Harry Potter and the Brethren of Ares

Disclaimer: See prologue.

Rating: PG-13, especially this chapter.

By: Merusa

Update Apology: *bangs head on computer screen* Bad author, bad author!

Note: This chapter contains an obscene amount of references to "FRIENDS".

Chapter 22: Bellatrix, Albus, Minerva

"MOLLY!"

Penny Weasley grabbed her swollen stomach, gasping for breath.

"MOLLY, IT'S TIME!"

Molly Weasley practically fell down the Burrow's old stairs, skidding to a halt before her daughter-in-law.

"Come along, Penny dear! To St. Mungo's!"

Molly pulled a book out of her pocket, placed Penny's hand on it, and tapped it once with her wand. The pair sped off to the Wizarding Hospital.

A few seconds later, a loud "pop" announced the arrival of Minerva McGonagall's head in the fire.

"MOLLY? ARTHUR? PENNY?"

There was silence.

"Damnit!"

***

"Clever little contraption."

Harry couldn't help but stare at the wizened headmaster as Dumbledore examined the piece of parchment that had been their Portkey.

"Brilliant, really, making the Portkey react to a password. And the parchment's aura! How on Earth does Tom do it?"

Harry found that he really didn't care.

"Albus, where are we?" Harry could hear the worry in Remus's voice.

"Lumos."

The soft light from Adrienne's wand lit up the small area. Harry looked around and saw nothing but trees.

Cold laughter rang out from behind the brush. "So our guests have arrived."

The group was pulled out into a clearing.

Harry flinched at the throbbing in his scar when he saw the Death Eaters. He did not need to see the speaker to know the speaker.

"Welcome to Chios."

***

"It's alright, Miss Weasley, you've got a little while to go."

Penny glared at the nurse. He looked rather flustered.

"Really, Miss Weasley, I'm sure you'll be fine! Your healer thinks that you'll have no trouble."

She scowled at him. "That's easy for you to say, you haven't got children coming out of your vagina!"

Molly snickered.

He gasped. "Well, I never!" He scurried from the room.

***

"Really, Tom, you must tell me how you altered that Portkey!"

Voldemort stared at Dumbledore. "Are you pissed, old man?" Harry couldn't help but notice that the Dark Lord was holding his wand protectively in front of himself.

Harry pushed his thoughts into motion. He looked around. It appeared that, once again, they were severely outnumbered. Harry was counting on Dumbledore having a plan up his sleeve.

"Tom, are we going to duel or not?"

Voldemort grinned. "No, old man, we're not." With a swish of his wand, Dumbledore and the others were thrown back against the wall and frozen there. Harry was pulled forward. He pulled out his own wand.

Voldemort snickered. "Don't worry, my dear boy, you're not going to fight me." The man backed away from the area, beckoning to a figure behind him. The figure glided over to stand in front of Harry.

For the first time, Harry noticed the Arch. He hadn't seen it before, but he immediately recognized it for what it was.

The Arch Sirius had fallen through.

The figure lowered its hood, and Harry stared into the eyes of Bellatrix Lestrange.

"Bella....make him want to die."

***

Penny chewed furiously on some ice chips. She swallowed. "Molly! Is he here yet?"

The frazzled looking woman hurried into the room, smoothing her hair back out of her face. "I'm afraid not, Penny dear. Don't worry, we'll find him- soon, I promise." She pressed a cool cloth to the young woman's forehead.

Penny cried out. "Here comes another one!" She gasped, and leaned forward.

"Breathe, Penny, Breathe!"

"I WANT THE DRUGS, MOLLY, I WANT THE DRUGS!"

Molly shook her head. "What's drugs?"

***

Bella smirked at Harry. "Familiar, Potter?"

He didn't have to ask what she meant.

He glared at her. "Let's do this."

Her wand lashed out. "Vitrum!"

Harry dove underneath the spell. He swung his leg around to catch Bella's face, but she caught his ankle with surprising strength.

"Good try." He struggled. "Not good enough."

She spun his leg around with force, causing him to twirl in the air. He fell, and his back slammed on the ground. He cried out.

She laughed.

In a flash, he had lifted his wand. "Semper Febris!" he gasped.

The spell hit her full force in the chest. She stumbled, gasping. She looked down at him, cheeks flushed, eyes beginning to glaze. "Oh, you'll pay for that! Matara!"

Harry struggled to stand but she had been so close that he couldn't move in time. He shouted in pain as the javelin she had conjured pushed through his shoulder and into the ground.

"HARRY!" He recognized Remus's voice, and heard his friends struggling to get lose, but he knew it was hopeless.

