A/N: The very talented writer Staryday has written a oneshot that is a fanfic of Broken Mind, Fractured Soul. Basically, it places all seven of Harry's alters as his siblings living with him instead of as alters in his head. It's funny, lighthearted, and a really quick and satisfying read. Go check it out if you want!
A/N2: Very long and busy chapter ahead. I recommend you read it when you have a good chunk of time free or read it in pieces. But, HEY! - no cliffy! (smiles)
The Department of Mysteries
Draco and Neville stood close to each other under Shadow's invisibility cloak, while Shadow sat still between them as a lynx. They watched silently as the cheerful and oblivious Ministry employees left for their two days off. They waved happily and called out to each other, laughing as they flooed home for Christmas Eve. It took a good half hour before the last person disappeared in the fire and the hearths went dead.
"How are we going to get out of here?" Neville whispered nervously.
"I'm sure we'll figure something out," Draco answered with a sneer, throwing off the cloak. Quickly rolling it up, he shoved it into the backpack he carried. He moved forward after the lynx that moved silently across the marble floor of the Entrance Hall.
As they passed the statue of Magical Brethren, a second cloak was pulled off, revealing Ron, Hermione, and Ginny. The three of them fell into step behind Draco and a nervous Neville. Fifty paces later, the twins shimmered into view beside the abandoned security table after removing the disillusionment charms they had used.
Shadow stopped at the table and looked suspiciously at the grey and white-spotted owl perched on the back of the chair that the security guard would have used, had he been there. Whiskers twitching, Shadow flicked his tufted ears and mewled questioningly. The twins shared a glance and lifted their wands at the small, ruffled owl.
"It's just an owl," Ron said impatiently, his blue eyes darting all over the vast and empty hall. The place was giving him the creeps!
The owl turned its head almost fully upside down and hooted.
"It could be an Animagus," Hermione hissed to the clueless redhead, also lifting her wand.
"Show yourself!" Ginny demanded.
The owl obediently flew to the end of the table, making Shadow jump back with a startled hiss. There was a blurring of the creature's edges and, within seconds, Luna sat on the table, kicking her feet and smiling brightly.
"Lovegood!" Draco snapped, glaring hotly. "What are you doing here?"
"I heard the shadows whispering of a treasure hunt when everyone else left. I wanted to play, so I stayed behind," she answered innocently as she jumped off the desk and crouched before the lynx, scratching its ears and under its chin.
Draco scowled, seeing Shadow close his eyes and purr in response. But before he could say anything cutting, the twins threw their arms around his neck and laughed.
"The more the merrier, we always say!" they said together.
"Will you two knock it off?" Hermione scolded. "We should hurry!"
"Where is this prophecy anyway?" Ron demanded.
Shadow answered by loping over to the lifts and twitched his stubby tail impatiently. Luna skipped after the cat with Draco hot on her heels. Soon they were all squeezed into the small elevator and heading down a level. When Ron heard the voice announce Department of Mysteries, his face paled. Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Honestly, where else would prophecies be held?" she asked with a sniff.
Ron glared at her and followed the rest down the dark corridor that was nearly identical to the Entrance Hall. The only differences were that this hall was lined with doors instead of hearths and there was no spectacular fountain in the middle. It was all open space, and the sound of their footsteps echoed ominously as they made their way to the plain black door at the far end. The Department of Mysteries: Staff Only was written above it in tall silver letters.
"Now would be the time to turn back," Fred teased his little brother.
"You shouldn't do anything you don't want to," George said solemnly, but the twinkle in his eyes gave him away.
"Shut up," he snapped. He noticed that Ginny was standing resolutely at Neville's shoulder. If she was doing this, then there was no way he was going to back down. "Let's just get this done."
Draco unlocked the door after muttering at it for a few minutes, and they all stepped through to find themselves in a round room. It was completely black: the floor, the walls, and the twelve identical doors spaced evenly around the room. A single candle with a flickering blue flame hung on the walls between each door.
Luna pulled the door shut behind them and the wall began to slowly rotate, the doors with them. Faster and faster it went until Hermione had to shut her eyes and Ginny buried her head in Neville's shoulder. Shadow slitted his eyes, rumbling deep in his chest unhappily. Neville and Draco stood motionless, both of them afraid that movement would make things worse. The twins were watching open-mouthed and made impressed noises as the candlelight became a single burning line of light across their vision. Ron covered his mouth as a wave of motion sickness settled in his stomach.
The wall came to a sudden stop, the sound of stone settling against stone filling the room with thunder. Shadow quickly trotted around the perimeter, sniffing. He stopped in front of a door and mewled pointedly.
"That's the way we came in?" Draco asked and the cat nodded.
"Flagrate!" Hermione said sharply and a fiery X appeared on the stone, burning brightly.
"Way to go, Hermione," Fred exclaimed while George whistled.
"We should each take a door," Draco suggested. "We'll meet back here in a few minutes. One of these has to be the prophecy room."
"Luna and Ginny shouldn't wander around by themselves," Ron said much to Ginny's dismay. He ignored her furious stare.
"I'll take Gin," Fred called and grabbed her hand.
"I can go by myself! There are twelve doors here, and we do have a time limit!" Ginny said hotly.
"It will be quicker," Hermione agreed.
"But they could run into trouble!" Ron protested.
"So could we!" Hermione snapped. "We either go as one group, or we all split up."
Luna solved the dilemma by opening the door closest to her and stepping through. Fred and George shrugged and moved to two different doors. They walked through without a backward glance. Hermione and Ginny followed their example, while Ron muttered mutinously and stepped through one of his own.
"What about you? You shouldn't go alone, not as a lynx," Neville said worriedly, looking down at his brother.
In answer, Shadow trotted over to a door and looked pointedly back at Neville. The Gryffindor opened the door and followed him inside.
Alone, Draco stared after his crush before moving to the door in front of him. He tried to open it, but unlike the others, his was locked. He grinned. "This has to be the one!" he said quietly and prepared to break in.
He was sweating, unaware of the minutes passing by or that no one had returned yet. He leaned forward, his wand dipping and circling as he felt his way through the locking spell placed on the door. This was even harder than getting through the lock Dumbledore had applied on the Astronomy Tower to keep Severus from escaping!
Finally, he felt the magical lock give way. Crying out in triumph, Draco threw open the door and stepped into a room of light. Eyes wide, he stared at the splendor around him. The room wasn't that big, really, but it felt enormous. The walls were golden; huge Roman columns stood in rows like some kind of majestic forest. He could just barely make out figures etched into the pure marble, but before he could take a closer look, all of his attention was consumed by the pure white globe pulsing in the center of the room.
