A seemingly peculiar situation
What no one knew was that Ginny wasn't awake. It was Hermione, talking from Ginny's mouth. It bothered Hermione that no one had even noticed. Was taking over someone's mind so easily done?
"Not even if she kills me." said Harry calmly.
"We have to do it, Harry. She'll eventually force you to tell her. I mean… why do we keep doing this?" cried Ginny like a little girl who had heard her bunny was about to die. Milicent put her hand on Ginny's shoulder reassuringly. Hermione smiled triumphantly.
"Well...well… it seems our little gingerhead has decided to talk. Come here girl. Talk." Umbridge smiled madly.
Hermione led Ginny's body forward with mental commands. Ginny was too obedient even for someone sleeping deeply. It was almost like wearing a glove.
"Ginny!" yelled Ron. Hermione slashed her wand at him and Ron was silenced. Luna and Neville looked at her in fear, while Malfoy simply smiled.
"I'm sorry everyone." Ginny looked at everyone with pleading eyes. "I can't take it anymore."
"It's alright, my dear." Umbridge said. "Just tell me who was he communicating with?"
"He…" Ginny sobbed tearfully. "He was trying to… talk to Professor Dumbledore."
Ron looked at his sister in surprise. Luna and Neville seemed confused, too. Harry simply grunted, nullifying their reactions.
"Silence Potter!" Umbridge screamed at Harry who shook his head angrily.
"Tell me then. Do you know where he is?" asked Umbridge eagerly.
"Well… We don't. We tried Leaky Cauldrons, Three Broomsticks and even Hog's Head."
"Surely you didn't think he would be there. The whole ministry is after him." Hermione said for the sake of not being too quiet.
"We needed to tell him something important." Ginny said desperately, her eyes glinting with tears.
"What?" Umbridge suddenly jumped up, excited by what she was about to hear.
"We had to tell him that it's r-ready." Ginny choked.
"What's ready?" asked Malfoy, confused by her ambiguity.
"What's ready, girl?" Umbridge jumped forward and shook Ginny. "Tell me?"
"The weapon." said Ginny looking at her shoes.
"Weapon? Did she say weapon?" asked Umbridge looking at Hermione for confirmation.
"So it seems, Professor." Hermione said gravely.
"Have you been developing some sort of resistance? A weapon to be used against the Ministry? I'm sure Dumbledore instructed you to do so."
Ginny's answer was affirmative. She told Umbridge they had to finish the weapon by themselves, and now they couldn't find Dumbledore to tell him it was finished.
"What does this weapon do?" Hermione asked suspiciously. It seemed surreal to be suspicious when you were talking to yourself.
"We don't know h-how it functions. We j-j-just did what he told us to do." Ginny said.
"Lead me to the weapon." Umbridge suddenly said.
"Headmistress,..." Hermione began.
"I'm not showing… them." Ginny shrilled, pointing at Slytherins and eventually at Hermione who gritted her teeth and snarled.
"You are not to set conditions…" said Umbridge firmly.
"Very well. I'd love to see them use it on you. In fact why don't we take the whole school to it. We could tell them how to use it, too. I'm sure you'd love that."
The Slytherins who were very interested in the weapon realised too late that Umbridge was looking at them suspiciously. Hermione gave them an angry look.
"All right Miss Weasley. Let's make it just you and me… Perhaps Potter, too, if you're okay with it. Get up dear."
"Professor" Malfoy said eagerly. "I believe if you took some of the squad…"
"I need no children to protect me. Even Hermione who I trust with all my heart is staying behind. Aren't you dear?"
"If that is your judgement, Headmistress." Hermione said begrudgingly.
"My dear. They are just two wandless teenagers. No reason to be bothered with them, Hermione. I give you full control over school until I return. Make sure these won't get away." She pointed at Ron, Luna and Neville.
"I'll make sure they're well supervised, Ma'am." Hermione replied.
With that Umbridge walked right into Hermione's spider web.
Umbridge followed Harry and Ginny to the depths of the Forbidden Forest. Harry was getting agitated but Ginny seemed to be calm. Too calm actually, Harry realised. This was not like Ginny. She wasn't showing any of her usual mannerisms. Finally Harry understood what was bothering her so much. Ginny wasn't walking like herself. Now some might tell you that people all walk the same way, but Harry knew better. Everyone had their own way of walking, one slightly different from another. She tried communicating with Hermione and to his surprise Ginny looked at his eyes.