"Finite." She murmured, pointing at her chess. She stood up straight again. "Tired, Potter?" It was the truth; he was gasping for air and losing a lot of blood. "Ready to give up?" She bent over him.

He snapped his leg up, this time landing a kick right on her cheek. She stumbled, and held her face. "Bitch." He spat, bringing up some blood. Reaching with his good arm, he pulled the javelin out of his shoulder and stood. "Ferula," he muttered, and bandages sprang and held his left shoulder in place. He knew he didn't have much time before she recovered, and that she would be ticked off.

He saw the Arch out of the corner of his eye...and got a horrible idea.

With a horrible scream, Bella was rushing towards him again. He ran towards the platform that held the Arch, focusing on the veil. He didn't let himself think.

Bella laughed. "Want to visit your godfather, Harry?"

That was when he snapped.

She jumped at him, and he bent over at the waist, catching her on his back. Using all his strength, he threw her off him..

..and through the veil.

***

"Penelope, you're at nine centimeters, if your husband isn't here soon, I'm afraid that you'll have to give birth without him." The healer smiled sadly, notated something on Penny's chart, and left the room.

Penny appeared to be ready to cry. "Molly, I need him here." The older woman tucked an arm around her shoulder, and gently pulled her into a hug.

"He has an important reason why he's not here, dear. You know that he would be here if he could...but you also know that he loves you, and that no matter what he just wants you to get through this okay, with your beautiful baby."

"Babies, Molly."

"What?"

Penny choked back tears. "Babies. We're having triplets."

Molly smiled. "That's wonderful, dear. Do you know the names?"

Penny laughed, and nodded. "Minerva, Albus...and Percy."

Molly laughed too. "That poor girl will get a run for her money."

Penny smiled. "Don't worry, we'll-" she gasped. "Molly!"

"Healer Brightmman, we need you!" Molly shouted. She propped Penny up on the pillows, and grasped her hand.

The Healer lifted up the blankets. She smiled at Penny. "We've got a baby coming!"

Penny shook her head desperately. "Not without Percy!"

"I'm sorry, Penelope, I can't make this baby wait!"

Penny cried out in pain.

***

It seemed to take forever. Harry turned just as Bella left his back, and watched as her body slid partway through the curtain. She hit the ground through the ground, and fought, screaming, but she was slowly dragged in. The last Harry saw of her was her hand, grabbing madly at the ground.

"BELLA!"

A Death Eater that must have been her husband stepped forward, shaking. He shook his head back and forth, mouth moving wordlessly.

"Step into line!"

Fear of his master overtook his grief, and the man stepped back into line, still staring at the swaying veil.

Voldemort gave a few slow claps. "Good show, Potter. But, we both knew that she couldn't kill you...that only I can. That only you could-" he laughed "-kill me."

Harry straightened and looked at him, horror at what the Dark Lord was saying overtaking the shock of what he had done.

"Wondering how I know, Potter? Neither can live while the other survives."

Harry just stared.

"Would you like to find out? Well, then. Step forward!"

Harry gasped as Percy Weasley floated out into the center of the room, eyes unfocused and clothes messy.

"It's brilliant, isn't it? The simplicity of it," he whispered, "I thought of it all myself. Get control over someone you all trusted, who heard everything, using the same methods that did not fail me two years ago. Summon a god to help me, and send that god's helper to cause discord around you and to see what you know. It's so simple, Potter, because it was so obvious. It worked so well because you were too busy playing the hero to see what was right in front of you. And now, because of your blindness, another will die....you will die."

Percy blinked as Voldemort's wand came off of him and pointed at Harry. "Where am I?"

"It doesn't matter now." Voldemort's wand was trained on Harry, and there was a mad grin in his eye. "It's Potter's time to die!

"Avada Kedavra!"

***

"One more, Penelope, one more!" Penny cried out again. "I'M GOING TO KICK PERCY'S SORRY ARSE!"

Little Albus and Minerva wailed from their cribs.

"Push, dear, push! It'll be over soon!"

***

Harry didn't even think to move, because he knew that if he did, the spell would hit someone else. He watched as the green light moved closer and closer, hearing the shouts of his teachers.

"Harry, tell Penny I'm sorry!"

Harry's head whipped around, and he watched as Percy threw himself into the green light.

***

"It's a boy!"

"Your last little boy is here, Penny!" Molly danced around the room.

"Percy," Penny murmured, "Percy."

***

Author's Note: I gave a little explanation about the Portkey...it was really just a demonstration of Voldie's power, that he could manipulate such an old spell to bring groups...not much more to say.

Dedicated to Percy Weasley, a stuffy young man who'd better get things straightened out one day.