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Mafalda Hopkirk, Audrey Willis and Rupert Jorkins filed out after Umbridge, trying their best not to draw attention to themselves as they followed in her wake.
A pearly cat perched on the edge of Umbridge's chair as she sat herself down, the three intruders seated facing down at a woman.
"Mary Elizabeth Cattermole?" she began, "Of 27 Chislehurst Gardens, Great Tolling, Evesham?"
"Yes." the woman nodded, nervously looking between all the witches and wizards who were interrogating her, occasionally looking up to the Dementors held back by Umbridge's patronus.
"Mother to Maisie, Ellie and Alfred? Wife to Reginald?"
Mary turned her head, staring at the entrance, "Reg?"
Harry shoved a soaking Ron forwards, awkwardly standing beside her chair.
"Thank you, Albert." Umbridge smiled, "Mary Elizabeth Cattermole, a wand was taken from you upon your arrival at the Ministry today, is this that wand?"
Nervously nodding, Mary placed her hand on Ron's.
"Mrs Cattermole, please tell the court from which witch or wizard you took this wand?"
"I didn't take it," she insisted, "I got it in Diagon Alley, in Ollivander's, when I was eleven. It chose me."
Umbridge leered down over the podium and sneered, "You're lying. Wands only choose witches and you are not a witch."
"But I am," she said, tears brimming in her eyes, "tell them, Reg. Tell them what I am. Reg, tell them what I am."
Harry's wand appeared in his hand, his skin starting to bubble back.
"What on earth are you doing, Albert?"
Cedric and Lori shared a nervous glance across the room as Harry warped slightly from Runcorn, "You're lying, Dolores. And one mustn't tell lies. Stupefy."
Umbridge was thrown back in her chair as the other four started disarming the wizard in the courtroom, the silvery cat fading into nothingness.
Hermione dived across the bench, ripping the locket from around Umbridge's neck and throwing it to Harry.
"That's Harry Potter!" Mary gasped as Ron helped her to her feet.
"It is, isn't it? This'll be one to tell the kids."
Hermione led the way to the lift as Dementors swooped down into the courtroom, shrieking and wailing as they followed the six of them down a small corridor.
Scabby hands shot through the grille door as Harry shut it, mouths feeding off the fear within.
"Expecto Patronum!" Harry bellowed, the lift slowly rising as the Dementors shot out of sight. It was an agonising wait to get to the right floor, Mary whimpering at the back of the lift and clutching tightly to Ron, who still looked like her husband.
Hermione had also morphed back to herself, both she and Harry bowing their heads as they exited the lift, trying to avoid all contact.
"Mary, go home." Ron instructed, the others giving him urgent looks as they stopped, "Get the kids. I'll meet you there, we have to get out of the country, understand?"
She nodded and whimpered, before pressing her lips to his. Ron began to shrink, changing back to himself as Mary pulled away, horror etched onto her face.
A man in his underwear pushed between Harry and Cedric, "Mary?" The real Reginald Cattermole stared at his wife, who was staring at Ron, "Who's that?"
"Long story, nice meeting you." Ron said, already running to grab Hermione as a Ministry wizard loudly proclaimed their presence, several Hit Wizards racing towards them.
Cedric was also back to himself, ginger starting to seep back into Lori's hair as they darted back towards the floo fires.
The man from earlier, Corban Yaxley, who had told Ron to stop his office from raining, shot a spell at them as they ran, several chunks flying off the statue.
Lori collided headfirst with Percy, whose eyes widened as his fiancee morphed back to his sister, terror wrought on her face as the others raced ahead.
She gingerly removed the engagement ring, handing it to him as spells flew at her friends, "Perce... please."
He visibly gulped, turning his head to the wizards racing towards them, before his eyes darted back to his sister. She knew he was completely loyal to the Ministry, having renounced their entire family in pursuit of his career.
"Go." he whispered, giving her a light shove towards the fireplaces with a small smile. Lori nodded thankfully, flinging her high heels off as she ran, slowly catching up to the rest of them.
Behind them, the grates started to fall shut, trapping arriving workers in the fireplaces as they burned out. The others managed to reach an open one, Cedric extending his hand to Lori as she bolted towards him, the others grabbing onto each other.
A hand grabbed onto her arm as she reached Cedric and connected their hands, the black tiles of the Ministry warping around them.
Yaxley was latched onto Lori's arm, holding on for dear life as Grimmauld Place briefly materialised around them. He let go, thinking they had arrived at their destination, before the five of them left him there on the front door step.
Trees sprouted around them as they landed with a heavy thud. It was quite peaceful, until Ron's pained groans reached their ears.
Hermione was already on her feet, Lori helping Cedric up as they raced towards him, blood seeping from a gash on his arm.
Ron convulsed slightly, Hermione hushing him as Harry stumbled over, "Harry, quickly, in my bag. There's a bottle labelled Essence of Dittany."
Lori held her brother's head in her lap as he grimaced, blood staining Hermione's hands as Harry rifled through the bag, quickly producing the small bottle with a spell.
"It's all right," Hermione reassured, looking to Harry, "unstopper it."
"Hermione, his arm." he mumbled.
"Just do it!" Harry handed her the bottle and knelt beside Cedric, "Okay, it's gonna sting a little bit."
"What happened? I thought we were meant to be going back to Grimmauld Place."
Ron's groans increased in volume as drips of the solution dropped into his wound, his free hand smacking the ground.
"We were," Cedric explained, his hand clenched around the locket, "but he had a hold of Lori and wasn't letting go and I knew once he'd seen where we were, we couldn't stay."
Hermione nodded along, still dousing Ron's arm, "So I brought us here. But Ron got splinched!"
The flesh of his arm seemed to melt back together, the blood tracing back into his veins as his groans turned to breathy gasps and he fell limp, Hermione standing up as Lori held her brother.
"Protego Totalum. Salvio Hexia."
Harry looked at Hermione as she waved her wand, "What are you doing?"
"Protective enchantments. I don't fancy another visit like the one we had in Shaftesbury Avenue, do you? You can get going on the tent."
"Tent?" he asked incredulously, "Where am I supposed to find a tent?"
