Castle Guards

By Ammie Hawk

Disclaimer: Desperation breeds inspiration!

AN: Okay, here it is... the next to last chapter of Castle Guards. After almost two years this fic is almost at it's completion. Anyway, please don't kill me for some of the things that happen in this chapter, it was necessary for the 'greater good'. Now, without further ado, I give you...

Chapter 25

Battle in the Department of Mysteries

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

"Go on, then," said Harry, raising his own wand to chest height. As he did so, the five wands of Ron, Hermione, Neville, Ginny, and Luna rose on either side of him. Hermione's eyes, however, were drawn to a flash of white in Ron's pocket. She squinted at it in the wandlight, trying to decipher the words scrawled across the top of the page in what looked like her own handwriting.

"Hand over the prophecy and no one need get hurt," said Malfoy coolly.

It was Harry's turn to laugh.

"Yeah, right!" he said. "I give you this—prophecy, is it? And you'll let us skip off home, will you?"

The words were hardly out of his mouth when the female Death Eater shrieked, "Accio Proph—"

Harry was just ready for her. He shouted "Protego!" before she had finished her spell, and though the glass sphere slipped to the tips of his fingers he managed to cling on to it.

"Oh, he knows how to play, little bitty baby Potter," she said, her mad eyes staring through the slits in her hood. "Very well, then—"

"I TOLD YOU, NO!" Lucius Malfoy roared at the woman. "If you smash it—!"

Harry's mind was racing. The Death Eaters wanted this dusty spun-glass sphere. He had no interest in it. He just wanted to get them all out of this alive, make sure that none of his friends paid a terrible price for his stupidity...

The woman stepped forward, away from her fellows, and pulled off her hood. Azkaban had hollowed Bellatrix Lestrange's face, making it gaunt and skull-like, but it was alive with a feverish, fanatical glow.

"You need more persuasion?" she said, her chest rising and falling rapidly. "Very well—take the smallest one," she ordered the Death Eaters beside her. "Let him watch while we torture the little girl. I'll do it."

Harry felt the others close in around Ginny. He stepped sideways so that he was right in front of her, the prophecy held up to his chest.

Hermione was still giving the parchment in Ron's pocket half of her attention, not sure why he had Dumbledore's Army's name list, for she had finally realized what it was. It was as she shifted and her arm brushed Ginny's hair, dislodging a strange little beetle, that she realized what this meant. She smacked her forehead, and then reached into Ron's pocket, pulling out the paper. The Death Eaters closest to her looked on in confusion.

"You'll have to smash this if you want to attack any of us," he told Bellatrix. "I don't think your boss will be too pleased if you come back without it, will he?"

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

"Keep them distracted, Harry," Hermione hissed in his ear, fishing around inside his pocket, finally pulling out the handle of his pocket knife.

"So," said Harry, "what kind of prophecy are we talking about anyway?"

He could not think what to do but to keep talking. Neville's arm was pressed against his, and he could feel him shaking. He could feel one of the other's quickened breath on the back of his head. He knew Hermione had a plan, he just hoped it was a good one.

"What kind of prophecy?" repeated Bellatrix, the grin fading from her face. "You jest, Harry Potter."

"Nope, not jesting," said Harry, his eyes flicking from Death Eater to Death Eater, looking for a wink link, a space through which they could escape. "How come Voldemort wants it?"

Several of the Death Eaters let out low hisses.

"You dare speak his name?" whispered Bellatrix.

"Yeah," said Harry, maintaining his tight grip on the glass ball, expecting another attempt to bewitch it from him. "Yeah, I've got no problem saying Vol—"

"Shut your mouth!" Bellatrix shrieked. "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?" said Harry recklessly. He could hear Hermione shuffling around behind him, she must be about ready to activate her plan. "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 shot from the end of Bellatrix Lestrange's wand, but Malfoy had deflected it. His spell caused hers to hit the shelf a foot to the left of Harry and several of the glass orbs there shattered.

In the resulting chaos, Harry just barely heard Hermione begin talking very rapidly under her breath.

"Shino, Sakura, Neji, Kiba," she was barely taking time to breathe, "Gaara, Kankuro, Temari, Naruto!"

Nothing seemed to be happening so Harry continued talking.

"You haven't told me what's so special about this prophecy I'm supposed to be handing over," he said, playing for time.

Behind him, Hermione was getting frustrated. What was she doing wrong? They said to mix the blood, which she'd done, thus the taking of Harry's knife, and call. Hadn't she just done that? Maybe she needed full names?

