More Wondrous But Less Terrible
Disclaimer: I do not own the Potterverse!
Author's Note: Many thanks to my beta reader and everyone who commented and/or reviewed!
Edited on 10/22/2016.
Chapter 1
They were fleeing outright now. They had been tricked into a trap deep inside the Ministry and at first they had thought they could fight it out. Surely, each of them had thought, we are all the equal of a few death eaters? Ginny had been sure she could take at least two but if you dropped one with a stunner another just woke him up and if you shielded from one you couldn't attack and the others ganged up on you until your shield broke and you had to start dodging. Finally she stopped worrying about breaking rare and expensive Ministry equipment and blew up shelves of prophecies in order to give cover so they could run. After hearing them shout Unforgivables with such glee she also stopped worrying about any damage she might be doing to them and just started blowing everything in their way to powder. Harry was the only one to follow her down this corridor and she really hoped Ron and the rest got away but she'd heard the prophecy, Harry's prophecy after it broke and she knew that she had to get Harry out of this trap at all costs. Not that she wouldn't be trying to save him anyway but if he was the hope of the world then even saving her brother had to take a backseat to saving Harry. Without him her whole family might be dead soon and Ron could take of himself, at least she hoped he could
Harry was using a strange silvery shield he'd found in the library at Grimmauld place. He'd planned to teach it to the DA but seeing how some of them struggled with the much simpler Protego made him concentrate on simpler spells. He was glad he'd taught Hermione at least as he had gotten separated from the rest. He could believe they were unharmed as long as Hermione was with them. She was so brilliant it was a little scary and she'd defend them all. Harry was actually wishing she was here with him now. If she was here he was sure she'd come up with a better plan than run for it. Still it seemed to be working. His shield was keeping them safe and the reflected curses were inuring their enemies. None of the death eaters following them had tried the killing curse once they saw how spells were being reflected. They didn't want to take any chances on it being reflected as well and Harry was glad as he thought it would get through.
Ginny winced as her reducto smashed a case full of time turners, it had been dead smack in the way so she turned it to dust and scattered splinters but still she winced hoping those weren't all of them. If she was billed for everything she broke on this mad run for freedom she'd need 1,000 years to work off the debt. Harry was mostly running backwards and if he fell the shield would fall and the enemy would kill them both before he could recover. She couldn't even name the shield he was using much less cast it so she concentrated and eliminating obstacles from their path with single minded determination. Great big, floating, brains with tentacles? Smash! Planet whizzing around? Smash! She hoped that it was just a model and she hadn't damaged the real planet Pluto but as long as it got them to safety she'd live with it if she had. They were heading towards a closed door. She cast "Reducto!" in a clear soprano. Seeing no damage she followed that with "Diffindo!" then "Ruina!". When neither of those made a mark she got worried. "Harry the door at the end of this corridor isn't opening! I'll keep trying but if you can help without letting your shield lapse then please do."
Harry had heard what Ginny said and racked his brain for more spells she could try. He needed to keep his magic focused on the shield but he shouted a few suggestions, "Try 'scalpere' or 'putro'."
Ginny tried both then a few she'd picked up from when she watched Bill teaching them to Charlie. Neither man knew she'd been there or that she could pick up spells almost as quickly as Harry. She just hoped she remembered them right, "Lacerandum!" she shouted then "Aetatis!". The door was getting quite close now and still not a scratch. She knelt down to try picking the lock, a skill picked up from a different brother, but had no luck. She cast an entropy spell at the door with no effect then heard a woman's voice and turned to look.
Harry was holding the spell while Lucius and a stooge cast all sorts of spells at it. The other two had been left behind when reflected bone-breakers had hit them in the leg and head respectively. Harry had almost lost the shield along with his dinner when that last had happened. He told himself that if their own spell killed them then he was not responsible but deep down he didn't believe that. If it hadn't been that he was protecting Ginny he probably would have surrendered rather than risk seeing that happen again. However he couldn't let Ginny down, he had gotten her into this place and she was counting on him to get her out. So he would get her to safety no matter what he had to do. He was listening to her wrestling with the locked door and thinking that maybe he should go on the offensive. As he was thinking that he saw Bellatrix Lestrange, it could be no other, walk up behind them from a cross corridor.
