"No, no, I'm telling you, I'm a half-blood, I'm a half-blood.
My father is a Wizard, he is, you find out, Archie Alderton, he is the famous designer of the flying broom, you find out.
I'm telling you — don't touch me, don't touch — "
Jon sat in the familiar chair of the Ministry of Magic, watching the scene unfold before him with interest.
It was the first time he had seen such a scene. The Ministry of Magic was very inefficient in its way of dealing with things, of course, because they had relatively few things to manage.
Inefficiency had its advantages. He could see the emotional changes clearly, and for some reason, the pain and despair made him feel the reality of the world.
It was ironic.
He hid in the shadows, watching Hermione — she was Malfada now.
She was in character, and although it seemed that she should have seen the locket around Umbridge's neck, she was still working hard.
The work of the Ministry of Magic seemed to come naturally to her, and it was hard to say whether it was talent or something else.
But Umbridge's voice was still as unpleasant as ever.
He thought so and fell silent again. After all, he was not the star of the show today.
...
"This is your last warning," Umbridge said softly.
Umbridge said softly. His voice was amplified by magic and clearly drowned out the man's desperate cries.
"If you resist again, you will be kissed by a Dementor."
The man's cries subsided, but his sobs still echoed in the corridor.
"Take him away."
Two Dementors appeared at the door of the courtroom, their rotting, scabbed hands clutching a wizard's upper arm. He seemed to have fainted.
The Dementors dragged him down the corridor, and the darkness behind them swallowed him up.
"Next — Mary Cattermole."
Umbridge shouted.
A small, thin woman stood up, trembling all over.
She wore a plain robe, her black hair combed into a bun at the back of her head, and her face was drained of blood. Harry saw her shiver as she passed by the Dementors.
He did it on impulse, without any plan, but he couldn't bear to see her enter the courtroom alone. As the door began to close, he slipped in after her.
This was not the court where he had been interrogated on the grounds of misuse of magic. Although the ceiling was the same, it was much smaller than that one. There was a sense of dread as if he was at the bottom of a deep well.
There were more Soul Eaters here, and the whole room was shrouded in coldness.
They were like faceless sentinels, standing in the farthest corner from the tall interrogation platform.
On the platform behind the railing sat Umbridge, with Yaxley on one side and Hermione, as pale as Mrs. Cattermole on the other.
A large, silvery, long-haired cat paced the base of the dais, and Harry realized that it was there to protect the prosecutors from the despair of the Dementors.
Despair was for the defendant, not for the interrogator.
"Sit down."
Umbridge said in a sweet voice.
Mrs Cattermole hobbled to the lonely chair in the centre of the stage.
No sooner had she sat down than chains rattled out of the armrest and held her there.
"Are you Mary Elizabeth Cattermole?"
Mrs. Cattermole nodded shakily.
"The wife of Reginald Cattermole of the Magical Maintenance Division?"
Mrs. Cattermole began to cry.
"I don't know where he is. He's supposed to be here with me!"
Umbridge paid him no heed.
"The mother of Maisie, Ellie, and Alfred Cattermole?"
Mrs. Cattermole cried harder.
"They're afraid. They're afraid I might not be able to come back —"
"That's enough," said Yaxley.
"Mudbloods have no sympathy for us," said Yaxley scornfully.
Mrs. Cattermole's sobs drowned out the sound of Harry's footsteps as he made his way cautiously up the dais steps.
As he passed the spot where the silvery cat Patronus moved, he felt the change in temperature immediately: it was warm and comfortable.
He was sure that the Patronus was Umbridge's, and that she was bright because she was happy here, in her place, upholding the twisted laws she had helped create.
Little by little, cautiously, Harry moved behind Umbridge, Yaxley, and Hermione, and finally sat down behind her.
He was afraid of frightening Hermione, and would have put earplugs on Umbridge and Yaxley to listen to the spell, but whispering the words might frighten Hermione.
Then Umbridge raised her voice to speak to Mrs. Cattermole, and Harry seized the opportunity.
"I'll be behind you."
He whispered to Hermione.
As expected, she was so shocked that she almost knocked over the ink bottle that she was using to record records.
But Umbridge and Yaxley were too preoccupied with Mrs. Cattermole to notice.
"When you arrived at the Ministry today, you were given a wand, Mrs. Cattermole," Umbridge was saying. "Eight and three-quarters inches, cherry wood, with a unicorn core. Are you sure of that description? "
Mrs. Cattermole nodded, wiping her eyes with her sleeve.
"Can you tell us which Wizard you took this wand from?"
"Took — took?"
Mrs. Cattermole wept. "I didn't take — take — it from anyone.
It was bought — bought — when I was eleven, and it — it — it chose me. "
She cried even harder.
Umbridge gave a little girlish laugh, and Harry felt like giving her a good beating.
She leaned forward, trying to get a better look at her quarry, and a golden object swung up to her chest and hung there: a locket.
Hermione gave a little shriek, but Umbridge and Yaxley were too preoccupied with their quarry to hear anything else.
