𝗖𝗢𝗥𝗡𝗘𝗟𝗜𝗔 𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗘𝗧

ACT TWO, CHAPTER FIVE
kids break into the ministry:
volume two.

TRIGGER WARNING: throw up

VENUS REALLY DIDN'T sleep well. Her and Hermione, in their shared room, had just been stuck in a tense silence all night, both of them trying to sleep but miserably failing.

Early in the morning, they just decided to get up. The two of them went down to the basement kitchen, where Kreacher immediately approached them to serve coffee and hot rolls. Venus barely had the stomach to eat or drink anything, but knowing she would need energy, she ate a bit of a hot roll and drank a little coffee. Not soon after, Harry and Ron joined them.

Hermione rustled through her back. "Robes . . . Polyjuice Potion . . . Invisibility Cloak . . . Decoy Detonators . . . you should each take a couple just in case . . . Puking Pastilles, Nosebleed Nougat, Extendable Ears . . ."

They finished their breakfast and set off upstairs. Kreacher bowed them out and promised to have steak-and-kidney pie ready for them when they returned.

"Bless him, and when you think I used to fantasize about cutting off his head and sticking it on the wall," Ron said fondly.

They got onto the front step with immense caution, since a couple of puffy-eyed Death Eaters were watching from the house across the misty square. Hermione then Apparated with Ron while Venus stayed behind to take Harry — she had been able to get her test right on July Fourth at the Ministry.

She looked over at Harry and extended her hand. "You ready?"

Harry nodded. "Ready."

Venus grasped onto his hand and turned on the spot. There was the usual darkness and the feeling of being suffocated before they were in a tiny alleyway where the first phase of their plan was scheduled to take place. It was currently deserted except for a couple of large trash cans — the first Ministry workers didn't usually appear here until at least eight o'clock.

Hermione checked her watch. "Right then. She ought to be here in about five minutes. When I've Stunned her—"

"Hermione, we know," Ron cut in sternly. "And I thought we were supposed to open the door before she got here?"

"I nearly forgot! Stand back—" Hermione pointed her wand at the padlocked and heavily graffitied firedoor beside them, which burst open with a crash. The dark corridor behind it led into an empty theater. Hermione pulled the door back towards her to make it look like it was still closed. "And now we put on the Cloak again—"

"—and we wait."

Ron threw the Invisibility Cloak over Hermione's head and slightly rolled her eyes. Little more than a minute later, there was a tiny pop and a little Ministry witch with flyaway gray hair Apparated feet from them, blinking a little in the sudden brightness since the sun had just come out from behind a cloud. She barely had time to enjoy the unexpected warmth before Hermione's silent Stunning Spell hit her in he chest and she toppled over.

"Nicely done, Hermione," Ron commented.

He emerged from behind a trash can beside the theater door as Harry took off the Invisibility Cloak. Ron and Harry carried the little witch into the dark passageway that led backstage. Hermione plucked a few hairs from the witch's head and added them to a flask of Polyjuice Potion she had taken from the beaded bag.

Venus pulled out the victim's I.D., which was an assistant in the Improper Use of Magic Office. "Her name's Mafalda Hopkirk. Here, Hermione."

She handed her the card and several small golden tokens that had the letters M.O.M. on them. Hermione drank the Polyjuice Potion, and within seconds, she turned into Mafalda Hopkirk. She removed Mafalda's glasses and put them on.

Harry checked his watch. "We're running late, Mr. Magical Maintenance will be here any second."

They hurried to close the door on the real Mafalda. Venus, Harry, and Ron threw the Invisibility Cloak over themselves but Hermione remained in view to wait. Seconds later there was another pop, and a small wizard appeared before them.

"Oh, hello, Mafalda," the wizard greeted.

"Hello!" Hermione responded, her voice shaky. "How are you today?"

"Not so good, actually."

"I'm sorry to hear you're under the weather." Hermione talked firmly over the wizard as he tried to elaborate — it was essential to stop him from reaching the street. "Here, have a sweet."

"Eh?" the wizard questioned. "Oh, no thanks—"

"I insist!" Hermione stated aggressively, shaking the bag of pastilles in his face.

Looking rather alarmed, the wizard took one. The effect was instant. As soon as the pastille touched his tongue, the little wizard started vomiting so hard that he didn't notice Hermione yanked a handful of hairs from the top of his head.

"Oh dear!" she exclaimed as he continued to throw up. "Perhaps you'd better take the day off!"

"No — no!" the wizard protest, choking and retching. "I must — today — must go—"

"But that's just silly! You can't go to work in this state — I think you ought to go to St. Mungo's and get them to sort you out!"

The wizard had collapsed while heaving onto all fours. He was still trying to crawl towards the main street.

"You simply can't go to work like this!" Hermione cried.

At last he seemed to accept the truth of her words. Using Hermione, he clawed his way back into a standing a position. The wizard then turned on the spot and vanished, leaving nothing behind but the bag Ron had snatched from his hand as he went and some flying chunks of vomit.

