Promises Unbroken

Promises Unbroken

Chapter Thirty-Nine: The End of a Beginning

The next few weeks found Hogwarts and the Wizarding world both ablaze. Not only had a major blow been struck in the war against You-Know-Who with the emptying of Azkaban, but the entire scope of the war had also changed. A new sense of optimism permeated the castle, and Harry heard students whom he had never even heard discussing the war declaring that victory might be right around the corner. Although he felt that that assessment was a tad premature, Harry was heartened to find people beginning to believe.

Rumors claimed that Voldemort was still reeling after the Azkaban raid. Apparently the Aurors had wrecked a great deal of damage on the prison's structure during the rescue, tearing down walls and even a section of the roof, which seemed to anger the Dark Lord to no end. Here and there were tales of the prison complex being rebuilt both stronger and more secure than ever, but the Ministry had still won this round. Few realized the key part that the Order of the Phoenix had played in the raid, and from his parents' vague hints, Harry realized that the Order wanted it to remain that way. Obscurity, it seemed, served their purposes.

The last few weeks leading up to exams, though, had been hard enough to occupy everyone's mind and kept even Malfoy's snide comments to a minimum. He'd been absolutely insufferable leading up to the Azkaban raid, but the Aurors' victory silenced a great deal of his gloating. Voldemort was strangely silent in those weeks, licking his wounds back at the island fortress and leaving the Wizarding World in relative peace. Harry, for his part, was beginning to look forward to the quietest summer he'd had in a long time.

Until the Leaving Feast rolled around and Professor Lupin collapsed in the middle of his end of term speech.

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Lily looked up from a stack of paperwork as Dumbledore walked unexpectedly out of his office. His lined face was expressionless, but she could see tense lines around his blue eyes that gave his worry away. Lily started to rise and ask what was the matter, but a new voice cut her off.

"Albus, Peter and I--" James started to speak, but the Minister cut him off by stepping forward abruptly and placing his hands on James' shoulders.

"You need to leave," Dumbledore said forcefully. "Right now. Both of you."

"What?" Peter asked from half a step behind James, staring at Dumbledore as if he'd lost his mind. At the moment, the feeling was one that Lily felt obligated to agree with.

"Just go. Get down to the Auror Division and leave the Ministry, James--hurry."

For a short moment, Lily met her husband's gaze. She had rarely seen him frightened, but his hazel eyes were wide and startled, and she could feel her heart hammering in her chest in response to Dumbledore's inexplicable words. There was something tense in the air, all of a sudden, and a heavy feeling of anticipation. Decision flashed quickly across James' face, and he grabbed the shorter man's arm.

"Let's go, Peter."

Lily could feel power gathering as they strode towards the lift, and she looked around wildly until she realized that the feeling's source stood only a few feet in front of her--Dumbledore. Somehow, he had gone coldly implacable and dangerous; she'd never seen him quite like this before, and it sent adrenaline pounding through her veins. Dumbledore, she noticed, had his wand out, which he rarely did, even in moments of the greatest peril. Something had gone wrong, Lily suddenly knew. Something was about to happen.

He turned toward her, radiating power. "Go get 'Bella, Lily," Dumbledore said softly. "Tell her to evacuate the Ministry."

"What?" Her heart was rolling around somewhere on the floor.

"Go," he replied gently. "Hurry."

Without thought, Lily turned to carry out his orders, hurrying towards the lift--but then a thought occurred to her. Looking over her shoulder, she stopped and asked, "What are you going to do?"

Dumbledore's eyes were sad.

"Just go."

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Molly was in the kitchen with Bill when Project Guardian suddenly let out a high-pitched screech from the other room. They were both up in an instant, although Bill looked absolutely mystified. Today was one of his last days on leave from the Aurors; all the escaped prisoners had been given time off from right after the raid until the end of June to reacquaint themselves with the world. Much to Arthur and Molly's delight, Bill was staying at the Burrow until the other children came home from Hogwarts, and they had been very grateful to have him. The aching loss the Weasleys had felt when they had thought him lost was finally beginning to fade, and Molly had begun to think that the world was beginning to come around.

