Grawp has the whole school buzzing with tales of the Weasleys escape from Umbridge.  Troublemakers also sprout up everywhere, having been encouraged by the twins’ dramatic exit.  Students everywhere are using the Skiving Snackboxes to leave DADA, claiming they have Umbridge-itis.  Peeves has also taken their advice to heart, wreaking total havoc all over the school.  The professors don’t seem terribly bothered either, as Harry sees McGonagall (in another moment that cracks me up) walk past Peeves, who is loosening a crystal chandelier, and mutters, “It unscrews the other way.”  HEE!

Hermione wonders about the fate of Montague, the victim of the twins’ and the Vanishing Cabinet and also wonders how they got the money for the premises on Diagon Alley.  Harry finally confides in her and Ron that he gave them his Triwizard winnings.  Ron says he should tell Molly so that she doesn’t think they got the money illegally.  Hermione also nags Harry about going back to Snape for Occlumency lessons and he privately thinks to himself that part of him wants the dreams to continue, so he can find out what’s in the Department of Mysteries.

During the final Quidditch match, Gryffindor v Ravenclaw, Hagrid asks Hermione and Harry to come with him into the forest to see something.  He says during the match is the best time because no one will notice that they’ve gone.  He takes them off into the forest and makes them promise to help him, especially if he gets sacked.  They promise and then Hagrid shows them what he’s been up to.  His half-brother, Grawp, is in the forest.  He’s only 16 ft, so he was getting beaten up a lot by the other giants.  Hagrid introduces Harry and Hermy (snicker) to Grawp, asking them if they’ll come out and talk to him and try to teach him English if Hagrid gets fired by Umbridge.  Hermione is freaking out, saying how dangerous this is.

On the way out of the forest, they run into a bunch of Centaurs, who talk about how horrible Firenze is for entering into “servitude” for Dumbledore.  Hagrid defends him and they say they’ll only let Hagrid pass today because he’s accompanied by his young.  Another Centaur pipes up that Harry and Hermione are not Hagrid’s, they’re students, but they all agree that they don’t harm innocents.   Hagrid leaves for his hut and Hermione starts in on him, saying to Harry that she can’t believe what he expects them to do.  They suddenly realize that the match is over and Gryffindor has won.  Ron is being carried on all their shoulders as he hoists the Quidditch cup!  They decide they’ll tell him about Grawp in the morning.

OWLS sees the end of the year tests upon the students.  Harry and Hermione tell Ron about Grawp and Ron cannot believe that Hagrid brought him back from the mountains to live in the forest.

Teachers begin reviewing for OWLs and advising students not to attempt any cheating.  They go alright, with Harry doing very well in Defense Against the Dark Arts, as Umbridge looks on.  Finally, at the end of the exam the examiner tells him that for a bonus point, he’s heard Harry can produce a Patronus.  Harry does so and a giant stag gallops the length of the hall as his examiner applauds.

They all go fine and soon it’s nighttime and time for the practical Astronomy test.  They are up on the tower and taking their exam when suddenly, Harry spies 6 people headed for Hagrid’s hut.  They go inside, then suddenly there is a loud BANG and they all come bursting out, trying to stun Hagrid.  They manage to hit Fang, who is trying to defend Hagrid and Hagrid goes crazy, lifting them up and throwing them around.  McGonagall comes storming out to help Hagrid and four of the people stun her, illuminating her in red.  She is lifted right off her feet and slams back hard to the ground, not moving.  The examiners even take notice, calling the behavior outrageous.

Hagrid takes Fang over his shoulders and runs off into the night.  After the examination is over, Hermione explains to Harry that his giant blood is what saved him from being stunned.  Everyone is worried about McGonagall, but finally head off to bed because History of Magic is the next morning.

In the middle of the exam, Harry falls asleep and has a vision.  He sees Lord Voldemort in the Department of Mysteries, in the room with the high shelves, ordering Sirius to get something for him and using the Cruciatus Curse on him when he won’t.  Sirius says Voldemort will have to kill him first and Voldemort says he will, in the end.  Harry screams as his scar erupts on fire.

Out of the Fire sees Harry removed from the examination to the hospital wing.  When the exam is finally over, Harry tells Hermione and Ron what he saw and how he has to save Sirius.  Hermione wonders if Harry doesn’t have a sort of “saving-people-thing,” and if Voldemort is trying to lure him to the Department of Mysteries.

Harry gets angry, shouting that that they’re wasting time and he has to save Sirius before Voldemort kills him.  Ginny overhears and asks what’s up and when Harry is rude to her, she regards him coolly, “There’s no need to take that tone with me.  I was only wondering whether I could help.”  (Like a certain other red headed woman.)  Hermione says she and Luna can help, they can create a diversion while Harry checks to see if Sirius is still at Grimmauld Place.  Ron goes to head off Umbridge while Ginny and Luna keep the hallway clear of people.

