It was hard to tell how much time passed, and Anna's butt, arms, and legs went numb around the time the sun disappeared from view, leaving the sky dark and sprinkled with stars. She focused on her aching muscles and numb derrière to keep her mind off the worry of what her father was now going through. He couldn't be dead. She refused to believe he could die. She couldn't lose her father after everything they'd been through.
Her thoughts were abruptly cut off when the thestral's invisible head suddenly pointed downward. Anna slid forward a couple inches and gasped, clenching her arms and legs tight around the animal's body. She heard Hermione shriek on one side of her.
The orange lights sprinkling the ground grew larger and rounder, less blurry as they flew through the clouds and mist. Finally, the tops of buildings began to form as they hurtled toward the pavement. Anna couldn't help tensing and closing her eyes, preparing herself for a hard landing. But the thestral touched ground as lightly as a feather, not even making a sound.
Harry was the first to land, and immediately slid to the ground. Ron then rolled off his invisible steed and landed on the pavement. Anna landed near them, Hermione and Ginny on either side and the three girls carefully slid onto the ground. Anna sighed in relief to be back on the ground, keeping one hand on the thestral's flank to steady herself on her numb legs.
Neville shakily slid to the ground when he landed, and Luna hopped down smoothly as if she did this everyday.
"Where do we go from here?" Luna asked curiously.
"Over here." Harry answered. He gave his thestral a quick pat, and Anna did the same with hers before following. Harry then hurried over to a battered telephone box and opened the door. "Come on!" he urged when they hesitated. Anna pushed through the others and stepped inside, having been inside it once before. Ron and Ginny followed, then Hermione, Neville, and Luna squished themselves in behind them. Harry glanced around toward where they'd left the thestrals before squeezing his way inside with them.
Harry gave them instructions for Ron to dial a number into the phone, then a woman's voice told them to state their name and business. Harry did just that, and then half a dozen badges slid out of the small shoot that was normally for coins. Hermione grabbed them and passed them around. When Anna's was in her hand, she looked down at it.
ANNABELLE BLACK
Rescue Mission
The woman's voice continued to give them instructions, which was clearly making Harry impatient. Anna, herself, didn't remember this process being so slow when she came here for her trial. Of course, she hadn't been in a hurry that time.
Finally, the floor of the phone booth shuddered and they started to descend into the ground. It was very dark in the box for a few moments. When they reached the bottom, a soft golden light touched their feet and rose up. Anna cranned her neck around, trying to see through the windows if there was anyone at the Atrium, but everything was completely empty. The light in the room was dim, and there were no fires burning in the fireplaces around the room.
Finally, the door to the telephone box burst open and they all practically fell out of it. Anna found herself even more on edge with the lack of sound apart from the rushing of the nearby fountain.
"Come on." Harry whispered. Then, with Harry in the lead, they ran down the hall, past the fountain, and toward a desk.
"This is weird." Anna whispered to Hermione as they ran. "There should be some form of security around. It shouldn't be this easy."
Hermione nodded, seeming to think the same thing.
They hurried towards the lifts and Harry pressed the nearest down button. A lift quickly clattered into sight, the golden grilles sliding open with a loud clang. They hurried inside and Harry jabbed the number nine button, causing the doors to bang shut and the lift began to descend.
The loud rattling of the lifts set Anna on edge, and she tightened her grip on her wand. It echoed loudly throughout the building and she felt sure that anyone in the building could hear their approach.
When the lift came to a halt, the grilles slid open and they all stepped out into the corridor. The only movement in the area was the torches flickering from the burst of air from the lift.
Harry stared at a plain black door for a moment.
"Let's go." he finally whispered, leading the way down the corridor toward it.
"Okay, listen." Harry said, abruptly stopping again several feet away from 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?" Ginny asked, eyebrows raised, "You could be miles away."
"We're wasting time, Harry." Anna snapped. "We need to get a move on. Quit stalling."
Harry glared at her for a moment before turning back to the door. Before he even touched it, it swung open and he stepped over the threshold with the others on his heels. Inside, they found themselves standing in a large, circular room. Everything, including the floor and ceiling, was black. Identical black doors stood at intervals all around the room, mingled with candles with blue flames. Anna was almost afraid to move forward because the flickering of the blue flames reflected off the black floor, making it look like deep, bottomless water.
"Someone shut the door." Harry ordered.
Neville did as ordered. The room was instantly thrown into darkness without the corridor's light. Harry appeared to be deciding what to do next when there was a loud rumbling sound and the candles on the wall began to move sideways. The wall was rotating. Anna was almost disoriented, but the floor didn't move at all.
The blue flames of the candles blurred slightly into a single line around the room as the wall sped up before, suddenly, it stopped again and everything was once again still.
Anna shook her head, putting a hand to her forehead to make it stop spinning.
"What was that about?" Ron asked fearfully.
"I think it was to stop us knowing which door we came in from." Ginny answered in a whisper.
Anna instantly looked over her shoulder from where they'd come, but she realized the door behind them most likely wasn't the same one they came in from.
"How're we going to get back out?" Neville asked uncomfortably.
"Well, that doesn't matter now." Harry reminded them tensely. "We won't need to get out till we've found Sirius-"
"Don't go calling for him, though!" Hermione stated urgently.
"Where do we go, then, Harry?" Ron asked.
"I don't-" Harry stopped and swallowed. "In the dreams I went through the door at the end of the corridor from the lifts into a dark room-that's this one-and then I went through another door into a room that kind of…glitters. We should try a few doors." he decided quickly. "I'll know the right way when I see it. C'mon."
