Hope's End

by Dark Armies

Following the complete destruction of Light resistance in England, and the annihilation of all major Muggle cities in England, Voldemort prepares for the invasion of France. But is he ready to fight the Muggles as well? Who would have thought that World W

11. Chapter X: Fall of the Ministry of Magic

Hope's End

Chapter Ten

Fall of the Ministry of Magic

December 24, 1996

Hundreds upon thousands of black-cloaked soldiers stood in lines, all facing the altar at the very end of the room. A cloaked figure stood on the altar, back turned to the crowd. Slowly he turned, and faced the crowd. The figure raised his arms and shouted, "My soldiers, today is the day that the Darkness will take a giant leap forwards! Today is the day that all of Earth will know my name, AND FEAR IT! Today is the day that THE DARK MARK WILL SOAR AGAIN!" Here he roared out the last part. Then entire crowd cheered, and animals outside the building fled in terror at the exploding noise. The figure motioned for quiet, and it came instantly.

"Now," he hissed. "The time for battle has come. Alpha, Beta, Delta, Omega, Zeta, Omnicron, Epsilon teams, Disapparate now to your checkpoints!" CRACKs were instantly heard as hundreds of soldiers Disapparated. The hall was silent for a couple of minutes, before an image of the Dark Mark flared in the ceiling. The figure then spoke again.

"Teams one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, Disapparate to your checkpoints now." Another several hundred cracks were heard, as the seven teams Disapparated out of the hall. This time it was a bit longer, but a second Dark Mark flared up next to the first one.

The figure stood silent for a couple of moments, then with the abruptness of a lightning strike shattering the stillness of a massive storm, he screamed out, "Battalions one through ten, Disapparate now!" For three straight minutes, loud cracks and pops were anything anyone heard in the hall. The figure raised his arms, and spoke, his serpentine voice entrancing many within the hall.

"My fellow champions of the darkness, the foolish Ministry has raised their wards! YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS!" Another grand cheer rose from the crowd, and soon they were singing a foreign war hymn:

Ye brave honest subjects who dare to be loyal,
And have stood the brunt of every trial,Of hunting robes and wands;
Come listen awhile and I'll tell you a song;
I'll show you those Mudbloods and Muggle-lovers are all in the wrong,
Who, with blustering look and most awkward gait,
'Gainst their lawful sovereign dare for to prate,
With their hunting robes and wands.

The arch-rebels, barefooted tatterdemalions,
In baseness exceed all other rebellions,
With their hunting robes and wands:
To rend the empire, the most infamous lies,
Their mock-patriot Ministry, do always devise;
Independence, like the first rebels, they claim,
But their plots will be damned in the annals of fame,
With their hunting robes and wands.

Forgetting the mercies of Great Britain's Dark Lord,
Who saved their forefathers' necks from the string,
With hunting robes and wands,
They renounce all allegiance and take up their arms,
Assemble together like hornets in swarms,
So dirty their backs, and so wretched their show,
That carrion-crow follows wherever they go,
With their hunting robes and wands.

With loud peels of laughter, your sides, sirs, would crack,
To see General Convict and Colonel Shoe-Black,
With their hunting robes and wands.
See cobblers and quacks, rebel priests and the like,
Pettifoggers and barbers, with sword and with pike,
All strutting the standard of Merlin beside,
And honest names using, their black deeds to hide,
With their hunting robes and wands.

This perjured banditti, now ruin this land,
And o'er its poor people claim lawless command,
With their hunting robes and wands.
Their pasteboard Knuts prove a common curse,
They don't chink like silver and gold in our purse,
With nothing their leaders have paid their debts off,
Their honor's, dishonor, and justice they scoff,
With their hunting robes and wands.

For one lawful ruler, many tyrants we've got,
Who force young and old to their wars, to be shot,
With their hunting robes and wands.
Our good Lord, Salazar speed him! Never used men so,
We then could speak, act, and like freemen could go,
But committees enslave us, our liberty's gone,
Our trade and church murdered; our country's undone,
By hunting robes and wands.

