Full Summary: After the death of Sirius, Harry muses over the time he had with Siri. But as the new year at Hogwarts approaches, he gets an idea from a comment that Luna Lovegood said at the end of 5th year. In that room with the archway. They were just lurking out of sight, that's all. You heard them. Now, Harry is heading back to the Department Of Mysteries to rescue Sirius And only one other person is going with him: Luna. Will they survive or is this the end of the wizarding world as we know it?

A/N: I love you guys! You guys have made writing this story worthwhile and don't know what to say anymore. sniffle I hope that you like this chapter, so enjoy! And I am so sorry that it took so long to get out. Gods, I can't believe that the last time I posted for this was in December of last year. It's almost the end of October now. But as of now, I am in college and it is taking all my time away from writing. Also, I have had the worst writer's block that I've ever had. I couldn't write anything for this piece for the past seven months. Yeah… it's been kind of hectic as well with just trying to be able to fit writing in with school and homework and my horse, Sid. I'm just glad that I could get this out. Just so everyone knows, this chapter is unbeta-ed as I haven't been able to get a hold of her. As soon as I do, I will re-post the beta-ed chapter. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters. Tonks, Luna, Harry, Remus and all the others belong to the great JKR. Also, I do not own Ancelin Byrne. She is owned by my beta and friend Jen.

Dedication: To mrpadfoot, my first reviewer for Ch. 4.

Ch. 5 Decisions Made

The next morning dawned cool but clear. The sun had barely risen from its earthly bed before Harry had jumped out of his own, quickly dressed into his school robes and headed for the Owlry. A small but thick letter was clutched in his pale hand against his chest, as if it would somehow float away if he did not hold tightly to it. Reaching the circular room, Harry quickly shielded his eyes from the rising sun, whose light streamed in from the high stone windows.

Harry scanned the rafters for a sign of snowy white, which would ultimately be his own owl Hedwig. He spotted her nestled between two tawny owls, both of whom belonged to the school.

"Hedwig," said Harry. "I need you to deliver this for me."

Hedwig opened her eyes and gave a soft hoot before ruffling her feathers and letting them settle back into place. Once finished with her preening, Hedwig spread her wings and gracefully landed on Harry's shoulder.

"Hedwig, I need you to take this to Ancelin Byrne in London," he said handing her the letter, which she clasped in her beak. "Make it as quickly as you can and wait for a reply. I don't care how long it takes just wait for one." Bright green eyes met golden yellow ones as Harry made eye contact with the snowy owl. "Can you do that for me?"

Hedwig gripped his shoulder lightly with her talons in reassurance before taking off through one of the high ceiling windows. With a sigh, Harry turned to leave the Owlry to head down for breakfast before the school day began.

Weeks went by before Harry had even heard anything from Ancelin. It wasn't until the Saturday two weeks before the Christmas break did Hedwig return to Hogwarts. The day dawned crisp and bright, the snow reflecting against the rising sun. The trio had just settled down for a hearty breakfast when the post began to drift in. Dozens of owls in all colors, from black to pure white, filtered into the Great Hall. Harry spotted Hedwig almost immediately, due to the fact that she was the only snowy owl in the bunch. His green eyes followed her as she made her way over to the Gryffindor table and landed lightly upon Harry's shoulder.

Hedwig wearily held out her right leg and Harry gratefully took it. Taking a morsel of bacon from his plate, Harry gave it to the snowy owl, who accepted it without complaint.

"Go to the Owlry, girl," said Harry. "You deserve the rest."

Hedwig hooted appreciatively and flew out of the Hall. Harry turned back to look at the letter which sat upon the wooden table.

"Well," said Ron, his mouth full of bacon, "You going to open it or not?"

Harry turned the letter over and looked at the wax seal which was a dog (which remarkably looked like Sirius in his Animagus form) holding a wand in his mouth, which was throwing off sparks that spelled out the letters "A. B."

"Ancelin," whispered Harry as he opened the letter.

December 9

Dear Mr. Potter,

I was surprised to find your owl waiting for me at my home when I returned from one of my many missions. Though, what you wrote in your letter was quite surprising and I must do something to Tonks for not telling me sooner about what happened within the Department. Now, to answer your questions. You remarked in your letter that you wished to meet with me. From what I have gathered from a friend of mine, you have a Hogsmeade trip the Saturday (December 16) before the Christmas holidays. If you care to, I shall meet you and your friend within The Three Broomsticks on that day to discuss what you two wish to do. I shall be there for a meeting as well, so this will not impose upon either of us. Let's say about 2 or so?

