"You'd have thought that it would have been quieter with the Weasleys twins gone," commented Professor Sprout to Professors McGonagall, Snape, and Flitwick.
"They did offer discounts to anyone who said they would rid Hogwarts of her. Seems the students have taken that seriously," Flitwick returned.
"I remember when those boys told me they wanted to run a joke shop. I thought they were mad. I still think they're mad," McGonagall said thoughtfully. "Filius, are you going get rid of the portable swamp?" He shrugged.
"I thought Dolores would rather enjoy working with it," Flitwick answered. "Besides, it's not really a charm is it?" The company chuckled at that. Ever since Umbridge had issued that Educational Decree, they had made jokes about it. Why do anything unnecessary when Umbridge told them they could only work with their own subject?
"You're awfully quiet this evening, Severus," Sprout observed.
"I'm just solidifying the memory," he answered slowly. "It was a nice change having the Weasleys target someone else."
"Someone who actually deserved it," Flitwick added with a chuckle.
Just then, the door to the teacher's lounge boomed open. Dolores Umbridge entered in all her glory. She was wearing pink again. McGonagall wondered if she knew there were other colors in the world. "Hem, hem," she cleared her throat. They all hated it when she did that. "Filius," she continued in that high-pitched voice of hers, "I require your assistance upstairs. Argus was unable to rid the corridor of the swamp."
"I already tried everything I could, Dolores," Flitwick answered her. "I'm afraid I cannot help you." She looked a little put out by his words.
"Perhaps you could try once more," she all but demanded. He hesitated for a moment like he was thinking of defying her. But she had already made it quite clear where the professors stood if they defied her. To defy Dolores Umbridge was to defy the Ministry of Magic. That was not a price they could pay.
Flitwick nodded and left the room.
The tension in the room was palpable. No one trusted Umbridge or even liked her. They forced civility with her because they had to. "I suppose you all should say your 'goodbyes' to the half-giant, he won't be staying here much longer."
"What?" said Sprout in surprise.
"As headmistress it is my duty to escort any unsatisfactory teachers from the premises. It is my job to see that all student are given the education they require. They are failing to do so with the half-breed."
McGonagall stood up then and faced her. "You are not headmistress here," she said. "You may be by law, Dolores. But there is a reason you cannot enter the headmaster's office. You don't deserve the title. Hagrid has worked for this school for years, this is his home. Just because you are afraid of him does not give you the right to sack him!"
"I have every right, Minerva," said Umbridge smugly. "And you will hold your tongue. I do not have to remind you what defying me would mean for you."
"My words aren't against the Ministry, they are against you. If you even understood what it meant to be an educator, a real professor, you wouldn't have it in you to give those vile quills to the students in detention."
"Minerva," Snape warned quietly.
"Say your goodbyes," Umbridge repeated. "Hagrid won't be at Hogwarts much longer." Umbridge turned and left the room then.
"Neither will you," muttered McGonagall once she had gone.
-----
Draco Malfoy was enjoying Umbridge's reigning in Hogwarts too much. Certainly, he hated the woman. He couldn't imagine anyone actually caring for the toad. But in her time at Hogwarts, she had managed to rid the school of Dumbledore. And not only that, but she was probably going to get rid of the half-giant soon, too. But perhaps the thing he liked the most about her was the fact that he could do whatever he wanted. She had given the power to take away points from other students as well as give detention. Draco Malfoy ruled the school and it was all thanks to Professor Umbridge.
He had to admit that Harry Potter was getting stupider. Honestly, if he wanted to talk about things he didn't want others hearing, he shouldn't talk about them while walking around the corridors. Malfoy had taken to lurking in the corridors to hear what Potter was going to say next.
It was during one of these times that he heard Potter mention a two-way mirror that he used to communicate with someone outside of Hogwarts. Who could that be? He wondered. In all honesty, he didn't care if it was Weasley or Sirius Black himself. If he told Umbridge that Potter was communicating with someone outside of Hogwarts, she'd certainly suspect he was talking to Dumbledore.
She'd probably expel him. For a moment Malfoy considered a Hogwarts without Potter. He could get used to something that amazing. He wondered if Umbridge would be willing to rid the school of Granger, too. The school would be one less Mudblood and Draco would finally be top of the class. It was perfect.
