He watched them, blue eye whizzing around to ensure he wouldn't be snuck up on (as he enjoyed sneaking up on others, he couldn't help but think that some of them would try to do the same to him), talking and laughing as if there was no war looming over their heads.
It was difficult to blame them. They had never experienced war. The petty crimes the Aurors were dispatched for now, the small raids on illegal stores, none of it would prepare them for the true horror of war. None of those things would instil the fear and paranoia of not knowing which breath would be their last, and he almost felt sorry for them.
They believed they were brave, and could stomach horrors, but they didn't know the half of it. They didn't understand even a fraction of what they would see if the Potter boy was telling the truth, and he didn't think the boy had any reason to lie. There was no other reason for someone to have gone through the trouble – Barty crouch Jnr, a known Death Eater at that – of trapping him on the year of the Triwizard Tournament.
If that wasn't the slightest bit fishy, he didn't know what was. Fudge always had been blind when he wanted to be but this level of blindness was something he didn't want to believe, even he had a little shred of hope in the Minister prior to this. Fudge would have to be replaced soon, or the Ministry would fall to the Dark Lord with little effort on the latter's part.
Replacing Fudge would be just as troublesome, especially with the many ex-Death Eaters, or people suspected to be Death Eaters, prime candidates for the position. Giving the position to any of those people may as well be giving the entire Ministry to the Dark Lord on a silver platter. He knew he would never be able to work in a Ministry run by the Dark Side, his years in Slytherin had taught him that when it came to running a community, it was probably better to leave the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs to it since the Slytherins only cared about how such a position would benefit them, and the Gryffindors would try and start a war with whichever other Minister managed to offend them (not that it was difficult).
That wasn't something to worry about now. He could take precautions against it, but whatever happened would happen. The only thing he could do was make sure these trainee Aurors survived for as long as possible. That was his job now and, Merlin, were they unprepared.
With a grim smile, he cast a silencing charm on his wooden stump of a leg and stood.
"CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" he screamed, and sent hexes at every trainee he could see, knowing that most of them wouldn't get their shields up on time (or think of dodging).
He nodded at the few who had remained standing, taking note of each of their faces. There was some hope in this bunch.
Written for Go Fish: Mad-Eye Moody