Author's Note:

For those of you who have noticed, I spent most of my Sunday making flashback mood boards of photos and adding them to my tumblr: How everyone looked at the Yule Ball for example and some other stuff like Sirius in the bubble bath, so please, feel free to go check it out.

Reviews: Crouch is Crouch. I think he's very disturbed and very much wanting to be the centre of attention. Also, I just assumed that if a man had a chance to be a man inside of a woman's body he would blatantly play with himself, but being Crouch, he took it those ten steps further. To Zerius: I'm so honoured that you made your username after my ship of Sirius and Zee, thank you so much for reading! To midnitewanderer: I have no idea really how far this story will go, until I stop writing I guess. There will be epilogues (plural most likely). To notthatchchavi: I love Blvnk's Hinny art so it makes sense that I am often inspired by it. I felt like it was a great step in their relationship for Harry to share that with her and very important for them both. Dramatic Sirius is my favourite. Ron is a lot sweeter than people give him credit for, he just also has a habit of stuffing his foot in his mouth more often than not. To Maelstrom Potter: If my smutty scenes give you uncomfortable situations while reading, I think that means I'm doing it right ;) To Wolf's Scream: Not wanting to shed wizarding blood and then doing the exact opposite, yes, part of my point that Voldemort doesn't keep his word. To boothbonesrule: One a chapter a week is fairly generous, I think LOL. To Jarius Black: Oh, this will be way longer than all seven books, don't you worry about that LOL. To chefke: Thank you! Two weeks to read all 217 chapters, I'm really impressed! To coloredwords: Theo is the same age as Harry, but remember Harry has a late birthday. Hermione is 16 as she turned such in September and in my story, September is also Dean's birthday, so he is also 16, October is Seamus and Theo, so they are also sixteen, and December is Blaise. Ron turned sixteen in March, but Harry and Neville have summer birthdays so they are younger than the rest of their year.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the parts of Order of the Phoenix, that belongs to JKR. Some of it is similar, but remember, I have my changes, give me some credit after 218 chapters ;)

My posting schedule: Once a week.

Thanks to Dusk for her wonderful editing skills!

As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!

Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!

CHAPTER TWO-HUNDRED AND EIGHTEEN:

Harry finished his last exam Thursday afternoon, feeling light-hearted. OWLs had been tougher than anticipated, but after finishing them, he felt much more confident than he thought he would - which he was taking as a good sign. He shoved his hands in his pockets and headed towards Remus' office, thinking that he would have a cup of tea and a snack while he waited on his friends to finish up the last of their Care of Magical Creatures OWL. Ginny was out with Theo for the day, having been given permission from Professor McGonagall to venture into Hogsmeade for the afternoon. He started to push open the door to step inside his father's office, thinking he could fill Remus in on the Gray Lady, but the raised voices from inside made him pause. He strained his ears to listen.

"The Ministry will fall, Remus. His plan is foolproof," Snape's oily voice insisted.

There was a pregnant pause before Snape continued.

"It all comes down to the prophecy. He is determined to get a hold of it and is planning on invading the Ministry to do so — tonight."

"He won't be able to obtain it," Remus answered quietly. "Severus, we already established that only the Guardian has the power to place and remove the prophecy within the Hall. If anyone else attempts to touch it, it becomes transparent - like a ghost - and it stays out of reach. The ice curse will touch them before they can do anything else. How is he going to obtain it?"

"When Black's woman was attacked in France, what do you think he was looking for, Lupin? He has the Guardian! He's sending in a force to take the prophecy and following soon after."

"And you're giving fair warning?" Remus countered.

"I am doing my best," Snape snarled back in response. "He only tells me so much. I'm not in his inner trusted circle like I was the first time around… I only know pieces. I know that Lucius and Thaddeus are both in charge of obtaining the prophecy and that Nott has a plan. Thaddeus is on his last life with the Dark Lord, so if he messes this up… I'm not entirely sure that he'll survive it."

"So he's forcing the Guardian to take it for him?"

Snape snorted. "The Dark Lord claims that there is another way, outside of the Guardian."

"What's that?" Remus asked. "We've tried to remove it — multiple times, in fact. It took us ages to even find it among the shelves. Podmore discovered it in the ninety-seventh aisle and attempted to remove it himself in his excitement at the discovery and we all know what happened. The orb that holds it - it's transparent, impossible to pick up, his hand not only passed right through it, but froze over as if he'd passed through solid ice. The frostbite was so severe that he lost two of his fingers. The second time, we didn't even dare to touch it and any attempt at magically removing it was useless."

"It's because the prophecy wasn't about Podmore," Snape said cooly. "It wasn't about any of you who attempted to remove it from the shelf."

There was a pause, and then…

"You mean that Harry could take it?"

"And be completely unaffected, yes. The prophecy is about him, is it not? He's the one that the Dark Lord claimed was the child… he murdered the Potters over it. He's the Chosen. If Harry were to get to the Hall of Prophecy first and pick it up, we could —"

"— No," Remus said sharply. "I won't put him in that kind of danger!"

Harry pushed open the door, startling the both of them. "I want to do it!"

Snape snorted. "Eavesdropping as well as willing to run off into trouble? Colour me amazed."

Harry ignored him and stared at his father. "You know exactly where it is. You said that Podmore tried to take it. I can do it, Uncle Rem. I can remove it from the Hall of Prophecy for you."

Remus shook his head. "This isn't a walk in the park, Harry. Professor Snape is saying that Voldemort plans to attack the Ministry of Magic tonight. If we had learned of this a few days ago maybe I would have considered it, but now… it's far too dangerous."

"How deep into the Department of Mysteries is it?" Snape asked. "The Hall of Prophecy, that is? How long would you reckon it would take someone to make it in and out if they knew of the exact location?"

"It's not too far, but the trick is getting into the right room. If they knew, maybe ten minutes, but without knowing exactly where, it's easy to get lost. The witches and wizards who work there have a code, but anyone without it ends up in a spinning room and is forced to try to choose the right door. The Hall of Prophecy is located behind the Time and Space Research Centre, but getting there is a complete maze," Remus explained. "And the hall itself is not small. Apparently prophecies are stored there from over a thousand years ago. Finding it and successfully getting out has trap written all over it."

"I thought that we agreed that allowing the Dark Lord to know the full contents was fool-hardy and not worth the risk it could entail to his plans for Potter," Snape snarled. "Now, I come here, giving you information on how to potentially put a stop to this, and you won't even listen."

"I won't send Harry into a trap!" Remus exclaimed, his eyes flashing in anger.

Harry cleared his throat. "I didn't say send me alone."

Remus' eyes flashed dangerously, reminding him suddenly of the wolf who lurked within. "Harry, you're the one he wants. We all know that his top list of priorities includes killing you. As much as you want to help… him finding out the prophecy is not worth your life."

"But if I can touch it —"

"— No," Remus said sternly.

Harry crossed his arms in front of his chest. "I'm not a child! I can do this, Uncle Rem! If you'd just trust me to —"

Remus was shaking his head. "Trust has nothing to do with this, Harry. I am responsible for keeping you safe and letting you venture off on a suicide mission is not keeping you safe. It would be reckless and stupid to let you go off - and I am neither. Are we clear on this?"

Harry only stared at him as Remus turned back to Snape.

"I'll contact Sirius and have him get a hold of Scrimgeour. If he really does plan to attack the Ministry tonight, this will be a good chance to throw the Terra Troops into battle. I'll alert the Order as well and Nymphadora can contact the Aurors. He won't be getting in and out of there without a fight."

Snape nodded. "I've been ordered to stay back to keep my cover as spy, but he's expecting a fight."

"How many Death Eaters is he sending in?"

Snape only shook his head. "It's not the Death Eaters that you'll have to worry about. Abraxas is the commander of the Dementors and Selwyn is commanding the giants. Once he has the prophecy in his hands, he plans on setting them loose on the Ministry."

"In London?" Remus exclaimed in alarm. "How does he plan to explain the giants to the Muggles?"

Snape shrugged. "He doesn't. Be prepared and alert the others."

He turned and left, his cloak billowing out behind him.

Remus pressed his fingers to his eyes. "I have to talk to Sirius and get everyone on alert."

"Uncle Remus, I —"

"— No, Harry," Remus said again, opening his eyes to look at his son. "I know you want to help. I know that you think that you can get in and out easily, but this is not a simple task. It's not an obstacle course of my invention. I know that you can handle yourself. I know how powerful you've become and I know that I would trust you with my life. Will you please just trust me with yours?"