So, Draco Malfoy told Umbridge about the mirror that he'd heard Potter talking about, hoping that Harry Potter would be expelled.
-----
The meeting lasted longer than Nymphadora Tonks had expected it to. Mad-Eye had told her earlier that day that he was calling an Order meeting that evening. Tonks wasn't terribly surprised by this, especially with Dumbledore having fled Hogwarts. She had assumed he'd stay in 12 Grimmauld Place, but he didn't. He continued working for the Order elsewhere, waiting for the right time to reappear.
Everyone seemed tired at the meeting, like everything that had happened over the course of the year was weighing down on them. Molly and Arthur looked frustrated with their sons sitting beside them. Fred and George were attending the Order meeting for the first time. No one could really stop them from joining now. They were of age and done with school. Molly was furious when Fred and George left Hogwarts like that.
Tonks had assumed the meeting would be important. She thought they would discuss how to get rid of Umbridge from Hogwarts or how they were going to show the Wizarding World that Harry Potter was telling the truth all this time. But no. The meeting consisted of Mad-Eye explaining that he was going to be changing the shifts ever so slightly. He spent hours talking about the importance of staying awake on watch and being alert.
The entire meeting made her want to fall asleep right there in the dining room. It had taken a while, but finally the meeting ended. As everyone began to disperse, Remus walked over to her. "Would you like a cup of tea?" he asked. "Looked like you were dying during the meeting."
It didn't escape Tonks' notice that Remus had admitted to noticing her throughout the meeting. Something warm stirred in Tonks stomach at the thought. Perhaps, her crush wasn't completely one-sided.
"Tea sounds lovely," she answered, following Remus to the kitchen. In the corner of her eye, she noticed Molly and Sirius looking at them curiously. She wasn't afraid of people knowing how she felt about Remus. She could deal with people. She just didn't want Remus to know. Not yet, at least.
Remus was silent for a time while he made the tea. Tonks wondered what he was thinking about. He always seemed to be pensive, thinking about something. "It's been awhile since you've been here," Remus said quietly, handing her the tea and sitting opposite her.
"About a month," Tonks replied. Actually, it had been a month and five days. Not that Tonks was counting.
"How's work?" She shrugged. It was work. At this point, she was working nearly all the time. Between working under Mad-Eye and then spending her nights watching the Department of Mysteries, she rarely had any time to relax, to be around her friends. She wondered if she was ever going to have a day to just sleep again. "You look over worked," Remus added.
"I'm just tired," Tonks told him. "How have you been?"
"Alright," he answered. "I've been watching Lucius Malfoy mostly."
"Bellatrix is out of prison now. She's probably joined Lucius and Narcissa." Remus just nodded. Tonks sighed inwardly. She didn't want to talk about work right then. She just wanted to have a normal conversation, one free of worries of the coming months. Remus looked down at his tea like it was holding all the secrets of the world inside it.
"What's bothering you, Remus?" Tonks asked. Remus shook his head, shaking off her question. Gently, Tonks reached forward and placed her hand on his. He instantly looked up at her. "What's bothering you?" she asked again. He took a deep breath. He definitely didn't want to talk about this.
"Harry asked Sirius and me about James the other day," he stated, not quite meeting her eyes. Tonks studied the thoughtful look on his face. It had been fourteen years since Harry's parents died. And Remus still missed his friends. Tonks supposed the pain never would really disappear.
"It must be nice to have Sirius back," Tonks said. Remus nodded.
"I thought I didn't know him. All those years I spent with him and James, I felt like it was all a lie because Sirius betrayed James and killed Peter. I should have known Sirius would have never..."
"It's all in the past Remus, Sirius forgives you. I know he does." Tonks took a deep breath and leaned forward a little bit more, her hand still laying on top of his. "It's okay to miss them, I think, and to miss the way things used to be. But I think you have to move on at some point." Remus was silent for a moment before answering her.
"You're quite wise, Nymphadora Tonks." She rolled her eyes in exasperation.
"Don't call me Nymphadora," she whined. She leaned back in her chair, her hand falling away from his.
