Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Three - Fight and Flight

Blaise led Harry and Umbridge out of the Slytherin locker room and into the balmy evening air. The sun had fallen low over the horizon, casting long shadows behind the trio as they walked. To Harry's surprise, Blaise directed them not toward the glittering windows of the castle, but to the dark shade of the Forbidden Forest.

"Where are we going?" Harry hissed in parseltongue.

He had hoped that the whisper would go unnoticed, but Umbridge was keeping a close eye on them. She flinched, growing more nervous as she dug the end of her wand into Harry's back.

"What was that?" she asked, her voice tight with suspicion, "What did you say to him?"

Harry's reputation as a parselmouth had made its rounds around Hogwarts during his second year. He had assumed it was common knowledge by now, but judging from Umbridge's reaction, the hiss had surprised and frightened her. She was already mad with paranoia and her own bloated ego. The last thing Harry wanted to do was tempt her into doing something rash.

Blaise, perhaps sensing Harry's thoughts, merely shook his head. He didn't dare turn around. Harry followed his lead, remaining silent as they made their way closer toward the line of trees bordering the school grounds.

Umbridge spoke again as they approached the first of the short saplings marking the edge of the forest. She had no way of knowing that her question was the same as Harry's only moments before, "Where are we going?"

Blaise did not hesitate a moment. He continued steadfastly forward, picking his way around the first of the trees as he replied, "We had to hide the weapon in the forest. It had to be well hidden, so other students wouldn't find it. And Hagrid could keep watch when he wasn't teaching class…"

Since this lie supported Umbridge's theory that Hagrid and Dumbledore were conspiring together to overthrow the ministry, she accepted it immediately.

"Yes… Yes, of course he would do Dumbledore's bidding, the giant oaf…" said Umbridge with a cruel giggle, "Well, what are you waiting for? Lead the way!"

For Blaise had finally checked his progress, as if fearful of going further. He was standing on the path their class had taken the day Hagrid showed them the thestrals. Harry could tell he was thinking, perhaps trying to remember which way to go, but Harry still wasn't sure what he had planned.

"I don't have a wand," he said after another moment of consideration. "It'll be dangerous without one."

Umbridge smiled and smugly informed him, "The Ministry values my life more than yours, I'm afraid. A couple of teenage rebels will always matter less than a Senior Undersecretatry to the Minister of Magic. If you didn't want to put your safety at risk, you should have thought of that before you agreed to serve Dumbledore."

Blaise rolled his eyes, then glanced at Harry. Thanks to Warrington, he was armed with his wand. At the very least, they would not be powerless if something went awry. Perhaps this had been Blaise's plan all along. He might have been hoping Harry would stun Umbridge once they had drawn her away from the protective presence of Goyle and the others. But then Harry remembered that Blaise hadn't seen Warrington slip him his wand. And since Blaise didn't know about Harry's practice of wandless magic, what exactly did he expect to happen in these woods?

Harry decided to favor caution and merely nodded to Blaise, encouraging him to continue whatever plan he had devised on his own. They pressed further into the trees. Harry and Umbridge struggled to keep up with Blaise's long strides as he covered ground at a rapid pace.

"Is it very far in?" Umbridge panted as her pink robes caught on a bramble and ripped.

"Yes," replied Blaise, calling over his shoulder rather louder than necessary, "It's very well hidden…"

Harry suddenly realized where they were headed. Blaise had left the path to the thestral's clearing long ago. He had now led them off the trail, crashing through the undergrowth in the same direction Hagrid had taken them to meet Grawp.

"Are you sure this is the right way?" he asked pointedly. He couldn't believe that Blaise was leading Umbridge straight toward Hagrid's brother, even if he was angry that Hagrid had left them to tend to the giant's needs.

"Trust me," Blaise whispered back, before stamping through a thicket of shrubbery with an alarming amount of noise. To Umbridge, he shouted, "Just a bit further in!"

They weren't far from Grawp's clearing now. While Harry wondered just how far Blaise was prepared to go, a familiar voice called out, "Harry? Zabini? What are you…?"

