But Harry was already tearing away back along the corridor, and a couple of minutes later was jumping the last few stairs to join Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Luna, who were huddled together at the end of Umbridge's corridor.
"All right," whispered Hermione as a gang of loud sixth-years passed them. '"So Ron—you go and head Umbridge off ... Ginny, Luna, if you can start moving people out of the corridor ... Harry, Raelyn and I will get the Cloak on and wait until the coast is clear ..."
"Can we all fit under that thing?" I mumbled.
"Get over here," muttered Hermione, tugging at Harry's wrist and pulling him back into a recess where the ugly stone head of a medieval wizard stood muttering to itself on a column. "Are—are you sure you're OK, Harry? You're still very pale."
"I'm fine," he said shortly, tugging the Invisibility Cloak from out of his bag. He threw the Invisibility Cloak over us and we stood listening carefully over the Latin mumbling of the bust in front of them.
"I thought she might have added extra security after the second Niffler." Hermione muttered as we headed into her office.
"Nothing can stop my Niffler from getting in here." I said proudly.
"That was your Niffler?" She gaped. I felt a swell of pride for little Snuffles.
Harry pulled off the Cloak; Hermione hurried over to the window and stood out of sight, peering down into the grounds with her wand out. Harry dashed over to the fireplace, I seized the pot of Floo powder and threw a pinch into the grate, causing emerald flames to burst into life there. Harry knelt down quickly, thrust his head into the dancing fire and cried,
"Number twelve, Grimmauld Place!"
Suddenly the door opened. I looked at Hermione panicked. Umbridge was supposed to be distracted how did she get here so quickly? She marched over to Harry dragged him backwards out of the fire by the hair and was now bending his neck back as far as it would go, as though she were going to slit his throat.
"You think," she whispered, bending Harry's neck back even further, so that he was looking up at the ceiling, "that after two Nifflers I was going to let one more foul, scavenging little creature enter my office without my knowledge? I had Stealth Censoring Spells placed all around my doorway after the last one got in, you foolish boy. Take his wand," she barked at someone he could not see, and he felt a hand grope inside the chest pocket of his robes and removed the wand. "Theirs, too."
Draco walked over to me. His eyes never leaving mine. He didn't look angry about catching me here, but he didn't look pleased either. I pulled my wand out and handed it to him.
"Trust me, please." I whispered to him as he grabbed my wand from me, and held my wrist so I couldn't leave.
"I want to know why you are in my office," said Umbridge, shaking the fist clutching his hair so that he staggered.
"I was—trying to get my Firebolt!" Harry croaked.
"Liar." She shook his head again. "Your Firebolt is under strict guard in the dungeons, as you very well know, Potter. You had your head in my fire. With whom have you been communicating?"
"No one—" said Harry, trying to pull away from her.
"Liar!" shouted Umbridge. She threw him from her and he slammed into the desk.
There was a commotion outside and several large Slytherins entered, each gripping Ron, Ginny, Luna and—to my surprise—Neville, who was trapped in a stranglehold by Crabbe and looked in imminent danger of suffocation. All four of them had been gagged.