It was about as large as a Bludger, but it wasn't solid. It floated at chest height, pulsing and shimmering. It was white, so very white, and had silver flashes and flakes glittering on its surface - just like sunlight on the surface of a gently rippling lake. Draco moved forward as if in a dream. The strangest sensations filled him as the glittering streams caressed his skin, stroked his hair, kissed his eyelids.
The light was talking to him. It was a tremendous force, but at the same time extremely gentle and delicate. It told him he was loved here. Tears burned down his face as he smiled into the globe. He was so very cherished. It desired him in a way no one had ever felt for him. Here, he would always be cared for and nurtured. This was heaven, a place where he'd never be denied or rejected.
Falling to his knees, his face uplifted and streaked with tears, Draco stared into the light and never wanted to leave.
xXxXxXx
Ron stepped into a long rectangular room. Golden lamps hung from chains and they filled the room with sharp light. A few desks were pushed against the walls, but what interested him most was the large six-foot tank filled with soft green water. Something was drifting lazily among the tank's depths. Curious despite knowing they were on a time schedule, he moved forward.
Screaming, he jumped back as a white brain floated to his side of the tank. It was as if the brain was looking at him! Totally freaked out, Ron turned to leave when he saw something flash from the brain. He froze, watching with wide eyes as thought pictures flashed before the brain. It was talking to him! It wanted him to come closer. All he had to do was place his hand on the glass and the brain would be able to give him knowledge beyond his dreams.
A picture of a chess board flashed by and Ron gasped, unconsciously moving forward. He would finally be special! The twins were so clever, and Percy was perfect. Bill was the oldest and most respectable; a Curse-Breaker working in Egypt and engaged to a beautiful half Veela! Charlie was the brave one and now he was running the Order of the Phoenix! Ginny was the baby and a girl; that made her automatically special. That left him with nothing except as the best friend to the famous Harry Potter, and he wasn't even that!
Ron placed his hand on the glass and it was instantly captured by threadlike thoughts. Other brains floated over. The thought streams went right through the glass as if it wasn't there. Ron screamed, but it was too late. Both of his arms were ensnared and soon his whole torso would be wrapped up in the gleaming strands. He felt pressure build in his head and suddenly he felt crowded in his own skull.
"No! Stop!"
xXxXxXx
Luna floated through space. There was absolute silence all around her. The cold dark carried her effortlessly, unaware she even existed. Clear white light sparkled in the distance far, far away. Planets loomed before her as gorgeous balls of light. Some were filled with life, but it was all too distant to touch her senses. She saw clearly, thought more clearly, than she had in a very long time.
She smiled, arching her back, stretching her muscles and looking around her, observing with normal eyes. She registered movement and colors, and none of it cut into her mind with more information than she could stand. It was just her here. She was safe from her Seer sense. Giggling, she threw her arms out wide and flew towards a nebula.
xXxXxXx
Ginny walked through a room with a million clocks happily ticking away. Light glittered and sparkled diamond-bright from the clock faces. Huge grandfather clocks stood tall and proud, cuckoo clocks hung from the walls, and smaller ones stood on desks, but the most beautiful thing in the room was in the corner. A bell jar almost as tall as she was sat on a desk. It was filled with billowing, glittering winds, and an egg sat at the bottom where it broke open, freeing a hummingbird to fly toward the top before falling back down as an egg.
It was the most wonderful thing she had ever seen . Ginny stepped forward and stared at the phenomenon, entranced. She didn't know how long she stood there, but eventually she tore her eyes away, understanding dawning.
"Time!" she cried, delighted. "This room contains time!"
A thought struck her then. She hated being so young. She hated that everyone thought they had to protect her. And she would better understand Neville if she were older. He was so mature, and sometimes she felt like a little kid. He was striding out ahead of her, and she hated being left behind! Her brothers did that to her all the time.
Maybe…
Maybe she could use this room to her advantage. She'd be careful. She just wanted to be a little older, after all.
xXxXxXx
Hermione's eyes opened wide as she looked around the room she found herself in. The walls were lined with shelves and shelves of books. Shaking her head hard, she moved toward the desk in the corner. It was covered with notes written in a long elegant hand. There was something there about house elves. Scowling at herself, she huffed and looked away. I'm here looking for the prophecy, she admonished herself.
"But maybe the prophecies are written in these books," she muttered, her eyes taking them in with longing. Who knew what great knowledge they held? "Just a quick look," she promised, snatching up a volume and settling into the chair at the desk. It molded itself to her body and she sank in, completely forgetting where she was and her purpose.
xXxXxXx
Fred found himself in a lab. White light poured down from the ceiling, making sure there were no dark corners. Rows and rows of tables with strange gadgets and equipment, both Muggle and Wizard, lay strewn about the room almost haphazardly. Notes were discarded next to interesting inventions. He glanced at them briefly and grinned when he immediately saw the problem. Maybe he could fix it. He wasn't quite sure what the invention did, but once he got it working, he could figure it out. After all, it might come in handy later that night.
Someone would find him if the prophecy room was found. He had left the door open and would hear if anything went wrong. No one would care, or even be surprised, if he looked around a bit. Rubbing his hands together in anticipation, he began tinkering with the first project on the lab table.
xXxXxXx
Neville followed Shadow into a large room that looked vaguely like an amphitheater. It was dark and gloomy, causing him to squint to see what was at the bottom. He was halfway down the stairs before he saw it. In the middle of a pit almost twenty feet deep stood a square platform. An archway stood in the center.
It looked so ancient that Neville was certain that it was going to crumble as he watched. Whispers just beyond his hearing caught his attention. Neville's brown eyes moved to take in the fluttering black veil hanging between the archway. As soon as he looked at it, the whispering became louder.
"Hello?" he called, his voice trembling a bit. "Who's there?"
His voice made the lynx jump. The cat shook its head and hissed, pinning its ears flat to his head. But Neville didn't notice this. All his attention was fixed on the whispers. He could almost… make them… out… He moved forward, still straining to hear. Was someone there? Who was calling him? The voice sounded so familiar, but not in a way that reminded him of a specific person or face.
One brown eye, one golden went wide as Neville moved closer to the dais and stretched out his hand toward the veil. Yowling, startled, the lynx bounded down the steps and leapt. Neville staggered under the thirty-five pound weight, but continued to move forward without so much as a backward glance.
Shadow bit down and got a good grip on Neville's sweater. He spread his paws and pulled backward, halting his brother's forward motion.
"Hello? I can hardly hear you!" Neville called, oblivious to his brother behind him. He shook his head, looking astonished. "It can't be… Dad? Is that you, Dad?"
