Chapter 439: Invasion of the Ministry of Magic
Chapter 439: Invasion of the Ministry of Magic
"Harry, what's going on?" After quickly finishing dinner, Liam and Hermione rushed to the Common Room to find Harry. At this time, everyone else was still downstairs eating, leaving the Common Room nearly empty. Only Ron, Ginny, and the Weasley Twins were standing by Harry, who was slumped on the sofa, looking extremely pale.
"Ginny told me that Harry had that nightmare again after dinner", Hermione whispered to Liam as they approached. "Then Harry went to see Professor Mcgonagall, but she made him wait here for news and forbade him from leaving the school."
"Professor Mcgonagall is right. We can't afford to lose another person, especially since this kidnapping seems different—"
However, Liam's words were cut short by Harry.
"But the person who's missing is my only family. I have to find him. I know Professor Mcgonagall, Professor Dumbledore, and even Lupin are trying to protect me, but Sirius Black means more to me than to them. They might be willing to sacrifice Sirius Black for my safety, considering the Order of the Phoenix has lost members before. I can't just sit here. Besides, I feel like Voldemort knows I'm watching him, and that dream at lunch was his warning. If I don't go to the Department of Mysteries, Voldemort will likely kill Sirius Black."
"If this is your decision, let me go with you", Ginny stepped forward, looking at Harry's shocked face. "Do you really think I'd let you face this alone?"
"Right, and us too. We're adults now, and it's time we take responsibility", the Weasley Twins chimed in.
"I'm your best friend. How could I let you take this risk alone?" Ron added.
"Alright, even though I still think this is a bit reckless. But you clearly need more than just the four of you." Liam was also ready to go to the Ministry of Magic. He had been eager to explore the Department of Mysteries for a long time, and this was his chance. Besides, he was worried about what might happen if something went wrong and Harry got hurt.
"I told you, I'll be by your side for all your future adventures." Hermione squeezed Liam's hand and looked at him determinedly.
"Listen, this is my own problem. You don't—"
But Harry's words were interrupted by several protests. The pain in his scar intensified, and Harry realized that every minute they delayed was precious. He had no time for arguments.
"Alright, fine, this is your choice", he said hastily. "But the problem is that all the exits from Hogwarts are being monitored by Umbridge, and we don't have enough broomsticks to get to London."
"That's easy", Liam stepped forward. "Fred and George know a secret passage to Hogsmeade. Once we get to the town, we can use the fireplace at the Weasley's Joke Shop's branch to travel through the Floo Network to Diagon Alley."
"Then let's go now", Harry said impatiently, ready to leave. But Liam and Hermione insisted on going upstairs to prepare. When Liam came back down, he found Hermione already dressed in her leather armor under her school robes, waiting for him.
"Where's Harry?" "They've already left."
Hermione immediately recognized the box in Liam's hand. "You brought the Rose Crystal. Is the situation that bad?"
"Worse than you think", Liam replied, pulling out the meteorite talisman that could deflect a Killing Curse and handing it to Hermione. "So I called in the rest of the Rose Crystals. They're all in the box. Voldemort's setting up something big this time, and we're facing a full-scale battle."
They set off through the secret passage behind the One-Eyed Witch Statue and arrived at the Weasley's Joke Shop in Hogsmeade an hour later. Before leaving, they left a note for Professor Mcgonagall, hoping the Order of the Phoenix would provide support. Liam didn't think a group of young wizards could stand up to Voldemort and a horde of Death Eaters.
In the backyard of Weasley's Joke Shop in Diagon Alley, Liam and Harry met up with the others. After equipping themselves with a batch of Magic Items from the second floor, they took the Subway to a desolate little street. There were only a few dilapidated offices, a small pub, and a nearly overflowing dump truck. The only thing that stood out was the broken red telephone booth on the street.
"Here we are, this is it", Harry pointed out the Ministry of Magic's visitor entrance. Liam checked his wristwatch and saw it was 8:30 PM. The Ministry of Magic should be empty since the staff would have gone home by now.
Sure enough, when they entered the Ministry of Magic via the red telephone booth with badges pinned to their chests, the hall was empty. There were no security personnel as they had imagined.
"This isn't right. There should be staff on duty even at night", Liam muttered. "Guys, I think we should have our wands ready. Everyone, be as alert as possible."
Everyone nodded. As soon as the elevator stopped, the seven of them sprinted through the hall, their footsteps echoing loudly. The only other sound in the main hall was the continuous rush of water from the gold fountain, where streams of water continuously spurted from the wands of male witches, the arrowheads of centaurs, the tips of goblin hats, and the ears of house-elves, falling into the circular pool.
"I can sense that Sirius Black is still alive", Harry said as he rushed into the lift, feeling a twinge of pain in his scar. He also sensed Sirius Black's current condition. He endured the pain and pressed Button 9, and the grille slammed shut. The lift made a loud, creaking sound, but no one came to check on the situation.
When the lift stopped, the cold woman's voice announced, "Department of Mysteries." The grille opened, and they stepped out into the corridor, which was completely still except for the nearest torch flickering in the breeze stirred by the lift.
Harry turned to the plain black gate. For months, he had only seen it in his dreams, and now he was finally here.
"This is it", he whispered, leading the others down the corridor. The remaining six followed him, keeping a vigilant eye on their surroundings.
"I think we should have a couple of people keep watch outside", Harry said suddenly as they stood before the gate.
"Don't be ridiculous", Liam said, staring at Harry. "The Dark Lord and his followers are likely lurking somewhere around here. Splitting up would only make it easier for them to pick us off one by one."
"Alright", Harry had wanted to leave a few people behind to stay out of harm's way, but Liam's words made him realize they had no other choice.
He turned to the black gate and walked up to it. Just as in his dreams, it opened. He stepped over the threshold, and the others followed closely behind.
They found themselves standing in a vast, circular room. The ceiling, floor, and walls were all black. Around the walls, identical, unmarked, and handle-less black gates were evenly spaced, and blue-flamed candles dotted the walls. The faint, cold light of the candles reflected on the polished marble floor, making it look like a calm, deep pool of water.
Liam, who was the last to enter, closed the door, and the room's trap was activated. With a loud rumbling, the candles began to move to the side, and the circular walls started to spin. For a few seconds, the walls whirled rapidly, the blue flames blurring into a continuous blue band around them. Then, just as suddenly as it started, the rumbling stopped, and everything returned to stillness.
In Harry's dreams, he had always walked through this room without hesitation, heading straight to the door opposite the entrance and continuing on. But here, there were 12 doors. It was likely a security measure to confuse intruders and buy time. For Harry, who needed to save Sirius, this was a significant obstacle.
"I think we should try these doors", he said hurriedly. "Once we find the right room, I'll know the way. Come on."
(End of Chapter)
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