As Harry continued talking with Bellatrix and Lucius, she repeated the names quietly, this time adding the last names. When that didn't work, she tried doing them backward, or Japanese style, but still nothing happened.

"Why isn't this working?!" she said angrily. "It's not like it's one of their summoning jutsus. Those require..."

Before she could continue her rant, eight consecutive POOFs of smoke appeared in front of her. Their guards had arrived, just as Harry had the brilliant idea to smash some of the shelves.

"Idiots!" Naruto yelled, falling into a defensive crouch between the students and the Death Eaters. "What the fuck is your problem? We were hired to protect you! Don't go running off on us like that again!"

"Oh, look," Bellatrix crooned, "they brought more little babies to play."

"Run," Gaara said calmly as a wall of sand rose between them and the Death Eaters.

Harry found the way ahead clear and saw Ron, Ginny, and Luna sprint past him, their arms over their heads. Something heavy struck him on the side of the face but he merely ducked his head and sprinted onward; a hand caught him by the shoulder; he heard Hermione shout "Stupefy!" and the hand released him at once.

They were at the end of row ninety-seven; Harry turned right and began to sprint in earnest. He could hear footsteps right behind him and Hermione's voice urging Neville on, followed by a squeal of fright but he didn't dare turn to look. The door through which they had come was ajar straight ahead, Harry could see the glittering light of the bell jar, he pelted through it, the prophecy still clutched tight and safe in his hand, waited for the others to hurtle over the threshold before slamming the door behind them—

"Colloportus!" gasped Hermione and the door sealed itself with an odd squelching noise.

"Where—where are the others?" gasped Harry.

He had thought that Ron, Luna, and Ginny had been ahead of them, that they would be waiting in this room, but there was nobody there.

"They must have gone the wrong way!" whispered Hermione, terror in her face.

"They'll be fine," a calm, arrogant voice said to their left. "Kankuro's with them."

"As are Neji, Shino, and Kiba," Naruto shrugged, glaring slightly at the blonde kunoichi, and setting Neville back on his feet. "We should get out of here. Gaara will catch up when he can."

Before anyone could say or do anything else, however, the blonde was at Harry's side and smacked him across the head. Green eyes widened in shock.

"What the hell was that for?" he asked, outraged.

"For making us worry about you," Naruto glared, and then pulled him into a tight hug. "Now, let's go catch up with the others."

8888888

They crept out of the office and back toward the door into the black hallway, which was now completely deserted. They walked a few steps forward, Neville tottering slightly due to Hermione's weight. The shinobi would've helped with the downed witch but Temari was guarding their retreat with Sakura while Naruto took point. The door of the Time Room swung shut behind them and the walls began to rotate once more. The recent blow on the back of Harry's head seemed to have unsteadied him; he narrowed his eyes, swaying slightly, until the walls stopped moving again. With a sinking heart Harry saw that Hermione's fiery crosses had faded from the doors.

"So which way d'you reck—?"

But before they could make a decision as to which way to try, a door to their right sprang open and seven people fell out of it. Seven kunai flew before they're owners registered whether friend or foe. Luckily none of them were aimed to kill, just to distract.

"Ron!" croaked Harry, dashing around Naruto toward them. "Ginny—are you all—?"

"Harry," said Ron, giggling weakly, lurching forward out of Neji's grasp, seizing the front of Harry's robes and gazing at him with unfocused eyes. "There you are.... Ha ha ha... You look funny, Harry.... You're all messed up...."

Ron's face was very white and something dark was trickling from the corner of his mouth.

As the wizards continued to talk, the shinobi gathered around and had a very quiet conversation in their native tongue.

"Status?" Naruto looked at his teammates.

"None of us are injured," Kiba sighed. "Though Ginny broke her ankle when a Death Eater grabbed her."

"I'll take a look at her when we reach a secure location," Sakura shook her head. "Hermione's down as well, and Neville would benefit from some medical attention as well."

"Ron's in bad shape," Neji looked over at the redhead, who was still talking to Harry. "Whatever they did to him was a silent spell, we didn't even know he'd been hit until he started acting strange."

"It's not your fault," Naruto ran his hand through his hair, and they weren't sure if he was telling that to them or himself. "We're dealing with things we don't really understand. But we'll do better now. We're together now."

"Hey, where's Gaara?" Kankuro frowned, looking around at both assembled groups.

"We assumed he was with you," Temari's eyes widened.

"Focus, you two," the blonde kitsune vessel sent a glare at them. "We'll get him back. Right now, though, we have a mission to complete."

"Hai," the two siblings grudgingly nodded.

