A/N Okay, wow, I'm so sorry for the 15 day absence! I've had my birthday, started college (British college, so I guess I'm in like high school or something) and been ill (i still am and have no voice, yay). I also installed iOS 9 on my iPod and it doesn't work anymore, anyone else had that problem? Anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter, I'll try get one out tomorrow (I'm not working, see) or Sunday :) xxx
Chapter Thirty-Two
Out of the Frying Pan and into the Fire
When Amara, Hermione, Lavender and Parvati awakened next morning, all of them felt dreary. Sophie hadn't stayed up, so she was fine.
After breakfast there was time for some last minute revision for History of Magic. Amara, however, fell asleep on her book and didn't awake until lunchtime, though she did feel significantly better than she had done.
The fifth years entered the Great Hall at two o'clock and took their places in front of their overturned examination papers. Amara felt as though she could have fallen asleep yet again just looking at it.
"Turn over your papers," said Professor Marchbanks from the front of the Hall, flicking over the giant hourglass. "You may begin. . . ."
Amara found it immensely boring.
4) In your opinion, did wand legislation contribute to, or lead to better control of, goblin riots of the eighteenth century?
Amara wiggled her fingers and tried to remember it in her brain.
In my opinion, I believe that the wand legislation contributed to the goblin riots in the eighteenth century due to the fact that many goblins believed this was a breach of the trust between wizards and goblins. With this final stab, the goblins no longer thought wizards were worthy …
5) How was the Statute of Secrecy breached in 1749 and what measures were introduced to prevent a recurrence?
A Vampire, named Bartholomew Finnick, drank the blood of thirteen Muggles in a quiet town in West Yorkshire, in an unused lodge. By doing so, he revealed to himself what he was, and the Ministry of Magic had to wipe the minds of the thirteen Muggles which needed treatment in St Mungo's. After this event, the Ministry placed a measure which meant vampires could not visit Muggle dwellings without the accomplice of a wizard or witch, so that they were not tempted to drink anymore Muggle blood.
Feeling as though she had at least done that question right, she looked up at the hourglass and noticed she was right behind Roger Malone. He had a tufty bit of hair that was very irritating, and Amara wanted to cut it off. Shaking her head, she decided to skip question seven (something about giant wars) and head onto the next questions.
It was only until question seventeen when something happened. Someone within the hall let out a terrible scream and fell of their chair and lay on the floor.
Amara turned and saw it was Harry, pale and shaky, with everyone's eyes on him. Professor Tofty got to him immediately and left the hall with him, Professor Marchbanks making them get back to work.
But Amara couldn't concentrate. Harry had had a dream right in the middle of the Great Hall. Something had to be up.
Amara didn't write anymore on her answer paper, and once Professor Marchbanks said they could leave, she, Ron and Hermione sprinted out of the Great Hall, bypassing many worried glances, and started up the marble staircase.
Luckily they didn't have to go far to find Harry. He was looking very pale, but he was standing on the marble staircase looking for them.
"Harry!" said Hermione at once, looking very frightened. "What happened? Are you all right? Are you ill?"
"Where have you been?" demanded Ron.
"We were worried ..." Amara said.
"Come with me," Harry said quickly. "Come on, I've got to tell you something. . . ."
He led them along the first-floor corridor, peering through doorways, and at last found an empty classroom into which he dived, closing the door behind Ron and Hermione the moment they were inside and leaning against it, facing them. Amara was now rather panicked.
"Voldemort's got Sirius."
Amara's heart thudded.
"What?"
"How d'you — ?"
"Saw it. Just now. When I fell asleep in the exam."
"But ..." Amara struggled with words. How could Sirius be with Voldemort? He was at Grimmauld Place and no one knew about that ...
"But — but where? How?" said Hermione, whose face was white.
"I dunno how," said Harry. "But I know exactly where. There's a room in the Department of Mysteries full of shelves covered in these little glass balls, and they're at the end of row ninety-seven . . . He's trying to use Sirius to get whatever it is he wants from in there. . . . He's torturing him. . . . Says he'll end by killing him . . ."
He was shaking now and Amara was very white.
Harry moved over to the desk and leaned against it.
"How're we going to get there?" he asked them.
There was a moment's silence.
"G-get there?" Ron said.
"Get to the Department of Mysteries, so we can rescue Sirius!" Harry said loudly.
