Part II: Regency
Chapter VII: In Which Corinna has the Worst Family Reunion
They were inside a circular room where everything was black from the floor to the ceiling, from the walls to the identical, handless doors. As soon as the door was shut behind them, the circular wall began to move and spun so fast that Corinna could not keep up. It eventually slowed and it was impossible to tell which door that had come in from. It was to purposefully discombobulate anyone who came in who weren't allowed to be there.
"How are we supposed to get back out?" asked Neville, sounding afraid.
"Well, that doesn't matter now," said Harry, "we won't need to get out until we've found Sirius."
"Don't go calling for him, though!" said Hermione.
"Where do we go then, Harry?" asked Ron.
"In the dreams I went through the door at the end of the corridor from the lifts into a dark room—that's this one—and then I went through another door into a room that kind of glitters. We should try a few doors. I'll know the right way when I see it. Come on!"
Harry went straight and placed a hand on the door. Everyone had their wands trained forward as he effortlessly pushed the door open. The long room was flooded with golden light. It almost looked like a classroom set up, but set in the center was a large tank full of deep green liquid. Corinna tried to see what was floating within the liquid, and Hermione confirmed her suspicion after much debate between the others. "They're brains."
"Let's get out of here," said Harry, matching Corinna's sentiments exactly. "This isn't right, we need to try another door."
"There are doors here, too," said Ron. Sure enough, around the room were numerous other doors. Corinna wondered how anyone was supposed to navigate such a place, and how big it could even be.
"In my dream I went through that dark room into the second one," Harry explained. "I think we should go back and try from there."
They all hurried back into the main room, and it seemed everyone was glad to be away from the swimming brains. As the door was about to close, Hermione quickly drew her wand and said, "Flagrate," and a red 'X' appeared on the door. As soon as it was clicked close, the doors spun again to confuse them as to where they just were. But, as the doors stopped spinning, the mark remained. At the very least, they had a way to know where not to go.
"Good thinking," said Harry. "Okay, let's try this one."
He went with the one directly in front of them, which was just as good of a choice as any. He only knew what the room he was looking for looked like, not where it was located amount the confusing doors.
This room was larger than the last with raised seating like one would see in the courtrooms just before the Department of Mysteries. But, in the very center, was an unsupported archway, obscured only by a thin black veil. It fluttered lazily as if there was a draft, but the air was much too still for Corinna's liking.
"Who's there?" said Harry as he stepped down to step closer to the pit. Despite Hermione's warning to be careful, he continued down until he was in the pit itself. He looked up at the archway and Corinna cautiously made to follow him.
"Harry," Corinna hissed, stopping when he seemed to approach the veil. A couple of the others called to him to come back, but they were rooted in place. "Harry," she called again, "let's go, okay?" He acknowledged the others, but he was made no effort to move away from the archway.
"What are you saying?" he asked, his raise voice causing an echo around the near-empty chamber.
Corinna continued down the steps, nearly tripping over her robes as she did so. "Nobody's talking, Harry!"
Others were cautiously moving about the room, as if preparing to drag Harry out if necessary. Corinna at least felt that way.
"Someone's whispering behind there," he said, moving away from Corinna and she stubbornly moved closer still. "Is that you, Ron?"
"I'm here, mate," said Ron from the other side of the archway.
"Can't anyone else hear it?" Harry demanded and he automatically placed his foot on the dais that held the infuriating archway. Corinna had her wand trained on Harry in case she needed to retaliate.
"I can hear them, too," breathed Luna as she gazed at the archway with interest. "There are people in there?"
"What do you mean, 'in there?'" demanded Hermione. "There isn't any 'in there,' it's just an archway. There's no room for anybody to be there."
"Harry, come on," said Corinna as she grabbed his arm. She felt him resist as she tried to pull him down from the dais.
"Harry, we are supposed to be here for Sirius!" shrieked Hermione, her tone matching exactly how Corinna felt at that moment.