"Why do you hate your name so much?" Remus inquired. She shrugged.
"It doesn't really suit me, does it?"
"I disagree," Remus said. His eyes were trained on his tea again. "It's unique. And everything about you is unique." Tonks stared at him for a moment in surprise. "It's beautiful, really." She couldn't help the smile that spread across her face.
"Are you saying that I'm beautiful, Remus?" she said with a smirk. He blushed a little, but didn't deny it. Instead, he changed the topic, inquiring about her job. But Tonks now understood. Remus liked her, too.
-----
Fred missed Hermione. Despite all of George's teasing, he didn't mind admitting it. He liked Hermione and he missed her company. And from her letters, she seemed to be missing him, too. She had told him all about Hogwarts.
Apparently, in the month since their triumphant depart from the school, Umbridge still had yet to find a way to rid the corridor of the swamp. Not only that, but the students had taken their words seriously. He and George had received numerous orders over the past few weeks. The students were desperate to rid the school of Umbridge. That was something Fred and George supported whole heartedly.
They had also found a way around Umbridge's ridiculous need to go through the students' mail. They would stand outside of Hogsmeade during breakfast and send the owls. Umbridge didn't have time to confiscate the items before the students received them.
The students were fighting back. They wouldn't allow Umbridge to control them. She had taken away the D.A., but she couldn't take away what the D.A. stood for. Fred was certain that Umbridge wouldn't be returning to Hogwarts in the fall. He had a small hope that she would forget who she was like Lockhart.
Since leaving Hogwarts, Fred and George had been using their time to work on their products and on their store. They had a lot of fixing up they needed to do for their future store. They wouldn't be opening the store until summer holiday started. Until then, they had orders to fill.
In addition to the work they were putting into their store, they had officially joined the Order of the Phoenix, something their mother was not happy about. But ultimately, it was their decision. They wanted to help in whatever way they could.
Having cleared away space in the back of their shop, Fred and George made space that they used as a place to work on their products. It was back there that Mr. Weasley found his sons. He glanced around the room. The shop certainly wasn't much at the moment, but if anyone could make it great, it was Fred and George.
"Hello, Dad," said George, glancing up at him. "What are you doing here?" Fred looked up from the product he was currently tampering with.
"Your mother has been in a right state over you two joining the Order," Mr. Weasley told them. He sighed. Fred reckoned that his father wasn't too happy about them joining, either.
"We were always going to join," Fred said.
"Mum just said we had to wait until we were out of school first," George finished.
"Yes, I know," Mr. Weasley said, laughing a little. "That's why I'm here. Mad-Eye had put you on watch next week." Excitement coursed through Fred. Finally, he and George were going to be doing something useful for the war. He had always been taught to stand up for what was right. Now, he had the chance to show that. "I thought you two would like to watch with me tonight. I want you to be prepared for when you have the chance."
Fred couldn't imagine it would be awfully complicated. Remus had made it sound like all they needed to do was sit and watch wherever they're placed. If anything out of the ordinary happens, like Death Eaters showing up, then stopping it. Or if it was too big to approach alone, then send for help from the other Order members.
But as he glanced up at his father's face, he understood. His father was worried. Not about himself, Mr. Weasley was never worrying about himself. He was worried for them. He wanted to make sure they knew what to do because he didn't want anything to happen to them. Fred couldn't understand why Percy turned his back on their father. Mr. Weasley, in his own way, was a hero.
"Alright, Dad," Fred said. "We can do that."
"Great," Mr. Weasley replied.
-----
Hermione couldn't wait for the O.W.L.s to be over. They were making her irritable. She had snapped at just about everyone that tried to talk to her and the stress was slowly killing her. She was more than ready to be finished with the exams and see her results.
On Wednesday, the practical application of Astronomy was held. Hermione, as soon as they were allowed to start the exam, began feverishly writing down where each planet was on her chart. She was determined to pass the exam. But then something strange happened that she wasn't expecting in the least.
Professor Umbridge began walking out towards Hagrid's hut. What was the woman doing? Umbridge was accompanied by five others, who Hermione couldn't depict. And she wasn't the only who had noticed Umbridge's strange behavior. Half of the students around her, stepped away from their telescopes to look down at Umbridge march to Hagrid's home.
