Author's Note: Hello my dears! I can't tell you how disappointed I am with myself that I haven't been around and my only excuse is that I seemed to have fallen through a black hole. Annnnnnnnnnd I have escaped! *throws confetti* I am also back with a vengeance that comes with frequent updating and a few new stories! Oh, and speaking of stories, if any of you are fans of 'Big Time Rush', be sure to be on the lookout for the ones I write for them. Anyways, hope you all enjoy this chapter and as usual, don't forget to review.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything in the Harry Potter universe, just the sequel/OC I came up with.
Chapter 7
It was time. In just a few hours, we were all going to infiltrate the Ministry and take back the locket. It was also the last time that I may be able to be with them at all. I sighed at the thought as I put the finishing touches on the new me. In order for me to be able to return back to Hogwarts, I had to disguise myself.
My long dark red hair was now a light sunshine blonde, but not as blonde as Luna's. My bright green eyes were now ocean blue. I paled my skin a few shades and added a bunch of freckles. My nose was smaller as for the rest of my body thanks to a shrinking potion that I was lucky to take monthly.
Once finished, I shivered at my reflection yet happy with my work. And the final step was for me to think real hard of a name; it had to be a name that could be traced to magic and also one that Hogwarts would recognize in their 'system'. Thanks to the Weasleys, I had one envisioned, but the tricky part was proving it.
'Lucy Muriel Prewett. Lucy M. Prewett. I am Lucy Prewett. My name is Lucy Prewett.' I chanted to myself before saying it aloud for the spell to work. After saying an incantation, I felt my body begin to tingle then go cold for a second. In a flash, the sensations stopped and I looked again at the mirror. It looked like I was flickering between Emma and Lucy before it stopped completely.
"I can do this…I have to do this." I mumbled. Blinking rapidly, I turned on the faucet and rinsed my face, trying to calm my nerves. The door beside me rapt softly and I gave a muffled response as I toweled my face.
"Hey, I just capped our mugs with polyjuice so once we get to Ministry, all we need to do is-OH MY LORD!" She yelled, making me jump.
"What?" I questioned, facing her now. Hermione, who was an inch or two shorter than me, was now looking down slightly with her eyes as wide as saucers and mouth agape.
"Who? W-wha?" She stammered. Hermione slowly brought a shaky hand to cup my face but then retracted it quickly. And that's when I smacked myself; I had forgotten to mention that I was currently morphing myself in the bathroom. Clearing my throat, I stuck a hand out to her, needing the practice with my new identity.
"Hello, my name is Lucy Prewett, 7th year Gryffindor. My father was Gideon Prewett. My only remaining family is the Weasleys since, due to unfortunate circumstances; my mother died in childbirth and left no trace to her family's existence leaving me to my father's younger sister, my aunt Molly Weasley. I will be returning for my final year at Hogwarts along with my younger cousin Ginny Weasley; pleased to make your acquaintance."
Hermione's eyes were still wide but she closed her mouth at my words. She nodded slowly and brought her hand to mine in a weak handshake. "N-nice to meet you. Good luck at Hogwarts." She replied in understanding. "Very good work indeed,"
"Your reaction says it all," I replied. "Would you mind warning the others for me? I'll be down in a moment…I just need to do a few minor things." Hermione nodded before turning and heading out the same way she entered.
Sighing once more, I quickly gathered my bag. Performing a quick spell, I the bag shrunk and was now nestled in my palm. I had my own bag and possessions ready for when I separated from my friends. I felt nauseous at the thought and a nagging feeling tugged at my stomach. I sent a silent prayer to the Gods that the plan would go smoothly; my nerves sadly said otherwise.
Our plan was now set in motion; there was no turning back now. We had managed to stun and capture the people we were impersonating and quickly moved to the nest stage in the plan.
Harry was to impersonate a wizard named Albert Runcorn, some sort of investigator for the Ministry; I hoped that Harry could pull off the arrogance this man often carried.
Hermione was going to be Mafalda Hopkirk, a witch that worked in the Improper Use of Magic office, someone Harry was somewhat familiar with; the woman herself was quite stuffy and bit of a busy body.