"Sirius," said Harry as if in a trance as he continued to watch the veiled archway. "Yeah…"
Corinna could feel something shift within Harry. His eyes widened as the reality of the situation settled around them. He glanced back at Corinna and she was annoyed with herself as this was not the time for her body to react in the way that it did. He looked lost, and she just wanted to pull him into an embrace to guard him from the situation. Instead, she just pulled him away from the dais and he gladly followed after her.
"Let's go," said Harry, as if he was the one who had come up with that idea himself.
"That's what we've been trying to—well, come on, then!" said Hermione. Corinna kept an arm on Harry as Hermione led the way around the dais. Ginny and Neville were also staring at the veil and were needed to be dragged away in a similar way as Harry.
"What do you reckon that arch was?" asked Harry once they were all safely in the circular room.
"I don't know," said Hermione, and she marked the door like she did with the previous one. "Whatever it was, it was dangerous."
The wall spun again. Harry approached one at random again. Instead of walking right through like the previous ones, this one didn't seem to budge. "It's locked!" said Harry as he threw his weight onto the door, but it continued to be stubborn.
Hermione motioned for the others to back away. She attempted an Alohomora as if it were an ordinary door, but nothing seemed to happen. Harry brought out the knife he used to unlock Umbridge's door the two times they had broken in there. He placed the knife in the seal where a knob would normally be. He tried to shove the door open, but it remained still. He looked down at the knife. The blade used to unlock any door had melted into nothing.
"Right," said Hermione, "we're leaving that room." When Ron raised objection, she continued. "It can't be. Harry could get through all the doors in his dream." She marked the door and they all stepped back.
The room spun again, and now Corinna could start to see a dotted streak of red along with the bright blue streak. Once it stopped, Harry chose another door, and it was almost a relief when this one opened. Especially when it opened into a glittering room. With an exclamation from Harry that this was it, they followed after him into the wonderous room of time. He led them down a narrow passage between the tower of glittering objects and a line of desks. He stopped in front a large crystal bell jar that glowed brilliantly. Ginny pointed to the jar as a bejeweled egg rose inside the jar and then transformed into a flittering bird. It fell back and forth, changing form depending on where in the jar it was.
Harry motioned for the others to continue, to some protest from those who were interested in what was going on with the jar. With his announcement that this was it, everyone turned very serious and drew out their wands. Corinna's arm gave a slight twinge in anticipation. Or it could be Parkinson injured it in some way.
Harry led them through the door behind the bell jar to reveal a room with high ceilings and rows and rows of nothing but glass orbs. A shiver ran through Corinna as the cautiously continued into the room, looking out for any sign of trouble. It was cold and quiet in the large room.
"You said it was row ninety-seven," whispered Hermione. Corinna could understand trying to be as quiet as possible. It was like walking into a church or a room with a dying person inside. The very air inside the room demanded reverence.
They were standing by row fifty-three. They looked to the right where there was row fifty-four. Sticking together as closely as the seven of them could while still walking forward, they made their way down the innumerable number of rows. As the row number increased, so had the anticipation that was palpable among the group. They kept their ears trained for any sound, but Corinna was convinced they would be able to hear a pin drop from row twenty-five and they were now in the eighties.
"Ninety-seven," whispered Hermione. They peered down the long row, but there wasn't anyone there. Harry insisted that it was right down at the end, and led the group down between the towering shelves of glass balls. Corinna got an uneasy feeling as they continued down. This didn't seem right. "Harry," said Hermione when Harry seemed to look around wildly. "I don't think Sirius is here."
In the dull light emanating from the glass orbs, Harry looked impossibly pale. There was no sign of Sirius anywhere, or even anything to indicate that there was a struggle in the first place. They were all pulled back into reality by Ron, who was calling out for his best mate. "Have you seen this? It's got your name on it." He was staring at one of the dusty shelves and Harry rushed over. Corinna craned her neck to see what Ron was talking about. One of the dusty orbs included a yellowed label that Corinna strained to read:
S.P.T. to A.P.W.B.D.
Dark Lord and (?) Harry Potter
His hands were already outstretched towards the glass orb, and the others around him tried to warn him off touching it. Ignoring the others, he grabbed the orb and stared at it. Corinna was hoping something would happen, but nothing seemed to be happening. Harry just stared at the orb, confused.
