Once their main fighting force was crushed, the Ministry fell easily.
The Dark Lord led the charge into the Ministry, and although the remaining Aurors tried to put up a fight, they were no match for Him.
It didn't take long until all the ministry workers were lined up, divided by department they had worked in, kneeling on the marble floor before the new leaders of Britain. Many of them were crying as the Dark Lord strode before them and gave a speech.
"The Ministry is now in our hands. Practically all of Europe is now in our hands. Within a paltry few years, the entire world will be in our hands. I give you an offer, those of you who were once content to aid the Ministry in its quest to destroy wizarding life. Join me. Continue working in my ministry, and aid us in bringing the wizarding world to its deserved glory. This is your choice. Join us, or die"
The Atrium was perfectly silent for a few minutes, until one by one, the kneeling captives proclaimed their loyalty. The Dark Lord walked before the line, accepting their pledges. Most of their pledges. Some of the groups, particularly the Goblin and Muggle Liaison Offices were totally ignored.
One by one, the Dark Lord stopped in front of almost all the captives and accepted their pledges. None of them tried to fight.
All those who had been brave enough to fight to the death were already dead. Almost all, at least. Scrimgeour was held to the side, kept under a full body-bind as he helplessly watched.
Harry stood back, a few meters behind his lord. He clasped Daphne's hand in his and watched as history was made.
' This is it. It's fucking happening. We've practically won'
"Excellent" The Dark Lord hissed, walking along the line until he reached the members of the Goblin and Muggle Liaison Offices. "Of course, some departments will no longer exist. We have no need for such treasonous cowardice in our new world"
Harry managed to stifle a giggle as he saw a woman kneeling right before Voldemort wet herself.
"Who is the head of each of these departments?" Voldemort asked, his voice a silky dagger.
Heads turned, coming to face two men.
"Harry, bring these two"
Harry released Daphne's hand, and walked forward, his wand flashing.
The two men stiffened as the body-binds hit them, and a moment later rose into the air.
The Dark Lord turned to face His followers.
"Dispose of those who were content to consort with such filth," He said, gesturing towards the people He had just been standing before.
He walked away, with Harry following and the two men being levitated along, as screams filled the air.
They reached an empty office, and after the Dark Lord motioned to him, Harry set one of the men down in front of the table and removed the body-bind.
"What is your name, goblin lover?"
"I-I'm Fr-Frank. Frank Stebbins"
"What happened to the contents of our vaults?"
Stebbins clammed up, shaking.
The Dark Lord hissed, and gripped the man's chin, forcing his head up.
They stared into each other's eyes for a bit, Stebbins growing steadily more pale and shaky until the Dark Lord hissed again and turned His head away.
"You will do this for me. Go to the Goblins. Tell them that if they surrender now if they lay down their arms and return our property, I will spare them. If not, I will eradicate them from the face of the Earth"
"I-I-"
"You want those miserable wretches to live, do you not?" The Dark Lord asked, wry amusement filling his tone. "Do not lie to me. I saw the truth proclaiming itself from within your pitiful mind. If you want to give them a chance to live, then you will do as I say"
Stebbins looked up again, swallowing nervously.
Harry fingered his wand.
"I-I-I'll do it"
"As I said. Go. Now"
As he scurried out of the door, the Dark Lord motioned to Harry again.
He removed the body bind on the second man, and the Dark Lord rounded on him with a feral snarl.
"Now. Tell us about the methods of communication with the muggle government"
"Your majesty, please. I beg of you-"
Olrik snarled, fingering the blade of his ax. At the sound, two guards seemed to appear out of nowhere in the gloom, their blades glinting inches away from Stebbins' face.
"Wizards. All of you the same. You beg us to fight, and now you betray us. Why should I allow you to report back to your new master?"
Stebbins inhaled sharply, trying to calm his mind. He knew goblins, better than any other human. But they were furious and terrified.
"We didn't betray you," he said quietly, hating how forlorn he sounded, wishing his voice could carry strength in it. "We lost. And I-I was given no choice, about delivering this message-"
"Surrender or die. That is what he tells us. That is what you tell us"
"Your majesty. Please. M-my whole life, since I finished school. I was working for the betterment of the relationship between our peoples. There is no human alive who despises the way this situation has played out more than I"
"And yet you come here, telling us to appease him. You, who claim to want what is good for us. You tell us to surrender"
He swallowed thickly, not daring to meet the king's eyes.
