The Price of Failure
On the grounds of Hogwarts.
Or rather, what used to be Hogwarts, since it had been reduced to ashes.
Part of the forest had been destroyed as well, along with the maze where the final task had taken place.
The only thing that had survived all the chaos were the stands erected for the Triwizard Tournament, where people were now beginning to move around slowly, still somewhat panicked, but under greater control thanks to the work of the Aurors and the personnel who had been hired from the very beginning.
Where the maze had once stood, now completely destroyed, there were large cages packed full of horrendous creatures.
The creatures shook violently, trying to break free.
While other Aurors maintained constant watch over them and continuously reinforced the cages with their wands.
All of this was being carefully observed by Edward, making sure everything was done properly and without even the slightest mistake.
"Greengrass."
A familiar voice sounded behind Edward.
Even before turning around, he knew exactly who it belonged to.
A somewhat stout man with wrinkled gray hair, a pinstriped suit, a red tie, a long black traveling cloak, purple boots, and a lime green bowler hat.
None other than the British Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge.
Who was followed by several Ministry employees.
Along with, of course, Albus Dumbledore, who stood beside him wearing a truly tragic expression as his gaze remained fixed on the charred remains of Hogwarts.
As though seeing his old school in such a state genuinely pained him.
And on Fudge's other side was a short, plump woman dressed in bright pink, hurrying along on her short legs with a large sycophantic smile directed at the Minister.
Dolores Umbridge.
And several more of the Minister's followers who were not even worth paying attention to.
"Fudge. I'm busy," Edward said in a dry tone, not caring in the slightest who he was speaking to.
"I understand that. But from this moment onward, the Ministry will take charge. Withdraw your people and leave the rest of the work to the Aurors," Fudge said immediately in a commanding tone.
Not as a question.
As something that was supposed to happen right now.
Edward raised his eyes to look at him.
The man obviously wanted to claim the credit for saving the day ahead of the next elections.
And that was written all over his face.
"I can't do that. As Chairman of Hogwarts' Board of Governors, everything that happens on school grounds falls under my responsibility," Edward said in his usual calm tone.
Dumbledore, who had been staring at the ruins of the school, frowned slightly before speaking.
"I thought Alice Longbottom was the Chairwoman of the Board. Since when are you in that position?" the old wizard asked.
Edward shifted his gaze toward Dumbledore before answering in his cold tone.
"Yesterday. She was tired of the constant harassment from other governors trying to remove Sirius Black from his position as temporary Headmaster in order to appoint someone else. The vote to give me the position took place last night. The title passed to me legally this morning," he replied.
Dumbledore was about to say something else, but Fudge seemed to freeze for a moment.
"Chairman of the Board?" he repeated, irritated because the man standing before him was not someone easy to push around.
"Yes. While the Ministry of Magic was responsible for organizing this year's magical competition, along with joining forces with the Auror Office and Amelia Bones' Department of Magical Law Enforcement to capture threats and ensure the protection of every wizard present, everything else falls under the authority of the school board and Hogwarts' acting Headmaster," Edward said bluntly.
With absolutely no intention of giving Fudge or his followers even a single opening to interfere.
"And where exactly is this supposed Headmaster of Hogwarts right now?" interrupted the short, toad like woman standing beside the Minister in a voice as shrill as it was irritating.
"Because if he's responsible for all this, and his school ended up destroyed while he wasn't even here, he didn't happen to run away, did he? Could he perhaps have had something to do with all this?" she added maliciously.
Fortunately, before Edward even had the chance to respond to the malicious words of such a horrendous woman, a loud commotion drew everyone's attention.
"Let me go! I'm innocent!"
Ludo Bagman's voice could be heard as he was dragged forward by his arms.
His hands were bound by thick chains.
As were his feet.
And Sirius Black appeared walking from one side while Alastor Moody approached from the other.
Together they dragged the overweight man, who was disheveled and covered in dirt.
The moment Bagman saw the Minister approaching, his eyes widened with hope and relief.
"Fudge!" he shouted the instant he saw him. "Tell them to let me go! I had nothing to do with this!"
The Minister blinked in surprise.
"Bagman? What's going on here?"
"We caught this idiot trying to run away," Moody reported in his usual rough tone.
"Of course I was running away. Didn't you see those monsters? What if they got loose?" Bagman protested immediately while looking at Moody.
But when he met the former Auror's hard stare, Bagman almost lowered his head in fear.
Sirius let out a sarcastic smile at Ludo's words before speaking.
"Bribing one of the champions to delay the other contestants, threatening his family if he refused, planting traps and dangerous obstacles in every task alongside a foreign alliance, and putting lives at risk? That's what you call having nothing to do with it?" he asked mockingly.
Bagman went pale as he listened to Sirius.