"But — Harry . . ." said Ron weakly.
"What? What?" said Harry.
"How could Voldemort gotten into the Ministry? With a fugitive?" Amara said nervously.
"How do I know?" bellowed Harry and Amara jumped. "The question is how we're going to get in there?"
"But . . . Harry, think about this," said Hermione, taking a step toward him, "it's five o'clock in the afternoon. . . . The Ministry of Magic must be full of workers. . . . How would Voldemort and Sirius have got in without being seen? Harry . . . they're probably the two most wanted wizards in the world. . . . You think they could get into a building full of Aurors undetected?"
"I dunno, Voldemort used an Invisibility Cloak or something!" Harry shouted. "Anyway, the Department of Mysteries has always been completely empty whenever I've been —"
"You've never been there, Harry," said Hermione quietly. "You've dreamed about the place, that's all."
"They're not normal dreams!" Harry shouted in her face, standing up and taking a step closer to her in turn. "How d'you explain Ron's dad then, what was all that about, how come I knew what had happened to him?"
"He's got a point," said Ron quietly, looking at Hermione and Amara gaped at this ridiculous thing.
"But this is just — just so unlikely!" said Hermione desperately. "Harry, how on earth could Voldemort have got hold of Sirius when he's been in Grimmauld Place all the time?"
"Sirius might've cracked and just wanted some fresh air," said Ron, sounding worried. "He's been desperate to get out of that house for ages —"
"Listen to Hermione!" Amara said. "Sirius knows the dangers! And why would Voldemort want Sirius to get the weapon? He has nothing to with it!"
"There could be loads of reasons!" Harry yelled at Amara. "Maybe Sirius is just someone Voldemort doesn't care about seeing hurt —"
"You know what, I've just thought of something," said Ron in a hushed voice. "Sirius's brother was a Death Eater, wasn't he? Maybe he told Sirius the secret of how to get the weapon!"
"Yeah — and that's why Dumbledore's been so keen to keep Sirius locked up all the time!" said Harry.
"Look, I'm sorry," cried Hermione, "but neither of you are making sense, and we've got no proof for any of this, no proof Voldemort and Sirius are even there —"
"Hermione, Harry's seen them!" said Ron, rounding on her.
"Stop it!" Amara said. "Hermione's right, this doesn't make any sense!"
"I've just got to say this. . . ." Hermione said nervously.
"What?"
"You . . . This isn't a criticism, Harry! But you do . . . sort of . . . I mean — don't you think you've got a bit of a — a — saving-people- thing?" she said.
Amara stared at her. Was this really the time to say this roan angry Harry? Amara didn't like Harry's temper - she didn't know what he'd do.
Harry glared at her. "And what's that supposed to mean, a 'saving-people-thing'?"
"Well . . . you . . ." She looked more apprehensive than ever. "I mean . . . last year, for instance . . . in the lake . . . during the Tournament . . . you shouldn't have . . . I mean, you didn't need to save that little Delacour girl. . . . You got a bit . . . carried away . . ."
Amara squeezed her eyes shut and stomped very, very hard on her foot. Hermione flinched and shot her a surprised look. Amara shook her head at her, and Hermione tried to redeem herself.
"I mean, it was really great of you and everything," said Hermione quickly, looking positively petrified at the look on Harry's face. "Everyone thought it was a wonderful thing to do —"
"That's funny," said Harry in a trembling voice, "because I definitely remember Ron saying I'd wasted time acting the hero. . . . Is that what you think this is? You reckon I want to act the hero again?"
"No, no, no!" said Hermione, looking aghast. "That's not what I mean at all!"
"Well, spit out what you've got to say, because we're wasting time here!" Harry shouted.
"I'm trying to say — Voldemort knows you, Harry! He took Ginny down into the Chamber of Secrets to lure you there, it's the kind of thing he does, he knows you're the — the sort of person who'd go to Sirius's aid! What if he's just trying to get you into the Department of Myst — ?"
"Hermione, it doesn't matter if he's done it to get me there or not — they've taken McGonagall to St. Mungo's, there isn't anyone left from the Order at Hogwarts who we can tell, and if we don't go, Sirius is dead!"
Amara gasped - McGonagall was in St. Mungo's?
"Hermione could be right, maybe it's Voldemort's tri-"
"But Harry — what if your dream was — was just that, a dream?"
