Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Damaged Bridges	By : Gandalfs-Beard Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Harry/Hermione Views: 46850 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 6
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, all rights belong to Rowling and Warner Bros, nor do I make any money from the production of this work.

Chapter List
- 18
- 19
- 20
The Fraud Identity

Tentatively, a tiny pink nose poked through the crack, followed by the rest of the rat’s head. Wormtail’s whiskers quivered excitedly. Of course it had to be the very last blocked entrance at the end of the very last tunnel. A rough-hewn staircase carved into the rock had led up from the passage, climbing so high that he was certain it let out somewhere in the castle, at the very least above the second floor.
There he had discovered it behind an ancient stone wall, timbers not quite as ancient blocking the way in - or the way out, depending on which direction one was going. And then he had found a crack which looked too small even for a rat. But like all rodents, Wormtail’s body could conform to even the tightest of spaces and he had squeezed through the crack.
An enormous (to a rat) statue masked the entrance behind it. Wormtail hugged the stone wall after he emerged from the crack, and now he was inside the castle. Wormtail’s nostrils flared as he sniffed the air, his beady little eyes darting around the corridor.
Seeing and smelling nobody, Wormtail risked a bit of reconnaissance, cautiously scurrying along the side of the wall from one statue or suit of armour to another. Finally spying a statue he was sure he recognised, Wormtail decided he was on the third floor. Then he scampered back the way he had come, and slipped through the crack in the timbers, back into the stone passage, and hurried down the staircase.
Finally, after the trek through the tunnel back to Hogsmeade, he emerged from the hidden trapdoor in the cellar of Honeyduke’s and disapparated.

~o0o~
Despite her reduced status, as the only Death Eater to have escaped capture following the debacle at the Ministry, Bellatrix still held relatively high standing among the Dark Lord’s inner circle. She marched through Malfoy Manor as if she owned the place, followed by the slightly hunched, paunchy figure with rodent-like features.
Bellatrix rapped her knuckles on the paneled double-doors of a drawing room on the second floor of the Manor.
“Enter,” called out a high, cold voice from within.
“And what have we here?” the Dark Lord queried upon the entry of Bellatrix and the visitor. Lord Voldemort peered down with his narrowed red eyes from his elaborately carved armchair upon the carpeted dais at the other end of the chamber.
“A visitor my Lord,” said Bellatrix, her tone disdainful, as though she found introducing the rat-like man beneath her, despite his status as a Death Eater. “He claims to have information which he would reveal only to you alone.”
“Ah... Pray tell, Wormtail, what is so important that you should seek an audience with me, without the presence of Severus?” asked the Dark Lord. Wormtail bowed obsequiously.
“Master - I have found it,” Wormtail replied, eagerness bolstering his confidence. “That which you have been seeking! ... A means to gain entry into Hogwarts unchallenged. For weeks I searched, then I discovered it. There is a hidden passage beneath the castle which leads to a secret entrance.
“It has long been blocked - perhaps for centuries - but there is a crack in the timbers, and thus a crack in Hogwarts’ defences. Once widened, the protection charms which ward the castle will mean naught, and a team of Death Eaters can infiltrate Hogwarts to do whatever it is you command.”
The Dark Lord’s eyes flashed dangerously upon first hearing that Wormtail had somehow learned of the secret mission. But as Wormtail went on, the Dark Lord’s anger began to give way to a new appreciation for the Rat, his eyes widening in great interest, and no small amount of surprise at the rodent’s dedication.
“Yesss,” hissed the Dark Lord, stroking his chin pensively. “Yes indeed! That is most agreeable to me. It seems that I have misjudged you Wormtail - your loyalty and competence are more worthy than I had surmised. ... It had long been my belief that you sought me out in the Wilds, and restored me only out of fear of those you betrayed.
“But perhaps it was the courage to fulfill your desires which drove you to find me when no others were willing, in the hopes that I would reward you...”
Wormtail gulped nervously and his face paled at the Dark Lord’s perceptive remarks, wondering if he was about to be punished instead of rewarded for his efforts.
