They scope out their options on getting into the Ministry for four weeks while they stay at Grimmauld Place. Once their plan is in motion they make their way to an alley and Ron does the lookout. Sam, Harry and Hermione wait inside an abandoned building for a Ministry worker to walk by. Hermione turns to Sam.
"When we're in there- and I know this is obvious- but you can't let your eyes change, not even once. It'll be a dead giveaway."
"I know, I know, it's horrifying," Sam rolls her eyes.
"Actually, I think it's very attractive," Harry blurts out.
Sam and Hermione both turn to him incredulously and Sam retorts, "Is now really the right time?"
He blushes and pushes his glasses up his nose, "Sorry."
They watch as Ron walks by the door, Sam waves her wand and the woman that had walked by faints. Harry catches her and drags her inside. Once everyone has their respective person, they pluck one hair from each of their heads and drops them into their own vials of Polyjuice Potion.
"Right, remember what we said. Don't speak to anyone unless absolutely necessary," Hermione warns, "Just try and act normal. Do what everybody else is doing. If we do that, then with a bit of luck, we'll get inside. And then-"
"It gets really tricky," Sam adds.
"Correct."
"This is completely mental," Harry voices his thoughts.
"Completely," Hermione agrees.
"Totally," Sam adds.
"The world's mental. Come on, we've got a Horcrux to find," Ron remarks as he downs his potion.
They down their potions and change into their disguises. They go into separate entrances and make their way to the middle of the entrance hall. Sam and Hermione arrive first. Sam stands next to her as they stare in disgust at the new statue that's replaced the fountain.
Harry walks up to them, "Are those-?"
"Muggles," Hermione responds, "In their... rightful place."
The marble statue shows Muggles being squashed between two boulders as they hold up the witches and wizards. Ron approaches them.
"Gotta tell you, I'm starting to freak out a bit."
'How long did you say this batch of Polyjuice would last, Hermione?" Harry inquires.
She shakes her head, "I didn't."
They walk over to the elevators and they all clamber into one. Before the doors shut, a man named Yaxley pulls the doors apart.
"Cattermole," he looks directly at Ron, "It's still raining inside my office. That's two days now."
Ron shrugs slightly, "Have you tried an umbrella?"
Sam holds in a snigger and Yaxley continues to glare at him, "You do realize I'm going downstairs, don't you, Cattermole?"
"Downstairs?"
"To interrogate your wife. Now, if my wife's blood status were in doubt and the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement needed a job doing, I think I might just make that a priority," he warns, "You have one hour."
He walks away and the doors finally close. Ron looks at them in a state of panic, "Oh my God. What am I gonna do? My wife's all alone downstairs."
Sam sighs, "Ron... you don't have a wife."
"Oh," he nods, "Right."
The elevator stops at level two and Ron gets off. He turns to them, "How do I stop it raining?"
"Try Finite Incantatem," Hermione suggests.
"Alright, and if that doesn't work?"
But before anyone can answer the doors close once again. As the elevator continues to move through the levels, Harry states, "If we don't locate Umbridge within the hour, we go find Ron and come back another day. Deal?"
Sam and Hermione both nod as the elevator slows. As the doors open, they all see Umbridge in her usual bright pink outfit. She looks up and sees them.
"Ah, Mafalda. Travers sent you, did he? Good," she states as she steps into the elevator looking at Hermione, "We'll go straight down."
Harry and Hermione stand there, completely frozen in place while Sam seethes with rage. Her eyes momentarily flash to her bright green, but she gets it under control. Umbridge turns to face Sam and Harry.
"Albert, Elesia, aren't you getting out?"
They both nod slowly and step out, taking one last glance at Hermione's panicked expression. As the elevator closes once more and takes off, Sam turns to Harry, "Come on, we need to get to her office."
He nods quickly and they make their way to her corridor. Seeing that the room across from her office door is crowded with several people, Sam decides to unleash one of Fred and George's joke shop items. It's a multiplying horn and smoke projector. The objects scatter themselves around the room and begin to go off, creating chaos as to distract the others while Sam and Harry sneak into Umbridge's office.
Upon entering, they look around at the extravagant decoration and pink furniture that still repulses them. Sam moves over to her desk and sees Harry's wanted poster on top of hers.
"You look really good in this photo," she comments with a smirk.
He rolls his eyes playfully, "Gee, thanks. I'm glad I look fit on my most wanted poster."
They search through her files and her drawers, but find nothing. They exit her office, just as the commotion outside dies down. They quickly exit the corridor, so as not to be seen by the others.
"We need to get to Hermione," Sam alerts as they enter the elevator again.
He nods as she presses the button. The elevator stops once again and Ron, who is now soaking wet, gets in.
"Morning," he greets.
Sam and Harry look at him and then each other.
"Ron, it's us," Harry explains.
He looks over to them and Sam flashes her green eyes at him, "Blimey, I forgot what you looked like. Where's Hermione?"
"Down in the courtrooms," Harry informs.
"With Umbridge," Sam adds.
"Blood hell," Ron sighs.
