Harry Potter and the Ambitious Girl

"Harry! Hermione! No… no one else came with us!

What should we do? It's my fault… I let go of his hand!"

"No, it's not your fault. Potter was the one who let go.

And the timing of Sirius Black's appearance didn't help either…"

Outside the Ministry of Magic, Edith was in a panic.

She had left Harry and the others right in the middle of the Death Eaters!

And she had been the one holding Harry's hand.

The mistake lay in her hesitation, holding on too lightly out of fear that the Death Eaters might notice them.

If only she'd held Harry's hand more firmly, disregarding the risk of being noticed… things might have turned out differently.

"We… we have to go back! We need to save Harry and the others!"

"Calm down, Lienagle. By now, that place must have turned into a battlefield between the intruding group and the Death Eaters.

Rushing in recklessly now would be far too dangerous."

"But, but! If we don't do something…"

Mirabel gripped Edith's shoulders, her fingers digging in.

The grip was firm—strong enough to convey her own deep concern.

"Don't flatter yourself! What could you possibly accomplish if you went back?!"

"!"

"Listen to me carefully. I saw the faces of the group that entered, even if just for a moment.

Aside from Sirius Black, there was the Auror Mad-Eye Moody and his renowned protégé, Nymphadora Tonks.

I also saw Remus Lupin, who taught us in our third year, and Kingsley Shacklebolt.

They're all top-tier wizards… their experience and skill far surpass yours."

From their current position, they couldn't see the Department of Mysteries.

But there was no doubt it had turned into a chaotic melee.

Throwing Edith, who was just a student, into that chaos would almost certainly result in her getting hurt—or worse.

That's why Mirabel refused to let her go.

"But… Hermione and the others are still in there!

If something happened to them, I… I'd never forgive myself…"

"The Death Eaters won't kill Potter just yet. And Granger… she's clever enough to survive."

"What about Ginny and Cedric? And Ron, Luna, and Neville?"

At Edith's near-tearful plea, Mirabel responded coldly.

She refused to lie to provide false comfort—it would be seen through immediately anyway.

Instead, she spoke the harsh truth.

"I don't know. They might die."

"Then—!"

"I'll say it again: What could you possibly do if you went back?"

It was a brutally honest but undeniable truth.

Someone who couldn't even properly protect themselves had no business throwing themselves into a dangerous situation to try to save others.

It wasn't courage—it was recklessness.

Edith surely understood this.

But even understanding it, the determination in her eyes didn't waver.

"…I don't know. Maybe I can't do anything."

"…"

"But if I abandon them now, and something happens to Hermione and the others, I know I'll regret it for the rest of my life.

That's why I…"

Mirabel bit her lip, staring at Edith.

Her mind raced. Should she knock her unconscious to stop her?

But no—doing that would only leave deep scars on her friend's heart.

So, what should she do? What was the right move?

"…"

"...Mirabel?"

With her eyes closed, Mirabel didn't move. Edith called out to her, puzzled.

After a moment, Mirabel slowly opened her eyes and locked her gaze onto Edith.

"It's a dangerous place… there's no guarantee I'll be able to protect you."

"…I know."

"You might die. If you're captured, you could be tortured. Even so, will you still go?"

"…Yes."

This is hopeless, Mirabel thought.

This girl is the real deal—a hopelessly selfless fool.

She wasn't Slytherin in any sense besides her bloodline, and even that had stopped mattering in her second year.

Now, Mirabel couldn't fathom why she was in Slytherin at all.

Looking at her friend's unusually pure gaze, Mirabel let out an exaggerated sigh.

She hid the prophecy she had been holding in a nearby bush, casting a concealment charm over it.

Bringing something like that into a battlefield would only get in the way.

"…You idiot."

"Uh, yeah…"

"A complete fool, a bleeding-heart imbecile. An idiot who doesn't value her own life.

Dimwit, fool, klutz, Merlin's beard, you're hopeless."

She hurled whatever insults she could think of, trying to vent her frustration.

Edith looked like she was about to cry, but Mirabel didn't care.

Sometimes, people as stupidly selfless as this needed to be scolded properly.

"…Don't leave my side. Not even for a second."

"!"

"Well… I mean… it's a promise, right? I'll protect you. That's what friends do."

