Out of the Fire
"I'm not going to the hospital wing… I don't need…."
Arthur was gibbering as he tried pulling himself away from Tofty, who looked at Arthur with much concern after helping him out of the Entrance Hall with students around them staring.
"I'm fine sir." Arthur said as he wiped the sweat from his face. "I just had a nightmare."
"Pressure of examinations!" The old wizard said sympathetically, patting Arthur shakily on his shoulder. "It happens, young man, it happens! Now, a cooling drink of water, and perhaps you will be ready to return to the Great Hall? The examination is nearly over, but you may be ble to round of your last answer nicely?"
"I've already done it all…." Arthur said.
"Very well, very well." The old wizard said gently. "I shall go and collect your examination paper and I suggest that you go and have a nice lie down."
"Yeah, thanks." Arthur nodded.
The moment the old wizard's heels disappeared over the threshold into the Great Hall, Arthur ran up the marble staircase instantly, hurtling along the corridors so fast that the portraits he passed all muttered, up more flights of stairs, and finally burst like a hurricane through the double doors of the hospital wing, making Madam Pomfrey - who spooned some bright blue liquid into Montague's open mouth - shriek in alarm.
"Pendergast, what do you think you're doing?"
"I need to see Professor McGonagall." Arthur gasped. "It's urgent!"
"She's not here, Pendergast." Madam Pomfrey said sadly. "She was transferred to St Mungo's this morning. Four Stunning Spells straight to the chest! It's a wonder they didn't kill her."
"She's gone?" Arthur said in shock.
The bell then rang outside the dormitory and heard the distant rumbling of students that flooded out into the corridors above and below him. He remained still, looking at Madam Pomfrey with terror rising inside him.
There was no one to tell. Dumbledore's gone, Hagrid's gone, but he always expected McGonagall to be there, always having been dependable.
"I don't wonder you're shocked, Pendergast." Madam Pomfrey said with a fierce approval in her face. "As if one of them could have Stunned Minerva McGonagal face on by daylight! Cowardice, that's what it was… despicable cowardice… if I wasn't worried what would happen to you students without me, I'd resign in protest."
"Yeah." Arthur said in defeat.
He strode blindly from the hospital wing into the teeming corridor where he stood, buffeted by the crowd as panic started expanded inside him like some venom that was injected into his body,
But then he thought of Mike… and David and Chrys.
He started running again, pushing students out of his way, ignoring their angry protests.
He sprinted down two floors and was at the top of the marble staircase when he saw them hurrying towards him.
"Arthur!" Mike said at once, looking frightened. "What the hell happened?"
"Where have you been?" David asked.
"Are you alright?" Chrys asked.
"Come with me, I need to tell you something!" Arthur said quickly.
He led them down the first floor corridor, peering through doorways until he found an empty classroom into which he dived, closing the door behind Mike, David and Chrys the moment they were inside. He then leaned against it, facing them.
"Voldemort's got Sirius."
"What?"
"How -?"
"I saw it when I fell asleep in the exam."
"But where?" Chrys said, her face now very white.
"They're in the Department of Mysteries. In some kind of room full of shelves covered in what look like glass balls and they were at the end of row Ninety Seven. He was trying to get Sirius to get whatever he wants from in there… he's torturing him… saying that he'll end by killing him!"
His voice was shaking, just like his knees. He then moved over to a desk and sat on it, trying to master himself.
"How do we get there?" He then asked the three of them.
There was a moment's silence, which was broken by David, who said "Get there?"
"To the Department of Mysteries and rescue Sirius!" Arthur said loudly.
"But Arthur, how would Voldemort have gotten into the Ministry of Magic?" Chrys said.
Arthur looked at her in disbelief, it's like he made some unreasonable demand on them, based on her facial expression.
"It's Voldemort we're talking about!" Arthur replied. "He's capable of doing all kinds of magic. We should just focus on getting to the Department of Mysteries!"
"Arthur, the Ministry is full of workers right now at five in the afternoon. How could Voldemort and Sirius, the two most wanted wizards in the world, get in without being seen?" Chrys once again.
"It doesn't matter! But it seems the Department of Mysteries is empty based on what I've just seen in my dream -"
"You don't know that!" Chrys snapped at him.
