AN: I will be leaving on vacation tomorrow for a week and a half. I will have no internet so any chapters will be sporadic at best. Anything you recognize is JK Rowling's anything you don't is mine.

We had actually done it. Harry, Ron and I had gotten into the Ministry of Magic. But it had changed from the last time we had been here. Wanted posters hung all over the walls, same with the fountain. Now it was beautiful wizards and witches who were sitting on a thrown of naked muggles. It made my throat thick with tears.

We silently made our way towards the lifts and a death eater named Yaxley was yelling at Ron about the fact that it was raining in his office.

"Raining … in your office? That's – that's not good, is it?" Ron gave a nervous laugh. Yaxley's eyes widened.

"You think it's funny, Cattermole, do you?"

A pair of witches that had been following to get onto the lift broke away from the queue for a different lift and bustled off.

"No," Ron said, "no, of course –"

"You realize that I am on my way downstairs to interrogate your wife, Cattermole? In fact, I'm quite surprised you're not down there holding her hand while she waits. Already given her up as a bad job, have you? Probably wise. Be sure and marry a pureblood next time."

I let out a surprised gasp before I could stop myself. Yaxley looked at me strangely. I turned away and faked a sneeze hoping he bought it.

"I – I –" Ron stammered his eyes wide.

"But if my wife were accused of being a Mudblood," Yaxley spat darkly, "–not that any woman I married would ever be mistaken for such filth – and the Head of Department of Magical Law Enforcement needed a job doing, I would make it my priority to do this job, Cattermole. Do you understand me?"

"Yes," Ron whispered paling.

"Then attend to it, Cattermole, and if my office is not completely dry within an hour, your wife's Blood Status will be in even greater doubt than it is now."

The golden grille before us clattered open. With a nod and unpleasant smile to Harry, Yaxley swept away toward another lift. Harry, Ron, and I entered ours, but nobody followed us: It was as if we were infectious. The grilles shut with a clang and the lift began to move upward.

"What am I going to do?" Ron asked the us at once; he looked stricken. "If I don't turn up, my wife … I mean, Cattermole's wife – "

"We'll come with you, we should stick together –" Harry began, but Ron shook his head feverishly.

"That's mental, we haven't got much time. You two find Umbridge, I'll go and sort out Yaxley's office – but how do I stop a raining?"

"Try Finite Incantatem," I said at once, "that should stop the rain if it's a hex or curse; if it doesn't something's gone wrong with an Atmospheric Charm, which will be more difficult to fix, so as an interim measure try Impervius to protect his belongings – "

"Say it again, slowly – " Ron said, searching his pockets desperately for a quill, but at that moment the lift juddered to a halt. A disembodied female voice said, "Level four, Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, incorporating Beast, Being, and Spirit Divisions, Goblin Liaison Office, and Pest Advisory Bureau," and the grilles slid open again, admitting a couple of wizards and several pale violet paper airplanes that fluttered around the lamp in the ceiling of the lift.

I continued to whisper in Ron's ear trying to tell him what to do but he was so pale and jittery I didn't think he had gotten any of it.

"Level two, Department of Magical Law Enforcement, including the Improper Use of Magic Office, Auror Headquarters, and Wizengamot Administration Services," said the disembodied witch's voice.

I gave Ron a little push and he hurried out of the lift, followed by the other wizards, leaving Harry and I alone. The moment the golden door had closed I said, very fast, "Actually, Harry, I think I'd better go after him, I don't think he knows what he's doing and if he gets caught the whole thing –"

"Level one, Minister of Magic and Support Staff."

The golden grilles slid apart again and I gasped. Four people stood before us, two of them deep in conversation: a long-haired wizard wearing magnificent robes of black and gold, and a squat, toadlike witch wearing a velvet bow in her short hair and clutching a clipboard to her chest. Merlin it was Umbridge. I looked at her closer and frowned. My eyes widened a moment later and I stiffened. She was wearing the locket!

Sirius POV

Remus and I strode up to Frank Verona's house as fast as we could without making it look like we were in a rush. Severus had somehow managed to send me a patronus, warning me that Frank was in trouble. He was the last on our list and I had a feeling Rodolphus was taking out his anger of his brother's death on Frank and his family.

"Alohomora!" I yelled pointing my wand at the door. It opened with a click and I pushed the door open.

"FILTHY MUDBLOODS!" Remus and I ran into the room our wands drawn. Rodolphus was clutching at his nose that was bleeding profusely. A large man was standing next to him eyes blazing. A small boy was cowering behind the couch next to a woman that looked surprisingly like Narcissa Malfoy.

"What are you his back up?" The man yelled his yellows eyes dangerous fists drawn and ready, he must have been some kind of fighter.

"No we're here to save you." Remus said slowly eying Rodolphus who was getting to his feet.

"Petrificus Totalus." I muttered waving my wand. Rodolphus's arms and legs snapped together and he fell onto his back.

"Are you the good guys?" The small boy, Frank, asked his blue eyes wide.

"Yes we are." I said watching Rodolphus out of the corner of my eye. He wouldn't stay down long. "We need to get you out of the country."

The woman's eyes widened while the man's dropped open in shock.

"What?! Why?" The man asked his eyes wide.

"There is a war going on in the wizarding world and unfortunately non magic people are being killed or imprisoned." Remus said slowly. The woman gasped and the man's eyes darted to Rodolphus.

"Why?" Frank asked his eyes wide with childhood innocence.

"They believe they are better than you. There's a prejudice that has been ingrained in them since birth that non magic people are inferior." I said softly. "Because of that prejudice they want to kill you. I have a way to get you to a distant relative in a different country or you could stay in my home until the war is over it is your choice."

The man and woman exchanged a look. "We have family in Australia."

"We can get you there. Remus why don't you take them to Grimmauld Place and I'll keep Rodolphus company." I said turning back to Rodolphus but he was gone. My eyes widened and I looked around nervously. He was gone, no trace of him. Son of a bitch! He had dissaparated soundlessly.

"He dissaparated!" I growled turning to Remus.

"Yeah." He muttered rubbing his eyes. Remus grabbed the Verona's hands and apparated them away a moment later. I sighed with relief and looked around the room. Nothing was out of place and nodded happy.

My heart suddenly started to pound. I frowned, why was I terrified? My eyes widened. Hermione! My heart rate doubled and I fell to my knees and clutched my chest. It hurt. My heart actually hurt. I gasped out a breath and looked up at a soft pop.

"Pads?!" Remus called darting over to me. "What's wrong?"

"Hermione!" I gasped out. And then a burning tore through my leg and I screamed. It felt as if chunks of skin was missing from my leg.

"Pads what is it?" Remus asked pulling me into his arms.

"Splinched." I gasped out desperately. What the hell had happened?

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