Thank you all for the wonderful reviews. I noticed that over 100 people now have the story on alert! That's actually a bit intimidating, to know so many people want to read more. I better make sure this chapter's good then!
Since I absolutely LOVED the movie (best movie of the bunch if you ask me!) I have been very much inspired by it, and have tried to convey some of the same atmosphere we saw in it. I have, of course, also tried to stay close to the book's descriptions too, but hey, it's fanfiction so who cares much accuracy?
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"Stay close," Severus whispered. It was a tight fit under the cloak, and Severus had to bend slightly so their feet wouldn't be visible, but they managed, mostly thanks to Harry's small frame.
"Which door is it?" Harry asked, eyeing the twelve black doors. Severus bit his tongue to keep from berating the boy for such a stupid question, seeing as the walls had just revolved at dizzying speeds. Old habits die hard, but Severus was determined to kick that particular habit altogether. So, instead he simply answered calmly.
"I'm not sure." He thought for a moment, considering what he had heard about the Department from contacts who worked as Unspeakables. The Hall of Prophecies could not be reached directly from the room they were in. Severus urged Harry forward and entered the room opposite the door they entered, or at least where the door they entered had been before the damned spinning.
With a push the door opened and they entered what appeared to be room to study time. Severus noted the Time-Turners and many clocks.
"What is this place?" Harry asked, looking about with curiosity and a fair amount of confusion.
"Time," Severus answered, not caring to launch into a detailed discussion. He ushered Harry down the length of the room and hoped they were headed in the right direction. Opening the door at the end Severus was relieved to see that they were. Harry gasped at the sight of the seemingly endless rows of high shelves filled with hundreds and hundreds of orbs. Some glowed faintly, adding to the light from the candles at the end of each row, but others were murky black.
"This was in my dream," Harry whispered breathlessly. Severus scowled to himself. He was still suspicious of the vision. "Row 97, I remember." Severus glanced at the numbers on the rows and then started in the right direction. Harry almost stumbled, but managed to keep close and not fall. "What are they?" he whispered as they passed number 75. Severus stopped and looked down at Harry, the green eyes gave off a strange colour in the blue light from the candles. Severus put a finger to his lips and Harry nodded in understanding, curbing his curiosity with a hard swallow as he glanced at the mysterious orbs. Severus cast a silent charm on their feet to muffle their approach. He had a feeling the Death Eaters would either be waiting by the prophecy, or they would wait for Harry to get it and then ambush them on the way out. Severus was starting to seriously doubt his decision-making skills.
'92, 93, 94, 95… 96… 97.' Severus glanced down at Harry, who nodded and pulled slightly on Severus' sleeve. They walked a way up the row and Severus caught a glimpse of the name. He heard Harry gasp.
"But what is it?" Harry whispered so faintly that Severus almost didn't catch it. "Why's it got my name on it?" Severus looked down, his eyes locking onto Harry's.
"It is your destiny," he whispered back, feeling very cramped suddenly in the small space under the cloak. For some reason he imagined Harry exploding in rage when he found out the secrets kept from him, and he didn't fancy being anywhere near the boy when that happened. Still, Harry had a right to know these things now. "A prophecy made before your birth. The Dark Lord wants it because he fears it tells of how you will destroy him." Harry's eyes were wide and full of disbelief and alarm. Severus put a hand on the bony shoulder. "Only the one of whom the prophecy was made can remove it. That is why he kidnapped Black."
"Sirius," Harry breathed, glancing around as if to spot him. "We need to search for him," he pleaded.
"Yes, but first… I think you should take the prophecy." Harry's eyes snapped back to Severus' black ones, the faint blue light making them seem deep as chasms of nothingness. Harry seemed to hesitate, but Severus knew the boy's natural curiosity would get the better of him. Harry turned back to the row and eyed the faintly glowing orb with trepidation. He cast a fleeting look up and down the row to make sure no one was there, and then slowly he slid his hand from between the folds of the cloak. In the course of what seemed like an eternity Harry's fingers deftly closed around the orb as if Severus was watching a slow-motion snitch catch. Then, quick as lightning, Harry snatched it and brought it up to his face under the cloak. He studied it for a brief moment and then pocketed it. Just as he opened his mouth to speak a loud clink was heard, echoing obscenely through the otherwise peaceful chamber.