Blushing slightly, Mirabel averted her gaze. Edith's face lit up with a radiant smile, and she threw her arms around Mirabel's slender waist, expressing her gratitude and joy.

"Thank you, Mirabel! I love you!"

"…!"

Mirabel's eyes widened in surprise, but she caught Edith in a firm embrace and smiled gently.

"Friendship."

It was a concept she had never understood, something she thought didn't apply to her.

But now, for the first time, she understood.

So this… this is what it means.

"Hey, Lainagul..."

"Hm?"

"Do you like the 'me' you've known since our first year together? Or the 'me' that I am now?"

It was a strange question, as if the past and present versions of Mirabel were entirely different people. But Edith, without hesitation, replied with a smile:

"Hmm... You know, Mirabel, you've been a lot kinder since this year began. Sometimes, I even wonder if you're a different person altogether."

"I-Is that so?"

"But even if you were, it wouldn't matter. Both versions of you are important friends to me."

Mirabel heard Edith's response and narrowed her eyes slightly, her expression softening. Her smile was radiant, though tinged with a tearful warmth, as she reached out to stroke Edith's head. Quietly, so softly it was almost inaudible, she whispered, "Thank you."

"Hey, Lainagul..."

"Hm?"

"I've been keeping something from you. After we get back from the Department of Mysteries, will you listen to what I have to say?"

"Huh? Sure, of course..."

Pleased with the response, Mirabel returned a cheerful "Good" and clasped Edith's hand. The place they were about to enter was perilous—a deadly battlefield. Yet Mirabel vowed to herself: she would not let Edith die, nor let her be harmed.

With a newfound resolve, for the first time in her life, she made a promise—for the sake of her "friend."

"Let's go, Edith."

"Yeah... Wait, huh? Mirabel, did you just call me by my name...?"

Edith's wide-eyed astonishment was met with Mirabel's warm smile. This smile, more tender and graceful than any she had shown before, stunned Edith for a moment. Then, in a buoyant voice, Mirabel said:

"Isn't that what friends do—call each other by name?"

For a brief moment, Edith froze, speechless. Then, she broke into a bright smile and nodded firmly.

With Edith and Mirabel leaving the scene, the tense standoff was shattered. Now that Mirabel, who had been carrying the prophecy, was gone, the Death Eaters had no reason to hold back. Everyone, save for Harry, became potential targets for murder.

But Harry moved quickly. He struck the shelves of prophecies with a spell, shattering countless orbs to create cover, and took off running. Grabbing Hermione by the arm, he made a dash back toward the entrance to the prophecy chamber. Once all their group members, including Sirius, had passed through the door, he shut it behind them.

Outside the door stood Lupin, Mad-Eye Moody, and others from the Order, their presence alone a source of comfort.

"Sirius! You reckless fool, always rushing ahead!"

Mad-Eye barked at Sirius, but now wasn't the time for scolding. Harry quickly summarized the situation, speaking as fast as he could.

"The Death Eaters are right behind us! We have to get out now!"

"We know! You lot head for the exit—leave the rest to us!"

Harry wanted to argue about leaving Sirius and the others behind, but Cedric placed a firm hand on his shoulder, locking him with a stern gaze. If they didn't escape first, Sirius and the others couldn't retreat either. That much was clear in Cedric's chastising glare. Gritting his teeth, Harry clenched his fist in frustration but relented.

"Alohomora!"

The Death Eaters burst through the door, flooding into the room. Members of the Order met them head-on, and in an instant, the Department of Mysteries transformed into a battlefield of flashing lights and clashing spells.

With the chaos behind them, Harry and the others made their way toward the exit. However, another problem emerged.

The circular hall they entered had multiple doors surrounding it, and every time someone passed through, the room would rotate.

In other words, they had no idea which door led back to where they had come from.

"How do we handle this, Harry?"

"There's no point in standing still! Let's go into any room we can find!"

Harry, Hermione, and Cedric dashed into a random room and locked the door behind them. However, a lack of pre-planning proved troublesome—Ginny, Neville, Ron, and Luna had entered a different room.

There was no time to backtrack. They decided to assume splitting up would allow them to search for an exit faster. Unfortunately, the room Harry's group entered was not the one they had originally come through.

Around them were desks, chairs, bell jars containing small, endlessly hatching eggs, and glass cabinets filled with variously shaped hourglasses.

"Time-Turners!"

