Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Harry Potter or the books J.K. Rowling wrote or Scholastics or anything. All I have in the world is this sorry excuse for a plot/story. I'm open to constructive criticism too.
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Ch.1: Escape
Time was running out.
It had seemed so simple when Harry reviewed the Plan that morning at Grimmauld's Place over a breakfast of toast and scrambled eggs.
Infiltrate the Ministry. Steal Umbridge's locket, said locket being Voldemort's Horucrux. Get out as quickly and stealthy as possible.
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Of course, Hermione thought wryly, Harry being Harry had to be the one to add lead-a-mass-breakout-of-wrongfully-arrested-muggleborn-witches-and-wizards-from-right-under-the-noses-of-Death Eaters-(and Umbridge)-masquerading-as-Ministry-employees to their agenda.
Not that she was complaining of course, but it really wreaked havoc on the "sneak out without being noticed" part of the Plan.
She nervously fidgeted as the last of the prisoners disappeared into the green flames of the fireplaces, thinking that it wouldn't have hurt if they each happened to have a gobletful of Felix Felicis that morning. With the kind of odds they were up against, she would have given anything for even a sip of that that, with all three of them on the run from the most evil wizard the magical world had ever seen and his deranged minions, they would have needed enough to fill the giant-squid-dwelling lake.
She saw one of the men garbed in the black that was blocking the fireplaces earlier stare suspiciously at Harry and Ron, and it didn't take her long to figure out why.
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Runcorn was shrinking and Cattermole had started sprouting carrot-red hair.
If Harry Potter, the number one Undesirable was trapped in the Ministry of Magic controlled by Voldemort….this was very, very bad.
Think, Hermione, think! We need a diversion. You weren't called a know-it-all all those years at school for nothing.
To her horror, as the said man walked threateningly towards them, wand drawn, she saw Umbridge waddle out of the lift, several associates trailing behind her, screeching, "Don't let the criminals escape! Catch them!"
Throwing caution to the winds, Hermione streaked past the fireplaces, pointing wildly and screaming, "I saw him! Harry Potter!"
At these words, the Atrium was thrown into chaos. A rumbling started behind her as a mob of wizards and witches followed her, all eager to get the reward for the capture of Undesirable Number One.
She saw the shock on Harry's face, heard Ron groan, "Hermione!", before they vanished from sight. Hopefully, they managed to Disapparate back to Grimmauld's place without being tailed.
Hermione heard the pounding footsteps behind her and smiled grimly. They had taken the bait. Harry and Ron were safe from Voldemort's clutches for at least another day. The excitement and confusion emanating from the mob noticeably grew as they pursued her.
'What's going on?"
"Malfada's said she's seen Potter!"
"But…that's not Malfada! Stupefy!"
Hermione felt herself growing taller, felt the familiar weight of her chestnut brown hair as it curled past her shoulders, replacing the gray tufts of an aging witch. She swerved as several red jets of light cracked the marble floor of the Atrium, heard the cries of fury of the employees who missed. Panting hard, she ran into one of the empty lifts that clanged its golden grilles satisfyingly in the faces of enraged Ministry workers.
Once the grille opened, she sprinted out, hoping that there were alternative exits in the innards of the Ministry. She was shocked when she heard the familiar 'crack' of Apparation as twenty or so red-faced wizards stood in the direction that she was running. She doubled back and sprinted faster, as she heard them chasing her, shouting more hexes that shot colorful beams of light dangerously close past her face.
Please, please let there be an exit at the end of this hallway.
Crashing through an eerily familiar black door, she whirled around and locked it with a muttered, "Colloportus!" and leaned on it to catch her breath.
"Dammit, she's gotten into the Department of Mysteries!"
"Well, open the door, you fool! Alohomora! Alohomora!"
Feeling the first prickle of fear, she stepped back from the door and jogged slowly in the darkness that was only broken by the flickering of blue flames on the various candles. Her eyes roved the spinning wall of doors in front of her as it slowed…then stopped.
Let this be my way out.
She walked on purposefully through the middle door.
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Hermione blinked in surprise.
The room looked as though it had been abandoned for centuries. A thick layer of dust covered the mysterious twinkling objects that lined the tall shelves, and floated about the room when Hermione took several steps through the foot-thick grayish powder on the floor.
"Lumos!"
Holding her wand aloft, she cautiously perused the items in the room. There were the fragile looking items on the shelves, haphazardly piled boxes with labels worn by time, and…
She crept closer to the large artifact and shivered slightly from the magical power she felt emanating from it.
It's dangerous, Hermione.
Her scholarly curiosity overcame her misgivings. The ten foot tall artifact had a frame the color of ice—a gleaming silvery-blue, even under all the dust. The center almost resembled that of a mirror, exempting the fact that it was inky black and glimmered with an unknown source of light. Fascinated, she held her wand closer to the frame to read the engraved runes.
"Somnium quid fortuna…" One of her fingers traced the edge of the runes that followed, faded from the years. What was it? It was Latin, she was certain of that, but what exactly did it me—?
"Hem-hem."
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Hermione whirled, felt pure terror intensify the thud-thud of her heartbeat.
Twenty wands pointed straight at her, Umbridge's among them, her face distorted by hatred and triumph.
"We've got you now Mudblood! Now come along quietly and perhaps the Interrogation Squad will go easy on you." The horrid toad was positively gloating.
She was well and truly cornered.
"Protego!" she screamed; the shield expanded so rapidly that it knocked about eight Ministry employees flat onto the ground.
She saw Umbridge's hand reach towards her, the stubby, over-ringed fingers grasping towards her arm…
Hermione backed away, wanting to be as far from that ringed hand as possible—and something behind her pulled her in.
The inky center rippled as the last thing she heard was Umbridge's screech of rage.
She felt curiously cold, like after being caught out in an icy rain shower.
Then, nothing but a flash of blindingly white light.
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Somnium quid fortuna-rough Latin for dreams and fate
A/N: I am now reformatting and fine-tuning Ambiguity to make a better read so I don't mentally cringe every time I try to read my old work. Chapter 7 will be up soon, by the way. By soon, I mean before Christmas. Oh joy!