"Damn Hermione… Did you… Did you possess Ginny?" Harry asked frantically in his mind.
"Not intentionally, Harry. I didn't even know that I could do it." Harry heard her in his head.
"Move along" Snapped Umbridge.
Suddenly they heard the sounds of hooves. Suddenly they were surrounded by more than fifty centaurs who had their arrows aimed at them. Harry looked at Ginny who was smiling mischievously.
"Who are you?" asked one of them who Harry recognised as Magorian.
Umbridge was hidden behind Harry and Ginny.
The centaur repeated his question and Umbridge answered with a terrified voice. Then she managed to insult them by calling centaurs half-breeds.
Ginny or perhaps should we say Hermione, warned her to be polite.
Umbridge ignorantly insulted their intellectual ability and then she told them that the forest wasn't theirs.
An arrow as response was shot at her which stuck in her hair. Umbridge let out a deafening screech and threw her hand over her head. Ginny smirked at her reaction but refused to look at her. The centaurs laughed and pawed hooves. Harry looked around nervously while Ginny looked bored.
"Whose Forest is it now, human?" snarled Bane.
"Filthy half-breeds!' she screamed, her hands still tight over her head. 'Beasts! Uncontrolled animals!"
"Silence!" shouted Harry, but Umbridge paid him no attention and pointed her wand at Magorian, screaming "Incarcerous."
He cried in rage and tried to free himself, as the others charged. Ginny drew Harry down to the ground making him lie on the ground. The centaurs avoided them by jumping over them. Harry could barely see Umbridge as she struggled to set herself free from the angry centaurs calling them 'beasts' and 'mongrels'.
Her wand flew in the sky coming towards them. Ginny immediately snatched it mid air.
"I do not wish to fight you on this land." she said. The centaurs first ignored her but froze when they reached her. They went back, not taking their eyes from them.
"An abomination." said a hard-faced grey centaur.
"Do not attack foals! Yelled a centaur not very far away."
"One of them isn't exactly a foal." said a dark brown centaur. "They brought her here, Ronan. The girl is taken by Darkness and the boy is nearing his manhood."
"We have nothing to do with her. She forced us into this." Harry said. "Please don't attack us."
"Forced you? You brought her here so we would do your dirty work for you. You're already tainted by the arrogance of your kind. And this girl with you…" The gray centaur said as he pointed at Ginny. "I feel great darkness from her."
"I'm currently not among you Yurell." Ginny said telling the centaur his name before he could give it. "I really wish no harm to this precious land."
Ginny waved her wand and fire surrounded them. Harry realised that it was Bluebell but it scared the centaurs.
"Even if you kill this body, I shall burn the entire forest to ashes from outside." said Ginny cruelly.
Centaurs let them leave avoiding them like the plague. Ginny didn't call the fire off until they were out of the forest.
"Hermione I didn't know you could threaten people like this… You wouldn't really burn the forest, would you?" Harry asked nervously.
"Of course, I wouldn't Harry." Ginny said with a bright smile. "It's not like I know a spell to do so."
Somehow, Harry wasn't convinced.
"It seems that Madam Umbridge has put herself in a peculiar situation." Hermione said as Ginny and Harry came back out of the forest.
"I don't think it's necessary to hold them up anymore." Hermione said lazily.
To Montague's surprise the whole squad let go of their captives.
"What are you…"
Hermione hit Montague with a none verbal stunner. He fell on the ground silently.
"Take him to hospital." Hermione ordered Draco.
"What the hell?" Ron said.
"Professor Umbridge has decided to have some fun with centaurs." said Hermione.
Millicent and Daphne covered their mouths with their hands. Draco went pale and Crabbe and Goyle had no reaction whatsoever.
"I hope she has a great time." said Luna sincerely.
"I'm sure she has." said Draco, forcing himself to keep his dinner from turning into vomit. He knew what they would do to her. For a woman, Hermione had been extremely cruel to leave her to those brutes.
"I will be leaving Hogwarts shortly, Draco. Keep things in order."
Hermione guided her friends down to where Harry and Ginny were waiting for them. She let go of Ginny when they were on the second floor.
Harry who had been standing next to her saw her fall. She immediately stood up and apologised.
"Ginny, I'm so sorry. Hermione didn't mean this to happen…" Harry said.
"I know. It's nothing important, Harry. Just don't… Don't mention it to anyone." Ginny said blushing heavily.
A few minutes later Harry saw Hermione and others. She seemed extremely concerned. She ran toward Ginny and hugged her.
