Part V
The Death Eaters stormed the Ministry in a whirl of fire and black cloaks.
They went to each department, subjecting the heads to the Imperious Curse. Those who resisted were killed.
Two Death Eaters broke off to find Scrimgeour and capture him.
The government coup had begun.
Night settled in on the reception. The golden pavilion was lit up with Japanese lanterns; moths were swooping in towards the light like little grey pilgrims.
Kiku sat alone at a table. Alfred was dancing with Ginny (he could see Harry glaring at Alfred not too far away) and Hermione was dancing with Ron. Francis and Madeline had long since disappeared off to who-knows-where to do who-knows-what. Kiku shuddered at the very thought and grabbed another floating flute of champagne.
"Oh, hello there, Kiku," someone said from behind him and Kiku turned to see Luna Lovegood, arrayed in bright yellow with a sunflower in her hair. She was in Ginny's year and a Ravenclaw; he had seen her around a lot and knew that she was very eccentric, even in wizarding terms.
"Konbanwa, Luna-chan," he said with a smile. "How are you?"
"Fine, fine," she said dreamily. "If it hadn't been for the Wrackspurts, I'd be wonderful. But may I sit?"
He nodded, and she sat down next to him. "This wedding is nice, isn't it?" he asked, wishing he could think of something better to say.
"Very," she agreed. "But you miss him, don't you?"
Kiku straightened up, staring at her with half-concealed shock. "Miss who?" he asked.
"You know who," she replied gently. "Arthur."
"Please, can you all just stop asking if I miss him? Of course I miss him!" Kiku paused after the outburst. "I'm sorry," he said quietly.
"No problem," she replied, unfazed by his short tirade. "I'm sure you do; you always seem so sad..."
Kiku nodded, looking at the dancers on the floor. If only...
But that was still a big if.
Of three things Arthur was absolutely certain.
First, he was in pain.
Second, most of that pain – and he was very painfully aware of its potency – was centered around his heart.
Third, he was undoubtedly going to die.
Again.
"Death Eaters are in the Ministry!"
Kingsley Shacklebolt stared in horror at Gawain Robards, the respected and skilled head of the Aurors. "Death Eaters?" he repeated. Next to him in the office the Muggle Prime Minister was looking pale – very pale indeed.
"They're going to attempt to take the Minister's life," Robards replied, tossing some Floo powder into the fireplace once more. He seemed to direct the title at both the man in the office and Scrimgeour. "I need to go. Keep an eye on Blair, won't you?"
Knives. It was as if white-hot knives were tearing at his heart, carving out new chambers and passageways. Arthur collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath. Breathing suddenly turned into a chore – painful and arduous.
"Arthur! Arthur, what... what's going on? Help! Help!" Ollivander was patting him, and by the sound of his voice he was in hysterics. Arthur didn't blame him though; the wandmaker probably never had to deal with this sort of thing.
"The... government... coup..." Arthur choked out, clutching at his chest and feeling tears gather in his eyes from the pain.
Ollivander continued to pat his shoulder with the air of someone who wanted to help but had no idea how to.
"Where is Harry Potter?" Voldemort spat at Rufus Scrimgeour, who kept his silence with a disapproving stare.
Silence never did anyone well in the presence of an angry Voldemort. Slash, slash. Scrimgeour fell to the ground, bleeding from where Voldemort had cut him with his wand.
"Fool! You dare defy Lord Voldemort? Where is Harry Potter?"
Still, silence greeted the Dark Lord. He growled, slashing at Scrimgeour once more.
"You will never know," Scrimgeour snarled. "Never!"
Whatever else he could have said was drowned out in screams as Voldemort put him under the Cruciatus Curse.
"To the Prime Minister of Muggles. Requesting a meeting. Urgent. Kindly respond immediately. Sincerely, Pius Thickenesse, Minister of Magic."
Kingsley frowned at the magical portrait of the froglike man in the corner of the Prime Minister's office.
"Should I, Shacklebolt?" the Muggle Prime Minister asked quietly, his face still very pale.
"He's been put under a curse that lets someone else control him completely," Kingsley replied. "I don't think you should, but you've got no choice."
"Let him through," the Minister said, his voice a bit louder but no less fearful.
Arthur could feel his heart pound faster and faster as the pain increased. He screamed a scream of terrible agony.
