Blind

Chapter Eight

Harry tightly clutched the Invisibility Cloak as he stared at the kitchen fire. He then turned to Hermione. "Are we ready?"

Hermione no longer looked thrilled at the prospect of breaking into the Ministry. In fact, her face was a ghastly shade of white. "Yes," she said quietly.

"Right," Harry said. "Now I'll go first, wearing the Invisibility Cloak. I'll Stun the guard, should we come across one in the atrium. You follow, and then get under the Cloak with me. And we'll go-"

"-to Cornelius Fudge's office," Hermione interrupted.

Harry had been slipping under the Cloak, but he stopped and stared at Hermione. "What?!"

"You heard me. We're going to Cornelius Fudge's office," Hermione said a bit more firmly.

"But why?"

"It's just a gut instinct," Hermione said simply, as if that should settle the matter.

Harry stared piercingly at Hermione, then shrugged. "Who am I to argue with your instinct?" he muttered as he slid back under the Cloak.

He tossed a handful of Floo Powder into the flames, hopped in, and yelled, "Ministry of Magic!"

Harry could feel himself spinning quickly and soon was thrown onto the floor of the atrium. He quickly covered himself completely in his Cloak.

"Who's there?" a voice called. It was Eric, the Ministry security guard.

Harry stuck his wand out of his cloak and said, "Stupefy!" Eric crumpled to the ground. This going quite smoothly, Harry thought happily but suddenly, his stomach plummeted. It's almost going too smoothly.

Hermione tumbled out of the fireplace. "Is everything clear?" she asked breathlessly as she scrambled under the cloak.

"Clear as ice," Harry said. "Come on, we need to get on one of the lifts."

Harry and Hermione crept over to the golden lifts, both with their wands out in case they should run into any other security guards. The lift shuddered and started moving upward. At every floor, the golden grilles opened and a cool female voice announced the departments on that floor.

"Let's try Level One," Harry suggested. "It makes the most sense, really, for a Minister's office."

Hermione nodded as the lift left level two and continued upward. Ir suddenly came to an abrupt halt and the golden grilles slid open. Hermione and Harry carefully stepped into a wide, carpeted hallway. At the far end of the corridor there was a large mahogany door with a large brass plaque that read Cornelius Oswald Fudge, Minister of Magic.

"Down there," Harry murmured excitedly.

"Er, what security measures do you think they take to keep this place safe?" Hermione asked uncertainly.

"Well, it's too late to worry now, isn't it?" Harry asked. As they neared the door, he held out his wand and mumured, "Alohomora." To his surprise, the door clicked open.

"A bit lax about security they are," Hermione commented.

Harry slipped out from under the cloak and looked around the room. It contained a large mahogany desk with a high-backed leather chair behind it in front of a wall-length window. There was a large bookshelf along one wall. Another contained row after row of file cabinets. The final wall had two large portraits surrounding the door. Harry turned to look at Hermione expectantly.

"Well, what am I looking for and where should I be looking?"

Hermione didn't respond immediately, but went over to the desk. "We've found some of the most carefully guarded secrets in desk drawers thus far," she said hopefully. She sat down in the leather chair and reached for a drawer, but her attention was caught by the cluttering of framed pictures on Fudge's desk.

"I didn't realize that Fudge had such a large family-oh my God, look at this!" Hermione cried excitedly as she withdrew a small picture from the back row of portraits.

Harry came over to peer over Hermione's shoulder. The picture was of a young girl, about fourteen or fifteen years old. She smiled up at them. She had long blonde hair and cool grey eyes, both very familiar features.

"It's Narcissa Malfoy!" Harry gasped. "Well, when she was younger. But what is her picture doing here? Her husband is always flitting around here, and I don't think he'd be happy to see this. Do you think they're having an affair or something?"

"I don't think Narcissa would cheat on Lucius, and this is a rather young picture of her," Hermione said thoughtfully. "But-hey! Harry, on the plate outside, well, it has Fudge's full name. What was it again?"

"Cornelius Oswald Fudge," Harry answered, perplexed. "Why do you ask?"

