Aftermath: Get Rekt

The noise of the door shutting close snapped Kingsley Shacklebolt out of his reverie. Gawain Robards, the newly promoted Head Auror, and his boss Amelia Bones walked in. Robards had a thunderous expression on his face while Bones looked annoyed.

"Here he is, boss. I don't know what to do with him. He has been asking for Dumbledore's presence throughout my interrogation," he spat in rage.

"Shacklebolt, you know that this is an internal matter, and Dumbledore cannot interfere in investigations concerning the department. What is your play here?" she asked in a clipped tone.

His play was quite simple. The moment he knew that the raid was the part of an Auror operation, he knew that he was boned. There was no proper justification for breaking protocol in such perilous times. There was always the risk of getting caught, but he did not expect the department to stitch together such an operation and keep him in the dark.

"He knows all this. The bastard's just trying to save his hide," said an irate Robards.

"Gawain, go ahead and resume interrogating the prisoners. We have more important fish to fry. I will handle this," she said.

"Yes boss," he said and left the room, glaring at Kingsley throughout the way.

In contrast to Robards, Bones took a seat calmly and just stared at Kingsley. He knew what she was doing. She was trying to unnerve him, hoping that he would say something. He hadn't made Senior Auror for nothing. He was well versed with these interrogation tactics. The problem was that he did not want to be in this situation. He had been helping Dumbledore because Fudge was an idiot, and it was the right thing to do at that time. Who would have expected the department to gain such competency all of a sudden?

"I am terribly disappointed, Shacklebolt," she said after several moments of awkward silence.

He did not reply, he just hung his head, waiting for this to be over.

"You are a talented Auror. You should be aware that in this job, our decisions affect lives other than our own. I can understand that you had to help Dumbledore when Fudge was cutting our funds and being a nuisance. But now we have one of our own as the minister. I am not restricted by funds and idiots in power anymore. So tell me, why did you think that you couldn't trust us?"

As he kept his silence, she sighed and rubbed her forehead.

"Listen Shacklebolt. You are not doing anyone any favors with your silence. I do not have an issue with whatever clandestine activity you took part in last year. My issue is why you did not let me know that there was an active combat situation going on and that you were going to interfere? I could have told you that it was an ambush. The interference of the Order could have resulted in fatalities on both sides easily. We were fortunate that the Knights had capable people. Our whole operation could have been in jeopardy quite easily."

"I'm sorry boss," he mumbled at last.

She sighed and got up, "I have some priority prisoners to interrogate while the iron is hot. Just having good intentions are not enough, Shacklebolt. Your actions have consequences. Make no mistake, you are not off the hook. You will not be moving from this room until either Robards or I brief you on what your punishment is to be."

As she left the room, Kingsley couldn't help but think that it was unfair. He was doing the right thing, why did he have to be reprimanded for it? He hoped that they would be lenient towards Tonks at least.

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Hours later, Amelia Bones walked into the meeting room with palpable effort and immediately crashed into her seat and slumped due to exhaustion. It was close to daybreak, and she had been working without an ounce of sleep to wrap up the momentous raids that took place the previous night.

"I need an action report…" she said and yawned.

"We've stored the memories in these vials. You can view them later aunty," said her adorable niece.

She nodded and took a good look at the kids. Harry was leaning back on the chair, a towel covering his face. She didn't know whether he was awake or not. There were a few empty vials in front of him, presumably to recoup from the fight. Otherwise, he seemed fine. The others were in different states of fatigue, but they all seemed fine.

Neville had a downcast expression on his face. Although it seemed as if a weight was lifted off his shoulder. Augusta was beaming at her grandson nonstop. It looked like him being involved in taking out Bellatrix must have been a huge thing for them. She had heard the broad strokes of what had happened, but she still had to understand the exact situation before proceeding.

The vat of Polyjuice was empty, so they must have sent out some decoys under Harry's employ to Hogwarts for the rest of the night.

Ted was passed out on a sofa while Andromeda was sipping a cup of tea nearby. Noticing Amelia's gaze, Andromeda smiled.