“...Fear not Wormtail,” said the Dark Lord, a thin, cold smile on his lips, “Your avarice is useful to me, a far more admirable motivation than cowardice. I neglected to consider how willing you were to kill, and even to sacrifice parts of yourself in the pursuit of your goals. In so doing, you have taken Power for yourself, and truly earned the Dark Mark which I bestowed upon you. In gratitude for your service, you shall receive the rewards you so richly deserve.”
Then the Dark Lord turned to face an utterly stunned looking Bellatrix Lestrange.
“Ah, Bellatrix, it would appear that of all my servants, Wormtail has demonstrated a worthiness beyond most others. In all of his endeavors in my name, not once has he failed me...”
“And what of me, my Lord?” Bellatrix responded quickly. “Have I not served you well? It was Lucius’s failures at the Ministry which were his undoing. Of all those present, it was I who killed the Blood Traitor Sirius Black, and it was only I among them who eluded capture. ... And while I languished in Azkaban during your years in exile to prove my fealty to you, it was Lucius and the others who denied you to maintain their freedom.”
“Quite so, Bellatrix,” Voldemort agreed after a pause while considering the veracity of her words, and pleased to see the hint of fear in her visage. “You have served me well enough in any case. And to prove your worthiness to remain among my top lieutenants, you shall lead the raiding party to take Hogwarts and rid me of that meddling fool once and for all, at the very least expelling him.
“Prepare yourself, and choose wisely those who shall accompany you in taking Hogwarts. And do not fret that the Ministry will interfere. ... Severus has done well to recruit Dolores - the new Minister serves me freely, of her own accord, and the Aurors will now do my bidding.
“I have considered the possibility that Dumbledore may escape our clutches yet again - however, should Dumbledore continue to evade us once forced out of Hogwarts, he shall have nowhere to turn with the Ministry on his tail as well as my own soldiers. This time it is he who will be the one forced into exile, as once was I. Now go!”
“Yes Master,” said Bellatrix, inwardly sighing with relief. “Dumbledore will either fall, or be banished from Hogwarts. I shall not fail you!”
“See that you do not!” the Dark Lord warned. “Now send in Draco - he and Severus will be both be returning to Hogwarts with you.”
Bellatrix departed the Dark Lord’s chamber, determined to prove herself. Moments later, at her bidding, Draco entered the drawing room. Draco was surprised to see an ebullient Wormtail at the Dark Lord’s side. Rarely had Draco seen the man, and by all indications, the Dark Lord had treated Wormtail with disdain on those occasions.
“Master, you sent for me?” said Draco, much more confidently than he had those months ago following his dismissal from Hogwarts.
“Indeed I did, Draco,” the Dark Lord replied. “Your training has gone well, and now you shall have your chance to return to Hogwarts and put it to use against your enemies. Granger and Weasley - Potter’s friends - I want them in chains, and they shall be yours to do with as you please, but not before such a time as I command you to do so.
“But Potter belongs to me. When he is taken, I want him alive...”

~o0o~
It was a Thursday, nearly the beginning of the Easter Holidays when Dumbledore summoned Harry and Hermione to his office after classes had let out for the day. Accompanied by Dora, the pair were sitting before the headmaster’s desk as the portraits pretending to be sleeping watched and listened with great interest.
After taking a sip of tea, Dumbledore peered intently over the top of his half-moon spectacles at the trio.
“Well, here we all are,” he began. “I have called for you in order to make final preparations, and last minute adjustments to the plan. Kingsley Shacklebolt has informed me that the Minister intends to send Aurors to bring me in for questioning Saturday morning. Therefore, we shall of course be going to the Ministry Friday evening.
“No doubt the Minister will have already gone home for the day, but she will no doubt be eager to return when she learns of my arrival. And there will be less Ministry personnel for us to contend with, thus increasing the odds in our favour. Given the circumstances, Harry, I have determined that it might be best for you and Miss Granger not to return to Hogwarts at all.
