Thursday, June 24, 1995 – Late
Nagini turned around. She gestured and the ropes holding Harry were cut. Harry collapsed, she caught him and gently laid him on the ground.
The Unspeakable hurried across the blood-soaked ground to where Harry lay. Nagini had placed a hand on Harry’s head. The wound on his arm was deep and still bleeding. He had many cuts and abrasions from being tied up and dragged to the ritual site. Nagini gestured with her free hand and Harry’s wounds were healed.
Nagini spoke to the Unspeakable, “His mind has retreated to a hiding place. There is too much damage. He will need a lot of time to come back. Many of his memories are gone.”
Nagini paused and then stood up.
“Take him to St. Bridget’s in Paris. They will give him the best care. I have been called back to my family. I must go. Thankyou!”
Nagini hugged the Unspeakable and vanished.
The soldiers confirmed to the captain that there were no surviving Death Eaters. They then apparated away. Captain Chen remained to talk to any aurors who came to investigate.
Two aurors apparated to the edge of the ritual space. They stood and surveyed the carnage. The captain and the Unspeakable watched the aurors without making a move.
The aurors picked their way through the mess and stopped four paces from the Unspeakable.
“Do you know what happened here?” Senior Auror Shacklebolt asked.
The Unspeakable answered, “Some of it. Captain Chen knows some as well. We need a healer to look at Harry.”
“Is he alive?” Shacklebolt asked as he stepped to Harry and crouched down beside him. “He is covered in blood.”
“He is alive. His mind may be severely damaged. He was held under Cruciatus curses by Voldemort and a Death Eater.” The Unspeakable crouched down beside Harry and wiped some blood off his face.
Shacklebolt stood up and messaged for healers to apparate to him. Almost instantly two healers arrived, followed minutes later by Amelia Bones.
“What happened here? Who did this? Get a grip, Amelia! Kingsley! Where is Harry?”
“The healers are looking at him. We will know more soon.” Kingsley was surveying the heaped dead bodies.
“Director, please look at this.” Kingsley led the way to where two bodies lay crumpled.
“This one was Peter Pettigrew. This other one was Tom Marvolo Riddle, also known as Lord Voldemort. They are both very dead.”
“I can confirm their identities. Their wands are still in their hands. I have checked the wand signatures and they confirm both their identities.” Shacklebolt was subdued.
Another auror walked into the space. “We just apparated to the other side of the ruin. There are signs of a lot of others being here recently. There are a lot of big boot prints. We also found another body. It is Sirius Black.”
Amelia returned to where the healers were examining Harry.
“We think that Harry is physically fine. Someone has healed him beautifully. It is the Cruciatus curse damage that we are concerned with.”
“Can you take him straight to St. Bridget’s in Paris? I was told that they are the best healers for this sort of injury.” Unspeakable asked.
“We can do that. Who is responsible for Harry? I know that he was emancipated, is there anyone who has a Power of Attorney for him?”
Amelia looked around. ‘That would be me. My niece has Power of Attorney. Legally, I have to act on her behalf. Please take him straight to St. Bridget’s.”
‘Very well Director, we will catch up with you later with the paperwork.”
Amelia nodded.
The healers apparated away with Harry.
Amelia called Shacklebolt over. “Have you identified any of these Death Eaters?”
“We have Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, Nott, and McNair. Some of the others, we don’t know at all.”
Amelia went back to the Unspeakable and Captain Chen. “I have to get anything you can tell me about what happened here. What can you say?’
Unspeakable replied, “You know how much I can tell you. If you want the full story, you will have to get permission from the Minister of Magic.”
Captain Chen spoke, “I can give you some information. If you want all the information, you will have to give me immunity from prosecution and anonymity.”
Amelia turned to Shacklebolt. “Kingsley, secure this place, call in as many aurors as you need. Search the area for more dead or wounded. It doesn’t look like there will be any wounded but look anyway. “
Amelia took a breath.
“I will go back to Hogwarts and tell Harry’s people. I took over responsibility for security for today. If they don’t lynch me straight away, I will bring Fudge here. He won’t believe any of this is he doesn’t see for himself.”
Amelia apparated away.
--ooOOoo—
The spectators watched each Champion enter the maze. Durmstrang students cheered for Viktor. Hogwarts students cheered for Cedric. Beaubatons students applauded Fleur, some cheered but not all. Fleur was not universally popular with her fellow students. The reasons were complicated but were mostly to do with the fact that she was different. Merlin House students yelled for Harry. They knew that he planned to let someone else win. They wanted him to come back, that was all. Most Gryffindors cheered as well. Professor McGonagall’s public shaming of them had slowly turned the tide in Harry’s favour.