They enter the courtroom which happens to be the same room where Cattermole's wife is being interrogated. They stand just outside the room and notice the small court surrounding the woman, who sits in a very large chair. Umbridge sits high above, with her cat Patronus staring above towards the ceiling. Sam looks up and sees several dozen dementors trapped looking down at the court below. Sam lightly nudges Harry and he follows her gaze. His eyes widen slightly before he looks back at the court.
"Mary Elizabeth Cattermole?" Umbridge begins.
"Yes," she answers.
Sam looks around the court and sees Hermione sitting beside Umbridge. She looks very uncomfortable.
"Of 27 Chislehurst Gardens, Great Tolling, Evesham?"
"Yes."
"It's here," Harry whispers.
"Mother to Maisie, Ellie and Alfred? Wife to Reginald?"
The woman turns towards the door and notices the three of them standing there, "Reg?"
Harry grabs ahold of Ron's jacket and drags him into the courtroom.
"Thank you, Albert," Umbridge states, "Mary Elizabeth Cattermole? A wand was taken from you upon your arrival at the Ministry today," she holds up a wand, "Mrs. Cattermole, is this that wand?"
She nods in response while Harry nods at Sam to follow him into the room.
"Would you please tell the court from which witch or wizard you took this wand?"
Sam begins to become enraged upon realizing that this entire jury is a setup. Everyone they interrogate is completely innocent.
"I didn't take it. I got it at Diagon Alley, at Ollivander's, when I was eleven. It chose me," the woman argues with a sad voice.
Dolores raises one brow, "You're lying. Wands only choose witches, and you are not a witch."
"But I am. Tell them, Reg. Tell them what I am," she pleads to Ron.
Ron simply stares up at Umbridge slightly alarmed at being put on the spot. Sam and Harry both notice that the locket is hanging around Dolores' neck. Harry glares at Umbridge and slips his wand out of his sleeve.
"What on earth are you doing, Albert?" Umbridge questions.
Sam watches as Harry's potion begins to wear off, "You're lying, Dolores," he notes, "And one mustn't tell lies. Stupefy!"
His spell hits Umbridge straight in the chest. Ron, Sam and Harry begin firing spells at the other court members while Hermione reaches up and pulls the locket from Umbridge's neck. She joins them as the Dementors are set loose. They run out of the room and towards the elevator. The Dementors follow behind, but get cut off by the gate. This doesn't stop them from beginning to suck the life out of them. Sam raises her wand, "Expecto Patronum!"
They Dementors fly backwards as her phoenix pushes them backwards. The elevator finally begins to move backwards and towards the lobby. Upon arrival, everyone has switched back to their original states, all except for Ron. They duck down, to avoid any stares, but Reginald's wife stops Ron.
"Mary, go home," Ron orders, "Get the kids. I'll meet you there. We have to get out of the country, understand?"
She immediately grabs him and kisses him with such a passion, it makes Hermione and Sam scoff in utter disgust. Ron begins to change back and when she pulls away she gasps in shock. Ron stutters, but the real Reginald appears before them, in Ron's old clothes, "Mary?"
"Long story," Ron informs, "Nice meeting you."
He runs over to his friends, but it's too late. They've been spotted.
A man in the corner tilts his head at them, "It's Harry Potter. Harry Potter and Samantha Black!"
THey begin running through the hall when Yaxley appears and chases them down. Harry casts a spell at the endless stack of newspapers. They begin to fly into Yaxley, to slow him down.
Nonetheless, he continues to run after them. Hermione grabs onto Sam, Harry and Ron before apparating. They didn't see Yaxley grab onto Ron just before. They all land in the middle of a forest with a painful thud. Sam hears Ron groaning out in pain, with Yaxley nowhere in sight. Sam runs over to Hermione and Ron with Harry shortly after her. Ron's arm was cut open down to the muscle. He was shaking violently.
"Harry. Harry, quickly, in my bag," she orders, "There's a bottle labeled 'Essence of Dittany.'"
Harry reaches into her bag frantically as she and Sam both try to comfort Ron. He races over and hands it to her. She begins to pour it over his wounds as her own tears fall.
"Hermione, his arm," Harry notes in shock.
"I know, I know."
"What happened? I thought we were meant to go back to Grimmauld Place?" Sam inquires as she runs her fingers through Ron's hair.
"We were. We were," Hermione explains in a panic, "Shh. We were there, we were there, but Yaxley had hold of me, and I- I knew once he'd seen where we were, we couldn't stay so I brought us here, but- Ron got splinched."
She finishes pouring it over his arm and Sam soothes, "Shh. It's alright. You're going to be okay now."
Hermione inhales deeply in relief and stands up. She makes her way over a few feet and pulls out her wand.
"Protego Totalum. Salvio Hexia."
"What are you doing?" Harry questions.
"Protective enchantments. I don't fancy another visit like the one we had in Shaftesbury Avenue, do you? You and Sam can get going on the tent."
"The tent? What tent?" He asks.
Sam grabs his hand, "Come on, it's in her bag."