Chapter 48: The Ministry Intervenes
Elian blinked, processing the sudden chaos. These had to be the adult wizards from Hogsmeade. After securing the students, they had come to face the threat.
Professor Flitwick, his face etched with fierce determination, appeared with a soft pop, wand raised and ready for a duel. He expected Death Eaters. He expected a fight.
He did not expect this.
The clearing was still. Five black-robed figures lay motionless. And standing calmly among them was a Gryffindor first-year.
"STOP!" Flitwick's shrill cry cut through the tension. "Hold your fire! That's my student!"
The other wizards lowered their wands, confused. Flitwick scurried forward, his small form bristling with anxiety. "Elian Throne! What in Merlin's name are you doing here? Who cast that Mark?"
Elian nodded toward the bodies. "They did. There were six. One got away."
Flitwick's eyes went wide. "What?"
"He's right, Filius!" one of the other wizards called, having pulled back a sleeve on a fallen figure. "Dark Marks. All of them. This one… Merlin, he works in the Magical Maintenance department at the Ministry!"
"This one's on the wanted list! A known Death Eater!"
A murmur of shock ran through the group. Death Eaters, confirmed. But all dead. Their injuries were strange—not the clean burns or curses of magical combat, but precise, lethal puncture wounds. Almost… physical. They looked from the strange, clean wounds to the spotless, calm teenager. It made no sense.
"Elian," Flitwick said, his voice low and serious. "Do you know which wand cast the Dark Mark?"
Elian pointed to a wand lying near one of the bodies. "That one, I think."
Flitwick nodded, his expression grave. "Stay right here. Do not move. You will need to give an account."
Elian understood. He was now a witness, or something more, at a major crime scene. He couldn't just walk away. He would have to wait for Dumbledore, or worse, the Ministry.
He had miscalculated. He'd planned to finish the fight and vanish before anyone arrived. He hadn't counted on the two Death Eaters being so quick to attack, nor on the locals apparating in so fast. His exit was blocked.
Soon, with sharp cracks of Apparition, the professionals arrived. Aurors from the Ministry of Magic, their faces stern. They took statements from Flitwick and the others, their eyes lingering on Elian with deep suspicion. Without ceremony, they informed him he was to be taken to the Ministry for questioning.
Elian didn't resist. He remained calm. Dumbledore would learn of this. Dumbledore would come. He just had to wait.
When Harry, Ron, and Hermione finally stumbled, breathless, into the clearing, it was all over. The area was cordoned off, the bodies gone, only a few Ministry wizards remaining.
They found Professor Flitwick, who looked tired and worried.
"Professor! What happened?" Harry gasped.
"It's been dealt with," Flitwick said tersely. "Students should return to the castle."
"But we saw Elian—!" Hermione burst out.
Flitwick's lips thinned. "Mr. Throne has been taken to the Ministry of Magic for questioning. That is all I can say."
"The Ministry?" Ron echoed, horrified.
Harry felt a confusing twist in his gut. The Death Eaters… they hadn't been here for him? They'd been here for Elian? Why? How was that possible?
Hermione's legs gave way. She sat hard on the damp ground, her breath coming in short gasps. She had been right. Terribly, horribly right. This was all Elian's doing. He had set this in motion last week with that cryptic joke. But the reality—the Dark Mark, Death Eaters, the Ministry—was so much worse than she had imagined.
As the professors began herding the terrified students back toward Hogwarts, a cold silence hung over the group. The mystery had only deepened, and Elian Throne was at the center of it.
In the office of the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge stared at the preliminary report on his desk, his face pale and solemn.
(End of Chapter)
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