VELLEITIE
(n.) a wish or powerful desire for something that nonetheless is not or cannot be followed by actions meant to pursue it
DRACO PACED HIS ROOM RELENTLESSLY, ARMS CROSSED AS HE ABSENTMINDEDLY CHEWED ON HIS BOTTOM LIP. It was the last day of summer, and per Voldemort's orders, he would have to return to Hogwarts for his seventh year.
"Would you quit burning a hole in your carpet? I can't concentrate on writing this," Theo muttered from where he sat on Draco's bed, leaning against the pillows with school books piled on the mattress. He had a notebook on his lap along with some scattered sheets, and he was glaring at Draco from atop the glasses he wore occasionally.
Draco scrunched his nose up at him, pausing for a moment. "What do you think she's doing right now? Do you think she's had lunch already? Or if she's sleeping enough these days?" A flicker of horror passed through his face as he whispered in dread, "What if she got hurt by the others who keeps visiting Grimmauld Place to find the house?"
Theo chuckled, scribbling something one is notebook. "I doubt that. You said she has a scar down her eye, right? Well, then she'd probably use it to scare men away than the other way around. You and I both know how Tessa would never take shit from anyone."
A faint smile touched Draco's lips. "You're right — I shouldn't doubt her courage to fight back."
"Good — now sit down and stop worrying, you mother hen."
Draco slowly perched on the edge of his bed and watched Theo draw in small circles and lines on his notebook, and with his other hand tapping down rhythmically on his lap as though playing a piano.
"What's that?" he asked, leaning over to try and get a better look.
Theo shifted away from him. "Nothing you'll be able to read and understand."
Draco glared pointedly and lunged forward to snatch the paper much to Theo's cry of dismay. "What is it?" Draco asked in perplexity, turning the paper around as he blinked at it. "Is this — a music sheet? You're writing music now?" He squinted over the tiny scrawl of dedication written at the corner of the paper. "And who's Baktielle?"
Theo took it back from him, retreating back to his comfortable seat as he continued to make corrections on the notebook. "It's a nocturne — compositions for piano."
Draco chuckled under his breath. "Okay then, Chopin."
Theo stared at him blankly. "Who?"
"Never mind, you prat. And this Baktielle person? A girlfriend, perhaps, that you've never mentioned to me before?"
"It's nobody you know," Theo muttered dismissively.
"Fine, fine — no need to be so tetchy about it."
When Draco turned around, a pillow was thrown at the back of his head, closely followed by Theo saying, "Go back to pacing and worrying, and leave me alone."
"You're the one who's in my house!"
ϟ ϟ ϟ ϟ
September arrived, and Tessa was sitting on the edge of the counter with her feet dangling off while she studied one of the hand-drawn maps when Harry entered the kitchen.
"I've got news, and you won't like it," Harry said, glancing from Hermione and Ron sitting on the dining table and pausing at Tessa. "We have perfectly good chairs, why do you like sitting there?"
"I like sitting on places you're not supposed to sit on," Tessa reasoned defensively.
Ron snickered. "Bet Malfoy loves it when you sit on his — oof!" He winced in pain when Hermione jabbed her elbow on his ribs.
Before Hermione could make a remark at that, Kreacher had come running toward Harry in his clean tea towel. "Shoes off, if you please, Master Harry, and hands washed before dinner." He took the Invisibility Cloak off of Harry's shoulder and hung it on the coat rack.
"What's happened?" Ron asked as Harry walked over and tossed a newspaper onto the table.
Tessa hopped off the counter and hurried over to peer over Hermione's shoulder to see a photo of a greasy haired monkey on the headlines.
SEVERUS SNAPE CONFIRMED AS HOGWARTS HEADMASTER
"Oh, shit," she blurted out.
"No!" Ron and Hermione shouted in protest.
Hermione snatched the newspaper and read aloud, " 'Severus Snape, long-standing Potions master at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, was today appointed headmaster in the most important of several staffing changes at the ancient school. Following the resignation of the previous Muggle Studies teacher, Alecto Carrow will take over the post while her brother, Amycus, fills the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.
"'I welcome the opportunity to uphold our finest Wizarding traditions and values —' Like committing murder and cutting off people's ears, I suppose! Snape, headmaster! Snape in Dumbledore's study — Merlin's pants!" Hermione suddenly shrieked, jumping away from the table and pushing past them to run out. "I'll be back in a minute!"
"Ouch," Tessa mumbled, rubbing on her nose that Hermione had smacked on her rush to get out.
"'Merlin's pants'?" Ron repeated only amusement. "She must be upset." He looked over at the newspaper again. "The other teachers won't stand for this. McGonagall and Flitwick and Sprout all know the truth, they know how Dumbledore died. They won't accept Snape as headmaster. And who are these Carrows?"
"Death Eaters," she said and shuddered. "Horrible brother and sister."
"There are pictures of them inside," Harry said with a nod at the newspapers. "They were at the top of the tower when Snape killed Dumbledore, so it's all friends together. And I can't see that the other teachers have got any choice but to stay. If the Ministry and Voldemort are behind Snape it'll be a choice between staying and teaching, or a nice few years in Azkaban — and that's if they're lucky. I reckon they'll stay to try and protect the students."
Kreacher came over with some soup in his hands, setting it on the table as he ladled some into bowls.
"Thanks, Kreacher," Tessa said happily over Harry's shoulder.
"Well, at least we know exactly where Snape is now." Harry spooned soup into his mouth. "There are still a load of Death Eaters watching the house — more than usual. It's like they're hoping we'll march out carrying our school trunks and head off for the Hogwarts Express."
