Chapter 13: Beyond the Veil
"EBONY!" Sirius's shout echoed through the cavernous room. Harry turned quickly, completely confounded. He turned to the archway just in time to see a jet of red light streak across it and hit a large mass of curled black hair.
Harry stood helplessly as Ebony lurched forward slightly and then fell backward onto the floor of the cold wooden arch. Her cloak fell behind her catching on the rood so that it was nearly indistinguishable from the veil that was now waving furiously.
The room seemed to have gone silent. Even Bellatrix had lowered her wand in apparent shock. Sirius in contrast appeared frantic. He dropped quickly to his knees beside Ebony's limp body.
"Ebony. Ebony please, answers me!" She didn't move. He scurried quickly over to the veil where her cloak had fallen. He grabbed it and rushed back over to her, covering her body in the tattered cloak as if it might contain some power to restore her.
Harry's mind was swimming. He had thought Ebony was a spy. He had seen her in his dream, she had told Voldemort where Sirius was hiding. Even the order had not been entirely certain about her. But if it had all been a dream, if Voldemort wasn't there, if she hadn't told him where Sirius was, then why had she been in the department of mysteries in the first place?
She had been standing on the arch when she fell. In the exact spot where only seconds before, Sirius and Bellatrix had been dueling. Ebony had been completely unarmed; she had no reason to step between them. Unless.
Harry felt a sudden flood of realization. Sirius had been in the line of Bellatix's wand before Ebony had stepped between them. Sirius was the reason Ebony was lying, still on the archway. The red flash of light, the sweeping of the mysterious black veil had all been meant for him.
The flood of realization was soon replaced by a feeling of immense guilt. He had thought she was a spy. He had thought that she was out to betray Sirius. Now, as Harry watched his godfather gather her in his arms and gently stroke her long hair, he realized that nothing could have been farther from the truth.
Harry edged as close to the arch as he dared to go and looked up at Sirius. His face seemed to have stilled from it's frantic state. His eyes had very suddenly become blank, cold, void of all hope. As Harry starred closer he saw the very faint form of two tears sliding down Sirius's sunken cheek. It was the first time he had ever seen his godfather cry.
Bellatrix meanwhile seemed to have recovered from the shock of failing to hit her intended target. She was now edging closer to Sirius, wand out. As she reached near enough to see his face, she let out a cold, shrill laugh.
"Well, well." She said with a sneer. " I never thought I would live to see the day when my dear cousin would cry like a child." Sirius lowered Ebony's head back down to the floor of the arch before leaping to his feet. His eyes, which had appeared empty only moments before were now filled with a passionate hatred that Harry had never before seen.
"Shall we continue?" Bellatrix asked, a smirk still lighting her dark face. Sirius wasted no time.
"Impediment-" the words were barely out of his mouth when
"Crucio!" Sirius fell to the floor writhing in pain. Harry began to run up the ramp to the arch his wand raised when he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Harry, there's nothing you can do. Let Sirius handle it." Lupin was struggling to hold Harry away from the stairs as Bellatrix lowered her wand and Sirius's screams ceased. He now lay on the floor whimpering from the aftershock of pain. Bellatrix's smirk broadened.
" Frankly I expected more of a fight from you Black." She said pacing around him. "You did love her didn't you? Enough to die for her, as she did for you? Stupid girl." She began to laugh again. Sirius had jumped to his feet again his wand pointed directly at Bellatrix's heart.
"Avada kedavra!" Sirius and Bellatrix both shouted together.
The two jets of green light met in mid air. They seemed to battle each other, each side gained momentum for a few seconds until it was shielded by the other. Behind them Harry could hear Dumbledore's battle with the other death eaters continuing. He didn't turn to watch. His eyes were fixed on the battle ensuing on the dais.
After several painful moments, Bellatrix's strand moved closer to Sirius as the jet of green light emanating from Sirius's wand was pushed further and further back.
Bellatrix's curse was quickly gaining momentum as Sirius's jet was fast fading from view. Before Sirius could do anything to block it, Bellatrix's curse had hit him squarely in the chest.
"SIRIUS!" Harry yelled. Lupin had dropped his hold of Harry's shoulder but quickly grabbed it again as Harry tried once again to run up the ramp. Sirius's eyes had widened in shock .
It seemed to take Sirius an age to fall. His body curved in a graceful arc as he sank back through the ragged veil hanging from the arch.