Nothing happened for a long while.
Suddenly, a team of aurors were seen running into the maze. No public announcement was made. The Merlin House supporters were concerned. Aurors were seen clustered around Professor Dawes, Unspeakable Davis, and Amelia Bones in the marshal’s area. They were bent over maps and were in close conversation. No news reached Merlin House.
Then red sparks were seen.
Task marshals and aurors ran into the maze. In minutes Fleur Delacour was brought out and carried into the healer’s tent. She managed to wave to the crowd.
The minutes passed with no news or incidents. Time dragged on.
The green sparks were seen around the maze. The task was finished. A Champion had reached the trophy and claimed it. Marshals moved into the maze and eventually they returned with the winner carrying the cup.
The winner was Viktor Krum. Durmstrang students cheered wildly. Officials searched for Igor Karkaroff. He was missing.
Aurors were seen apparating away and returning. Then two healers apparated away. They did not return.
Cedric came out from the maze. He was taken to the healer’s tent. His clothes were torn to shreds and he was spattered with blood and black goo. He was walking and seemed to be talking to the marshals.
The committee assembled and prepared to present the trophy and prize.
Dumbledore looked at the assembled Champions. Fleur was bandaged but standing. Cedric had a new robe on and looked bruised and sore. Victor was alternately waving to his supporters and asking questions. He did not seem happy with the answers.
Dumbledore suddenly knew who was missing. “Where is Harry Potter?”
No one knew. Dumbledore called out. “Where is Director Bones?”
A marshal answered, “She apparated away, that was quite a while ago.”
Fudge spoke up. “We shouldn’t wait any longer. I will make the prize presentation and we can carry on with the celebrations in the Great Hall. I’m sure Mr. Potter will be found.”
Fudge made a long, dreary speech. The crowd was getting restless. Finally, Viktor was officially given his trophy and prize money.
Amelia Bones apparated into the marshal’s area. She spoke urgently to Professor Dawes and Unspeakable Davis.
Professor Dawes walked away from the crowd and beckoned the Merlin House supporters to her.
“Harry has been found. He is alive.”
There was a combined sigh of relief.
“Where is he?” Daphne asked.
“He has been taken to hospital. I have been told that his life is not in danger. I know where he is, but I am going to keep quiet about it until we are somewhere safer. All I can tell you is that it isn’t St. Mungo’s.”
‘When can we see him?’ Luna asked.
“I will find out tomorrow. The healers who examined him wanted him to get specialist treatment.”
--ooOOoo--
Fudge was walking to the Great Hall with his auror escort. Amelia caught up to him.
“Minister! There is something that you have to see.”
“Not now Amelia, I have to give some interviews and meet people.”
Amelia stepped up to Fudge and hissed at him. “Minister! We have found at least twenty dead bodies. Some of them were prominent citizens. You must see this.”
--ooOOoo—
The students gathered in the Merlin House common room.
Professor Dawes arrived at last.
“Your things have been packed up by the house elves. We are moving to the Paris house now. By tomorrow, this tower will be shut down by the British Ministry. Come to my office and we will floo straight there. The French Ministry has arranged the direct international floo access for today. It will be cut off as soon as we are all there.”
“Where is Harry? You can’t move us away from him.” Astoria demanded.
“He has been admitted to St. Bridget’s Hospital in Paris. They have the best treatment for him.”
“What has happened to him? You haven’t told us.” Susan asked.
“He was attacked. He was kidnapped and used in a ritual to make a new body for Tom Riddle. Riddle and a Death Eater attacked Harry with Cruciatus curses. Harry is unconscious. There may be a lot of brain damage.”
Daphne shouted. “Where is Riddle now?”
“Dead, and all the Death Eaters who were there.”
The girls were stunned.
“Line up in the office. When Fudge and his flunkies in the Ministry realize what has happened, they will try to stop us leaving. Please hold it together until we get to Paris.”
--ooOOoo—
Amelia entered her office and slumped down in her chair. The Unspeakable and Captain Chen were sitting opposite her.
“Unspeakable, I have permission from Fudge for you to speak to me. I also have official immunity and the promise of anonymity for you Captain. Tell me what happened. My memory will become the official record. It will be Top Secret.”
Amelia looked at the Unspeakable.
“Unspeakable?”