"I... I... I was only trying to secure Hogwarts' victory," he said.
Though he did not sound very convinced himself.
He even looked noticeably guilty as he averted his gaze.
That caused several people to turn and look at him.
Which only made Bagman even more nervous.
Especially under the deadly stares of Edward and Sirius.
"The goblins were going to break my legs," he defended himself quickly, completely panicked. "I needed the money, I swear. I never wanted anyone to get hurt. They tricked me. They said they were only fixing the bets," he said, blurting everything out at incredible speed.
Even if that buried him, knowing what had happened tonight was far worse than simply fixing bets. And he already had a history of helping Death Eaters in the past, only escaping punishment because of his reputation. But that would help him very little now.
Moody let out a grunt.
"We'll find out when we get the truth out of the others," the former Auror added while his magical eye turned toward a certain direction.
The others turned as well.
Fudge's face became stiffer and stiffer when he saw Kingsley Shacklebolt appear accompanied by several Aurors, and in his hand a crystal sphere seemed to be displaying pieces of evidence that made him frown more and more.
And behind them came a long line of chained prisoners.
Normally, that alone would not have made Fudge turn pale.
If not for the fact that every single one of them was a familiar face.
Some of them were even major financial supporters of his campaign for Minister.
Leaders of several of the Sacred Twenty Eight families.
Now injured, filthy, and miserable.
Not one of them lacked a bleeding wound somewhere on their body.
As though they had received a complete beating.
And each of their broken wands was being carried by another Auror.
Though at this point every one of them was nothing more than useless trash.
Fudge could feel everything getting worse.
Especially for his political position.
And particularly because among them a young French girl would not stop screaming.
"My father will hear about this! You filthy peasants! Get your hands off me! I am the daughter of the French Minister of Magic! If you dare touch a single hair on my head, you will suffer the consequences!" Juliette shouted while struggling uselessly against her chains.
"Even if my father is no longer France's Minister, he is still a close friend of the current one! When the French Minister hears about this, all of you will pay for it!" she roared while her hair was completely disheveled and her face twisted with uncontrollable fury.
"Well. Then we'll have to deal with that too," Sirius said quietly to Edward.
Who nodded in agreement.
As though they had just received the confirmation they needed.
"Well, Minister. If you wish to stay and help here, perhaps you can be useful. Though you'll probably have quite a bit of work waiting for you at the Ministry as well, won't you?" Edward said while staring directly at Fudge.
The moment he felt Edward's cold gaze on him, Fudge seemed to shiver and take a step backward, lightly bumping into Dumbledore.
Which caused Fudge to turn around and look at him.
The old wizard looked at Fudge, closed his eyes, and slowly nodded.
As if the gesture alone conveyed a message.
And the Minister visibly calmed down.
Fudge cleared his throat before looking back at Edward and then Sirius.
"Well. As you said. Since this happened on school grounds, it would be best for the Chairman of the School Board and the Headmaster to handle whatever they need to handle. The Department of Magical Law Enforcement will take care of the rest," he said before looking toward Ludo.
Who immediately turned pale.
"Minister, please! Make them release me!" Ludo shouted before being silenced by a flick of Sirius' wrist.
Who seemed fed up with listening to him and sealed his lips shut.
Fudge saw this and also looked toward the other Pure Bloods who had been arrested.
Many of them were now staring at him with nearly threatening looks.
But the Minister gave them a slight, silent gesture.
Which, of course, Edward noticed immediately.
Before the Minister departed just as he had arrived.
Dumbledore gave one final look toward Sirius, Edward, and then the ruined remains of Hogwarts.
And let out a sigh.
Before following after the Minister and the others.
"What do you think?" Sirius asked while watching the former Headmaster's retreating back.
His expression hardened completely as old memories resurfaced.
"He was almost certainly involved. He tried to control the Board to reclaim his position, and he'll probably try again after this," Edward said while looking at the burned ruins of Hogwarts.
"Besides..." Edward added while gesturing toward Sil, his right hand man.
Who was carrying what appeared to be a small open chest.
Edward took the object resting inside.
It was a very old diadem, instantly recognizable to any Ravenclaw student.
It was shaped like an eagle, with a blue gemstone at its center.
But that gemstone was cracked in half.
And a faint trace of Dark Magic could be felt from the fracture.
As though something very dark had escaped from it.
"Apparently Hagrid was asked by Dumbledore to keep this for a time before returning it after Hogwarts was rebuilt," Edward said while his tone grew colder.
Sirius looked at the object and let out a laugh filled with mockery.
"Stupid old man," he muttered.
At that exact moment, a reddish portal opened.
From it emerged Draco, Harry, Luciel, Narcissa, Selene, and Wanda.
Having returned from that cemetery.