This story is inspired by the fanfiction story titled 'Guy Fawkes Day' by MisterQ. Go read it! Space Expansion Charms are unforgiving when misused in that story.
Just writing a story for fun and enjoyment. Thanks to Rowling for giving the world Harry Potter and his friends (and enemies). She owns everything and I'm just imagining shapes in the clouds on a summer day.
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The Official Record of Events / 1 September 1994Magical Britain assembled and arranged the facts from 1 September to support the story told by the new Minister for Magic, Bartemius Crouch. The Death Eaters had attempted to resurrect the Dark Lord and chop off the head of the government by assassinating three top officials. The coup d'état failed because the spells misfired and the homunculus containing the soul of the dark lord was captured. Minister Fudge was killed but so were multiple terrorists and their family members. The Unspeakables had the Dark Lord's spirit contained within a homunculus while the Department of Mysteries researched the why and how Tom Riddle was able to remain among living persons for thirteen years after 1981. No one cared that Dumbledore objected to the public release of this 'dangerous' information.
The true events would remain unknown.
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The True Events / 1 September 1994But what 'did' happen?
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The Mews / 1 September 1994A virtual prisoner in his family home, Bartemius Crouch, Sr lived under the Imperious Curse and couldn't protest or express his opinions. The man railed against the Dark Lord, Peter Pettigrew, and his son, Barty Crouch, Jr. in the privacy of his mind while the unforgiveable curse cast by his son kept him compliant to Junior's commands. But Crouch's consciousness remained his own.
Today, his son would begin impersonating Alastor Moody as the DADA professor at Hogwarts. Crouch, Sr was uncertain off the plot's details except that his son would consume Polyjuice every hour of the day for the next year, while preparing Harry Potter to be sacrificed next June to give Lord 'Voldie-Snot' a new body.
Crouch, Sr knew, 'The mudblood Dark Lord will return and destroy Magical Britain! He and his followers will violate the Statue of Secrecy and turn the muddies against magical people around the world. And it's all my fault because I brought Junior out of Azkaban and left Mary behind.'
Fighting against the curse yet again and failing, Crouch, Sr wondered if he could find some way to signal to an Auror that he was under the spell.
Then he despaired, 'No. If I'm discovered, they'll ask questions – Merlin, they'll sentence me to the Dementor's kiss if they learn Junior is still alive.'
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Inside Alastor Moody's Trunk / 1 September 1994Locked in the darkness of his trunk, Alastor berated himself again as he analysed the ambush that left him prisoner of Death Eaters and their Dark Lord.
'When Crouch threw himself at me, I didn't cut him down,' Moody growled. 'He never supported Death Eaters and I didn't want to kill him without cause. I wished more than once we could follow his orders when he was DMLE Director to kill DE's during the insurrection, but Dumbledore demanded we not kill.'
'Yesterday, I let Crouch live and he cast the stupefy charm on me from behind while I had Junior and Pettigrew tied up. So, Merlin damn close to chopping that 'thing' into two pieces.'
The day had been a nightmare but learning the plot to take his place at Hogwarts gave Alastor a moment of hope. Considering everything different in his mannerisms from the Death Eater Crouch, Jr, Moody rationalized, 'Albus won't be fooled by Polyjuice. He will recognize that the wizard pretending to be Alastor Moody isn't me. I'll be free before the end of the first night. I'll get to arrest Crouch, Sr and Crouch, Jr after I cut the Dark Lord thing into five pieces.'
Then Alastor blanched and reconsidered his chance of rescue. He sighed, 'There'll be no rescue. Albus will recognize this isn't me, but he won't rescue me. He might investigate, but he'll allow the plot to move ahead. He loves convoluted plans where he's only person who knows what's going on.'
'Do I want to spend the last days of my life locked in the darkness of a trunk? No.'
Accepting his fate, Alastor revised all the methods he knew for compromising the integrity of a magical trunk.
'They must keep me alive for Polyjuice to work for entire year. And Junior expanded the inside of my trunk to the max to get me in here. Now, he can't shrink the trunk with me inside,' Moody knew. 'And they took everything except my pants so I can't kill myself.'
Checking the hems of the shorts that covered his midsection, Alastor Moody found loose threads in several places. He carefully pulled the threads free, tied them together to make a thicker string. The retired Auror wore underclothes that were spelled to resist magic and dirt. They were almost indestructible unless mixed with other magics – such as trunk expansion, locking or transportation charms.
Later in the day, the trunk lid opened to allow Crouch, Sr to levitate down a meal and drink. Moody's single eye met Crouch's eyes for a moment. While Crouch could do nothing to help Moody escape, he intentionally looked away when the retired Auror threw the string up over the lip of the trunk. The string hung outside and inside, breaking the magical seal of the trunk's lock.