"Cornelius Oswald Fudge," Hermione repeated. "C.O. Fudge. It's rather far-fetched, of course, but worth some investigation, I'd say." She started jumping up and down. "We just might be onto something, Harry!"

"What are you babbling about?" Harry asked.

Hermione had thrown open Fudge's desk drawers and was throwing papers and other objects from within the drawers at an amazing speed. She suddenly held up a stack of papers in triumph. "Ah-ha, I do believe I've found it!"

Harry planted himself on the arm of the chair, which Hermione had just situated herself in. "Look at this," she said happily, running her finger along some writing on a parchment.

Mr. Escalus Fudge and his wife, Mrs. Cordelia Fudge, are pleased to announce the engagement of their son Mr. Agaememnon Cornelius Oswald Fudge to Miss Narcissa Jolie Black.

"That's quite a name there," Harry said amusedly. "Agaememnon Cornelius Oswald. But wait, didn't the announcement Narcissa's parents sent out have a Fodge on it?"

Hermione held up a copy of the Blacks' announcement, which had been behind the one the Fudges had made. "It was a misprint. Don't you see, Harry? Cornelius Fudge was Narcissa's initial fiance!"

Harry still looked rather skeptical, and Hermione stood up and began to pace. "I mean, look at it this way, Harry. The Malfoys were the first attacked with the authorization to use the curse."

"But that was just an overexcited Auror," Harry pointed out.

"Or was he?" Hermione asked. "They could have gotten away with that excuse, but then they separate Narcissa and Lucius, and that was the only family they split up, which of course, looks suspicious. And then look at Narcissa's treatment. I'm thinking that Cornelius Fudge is bitter and taking it out on her."

"Wait a minute. Lucius Malfoy and Fudge have always been rather chummy with each other," Harry said.

Hermione bit her lip, but suddenly her face lit up. "True, but when I went back into Narcissa's Pensieve, Lucius told her that he would speak to Fudge. I'm thinking that he either intimidated him, paid him, or put him under a Memory Charm. Most likely, it was the last one, but this means Fudge has somehow overcome it, perhaps he came across these documents or something else and now he's jealous and taking his revenge."

"That just doesn't sound like Fudge," Harry said.

"I think there's more to Cornelius Fudge than meets the eye, Harry. Skeletons in his closet. He is a politician, after all." Hermione laughed bitterly as she poked through another drawer. "Say, Harry," she said slowly, withdrawing a new parchment from the top drawer. "Go over to that portrait of Cornelius Fudge." She nodded toward the picture to the left of the door.

Harry obeyed and stood by the portrait expectantly.

"Take out your wand and trace his lime green bowler," Hermione instructed.

Harry did as she said, making a small trace of red sparks surround the hat. To his suprise, the picture slowly swung forward to reveal a hole in the wall. "Lumos," he muttered. The tip of his wand lit up and he held it up to the hole. "Er, Hermione, there are several bottles in here. They have this black liquid in them."

Hermione strode across the room, stood next to Harry, reached into the hole, and pulled out a bottle. She held it up to the light, a large smile on her face. "I think we've found what we're looking for, Harry. We need to get to St. Mungo's immediately. Well, let's stop by Malfoy Manor first. Draco won't want to miss this."

**************

Draco gently laid Dreda in her bassinet, which he had made Harry and Hermione set up in his room. She was sleeping, for now anyway. In another hour or two, she would probably wake up screaming her head off because she was hungry again or she had dirtied another diaper.

Draco sighed as he threw himself back in his bed. He knew he had to take care of his sister, and he was really quite fond of her. All the same, though, it was exhausting work, and he fervently wished that his mother and father would be able to return home soon and take over. He was certain he would like Dreda even more if he could push the dirty work off on his parents. Whenever Harry or Hermione had taken the baby from him, Dreda had started screaming until her brother took her back so Draco was stuck with all the work, quite unlike anything he was used to. Sure, he could hand her over to the house elves but he knew his mother would pitch a royal fit, as she had made it clear that no child of hers would be entrusted to a lousy elf.

