I can't believe this is the second to last chapter of Year Five.

"She killed him! She killed Sirius - I'll kill her!"

Harry's words raced through Teddie's mind as she pursued him through the rooms and back out into the hallway. He was still several feet ahead of her, already at the lifts and jamming the button for one to come get him while Bellatrix was already at the top, probably in the Atrium.

"Harry!" Teddie called, skidding around the corner and heading directly for the lifts. She saw him disappear into the lift, the doors closing seconds before she reached them.

Teddie huffed and punched the up button on the wall. She was hoping that Harry's lift would come back down, it couldn't have been at the next level so fast, but she also knew that if it did then he would be pissed at her for delaying his chase. But maybe that was a good idea right now.

She knew, better than most, what it was like to run into a fight with a full head. If Harry had any chance of stopping Bellatrix then he needed a clear conscious, she could understand his pain. Sirius Black was the only family that Harry had left, and now he was gone. Gone through the veil. She didn't fully understand what the veil was, but if she had to guess, she would say it was something to do with death - especially since the same people that could see the Thesterals, could hear the voices.

A lift jangled into view and the doors opened. Teddie threw herself inside, punching the number for the Atrium. The doors lifted and she closed her eyes, leaning against the back wall as she felt herself moving upwards. The Department of Mysteries was on the ninth level of the Ministry of Magic, so it meant that Harry was at least two or even three floors above her. Bellatrix was most certainly at the top by now.

As the lift continued to jangle upwards, Teddie stuck her hand inside the pocket of her robes. She still had the crystal orb. She still had the weapon that Voldemort was after, and if Bellatrix thought that she still had it, then maybe bringing it to the Atrium was not a good idea. But where could she stow it for safekeeping? It had to be somewhere that no one would think about looking.

Definitely not out in the open, but maybe not so much concealed, either. Sometimes, the best hiding places were in plain sight. People tended to look over things that were hidden in plain sight, especially things that were valuable. Teddie thought long and hard for a place that she could hide the orb when she got out of the lifts, she hadn't had much of a chance to see the Atrium in great detail when she arrived earlier that evening, so she wasn't entirely sure of a secure and safe hiding spot off the top of her head.

She could remember passing the fountain, but that was in the middle of the room, and where could she hide a crystal ball in a fountain? She could've just left it under the water, maybe the rippling effect would lead anyone searching for it to believe it was a part of the fountain, a bubble or something. But how could she get it there without being detected?

As she reached the top floor, Teddie removed her hand from her pocket and gripped her wand tightly. This was it. This was where she was getting off, and she had very little time to think of a full proof plan. She needed to hide the orb and then find Harry. She wasn't sure whether she would be helping fight off Bellatrix, or stopping him from killing her, but she knew that whatever was waiting for her on the other side of the doors, wasn't good.

Taking a deep breath, Teddie stepped up to the doors as the lift came to a full stop and started to open. "Here we go," she said, breathing out.

With the doors fully opened, Teddie's eyes widened and her heart dropped as she looked up into the face of Avery Sutherland.

"Well, hello, daughter," Avery cooed. "Nice of you to join us."

~X~

Harry laughed as Bellatrix continued to scream. Her wand waving frantically in the air as she tried to summon the prophecy. He wasn't entirely sure if they Prophecy was still intact, or if Teddie had already destroyed it. He hadn't had a chance to catch up with the Slytherin since she had fled, the prophecy above her head, and the Death Eaters giving chase. He understood why she had done it, but it put her at serious disadvantage when she finally run out of puff.

"It's gone," Harry said. "Teddie smashed it. She smashed it and nobody heard what it said. Tell that to your boss!"

"No," Bellatrix screamed. "It isn't true, you're lying - Master, I tried, I tried - do not punish me -"

"Don't waste your breath," said Harry. "He can't hear you from here."

"Can't I, Potter?" said a high, cold voice.

Harry felt the breath leave his body. He peered around from behind the fountain where he had taken cover from Bellatrix's spells, and saw the tall, thin, black-hooded figure of Voldemort with his snake-like face white and gaunt, his scarlet, slit-pupiled eyes staring back from the centre of the Atrium.

"No…" Harry whispered.

"So, you say that my prophecy was smashed, do you, Potter?" Voldemort asked, softly. "I am sure if you think hard enough, you will find you are mistaken. He has, indeed, been lying to your Bella, the Prophecy is intact and being brought here, right now."

Harry felt his heartbeat faster in his chest. Teddie had been following him, he had heard her calling out to him as he raced through the rooms and had seen her just before the doors of the lift, he was in closed. But she wouldn't have brought the prophecy with her, would she? She wasn't stupid, he knew that much. She would've left it with someone safe, probably Theo, or even Mo Flint.