"Are you okay, Ginny?"
"Yeah, I'm good. Umbridge though, she's in deep trouble. Thanks for guiding me, Hermione."
Hermione looked at her with a guilty face.
"I'm sorry you had to go through that." she said apologetically.
"Don't worry about it. So how do we do to the Ministry?" Ginny said.
"We? I think Harry and I will suffice." responded Hermione.
"No way." said Ron.
"We're coming as well." said Neville and Luna simultaneously.
"Ginny…" Harry tried to dissuade Ginny.
"I think I can handle it, Harry." she said frostily.
"I think she can." Hermione agreed not looking away from Ginny. "We will take Treststals."
On their way Hermione had a lot in her mind. This was basically a suicide mission. She hoped that Voldemort would kill them swiftly. There was a little voice in her mind that kept telling her that Voldemort wasn't even there. That doubt grew even more as they finally entered the Ministry. Her ride on invisible horses wasn't going to be the worst part of their journey.
Everything was too quiet and too untouched. They were in the Ministry of Magic, abandoned and forgotten, gone from the minds of those who were supposed to protect it from invaders.
The Department of Mysteries was in a word, creepy. Confusion was the main element of was a room they couldn't enter, there was one full of brains and the other that was the host of a very unsettling arch which had a veil. They finally reached the room where Harry kept seeing in his dreams. She had seen it before and now she was really here. Voldemort obviously had a very clear image of this place. Harry took a little innocent glass ball and it all went to hell.
The trap had worked. They were surrounded by Death Eaters and worse than all, Hermione's father and mother were the leaders.
They were screwed. There was no way out and it was six Hogwarts students versus thirteen Death Eaters led by Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange.
"To me Potter." Her father repeated. He seemed frustrated and it took Harry only moments to realise that his gaze was on Hermione and not Harry.
"Where's Sirius?" asked Harry naively. Hermione winced internally. Had he not realised that this was nothing but an elaborate trap to draw him here?
"So innocent, so naive!" said a female voice. It was harsh and cruel. "The Dark Lord knew as always."
"As always." Echoed another man next to her.
"I want to... " Harry's voice was cut as Hermione grabbed his free hand tightly.
"You want what Potter?" Asked Malfoy with his silky voice. "You want Black?"
The woman started to taunt Harry with a horrible mock baby voice. This was a living nightmare crawling toward them.
"Don't do anything ... Not now." Harry said finally realising the truth.
"Do you hear that? He fancies himself as their leader." The woman said.
"Like they would have a chance." said the man next to her with a cold yet amused voice.
"Potter has a great tendency to play the hero, Bellatrix. Now, why don't you give me the prophecy, Potter, so you can all leave this place in peace?"
"Ah I really doubt that would happen." said Harry sharply.
Suddenly the pair next to Malfoy tried to simultaneously summon the prophecy. Harry's timely shield prevented their success.
"The boy isn't so boring after all." The man said.
"Yes, considering that he has brought your daughter here, too." said Lucius.
"Stand aside foolish girl. Go back to your school before your pretty face is irreversibly damaged." The man who was obviously Rodolphus Lestrange bellowed.
Hermione didn't move. She didn't even flinch. She simply looked at him.
"You're a shitty dad." she said.
Lucius a man next to Rudolphus laughed.
"Perhaps, Potter needs more persuasion." said the woman as she removed her hood. Her face was skull like yet unharmed. She seemed much better than her picture. "Let's see how you'll feel when I torture this little redhead."
"Attack us and this is broken for good." Harry threatened immediately.
He needed time to think. "So what's the prophecy about?"
"Are you joking?" asked Malfoy and Bellatrix at the same time.
"You don't know." Lucius said.
"Oh Dumbledore didn't tell you, did he?" Bellatrix said smiling. "The old man hides secrets thoroughly, even those that are not his."
Hermione shivered at her words.
"How come Voldemort wants it?" Harry asked.
"You speak his name?" She said quietly.
"Voldemort? Yes I have no problem saying his name..." Harry responded.
"Shut ... Your ... Mouth." she hissed angrily. "You dare to run it on your half blood tongue..."
"He's a half blood too. Or did he tell you otherwise." said Harry. "You probably didn't know that his mother was a witch but his father was muggle. Yes ... He..." He didn't continued as a spell flew toward him and Bellatrix deflected it with a fast swish. She didn't even have a look at it as her gaze was fixed on Harry. The spell smashed a prophecy ball and smoke rose from it reciting it's prophecy.
