The next day Albus went down to breakfast, his colorful robes set aside for the moment, replaced by black ones. He had reunited the teachers in the early hours of the morning, having the duty of inform them of the demise of the three students. It wasn't the news that he would have wanted to give, he would have prefer to tell them of the students being alive and well and that they would be severy punished for their adventure. All the staff was affected, the lost of even one student was a great lost, they were in the first place to made sure that the students were all right. Even Severus, whose dislike of the trio was well known, was affected, but Albus knew that he wouldn't show it in public. The teachers decided to keep a close eye to the student body, made sure that when the news broke they could help their charges the best posible before they were sent home with their families.
Breakfast was a silent afair, and they student body didn't seem to notice that six of their own were missing. At least until the Prophet arrived. The newspaper brought in front page the damage of the Ministry's Atrium, and anounced tgat the building would remain closed until further notice. The explanation given was far from the truth, probably Alastor and Kingsley had tell that to Amelia and the Minister to cover the night's events, it explained how a failed experiment by the unspeakables had caused great damage to their department and the rest of the Ministry. The representant of the unspeakables hadn't answer any questions from the paper, so the version in the Prophet was declared official. It wasn't said anything about the death students, but Albus jnew that rumors travelled fast and provably by dinner it was a know between the students.
By dinner there were some rummors flying around, about the six missing students. The theories about their absence were various, each more crazy that the other. They had noticed that they not only weren't seen in the halls or at meals, but they weren't at the infirmary either. Some said that they had been killed with Umbridge at the forbidden forest, others thought that they had murdered the horrible woman and were hidden or in Azkaban, while a small group thought that Harry and his friends were having privilegies and had been allowed to return home earlier.
Albus returned to his office after finishing dinner. He had sent Remus to Ms Granger parents, to inform of their only daughter death. Alastor had voluteered to tell Andromeda and Ted Tonks, about the previous night events, and he wasn't looking forward to know their reaction. Kingsley, who had tried to save Ron's live had went to tell Molly, Arthur and the rest of the Weasleys. He was waiting for the three of them to arrive.
It didn't took long for them to arrive, but they weren't alone. Remus came first, with a middle-age couple. Both of them had clearly been crying, but there was something in their eyes different from sadness, it was a look that he had seen during the last war, they wanted to avenge their daughter. Albus wasn't sure how a couple of muggles could help in a magical war, but he was sure that that pair could find a way.
Next came Alastor, and went he noticed that the fired continued green after he stepped out of the fireplace he took a step back. A woman that looked so much like Bellatrix Lestrange appeared after him, and she looked ready to murder someone, Albus just hopped that he could redirect that idea to someone that it wasn't him. After her came a blonde man, that quickly move beside his wife.
Finally Kingsley came, followed sortly by a numerous of red-heads. It was a broken family that stepped into his office. Molly was crying in a handcliff, while Arthur tried his best to confort her, even if he was in pain too. Bill and Charlie were there too, at both sides of Ginnevra acting as bodyguards of their sister. Finally the twins appeared, more serious that Albus had seen the pair of prankers.
With all people present the office was quite full, but noone seemed to mind. Albus vanished his normal desk and chair and replace them with a big desk and chairs for all present to sit. After everyone was sitted, it didn't took long before someone spoke. It might have come as a surprise, if Albus hadn't notice his look when he arrived, that Ian Granger spoke first, and he wanted to know what was being done to capture the people responsable of her daughter death and wanted to be the first one to have a one on one with them. His voice was soon followed by his wife. And then one by one the rest. They all wanted to see their children or siblings murderers, and had more than words with them.
He had finally calm them enough for them to listen to him, when he noticed something. Andromeda Tonks had remained silent and oddly calm, even after her husband had claimed for Bellatrix head. That was until he looked at her eyes, it was the same murderous look of her sister, without the crazy part. Like if the woman had just planed the most painful death, down to every small detail, and was just waiting for the right moment to do it.
The woman stood up and finally spoke. Albus knew that the woman had been a Black and a Slitherin, but having married a muggleborn Hufflepuff he thought that, pherhaps, the woman was more like Sirius and less than her previous family. But it was clearly that the woman had paid great attention to her former family and Hogwarts' house ideas, luckily not focussed in muggles. She, between knowing of her daughters death and the current reunion, had thought of multiples ideas to minimize Voldemort and his Death Eaters, overturn the current Minister, and avenge her daughters death. Andromeda had clearly gathered lots of information from Alastor, and maybe her daughter too, and just knew how everyone at the desk could help.
Ted and the Grangers had been ordered to learnt to shot guns. The twins had been told to made more of their inventions, and the whole desk had been instructed in new ways to use them to cause death and destruction. Bill Weasley the only cursebreaker or the order had probably learn more about wards that in his all studies with Gringotts' goblins, and all their used to incapacitate, capture and torture members under them. The rest, Andromeda explained could tried the different ideas and see what could work better with them. Then she claimed that would teach all order members that wanted in some of her family curses.
After that she sat and looked at him, daring him to contradict her words and say a different, better, plan. But Albus couldn't. And for a moment he wondered if he was too old to be the leader of the group, but he couldn't even if the woman plan was too bloody for his taste, he didn't have anything better, clearly their current plan wasn't working. But Albus wouldn't step aside, he had to reign the group and made sure than their hands dudn't have blood in them after the war. The wizard population was small, every drop of magical blood was precious.
And he was a great believer of second chances, most of the Death Eaters deserved another oportunity to redeem themsellves. Albus was sure that without Tom's influence they would be great people to their community. One just had to look at Lucius Malfoy, who had made great donations to their hospital, even if his intentions weren't the best, that money probably had save hundreds of lives. If he could only change them little bit more, their money could improve so many areas of the wizard world. And they were powerful wizards too, with great minds, if they could focus their spells creation into other things that causing harm and destruction, their world would advance at great steps.