HP/LOTM: Visionary - 406

Chapter 406: Ministry Infiltration (Prelude)

At Grimmauld Place, in the old Black house, Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat in a circle before the fire.

"Shall we see where Aiden said the Ministry remnants are?" Hermione suggested.

Harry nodded, pulled the black-covered book Aiden had given him from the pouch, and opened it.

Ink welled up in the centre of the page. The sight brought back bad memories. For a moment, Harry wondered, half in dread, whether Aiden had made a Horcrux as well. Then he pictured that mountain-sized dragon head and dismissed the ridiculous thought.

"Ink. That’s it?" Ron waited a long moment with no further reaction from the book, then reached out to touch the page.

The instant his fingers neared it, a black hand shot out of the paper and seized him.

"Ah!" Ron squealed like a startled rabbit and was yanked into the book. Harry’s eyes bulged. He grabbed Ron at once.

Their combined strength was nothing against the pull. Hermione lunged in too when she saw them being dragged in, and all three were sucked through.

Inside the book was a colossal tree. Its roots dug deep into a huge sphere below, while bare branches stretched up, as though linked to a distant starry sky.

"The bottom must be the earth. But what does the sky above mean?" Hermione stared at the image for a long time and still could not work it out.

"The stars? I think I saw something like this in the Department of Mysteries," Harry said, spotting a locked sphere set into the centre of the trunk.

"Maybe Aiden left you some incredibly powerful weapon in there. Stop dawdling and have a look," Ron said, urging them on.

They floated over and touched the nearest branch. White light swallowed their vision. When they could see again, they were standing in a magnificent hall of gold and marble.

"The Ministry?" They recognised the familiar décor at once. Lines of fireplaces spat out witches and wizards.

Suddenly, one fireplace flared brighter. People all around turned to look at whoever was about to step out, but none of them seemed to notice anything amiss.

Every gaze locked on a single point while their bodies carried on with their tasks. At that focal point, a woman in a pink tweed coat stepped out of the flames.

She paused in the crowd to smooth her hair. Her earrings glinted. The all-too-familiar sight dumped Harry and the others straight back into their fifth year.

Dolores Umbridge.

The moment Harry saw the earrings, his scar twinged. Strange memories surged. In them, he was trapped like an insect in amber, watching Aiden’s fine-boned face draw closer, a "kind" smile blooming there.

"Mr Weasley, a word," Umbridge called, stopping Arthur.

Ron shoved through the crowd at once, trying to grab his father. His hand passed straight through Arthur and he went sprawling.

The fall seemed to trigger something. The scene around them began to run like ink. The Ministry workers melted away. Grey mist welled up, blurring the world and finally pushing Ron out of the Ministry entirely.

"Dad… get out of there!" Ron clawed at the fog, but it surged thicker like a tide, then swept him clean away.

"Try not to worry. Mr Weasley didn’t look hurt," Hermione said, kneeling at his side and steadying his shoulder. Ron lay there dazed, eyes unfocused.

"The Horcrux is on Umbridge. It’s the earring. We have to find a way to take it," Harry said, as leader, setting their next objective.

"But how? The Ministry’s defences are so tight," Hermione said, spotting the flaw in his plan at once.

"She still has to get to and from work, doesn’t she?" Harry said, raising his eyebrows at them.

What followed proved that while Harry’s leadership and combat skills were excellent, his detailed planning still needed work.

Cloak over his shoulders, he staked out the Ministry entrance, watching every witch and wizard who came and went, hoping to snatch Umbridge when she appeared.

But as the Ministry’s current Undersecretary in charge of Education, Umbridge travelled under heavy guard, and her commute was entirely through the Floo Network. Harry spent eight fruitless hours lurking at the Ministry gates and did not even catch a glimpse of her.

That night, exhausted, he returned to Grimmauld Place and was promptly mocked by Hermione and Ron. Scowling, he slumped on the sofa and glared at them.

"Fine. What do you two suggest?"

"Infiltration," Hermione said, reaching into her beaded bag. Her hand emerged with three vials of Polyjuice Potion.

"After you left today, we studied Aiden’s book and found that it can link to the viewpoint of any Ministry employee," Ron said, almost buzzing with excitement.

"So you want to sneak into the Ministry?" Harry asked.

"Compared to trying to locate Umbridge’s home from nothing, the Ministry’s crowds make it much easier to pinch something, don’t you think?" Hermione said.

She laid out a fake crystal earring and a map of the Ministry she and Ron had spent the afternoon drawing by hand.

Harry stood to take the map, but dizziness washed over him. His mind slid into Voldemort’s vision again. He saw the Dark Lord butchering women and children in his hunt for Gregorovitch.

"We move tomorrow," Harry said as soon as he opened his eyes. He had to throw everything he had into stopping that monster.

Hermione watched him, worried. She knew about the link between Harry and Voldemort, and she knew he must have seen something in those memories to make him so tense.

"What did you see? Was he killing again? Were my family there?" Ron demanded, grabbing Harry and shaking him.

"No, Ron. We have to focus on the Horcruxes. That’s how we protect your family. And your father’s doing fine at the Ministry," Harry said, pushing Ron away and turning back to hash out the plan with Hermione.

Ron pressed his lips together and shoved his fear down.

The next day, heavy clouds smothered the sky, but the British wizards of the three regions still went about their commutes as usual.

The trio Apparated to a spot near the Ministry and opened a small fire door with Alohomora. As they slipped through, a short witch Apparated into the same space. This was one of the Ministry’s designated Apparition points for employees. It had become a self-serve buffet for hunters.

Hermione stunned the witch with a silent spell, yanked out some of her hair, and dropped it into the Polyjuice Potion. One gulp, and she wore the woman’s face. A quick change into the witch’s clothes, and she was ready to walk through the Ministry’s front door.