One of the examiners, Professor Tofty, coughed. "Try and concentrate, now, boys and girls," he said. Hermione didn't move though. She had a bad feeling about this. Certainly, Umbridge wasn't going to sack Hagrid in the middle of the night? "Ahem-twenty minutes to go."
Instantly, Hermione returned to her telescope. She wasn't terribly far from finishing. She focused her mind back on Astronomy for only a few moments before there was a loud BANG from the grounds below them.
Hagrid's door burst open. With the light the flooded out of his house, Hermione was now able to see clearly what was happening below her. By the looks of it, someone had tried to Stun Hagrid. "No!" Hermione cried aloud.
"My dear," chided Professor Tofty, "this is an examination!"
But no one was paying attention to their charts anymore. Jets of red light were still being shot at Hagrid's cabin. Somehow, though, the Stuns seemed to be bouncing off of him. And he didn't look like he was going to go down without a fight.
"Be reasonable, Hagrid," shouted a man.
"Reasonable be damned, yeh won' take me like this, Dawlish!" Hagrid yelled back. Fang ran out to defend Hagrid. He jumped on one of the wizards sending a Stunning Spell at Hagrid. The dog was doing well, too, until he was hit with a Stunning Spell. Hagrid yelled out in anger at that. Hagrid threw the culprit nearly ten feet away in retaliation.
Hermione covered her mouth with her hands. What was going to happen to Hagrid? She had never really seen him with a temper before, never seen him this angry before. "Look!" squealed Parvati. She was pointing to the foot of the castle, where the front doors opened again. A figure marched across the field.
"Now, really!" said Professor Tofty, again trying to call attention to the examination. "Only sixteen minutes left, you know!" But no one was paying attention to him. All eyes were turned to the lawn below, anxiously watching as the person sprinted toward the battle outside of Hagrid's cabin.
"How dare you! How dare you!" Hermione now understood why Umbridge had waited to do this in the evening. She hadn't wanted Professor McGonagall defying her again.
"It's McGonagall," Hermione said.
"Leave him alone! Alone, I say!" McGonagall's voice was heard across the lawn. "On what grounds are you attacking him? He has done nothing, nothing to warrant such-"
Hermione screamed. Four Stunners had shot from the figures around the cabin at Professor McGonagall. She was lifted into the air by the spells and then suddenly dropped on her back.
"Galloping gargoyles!" shouted Tofty, who had forgotten the exam, too. "Not so much as a warning! Outrageous behavior!"
"COWARDS!" bellowed Hagrid. Everyone could hear him clearly now. "RUDDY COWARDS! HAVE SOME O' THAT-AN THAT-"
Hagrid took two massive swipes at his closest attackers. Immediately, the collapsed, knocked out cold. Hagrid bent down and picked up Fang's body, which he then draped around his shoulders.
"Get him, get him!" Screamed Umbridge. But there was only one attacker still standing and he was shaking in terror at Hagrid's fists. The attacker began backing up, tripped over one of his colleagues, and fell over.
With his attackers gone, Hagrid ran as fast as he could from the castle and faded out into darkness.
No one moved for a minute, taking in what they had just seen. "Five minutes to go, everybody...." Professor Tofty said feebly.
When they were finished with the exam, Hermione, Harry, and Ron raced quickly down the spiral staircase. "That evil woman!" Hermione said, having trouble controlling her rage. What was going to happen to Professor McGonagall? "Trying to sneak up on Hagrid in the dead of the night!" She was so glad Hagrid had gotten away. If he had been caught, what crime would that evil woman accuse him of?
"She clearly wanted to avoid another scene like Trelawney's," Ernie Macmillan interjected.
"Hagrid did well, didn't he?" Ron said in stunned alarm. "How come all the spells bounced off him?"
"That'll be his giant's blood," Hermione replied. "It's very hard to Stun a giant, they're like trolls, really tough....But poor Professor McGonagall. Four Stunners straight in the chest, and she's not exactly young, is she?" And later that night, Professor McGonagall was taken to St. Mungo's.
