"But how?" Hermione frowned, "how do we get all eight of us all the way to London?"
"We've got Lucy and Ginny covered," Sawyer said, "I have a broom, that leaves five."
"Even if we partner up on the brooms, it's still not enough," Harry groaned, "we're not going to be able to do it."
"There's other ways of flying than with broomsticks," Luna said matter-of-factly.
"I suppose you want us to ride on the back of a Kacky Snorgle or whatever it is, don't you?" Ron demanded.
"The Crumple-Horned Snorkack can't fly," Luna said in a dignified voice, "but they can and Hagrid says they're very good at finding places their riders are looking for."
Lucy followed Luna's gaze, however, she couldn't see what the blonde was referring to.
"Yes!" Harry whispered, walking suddenly towards the trees, his arms outstretched.
"What's he doing?" she nudged Ginny.
"No idea," she shrugged, "I think he's gone mad..."
"Is it those mad horse things?" Ron eyed Harry's hand uncertainly, it was stroking what seemed to be air, "the ones you can't see unless you've seen someone snuff it?"
"Yeah," Harry nodded.
Lucy turned around, locking eyes with Sawyer, a quizzical look on her face.
"Thestrals," Sawyer took a step forward, putting a hand securely on Lucy's hip.
"Oh," Lucy nodded, remembering a passage she had read about the creatures.
"How many?" Hermione asked.
"Just two," Harry replied.
"More will come," Ginny said confidently.
"What?" Harry turned to her.
"If you recall, they're attracted to blood," Ginny said, "and seeing you and Hermione are covered in it..."
"Here they come now!" Luna smiled dreamily.
"I can't see them," Lucy whispered so only Sawyer could hear, "how many?"
"More than enough," Sawyer's gaze was on an empty patch of land just ahead of them.
Lucy saw leaves crunch under invisible hooves.
"All right then," Harry said irritated, "pick one and get on then."
Harry, Neville and Luna were quick to mount their Thestrals.
Sawyer, however, made sure Lucy, Ginny, Ron and Hermione got safely situated on the invisible creatures before mounting one himself.
As soon as she left the ground, Lucy regretted the decision to ride the Thestrals. They took of fast and without warning, soaring into the air. Not being able to see the animal, Lucy felt sick to her stomach, feeling as if she was stranded in the air.
She leaned forward, trying to wrap her arms around the creatures neck, squeezing her eyes closed, desperately wishing Sawyer was behind her. If he'd just rode with her, she could sink into his arms and instantly feel safe.
She didn't open her eyes again until she felt the Thestral land on solid ground.
Releasing her death grip and sitting up, she noticed that night had fallen, the only source of light coming from the street lamps that lined the empty street.
Sawyer was immediately at her side, lifting her off the animal and onto the ground.
"Are you ok?" He asked, "you're looking a little green?"
"Never again," Lucy managed, "I think I'm going to be sick."
They joined the group, Ron looked worse off than Lucy, doubled over, clutching his stomach.
"Over here!" Harry gestured for them all to follow him to an old, battered phone booth, "come on!"
Fitting all eight of them inside was quickly proven impossible.
"We'll have to go in two groups of four," Hermione declared.
"We'll go with you two," Sawyer said in reference to Lucy and himself.
"Hurry up then," Harry ordered, ushering them inside the booth, "Ron, we'll wait for you when we get inside."
Still looking quite sick, Ron offered a half-hearted thumbs up.
Hermione closed the door while Harry dialed a series of numbers on the receiver.
"Welcome to the Ministry of Magic, please state your names and business," a female's voice rang through the box.
"Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Sawyer Thorton, Lucille Evans...We're here to save someone, unless your ministry can do it first!"
"Thank you," the same voice spoke, "visitors, please take the badges and attach them to the front of your robes."
Metal badges flew down through the chute. Hermione distributed them, pinning her own to her robes.
Lucy looked down at the silver badge in her hand.
Lucille Evans
Unregistered
Rescue Mission
Frowning, she looked up at Sawyer's badge.
Sawyer Thorton
Rescue Mission
She nudged him in the side to get his attention, pointing to the 'unregistered' on her badge.
His eyes widened and immediately looked at his own.
"Visitors to the Ministry must submit their wands for registration at the security desk which is located at the far end of the Atrium."
"Fine!" Harry said, clearing getting impatient, "now can we move?"
The floor beneath them shuddered and the pavement rose up past the glass windows of the telephone box.
A gold light appeared and they all sucked in a sharp breath, holding their wands at the ready.
The doors opened into what Lucy guessed to be the Atrium, it was dimly lit and seemingly empty.
"The Ministry of Magic wishes you a pleasant evening," the voice said.
"I guess we'll just wait here," Harry said anxiously.
The other four didn't take nearly as long to get through the entrance, the door reopened, letting them though only a couple minutes later.
"Come on then," Harry said urgently, running through the hall to the corridor to the elevator lift.
This time all eight of them were able to fit inside. Harry jabbed the button labeled '9' and bounced on his heels anxiously as they began to move.
"Department of Mysteries," the same female voice called out as the lift came to a halt.
"Let's go," Harry breathed, leading the way down the corridor, "ok, listen," he stopped about six feet from a slick, black door. "Maybe some of us should stay behind...like a lookout, and—"
"How would we let you know someone's coming?" Ginny crossed her arms, "you could be miles away!"
