Disclaimer: I do not own any of this. All rights go to J.K. Rowling.
Rated T for violence and fighting.
Chapter 35: Beyond the Veil:
...Harry's heart sank. Neville was scrambling down the stone benches toward them, Hermione's wand held fast in his trembling hand.
"Neville - no - go back to Ron -"
"STUBEFY!" Neville shouted again, pointing his wand at each Death Eater in turn, yet his broken nose impeded his ability to pronounce the spell correctly, "STUBEFY! STUBE - "
One of the largest Death Eaters seized Neville from behind, pinning his arms to his sides. He struggled and kicked; several of the Death Eaters laughed.
"It's Longbottom, isn't it?" sneered Lucius Malfoy. "Well, your grandmother is used to losing family members to our cause...Your death will not come as a great shock..."
"Longbottom?" squealed Bellatrix, her face lighting up with malicious delight. "Why, I have the pleasure of meeting your parents, boy..."
"I DOE YOU HAB!" roared Neville, and he fought so hard against his captor's encircling grip that the Death Eater shouted, "Someone Stun him!"
"No, no, no," said Bellatrix. She was quivering with excitement, eyes full of maniacal anticipation. "No, let's see how long Longbottom lasts before he cracks like his parents...unless Potter wants to give us the prophecy-"
"DON'T GIB ID DO DEM!" roared Neville, who became more frantic, kicking and fighting as Bellatrix drew near, her wand raised. "DON'T GIB ID DO DEM, HARRY!"
Bellatrix raised her wand and shrieked, "Crucio!"
Neville screamed and wrenched his legs up into the air before being dropped to the ground by the Death Eater. He fell on the floor writhing and screaming in agony.
"That was just a taster!" said Bellatrix, raising her wand so that Neville's screams stopped and he lay sobbing at her feet. She turned and gazed up at Harry.
"Now, Potter, either give us the prophecy, or watch your little friend die the hard way!"
He only had one choice. The prophecy was glowing with heat from his clutching hand as he held it out. Malfoy suddenly jumped forward-
BAM! High above them, two more doors burst open and five more people sprinted into the room: Sirius, Lupin, Moody, Tonks, and Kingsley.
Tonks's Stunning Spell sailed downward toward Malfoy as Harry dived off the dias. The Death Eaters were completely distracted by the appearance of the Order, who were now raining spells upon them. Neville was crawling along underneath all the chaos.
"Are you okay?" Harry yelled, dodging another spell as it soared over their heads.
The stone floor between them exploded, showering them with pellets and dust. An arm came out of nowhere and grabbed Harry by the neck, pressing down on his windpipe.
"Give it to me," growled a voice in his ear, "give me the prophecy-"
"AARGH!"
Neville had come lunging out of nowhere. Unable to articulate a spell, he jabbed Hermione's wand hard into the eye hole of the Death Eater's mask. The man let go of Harry at once and howled in pain and Harry whirled around to face him and gasp, "STUPEFY!"
The Death Eater keeled over backwards, mask clattering to the floor. It was Macnair, Buckbeak's would-be killer.
"Thanks!" Harry said to Neville, pulling him aside as Sirius and his Death Eater lurched past, dueling fiercely. They stopped dead in their tracks when they saw Mad-Eye on the floor, bleeding from his head. Antonin Dolohov stood between them, his pale face twisted with glee.
"Tarantallegra!" he shouted, his wand pointed at Neville, whose legs went immediately into a kind of frenzied tap dance, causing him to fall on the floor again.
Harry yelled, "Protego!" as soon as he sensed muscle movement from Dolohov's wand arm. He was knocked sideways, but the Shield Charm had stopped the worst of the spell.
Dolohov raised his wand again. "Accio Proch-"
Sirius hurtled out of nowhere, rammed Dolohov with his shoulder, and sent him flying out of the way.
"Petrificus Totalus!" Harry yelled before Dolohov could raise his wand again. His arms and legs snapped together and he fell backwards.
"Nice one!" shouted Sirius. "Now I want you two to get out-"
A jet of green light narrowly missed Sirius. "Harry, take the prophecy, grab Neville, and run!" he yelled, dashing to meet Bellatrix.
"Can you stand?" he bellowed into Neville's ear, as Neville's legs jerked and twitched uncontrollably. "Put your arm around my neck-"
Neville did so - Harry heaved - Neville's legs were still flying out in every direction, they would not support him and then, out of nowhere, a man lunged at them. Both fell backward. Harry held his left arm up in the air to save the glass ball from being smashed.