Nell's question ended in a gasp as she spied Umbridge trailing not far behind them. Harry froze in place. Nell was not alone. Hermione was standing by her side, her mouth hanging open in shock as she took in the scene before her. Blaise had also stopped dead in his tracks. Whatever his plan had been, it clearly did not involve Hermione or Nell.

Harry realized what must have happened in an instant. Nell, feeling sorry for Grawp after Hagrid's flight, must have made good on her commitment to tutoring him after they finished their final exam. They had all agreed never to visit Grawp alone, for their own safety. Nell must have invited Hermione to keep her company. The girls seemed to be headed back toward the castle when they encountered Harry and Blaise, though it was just as likely that they were merely attracted by all the noise they had been making.

Umbridge, seeing the two of them standing there in stunned silence, immediately broke into a vindictive grin.

"So it's true!" she crowed triumphantly, "You really have been building a weapon out here! Well, where is it? Show it to me, you stupid brats!"

"Weapon?" Hermione repeated with a gasp, "Harry, what is she talking about?"

"He isn't a weapon!" Nell spat at nearly the same time, mistakenly believing that Umbridge was referring to Grawp.

"He?" asked Umbridge suspiciously, "Who are you… Do you mean that half-breed idiot? Do you know where he's hiding? Somewhere in these woods, is he?"

Before anyone could respond, an arrow flew through the air, landing with a menacing thud in the trunk of a tree, just over Umbridge's head. Umbridge screamed in terror as the air around them filled with the sound of hoofbeats. The forest floor itself seemed to tremble under their feet, and around fifty centaurs emerged on all sides, bows raised and arrows nocked.

Harry and the others backed into the center of the small clearing. He was now standing shoulder to shoulder between Hermione and Blaise, a whimpering Umbridge at his back. Out of the corner of his eye, he could just make out Nell reaching for her wand, but Blaise gripped her wrist, stopping her movement. The expression on his face was exultant.

Umbridge didn't appear to take notice of them anymore. She was too busy staring in wild terror at the centaurs surrounding her.

"Who are you?" asked another familiar voice. Harry recognized the chestnut body and smooth, serene features of Magorian as the centaur stepped forward. Although his voice was still as calm as it had been during their last encounter, he was also armed and ready to strike. He was forced to repeat his question a second time as Umbridge, whimpering with fear, merely pointed her wand at him, her hand shaking.

"I… I am Dolores Jane Umbridge!" she declared in a high, faltering voice, "S-Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic and Headmistress and High Inquisitor of Hogwarts!"

"You are from the Ministry of Magic?" Magorian repeated. Several of the centaurs shifted restlessly. Harry thought he saw a few fingers tightening their bowstrings.

"That's right!" Umbridge said, gaining a little of her former confidence as she mistook Magorian's tone for one of respect. "So be very careful with how you address me! By the laws laid down by the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, any attack by half-breeds such as yourselves on a human…"

"What did you call us?" shouted Bane, the black centaur Harry recognized from their last venture into the forest.

Umbridge did not appear to notice the agitation of the rest of the herd. She kept her wand aimed menacingly at Magorian as she continued, "Law Fifteen B states clearly that any attack by a magical creature who is deemed to have near-human intelligence…"

"Near-human intelligence?" Bane sneered, "Our intelligence far outstrips your own!"

"What are you doing in our forest?" demanded a gray centaur with a stern-looking face.

Now it was Umbridge's turn to look offended. "Your forest? I would remind you that you live here only because the Ministry of Magic permits you to occupy certain areas of land…"

A second arrow flew over her head, so close this time that it nearly got caught in her mousy hair. Umbridge screamed and threw his hands over her head. The centaurs bellowed with laughter, pawing the ground with their hooves in appreciation. Even Magorian's serene face broke into a small grin.

"Whose forest is it now, human?" he asked in an almost pleasant tone.

"Filthy half-breeds!" Umbridge screeched in response, "Beasts! Uncontrolled animals!"