Shadow considered returning to human form. He'd be able to restrain Neville and drag him back to the door, but he didn't want any record of Snape's son here tonight. Later he would be retrieving the prophecy and that would blow his cover as Shadow completely. Besides, whatever spell was on that veil that had Neville captivated, could potentially affect him too once he transformed. Then they both would be lost.
Decided, Shadow clamped his jaws shut and held on, hoping someone would come and help him soon.
xXxXxXx
George walked into a dark, cavernous room filled with floor-to-ceiling shelves. Small dusty balls filled the shelves in neat rows. Fading or new yellow tags were attached to the wood, identifying each orb. He reached for one and a blue spark snapped at his fingers. Yelping, he yanked his hand away and sucked at the singed fingers. He scowled and moved down the rows, noticing that the orbs were placed alphabetically.
He moved quickly, but didn't find anything among the P's. He turned the other way in search for the D's. There, halfway down row ninety-seven, he found a yellow placecard that read: S.P.T. to A.P.W.B.D. Dark Lord and (?) Harry Potter. This was it! These were definitely prophecies, and this was Shadow's! Looking around carefully to remember the spot, George turned and headed back for the door.
He made a few wrong turns, but ten minutes or so later, he stumbled back into the round black room with the twelve doors; nine of which still stood open while one stood shut with a glowing X, indicating the door back to the lifts. No one else was back in the center room. He wondered what was taking so long.
Running to the first open door to his right, he stepped into a room with a glowing green tank in the center. There he found Ron lying on the floor, wrapped in thick shimmering threads. He was jerking spastically and making awful gurgling sounds. George ran forward, screaming his little brother's name, but Ron didn't react. Coming closer, he could smell burnt cotton and flesh. The strands were burning his brother down to the bone!
"You were right, Ron," he said tightly, kneeling beside the whimpering teen. "We should have gone in pairs at least."
Very carefully, he summoned the strands and banished them back into the tank where, horrifically, six white brains floated, pressed up against the glass and looming over his brother. It took a good twenty minutes before Ron was free. George grabbed his mangled forearms and dragged him back into the black center room.
"Shit, Ron!" George cried in dismay.
His brother was a mess. His face was bone white and his eyes flickered rapidly behind his thin eyelids. He was unresponsive and deep burns covered his arms and torso. George realized with a sudden sense of fear that the wounds could prove to be fatal if he didn't get his little brother to help soon. But what about the others?
Cursing, George got up and ran for the next open door. "Hermione!" he snapped, astonished to find her so thoroughly distracted from their mission and the state of her companions.
The bushy-haired girl lifted her head and a guilty blush filled her cheeks. "I was just…"
"I don't care," George snarled. "Ron's hurt and the others may be as well. Come on!"
Hermione stood and hurried after the distraught teen. She gasped as soon as she saw her best friend. She fell to her knees and began casting the only healing charm she knew. It was very weak, but it caused his gasping breaths to deepen and his eyes to stop rolling quite so violently.
George saw that she was helping and darted for another door. He returned a few minutes later with Ginny. Hermione stared up at her with an open mouth. Ginny was a woman. She looked thirty years old! She was tall, big-busted, and very beautiful: her long, thick hair shimmered in the candlelight.
Ginny strode over to Ron and her beautiful dark eyes took in his mangled from. "Is he okay?" she asked worriedly, her voice now deeper and throaty.
Hermione could only nod, silenced at the sight of her fourteen-year-old friend.
George came back with Fred next. His twin was grinning, but there was something about his eyes that spoke of shame. He went with his brother into the next open door. They were gone for a good ten minutes. Ginny sat with Hermione and her brother, saying nothing. Hermione didn't know what to ask her. She was ashamed of herself and wanted to avoid telling Ginny she had been reading while everyone else needed help. How could she do something like that?
The twins reappeared with Luna between them. The girl had tears streaking her face, but she walked freely. She sat next to Ginny without a word as the twins rushed for another open door. Hermione muttered the healing charm again, and Luna sniffled and cast one of her own. Ron still looked awful. The smell was starting to get to them when Fred and George reappeared, wrestling a violently struggling Neville between them.
The lynx ran past, following Draco's scent toward the door that had gentle white light pouring from it. He found his friend kneeling in a supplicating position. Shadow felt the draw of love and his insides did a funny little turn, but it couldn't seduce him the way it had Draco. First of all, the person he loved was sitting there vulnerable and obviously not himself. He had no time to enjoy being loved by the light when the person he loved was possibly being hurt. He grabbed Draco's arm in his teeth and pulled hard.
"Own!" Draco cried, distracted. Slowly, he turned his head and looked into the lynx's slit-pupiled eyes. Instantly he remembered Shadow's songs, his smile, his laughter; he remembered flying and sleeping beside each other, Boy's tears and Demon's rage; he remembered Shadow. His stomach dropped. He had almost left him. How could he do that?
Shadow didn't let go of the blond's arm as they hurried from the room. As soon as Draco saw everyone huddled in the center around a severely injured Ron, he realized that they all had fallen prey to the things in the Department of Mysteries. He felt a bit better about his own weakness, but it still made him feel humiliated.
"Ron needs help," George said when they were all together. "And Ginny, too."
"It's ten o'clock. We've wasted almost two hours," Fred scowled, standing guard over a trembling Neville.
"That's the prophecy room." George gestured to an open door to the right. "I found the one about the Dark Lord and Harry. It's at the end of row ninety-seven."
"I think Ginny and Luna should take Ron up and get him help," Fred said lowly. He didn't want them to get hurt anymore.
"No way! I'm seeing this through!" Ginny protested hotly, looking at her brothers and matching them stare for stare. She was definitely more intimidating as a woman, and the twins shared an uneasy glance.
"I can't go by myself," Luna muttered, eyes wide. "A Hobnob might get me turned around."
"I'm staying with Shadow," Neville stated, looking away and blushing hotly. Now he had something to prove. He had already let Shadow down once tonight. He wasn't leaving it like that.
"Well, I'm not going anywhere." Draco sneered, crossing his arms. It's not like he even cared about the Weasel or anyone else. He was here for Shadow and that was it.
Ginny stared at Neville. Her boyfriend couldn't leave; his brother still needed him. She looked at Ron, the brother she was closest to, and realized that her brother needed her, too. "Fine. I'll go."
"I'll stay," Hermione offered. "I'm okay." Unlike Ron and Ginny, she hadn't been hurt or altered physically, and unlike Neville and Draco, she wasn't hurt mentally or emotionally. Harry - Shadow! - needed steady wands with him.
