Miss Hermione Granger gave a slight nod.
Then her palms and fingers began to swell, her shoulders broadened, and her hair crept downward toward her eyebrows... Her robes ballooned outward, looking ready to burst at the seams.
"Ahem..." Jon cleared his throat hurriedly and turned away, while still reminding her, "Remember to change into Umbridge's clothes and take her wand."
"Understood." Hermione's voice had already shifted into Umbridge's harsh, quacking tone.
A loud pop followed, sounding exactly like fabric splitting under pressure...
Jon quickly slipped on the iron ring, then strode out of Umbridge's office without looking back.
...
There weren't many students left in the castle, but more and more seemed to be gathering near Mr. Filch's office on the second floor.
It looked like the injured Malfoy and his group had been found.
Jon had no time to worry about them. He hurried straight toward the eighth floor.
With "Assistant Headmaster" Christopher Patrick's status, his path was smooth the whole way... until he arrived at the entrance of the Headmaster's Office, beside the ugly stone gargoyle.
"Password?" the gargoyle asked without hesitation.
"Umbridge is finished!" Jon replied.
"Really?" The stone creature perked up instantly, staring at Jon in excitement.
"Absolutely true!"
"So Dumbledore is coming back?"
"He should return within a few hours."
"Fantastic!" The stone creature leaped into the air, bounding toward Jon and wrapping him in an enthusiastic stone-armed hug...
"Let go!" Jon broke free immediately. "I have more important things to do..."
"Mm-hmm!" The gargoyle nodded repeatedly, stepping back a few paces. "Is there anything I can help with?"
Jon thought for a moment, then said seriously, "When Professor Dumbledore returns, I suggest you ask him to give you a thorough cleaning from head to toe... The musty smell on you right now is unbearable."
...
Inside the Headmaster's Office, the portraits of former Headmasters and Headmistresses looked as though they were all gearing up for action.
"How is everything progressing?" asked Headmistress Dilys Derwent, concern on her face.
"Not bad..." Jon nodded, then turned his gaze toward Headmaster Everard beside her. "Headmaster Everard, head to your portrait at the Ministry of Magic now... Once Professor Dumbledore and the mysterious man arrive, start shouting loudly enough for the entire Ministry to hear that intruders have broken in."
"Understood!" Headmaster Everard nodded quickly.
He disappeared from the portrait at once.
"As for Headmaster Black... Headmaster Black... Phineas?" Jon called out loudly, frowning.
"Coming, coming!" Headmaster Phineas Black cheerfully emerged from some forgotten corner of his portrait.
"You need to return to the portrait at Grimmauld Place and tell Professor Dumbledore that Harry Potter and his friends have ridden Thestrals and are on their way to the Ministry..."
"Leave it to me..." Phineas Black interrupted, waving a hand dismissively.
"Wait!" Jon stopped him quickly. "Also, tell Professor Dumbledore... if he's about to fight the You-Know-Who, have Fawkes come find me at that moment."
"You want that silly bird to look for you? Got it!"
...
Number 12 Grimmauld Place, headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix.
Since Christmas, it hadn't been this lively for months. Alastor Moody, Elphias Doggie, Kingsley Shacklebolt... nearly all the core members of the Order of the Phoenix had gathered here.
Naturally, Albus Dumbledore was among them, his eyes fixed on an empty portrait frame.
"That Potter boy has set off, with his friends." Headmaster Phineas Black appeared suddenly in the portrait.
"Good. Thank you, Phineas," Dumbledore said with a solemn nod.
"And... Jon asked me to tell you that if you're going to fight Voldemort, send Fawkes to warn him first," Phineas continued.
"Send Fawkes to him?" Dumbledore frowned.
"That's all he said," Phineas replied lazily.
"Albus..." Mad-Eye Moody shot Dumbledore a worried look.
Having fought side-by-side with Dumbledore for nearly fifty years, Moody understood better than anyone how important the phoenix was to him. Fawkes had saved Dumbledore's life more than once in critical moments.
But now Dumbledore was old, his strength diminishing, while Voldemort was in his prime... Without Fawkes, if something went wrong...
"Don't worry about me, Alastor." Dumbledore gave Moody a meaningful look before turning back toward the portrait and nodding.
"Wait..." Sirius Black pushed through the crowd, stepping up beside Dumbledore.
Phineas's expression instantly darkened at the sight of the great-great-grandson of the Black family's "traitor," and he disappeared again from the portrait.
"Dumbledore, why won't you let me go save Harry?" Sirius demanded loudly.
"I believe we already agreed on this..." Dumbledore said calmly, turning to look at Harry Potter's godfather.
"But you never mentioned Harry would be in danger during this ambush!" Sirius shouted, agitation rising in his voice.
"Listen, Sirius," Remus Lupin said, grabbing his arm. "You're an escaped prisoner from Azkaban. If you show up at the Ministry, the Aurors might get the wrong idea... They might even attack us!"
"Then what about Moody?" Sirius snapped, pointing at Mad-Eye in anger.
"No Auror would ever think Mad-Eye is a traitor. He's not like you..." Lupin replied patiently.
"If something happens to Harry—"
"If something happens to Harry, you can kill me when we return!" Lupin said firmly.
Sirius froze for a moment, then slumped slightly and nodded. "Fine... fine... I've never won an argument against you, Remus."
...
Meanwhile, at Hogwarts.
After leaving the Headmaster's Office, Jon Hart arrived at the tapestry on the eighth floor showing the giant troll clubbing Barnabas the Barmy.
Staring at the blank wall beneath it, he whispered under his breath:
"I need a place to hide things... I need a place to hide things..."