Harry Potter and the Black Owl

by Qwest

complete: To protect Harry Professor McGonagall relives her teenage years. What seemed like a good idea at first is swiftly becoming a bad one. This is a rather twisted romantic adventure that is sure to please. I think. Read Please:

16. Duel

Okay, okay. I know I said mid Jan was when this chapter would be posted, but what I really meant was early March. Seriously. Anyway, sorry about the long up-date wait. I really didn't mean to do that. But well, ya know.

There was good deal of cheesiness at the begin of this chapter, but a little cheese never hurt anybody. Also, you should know there are a lot of spells and curses and charms being used in this chapter, and I'd say 85 to 90 percent of them I just made up. I'm telling you now, so don't leave me a review saying "hey, there's no such thing as a (insert fake curse here)." 'Cause I know. But I tried to be very scientific about and I used the Latin root, or Old English root, or (in some cases) the German root of the word. Yes, I had to break out the dictionary. If you read closely, you might pick up some bits of dead languages and can wow your friends and family with your incomparable knowledge.

Anyway, I hope you think this chapter is worth the wait. That's enough of my dribble. I'm sure you know the disclaimer by heart, so recite that to yourself and read, enjoy, and review.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Chapter 16

Duel

The first thing Minerva became aware of as she slowly regained consciousness was cold. The second thing was pain. There was a sharp pain at the back of her head. Her migraine had returned with a vengeance. Minerva groaned and tried to move, but quickly found that she was bound tightly at the wrist and ankles. Her hands were behind her back and she was lying on one side. She couldn't even struggle into a sitting position. Minerva yanked at the thin rope around wrist, hoping to snap them, but as she struggled with them, they shrank and cut into her skin even more. She felt something warm and sticky sliding past her numbing fingers and she knew she was bleeding.

Minerva sighed and gave up her struggle. The ropes were obviously charmed to constrict whenever the captive pulled at them. And if they had been charmed for that, there was no doubt they were charmed to be unbreakable as well. Twisting slowly, so that she didn't cause the ropes to tighten even more, Minerva tried to take stock of where she was. It was too dark to see very much; all that she could tell for sure was that she was lying on an extremely cold stone floor. She could be anywhere though. She could be in one of the rooms of Hogwarts, in the dungeons, somewhere outside, or not on the Hogwarts grounds at all. Minerva doubted she had been taken from the school, though. Lestrange wanted to use her to get to Harry, and for that she had to be somewhere near Harry. The question was where was that? She wondered if it even made a difference. Where ever she was, she doubted she'd be able to call for help.

Minerva closed her eyes and rested her cheek against the cold floor again. How could she have let herself get into this situation? She was supposed to be wiser and stronger than this. She was supposed to be taking care of Harry. Now, she would probably be the cause Harry's death. If she knew Harry, he'd figure out what happened to her and come after her, and most likely without any help. Harry could be so brave, but so thoughtless as well. Her only fear was that he'd come after her alone and then Lestrange would kill him. "Oh, Harry," Minerva whispered.

A light came on and Minerva opened her eyes, both hoping and fearing that it might actually be Harry. It wasn't.

Bellatrix Lestrange stood several feet in front of her, holding a lantern she had just lit with a wand. She sat the lantern on the floor and walked slowly towards Minerva. "So, you're awake," she said, almost kindly. "I hope you're not too uncomfortable." Her face twisted into the evil grin. "And don't worry about your boyfriend. He'll be coming soon enough."

Minerva glared up at her. "You're wrong. Harry's too smart for your plan. He'll stay away and send Professor Dumbledore."

"Of course he won't," Lestrange answered without hesitation. "I know Potter. He always comes after the people he loves. Always. That's his biggest flaw. The Dark Lord was able to use it against him, and now I'm doing the same."

Minerva shook her head. "That was different then. There was no one he could turn to. You're wasting your time."

Lestrange smirked. "We'll see. But first, he has to get the message that you're here." She looked behind her and said, "Now I have to use Parkinson to deliver it. I hope that idiot girl doesn't mess it up." She sighed and said almost to herself, "I do so despise children." She started forward and as she moved she began to change. By the time she was five steps from Minerva she was an owl, soaring away.

Minerva watched the bird, and saw that she flew out of a small opening and into the night. So she was in a small stone cave then. That meant she must be somewhere in the Forbidden Forest. That made sense. Lestrange had wanted Draco to lead Min as close to the Forbidden Forest as possible. Minerva suddenly wondered what had happened to Draco. Before she had been stunned again, it seemed as if he was in as much danger as her.

Minerva tried to push thoughts of Draco out of her mind. Why should she worry about him? He was the reason she had been captured in the first place. If it had not been for him she wouldn't be in this mess. Ignoring the pain in her wrist and ankles, Minerva struggled up as much she could and took a good look around. Lestrange had left the lantern lit, its light forming a small circle of soft yellow around Minerva. She seriously doubted that lit lantern was for her benefit. Lestrange very likely thought it could do no harm; she probably thought Minerva could do no more to escape whether it was light or dark. For the most part that was true. Unfortunately for her, Minerva wasn't going anywhere.

Min saw immediately that she was right about being in a cave. A rather cramp cave at that. In the spot where she laid, the ceiling was only a few feet above her head. The roof of the cave sloped upward dramatically towards the small opening, high enough for a person to stand up, even if it required that person to slouch a bit. The pool of lamp light didn't extend far enough for Minerva to clearly see the opposite wall, but the slope of the roof made her believe the cave couldn't be more than ten feet wide, maybe fifteen. Ahead of her, she could just barely make out the outline of an opening leading to another chamber. Minerva strained to see into it, hoping to spot a pinprick of light that might indicate another exit. But it was no use. There wasn't enough light.

Minerva sighed heavily and allowed herself to fall back into a resting position (or at least as much of a resting position that she could obtain with her arms tied behind her back). There was nothing she could do now but wait. Lestrange would get Pansy to deliver the message and would be back all too soon. Her little plan would be set into motion, once Harry got word of what had happened. Minerva only hoped that Harry wouldn't do anything stupid and come after her alone.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Harry slowed down and then stopped, choosing a random tree to lean against. He had no idea where he was going. He could wander the Forbidden Forest for days and never come close to where Lestrange was hiding. It took Harry some time and a good long while of walking in circles through the forest to calm down and think clearly. Now that he was, he realized he might have made a mistake running off alone. He needed help. He couldn't find Min on his own. Besides, Min might have been right about Lestrange; he couldn't possibly face her alone. Reading a few books on curses in the library wasn't enough. It was a shame that it wasn't until that very moment that he really figured it out. Harry thought more than once to turn back and go get somebody. Professor Dumbledore or Professor Lupin would be nice to have. He even wished that Ron and Hermione were with him. But he didn't want to waste any time going back and explaining the whole long situation. He was sure that Min's life was peril and the sooner he found her, the sooner she'd be safe. That was, of course, assuming that he could find her.

Harry peered into the darkness of the forest from beneath his invisibility cloak, hoping for a sign or something to tell him which way to go. He had to find Min before it was too late. If anything happened to her, he could never forgive himself. Finally giving up on a road sign popping out of the ground and pointing out the direction to Lestrange's hide-away, Harry slumped down into a sitting position. He needed to think. He reran the conversation he had had with Pansy while masquerading as Draco through his head again. Most of it still annoyed him greatly, but she had to have told him something useful. She didn't know the exact place where Lestrange was, but she met the Death Eater by a Unicorn tree. Harry stood up as a thought suddenly struck him. What if the tree Pansy was talking about was the same one that Hagrid took the class to watch for unicorns. It was the only one that stood alone, according to Hagrid. That might make it a good meeting spot.

Since that was the only thing Harry had to go on, he headed in the direction he thought the tree was in. It didn't take him long to stumble across it. It glowed slightly in the dark, and was easy enough to find. He stopped near the tree and wondered what he should do next. Beyond this spot he knew nothing. He looked at the tree then out into the darkness. He let his eyes roam the surrounding forest, hoping for inspiration. He eyes fell upon the trails cut through the brush by the animals of the forest. He remembered the flicker of movement he had seen along one of the paths that day in class. At the time he had thought that maybe a unicorn had been hiding back there, but now he wondered. What if that flicker hadn't been a unicorn at all. What if it had been a black owl.