Until Project Guardian started shrieking from the shelf where she kept it rolled up and safe. The humongous piece of parchment was always active, of course, though You-Know-Who had been strangely quiet over the past weeks, and Molly had taken to setting an Alarm Charm on Project Guardian to alert her if something was going to happen. If so, her task was simple--a fire call to Lily Potter, who had access to Dumbledore at any time, day or night. But everything had been so peaceful for so long that she'd nearly forgotten--

"What is that, Mum?" Bill demanded over the Alarm Charm's insistent wailing as Molly tore the tabletop sized piece of parchment down from the high shelf.

"Something for the Order," Molly replied shortly, rushing past him and throwing Project Guardian down on the kitchen table and starting to unroll it.

"You're in the Order--?"

"Yes, but there's no time for that," she said, hardly paying attention to her own words or her son's surprised voice. "Hold that end."

Bill obligingly grasped the far end of the parchment, and Molly dropped a very heavy copy of Gilderoy Lockhart's Guide to Household Pests on the other to hold it down. Project Guardian continued screeching as she grabbed her want off the counter and started searching the giant map in earnest. Unfortunately, no great effort was required to find the trouble spot. A large area on the map was outlined in red, and Molly stabbed her wand down on it immediately.

"Oh, no..." she whispered.

Bill had weighed down the other end of the map and was now looking over her shoulder at the enlarged area titled THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC. Small figures were darting in and out of the picture, but a large group of them had just congregated at the entrance of the Ministry's Atrium. Project Guardian immediately outlined them in an ominous bright green, and Molly winched, counting at least thirty dots and knowing there had to be more. She could see dozens of witches and wizards fleeing before the new arrivals, diving into fireplaces or running into the Ministry itself. A smaller group of witches and wizards also gathered in the middle of the Ministry's upper level, and foremost in that group was Arabella Figg. As Molly watched, more and more dots joined that group, including one labeled "Lily Potter."

But as the diagram of the Ministry glowed bright and blinking red, the dot labeled "Albus Dumbledore" was speeding towards the first group of new arrivals. One figure stood out as the leader from the rest of those.

"Bill," Molly asked quietly, "Who is Tom Riddle?"

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The Dark Detectors scattered around Auror Headquarters suddenly went insane, and Sirius spun away from where he'd been leaning on Kingsley Shacklebolt's desk. The two of them had been discussing Quidditch, but the subject of their conversation was quickly forgotten amidst the chaos. Sirius twisted to face the witch who was closest to the large bank of Dark Detectors.

"Where is it?" he demanded.

Her face was white. "Everywhere!"

"What?" Suddenly, Sirius felt very cold, and he felt something coming... "The Atrium?"

"No, everywhere!" she shouted back as alarms started screeching throughout the Ministry. "From the Atrium--" the Dark Detectors started reacting even more strongly "--and from underground!"

The world froze for a brief second as Sirius tried to assimilate this abrupt flow of new information, but there was only one conclusion that could be drawn. He opened his mouth to start giving orders--and then the floor rumbled ominously beneath his feet. Obliviously, the standard and cool female voice continued the alarm:

"All witches and wizards currently in the Ministry of Magic are highly encouraged to leave the premises at once. An emergency has occurred. Please proceed to the nearest exit, fireplace, or Apparation point. You will be informed when it is safe to reenter the Ministry..."

It was almost a gentle rumble and was probably unnoticeable from the floors above. The Department of Magical Law Enforcement and Auror Headquarters were located deep in the Ministry, after all, on level two, which was beneath almost all the other offices. Odds were that no one above them had felt the floor shake, or if they could have, they undoubtedly failed to notice it in all the confusion. But the entire Ministry was protected by the most stringent Structural Integrity Charms, and there was no natural phenomenon on earth that could make the Ministry shake...

Sirius' plans changed in an instant.

"Get outside, now!" he shouted, aiming his wand at the Anti-Apparation control panel on the far wall. The wards weren't supposed to be taken down except in the most dire of emergencies, but Sirius was sure this qualified--so he blasted the panel into smithereens. "All of you, go to the Emergency Apparation Point! Something's about to--"

The rumble grew louder, and the entire floor vibrated for a full two seconds, and Sirius his stomach do a back flip. Aurors were paranoid by nature and had an emergency plan for everything. He could only hope there would be enough time, and he cut himself off, drowning out the cool female voice that continuously announced the need for evacuation.

"GO!"