Harry opened his mouth to protest and then closed it, nodding. He knew that Remus was right. Voldemort was planning to attack the Ministry of Magic tonight in what sounded like a full on battle. The last thing that Harry wanted was to come face to face with him before it was necessary to. They still needed to find the diadem and destroy it before Voldemort discovered their plans. The Ministry could handle this along with the Order - it was what they had been training for after all.

"You're right, I'm sorry," Harry said quickly.

Remus crossed the room and gripped Harry's shoulders, bending his head to kiss his forehead. "Stay here. Snog Ginny. Enjoy the last few days of exam-free bliss. I promise that I will update you the moment that I know anything."

"I can't snog Ginny," he said.

Remus frowned. "Why is that?"

"She's off with Theo in Hogsmeade."

"Off with… it's a Tuesday!"

Harry shrugged. "She didn't have any classes today as her exams are done. Theo wrote his last exam this morning. He wants help redecorating his home and asked Ginny to help him get some ideas. Theo asked McGonagall and she agreed to let Ginny go with him as Mr and Mrs Weasley approved the outing. They were meeting an interior designer at the pub to go over samples."

Remus looked flummoxed. "Well, glad to see that Theo is getting a move on making his home into a home, but you have friends here to occupy your time as well."

"I know," he said.

Remus squeezed his shoulders. "Go. I'll update you the moment I know anything, I promise."

Harry nodded. "Will you be there with the Terra Troops?"

"If Scrimgeour decides it, then yes."

Harry nodded. He knew that both of his fathers would be there fighting if necessary, and it made his stomach lurch. He said goodbye and headed outside, thinking about what Snape had said. If Voldemort really planned to attack the Ministry tonight, he had more than just plans of simply obtaining the prophecy in mind. Did he want to take over the Ministry and rule it in Madam Bones' place or did he want to just cause enough chaos and destruction to make people question the Ministry?

Neither one seemed appealing.

Snape had said that he had the Guardian as well. Harry wasn't sure he liked knowing that. The Guardian was supposed to be some all-powerful mysterious being whose sole duty was to care for the prophecies that were held within the Hall of Prophecy via the Department of Mysteries. They were an enigma and a huge unknown. How powerful was he/she? Did they have a higher purpose? How had Voldemort found them in the first place?

He shoved his hands in his pockets, lost in those thoughts as he spotted Neville down by the lake. Neville was tossing peanuts into the water as the Giant Squid shot out a tentacle and snagged it from the air.

Harry took a seat on the grass near where Neville was standing and his friend turned to look at him.

"Hey, how'd it go?"

"All right," Harry said honestly. "Babbling is a good teacher and I felt confident with my Rune deciphering when I left. You?"

"Same, but for different reasons as it was Care of Magical Creatures," he said, tossing the last peanut to the Giant Squid and taking a seat next to Harry. "I'm glad it's the summer. One more week and home sweet home."

Harry chuckled. "Big plans?"

"Not really," he said with a grin. "Gran says that I'm taking over more of the estate stuff because - and I'm quoting here - she's not getting any younger. That should be interesting, I suppose. Plus, she said that if I take over more of it, it means I am the defacto lord of the manor, so if I want to turn the entire left yard into greenhouses, she can't stop me."

"And do you?"

"Heck yes," Neville said, making Harry chuckle. "I want to grow my own stuff and experiment a bit with different plants. It will be fun."

"If you say so," Harry told him. "I just want to go home. Uncle Siri and Zee are busy planning for their wedding. They've decided to get married on New Year's Eve. There was talk of maybe going to visit America again this summer, see Grandma and Grandpa. I want to spend lots and lots of time with Ginny... you know, relax."

"It sounds like a plan to me," Neville agreed. "So why do you look so troubled?"

Harry sighed, flopping himself backwards to stare up at the sky. "Tonight's the first real battle I think, and... I guess I'm afraid of what that means and what's coming."

"What's coming?" Ron asked, his freckled face looming over Harry.

"War."

Ron frowned, plopping down next to his friend and stretching out on his back to look up at the sky. "More than before?"

"Definitely more," Harry said. He turned to see Hermione take a seat with Luna and he explained what he'd overheard from Snape.

"So let me get this straight... you for sure can remove the prophecy safely and take it right from under old You Know Who's nose and they're saying no, don't do it?" Ron asked, his voice disbelieving. "But it could solve the entire problem!"

Hermione made a frustrated sound. "And get him killed! Honestly, Ron - You Know Who himself is supposed to be there - but letting Harry waltz in to pick up the prophecy is totally fine!"

"I didn't mean by himself, Mione!"

Hermione only glared at him. "And who should we send with him? You? Honestly!"

"It doesn't matter," Harry said loudly before she could get herself really worked up. "I'm not going and that's that."

"It's what they've been training for," Neville said quietly. "With the new defence system and everything. I'm sure that they know what they're doing."

"I know," Harry said. "It's just frustrating that I have the ability to thwart him so easily and I can't do it. I wish we knew where the bloody diadem was, but I can't even seem to do that right."

"We'll find it, Harry," Luna said quietly. "I believe in us. We just have to use our imagination and our minds to understand her riddle."

Ron rolled his eyes. "Me imagining the diadem isn't going to help me find it, Luna!"

She only shrugged in response.

"How long are Ginny and Theo going to be in Hogsmeade?" Ron asked.

"Till after dinner. Ginny said that they'd be back around seven. The designer witch was supposed to take them around to some fabric stores and whatnot. Apparently Theo has big ideas."

"How big is his house?" Hermione asked curiously.

Ron snorted. "Mansion, Mione. Ever heard of Norfolk Manor? It's in East Barsham."

"Norfolk Manor... you mean — wait, Theo owns that mini castle?"

"Well, I wouldn't call it a castle," Neville said scratching his chin. "But yeah, that's his place."

Hermione gawked. "No wonder Witch Weekly has been all over him about being a wealthy bachelor... I had no idea!"

"The Notts are one of the wealthiest families in Britain," Harry told her. "And since Theo cut his father out of everything, Ginny says that he wants to make the Nott name stand for something good again. Apparently the first step to that is making Norfolk Manor livable and comfortable."

Ron nodded. "If anyone can do it, he will. He's a stubborn bloke."

Harry had to agree with that.

"He asked Ginny to go with him over Malfoy and Zabini?" Neville asked.

Ron snorted. "Can you imagine Malfoy giving advice on colour schemes?"

They laughed at the mental image that brought up. They chatted more about their summer plans, occasionally coming back to the idea of the Ministry and wondering what would happen if Voldemort actually did attack the Ministry tonight. If he got a hold of the prophecy, Harry wondered if he would suspect the Horcruxes. Would it make him wonder if Harry had discovered that secret? He wasn't sure, but he did know that it gave him a lot to think about.

~ASC~

Ginny was laughing as she linked her arm through Theo's. This had been so much more fun than she had anticipated. They followed the designer into another store, listening as the witch suggested colour schemes and patterns to reflect the history of the house as well as comfort and style. She was full of grand ideas and Ginny knew that Theo was anxious to see what some of the finished product looked like. Theo had already invited her over to check it out as he progressed from room to room and she was looking forward to it.

The day had been a success so far. They'd chosen fabrics for furniture and decided on colour schemes for some of the rooms, picking out paint and fixtures. Theo wanted to redo the whole master suite. After moving in there over the Easter holiday, he wanted to make the room more his. He said that his mother had ideas that she'd stored away, but his father had refused her out of spite. He wanted to make the house light and cheerful and to be something that she would be proud of.

The designer was a charms expert and some of her work - the way she weaved old in with the new and made coverlets and cushions with flawless stitch-work with only a wave of her wand - was amazing. Ginny thought that Theo'd made an excellent decision in choosing her.

Ginny followed Theo out of the last antique store of the day, a hidden gem in the village of Hogsmeade. The day had been fairly successful and she knew that her friend felt positive about it. She turned to suggest getting a butterbeer before they headed back up to the castle, when a stooped figure stepped out of the alley and stunned the designer. Ginny pulled her wand from her holster.

The man's wand pointed at her. "Try it and I'll give you pain so intense that you won't be able to make a sound." His eyes sought Theo. "Blood traitors and fairies... I always knew there was something wrong with you, boy. Too bloody soft, just like your mother."