The centaurs were no longer laughing, but they were slow to react as Umbridge once again directed her wand against Magorian, screaming, "Incarcerous!"

Thick ropes flew out of midair and wrapped themselves around Magorian's torso and neck. He roared in outrage, rearing onto his hind legs as the others charged.

Harry had been poised for this attack. He quickly grabbed Hermione and pulled her to the ground, shielding her with his own body. Next to him, he saw Blaise do the same with Nell. Gripping the wand that was still hidden in his pocket, he murmured the incantation for the shield charm and immediately felt the familiar thrum of magic around them. He didn't know if the spell would protect them from the hooves that thundered over and around them, but he focused all his energy envisioning a protective barrier, covering them all… With the exception of Umbridge.

Whether from his spell or sheer dumb luck, they were miraculously unharmed. Somewhere above them, Umbridge shrieked in fear and rage.

"Unhand me! I am Senior Undersecretary… No! You cannot… Unhand me, I said! You animals… Noooo!"

Harry saw a flash of red light and knew she had attempted to stun one of the centaurs. Then she screamed again. Her wand had fallen from her grasp, and a moment later was crushed under one of the thick hooves of a centaur, snapping cleanly in two. Raising his head slightly, he could see that Umbridge herself had been lifted high into the air, carried aloft by two of the larger centaurs, and was soon dragged out of sight and hearing.

"Now then!" cried a voice above Harry a moment before he too was lifted off the ground. A bay colored centaur held him by the collar of his robes. Hermione was lifted to her feet by the gray, stern-faced centaur who confronted Umbridge before, while two more held Blaise and Nell.

"What do we do with these?"

"They are young," said the centaur holding Nell, "We do not attack foals."

"They brought her here, Ronan," replied the centaur holding Harry. "And they are not so young…"

"Please!" Blaise begged in a plaintive tone, "Please, don't punish us! We didn't want to bring her here! She forced us to come, to see what Hagrid had hidden… We know who this forest really belongs to! If you let us go, we'll never trespass again!"

The centaur holding Nell seemed persuaded by Blaise's pleas, but the one gripping Hermione's arm let out a harsh laugh.

"You must think we are as foolish as that human woman," he said, giving Hermione a little shake for emphasis as he continued, "I was tracking these two when they entered the forest earlier this evening. They did not seem forced to me…"

"We were only trying to help…" Nell started to explain, but the centaurs silenced her with angry snorts.

"We will have none of your lies, human! You had been warned, you and the interloper Hagrid. Your kind is not welcome in these woods!"

"Just let us go!" Blaise pleaded, "We won't ever return. We promise!"

"Like the Ministry promised us sovereignty?" challenged a female centaur in the crowd that surrounded them, "Like they vowed to leave us our sacred lands in peace? Where are their promises now?"

"We're not like the Ministry!" Harry said, adding his voice to Blaise's pleas, "We don't think like that woman! Please, we're telling you the truth! We just want to get back to school!"

At the mention of Hogwarts, several centaurs stamped the ground in anger. The one holding him shook Harry as he replied, "We are not all like the traitor Firenze! Perhaps you thought we approved of the school and its students of human magic? No! We are an ancient race, far older than wizardkind, and we will not stand for invasions or insults any longer! We do not recognize your laws or your institutions! We do not acknowledge your…"

Before he could complete his tirade, a tremendous crashing sound came from the edge of the clearing. Everyone, human and centaur alike, turned to see what had caused the cacophony. Harry's captor dropped him to the forest floor, reaching instead for his bow and quiver of arrows. Hermione had been released, as well. Harry hurried toward her as two thick trees parted ominously to reveal Grawp's towering form.

The centaurs nearest to the giant backed away. They aimed their bows at Grawp, waiting to fire. Grawp surveyed them passively, a look of bewilderment on his face. Broken ropes trailed from his ankles. He opened his lopsided mouth, revealing his rows of broken yellow teeth, and rumbled, "Hagger."