"Very good, Potter," a bored voice drawled behind them. "Now turn around, nice and slow, and give that to me."
Dark shapes emerged out of thin air, block their exit. They all wore hoods and had their wands trained at the group of teenagers. The same voice demanded that Harry pass over the orb to him, and Harry remained still, his own wand trained to the cloaked figures. "Where's Sirius?"
Many of the cloaked figures laughed, but none higher than a cold, harsh, female one. "The Dark Lord always knows!" she jeered, causing Corinna's stomach to curdle like milk that was left out on the counter without a cooling charm.
"I want to know where Sirius is!" demanded Harry, sounding unsure of himself.
"I want to know where Sirius is!" the woman mimicked. "The little baby woke up frightened and thought what it dreamt was true!"
"Don't do anything," Harry muttered when Ron trained his wand on the woman who was mocking Harry.
The woman laughed again. "You hear him? You hear him? Giving instructions to the other children as though he thinks of fighting us!"
"Oh, you don't know Potter as I do, Bellatrix…" Corinna did not hear what the man had said after that. She stared at the hooded woman in complete horror. Putrid bile rose to her throat and she saw her wand shaking in her grasp.
She had never imagined a pleasant scenario where she met her mother, but standing in the middle of the Department of Mysteries with her classmates while the boy she had a crush on clutched an orb that had his and You-Know-Who's names on it hadn't even crossed into the realm of possibility.
Before Corinna realized what was happening, a wand came into view and pointed right at her chest. She did not know who was behind the hood, but it mattered not. She was ready to take on whoever it was. Part of her wondered why they hadn't attacked yet. As Bellatrix mentioned, they thought they were a bunch of children, easily taken down.
"Hand over the prophecy and no one need get hurt," said the same man as earlier.
"Yeah, right," Harry said with a slight laugh. "I give you this—prophecy, is it? And you'll just let us skip off home, will you?"
Bellatrix tried to summon the prophecy from Harry, but he threw up a protection spell before she could finish saying the incantation. "Oh, he knows how to play, little bitty baby Potter! Very well, then—"
"I told you no!" the man bellowed at Bellatrix. "If you smash it!"
Much to her horror, Bellatrix stepped forward and removed her hood. Corinna stared in horror as her mother's gaunt face came into view. She looked even worse than in her photograph on the front of the Daily Prophet, but her eyes were alight with madness.
"You need more persuasion?" she said, breathing heavily. "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!"
Much to Corinna's horror, the Death Eaters moved closer to her. Of course they would assume she was the youngest since she hadn't grown since she first went to Hogwarts. Harry stepped in front of her with the prophecy clutched to his chest. "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?"
Corinna shifted so she could see past Harry's shoulders. Bellatrix remained unmoving as she licked her thin lips. Her lips so much like her own.
"So," said Harry conversationally, as if they all weren't in mortal danger, "what kind of prophecy are we talking about, anyway?"
He was trying to buy them time to come up with a plan. Corinna didn't think her sharp tongue was going to get them out of something like this. They weren't the type that could be tricked with a simple lie or a tall tale.
"What kind of prophecy?" Bellatrix's smile fell as she studied Harry. "You jest, Harry Potter."
"Nope, not jesting," said Harry. "How come Voldemort wants it?"
The Death Eaters around them hissed when Harry said You-Know-Who's name, something that Corinna was oddly used to hearing from him at this point. Not that she would ever say his name…
"You dare speak his name?" whispered Bellatrix. Her eyes seemed to glow with anger.
"Yeah," said Harry. "Yeah, I've got no problem saying Vol—"
"Shut your mouth!" Bellatrix shrieked, something Corinna might have thought was funny if the circumstances were different. "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, and Hermione groaned. "Voldemort? Yeah, his mother was a witch but his dad was a Muggle. Or has he been telling you lot he's pureblood?"
Bellatrix went to stun Harry for his cheek, but the man deflected the spell and sent it crashing into a shelf. Orbs shattered and pearly ghosts shot up from the massacre of glass, talking over each other so what they said was indistinct from one another.