“I do not wish to give the Minister the opportunity to send in Aurors on Saturday to bring you in once I am no longer at Hogwarts to protect you. So before we actually go to the Ministry, we will be making a stop at Number Twelve and dropping off the sword of Gryffindor. Once you and Miss Granger and Tonks are safely out of the Ministry with the Locket, you will return to Number Twelve and destroy it with the sword.
“There you will stay until further notice. I will contact you the moment I reach safety at one of the Order’s other safehouses. ... I will be far too busy coordinating the efforts of the Order to remain in Number Twelve myself - and I feel that you will be safer there. The less people who have access to it, the better...”
“Er... About that,” Harry tentatively interjected, swallowing anxiously, hoping Dumbledore wouldn’t get cross, “There actually might be a few others joining us - they insisted, and it was hard to say no, as they’d already made arrangements to get rid of their Traces...”
“I take it Mr Weasley will be joining you then?” said Dumbledore, a twinkle returning to his eye.
“Actually, no,” said Harry. “Parvati, Ginny, and Luna Lovegood will be coming with us too. Seeing as we’ll be stopping at Number Twelve first, that actually works out perfectly! ... They can stay with the sword of Gryffindor until we get back.”
“Hmm... I must confess that I am reticent to bring them along, Harry.” Dumbledore pensively stroked his beard, looking rather dubious. “Miss Patil, I can understand, as she is of age, and capable of making her own decisions...”
“The thing is,” said Hermione apologetically, to save Harry from having to bear the entire burden of responsibility, “Luna had her father send her two emancipation forms for herself and Ginny...”
“...And as I’m still a Ministry official,” Dora chimed in, owning up to her part in things, “and I still ‘ave the Ministry Seal I nicked from the Department of Child Services, I signed and stamped their forms. They’re both as Trace free as Harry now.
“And they’re both well trained in fighting spells sir, thanks to bein’ part of the D.A. last year, and practicing with us this year - as good as many post-Hogwarts applicants for the Auror Office. I swear...”
“They’re brilliant!” Harry added.
Dumbledore raised his eyebrows and rubbed his crinkled forehead, sighing wearily.
“Well, if I know Xenophilius, I cannot say that I am too surprised that he agreed to this,” said Dumbledore. “Ginny Weasley’s mother is another matter altogether. I rather doubt that she will be pleased with this arrangement. ... However, what’s done is done - Miss Weasley will have to bear the consequences of her decision herself if she indeed joins you in exile.
“In any case, due to the circumstances, in order to limit access to Number Twelve, I am making you Secret Keeper, Harry. Too many Order members currently have access to Number Twelve, as I gave the address to many when it was our headquarters. This is the best way I know of to limit your exposure to any potential turncoats in our midst.
“Another adjustment I have made to the plan, is that I have retrieved a number of Basilisk fangs from the Chamber of Secrets, to be used as a backup, should the sword of Gryffindor become unavailable for any reason. ... Finally, last but certainly not least, I have something for each of you, and I have enough for Miss Weasley, Lovegood, and Patil as well...”
Professor Dumbledore reached into his desk and retrieved six envelopes, passing them to Dora, who handed one to Harry and another to Hermione. Harry gasped when he opened his envelope.
“Is this a two-way mirror?” he asked. “I thought they were really rare.”
“Indeed they are, Harry. However, upon Sirius’s death, his mirror came into my possession. I know you already have the other one Harry...”
“Er... actually, I broke mine,” Harry confessed, his face reddening.
“Then it is a good thing I reverse engineered the charms with which the mirrors were enchanted, and crafted more last week,” said Dumbledore, the hint of a twinkle returning to his eyes. “It seemed that they would come in quite handy for key members of the Order to stay in communication with each other instantly if necessary. These have the added bonus of keeping ‘messages,’ should the recipient of the mirror call not be immediately available.”
“Oh, they’re a bit like mobile phones then,” said Hermione, her eyes widening as she examined her mirror, “except you can actually see the person you’re talking to on these.”
“Quite so, Miss Granger,” Dumbledore replied. “Now, if there are no further questions, please meet me in my office tomorrow after classes...”
After the meeting with Dumbledore, Harry went looking for Ron to give him a heads up, expecting to find him snogging Lavender somewhere. But eventually he found Ron flying around the quidditch pitch, Lavender watching from the stands. Harry waved him down.