He walked straight to the door currently facing them, the others following him packed close together. With his wand raised, he pushed the door open with his left hand. It swung open effortlessly
This room seemed brighter due to the lamps hanging low on the golden chains hung from the ceiling. The room was also pretty empty apart from a few desks and a large glass tank, big enough for all of them to swim in, that had several pearly white objects drifting in the dark green water.
"What're those things?" Ron asked in a low whisper.
"Dunno." Harry answered.
"Are they fish?" Ginny asked.
"Aquavirius maggots!" Luna said excitedly. "Dad said the Ministry were breeding-"
"No." Hermione interrupted in a strange voice. Anna watched nervously as Hermione stepped into the room toward the tank. "They're brains."
"Brains?"
"Yes…I wonder what they're doing with them?"
Harry joined her at the tank, but the others held back. Anna, personally, didn't want to get any closer to these random brains than she had to.
"Let's get out of here." Harry decided. "This isn't right, we need to try another door-"
"There are doors here too." Ron spoke up, pointing at the doors around the room.
"In my dream I went through that dark room into the second one. I think we should go back and try from there." Harry decided.
So they backed into the dark, circular room.
"Wait!" Hermione exclaimed before Luna could shut the door, causing Anna to jump. "Flagrate!"
Hermione drew a fiery X with her wand, which appeared on the door. Then, when the door shut, the room once again began to spin. When everything was still again, Hermione's X was still on the door, marking which one they'd tried.
"Good thinking." Harry praised her. "Okay, let's try this one-"
The next room was larger and contained a large, stone pit. They appeared to be standing at the top of tier of several stone benches running around the walls, descending like large steps. In the very center at the bottom stood a raised stone dais, upon which stood a stone arch. The archway looked so old and cracked it was amazing that it was still intact. The archway was also hung with a tattered black veil, which fluttered slightly despite the stillness in the air.
Despite this obviously not being the room they were looking for, Harry almost refused to leave, him and Luna claiming they could hear whispered voices as if people were hiding inside the black veil. Eventually, Anna and Hermione were able to drag Harry away by reminding him what they were there for.
So, they all marched back to the circular room they started in. Hermione drew another fiery X on the door to the room with the arch before closing it. The room spun once again. When it stopped spinning again, Harry approached a random door and pushed on it. But nothing happened.
"What's wrong?" Hermione asked worriedly.
"It's…locked…" Harry answered, throwing his weight into the door. It still didn't budge.
"This is it, then, isn't it?" Ron guessed excitedly, helping Harry in trying to shove the door open. "Bound to be!"
"Get out of the way!" Hermione told them sharply. She pointed her wand at the door and said, "Alohomora!"
Nothing happened. There was no click of a lock, or a door swinging open. Nothing.
"Try the knife." Anna told Harry, remembering how her father's knife could unlock any lock. Harry nodded quickly, pulling the knife from his robe pocket. He slid it into the crack between the door and the doorway. Anna held her breath, watching intensely as he ran the blade up and down the door, withdrew it, and threw his shoulder into the door again.
However, the door remained firmly shut. And equally unfortunate, the blade of the knife was now melted.
"Right, we're leaving that room." Hermione decided.
"But what if that's the one?" Ron demanded, looking curiously at the door.
"It can't be. Harry could get through all the doors in his dream." Hermione pointed out, marking the door with another fiery X. Anna had to admit she had a point.
Harry slid the now-useless knife handle into his pocket as the wall began spinning again. When the walls still again, Harry hurried to the next door and pushed it open.
"This is it!"
Anna bolted after him and peaked inside the open door. The first thing she saw was beautiful, sparkling light. When her eyes grew accustomed to the sudden change of lighting, she saw clocks everywhere, of every size, shape, and type. Some were hanging in the spaces between the bookcases, some standing on desks. At the far end stood the source of the bright light, a towering, crystal bell jar.
"This way!" Harry exclaimed, hurrying into the room. He lead them forward down the narrow space between the rows of desks. He was heading for the crystal bell jar.
"Oh, look!" Ginny exclaimed as they drew nearer, pointing at the very center of the bell jar.
Drifting as if on an invisible current inside the jar was a tiny, bright egg. As it rose in the jar, it cracked open and a hummingbird popped out, which was lifted to the very top of the jar. But as it fell on the invisible draft, its feathers became damp and heavy again, and by the time it returned to the bottom of the jar, it was once more in its egg.
"Keep going!" Harry called sharply, hurrying past it.
"You dawdled enough by that old arch!" Ginny retorted crossly, but she followed him and the rest of the group to a lonely door past the jar
"This is it." Harry declared quietly as he reached the door. "It's through here-"
Everyone tensed and tightened their grips on their wands. Anna took a deep breath to calm her nerves. Harry glanced around at them all before pushing the door open.
Inside was a large, high-ceilinged room. The only things they could see in every direction in the room were towering shelves full of small, dusty, glass orbs. The fire on all the torches was blue, and the room was cold.
Harry crept forward and looked between two shelves. There was no sound in the room, and it was setting Anna even more on edge.
"You said it was row ninety-seven." Hermione reminded him in a low whisper.
"Yeah." Harry whispered, his head tilting to look up. Anna did the same, looking up near the top of the nearest shelf. Under a blue-flamed candle was a silver number FIFTY-THREE.
"We need to go right, I think." Hermione whispered, squinting at the row to the right. "Yes…that's fifty-four…"
"Keep your wands out." Harry reminded them softly.
They slowly began their trek down the wall to their right, keeping an eye out behind them as they walked. As the rows' numbers grew, Anna couldn't help the fear creeping up her chest. Surely if her father was here, they'd hear something, right? If he was being tortured, they'd be hearing his screams of pain. Unless…Unless he was already dead.
'No!' Anna thought to herself, giving her head a quick shake. He can't be dead. Not after everything that they'd been through. He had to be alive.
