"NOW!" Harry yelled.
Selena pointed her wand with the others. "REDUCTO!"
Eight beams of blue light flew from their wands, hitting the shelves and bursting into turquoise explosions. Hundreds of glass orbs shattered. Countless tiny, ghostly figures floated along the shelves, appearing and beginning to recite the prophecies. Selena shielded her head as shimmering glass shards and wood splinters rained down on them, the shelves beginning to sway.
"RUN!" Harry yelled.
They broke into a sprint. The shelves began to teeter even more, prompting more crystal balls to fall, smashing against the floor. It was chaos with the Death Eaters yelling, orbs crashing down, and glass raining across the room from falling shelves. A huge piece of wood slammed to the floor next to Selena, making her leap out of the way. The shelves began to fall like dominoes, one slamming into the other with a boom.
Ron and Ginny sprinted ahead, Luna just barely behind them, covering their heads too.
Hermione yelled "Stupefy!" somewhere behind Selena.
Selena reached the end of the row, Anne right at her side. Harry was behind them with Hermione, turning right. Selena didn't hesitate to follow, her feet hitting the floor as she ran towards the open black door they had come through. Light gleamed from it, dazzling and promising safety from the Death Eaters.
Harry and Hermione dashed through, followed by Anne. Selena was right behind them, only Neville panting behind her as he ran. The moment Neville was through the doorway, Harry slammed the door shut.
Hermione pointed her wand at it. "Colloportus!" The door made a squelching sound like a drain being shut.
"Where - where are the others?" Harry gasped.
Selena whipped around, expecting to see Ron, Ginny and Luna somewhere in the dazzling sea of desks and clocks. But no one else was there. Her heart dropped into her stomach as she gazed over at an aghast Anne.
"They must have gone the wrong way!" Hermione whispered in horror.
"Listen!" Neville hissed.
Shouting and footsteps sounded beyond the shut door. Harry walked up to the door, pressing his ear against it.
Selena could hear Lucius' voice, but it was muffled from where she stood.
"What do we do?" Hermione asked. She shook so much her wand trembled in her hand.
"Well, we don't stand here waiting for them to find us, for a start," Harry said. "Let's get away from this door."
The five of them ran through the clock room, trying to keep their footsteps quiet.
Something slammed into the door behind them.
The group stopped, turning. Selena's heart beat in her chest double-time.
"Stand aside!" a harsh voice commanded. "Alohomora!"
Selena just barely managed to dive under the nearest desk along with the others before the door burst open with a bang. Two Death Eaters emerged, their black robes fluttering around their feet as they hurried through the room.
"They might've run straight through to the hall," the harsh voice that had spoken said.
"Check under the desks," another man's voice said.
Selena clenched her fist, pointing her wand. She watched the Death Eaters go the desk Harry and Hermione were curled under. Harry raised his wand as the Death Eater started to bend down to look.
"STUPEFY!"
The red spell hit the Death Eater in his masked face, knocking him backwards. He fell against a grandfather clock, both of them toppling over with a metallic-and-wood crash. But the other Death Eater had jumped out of the way, turning his wand to point it at Hermione as she crawled out from under the desk.
"Avada -"
Anne screamed but Harry threw himself at the Death Eater's knees, making him crash into a pile of clocks.
Neville suddenly got up, shoving an entire wooden desk and the dozen clocks on its surface over. He pointed his wand, waving it erratically at Harry and the Death Eater as they wrestled.
"EXPELLIARMUS!" he yelled. Light sparked and then two wands flew away from Harry and the Death Eater, soaring towards the open doorway they had run in from. The two scrambled up, sprinting in a race to their wands, Harry just a foot behind the Death Eater.
Neville stared horrified after them.
Anne motioned to Selena and they both clambered out from underneath their desks.
"Get out of the way, Harry!" Neville yelled.
Harry threw himself under a desk just as Neville raised his wand. "STUPEFY!"
But the red spell flew over the shoulder of the Death Eater, smashing into a glass cabinet against the wall. The Time-Turners inside burst into shards and bent pieces of gold, the cabinet tumbling to the floor and shattering apart in a plume of glittering glass. Then, as though someone had cast a Mending Charm, the pieces flew back together, a fully fixed cabinet appearing back against the wall. And then it exploded again, glass shattering, crashing to the ground, and then began repairing itself again as if in a loop.
The Death Eater scooped up his wand, turning wildly. Harry dove under a desk as the man pulled his hood above his eyes, shouting "STUP-"
"STUPEFY!" Hermione screamed.
The beam of red light hit the Death Eater in the chest, making him fall backwards, stunned and frozen with his wand arm stretched out. He tumbled back into the side of the bell jar with the hummingbird, but suddenly his head went right through, as if the jar was a magical barrier one could pass through. The Death Eater lay on the table, still stunned from Hermione's spell. But his head was inside the jar, the shimmering wind ruffling his dark hair.
