"Professor," Draco says, "Professor Umbridge, I think some of the squad should come with you to look after—"

"I am a fully qualified Ministry official, Malfoy, do you really think I cannot manage two wandless teenagers alone?" Umbridge says sharply. "In any case, it does not sound as though this weapon is something that schoolchildren should see. You will remain here until I return and make sure none of these escape."

"All right," Draco says.

"And you two can go ahead of me and show me the way," Umbridge says pointing at Harry and Hermione with her wand. "Lead on..." The three slowly start to disappear.

"Its time Draco," I whisper.

"Time for what," Crabbe barks. Mildly confused, I take the opportunity to swing my feet back to kick Crabbe in the balls. He drops me and Draco hands over my wand as the other Inquisitorial squad members move to point their wands to me. Blaise, Draco, and I all turned ready to attack them.

"Don't be stupid," I hiss at them. Warrington starts to say a spell but I shot first. "Expelliarmus!" His wand shots across the room. "Stupefy!" As he freezes he loosens his grip on Ron and Draco tosses Ron his wand.

"I never thought I would say this but thanks Malfoy," Ron says as he points his wand at the girl holding Ginny. "Stupefy!" It hits the girl and Ginny slips from her grasp as I hit Goyle with a spell freeing Neville and Blaise hitting Theodore so Luna can get away. Draco tosses everyone's wands at them.

"I'm useful when I want to be," Draco says.

"Come on," I instruct leading them all out the door. We run towards the forest and meet with them at the clearing.

"Anyway, Harry, how exactly were you planning to get all the way to London?" Hermione asks him.

"Yeah, we were just wondering that," Ron says as we reach them. The two looked okay. A little worn. But fine.

"What are Malfoy and Zabini doing here?" Hermione asks us clutching her wand.

"Don't worry Mione," I say to her, "they helped us escape."

"Yeah Y/n kicked Crabbe in the nads," Ginny says, "then she got her wand and stunned Warrington freeing Ron."

"And Malfoy handed over our wands making sure no one attacked straight on while Zabini helped free people," Ron explains, "it was awesome."

"What've you done with Umbridge?" Draco asks.

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

"And they left you behind?" Ginny asks looking astonished.

"No, they got chased off by Grawp," Harry says.

"Who's Grawp?" Luna asks interestedly.

"Hagrid's little brother," Ron says promptly. "Anyway, never mind that now. Harry, what did you find out in the fire? Has You-Know-Who got Sirius or—?"

"Yes," Harry says, "and I'm sure Sirius is still alive, but I can't see how we're going to get there to help him."

"Well, we'll have to fly, won't we?"  Luna says in the closest thing to a matter-of-fact voice I've ever heard.

"Okay," Harry says irritably, rounding on her, "first of all, 'we' aren't doing anything if you're including yourself in that, and second of all, Ron's the only one with a broomstick that isn't being guarded by a security troll, so—"

"I've got a broom!" Ginny says.

"Yeah, but you're not coming," Ron says angrily.

"Excuse me, but I care what happens to Sirius as much as you do!" Ginny says.

"You're too—" Harry begins.

"I'm three years older than you were when you fought You-Know-Who over the Sorcerer's Stone," she says fiercely.

"Yeah, but—"

"We were all in the D.A. together," Neville says quietly. "It was all supposed to be about fighting You-Know-Who, wasn't it? And this is the first chance we've had to do something real—or was that all just a game or something?"

"No—of course, it wasn't—" Harry says impatiently.

"Oh shut it harry, they want to help let them. They've been training for this," I say to him.

"Well, it doesn't matter anyway," Harry says frustratedly, "because we still don't know how to get there—"

"I thought we'd settled that?" Luna says maddeningly. "We're flying!"

"Look," Ron says barely containing his anger, "you might be able to fly without a broomstick but the rest of us can't sprout wings whenever we—"

"There are other ways of flying than with broomsticks," Luna says serenely.

"I s'pose we're going to ride on the back of the Kacky Snorgle or whatever it is?" Ron demands.

"The Crumple-Horned Snorkack can't fly," Luna says in a dignified voice, "but they can, and Hagrid says they're very good at finding places their riders are looking for." I catch thestrals between the two trees and look at Harry.

"I've got it," I say to him, "Thestrals?"

"Yes!" he whispers. We both walk towards the two standing before it. I start to pet the one in front of me.

"Is it those mad horse things?"  Ron says uncertainly, "Those ones you can't see unless you've watched someone snuff it?"

"Yeah," Harry and I say.

"How many?"

"Just two," I say.

"Well, we need four," Hermione says.

"Five, Hermione," Ginny says scowling.

"I think there are 9 of us, actually," Luna says calmly, counting.

"No no Blaise and I aren't coming," Draco says, "with my dad at the ministry I'll be murdered."

"So that makes 7," I say to Harry.

"Don't be stupid, we can't all go!" Harry snaps, "Look, you three you're not involved in this, you're not—"

"We don't have time for this!" I snap.

"Okay, fine, it's your choice," he says curtly. "But unless we can find more thestrals you're not going to be able—"

"Oh, more of them will come," Ginny says confidently.

"What makes you think that?"

"Because in case you hadn't noticed, you and Hermione are both covered in blood," she says coolly, "and we know Hagrid lures thestrals with raw meat, so that's probably why these two turned up in the first place..."

"Okay, then," he says, "Ron and I will take these two and go ahead, Y/n and Hermione can stay here with you three and she'll attract more thestrals—"

"I'm not staying behind!" Hermione says.

"Neither am I," I say harshly.

"There's no need," Luna says smiling. "Look, here come more now... You two must really smell..." Several more approach us now letting everyone go. Everyone starts to climb on top of them. Before I can I run over to Draco and wrap my arms around him.

"I love you," He says.

"I love you too," I say. I pull up my sleeve to show him my bracelet from the first year. He flashes me his ring.

"When you get back we can make out in my dorm," he says. I smirk and look back to the others.