Come take up your glasses, each true loyal heart,
And may every rebel meet his due desert,
With his hunting robes and wands.
May the Ministry, Conventions, those damned inquisitions,
Be fed with hot sulphur from Lucifer's kitchens,
May commerce and peace again be restored,
And Mudbloods own their true sovereign lord.
Then oblivion to robes and wands.
SALAZAR BLESS THE DARK LORD!

The hymn finished, and the soldier's morale was sky high. The figure on the altar made a gesture, and every single soldier in the hall promptly Disapparated. The lone figure on the altar stood silent, unmoving. Then, beneath his hood, the serpentine face of Lord Voldemort smirked, and Disapparated with whoosh.

XXXXXXXXXXX

London, 1:26 PM, December 24th, 2004.

Exactly one minute ago, to the frustration of firefighters within the city, calls had flooded the firefighter HQ, reporting fires everywhere within the city. Indeed, hundreds of fires had suddenly exploded throughout the city, and no one had an explanation, save for the few Wizards and Witches fleeing before the might of the Death Eater army. Death Eaters in small divisions were setting alight everything in their path, as they made their way to the phone booth hiding the entrance to the British Ministry of Magic. Let us take a look into Battalion XV, Legion Five, Infantry Division Three. The ten Death Eaters in the 3rd Infantry Division were happily torching everything in their sight. Muggle cars, buildings and people alike were set on fire. Macnair, Head Recruiter of the Death Eaters was quickly setting everything on fire as well, when he spotted a Muggle firetruck racing down the road towards them. A grin split his face, and he exclaimed, "ten Galleons to anyone who can destroy that vehicle first!" pointing toward the truck. Three of the Death Eaters instantly let loose Remote Bomb Curses at the truck, and all three beams of red struck it. The Death Eaters promptly took cover, as a deadly explosion ripped through the street of London.

In another part of the city, ten Death Eaters were quickly sprinting to their destination point, everything already ensconced in flames around them. They abruptly put on the brakes as they had to dodge several Stunning Spells headed their way. They looked up to find Aurors Apparating in the streets to combat the Death Eaters. Unfortunately, the Death Eaters outnumbered the Aurors greatly, and the brave Light Wizards were brutally cut down with Avada Kedavra. "Foolish Aurors, they think they can best us?!" exclaimed one of the Death Eaters as they caught their breath. Another nodded and said, "this will be the greatest military operation ever seen in the history of the Wizarding kind." The others were about to join in the discussion, when one of them pointed out the massive Dark Mark floating in the skies above London. "Well, there's our signal, boys! Looks like they broke the wards. Move out!" shouted the leader of the 16th Infantry Division. The group of ten nodded, and Disapparated with a might crack!

Lord Voldemort stood in the middle of the Atrium at the Ministry, laughing in malice at the chaos around him. Over one thousand Death Eaters were fighting viciously around him, and another thirty thousand were fighting in other areas of the Ministry. It was the largest attack in Wizarding history, and Voldemort had named it "Grand Operation Fate." The first phase of the Operation was to Apparate next to the phone booth hiding the entrance, for wards had been set up, preventing anyone from Apparating or Portkeying into the Atrium or any areas. Once the crack Death Eaters had disabled the wards around it, they would signal home base, where phase two would begin. Phase two consisted of sending the entire army to London, since there simply wasn't enough space in the street where the booth was or Atrium itself. So the army of two hundred and fifty thousand Death Eaters Apparated all around London. Part two of phase two was the Death Eaters gathering in the streets in and around the entrance. Phase three was the massive Apparation into the Ministry. Phase four was the battle itself. Currently phase three was commencing, with only 12 of the Death Eater army inside the Ministry. Voldemort himself didn't bother to draw his wand, considering he surrounded by Death Eaters who were fighting like the hounds of Hell itself.

For thirty minutes, the only sounds you could hear in the Ministry were shouting, explosions, the running of feet, and cracks and pops.

Ministry of Magic, 2:08 PM, December 24th, 1996.

There was now one hundred and forty three thousand Death Eaters in the Ministry. The Apparation was going as fast as it could, for transporting 250,000 people inside a building wasn't easy. There was now 57 of the Death Eater Army inside the Ministry. Inside the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, roughly seventy five percent of the Aurors in Britain were fighting for their lives.

