Aurors: The Fist of Mars

A Bad Day at Work

Harry awoke on Wednesday morning and headed downstairs early for breakfast. He was going to work, whether they wanted him back or not.

While Harry and Ron were finishing up their eggs, an owl flew in and dropped the paper on the table. Harry reached for it first, snatching it up from in front of Ron. "Blimey," Ron said. "In a hurry?"

"Aren't you in the least bit curious to learn more about Monday?"

Ron shrugged. "I figure it can wait until we get to work."

Harry unfurled the paper.

FROM THE MOUTH OF THE ATTACKERS—A MANIFESTO

The following is a direct printing of a manifesto written by Silas West, the man who was arrested Monday for the quintaped attack on Diagon Alley that left Harry Potter injured and shop-goers terrified. It has not been edited and was received as a direct correspondence from Mr. West:

Seventeen years ago we saw You Know Who's rise to power. With his defeat by Harry Potter, we were freed from fear and loss. But many wizards who sided with the wizard formerly known as Tom Riddle walked away without any justice. Men like Lucius Malfoy feigned ignorance and walked free. And the ministry, wary of conflict, let them.

And so he rose again. Had Barty Crouch Jr., Bellatrix Lestrange, and others like them been given the dementor's kiss, his return to power and the murder of Cedric Diggory would not have happened. The countless murders and executions at the hands of this rebel government would not have occurred. And for a while we were hopeful that Kingsley Shacklebolt, an auror and not a beauracrat like the late Cornelius Fudge, would tighten the reins and ensure that no such evil could ever reign again.

However, the removal of the dementors from Azkaban have[sic] proved that Shacklebolt is not serious about enforcing law and order. The great hero, Harry Potter, is working as an entry-level auror. Myriad death eaters still are on the loose. If we do not secure the Ministry of Magic and secure the wizarding world in Engand, we will fall once more to such evil.

This attack was a wakeup call. It is too easy for a handful of wizards to cause chaos in the streets. The transgressors of the past still have not been brought to full justice, and a nice-guy ministry cannot keep our families safe.

I, Silas West, am calling for the resignation of Kingsley Shacklebolt and the appointment of a law-enforcing minister. We should come down on our enemies with speed and force to ensure a safe wizarding world and the safety of the muggles that share this land with us. We should strike down with the fist of Mars and anihilate all who would threaten the well-being of a peaceful and equal wizarding world.

Harry handed the paper to Ron. Ron read it, nodding more and more as he progressed through the manifesto. "Man has a point," Ron said.

"He could have killed people!"

"Well, yeah," Ron shrugged. "Can't say his method was very bright, but he has a point about Malfoy anyway."

Harry took the paper back and read through the article again. His eggs sat cold on the plate as he turned it over in his mind. Surely the ministry had let too many people walk the first time: people like Crabbe and Goyle Sr. and Lucius Malfoy and MacNair. But Bellatrix and her family had gone to prison, and Crouch had only escaped with inside help from a high-level ministry official—an identity exchange with his own mother. Harry wasn't sure what had happened in the courts all those years ago, but he was sure he didn't agree with keeping The Dementors.

"Bringing my name into it..." Harry mumbled.

"Reckon he didn't expect you to be there and get hurt. It kind of ruins his message, right?"