When the auror looked defiant, Harry said, "How about, once we're through the room and out the doors on the other side, I bring you back and show you?"
"What about the people who kidnapped us?" asked the muggle woman with the two girls.
"Oh... Ummm... You don't need to worry about them anymore, Ma'am," he replied.
"And why is that?" asked the auror a little snarkily.
He thought a bit and hit on an idea. "They all met with a terribleaccident."
"Accident?" demanded the Healer.
"Yes, Ma'am," he replied. "They accidentally kidnapped me. It proved quite fatal for them."
That had the wizards and witches all gawking at him in shock. He thought he'd have to remember that excuse. Griphook's expression was inscrutable and the three muggle women weren't surprised.
"Shall we?" he politely asked, gesturing to the stairs again. Then, before anyone could say or ask anything else, he turned about and continued climbing the stairs.
Reaching the back of the cabinet, which he'd left slightly ajar, he said, "Here we go. Please avert your eyes if you believe the sight might make you ill."
As he pushed the door open with his off-hand with his wand in his other, he gave a quick peek in case someone had managed to sneak in. The room was clear, except for the still shrouded bodies and the headless body of Nagini.
"Come along!" he said. "There's a portkey point in the entrance hall. I'll have you all out of here and to safety after we reach that point."
As he led them through the bodies and to the double doors back to the entrance hall, he could see the muggle mother was shielding the eyes of the two teen girls. She had one under each arm around their shoulders with her arms hooked around them to cover their eyes while she was looking about at the fourteen shrouded bodies in shock.
The auror was stood staring at the shrouded form of Riddle and looking at it in shock, himself. "Is that...?"
"Yup," replied Harry. "Come along, Auror. You have work to do before you can gawk like a Cadet."
That snapped the auror out of his shock and hurrying after.
Once out in the entrance hall, Harry hung back and closed the doors.
"Okay," he said. "No more 'yuckies'. Ma'am, you can let the girls see again." The woman released her hands over the girls' eyes, but they still stayed affixed firmly to her sides under her arms. They kept glancing between him and around the room double-story room.
"Now, before I get you out of here, I need to take the auror and the Healer back into the room..." and gestured to the double doors. "They need to positively identify one of the bodies. No one would believe it, otherwise.
"We'll only be a moment, then we can get you all out of here.
"Mister Fortescue and... Ma'am?" he asked of the older witch of the first cell he opened.
"It's Candice Davis," she quietly said. "This is my daughter, Tracy."
"Nice to meet you," said Harry. "You should be aware, though, that after the attack on your home it was reported that you were both alright." "Polyjuice," scowled Davis. "That explains why we both had hair yanked out moments after we were captured."
"Ah!" he said, turning to the auror. "Got that, Mister Snarky Auror? The two women at Davis manor, if they're still there, are DEs employing Polyjuice potion."
The auror gave a firm nod back.
"Alright," he said. "Mister Fortescue and Madam Davis. Please watch over this wonderful collection of peoples we have here. We won't be but a few moments."
"It will be my honour," said Fortescue, as Davis firmly nodded.
"Thank you, muchly," said Harry.
Harry popped open the door and walked into the room, ushering the Healer and Auror in, and firmly closed the doors. "Alright," he said turning back to them. "I'm sure you want to know the identity of at least one of the... accident victims... here." Indicating the dais, he said, "He's the one on the throne."
The auror gave a firm nod back and marched across the room to the dais. The healer dogged his heels.
Once there he hesitated, but a moment, before he flicked the sheet off. And both gasped.
Both stood staring for a long moment before the healer stepped forward with her wand... and scanned.
"It's him, alright," she called, finishing her quick scan.
The auror just shook his head before finally flicking the sheet back over the body. He left it roughly the same as it was before he flicked it off. They were then a moment before they both came back. Both were a little pale.
When they reached him the auror looked at him with a little fear and said, "You... you..."
"Yup," said Harry. "Me... me."
"But... Longbottom..."
"Was never the Chosen One," grinned Harry. "Dumbledore lied. Then again, he tends to do that... a lot."
"But... how?" stuttered the Healer.
"As I said," he replied. "A terrible accident. A terrible... terrible... accident.
"Anyways," he quickly said and before either could press for further information, "Time for you people to join the others and get the hell out of here. Auror, I expect Madam Bones in the contingent of aurors who turn up here. If she is not... you are going to learn how it is I spanked old Snake Face's arse. Got that?" "Yes, Sir," the auror was quick to respond.
"Now, I've taken control of the wards under Spoils of War to stop any more of these masked morons getting in here while I was busy with you lot," he said. "I'd appreciate if you can impress upon Bones and Hammer to get a bloody wriggle on in getting here. Got that?"
"Yes, Sir," the auror repeated.
Harry gave a nod back and turned to open the door. 'It's amazing how, once he saw Riddle's body, he's now all respectful.'
Once all three were out, he swiftly re-closed the door; before then turning back.
.
.
.
👓☕️Consider supporting me and enhance your reading experience with the ready-to-read PDFs I have on my Ko-fi.☕️👓
🎯https://ko-fi.com/cmrowling🎯