They turned around just as Harry heaved Ron toward a door. The shinobi fell in around the wizards, acting as rear guard. They were withing a few feet of it when another door across the hall burst open and three Death Eaters sped into the hall, led by Bellatrix Lestrange.

"There they are!" she shrieked.

Stunning Spells shot across the room: Harry smashed his way through the door ahead, flung Ron unceremoniously from him, and ducked back to help Neville in with Hermione. They were all over the threshold just in time to slam the door against Bellatrix.

"Colloportus!" shouted Harry, and he heard three bodies slam into the door on the other side.

Sakura made her way over to Ginny first, a broken ankle she could set right in a snap. Shino relieved Neville of Hermione and took her over to the medic as well. Kiba was trying to herd Ron over as well, but with minimal success.

They were all distracted when they heard Luna cry, "Collo-aaaaaaaaargh..."

They turned in time to see her flying through the air. The shinobi jumped out of the way, all of them ending up on the ceiling as five Death Eaters were surging into the room through the door she had not reached in time; Luna hit a desk, slid over its surface and onto the floor on the other side where she lay sprawled, as still as Hermione.

"We need to get down there!" Naruto hissed so only the shinobi could hear him.

"No," Shino's quiet voice stopped all of them from moving. "Our interference now will only result in more injuries, and possibly deaths, we wait."

"Goddamn it, Shino," the blonde huffed. "I hate it when you're right."

"Get Potter!" shrieked Bellatrix, and she ran at him; he dodged her and sprinted back up the room; he was safe as long as they thought they might hit the prophecy—

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

"Ron, get out of the way, get down—"

But Ron had already pointed his wand at the tank.

"Honest, Harry, they're brains—look—Accio brain!"

The scene seemed momentarily frozen. Harry, Ginny and Neville and each of the Death Eaters turned in spite of themselves to watch the top of the tank as a brain burst from the green liquid like a leaping fish: for a moment it seemed suspended in midair, then it soared towards Ron, spinning as it came, and what looked like ribbons of moving images flew from it, unraveling like rolls of film—

"Ha ha ha, Harry, look at it—" said Ron, watching it disgorge its gaudy innards. "Harry, come and touch it; bet it's weird—"

"RON, NO!"

Harry did not know what would happen if Ron touched the tentacles of thought now flying behind the brain, but he was sure it would not be anything good. He darted forwards but Ron had already caught the brain in his outstretched hands.

The moment they made contact with his skin, the tentacles began wrapping themselves around Ron's arms like ropes.

"Harry, look what's happen—no—no—I don't like it—no, stop—stop—"

But the thin ribbons were spinning around Ron's chest now; he tugged and tore at them as the brain was pulled tight against him like an octopus's body.

"Diffindo!" yelled Harry, trying to sever the feelers wrapping themselves tightly around Ron before his eyes, but they would not break. Ron fell over, still thrashing against his bonds.

"Harry, it'll suffocate him!" screamed Ginny, immobilized by her broken ankle on the floor—then a jet of red light flew from one of the Death Eater's wands and hit her squarely in the face. She keeled over sideways and lay there unconscious.

"STUBEFY!" shouted Neville, wheeling around and waving Hermione's wand at the oncoming Death Eaters, "STUBEFY, STUBEFY!"

But nothing happened.

One of the Death Eaters shot their own Stunning Spell at Neville; it missed him by inches. Harry and Neville were now the only two left fighting the five Death Eaters, two of whom sent off streams of silver light like arrows which missed but left craters in the wall behind them. Harry ran for it as Bellatrix Lestrange raced right at him: holding the prophecy high above his head, he sprinted back up the room; all he could think of doing was to draw the Death Eaters away from the others.

It seemed to have worked; they streaked after him, knocking chairs and tables flying but not daring to bewitch him in case they hurt the prophecy, and he dashed through the only door still open, the one through which the Death Eaters themselves had come; inwardly praying that Neville would stay with Ron and find some way of releasing him.

As soon as Harry and the Death Eaters were gone, the shinobi released the chakra from their feet and landed gracefully on the floor. They gathered around Ron, who was still struggling with the brain.

"Don't touch it!" Sakura barked. "Neji, try and knock it out using your gentle fist. If that doesn't work, I'll remove it with my chakra scalpel, but that's exceedingly risky with a moving object."

Neji nodded and concentrated his chakra to his hand. He activated his Byakugan and quickly located the points that would take out the brain. He raised his hand and hit each one in rapid succession. The brain fell to the ground and released the redhead from its grip.

While Sakura and Neji were doing that, Naruto had been giving instructions to the others.