Ron glanced at his watch. "I've been thinking about that all day. It left nearly six hours ago. Weird, not being on it, isn't it?"
Tessa sighed, stirring her spoon in her soup for a moment. "I hope he gets to school safe," she mumbled under her breath.
"They nearly saw me coming back in just now," Harry said. "I landed badly on the top step, and the Cloak slipped."
"I do that every time. Oh, here she is," Ron added when Hermione returned. "And what in the name of Merlin's most baggy Y Fronts was that about?"
"I remembered this," Hermione panted, brandishing a large picture frame she was carrying before she stuffed it inside her small beaded bag. "Phineas Nigellus."
Tessa sent finger guns shooting her way. "You're a genius, Mione."
Ron was the only one who didn't understand as he said, "Sorry?"
"Snape could send Phineas Nigellus to look inside this house for him," Hermione explained. "But let him try it now, all Phineas Nigellus will be able to see is the inside of my handbag."
"Good thinking!"
"Thank you. So, Harry, what else happened today?"
"Nothing," Harry said. "Watched the Ministry entrance for seven hours. No sign of her. Saw your dad, though, Ron. He looks fine."
Ron nodded at that. "Dad always told us most Ministry people use the Floo Network to get to work. That's why we haven't seen Umbridge, she'd never walk, she'd think she's too important."
"And what about that funny old witch and that little wizard in the navy robes?" Tessa asked.
"Oh yeah, the bloke from Magical Maintenance," Ron said.
"How do you know he works for Magical Maintenance?" Hermione asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Dad said everyone from Magical Maintenance wears navy blue robes."
"But you never told us that!" Hermione's spoon clattered noisily against the table as she reached over for the notes and maps of the Ministry. "There's nothing in here about navy blue robes, nothing!"
"Well, does it really matter?"
"Ron, it all matters! If we're going to get into the Ministry and not give ourselves away when they're bound to be on the lookout for intruders, every little detail matters! We've been over and over this, I mean, what's the point of all these reconnaissance trips if you aren't even bothering to tell us —"
Tessa sighed and said wearily, "Mione, it's just one little thing — "
"You do realize, don't you, that there's probably no more dangerous place in the whole world for us to be right now than the Ministry of —"
"I think we should do it tomorrow," Harry cut in.
Hermione's mouth hung open, Ron choked on his soup, as Tessa wheezed out a cough.
"Tomorrow?" Hermione repeated. "You aren't serious, Harry?"
"I am," he insisted. "I don't think we're going to be much better prepared than we are now even if we skulk around the Ministry entrance for another month. The longer we put it off, the farther away that locket could be. There's already a good chance Umbridge has chucked it away; the thing doesn't open."
"Unless," Ron pointed out, "she's found a way of opening it and she's now possessed."
"Wouldn't make any difference to her, she was so evil in the first place."
Tessa barked out a laugh at that. "I knew she really was just a mad bitch."
Hermione said nothing, simply pursing her lips thoughtfully.
"We know everything important," Harry went on. "We know they've stopped Apparition in and out of the Ministry. We know only the most senior Ministry members are allowed to connect their homes to the Floo Network now, because Ron heard those two Unspeakables complaining about it. And we know roughly where Umbridge's office is, because of what you heard that bearded bloke saying to his mate —"
"'I'll be up on level one, Dolores wants to see me,'" Hermione said at once.
"Exactly," Harry said. "And we know you get in using those funny coins, or tokens, or whatever they are, because Tessa saw that witch borrowing one from her friend —"
"But we haven't got any!"
"If the plan works, we will have," Harry continued.
Hermione still hesitated. "I don't know, Harry, I don't know. There are an awful lot of things that could go wrong, so much relies on chance."
"That'll be true even if we spend another three months preparing. It's time to act."
Tessa raised a hand. "I agree — we can't keep spying around the Ministry without making a move for too long."
"All right," Ron said slowly, coming up with a plan, "let's say we go for it tomorrow. I think it should just be me, Tessa, and Harry."
"Oh, don't start that again!" Hermione sighed exasperatedly. "I thought we'd settled this."
"It's one thing hanging around the entrances under the Cloak, but this is different, Hermione. You're on the list of Muggle-borns who didn't present themselves for interrogation!"
"And you're supposed to be dying of spattergroit at the Burrow! If anyone shouldn't go, it's Harry and Tessa, they've got a ten-thousand-Galleon price on their heads. EACH."
"Fine, we'll stay here," Harry said savagely, mirroring Tessa's crossed-arms stance. "Let us know if you ever defeat Voldemort, won't you?"
Tessa failed in trying not to snicker as Ron and Hermione laughed.
"Well, if all four of us go we'll have to Disapparate separately," Ron said. "We can't all fit under the Cloak anymore."
Tessa jumped slightly when Harry rose to his feet suddenly. Kreacher hurried over worriedly and said, "Master has not finished his soup, would Master prefer the savory stew, or else the treacle tart to which Master is so partial?"
Harry shook his head. "Thanks, Kreacher, but I'll be back in a minute — er — bathroom."
Tessa made to stand up as well, her eyebrows drawn together worriedly. "Harry, do you want me to — "
"No, no," he said at once. "Don't worry — I just need to use the bathroom real quick."
She frowned but sank back to her seat as Harry bolted out of the kitchen. As soon as she heard a yell upstairs, she jolted out of her seat and sprinted up the stairs with Ron and Hermione right behind her heels.
"Harry! HARRY!" Hermione pounded on the bathroom door. "Harry, open up!"
Tessa pulled out her wand. "Let me — "
The door unlocked and was yanked open, the three of them hurtling inside at once as they looked around the bathroom. Harry was standing before them, a faux blank look on his face.