"Urgh," Hermione complained, holding up her skirt to avoid the puddles of throw up. "It would have made much less mess to Stun him too."

Ron emerged from under the cloak. "Yeah, but I still think a whole pile of unconscious bodies would have drawn more attention. Keen on his job, though, isn't he? Chuck us the hair and the potion, then."

Within two minutes, Ron stood before them as the little wizard, wearing the navy blue robes.

"Weird he wasn't wearing them today, wasn't it, seeing how much he wanted to go? Anyway, I'm Reg Cattermole, according to the label in the back."

"Now wait here, and we'll be back with some hairs for both of you," Hermione instructed to Venus and Harry.

The two of them waited together in the alleyway full of vomit for ten minutes until Ron and Hermione reappeared.

Hermione passed Harry several curly black hairs and Venus thin blonde hairs. "We don't know who they are, but they've gone home with a dreadful nosebleed! Here, Harry, he's pretty tall, you'll need bigger robes . . ."

Venus snuck back into the little theater and changed into her own robes. She then took her potion, cringing at the painful transformation. Now a couple inches shorter, lighter skin, and straight blonde hair, her new persona was Abigail Garland. Venus returned to see Harry as a very tall man with a beard.

"I'm not used to straight hair," Venus admitted.

Hermione shook her head in amusement. "Take one of Mafalda's tokens and let's go, it's nearly nine."

They all stepped out of the alleyway together. Fifty yards along the crowded pavement there were spiked black railings flanking two flights of stairs, one labeled GENTLEMEN, and the other LADIES.

"See you in a moment, then," Hermione told Harry and Ron nervously.

Her and Venus went down the steps to LADIES. It seemed to be an ordinary underground public toilet, but Venus knew better. She put a golden token into a slot by the door and let herself into a cubicle. Venus sighed and stepped into the toilet, everything remaining dry. She reached up and pulled the chain. The next moment she was zooming down a short chute and emerging out of a fireplace into the Ministry of Magic.

Venus got up and looked around. Even from the last time she went to the Ministry for her Apparition test, it seemed a lot darker. There used to be a golden fountain, but now it was replaced by a gigantic statue of black stone. The sculpture was of a witch and a wizard sitting on thrones made of carved human bodies, all naked with rather ugly faces, looking down at the Ministry workers toppling out of fireplaces below them. Engraved in foot-high letters at the base of the statue were the words MAGIC IS MIGHT.

Hermione and Venus snuck beside the statue. They peered around to check for Harry and Ron. The two of them saw them after a minute.

"Psst!" Hermione whispered, and Harry and Ron joined them. "You got in all right, then?"

"No, he's still stuck in the bog," Ron responded.

"Oh, very funny . . ."

Venus noticed Harry staring up at the statue. "I know. It's really bad. Muggles in their rightful place, apparently. Come on, we should go."

The four of them joined the stream of witches and wizards moving towards the golden gates at the end of the hall. They kept glancing around, but there was no sign of the distinctive figure of Dolores Umbridge. After passing through the gates, they entered a smaller hall, where lines were forming in front of twenty golden grilles housing as many elevators.

"Cattermole!" a voice then called.

They looked around. A Death Eater was striding towards them. Every Ministry workers beside them fell silent, their eyes downcast. Venus could practically feel the fear radiating off of them. The man's scowling face was stark with his gold embroidered robes.

Yaxley ignored someone saying morning to him and looked at Ron. "I requested somebody from Magical Maintenance to sort outmy office, Cattermole. It's still raining in there."

Ron didn't speak for a moment. "Raining . . . in your office? That's — that's not good, is it?"

"You think it's funny, Cattermole, do you?"

Two witches broke away from the line for the elevator and left.

"No, no, of course—" Ron insisted.

"You realize that I am on my way downstairs to interrogate your wife, Cattermole?" Yaxley continued. "In fact, I'm quite surprised you're not down there holding her hand while she waits. Already given her up as a bad job, have you? Probably wise. Be sure and marry a Pureblood next time."

Hermione let out a little squeak of horror. Yaxley looked at her, and she coughed before turning away.

"I — I—" Ron stammered.

"But if my wife were accused of being a Mudblood — not that any woman I married would ever be mistaken for such filth — and the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement needed a job doing, I would make it my priority to do that job, Cattermole," Yaxley stated. "Do you understand me?"

"Yes."

"Then attend to it, Cattermole, and if my office is not completely dry within an hour, your wife's Blood Status will be in even graver doubt than it is now."

The golden grille before them opened. With a nod and unpleasant smile to Harry, Yaxley swept away onwards another elevator. Venus, Harry, Ron, and Hermione entered their own, but nobody followed them. The grilles shut with a clang and the elevator started to ascend.

"What am I going to do?" Ron asked the other three, looking stricken. "If I don't turn up, my wife — I mean, Cattermole's wife—"

"We'll come with you, we should stick together—" Harry began.