-----
Sirius Black was smirking at Remus. Remus was trying desperately to ignore him, but it wasn't working. He had read the same line in Daily Prophet six different times, and still wasn't entire sure what it said. Finally, relenting, Remus sighed. "What Sirius?"
"You fancy Tonks," Sirius said. It was a statement, not a question. He said it like there was no room for argument over it.
"What makes you say that?" Remus tried to feign disinterest. Sirius just smirked some more.
"I know you, Remus," Sirius told him. "Also, you won't stop talking about her." Remus rolled his eyes like a child at that. Sirius had a way of exaggerating the truth. Sure, he mentioned Tonks on occasion. But he couldn't help it. Sometimes in their conversations, something would be said to make him think about her. Sirius looked at him expectantly.
"What?"
"What are you going to do about it?" Sirius wanted to know. Remus just shook his head.
"Nothing," he said. He had already thought this through. He couldn't say anything to Tonks. He didn't want to scare her off. It wasn't as if she would ever like him back.
"Honestly, Remus," Sirius sighed. "I thought you were past this."
"Past what?"
"Your self-pity," he stated. "You think she'll never fancy you back. You think you're too old and too dangerous. For a Gryffindor, you can be a real coward sometimes." Remus gaped at him.
Tonks had her entire life ahead of her. She was young, she'd just become an Auror. She wouldn't want to tie herself to a man who was unable to hold a steady job. And more than anything, who would want to love a monster? And what if something went wrong during his transformation and he accidentally hurt her?
"You think too much sometimes," Sirius informed him. "Take a chance Remus. You never know when a day is going to be your last."
Remus said nothing. He couldn't imagine Tonks ever fancying him back.
-----
"Voldemort's got Sirius."
"What?" Hermione and Ron said together. Harry had pulled them into an empty classroom after he left the Hospital Wing. Hermione was worried through the second half of the exam, after seeing Harry pass out in the middle of the History of Magic exam.
"Saw it. Just now. When I fell asleep in the exam."
"But-but where? How?" said Hermione. Her face had gone white at the thought of it.
"I dunno how," Harry said. "But I know exactly where. There's a room in the Department of Mysteries full of shelves covered in these little glass balls, and they're at the end of row ninety-seen...He's trying to use Sirius to get whatever it is he wants from there...He's torturing him...Says he'll end by killing him..." Harry looked at Hermione and Ron expectantly. "How're we going to get there?"
"G-get there?" Ron repeated.
"Get to the Department of Mysteries, so we can rescue Sirius!" Harry said, nearly yelling the last part.
"But-Harry-" Ron said weakly, like he wasn't sure what to say in this situation.
"What? What?"
"Harry," Hermione said gently, trying to control the fear that was creeping into her voice. "How...how did Voldemort get into the Ministry of Magic without anybody realizing he was there?"
"How do I know?" Harry bellowed. "The question is how we're going to get in there!" Hermione took a deep breath. Harry had to be the hero, he was reckless. He never thought things through.
"Harry, think about this," Hermione said. "It's five o'clock in the afternoon...The Ministry of Magic must be full of workers...How would Voldemort and Sirius have got in without being seen? Harry, they're probably the two most wanted wizards in the world. You think they could get into a building full of Aurors undetected?" Something about all of this didn't make sense.
"I dunno, Voldemort used an Invisibility Cloak or something!" Harry was shouting everything now. "The Department of Mysteries has always been completely empty whenever I've been-"
"You've never been there, Harry," Hermione reminded him. "You've dreamed about the place, that's all."
"They're not normal dreams!" Harry yelled again. "How d'you explain Ron's dad, what was all that about, how come I knew what had happened to him?"
"He's got a point," Ron interjected. Hermione was getting frustrated now. This was so typical of them. Ron always took Harry's side and Harry always took Ron's side. Couldn't they just see logic? Just this once?
"But this is just so unlikely! How on earth could Voldemort have got hold of Sirius when he's been in Grimmauld Place all the time?"
"Sirius might've cracked and just wanted some fresh air," Ron answered. He was sounding worried now. "He's been desperate to get out of that house for ages-"
"But why," Hermione persisted, "would Voldemort want to use Sirius to get the weapon or whatever the thing is?" Voldemort would more likely use someone who wouldn't be captured by half of the Ministry at first sight. He'd use someone less conspicuous. Like Mr. Weasley or Mad-Eye.