"Don't worry, it was nothing bad. They had a few bruises and scrapes. Nothing we couldn't heal. It was nowhere near what we feared when they set out to do this," she said.

"That's a relief," admitted Amelia as she accepted a steaming cup of tea from Winky.

"Where is Nymphadora?" asked Andromeda.

"She is still at the department. We have an influx of prisoners and no Azkaban. Everyone's working overtime," she sighed.

"So all the raids were successful?" questioned Hermione.

"Yes. Before we continue, I will take a look at these memories. While I do that, please wake up our fearless leader," she said with a smirk. She heard from Dora and had read Shacklebolt's report about what the lad had done. She had bet on the winning side and she couldn't help but be smug about it.

"Noddy, please bring me the Pensieve," she said out loud. Her faithful elf appeared with an audible pop and placed the contraption in front of her.

One by one, she emptied the vials into the Pensieve and watched the events that unfolded. As the memories ended, she was filled with immense pride. The kids had gone above and beyond her expectations. The only hitch was Neville going all berserk on Bellatrix when they were supposed to retreat, but she had dealt with cases like that in the force. She knew the exact remedy for that.

She had never thought that she would see the day when Voldemort ran with his tail between his legs, but Harry had actualized that pipe dream.

As she resurfaced from the memories, she saw that everyone was up and alert. Everyone except for Dora. It seemed like she was back from the Ministry. The metamorph was gorging on pancakes like she was being starved. The poor girl was overworked, so she wouldn't get on her case about decorum. Amelia ignored her ravenous employee and started addressing the gathering.

"Good job everyone. It shames me but I have to admit that some of my best Aurors would not have done half as well as you all did."

"Aww boss, you wound me," interjected Dora.

"Why must you be so difficult Nymphadora?" her mother scolded her at once.

"As long as you insist on calling me Nymphadora," she said and took another bite of her meal.

"Ignoring the comedy routine here, as I was saying, I am proud of what you've done. Nymphadora will now tell you about why the Order intruded at such a moment and why we were unaware of it," she said with additional emphasis on her name. There was no heat in her tone though. Dora was quickly growing up to be one of her favorite employees, and it was not only because she was her friend's daughter.

Dora scowled and took a sip of tea to wash down the food. She then wiped her mouth with a napkin slowly, taking delight in making everyone wait.

"Well, as the boss here said, we arrived at the wrong moment. I blame it entirely on Dumbledore and Snape. Either Snape gave him the wrong info, or Dumbledore was misleading the Order to protect Snape's hide. Anyway, we were told that the Abbotts were under attack, and a group was quickly rounded up to confront the Death Eaters. The timing of it was completely off though," she said.

"How so?" asked Hannah with palpable heat in her voice.

"The meeting was called late, we left late. If you guys hadn't ambushed the place, we would have nominally arrived after the place was razed to the ground and the Death Eaters were all long gone. And I don't think the timing was a mistake," she spat in distaste.

"Why am I not surprised?" drawled Hermione.

"Those… those assholes!" exclaimed Hannah.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I couldn't exactly inform you all about what was happening. Dumbledore was watching us all like a hawk. Man really needs Snape's cover intact it seems. I thought that you would have stuck to the plan and retreated by the time we arrived," said Dora. Neville flinched at that and looked down with guilt.

"Despite some mistakes, I would say that the result was more than we bargained for. Going into the mission, I did not expect that we would deal lasting damage to Riddle directly. The goal was to get rid of the snake, and then relay the information to the Auror squads. Riddle is mortal now, and his body is not exactly in top condition. I'd drink to that if I weren't surrounded by adults," chuckled Harry.

"Amen to that," crowed Dora and was immediately placed under the glare of her mother.

"I do have a query though. Wouldn't it be better to apprehend Snape after a while? We can surely pump him for information regarding where Riddle is holed up now. His vaunted cover is losing its effectiveness by the day. The Chronicle will be carrying Cassiopea's runes from the next issue, so we can spy on the targets more effectively," said Harry.

"Your idea does have merit. Snape is not some innocent bystander in all this. I will look into it. Speaking of the runes, I have a list of targets that we've managed to extract from the prisoners. I'll give you their names, just see if you can catch wind of anything incriminating."

