! chapter fourteen !
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"HARRY, ARE YOU SURE?" Hermione questioned as they ran up the stairs. Haven's heart thundered in her chest as she awaited his answer.
"I saw it. It's just like with Mr Weasley. The same door I've been dreaming about for months, only I couldn't remember where I'd seen it from." The staircase suddenly shifted, and Haven clutched the railing like a lifeline before she lost her balance. "Sirius said Voldemort was after something, something he didn't have last time. And it's in the Department of Mysteries."
"Harry please," Hermione interrupted. "Listen. What if Voldemort meant for you to see this? What if he's only hurting Sirius because he's trying to draw both of you in?"
"So what?" Harry demanded. "I'm just supposed to let him die?"
"You know that's not what she means," Haven told him. "We just need to be precautious. We could be walking straight into a trap."
"He's the only family we have left," Harry said sharply, and Haven stepped back at his tone. She swallowed, her eyes finding the ground. She was well aware of that. But if they walked in there with no plan, Haven was terrified of who would be left leaving.
A thick silence passed through them, and Haven glanced back to see Hermione and Ron share a look. The redhead looked up to Harry, determination set on his face. "What do we do?"
"We have to use the Floo Network," Harry explained, and they quickened their pace.
"Umbridge uses the chimneys for surveillance," Hermione reminded him.
"Not all of them."
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With a quick spell, Hermione unlocked the door to Umbridge's office. The door slid open as they walked in. Haven glanced around the room, scrunching her face up in disgust at the pink painted cement walls, and the plates with meowing cats strung up as well. "I've never seen so much pink in my life," Haven commented.
"Alert the Order if you can," Harry advised, lighting the fire, and the flames turned a neon green.
"Are you mental?" Haven questioned. "We're coming with you."
"It's too dangerous."
"He's my godfather too," she snapped. "I'm not letting you go by yourself."
"When are you going to get it into your head?" Hermione asked. "We're in this together."
"That you are," Umbridge's voice rang out from behind them, and Haven stood up, spinning around to face her. Haven took in the older woman's appearance. She was usually well put together, not a hair out of place. However, due to Fred and George's incident moments before, Umbridge was completely disheveled. Her short hair was sticking out in all directions, and her clothes were covered in dirt, not to mention extremely wrinkled.
"Caught this one trying to help the Weasley girl," one of Umbridge's workers announced about a half hour later, bringing in Neville, who struggled against his grasp. Haven couldn't be bothered to remember his name.
Haven attempted to pull against Blaise once more, but he kept a firm grip on her, so tight that she could feel his fingernails digging into her skin. "You were going to Dumbledore, weren't you?" Umbridge questioned, leaning down over Harry, who was sitting in a chair placed at the front of the room.
"No."
Umbridge smacked him across the face, the sound of her slap echoing in the room. "Don't touch him!" Haven sneered. "You do know it's illegal to put your hands on a student, correct? Or do the only rules that apply to you are your own? That's called hypocrisy. And you're about the biggest hypocrite I've ever met."
"Mind your tongue!" Umbridge yelled.
"Mind your hands!" Haven yelled back in response. "Oh I can't wait to see you rot in hell you psychotic bitch." Suddenly realizing what she was doing, Haven snapped her jaw shut as Umbridge stared her down.
"You sent for me, headmistress?" Snape wondered, stepping into the room.
"Snape, yes," Umbridge replied, straightening up from her stance, and taking her hard gaze off of Haven to turn and look at the professor. "The time has come for answers, whether he wants to give them to me or not. Have you brought the Veritaserum?"
"I'm afraid you've used up all of my stores interrogating our students," Snape said in his usual bored tone. "Unless you wish to poison him, and I would have the greatest sympathy if you did, I cannot help you."
"He's got Padfoot," Harry called after the professor as he turned to leave. Snape froze, and slowly faced him. Haven silently pleaded that he'd help, which she never thought she'd see the day. Snape definitely wasn't her go-to person if she was in trouble. "He's got Padfoot in the place where it's hidden."
"Padfoot?" Umbridge repeated. "What is Padfoot? Where is it hidden? What is he talking about, Snape?"
"No idea," Snape answered, raising his shoulders into a slight shrug.
"Very well. You've given me no choice, Potter. As this is an issue of Ministry security, you leave me with no alternative. The Cruciatus Curse ought to loosen your tongue."
"No!" Haven screamed, fighting against Blaise, whose grasp on her didn't let up.
"That's also illegal," Hermione stated.
"What Cornelius won't know, won't hurt him," Umbridge pushed the picture of the minister so that it was flat on her desk. She slowly began to raise her wand, and she opened her mouth to speak.
"Tell her, Harry!" Hermione bursted out.
"Tell me what?"
Hermione scoffed. "Well, if you won't tell her where it is, then I will."
"Where what is?"
Haven stared confusedly at the brunette from besides her, and Hermione spared her a quick, panicked glance, before raising her chin into the air. "Dumbledore's secret weapon."
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"How'd you get away?" Hermione asked once they'd all met up again on the bridge. Haven was breathless by the time they'd stopped running.
"Draco," Haven answered with a small grin, and Harry's face lit up in surprise.
"What do you mean 'Draco?'"
"I mean Draco saved us."
"Like Draco, Draco. Draco Malfoy?"
"Yes, you idiot!" Haven said, slightly laughing. "I sent him an orb with a message written on it. He managed to stun all of Umbridge's guards who had a hold on us. That's how."
"It was brilliant," Neville commented. "Never thought Draco Malfoy would save the day. Now. how are we getting to London?"
Harry sighed, glancing between the group. "Look, it's not that I don't appreciate everything you've done, all of you... but this is Haven and I's problem. We've gotten you into enough trouble as it is."
"Dumbledore's Army is supposed to be about doing something real," Neville said, making Harry pause and turn around. "Or was that all just words to you?"
"Maybe the Potter twins don't have to do this all on their own," Ron mused.
Harry glanced to his sister, who stared at him expectedly. She sent him a curt nod, which made him sigh. His eyes shifted back to the rest of the group. "So how are we going to get to London?"
Luna suddenly grinned. "We fly of course."
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— AUTHORS NOTE
i'm lowkey v bad at writing emotional scenes cause idk how to deal with them ??? i can't be serious in situations like that bcs i cope with humor👍🏼
also fun fact i'm supposed to be in class right now but my teacher just left the call😍😍😍 how sexc of her