"I dunno, there could be loads of reasons!" Harry shouted at her. "Maybe Sirius is just someone Voldemort doesn't care about seeing hurt-"
"You know what," Ron said thoughtfully, his voice somewhat quiet, "I've just thought of something. Sirius's brother was a Death Eater, wasn't he? Maybe he told Sirius the secret of how to get the weapon!" Hermione frowned. That didn't seem right at all. Sirius wasn't close with any of his family.
"Yeah and that's why Dumbledore's been so keen to keep Sirius locked up all the time!"
"Look, I'm sorry," Hermione said loudly, finally losing her patience with them. "Neither of you are making any sense. We've got no proof for any of this, no proof Voldemort and Sirius are even there-"
"Hermione, Harry's seen them!" Ron cried.
"Okay," she said, determined to say this. "I've just got to say this...and this isn't a criticism, Harry. But you do...I mean...don't you think you've got a bit of a...saving people thing?" He glared at her.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"Well...For instance...last year in the lake, during the Tournament. You shouldn't have, I mean, you didn't need to save that little girl...You got a little bit carried away." She could tell he was starting to get angry now. "I mean, it was really great of you and everything. Everyone thought it was a wonderful thing to do-"
"That's funny," Harry said, his voice shaking with anger, "because I definitely remember Ron saying I'd wasted time acting the hero. Is that what you think this is? You reckon I want to act the hero again?"
"No, no, no!" Hermione tried to amend. She knew bring this up would make Harry think she was attacking him. He really didn't know how to take criticism. "I'm trying to say that Voldemort knows you, Harry! He took Ginny down into the Chamber of Secrets to lure you there. It's the kind of thing he does, he knows you're the sort of person who'd go to Sirius's aid! What if he's just trying to get you into the Department of Mysteries?"
"Hermione, it doesn't matter if he's done it to get me there or not. They've sent McGonagall to St. Mungo's and there isn't anyone left from the Order at Hogwarts who we can tell. If we don't go, Sirius is dead!"
"But Harry, what if your dream was just that, a dream?" She could see the frustration curling inside of him. He was going to yell at her again. Quickly, she added, "Harry, just-just check the mirror to see if Voldemort has really taken Sirius. If he doesn't answer, then I'll believe you."
Harry took a few deep breaths, probably trying to control his anger. But he needed Hermione's help to get to the Ministry and this was the best way to do it. Hermione knew she was right. Voldemort and Sirius couldn't have just waltzed into the Ministry of Magic like that. None of this really made any sense.
Harry finally nodded and muttered, "C'mon," before racing off to Gryffindor Tower.
But when they reached the dormitory, all of Harry's things were in complete disarray. Immediately, the three friends began looking through the room, trying to find the mirror. But it was nowhere to be found. This was something else that didn't make any sense. Where would the mirror have gone? No one but the three of them knew about the mirror.
Hermione was still determined, though, to find proof that Sirius was in the Ministry of Magic. "We'll have to use Umbridge's office," Harry said slowly. Hermione wasn't sure if breaking into Umbridge's office was any better than racing off to the Ministry of Magic in the middle of the day.
The three of them discussed how they were possibly going to get Umbridge out of her office. They would need a distraction. Hermione figured it would be best if she and Ron created a diversion while Harry went up to Umbridge's office to use the fireplace. The only problem Hermione could foresee would be any extra security measures Umbridge would have put in place. The woman kept getting attacked by the nifflers Lee Jordan was levitating in through window.
"Not so fast," a voice said from behind them. Hermione groaned. They didn't have time for Malfoy right now. Harry, Ron, and Hermione turned to find that Umbridge was standing with them, a smug look on her face. Behind her stood half of the Inquisitorial Squad.
"Let's go into my office, shall we?" Umbridge said omionously.
They had no choice but to follow her. Once they were in her office, and the door closed, Umbridge smiled viciously at them. She opened a drawer in her desk and produced the two-way mirror. "This is a two-way mirror," Umbridge said. "Wherever did you get it, Mr. Potter?"
"You had no right to take that," Harry spat at her.
