The Department of Mysteries - Part 2
Chapter 3
Sirius was running as fast as possible, holding a hand to his side. Bellatrix's hex had broken a rib on his right. After a couple of tries, Kingsley had been able to mend it but the spell-work had been clumsy in his haste. His side was bruised and felt very sore, but he couldn't think about himself now. Harry had gone after Bellatrix and Sirius had to get to him as quickly as possible.
What was Harry thinking going after Bellatrix?
It took quite some time to cross the spinning room. He tried a couple of doors before finding the one that led to the lifts.
He slammed the grilles of the lift as it shuddered; he could already hear shouting and sounds of crashing from above. Hoping Dumbledore had reached Harry already and was protecting him, Sirius was shocked and surprised at the sight that met him when the lifts shuddered to a halt.
The Fountain of Magical Brethren was broken to pieces with parts of it lying randomly on the floor. Bellatrix was being held back by the statue of the witch and she was watching in horror at Harry.
Harry was screaming and yelling, his tortured cries echoing in the large Atrium. His eyes were screwed shut as a dark wave of something erupted from his chest and shot at the golden statue near him, which cracked and was thrown away. Dumbledore stood frozen, watching Harry as if he was afraid of him. Sirius had never felt quite as scared as he was when Harry spoke in a high, cold voice, "Kill me now, Dumbledore…"
Realising what Voldemort was doing to Harry, a sob threatened to break free of him as Sirius called out to him, "HARRY!"
Dumbledore's head snapped towards him but then turned almost immediately again towards Harry, who was curling in on himself. Tears were streaming through his eyes that were screwed shut against the agony that he must be feeling. Sirius ran towards him, unable to comprehend how to help his godson, unable to simply stand and watch.
Harry's eyes opened and Sirius nearly recoiled when he saw them. They were gleaming red and Harry spoke again in the same voice that sounded both like Harry as well as Voldemort. "If death is nothing Dumbledore, kill the boy…"
Sirius fell on his knees beside Dumbledore who was staring at Harry, frozen.
Harry yelled as he brought up his hands to his head.
"…stop..." Harry's whisper was hoarse and pleading, but unmistakeably his own voice. Tears sprang to Sirius' eyes as he tried to hold Harry; Sirius could feel every muscle in Harry's body, wound tensely as he yelled in agony. He realized Harry was fighting him, Voldemort, inside his head.
Sirius ran his hand through Harry's hair in an attempt to soothe him and with his face inches from Harry's ear, he whispered, "Harry, you can do this! You can beat him! Come on!"
Then, Harry yelled and his body was thrown away by an invisible force to the floor. His glasses flew away from him and he abruptly stilled. Sirius was sure his heart had stopped beating as he froze in horror. He knew what happened to the people that Voldemort possessed and also what happened when Voldemort left them.
Fearing the worst, he called out to him, hands slapping his face. "No! No, Harry! Wake up!"
He put his hand to Harry's cold, clammy chest and almost slumped in relief when he felt Harry's heart hammering wildly.
He heard lots of footsteps as a horde of people came running out of the fireplaces, the green flash of the fire reflecting eerily off of the polished wooden floors. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed someone Disapparating. He looked up to see it was Voldemort, who had appeared out of nowhere to take Bellatrix with him.
Dumbledore put a hand on Sirius' shoulder as he murmured, "Is he—?"
"Alive, he's alive!" Sirius breathed out in relief. He couldn't even bring himself to care that he was sitting in the Ministry of Magic in front of more than fifty Ministry officials and might as well be trapped. All he could feel was the relief that seeped into his bones that Harry was alive.
Sirius watched as the tiny gold statues of the house-elf and the goblin, leading a stunned-looking Cornelius Fudge forwards.
"He was there!" shouted a scarlet-robed man, who was pointing at a pile of golden rubble on the other side of the hall, where Bellatrix had been trapped only moments before. "I saw him, Mr. Fudge, I swear it was You-Know-Who, he grabbed a woman and Disapparated!"
Fudge was shocked and baffled by what he had just seen.
