January 26, 1996. 8:00am, Auror's room, Ministry of Magic. Connie Hammer was sitting at her desk preparing for her day when she received an "air-mail" post (you know, those pesky notes pretending to be paper owls). It was a note from Madam Bones. "Connie. This note is for your eyes only. I have unverified information about a possible attack at Hogsmead this Saturday. The source is unknown and unvetted. Connie – it's a Hogsmead weekend! Could you arrange a small reactionary team for this Saturday? Amelia." Ten seconds later, the note was ash. This Saturday….that was tomorrow! Connie rushed to Scrimgeour.
Rufus began putting together a small team of four when Minister Fudge walked into the room. "What is the meaning of this?" Fudge asked. "We have some information that there may be an attack at Hogsmead tomorrow. I am just preparing a small reactionary team, just in case." Replied Rufus. "An attack? By whom? Where did this information come from?" he rapidly asked. "Yes – by Death Eaters. The information came from Madam Bones" replied Rufus. "Bones!" Fudge scoffed. "She sees Death Eaters everywhere! There are NO Death Eaters!" Fudge exclaimed. "Stand your Aurors down Scrimgeour." Fudge commanded. "Are you sure, Minister? What if there is an attack?" Rufus pressed. "There ARE NO Death Eaters!" the Minister reiterated. "Yes sir." Rufus succumbed.
January 27, 1996. 11:55am. Hogsmead. It was the height of the lunch crowd on Saturday, a Hogsmead weekend. Ron and Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, Susan Bones and Hannah Abbot were sitting at a round table in the Three Broomsticks waiting for drinks. A moment later Luna paused mid-sentence and a glazed daze came over her. Then she shook her head and exclaimed "I think everybody should come inside, and wands should come out." The other students looked at her for a moment and then began pulling out their wands. "My Aunti sent me a message this morning that something like this might happen" said Susan. Luna may be weird sometimes, but her predictions were more often than not, correct.
A moment later, ten black-robed people appeared in the middle of the roadway; the one in the center was tall and was the only one not wearing a bone-white mask. They immediately began firing green, orange and purple spells at anyone standing in the road. The six 5th-year students, one 6th-year and one 7th-year student began firing spells out the door toward the black-robed people. Voldemort, standing in the center, sent a powerful explosive hex at the Three Broomsticks, blasting the students and the wall in and causing the rooftop to collapse on all those inside. At the end of two minutes, silence reigned. Dozens of students and villagers lay still on the ground, several in multiple pieces. The cloaked people then apparated away leaving destruction, fear and horror in their passing.
Two minutes later several red-robed Aurors arrived on scene. A minute later, several of the professors and Dumbledore arrived. Dumbledore looked around, a saddened expression on his face as he saw the devastation. If only Harry would be here to experience the pain and sadness.
The professors were trying to clear the debris from the Three Broomsticks and extract any trapped people within. Soon Ron, Ginny, Luna, Susan, Hanna and Neville were "uncovered" – all had sustained a few broken bones, lacerations and bruises. They had been saved miraculously and unknowingly by the 6th- and 7th year students that had been standing with them at the door – the older students had been at the impact point of Voldemort's explosion hex and had absorbed the majority of the flying splinters and debris released by the exploding hex. They lay literally spread across Ron's and Neville's feet; arms and necks partially separated; stomach splayed open. Ron stared at them in shock, then turned his head to the side and vomited. One second, they had been alive, the next not. Evan Fenix's voice and image replaying in his head – 'imagine you are in a market….body parts lying on the ground…..how would you feel'. How he wished someone like Evan would have been there to protect them, not school kids doing the protecting.
The new head of the Aurors, Rufus Scrimgeour, and later Minister Fudge arrived to inspect the destruction and injured. Madam Bones, hair out of place, monocle dangling from her robes, which were full of small lacerations, as well as her face, came marching down the street, wand in hand. As she approached Rufus and Fudge she exclaimed – "What the hell happened? Where were the Aurors? Why were they late, again?!" she shouted. "What are you talking about Amelia" Fudge responded. "I sent Connie a message there may be an attack. What happened? Why was there not one Auror here? Not one! And when the attack happened? I know it takes time to 'respond': to assemble a team of Aurors and get them to the correct location. Every minute is a lifetime to those being attacked. It took over five minutes from the start of the attack for Aurors to arrive! Don't you see the devastation?! Have you seen the deaths?! Are you so blind to reality to think this was not done by Death Eaters?!" she yelled at Fudge, whose only response was "There are no Death Eaters!" "You are so…..so…..full of it!" Madam Bones said shouted frustratingly, throwing up her hands and turning to the Three Broomsticks in search of her niece.
The front page of the Prophet the next morning didn't mention anything of an attack. The Quibbler ran with "Alien Reptile of species Voldeshorts attacks Hogsmead!" – it showed a full-face picture of Voldemort amongst several other wizards dressed in Death Eater regalia. Rufus Scrimgeour received a small package by owl – an Omnicular recording of the entire attack from a vantage point on top of the Three Broomsticks. The last few seconds showed the Omnicular tumbling through the air as Voldemort's explosion hex hit the front door.
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