"Father, I —"

Thaddeus Nott slashed his wand through the air and Ginny crumpled to the ground.

Theo's wand was in his hand. "Expell —"

"Protego!" Thad exclaimed, the shield coming up faster than Theo's spell. "Crucio!"

Theo's eyes rolled back into his head, his wand falling from his fingertips as the pain hit him. The spell lifted and Thad's boot landed on his wand.

"Get up."

Theo shakily crawled to his feet.

Thad picked up his son's wand and tucked it into his robes, tying Theo's hands. "You think you're real smart, boy, cutting me out of everything; blocking me access to Norfolk… but I know better. I have a task for you - and to make sure you do it, I'm bringing the blood traitor bitch along with us."

He levitated Ginny's unconscious form off the ground.

"If you don't do what I say, I'll torture her in front of you. Do you understand me?"

Theo's body was still trembling in pain from the torture curse, but he nodded. "Yes, Sir."

Thad pulled a portkey from his pocket. He grabbed Ginny's arm tightly and linked her with Theo before he activated it with a cocky grin. "The Dark Lord has a plan for you tonight, Theodore… I think that it's about time you joined the winning side, don't you?"

The portkey pulled them away before he could answer and when they landed, Theo fell to the ground as Ginny began to stir.

"Ginny," he murmured.

Her hand went to her head in pain, her brown eyes slightly glazed. "Theo… what — what happened?"

Her hands and arms were suddenly tied tightly with rope and she struggled against the binds. Thad levitated her up, his wand trailing over her shoulder, down between her breasts with an evil smile.

"I can see the appeal. For a blood traitor, you're quite beautiful - if my son wasn't a bloody poofter that is." He turned to look at his son in disgust. "You'll do exactly what I say, Theo, or after I've tortured her, I'll toss her to the others and let them play and I can promise you — you won't like what they're capable of."

Theo paled and shook his head. "I'll do it, Father, whatever you need just… let Ginny go."

Thad smirked. "You do what I ask and I'll consider it."

Ginny glared at him. "You won't get away with this!"

Thad tapped his wand over her mouth and gagged her. "Watch me."

Then he grabbed Theo by a fistful of his hair and dragged him down the black marble hallway, levitating a bound Ginny behind them.

~ASC~

Narcissa paced in the front parlour waiting. It seemed lately that's all she'd been doing was waiting. Waiting for her husband to visit. Waiting for news. Waiting to hear that Draco and Theo were okay. Today as usual, she was waiting on her husband.

When he finally came in through the front door she ran to him and he kissed her deeply.

"I'm so sorry. I know that's all I'm doing now is apologizing, but I am sorry."

"What took you so long?"

Lucius let out a slow breath. "I was in London at the bridge."

"Attacking those people? It's all over the wireless that Death Eaters are attacking random Muggle establishments and causing mass injury and damage."

"The Dark Lord wants the Ministry on edge. He's still searching for something and in the meantime, he wants the Ministry to know that he's around. It was Selwyn's idea to hit the bridge. We took part of the tower down, a few Muggle vehicles went over the side, but really no one important was hurt."

Narcissa frowned at that. "A life is still a life, Lu."

"Cissa, I didn't mean — Merlin, you don't make this easy on me!"

"I don't make it easy on you? Lu — I never see you! I spend more time alone than ever before with Draco at school. Isla walks around like a zombie when she is here and when Brax shows up, he barks orders at me like I'm a house elf! Draco and Theo... I'm so worried about both of them, especially Theo."

"He's out of it, Cissa. He's an intelligent young man and he... Thad has no control over him. He took everything, not just the wealth and properties, but he took himself out of the game and Thad is furious."

"That's what worries me, Lucius."

Lucius nodded. "It worries me too. Thad was behind Black's girlfriend's attack and when she escaped and survived, the Dark Lord was angry. He spent weeks torturing him, and then for Theo to take everything like that... that didn't exactly count in his favour."

"But Thaddeus went to school with him... with your father and the Dark Lord?"

"And you think that's enough to save him when he screws the Dark Lord over? He's on his last chance."

Narcissa frowned. "And you? You said that you were given a mission?"

He nodded. "Thad too. We need to take something from the Ministry and before we can do that we need some... security."

Narcissa shook her head. "I don't understand."

"Thad wants Theo as part of his mission and I need to take something from Potter."

"Lucius, if you hurt Harry Potter, Sirius Black will reign hell down on this family!"

"I'm not going to hurt Potter, but I do need to manipulate him into something and that's where Theo comes in."

"I don't understand. Lu, if Thad gets his hands on Theo — he'll kill him!"

Lucius jolted as the front door slammed and he heard his father's voice calling for him. He leaned into his wife and whispered in her ear. "Cissa, I promise you if Thad hurts Theo, I will kill him. I'll send word when I know more."

"Lu!"

Abraxas stepped into the room and cleared his throat. "We're heading to the Ministry now, Lucius. Thad sent word. He has Theo and that blood traitor bitch he was shopping with."

"Ginny Weasley?" Lucius asked.

Abraxas nodded. "Apparently, though why he would take her is anyone's guess."

Lucius stared at him. "Because I told him to, Father. That blood traitor bitch is Potter's girlfriend."

Abraxas' cruel smile was slow. "Sometimes, your cunning surprises me, Lucius. Come on, we have to go."

Narcissa watched them hurry out of the room to head to the Ministry of Magic and she shook her head. She didn't like where this was heading. They were young men and women, but still technically children, and she wasn't going to let them get hurt.

Her husband's words echoed in her ears: If Thad hurts Theo, I will kill him.

The words did nothing to reassure her as she hurried off, calling for Binky as she went.

The words did nothing at all.

~ ASC ~

Harry was playing chess with Ron and losing spectacularly. He'd thought that he was doing well, he'd even pulled off a move that surprised Ron, making him feel extra successful, but as usual, Ron pulled through. He took his king and Harry glared at him.

"I hate playing chess with you."

Ron grinned as he cleaned up the board. "It's all about strategy, mate."

Harry glanced at his watch, frowning. "It's almost curfew. Ginny should have been back by now."

Hermione glanced up from the novel she'd been reading by the fire. "She and Theo are probably just hanging out."

Ron stretched his arms up over his head. "I'm so glad that we don't have patrol tonight. I feel like with OWLs over and no patrol for two more days, I can finally breathe again."

"We have summer homework that we can get started on," Hermione suggested.

Ron only gave her a look. "Get real, Hermione."

Harry chuckled, tugging the Marauder's Map out of his pocket. He'd taken to keeping a close eye on the Room of Requirement since he'd added it to the map. He found it fascinating that it showed details of who was hidden inside of it, but left no instructions on how to gain entry. The room truly was a mystery and provided protection to anyone inside of it, unless the person entering knew exactly what the person before them had deemed the room to become.

He scanned the map, eyes skimming for Ginny's name. When he didn't find it, he looked for Theo's.

"I don't see either of them on the map."

Neville's eyebrow rose as he carefully stacked a card across from Luna in their game of Exploding Snap. "Maybe they're still in Hogsmeade."

"There's no way that McGonagall would let them stay out past curfew," Hermione said firmly. "I'm surprised that she even let them go at all, Ginny anyway."

Harry had to agree with that statement. He stood up, stretching his arms up over his head. "She agreed as they promised to stay in Hogsmeade and Mr and Mrs Weasley agreed. I'm going to go talk to McGonagall and see if they sent word about running late."

"I'll come with you," Luna told him. "I have to go back to Ravenclaw anyway and could use the walk." She carefully propped up her last card on top of Neville's and smiled triumphantly when nothing happened. "I win."

Neville tossed his cards lightly and they blew up the whole card castle in a big spark. "She has the magic touch. I'll come too."

Harry nodded and the three of them headed out, leaving Ron and Hermione in the common room. Luna skipped along between them as they contemplated where Ginny and Theo could have wound up.

"Ginny told me that Theo likes to shop, so they could still be browsing," Luna said in her sing-song voice.

"How long does it take to pick out paint colours though, really?" Harry asked.

Neville chuckled as he shook his head. "Trust me, Harry — it takes a while. I helped Gran redecorate the living room a few years back and it took ages! She couldn't decide on anything and then when she did make a choice, she'd often change her mind and start all over again."

Harry frowned at that. "I guess."

