𝗕𝗥𝗨𝗧𝗔𝗟

ACT TWO, CHAPTER NINE
like mother, like daughter.

MAYBE PENELOPE LESTRANGE wasn't as close to Sirius Black like Harry Potter was, but the way her heart shattered into a million pieces when he went through that veil told her that she at least cared for the guy.

She watched in sadness as Lupin held Harry back. Harry was screaming, yelling, not wanting to believe for a second that Sirius was gone. Penelope clutched Nymphadora's wrist a little tighter. Sirius was one of the last people Harry had left, and Penelope knew that. Now, he was truly . . . alone. But Penelope wouldn't allow herself or any of their friends to let him feel that way. She had told Bellatrix back in the Brain Room that she didn't believe family was merely blood. In him, in Grimmauld Place, in the D.A., in Ron, Penelope had found a new family. Harry was a part of hers now. She was determined to make sure that he never forgot that.

Dumbledore had immobilized most of the remaining Death Eaters in the middle of the room. Moody was crawling his way across the room towards Nymphadora and Penelope, obviously wanting to try and revive Nymphadora. There were still flashes of light, grunts, and cries from behind the dais, for Kingsley had run forwards to continue Sirius' duel with Bellatrix.

Suddenly, there was a loud bang and a yell from behind the dais. Penelope's head snapped upwards to see Kingsley hit the ground while crying out in pain. Her eyes narrowed s she watched her mother completely run away. There was no way Penelope was going to let her mother get away like that so easily.

"I'll be back," Penelope whispered quickly to her cousin, although she knew Nymphadora couldn't hear her.

As Dumbledore whipped around and tried to send a spell to Bellatrix, Penelope stood up from her place on one of the stone steps and just booked it. Her hair billowed behind her, and she knew that it was getting unruly — just like Bellatrix's, which just made her even angrier. She didn't want to look like, and she didn't want to be associated with her mother anymore.

"Penelope!" she heard Lupin protest from behind her.

She ignored that and followed after her mother up the stone steps. Harry was yelling something about killing Bellatrix because she killed Sirius, but Penelope ignored that as well. She saw the end of her mother's robes whip out of sight into the Brain Room. Penelope picked up her pace and followed, her wand extended high in front of her.

Bellatrix aimed a curse at Penelope from over her shoulder — a red jet of light that could've been a Stunning Spell or maybe the Cruciatus Curse, Penelope didn't know. Nevertheless, Penelope quickly defected it with a Shield Charm and continued on running. She leaped over a still very unconscious Venus, who was being held by Charlotte for safety. Hermione was still unconscious as well. Ginny, who was holding groaning Elijah, tried to say her name, but Penelope ignored it. Luna was groaning on the floor, seemingly stirring. And the one that broke her heart the most to leave behind — Ron, still giggling. At least he had gotten the brain off of him. As long as he wasn't being suffocated, he would be all right.

Penelope kicked open the door that led back into the circular black hall. Bellatrix disappeared through a door on the other side of the room, and beyond her was the corridor leading back to the lifts. Penelope sprinted fast across the hall, but Bellatrix had slammed the door behind her. As the walls were spinning again, Penelope felt another body collide with hers. She grunted and stumbled a bit before seeing it was Harry — even through the darkness.

"Where's the exit?" Harry shouted desperately once the room stopped spinning. "Where's the way out?"

It seemed like the room was waiting for him to ask. The door right behind the two of them flew open, revealing the corridor towards the lifts stretching ahead of them, lit by torches and completely empty. Penelope was the first one to take off. She could feel Harry hot on her heels as they ran down the hallway, their footsteps echoing. There was a lift clattering ahead of them. Penelope swung around the corner and pressed the button to call a second left. It clattered lower and lower until the grilles finally slid open. Penelope scrambled inside, along with Harry, who hammered the button that would lead to the Atrium.

"Harry, you shouldn't . . ." Penelope trailed off, slightly out of breath. "She's going to kill you."

He shook his head. "She's going to kill you if you go alone."

"And that's a risk I'm willing to take. Don't you understand? My mother, my fault. She hurt somebody else again. This fight is between me and my mother for hurting you."

Harry didn't get a chance to say anything otherwise as the lift came to a stop. She wouldn't have listened anyways. Penelope pushed Harry behind her back with her teeth gritted and her wand raised. She glanced around the giant room.

