When Hermione Fights

Department of Mysteries

BOOK 2

Chapter 58-100

Coverart: Alydwen (alydwen(dot)deviantart(dot)com)

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My goal was to find out more about Dumbledore's past.

Well, that had gone well. Malfoy one and two had been busy with themselves and Viktor and so I could get closer to my real goal. I wasn't here to amuse myself, to flirt with men or to pit people against each other, oh no, I had a mission. I was here for a specific reason and I couldn't and wouldn't let this opportunity pass to come here when security was less strict than usual. I was certain that no one here was even thinking about what I had planned to do.

I was heading towards my goal with quick steps. The loud sound of my shoes was very audible. Because my time was limited, I had to hurry up. I took the shawl off from my shoulders, folded it and put it into my purse. Determined, I went to the lift.

I had to get to the ninth floor, the so-called Department of Mysteries. I knew that from my research, which hadn't been easy... just to mention that.

I pressed the button for the ninth floor and the lift started to move squeakily. Next I pulled up my dress without much decorum and drew my white wand. I had the good sense to carry a dagger on my left leg. As I had said, I never went anywhere without weapons.

I prepared myself for my undertaking and didn't spell myself invisible, as there were curses in the Ministry that prevented attempts like that, but used the Disillusionment Charm to adapt to my surroundings and put a Sonus Ex on my shoes so that my footsteps couldn't be heard anymore.

Was I excited? Was I nervous? No, I had clearly been more self-conscious in front of the Malfoys. Why should I be afraid? Because I was about to break in? No, I had already done that. It was more anticipation that I felt. I was curious how I would manage to act out my plan and how hard it would become and in what way my knowledge would be challenged.

But I wasn't afraid, I was looking forward to this challenge. Given that I was about to do something forbidden, the tingling in my belly was getting stronger again. I could feel the adrenaline starting to rush through my veins and how it made be more attentive.

The Department of Mysteries was a mystery even inside the Ministry itself. It was the best kept secret here. No one in the Ministry could say something specific because even if you worked for the Department of Mysteries you knew next to nothing and could not offer any information. The employees were called the Unspeakables because they didn't talk about their work.

There were many dangerous levels of magic and I didn't mean Dark and Light. No, there was an incredible diversity in the magic they were probably experimenting with here. Time was one of them, I guessed, because my time turner had come from the Ministry. But there was much more to it than that.

The door of the lift opened loudly. Behind it lay a long, windowless, deserted hallway and on its end I could make out a simple, dark, wooden door.

Thus I left the lift in a hurry, heading towards the wooden door while mumbling some spells to see whether there were detection spells which would sound an alarm.

There were some though to my great disappointment they couldn't compare to most of Snape's crazy and nasty inventions. Like I said, to get into the bad-tempered professor's potion storage had been more of a challenge than this. Wow, I was very disappointed. They were way too trusting! If I had been the Dark Lord, the door would have opened in invitation at once. How depressing.