Chapter 21

- The Stone Archway -

Teddy gasped as he came to a sudden stop, floating in the air just above the stone ground. Around him the others did they same before they all landed on the hard floor. "Oof!" He looked up. The door had shut above them, yet his ears still rung with the sound of glass shattering. "Arkie." He stood up, quickly running to her side.

"Department of Mysteries. They got that bit right, didn't they?" Ron groaned.

Arkie coughed, wiping the dust of her pants. Her long chestnut hair was knotted and had fallen out of the clip that'd earlier held it up. Her golden eyes moved from the door above, to Teddy and then to the large mysterious archway in the center of the round room. Teddy followed her gaze and stared at the archway. Inside seemed to be a white cloth that blew in the nonexistent breeze.

But it was the whispering, of hundreds of voices, that made the hair on the back of his neck rise.

"The voices." harry said, edging towards the archway, the prophecy still glowing in his hand. "Do you hear them?"

"There aren't any voices, Harry." Hermione said fearfully.

"Yes," Teddy said over the top of her. All eyes moved between the two boys. He too had begun to walk towards the archway in a trance-like state. "Can you tell what they're saying?"

"We should get out of here." Arkie breathed.

"I hear them too." Luna murmured, standing beside Teddy.

Hermione looked at them, then at the archway. "It's just an empty archway. Please, guys we have to go."

There was a bang and Harry spun around, pointing his wand to the door they'd come through. "Get behind me!"

They all did, forming a small group beside the archway, their wands pointing upwards. Smoke burst from the door and flew towards them. Teddy tried to fire on one of them but they all hit them at once and soon all he could see was black. Something yanked on his arm, pulling him away from the group at a terrifying speed. His wand had been taken away and when he opened his eyes he found it pressed up against his neck.

He glanced at the Death Eater holding him, it was the same man who Arkie had paralyzed earlier. He stared up at the archway where Harry was standing, untouched. Everyone else was being held by the Death Eaters. Teddy fought against the man, who he recognised as one of the wizards that'd recently been freed from Azkaban, Antonin Dolohov.

"Did you actually believe," Lucius said slyly, his eyes watching Harry the way a cat watches a mouse, hungry and teasing. "Or were you truly naive enough to think..o that children." he almost spat the word. "Stood a chance against us? I'll make this simple for you, Potter. Give me the prophecy now... or watch your friends die."

Teddy felt Dolohov press his wand closer against his neck, making it harder to breath.

"Don't give it to him, Harry!" Neville shouted, but Bellatrix shushed him. Harry stared down at the prophecy in his hand, looking between it, Lucius and his friends. Teddy tried to send a silent message with his eyes but he knew Harry wouldn't listen. Eventually, the boy put the orb into Lucius' hand, who held it up in pride.

But then something appeared behind him and Teddy watched the bright white smoke, just like the Death Eater's smoke, form into a familiar dark hair wizard. Lucius turned around in surprise. "Get away from my godson." Sirius growled, punching Lucius so he fell over. The prophecy flew from his hand and smashed on the hard stone.

Suddenly, another beam of bright smoke flew down towards them. It flew across the room, throwing back one of the Death Eaters and flying towards Bellatrix who also turned into black smoke and dodged the attack. Teddy watched as the bright smoke landed beside the archway, forming a familiar pink-haired witch, Tonks.

More streams of white smoke landed around the room. Teddy sighed in relief, ignoring how sharp his own wand was being pressed against his throat, as one of the smoked-figures turned into his father. "Dad!" He called out happily.

Remus spun around and watched as his son drove his elbow into Dolohov's gut. The Death Eater growled in pain, dropping Teddy's wand which he quickly snatched up. Dolohov pulled out his wand flicking at Teddy, but Remus sent a Protection charm to stop it. Dolohov then fired as Sirius and Harry who were crouching by the archway.

Remus fired again at him but he had turned into black smoke and was out of range in second. He ran to his son who was crouching next to a large makeshift boulder. "Teddy! What are you doing here?"

"I came to- look out!" Red sparks flew from Teddy's wand, stunning the Death Eater that'd been running their way.

"Take care of the others and get out of here!" Remus shouted. Loud cracks echoed around the room and Teddy winced at the sound.

"No way, I'm staying with you!" Teddy yelled as an invisible force threw him backwards against the wall. When he opened his eyes his vision was slightly blurred. His father was duelling a female Death Eater on the other side of the room. A loud cackle came from above and he saw Bellatrix's smoke being chased by Tonks.

"Reducto!" His spell missed her by an inch. Another loud crack made his ears pop and he ran towards Sirius and Harry who were confronted by Lucius Malfoy and Dolohov in front of the archway.

"Watch it Teddy!" Mad-Eye growled, throwing his staff down on the ground and sending a Death Eater flying. Teddy had no time to thank him as he kept on running towards his godfather and godbrother. Finally he close enough.

"Flipendo!" He shouted and Dolohov spun away.

"Thank you, Teddy!" Sirius cheered returning to the duel. Teddy ran to join them but then saw his father fighting off two Death Eaters in the corner. He turned to his godfather, then to his father and finally ran to Remus' side.

"Expelliarmus!" He yelled, disarming one of them.

Crack!

Remus flicked his wand expertly. Moody had been right, his father was a gifted dueler. The two face each other, Remus looking tired and Teddy looking exhilarated. "Avada Kedavra!"

Teddy had only heard those two words twice before. The first in the fake Moody's Dark Arts lessons and the second when he witnessed the death of Barty Crouch. He spun around trying to find who had shot the spell. A green light flashed from Bellatrix's wand, striking Sirius who winced in surprise. Teddy stared as Sirius stumbled backwards, looked at Harry... and sighed... falling into the archway... and disappearing... forever.

Harry ran forward, only to be held back by Remus. He screamed, kicked and tried to get to the archway, calling out Sirius' name.

But Teddy's feet were rooted in place. He couldn't move. He couldn't breath. He couldn't hear anything. It was as if someone had pressed mute and time itself had slowed down. Images flashed in his mind. It was like he was flipping through a photo album.

Sirius and him duelling in the upstairs room. Him insisting to help out in the kitchen due to Sirius' lack of cooking skills. How he'd fended off the Boggart then hugged him by the fireplace. Them snorting on their butterbeer.

Sirius' intoxicating laugh filled his ears and suddenly everything sped up again. Harry was running out of the room after Bellatrix. Remus stood by the archway, staring into it. He took a step forward but his legs gave out from under him. Something caught him by his t-shirt, pulling him back on his feet. Moody was at his side, deflecting spells from the Death Eaters. "T-thanks." He managed to get out. "He's gone..."