Harry and Severus both turned their heads to look down the row. Footsteps could be heard, coming closer and closer, and the clinking noise echoing with every other step, making it seem as though it wasn't a person walking towards them, but some strange three-legged monster from the darkness. The sound also guaranteed that Severus knew exactly who it was coming down to meet them.
From the blackness emerged into the feint blue light a tall masked figure, walking with a serpent-headed cane, clinking loudly on the stone floor. A hand came up and the masked was removed, revealing the pale, blue-tinted face of Lucius Malfoy.
"Harry, Harry, Harry," he said, shaking his head in mock-reproach. Severus wanted very much to punch the man, or perhaps feed him a bowel-exploding potion. "Playing hide-and-seek again, Harry?" Severus felt Harry tense beside him and he squeezed the thin shoulder hard enough to leave a mark. Harry didn't flinch or move. Severus lowered his head so his mouth was just next to Harry's ear.
"Leave," he whispered, and then he stepped in front of Harry, parting the robe, but making it so he seemed to drop it behind him, when in fact he let it drop on Harry's head. He felt the boy's hands desperately trying to grab his robes, but he moved too swiftly. He prayed the brat would run for his life. Lucius' eyes went wide with bewilderment, a sight Severus had rarely seen. It mattered little what the man thought now. Severus was a dead man. The fact that he had not been informed of newest plan to get the prophecy, and yet had turned up, proved his allegiances.
"What in Merlin's name are you doing here?" he asked, dropping his mask in a robe pocket and drawing his wand. An unexplained Death Eater was always cause for alarm, no matter which side you were on. Severus surreptitiously drew his own wand, but kept it hidden within the folds of his robe. All he needed to do was keep the man distracted enough so Harry could get away. Harry's life was all that mattered. Lucius was looking at him with an odd expression, his eyes narrowing steadily. Severus saw the moment his suspicions turned to conviction, and once Lucius had decided on something, he didn't hesitate.
"Crucio!" Lucius yelled just as Severus cried "Protego!" The curse was absorbed into Severus' shield. Lucius followed with a cutting curse, which Severus managed to deflect. He heard footsteps coming from all directions. Where was Harry? Just then Lucius shot ropes out of his wand. Severus dove to the side and they flew past him, only to wrap themselves around something solid, but invisible.
"Confringo!" Severus yelled, throwing the curse at Lucius, who had been momentarily shocked stiff by the sight. He was blasted off his feet and flew backwards several yards. Severus got up and removed the ropes from Harry. He pulled the boy to his feet without taking off the cloak. Pushing the invisible mass in the right direction he yelled, "Go!" He felt the body underneath his fingers struggle for a moment, then stilled. A breath of silence followed and then Severus heard footsteps sprinting down the aisle.
"I knew it!" a screeching female voice cried. Severus spun around. Lucius had gotten to his feet and was moving swiftly towards him with Bellatrix and two other Death Eaters. Even with masks Severus guessed it was the Carrows.
"I'll take care of the traitor. You go after Potter. Now!" The three Death Eaters didn't hesitate. Lucius threw a curse at Severus just as the others rushed past him. Severus managed to protect himself, at the cost of letting the others go after Harry…
xxx
Sirius lay on the floor, unable to move as he was tied up. Hermione was sitting at wand-point in a chair in front of Umbridge's desk. Ron was standing in a corner, staring at Draco's wand almost poking him between the eyes.
"Tell me!" Umbridge urged once again. "If you confess and tell me how Dumbledore is involved in the escape of Sirius Black then the Ministry will go easy on you." Her voice was thick with insincerity. Hermione almost gagged.
"I don't know anything," she repeated. Umbridge huffed, but then something gleamed in her eyes.
"Since the Potions Master has mysteriously disappeared after your visit to the dungeons, I am forced to use other means of persuasion. The Cruciatus Curse, I think, should loosen your tongue."
"You can't, that's illegal!" Hermione cried, her eyes wide with fear. Ron made a strangled cry, but Draco pushed him back against the wall and levelled the wand at Ron's chest in warning.
"Leave the interpretation of laws up to qualified people," Umbridge advised, smirking now, all traced of falsely sweet smiles gone.
"Headmistress," Draco suddenly interrupted, his voice neutral, but with a hint of anticipation in it. Hermione held her breath. Umbridge turned to her favourite student. "If there should be an investigation is it not best not to use that curse? Just in case your wand is examined…" his voice trailed off as if he wanted to say more.