"Ninety-seven!" Hermione whispered, jerking Anna out of her thoughts.
They gathered around at the end of the row, staring down the alley beside it. But there was no one there.
"He's right down at the end." Harry told them, his voice slightly croaky. "You can't see properly from here…"
Anna glanced at him as he started forward. She wasn't sure what to think. On the one hand, she didn't want her dad to be here, because she didn't want him to be tortured and possibly killed. But if he wasn't, then why would Harry have seen that dream? Why would they be here…?
"He should be near here." Harry whispered as they walked. "Anywhere here…really close…"
"Harry?" Hermione asked uncertainly.
"Somewhere about…here…" he said, ignoring Hermione as they reached the end of the row.
But there was no one there.
Anna wasn't sure what to feel. Part of her was relieved, but she also felt a sense of dread and fear. And as if this whole trip was anticlimactic.
Harry was whispering to himself, looking back and forth down the alleys on either side of the one they'd walked down.
"Harry?" Hermione asked again.
"What?" he snapped impatiently.
"I…I don't think Sirius is here."
They were all silent as they watched Harry, but he was refusing to look at any of them. Instead, he ran up the space at the end of the rows, staring down each row he passed. He then ran back the other way, passing the others as he searched down the other rows.
"Harry?" Ron called after a moment.
"What?"
"Have you seen this?"
Anna spun around while Harry eagerly returned to them. Ron was staring at one of the dusty orbs on the shelf.
"What?" Harry asked glumly, clearly disappointed it wasn't something to do with Sirius. Anna stepped closer to look at the orb over Ron's shoulder.
"It's-it's got your name on it." Ron told him. Sure enough, on a yellowish label on the shelf just below a particular dusty orb, were the words:
S.P.T. to A.P.W.B.D.
Dark Lord
And (?) Harry Potter
"What?" Anna breathed, her eyes scanning the words over and over. Harry and Ron were also staring at it.
"What is it?" Ron asked nervously. "What's your name doing here?" He then glanced down the shelf at the other labels. "None of the rest of us are here…"
"Harry, I don't think you should touch it." Hermione spoke sharply as Harry started to reach for the glass orb.
"Why not?" he asked. "It's something to do with me, isn't it?"
"Don't, Harry." Neville spoke up suddenly. Anna turned to look at the other boy to see his face was shining with sweat and he looked like he may have a heart attack if exposed to anymore stress.
"It's got my name on it." Harry pointed out.
"But you don't know what it is." Anna pointed out hurriedly. "It could be cursed, or a trap or something."
But Harry didn't listen. He reached out and wrapped his fingers around the dusty glass surface. He slowly lifted it down from the shelf and stared at it.
Anna had almost expected something dramatic to happen. Like an explosion or someone showing up, anything. But nothing. Anna moved closer to Harry, as did the others. They all stared down at the orb as Harry brushed off the dust.
And then, a hauntingly familiar voice spoke from behind them. "Very good, Potter. Now turn around, nice and slowly, and give that to me."
Anna had spun around the second the voice spoke, her wand already drawn and pointed at the newcomer. She then realized shadowy figures were stepping out of the darkness from all sides, cutting off any escape. About a dozen lit wand tips were pointed right at the kids' chests. Ginny gasped and stepped closer to Anna's side.
"To me, Potter." Lucius Malfoy repeated in his drawling voice, holding his hand out to Harry with the palm up.
Anna's eyes mainly remained fixed on Malfoy, but she also occasionally glanced around at the multiple other Death Eaters surrounding them.
"To me." Malfoy repeated when Harry didn't move.
"Where's Sirius?" Harry demanded bravely.
Several Death Eaters laughed and Anna's heart flew to her throat. Then, a harsh, cynical, female voice spoke triumphantly from in the midst of the shadowy figures, "The Dark Lord always knows!"
"Always." Malfoy repeated softly, smiling arrogantly at the group of kids. "Now, give me the prophecy, Potter."
'Prophecy?' Anna repeated in her mind, forcing herself not to glance at the glass ball still in Harry's hand.
"I want to know where Sirius is!" Harry insisted impatiently.
"'I want to know where Sirius is!'" the same woman as before mocked. Anna snapped her attention to her left, where the Death Eaters had stepped closer, leaving only a few feet of space between them and the kids.
"You've got him." Harry insisted, more to himself. "He's here. I know he is."
But Anna knew he wasn't. They had been tricked, and they all fell for it. Her wand hand was trembling as she fought down panic. She'd come here to make sure her father would be okay, that he wouldn't die. But she got the feeling she may be the one to die now. Her, Harry, and the others.
"The little baby woke up fwightened and fort what it dweamed was twoo." the same woman mocked in a baby voice that both annoyed and terrified Anna. She searched the shadowed figures, trying to see the individual faces and see if she could recognize any of them. But they were all covered by their Death Eater masks.
"Don't do anything." Harry muttered. "Not yet-"
The same woman let out a screeching cackle.
"You hear him? You hear him? Giving instructions to the other children as though he thinks of fighting us!"
"Oh, you don't know Potter as I do, Bellatrix." Malfoy told the woman in the same soft voice he used earlier. "He has a great weakness for heroics; the Dark Lord understands this about him. Now give me the prophecy, Potter."
Anna swallowed thickly while Harry once again insisted he knew Sirius was here. Anna, however, had recognized the name Malfoy stated. Bellatrix. Most likely Bellatrix Lestrange, her father's escaped Death Eater cousin. She almost would have preferred seeing Voldemort in the flesh to Bellatrix Lestrange.
"I know you've got him!"
Nearly all the Death Eaters laughed at Harry's shout, but Bellatrix laughed even louder then all of them combined.
"It's time you learned the difference between life and dreams, Potter." Malfoy told him. "Now give me the prophecy, or we start using wands."