"Shino, Kiba, you're with me, we're going after Harry," he barked, looking at his two subordinates, who nodded. "Kankuro, Temari, go find Gaara." The two siblings nodded, relieved looks on their faces. "Neji," he turned to his boyfriend, who had just finished the task Sakura had given him, "you're with us. Sakura, I'm trusting you to handle things in here."

The pinkette nodded and they all dispersed to their designated tasks.

88

Harry was falling down steep stone step after steep stone step, bouncing on every tier until at last, with a crash that knocked all the breath out of his body, he landed flat on his back in the sunken pit where the stone archway stood on its dais. The whole room was ringing with the Death Eater's laughter: he looked up and saw the five who had been in the Brain Room descending toward him, while as many more emerged through other doorways and began leaping from bench to bench towards him. Harry got to his feet though his legs were trembling so badly they barely supported him: the prophecy was still miraculously unbroken in his left hand, his wand clutched tightly in his right. He backed away, looking around, trying to keep all the Death Eaters within his sight. The back of his legs hit something solid: he had reached the dais where the archway stood. He climbed backwards onto it.

The Death Eaters all halted, gazing at him. Some were panting as hard as he was. One was bleeding badly; Dolohov, freed of the Body-Bind Curse, was leering, his wand pointing straight at Harry's face.

"Potter, your race is run," drawled Lucius Malfoy, pulling off his mask, "now hand me the prophecy like a good boy."

"Let—let the others go, and I'll give it to you!" said Harry desperately.

A few of the Death Eaters laughed.

"You are not in a position to bargain, Potter," said Lucius Malfoy, his pale face flushed with pleasure. "You see, there are ten of us and only one of you... or hasn't Dumbledore ever taught you how to count? You're friend's little parlor trick in the Hall of Prophecy didn't help you at all, did it?"

"He's dot alone!" shouted a voice from above them. "He's still god be!"

Harry's heart sank: Neville was scrambling down the stone benches towards 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. "STUBEFY! STUBE—"

One of the largest Death Eaters seized Neville from behind, pinioning 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?" repeated Bellatrix, and a truly evil smile lit her gaunt face. "Why, I have had 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 looked transported, alive with excitement as she glanced at Harry, then back at Neville. "No, let's see how long Longbottom lasts before he cracks like his parents... unless Potter wants to give us the prophecy."

"DON'D GIB ID DO DEM!" roared Neville, who seemed beside himself, kicking and writhing as Bellatrix drew nearer to him and his captor, her wand raised. "DON'D GIB ID DO DEM, Harry!"

Bellatrix raised her wand. "Crucio!"

Neville screamed, his legs drawn up to his chest so that the Death Eater holding him was momentarily holding him off the ground. The Death Eater dropped him and he fell to the floor, twitching and screaming in agony.

At that moment, a black swirling shield seemed to appear out of thin air, obscuring the two boys and breaking Bellatrix's spell. The wizards looked around, trying to pinpoint the cause of the strange apparition. At the top of the stairs, one of the boys that had appeared in the Hall of Prophecy was standing with his hands outstretched and the same swirling cloud coming out of each sleeve.

"ARF!"

They whirled around, two meters to the left was another of the boys, only this one was riding a huge white dog with brown ears. The continued looking, another two meters was another with long black hair in a low ponytail. And around again, to two more figures standing side by side, a tall redhead with fiery yellow eyes, and a blonde with red eyes that almost matched their master's.

"Why don't'cha pick on somebody your own size?" the blonde gave a feral grin.

"Oh, the new little babies want to join in the fun," Bellatrix smiled back. "We have time to play."

She started up the stairs toward Naruto, two of her fellow Death Eaters following. The others split up in pairs and began advancing on the other teens, leaving Lucius with the two Hogwarts students, who were still surrounded by the swirling clouds.

The opponents stared at each other, almost as if they could read their next actions in their eyes. Almost as one, they attacked. Spells flew as the shinobi dodged and countered as best they could without bringing out the big guns. Harry and Neville didn't know where to look, in every direction there seemed to be a flurry of activity. Their shields weren't very conductive to watching and after a few minutes, Neville figured out why.

"Dey're bugs!" he said loudly over the sounds of the combatants. "Where'd dey comb from?"

Harry didn't have time to contemplate this as a high-pitched scream rent the air. The shields disappeared as the bugs flew off toward their host. He could now see Shino clearly. The bug shinobi was lying on the ground with Mulciber's wand pointed at him. He was writhing and screaming in agony.

"NOOOOOOO!" an almost feral scream sounded before Mulciber was forcibly thrown into the wall as the canine ninja went to the aid of his lover.

