Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Two - The Mirror
Harry struggled against Professor Tofty's grasp. The old wizard had a surprisingly firm grip. He escorted Harry gently, but resolutely out of the Great Hall, while all around them students stared in shocked silence.
"Pressure of examinations!" Professor Tofty declared in a loud voice, as if his words were more for the benefit of their audience than to offer Harry guidance, "It happens, young man! It happens…"
When they had reached the entrance hall, Professor Tofty released him, then patted Harry on his trembling shoulders.
"Now then, I recommend a cooling drink of water. Perhaps in a few moments you will be ready to return to the Great Hall? Round off your last answer, eh?"
"No…" said Harry rather shakily. His exam was far from complete, but there was no way he could focus on History of Magic after what he had just seen. "No, sir… I think I… I might need to go to the hospital wing…"
Professor Tofty gave him a sympathetic look, and replied, "Yes… A nice lie down is just the thing… Very well, I will collect your examination paper. You just run along to see Madam Pomfrey, now…"
Harry forced himself to walk calmly toward the stairs until the moment Professor Tofty disappeared over the threshold into the Great Hall, then he broke into a full sprint. But his path did not lie in the direction of the hospital wing. He couldn't let what happened to Mr. Weasley happen to Mrs. Malfoy… He just couldn't.
He burst into the Slytherin common room, breathless with anxiety and fatigue, frightening several underclassmen who had not expected to see any of the fifth years so soon. Ignoring the inquiring voice of Colin Creevy, Harry dashed up the stairs to his dormitory, seeking quiet and solitude to think.
He began to pace like a caged animal, evaluating his options. Dumbledore and Hagrid were both gone. There was Professor McGonagall, but after taking the blows of four stunning spells, as he had seen her do last night, he was uncertain if she would be well enough to help him…
He needed his friends. Needed to hear what they thought of the matter. He continued to pace around his empty room, his heart and mind both racing as he waited for the exam to end…
He didn't have to wait long. Loyal to a fault, Blaise and Millie had abandoned their own tests soon after Harry had been escorted from the Great Hall. When he failed to return, they went in search of him.
"Harry!" Blaise exclaimed, barreling into the dormitory with Millie at his side, "What happened to you, mate? Did you really have a breakdown in the middle of the exam?"
"It wasn't a breakdown," Harry replied, though he knew his appearance did little to offer reassurance. He had been running his hands through his hair, causing it to stand on end even more than usual. He was sweating from both sprinting to the dorms and from working himself into a quiet frenzy.
Millie could tell from his wild expression that he was struggling to find the words to explain what had happened. Gazing at him seriously, she guessed, "Another dream?"
Harry nodded. "Like when I saw Ron's dad, only worse. I wasn't asleep this time. I was awake. I was taking the test and then… Then I was suddenly in the Department of Mysteries. Voldemort was there and he… He had Mrs. Malfoy. He wanted her to get something for him and she refused… He was… He was torturing her…"
From the open door to their room, a quiet voice asked, "What?"
It was Draco. Harry felt a horrible sinking sensation in his stomach as he stared into his pale, frightened face. When he failed to respond, Draco repeated the question, "What did you say? The Dark Lord… has my mother?"
"But that's not possible!" Blaise interjected quickly, "Narcissa is a safe house. Voldemort can't have gotten to her unless…"
"Unless he found out about Grimmauld Place," Millie concluded.
"That's impossible!" Harry argued, "Remus is the secret keeper! He would never give Sirius away…"
Millie shrugged her shoulders. She didn't say a word, but Harry could almost read her thoughts. Harry's parents had once put their trust in a friend. They had believed Peter Pettigrew would never betray them. And they had died.
"Harry, did you see anyone else in your vision?" Blaise asked, a note of panic in his voice, "Remus or Sirius or…?"
"No," Harry replied, running his tongue over his dry lips, "No, it was just… Just Mrs. Malfoy and Voldemort… But…"
"But what?" Draco demanded.
Harry could not look him in the eye. "He talked about your father… He threatened to have him come get you if your mum didn't do what he wanted."
Draco had turned from white to a sickly light green.
"Where?" he said.
"What?" asked Harry stupidly.
"Where is she? Where is my mother?" Draco said, his voice gaining in strength and volume as has panic mounted.
"She's… She's in the Department of Mysteries!" Harry admitted, a little afraid of the look of desperation in Draco's eyes.
"Alright… How are we going to get there?"
"I… What?" asked Harry a second time. Draco responded by taking a few angry steps toward him. Millie jumped between the two, cutting off Draco's progress before he could get in Harry's face. But Draco's fear made him brave, and he shouted over her, "He's got my mother! I won't let him… I won't let this happen!"
