The door suddenly burst open causing Hermione and Ron to topple out of it. They scrambled to their feet and allowed the other four to exit. "Come on," Harry said, leading the way across the empty room.
Hotaru looked around, it seemed they were the only ones there. Which unnerved her a bit, shouldn't there be people here? The ominous feeling increased as they passed through some golden gates and went into an elevator type compartment, thankfully it wouldn't be so crowded in there because of the size. Harry moved forward to push the nearest down button. There were loud clanking and movement noises but the elevator was there the next moment so they didn't have long to wait. Harry dashed in first, then the others followed. He pressed the number nine button.
Down they went once again. "Department of Mysteries," Said the voice. There it was, the hallway with the plain black door before them. The same one Hotaru had seen in Harry's vision. "Let's go." Harry whispered, leading them down the corridor. The door to the room was slightly open, allowing a small shaft of blue light to come through. When harry touched the door it swung open and they found themselves in the circular room in Harry's dream.
"Second door right?" Hotaru asked, letting her hand rest upon the door knob.
"This may sound odd coming from me, but there's something wrong here, something I think I'm forgetting about this entire mess." Draco spoke up as Hotaru entered the room and Kioko shut the door behind them. But she was the only one who got through it, the door slammed shut behind her. Hotaru gave an involuntary shriek and then stifled it with her hand. She grabbed the door handle and started turning it frantically, trying to get back to the others. They couldn't just leave her there!
Wait, she stopped trying to open the door, if Voldemort really was down here…it would be better for her to go on alone then, to keep the others from danger. Hotaru swallowed her fear and then marched down the hall, through the rooms, and to the place with all the shelves and spheres. But she hesitated at the doorway, what did Draco say about something he was forgetting? After all, he did have connections to Voldemort through his dad, what if Harry's confirmation was a setup? What if Sirius Black or Voldemort weren't down here?
And what if they were? What if Sirius was being tortured and she was just standing there, debating on whether or not to go on. Hotaru tightened her grip on her wand and began to walk hastily down the rows of shelves. Ninety-seven she thought to herself, she broke into a run and counted the numbers.
It seemed eternity before she came to the right row. She felt her symbol begin to bleed again, her hold of her wand was so tight she had white knuckles, she was prepared to summon her Glaive, or transform, if need be. But…
Hotaru ran up and down the aisle, she tried different aisles, she searched, but could not find anyone there. No Voldemort, no Sirius Black, no one…Except…
Something caught her eye, an orb on the shelf, with the writing, "S.P.T. to A.P.W.B.D, Dark Lord, and (?) Harry Potter" For the longest time she stared at it, wondering, questioning. What was it? She reached out to grab it, but something warned her back. Like a whisper of foreboding from the orb itself. What was it?
"Hotaru!" Kioko suddenly gasped, forcefully quiet, beside her.
"K-Kioko!" Hotaru gasped.
"Night was about to destroy the entire room when you disappeared." Draco muttered.
"You were all for it until Hermione suggested we not." Kioko shot back.
"Guys this is not the time, or place. Harry, look." Hotaru said, pointing to the orb.
"Where's Sirius?!" Harry demanded breathlessly.
"He's not here, I looked everywhere, there's no one." Hotaru told him, even though she wasn't quite sure of that.
"Harry, it has your name…" Ron said, pointing to the orb.
"So—Wait…" Draco raised his hand into the air, "I know I've said this before, but there is something very wrong with all of this." He said. "Potter don't you touch that!" He warned as Harry's hand hovered dangerously close to the orb.
"But it has my name!" He defended, glaring at Draco, who glared back.
"I know it has your name!" he hissed, "I think everyone here does, but that is not the point. Potter, I'm warning you!" He threatened. But Harry's hand closed over the orb and he brought it down to look at. Everyone gathered around to look at it.
"Very good, Potter. Now turn around, nice and slowly, and give that to me."
"I told you not to take it!!!" Draco hissed as black shapes appeared left and right to block their way.
