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It didn't take much for Hermione to convince Umbridge to follow her outside in search of 'Dumbledore's secret weapon.' The woman was all too eager to collect whatever it was for herself.

Hermione walked straight out of the oak front doors and down the stone steps into the balmy evening air. The sun was falling toward the tops of the trees in the Forbidden Forest now as Hermione marched purposefully across the grass, Umbridge jogging to keep up. Iris exchanged a quick look with Harry, neither of them quite sure yet where their friend was going with this. Their long dark shadows rippled over the grass behind them like cloaks.

"How much further?" demanded Umbridge angrily from behind him.

"Not far now!" shouted Hermione, as they emerged into a dim, dank clearing. "It had to be somewhere students weren't going to find it accidentally."

Owls hooted, and things rustled from the shadows. Umbridge flinched at every sound, growing more paranoid by the minute. Brambles pulled at their clothes, dirt falling on their shoulders and mud sticking to their shoes.

Harry leaned almost unnoticeably into Hermione to whisper, "What are you doing?"

"Improvising," she squeaked back.

The next clearing they entered looked all too familiar to Iris. Hermione stopped and stared. There was one thing missing from their surroundings: the young giant, Grawp. He was absolutely nowhere to be seen. The ropes that once bound him were on the dirt, frayed and broken.

"Well?" Umbridge probed nervously, "Where is this weapon?"

The three kids looked helplessly at one another.

Umbridge realised very quickly what was going on, "There isn't one... is there. You were trying to trick me." She paused, her wand still extended in their direction, and then, her voice quivering she said, "You know... I really hate children—"

An arrow flew through the air and landed with a menacing thud in the tree just over her head. The air was suddenly full of the sound of hooves. Iris could feel the forest floor trembling; Umbridge gave a little scream and whipped toward the commotion fearfully—

Around fifty centaurs were emerging on every side, their bows raised and loaded, pointing at Iris, Harry, Hermione, and Umbridge, who backed slowly into the centre of the clearing, Umbridge uttering odd little whimpers of terror.

"You have no business here, Centaur! This is a Ministry matter..."

Not one moved.

"Lower your weapons!" Umbridge demanded, her voice wavering nervously, "I warn you— any attack on a Ministry Official by a half-breed is—" Several of the centaurs shuffled in anticipation, muttering furiously. More centaurs stepped forward as Umbridge continued, " Under the law, as creatures of near-human intelligence—"

That was the final straw. An arrow flew so close to her head that it caught at her mousy hair in passing. She let out an earsplitting scream and threw her hands over her head while some of the centaurs bellowed their approval and others laughed raucously. The sound of their wild, neighing laughter echoing around the dimly lit clearing and the sight of their pawing hooves was extremely unnerving.

"HOW DARE YOU! FILTHY HALF-BREED!" Umbridge pointed her wand at Magorian and screamed, "Incarcerous!"

"No!" Iris yelled in horror.

Ropes flew out of midair like thick snakes, wrapping themselves tightly around the centaur's torso and trapping his arms. He gave a cry of rage and reared onto his hind legs, attempting to free himself, while the other centaurs charged.

Harry grabbed the girls and pulled them to the ground. Facedown on the forest floor Iris knew a moment of terror as hooves thundered around her, but the centaurs leapt over and around them, bellowing and screaming with rage.

They picked Umbridge up with ease, tossing her around a bit before dragging her off further into the forest. Iris watched them run away in shock. The sounds of the galloping centaurs and the blundering giant were growing fainter and fainter. In the distance, she heard a roar that sounded suspiciously like the centaurs had found where Grawp had wandered off to.

They had wasted so much time — they were even further from rescuing Sirius and Remus than they had been when Harry had had the vision. Not only had all three of them managed to lose their wands back in the castle, but they were stuck in the middle of the Forbidden Forest with no means of transport whatsoever.

"Come on," Iris said, waving Harry and Hermione to follow her. They jogged as fast as they could back through the trees, moving in what Iris hoped was the path they had entered in.

Just as they made it out, running from the opposite direction, Ron came into sight, with Ginny, Neville, and Luna hurrying along behind him. All of them looked a little the worse for wear— there were several long scratches running the length of Ginny's cheek, a large purple lump was swelling above Neville's right eye, Ron's lip was bleeding— but all were looking rather pleased with themselves.

When they reached each other, Ron held out their three wands.

"How did you get away?" asked Hermione in amazement, taking her wand from Ron.

"Couple of Stunners, a Disarming Charm, Neville brought off a really nice little Impediment Jinx," said Ron airily, now handing back Iris' wand too. She commended Neville, to which he blushed. "But Ginny was best, she got Malfoy— Bat-Bogey Hex — it was superb, his whole face was covered in the great flapping things. Anyway, we saw you heading into the forest out of the window and followed. What've you done with Umbridge?"

"She got carried away," said Harry. "By a herd of centaurs."

"Brilliant! So how are we going to get to London...?" Neville asked.

Everyone immediately looked at Iris and Harry. The twins turned to each other, neither one having a plan.

By the look of guilt in Harry's eyes, Iris guessed what he was going to say next, "Look... it's not that I don't appreciate everything you've done, all of you... but we've got you into enough trouble as it is, and..."

They all frowned. Iris watched her brother carefully. She noticed the way his eyebrows would draw together every few seconds and knew his scar was burning in great pain. She didn't blame him for not wanting to put their friends into any jeopardy... but they could use the help.

Neville was the one to speak up quietly, "Dumbledore's Army was supposed to be about doing something real. Or was that all just words to you?"

Harry hesitated.

Ron said gently, "Maybe you don't have to do this all by yourself, mate."