"Lucius you ignorant fool!" she shouted. "You'll never get past that shield with the spells you are using." Bella's beautiful face twisted with hate and rage, "That's an old Black family spell! My blood traitor cousin must have taught him."
"Hello to you too Bella," he drawled. "what spells would you suggest then?" He scowled, "Or maybe you could cast it yourself rather than just standing there criticizing!"
"It requires something you don't have pretty boy," she sneered back. "Pure power!"
"Then by all means show us how it's done, but keep in mind that it has reflected everything we have sent his way and often with considerably more force," he replied and gestured to the burns and cuts he and the remaining death eater had suffered.
She snorted, "Watch then and see why our master favors me over you." She stood with her legs braced and her hands on her hips and called out, "Hey little lordling! Brace yourself for you now face a true Black and all your stolen bits of knowledge will avail you nothing against my might!" She cast a silent spell and what looked like a large stone wall flew down the corridor to slam into the silver shield. It shattered the shield and would have squashed Harry and Ginny into the door except that the door opened as soon as they both touched it. They went sent flying through the doorway and landed on the thickly padded floor.
Ginny had been expecting to be crushed, and instead not only were they alive but they were through the door and unharmed. She put her giddy feeling down to relief and sprang to her feet with her wand drawn to help Harry defend them both. She saw Lucius and Bella fall stunned as Hermione and Ron appeared behind them. Then she saw the third death eater, whose name she still didn't know, turn with his wand raised. He quickly discovered that Harry wasn't the only one able to conjure the silvery, reflective shield. His cry of "Osseus Frangere" was slower than her silent cast and his own spell hit him in the chest with lethal results.
"Harry, Ginny! Are you alright?" Hermione shouted while Ron looked around for more threats.
"Yeah, we're fine Hermione. I just wish I hadn't dragged you into this," Harry said. He didn't feel quite as bad as he thought he should though. He in fact felt almost good.
Ron dumped Bella on top of Lucius and levitated them both ahead of him as he followed Hermione towards the door. He felt something block him at first and was about to mention it when all of a sudden it eased and he entered the room with Hermione. He dumped the two sleepers in a corner and stunned them both again for good measure. "Hey did you see the writing over the door?"
"Yes," Hermione said, "But since there is nothing in here but Harry and Ginny I paid no attention to it."
"No, Ron I was too busy trying to open it. I didn't even know it had writing above it," Ginny said.
"I facing the other way mostly," Harry said. "What did the words say mate?"
Ron replied, "It said, 'More wondrous and more terrible than any other'. I'm glad that whatever they had in here is gone. I hope they killed it."
"Killed what?" Neville said as he came in another door with Luna's arm around his shoulders.
"Whatever used to be in this room," Ron said.
"Is anyone behind you?" Harry said. He was now holding Ginny's right hand in his left but he hadn't noticed this.
Ginny had noticed but she was happy about holding Harry's hand and she was left-handed so it didn't keep her from casting easily.
Luna shook her head, "Nobody is following us. Most fortunate because I hurt my ankle." She smiled at them, "Must have been a wrackspurt."
"We got all of ours but Bellatrix," Neville said. He snarled her name. "She ran away when she saw she was the last one standing on her side."
"Well we've got her here mate!" Ron said grinning. "Lying on top of dear old Lucius." He pointed them out, "Feel free to give her a kick or two about the head if you like."
"This means there are still four out there Ron!" Hermione said. "There were twelve originally and we've accounted for eight. Where are the other four?"
The students started looking warily at the two doors, wondering when an attack would come through. Harry blushed as he looked around, "What sort of room is this?" He pointed to what he considered a very naughty tapestry. "Hey Ron, do you see that?"
It was Hermione who answered though, "That's a depicting a page of the famous Indian book on love, the Kama Sutra. It's art, there is nothing wrong with it. Right Ginny?"