The door opened and Wormtail came stumping in with his wand and his silver hand. "Silencio!" he squeaked.
Arthur fell silent mid-scream and he curled on the ground, unable to slow his racing heart, his poor heart that was desperately trying to keep him alive.
Pius Thickenesse stepped into the office. "What are you doing here, Kingsley?" he demanded as soon as he had dusted himself off on the Axminster carpet.
"Protecting the Prime Minister," Kingsley replied coolly. "On his orders I remain in this office."
Thickenesse's eyes narrowed. "Stupefy!" he yelled, pointing his wand at Kingsley, who dodged the Stunner. The Prime Minister jumped to his feet in alarm.
"Avada Kedavra!" Thickenesse aimed the curse at the Minister; he ducked it.
"Impedimenta!" Kingsley howled, causing Thickenesse to slam against the wall and slide down against it, unconscious. "Come on, Minister, we're taking you somewhere safe."
"Will he be all right?" the Minister asked, gesturing to Thickenesse.
"He will be when he wakes up, but if you stay here your life will be in danger. We must evacuate."
"But... my job...? The people!"
"You can come back after I put protective charms over the office. Right now your life is at stake, not your job, and that's what matters most."
"You still refuse to speak?" Voldemort hissed at the limp and pained form of Scrimgeour.
The silence that greeted him gave him his answer.
"Very well. Avada Kedavra!"
Green light lit up the room as the former Minister of Magic fell to the floor, dead.
Arthur gasped a silent, horrified gasp as his heart gave one final lurch and then was quite still.
He keeled over, not hearing Ollivander's cry of dismay.
He was dead.
Kingsley had hurriedly cast every single protective spell he could think of on the Prime Minister's home before he Disapparated to the Ministry.
He arrived in the Atrium in the middle of a fight between the members of the Order that were not at the wedding and the Death Eaters.
"Where is Scrimgeour?" he demanded to the room in general as he deflected and dodged hexes and curses. Gawain Robards suddenly barged out of the golden grilles, duelling Antonin Dolohov.
"Captured by Voldemort!" Robards yelled, turing to Kingsley, but that split-second distraction cost him his life as Dolohov's Killing Curse hit him in the chest.
That could have only meant one thing, Kingsley thought as the other Death Eaters Disapparated and he rushed to catch Robards as the former head of the Aurors fell to the ground, unmoving.
The Ministry had fallen. Scrimgeour was dead. And the Death Eaters were heading for the Burrow.
Kingsley raised his wand skyward. "EXPECTO PATRONUM!" he bellowed. A silver lynx burst from the tip, streaking off into the night.
"The Ministry has fallen. Scrimgeour is dead. They are coming."
The wedding screeched to a standstill at the arrival of Kingsley's Patronus. Kiku jumped up from his seat, drawing his wand. Next to him Luna took out her wand from behind one ear and looked around her, alert. As the silver cat vanished, people blinked, trying to grasp what had happened.
Someone screamed.
Chaos reigned as guests scrambled in all directions; many were Disapparating because the protective enchantments around the Burrow were breaking.
"Kiku! Kiku!" Alfred screamed as the Japanese made his way towards him. "Where are Francis and Madeline?"
"Here!" Madeline screamed from not too far away. Her bows were tied askew and her dress looked rather rumpled, but she had her wand out. Francis was in a similar state.
"Shield Charms!" Alfred yelled as cloaked and masked figures appeared in the midst of the party. "Protego!"
"Protego!" Kiku, Francis, and Madeline echoed, with the other members of the Order of the Phoenix. Shield Charms expanded on all sides of the guests still at the wedding; the Death Eaters tried to shatter them with their curses.
In what seemed to be ages, the guests all Disapparated one by one. Feliciano shot him a guilty look as he vanished with Ludwig; Kiku kept his wand aloft and the Shield Charm that he cast expanded.
And when the last guest had disappeared, the charms were lowered as duelling broke out.
"Disapparate to Bonnefois Villa!" Francis hissed in Kiku's ear as he dashed by, slashing at one of the Death Eaters with his wand. Purple fire blossomed from the tip of his wand; the Death Eater turned it into a fiery snake that reared up at Francis; Francis charmed the snake and turned it around on the Death Eater.
Kiku turned, stepping into the darkness towards Bonnefois Villa.