“My part in this operation was to deal with Nagini, Tom Riddles familiar. Nagini is a demi-god. She is a Naga who broke a Naga law. Her punishment was to be exiled from the Naga realm. Her magic was bound. She was enslaved and used by criminal wizards. Riddle used her to hold his last Horcrux. It is a ring that he forced her to wear. He then cursed her to transform permanently into her snake form, trapping the Horcrux in her snake body. Riddle used the Horcrux and his Legilimency powers to control Nagini. She had no thought or will of her own.”
“We received information that Nagini had been forgiven by her family and could be restored to her original power and position. The curse on her was to be broken by touching her with a charmed gem given to us by her family. Copies of that gem were given to Unspeakables who were attached to each of the units which were tasked to close down the attempts which were going to be made to restore Riddles human body. We were to contact Nagini, persuade her to give up the Horcrux, and destroy the Horcrux thus making Riddle vulnerable.”
“Tonight, I received the message that my unit had been activated.
I apparated to the location that I was given, and I met Captain Chen there.
The Li Army soldiers moved up on two sides of the old house. Abbott’s Commandos closed the circle. We waited for our chance.
The ritual to restore Riddle was already taking place. Nagini was moving around the ritual space.
Riddle was restored and summoned his Death Eaters. They were focused on Riddle and didn’t notice that we had them surrounded.
Nagini moved outside of the circle of Death Eaters. I covered myself with a not-notice-me and scent-suppression charms and stepped closer to the circle. Nagini had just passed my hiding place.
I stepped forward and bent down to touch her tail with the gem.
She transformed. She stood up and immediately took off the ring.
She saw me and did not betray my presence to Riddle. I held out my hand to take the ring.
She seemed to instantly know what I wanted and what was happening. She is a demi-god. She gave the ring to me. Our arrangement was that if I managed to persuade Nagini to give up the Horcrux, I would throw it up in the air. A Li soldier was tasked with casting Fiendfyre to destroy the ring. He did his job.
As soon as I had the ring, Captain Chen went into action. He will tell you how his men killed all those Death Eaters.
I heard Harry yell something at Riddle which got him annoyed. It was something like ‘You are going to lose Riddle, you’re a loser.’ A Death Eater cast a Cruciatus curse at Harry.
The Death Eater and Riddle were torturing Harry with Cruciatus curses. That kept the Death Eaters focused on Riddle and Harry.
Nagini disappeared and re-appeared in front of Harry.
This weird thing happened. I could see the curses curve around Nagini and impact back on Riddle and the Death Eater. They fell to the ground, screaming.
At the same time the soldiers were cutting down the Death Eaters. It was so quick; they didn’t know what hit them.
Riddle cast a killing curse at Harry. Nagini moved in front of Harry.
I could see the curse bend around Nagini and hit Riddle. He killed himself with his own killing curse.
Nagini released Harry and healed his obvious wounds. She told us that he had severe problems with Cruciatus curse damage and to take him to St. Bridget’s in Paris for treatment.”
Amelia looked at Captain Chen. “Captain?”
“I was briefed about the operation. All my briefings came from my commanding officer.
I don’t know about the sources of this information.
We were told that there would be Death Eaters and possibly Lord Voldemort.
My men and I are all wizards. We use mundane weapons because magic drains our cores too quickly. By combining mundane technology with magic, we are able to fight for hours instead of being magically exhausted in minutes.
Our weapons are not new. Li Army uses a modified Russian AKM rifle. Abbott’s men use a modified FN assault rifle.
We clip our wands to the grip beneath the barrel. We cast a ward tunnel spell and aiming spell. The ward tunnel makes a hole in any ward just big enough for a bullet to pass through. The aiming spell puts a red dot on the target to show exactly where the bullet will hit. Death Eaters rely on their wards to protect them from mundane weapons. That is being silly.
These spells use a small amount of magic. We can cast them all day. The red dot is mostly infra-red. That is red light that is just invisible to human eyesight. We use charms that allow us to see infra-red.
I saw Unspeakable make contact with Nagini. I ordered the teams to select their targets. It took seconds to have at least two dots on every Death Eater. The Fiendfyre flared up. We opened fire.
It was over in seconds. My men and Abbott’s Commandos do this sort of thing all the time. You never hear of it.
Nagini went into action. I have seen a lot of magic. I have never seen this. The Cruciatus and killing curse, even cast by Riddle, didn’t touch her. They curved around her and hit the wizard casting the curse. I think she could hold the Cruciatus curse as long as she wanted to.
Riddle was killed by his own killing curse. His problem was that he made Nagini his enemy.
Mr. Potter knew exactly what he was doing when he tried to taunt Riddle. He knew Riddle hated people using his real name. Harry kept the focus on him until we could do the job.
If that is all, Director, I will leave now.”
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