The Muggle government operated with remarkable efficiency. No sooner had the cordon on Oxford Street been lifted than the Department of Health and Social Care, the Home Office, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and other agencies rushed to the scene to oversee the resettlement of the injured and post-disaster reconstruction.
The old men of the Succession Society left without a sound. No one knew where they had gone, but compared to the oddly dressed Aurors, their conspicuous white clothing naturally made them more likable.
The MAST-MA Unit was also withdrawing in an orderly fashion. People knew nothing about this well-equipped, highly trained force, and most media reports referred to it as the government's mysterious supernatural unit.
Lein Hotel, top floor.
After returning, Vincent did not rest immediately. Instead, he reassured his friends far away at Hogwarts.
The video call was connected almost instantly. Hermione's slightly haggard yet still delicate face appeared on the projected screen. She had clearly not slept all night.
"Is that Vincent?" George's voice rang out, followed by his and Fred's large faces squeezing into the frame together.
"A grand welcome to our 'notorious' Dark Lord!" Fred grinned. "I heard you turned the Ministry of Magic's ninth floor into your 'evil theme park'? Did Fudge get so scared he pissed himself?"
George nodded solemnly. "Dark Lord, when are you coming to Hogwarts? I guarantee you'll have free rein. Professor Dumbledore's Headmaster's Office is yours to remodel as you please."
The ill-timed joke was like a fizzy tablet dropped into icy water, instantly cracking open a gap in the suffocating tension on the other side of the projected screen.
"Stop messing around." Hermione glared at the twins, both annoyed and amused, but her tense shoulders visibly relaxed, and the corners of her mouth lifted slightly.