Ginny nodded with a wide grin, "I certainly see nothing wrong with it. Or the book either. Parvati has a copy and let me read it."
Harry blushed further as he made a connection, "T-that w-was the name of the book she was trying to get me read earlier this year. Now her comments make more sense. Merlin! I must have sounded like an idiot to her or worse a eunuch."
"That slag!" Ginny hissed.
Ron, who had been viewing the artwork quite closely, grinned, "I thought you said it was all perfectly normal Gin? If it's such a normal book why shouldn't she recommend it to someone?"
Ginny scowled at her brother and tightened her grip on Harry's hand, "It is perfectly natural Ron and she can show it to anyone she likes." Ginny paused to make sure of her words. She wanted to say 'but not my Harry' and knew she shouldn't. She continued, "But Harry made it pretty clear during the Yule Ball that he doesn't like her that way so she should stop trying to, um, to ...Hermione help me out here. What's the word I'm looking for?"
Hermione briefly considered saying 'trying to steal my Harry' but only briefly. She thought Ginny would be better for Harry than Parvati so she played it straight and said, "to ensnare Harry in one of her crazy romance schemes. She should save them for Dean and Seamus."
"Yes!" Ginny agreed loudly. "Thanks Hermione. You always have the right word."
Ron had gone back to looking at the tapestry and wishing it was one of the moving sort. So Harry looked around for Neville to find him helping Luna up onto a table. Harry walked over, absentmindedly pulling Ginny along by the hand and helped Neville to get Luna's left shoe and sock off.
"It looks sprained but not broken Luna," Harry said after examining it. He'd read all of Madame Pomfrey First aid manuals while recovering in the infirmary over the years and she had shown him a thing or two as well. She'd said that if he was going to have such bad luck then he should know a little first aid. "If I can remember the right spell I can conjure an ace bandage on it."
"I'll do it Harry," Ginny said. "I've done it several times before. Mum has insisted I learn all sorts of domestic magic whether I want to or not." She cast 'fascea talus' and Luna's ankle was wrapped in a neatly tied off bandage.
"Thank you Ginny," Luna said. "That's much better." She smiled, "And for the record I like that tapestry too. I think this room is devoted to love. There were a bunch of heart shaped lockets on the table before Neville swept them off and I'm sitting on a mosaic of Aphrodite rising from sea foam." She giggled as Neville stuttered an apology, "It's okay Neville! It's not uncomfortable at all. It fact it feels strangely warm."
Elsewhere in the Department of Mysteries Sirius Black had just finished off the last of four death eaters and turned to Remus Lupin, "It's just like old times."
"Not quite Sirius! Here comes Amelia Bones and two aurors. You better make yourself scarce or they'll arrest you and you still have that Kiss on sight order," while Remus was still talking Sirius was already running.
Order of the Phoenix members Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks managed to delay the aurors with Amelia but not Amelia herself and she took off running after Sirius Black.
"You can't get away from me murderer!" She shouted.
"I didn't do it," he replied and ran faster.
After they had sent the four downed death eaters off with the aurors Remus and Tonks went after Sirius to see if they could help when they heard spellfire and shouting. They ran in that direction.
Meanwhile Harry is watching the door he came through and unconsciously rubbing his thumb across the back of Ginny's hand. "I see somebody coming around the corner," he called out. "Oh shite! It's Riddle. Spread out so he can't see you and ambush him as he comes through the door."
They all scattered to line the walls to either side of the open door and waited. Then a soft hissing voice said, "I saw you Harry Potter! You will not get me to so easily stick my head in a noose of your devising." There was a flash as Voldemort threw a silent spell through the door and a floating eye appeared. "I see you," Voldemort said from the doorway and laughed maniacally. "Using this I can target a spell on someone who thinks he's hidden or maybe I'll target the scared little girl holding your hand eh?"
"Don't you touch her!" Harry shouted.
Voldemort started laughing again until Ginny blew his floating eyeball up.
Ginny laughed then, "I'm no little girl Tom! If you want Harry you'll have to go through me!"