He had just enough time to see wands rising and turn his own on himself before the floor shook one final time and then exploded.

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"'Bella, Dumbledore wants you to evacuate now!" Lily shouted, rushing through the group of witches and wizards gathering in the small hall that contained all the Ministry lifts. The hall wasn't very big, and it was filling up rapidly as more witches and wizards headed towards the great golden gates that marked the front entranceway.

Arabella Figg didn't even bother to answer her, instead turning to screech at the gaggle heading towards the front gates. "Not that way, you fools!" she shouted angrily. "If the Ministry's under attack, that's the first place anyone will go--"

"All witches and wizards currently in the Ministry of Magic are highly encouraged to leave the premises at once. An emergency has occurred. Please proceed to the nearest exit, fireplace, or Apparation point. You will be informed when it is safe to reenter the Ministry..."

"The Ministry can't be under attack!" a disheveled looking Cornelius Fudge gabbled. "No one would dare--"

"Shut up!" Figg bellowed. "The back way, all of you, now!"

A stab of her wand sent a split running up the solid marble walls at the hall's very back. Slowly, the two walls began to split apart, revealing a dusty upward passageway that led to Muggle London. Looking through the opening, Lily sighed in relief. The path was clear, which meant that the Ministry's employees could make their way free and Apparate away.

The floor shook underneath her feet.

Lily turned to 'Bella with a frown as a nearby witch let out a shriek. Something was wrong, but she didn't have time to figure out what. "Dumbledore headed towards the Atrium," she explained quietly. "I don't know what he's doing--"

"Isn't it obvious?" the Deputy Minister of Magic replied bitterly.

"He's not--"

"Dumbledore's delaying him." 'Bella's face was white. "He's buying us time."

Lily's heart constricted so fast that she almost thought it stopped. Somehow, she had known what it had to be, but her heart had still denied it. This can't be happening, she thought desperately. Not when we're so close...! But beyond the great golden gates, Lily could hear spells and curses flying. Multicolored flashes of light reflected off of the peacock-blue ceiling in the Atrium, and Lily saw the gates rattle even the gathered witches and wizards rushed the ever widening opening that led towards freedom. A chill ran down her spine.

Voldemort.

She turned to look at 'Bella, and knew the older woman was thinking exactly what she was. They would not leave Dumbledore alone. They could not. Right after they ensured that the others were safe, the two of them, at least, would join him. The number of voices they could hear from beyond the gates was staggering; surely, Dumbledore did not expect to face off against Voldemort and his Death Eaters alone? Lily swallowed. That might be exactly what he intended to do.

"All witches and wizards currently in the Ministry of Magic are highly encouraged to leave the premises at once. An emergency has occurred..."

The floor heaved and something exploded.

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James and Peter were alone in the lift except for a brown-haired witch who was busying chewing her nails nervously when the alarm went off. The two Marauders looked at each other immediately, ignoring the witch's gasp of terror. The lift was speeding downwards, and the doors opened on level three without even the standard announcement of what departments were housed on the level. As the doors slid shut, the nervous witch grabbed his arm.

"We have to leave!" she cried nervously. "We have to go up, get out--"

"We can't," James tried to explain patiently, but her tight grip on his arm made doing so hard. "Look, after one more level, you can go up and go wherever you want, but I've got to get down to Auror Head--"

"But there isn't time!" she screeched in James' ear, making him wince and struggle to free himself from her hands.

"Will you let go of me already?"

"Uh, James, did you feel that?" Peter asked all of a sudden.

"Feel what?" He turned to look at his friend, completely ignoring the witch as her hands flew off of his arm in an instant. The back corner of his mind registered that she was staring at him

"James?" she interrupted. "James Potter? Oh, I am so sorry!"

The floor shook again, and Peter frowned with concentration as the lift's walls vibrated. "There it is again."

A hard ball of worry formed in James' throat. "Something's wrong."

"Do you think--" Peter started, and then cut himself off. "No, it's not possible."

With each moment, the shaking became more pronounced--or was that only because they were headed deeper? Even the brown-haired witch fell silent, then, staring between James and Peter as they looked at one another with wide eyes. Suddenly, the lift stopped.

And the world rocked and exploded.