"What the hell is going on?" Tessa demanded.
"What were you doing?" Hermione asked.
"What d'you think I was doing?" Harry asked airily.
"You were yelling your head off!" Ron exclaimed with a scowl.
"Oh yeah . . . I must've dozed off or —"
"Right — yes, because we absolute believe that," Tessa muttered.
"Harry, please don't insult our intelligence," Hermione said, breathing heavily. "We know your scar hurt downstairs, and you're white as a sheet."
"Fine," Harry grumbled, sitting at the edge of the tub with his arms crossed. "I've just seen Voldemort murdering a woman. By now he's probably killed her whole family. And he didn't need to. It was Cedric all over again, they were just there."
Tessa's shoulders sagged as she silently went to sit next to him, taking her brother and holding him around the shoulders with an arm comfortingly.
"Harry, you aren't supposed to let this happen anymore!" Hermione cried. "Dumbledore wanted you to use Occlumency! That's why you and Tessa have been practicing. He thought the connection was dangerous — Voldemort can use it, Harry! What good is it to watch him kill and torture, how can it help?"
"Because it means I know what he's doing," he reasoned.
"So you're not even going to try to shut him out?"
"Hermione, I can't. You know I'm lousy at Occlumency, I never got the hang of it."
"You never really tried!" she said hotly.
"He did," Tessa said defensively. "Whenever I try to get in his mind, I can feel him trying to block me as best as he could."
Hermione was still furious. "I don't get it, Harry — do you like having this special connection or relationship or what — whatever —"
Tessa closed her eyes for a moment, knowing Hermione had just struck a nerve. Very slowly, Harry rose to his feet to stare at the brunette. "Like it?" he said quietly. "Would you like it?"
"I — no — I'm sorry, Harry, I didn't mean —"
"I hate it, I hate the fact that he can get inside me, that I have to watch him when he's most dangerous. But I'm going to use it."
"Dumbledore —"
"Forget Dumbledore. This is my choice, nobody else's. I want to know why he's after Gregorovitch."
"Who?"
"He's a foreign wandmaker," Tessa said, remembering their conversation on the reception of Bill and Fleur's wedding. "He made Krum's wand and Krum reckons he's brilliant."
"But, Harry, according to you," Ron said, "Voldemort's got Ollivander locked up somewhere. If he's already got a wandmaker, what does he need another one for?"
Harry shrugged. "Maybe he agrees with Krum, maybe he thinks Gregorovitch is better . . . or else he thinks Gregorovitch will be able to explain what my wand did when he was chasing me, because Ollivander didn't know."
Tessa pursed her lips and mumbled, "Or maybe Gregorovitch has another wand that Voldemort wants so badly."
"Harry," Hermione said again, "you keep talking about what your wand did, but you made it happen! Why are you so determined not to take responsibility for your own power?"
"Because I know it wasn't me!" Harry exclaimed as he glared at her. "And so does Voldemort, Hermione! We both know what really happened!"
"Drop it," Ron said gently to Hermione. "It's up to him. And if we're going to the Ministry tomorrow, don't you reckon we should go over the plan?"
ϟ ϟ ϟ ϟ
Tessa barely slept that night. She was the first one up and had stood watching the sunrise outside with nostalgia — remembering how she and Draco used to watch sunsets together, and that one time they'd lazily watch the sunrise after having sex for the first time in Brazil.
She quietly sipped her coffee, blinking away the tears that stung the back of her eyes. Her heart ached and longed for him — she missed seeing his smile, hearing his deep chuckle, and feeling the touch of his skin on hers. She missed that damned purr of his that never failed to make her toes curl, the way he gets insane whenever she'd bite her lip, and the sound he made when she'd latch her mouth onto the strong column of his throat.
Tessa traced a finger along the cold window, writing hers and his initials over the fogged up glass. "Wherever you are right now, whatever it is you're facing," she whispered into the wind, hoping whatever divinity was listening would carry her voice to his dreams. "Just know that I will always love you no matter what, and I'll come back to you soon — I promise."
Tessa wandered downstairs to the kitchen and found Kreacher approaching her at once. "Good morning, Mistress Tessa," he said, leading her to the table where he served coffee and hot rolls.
"Good morning, Kreacher," she said, taking a seat. "Thank you." She had just bitten into a roll when Hermione entered the kitchen with her beaded bag in hand. "Morning, Mione."
"Good morning," she said, sliding into a seat next to Tessa as she began rummaging through it frantically.
The door swung open minutes later as Ron and Harry entered to join them. As soon as they finished scarfing down their breakfast, they carefully made their way to the front stop of the house, especially when there were a couple of Death Eaters standing across the street.
Hermione Disapparated with Ron while Tessa Disapparated with Harry into the small alleyway where their first mission takes place. "Right then," Hermione said, checking her watch. "They ought to be here in about five minutes. When Tessa and I've Stunned them —"
"Hermione, we know," Ron murmured. "And I thought we were supposed to open the door before they got here?"
"Here, let me," Tessa said, pointing her wand at the padlocked door next to them and bursting it open.
"And now," Hermione said, "we put on the Cloak again —"
"— and we wait," Ron finished, throwing the Cloak over all their heads again.
Barely a minute had passed when two pops sounded as a pair of Ministry witches appeared. One of them with flyaway gray hair while the other had reddish-blonde hair with streaks of white. The women didn't even have time to adjust to the rays of sunlight that shone on them before Tessa and Hermione sent Stunning spells directly to their chest.
"Nicely done, you two," Ron said as he and Harry carried the two witches into the dark passageway. As Hermione and Tessa plucked some hairs off of their victims and into their flasks of Polyjuice Potion, Ron went through their bags. "This one's Mafalda Hopkirk, an assistant in the Improper Use of Magic Office."