"Where are you?" Penelope demanded. She then noticed Bellatrix running straight at the telephone lift at the other end of the hall. "Don't you dare run away, you coward! Stupefy!"

Bellatrix deflected the curse with ease before letting out a manic cackle. "Come to avenge dear Sirius, have you, little Penelope?"

"I came to avenge him for Harry's sake," Penelope replied, her wand hand slightly trembling as she watched her mother move closer and closer. She kept a firm grip on Harry behind her back. "After what you've done, after everything you've done, you do not just get to walk away."

"Tell me, dear daughter. What exactly have I done?"

"You killed Sirius," Penelope breathed out, her voice shaking. "You killed him like he meant nothing, you bitch! Don't you understand what you've done?"

"I understand exactly what I've done," Bellatrix responded, her eyes wide in psychotic excitement. "Fifteen years without killing and torturing . . ."

"You're sick." Penelope shook her head. "You're absolutely sick. It's a disgrace to be related to you."

Bellatrix didn't respond to that. Just staring at her mother, right in her face that reflected her own, Penelope felt a deep hatred burn from her heart that ignited the fire in her eyes. Her eyes narrowed — even through the tears that were still pooled inside them — and her wand lowered to Bellatrix's chest. She wasn't really thinking straight, but it didn't matter. Penelope wanted Bellatrix to feel all the pain she was feeling right now.

Penelope, with nothing but anger surging through her veins, uttered the spell. "Crucio."

The red jet of light hit Bellatrix. Her mother screamed and fell on her back, withering in pain — just like Penelope had a little while ago. Penelope gritted her teeth and tears streamed down her face as she watched Bellatrix be pained by the curse. Deep down, Penelope felt a sense of satisfaction. She deserved it, after everything she'd done . . .

"Penelope," Harry's voice suddenly stated from behind her. "Penelope, stop. This isn't you. Let her go."

She let out a sob. "Not after what she did to you. Not after what she did to me. Not after what she did to anyone."

"You're right, she's a horrible person, but you aren't," Harry said. "Don't use an Unforgiveable Curse on my behalf. You always say you don't want to end up like Bellatrix." He placed a hand on her wrist, making her let out a deep, shuddering breath. "You're not her. You will never be her. Don't let this make you exactly that."

Harry's words seemed to register in her head. Her breath hitched in her throat — Merlin, had she really just done that? Penelope quickly lowered her wand and stumbled backwards. Harry gathered her in his arms before pulling them behind the fountain. She didn't dare look at him. He probably thought she was a monster now. Penelope couldn't blame him if he did.

Bellatrix let out another cackle of mad laughter. "There you go, little Penelope! You've learned that you have to mean those Curses! Like mother, like daughter."

"Don't listen to her," Harry told Penelope quietly, noticing the way her chest was heaving up and down.

"Potter, I am going to give you one chance! Give me the Prophecy — roll it out toward me now — and I may spare your life!"

"Well, you're going to have to kill me, because it's gone!" Harry roared. Penelope looked over at him concern as he squeezed his eyes shut in his pain. "And he knows!" He then gave out a mad laugh, one that could've competed with Bellatrix's — and it chilled Penelope right down to her bones. "Your dear old mate Voldemort knows it's gone! He's not going to be happy with you, is he?"

"What?" Bellatrix cried, fear in her voice for the first time, which ended up sending another sense of satisfaction through Penelope. "What do you mean?"

"The Prophecy smashed when I was trying to get Neville up the steps! What do you think Voldemort'll say about that, then?"

"LIAR! YOU'VE GOT IT, POTTER, AND YOU WILL GIVE IT TO ME — Accio Prophecy! ACCIO PROPHECY!"

Harry laughed again, waving his empty hand from behind the statue, only withdrawing it quickly as Bellatrix sent another jet of green light at him and Penelope. "Nothing there! Nothing to summon! It smashed and nobody heard what it said, tell your boss that—"

"No!" Bellatrix yelled. "It isn't true, you're lying — MASTER, I TRIED, I TRIED — DO NOT PUNISH ME—"

Penelope froze for a moment. Why was she calling out for Voldemort? He wasn't here . . . unless . . .

"Don't waste your breath!" Harry shouted, his eyes screwed up tight in pain. "He can't hear you from here!"