Hermione stands guard in the office while Harry uses Floo Powder to check on Sirius.  He finds Kreacher, who tells Harry that Sirius is gone.  Kreacher laughs that Sirius will not come back from the Department of Mysteries when suddenly, Harry is grabbed by Umbridge and dragged out of the fire.  He sees that the whole Inquisitorial Squad has captured the whole group, including Neville, who tried to stop them from taking Ginny (awwww).  Umbridge takes their wands away and tells Malfoy to fetch Snape, so she can get some Veritaserum to interrogate Harry.

Snape arrives and tells her she used it all when she tried to question Harry last time and that he can brew more, in about a month’s time.  Harry realizes that Snape is the last remaining Order member at Hogwarts and tries desperately to communicate silently that Voldemort has Sirius.  When Snape finally turns to leave, Harry blurts out, “He’s got Padfoot!  He’s got Padfoot at the place where it’s hidden!”  Snape does not acknowledge Harry, saying he has no idea what he’s talking about.

Umbridge starts talking to herself about how it is necessary and turns to use the Cruciatus Curse on Harry, revealing that she set the dementors on Harry last summer because someone had to act, try to get Harry discredited and expelled.  She goes to use the curse and Hermione cracks, saying she’ll tell Umbridge what she wants to know.  She says they were trying to find Dumbledore and were trying the Leaky Cauldron, the Three Broomsticks, etc.  She says it was to tell him that it’s ready.  A weapon they were making for him.  Umbridge, of course, wants to know exactly what it is and demands Hermione take her to it.  Hermione says she won’t take anyone else and then is all “fine, if you want the Inquisitorial Squad to see the weapon and use it on you, that’s fine with me.”  Hee.

Umbridge falls for it hook, line and sinker and she and Hermione and Harry take off.  Umbridge leaves the Squad in charge of Ginny, Ron, Luna and Neville.

Fight and Flight has Hermione leading Umbridge into the Forbidden Forest, saying they had to hide the weapon so that idiots like Hagrid would not accidentally set it off.  Which of course, Umbridge just loves because she hates half-breeds.  Finally, Hermione succeeds in drawing the attention of the Centaurs.  Umbridge immediately offends them six ways from Sunday and they cart her off into the forest.  Heh.  Hermione, though, showing none of the brains that got rid of Umbridge, lets slip that she was hoping the centaurs would drive off Umbridge for them.  They are mucho offended to be used like that and they get really angry.

Who comes to the rescue?  Grawp.  He comes staggering in yelling, “Hagger!” and Hermione figures out he wants to see Hagrid.  He then recognizes “Hermy,” and saves them from the centaurs.  Harry and Hermione run for it, running into the 4 escapees from Umbridge’s office.  Ginny is scratched, Neville has a bump on his eye, and Ron’s lip is bleeding, but they got away.  Ginny was the best, giving Malfoy a damn good Bat-Bogey Hex.  They give Harry and Hermione back their wands and Harry tells Neville, Ginny and Luna to go back to the castle.  They argue, with Neville quietly pointing out that they were all in the DA together and was that just a joke to Harry?

Harry says of course not, but how are 6 of them supposed to get to London?  Luna points out that the Thestrals will take them.  They’ve come around, attracted to the blood on Harry and Hermione’s clothes from when Grawp fought off the centaurs.  Harry finally relents, saying everybody choose a Thestral and let’s go.

The Department of Mysteries sees Harry and Neville getting on a Thestral each and Luna mounting hers side-saddle.  Hee.  The other three just stand there, because they can’t see them.  They give them some help and Harry tells them they’d better hope the Thestrals stay invisible.

They fly to London and all squeeze into the phone booth outside the Ministry.  Harry tells the operator they’re on a rescue mission and they are all issued badges with their names and “Rescue  Mission” on them.  Hee.  They take the lift down to the Department of Mysteries, where Harry opens the door at the end of the hallway.  Inside is a circular room with about a dozen doors.  As soon as the door they came through shuts, the room spins around.  Ginny remarks that it was to stop them from knowing how to leave.  They try a few doors.  The first room has a fish tank with brains inside.  The second room is a huge Colosseum with stone benches lining the walls and a giant dais in the middle, with an archway on top.  The arch is covered by a veil and Harry can hear people whispering behind it.  Luna can hear them too.  Hermione gets everyone out of there, saying whatever that veil is, it’s dangerous.  the third room they try is the room from Harry’s dream.  There’s a giant bell jar where a bird keeps being reborn and dying.

Harry hurries through the room with the towering shelves, saying it’s in row 97.  They run down to the row and he turns, looking for Sirius.  Harry runs up and down the row, realizing that Sirius isn’t there.  Ron points something out to Harry.  The shelves are all holding hundreds and thousands of glass spheres and one of them, in row 97, has Harry’s name on it.  It says, “SPT to APWBD, Dark Lord and (?) Harry Potter.”  Hermione tells him not to touch it, but Harry says it’s something to do with him.  Neville says don’t, but Harry says it has his name on it.  He takes it down and nothing happens.  Everybody gathers round to look at the glass orb when suddenly a voice drawls, “Very good, Potter.  Now turn around, nice and slowly, and give that to me.”

DUN DUN DUN!