"I'm holding you to that," I say. I wave to him before climbing onto the horse-like creature. We set off through the sky. A rescue mission now underway.

Finally, we land on the ground. Harry and I first as we make our halt an easy one. Ron, on the other hand, had a hard time.

"Never again," he says, struggling to his feet. He made as though to stride away from his thestral, but, unable to see it, collides with its hindquarters and almost fell over again. "Never, ever again... that was the worst—"

"Where do we go from here, then?" Luna asks as the others join us.

"Over here," Harry says. We run to the telephone box. He and I step in while he tries to get the others inside "Come on!" he urges the others as they hesitated. As we pile in I get pushed next to Ron and the receiver.  "Whoever's nearest the receiver, dial six two four four two!"  Ron does it bending his arm weirdly to do so.

"Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your name and business." The machine says.

"Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Y/n Cultven," Harry says very quickly, "Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood... We're here to save someone unless your Ministry can do it first!"

"Thank you," The female voice says, "Visitors, please take the badges and attach them to the front of your robes." Badges were passed around and I pull mine over my neck.

"Visitor to the Ministry, you are required to submit to a search and present your wand for registration at the security desk, which is located at the far end of the Atrium."

"Fine!" Harry says loudly, as his scar gave another throb. "Now can we move?" We start to move down and I could see Harry growing inpatient.

"The Ministry of Magic wishes you a pleasant evening," The voice says. The door opens and we topple out of the box rushing through the ministry. It was dark and slightly ominous. Not another soul was near.

"Come on," Harry says.  We move to another lift. It getting darker and more horrifying as we reach the department of mysteries.  "Let's go," Harry orders as he leads us through the corridor. "Okay, listen,"  Harry says stopping again within six feet of the door. "Maybe... maybe a couple of people should stay here as a—as a lookout, and—"

"And how're we going to let you know something's coming?" Ginny asks, "You could be miles away."

"We're coming with you, Harry," Neville says.

"Let's get on with it," Ron says firmly. We were standing in a large, circular room. Everything in here was black including the floor and ceiling—identical, unmarked, handle-less black doors were set at intervals all around the black walls, interspersed with branches of candles whose flames burned blue, their cool, shimmering light reflected in the shining marble floor so that it looked as though there was dark water underfoot.

"Someone shut the door," Harry mutters. As soon as it shuts the room goes pitch black. The only light in the blue flames. The room moves slightly at the shock I latch onto Ron's arm for safety. As it stops Ron looks to me.

"What was that about?" whispers Ron fearfully.

"I think it was to stop us knowing which door we came in from," Ginny says in a hushed voice.

"How're we going to get back out?" Neville asks uncomfortably.

"Well, that doesn't matter now," Harry says forcefully, "We won't need to get out till we've found Sirius—"

"Don't go calling for him, though!" Hermione says.

"Where do we go, then, Harry?" Ron askes.

"I don't—" Harry begins, " In the dreams, I went through the door at the end of the corridor from the lifts into a dark room—that's this one—and then I went through another door into a room that kind of... glitters. We should try a few doors, I'll know the right way when I see it. C'mon." I move to catch up with Harry. Knowing that I'd rather get stuck with him seeing us him and I work well together. We move into another room. The lamps hanging low on golden chains from this ceiling gave the impression that this long rectangular room was much brighter, though there were no glittering, shimmering lights such as Harry had seen in his dreams. The place was quite empty except for a few desks and, in the very middle of the room, an enormous glass tank of deep-green water, big enough for all of them to swim in, which contained a number of pearly white objects that were drifting around lazily in the liquid.

"What're those things?" Ron whispers.

"Dunno," Harry says.

"Are they fish?" breathes Ginny.

"Aquavirius maggots!" Luna says excitedly. "Dad said the Ministry were breeding—"

"No," Hermione says. She sounded odd. She moves forward to look through the side of the tank. "They're brains."

"Brains?" I ask.

"Yes... I wonder what they're doing with them?"

"Let's get out of here," Harry says, "This isn't right, we need to try another door—"

"There are doors here too," Ron says, pointing around the walls.

"In my dream, I went through that dark room into the second one," he says. "I think we should go back and try from there."

"Why don't we mark the doors?" I ask them.

"Flagrate!" Hermione says using my idea to mark an x on the door.

"Good thinking," Harry says, "Okay, let's try this one—" We move to the next one.  This room was larger than the last, dimly lit and rectangular, and the center of it was sunken, forming a great stone pit some twenty feet below them. They were standing on the topmost tier of what seemed to be stone benches running all around the room and descending in steep steps like an amphitheater. Around me, I could hear soft voices.

"Who's there?" I ask as I walk forward. I rush towards the voices with Harry behind me.

"Careful you two!" Hermione whispers. We scramble down the benches one by one until he reached the stone bottom of the sunken pit. Footsteps echoed loudly as he walked slowly toward the dais. The pointed archway looked much taller now than when he had been looking down on it from above. Still, the veil swayed gently, as though somebody had just passed through it.

"Sirius?" Harry speaks again, but much more quietly now that he was nearer. I walk towards the veil almost touching it when Hermione yanks me back.

"Let's go," She says, "This isn't right, Harry, come on, let's go..." The whispering grows louder from behind the veil.

"What?" I ask walking closer.

"Guys, let's go, okay?" Hermione says more forcefully.

"Okay," Harry says I nod but keep my focus on the veil.

"What are you saying?" he asks loudly.

"The whispering," I mumble.

"What are they saying?" Harry asks me.

"Nobody's talking, Harry!" Hermione says now moving over to him.

"Someone's whispering behind there," I say as the whispering grows louder.

"Is that you, Ron?" Harry asks.

"I'm here, mate," Ron says appearing on the side of the archway.

"Can't anyone else hear it?" Harry demands.

"I can hear them too," Luna says joining us, "There are people in there!"

"What do you mean, 'in there'?" Hermione says, "There isn't any 'in there,' it's just an archway, there's no room for anybody to be there—Harry, stop it, come away—"

"No no Hermione there is something in there something- We have to- No I have to," I start.

