"She what?" Rose asked.
"She left," the receptionist said casually. "She was checked out a few hours ago, actually."
"Wait, you said she was checked out. Who checked her out? Her father?" Colin asked.
"I heard it was quite a commotion, really," the receptionist said conspiratorially. "The headmaster was taken to the Ministry by the guards and the muggle girl was apparated away by that Slytherin professor. She'll lose her post for this, I bet."
Rose held her tongue. She knew that the professor was taking care of Sam. "Thanks", she said, and pulled Colin to the exit. "We need to get to the Ministry."
"But that is where they took the headmaster," Colin said. "We need to find Sam."
"I'm not going to the Ministry to find the headmaster," Rose said. "We're going to see my dad."
"I swear, that is the worst receptionist in the world!" Rose exclaimed minutes later as her father came to meet them in the atrium of the Ministry.
"Joanne? She's not so bad," Dennis Creevey said. After a moment, he looked at his daughter and her best friend, Colin. Dennis loved the idea that he'd been named after Colin Creevey, a hero who died in the battle, but it did make him miss his brother. Colin should not have died in the war and left Dennis to grow old alone.
Everyone thought that Dennis did a great job of running the Daily Prophet, and even though he was a little dreamy, people trusted him and respected what he'd done after the war, mostly working to bring people back together. He was a champion of stopping the house sorting and giving the students the ability to choose where they wanted to go as first years, and the ability to change houses if they wanted. Now they were just dormitories. He doted on his youngest daughter and he'd do anything she wanted. It was something that Rose counted on.
"Dad," Rose started patiently, regretting that she mentioned anything about that terrible receptionist. "I need you to get us to Hogwarts. Quickly. That girl, Sam, that I told you about, the Muggle, I think she is in trouble."
Dennis thought for a moment. "There is a way, but we are going to have to go quickly. Follow me." He walked towards the bank of elevators and stepped into the first open one. He pushed a combination of buttons and the elevator raced downwards.
The elevator stopped abruptly enough that Rose and Colin almost lost their footing. They exited on a deserted floor filled with rows and rows of shelves. Dennis walked through them without hesitation, and quickly. Colin saw odds and ends on the shelves; a monkey's fist, a telescope, a crystal ball, a torn journal, until they came to what looked like a small cupboard.
"Open it up," Dennis said. "but first, hold hands."
Rose opened the cupboard and all it had in it was a tiny broomstick. The minute she touched it, she knew it was a portkey.
"Where are we?" Colin asked as he leaned against the outside wall of a building. He looked around the side and then said, "Oh. We're in Hogsmeade." Rose was a little woozy after taking a portkey that distance. She didn't like portkeys or apparating, and tried to keep anyone from knowing it. Of course everyone knew and quietly worried about her learning to apparate next year. Colin helped her to get around the corner and she shrugged him off and marched forward into the street.
"What's that commotion?" Rose said as they walked towards Hogwarts. There was no reason to stay in town, because of course the professor would have taken Sam to Hogwarts for safe keeping.
They came across a group of about five people standing around a figure on the ground. Colin walked up and realized who it was. "It's Ron Weasley," he whispered to Rose, although she already knew from the chatter of the bystanders.
"Getoffame!" Ron shouted as he came to. He was angry and still had the same drunken fight in him that he did when Hannah took him down. "What did you do?" he shouted as he grabbed a man in a maroon velvet jacket. The man pushed him away easily and Ron staggered back and bumped into Rose.
"You!" he shouted at Rose. "I was supposed to bring you in. Somebody ambushed me. Who did it?" Ron grabbed Rose by the collar and held her like a hostage while waving his wand at the crowd. "Answer me!"
"Let her go!" Colin shouted and the blast from Ron's wand knocked him off his feet.
Rose was too terrified to think about what to do. Ron was dangerous and whatever subdued him wasn't worn off. He could barely stand up much less keep from hurting someone else. "Please let me go, I need to help Colin," she said.
"You're not going anywhere," Ron said. "I'm supposed to bring you back to Percy."
Rose heard someone shout "Expelliarmus!" and Ron's wand flew out of his hand.
"Ronald Weasley, we will have no more of that," an old woman who was carrying a basket of apples said as she walked into the circle of people. "I brought you up to be a respectable citizen and here you are making a right fool of yourself on my market day. Pick up your wand and let's go home. I'm going to have your father deal with you. I swear, I never would have figured you to be the one to embarrass the family." She waited for Ron to get his wand, and then the two of them apparated away, leaving the small crowd to gossip wildly.
Rose rushed over to Colin who was slowly recovering on the ground. "Are you ok?" she asked as she awkwardly took his hand in hers.
Colin shook his head a little and looked up into her face. "I'm better now," he said.