Draco stared into space, thinking about his parents and their pre-blindness life. He wished he could turn back time and go back to that blessed period. His thoughts were interrupted when his bedroom door burst open and Bellatrix Lestrange stepped into the room, an evil smirk on her face and her eyes flashing furiously.

"Well, well, well, what is this?" she asked, stepping across the room. Her wand was clutched tightly in her hand and she was advancing towards the bassinet.

Draco scrambled off his bed, pulling his wand from his pocket. He stood over by Dreda. "Come any closer and I'll blow you apart," he growled warningly. Bellatrix did not heed his answer as she was coming ever closer. "Stupefy!"

Bellatrix blocked the spell with "Protego" and laughed at her nephew. "Now, be sensible, neffy-poo, I just want to see the newest addition to our little family."

"How did you know?" Draco asked shakily.

"I have my sources," Bellatrix said, pushing Draco to the side. She sneered down at Dreda. "Rotten little thing looks like her mother did when she was a baby. Well, then, she'll just be coming with me."

"I think not," Draco replied, trying to block her way.

"Stupefy," Bellatrix said almost lazily. She laughed as Draco crumpled on the ground.

**************

"Draco, Draco, come quickly!" Hermione yelled, sprinting through the halls of Malfoy Manor. She skidded to a halt, making Harry almost run into her.

"Where is he?" Hermione asked. "He should have heard us by now."

"Well, that must be his room. Maybe he fell asleep," Harry said, nodding toward a door with a plaque reading Draco A. Malfoy. Harry pushed open the door. "You in here?"

Hermione followed him in and let out a shriek. She hurried over to the bassinet they had set up in Draco's room. Draco was lying in a heap at its base. She took out her wand and tapped Draco with it. "Ennervate."

Draco stirred and blinked up at them with a confused look on his face. "Wh-what?" he asked, pushing himself up. He looked wildly around, a look of dawning falling on his face. He hopped up. "We have to get her! She took Dreda! We have to find her!"

"Calm down," Hermione said strictly. "Who took Dreda?"

"Bellatrix Lestrange."

Harry and Hermione glanced at each other apprehensively. Suddenly, Hermione nodded. "Perhaps...." Her voice trailed off. She shook her head, as if to shake an idea from her mind. "Well, Draco, we can go get Dreda, but first, Harry and I have found a potion that will get your mum out of St. Mungo's. And once she's out, she'll probably have an idea where to find Dreda. Come on, get up!"

************

Hermione was lying low on the floor of the old St. Mungo's, her wand pointed up. Bonnie was seated at her desk in front of Hermione, her back facing her. "Stupefy," Hermione said, hoping it would hit her on the first try. It did.

Hermione jumped up and signaled for Draco and Harry to come out of the staff room and join her at the desk. She gently pushed Bonnie out of the way and started grabbing bottles of potion from the bag Harry had brought. "Here, you two takes those corridors. I'll get Narcissa and that whole hallway because those are the people I normally work with, anyway."

Harry and Draco took off, but Hermione's attention was captured by a file that was sticking out amongst the other ones on the shelves. She pulled it down and opened it. Hermione dropped it on the floor in surprise and she scooped down to look at it once more. Her eyes hadn't deceived her. It was a file on Lucius Malfoy.

"But he died five months ago," Hermione muttered. However, there were recent entries on his condition, and they all had his room set as the morgue. "It couldn't be, could it?"

Hermione slammed the file shut and tucked it back into place. She scooped up her bottles and hurried off to her corridor. She went to Narcissa's room first.

Narcissa was once again huddled in her usual corner. She looked even more beaten and bruised. Hermione thrust a bottle into her hands. "Take a sip, now," she instructed.

Narcissa sniffed at the bottle. "What is this?"

"Just drink it. Trust me, it won't hurt you," Hermione said reassuringly.

Narcissa hesitantly brought it to her lips but she took a great gulp of it. Her face twisted in disgust, but suddenly, her eyes seemed to come into focus. She looked up at Hermione in surprise. "I-I-I can see again!" she cried happily. She pushed herself to her feet and began jumping around. "I'm cured!"