Harry let out a roar of frustration. Hermione and Amara actually stepped back from him, both looking alarmed.
"You don't get it!" Harry shouted at them. "I'm not having nightmares, I'm not just dreaming! What d'you think all the Occlumency was for, why d'you think Dumbledore wanted me prevented from seeing these things? Because they're REAL — Sirius is trapped — I've seen him — Voldemort's got him, and no one else knows, and that means we're the only ones who can save him, and if you don't want to do it, fine, but I'm going, understand? And if I remember rightly, you didn't have a problem with my saving-people-thing when it was you I was saving from the dementors, or" — he rounded on Ron — "when it was your sister I was saving from the basilisk —"
"I never said I had a problem!" said Ron heatedly.
"But Harry, you've just said it," said Hermione fiercely. "Dumbledore wanted you to learn to shut these things out of your mind, if you'd done Occlumency properly you'd never have seen this —"
"IF YOU THINK I'M JUST GOING TO ACT LIKE I HAVEN'T SEEN —"
"Sirius told you there was nothing more important than you learning to close your mind!"
"WELL, I EXPECT HE'D SAY SOMETHING DIFFERENT IF HE KNEW WHAT I'D JUST —"
The classroom door opened. Amara, Harry, Ron, and Hermione whipped around. Ginny walked in, looking curious, followed by Luna, who as usual looked as though she had drifted in accidentally.
"Hi," said Ginny uncertainly. "We recognized Harry's voice — what are you yelling about?"
"Never you mind," said Harry roughly.
Ginny raised her eyebrows.
"There's no need to take that tone with me," she said coolly. "I was only wondering whether I could help."
"Well, you can't," said Harry shortly.
"You're being rather rude, you know," said Luna serenely.
Harry swore loudly and turned away from them.
"Wait," said Hermione suddenly. "Wait . . . Harry, they can help."
Amara, Harry and Ron looked at her.
"Listen," she said urgently, "Harry, we need to establish whether Sirius really has left headquarters —"
"I've told you, I saw —"
"Harry, I'm begging you, please!" said Hermione desperately. "Please let's just check that Sirius isn't at home before we go charging off to London — if we find out he's not there then I swear I won't try and stop you, I'll come, I'll d-do whatever it takes to try and save him —"
"Sirius is being tortured NOW!" shouted Harry. "We haven't got time to waste —"
"But if this is a trick of V-Voldemort's — Harry, we've got to check, we've got to —"
"How?" Harry demanded. "How're we going to check?"
"We'll have to use Umbridge's fire and see if we can contact him," said Hermione, who looked positively terrified at the thought. "We'll draw Umbridge away again, but we'll need lookouts, and that's where we can use Ginny and Luna."
Though clearly struggling to understand what was going on, Ginny said immediately, "Yeah, we'll do it," and Luna said, "When you say 'Sirius,' are you talking about Stubby Boardman?"
Nobody answered her.
"Okay," Harry said aggressively to Hermione, "Okay, if you can think of a way of doing this quickly, I'm with you, otherwise I'm going to the Department of Mysteries right now —"
"The Department of Mysteries?" said Luna, looking mildly surprised. "But how are you going to get there?"
Everyone ignored her again.
"Right," said Hermione, twisting her hands together and pacing up and down between the desks. "Right . . . well . . . One of us has to go and find Umbridge and — and send her off in the wrong direction, keep her away from her office. They could tell her — I don't know — that Peeves is up to something awful as usual. . . ."
"I'll do it," said Ron at once. "I'll tell her Peeves is smashing up the Transfiguration department or something, it's miles away from her office. Come to think of it, I could probably persuade Peeves to do it if I met him on the way. . . ."
"Okay," Hermione said, her brow furrowed as she continued to pace.
"Now, we need to keep students away from her office while we force entry, or some Slytherin's bound to go and tip her off. . . ."
"Amara, Luna and I can stand at ends of the corridor," said Ginny promptly, "and warn people not to go down there because someone's let off a load of Garroting Gas."
Everyone was slightly surprised at how quickly Ginny came up with this plan.
"Fred and George were planning to do it before they left." Ginny shrugged.
"Okay," said Hermione, "well then, Harry, you and I will be under the Invisibility Cloak, and we'll sneak into the office and you can talk to Sirius —"
"He's not there, Hermione!"
