Draco Malfoy *5th Year*

Chapter 27

Harry's POV

I followed Hermione as she quickly led Umbridge and me to where 'Dumbledore's secret weapon' was supposedly being kept. Umbridge, I could tell, was getting flustered with being this far into the dark forest. She slapped a bug out of her face before calling out,

"How much farther?"

"Not far," Hermione replied back

"It had to be somewhere students wouldn't find it accidentally" I then went closer to Hermione

"What are you doing?" I hissed quietly

"Improvising," She replied. We stopped short at the sight of Grawp's rope lying lifelessly on the ground. He was gone. Umbridge then stormed in front of us

"Well? Where is this weapon?" She demanded in her annoying high pitched tone. Hermione looked back at me with a worried expression

"There isn't one, is there? You were trying to trick me!" Umbridge looked outraged

"You know, I really hate children," She spat out. The sound of twigs snapping behind us grabbed our attention and Umbridge immediately grabbed Hermione and me and pulled us in front of her as a shield against the growing crowd of centaurs.

"You have no business here, centaur. This is a Ministry matter," She began with a shaky voice as one of them began raising a bow with an arrow notched.

"Lower your weapons. I warn you, under the law, as creatures of near-human intelligence-" she was cut off as a large centaur near the front launched an arrow towards us,

"Protego!" Umbridge yelled with fury in her eyes.

"How dare you? Filthy half-breed. Incarcerous," She then cast a curse of the one who had fired the arrow and a rope snaked its way around the centaur's neck, suffocating it. It fell to the floor and Hermione rushed towards it as it struggled.

"Please. Please stop it. Please," Hermione begged as she tried to pull the rope away from the creature.

"No, enough! I will. Have. Order," Umbridge screamed and raised her wand, suddenly she was pulled off the ground and we watched as she was held up by Grawp. The angry crowd of centaurs charged towards Grawp and began firing at him. The one with the rope around its neck managed to break free and joined them.

"You filthy animal. Do you know who I am?" Umbridge yelled, panicking.

"Leave him alone. It's not his fault. No, he doesn't understand," Hermione tried to reason with the furious, armed centaurs as the constantly sent arrows shooting towards the gentle giant. He suddenly got the message and dropped the pink headmaster to the ground. She was then grabbed by both arms and hoisted up between two centaurs, she looked to me with fear in her eyes

"Potter, do something. Tell them I mean no harm," she pleaded

"I'm sorry professor, but I must not tell lies," I shook my head as they dragged her away

"What are you doing? I am Senior Undersecretary Dolores Jane Umbridge. Let me go!" we heard Umbridge screaming as she was dragged away.

"Thank you Grawp," Hermione turned to the gentle giant who was pulling arrows out of his arms, they looked like little twigs as he snapped them in his large hands.

"Hermione. Hermione, Sirius," I reminded her and we raced off back towards the castle to rescue our friends and Sirius.