"And this is Maryam Edgecombe," Tessa said, drinking the Polyjuice Potion and shuddering. "Marietta's mother. She's good friends with Umbridge, so at least I'll be able to get close to her without much suspicion."
Harry checked his watch after the two girls transformed to the fake Maryam and Mafalda. "We're running late, Mr. Magical Maintenance will be here any second."
They shut the door on the unconscious Ministry workers as Harry and Ron threw the Invisibility Cloak over themselves. Tessa and Hermione went back to stand along by the street just as another wizard appeared with a pop.
"Oh, hello, Mafalda — Maryam," he greeted.
Remembering the slightly snobbish personality the Edgecombes had, Tessa made a humming sound in response and inclined her head by way of greeting.
"Hello!" Hermione replied in a shaky voice. "How are you today?"
"Not so good, actually," he replied as they all headed for the main road.
"I'm sorry to hear you're under the weather. Here, have a sweet."
"Eh? Oh, no thanks —"
"I insist!" Hermione said, waving the bag of pastilles at the man.
But as soon as the pastille touched his tongue, the man doubled over and vomited all over the sidewalk that he didn't even realize Tessa had yanked just enough of hairs from his head.
"Goodness gracious!" Tessa exclaimed with an appalled click of her tongue. "How atrocious — perhaps you'd better take the day off."
"No — no!" he rasped amidst his incessant retching. "I must — today — must go —"
"But that's just silly!" Hermione cried out. "You can't go to work in this state — I think you ought to go to St. Mungo's and get them to sort you out!"
The man fell on all fours, still hurling his guts all over the street.
"Be reasonable!" Tessa went on in her faux toffee-nosed voice. "You simply can't go to work in a state like this."
Without another moment to waste, the man got to his feet and disappeared with a pop, leaving his bag behind that Ron had snatched from the air.
Tessa pressed the back of her hand over her mouth as she gagged. "That's nasty."
"Urgh," Hermione said in agreement. "It would have made much less mess to Stun him too."
"Yeah," Ron said, opening the bag to Tessa, "but I still think a whole pile of unconscious bodies would have drawn more attention. Keen on his job, though, isn't he? Chuck us the hair and the potion, then."
After Ron drank his own Polyjuice Potion, he joined Tessa and Hermione by the sidewalk with the navy blue robes from inside the bag. "Weird he wasn't wearing them today, wasn't it, seeing how much he wanted to go? Anyway, I'm Reg Cattermole, according to the label in the back."
"Now wait here," Hermione told Harry, "and we'll be back with some hairs for you. Tessa, stay with Harry."
Ten minutes later, Hermione and Ron returned with a handful of curly black hairs. "We don't know who he is," Hermione said, "but he's gone home with a dreadful nosebleed!"
"Blimey, Hermione," Tessa mumbled under her breath."
"Here, he's pretty tall, you'll need bigger robes." Hermione pulled out an old set of robes Kreacher had prepared for them as Harry drank the potion at once.
Tessa had to crane her neck to meet Harry's gaze by the time he'd transformed — the wizard was a little over six feet tall and was powerfully built. "Wow — you're perhaps somewhere close to Draco's height. Just a tad bit taller than him, but close enough!"
"Blimey, that's scary," Ron murmured, also gaping at Harry's new height.
"Take one of Mafalda's tokens," Hermione told Harry, "and let's go, it's nearly nine."
Altogether, the four of them stepped out of the alleyway and into the pavement filled with people that separated to two flights of stairs — one for gentlemen and one for ladies.
"See you in a moment, then," Hermione said as Tessa mock-saluted the boys. The pair walked toward the line as Hermione whispered, "You nervous?"
Tessa chuckled under her breath. "Of course not."
Hermione sent her an incredulous glance. "Really?"
"Just kidding — I'm bloody terrified."
"I thought so," Hermione said with a rightful nod.
"Morning, Maryam!" greeted a brunette witch behind them with a nasally voice and haughty features.
"Morning," Tessa replied back in a clipped tone. She seemed to be doing the right thing, because the witch didn't so much as change expressions.
"How's your daughter — lovely Marietta?"
Tessa shared a very discreet glance with Hermione before she said, "Doing all right, she just graduated earlier this year."
"Excellent, excellent," the witch mused approvingly as they moved up the line toward the bathroom. "My husband wanted me to use a day-off today. 'Who's the Ministry so afraid of that would come infiltrating the place?' he'd asked. 'Tessa Potter?'"
She cackled out laughing as Tessa and Hermione shared awkward coughs and clears of their throats.
"Charming sense of humor your husband has," Tessa said sniffily before she stepped inside the bathroom cubicle and shut the door behind her. She flushed herself in the toilet and emerged out of a fireplace in the Ministry of Magic. She toppled over her feet for a moment, not quite accustomed yet to Maryam Edgecombe's height and weight yet.
The Atrium seemed darker than the last time Tessa had been in here. She hurried over to where Hermione had just appeared, and they approached Ron who was standing next to a gigantic black stone statue of a witch and wizard sitting on thrones over hundreds of carved humans.
"Psst!" Ron hissed at Harry who was a few feet away, and he hastened to join them.
"You got in all right, then?" Hermione whispered to Harry.
"No, he's still stuck in the bog," Ron said sarcastically, making Tessa snort.
"Oh, very funny . . . It's horrible, isn't it?" Hermione said to Harry, who was staring up at the statue. "Have you seen what they're sitting on? Muggles. In their rightful place. Come on, let's get going."