Ron shook his head. "That's mental, we haven't got much time. You three find Umbridge, I'll go and sort out Yaxley's office — but how do I stop it raining?"

"Try Finite Incantatem, that should stop the rain if it's a hex or curse; if it doesn't, something's gone wrong with an Atmospheric Charm, which will be more difficult to fix, so as an interim measure try Impervius to protect his belongings—" Hermione explained.

Ron patted his pockets for a quill. "Say it again, slowly—"

A disembodied female voice spoke as the elevator stopped. "Level four, Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, incorporating Beast, Being, and Spirit Divisions, Goblin Liaison Office, and Pest Advisory Bureau."

The grilles slid open again, admitting a couple of wizards and several pale violet paper airplanes that fluttered around the lamp in the ceiling of the lift.

"Morning, Albert," a man voiced, smiling at Harry.

He said something else to Harry Venus couldn't quite hear. The elevator stopped again, and the grilles opened.

"Level two, Department of Magical Law Enforcement, including the Improper Use of Magic Office, Auror Headquarters, and Wizengamot Administration Services," the witch recited.

Hermione gave Ron a little push and he hurried out of elevator, followed by other wizards, leaving Venus, Harry, and Hermione alone.

"Actually, V, Harry, I think I'd better go after him, I don't think he knows what he's doing and if he gets caught the whole thing—" Hermione revealed.

"Level one, Minister of Magic and Support Staff."

The golden grilled slid apart and Hermione gasped. Four people stood before them, two of them in deep conversation — a long-haired wizard wearing black and gold robes and a squat, toadlike witch wearing a velvet bow in her short hair and clutching a clipboard to her chest.

"Ah, Mafalda!" Umbridge said, looking at Hermione. "Travers sent you, did he?"

"Y-Yes," Hermione stuttered.

"Good, you'll do perfectly well." Umbridge turned to the wizard in black and gold. "That's that problem solved, Minister, if Mafalda can be spared for record-keeping we shall be able to start straightaway." She looked at her clipboard. "Ten people todayand one of them the wife of a Ministry employee! Tut, tut . . . even here, in the heart of the Ministry!" She stepped into the elevator beside Hermione, as did the two wizards who had been listening to Umbridge's conversation with the Minister. "We'll go straightdown, Mafalda, you'll find everything you need in the courtroom. Good morning, Albert and Abigail, aren't you getting out?"

Venus nodded. "Right. Come on . . . Albert."

The two of them stepped out of the elevator, the golden grilles clanging shut behind them. Venus glanced over her shoulder momentarily and looked at Hermione's anxious face sinking back out of sight.

"What brings you up here, Runcorn?" the new Minister of Magic questioned. "And you, Garland?"

"Needed a quick word with, Arthur Weasley," Harry answered. "Someone said he was up on level one."

"Ah," Pius Thickness responded. "Has he been caught having contact with an Undesirable?"

"Nothing like that, just need to have a word," Venus insisted.

"Ah, well. It's only a matter of time. If you ask me, the blood traitors are as bad as the Mudbloods. Good day, Runcorn. Good day, Garland."

"Good day, Minister," Harry and Venus chorused.

They watched him walk away along the thickly carpeted corridor. When he vanished out of sight, Venus and Harry shared a look. Harry grabbed the Invisibility Cloak and set off along the corridor in the opposite direction.

Panic flowed through Venus' veins. As she passed gleaming wooden doors, each bearing a small plaque with the owner's name and occupation on it, the might of the Ministry, its complexity, its impenetrability forced itself upon her. This whole plan now seemed ridiculously childish. Venus, Harry, Ron, and Hermione had concentrated all their efforts on getting inside without being detected that they didn't even think about what they would do if they were forced to separate. Now Hermione was stuck in court proceedings which would last hours and Ron was struggling to do magic, a woman's liberty depending on the outcome. And here was Venus and Harry, wandering around on the top floor. At least they were together.

Venus paused for a moment. "What should we do?"

"I don't know, Star," Harry whispered.

The silence pressed upon them. There was no bustling or talk or footsteps up here. The purple-carpeted corridors were hushed like the Muffliato charm had been cast over the place.

"Her office has to be up here," Venus insisted. "We should try and find that."

It seemed very unlikely that Umbridge would keep jewlry in her office, but it was also foolish to not check. Venus and Harry set off along the corridor again, passing nobody but a frowning wizard who was murmuring instructions to a quill that floated in front of him and scribbled on a trail of parchment.

Venus started to pay attention to the names on the doors and turned a corner. Halfway along the next hallway they emerged into a wide, open space where a dozen witches and wizards sat in rows at highly polished desks. Venus paused for a moment, making Harry stop as well. The workers were all waving and twiddling their wands in unison, and squares of colored paper were flying in every direction like little pink kites. After a few seconds, Venus started to notice a rhythm, and after a few seconds she realized that they were creating pamphlets. The paper squares were pages, which, when assembled, folded, and magicked into place, fell into neat stacks beside each witch of wizard.

