Chapter 20: Into the Darkness

"How much further is it?!" Umbridge demanded as the twins lead her further into the trees.

Harry looked around and smirked.

It would only be a matter of time if she kept up with her volume.

"Further to what?" Harry asked looking confused.

"To Dumbledore!" Umbridge shrieked.

"Surely you didn't fall for that professor?" Draco smirked.

Umbridge's mouth fell open and her eyes narrowed.

"Well she's fell for it all year, Watcher, it would have been a bit of a surprise if she hadn't fell for it this time," Harry mocked.

"I demand you tell me what you mean," Umbridge snarled.

"But that's just it, Umbridge dear," Draco chuckled.

"It hasn't been your demands that have been followed this year. It's been ours. All it took was some well placed comments and some made up disclosures and you were away with yourself. All year, you have been naught but a puppet on strings," Harry derided.

"I was the one who got rid of Dumbledore, who broke up that rebellion! It was me, I was no puppet," Umbrige shrieked dementedly.

"Actually I was the one who got rid of Dumbledore, had I not stolen the parchment off Vixen and cast a invisible ink charm you would have had a list of studious students to punish or expell. Because I made sure nothing but the name of the group was shown Minister Fudge got his just cause to take Dumbledore from his position,"

"I found out about the rebellion!" she growled.

"You may have found out about it but we already knew about it before then. We also already knew just who was in the club and where it was been held even before you asked us to find it," Draco ridiculed.

"Silly Umbridge you should know by now you can never control a Malfoy. Even those detentions I attended were because I wanted them," Harry snorted.

"Just who dares come into our forest!"

The twins turned around to see a herd of Centaurs.

Already riled up from the twins, Umbridge didn't hold back her hatred of magical creatures.

"Your forest? I think you're mistaken you filthy half breeds. This forest is the property of the Ministry of magic!" Umbridge snarled.

The centaurs reered back at the insult.

Harry and Draco made sure they were well out of the way as one of the herd charged.

Umbridge fired a stunner and as it missed the rest of the herd charged.

"Moron should know better than to use magic against Centaurs," Draco muttered.

"Tell them, tell them I'm a professor!" Umbridge shrieked at the twins.

"But you're not a professor, you're naught but a fraud," Harry smirked.

They watched as the centaurs strung Umbridge up and took her away from the clearing.

Her echoes of her screams bounced around them.

"What do we do with these two?"

The twins looked over to the remaining centaurs.

There were four of them.

"We mean no harm," Harry stated passively. "She ordered us in here, she thought professor Dumbledore was in here and wanted us to help her look,"

"These two are the ones in the stars,"

The twins looked towards the centaur just off to the right of the first one that spoke.

The other centaurs looked at them for a moment before murmuring their agreement.

"Our alliance is with you two and you two alone. When your inheritance comes under a blood red moon in one summer's time, half way between both, our colony will stand with you as brothers in arms. Now go, back to the school,"

Knowing not to risk the ire of the centaurs the twins ran back through the forest.

They transformed making the trip back in half the time it took them to get there.

The evening was turning dark as they made their way back into the castle.

Everyone was back in the classroom and the twins were surprised at the healing potions sat on the table.

"Neville's idea," Blaise muttered seeing where the twins were looking.

"So did you manage to get through to the Order?" Draco asked Ron.

Ron shook his head looking worried.

"There was no one there,"

"Hades what about Sirius?" Draco whispered in his ear after getting changed. "You have that parchment don't you?"

Harry rooted around in his pockets and pulled out the parchment.

Just because he'd cut his ties with Sirius didn't mean that he didn't hope Sirius would contact him.

He kept the parchment with him at all times.

"Anyone have any ink?"

Indigo passed him a self inking quill.

He nodded his head passively at her.

Sirius,

Trouble in the DoM. You know what. One captive. Need help ASAP.

Hades.

"Now that's done how are we going to get there?" Blaise asked.

"Phoenix flames, of course," Luna said dreamily looking at Blaise with a smile.

"Oh yeah because we have a Phoenix at hand," Ron snapped.

"Ashanti," Harry called.

The phoenix was there instantly and Ron's mouth fell open.

"Can you take us all at once, Ashanti?" Harry asked the bird.

She trilled a negative tone.

"Four at once?" he asked.

A positive trill.

"Right, Draco, Neville, Granger and Vixen you four go first. Hold onto each other," Harry said before turning back to Ashanti. "Take them to the fountain in the Ministry, girl,"

Ashanti landed on Draco's shoulder and with a flash of fire they were gone.

Harry threw on the robes that Neville had gotten him from his trunk and cast an obscuring charm on his face.

He did the same to Blaise.

"What's with the charm?" Ron demanded.

"I'm not about to put a target on my back, Weasley," Harry said easily as Ashanti flashed back in.

Harry took hold of Blaise and Luna and let Ron grab hold of Luna's other hand before Ashanti took them all to the Ministry.

As they landed Blaise wiped the map clean and put it back into his pocket.

Hadrian was glad to see that Draco had had similar thoughts to him because his brother's face was obscured under his hood.

Neville's face however was easily recognisable.

"If I'm not seen she's dead," Neville stated.

"Do the rest of you know the charm?" Harry asked.

The Ravenclaws nodded and followed suit to the Deviants but Ron shook his head.

"I don't know the charm but even if I did I wouldn't use it. The last thing my sister needs is to get the fright of her life when we get her away from them," Ron snapped.

Deciding not to argue Harry lead them to the lift.

He saw the body of the guard and wondered if anyone else had.

As the lift got to the floor they needed there was nothing but a darkened corridor ahead.

"Into the darkness we go," Draco muttered.

"Can't we light the way?" Hermione asked nervously.

"The lift made enough racket, they know we're already here the last thing we need to do is let them know whereabouts we're located," Harry snapped quietly.

Indigo watched as Harry and Draco lead them forwards.

Despite everyone else letting onto their fear neither twin had shown an ounce of emotion for what they were doing.

She knew out of all of them there it was the twins' lives at risk the most. They were going against everything their family stood for.

The darkness seemed to go on forever before they reached the door to the Department of Mysteries.

Draco reached out and pushed it open.

As they all entered the door closed itself and just as Ron was about to step forwards and choose a room at random everything became a blur.

The only ones that didn't seem effected were the twins and Luna.

"It's the walls not the floor," Luna said afterwards as Ron staggered slightly.

"Hall of Prophecy," Harry's voice rung out.

Everyone waited with baited breath.

A green sign appeared above the door.

"If you haven't got your wand out, get it out now," Harry instructed.

"How do you know they're in there?" Indigo asked quietly.

"Because that's what Voldemort wants Neville to get," Harry stated easily before walking forwards.

He wondered faintly if he and Draco would survive through the night.

To survive they would have to make sure their identities weren't revealed but he had a gut feeling that their identities wouldn't be safe.

By the end of the night at least one of the Death Eaters would know who they were.

AN: Hope you guys enjoyed it :) I know i'll enjoy reading your thoughts on it :)

cocobyrd87 - I know right! :) Hope the chapter met your expectations :D

Dragons-Twilight1992 - More definately coming :D

NCIS FTW - I know I love them :) Hmmm well if you recall Lucius' conversation with Narcissa in the first book he plans on telling them on Draco's seventeeth. Of course with all the clues that they've stumbled across over the years it could be sooner ;) Although which child ever wants to believe their parents would keep such a secret from them?