CHAPTER 18

By the time Hermione and Lisa arrived at the Ministry, it was about six in the morning. Both rushed into the telephone booth, and dialed the number.

A cool female voice responded.

'Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your name and business.'

'Hermione Granger and Lisa Turner,' Hermione snapped. 'Ministry officials.'

'Welcome Hermione, Lisa. Have a good day.'

'Thanks a bunch,' Lisa snarled.

As the lift started moving down, she turned to Hermione.

'What do you think?' she asked, breathlessly.

'Fudge was right,' Hermione replied, shortly. 'Voldemort is recruiting new members. But they have definitely acted before we anticipated. It seems they're already prepared for a full-scale invasion. That's bad.'

'What do you think it'll lead to?' Lisa demanded.

'I can't tell,' Hermione replied, as the lift jarred to a stop. The doors slid open, and they stepped into the Atrium.

'But one thing for certain,' she added, 'this is going to up the pressure that Fudge is putting on me. He'll want me to find some proof on Malfoy's current status.'

'I guess,' Lisa said, dubiously, 'and that's bad?'

'Yep,' Hermione confirmed. 'For all I know, the wedding might be preponed, or something. Here we are...Fudge's office.'

She was about to shove open the door and go inside, before Lisa put her hand on her shoulder.

'Wait,' she whispered, 'Knock first. You don't want to barge into something.'

Hermione nodded, and rapped her knuckles against the door.

The door was flung open, and a British reporter, dressed in a checked shirt and pants, waved a pencil and a notepad at them.

'About time, Stanley,' he berated. 'We need photos of...' he stopped when he noticed that Hermione and Lisa were glaring malignantly at him.

'Sorry,' he said, sheepishly.

Hermione and Lisa pushed their way past him. Fudge's comfortable office was filled with reporters bustling about and demanding information on the attack. Fudge was slumped at his desk, looking annoyed and badly in the need of a drink. When he noticed Hermione and Lisa, his eyes brightened. He stood up and addressed the reporters.

'Out of my office!' he ordered, 'I have to talk with these ministry officials! I promise to answer your questions later!'

The reporters looked reluctant to leave. They started protesting.

'Let me handle this,' Hermione mouthed to Fudge.

She pulled her wand out.

She quickly placed a shield around herself, Lisa and Fudge.

'Allius Petrificus Totalus!' she yelled. The spell immediately froze everyone in the room except the three of them. She removed the shield, and Fudge punched a bell on his desk. Two security officials immediately appeared.

'Clear out these reporters,' Fudge snarled, and they proceeded to do us, spelling the bodies out of the room. Hermione found herself staring closely at one of them. He was dark, with heavy lips, and a square jaw. His eyes were gray and sharp, and he had a shaggy mane of grayish hair.

Once the two security officials had left the room, Fudge locked the door and placed a Silencing Charm on it. Then he turned to Hermione.

'Nice work, Ms. Granger,' he said, wearily. 'Those reporters have been pestering me for hours.'

'I understand, Minister,' Hermione said, grimly. 'This is my room mate, Lisa Turner.'

'Of course,' Fudge said, 'Department of Quidditch. She knows about your engagement with Mr. Malfoy, I presume.'

'Every disgusting detail,' Hermione replied, crisply. She was filled with fiery energy this morning. The attack had roused that in her.

'Uh...yes,' Fudge said, slightly taken aback by this display of curt energy. 'Well...'

'We want to know about the attack,' Hermione told him. 'That might help me identify Malfoy's current...position.'

'Of course,' Fudge said. 'It was, as the newspapers saw, at about 11 PM. Well, two very valuables members of the ministry were killed. So was a janitor. Many were injured, including Percy Weasley. But there is one thing that was kept classified from the beginning. That out dear newspaper reporters did not know about.'

Hermione heart began to beat faster.

'What?" she asked, breathlessly.

Fudge pulled something out of a box in his desk. It was wrapped in brown paper. He handed it to her.

Fingers trembling, Hermione unwrapped the paper. In it was a small ring. Its steely shine showed her that it was made of platinum. It was inscribed with a small diamond skull.

'A protective charm,' Fudge said, grimly. 'Of the highest degree. The only thing known to repel an Avada Kedavra spell. There are only two of these present in the entire universe. The Death Repels. They used to be in a top secret vault chamber in Gringotts. About a decade previously, one of them was stolen. An informer told us that Voldemort's right hand man had stolen it. But it was never found on Lucius Malfoy. And later on, the informer was found with his throat slit. Now it seems the Death repel has been with the Death eaters all along. One of the attackers dropped it.'

Hermione turned the Death repel over in her hand.

'It's beautiful,' she whispered. Then she jerked out of the trance. Fudge was looking closely at her.

'One more thing, Ms. Granger,' he said, slowly. 'You're wedding to Mr. Malfoy...it has been preponed.'

'I thought so,' Hermione responded, heavily.

'A bit more than you might expect.'

'Big surprise.'

'It will be tomorrow.'