Chapter 21

"We only have a few hours before this wears off," Hermione said handing out a cup to everyone filled with murky liquid.

"Yes, yes, we know Hermione. We have drank polyjuice potion before," Ron replied, staring at his glass with a disgusted look.

I too looked at my drink. Not something I ever thought I would have to taste again. Hopefully this time essence of random Ministry worker would have a slightly more appealing flavor than essence of Marigold Crabb, the older sister of Draco's lackey Vincent Crabb. Horrible people, the both of them and they looked exactly alike except for the length of their hair.

"Everyone ready," Hermione asked. We all nodded, tipping our glasses towards each other before taking a sip. The bitter taste, which was better than Marigold, made me cringe as soon as it hit my tastebuds. I felt my skin growing hot as it stretched and changed shape. Not a comfortable feeling by any means.

"Bloody hell," Ron cursed, staring at himself in the reflection of a near window. "What are we going to do with the originals anyway?" Ron pointed to the unconscious bodies of the ministry workers we were impersonating.

"They'll be safe here," Hermione explained. "I've set up a couple of wards in here so no one will accidently stumble upon them."

"Remember we want to go to Umbrige's office straight off. If you become detained reconvene at the fountain in the welcoming hall in an hour and a half," Harry told all of us. I smiled at him taking charge of the situation. It didn't happen often, but I always loved when he did. Contrary to what people may assume, he did not have high confidence.

"Keys? You ready," Harry asked. I nodded and followed him out the door taking one last look at the slumbering people on the floor. "Hermione says they will wake up none the wiser."

"I'd just hate to wake up with my clothes stolen," I said with a smile.

"I wouldn't mind if your clothes were stolen."

"As much as I love your flirting, it's a bit strange when you are…well, not you." Just like his confidence not many people saw his flirting side, which was reserved for me.

"Can you at least keep the glasses," Harry whispered huskily in my ear as I passed him.

"Stop," I chuckled walked down the street towards the hidden Ministry entrance. I was always amused by his flirting mood, but unfortunately, now was not the time.

Hermione and Ron took the phone booth first. Harry and I followed a minute later when the lift returned. We stepped out of the booth to see people hurrying in all directions. Some just arriving through the large fireplaces along the walls, others ducking into lifts or into corridors. Harry and I nearly treaded upon Ron and Hermione when they stopped with a gasp.

"This is not the fountain that I remember." Harry spoke what we were all thinking. The fountain that stood in the entrance was no longer a golden symbol of unity between magical creatures and wizards. Now, it was a gruesome depiction of separated classes.

"Are those supposed to be muggle-borns," Ron asked, shocked.

Hermione looked as though all the color in her face had been drained. "It's horrible. Completely barbaric."

"To keep them in their proper place; under the rightful law of true wizards," I said, not able to looked away from the grotesque golden depiction of the current Ministry views.

"What did you just say," Ron growled. His eyes flashing with anger towards me.

"That's what is written on the plaque," Hermione explained with complete horror filling her voice. "They believe that muggle-borns are beneath them. Someone like me."

"I don't think I've seen anything so disgusting," I agreed. It was true. I may have killed a man, but this statue felt like a far worse affront than anything I could do to a Death Eater.

"We should get going," Harry decided pulling us away from the sight of the statue. "We don't know where Umbridge's office is located so we better start searching." He pointed to Hermione and Ron. "You two search the top levels. Keys and I will start here and go down."

After splitting up, Harry and I searched for nearly an hour with nothing to show for it. Regardless of how many people we asked, no one either knew where to find Umbridge or they instantly became so uncomfortable they practically ran off. There was something strange happening today, but no one was willing to talk about it. Finally, one very chatty assistant of someone who had an office next to Umbridge explained there was a trial against known muggleborns in the basement court chambers. Harry and I didn't even have to look at each other before we both took off running in the direction of the trial.

People were giving us strange looks as we raced passed them trying to make it to the trial chambers in time. We were no longer focused on finding Umbridge, even though she was where we were going. The witches and wizards on trial were our new focus.

Harry and I ran passed the corridor to the Department of Mysteries and my breath hitched. Being back, just outside the door to where my father's life was taken was more difficult than I imagined. As though on cue, my father's form appeared. A cocky smirk playing on his lips as he gestured to current appearance with dirty blonde hair pulled tightly into a bun and my now dark eyes hidden behind a pair of horn rimmed glasses.