"Do not attack! We need the prophecy!"
Bellatrix shrieked indignantly. "He dared—he dares—he stands there—filthy half-blood—"
"Wait until we have the prophecy!"
The figures disappeared into thin air, but Corinna scantly paid attention to them. Her eyes were transfixed on Bellatrix, trying to come to terms with the fact that this crazed woman was her mother. It was much easier to ignore it when all she was to Corinna were ancient articles and accompanying photographs.
"You haven't told me what's so special about this prophecy I'm supposed to be handing over," said Harry. Corinna felt his foot shift and nudge against hers. She dared not look down and instead shifted her weight to move her mouth closer to Harry's ear. "What?" she asked in a barely audible whisper.
"Dumbledore never told you the reason you bear that scar was hidden in the bowels of the Department of Mysteries?"
"I—what?" said Harry. "What about my scar?"
"What?" Corinna whispered more urgently.
"Can this be?" the man said, sounding delighted. Other joined in with laughter. While they were momentarily distracted, Harry shifted his head slightly and whispered to Corinna, "Smash shelves—"
"Dumbledore never told you? Well, this explains why you didn't come earlier, Potter, the Dark Lord wondered why—"
"—when I say now—"
"—you didn't come running when he showed you the place where it was hidden in your dreams. He thought natural curiosity would make you want to hear the exact wording…"
"Did he?" said Harry and Corinna passed along Harry's message in a low whisper to those nearest to her. Hermione got the rest of the group that Corinna wasn't near. "So, he wanted me to come and get it, did he? Why?"
"Why? Because the only people who are permitted to retrieve a prophecy from the Department of Mysteries, Potter, are those about whom it was made, as the Dark Lord discovered when he attempted to use others to steal it for him."
"And why did he want to steal a prophecy about me?"
"About both of you, Potter, about both of you…haven't you ever wondered why the Dark Lord tried to kill you as a baby?"
"Someone made a prophecy about Voldemort and me? And he's made me come and get it for him? Why couldn't he come and get it himself?"
"Get it himself?" shrieked Bellatrix, cackling madly. "The Dark Lord, walk into the Ministry of Magic, when they are so sweetly ignoring his return? The Dark Lord, reveal himself to the Aurors, when at the moment they are wasting their time on my dear cousin?"
"So, he's got you doing his dirty work for him, has he? Like he tried to get Sturgis and Bode to steal it?"
"Very good, Potter, very good." The man sounded much like someone who was congratulating someone who was capable of tying their own shoes doing as such. "But the Dark Lord knows you are not unintell—"
"Now!"
Six distinct voices shouted "Reducto!" and the six curses flew in different directions, but all aimed for the shelves. Glass shattered around them and the indistinct ghosts rose around them, causing a loud drone to fill the hall. Harry told them all to run as the shelves started to sway uneasily above them and they all put their arms up to protect their heads as they made a run for it, straight ahead. Corinna saw Ron, Ginny, and Luna rush ahead of the others while Harry dragged Hermione and Corinna led Neville to follow them.
Once they were at the end of the row, they all started sprinting quickly as they didn't have to protect themselves from falling glass. The door they had come from was just head, glowing slightly from the large bell jar. Harry made sure that the others got through the door, with Corinna being the last, before slamming it shut behind him.
"Colloportus!" Hermione shrieked at the door to seal it shut.
"Where are the others?" gasped Harry.
Corinna looked around. Ron, Luna, and Ginny were nowhere to be found. They remained silent as they listened to someone bark orders at the various Death Eaters. Corinna winced when she heard him say Bellatrix and Rodolphus, her husband. For a split second, she wondered if he knew that his wife was unfaithful.
"What do we do?" asked Hermione when the voices faded into the distance.
They started with getting away from the door so they weren't sitting ducks waiting for the Death Eaters to find them. They went back through the time room and froze when there was loud slamming against the door.
"Stand aside! Alohomora!"
As the door flew open, the four of them dove under desks. The only thing they could see was the bottom of the Death Eater's robes coming closer.
"They might've run straight through to the hall."
"Check under the desks."