With a quick glance at each other, Venus and Harry crept closer. Harry sneakily took a pamphlet from the pile beside a young witch. Venus looked over at it in his hands. It was pink with a golden title.

MUDBLOODS
and the Dangers they Pose to
a Peaceful Pure-Blood Society

Beneath the title was a picture of a red rose with a simpering face in the middle of the petals, being strangled by a green weed with fangs and a scowl. There was no author's name on the pamphlet, but the scars on Venus' left hand seemed to itch as she stared at it.

The young witch was still waving her wand. "Will theold hag be interrogating Mudbloods all day, does anyone know?"

"Careful," the wizard beside her warned, glancing around nervously.

"What, has she got magic ears as well as an eye, now?"

The witch glanced towards the shining mahogany door facing the space full of pamphlet-makers. Venus did as well, and she instantly froze. Where there might have been a peephole like they had on doors in New York City, a large, round eye with a bright blue iris had been set into the wood. An eye that was shockingly familiar to anybody who had known Alastor Moody.

Venus looked up at Harry worryingly. He seemed angry, and rightfully so. He moved forwards, Venus following him, to the door. The eye was gazing blindly upward, frozen. She read the plaque underneath.

DOLORES UMBRIDGE
Senior Undesecretary to the Minister

Beneath that was a slightly shinier new plaque.

Head of the Muggle-Born
Registration Commission

Venus glanced back at the pamphlet-makers. Although they were intent upon their work, they would for sure notice the door of an empty office open in front of them. Harry then drew an odd object with little waving legs and a rubber horn for a body out of his pocket. He crouched down, making Venus do so as well, and placed the Decoy Detonator on the ground.

It scuttled away at once through the legs of the witches and wizards. A few moments later, during which Harry and Venus waited with Harry's hand on the doorknob, there came a loud bang and a large amount of acrid black smoke billowing from a corner. The young witch in the front row shrieked. Pink pages flew everywhere as she and her fellow workers jumped up, looking around for the source of the commotion. Harry turned the doorknob, gently pushing Venus inside, stepped into Umbridge's office, and closed the door behind him.

Venus got a wild sense of déjà-vu. The room was exactly like Umbridge's office at Hogwarts. Every available surface was covered with lace draperies, doilies, and dried flowers. The walls had the same ornamental pates, each featuring a highly colored kitten. Flowered cloth covered the desk. Behind Mad-Eye's eye, a telescopic attachment enabled Umbridge to spy on the workers on the other side of the door. Harry looked through it before pulling the telescope out of the door. He then took the magical eyeball and placed it in his pocket.

Meanwhile, Venus pulled out her wand and faced the room. "Accio Locket."

Nothing happened, but she expected that. No doubt Umbridge knew all about protective charms and spells. Venus and Harry moved as one towards her desk and started to pull open draws. There were quills, notebooks, Spellotape, enchanted paper clips, spare hair bows and clips, but no locket.

They went to the filing cabinet behind the desk and searched through it. It was full of folders that were each labeled with a name. They didn't find anything interesting until they reached the bottom drawer and found Mr. Weasley's file. Harry pulled it out and opened it.

ARTHUR WEASLEY
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

BLOOD STATUS: Pureblood, but with
                                               unacepptable pro-
                                               Muggle leanings.
                                               Known member
                                             of the Order of
                                               the Phoenix.
FAMILY: Wife (Pureblood),
                                               seven children, two
youngest at
                                               Hogwarts. NB:
                                               Youngest son
currently at home,   
                                               seriously ill,
                                               Ministry inspectors
                                               have confirmed.
SECURITY STATUS: TRACKED. All
                                               movements are
                                               being monitored.
                                               Strong likelihood
                                               Undesirable No. 1
                                               will contact (has
                                               stayed with
                                               Weasley family
                                               previously)

"Undesirable Number One," Harry muttered, putting away Mr. Weasley's folder and shutting the drawer.

Venus glanced at the wall. There was a poster of Harry with the words UNDESRIABLE NO. 1 across his chest. There was a little pink note stuck to it with a picture of a kitten in the corner. Venus moved closer only to see it said To be punished.

"Huh," Venus commented. "A new nickname. I'll replace love for that."

Harry shook his head at her before they started to search again. They searched everywhere, but the locket wasn't there. Not surprising, but still disappointing. Harry gave the room one last sweeping look before he gripped Venus' hand and dragged her back towards the desk.

He immediately snatched up a book. It was a glossy book that had Dumbledore on the cover. There was curly green writing across his hat — The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore — and smaller writing across his chest — by Rita Skeeter, bestselling author of Armando Dippet: Master or Moron?

Harry opened the book at random and saw a full-page photograph of two teenage boys, their arms around each other's shoulders as they laughed. It was Dumbledore and another boy that had golden hair. Neither Venus nor Harry knew who it was, but before they could check, the door of the office opened.