"Go on, then." Harry dared, raising his wand to point it at Malfoy. Anna and the others did the same, pointing their wands around at the various Death Eaters. Anna ran through which spells she thought would be best to fight her way out of this.
But surprisingly, none of the Death Eaters raised their wands or moved to attack.
"Hand over the prophecy and no one need get hurt." Malfoy said instead.
Harry laughed, and Anna refrained from flat out asking what they wanted with this 'prophecy'.
"Yeah, right! I give you this-prophecy, is it? And you'll just let us skip off home, will you?"
Suddenly, Bellatrix raised her wand, "Accio Proph-"
"Protego!" Harry countered instantly, managing to keep a firm grip on the orb.
"Oh, he knows how to play, little bitty baby Potter." she mocked, and Anna caught sight of her crazy eyes staring through the slits of her hood. "Very well, then-"
"I TOLD YOU, NO!" Malfoy roared at her. "If you smash it-!"
Anna finally tore her eyes from the Death Eaters and looked curiously over at the small glass orb in Harry's hand. What could be so important that the Death Eaters wouldn't even risk attacking them?
Movement made Anna snap her head back around to see that Bellatrix had stepped forward, standing in front of her fellow Death Eaters. She pulled off her hood, revealing what Azkaban had done to her. Her face was gaunt, her cheekbones jutting out. But her eyes were alive with a wild insanity.
"You need more persuasion?" she guessed, breathing heavily. "Very well-take the smallest one." she ordered the Death Eater at her side. "Let him watch while we torture the little girl. I'll do it."
"No!" Anna shouted before she could stop herself. The others had closed in around Ginny on instinct at the threat, but Anna found herself stepping directly in front of the youngest Weasley, her wand pointed directly at Bellatrix's chest. Harry also stepped in front of Ginny, standing next to Anna with the prophecy clutched to his chest.
"Well, well, well." Malfoy smirked softly, glancing from Harry to Anna. "Little Annabelle Black. This must be a nice family reunion for you. You remember Annabelle, don't you Bellatrix?" he asked teasingly, glancing at Bellatrix before looking back down at Anna. "The little daughter of your cousin and that filthy half-blood?" He turned to Anna again, smirking coldly. "It's really too bad. I'm sure you wish Marcus Flint was here, don't you?"
Anna met his eyes coldly, jutting her chin out bravely. "Flint doesn't scare me, and neither do you. I know you did something to rig my trial against him."
"Oh really?" Malfoy smirked coldly, his confidence and the look in his gray eyes giving it away. He didn't even try to deny it. "And how are you going to prove it?"
Anna faltered for a moment. "I'll figure it out." she stated firmly.
"Oh, she's Sirius's daughter alright." Bellatrix cackled, eyeing Anna like she was a piece of meat. "That arrogant attitude gives it away. And if you think you're so brave, how about I give you a taste of the real world?"
"You'll have to smash this if you want to attack any of us." Harry told Bellatrix before she could do anything, referring to the glass orb. "I don't think your boss will be too pleased if you come back without it, will he?"
Bellatrix didn't answer, or move. She merely stared at Harry, the very tip of her tongue poking out to wet her thin lips.
"So," Harry continued, "what kind of prophecy are we talking about, anyway?"
Anna kept her eyes fixed on Bellatrix, deciding she was the biggest threat. Malfoy may think he's in charge, but it was clear who the real leader of this group was, aside of Voldemort. She also focused on Bellatrix to keep herself from panicking. She could hear someone behind her breathing heavily, as if they were also trying not to panic.
"What kind of prophecy?" Bellatrix repeated, her grin falling. "You jest, Harry Potter."
"Nope, not jesting." Harry disagreed simply. "How come Voldemort wants it?"
Most of the Death Eaters hissed.
"You dare speak his name?" Bellatrix whispered, as if Harry had uttered something obscenely blasphemous.
"Yeah." Harry answered easily, and Anna wondered if his plan was to rile them up. "Yeah, I've got no problem saying Vol-"
"Shut your mouth!" Bellatrix shrieked, making Anna jump and tighten her grip on her wand, still pointed at the older witch. "You dare speak his name with your unworthy lips, you dare besmirch it with your half-blood's tongue, you dare-"
"Did you know he's a half-blood, too?" Harry cut her off. Hermione gave a low moan behind them, and Anna silently agreed. "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!"
Red light shot from Bellatrix's wand, but Malfoy deflected it. His spell caused hers to blast a shelf less then a foot to Anna's left, causing several of the glass orbs to shatter.
In the chaos, Anna's eyes were torn from the quarreling Death Eaters to see two ghost-like figures emerge from the broken orbs, speaking in low voices that were next-to-impossible to hear over the yelling.
Malfoy continued to yell at Bellatrix, while she stuttered in her rage. Harry continued to talk to them, though Anna ignored a lot of the words. Her attention was pulled to a sharp intake of breath just behind her.
"What?" Hermione whispered.
"Dumbledore never told you that the reason you bear that scar was hidden in the bowels of the Department of Mysteries?" Malfoy asked.
"I-what?" Harry paused, and Anna had a feeling his interest was now more in the conversation than whatever he'd been doing a moment ago. "What about my scar?"
"What?" Hermione whispered again.
"Can this be?" Malfoy crowed, sounding delighted in a way that couldn't be good, and the Death Eaters were laughing again.
Under the noise of their laughter, Anna heard Harry whisper, "Smash shelves-"
"Dumbledore never told you?" Malfoy repeated, unaware of the plan formulating before him. "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 he showed you the place where it was hidden in your dreams. He thought natural curiosity would make you want to hear the exact wording…"
"Did he?" Harry said. Anna was vaguely aware of Hermione spreading his plans to the others. Anna, instead of doing the same, moved her head slightly to block the view of the others behind her. "So he wanted me to come and get it, did he? Why?"