"Who have you been contacting?" she demanded.
"No one!" Harry shouted.
"Is it Albus Dumbledore? Or the half-breed, Hagrid? Can't be Minerva McGonagall, she is still too ill to talk to anyone." Malfoy and the others on Inquisitorial Squad laughed a little at that.
"It's none of your business who I talk to," Harry snarled. Hermione saw anger flash across Umbridge's face for a moment.
"Very well," she said in her most dangerous and falsely sweet voice. "Very well, Mr. Potter...I offered you the chance to tell me freely. You refused. I have no alternative but to force you. Draco-fetch Professor Snape."
Perhaps, Snape would know what to do, Hermione realized. She still wasn't completely certain that Voldemort had Sirius, but she knew that she would be beside Harry when he charged into the Ministry of Magic.
Umbridge was twirling the mirror around in her arms. She tried muttering Dumbledore's name a few times, but nothing happened. Hermione hoped that she wouldn't say Sirius's name. If he wasn't in the Ministry and he appeared in the mirror, what would happen then? "It's attuned to Harry's voice only," Hermione said boldly. "You're wasting your time."
"No matter," Umbridge said, "we'll know who he was contacting soon enough."
When Malfoy returned, him, Crabbe, and Goyle had Ginny, Luna, and Neville under duress. "Found them trying to set off a dung bomb in the corridor, Professor," Malfoy said.
"Heard you talking about Snuffles in the corridor. Then, we saw you come in here with Umbridge," Ginny said quietly to Hermione. "Thought if we distracted her, you'd be able to get away."
"It's alright," Hermione replied.
"You wanted to see me, Headmistress?" Snape said in an almost bored voice.
"Ah, Professor Snape," Umbridge said, smiling widely. "Yes, I would like another bottle of Veritaserum, as quick as you can, please." Hermione looked at Snape in horror. Would he really give here that? Veritaserum was illegal to give to students.
"You took my last bottle for your interrogations, Headmistress," he said coolly. "Surely, you did not use it all? I told you that three drops would be sufficient." Umbridge looked a little embarrassed by that.
"You can make some more, can't you?" she said.
"Certainly," Snape answered. "It takes a full moon cycle to mature, so I should have it ready for you in around a month."
"A month?" Umbridge squawked. "A month? But I need it this evening, Snape!"
"Unless you wish to poison Potter, I cannot help you. The only trouble is that most venoms act too fast to give the victim much time for truth-telling." Hermione frowned a little. One of Snape's hands was firmly secured inside his pocket. What was he hiding in there? It looked small almost, like a container of sorts. All of a sudden, Hermione completely understood. Snape had veritaserum in his pocket. And he was keeping it from Umbridge.
"You are on probation!" shrieked Professor Umbridge. Snape still looked utterly disinterested in it all. "You are being deliberately unhelpful! I expected better, Lucius Malfoy always speaks most highly of you! Now, get out of my office!"
Snape turned to leave. But before he could leave the room, Harry shouted, "He's got Padfoot! He's got Padfoot at the place where it's hidden!" Snape glanced back Harry. Hermione couldn't read his expression.
"Padfoot?" Umbridge cried. "What is Padfoot? Where what is hidden? What does he mean, Snape?"
"I have no idea," Snape murmured coldly. He closed the door behind him with a snap. Hermione felt the hope leave the room. Snape could have helped them, but he wasn't going to. He was leaving them to Umbridge.
"Very well," she said. She pulled out her wand. "Very well....I am left with no alternative. This is more than a matter of school discipline. This is an issue of Ministry security. Yes..." She shifted her weight nervously from foot to foot. She looked like she was battling with herself over something. "You are forcing me, Potter, I don't want to. But sometimes circumstances justify the use....I am sure the Minister will understand that I had no choice. The Cruciatus Curse ought to loosen your tongue."
Hermione gaped at Umbridge. "No!" Hermione shrieked. "It's illegal!" Umbridge seemed not have heard her. She raised her wand at Harry. "The Minister wouldn't want you to break the law, Professor!"
