Harry Potter and the Prince of Slytherin

Chapter 53: The Fall of the House of Potter (pt 1)

Meanwhile at Gringotts ...

As James continued to review the documents and figures Rib-Cracker had provided, he fought a losing battle against panic. Just two nights earlier, he had offered to go to Azkaban and allow Harry to take over as Lord Potter. Now, he was beginning to wish he'd gone with that earlier plan.

He paused to take another sip of the water the Goblin had provided. Then, he took a second to worry about whether he was being charged for the water and whether he could afford it before he cleared his throat to speak.

"So, Mr. Rib-Cracker, can you ... I mean ..." he trailed off as if completely overwhelmed by events.

James bowed his head and sat quietly for a long pause.

"What can I do?" he finally asked in a hollow voice.

Rib-Cracker simply stared at the broken man. "With respect, Lord Potter, I do not believe that I have any helpful advice for you. I have explained the situation. I believe your ... options are self-evident. As the hour grows late, perhaps it would be best if you left now and discussed these developments with your family, as they will obviously be ... affected."

"Yes," James said in a flat tone. "I suppose they will be."

Then, he rose and thanked the Goblin with remarkable sincerity before leaving the office without another word. Once outside, he paused to lean against a column for a few minutes. He would later realize that he didn't know exactly how many minutes he'd rested there, but he hoped it hadn't been too long. Unfortunately, at that moment, he was having trouble breathing, and his heart was beating at a rate that couldn't possibly be healthy. But under the circumstances, James decided that he simply had too much to do to have a panic attack in the middle of Diagon Alley. Unfortunately, he didn't have any Calming Draughts handy, so he decided to take what seemed to be the next best option: taking the nearest Floo home to Potter Manor and opening up a bottle of whiskey.

Alas, that plan was swiftly abandoned when a silvery phantasmal cat appeared in the air next to him to deliver horrifying news.

Back at Auror Headquarters

To his annoyance, Rufus Scrimgeour now found himself in the small breakroom of the Auror Offices making a pot of tea like a common house elf. He'd reluctantly agreed with Robards that his leg prevented him from following the Aurors either on foot or by broom, and so he'd remained at HQ. The first group of survivors from the rat plague on Level 3 had arrived just a few moments ago, still soaked to the skin, and Scrimgeour had grouchily agreed to fetch something to warm them up.

Meanwhile, Violetta Edgecombe set herself to unlocking the Floo. The Auror Corps had a special staging area for large scale Floo transport operations: a 30x30 room with a massive fireplace against one wall that was large enough for three men to enter at once without needing to duck. Unfortunately, it could only be opened by an active duty Auror, and Robards had neglected to unlock it before leaving in pursuit of Pettigrew. Of course, Edgecombe had the authority to unlock any Floo, but it was apparently a tedious process to bypass Auror security. Edgecombe's husband and the other three civilians (one spouse, one boyfriend, and one "casual friend who'd come as a plus-one") were waiting for Violetta to get the Floo open, while Umbridge spent her time pacing back and forth as she sent a Patronus to warn Cornelius Fudge, Amelia Bones, James Potter, and everyone else she could think about the situation. Hit wizards Jensen and Eagleton stood guard at the entryway to the Headquarters.

As he poured himself a cup of tea, Rufus focused his considerable intellect on the events of the day. The rat swarm that had targeted the Auror Headquarters had been as unprecedented as it had been alarming, and Rufus's concerns only grew upon learning that other levels of the Ministry had suffered similar attacks. Worse still, it had been over twenty minutes since Gawain and his two trainees had left to investigate the Detention Center.