"Why?" Malfoy repeated in disbelief. "Because the only people who are permitted to retrieve a prophecy from the Department of Mysteries, Potter, are those about whom it was made, as the Dark Lord discovered when he attempted to use others to steal it for him."
"And why did he want to steal a prophecy about me?"
"About both of you, Potter, about both of you…Haven't you ever wondered why the Dark Lord tried to kill you as a baby?"
Anna chanced a glance at Harry to find him staring back at Malfoy's gray eyes. She then glanced down at the small glass ball, hoping Harry wasn't getting distracted. Of course, anyone would be. It sounded like that small orb held all the answers Harry ever wanted. Why Voldemort went after him, killing his parents in an attempt to kill him.
"Someone made a prophecy about Voldemort and me?" he asked quietly, still staring at Malfoy. Anna saw his fingers tighten around the glass ball before she dragged her eyes back up to stare at the Death Eaters. "And he's made me come and get it for him? Why couldn't he come and get it himself?"
"Get it himself?" Bellatrix repeated in a shrieking, insane laugh. "The Dark Lord, walk into the Ministry of Magic, when they are so sweetly ignoring his return? The Dark Lord, reveal himself to the Aurors?"
"So he's got you doing his dirty work for him has he?" Harry asked. "Like he tried to get Sturgis to steal it-and Bode?"
"Very good, Potter, very good…" Malfoy commended him slowly. "But the Dark Lord knows you are not unintell-"
"NOW!" Harry yelled.
Anna raised her wand to the shelves above the Death Eaters' heads and screamed, "REDUCTO!" The others did the same in five different directions and shelves all around them exploded when the spells hit their targets. Several shelves swayed under the impact, causing dozens of glass balls to fall to the ground and shatter, ghost-like figures erupting from them and floating away, their voices echoing and blending together.
"RUN!" Harry yelled. Anna instinctively reached behind her and grabbed Ginny's wrist and ran, her wand hand over her head to protect herself from the falling glass balls. Sound roared around them from all sides. People were screaming in pain and anger. A Death Eater lunged at Anna and Ginny, but the redhead stunned him.
Anna wasn't sure which way to go when they reached the end of row ninety-seven. Then, Ron bolted past her and Ginny and turned left. Anna and Ginny were quick to follow him, hearing multiple sets of pounding footsteps behind them. Ron bolted toward a door, pulled it open, and raced into it. Anna quickly followed him with Ginny right on her heels.
She slid to a stop, slamming into Ron's back. Ginny then ran into Anna's while they stared around. They didn't recognize the room they were in.
"Wha-where are we, Ron?" Anna demanded, staring around in shock. They were in a large, dark room with planets floating all around them.
"I-I don't know. I thought-" Ron stuttered, looking around in bewilderment.
"They're coming after us." Luna's voice spoke up from behind them.
Anna spun around, seeing the door still open a crack, silver light peaking into the room. Then, she realized they were short a few people.
"Where're the others? Harry, Hermione, and-and Neville?" she demanded quickly.
"We must've gone the wrong way." Ginny gasped. "Way to go, Ron!" she snapped, turning and smacking her brother on the shoulder.
"Ow!"
"They went this way! In here!" an unfamiliar voice shouted.
"Shut the door!" Anna shouted, bolting back to the door and trying to slam it shut, but she was too late. A few Death Eaters burst into the room, knocking the door open and knocking Anna to the ground. She rolled on the ground and back onto her feet, quickly scrambling to rejoin the other kids.
Spells started flying, but Dumbledore's Army were about as quick as the Death Eaters and they were evenly matched, with four on four. One of the Death Eaters shut the door, and suddenly it was as if they were all light as feathers.
"What the-" Anna was distracted when her feet suddenly left the floor and she floated. She was unbalanced for a moment, her feet going almost level with her waist as her body turned in the air. She twisted frantically so she could continue facing the Death Eater, her wand pointed out in preparation.
"Stupify!" she shouted, managing to hit the Death Eater while he was frantically twisting about in the air. Looking around quickly, Anna saw another door across the room. "Guys! Try to get to this other door! This way!" she shouted, grabbing the nearest planet that bumped into her-Mars-and throwing it with all her might at a Death Eater that was dueling Luna in midair.
They all tried to follow her orders, all the while still fighting their attackers. For the most part they appeared to be swimming backwards, as if in the water, while shooting spells and curses at the Death Eaters, who were trying to swim quickly through the air.
Anna was closest to the door, so she tried to provide some cover for the others to give them the chance to catch up. At the same moment she shot Petrificus Totalus at the Death Eater chasing Ron, the same guy shot some unknown spell at Ron, catching him on the shoulder. Ron let out a strangled yelp and floated to the floor. Luckily, Anna's spell had also hit it's target, leaving one Death Eater immobile for now.
"Ron!" Anna shouted. Bracing her feet against the wall behind her, she pushed off and shot down to the ground next to him. "Ron? Are you okay? Can you move?" she asked frantically, unsure if the Death Eater had hit him with the Killing Curse.
But Ron groaned, turning his head slightly and scrunching up his face before he blinked his eyes open. A small drop of blood was starting to drip out from the corner of his mouth. He looked up at her for a moment before groaning.
"Oh. Hi. You look funny."
"Okay, come on. We need to get out of here." Anna told him, reassured that he was talking.
"Where are we? Oh, hey! Look! There's Uranus!" Ron shouted, sitting up and pointing. "Get it, Anna? Uranus!" And with that, Ron burst into a fit of giggles that Anna didn't know he was capable of.