Private John of the 18th Infantry Division, 2nd Legion of the 9th Battalion of Alpha Squad was currently fighting Amelia Bones. He ducked a Stunning Spell from her and shouted, "Avada Kedavra!"

The Curse of death soared toward Bones who dived out of the way and replied with a Blasting Hex. "Protego!" A magical shield encompassed John as the Hex struck it. John stumbled backwards, and unleashed several Killing Curses at her in quick succession.

"Avada Kedavra!"

"Avada Kedavra!"

"Avada Kedavra!"

"Avada Kedavra!"

"Adava Kevadra!" Here John accidentally mispronounced the Killing Curse. Much to both Bones' and John's surprise, a mix of green and yellow light rushed out of his yew wand and struck Bones. Bones just stood there, unblinking. Then she screamed. And screamed. And screamed. But then the scream died on her lips. Amelia continued to silently scream, as her body went rigid and begin to glow a sickly green light. John had this weird instinct to get the hell out of there, and he Disapparated to the Department of Magical Co-operation, where duels were occurring all over the place. Good thing he got out, because just three seconds after, a massive rumble shook the building and everybody fell over, wondering what the hell happened.

Back in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, three seconds earlier…

The figure of Amelia Bones continued to glow a sickly green, and the shine blinded everybody near her. The duels continued, although many had stopped to see what was going on with her. The glow intensified, and a single word ripped throughout the air, "Die." And in a single moment, Amelia Bones exploded with a giant burst of raw magical energy. The energy was half the power of the Hiroshima Blast, and everyone and everything on the floor was vaporized in a single second. In addition to that, it also destroyed the floor, making the entire Ministry shake on its very foundations. One floor below, debris rained everywhere and confusion spread.

2:30 PM, Atrium of the Ministry.

Voldemort stumbled and fell as the Ministry rumbled and shook. He sprang back up and looked around. The pitiful resistance had finally died when the Ministry shook, and hundreds of bodies, Death Eaters and Ministry workers alike littered the floor. Voldemort shook his head and yelled out, "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!?" Everybody quaked in fear at their Master's rage and confusion. Unfortunately, no one had an answer. Voldemort sighed, and decided to find out later. It just so happened to be later was two seconds later, as Private John Apparated next to him.

John was delighted. He had discovered a new Curse! And a very lethal one at that. He decided to name it the Atomic Curse, considering it had half its power. He just HAD to report this to his Lord, thought John. With that, he concentrated on his Dark Mark and Disapparated. When the world reappeared, he found himself next to an exceptionally confused and pissed off Dark Lord. He instantly bowed down and kissed the hem of his robes and waited.

Voldemort looked next to him as a Death Eater Apparated next to him and bowed down and kissed his robes. Voldemort smirked. Finally, a smart Death Eater, he thought. "Rise, my loyal servant. What news do you bring me?" hissed Voldemort. The Death Eater rose and murmured, "my lord, I have something to confess. I am the cause of that minor quake everyone just felt." Voldemort simply raised his eyebrow, and responded, "then do explain WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED!" Voldemort roared the last four words. John quailed momentarily, then spoke.

"Um, well you see, its kind of funny you. I was dueling Amelia Bones, and when I yelled out the incantation for the Killing Curse, I accidentally misprounced it. A mix of green and yellow light hit Bones, and she started to scream for ten seconds. Then she stopped screaming, but was screaming it silently and she was all rigid. Then she began to glow green, and that's when I got the hell out of there, and three seconds later, you know the rest, my liege." Rushed out John, nervous. A thoughtful look passed over Voldemort's serpent face, and he asked John what was the incantation he used. John said, "Adava Kevadra, my lord."

"Hmm." Voldemort stood thinking their, while his Death Eaters patrolled the Atrium, and occasionally destroying things while they discussed the battle. Albus Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix and the Dark Order had yet to show up.

Meanwhile, in the Department of Mysteries, Albus Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix had just Apparated in by the dozens. Dumbledore quickly commanded them to engage the Death Eaters, and they did, cheering. Roughly one half of the Ministry was now captured by the Death Eaters, and the army was in. Behind them, London was in ruins.