“Hey, what’s up Harry?” said Ron, grinning and ruffling his hair with one hand as he lit upon the lawn of the pitch.
“Er...” Harry glanced around the pitch to make sure no one else was listening. “Okay, look, I reckoned you ought to know something so you don’t freak out later when I’m gone...”
“Gone, what d’you mean, gone, Harry?” Ron peered at his friend, bewilderment written all over his face. Harry took a deep breath.
“I mean I’m leaving Hogwarts tomorrow after classes - Hermione too - and I don’t know when I’ll be back...”
“Bloody Hell!” swore Ron, gaping at Harry. “Why?”
“Because it looks like the Ministry is about to try and arrest Dumbledore Saturday morning, and Dumbledore thought it would be safer for me and Hermione if we both left tomorrow so that Umbridge can’t get her hands on us when he’s gone.”
“Blimey!” Ron groaned. “Of course she would! I bet Umbridge can’t wait for a chance to nab you.”
“Yeah,” Harry sighed, nodding. “There’s a bit more to it, but I really can’t tell you - it’ll be safer if you don’t know. There’s another thing I have to tell you though, because I don’t want you to worry when you don’t see her around, Ginny’s coming too - Luna and Parvati as well. I couldn’t really stop them - you know how they get... like last year when we got into the Ministry.”
“Crap!” said Ron, his face falling. “Yeah, I could see that. Maybe I should come too...”
“I thought about that, to tell you the truth. But I reckoned you’d probably want to stay here with Lavender.”
“Oh! Good point. But still, how will I know what’s going on with you?”
“Here,” said Harry, pressing something flat and shiny into Ron’s hand. “It’s a mirror that you can talk into whenever you want to contact me - just say my name, and if I don’t answer right away, leave a message.”
“Er... wow! That’s pretty cool Harry. Where’d you get something like this?”
“Sirius originally gave me one,” said Harry sadly, feeling a flush of shame as well. “Dumbledore made more - gave me an extra one, reckoning I might want to talk to you. There’s just one more thing.” Harry held out a vial. “It’s the Lucky Potion I won earlier this year.”
Ron’s eyes boggled. “Blimey Harry! That’s... No way! Won’t you need it?”
“Nah!” Harry shook his head. “I’ve got Dumbledore and Dora backing me up. But if the Ministry sends people to Hogwarts, Vol... You-Know-Who or his Death Eaters probably won’t be far behind. If you run into any trouble, that’s when you’ll want to use it.”
“I... I don’t know what to say, Harry!”
“Just say that you and Neville will keep an eye on things, and stay out of trouble if you can. Dumbledore will work out a plan with the Order to retake Hogwarts at some point, if we can prove that Umbridge is corrupt... and do in You-Know-Who while we’re at it.”

~o0o~
Harry could barely concentrate during classes the next day, nervously anticipating his imminent departure from Hogwarts with Hermione, Dora, and the others. Luna, Ginny and Parvati had all been brought up to speed about the plan. Knapsacks already packed, everyone met up with Dumbledore in his office when lessons were over for the day. Dumbledore looked strangely odd, dressed in muggle clothes - jeans and a tie-dyed t-shirt under an overcoat.
“How’ll we be getting out of here?” asked Harry.
“We shall be taking my office Floo to somewhere local to avoid spending too long in the system, then traveling by Apparition to Number Twelve. I do believe that you and Miss Granger are more than qualified to bring Miss Lovegood and Miss Weasley by side-along Apparition.”
“Oh!” said Harry, surprised that Dumbledore trusted his and Hermione’s skills enough to bring Ginny and Luna by side-along Apparition on their very first attempt at it.
Dumbledore flung some sparkling jade-coloured powder into his fireplace and the flames turned green.
“Tonks, if you please...” He gestured to Dora, indicating that she should lead the way, and Harry followed along after. One by one they stepped into the flames and disappeared, Dumbledore bringing up the rear.