"Chrys, his visions always depict things that actually happened. Like the ones the previous year. And even the one he had of Ben being attacked by the snake." Mike argued back.
"Exactly, so he clearly saw something that really happened, so we're just wasting time!" David sided with him.
"But what if it's just Voldemort making it up to tap into Arthur's hero complex?" Chrys said, but clapped a hand over her mouth, like she regretted what she said.
Arthur looked at her like she just betrayed him.
"What did you just say?" Arthur said, his voice so deadly calm that the others were scared to face his wrath.
"It's… just that… you saved Fleur's sister when you didn't need to… you got carried away…." Chrys said,
White hot anger now surged throughout Arthur's body.
"You seriously think I'm some attention seeking twat who desires to save everyone, is that it?" He asked, walking right up to and Chrys had to look away.
"No! She said, very aghast. "I'm not saying that!"
"Then what are you saying because we're wasting time!" Arthur demanded.
"It's just that… Voldemort knows you! He took Mary into the Chamber of Secrets to lure you down there, and he knows that you of all people would go to try and save Sirius! What if he's trying to get you into the Department of Mysteries -?"
"It doesn't matter, McGonagall's now at St Mungo's, there's no one from the Order at Hogwarts that we can tell! If we don't go, Sirius will die!"
"But what if it's nothing but some dream?" Chrys pointed out.
Arthur let out a roar of frustration and kicked a desk, making everyone step back from him, very much alarmed.
"You don't understand!" Arthur spat at her. "I haven't had any dreams since I've blocked my mind! And all the visions I've had since the previous summer have been real! So don't you dare imply that I'm just some attention seeking idiot who's following some dream because I'm trying to save my godfather from death!"
The classroom door opened and all four looked to see that Mary walked in, followed by Luna, who looked like she drifted in accidentally.
"Hi." Mary said with uncertainty. "We recognised Arthur's voice. What are you yelling about?"
"Never you mind." Arthur said roughly, making Mary raise an eyebrow.
"Don't take that tone with me." Mary said coolly. "I was just wondering if I could help.
"Well, you can't as I could see." Arthur snapped back.
"You're being rather rude, you know." Luna said serenely.
Arthur turned away with a deep nose sigh. The last thing he wanted was to have a conversation with Luna right now.
"Actually… I think they can help." Chrys said suddenly. This made Arthur, Mike and David look at her.
"Listen, we're gonna have to make sure whether Sirius is actually taken by Voldemort." She then said urgently.
"Then how do we make sure?" Arthur spat, deciding to do as she says since they're wasting time.
"We'll use Umbridge's fire to see if we can contact him." Chrys explained with a stern expression on her face. "We'll have to draw Umbridge away again, and lookouts. Mary and Luna can do that."
"Yeah, we'll do it." Mary said instantly.
"When you say 'Sirius', are you talking about Stubby Boardman?" Luna asked, though everyone ignored her.
"Right. We'll have to do it now and fast, we cannot waste any time if Sirius is indeed being tortured by Voldemort." Arthur said.
"Okay…" Chrys said, now pacing up and down between the desks. "...one of us will have to find Umbridge and send her off as far away from her office as possible. We'll just say that Peeves is doing something.
"We'll do that." Mike said for him and David. "We'll tell her that Peeves is smashing the Transfiguration department. It's miles away from her office."
"In fact, we could actually persuade Peeves to do that if we meet him on the way." David said.
"Alright." Chrys said as she continued pacing. "We'll need to make sure that students are away from her office while we force entry, or Slytherin's will go and tip her off."
"Me and Luna can stand at either end of the corridor." Mary said promptly. "We'll warn people not to go down there because of Garrotting Gas, which Jack and Kevin planned to do before they left."
"Right. Arthur, you and I will be under the Invisibility Cloak and sneak into her office and see if Sirius is still at Grimmauld Place or not." Chrys said.
Through Arthur's anger and impatience, Arthur knew that having Chrys with him in the office would be better than him going alone.
"Alright." he nodded.
"Mind you, we'd probably only have five minutes, because of Filch and the Inquisitorial Squad floating around." Chrys reminded everyone.
"Okay, then. Let's go." Arthur said. "I'll go grab my Invisibility Cloak and we'll meet outside of Umbridge's classroom."
