Dark Pasts { A Harry Potter Story }

Chapter 54 - The Department of Mysteries

I could see the top of large buildings drawing nearer, indicating that we were arriving in London at last. Suddenly, we were descending, but I had to on hold tighter to stop myself from falling forward. A few minutes later, I felt the sudden impact of the thestrals hooves touching the ground and quickly dismounted.

"Never again," Ron said as he struggled to his feet.

"Where do we go from here?" Hermione asked before Harry pointed to a red telephone box.

We all crammed inside with much difficulty as Harry instructed for Ron to dial six two four four two on the telephone.

"Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your name and business." A female voice sounded from inside the box.

"Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Elizabeth Rosier, Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom, and Luna Lovegood," Harry said very quickly. "Er... We're here to save someone unless your Ministry can do it first!"

"Thank you," the female voice said. "Visitors, please take the badges and attach them to the front of your robes."

7 badges slid out of the metal chute where coins usually appeared. Hermione handed us each the one bearing our name, as well as the words 'rescue mission'.

Suddenly, the telephone box shuddered slightly and I noticed that the pavement was rising above the box: we were descending underground.

"The Ministry of Magic wishes you a pleasant evening," the voice said as the door of the telephone box burst open. I quickly walked out, glad to regain my personal space before looking at my surroundings. There was a large golden fountain ahead of us and all the walls and floors were made of black tiles. Not a single person was in sight: no Ministry officials, no security agents, and I rather thought that their absence was not such a good sign, but followed after Harry anyway. We hopped onto the first lift that came into sight and Harry pressed on one of the buttons.

"Department of Mysteries," the same voice echoed through the lift as it abruptly stopped. I held onto my wand tightly as we followed Harry down the corridor.

We found ourselves in front of a plain black door and stopped. I exchanged a knowing look with Hermione and gulped, knowing this was the door Harry had been dreaming about.

"Let's go," he said as he walked closer to the door and it burst open on its own.

We were now standing in a large, circular room, whose walls were covered with several identical doors.

"Someone shut the door," Harry muttered.

I heard the door close behind me and the room became pitch black. The only thing we could see were dim blue lights coming from torches on the walls and our reflections on the floor. Suddenly the room started to rotate, and I quickly grabbed the nearest arm to steady myself. Only when the person grabbed my hand in response did I know who I was holding on to.

"What was that about?" Ron asked once the room had stopped spinning.

"I think it's so that we don't know where we came from," Ginny said, making me shudder.

"Where do we go, then, Harry?" Hermione asked.

I felt him shrug beside me. "In the dreams, I went through the door at the end of the corridor from the lifts into a dark room — that's this one — and then I went through another door into a room that kind of . . . glitters. We should try a few doors."

He walked straight to the door ahead, dragging me along with him, and opened it to reveal a large, bright room.

Harry shook his head. "That's not the one."