Harry nodded and said, "Of course, her main target was me. By the end of the year I have permanently scarred into the back of my hand the phrase, 'I will not tell lies'. She also does a hell of a lot more damage than that, such as failing to teach even a single thing of use, but we do manage to self-teach through a secret study group we call 'Dumbledore's Army'.
"Because of the outright denial from the Minister that Riddle had returned, Riddle was then able to use those eleven months to rebuild his forces in secret. Within a few months of now he would have broken his people out of Azkaban. The breakout would have been blamed on Sirius, who was still a wanted so-called felon escapee.
"In eleven months, Riddle made an attempt to get into the Department of Mysteries to get his hands on the prophecy he knows about. Ask Croaker to tell you what's in it; it's the reason I need you to get me into the Room of Prophecies to get to the prophecy first.
"In that attempt Riddle is finally seen in person by the Minister and quite a few Ministry workers, including about a dozen aurors. However, during that attempt... one he fails at, by the way, as I smashed the prophecy globe during the battle... Sirius is killed by Bellatrix Lestrange."
That produced quite a few gasps of shock. Sirius went a little white.
"There are a number of Death Eaters arrested as a result of that battle, including Lucius Malfoy, MacNair, Nott, and a few others, who were unable to escape when Riddle left with Lestrange.
"However, Riddle had also used that year of 'denial' to great effect. He was able to rebuild his forces beyond the small circle of Death Eaters he had left from the first war.
"Almost immediately after that, the following people lose their lives due to assassinations: You. You would have died about June next year when one of your aurors, a man who's taken the Dark Mark, allows access to Bones Manor in the middle of night. At the time, Susan was staying with Hannah, so she is unharmed. However, what they do to you... is very unpleasant.
"Unspeakable Broderick Bode is injured in the attack in the Ministry. Before he has a chance to recover, he's killed in Saint Mungo's by, we think, MacNair. MacNair uses, of all things, a potted Devil's Snare to kill him.
"Emmaline Vance, who is doing something for Dumbledore's illegal bird club, is killed outside the Prime Minister's residence. I think she was part of his disillusioned or invisibility-cloaked unofficial and unrecognised guard.
"Mad-eye Moody was another. He died when the bird club finally rescued me from my muggle relatives the evening before I turn seventeen. Hannah Abbott's muggleborn mother, Pauline, is killed on a raid on her home.
"Riddle sent a message to Fudge demanding he step down, or he'd up his attacks on muggles. Fudge refused. As a result, there will also be the muggle driver and passengers of about twelve cars killed when the bridge they're crossing, Brockdale Bridge in London, collapses as part of a Death Eater attack in response to Fudge's refusal. "Fudge is finally sacked in a vote of no confidence. He and his wife are found murdered in his home about a week later. Rufus Scrimgeour then becomes Minister; but, Riddle wanted Thicknesse. A month later, Scrimgeour is murdered when Riddle's lickspittles storm the Ministry in a coup, and take over.
"Scrimgeour was really no better than Fudge anyway, and had begun to take similar actions. For instance, he arrests and dumps into Azkaban Stan Shunpike, one of the conductors off the Knight Bus. Though he had no evidence either way he just dumped Shunpike into Azkaban because he had to be seen to be doing something, and he thought Shunpike might be a Death Eater.
"It's about then when Dumbledore, who was already dying due to a withering curse on his hand, was murdered by Severus Snape with the killing curse in the Astronomy tower.
"Igor Karkaroff is hunted down by Riddle's lickspittles and killed in Europe about this time, too.
"Thicknesse is appointed as Minister in a figurehead only role. The real Minister is actually Malfoy, who was released from Azkaban, and Umbridge working together.
"Umbridge implements a number of quite despicable so-called laws under martial law. One is the rounding up of every muggleborn to be sent to... camps. No one makes it out of them alive. They go in, and never come out. Umbridge forms teams of people, read Death Eaters, known as 'Snatchers'; and sends them out to track down so-called magic-stealing muggleborns and blood traitors. Hundreds are killed as a result. When the teams go into the private homes of young muggleborns, they kill the entire family.
"A few months after Dumbledore's death, Thicknesse orders the Ministry to take control of Hogwarts under martial law provisions. Through the school board, they appoint Severus Snape as Headmaster. Other appointments as Professor include the Carrow siblings as the Muggle Studies and Dark Arts Professors. Of course, all muggleborns and most half bloods are immediately removed from the school. They're never seen again.
"During this time Professor Charity Burbage is kidnapped and murdered. Others we know to be killed around this time include Ted Tonks and Dean Thomas, a classmate in Gryffindor.
"During that almost entire year, from late June 1997 to the end of April 1998, Hermione, Ron Weasley and I are running about the country trying to find and destroy a number of artefacts that were the reason why Riddle appears immortal. We discover the final piece was stored here, at Hogwarts.
"On the 1st of May 1998 we three, together with a number of others who've been in hiding, infiltrate the school through secret passages. With the help of the original professors we're able to drive Snape and the Carrows out. We then prepare the castle's defences for a retaliatory strike by Riddle and his forces. By now, those forces number in the many hundreds. They're supported by dementors, giants, werewolves and other so-called dark creatures.
"He strikes the next night. It gave us some time to get a lot of the younger students out of the school, but nowhere near enough. However, it also gave us some time to gather to ourselves quite a few wizards and witches who were 'of the Light' from right across magical Britain.
"During the battle that results between the defenders of Hogwarts and Riddle's forces, the loss of life is incredible. Hundreds die. They include, for those I know on the light side: Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, Fred Weasley, Colin Creevey, Daphne Greengrass, Hermione Granger... and Harry Potter.
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