"Alright, yeah, great. Uranus." Anna agreed slowly, completely bewildered and wondering just what that Death Eater had hit Ron with. Ron giggled again and tried to go toward said planet, but Anna quickly grabbed his shoulders. "No, Ron. We really need to go. Guys!" she turned and shouted, trying to find Luna and Ginny in the chaos above her head. "Ron's acting funny and we really need to get out of here!"
"Coming!" Ginny called back before blasting her opponent in the face with her signature Bat-Bogey Hex. He flew back, screaming, giving Ginny the chance to turn and start frantically swimming toward the door.
Anna had just started shoving at Ron, trying to get him to move toward the door while he fought her the whole way, when someone suddenly screamed. Anna froze and whipped her head around, her eyes searching for the problem.
"Ginny!" she screamed, seeing another Death Eater had grabbed onto Ginny's ankle and was pulling her back.
"Reducto!" Luna shouted, and suddenly Pluto exploded in the Death Eater's face, knocking him in the head and making him release Ginny.
"Okay, Ron, we really need to leave now." Anna told him sternly.
"No." Ron moaned. "No, I don't want to. I like it here." And again, he tried to wiggle his way out of Anna's grasp.
"But-but don't you want to see what's in the next room?" Anna asked, trying to sound excited. "There's candy and-and all your favorite things just on the other side of that door." she told him pointing at the door they were all trying to get through. A quick glance upward told Anna that Luna was dragging Ginny toward the door now, both floating in the air.
"Really?" Ron asked excitedly. He then giggled and hurriedly bounced and floated over to the door. Anna hurried after him, both to make sure he didn't get in more trouble and because the unconscious Death Eaters were waking up and trying to get them again.
Anna reached the door a second after Ron, and Luna and Ginny reached it next. Then, the second Ron yanked the door open, everyone who was floating fell to the ground as if gravity had been restored. For Anna, who had been sort of hovering on her tiptoes, it barely caused her to stumble. But Luna and Ginny, who were floating a good foot in the air, with their stomachs more facing the ground than their feet, the landing was a bit more painful. Luna landed on her hands and knees, quickly scrambling to get up again. Ginny managed to land on her feet, but she stumbled and favored one foot, gritting her teeth in pain.
"Quick, move!" Anna shouted, waving them in after Ron. They all quickly hurried through the door, and Anna slammed it shut behind them.
"Ron!" a familiar voice croaked, and Anna turned around to see they were all back in the circular room with all the doors. Harry and Neville were there, Neville holding an unconscious Hermione on his back. "Ginny-are you all-?"
"Harry!" Ron giggled weakly, throwing himself at Harry and clutching the front of his robes to stay upright. "There you are…Ha ha ha…You look funny, Harry…You're all messed up…"
Then, Ron's knees gave out, but he didn't release Harry's robes, pulling him into a sort of bow.
"Anna?" Harry asked fearfully. "Ginny? What happened?"
Ginny shook her head, sliding down a wall. Anna knelt down next to her to look her over.
"I think her ankle's broken." Luna whispered, standing next to them. "I heard something crack. Four of them chased us into a dark room full of planets, it was a very odd place, some of the time we were just floating in the dark-"
"Harry, we saw Uranus up close!" Ron interrupted, still giggling. "Get it, Harry? We saw Uranus-ha ha ha-"
Luna gave a short explanation of what happened to them in the planet room while Anna looked over Ginny's ankle, wondering if there was something she could do. She didn't know much healing magic, and the only experience she had with watching people heal broken bones was when Lockhart 'healed' Harry's broken arm. And that didn't exactly go well.
"I could try to wrap it." she said out loud, partially to Ginny, and partially to herself. "I remember the spell Remus used to mend Ron's leg in the Shrieking Shack."
"Go for it." Ginny mumbled through gritted teeth.
Anna took a deep breath, pointed her wand at Ginny's ankle, and muttered, "Ferula."
Instantly, a splint and bandages shot from Anna's wand and bound Ginny's ankle. When it was firmly in place, Ginny sighed in relief.
"That feels a bit better." she admitted.
"We've got to get out of here." Harry announced firmly. "Luna, can you help Ginny?"
"Yes." Luna agreed, sticking her wand behind her ear before wrapping an arm around Ginny's waist and pulling her up.
"It's only my ankle, I can do it myself!" Ginny snapped impatiently, but then her sore ankle gave out and she grabbed onto Luna for support again. Harry pulled Ron's arm over his shoulder and Anna was eager to let him deal with Ron in this condition. Her eyes scanned the twelve doors around them, not sure which to go for.
Harry pulled Ron toward a random door, and they all followed him. They were mere feet from it when another door across the room burst open, revealing Bellatrix Lestrange and two other Death Eaters.
"There they are!" she screeched.
The Death Eaters started shooting Stunning Spells at them. Anna deflected them as best she could, seeing as she was the only one not holding an injured person. Ginny and Luna did their best to help while Harry threw Ron into the room he'd chosen. Harry then returned to help Neville with Hermione. Luna helped Ginny in next before Anna leapt backward through the open doorway. As soon as she was over the threshold, Harry slammed the door shut just before Bellatrix could follow them.
"Colloportus!" Harry shouted, causing the door to lock just as three different bodies slammed into it.
"It doesn't matter!" an unfamiliar man's voice spoke from the other side of the door. Anna barely heard him over her heavy breathing as she leaned forward on her knees. "There are other ways in-WE'VE GOT THEM, THEY'RE HERE!"
Anna quickly straightened back up and looked around. They were back in the brain room, and there were doors all around them. Several pairs of footsteps told her the Death Eaters outside the door were being joined by their comrades.
"Luna, Anna, Neville-help me!" Harry shouted. Anna raced across the room, the four of them rushing to reach every door and lock it as they went.