Coughing, wheezing, and dizzy when he emerged from the green flames, Harry was appreciating Apparition more than he thought he ever would. It took Harry a moment to realise where he was - the dark and dingy Hogshead Pub. Hermione appeared behind him, nearly hacking up a lung. Luna, Ginny, and Parvati peered around the tavern, spotting the surly looking bartender behind the counter.
“Wotcher Aberforth,” Dora said to the bartender once she too had recovered from her trip through the Floo. The bartender simply grunted.
“Oh, I remember this place,” said Luna in recognition.
“Yeah, the Hogshead Pub,” said Ginny, “from the very first meeting of the D.A.”
“I wonder why Dumbledore wanted to bring us here?” Parvati frowned in puzzlement.
“Because the proprietor of this establishment is my brother,” said Dumbledore as he stepped serenely out of the hearth, the green flames vanishing upon his arrival, “and a trusted member of the Order I might add. ... Hello Aberforth, the use of your Floo is greatly appreciated.”
“Not like I had much choice, really,” Aberforth Dumbledore grumbled in response. Harry and Hermione gaped in surprise, now comprehending why the bartender had seemed so familiar the last time they had seen him.
Albus Dumbledore chuckled, his eyes twinkling. “Oh, there is always a choice Aberforth. I also appreciate your participation in the Order, despite all.”
“Right! Well you’d best be disapparating from the back if you don’t want to draw attention,” said Aberforth curtly, trying to hurry them along.
“Indeed,” said Albus, gesturing towards the door at the rear of the pub. Dora led them all out into the alleyway behind the tavern.
“So, where are we apparating to?” asked Dora. “We can’t arrive in the square in broad daylight.”
“Quite so,” Dumbledore replied. “We shall be apparating to the kitchen of Number 8, Grimmauld Place. It is currently unoccupied. Now, is everyone ready?”
“I think so,” said Parvati, looking a bit nervous. She, like her sister Padma, had become quite proficient at Apparition, but this was her first time out in the real world, and at such a great distance besides.
Harry and Hermione were both a bit anxious to be responsible for Ginny and Luna on their first attempt at bringing someone by side-along Apparition. Dora twisted first, vanishing before their eyes with a pop. Harry and Hermione both took deep breaths, clutching their charges, and they too disappeared, as did Parvati. Last but not least, Dumbledore disapparated once it appeared that all were safely on their way.
Arriving with a cracking sound, Harry looked Luna over to see that she was alright, and he breathed a sigh of relief to see that he hadn’t splinched her. Luna grinned, looking for all the world as if it had been great fun. The others appeared out of thin air at the same time.
“Er... you’re okay then, Luna,” said Harry, his voice questioning. “Usually people feel a bit nauseous on their first go.”
“Oh yes, I’m quite alright,” Luna serenely replied. Having arrived with Hermione, Ginny looked a bit green around the gills and peered at Luna enviously.
Dumbledore arrived with a loud report and glanced around the dilapidated kitchen with cracked cabinets, dusty shelves, and peeling wallpaper, looking quite satisfied.
“Ah, good. I am pleased to see that all have arrived, safe and sound,” he said.
“Was there ever any doubt?” said Dora wryly.
“None at all,” Dumbledore responded, his piercing blue eyes twinkling as he handed out slips of paper with Number Twelve’s address to those who had never been there. “In any case, if you would please read these, they shall allow you passage past the Secret-Keeping Charm. Once inside, I will reset the Charm, keying it to Harry, and then you shall read the new slips written in his hand. Now, if you would please follow me.”
It was a short walk down the street to Number Twelve. Though led by what appeared to be an aged Hippie, long past his glory days, the procession looked no different than any other tour group of teens lost in a run-down part of London. Dora in particular didn’t look out of place at all with her spiky pink hair and her ripped t-shirt emblazoned with an image of The Clash.
Once all were safely inside Number Twelve, Dumbledore was as good as his word, resetting the Secret Keeping Charm with his wand and having Harry scrawl the address on seven pieces of paper. Everyone piled their bags on the long oak table in the kitchen.
“What do we do now?” asked Ginny.
