Happy Saturday. This later in the day because I am on call and had three visits in three different directions. And the last week has been stressful, just lots of things going on. We have a out of town trip next week and we are trying to move before then because I do not want the creepy guy who bought it to harass my daughter while we are gone.

Chapter 28 The Battle of the Ministry

Most of the 5th and 7th years from Dumbledore's Army produced better practical exam results than their classmates by leaps and bounds. A fact Lavender was thanking Hermione for when Harry and Ron appeared looking breathless. "We need to talk to you," Harry told Hermione. He took her arm and began dragging her away. "The Death Eaters are planning a raid on the Department of Mysteries to steal the prophecy tonight."

"We have to stop them," Ron said urgently, "and get the prophecy."

"We need to tell someone," Hermione told them.

"Who?" demanded Ron. "Dumbledore's gone and that bint put McGonagall in St. Mungo's. We are on our own."

"There's Sirius, Remus, Tonks, your parents," she listed.

In hindsight, Hermione decided, they should have just gone. Instead they and others ended up detained by Umbridge's goons, and dragged into her office. The bright spot remained Hermione punching Parkinson on the face several times. The pug nosed girl stood in Umbridge's office, crying, blood pouring from her nose. "Who were you trying to call, Potter?" demanded Umbridge. Harry mulishly refused to talk. Umbridge summoned Snape. "I need more truth serum."

"You used all of my stock last time. I told you to use three drops, not the entire vial. It takes a month to brew more, Delores."

"He's making a play for the mystery thing. You have to warn them," Harry yelled at Snape's retreating back.

He turned and regarded the teenager, "Did you give him Babbling Beverage? That can't be mixed with truth serum." Snape turned and swept out the room.

A crazy half plan occurred to Hermione. "C'mon, Harry, just tell her. She's going to find out Dumbledore's thing is ready."

"What thing, my dear?" she asked in a syrupy fake voice. Umbridge gestured for Millicent Bulstrode to loosen her grip on Hermione.

"The thing Dumbledore had us working on," Hermione hedged,

"Where is it?" the toad asked eagerly.

"In the forest," whispered Hermione sadly.

Catching on, Ron pulled against Crabbe's hold, yelling out, "Hermione! No!"

Umbridge's toady eyes gleamed, "Take the others to their common room. Granger and Potter will be accompanying me."

The squat woman scurried over the roots and rocks along the dirt paths. She crowed her victory as they went. How Fudge would reward her for delivering Dumbledore's downfall. How easy it had been to outsmart teenagers. That while her ploy to get rid of Harry using dementors failed, this would succeed. She completely missed the looks Harry gave Hermione as she made her way towards the acromantula colony. He worried she intended to lead the witch to a gruesome death. He also worried about his lack of protest. Hoof beats approached, halting their progress. Umbridge pulled her wand, but remained behind the students. Several centaurs entered the clearing. Harry recognized the hostile Roan and Bane instantly. He felt a frisson of fear because the peace keeping Firenze was in the castle having replaced Trewlaney when Umbridge sacked her. "Back, you filthy beasts," sneered the toad. "Back by order of the ministry."

Bane glared, "We do not answer to your ministry within these trees, witch. Hold your tongue."

She raised her wand, her voice becoming tight and shrill, "Stay back, beasts."

Hermione took Harry's hand and tugged him to the side, "This woman, Delores Umbridge, is not under my protection." She ran, dragging Harry behind her. "Let's get out of here." Umbridge's screams of terror filled the forest behind them.

"Um, what are they going to do to her?" asked Harry, concerned.

"That will depend on her and how old they are," she replied.

"What does that mean?"

"The angrier she makes them the more violent they will become. In ancient times they violated women."

"And you're just okay with that?

"Random women, women innocent of crimes who just wandered into their territory? No. That sadistic monster? Absolutely."

"We need to get to the ministry," called Harry deciding to change the subject.

"And we will. However, we have to do things right," she told him. "And we will be notifying adults of where we are going and what we are doing." She took them to the owlery. Harry sent Hedwig off to Sirius telling him their plans.

Ginny, Ron, Luna, Neville, and the twins met them on the steps of the castle. "Are we going or what?" cried Ron.

"Where's Umbitch?" questioned Ginny.

"We are," answered Harry.

"She's busy," Hermione replied to the other question. "Hold hands and close your eyes." Once they obeyed she lead them through a dimension door to the atrium of the ministry. From there the group made their way down to the Department of Mysteries.