Ron was to impersonate Reginald Cattermole, a friend of Mr. Weasley, who worked in Magical Maintenance. He was a squat wizard that seemed to let people walk over him a lot; I wasn't sure how Ron would handle being him since Ron is the type of guy to fight back.
The person I was going to impersonate was a James Coleman, a wizard that worked with the Control of Magical Creature's office. From what I had seen of him in the few times spying, he was the strong and silent type, making my job easier; I just had to keep my mouth shut.
We had just flushed ourselves into the Ministry and were shuffling along with the swarm. We ended up moving to the side and attempted to hide away amongst the pillars just for a moment to re-group. I faced Hermione/Mafalda, waiting on her cue, but she had gone ghost white.
"Hermione, what's wrong?" Ron hissed.
"Horrible. So horrible, look what they've done," she replied, jerking her head behind us.
We turned and looked more closely at where we just entered, then I felt my stomach roll; Harry cringed and Ron winced. I realized that what we had gone though were decoratively carved thrones that were actually mounds of carved human, hundreds and hundreds of naked bodies: men, women, and children, all with rather stupid, ugly faces, twisted and pressed together to support the weight of the handsomely robed wizards.
"Muggles," whispered Hermione. "In their rightful place," she looked on the verge of tears then.
"Be strong Hermione. Come on, let's get going." I replied, still not used to James' deep voice coming from my lips. She nodded and moved first from the pillar and we followed suit.
"Now remember," Hermione began. "None of you are to speak to anyone unless absolutely necessary. Just try to act normal and do what everybody else is doing." She pressed seriously.
"I think we got that," Harry said, giving Hermione a look. I shot Harry a glare.
"No, you don't," Hermione said shaking her head. "You have to understand that we can't act like us! Harry, you can't act noble; Runcorn is a friend of Umbridge and hates Muggle borns. Ron, don't fight back. Period, but remember, your wife is Muggle born so you have to hate Harry. Emma, Coleman is very stoic so you can't act so open and expressive.
None of you can look nervous. You have to act like it's just every other day. If we want to get through this undetected, we have to act like who we are impersonating. If we do that, and with a bit of luck, we can get close to Umbridge. And then-"
"It gets really tricky," Harry put in grimily.
"Correct," Hermione smiled weakily.
"This is completely mental," Ron stated.
"Completely," Harry agreed.
"How long did you say this batch of Polyjuice would last, Hermione?" I asked as we headed towards the lift.
"Don't call me that!" Hermione hissed then sighed. "I don't know. A half hour? Maybe more?" After a few seconds, the four of us 'Ministry employees' moved towards the lifts, and entered an empty one.
The doors were about to close when a hand appeared and stopped the door from closing. A man appeared: he had long white hair, pulled back into a braid down his back, and brutish face with small black eyes that held a piercing glare. Emma gasped but hid it quickly with a cough. He was a Deatheater named Yaxley…he was on the tower the night Albus died.
"Cattermole!" The man barked, looking at Ron/Cattermole. "It's still raining inside my office. I requested somebody from Magical Maintenance two days ago!"
"Raining? In your office? That's not good is it?" Ron/Cattermole began. "Have you tried an umbrella?" Ron/Cattermole asked with a nervous laugh. My lips twitched at his statement. Yaxley glared at Ron/Cattermole before he straightened and gave him a half pleasant look.
"You realize that I am on my way downstairs to interrogate your wife, Cattermole? 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," he sneered.
"I-I-" Ron/Cattermole began but Yaxley continued as if he hadn't spoken.
"But if my wife was accused of being 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 this job, Cattermole. Do you understand me?"
"Yes," Ron replied meekly, eyes downcast.
The man gave him a pleasant look before turning towards me. He smiled in my direction before speaking, "James! Will you be attending the trial?" My eyes widened and I coughed a bit. "Not sure are we? Well, I know you have a large caseload to handle," he interrupted. The lift was coming to stop; he then glanced over to Ron/Cattermole. "So much filth to purify," I grunted in agreement. He faced Ron/Cattermole once more as he back out of the lift.
"Now, if my office isn't dry within the hour, your wife's Blood Status will be in even graver doubt than it is now," he said as he exited the lift. Once the doors closed, Ron let out a heavy breath then began to panic.
"Oh my God!" Ron/Cattermole cried, looking genuinely horrified. "What am I gonna do? His wife's all alone downstairs!"
