Dueling for Salem

Filius woke JP up early in their rented room above the Leaky Cauldron and forced her to eat breakfast. She was beginning to get used to London and looked forward to returning, should Uncle Filius ever invite her back.

"Ministry of Magic," she shouted into the fireplace and arrived back at the Ministry headquarters, which was virtually empty until they reached the Auror's offices. Harry Potter stood amidst a circle of Aurors, holding a copy of the Daily Prophet. Other Aurors held different American papers. "Good morning," Potter called to JP and Filius. "It looks like the situation is the same at the school. We're still planning on going in there. If the McFarlands have managed to gather enough support and the Professors and older students are armed, we may not face an actual fight. We could intimidate them into surrender."

"That would be best," Filius said. "We just need to let Salem know we're coming. I would hate for them to be unaware. Myra passed a general message, if she made it back safely, but we need to tell them we're on our way."

"They said they're watching our communication," JP said. The Aurors looked at each other, and Potter seemed to be brainstorming.

"Then we can't very well use the fireplaces," a red-haired Auror muttered.

"What else is there?"

JP raised her hand, though she knew it was stupid, and she wasn't at school. "Excuse me?" she said quietly, motioning for their attention. "I have an idea."

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Myra really didn't sleep that night and spent much of the day walking among the younger students, trying to make them relax. She was past talking to her friends, and almost wished she hadn't been the one to return to Salem. Abby and Wesley were badgering her about her mother and her uncle, about whom she knew almost nothing and was extremely worried. Everyone was suffering from extensive anxiety, along with sleep deprivation and the beginnings of cabin fever, which made everyone jumpy and eager to lash out at each other.

The professors looked more exhausted than the students, and they waved Myra over to them and interviewed her for over an hour, trying to figure out everything going on in the wizarding world. She told them what she knew over and over, but none of her answers seemed to satisfy them. Professor Strauss had clearly not slept in over forty-eight hours. She was almost past speaking and was simply staring at the wall in apparent defeat.

One of the professors from the Potions Department came in from a back room, practically running. "Clytemnestra!" he shouted. "We're receiving a message."

Strauss snapped out of her reverie. "How?"

"Through the fireplace."

She immediately became angry. "Don't they know we're being monitored? The Aurors will hear everything."

"Even if they hear it, I don't think it will be a problem."

"What are they saying?"

"I don't know. Does anybody here speak Goblin?"

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Slightly before 3:00, Jared, his parents, and Troy apparated to Salem, far from the school. They walked slowly to the site, gauging the position of the Aurors. Behind the line of Aurors and police cruisers, a large group was beginning to form. People held signs that read "Free the Wizards" and "Children Aren't Criminals." Camera crews were setting up, hoisting boom microphones over their heads. Other cars arrived behind the protest, and parents like the Madisons were climbing out of their cars.

The police and Aurors looked around, apparently worried, but they didn't break their ranks. They had been at the school for two days without any action and didn't look ready for an argument.

Clive and Thea worked their way into the crowd, wanting to blend in and not immediately draw attention to themselves. They shook hands with a strange variety of people, amid the throng of rainbow flags, Stars of David, Wiccan Pentagrams, and signs in Spanish. "Thank you," Thea said over and over, shocked at the reception. She silently vowed that if they ever escaped this nightmare, she would sincerely learn more about non-magic people.

Jared stayed at the back, trying to catch a glimpse of the school. When he couldn't find a window through the crowd, he looked behind them for any signs of JP or Filius. He wished more than anything for the school to be safe. Surprisingly, he had missed it in the past few days and wondered how Constance and Clytemnestra were handling the lockdown.

Thea and Clive gasped in unison as Octavius Armistead and Aurelius Exeter appeared out of thin air in front of the police line-up. The two men both glanced at the cameras, then nodded to each other. "Gentlemen," Armistead said to the guards. With a glance to the cameras to make sure he was on film, he added, "The time has come."

With one swift motion, the Aurors in the line up turned to the non-magic police. Clearly following orders, most of the Aurors said "Avada Kedavra" in unison. The others, probably due to the two days they had spent with the non-magical police, pushed them to the ground.

The crowd began to scream when they realized that the police were dead. The lines broke and people rushed at each other, some of the Aurors stepping in front of the crowd while the others fired on people at random. Armistead and Exeter smiled at each other. All was going according to plan.

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Myra looked out the window at the right time to see the police fall amid flashes of green light, as did many other students. All of them began screaming. Myra pushed through them and ran through the lobby, blasting open the door to the room with the fireplace, where Professor Strauss was on her knees, speaking in strange words. "Professor," Myra shrieked, "they're attacking."

Strauss screamed something into the fireplace and stood swiftly, then ran into the lobby. "Silence," she shouted. "I need every student with a wand to follow Myra through the tunnels. Go into the classroom building and station yourself at the windows. Do not draw unneeded attention to yourselves. Younger students, stay in here and keep away from the windows. Staff, follow me."

Myra didn't have time to think, but opened the trapdoor and jumped into the hole. It took several minutes for others to follow, but Sadie and Jackson appeared at her side first. "Let's go," she said.

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At Strauss' shrieked "Hurry!" Filius had ordered everyone into the fireplaces. Shouts of "Salem, Massachusetts," echoed through the hall.

"Are you sure she should come?" Potter shouted to Filius, indicating JP.

"She's a fighter," he answered. "And I can't leave her behind."

Potter nodded, and ushered them into a fireplace. Behind her, JP heard him turn to the red-haired Auror and say, "Been a while, hasn't it, Ron?"

"I'm ready, Harry."

When they arrived in Salem, JP and Filius were holding their wands in front of them, ready for an immediate attack. Instead, the entire room was empty, and no one was in the streets. All of the British Aurors looked confused, but it only took a moment for them to see why no one was guarding Magical Salem. Everyone was running toward the school. They arrived amidst a chaotic battle, with curses flying everywhere and gunshots ringing out against the still air.

"Be careful," Potter called, and they spread themselves out among the combatants, Filius instructing JP to stay close.