─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
The room was completely silent. Clara stared at Ron trying to think of anything to get them out. The capturers still held tight to their cloaks, and Harry and Hermione were bound to need some help. Ron nodded his head to his left. It was such a small movement that Clara wondered for a moment if she had imagined it. She looked towards that direction and saw their wands piled up. Clara nodded her head slightly, and turned to look at Draco with sad eyes.
"Draco. Can't you let us sit down? My legs are tired." A scoff echoed through the room.
"Not a chance. Can't trust traitors like you, can I?"
"You know I'm not one of them. Please, Draco."
Draco finally looked at her and Clara tried her best to look trusting. She could see his mind turning and smiled when he nodded.
"Fine, but only you."
Clara's hood was released and she quickly scrambled to a seat. The wands were at least two feet away, how would she get them without anyone noticing? She ran her finger along the arm of the chair and examined its pink cloth. She stole a glance at Ron who flashed some weird hand gesture at her. Just as soon as his hand moved back he was looking up.
"Look! It's Harry!"
Each member of the Inquisitorial Squad let go of their captive and ran to Ron, looking up at the ceiling. Idiots. Clara gripped the wands, rushing them into the hands of their owners.
"Stupefy!" she shouted, trying her best to avoid Ron. Luckily, the ginger ducked to the ground. The rest of the group shouted out various spells until the whole squad was unconscious or unable to follow them.
The group ran out, only stopping once they had gotten to Hagrid's hut. They paused, forming a small circle. Clara handed Ron his and Hermione's wand.
"Thanks guys. I really hoped you would pick up on my plan."
"We didn't. We're just not stupid enough to think you could see Harry through a ceiling." Ginny said.
Ron's cheeks reddened slightly and the group continued to the edge of the forest. Two figures were pulling themselves up from the ground.
"Well, we can't do anything without wands," said Hermione hopelessly, "Anyway, Harry, how exactly were you planning to get all the way to London?"
"Yeah, we were just wondering that," said Ron. The group looked quite terrible, there were several long scratches running the length of Ginny's cheek, a large purple lump was swelling above Neville's right eye, Ron's lip was bleeding worse than ever, and Clara's nose still hadn't stopped bleeding from her capture. Apparently punching ladies was highly encouraged in Umbridge's club.
"So," said Ron, pushing aside a low-hanging branch, "had any ideas?"
"How did you get away?" asked Harry in amazement.
"Couple of Stunners, a Disarming Charm, Neville brought off a really nice little Impediment Jinx," said Ron airily, now handing back Hermione's wand. "But Ginny was best, she got Malfoy — Bat Bogey Hex — it was superb, his whole face was covered in the great flapping things. Anyway, we saw you heading into the forest out of the window and followed. What've you done with Umbridge?"
"She got carried away," said Harry. "By a herd of centaurs."
"And they left you behind?" asked Ginny, looking astonished.
"No, they got chased off by Grawp," said Harry.
"Who's Grawp?" Luna asked interestedly.
"Hagrid's little brother," said Ron promptly. "Anyway, never mind that now. Harry, what did you find out in the fire? Has You-Know-Who got Sirius or — ?"
"Yes, and I'm sure Sirius is still alive, but I can't see how we're going to get there to help him."
They all fell silent, looking rather scared. The problem facing them seemed insurmountable.
"Well, we'll have to fly, won't we?" said Luna in the closest thing to a matter-of-fact voice Clara had ever heard her use.
"Okay," said Harry irritably, rounding on her, "first of all, 'we' aren't doing anything if you're including yourself in that, and second of all, Ron's the only one with a broomstick that isn't being guarded by a security troll, so —"
"I've got a broom!" said Ginny.
"Yeah, but you're not coming," said Ron angrily.
"Excuse me, but I care what happens to Sirius as much as you do!" said Ginny, her jaw set so that her resemblance to Fred and George was suddenly striking.
"You're too —" Harry began.
"I'm three years older than you were when you fought You-Know-Who over the Sorcerer's Stone," she said fiercely, "and it's because of me Malfoy's stuck back in Umbridge's office with giant flying bogeys attacking him —"
"Yeah, but —"
"We were all in the D.A. together," said Neville quietly. "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 —" said Harry impatiently.
"Then we should come too," said Neville simply. "We want to help."
"That's right," said Luna, smiling happily.