“Now we wait,” Dumbledore replied, “while Tonks disguises herself as me. When we are ready to leave, Harry and Miss Granger will be disguised with polyjuice potion as Ministry personnel whom Minister Umbridge will never suspect - two Aurors to be precise.
“The personnel have already been enchanted with a bewitched sleep, safely in their homes, by one of the Order’s moles in the Auror Office. They will awaken tomorrow morning none the wiser. And I myself will be entering the Ministry under a Disillusionment Charm. We shall be leaving around six, after most Ministry personnel are gone for the day.”
The clock ticked on interminably as everyone grew more antsy. Finally it was nearly time to go; Harry and Hermione downed their vials of Polyjuice Potion.
“You two look just like Dawlish and Hopkirk,” Dora chortled.
“So Hermione’s Mafalda Hopkirk then?” Harry looked puzzled. “I thought she worked in the Misuse of Magic Department.”
“Nah” said Dora, “Hermione is Mafalda’s sister, Mildred Hopkirk.”
Then Dora morphed into Dumbledore, and Dumbledore turned invisible. The foursome apparated to an alley in the Whitehall area, then made their way to the Visitor’s Entrance. Harry recognised the red phone-box immediately, and his stomach tightened, remembering his Trial - the first time he had seen Umbridge.
After they all squeezed into the phone-box, Dumbledore dialed the number, and the elevator inside descended below the streets of London. Harry and Hermione slipped into their Auror’s robes on the way down.
The security wizard manning the station at the visitor’s entrance boggled in shock, his eyes nearly falling out of his head to see what appeared to be Dumbledore arriving in the company of two Aurors.
“Er... what are you lot doin’ here? I thought we weren’t bringin’ him till tomorrow morning.”
“Oh, were you now?” asked the fake Dumbledore, feigning surprise. “Well, you can inform the Minister that I am turning myself in for questioning on the matters of Scrimgeour’s disappearance, and the accusations that I am fomenting a seditious muggleborn rebellion. I am certain that she shall be delighted to see me, despite arriving after hours.”
“Er, y...yeah... probably,” the security wizard stammered. “Sh...she’s already gone ‘ome for the day, but I.. I s’pose I can call the Minister back to the Ministry.”
“Most excellent!” exclaimed the fake Dumbledore, beaming cheerfully, as if he was meeting the Minister for dinner rather than an interrogation. “I think I’ll just wait in her office; these two fine Aurors can show me the way, I am sure.”
“Er... I s’pose,” said the security wizard dubiously, though clearly unwilling to challenge Dumbledore and two Aurors.
The fake Dumbledore and his “escort” marched across the Atrium to one of the elevators, past the statue which had clearly been restored since the last time Harry had seen it. As the elevator rattled downwards, sinking to the lower levels of the Ministry, the real Dumbledore, invisible, made a stop at one of the floors.
“It might be worth searching the Minister’s propaganda office, of which I believe she is in charge,” said the invisible Dumbledore, “If you don’t mind, Harry. You can meet us down at the administration level after.”
“Er, alright then,” said Harry, his heart thumping wildly. “No problem.”
The fake Dawlish tentatively stepped out of the elevator, and it hurtled on its way to the level which housed the Minister’s office. Harry glanced up and down the corridor, wondering which way to go. He picked a direction and hoped he was right. Passing a Magical Sanitation worker mopping the floor, he almost thought of asking for directions, then thought better of it as it would seem weird for an Auror to ask for directions in the Ministry.
“Evenin’ sir,” said the floor mopper as he directed the mops with his wand.
“Er, Y...yes, a fine evening indeed,” stammered the fake Dawlish, kicking himself for such a lame response. The floor mopper gave the fake Dawlish a funny look, but didn’t challenge him. Harry continued on his way, forcing himself into a more confident stride befitting an Auror.
Finally he spied a door with a sign which read, Office of Propaganda. The fake Dawlish opened the door a crack and eyeballed the chamber inside, seeing a few Ministry employees who were working late. Taking a deep breath, Harry flung the door open a little too hard, and the doorknob banged loudly into the wall. Harry cringed, then quickly straightened up.