Corinna had scrambled out of the desk to see Harry hit one of the Death Eaters with a stunner, and the other was going for Hermione as she did the same as Corinna to get a better vantage point. Before the Death Eater could begin to say the killing curse, Harry shot his wand out and shouted, "Expelliarmus!"
Their wands went flying close to wear Corinna was still hunched over. She dove for the wands at the same time as the Death Eater and Harry. Neville, however, demanded Harry move out of the way so he could stun the Death Eater. The curse went high over the Death Eater's shoulder and hit the cabinet behind them. Corinna threw her arms up to protect her face from the shattered glass from the doors and whatever was inside the cabinet. She felt shards of glass scratch her arms as the sleeves of her robes had rode up, but they did not compare to landing on the glass shards and the pain shooting through her upper arm and shoulder throbbed as they embedded themselves into her skin.
The Death Eater had managed to get his wand and, despite the pain in her wand arm, she leveled her wand at him and shouted "Stupefy!" at the same time as Hermione. Their curse sent the Death Eater into the crystal bell jar. His head slid effortlessly into the glass as if it wasn't there. Hermione called Harry's wand and handed it to him as Neville helped Corinna stand from where she was sprawled out. They all looked down at horror at what remained of the man's head. It had shrunk down and started bawling as only an infant could. It then grew back to be that of an adult mans. And then back to an infant.
"It's time," said Hermine in awe.
There was a shout from a room nearby. A crash. A scream.
They ran towards the sounds, Harry bellowing out the names of their lost companions. They managed to get about halfway there when the door opened to reveal two more Death Eaters running across the black room. Harry guided them to another door, and Corinna couldn't help but wince when he touched her injured shoulder, the glass digging further in. Black spots danced in Corinna's vision that she could barely register that they had entered a cluttered office area. Before Hermione could lock the door, it burst open and the Death Eaters came barreling inside, and both called out, "Impedimenta!"
Harry, Hermione, Corinna, and Neville were all knocked backwards off their feet. Corinna didn't see where the others had landed, but she was thrown into the back wall, landing right on her injured side. It's like the universe knew how to make things worse.
"We've got him!" one of the Death Eaters shouted into the black room. "In an office off—"
"Silencio!" said Hermione and the man immediately lost his voice.
"Petrificus Totalus," said Harry just as the second Death Eater raised his arm. His limbs snapped together and he felt onto the ground with a loud thud.
Before Hermione could congratulate Harry, she was struck with a spell from the silenced Death Eater. Her face fell as the purple spell slashed through her chest. In the next instant, she crumpled to the ground and laid motionless.
Harry cried out as he knelt down next to Hermione's body. Neville crawled from where he was discarded behind the desks. The silenced Death Eater had kicked out at Neville, his foot connecting with his nose and causing his wand to break in the process. Sometime in the scuffle, the Death Eater's hood had fallen off and Corinna vaguely remembered his picture from the same article that included Bellatrix, not that she had paid much attention to anyone else on the front page.
Although he could not speak, his expression and actions spoke volumes. "Like you won't kill us all anyway, the moment I hand it over!"
At Neville's strained declaration for Harry to never give over the prophecy, Corinna saw that his nose was clearly broken with blood was pouring from his nose and covering the front of his robes. She knelt down in front of him and uttered, "Episkey." The nose snapped into place with a loud groan from Neville. He tried to wipe away the last of the blood from his nostrils.
"Thanks, Corinna."
"Don't mention it," she said as the baby-headed Death Eater came back. Harry used the full body-bind curse on him and he fell with another thud next to his fallen comrades. They scurried over to where Harry was kneeling over Hermione. She tried not to think about how she looked dead.
"What did he do to her?" asked Neville, sounding normal now that his nose wasn't broken.
Both Harry and Corinna looked at a loss, but Corinna reached over to feel against Hermione's neck, looking for the artery. "I feel a pulse." She glanced up at Harry and Neville, who both looked concerned. "I'm sure of it."
