Celestial Ascendancy
Chapter 47: The Aftermath.
Little Hangleton.
Elias Black.
I grinned tiredly, feeling Ash's teleportation for the first time in my life. It felt warm and welcoming in a way that was hard to explain.
"Hold on, old man," I murmured to Dumbledore, already healing him to the best of my ability. He was in genuinely bad shape, and... my healing magic didn't work that well against curses since I hadn't practiced how to use it that way yet.
Normal injuries? Easy peasy. I could probably even heal someone who was almost bifurcated after this much practice. But Dumbledore's injuries were cursed to the point that even holding his frail body felt icky.
Still, he wouldn't die on me, and that was more than enough. Hopefully, Madam Pomfrey would be better at this than I am.
So, I was surprised when, instead of the walls of Hogwarts, as I expected, Ash took us to a clearing on the opposite side of the graveyard. The village had seen better days… I felt a pang in my heart when I noticed the sheer destruction everywhere in sight.
Houses were destroyed, and not a single sign or tree was intact in the whole place. People were shouting and bawling their eyes out, their faces red from crying, and all of them were trembling in fear.
"Eli!" Iris's voice cracked. She ran toward me after putting a child on the floor next to what I supposed were her parents.
Both Iris and Hermione stopped what they were doing and threw themselves at me, checking over my battered body.
Instead of finding it funny this time, I felt bad for them.
I was already healing most of my injuries, but even then, it was a pretty sad sight.
My shirt was gone, a large gash in the shape of a burning claw across my chest. My jeans were torn to pieces and barely covering my modesty. I had a few burns scattered across my body, already healing, but the nature of the injuries made it genuinely taxing. Thankfully, Ash's tears were helping with that.
"I'm fine, I think," I groaned when Iris pushed her hand a little too hard on my ribs.
"Or I will be, don't worry, love," I patted her head and wiped her tears away. Hermione hugged me tightly but more carefully than Iris.
"I thought we lost you, Eli," Hermione murmured, her voice so soft it was almost a whimper. It was clear she had been very, very scared for me.
"I'm sorry," I said just as softly, caressing her beautiful mane. "But I'm here... alive."
I lifted my head from hers, looking around to see who else was there. I was surprised to see how many people had come from Hogwarts. Fleur was there, looking at me with a complicated expression in her eyes. Flitwick, McGonagall, Tonks, Shacklebolt, and Madam Pranitha were also present.
It was good to know that Ash had, in fact, followed my instructions.
Fleur's wide blue eyes met mine, and for a heartbeat, all the noise and cries blurred into silence. She had a terrified look in her eyes that genuinely broke my heart.
Something inside me twisted painfully at that.
I did my damned best to rein my magic in, to avoid imitating the walking WMD I had become, but it was a moot point. The overwhelming magic was still burning inside me, hotter and more alive than ever before. That was what made it more difficult. It wasn't like it was out of control or something like that; it was just me now. It was my damn preset.
Flitwick and Fleur were the ones who felt it the most, probably because of their half-magical heritage. Being closer to magic than standard wizards made their senses, specifically their magical senses, much more potent than the norm.
They shivered, almost visibly, when their gazes met mine.
"Eli, you're burning up," Iris murmured when she touched my arm.
I looked at her quizzically because I didn't feel a fever of any kind, but before I could even mention that, a missile impacted my chest, almost sending the girls to the floor.
Like lightning, Fleur threw herself at me, her eyes wild and a couple of feathers across her arms. Her feathery hands framed my face tenderly, a complete contrast to the wild energy in her movements, and she kissed me.
It was a desperate thing, all things considered, an almost manic energy in the kiss on her part, her magic thrumming around us as I felt her Allure going crazy. It tried its best to affect me, but I only felt a slow pressure on my mind.
I froze for half a second in surprise, but when I noticed Iris and Mione were alright, I melted into it, meeting her lips with the same energy she put into it.
Wrapping my arms around her waist, I pulled her closer, enjoying her musk. She smelled simply divine.