“Can I help you sir?” asked one of the workers who were now staring at the fake Dawlish.
“Er, Yes! The Minister asked me to bring her a file from her office here, to the Minister’s official Minister Office,” said the fake Dawlish in the most authoritative voice he could muster.
Most of the employees seemed to accept his response and went back to work, copying pamphlets with the Gemino spell and sorting them into piles. Only one continued to give the fake Dawlish a puzzled look.
Harry glanced out of the corner of his eye, catching the titles of some of the pamphlets. One read, The Muggleborn Menace: Friend or Foe? Another was entitled, The Pureblood Agenda: an Explanation for the Skeptical. Yet another was emblazoned with the title, Miscegenation: Should the Marriage of Wizards and Muggles be Allowed?
Feeling a bit sick, Harry spied the door of the Propaganda Chief’s office and marched across the laminated floor. Being a bit less forceful this time, he turned the brass doorknob and stepped through the doorway, closing it behind him.
Hurriedly, Harry yanked open the desk drawers and began rifling through them. Seeing nothing which looked like the Locket, Harry turned to the file cabinets and gave them a search. Finally, Harry decided that the Locket wasn’t there, and that it wasn’t very likely to be there anyway, especially after-hours.
As he was about to leave the office, Harry remembered that he had told the workers that he was fetching a file for the Minister. He quickly grabbed a random file and exited the office. Harry breathed a sigh of relief when he reached the corridor unaccosted.
He nodded at the floor mopper as he retraced his steps back to the elevator. The fake Dawlish fidgeted nervously while he waited for the elevator to return. A late worker from another office nodded at him as he walked by.
“Evenin’ Dawlish,” said the Ministry official wearing an Administration Badge, indicating a higher-up. “Working late again, are you?”
“Yeah!” said the fake Dawlish, thinking fast. “You know how it is around here.”
“Ain’t that the truth, though,” the Administrator sighed, smiling wryly. “No rest for the weary. Anyway, gotta be gettin’ on so’s I can finish up and go home to the Missus before she clobbers me. G’Night Dawlish.”
The fake Dawlish nodded. “Good Night then.”
The Administrator went on his way and Harry let out a sigh of relief, feeling like he was finally getting the hang of being Dawlish. The elevator opened and Harry’s breath caught; someone was already in the elevator - not just another Auror, but the newest head of the DMLE. Harry had seen Yaxley in the Daily Prophet a lot recently.
“Ah, Dawlish! There you are! Glad you’re working late tonight,” said Yaxley sharply. “Could use another Auror right now - Dumbledore’s here! He turned himself in. Saved us the trouble of arresting him at Hogwarts tomorrow morning.”
“Excellent!” the fake Dawlish exclaimed. “More than happy to join you, sir.” The elevator took off, hurtling down to the level which housed the Minister’s Office.

~o0o~
Hermione hated to see Harry go off by himself. She fretted all the way down to the Minister’s Office. Dora, the fake Dumbledore seemed to sense the fake Mildred Hopkirk’s anxiety.
“No need t’worry Hermione,” said the fake Dumbledore. “Harry can take care o’ himself.”
“I know,” the fake Mildred responded. “I just can’t help it though.”
“We should be outta here pretty soon,” the fake Dumbledore reassured her. “We’re doin’ alright so far.”
Finally reaching the right level, the fake Dumbledore led the way to the Minister’s Office. They arrived just in time to see Minister Umbridge stepping out of the green flames in her personal Floo.
“Well, well,” said the Minister in her breathiest, most girlish voice, looking positively giddy, “This is a surprise, Dumbledore. I couldn’t be more delighted to see you.”
“As am I, Dolores.” The fake Dumbledore twinkled at the Minister. “A little bird told me that I was needed, and I am more than willing to answer any questions you may have for me. I am quite certain that we can resolve our differences amicably. I assure you, I have nothing to hide.”
“Oh, indeed,” Minister Umbridge agreed, practically cackling with glee. “Of that I have no doubt. Now, we are merely awaiting Senior Undersecretary Weasley’s arrival. Perhaps a cup of tea while we we wait?”
