𝐬𝐞𝐩 𝟐 𝟏𝟗𝟗𝟕
the plan was finally in motion.
yunhee had dreamt of it. although it was only small snippets, it was probably the most important ones. she knew they would get the locket, but she also knew something was going to go wrong because she saw her friends distressed faces.
she didn't know if she should still tell them about the dreams, so she just didn't. she stood, silently with them in front of the unconscious bodies on the floor as renjun handed them all flasks of polyjuice potion that he had brewed. he was best at it.
"alright. remember, do not speak to anyone unless absolutely necessary. try to act normal and follow everyone else." he said.
"how come i get this guy?" chenle whined, after turning into a fairly young-looking man with shoulder-length hair and a scar on his neck.
"at least you didn't get this hag." yunhee muttered.
"yunhee." jeno gasped, nudging her.
"woohoo. slytherin yunhee is back." chenle cheered and got disapproving looks from them all.
"i thought we agreed not to say that anymore? anyway, i wouldn't be rude to someone for no reason. after knocking that woman out, i searched her pockets and found this..." yunhee showed them a pink pamphlet with writing in bold. "mudbloods and the dangers they pose to a peaceful pureblood society... hm."
"maybe she was going to throw it away?" jeno suggested.
the girl sighed and pointed to a name at the bottom of the pamphlet. "it was written by her."
"oh."
"let's just go now." renjun said, heading for the exit. they followed behind him as he guided them to some stairs that led to underground toilets.
"i'll see you guys on the other side." yunhee joked, making her way to the stairs on the other side that had a big sign saying 'LADIES' over it.
she entered one of the stalls that were tiled in grimy black and white, staring at the toilet in front of her. pinching her nose, she dipped her feet into the toilet and pulled the switch for the flush. she felt herself spin around before appearing in a fireplace inside the ministry.
she did as renjun had said and followed the crowd, but came to an abrupt stop when she noticed the fountain, that would usually be in the middle of the ministry, had been replaced by a horrid statue of naked bodies of muggles twisted and pressed together to hold up a witch and wizard on a throne. she had quickly caught onto what the statue was depicting and felt sick to her stomach.
"yun..." chenle muttered from behind her.
"they're muggles in a degrading and humiliating position as all these people believe they deserve to be." yunhee said. "i feel sick."
"don't freak out right now guys. we need to get through this quick and while looking as normal as possible." mark told them. "renjun, how long did you say this potion would last again?"
"i actually didn't..."
"let's get a move on then." jeno said, starting to make his way to where the elevators were. he knew because he had visited the ministry several times with his father.
they got into the elevator, hoping for it to close before anyone else could join them. but luck wasn't on their side.
"cattermole." a man with platinum blonde hair called, placing his hand by the elevators doorway to stop it from closing. "it's still raining inside my office. that's two days now."
"have you tried an umbrella?" chenle asked, earning a sharp glare from the man.
"you do realise i'm going downstairs, don't you, cattermole?"
"downstairs?" jeno asked.
"to interrogate your wife. now, if my wife's blood status were in doubt and the head of the department of magical law enforcement needed a job doing, i think i might just make that a priority. you have one hour." he said, his voice getting huskier by the second.
he turned on his heels, freeing the elevator gates so that it could close. it jolted back and then up, shaking and rattling.
"you poor wife is all alone downstairs. what are you going to do?" mark asked, frowning.
"mark, i don't have a wife." jeno replied.
"oh, yeah..."
yunhee and chenle in the back of the elevator started cracking up at this, yunhee smacking chenle's shoulder while laughing and chenle trying to escape into the corner while holding in his loud laughs, but every time he looked at his best friend who was disguised as an old lady, he couldn't help the dolphin-like laughs. renjun rolled his eyes at the two, telling them to stop, as the elevator zoomed forwards and came to a stop.
"but how do i stop it raining?" jeno asked.
"finite incantatem might work." yunhee told him, having stopped her laughter.
"department of magical law enforcement and improper use of magic department." the elevator said, opening the gates.
"good luck, jeno." mark said, pushing him out. "you're really going to need it."
"wait. i'll join you." chenle hurried out the elevator, joining the fellow hufflepuff.
"stay safe, you two." yunhee called.
"will do. finite incantatem, right?" jeno repeated and she nodded. "okay. and if that doesn't work?"
the gates closed again before anyone could reply, jolting the elevator back and down until it came to a stop, yunhee knocking into mark's back.
"sorry." she mumbled.
"ah... melanie cratchit, how lovely to see you." umbridge's voice rang in their ears as she got in beside them. she turned to mark and renjun, looking them up and down. "albert, wilfred, aren't you getting out?"
mark resisted the urge to turn around and look at yunhee to see if she was alright, so he stiffly walked out the doorway. renjun gave her hand a quick squeeze then followed after him to find umbridge's office.
the gates shut and yunhee's heart pace quickened, but she hid her anxiousness well. she wasn't afraid of umbridge, but more afraid of who she'd snitch to.
"melanie, i've seen your pamphlet has been doing tremendously well. we've got a dozen wizards and witches working away, very hard." umbridge said and yunhee just nodded, not wanting her voice to betray her. "why are you so quiet? you should celebrate. ah! let us celebrate by catching out more muggle-borns in these interrogations. come along."
the gates opened again and she followed the pink dressed woman through the corridors and into a large open room. umbridge got onto her seat on the podium and yunhee took a seat behind a younger woman. she pulled out the pamphlet she had stuffed in her blazer pocket and placed it on her table to read. she knew she'd probably regret it later, but she wanted to try to act as normal as possible.