"I never thought I would be back here," Harry whispered verbalizing my own thoughts. "It's almost like I can still feel his presence."

Dad and I shared a glance. "I know exactly how you feel. It's like I can see him right now." Dad bent over in silent laugher. When he straightened up he gestured to himself as if to say 'I'm not gone.'

"Adele, what are you doing down here? I explicitly told you to arrive promptly at 9 o'clock and it's nearly half passed ten. I should fire you." A man, I recognized to be Alec Cavanaugh, grabbed onto my arm, taking my focus away from my father.

"Runcorn, do you have business down here?" Cavanaugh turned to Harry with a sneer.

Not allowing Harry to reply, I put on a show as a groveling assistant. "I apologize Mr. Cavanaugh, but Dolores Umbridge cornered me when I came in this morning. You see, there is a rumor he and his friends are here. And she told me I had to help and we were going down to her office to give a report. "

Harry's eyes widened at my revealing that he was in the Ministry. As far as we knew, no one had discovered us yet. "Dolores wants to keep it hush. We don't want to cause a spectacle."

"The only spectacle I see is you believing you would be of any help. I've seen your wand work; it's pitiful, laughable even, at best. If I didn't know better, I would have assumed you to be a squib." I disliked Cavanaugh with each word he spoke. I could tell Harry felt the same, based on his fists tightening and his face beginning to turn red.

"I apologize, sir. I just didn't want—"

"I' m not sure if you are aware of this, Adele, but Dolores Umbridge is not your immediate supervisor," Cavanaugh laughed. It wasn't one of those laughs that made everyone else want to join in the merriment. This particular laugher was humorless and dark.

"We were just on our way to tell Dolores, we had to get back to work. I will return to the office in a few minutes," I explained, hoping to get away from Cavanaugh as soon as possible.

"The trial chambers? You and Runcorn weren't going down there to free those mudbloods were you?" And apparently this man was either paranoid or his assistant had done something like this before.

I turned to Harry. "Runcorn, why don't you go ahead and tell Dolores we saw Harry Potter near her office—"

Harry didn't look like he wanted to leave me, but he did after I gave him. I turned back to Cavanaugh just as he took a hold of my arm once more and marched off in the opposite direction. He was lecturing my the whole time about insubordination and respecting those where were his superiors. I wasn't sure if he was lecturing me about being his secretary or lecturing me about helping muggle borns.

We had just gotten off the lift when someone yelled, "It's Harry Potter! Stop him!"

"You were helping Harry Potter you slimy traitorous half-blood. Under current Ministry law, you are here by sentenced to imprisonment in Azkaban." Cavanaugh pulled out his wand aiming it straight at me. The words "Avada Kadavra" pursed on his lips as I ducked. Apparently his version of imprisonment meant imprisoned by death. If there was any doubt he was a Death Eater before, there wasn't any now.

Not having much time to dwell, the green curse flying over my head as I barely dodged. It hit the wall with an astounding 'bang.' Noticing his failure, he sent another in my direction. This time I rolled out of the way and sent a silent spell towards him to bind his legs. He toppled over just as he shouted out the curse for a third time.

Due to him being in the midst of a fall, the curse completely missed me hitting my father straight in the chest. Flashbacks of him falling through the veil left me frozen. His hands extending forward hoping someone would reach out for his hands and pull him back. His eyes losing their mischievous sparkle before rolling into the back of his head. Bellatrix's cackling in the background of my mind almost sent me into an automatic state of panic.

I was jolted out of my memories when another green flash narrowly missed the side of my head. This Death Eater was not likely to give up any time soon. Apparently the cackling was not inside my head, the sound was coming from Cavanaugh.

"I knew there was something off about you," Cavanaugh snidely remarked. "The Dark Lord would be very interested to know who you have been spending time with, Black."

Shit, I thought. The polyjuice potion must have worn off so I took off running after Harry, Hermione, and Ron as they passed. Cavanaugh was sending spells in our direction, but I was having some difficulty deflecting them as we ran.

I was growing winded while we ran, but I didn't want to lose Harry and the others in the crowds. I had to stop to catch my breath. I knew I could stop Cavanaugh, but there were too many witnesses. There had to be a way I could up the magic, but not have anyone notice.