"Do not attack." said Malfoy lazily.
"One day, you're going to pay for that." said Hermione's mother. "So little Potty wants to know about the pwofecy?" she continued in her childish voice.
"Stop playing games, Potter. Didn't Dumbledore tell you about your scar? Why is it there really?" Said Lucius. "Didn't you know that the answer lies here, right in your hand?"
"What? My scar?" He asked in confusion.
"Could it be that he really didn't tell you?" he finally believed Harry, laughing. The others laughed with him, too. Their laughter echoed and multiplied. Ginny grabbed Hermione's hand and Hermione squeezed it reassuringly.
Harry simultaneously signaled his friends to smash the shelves on his orders.
"That explains it. The Dark Lord was wondering why you didn't come here much earlier." said the man behind Lucius. "He showed you this place multiple times."
"But why me?" asked Harry.
"Because Potter, you and he are the only ones who can safely retrieve the prophecy." Bellatrix explained with a bored expression. "Lucius futilely tried to use someone else to pick it up. Poor Bode and Podmore weren't very lucky. That's when Rookwood told us that only you could do it for our lord."
"And he didn't come to get it himself because he was afraid that his return would be known and tricked me into coming here to take it." Harry deduce
"You're a keen..." Lucius was about to say as Harry yelled "now."
They all ran. Hermione's heart was very pumping mad. She saw Harry pouch a Death Eater as they were escaping. Another tried to catch Harry but a swift, silently cast Stupefy of Hermione knocked him off. Finally they reached a door and closed it behind themselves with Colloportus.
"Did we split up?" asked Neville as he noticed Ron, Luna and Ginny were no longer with them.
"They must have taken the wrong route" Harry said as fear crept into his face.
"Listen!" they heard Hermione say.
Harry could hear Malfoy clearly.
"Leave him Nott, we must get the prophecy first. If it's lost, all is lost." he was roaring madly.
"We should split up." said a man who Harry recognised as Rookwood. "Leaders pick."
"Rodo and I will take left. Rabastan and Crabbe can take right." Bellatrix said.
"Then Mulciber and I will go together. Jugson and Dolohov check there and Rookwood there." Lucius said.
"Thanks for sending me alone. I knew you loved me Bella." teased Rookwood.
"Don't waste time Rookwood. You're more competent than any pair of us." Bellatrix snapped.
"Flaterrer." Rookwood said as his footsteps could be heard.
"We should get away." whispered Harry.
When they reached the circular hallway at the end of the room they heard a bang.
"Step aside. Alahamora." snapped a man. Harry and Ron followed Hermine and hid under a couple of desks.
"They could have run through that hall." The same man said.
Harry saw the other bend over to check under the desks. Harry hit him with Stupefy. He managed to hit the first but the second dodged his attack and aimed at Hermione who was crawling out.
"Stupe..." He didn't get to finish the spell as Harry tackled him. Neville disarmed him and then knocked the Death Eater out by Stupefy. Hermione summoned Harry's wand and handed it to him. They all gasped as they saw what was happening to the first Death Eater. His head was stuck in a bell jar they had seen earlier. It was shrinking to the size of a baby's head and then growing back to normal. He was trying to shake it off, but the changes kept happening too fast.
There was a loud bang and then a scream.
"Ron? Ginny? Luna?" Harry yelled turning to the direction of the sound.
The Death Eater removed the jar at last but his head didn't have the right size. It was a baby's head on an adult body. Harry wanted to attack him. However, Hermione stopped him.
"It's a baby. You can't hurt it."
There was no time to argue as another Death Eater showed up. They ran swiftly. Harry led them into an office. Before they could close the door a Death Eater entered and hit them shouting impedimenta. He started to shout their location as Neville shouted "silencio."
The Death Eater went silent.
" That's my lad!" said Hermione.
Another Death Eater came to meet Harry's PetrificusTotalus. Their success was short lived as the silent Death Eater slashed his wand and shot a purple spell. If Hermione had reacted a second later the spell would have hit Neville in the chest but she sent it back at the surprised Death Eater who fell on the ground immediately. They left the office to find their friends in the black hallway.
Ron kept telling silly things. According to Luna a spell had hit him. Ginny's ankle was broken. The healthiest seemed to be Luna herself. Right before they could open a door, another opened presenting them by three Death Eaters led by Bellatrix Lestrange.
"Here they are." she screamed triumphantly.
Harry led his friends through their door and sealed the door behind them.
