SuperPotterLock - The Order of the Phoenix

Fight and Flight

Sherlock fought against his captor, straining to go with John, and earned himself a split lip. He watched John walk half a step behind Hermione, but he couldn't get past the thick wall of swirling thoughts and visions racing through John's mind. He glanced at Dean, and knew he was just biding his time, his body tense, eyes slowly raking around the room, looking for his opening. Dean caught Sherlock's eye and nodded almost imperceptibly, and Sherlock stopped struggling. Instead, he tried to watch John.

They walked past Hagrid's hut and towards the Forest, Umbridge struggling to keep up on her short legs.

Cas had his eyes squeezed shut, the quaking in the room reduced to barely a rumble, but sweat dripped down his temple.

Soon, all of the others except Luna noticed that Dean was thinking hard, and they all stopped struggling to watch him. The Slytherins didn't seem to notice, and began to relax, laughing and joking with each other.

Sherlock turned to John again, feeling a thrill of terror shoot through him, and found him face to face with the centaur herd, all of them furious.

'You are from the Ministry of Magic?' Magorian asked, as the rest of the herd circled restlessly.

'That's right,' said Umbridge in a high voice, 'so be very careful! By the laws laid down by the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical creatures, any attack by half-breeds such as yourselves-'

Sherlock and John both flinched.

'What did you call us?' shouted Bane, and there was a great deal of muttering and tightening of bow-strings from the rest of the herd.

'Don't call them that,' Hermione said furiously, but Umbridge didn't hear her, and continued, shaking her wand at Magorian.

'Law Fifteen "B" states clearly that "any attack by a magical creature who is deemed to have near-human intelligence-'

Sherlock and John both cringed again.

'"Near-human intelligence"?' repeated Magorian, as several of the others roared with rage and pawed the ground. 'We consider that a great insult, human! Our intelligence far outstrips your own.'

Dean stared intently at Cas, willing him to open his eyes, just for a moment. The Slytherin's grip on him was loosening, and he knew the perfect distraction. At last, Cas seemed to sense his gaze and opened his now brightly glowing eyes. Dean squinted, but nodded slowly at Cas.

Cas swallowed but nodded back in understanding. He took a quick glance around the room to make sure everyone was ready, then, his eyes flashed and the Slytherin holding him flew back, smacking into the wall.

Taking the advantage, Dean jerked his head back, getting a satisfying crunch from the nose behind him. He yanked the gag out of his mouth and snatched his wand from the now bleeding Slytherin.

The others had all sprung into action as well, most of them Stunning, but Neville went with a particularly well-aimed Impediment Jinx, and Ginny with her specialty Bat-Bogey Hex right at Malfoy. Before any of the Slytherins could recover, they had snatched their wands, along with Harry, Hermione and John's, and were all sprinting from the room.

'Where?' Dean yelled at Sherlock as they ran.

'Forest,' Sherlock shouted back, leading the way through the castle, as he watched the centaurs carry Umbridge off deep into the Forest.

John, Hermione and Harry were dragged upright by centaurs.

'And these?' said the one holding Hermione.