They joined the other witches and wizards heading toward the gates to a smaller hall that held many lifts. The four had just joined a queue to get inside a lift when a voice called out, "Cattermole!"
Tessa spun around — and stilled. It was Corban Yaxley — the same Death Eater who'd been there the night Dumbledore died.
He stalked over to them, his brutish face sneering at Ron. "I requested somebody from Magical Maintenance to sort out my office, Cattermole. It's still raining in there."
"Raining . . . in your office? That's — that's not good, is it?" Ron laughed nervously.
"You think it's funny, Cattermole, do you?"
"No, no, of course —"
"You realize that I am on my way downstairs to interrogate your wife, Cattermole? In fact, I'm quite surprised you're not down there holding her hand while she waits. Already given her up as a bad job, have you? Probably wise. Be sure and marry a pureblood next time."
"I — I —" Ron stammered.
"But if my wife were accused of being a Mudblood," Yaxley went on, "— not that any woman I married would ever be mistaken for such filth — and the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement needed a job doing, I would make it my priority to do that job, Cattermole. Do you understand me?"
"Yes," Ron whispered.
"Then attend to it, Cattermole, and if my office is not completely dry within an hour, your wife's Blood Status will be in even graver doubt than it is now."
The grille of the lift opened before them.
Yaxley shifted his focus to Harry whom he gave a nod to and then to Tessa. "Edgecombe," he said with another nod before turning on his heel and stalking away to another lift.
The four entered their lift, thankful that nobody else joined as the grille clattered shut. "What am I going to do?" Ron asked anxiously. "If I don't turn up, my wife — I mean, Cattermole's wife —"
"We'll come with you, we should stick together —" Harry began.
Ron shook his head. "That's mental, we haven't got much time. You two find Umbridge, I'll go and sort out Yaxley's office — but how do I stop it raining?"
"Try Finite Incantatem," Hermione offered, "that should stop the rain if it's a hex or curse; if it doesn't, something's gone wrong with an Atmospheric Charm, which will be more difficult to fix, so as an interim measure try Impervius to protect his belongings —"
"Say it again, slowly —" Ron said, desperately searching for a quill in his pockets when the lift shuddered to a halt.
"Level four, Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, incorporating Beast, Being, and Spirit Divisions, Goblin Liaison Office, and Pest Advisory Bureau," a female voice said as the grille slid open to let in a couple of wizards.
"Lovely day to you, Maryam," said a wizard.
Tessa hummed back and nodded in response. "To you as well."
"Morning, Albert," a man with a thick mustache said to Harry, "Dirk Cresswell, eh? From Goblin Liaison? Nice one, Albert. I'm pretty confident I'll get his job now!"
The lift stopped again as the grilles opened.
"Level two, Department of Magical Law Enforcement, including the Improper Use of Magic Office, Auror Headquarters, and Wizengamot Administration Services."
Hermione nudged Ron our of the lift as the others left as well. Tessa, Harry, and Hermione were left alone and just as the door closed again, Hermione said, "Actually, Harry, I think I'd better go after him, I don't think he knows what he's doing and if he gets caught the whole thing —"
"Level one, Minister of Magic and Support Staff."
The grilles slid open, and Tessa stifled a noise that nearly escaped her. Four people stood to enter the lift, two of them speaking to each other: a wizard in robes of black and gold, and the other a familiar pink toad with an ugly velvet bow in her hair.
Tessa's eyes narrowed at that stupid clipboard Umbridge was holding — debating whether or not she should steal it while they were at it.
"Maryam!" Umbridge greeted upon seeing Tessa.
"Hello, Dolores," Tessa said coolly with a stretch of a smile. "Lovely morning to you, Minister." She sent a polite nod to the wizard as well.
Umbridge's eyes fell on Hermione. "Ah, Mafalda! Travers sent you, did he?"
"Y-yes," Hermione squeaked.
"Good, you'll do perfectly well." Umbridge turned to the wizard next to her. "That's that problem solved, Minister, if Mafalda can be spared for record-keeping we shall be able to start straightaway." She consulted her clipboard. "Ten people today and one of them the wife of a Ministry employee! Tut, tut . . . even here, in the heart of the Ministry!" The three except the Minister entered the lift. "We'll go straight down, Mafalda, you'll find everything you need in the courtroom. Good morning, Albert, aren't you getting out?"
"Yes, of course," Harry said, stepping out.
Umbridge glanced curiously at Tessa. "And you as well, Maryam?"
"Oh, right," Tessa muttered and hurried out after Harry as the grilles slid shut behind them.
"What brings you up here, Runcorn? Edgecombe?" Pius Thicknesse, the new Minister of Magic asked.
"Needed a quick word with Arthur Weasley. Someone said he was up on level one," Harry blurted out.
"Ah. Has he been caught having contact with an Undesirable?"
"No," Tessa said at once. "No, nothing like that."
"Ah, well. It's only a matter of time," Thicknesse said with a shrug. "If you ask me, the blood traitors are as bad as the Mudbloods. Good day, Runcorn — Edgecombe."
The beast snarled viciously inside Tessa and she willed herself to control her temper.
"Good day, Minister," Harry replied for the both of them.
As soon as Thicknesse vanished around the corner, Harry pulled out the Invisibility Cloak and draped it over the both of them. He was so tall that he had to walk hunched over so the Cloak covered his feet.
"Look at that," Tessa whispered as they walked down the corridor of doors and rounded the corner to enter a wide hall with dozens of workers sitting on desks. They were all waving their wands as pamphlets were made and folded in the air.
