42 Chapter 42

Chapter 42

AMELIA BONES

Amelia watched as the greenish fiery serpent rushed towards Albus, who suddenly faltered because of the spell that had hit him earlier.

"ALBUS!" she shouted as she tried to help him, yet she had to jump to the side to avoid getting hit by a killing curse headed straight at her. Around her, the Ministry Hall was a mess, with fighting going on between Aurors and Death Eaters. There were bodies strewn across the Hall some howling in pain, some unmoving at all.

She watched Albus close his eyes and her heart nearly gave out, for she knew what would happen if Albus was to fall today. It would probably be the end of their society as they knew it.

Yet suddenly a silhouette jumped right in front of Albus, wand in hand as she heard a huge shout.

"PROTEGO DIABOLICA!" blue flames erupted around them, suddenly. Rising like a protective wall and she watched as Voldemort's attack hit the wall and was stopped.

Blue clashed against green, and the fiery serpent hissed, yet the blue flames overpowered it in the end and stood strong. She struggled to her feet as she rushed toward Albus, who was grunting in Pain. His whole arm seemed to be decaying rapidly and the rot seemed to be spreading to his body.

"Gods!" she cursed as she took out her wand and began to cast all the counter curses she knew, yet she failed to stop the rot from spreading.

"We need to get you to St. Mungos at once," she said to him, yet Albus shook his head and took out a vial from his pocket with great difficulty, it suddenly slipped from his hand, she reached for it and gave it to him.

"What is this?" she asked him as he opened it and drank the clear liquid from it. Her eyes widened as she saw the rot stopped spreading at once, and she had an epiphany about what was in that vial.

"Phoenix tears," she gasped and Dumbledore did not need to answer. Albus was looking straight at their savior. And Amelia finally looked up as well to see who it was, and her eyes widened as she recognized the person standing in front of them.

His hair was disheveled and his face and robes were dyed red with dried blood, there were burn marks visible on his face as they extended to his neck and below and those amethyst eyes were glowing as the blue flames surrounded them all.

It was Albus's student, the one that had been taken hostage. Edward, she recalled his name was. What was he doing here?

"Are you fine Professor Dumbledore?" he spoke up suddenly and Albus nodded as he tried to stand up. She supported him as he stood up and replied.

"All thanks to you Edward, I must thank you for saving my life," and the recent graduate nodded, his wand still leveled at Voldemort. Who was now gripping his lost wand arm as he glared at them with those ominous red orbs?

"It is over Voldemort, you are done," said Albus wincing in Pain as he stepped forward. She noticed that while the rot had stopped spreading, the areas it had affected earlier were not healing yet. Just what kind of curse had Voldemort used?

"HAHAHAHAHA!" Voldemort broke out into a cackle as he picked up his wand with his other hand.

"You say I am done. Ohhh, Dumbledore you have no idea just how wrong you are!" said Voldemort suddenly and Amelia's eyes widened as the floo network suddenly lit up as a plethora of people entered the Ministry floor. Many of them with haunted faces and sunken eyes, wearing a prison uniforms.

Her body shook as she saw all those familiar faces, faces of Voldemort's devout followers they had been able to catch and imprison in the last war. Imprison at the impregnable prison of Azkaban.

"Tell me, am I done now Dumbledore!" said Voldemort as his followers gathered behind him. One of the prisoners stepped forward, her hair grey and stiff, her face pale as paper but her eyes made her take a step back. The madness in those eyes was haunting as Bellatrix Lestrange stepped forward, with all her craziness.

"It is you, my lord, you are here. You have finally come to rescue me!" she cackled as she kneeled down at Voldemort's feet. It was demeaning for anyone let alone someone with her power and status.

Suddenly there was the sound of footsteps behind her as well. And she looked back and saw the Aurors regrouping behind her with Kingsley at the lead, she looked at him and he pointed at the kid standing in front of her.

"By the time I and my team reached the upper floors, the kid had already cleared more than half of them. They were littered with bodies of werewolves," and dread pooled in her gut as she heard that name.

"Greyback," she spoke, and Kingsley nodded.

"Yes, it was his pack. But thankfully he won't be able to turn anyone else after today," and she frowned at his words as Kingsley finished with a rather satisfied smile.

"Fenrir Greyback is dead!" and the words made her turn towards the kid in front of her. She had heard of his of course yet killing Fenrir was a massive achievement. There was a reason he had always escaped capture. The man was almost impossible to apprehend. His magic-resistant skin made it impossible to stun him as spells simply bounced off him, and when he transformed he was a menace to handle. The man had bit over a dozen people in one of the raids to capture him.

His agility, and his ability to maintain partial rationality even as a werewolf set him apart and made him exceptionally dangerous. She wasn't even sure that she could capture him alone, yet Albus's student had killed him. She would call him heartless however she would have done the same if she ever had a chance. The world was safer for children with that bastard gone.

"I recognize you," spoke Voldemort suddenly looking straight at Albus's student, as he stepped forward. Waving his wand suddenly a shiny metal began to appear out of thin air as it morphed into an arm.

"You were among the kids we captured that night. Yes, I remember you. You were quite distinctive I must say," continued Voldemort. He saw the kid stiffen up as Voldemort addressed him, there were hisses from the Death Eaters. Voldemort looked back and they all became silent in an instant.

The tension in the room was suffocating, as the two groups stood opposite to each other wands leveled and ready.