Luna stood and helped Ginny get Ron to his feet. The others watched them head back toward the lifts, the door with the glowing X shutting behind them.
"Oh no!" Hermione cried. She whipped her wand up and quickly cast, "Flagrate!"
She had moved just in time. All the open doors slammed shut, but the prophecy room door now glowed with a red X. The walls and doors began to spin again. The five remaining teens closed their eyes against the sight of the blue candles and the red Xs blurring and smearing across their vision. They only opened them again when they heard the stones grind together as the wall come to a sudden stop. Now two doors had X's. Fred and George opened both and looked in.
"Over here!" Fred called.
The teens hurried over and looked into the dimly lit room with rows and rows of shelves and prophecy orbs.
"There must be billions," Hermione breathed, wide-eyed as she and the others followed George into the room.
"How can there be so many?" Neville asked faintly. "And all of them are true, right?"
"Some talk about things that are centuries in the future," Draco said indifferently. "It's not like they'll all come true tomorrow."
"But what about free will?" Hermione demanded. "Doesn't seeing this bother you?"
"Why do you assume prophecies contradict free will? If I say you'll read a book tomorrow and you do, did I take away your free will?" Draco argued, eyes narrowed at her.
"Here it is!" George shouted, cutting off whatever argument Hermione was about to launch.
Fred bent and lifted the lynx in his arms. Shadow saw the tag with the name Harry Potter and batted at the orb above it. The ball fell and Draco just managed to catch it before it hit the ground. It was a Seeker reflex; a small ball had dropped and he had caught it. He blushed, realizing that breaking it had been Shadow's intention all along.
"Very good, Dragon," a low, sardonic drawl sounded behind them. "Now turn around like a good boy and hand it over."
Draco's eyes went wide and his back went rigid. Slowly, he turned around. A Death Eater stood behind him.
Just like in a hundred nightmares since that past summer, a thin pale hand reached up for the featureless white mask and pulled it away to reveal Lucius Malfoy. Lucius returned his son's stare and smiled with feverish eyes sparkling in his now gaunt face.
Draco took a step back and felt the twins come up on either side of him protectively. Even Hermione and Neville took a defensive stance at his back. A hiss at his feet brought his gaze down to the lynx who crouched right before him, puffed up and coiled dangerously. The sight of his love and the sense of the others at his back shattered the fear freezing him to the spot. This wasn't a nightmare, and he wasn't alone.
"Father," he drawled, as his eyes went hard. "What a surprise."
Lucius continued to smile as nine more Death Eaters appeared out of the darkness, cutting off every avenue of escape. The twins stiffened upon seeing Ginny, Ron, and Luna hanging in the arms of three masked Death Eaters. Wands were pointed firmly at their exposed throats.
"I found these," Lucius said sweetly, gesturing gracefully at the three unconscious teens. "Do they belong to you? One doesn't look so good."
Draco's hand tightened around the glass orb.
"Give it to me, boy," Lucius snapped, suddenly angry. "Or you will watch them die."
"It wouldn't be the first time I've watched you kill people, Father," Draco said icily. "What makes you think that would bother me?"
Lucius laughed, delighted at his son's spunk. "Oh, Dragon. It may not bother you, but I assure you that it will bother the people who have wands at your back."
Draco darted his eyes to the side and took in Fred's hard, pale features. He looked back to his father. "If you do anything hasty, I'll simply break it. I doubt your boss would appreciate that."
A woman's laugh erupted from the Death Eater to the right of Lucius. She reached up and removed her mask, revealing a beautiful face with bright hazel-green eyes. Long golden-brown hair framed her aristocratic features. She looked like Lenora Selwyn, a fourth year Slytherin. If this woman was a Selwyn, they were in trouble.
"Do you hear him? Do you? He thinks he's in a position to negotiate!" the woman said, still laughing.
"Don't do anything rash, Selene," Lucius cautioned, knuckles white around his wand.
"Crucio!" the woman called without warning.
Ginny's eyes popped open and an awful scream tore from her throat as she thrashed in the grip of the Death Eater holding her.
The twins reacted instantly, both firing off spells unheard over their little sister's screams. Selene ducked, but the man holding Ginny wasn't quick enough. He toppled over unconscious, and Ginny fell to the floor sobbing. The lynx darted forward and pulled her toward Draco by the back of her sweater. A Death Eater reached for Ginny's legs, trying to stop the cat, but Draco dropped the prophecy. Lucius screamed, halting the masked figure.
Draco snatched the orb from the air again, smiling as his father panted with fear. "Let's not do that again, shall we? My hand's feeling a bit slippery. I'm not sure I'll be able to catch it a second time."
"No one move!" Lucius bellowed, glaring hatefully at his son. "Especially you, Mrs. Selwyn!" he spat at the smirking woman.
"As you wish, Lucy," Selene smiled, eyes glowing with excitement.
"Give me the prophecy, Draco, and I'll let you and your friends go," Lucius promised, smiling sweetly, his moods shifting so quickly that Draco had a hard time following them. "My Master was ever so grateful to sense Potter down here, doing his job for him. It freed him to go to the others to help release our companions. In light of this, you'll find we can be generous."
"Of course. Let me just hand it over." Draco sneered. "How about this, Father? You give us the other two and back off. We'll move toward the lifts. As soon as we're all on safely with you on the other side, I'll toss it to you."
"And you'd never dream of letting the lift door close before doing so," Lucius hissed, eyes narrowed. "I would expect an offer like that from Potter there, not from you!" He looked down at the large feline. "Too scared to return to human form, Potter? Not so brave, are you?"
"Oh, shut up! At least he didn't run away like the Dark Lord did." Draco snapped. Lucius took a step forward, but Draco shook his hand warningly, the fragile prophecy dangling in his fingertips. "We do this my way, Father, or you'll never get what you want."
The Death Eaters shifted angrily at the blond's tone, but Lucius slashed out with his hand and they stilled again. "Fine, Dragon. Fine."
xXxXxXx
Shadow couldn't believe this was happening! He stalked forward before Draco; the blond helping Ginny walk while holding the prophecy in sight in his right hand. The Gryffindor girl was crying and limping, still feeling the pain of the Cruciatus Curse, but she was on her feet and moving.
Fred and George came next. Fred carried a still unconscious and badly injured Ron, while George supported Luna. She was awake but groggy and had her arm thrown around George's waist for support. Hermione and Neville brought up the rear, their eyes darting around alertly and their wands steady.
They were making their way down the hall toward the lifts. The entrance to the Department of Mysteries with all the doors lay behind them. They were halfway to the lifts. Four Death Eaters, including Lucius, marched ahead of them. Their grim forms and intimidating, featureless masks watched everything they did, while six more brought up the rear.
