What Augustus the explosion expert and Jane Yu the safety officer didn't realize was—
The very first cauldron explosion had been so thunderously loud, its echoes so endlessly reverberating, that it triggered the Ministry of Magic's entire alarm system.
—Warning that the Ministry might be under enemy invasion!
This caused Minister Bones, working just as diligently one floor above, to stiffen at her desk and leap to her feet!
She knew this day would inevitably come—she just hadn't expected it quite so soon...
The Death Eaters had finally breached every defense and struck!
With steely determination, Bones grabbed her wand and burst from her office, rapidly sounding the assembly bell.
She had resolved to lead from the front, bringing Aurors and Special Agents into direct combat with Death Eaters and Voldemort himself, fighting to the very last drop of blood.
"Wands at the ready! Prepare for battle! Form ranks and follow me to the Atrium!"
Facing the Aurors and Special Agents who had swiftly assembled, she raised her fist overhead in one final rallying cry before the desperate battle:
"We swear to defend the Ministry! Protect the wizarding world! Annihilate the Death Eaters! The Ministry shall not fall!"
Her speech was undeniably passionate, her resolve unshakeable, her stance against the enemy as strong and unyielding as an ancient oak.
But while her blood ran hot with battle fever, the hastily assembled Aurors and Special Agents looked utterly bewildered, their faces masks of innocent confusion.
They exchanged glances, silently communicating through meaningful looks.
"Does the Minister have intelligence we lack?" "If she says so, she must be right—just follow orders!"
Regardless, superior orders were absolute. Their recent intensive training kicked in, snapping them into combat readiness with practiced efficiency.
—Only to find themselves standing in the completely empty Atrium, enveloped in an profoundly awkward silence.
Fortunately, some innate social awareness prevented them from openly questioning their Minister's peculiar decision.
They studied the ceiling, the floor, the statues—marveling at how the Ministry's ceiling truly sparkled, how the floors gleamed, how inspiring the sculptures appeared... much like the Minister herself.
Thankfully, Minister Bones's emotional intelligence exceeded even that of her subordinates. She quickly declared:
"Excellent! This emergency assembly was a readiness drill I organized! Your response times were swift, though there's always room for improvement!"
After an impromptu speech and debriefing, Bones—now realizing it had been a false alarm—finally relaxed.
Having smoothly defused the awkwardness and created her own graceful exit, she composed herself and returned to her office.
She assumed that was the end of it—but it was merely the beginning.
After barely thirty minutes of peace, another series of ear-splitting explosions erupted from the depths below!
Alarms shrieked throughout the building. Minister Bones, unable to remain seated, wrestled with herself briefly before hitting the assembly bell again.
—Only to once more face the serene, undisturbed Atrium in profound silence.
Her excuse-crafting skills were rapidly improving. Confronting her team's expectant, questioning expressions, she announced loudly:
"Outstanding! This time your assembly was three seconds faster than before! I expect you to maintain this momentum and achieve even better results!"
Tormented by repeated false alarms, Bones felt she'd aged a decade. She decided to personally investigate what exactly was going wrong with the underground research project—what could possibly be triggering alarms throughout the Ministry, making it seem as though Death Eaters had launched repeated assaults.
But just as she prepared to depart, a panicked Auror intercepted her!
"Minister! Pius Thicknesse—something's wrong! While we were assembling, he bypassed security protocols and entered the Ministry! By the time I noticed the alarm discrepancy, it was too late—the lift had descended to the lowest levels, either the Department of Mysteries or the courtrooms—"
Minister Bones's face went ashen!
She and the Aurors raced to the scene at breakneck speed.
The Department of Mysteries showed no signs of disturbance, but the deeper they ventured toward Level Ten, the more her dread intensified.
The magically reinforced walls were spider-webbed with cracks, the floors littered with shattered bricks and debris scattered everywhere in explosive patterns, as if the area had endured hundreds of Confringo blasts.
Bones's frown deepened as ominous premonitions flooded her mind!
She understood now... the alarms hadn't been false...
Thicknesse had simply circumvented them, sneaking below to commit his atrocities!
What she discovered next was even more horrifying: the remnants of a blasted wizard boot, fragments of torn robes...
This was catastrophic!
Bones felt dizzy, waves of regret crashing over her—
Visions of Jane Yu and the senior researchers meeting tragic ends flashed before her eyes...
Dumbledore's steady, gentle features morphing into grief and anguish...
The wizarding world's admiring gazes transforming into contempt...
Death Eaters' triumphant laughter echoing...
Bones felt her throat constrict completely. She gripped her wand tighter, steeled her resolve, and peered into Courtroom No. 1—
Inside, there wasn't a single Death Eater—only her subordinate Pius Thicknesse lying motionless on the floor!
Standing beside him were Augustus and Jane Yu, holding what appeared to be pink anatomical components while pouring potions into them.
But upon seeing her arrival, both turned toward her with expressions of absolute terror.
Caught between crushing despair and overwhelming relief, Bones couldn't suppress a grateful smile, releasing a massive sigh:
"Thank Merlin—you only removed his intestines!"
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