RWBY: Foresworn
Chapter IV: Let's get down to business
The office the Minister of Magic, reflected the user. Whereas Fudge's was gaudy and full pomp, and fluff showing that he was spineless little shit that enjoyed the fine points but none of the shit.
Rufus Scrimgeour's office resembled a tactical briefing room in the Auror Department; with pictures and profiles of various Death Eaters, locations and a full-on map of Britain. All in all, if anyone were to look it would seem that the Minister was very much trying to take the fight to Voldemort.
"Is this for pompousness and pontification, upholding a paper-thin and rudimentary image of the Ministry 'doing something' or genuine, Minister." Harry asked the moment they entered the office.
"The same could be said about your sword, Mr. Potter."
Harry snorted "Touché, Minister. As for the sword, it is very much for doing something. Like removing limbs, and taking skulls. The Headmaster, will attest that I am…very good with the weapon."
Dumbledore nodded, Scrimgeour nodded "I am very much intent on taking this fight to Voldemort. But I'm struggling to know where to begin."
"So, in effect, you've got a thumb up your ass waiting for a direction to fuck you in said ass…Don't deny it, I'm already not very impressed with the Ministry of Morons as a resident. As I'm a resident, I'm entitled to complain and your job as Head of the Ministry of Morons aka the Prime Minister or Corrupt Rent Boy; is too listen to my concerns and do something about it. Now, I know you're pissed off at Cornelius Fuckwit for fucking the Aurors with a bilgehook to feed his diabetes…I do have some answers for some questions."
Scrimgeour turned "You have a direction, to prevent us from this 'fucking' you've so aptly and graphically described."
Harry nodded "Can you get the File of Thomas Marvolo Riddle." Scrimgeour nodded.
"It's best for you to do rather than to ask, Rufus. Everything will be explained momentarily. I…think, Mr. Potter is about to in essence hand you your entire career on a silver platter."
Rufus gulped, he wouldn't admit it but since Harry Potter walked into his office; in full manner of 'not giving a shit' and full of what Moody would call 'cocksure, arrogance' and even 'mania' despite his ability to look disgruntled and jaded, there was something to Rufus that screamed 'façade'. And he was right, Mr. Potter had been brutally failed by the Ministry and by Wizarding Britain; if Potter asked, Scrimgeour was more than likely to bend over backwards to accommodate as much of Potters requests as he could.
Soon enough via House-elf express the complete and unabridged folder was on Scrimgeour's desk; with a wand movement later, three copies were about the office. "Know your enemy?"
"Yes and no. To know your Enemy, you must become your Enemy…Similarly, if you know the enemy and yourself you need not fear the results of a hundred battles." Harry replied.
"Who said that?"
"A muggle general; the greatest general of all time, Sun Tzu…Know Tom Riddle, become Tom Riddle and you'll defeat him."
Rufus read the file, his time as Amelia Bones second-in-command had allowed him to remember lots of critical information. As he read, he fought the urge to pale; Tom Marvolo Riddle, Lord Voldemort…was a cunning foe and an equally dangerous warrior. "This is all well and good, we can finally put together a case file of his crimes both of which he is responsible for and reasonably linked to…However, this file doesn't explain to me how he managed to return. It is these past eighteen to two years that I'm most interested in."
"He created Horcruxes." Dumbledore stated getting wide eyes from Harry and a needle and razor-sharp gaze from the Minister.
"Horcruxes? I've not heard of the term."
"What about Phylacteries?" Harry asked, Rufus stiffened.
"How do you know about Phylacteries?"
"There's a mundane boardgame that references them. Although in the game they are the 'repository of the Lich's soul and terrible knowledge'."
"Do you know what they are?"
"I can hazard a guess. They're things to do with the Founders or items of Significance to him. As for destroying them, I'm not exactly sure what would destroy them." Harry admitted.
Scrimgeour moved over to another board and began recording the cliff-notes of the meeting "Mr. Potter, I as Minister of Magic, am willing to accommodate within reason, any tools and resources that the Ministry can give you in order to assist in the defeat of this terrorist group."
Harry nodded "I'm going to need a pair of the following: licenses to kill, authorisation to use curses that could and would resort to jail time and immunity also…I'd also consider you briefing the Aurors and the Hit Wizards with license to fight fire with fire. However, I would be expecting all those serving personnel to have accountability for using such curses."
Scrimgeour nodded "I was about to do such a thing. Mr. Potter, We, the Wizarding World has failed you and your generation and quite possibly the generation before you…"
Harry nodded "Honestly Minister, I don't care. I'm here to get Dumbledore off my back, so I can go back to where I've been staying to put a boot to ass about another shit show…The only reason I'm in this other shit show, is because I asked to be."
Rufus nodded "You're here out of duty, but in another because of choice."
"And because my other-half will kill me if I don't. That's the reason she even dates me, because I've told people to their faces to 'get the fuck out of my fucking way'." It was then, alarms started to blare.
"We're under attack. Harry, we must…" Began Dumbledore drawing his wand.
"Away, Headmaster? Like a coward?"
"No, to the front lines…Minister?"
Rufus Scrimgeour let out a snarl and for a moment, his mane like hair began to shift. "Attention all Ministry Personnel, we are under attack, please remain calm. All Aurors and Hit Wizards; to your positions and should anyone Auror, Hitwizard or not should you come under any attack you may respond in like mind. Although you will be made accountable if reasoning is not sufficient."
(Foyer)
Brian Mulch, the large and slightly obese pureblood who registered the wands of those who entered the Ministry, died a hero. For as the Death Eaters arrived in a blatant show of force. The booth and protected him from the initial salvo of curses and in the moment of tranquility; before panic set in. Mulch fired a very basic but powerful reductor curse and a blasting hex at the attackers.