“Thank you, Dolores,” the fake Dumbledore beamed, “That would be most agreeable.”
The Minister waved her wand and a teapot appeared with some delicate chintz teacups, no doubt provided for by the Ministry’s house-elves.
“Sugar and cream?” the Minister offered, gesturing at the creamer and the bowl full of sugar cubes.
“Honey and a squeeze of lemon shall suffice,” the fake Dumbledore replied.
The fake Auror Hopkirk, standing at attention, grew more anxious with each passing minute while the fake Dumbledore and Umbridge sipped their respective cups of tea. Fifteen minutes later, a disheveled Percy Weasley burst into the Minister’s Office.
“Sorry Minister,” he gasped., out of breath, “I hope I’m not too late. I came as soon as I could.”
“Not at all, Percy,” said the Minister. “Please, join us in a cup of tea and put your feet up.” Percy Weasley took a seat and the Minister passed him a steaming teacup.
“Now, to business,” the Minister began. “If you please Dumbledore, perhaps you can explain where you were the night that Scrimgeour disappeared.”
“Ah, now that is a good question indeed, Dolores,” the fake Dumbledore responded cheerily. “At that late hour, on the night in question, I was fast asleep in my quarters at Hogwarts.”
“And can anyone vouch for your presence that night?” the Minister asked in her most dulcet tone.
“Alas, these days I sleep alone,” the fake Dumbledore sighed wistfully. “It has been quite some time since I have had a partner to share my bed with.”
“Hmm... I see,” said the Minister primly, pursing her lips. “So, no alibi then.”
“None at all, Dolores,” the fake Dumbledore replied, beaming brightly.
The real Dumbledore, hidden by the Disillusionment Charm decided that the inquiry had gone on long enough, expecting Harry to arrive at any moment.
“Immobulus Maxima,” whispered the real Dumbledore, pointing his equally invisible wand at Umbridge and Percy Weasley. They froze instantly, Percy in mid-sip from his teacup.
The fake Dumbledore fumbled around under the Minister’s pink robes, finding Slytherin’s Locket.
“Got it,” said the fake Dumbledore, placing the Locket in the pocket of his robes.
“Here’s the fake Locket,” said the fake Mildred Hopkirk, her heart racing.
The fake Dumbledore quickly replaced the fake Locket around Minister Umbridge’s neck, and fiddled with her robes, until it was in just the right place. The real Dumbledore emerged from his Disillusionment Charm as the fake Dumbledore’s beard shriveled to nothing, and his features changed back into those of a girl with spiky pink hair.
“I must say, Tonks,” Dumbledore chuckled, “that was quite an exceptional impression of me.”
“I’ve ‘ad years to get it right,” Dora chortled. “I was quite the cut-up at parties.”
“Indeed! Of that I have no doubt,” said Dumbledore as he cast the Disillusionment Charm on Dora and took her place in the seat before the Minister’s desk. He picked up his cup of tea, hoping that Harry would be there soon, when the door suddenly burst open.
“What the bloody hell?” gasped Chief Auror Yaxley upon seeing the Senior Undersecretary and the Minister both frozen, an apologetic looking fake Dawlish at his side.
Hermione was the quickest to respond. “Confundus,” she muttered, her wand pointed directly at Yaxley.
“Well done Miss Granger,” said Dumbledore, looking quite impressed.
“Sorry about that,” said the fake Dawlish. “There wasn’t really anything I could do without risking being found out. There’s loads more Ministry workers around than I thought there would be.”
“That’s quite alright, Harry,” said Dumbledore. “No harm has been done, and I think a few more Confunduses and Memory Charms all the way around will suffice to explain the absence of the Aurors whom you and Miss Granger are impersonating. Quickly now, you must depart before the Polyjuice Potion wears off. ... And please do not lose your invisible escort on your way out,” he added with a wink.
Harry, Hermione, and Dora wasted no time, dashing back the way they had come, towards the elevators. Dumbledore cast the Memory Charms on Yaxley, Percy, and Umbridge before unfreezing them, leaving them none the wiser...
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Damaged Bridges