"I mean, you can — can check whether Sirius is at home or not while I keep watch, I don't think you should be in there alone, Lee's already proved the window's a weak spot, sending those nifflers through it."
"I . . . okay, thanks," Harry muttered.
"Right, well, even if we do all of that, I don't think we're going to be able to bank on more than five minutes," said Hermione, looking relieved that Harry seemed to have accepted the plan, "not with Filch and the wretched Inquisitorial Squad floating around."
"Five minutes'll be enough," said Harry. "C'mon, let's go —"
"Now?" said Hermione, looking shocked.
"Of course now!" said Harry angrily. "What did you think, we're going to wait until after dinner or something? Hermione, Sirius is being tortured right now!"
"I — oh all right," she said desperately. "You go and get the Invisibility Cloak and we'll meet you at the end of Umbridge's corridor, okay?"
Harry hurtled out the door at top speed and vanished.
"We're actually doing this," said Hermione faintly.
"Amara, why don't you come with me?" Ron said. "It'll be easier with two ..."
Amara nodded.
"Let's go to Umbridge's corridor," said Ginny.
They trooped out of the classroom, looked both ways and walked toward the corridor where Umbridge's office was.
They were there five minutes before Harry came hurtling back.
"Got it," he panted. "Ready to go, then?"
"All right," whispered Hermione as a gang of loud sixth years passed them. "So Ron, Amara — you two go and head Umbridge off. . . . Ginny, Luna, if you can start moving people out of the corridor. . . . Harry and I will get the cloak on and wait until the coast is clear. . . ."
Ron and Amara strode away from them and went up the corridor and turned right.
"Who shall we try and find?" Ron said.
"Erm -"
"Umbridge?"
"Yeah," said Amara. "Because then she won't be near her office."
They hurried through the corridors for more than five minutes before they found their headmistress.
"Professor Umbridge!" Ron said quickly when they saw her.
"Yes Weasley?" Umbridge snapped, looking harassed.
"It's Peeves, Miss," said Ron. "He's smashing up the Transfiguration department ..."
"Really?" Professor Umbridge said. "Follow me."
Ron and Amara exchanged glances and followed her through the corridors. It wasn't until she was nearly at the corridor they'd previously been too that she realised they'd been tricked.
With a cry of pain, Amara was jerked backwards and held in a headlock by no other than Rebecca Alderton. Ron was being handled by Warrington. Amara struggled relentlessly as they dragged them back to Umbridge's office. Outside the door were other members of the Inquisitorial Squad, all holding Luna, Ginny and Neville, who was trying to stop them taking Ginny.
One of Alderton's friend held Ginny, who was struggling too, Crabbe had Neville in a headlock.
Once seeing each other, they all began to struggle even more, but all that happened was Amara getting gagged, Ron getting a cut lip and Neville looking near to suffocation.
They were led inside where Hermione was held by Millicent Bulstrode and Harry had been pulled out the fire by Umbridge, and Malfoy had their wands.
"Got 'em all," said Warrington, shoving Ron roughly forward into the room. "That one." he poked a thick finger at Neville, "tried to stop me taking her," he pointed at Ginny, who was trying to kick the shins of the large Slytherin girl holding her, "so I brought him along too."
"Good, good," said Umbridge, watching Ginny's struggles. "Well, it looks as though Hogwarts will shortly be a Weasley-free zone, doesn't it?"
Malfoy laughed loudly and sycophantically. Umbridge gave her wide, complacent smile and settled herself into a chintz-covered arm- chair, blinking up at her captives like a toad in a flowerbed. Amara glared at her and bit onto her gag in anger. She struggled furiously to get free of Alderton's grip.
"So, Potter," Umbridge said. "You stationed lookouts around my office and you sent these buffoons," she nodded at Ron and Amara, and Malfoy laughed even louder, "to tell me the poltergeist was wreaking havoc in the Transfiguration department when I knew perfectly well that he was busy smearing ink on the eyepieces of all the school telescopes, Mr Filch having just informed me so.
"Clearly, it was very important for you to talk to somebody. Was it Albus Dumbledore? Or the half-breed, Hagrid? I doubt it was Minerva McGonagall, I hear she is still too ill to talk to anyone. . . ."
Malfoy and a few of the other members of the Inquisitorial Squad laughed some more at that. Amara growled at the back of her throat. She could kill her. Kill her without thinking.