Shadow had no idea what Draco was planning. They couldn't hand over the prophecy, but Shadow didn't want the others to get hurt, either. Ron was already nearly fatally wounded. Suddenly, the lift dinged. Everyone froze. Two Death Eaters spun to face the elevator, while Lucius and another Death Eater remained facing the teens.
The lift door opened and all hell broke loose.
Remus, Tonks, Moody, and Shacklebolt came pouring off the lifts, flinging spells. The Death Eaters in front fell almost immediately. Lucius and his partner spun around and began to attack in response.
Shadow shouldered Draco to the side as the blond ducked a stray spell. "Back! Go back!" Draco yelled to the others; Shadow already pushing his way toward the black room. Two Death Eaters tried to get to Draco, but the twins were there and Shadow swiped at the nearest black-robed legs, while the other Death Eaters Apparated closer to Lucius to fight against the Order.
The teenagers overcame the two lone Death Eaters fairly easily and left them unconscious behind them as they ran into the center room and slammed the door. The walls blurred, the doors spun. They were all breathing hard, especially Ginny, who whimpered occasionally, and the twins, who were carrying backpacks as well as Luna and Ron.
Shadow darted forward toward an X-marked door. It was the right one! It was the prophecy room!
They bolted down the alleys looking for places to hide as well as other ways out or even ways that led deeper into the Department of Mysteries. They had no hope that the four Order members would be able to overcome all ten Death Eaters. No. The Death Eaters would be on their trail again soon.
Shadow hissed as the sounds of cracks surrounded them. The Death Eaters were already on them. Who had taken down the Ministry Anti-Apparation Ward anyway? he thought furiously.
A cutting spell lashed out at them and the teens scattered.
"Watch out for the prophecy!" Lucius roared from somewhere in the dark.
"Love you, too, Father," Draco snarled in a whisper, impatiently brushing sweaty strands of hair out of his eyes.
"Reducto!" George yelled and a Death Eater was blasted back into a shelf. Blue lightning streaked out, electrocuting the man. He jerked and convulsed, shrieking hideously as smoke rose from his robes and the hair under his hood.
"The shelves!" Fred called loudly. "Use the shelves!"
"Don't touch them!" Hermione screamed at the same time, learning her own lesson as she severely burnt her hand.
Shadow couldn't see what was going on. He was with Neville and Luna. It sounded like George and Draco were together, while Fred and Hermione were in an alley further to the right. He had no idea where Ginny was, but before he could cross over toward Draco's voice, a Death Eater appeared before him, his wand glowing with telling killing green light.
Neville loosed a battle cry and a thick tooth of earth, about seven feet high, speared up through the stone ground. They were in the lowest level of the Ministry, and earth was only three feet under the artificial stone floor. Neville was in his element.
Shadow scrambled back away from the crumbling dirt and dust, sneezing to clear his sensitive feline nose. He turned and chased after Neville and Luna, hoping the others would be able to make their own escapes. Luna, thankfully, seemed to be quickly coming back to her senses. She spun to the right before Shadow even sensed the new threat and bellowed, "Reducto!" That sent another Death Eater flying against the shelves to be severely singed.
Suddenly Draco, George, and Hermione darted across their alley, down a new one to the left. Three Death Eaters chased them, desperate to capture the prophecy that Draco still held in his hand. Shadow leaped, sailed a good six feet through the air, and landed right on the back of the last Death Eater.
The man screamed as Shadow's sharp claws tore into his shoulder muscles and his deadly teeth ripped into the back of his neck, trying to break it. The Death Eater stumbled, but cleverly slammed backward, forcing Shadow into a prophecy shelf. Shadow yowled in agony as electricity scorched through his body and across his nerve endings.
Luna quickly shot off spells at the backs of the two Death Eaters still chasing Draco and the others. She stood boldly in the open, knowing Neville's skill with shields, confident he would protect her. Neville had already cast a shield before her and was reaching his hand forward, using a sheet of earth to pry Shadow off the shelves. The lynx collapsed, fur smoking. He twitched and jerked pitifully, eyes rolling and obviously unconscious. Neville swung him up into his arms and over his shoulder.
"Come on!" he cried and tugged at Luna's free hand.
They raced the way the others had gone, stepping carelessly over the Stupefied Death Eaters in their path. They ran down two alleys, but had lost sight of their friends. Panting, burning with adrenaline, Neville yanked Luna to the left. The door to the central room was this way, he was almost certain of it.
Luna almost blasted Ginny as she came careening around the corner. Neville grabbed her, barely acknowledging that she was now his height and almost twenty-five pounds heavier. She screamed as a flashing yellow spell almost cut her down from behind. It splashed harmlessly off the shield Neville hastily erected, and Luna shot off an impressive Expelliarmus, sending the Death Eater flying and his wand sliding to their feet.
Neville stepped on it, snapping it violently in two, before pulling Ginny forward.
"Not that way! Trust me!" she cried, eyes wide and panicked.
Neville didn't slow down, but turned another direction in response to his girlfriend's cry. They ran together until they found a door and flung themselves through. They were in the room with the bell jar. "The time room!" Ginny cried in recognition. They ran halfway down the hall when the door on the other end burst open and three Death Eaters poured in. Neville dove behind a desk as Luna threw herself behind a clock on the other side. It would give them both room to aim without getting in each others way. Ginny, however, stood frozen on the spot with fear.
"Gin!" Neville screamed, horrified.
The girl was blasted backward. She went careening over a desk and collapsed on the floor among a shower of clock parts and glass. Neville snarled, but remained undercover, protecting Luna as she cast furiously at the enemy. Shadow stirred at his side. Neville didn't have time to check on him; all his concentration was on his shields.
Shadow took in the near standstill through dazed eyes. The room was buzzing with magic and clocks were breaking all around the room under the pressure. Ginny appeared and managed to take one of the three Death Eaters by surprise, felling him with a simple Stupefy. That wouldn't hold him for long, but it lasted long enough for Luna to knock out the remaining two.
"We have to get out of here," Neville cried, already moving toward the other door.
Luna and Ginny - now bleeding from a gash along her hairline - followed closely on his heels. Shadow shook himself and followed after, limping slightly on his burnt pads. They burst into the amphitheater room with the veil. Neville hesitated, but it was impossible to hear whispers over the sound of battle and the clash of spells. It was madness.