Looking around the area for anything I could use as a distraction, I noticed my father trying to catch my attention. Once he knew he had it, he repeatedly pointed to me then to his right ring finger and then made a twisting motion like he was twisting something around his finger. Dad pointed to me, to his ring finger, made the twisting motion, and pointed to me again replicating the pattern. Finally understanding what he wanted me to do, I twisted the ring Dumbledore had given to me one full turn clockwise and then half a turn anti-clockwise.

"Where did you go," Cavanaugh shouted, looking in all directions. Could he not see me?

I looked over to see my father happily applauding me with a silent clap. He nodded along mouthing, 'invisible.' I couldn't believe it. The ring had some kind of cloaking magic.

It didn't take long form the irate Death Eater to change tactics because he could no longer see me. Instead of aiming at me, he was firing spells off at people in the halls or coming out of offices to see what the commotion was about. Being invisible made it easier to use larger bursts of magic. I was able to shield larger groups of people at a time, not knowing exactly which person was the intended target. Some of the curses were thrown at random, I'm sure in an attempt to hit me by luck.

Going on the offensive I shot off a couple of my own spells. Unfortunately it gave off my exact location. However, I could use this to my advantage.

"Come back here, Black."Cavanaugh had chased me all the way to the fountain as I cast spell after spell to make him follow me.

More spells blasted though the air, one of them nearly making me lost ear twins with Geroge. I turned to see where the spells were coming form to see Harry, Ron and Hermione's wands pointed at me, well technically Cavanaugh considering they couldn't see me.

I turned the ring in the opposite combination and reappeared beside Harry. He jumped. "Where did you come from?"

"There's no time to explain," I said stopping another spell from hitting us. "Did you get the locket?"

"No, she left as soon as we hear the fight going on in the hall," Harry explained, twirling me around to send a spell out.

"Harry, you guys go. I'm going to follow Umbridge after I deal with Cavanaugh."

"Keys, I can't keep leaving you. I did earlier and it nearly got you killed."

"I'm perfectly fine. I promise it's going to take a lot more to kill me than a poorly trained Death Eater. Plus we can't let Umbridge get away," I pleaded. "This is our best lead. If we miss this chance who knows when we will get another one. That woman may be vile, but she isn't stupid. She knows we are after her."

"Harry, Keely, hurry!" We could hear Hermione shout from the other side of the hall. More people were flooding into the Ministry making any escape more difficult.

"Go," I told Harry, "I'll hold them off. It's your only chance of getting away."

"What if have to change locations?"

"Don't worry, I'll find. I always do."

"Be safe," Harry said, squeezing my hand to emphasize his point before letting go and running over to Hermione and Ron. He quickly explained the plan and the three of them took off running in order to dodge incoming spells. I chased after them deflecting anything aimed at them. At least one other Death Eater had joined us.

I was momentarily distracted when someone grabbed me around the middle as I ran passed. As I was trying to fight them off, I noticed a man grab Ron's ankle. I screamed out a spell and it hit the assailant just as Hermione spun to disapperate.

The man screamed out in pain, his hand, or lack thereof, gushing blood. He had been splinched and my guess was Ron had been too. However, the man bleeding out on the floor was not my biggest worry. I was still being held from behind.

"Thought you could get away did you, Black," Cavanaugh sneered. "The Dark Lord will be interested to learn you have been with Potter this whole time."

"Not if you can't say anything," I said, pulling my wand out from my stolen robes.

"That wand," Cavanaugh exclaimed, his eyes widening as if he just saw his most prized possession. "You have the wand the Dark Lord seeks. The elder wand."

"What," I hiss."

"He has been searching for that wand. He wants it to defeat Potter. He will be pleased once I kill you and bring him the ultimate power he has been searching for."

"The elder wand is a myth."

Cavanaugh laughed his horrible laugh. "I assure you it is not and I will be handsomely rewarded from retrieving it for him."

"Not if you are dead."

"You do not have the skills to kill me. You have not been able to lay one spell on me. All you have been doing is running away."

"If a fight is what you want than I'm sorry, but that will not be happening."

"I knew you were too scared and righteous to kill me."

"No, I meant, it won't be a fight because you are no match for me."

With a swish of the wand, all bystanders were pushed to the periphery of the hall. Simultaneously, I also cast a muffling and blinding spells so the bystanders would not be able to hear or see what was happening. After that, only Cavanaugh and I were left standing to face each other. When the known Death Eater went to rise his wand towards me, I flicked my own. His wand flying into the fountain behind him.