"Just hand over the list to Ted. It'll be done," He nodded at Ted and resumed, "All said, it could have ended badly," said Harry in a serious tone. Neville flinched once again. Harry noticed it and continued, "Nev, I understand, and I don't judge. Not like I have any place to talk as I did something similar when she killed Sirius. But back then, we were not exactly an organized outfit that had plans and contingencies in place. You have to understand that we could have escaped unscathed. Instead, we got trapped under another set of wards and had to fight our way out of it. It was not like we were ever going to leave her alive at the end of all this."

"I know that it's not a valid excuse. But I don't know what came over me," he mumbled.

"We've all been affected by those scoundrels. We know how you feel, but sometimes, you need to stop letting the enemy get on your nerves. Or else, you risk endangering your comrades. I've had recruits doing something similar. I know the perfect remedy for it," said Amelia.

"Oof, tough luck kid," commented Dora, already aware of where this was going.

##################

Draco Malfoy was not feeling well. Ever since Longbottom decked him and he hallucinated about the creepy snakes, his mind has been sluggish. Now though, he was having a hard time believing what he was reading. He wondered if he was hallucinating again.

Knights of the Old Republic? Who were these clowns and how were they able to repel the dark lord? These questions kept revolving around his mind as he stared at Potter's rag of a newspaper. A photo of his crippled and battered master stared back at him.

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Decisive Counterattack

by J. Jonah Jameson

In a daring move, the Aurors have entered a contract with the group that calls themselves the Knights of the Old Republic. For more context, these are the same people who had been disrupting Death Eater raids all summer. As a result of this contract, a joint operation was undertaken in the late hours of last night.

"We can't disclose more information at this point as several investigations are taking place. Please be assured that we are doing our best to put an end to this war. More details will be released in a press conference that will be scheduled soon," says Rufus Scrimgeour, the Minister for Magic.

"They were instrumental in this major victory. Just for taking out Greyback and Bellatrix Lestrange, I am willing to nominate them for Order of Merlins. We will be working with them in the future to capitalize on this victory," he revealed upon further enquiry about the Knights.

- Cont'd on page 4

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He wondered whether Potter was fabricating more lies now, just to demoralize their cause.

"Mr. Malfoy, may I please have a word with you?" McGonagall's voice broke him out of his stupor as he looked up at her.

"What is it about professor?" he asked warily. He looked around and could not spot Snape at the staff table. That immediately put him on edge. Something really must have happened the previous night.

"I would prefer if it was private for now. Word will soon get out, but I am obliged to inform you and aid you," she said and motioned him to follow her.

Reluctantly following her, he wondered what had happened. If what the rag said was true, then his aunt was dead. He wondered if his father had accompanied them on the raid, but then he realized that it would have been publicized if his father was taken out in the raid.

As he walked out of the Great Hall, he caught sight of Potter, Granger, and Longbottom entering. Longbottom looked somewhat subdued, but he had a wide smile on his face nonetheless. Of course, the worm would be happy about his aunt's death. Right as they were about to cross paths, Potter looked at him and grinned viciously. There was a smug air about the insufferable prat. He thought about saying something, but the moment the thought formed in his head, a sharp prick in his head caused him to wince. What was he thinking about again?

"Draco, old chap! I'd like to formally welcome you to the club," said Potter without losing an ounce of pomp.

"What club?" he snarled in response.

"Oh, he doesn't know. How rich," Granger drawled with mirth.

"If I were you, I'd ask your father about it," Potter snarked.

"Mr. Potter, Ms. Granger, that is uncalled for," barked McGonagall.

"Eh, nothing he hasn't said to us before. What goes around comes around. We are being lenient if anything. Anyway, I'm sure you have important things to talk about. We'll leave you to it, professor," he said without missing a beat and walking away with his posse.

McGonagall's face was flush with indignation, but she stopped herself from saying anything. She inhaled a sharp breath and continued walking. Figures, if it were Snape, he would have docked points and handed out detentions by now.

Once they reached an alcove, she stopped and waved her wand around, erecting some privacy shields.