I believe that I must cut this letter short now, as there is much I need to take care of. If there are any questions that you have, I will gladly answer them when we meet. My condolences about Sirius' death, as I'm sure it has hit you as hard as it has hit me. Truly, I am sorry. I shall see you in one weeks time. Fare well.

Sincerely,

Ancelin Byrne

Harry starred at the letter before refolding it and putting it into his pocket. A plan had started to form and he decided that he would need to speak with Luna . . . and soon.

"Who was the letter from, Harry?" asked Hermione as she looked up from the book she was reading.

"From Mad Eye," said Harry quickly as he put the letter into his cloak pocket. "He just wanted to remind me to keep up my Constant Vigilance. You know how he is."

Harry, having finished his breakfast, quickly got up from the table and walked out of the Great Hall, leaving his friends to stare at his back with pure confusion written all over their faces.

"Did he just lie to our faces, Hermione?" said Ron, his face (for once) contorted in thought.

"Yes, Ron. I do believe he did."

Harry quickly made his way to Library, where he had owled Luna to meet him (he used Pig instead of Hedwig). His footsteps echoed off the cobbled walls as he sprinted through the corridors. He turned the corner and was in the final stretch of his journey when Mrs. Norris, Argus Filch's cat, appeared. "Leave," hissed Harry. "Go on. Shoo."

Mrs. Norris, most likely annoyed with how Harry was treating her, let out a very peeved meow and swished her tail. The two glared at each other for a moment before the cat turned tail and headed the way she had come, no doubt to find Filch and tattle on Harry.

Harry rolled his eyes and sprinted the last few feet to the library doors. He had just entered the large room when he heard Filch's voice coming through the glass doors.

"Where is he, my sweet?" said Filch. "Where are those troublemakers?"

Harry snickered as he stood by the door catching his breath, earning himself a glare from the librarian, Madame Pince. Harry smiled sheepishly before heading to a group of tables just nestled next to the Restricted Section.

Luna Lovegood sat at the farthest table, so as not to draw any attention to herself. In front of her was a book; titled "What to do with Thestrals?" subtitled "Is there a purpose for them?" Harry walked up to her and smiled.

"Only you would read a book with that title, Luna," said Harry.

The mistiness of Luna's voice was nowhere to be found when she began to speak. "I find Thestrals quite interesting, Harry. Now, what did you owl me for?"

Harry pulled out the now slightly crumpled letter and pushed it across the table. Luna took a hold of it and slowly read the letter. Harry's eyes followed her pale silvery eyes as she read. As soon as she had finished reading the letter, she lifted her eyes and met his.

"So?" she said. "What do we do now?"

"We wait until the 16th to talk to her. And from there we begin to plan."

"And just what is this plan?"

Harry gave her a sheepish look. "I don't know yet. But it involves us doing something at the Ministry and getting Sirius back. And even your mum if you want."

Luna looked at him with disbelief. "I don't know, Harry. I miss her and all… but I know that she's gone. But I wouldn't mind seeing her just one more time." Luna sighed. "So what time are we meeting Ancelin?"

"Two p.m. Let's just hope she can help us."

The 16th of December dawned a cold, grey, and snowy day. The ground was covered in light dusting of snow and snow steadily continued to fall from the grey sky. Harry, Ron and Hermione grabbed their heavy cloaks and Gryffindor scarves and gloves before heading out to the Entrance Hall where they were to meet the carriages. Luna and Ginny caught up with them as they entered the Hall and all five managed to get a carriage together, albeit a bit squished. The carriage ride into the small wizarding town was uneventful and once out of the carriage, they all decided to go their separate ways.

"Two p.m., Luna," reminded Harry. "At the Three Broomsticks."

Luna nodded. "I'll be there."

Luna and Ginny turned and headed down the snow-laden road, leaving Harry, Ron and Hermione to their own devices. The three of them wandered around the small village, making the occasional stop at Zonko's Joke Shop (which had just begun to supply the twin's newest products) and to the Shrieking Shack, where fond memories of their 3rd year were flitting through their minds. After visiting a few other places, such as Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop, Dervish and Bangs, and Honeydukes, the three of them decided to head for the Three Broomsticks for a nice warm mug of butterbeer.

As they exited from Honeydukes, a shout cut through the air. Draco Malfoy sauntered over to Harry, Ron and Hermione.

"Well, well, Potter," said Malfoy. "Have you thought about my offer? It will only stand for a short time more. I need your decision."