"Yes. I-I wish I wasn't. But you-you can't win. Not against him. Not with the damage he's already done to your people. If you continue to fight, he will kill all of you. But if you surrender, your people will still live"
The king chuckled absolutely humorlessly. "We will survive, true. But for what? To be slaves? To be in no better a situation than the elves? I have seen and heard how he treats his own people. I do not wish to even imagine how he would treat mine"
"But they would still live," Stebbins said, almost begging. "They would still live, and one day, even-even you-know-who will-will die-"
"Will he? I have heard that he claims to be immortal. And even so. We would merely survive. We would not live. I cannot put my people through that. No. Come what may, we will fight"
Olrik cocked his head to one side, his ears twitching.
"And what will you do, wizard?"
"I am no warrior," Stebbins said quietly. "I can barely fight. But I can draw my wand quickly. And an attack from me would be unexpected. And yet, I will most probably, almost certainly, die"
"And you tell us to surrender?"
"When I die, wizardkind will still live on. I have no wife or children to suffer for my attempt. I was an only child, and already I have outlived my parents. I have no more friends, not among the living. My death will affect no-one other than myself. The death of an entire race, on the other hand…"
He left his words hanging in the air, as the certainty filled him. He had meant what he said. He was no fighter. He was not brave. But he would rather die than live the life that he knew was his only other option. And so, he would take his way out. And if, by some chance, he was successful…
Well, miracles could happen. But he would rather die than live in a world where Voldemort ruled.
"No. Wizard, I thank you for your attempt. But no. We would rather die than live under his thumb. And that, I think, is something you can understand"
He nodded and stood up.
And Olrik stretched out a hand to him.
For a moment, he simply stared. Goblins did not do such a thing. Physical contact with a human was not something goblins did.
He stretched out his hand as the King's bodyguards gasped, and he gripped Olrik's horned claw in his own.
"Go well, Stebbins. Friend of the Goblins"
If the bodyguards had gasped before, it was dwarfed by their shocked exclamations at those few words.
Those few words, not used to refer to a human for over two hundred years.
"Th-thank you, your majesty. Thank you"
Stebbins hurried out of the cavern, just managing to avoid the stalactites in the gloom.
Olrik watched him go, as he ran his tongue over his incisor.
"Gather the Nation" he growled out In gobbledegook. "Everyone"
His bodyguards gasped at him for a moment.
"Now!" He barked, clapping his hands together, and they jumped to it.
' Go well, wizard. You understand us. We will die in battle, rather than the slow death of subjugation. And we will die with the songs of war on our lips and the enemies blood on our axes'
The last King of the Goblins sighed and began to plan his final speech to his people.
"Harry. We will take action within a week. I want it done simultaneously. Their generals, their leading politicians, their Minister. All of them at the same time"
Harry nodded, feeling the excitement already.
' Oh, it's gonna be good'
"We will deal with the Goblins before then if it proves necessary," the Dark Lord said, a snarl rising in His voice.
' What happened? Did he find his-his Horcrux? He would be way more pissed if it was destroyed, but-'
"Has Horatio been in contact recently?"
"N-not really, my lord. He-he called a few days ago, but just to say how it's been hard, and-"
"When next he is in contact, find out if anyone is missing from Hogwarts. Any student who Dumbledore could conceivably have told about my safeguards"
"I-I will. But, if-if I may ask-"
The Dark Lord sighed and began pacing the room, kicking aside the body on the floor as He did.
"The Cup was kept in Bellatrix's vault. And it was handed over to the ministry. And just a few days after our battle against the ministry's forces, three people claimed it from the ministry. Their faces were cloaked in shadows, and he could not see them. But from their height, the goblin lover believes them to be Hogwarts age. And they had a note from Grindelwald, saying how important it is that they take it"
"I-I-I'll ask him, my lord" Harry said, mind racing.
' Who could it be? Who the fuck would Dumbledore have told?'
"Was there any indication, any at all, that Dumbledore was meeting with other students? With those who showed their allegiance to him proudly?"
"I-I'm not sure, but-"
A memory flooded him. In his mind's eye, he saw Diggory coming over to him, telling him about a meeting with Dumbledore or dropping a scroll in his lap. He saw it over and over, all the times Diggory had come over the course of the year.
And he saw something else too. Something he hadn't really noticed at the time.
"What is it?" The Dark Lord asked softly, intently focused on Harry's face.
"I-I can't be certain, my lord. But-when I would meet with Dumbledore, he had Cedric Diggory, the Head Boy, come over to tell me about the meeting each time. And-and I never really noticed it, but thinking back-"
"What?"
