FlooJacked!

By: CNJ

PG-13

4: Surging Back

Harry:

Now that we'd come up with the start of plans, we could hold our heads up again. We were still in pain alternating with shock and the Gryffindor dorms were still muted. We talked some, a quiet low murmur of voices, but not the dreadful silence that had filled the dorms earlier.

Hermione and a Hufflepuff sixth-year, Susan Bones, gathered the necessary ingredients together to make the potion by Wednesday afternoon.

"I think we'd better hold off on bringing our intentions to the Main Order until we have the potion together and we're able to trace their path," Neville suggested that evening at our Young Order meeting.

"Good idea..." I nodded and the others chimed in their consent. If the Main Order knows we have a clear plan, they will be more likely to back us up and offer their input.

"First step is we need to get some article of clothing or something with some hair of the floo-jacked here and once we make the potion, we dip it in. The potion won't change in appearance, but the article will dissolve," Hermione told us. "If my theory I've read about is correct, we'll head over to Hogsmeade to the Three Broomsticks fireplace, gather some of the ashes there and bring it back and drop it into the potion. We'll then dip a parchment into it and it will display a picture of where our friends are."

Hermione looked around at us and we nodded. "If we're lucky..." she continued. "We'll be able to identify where it is...if we need to we can head to the library since there's a computer there that can name locations based on images magically loaded into it."

"God...it's dangerous; you all could..." Cho's eyes widened.

"It's a chance we're willing to take," I told them. "The alternative...if we did nothing and..." My voice broke and I couldn't go on; the thought of the alternative was just too unbearable to think about.

"We understand..." Susan Bones told me softly. We were grateful to be able to band together, several of us houses to work on our plan. Perhaps some Hufflepuffs or Ravenclaws could catch any errors that could crop up if they didn't devise something in addition.

"So, Thursday evening at nine," Hermione told us. "Myrtle's bathroom."

We nodded. We'd put together the potion then. Susan, Hermione, and Cho were designated for that task. Then it would be Ginny and I who would sneak on over to Three Broomsticks to get the ashes and bring them back. The others would act as lookouts back in the common rooms.

"I'll get something..." I volunteered.

"Me too..." Lavender added. We dashed upstairs to the dormitories and Lavender grabbed something from the girls' side while I strode over and grabbed one of Ron's combs.

It had several of his bright red hair strands in it. Oh, please let this work! I begged silently as the hair glinted in the lamplight. I headed downstairs again.

Hermione:

"...I told my mum Hogwarts was protected," Susan finished as we blended the dragon's fire oils with the rest of the ingredients into the potion mix that Thursday night in the girls' bathroom.

"Me too..." I nodded.

"Almost there..." Cho leaned back as we finished the potion and watched it brew.

"Psssst..." the door opened and we looked up to see Ginny poke her head out from under Harry's invisibility cloak. "Hide...I think Filch is headed this way." So we did, turning out the light and diving under Harry's cloak and covering the small cauldron with it. We sat still for what felt like fifty hours until Filch just crooned a little, then went on by. Once we were sure he was gone, we slid out from under the cloak.

"Thanks, Gin..." I said, gesturing to the steaming cauldron. "I think we're done."

"Bloody brilliant," Ginny peered in and grinned, perhaps the first hint of a smile Gryffindor had seen in almost a week. The rest of us smiled softly too. We then got ready to head back.

Using a shrinking charm on the cauldron, I picked it up; we put on the invisibility cloak and started back. On the way, we met Dean. We enlarged the cloak and started up the stairs, trying to avoid the moving ones. We were near the dorm halls when we heard voices.

"Oh, shit..." I muttered, putting a finger to my lips. We stood stock still right in the middle of the steps as several teachers, two being Dumbledore and McGonagall and a few members we suspected were part of the Ministry passed by us. They seemed to be arguing.

"The aurors are searching by every means possible, magical and muggle," one Ministry member was saying. "We've even employed a magical map and high-powered aurors as well. Meanwhile, we will continue to guard the school."

"And trust you to not overstep your boundaries again?" McGonagall sniped.

"The Main Order is also working on this...we'll just have to join in the hunt and rescue effort, that's all there is to it," Madame Hooch was insisting.