If Thickness had not been looking over his shoulder as he entered, Harry would not have had time to pull the Invisibility Cloak over himself and Venus. For a moment or two, Thickness remained quite still, staring curiously at the place where Harry had just vanished. Perhaps he thought he had just seen Dumbledore scratching his nose on the front of the book since Harry had hastily replaced it on the shelf. Thickness finally walked to the desk and pointed his wand at the quill standing ready in the ink pot. It sprang out and started to scribble a note to Umbridge. Very slowly, not daring to breathe, Venus and Harry backed out of the office into the open area beyond.

The pamphlet-makers were still clustered around the remains of the Decoy Detonator. Venus and Harry hurried up the corridor.

"I bet it sneaked up here from Experimental Charms, they're so careless, remember that poisonous duck?" the young witch was saying.

They sped back towards the elevators. Venus thought for a moment. It had never been likely the locket was here at the Ministry, and they couldn't bewitch the whereabouts of it out of Umbridge while she was sitting in a crowded court. Their main priority was to leave the Ministry before they were exposed and try again another day. The first thing was to find Ron and then find a way of getting Hermione from the coutroom.

The elevator was empty when it arrived. Venus and Harry jumped in and took off the Invisibility Cloak as it started to descent. To their enormous relief, when it stopped at level two, a soaking-wet and wild-eyed Ron got in.

"M-Morning," he stammered.

"Ron, it's us," Venus stated.

"Venus, Harry! Blimey, I forgot what you looked like — why isn't Hermione with you?"

"She had to go down to the courtrooms with Umbridge, she couldn't refuse, and—" Harry answered.

Before Harry could finish the elevator stopped again. The doors opened and Mr. Weasley walked inside, talking to an elderly witch with teased blonde hair.

". . . I quite understand what you're saying, Wakanda, but I'm afraid I cannot be party to—" Mr. Weasley responded.

He then broke off once he noticed Harry. Mr. Weasley glared at Harry with nothing short of dislike. The elevator doors closed and the five of them went downwards.

"Oh, hello, Abigail," Mr. Weasley greeted, and Venus nodded to him. "Hello, Reg. Isn't your wife in for questioning today? Er — what's happened to you? Why are you so wet?"

"Yaxley's office is raining," Ron revealed. "I couldn't stop it, so they've sent me to get Bernie — Pillsworth, I think they said—"

"Yes, a lot of offices have been raining lately. Did you try Meteolojinx Recanto? It worked for Bletchley."

"Meteolojinx Recanto? No, I didn't. Thanks, D — I mean, thanks, Arthur."

The doors opened, and the old witch left. Ron darted past her out of sight. Venus and Harry made to follow him, but their path was blocked by Percy Weasley. He strode into the lift, his nose buried in some papers he was reading. It wasn't until the doors shut again that Percy realized he was in a lift with his father. Percy glanced up, saw Mr. Weasley, turned a bright shade of red, and left the moment the doors opened again. Venus and Harry tried to leave again, but Venus was trapped as Mr. Weasley stopped Harry.

"One moment, Runcorn," Mr. Weasley insisted, the doors closing as they descended down another floor. "I hear you laid information about Dirk Cresswell."

"Sorry?" Harry replied.

"Don't pretend, Runcorn. You tracked down the wizard who faked his family tree, didn't you?"

"I — so what if I did?"

"So Dirk Cresswell is ten times the wizard you are," Mr. Weasley told him quietly. "And if he survives Azkaban, you'll have to answer to him, not to mention his wife, his sons, and his friends—"

"Arthur, you know you're being tracked, don't you?" Harry interrupted.

"Is that a threat, Runcorn?" Mr. Weasley demanded.

"No, it's a fact! They're watching your every move—"

The elevator doors opened again — they had reached the Atrium. Mr. Weasley gave Harry a scathing look and Venus a nice one before leaving. Venus placed her hand on Harry's arm as the doors clanged shut again. He was clearly shaken.

Harry pulled out the Invisibility Cloak and put it back on over them. While Ron was dealing with the raining office, the two of them would try to get Hermione. When the doors opened, they stepped out into a torch-lit stone passageway. Venus felt a shiver go up her spine as she looked at the distant black door that marked the entrance to the Department of Mysteries, remembering what had happened in there.

That wasn't their destination this time. They headed to the door on the left-hand side and descended down a flight of stairs that led to the court chambers. Venus didn't know exactly how they were going to get Hermione . . .

She then felt an unnatural chill creep over her like she was descending into fog. It became colder and colder with every step she took. Venus pressed herself closer into Harry for warmth, but it did nothing. The cold reached right down into he throat and tore at her lungs. She felt the stealing sense of despair, hopelessness . . . Venus had never felt anything like this before.

"Harry," Venus whispered.

"Dementors," Harry responded. "Stay close to me, Star."