"We're not far from the exit," whispered Harry after a few beats of silence, "we're right next to the circular room. Neville, if we can just get you across it and find the right door before any more Death Eaters come, I'll bet you can get Hermione up the corridor and into the lift. And then you can find someone, raise the alarm."
"I don't think we should split up," said Neville, "especially since I don't have a wand and who knows if I'll be able to use Hermione's to do any real damage."
"Then Corinna can go with you," said Harry.
"And leave you and your self-sacrificing arse?" Corinna countered. "Not a chance, Harry."
"But, Hermione—"
"We'll take her with us," said Neville firmly. "I'll carry her—you two are better at fighting them than I am."
He stood up and seized one of Hermione's arms. Harry sighed and stood up to help Neville get her over his shoulders. As Corinna stood, she grabbed Hermione's wand and handed it to Neville. "Just in case," she said. "Better than nothing."
Neville kicked aside the broken fragments of his own wand and they made their way to the door.
"My gran's going to kill me," said Neville thickly, "that was my dad's old wand."
Corinna tried to ignore the guilt swelling up inside her as Harry looked through the threshold. The baby-headed Death Eater was making a ruckus but, as he probably wouldn't notice them, they crept back into the deserted black hallway. The doors slammed shut and the room began to spin again. As it slowed, they noted that the crosses had faded from the doors. They had no way to know which doors they have already entered.
But before they could make a decision on where to go next, a door burst open and three people came tumbling out. Harry and Corinna made a break for them and Neville remained as he couldn't move as quickly carrying Hermione.
"Harry," said Ron around a giggle. "There you are! Ha-ha-ha. You look funny, Harry!" Something dark trickled from his mouth and his knees gave way and Harry bent to try to support him.
"Ginny?" said Corinna, rushing over to her. "What happened?"
Ginny didn't say anything as she clutched her ankle, face white from the pain.
"I think her ankle's broken," whispered Luna who seemed unhurt. "I heard something crack." Corinna didn't think she could help. She had done broken noses before as those seemed to be commonplace among teenagers. But if she did something wrong with a broken leg, Ginny might be worse off. "Four of them chased us into a dark room full of planets; it was a very odd place. Some of the time, we were just floating in the dark." After being interrupted by Ron's crude joke about seeing Uranus, Luna continued. "One of them grabbed Ginny's foot. I used the Reductor Curse and blew up Pluto in his face, but…" She motioned to Ginny who was now whimpering.
"And what about Ron?" said Harry.
"I don't know what they hit him with, but he's gone a bit funny. I could hardly get him along at all."
"We've got to get out of here," said Harry firmly. "Luna, can you help Ginny?"
After much protesting from Ginny that she could do it herself, only to be proven otherwise that she needed her friends support, they were ready to try any of the doors. With a one in twelve chance, their odds were slim about getting the exit on the first try. Harry motioned towards one of the doors and Corinna, as she did not have anyone to support besides clutching her injured arm, lead the way through one of the doors. To the right of them, another door slammed open and her heart seemed to stop when she saw who crossed over the threshold. Three Death Eaters stalked into the corridor led by Bellatrix Lestrange.
"There they are!" she shrieked.
Stunning spells shot across the room. "Protego!" Corinna shouted to deflect those that were coming towards them. Harry unceremoniously shoved Ron into the room. Corinna went to help Neville with Hermione so that he could move faster, and Harry urged Luna and Ginny into the room. Once they managed to slam the door shut, Harry shouted, "Colloportus!"
Unfortunately, they were in the brain room with the numerous doors surrounding the room. "Corinna, Luna, Neville, help me!" The four of them ran around the room, going to various doors and yelling, "Colloportus," to lock the doors to prevent the Death Eaters from coming in. They had split into two groups with Neville and Luna taking one side and Harry and Corinna taking the other. Just as Harry and Corinna were about to meet in the middle, they heard Luna cry out.
Five Death Eaters were surging into the room, using the door that Luna hadn't locked in time. She slammed into one of the desk and sprawled onto the ground unceremonious, going as still as Hermione.