"Accio Wand!" Hermione called. She caught Harry's wand as it flew to her, and tossed it over to him as he emerged from beneath the desk.
"Thanks," Harry said to her. "Right, let's get out of-"
"Look out!" Neville yelled in terror. Selena turned, raising her wand, to where Neville was looking: at the Death Eater with his head in the bell jar.
Selena's mouth fell open. The head of the Death Eater was shrinking down, his black hair vanishing into baldness, stubble vanishing as his jaw softened and his cheeks became smooth. There, on a tattooed neck outside of the jar, was a baby's head. But then the head got larger again, the dark hair and stubble reappearing.
"It's Time," Hermione said in amazement. "Time…"
The Death Eater shook his head confusedly, but then it started to shrink back down to that of a baby.
Someone shouted from somewhere else.
Crash.
A girl screamed.
"RON?" Harry yelled, turning around. "GINNY? LUNA?"
"Harry!" Hermione screamed.
Selena watched as the Death Eater stood up, the baby's head crying as the man swung his muscular arms around the room. He stumbled towards them, nearly punching Harry before he ducked down.
Harry raised his wand, but Hermione grabbed his arm.
"You can't hurt a baby!" Hermione said.
Selena spun around as footsteps echoed from the open prophecy room they had escaped.
"Come on!" Harry yelled.
The five sprinted towards the black door at the end of the rectangular room. Just as they crossed the halfway mark of the glittering clock room, two Death Eaters ran through the doorway.
Harry suddenly tore left and Selena followed.
Harry shoved open the door to a small room with dim light, slamming the door as everyone ran in. Selena skidded to a stop, bumping into a stack of blank parchment scrolls. As her eyes adjusted, she realized they were in an office.
"Collo-" Hermione started, but the door slammed open as the two Death Eaters appeared.
"IMPEDIMENTA!" the Death Eaters cried victoriously.
Selena was thrown off her feet, crashing into the stack of scrolls as they flew into the air. There was a thud as Neville soared over the desk, and a rain of thumps as books fell onto Hermione from the bookshelf she had been thrown against. Anne groaned, rubbing her head from where she'd hit it against the desk. Harry lay nearby, dazed, the glowing prophecy still clutched in his hand.
"WE'VE GOT HIM!" one of the Death Eaters yelled. "IN AN OFFICE OFF-"
"Silencio!" Hermione cried, feebly pointing her wand.
The man's mask moved as he tried to speak, but he was silent. The other Death Eater shoved him aside.
But Harry was faster.
"Petrificus Totalus!" he shouted, pointing his own wand as the second Death Eater raised his wand.
The Death Eater froze, his limbs binding together before he fell face-first onto the rug beneath Harry.
"Well done, Ha—" Hermione began.
The silenced Death Eater slashed his wand through the air, and purple flames streaked across Hermione's chest.
"Oh!" Hermione cried in a small voice. She fell to the rug, not moving.
"HERMIONE!" Harry dropped to his knees beside her.
Anne shook her head, trying to snap out of her daze.
Selena crawled to her cousin as Neville appeared beneath the desk, his wand at the ready.
The Death Eater kicked at Neville's head, snapping Neville's wand before his boot hit Neville in the face. Neville howled, shrinking back and pressing a hand against his nose.
Selena pointed her wand at the Death Eater along with Harry. The Death Eater yanked off his dark mask, revealing a pale face, and pointed his own wand back at Harry.
"Dolohov?" Anne murmured confusedly, her eyes unfocused as she peered at the Death Eater.
Selena didn't waver her wand aim. She recognized the man from the newspaper too.
Dolohov looked between Selena and Harry, grinning with yellowing teeth. He pointed his other hand at the crystal ball Harry held in his hand half-laying protectively on Hermione's shoulder. Then Dolohov pointed at himself, and then at Hermione.
"Like you won't kill us all anyway, the moment I hand it over!" Harry cried.
"Whaddever you do, Harry, don'd gib it to him!" Neville said strongly from beneath the desk. Selena winced as Neville dropped his hands to reveal a broken nose gushing scarlet blood along his chin and mouth.
Selena flinched as something crashed outside the office. Dolohov turned, peering over his shoulder at the light-filled room before the Death Eater with the baby's head appeared, crying, waving his fists.
"PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!" Harry yelled.
Dolohov fell frozen on top of the other charmed Death Eater on the rug.
Selena dropped her wand as the Death Eater with the baby head stumbled off somewhere in the clock room, following by a string of metallic crashes.
"Hermione," Harry said, shaking her. "Hermione, wake up…"
"Whad did he do to her?" Neville asked, crawling out from under the desk and kneeling next to Hermione. Blood still ran down from his nose, dripping onto the rug.
"I dunno…" Harry responded.
"Selena, what happened?" Anne muttered as Neville took Hermione's pulse.