"We are supposed to be here for Sirius!" she says in a high-pitched, strained voice.

"Sirius," Harry repeats, "Yeah...Let's go." I feel Harry grab my arm pulling me away from the veil. Snatching me back about five feet. I hadn't realized how close I was to it.

"That's what I've been trying to—well, come on, then!" Hermione says. As we reach the others Hermione help Ginny, Ron takes Neville. Both were in the same trance we were.

"What d'you reckon that arch was?" Harry asks as we get back to the circle room.

"I don't know, but whatever it was, it was dangerous," I say as Hermione marks the X, "I don't know about you but something was pulling me towards it- we need to stay away from it." Harry nods and steps up to a random door. Pushing it. But it doesn't move.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asks.

"It's... locked..." Harry says hitting it eagerly.

"This is it, then, isn't it?" Ron says excitedly, joining Harry in the attempt to force the door open. "Bound to be!"

"Get out of the way!"Hermione says sharply. "Alohomora!" Nothing.

"Question can I light it on fire?" I ask.

"Sirius's knife!" Harry says, He pulls the knife out and slides it into the crack between the door and the wall. He runs it from top to bottom, withdrew it, and then flung his shoulder again at the door. It remained as firmly shut as ever. What was more the blade had melted.

"Right, we're leaving that room," Hermione says decisively.

"But what if that's the one?" Ron asks.

"It can't be, Harry could get through all the doors in his dream," Hermione says marking the door.

"You know what could be in there?"  Luna asks eagerly, as the wall starts to spin yet again.

"Something blibbering, no doubt," Hermione says under her breath, and Neville gives a nervous little laugh.

"Why are you being so rude to her?" I ask harshly, "Luna is actually a very talented witch so give her more credit." Hermione looks back at me still annoyed. "Remeber when Ron did that to you?" She sighs.

"This is it!" Harry says pushing the door, "This way!" He leads the way forward down the narrow space between the lines of the desks, heading, as he had done in his dream, for the source of the light, the crystal bell jar quite as tall as he was that stood on a desk and appeared to be full of a billowing, glittering wind.

"Oh look!" Ginny says as we draw near, pointing at the very heart of the bell jar.  Drifting along in the sparkling current inside was a tiny, jewel-bright egg. As it rose in the jar it cracked open and a hummingbird emerged, which was carried to the very top of the jar, but as it fell on the draft, its feathers became bedraggled and damp again, and by the time it had been borne back to the bottom of the jar it had been enclosed once more in its egg.

"Keep going!" Harry orders.

"You dawdled enough by that old arch!" she says crossly.

"I swear if you all don't stop arguing we'll start leaving people next time," I hiss, "now pay attention, Harry."

"This is it," Harry says, "It's through here—" He leads us inside.  It was as 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 more candle brackets set at intervals along the shelves. Like those in the circular room behind them, their flames were burning blue. The room was very cold.

"You said it was row ninety-seven," I say to him, "we are on 53."

"Yeah," Harry says.

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

"Keep your wands out," Harry says softly. I grip my wand tightly as we edge along.  We creep forward, staring behind us as we move 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 light bulbs. We pass eight-four... eighty-five... eighty-six. I look to Harry as he looks around the rows anxiously.

"Ninety-seven!" Hermione whispers. We all look to see the row, like the others, empty.

"He's right down at the end," Harry says, "You can't see properly from here...He should be near here, Anywhere here... really close..."

"Shit," I hiss, "I knew this would happen. Harry-"

"Somewhere about... here..." He says.

"Harry we need to go now," I say to him, "Harry we have to go-"

They had reached the end of the row and emerged into more dim candlelight. There was nobody there at all. All was echoing dusty silence.

"What about Sirius-"

"Harry we have, to go," I say to him, "Sirius isn't here-"

"Harry?" Ron calls.

"What?"

"Have you seen this?" Ron asks.

"What?" Harry asks sprinting down, I see Ron holding the prophecy,

"It's—it's got your name on," Ron says.

"Harry don't touch it," I say, "we need to go."

"My name?" Harry asks blankly.

"What is it?" Ron asks, sounding unnerved. "What's your name doing down here? I'm not here, None of the rest of us are here..."

"Both of you back away from it now," I demand.

"Harry, I don't think you should touch it," Hermione says.

"You're right he needs to get away-" I say.

"Why not?" Harry asks, "It's something to do with me, isn't it?"

"Don't, Harry," Neville says.

"It's got my name on," Harry says reaching for it.

"Harry no we can't be here!" I yell.

"Why not?" He asks.

"Its a trap!" I scream as he picks it up.

"Right you are," A voice says from behind us we turn around to see death eaters surrounding us before us, "I knew my son picked the right one." Lucius, it was fucking Lucius.

"See this is why you should listen to me," I hiss to Harry and Ron.

"Very good, Potter. Now turn around, nice and slowly, and give that to me," Lucius says, "To me, Potter."

"Don't do it," I hiss at Harry.

"Ignore her Potter! To me," Lucius snarls.

"Where's Sirius?" Harry asks.

"The Dark Lord always knows!" A female voice calls as they laugh.

"Harry stop talking," I order nudging him and Ron behind me.

"Always," Lucius says, "Now, give me the prophecy, Potter."

"I want to know where Sirius is!" Harry yells.

"I want to know where Sirius is!" A female mocks.

"You've got him," Harry says, "He's here. I know he is."

"The little baby woke up fwightened and fort what it dweamed was twoo."

"Don't do anything," Harry mutters to the group, "Not yet—"

"You hear him? You hear him? Giving instructions to the other children as though he thinks of fighting us!"

"Oh, you don't know Potter as I do, Bellatrix," Lucius says softly. "He has a great weakness for heroics; the Dark Lord understands this about him. Now give me the prophecy, Potter."

"I know Sirius is here," Harry says, "I know you've got him!" They laugh again.

