst in with the rest of the wizards, 'I thought the fight was over in Diagon Alley?!'
'I have news Arthur,' Lupin said, taking the wizard over to the side, leaving Seamus to give his people instructions. When Seamus turned back he saw the ashen-faced Arthur move to his desk and activate the Announcement Charm that would broadcast throughout the Ministry.
'Now hear this, I am activating emergency measures 311 and 294, and I am assuming position of temporary Minister during this time. There is a force of Dark Wizards attacking Diagon Alley, they have already struck here so be alert for any infiltrating forces…'
With an explosion that shook the entire building the third floor of the Ministry exploded outwards, sending bodies flying through the windows and causing flames to shoot out. 'They're already here,' Remus said as he felt the floor quaking beneath him.
* * *
'PULL BACK!' Neville shouted as the Death Eaters swarmed towards them, several were felled by the spells of the defenders but more seemed to take their place, 'Harry, you and Draco go to Ron and Hermione, get the other families to safety before they get caught up in this, we'll try and buy you as much time as we can.' Pushing Harry away, Neville turned to shoot off more spells into the mass of Dark Wizards that was approaching.
'C'mon,' Draco muttered, pulling Harry and running down the rubble-strewn alley, 'you check the stores on the left, I'll check on the right.' With this he disappeared into the thick cloud that had descended on the alley, looking to his left Harry could barely see Flourish and Blotts, let alone inside it. Pulling out his wand to calm himself Harry walked up to the bookstore and stared through the shattered windows, treading silently he heard only the light footfalls of Draco in the semi-darkness, looking through the next shop Harry still saw nothing.
At the next he almost walked past when he heard a small sob from inside, holding his wand at arms length he muttered a spell causing it to emit a ball of light that shot into the store and hovered. Looking inside he saw Ron, Hermione and several other people aiming wands at him, which were hastily lowered with several relieved sighs. 'Over here Draco,' he called softly into the mist, then he turned back to the people in the shop, 'it's time to get you and the children out.'
'How many?' Draco asked as he came over.
'Not that many,' Ron replied, 'most of the people shopping had the sense to run out via the Leaky Cauldron exit, but there's still a few.'
'Well, you may as well leave that way too, no one stopped Sirius when he came back so it must be safe,' Harry said, loud enough for most of the occupants to hear, and so the families and other trapped wizards and witches began to leave. Soon only Hermione and Ron were left, Minerva and Philip had been handed over to another family, 'and what do you think you're doing?' Harry asked them.
'Staying here with you,' Hermione replied for the both of them, 'it sounds, and looks, like you're going to need more help, and you can't stop us,' she said when Harry opened his mouth to object. 'What you said about the children needing parents is true, but what sort of parents would we be if we didn't stop the bad things from happening in the first place?' Defeated by her Harry could only slump his shoulders in reply. 'Now, where are these trouble makers?'
* * *
'Whoa,' Seamus breathed as they emerged on the third floor of the Ministry building, it was completely devastated, the walls had been burnt to a cinder leaving only the supporting blocks to hold up the floors above it, 'what could have caused this?'
'It wasn't a Muggle bomb,' Lupin replied, 'if they had used one of them we'd all be dead right now,' as he spoke shapes began to take form in the smoke that none of the group noticed until the first shot was fired and a wizard fell, blood leaking from his neck. With mad yells a group of Death Eaters charged out of the smoke firing guns and sending out Killing Curses, five of the Ministry wizards and operatives fell before the others could respond, matching curses with jinxes and bullets with spells.
Unleashing a Stunning Jinx from his wand Lupin turned in time to see an unmasked figure emerge from the smoke, a twisted smile on his face that cracked with glee as he raised a gun and unleashed a clip in Lupin's direction, with terrifying force the wizard was lifted from the ground and thrown against the wall, blood leaking from half a dozen wounds in his body. Turning round Seamus saw only a bright green wave of light, his body felled with eyes blank and limbs twisted as the figure walked past them both, casually shooting and waving the wand they dispatched the rest of the Ministry wizards within seconds.
With cruel eyes glinting they reloaded the gun before moving into the stairwell, their forces with them, leaving the dead and dying wizards behind, against the wall Remus felt the life draining from his body, but instead of pain he felt nothing but calm as his life slowly ebbed away, with a small moan he shrank down into a ball. So this is death he thought as his body metamorphosed, in the settling dust the last wizard's chest rose and fell for the last time, leaving only a curled wolf, its chest slowly moving up and down, struggling to hold onto life.
* * *
Waiting in the shop for Neville and the rest of the wizards to pass back Harry suddenly clutched his scar and yelled in pain, falling forwards he collapsed to the floor, convulsing as he strained to fight the agony travelling through his head. As his friends lent over his body his eyes snapped open and he breathed the words they had been dreading, 'They're here…'
A\N: The Dark Lord has returned, and with them they have already brought destruction and death, but who is it that Harry and his companions must battle…or risk losing their world forever? Find out [maybe] in chapter 12: the enemy. And that doesn't mean Sauron any Lord of the Rings fans out there…