At the same moment the wand hit the water, the golden statue began to melt. The tip of the tallest wizard's hat was quickly losing its height. The triumphant face of said wizard became grotesque and gruesome when the golden tissue melted away.

Whilst the statue was losing its shape, Cavanaugh was frantically searching for his wand in the water. I had always thought dueling rule number one was never turn your back on your opponent, but apparent Cavanaugh did not get the same training as I had. Dueling etiquette didn't matter anyway. With a swift circle above my head, my wand controlled the gold so none of it would spill from the fountain. I had the gold crawl up Cavanaugh's arms as he continued to search for his own wand. The finger like tendrils of the molten gold engulfing every part of his body it touched.

Cavanaugh pulled away from the fountain with a cry. He hysterically tried brushing the intruding precious metal which was seeping into his skin. I'm sure it was painful having your body hardening as a foreign substance took over.

Within seconds, Cavanaugh could no longer move bar his eyes, which looked shocked and frightened. "I suppose you will be the reward now," I said gesturing towards his golden form.

"Now, I can't very well let you go to tell the Dark Lord about what you found out today. So I guess the only thing left is for me to make sure you never get the chance." I touched the tip of my wand to his chest briefly. From my wand sprouted elaborate designs of ice extended across the surface of the gold.

"Goodbye, Cavanaugh. Say hello to Rowle for me." I made a slicing motion across his icy chest. Just as the tip of the wand hit, the ice shattered from the impact. All that was left of Cavanaugh were bits of frozen flesh and gold scattered about the entrance of the Ministry of Magic.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself slightly. Then with a small flick of my wand all the remaining gold began to reform. However, instead of the horrible depiction of what wizarding society had become I formed the gold into what the statue had represented before, a visual representation of magical unity with a witch, a wizard, house elf, and goblin standing proud, side by side. I magically placed it back on the pedestal on the fountain. A steady stream of water erupted from the witch and wizards' wands as well as the out reached hands of the house elf and goblin. The water shot up, arched about two feet above the tallest point and then cascaded down creating an umbrella of water surrounding the figures.

Once I was finished I pocketed my wand and took another breath. I was then able to fly up to the rafters, from there I blinked twice restoring everyone's sight and ability to hear. Slowly people started to shift, confused looks on each of their faces as they took in the still evident damage and the new statue.

I left. I had wasted enough time with Cavanaugh and now my focus had to be on finding Umbridge to get the locket. I searched from the sky, disguised, until I found the puff of pink tottering down a side street.

***Third Person POV***

The night was now upon London and the dark shadows became more daunting. The shadows were no less terrifying for Dolores Umbridge who tried to put on a brave front as she walked through the streets of muggle London. She hated to be in such a place, but with the return of the Dark Lord the floo network was being watched as well as the disapperation points.

She couldn't help but replay in her mind what had happened at the Ministry earlier in the day. Harry Potter and two of his friends had infiltrated the Ministry and was trying to steal something from her, of all people. Luckily they were chased away before they could take anything of hers that held any real value.

'Nasty children,' Umbridge thought with resentment.

There was a flicker of red and yellow movement off to Umbridge's left peripheral vision. Turning her head in the direction of the thing that caught her eye proved fruitless. Nothing turned up. However, at that second her hearing picked up something behind her; something that sounded like the soft fluttering of wings.

She didn't dare look behind her in fear of finding something worse than a muggle. Instead she quickened her pace, her destination not being far from her current location. As soon as she began to hurry forward a hushed chortling broke the eerie quiet.

"Run, run little toad," the hushed voice circled Umbridge.

Umbridge broke into a run, her calm composure lost. She had hardly made it more than ten steps forward when she slammed into a seemingly invisible wall causing her to fall to the ground.

"Who are you? What do you want with me," Umbridge yelled into the night, her eyes darting around the darkness from her position on the sidewalk.

Then the sound of wings was gone, replaced by the fluttering of fabric. "Come now, Professor Toadbridge, don't tell me, you are afraid of one of your former students."

"You," Umbridge seethed as she witnessed a face being revealed from thin air.

Keely subtly have her ring a half twist before pulling the hood of her cloak all the way back from her head and undid the clasp around her neck to reveal the rest of her now visible body. The silkily flowing traveling cloak hung from her shoulders giving her almost a ghostly appearance as she stood in the middle of the walkway.