Harry looked to Iris for guidance. She nodded and he caved, "So how are we going to get to London?"

Luna suddenly smiled, "We fly, of course."

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The blonde girl was a hidden genius. With ease, she led the group to a herd of thestrals, which then carried them at an insane speed to London. As she watched the sun set and night arrive mid-flight, Iris had only her thoughts to keep busy with. She was terrified of what they might find when they reached the Ministry. It had been too long since Harry's vision, and her hope was dwindling. All she could think about was seeing Sirius on the floor and wondering if he was already dead.

"Audrianna..." Iris whispered, the wind carrying her voice away. "Please, I know you're always watching... send help." She felt a warm tear run down her windbitten cheek and swiped it away quickly, "Please... I need Kai."

When they reached the Ministry, they wasted no time getting inside. The only sound in the Atrium was the steady rush of water from the golden fountain, where jets from the wands of the witch and wizard, the point of the centaur's arrow, the tip of the goblin's hat, and the house-elf's ears continued to gush into the surrounding pool.

"Come on," said Harry quietly and the seven of them sprinted off down the hall, Iris in the lead, past the fountain, toward the security desk which was now deserted.

Iris felt sure that there ought to be a security person there, sure that their absence was an ominous sign, and her feeling of foreboding increased as they passed through the golden gates to the lifts. She couldn't sense a single mind nearby besides her friends'. Harry pressed the nearest down button and a lift clattered into sight almost immediately, the golden grilles slid apart with a great, echoing clanking, and they dashed inside. Iris stabbed the number nine button, the grilles closed with a bang, and the lift began to descend, jangling and rattling. When the lift halted, the cool female voice said, "Department of Mysteries," and the grilles slid open again. They stepped out into the corridor where nothing was moving but the nearest torches, flickering in the rush of air from the lift.

Iris turned toward the plain black door. After months and months of trying to get Harry to stop dreaming about it, they were here at last...

"Let's go," her brother whispered, and he led the way down the corridor. "Stay behind me," he murmured quietly, "Once we've found Remus and Sirius I'll create a diversion— you just get them out of danger quick as you can..."

Hermione protested, "But V-Voldemort..." It was still hard for her to say his name.

Harry hesitated—

"Leave Voldemort to me."

Everyone turned toward Iris, who looked grim, but determined.

Just as it had in his dream, the door swung open and Harry marched forward, leading the others over the threshold.

They were there, they had found the place: high as a church and full of nothing but towering shelves covered in small, dusty, glass orbs. They glimmered dully in the light issuing from candle brackets set at intervals along the shelves, their flames burning blue. The room was very cold.

Iris edged forward and peered down one of the shadowy aisles between two rows of shelves. She could not hear anything nor see the slightest sign of movement.

"Row ninety-seven, right?" whispered Iris.

"Yeah," breathed Harry, looking up at the end of the closest row. Beneath the branch of blue-glowing candles protruding from it glimmered the silver figure 53.

"We need to go right, I think," whispered Hermione, squinting to the next row. "Yes... that's fifty-four..."

"Keep your wands out," Iris said softly.

They crept forward, staring behind them as they went on down the long alleys of shelves, the farther ends of which were in near-total darkness. Tiny, yellowing labels had been stuck beneath each glass orb on the shelf. Some of them had a weird, liquid glow; others were as dull and dark within as blown lightbulbs.

Iris' heart was pumping frantically now that they were in the prophecy room. The harder she thought about it, the worse she felt about their decision to come. Something felt wrong. It was too quiet.

They passed row eighty-four... eighty-five... Iris was listening hard for the slightest sound of movement, but Sirius and Remus might be gagged now, or else unconscious... or, said an unbidden voice inside her head, they might already be dead...

"Ninety-seven!" whispered Hermione.

They stood grouped around the end of the row, gazing down the alley beside it. There was nobody there.

Iris' stomach dropped.

"No," she whispered to herself, feeling sick as she realised what had happened. How could she have been so stupid?— So foolish? She had to get Harry out of there right away.

"They should be here..." Harry was frantic. Turning every which way, trying to understand.

"Harry, Iris?" Ron called.

"What?" Harry answered sounding devastated.

"Have you seen this?" said Ron.

Iris turned to her friend, her complexion peaky.

"What?" said Harry, but eagerly this time, thinking Ron had found something about their godfathers— he strode back to where they were all standing, a little way down row ninety-seven, but found nothing except Ron staring at one of the dusty glass spheres on the shelves.

"What?" Harry repeated glumly.

"It's — it's got your names on it," said Ron.

Harry moved a little closer. Ron was pointing at one of the small glass spheres that glowed with a dull inner light, though it was very dusty and appeared not to have been touched for many years.

S.P.T. to A.P.W.B.D.

Dark Lord
and Harry ((?)Iris) Potter

"Harry," Iris spoke, causing him to turn to her. She was standing a metre back, eyes wide with fear, "We need to leave."

"But..." he looked back at the orb. "It's something to do with us, isn't it?"

"Don't, Harry," said Iris suddenly, her voice a warning.

She knew if he picked that prophecy up there was no turning back.

"It's got my name on," said Harry slowly, sounding almost entranced.

Before she could stop him, her brother recklessly reached up and lifted the sphere off of the shelf. Iris flinched forward, every impulse screaming. They all held their breath, maybe expecting something dramatic. Nothing whatsoever happened. They all moved in closer around Harry, gazing at the orb as he brushed it free of the clogging dust.

Perhaps if Iris had not been so distracted she would have seen what was coming next.

And then, from right behind them, a drawling voice said, "Very good, Potter. Now turn around, nice and slowly, and give that to me."

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predictions anyone?