They had just reached the staircase when Draco came up to them.

"Ah, Potter, I see you're hanging out with Loser and Loony, how quaint."

Harry rolled his eyes. "What do you want, Malfoy?"

"I was looking for Theo," Draco drawled dryly. "He was supposed to be back over an hour ago and I thought maybe he and the Weaselette were around Gryffindor Tower comparing fabrics and decor."

"No," Harry said slowly. "We were just wondering the same thing."

Draco frowned at that. "They were only allowed to go if they promised to be back by seven thirty. McGonagall made an exception for your girlfriend to go with him since she's not sixteen and it's not a Hogsmeade day."

"I know," Harry told him, starting to feel a little uneasy now. "I'm sure that they're around somewhere."

A loud crack had the four of them jumping as a tiny house elf appeared before Draco, bowing immediately.

"Master Draco, the mistress sent me to you at once!"

"What is it, Binky?"

Binky the elf looked hesitantly at the people surrounding him, and Draco rolled his eyes.

"Go on, tell me the message then!"

Her wide eyes turned back to him and she bowed again. "The mistress says that Thaddeus Nott has kidnapped his son and the blood traitor. He's forcing his son to help him steal a prophecy. The mistress says that there is nothing Master Lucius can do as the Dark Lord is part of the decision. The mistress says you are to stay here and that Master Lucius will do what he can to protect Master Theo."

The elf disappeared again with a loud crack.

Draco stared at them. "Thad took Theo… I have to… Snape needs to know."

Harry watched him hurry off, his hands fisting at his sides. The elf had said… no, he thought desperately. It couldn't be. Ginny couldn't be tied up in this. But he had seen Draco's reaction… watched him run off in concern… If what the elf said was true, then not only were both Ginny and Theo going to be at the Ministry of Magic when Voldemort attacked, but both were being held hostage by a homicidal Death Eater hellbent on regaining Voldemort's trust.

He fumbled for the mirror in his pocket and desperately called Sirius' name, but there was no answer.

Neville grabbed his arm. "Harry… Ginny can take care of herself."

Harry glared at him. "She's on her way to the Ministry, Neville — to the very place where Voldemort is going to be! We can't…" he tugged his wand out, his breathing erratic. "Uncle Sirius isn't answering the mirror."

He sent a Patronus with one message: Thaddeus Nott kidnapped Ginny and Theo to bring them to the Ministry, to get the prophecy.

He watched the stag disappear with his message and Luna tucked her wand behind her ear as she spoke.

"I'll go get Ron and Hermione, then, but I'm not sure how you plan to get to the Ministry of Magic, Harry."

Harry only stared at her. "The Floo in Uncle Rem's suite and you're not coming with me!"

Neville snorted as Luna hurried down the hall. "Come off it, mate! We're not going to let you storm off half-cocked! This isn't a negotiation!"

"Neville, I'm not saying it to play hero here! Voldemort has — it's Ginny! I'm not going to let her get hurt, not this time!"

"And I'm not letting you go without me," Neville said firmly. "Not this time. I know what I'm risking, Harry. She's my friend too, and we're going to get her back!"

"And none of us are stupid enough to let you run off and do it alone," Ron said as he, Hermione, and Luna hurried towards them.

Harry stared at the three of them, his eyes wide in frustration. "Whatever. I don't have time to argue with you! We need to get to the Ministry and get Ginny away from Nott before Voldemort shows up!"

"You think that he'll remember her," Ron realized, his eyes widening in horror.

Harry snuck a look over his shoulder at his best mate. "Remember that she was the girl who once released him from a diary? It's not a risk that I'm willing to take."

~ASC~

Remus stepped into Number Twelve to help Sirius organize a plan for a protection detail to the Ministry of Magic with the Order members. Scrimgeour was keeping the Terra Troops on standby to assist if Voldemort did in fact make a move, but in the meantime, Sirius and Remus had both agreed that it was a good idea to send a team into the Department of Mysteries to keep an eye on things. They were in the middle of discussing the plan for their stealth mission when Zee stepped into the kitchen and Remus' eyes widened slightly.

He did an automatic headcount when he heard it and then a double take when he heard it again, but as he looked around the room he knew that there were only nine of them in the house, ten if you counted Kreacher. His eyes narrowed as they moved back across the room to where Zee had moved towards Sirius. The moment his eyes locked on hers, he heard the steady thump-thump and his eyes widened.

"What?" Zee asked him. "What's that look about, Remus?"

"I can hear them. Are you honestly trying to tell me that you're going to the Ministry to fight?"

Zee frowned. "Hear what? Why shouldn't I fight?"

"There's twelve hearts beating in this house right now."

Sirius looked up. "What are you on about, Moony? There's just the nine of us plus Kreacher, which makes ten."

"No," Remus said slowly. "I hear twelve."

Zee's hands automatically went to her stomach.

"Zahira?" Sirius asked hesitantly, pulling her aside into the hall as Kingsley broke down the plan with Bill, Fleur, Percy, and Moody.

Remus and Tonks followed them, closing the door to the kitchen behind them.

"You... two? I mean…" Zee whispered. "I... I suspected this morning when I got sick again and all of the other symptoms from that flu have been gone, but I didn't..."

Sirius continued to stare at her. "The pheromones…"

"They must have interfered with my contraception potion," she told him.

Sirius took a step towards her and placed his hands on her flat stomach. "We're going to have a baby?"

Zee bit her bottom lip as she looked up into his eyes. "I know that we didn't plan this. We've never even really talked about it. Are you upset?"

Sirius cupped her face tenderly in his hands and kissed her deeply. "I love you." He rested his forehead against hers for a long moment before he froze. "You can't come to the Ministry."

Zee raised an eyebrow at him. "I can and I will!"

"But... you're pregnant!"

Harry's Patronus came galloping into the hall at that moment. As Harry's words echoed around them, Sirius and Remus exchanged identical looks of horror and Zee grabbed her fiancé's arm.

"What… they were kidnapped?" Zee asked.

"Get to Hogwarts, Rem. Now! Stop him from leaving," Sirius insisted.

Remus nodded. "If Ginny's really been kidnapped we might already be too late. He's not going to wait around."

Sirius swore aloud and pushed the door open to the kitchen, eyes on Kingsley. "Finish the plan. Once we have everyone back safely, I'm going to ground that boy until he turns fifty! Harry's on his way to the Ministry!"

"You better hope Nott doesn't hurt Ginny then, or we might actually get to see what kind of power Harry really has," Tonks said softly.

"Ginny?" Bill and Percy said simultaneously.

"Harry just sent word," Sirius told them. "Thaddeus Nott has kidnapped both Ginny and Theo. Tonks is right, Harry isn't going to sit back for this."

"Not if Ginny's in danger," Zee agreed.

"We'll get them back safely. Zee —"

" — No," she exclaimed, her eyes on her fiancé. "He's mine, too! I'll be careful — but I won't stay back! I'm barely pregnant as it is!"

"Pregnant enough for heartbeats!" Sirius shot back.

"Sirius, we're going to have two babies! Twins! I know that this wasn't planned. I know that it wasn't something we wanted right now, but it's happened, and if something were to happen to Harry tonight and I could have been there to stop it… what kind of mother does that make me?"

"Fuck!" Sirius exclaimed, his eyes on her. "You bring Lady Godiva, do you understand me?"

"I promise."

Sirius grabbed her and pulled her close, cupping her face as he kissed her over and over and over again. "I love you and I already love these babies. Be careful."

Zee's expression melted as she placed his hands over her stomach. "You too, Daddy."

His eyes lit up at the word and he gently rubbed her flat stomach in amazement before he kissed her again, not moving his hands. "Star names, it's a whole family thing that I actually kind of like and... if it's a girl, I want to name her after Minnie, but make it unique."

Zee stood on her toes. "Sirius, we can worry about that later. I love you. Now let's go get our son." She slipped her fingers into Sirius' hand and turned to the Order. "Wait for the signal and be ready. Sirius, we have to make a stop to get Lady G. We'll meet you lot there."

Remus nodded, his eyes on his best friend. "The panther's a good idea, Padfoot, but… Zee's carrying your babies. Are you really sure that she should —"

"— I'm going," Zee growled. "And if you try to stop me from helping my son so help me, Remus Lupin."

Remus only stared at her nodded. "Noted."