"What do you suggest then?" Umbridge prompted impatiently.
"I have an unregistered wand," Draco pronounced. Umbridge raised her eyebrows. "For emergencies," he added. "But it means that I would have to do the honours, since such an advanced curse would only work for the wand's master." Umbridge regarded Draco critically for a few moments. Draco gazed back steadily, his wand still pointed at Ron, who looked about ready to pop.
"Do you think you can muster enough… willpower to do the task properly?" she enquired. Draco's eyes glided over to Hermione, a wicked smirk curling his lips.
"Oh, I think I can manage," he drawled.
"Very well, go to," Umbridge agreed. Pointing her wand at Ron when Draco left him. The blond stepped up to Hermione, looking down with glinting eyes. Hermione was shaking from head to toe, her eyes bright with fear. She still met his gaze. Draco lifted his wand to her neck. Hermione took a deep breath.
"Stupefy!" Draco cried just as he whipped around. The spell hit Umbridge right in the head. She toppled over with only a dull thud. Ron stood staring down at her in shock.
"That's the last time you get to question how much I can manage," Draco spat. "Merlin, I've wanted to do that for so long." He turned back to Hermione; his eyes softer than Hermione had ever seen them. "Sorry about that," he said, holding out a hand. Hermione was still shaking slightly when she grabbed it and Draco helped her to her feet. She searched his eyes, noting that the glint was still there, but it had meant something completely different than what she had assumed. Draco had been mischievous, devious even, but not malicious.
"Anyone going to help me before I die of old age?" Sirius called from the floor. There was a fluffy of activity as the three Gryffindors got their wands back and Draco tied Umbridge up. "Let's go," Sirius announced. He looked at Draco. "You coming?" Draco nodded. "Right. Floo. Now."
xxx
Harry ran down past row after row of prophecies. He desperately tried to hold the cloak around him, but with the noise he was making it wasn't doing him much good anyway. He heard people running behind him and threw a glance over his shoulder. Three Death Eaters. They were gaining on him. He saw a door up ahead along the wall and sped up as much as he could, but that meant the cloak billowed up more and his feet showed.
A tripping jinx, of all things, made him crash forwards and slide across the floor, groaning from the impact. His knees were visible now and the Death Eaters were almost upon him. He looked around frantically for inspiration to strike. Things didn't look very bright. Almost by chance Harry's eyes strayed upwards to the tall shelf of orbs on his right and instinct took over. Reaching upwards as if he was almost at the snitch, he felt a surge of magic to match his desperation. As Bellatix came to stand in front of him, the other two flanking her, he yanked his arm down as if he had pulled of a cord.
The little amount of wandless magic was all it took for all the light-weight orbs to roll off their shelves. Over a hundred of them rained down and the Death Eaters cried out as the first hit them right in the head. The one on the right caught a particularly big one and was knocked out straight away. Bellatrix and the other masked Death Eater cried and tried to shield themselves. Bellatrix managed to throw up a shield and started running away. The other Death Eater pointed his wand up, but was hit in the face before a shield could emerge, the mask not helping to protect him. He fell to the ground, the orbs continuing to pelt both of them. Harry remained on the floor until the rain of glass had stopped and then scrambled to his feet.
He pulled off the cloak and stuffed it into his pocket, then he stumbled over the bodies of the Death Eaters and grabbed the first wand he spotted. The magic felt odd, but the wand seemed to welcome his touch fairly well. He certainly felt much better. He hadn't held a wand in over a month, and it felt like coming home. He didn't spare the bodies a second glance. Instead he ran to the door and tore it open, disappearing inside. He knew Snape would do Voldemort's job and kill him if he came back now, with or without a wand. At least he could look for Sirius. Perhaps Voldemort was keeping him somewhere else?
Harry almost fell again as he rushed into the room, managing to pull back just in time. It was huge and rectangular. Stone seats forming steps led down to a sunken pit. In the very centre Harry saw an ancient-looking archway, a black curtain hanging within it and swaying as if in a slight breeze. Harry frowned at it. He didn't like the look of it at all, but couldn't keep himself from moving towards it down the steps.
He was only halfway down, however, when several other doors along the walls burst open and Death Eaters flooded in. Bellatrix was leading the party. Even if Harry now had a wand, he would be no match for them. From behind him, through the door he had come through, another black-robed figure emerged, but a much more welcome one.
