A/N: Okay, I just want to say that this was originally the second chapter
(the first after the prologue) but I decided to get right to the point.
This is the part where Voldemort learns of Harry's grave and decides to
destroy it. He also makes a comment that I don't know if anyone will
recognize, but it will come back later and explain a few things.
Anyway...yeah, so that it really. Read on!
Chapter 2: Death by Red Eyes
"So this is what the world has come to?" Voldemort said, looking around at the advanced London. "Pitiful."
"What's pitiful?" asked a woman standing next to him.
"These foolish people's reliance on technology," Voldemort said. "They do not know what it is like to cast a powerful spell." His thin lips curled into an unpleasant smile. "Soon they will know what it is like to be on the receiving end of one."
"Excellent," the woman said. "They have a weakness."
"They have many," Voldemort said, his lipless mouth curling into an unpleasant smile. "They have lost touch with the magic. They do not-cannot- have Potter on their side."
"They know of him," the woman said. "They know how he beat you."
"His wand?" Voldemort shot.
"It is buried with him."
"Good," Voldemort said. "It will have decomposed by now. He cannot use that against me."
"Your wand?"
"It is connected to me. I will always have it."
"I want him destroyed," Voldemort said suddenly. "I want his body to burn. You-" He shot the word at another Death Eater. "You will destroy Potter's body."
"But it's in the middle of the Hogwart's grounds!" He protested. "It is too close to the enemy!"
Angry, Voldemort whipped out his wand, pointed it at the man, and said, "Crucio!"
The man screamed and writhed on the ground until Voldemort removed his wand. "You will go."
"Yes, master."
"Come."
The man could not even manage to stand. He crawled to Voldemort on all fours.
"Stand."
The man somehow managed to get to his feet. He shook visible, though from pain or fear, he could not tell.
Voldemort placed a hand on the man's shoulder and closed his eyes. His hand glowed and the man stopped shaking. He stood up straighter and looked at Voldemort, wide eyed.
Voldemort removed his hand. "I have given you power and I have told you the spell. Now you will destroy it. Go. You are wasting my time."
The man Disapparated.
Voldemort and the woman stood and looked at the city of Muggles in silence for a moment.
"I want to kill them," Voldemort said. "Get a group. We attack London tonight."
"Kill them?" the woman asked, startled. "You mean all of them?"
"No," Voldemort said. The woman looked relieved. "Some will escape. Perhaps we can keep that number to a minimum."
"What do you mean?" the woman asked. "Kill the entire city?!? Are you crazy?"
"No," Voldemort turned to her. "You are weak. Do not displease me. If that might happen, you too will die."
"But we brought you back!"
"And perhaps I can repay the kindness by stomping any trace of this ridiculous care of Muggles out of you!"
"I do not care for Muggles!" the woman said stubbornly.
"Ah, but you do. I see it in your eyes. We'll have to change that."
* * *
The Minister of Magic sat down at his usual meeting in high spirits. Things were very productive this month and he was looking forward to a good report. All the wizards in the room were talking happily and noisily and the Minister was almost loath to start the meeting. The atmosphere in the room was of happy occasions and full of life. Sighing, he rang the bell that started the meeting.
"Your attention please," he said. "I call this meeting to order. We'll begin with roll call."
Everyone was here except one person.
"Does anyone know where Mrs. Whestly is?" Minister Cocker asked, looking around the room. "She's usually the first one here."
No one said anything. They just looked around, puzzled.
"I saw her once today," a woman piped up. "She said she was going to check out a break in at the Hangleton grave yard. She should be back by now though."
"I suppose we'll have to start the meeting without her," Cocker said, shrugging. "Now, the first order of business. The genetically engineered-"
The door burst open.
Mrs. Whestly came in. She looked like she had been in a fight. She had a scratch above her eye and she was limping on one leg.
Cocker stood up.
"Minister," Whestly said weakly. "I'm afraid we have a slight apocalypse on our hands."
* * *
"And then I saw him," Whestly said, her lip tremble. "It was awful! He had red eyes and this horrible skeletal look about him. I don't know what he was! Vampires don't have red eyes! But he didn't look like he wanted blood. It looked like he just wanted it to spill-all over the ground." Whestly shook. She took a deep breath and continued. "London is gone. If there is anyone who escaped, they won't be alive much longer." A single tear fell down her cheek. "I've never seen anything like it. There were bodies everywhere. There were people using the Unforgivable Curses and everything. They were killing like it was some sort of party! And there was a symbol." She took a piece of paper and a pencil and drew the best she could of the horrible symbol that had floated over the town.
Cocker looked at the paper. "A snake coming out of a skull? I've never seen anything like this! Who did you say it was?"
Whestly shook her head. "I don't know. It was that awful man-the one with the red eyes. It wasn't like anything I've ever seen before."
"This is bad," said a man sitting next to Whestly. They all looked at him.
"So I stated the obvious! I bet you were all thinking it!"
Whestly shook her head, but not at the last remark. "Can anyone do a memory charm? I don't want to have to remember that all my life."
"You know you can't use a memory charm for something like that," Cocker said, shaking his head.