Sirius wrapped his arms around Zee, pulling her close as he kissed her temple. "She'll be careful, won't you, love? Because if Severus was right about even half of it, Moony's right - we're going to need all the help that we can get."

Zee stood on her toes and kissed him softly. "Trust me."

Sirius tilted his forehead down to hers, his grey eyes locked onto her brown ones. "With my life." He placed his hands over her stomach, a small smile on the curve of his lips. "And with theirs."

Remus put his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Get the panther, Padfoot. We have to go."

Zee squeezed Sirius' hand and nodded. They had to get to the Ministry.

~ASC~

Ginny was biding her time.

She knew that she could escape this hold that Thaddeus Nott was keeping her in. She was pretty sure if she transformed into her Animagus, the ropes would snap, but she was too afraid for Theo to move. She'd seen the terror in his eyes when his father had threatened her life; had told him about the Dark Lord and this task. She couldn't let him get hurt in the process.

Ginny wondered how long they had been gone by now. Would anyone notice that they were missing? Would Harry? Her heart leapt into her throat. Harry would notice and the last place he needed to be right now was the exact place where - if Thaddeus Nott was to be believed - Voldemort was going to be.

She let her eyes follow the spinning room as doors moved around them and then Thad waved his wand in a v-motion and said: "Revelio Hall of Prophecy!"

The walls spun again, quicker this time, and levitating and bound in the air, Ginny felt her stomach lurch until the room came to a complete stop and a door to the left burst open. Thad moved Ginny forward, poking his wand into Theo's back as he forced him to move onwards.

This room was bright and almost sparkled like diamonds. There were six desks around the room, but surrounding each desk seemed to be its own mechanism of time. A large grandfather clock ticked loudly from the corner, but Thad ignored it and urged them both through the door at the opposite end of the room.

The next room was massive, like some ancient library and full of tall shelves from floor to ceiling that seemed to go on for all of eternity. Thad pushed his wand into Theo's back again.

"Move, boy!"

Theo walked purposefully to the left, keeping his head up as his father prodded him along. Ginny watched the numbers of the aisles as a sinking feeling rushed over her. The Hall of Prophecy... this wasn't some random mission. They were here about the prophecy - the one about Harry and the Dark Lord.

"Row ninety-seven!" Thad declared as they passed sixty-eight.

"What am I doing here? What is this place?" Theo asked.

"Talk again before I tell you and I'll Crucio your friend here."

Theo's face was full of loathing as he turned and continued to walk further until they reached row ninety-seven. Thad urged him down the aisle until they reached about half-way.

"You're looking for an orb that says the Dark Lord and Harry Potter... go on!"

Ginny's heart sank as she watched Theo turn to the shelves to search for the prophecy.

"Don't touch it, but tell me when you find it," Thad ordered.

The sound of someone Apparating had her looking up at Lucius Malfoy.

"When he finds it, don't let him touch it. We shouldn't have to wait much longer. Potter just arrived in the atrium. It seems the decision to kidnap the Weasley girl was an added bonus. Did I mention that she's Potter's girlfriend?"

Thad's smile widened as he prodded his wand harder into his son's back. "Well, looks like we hit the jackpot then."

Lucius nodded, his eyes on Theo, as more Death Eaters began to Apparate around them, all masked and wands out. "Jugson, enact the invisibility charm — we don't want Potter to know that we're here until he's taken the prophecy down for us."

Jugson began to work his way around the group, charming the area to keep them hidden until it was time.

Thad dug his wand harder into Theo's back. "Keep looking! It looks like Potter's going to arrive just in time to watch me hurt his girlfriend." He grinned maliciously at Ginny. "And I'm really going to enjoy that."

~ASC~

"Black, the Terra Troops are gathering and as soon as we get word that You Know Who has in fact invaded the Ministry — we will act upon it," Scrimgeour said firmly. "But until I have definite proof that he is there, I am not sending in this unit. You give me word, and we'll be there in moments. Each troop has a GWSC coin in their possession."

Sirius knew that made the most sense. Having the defence force in the Ministry without knowing for sure that something was going on, wasn't a solid plan. The only thing he knew for sure was that Thaddeus Nott had kidnapped his own son and Ginny Weasley - which meant that Harry was no longer listening to reason. Sirius had tried to reach him via mirror-call and he either had refused to answer or was too focused on his task to notice the mirror going off.

Sirius believed the latter.

He cleared his throat as he nodded at Bill. "Send word to the Order members. Nott can't be in this alone, even if Snape's word is false. We need everyone to get to the Department of Mysteries as soon as possible."

Zee's eyes were wide in horror as she absently rubbed Lady Godiva between the ears. "He won't let anyone hurt her."

Sirius knew that was true, but it wasn't what worried him most. Harry was too much like him in that sense; self-sacrificing to save the ones he loved - and he knew that if it were Zee who had been kidnapped - he'd move hell or high water to get her back.

He glanced at the clock. It had been ten minutes since Harry had sent the Patronus. He just hoped that he wasn't too late already.

~ASC~

The five of them stood in the deserted atrium of the Ministry of Magic, dusting themselves off from the Floo. Harry wasn't sure if the emptiness of the room made him feel better or worse about the situation. The only sound in the Atrium was the steady rush of water from the golden Fountain of Magical Brethren, where jets from the wands of the witch and wizard, the point of the centaur's arrow, the tip of the goblin's hat, and the house-elf's ears continued to gush into the surrounding pool.

"Come on," Harry said quietly and the five of them sprinted off down the hall, Harry in the lead, past the fountain, toward the security desk.

Harry felt sure that there ought to be a security person there and took their absence was an ominous sign. His feeling of foreboding increased as they passed through the golden gates to the lifts. He pressed the nearest down button and a lift clattered into sight almost immediately. The golden grilles slid apart with a great, echoing, clanking, and they dashed inside. Harry jabbed the number nine button, the grilles closed with a bang, and the lift began to descend, jangling and rattling. When the grilles opened and they stepped out into the corridor where nothing was moving but the nearest torches, flickering in the rush of air from the lift.

"Level Nine, the Department of Mysteries," the cool voice declared as they stepped out.

Harry turned toward the plain black door. "Let's go," he whispered, and he led the way down the corridor, Luna right behind him, gazing around with her mouth slightly open. "Okay, listen," Harry said, stopping again within six feet of the door. "Maybe… maybe a couple of people should stay here as a — as a lookout, and —"

"And how're we going to let you know something's coming?" Neville asked, his eyebrows raised. "You could be miles away."

"We're coming with you, Harry," Luna insisted.

"Let's get on with it," Ron said firmly.

Harry still did not want to take them all with him, but it seemed that he had no choice. He knew what he was walking into… the very thing his fathers had stopped him from doing. But he'd be damned if he'd let Voldemort get that prophecy; if he'd let Voldemort hurt Ginny or Theo. He wasn't sure what Thaddeus Nott had in mind, but he knew one thing — he wasn't leaving here without his girlfriend.

He turned to face the door and walked purposely forward. The door swung open and he marched inside, leading the others over the threshold.

They were standing in a large, circular room. Everything in here was black, including the floor and ceiling; identical, unmarked, handle-less black doors were set at intervals all around the black walls, interspersed with branches of candles whose flames burned blue, their cool, shimmering light reflected in the shining marble floor so that it looked as though there was dark water underfoot.

"Someone shut the door," Harry muttered.

He regretted giving this order the moment that Neville obeyed it. Without the long slit of light from the torch-lit corridor behind them, the place became so dark that for a moment, the only things that they could see were the bunches of shivering blue flames on the walls and their ghostly reflections in the floor below.

Just as he was gazing ahead at the doors opposite him, trying to decide which was the right one, there was a great rumbling noise and the candles began to move sideways. The circular wall was rotating.

Hermione grabbed Harry's arm as though frightened the floor might move too, but it did not. For a few seconds, the blue flames around them were blurred to resemble neon lines as the wall sped around and around and then, quite as suddenly as it had started, the rumbling stopped and everything became stationary once again.

Harry's eyes had blue streaks burned into them; it was all he could see.

"What was that about?" Ron whispered fearfully.

"I think it was to stop us knowing which door we came in from," Luna said in a hushed voice.

Harry realized at once that she was right. He had no idea what door they had come in from let alone what door to use to find the Hall of Prophecy.

"How're we going to get back out?" Neville asked uncomfortably.