Harry moved towards the trail, looking for any sign that he was right. There wasn't one, but he had to be right. This was all he had to go on. Min just had to be at the other end. Pulling his Invisibility Cloak tightly around his shoulders, Harry plunged into the dark of the forest again. The path was incredibly narrow and considerably over grown. Briars and brush clawed at his cloak, holding him up a few times. He yanked himself free, praying that the material wouldn't rip, and plunged ahead. After a bit, the path opened up and he found himself coming to in opening in the woods. The trees didn't grow quite so thick here and starlight was able to stream through the overhanging branches. Not that it mattered; there wasn't much to see. The path had all but ended in the middle of nowhere. There was nothing ahead of him except a small hill; more like a bump in the ground actually.

Harry stepped into the opening, desperately looking around. There had to be another path or something that would take him to Lestrange. He didn't see anything, or at least nothing obvious. Harry climbed atop the small hill, hoping for a better view. Being two feet higher off the ground didn't give him any more perspective of the surrounding area.

"Damn it." Harry said to the night. It looked like he had followed this path to its end and there was nothing. Worst of all, he was out of idea's. He had no choice now. He had to go back to the school. That would take more time, and he had already wasted so much. Min could be hurt, or worse. Harry dropped his head, not wanting to consider the worse. "Min, I'm so sorry," he whispered. "This is all my fault."

Harry was just starting down the hill again, when something shot out of the ground just ahead of him. He jumped back startled, nearly losing his Invisibility Cloak as he did so. He grabbed at the cloak, pulling it back around himself, and looked up to see what had popped up in front of him. Whatever it was, was long gone, but something was left behind, floating in the air towards him. Harry reached up and snatched it out of the sky; a single black owl feather. He stared at it for a moment as the realization of what he was seeing slowly trickled past the hopelessness he had been feeling just moments before.

Lestrange. It had to have been her in her owl form. And if that was the case, he had to be near her hideaway. Harry hurried to place he had seen the creature emerge from and quickly spotted a dark hole. It wasn't very large, just big enough for a person to fit through, and was relatively covered by overgrowth. It was easy to overlook, especially in the dark. Harry grinned. He wasn't just near Lestrange's hideaway. He was practically standing on top of it.

He shifted the overgrowth out of the way lowered himself into the hole. There wasn't much of a drop from the opening to the floor of what he now realized was an underground cave. He landed lightly and looked around. He quickly spotted Min on the far side of the cave, lying in a pool of light. She didn't look very well. She was too pale. She was bound at the wrist and ankles. A steady trickle of blood pooled onto the floor beneath her blue tinged fingers. "Min!" He called, hurrying over to her, throwing his Invisibility Cloak aside.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Minerva had just closed her eyes when she heard Harry call her name. She quickly opened them and sat up as much as she could. At first she thought she must have been hallucinating. She had been thinking of Harry, maybe she had only just thought she heard him. But then he was there, standing before her with such a look of concern on his face. "Harry?" she asked questioningly, wondering how he had managed to make himself appear out of nowhere.

"Min, I'm so sorry," he said, scooping her up into his arms. "I never meant to get you into trouble. I only wanted to keep you safe."

Min closed her eyes, leaning against Harry's shoulder, taking in his scent. She was both overjoyed and horrified to see him. He had just walked into Lestrange's trap, exactly the way she had wanted him too. "Harry, you shouldn't be here," Min said, pushing herself away from him. "This is what Lestrange wants you to…" Min stopped, suddenly realizing something. "Wait a moment. Lestrange couldn't have gotten Pansy to deliver the message of my capture already. She just left. How did you find me?"

"Uh, I found out from Pansy a different way. But I'll tell you about it later. Let's just get you out of here first." He turned her gently so he could take a look at the ropes around her wrist.

"Pansy told you where I was?" Minerva asked surprised. "I thought she was totally under Lestrange's control."

"She didn't exactly know it was me," Harry answered slowly. He poked at the knot around Minerva's wrist and the rope constricted a bit.

"Don't touch," Minerva said quickly, wincing slightly. "They're charmed to shrink when they're pulled on."

Harry quickly pulled back his hand. "Sorry," he mumbled. "There must be a counter charm, though." He pulled out his wand. "Any idea what it is?"

Minerva shook her head, and looked over her shoulder at Harry. "Why don't you go get Professor Dumbledore? He would know."

Harry frowned slightly. "Get Dumbledore?"

"Well, I'm assuming he's outside or something, watching for Lestrange." Minerva looked at Harry. "I know you were smart enough not to come here alone."

Harry was quiet. "Maybe a Laussius charm. I know it's a pretty general loosing charm but it might work, huh?"

"You didn't come alone, Harry," Minerva repeated. "You brought somebody. Anybody."

Harry dropped his head slightly. "Min, when I found out what Malfoy was planning to do to you, I just… I had to come for you. I couldn't waste time. You could've been hurt."

"Waste time! Oh Harry, you're such an idiot."

Harry sat back, a look of stun hurt on his face.

Minerva sighed. "I know you were only trying to save me. But Lestrange wasn't going to hurt me. Or at least not kill me. She was using me to get to you, and dead bait is no good." Minerva looked back at Harry. "You've done just what she wanted you to do."

"Maybe, except I've come when she wasn't expecting," Harry answered defensively. "She doesn't know I'm here now, so her plan isn't working. The faster I get you free, the sooner we can get out of here. And then we can both go get Professor Dumbledore. Now about that Laussius charm."

Minerva nodded. "Try it." She waited silently while Harry whispered the word "Laussius". The ropes fell away and Minerva tenderly pulled her arms back in front of her. She wanted to rub her wrist where the ropes had cut, but she found she couldn't move her fingers properly.

"You alright?" Harry asked, watching her worriedly.

"I will be once we're away from here."

Harry nodded and quickly freed Minerva's ankles. "Do you think you can walk?" He asked, noticing how stiff she was.

Minerva wiggled her feet; there were barely any feeling in them. Those ropes had really done a number on her appendages and she knew it would probably be sometime before enough blood had started circulating again to give her any control over them. "No, Harry, I don't think so."

"Alright," Harry said, pulling one of her arms around his shoulders. He put one arm around her upper back, looping the other under her knees, then lifted her slowly off the floor. "What do you say we get out of here?" He smiled at her and started for the small opening at the front of the cave.

Minerva couldn't help but grin as she rested her head against Harry's shoulder. She knew it was incredibly silly, but this felt terribly romantic. Harry was literally her knight in shinning armor, carrying her away from danger like the heroes in all those stories she had read as a young girl. While she was still angry at him for coming alone, she was glad he was the one who rescued her. "Harry, you really are an idiot," she said against his shoulder, "I'm not happy that you're here, but I'm glad that you are."

"Are you?"

Min looked at him, her gray eyes meeting his green. "Thanks for finding me."

Harry looked at her curiously then he smiled that smile she loved so much. "I'll never let anything happen to you, Min. I'd never leave you. You know that."

"Yeah." She rested against Harry's shoulder again, in the comfort of his arms. She had only been teasing him a few days before, but maybe she should invite him up to Astronomy Tower.

These musing, however, were quickly washed from her mind as the lantern that had be left on the floor, quickly stopped emitting the soft yellow glow, and turned a deep red. Harry had taken less than three steps outside the circle of light Minerva had been lying in, when it abruptly changed colors. He looked back, then said softly, "That can't be good."

Minerva nodded her agreement. "We'd better hurry."

Unfortunately for them, it was already too late. The small opening that had been there only a second ago wasn't there anymore. The small patch of night sky had been replaced by solid rock. Harry sat Minerva down gently and walked over to where the exit used to be. He reached up and place a hand against the stone, grimacing when found it really was solid rock. "It's a barrier or something," he said, staring at the smooth stone as if he could make it disappear if he looked at it long enough. "Maybe I can try an opening charm. Alohomora will probably be too weak. That's for unlocking doors any way." He looked back at Minerva. "Do you think Relaxarius or Ond Clauses will work?"