"It would not be advisable..." another Ministry member put in. "You'd best stay here and look after the students, who I can see are enough to handle

"And let you handle the floo-jacking with the Ministry falling apart in addition to Minister Fudge being under investigation?" Professor Sprout barked. The voices moved out of earshot. Once they were gone, we dashed quietly up the stairs, jolting some when the stairs shifted.

"Shiiiiiiit..." all of us muttered.

We thought we saw something move under our stairs, but when I looked down, no one was there. We kept scampering until we reached the hallway, doubled around and headed to the Young Order room.

Once we got inside, we slumped against walls and on the floor by the fireplace, attempting to absorb the latest on Ministry happenings. Most of the others were there.

"We did it," Ginny told them. "The potion's made. The next plan is the Three Broomsticks mission." She and Harry looked at each other, knowing what their part was.

"About the next part..." Susan put in. "Notify the Main Order. Have them get us a portkey...some of them will need to join us."

"You three look as if you've something else on your minds," Harry pushed his glasses up on his nose and peered at us with his large serious eyes.

Harry's one of the most perceptive people I've ever known. I told him and the others about what we'd heard about Minister Fudge and the latest happenings in the Ministry. Harry nodded gravely.

"So, the fuckster's lies are catching up to him..."Ginny muttered.

Harry:

Friday was long...I mean. Long. That day's Daily Prophet reported that yes, Fudge was under investigation for fraud, nepotism, and accepting bribes. Dumbledore also announced it at breakfast that morning.

It was tonight that Ginny and I had to sneak over to the Three Broomsticks. To make matters worse, Malfoy was particularly obnoxious today. Normally, he's obnoxious enough to begin with, but today he was...horrid, for lack of a better word.

In the corridors, he seemed to be peering at us suspiciously, his cold gray eyes calculating. Surely, he can't have been...no, the Young Order room is soundproof as well as secured.

Besides, the Main Order put a spell on it and we check it before every meeting so we'd know if a non-member's even stepped in there. Trying to ignore his stare, I rushed off to class. Luckily, I only have one class a week with him this semester.

As I was coming into Potions class, I made the mistake of slipping by his desk. My mind was crammed with so many thoughts and I was on the cusp of a nervous attack when I tripped over none other than Malfoy's foot and went flat on my face with my books scattering.

"Fuck..." I hissed under my breath as I sat up, gathered my books and got back up, dusting my robe off. I heard snickering.

"My, my, my, Potter, looks like you need to have your filthy little mouth cleaned out," Malfoy sneered. I turned and I saw he foot retracting inward and jumped over and grabbed his foot and yanked it out. Woooo... several in our class jeered.

"My, my, my, Malfoy, you need to watch where that foot of yours goes before the next person you trip rams it down your throat into your stomach," I growled, then dropped his foot with a thud.

Malfoy had leaned backward, but now that I'd released his foot, he was taken off guard and he fell over backward, knocking his chair over. Several kids laughed while some gasped. Malfoy really burns me to no end!

"All right, Potter, you want a fight, you've got one," Malfoy snarled, getting to his feet and heading toward me menacingly.

I was at my seat by that time. Just then Snape came in and saw Malfoy heading my way and tapped his shoulder. Malfoy tried to ignore him.

"In your seat, Mr. Malfoy, or it's a hundred points off Slytherin!" Snape bellowed.

Malfoy froze, stared at Snape a long minute as the rest of the class fell silent. Then he headed to his seat, giving me one last glare over his shoulder. I'm so glad Snape now sees Malfoy for the rot that he is.

Snape peered at me a minute, then began class. He knows about the long-standing feud between Malfoy and me, so I guess he figured I was the one Malfoy had been going towards.

Snape then gave us an assignment, then asked a few questions. Malfoy had his hand raised at one point and when Snape called on him, Malfoy glared at me again.

"This is a bit off-topic, but you should know that before this class began, Mr. Potter was using the filthiest language ever used in this class, maybe this school," Malfoy started.

"Aaaand?" Snape peered at him as if he were a beetle on the floor. Malfoy's small gray eyes shrank and flashed with indignation.

"Well, I thought you should know why I was out of my seat. Potter was starting a fight with me and using these foul words on me..."

"Ohhh, quit lying, Malfoy," Hermione told him, rolling her eyes.

"Just butt out, Granger, all right?" Malfoy snapped.

"Not if you're saying things that aren't true, especially since you're the one that tripped Harry in the first place," Hermione barreled on. "If you're going to tell Professor Snape what happened, tell the entire story, not just your side of it."