The burst of power beneath them forced the lift upwards and off of its tracks. As the witch screamed and both wizards struggled to find handholds to keep their balance, the lift jumped up and then came crashing back down. It paused for a moment in the same space it had previously occupied between levels three and two, and then the lift plummeted downwards.

And down.

And down.

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Lily struggled to her feet, coughing and blinking in the dusty air. Her right side ached, but there was no time for pain. Cries of pain and fear rang through the rubble-covered and semi-dark hall as witches and wizards stumbled around. Several nervously aimed spells at imaginary opponents, making eerie lights fill the thick air. She spotted one witch staggering blindly through the crowd, missing her left arm from the elbow down. Another wizard was clutching a blood-spurting wound in his forehead with both hands and calling for help. Lily started forward without thinking, and then had to backtrack several steps when she realized that she didn't have her wand. After a moment's digging through the rubble, she found it, miraculously intact amongst all the destruction.

Not far to her right, Arabella Figg levered herself to her feet. Her normally stern face was covered in dirt and blood, making her look like some ancient monster, but her gray eyes burned fiercely out from behind the grime. As she turned, Lily caught sight of a giant gap in her left side. 'Bella, though, was entirely business.

Without warning, several pieces of the ceiling came lose with an ear-splitting crack. Only quick spell work from both witches diverted them before the solid chucks of stone could land on the confused group below. Immediately, 'Bella turned to the assembled Ministry workers.

"What are you waiting for?" she demanded shrilly. "Get outside!"

A crash from behind them underlined her words, and Lily spun to see the golden gates fall. As Death Eaters came flowing in from the Atrium, the gathered witches and wizards rushed the exit, screaming in terror. Their panic created a bottleneck in the opening, though, which only encouraged the crowd to desperately shove at the people in the front. Very few held back to aid Lily and 'Bella against the incoming Death Eaters.

Green light split the space between the two witches, and Lily dove left, rolling and firing spells as she came to her feet. A witch in the back of the crowd screamed and went down, but then 'Bella's spell caught the same Death Eater unaware and he collapsed in a pool of blood. Lily suddenly caught sight of Dumbledore, who was fighting a twisting and illusive duel with Lord Voldemort himself. At the same time, the Minister was fending off the odd attack by waiting Death Eaters, and Lily knew he could not last long alone. But an onrushing wall of the enemy stood between her and the legendary wizard, preventing her from doing anything more than watching impotently. At her back, the Ministry employees were still fleeing wildly, and at her right, 'Bella fought madly to protect them.

One of the wizards who had joined their efforts at defense fell, leaving them outnumbered at least four to one. Lily dodged a Blasting Curse and immediately cast a Paralysis Charm in return, gratified to see her opponent go down--but there were too many of them and they were moving too fast. Like 'Bella Figg, Lily interposed herself between the Death Eaters and the witches and wizards they were trying to save, bracing herself to stand fast against anything. Spells and dust were coloring the thick air, making it hard to see--but there was no missing it when, out of the corner of her eye, Lily saw Voldemort fly backwards, crashing into the Fountain of Magical Brethren.

This was their chance.

"Albus!" Lily shouted. If only he could move back and join their line, they might all survive. For several long seconds, Voldemort lay unmoving amongst the fountain's rubble, and Dumbledore turned slowly to face her over the wall of Death Eaters between them.

His blue eyes met her green, and Dumbledore slowly shook his head. He turned back to the fight, and with a sweep of his wand, three Death Eaters collapsed to the ground as if run over by a Muggle train.

At her right, 'Bella was struck by a curse and let out a cry, staggered and barely regained her balance, and then killed the Death Eater who had hit her. Far to the left, another Death Eater cast a Reductor Curse, aiming at the ceiling--and Lily barely managed to deflect the falling stones before they landed on the innocent behind her. A quick glance told her that almost three-quarters of the witches and wizards were through the opening, but the remnants were panicking and pressing those in front of them as the Death Eaters felled several stragglers. And in the Atrium, Voldemort was up, firing spells at Dumbledore once more--

One struck, wrapping ropes of fire around the Minister of Magic, and even from so far away, Lily smelled flesh burning. Then Dumbledore was suddenly free and flying high into the air. The old man landed on his feet barely twenty feet in front of her, just inside what was left of the golden gates. He stabbed his wand forward like a sword and Voldemort staggered back once more.