"Traitor!" Hissed a woman. "Lucius look at your son, standing there with that group of filth!"
"Forget him for now. To me Potter." Malfoy ordered, his hand out as if expecting Harry to give him the orb.
"Where's Sirius?" Harry demanded.
The Death Eaters laughed, the same harsh female said triumphantly, "The Dark Lord always knows!"
"Always. Now, give me the prophecy, Potter." Lucius ordered.
"I want to know where Sirius is!" Harry exclaimed.
"If the Dark Lord always knows, does he know that he's playing with fire?" Kioko asked in a 'I know something I know you don't' voice.
"Shut up girl, you don't know what you're talking about." Said the woman confidently.
"You've got him," Harry interrupted, "He's here. I know he is."
"The little baby woke up fwightened and fort what it dweamed was twoo," Said the woman mockingly.
"Don't do anything," Harry muttered. "Not yet—"
The same woman let out a scream of laughter, "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, he has a great weakness for heroics; the Dark Lord understands this about him. Now give me the prophecy, Potter."
"I know Sirius is here, I know you've got him!" Harry exclaimed, desperately.
"Harry," Hotaru said softly, "I think Hermione was right." She said as they laughed.
"It's time you learned the difference between life and dreams, Potter, now give me the prophecy, or we start using wands." Lucius said.
"Alright! Finally some stress relief!" Kioko exclaimed. She raised her wand in a defensive position. Everyone else agreed with her and raised their wands. But the Death Eaters didn't move.
"Hand over the prophecy and no one need get hurt," Malfoy told them coolly.
It was their turn to laugh, mainly Harry and Kioko though. "Yeah, right!" Harry said, "I give you this—Prophecy, is it? And you'll just let us skip off home, will you?"
"And it looks like we have a little something you want, so I suppose if we break it…" Kioko threatened, smirking at the Death Eaters faltered backwards.
"Accio Proph—"
"Protego!" Harry defended, keeping a firm hold of the sphere.
"Oh, he knows how to play, little bitty baby Potter," The woman said, "Very well, then—"
"I TOLD YOU, NO!" Malfoy exclaimed.
Hotaru bit her lip again, thinking fast. They wanted the prophecy, and it was the only thing keeping them from attacking. That didn't give them much room for planning, if they crushed the prophecy the Death Eaters would attack, but if they didn't then Voldemort might get what he wants, whatever he wanted a prophecy for.
The talkative woman stepped foreword and pulled down her hood to reveal the face of Bellatrix Lestrange, Azkaban escapee. "You need more persuasion?" She asked smirking, "Very well—take the smallest one, let him watch while we torture the girl. I'll do it." She said, indicating to Hotaru. But Hotaru held up her wand in defiance as Kioko and Draco both closed in around her.
"That's the Tomo girl you idiot!" Lucius hissed at Bellatrix, who jumped in surprise. "If we harm one hair on her head the Master will have ours!"
"Wow, Hotaru's miss popular now isn't she?" Kioko asked laughingly. But Hotaru found it disconcerting, Mistress 9 was strong when she was in a week state, if Voldemort wanted Mistress 9 to be released he wouldn't care what happened to Hotaru, that is…unless he/Chaos was afraid of Mistress 9 and had to awaken her a certain way…
"So, what kind of prophecy are we talking about anyway?" Harry asked.
"What kind of Prophecy?" Bellatrix looked a bit surprised. "You jest, Harry Potter."
"Nope, not jesting, how come Voldemort wants it?" Harry asked. The Death Eaters hissed with furry.
"You dare speak his name?" Bellatrix whispered maliciously.
"Yeah, yeah, I've got no problem saying Vol—"
"Shut your mouth! You dare speak his name with your unworthy lips, you dare besmirch it with your half-blood's tongue, you dare—" Bellatrix shrieked.