"Harry they don't have him," I say to Harry, "he knows about the connection you to have. It wasn't real."

"Right again Cultven," Lucius mocks, "Now give me the prophecy, or we start using wands."

"Go on, then," Harry says raising his wand, all of us following suit.

"Hand over the prophecy and no one need get hurt," Lucius says.

"Don't you dare," I whisper to Harry, "that's the weapon, that is the thing we've been protecting."

"Yeah, right!" he says to the death eaters, "I give you this—prophecy, is it? And you'll just let us skip off home, will you?"

"Accio Proph—"

"Protego!" He shouts.

"Oh, he knows how to play, little bitty baby Potter," She says, "Very well, then—"

"I TOLD YOU, NO!" Lucius Malfoy roars at the woman. "If you smash it—!" The woman steps forward and pulls off her hood. Bellatrix Lestrange, hollowed and skull like.

"You need more persuasion?" She says, "Very well—take the smallest one. Let him watch while we torture the little girl. I'll do it." We close in around Ginny.

"Lay a hand on her and I'll kill you," I hiss.

"Ooo girl likes to play," Bellatrix says, "get her too." Harry lifts up the prophecy making them freeze while he uses his other hand to push me behind him.

"You'll have to smash this if you want to attack any of us," he tells Bellatrix. "I don't think your boss will be too pleased if you come back without it, will he?" She doesn't move or respond but I could tell she was pissed. I smirk happily at Harry knowing that prophecy was our only play. "So," Harry asks, "what kind of prophecy are we talking about anyway?"

"What kind of prophecy?"  Bellatrix asks, "You jest, Harry Potter."

"Nope, not jesting," Harry says, "How come Voldemort wants it?" My focus moves from the conversation to a plan. A weak link in their rank to get out with.

"You dare speak his name?"

"Yeah," Harry says, "Yeah, I've got no problem saying Vol—"

"Shut your mouth!" Bellatrix shrieks, "You dare speak his name with your unworthy lips, you dare besmirch it with your half-blood's tongue, you dare—"

"Did you know he's a half-blood too?" Harry says recklessly.  "Voldemort? Yeah, his mother was a witch but his dad was a Muggle—or has he been telling you lot he's pureblood?"

"STUPEF—"

"NO!" A jet of red light had shot from the end of Bellatrix Lestrange's wand, but Malfoy had deflected it. His spell caused hers to hit the shelf a foot to the left of Harry and several of the glass orbs there shattered. Two figures, pearly white as ghosts, fluid as smoke, unfurled themselves from the fragments of broken glass upon the floor and each began to speak. Their voices vied with each other, so that only fragments of what they were saying could be heard over Malfoy and Bellatrix's shouts.

"...at the Solstice will come a new..."

"DO NOT ATTACK! WE NEED THE PROPHECY!"

"He dared—he dares—" shrieks Bellatrix incoherently. "—He stands there—filthy half-blood—"

"WAIT UNTIL WE'VE GOT THE PROPHECY!" bawls Malfoy.

"...and none will come after..."

"You haven't told me what's so special about this prophecy I'm supposed to be handing over," he says, playing for time.

"Be careful Harry," I whisper cautiously.

"Do not play games with us, Potter," Lucius says.

"I'm not playing games," Harry says.

"We have an opening," I whisper. He nods slightly stomping on Hermione's toes.

"What?" she whispers.

"Dumbledore never told you that the reason you bear that scar was hidden in the bowels of the Department of Mysteries?" asks Malfoy sneeringly.

"I—what?" Harry asks,  "What about my scar?"

"What?" whispers Hermione more urgently behind him.

"Can this be?" Malfoy says, sounding maliciously delighted; some of the Death Eaters were laughing again, and under cover of their laughter, Harry hissed to Hermione, moving his lips as little as possible.

"Smash shelves—"

"Dumbledore never told you?" Malfoy repeats. "Well, this explains why you didn't come earlier, Potter, the Dark Lord wondered why—"

"—when I say go—"

"—you didn't come running when he showed you the place where it was hidden in your dreams. He thought natural curiosity would make you want to hear the exact wording..."

"Did he?" Harry asks as I reach back and tap on Neville's leg.

"Y/n? What?" Neville whispers.

"When Harry says go, smash the prophecies," I whisper back.

"So he wanted me to come and get it, did he? Why?"

"Why?" Malfoy asks incredulously delighted. "Because the only people who are permitted to retrieve a prophecy from the Department of Mysteries, Potter, are those about whom it was made, as the Dark Lord discovered when he attempted to use others to steal it for him."

"And why did he want to steal a prophecy about me?"

"About both of you, Potter, about both of you... Haven't you ever wondered why the Dark Lord tried to kill you as a baby?"

"Someone made a prophecy about Voldemort and me?" he asks, "And he's made me come and get it for him? Why couldn't he come and get it himself?"

"Get it himself?" Bellatrix shrieks, on a cackle of mad laughter. "The Dark Lord, walk into the Ministry of Magic, when they are so sweetly ignoring his return? The Dark Lord, reveal himself to the Aurors, when at the moment they are wasting their time on my dear cousin?"

"So he's got you doing his dirty work for him, has he?" Harry asks. "Like he tried to get Sturgis to steal it—and Bode?"

"Harry," I whisper to him catching the distraction around the Death Eaters. "Now."

"Very good, Potter, very good..." Lucius says slowly. "But the Dark Lord knows you are not unintell—"

"NOW!" Harry yells. I snap my wand up with the others pointing it at the shelves.

"REDUCTO!" The seven curses flew in different directions and the shelves opposite us explode as they hit. The towering structure sways as a hundred glass spheres burst apart, pearly-white figures unfurled into the air and floated there, their voices echoing from who knew what long-dead past amid the torrent of crashing glass and splintered wood now raining down upon the floor—

"RUN!" I yell at them, as the glass and wood crash around us. I grab onto a lagging Hermione and Harry and pull them forward. Ahead of us Ron, Neville, and Ginny sprint trying to get away from the Death Eaters rushing towards us. A large hand grabbing my shoulder trying to pull me back. "Stupefy!" It releases me and I start to run faster.

