Jeremy, Mulligan and Eren ran for dear life as the tempestuous firestorm raged above. They heard the East Ham Library collapse on top of them, unable to withstand the assault of the flames which scoured the ruins of all life down to the microscopic level, and Jeremy just hoped this nuclear shelter could hold firm in the face of an onslaught such as this. They ran through the tunnel leading to the bunker proper. Eren shouted something but neither of them could hear him, so deafening was the howl of the firestorm which raged just above their heads.
„Oh God, oh God, oh God," Jeremy whispered over and over as the flames billowed and surged for what seemed like an eternity. The bunker was deeper underground than the tunnel and the heat was almost tolerable down there due to the AC system, but only barely.
Despite the climate control running at its maximum to cool down the bunker, despite the protective spells cast over it, the temperature inside was still climbing rapidly until they felt as if they could no longer draw breath without searing their lungs. Sweat poured from Jeremy in a torrent and for a split second he wondered if this was it, if this was how he would die. Not old and surrounded by his friends and family, not making a final stand against the dark lord, but cooked to death inside a bunker.
How long he waited for the final blow he could not say, but at length he and others became aware of the churning mass of flame growing quieter and quieter by the seconds, as the last of the combustible gasses released by the dead of London were incinerated.
„We... we're alive..." Mulligan whispered in amazement. It was short lived, swept away by dread at what they would inevitably find up there.
Others they had saved from the streets shared in his realization that they were going to live. A few of them laughed. A few of them cried. Most of them remained silent.
They remained in the bunker for a little while. For one, because the ruins of East Ham Library were directly above them and probably searing hot, so they wanted to wait until the surface cooled down a little. And they were also trying to prepare themselves for the horror they would see when they inevitably stepped outside. In the meantime they started preparing food for the survivors. Eren turned on the still functioning television, waiting to see the news, hoping that seeing the destruction of London without seeing would help him, help them all, fortify their minds against the horror to come. Then Hermione appeared.
„This is Hermione Jean Granger, as of today the former British Minister for Magic. Everything you heard is true."
Two of Malachi's faithful had died from the exertion of broadcasting his announcement, and he would not risk their lives again just for Hermione's address to the world. Besides, who knew what she was liable to say? Thankfully there were other means of communication. The city of Dartford was unaffected by the Angel, or the inferno that followed. A video of Hermione's confession was recorded and one of Malachi's men was dispatched there, connected his phone with the first public wifi he could find, and from there the video spread across the internet like wildfire in a matter of a few minutes. It reached Jeremy, Eren and Mulligan in their bunker as well. Survivors of London's destruction huddled in a conference room, where the news was projected across a white wall. Jeremy, Mulligan and Eren sat alongside them, in the front row.
There she was, flanked by two of Greymist's faithful in black robes and hoods to her left and to her right, their banner on full display behind her. Her face was caked with two trails of dried blood running down her cheeks and converging at her chin. At a glance she appeared to be blank, emotionless. But those eyes, those bloodshot eyes, were transfixed by a vision of terror. She blinked three times in quick succession and then closed her eyes for a second, as if fighting back tears.
Or trying to communicate in Morse Code...
Jeremy jumped from his seat so fast he got a bit lightheaded. The other two looked at him as he ran to the side of the room but he had no time to explain, he had to write down what she was blinking but he had no pen or paper, so his wand and a wall would have to do. He took it out, aimed it at the white wall, and a small black burn appeared shortly after, as if focusing sunlight through a magnifying glass. „Come on, please," he was whispering. „Dot, dot, dot, dash..."
Hermione went on with her speech. „After pondering deeply the general trends of the world and particularly the state of the wizarding world as of today, I have decided to effect a settlement of the present situation by resorting to an extraordinary measure."
.––.
„I am no longer worthy of being your Minister for Magic, and the blood of innocents is on my hands. Therefore I resign from ruling the wizards and witches of Great Britain and cede control to Malachi Greymist, who will from this point onward be referred to as the Dark Lord.
„To strive for safety, security and wellbeing of the wizards of Great Britain was the obligation which was passed down to me from my predecessor, an obligation still close to my heart."
–...
„Indeed, I initially refused the Dark Lord's terms of surrender out of my sincere desire to secure the freedom of our people and a future for our children. It was far from my thoughts to cause deaths of millions of muggles through inaction, and farther still to rule them by manipulating their memories and their past, as I have been accused of doing.
„But it has been more than three hundred years since the wizarding world withdrew from the affairs of the world at large. Though we have grown in strength and knowledge of sorcerous arts, though we have served one another with devotion, we remain largely ignorant of the developments in the world at large, to our disadvantage. We can no longer exist as nations within nations.
„Moreover, a new and most terrible alchemical weapon has been deployed, the power of which to do damage is, indeed, incalculable, and many innocents have died today. I did not think anyone would be so..." she faltered, struggling for words, and they all felt what she really wanted to say. Her guards turned their gazes on her, causing her to start over cautiously. „I did not think anyone would be so... devoted to their cause... as to use this weapon. But now I understand that continued resistance would not only result in an ultimate collapse and obliteration of the wizarding world, but also it would lead to the total extinction of human civilization.