"Thank you, but I don't need some girl telling me what to do!" Malfoy sniped. I gasped at Malfoy's sexist comment.

"I think a person's gender is unimportant at a time like this!" Hermione bellowed back.

"Quiiiiet, both of you!" Snape put in. "And sit down or both of your houses will lose points and you will be forced to serve detention together." Hermione and Malfoy both quieted down and sat since I gathered that they did not want to have the bad luck of being forced to be in the same room any more than they had to.

"At this time, in this crisis, Mr. Malfoy, it is advisable to put aside petty issues like someone's language and concentrate on classes...especially since your work lately has hardly been exemplary and neither has your attitude." Snape glared at Malfoy.

"Sorry, sir..." Malfoy tried to put on a false repentant mask.

"Right you are sorry about how I know that you think of me as some fool who can't see through your charming act," Snape added. "Clearly, having a prominent family name isn't everything."

With that, he went on with asking questions, leaving Malfoy fuming, I could tell.

Snape did manage to shut Malfoy up for the class, but later on that day, I was with my friends between classes and Malfoy and Crabbe came skulking by us. I think they were hoping to overhear us, but we quickly put a silencing charm on. Malfoy lifted a lip at me and I clenched my fists.

"Potter, you will be sorry," he hissed. "I'll see to it that you pay heavily."

"Harry...it's not worth it," Hermione told me.

I tried to ignore Malfoy and stick close to my friends. I know my face was red, as it often is when I'm angry. I hate that Malfoy has that effect on me. On top of that, my scar was feeling sore now.

Bit by bit, we made it to the evening. We ate little and I got the feeling that it was the same with many of the others in the Young Order.

By ten that evening, Ginny and I were ready for our Three Broomsticks expedition. "Good luck..." the others told us where the Young Order was gathered in the Young Order room.

Ginny and I put on the invisibility cloak and headed out. We even made it past Filch without arousing his suspicion. His cat, Mrs. Norris, sniffed the air, but shrugged and went on down with Filch.

Ginny and I found the secret door that led to the underground passage, that in turn led to Hogsmeade. My hands started to shake, then my teeth began to rattle.

"Oh, boy..." I muttered. Now's not the time to get an attack of nerves, Potter, I told myself silently.

Ginny and I slowly made it to the trap door and opened it silently. It led into Honeydukes, which sells almost every sweet imaginable. It was almost empty now and we stole across the place stealthily until we reached the village streets.

I felt a slight sick feeling of fear in my stomach as I saw the shadows of dementors and aurors almost everywhere among the villagers. My teeth began to rattle again and I tried clenching my jaw to stop the noise.

Finally, I just squashed my tongue between my wayward teeth and hoped to Merlin that no one would hear my teeth clicking. I think I even bit my tongue at one point before we finally got to Three Broomsticks.

There were few customers there being so late, but just a few late night butterbeer and other drink sippers by the bar. We headed to the fireplace and using the small jars we had with us, we scooped up as many ashes as we could. My scar jolted and I had to stifle the urge to clutch at my forehead.

After what seemed like eternity, we finally got out of there, fled back to Honeydukes and made it back to Hogwarts. In one corridor, I thought I heard footfalls and swallowed. We have the invisibility cloak, I told myself.

Ginny and I stood still for a long minute. I turned ever so slightly and saw none other than Malfoy turning the corridor. Thank Merlin we had the cloak. He peered around as if looking for something. For us? I wondered fearfully.

Malfoy found Filch first however. "Why are you out of bed, blondie?" Filch hissed.

Malfoy looked taken aback a minute, then straightened himself, jutting his chin out at Filch. "I happen to be a school prefect and it's my duty to make sure no students are wandering these halls unauthorized." He thrust his chest out almost in Filch's face to show off his badge. Ginny and I pressed our lips together to keep from grinning as Filch glared back.

"Prefect, ehhhh?" Filch grunted. "Well, get back to your own corridors, you've no call to be meanderin' about the trophy hall...go on, get or it's a detention with me." Malfoy glared at him indignantly, but backed away. Filch watched him until he disappeared.

"Allll right, there'd better not be any more students skulking around here," Filch declared to the corridor, turning around in a circle, holding his lamp high.

