A Young Wizard's Journey - Order of The Phoenix

A Dramatic Entrance

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

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

Half a dozen badges slid out of the metal chute where returned coins usually appeared. She scooped them up and handed them mutely to Harry over Ginny's head, taking hers out of the pile as she did so.

HERMIONE GRANGER

RESCUE MISSION

'Visitor to the Ministry, you are required to submit to a search and present your wand for registration at the security desk, which is located at the far end of the Atrium.'

'Fine!' Harry said loudly. 'Now can we move?'

The floor of the telephone box shuddered, and the pavement rose up past the glass windows of the telephone box. The scavenging Thestrals were sliding out of sight, blackness closed over their heads, and with a dull grinding noise, they sank down into the depths of the Ministry of Magic.

The feeling was eery, being crammed in here with her friends. So much had happened even in just the last couple of hours. The image of Umbridge being carried away by the centaurs played in her mind.

But she had to concentrate, they were here for Sirius now. Though how he could have been taken... was another thing entirely.

A chink of soft golden light hit their feet and, widening, rose up their bodies. Harry bent his knees and held his wand as ready as he could in such cramped conditions, peering through the glass to see whether anybody was waiting for them in the Atrium, but it seemed to be completely empty.

They were descending toward one end of a very long and splendid hall with a highly polished, dark wood floor.

The peacock-blue ceiling was inlaid with gleaming golden symbols that were continually moving and changing like some enormous heavenly notice board. The walls on each side were panelled in shiny dark wood and had many gilded fireplaces set into them, though all sat unlit and looking oddly empty against the walls.

Halfway down the hall was a fountain. A group of golden statues, larger than life-size, stood in the middle of a circular pool. Tallest of them all was a noble-looking wizard with his wand pointing straight up in the air. Grouped around him were a beautiful witch, a centaur, a goblin, and a house-elf. The last three were all looking adoringly up at the witch and wizard.

'The Ministry of Magic wishes you a pleasant evening,' said the woman's voice.

The door of the telephone box burst open; Harry toppled out of it, followed by Neville and Luna.

The only sound in the Atrium was the steady rush of water from the golden fountain, where the jets of water from the wands of the witch and wizard, the point of the centaur's arrow, the tip of the goblin's hat, and the house-elf 's ears continued to gush into the surrounding pool.

'Come on,' said Harry quietly and the six of them sprinted off down the hall, Harry in the lead, past the fountain, toward a desk where it looked like the previously mentioned security wizard should sit, however, it was now deserted.

Ginny slowed down to run in line with Hermione who was bringing up the rear.

'You really think Sirius will be here? It's really dangerous for him to even leave Grimmauld Place,' she whispered.

'I don't know,' replied Hermione, 'because where else would Y/N have gone? He must have been at Grimmauld Place too, but according to Harry, Kreacher said he was "on a special mission." Y/N wouldn't just let this happen though.'