Author's note: I might make a couple of spelling errors in this chapter - I'm nowhere near my Harry Potter books as I write this.

OOOOOOOOOOO

Despite the fact that he'd just wiped himself out breaking the wall in, Voldemort was watching everything unfold in front of him as Jack went crashing to the floor as the wall exploded. Because of that, the Dark Lord didn't miss the breaking of the prophecy or the fact that the noise of the wall still crumbling in covered up whatever noise the image of light made as it vanished – forever. Weariness turned to fury in an instant.

"What did it say?"

O'Neill rolled to his feet, wiping at his forehead, which had been cut by some flying debris but didn't seem to be bleeding too badly.

Don't tell him!

Jack didn't need the house to tell him what to do, though. Especially since he had no intention of telling Voldemort anything.

"No clue…"

Voldemort entered the house, walking carefully over the rubble left of the wall with his wand pointed at Jack. Behind him came Snape, who was looking around curiously – although his wand was fixed on O'Neill as well.

"Don't lie to me, little brother," Voldemort hissed.

Jack scowled.

"Don't call me that."

"What did it tell you?" Voldemort repeated, his evil eyes cold as they regarded him.

"The winner of the World Series."

Voldemort had had enough. The entire time Jack O'Neill had been with him he'd been nothing but flippant and annoying, and the Dark Lord had had enough trying to coax the man to do what he wanted. It was time for a change of plan. He pointed his wand once more at Jack.

"Crucio!"

There was an instant. Just an instant, when Jack tried to figure out what the heck that meant. After that fleeting instant passed, however, he couldn't think of anything. A blinding pain that seemed to come from every cell in his body dropped him to the floor. Pain. Worse than any he could remember, it actually felt like someone was trying to turn him inside out – and it happened so fast, he hadn't even had a chance to brace himself for it.

He heard someone cry out in pain, realized it was him, and clamped his jaws shut, determined not to give Voldemort the satisfaction of hearing that again.

As quickly as it started, however, it stopped.

Gasping, Jack rolled over, but he wasn't able to get to his feet.

"See, little brother?" Voldemort sneered, his wand still pointed at him. "There's a reason to fear me. Now, tell me what the prophecy said, and I'll kill you quickly instead of lingering over it like I really want to."

"Go to hell."

"Crucio!"

This time he was a little more prepared for it, but that didn't stop it from hurting so badly he thought he was going to pass out. Unfortunately, he didn't. He tasted blood as he bit down on his lower lip to keep from crying out once more, and clutched his stomach, certain his organs were trying to escape through his navel.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

"Dobby! Which way do we go?"

The little house elf looked around, his huge eyes worried. They were in the Forest, which was finally started to light up a little as the sun rose, but Dobby didn't know the way any more than Harry did.

"Dobby doesn't know, Harry Potter," he said, mournfully. "Perhaps we should return to the castle and-"

"No!" Harry snapped. "I have to find Jack."

"Perhaps I can be of assistance…"

Harry jumped, startled, at the sound of a voice coming from behind him when a moment before no one had been there. He and Dobby both whirled, Harry with his wand out, Dobby with his hand up, ready to defend himself and the boy who was with him.

There was still no one there.

"What…?"

"I said, perhaps I can help…"

The voice came out of nowhere, but it was right in front of him.

"Who's there?" Harry said, expecting that someone was standing there, but was under an invisibility cloak or something like that.

"Sebastian Windham at your service."

Harry frowned. He could hear the voice quite plainly, but he couldn't see anyone.

"Where are you?"

"Right in front of you."

"Are you a ghost?"

"No. I'm merely invisible."

Dobby looked up suspiciously.

"Invisible?"

"A mishap from my youth," Sebastian replied with a hint of humor in his voice.

"What are you doing in the forest?" Harry asked.

"Offering you my assistance."

"I mean before that."

"I was following you. You and your friend are looking for the Seeress' cabin."

"How did you know that?"

"You overheard you discussing it with your friend."

Dobby frowned.

"Dobby has never heard of an invisible person living in the Forest…"

"I don't really stick out," Sebastian said. "Would you like my help or not?"

"How can you help?" Harry asked.

"I know where it is."

"You do?"

"Of course."

"Can you show us?"

"Yes. Just follow me."

"But we can't see you."

"You'll have to follow my voice…" Sebastian told them. "Come this way." And the voice started to move as he spoke.

Harry looked down at Dobby, who shook his head. He didn't trust the invisible person. Resolutely, however, Harry shrugged, and started off the same direction as Sebastian's voice. A moment later Dobby followed, determined that he had to keep Harry safe – even from himself.

OOOOOOOOOOO

"Had enough, little brother?"

Jack was flattened, his entire being seeming to quiver as he tried to catch his breath, sweat dripping off him. Three times Voldemort had used that spell on him, and each time it seemed to hurt more and more.

"Go to hell…" Jack said, again, knowing that the statement was going to be followed by an even longer period of excruciating pain.

Voldemort shook his head, and pointed his wand at Jack once more.

"Cru-"

Before he could finish speaking, an arrow came from the large opening in the wall, hitting his wand and knocking it out of his hand. At the same time another shot in and did the same with the wand Snape was holding in his hand. Both wizards cursed as their wands clattered to the floor, turning at the attack.

Jack did as well, but he was a lot slower, and by the time he looked over, the hole in the wall was suddenly filled with naked people on horses carrying bows. He did a double take as three of them galloped into the shack, hooves thudding loudly on the floor. They were naked people on horseback, he realized, even as two of them went for Voldemort and Snape, shouldering them aside with the heavy horse bodies. The two wizards went flying backwards, out of the hole in the wall, and Jack stared up at the other one, who trotted over to him, looking down at him. It was a centaur.