Fleur touched her forehead to mine, her blue eyes locked firmly onto my gray ones as she smiled beautifully.
"Sorry, girls, I couldn't help myself," she chuckled, not a single ounce of embarrassment in her posture.
I grinned, giving her another gentle kiss before letting her go. "I think they'll understand, Fleur."
The clearing stayed silent for a beat until Mione gave a little dramatic cough, her eyes alight with mirth.
"Well," she grinned in amusement, "it seems someone feels very bold tonight, eh, Iris?"
Iris nodded thoughtfully back at Mione, her mouth set in a firm line before she grinned, a genuine laugh escaping her as she hugged Fleur. "I think we should be jealous, love, but I'm not feeling it for some reason."
To her credit, Fleur didn't crumble under Iris's serious act, but I felt her sigh of relief once Iris laughed. Her hand squeezed mine before she hugged Iris back and pulled Hermione in to complete the set.
Professor McGonagall was walking toward us, her face grim, but she opened her mouth a couple of times just to simply close it again. She was utterly lost for words.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Madam Pranitha waving her wand across Dumbledore's body.
Ash was taking care of Fawkes. Even if, to my eyes, she just looked smug. My adorable little phoenix.
Madam Pranitha hadn't said a word the whole time, but she was expertly tending Dumbledore to the best of her ability, her eyes serious as she scanned him, biting her lip in concentration.
But I could feel Dumbledore's aura stabilizing under her care. As soon as I felt that, she sighed in relief, turning her attention back to me with a curious look.
She grinned in my direction, making me shake my head in amusement.
She was way too peppy for a grandma her age.
I was about to ask for a small recap of everything that happened in the village when Madam Bones appeared in the clearing, followed by six more Aurors, including the idiot that we met at the World Cup, Dawlish.
I scowled but eased my expression after a moment. He wasn't anyone important.
Tonks and Shacklebolt walked toward her, their eyes sharp and serious.
The remaining Aurors were looking around with different levels of awe and even fear, but I focused more on their boss.
Bones had her monocle set on her left eye, scanning frantically toward the direction of the graveyard, sweat matting her hair.
She turned toward us, flinched, and then she screamed.
"Merlin's flaming...!" she yelped, ripping the monocle from her face and hurling it into the ground with surprising force. It shattered with a tiny plink.
Bones immediately began rubbing her eyes furiously, looking both furious and in pain.
"Madam Bones?!" Shacklebolt barked, stepping forward in alarm as the Aurors snapped into defensive stances, wands pointed squarely at me.
Bones waved them off blindly with one hand. "Down, down, you fools! He's not attacking... bloody hell, I should've warned you lot…!"
Dawlish didn't hear or probably did and just didn't care because he threw a stunner in my direction, and the fucker had the gall to look proud about it.
I narrowed my eyes at the spell and noticed that the aim was off. If I did nothing, it would hit Fleur right on her back.
Exhaling through my nostrils, I gently grabbed Fleur and moved her out of the way before I caught the spell mid-air, feeling it try to do something but failing miserably.
Without a word, I sent a stunner back at him. The dumbass, wide-eyed, didn't even have time to defend himself and dropped to the ground unconscious, twenty feet away from his original position.
Bones squinted at me through watering eyes, still rubbing at them like it would help.
"My monocle's enchanted to see raw magic," she gritted out. "One glance at the boy and I almost went blind! What the fuck do you expect to do against someone like that?"
There was a collective shuffle among the Aurors, half of them lowering their wands awkwardly, the other half still looking suspicious. Only one of them went back to check on the downed Auror.
"What an ass," I spat, then blinked at her, feeling a sudden, sheepish twist in my gut. "Uh... sorry. I might need to find a solution for that."
Bones just huffed, bending down stiffly to pick up the cracked remnants of her monocle. "Not your fault. Just... bloody hell, Mister Blake. And you, Miss Potter! You could've warned me that your boyfriend was a fucking magic generator inside out!"