Minerva looked up at Harry. "When did learn those?" She asked, too surprise to focus on his initial question. Both of those charms were fairly advanced barrier breakers. He certainly couldn't have picked them up in Professor Flitwick's class. They weren't suppose to learn either one of those until their seventh year.

"I told you I've been practicing," Harry answered, as if that was the most obvious thing in the world. "But do you think it will work?"

"If one of those don't then nothing will," Minerva answered. "Are you sure you can pull it off. Those spells won't work properly if the wrist movement isn't right."

Harry nodded. "I can do it." He turned and faced the spot where the exit should have been, and with a precision that could've made Professor Flitwick jealous shouted "Relaxarius!" Green sparks shot from the tip of his wand and struck the barrier. The rock rippled the way a still pool would if you tossed a pebble into it, but slowly reformed into the solid stone. "Okay," Harry said, "Let's try this one. Ond Clauses!" Purple sparks shot out and again the rock rippled, but the barrier held. Harry lowered his wand.

Min looked at Harry, very impressed. "You have been practicing."

"But it didn't work," Harry sighed. He looked back at Minerva. "I'm out of idea's. Can you think of anything?"

Minerva shook her head, then tried standing. She was finally starting to get some feeling back, though her hands and feet were all pins and needles at the moment. "Perhaps if we both used Ond Clauses at the same time I wish I had my wand," she said, pulling herself up on shaky legs.

Harry quickly wrapped an arm around her to for support. "It has to be around here somewhere," he said, looking around the small rock room. "I don't think Lestrange would carry it around with her."

Minerva looked back, remembering the opening to a second a room. "Maybe back there," she said, pointing towards the back of the cave.

Harry squinted at the dark opening. "It's worth a look." He tightened his grip around Minerva's waist and half carried, half helped her as they made their way towards the other side of the cave.

Minerva's feet tangled with something and she looked down. "Forget something, Harry?"

Harry looked down, then scooped up his Invisibility Cloak. He smiled sheepishly. "Oops."

"You can't leave that laying around. We may need it."

Harry nodded. "Lower your head a bit," he said, and the two of them ducked through the small opening and found themselves in a dark, narrow tunnel. Harry held up his wand again"Lumos"and led the way down the passage. The floor of the tunnel sloped downward, gently at first then steeply as they went along. "Looks like we're going deeper underground," Harry said. "I guess it would be too much to hope there's another way out at the end of this passage."

"Probably," Minerva answered. "I think I see a light up ahead." They were nearing the end of the passage now, a bigger opening than the one they had entered led into another chamber. As she and Harry stepped through, the first thing Minerva noticed was that the room was considerably large. Brightly burning torches lined the walls, reflecting off the rock and casting deep shadows. The second thing Minerva noticed was a small round table in the very center of the room. On the table set a shallow bassin, ornately carved with runes . "Professor Dumbledore's Pensieve," Minerva said surprised, recognizing it immediately. "But I thought Peeves had stolen that."

Harry didn't answer. There was one other thing in the room worth noticing and Harry had saw it first. Minerva looked up at him, then followed his line of vision to one of the deep shadows cast by the flickering torches. Within it lay a what looked like a body. The light caught a strand of blond hair and Minerva gasped. "Oh my God it's…"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Malfoy," Harry growled. He slowly let go of Min, letting the Invisibility Cloak slip from his fingers, and started for the prone body.

"Harry," Min called. "Harry, don't do anything."

Harry didn't answer. He honestly didn't know what he was going to do. He knew Malfoy was the reason Min was down here and in so much trouble. Unfortunately though, the boy looked like he was already dead.

"He stuck up for me in the end," Min called, trailing behind Harry.

"He wouldn't have had to if he hadn't led you out to Lestrange," Harry answered tightly. He reached Malfoy's side and kneeled beside him. Malfoy didn't look to be in very good shape. There was a growing bruise under his right eye, a trickle blood leaked from the corner of his mouth, and who knew what other injuries he had suffered that couldn't be seen. He was breathing though, although very shallowly. He must have really pissed Lestrange off.

"Is he…okay?" Min asked.

Harry looked up to see Min standing just behind him, staring down at Malfoy. "He isn't dead, if that's what you mean," Harry answered.

Min dropped to her knees beside Harry. "Thank goodness. We have to help him. You wouldn't happen to have learned any healing spells while you were learning those others, would you?"

Harry shook his head no. Even if he had, he wasn't sure he wanted to waste his breath on Malfoy. Harry didn't feel particularly sorry for Malfoy. If anything, a part of him was a little glad. Malfoy was finally getting his. "There's nothing we can do. Let's just find your wand and see if we can get out of here."

Min looked at Harry incredulously. "You aren't seriously suggesting we leave him here."

Harry frowned. "He got himself into this," he answered standing.

"We can't leave him down here."

"Why not? He was perfectly willing to leave you with Lestrange, knowing very well what she would do to you once she finished using you." Harry glared at Malfoy's unmoving form. "He's getting exactly what he deserves."

"I can't believe what I'm hearing," Min said exasperated. "And he did try to stop her in the end."

"Too little, too late," Harry mumbled.

Min looked away from Harry back at Malfoy. "I know he's not your most favorite person in the world" ("There's the understatement of the year") "But we can't leave him down here. He's still a person, Harry. And if we walk away from him, we'll be just as inhuman as Lestrange."

Harry looked at Min. That had struck a chord. But did he really have to help his enemy? Who cares what Malfoy tried to do. Harry was thinking about all the things he had done. Does one good deed wipe the slate clean? Harry doubted it. "But, Min…"

"I know, Harry. I know what you're feeling. I'm feeling the same thing. I had trusted him and he…he betrayed me. Don't you think it would be easy for me to walk away too. I could tell myself I'd come back with Professor Dumbledore and he'd be okay. But I'd only be lying to myself. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that when Lestrange returns and find me gone she'll take her anger out on the next available target." She looked at Harry. "You have to know that's what would happen if we just left him here."

Actually, Harry hadn't even thought of that. Now that Min had mentioned it though, it did only stand to reason. The bruises on Malfoy's face was enough to show Harry that Lestrange didn't care whose son he was. She was perfectly willing to hurt him. Harry sighed and pulled out his wand. "I don't know any healing spells, but maybe you can revive him," he said, handing his wand to Min.

She took it and flicked her wrist experimentally. "Yeah, I think all my fingers are working again. But if I can't wake him up…"

"Then I'll drag him out or something," Harry answered. "I'm going to see if I can find your wand while you work, okay."

Min nodded and smiled at him. "You're a good person, Harry."

"Yeah, and sometimes it sucks," Harry replied. He turned away from Min as she sat to work on Malfoy. He really didn't want to watch his girlfriend work to save the person who was willing to let her die.

Harry walked back towards the center of the cave, where the small round table held Professor Dumbledore's Pensieve. Now that he was taking the time to notice it, he found that he was just as surprised as Min to find it down here. He was under the impression that Peeves had taken it the day he snuck into Dumbledore's office and fiddled with all the old headmaster's portraits. He wondered what Lestrange was doing with it.

Harry peaked inside the stone basin. It was empty of the silvery strands that indicated thoughts were inside. So there were no memories in it. Was Lestrange planning on storing some in it? Harry pushed those thoughts aside, deciding to take the Pensieve back with him, and glanced under the table. There he found a large box. Harry quickly pulled it out and opened it, hoping that he'd find Min's wand inside. To his disappointment though, there was only an amber colored vial of something and smaller box. He picked up the smaller box and lifted the lid. Inside of that was a button. Harry frowned, wondering why Lestrange was keeping a button hidden away in two boxes. He reached to pick it up but stopped, looking back towards the only opening to this chamber. He thought he had heard something.