Selena slid closer to Anne, right next to Hermione's head of messy brown curls. "Dolohov cast some... some kind of spell and..."
"Dat's a pulse, I'b sure id is," Neville assured them.
Selena took a deep breath of relief.
"She's alive?" Harry asked.
"Yeah, I dink so," Neville replied.
Harry turned to look at Anne, his eyes shining with concern behind his glasses. "Annie, are you-"
"I'm fine, Harry," Anne responded, dropping her head into her hands. "I just need a minute..."
They all grew quiet. Harry turned towards the open doorway. The only sounds Selena could hear were the cries of the baby-headed Death Eater and the ticking clocks.
"We're not far from the exit," Harry whispered, looking between Neville and Selena, "we're right next to that circular room… if we can just get you across it and find the right door before any more Death Eaters come, I'll bet you both - er, three, Annie, sorry - can get Hermione up the corridor and into the lift… then you could find someone… raise the alarm…"
"And whad are you going do do?" said Neville, mopping his bleeding nose with his sleeve and frowning at Harry.
"You can't go out there by yourself," Selena added.
"I've got to find the others," Harry argued.
"Well, I'b going do find dem wid you," Neville said in a final way.
"But Hermione-"
"We'll dake her wid us," Neville interrupted. "I'll carry her - you and Sedena are bedder at fighding dem dan I ab." Without another word, Neville stood up and gently grabbed one of Hermione's limp arms. When Harry hesitated, Neville leveled him with a glare, and Harry quickly helped lift Hermione up onto Neville's shoulders.
"Wait," Harry said, picking up Hermione's vine-carved wand and handing it to Neville. "You'd better take this."
Neville looked forlornly at the two broken wooden pieces of his wand next to Selena. He took a few steps towards the door. Neville kicked aside the broken fragments of his own wand as they walked slowly towards the door. "My gran's going do kill be, dat was by dad's old wand." Blood spurted from his nose as he breathed.
"I'm sorry Neville," Selena murmured.
He gave her a sympathetic look and adjusted Hermione on his shoulders.
Selena turned to Anne as she blinked her blue eyes. "Can you stand? We have to go."
Harry watched as Anne took a deep breath, nodding. She stood up shakily, pressing her hands onto the desk. When Selena reached forward to help her, Anne swatted her hands away with a quiet "I'm fine, I'm fine."
Harry and Selena looked at each other, sharing the same thought: Anne most definitely was not fine. But she wasn't going to admit that. Selena bit her lip nervously, glancing over at her cousin who looked nauseous.
"We'll watch her," Harry muttered, nodding.
Anne shot a murderous look at him but Harry just turned away, looking out of the open door.
Selena could hear the baby-headed Death Eater creating chaos as he screamed. It was bizarre hearing a baby crying, it made Selena want to go comfort him like she had when her littlest sister was a baby. It was strange knowing that the cries actually belonged to a Death Eater turned half into a baby by magic. There was a loud smash outside, probably another grandfather clock being broken.
"He's never going to notice us," Harry whispered. "C'mon… keep close behind me…"
Selena, Neville and Anne all crept through the doorway, heading towards the black door into the circular room. Selena could see Neville's legs shaking as he tried to hold up Hermione but he kept going ahead of Selena until they were in the black circular room again. The dark door shut behind them, cutting off the beautiful light from the clock room and plunging them into near darkness.
Anne groaned as the walls started to spin.
"Shut your eyes," Selena whispered to her. "It helps."
When the walls stopped moving and Selena opened her own eyes, she realized with a start that Hermione's spell had worn off and the crosses marking the doorways no longer burned.
Harry swayed where he stood. "So which way d'you reck—?"
A door to the right burst open, and Selena gasped. Three familiar figures tumbled out of the doorway.
"Ron!" Harry said hoarsely, breaking into a run. "Ginny - are you all -?"
"Harry," Ron said with a soft giggle. He jerked forward as if about to fall, grabbing Harry's robes and gazing at him dazedly. His already-fair complexion had gone even paler, but blood was in the corner of his mouth, rolling down his chin "There you are… ha ha ha… you look funny, Harry… you're all messed up…" He collapsed to his knees, holding Harry's robes in his fists, pulling Harry into a bow.
"Ginny?" Harry said, his voice quiet with fear. "What happened?"
Ginny shook her head, her red hair messy and tangled. She slid down the wall, closing her eyes and clutching her ankle. Her chest rose and fell as she took shallow breaths.
"I think her ankle's broken, I heard something crack," Luna whispered, leaning over Ginny with a calm expression on her face. "Four of them chased us into a dark room full of planets; it was a very odd place, some of the time we were just floating in the dark -"
"Harry, we saw Uranus up close!" Ron giggled. "Get it, Harry? We saw Uranus - ha ha ha..." Blood formed a dark bubble next to to his mouth.
