Repercussions of Gringotts Attack Ⅴ

Inside the Ministry of Magic, Mrs. Prim, the undersecretary guards the entry to the Minister of Magic's office. The interior is simply decorated with neat bookshelves and a few ornaments suggesting her time at Hogwarts as a Ravenclaw. The stout witch with bobbed hair, Minister Eugenia Jenkins frowns as she receives an initial report from the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Elphinstone Urquart. A wizard in his mid-forties with dark hair slicked back and a widow's peak.

"Are you certain that the Death Eaters will not be returning to Gibbon's manner?" Minister Jenkins pointedly asked.

"It is unlikely at this point," Elphinstone Urquhart grimly answered. "All intelligence reports indicate that the Death Eaters have fled with their leader, Tom Marvolo Riddle to another location. No subsequent traces of their safehouse have been found."

"However," Elphinstone grimaced, "as the latest report over a hundred corpses in various states of decomposition have been found with more reported each hour."

Minister Jenkins' hand tightens in fury. "Are they our own?"

"We have not yet confirmed, but the principal hypothesis is that the majority are either Death Eaters killed by the Dark Lord or muggles used for nefarious purposes," Elphinstone grimly answered. "Subsequent detailed reports will be provided with further details, Minister."

"Merlin's Beard," Minister Jenkins swore pounding her fist on her desk hard enough to rattle the ink bottle on her desk. "What will it take to capture Tom Marvolo Riddle?'

Elphinstone tactfully does not answer and addresses his next concern. "There are strong indicators that the Death Eaters were made aware of the planned raid. There is likely a spy within the Ministry of Magic."

Minister Jenkins swore again. "I thought we had cleared out the house with the death of Harold Mitchum."

"If I may Minister," interjected a brown-haired Auror with a square jaw, Edgar Bones.

Minister Jenkins waves at Edgar Bones to continue. "In speaking to my brother, Jacques, although a large portion of the Ministry of Magic was cleared out, there are also plenty of new additions within the Ministry of Magic. It would not be difficult to slip in a spy with the rapid expansion the Ministry of Magic has undergone this year. And neither would it be impossible for corruption to subtly occur."

"Unfortunately, I cannot deny the accuracy of that statement," Minister Jenkins sighed rubbing her head, before changing the subject. "Auror Scrimgeour has done a fine job in Auror Moody's stead. How goes his honeymoon?"

"He and his wife, Druella have greatly enjoyed their belated honeymoon to the West Indies," Elphinstone said with a bit of a smile. "In his letters, he sounds rather reluctant to return, but he has been gone for several weeks now. They will return via International portkey tomorrow."

"Excellent," Minister Jenkins approvingly said. Not that she did not like Auror Scrimgeour, but Senior Auror Moody is of great value to the Auror Corps with his age and years of service.

"Newlyweds," Auror Bones drily commented, before sending a bemused grin at Elphinstone. "And I do believe Urquhart will shortly be doing much the same. The wedding to Minerva McGonagall is this upcoming Easter, I am certain that will not come for you soon enough."

"True enough," Elphinstone replied with a gooey lovestruck smile.

"Is that all the reports for now?" Minister Jenkins briskly asked.

"Just a private word, Minister," Elphinstone said gesturing at Auror Bones to depart.

"Excuse me, Minister," Auror Bones said, before departing from the Minister of Magic's office and leaving the two of them alone.

Once the door is firmly shut behind him. Elphinstone much more solemnly pulls out his wand and performs several spell checks. Seeing the urgency and need to ensure the office is secured, Minister Jenkins says, "What needs to be discussed in private that requires such a high-level of secrecy, Elphinstone?"

"We have found a willing spy among the Death Eaters," Elphinstone solemnly pronounced.

"What?" Minister Jenkins uttered in shock, before pressing forward. "Who and under what conditions?"

"Adolphus Holtus was discovered by Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt in the house of his muggle lover," Elphinstone reported. "Apparently, Adolphus Holtus accepted his father's request to become a Death Eater lest he was disinherited and left penniless. Under such a dire threat, Mr. Holtus obeyed his father's command vastly underestimating the consequences of his father's command. According to Kingsley, Adolphus Holtus is a rather mild-mannered Horticulturist which is also how he came to his muggle lover from the nearby village next to Gibbon Manor, a widow by the name of Marsha."

"This could all be a ploy," Minister Jenkins coldly retorted. "There are plenty of consummate actors, especially in politics."