He then flung himself out of the room and fought his way through the milling crowds outside.
Two floors up and he encountered Seamus and Dean, who hailed him jovially, saying they planned a dusk till dawn end of exams celebration in the common room. Arthur barely heard them as he scrambled through the portrait hole as they argued about how many black market Butterbeers they'd need and climbed back out with his Invisibility Cloak and Sirius' knife in his bag before they noticed he left them.
"Arthur, d'you want to chip in a couple of Galleons? Harold Dingle reckons he could sell us some Firewhiskey -"
Arthur tore away, back along the corridor and in a couple of minutes time, he jumped the last few stairs to join Mike, David, Chrys, Mary and Luna, who all huddled together at the end of the corridor to Umbridge's classroom and office.
"I got it." He told them. "Ready to go?"
"Yeah." Chrys whispered as a gang of loud sixth years passed by. "David, Mike, you to go and head Umbridge off. Mary, Luna, start moving people out of the corridor… meanwhile, Arthur and I will put the Cloak on and wait until the coast is clear…."
David and Mike strode off, their silver and black hair still visible right to the end of the passage; meanwhile Mary's equally striking head bobbed between the jostling students that surrounded them in the other direction, trailed by Luna's blonde one.
"Get over here." Chrys muttered, tugging Arthur's wrist and pulled him back into a recess where the ugly stone head of a mediaeval wizard stood muttering to itself on a column. "Are you sure about this, you still look pale."
"I'm fine." Arthur replied as he tugged the Invisibility Cloak out of his bag. In reality, his scar was still aching, but not as bad as he would've thought.
"Here." he said, throwing the Cloak over both of them, now standing, listening carefully over the Latin mumblings of the bust in front of them.
"You can't go down this way!" Mary called to the crowd. "You'll have to go round by the swivelling staircase, someone's let off Garrotting Gas down here -"
They could hear people complaining; one surly voice said "I can't see no gas."
"Because it's invisible and colourless." Mary said convincingly. "But if you want to walk through it, go ahead, we'll just carry your body as proof for the next moron who doesn't believe us."
The crowd now slowly thinned out, the news of the gas spreading; people didn't come this way any more.
Once the surrounding area was clear, Chrys said quietly "It's now or never, let's go."
The two moved forwards, still covered by the Cloak. Luna stood with her back to them at the far end of the corridor.
As they passed Mary, Chrys whispered "Good one… just don't forget the signal."
"And what signal is that?" Arthur said as they approached Umbridge's door.
"A loud chorus of 'Merlon is our King' if they see Umbridge coming." Chrys replied as they entered the classroom and walked up the stairs to her office. Arthur inserted the blade of Sirius' knife in the crack between the door and the wall before the lock clicked open and they entered.
The garish kittens all basked in the late afternoon sunshine that warmed their plates, otherwise, the office was as still and unoccupied as last time. Chrys breathed a sigh of relief.
"I'd have thought she'd add extra security after the second Niffler."
They pulled the Cloak off; Chrys hurried over to the window and stood out of sight, peering down into the grounds with her wand out.
Arthur dashed over to the fireplace, seizing the pot of Floo powder and threw a pinch into the grate, making emerald flames burst into life. Arthur then knelt down quickly, thrust his head into the dancing fire and cried "Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place!"
His head started spinning as though he just got off a fairground ride, even though his knees were still planted on the cold office floor. Arthur kept his eyes screwed up against the whirling ash and once the spinning stopped, he opened them to find himself looking out at the long, cold kitchen of Grimmauld Place.
There was no one there. He expected this, yet dread and panic formed in his stomach.
"Sirius!" He shouted. "Sirius, where are you?"
His voice echoed around the room, yet there was no answer except for a tiny scuffing to the right of the fire.
"Who's there?" He called out.
Kreacher the house elf crept into view. He looked very delighted about something, though he recently sustained a nasty injury to both hands, which were heavily bandaged.
"It's the Pendergast boy's head in the fire." He said to the empty kitchen, stealing furtive, oddly triumphant glaces at Arthur. "What has he come for, Kreacher wonders?"
"Where's Sirius?" Arthur demanded, which made the house elf give a wheezy cackle.
"Master has gone out, Arthur Pendergast."