Anne looked disoriented, but still managed to raise an eyebrow at Selena and shake her head.
Luna continued as if Ron hadn't spoken."Anyway, one of them grabbed Ginny's foot, I used the Reductor Curse and blew up Pluto in his face, but…" She waved towards Ginny.
"And what about Ron?" Harry asked nervously as Ron giggled and tugged at his robes.
"I don't know what they hit him with," Luna lamented, "but he's gone a bit funny, I could hardly get him along at all."
"Harry," Ron said as he pulled Harry down so he could speak in his ear, giggling the whole time. "You know who this girl is, Harry? She's Loony… Loony Lovegood… ha ha ha."
"We've got to get out of here," Harry said. "Luna, can you help Ginny?"
"Yes," Luna replied. She tucked her wand behind her hear and slipped her arm around Ginny's waist, trying to stabilize her and pull her up.
Ginny huffed. "It's only my ankle, I can do it myself!" she snapped. She suddenly nearly fell, holding onto Luna.
Selena glanced sideways at Anne. Ginny's stubborness certainly sounded familiar.
Harry helped Ron put his arm over his shoulder, supporting him as he stood. When Harry started heading towards a door, Selena immediately followed.
A door to the left flew open with a bang. Bellatrix Lestrange charged in, followed by three Death Eaters.
"There they are!" Bellatrix screeched.
The Death Eaters aimed their wands and Selena barely had time to throw herself to the ground as Stunning Spells ricocheted around the room in red beams of light. Harry hurtled through a door, throwing Ron inside before coming back to help Neville as he struggled to carry Hermione. Selena scrambled up to her feet, breathing hard as she sprinted through the doorway last. Harry slammed the door just as Bellatrix ran towards them.
"Colloportus!" Harry shouted.
The door sealed shut and three thumps followed as the Death Eaters rammed into the door.
Selena leaned over, panting, trying to steady her heartbeat. She peered behind her, back at the green tank of floating brains, and cringed. Well, brains or no brains, they were safe for a moment.
"It doesn't matter!" a man yelled behind the door. "There are other ways in - WE'VE GOT THEM, THEY'RE HERE!"
Harry turned, searching.
Selena watched the black door as she listened to the Death Eaters walking around. More sets of footsteps sounded. How many Death Eaters were on that side now? Seven? Eight?
"Luna - Neville - Selena - help me!" Harry called.
Selena turned around, running to the different doors around the room.
"Colloportus!" she said, swishing her wand in the question-mark shaped movement of the charm. Door after door sealed, closing them in the brain room. There was a crash as Harry fell over a desk in his hurry to shut a door.
Footsteps dashed behind the door Selena had just charmed, followed by a thud. She jumped as the door shook.
"Collo-aaaaaaaaargh!"
Selena spun to see Luna thrown backwards from the door she was charming, hitting a desk and sliding over the top. Bellatrix and four Death Eaters ran through the doorway as Luna fell to the floor behind the desk, crumpled in a tangle of silver hair, unmoving.
"Get Potter!" Bellatrix screamed. She sprinted towards Harry, but he swerved out of the way, running to the other end of the room with the prophecy held in the air.
"Hey!" Ron yelled, stumbling up to his feet next to Anne. He started stumbling towards Harry, swaying like he'd had too much firewhiskey. Anne grasped at his robes as if to stop him, but Ron pulled away effortlessly. "Hey Harry, there are brains in here, ha ha ha, isn't that weird, Harry?"
"Ron, get out of the way, get down!" Harry called.
Selena didn't even think as she started running at Ron, her heart pounding.
Ron pointed his wand at the brain tank. "Honest, Harry, they're brains - look - Accio Brain!"
Everyone turned to watch in horror as a pearly-white brain flew from the tank in a splash of toxic-looking green water, floating in the air for a moment before flying towards Ron, corkscrewing like a demented Quaffle. Something like strings fluttered behind the brain, unrolling grotesquely.
"Ha ha ha, Harry, look at it," Ron said, "Harry come and touch it; bet it's weird-"
"RON, NO!" Harry bellowed. He sprinted towards Ron, but it was too late.
The brain landed in Ron's open hands. The ribbons coming from the brain immediately curled around Ron's arms. Next to him, Anne swayed as if she might faint from shock.
"Harry, look what's happen- no - no - I don't like it - no, stop - stop!"
The tentacles wrapped around Ron's torso, and the brain pulled itself against Ron's chest. Ron struggled, ripping at the ribbons.
"Diffindo!" Harry yelled, aiming his wand at the brain. Nothing happened as Ron fell onto his side, squirming and writhing on the floor as he tried to escape the brain.
Selena wracked her brain for a spell, rooted to the spot helplessly as Ron struggled.
"Harry, it'll suffocate him!" Ginny screamed from the floor.
A Death Eater flicked their wand in her direction, and a Stunning Spell shot out in a ray of red. The spell hit Ginny in the face, knocking her over onto her side, frozen.
