ꜱᴇʀᴘᴇɴᴛɪɴᴇ ꜱᴇʀɪᴇꜱ | ᴛᴏᴍɪᴏɴᴇ

Whispers from the Past, ch. 47

Harmony pushed her way back through the moving crowd until she was by Voldemort's side again.

"We left some of our own dead back there," she said sadly.

"And that's where they must stay until this is all over," Voldemort said. "We have more important matters to attend to right now."

"When this is all over, if we're still alive, I want us to have a large funeral for everyone who has given their lives for this."

"What do you mean 'if we're still alive?'" Voldemort cast her a sideward glance. "We will survive this. We've come too far now."

"I know."

"I will do anything in my power to make sure we survive this."

"I know, my dear." Harmony caressed his back.

They found more stairs, passing Department after Department, and were mercifully given a reprieve from any fighting.

"Everyone must be in the Atrium," Voldemort said as they began to climb the final flight of stairs to level one: the Minister of Magic's office.

"No," Harmony whispered. "Wait. Stop. Everyone stop!"

"What is it?" Voldemort asked as everyone came to a stand-still. "Why are you whispering?"

"Listen!" she said. So he did.

"Voices," he answered and she gave a nod.

"Up there by the Minister's office," she said, pointing up the stairs.

"Damn," Voldemort said. "And here I was thinking we were just going to stroll on in."

"Don't worry, my Lord," Barty said over Harmony's shoulder with his wand in the air. "We'll just do what we do best. I'm up for a little more killing-"

"Don't speak to me, Bartemius," Voldemort hissed.

"Right. Sorry." Barty quickly faded back into the crowd.

"Come on," Harmony said, talking Voldemort's hand. "Let's check it out. Just the two of us."

They tip-toed up the rest of the stairs, the voices growing louder and clearer.

Harmony got a glimpse of what was up there before whispering frantically, "Get down!"

They crouched on the top couple stairs and peered over to see.

There were about fifty of them, all clad in dark cloaks with wands drawn at their sides. They were all gathered in a semi-circle before the Minister's office, facing a man speaking to them from the entrance. The group concealed who was speaking, though Harmony thought the voice was familiar.

"They must be Aurors," Harmony said. "Only the best would be sent to protect the Minister's office."

"But where is the Minister?" Voldemort added, and Harmony noticed it then, too. Where was Rufus Scrimgeour?

The band of Aurors roared with approval and the two of them listened in.

"They come here to our Ministry and think they can just take it for themselves," roared the man whom the Aurors gathered around. "These followers, these Death Eaters, may be large in numbers but they're no better at fighting than Muggle children plucked from a farm by their most benevolent Dark Lord."

This was followed by boos and hisses.

"That's right," the man went on. "They may have quantity. But we have quality. You are the finest Aurors the British Ministry of Magic has to offer the Wizarding World, and you're not going to let a bunch of foul Death Eaters take control of this world, are you?"