"Colloportus!" Anna shouted. As she moved to a couple more doors, she was aware of running footsteps on the other side of the walls. A few times, another body would slam into an already-locked door, making it groan and shake.
Anna and Luna reached two doors a few feet away from each other. Anna locked hers, and Luna began to do the same.
"Collo-aaaaaaaaaargh…"
Anna jumped and saw Luna go flying across the room. Anna lurched away from the door that five Death Eaters swarmed through. Anna barely saw Luna hit a desk, slide over the surface, and land on the other side, where Anna could no longer see her.
"Protego!" Anna shot up, barely defending herself from some spell the nearest Death Eater shot at her.
"Get Potter!" Bellatrix screeched, running at said boy. Anna barely saw him dodging her, but had to focus on her own current opponent.
"Crucio!" the man yelled.
"Protego! Stupefy!" Anna countered, barely protecting herself even though the Death Eater easily blocked her second spell. As they continued to duel, Anna was barely aware that Ron was babbling to Harry, but she couldn't do much to help. Then, two words Ron spoke caught her attention.
"Accio Brain!"
It was as if everything moved in slow motion. Anna, Harry, Ginny, and Neville, as well as every single Death Eater in the room, turned to see a brain burst up out of the green liquid. If seemed to hover above the tank for just a second, then it flew toward Ron. It was spinning, and what looked like ribbons of images unraveled from it like film.
"Ha ha ha, Harry, look at it." Ron laughed as it flew toward him. "Harry, come and touch it, bet it's weird."
"RON, NO!" Harry shouted, lunging toward his best friend, but Ron had already caught the brain in his outstretched hands.
Anna watched, feeling cold dread and horror spreading through her limbs as the tentacles dangling from the brain started wrapping around Ron's arms and latching on.
"Harry, look what's happen-no-no, I don't like it-no, stop-stop-"
The tentacles spun around Ron's chest, and he tried to tug them off, but they merely hung on tighter.
"Diffindo!" Harry shouted, trying to cut the tentacles, but it didn't work. They just tightened their hold and Ron fell over, thrashing on the ground.
"Harry, it'll suffocate him!" Ginny screamed from where she was sitting on the floor due to her ankle. Then, a red light from a Death Eater's wand hit her in the face, causing her to fall over sideways, unconscious on the floor.
Anna leapt back into action, dodging around the Death Eater she'd been dueling so she could shoot a Stunning Spell at the Death Eater who'd attacked Ginny. She planted herself next to Ginny, throwing spells at any Death Eater her eyes landed on.
"STUBEFY!" Neville shouted, his voice stuffed up due to a broken nose. "STUBEFY! STUBEFY!"
Unfortunately, nothing happened. One Death Eater shot his own Stunning Spell back at Neville, missing him by inches. Harry continued to try and help Ron, while Neville and Anna continued fighting the five Death Eaters.
Two Death Eaters suddenly shot streams of silver light past Harry and Neville, leaving large holes in the wall. When Bellatrix ran at Harry, he turned and leapt through one of the holes and ran, holding the prophecy high above his head. Anna was almost shocked he was running away, but when all the Death Eaters abandoned her and Neville in exchange for chasing Harry, she realized what he was doing. He was leading the Death Eaters away from them. It was both courageous and stupid, in Anna's opinion.
"I hab to help him!" Neville exclaimed, hurrying after them.
"Wha-but Neville!" Anna shouted, but it was too late. He'd already disappeared. Sighing, Anna's shoulders slumped. She almost didn't know what to do with herself and all the adrenaline still pumping in her veins from the dueling. Shaking her head, she hurried over to Ron, who was still wrestling with that stupid brain. She dropped her wand beside her and started tugging at the tentacles, yanking with all her might to get them to release Ron. But they wouldn't budge, and Ron's face was steadily turning bluer.
Panic was seeping in, when another idea popped into her head.
"Glacius!" Anna shouted desperately, her wand pointed less than an inch from the squishy brain's wrinkled surface. From that point, the brain began to freeze, a pinkish-white splotch growing steadily over it. It stopped moving, stopped trying to strangle Ron. The ice spread from the brain into it's many tentacles. When it was done, Anna pointed her wand at it again.
"Reducto!"
The spell hit the frozen-solid brain, and it shattered. Ron, now unconscious, gasped in a lungful of air, falling limply to the ground. Anna quickly bent over him, feeling for his pulse under his jaw. When she felt a steady heartbeat, she sighed in relief, her head dropping onto his chest for a second before she sat up.
Standing shakily, Anna was half-tempted to follow after Harry and Neville. But at the same time she was scared to do that. She wanted to check on Luna, Hermione, and Ginny, but she felt like she needed to go check on Harry and Neville.
As she stood there debating, she heard rushed footsteps approaching her. Lifting
her wand defensively, she waited to see who would come through.
She certainly wasn't expecting who she saw, but she was relieved all the same.
"Anna!" Tonks exclaimed, hurrying over to her. Remus and Moody were right behind her.
"Thank goodness you're here." Anna gasped, her hand falling back to her side. "Harry-and Neville-they went that way." she panted, pointing behind her at the gaping hole in the wall. "A bunch of Death Eaters went after them."
That was all she needed to say. They all rushed past her, leaving her once again alone.
Taking another deep breath, Anna felt more at ease knowing several members of the Order were here to help. Now, it was easy for her to decide to check on the others. Moving over to Ginny, Anna knelt beside her and checked her pulse like she did with Ron. She was breathing, and Anna didn't know what to do for her other than that.
Luna and Hermione were the same, a bit battered and bruised, but breathing and alive.
Now, with nothing to really do, Anna found herself drawn to follow the others. Surely she could help, right? If anything, she could make sure Harry and Neville were okay. She could provide some backup.