"STUBEFY!" Neville yelled, blood running from his nose as several Death Eaters ran towards him. "STUBEFY, STUBEFY!"
No spell came from Hermione's wand in his grip.
Neville narrowly dodged a Stunning Spell from one of the Death Eaters.
"Stupefy!" Selena yelled.
The Death Eater she had aimed at waved their own wand in time, a light blue Protection Charm catching and deflecting her spell.
Two Death Eaters responded by shooting off a spell that cast a silver light. Selena and Neville dodged them as the silver light smashed craters into the back wall.
Harry ran past Selena, Bellatrix chasing after him. Harry held the prophecy glowing above him as if it was a beacon, leading the Death Eaters away from the group. The Death Eaters chased after him, throwing the furniture around out of their path. Harry dashed through the open door the Death Eaters had come through.
Neville gently laid Hermione on the ground as quickly as he could manage, getting some blood from his nose in her hair.
Selena pointed her wand at Ron, who was still struggling and thrashing on the ground. Ginny was hyperventilating, shaking her head as she crawled towards him, stretching out her hands like she was going to try to pull the brain off herself.
"Don't!" Selena and Neville shouted at the same time.
Ginny pointed at Ron, her brown eyes big and desperate. "HE'S GOING TO SUFFOCATE!"
"You hab to helb him," Neville told Selena. He glanced once at Anne, who was leaning against a fallen desk, taking deep breaths. "I hab to helb Harry." Neville turned and sprinted towards the dark hallway that Harry had just gone through with the Death Eaters.
Selena fumbled with her words, trying to think back to Charms class or even Care of Magical Creatures. What was she supposed to do to a monster brain? If she set it on fire, it could burn Ron, but time was running out and Ginny seemed at a loss for any better spells too.
Selena pointed her wand at the brain as it squirmed with its tentacles. She took a quick breath, making sure she was close enough so that the spell wouldn't hit Ron instead. "Incendio!"
The second the flames grazed the brain, it let out a high-pitched squeal that made the girls all cover their ears. But to Selena's relief, the brain immediately let go of Ron. It tried to squirm away, making a squishing sound as it hit the ground next to him, leaving a trail of green liquid.
"Windgardium Leviosa!" Selena shouted, swishing and flicking her wand. The brain was lifted into the air and Selena quickly guided it back over the tank before disengaging the spell. The brain fell back into the green liquid with a large splash.
Ginny crawled over to Ron as he shook on the ground.
"Nice one, Selena," Anne breathed, nodding once as she panted.
Selena nodded back at her cousin. "Glad for all those D.A. meetings now."
A long, pained scream came from the doorway where Harry and Neville had disappeared.
The three girls exchanged horrified looks. Selena's blood ran cold.
Neville.
"We have to help them," Anne said, starting to walk towards the doorway, her legs shaking just the slightest bit.
"But Ron-" Selena began.
"I've got him," Ginny said quickly. Her face was white as a sheet, but she set her jaw determinedly. "I'll keep him safe. Luna too. You two go, they need help."
Selena didn't need to be told twice. The fierce look in Ginny's eyes was enough. She turned, running ahead to catch up with Anne. They ran into the darkness of the doorway, wands at the ready. Selena skidded to a stop a few meters in, the room ringed with open doorways, some letting light in. Her feet stopped just centimeters from the stone edge of the amphitheater from before.
Just as Anne almost ran over the edge, Selena reached out, stopping her cousin.
They looked at the scene below them. Death Eaters stood like dark shadows in the open doorways and within the room. In the middle of the pit, on the raised stone dais in front of the stone archway, was Harry, holding the glowing prophecy in a shaking hand. Dolohov, the man from the office, had his wand pointed in Harry's face.
In the pit, Selena could see a massive Death Eater standing over Neville. The sandy-haired boy was sobbing on the ground, blood still running from his nose.
Bellatrix had her wand pointed in the air, breathing hard, staring at Harry. "Now, Potter, either give us the prophecy, or watch your little friend die the hard way!"
"NO!" Anne yelled. "Expelliarmus!"
Bellatrix whipped around, managing to wave her wand in a counter-spell just in time. "Little brat!" she screeched. "STUPEFY!"
Anne and Selena shielded their faces as a jet of red light flew towards them.
"PROTEGO!"
A translucent blue shield appeared in front of them, deflecting the spell.
The girls watched as five figures stood in a newly opened doorway: Remus Lupin, Mad-Eye Moody, Kingsley Shacklebolt, a pink-haired girl, and Sirius Black.
"Papa," Anne murmured as he lowered his wand, staring at the two girls.
One of the hooded figures on the dais raised their wand, but the pink-haired girl was faster: "STUPEFY!"
Harry dove off of the dais, prophecy in hand, as the Stunning Spell hit the hooded Death Eater in the chest. He fell over, tumbling off the dais, frozen.