Harry tugged on Tessa's hand to bring them closer to one of the witches working, sliding over a pamphlet. It was pink with a golden title of:
MUDBLOODS
and the Dangers They Pose to a Peaceful Pure-Blood Society
Below it showed a red rose with Umbridge's simpering face being strangled by a green weed with fangs. Tessa had to bite on her hand for a moment to keep from bursting out laughing.
"Will the old hag be interrogating Mudbloods all day, does anyone know?" the witch next to them asked the other workers.
"Careful," a wizard said nervously.
"What, has she got magic ears as well as an eye, now?" The witch spared a glance at the mahogany door facing all of the workers, and when Tessa looked over — she was alarmed to see a large blue eye set into the wood of the door.
Tessa gripped Harry's wrist for a moment as she mouthed: 'Mad-Eye Moody?'
Harry seemed just as surprised as she was, and the two moved over to the door to take a closer look. Unlike Moody's ceaselessly moving eye, this one stayed still and stared forward. Below it held a plaque that read:
Dolores Umbridge.
Senior Undersecretary to the Minister
Head of the Muggle-born Registration Commission
Harry gave a signal to Tessa with his hand, and she nodded at once. Stuffing her hand in her pocket, Tessa pulled out a Decoy Detonator and set it on the ground as it tittered away toward the witches and wizards. As soon as a loud bang echoed throughout the room, closely followed by black smoke as witches shrieked and papers flew everywhere, Harry yanked open the door and pulled them both inside.
"I almost forgot how much I hated her office," Tessa whispered as Harry shut the door behind them. The abhorrent lace walls with ornamental kitten plates were all back again with a desk covered in flower-patterned cloth.
Harry separated the telescope Umbridge used to spy on the workers with the eye, and placed Moody's eyeball in his pocket. Tessa pulled her wand out and murmured, "Accio Locket."
"C'mon," Harry said once nothing happened.He went over to pull open drawers from her desk as Tessa hurried to a filing cabinet full of folders labeled with a name.
"Harry, come look at this," Tessa said as Harry shut the last of the drawers and headed over to her. She pulled out the file and opened it.
ARTHUR WEASLEY
blood status: Pureblood, but with unacceptable pro-Muggle leanings. Known member of the Order of the Phoenix.
family: Wife (pureblood), seven children, two youngest at Hogwarts. NB: Youngest son currently at home, seriously ill, Ministry inspectors have confirmed.
security status: TRACKED. All movements are being monitored. Strong likelihood Undesirable No. 1 and 2 will contact (have stayed with Weasley family previously)
"Undesirable Number One and Two," Harry muttered as he returned the folded and shut the filing cabinet.
"We look like Tweedleedee and Tweedledum," Tessa said with a roll of her eyes as she nodded at the large poster Umbridge stuck on her wall. It had Tessa and Harry's faces staring menacingly at whoever looked, with numbers 1 and 2 written on their shirts.
Harry scowled angrily, stalking the room once more before he snatched up a book with Dumbledore's face on it.
There was a slight scratching noise outside, and Tessa snapped her head over to see the doorknob twisting. She jumped over a chair and yanked the Invisibility Cloak over hers and Harry's head at the very second Thicknesse opened the door to Umbridge's office.
When Thicknesse entered, Tessa elbowed Harry and made a show of pointing her fingers at her eyes and tapping at her wrist. He nodded and sent her an apologetic face before they sneaked out of the office.
"We need to find Ron and Hermione," Tessa whispered under her breath as they entered the lift.
Merlin was perhaps on their side because once they reached level two, the doors opened to reveal Ron who was drenched from head to toe. "M-morning," he stammered as he got in.
"Ron, it's us, Harry and Tessa!"
"Harry! Blimey, I forgot what you looked like, Tessa — why isn't Hermione with you?"
"She had to go down to the courtrooms with Umbridge," Tessa said, "she couldn't refuse, and —"
Tessa shut up as soon as the doors opened and Arthur Weasley walked inside whilst talking to a blonde witch, ". . . I quite understand what you're saying, Wakanda, but I'm afraid I cannot be party to —"
Arthur broke off upon seeing Harry, and glared lividly at him. Tessa swallowed and pressed herself to the corner as subtly as she could while the lift moved down again.
"Oh, hello, Reg," Arthur said upon seeing Ron. "Isn't your wife in for questioning today? Er — what's happened to you? Why are you so wet?"
"Yaxley's office is raining," Ron said without looking at his father. "I couldn't stop it, so they've sent me to get Bernie — Pillsworth, I think they said —"
"Yes, a lot of offices have been raining lately. Did you try Meteolojinx Recanto? It worked for Bletchley."
"Meteolojinx Recanto? No, I didn't. Thanks, D — I mean, thanks, Arthur."
As soon as the doors opened, the witch and Ron walked out. Tessa couldn't move, seeing as how Harry was blocking her path. To make things even worse — Percy Weasley entered the lift with his nose stuck in a pile of papers he was reading.
Once the doors opened again, Percy glanced up and saw his father — and hurried out at once. Tessa made to push Harry out of the door, but Arthur blocked Harry with his arm. Harry was so tall and hulking that he covered Tessa from Arthur's sight.
"One moment, Runcorn," Arthur said as they shifted down to another floor. "I hear you laid information about Dirk Cresswell."
"Sorry?" Harry said.
"Don't pretend, Runcorn. You tracked down the wizard who faked his family tree, didn't you?"
"I — so what if I did?"
"So Dirk Cresswell is ten times the wizard you are. And if he survives Azkaban, you'll have to answer to him, not to mention his wife, his sons, and his friends —"
"Arthur," Harry interrupted, "you know you're being tracked, don't you?"
"Is that a threat, Runcorn?" Arthur asked loudly.
Tessa shrunk from where she hid, slightly frightened now for what could happen between the men.
