𝗟𝗢𝗡𝗗𝗢𝗡 𝗕𝗢𝗬

ACT TWO, CHAPTER FOURTEEN
the battle of the department of
mysteries.

BEING SURROUNDED BY Death Eaters was one thing. Seeing Penelope Lestrange, the normally composed Slytherin, completely and utterly break down after seeing her crazed mother and father she so desperately wanted to detach from was another.

See, Venus and Penelope weren't close. They were friendly, but they weren't best friends. But still — it was heart-wrenching to see her look so terrified. Venus snuck a look at Ron. He looked worried, as expected. Harry then took Penelope's arm and brought her back into the group.

"To me, Potter," the same drawling voice repeated, and a man with long platinum blonde hair held out his hand. "To me."

Charlotte discreetly nudged Venus. "Lucius Malfoy. Draco's dad."

Venus resisted the urge to let out a sigh. Of course.

"Where's Sirius?" Harry asked, his voice slightly panicked.

"The Dark Lord always knows!" Bellatrix Lestrange said triumphantly while a couple other of the Death Eaters laughed.

"Always," Malfoy voiced softly. "Now, give me the Prophecy, Potter."

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

"I want to know where Sirius is!" Bellatrix mocked.

Her and her fellow Death Eaters closed in around the group. The light from their wands caused blinding spots in Venus' eyes. She clenched her wand a little tighter and moved closer to Harry.

"You've got him," Harry insisted — but Venus knew it was just sheer panic at this point. "He's here. I know he is."

"The little baby woke up fwightened and fort what it dweamed was twoo," Bellatrix stated in a very horrible mock-baby voice.

Harry stopped Penelope as she went to go approach her mother. "Don't do anything. Not yet—"

Bellatrix let out a raucous scream of laughter. "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," Malfoy explained quietly. "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 told him. "I know you've got him!"

More laughter from the Death Eaters, Bellatrix still being the loudest of them all.

"It's time you learned the difference between life and dreams, Potter," Malfoy stated. "Now give me the Prophecy, or we start using wands."

"Go on, then," Harry urged, raising his wand to chest height.

Venus thought that was kind of hot, but she decided now was not the time to focus on that. She raised her wand, along with Hermione, Ron, Charlotte, Elijah, Penelope, Neville, and Luna. None of the Death Eaters struck.

"Hand over the Prophecy and no one need get hurt," Malfoy announced.

Harry laughed. "Yeah, right! I give you this — Prophecy, is it? And you'll just let us skip off home, will you?"

"Accio Proph—" Bellatrix began.

However, before she could finish the spell, Penelope blocked it with a shield charm. The glass sphere slipped to the tips of Harry's fingers, but he managed to cling onto it.

Bellatrix stared at her daughter with mad eyes. "Oh, she knows how to play, little bitty baby Penelope. Very well, then—"

"I TOLD YOU, NO!" Malfoy shouted. "If you smash it—!"

Venus' mind spun. The Death Eaters wanted this sphere, and they called it the Prophecy . . . what did it mean?

Bellatrix stepped forwards, her face alive with a feverish, fanatical glow and her chest rising and falling rapidly in anticipation. "Very well — take the smallest one," she ordered to the Death Eaters next to her. "Let him watch while we torture the little girl. I'll do it."

All of them closed around Ginny. Harry even stepped in front of her fully, the glass sphere raised to his chest.

"You'll have to smash this if you want to attack any of us," Harry threatened. "I don't think your boss will be too pleased if you come bac kwithout it, will he?"

Bellatrix did not move. She merely stared at him, the tip of her tongue moistening her thin mouth.

"So, what kind of Prophecy are we talking about anyway?"

Bellatrix's grin faded from her face. "What kind of Prophecy? You jest, Harry Potter."

"Nope, not jesting," Harry replied. "How come Voldemort wants it?"

Several of the Death Eaters let out low hisses. Venus resisted the urge to roll her eyes. This was literally a cult.

"You dare speak his name?" Bellatrix whispered.

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

"Shut your mouth! 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 continued, and Venus shifted uncomfortably — her boyfriend was just a little too reckless sometimes. "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 expelled from the end of Bellatrix Lestrange's wand, but Malfoy deflected it. His spell caused hers to hit the shelf a foot to the left of Harry and Venus, causing several of the glass orbs there to shatter. Two figures, pearly white as ghosts and fluid as smoke, unfurled themselves from the broken glass upon the floor and began to speak. The voices vied with each other and only fragments of what they were saying could be heard over Malfoy and Bellatrix's shouts.

". . . at the Solstice will come a new . . ." the figure of an old, bearded man recited.

"DO NOT ATTACK!" Lucius ordered angrily. "WE NEED THE PROPHECY!"