"Finally." they heard cruel voice of Rodolphus Lestrange. "We have got them in here." He yelled.
They tried to seal all the doors but Death Eaters found them eventually. The disaster took a worse turn when Ron summoned a brain and it nearly suffocated him. Harry tried to draw the Death Eaters away from his friends.
"Give us the prophecy Potter." said Bellatrix coldly as they surrounded him.
"You're at the end of your rope, Potter. Give up the prophecy!" Said Lucius menacingly.
"Let my friends go and I'll give it to you" said Harry, panting heavily.
the Death Eaters laughed at him.
"You're in no position to bargain Potter." said Rodolphus in mock kindness. "We're ten and you're just one."
"He's not alone. He's got me!" Yelled Neville as he came toward them. He was slumbering as his left leg was drenched in his own blood.
He tried to Stupefy them ,but a large Death Eater grabbed him and pulled his hands back. There was an audible cracking sound from his shoulder and Neville cried.
"Longbottom, is it?" said Malfoy. "Well regarding your family's history, your loss shouldn't be a shock to your grandmother."
"Little Neville, isn't it?" Bellatrix said enthusiastically. "We've actually met my boy. I had the pleasure of talking to your parents that night we met." she smiled at him.
"Someone stun him." snarled Rookwood.
"And spoil the fun, Augustus? Let's see if young Neville can last as long as his parents did. Unless Harry wants to give us the prophecy?" she looked at Harry questioningly.
"No Harry ... Don't ..." He fell as Bellatrix hit him with Cruciatus Curse. He stated to twitch and scream in pain. Bellatrix halted the curse.
"Now that was just a taste." Bellatrix said calmly. " Give us the prophecy or watch your friend die from that."
Harry had no choice but to surrender. Only before he could do so, a door busted open and six people jumped in.
The first two faces he saw were Lucinda Malfoy and Sirius Black followed by Lupin, Moody, Kingsley and Tonks.
Stunners were flying around. Harry tried to get away from the Death Eaters as much as he could. A large man took hold of him, but Neville shot an incendio into his face. His mask fell and they saw that it was Macnair. "Potter." he screeched as he tried to grab him again as a stunner hit his chest. It was Hermione who had cast that.
"Sorry, I was busy with that brain." she apologised.
Next Rookwood attacked them but his threat was averted by Sirius who hit him hard with his elbow in the neck. Lucinda was fighting Bellatrix and Rodolphus and Harry was honestly happy that they hadn't attacked him directly.
They were incredibly fast and well coordinated. They would have defeated Lucinda hadn't Sirius jumped at the from the side. Bellatrix left Lucinda to her husband as she engaged Sirius directly. On another side Malfoy successfully stunned Tonks. Kingsley ordered Harry and Neville to run as he was trying to deflect the torrent of jinxes and curses sent by Rookwood. No wonder he had been sent alone. The man was a vicious fighter. Malfoy suddenly grabbed Harry from behind. "The prophecy Potter." His deranged voice made Harry freeze and drop the prophecy. It fell in what seemed to take a century and shattered on the ground. In all that noise neither of them heard what it said.
"Impedimenta" Harry aimed his wand at the frozen Malfoy and blasted him away. They ran and before they could exit a spell hit Neville breaking his left leg. He fell and Harry heard another crack. Hermione cast a shield deflecting two other stray curses.
"Neville!" He tried to get him up as Neville whispered a name. "Dumbledore!" He stared at something behind Harry.
"What?" Harry asked distractedly.
"Look! It's Dumbledore." yelled Hermione and then Harry saw him at the entrance. Dumbledore was livid as he was holding his wand dangerously. He went past them not sparing a glance.
He trapped two Death Eaters easily as he moved toward the pair of Death Eaters who were fighting yet.
Rodolphus had nearly crippled Lucinda and was about to finish her off as Bellatrix was struggling with Sirius. He knocked Lucinda away with a relatively hammerless spell and went head on toward Dumbledore. He was inhumanely fast and it was the only thing that helped him hold his ground against Dumbledore. Bellatrix who knew her husband wouldn't last long cast her final curse.
The spell hit Sirius and he fell shuddering and bleeding on the ground as if she was drawing in his blood.
The couple ran towards the stairs as Malfoy stood up and attacked Dumbledore.
"Sirius!" Harry screamed. Lupin and Lucinda who had gained conciseness rushed to their fallen friend. He was motionless and to Harry, lifeless. His killer was loose. Thus Harry followed the legendary pair.