"They told me of you, of your prowess, and your ability reminds me of myself. Oh, how similar we are. Even with your tainted blood. So let me make you an offer," said Voldemort grandly as he spread his arms magnanimously.

0000

EDWARD WRIGHT

"Join me," said Voldemort as the whole Ministry Hall quieted down. Everyone was shocked by his words.

"Kill Dumbledore, and I will allow you to join me. You could have anything you want," and the Death Eaters became quiet at that as his heart raced in his chest. Truth was that Edward was rather tired, he had faced over three dozen wizards, and that had left him quite drained. And now he stood here facing Voldemort.

He glanced back and saw Dumbledore standing there serenely, holding his blackened rotting arm as he stood there rather relaxed. Their eyes met, and Edward sighed, as he spoke in a hushed.

"You know you might show a little worry, there might be a chance that I could accept that offer you know," said Edward to the old man who just shrugged as he gave him a smile.

"I believe I know you better than him Mr. Wright," said Professor Dumbledore with a small chuckle, his body still relaxed. Edward shook his head as he looked straight ahead once more. His grip on his wand tightened as he felt everyone's gaze focused on him.

"I believe I am quite fine where I am, Tom," and he saw Voldemort glower at that. His eyes narrowed at Dumbledore but before the man could say anything, Bellatrix Lestrange snarled.

"You dare deny the Dark Lord's offer! You filthy mud-blood. You should be on your knees thanking the lord for giving a chance to mongrels like you, yet you defy him," she said in a crazed tone as she stood up. She suddenly aimed a wand straight at him.

"I will kill you! I will kill…." But before she could finish her crazed rant someone interrupted her as the doors to the Ministry Hall opened up.

"Well, it's because he has better taste than you, dear cousin," came the scathing reply as reinforcements finally arrived. Sirius Black stood there with other members of the Order and a dozen or so Aurors with their wands at the ready as the Death Eaters bristled at being surrounded so suddenly.

They began to panic as they got surrounded.

"You Sirius! You traitor, you continue to defy our family's good name. Aunt Walburga would be cursing in her grace seeing you mingle with mud-blood and traitors like these," snarled Bellatrix as she looked at Sirius, who simply shrugged.

"I don't know about the grave. But she is screeching in her portrait," he taunted her, and Bellatrix Lestrange snarled as she aimed her wand at him. But before she could cast a spell Voldemort intervened.

"That will be enough Bellatrix!" came the booming voice of Voldemort and Bellatrix was cowed immediately as she looked at her master like a dog looks at their master. Her expression sent shivers down his spine as Voldemort's gaze focused on him.

"You have made a huge mistake by refusing my offer. You could have had a chance to taste greatness yet now you shall die just like the rest of your filthy breed," snarled Voldemort. His words shook the whole building and made Edward's heart beat faster.

Amelia Bones suddenly stepped forward from the side, her wand aimed at Voldemort.

"I doubt that!" she shouted as the Aurors began to take small steps forward, following her lead. She came and stood by his side as she continued.

"You aren't leaving this building Voldemort. Surrender yourself, you are surrounded," she said as Aurors continued to step forward cautiously. The Death Eaters bristled at her words. They were surrounded, on both sides.

"HAHAHAHA! You think you can hold me, Minister!" said Voldemort as he broke out into a sinister laugh.

"Let me educate you Minister!" he said suddenly as he suddenly brought down his wand as his body began to morph into a dark cloud, and it spread around.

"I am the Dark Lord, carrier of the will of Slytherin himself," he began as the dark cloud began to expand encircling his death Eaters.

"You cannot stop me. For I am inevitable!" he shouted suddenly and the cloud of darkness exploded and the Ministry Hall was filled with shouts and cries.

It expanded instantaneously destroying everything in its path, and Edward reacted on instinct as he pushed the Minister back and waved his wand in an upward slash.

The flames in front of him erupted into large columns shielding them from Voldemort's attack. Edward was pushed back by the power of the attack, and was forced on his knees yet he did not relent, for he knew that if the attack got through him and everyone behind him would be dead.

"DON'T MOVE! STAY BEHIND!" ordered the Minster stopping the Aurors from moving any further.

"AGHHH!"

"HELP!"

"HAAAA!"

There were shouts of men writhing in pain but Edward couldn't spare any effort to look at the source. He lost track of time and perhaps it was hours or minutes later that the pressure reduced and he finally lowered his arm, and his wand rolled out of his hand, which was stiff and in pain.

It had taken everything he had just to block Voldemort's attack. Yet he had succeeded. He finally looked ahead and the scene was haunting. The Ministry Hall had been destroyed completely. There were many casualties on the other with many bodies lying there in puddles of blood.

People were shouting and crying as medics and Aurors rushed inside from the gate, many of them couldn't keep the contents of their stomachs inside them and vomited at the gruesome sights in front of them.

"GODS!" said the minister as she stepped forward, her face pale and her body shook at the dozens of dead people laid there in front of her.

THUD!

Suddenly, they both looked back to find that Dumbledore had fallen onto his knees. Amelia Bones rushed towards him as she shouted.

"MEDICS! I NEED MIEDICS HERE ASAP!" and the whole Hall watched as medics rushed towards the Greatest Wizard of their age.

0000

As always, you can read ahead and support me on Patre 0n. Your support makes it possible for me to write. So, if possible, have a look and consider dropping a dime. It would mean a lot!

www.Patre 0n.com/Drkest

Thanks for reading!