The first one hit a Death Eater in the throat, moving the head like a cork out of a champagne bottle and the blasting hex, blew the leg off another. Unfortunately for Mulch; Severus Snape was amongst the attackers and he responded with a trademarked 'Sectusempra' a non-verbal slashing curse that opened Mulch's femoral artery to his heart.
However, Mulch's a vain attempt to fight the inevitable sparked something that Harry never thought of. Or never would. Mulch, in making a stand against such evil; galvanised the public. Unfortunately, these normal "house" wizards who hadn't cast anything more than a cutting spell would normally be ineffective but they had righteous fury.
What should have been 'appear, kill a few, torture a few, cast the Dark Mark and vanish' turned into a bloodbath. The numbers of the fatalities were on the side of the Ministry; that changed when the Minister, Dumbledore and Harry along with the first reinforcements from Law Enforcement arrived on the scene.
"RUDOLPHUS! THE MINISTER!" Shouted a Death Eater.
"Bring Rudolphus Lestrange in alive. Take them all alive; we shall deal with them in due course." Ordered Scrimgeour as he led the defence.
"It's POTTER! DUMBLEDORE!" Shouted another Death Eater, this was turning into a disaster! The top three people of their Lord Master's foes.
"Retreat you…" ordered a Death Eater, but someone hit him with a sonorous charm "DUNDERHEAD!" Snarled Snape. Harry's eyes glinted and he charged forwards. Two Death Eaters went to stop him, but the massive sword swung free; glowed a bright white and the flat of the blade collided with their heads.
"Potter!" Growled Rudolphus, his two minions swatted aside so easily.
"Hello, Lestrange, not the bitch I wanted…but let it not be said you're not an enjoyable second." Harry retorted as he let fly with his sword and flame generating charm.
Harry had concealed his wand inside the gear-shaft of his sword. The main reason he bitched about the gear-shift breaking was because he remembered his Second Year too well! The sword sliced through the hastily erected shield, Rudolphus yelped and tried to back away. "POTTER! LET'S GET THE BASTARD! HE KILLED MY DAD!" Thundered a Scottish Wizard, one that was it seemed had an understanding of mundane physics as he wandlessly, yanked one Death Eater and another non-verbally in to each other, before moulding the ground over them. "You'll have the right to a lawyer…eventually."
"Thanks…"
"McDougal, Idris McDougal…My cousin is Morag, in your year."
"Morag MacDougal; well-built girl, blonde brown hair, Hufflepuff?"
"That's right…How is she?"
"A little miffed, pissed off, this piece of shite killed her Uncle. We were close, regardless of the six years age difference."
Harry nodded, as he pulled out some water dust, chucked at Rudolphus before encanting "FULGARITE!" before slamming his sword on to the rapidly forming pool of water; that had previously soaked the Lestrange brother.
The screams and smell of cooked flesh was horrendous. Idris, hit the convulsing form with a banishing charm slamming the Death Eater into a wall, where he slammed into it his spine breaking with an audible snap "Walk it off." Harry yelled as a stunner stopped the screaming. "We've got an important one, we kinda need this one alive." Idris called over the cacophony of combat.
Scrimgeour grunted, before shifting his hand into a Lion's paw and backhanded a Death Eater. Somewhere off to the right an Auror shouted "I've got SNAPE! FUCK! MOM, ALWAYS SAID THE GREASY TWAT WAS A DEATH EATER!"
Meanwhile Dumbledore had casually dealt with his opponents, he heard that cry. Dumbledore sighed, he'd have some explaining to do. Dumbledore looked back; his plans were now in ruins. In one way the Headmaster was relieved that his plans wouldn't come to pass, but in another light to be remembered…To be remembered. Dumbledore snorted; this was the course, this was the road taken. "I'm sorry, Severus…you're on your own."
By now the fighting in the foyer had subsided. Harry was panting, sweat running down his face; his normally pale features stark white and tinged green. His sword slick with blood, he turned and there was a reporter arriving with a quill and a camera man. It was a pity that the camera man had to leave so quickly after arriving.
"Breathe, Potter. In the nose and out the mouth." It was the voice of the Minister, his own robes slicked with blood as was his hand. Eventually, Harry managed to return his breathing to normal.
"Exceptional work, shit work even, thankless work and work even I disagreed with when in the Auror Corps. But; dark times call for darker measures…Have you learnt investigative magics and identification magics?"
"Only to detect people. Not exactly useful."
Rufus chuckled "True, Mr. Potter. I think these might be more beneficial for you." with that the Minister began to show Harry, the most useful spells of the Auror Corps.
There were twenty-six idiots and four Death Eaters in summary. Of the twenty-six, Harry only recognised five of them. They had included Terrence Higgs; Adrien Pucey; Miles Bletchley; Uruquhart and Vaisey "I know these five. They were on the Quidditch Team."
Rufus nodded "Good to know. Now people were calling out names. Shall we?"
Harry nodded and the teen strode over to the prone and stunned form of Lestrange; who was being tended to by Healers "Broken spine, Minister. Too long to repair, but he's going to require more intensive care…he was electrocuted."
Scrimgeour winced "I want round the clock protection until he's healed. Then we'll grill him for his crimes."
The other two Death Eaters turned out to be a Rosier and a Crabbe. "Shame, with one being a Crabbe. Half-expected the other to be a Goyle."
Scrimgeour had the professionalism not to chuckle at that, but there was a faint smirk on his face. "Now, shall we investigate Professor Snape."
"I can't. I fear there might be an accident with a very sharp piece of metal and his neck. But feel free to sweat him; I might join in."