"Did you know he's a half-blood too?" Harry said recklessly, "Voldemort? Yeah, his mother was a witch but his dad was a Muggle—or has he been telling you lot he's pureblood?"
"STUPEF—"
"NO!"
Bellatrix tried to send the stun spell at them, but Lucius deflected it, causing two orbs to crash. And when the shattered two figures appeared and started talking, but their voices were drowned out by Malfoy's voice. "DO NOT ATTACK! WE NEED THE PROPHACY AND TOMO IN ONE PIECE!!!"
"He dared—he dares—He stands there—filthy half-blood—"
"WAIT UNTIL WE'VE GOT WHAT THE MASTER WANTS!!!" Malfoy bellowed furiously.
The shattered orb gave Hotaru an idea, and she guessed that Kioko and Harry had the same one as well. 'The shelves.' She told Draco, and that was all he needed. He whispered it to Ron who told Hermione.
"You haven't told us what's so special about the prophecy, or Hotaru." Harry said, shifting a bit.
"Don't play games with us, Potter."
"I'm not playing games,"
"Dumbledore never told you that the reason you bare that scar was hidden in the bowels of the Department of Mysteries?" Malfoy sneered.
"I—what?!" Harry exclaimed.
"Can this be?" The Death Eaters laughed. "Dumbledore never told you? Well, this explaines wy you didn't come earlier, Potter, the Dark Lord wondered why 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…"
"And what about Hotaru?" Harry asked.
Lucius spat, "I have no idea why he wants that Mudblood." He hissed, "Probably because of her skill and power."
"You do realize you just described something I like to call a living weapon?" Kioko said smirking. "NOW!!!" She yelled.
"REDUCTO!!!" The youths screamed, sending the five curses on either side of the shelves. The spheres on the structures started falling, shattering, and voices spoke out simultaneously, creating such chaos.
"RUN!" Harry yelled.
Hotaru darted down the hallway, hands over her head to shield herself from the chaos. She could hear Kioko yelling hexes behind her, but she knew Kioko wouldn't be stupid enough to mess with all those Death Eaters by herself, even if she was skilled at hexing.
Down the hallway of aisles she ran, Harry and Draco were in front of her, the rest passed them a while back, so Hotaru was stuck looking back to see how far she was from the Death Eaters. She never was very good at aerobics, already she felt so tired, her heart rate was killing her. Draco looked back and turned to get her. "We can't stop!" Harry exclaimed.
"I know!" Draco hissed grabbing Hotaru. He practically started dragging her along the aisles.
She ran with Harry and Draco through the door she had come, they ran into the bell jar room. "Colloportus!" She exclaimed, shutting the door behind them, nearly too out of breath to do that.
"Where are the others?" Harry asked, trying his best to catch his breath.
"I thought they were ahead of us, they must've gone the wrong way!" Hotaru exclaimed.
"Ssh, Listen!" Draco whispered.
"Leave Nott, leave him, I say, the Dark Lord will not care for Nott's injuries as much as losing that prophecy—Jugson, come back here, we need to organize! We'll split into pairs and search, and don't forget, be gentle with Potter until we've got the prophecy and don't harm Tomo in any way, you can kill the others if necessary—Bellatrix, Rodolphus, you take the left, Crabbe, Rabastan, go right—Jugson, Dolohov, the door straight ahead—Macnair and Avery, through here—Rookwood, over here---Mulciber, come with me!" Said Lucious Malfoy.
"Away from the door!" Hotaru whispered, already running again. She passed the bell jar and they ran into the room with the flashing lights. There was a bang on the door and someone yelled "Stand aside! Alohomora!" and just as they said that Hotaru, Harry, and Draco all dived under the desks in the room.
Hotaru held her breath as she saw the bottom of their robes swish here and there. "Check under the desks," Said one. Knees bent and Hotaru readied her wand with a very good spell in mind.
"Silicis!" she exclaimed when a Death Eater bent down near her. Instantly he turned to stone and Hotaru rolled out from the desk.