"Snape!" Harry exclaimed. The man face was half completely white and half bloodied. The contrast made him look like some strange character from a deck of cards.
"Duck!" he cried and Harry dived to the step below him. The curse flew just over his body. Severus was already spitting curses back at the group. Harry jumped to his feet and was glad to note that he hadn't fallen completely out of practice. He hit several Death Eaters, fairly far across the room, but they were still outnumbered.
"Harry!" a voice cried, one that Harry had been looking for. He found the owner running towards him, having come through one of the doors at the opposite end. Sirius was followed by Hermione, Malfoy and Ron of all people. Harry wasn't sure if he was more shocked over Ron or Malfoy, but he hardly had time to dwell on it. All four of them started duelling with the Death Eaters immediately. But Harry, having been distracted by their arrival, was hit with a blasting curse and thrown backwards. He landed hard a few steps down and unfortunately started rolling off it. He didn't stop until he was at the very bottom. Sirius and the others rushed down, throwing curses and spells to cover him.
The Death Eaters still managed to gain ground, and as Hermione bent to help Harry up, they had reached the bottom as well. Severus was duelling fiercely and Malfoy didn't seem to hesitate at all to fight against his father's "colleagues". Harry shook his head to try and clear it and shrugged off Hermione's help. He was about to get up when he heard a crunch from his pocket. Looking down, he noticed a wisp of smoke coming through the fabric of his jeans, but it appeared to be all gone by now. The prophecy was broken, and he hadn't heard a word.
Jumping up, Harry was filled with a rage and he started spewing all the worst curses he could remember. They were soon quite spread out, and by now almost evenly matched. Harry threw up a shield as one Death Eater threw a purple curse at him, probably very nasty. He countered with a stunning spell. Just then he heard a scream.
Bellatix had somehow ended up duelling Hermione, and the girl had been hit with a burning curse. She clutched the side of her face as she screamed in agony. Malfoy and Ron both reacted almost exactly the same way, but only initially. Both turned their attention towards Hermione, matching looks of horror on their faces. Malfoy, being right next to her, conjured a green liquid with what looked to be a fairly advanced spell. He poured it over her and Hermione stopped screaming.
"Crucio!" a voice shouted at the same time that Bellatix sent off another curse. It was not directed at Hermione.
Harry turned towards the archway; the veil was fluttering as if welcoming the one who was falling backwards. Harry watched as the body fell, time slowing down. The veil surrounded it and, with a last flutter as if a wind had blown by, all stilled, leaving no trace of the person who had fallen through. Harry wasn't even conscious of reacting. All he knew was that he was running and then he was being restrained.
"No, Harry. He's gone. He's gone," an urgent voice spoke in his ear. Curses were flying again. Malfoy and Hermione were shielding them from the Death Eaters. Harry didn't hear the doors bursting open, he hardly registered that Order members had flooded the chamber. He did realise that Hermione was on her knees now that the Order members were taking care of the fighting. He shrugged off the arms that held him and dropped to his knees by her side, enveloping her in a tight embrace. She turned and buried her face in his chest, sobbing hard.
The look on Ron's face had morphed so quickly from rage to surprise, the Cruciatus Curse had faded from his lips as his mouth had formed a large gaping hole, but his shout had not been heard. He had fallen before he had the chance to utter it. A cackle of a laugh reached Harry's ears. He looked up and saw Bellatix gleefully smirking from the sidelines, almost disappearing into the dark corners of the dimply-lit chamber. Harry was up in a flash, running towards her.
"Crucio!" he yelled, trying to finish what Ron had tried. Bellatix yelled a curse at the same time and a fire hurtled towards him. Harry dived out of the way. Once the curse had passed him he barely got a glimpse of Bellatrix' smirking face before her next curse was physically in his face. He was thrown backwards, much higher than a normal blasting curse, and landed almost across the room. A sharp pain in the back of his skull was the last thing he knew before he blacked out.
-:-
This whole chapter was murder to write. I hope you don't all hate me now. What can I say? I thought someone needed to die in this fic (well, actually, more people need to die before the end) and since all of you were so dead set against it being Sirius…
Please excuse all mistakes. Once again I write when I'm dead tired. I'm going to bed now. Would be nice to wake up to a few reviews….. (blatant hint)