"Take is easy, Draco!" Blaise warned, grasping onto the other boy's arm as he attempted to reason with him. "Think about it! We've both been to the Ministry before, haven't we? It's only five o'clock. The office will be full of workers right now. How would Voldemort just waltz in with your mum without anyone seeing them?"
Draco was shaking from head to foot. Blaise's words had quieted him, but they had not dispelled his worry.
"It will be my father's doing," Draco replied, "He has connections in the Ministry. Always has. And the Dark Lord has other followers… Other spies in the Ministry itself. He'll have ways of getting into the Department of Mysteries, undetected."
"But how would he even find your mum?" Blaise insisted again, "When she's been with Sirius all summer? They can't find her there. If they had, then the whole Order would have been compromised…"
"My father might have lured her out somehow!" Draco argued, "She's only safe if she stays inside! But if she left for some reason…"
"But why?" Millie asked, "Why would he ask your mother to get… Whatever it is he wants from the Department of Mysteries? Why not have one of his Death Eaters do it, or your father himself?"
"Because it's cursed…" Harry answered before Draco had a chance to speak. It had been his vision, after all. He felt as though he knew all the answers without needing to speculate. All eyes turned toward him, and he explained, "Voldemort said he couldn't take it himself… I think maybe… Maybe this thing he wants is cursed to harm the first person who tries to remove it. And Voldemort may not want to risk one of his own…"
The theory made sense, at least in Harry's mind. He remembered that Igor Karkaroff was punished for turning against Voldemort's followers, and Barty Crouch Jr. had threatened the same to Snape, before he received the Dementor's Kiss, himself. Narcissa Malfoy was not a Death Eater, but she had married one. And she betrayed him. Wouldn't that make her a target for Voldemort's vengeance? Wouldn't he try to use her as a tool for any dangerous work that needed done?
Draco did not require any further convincing. Every moment they wasted talking, his mother was being tortured, possibly killed. He looked to Harry, determination stamped on his face as he asked, "Well? What are we waiting for? Shouldn't we save her? Isn't that what you do?"
"You don't understand!" said Harry, "I'm not supposed to be having these visions anymore, I… I've been practicing Occlumency, trying to shut them out! What if… What if Voldemort only wanted me to see these things to lure me out of Hogwarts? To get both of us?"
"My mother is in danger right now!" Draco screamed, all his anger and fear being ripped from him in one explosive outburst. Even Millie flinched in the face of his agony. "You might be okay with letting her die, but I can't… I won't!"
"Harry's right, Draco…" Blaise said, forcing himself to remain calm. Draco rounded on him, ready to come to blows if necessary, but Blaise merely held his hands up in a gesture for patience, "We need to confirm that Narcissa is really gone! If she's missing, then we'll know Harry's vision is true. If it is… Then we'll help you save her. All of us. Together."
Draco's frantic gaze looked first to Millie, then to Harry. He saw their nods of agreement, and was satisfied.
"But how are we going to check?" he asked, "We can't send an owl. That would take too long. And Umbridge is monitoring the floo network in and out of the school."
"The mirror…" said Harry aloud. The others made various sounds of confusion, but Harry had already dived for his trunk. He flung the lid open, searching for the scarf he had used to wrap the mirror Sirius had given him for safekeeping. He found it, stored neatly between some old socks, and quickly pulled it free.
"Sirius!" he called immediately, not bothering to stop and explain the device to his friends, "Sirius! Are you there? We needed to speak to you!"
But only Harry's green eyes stared back at him. He shook the mirror, as if doing so would force Sirius's face to appear, but nothing worked.
"I don't understand," he said, a note of panic in his voice, "It worked fine before. I called to Sirius… He wasn't there, but Remus answered. They spoke to me through the mirror… Both of them…"
"Maybe," said Millie hesitantly, "If no one is around to hear your call…"
"But where would they be?" Blaise asked, "There must be someone at the safe house!"
"Not if it's been compromised," concluded Draco.
They stared at one another. If Grimmauld Place had been discovered. If the Order itself had fallen… Then not just Mrs. Malfoy, but Sirius, Remus… perhaps even Mrs. Zabini was currently in danger. Perhaps they were being tortured to reveal information about their other members… or worse.
Harry met Blaise's eyes and knew that the same thought had crossed his mind. The terror that Draco felt for his mother was equally present on Blaise's face, as he wondered what fate had befallen his own. She was Narcissa's close friend, a visitor to Grimmauld Place nearly every day… If Mrs. Malfoy had been taken, then where was Blaise's mother?
"What do we do, Harry?" asked Blaise, his voice tight, but steady.
