Will contact (has stayed with Weasley

Family previously)

“Undesirable Number One,” Harry muttered under his breath as he replaced Mr.

Weasley’s folder and shut the drawer. He had an idea he knew who that was, and sure

Enough, as he straightened up and glanced around the office for fresh hiding places he

Saw a poster of himself on the wall, with the words UNDESIRABLE NO. 1 emblazoned

Across his chest. A little pink note was stuck to it with a picture of a kitten in the corner.

Harry moved across to read it and saw that Umbridge had written, “To be punished.”

Angrier than ever, he proceeded to grope in the bottoms of the vases and baskets

Of dried flowers, but was not at all surprised that the locket was not there. He gave the

Office one last sweeping look, and his heart skipped a beat. Dumbledore was staring at

Him from a small rectangular mirror, propped up on a bookcase beside the desk.

Harry crossed the room at a run and snatched it up, but realized that the moment

He touched it that it was not a mirror at all. Dumbledore was smiling wistfully out of the

Front cover of a glossy book. Harry had not immediately noticed the curly green writing

across his hat – The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore – nor the slightly smaller writing

across his chest: “by Rita Skeeter, bestselling author of Armando Dippet: Master or

Moron?”

Harry opened the book at random and saw a full-page photograph of two teenage

boys, both laughing immoderately with their arms around each other’s shoulders.

Dumbledore, now with elbow-length hair, had grown a tiny wispy beard that recalled the

one on Krum’s chin that had so annoyed Ron. The boy who roared in silent amusement

Beside Dumbledore had a gleeful, wild look about him. His golden hair fell in curls to his

Shoulders. Harry wondered whether it was a young Doge, but before he could check the

Caption, the door of the office opened.

If Thicknesse had not been looking over his shoulder as he entered, Harry would

Not have had time to pull the Invisibility Cloak over himself. As it was, he thought

Thicknesse might have caught a glimpse of movement, because for a moment or two he

Remained quite still, staring curiously at the place where Harry had just vanished. Perhaps

Deciding that that all he had seen was Dumbledore scratching his nose on the front of the

Book, for Harry had hastily replaced it upon the shelf. Thicknesse finally walked to the

Desk and pointed his wand at the quill standing ready in the ink pot. It sprang out and

Began scribbling a note to Umbridge. Very slowly, hardly daring to breathe, Harry

Backed out of the office into the open area beyond.

The pamphlet-makers were still clustered around the remains of the Decoy

Detonator, which continued to hoot feebly as it smoked. Harry hurried off up the corridor

as the young witch said, “I bet it sneaked up here from Experimental Charms, they’re so

careless, remember that poisonous duck?”

Speeding back toward the lifts, Harry reviewed his options. It had never been

Likely that the locket was here at the Ministry, and there was no hope of bewitching its

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 719