Shacklebolt was battling two Death Eaters along the top tier of seats across the room. Remus was battling Selene Selwyn near the arch, while Tonks and Moody were fighting back-to-back against three Death Eater who were circling around them. The teens gasped as they noticed Fred over to the right, halfway down the stairs. He was crouched protectively over his unconscious brother and barely maintaining his shields as stray spells pounded into them.
Unable to cast offensive spells while holding shields, Fred was left with his backpack. A swamp steamed and gurgled along the top benches above him, protecting him from Death Eaters sneaking up on him, trying to get the higher ground. Smoke bombs and impenetrable pink fog screened his half of the amphitheater, making him an even more difficult target, but that was thinning and it looked like he was about out of tricks. Neville, the two girls, and Shadow ran for him.
"I think," Fred yelled when they passed his shields, "the Department of Mysteries knows it's under attack! The doors never lead to the same place twice and I can't find the center room anywhere!"
"That's not good," Neville exclaimed, replacing Fred's shields with his own.
"How's Ron?" Ginny demanded. She felt for a pulse and was distraught to feel how weakly it pulsed. The redhead's breathing was labored, as well. She quickly cast a healing charm, the one Hermione had used, but it didn't really help.
"We have to get out of here," Fred yelled back in answer. He stood and began firing at the Death Eater dueling Tonks. The woman tossed a grateful wave, obviously overwhelmed.
Luna stood by Fred to help him attack, and the redhead grinned at her. She smiled back and threw a powerful Reducto at Selene Selwyn, who was coming up from the left.
"Where are the others?" Neville called.
As if in answer, a sharp scream cut across the room. Shadow's head snapped up and he leapt into the swamp at their back. It was Draco! He ignored the dismayed cries of his friends and in the direction the scream had come. His claws gripped the wood and vines easily and in less then five seconds he was across without ever touching paw to the treacherous water below. He hit a door and it burst open under his weight.
Shadow skid into a new room and froze with horror, all his fur bristling up and his ears pinned flat. Lucius Malfoy Disapparated, leaving his delighted laughter echoing behind him, and Shadow was alone with Draco. The room was fairly open. Desks were shoved up against the walls; papers and notes were strewn everywhere. In the center was a huge tank with things floating inside. Shadow hardly saw any of this. He ran across the room, toward the center where Draco lay still. He didn't notice when he transformed, but he fell to his knees beside the blond, human again.
"Draco!" he cried helplessly. He reached for his friend's shoulder, hysteria shuddering along his nerves. "Draco! Answer me!"
Draco's eyes opened and, with a weak bloody cough, he grabbed Shadow's wrist and managed to focus on Shadow's distraught face.
"I thought you were dead, you idiot!" Shadow yelled, curling over Draco's prone form, laughing and crying at the same time.
"He… didn't get… the prophecy…" Draco gasped, panting for air. "I… smashed it."
Shadow closed his eyes, feeling like Draco had just hit him. Here Draco was, in obvious pain, left for dead by his own bloody father, and all Draco cared about was protecting him; all Draco was worried about was making sure he knew the prophecy was safe. Shadow opened his eyes, yanked Draco up by his shirt, and crashed their lips together.
Draco gasped, utterly shocked. His hands spasmed before coming up and gripping Shadow's shoulders for support. Shadow took advantage of the parted lips beneath his and slipped his tongue inside, swiping it along Draco tongue, tasting blood - blood that had been spilt for him - and a taste that he knew was uniquely Draco's. It was a taste he had been dreaming about for months.
Moaning, they sat there, oblivious to the world, energy snapping between them, soft skin sliding, taste exploding across their tongues. Shadow opened his eyes, feeling Draco's warm breath across his cheek, and drank in the smoky-grey eyes blazing back at him. They sat there, staring and gasping, both utterly stunned at what had just happened.
"You… kissed me," Draco muttered inanely.
Shadow swallowed hard. "Yeah… Yeah, I did."
"Well, that's…. great…" Draco smiled. He lifted a hand and cupped the brunet's cheek, and Shadow couldn't help laughing at the blond's almost drunk expression.
Still smiling, Draco pulled Shadow down and their lips touched again. This time it was slow and brief. Shadow was on his knees, hands braced on either side of blond's head. Draco's arms were around his back; his hands were gripping his shoulder blades fiercely. Their mouths were wet and warm. Draco sucked on his lower lip gently, making Shadow gasp and sending jolts of sensation shooting down his body.
Sighing, Draco's arms went lax, and their lips parted with a soft sound. Shadow sat back and pulled the unconscious teen so that his head and shoulders were pillowed by his thighs. He had a sudden insane urge to cry. His lips were on fire, his heart was threatening to burst a hole through his constricted chest, and he felt hot and tingly. He couldn't believe he had just kissed Draco!
"I hate to interrupt, but… I think I have a problem."
Shadow's head snapped around and he caught sight of George huddled under a table. He was holding his right arm to his chest and it didn't look good. It was bent in about seven different places; the hand and forearm looked like mangled putty. Hermione lay unconscious next to the redhead, a steady stream of blood trickling out of her nose.
Shadow gently lowered Draco to the ground. He thought for sure if it weren't for the battle demanding his attention, he'd be screaming about now. They had kissed! Dizzily, Shadow somehow managed to get to George without falling down.
"We can't get out. The Department of Mysteries won't let us leave as long as the battle's going on," Shadow explained, forcing his scattered wits back into coherency. "Fred has a good defensible position. If we can get there…"
George nodded jerkily and tried to stand. He yelled hoarsely, pain wracking his form. "I got it," he hissed when Shadow tried to help him. "Get Draco. Go!"
Reluctantly, Shadow turned and ran for the blond. It was quick work, levitating the unconscious blond with his wand and then casting the spell again, this time wandlessly, on Hermione. George staggered in front of him. Muttering a password, he stepped out onto the water and walked easily across its surface as if it were pavement. Shadow quickly copied him and followed after with the two injured teens.
"Shadow!" Neville cried out, panicked seeing his brother's return in human form!
Shadow shook his head. He had no time to hide in his Animagus form. Things were looking really grim. Even as he watched, Remus fell against Lucius and Selene. Tonks was about to go down as well and Shacklebolt was being maneuvered toward the dais with the veil, where all four Order members were being herded. The Death Eaters were just playing with them now.
He grabbed the backpack George managed to drag with him and threw out more smoke bombs, while Ginny helped get Draco and Hermione comfortable next to Ron and keeping them all out of the way. George sat next to the three unconscious teens, looking exhausted and like he was minutes away from passing out himself. Luna and Fred were firing spells more frantically now, and Shadow added his own wand to the battle.