"Get Potter!" shrieked Bellatrix who immediately went for Harry. Corinna wasn't concerned as they wouldn't dare hurt him while they thought they might hit the prophecy. She went for a couple of the others shouting, "Stupefy!" She hit one of the Death Eaters and they went sprawling to the ground. Corinna could hear Neville shouting his own stunning spells, but they didn't seem to want to work with Hermione's wand.
But everything seemed to freeze when she heard Ron shout, "Accio brain!" Everyone who was still conscious turned to look as a brain flew out of the green liquid and latched itself onto Ron. The tentacles unfurled and wrapped themselves around Ron, which he seemed amused by at first, but then his face fell and he stated that he did not like this.
Everything seemed to erupt into chaos as Corinna blocked a couple of stunners from hitting Ginny. She didn't react in time for one of them, missing her be mere inches, but hitting Ginny right in the face and knocking her out.
Corinna looked up as she saw Harry holding up the prophecy for the Death Eaters to see, and she understood what he was trying to do. He was drawing the Death Eaters away from the others, with Bellatrix leading the way with a hungry expression on her face. They dared not curse Harry out of fear of smashing the prophecy.
Hoping Neville could handle Ron and the brain, Corinna rushed to the door that Harry was barreling towards. She threw off a few stunners into the group to slow them down. Bellatrix leveled her wand at Corinna and saw a streak of green erupt. It only missed her because Harry had grabbed her arm and pulled her into the other room with him.
The floor fell from beneath them and they found themselves tumbling and bouncing down numerous tiers. It made her left arm explode with more pain that now joined the others as the two of them became a tangle of limbs. They landed in the pit below, Harry sprawled out on his back. Corinna landed on top of him but skidded to a halt onto her side. The universe finally threw her a bone since it was on her uninjured side.
They were in the large room with the veiled archway and Death Eater laughter echoed off the stone walls, surrounding them in a heavy blanket. The barely managed to scramble up and catch their breath as the five Death Eaters, some of which must have been revived by their comrades, descended the steps that Harry and Corinna had tumbled down. Others were also pouring around the room, completely encompassing the two of them. They tried to back up, but they hit the dais that held the archway. As much as Corinna did not want to get anywhere near the archway, they didn't have much of a choice.
"Potter, your race is run," drawled Lucius Malfoy, who had lost his hood somewhere along the way. She recognized his voice as the one that took charge when Harry first grabbed the prophecy. "Now hand me the prophecy like a good boy."
Corinna kept her wand trained on Malfoy. "Let the others go," said Harry, "and I'll give it to you."
"No, Harry!"
"You are not in a position to bargain, Potter," said Malfoy. "You see, there are ten of us and only two of you. Or hasn't Dumbledore ever taught you how to count?"
"They still got me!" Neville shouted from the Brain Room. He tried to throw out stunning spells, but Hermione's wand still didn't want to obey his commands. Harry begged him to go back to Ron, but Neville ignored him. One of the larger Death Eaters seized Neville and had his arms pinned to his sides.
"It's Longbottom, isn't it," sneered 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. "Why, I have had the pleasure of meeting your parents, boy."
"I know you have!" Neville said, struggling against where he was pinned.
When someone suggested stunning him, Bellatrix turned them down. "Let's see how long Longbottom lasts before he cracks just like his parents, unless—"
Corinna didn't even hear what she said after that as blind panic settled in. "Oh, no you don't, you bitch!" she shouted. "Stupefy!"
Malfoy blocked the stunner and Bellatrix turned away from Neville and looked sharply at Corinna, a mad smile on her face. "I may not have been the one to raise you, but I know you have better manners than to call your own mother that!"
Corinna's blood ran cold as she stared up at Bellatrix Lestrange as if for the first time. She did not dare look at Neville, not wanting to even think about what he thought of her at that moment. "Now, convince your little boyfriend there to give us the prophecy," said Bellatrix when Corinna remained unmoving. "Unless you want me to torture Longbottom here."
"Don't give it to them!" roared Neville as he fought harder to get away. "Don't give it to them, Harry!"
