Harry Potter and the Fortunate Queen

With a jet of red light, Chris stunned Umbridge. The Slytherins turned wildly to look at her and Ginny took the advantage, she punched Pansy Parkinson on the face and grabbed the wands from her hand. Ron and Harry kicked Warrington and Filch. Chris dodged two Slytherins' spell then stunned them. Colin arrived and sent few jinxed to them. Suddenly, Crabbe grabbed Chris and pushed her towards the wall. Back of Chris' head collided with the wall painfully. For a second she felt dizzy then suddenly Crabbe unconsciously fell on the ground.

"Idiots," grumbled Jason behind him.

"Jason, what are you —?" Chris realized who had stunned Crabbe.

"If you can't leave your friends, do you really expect me to leave you in this mess?"

Chris smiled, opened her mouth to answer but noticed that Luna had stunned the last conscious Slytherin.

"Everyone okay?" Chris called.

Ginny, Luna, Colin, Harry, Ron, Neville and Hermione all of them nodded and mumbled their response looking around.

"Chris! There is no one at Grimmauld Pl—" Harry abruptly stopped seeing Jason.

Jason rolled his eyes at him.

Chris didn't notice anything of that. Her mind was working furiously.

"No one?" she murmured. "Not even Kreacher?"

"He was there but he didn't know where others are," said Harry. "There is only one way. We have to get there. We have wasted enough time."

"Get there?" Hermione said weakly.

"There is no other way, don't you see it? If we don't do something she will kill all of them. I can't let them kill an entire family. I can't let Voldemort do it again what he did to my family."

Harry was nearly shouting.

"Okay," Hermione said, looking frightened yet determined, "I've just got to say this . . ."

"What?" said Harry aggressively.

"You . . . This isn't a criticism, Harry! But you do . . . sort of . . . I mean — don't you think you've got a bit of a — a — saving-people-thing?" Hermione said.

"And what's that supposed to mean, a 'saving-people-thing'?" Harry asked glaring at her.

"Well . . . you . . ." Hermione looked more apprehensive than ever. "I mean . . . last year, for instance . . . in the lake . . . during the Tournament . . . you shouldn't have . . . I mean, you didn't need to save that little Delacour girl. . . . You got a bit . . . carried away . . ."

"Hermione?" Ginny called her looking alarmed.

". . . I mean, it was really great of you and everything," said Hermione quickly, looking positively petrified at the look on Harry's face. "Everyone thought it was a wonderful thing to do —"

"That's funny," said Harry in a trembling voice, "because I definitely remember Ron saying I'd wasted time acting the hero. . . . Is that what you think this is? You reckon I want to act the hero again?"

"No, no, no!" said Hermione, looking aghast. "That's not what I mean at all!"

"Alright! That's it!" Chris shouted impatiently. "Hermione, when lives are at stake you can't keep weighing your pros and cons. Harry wants to go and so do I, so I think me and him —"

"Don't you dare!" Thundered Ginny. "Don't you dare say that you and Harry will go alone."

"Yes, I am coming with you," said Colin.

"Me too," said Luna.

"I am going with you, Harry, but Ginny you are not —" Ron said angrily.

"Finish that sentence and I will jinx you too," snapped Ginny.

"We were all in the D.A. together," said Neville quietly. "It was all supposed to be about fighting You-Know-Who, wasn't it? And this is the first chance we've had to do something real — or was that all just a game or something?"

"No — of course, it wasn't —" said Harry impatiently.

"Whoa, anyone cares to explain what's going on here?" Jason said rubbing his eyes.

"Jason, it will be good if you don't know. It will put you in danger —" Chris tried to stop this madness.

"Oh it will be very dangerous if I don't know what dangerous place we are going to," said Jason seriously.

"We?"

"Yes, we. Whatever it is you are not going alone."

Chris sighed and met Harry's eyes. Both of them didn't want to drag their friends into this but it was too late now.

"Alright, Ministry of Magic it is," said Chris finally.

"But how are we —" Ron started.

"You are standing in front of the floo network of Dolores Umbridge," Chris interrupted. "Do you want to me believe that it has no direct connection to the Ministry?"

"I will go first," said Harry quickly and a handful of Floo powder and stepped into the fireplace.

"Ministry of Magic," he said clearly.

With a roar, the fire turned emerald green and rose higher than Harry and he vanished.

"I'm going next," Chris said and took the floo powder. 

It was Chris' first time travelling through it, but she was determined not to fail. She stepped into the fireplace and threw the powder inside and spoke, "Ministry of Magic."

It felt as though she were being sucked down a giant drain. She seemed to be spinning very fast — the roaring in her ears was deafening — she tried to keep her eyes open but the whirl of green flames made her feel sick — something hard knocked her elbow and she tucked it in tightly, still spinning and spinning — now it felt as though cold hands were slapping her face —she closed her eyes tightly wishing it would stop soon, and then —

She fell, face forward, onto the cold stone.

"Chris!" Harry was standing just outside the fireplace. He helped her get up and Chris looked around.

They were standing at 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.

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. Glittering jets of water were flying from the ends of the two wands, the point of the centaur's arrow, the tip of the goblin's hat, and each of the house-elf's ears. But the place was entirely empty and silent which gave Chris sudden creeps.

Behind her, Ginny appeared. She too looked around and met Chris' gaze. This sure was ominous. When Chris heard that Bellatrix was there waiting for Voldemort, she guessed there won't be many Ministry employees but she expected at least a few people in guard in this place. It was like they wanted them here.

One by one arrived Luna, Hermione, Colin, Ron and Jason. 

"It's deserted," whispered Jason.

"Come on," said Harry quietly and the nine of them sprinted off down the hall, Harry in the lead, past the fountain.

Chris' feeling of foreboding increased as they passed through the golden gates to the lifts. Harry pressed the nearest down button and a lift clattered into sight almost immediately, the golden grilles slid apart with a great, echoing clanking, and they dashed inside. Harry stabbed the number nine button, the grilles closed with a bang, and the lift began to descend, jangling and rattling.

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To be continued. . .