Harry glanced back at Min. She had managed to get Malfoy conscious, and he now sat up weakly, speaking quietly to her. For a second, Harry thought that maybe it was them he had heard, when the sound came again. He looked back towards the opening. He was sure he had heard the sound of a something falling echoing down the tunnel. Harry hurriedly put the smaller box back inside the larger one and shoved it under the table. He stood up and hurried over to Min and Malfoy, stopping to pick up his Invisibility Cloak from where he had let it fall on the way.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Draco's eyes fluttered open and Minerva lowered the wand, breathing a sigh of relief. She was a little afraid for a moment that she wouldn't be able to get him back. She wasn't entirely sure how she felt about him, but she knew she couldn't leave him like that: bloodied and bruised, waiting for the Death Eater's return and possibly his own death. He didn't deserve that, even with what he had done. No one deserved that.

Draco looked up at Minerva with confused eyes. "Mindy?" He asked hoarsely.

Minerva nodded. She stared at him for a moment, before finally asking, "Are you alright?" She knew it was dumb question but she was unable to think of anything else to say.

"I've been better," Draco answered and attempted that cool smile he was always throwing around. It didn't really work on his battered face.

"Don't worry," Minerva said, "Everything is going to be fine. As soon as Harry finds my wand, we'll get out of here…"

"Potter's here?" Draco asked, pushing himself up on his elbows.

Minerva nodded, looking back at Harry over her shoulder. He was poking around the small table that held Professor Dumbledore's Pensieve. "He found us."

"Great," Draco moaned. "I'm being rescued by Potter."

Minerva frowned. "Would you rather wait on Lestrange to come back?"

Fear flickered through Draco's eyes as he quickly shook his head. He pushed himself up into a sitting position and then looked at Minerva. "I'm sorry, Mindy," he whispered. "I didn't mean for this to happen to you."

Minerva frowned and looked away from Draco. "How can you say that? You tricked me out to that lake so Lestrange could get me. You knew what would happen to me."

For moment, Draco didn't respond. After a bit he said, "I know, and it was wrong. Lestrange had worked this whole little charade up early. She had me pretend to be your friend…"

Minerva looked at him. "You were lying to me from the very beginning?"

Draco nodded slowly. "It started off that way, but then I really started to like you. A lot. I didn't want to go through with the plan Lestrange had made. I was going to tell her I wouldn't do it. But then…"

"But then what?"

"But then you picked Potter." Draco stared passed Minerva, looking over her shoulder. "I know it's stupid, but I was mad at you. Mad at you for choosing him over me."

"Mad enough to leave me in the hands of a psychopath?"

"I said it stupid. I was stupid." Draco looked back at Minerva with serious gray eyes. "I'm so sorry, Mindy. I tried to stop her, I did. I just…I was too late. Do you think you can ever forgive me?"

Minerva stared at Draco for a moment, not sure what to say. "I can forgive you," she answered after a while. Draco smiled faintly. "But I can never trust you again." Minerva went on.

The faint smile faded, but he nodded.

"After we get out of here," Minerva said slowly. "I don't think we should talk anymore. I can't be friends with someone I can't trust."

Draco nodded again. "I understand."

He looked as if he wanted to say something else, but Harry had suddenly rushed up. He dropped to his knees beside Minerva and Draco and pulled his Invisibility Cloak over their heads. Minerva looked up at him confused, but Draco spoke first.

"What're you doing, Potter?'

"I think she's back," Harry answered, not bothering to look at Draco, but instead staring at the tunnel mouth leading to the front chamber.

"What? Are you sure?" Minerva whispered sliding closer to Harry.

As if in answer they heard a scream echoing from the other cave room. "That would be a yes." Harry said, quietly.

"Did you find my wand?" Minerva whispered.

Harry shook his head. "Keep mine. You have the most experience so it might be best if you had the only wand."

Minerva looked at Harry, seeing straight through his shallow reasoning. He just wanted to make sure she could defend herself if Lestrange stumbled upon them. But it wasn't her Lestrange was interested in, it was Harry. "With the condition my hands are in, I will hardly be able to put up a proper defense. Take it back." She said, pressing the wand into Harry's hand.

Harry looked at her, frowning. He knew she was making up an excuse too, but he saw how serious she was about it. Besides, they had no time to argue over it, so he reluctantly took the wand.

Shortly after Harry was in possession of his wand again, they heard fast foot steps coming towards them from the tunnel. Draco shrank back in fear, and Harry turned a dark scowl on him. "Don't move or you'll give us away," he hissed so quietly, Minerva had to strain to hear him.

Draco instantly fell still, though fear was still etched across his face. Seconds later, Lestrange appeared at the end of the tunnel. She stepped into the room and stared directly at them. Minerva was sure her heart had stopped before she realized Lestrange wasn't staring at them, but through them.

"No," she said. "No! They can't both be gone. How could this happen?" Lestrange spun in place, her eyes roving every corner, every shadow in the room. She hurried to its center, breathing hard, and stared around again. "NONONONONO! I can't loose the prophecy for the Dark Lord again. I CAN'T!"

Minerva stared silently at Lestrange through the Invisibility Cloak, hardly daring to breath. What did she mean about loosing the prophecy; could she be talking about what had happened at the Ministry of Magic? But the prophecy ball was gone. She couldn't bring it back, no matter how she tried.

Minerva sensed Harry stiffening beside her. She looked over at him and saw that he was staring at the Pensieve. Minerva looked at it too, and a thought suddenly struck her. Could Lestrange be planning to try and take the memory of the prophecy directly from Harry's head back to the Dark Lord? She knew Harry had seen what Professor Trelawney had prophesized so long ago. She had doubted Professor Dumbledore's decision to show Harry at the time, but had supported him nonetheless. But Lestrange couldn't possible take the memory from Harry. As far as she knew, thoughts couldn't be forcibly pulled from someone's head.

Lestrange stomped around the room again, huffing as she did, attempting to see something that clearly was not there. She screamed in frustration and stomped back to the center of the room. "THIS CANNOT BE HAPPENING!" She screamed at no one.

Minerva glanced at Harry again. If they were quiet enough and slow enough, they might be able to sneak pass Lestrange while she was ranting. Minerva could tell the same thought had occurred to Harry. One look at Draco though, told her that plan probably wouldn't work. Draco was shaking so hard, it was a wonder Lestrange hadn't heard his knees knocking and had come straight over. She bit her lip. They would just have to wait and hope Lestrange would go to look for them and leave the front door open this time.

If only they were so lucky. Lestrange did not seem to be leaving. She was still fuming and her raged steps brought her back to the small round table. She glared at the Pensieve on top. "What a waste," she growled. "All the trouble I went through to get this, the weeks I spend preparing it…all for nothing." She raised one hand as if she were about to knock the basin aside, but stopped hand still in the air. She stared at the bowl a moment longer, then a slow smile spread across her face, her anger quickly being replaced with a growing knowledge.

It took Minerva a moment to realize what Lestrange must have. If Min had really gotten free somehow, had come back here to save Draco, then she would have seen the Pensieve. And if she had seen the Pensieve why not take it back with her? The logic was flawed of course. It was always possible that Min might not have known what she was looking at and would have gotten Draco and left the Pensieve right where it was. Or Draco could have woken up, rescued Minerva, and she would have never gone into the second room. But Lestrange wasn't quite sane, and for her the possibility of them being somewhere in there was better than them not being there at all. At any rate, it didn't matter because she was right.

Minerva bit her lip and looked at Harry. Just because Lestrange knew she was still hidden in the room somewhere, didn't mean she knew Harry was there too. If she sat around and waited for Lestrange to find them, Harry would be found too. But if she popped up, then there was always a chance that Harry could get away. She could pretend like she'd been hiding in a shadow or something. She stared at Harry, wishing more than anything she could tell him what she was thinking.

Harry felt her eyes on him and glanced at her. He must have seen something on her face because he frowned and mouthed the words don't move. Minerva looked away, lowering her head. If she could save Harry…

But then Lestrange was doing something. She had pulled out her wand and pointed straight up. "Empyreal!" She shouted. A single bright red spark shot out of the tip of her wand, flying towards the roof of the cavern. It was just about to touch the ceiling when it paused in its flight and burst into hundreds of dancing sparkles that filled the room.

