Chapter 57.5- Doom Days

“That you would hide Harry Potter here with muggles who dared to abuse him is more than I would have expected from you. But why should I have expected differently? I have taken Potter’s revenge for him. And I warn you now, never again will old magical blood be made subjugated to the whims and caprices of muggle pigs. Quake in your boots, Dumbledore. Your end is nigh. The Dark Lord might be dead, but the dream of a better Britain lives on.” The voice spoke through her throat, getting louder until it was a scream.

“Shields” She heard the Headmaster’s voice, but even then she struggled to act in time. One second, they had been in a house, and the next all she saw was fire.

She coughed, trying to speak. She felt her lips move, but heard nothing , and then there was a ringing in her ears. She looked around, seeing nothing but dust around her. She felt a hand on her shoulder and felt a popping sensation in her ears.

“Can you hear me Nymphadora?” That was the Headmaster’s voice.

“Yes, Professor” She said, never even noticing that she had fallen back to old habits.

“Splendid. Good to see I haven’t slowed down too much. Would have been such a waste to lose one as promising as you. Now I need you to close your eyes. When the dust clears, this will not be a pretty sight.” He said.

“What? What are you talking about?” She asked.

“Ventis maxima” She heard another voice. It was Mad-eyes’s. Where was he? She felt the headmaster try to turn her body away so she would not see, but for all his strength, she was a metamorphmagus. If she refused to be moved, she would not be moved. The dust cleared, ad part of her wished she had allowed the Headmaster turn her away. She was in hell. In front of her, the house had been blown to pieces. Sunlight fell down on them with no obstruction. The roof was gone.

She started looking around. Madame Bones and Scrimgeor were both none the worse for wear. They must have been able to shield in time. Apart form them and Mad-eye who had waded into the mess with no hesitation, there was no one else. She could see the bodies of her coworkers— friends— strewn about in pieces. Not a single one was intact. To the left, there was someone’s lower body. It was still upright. The upper body was nowhere to be found, like it had been torn in half.

“Tom was always fond of his explosions” The Headmaster’s voice said.

“We heard what the body said, Dumbledore. The Dark Lord is dead. This is someone else.” Scrimgeor bristled, looking around as she was.

“Call in the Obliviators, Tonks. Get out of here” Madame Bones’ voice next. It took Tonks a second to realise she was the one being addressed. She looked around again, the muggles around were coming out of their homes to get a look at them. She swallowed and focused on her destination, determination, and deliberation. It took her longer than it should have but she finally felt the sensation of being sucked through a straw that marked a successful apparition.