Hermione snickered. "We didn't have the time."
Iris innocently said, "Maybe we should get him a sign next time. But for real, my bad, Madam Bones."
Even Fleur laughed softly against my chest, though she refused to let me go.
Behind them, McGonagall muttered something that sounded like, "Merlin preserves us all.
Bones took a deep breath, consciously ignoring the unconscious Auror behind her with practiced ease as she shook her head.
"I'm fine," she grunted, her gaze sharpening. "Now, explain, Mister Blake. What in Merlin's name happened here? Who was that woman? How on earth are you even capable of going against that?"
"I don't think the last question is fair to me, Madam Bones," I said, shaking my head firmly.
"Fuck bloody fairness, young man!" she barked. "A whole village was almost erased under my watch without me being able to do a single damn thing to stop it! The worst Dark Wizard of Wizarding Britain apparently came back to life! I do not have time for fairness!"
I sighed. "I can and will explain most of those questions, Madam Bones. But not right now."
The Aurors behind her readied their wands, and the girls stepped beside me, preparing for anything.
Flitwick took a fortifying breath and walked toward our group, his wand in hand as he looked seriously at the Aurors.
McGonagall looked at the proceedings in shock, her gaze bouncing between Dumbledore, the Aurors, and finally us.
"And why not, young man? Do you not understand the trouble you're in?" she asked sharply.
"I fucking saved these people," I snapped, glaring at her. "I stopped that fucking insane woman from turning her attention anywhere else but me when not a single fucking person here could do the same! I think I deserve some fucking time. The fucking wounded deserve our attention first."
She glared at me, but I could feel the heat had already drained from it.
"My apologies. You are correct," she sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.
She didn't explain further, and honestly, I didn't care.
I could understand her point of view, even if I didn't like it.
"Let's finish things here," I grunted, trying to calm down my anger when she had the fucking gall to blame me.
Truthfully, the only reason I could even calm down was thanks to the girls whispering in my ears or brushing featherlight touches against my arms.
"Is this everyone here?" I asked McGonagall. "Or are there missing people?"
"I think we got everyone out, young man," she said softly, her eyes a mix of complicated emotions.
"Good. Madam Pranitha, how's Dumbledore?" I asked the Indian witch.
"Just missing something," she murmured.
She slumped back to the floor with a final flick of her wand.
Dumbledore was as bad as I expected; the poor woman was drenched in sweat, her eyes drooping with exhaustion.
"He'll live?" Iris asked, looking worriedly at the old man.
"Yes, he'll live, young Iris," Pranitha smiled softly. "He had one heck of a fight. This Voldemort must be something else to leave Dumbledore in this state."
"That he is," Iris scowled deeply. "Fucking bastard."
I shook my head at them before turning my attention to the wounded villagers.
"Hello, everyone," I said, trying to smile in their direction, but I could feel the fear rolling off most of them.
"I know some of you might hate me after what happened, but I want to assure you I just want to help."
"And why should we believe you?" an old man who reeked of alcohol shouted at me. "Our village is gone, our houses destroyed! It's a bloody miracle no one died after that!"
"And what the bloody hell happened? Who are you all?" another man asked, full of fear. "How can you do everything you've done? Is it magic?"
That brought me to a stop.
Fuck... this was bad. Most, if not all, of them were muggles.
Madam Bones opened her mouth, but I spoke over her.
"Yes, it was magic."
"Mister Blake!" Bones shouted, alarmed.
"They deserve to know for now," I grunted. "It will help things. It's not like we don't have the Obliviators."
"They deserve to know, at least for now," Hermione said softly, a sad look on her pretty face.
"Indeed," Flitwick nodded. "This will help, Miss Bones."
Bones sighed in exasperation but stayed silent.
"Magic is real?" a little girl asked, her eyes bright with wonder. Her parents tried to shush her, their faces pale with fear, but I just smiled.
"Yes, it is, girl. What's your name?" I asked gently.
