"Wait!" Sirius Black shouted suddenly.
Dudley looked behind.
"Can I join you? Hunting Dark Lords around the world sounds bloody fun!"
"..."
Of course, Sirius would think that.
"We'll consider it," Dudley said, nodding, though it was secretly for Lily, standing behind while holding Harry.
He left after that, emptying the Death Chamber entirely. He had another place to be, after all. A certain Goblin Bank in Diagon Alley needed to be brought down to its heels. Officially, hired by Mr. Dudley Dursley to do it.
Finally, as the last of the Vanguards left, Remus, Ginny, Hermione, Ron, Neville, Alastor Moody, Kingsley, and the rest brought their wands down. Of course, the likes of Moody, Kingsley, and Tonks knew about the contract the Ministry had signed with Vanguards, but the others didn't.
"Who was that?" Hermione asked, her voice trembling. "There were so many of them! And… he said there are more upstairs? And what contract?"
"The Ministry hired them for Voldemort," Alastor Moody answered, walking over to Dumbledore to take the relics. "Heavy price paid, but worth it. We lost nothing, and the Dark Lord is finished."
"But… who are they? They were like an army," Hermione pressed.
"Mercenaries," Kingsley Shacklebolt said. "They claim to guard the wealthy wizards while hunting the Dark Wizards."
"But I've never read about them. Not once."
"That is the point, is it not?" Kingsley said. "They serve the rich whose fortunes eclipse even the Malfoys. Men like Mr. Dursley. They are not meant to be famous or known to the public. Yet it appears that… that is about to change. The Ministry has acknowledged them as a legal business entity."
In the end, Hermione just gulped and stopped asking questions. She could see that the others were as restless as she was.
"Then… we won?" Ron raised his voice then, looking a bit emotional. "H-Harry, do you feel anything?"
"Light," Harry replied and touched his scar. "I think it worked."
"It did." Lily declared and hugged her son, her eyes overcome with tears, being the only one aware of what Dudley had done for her and Harry. She had warned him about Harry's dreams related to him, and yet he came to save Harry. She didn't doubt that Harry was cured of the Dark Lord's curse.
Meanwhile, not far away, Tonks was smiling. She felt awkward, being Dudley's second in command in Vanguards. Being the 'Ms. Secretary.' She planned to quit the Ministry next and join Dudley's side full-time.
However, while the storm had passed, none of them had any idea that it was going to return even stronger. Just not in the form of the Dark Lord.
####
Next Morning,
The Daily Prophet ran a special edition. It was free and it was thrown all across Wizarding Britain, at the doorstep and table of every single Witch and Wizard. It was sent in hoards around the world as well for distribution.
The front page of the newspaper covered a massive portrait of chained down Voldemort, and the commander of Vanguards, Mr.X, standing with his wand pointed at the Dark Lord. The headline read in big and bold—Voldemort's Demise! Vanguards Rise!
That morning, Narcissa Malfoy woke up early to prepare for the day's work. She made sure to look more beautiful than on normal days. After all, Dudley Dursley was most likely going to return to work.
Later, as she sat down at the dining table to eat breakfast, her eyes fell on the newspaper, and she froze. She stopped eating and quickly read it.
[Voldemort's Demise! Vanguards Rise! — Last night saw the fall of the self-styled Dark Lord in a spectacle that will forever stain the record of our Ministry. Voldemort, with his usual band of masked fanatics, stormed the Department of Mysteries to seize a prophecy that would prolong his twisted reign. The Ministry, hopelessly unprepared, folded within minutes. And who should slither alongside him? None other than the Goblins of Gringotts, eager to murder Dudley Dursley and seize control of D&D Bank.
But in a twist of fate, their greed cost them everything. Mr. Dursley, cleverer than the entire Ministry combined, had already secured the formidable Wizard Protection agency known as the Vanguards. While the Ministry cowered, the Vanguards descended with an army of over one thousand trained witches and wizards. Death Eaters perished. Goblins fell. And Voldemort himself was struck down at last.
Today Britain wakes to freedom. Blood status no longer matters. Safety is no longer a dream. And who do we thank? Not the dithering Minister, who denied Voldemort's return even as his own Undersecretary, Dolores Umbridge, bravely cried out the truth. No, our gratitude belongs to Dudley Dursley and the magnificent Vanguards.