"Calm down Ron. We'll go with you and take care of-" Harry/Runcorn began but was soon cut off.
"No!" He bellowed. "We haven't got much time! Hermi-er, Mafalda, how do I stop it raining?" Ron/Cattermole asked as the lift came to a stop at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement where Ron was meant to exit.
"Try Finite Incantatem," Hermione said in a rush as Harry/Runcorn pushed him out of the lift and into the empty level.
"Right. And if that doesn't work?" Ron/Cattermole asked over his shoulder.
"Improvise?" I replied just as the doors closed. I hung my head for a moment feeling guilty for the position Ron was in.
"Maybe I should go with him? You two can go find Umbridge and then we can back track somehow?" Hermione/Mafalda suggested quickly. The lift began moving upward once more and she sighed, missing her chance.
"Level 1, Minister of Magic and support staff," the voice in the lift droned before the doors jerked open.
Hermione squeaked at the four people in front of them, two still in deep conversation; one was a long-haired wizard wearing magnificent robes of black and gold, and the other a squat, toad-like witch wearing a velvet bright pink bow in her short hair and clutching a clipboard to her chest.
My mouth fell open in recognition at the witch in front of us. I remembered her face from the various articles about her in the Daily Prophet. I snapped my mouth shut, also remembering all the horrible stories that I heard about her.
It was Dolores Umbridge. And she was wearing the locket.
"Ah, Mafalda. Travers sent you, did he?" She asked Hermione as she stepped onto the lift. Hermione/Mafalda nodded quickly. "Good, we'll head right down," Umbridge smiled. "Oh, Hello James. Are you going to be filling in for Jones today? He called in sick you know!" She asked me in the sickliest sweet voice I've ever heard.
"Yes," I answered in a curt voice that I hoped was like Coleman's. Umbridge smiled happily.
"Oh, James, I know you hate to be dragged away from your work! But I'm glad you're doing this for me!" Umbridge exclaimed as she fluttered her eyelashes. I quickly swallowed the bile that was rising in my throat.
Umbridge then faced Harry/Runcorn. "Albert, aren't you getting out?" He nodded awkwardly then moved forward. He glanced over his shoulder at me and Hermione before the doors closed once more. Umbridge was bouncing now on her heels as the lift moved. "I'm so excited! I absolutely love the trials!"
The doors opened into a corridor and we shuffled out behind Umbridge. I kept glancing over at Hermione worriedly and she did the same. Getting separated wasn't part of the plan! As we walked along, I noticed we were moving downward. It growing darker and soon enough, the walls were fashioned with torches.
An unknown chill went up my spin as we turned another corner and entered a large courtroom filled with various officials already seated in some of the old wooden benches. Once inside the room, my breathing hitched and my blood went cold. The outer corners of the room were guarded by Dementors.
Umbridge went forward and sat herself in the center at a large podium. Hermione/Mafalda, who had paled considerably in the last few minutes, was directed to sit at a small desk in front of Umbridge. Off to the side, there were a large group of men and women seated; some looked frightened, others were crying and then there were a few that looked like they had been petrified.
I tried to ignore it as I was seated on the other side of Umbridge with a few other officials. Umbridge started the trials by bringing a woman named Mary Cattermole. She was shaking in her seat when Ron/Cattermole and Harry/Runcorn came in, Harry/Runcorn dragging Ron/Cattermole by the collar of his shirt until he stood beside his 'wife'.
"Mary Elizabeth Cattermole," Umbridge spoke, getting the poor woman's attention.
"Y-yes?" She stammered.
"A wand was taken from you today. Is this that wand?" Umbridge asked her, holding up a light brown wand.
"Yes." Her eyes darted between the wand and Umbridge.
"Mrs. Cattermole, would you tell the court from which witch or wizard you took this wand?" Umbridge asked with a small smile.
"I didn't take it," Mrs. Cattermole answered. "I got it at Olivander's in Diagon Alley when I was eleven!"
"Tut. Tut. Tut. You're lying," Umbridge smiled brightly. "Wands only choose witches and wizards, and you are not a witch."
"But I am!" Mrs. Cattermole cried before turning to Ron/Cattermole. "Please Reg, tell them what I am!" She pleaded, however, Ron/Cattermole just stood there, unsure of what to do. Umbridge tutted a few more times as she shuffled some papers.