Having talked herself into it, Anna pushed down her nerves and carefully stepped through the gaping hole in the wall. She followed the sounds of battle, shouts and things being smashed. It came from the only door still open. Anna approached that door and peaked out and down.
It was the room with the arch, and people were dueling, many more people than Anna was expecting. It seemed all the Death Eaters from before had arrived, about a dozen of them, and she could see other Order members than the ones she'd directed this way. There was Kingsley, and…Anna sucked in a deep breath, even though she wasn't exactly surprised. Her father, Sirius, was down there dueling Dolohov. Moody's body was laying nearby, Anna prayed he was alive, and Harry and Neville were nearby watching.
Wand clutched tightly in her hand, Anna slowly and carefully made her way down the stone benches. She saw Tonks halfway up the benches several feet over, dueling Bellatrix. Just as she reached the bottom of the benches, Harry shot Dolohov with the Body-Bind Curse. Dolohov went stiff as a board and fell backward on his back.
"Nice one!" Sirius shouted, shoving Harry's head down to duck a pair of Stunning Spells. Anna leapt back as they hit the ground near her feet. "Now I want you to get out of-"
They both ducked again, and this time Anna had to duck, also, as a jet of green light flew over their heads. Anna stared in horror as Tonks tumbled down the stone steps, her body limp. Bellatrix, with a triumphant smile, hurried back into the thick of the fight.
Sirius finally noticed his daughter behind him and grabbed her shoulder. "Anna, go with Harry, and you two take the prophecy and Neville, and run!" he ordered them before hurrying off toward Bellatrix.
Anna wanted to argue, but her father was already gone and Kingsley was blocking their vision as he dueled Rookwood. Anna looked anxiously around the room before her eyes went back to her cousin. Tonks still hadn't moved, and Anna wanted desperately to rush over and check on her. She couldn't be dead. She just couldn't be.
"Can you walk?" Harry bellowed. Anna turned and looked back. Neville's legs were bouncing and dancing wildly around. "Put your arm around my neck-"
Neville did as he was told, and Harry heaved him up. Neville's legs were still flying and Anna moved forward to help them. She was about to reach out and take Neville's other arm, when a man came out of nowhere and lunged at them. Harry and Neville fell backward. Anna stumbled, but managed to stay upright. Lucius Malfoy was sprawled atop the two boys.
"The prophecy, give me the prophecy, Potter!"
"Petrificus Totalus!" Anna shouted, her wand pointed at him.
Malfoy's limp body flew across the room, smashing into the dais where Sirius and Bellatrix were now dueling. Remus rushed over to them at that moment.
"Harry, round up the others and GO!" he ordered.
Anna watched as Remus rushed off again to duel one of the two Death Eaters Kingsley was dueling. Anna kept her eye on the surrounding battles while Harry and Neville struggled to climb the stone benches. She tried to help push Neville, who was still struggling with his dancing legs, but she also wanted to make sure no one attacked them from behind.
Harry tugged on Neville's school robes, causing a large rip. Anna glanced over her shoulder at the tearing sound, and then watched in slow motion as the glass orb this whole fight started over fell, got kicked by Neville's flaying feet, and smashed on the step beneath them. A ghostly figure emerge from the broken glass, but Anna couldn't make out the words that were spoken over the rest of the fighting.
And yet, Anna couldn't stop her eyes from being drawn to the duel between her father and his cousin. She could hear him taunting her, egging her on. She wanted to yell at him to focus on his dueling and not making his cousin angry. It was clear they were both skilled duelists, but Bellatrix was insane on top of all of that.
Glancing back briefly at Harry and Neville, Anna hesitantly stepped away from them. Her eyes fixed on her father's duel apart from occasionally glancing around to ensure someone wasn't going to attack her. Then, a thought occurred to her.
Bellatrix was focused solely on making Sirius fall. She wasn't paying attention to anyone else, least of all Anna.
Glancing around, Anna hurried around the dais so that she was directly behind Bellatrix. She focused intently on the spell she wanted to perform, because she wanted to do it silently.
'Stupefy!' Anna thought firmly, pointing her wand at Bellatrix's back.
"Argh!" Bellatrix shrieked, lurching forward when Anna's spell hit it's target. Unfortunately, the spell wasn't as strong as it would have been if she'd spoken it out loud. Bellatrix glared at Anna over her shoulder, a maniacal gleam in her eye.
"So, that's how it's going to be, is it?" she shrieked, shooting a spell at Anna.
Sirius shot another spell at Bellatrix, and soon, father and daughter were dueling Bellatrix from either side of her.
"Anna, get out of here." Sirius barked.
Anna ignored him and continued to duel with her father's insane cousin.
Suddenly, Anna got distracted by a couple Death Eaters running past the dais behind Bellatrix, looking terrified. Anna glanced around briefly to see what they were running from, when the movement of Bellatrix slashing her wand through the air caught her eye. Before she could fully return her attention to what was happening, she felt a slicing pain in her stomach. It stung and after a delayed moment, Anna screamed slightly, her hand moving slowly to her stomach. When she pulled her hand away, it was covered in blood.
"Anna!" several voices were screaming at her, but her vision was getting blurry. Her shirt was wet and sticking to her stomach. Her head was spinning.
She looked around, trying to make sense of everything. People were running around. She thought she saw Bellatrix running away, with Harry and Dumbledore on her tail. Everything was muffled and her ears were drumming loudly.
She was suddenly looking up at the ceiling, blurry faces looking down at her. She blinked slowly to try and clear her vision, but it was hard. She thought she saw her dad, and maybe Remus, but it was hard to tell. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but she thought their lips were moving.
Then, her eyes grew too heavy to keep open.
XXX
Dun dun duuun! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Hope you all liked this chapter. Review to let me know what you all thought!