The Students Strike Back

"I'm glad you got my message" Hermione said.

"Couldn't do much else" Tonks shrugged. Hermione hated flying on a broomstick, but she had to do it to help Harry. She picked up her bag and then climbed out of the window after writing a note to her parents to explain why she had left in the middle of the night.

Dear Mum and Dad,

Had to leave quickly as it will help Harry to get out of prison. I've got N Tonks with me, so I'll be alright. I'll let you know what happens by sending Hedwig to you.

Love

Hermione

"You on?" Tonks asked as Hermione haphazardly got onto the broom. Tonks only flew as long as it took for them to get to a safe landing spot – one secluded for a quick landing and get away. As arranged, the Knight Bus was waiting and Tonks used her Auror status to get Hermione back to Hogwarts quickly. This time the ride only took just over ten minutes, and Hermione took the chance to talk to Tonks.

"I've been thinking about Dumbledore" she said. "How did he get his powers back so fast?" the girl asked.

"Dumbledore made an appeal to the Supreme Mugwomp, and guess who he is!" Tonks said sarcastically.

"Dumbledore" Hermione said the word with venom in her voice. "He simply appealed to himself and overturned the decision" and Hermione's plan altered slightly. Once they had arrived at Hogwarts, Tonks cast a charm on the girl so she wouldn't be picked up by anything set up to detect intruders. Tonks also had the Knight Bus's records altered so that Hermione's trip did not show up. Her own was to show that she had gone to Great Yarmouth. Hermione was able to get to the Gryffindor Common room without anyone seeing her like the charm said. When she got there the first thing that got her attention was the read hair of the three Weasley family members asleep in chairs. As the girl approached them, their eyes sprang open and they looked at her.

"We need to get Harry out" Percy said.

"Absolutely" said the twins.

"Indeed" Hermione finished. "I was thinking about breaking Harry out and then getting him back here and hide him in my dorm" she told them.

"You can't do that alone" the twins said. "So we'll just be tagging along with you" they said.

"I'm coming as well" Percy said. The twins looked at him oddly before Percy shrugged. "I've decided that I'm too much a twit" he added.

"We're prepared to acknowledge the fact you're related to us" George said.

"Thanks" Percy replied.

"The question is how we're going to get Harry out" Hermione said.

"I've been to the Ministry before" Percy said. "It's guarded by dozens of Aurors, but only about four or five during the night. It should be relatively easy to get in, rescue Harry and then get out again. The trouble will be that they are fully trained wizards and witches with orders to stun all of those who don't have a reason to be there" Percy added.

"How do we plan our best way?" Fred wondered.

"Is there a way of getting the blueprints for the Ministry?" asked Hermione.

"Of course" Percy exclaimed. "It's a law in our world for there to be blueprints for everything to do with the Ministry. There are copies of them in the library" and George said he would go and get them.

"So it's us four against ten Witches and Wizards?" Hermione pondered.

"I rather think that we might have some back up" Fred answered her.

"What do you mean?" Hermione quizzed him.

"We'll go into the Ministry in two days" he replied.

"Well" Percy said, "This is going to be a hell of a field trip" and Hermione giggled.

#

Hermione forced herself to eat as she knew it wouldn't help Harry if she was ill. Percy had had a discrete word with the rest of their house, and they had been unanimous with their decision. Although most of them where not really friends with Harry, one thing was clear – Gryffindors stuck together and helped each other out. In order to get people in and out as quickly as possible, the older students would apperate the younger ones along. Because you couldn't apperate into the Ministry, Hermione went over the plans and discovered that there was a small back entrance in the building. She checked with Percy who said it wasn't guarded at all. The day before, their plans had been rumbled by Padma Patil Susan Bones, Hannah Abbott and Ernie McMillan. They had picked up on what Hermione was going to attempt and demanded that they be added to the force. Hermione had accepted and was glad of the extra help. The girl visited Harry's dorm that night, and found a small silver bundle on the bed. On top was a small note which Hermione read first.

Dear Hermione

Albus Dumbledore didn't give Harry everything he was supposed to.

His father (Harry's) left this with Dumbledore before he died. You might find it useful tonight.

Good Luck

M

Hermione opened up the bundle and saw that it was a shimmering silver cloak. Hermione tried it on and looked in the nearby mirror, and was shocked to notice her head was now floating in the middle of nothing – her body had vanished. She took it off and took it to her dorm and put in her trunk until later.