"Stupefy!" I hear Hermione call. As we reach row 97 we start to sprint faster. Hermione and I urging the others to keep running. Knowing we were far from safe. We run through the door we came from and Harry slams it shut.

"Colloportus!"  Hermione yells, and the door sealed itself with an odd squelching noise.

"Where—where are the others?" Harry asks. I look around to see a lack of Ron, Ginny, and Luna.

"Shit," I hiss.

"They must have gone the wrong way!" Hermione whispers.

"Listen!" Neville says. We all stop talking and moving. Now we could hear footsteps and voices.

"Leave Nott, leave him, I say, the Dark Lord will not care for Nott's injuries as much as losing that prophecy—Jugson, come back here, we need to organize! We'll split into pairs and search, and don't forget, be gentle with Potter until we've got the prophecy, you can kill the others if necessary—Bellatrix, Rodolphus, you take the left, Crabbe, Rabastan, go right—Jugson, Dolohov, the door straight ahead—Macnair and Avery, through here—Rookwood, over there— Zabertan, come with me!" Lucius says. I note the names as I back away from the door.

"What do we do?" Hermione asks Harry, trembling from head to foot.

"Well, we don't stand here waiting for them to find us, for a start," Harry says"Let's get away from this door..." We quietly run past the shimmering har to the far end of the room. Almost towards the exit as we hear the door fly open. I pull Neville underneath the desk with me and the other two follow suit. I could hear the heavy footsteps near us.

"They might've run straight through to the hall," Someone says.

"Check under the desks," Another says.

"STUPEFY!" I hear Harry yell. I crawl out from under the desk and point my wand to one of the death eaters.

"STUP-" I start as he points his wand at me.

"Avada—"

"EXPELLIARMUS!" Neville says hitting the death eater in front of me and Harry. I look back to him in excitment.

"Get out of the way, Harry!" Neville yells, "STUPEFY!" The jet of red light flew right over the Death Eater's shoulder and hit a glass-fronted cabinet on the wall full of variously shaped hourglasses. The cabinet fell to the floor and burst apart, glass flying everywhere, then sprang back up onto the wall, fully mended, then fell down again, and shattered— The Death Eater had snatches up his wand, which lay on the floor beside the glittering bell jar. "STUP"

"STUPEFY!" Hermione screams hitting the death eater.

"Accio Wand," I call. Harry's wand flies across the room into my hand. I toss it back to Harry.

"Thanks," Harry says,"right, let's get out of—"

"Look out!" Neville says horrified, staring at the Death Eater's head in the bell jar. We all look with our wands raised. But the site distracted us. The man's head was shrinking and balding. Turning into that of a baby's. He starts to get up and the head swells to his previous size, hair sprouting.

"It's time," Hermione says, in an awestruck voice. "Time..."

"We need to go," I say. A loud scream pushing my urgency more.

"RON?" Harry yells,"GINNY? LUNA?"

"Harry!" Hermione screams as the death eater pulls his tiny baby head from the jar. I see Harry start to raise his wand but Hermione seizes it. "You can't hurt a baby!" He put his arm down and I groan.

"I can," I say, "Stupefy!" The man freezes as footsteps echo around us. "Now lets go!" We run towards the dark hallway. Halfway there two more death eaters joined us starting to run at us. 

"Collo—" Hermione begins, but before she could complete the spell the door bursts open again and the two Death Eaters had come hurtling inside.

"IMPEDIMENTA!" The death eaters yell. Before they hit I slide underneath another desk while the others go down.

"WE'VE GOT HIM!" A Death Eateryells, "IN AN OFFICE OFF—" I point my wand to him.

"Silencio!" I say causing the man's voice to be extinguished.

"Petrificus Totalus!" Harry shouts the death eater fell forward, facedown onto the rug at Harry's feet, stiff as a board and unable to move at all.

"Well done, Ha—" Hermione starts before she was hit with a streak from one of the death eaters.  She falls to the ground motionless.

"HERMIONE!"

"Get down!" I order pulling him down. We duck behind the desk as Neville crawls to us. The death eater kicks Neville's head before stomping hard on his wand snapping it. I point my wand towards the man and he swings his leg back kicking me in the stomach knocking me back a little making me drop my wand. He kicks it away more. Then rips off his mask and was pointing his wand directly at Harry,  Antonin Dolohov, the wizard who had murdered the Prewetts. He points from the prophecy still clutched in Harry's hand, to harry, me, then at Hermione. Though he could no longer speak his meaning could not have been clearer: Give me the prophecy, or you get the same as her...

"Like you won't kill us all the moment I hand it over anyway!" Harry says.

"Whaddever you do, Harry," Neville says fiercely from under the desk, lowering his hands to show a clearly broken nose and blood pouring down his mouth and chin, the death eater looks to Neville and I reach for my wand. "don'd gib it to him!"

"PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!" I scream. The spell hits him and he topples over. "Hermione." I turn to the girl in fear. Lifting her head off the ground and placing it on my lap.

"Hermione," Harry says shaking her "Hermione, wake up..."

"Whaddid he do to her?" Neville says, crawling out from under the desk again to kneel at her other side, blood streaming from his rapidly swelling nose.

"I dunno..." Harry says.

"I've never seen that spell before," I say as I push her bushy hair back. Neville reaches for her wrist and nods.

"Dat's a pulse, Harry, I'b sure id is..." Neville says.  I sigh in relief looks at the girl.

"She's alive?" I ask.

"Yeah, I dink so..." Neville says.

"We're not far from the exit," Harry whispers, "We're right next to that circular room... If we can just get you three across it and find the right door before any more Death Eaters come, I'll bet you two can get Hermione up the corridor and into the lift... Then you could find someone... Raise the alarm..."

"And whad are you going do do?" Neville asks.