"Offer?" said Hermione. She turned to face Harry. "What offer?"

Harry's emerald green eyes narrowed and darkened to a sea green color. "Do you remember that day in Charms back at the beginning of the year? Well, Draco here offered to give me the chance to hand myself over to Voldemort as a Death Eater, although what he said wasn't exactly in those words."

Hermione whipped to face Malfoy. "You. You foul, disgustingly evil excuse for a wizard! How could you try and take advantage of him during a hard time in his life?" She drew her wand out of her winter cloak pocket and pointed it at Malfoy and began to advance on him.

Draco smirked. "Quite easily, Mudblood. All it takes is –"

Malfoy never finished his sentence because Hermione unleashed a Homorphus Charm upon him. A jet of golden yellow light hit Malfoy directly in his chest and immobilized him in the air. His body soon began to contort into many different angles. White fur began to cover his body as his arms, legs and head shrunk while his hands and feet became tiny paws with sharp nails. Soon, all that had become of the Slytherin was a snow-white ferret. But however, before Draco could hit the ground and make his daring escape for the castle and a counter charm, Ron and Harry pulled out their wands and pointed them at him. Ron quickly levitated the writhing ferret as Harry conjured the cage for their new pet. Ron quickly dropped it into the cage and latched it shut.

The two boys turned to Hermione.

"What would you like us to do with this, Hermione?" asked Harry.

Hermione sighed and looked around the surrounding area. "Let's give it to…" Hermione trailed off as she spotted a group of 3rd year Slytherin girls. "Give me the cage. Let's see if that group would like him."

Hermione quickly made her way over to the group, making sure to occasionally shake the cage. After making some small talk with them, Harry and Ron watched as Hermione showed them the cage and watched as a girl with dark blond hair took the cage and squealed. They continued to silently watch as Hermione gave some last minute instructions to the girls and then walk back to the boys.

"What did you tell them?" asked Ron as they made their way to the Three Broomsticks.

Hermione smiled. "I told them to take good care of him and as soon as they got back to the castle to give him to a professor with the note I gave them."

"Note?"

"Yes. The note said that a sweet that Draco had eaten had some sort of charm placed upon it, turning him into the ferret. Which isn't a total lie. Except for the sweet part… and that he had eaten something."

"You know, you're always full of surprises, Hermione," said Ron.

"I'm not the smartest witch in our class for no reason."

"She's got you there, Ron."

Ron shook his head. "What time is it anyway? I'm starving!"

Hermione laughed. "You're always hungry, Ron. Anyways, it's just about two. Shall we head to the Three Broomsticks?"

Harry and Ron nodded.

The rest of the walk to the Three Broomsticks was uneventful and the three of them were happy to be out of the cold. Their cheeks and noses became red as they entered the warm building. As the entered, the barmaid, Madame Rosmerta, turned and noticed their entrance.

"Ah, Mr. Potter! Just who I was looking for. They're in the back room to your right. Ms. Lovegood is already there."

"Thank you, Madame Rosmerta," said Harry. He turned to Ron and Hermione. "I'll be back in a bit. Though if I'm not back by the time that we're to be back at Hogwarts, just meet me in the Common Room if you'd like. Anyways, go and find a table and hopefully I'll meet you guys there."

The two nodded. Harry turned back to Madame Rosmerta as Ron and Hermione walked away.

"A butterbeer for each Ron and Hermione, please," said Harry handing her a galleon.

"Anything, dear."

Harry walked to the back of the Three Broomsticks and opened the door that he assumed would lead to the back rooms. There were several doors on each side of the hallway; most of them were probably used mainly for storage. The first two doors on either side of the hallway were used for private parties (as that is what the plaques said on the doors). The first door on his right had an "Occupied" sign floating in front of the door. Taking a deep breath, Harry knocked.

A few seconds later the door opened and Luna stood on the other side. "Ah! You made it! Good."

Harry walked into a medium sized room. The walls were oak wood paneled and a window at the far end of the room was allowing the pale winter sun to stream in. Small lanterns hung on iron hooks on the walls, little spits of bluebell flames dancing in the holders. Luna closed the wooden door behind him and allowed Harry to take the room in. In an occupied seat that faced away from them sat a woman whom Harry assumed to be Ancelin. She was bent over what seemed to be a pile of parchment and paid no heed to them until Luna began to speak.

"Ancelin," said Luna. "This is Harry Potter."