#

Night had gathered and the dorm was filled with people from three of the four houses, and therefore the Gryffindor common room was oddly packed. Percy told everyone that the only spells they could use were those that didn't do any harm to the Aurors. This meant that jinxes and stunning spells where the order of battle, and everyone agreed to the limitation.

"Some of us will get stunned" Percy said, "But we've got more numbers then they will. All we have to do is to get Harry out of the dungeons and then back out" and there wasn't a cheer – that would have alerted the teachers and others in the castle – but there was a air of quiet pleasure in the room.

"First group with me" George said, and he led the first group out of the door to the common room, and out of the castle so that the people who could apperate could do their stuff. Each group had three people who could apperate. This was so that one could do the job of getting there, another would then take himself or herself back to Hogwarts while another went remain at the target spot. When the next group arrived, the third person from the first group then returned to Hogwarts. The system looked complicated, but it had been worked out by Hermione and the Patil Twins. The plan also meant that each of the apperaters didn't get tired out by the long distance they did each round trip. It took almost an hour but finally the last two groups departed Gryffindor tower. Fred and George as well as carrying wands, also had a large box under each of their arms which they said would help them when need be. Hermione, Neville, and Percy was the last group and they found themselves outside a non descript wall with a black door.

"I know I said back door, but this is just stupid" Percy muttered in the dark. The breath rose like clouds of steam as they all waited in the cold. It wasn't all that cold as some of the students had been smart and lit fires from the ends of wands. A few charms later, and the door opened and they all poured into the Ministry. Once they had got in, a small force was left to guard the exit, and the rescue party crept along the darkened passages with the help of the ones with the best eyesight. At every major step, a detachment was left to ensure that they could get out once Harry had been sprung.

The problem came when they reached the atrium, and were discovered by some of the Aurors. The boxes under the arms of the Weasley twins came into play, and each twin handed out a small supply of stink bombs and other products to the younger students. A shower of Products rained upon the Aurors who couldn't summon help because the older students had placed themselves in front of the Floo network.

"Lets go" Fred said, and left the defence up to his twin, Percy and the other older pupils. He, Hermione, and the rest of the first years went down to the dungeons and searched each and everyone of the cells. The last one they came to contained a single figure that Hermione knew well.

"HARRY!" Hermione cried out, and the figure stirred and rose to look at them.

"Hermione?" Harry said sleepily.

"Harry, it's Hermione his sister replied.

"What are you doing here?" Harry asked, coming to the cell door. The cell was exactly like the ones you saw in old castles, and in what little there was, Hermione could see that Harry had lost weight. He was also shivering quite a lot, and looked out and out ill. She was puzzled until Hermione knew there was some kind of magic placed on Harry. As it was, it appeared that Harry was using his last reserves to stand up and Hermione instantly knew that it was Dumbledore who had done this to her brother.

"You'll have to stand back" Fred said, and Harry slowly moved away until he was on the other side of the cell. Fred pointed his wand at the door and muttered a spell, and a wave of green energy hit the cell door but it didn't have any visible effect.

"What did you do?" asked Hermione.

"I tried to blast the door apart" Fred said, sounds of the battle going on above them, drifting down the underground area. "It must have been strengthened" he said, shaking his head. They had to get him out quickly before reinforcements came to stop their rescue attempt.

"What if we all did the spell at the same time?" suggested Lavender.

"The combined power might help" Parvati suggested.

"Lets give it a shot" Ernie shrugged, and Fred told them the spell they needed to say.

'BOMBARDA' came the collective shout and the door simply ceased to exist. The door came apart in a shower of metal fragments and noise, and Hermione rushed in while the smoke still filled the air to Harry's side. The force of the blast was enough to shove Harry to the floor and he looked in a terrible state.

"Anyone got a chocolate frog?" Hermione asked, and Hannah and Susan both produced one each. Hermione thanked them and had to force them down Harry's mouth so that the quick energy effects of the chocolate could work on Harry.

"Lets get out of here" Dean suggested.

"I second that motion" Shamus said quickly. The two boys helped Harry up and the party left the cell and headed back up to the atrium. Once up there Fred whistled loudly.