"EBONY!" Sirius's shout echoed through the cavernous room. Harry turned quickly, completely confounded. He turned to the archway just in time to see a jet of red light streak across it and hit a large mass of curled black hair.
Harry stood helplessly as Ebony lurched forward slightly and then fell backward onto the floor of the cold wooden arch. Her cloak fell behind her catching on the rood so that it was nearly indistinguishable from the veil that was now waving furiously.
The room seemed to have gone silent. Even Bellatrix had lowered her wand in apparent shock. Sirius in contrast appeared frantic. He dropped quickly to his knees beside Ebony's limp body.
"Ebony. Ebony please, answers me!" She didn't move. He scurried quickly over to the veil where her cloak had fallen. He grabbed it and rushed back over to her, covering her body in the tattered cloak as if it might contain some power to restore her.
Harry's mind was swimming. He had thought Ebony was a spy. He had seen her in his dream, she had told Voldemort where Sirius was hiding. Even the order had not been entirely certain about her. But if it had all been a dream, if Voldemort wasn't there, if she hadn't told him where Sirius was, then why had she been in the department of mysteries in the first place?
She had been standing on the arch when she fell. In the exact spot where only seconds before, Sirius and Bellatrix had been dueling. Ebony had been completely unarmed; she had no reason to step between them. Unless.
Harry felt a sudden flood of realization. Sirius had been in the line of Bellatix's wand before Ebony had stepped between them. Sirius was the reason Ebony was lying, still on the archway. The red flash of light, the sweeping of the mysterious black veil had all been meant for him.
The flood of realization was soon replaced by a feeling of immense guilt. He had thought she was a spy. He had thought that she was out to betray Sirius. Now, as Harry watched his godfather gather her in his arms and gently stroke her long hair, he realized that nothing could have been farther from the truth.
Harry edged as close to the arch as he dared to go and looked up at Sirius. His face seemed to have stilled from it's frantic state. His eyes had very suddenly become blank, cold, void of all hope. As Harry starred closer he saw the very faint form of two tears sliding down Sirius's sunken cheek. It was the first time he had ever seen his godfather cry.
Bellatrix meanwhile seemed to have recovered from the shock of failing to hit her intended target. She was now edging closer to Sirius, wand out. As she reached near enough to see his face, she let out a cold, shrill laugh.
"Well, well." She said with a sneer. " I never thought I would live to see the day when my dear cousin would cry like a child." Sirius lowered Ebony's head back down to the floor of the arch before leaping to his feet. His eyes, which had appeared empty only moments before were now filled with a passionate hatred that Harry had never before seen.
"Shall we continue?" Bellatrix asked, a smirk still lighting her dark face. Sirius wasted no time.
"Impediment-" the words were barely out of his mouth when
"Crucio!" Sirius fell to the floor writhing in pain. Harry began to run up the ramp to the arch his wand raised when he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Harry, there's nothing you can do. Let Sirius handle it." Lupin was struggling to hold Harry away from the stairs as Bellatrix lowered her wand and Sirius's screams ceased. He now lay on the floor whimpering from the aftershock of pain. Bellatrix's smirk broadened.
" Frankly I expected more of a fight from you Black." She said pacing around him. "You did love her didn't you? Enough to die for her, as she did for you? Stupid girl." She began to laugh again. Sirius had jumped to his feet again his wand pointed directly at Bellatrix's heart.
"Avada kedavra!" Sirius and Bellatrix both shouted together.
The two jets of green light met in mid air. They seemed to battle each other, each side gained momentum for a few seconds until it was shielded by the other. Behind them Harry could hear Dumbledore's battle with the other death eaters continuing. He didn't turn to watch. His eyes were fixed on the battle ensuing on the dais.
After several painful moments, Bellatrix's strand moved closer to Sirius as the jet of green light emanating from Sirius's wand was pushed further and further back.
Bellatrix's curse was quickly gaining momentum as Sirius's jet was fast fading from view. Before Sirius could do anything to block it, Bellatrix's curse had hit him squarely in the chest.
"SIRIUS!" Harry yelled. Lupin had dropped his hold of Harry's shoulder but quickly grabbed it again as Harry tried once again to run up the ramp. Sirius's eyes had widened in shock .
It seemed to take Sirius an age to fall. His body curved in a graceful arc as he sank back through the ragged veil hanging from the arch.