"Lisa," she grinned. "Can you show me a spell?"
"I think my girlfriends can help with that," I said with a slight grin, pushing the girls toward her.
"I promise everything will be alright. I swear it on my name," I told her worried parents seriously.
Iris, Hermione, and Fleur began showing the little girl harmless spells and a few easy transfigurations, which earned the adorable child giggles.
"I will pay for the reconstruction of the village," I told Madam Bones. "While inevitable, it's partly my fault. Just make sure everything is used fairly. I don't want to visit the Ministry to have words."
"Can you even pay for something like that, young man?" she asked tiredly.
"Yes," I replied simply. "I'll give you more than enough when we return to the school."
She nodded, perplexed, clearly not fully believing me, but I didn't care.
I just walked toward the villagers.
Some of them took a few steps back as I approached, but a courageous young woman in her mid-thirties, by the look of her, stood her ground.
"If you wanted to hurt us, we wouldn't be able to defend ourselves," she sighed, looking at the destroyed village. "Thank you for saving us, young man."
I smiled at her and placed my hand gently on her shoulder.
I directed my magic toward her, fixing every injury she had. Since they were mundane wounds, I barely felt the dip in my reserves.
The woman gasped, looking down at her body in surprise.
"There. All good," I smiled warmly. "Can you all make a line? The most injured first."
"Wandless healing magic?" Tonks murmured behind me.
I shot her a wink. "We'll be done soon," I promised the villagers.
Later.
I sighed in relief, seeing that everyone was healthy. I went all the way, healing as much as possible with my magic. Which was a lot, surprisingly.
They weren't smiling, but it was definitely better than before.
"How will you stop this from getting out while the village is being fixed?" I asked Madam Bones softly to avoid being overheard.
"They will be taken back to the Ministry while we do so. If you truly can provide the money for the reparations, the goblins will be happy to help," she sighed, a tired look on her face.
She took a deep breath, "I wanted to apologize for how I acted before, Mister Blake. I am... just tired."
I waved my hand, "Understandable, Madam Bones. Don't worry, I can't fault you for that. Do you think the villagers will be treated fairly at the Ministry?"
"I will damn well make sure of it," she grunted. "And it's not like it will take much time... but I think we will obliviate the graveyard's existence."
Rubbing the back of my head, I chuckled. "Yeah... I think that's for the best."
"I want answers, young man," she said softly, a serious look in her eyes.
"And you will have some," I sighed, "back at Hogwarts."
I perked up, seeing Dumbledore sitting down on the floor, his eyes tired but, well, at least alive.
"Headmaster," I grinned, "how are you feeling?"
"Like a hippogriff ran over me, Elias," he grunted, rubbing his neck and sides, "what happened?"
"Bastards ran away," I grunted slowly, "I cut Walburga's hand off, at least."
"Who was she, Elias?" he asked seriously, "I need some information, young man..."
"I know who she is, but this is not the place for that conversation. Madam Bones is already breathing down my neck. I think we should return to Hogwarts to continue it."
He nodded tiredly, looking at the destroyed town in shock and sadness.
"I already healed them," I said softly, "And I will pay for the restoration. It's the least I can do for them. Good news though... no one died."
"A miracle," Dumbledore sighed, "And you are a good man, Elias. Better than most."
"It's a gift," I grinned, "we should get going."
Nodding at Madam Bones, she immediately began barking directions to her Aurors.
"Reed, Shacklebolt, Gawain," she began, "take them to the Ministry, keep them calm and happy. I don't want a single mention of them being mistreated. When I return tonight, I want them located somewhere safe and private. The restoration will begin as soon as possible."
"Yes, ma'am," they saluted and began herding the villagers.
"Good," she nodded. "The rest, with me. We're going back to Hogwarts."
"Allow me," Dumbledore grunted as he removed his shoe and tapped it with his wand. "I seem to have recovered enough magic to make a Portkey. It should be faster this way. I made it to the infirmary because I must lie down," he chuckled.