"Generally, the Headmaster would be speaking to you in detail. But he is currently indisposed. It falls onto me to bear unfortunate tidings-"

"Yeah, I read about my aunt in the fil-newspaper," he hastily corrected his slip up and continued speaking, "I didn't have any contact with her," he lied through his teeth. He did not know what kind of ploy this was, but he wouldn't allow them to use her death as a way to incriminate himself in some way.

She clucked her teeth in annoyance and rubbed her eyes.

"Mr. Malfoy, that is not why we are here. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there has been an attack on your home," she said.

His heart plummeted at once upon hearing that piece of news. If the Dark Lord had to flee, he would have gone to their house. Had he destroyed it in a rage? Or had the damned Knights followed him back to his house?

"Wh-what happened?" he asked, rattled.

"I apologize but I am not completely sure about the details. Apparently, several places were attacked yesterday. I am sorry to inform you that your parents were caught in the attack…"

She kept talking, but he did not hear another word of what she said.

It must be a lie, he mused. But then he recalled his brief encounter with Potter and Granger. The bastard knew about it and was taunting him. He will teach him and his mudblood pet- his thoughts were derailed once again with a sharp prick in his head. What was he thinking again?

They were losing. His mission was the only thing that could turn the tables. A voice inside his mind egged him on to focus on nothing else except the mission.

"Mr. Malfoy, can you please answer the question?"

"What?" he asked and she looked like she wanted nothing more than to be elsewhere.

##################

Marietta Edgecombe adjusted her beanie to hide the scars on her forehead once again. She watched on as Granger sauntered into the Great Hall with Potter and Longbottom. They joined up with Bones and Abbott down the Hufflepuff table, most likely to console Abbott about the fight that took place at her house.

Ever since she had turned on the DA, she was having a miserable time in school. First Granger's curse had left behind permanent scars on her forehead, proclaiming her mistake for all the world to see. Then the DA had practically ostracized her from the various circles they ran in. Nowadays, it was just her and Cho.

What else did they expect her to do? To not listen to her mother and cost her a cushy Ministry job? At that time, Potter did not have a valid defense, and the Ministry seemed to be on the right. She was just acting on what was the right thing to do at that time. She deserved better than the treatment she was getting.

Potter's holier than thou attitude grated on her. What did he know about family? She wouldn't ever take back what she did. No matter how many times she got to relive the previous year, she wouldn't hesitate to inform professor Umbridge about the DA. Her family's livelihood was on the line, and that was more important to her than some stupid teenage rebellion.

They act as if things did not turn out well for Potter in the end. He had gotten his vindication, and everyone worshipped him once again.

She had hoped that this new school year would be better, but Granger had gotten even more vicious over the summer. Most of the Ravenclaws had been on the receiving end of her wrath. Loony Lovegood was now a member of Potter's clique and they were being punished for the harmless pranks they played on the idiot girl.

She hated how miserable things were at Hogwarts nowadays. The only consolation was that this was her final year. Once she was done with her NEWTs, she would ask her mother for a recommendation from the Ministry. She would be moving forward in life while the morons at school would be playing at being child soldiers.

Right as she finished her breakfast, Bristle, her family own swooped down towards her with a letter for her. She eagerly opened the letter from her father and began reading in earnest.

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Dear Marietta,

I am deeply pained to inform you that your mother has been detained by the Aurors. The majority of the Floo Network Regulators have been rounded up on suspicion of aiding and abetting the Death Eaters with their raids. I know that what I ask of you is hard, but do not let anyone else dishearten you, my child.

Your mother is an honest person and I am sure that whatever investigation occurs, she would be released on grounds of her innocence. People would try to belittle you or try to rile you up with this event. I have the utmost confidence that you will not let them get to you. This is just a minor setback, and we will bounce back from it. Take care of yourself, dear. I will keep you posted when your mother is let go. Write to me if you need anything. I will always be there for you.

Love,

Marvin Edgecombe

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She crunched the letter in frustration and got up from her seat. She hurried on towards her dorm with a plan in mind. She would write to Amelia Bones, telling her that they were a good family that had always supported the Ministry. They did not deserve all this strife.