"Certainly, however, Auror Shacklebolt insists that Adolphus Holtus is simply a wizard who made one unfortunate decision at the bequest of his father," Elphinstone countered. "Furthermore, Mr. Holtus has taken no muggle lives nor tortured for pleasure."

"Mr. Holtus will need to swear all of this again under Veritaserum," Minister Jenkins firmly declared. "Furthermore, he will need to swear an unbreakable vow to not betray us to the Death Eaters."

"It was my intent as well," Elphinstone said in full agreement. "His only request is that his identity be protected including that of his muggle lover, Marsha."

"Very well, the secret will only remain between the three of us, Kingsley, yourself, and myself," Minister Jenkins said with a frown. "We run the risk of his being killed and attacked, but if any of our Auror's hesitates in battle. It will give the game entirely away before it has even begun."

"Correct, however, I also have some concerns," Elphinstone explained. "Mr. Holtus can only be a lower-level spy. He is not sufficiently proficient at occlumency to prevent Tom Marvolo Riddle, who is an accomplished legilimens. We will have to use him carefully so as not to give our one card away."

"In that case, can he verify the current location of the Death Eater safe house?"

"He cannot, the Dark Lord has placed a curse on the name of the location. It will be triggered if it is even pronounced. However, he did side-apperate with Shacklebolt to a nearby location. And Auror Shacklebolt was able to confirm the location as he witnessed Death Eaters apperating near the vicinity."

"Good, then all is not lost," Minister Jenkins said in grim relief. "Can we plan a subsequent raid?"

Elphinstone regretfully shook his head. "Shacklebolt mentioned that the wards were so strong that his skin still prickled even at the distance. Furthermore, the location of the safe house was deliberately chosen beforehand. The Auror Corpse and A.P.D. officers would have to fight our way uphill through rocky, loose terrain. It would be a guaranteed slaughter with attacks coming from on high."

Minister Jenkins pressed her lips into a flat line. "This does not make sense," she tsk-tsked. "Tom Marvolo Riddle is capable of such deliberate methodical planning yet why the large, grandiose attack at Gringotts?"

"If I may Minister, I may have an answer to that," Elphinstone said as Minister Jenkins impatiently motioned for him to speak. "From what we can understand, the attacks of the Death Eaters at the beginning were uncoordinated and incomprehensible. That all began to change with giants, the attacks began to grow more coordinated and calculated. However, there were still skirmishes that did not end well largely due to the uncoordinated attacks of Death Eaters, who were acting on their own desires rather than obeying the battle strategy in place."

"Now let us return to the dead corpses found at Gibbons manor," Elphinstone said. "Among those are of Death Eaters and according to Mr. Holtus it is the corpses of Death Eaters who either disobeyed or failed to complete the Dark Lord's orders."

Minister Jenkins pensively nods her head in understanding as a terrible image begins to form in her mind. "Tom Marvolo Riddle is the man, who in his youth dared to commit a crime and pin the blame upon another right under Professor Dumbledore's nose," Elphinstone soberly explicated. "The Dark Lord tolerates zero disobedience, but he cannot simply kill every single Death Eater who disobeys him especially if they are high-ranked purebloods. So, how does he remove the obstacles in his path?"

"He gathers them like rats and sends them to their foolish deaths," Minister Jenkins grimly concluded. "Riddle is consolidating his forces and removing any weak element from his circle of power. All those that remain will be completely obedient to his will."

"That was my terrible conclusion as well, Minister Jenkins," Elphinstone flatly stated.

"Then we will use that to our advantage," Minister Jenkins coldly responded. "If Riddle believes all of his Death Eaters to be obedient to his will then our spy will have that much more of a chance to survive and report."

"Mr. Holtus is aware of the dangers, but he is willing to take the risk for a future with his muggle lover, Marsha," Elphinstone said with a bit of respect in his voice for the Death Eater.

"Now go and interrogate our spy, Urquhart," Minister Jenkins sternly ordered. "We still need to verify Mr. Holtus's words."

"It will be as you ordered, Minister," Elphinstone said, before excusing himself from the Minister of Magic's office.

Minister Jenkins rubbed her forehead grimly, before setting herself to the task at hand. It would be difficult to set up a secure permitter for a muggle without the aid of other staff. However, she could not permit it lest their spy and his muggle lover are compromised. It would be a tricky solution, but she loved a good puzzle.