The Other Black Book 5

Chapter 32 - Fight and Flight

Aurora had never before actively sought to make one of her dreams happen, mostly because so often she had never been able to tell what they meant and if she did, they told of something bad. However, now that she had realized what it was, she knew... Aurora couldn't entirely catch Harry or Hermione's eyes, nor could she talk to them. She could just hope they followed through... hope they understand what Aurora was planning...

Aurora led the way down the stairs into the entrance hall. The din of loud voices and the clatter of cutlery on plates echoed from out of the double doors to the Great Hall.

Aurora walked straight out of the oak front doors and down the stone steps into the balmy evening air. The sun was falling toward the tops of the trees in the Forbidden Forest now as Aurora marched purposefully across the grass, Umbridge jogging to keep up. Their long dark shadows rippled over the grass behind them like cloaks.

"It's hidden in Hagrid's hut, is it?" said Umbridge eagerly in Harry's ear.

"Of course not," said Aurora scathingly. "Hagrid might have set it off accidentally."

This was not any jab towards Hagrid. She more meant Grawp than Hagrid, but in a round-about way, Hagrid had brought Grawp here...

"Yes," said Umbridge, whose excitement seemed to be mounting. "Yes, he would have done, of course, the great halfbreed oaf. . . ."

She laughed.

Aurora, quite thankful that she herself was the one in the front, smiled. She didn't like half-breeds... Oh just you wait, Professor Umbridge, Aurora thought. Just you wait.

"Then . . . where is it?" asked Umbridge, with a hint of uncertainty in her voice as Aurora continued to stride toward the forest.

"In there, of course," said Aurora, pointing into the dark trees. "It had to be somewhere that students weren't going to find it accidentally, didn't it?"

"Of course," said Umbridge, though she sounded a little apprehensive now. "Of course . . . very well, then . . . you two stay ahead of me."

"Can we have your wand, then, if we're going first?" Harry asked her.

"No, I don't think so, Mr. Potter," said Umbridge sweetly, poking him in the back with it. "The Ministry places a rather higher value on my life than yours, I'm afraid."

As they reached the cool shade of the first trees, Aurora was aware of Harry trying to catch her eye, but Aurora was the one in front, and she still had her wand... Aurora, however, merely gave Umbridge a contemptuous glance and plunged straight into the trees -- she wasn't about to give any indication that she still had hers, moving at such a pace that Umbridge, with her shorter legs, had difficulty in keeping up.

"Is it very far in?" Umbridge asked, as her robe ripped on a bramble.

"Oh yes," said Aurora. "Yes, it's well hidden."

Aurora was aware that she was on the path she, Ron, and Harry had taken three years ago to visit Aragog, but she hoped... She hoped she could stop before.

"Er — are you sure this is the right way?" Harry asked her pointedly, as if aware of the path.

"Oh yes," Aurora said in a steely voice, crashing through the undergrowth with a wholly unnecessary amount of noise. Well, it was necessary... Behind them, Umbridge tripped over a fallen sapling. Neither of them paused to help her up again;

Aurora merely strode on, calling loudly over her shoulder, "It's a bit further in!"

"Aura, keep your voice down," Harry muttered, hurrying to catch up with her. "Anything could be listening in here —"