"H-how did you do that?!" Demanded the other, turning his back to where Draco was stationed. He sounded a bit frightened because Hotaru had just masterfully produced a spell not even some great wizards could do. But now was not the time to pat herself on the back for it.
"Silentium!" Hotaru exclaimed.
"Confundus!" Draco exclaimed at the same time.
One thing can be said, those two spells were not meant to mix. It knocked him out all right, but it changed the guy's skin green and caused him to start sprouting roots and thorns while oozing out this pink goo. Not a pretty sight.
"Come on!" Harry gasped, heading for the door. The three ran out of there and back into the circular room. Hotaru grabbed the second handle to her left and started trying to open it, but it didn't budge.
"What the—?" She gasped as the door knob was jerked out of her hand and the doors began to spin around them.
"Er yeah, they do that, that's why we couldn't get to you soon." Harry said.
"You hear that?" Hotaru asked, pressing her ear to one of the doors. "I hear fighting. Come on." She said, she opened the door and entered quickly, but because of this she nearly slipped on the stone benches stationed around some sort of pit where there was a bunch of confusion. The room was like a large circle with bleachers around it, and in the middle of a circle was an old door-like structure with a curtain hanging down from it. But no time to look at that now, now there was a struggle being held below and they had to help.
"Silentium!" Hotaru tried, jumping lightly down to the battle scenes. She caused a Death Eater to fall to the ground, unable to move, speak, or do anything but lay limp. "Silicis!" She exclaimed, aiming for someone trying to kill Ron. They turned into a statue of stone.
"Nullus Ossis!" Kioko exclaimed, causing the one attacking her to fall on the ground as if all the bones had been taken out of his body.
"Get the Prophecy!" Lucious bellowed, attacking Harry.
"Confu—"
"Oh no you don't girly!" Bellatrix exclaimed grabbing Hotaru from behind. She swiped the girl's wand out of her hand and pulling both of them behind Hotaru's back. "You're coming with us."
"No! Reducto!" Hotaru exclaimed, causing Bellatrix to fly backwards.
"How did you—?!" Bellitrax exclaimed angrily.
Hotaru raised her hand, "Stupefy!" She exclaimed, sending a jet of red light at Bellitrax, who was again caught of guard and thrown to the floor. "Accio wand!" She called her wand back to her and then prepared another stoning spell, but again she was grabbed from behind.
"You're a lot more trouble than you look." Lucius growled in her ear, holding her arms firmly. But she fought him, kicked him and struggled as he tried to drag her away from the battle scene.
"Let her go Malfoy." Said a cool, confident voice to their side.
"Ah, Sirius Black, and what are you going to do if I don't?" Lucious asked, pointing his wand at Hotaru.
"You can't hurt me! Your boss would get mad at you." Hotaru reminded him.
Lucious snorted, "I'm sure he'll pardon an unforgivable so long as you live." He said. It seemed Sirius Black was disposed to do nothing but block the way at the moment, however.
Hotaru released one of her arms and then, using both hands, elbowed him in the stomach with the free arm as hard as she could. He was obviously not expecting that move and released her so she could get beside Sirius close to the veil.
"Let me handle them Lucius!" Bellatrix shrieked. "Reducto!" She exclaimed, the spell hit Sirius and sent him back into the veil. Bellatrix laughed shrilly.
"What did you do?!" Hotaru demanded.
"Everyone who slips through the veil dies." Lucius said laughingly.
"We'll see about that!" Hotaru said, she twirled around on her heal and ran into the veil. "Sirius!" She gasped, and she froze.
The area around here was misty, but not so misty she couldn't make out all the smoky, dark figures standing before her, whispering to each other, holding Sirius and pausing whatever they were doing to stare at her. 'It's her,' She heard, 'The Silent Messiah has returned.' 'Princess Saturn?!' 'The Messiah of Silence reigns!' 'Long live the Messiah!'