In the Department of Magical Transportation, duels between Phoenix members and Death Eaters quickly spiraled into a full blown battle between each side as shields and bunkers and covers were erected. Killing Curses began to fly within the two sides. Suddenly, all the lights went out and darkness filled the room. There was a large crack, then another, and another. Lights flickered back on, and Death Eater and Phoenix alike thought one word. Shit. Dark Order battalions were quickly Apparating in and killing everyone not of them. Seven Phoenix members quickly fell, along with six Death Eaters. The Death Eaters instantly returned fire, over two hundred of them, and volleyed Killing Curses and Blasting Hexes into the group. Two battalions were instantly wiped out, and the battle began anew.

Three hours later, Lord Voldemort proclaimed the British Ministry of Magic, "void of any Light Wizards or Dark Order agents." He therefore ordered John to use his new Atomic Curse on each floor/Department. One by one, in a period of ten minutes delay each, John annihilated the Ministry building. Half hour later, all the Death Eaters Disapparated back to HQ. Voldemort stood in the Minister's office, and launched an Atomic Curse of his own at the desk. The desk glowed a deathly greenish-blackish hue, and began to hum and glow. Voldemort smirked and Disapparated, seconds before the entire building of the Ministry was vaporized.

Back in London, Death Eaters marched in the streets, singing the Lord Voldemort Hymn of Honor:

Ye brave honest subjects who dare to be loyal,
And have stood the brunt of every trial,Of hunting robes and wands;
Come listen awhile and I'll tell you a song;
I'll show you those Mudbloods and Muggle-lovers are all in the wrong,
Who, with blustering look and most awkward gait,
'Gainst their lawful sovereign dare for to prate,
With their hunting robes and wands.

The arch-rebels, barefooted tatterdemalions,
In baseness exceed all other rebellions,
With their hunting robes and wands:
To rend the empire, the most infamous lies,
Their mock-patriot Ministry, do always devise;
Independence, like the first rebels, they claim,
But their plots will be damned in the annals of fame,
With their hunting robes and wands.

Forgetting the mercies of Great Britain's Dark Lord,
Who saved their forefathers' necks from the string,
With hunting robes and wands,
They renounce all allegiance and take up their arms,
Assemble together like hornets in swarms,
So dirty their backs, and so wretched their show,
That carrion-crow follows wherever they go,
With their hunting robes and wands.

With loud peels of laughter, your sides, sirs, would crack,
To see General Convict and Colonel Shoe-Black,
With their hunting robes and wands.
See cobblers and quacks, rebel priests and the like,
Pettifoggers and barbers, with sword and with pike,
All strutting the standard of Merlin beside,
And honest names using, their black deeds to hide,
With their hunting robes and wands.

This perjured banditti, now ruin this land,
And o'er its poor people claim lawless command,
With their hunting robes and wands.
Their pasteboard Knuts prove a common curse,
They don't chink like silver and gold in our purse,
With nothing their leaders have paid their debts off,
Their honor's, dishonor, and justice they scoff,
With their hunting robes and wands.

For one lawful ruler, many tyrants we've got,
Who force young and old to their wars, to be shot,
With their hunting robes and wands.
Our good Lord, Salazar speed him! Never used men so,
We then could speak, act, and like freemen could go,
But committees enslave us, our liberty's gone,
Our trade and church murdered; our country's undone,
By hunting robes and wands.

Come take up your glasses, each true loyal heart,
And may every rebel meet his due desert,
With his hunting robes and wands.
May the Ministry, Conventions, those damned inquisitions,
Be fed with hot sulphur from Lucifer's kitchens,
May commerce and peace again be restored,
And Mudbloods own their true sovereign lord.
Then oblivion to robes and wands.
SALAZAR BLESS THE DARK LORD!

XXXXXXX

December 25th, 1996

Daily Prophet

Daisy Martin

Secure Location

"BLACK DAY FOR MAGICAL BRITAIN!"

The unspeakable has happened. The Ministry of Magic has fallen. The Daily Prophet has relocated to a new location. This is a very dark day, ladies and gentlemen. More are ahead. Everyone who is reading this now, take a moment of silence to grieve who was lost at the battle, for an estimated one hundred thousand are dead. Merlin help us all.

A/N: This is without the doubt the longest chapter yet, and here concludes Part One of Hope's End.