Harry had no idea what he meant, nor even if he was speaking English. The centaurs were tense and silent as Grawp continued to peer among them, demanding again, "Hagger!"

"Leave this place, giant!" cried one of the centaurs, "You are not welcome among us!"

Grawp responded by lowering his face nearly level with the centaur and bellowing, "WHERE HAGGER?"

Hermione gripped Harry's arm and whispered, "Harry… I think he's talking about Hagrid!"

At the same moment, Nell stepped forward. Blaise tried and failed to hold her back as she responded to Grawp with a series of guttural sounds that must be the giant's language, coupled with frequent gestures. Some of these appeared aimed at the centaurs. To Harry's astonishment, Grawp seemed to actually understand this strange pantomime, though he didn't like her explanation.

"WANT SEE HAGGER!" he cried in broken English. One of his massive hands swiped petulantly at the air. Perhaps he was merely trying to communicate in the giant's unique blend of spoken word and sign language, but his movements were clumsy and ill suited to the close wooded surroundings. With one careless movement, he knocked a white centaur clear off its legs.

This was the moment the centaurs had been waiting for. At once, roughly fifty arrows peppered themselves across Grawp's enormous face. Harry couldn't tell if they managed to wound him, or if the projectiles were merely an annoyance for the giant. Either way, Grawp gave a great roar and rubbed his hands across his face, breaking the arrow shafts and driving the points still deeper. Pebble-sized drops of his blood rained down upon Harry as he took advantage of the commotion to pull Hermione toward the cover of trees. They were followed closely by Blaise, who seemed to be struggling to drag Nell to safety.

Grawp was making aggressive snatches at the centaurs, who had begun to retreat in disorder, galloping in several directions. Harry watched as the last set of hooves disappeared into the shadows of the trees opposite their hiding place. Grawp gave one last earsplitting roar before he followed them deeper into the forest.

Nell had continued her efforts to escape Blaise's grasp, her gaze upon Grawp's retreating back.

"We have to stop him! He'll be hurt! He might kill them!"

Blaise, his eyes wide, gripped her shoulders and turned her to face him. "Are you crazy? You'll be the one killed if you go after him now! Do you always run headfirst into danger like this? How have you lived this long?"

His concern made him sound almost angry, and Nell was quieted by the force of his argument. She turned her face toward Harry as Hermione shakily asked, "Harry? What's going on? Why were you out here with Umbridge?"

Harry struggled to find the right words. Attempting to explain everything to Hermione would take time that they simply didn't have. His scar prickled painfully, and he knew the window they had to save Mrs. Malfoy was closing fast.

Then he heard them. Several voices were shouting his name from close by. He grabbed Hermione's hand and pulled her forward, calling back as loud as he could. They found them only a few yards away, back on the trail that led toward Hagrid's cabin. Millie was carrying Blaise's wand in one hand and his broom in the other, while Draco hauled both his and Harry's broomsticks in his arms. Ron and Theo were with them, each carrying their own racing brooms and looking a little windswept, but otherwise unharmed.

"What happened?" Harry asked, "How did you escape?"

"Warrington and Montague handled Crabbe and Goyle," Millie explained, "I took care of Pansy while they were distracted."

"But how did you manage?" Blaise asked, taking his wand from her outstretched hand, "Weren't you disarmed like the rest of us?"

"You don't need a wand when you've got a right hook like Bulstrode," Ron commented appreciatively.

"What about you?" asked Theo, nodding toward Hermione and Nell, "When did you pick these two up? And what did you do with Umbridge?"

"Centaurs," Blaise replied succinctly, "She won't be a problem now."

"Is someone going to explain to me what's going on?" Hermione asked, her voice shrill with nerves.

"There's no time!" Draco said, shoving Harry's broom into his chest. In the dim evening light of the forest, his face looked more pale than ever. He was shaking. "We need to leave! Now!"