"He-whenever he came up to me, either just before talking to me or just after, Diggory would go over to the Gryffindor table. And-and he didn't really need to. It wasn't on the way. Not from the Hufflepuff table. And I-I don't remember seeing him going there that often otherwise. But it-it could be nothing"
"Or it could be everything" Voldemort murmured, still staring at Harry. "Thank you. Tell me what Horatio says"
"I-I will, my lord"
And right then, Stebbins walked in, with Daphne right behind him, her wand poking him in the back.
"Well?"
Harry had to admire the way the man barely glanced at the body on the floor.
With a gulp, Stebbins said, "the goblins they-they say that-that-"
A single eyebrow rose on the Dark Lord's serpentine face.
"They choose death?" He asked quietly.
"They choose freedom!" Stebbins shouted, voice cracking as he drew his wand.
The Dark Lord's hand blurred as he cast a spell.
And a blindingly bright white light enveloped Stebbins right hand.
When it vanished, his hand and the wand it had been gripping were gone. Not cut off, but gone as if they had never been. His wrist ended smoothly, rounding itself off. He stared at it in dismay, his mouth working soundlessly, as the Voldemort laughed.
"You thought to surprise me? Me? No. I fear you mistook me for one of your creatures"
Voldemort's wand paused, halfway through the motions of a spell.
"Harry, Daphne. Would you like this one?"
Harry didn't even have to look at Daphne.
"Yes, my lord. He would provide us with some useful entertainment"
"Take it. Don't let it escape, of course"
"I-we won't, my lord. Th-thank you"
He heard Daphne echoing his words, and smiled as he turned and stunned Stebbins.
"Don't keep it too long. And don't let it distract you from your duties. In the next few days, we will strike at the goblins. And after they are dealt with, we will deal with the muggles"
Harry and Daphne left the room, levitating the unconscious Stebbins before them.
The Dark Lord remained there, His hands clasped together behind His back, deep in thought.
By that night, the letters had already been sent. The information crew had done their work very well.
Led primarily by Daphne's father and Draco, they'd been working for weeks on this message, just waiting for the right time to send them out. And now, every magical dwelling in Britain was receiving their very own copy. And it was beautiful.
" We have taken the Ministry. Britain is now under our control. Europe is now under our control.
Asia is under our control, and in a short time, the Indian subcontinent will be as well.
We wish to extend an olive branch, an offer of peace to every witch or wizard residing in the land under our control. We have no desire to spill any magical blood. Every death that could have been prevented is abhorrent to us. And so, we beg of you, heed our words. Do not cast our offer aside.
Join. Surrender. Die.
These are your options. We are in control. We face no significant opposition. And we are going to do nothing other than improve the wizarding world. We are going to restore the grandeur of yore, return our society to glorious days gone by.
Many of you have been misled, by those who desired power and riches for themselves. Do not misunderstand our intentions. We see nothing wrong with muggle-borns or half-bloods. They are wizards and witches, same as those of the most illustrious lineages. No. Our war is against those who seek to destroy us. Our war is against muggles, and those who dare to aid and abet them.
Once, Wizards and witches achieved the most magnificent feats. Few if any, have matched the accomplishments of the Hogwarts Founders, of Merlin. Why? Because we have been forced to live in secrecy. We have been unable to practice our skills as we see fit, fearful always of the shattering of the Statute of Secrecy, terrified that if we do something too profound to remain hidden, we will be discovered.
Why are we so afraid?
We all know why, ignore it as you may try.
The witch burnings. The Inquisitions. The hunts.
Muggles outnumber us one hundred and fifty to one. And they would hate us if they knew of us. They would despise us, as jealousy eats its way through their animal brains.
As they should. Imagine, from their point of view. They cannot defend themselves against us. The locks on their doors mean nothing against the simplest of spells. We can enter their safe places at will, kill or control them with a thought. Of course, they fear us.
And what will they do?
They will try and kill us. Of course, they will. And their technology, while primitive, is dangerous. A single bomb can eradicate a city.
A single bomb.
And how have we, our once glorious society, responded to this threat?
We have hidden away, allowing our numbers to dwindle. We have allowed rifts to come between us. We have hidden away, and pandered to the animals as they breed, covering the land with their filth.
We have hidden away, limited the use of our most powerful streams of magic, while the muggles overpopulate the earth, pollute the water, and poison the very air.
There is not enough space for our two races. As their technology increases, the chances of them discovering us rise as well.
And we hide away, allowing our numbers to dwindle.
And when they discover us, it will mean war.