"WE GOT HIM" he yelled, and the fighters broke off and made a full scale tactical retreat back the same way that they had entered. Some had to be carried by the strongest as they had been hit by jinxes. The Aurors had apparently not wanted to stun children and so had used jinxes. From what Hermione was able to gather, they had left several Aurors stunned and two singing the Brazilian national anthem. Once they had got out the back entrance to the Ministry, those had been hit by jinxes got the second passage back to Hogwarts. The first trip went to a severely weakened Harry, along with Hermione, Seamus and Dean. Once back at Hogwarts, Seamus and Dean went to liberate brooms from the broom shed. When they came back, Hermione and Harry took one, while the other two boys got on and zoomed ahead and opened the window from the outside. One of the last things they had done was to leave a window in the common room open slightly so that they could get back in. Dean went in first and then turned to help Harry get inside, then it was Hermione's turn and Dean transferred an almost depleted Harry to her. Wishing each other luck, Dean went out the same way, and Hermione helped Harry up to her dorm and put him in her bed. She took off his shoes, socks, jumper and his glasses before pulling the covers over him. As for Hermione herself, she managed to get a chair up the steps from the common room and back up to the girls dorm before waiting for the others to turn up. The plans was for Dean and Seamus to hand brooms over to one group, and then return with the empty brooms once they had been used, for the next set of arrivals.

"Is he going to be alright?" asked Lavender as she came into the dorm the moment she arrived.

"I don't know" Hermione admitted. "He keeps waking up and then going to sleep, but he doesn't say much" and Lavender looked at Harry asleep in Hermione's bed. "I'd get him some water, but there appears to be none around" the girl added.

"Why don't you go down to the common room and see if someone can help you?" suggested Parvati who had crept in quietly.

"We'll watch him" Lavender added kindly. Hermione thanked them and left the dorm and found the common room full of people coming in through the window and then heading up stairs to dorms. Dean and Seamus were directing flying operations with a burly fifth form boy, and all three had a different coloured light coming from their wands. Hermione watched as Dean suddenly took the vacant brooms and sped off into the darkness to retrieve the next set of arrivals. Hermione looked and couldn't see anything that looked like water.

"Anybody know where I can get some water?" she asked hopefully.

"Yeah" Fred said, and he simply transfigured a book and added water from the end of his wand. He passed it over to her, and added his hopes Harry would be better. George had overheard – him being 1 foot away – and he promised to get some food to her for Harry.

"Thanks" said a grateful Hermione, and she hurried up the stair she had just come down, with people making space for her to pass.

"He woke up for a moment" Parvati said, "But he said some really odd things" she added.

"Like?" Hermione asked, putting the water filled jug on the bedside table.

"It didn't make sense" Lavender said, "He just kept going on about his relatives and he kept pleading with us to stop hitting him. I was going to come and get you" and Hermione was furious with Dumbledore.

"When I get my hands on him" Hermione growled, "I'm going to rip his frakking balls off" and the other two girls believed her fully.

"Did he mean those relatives that Dumbledore spoke about during the court case over summer?" Lavender asked, and Hermione nodded. People could be heard milling around outside, until Percy's voice told them to go to sleep. As they didn't want to get caught by Filch or any of the teachers, ghosts, prefects or head boy and girl, the three Gryffindor first years decided to have Hannah, Susan and Padma stay in their dorm while Ernie bunked with the first year boys. A couple of sleeping bags for each displaced student and they went to sleep. Fred and George had been over the moon at organising the biggest breakout of students in the history of Hogwarts. Hermione decided to sleep in the armchair as she wanted to be alert for Harry should he need anything during the night.

#

"Wake up" said a voice, and Lavender woke up and saw Hermione wakening her up.

"What's up?" Lavender asked.

"Harry's awake but he keeps screaming" Hermione said. "I need some help to get him to Madam Pomfrey" but after the other girls had looked at Harry, it was decided to keep him in the dorm while someone crept through the castle and fetched the school nurse. They had agreed on this plan when they saw Harry suddenly jerk up and then go still. Hermione rushed over and felt for a pulse, and thankfully she was able to find one.

"I don't know what happened" Hannah said, "But I don't think we should wait" and there was nods of agreement.

"Go to the boys dorms and get Fred and George Weasley down to the common room as if it was yesterday" Hermione said, going into what Harry joked as 'Command and Control' mode. Hannah and Susan left and the other girls helped Hermione to carry Harry down the stairs. Where they found the Weasley twins waiting for them, and when they saw Harry they agreed to help Hermione. Not bothering with their magic map of the castle, the group moved off to the hospital wing. They had almost reached when daylight was breaking over the castle, and that was when they got caught out.

"What do we have here?" asked Argus Filch, the school caretaker. "Students out of bed? Well lets just see what your heads of houses say about this" he cackled. Hermione was in no mood for dealing with the man.

