Disclaimer:
Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 116: The Survivors
At the stern request of Madam Pomfrey, McGonagall was not allowed to continue her conversation until everyone was taken to the infirmary and the Minister was given proper care.
Once Shacklebolt had been set up on one of the beds and the nurse moved to attend to the others, McGonagall approached him for further explanation on what he had said before.
"What did you mean by… gone?" McGonagall noticed how defeated he looked. She had never seen this man so devastated before.
Shacklebolt took a moment to calm down and get his thoughts together, but the Headmistress could tell that he didn't really want to talk about it.
Still, he managed to push through and told her the full story about what happened in London.
How he received a message from Moody around midday, warning him of a potential danger and advising him to leave the premises of the city.
Shacklebolt was not one to run away from danger, but a warning like this from someone like Moody was not something to take lightly, so he made preparations.
And it was a good thing that he did, because otherwise he would have died along with the rest.
He put together a small group that consisted of his secretary, guards, and a few other assistants.
They were flying over the city with their brooms when everything began…
"We saw a magical circle appear on the ground… it was massive, covering the entirety of London. Soon after, the screams began to be heard. Everyone beneath us was dying…"
"Merlin! You don't mean that he did the same thing as in those other villages, right?" McGonagall asked with dread, being fully aware of how things ended in those villages.
The Minister nodded. "It was something out of a nightmare. Millions of people were dying, the ground cracked open, and fire started to emerge, setting the streets and nearby buildings ablaze. Then… as the screams died down, 'they' started to appear."
"Demons?" McGonagall muttered with trembling lips.
Once more, the Minister nodded. "Ugly things… monsters. Some of them came from beneath… from those cracks on the ground. Others seemed to appear out of nowhere in the sky and attacked us."
"Oh… that's why…" McGonagall didn't want to finish that sentence, but it was obvious that these flying demons were responsible for their injuries.
"We had to flee from there or we would have died as well. I couldn't do anything… all those people." Shacklebolt was clenching his fists with enough force to draw blood.
McGonagall placed her hands on top of his as an empathetic gesture. "This is not your fault."
Something then occurred to the Headmistress. Going by Moody's and Sirius' messages, they knew what was going to happen and went to stop it.
Obviously, they were unable to do so.
"Any news on Moody and the rest?" she asked.
The Minister was about to answer when the door of the infirmary opened up and several people rushed inside.
"We need help here!" It was Hagrid who pushed the door open, carrying someone in his arms.
"Sirius!" McGonagall immediately recognized that patch of black hair and the beard.
Behind Hagrid were some of the other professors, and they were helping Tonks and Voldemort, although the last one didn't seem too happy about needing the help.
Pomfrey was already incredibly busy, but she did not say a word of complaint and instead hurried to attend to the wounded.
"Tonks and… General." The Headmistress glanced at them before shifting her gaze to the door, expecting to see more people coming inside.
But no one else came.
'That's it? No… that can't be,' she thought with increasing dread.
When the New Order was formed, they became almost a thousand people strong. And most of them had departed the day prior to launch a massive attack on Azkaban.
Now, from all of those men and women, only three had returned alive.
She had little hope even for the injured ones at Saint Mungo's or those stationed at the Ministry of Magic and Diagon Alley.
If what the Minister had said was true, then everyone in London was already dead… and their souls had been used as fuel to power that demonic ritual.
For their magical society, London was by far the most important place. That's where their largest magical dwellings were located.
Harry Potter had managed to wipe them all out in one move.
Tonks turned to look at her and noticed the despair in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Headmistress. We failed."
Voldemort said nothing, but instead walked to one of the empty beds and collapsed on top. He would never admit it, but he had reached his limit long ago and had only been moving by will alone.
The Headmistress noticed the grim mood in the infirmary and wished she could say some words of encouragement. But no matter how much she thought about it, none came up.
At the very least, they were still alive, and Hogwarts was relatively safe for now.
She was only glad that she decided not to send the students home after what transpired on the first day of school.
"What happened to Moody?" the Minister asked.
Tonks shook her head while tears appeared on her face. "He bought us some time to escape… if it wasn't for him… no one would have returned."
"Are you all that's left of the New Order?" Shacklebolt looked down in defeat.
"I'm afraid so," Tonks responded.
"And that monster is still out there, alive," Hagrid commented, thinking about what Harry had become, as he looked down at the state Sirius was in… unsure if the man was going to see another day.
"The Demon Lord is not the only one we should be worried about right now, then," the Minister said.
"Are you referring to the Muggles?" McGonagall asked.
"Of course. One of the most important Muggle cities in the world has just been destroyed with magic. There is no hiding this… the Statute of Secrecy has been broken. Knowing the nature of the Muggles… there is going to be yet another war to fight."