And we will have been hiding and growing smaller for so long, that the chances of our survival will be slim.
We say no. We will not stand silently by. And if we cannot achieve our goals through peace.
Then we will be forced to assure a future for our children through war.
Join. Surrender. Die.
Join us. Every wand is needed. And every member of the militia will be handsomely rewarded, as will their family.
Surrender. Lay down your arms. Swear to never fight against us. And you and your family will live to see the wizarding world achieve new, unparalleled heights.
Or, you can fight. You can fight against us, betray your very blood. Betray your abilities, your kind, in favor of those who would happily slaughter you if only they knew of your existence.
Fight against us, and you will die. You will die, your families will die. We do not wish to spill a single drop of wizarding blood. But if you choose to fight against us, your blood and the blood of your spouses and children will be on your own hands.
Join. Surrender. Die.
We choose to spring the wizarding world into a new future.
You must make your own choice"
And it was emblazoned, at the top and at the bottom of the letter, with a large Dark Mark.
"So. Finishing off the goblins tomorrow?"
He turned over, putting his arm around her.
"Yeah. Maybe we can get Stebbins some company"
She laughed a little, glancing at the unconscious form hanging on the wall opposite the bed.
"Maybe. Where? With Gringotts destroyed, where are they all living?"
"Apparently they've got a whole tunnel network under the wreck. Under the vaults, even. But He doesn't want any of us going down there. It's too, too…"
"Twisty?"
"Yeah, I guess. It's a maze. So He's gonna send the Dementors down there. Goblins don't really have any defenses against them. And once they're flushed out, we'll all be waiting. In Diagon. I think there'll even be a few giants"
"What happened to the rest of them? The Giants?"
"Um. I think there were only like ten or fifteen in the first place. And the goblins killed two. And I think He sent a bunch back to France"
"Oh"
They fell silent for a bit, just lying there comfortably in each other's warmth.
"Harry?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you think-would you ever want kids?"
He leaned up on his elbows and looked down at her.
"What?" She asked, a little defensively.
"Where did that just come from? Like. What the fuck?"
"I was just… thinking. When we win. We're gonna have forever. Literally, forever. It might get a bit-boring, I guess. And I would-I would want kids. I think"
He leaned back and gave her a kiss.
"I-I don't know. I mean, Merlin, Daph. We're practically kids ourselves"
"I don't mean right away," she said indignantly. "I just meant eventually. Don't you think it'd get a bit lonely, eventually?"
"I could never be lonely with you around"
"Don't give me that sappy bullshit" she slapped him lightly. "You know what I mean"
"Yeah," He said with a sigh. "Do you really think we could do it? Raise kids? Without breaking them?"
She giggled.
"That's the good thing about being immortal. If we fuck up, we can just make more"
"We'd have to watch them get old and die," he said softly.
"Not if we-if we taught them how to avoid that"
His breath caught.
That could be interesting. That could be very interesting.
An image popped into his mind. Him and Daphne in a hundred years, with grandchildren around them.
"That-that could be interesting"
"I thought so"
"Let's just-let's not worry about this type of thing. Not now. Once we've won, we'll talk it over again. Not now"
"Fine"
They fell silent again. Harry searched around, looking for a topic that could be slightly less uncomfortable.
"Hey. How long do you think he'll last?"
"Depends how careful we are, I guess. I mean, Bella's kept Tonks for like three months now"
"Nearly four. And it's Capella, not Tonks"
"I almost forgot. Do you wanna take her up on her offer?"
"Maybe in a bit. Once we're done with the goblins, and we get some breathing space"
"Mmmm" she stretched her hand out, lightly running her nails over his stomach as she moved down.
"Wanna wake him up?"
He looked over to Stebbins. Merlin, but he looked funny with only one ear.
"Na. Let's leave it till tomorrow. And then we can move onto the rest of his face"
She giggled before abruptly stopping, her hand curling around his stiffening member.
"Do you think?" she asked hesitantly, "that He would teach us how he made the Marks?"
He stifled a groan before answering. "Uh. Maybe. Why?"
"Wouldn't it be cool" she whispered, "if we had our own? Just for me and you? That we could always be able to track each other, and always be able to call each other?"
"That-that would be more than cool. That would be fucking amazing"
"I know. Maybe you should ask Him sometime"
"Not till after the war. Not till things have calmed down"
' Not till we've found whoever took the Cup and torn them to shreds'
"No. Probably best to wait"
"Yeah. What would-what would you want it to look like?"
"A raven"
He smiled, as her hand began moving again.