The sparkles floated to the cavern floor, flooding the room with light, and chasing away the shadows. Lestrange might have been trying to light the room so that she could see into every corner clearly, but she had done something else instead. The sparks didn't burn out as they reached the floor. Instead, they settled down on rocks and in crevasses. They touched down on the small table, and inside the Pensieve. And the sparks landed on them.

Lestrange stared curiously at the sparks on top of the Invisibility Cloak. It must have looked as if those few had gain the ability to defy gravity. Comprehension dawned on her and she grinned wickedly, and then burst into a full blown laugh.

"Oh no," Harry moaned. Draco whimpered behind Minerva attempting to slide away. Before any of them could react, Lestrange was suddenly there, and then they were no longer covered by the cloak.

Lestrange stood over them holding Harry's Invisibility Cloak in one hand. "Very cleaver," she said. "For a moment you had me fooled. I suppose the rumors about you having one of these are true." She tossed the cloak away, seeming to forget about it immediately.

Harry stood slowly, his grip tightening on his wand. "Well, you found me," he said tightly.

"So I have," Lestrange agreed. "I was expecting you so soon, Potter, but it's just as well. I can complete my mission so much sooner and get away from this retched school." She pointed her wand at Harry and he stilled himself to take whatever curse she planned to use against him. But at the last minute, she swung her wand towards Minerva and shouted "Stupefy!"

Harry quickly stepped in front of Minerva shouting "Protego!" The spell was reflected back at Lestrange who dodged easily.

"Protective are we?" She grinned nastily. Turning her wand on Harry, she shouted "Impedimenta!"

Harry raised his wand but couldn't react quickly enough to stop the spell and was knocked backward, tripping over Malfoy and sliding a good distance across the slick stone floor.

"Accio girl!"

Minerva suddenly felt as if a large invisible hand had reached down and grabbed her around the shoulders and chest. She fell to her knees as she was dragged across the floor. Lestrange directed with her wand and sent Minerva slamming into the far side of cave, her head cracking against the wall. All the breath in Minerva's body flew out of her, stars dancing before her eyes; her head was hurting before, now it felt as if it was going to explode.

"Min," Harry yelled. Minerva wanted to tell him that she alright but she was having a lot of trouble just trying to breath. It was taking more strength than it should just to keep her eyes focused on Harry.

"Filthy half-blood," Lestrange said, approaching Harry again. "I wish I could make you suffer for all the trouble you've caused me. Unfortunately, I still need you. Don't worry; your usefulness will end soon enough."

Harry raised his wand, pointing it at Lestrange's chest. "Expelliarmus!"

"Protego!" Lestrange returned with a flick of her wrist. "Silly child you can't hope to duel me. You silly little half-blood child. You'll do as I say."

"You're mad if you think I will," Harry growled pulling himself to his feet, and raising his wand again. "Petrificus Totalus!"

Faster than Minerva had thought possible, Lestrange moved off to the side, the blast from Harry's wand missing her by a wide margin. It ricocheted off the stone floor not far from Draco, who had found his legs and was slowly inching his way towards Harry's Invisibility Cloak.

"What do you think you're doing?" Lestrange howled, noticing Draco for what seemed like the first time. "Don't you dare move."

Draco cringed and with a air of great determination, snatched up Harry's cloak. In one swift motion, he swung the cloak over his head and was gone.

"I told you not to move!" Lestrange yelled, pointing her wand at the spot Draco had last been seen in. "Stupefy!" Sparks shot from the tip of the wand and into empty air. Where ever Draco was, he was no longer there. "Coward!" Lestrange screamed. "You can run little boy, but I swear you won't survive the night!"

Minerva stared around unbelieving. Draco had left them. He had stolen Harry's cloak and left them in the hands of a mad woman. After all she and Harry had done to save him, he had left them. She felt betrayed by him all over again. She couldn't believe she hadn't listen to what Harry had to say about Draco. He couldn't be trusted. He couldn't even be liked.

The rage Lestrange had been feeling at losing one of her victims slowly started to subside. "He doesn't matter. I'll just have to kill him later." She turned a glare on Harry. "I am highly teed off right now. No more of this stupid game, boy. I suggest you start doing as I say or I'll…"

"You'll what?" Harry sneered. "Kill me?"

"No," Lestrange answered, smiling slowly. "I'll kill her."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Harry's heart skipped a beat, as Lestrange turned her wand on Min again. Min still laid on the floor where Lestrange's spell had left her. Her eyes were glossy and she didn't really seem able to run at the moment. "Don't you touch her," Harry growled, pointing his wand at Lestrange again. "I'll kill you."

Lestrange smirked. "And just how do you plan on doing that?"

"I'll use the killing curse on you," Harry answered. "Don't fool yourself and think I don't know how."

Lestrange laughed. "Even if you summoned every bit of your magical strength, you couldn't kill a fly. And that's assuming you even know how to pull off the curse." Her eyes suddenly turned dark, and she stepped over to Min. "Now, be a good boy and drop your wand. You wouldn't want anything nasty to happen to your little girlfriend now, would you?"

Harry felt himself shaking with rage and fear. Fear for what she could do to Min. Lestrange had killed Sirius and now she was threatening to kill Min. He couldn't let her do it. He couldn't let her hurt Min. But he was afraid to make a move. He didn't know if he was fast enough to save Min if Lestrange turned on her.

Lestrange was kneeling next Min now.

Min looked up at her with disgusted eyes. "Get away from me, you crazy bitch," she hissed, trying to sit up, but not seeming to be able to. That blow Min had taken to the back of the head must have hurt more than she was letting on

Lestrange shushed at Min, the way a mother would shush a misbehaving child. "Such a dirty mouth." She stroked Min's hair. "Coming out of such a pretty face." She turned cold eyes on Harry. "We don't want anything to happen to that pretty face do we, Harry?"

"DON'T TOUCH HER!" Harry yelled, starting forward.

Lestrange wrapped her hand through Min's hair, yanking it and snapping her neck back. Min cried out in pain, tears briming up in her eyes. "Stop right there, Potter, or I'll do more than touch her." Lestrange said darkly.

Hot tears of rage welled up in Harry's eyes. He pushed them back, stopping in his tracks. Visibly shaking now, Harry squeezed his hands into tight fist, feeling his finger nails cutting into the skin of his palms. "Leave. Her. Alone." He bit out.

"Drop the wand," Lestrange ordered.

Harry held onto his wand. Maybe if he was fast enough, he could stun Lestrange before she did anything to Min.

With an astounding speed, Lestrange whipped back Min's head again, this time cracking it against the stone floor. Min didn't scream; she looked as if she was about to lose consciousness. A deep gash appeared over her eye, where her head had collided with the rock, and blood poured from it, smearing her face. "I said drop the wand!" Lestrange yelled, raising Min's head again. "I'm becoming angry. You don't want me to be angry, Potter. If I smash her face again, I'll keep smashing it until there's nothing left."

Harry wanted to scream. He had never felt so useless and powerless as he did at that moment. He let the wand slip from his fingers. He listened to it clatter against the floor, feeling as if he had just sealed his own fate. But it didn't matter what happened to him. He just couldn't let anything happen to Min.

"See," Lestrange said, almost pleasantly as she release Min's hair. "That wasn't so hard. Accio wand!" Harry's wand spun on the floor and then flew into Lestrange's outstretched hand.

Harry dropped his head. He felt weak and sick; he was sure that his knees would give out at any moment and drop him to the ground.

Lestrange stood slowly, and walked away from Min who laid oh-so-still on the cold floor. Lestrange headed for the center of the room again, twirling Harry's wand between her fingers. Harry started for Min, but Lestrange pointed his wand at him.

"Don't move," she said conversationally and continued on to the small table holding Dumbledore's Pensieve. "Have you figured out what I have this for?" She asked, looking down at the basin. "Come on, I'm sure you have. Everyone is always going on about how cleaver you are. Well, go on, tell me. Why do I have this Pensieve?"

Harry gritted his teeth then sighing heavily said, "I assume you want my memory of what the prophecy about me and Voldemort is."

Lestrange's eyes sparked darkly. "Don't you dare speak the Dark Lord's name, you filthy half-blood."