They reached the foot of the stairs and went to the right. In front of them was a dreadful scene. The dark passage outside the courtroom was packed with tall, black-hooded figures with their faces completely hidden and their ragged breathing being the only sound — Dementors. All of the petrified Muggle-borns brought in for questioning sat huddled and shivering on hard wooden benches. Most of them were hiding their faces in their hands, perhaps trying to shield themselves from the Dementors' greedy mouths. Some were accompanied by families, others sat alone. The Dementors were gliding up and down in front of them, and the cold and the hopelessness and despair laid upon Venus . . .

She remembered learning about Patronuses in the D.A. and had actually conjured one. Venus just never thought she would have to use it in real life. But she couldn't right now — that would totally give them away. Patronuses were unique, and especially since she had a Thunderbird Patronus . . .

Harry reached down and took her hand. Venus seemed to regain some feeling, and together, they moved forwards towards the black figures. It was terrifying. She got shivers up her spine from the eyeless faces hidden beneath their hoods. Venus was sure that they had sensed her and Harry, two humans who had still had some hope and some resilience.

And then suddenly, in the frozen silence, one of the dungeon doors on the left of the hallway was flung open and screams echoed out of it.

"No, no, I'm Half-Blood, I'm Half-Blood, I tell you!" a man's voice protested. "My father was a wizard, he was, look him up, Arkie Alderton, he's a well-known broomstick designer, look him up, I tell you — get your hands off me, get your hands off—"

"This is your final warning," Umbridge's soft voice cut in, magically magnified so that it sounded clearly over the man's desperate screams. "If you struggle, you will be subjected to the Dementor's Kiss."

The man's screamed subsided, but dry sobs echoed throughout the hallway.

"Take him away."

Two Dementors appeared in the doorway of the courtroom. Their rotting, scabbed hands clutched the upper arms of a wizard who appeared to be fainting. They glided down the corridor with him, and the darkness they trailed behind him swallowed him from sight.

"Next — Mary Cattermole," Umbridge called.

A small woman stood up, trembling from head to foot. Her dark hair was smoothed back into a bun and she was wearing long, plain robes. Her face was completely bloodless and she shuddered when he passed the Dementors. Venus and Harry shared a quick glance with each other before ultimately deciding to follow her. As the door began to swing shut, they slipped into the courtroom.

The courtroom was quite small and gave the claustrophobic sense of being stuck at the bottom of a deep well. There were more Dementors in here, casting their freezing aura over the place. They stood in the corners farthest from the high, raised platform. Here, behind a balustrade, sat Umbridge with Yaxley on one side of her and Hermione on the other. At the foot of a platform, a bright-silver, long-haired cat Patronus paced back and forth. Venus knew it was there to protect the prosecutors from the despair of the Dementors. That was for the accused to feel.

"Sit down," Umbridge ordered ordered in her soft, silky voice.

Mrs. Cattermole stumbled to the single seat in the middle of the floor beneath the raised platform. The moment she sat down, chains clinked out of the chair and bound her there.

"You are Mary Elizabeth Cattermole?" Umbridge inquired, and Mrs. Cattermole gave a single, shaky nod. "Married to Reginald Cattermole of the Magical Maintenance Department?"

Mrs. Cattermole burst into tears. "I don't know where he is, he was supposed to meet me here!"

Umbridge ignored her. "Mother to Maisie, Ellie, and Alfred Cattermole?"

Mrs. Cattermole sobbed harder than ever. "They're frightened, they think I might not come home—"

"Spare us," Yaxley stated. "The brats of Mudbloods do not stir our sympathies."

Mrs. Cattermole's crying masked Venus and Harry's footsteps as they went carefully towards the steps that led up to the raised platform. The moment Venus passed the place where the Patronus cat patrolled, there was a change in temperature. It was warm and comfortable. The Patronus was so clearly Umbridge's — it glowed brightly because she was so happy here, in her element, upholding the twisted laws she helped to write. Slowly and carefully, Venus and Harry edged their way along the platform behind Umbridge, Yaxley, and Hermione. Harry sat down on the chair and pulled Venus onto his lap gently.

"Venus and I are behind you," Harry whispered in Hermione's ear when Umbridge raised her voice.

Hermione jumped so violently she nearly overturned the bottle of ink that she was supposed to be using to record the interview. Both Umbridge and Yaxley were concentrating upon Mrs. Cattermole that this went unnoticed.

"A wand was taken from you upon your arrival at the Ministry today, Mrs. Cattermole," Umbridge voiced. "Eight-and-three-quarter inches, cherry, Unicorn-hair core. Do you recognize that description?" Mrs. Cattermole nodded and wiped her eyes on her sleeve. "Could you please tell us from which witch or wizard you took that wand?"

"T-Took?" Mrs. Cattermole repeated. "I didn't t-take it from anybody. I b-bought it when I was eleven years old. It — it — it — chose me."