Hotaru stepped back, how did they, how were they speaking the silent language? And for that matter, how did they know who she was?! Why did they have a hold of Sirius?! So many questions buzzed through her mind, were they the reason people died when they came into the veil? Were was she anyways?
It was like one swift movement, but everyone that she could see swept down into a bow before her, releasing Sirius. Hotaru bit her lip and reminded herself that there was something very dire going on back behind the curtain. "S-Sirius!" She reached out and grabbed his sleeve. She dragged him back, back through the veil. "You can't die!" She gasped. And then they were back through the veil.
Again, everyone stared at them, Death Eaters and good Wizards alike, just stood and stared. "W-where's Harry and Kioko?" Hotaru asked, looking around and seeing the missing faces. She felt her symbol ablaze but didn't have time to pay mind to it.
"They went after Bellatrix…" Draco said. The next instant Hotaru was going back through the door to the circular room.
The room began to spin again, and stopped. But Hotaru didn't have time to guess, she had to get there, NOW!
A door swung open to her right, it lead down a familiar hall so she took it without question and unconsciously flew down the corridor, her symbol blazing, bleeding, and hurting. But she didn't care about it right now.
Soon she was in the Atrium again, just in time to see Kioko and Harry dodge behind the water fountain statues. Hotaru took a reckless chance and zoomed towards them.
"Potter, I am going to give you one chance!" Bellatrix yelled. "Give me the prophecy—roll it out toward me now—and I may spare your life!"
"Well you're gonna have to kill me, because it's gone!" Harry exclaimed angrily.
"BLACK HEARTED VIXEN!!! I'LL MAKE YOU PAY FOR HOTARU'S DEATH!!!" Kioko shrieked, she ran around the statues and towards Bellatrix, shouting out hexes that Hotaru was sure had been deemed illegal a long time ago.
"Hi Harry…" Hotaru said, a bit weakly.
"H-Hotaru?!" Harry yelled, so surprised he fell and had to use the fountain for support. "B-b-but they said you were dead! And Sirius!" He exclaimed.
"Sirius is alive, and so am I." Hotaru told him.
"No, don't think you would be killed so easily." A cold, empty voice said from behind Hotaru, sending chills up her spine. Slowly, very slowly, Hotaru turned around.
Tall, thin, and black-hooded, his terrible snakelike face white and gaunt, his scarlet, slit-pupiled eyes staring…Lord Voldemort had appeared in the hall, his wand pointed at Harry who stood unmoving.
"To think that my best Death Eaters have let Potter thwart me once again. And you, My Lady, kindly come with me and I promise, however much I want to kill him, that I will spare Potter's life." He said.
Hotaru stepped back, defiant and questioning. She moved smoothly into the line of fire between Voldemort and Harry. Voldemort sighed and crossed his hands over his chest, "I shouldn't be surprised you don't remember, Chaos said you wouldn't, but I am. I can see it in your eyes, you don't remember anything do you? Even in this twisted form I was sure you'd recognize me." He said.
"Wh-what?!" Hotaru gasped, faltering a bit. "Y-you're working for Chaos?!" She stepped back. "What are you talking about!? I don't know you!" She exclaimed, questions flew around her mind.
"Never mind that for now. Just come with me and I'll explain everything." He assured courteously, which Hotaru found disturbing.
"N-no!" Hotaru exclaimed as a few more Death Eaters emerged from the shadows. She raised her hand into the air, "S-Saturn, Silence Power! …Make up!"
(A/N: Okay, I think I speak for everyone when I say those people up there producing Sailor Moon really ripped us all off on Saturn's Henshin. So right here I'm gonna leave the transformation up to the minds of the readers, make it as flashy as you like or as plain as you like, just make it different from the anime version, please?!)
Hotaru spun her Silence Glaive above her head and pointed it at Voldemort. Her fuku had changed over the years of training, instead of being an Eternal Sailor fuku it was like her original, only with the difference of color. Where the white was supposed to be, there was jet black, ebony, making her look more foreboding than normal. "Senshi of Death and Rebirth, I am Sailor Saturn."
