Harry whipped around and groaned inwardly at the sight of at least a dozen black-robed figures. Death Eaters.
"Come now, Potter," the owner of the drawling voice, who Harry now saw was Lucius Malfoy, said. "There's no need to make things difficult."
Harry took a step back, clutching the orb to his chest. "Where's Sirius?"
A high-pitched cackle came from one of the shorter robed figures. "You little fool! You actually believed that we had your beloved godfather and walked right into the Dark Lord's trap."
Harry felt as if he had been punched in the stomach. This couldn't be happening.
"That's right, Potter," Lucius continued smoothly. "Sirius isn't here, but you can still save your little friends if you give me that orb."
Harry glanced at the dusty ball in his hand. Whatever it was, Voldemort clearly wanted it badly. That was reason enough to keep it away from him…but if it could save his friends…
"Don't do it, Harry," Hermione said urgently. "There's no way they'll keep their word, they'll still—"
"What'll it be, Potter?" Lucius Malfoy interrupted sharply.
Harry faced him squarely, his face taut with determination. "You're kidding yourselves if you think I'd give this to you."
"Well then," the smaller robed figure spoke gleefully, "we have no choice but to take it from you." She pulled out her wand and pointed it at Harry. "Accio prophecy!"
But Harry was ready for her, casting a quick protego.
"Well, well, well," the female Death Eater said, sounding mildly impressed. She was now close enough for Harry to see the gleam of insanity in her heavy-lidded eyes. "It seems that little, bitty Potter knows how to play! That's good—it's more fun this way!"
She took a dueling stance, with Harry responding in kind, but before either of them had the chance to cast another spell, Lucius stepped between them.
"Bellatrix, wait! We must be careful. Remember what the Dark Lord ordered. There are…other ways to get what we came for."
Bellatrix…Where had he had heard that name before…? It suddenly hit him. This was Bellatrix Lestrange. He had seen her trial in the Pensieve. She was a devoted follower of Voldemort, who had willingly gone to Azkaban rather than denounce her dark ways.
"Of course, Lucius." Bellatrix lowered her wand, but it was obvious that she was disappointed. Harry watched her uneasily as her gaze shifted away from him to rove over the others. "We can't touch Potter, but there's no problem with the rest of the little kiddies, right?"
Lucius nodded curtly, and her previous vigor returned. "Splendid! Disobedience is nothing that a little bit of torture can't fix...let's see…how about the two little ones…yes, that runt of a boy…" Dennis Creevey gulped nervously as her eyes landed on him, "and the little red-haired wench." She grinned leeringly at Ginny.
Harry stepped in front of them protectively. "Don't touch them or I'll…or I'll break this stupid ball." He raised the orb over his head threateningly.
It was clear from Lucius' face that he had struck a chord, and when the blonde-haired man spoke, his voice lacked its usual relaxed quality. "Now, Potter, calm yourself. No one's going to hurt your friends if you just give that orb to us."
"I've already told you that you can't have it," Harry replied shortly, trying hard to think. Right now, he was buying time, but he knew that he couldn't keep this up forever. He and his friends could try to fight them, but the numbers meant that each of them would have to take on a Death Eater alone. It was true that they had all improved immensely, but expecting students, especially some of the younger ones, to fight a full-grown dark wizard on their own was too risky.
"What should we do?" Ron whispered anxiously.
"Don't do anything yet," he said in a low voice. "I'm thinking."
"Well think quickly please!"
Their best chance would be to run and try to get away, but he knew that as soon as they moved a muscle they'd be riddled with spells. They could try to hit them with an Impediment Jinx, but these were wizards, not centaurs. He knew that they wouldn't even get the chance to cast anything before the Death Eaters put up a protective charm or cast a counterspell.
Hitting them would be close to impossible. But he didn't need to attack them directly, he just needed a diversion, something that would give them enough time to make their escape…he glanced up at the towering shelves laden with orbs on either side of him.
It was crazy, but it just might work…
Taking a deep breath, he pointed his wand upward and shouted, "Reducto!" There was an answering explosion that reverberated throughout the enormous room.
He didn't even take the time to inspect the damage as he and the others fled up the aisle, but the sound of shattering glass and the curses of the Death Eaters told him that he had hit his mark.
They got a good ten-second head start, but all too soon the familiar whizzing sound of spells began. They still hadn't made it out of the narrow aisle, so they were no better off than sitting ducks.
"Keep going!" he urged the others in between casting consecutive Shield Charms.
They had nearly made it out of the aisle when he heard a cry and the sound of someone crumpling to the floor.
"Ginny!" he raced over to her. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," she said, but her voice sounded strained and her face was very pale.
He wasn't convinced by her brave act in the slightest, but his worries would have to wait. Right now, their priority was getting out of here. He was helping her up when she gave a small gasp. "Harry, watch out!"
He looked ahead, where there was a Death Eater blocking the way out. He couldn't understand how one of them had managed to get in front of him, but it didn't matter now. He watched in horror as the dark wizard pointed his wand straight at him and muttered something under his breath.
There was no time. Desperately, he pulled Ginny behind him, hoping to shield her with his body. He heard the distinct sound of a spell grow closer…then mysteriously fade away.
He opened his eyes in confusion. Glancing backward, he saw another Death Eater lying prostrate on the floor. Had he missed and accidentally hit one of his own?
"You know, Potter," a familiar drawling voice spoke out from the hood of the Death Eater that was still standing, "you really should be more careful. It gets exhausting always watching your back."
Harry could hardly believe his eyes as the dark-robed figure pulled back his hood. Draco Malfoy.