Unless…

"Yes, Potter, you have been deceived," Voldemort said, laughing. "Did you really think my daughter, my flesh and blood, could withstand the hold of a pathetic Muggleborn mask for long? After our little reunion last summer, Avery was able to lower Faye's defences so that you precious Teddie wouldn't realise what she was doing. She kept the prophecy safe for me throughout this whole fiasco, and she is now bringing it to me as we speak. "No," said Harry, shaking his head. "You're lying! Teddie wouldn't do that."

Voldemort laughed. "Let us see, shall we?" he asked.

Harry looked up as he heard the grinding of gates. Across the atrium, coming from the direction of the lifts, he spotted a tall, dark-haired woman step into the dim lights, her hand wrapped tightly around the upper arm of Teddie who was struggling against her grip.

"Ah, yes, daughter," said Voldemort.

Teddie stopped short, her eyes wide as she met Voldemort's gaze. She then found Harry's, and he saw the colour drain from her face. She looked somewhat relieved, but also very scared.

"Where is it, Avery?" Voldemort asked.

Avery reached into Teddie's robes and withdrew the crystal orb. She held it in the air, the glass glinting in the candlelight.

Teddie lowered her gaze, wincing as Avery dragged her across the room again, her hand outstretched with the orb, ready to drop it into Voldemort's palm.

"Excellent," said Voldemort. He took the orb from Avery, examined it, and then gave it back. "Excellent. Not only do I have what I sent my Death Eaters here for this evening, I also have my daughter. Therefore, Harry Potter, I have no further use for you." He withdrew his wand and pointed the tip at Harry.

Teddie saw Harry close his eyes, preparing himself for what was to come.

"Avada Kedavra!"

Harry did not move. Teddie screamed at him to do something, but it was like he was paralysed. His mouth open in shock, his eyes closed, and his wand hanging uselessly by his side. He had survived this once before, but there was no chance that he would survive it again.

But before the stream of green light could hit Harry, the headless golden statue of the wizard in the fountain had sprung alive, leaping from its plinth, and landed on the floor with a crash between Harry and Voldemort. The Curse merely glanced off the statue's chest, as it flung out its arm to protect the boy behind it.

Teddie let out a sigh of relief.

"What -?" said Voldemort, staring around.

Avery followed his gaze, and then breathed, "Dumbledore."

Teddie whipped around, her gaze finding her headmaster standing in front of the golden gates. She felt her a flicker of hope inside her chest, but Avery's hand on her arm diminished it within seconds. How was she going to get away from her biological mother? It was obvious that Dumbledore was here for Voldemort, but would he be able to stop Avery from leaving with her for a second time?

"It was foolish to come here tonight, Tom," said Dumbledore. "The Aurors are on their way -"

"By which time I shall be gone, and you dead!" spat Voldemort. He sent another Killing Curse at Dumbledore but missed, instead hitting the security guards' desk, which burst into flames.

Dumbledore flicked his own wand. The force of the spell that emanated from it was such that Teddie, who Avery had thrown in front of Voldemort, stumbled back several steps as her shield exploded from her chest and the spell slammed into it.

Teddie gasped. But the spell, whatever it was, did very little damage to her shield, though a deep gong like note did reverberate from it with an oddly chilling sound.

"You do not seek to kill me, Dumbledore?" called Voldemort. "Above such brutality, are you?"

"We both know that there are other ways of destroying a man, Tom," Dumbledore said calmly. "Merely taking your life would not satisfy me, I admit -"

"There is nothing worse than death, Dumbledore!" snarled Voldemort.

"You are quite wrong," said Dumbledore. "Indeed, your failure to understand that there are things much worse than death has always been your greatest weakness -"

Another jet of green light from behind Teddie's shield. But it was deflected as the one-armed centaur from the fountain cantered across the hall and stood in front of Dumbledore. The spell hit its bronze chest and he shattered into a hundred tiny pieces, but before the fragments hit the floor, Dumbledore waved his wand and, as if brandishing a whip, a long thin flame flew from the tip; it shattered through Teddie's shield and wrapped itself around Voldemort.

"Teddie!" Harry yelled.

Teddie whipped around and saw him waving her over. Now she was free from Avery's hold she was able to escape, but Avery still had the prophecy.

"Teddie, come on!" Harry called.

Teddie turned on the spot and faced her Avery. She noticed the orb in her hand, as the older woman smirked and met Teddie's gaze.

"You're most definitely my daughter," Avery said. "Stubborn, even until the end."