"You are going to die without us." Clara said, earning herself a glare from Harry. "What? I'm just being honest. We've all been trained, we're ready."
"Well, it doesn't matter anyway," said Harry frustratedly, "because we still don't know how to get there —"
"I thought we'd settled that?" said Luna maddeningly. "We're flying!"
"Look," said Ron, barely containing his anger, "you might be able to fly without a broomstick but the rest of us can't sprout wings whenever we —"
"There are other ways of flying than with broomsticks," said Luna serenely.
"I s'pose we're going to ride on the back of the Kacky Snorgle or whatever it is?" Ron demanded.
"Hey!" Clara said, stepping forward. Luna patted her hand and took a deep breath.
"The Crumple-Horned Snorkack can't fly," said Luna in a dignified voice, "but they can, and Hagrid says they're very good at finding places their riders are looking for."
Clara whirled around. Standing between two trees, their white eyes gleaming eerily, were two thestrals, watching the whispered conversation as though they understood every word.
"Yes!" Harry whispered, moving toward them. They tossed their reptilian heads, throwing back long black manes, and Harry stretched out his hand eagerly and patted the nearest one's shining neck.
"Is it those mad horse things?" said Ron uncertainly, staring at a point slightly to the left of the thestral Harry was patting. "Those ones you can't see unless you've watched someone snuff it?"
"Yeah," said Harry.
"How many?"
"Just two."
"Well, we need three," said Hermione, who was still looking a little shaken, but determined just the same.
"Four, Hermione," said Ginny, scowling.
"I think there are seven of us, actually," said Luna calmly, counting.
"Don't be stupid, we can't all go!" said Harry angrily. "Look, you four" — he pointed at Clara, Neville, Ginny, and Luna — "you're not involved in this, you're not —"
They burst into more protests. There was no way they could keep up this battle, not if they wanted to find Sirius alive.
"Okay, fine, it's your choice," he said curtly. "But unless we can find more thestrals you're not going to be able —"
"Oh, more of them will come," said Ginny confidently, who like Ron was squinting in quite the wrong direction, apparently under the impression that she was looking at the horses.
"What makes you think that?"
"Because in case you hadn't noticed, you and Hermione are both covered in blood," she said coolly, "and we know Hagrid lures thestrals with raw meat, so that's probably why these two turned up in the first place. . . ."
"Okay, then," he said. "Ron and I will take these two and go ahead, and Hermione can stay here with you four and she'll attract more thestrals —"
"I'm not staying behind!" said Hermione furiously.
"There's no need," said Luna, smiling. "Look, here come more now. You two must really smell..."
Indeed three more approached, slowly and calmly. One came right up to Clara and licked her nose. Although it was certainly disgusting, Clara smiled. The creature was oddly comforting.
"All right." Harry said. "We've got five, we can double up and someone can ride alone."
"I call riding alone!" Luna said, jumping onto one of the thestrals, petting its shiny head.
Harry approached Clara and faced her. He wiped some of the remaining blood from her nose. Everyone else had already paired up, Ginny and Neville and Hermione and Ron, it seemed Clara would have to ride with Harry.
"Are you ok?"
"Of course I am. And you?" Harry shrugged. His appearance was certainly a sight to behold. He had many scratches on his neck and face and dirt covered at least a third of his face.
"Well then, let's go."
Harry nodded and helped Clara onto the thestral. He hopped on behind her and nodded at the rest of the group. Their flights began to take off and Clara gripped the thestral tightly, hoping she wasn't pulling too hard. Harry's arms wrapped around her waist and Clara could feel herself blush at his touch.
With a sweeping movement that nearly unseated her, the wings on either side of the creature extended, the horse crouched slowly and then rocketed upward so fast and so steeply that Clara had to clench her arms and legs tightly around the horse to avoid sliding backward over its bony rump. Harry's grip around her tightened as well. Clara closed her eyes and put her face down into the horse's silky mane as they burst through the topmost branches of the trees and soared out into a blood red sunset. Clara did not think she had ever moved so fast: The thestral streaked over the castle, its wide wings hardly beating. The cooling air was slapping Clara's face; eyes screwed up against the rushing wind, she looked around and saw her five fellows soaring along in front of her, each of them bent as low as possible. They were over the Hogwarts grounds, they had passed Hogsmeade.
"I've got something to tell you." Harry said, slightly yelling.