Penelope's eyes widened. "Harry—"

"Can't I, Potter?" a high, cold voice then said.

There it was. Penelope swore everything in her body stop — it was just like when she had saw her mother for the first time. Her heart stopped, her muscles froze, and her mind went blank. Because standing in the middle of the hall with his wand pointed at Harry and Penelope was Lord Voldemort himself. He was even worse than Penelope thought he would be. Voldemort was tall, thin, and wore a long black cloak with a hood. His terrible snake-like face was white and gaunt and he stared at them through his scarlet, slit-pupiled eyes.

"Is . . . is that—" Penelope began, her voice full of fear.

"Voldemort," Harry confirmed. He reached over and took her hand — not in a romantic way, no, Ron and Venus, duh — in a comforting manner once he noticed her start to panic. "No, Penelope, it's okay, I'm here—"

"So you smashed my Prophecy?" Voldemort continued softly. "No, Bella, he is not lying . . . I see the truth looking at me from within his worthless mind . . . months of preparation, months of effort . . . and my Death Eaters have let Harry Potter thwart me again . . ."

"Master, I am sorry, I knew not, I was fighting the Animagus Black!" Bellatrix insisted, sobbing wildly as she flung herself down at Voldemort's feet, who was slowly approaching Harry and Penelope. Penelope honestly found it kind of pathetic how much her mother was pretty much obsessed with Voldemort. "Master, you should know—"

"Be quiet, Bella," Voldemort ordered dangerously. "I shall deal with you in a moment. Do you think I have entered the Ministry of Magic to hear your sniveling apologies?" His red eyes then traveled over to Penelope, who suddenly wished Ron was here to hold her. "And this is your daughter, correct? Fighting on the side of Harry Potter . . ."

"Yes Master, but Master — he is here — he is below—"

Voldemort obviously didn't give a fuck about Bellatrix's words. "I have nothing more to say to you, Potter. You have irked me too often, for too long. AVADA KEDAVRA!"

Penelope barely had time to react. All she felt was Harry instantly push her behind his back as the jet of green light expelled from Voldemort's wand. However, it seemed like he didn't need to do that at all. The golden statue of the wizard in the fountain suddenly sprung alive and landed on the floor with a crash between Voldemort and Harry and Penelope. Voldemort's Killing Curse merely glanced off its chest as the statue flung out its arms and protected them.

"What—" Voldemort stuttered. He stared around for a moment. "Dumbledore!"

Penelope's head whipped around, her heart beating erratically against as her and Harry's grips on each other tightened. Sure enough, there was Dumbledore, standing in front of the golden gates of the lifts.

Voldemort raised his wand at Dumbledore and sent another jet of green light. Dumbledore merely turned, and with a whirl of his cloak, he was gone. He reappeared behind Voldemort the next second and waved his wand towards the other figures of the fountain. All of the other statues sprang to life and began to spread out among the corridor. The statue of the witch ran straight at Bellatrix. Penelope's mother screamed and sent spells to try and stop it, but her fight was futile. The witch dived at Bellatrix and pinned her to the floor. Meanwhile, the Goblin and the House-Elf went to go block the fireplaces set along the wall. The Centaur galloped towards Voldemort, who vanished and reappeared beside the pool. Harry and Penelope were forced backwards, away from the fight by the wizard.

Dumbledore advanced on Voldemort, the golden Centaur trotting around them both. "It was foolish to come here tonight, Tom. The Aurors are on their way—"

"By which time I shall be gone, and you dead!" Voldemort countered.

He sent another Killing Curse at Dumbledore. However, this time he missed and instead hit the the security guard's desk, sending it into flames. Dumbledore flicked his own wand. The force of the spell that rolled off of it was so powerful that goosebumps arose on Penelope's skin. Voldemort then conjured a shining silver shield out of thin air to deflect it. Whatever the spell was caused no visible damage to the shield, but an oddly chilling sound like one a gong would make reverberated from it.

"You do not seek to kill me, Dumbledore?" Voldemort called, his scarlet eyes narrowed over the top of his shield. "Above such brutality, are you?"

"We both know that there are other ways of destroying a man, Tom," Dumbledore replied calmly, continuing to walk towards Voldemort like he wasn't afraid of anything. "Merely taking your life would not satisfy me, I admit—"

"There is nothing worse than death, Dumbledore!"

