"Step back, Remus. Orion," Dumbledore commanded, his voice firm and authoritative. "Allow Amelia and her team to secure the perimeter."
Madam Bones had already completely taken control of the scene. She didn't pause to consult with the Headmaster; she operated on pure, battle-tested instinct.
"Spread out! Secure a two-hundred-yard radius around the shack!" Amelia barked, pointing her wand. "Kingsley, Dawlish, take a squad and breach the structure. Be aware, he could still be inside. If you see him, neutralize him hard. Do not hesitate."
Orion stepped back beside Dumbledore, his brow furrowing slightly. 'He'? Who is she referring to?
Kingsley Shacklebolt didn't wait for clarification. He led a team of five Aurors, moving with silent, lethal efficiency. They didn't bother with sneaking. They breached the building simultaneously—Kingsley blasting through the ruined front section, while the others vaulted through shattered windows, their wands flashing in the gloom.
The clearing was deadly quiet. Orion braced himself, expecting the sounds of a fierce, explosive duel to erupt from within the smoking ruins.
But there was nothing. Just the crackle of burning wood and the howling wind.
Two minutes later, Kingsley emerged from the blasted opening, stepping over a charred beam. He lowered his wand, his dark face tight with grim frustration.
"Area clear, Madam Bones," Kingsley reported, his deep voice carrying over the wind. "No sign of Dolohov. He must have Apparated out immediately after casting the Mark, using the Dementor swarm as cover for his escape."
Dolohov, Orion noted internally, the piece falling into place. Antonin Dolohov. One of the most vicious duelists in the Dark Lord's inner circle. That explains the sheer volume of destruction.
Kingsley turned back toward the ruins, raising his voice to a booming command. "Medics! Get the stretchers up here! Move the injured out of the debris carefully!"
Lupin's head snapped up. "Injured?"
Kingsley strode back toward Amelia. "The blast hit some members of the patrol team. It appears the trainee Aurors who were assigned to this sector went in to investigate the initial disturbance before the explosion occurred."
"Tonks," Lupin breathed, the color draining from his face once more. He didn't wait for permission. He broke ranks, sprinting past the Auror perimeter toward the smoking ruins.
"Are there any casualties, Kingsley?" Dumbledore asked softly, his voice heavy with dread.
Kingsley stopped in front of them, his posture rigid. "Yes, Headmaster. It seems two of them were caught near the epicenter when the structure blew. They bore the brunt of the explosion. We have lost two brave Aurors today."
Amelia Bones closed her eyes for a long, painful second. When she opened them, the grief was securely locked behind walls of professional iron.
"Make sure the injured are stabilized and moved to St. Mungo's immediately," Amelia ordered, her voice clipped. "Coordinate with the Healers. I want a full forensic sweep of the blast site once the casualties are clear."
She turned slowly to face Dumbledore.
Dumbledore nodded in silent understanding of her grief. He raised the Elder Wand, pointing it directly at the virulent green skull still floating mockingly in the clouds above.
A brilliant, piercing beam of pure white light shot from the wand, striking the Dark Mark squarely in the center of the serpent's maw. The green magic shattered instantly, dissolving into harmless, dissipating smoke, washed away by the winter wind.
"There is no need for that mark to linger over a peaceful village," Dumbledore said quietly.
Amelia watched the sky clear, then slowly shifted her gaze. Her sharp, monocled eye landed squarely on Orion.
"You tend to be found at places where I should not be finding you, Mr. Malfoy," Amelia observed, her tone a dangerous mix of suspicion and weary exasperation. "I know you have been with Professor Lupin this entire time, which provides you with an alibi for the incident itself. But you must endeavor to curb your apparent inclination toward vigilantism. Leave the fighting to the Aurors."
Orion raised an eyebrow, genuinely confused by the specific accusation. "Vigilantism? I assure you, Madam Bones, I was merely having a shopping spree in Hogsmeade when the Dementors attacked. I only engaged them to protect the students who were trapped in the alley."
Amelia didn't argue the point, though she looked unconvinced. She turned her attention back to Dumbledore.
"I will be establishing a constant Auror patrol over this entire area," Amelia stated. "We still do not know who Dolohov was fighting with before the trainee Aurors intervened to try and take them both down. The residual magical signatures indicate a severe, two-sided duel prior to the explosion. Regardless of who the other party was, we need to stay alert."
Another duel? Orion's mind whirred. Rookwood was attacked in a tavern by an unknown assailant. Now Dolohov is engaged in a duel that levels the Shrieking Shack, also by an unknown party. Someone is actively hunting the escaped Death Eaters.
"The chances of Dolohov returning to the scene of the crime are extremely low," Dumbledore mused, stroking his silver beard. "But you are correct, Amelia. We must remain vigilant."
"What are you going to do, Albus?" Amelia asked, her tone shifting to logistical coordination.
"First, I must have all the students accounted for," Dumbledore outlined his plan. "I will need to ensure the safe return of the carriages and have the professors briefed immediately on this new, tragic information."
He looked toward the castle in the distance.
"Furthermore," Dumbledore decided, his voice firm, "I will be instructing Minerva and the other Heads of House to send all students back home earlier than planned. Maintaining normal operations while waiting for the scheduled Christmas departure later this week would not be feasible, given the current threat level and the anxiety it will cause."
He looked at Amelia. "It is best we send them home tomorrow morning. The Hogwarts Express will be readied."
He paused, offering a gentle, sympathetic look. "If you wish, Amelia, you may speak with Pomona and take Susan home with you tonight via the Floo network."
Amelia hesitated, clearly torn between her duty as Head of the DMLE and her instinct to protect her niece.
"No," Amelia stated, shaking her head. "I will be entirely occupied with the investigation and managing the fallout at the Ministry. I trust you and your staff to keep the students safe within the castle walls tonight. The best course of action would be to have her reach home by the train tomorrow with the others. It maintains a sense of normalcy."
She pulled her cloak tighter. "We will speak later, Albus. Once I have the preliminary reports."
Dumbledore nodded. "Good luck, Amelia."
Orion and Dumbledore turned away from the command center, walking toward the area where the medics had established a triage zone on the snow.
Several stretchers were hovering in the air. On one of them lay Nymphadora Tonks. Her usually vibrant hair was a dull, ashen grey. Her face was covered in soot and minor lacerations, and she was completely unconscious, breathing shallowly.
Remus Lupin was walking beside her stretcher, his face pale, his hands hovering uselessly near her side as the medics guided her toward the designated Apparition point.
Orion stepped into Lupin's path. "Professor. How is she?"
Lupin stopped for a fraction of a second, his amber eyes filled with a raw, agonizing worry. "She is alive, Orion. But she is severely injured. The blast threw her clear, but the concussive force..." He shook his head, unable to finish the thought.
"The Healers at St. Mungo's are exceptional, Remus," Dumbledore said gently, placing a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "They will take excellent care of her."
Lupin nodded jerkily and hurried after the stretcher, vanishing with a sharp crack of Apparition.
Dumbledore watched the empty space for a moment before turning back to Orion.
"Let us return to the castle, Orion," Dumbledore said quietly, his shoulders slumped under the heavy burden of the day. "We have many things to do, and very little time to do them."