"You have every reason to celebrate, I understand that," Hermione said. "However, would you do something for me? Take these bottles and administer one sip of this potion to the patients in this corridor. I need to go check on something else."

Narcissa nodded, obviously in too good a mood to object.

I hope I'm right, I hope I'm right, Hermione repeated in her head as she hurried out of Narcissa's room. If she was wrong, Narcissa's mood would be quickly deflated, and Hermione didn't want that to happen, not now that she was so joyful.

Hermione skidded to a halt outside the door to the morgue. She reached for the handle, but instead, the door seemed to fly off its hinges, hitting Hermione and pushing her into the wall.

Hermione could only see stars in front of her, her head felt as if it was splitting in half, and she could taste some blood in her mouth. She looked up over the top of the door, which was blocking her from view and saw several hooded people leaving the room.

I was correct, she thought dazedly. That was the room they were keeping the Death Eaters in. They may as well use the curse to catch them. Save a lot of trouble from the public for using such an unauthorized curse, as long as it got the job done.

Hermione felt the weight of the door lighten, attributed to the fact that someone was moving it. She looked up to smile at the person, but instead, gaped at the sight. The sleek blond hair. The cool grey eyes. The pale pointed face. It was Lucius Malfoy, and he was pointing his wand straight at her heart.

"End of the line for you, Mudblood," he sneered. He raised his wand, and Hermione cowered further away from him.

"Lucius Malfoy, you put that wand down now or we'll be sleeping in separate bedrooms from here on out!"

Lucius whipped around to face Narcissa, who was standing there, her hands planted firmly on her hips, but a smile playing across her lips. She then jumped into his arms, and it looked as if she had just melted into his embrace.

Hermione carefully stood up and started backing away. They were now ferociously snogging. Hermione couldn't help but smile at the look on Draco's face should he walk into her watching this scene. She should probably run, but she was excited to have brought them back together, and she couldn't help but watch them with amusement.

They pulled away from each other, both gasping for breath. Lucius looked down at his wife, and his mouth dropped open. "Narcissa, what happened to you?" He was surveying her bruised and cut body and her dirty robes. "Who did this to you?" he demanded. "Whoever it is, they're dead!"

Narcissa drew out her wand from within her robes and smiled evilly. "Oh, don't you worry. I'll take care of them." She sighed. "Well, I don't really know who it is, but I have an idea. I'll find them either way."

Lucius held Narcissa out at arm's length and stared deep into her eyes. "Listen, Narcissa, you should get back to the Manor straightaway. The Dark Lord was in there," he nodded toward the morgue, "and he released us so that we could take care of some business here. There are many half-bloods and Ministry officials we're going to see to in here. You need to get out so you don't get hurt."

Narcissa shook her head as she gently pried herself from her husband's grasp. "I think not, Lucius. You know I would never hesitate to help the cause. I intend to stay here, maybe knock out a few Ministry officials."

"That's my girl," Lucius said amusedly. He drew out his wand. "The Dark Lord retrieved this for me. Some of the other Death Eaters were in the same predicament, but we cannot pass up this opportunity." He waved his wand and conjured small black hooded robes and handed them to Narcissa. "There you are. If you're in danger, signal me. If at all possible, get out as soon as you can."

Narcissa pecked her husband on the cheek and then he pulled up his hood and hurried away. Narcissa turned back to Hermione.

"Th-th-thank you," Hermione stuttered.

"No, I must thank you," Narcissa said. "You basically saved my daughter's life. Of course, she's too young to repay you, so that leaves me in your debt. I'm certain Lucius will feel the same way once I explain everything to him. Now, where are Draco and Dreda and how are they doing?"

Hermione drew in a sharp breath. "Draco is somewhere in here. We don't know where Dreda is, because Bellatrix Lestrange got into the manor and took her."

Narcissa regarded Hermione piercingly. Then she stomped her foot. "She's in on it, she must be! I should have known! She's been leaking information!" She calmed down and looked back at Hermione. "You best get yourself out of here. Get Draco out, too. It's not going to be pretty. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to kill my sister."