Lord Phantom

Chapter 19: Inside the Ministry

There was nobody inside Umbridge's office. Harry had expected this, yet was not prepared for the molten wave of dread and panic that seemed to burst through his stomach at the sight of the deserted room. He had a dream during exams, about Sirius being caught and tortured by Voldemort. Harry wanted to go to Department of Mysteries immediately, but Hermione convinced him to check on Sirius first. That's why they were in new Headmistress' office.

"Sirius?" Harry shouted, "Sirius, are you there?"

His voice echoed around the room, but there was no answer except a tiny scuffing sound to the right of the fire.

"Who's there?" he called, wondering whether it was just a mouse. Fire then revealed very familiar face.

"Hey there, Harry," Danny said, grinning, but smile instantly disappeared after the sight of Harry's terrified face.

"Where is Sirius, Danny?" Harry asked. Phantom blinked.

"I don't know. There is nobody here," Harry was even more scared, "Flames between, Kreacher, what have you done again?!" Danny shouted and walked out of view.

Harry felt a great pain at the top of his head; he inhaled a lot of ash and, choking, found himself being dragged backwards through the flames, until with a horrible abruptness he was staring up into the wide, pallid face of Professor Umbridge who had 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 Sensoring 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 remove the wand, "Hers, too"

Harry heard a scuffle over by the door and knew that Hermione had also just had her wand wrested from her.

"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. He felt several hairs part ways with his scalp.

"Liar!" shouted Umbridge. She threw him from her and he slammed into the desk. Now he could see Hermione pinned against the wall by Millicent Bulstrode. Malfoy was leaning on the windowsill, smirking as he threw Harry's wand into the air one-handed and caught it again.

There was a commotion outside and several large Slytherins entered, each gripping Ron, Ginny, Luna and, to Harry's bewilderment, Neville, who was trapped in a stranglehold by Crabbe and looked in imminent danger of suffocation. All four of them had been gagged.

"Got 'em all," said Warrington, shoving Ron roughly forwards into the room, "That one," he poked a thick finger at Neville, "tried to stop me taking her," he pointed at Ginny, who was trying to kick the shins of the large Slytherin girl holding her, "so I brought him along too"

"Good, good," said Umbridge, watching Ginny's struggles, "Well, it looks as though Hogwarts will shortly be a Weasley-free zone, doesn't it?"

Malfoy laughed loudly and sycophantically. Umbridge gave her wide, complacent smile and settled herself into a chintz-covered armchair, blinking up at her captives like a toad in a flowerbed.