"We're going to the Ministry, of course!" Draco shouted. "You promised!"
Harry nodded his head in agreement, though he asked, "How will we get there?"
"We fly, of course," suggested Millie.
It was decided in an instant. Blaise grabbed the broom he kept leaning against one side of his bed. Harry and Draco's racing brooms were still in the Slytherin locker room, along with their uniforms. While Blaise rested his broom against his shoulder, Draco threw himself into the hall. Harry had barely enough time to grab his invisibility cloak and the penknife Sirius had given him before he too bolted through the door.
He nearly collided with Crabbe and Goyle, newly returned from their exam.
"Watch it, Potter!" Crabbe grumbled as Harry tread heavily on his shoe.
"Shouldn't you be in St. Mungo's?" Goyle called mockingly, "I figured Pomfrey would see that you're cracked and had you committed by now!"
Harry left Blaise and Millie to deal with them as he pursued Draco, worried that the other boy hadn't thought this plan through. He had already made his way out of the common room by the time Harry caught up with him. The halls were swarming with other students by this time. Some were headed back to their dormitories, while others had stopped to chat with their friends, relief on their faces now that their exams were finally over. Harry noticed curious stares as he and Draco raced past, closely followed by Blaise and Millie.
As they left the dungeons for the ground floor, two of these students detached themselves from the crowd and called out to Draco.
"Oi, Draco! There you are, mate!" said Ron, "Where you been?"
"We're celebrating the end of exams tonight!" added Theo Nott, "Seamus reckons he can get us firewhiskey! You in?"
But Draco ignored them as easily as Harry had ignored Crabbe and Goyle. He made his way directly toward the front doors of the school. Harry knew he was headed toward the Quidditch pitch, where their brooms had been stored along with the rest of their team equipment. Ron and Theo, disturbed by his behavior, exchanged a glance before they too broke into a run, quickly falling into step with Harry.
"What's going on?" asked Ron. "What's got Draco so upset?"
"And what happened to you?" Theo added, "Did you really crack during the test?"
"I had another vision," Harry said shortly.
Theo wasn't sure what this meant, but Ron looked worried.
"Is it… like before?"
Harry knew he was referring to his father's death, and he grimly nodded his head. "I saw Draco's mother this time."
Ron was horrified. Theo, gathering what he could from the context of their conversation, asked, "Is she alright?"
"We think she's alive," Harry explained, trying to soften the news for Ron's sake, "But she's in trouble…"
Harry felt sure that if Voldemort had dealt a fatal blow, he would feel it. The pain in his scar would be unbearable, but for now it was merely a constant, dull throb.
Ron didn't require any further explanation, except for one question, "So where are we going?"
Harry came to a full stop.
"No, you don't have to come. It's too dangerous…"
"Don't waste time, Harry," Ron said, checking his progress only a moment before deciding to follow Draco, "I'm going. I've got a score to settle."
They reached the locker room seconds before Blaise and Millie to find that Draco was already at his locker, pulling his broom free. Harry followed suit, rushing to grab the Nimbus 2000 Mrs. Zabini had given him. He wondered if would now help him reach her in time, if she was in fact being held captive along with Mrs. Malfoy.
"Hang on," Ron said, "Theo and I need our brooms, too. We've got to stop by the Gryffindor locker room and…"
"Oh no…" said a sickly sweet voice by the exit, "I don't think the six of you will be going anywhere…"
Harry's heart dropped. He turned, simultaneously reaching for his wand, but it was a second too late.
"Expelliarmus!" shouted several voices simultaneously, and at once each of their wands was stripped from them. They turned to face Umbridge. Her wide, thin-lipped mouth was spread in a wicked grin, her eyes lit with an unsettling fervor. On either side of her stood Crabbe and Goyle, arms crossed and looking smug. Harry could see others behind her, as well. Warrington, Montague, and Pansy Parkinson.
"You did well in coming to me, Goyle," Umbridge said proudly, "Now, seize them!"
Crabbed lurched forward and grabbed Draco, putting him in a headlock for good measure. Pansy held an outraged Millie against the wall at wandpoint. Goyle held Blaise's hands behind his back as Warrington and Montague moved forward, collecting their fallen wands before turning to detain Ron and Theo. Only Harry remained unfettered, standing before Umbridge defiantly. Warrington had given him a sideways glance, but Harry couldn't give him a signal without Umbridge noticing. He kept his eyes trained on her and her drawn wand, instead.
He considered casting a stunning spell. He thought he could manage something so simple, even without his wand, but he wasn't confident that he could strike her, Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy simultaneously. They would attack his friends if he made a move against Umbridge, and none of them had their wands. They were helpless.
