The Dream Trilogy Book Two: Tread On My Dreams (A Harry Potter FanFiction)

Chapter Forty Two

Chapter Forty Two

Draco really didn't want to follow the portrait of the young blonde woman. Not only was he abandoning Harry and his friends when they probably needed to stay together the most, but Lady Elizabeth was extremely tedious. 

"Oh do 'urry up," she moaned in her thick West Country accent. "I ain't got all day." 

"You're a painting," puffed Hermione, struggling with a basic breaststroke. "What else have you got to do?" 

Lizzy ignored her as she hopped between half visible frames. Draco turned to glance at the rest of the party as they made their way around the opposite end of the corridor. Harry turned too, and the pair shared a weak smile before plunging down their respective hallways. They didn't know how long it would be before someone thought to check outside Courtroom Ten, and Level Nine would be the first place they'd look. 

Draco and Hermione followed Lady Cockleton towards the stairs. It was terribly nerve wracking being out in the open like they were, but they'd already agreed to duck under the water at the first hint of any noise. Now all Draco had to worry about was how long he could hold his breath. 

They reached the stairs without any incident though, and hastily fought against the water teeming down the steps to reach Level Eight.  

Level Eight held the Ministry of Magic's Atrium, and once they left the stairwell Draco and Hermione sloshed down a short entrance hall that ended in a large pair of wrought iron gates, behind which could be seen a jungle paradise. Draco headed straight for the bars and peered through, curious to see if the magical creatures inside were in suspended animation like the Ministry employees. It wasn't long before he spied several pixies frozen amongst the foliage, and a cross looking niffler halfway between poking the water around him in distain.  

"'Ere you go then," said Lizzy, bored. "This is the one you want." Draco turned round to see Hermione entering into an office to the left of the Atrium gates, water sweeping in around her as she pushed open the door. 

"Do you have any idea at all where the short cut might be?" asked Hermione. "Otherwise we could be here for hours and might be better trying to take the stairs." 

Lady Elizabeth, gave a loud, shrill giggle, hand on her chest, eyes looking wildly about. "As if know," she said, embarrassed, then fled off down the corridor.  

"Well she was about as much use as a chocolate tea pot," said Draco scornfully. 

Hermione huffed, hands on hips, then turned back towards Tandy Spinks office and entered. Draco followed, shaking excess water from his dripping clothes and sweeping his hair back from his eyes. Even though the water was only ankle deep it was swirling around at quite a rate and made it pretty difficult to wade through. 

As soon as he reached the door's threshold Draco stopped. The water had rushed in and moved the items that had been on the floor, but the rest of the office was pretty intact. And a complete and utter pigsty.  

"How are we supposed to find anything in here," cried Draco at Hermione, who had already started rummaging under a pile of grotty looking clothes. "It looks like a natural disaster!" 

Loose parchment was strewn over every possible flat surface the office had to offer. The walls were covered in white boards which in turn were covered in writing of all kinds of different colours. Three calendars were pinned to the wall, all from different years and displaying different months. There were boxes of various different animal pellets and food stuffs, including a glass jar of live locus. A greasy old bike was propped up under the 'window' (which showed a starry night scene even though they were eight floors underground) and from the bike hung a number of pairs of socks and leads that looks like they went round the necks of very large animals. Numerous cheep looking toys and gadgets that probably came from the insides of Christmas crackers were scattered across the desk and shelves, and there were so many books on magical zoology lying half open everywhere Draco lost count. The bin floated into his shin, causing him to look down, and that's when he realised several dozen fish must have escaped from the now empty tank lying on its side on the carpet, as they were nibbling at his jeans.