Harry understood his terror, but they couldn't just leave without giving Hermione and Nell some explanation. If anything went wrong at the Ministry, as was very likely, they needed to tell someone where they were headed. Perhaps they could even locate Snape again. Tell him what had happened…

"Wait a moment!" Harry said to Draco before turning to both Hermione and Nell. He took a deep breath, collecting his thoughts, and said, "We found out that Mrs. Malfoy… Draco's mum is in trouble. She's been captured by Lord Voldemort. We're going to the Ministry of Magic to rescue her."

He could see their looks of horror as he pronounced Voldemort's name, and the myriad questions that remained unanswered on their faces as they stared back at him. Of course, this explanation was far from sufficient. For a moment, he felt despair. He expected them to hold him back, to ask him how he knew these things, and why he hadn't told a teacher… All reasonable questions, but ones he couldn't satisfy now.

What he hadn't expected was for Nell to set her shoulders and reply, "So how are we getting there?"

"You're not coming," Blaise said immediately, "You'll just get in the way!"

Nell glared at him while Hermione rounded on Harry.

"You can't be thinking of leaving us behind! We can help!"

"No…" Harry said, a new sense of fear gripping his heart, "Hermione, you can't… You could get hurt…"

"So could you!" Hermione replied forcefully, "If you're going on some dangerous rescue mission, I'm going with you!"

Draco let out a disgruntled snarl and sneered, "We don't have time for your lovers' spat! My mother is in danger right now! We need to go!"

The pain in Harry's scar flared again. He knew Draco was right.

Only one question remained. How were they going to get there? Hermione and Nell didn't have their own brooms, and the boys' racing brooms would not accommodate two people. For a moment, Harry hoped this impediment would be enough to keep them at Hogwarts and out of harm's way. But then Theo pointed toward the gloom that gathered between the trees and said, "They won't need brooms."

A pair of blank, white eyes peered at them through the darkness. It was followed by a second pair, then a third, as a small herd of thestrals stalked into the clearing, attracted no doubt by the smell of Grawp's blood.

The others looked confused. They couldn't see the creatures, but Harry could. He could also see the brilliance of Theo's suggestion. Hagrid had taught them that thestrals possessed a magnificent sense of direction, almost better than an owl. With two of the beasts acting as their guides, they would have no trouble finding the Ministry.

Harry turned toward Hermione and asked, "Are you serious about coming with us?"

A look of hesitation passed over her features for a fraction of a second, but her voice held conviction as she replied, "I'm going where you go."

Harry handed her his broom with a sigh, then walked toward the nearest thestral, wrapping his hand in its silken mane. Using a nearby stump for assistance, he clumsily slid across the beast's skeletal back. The thestral did not object, but merely twisted its head around, as if curious to see what he was doing.

Theo followed his example, lending his broom to Nell while he took his place atop another thestral. The rest of their friends stared up at them, momentarily transfixed by what must have been a very strange sight to behold. Unable to see the thestrals themselves, it must have looked as though Harry and Theo were floating in midair.

"Ready, then?" Harry asked. His companions immediately mounted their brooms, with the exception of Millie, who took on her falcon form and began circling their heads, waiting for the others to take off.

Harry gazed down at the back of his thestral's glossy black head and asked, "So… what now? Any idea where we're headed?"

"Ministry of Magic," Draco replied, his feet already hovering off the ground, "Visitor's entrance. London."

Harry repeated these instructions to his mount. Theo did the same. For a moment, nothing happened, and Harry worried there was some trick to traveling by thestral that Hagrid hadn't taught them. Then the beast spread its huge, bat-like wings wide, beating them once with such force that they were instantly rocketing upward. He clenched his arms around the horse's neck, driving his knees behind the wing joints to prevent himself from falling. A shout from nearby told him Theo felt the same rolling sensation in his stomach. Soon they had breached the tops of the trees and were soaring through the open sky.

Harry felt like he had never moved so fast before. He risked a quick glance over his shoulder to assure himself that the others had not fallen behind. They trailed a few yards back, but were keeping pace. Draco, flying Harry's old Firebolt, was the closest, gliding directly behind Theo.