"Now…" asked Umbridge, "Just where did you think you were going?"
"The quidditch pitch," Harry lied automatically, "We were going to play a game, to celebrate the end of our OWLs."
"DO. NOT. LIE. TO ME!" Umbridge thundered. "You were going to see him, weren't you? Tell me! Where is he hiding?"
For a moment, Harry wasn't sure what she was talking about. His mind was still on Voldemort and Mrs. Malfoy. Then he realized she must think he'd been communicating with Dumbledore somehow. Not wanting to incriminate himself by showing any signs of understanding, however, he insisted, "I don't know what you're talking about! I don't know where Hagrid is!"
Umbridge smirked, believing he had given himself away and said, "Very well, Mr. Potter… Since you have chosen not to be honest with me, I have no choice but to force the truth from you… Warrington, fetch Professor Snape."
Warrington hazarded another glance at Harry before showing his wand in his robes and leaving.
Inwardly, Harry was cursing himself for being so stupid. Why hadn't he thought of Snape before? He was a member of the Order of the Phoenix. If something had happened, he would have heard about it. If they had just spoken to him first, told him of Harry's vision before rushing into action…
While they waited for Snape to arrive, Umbridge turned slowly toward Draco, her smile never faltering as she cooed, "I am terribly disappointed in you, Malfoy. And after Professor Snape spoke so highly of you! To think… All this time you were consorting with the likes of Potter and his friends… I am afraid that your father will certainly hear about this. I will write to him directly about your indiscretion…"
Harry could just see Draco from the corner of his eye. He was bent double, still held in a headlock by Crabbe, but he smiled at the irony of Umbridge's words.
"Merlin's Beard…" he said in a hoarse voice, "Is that what I used to sound like?"
Before Umbridge could reply, they heard footsteps approach from outside. Warrington had not wasted any time, it seemed, for Snape appeared a moment later, wearing an expression of complete indifference as he surveyed the scene before him.
"You wanted to see me, Headmistress?"
"Yes, Professor Snape," Umbridge replied, looking very toadlike, indeed. "I would like another bottle of Veritaserum, quick as you can. Please."
Snape's dark brows lifted slightly, and he replied in a passive tone, "You used the last of my supply to interrogate Diggory. Surely you did not use it all? Three drops would have been sufficient."
Umbridge's face turned red, and Harry could guess that she had been using the truth serum on more than just Cedric. Rather than admit this to Snape, however, she said, "Can't you make more?"
"Certainly," Snape replied coolly, "It takes a full moon cycle to mature. I should have it ready in about a month."
"A month?" Umbridge repeated, her girlish voice breaking, "But I require it now, Snape! This very moment! I have just discovered a plot by Potter and his friends to contact Albus Dumbledore and persons or creatures in connection with him! We must uncover where the fugitive is hiding!"
"Fascinating. You must tell me if you learn anything, Headmistress. But as I said, I cannot assist you at this moment."
As he spoke, his gaze fell on Harry. Harry met his eye without flinching, concentrating hard on what he had seen in his vision. If he thought hard enough, perhaps Snape would be able to read his mind, as he had so often in their Occlumency lessons…
"I wish to interrogate him!" Umbridge seethed. Snape looked away from Harry and into her face, which was now quivering with disappointment and anger. "I wish you to provide me with a potion that will force him to tell me the truth!"
"I have already told you that I have no further supply of Veritaserum on hand. An immature solution would not have the effect you desire, though it would be highly toxic. Unless you wish to poison Potter, and I assure you I would have the greatest sympathy for you if you did, then I cannot help you."
Snape glanced at him again. He seemed to be seeking an explanation, but Harry didn't know what to say that wouldn't raise Umbridge's suspicions.
Voldemort has Mrs. Malfoy… Harry thought desperately. He's got her in the Department of Mysteries… You have to tell the Order…
"You are on probation!" Umbridge stormed, "You are being deliberately unhelpful! I expected better from you, Snape! Now, get out of here!"
Snape gave her a very shallow, ironic bow, then turned to leave. This was Harry's last chance. He had to do something.
"He's got Cissy!" he shouted, "He's got her at the place where it's hidden!"
Harry didn't dare to be more specific than that. Snape turned back to look at him once more, his face inscrutable.
"Where what's hidden?" Umbridge asked, looking eagerly between Harry and Snape, "Who is Sissy? What does he mean?"
"I have no idea," Snape replied impassively, "Are you sure you didn't accidentally give him a Babbling Beverage, Headmistress? You won't get the truth out of him that way. Only nonsense. And Crabbe, loosen your hold on Malfoy, will you? If he suffocates, I will have to speak to his parents."