Luna marked the doors in the spinning hallway as they attempted to navigate the booby traps. Finally they found the Hall of Prophecy. Harry swiftly located the orb in question. It glowed as he neared. He picked it up and the deep spectral voice of Sybil Trewlaney spoke of the coming of one who could stop Voldemort as the seventh month died. That his parents had defied the dark lord three times.

"I'll be taking that, thank you," a deep voice startled them. They whirled to see Anton Dolohov, Rodolphus Lestrange, and Lucius Malfoy standing behind them.

"I think I'll keep it if it's all the same to you," replied Harry.

Dolohov brandished his wand, "You won't."

With his seeker reflexes Harry whipped the orb to Ron who easily caught it. "Look, you were right, I didn't." The teenagers scattered passing the orb to one another as they raced out of the department. Though luck did not remain on their side. The spinning hallway continued to spit them into side rooms. Lestrange destroyed most of the time turners. One badly timed hexed showered Ron with tentacle brains. At some point Ginny's ankle broke. They all sustained injuries before they reached the lifts.

Death Eater reinforcements attacked in the Death Room, the Order of Phoenix arriving on their heels. The fighting intensified. Hermione noticed the archway housing the Veil. She took a moment to seal it from this side. No one could enter, voluntarily or not. An idea occurred to her. "I stand before the Veil and request aid should any wish to grant it," she whispered next to it. She felt the air stir. She felt knowledge long since lost to the ravages of time and the habit of passing down knowledge orally. The implanting of this lost knowledge being the asked for assistance from beyond the grave.

"Hermione!" Ron's shout drew her attention back to the room. She looked over to see Dolohov staring at her. She turned to face him. She knew her skin glowed, she felt her armor before she realized she summoned it. He shot a bolt of purple light at her. She parried with the blade of her athame, sending it to the floor harmlessly and shot back her own hex. A shaft of moonlight sliced through his shield, striking him in the chest. The following blast of daylight caused him to stagger back. Dolohov recovered and the two began dueling. She did not recognize the voice that cried, "Fall back to the atrium. He's here."

The Death Eaters apparated out, Order members following instantly. The twins looked conflicted. "Go!" shouted Hermione. "We're right behind you." The twins apparated. Hermione created a door for the six teenagers. Neville and Harry helped Ginny limp through. They emerged to battles raging through the atrium. Professor Dumbledore and Lord Voldemort dueling in the center of it. Seeing Rabastan Lestrange sneak up behind Tonks as she squared off with an unknown Death Eater, Hermoine sent a hex his way.

"Oh ho, little girlie wants to play?" he leered at her. "I'm going to enjoy this."

He staggered back from the force of her spell smashing into his face. "That remains to be seen." She easily blocked his return volley. She began stalking towards him. She parried or shielded his attacks. "This is what happens when you're reliant on one form of attack." She sliced through his shield with her blade and kicked him in the stomach. He doubled over. "Incarcerous." Vines, not rope, twisted around his prone form. Hermione looked around for her next opponent.

Shouts of "pull back" and "retreat" filled the air as the floo banks roared to life. Death Eaters fled. Numerous forms littered the atrium floor. Aurors surged forward to collect the fallen and chase the fleeing. New cries of "Voldemort" filled the area. Fudge appeared in time to see the aurors lead Lucius Malfoy away. "What is happening?" A lackey filled him in. "Oh, oh dear."

Before anyone could see who the armor clad person was, Sirius grabbed Hermione and Harry, "We're retreating to Hogwarts." Fred scooped up Ginny and George assisted Neville. Bill transported Luna.

Madame Pomfrey fluttered about treating their injuries. She repaired Ginny's fracture, healed Ron's tentacle marks, and set Neville's nose. They found Umbridge wandering the edge of the forest disheveled, her clothing torn and leaves in her hair. And brought her in. Ron entertained himself making clopping noises to watch her react. She panicked and looked about as if she expected them to appear. The teenagers thought it quite funny. Hermione hoped she learned her lesson.

Sirius reported Rabastan Lestrange, Lucius Malfoy, and seven other Death Eaters Hermione didn't recognize were arrested. The headlines screamed about the battle and arrests the next morning. The initial flash of surprise and anguish on Draco's face tugged at Hermione. His usual sneer swiftly replaced it. The Express buzzed with speculation. Those involved kept to themselves. Hermione encouraged Marcus to be with his friends on the ride, they might need the support.

