duplicate it – Geminio! There… That should fool her….”
Hermione came running downstairs.
“Let’s see…. Relashio!”
The chains clinked and withdrew into the arms of the chair. Mrs. Cattermole
looked just as frightened as ever before.
“I don’t understand,” she whispered.
“You’re going to leave here with us,” said Harry, pulling her to her feet. “Go
home, grab your children, and get out, get out of the country if you’ve got to. Disguise
yourselves and run. You’ve seen how it is, you won’t get anything like a fair hearing
here.”
“Harry,” said Hermione, “how are we going to get out of here with all those
dementors outside the door?”
“Patronuses,” said Harry, pointing his wand at his own. The stag slowed and
walked, still gleaming brightly, toward the door. “As many as we can muster; do yours,
Hermione.”
“Expec – Expecto patronum,” said Hermione. Nothing happened.
“It’s the only spell she ever has trouble with,” Harry told a completely bemused
Mrs. Cattermole. “Bit unfortunate, really… Come on Hermione….”
‘Expecto patronum!”
A silver otter burst from the end of Hermione’s wand and swam gracefully
through the air to join the stag.
“C’mon,” said Harry, and he led Hermione and Mrs. Cattermole to the door.
When the Patronuses glided out of the dungeon there were cries of shock from the
people waiting outside. Harry looked around; the dementors were falling back on both
sides of them, melding into the darkness, scattering before the silver creatures.
“It’s been decided that you should all go home and go into hiding with your
families,” Harry told the waiting Muggle-born, who were dazzled by the light of the
Patronuses and still cowering slightly. “Go abroad if you can. Just get well away from the
Ministry. That’s the – er – new official position. Now, if you’ll just follow the Patronuses,
you’ll be able to leave the Atrium.”
They managed to get up the stone stops without being intercepted, but as they
approached the lifts Harry started to have misgivings. If they emerged into the Atrium
with a silver stag, and otter soaring alongside it, and twenty or so people, half of them
accused Muggle-borns, he could not help feeling that they would attract unwanted
attention. He had just reached this unwelcome conclusion when the lift clanged to a halt
in front of them.
“Reg!” screamed Mrs. Cattermole, and she threw herself into Ron’s arms.
“Runcorn let me out, he attacked Umbridge and Yaxley, and he’s told all of us to leave
the country. I think we’d better do it, Reg, I really do, let’s hurry home and fetch the
children and – why are you so wet?”
“Water,” muttered Ron, disengaging himself. “Harry, they know there are
intruders inside the Ministry, something about a hole in Umbridge’s office door. I reckon
we’ve got five minutes if that –“
Hermione’s Patronus vanished with a pop as she turned a horror struck face to
Harry.
“Harry, if we’re trapped here – !”
“We won’t be if we move fast,” said Harry. He addressed the silent group behind