He left, closing the door behind him with a snap. Harry was in turmoil. Snape had been their very last hope. Behind him, he heard a low moan escape Draco as Crabbe loosened the arm he had around his neck.
Had his hint been too vague? Did Snape fail to understand him? He supposed it didn't matter now. Even if Snape had understood his message, he had altered Umbridge's memories once already. He couldn't do so again, especially not before so many witnesses. Snape couldn't save him. Not this time. Harry needed to get out of this on his own.
"Very well," said Umbridge, her chest heaving with rage. "Very well… I have no alternative. This is more than a matter of school discipline. This is a matter of Ministry security!"
She seemed to be talking herself into something. Twirling her wand meditatively between her fingertips, she shifted her weight from one foot to the other, staring at Harry and breathing heavily.
Harry knew he wasn't quite powerless. Even without his wand, he felt confident that he could fight back. But would that matter if the others were still held captive? Warrington and Montague were on his side. But would they react fast enough if he made a move?
He was still weighing his options as Umbridge said, "You are forcing me, Potter… The Cruciatus Curse ought to loosen your tongue…"
"But that's illegal!" Blaise protested, renewing his struggles against Goyle's vice-like grip.
Umbridge took no notice of him. Driven mad with power, she gazed at Harry with an eager, excited look that belied her next words, "I do not wish to do this, but sometimes the circumstances justify the means…"
"Minister Fudge wouldn't want you to break the law!" cried Blaise.
"I'm sure the Minister will understand… When I turn Dumbledore over to him… He'll thank me for my service to the Ministry!"
"NO!" pleaded Blaise, "I'll… I'll talk! I'll tell you everything just… Just don't hurt Harry!"
"Blaise, no!" Harry shouted. He didn't dare take his eyes off Umbridge. He would never submit to torture. He would use wandless magic against her if necessary. But Blaise didn't know what he was capable of, and in his desperation to save his friend, he was willing to risk everything.
"I have to, Harry! She'll force it out of you, anyway. What's… What's the point?"
"Traitor!" Millie snarled at him before Pansy jabbed her wand into her stomach.
Blaise snapped back, "Oh, come off it!" It's not like Dumbledore ever let us join, anyway!"
"Join?" Umbridge asked breathlessly, "Join what?"
"The Order of the Phoenix," replied Blaise.
Harry and Millie cried out, stunned that Blaise would take his confession this far. But then Blaise continued, "It's a secret organization that Dumbledore started… to overthrow the Ministry."
Harry was silenced. He finally saw the brilliance of Blaise's plan. Umbridge never cared about what happened to Harry. She just wanted proof that Dumbledore had been plotting a coup. She wanted something that would send him to Azkaban forever, if he was ever captured. Umbridge wanted to remain the Headmistress of Hogwarts in perpetuity, and Fudge's political enemy would never threaten his position, or hers, ever again. Blaise was giving her exactly what she wanted… But how would that help them escape?
"We were given a… A mission. Before Dumbledore left," Blaise continued, "We were trying to contact him… To tell him that it's finished."
"Finished? What's finished?" Umbridge demanded, impatient now that she was so close to her goal.
"The weapon, of course! The one we've been building for Dumbledore!"
"You've been building some method of resistance? Something to use against the Ministry? Well, out with it! What sort of weapon is it?"
"We… We aren't sure. I know that it's dangerous, but Dumbledore didn't trust any one student with all the plans. I guess he thought one of us might use it against him, instead… We had to work in secret, a few at a time…"
"Warrington! Goyle!" Umbridge barked, "You and the others keep an eye on this lot. I'll be taking Zabini and Potter with me to see this weapon!"
Goyle did as he was told, but Warrington took a step forward. "Professor Umbridge, I think some of the Squad should come with you. Montague and I…"
"I am a fully qualified Ministry official!" Umbridge interrupted, "Do you really think I cannot manage two wandless teenagers alone? This weapon is apparently very dangerous. It's not something a bunch of schoolchildren should see!"
Harry guessed the true source of her concern. She didn't trust the members of her own Inquisitorial Squad. Draco's betrayal had raised her guard. She didn't want to give the others a chance to turn on her if they learned how to operate the supposed weapon.
Umbridge repeated her orders that they were to remain with the others until she returned, then she gestured for Blaise to lead the way. While her back was turned, Warrington slipped Harry's wand back into his pocket. Harry smirked. Umbridge was right to be suspicious, though she would soon regret leaving Warrington and Montague with the others. He didn't even feel sorry for Crabbe, Goyle, or Pansy. They were going to get what was coming to them.