"Well, that doesn't matter now," Harry said forcefully, blinking to try and erase the blue lines from his vision, and clutching his wand tighter than ever. "We won't need to get out till we've found Ginny —"

"Where do we go, then, Harry?" Ron asked.

"I don't —" Harry began. He swallowed. "I'm not sure. We know it's in here and that we have to go through a few different rooms before we get to the hall. The room… it's the time office or something… we should try a few doors," he said hastily. "C'mon."

He marched straight at the door now facing him, the others following close behind him, set his left hand against its cool, shining surface, raised his wand, ready to strike the moment it opened, and pushed.

It swung open easily.

After the darkness of the first room, the lamps hanging low on golden chains from this ceiling gave the impression that this long rectangular room was much brighter. The place was quite empty except for a few desks and, in the very middle of the room, an enormous glass tank of deep-green water, big enough for all of them to swim in, which contained a number of pearly white objects that were drifting around lazily in the liquid.

"What're those things?" Ron whispered.

"Dunno," Harry said honestly. "They kind of look like fish or something?"

"Aquavirius maggots!" Luna declared excitedly. "Dad said that the Ministry were breeding —"

"— No," Hermione said softly. She sounded odd. She moved forward to look through the side of the tank. "They're brains."

"Brains?"

"Yes… I wonder what they're doing with them?"

Harry joined her at the tank. Sure enough, there could be no mistake now that he saw them at close distance. Glimmering eerily, they drifted in and out of sight in the depths of the green water, looking something like slimy cauliflowers.

"Let's get out of here," Harry said uneasily. "This isn't right, we need to try another door —"

"There are doors here too," Ron said, pointing around the walls.

Harry's heart sank; how big was this place? "No, the room we're looking for is an office and there are clocks or something… this isn't it. I think that we should go back and try from there."

Everyone nodded as they hurried back into the dark, circular room; the ghostly shapes of the brains were now swimming before Harry's eyes instead of the blue candle flames.

"Wait!" Hermione said sharply, as Luna made to close the door of the brain room behind them. "Flagrate!"

She drew with her wand in midair and a fiery X appeared on the door. No sooner had the door clicked shut behind them than there was a great rumbling, and once again the wall began to revolve very fast, but now there was a great red-gold blur in amongst the faint blue, and when all became still again, the fiery cross still burned, showing the door that they had already tried.

"Good thinking," Harry told her. "Okay, let's try this one —"

Again he strode directly at the door facing him and pushed it open, his wand still raised, the others at his heels.

This room was larger than the last, dimly lit and rectangular, and the centre of it was a sunken section, forming a great stone pit some twenty feet below them. A dozen doors surrounded the landing around the room, making Harry again wonder just how big this place was. They were standing on the topmost tier of what seemed to be stone benches running all around the room and descending in steep steps like an amphitheater, or a courtroom like the Wizengamot where Remus had been tried. Instead of a chained chair and a giant cage, however, there was a raised stone dais in the centre of the lowered floor, and upon this dais stood a stone archway that looked so ancient, cracked, and crumbling that Harry was amazed the thing was still standing. Unsupported by any surrounding wall, the archway was hung with a tattered black curtain or veil which, despite the complete stillness of the cold surrounding air, was fluttering very slightly as though it had just been touched.

"Who's there?" Harry called out, jumping down onto the bench below. There was no answering voice, but the veil continued to flutter and sway.

"Careful!" Hermione whispered.

Harry scrambled down the benches one by one until he reached the stone bottom of the sunken pit. His footsteps echoed loudly as he walked slowly toward the dais. The pointed archway looked much taller from where he stood now then when he had been looking down on it from above. Still the veil swayed gently, as though somebody had just passed through it.

He had the strangest feeling that there was someone standing right behind the veil on the other side of the archway. Gripping his wand very tightly, he edged around the dais, but there was nobody there. All that could be seen was the other side of the tattered black veil.

"Let's go," Hermione called from halfway up the stone steps. "This isn't right, Harry, come on, let's go…"

She sounded scared, much more scared than she had in the room where the brains swam, yet Harry thought the archway had a kind of beauty about it, old though it was. The gently rippling veil intrigued him; he felt a very strong inclination to climb up on the dais and walk through it.

"Harry, let's go, okay?" Hermione said more forcefully.

"Okay," he said, but he did not move. He had just heard something. There were faint whispering, murmuring noises coming from the other side of the veil. "What are you saying?" he said very loudly, so that the words echoed all around the surrounding stone benches.

"Nobody's talking, Harry!" Hermione said, now moving over to him.

"Someone's whispering behind there," he said, moving out of her reach and continuing to frown at the veil. "Is that you, Ron?"

"I'm here, mate," Ron said, appearing around the side of the archway.

"Can't anyone else hear it?" Harry demanded, for the whispering and murmuring was becoming louder; without really meaning to put it there, he found his foot was on the dais.

"I can hear them too," Luna breathed, joining them around the side of the archway and gazing at the swaying veil. "There are people in there!"

"What do you mean, 'in there'?" Hermione demanded, jumping down from the bottom step and sounding much angrier than the occasion warranted. "There isn't any 'in there,' it's just an archway, there's no room for anybody to be there — Harry, stop it, come away —"

She grabbed his arm and pulled, but he resisted.

"Harry, we're supposed to be finding Ginny!"

He took several paces back from the dais and wrenched his eyes from the veil. "Let's go."

"That's what I've been trying to — well, come on, then!" Hermione said, and she led the way back around the dais.

On the other side, Ron and Neville were staring, apparently entranced, at the veil too. Without speaking, Hermione took hold of Ron's arm, Harry took Neville's, and they marched them firmly back to the lowest stone bench and clambered all the way back up to the door they had come through.

"What d'you reckon that arch was?" Harry asked Hermione as they regained the dark circular room.

"I don't know, but whatever it was, it was dangerous," she said firmly, again inscribing a fiery cross upon the door.

Once more the wall spun and became still again. Harry approached a door at random and pushed. It did not move.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked.

"It's… locked." Harry told her, throwing his weight at the door, but it did not budge.

"This is it, then, isn't it?" Ron asked excitedly, joining Harry in the attempt to force the door open. "Bound to be!"

"Get out of the way!" Hermione said sharply. She pointed her wand at the place where a lock would have been on an ordinary door and said, "Alohomora!"

Nothing happened.

"Wait, I have my knife!" Harry said as he pulled it out from inside his robes and slid it into the crack between the door and the wall. The others all watched eagerly as he ran it from top to bottom, withdrew it, and then flung his shoulder again at the door.

It remained as firmly shut as ever. What was more, when Harry looked down at the knife, he saw that the blade had melted.

"Right, we're leaving that room," Hermione said decisively.

"But what if that's the one?" Ron asked, staring at it with a mixture of apprehension and longing.

"It can't be. We know the room is accessible and this clearly isn't." Hermione said, marking the door with another fiery cross as Harry replaced the empty blade handle of his knife back in his pocket.

"You know what could be in there?" Luna asked eagerly, as the walls started to spin yet again.

"Something blibbering, no doubt," Hermione mumbled under her breath, and Neville gave a nervous little laugh.

The wall slid back to a halt and Harry, with a feeling of increasing desperation, pushed the next door open.

"This is it!"

He knew it at once the brilliant glare of the clocks gleaming from every surface - large and small, grandfather and carriage, hanging in spaces between the bookcases or standing on desks ranging the length of the room, so that a busy, relentless ticking filled the place like thousands of minuscule, marching footsteps. The source of the dancing, diamond-bright light that filled the room was a towering crystal bell jar that stood at the far end of the room. This was the time and space room, he knew it.

"This way!"

Harry's heart was pumping frantically now that he knew they were on the right track. He led the way forward down the narrow space between the lines of the desks, heading for the source of the light, the crystal bell jar stood as tall as he was from its place on the desk and appeared to be full of a billowing, glittering wind.

"Oh, look!" Luna exclaimed, as they drew nearer, pointing at the very heart of the bell jar.

Drifting along in the sparkling current inside was a tiny, jewel-bright egg. As it rose in the jar it cracked open and a hummingbird emerged, which was carried to the very top of the jar, but as it fell on the draft, its feathers became bedraggled and damp again, and by the time it had been borne back to the bottom of the jar it had been enclosed once more in its egg.