"You are quite wrong." Dumbledore continued to close in on Voldemort while speaking lightly. Penelope felt Harry grip onto her a little tighter, obviously fearing that Dumbledore was walking along undefended. Every time Harry tried to get out from behind the statue, the wizard statue would just push them back onto the wall. "Indeed, your failure to understand that there are things much worse than death has always been your greatest weakness—"

Voldemort sent another jet of green light from behind his silver shield. The Centaur was the one to block it this time. It galloped in front of Dumbledore and shattered into a hundred pieces after taking the blast. Before the fragments had even hit the floor, Dumbledore drew back his wand and waved it like he was brandishing a whip. A long, thin flame flew from the tip and wrapped itself around Voldemort, shield and all. Suddenly, the fiery rope became a serpent, now under Voldemort's control. It let go of its hold on Voldemort and turned to face Dumbledore while hissing furiously. Voldemort vanished, and the snake feared from the floor, ready to strike.

Penelope held onto her crown necklace like it was her lifeline as she then watched a flame burst in midair above Dumbledore. Voldemort reappeared, standing on the platform in the middle of the pool where the five statues normally stood.

"Look out!" Harry shouted.

As he yelled, one more jet of green light had flown from Dumbledore and the snake had struck. Fawkes the Phoenix then swooped down in front of Dumbledore, opened his beak wide, and swallowed the Killing Curse whole. Penelope gasped as he burst into flame and fell to the floor, now small, wrinkled, and flightless. At the very same moment, Dumbledore waved his wand in one, long, fluid movement. The snake, which had mere inches from sinking its fangs into him, flew high into the air and vanished in a wisp of dark smoke. All the water in the pool rose up and covered Voldemort in a sort of coccoon.

For a few moments, Voldemort was only visible as a dark, rippling, faceless figure. He was shimmering and indistinct upon the platform in the pool, clearly struggling to throw off the suffocating water. And then he was gone — the water all fell with a crash back into the pool, slopping wildly over the sides and drenching the polished floor.

"MASTER!" Bellatrix screamed.

Penelope probably would've rolled her eyes at that, but right now, she was too scared to move. Harry, however, wasn't feeling the same as her. He went to run out behind the statue guard.

"Stay where you are, Harry!" Dumbledore ordered.

For the first time, Dumbledore sounded frightened. It seemed to be over . . . the hall was empty except for Penelope, Harry, Dumbledore, a sobbing Bellatrix still trapped under statue, and a tiny baby Fawkes croaking feebly on the floor.

But things were never that easy, were they? Because Harry let go of Penelope and fell to his knees, looking like he was in agony. His glasses fell onto the floor and shattered. The statue didn't even try to stop him from falling. Penelope's eyes widened and she struggled against the statue, trying to reach him. As he fell onto his back, she noticed that his once emerald eyes were now terribly red, just like Voldemort's. He began to convulse and writher in pain on the ground.

"Kill me now, Dumbledore . . ." Harry spoke, his voice not his at all.

Penelope let out a sob, tears falling down her face as she pleaded. "Harry, no—"

"If death is nothing, Dumbledore, kill the boy . . ."

Harry suddenly went limp. Penelope fought against her statue, letting out sob after sob. She didn't even notice Voldemort Apparate and Disapparate with Bellatrix. Suddenly, Harry opened his eyes, now back to green instead of red. He shivered, yet his entire body kept trembling. The statue finally allowed her to get out and she fell to her knees beside him. Harry blinked a couple of times before putting on his cracked glasses. Sounds of footsteps and voiced echoed through the hall, but Penelope paid them no attention.

"Are you all right, Harry?" Dumbledore questioned.

"Yes," Harry answered, shaking very violently. "Yeah, I'm — where's Voldemort, where — who are all these — what's—" His eyes then set on Penelope. "Pen?"

Penelope felt a tear slip down her cheek and she nodded. "Yeah, it's me. It's the Ministry of Magic—"

He glanced around. "Venus—"

"She's downstairs," Penelope reassured him. "Back in the Brain Room, remember? They'll find her. They'll find Ron, they'll find everyone. They're okay. You're okay."