"He dared — he dares—" Bellatrix shrieked incoherently. "— He stands there — filthy Half-Blood—"

"WAIT UNTIL WE'VE GOT THE PROPHECY!"

". . . and none will come after . . ." the figure of a young woman was saying.

The two figures that had come from the shattered spheres melted into thin air. Nothing of them remained of them besides the fragments of glass upon the floor where they once resided.

"You haven't told me what's so special about this Prophecy I'm supposed to be handing over," Harry revealed.

"Do not play games with us, Potter," Malfoy threatened.

"I'm not playing games."

Suddenly, Venus felt a foot press down upon her toes. She took a sharp intake of breath at the sudden pain and looked down to see that it was Harry who had done it. Her eyebrows knit in confusion but then she looked up — his gaze was still ahead, but Venus knew him well enough to see that this was just a stall.

"Please tell me you've got a plan," Venus begged quietly.

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

"I — what?" Harry questioned. "What about my scar?"

"Harry," Venus whispered urgently. "If you want to tell me something, you gotta do it fast."

"Can this be?" Malfoy inquired, his voice laced with malicious delight.

"Smash shelves—" Harry hissed very quietly to Venus over the laughter of the Death Eaters.

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

"—when I say go, darling—"

"—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?"

Venus nudged Charlotte's side with her elbow, keeping her gaze straight ahead. "Smash the shelves when Harry says go. Tell the others."

"So he wanted me to come and get it, did he?" Harry asked, continuing to buy time as Charlotte passed on the message. "Why?"

"Why?" Malfoy repeated, still sounding 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?"

Harry continued to stare at Malfoy, his fingers tightening over the glass sphere in his hand. "Someone made a Prophecy about Voldemort and me? And he's made me come and get it for him? Why couldn't he come and get it himself?"

"Get it himself?" Bellatrix echoed, laughing manically. "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? Like he tried to get Sturgis to steal it — and Bode?"

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

"NOW!" Harry shouted.

"REDUCTO!" all ten of them shouted.

All ten curses flew in ten different directions and the shelves opposite of them exploded as they hit. The towering structure of shelves swayed as a hundred glass spheres burst apart, pearly-white figures unfurling into the air and floating there, their voices echoing with the sound of breaking glass and splintering wood.

"RUN!" Harry yelled.

Venus did as she was told. In her mind, she wanted to grab Harry's hand, but the broken wood and glass was making it hard to see. She felt someone grab her free hand comfortingly and pull her along. Venus looked over and saw a glimpse of blonde hair, along with another blonde, two redheads, and a head of black hair. It was Elijah, Luna, Ginny, and Ron . . . but where were the others?

"Penelope!" Ron screamed.

"Harry!" Venus called desperately as well.

Venus looked back. Four Death Eaters were following after them. No sign of Harry, Charlotte, Hermione, Penelope, and Neville. Well, this wasn't good.

"In here!" Elijah ordered.

The five of them burst through a door they found. However, once they stepped in, they immediately began to float. Venus blinked in surprise and looked around. They were in a dark room, but as they continued to float, they passed large spheres made of rock.

"Are those . . . the planets?" Ginny questioned.

"I think so," Venus answered as they literally passed by Venus. "Guys, we have to—"

"There they are!"

She whirled around — slowly, she may add — to see the four Death Eaters fighting their way through the slowness of the room towards them. Her eyes widened and she turned back around, also starting to fight her way through the slowness.

"There has to be an exit at Pluto!" Elijah insisted. "Just make it to the end of the Solar System!"

That was easier said than done. Most of the time, they just started to float away. The Death Eaters kept firing spells at them, but they were also the same speed as what they were moving at.

"Guys, Ron's hit!" Ginny then announced. "Oh Merlin, he's bleeding on me from his mouth — Ron, why are you laughing?"

"I see Pluto ahead," Luna voiced, grabbing Ron's arm to pull him along.

She was right. The small figure of Pluto was straight ahead, and in some sort of miracle, a door was visible right behind it.

Venus turned around towards the Death Eaters. She fired Reductor Curses at the planets they passed, causing pieces of rock to hit them. Three of the four Death Eaters were knocked out and started to float away while the last Death Eater continued to chase them.

He was gaining on them. Venus then heard Ginny shriek, followed by a loud crack. Luna then used a Reductor Curse as well and blew up Pluto in his face. She swung open the door, and the five of them tumbled out of it back into the circular room.

A voice saying Ron's name was heard. Venus looked up, breathing heavily, to see Penelope sprinting over to Ron. With her was Harry, Charlotte, and Neville carrying an unconscious Hermione. Venus let out a breath of relief as Harry approached her. He instantly wrapped her in his arms, pulling her close and hugging her tight.

"I'm all right," she reassured him, kissing the side of his head gently.