"bring out the woman." umbridge said. two security men walked out of a room standing side by side a young woman who was cowering in fear. she sat down on a chair in the middle of the room, her eyes meeting yunhee's for a brief moment. she looked away again when yunhee cleared her throat and glared as best as she could.
"mary elizabeth cattermole?"
"yes."
"of twenty-seven chislehurst gardens great tolling, evesham?"
"yes."
"mother to maisie, ellie and alfred? wife to reginald?"
the woman looked over her shoulder, holding her hand out. "reg?"
jeno, disguised as reginald, got pushed towards her by mark as albert and renjun as wilfred. chenle was hidden still in the doorway, not really needing to be there since he was only a random. he glanced up at yunhee, sending her a panicked look when he realised the current situation she was in.
"mary elizabeth cattermole?" umbridge continued.
"yes."
"a wand was taken from you upon your arrival at the ministry today. is this that wand?" she held up a wand and the woman nodded. "would you please tell the court from which witch or wizard you took this wand?"
"i didn't take it. i got it in diagon alley, at ollivander's, when i was eleven. it chose me."
"you're lying. wands only choose witches and you are not a witch."
"but i am. tell them, reg. tell them what i am." the woman pleaded, her voice cracking.
yunhee's heart was tugged at. she felt for the woman deeply because she knew what it was like to be accused of being in the wrong. in a moment of anger, she got up from her seat and snatched the locket right off umbridge's neck.
"what on earth are you doing, melanie?!" umbridge roared, standing up.
"you're a liar, dolores." mark said, directing her attention to him. "and one mustn't tell lies."
"stupefy!" chenle yelled, appearing from the shadows. he reached his hand out to yunhee and she grabbed it, allowing him to pull her as fast as he could towards the elevator.
they made it just in time for the gates to close between them and the dementors chasing them, but the creatures sinister hands reached out through the holes in the gates and their mouths opened, sucking the happiness from them.
"expecto patronum!" mark yelled, sending the dementors away. the elevator shot up and they all let out a sigh of relief.
"do i still look like an old lady?" yunhee asked, handing mark the locket.
"no. you look beautiful." jeno replied, and the woman next to him, who was his supposed wife, raised her eyebrows.
the gates opened, and the group let out ragged breaths before exiting. they kept their heads down as they walked. renjun yanked back mark and chenle by their collars when he realised jeno wasn't with them. they turned around to see the woman kissing jeno. yunhee's mouth fell open at the sight and the man jeno had actually been disguised as pushed past them.
"mary? who's that?"
"long story. nice meeting you." jeno said, hurrying to his friends.
"it's mark lee. its mark. mark lee." someone repeated, their voice getting louder and louder.
"there he is!"
"get him!"
"stop him!"
the group ran as fast they could, dodging spells that were shot towards them. chenle noticed yunhee was struggling to keep up, so he slowed down till he was behind her and placed his hand on her back, pushing her so that the man chasing them wouldn't be able to reach.
"quick!" mark shouted. he jumped into the only fireplace that hadn't been blocked off and they all followed after, apparating to a random forest.
"is everyone alright?" jeno called out, scrambling to get off the floor. his eyes landed on yunhee first, helping her up. "you alright?"
"yeah, yeah." she replied, clutching onto his arm, still feeling dizzy from apparating. "shit. where's chenle?!"
"somewhere around here." he said, glancing around. "he should be."
"i don't even know if he apparated. he was behind me, trying to help me keep up with you all and just before we jumped into the fireplace, i didn't feel his hand on my back anymore." she explained.
"do not panic. we'll find him." he told her.
"jeno." they heard mark's voice. he and renjun ran over to them, the locket in mark's hand. "you two okay?"
"yeah. have you seen chenle?"
"i... i found his jacket." renjun said, holding up the piece of clothing chenle had been wearing.
"so he's here...?" yunhee asked. she noticed mark's eye flicker behind her, a smirk appearing on his face.
"yunhee."
she turned around to face chenle and immediately threw her arms around him, sending them flying to the floor. the leaves that flew up from the impact, landed on top of them, creating a cinematic scene.
"you're okay." she sighed.
"i'm okay." he replied, patting the back of her head.
"i'll put up some protective enchantments. we'll have to stay here." renjun said, holding his hands up. "protego totalum. salvio hexia."
"jeno, you don't happen to have a tent in that bag of yours, do you?" mark asked, picking up the bag he was thankful they had brought along with them.
"you can check. i don't think mum would have put one."
"accio tent." mark said, and lo and behold, a folded up tent flew out. "shut up, dude!"
"mum, i love you!" jeno yelled, letting himself fall onto the piles of leaves beside yunhee and chenle who were dozing off into sleep. everyone was so exhausted, but they couldn't afford to sleep at such a crucial time.
"get up." renjun told the three after finishing setting up the protection enchantments.
"fine." yunhee went over to mark to help him set up the tent. they took a side each, using their wands to spring it up into its correct shape. they tied the sides down to secure it and jeno was first to rush inside.
"it's huge as well!"
"that's what she said." chenle whispered and renjun smacked the back of his head before following mark inside.
"i get the biggest pillow!" yunhee exclaimed, pushing past her friends who were standing around in shock at how big it was inside the tent.
"kim yunhee, come back here!" jeno raced after her to get to the sleeping area quicker. she picked up one of the pillows, tossing it at him, but it instead hit chenle.
"how dare you!"
"how can they be so joyful in times like these. is it a hufflepuff thing..." renjun trailed off when he realised mark wasn't next to him anymore and was attacking jeno with a blanket. he shrugged and picked up the softest pillow, aiming for yunhee's head.
"okay. maybe it's an us thing."
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