Iris grinned, helping the Headmaster stand up along with Fleur and Mione.
Before long, we had made a circle around the shoe and placed our fingers on it.
After the weird and uncomfortable feeling passed, we found ourselves in the infirmary, where a frantic Madam Pomfrey immediately began pushing the Headmaster toward an empty bed.
I grinned, catching sight of a small beetle flying in the shadows.
Rita was here.
After everyone was settled, Madam Bones turned her attention to us.
"Now, answers, Mister Blake," she said sharply.
"I think we should do it chronologically," I sighed.
Slowly, I explained that we had already known Voldemort had been alive since our first year. Then Iris took over, explaining our second year while Amelia Bones nursed a whisky cup, courtesy of McGonagall, who drank quite... in an unhealthy way.
"Why did I not know about this, Dumbledore?" Bones asked tiredly.
"You wouldn't have believed me," Dumbledore shrugged.
"I had the bloody fucking right to know, you bearded old bastard!" Bones shouted in his face. "My Susan studies here!"
Dumbledore raised a hand, his tired face softening.
"I understand your anger, Amelia," he said quietly, "and I apologize. Looking back... I can see your reasons."
Bones stared at him for a long moment before sighing heavily, her shoulders slumping.
"Fine," she muttered, "let's move on. Mister Blake, you can continue."
I nodded, glancing at the girls. "We can skip the third year for now, but we will return later. Nothing related to Voldemort happened there."
Bones gave a short nod, still watching me intently.
"We started noticing signs again this year," I continued, "ever since the mess at the World Cup."
"How?" she asked sharply.
"Because Barty Crouch Jr. was loose," I reminded her, "And after what happened at the World Cup... Well, we were worried."
Bones's mouth tightened, but she nodded grimly, motioning for me to continue.
"We knew he wanted something from the tournament thanks to Crouch; we just didn't know what. Since he didn't act during the first or second task, we figured the third would be his only chance left to do something."
I leaned back slightly, rubbing my temples.
"In the labyrinth... I was about to grab the Cup. It was right in front of me when something was summoned."
Bones leaned forward slightly. "Summoned? What exactly is that?"
"Eh, just like it sounds," I shrugged, "you have something in one place, and it appears in another one. He sent something to kill me before I could reach the Cup."
"What was it?" she asked with narrowed eyes.
"A kind of Inferi... but not like the ones I've read," I mused thoughtfully, "It wasn't just a corpse reanimated by dark magic. It was fast and durable, and it regenerated almost instantly. It was, like, really fucking hard to kill."
"Language, Mister Black," Dumbledore interjected tiredly, before turning serious, "It was Lord Nott."
Everyone but me turned to look at him.
"Voldemort must have used some kind of forbidden ritual," he continued, "twisting Nott's corpse into something far worse than a mere Inferi. A... prototype mayhaps."
Bones inhaled sharply through her nose, and her eyes had a disturbed look.
"And what happened to it?" she asked carefully.
I shrugged before grinning, "I have its head stored away in my trunk. Along with a few Death Eaters, including Peter Pettigrew."
Her eyes widened slightly.
"You said that before; what can you tell me about it?"
"Before that, I think it's Iris's turn," I shook my head, "when Dumbledore and I arrived at the graveyard, he was already done with whatever he did."
"Sure," Iris said, jumping out from Mione's embrace.
"So... during the task, a woman who I thought was a civilian touched my back," Iris began slowly, "I thought it was another fan about to bother me, but it turned out she was that bitch Walburga using something like Polyjuice."
"Miss Potter," Dumbledore interjected, "do you think you could wait until someone arrives? I've called for Severus. He needs to hear what happened."
Bones's eyes narrowed, but she stayed silent.
"When did you do that, Headmaster?" Hermione frowned.
"I'm the Headmaster, my dear," Dumbledore grinned, "I have my ways."
Before long, Snape arrived, his cloak billowing behind him. He was paler than usual, and it was clear he was rattled.