"No," Harry said, "it's a fact! They're watching your every move —"
The doors opened again to reveal the Atrium. Arthur glared furiously at Harry before striding out of the lift. When the doors slid shut again, Harry moved away from Tessa to pull out his Cloak.
Tessa drew in a loud breath. "Bloody hell, I've never been so terrified by Mr. Weasley before."
"Me neither," Harry agreed as he draped the Cloak over the both of them.
When the doors opened again, the two shuffled out — unsure of the stoned passageway that was unlike the carpeted ones upstairs.
"This way," Harry whispered, turning left. "The courtroom should be over here."
As they crept along the corridors, shivering at the cold that chilled down Tessa's spine, they froze at the screams that left one of the dungeon doors that was open. "No, no, I'm half-blood, I'm half-blood, I tell you! My father was a wizard, he was, look him up, Arkie Alderton, he's a well-known broomstick designer, look him up, I tell you — get your hands off me, get your hands off —"
"This is your final warning," Umbridge's voice lapses over the man's shout. "If you struggle, you will be subjected to the Dementor's Kiss. Take him away."
Two dementors appeared at the threshold, bony fingers holding the arms of a wizard who seemed to have fainted. They glided across the corridor and past Tessa and Harry who tried to ignore the horrible feeling that caved in on them.
"Next — Mary Cattermole," Umbridge called out.
"Hurry," Tessa whispered under her breath as she grabbed her brother's hand and walked directly behind a small woman who entered the courtroom.
The courtroom was smaller than the ones Tessa's usually seen and been inside of, and had more dementors here. Umbridge stood at a raised platform with Yaxley and Hermione standing on either sides of her.
"Sit down," Umbridge said.
Mrs. Cattermole sat down at the single chair in the middle of the floor as chains bounded her to it at once.
"You are Mary Elizabeth Cattermole?"
Mrs. Cattermole nodded shakily.
"Married to Reginald Cattermole of the Magical Maintenance Department?"
Mrs. Cattermole burst into tears. "I don't know where he is, he was supposed to meet me here!"
Umbridge ignored her. "Mother to Maisie, Ellie, and Alfred Cattermole?"
"They're frightened, they think I might not come home —"
"Spare us," Yaxley snarled. "The brats of Mudbloods do not stir our sympathies."
Fire seemed to burn in fury inside of Tessa that she had to clench her fists tightly to control herself from accidentally burning Harry who stood so close to her. Slowly, she and Harry walked toward the steps up the raised platform. They sat directly behind Hermione whom they debated silently how to address without making her jump.
Just as Umbridge called the accused's name again, Harry whispered into Hermione's ear, "I'm behind you."
Hermione had spasmed so violently she nearly flipped over a bottle of ink.
"A wand was taken from you upon your arrival at the Ministry today, Mrs. Cattermole," Umbridge continued to say. "Eight-and-three- quarter inches, cherry, unicorn-hair core. Do you recognize that description?"
Mrs. Cattermole nodded.
"Could you please tell us from which witch or wizard you took that wand?"
"T-took? I didn't t-take it from anybody. I b-bought it when I was eleven years old. It — it — it — chose me."
Umbridge simpered out a laugh that made Tessa's hand itch to throw something at her. She leaned over the barrier to stare down at Mrs. Cattermole just as something gold dangled over her neck against her blouse — the locket.
Tessa shared a wide-eyed glance with Harry as Hermione squeaked upon seeing it.
"No," Umbridge went on, "no, I don't think so,
Mrs. Cattermole. Wands only choose witches or wizards. You are not a witch. I have your responses to the questionnaire that was sent to you here — Mafalda, pass them to me."
Hermione fumbled with the documents before passing them to Umbridge, a trembling finger pointing at the pendant of the locket. "That's — that's pretty, Dolores."
"What? Oh yes — an old family heirloom," she said, patting the locket. "The S stands for Selwyn — I am related to the Selwyns. Indeed, there are few pure-blood families to whom I am not related. A pity," she continued in a louder voice, flipping through Mrs. Cattermole's documents, "that the same cannot be said for you. 'Parents' professions: greengrocers.' "
Before Tessa could even see it coming, Harry had raised his wand and pointed it at Umbridge as he said, "Stupefy!" A flash of red light and Umbridge's forehead banged against the balustrade.
Yaxley looked around him in utter confusion and alarm, but before he could notice Harry's wand in the air, Tessa had whipped her own wand out at him. "Confringo!" A burst of flames sent him flying out of the seat and knocked unconscious on the steps with a singed shirt.
"Harry! Tessa!" Hermione exclaimed at once with a horrified gasp.
"Hermione," Harry started, "if you think I was going to sit here and let her pretend —"
"Mrs. Cattermole!"
Tessa pushed the Cloak off her head and pointed her wand at the dementors approaching a screaming Mrs. Cattermole. Warmth spreading throughout her chest at the memory of being with her complete family and friends and being loved unconditionally by Draco Malfoy — Tessa shouted, "EXPECTO PATRONUM!"
A magnificent panther bursted forth from her wand, the regal beast sprinting toward the dementors and driving it away with a great source of light that cantered around the room.
"Get the Horcrux," Harry told Hermione as he stuffed the Invisibility Cloak inside his bag and approached Mrs. Cattermole.
"You?" she whispered. "But — but Reg said you were the one who submitted my name for questioning!"
"Did I?" Harry muttered, tugging at the chains. "Well, I've had a change of heart. Diffindo! Hermione — Tessa, do any of you know how to get rid of these chains?"
"Wait, I'm trying something up here —" Hermione began.
"Hermione, we're surrounded by dementors!"