"I have no problem saying Vol" Harry started defiantly.

"Keep that up and it might not turn out so well for your friend," Lestrange hissed. Harry quickly shut his mouth. For the moment he had no choice but to do as Lestrange said. "And you're right. I do plan to take your memories directly to the Dark Lord. He is very interested in the prophecy and he has graciously given me another chance after my first failure."

"How do you even know I've heard the prophecy?" Harry asked. "There was so much going on when it smashed that I didn't get a good look at it."

"The old man has to have told it to you," Lestrange answered, though she didn't seem as sure.

"You mean Professor Dumbledore?" Harry said, hoping to take advantage of Lestrange's uncertainty. "He hasn't told me any thing."

Lestrange looked to be on the point of blowing up again. "You lie," she hissed. "This time I know beyond any doubt that you lie. My…informant tells me that you know everything."

"Your informant?" Harry asked, questioning. What did she mean by that? Was she talking about Pansy or Malfoy, or was there another spy in Hogwarts?

Lestrange didn't respond. She reached under the table and pulled out the box. Opening it she took out the vial and returned the box to its spot.

"Your informant was wrong," Harry went on, hoping Lestrange would believe his bluff. "You're holding us here for nothing."

"Do you know what this is?" Lestrange asked, holding up the vial.

Harry didn't answer.

"Looks like an average glass vial, doesn't it?" Lestrange went on. "But it's not. This little jar is made out of a basilisk bone. Any idea why? Haven't you learned anything about basilisks in Defense Against the Dark Arts? Or have they stopped teaching dark magic and its components in school?"

Harry didn't speak. Harry knew all about basilisk bone though he hadn't learned it in Defense Against the Dark Arts. He couldn't believe he didn't recognize the vial when had first opened the box. He had been so intent on finding Min's wand, that it didn't even strike him to give the bottle a second look. He knew basilisk bone and he knew what it was used for. It was the only thing that could hold basilisk blood.

Lestrange smiled coldly. "So you do know what this means." She pulled a dagger, made of the same material as the vial, out of her robes and un-stoppered the bottle. She started towards the still prone Min, pouring three drops of hissing dark red, almost black blood onto the knife. "I poisoned those nosey, little, bothersome, brats with this," she said, still approaching Min. "Unfortunately, when taken like a poison, basilisk blood takes a very long time to work. However, when put directly into the blood stream, say from a little cut,"here she waved the blade"it works rather quickly; practically within seconds. It's astounding really." Lestrange stopped next to Min, looking down at the girl. She turned cold eyes on Harry. "I suggest you start telling the truth, Potter, or you'll find out first hand just how fast basilisk blood can kill."

Harry stood still, too afraid to make a move. He focused on only one thing, the basilisk bone blade, its tip hissing black red. "Alright, I've seen it," he said slowly. "You can have the stupid prophecy. It doesn't matter to me anyway. Just leave Min alone."

Lestrange kneeled next to Min and scooped the girl up. Min moaned at being moved, her eyes fluttering a bit. Lestrange cradled Min against her chest, holding the knife precariously above the girl. She then threw Harry's wand back at him, it clattering across the floor sliding to a stop at his feet. "Good. Now go deposit your memory of it in the Pensieve. Now."

Harry never looked down at his wand; his eyes never left the blade in Lestrange's hand. "I don't know how," he said.

"You are one stupid boy, Potter. There's nothing to it. You just think of what thoughts you want to deposit and stick them in there using your wand. This blade is starting to feel very heavy, so I suggest you stop stalling and do it."

Harry slowly reached down and picked up his wand, never taking his eyes from Lestrange. He backed up to the round table, looked down briefly at the Pensieve, before turning his eyes back on Lestrange.

Lestrange waved impatiently. "Do it, Potter, now."

Harry turned to face the Pensieve and looked down at the empty basin, awaiting his thoughts. He really didn't know what he was doing. For Min's sake he hoped it was as easy as Lestrange made it sound. Taking a deep breath, Harry brought to mind the memory of Professor Trelawney's ghostly image speaking of a child that would be born that could end Voldemort. Closing his eyes, focusing on nothing but that image, Harry lowered his head towards the Pensieve and placed the tip of his wand against his temple, the way he had seen Professor Dumbledore do. Slowly he pulled the wand away and felt the memory slipping out. It was a very strange sensation, as if he were unravaleing his memory. The more he pulled on the strand, the more the memory faded away. Soon, there was nothing left, and Harry only had a vague idea of what he was placing the Pensieve in the first place.

He opened his eyes and looked down. The bottom of the basin was now swirling with the thought strands from his mind. He looked at it, wondering what it was a thought of.

"Give it a little prod."

Harry started and looked around. Lestrange sneered at him. "Go on, I want to see that you've given me the right memory."

Harry stuck the end of his wand into the basin and stirred the silvery mist. Slowly a wavering form of Professor Trelawney emerged from the Pensieve. Lestrange watched with great interest, her face lighting up as she realized she had finally done it: she'd gotten the prophecy for Voldemort.

Harry watch too. He knew he had seen it all before, but it still felt like he was hearing the prophecy for the first time. And just like the first time the overwhelming feeling of a duty, a burden he couldn't possibly hold was being placed on his shoulders. A destiny he didn't want, but couldn't escape. Harry listened to the prophecy, feeling as if the room was closing in on him. He was suddenly having a very difficult time breathing. I have to kill Voldemort, he thought to himself, or die trying.

The ghostly Trelawney stopped speaking and sank back into the silvery mass below. The cave was very silent for a long moment. The silence was broken at last by Lestrange, who chuckled, then burst out laughing. Harry looked at her with disbelieving eyes. She really was mad.

"The Dark Lord is going to be very pleased," Lestrange said, grinning widely. "I've gotten him the prophecy, the whole prophecy. Now he will know best how to deal with you and rise to his true height of glory."

"Whatever," Harry growled, stepping away from the Pensieve. "You've gotten what you want. Leave Min alone."

"Yes, I have gotten what I want," Lestrange agreed. "I suppose I don't need this girl anymore." She let Min slip from her arms and slide to the floor. "I suppose I could let her go," Lestrange said thoughtfully, and then, without any warning, she raised the blade and sank it into Min's chest.

"NO!" Harry screamed, but it was already too late. It seemed as if time had slowed down. He saw every excruciating detail of the knife cutting through Min's heavy cloak, her school robes, and the sweater she was wearing underneath as if they were warm butter. The tip of the blade touching something firm, and with a savage grin, Lestrange jamming it down.

"STUPEFY!" Harry yelled pointing his wand at Lestrange with shaking hands. The sparks shot at the Death Eater, but they overshot her and bounced against the wall above her left shoulder.

Lestrange jumped, letting Min fall to the floor again. She looked at the scorch mark made by the blast then turned a nasty grin on Harry. "Can't aim properly?" She asked in mock concern. "Are we a little upset?"

Harry was shaking violently. He forced his rage down, trying to control himself. "I'LL KILL YOU!"

Lestrange laughed, standing up and stepping over Min. "I've heard that before. Petrificus Totalus!"

"Barrius!" A glassy wall appeared in front of Harry, absorbing Lestrange's attack.

Lestrange's eyes widen. "So you've learned a high level shield," she said. "That's not enough to save you."

"I've learned more than that," Harry replied coldly. "Smoca Deorc!" Dark smoke spouted from the tip of Harry's wand, billowing up and surrounding Lestrange.

Lestrange looked around at the dark enveloping her. Pulling in a deep a breath, she shut her mouth against the smoke cloud. Harry heard her scream hoarsely all in one breath "Wingardium Leviosa!" Lestrange came shooting above the smoke cloud, dragging black vapors behind her. She twisted in mid air and landed in front of the murk, her eyes gleaming darkly. "Very impressive, Potter. You do realize the suffocating cloud is considered a dark curse."

Harry didn't answer, running all of the curses he had studied in the forbidden section of the library through his mind, trying to decide which would be the most appropriate to use against Lestrange.

"Whatever happened to two wrongs and all that?" Lestrange went on causally. "Ah well. I'll show you how a dark curse is supposed to work. Crucio!"