"Where's he gone, Kreacher? TELL ME!"
Kreacher just cackled.
"What about Lupin? Moody? Anyone!"
"Nobody here but Kreacher!" The elf said gleefully, turning away from Arthur and walked slowly towards the door at the end of the kitchen. "Kreacher thinks he will have a little chat with his mistress now, yes, he hasn't had a chance in a long time, Kreacher's master has been keeping him away from her -"
"Has he gone to the Department of Mysteries?" Arthur yelled after him.
Kreacher stopped in his tracks. Arthur could make out the back of his bald head through the forest of chair legs between them.
"Master does not tell poor Kreacher where he is going." The elf said quietly.
"YOU KNOW!" Arthur shouted. "YOU KNOW WHERE HE IS, YOU BASTARD!"
After a moment's silence, the elf let out his loudest cackle yet.
"Master will not come back from the Department of Mysteries!" he said gleefully. "Kreacher and his mistress are alone again!"
He then scurried forwards and disappeared through the door to the hall.
"YOU -!"
Before he could utter another curse or insult, Arthur felt a pain at the top of his head and was dragged backwards through the flames.
With a horrible abruptness, he now stared up into the wide and pallid face of Umbridge, who dragged him backwards out of the fire by his hair and now bent his neck back as far as it would go, like she was about to slit his throat.
"You think…" She whispered, bending Arthur's neck back further, making him look up at the ceiling. "...that after two Nifflers I was going to let one more foul, scavenging creature enter my office without my knowledge? I had Stealth Sensoring Spells placed all around my doorway after the last one got in, you foolish boy. Take his wand." She barked at someone he couldn't see, feeling a hand grope his pocket in his jeans and removed his wand. "Hers, too."
Arthur heard a scuffle over by the door, knowing that Chrys had her wand wrestled from her.
"I want to know why you are in my office." Umbridge said, shaking the fist that clutched his hair, making him stagger.
"That's none of your business." Arthur spat.
"It is very much my business after you broke into my office!" She shook his head. "You had your head in my fire. With whom have you been communicating?"
"No one -" Arthur said.
"Liar!" Umbridge shouted before she threw him from her, making him slam into the desk. He could now see that Chrys was pinned against the wall by Millicent Bulstrode.
Draco was leaning on the window sill, smirking as he threw Arthur's wand into the air single handed and caught it.
There was a commotion outside and several large Slytherins entered, each gripping Mike, David, Mary, Luna and - to Arthur's bewilderment - Neville, who was trapped in a stranglehold by Crabbe, looking like he's in immediate danger of suffocation. All five of them were gagged as well.
"Got 'em all." Warringtong said as he shoved David roughly forwards into the room. "That one…" He poked a thick finger at Neville. "...tried to stop me taking her…" He now pointed at Mary, who tried to kick the shins of the large Slytherin girl holding her. "...so I brought him along too."
"Good, good." Umbridge said, watching Mary struggle. "Well, it looks as though Hogwarts will shortly be a Merlon free zone, doesn't it?"
Draco laughed loudly and sycophantically. Umbridge made her wide, complacent smile, settling herself into a chintz-covered armchair, blinking up at her captives like a toad in a flowerbed.
"So, Pendergast." She said. "You stationed lookouts around my office and you sent these buffoons…" She nodded over at Mike and David - Draco laughed 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 Dumbeldore? Or the half-breed, Hagrid? I doubt it was Minerva McGonagall, I hear she is still too ill to talk to anyone."
Mike roared through his gag as Draco and a few others of the Inquisitorial Squad laughed. Arthur was so full of pure rage and hatred that he shook.
"IT'S NONE OF YOUR DAMN BUSINESS WHO I TALK TO!" Arthur roared at her, making Umbridge's slack face tighten.
"Very well." She then said in her most dangerous and falsely sweet voice. "Very well, Mr Pendergast… I offered you the chance to tell me freely. You refused. I have no alternative but to force you. Draco - fetch Professor Snape."
Draco stowed Arthur's wand inside his robes and left with a smirk.
Arthur now felt stupid as he forgot that Snape was also part of the Order of the Phoenix. He could tell him.
