Chapter 34

ELIZABETH WHITE

Elizabeth White felt her world twist before she suddenly felt herself land on hard ground. She landed on the ground and could hear a number of gasps before she suddenly heard the voice of their Transfiguration professor loudly.

"Back up! Back up! Let the healers do their work!" the professor said in a hardened tone. Elizabeth finally looked around and found herself back in the familiar halls of Hogwarts.

She was safe. She was alive.

A wave of relief swept through her, and suddenly she felt her body getting lifted and taken to a medical bed. She also looked to the side and found Edward and Fleur getting taken to beds.

A healer came to her side, someone other than Poppy.

"Miss White? Can you hear me?" he said, and Elizabeth found herself nodding, her body still trembling. She was still looking at the healers swarming Edward's bed and casting a number of spells.

"Yes, yes. I can," she replied, not taking her eye off of Edward before suddenly she recalled something.

She turned to the healer and spoke up.

"The others! The others are in Hogsmeade near the Hog's head!" she told the healer, whose eyes widened as he gave her a nod. She saw him turn and rush toward her transfiguration professor and speak to her in a hushed tone.

She saw McGonagall take a sigh of relief as immediately began to walk towards what appeared to be Aurors. The healer returned to her side and began talking to her once more.

"Thank you for this! Now I need you to tell me did you receive any injury on any part of your body!"

She shook her head and looked to her side towards the person responsible for her and everyone else's safe return. They had now put curtains around his bed, making it so she couldn't see a thing.

"I did not. Is my friend going to be fine!" she asked the young healer, who gave her a warm smile and nodded.

"He is being cared for by the best of the best. He will be fine," and she nodded, and suddenly she heard the infirmary doors open as. Suddenly a couple of Aurors walked in and with Viktor Krum, Hermione Granger, and Gabrielle Delacour.

"GABRIELLE!" she heard someone scream as the little French girl was suddenly wrapped up by what appeared to be her mother. The little girl lept to her mother and began sobbing, and Elizabeth knew that the experience had been harrowing for the young Veela and her parents.

SHWISH.

The curtains around Edward's bed were pulled apart, and she saw a much older man walk toward her. The man had white hair and wore the same robes as the rest of the healers, but he seemed to be a department head by the name embossed above his pocket.

"Healer Shafiq, can your patient answer some questions?" the young healer who had been examining her nodded. But she spoke up before him.

"Yes! Yes, I can," she almost shouted, and the young healer Shafiq also nodded.

"She can! She has no major injuries. We just need to clean out the scrapes and cuts, and a good rest after that will be enough," the head nodded and turned to face her, and he gave her a small sympathetic smile before he started.

"Miss White! I know you have been through something extremely traumatic, but can I ask you some questions regarding the event!" Elizabeth took a deep breath as she nodded.

"Thank you! Now can you tell me which spells were used against you and Mr. Edward?" Elizabeth looked to the side and found Edward still unconscious, though his face had been wrapped with white dressing.

She nodded as she recalled their escape from the graveyard as replied to his question.

"One of the Death Eaters first used the Cruciatus on him!" and she heard the young healer beside her gasp as she continued.

"Then, as we were trying to get away, they were just throwing random spells at us! After that, Voldemort appeared!" and at this, she heard the Head healer gasp. She saw his face pale as she interrupted her.

"Are you saying that he's back? That Voldemort is back!" he questioned her, and she nodded.

The whole room became quiet at that, and she could see a number of eyes all focused on her. She swallowed before slowly nodding her head.

Immediately she felt the temperature of the room drop. And then she saw some Ministry employees trying to rush towards her, but Professor McGonagall stepped forward once more.

"Let the healers do their work! Everyone except the healers and the Aurors, please move out of the room!" there were some protests to her, but she just waved her wand, pushing everyone out of the room.

"Please, continue," said the head healer, and she once again focused on him. Just even recalling being in his presence of him, made her skin crawl.

"We were trying to get out, but he stood in our way! He used the cruciatus curse on him three times, and some flame spell also hit him!" she concluded hurriedly, not wanting to dwell on the memories too much.

"Gods, be good! Being under the Dark Lord's torture curse three times!" the head healer cursed, and her heart dropped as she saw his pale face. She spoke up once again.

"He will be fine, right?" she questioned the older man, looking at both the healers, who were now pale as a sheet of paper. The younger one was simply looking toward the older Head healer, who nodded toward her!

"Thank you for this! As for your friend, we are going to take good care of him! He will be fine!" The man rushed back towards Edward's bed. She tried to speak up once more, but the younger healer stopped her.

"You need to rest, Miss White! Please take this Dreamless sleep; you will be fine after you wake up!"

0000

APOLLINE DELACOUR

The last couple of hours had been hell for Apolline Delacour. The prospect of losing any of her daughters had shocked her to the core, devastating her and leaving her distraught. She had not been the only one affected, for she had never seen Sebastien worried like this once.

But in the end, everything worked out. She wiped away her tears as she hugged her little Gabrielle, who had been lucky to remain unconscious throughout the ordeal. Though the same could not be said of her eldest daughter, who was still pale as a sheet.

Sebastien stood by her side, holding her side, as a Ministry official from France talked to her. She could tell that this was going to become a huge international issue. The return of someone like Voldemort was something that would raise questions all over the world.