Spells began to fly like falling stars in a multitude of colors as the five newcomers sent spells at the Death Eaters in the pit. The group began to jump down the steps into the pit. Anne began to try to hurry into the pit as well, shooting off a Stunning Spell.
She stumbled on one of the stone steps, but Selena grabbed her arm, supporting her.
"Maybe you shouldn't-" Selena began.
Anne yanked her arm away. "I'm fine! We have to help!"
She pulled away, swaying but managing to cast another Disarming Charm.
The girls jumped down the stone steps, Anne charging towards Harry. A spell hit near him, a crater exploding in the stone pit. The massive Death Eater grabbed Harry, locking an arm under his neck, pulling him off the ground. Harry's legs dangled as the man squeezed Harry's neck, but he wouldn't let go of the prophecy.
"Harry!" Anne yelled, sprinting even faster.
Selena dodged the pink-haired girl dueling back and forth with Bellatrix. Her legs burned and sweat ran down the side of her face, but she felt invigorated with the help. How had they known they were here, though? How had Sirius gotten away? Had someone alerted the Aurors? But if they did, why were they with Sirius and not trying to arrest him?
Selena didn't have time to think about that right now, though, and she couldn't ask.
"STUPE-" Anne began, but Selena hit her arm away.
"You'll hit Harry!" she yelled over the noise of the fight around them.
But the next second, Neville gave a battle cry and threw himself towards the Death Eater. He stabbed Hermione's wand through one of the holes in the Death Eater's mask, straight into his eye. The Death screamed in pain, dropping Harry, who spun and cast an expert Stunning Spell. The Death Eater fell backwards, his mask getting pulled off, eye bulging and red.
Anne ran ahead as Sirius and a Death Eater fought near the dais, wands whipping through the air between bursts of light.
A shadow out of the corner of Selena's eye made her turn.
A Death Eater jumped down the closest steps, aiming their wand.
Selena gasped and ducked, just narrowly avoiding an orange spell that sizzled past her head.
"DEPULSO!" she cried.
The Death Eater dodged the spell, raising their arm again with a second spell.
A shock of red light knocked them off their feet, sending them frozen and tumbling down the stone steps.
Selena turned to find Remus Lupin give her an assuring nod, his green eyes twinkling with that familiar gentleness they always had.
"Thank you, professor," Selena blurted out of habit.
"No need to thank me, Miss Malast," Remus said before turning and chasing after another Death Eater.
Selena dashed towards the dais where Anne was now duelling the Death Eater with her father. She nearly screamed as she almost stepped on a person in a heavy leather coat laying in the stone pit. Mad-Eye Moody had scarlet blood running from his head and dripping on the ground. Near him, Dolohov wore a twisted smile as he now ran towards Harry and Neville.
"Tarantallegra!" Dolohov shouted. He pointed his wand at Neville.
Neville suddenly broke into dance, his legs tapping away as Neville shouted in surprise. The legs slipped and Neville fell against the stone pit, disoriented, legs still thrashing.
"Now, Potter-" Dolohov began. He raised his wand.
"Protego!" Selena shouted, throwing herself in front of Harry, pointing her wand just as Dolohov slashed his through the air.
A shield appeared, the force of the spell deflected but the blast of it still knocking Selena and Harry onto Neville.
Dolohov snarled at Selena but raised his wand once more at Harry. "Accio Proph-"
And then Sirius was there, slamming his shoulder into Dolohov.
The Death Eater practically flew through the air, collapsing into the side of the pit. He got up in a second, growling as he and Sirius began to trade spells, the tips of their wands flashing with sparks.
Harry jumped up. "Petrificus Totalus!"
Dolohov's limbs stuck together and he fell backwards onto the side of the pit.
"Nice one!" Sirius shouted, shoving Harry's head down as a couple of red spells nearly hit them. "Now I want you to get out of-"
Selena ducked as a green spell flew towards her, and then nearly hit Sirius. Selena clambered off of Neville, who was trying to hold down his dancing legs. She whipped her head to see the pink-haired girl fall down the steps, tumbling down the stone with Bellatrix Lestrange gloating above. The Death Eater turned, her black hair bouncing as she dashed towards another opponent.
"Papa!" Anne shouted, jumping onto the ground next to Sirius.
Sirius put an arm around Anne's shoulders, keeping her close to him and Harry. Then he turned his gray eyes towards Selena. They widened for just a moment with recognition before he nodded.
"Selena!" Sirius yelled, pointing towards the pink-haired woman. "Keep low!"
Selena nodded back, changing direction and running through the stone steps - and avoiding a purple spell shot by Kingsley at a Death Eater - until she reached the pink-haired woman.
"Harry, Annie, take the prophecy, grab Neville and run! Get Selena on your way out!" Selena heard Sirius yell. She turned to watch him leave the three teenagers, running after Bellatrix.