Her parents arrived home at the beginning of summer. They invited Marcus to dinner, wanting to get to know him better. He seemed nervous. Hermione initially chalked that up to dinner with her parents. "How has your trip been?" he asked the Grangers, ignoring Hermione's concerned looks.

"Rather splendid," said Bethan.

"They've added another twenty-five stops," added Richard. "But we informed them we were keeping our summer break. We can pick up the extra dates after September 1st."

"He missed his bed," joked Bethan.

"Too right," agreed her husband. The conversation remained playful and light through the meal.

After dinner Hermione took Marcus for a walk around the neighborhood. She watched him carefully, waiting to see if he would say something about what weighed on him. When he didn't she took matters into her own hands. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing for you to worry about." He avoided her eyes.

"I call shenanigans. Tell me."

He sighed and ran the hand not holding hers through his hair. "It's nothing really. The ministry knowing he's back means that recruiting has started and they aren't happy with people wanting to be neutral."

"Your dad?" she asked concerned.

Marcus shook his head, "No, he works for the ministry, they don't want him yet, just department heads. No, they've been badgering Felix."

She gasped, "No."

"Yeah. They're focusing on building a financial power base and young soldiers."

"Is there pressure on you?"

"Not as much, I still have a year of schooling. And without influential parents I would be rank and file."

She stopped walking and moved to stand in front of him. "You know I will always support you."

"I do."

"That means you and your family, even your friends, are never without another option. Remember that and remind them."

"Hermione," he started.

She held up a hand to silence him, "If you try to claim I am not involved in this fight I will hit you. Or that you need to protect me from it. I have been in it since I was eleven. It's you and yours that just joined. Unwillingly, I might add. I let you protect me, now you have to let me protect you."

"Okay."

"Say that you will let me protect you," she ordered.

"I will let you protect me."

"Keep me in the loop, please," she requested.

"I will," he promised.

But the Slytherin that appeared on her doorstep in distress was not a Flint. A visibly shaken Theo rang the bell one afternoon. "My father remarried," he said without preamble or greeting.

She stepped aside and opened the door wider to invite him in, "You don't seem

pleased. Come in, I'll make you a cuppa."

"Thanks." He sat at the kitchen table staring sightlessly out the windows as she filled the electric kettle. She prepped two cups and waited for the water to boil. Not even the screech of the teapot broke into his thoughts. She put the cup down and sat across from him, gently blowing on her drink. She waited patiently for him to be ready to speak. "I don't know why, but he's married Mavis Wilkes. She's twenty and very pretty. I mean, I know that's why, I just don't know why he married her. He's always been content with flings and mistresses before."

Hermione intended to let him talk, but the flash of intuition tumbled from her lips before she could stop it, "She seduced him. They instructed her to get him on board. She decided to bag herself a rich husband for her troubles." He stared at her. "Sorry, meant to keep that to myself."

"It's the same thing I was thinking. She's made her intention to give him more sons and replace me very clear. Especially if I don't serve her master."

"Hard to do if she doesn't have sons," remarked Hermione.

Theo stared at her in shock, "Can you control that?"

"Not with perfect accuracy. But the things I prepare will be stronger than any fertility potion she might use. And that increases our odds of succeeding."

"How?"

"First, mine will be all natural and work with the body. Second, it will ensure more of the sperm produced are female."

"Again, how?" calmer, he sipped his tea.

"You're going to replace all tea in the house with the blends I give you. One will be spearmint and chaste berry. It will promote conception of girls and conception overall. But I will give it a kick increasing potency. The other will be ginger tea. That increases libido. The more sex they have the more male sperm will be wasted, for lack of a better term, before ovulation. Have the elves give her the spearmint and chaste berry and your father the ginger. We'll have her pop out a few girls. She'll be less driven for more children chasing a replacement son once she's dealing with a few kids."

"You're forgetting nanny elves," Theo pointed out.

"You'll instruct them to double check everything with her, lest they accidentally do the wrong thing before caring for the babies. If she makes herself as unpopular with them as I expect her to, they will leap at the chance to annoy her. Imply to them your father would want them to."

"You are diabolical," he told her, his eyes wide in appreciation.

"I know. Let's go see my Nain. She'll have the herbs at her shop or in her greenhouse." Theo departed in better spirits than he arrived.