"The prophecy, give me the prophecy, Potter!" snarled Lucius Malfoy's voice in his ear, and Harry felt the tip of Malfoy's wand pressing hard between his ribs.
"No - get - off...Neville - catch it!"
Harry flung the prophecy across the floor, Neville spun himself around on his back and scooped the ball to his chest. Harry jabbed his own wand back over his shoulder and yelled, "Impedimenta!"
Malfoy was blasted off his back. Malfoy smashed into the dais on which Sirius and Bellatrix were now dueling.
Harry seized Neville by the shoulder of his robes and lifted him bodily onto the first tier of the stone steps. He thrust the prophecy into his pocket. Neville's legs twitched and jerked and wouldn't support his weight.
"Come on!" said Harry desperately, hauling at Neville's robes. "Just try and push with your legs - "
He gave another stupendous heave and Neville's robes tore along the left seam. The small spun-glass ball dropped from his pocket and before either of them could catch it, bounced down the stairs...and smashed some ten feet to their right.
Neville scrambled down the stairs just as a pearly-white figure with hugely magnified eyes rose into the air, unnoticed by any but them. The figure was moving its mouth but Harry couldn't hear a word. The figure stopped speaking and dissolved into nothingness.
"Harry, I'b sorry!" cried Neville. "I didn't mean to - Dubbledore!"
"What?"
"DUBBLEDORE!"
Harry turned to where Neville was staring. Sure enough, there stood Albus Dumbledore in the doorway of the Brain Room, looking white with rage. He felt an electric charge through every part of his body - they were saved.
Dumbledore sped down the steps past Harry - Neville had flopped down the stairs after him. Once the Death Eaters realized he was there. They tried to make a run for it, but Dumbledore's spell pulled them back easily and effortlessly as though he'd hooked them with an invisible line.
Only one pair was still battling. Neville had made his way to the bottom of the dais, legs still twitching.
"NEVILLE, WHAT IN THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU DOING?" Harry screamed. He scrambled down the stairs and started running towards the dais, ignoring the Death Eaters suspended in the air by Dumbledore's spell.
Neville's spastic legs kicked out as he launched himself up where Bellatrix and Sirius were still battling. Bellatrix's attention wavered for only a second, and Sirius ducked her jet of red light.
She snarled and turned her attention back.
"Is that all you got? Come on, you can do better than that!" Sirius yelled, his voice echoing around the cavernous room.
Then, it was as if the air had turned into poisoned honey. Bellatrix's wand released a jet of green light the same time Neville kicked off the ground. Time came to a painful slow as the light slowly wiggled out of the end of her wand like a snake, aimed at Sirius's chest.
Harry realized a split second later.
"NOOOOO!" he screamed, legs feeling like lead as he tried to make his way toward them. At the same time he yelled, Neville let out an animal-like roar as he pounced on Bellatrix from behind.
"Protego!" Harry yelled, creating a shield between the two of them just as Neville made contact.
Bellatrix let out a bloodcurdling shriek as she and Neville tumbled over the dais, her wand being knocked off track just enough that her jet of light missed Sirius by a...mere...inch...
All Harry could hear was a pounding in his ears. Neville was knocked unconscious, his legs finally calm. Bellatrix glared murderously at him, raised her wand, and just as she caught sight of Dumbledore and the suspended Death Eaters, got up and took off.
She tried to kill him. She tried to...kill...Sirius!
"AHHHH!" Harry screeched, shooting jets of light at her darting figure. White hot rage smoked off his skin, it burned him to his core. His scar burned painfully. He wanted the smell of blood. He wanted revenge. A slow, sadistic smile spread across his face...he was near.
Go ahead, Lord Voldemort said.
Somewhere in his head, Harry knew there was something wrong, but he couldn't stop it.
She deserves it, doesn't she?
Harry's pupils dilated and a sickening wave of pleasure suddenly swept over him.
Do it...
"Harry?"
Harry instantly snapped back. He was on the floor, head in his hands. His scar felt like it was being burned into his skull Someone had put their hand on his shoulder.
"Harry, it's ok. I'm alright."
Relief coursed through his veins, like it was cold water washing out all the poison that was in his blood a moment before.
Sirius.
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