Suddenly she saw the Healers shift as they suddenly began moving the bed to her side. She saw Fleur turn towards them as her face grew paler, and she asked loudly.

"Where are they going? Where are they taking him?" she asked Sebastien, who hesitated for a second before he walked up to a healer and talked to him before returning to Fleur's side.

"They are taking him to St. Mungos for further treatment. He needs further treatment, which is impossible here," and she watched her daughter's face turn paler as she suddenly sprang to her feet.

"I need to go with them! Tell them to take me with them!" she said as Sebastien stopped her from falling down.

"Fleur, you are in no shape to go anywhere. You need to rest. The healers will take care of it," Sebastien tried to calm her down, but Fleur seemed adamant.

"NO! NO! I need to be there. Tell them to take me with them!" she pleaded, and Apolline's heart broke as she saw tears well up in her daughter's eyes.

"Fleur! They only allow family to accompany a pat…."

"He has no one. I have to go with him!" suddenly, she saw Sebastien frown as he suddenly cut Fleur off.

"You are not going anywhere! The healers will take care of it! We will be returning to France by tomorrow!"

"NO!" and Apolline watched as Fleur defied Sebastien. Separating from him as she glared at the man.

"That is enough, Fle…."

"All of us would have been dead if not for him! All of us! If not for him! I will not leave him like this," Fleur said to her father as she wiped away the tears in her eyes, standing tall even as her body shook.

Sebastien seemed to be taken back by her words, but he was about to retort when Apolline decided to cut in as she suddenly spoke up.

"Sebastien, please. Let her go," she pleaded quietly, and Fleur's eyes brightened at her words. Sebastien took a moment or so before slowly nodding and turning to face Fleur.

"All right, but you need to rest first. Take the dreamless sleep and sleep for a couple of hours, and then you can go to St. Mungos and visit him," he finished reluctantly and then motioned for the French Ministry worker to leave. Fleur nodded at that and immediately drank the potion from the vial.

She then walked up to her and hugged her, and Apolline relished as she felt Fleur's arms wrap around her reassuringly. Relief rippled through her. She was here. Fleur was back.

"Thank you for this," Fleur muttered, and Apolline kissed her head, tears of relief falling down from her eyes once again.

"I am just so thankful that you and Gabrielle are unharmed!" she said as her daughters wrapped around her, breathing life back into her.

0000

ALBUS DUMBLEDORE

"This is a disaster! I thought he died all those years ago at the Potters! How the hell does someone return from the dead." Amelia Bones screamed as she paced back and forth in her office.

Both of them were waiting for the Minister to reach the Ministry so that further steps could be taken regarding Voldemort's return. Dumbledore's mind was racing as he thought of an explanation to the question of the Head of DMLE.

"I do have some hypothesis, but I can not be sure," he said as he thought of the huge cauldron found in the graveyard and the potion that had been prepared.

Amelia turned towards him.

"Well, then, do enlighten me," she said as she finally sat. Albus leaned back in the chair as he compiled his thoughts.

"I believe that Voldemort did not truly die when he tried to kill young Harry. I believe he was able to survive as a wraith and has now used a very obscure and strong restorative potion to return to his full life."

"A restorative potion! Aren't those common in Africa," and he nodded. For the truly were common there. He couldn't tell her about the Horcruxes, for the fewer people knew about such magics, the better. They were something no wizard should ever even imagine making.

"Gods be damned! Why couldn't he just die that night!" she said with a sigh as she leaned back into her seat before suddenly speaking up in a somber tone.

"You do know how Fudge will react to this, right?" she questioned him, and he nodded slowly. Cornelius Fudge was many things, but a brave man he was not. His association with one Lucius Malfoy also compromised the man, giving Dumbledore quiet a clear idea about how he would react to this news.

But that had not been the question.

"Do you wish for me to support you to become Minister?" he asked straightforwardly, and Amelia shrugged.

"It wouldn't really matter. Fudge will not be able to lead us through this war! He is worse than Bagnold and even more corrupt. He will be made to quit sooner or later," and everyone knew who would replace him. There were only two contenders, truly.

Amelia Bones and Rufus Scrimegour. And Scrimegour lacked much of Amelia's appeal and support, though was a reasonable wizard in his humble opinion.

"If it truly comes to it. You will have my support!" he said after a moment of thought. Amelia gave him a nod.

"Thank you," and then suddenly, a Patronus appeared in the room. Dumbledore felt his mood lighten as the shining eagle did rounds around him before landing on his shoulder, conveying the message of its caster, Filius.

"What is a patronus doing here?" Amelia questioned cautiously as it dissolved into sparks after finishing its purpose.

"It was here to deliver a message from my charms, professor! He has just informed me that the healers have taken young Mr. Edwards to St. Mungos for further treatment for the aftereffects of the Cruciatus curse," and he was furious and distraught by the news.

Cruciatus curse, an unforgivable on a seventeen-year-old. Voldemort had driven several people mad with that curse. Amelia seemed to share his views as her face paled as she heard his words.

"GODS! Cruciatus by Voldemort on a seventeen-year-old! Will he be fine?" she questioned him and he nodded.

"They are optimistic, but nothing can be said with surety," and there was a knock at her door as a young Auror entered the room.

"Madam BONES! MADAM BONES! The Minister has been killed!"

0000

BANG!

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