Right In The Thick Of It

[augury_ron]

Who: The Trio (in disguise)
What: Sneaking around the Ministry
When: Monday, 15 December 1997
Where: The Ministry of Magic
Status: Complete

OK, don't get nervous. Just act like you belong here and no one will be any the wiser.

Easier said than done when you're disguised as your own Dad and sneaking around his office trying to do stuff that was

Comments

[augury_harry]

"Beeline?" Harry tried to grin, but it likely came out as more of a pained grimace. He picked up a stack of papers on the desk - any stack would do - and tucked them under the crook of his arm. "We've gotten this far without beelining. Let's see if we can keep it up."

Hopefully the papers made him look important. Or, at the very least, made him look like he was about to go file something, which was apparently Melvin Shuffleport's job.

He turned, headed for the door. Felt like his knees would give out from under him.

Almost there...?

[augury_hjg]

Hermione tried her very best to laugh, wincing as it came out resembling more of a strangled choking noise. She, they, couldn't do this, it was ridiculous. She had been so sure they would be caught on the way in, polyjuiced disguises or not, but this was so much worse. Surely, after the disaster of their 5th year, the Ministry policed the Department of Mysteries far more carefully than they had then?

"We should leave with an interval between us," she said through gritted teeth, trying to get a reign on her panic. She had to be able to think clearly, which would never happen if she kept allowing herself the luxury of sheer and utter terror. Just breathe, she reminded herself, standing straight and ensuring she had her carefully prepare stack of Herbology notes. "I doubt Ron's father has worked with either of these people. It would look suspicious if they were to suddenly be seen together now."

[augury_ron]

"I'll go first then."

The words were out of his mouth before he even knew he was going to say them. Taking a deep breath, he continued. "I'm the one everyone will know, right? So if I can get in and clear the way for the two of you, y'know, smooth things over so no one's suspicious, that'll be better than having three people show up that have nothing to do with each other."

He nodded towards Hermione. "You ought to go next. After I'm in, wait a couple of minutes and follow me. And then Harry can come in last. We'll meet each other..." He faltered a moment, realizing he had only a very hazy recollection of the layout of the inside of the Department of Mysteries. "...where?"

[augury_hjg]

"In front of the doors," Hermione said tightly, barely resisting her desire to give him a desperate hug before he left. "The black ones, remember? That don't have have labels? We should meet there."

She took a deep breath, trying to force the details into her mind. That had been where they had first gotten into trouble the first time -- none of them had known which door to go through until she had marked them, and even then they hadn't the faintest idea.

"It's right inside the entrance, so it's...it's the best place, really," she faltered, concern creasing her face. "Besides, if we each try a different door, we might get lost, and we don't have that time to spare."

[augury_ron]

Ron's arms went instinctively around Hermione before he realized what it must look like for Arthur Weasley to be hugging Bernard Greenflower in the middle of the hallway. In fact, he probably would have laughed hard enough to make his nose bleed had he seen it himself. However, he knew who it was beneath the Polyjuiced exterior, and that was what mattered. That and the fact that he now had an image to make him have to suppress gales of laughter whenever he saw his Dad.

Harry's comment, however, made him let go of Hermione... Bernard... whomever, and whirl around in panic. What was he thinking, after what had just happened? "Harry, no-!"

But nothing did, in fact, happen, and he found himself with a look of panic on his face and his arm outstretched, staring down a confused-looking Melvin Shuffleport.

[augury_hjg]

Hermione had already started to point her wand at the door when she heard Harry start to move. When nothing jumped out at them, cursed them or otherwise caused a large amount of noise, she took a moment to instead mark the door. If it was the wrong one again, they would not have to risk wasting more time by going through their twice.

"Be careful," she said reprovingly, peering after him into the newly revealed room. She knew they were all impatient to get going, but walking directly into a fatal trap would hardly help their cause. "At least let me cast a few detection spells before you go off doing that."

Striding past him, Hermione cast all the spells she could remember, but apart from a few noise hexes and one stinging hex that showed up in a flash of purple light, there was little there that could hurt them. Not, she amended, that that meant they were safe. It only meant that any methods she knew did not detect anything.

[augury_ron]

Ron held his wand out straight-armed in front of him, running through a list of possible defensive spells in his mind, as he stepped into the room. It seemed nondescript enough, but he didn't remember what the room they were after even looked like.

A few more steps into the room, and after turning a complete circle, he lowered the wand and voiced his concern. "All right, so what are we looking for anyway? I don't remember how we even got to the room last time. Are we going the right way?"

[augury_harry]

As it turned out, no, they weren't going the right way. At all. They wandered around for ten-fifteen-twenty minutes? Harry wasn't sure. He had lost track a few corridors back and the further they went, the more nervous he became.

Of course he couldn't remember. He grit his teeth. Last time they had been in the area, they had been dealing with pressing business, such as trying to not be killed by Death Eaters.

He didn't want to see the veil again. Not really. But to say so, to really wish it so, was to what? Condemn them to wandering around forever? Or, more likely, to getting captured and murdered.

No good.

With a sigh, he pushed open another door.