That was such a lie. It was obvious that Harry was far from being okay right now, and frankly, so was she. Penelope took Harry's hands in her and helped him stand up, keeping a tight hold on him for both comfort and so that he wouldn't fall over. She glanced around at the Atrium, which was full of people. Emerald green flames burst into life in all the fireplaces along one wall, a stream of witches and wizards emerging from them. The tiny gold statues of the House-Elf and the Goblin were leading a stunned-looking Cornelius Fudge forwards.

"He was there!" a scarlet-robed man with a ponytail announced, pointing at a pile of golden rubble on the other side of the hall where Bellatrix had lain trapped moments before. "I saw him, Mr. Fudge, I swear, it was You-Know-Who, he grabbed a woman and Disapparated!"

"I know, Williamson, I know, I saw him too!" Fudge responded. He looked utterly flabbergasted, gasping in his pinstriped cloak and pajamas. "Merlin's beard — here — here! — in the Ministry of Magic! — great heavens above — it doesn't seem possible — my word — how can this be?"

Dumbledore walked forwards, clearly announcing his presence — some raised their wands, others looked amazed, the statues of the Elf and Goblin applauded, and Fudge literally jumped. "If you proceed downstairs into the Department of Mysteries, Cornelius, you will find several escaped Death Eaters contained in the Death Chamber, bound by an Anti-Disapparation Jinx and awaiting your decision as to what to do with them."

"Dumbledore!" Fudge gasped, obviously amazed. "You — here — I — I—" He looked wildly around at the Aurors he had brought with him. "Seize him!"

"Cornelius, I am ready to fight your men — and win again! But a few minutes ago you saw proof, with your own eyes, that I have been telling you the truth for a year. Lord Voldemort has returned, you have been chasing the wrong men for twelve months, and it is time you listened to sense!"

"I — don't — well—" Fudge stammered. He looked around like he hoped somebody would tell him what to do, but nobody came to his rescue. "Very well — Dawlish! Williamson! Go down to the Department of Mysteries and see . . . Dumbledore, you — you will need to tell me exactly — the Fountain of Magical Brethren — what happened?" he added in a sort of whimper, staring at the floor where the remains of the witch, wizard, and Centaur statues now lay scattered.

"We can discuss that after I have sent Harry back to Hogwarts," Dumbledore responded.

"Harry — Harry Potter?" Fudge spun around and stared at Harry, his eyes slightly flickering over to Penelope, who were both still standing against the wall beside the fallen statue that was guarding them. "He-Here? Why — what's all this about?"

"I shall explain everything when Harry is back at school." Dumbledore walked over to the golden wizard's head that was laying on the floor and pointed his wand at it. "Portus." The head glowed blue and trembled noisily against the wooden floor for a few seconds before becoming still once more.

"Now see here, Dumbledore!" Fudge exclaimed as Dumbledore picked up the head and walked back to Harry and Penelope. "You haven't got authorization for that Portkey! You can't do things like that right in front of the Minister of Magic, you — you—"

Dumbledore looked at Fudge, silencing him with a look. "You will give the order to remove Dolores Umbridge from Hogwarts. You will tell your Aurors to stop searching for my Care of Magical Creatures teacher so that he can return to work. I will give you . . ." He pulled out a watch with twelve hands from his pocket and glanced at it. "Half an hour of my time tonight, in which I think we shall be more than able to cover the important points of what has happened here. After that, I shall need to return to my school. If you need more help from me you are, of course, more than welcome to contact me at Hogwarts. Letters addressed to the headmaster will find me."

Fudge gaped at him, his mouth wide open and his face turning pink. "I — you—"

Dumbledore turned his back on him. "Take this Portkey, Harry, Miss Lestrange."

Penelope shook her head adamantly, slightly wincing at the mention of her last name. "No, Dora, and Ron . . . I can't leave them right now, Professor." Her eyes were practically begging him at this point. "Please."

"Very well." Dumbledore held out the golden head to Harry, who placed his hand on it. "I shall see you in half an hour. One. . . two . . . three . . ."

Harry disappeared. Penelope wrapped her arms around herself in effort to stop trembling, but it was no use. Her mind was spinning with all of the events that had happened that night and they wouldn't stop. And as she stood there, surrounded by Ministry employees, Penelope Lestrange swore she had never felt more alone.

☆ 彡

. . . penelope 😳

also one chapter left what the fuck