Distance // Draco Malfoy

Chapter 76

'This is impalpably stupid!' I exclaim, with such vivacity that it causes Harry and Ron to exchange looks of morbid fear, as Kreacher swirls past happily, whipping up breakfast for us all. 'Someone please remind me just why we are doing this?'
'You know why.' Harry replies, rather bluntly. I watch as Kreacher lays the food in front of us at the table and we all sit, desperately trying to wolf it down.

'Okay, you all know the plan, let's just get in there as soon as we can and find it, once and for all.' With that, we thank Kreacher and depart from the table without haste, scurrying away from Grimauld Place, and toward the busy centre of London, via apparation. Before long, we are outside a building with tall, wooden doors on a busy corner of London, of which me and Hermione rush into, allowing Ron and Harry to stun each ministry member, one by one. I know that the member who I am due to be impersonating works on the muggle-born registration commission, in a rather high-up position, deputy head of the said department.

I take the polyjuice potion that Hermione hands me with haste, feeling fearful, and feel the burning sensation in my throat as the painful transformation begins to occur. Once we are all transformed, we head towards the entrance: the toilets. Hermione and I enter the girls and wait. The sound of flushing continuously sounds throughout the room, and once me and Hermione step into the cubicle, I hastily step in and flush the chain, spinning and swirling down until I hit a large green fireplace.

Trying to act unphased, I walk toward the statue, and see Hermione appearing at my shoulder. 'Where are they?' I whisper.
'I don't know.' She hisses back, and we wait by the fountain until the boys join us, and we all pile into the lift to get to where we need to be. Ron is first out, then me and Harry leave, helplessly glancing at Hermione.

'Wait,' Harry stops in front of a door and looks at the name: Umbridge. 'You go on,' he turns to me in a hushed whisper, 'get to your office, continue as normal. If you hear anything, come back here to help me, got it? You're her deputy, she may have entrusted it to you, have a good look.' I nod and leave Harry standing outside the door, making my way along the corridor until I see an office for myself and head inside.

Inside is a plain scene. The walls are of the same marble as outside. In the middle, a desk sits with mostly nothing but papers and posters on top. There is nothing on the walls. I begin to search through the papers, and I check the drawers, only to be left disappointed. A knock on the door causes me to scurry, as soon as possible around the desk and to sit at the chair. 'Come in!'

Lucius Malfoy appears. 'Eleanor,' he says, and my eyes widen and features become gaunt. 'I need to make an enquiry.'
'Yes, Lucius. How can I help?' He looks at me for a moment, and I gulp. I have no idea what this woman is supposed to sound like. 'Sorry, please excuse my voice, I have a most terrible cold.' He nods slowly, and pulls a piece of paper out of his pocket.

'I was wondering if you know anything of this girl - a mudblood. Her whereabouts, if she's been taken by snatchers, anything like that?' He hands me the piece of paper, and before I look at it, I ask.
'For Ministry purposes, I assume?'
'Yes . . . of course. The minister sent me, she is believed to be in league with the Potter boy, it could give us a lead on him.' I look down at the picture and my heart jumps into my mouth.

It's me. The photo is of me in the grounds at Hogwarts in my robes, and Draco is standing just behind me, his arms wrapped around me; we're both smiling, and laughing, giggling and happy. 'Name?'
'Dolittle. Alyssia Dolittle.' I start to flick through papers to look for my own name, eventually finding an attatchment. 'Unknown whereabouts, I'm afraid.'

'Merlin. Alright, if you hear any word, let me know immediately.'
'I will, Lucius.' He leaves the office promptly, and I sit back in the chair and sigh to myself. That was certainly not for ministry purposes. I get up abruptly and leave the office quickly before anybody else comes in. I head to the elevator and get in, seeing both Ron and Harry. Good timing.

'Has anyone seen Hermione?'
'She's in the courtrooms.' Harry and Ron reply, and nerves take over instantly as we continue down towards the courtrooms. I keep my encounter with Lucius Malfoy quiet for now as I worry about Hermione.

When we finally arrive in the courtrooms, the locket is shining around Umbridge's neck proudly. Harry proceeds to one side of the courtroom, and I the other. And then we wait. I risk an anxious look at Harry, who appears to be bubbling with rage. And soon, it's done. Harry stupefies Umbridge, Hermione grabs the locket, we hurry to fire curses and hexes and jinxes, and run to the elevator, sprint through the Atrium as Yaxley fires hexes at us.

The room is a blur to me - papers flying everwhere, raining down from the once beautiful blue-black domed roof of the Atrium, voices shouting and hurried whisers, as we are chased by several members of security and Yaxley himself, and I feel something changing. A horrible, frightening feeling, a feeling that twists and turns and terrifies me - I begin to grow steadily shorter, my feet seem to shrink in my shoes, and my hair suddenly feels as though it is expanding in my bun, and my navy blazer is all of a sudden far too long for me at the arms. I scramble to grab onto Hermione's coat as we jump into the fire grate and we disapperate, but I feel somone else grab hold of me, and as we are sucked into that dark hole and squeezed, my hand slips in Hermione's, and the brief, landing is enough to pull me from her altogether.

Yaxley gives a harsh laugh, and before I know it, Harry, Hermione and Ron, have all vanished. 'Fuck.' I mutter, as Yaxley gets hold of me by the scruff of the neck, and turns me round. He looks at me, long and hard, and his face washes over with realisation, as an evil smile stitches its way onto his face. 'Well, well. I'll not be taking you back to the ministry.' Oh god. Where are we going?