"Fred? George?" she said, and without asking both twins produced thick binding ropes at the caretaker, while Hannah took care of his ever present cat. "Let's go" Hermione said, and they took Harry to the Hospital Wing and after two minutes Madam Pomfrey appeared, a rushed look on her face. When she saw Harry lying on the bed the woman was surprised but went professional. She told everyone to go back to their dorms, but Harry suddenly cried out for Hermione and so she had to stay. Half an hour later, and Dumbledore arrived with McGonagall hot on his heels.

"So, Mr Potter managed to escape did he?" he said, sounding only slightly surprised.

"Mr Potter could possibly be dead by now if it wasn't for Hermione and her friends" Pomfrey said back at him. "Spells have been placed on him that ensured he would lose his mind, and die of starvation. He was only away for a matter of a day and a bit, but these spells made that situation go worse" Pomfrey said. Never in her entire career had she ever seen such a case of child neglect.

"Do what you can for him, and then I will arrange for him to go to a proper cell at the Ministry" Dumbledore said.

"I rather think he should stay here" McGonagall said.

"I would do as I see fit, Minerva" Dumbledore said coldly, "I have not forgotten about what you did the other day" and McGonagall did back off a little. Hermione took the best option and shut up through the entire exchange.

"If there is any criminal here, it is you, Headmaster" Pomfrey said. "I've detected your magical signature on everything here except the cuffing charm. NEVER IN MY LIFE HAVE I SEEN SUCH TREATMENT. YOU PUT EVEN VOLDEMORT TO SHAME!" Pomfrey exploded into a rage that Hermione had never seen the likes of before in anyone.

"I did what is best…" Dumbledore began, but McGonagall interrupted.

"You said that over 10 years ago" she said darkly. There was silence for a full ten minutes and in the end, McGonagall had Harry sent back to his dorm under a full escort which answered only to her and her alone. This was done quickly as Dean, Seamus, Neville, and the Weasley twins where outside waiting for news. As Dumbledore turned to leave, someone called his name so he turned around again.

"Yes?" he asked, and the Headmaster, Chief Warlock, Supreme Warlock, Albus Dumbledore was decked by Madam Pomfrey's bullseye strike from a nicely timed right hook.

"Don't touch Harry again" she said, then the nurse went to her office to update her CV.

#

"You shouldn't go" Hermione said firmly.

"I have to be there" Harry said, pushing the covers off his bed again. Knowing that it was better to be with Harry, Hermione helped him to get dressed, and then assisted him to the hall for breakfast, the morning that he was sprung free from prison. Harry stopped just before they entered though.

"You alright?" Hermione asked with concern.

"Just peachy" Harry replied, "But I'm going in under my own steam" and Hermione understood what he meant. A bruised Dumbledore was powerless to stop the cheers as they entered. Harry managed to eat a few slices of toast, before the doors burst open and in marched an angry Madam Bones with several equally angry looking Aurors behind her. The Weasley twins suddenly started to hum the funeral march, and Harry and Hermione would have sworn right there and then that Madam Bones's face twitched at the edges.

"May I help you?" Dumbledore asked.

"You can help me by resisting arrest… you bastard!" Madam Bones swore.

A/N:

Well that's that I suppose.

First of all I would like to say well done to Paladin13 who got what I was doing in this chapter.

So Harry has been rescued by a force of Students from three out of four houses, and is now safely back at Hogwarts. Dumbledork clearly didn't think about Hermione and the rest going to get Harry back, did he? Now some of you asked in Pm and reviews, how did Dumbledore get his powers back as chief warlock. I already had that planned when I had the line in chapter nine done.

I would not put it past Dumbledork to severely mistreat Harry, as he wasn't such a good person in the books if you looked carefully enough – always withholding information from Harry and almost getting the boy killed. If you wonder who sent the note to Hermione, then it was a well known Scottish teacher… guesses on parchment please!

In the next chapter, we'll see Harry getting his health back, and also a great show of unity from the student body (not the Slytherins though).

#

On the fanfic side, I have created a new fic ( had to do something now that True Friends is completed ((or is it?))), so I decided to do one on one of my top books/films – The Hunt For Red October. The title is "Escape To The West" – love if you could R&R it for me!

There is a reference to Battlestar Galactica, so try to find it.

There will be a pause on the writing front as I deserve a week's break now that have completed True Friends, and I'm sure you'll agree that I deserve a break won't you.

Reviews and Pm's in the normal manner

(Owl Post is acceptable though)

Regards:

A Tired And Weary Pixel

Churning Out Fanfics for 345 days NON FRACCKING STOP.