"What Cornelius doesn't know won't hurt him," Umbridge said. "He never knew I ordered dementors after Potter last summer, but he was delighted to be given the chance to expel him, all the same..." She took a deep breath. "Cruic-"
"NO!" Hermione cried, suddenly having an idea. "No Harry, we have to tell her." If they could take her Grawp, maybe he would stomp on her or maybe the centaurs would carry her away from them.
"No way!" Harry yelled.
"We'll have to, Harry, she'll force it out of you anyway, what's...what's the point?"
"Well, well, well!" said Umbridge, looking triumphant. "Little Miss Question-All is going to give us some answers! Come on then, girl, come on!"
"I'm — I'm sorry everyone," said Hermione. "But — I can't stand it —"
"That's right, that's right, girl!" said Umbridge, seizing Hermione by the shoulders, thrusting her into the abandoned chintz chair and leaning over her. "Now then . . . with whom was Potter communicating just now?"
"Well," gulped Hermione into her hands, "well, he was trying to speak to Professor Dumbledore. . . ." Ron's eyes went wide, freezing at her words, knowing Harry wasn't speaking with Dumbledore.
"What was it you wanted to tell him?"
"We . . . we wanted to tell him it's r-ready!" choked Hermione.
"What's ready?" demanded Umbridge, and now she grabbed Hermione's shoulders again and shook her slightly. "What's ready, girl?"
"The . . . the weapon," said Hermione.
"Weapon? Weapon?" said Umbridge, and her eyes seemed to pop with excitement. "You have been developing some method of resistance? A weapon you could use against the Ministry? On Professor Dumbledore's orders, of course?"
"Yes," Hermione muttered. "But he had to leave before it was finished and now we've finished it for him, and we can't find him to tell him!"
"What kind of weapon is it?" said Umbridge harshly, her stubby hands still tight on Hermione's shoulders.
"We don't really understand it," said Hermione, sniffing loudly. "We just did what Professor Dumbledore told us to do . . ." Umbridge straightened up, looking victorious.
"Lead me to the weapon," she said.
-----
"Hermione," Fred said gently. He held her hand in his own. When he'd heard what Harry and the rest of them had done, he was worried. Most of them had ended up in the Hospital Wing and it was a miracle that no one was sent to St. Mungo's. Did they really believe they could take on Death Eaters by themselves?
Hermione opened her eyes and smiled when she saw him. She glanced around, taking in her environment. She took a few deep breaths and Fred wondered for a moment if she was remembering what had happened in the Ministry. "What are you doing here?" she asked him.
"I've brought you a butterbeer," he told her. She pulled herself up to a sitting position and looked at him curiously.
"Why have you brought me a butterbeer?"
"Well, remember a few months ago you said that you would buy the drinks when Umbridge was finally gone from Hogwarts?" Hermione nodded a little. "Well, I thought it might be a little hard for you to buy me a drink from the Hospital Wing, so I brought it to you."
"You remember me saying that?" she said, slightly startled that he had remembered that, much less that he had brought butterbeers with him.
"Of course, I do, Granger," he said affectionately. "That was the day I was going to ask you to Hogsmeade, but you ruined that by inviting everyone to the first ever D.A. meeting." She wasn't sure how to reply to that. She hadn't known he'd liked her back then. While she drank from the butterbeer, Fred explained what happened after she had been knocked out by Dolohov's spell. The Order had arrived to save the day. The Minister, and Percy, had seen with his own eyes that Voldemort was back. And Sirius was dead.
"Poor Harry," Hermione said quietly, thinking about how Harry must have been taking that. It was probably killing him. She knew how much he loved Sirius. They were silent for a moment.
"I was really worried about you, Hermione," Fred told her truthfully, not meeting her eyes.
"I'm okay," she reassured him. "I'm going to be okay. But I don't know if Harry will be."
"Well, at least the Wizarding World now knows that Harry was telling the truth this whole time. That's good, right?" Hermione nodded.
They didn't talk anymore about what had happened that night. Instead, Fred wanted to know everything that had happened in the forbidden forest. What Umbridge's face looked like when she saw Grawp, what she looked like when the centaurs went after her. Hermione chuckled a little.
"You seem happy about this," she observed.
"Granger, you chased Umbridge out of the castle with centaurs. I could bloody well kiss you right now." And, to prove his point, he did.