There was a silence in the office except for the fidgeting and scuffling from the Slytherins' efforts to keep the others under control. Mike's lip was actually bleeding onto Umbridge's carpet as he struggled against Goyle's grip; Mary was still trying to stamp on the feet of the sixth year girl who had both her upper arms in a tight grip; Neville turned more purple in the face as he tugged at Crabbe's arms and Chrys attempted in vain to throw Millicent Bulstrode off her.
Meanwhile, Luna stood limply by the side of her captor, gazing vaguely out of the window like she was bored.
Arthur looked back at Umbridge, who watched him closely.
His face was deliberately smooth and blank as footsteps were heard outside and Draco came back, holding the door open for Snape.
"You wanted to see me, Headmistress?" Snape said, looking around at the pairs of struggling students with a look of indifference.
"Ah, Professor Snape." Umbridge smiled widely and stood up. "Yes, I would like another bottle of Veritaserum, as quick as you can, please!"
"You took my last bottle to interrogate Pendergast." He said, observing her coolly through the greasy curtains of his 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 does when she's furious.
"Certainly." Snape said with 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?" Umbridge squawked, swelling toadishly. "A month? But I need it this evening, Snape! I have just found Pendergast using my fire to communicate with a person or persons unknown!"
"Really?" Snape said, showing his first, faint sign of any interest as he looked at Arthur. "Well, it doesn't surprise me. Pendergast has never shown much inclination to follow school rules."
His cold, dark eyes bore into Arthur's, who gazed back unflinchingly, concentrating on his dream, willing Snape to read it in his mind.
"I wish to interrogate him!" Umbridge shouted angrily, making Snape look 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…" Snape said smoothly. "...that I have no further stocks of Veritaserum. Unless you wish to poison Pendergast - 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."
Snape looked back at Arthur, who tried to communicate without words.
Voldemort has Sirius in the Department of Mysteries, he thought with true desperation.
"You are on probation!" Umbridge shrieked like a spoiled brat. 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.
Arthur decided to take his last chance to let the Order know what was going on.
"He has Padfoot at the place where it's hidden!" He shouted.
Snape stopped with his hand on Umbridge's door handle.
"Padfoot?" Umbridge cried, looking eagerly from Arthur to Snape. "What is Padfoot? Where what is hidden? What does he mean, Snape?"
Snape looked back at Arthur. His face was inscrutable. Arthur couldn't tell if he understood or not, but he didn't dare to speak more plainly in front of Umbridge.
"I have no idea." Snape said coldly. "Pendergast, 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 then closed the door behind him with a snap, leaving Arthur now hopeless. Snape was his last hope.
He looked back at Umbridge, who felt the same way, her chest heaved with rage and frustration.
"Very well." She said, now pulling 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 to herself into something. She shifted her weight nervously from foot to foot, staring at Arthur, beating her wand against her empty palm and breathing heavily.
"You are forcing me, Pendergast… I do not want to…" Umbridge then said, still moving restlessly on the spot. "...but sometimes circumstances justify the use… I am sure the Minister will understand that I had no choice…."
Draco watched her with a look of hunger.
"The Cruciatus Curse ought to loosen your tongue." She then said quietly.
"NO!" Chrys shrieked. "THAT'S ILLEGAL!"
Umbridge didn't even acknowledge her words as a nasty, eager, excited look came over her. It disturbed Arthur to his core as he felt like he was seeing the true Umbridge: a woman who didn't care for rules and order, instead craving nothing but power and would do anything, even illegal things, to get it. She then raised her wand.
"THE MINISTER WOULDN'T WANT YOU TO BREAK THE LAW!" Chrys cried out.
"What Cornelius doesn't know won't hurt him." Umbridge said, who panted slightly as she pointed her wand at different parts of Arthur's body, like she was deciding where it would hurt the most. "He never knew I ordered Dementors to go after Pendergast last summer, but he was delighted to be given the chance to expel him, all the same."
"I KNEW IT WAS YOU, YOU EVIL HAG!" Arthur spat in absolute fury.
"Somebody had to act." She breathed, pointing her wand directly at Arthur's forehead. "They were all bleating about silencing you somehow - discrediting you - but I was the one who actually did something about it… only you wriggled out of that one, didn't you, Pendergast? Not today, though, not now -" She then took a deep breath and cried "Cruc -"
"NO!" Chrys shouted in a cracked voice from behind Millicent Bulstrode. "Arthur, we have to tell her!"