Slamming the trunk closed, the magic in the threads prevented the magic lock from fully engaging. The trunk with the expanded interior was not properly closed when the wizard wearing Alastor Moody's face drug it to the fireplace to use the floo to travel to Hogwarts.
"Headmaster's office at Hogwarts," the voice declared as the wizard wearing Alastor Moody's face threw the floo powder into the fire before stepping into the green flames.
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The MewsThe explosion of green flames caught Peter Pettigrew off guard. He was thrown back and the bundle of robes flew and landed on nearby table before rolling off and landing on the floor.
Junior wearing Polyjuice pants died in the flames as did the Alastor Moody who was trapped inside the magical trunk. The string across the lip of the trunk from the old man's pants broke the seal on the trunk's lid and the unexpected release of travel magic, locking charm, and expansion charms blasted out through every floo currently open in Magical Britain.
When his son died, the Imperious curse was lifted from Bartemius Crouch, Sr. Immediately, the older wizard cast a powerful charm that cut through one side of Pettigrew's neck. As Pettigrew fell to the floor, crying and screaming, Crouch shouted for his house elf and even though Winky cried because her beloved 'Mr Barty Junior' was dead, she obeyed Senior. The elf retrieved a bottle from her pharmacy of potions for controlling and strengthening Junior. The dose of the Draught of the Living Death was a kept as an emergency measure if ever Junior broke free of his father's imperious curse.
"Feed it to the baby!" Bartimaeus ordered his house elf, keeping his wand aimed at the bundle that hadn't move or made any noise since landing on the floor. Winky was repulsed by the figure in the dirty robes, but she fed half of the bottle to the infant just as it began to squirm.
Only when the baby figure fell into the deep sleep that made it appear dead, did Crouch turn his attention to the fires in his receiving room. With the help of the elf, the flames were extinguished, and the Mews didn't burn down.
"Winky, get me a bottle…no, bring me tea," Crouch ordered, determined to keep his head clear today.
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The Burrow / 1 September 1994Molly Weasley fussed the entire time she waited at the bottom of the stairs at the Burrow. Her booming voice filled the Burrow, "You both had ample time to check your trunks yesterday and this morning to make certain you had everything! We'll be rushed getting you on the express!"
Spotting a discarded jumper on a worn, but clean chair in the lounge, Molly's ire was re-directed from Ron and Ginny to Fred, who'd left the knitted sweater out of his trunk.
"He'll be cold for certain!" she declared as she tucked it under her arm. Ginny and Ron thundered down the stairs with books in their arms that were unceremoniously dumped into their open trunks. Before Ron could slam the lid and lock his trunk, Molly threw the jumper inside.
"Shrink the trunks, Mum," Ron pleaded. "We ain't going through the muggle side and it'll be easier."
"Nonsense, you can drag your trunk like I always did."
Pushing his way around Ginny to the fireplace, Ron threw in floo powder and called out, "Kings Cross Station."
Then the grumpy teen stepped into the green flames with his trunk dragging behind him.
Simultaneously, in another part of Britain, Barty Crouch, Jr pulled the improperly closed trunk into the green flames as he left his family home for Hogwarts. The magic of the floo grabbed Barty and his magical trunk and blew them to bits and pieces in the ether. Victims of the overloaded floo network, Ron, Ginny, and Molly were sucked into the flames and spun around for five minutes.
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Explosions in Magical Britain / 1 September 1994Around the country, every open fireplace connected to the Floo Network exploded. The force of the blasts threw fire, magic and bricks about before shutting down each connection to the network. At Kings Cross Station, the floo in the receiving room on Platform 9¾ exploded. The fireplaces in other places erupted with the incinerating heat in the second that followed the trunk triggering the explosion. The green flames consumed Malfoy Manor and the Minister's Office. Every fireplace in use in the Atrium exploded. The single fireplace in the receiving area of Saint Mungo's Casualty Department exploded.
At Hogwarts, the fireplace in Headmaster Dumbledore's office exploded, sending flames across the space but the phoenix welcomed the magical flames and she absorbed most of the energy and magic though it did force her into a burning day. The only items in the office destroyed were letters on Dumbledore's desk, and a collection of silvery instruments on a bookcase. The smell of smoke filled the air and rose to settle on the many robes stored in the sleeping area.
Fortunately, the headmaster had been in the staff room, arguing with Minerva McGonagall about how they would manage the available classrooms with all the visiting students Albus expected to see at Hogwarts this year.
In the middle of the argument, Albus froze and exclaimed, "The wards report there's a fire in my office!"
Minerva replied, "The fire suppression wards…"
"The wards are not strong enough," Albus explained. House elves popped into the room and took the headmaster and deputy, depositing them outside the door to his office. The gargoyle slid away, and the two administrators hurried up the stairs to douse the fire before it could spread. Minerva had the good sense to cast the bubblehead charm on herself and then Albus who had begun coughing from the smoke – the man was distracted by the fire rather than casting the spell.
