The Siren's Call (A Draco Malfoy Fanfiction)

84. Mysteries in the Department

The Ministry was eerily quiet as the five stepped inside, their steps echoing on the dark tile. Dioleh held her breath as Blaise led them through the ominous lobby. Every breath, every step seemed to echo around them in a compressive cloud of sound. Draco stood near the front with Blaise while Dioleh and Imani walked behind them. Andre took the rear, glancing behind him every few seconds to ensure they were not being followed or at risk of a surprise attack.

Dioleh shuttered as she glanced in the fountain to see depictions of sirens detailed in the bottom with grotesque features. Imani grabbed her hand and gently tugged her along. Next moment, Blaise stopped, jumping behind the fountain. Dioleh froze as everyone else hid from sight. A wizard dressed in dark robes sauntered back into the lobby with a huge yawn and a cup of coffee clutched in hand.

He scanned the room lazily, not expecting much. Imani, Andre, Draco, and Blaise were frozen, staring transfixed at Dioleh. Blaise's eyes widened and Andre's mouth fell agape. There was little light coming through into the room, but that which did, they could now see shining in hazy, lengthened rays on the other side of Dioleh. Light was passing straight through her.

After a shocked moment, Draco swallowed, moving forward and attempting to grab her hand. Imani's eyes widened as Draco's fist clenched in water. Each drop moved, encasing his hand perfectly. When he pulled it back, not a drop remained on him. Finally, Dioleh crouched down beside them shakily, flickering back into her solid form. Draco released a shuttering breath. Glancing out from behind the fountain, Blaise eyed the progress of the guard.

Holding up his hand, he counted down from five and quickly dashed out, shooting a silent spell at the guard. Incredibly, as if in slow motion, he fell to the ground as though asleep. "Where did you learn that?" Andre whispered in begrudging admiration.

Blaise shrugged with an arrogant smile. "Article in the Prophet. Ten impossible spells to perform perfectly." Glancing back at the guard, he added confidently, "He'll stay knocked out for the next five hours without interference if I did it right, which I did."

"Enough, Blaise," Draco said impatiently. "We have work to do and only five hours to do it." He nodded, taking the lead again and walking to the other side of the room. With a rumbling clatter, a golden lift appeared in front of them, sliding open noisily. Blaise entered first, quickly followed by Draco, then Andre, Imani, and finally Dioleh. The moment she passed through, the door rattled closed behind her. Turning around, Dioleh let out a breath.

After a few moments of waiting, the lift stopped. The hallway was long and narrow, lit only by flickering torches. Turning to face them all, Blaise said quietly, "Last chance to turn back."

"Not an option," Andre said firmly.

"I'm not turning back," Imani said.

When the two other sirens looked at her, Dioleh said, "Not a chance."

"Draco?" Blaise said.

"If they're staying, so am I," he replied firmly.

A slow, excited smile began to stretch over Blaise's features as he said, "Then let's stop lingering around." Taking the front again, he began to move as Draco joined him at the front. Doorways opened up to the right of them, revealing slivers of courtrooms. Was it there Julio had his fate sealed? Dioleh shuttered to think about it. Before they could continue, there was a small noise from the end of the hall. Everyone froze.

After a few moments of silence, Draco whispered, "Let's keep on." With much slower, more hesitant footsteps, they followed behind Blaise. When the end of the hallway was much clearer and they saw nothing, they went at a faster pace to the door. Hesitantly, Draco reached for the handle. Glancing back cautiously, he turned it. As Draco, Blaise, Andre, and Dioleh quickly got inside, Imani paused to glance to their left with slightly narrowed eyes.

"Come on, Mani," Andre whispered. Looking up, she followed after them. Once she was through, Imani moved to shut the door.

"Don't-!" Blaise cried. But it was too late. The moment the door clicked into place, the room began to revolve. While the floor remained in place, the walls moved in circles faster and faster until any ordinary person trying to watch for a particular door would become too dizzy to remember. Luckily for them, Andre was not an ordinary person.

The siren stepped forward as soon as the doors came to a stop, placing his hand over the door back and behind where they had been facing as he said, "This is the door that was directly in front of us."

"Then, if my father was correct, this one is right," Blaise said, coming to the door two to the right of Andre's.

"You sure?" Imani asked, her voice small and quiet.

"As sure as I can be," he replied before turning the handle. The black door was pushed inwards easily but it took them a moment to adjust to the lighting change. Inside, they saw a large room at least the size of three baseball fields together. "Door open this time, thank you," Blaise said as they stepped through. Imani's cheeks flushed irritably as she rolled her eyes. Leaving the door ajar, the group of five stepped into the room. A long series of steps led them down into a sunken section with a large tank at the bottom.

Large figures were suspended in water below them. Dioleh frowned, pushing to the front and stepping down to see better. A swirl of coloured hair caused her eyes to widen and she gasped.