"No," Umbridge said. "No, I don't think so, Mrs. Cattermole.
The wand chose only Wizards, and you're not a Wizard.
I have the questionnaire I sent you last time — Mafalda, give it to me. "
Umbridge held out a small hand: she looked so toadlike that Harry was surprised for a moment that there were no webbing between the stubby fingers.
Hermione's hand shook with shock. She fumbled for a moment in a pile of papers on the chair beside her, and finally pulled out a roll of parchment with Mrs. Cattermole's name on it.
"That — that's pretty, Dolores."
She pointed to the shiny locket in the folds of Umbridge's jacket.
"What?"
Snapped Umbridge, glancing down. "Oh, yes — an old family heirloom."
She patted the locket that clung to her ample bosom, and said:
"S is short for Selwyn … I'm related to the Selwyns …
In fact, there are very few pureblood families who are not related to me … unfortunately. "
She turned the pages of Mrs. Cattermole's questionnaire and raised her voice.
"You can't say that.
Parents by trade: greengrocers. "
Yaxley laughed scornfully.
Below, the shaggy silver cat paced, and the Dementors waited in the corner.
Harry's blood rushed to her head at Umbridge's lie, and she forgot about caution.
The locket she had bribed from an outlaw peddler was now proof of her pureblood status.
Harry didn't even bother to remain hidden under the Invisibility Cloak. She raised her wand and shouted, "Faint!"
There was a flash of red light and Umbridge fell, banging his head on the edge of the railing. Mrs. Cattermole's papers slid from her lap to the floor. The cat that had been pacing back and forth was gone. The cold air was like a wind.
Yaxley, puzzled, turned his head to look for the source of the commotion.
He saw a disembodied hand pointing a wand at him, and quickly pulled it out, but it was too late.
"Faint to the ground!"
Yaxley slid to the floor and curled into a ball.
"Harry!"
"Hermione, if you think I'm going to sit here and watch her pretend —"
"Harry, Mrs. Cattermole!"
Harry turned quickly, shaking off the Invisibility Cloak.
Below, the Dementors had come out of the corner and were drifting toward the woman tied to the chair.
Whether it was because the Patronus was gone or because they sensed that their master was out of control, they seemed to be unrestrained.
Mrs. Cattermole screamed in terror as a large, clammy, scabbed hand gripped her chin and wrenched her face back.
"Call the Patronus!"
The silver stag rose from the tip of Harry's staff and leaped at the Dementors. They retreated and melted back into the shadows.
The silver stag trotted around the room, its light stronger and warmer than the cat's, filling the courtroom.
"Take the Soul Vessel."
He ran down the steps, stuffing the Invisibility Cloak into his bag, and came to Mrs. Cattermole's side.
"You?"
She whispered, looking into his face. "But — but Reggie said you put my name up for investigation!"
"Did I?"
Muttered Harry, tugging at the chains on his arms. "Oh, I changed my mind. Fall apart! "
There was no response.
"Hermione, how do I get rid of these chains?"
"Wait, I'm doing something —"
"Hermione, we're surrounded by Dementors!"
"I know, Harry, but if she wakes up and finds the locket gone —"
"I've got to make a duplicate... a duplicate!
There... she shouldn't be able to tell... "
Hermione rushed down the steps.
"Let me see... loose, loose!"
The chains rattled into the arms of the chair. Mrs. Cattermole still looked very frightened.
"I don't understand."
"You've got to get out of here with us," said Harry, pulling her to her feet. "Go home and take your children and run away. If you can't, get out of the country and disguise yourself.
You see what the situation is. You won't get justice here. "
"Harry," said Hermione, "how are we going to get out of here with so many Dementors at the door?"
"Patronus."
Harry pointed his wand at his own patronus: the silver stag slowed down, still shining brightly, and moved towards the door.
"The more the better. Summon yours too, Hermione."
"Summon — summon the Patronus."
Said Hermione. Nothing appeared.
"That's the only spell that's a little difficult for her,"
Said Harry to Mrs. Cattermole, who was completely stunned.
"A little unfortunate... Come on, Hermione..."
"Summon the Patronus!"
A silver otter leaped out of the tip of Hermione's wand and swam gracefully through the air towards the silver stag.
"Come on."
Harry led Hermione and Mrs. Cattermole towards the door.
There was a cry of alarm from the crowd waiting outside as the Patronus floated out of the courtroom.
Harry glanced around and saw that the Soul Eaters on both sides were retreating and blending into the darkness. They had been dispersed by the silver fey.
"It's decided now. You all go home and take your families and hide."
Said Harry to the Muggle Wizard, who were dazzled by the light of the Patronus and still cowering a little.
"Get out of the country if you can, and stay away from the Ministry.
That's — er — the new official position.
Now, just follow the Patronus and you'll be out of the hall. "
They were unhindered all the way to the top of the stone steps.
But as they made for the lift, Harry began to worry.
He could not help feeling rather conspicuous if they followed a Silver Stag and a Silver Otter into the hall with a score of people, half of whom were accused Muggle-born wizards.