Four Death Eaters broke away from the rest. They were heading toward them, and Shadow had a feeling they were going to enjoy breaking through to tear them apart. It was their fault for destroying the prophecy and making them fail their Master, after all. Someone was going to pay for that, and it looked like they had their sights set on Shadow and his friends.
Ginny screamed as two sliver streams of light left a crater in the ground not three feet from her. The Death Eaters laughed, while Neville strained to force his shields to cover them all again. He was running out of spell energy; it wasn't something he had very much of to begin with and being able to ground his shields only helped so much.
There was a loud explosion of light as a rancid yellow spell hit the shields. The backlash was so strong, it cut through the rippling shields and threw Luna off her feet. She screamed as she landed in the swamp with a sticky splash. Fred yelled something ugly and slashed out with his wand, spinning one of the six Death Eaters off their feet. He fell a second later, a spell leaking in through the battered shields, making him scream in agony.
"No!" Shadow yelled, recognizing the Cruciatus. He darted forward and used one of his father's spells. The Death Eater fell back, screaming as blood erupted from his head, his ear severed. Shadow pulled Fred's still weakly twitching body deeper behind their defenses; George reached forward with his good arm and helped.
Shadow knew it was only a matter of time before they were worn down. Ron, Hermione, and Draco were possibly dying; George and Fred were severely wounded; Luna was still struggling in the swamp; Ginny was useless due to shock and huddled in on herself. Only he and Neville had any strength left, and Neville couldn't last much longer.
Panic clawed up his throat and he felt his hands begin to shake. Something deep in his mind stirred, and Shadow screamed in denial. Demon - Seraphim - whatever! - scared him more than anything. He didn't want to lose control of himself. He didn't want to disappear! What if he hurt his friends? But he couldn't calm down, and the dark entity of pain and rage was waking, would take over if he didn't do something to get his friends out of this death trap!
"Professor Snape!" Neville cried out, relieved beyond measure.
Shadow's head snapped up and he looked across the way. A smile broke across his face and he let loose a little cry. Severus stood framed in the doorway, his face set in hard lines, deadly intent almost blazing from him. He was filthy and thinner than Shadow had last seen him, but he moved with snake-like quickness and grace, almost flying down the stairs to engage the Death Eaters about to finish off the Order members on the dais.
Sirius sprinted in after him, running in his wake with a battle cry on his lips. He ran straight for the Death Eaters that were pressing down on the teens and soon Shadow and Neville were looking at their backs as the Death Eaters turned to engage the Animagus. Finally given a few moments reprieve, Neville let go of the shields and slammed his hands on the floor.
The ground heaved violently under their feet; rock and earth rose around them in a small four foot wall that they could crouch behind safely. Shadow peered over the edge and laughed a bit as he watched his father round up the surprised, wounded, and tired Death Eaters by the veil. Two Apparated away to who knew where, but the four remaining Death Eaters were viciously bound, gagged, and rendered unconscious. Severus snapped all of their wands carelessly under his boot.
Moody didn't look up at his rescuer, Shadow noticed, but turned and crouched over an injured Tonks. Remus was already waking up and getting unsteadily to his feet, while Shacklebolt shouted what looked like questions at Severus. The Potions Master gave sneering, clipped responses. Shadow scowled at this. His father had saved them, for god's sake!
Sirius was just securing the two Death Eaters he managed to catch when a crack of Apparation sounded behind him. The ex-convict heard it and began to spin around, but it was too late. He toppled over, unconscious, as Lucius Malfoy cackled in triumph and turned to face his true target. Severus hadn't heard Lucius' return. He was too far away.
Shadow jumped to his feet, screaming a warning, but Lucius already fired. The red spell hit Severus squarely in the back and he fell forward, straight into the veil. The world crumbled away at the edges; Shadow's scream shrank and distorted in his ears as he watched in slow motion his father's stringy, greasy hair stream out behind him as he half-turned. Then he just… disappeared into the veil.
Shock, terror, rage ripped through Shadow at once and exploded behind his eyes. What did that mean? Where had Severus gone? Moody and Shacklebolt were right there! They could have caught him! Half out of his mind, Shadow ran down the steps, blind to Lucius. The man laughed and Apparated away, his work done.
Remus reached for Shadow desperately. "There's nothing you can do!" he yelled, wrapping his arms around the distraught teen tightly, imprisoning him against his chest. "SHADOW! Stop! It's too late! He's dead… He's DEAD!"
"NOOOOO!" Shadow shrieked and it felt like he shattered into a million pieces.
Seraphim came roaring to the surface, filling the body it slept within. His rage was so great that it felt like reality - the walls - the world -rippled around him, trying to get away. Never had he felt so purely furious, because it wasn't just rage he felt. A grief so shattering and horrible twinned throughout the anger and drove him beyond the brink of sanity.
He swore! He swore nothing would hurt him again, and it fucking hurt! It made him crazy! He hated these people. He hated all people! They hurt him, and they never stopped hurting him. Even when they didn't fucking touch him, they were hurting him! When did it stop? It would never STOP!
Roaring, the teen flung Remus off him, literally sending him flying across the room. Moody jumped to his feet, his magical eye spinning so fast that it flew from his head and began to smoke on the floor. Seraphim slapped his hand out and the old Auror went flying. He smashed into the benches and something cracked. Moody howled once and then fell absolutely silent. Shacklebolt froze in place, just staring at the teen before him, taking in the green eyes blazing with insanity, the black curls thrashing in an unfelt wind, and the young face twisted with grief and anger.
Seraphim was oblivious to the Auror's scrutiny. He stood there screaming his defiance to the world. He smashed and he tore, he killed, but it didn't help really. It still hurt! Suddenly, an idea struck the alter, and it was so new and unusual that he had to laugh. If smashing these pathetic little insects didn't stop him from hurting, maybe he had to find the thing that hurt and put it right.
But what had he lost? What had hurt him? Seraphim looked around madly. Then he saw. A person with brown hair was holding his Boy up. No, his name wasn't Boy anymore. They weren't Boys, damn it all! It was Draco. Yes, Draco. Seraphim flickered. One second he was on the dais, the next he was standing in front of Neville.
Snarling, Seraphim threw the Gryffindor to the side, ignoring the yelp as the teen hit the wall. He caught Draco in his arms and screamed when he saw the damage Draco had suffered. He cradled the blond to his chest carefully, filling him with healing magic, the light and sparkly magic that glittered just beyond reach. But it always came when he called for it; it was his the way the Dark magic was his.
Draco arched in his arms, crying out as the magic saturated his body and set things right. Seraphim held him for long minutes before Draco blinked, tears sliding unnoticed down his face. Seraphim stared into his eyes, his head tilted, and spoke in a tight, confused voice.