"Did it happen?" Snape asked seriously, "Is he back?"
"I'm afraid it did, my boy," Dumbledore sighed.
Snape slumped against the wall, looking defeated. He glanced around the room, his gaze locking on the Aurors.
"Are they trustworthy, Madam Bones?" he asked seriously.
"I would think so," Bones nodded.
I doubted some of them since I didn't know them, but who was I to judge?
The only Aurors with us were Tonks and the one called Reed, who returned from the Ministry for some reason. The rest were guarding the door outside, one of them being the dunce Dawlish.
Amelia Bones was smart enough to keep him away from me.
Snape locked eyes with Bones before nodding minutely.
"The Mark darkened, and I felt a pull somewhere near the south a while ago," he grunted, showing his arm, "Karkaroff is panicking. I think the Durmstrang delegation will leave fast if he doesn't manage to ask for asylum."
"You were a Death Eater?" Iris asked, dumbfounded.
Snape just nodded, a sad look on his face, "one of my biggest mistakes, Miss Potter."
"If you would continue, Miss Potter," Bones grunted, glaring at Snape but doing a splendid job controlling herself.
"So yeah," Iris shook her head, "the bitch took me away somehow, and I ended up at the graveyard."
She took a deep breath before explaining what happened all the way until our arrival.
"Those are troubling news, my dear," Dumbledore frowned deeply, "I know of that ritual," he continued, "One of the darkest ones I've ever heard of. But that last line... that was what allowed him to grow so much. I'm afraid I'm not his match anymore."
"That woman... who is she?" Bones asked sharply, "How does Voldemort know her?"
"Are you sure they're trustworthy?" I asked seriously, "Because that knowledge is worse than Voldemort's return."
"Auror Reed, vacate the premises," Bones grunted, "I have a feeling I know where this is going."
"Ma'am?" the Auror asked, offended.
"You heard me, Auror. Vacate the premises."
The Auror scowled at Tonks before stomping out angrily.
"He's a good Auror, but he trusts the Minister too much," Bones explained, "Auror Tonks, what you hear stays with you alone, understood?"
"Yes, Ma'am!" Tonks saluted, grinning.
She was cute, puffing her chest proudly like that.
"She's Walburga," I scowled, "the Witch of the Purple Flames."
"I have not heard that name," Dumbledore said, rubbing his beard thoughtfully.
"Probably because she's not a witch," I sighed, "She's a magician."
The Cup filled with whiskey slipped from Madam Bones's hand and shattered on the floor. Her face went pale.
Dumbledore wasn't that far off, either.
"What's a magician?" Tonks asked, clueless.
The door opened with a bang, and a cloaked, masked man walked in purposefully.
"A magician is a muggle capable of using magic through calculations," he said bluntly, "And you, young man, have much to explain," he added, turning his gaze to me.
"Saul," Dumbledore sighed, "I would love to say it's a surprise to see you, but I dislike lying."
"You know damn well why I'm here, Dumbledore," the man grunted, "Do you have any idea of the fallout from what just transpired?"
"Who are you?" Iris asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Saul Croaker, Department of Mysteries," he grunted harshly.
"Well, boy?!" he barked, glaring at me, "Do you have any idea what's coming?"
"Do not fucking take that tone with me," I growled back, "If anything, that'll make the bastards you work for finally fucking try to stop Voldemort before it's too late. If that's even possible."
Croaker stiffened under my magic weight, his shoulders tensing before he forced himself to relax.
"Well, it's too fucking late, boy," he grunted, "That bloody fight must have alerted the whole damn Europe that something big happened. And some of my peers won't like that."
"Tough shit," I grunted, "Useless bastards thinking they know everything."
"Then why are you here, Saul?" Dumbledore asked calmly.
"Because I feel like I'm the bloody only one that understands we need this young man if some people come sniffing around," he grunted, "There are beings out there that make Dumbledore look like a kid waving magic props. If they come knocking, there is absolutely nothing we can do."
