"We'll have to see what the future holds," Harry said modestly. He wasn't sure that he wanted to pursue such a career, but he also knew that if he married Bellatrix, she would be disappointed if he didn't.
"Of course," said Cygnus, his brief daydream coming to a close. He looked over to Romulus. "It's getting late. Are you sure we're not intruding?"
Romulus waved his hand, seemingly not paying close attention to Harry and Cygnus. "We have all the time you want. My wife is in Paris visiting her family. I haven't anything better to do."
Cygnus nodded, looking relieved. He pulled out another file and was about to start the next subject when an auror entered the room and coughed, drawing everyone's attention. "Minister," said the auror, the name of whom Harry remained ignorant, "dark wizards have commenced another raid in a Scottish village. The number of attackers is double that of the last incident."
Cygnus sighed. "I suppose Director Prewitt is dispatching appropriate forces?"
"Of course," said the auror, nodding his head in agreement.
"Perhaps some of you from my bodyguard detail can apparate to Scotland and render assistance," Cygnus commanded via suggestion. "I think we'll be safe behind the formidable defenses of Malfoy Manor."
The auror nodded. "Right away, sir." He departed the room.
Cygnus shook his head sadly. "Hopefully we can get more aurors trained. Prewitt claims that he's got everything under control, but I still feel like we are being forced to stretch our resources to counter these attacks. I think we all know that they'll only increase in frequency and seriousness." He turned to the folder he had been about to address. "The Wizengamot, he said tiredly. Romulus, we'll need your input on this one."
Romulus joined them at the table, accepted several of the parchments from Cygnus and began to explain the issues before the Wizengamot, the support for and against said issues, and how they would affect Cygnus. It was exhausting, and Harry wondered how Romulus could possibly know so much about a subject so bland. As Romulus droned on, Harry's attention wandered despite his best efforts to focus on the subject at hand. If he was to be an undersecretary, wasn't his duty to pay attention to these things?
Even Cygnus seemed bored and he stood to stretch and loosen his legs as Romulus verbally sifted through the Wizengamot reports, analyzing the issues and explaining the reasons behind the stances of various factions on each issue.
As Harry watched Cygnus walk around, he finally convinced himself that he'd better listen carefully to Romulus's comments, and sit up in his chair. It appeared that Cygnus had become distracted. He was standing in front of one of the windows, pensively staring out into the blackness.
Romulus continued to drone and Harry paid attention, until a new distraction overtook him. He couldn't help but stare at Bellatrix's father. The profile view of his face helped Harry see for the first time how much the man had aged since Harry had first met him. They should have found someone else to be Minister, Harry observed sadly.
Harry sighed quietly and continued staring at Cygnus while trying to pay attention to Romulus. Abruptly, Cygnus frowned and leaned forward. His mouth twitched as if he was about to say something, but he wasn't fast enough. The window exploded, glass ricocheting across the room as Cygnus was thrown back against the opposite wall, hitting it with a thud so loud that Harry knew he could not have survived. Despite this, Harry jumped from his chair and darted over to Cygnus's prone form as Romulus drew his wand.
"He's dead," Harry gasped, looking from Cygnus's bloodied corpse up to Romulus.
Romulus set his jaw grimly and jabbed his wand toward the light fixtures overhead. The lights themselves became detached from the fixtures, taking the form of orbs. A swoop of Romulus's wand sent the lights shooting out the shattered window where they exploded like flares, one after another. Anyone outside would be temporarily blinded and very startled. It would buy them time.
Realizing that kneeling over Cygnus's dead body would do no good, Harry stood, moved across the room, and checked the fireplace, already anticipating that the floo would be blocked. He was correct. Further testing revealed that anti-apparition wards had also been erected alongside wards to prevent portkey travel.
Harry turned and watched as Romulus darted with lightning speed toward one of the unbroken windows, a glint in his eye. He arrived and parted the curtain delicately, so as not to attract the attention of the attackers outside. Joining Romulus at the window, Harry looked down at the front walk leading to Malfoy Manor. As Harry's eyes lighted upon the attackers very slowly approaching the manor' front entrance, his scar pricked. Voldemort was among them. The others were mostly indistinguishable, though Harry could tell that that they were probably not the students more recently recruited by Voldemort. They seemed older and walked with more confidence.
Though Harry did not immediately recognize any of the Death Eaters, Romulus did. "Lucius," he snarled, staring down at the approaching attackers.
Harry studied the approaching group of Death Eaters more closely and spotted Lucius, walking near Voldemort. He had missed seeing the former student because he had been lost in Voldemort's shadow.
There was a slight pause as Romulus continued to stare. Harry's instinct was to start blasting curses at the invaders, but he also wanted to see if Romulus had any better plans. "What do you want to do?" Harry asked urgently.
Romulus weighed his options silently but quickly. Quick as he was though, Harry felt like an eternity had been wasted. Romulus turned to Harry and stared him in the eye with an intensity that bordered on violence. "I'm going to distract them while you escape," Romulus announced. "I want you to go."
"I think we either both stay or leave together," Harry protested, glancing down at the attackers. For some reason, they had paused on the front walk, hesitant to enter the manor. Harry and Romulus's lack of reaction beyond the light flares had left them nervous that some trap was about to be sprung upon them.
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