Umbridge quickly pulled out her wand and pointed it at the girl in front of her. Keely gave her former professor a bored look before waving her hand in front of her, sending Umbridge's wand flying to the side.

"How were you able to—" Umbridge stuttered wide eyed as she looked at Keely who had not raised a wand of her own.

"I thought you didn't think that wand use was necessary. I am just following your instructions," Keely said taking a couple of steps forward until she was standing right above the plump pink clad woman.

"Get away from me. I knew you were a deranged child and I should have done more than just expel you from that pathetic school."

"Now now, professor. You should not tell lies."

"What do you want from me?"

"Oh, that's right. I am here for a purpose. I believe you have something that is not rightfully yours; Something that you got from a thief by the name of Mundungus Fletcher."

"I have nothing."

"No? Not even that necklace currently around your neck."

"What is it about this damned necklace?"

"Other than the fact that is was stolen from my inheritance, it is of none of your concern as to why I want it," Keely said examining her fingernails as though she was already bored with conversing with the former professor. "The way I see it, you have two choices. Either you give to me willingly or I will take it by force," She continued, ticking the two options off of her fingers for emphasis. "I am not as lenient as Harry; I will not be letting you leave until I have that necklace."

"Rot in Azkaban you little bitch," Umbridge spat. "The Ministry does not have tolerance for people who threaten the officials. I will make sure you will not get away with this."

Keely smirked darkly. "No. I am the one who has no more tolerance for you. Your threats hold nothing over me."

Keely turned her ring a quarter turn, effectively disappearing.

Umbridge slowly got to her feet. However, as soon as she stood there was a loud bang, a flash of light and Umbridge was hanging by one ankle in mid air. Keely reappeared right in front of the struggling woman. A golden locket had fallen out from the older woman bosom and was hanging past her upside-down form.

"Let me go this instant or I'll—"

"Or you'll what? Threaten to have me thrown in Azkaban," Keely scoffed then continued using a dead calm voice. "The dementors are no longer under Ministry control. There would be nothing to hold me there. And believe me when I say… nothing."

Umbridge watched in horror as the former student simply touched the metal streetlight nearest to them with her finger. The street lamp immediately began to freeze under her fingers, despite the warm evening air, and the ice spread rapidly along the entirety of the metal column. With a swift turn, Keely had pulled out her wand striking the streetlight with a chopping motion. A loud sound similar to that of breaking glass was heard as the streetlamp shattered, completely obliterating the remnants to shrapnel of ice.

Keely smirked again as she looked at the now red faced Umbridge. "Would you like to see what that spell does when it is performed on a human?" It wasn't the first time Keely had used the spell that night. She actually had performed the spell on a human earlier.

The young girl took pride in seeing the fear she had just instilled in the woman who had made her fifth year at Hogwarts a living hell. "Now if you excuse me, I have somewhere I would rather be," Keely said reaching up towards the locket and harshly pulling it harshly from Umbridge's neck. "If I find out you told anyone about what happened tonight I will be sure you find out exactly what happens when you turn into a toadcicle."

"Y-you don't frighten me! I have the whole of the Ministry to back me up and then you will be the one cold and listless with only your pitiful little undesirable mudblood loving friends to mourn you."

"You may be a horrible educator, but I must admit you did teach me a few things. I actually took your advice and read about the theories behind certain types of spells."

"That was not what I was trying to do with you wrenched children. By allowing you little irresponsible hooligans to use magic I'm sure most of you would have killed each other."

"Vivamus sepulturam. Oops, I seem to have accidentally uttered a spell that will kill you. Perhaps you were right, muggleborn loving irresponsible hooligans like me should never be trusted with magic.

"From what I read, your lungs should begin to feel heavy. You should start feeling short of breath as the dirt fills your esophagus cutting off your air supply." As though on cue, Umbrige began to cough, sputtering earth out of her mouth. "You are feeling week from the lack of oxygen and your eyes will be straining with pain from the pressure."

Umbridge was turning blue, her eyes were bulging, and she was practically convulsing. She dropped to the ground, one hand clutching her throat while the other weakly reached out.

"Enjoy being buried alive, Dolores."

A/N: Thank you everyone for reading. It means so much to me to have people read, review, and comment.

My plan for this story is to be about 30 chapters so that means there are only 9 left. We have some steamy moments, some arguments, some more Elder wand magic, and of course the final battle.

Always,
orangezauber