I wanted so much to jump in and have a tornado go off in this room, but I knew how easily things could go South, and it wouldn't take much for the Dementors to turn. Meanwhile, out of the corner of my eye, I could see Harry/Runcorn making his way toward Umbridge, his eyes glued to the locket.
"What on earth are you doing, Albert?!" Umbridge asked, confused. Harry had his wand out and ready, but not pointed at her…not just yet.
"I'm sorry, but I am entranced," Harry/Runcorn replied then nodded towards the locket. "But I am curious, how did you acquire such a lovely piece of jewelry?" Umbridge smiled at this as she patted her fat neck, not noticing that this was out of character.
"Oh, this? It's a family heirloom," Lies. "The 'S' stands for Selwin, an old Pureblood family that I just so happen to be linked to," she said happily. From where I stood, it looked like something inside Harry snapped. "Too bad we are not all so lucky, eh Mrs. Cattermole?"
"You're lying, Dolores," Harry/Runcorn said, sounding like himself again as his face began to bubble. Oh no, he was changing back. I looked down at my hand and then to the other two…we were all changing back! "And one mustn't tell lies."
All at once, Dolores moved for her wand as Harry hit her with a stunning spell. The few men stood up next to me, aimed their wands, but they weren't expecting me as I shot them with stunners all at once. Amidst all the chaos, Hermione who was herself again, snatched the locket off of Umbridge's neck.
"Harry!" I yelled. He snapped his head to mine; he had been in the middle of setting loose a Patronus while I stunned a few Deatheaters. "She's got it! We need to move out!" I called as I put a hand on the railing and jumped over, following behind Hermione.
We ran fast and blended with the other runaways that took off once the Dementors were cast away. We managed to get on to a lift and moved fast till we stopped abruptly at where we first entered. Harry, Hermione and I were walking carefully through the crowd, heads down. Stopping suddenly, I looked up to see Ron/Cattermole talking to someone; it was his 'wife'.
"We must go Reg! We don't have much time! We must get the children and leave the country!" She exclaimed. Ron had not fully changed back yet and he was just nodding, trying to detach himself once he saw us a few feet away.
"We will, I promise." He replied and she smiled weakly before throwing herself at him in a very passionate kiss.
"Mary?" A voice asked in surprise. She pulled back quickly and turned around slowly. Uh oh, the real Cattermole had shown up just in time to see Ron back to his original self.
"Nice meeting you," Ron said awkwardly before he rushed away. Once together, we tried not to attract any more attention to ourselves as we half walked, half ran towards the fireplaces.
"Look over there! That's Harry Potter. Look everyone, it's Harry Potter!" At the sound of that, the four of us took off running as fast as we could, ducking as spells came at us from all sides. I quickly threw up a shield in attempt of some protection but it was difficult to control.
All around us, all of the fireplaces began to close themselves off almost as fast as we could reach them. There was one left at the end that remained open and at that moment, I knew it was time and I had one last parlor trick up my sleeve. At the last possible moment, I stopped running and did a 180, facing the swarm.
Pulling every ounce of energy from within, I threw up a large barrier that separated us from them. Whatever collided with my shield, it reverberated back to them, but it also put a strain on my concentration.
"Emma! What are you doing?" Ron yelled.
"Buying you more time!" I grimaced.
"No, just come with us! We need YOU!" Hermione yelled back. I looked over my shoulder to see them hovering at the entrance. Harry looked about ready to pounce; he had changed his mind about me going along. I locked eyes with him and shook my head…my mind was already set.
"I have my own mission; someone has to defend Hogwarts and protect innocents who enter!" I yelled. More Deatheaters had joined the ranks and were sending spell after spell. Beads of sweat were dotting my forehead and I felt like my skull was splitting in half. "You guys better destroy those Horcruxes and get back to me in one piece! Now go!" I screamed.
A few stuns had broken through and they had to dive in order to avoid them. I heard a scream and glance to see Ron hunched over. That alone was enough to break my concentration. Harry and Hermione grabbed his sides before jumping through the fireplace. I willed it to close just as the last of my defenses began to crumble. Holding my breath, I blinked and disappeared just the Deatheaters broke through.