Selena turned back to the pink-haired woman. Her short, spiky, bubble-gum colored hair was starting to turn sticky with blood. She pressed her fingers to the girl's neck. Selena took a deep breath of relief when she felt a healthy pulse. She gently picked up the woman's legs, moving them into a more comfortable position. She turned, searching for her wand.
She glanced over to see Sirius and Anne duelling Bellatrix - mostly Sirius, though, who kept getting in front of Anne. Lupin was standing in front of a Death Eater as Harry struggled to pick up Neville, whose legs were still dancing in the air as he lay on his back.
Selena spotted a stray wand on the ground, tucked at the edge of the pit. She grabbed it, shoving the wand into the pink-haired girl's pocket where no Death Eaters would spot it. Then she turned, running towards Harry as she tried to pull Neville up the first step.
"I can help!" Selena yelled at Harry over the noise, taking Neville's free arm and putting it over her shoulder.
Harry gave her a grateful look for a moment before they heaved Neville up, twitching legs and all, one more stone step higher. A bead of sweat ran down the side of Selena's face as she struggled to support the boy.
Right below Harry's foot, a pink spell exploded, bursting into sparks. The stone crumbled and Harry fell backwards, landing on the stone step below. Without him to help support the weight, Selena couldn't hold Neville up. He slowly melted to the stone step, legs dancing around.
"Come on!" Harry said, his voice exhausted and pleading. He got up, tugging at Neville's dark Gryffindor robes. "Just try and push with your legs."
Selena pulled again, and together they lifted Neville back up. There was a rip as his robes tore at the left side. Selena's stomach dropped in horror as Harry's glowing prophecy fell from the torn robe pocket, and a thrashing, dancing foot of Neville's kicked it away.
The three Gryffindors didn't breathe as the prophecy flew to the right and shattered against one of the steps. A white, small figure made of smoke unfurled from the glowing smoke. Even from this distance, Selena could recognize the figure as Professor Trelawney from their Divination Class with her bushy hair and massive glasses.
Nobody but the three watched, but Selena couldn't even hear from this distance. All she could hear were yells and screams, and the zaps of spells amidst crashes.
And then the prophecy figure faded into the air
"Harry, I'b sorry!" Neville sobbed, his legs thrashing as his sweaty face crumpled in sorrow. "I'b so sorry, Harry, I didn'd bean do-"
"It doesn't matter!" Harry yelled back. "Just try and stand, let's get out of-"
"Dubbledore!" Neville said. His expression morphed to awe as he looked over Harry's shoulder.
"What?" Harry said.
Selena frowned, thinking she'd misheard Neville. It had almost sounded like he'd said-
"DUBBLEDORE!"
Selena and Harry turned. Up above in the doorway leading to the room with the tank of brains, Albus Dumbledore stood holding his wand up. His lined face was set in a rage that made Selena want to shrink away and hide. His blue eyes burned behind his half-moon spectacles, their usual mischievous twinkle gone.
This man wasn't just the Headmaster of Hogwarts.
He was entirely believable as the greatest sorcerer of the age.
Selena suddenly realized why even Voldemort himself was terrified of Dumbledore.
But Selena's heart soared. He was here to save them.
Dumbledore bound down the stone steps, crimson robes and long white beard fluttering. He didn't even spare the three a second glance as he charged into battle. At the bottom of the steps, the Death Eaters noticed who had just arrived. They sent up a call, shouting at one another. Selena smiled as one Death Eater immediately turned, running away and scrambling on all fours up the stone steps to escape.
Dumbledore waved his wand, pulling the Death Eater up into the air.
Selena's smile suddenly fell as she noticed Sirius and Bellatrix still fighting on the dais. Anne was off to the side, seeming to want to get involved, but Lupin held her back, running her towards Selena, Harry, and Neville.
Bellatrix's laugh echoed around the room. A red spell flew from her wand.
"Come on, you can do better than that!" Sirius shouted.
A second red jet of light hit Sirius in the chest. His eyes widened in shock, mouth frozen halfway between a laugh and shock.
"NO!" Anne screamed, diving towards the dais.
Selena didn't have time to blink before Harry dropped Neville's arm, letting Selena and Neville both crash to the stone steps. Selena winced as her knee hit the stone, pain radiating across the joint.
Harry ran down the stone steps, drawing his wand as Dumbledore swiveled towards the stone dais as Anne jumped up the side.
Selena's mouth fell open in terror as Sirius began to fall backwards slowly, as if somehow suspended in the air, falling through the black cloth in the archway. The black cloth fluttered wildly, and then settled back, moving gently.
Bellatrix screeched in victory.
Selena's blood ran cold.
Sirius was gone.
"SIRIUS!" Harry yelled. "SIRIUS!"
He jumped into the stone pit, sprinting towards the dais.