She cried harder than ever. Umbridge let out a soft girlish laugh that made Venus want to punch her. She leaned forwards over the barrier to better observe the victim. Something gold swung forwards too and dangled over the void — the locket. Hermione had seen it as well and let out a little squeak, but Umbridge and Yaxley were so intent upon their prey that they were deaf to everything else.

"No, no, I don't think so, Mrs. Cattermole," Umbridge countered. "Wands only choose witches or wizards. You are not a witch. I have your responses to the questionnaire that was sent to you here — Mafalda, pass them to me."

Umbridge held out a small hand. Hermione's hands were shaking with shock. She fumbled in a pile of documents balanced on the chair beside her, finally withdrawing a sheet of parchment with Mrs. Cattermole's name on it.

Hermione pointed to the locket. "That's — that's pretty, Dolores."

"What?" Umbridge snapped, glancing down. "Oh yes — an old family heirloom." She patted the locket, and Venus raised an eyebrow. "The S stands for Selwyn. . . . I am related to the Selwyns . . . indeed, there are few Pureblood families to whom I am not related. . . a pity—" she flicked through Mrs. Vattermole's questionnaire "—that the same cannot be said for you. Parents' professions: greengrocers."

Yaxley laughed jeeringly. Below, the fluffy silver cat patrolled up and down, and the Dementors stood waiting in the corners. Venus knew Umbridge the locket was taken by a petty criminal and was used as her own personal agenda to show off her Pureblood status.

Harry then raised his wand, not bothering to keep it under the Invisibility Cloak. "Stupefy!"

Venus gasped as a flash of red light hit Umbridge, and Umbridge crumpled, her forehead hitting the edge of the balustrade. Mrs. Cattermole's papers slid off her lap onto the floor and, down below, the prowling silver cat vanished. Ice-cold air hit them like an oncoming wind. Yaxley looked around in confusion before seeing Harry's hand. He tried to draw his own wand, but it was too late.

"Stupefy!"

Yaxley slid to the ground to lie curled on the floor.

"Harry!" Hermione shouted.

"Hermione, if you think I was going to sit here and let her pretend—" Harry started to protest.

"Harry, Venus, Mrs. Cattermole!"

Venus pulled out her wand and stood up, the Invisibility Cloak draping off of her. Down below, the Dementors had moved out of their corners and were gliding towards the woman chained to the chair. They seemed to have abandoned restraint either because the Patronus had vanished or because they sensed that their masters were no longer in control. Mrs. Cattermole let out a terrible scream of fear as a slimy, scabbed hand grasped her chin and forced her face back.

An image of her and Harry kissing for the first time outside of the Room of Requirement flashed through Venus' mind.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Venus recited desperately.

A Thunderbird flew from her wand, the silver bird flying towards Mrs. Cattermole with its wings decorated with clouds and rays of sun. Thunder expelled from it and lightning glowed from its claws. The Dementors fell back and melted into the dark shadows again as the Thunderbird flew around. Its light was more powerful and more warming than the cat's protection, and it filled the whole dungeon as it flew around.

"Get the Horcrux," Harry ordered to Hermione.

Venus and Harry ran back down the steps while Harry stuffed the Invisibility Cloak back into his bag. They approached Mrs. Cattermole.

"You?" Mrs. Cattermole whispered, gazing at Harry's face. "But — but Reg said you were the one who submitted my name for questioning!"

"Did I?" Harry muttered, tugging at the chains binding her arms. "Well, I've had a change of heart. Diffindo!" Nothing happened. "Venus, how do I get rid of these chains?"

Venus pointed her wand at the chains. "Uh, Relashio!"

Instantly, the chains clinked and withdrew into the arms of the chair. Hermione then came running downstairs with the real locket, leaving a copy behind for Umbridge.

Mrs. Cattermole looked frightened. "I don't understand."

Harry pulled her to her feet. "You're going to leave here with us. Go home, grab your children, and get out, get out of the country if you've got to. Disguise yourselves and run. You've seen how it is, you won't get anything like a fair hearing here."

"Harry, how are we going to get out of herewith all those dementors outside the door?" Hermione questioned.

"Patronuses," Harry answered. "Expecto Patronum!"

A stag burst out from his wand. Meanwhile, Venus pointed her wand at her own. The Thunderbird flew, still gleaming brightly, towards the door.

"As many as we can muster; do yours, Hermione."

"Expec — Expecto Patronum," Hermione recited, and nothing happened.

Harry looked at Mrs. Cattermole. "It's the only spell she ever has trouble with. Bit unfortunate, really . . . come on, Hermione . . ."

"Expecto Patronum!"

A silver otter burst from the end of Hermione's wand and swam gracefully into the air to join the Thunderbird and stag.

"Lets go," Venus urged.

Her and Harry led Hermione and Mrs. Cattermole to the door. When the Patronuses glided out of the dungeon there were cries of shock from the people waiting outside. Venus glanced around — the Dementors were falling back on both sides of them, melding into the darkness, scattering before the silver creatures.