"So, they were stored here…"

After a brief hesitation, Harry reached into one of the shelves and took a Time-Turner.

He knew it was theft, but they were far past worrying about such things. This device could be their trump card, a way to overturn their dire situation.

Hermione gave him a reproachful look but remained silent, seemingly acknowledging the necessity of the action.

At that moment, a loud bang sounded against the door. The three quickly ducked under a table to hide.

"Potter! Where are you?!"

Three Death Eaters burst into the room, searching for them.

Had the Order been overrun? Was Sirius safe?

Gripping his wand tightly, Harry cast a spell from beneath the table.

"Stupefy!"

One down!

The spell struck the leading Death Eater, knocking them unconscious.

The other two turned their wands toward Harry, but Cedric and Hermione acted quicker. Their swift and skillful spellcasting sent both Death Eaters flying.

One collapsed on their back, crashing into a bell jar. Oddly, instead of stopping at the surface, their head slipped inside, as if piercing through a soap bubble.

Then something even stranger happened. The man's head began to shrink rapidly, his hair and beard retracting until it resembled the head of a baby.

"It's… time. Time is reversing," Hermione whispered, pale-faced.

The sight was eerie enough to make Harry and the others blanch. Cedric quickly pointed his wand and incapacitated the infant-headed Death Eater with a Stunning Spell.

Though Hermione gasped in alarm, Cedric's swift action ensured the bizarre transformation was rendered harmless.

"How could you hurt a baby like that!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Calm down, Granger. That's no baby," Cedric replied firmly, his focus unshaken.

Hermione's innate kindness seemed to clash with the grim reality they faced. Cedric, maintaining his composure, scanned their surroundings vigilantly.

For now, no reinforcements had arrived. But if no Death Eaters were here, they were likely targeting the others.

"Let's move. This isn't the exit," Harry urged.

"Right…"

Staying here wasn't an option. Carefully, they exited the room and returned to the circular chamber, only to find two Death Eaters waiting.

The Death Eaters spotted them and charged gleefully. It was clear that the Order of the Phoenix was struggling.

Harry could see Tonks falling down a staircase, Mad-Eye Moody sprawled on the ground, and Bellatrix Lestrange cackling victoriously. Sirius, Lupin, and Kingsley continued to fight, but it was clear they were outmatched.

"Silencio!" Hermione cast a Silencing Charm on one of the Death Eaters, rendering him mute.

Though unable to speak, the man smirked and cast a spell with his wand. A purple flame struck Hermione in the chest, and she collapsed limply.

"Hermione!"

Harry caught her as she fell. She was breathing but completely unconscious.

Cedric retaliated immediately, his spell striking one Death Eater and sending them to the ground. However, the one who attacked Hermione only staggered.

His mask fell away, revealing Antonin Dolohov—a Death Eater notorious for murdering the Prewett family.

Dolohov raised his wand again, but Cedric was struck by a spell and fell before he could act.

Dolohov laughed triumphantly.

At that moment, a door burst open behind him, and Luna emerged.

"Stupefy!"

Her spell hit Dolohov squarely, rendering him unconscious. It was a narrow escape—Luna had saved the day.

"Harry, are you okay?"

"Luna!"

Luna stomped on Dolohov's face to ensure he stayed unconscious, then hurried over to Harry. Neville and Ginny followed, but something seemed off about them.

Ginny was hobbling awkwardly, Neville was grinning inanely, and Ron was nowhere to be seen.

"Luna, what happened to them?" Harry asked.

"Well… Neville got hit by some spell, and Ginny got caught in the backlash of my Blasting Curse," Luna explained sheepishly.

"When a Death Eater grabbed Ginny's ankle, I used the curse right in front of him. Ron managed to defeat that Death Eater, but it caused… some side effects."

"And Ron?"

"He's still fighting the

Death Eater."

Though they had reunited, the group was battered. Hermione and Cedric were unconscious, Ginny and Neville were incapacitated, and only Harry and Luna remained capable of fighting.

Could they really escape this place alive?

For the first time, fear gripped Harry like never before.

Meanwhile, outside the Ministry of Magic, a slender figure hidden among the bushes retrieved the prophecy orb.

Dressed in crimson robes, the small figure's golden hair and eyes glinted as they tucked the orb into their robes and gazed at the building.

A sly smile crossed their lips as they began walking toward the Ministry of Magic.

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