Just as he reached this unpleasant conclusion, the lift door in front of them opened with a clang.
"Reggie!"
Cried Mrs. Cattermole, throwing herself into Ron's arms. "Runcorn let me out. He knocked out Umbridge and Yaxley and told us all to get out of the country. I think we should, Reggie, really. Get home and the children — why are you so wet? "
"Water," muttered Ron.
Ron grumbled, breaking free. "Harry, they know someone's broken into the Ministry. It looks like there's a hole in Umbridge's office door.
In that case, I think we've got five minutes — "
Hermione's Patronus disappeared with a whoosh, and she turned to Harry in horror.
"Harry, if we're trapped here, we —"
"Not if we move fast."
Harry turned to the group gaping at him behind him.
"Who's got a wand?"
About half the people raised their hands.
"All right, those of you who don't, find someone with a wand to follow.
Let's move fast — before they block us.
Let's go. "
Everyone crowded into the two lifts, and Harry's Patronus stood guard at the golden gate. The gate closed and the lifts began to rise.
At the same time, outside the Ministry of Magic, Stephen waved his hand, and the wizards from the Magic Research Society began to disappear one by one. Most of these people were muggle-born wizards. During this time, the Magic Research Society had been in charge of protecting and hiding these people.
Their mission today was not to fight, because it was not necessary. Their mission today was to disrupt the Ministry.
"Looks like we should go, Uncle Cattermole. It's about time."
Reggie nodded and watched as Stephen put on the grey cloak. He then followed him back to the Ministry of Magic with Phantom Transference.
Ministry of Magic.
Lift.
"The eighth floor."
The Witch's cold voice said, "The main hall."
Harry immediately knew they were in trouble.
There were many people in the main hall, walking back and forth in front of the fireplaces, sealing them.
"Harry!"
Hermione screamed. "How do we —"
"Stop!"
Harry shouted. Runcorn's powerful voice echoed in the main hall, and the Wizard sealing the fireplaces froze.
"Come with me."
He whispered to the frightened Muggle Wizard, and the group was led forward by Ron and Hermione.
"What's the matter, Albert?"
Asked the bald Wizard who had followed Harry out of the fireplaces. He looked nervous.
"These people want to leave before you seal the exits."
Harry tried to speak in an authoritative tone.
The Wizard looked at each other.
"We were ordered to seal all the exits and not to let anyone —"
"Are you disobeying me?"
Harry said angrily. "Do you want me to check your family tree, like Dirk Cresswell?"
"I'm sorry!"
The bald Wizard was startled and stepped back. "I didn't mean anything, Albert, it's just that I thought … I thought they were being interrogated —"
"Their blood is pure," Harry said.
Harry said, his deep voice echoing in the hall. "I dare say it's purer than many of you. Let's go."
He spoke loudly to the Muggle Wizard, and they hurried into the fireplaces, disappearing in pairs.
The wizards from the Ministry of Magic hesitantly stayed behind. Some were confused, while others were frightened and dissatisfied.
Suddenly —
"Mary!"
Mrs. Cattermole turned and saw the real Reggie Cattermole, who had stopped vomiting, running out of one of the elevators.
"Rey-Reggie?"
She looked at her husband, then at Ron, who cursed loudly.
The bald Wizard gaped, his head moving back and forth between the two Reggies in a ridiculous way.
"Hey — what's going on?"
"Seal the exits! Seal them! "
Yaxley rushed out of another elevator and ran toward the crowd around the fireplace.
By this time, all the Muggle Wizard except Mrs. Cattermole had disappeared from the fireplaces.
As soon as the bald wizard raised his wand, Harry raised his huge fist and sent him flying.
"He's helping the Muggle Wizard escape, Yaxley!"
There was an uproar among the bald Wizard's companions, and Ron took advantage of the chaos to grab Mrs. Cattermole, pull her into the still-open fireplace, and disappear.
Yaxley looked at Harry in bewilderment, then at the beaten Wizard. The real Reggie Cattermole shouted, "My wife! Who is the man with my wife? What's going on? "
Harry saw Yaxley turn his head, and a look of understanding came over his dull face.
"Go!"
Harry shouted to Hermione, grabbing her hand and leaping into the fireplace together. Yaxley's spell flew over Harry's head.
They spun for a few seconds, spraying water from the toilet.
"Reggie, I don't understand —"
"Let go, I'm not your husband, you have to go home!"
There was a crash in the cubicle behind them, and Harry turned just as Yaxley jumped out.
"Let's go!"
Harry shouted, grabbing Hermione's hand and Ron's arm and spinning them around.
Harry thought he was going to suffocate. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't see, the only real things in the world were Ron's arm and Hermione's fingers, and they were slowly slipping away …
Then he saw the door to Grimmauld Square and the snake-shaped knocker, but before he could draw a breath, there was a scream, a flash of purple, and Hermione's hand suddenly gripped him like a vise, and everything was plunged back into darkness.
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