A black light emanated from the Witch-king of Angmar, obliterating every spell that came his way. His demonic steed neighed in derision, its eyes glowing with a sinister light.
"What?" Fudge exclaimed, his face paling as he saw the Aurors' spells had no effect. He turned to Umbridge, desperation in his eyes.
"When will Dumbledore arrive?"
Umbridge, hiding behind the crowd, responded with a grimace, "I just sent the letter. Even expedited, it will take at least half an hour to reach Hogwarts."
"Half an hour?" Fudge repeated, his voice tinged with panic as sweat trickled down his face. "The Ministry of Magic will be razed to the ground by then!"
"Where are Amelia and Scrimgeour? Still searching for Saruman in Knockturn Alley?" Fudge's voice trembled. He realized that the Ministry's best fighters were not present. The Aurors stood no chance against the Witch-king of Angmar.
Fudge's hope now lay in Amelia and the others noticing the Ministry's distress and returning quickly, or perhaps the owl carrying the urgent message to Hogwarts flying faster than usual.
Unaware of Fudge's despair, the Aurors continued their assault, their spells coordinated and relentless. Yet, the Witch-king of Angmar seemed unfazed. Ordinary spells bounced off his enchanted armor, and he effortlessly deflected more powerful ones with his Morgul dagger.
After five minutes of this futile exchange, the Witch-king of Angmar had gauged the wizards' combat techniques. From beneath his steel helmet, he let out a chilling laugh.
"Hand over the hobbit, or I'll lay waste to this place!" he demanded.
With his words, the flames around his demonic horse flared violently. The creature reared, then charged towards the Aurors, leaving a trail of scorching flames in its wake. The ground itself seemed to burn in response to the Witch-king's command, and the Aurors scrambled to avoid the fiery onslaught.
The speed of the demon horse was too fast for the Aurors to react in time. In the blink of an eye, the Witch-king of Angmar was upon them, his dark blade plunging into Auror Delix's chest.
"Delix!!" his partner shouted as Delix fell to the ground, clutching his chest in agony.
The Witch-king did not hesitate. After stabbing Delix, he drew his enchanted magic sword with his other hand. Black flames erupted from the blade, and with a swift motion, he struck down another Auror nearby. The situation quickly turned dire.
In mere moments, two Aurors were incapacitated by the Witch-king's assault. Dawlish, the Auror who was stabbed by the Morgul blade, was writhing in pain. His veins bulged, and he gasped for breath as the dark power of the Witch-king's Nazgul magic began to corrupt him. It wouldn't be long before he became a servant of the Witch-king of Angmar.
Fortunately, this dire situation did not last long. Just as the Witch-king began his rampage through the Aurors, the Unspeakables from the Department of Mysteries joined the fray. Their intervention provided some relief, creating a stalemate that lasted for about two minutes.
Suddenly, more figures Apparated into the hall. Amelia Bones, Director of Magical Law Enforcement, and Rufus Scrimgeour, Chief of the Auror Office, appeared with a few elite Aurors who had accompanied them to Knockturn Alley.
When the Witch-king of Angmar had attacked the Ministry of Magic, the resulting flames had reached the sky, drawing the attention of Amelia and her team. Realizing the severity of the situation, they had rushed back immediately.
"Thank goodness!" Fudge breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of them. Amelia and Scrimgeour were powerful and experienced. Even if they couldn't defeat the Witch-king outright, they, along with the other Aurors and Unspeakables, could at least hold their ground for a while.
As Fudge had anticipated, Amelia and Scrimgeour sprang into action the moment they saw the Witch-king of Angmar. They unleashed a barrage of powerful spells, causing significant trouble for the Witch-king. With the combined efforts of the Aurors and Unspeakables, they managed to hold their own against him, even fighting on equal footing for a while.
Of course, that's not all.
After Dawlish was corrupted by the power of the Nazgûl, he immediately turned on the Auror beside him, casting the Avada Kedavra curse. The Auror, unprepared, was struck down instantly.
"Damn it! Dawlish! What are you doing?!"
Several Aurors stared at Dawlish in shock, wands at the ready. They quickly realized that Dawlish had transformed, his face pale and eyes darkened like those of a wraith.
"He's under control! Be careful, they can control us too!"
Hearing the alarmed shouts, Scrimgeour's expression grew graver. Not only was the enemy powerful and cunning, but their armor also seemed impervious to most spells.
"What a formidable foe! Who is he?" Scrimgeour demanded of the Auror beside him.
"He's the Witch King of Angmar... He claims to be a servant of the Dark Lord Sauron!"
Scrimgeour's unease deepened.
"We should negotiate!" he shouted, gathering the Aurors behind him to face the Witch King of Angmar.
"Return the Hobbit to me and swear allegiance to the great lord Sauron! Otherwise, I will destroy this place!" The Witch King pointed his long sword, his voice icy cold.
"For the Hobbit?" Scrimgeour turned to Fudge. "Minister, the Hobbit..."
"Don't even think about it!" Fudge snapped, cutting him off. "The Ministry of Magic will not yield to Sauron! We will not hand over any Hobbit!"
"Fools!" The Witch King of Angmar hissed, chanting quickly. A translucent black skeletal figure materialized and flew straight toward Fudge.
Fudge felt the malevolent aura rushing at him and frantically waved his wand. Several protective spells formed instantly, thanks to the other Ministry staff shielding him. Fudge, disregarding his dignity, rolled on the ground to avoid the spectral attack.
A clerk behind him wasn't so fortunate. Struck by the skeletal phantom, he transformed into a lich within seconds.
"What?!" Fudge was both relieved and horrified. The newly formed lich summoned several ghosts and skeleton warriors, but they were quickly dispatched by the Aurors and other Ministry members.
Scrimgeour sighed. With Fudge blocking any chance of surrender, they had no choice but to fight. The Witch King of Angmar spurred his demon horse forward, charging at Scrimgeour with the enchanted Morgul blade.
As the battle raged, most Ministry staff hid or fled. The melee lasted about ten minutes, leaving nearly half the Aurors dead or wounded. Five were corrupted by the Morgul blade, and seven or eight were killed outright. The rest were injured to varying degrees.
Scrimgeour, clutching his scorched shoulder, grimaced in pain. He had been struck by the Witch King's fiery sword.
"I'm afraid this is it for me..." Scrimgeour thought, steeling himself for the end.
Just then, the Witch King of Angmar paused, sensing something. A flash of white light illuminated the hall.
A figure appeared.
It was Dumbledore.