The Son of Lord Voldemort

Chapter 149

5 March 6:45am

Ministry of Magic Still Has No Answers

by Rita Skeeter

My Dear Readers,

It has been two months since two dozen men and women were murdered from within the 'safety' of The Ministry of Magic. Dozens of people from the Minister of Magic down have looked into this atrocity, and yet no one can say for certain just how someone was able to bypass the Ministry's heightened security to kill the detained Ministry employees.

"We have yet to ascertain how the perpetrator or perpetrators entered the interrogation rooms," Amelia Bones, head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, said during a conference yesterday evening. "However, I can assure the people of Britain that myself, along with the entire Department of Magical Law Enforcement, are doing everything in our power to uncover how they gained entry to prevent another incident like this occurring."

Madame Bones referred to the slaughter of two dozen citizens of Britain as an 'incident.' I for one think that what happened was far too heinous to be classified as a mere incident. I am fed up with the Ministry of Magic failing at every turn, and thinking that by adding an extra auror or two the people of Britain will be placated. I for one will NOT stand for this. The Ministry of Magic needs to do more than throw platitudes our way. They need to protect the people of Britain, or those in charge need to step down and give their roles to people who will.

Tonks threw her copy of the Daily Prophet down in disgust. The auror department was short handed and under constant stress as it was, they didn't need people like Rita Skeeter to make it worse.

Tonks scowled as she threw floor powder into her fire place and stepped inside.

"Ministry of Magic," Tonks said.

Tonks felt a pull in her stomach and her vision went blurry. After a moment she stepped out and into the atrium of the Ministry of Magic. She immediately knew that something was different as loud voices assaulted her ears.

"The entire Ministry is scum!" An angry voice shouted.

"Who's next?" A woman screamed. "Our children?"

"Sack Bones!"

"Down with Fudge!"

Tonks was in shock. In all the time she'd worked at the Ministry she'd never seen a protest of this size. There looked to be over one hundred witches and wizards gathered in the atrium. Some carried signs that bore pictures of Minister Fudge and Madame Bones with giant x's going through them. Others merely shouted at the aurors who were holding them back from going further into the Ministry.

"Don't touch me!" A protestor shouted at an auror.

"You need to move," the auror said forcefully.

"I have a right to be here!" The protestor responded. His face mere inches from the aurors.

Tonks ran over to break them up.

"Davies, what's going on here?" Tonks asked Thomas Davies when she separated him from the protestor.

"These people showed up twenty minutes ago," Thomas said through gritted teeth. "More people arrive every few minutes. They read the Daily Prophet this morning."

Tonks grimaced at his words. She could hear the fireplaces around the atrium flare to life, and dozens more protestors joined the crowd.

"Down with Fudge!"

"Can't you people do anything right?"

"You're worse than You-Know-Who!"

Tonks felt a wave of annoyance. She wanted to yell at all of these people that they were doing the best they could. That aurors had lost their lives too. That they should all go home. But there were no laws against protesting as long as they didn't go beyond the atrium and didn't become violent.

"I'm going to go up to the department," Tonks told Davies. "See if there's anything I can do to help."

Davies nodded, his face grim. Tonks quickly walked towards the elevators, the shouting and harsh words echoed in her ears, and a feeling of unease grew in her stomach.