"Ok, what is it?"
"Well seeing as we're about to die, I figured I might as well get this out..." he started. Clara's stomach dropped, and it wasn't just because the thestral had dived about fifty feet. "I'm pretty sure I fancy you."
"You're pretty sure?"
"Of course you would find fault in this situation."
"Well, it just seems like you would want to be sure before you tell someone that! Besides, I highly doubt that-"
"Ok, I'm sure. I'm mad for you."
"This is bizarre!" Clara heard Ron yell from somewhere in front of them, and she imagined how it must feel to be speeding along at this height with no visible means of support. . . Her mind quickly got back on pace and she pondered Harry's confession.
"You've got some really foul timing, you know that?"
"Really? I had no idea."
Clara laughed and the two stayed in silence. Twilight fell: The sky turned to a light, dusky purple littered with tiny silver stars, and soon it was only the lights of Muggle towns that gave them any clue of how far from the ground they were or how very fast they were traveling. Clara's arms were wrapped tightly around his horse's neck as she willed it to go even faster.
"So...."
"So?"
"What do you think?" Harry said as the wind whipped through Clara's hair. She sighed and thought for a moment.
"We would never work, Harry."
"Why's that?"
"We fight all the time! I'm pretty sure you'd rather kill me than snog me, and I can't even imagine what the others would think. Besides, my father would never let me..."
"So it's not because you don't have feelings for me then?"
"Godric, of course I like you Harry! But, we just can't. I'm sorry, truly I am."
"I think you're just scared."
"I am not sca-"
"Ok here me out, we get out of this thing alive, you'll go on a date with me. Just one, and if it goes to shit then we'll leave it at that."
Clara thought for a moment. She wanted nothing more than to accept Harry's offer, but her heart and mind were in a battle over her response. Clara's stomach gave a jolt. The thestral's head was suddenly pointing toward the ground and she had actually slid forward a few inches along its neck. They were descending at last. . .
And now bright orange lights were growing larger and rounder on all sides. They could see the tops of buildings, streams of headlights like luminous insect eyes, squares of pale yellow that were windows.Quite suddenly, it seemed, they were hurtling toward the pavement. Clara gripped the thestral with every last ounce of her strength, braced for a sudden impact, but the horse touched the dark ground as lightly as a shadow and Clara slid from his back, looking around at the street where the overflowing dumpster still stood a short way from the vandalized telephone box, both drained of color in the flat orange glare of the streetlights. Ron landed a short way away and toppled immediately off his thestral onto the pavement.
"Never again," he said, struggling to his feet. He made as though to stride away from his thestral, but, unable to see it, collided with its hindquarters and almost fell over again. "Never, ever again . . . that was the worst —"
Clara petted the animal carefully before Harry returned to her side, eager for a response.
"Fine. Just one. Now let's go kick Voldy's ass."
Harry chuckled and walked over to Ron. Luna and Ginny touched down on either side of Clara. Both slid off their mounts a little more gracefully than Ron, though with similar expressions of relief at being back on firm ground. Neville jumped down, shaking and Ginny kindly consoled him for a moment before the group was ready to take action.
"Where do we go from here, then?" Luna asked Harry in a politely interested voice, as though this was all a rather interesting day-trip.
"Over here," he said. He gave his thestral a quick, grateful pat, then led the way quickly to the battered telephone box and opened the door. "Come on!" he urged the others as they hesitated.
Ron and Ginny marched in obediently; while Clara, Hermione, Neville, and Luna squashed themselves in after them; Harry took one glance back at the thestrals, now foraging for scraps of rotten food inside the dumpster, then forced himself into the box after Luna.
"Whoever's nearest the receiver, dial six two four four two!" he said. Ron did it, his arm bent bizarrely to reach the dial. As it whirred back into place the cool female voice sounded inside the box, "Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your name and business."
"Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger," Harry said very quickly, "Ginny Weasley, Clara Dupont, Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood . . . We're here to save someone, unless your Ministry can do it first!"
"Thank you," said the cool female voice. "Visitors, please take the badges and attach them to the front of your robes." Seven shiny badges slid out of the metal chute where returned coins usually appeared. Hermione scooped them up and handed them mutely to Harry over Ginny's head.
"Visitor to the Ministry, you are required to submit to a search and present your wand for registration at the security desk, which is located at the far end of the Atrium."