Yet, the questions remain. What will be the aftermath? What led to the Ministry becoming so incompetent that they had to outsource their own security? Why did Minister Fudge refuse Voldemort's return till the very end?
Minister Fudge must step down and be investigated, as the mood of Wizarding Britain suggests. Questions must be answered. Changes must be made—By Rita Skeeter.]
Narcissa's hands shivered as she finished reading.
She looked at the Dark Lord's terrified face in that moving picture. It was comforting. She no longer had to fear the Dark Lord and Death Eaters coming after her. Yet, at the same time, she felt terrified. Where did a thousand Wizards come from? Something told her that one man was behind all that. The very man she made herself look beautiful for that day.
Yet, when she turned the page, her eyes nearly fell out. It was another page-wide photograph. But it showed Dudley Dursley sitting on a large chair behind a table, his expression furious, shouting, pointing fingers as some Goblins sat around him on the table, their heads low in defeat.
[End Of Gringotts! Costly Goblin Treachery! D&D Bank Takes Over! — In a thunderclap of destiny, Dudley Dursley, the visionary behind D&D Bank, marched into the once-vaunted Gringotts with Vanguards escorting him. What did he find? Abandonment, chaos, and the stench of treachery. A majority of Goblins, those supposedly eternal guardians of wizarding gold, perished in their reckless battle in the Ministry, leaving nothing but dust and shame.
A desperate delegation of international Goblins scurried in to placate Mr. Dursley. They were forced to admit their grievous errors and hand over control. Effective immediately, Gringotts Bank will end all its operations in the United Kingdom. All Gringotts assets will be taken over by D&D Banks.
The Gringotts clients are assured that their vaults will not be touched, nor will there be any changes of ownership. All Banking works will resume with only the name of the bank changed.
Mr. Dursley, in his exclusive remarks to me, expressed sorrow that Goblins had chosen this ignoble path. Yet his compassion shone through as he pleaded against the rise of Goblin hatred. Contrast this dignity with Voldemort's reign of terror and the Ministry's blind incompetence. The wizarding world need no longer look backwards to tyrants and bunglers, but forward to wealth, peace, and order—By Rita Skeeter.]
Narcissa wasn't eating anything, yet she choked up. She didn't know if others saw it, but she did. It almost made her shiver.
This was a total takeover of the entire British Wizarding community, from the Ministry to the banking, the newspapers, and the businesses. Everything had fallen into the hands of one single man.
She turned the page, and there was another article, bashing Dumbledore. The article revealed the true identity of Voldemort, revealing that he was a half-blood himself, masquerading as a pureblood. That he was born from love potions. Dumbledore knew about Voldemort's true identity for decades, and the death of Myrtle Elizabeth Warren, her ghost known as Moaning Myrtle, was caused by young Tom Marvolo Riddle.
Narcissa frowned at that. She wasn't aware; she didn't know if her husband was. She saw this as yet another strike by Dudley. It was a punch to all the remaining purebloods who supported Voldemort and his ideology in some way. A mocking slap, telling them to feel ashamed of who they were supporting.
The article finished by calling Dumbledore inept and asking for his retirement.
And Hogwarts falls.
Narcissa thought and turned the page, finding an article about the Vanguards, detailing their other exploits, the other Dark Wizards they had caught and killed outside.
Page after page, Narcissa saw a pattern. A pattern that signaled not the new dawn of Britain, but the rise of Britain's new master.
At last, she let go of the newspaper and looked towards the large windows of her mansion. The mansion was maintained by the same man. She saw the greenery outside, maintained gardens, and then… she saw Draco returning from Hogwarts, using Apparition.
A long sigh escaped her red lipstick-clad lips. It wasn't like she was planning to defy Dudley and fight him. She was hoping to act submissive until Draco completed Hogwarts. But now… she wondered if it was better to just accept this new life.
It was best to ally with the most powerful wizard in the country, perhaps the world, than to avoid him.
If only we hadn't gone to that World Cup.
______________________
This story has ended on Patreon.
Check out 2 Dudley X Narcissa Creampie NSFW ART, and advance chapters at [email protected]/MrPlotThickens Or Subscribestar.adult/mrplotthickens
Old Free Art on Discord: https://discord.gg/W5FdB6WXaP