The woman's head snapped up. With a sigh she straitened the papers, stood up and turned to face them, her dark grey robes swirling around her petite frame. For a second, Harry had to do a double take. Merlin save his soul, she looked so much like his mum! After blinking a few times, Harry could slowly begin to see the subtle differences between them. Well, rather the differences between the pictures he had seen of Lily and that of the woman in front of him. Her eyes, although green, were a much darker green than Lily's had been. Her hair was also red, but not the same red that he was accustomed to in the Weasley family. She was also slightly taller than what he assumed his mum would have been and looked to be no older than her early to mid-thirties.

"Ah, Harry. It's such a pleasure to meet you. Please take a seat. We have much to talk about and not much time to do so."

"Erm, thanks," said Harry as he sat down in his chair. Suddenly, her blurted, "You look a lot like my mum."

Ancelin laughed. "I got that a lot from James when we were at Hogwarts. It was even better when we would get caught in the middle of a prank. Especially their last few years there, as Lily was prefect her 5th and 6th years and Head Girl her 7th year. Our best pranks happened their seventh year, which was my sixth year. Filch and Mrs. Norris would catch us from down the hall sometimes during a prank, but he would leave us alone thinking that I was Lily." Ancelin laughed again. "Good times, good times."

Ancelin cleared her throat, and the smile that was once on her face had vanished from sight. "We must now talk of what happened and why we are here. Harry, if you could begin."

Harry told the two of them of what had happened that fateful day within the Department of Mysteries. Harry relived every painful detail of that night, from the message from Kreature, the dream he had of Sirius being taken by Voldemort, the flight on the Thestrals, the finding of the Prophesy, all the way up to the battle between Bellatrix Lestrange and Sirius and his falling into the Veil.

A deep growl reverberated through the room. "How could that bitch do that to him? If that the last thing that I ever do in this lifetime is kill Bellatrix and the rest of Voldemort's Death Eaters, I will rest in peace." She looked at the two of them. "What did you two have in mind?"

"We thought that if we were able that we could go back into the Department of Mysteries," said Luna. "Especially because you are an Unspeakable and have the best access into it."

"After we have fully investigated the place," said Harry, "I figured that we would go in there one night and go and get Sirius back. There are two charms that 6th years are learning about. One is the Life Charm the other is the Death Charm. As my friend Hermione reads a lot, she shared some very interesting information about it. Basically, what she told is that the Death Charm allows someone to go and visit the dead if only to get some closure in their lives. I believe that we can use these charms to our advantage."

Ancelin smiled. "I see you two have been working on this. Good. This makes my job much easier. When do you want to begin?"

"The day we begin break, which is this Friday," said Harry. "We could tell Ron and Hermione that Remus was going home for the break and that we would be taking care of Sirius' will. We will just have to get Remus out of the school for that time."

"And I usually go home for the holidays anyway."

"This works out remarkably well. I will owl Tonks about getting Remus away from the school. That really should be our only worry. But if Dumbledore asks any questions, and Remus says that he never knew that he was to take you, Harry, to work on Sirius' will, then we will say that a friend has asked that you speak with her about it. That work?"

Both Harry and Luna nodded.

"Good." Ancelin looked down at her watch. "Merlin, is that the time? I've kept you much too long. Take the passage from Honeydukes to Hogwarts. It'll be much easier to get back that way."

The two of them bid Ancelin farewell and headed out of the Three Broomsticks and towards Honeydukes. They waited for the opportune time when the manager turned her back (and no one was looking) to head into the back storage room and slip under the trap door back to Hogwarts. The trip back seemed to take no time and before Harry knew it, they were standing at the entrance of the One-Eyed witch on the 6th floor.

"I'll see you on Friday then Luna."

"Yes. See you then."

The two of them walked their separate directions, and Harry hoped that for once he wasn't trying to be the hero.

A/N: I'd love to take time to thank all of you individually, but that would probably take up to 3 pages. I thank all of you so much for your reviews. And to Hollie Black, it's good to see you back in fanfiction. And I can't say how sorry I am that it took so long to get this chapter up. I hope that all of you can forgive me on it. And hopefully I will have the next chapter up as soon as I can, especially because most of it is typed up already.

Also, in this chapter you are introduced to Ancelin Byrne. Harry and Luna do not know much about her, but her information on how she knew Harry's parents and her involvment with the Marauders and any other information will be explained in either the following chapter or the chapter after that.

Remember: "The statistics on sanity are that one out of every four Americans are suffering from some form of mental illness. Think of your three best friends. If they're okay, then it's you." - Rita Mae Brown.