"I've got to find the others," Harry says.

"We're going with you," I say to him, "my job is to keep you alive."

"But Hermione—"

"We'll dake her wid us," Neville says firmly, "I'll carry her—you're bedder at fighding dem dan I ab—" Neville stands and we help Hermione onto his shoulders.

"Wait," Harry says, he hands Hermione's wand to Neville. "you'd better take this..."

"My gran's going do kill be," Neville says thickly, blood spattering from his nose as he spoke, "dat was by dad's old wand..."

"C'mon," I say to them. We rush from the office to the black hallway.  Harry and Neville both slightly tottering. The door slams shut and the room begins to spin again. The crosses on the door had faded leaving us helpless.

"So which way d'you reck—?" Harry starts but before anything else could be said one of the doors opens and our missing members tumble our.

"Ron!" Harry says dashing toward them. "Ginny—are you all—?"

"Harry," Ron says, giggling weakly, lurching forward, seizing the front of Harry's robes, "There you are... Ha ha ha... You look funny, Harry... You're all messed up..." Ron's face was very white and something dark was trickling from the corner of his mouth. Next moment his knees had given way, but he still clutched the front of Harry's robes, so that Harry was pulled into a kind of bow.

"I've got him," I say to Harry as I help Ron back up. Tossing his arm around me. My balence shifts to hold his weight up as Harry moves to Ginny.

"Hey Y/n!" Ron says giggling, "you're messed up too. Yeah. Is that blood? Huh? Weird."

"Ginny?" Harry says fearfully. "What happened?"

"I think her ankle's broken, I heard something crack," Luna whispers,"Four of them chased us into a dark room full of planets, it was a very odd place, some of the time we were just floating in the dark—"

"Harry, we saw Uranus up close!" Ron says, "Get it, Harry? We saw Uranus—ha ha ha—" A bubble of blood grows at the corner of Ron's mouth and burst. I pull my sleeve over my hands and wipe the blood from his face.

"You look like shit Ronald," I sigh, "so what happened?"

"Anyway, one of them grabbed Ginny's foot, I used the Reductor Curse and blew up Pluto in his face, but..." Luna gestures as Ginny who was breathing in a very shallow way. Her eyes closed.

"And what about Ron?" Harry asks fearfully, as Ron continued to giggle.

"I don't know what they hit him with,"  Luna says sadly, "but he's gone a bit funny, I could hardly get him along at all..."

"Harry," Ron says pulling Harry towards us, still giggling weakly, "you know who this girl is, Harry? She's Loony... Loony Lovegood... ha ha ha..."

"We've got to get out of here," Harry says, "Luna, can you help Ginny?"

"Yes," Luna says sticking her wand behind her ear.

"It's only my ankle, I can do it myself!"  Ginny says impatiently, but next moment she collapses sideways and grabs Luna for support.

"Y/n do you have Ron?" Harry asks.

"I've got him lets go," I say. He starts to a door when one across the hall bursts open. Three Death Eaters speed into the hall, led by Bellatrix Lestrange.

"There they are!" she shrieks.

"Harry move!" I say. He smashes through the door and we all follow as we dodge spells around us. I kick the door closed behind us.

"Colloportus!" Harry shouts, three bodies could be heard slamming into the door on the other side.

"It doesn't matter!" A man's voice says, "There are other ways in—WE'VE GOT THEM, THEY'RE HERE!" I look around to see we where in the brain room. And all around us were doors.

"Luna—Neville— Y/n— help me!" Harry yells.

"Ron, stay here," I say as we sit down the cripples. We rush around the room sealing the doors.

"Colloportus!"

"Collo—aaaaaaaaargh..." I hear Luna start. I turn to see her flying back and five death eaters marching into the room.

"Get Potter!" shrieks Bellatrix, and she runs at him. He dodges her and sprints back up the room; he was safe as long as they thought they might hit the prophecy—

"Hey!"  Ron says, who had staggered to his feet and was now tottering drunkenly toward Harry and I, giggling. "Hey, Harry, Y/n, there are brains in here, ha ha ha, isn't that weird?"

"Ron, get out of the way, get down—"

"Honest, Harry, they're brains—look—Accio Brain!" Ron says. The scene seemed to freeze as the brain bursts from the tank. Soaring towards Ron.

"Ronald!" I scream.

"Ha ha ha, look at it—" Ron says, watching it disgorge its gaudy innards. "Harry, come and touch it, bet it's weird—"

"RON, NO!" Harry and I scream. I start to dive forward but Ron already had caught it.  The moment they made contact with his skin, the tentacles began wrapping themselves around Ron's arms like ropes.

"Guys, look what's happen—no—no, I don't like it—no, stop—stop—"  But the thin ribbons were spinning around Ron's chest now. He tugged and tore at them as the brain was pulled tight against him like an octopus's body.

"Diffindo!" Harry yells, but they would not break. Ron fell over, still thrashing against his bonds.

"Harry, it'll suffocate him!" Ginny screams, immobilized by her broken ankle on the floor—then a jet of red light flew from one of the Death Eater's wands and hit her squarely in the face. She keeled over sideways and lay there unconscious.

"STUBEFY!" Neville shouts, wheeling around and waving Hermione's wand at the oncoming Death Eaters. "STUBEFY, STUBEFY!"

"Stupefy!" I scream joining Neville. Harry taking the opportunity holds up the prophecy above his head and races towards the other side of the room.  "Neville help Harry! I've got Ron!"

"B-but-"

"Neville go now!" I scream he nods and starts to run. I shot a spell at the rope like feelers and then another until finally, it goes limp. As Ginny start to come to I point to Ron. "Watch him."

"What?" She asks groggily.

"Watch all of them," I say as I start to run towards where Harry and Neville already ran towards. As I hear voices I switch towards slowly creeping. To make sure I wasn't seen.

"You are not in a position to bargain, Potter," I hear Lucius Malfoy say, "You see, there are ten of us and only one of you... or hasn't Dumbledore ever taught you how to count?"