"What beings?" Bones asked sharply, "I know about the supernatural, but not much... just that we shouldn't antagonize them. Is the difference truly that big?"
"You have no idea, lass," he grunted, removing his mask and grabbing a cup from the table, filling it with water.
"If it helps, Mephisto Pheles was watching the fight," I snorted, "We had a nice conversation after that."
Croaker choked on his water and spat it out violently before screaming in rage and hurling the Cup against the wall.
"Merlin's hairy balls, lad!" he coughed, "Already?!"
"He was nice," I shrugged with a grin, "And his right hand was there, too. He told me they were visiting something called Golden Dawn and felt the disturbance. He said they chose to take a look just in case."
"That's a magician organization here in Britain," Croaker added after cleaning his chin with a napkin.
"Mephisto, the devil?" Hermione asked with wide eyes, "What did he say?"
I grinned at my girlfriend.
"Yeah, well, a devil, I guess," I said, rubbing her head, "His companion was the one who made the last ice wall that stopped Walburga's attack."
"Did you thank him?" Iris asked, "He saved our lives."
"Thank her, you mean," I grinned, "Her name is Lavinia Reni."
"Oh, for fuck's sake," Croaker groaned pitifully, "Another!?"
"You know who she is?" I asked, interested.
"Of course I bloody know!" he almost shrieked, hysterical, "She's the wielder of the Sacred Gear, Absolute Demise!"
"Ah, then it makes sense," I nodded calmly, "She was strong."
Dumbledore sighed with a small smile as Croaker almost collapsed into a chair after my response.
"What is a Sacred Gear?" Tonks asked, tilting her head.
She was clearly lost, and I felt bad for her.
"Sacred Gears are artifacts made by the Abrahamic God for humans," I explained slowly. "There are many of them, but the strongest ones are called Longinus."
"Absolute Demise is one of them," Hermione added.
"As well as the Incinerate Anthem, the one Walburga wields."
"Why are they special?" Tonks asked.
"Well, for starters, THEY CAN KILL BLOODY GODS!" Croaker snapped.
Tonks almost jumped out of her seat at the shout, and well, I couldn't really fault Croaker for reacting like that.
It was an absurd thought if you understood what that really meant. Even if killing a god was easier said than done.
"Are gods real?" Tonks asked Fleur, who was listening closely.
Fleur nodded, and I noticed she wasn't that surprised by the information.
She smiled at me when she caught me watching her, those two dimples on her face pulling my attention.
She had a beautiful smile.
"I know about the supernatural world, Eli," Fleur said softly, "All Veela covens do."
"Wait," Tonks turned her head mechanically toward me, "Elias... are you a God?"
I couldn't help it; I burst out laughing, even more so when Bones facepalmed at the same time as Croaker.
Dumbledore chuckled, though he was watching me intently.
"He is in bed," Iris grinned, laughing as Hermione's blush went nuclear.
Tonks sputtered for a second before grinning and high-fiving Iris.
"I got Lavinia's number," I added calmly, "If Walburga returns, she asked me to call her. Seems she has a bone to chew with that insane bitch."
"Good," Croaker said more calmly, "At least something good came out of this clusterfuck. Now, lad, what in Merlin's name are you?"
"I'm a wizard," I chuckled, raising my hands when he glared at me like he wanted to commit bloody murder, "Just don't think about it. The only important thing is that I love my country and will protect it."
He nodded defeatedly.
"We should get back to the explanation," Bones sighed.
"Not much more to tell, I'm afraid," I shrugged, "Walburga and I fought. I couldn't pay much attention to the Headmaster's fight since, well... I was busy."
"Do we know why someone like her was helping Voldemort?" Croaker asked.
"No," I shook my head, frowning, "but it won't be anything good, I'm afraid. There must be something important to her within Wizarding Britain."
"Then we have nothing," Bones sighed, "what in the world can we do?"
"Prepare," Dumbledore said quietly, his face grim, "and pray to magic, I fear. We are simply not prepared for something like that."