"If you proceed downstairs into the Department of Mysteries, Cornelius," said Dumbledore, striding forwards so that the newcomers realized he was there for the first time. "—you will find several escaped Death Eaters contained in the Death Chamber, bound by an Anti-Disapparition Jinx and awaiting your decision as to what to do with them."
"Dumbledore!" gasped Fudge, beside himself with amazement. "You—here—I—I—"
He looked wildly around at the Aurors he had brought with him and it could not have been clearer that he was in half a mind to cry, 'Seize him!'
"Cornelius, I am ready to fight your men—and win, again!" said Dumbledore in a thunderous voice. "But a few minutes ago you saw proof, with your own eyes, that I have been telling you the truth for a year. Lord Voldemort has returned, you have been chasing the wrong man for twelve months, and it is time you listened to sense!"
When Fudge finally relented and sent two Aurors to the Department of Mysteries to check on the others, he seemed eager to discuss what had happened here.
"We can discuss that after I have sent Harry back to Hogwarts," said Dumbledore.
"Harry—Harry Potter?"
Fudge wheeled around and stared at Sirius who was crouching on the floor beside the wall, holding a limp Harry in his arms.
"Sirius Black!" he pointed comically at him, put his other hand to his chest. This time, he really did yell, "Seize him!"
About a handful of Aurors moved forward when Dumbledore stepped in between Sirius and the Aurors.
"He is no more a Death Eater than you and I, Cornelius. It is time you stopped blaming every attack that has happened so far on an innocent man and face the facts."
"Dumbledore, even you must know that he is a deranged mass-murderer—"
"Sirius is innocent," said Dumbledore simply. "I have known that for two years now. You will give the order for holding his rightful trial within the end of the week."
Fudge apparently confused by this turn of events could say nothing but, "Rightful. Ha!"
"I will explain everything," repeated Dumbledore, "when Harry is back at school."
He walked away to the place where the golden wizard's head lay on the floor. He pointed his wand at it and muttered, 'Portus.' The head glowed blue and trembled noisily against the wooden floor for a few seconds, then became still once more.
"Now see here, Dumbledore!" said Fudge, as Dumbledore picked up the head and walked back to Sirius carrying it. "You haven't got authorisation for that Portkey! You can't do things like that right in front of the Minister for Magic, you—you—"
His voice faltered as Dumbledore surveyed him magisterially over his half-moon spectacles.
"Harry?"
Sirius' question, though murmured, was audible throughout the hall. Harry was stirring in his arms, eyebrows furrowing as he opened his eyes. Sirius felt relief sweep through him as he saw that they were not a gleaming red, but their usual bright green.
"Sirius?" his whisper was hoarse and Sirius, still deep in worry for him, managed to smile.
"Are you okay, Harry?" Sirius helped him sit up. He handed him his glasses which he put on with shaking hands. He had a look of utter confusion in his face. "Wh-What happened? Where's Voldemort—?"
"He's gone, Harry. Come on, up you get." Sirius hoisted Harry up to his feet and he immediately leaned towards Sirius, obviously unable to support himself. He was shivering and Sirius couldn't help but worry how clammy his skin felt through his shirt.
The bright, white flash of a camera startled him as he snapped his head in the direction of the flash. He scowled as he tried to position Harry away from the idiot man with his camera.
Dumbledore was sweeping his way towards Sirius again, holding the golden wizard's head that was a Portkey.
"Are you sure you're alright, Harry?" Dumbledore asked, peering at Harry through his half-moon spectacles.
Harry nodded. Sirius knew he was lying, if the way he was holding on to him was any indication.
"Take this Portkey, Sirius," Dumbledore said looking at Sirius, who nodded.
"Now, look here, Dumbledore! Black is an escaped convict. You can't just—"
"I will not hear more of this!" said Dumbledore, his tone impatient. Though Dumbledore had not turned away from Harry to look at Fudge, Sirius was certain Fudge had just taken a step back in fear.
Dumbledore held out the golden head to Sirius who took it. Harry placed his other hand, the one that was not holding Sirius, on the Portkey.
"I shall see you both in half an hour," said Dumbledore quietly. "One… two… three…"
Sirius felt the familiar sensation of a hook being jerked behind his navel and everything disappeared as he was flying forwards in a whirlwind of colour and sounds, with Harry safe by his side.
