Alexandra Weasley: Book 5

60

"Excuse me, but I care what happens to Sirius as much as you do!"

"You're too-" Harry began, but Ginny cut him off fiercely.

"I'm three years older than you were when you fought You-Know-Who over the Philosopher's Stone, and it's because of me that Nott's stuck back in Umbridge's office with giant flying bogies attacking him."

"Yeah, but-"

"We were all in the DA together," Neville saidquietly. "It was all supposed to be about fighting You-Know-Who, wasn't it? And this is the first chance we've had to do something real. Or was that all just a game or something?"

"No- of course it wasn't-" Harry tried, impatiently.

"Then we should come too," said Neville simply. "We want to help."

"That's right," said Luna, smiling happily.

"Okay, I'm kind of feeling inspired too. If I ignore the fact that we're going to save Sirius Black of all people, I can almost pretend this is just so we go after Voldemort."

"Why do you hate him so much?" Ginny asked.

"Because he's an arse." She huffed. She looked around. "We can't all fit on Saph, though."

"Two of us could." Hermione offered.

"The rest of us could ride on Thestrals." Luna offered.

"That could work. I can rush back and get some meat from the kitchens, to make sure they follow orders and to keep them well fed for the journey."

"Hurry." Hermione agreed.

"I'll call Saph on the way. She'll meet you here."

I thought you weren't much for adventure. Saphira said happily in her mind and Alex grinned.

"I'm not. Enjoy this because it'll probably be the only adventure you get. Come on. Stay above the clouds."

"Can we talk about Magorian knowing about Hammer?" Hermione asked behind her. She'd opted to ride on Saphira with Alex than an invisible horse she couldn't see.

"Apparently, after I used her runes to help Venus deliver Kichiro safely, um, they sensed it. They knew legends or something."

Harry led them into the ministry confidently, sure he knew where he was going.
They made it into a room and Alex was drawn to the veil on the crumbling dais. She didn't realise she wasn't the only one until Harry edged around it.
"This isn't right." Hermione called to them. "Come on, let's go."

She ended up turning everyone out for a little while. "Can't anyone else hear it?" Harry demanded, snapping her out of her daze.

"I can hear them too," Luna breathed. "There are people in there!"

"Dead people." Alex said quietly. "Hermione's right, we should go."

She tore herself away from the veil, afraid of being drawn into the voices and looked around the room. There were a great many amount of doors.

"This is it!" Harry called opening a door to a bright room, full of clocks. So many clocks, Alex was sure every inhabitants of Hogwarts castle could get one and there'd still be some left over. "This way!" He continued.

"Oh, look!" Ginny pointed at the heart of the bell jar. There was a tiny, jewel-bright egg inside. As it rose in the jar, it cracked open and a hummingbird emerged, which was carried to the very top of the jar, but as it fell on the draught its feathers became bedraggled and damp again, and by the time it had been borne back to the bottom of the jar it had been enclosed once more in its egg.

"Keep going!" Harry lashed out sharply.

"You dawdled enough by that old arch!" She retorted crossly, but followed him past the bell jar to the only door behind it.

"This is it," Harry said again, "it's through here-"

He glanced around at them all; they had their wands out and looked suddenly serious and anxious. He looked back at the door and pushed. It swung open.

The room was large. Humongous. Of course Alex had seen bigger, but it was impressively big. And cold.

"We need to go right, I think," Hermione whispered, squinting to the next row. "Yes... that's fifty-four..."

"Keep your wands ready," Harry said softly.

They crept forward, glancing behind them as they went on down the long alleys of shelves, the further ends of which were in near-total darkness. Tiny, yellowing labels had been stuck beneath each glass orb on the shelves. Some of them had a weird, liquid glow; others were as dull and dark within as blown light bulbs. They passed row after row until-

"Ninety-seven!"

They stood grouped around the end of the row, gazing down the alley beside it. There was nobody there.

"He's right down at the end," Harry promised. Alex was beginning to get a sinking feeling. "You can't see properly from here."

And he led them between the towering rows of glass balls, some of which glowed softly as they passed.

"He should be near here," Harry seemed convinced that every step was going to bring the ragged form of Sirius into view on the darkened floor. "Anywhere here... really close."

"Harry?" Hermione called tentatively, but he did not respond.

"Somewhere about... here..." he said.

They had reached the end of the row and emerged into more dim candlelight, There was nobody there. All was echoing, dusty silence.

"He might be..." Harry whispered hoarsely, peering down the next alley. "Or maybe..." He hurried to look down the one beyond that.

"Harry?" Hermione called again.

"What?" He snarled.

"I- I don't think Sirius is here."

"I called it. It's a trap." Alex huffed.

A/N- I love Alex's remarks lmfao. Anyways, we're at the ministry. Three chapters to go, yikes.

Favourite line is "Oh well we tried. Can we go back now?"