"We're pretty much done here," I sighed, "but before we finish..."
I turned to my trunk, tapping it with my wand. It popped open with a soft click.
I walked inside and ran to get everything I needed. It barely took any time to grab the decapitated head of Nott, still alive, somehow. Then, the tied-up death eaters and eight gold bars for the restoration of the village.
I ran back outside with a smirk as I dropped the death eaters, beaten and bound by Iris fucking Potter herself.
Tonks whistled at the sight while Dumbledore chuckled.
"And... for the village," I added casually, letting the gold bars fall onto a nearby table with heavy thuds.
The sound of pure wealth hitting the wood was almost comical in the silence.
Bones closed her eyes, took a long breath, and muttered something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like, "I am too old for this shit."
"We also have one more little thing," Hermione said, her voice sweet, "Now the minister won't be able to hide that Sirius Black is innocent."
Bones's eyes snapped open, "what?"
I pointed casually at the Death Eater pile, "Pettigrew's somewhere there, very much alive and ready to testify if needed. He was the secret keeper for Iris's parents while they were hiding."
Bones looked like she was about to either start laughing hysterically or scream.
Before she could choose, the infirmary doors slammed open again.
Fudge walked inside with a confident gait, being followed by none other than the toad itself. I looked behind them and found the Auror called Reed smirking victoriously at Tonks specifically.
Well, it looks like Bones was right.
"Minister," Bones back straightened, "What are you doing here?"
"Auror Reeds notified me that you have Death Eaters in custody," Fudge smiled. "He is quite a capable young man; I think a promotion is in order."
He continued with a grin, "I am here to hereby sentence them to the Dementor kiss for breaking the peace of our beautiful country."
A potent cold fell under the room as soon as he finished saying that. It was not a typical cold, no. It was something you could feel in your soul.
I stood up in anger. Iris was doing the same, her wand in hand as the Dementors entered the room.
Four of those ghastly beings floated inside, ignoring the rest of us and moving to kiss the bounded Death Eaters.
"You fucking dare, Fudge," I said, my voice low and cold.
Then I let go.
The magic I'd been holding back flooded the room like a tidal wave, slamming into the walls with a deep, resonant boom that made the very stones in the castle tremble.
The ceiling cracked, thin web lines going outward with sharp snaps, and dust rained down from the rafters; the castle itself groaned under my anger.
The Dementors froze mid-drift, their empty hoods snapping toward me instinctively.
But it was already too late for them.
I raised my hand.
The Aetherium surged outward, and a hollow star made of pure light appeared on top of their heads, and they began lowering onto the floor.
The Dementors didn't even get to shriek. They simply ceased to exist, ripped apart at the seams until only a speck of dark dust was left on the floor.
The room fell into stunned, suffocating silence.
I stomped forward.
Not a single soul could move. Not Bones, not Croaker, not Dumbledore, no one.
My magic pressed them down like insects caught under my control, every breath, every heartbeat struggling against the overwhelming might radiating from me.
I reached Fudge. The fat bastard was trembling like a leaf, and grabbed him by the collar with a single hand. I lifted him effortlessly off the ground, his feet kicking uselessly in the air as his bladder emptied.
The toad opened her mouth to shriek, but I didn't even look at her.
I simply waved my hand and banished her across the room like a ragdoll. She crashed into a table with a satisfying thud, groaning weakly.
I turned my burning gaze back to the Minister.
"You will never," I said, voice ringing like iron, "ever, try to hide your fucking mistakes. Do you understand me, Minister?"
He whimpered. I didn't bother trying to decipher what he tried to say.
Behind me, I barely registered a faint flicker, a weak spell hitting my back.
It didn't even tickle.
I turned my head slightly and saw Madame Bones, her wand hand trembling violently, her face pale with terror.
She was barely staying on her feet, her whole body rattling as she forced herself to speak.
"D-Drop him," she croaked through chattering teeth. "Please... Elias... before this gets worse."
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