"Keep going!" Harry said sharply, because Luna showed signs of wanting to stop and watch the egg's progress back into a bird. "This is it," Harry said again, and his heart was now pumping so hard and fast that he felt it must interfere with his speech. "It's through here —"

He glanced around at them all. They had their wands out and looked suddenly serious and anxious. He looked back at the door and pushed.

It swung open.

The room was as high as a church and full of nothing but towering shelves covered in small, dusty, glass orbs. They glimmered dully in the light issuing from more candle brackets set at intervals along the shelves. Like those in the circular room behind them, their flames were burning blue. The room was very cold.

Harry edged forward and peered down one of the shadowy aisles between two rows of shelves. He could not hear anything nor see the slightest sign of movement.

"You said that it was row ninety-seven," Hermione whispered.

"Yeah," Harry breathed, looking up at the end of the closest row. Beneath the branch of blue-glowing candles protruding from it glimmered the silver figure fifty-three.

"We need to go right, I think," Hermione whispered, squinting to the next row. "Yes… that's fifty-four…"

"Keep your wands out," Harry said softly.

They crept forward, staring behind them as they went on down the long alleys of shelves, the farther ends of which were in near total darkness. Tiny, yellowing labels had been stuck beneath each glass orb on the shelf. Some of them had a weird, liquid glow; others were as dull and dark within as blown lightbulbs. It was hard for Harry to imagine that every orb contained a prophecy - that each one was full of words meant to change the course of someone's life.

They passed row eighty-four… eighty-five…

"Ninety-seven!" Hermione whispered.

They stood grouped around the end of the row, gazing down the alley beside it. Harry led them forward, between the towering rows of glass balls, some of which glowed softly as they passed…

They had reached the end of the row and emerged into more dim candlelight. All was echoing, dusty silence.

"No one's here, Harry," Hermione said softly.

Harry shook his head, his eyes peeled. Someone was here. He knew it. The hair on the back of his arms was standing on end. He could feel someone watching him. "That can't be… she's here somewhere. I know it. I can…" Smell her, he thought, as he walked through a whiff of her flowery scent. "Ginny!"

"Harry?" Ron called.

"What?"

"The prophecy's here all right — it's got your name on it and everything," Ron said.

Harry moved a little closer, his heart pounding in his chest. Ron was pointing at one of the small glass spheres that glowed with a dull inner light, though it was very dusty and appeared not to have been touched for many years.

He stepped forward. Not as tall as Ron, he had to crane his neck to read the yellowish label affixed to the shelf right beneath the dusty glass ball. In spidery writing was written a date of some sixteen years previously, and below that:

S.P.T. to A.P.W.B.D.

Dark Lord

and (?) Harry Potter

Harry stared at it. It was here. The prophecy. The thing that had kept him up for many nights… the words that would tell Voldemort the one thing that they were most afraid of him learning.

"What is it?" Ron asked, sounding unnerved. "Take it!"

He glanced along at the other labels on that stretch of shelf before allowing his gaze to follow the emptiness of the room. "It doesn't make sense, Ron. It should be more guarded… it should be…"

Harry looked around at him. Neville's round face was shining slightly with sweat. He looked as though he could not take much more suspense. He was worried about Ginny; terrified that she wasn't here anymore, and terrified that he had indeed not only walked into a trap but dragged his friends along with him. He stared at the orb and feeling slightly reckless, he closed his fingers around the dusty ball's surface.

He had expected it to feel cold, but it did not. On the contrary, it felt as though it had been lying in the sun for hours, as though the glow of light within was warming it. Expecting, even hoping, that something dramatic was going to happen, something exciting that might make their long and dangerous journey worthwhile after all, he lifted the glass ball down from its shelf and stared at it.

Nothing whatsoever happened.

The others moved in closer around Harry, gazing at the orb as he brushed it free of the clogging dust.

"Guess I can pick it up," Harry said, keeping his voice light.

And then, from right behind them, a familiar drawling voice said, "Very good, Potter. Now turn around, nice and slowly, and give that to me."

Black shapes were emerging out of thin air all around them, blocking their way left and right; eyes glinted through slits in hoods and masks, a dozen lit wand tips were pointing directly at their hearts. And in the middle of them all, stood Ginny and Theo, each bound and held at wandpoint by a stooped masked figure.

"To me, Potter," repeated the drawling voice of Lucius Malfoy as he held out his hand, palm up.

Harry's insides plummeted sickeningly. They were trapped and outnumbered, two to one. His eyes sought the warm brown ones ahead of him, whose gaze assured him that she was all right, but he didn't feel reassured. He had to get her out of there.

"To me," Lucius said yet again.

A harsh familiar female voice from the midst of the shadowy figures to Harry's left said triumphantly, "The Dark Lord always knows!"

"Always," Lucius echoed softly. "Now, give me the prophecy, Potter."

Bellatrix and her fellow Death Eaters had closed in so that they were mere a feet away from Harry and the others, the light from their wands dazzling Harry's eyes and now blocking his view of Ginny and Theo.

"Why does he want this? Why now? Why tonight?" Harry demanded, clutching the prophecy tighter in his hand.

"Why do you think he wants it, Potter? You're nothing more than a bug that he wants to squash," Bellatrix said shrilly.

Harry felt Ron stir beside him. "Don't do anything," he muttered. "Not yet —"

Bellatrix let out a raucous scream of laughter. "You hear him? Giving instructions to the other teenagers as though he thinks of fighting us! Us!"

"Oh, you don't know Potter as I do, Bellatrix," Lucius said softly. "He has a great weakness for heroics; the Dark Lord understands this about him. Now give me the prophecy, Potter, or they both die."

"Let them both go first," Harry said darkly, though panic was causing his chest to constrict and he felt as though he could not breathe properly. He knew how important the prophecy was, but he wasn't willing to risk Ginny's life for it either.

More of the Death Eaters laughed, (there had to be over a dozen masked figures) though Bellatrix still laughed loudest of all, the manic glee clear in her eyes.

Harry's eyes met Ginny's again and he saw her nod, her fingers making a circular motion in the ropes that suddenly made sense to him as she mouthed one word. She had a plan, he realized. He just needed to stall.

"Give me the prophecy, Potter, or we start using wands," Lucius warned.

"Go on, then," Harry said, raising his own wand to chest height.

As he did, the four wands of Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Luna rose on either side of him. The knot in Harry's stomach tightened. They were outnumbered, but he was positive that for the moment they were safe. As long as he held the prophecy, they had to be cautious. He wasn't sure, but the fragility of the orb told him that it wasn't as well protected now that it was in his hand.

"Hand over the prophecy and no one need get hurt," Lucius said coolly.

It was Harry's turn to laugh.

"Yeah, right! I give you this orb and you'll just let us skip off home, will you? Let Ginny and Theo go and I'll hand it over."

The words were hardly out of his mouth when an anonymous female Death Eater shrieked, "Accio Proph —"

Harry was just as ready for her. He shouted "Protego!" before she had finished her spell, and though the glass sphere slipped to the tips of his fingers he managed to cling to it.

"Oh, he knows how to play, little bitty baby Potter," Bellatrix said, her mad eyes staring through the eyes of her death mask. "Very well, then —"

"I TOLD YOU, NO!" Lucius roared at Bellatrix, tugging his mask off as he spoke. "If you smash it —!"

Harry's mind was racing. The Death Eaters wanted this sphere. He had no interest in it. He already knew the content, but he knew how important it was for them not to find out. Not to mention that he had to get them all out of this alive, make sure that none of his friends paid a terrible price for his stupidity in coming here… he should have waited for Sirius…

Bellatrix stepped forward, away from her fellows, and pulled off her mask and hood, her dark hair framing her face, the silver reflected in the odd flow of the room and a fanatical glow in her eyes.

"You need more persuasion?" she said, her chest rising and falling rapidly. "Very well — torture the girl," she ordered the Death Eaters beside her. "Let him watch while we torture his little blood traitor girlfriend. I'll do it."

Harry's eyes sought Ginny's again and she shook her head, wincing when the masked figure holding her, slapped her cheek. Harry kept his eyes on Ginny's as he spoke. "You'll have to smash this if you want to attack any of us," he told Bellatrix. "I don't think your boss will be too pleased if you come back without it, will he?"

She did not move; she merely stared at him, the tip of her tongue moistening her thin mouth as if she wasn't quite sure whether he would dare.

"So," Harry said quickly. "What do you think this prophecy contains anyway?"