"He's dot alone!" I hear Neville shout "He's still god be!" I run out to stand beside Neville.

"And me!" I shout.

"Neville— Y/n- no—go back to Ron—" Harry says.

"STUBEFY!" Neville shouts again. One of them seize Neville and I point my wand towards them.

"Stupefy! Stupefy!" I scream but neither of the spells hitting.

"Expelliuarms!" One of the Death Eaters exclaims sounding bored. My wand shots across the room and arms wrap around me lifting me off the ground.

"Son of a bitch," I hiss struggling to escape the grasp. As the Death Eaters laugh at us.

"It's Longbottom, isn't it?" Lucius Malfoy sneers "Well, your grandmother is used to losing family members to our cause... Your death will not come as a great shock..."

"Longbottom?" Bellatrix repeats, and a truly evil smile lit her gaunt face. "Why, I have had the pleasure of meeting your parents, boy..."

"I DOE YOU HAB!" roars Neville, and he fought so hard against his captor's encircling grip that the Death Eater shouts.

"Someone Stun him!"

"No, no, no," Bellatrix says, "No, let's see how long Longbottom lasts before he cracks like his parents... Unless Potter wants to give us the prophecy—"

"DON'D GIB ID DO DEM!" Neville roars,"DON'D GIB ID DO DEM, HARRY!"

"Don't touch him!" I scream kicking the man.

"Crucio!" Bellatrix says. Neville screams in pain as his knees draw to his chest. The death eater drops him to the ground leaving him twitching.

"Get away from him you hag!" I scream. Bellatrix turns to me and smirks.

"And this is?" Bellatrix asks. Lucius smirks.

"Little Y/n Cultven," He says, "right Wyverbest?" I freeze at the name. Fear spreading through me.

"Is the little girl scared?" Bellatrix mocks, "maybe Wyverbest should join us?" A cloaked figure walks through the group to about a foot in front of me and rips off his hood. His dark mangled hair and pale face flashing back to the first time I'd ever seen him. I start to kick more trying to hit him.

"You killed my father you killed my father!" I scream flailing around in a blind rage, " it's all your fault! It's all your fault!"

"Little girl I was there for your mother's death too," He smirks, "I hit the last blow."

"Fuck you!" I scream, "get off of me! Get off of me!"

"I wonder how Potter would feel if we hit his little girlfriend?" Bellatrix asks.

"How about them both?" Wyverbest says and points his wand to me. "Crucio." I let out a blood-curdling scream as I feel pain rush through me. It felt like my bones were snapping as knives were being plunged into my form.

"Crucio!" I hear Bellatrix scream obviously hitting Neville again.

"Crucio!" Wyverbest says cheerfully as the pain in my body doubles. I couldn't form any words just pain-filled screams. Everything aching and burning until finally, it stops and I'm dropped on the floor.

"That was just a taster!" Bellatrix says as I sob on the ground with Neville in pain, "Now, Potter, either give us the prophecy, or watch your little friends die the hard way!"

"Don't do it," I whimper weakly as I start to sit up to look at him, "don't do it, Harry."

"Shut up you stupid girl!" Wyverbest says, "Crucio!" I fall back down screaming once more as the blinding pain dulls my senses. I could hear or see anything. All I could feel was the pain covering my body and the taste of blood in my mouth. The pain abruptly stops and before I know it I feel someone grab on to me.

"Get off get off!" I scream kicking my legs.

"Its me Lupin. Breath Y/n, breath," I hear. I open my eyes to see Lupin standing over me.  Attempting to help me up as around us they fight. "Are you okay? Can you stand?"

"I-I don't know," I say weakly. He gets me to my feet and I fall back down. "shit."

"Come on," Lupin says. He helps me over to Harry and Neville.  Sitting me down then rushing off to help the other order members.

"Are you okay? Harry asks me as he places a hand on my back. The touch making me jump.

"I'll be fine," I say to them, "better than how I plan on leaving that man at least." In a split second, the floor below us explodes and Neville pulls me with him on the opposite side of Harry. As we land, he hits the ground while I hit him. "Neville? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," He groans. I back off of him and sigh.

"Where's Harry?" I ask looking around. I see Harry being choked by a death eater and Neville manages to get up and lunges towards the death eater and jams the wand into his eye.

"AARGH!" Neville groans. As Harry falls he whirls around and points his wand at the man.

"STUPEFY!" Harry yells. The man falls to the floor and Harry looks to Neville.  "Thanks!" I see Harry and Neville move then Sirius and his death eater dueling. Harry slips to the ground on Moody's eye. It was caous.

"Accio wand," I call quietly, rearming my self to help. I point my wand at the man standing over Harry. "Protego!" Neville and Harry look back to me as I weakly push myself back.

"Accio Proph—" Sirius hurtles out of nowhere, rams Dolohov with his shoulder, and sent him flying out of the way. The prophecy had again flown to the tips of Harry's fingers but he had managed to cling to it. Now Sirius and Dolohov were dueling, their wands flashing like swords, sparks flying from their wand tips—

"Petrificus Totalus!" Harry yells hitting Dolohov. Sirius rushes towards Harry. As my eyes scan the room I see Lupin dueling Wyvernest like the little protective father figure he is. Harry and Neville limp towards me. Neville's legs twitching uncontrollably.  "Can you stand?"

"I can't I'll be fine just get Neville out of here-"

"Take this," Harry says giving me the prophecy. I grip it tightly as its heat radiates in my hands as he picks me up bridal style while bearing most of Neville's weight. He moves as quickly as he can but a man lunges towards us. I hold the prophecy against my chest to keep it from smashing as Harry drops me. Harry pretending he has it copies my stance.

"The prophecy, give me the prophecy, Potter!"  Lucius Malfoy snarls.

"No—get—off of me-" Harry struggles. I hand the prophecy to Neville as I point my wand at Lucius.