"Barrius!" Harry shouted. The majority of the curse was stopped by the shield, but a bit of it broke through. A quick jolt of pain shot through every part of Harry's body and he had to force himself to stay on his feet.

"Crucio!" Lestrange shouted again. This time Harry didn't have time to react; he was still reeling from the last attack. The curse caught him mid chest and he heard himself scream in pain as he fell to his knees. "You may have learned a few new tricks," Lestrange said, calmly approaching Harry. "But you're still just a pathetic, little, half-blood boy."

"Cwacian!" Harry yelled, aiming his wand at the ground beneath Lestrange's feet. The rock exploded upward, sending her flying back.

She managed to stay on her feet and, pointing her wand at the larger rock flying towards her, she blew them away in mid air. "Enough of this!" Lestrange screamed. "CRUCIO!"

But Harry was up and moving again. He dodged the curse; looking back he shot a stunning spell over his shoulder at Lestrange. It didn't work; she shielded and moved quickly out of the way. Spinning towards him, she sent a series of hot yellow blasts at Harry that exploded at on his heels. Harry didn't stop running, making a tight circle and heading back for Lestrange. He needed to be close so he could go on the offensive again.

"Totalus Dominatus," Harry yelled, aiming directly at Lestrange.

Lestrange moved out of the way, narrowly dodging the body binding curse. "That was a dirty one, Potter. You have to know that's dangerous to humans." She grinned. "Too bad you're a half-blood. You have a lot of potential."

Harry didn't even want to think about what she meant by that. He turned his wand on her again, ready to try another curse, but Lestrange acted first.

"Solaris!" She yelled. The room lit up with what seemed like the brightness of a hundred suns.

Harry yelled, suddenly blinded. He skidded to stop, covering his eyes a second to late, then stood rooted in the spot, trying to blink away the bright spots blocking his vision.

"IMPEDIMENTA!"

Harry didn't have a hope of seeing it coming and was struck full force by Lestrange's attack. The blast of the spell was so strong, it actually knocked him a several feet into the air. He flew back through the room, skidding across the cave floor and slammed into the back wall. Stars danced before his eyes and Harry tried desperately to catch his breath; to make the room stop spinning. And then something grabbed him and he was being dragged across the floor, back to the center of the room and to Lestrange.

With a vicious jerk of her wand, Lestrange caused Harry to spin around and slam into the round table, knocking his head again. She looked down at him with an ugly sneer and slammed her foot down on his right hand. She dug her heel into his wrist, and with sickening clarity, Harry heard tiny bones snapping and breaking. He bit his lip in a vain effort not scream, as Lestrange crushed the bones in his right hand.

"Little boys are so easy to break," she said, reaching down and plucking Harry's wand from his now useless fingers. "Now, thanks to you, I have to leave right away. That old man has to have noticed a forbidden curse flying around. Even he isn't a big enough fool not to." Never removing her foot from Harry's hand, she reached under the table and pulled out the box again. This time she removed the smaller box, the one containing the button.

Harry watched her through teary eyes, wondering what she was doing with that button. He gasped as it dawned on him what the button really was. "A portkey."

"Well, of course. What did you think it was for?" Lestrange asked snottily. She dumped the button on the table then carefully began arranging the Pensieve for travel.

Harry looked around desperately. He couldn't be in contact with Lestrange when she used that or he'd be carried directly to Voldemort. As he stared around his eyes landed on something not so far away: the basilisk blade, still covered in blood. Lestrange must have dropped it during the duel. She wasn't paying any attention to him now; she was sure she had won and was busy trying to decide the best way to carry the Pensieve, hold the button, and keep any eye on Harry.

Harry stretched out his left hand, trying to reach the blade. It laid so close, but just out of reach. Come on! he screamed at it with his mind's voice. The blade actually looked as if it had wiggled. He stretched with all his strength, willing the knife to come to him. To his great surprise, it actually spun then flew hilt first into his hand.

"Time to go," Lestrange said, cradling the Pensieve protectively in one arm, and reaching for the button with her free hand.

Harry didn't question his miracle, instead rolling over as quickly as he could and sinking the blade deeply into Lestrange's calf.

Lestrange scream, jumping back and dropping the Pensieve to the floor. The stone basin made a resounding crack as it collided with the stone floor, drowning out Lestrange's curses.

"What did you do?" She yelled, looking at the blood soaking through her robes. Her eyes landed on Harry again, and then she saw the weapon he had used against her. Her face went ghost white and she screamed again, "WHAT DID YOU DO?"

"That's for Sirius," Harry hissed, "And for Min," he added softly.

Lestrange sank to the floor, hugging her injured leg to her. "NO! No, I can't die like this. Not at the hands of this…this boy." She looked around then snatched up her wand. "Well, if I die, I want die alone." She pointed her wand shakily at Harry. "Avada…" She paused, trying to catch her breath that had started coming in uneven gasps. "Avada…" This time she dropped the wand and lowered her head. Angry, defiant eyes remained on Harry. She tried to speak again, but no sound would come out. She breathed deeply and exhaled slumping forward to rest on the floor. Her eyes were still open, though they weren't staring at anything anymore.

Harry sat very still watching Lestrange. He half expected her to sit up, shout "I fooled you!" and throw the killing curse at him. But she never did. She was dead and he had been the one to kill her. Harry suddenly felt quite ill. He stood slowly, made it two steps, then vomited on the cave floor. He pulled himself together and started off again, towards Min.

He dropped to his knees beside her. She looked like she was only sleeping, except she was so pale and so still. Harry felt as if he would be sick again, but he pushed the feeling down and instead reached for Min. He pulled her up into his arms, stroking her hair with his left hand. She was still so warm. Harry hadn't noticed when he'd started crying, only realizing it when he saw the tears on Min's face and felt the wetness on his cheeks.

"Oh, Min, this is all my fault," he whispered to her. "I'm so sorry. It's my fault…my fault again." He held her close, wishing he could just make her wake up. He'd gladly give his life he could just make her wake up. He didn't even get to say good-bye.

Harry didn't know how long he sat there, holding Min, with hot tears of anguish and pain rolling down his face. It felt as if time had stopped to him, as if the world couldn't possibly still be going. Very likely though, only a few minutes might have passed from the time he had reached Min's side and heard the voices behind him.

"Harry." Harry was sure that was Professor Lupin calling for him, but he didn't answer.

"Potter are you down here?" That sounded like Snape. Harry really didn't want to answer him.

There were footsteps in the tunnel behind him, then inside the room where he sat with Min in his arms. "Oh my God, what happened in here?" Professor Lupin again, and then, "Harry!"

Harry looked up as Professor Lupin came and kneeled before him. "Harry, are you alright? Are you hurt?"

"Min," Harry managed to croak out.

Professor Lupin looked at him with sad, kind eyes. "Let me see her…" He started.

"God, Potter! What have you done?"

Harry looked up at Snape, who stood over him glaring down at Min in his arms. "What have you done?"

Harry looked away, his eyes going back to Min's still face. He didn't say anything. Professor Snape looked angry. Angrier than Harry had ever seen him before, and Harry had seen Snape very angry. "I…" he started, but stopped. What could he say? How could he defend himself? This was all his fault.

"What happened to her?" Snape asked through clenched teeth.

"Lestrange…she…" Harry stopped, his voice cracking.

"We should ask him about this later," Professor Lupin said, standing and putting himself between Snape and Harry.

"I want to know what happened to her." Snape's eyes flashed dangerously. "What happened to her?"

Harry didn't answer. He didn't think he could.

"God, Potter. What's the matter with you. You won't stop until you've caused the death of everyone you come in contact with."

That hurt more than Snape could possibly know; the memory of Cedric and Sirius came flooding back; Min in his arms. Harry let out a tiny involuntary sob.

"That's enough." Out the corner of his eye, Harry saw Professor Lupin give Snape a shove, pushing the other man back a few steps. "He's been through enough for one night."

"You don't understand," Snape yelled. "That's not some random student he's gotten killed. That's Minerva."

Harry never looked up, but he could feel Lupin's eyes on him. "What?"