"I know that, Harry, but if she wakes up and the locket's gone — I need to duplicate it — Geminio! There . . . That should fool her." Hermione hurried back to them as Tessa joined. "Let's see — Relashio!"
The chains unlocked and fell to the floor as Mrs. Cattermole shook her head in confusion. "I don't understand," she whispered.
"You're going to leave here with us," Harry said, helping her to her feet. "Go home, grab your children, and get out, get out of the country if you've got to. Disguise yourselves and run. You've seen how it is, you won't get anything like a fair hearing here."
"How are we going to get out of here with all those dementors outside the door?" Hermione asked.
"Patronuses," Tessa said. "As many as we can muster."
Harry casted the spell as his stag soared out of his wand. "Do yours, Hermione."
"Expec — Expecto patronum," Hermione stammered as nothing happened.
"It's the only spell she ever has trouble with," Harry told Mrs. Cattermole. "Bit unfortunate, really. Come on, Hermione."
"Expecto patronum!" A silver otter burst out of Hermione's wand and swam across the air to float by the stag.
"C'mon — Tessa, what are you doing?" Harry trailed off upon seeing his sister walk back toward Umbridge.
"One second," she piped up at him before sliding over Umbridge's clipboard with a shoe. "Reducto!" she exclaimed, blowing it to smithereens and ashes. "All done — Expecto patronum!" Her panther appeared once again, the sleek creature stalking over to stand next to the stag.
"All right, c'mon." Harry led them out of the dungeon to be greeted by cries of surprise by the other people waiting outside. Three Patronuses pushed back the dementors on the corridors, sending them scattering away.
"It's been decided that you should all go home and go into hiding with your families," Harry told the Muggle-borns. "Go abroad if you can. Just get well away from the Ministry. That's the — er — new official position. Now, if you'll just follow the Patronuses, you'll be able to leave from the Atrium."
They all walked up the stone steps and toward the lifts when one of them clanged open to reveal Ron.
"Reg!" Mrs. Cattermole exclaimed, throwing her arms around him. "Runcorn and Edgecombe let me out, they attacked Umbridge and Yaxley, and told all of us to leave the country, I think we'd better do it, Reg, I really do, let's hurry home and fetch the children and — why are you so wet?"
"Water," Ron mumbled before facing them. "Harry, they know there are intruders inside the Ministry, something about a hole in Umbridge's office door, I reckon we've got five minutes if that —"
Hermione's Patronus vanished as she turned to the others. "If we're trapped here — "
"We won't be if we move fast," Harry said.
Tessa faced the group behind them and asked, "Who's got wands?" Half of them raised their hands slowly. "Okay, all of you who haven't got wands need to attach yourself to somebody who has. We'll need to be fast before they stop us. Come on."
They entered two lifts with Harry's and Tessa's Patronuses standing guard outside. "Level eight, Atrium." As soon as the doors slid open, Tessa's stomach plunged to her feet when she saw the Atrium filled with people running around and sealing off the fireplaces.
"Harry — Tessa!" Hermione shrieked. "What are we going to — ?"
"STOP!" Harry suddenly roared out as the wizards in the Atrium froze in shock. "Follow me," he whispered to the Muggle-borns who followed after him. Hermione and Ron stood on either sides like shepherds while Tessa stayed at the back of them all, making sure all stay together.
"What's up, Albert?" a wizard asked worriedly.
"This lot need to leave before you seal the exits," Harry said in a firm voice.
"We've been told to seal all exits and not let anyone —"
"Are you contradicting me? Would you like me to have your family tree examined, like I had Dirk Cresswell's?"
Tessa pressed her mouth together to keep from laughing.
"Sorry!" the wizard exclaimed at once. "I didn't mean nothing, Albert, but I thought . . . I thought they were in for questioning and — "
"Their blood is pure," Harry intervened in a deep voice. "Purer than many of yours, I daresay. Off you go," he said to the Muggle-borns who dispersed and vanished at once.
Everything was going well until someone called out, "Mary!"
They all turned to see the real Reg Cattermole running out of a lift and no longer vomiting.
"Oh, shit," Tessa and Ron blurted out.
"R-Reg?" Mrs. Cattermole asked, looking from her husband to Ron.
The wizard from earlier was just as perplexed. "Hey — what's going on? What is this?"
"Seal the exit! SEAL IT!" a furious voice yelled from behind them, and Tessa turned to see Yaxley with a hole singed in his shirt running toward them.
Just as the wizard lifted his wand, Harry pinched him through the nose and sent him flying on his back. "He's been helping Muggle-borns escape, Yaxley!" Harry shouted.
At the cries of protest from the other wizards, Ron grabbed Mrs. Cattermole and pulled her to the fireplace as they disappeared.
"My wife!" Reg Cattermole shouted. "Who was that with my wife? What's going on?"
"Come on!" Tessa screamed, taking Harry and Hermione as they jumped into the fireplace. They shot out of the toilet and stumbled out of the cubicle to find Ron still there with Mrs. Cattermole.
"Reg, I don't understand —"
"Let go, I'm not your husband, you've got to go home!"
A loud noise from behind them and Tessa turned to see Yaxley. "LET'S GO!" Harry yelled and linked arms with the four of them as they Disapparated.
But something felt wrong — Tessa felt a strange lurching sensation in her stomach that made her want to vomit. Darkness spun in her vision, the front door is Grimmauld Place turning hazy and fading away. A scream echoed and a flash of purple light seared across Tessa's vision before darkness overcame her once again.
A/N
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Although it's a bit short and not much that happened. Any favorite scene/s?
Thank you for reading!! Please don't forget to vote and comment your thoughts!