Sudden screams behind her made Lily turn her head; doing so, she caught the fringes of a Conjunctivitis Curse and had to cast the counter charm before her vision cleared. When she could see, though, Lily caught sight of five or six dark robed figures bursting through the frightened crowd, but before she could aim a curse at one, her heart soared. The lead Auror's voice was easily recognizable as Hestia Jones felled a Death Eater who had taken aim at Dumbledore's back. Quickly, the Aurors fought their way up to where Lily and 'Bella now battled alone. Now the seven of them formed a line against the advancing enemy, struggling to push them back.

Chaos reigned. Abruptly, an injured Death Eater aimed a curse at Dumbledore's back, making the old man falter and nearly fall. Voldemort followed it with a quick curse that engulfed Dumbledore in fire, but the Minister Apparated aside as Lily threw a Shield Charm between Hestia and the Imperius Curse. The other witch returned the favor by blocking an Impediment Curse that had come Lily's way, but there was no time for thanks. They could only fight on.

The absence of noise behind her told Lily that the Ministry workers were finally free. But far ahead, more Death Eaters were pouring into the Atrium.

"Fall back!" Figg cried, and the Aurors began to obey. Dumbledore, however, continued to stand alone against the advancing enemy.

"Albus!" Lily screamed again. "Let's go!"

He Apparated away from a Killing Curse, landing in a swirl of midnight blue robes atop the rubble that had once been the Fountain of Magical Brethren. Dumbledore's deep voice echoed across the Atrium. "It is time, Tom."

"Then let it end!" Voldemort snarled in reply, creating a fire-breathing snake, which Dumbledore easily batted aside. Several Death Eaters aimed curses in his direction, but Dumbledore twisted aside, landing once more between the Dark Lord and Lily, 'Bella, and the retreating Aurors.

"Get them out of here, Arabella!" he cried.

As Arabella Figg opened her mouth to reply, green light flashed from the left and struck her full in the chest. The Deputy Minister of Magic crumbled to the floor at Hestia Jones' feet in seemingly slow motion, and Lily saw the other witch go pale. Two separate Aurors struck 'Bella's killer, and the Death Eater blew apart, splattering brains and bone all over the far wall. There was no time even to mourn; the attacks suddenly doubled in intensity, forcing Lily and the others to close in even tighter for mutual defense. Step by step, they were forced towards the exit--and suddenly, Lily realized, away from Dumbledore.

Lily felled two Death Eaters in quick succession, and then was forced to take another step back to avoid a Disintegration Curse. Out of nowhere, however, a Strength Stealing Curse struck her, making exhaustion press into her from all sides and breathing difficult. Lily staggered drunkenly, but she would not quit. She could not bear to.

Suddenly, an Auror fell, breaking the line and leaving an insurmountable hole in their defenses. His companion bent over to drag him from danger, only to be cut down by an expertly aimed Killing Curse. Now they were down to five against thirty, and Lily heard Hestia Jones give the order to pull back. Furious, Lily screamed, "We can't leave him!"

"If we don't, we'll all die!" Hestia shouted back, her face tight.

Lily turned to shout Dumbledore's name again, but when she did, he was already meeting her eyes. His quiet voice nonetheless carried to her. "Just go, Lily."

Then he stumbled and nearly fell. Taking advantage of his distraction, a Death Eater had once again succeeded in casting a spell at Dumbledore's unguarded back. Encouraged, several other others closed in on him, and she saw Voldemort attacking with renewed vigor. A cascade of cures came in all at one time, and although the Minister spun, even Dumbledore could not block them all. Silver light flashed form his wand and struck the Death Eaters down, but even as it did so, Lily heard Voldemort's high-pitched laugh.

Green light burned through the air, and Albus P.W.B. Dumbledore went down.

To Be Continued...

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Author's Note: I am SO sorry about not updating in so long. To make a (very) long story short, my school's network would not access any part of this website. Again, my apologies. However, you can look for the sequel, Promises Remembered, in the next two weeks. Go on to the next chapter for a preview of PR.

I have started a Yahoo! Group for the "Unbroken Universe". It's free to join, and I'll post updates plus other tidbits, like the trailer, that way. The address is: www.groups.yahoo.com/group/Unbroken_Universe. Please do not email me to be put on the update list now; joining the list is much easier.