"It's been decided that you should all go home and go into hiding with your families," Harry explained to the waiting Muggle-borns, who were dazzled by the light of the Patronuses and still cowering slightly. "Go abroad if you can. Just get well away from the Ministry. That's the — er — new official position. Now, if you'll just follow the Patronuses, you'll be able to leave from the Atrium."

They managed to climb the stone steps without being intercepted, but as they approached the elevators, people would definitely notice once they got upstairs. If they came out into the Atrium with a silver Thundebird, stag, and otter with twenty or so people, half of them accused Muggle-borns, they would definitely attract unwanted attention. Venus had just realized this when the elevator clanged to a stop in front of them.

"Reg!" Mrs. Cattermole screamed, throwing herself into Ron's arms. "Runcorn let me out, he attacked Umbridge and Yaxley, and he's told all of us to leave the country, I think we'd better do it, Reg, I really do, let's hurry home and fetch the children and — why are you so wet?"

"Water," Ron muttered, pulling away. "Harry, they know there are intruders inside the Ministry, something about a hole in Umbridge's office door, I reckon we've got five minutes if that—"

Hermione turned to Harry in horror, her Patronus vanishing with a pop. "Harry, if we're trapped here—!"

"We won't be if we move fast," Harry argued. He addressed the silent group behind them. "Who's got wands?" About half of them raised their hands. "Okay, all of you who haven't got wands need to attach yourself to somebody who has. We'll need to be fast before they stop us. Come on."

They managed to pile into two elevators. Venus and Harry's Patronuses stood before the golden grilles as they shut and the elevators started to rise.

"Level eight, Atrium," the witch's cool voice announced.

They were definitely in trouble. The Atrium was full of people moving from fireplace to fireplace, sealing them off.

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed. "What are we going to—"

"STOP!" Harry bellowed, and the powerful voice of Runcorn echoed throughout the Atrium, making the wizards sealing the fireplaces freeze. "Follow me."

Harry led the group of terrified Muggle-borns in a huddle, kept together by Venus, Ron, and Hermione.

"What's up, Albert?" a wizard began.

"This lot need to leave before you seal the exits," Harry responded.

"We've been told to seal all exits and not let anyone—"

"Are you contradicting me? Would you like me to have your family tree examined, like I had Dirk Cresswell's?"

The wizard backed away. "Sorry! I didn't mean nothing, Albert, but I thought . . . I thought they were in for questioning and . . ."

"Their blood is pure," Harry interjected, his deep voice echoing throughout the hall. "Purer than many of yours, I daresay. Off you go."

The Muggle-borns scurried forwards into the fireplace and began to vanish in pairs. All of the Ministry wizards hung back, some looking confused, others scared and resentful.

"Mary!" a new voice then yelled.

Mrs. Cattermole looked over her shoulder. The real Reg Cattermole, no longer vomiting but still pale, had just come running out of a lift.

"R-Reg?" Mrs. Cattermole stuttered.

She looked in between her husband and Ron. Ron just swore loudly.

"Hey — what's going on?" the wizard who had tried to stop them questioned. "What is this?"

"Seal the exit!" Yaxley ordered. "SEAL IT!"

Yaxley had burst out of another lift and was running towards the group beside the fireplaces, into which all of the Muggle-borns but Mrs. Cattermole had now vanished. The wizard raised his wand, but Harry raised a fist and punched him, sending him flying through the air.

"He's been helping Muggle-borns escape, Yaxley!" Harry shouted.

The wizard's colleagues set up an uproar. Ron then grabbed Mrs. Cattermole and pulled her into the still-open fireplace and disappeared. Confused, Yaxley looked from Harry to the punched wizard.

"My wife!" the real Reg Cattermole screamed. "Who was that with my wife? What's going on?"

Yaxley's head turned. Venus noticed the truth flash across his face.

"Come on!" Harry yelled.

Harry grabbed both Venus and Hermione's hand. They jumped into the fireplace together as Yaxley's curse sailed over Harry's head. After spinning for a few seconds, they shot up out of a toilet into a cubicle. Venus pushed open the door. Ron was standing there beside the sinks, still wrestling with Mrs. Cattermole.

"Reg, I don't understand—" Mrs. Cattermole admitted.

"Let go, I'm not your husband, you've got to go home!" Ron insisted.

There was a noise in the cubicle behind them. Venus glanced back. Yaxley had just appeared.

"We have to go!" Venus shouted.

Harry grabbed Ron's hand so that all of them were standing in a chain. Venus instantly turned on the spot. Darkness engulfed them, along with the familiar compression, but something was wrong . . . Venus felt Harry's hand slip out of hers . . .

Venus wondered if she was going to suffocate. She couldn't breathe or see. And then she saw the door of number twelve, Grimmauld Place, with its serpent door knocker. However, before she could breathe, there was a scream and a flash of purple light. Hermione's hand was suddenly on hers and everything went dark again.

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writing these chapters makes me so tired oh god