Beside him, Mrs. Norris hissed and sniffed the air, then they slowly continued down the hall. Thank Merlin we were too far away for Mrs. Norris' nose to pick up our scent. Ginny and I continued soundlessly back to the Young Order room.

We were both sweaty and a bit shaky by the time we got back. Once I pulled the cloak off, my teeth rattled again full force.

"We have the ashes," Ginny told the others, who were gathered in the common room.

"Swell..." "Good..." the others put in.

"Harry, did you hurt your mouth?" Neville asked.

"No..." I then reached up and wiped blood off my lip corner. Neville handed me a tissue and I realized that it must have been from my shaky teeth banging into my tongue when I tried to stop my teeth from rattling.

"Are we ready?" Hermione asked. We all nodded. We had the potion here, so I poured the ashes into the potion, stirred it, then Hermione picked up the parchment and dipped it in.

It was a three-minute wait, but it seemed to last three years. Finally, she pulled the parchment out. On it was a small basement-like room.

As it formed more, it appeared to be a storage space. Murdock Storage, the side of the building said. One of the street signs I recognized at being several blocks from Privet Drive, which is a muggle area. That's where the Dursleys live or used to live, I remembered.

"I used to know that place," I said out loud. When the others looked over at me, I explained that it was near Privet Drive near where my muggle aunt and uncle used to live.

"It's not surprising that they'd use a muggle space to hold our friends," I finished. The others nodded and all of us were deep in thought for a while. "Next is to notify the Main Order and go help our friends...they need us more than ever," I told the others. That's what we needed to do...we absolutely couldn't fail at this.

Draco:

I just knew Potter and his cronies are up to no good. Filch, the filth of a groundskeeper, had turned me back to my own dorms, but I was gleeful that finally, I'd managed to catch that sneaky Potter and Weasel Two sneaking off grounds.

I'd followed them to Three Broomsticks, thinking maybe I could rush back and contact somebody from the Ministry via floo and have them go out there and investigate and maybe catch Potter in the act of sneaking around Hogsmeade after hours.

If that plan had gone well, then the Ministry would also not only snag Potter, but Dumbledore and McGonagall for being lax in their security of the students. But I'd been surprised when I'd peered into Three Broomsticks and hadn't seen them anywhere.

So I headed back to Hogwarts, hoping to catch Potter and Weasel Two sneaking through the secret passageway myself. I'd heard a faint rattling sound and some footsteps, but had seen them nowhere. It had been as if they'd vanished or apparated back to the dorms.

But now I had traces of evidence on them...they definitely were up to something suspicious if they were sneaking around Hogsmeade after hours at a time like this. With these new rules against leaving grounds, I'd get them somehow.

I entered my dorm and with a look, sent two second years scurrying off to bed, then climbed the stairs myself, undressed, and got into bed myself, grinning triumphantly.

I'd catch them, report them to the Ministry when they came around Hogwarts in their inspection. I'd be wearing my prefect badge, looking my responsible part concerned about Hogwart's well-being. The Ministry would be impressed, the sensible ones, that is.

Minister Fudge is pathetic, but he'll soon be replaced. The Ministry members would be so impressed with me that they'd report back to the new Minister and Parliament.

The senior Ministry would then descend on Hogwarts, order Dumbledore and McGonagall to be fired, replace them hopefully with saner, more competent Heads, then congratulate me on a job well done and order the Headmaster to appoint me Head Boy for next year.

Potter and his cronies would be expelled and shipped home in disgrace...or if not that, at least get into serious trouble and maybe Weasel One and Mudblood would lose their prefect posts.

I turned and thought up another idea...if I am to be Head Boy next year, I might as well start looking the part now.

The current Head Boy is a Ravenclaw. If I could find a way to borrow his badge secretly, I'd wear it when meeting with the Minister members, so they'd think I was Head Boy already. That would be grand...so grand.

Maybe I'd get a special award and either Dumbledore or whoever was Headmaster would have no choice but to give me the points I deserved and maybe put Slytherin on top for the house cup. The Slytherins would then be grateful to me and also pitch in on recommending me for Head Boy and Quidditch Captain.

Potter and his cronies would be able to do nothing but fume in envy since for once, they wouldn't be getting the attention and glory. I'd then be on top of everything for year seven and graduate from Hogwarts in a blaze of glory.

How great it would be, I thought, drifting off to sleep, a smile on my face.