"NO!" Arthur yelled, staring at the little of Chrys he could see.
"We have no choice, she'll just force it out of you! What's the point?"
Chrys then started crying weakly into the back of Millicent's robes. She stopped trying to squash her against the wall, immediately dodging out of the way, looking disgusted.
"Well, well, well!" Umbridge said triumphantly. "Little Miss Question All is going to give us answers! Come on then, girl, come on!"
"NO!" David shouted through his gag.
Mike looked at her in betrayal; Mary looked at her as though she had never seen her before. Neville, still choking for breath, gazed at her as well.
But then Arthur saw that there weren't any tears on Chrys' face as she sobbed desperately into her hands. This was just an act, one to throw Umbridge off.
"I'm sorry, I just can't stand it." She said.
"That's right, that's right, girl!" Umbridge said as she seized Chrys by the shoulders, thrusting her into the abandoned chintz chair and leaning over her. "Now then… with whom was Pendergast communicating just now?"
"He was trying to speak with Professor Dumbledore." Chrys said.
David froze, his eyes wide. Mary stopped trying to stamp on her captor's toes; and even Luna looked surprised. Mike was surprised at first before a look of understanding replaced it.
Thankfully, Umbridge and her minions were more focused on Chrys to notice their expressions.
"Dumbledore? You know where Dumbledore is, then?" Umbridge asked eagerly.
"We don't!" Chrys sobbed. "We've tried the Leaky Cauldron, the Three Broomsticks, even the Hog's Head -"
"Idiot girl - Dumbledore won't be sitting in a pub when the whole Ministry's looking for him!" Umbridge shouted with disappointment etching every sagging line of her face.
"We had to tell him something important!" Chrys wailed, holding her hands more tightly over her face, just to disguise the lack of tears.
"Yes?" Umbridge said, her excitement now back. "What was it you wanted to tell him?"
"That it's ready!" Chrys choked.
"What's ready?" Umbridge demanded, now grabbing Chrys' shoulders and shook her. "What's ready, girl?"
"The weapon." Chrys replied.
"Weapon? Weapon?" Umbridge repeated, her eyes popping with excitement. "You have been developing some method of resistance? A weapon you could use against the Ministry? On Professor Dumbledore's orders, of course?"
"Y - y - yes." Chrys gasped. "But he left it before it was finished. We've f - finished it for him. We couldn't find him t - t - to tell him!"
"What kind of weapon is it?" Umbridge asked harshly, her stubby fingers still tight on Chrys' shoulder.
"We don't understand it!" Chrys sniffled loudly. "We just did what Dumbledore told us!"
Umbridge then straightened up, looking exultant.
"Lead me to the weapon." She said.
"I'm not showing… them." Chrys said shrilly, looking at the Slytherins through her fingers.
"It is not for you to set conditions." Umbridge said harshly.
"Fine." Chrys now sobbed into her hands again. "Go ahead… let them see it. I hope they use it on you! Heck, I wished you'd invite loads of people to come and see it! That would serve you right. Imagine the whole school knowing what it was, and where it was. And then to learn how to use it. If you annoy them, they'll sort you out!"
Those words had an effect on Umbridge as she glanced swiftly and suspiciously at her Inquisitorial Squad, her bulging eyes resting for a moment on Draco, who was too slow to disguise the look of eagerness and greed on his face.
She contemplated Chrys for another long moment before speaking in what she thought was a motherly voice.
"Alright, let's make it just you and me… and we'll take Pendergast, too, shall we? Get up, now."
"Professor." Draco said eagerly. "Professor Umbridge, I think some of the Squad should come with you to look after -"
"I am a fully qualified Ministry official, Malfoy, do you really think I cannot manage two wandless teenagers alone?" Umbridge asked sharply. "In any case, it does not sound as though this weapon is something that school children should see. You will remain here until I return and make sure none of these -" She gestured towards Mike, David, Mary, Neville and Luna. " - escape."
"Alright." Draco said sulky and disappointed.
"And you two can go ahead of me and show me the way." Umbridge then said, pointing her wand at Arthur and Chrys. "Lead on."
Here we go, things are about to escalate.