"We should call a historian. It looks vaguely familiar-"
"No!" said another woman suddenly. "Am I the only one who comprehends that London is no more? What if there are survivors? We have to get out there!"
Cocker only thought for a split second. "Right. We need to get a committee down there. I'll go one down there right now. Bring the equipment. I've got to see what happened."
"Be careful," Whestly told him.
He nodded and pulled out his wand. He disappeared with a small pop.
Cocker appeared seconds later at the sight of the previous city. There was no more London. There were ashes everywhere and any building that was standing was burning to the ground. He stood in shocked silence for what seemed like forever. London really was gone.
His wand dropped to the ground beside him. As soon as it hit the ash covered ground he felt the tip of a wand against his neck.
"You son of a bitch," said a voice full of hatred. "You shouldn't have come back here."
Cocker held up his hands. "I am not the one who did this. I'm Jim Cocker, Minister of Magic. I just heard of this and have only now come to help. Please, let me help.
He felt the wand shudder. Suddenly, there was a chocking noise and the pressure of the wand disappeared. He spun around. It was a woman. She was covered in ashes except for a trickle down her face where she had been crying. She fell to her knees. Crocker bent down to comfort her.
"Don't worry. We'll figure out who did this and stop him."
The woman pulled away. "I know who did it."
"You do?"
The woman nodded. "They're centuries old. It's this stupid cult. They worship evil itself. I never took them seriously. They must have summoned some kind of demon. I saw him! It was so horrible!"
"You saw him? What kind of demon was he?" Crocker asked, searching his head for types of demons that fit the description Whestly had given.
The woman shook her head. "He wasn't a demon. He used a wand. He was human."
"You mean he had a soul?"
"A shriveled and disused one, but he must have had one. He looked human until you saw his face." The woman broke down. Cocker patted her awkwardly on the shoulder before standing up and looking around. There was nothing. The fire had consumed everything. He watched as the last structure crumbled and fell to the ground. People Apparated behind him.
They stood in awe at the destruction before them.
"Check for survivors!" Cocker yelled, snapping them out of their horror. Four men Disapparated to place barriers at each corner of the ruined city. Seconds later they were back. The fifth man flipped open his miniature TV screen and pressed a button. It showed the entire city. Any red dots would indicate a survivor. There were 7 little red dots where they were standing, but there was nothing else.
"Are you sure it's working?" one asked.
"Are you kidding? This thing never fails!"
"But there are no red dots."
"No, there aren't," Cocker said quietly. "Because there are no survivors."
A/N: Okay, you all hate me for the lack of Harry. I thought I would be extremely kind, however, and go ahead and put the next chapter out. Please review this chapter first! Oh, and review the next chapter as well. After you read it.
Chapter 2: Death by Red Eyes
"So this is what the world has come to?" Voldemort said, looking around at the advanced London. "Pitiful."
"What's pitiful?" asked a woman standing next to him.
"These foolish people's reliance on technology," Voldemort said. "They do not know what it is like to cast a powerful spell." His thin lips curled into an unpleasant smile. "Soon they will know what it is like to be on the receiving end of one."
"Excellent," the woman said. "They have a weakness."
"They have many," Voldemort said, his lipless mouth curling into an unpleasant smile. "They have lost touch with the magic. They do not-cannot- have Potter on their side."
"They know of him," the woman said. "They know how he beat you."
"His wand?" Voldemort shot.
"It is buried with him."
"Good," Voldemort said. "It will have decomposed by now. He cannot use that against me."
"Your wand?"
"It is connected to me. I will always have it."
"I want him destroyed," Voldemort said suddenly. "I want his body to burn. You-" He shot the word at another Death Eater. "You will destroy Potter's body."
"But it's in the middle of the Hogwart's grounds!" He protested. "It is too close to the enemy!"
Angry, Voldemort whipped out his wand, pointed it at the man, and said, "Crucio!"
The man screamed and writhed on the ground until Voldemort removed his wand. "You will go."
"Yes, master."
"Come."
The man could not even manage to stand. He crawled to Voldemort on all fours.
"Stand."
The man somehow managed to get to his feet. He shook visible, though from pain or fear, he could not tell.
Voldemort placed a hand on the man's shoulder and closed his eyes. His hand glowed and the man stopped shaking. He stood up straighter and looked at Voldemort, wide eyed.
Voldemort removed his hand. "I have given you power and I have told you the spell. Now you will destroy it. Go. You are wasting my time."
The man Disapparated.
Voldemort and the woman stood and looked at the city of Muggles in silence for a moment.
"I want to kill them," Voldemort said. "Get a group. We attack London tonight."
"Kill them?" the woman asked, startled. "You mean all of them?"
"No," Voldemort said. The woman looked relieved. "Some will escape. Perhaps we can keep that number to a minimum."
"What do you mean?" the woman asked. "Kill the entire city?!? Are you crazy?"
"No," Voldemort turned to her. "You are weak. Do not displease me. If that might happen, you too will die."
"But we brought you back!"
"And perhaps I can repay the kindness by stomping any trace of this ridiculous care of Muggles out of you!"
