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The fifth-years entered the Great Hall for the History of Magic exam at two o'clock and took their places in front of their face-down examination papers. Sara felt truly exhausted but she managed to send a 'good luck' smile across the room to Nico, who smiled back.
'Turn over your papers,' said Professor Marchbanks from the front of the Hall, flicking over the giant hour-glass. 'You may begin '
The exam was not as dreadful as she thought. Sara was just doodling some butterflies on a piece of parchment as the exam was nearly over. She often turned to see Nico grinning and mouthing sweet things to her at witch she would stop her giggles from coming.
Suddenly, Sara watched as Harry fell to the floor, screaming and scratching his scar.
'Someone help!' she yelled and Professor Tofty came to help Harry.
'I'm not going . . . I don't need the hospital wing . . . I don't want . . .' she heard Harry gibbering just as they exited the Great Hall.
Sara sighed and looked at Nico who held a worried expression.
'Voldemorts got Sirius,' Harry breathed out just as Sara closed the door to the empty classroom the 5 rushed in. She felt the color leave her face and she just stared blankly at Harry.
'What?'
'How d'you - ?'
'Saw it. Just now. When I fell asleep in the exam.'
'But - but where? How?' said Hermione, whose face was as white as Sara's.
'I dunno how,' said Harry. '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-seven he's trying to use Sirius to get whatever it is he wants from in there he's torturing him says he'll end by killing him!' Harry's voice was shaking. 'How're we going to get there?' he asked them.
There was a moment's silence. Then Sara spoke for the first time after she heard the news, her voice shaking as much as Harry's. 'G-get there?'
Sara's mind was running at full speed as Harry talked to them. She didn't even looked at Nico when he started to drag her along the corridor.
'What are we doing?' she asked the two Weasley boys who were walking alongside her.
'Wait you didn't?' Ron frowned and looked at her.
'You've been overthinking again,' Nico sighed. 'We are going to distract Umbridge, Harry's going to her office to try and see if Sirius is home, Ginny and Luna are supervising the corridor, making sure no one passes it and Hermione is with him.'
'Oh,' Sara breathed out just as they walked straight into Umbridge.
'Professor!' Ron exclaimed and the toad looking woman raised a brow at him.
'Yes, Mr. Weasley?' she asked, looking at each of them with curiosity.
'Peeves is in the Transfiguration department and it doesn't sound so good, there are loud crashes and I think he even broke some desks!' he exclaimed yet again, putting on his best terrified face. Sara and Nico nodded in approval, trying to look terrified themselves.
Just then a high sound was heard from one of Umbridge's pockets and she watched as the woman grabbed her glowing want out of it.
Oh no, oh no no no, the Detecting Charm.
She them made a quick movement with her wand and three figures appeared behind her.
Warrington, Malfoy and Nott all walked to Umbridge and threw disguised looks at the Gryffindor.
'Boys if you would please escort Miss. Potter and Misters Weasley to my office I would be grateful, and their wands please,' she said and threw a disguising smile at Sara as Malfoy collected their wands, shoved them into his pocket and grabbed both of Sara's hands, dragging him with her.
'One handprint wasn't enough,' she whispered at the blonde while they were walking down the stairs and his grip tightened around her arms.
He gave her his devilish Malfoy grin and whispered back, leaning closer into her ear than she did. 'I don't know what trouble you got yourself into this time Potter, but you see, my handprints will not be the worst that'll happen to you tonight.'
She scoffed and as they reached Umbridge's office, more Slytherins joined them.
Ginny was just at the beginning of the corridor with Neville and Sara prayed they would get out of trouble. Just at the end was Luna, watching them with her big eyes.
'Get them,' Umbridge said just before any of them had a chance to say anything. Pansy, Crabbe and Goyle practically jumped in happiness and reached for them. 'Warrington, stay here until you get them,' the toad barked and opened the door to her office.
Sara watched as all the color drained from Hermione's face as Millicent Bulstrode pinned her against the wall.
Nott also entered, holding a hand around Nico's neck and they moved to the far corner of the room. Draco dragged Sara to the windowsill, his grip somehow more lose on Sara's right hand than the left one.
He also pinned her against the wall landing painfully on her right arm, his grip around her left arm even tighter, and holding her against the wall with his other arm, grinning slightly.
She thought her eyes were on fire as she inspected Draco's face. Even if he was grinning devilishly, it didn't reach his eyes and she was surprised to see them soft. She looked at him in disbelief and he didn't return her glare, watching Umbridge with interest.
'Good, good,' said Umbridge, watching Ginny's struggles just after the other Slytherins brought Ron, Ginny, Neville and Luna into the room. 'Well, it looks as though Hogwarts will shortly be a Weasley-free zone, doesn't it?' Malfoy laughed loudly and sycophantically and Sara stared at him, trying to free her right arm and punch him.
'So, Potter,' Umbridge said. 'You stationed lookouts around my office and you sent this buffoons,' she pointed at Ron, Nico and Sara- Malfoy laughed even louder and Sara stepped onto his left foot, making him jump in pain- 'to tell me the poltergeist was wreaking havoc in the Transfiguration department when I knew perfectly well that he was busy smearing ink on the eyepieces of all the school telescopes - Mr Filch having just informed me so. Clearly, it was very important for you to talk to somebody. Was it Albus Dumbledore? Or the half-breed, Hagrid? I doubt it was Minerva McGonagall, I hear she is still too ill to talk to anyone.'
Malfoy and a few of the other members of the Inquisitorial Squad laughed some more at that.
'You evil git,' Sara whisper yelled at the blonde who gave her another one of his grins and put a finger over her mouth to make her shut up.
After half an hour of Harry's tries to lie and the fact that Snape couldn't provide more Veritaserum, Umbridge decided to use the Cruciatus Curse on Harry.
'No!' shrieked Hermione.
Sara bit Draco's finger so she could yell at the woman. 'Professor Umbridge - it's illegal!'
But Umbridge took no notice. There was a nasty eager, excited look on her face that Sara
had never seen before. She raised her wand.
'Cruc-'
'NO!' shouted Hermione in a cracked voice from behind Millicent Bulstrode. 'No - Harry - we'll have to tell her!'
'No way!' yelled Harry.
'We'll have to, Harry, she'll force it out of you anyway, what's . . . what's the point?'
And Hermione, to everyone's relief started to tell a false story about how they wanted to contact Dumbledore about a weapon that read and hidden into the Forbidden Forest, making Umbridge follow her and Harry out of the office.
The Slytherins were making small talk in their absence while Sara glanced to each DA member, trying to find some way to escape.
'Auch, Malfoy!' Sara exclaimed and everyone turned to look at how Draco let Sara's arm go, leaving her still pinned against the wall.
'What?' Draco asked and Sara sensed a bit of worry in his tone.
She then grinned and made herself invisible, leaving everyone stunned, except Nico who wore the same grin as her before she disappeared.
She quickly smacked Draco's head, making all the wands fall on the floor.
Millicent tried to grab them, but Sara was quicker and at her touch, they became invisible too.
'Petrificus totalus!' Sara yelled 6 times and her friends were free from the Slytherin hold. She became visible and passed them their wands, keeping Harry's and Hermione's to herself and they all got out of the office in a rush, Sara grinned as Malfoy got to his feet and attempted to stun her but she sent a Bat-Bogey hex his way and the Slytherin fell to the ground.
'It was lovely to see you, Malfoy!' she sarcastically said, running after Nico who smiled proudly at her.
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