"Impedimenta!" I yell hitting him. Lucius bounces back as I crawl to Neville. Harry moving to reach us. Lucius snaps back and points his wand to us. Before Lupin hops in between Lucius and Us.

"Harry, round up the others and GO!" Lupin yells. Harry stands and helps Neville and I as we limp to the stairs. But supporting mine and Neville's weight with his own was getting difficult. But there was nothing either of us could do. Neville's legs were still twitching and my legs had gone numb. A spell hit Harry and knocks us down. I pull away from Harry in frustration. Resupporting enough of my weight on my own legs to lessen the burden on Harry.

"Come on!" Harry says desperately, hauling at Neville's robes. "Just try and push with your legs—" He gives another stupendous heave and Neville's robes tore all along the left seam—the small spun-glass ball dropped from his pocket. We all rush to attempt to catch it but Neville's twitching leg kicks it over a few feet and it shatters. A pearly-white figure with hugely magnified eyes rose into the air, unnoticed by any but them. We could see its mouth moving, but in all the crashes and screams and yells surrounding them, not one word of the prophecy could he hear. The figure stopped speaking and dissolved into nothingness.

"Harry, I'b sorry!" Neville says his face anguished as his legs continued to flounder, "I'b so sorry, Harry, I didn'd bean do—"

"It doesn't matter!" Harry shouts "Just try and stand, let's get out of—"

"Harry," I say sympathetically.

"Dubbledore!" Neville says staring over Harry's shoulder.

"What?" Harry and I ask. I look back to see Dumbledore.

"Harry! Dumbledore's here," I say for Neville. Harry turns the three of us to see the old man standing in the doorway of the brain room. Dumbledore ran past us and started to join the fight. Looking effortlessly. The only other duo still fighting was Bellatrix and Sirius.

"Come on, you can do better than that!" Sirius laughs as a spell misses him. She shots again and it hits him square in the chest. Laughter still on Sirius's face his eyes go wide, falling through the veil. The last look of fear and surprise on his face as his disappears. Bellatrix lets out a howl of a triumphant scream. While Harry drops Neville and I moving forward.

"SIRIUS!" Harry yells, "SIRIUS!" I reach out to grab ahold of Harry put my legs were preventing me from moving. Harry starts to sprint towards the veil but Lupin grabs a hold of him. Wrapping his arms around his chest as he sobs and struggles to get away.

"There's nothing you can do, Harry—"

"Get him, save him, he's only just gone through!" Harry yells. Tears start to fall from my eyes as I watch the scene. I bring my hands to cover my face as I quietly sob.

"It's too late, Harry—"

"We can still reach him—"

"There's nothing you can do, Harry... nothing... He's gone."

"He hasn't gone!" Harry yells, "

"SIRIUS!" he bellows, "SIRIUS!"

"He can't come back, Harry," Lupin says his voice breaking as he struggles to contain Harry. "He can't come back, because he's d—"

"HE—IS—NOT—DEAD!" Harry roars, "SIRIUS!" I fall into Neville's chest. Not being able to watch the scene anymore. That was the man my brother gave his life to save, the man that gave Harry the sense of a family. That man was like a fun uncle, a father figure. Being joyful and understanding my talent and wish to help the order. That man deserved to grow old and be happy, to see his godson become a father, to see his godson succeed. I pull away from Neville start to limp down to Harry. Not really caring about the sharp pains in my legs. As I reach him and Lupin I automatically reach out for his hand.

"Harry,"I say as Nevile slides down to us.

"Harry?" Neville asks, "Harry... I'b really sorry..." said Neville. His legs were still dancing uncontrollably. "Was dat man—was Sirius Black a—a friend of yours?" Harry nods weakly and Lupin lets go. I wrap my arms around Harry as he sobs quietly into my shoulder.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," I say as I pat his back.

"Here," Lupin says quietly, "Finite. Let's—let's find the others. Where are they all, Neville?"

"Dey're all back dere," Neville says, "A brain addacked Ron bud I dink he's all righd—and Herbione's unconscious, bud we could feel a bulse—" Harry pulls back but remains holding on to my hand tightly trying to find comfort.

"Ron's fine I took care of the brain," I tell him, "but Ginny-" A loud bang echoes around the room and a yell of pain. Kingsley falls to the ground and Bellatrix starts to run. Dodging Dumbledore's spells. Harry pulls away from me.

"Harry—no!" Lupin cries.

"SHE KILLED SIRIUS!" Harry bellows. "SHE KILLED HIM—I'LL KILL HER!" And with that Harry ran off. I start to follow but Lupin holds me back.

"You won't make it," He says, "your legs will give out- You don't just walk away from being hit with crucio three times."

"Well seeing as it feels like I'm walking on needles I didn't think so," I sigh, "help me Neville?"

"We've got you," Lupin says helping Neville get me up the stairs and to the others. Other order members follow us. Once we reach the others Tonks helps Ginny, Neville takes Hermione again, and a weakened Kingsely helps the babbling Ron while carrying Luna. As Lupin helps me I smirk at Tonks looking back at him repeatedly.

"Nymphadora Tonks huh?" I ask him, "cute."

"This is hardly an appropriate conversation," Lupin chuckles and I smirk.

"You looove her," I say and he rolls his eyes.

"I think I'll trade Kingsley for the one who doesn't run her mouth," Lupin teases. I chuckle as we limp back.

"Nah cause you know Lupin I've always been your favorite," I say.

"Don't tell Harry but- you are," Lupin says. I could tell a huge part was still suffering from the blow of Sirius.

"Remus," I say softly, "everything will be okay. Sirius was a good man. But he loved you, in a mushy bro way, but regardless- I want you to know we are all here for you."

"I know," Lupin sighs, "just- do me a favor... Please?"

"Alright," I say to him.

"Promise me you'll keep Harry alive," Lupin says, "you'll keep yourself alive, and him alive. Please?"

"I mean of course," I say to him, "but I made that promise-"

"As a job. This is as his friend. One of his best friends- please?" Lupin asks.

"I promise Remus."