"Fine!" Harry said loudly, as his scar gave another throb. "Now can we move?" The floor of the telephone box shuddered and the pavement rose up past the glass windows of the telephone box. The scavenging thestrals were sliding out of sight, blackness closed over their heads, and with a dull grinding noise they sank down into the depths of the Ministry of Magic. A chink of soft golden light hit their feet and, widening, rose up their bodies. The group all grabbed their wands, preparing for any sudden attack. There was no one in the Atrium when they arrived, and the light was dimmer than it had been by day. There were no fires burning under the mantelpieces set into the walls.
"The Ministry of Magic wishes you a pleasant evening," said the woman's voice. The door of the telephone box burst open; Harry toppled out of it, followed by Neville and Luna. The only sound in the Atrium was the steady rush of water from the golden fountain, where jets from the wands of the witch and wizard, the point of the centaur's arrow, the tip of the goblin's hat, and the house-elf's ears continued to gush into the surrounding pool. "Come on," said Harry quietly and the seven of them sprinted off down the hall, Harry in the lead, past the fountain, toward the desk where the security man usually resided. The position was deserted. Harry pressed the nearest down button and a lift clattered into sight almost immediately, the golden grilles slid apart with a great, echoing clanking, and they dashed inside. Harry stabbed the number nine button, the grilles closed with a bang, and the lift began to descend, jangling and rattling. The lift halted, the cool female voice said, "Department of Mysteries," and the grilles slid open again, they stepped out into the corridor where nothing was moving but the nearest torches, flickering in the rush of air from the lift.
"Let's go." Harry whispered. The group followed his lead and stopped merely six feet in front of a door.
"Maybe . . . maybe a couple of people should stay here as a —as a lookout, and —"
"And how're we going to let you know something's coming?" asked Ginny, her eyebrows raised. "You could be miles away."
"We're coming with you, Harry," said Neville.
"Let's get on with it," said Ron firmly. Harry paused for a moment before turning to face the door and walking forward. The group entered the room. They were standing in a large, circular room. Everything in here was black including the floor and ceiling — identical, unmarked, handle-less black doors were set at intervals all around the black walls, interspersed with branches of candles whose flames burned blue, their cool, shimmering light reflected in the shining marble floor so that it looked as though there was dark water underfoot.
"Someone shut the door," Harry muttered. Clara gripped the handle and pushed the door back into place. She regretted following the order immediately. Without the long chink of light from the torch-lit corridor behind them, the place became so dark that for a moment the only things they could see were the bunches of shivering blue flames on the walls and their ghostly reflections in the floor below. There were around a dozen doors here. Suddenly there was a great rumbling noise and the candles began to move sideways. The circular wall was rotating. The group steadied themselves. Clara tried to focus on the door they entered from, but found herself getting queasy from the rotation.
Clara gripped Luna's hand, she was worried the floor might begin to rotate as well. The circular wall became a blur, and all that was visible was a blue streak from the torches. Just as soon as the room had begun to spin, it stopped.
Clara had blue streaks burned into the back of her eyelids. She blinked many times, but the faint light seemed to linger there.
"What was that about?" whispered Ron fearfully.
"I think it was to stop us knowing which door we came in from," said Clara in a hushed voice.
"How're we going to get back out?" said Neville uncomfortably.
"Well, that doesn't matter now," said Harry forcefully, clutching his wand tighter than ever. "We won't need to get out till we've found Sirius —"
"Don't go calling for him, though!" Hermione said urgently.
"Where do we go, then, Harry?" Ron asked.
"I don't —" Harry began. He swallowed. "In the dreams I went through the door at the end of the corridor from the lifts into a darkroom — that's this one — and then I went through another door into a room that kind of . . . glitters. We should try a few doors," he said hastily. "I'll know the right way when I see it. C'mon." He marched straight at the door now facing him, the others following close behind him, set his left hand against its cool, shining surface, raised his wand, and pushed. It swung open easily.
After the darkness of the first room, the lamps hanging low on golden chains from this ceiling gave the impression that this long rectangular room was much brighter, though there were no glittering, shimmering lights such as Harry had described.
There was only a single glass tank in the room, filled with green water. The group walked towards the case slowly. Neville tapped it and one of the objects moved slightly.
"What are those things?" Ginny asked. Clara gulped as she bent down to examine the objects more closely.
"Those are brains."