Disclaimer: I don't own any Harry Potter material. Everything except the characters Sarah Nelson and Angus Black as well as the plot are owned by J.K. Rowling.
Chapter 54 The Prophecy Revealed
All of the students fumbled for their wands automatically. Angus took out his own.
"Stay in this room," he said. "There should be Order members out there also. I'll go and help them. We'll also look for your other friends." With that, he ran toward the passageway Harry had entered from and joined the noise of the battle.
Harry stood still. He was tempted to go out and join in, but then remembered what Angus had said. Voldemort had managed to get information out of Angus Black. Maybe they were better off guarding the place with its information. He looked at the group. "How many passageways are there into this room?"
"I don't know, Harry," said Lavender. She looked around. "There's a lot though, maybe thirty."
Harry shook his head. They couldn't guard them all at once. Then he heard other students' voices sounding down several passageways. Several students entered.
"We're over here," said Harry, calling out as he moved around to make sure they all saw him.
"It's Harry!"
"I knew this passage had to lead somewhere!"
"We can fight the Death Eaters now."
As the students gathered around Harry, Harry counted them. There were 20 of them in total. That meant 10 were still lost in the passageways.
"What are we going to do now, Harry?" called out Luna.
"I say we fight the Death Eaters!" called out a voice. There were shouts of agreement.
Harry shook his head. "It's not that simple-,"
"Oh, isn't it, Potter?" said a sneering female voice.
Harry froze. Then from around the corner appeared Ballatrix Lestrange with no other than the traitor Elphias Doge.
"Well, well, Potter," said Elphias, smiling. "I do hope you do appreciate my disclosing of your lessons with the public. You see, Potter, it isn't good to keep secrets."
Harry glared at him. "You certainly kept one to yourself all this time."
Elphias grinned. "And the Dark Lord's not very happy with your potions master. You weren't there when Voldemort tortured Snape. It was delightful. That slimeball got what he deserved."
Despite Harry's loathing for Snape, it didn't compare with his loathing for Elphias Doge, and he found himself pitying Snape. "What happened to him?" he asked.
"Oh, have no fear, Potter," said Bellatrix. "Snape's still alive. No, the Dark Lord only feels that perhaps a simple goodbye kiss would do the trick."
Harry drew in a breath in shock.
"That's right, Potter," said Bellatrix. "But the Dark Lord intends to deal with Snape at the end. That is, when we've won the battle. My goodness, the Ministry will be throwing Order members into Azkaban pretty fast after this."
"Now to get to what we've come for," said Elphias Doge, raising his wand. "Accio prophecy paper."
Harry watched in fascination as a piece of paper from a top shelf floated out of a folder and through the air. It was too high for him or any of the others to reach up and catch. At last it came into Elphias Doge's outstretched hand. He took hold of it and grinned at Harry.
"You see, Potter, your mission to the Department of Mysteries last year was absolutely useless. Not only did your pathetic godfather die, but your destroying of the record of the prophecy last year was for nothing. You see," he said, holding up the piece of paper, "this has the record of the prophecy on it-,"
"NO!" shouted Harry. He leaped forward his wand at the ready, but Elphias was too quick with him.
"Rictusempra," said Elphias. Harry fell backwards.
Then other people entered the room, and Harry heard the sounds of curses flying and then some of the students joining in. He got up and aimed his wand as he saw a few Death Eaters running down the aisle between two of the shelves toward him.
"Stupefy!" yelled Harry. He yelled it again and again at the Death Eaters as each one of them toppled over. Curses were sprung at him, but Harry managed to avoid them.
"Harry!" shouted a voice. Harry turned and saw Mad-Eye Moody approach him. "Stay close to me! And I saw what Elphias had in his hand. He has the prophecy now, Harry. But let's just concentrate on the battle."
Harry nodded, and he and Moody moved through the aisles. When Harry had reached the outer wall again, he saw Elphias Doge run out into a passageway.
"Master!" he yelled. "I have it! The prophecy! I have it!"
At once, Harry felt the battle moving as several Order members and Death Eaters heard Elphias. Some of the Order members ran after Elphias as did some of the Death Eaters. Harry and Moody went down the passageway as well.
At the first intersection stood Voldemort with Elphias next to him.
"What a treat!" shouted Voldemort. "The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches. … Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies … and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not … and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives. … The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies."
Harry slowed down. Voldemort now knew the prophecy. There was nothing he could do.