Anne was already there, running around the archway like Sirius may have fallen behind it.
Lupin stepped out, grabbing Harry, holding him locked to his chest.
"WHERE IS HE?" Anne screamed, running around the dais again. She stumbled, falling down onto her knees on the dais.
Selena felt as though her heart began to crack in her chest as Anne's face contorted in pain.
"Where is he?" she wailed.
"He hasn't gone!" Harry shouted at Lupin. "SIRIUS! SIRIUS!"
Anne shook her head disbelievingly, staring up at the archway.
"HE - IS - NOT - DEAD!" Harry bellowed. "SIRIUS!"
Anne knelt there, sobbing and screaming on the dais, begging for Sirius to come back. She crawled towards the archway, blood trailing down her legs. But Kingsley jumped on the dais, deflecting errant spells coming their way. He grabbed Anne's arm, whispering something to her before blocking a spell from Bellatrix.
"This wasn't supposed to happen..." Neville murmured beside Selena.
Selena couldn't even reply.
Her eyes were glued to her cousin, weakly trying to pull away from Kingsley and crawl through the archway after Sirius.
Lupin moved, Harry's shoes dragging on the ground as he pulled Harry away from the dais.
In the center of the pit, Dumbledore was taking on several Death Eaters at once. They struggled, seemingly tied up in some kind of magical, invisible bindings. Mad-Eye Moody had regained consciousness and was now crawling towards the pink-haired girl, his head caked with dried blood. On the dais, Kingsley was shoving Anne away from the archway with one leg while duelling Bellatrix.
Lupin stood off to the side of the dais. Harry had gone still next to him, but Lupin kept a hand on his arm.
Neville moved down the few stone benches towards him.
Selena licked her cracked lips. Anne was still struggling feebly on the archway, tears running down her face.
Selena didn't hesitate as she jumped up, running towards the dais.
"Selena!" Lupin shouted as she dashed past, but she didn't stop. She ran around the edge of the dais, behind Kingsley and the archway and jumped up. Bellatrix screamed as she fought Kingsley, spells whizzing through the air in shots of brilliant light.
Selena crawled onto the dais, the stone rough beneath her hands. She edged around the archway on her knees, reaching out to touch Anne's arm.
Anne turned towards her, not even bothering to jump. She just blinked at Selena, her blue eyes full of tears as they traced tracks down her dirty face. "Selena... Selena, my Papa, he - he -"
"I know," Selena whispered, wrapping her arms around Anne and trying to pull her towards her.
Kingsley shielded them, firing spells at Bellatrix.
Anne gave into Selena's hold, crawling awkwardly with her over the edge of the dais. Lupin caught Anne, helping lift her gently onto the ground of the stone pit. Selena supported her sobbing cousin, who was leaning against her as if she might collapse at any moment. Selena kept her arms firmly around Anne. She would never let go.
Lupin's face was white as chalk. "Here," he said softly. He aimed his wand as Neville's legs. "Finite."
Neville's legs stopped dancing and went still.
Lupin turned away from the archway, speaking like each word hurt. "Let's - let's find the others. Where are they all, Neville?"
"Dey're all back dere," Neville answered. "A brain addacked Ron bud I dink he's all righd - and Herbione's unconscious, bud we could feel a bulse."
BANG!
Selena turned her head as a yell came from the dais.
Kingsley shouted, his face contorted in pain. He fell to the ground as Bellatrix Lestrange turned on her heel and sprinted up the steps.
Dumbledore waved his wand at her, but she turned, anticipating it, and deflected the blue spell. Bellatrix continued running up the steps, already halfway to the doorway.
"Harry - no!" Lupin yelled.
Selena turned to see Harry tear away from Lupin, chasing after Bellatrix.
"SHE KILLED SIRIUS!" Harry roared. "SHE KILLED HIM - I'LL KILL HER!"
"HARRY!" Lupin and Dumbledore yelled.
"DOND DO ID HARRY!" Neville cried.
"Selena..." Anne breathed. "I think... I think..." She swayed, leaning even harder against Selena. "I'm going to..." She collapsed and Selena caught her, struggling to support Anne as she sank to the ground.
Selena cradled her cousin's head, brushing red curls off her face, glistening with sweat and tears. "I've got you, I've got-"
"Selena..." Anne whispered. She blinked her blue eyes dazedly before they slipped closed.
Selena swallowed hard, holding Anne against her in her lap.
When she looked up at the doorway above them, Harry ran through it.
The Boy Who Lived was gone.
And that's it for the action of third year!
I'm happy to have this all written, it's just onto the epilogue after that and then I can finally move onto the fourth year.
Also, not gonna' lie, I'm pretty proud of my updates being back-to-back this time instead of a few weeks between them.
Anyways! Thank you for the reviews on the last chapter:
SakuraDragomir
CharmedMilliE- Karry Master
Thank you for reading!
~ Meghan