Disclaimer 1: This is fanfic. That means I do not own any of it. I just borrow it to play with for a little while and let people see the pathetic results if they really want to.
Disclaimer 2: I'm not making any money from it. It's just for fun.
Disclaimer 3: What isn't borrowed is all made up. None of this is real or most likely at all realistic. Please don't trust any of the information in here. Most likely you know more about whatever I'm writing about than I do.
Disclaimer 4: Attitudes, views and opinions expressed by the characters or in the story are not necessarily those of the author. Even when writing Science Fiction or Fantasy I do not tend to attempt to create perfect/better worlds in which everybody gets a happy end ... or whatever is best for them. Please accept that some characters will have a bad ending or be unhappy.
Disclaimer 5: I intend no insult to anyone. If I offend anyone I'm very sorry. Please understand that it was an accident as I tend to be very clumsy in these things.
Notes: Harry's excursion ends sooner than expected.
Chapter 10: Mayhem at the Ministry
Harry woke up in a bed in the Hogwarts hospital wing. He sat up and looked around quite confused by the sudden change of location. Almost all the beds in the room were occupied, but not by anyone Harry knew well. They seemed to be a random selection of students from every year and house.
"What happened?" he asked Madam Pomfrey when she reached his bed on her round. "How did I get here?"
"Oh, it was really terrible," Madam Pomfrey said. "I knew this excursion to a Qidditch match was a terrible idea, but I thought all it would do would be to inspire children to try dangerous stunts on their brooms. But it was worse! Some stupid hooligans had to get drunk and dress up as Death Eaters, abuse some poor Muggles and destroy property of several companies. Professor Sprout told me they managed to rescue the Muggles easily enough, but then some clown conjured the Dark Mark right over where you students were hiding in the woods. The false Death Eaters dispersed at the sight probably thinking their joke was about to become too real, but the ministry wizards apparated right to the site to catch the other fool and fired off stunning spells in every direction. You were one of the unfortunate innocent bystanders that got hit."
"Oh," Harry said. "Did they catch the culprit?"
Madam Pomfrey shrugged. "I really don't know. All I know is that there was a huge row between the headmaster and Mr. Crouch over it. And I must say he was right even though one really should never challenge the Ministry. Stunning spells can be very dangerous to small children and people with weak hearts. They should be used with judgement."
"I don't even know how to cast them," Harry pointed out the uselessness of the lecture.
"And that is a very good thing," the nurse stated.
"But what happened to my friends?" he asked. "Where's Hermione and Draco and that little French girl? Florence, I think she said? They were right beside me."
"Well, I suppose they must have been lucky enough not to get hit," Madam Pomfrey said. "They only apparated those students who needed medical attention back here. The rest are going to portkey back after breakfast as planned."
She gave Harry a calming draught and told him to try to sleep some more.
"You'll want to go to lunch with your friends, won't you? And then there'll be the sorting and welcoming feast in the evening. You need to rest and regain some energy for that."
"It was terrible," Hermione told them at lunch. "All those wizards just popping up all over the place, and shooting spells left and right. I saw you fall over and thought you were dead, but then Professor Snape and Professor Flitwick appeared and started firing spells back at the attackers. It was like a really big duel until the headmaster came and ordered everybody to stop and take the injured students to safety. Professor Snape picked you up and disapparated and then they went and found all the other people that had been hit. Poor little Winky was found in the bushes with the wand that did it, but it had been stolen so that didn't help the Aurors and they almost arrested Winky, but in the end her owner, a Mr. Crouch, just fired her for disobedience. I do hope she finds a new job. She only disobeyed because she was scared."
"One must never disobey one's boss," Harry reminded her.
"All she did was leave the tent to escape the Death Eaters," Hermione countered.
"They weren't even real Death Eaters," Harry said. "Just people dressed up as ones."
"Well, Winky didn't know that," Hermione defended the elf. "Anyway, then Professor McGonagall told Draco and me to go back to the tent and I gave Florence to her. She said she'd hand her over to one of the French Professors. I think she knows them."