He could not think what to do but to keep talking. Neville's arm was pressed against his, and he could feel him shaking. He could feel one of the other's quickened breath on the back of his head. He was hoping that they were all thinking hard about ways to get out of this, because his mind was currently blank and he wasn't entirely sure what it was that Ginny was planning.

"What kind of prophecy?" Bellatrix repeated, the grin fading from her face. "You jest, Harry Potter."

"Nope, not jesting," Harry said, his eyes flicking from Death Eater to Death Eater, looking for a weak link, a space through which they could escape. "How come Voldemort wants it?"

Several of the Death Eaters let out low hisses.

"You dare speak his name?" Bellatrix whispered.

"Yeah," Harry said, maintaining his tight grip on the glass ball, expecting another attempt to bewitch it from him. "Yeah, I've got no problem saying Vol —"

"Shut your filthy mouth!" Bellatrix shrieked. "You dare speak his name with your unworthy lips! You dare besmirch it with your half-blood's tongue! You dare —"

"— Did you know that he's a half-blood too?" Harry said recklessly. Hermione gave a little moan in his ear. "Voldemort? Yeah, his mother was a witch, but his dad was a Muggle — or has he been telling you lot he's pureblood?"

"STUPEF —"

"— NO!"

A jet of red light had shot from the end of Bellatrix's wand, but another male Death Eater had deflected it. His spell caused hers to hit the shelf a foot to the left of Harry and several of the glass orbs there shattered.

Two figures, pearly white as ghosts, fluid as smoke, unfurled themselves from the fragments of broken glass upon the floor and each began to speak. Their voices vied with each other, so that only fragments of what they were saying could be heard over the man and Bellatrix's shouts.

"… at the Solstice will come a new…" said the figure of an old, bearded man.

"DO NOT ATTACK, BELLA! WE NEED THE PROPHECY!"

"He dared — he dares —" Bellatrix shrieked incoherently. "— He stands there, Bart — filthy half-blood —"

"WAIT UNTIL WE'VE GOT THE PROPHECY!" Crouch insisted.

"… and none will come after… " the figure of a young woman said from the orb.

The two figures that had burst from the shattered spheres had melted into thin air. Nothing remained of them or their erstwhile homes but fragments of glass upon the floor. So it could be broken, Harry thought; released into the air to be lost forever.

"You haven't told me what's so special about this particular prophecy that I'm supposed to be handing over," he said, playing for time. He wanted to play dumb; to make them think that he didn't know what it contained. He moved his foot slowly sideways, feeling around for someone else's.

"Do not play games with us, Potter," Lucius said sharply, shoving his mask into his cloak.

"I'm not playing games," Harry told him, half his mind on the conversation, half on his wandering foot. And then he found someone's toes and pressed down upon them. A sharp intake of breath behind him told him that they were Hermione's.

"What?" she whispered.

"Dumbledore never told you that the reason you have that scar was hidden in the bowels of the Department of Mysteries?" Crouch sneered. "Can this be true? I heard you were his little pet, yet he didn't share it with you?"

Some of the Death Eaters were laughing again, and under the cover of their laughter, Harry hissed to Hermione, moving his lips as little as possible, "Smash shelves —"

"Dumbledore never told you?" Crouch repeated. "Well, this explains why you didn't come earlier, Potter, the Dark Lord wondered why —"

"— when I say go —"

"— you didn't come running when you learned that there was a prophecy here about you. He thought natural curiosity would make you want to hear the exact wording…"

"Did he?" Harry asked mildly. Behind him he felt rather than heard Hermione passing his message to the others and he sought to keep talking, to distract the Death Eaters until Ginny was ready. "So, he wanted me to come and get it, did he? Why?"

His eyes sought Ginny's again and this time he understood her murmurings more clearly. Panda, she kept saying, panda.

"Why?" Crouch asked, sounded incredulously delighted. "Because the only people who are permitted to retrieve a prophecy from the Department of Mysteries, Potter, are the Guardian, and those about whom it was made, as the Dark Lord discovered when he attempted to use others to steal it for him."

Harry's fingers tightened over the warm glass sphere in his hand. It was hardly larger than a Snitch and still gritty with dust. "And he's made me come and get it for him? Why couldn't he come and get it himself?"

"Get it himself?" Bellatrix shrieked on a cackle of mad laughter.

"The Dark Lord, walk into the Ministry of Magic, when they are searching the country for him? The Dark Lord, reveal himself to the Aurors before he is ready?" Crouch retorted, eyes wide through the mask.

"So, he's got you doing his dirty work for him, has he?" Harry asked. "Like he does everyone. Seems a bit cowardly not to do it himself."

Bellatrix's eyes widened as her wand twitched at her side. "How dare you —"

"PANDA!" Ginny exclaimed loudly and Harry lifted his wand.

"NOW!"

Four different voices behind him bellowed, "REDUCTO!"

Four curses flew in four different directions and the shelves opposite them exploded as they hit. The towering structure swayed as a hundred glass spheres burst apart, pearly-white figures unfurled into the air and floated there, their voices echoing from who knew what long-dead past amid the torrent of crashing glass and splintered wood now raining down upon the floor —

And at the same moment, just as swiftly - a red panda broke apart the ropes holding her in place - sharp teeth and claws ripping into the Death Eater who attempted to stop her. She clawed the arm holding Theo, snapping the Death Eater's wand in half with her teeth and Theo broke free.

"Accio panda!"

Ginny's red panda came barrelling towards Harry and he caught her in his arms as Theo hurried over just as Harry yelled, "Expecto Patronum Familia!"

A stag, a wolf, and a dog burst from his wand, surrounding him and his friends in a circle of protection. Ginny transformed back into herself as the stag stood in front of them, and the wolf moved to cover Ron and Hermione. The dog stood in front of Neville, Luna, and Theo and Harry nodded at them, his wand out.

The stag moved first. A bolt of energy so powerful, the stag barrelled through the four Death Eaters in its path, knocking them off their feet and to the ground; falling into shelves and smashing orbs left and right. The wolf went next, charging at the group nearest Theo, destroying more shelves in the process. The dog only charged past one Death Eater before a tall figure threw a shield up powerful enough to make the dog patronus disintegrate into nothing with a rumbling so loud that the orbs began to vibrate on the shelves.

Ginny grabbed Harry's hand and Theo's eyes widened in alarm.

"RUN!" Theo yelled, turning and booking it in the opposite direction.

The shelves swayed precariously and more glass spheres began to pour down from above. Theo seized a handful of Hermione's robes and dragged her forward, one arm over his head as chunks of shelf and shards of glass thundered down upon them. A masked Death Eater lunged forward through the cloud of dust and Harry elbowed him hard in the face. They were all yelling, there were cries of pain, thunderous crashes as the shelves collapsed upon themselves, weirdly echoing fragments of the Seers unleashed from their spheres —

Harry found the way ahead clear and saw Ron, Ginny, and Luna sprint past him, their arms over their heads. Something heavy struck him on the side of the face, but he merely ducked his head and sprinted onward; a hand caught him by the shoulder; he heard Hermione shout "Stupefy!" and the hand released him at once.

They were at the end of row ninety-seven; Harry turned right and began to sprint in earnest, gesturing for his friends to follow. He could hear footsteps right behind him and Hermione's voice urging Neville onwards. The door through which they had come was ajar straight ahead, Harry could see the glittering light of the bell jar, he pelted through it, the prophecy still clutched tight and safe in his hand, and waited for the others to hurtle over the threshold before slamming the door behind them.

"Colloportus!" Hermione gasped and the door sealed itself with an odd squelching noise.

"I don't know what part of that was more stupid. Attacking back there like you aren't terrified out of your wits, or showing up to rescue us in the first place," Theo panted, his eyes on Harry. "But I'm fucking grateful."

"You're welcome either way," Harry told him, looking around. "Where — where are the others?"

He had thought that Ron, Luna, and Ginny had been ahead of them, that they would be waiting in this room, but there was nobody there.

"They must have gone the wrong way!" Hermione whispered, terror in her face.

Theo gulped. "If my father has a chance to get his hands on Ginny again, he'll do more than hurt her. He'll make her pay for my mistakes."

Hermione gripped his arm tightly. "Ginny's smart, Theo, and she's not alone." Her eyes met Harry's through the eerie, sparkling light of the bell jar. "She's not alone, Harry."

But Harry didn't find her words reassuring.