Focused

Chapter 5 - Dead Ends

Harry Potter and all characters, etc. belong to J.K. Rowling, not me.

Harry Potter: Focused – Chapter 5 – Dead Ends

It was a despondent trio that arrived at the house. Marissa Granger immediately sensed something was wrong. "What happened?"

"The wedding was fine," answered Hermione. "They even had a small party for Harry when we first arrived."

"That was nice," commented Adam Granger. "So what happened?"

"During the reception," explained Harry, "we got a message from Kingsley Shacklebolt saying that Minister Scrimgeour is dead and that Voldemort has taken over the Ministry. That's all."

"That's terrible!" exclaimed both of Hermione's parents together.

"At least we don't have to take our apparition tests tomorrow," commented Ron, referring to the fact that he and Harry had planned on trying to get their licenses so they wouldn't have to worry about being arrested for apparating, trying to lighten the mood. When Hermione glared at him, he said, "Sorry."

Taking a deep breath, Harry started walking around the living room as he asked, "Now that he's got the Ministry, what do you think he's gonna do?" He looked out the window as the brightest witch of her age responded.

"He'll probably round up all the muggle-borns he can find, for one thing." She sighed. "He'll also have more resources to hunt you..."

"Hold on!" interrupted Harry. "Look at those people outside."

Everyone went to the window and saw a few men looking around trying unsuccessfully to hide their wands. "One of them is Dolohov," commented Hermione, her face going pale.

"The Death Eater who cursed you at the Ministry?" asked Marissa.

"I'll take care of him now," declared an angry-looking Ron as he reached for his wand. Harry did the same as they headed for the door.

"Wait!" yelled Hermione. "They can't find us. We're under a Fidelius charm."

"How did they even get to this area?" asked Adam.

"That's a good question," Hermione admitted. "They have the resources of the Ministry, but even they couldn't locate Harry."

"Maybe we can find out," suggested Ron, who pointed his wand at the Wizarding Wireless on an end table, tuning into an underground channel sympathetic with the Order of the Phoenix that called itself Potterwatch. The voice of Lee Jordan came out of the radio.

"Yes, I'm afraid it's true. You-Know-Who has taken over, although the Ministry isn't admitting it. They're saying that Pius Thickness is the new Minister for Magic since Scrimgeour died of natural causes." Lee scoffed like he used to do at Slytherin quidditch matches. "That's right. They're claiming he had a heart attack. It might be true, too. That's one of the things that can happen while being hit multiple times with a cruciatus curse. I heard that he went through a lot of torture for information, but wouldn't say anything."

There was a pause. "What's this? They have diverted the resources dedicated to detecting underage magic and used them to place a taboo on You-Know-Who's name. Now, instead of an owl popping where unauthorized magic occurs, a group called Snatchers will show up instead. Nothing suspicious about that. I'm sure any Minister for Magic would do that, not just the Dark Lord.

"Also, they will be checking on the blood status of all citizens, beginning with Ministry employees and their families. I really hope the ICW isn't stupid enough to believe this is our elected government acting, but they are politicians, so I don't hold out any hope for them. I just hope Harry Potter is listening."