"Well spoken child, fight for your man. If you die in front of him it will make him that much easier to subdue," said Voldemort. He sent in another floating eyeball and immediately tried to target her with a killing curse. The two of them jumped out of the way still holding hands but the green beam stopped short of her previous position and exploded in a shower of pink sparkles. Voldemort screamed his frustration and started showering the whole room with killing curses but not one hit either of the teens.
As he continued to try and kill them two things happened. The sparkles deepened in color from pink to crimson and Dumbledore and Fudge rounded the corner behind him arguing. Voldemort turned at the sound and Minister Fudge gaped in shock.
"Greetings Minister," hissed the soft, sinister voice of Tom Marvolo Riddle. "You should feel lucky you are standing next to that muggle loving old fool or I'd kill you where you stand." He pulled out a portkey. "However I have no wish to be caught between him and Potter so I will take my leave of you now," and with that he portkeyed away.
Albus Dumbledore rushed into the room to see if anyone was hurt. Fudge latched onto his robe to make sure he didn't apparate away before answering questions and so they entered together.
"What is Lucius Malfoy doing here in death eater garb?" he shouted.
"He's always been a death eater Minister," Harry said.
"What? I thought he was just a dupe. He told me..." the minister trailed off.
"He was in charge of the team attacking us," Ginny said. "They lured us here and then tried to kill us."
"Not my Lucius," Fudge replied.
"Your Lucius?" Hermione asked.
Fudge colored, "Umm, yes, well there will need to be a full investigation into all this. Come along children I'll lead you back to the aurors then we can talk about what went on and get to the bottom of things."
"Why are you holding the Headmaster's hand," Hermione asked.
Cornelius Fudge suddenly realized that he was now holding Dumbledore's left hand rather than his robes and started to stammer an explanation when he heard a voice shouting behind him and turned to look.
All of them but the two stunned death eaters turned to see Sirius Black running their way with Amelia Bones in hot pursuit!
"I'm innocent and I can prove it!" Sirius shouted.
"Then why are you running?" she shouted back.
Sirius replied, "I didn't get a trial last time and this time there is a kiss on sight order out on me! I know I'll never get justice. I am just here to help my godson."
Behind them came Tonks and Remus Lupin running to try and help Sirius. As everyone watched Amelia grabbed the back of his robes just as he hit the threshold. He stumbled and it turned into a rolling fall. Amelia ended up on top of him and stunned him just before Harry stunned her. Lupin was able to stay neck and neck with the younger and more athletic auror because of his lycanthropy. The two of them just made it in before two Unspeakable apparated in and sealed the room.
They were clad in dark red robes with hoods up and faces shadowed. The taller one spoke but in a voice that was obviously altered by magic, "We have been leaving monitors behind when we leave for the night ever since we lost Rookwood to the dark. The monitors recorded a major incursion of hate followed by a massive reaction from the room so we came to see who was disturbing our project."
The shorter one nodded and spoke in a voice likewise disguised, "We would love to hear what has six promising teens, the three highest government officials, two marked death eaters and an innocent man falsely accused all here together."
Everyone still awake started talking at the same time. The taller Unspeakable held up a hand, "We would love to hear it but very shortly eight of you will pass out and it must be a long tale." Ignoring all questions the Unspeakable continued, "Ergo I shall make a brief explanation and we shall talk more tomorrow. This is the room where we study love. It can only be entered by couples and only couples who are both compatible and attracted to each other on some level. The department only accepts volunteers for this project because love, marriage, and soul bonds are all inevitable over time for those who spend much time here."
Both Unspeakables conjured seven beds then the taller one spoke again, "Normally such bonding takes months of exposure but if our readings were correct all but the last couple through are going to be bonded before twenty-four hours have passed due to the reaction of the room to the spells cast inside it. This is very draining on a person's magic and so we expect you to be out like a blown match before very long. We will talk more in the morning."
While he'd been talking Ron had slumped and been led to a bed by the shorter Unspeakable and Hermione. She slumped across him in the bed immediately thereafter. Within sixty seconds all the rest of them except Tonks and Lupin were snoozing in beds.
While the others slept Tonks and Lupin talked and started holding hands.
