Fetial: concerned with declarations of war and treaties of peace.
January 4, 1975
An audible whoosh of breath preceded the speech crackling over wirelesses all across the nation. In that one sound there was carried years of resistance and denial and now finally a defeated sort of resignation. That one breath was what caught the listeners' attention. They had known this was coming for a long time, even if they had not wanted to believe it. But that breath resonated through England like the final thud of a fallen sentinel.
"The Minister formally announced today that a declaration of war has been made against the terrorist band calling itself the Death Eaters. Membership or aid to this group is now made punishable by law and such people declared an enemy of the public. Aurors are being tasked with the primary goal of subduing members of this group and their leader. All Ministry departments are now in wartime operations. A code orange security warning is being issued on the public. All civilians should take safety precautions and security measures at all times…."
The voice crackled on and on over the speakers of nearly ever wireless in the country.
In a small farmhouse in Devon, Molly Weasley clutched her two-year-old son to her chest and stared wide-eyed out the window. Her husband was paler than she'd ever seen him and their five-year-old looked between them with frightened eyes.
In a small, neat home hundreds of miles away, Ted Tonks took his wife's hand, and they watched their small daughter sleep peacefully on the living room rug, rainbow hair fanned around her like halo.
In the fourth year boys' dormitory in Gryffindor Tower, four boys stared at each other with uncharacteristically grim faces. Down in the common room, students murmured in shocked, scared voices. Lily Evans and Mary McDonald looked at each other with horror plain in their expressions.
In the Slytherins' dungeon common room satisfied expressions floated calmly like blossoms on a smooth, sinister lake. Severus Snape sat in a corner, sallow face expressionless, but hunger evident in his black eyes. A chance to finally be on top… to make them pay….
In the staff room teachers sat still and silent as statues, not even moving to give each other looks of fear or determination. Up in the headmaster's office, Albus Dumbledore observed the many silver instruments glinting around the room as though fascinated by them, but there was a fierce, blazing power in his bright blue eyes that seemed strong enough to pin a man to the wall had there been anyone around.
Week sunlight pushed its way through gray clouds, but the entire country could feel the storm bearing down on them.
A/N: This took me a while to come up with, which is ridiculous because it's basically the plot line of the whole series, that word. But now it's out of the way and I'm feeling a bit relieved.
It would make my whole entire day if you could tell me what you thought about this chapter! Really want to know if I pulled it off. :)