"I do not care for Muggles!" the woman said stubbornly.
"Ah, but you do. I see it in your eyes. We'll have to change that."
* * *
The Minister of Magic sat down at his usual meeting in high spirits. Things were very productive this month and he was looking forward to a good report. All the wizards in the room were talking happily and noisily and the Minister was almost loath to start the meeting. The atmosphere in the room was of happy occasions and full of life. Sighing, he rang the bell that started the meeting.
"Your attention please," he said. "I call this meeting to order. We'll begin with roll call."
Everyone was here except one person.
"Does anyone know where Mrs. Whestly is?" Minister Cocker asked, looking around the room. "She's usually the first one here."
No one said anything. They just looked around, puzzled.
"I saw her once today," a woman piped up. "She said she was going to check out a break in at the Hangleton grave yard. She should be back by now though."
"I suppose we'll have to start the meeting without her," Cocker said, shrugging. "Now, the first order of business. The genetically engineered-"
The door burst open.
Mrs. Whestly came in. She looked like she had been in a fight. She had a scratch above her eye and she was limping on one leg.
Cocker stood up.
"Minister," Whestly said weakly. "I'm afraid we have a slight apocalypse on our hands."
* * *
"And then I saw him," Whestly said, her lip tremble. "It was awful! He had red eyes and this horrible skeletal look about him. I don't know what he was! Vampires don't have red eyes! But he didn't look like he wanted blood. It looked like he just wanted it to spill-all over the ground." Whestly shook. She took a deep breath and continued. "London is gone. If there is anyone who escaped, they won't be alive much longer." A single tear fell down her cheek. "I've never seen anything like it. There were bodies everywhere. There were people using the Unforgivable Curses and everything. They were killing like it was some sort of party! And there was a symbol." She took a piece of paper and a pencil and drew the best she could of the horrible symbol that had floated over the town.
Cocker looked at the paper. "A snake coming out of a skull? I've never seen anything like this! Who did you say it was?"
Whestly shook her head. "I don't know. It was that awful man-the one with the red eyes. It wasn't like anything I've ever seen before."
"This is bad," said a man sitting next to Whestly. They all looked at him.
"So I stated the obvious! I bet you were all thinking it!"
Whestly shook her head, but not at the last remark. "Can anyone do a memory charm? I don't want to have to remember that all my life."
"You know you can't use a memory charm for something like that," Cocker said, shaking his head.
"We should call a historian. It looks vaguely familiar-"
"No!" said another woman suddenly. "Am I the only one who comprehends that London is no more? What if there are survivors? We have to get out there!"
Cocker only thought for a split second. "Right. We need to get a committee down there. I'll go one down there right now. Bring the equipment. I've got to see what happened."
"Be careful," Whestly told him.
He nodded and pulled out his wand. He disappeared with a small pop.
Cocker appeared seconds later at the sight of the previous city. There was no more London. There were ashes everywhere and any building that was standing was burning to the ground. He stood in shocked silence for what seemed like forever. London really was gone.
His wand dropped to the ground beside him. As soon as it hit the ash covered ground he felt the tip of a wand against his neck.
"You son of a bitch," said a voice full of hatred. "You shouldn't have come back here."
Cocker held up his hands. "I am not the one who did this. I'm Jim Cocker, Minister of Magic. I just heard of this and have only now come to help. Please, let me help.
He felt the wand shudder. Suddenly, there was a chocking noise and the pressure of the wand disappeared. He spun around. It was a woman. She was covered in ashes except for a trickle down her face where she had been crying. She fell to her knees. Crocker bent down to comfort her.
"Don't worry. We'll figure out who did this and stop him."
The woman pulled away. "I know who did it."
"You do?"
The woman nodded. "They're centuries old. It's this stupid cult. They worship evil itself. I never took them seriously. They must have summoned some kind of demon. I saw him! It was so horrible!"
"You saw him? What kind of demon was he?" Crocker asked, searching his head for types of demons that fit the description Whestly had given.
The woman shook her head. "He wasn't a demon. He used a wand. He was human."
"You mean he had a soul?"
"A shriveled and disused one, but he must have had one. He looked human until you saw his face." The woman broke down. Cocker patted her awkwardly on the shoulder before standing up and looking around. There was nothing. The fire had consumed everything. He watched as the last structure crumbled and fell to the ground. People Apparated behind him.
They stood in awe at the destruction before them.
"Check for survivors!" Cocker yelled, snapping them out of their horror. Four men Disapparated to place barriers at each corner of the ruined city. Seconds later they were back. The fifth man flipped open his miniature TV screen and pressed a button. It showed the entire city. Any red dots would indicate a survivor. There were 7 little red dots where they were standing, but there was nothing else.
"Are you sure it's working?" one asked.
"Are you kidding? This thing never fails!"
"But there are no red dots."
"No, there aren't," Cocker said quietly. "Because there are no survivors."
A/N: Okay, you all hate me for the lack of Harry. I thought I would be extremely kind, however, and go ahead and put the next chapter out. Please review this chapter first! Oh, and review the next chapter as well. After you read it.