„My detachment from reality has claimed many lives. Billions more lie at stake. What can I do to save them? How will I ever atone myself before the hallowed spirits of the City of London? These questions and many others are what compelled me to accept the provisions of the Dark Lord's declaration."
.–...––...
„I cannot but express the deepest sense of regret to all wizards and witches beyond the confines of England, who have consistently worked alongside us at protecting the liberties and rights of all wizardkind.
„The thought of those men and women as well as others who died in London today, those who met their untimely death with their friends and families, will continue to haunt me to the end of my days.
„The welfare of the survivors wherever they may be, and of those who have lost their homes and livelihood, are the objects of my profound solicitude. To relieve them of their burdens I will do what I can and divest myself of everything, all the wealth I have accumulated over the years.
„I am keenly aware of the inmost feelings of all of you. When the dust settles, people will point at us and despise us, but this time it will be different. For we hid ourselves for centuries while the world suffered, and one of wizardkind's leaders, their representative, was tested before the eyes of the world and chose to remain hidden rather than swallow her pride and declare our existence loud and clear, even if we lost our freedoms in the process. The witch hunts that will inevitably ensue from this day, the hardships and tribulations to which our people are to be subjected hereafter will be greater than ever before, and we will think back to the gentle ways of the Inquisition.
„Unless, of course, the Dark Lord remembers that he also made assurances before the eyes of the world. He has sworn to pave the way for a grand peace between wizards and witches and the world at large for all the generations to come. He has promised that no wizard under his rule will live in fear of persecution. I beseech you to put your trust in him as I have. As for myself, it is according to the dictates of time and fate that I have resolved to endure the unendurable and suffer what is insufferable. I ask no one to follow me on this path. I bear the full responsibility for London's destruction. The muggles are invited to make their victim my head.
„Beware most strictly of any outbursts of emotion which may engender needless complications, or any discontent and strife which may create confusion, lead you astray and cause you to lose the confidence of the world.
„Let us now make amends so we may exist in the world as one family from generation to generation, ever firm in our faith in the imperishability of the spirit, and mindful of our heavy burden of responsibility, and of the long road before us."
–––..–...–...––...
„Unite your total strengths, to be devoted to construction for the future. The ruins of London need not remain ruins forever. It burned before and returned; it can return again. We can share our sorcerous arts with the world, buildings can be rebuilt, cities can be repopulated. Cultivate the ways of rectitude, foster nobility of spirit, and work with resolution – so that you may enhance the efforts of mankind and keep pace with the progress of the world."
She added one more long, hard blink, right before the video ended. Not that it was necessary since Jeremy caught the part of her message that mattered, but he burned a final dash into the wall anyway, and smiled at it. The code Jeremy had just written translated to Greymist's location, but Hermione, for all her talk of surrender, had one more thing to say. A message which seemed to address not just Jeremy, but all those who had eyes to see.
St. Anne's Limehouse. Fight.
Yeah, fight. Easy for her to say. He would do it, certainly, but who else would dare to fight alongside him? Well, it struck him now that it was time to make some calls. And he thought he saw some phones inside this bunker. So Jeremy set off from the conference room and into a telecommunications office, where an entire wall was taken up by what seemed to him a huge computer server with tiny green lights without number, each of them flashing independently of each other according to some indecipherable pattern. Opposite this arcane technology were three black phones, relics from a previous century. Two of them once had labels upon their handles, but they appeared to have been ripped off so only traces of paper remained. Only upon one of them was a label, and that was all the proof Jeremy needed that this facility was taken over and repurposed by wizards. MACUSA, the label read.
Cautiously he picked up the phone, placed it on his ear, and dialed a number known only to himself. „Auror Jeremy Taylor speaking, 793. Get me Commissioner of the Auror Department."
For a moment there was silence, such that he actually flinched a little when he actually got a response. „Jeremy Taylor. Still alive," the voice on the other end swelled with pride. „We're coming to get you."
Jeremy wished he could be as thrilled as the Commissioner of the Auror Department in the United States, Richard Kaczynski. „Richie," he simply said, sitting on one end of the table.
„Did you try calling up the Commissioner of London?" Richie asked. „Only muggles were singled out by the attack, maybe he's still alive."
Jeremy looked back at the collection of black phones, at their labels. Well, the lack thereof. „I'm looking at two identical phones. No idea who they're connected to, though," he said, sighing. He sagged a little where he sat, but the jolt of pain from his side made him correct his posture again. „I doubt they'd help us anyway. You saw what their Minister for Magic has said..."
„I have. Thank goodness I still remember the Morse alphabet," Richie laughed. „Looks like it's once more up to us to save England from a madman trying to conquer it. They never learn, do they?"
„Now, now," Jeremy tutted. „Not everyone will see it that way..."
„They don't have to."
„...and many might even find it insulting."
„Again, they don't have to. Their choice. Now you just sit tight, we're bringing in the cavalry–"
„I will not sit tight," Jeremy rose. „I have a man on the inside, he can get me in."
„Oh? Well, in that case..." Richie trailed off, and for a long while there was silence on the other end. Most likely he was rethinking his strategy. „Do you trust him?"
Jeremy thought of the fat merchant with a mustache and his confession, his dream of nobility. „I don't know."