"We're coming with you, Harry," Neville frowned.
"Let's get on with it," Ron said firmly.
Reluctantly, Harry turned and opened the door, marching through into the large, circular room. Everything was black, and the room was lined with the same unmarked, sleek, black doors.
"Someone shut the door," Harry muttered.
Neville obeyed and the door swung closed with a click.
Almost immediately the floor started rumbling and the blue torches hung on the wall blurred together...the room was spinning around them.
Lucy tried to close her eyes but blue streaks seemed to be burned in her eyes.
"What was that all about?" Ron gaped as the walls stopped and settled in place.
"I think it was to stop us from knowing what door we came through," Ginny observed.
"Well how're we going to get back?" Neville said uncomfortably.
"Does that matter right now?" Harry fumed, "we won't need to get out until we've found Sirius."
"Don't go calling for him though!" Hermione said urgently.
"No shit, Hermione," Lucy snorted, gaining a death glare from the brunette.
"Which way do we go then? Harry?" Sawyer asked.
"I don't—" Harry swallowed, "in the dreams I went through a door at the end of the corridor from the lifts into a dark room...that's this one, and then I went through another door into a room that kind of...glitters? We should try a few doors," he said hastily, "I'll know the room if I see it."
"We should split up," Lucy suggested, "each of us should take a door, if it looks like it glitters we'll call Harry over."
"We should separate into pairs," Sawyer said, "that way if we're blindsided, we're not alone."
"Ok," Harry nodded, "we'll do that, everyone pair up."
"I'll go with Sawyer," Luna said airily, linking arms with the Hufflepuff.
"Oh.." Sawyer looked at Lucy with wide eyes.
"I'll go with Ginny then," Lucy tried not to laugh, patting Sawyer's chest as she passed, walking to stand beside Ginny.
"Brilliant, Hermione, you come with me, and Neville go with Ron," Harry said.
"Mark the doors you opened when you're done," Hermione said.
Everyone nodded and split up.
"We'll start here I guess," Ginny turned to Lucy and shrugged, walking over to one of the doors.
Lucy raised her wand as Ginny pulled on the handle.
"What is it?" Lucy's face twisted as she looked into the room.
"Fish?" Ginny's expression matched hers.
The room was empty, save a couple of desks and an enormous glass tank in the center of the room, which contained pearly white substances drifting lazily in the green liquid.
"I think..." Lucy gagged, "Gin, I think they're brains."
"Eww!" Ginny closed the door quickly.
"I wonder what they're doing with them?" Lucy cringed.
"I don't think I want to know," Ginny shuddered, raising her wand, "flagrate!" She drew an x in midair and it imprinted itself on the door.
A second later the room rumbled again and the walls began to spin once again.
"Not this one either," Lucy sighed a couple of doors later.
Ginny groaned and went to close the door, but froze before it clicked shut.
"We might've found it!" Neville's voiced echoed through the room, "nobody shut anything, come here!"
Ginny opened the door wider before rushing over, Lucy at her heels.
"It's locked," Ron said once they had all gathered, "that means it must be this one...right?"
Harry slammed his body weight against the door in an attempt to open it.
"Oh, honestly," Hermione groaned, "move over."
Harry stepped out of the way and Hermione raised her wand "Alohomora."
Nothing happened.
"Sirius' knife!" Harry exclaimed bringing a knife out of his pocket.
Lucy raised her eyebrows, not knowing how a knife would help in that situation, nor why Harry was carrying one around.
He stuck the knife in the crack in the door.
Nothing happened.
Pulling out the knife to see the blade had melted, Harry couldn't hide the defeated look on his face.
"We're leaving this door," Hermione said decisively.
"But what if it is this one?" Ron said defensively.
"It's not," Hermione glared, "Harry could get through all the doors in his dream," she marked the door off, opened the one besides it and pushed it closed.
The room began to spin again, making Lucy nauseous as the streaks of blue flew past her eyes.
The walls stopped and Harry was quick to open the next door.
"This is it!" He hissed, opening the door wider for them to see.
For lack of a better word, the room was glittery, a diamond sparkly dazzled off the surfaces of many, many clocks.
The source of the sparkles was a towering crystal bell jar that stood at the far end of the room.
"This way!"
They ran through the room, Harry telling off anyone who stopped or got distracted.
"You said it was row ninety-seven," Hermione spoke to Harry, gesturing to the number 53 on the ground.
"Yeah..." Harry looked lost in thought for a second, "I think we have to go right...yeah see, there's fifty-four."
"Keep your wands out," Sawyer reminded, keeping a defensive stance in front of Luna, Ginny and Lucy.
84, 87, 91, 97
The group froze at the end of the row, staring down the alley beside it. There was nobody there.
"Harry..." Hermione started.
"He's right at the end," Harry said, white as a ghost, "you just can't see him from here."
"Harry..." Hermione tried again, gently placing a hand on his shoulder.
"I don't understand," Harry's lip twitched, "he should be here, anywhere, here, he's really close."
They had reached the end of the row and still there was nobody.
"He might be..." Harry whispered hoarsely, peering into the surrounding rows, "....or...." he ran down to check another alley.
"Harry," Hermione said once again.
"What!" Harry snapped, turning around to glare at her.
"I don't think Sirius is here.."