She pulled away and looked back at the group. It was the first proper look at Ron and Ginny after the planet room. Ron's face was very white and dark blood was trickling from the corner of his mouth. Penelope was attempting to hold him up as he rested all his weight against her. Ginny was sitting on the ground, panting and holding her ankle.

Luna bent over Ginny. "I think her ankle's broken, I heard something crack. 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 told him. A bubble of blood grew at the corner of his mouth and burst. "Get it, Harry? We saw Uranus — ha ha ha—"

Venus kept her laugh to herself as Penelope told Ron to not finish that sentence.

"Anyway, one of them grabbed Ginny's foot, I used the Reductor Curse and blew up Pluto in his face, but . . ." Luna trailed off, gesturing to Ginny, who was breathing in a very shallow way with her eyes squeezed shut.

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

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

Ron pulled his girlfriend closer to him. "You know who this girl is, Harry? She's Loony . . . Loony Lovegood . . . ha ha ha . . ." Penelope then helped him up off the floor.

"We've got to get out of here," Harry stated, grabbing onto Venus' hand tightly. "Luna, can you help Ginny?"

Luna stuck her wand behind her ear and put an arm around Ginny's waist to pull her up. "Yes."

"It's only my ankle, I can do it myself!" Ginny protested.

However, the next moment she collapsed sideways and grabbed onto Luna for support. Their group started to migrate over towards one of the doors. They were within a few feet of it when another door across the hall burst open and three Death Eaters ran into the hall, led by Bellatrix Lestrange.

"There they are!" Bellatrix yelled.

Stunning Spells shot at them from across the room. They all clambered into the room, and Penelope closed the door in Bellatrix's face just in time. She used the Locking Spell, and three bodies slammed into the door onto the other side.

"It doesn't matter!" a man's voice shouted. "There are other ways in — WE'VE GOT THEM, THEY'RE HERE!"

Venus looked around. They were back in the Brain Room, where sure enough, there were doors all around the walls. More footsteps were heard in the hall behind them as more Death Eaters came running to join the fight.

"Star — Luna — Neville — Penelope — Charlie — Eli — help me!" Harry pleaded.

Venus took off. The seven of them tore around the room, sealing as many doors as they could. There were footsteps running along behind the doors, and every now and then another heavy body would launch itself against one.

"Collo — aaaaaaaaargh . . ." Luna cried.

Venus quickly turned around just in time to see Luna flying through the air. Five Death Eaters were surging into the room through the door she hadn't reached in time. Luna hit a desk, slid over its surface, and landed on the floor on the other side.

"Get Potter!" Bellatrix ordered, running right at him.

Harry dodged her and sprinted back up the room. Venus clutched her wand a little tighter as she watched him.

"Hey!" Ron then exclaimed, who had staggered to his feet and was now tottering drunkenly towards Harry and Penelope, still giggling. "Hey, Harry, there are brains in here, ha ha ha, isn't that weird, Harry?"

"Ron, get out of the way, get down—" Harry started to tell him.

He pointed his wand at the tank. "Honest, Harry, they're brains — look — Accio Brain!" Everyone froze, and it was like slow motion as literally everyone watched a brain burst from the green liquid. It seemed to suspend in midair for a moment, but then it soared towards Ron, spinning as it came with ribbons of moving images unraveling from it. "Ha ha ha, Harry, Penelope, look at it—" Ron watched as it disgorged its gaudy insides. "Harry, come and touch it, bet it's weird—"

Penelope then screamed for him to stop. None of them knew what would happen if Ron touched the brain, but it probably wasn't good. Ron, however, had already caught the brain in his outstretched hands. The moment it touched its skin, the tentacles began to wrap themselves around Ron's arms like ropes.

Ron looked fascinated for a moment, but then he started to panic. "Penelope, Harry, look what's happen — no — no, I don't like it — no, stop — stop—"

The thin ribbons were now spinning around Ron's chest. He tried to rip them apart as the brain was pulled tight against him.

"Harry, it'll suffocate him!" Ginny screamed.

She was immobilized by her broken ankle on the floor. A jet of red light then flew from one of the Death Eater's wands and hit her squarely in the face. She fell over sideways and laid there unconscious.

Venus' eyes then widened upon seeing two jets of red light make their way to Charlotte and Elijah. Without a second thought or doubt in her mind, she sprinted over there as fast as she could. Just as the spells were about to hit them, she jumped in the air in a horizontal way, shielding them both with her body. The two Stunning Spells hit her in her chest and her legs.

And with an agonizing scream from her boyfriend, Venus' head hit the concrete, and her vision went black.

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update 1/4 of my four days of updates for my four books!!! next update tomorrow will be favorite crime (my ron weasley book <3)

also one chapter left :(