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Other BuildingsOther explosions occurred in the Three Broomsticks and Hogsmeade Tavern where customers were thrown about as the force of the explosion burst out windows and doors. At the Daily Prophet, the employee fireplace exploded just as Rita Skeeter arrived, throwing the witch across the width of the office. Another floo in the building where the printing presses operated exploded and damaged the equipment. More explosions shook fireplaces in various stores in Diagon Alley, and locations in Knockturn Alley, and in one receiving room in Gringotts Bank.
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Azkaban / 1 September 1994At the offshore prison in Northern Scotland, the secure fireplace in the warden's office exploded, destroying the maintenance runes and wards that held the magical construct together. Fortunately for Magical Britain, the Dementors were gathered inside their den underneath the prison. Six Auror guards managed to escape as the stone structure fell in on itself, entombing the other Auror guards, the warden, and the two-hundred-and-thirty-four prisoners underneath the earth.
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Dealing with the InjuredPrivate homes damaged by open floos included Bones Manor and Longbottom Retreat. Lady Longbottom was not injured but Amelia Bones and her niece, Susan Bones, suffered broken bones from being flung back by the explosion. The security detail protecting Director Bones apparated the witches to Saint Mungo's and got through the mess in casualty reception to get Susan and Amelia to the healers.
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DMLE OfficesAn elf appeared and delivered another letter to Rufus Scrimgeour. With the absence of the injured Director Amelia Bones, the Head Auror maintained a strong hand on the DMLE as the extent of the catastrophe that struck Magical Britain became known.
With a grim determination to hold things together, Rufus reviewed the growing lists of missing and injured persons, and damaged offices, homes, and shops. Auror Trainee Dora Tonks was tearful, but she kept accurate tallies and lists as news filtered into the DMLE.
There were reports of damage at Hogwarts, Diagon Alley, Hogsmeade, and the homes of several prominent citizens. Homes without strong wards to suppress flames had burned to the ground. After Arthur Weasley found his home burned to the ground, Rufus assigned two Senior Aurors to help the wizard search of his missing wife and youngest children.
Earlier, the wizard reviewed a message from Saint Mungo's: Director Bones would be released in the morning, and she'd assume control of the DMLE again. Scrimgeour was politically ambitious, but he also understood the importance of maintaining the chain of command and lawful succession.
Today, Magical Britain was panicked with fear and confusion because of the explosions and lack of news. This panic would continue for the next few days. Looking for another clue, Rufus opened the latest letter and found an interesting story from Bartimaeus Crouch.
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A Letter Sparks an ExplanationOn the parchment were words that Rufus found hard to believe, but he read the letter twice, sent for Senior Auror Michael Proudfoot and gave the man orders. Linking pieces of information together, Scrimgeour began to suspect a plot of some kind.
"Take one Auror with you to the home of Bartimaeus Crouch. He's got one dead attacker and one prisoner. We don't know if this is connected to the assassination of Minister Fudge, but it might be."
"What happened, sir?" asked Proudfoot before Scrimgeour handed over the letter from Crouch.
"When Crouch stepped out of his home to come to work, he was attacked a wizard and a homunculus. Crouch killed the wizard and stupefied the homunculus."
"A homunculus? Isn't that a golem?"
"Yes, it is a construct and might hold the soul of some dead wizard or witch so take no chances. Bring Crouch into the office," Rufus said but then reconsidered. "No, apparate back to the receiving room in the Department of Mysteries."
"The Unspeakables?" asked Proudfoot.
Scrimgeour nodded and tapped at rune on his desk to contact the Unspeakables and explain the problem. Proudfoot determined the apparition coordinates for Crouch's home in Kent before grabbing a support Auror and departing the office.
Rufus glanced at Tonks who had listened intently to the conversation between her boss and the senior Auror. The Head Auror addressed the young and impressionable witch with strong words. He explained, "In the DMLE office, you will hear many stories like the one just told. And you must keep such news quiet – do not share with your father and mother, friends, or co-workers. And Tonks, I know you admire the whiskered wanker at Hogwarts, but you cannot share all the information you learn with him!"
"Sir? Isn't Dumbledore the head of the government?" asked Tonks.
"NO!" declared Rufus. "The Chief Warlock is head of the Wizengamot but he's not the boss of the minister or the director of the DMLE. He has a lot of influence on budgets and arranges all court cases, but he doesn't implement any law or give orders our boss or the minister."
The mind of the Auror connected the death of Cornelius Fudge, the injury to Amelia Bones, and the fire in Dumbledore's office, to yet another attack against a ministry official.
'The Death Eaters! The incident at the World Cup was the first act of terrorism! Now they have tried to decapitate the ministry,' he decided. Glancing at the assignment board, he sent for a senior Auror to summon all retired personnel back to duty. There'd be more guards around Amelia and anyone entering the ministry would be searched.
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