"WATCH OUT!" Harry screamed, but it was too late, the red jet of light hit Kiba in the back just as he reached Shino's side.

The bug ninja regained his feet and called his bugs to him. The swirling black cloud descending on him before he pushed out his hands and sent them toward the Death Eater who had dared attack what was his. Crabbe screamed in agony as the bugs attacked. It didn't last long, however, as Dolohov sent a spell at Shino that knocked him out cold next to his lover, just as Macnair sent Akamaru flying towards the dais, where the dog lay still.

"You fucking bastards!" Naruto screamed, Kyuubi leaning down and forming the chakra into a ball in his hand. He lunged at the nearest Death Eater to him, hand extended, and sent them flying.

Then, two more doors burst open and seven more people sprinted into the room: Sirius, Lupin, Moody, Tonks, and Kingsley, as well as Kakashi and Iruka.

The Death Eaters moved to take on the new threat. Naruto wasn't about to let them go without a fight, but Kyuubi wrapped his arms around his kit's waist and pulled him back.

"Not now," he growled in his ear. "Let them handle it. Take care of your teammates."

The blonde fell limp in his arms and nodded. The demon let him go and Naruto sprinted over to where Shino and Kiba were lying. He quickly felt for a pulse and let out a breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding when he found one. Neji was at his side a moment later, carrying Akamaru around his shoulders.

"We need to get them out of here," he placed a hand on his captain's shoulder.

"Yeah," Naruto nodded, easily placing both of them on his back. "Let's get them to Sakura."

Iruka was at their side before they had taken a step and relieved the blond of Shino's limp form. He gave a crooked smile to the two teens, who nodded in return. The trio made their way back to the Brain Room, where the others were waiting.

Inside, Sakura was busily working on Ron, who had passed out at some point. Ginny's ankle was bandaged, as was Hermione's torso. Luna was sitting up, but she still looked a bit dazed. But it was the other three people in the room that caused the shinobi to breath a sigh of relief. Temari and Kankuro were sitting off to the side, Gaara between them, leaning heavily on his brother's shoulder, but still alive. Jade met cerulean and a relieved smile passed briefly across the redhead's face. They nodded in understanding, no words needed.

A moment later, Dumbledore appeared in the room. He glanced in the shinobi's direction and gave them a curt nod, alerting them to a job well done. He then went to the door.

Dumbledore sped down the steps past Neville and Harry, who had no more thought of leaving. Dumbledore was already at the foot of the steps when the Death Eaters nearest realized he was there. There were yells; one of the Death Eaters ran for it, scrambling like a monkey up the stone steps opposite. Dumbledore's spell pulled him back as easily and effortlessly as though he had hooked him with an invisible line—

Only one couple were still battling, apparently unaware of the new arrival. Harry saw Sirius duck Bellatrix's jet of red light: He was laughing at her. "Come on, you can do better than that!" he yelled, his voice echoing around the cavernous room.

The second jet of light hit him squarely on the chest, just as a red streak whooshed past Harry and Neville.

The laughter had not quite died from his face, but his eyes widened in shock.

Harry released Neville, though he was unaware of doing so. He was jumping down the steps again, following the streak, pulling out his wand, as Dumbledore turned to the dais too.

It seemed to take Sirius an age to fall. His body curved in a graceful arc as he sank backward toward the ragged veil hanging from the arch...

And Harry saw the look of mingled fear and surprise on his godfather's wasted, once-handsome face as the red streak met him and he fell through the ancient doorway and disappeared behind the veil, which fluttered for a moment as though in a high wind and then fell back into place.

Harry heard Bellatrix Lestrange's triumphant scream, but knew it meant nothing—Sirius had only just fallen through the archway, he would reappear from the other side any second....

But Sirius did not reappear.

"SIRIUS!" Harry yelled, "SIRIUS!"

He had reached the floor, his breath coming in searing gasps. Sirius must be just behind the curtain, he, Harry, would pull him back out again....

But as he reached the ground and sprinted toward the dais, Lupin grabbed Harry around the chest, holding him back.

"There's nothing you can do, Harry—" silent tears were running down the werewolf's face.

"Get him, save him, he's only just gone through!"

"It's too late, Harry—" a sob left his throat.

"We can still save him—"

Harry struggled hard and viciously, but Lupin would not let go.... He didn't understand, that was Remus' lover that he was trying to save, why was he stopping him....

"There's nothing you can do, Harry... nothing.... He's gone."

Ammie: Okay... the last bit there the only thing I added were Remus' actions, except grabbing Harry. Oh, and the poll for the couples is closed, I've got them worked out. Thanks.