"I know very well who you are, I remember, and I'm not stupid enough to face you. I've seen your power, remember? But I also know your current weakness." He said.
"What are you saying?" Saturn demanded.
"Saturn!" Glandria exclaimed, entering the scene. But the senshi of death didn't take her eyes off Voldemort.
"Who—?"
"Galaxia, Shadow power! …Make up!" Glandria commanded, her hand shot into the air. Everyone in the arena turned to watch the golden spectical. Galaxia twisted in the air, her fuku formed around her frame and her hair was pulled up into its crown. When she finished her fist was posed in front of her in a position that reminded Hotaru of her taking a Sailor Crystal almost. "Guardian of the Cauldron, birthplace of stars, and Queen of Shadow Galactica, I am Sailor Galaxia. And I suggest you leave." She told Voldemort.
"Hmph," Voldemort smirked, "Sailor Galaxia, I've heard about you. Unfortunately I am not in the mood."
"You're awfully confident for someone who knows who I am." She raised her hand to prepare a celestial attack. "Saturn, get Harry and Kioko out of here, we'll take care of Voldemort." She instructed.
"We?" Hotaru questioned.
"Hey you! There's no way I'm passing up this fight!!!" Kioko exclaimed, suddenly appearing near them.
"Fine then, repeat after me," Galaxia said, "Tarterus Silence Power Make Up."
"Tarterus Silence what?!" Kioko demanded.
"Galactica Rage!" Galaxia called out, almost instantly the entire room was in an uproar. Flashes of golden light sprung up from the ground and began doing damage to everything while causing confusion at the same time.
"Come on!" Hotaru cried, though she had a feeling her voice was lost in the outbreak. She grabbed Harry with her free hand and ran to the other side of the statues.
"Why did she want me to say Tarterus—whatever?!" Kioko exclaimed.
"I don't know! The entire situation is running a muck! Tarterus Silence Power Make Up! Say it!" Sailor Saturn yelled back.
"Wait! I'm not saying that!!!" Kioko exclaimed looking a bit disgusted.
"KIOKO!!!" Hotaru screamed.
"Fine fine, Tarterus, Silence Power! …Make up!" Kioko yelled. Her hand shot into the air as the symbol of Saturn surrounded by a black circle appeared on her forehead. Gracefully she spun and swirved in her transformation, her fuku was…well it was just like Hotaru's! Only the violet was royal blue and the magenta was violet for her coloring. A glaive appeared in her hand, not very unlike Hotaru's, only it was royal blue where the violet was as well.
"Gah! I'm in a mini-skirt!!!" Kioko exclaimed, waving her arms up and down, and then just noticing her Glaive.
"How-how did-how are—what's going on?!" Harry demanded, confused.
"Hello!" Kioko said, suddenly forgetting about the conditions of her fuku when she saw the very dangerous weapon in her hand.
"Come on! We'll figure this out later!" Hotaru exclaimed, dodging back from behind the statue, ready to attack.
"Wait! I still don't know how to use this!" Kioko said following her.
"It should come naturally." Was all Hotaru could give her before entering a clash between her and several other death eaters. She swung her glaive around her with deadly grace and speed, doing just enough damage to keep them from fighting any more. She saw Dumbledore and a few others fighting as well, but couldn't waste time watching them.
"Hotaru! I don't know how to—!" Kioko exclaimed, she then blindly swat at someone coming at her, cutting their torso open as if it were made of paper.
"Oh dear." Hotaru breathed, but she didn't have time to teach any, she just hoped Kioko could control it enough not to kill anyone.
But the next moment something grabbed her from behind, and the last thing she knew was an odd sent of roses and a crystal shard. She plunged into a pit of darkness.
A/N: Does no one have a question for Kioko?! Or does everyone skip over the A/N's?! Ask Kioko, explained on the A/N of chapter 21.