"What hurts? Tell me how to fix it."
"I feel fine," Draco said softly. He twisted a bit and Seraphim set him on his feet.
"Severus…" George croaked, looking at the confused blond, his voice dry and clearly showing that the redhead was still in severe pain. "He fell… He fell through the veil."
"No!" Draco gasped and spun to look at it, horror in his eyes.
"What does that mean? Tell me!" Seraphim demanded, grabbing Draco by the shoulders and shaking him. But the blond was too shocked to answer. He just kept staring. Seraphim growled and slashed his hand out at the redhead.
George gasped, going rigid as the magic ruthlessly invaded his every cell. Panting, sweating, he eventually lifted himself to his hands and knees, his body completely healed.
Seraphim marched over to him, ignoring the other teens who lay still or unconscious around them. He lifted George by the shirt and snarled into his face. "Tell me! What. Hurts!"
"Severus! Your father! He fell through the veil. He's gone, and you hurt because you want him back!" George cried out, kicking helplessly at the air as the alter lifted him off the ground.
Seraphim dropped George carelessly and flickered again. He appeared before the veil. Father… He didn't have a father, but he knew there was a second self. Until now, he had never before understood that what hurt Shadow also hurt him. It infuriated him! How was he suppose to make sure never to hurt again when this Shadow was Outside and he Inside?
Confused, hurting, angry, Seraphim flickered and appeared before the veil with a furious scream.
"Seph! NO!" Draco bellowed, horrified. He raced down the steps for his friend, but it was too late. Seraphim was up to the elbows in the veil.
The alter strained with all his might against the pull of the fluttering curtain. The cords of his neck stood in sharp relief, sweat literally dripped down his face and soaked his shirt at the back and chest. Draco ran, heedless of the danger of falling. All he could think about was pulling Seph out of there.
Seraphim screamed painfully. Waves of magic rose off the alter like steam, like sparkling fog, and was sucked into the veil. The Dark magic and the healing magic became visible as Seraphim strained. Blood began to trickle from his nose, from his eyes. Draco screamed at him, demanding Seph let go, to come back. The alter was almost up to his shoulders, his feet were sliding slowly, so slowly, forward. Shacklebolt had Draco firmly, preventing him from grabbing a hold of the teen.
"Give… Him… BACK!" Seraphim growled. His eyes still blazed and magic literally poured off his form, but he was losing the battle and exhaustion was already tinting his voice.
Flashes cut through the alter's mind and he flinched, flashing his teeth in defiance. He saw Uncle; felt anew the foul derogatory epithets and instruments of punishment cutting into him. He remembered the sound of the eagerly circling masked men with agony on their wands and joy in their cruel eyes. He could still smell the musky cum of the maggot who imprisoned him inside this body and forced him to succumb.
No! He wouldn't cower anymore. He wouldn't let them beat him down. He wouldn't submit anymore to anything! He'd fight. He was going to stop the endless cycle of pain; it was going to end here!
"GIVE HIM BACK NOW!"
Thick, vaporous whips of pure magic rose off the alter and snapped at the archway, piercing through the veil. Seraphim screamed and pulled back with all his strength. And slowly he began to pull his arms free.
Shacklebolt's mouth dropped open as the ground trembled under their feet and the archway began to crumble. Draco lashed out and finally freed himself from the Auror's steel-like grip. He flung his arms around Seraphim's waist, ignoring the magical shock that stung his arms, and pulled backward.
Seraphim's hands came free and Draco gasped. The alter had something! Then Severus' head popped out, then the man's shoulder's, his torso… The three of them fell backward on top of one another. Seraphim sat up and cradled the unconscious man to his chest. He looked up at Draco with tormented green eyes.
"This is him? This is the father?" he asked, his voice thready and weak.
"Yes," Draco reassured him, laughing. "You did it! You saved him, Seph!"
Seraphim looked down at this new person he had to protect, feeling triumph that he had finally won. He had stopped the endless pain. Draco and this pale, silent man; these were the two people whose loss would hurt him. He couldn't really fathom why this would be so, but he knew that ignoring the reality would be pointless. The loss of either person would hurt him whether he understood or not, and he wasn't about to let that happen.
Unsteady ground heaved violently and the arch with the veil completely disintegrated. Shacklebolt stumbled back, coughing against the dust. Draco covered his face, protecting it. Seraphim gasped, but managed to stand and drag the blond and Severus further up the benches and away from the collapsing ruin. The ground was still shaking and it was getting worse.
"We have to get out of here!" Shacklebolt screamed, already crouching over Tonks. "The whole place is going to come down." He pulled the woman over toward Remus and ran to check on Moody. He shook his head sadly. He was dead. Moving on, Shacklebolt moved to check on Severus.
Seraphim snarled at the man in warning, a murderous fury rising in his expression.
"I've got them!" Draco called. "Get the others!"
Shacklebolt's dark eyes measured the filthy blond for a moment before levitating Remus and Tonks up to the earthen defenses that the teenagers were hiding behind. He had to get his injured Order members and the incapacitated Death Eaters all in one place before he could activate his portkey.
Straining, falling twice, he managed to get Tonks, Remus, Sirius, and the Death Eaters over to the makeshift fortress with the frightened and injured teens there. He turned to see where Draco was, wondering what was taking the blond so long to get Shadow and Severus up there.
The room was empty. They were gone.
Shacklebolt took a step forward, determined to search for them, when the ground gave a mighty heave, throwing him off his feet. He crawled over to the bodies of his allies and charges. "Get in close. Make sure everyone is touching some part of me!" he bellowed desperately.
The air was filling with so much dust and grit he could hardly breathe. He lay flat among the pile of bodies and hoped to Merlin he had everyone. No one was going to survive the collapse of floor nine of the Ministry. He activated the portkey and felt the tug behind his navel just as a large chunk of the ceiling came down, missing the helpless group by mere seconds.
Chapter end.
A/N: I was going to cut the chapter at about page 12 where it says the Death Eaters wanted to get revenge on Shadow and his friends, but I thought you'd all kill me for another cliffhanger. So I just went ahead and finished the DoM scene. Because of this, however, I don't have the next chapter even started, so it might be a week or maybe even two before I update again. Sorry, but hopefully you'll forgive me since I did add in the long awaited FIRST KISS! (cackles madly) Okay, how many of you saw that coming? (giggles)
This was a long chapter with a lot of stuff happening, so I'm really anxious for some feedback. Did you like the changes from canon? Did you like the first kiss? I promise to justify Severus and Sirius' sudden appearance in the next chapter. Do you guys like alter Seraphim? Anything you want to mention would be great!