HP/LOTM: Visionary - 402

Chapter 402: The Ministry Falls, Battle in the Café

All at once a commotion broke out, drawing everyone’s eyes.

In the middle of the crowd, Krum had Xenophilius Lovegood by the collar. "I tell you, if this weren’t a wedding, I’d challenge you to a duel right now!"

"Krum, what’s going on? Let him go first," Hermione said, stepping between them.

Ron, more than a little jealous but unwilling to give them a chance to be alone, quickly joined her.

"His pendant. That’s Grindelwald’s symbol!" Krum snapped, yanking out his wand. "He dares wear that evil mark over his heart!"

"Grindel… what?" Ron said, pushing himself between Hermione and Krum.

"Grindelwald. The Dark wizard who once ravaged all of Europe, the man they called the Dark Lord before Voldemort. Imagine seeing someone walking down the street with a Dark Mark on a chain round his neck," Arthursi said from her seat, sipping wine as she watched. Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at two white-bearded old men at the far edge of the crowd.

They raised their glasses to her in silent salute, drank, then walked off into the night.

Harry, hearing Arthursi’s explanation, suddenly remembered Ollivander’s grumbling back during the Triwizard Tournament. He now knew Gregorovitch was a wandmaker. But why was Voldemort hunting a wandmaker?

He raised his head to ask Arthursi, and a silver lynx Patronus burst into the tent.

"The Ministry has completely fallen. They’re coming. Run!"

Kingsley’s warning echoed through the marquee. One second, everyone had been lost in joy. Some had still been enjoying the thrill of cutting Dumbledore down to size with their sharp tongues. The next, terror seized their minds. Guests screamed and stampeded. None of the loud critics had thought that less than a month after his death, such a wave of chaos would crash down on them.

Black smoke poured in through the windows, tearing apart the beautiful wedding scene. Red curses shot everywhere. Tables, chairs and plates exploded, shards slicing into guests.

Hermione was quick. She grabbed a small bag, seized Harry and Ron, and Disapparated.

Sirius and Lupin stood back to back and stunned several Death Eaters who burst in. But more kept coming. In the end, they had no choice but to grab Arthur, Molly and Tonks and Disapparate with them.

The twins, Bill and Fleur, retreated hand in hand. In the chaos, a beautiful girl stood calm in the centre of it all, sipping red wine.

"What a buzzkill," Arthursi said, a flicker of annoyance in her eyes. She drew her wand and fired a signal into the sky.

A dozen wizards in grey trench coats appeared, moving in perfect sync. Their eyes were icy as they raised their wands together. A wave of green light flashed across the Death Eaters’ field of vision.

"!!!"

The Death Eaters, who had been amusing themselves by casting the Cruciatus Curse on defenceless guests, saw the neat volley of Killing Curses and their pupils shrank to pinpoints.

They tried to Apparate away, but four or five were too slow. The curses caught them in mid-air, tearing bodies apart and ripping out their souls. Severed limbs hit the ground, adding a different kind of colour to the festive wedding.

"Hmph." Arthursi took it all in, crushed the wine glass in her hand, and walked outside.

Beyond the tent, the Burrow was engulfed in flames. Only the bare framework struggled to hold the crumbling old house together.

"Is even his presence in the world fading?" Arthursi murmured, looking up at the moonlight, wondering if it was deliberate on his part.

......

"Damn it. How can there be so many of them?" Ron panted, his odd clothes drawing Muggle stares as he stumbled down a street.

The sight of Death Eaters swarming the wedding had shaken him badly.

Hermione did not answer. She dragged them into an alley, pulled out the small extension-charmed bag Aiden had given her, and started handing out Muggle clothes.

"You’re amazing," Ron said, taking the clothes. His expression was more than a little soft.

"Is it really that surprising?" Hermione muttered, rummaging through the bag. Then she froze. Something important was missing.

"Oh no. The book. I must have lost it back there," Hermione said, crestfallen.

They changed quickly and slipped into a nearby café. The waiter handed them menus, but none of them had the heart to look. They ordered three coffees at random.

"What do we do now?" Ron asked, looking at his friends. Inside, he was churning. That had been his home. His family’s lives were now a complete unknown.

"They control the Ministry now, so anywhere we usually go is probably unsafe. And remember what Professor McGonagall said. Don’t go back to Hogwarts," Harry said.

"We should find a quiet place, Apparate to some small village, then look for a way to contact the Order," Hermione suggested.

Ron and Harry exchanged a look and nodded.

The door bell chimed. Two men in boiler suits came in carrying toolboxes. Harry’s sharp eyes recognised one of them as a Death Eater who had appeared at Hogwarts that night.

"Down!" Harry shouted.

Ron and Hermione dove under the table without a second’s hesitation. Two green flashes smashed the coffee cups where their heads had been moments before.

From the floor, Harry flung a Stupefy that hurled one Death Eater back into a glass display case. The man slumped to the floor.

The other realised he could not fight three youngsters in such a crowded place. He flicked his wand.

"Confringo!"

Magic surged through his wand, turning into a spell that twisted reality. Fire blossomed in front of Harry, then—

Boom.

The explosion tore through the café. Harry threw his arms over his face and was blasted backwards, smashing through several tables and chairs. The hands shielding his face were left a bloody mess.

The Death Eater stood up from behind the counter, grinning. He raised his wand at the Boy Who Lived.

"Avada Kedavra!"

Green lightning shot out, carrying a soul-freezing chill as it streaked toward Harry.

Ron snapped out of his daze. His ears rang with a strange buzzing, and he saw the green light at the tip of the Death Eater’s wand.

He did not hesitate. He threw himself in front of Harry.

"No!" Harry’s eyes went wide. Gold flooded his pupils again.

The power of love surged from his heart, activating the blood-red orb in his right ventricle.

A vast will from the distant Deep Realm descended and seized the space around them. A transparent film formed in front of Harry.

The Killing Curse struck the barrier. The Deep Realm King’s power rewrote reality, and the spell rebounded.

The Death Eater had never imagined his own curse could turn back on him. With a scream, he was hit full-on and crumpled to the floor, life snuffed out.