"It's none of your business who I talk to," Harry snarled.
Umbridge's slack face seemed to tighten.
"Very well," she said in her most dangerous and falsely sweet voice.
"Very well, Mr Potter . . . I offered you the chance to tell me freely. You refused. I have no alternative but to force you. Draco — fetch Professor Snape."
Malfoy stowed the wands away and left the room, looking the happiest he'd ever been.
They all carried on trying to get rid of the Slytherins holding them. Amara started kicking her leg back in an attempt to injure Alderton in some way. Alderton grunted as her foot got contact, but she kneed her in the back and Amara cried out against her gag. Ginny was still trying to kick Alderton's friend, Neville was turning purple, Hermione was trying to get Bulstrode off her. Amara didn't know how they had got into this bad situation so quickly.
"You wanted to see me, Headmistress?" said Snape, looking around at all the pairs of struggling students with an expression of complete indifference, as though this was rather normal for him.
"Ah, Professor Snape," said Umbridge, smiling widely and standing up again. "Yes, I would like another bottle of Veritaserum, as quick as you can, please."
"You took my last bottle to interrogate Potter," he said, observing her coolly through his greasy curtains of black hair. "Surely you did not use it all? I told you that three drops would be sufficient."
Umbridge flushed.
"You can make some more, can't you?" she said, her voice becoming more sweetly girlish as it always did when she was furious.
"Certainly," said Snape, his lip curling. "It takes a full moon cycle to mature, so I should have it ready for you in around a month."
"A month?" squawked Umbridge, swelling toadishly. "A month? But I need it this evening, Snape! I have just found Potter using my fire to communicate with a person or persons unknown!"
"Really?" said Snape, he looked around at Harry with some sort of interest. "Well, it doesn't surprise me. Potter has never shown much inclination to follow school rules."
"I wish to interrogate him!" shouted Umbridge angrily, and Snape looked away from Harry back into her furiously quivering face. "I wish you to provide me with a potion that will force him to tell me the truth!"
"I have already told you," said Snape smoothly, "that I have no further stocks of Veritaserum. Unless you wish to poison Potter — and I assure you I would have the greatest sympathy with you if you did — I cannot help you. The only trouble is that most venoms act too fast to give the victim much time for truth-telling. . . ."
"You are on probation!" shrieked Professor Umbridge, and Snape looked back at her, his eyebrows slightly raised. "You are being deliberately unhelpful! I expected better, Lucius Malfoy always speaks most highly of you! Now get out of my office!"
Snape gave her an ironic bow and turned to leave.
"He's got Padfoot!" Harry shouted suddenly. "He's got Padfoot at the place where it's hidden!"
Snape had stopped with his hand on Umbridge's door handle. Amara gaped at Harry (which was quite hard considering she was gagged) and was amazed at how quickly he had thought of a code to tell Snape what was going on.
"Padfoot?" cried Professor Umbridge, looking eagerly from Harry to Snape. "What is Padfoot? Where what is hidden? What does he mean, Snape?"
Snape looked around at Harry. His face was blank and Amara prayed that he had understood.
"I have no idea," said Snape coldly. "Potter, when I want nonsense shouted at me I shall give you a Babbling Beverage. And Crabbe, loosen your hold a little, if Longbottom suffocates it will mean a lot of tedious paperwork, and I am afraid I shall have to mention it on your reference if ever you apply for a job."
He closed the door behind him with a snap, leaving Harry in a state of worse turmoil than before: Snape had been his very last hope. He looked at Umbridge, who seemed to be feeling the same way; her chest was heaving with rage and frustration.
"Very well," Umbridge said, and she pulled out her wand. "Very well . . . I am left with no alternative. . . . This is more than a matter of school discipline. . . . This is an issue of Ministry security. . . . Yes . . . yes . . ."
She seemed to be talking herself into something. She was acting rather peculiar, hopping from one foot to the other. As though what she was about to say was nothing good. She tapped her wand rather threateningly against her hand and stared at Harry.
"You are forcing me, Potter. . . . I do not want to," said Umbridge, still moving restlessly on the spot, "but sometimes circumstances justify the use . . . I am sure the Minister will understand that I had no choice. . . ."
Malfoy was watching her with a hungry expression on his face.
"The Cruciatus Curse ought to loosen your tongue," said Umbridge quietly.