In The Shadows² ★ Draco Malfoy

*Break in at the Ministry

August was an unusually hot month, and it made Briar and the others feel desperate just to step outside for fresh air. But unfortunately the number of cloaked men standing in the square of Grimmauld Place continued to grow, so the only way any of them could leave the house was taking turns to step out in Harry's invisibility cloak so they could watch the Ministry entrance, and find copies of the Daily Prophet to keep up with the Death Eater's actions

Across the last month Briar had had to deal with her transformation in the house cellar, and luckily for her Regulus had been a keen potions master, so there were enough ingredients lying around for her to create a Wolfsbane potion. And to pass their time the other three had been teaching Briar how to apparate, even though she was underage, so she could apparate in and out

On September 1st the number of them grew dramatically as if they were hoping the four of them would step out with their trunks, ready to go to Hogwarts

And on September 2nd they were finally prepared to carry out their plan of breaking into the Ministry and finding Umbridge to take the horcrux from around her neck. Weirdly, the only obstacle was Ron, who was strongly against Hermione and Briar going since Hermione was a muggle-born, and Briar was a werewolf. Both of which the ministry were trying to round up and punish

Hermione woke up the earliest, and she was triple checking everything they would need for their plan to work

"Robes," she said under her breath, acknowledging their presence with a nervous nod and continuing to poke around in her beaded bag, "Polyjuice Potion... Invisibiliity Cloak ... Decoy Detonators ... You should each take a couple just in case ... PukingPastilles, Nosebleed Nougat, Extendable Ears ..."

They made their way onto the front step with immense caution. They could see a couple of puffy-eyed Death Eaters watching the house from across the misty square. Hermione disapparated with Ron and Briar first, then came back for Harry. They landed in a deserted, tiny alleyway where the first phase of their plan was scheduled to take place; the firstMinistry workers did not usually appear here until at least eight o'clock.

"Right then," said Hermione, checking her watch. "they ought to be here in about five minutes. When we've stunned them-" 

"Hermione, we know," said Ron sternly. "And I thought we were supposed to open the door before she got here?" 

Hermione squealed. "I nearly forgot! Stand back –" She pointed her wand at the padlocked and heavily graffitied fire door beside them, which burst open with a crash. The dark corridor behind it led into an empty theatre. Hermione pulled the door back toward her, to make it look as thought it was still closed. "And now, we put on the cloak again –" 

"—and we wait," Ron finished, throwing it over Hermione's head like a blanket over a birdcage and rolling his eyes at Harry. Little more than a minute later, there was a tiny pop and two little Ministry witches apparated feet from them

Hermione was quick to silently stun both of them, making both women topple over

"Nicely done," Briar smiled

Together they carried the little witches into the dark passageway that led backstage. Hermione plucked a few hairs from one witch's head and Briar took from the other, and they each added them to a flask of muddy Polyjuice Potion from the beaded bag. 

Ron was rummaging through the first witch's handbag. "She's Mafalda Hopkirk," he said, reading a small card that identified their victim as an assistant in the Improper Use of Magic Office. "You'd better take this,Hermione, and here are the tokens." He passed her several small golden coins, all embossed with the lettersM.O.M., which he had taken from the witch's purse.