Bellatrix raised her wand. "Crucio!" Corinna winced as Neville's screams of pain echoed around the chamber. He writhed in pain, only remaining upright because of the Death Eater holding him up. "That was just a taster." She stopped so that Neville stopped screaming and was left only sobbing. She turned her gaze back to Harry and Corinna. "Now, Potter, either give us the prophecy, or watch your little friend die the hard way!"
Corinna knew that they didn't have much of a choice. Despite Neville's bravery to protect the prophecy, there was no way they could let him have the same fate as his parents. She tore her gaze away from Bellatrix and looked over at Harry, who seemed to be thinking the same way she was. But, before he could say or do anything, two more doors burst open above them. Five people came rushing into the room and Corinna had never felt so relieved in her life. There was Sirius, Lupin, Moody, Dora, and Kingsley.
Chaos erupted around them as the Death Eaters turned to start fighting the various members of the Order of the Phoenix. Harry and Corinna hopped down from the dais as they dodged and weaved around various spells. A flash of light came barreling towards them and they were forced to dodge in two different directions. As Harry was closer to Neville, he made his way over to him. Corinna stood up and yelled "Protego!" when a spell came her way.
"Wotcher, Corinna!" said Dora and she dodged a spell shot at her from Bellatrix. "Get out of here!"
But Corinna had no intention of leaving. She wanted to make Bellatrix pay. "Flipendo!" she shouted to knock her back into the tier above, which opened Dora up to take her own shot.
"This isn't up for debate!" shouted Dora, looking annoyed at Corinna. Her usual carefree attitude was gone. She was all Auror right now, even if her hair was still a brilliant purple. "Get to Harry and Neville and get out of here!"
Bellatrix recovered and shot a stunner right at Corinna. After yelling the protection spell, she looked around for a safe place to run to. With the fighting erupting around them, there was no way for Corinna to turn. She could just hope that Harry and Neville were safe as she shouted more spells. Dora was right next to her, obviously noting Corinna's predicament. But, before Corinna could do anything about it, a jet of red light hit Dora in the middle of the chest, and she went tumbling down. She laid on the bottom of the pit, unmoving.
Bellatrix cackled loudly and shot another stunner toward Corinna, who jumped down to the seat below and ducked.
"You yell at me for calling you names, and yet you are trying to kill me!" shouted Corinna as panic started to set into her chest. What was she even doing? She knew what her mother was capable of.
Corinna was the reason why Dora was knocked out and possibly dead!
She expected another cackle to come from Bellatrix, but she only heard her shouting more spells. Corinna tentatively looked over to see Sirius now fighting his cousin. She swore he looked like he was having the time of his life. They moved their way down towards the pit, leaving Corinna in the dust. She shakily stood up from her hiding place to come face to face with another of the Death Eaters. She couldn't even begin to put a name to a face when she started shouting the protection spell whenever he shot something at her.
She back away in the opposite direction and turned once she got to the top tier, and ran for one of the doors that would hopefully lead her to the others so she could get them help. When she tried the door, it wouldn't budge. She swallowed thickly as she turned back to the Death Eater that was coming for her. With only one last hope, she trained her wand at the Death Eater and shouted "Bombarda!" at the same time he shouted, "Stupefy!"
The explosion seemed to erupt around Corinna, throwing her back. She didn't know how far up in the air she was thrown, but she was acutely aware of landing flat on her back as stars popped and sparkled in her vision. She could no longer hear the battle around her, only the ringing in her ear that seemed to echo in her head. With a shaky hand, she reached over to her ear to see if she could get the ringing to stop, but all she felt was something wet. She looked at her fingers and distinctly saw blood. Nausea overcame her and she lowered her hand as she could not find the strength to keep it aloft.
She did not know how long much time had passed. She didn't know if she passed out or not. She wasn't even aware of what was going on with her own body.
Eventually, she saw a figure standing over her. She blinked lazily to try to see the figure, but it continued to be a blur to her. A male voice said something, but it sounded like he was underwater, his words indistinct. Another figure joined him, and Corinna could only make out a golden sparkle on the newcomer's face. There were some movements and an object was placed in her hand. She could barely call up the strength to hold on just in time for her body to give a familiar jolt. The chamber faded from her vision and she found herself elsewhere.