"That is a matter for another time." Harry looked around. Professor Dumbledore was suddenly standing there, between the two men. Where'd he come from? "Remus is right. Harry has been through enough for one night." Professor Dumbledore stepped up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, Harry. I think it's time you got back to school."

Harry shook his head. "I can't leave her," he barely whispered.

"Remus," Dumbledore said.

Professor Lupin stepped behind Harry, placing strong hands on his shoulders. "It'll be alright," he whispered in his ear as he began pulling Harry away from Min.

"No," Harry said again, hanging onto Min. "I can't leave her."

Professor Snape was in front of him again, kneeling to take Min away.

"NO!" Harry yelled, struggling against Lupin's grip, but the teacher was stronger than he looked. He pulled Harry up and away easily enough, Snape taking hold of Min. "NO!" Harry screamed, tears streaming down his face again. He couldn't let her go. He couldn't leave her. "I have to stay with her. I can't leave her. I TOLD HER I WOULDN'T LEAVE HER!"

But Professor Lupin wasn't listening. He continued to pull Harry away. Snape had Min now, his hand pressed gently against her throat. Harry stared at him. Why was he touching her that way? Harry struggled against Lupin's grip. He had to get back to Min. "LET ME GO!" He screamed.

Then Professor Dumbledore was in front of him, blocking his view of Snape and Min. "I can't promise you when you wake up you'll feel better," Dumbledore was saying, though Harry was hardly listening. "But you should at least be calmer."

Harry stopped trying to see through Dumbledore and he focused on him. The headmaster had his wand pointed at him, and Harry stared at it blankly. "Wha"

Professor Dumbledore said something Harry didn't quite catch and silver light flashed in front of him. Suddenly Harry felt as if he hadn't slept in weeks, as if would pass out on the spot. He tried to fight the sleep that was trying to take him. He tried to focus on something in the room; anything in the room. Dumbledore had moved and he could see Snape with Min again. Snape held her close, looking up at Professor Dumbledore. He sounded very hollow to Harry as he tried to listen to him speak to Dumbledore. All Harry caught of Snape's rushed words were, "We need to get her to Madam Pomfrey right away." After a few more seconds, Harry couldn't fight the spell anymore and slipped away into soft darkness.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

All done with chapter 16. One more to go and this fic is done. I want make any comments on this chapter, except to say that I don't care much for the title. I started to go with "It's time to Duel" which would have been funny to anyone who is familiar with a short, spiky head, violet eyed, Japanimated cartoon character. But I decided against it in the end. Anyhow, you can ask me what you want, but most questions will probably answered next chapter anyway. Okay, time for comments to reviews.

Mrsean: Well, I hope Draco doesn't seem to redeemed to you in this chapter. He didn't seem so to me. The little weasel ran away. Though I really can't blame him. And believe you me, if it was up to Harry Draco would have been (hurt by Harry, not just Lestrange).

Knbnnate: That happy ending isn't looking too well at the moment. But this isn't the last chapter yet. There's still hope. Maybe.

Jacob: There's good reason for the grammer mistakes in the last chapter. It wasn't just my usual lack of proof reading. My disk ate my chapter (when I was only a few paragraphs from the end) and I had to retype the entire thing. I was none to happy and I had already spent so long on it before, so I just rewrote it, hit spell check (which really isn't a great thing), and posted it. About Harry, he wasn't really thinking clearly. He was really upset and worried about Min, and all he could think about was getting to Min before it was too late. Or at least, that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

albus's bitch: Decaf as in decaffeinated coffee. Do you drink coffee? It's really good. You should try it. And yes, only one more chapter to go. Sorry, but all things have to come to an end sometime.

Sam Vere: Thanks for the information Sam. I'll be sure to make those changes when I get around to doing the rewrite. I hope I can email you questions if I have any.

Scarlet Secret: Thanks for reviewing. And I love your screen name. Why does everybody have a better screen name than me?

Madam Whitbrook: Just a little type-o. I'll get right on that.

Amscray: I think poor Harry would just fall over and die if she said that to him. Or maybe he wouldn't. :gives it some deep thought: But we shall never know, shall we?

Superhpfreak: Comments to chapter 14: I had a hard time reading your review. The text was doing something screwy. There were weird symbols thrown in all over the place, ya know how the wing-dings font looks in word. But I think I got the gist of it. I'm glad you reviewed and I wish I could go on vacation outside of the country. That would be so cool. I go to Texas or Kansas for my vacations. Neither state is all that great (unless you are originally from one of them in which case they're both awesome). Honestly, I don't know how common Mindy is. I hear it a lot around where I live. But I used it because I thought it was a logical short version of Minerva (that Professor McGonagall would hate). Hey, I didn't know Bellatrix was a constellation. That's really neat. The way Rowling comes up with the names for her characters is so great. I usually just use random names that I like in my original stuff. I think I might have to rethink my naming process. You gotta remember the bits. I'm trying to pull everything together. And yes, I did tell you about the Unicorn Trees already. Remember, there a magical plant that I made up. Boy, I make up a lot stuff. I guess I like making up stuff. Does your sister also read my fic? If so, what does she think of it? I hate that prediction Ron made. It says what I want it to say, but it isn't saying it the way I want it to be said. I'm going to change it when I rewrite. But I'll tell you right now it's not going to come to pass in this fic. I'm trying to set things up if I do a sequel. But at the moment that's still in the air. Last chapter really was pretty long. This one not so much, but a lot happened so I hope that makes up for the shortness. Anyway, thanks for reviewing. I hope you had (or are having) a great time on vacation.

Superhpfreak: Comments to chapter 15: You didn't trust me when I said mid-January. I guess you were right not too. And by the by it took me so long to get this chapter up because I took your advice. Remember you said I should take time up-dating. Well, I did. Of course that means I will be directing all hate mail to you J. Pansy is an interesting individual isn't she. Of course who she wants is Draco Malfoy. Draco likes Min, but he's definitely no angel. He still likes to have a little action on the side. Why did it take two spells to stun Min? Um, I don't know. I just wanted dramatic effect, I guess. Please over look the minor discrepancy. Yeah, I know book six is coming out soon. I can't wait. It'll probably be like a thousand pages long. The books have been getting increasingly longer. And I seriously doubt there will be many (if any) correlations. Though it would be funny if Professor McGonagall turned back the clock in the sixth book and started dating Harry. Wouldn't happen, but would still be funny. That's all, so later J

Numba1: Yeah, that's exactly what's happening again. And you bet Harry would kill Lestrange, and he would've just left Malfoy lying there if Min hadn't stopped him. Lot of good that did with Malfoy running off and all. But I have my reason for that. I'm sure you can figure it out. Sorry, it took so long to up-date. I'll try not to let the months slip by again. Seeing as I only have one chapter left, that shouldn't happen.

Sola: Believe it or not, your review did motivate me to get back to work on this chapter. I had started it, but then things started popping up all over the place and so I started neglecting it. Then I got a few more reviews and said, to myself, "myself, you'd better get that chapter finish or people will start sending you hate mail" (and all hate mail is being forwarded to Superhpfreak who said I should take as long as I needed J). Look at the name above you and read the last two sentences to yourself. That's an apology for you too.

Thanks to everybody else who reviewed. I really appreciate the "your story is great" reviews. They make feel all warm in toasty inside like a Quizno's sandwich. I also appreciate the review from Mentally Impaired who told me in a very diplomatic way that my pairing sucked. Hey, everybody's entitled to their own opinion. I hope you kept reading though Mentally Impaired. You have to give Harry and Min a chance. After all, Min isn't exactly the Professor McGonagall we all know and love.

Anyway, that's all from me. One more chapter people and its all over and done with. If you guys think there are some loose ends that I didn't quite explain or tie up or something, please let me know. I want this story to be wrapped up as much as possible. Oh, don't complain about Ron's visions not exactly coming to pass. That's for the sequelif there is one. And I'm still not entirely sure there will be one. I have to see. Now that's really all from me. You've read, hopefully you've enjoyed, now its time to review. Don't just sit there staring at you screen. Go. Review.