In Servitude to the Dark || Tom Riddle

𝙎𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙪𝙨' 𝘿𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣

August 9, 1994

There were so many injured with curses, charms, and mob panic, that St. Mungo's couldn't possibly house them all. So only the more dire ones were shipped off to St. Mungo's, and for everyone else, a huge tent was raised, acting as a temporary infirmary.

Hours ago, Severus sent Sirius to connect with the Aurors and Ministry personnel. As a former Auror, that would be the best place for him. Severus' skills were best used at the tent, where he joined a dozen other healers and medi-wizards borrowed from St. Mungo's. Volunteers also came flooding in, handling the little, but necessary things so the healers could concentrate on their jobs.

In the aftermath of the attack, the atmosphere was tense, solemn, and heavy with unanswered questions. Even the medi-wizards, who usually had a hardy constitution, just by virtue of dealing with pain and suffering and death, worked with a single-minded focus. Everything around him reminded Severus eerily of the last days of the war when the Dark Lord attacked so fast and so furious that the hospitals were overfilled and they had to erect temporary tents just like this one. It was like they were in the midst of war again as if they hadn't enjoyed 13 years of peace.

But these were not the thoughts that preoccupied Severus' mind. Even as he worked mechanically, his mind was back at lot #4, where Aster Potter slept. He had been replaying over and over those few critical minutes. It was clear to him now that Aster had acted out of desperation. Her methods left a lot to be desired, but Severus knew if Aster hadn't done what she did, then there would be a whole lot more injuries and more deaths than just the few who were caught inside their tents as it burned. It was thanks to Aster Potter that the 422nd World Cup was not known as the World Cup Massacre.

Analyzing Aster's unusual one-sided conversation, Severus now understood that it was the mysterious Source Aster had interacted with, and it was this same source that could take possession of the girl's body and magic. That in addition to the fact that Aster manipulated his Dark Mark, punishing the Death Eaters as the Dark Lord had once done, worried Severus to no end.

"What kind of mess did you get yourself, this time," Severus muttered for the fifth time that night. All he knew was that the Dark Lord had built himself a body, making use of a golem, if Aster could be believed. Could the Dark Lord send his soul miles and miles away to take possession of Aster? Severus didn't know. Soul magic was one branch of magic that he didn't feel comfortable in studying, but he knew the Dark Lord practiced it extensively.

The only thing that kept Severus from picking the girl up and hiding her away was the fact that Aster seemed in complete control of the situation. True, something had used Aster's body, but it was with consent. And Aster was able to convince the Source to spare his memories, something that Severus now felt very grateful for. It showed just how much Aster trusted him, and Severus was not going to betray that trust until he got the full story.

Severus was no closer to puzzling out an answer when the first light of dawn bathed the ruined field in its golden light. Some novice healer took over for Severus, relieving him of his duties. Now that the most critical of the trauma patients were stabilized and taken care of, the apprentices and novices could take over.

Checking on the monitoring charm he placed over Aster's bed, he was pleased that the girl was still fast asleep. She would stay that way for another few hours. Deciding to take advantage of the moment, he went out in search of Sirius, finding the man amongst a group of burgundy robed Aurors. It looked like the investigations were already started. Severus gestured to get Sirius' attention.

"Know anything concrete yet?" Severus asked by way of a greeting.

"And good morning to you too, Sevvy," Sirius replied.