"Give that back!" Teddie said, indicating to the orb. "I won't let you hear what it says. I won't let you get the upper hand on killing my friends."

Avery held the orb out to Teddie. "I'll make you a deal, daughter," she said, her voice cold. "I'll give this to you if, and only if, once you have passed it off to the recipient, whomever that may be, because I can honestly say that Dumbledore and Potter will not be leaving here tonight, not alive anyway."

"I am not going with you, either" said Teddie. "I spent almost two weeks with you last Summer, and to say it was awful would've been an understatement."

"I did what was necessary to get what I needed from you," said Avery. "You are not this Muggleborn filth that you cling to so badly. You are a powerful halfblood witch with so much potential to be, not only the next leader of the Death Eaters, but of the whole world. Doesn't that sound exciting?"

Teddie shook her head. "I don't want that life," she said. "That's the life you want for Faye."

"You are Faye," Avery snarled. "And the sooner you realise that the better and easier things will be for you."

She raised her wand and Teddie did the same.

"If you refuse to do what we ask willingly, then I only know of one course of action - Imperio -"

The spell glanced off her shield as Teddie waved her wand at Avery and yelled "Expelliarmus" and "Accio Prophecy" at the same time.

Avery flew into the air, but she ignored it as she felt the prophecy tug from her hands. "No!" she yelled, diving for the glass ball as it soared through the air towards Teddie's grasp.

With the ball safely back into her care, Teddie turned and started across the room towards Harry. He was still being protected by the bronze wizard, but when he saw her approach, he reached out a hand to her. She took it, her fingers brushing his just as she felt something grab her from behind and haul her back across the room.

Teddie coughed and spluttered as she hit the marble floor on her back. She clutched the prophecy tightly to her chest, pressing it against her blaze and looked up to see Avery standing over her.

"You will do as we say!" Avery snarled. "I am your mother. Daughter's listen to their mothers."

"Mother's don't force their dreams onto their children," said Teddie, kicking at Avery and sliding back across the floor. She wanted to be a safe distance away before picking herself up. "Mother's don't try and control their daughters, both figuratively and literally. You may be the person who birthed me, but I already had a mother, one that I loved without any doubt, and now she's dead."

Avery snarled and threw out her hand.

Teddie's shield exploded from her chest again and an invisible force slammed into it. Managing to keep her footing this time, Teddie closed her eyes and focused on the pulsing energy coming from inside her, she envisioned the shield spreading out, hitting Avery and blasting her back, just like it had done to Draco Malfoy four years ago.

"Nicely done, daughter," said Avery.

Teddie opened her eyes to see Avery walking back towards her.

"You grow stronger every day," said Avery. "But, you have yet to reach your fullest potential. If you remember, I, too, had a shield, but now, I have something much more powerful." She raised her hand, curling her fingers in wards towards her palm.

Teddie felt her throat close and her breath cut off. There was a pang of pain in her head as the flow of oxygen to the brain creased, and her lungs ached for more air.

"St…op…" Teddie choked, tears appearing in her eyes. "Pl…ea…se…"

"Not until you've learned your lesson," said Avery. "Mothers punish their daughters when the daughters do not listen. Tell me when it hurts." She continued to clench her fingers in, the tips of which were already folded against her palm.

Black spots appeared before Teddie's eyes, and her head had become foggy. She could still hear Voldemort and Dumbledore battling nearby, but she couldn't see anything as darkness enclosed on her vision.

"Tell me when it really hurts," Avery taunted.

Just before her vision blacked out altogether, Teddie heard pounding footsteps on the marble flooring of the atrium. Someone called her name, and she tried to lift her head to see who, with her body shutting down from lack of oxygen, she found that she had very little energy to do anything. She just wanted to curl up in a ball and sleep.

"Bombarda Maxima!"

With a gasp, Teddie lurched backward off the ground as she felt a rush of air enter her body, reawakening her vital organs and returning stimulus to her brain. The dark spots that had appeared before her eyes were starting to disappear, and the raging battle that had been going on around her was a lot quieter now.

Teddie raised her head, she was still a little weak from having been suffocated, but she had enough energy to survey the room. Dumbledore was kneeling beside Harry, while he lay half on his stomach, bent at his waist and leaning up towards Dumbledore. His lips were moving, but Teddie was too far away to hear what was being said, instead she turned her attention to Avery and found her locked in battle with none other than Cerberus Langarm.

"Avada Kedavra!"

Cerberus froze as the jet of green light him in the chest. The words of his last spell had not quite left his lips as his eyes widened.

Teddie felt her breath leave her body again, although this time it was due to the shock of what she was seeing, and not because some sadistic woman was punishing her.

Then… someone screamed.