##################

Remus Lupin was dead drunk. As a werewolf, his metabolism was high, and it was a task in itself for him to get inebriated. In front of him were several empty flagons, with another joining their ranks as he slammed it on the table. He quickly flagged down an unfazed Aberforth and ordered another pint.

Many a witch and wizard were giving him dirty looks, but he could not give two fucks. His deepest, darkest dream had come true after all. Someone had taken down Greyback, and nobody could tell Remus to stop celebrating. The fact that the vicious wolf was taken down in his own game elated him to no end. All his problems in life stemmed from Greyback. One bite, and he had become a pariah. No jobs, no respect, heck, he was subhuman apparently. The only friends who did not care about all that were all long dead and buried.

Remus was never one for frivolities. Especially when it came to spending his meagre funds. But Sirius had left him more money than he knew what to do with. Trying to get himself shitfaced seemed like a bright idea when he had seen Greyback bite the dust.

Remus didn't have many reasons to live, but he would surely have had some regrets if Greyback was alive while he was not.

It was apparent that now the big bad wolf was dead, he would be sent to the packs again, hoping to get their allegiance now. Dumbledore was a fool if he thought that Greyback did not have loyal followers who were devoted to his ideology. Ah well, it wouldn't be worse than dealing with Greyback himself. The infighting for a new alpha would be bloody though.

"Remus, what are you doing?" came an all too familiar voice.

"Ahhh Doora, come, sit," he slurred as he downed another pint.

She scrunched her nose as she looked at all the empty flagons, and at Remus' disheveled state.

"Just celebrating Greyback's dem-demi… death," he wondered what Aberforth had put in these drinks, that he had such difficulty speaking.

"I can sympathize… Listen, Remus. Someone Flooed the Auror office and complained. Thankfully, I was on duty and managed to hold them off," she said with hesitation.

"So?"

"Remus. Why don't you come with me? We can go back to headquarters. And nobody will raise any complaints over there," she said, looking around.

He felt a surge of frustration at that. He looked around and saw most of the patrons looking at him in distaste. This was ridiculous. Hog's Head was a place filled with scum, and they thought themselves better than him?

"If you all hate werewolves so much, then you should all be celebrating alongside me. The most prolific one is dead after all," he shouted in his inebriation.

"Remus, no! Come with me before some Auror is sent here. This is a trivial matter, but the bigots will play up their claims in the complaints. Please listen to me," she said pleadingly.

In his addled state though, all his frustration and bottled-up rage from years of discrimination were coming to the fore. He refused to leave just because some bigot had a problem with his affliction.

"No," he growled.

A strong arm clasped his shoulder, and he looked up to see Aberforth.

"You can leave lass, I will take care of this," he said. Tonks gave him a dismayed, disappointed look and left without another word.

"What are you all looking at? Finish your food. We're closed. Would appreciate it if you all finished your business and leave," said Aberforth brusquely as he beckoned Remus to follow him.

He was of half a mind to refuse. But Aberforth had always been kind to him. He had never failed to treat him fairly regardless of his situation. The least he could do was to listen to the man.

As they walked out onto the street, Aberforth dragged him to the side and deftly towards the back entrance before anybody could see. They quickly climbed a flight of stairs and stopped in front of a room.

"Go on in lad. I'll send up some food. Eat, and sleep it out. I'll tell anyone who asks that I kicked you out," he said and left without waiting for a response.

Remus stumbled into the room and sank into the bed. His buzz had already been killed and he couldn't help but think about what had happened. They had won a major victory, but some things would seemingly never change. Prejudice was just ingrained in this godforsaken world. It just reiterated the fact that the battlefield was not the only place where the fight was at.

He sighed in dismay as he once again wished that he was with his friends.

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A.N: I hoped that you all liked the chapter. Please let me know what worked and what did not. The Remus portion was something I was on the fence about, but I really wanted to showcase that even though they were winning the war on the battlefield, things hadn't miraculously changed all of a sudden.

If you want to talk to me on discord, please find the invite in the auxiliary chapter.