They had distanced themselves from Hogwarts in mere moments, passing over Hogsmeade soon after. Darkness fell across the landscape as the sun vanished over the horizon. The only signs of life below were the groups of light denoting Muggle villages and towns.

The wind thundered in Harry's ears, making conversation impossible. He passed the time by focusing on the pain in his scar. It still hurt, but not to the point where he suspected the worst. He almost willed himself to see into Voldemort's mind again, if only to know what was happening at that moment. But it was as if Voldemort knew he had been spying, and had closed himself off from any connection beyond the pain in his scar.

Harry was worried about Mrs. Malfoy, but he was more worried about Sirius, Remus, and Mrs. Zabini. If Draco's mum had been captured, what had happened to them? Why had no one responded to the mirror? Had everyone simply gone out? That seemed unlikely. Grimmauld Place was a hideout for the Order, after all. If they were safe, someone should have been there… Should have heard his call…

Perhaps too late, he realized that he had no idea whether the thestrals were actually leading them toward their intended destination. Just has Harry was beginning to have his doubts, the beast suddenly tipped forward and began hurtling toward the ground at an alarming rate. He heard Theo yelp behind him, and turned to see that their friends were diving downward as well. He felt a surge of relief as he realized that the sea of light below them must be London. He could see the tops of buildings, streams of headlights from evening commuters, and the flickering blue light of television screens shining from windows.

With his legs numb and bowed from the journey, Harry slid gratefully from the thestral's back and surveyed his surroundings. They had landed in an abandoned alley. In the street sat an overflowing dumpster and a vandalized telephone box. Harry's heart sank. The thestral must have made a mistake. They were in London, surely, but this didn't look like the entrance to any ministerial offices to him.

Theo landed a short way away, toppling off his thestral and gasping, "Never again! I don't care how we get back to school, I'm not riding that thing again!"

Before Harry could respond, Draco had touched down. Abandoning his broom behind the dumpster, he made his way directly toward the telephone box.

"Well?" he said, a touch of his old self revealed in his imperious tone, "What are you waiting for? Let's go!"

Harry didn't know what he expected, but he obediently followed as the rest of their party landed nearby, stowing their brooms next to Draco's before rushing to join him. Harry watched as Draco stuffed himself into the telephone box, accompanied by Ron and Theo, and dialed the numbers two, four, two into the receiver. As it whirred back into place, a cool female voice issued from inside the box.

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

"Draco Malfoy, Theodore Nott Junior, and Ron Weasley!" Draco announced promptly, "We're here to save my mother!"

"Thank you," said the voice, "Visitors, please take the badges and attach them to the front of your robes."

Harry saw three badges dispense into the metal chute where coins usually appeared. No one made a move to grab them. The voice had continued to speak, issuing instructions for visitors to submit to a search and present their wands for registration with security. Draco looked Harry in the eye and said, "See you down there."

A moment later, the floor of the telephone box shuddered. Draco, Ron, and Theo seemed to lower into the pavement itself. The box had been converted into a sort of lift. Curiously, as they vanished from view, a second, identical telephone box interior slid into its place, complete with graffiti and severed telephone cord.

Millie, still in her falcon form, perched atop Harry's shoulder as he crammed himself into the box along with Blaise, Hermione, and Nell. It was a tight fit, and Harry wondered why, with so much magic at their disposal, the Ministry had not thought to charm the interior of the booth to accommodate more than what the exterior would suggest.

"Whoever is closest to the phone, dial two four two!" Harry instructed.

Like Draco, they ignored the badges that fell into the chute, each printed neatly with their names and business. Harry instead stared out the glass windows of the telephone box, watching as the pavement passed them and darkness closed over their heads. They were underground, listening to a dull grinding noise as they sank ever downward.

A shaft of gold light hit their feet first, slowly rising up their bodies. Then the lift slid smoothly to a halt, the doors burst open, and the same cool female voice said, "The Ministry of Magic wishes you a pleasant evening."