Chapter 15 – Rescue Mission?

I kept a watch on the right side of the corridor. Ginny and Luna were on the left. Hermione and Harry were going to sneak into the toad's office under the invisibility cloak. I'm still mad at Harry. It's highly unlikely that Voldemort caught Sirius. When this is over, I'm going to say 'I told you so'.

"What do you think you're doing her?" I heard someone say behind me.

It was Pansy Parkinson. Just what I needed right now, "I don't have to answer you, Parkinson."

She took her wand out, "You should."

"Don't make me laugh. You can't cast a spell properly to save your life."

She got angrier at each word out of my mouth, "Incarcerous!"

I moved a little and the spell missed me. I took my wand out and disarmed her. I heard a commotion behind me. I saw Ron with a bloody lip being dragged by Warrington into the toad's office. Followed by Ginny held by some sixth year girl, Blaise had Luna and Crabbe had Neville.

In my moment of distraction, Parkinson snatched her wand and held it at my throat, "It would do you good to follow the footsteps of those pathetic people you call friends."

I could just elbow her in the stomach and be done with her but I wanted to know what was happening. I let her drag me to the office. Draco froze for the tiniest second when he saw me.

"Good job, Ms. Parkinson." The toad told her. "I'm finally going to get you, Shepherd." She told me. "But as of now, we have more important matters to discuss."

I had a retort on my tongue but my odds didn't look to good at the moment. Millicent Bulstrode was crushing H into the wall. Neville looked like he was going to die any moment, he looked too blue. Crabbe was choking him to death.

"What were you doing, Potter? Whom were you contacting?"

"I'm not telling you." Harry told her angrily.

"Mr. Malfoy, please go get Snape."

He left reluctantly. She questioned him again. But Harry didn't tell her anything. Ron and Ginny were trying to fight off their captors but were unsuccessful. Luna was calming looking out of the window. Blaise, who was holding her, looked at her with amusement. I'm sure he's wondering why she was not fighting him. I'm concerned for H and Neville, they seem to be in really dangerous positions.

When Draco walked in with Prof. Snape, the toad looked happy. "Severus, I want some Veritaserum."

"But you took my last bottle to question Potter, surely, you can't have finished the entire bottle." Prof. Snape said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

The toad went red, "You can make some for me."

"Of course, I can. It would take a month to prepare it."

"A month? I need it now."

"There's nothing I can do about it now."

"You're on probation, Severus." The toad said like a petulant child. I snorted.

He didn't even look like the words affected him, "As you say." It's fun to watch Prof. Snape being sarcastic when you're not on the receiving end of it.

As he was walking out, Harry shouted, "He's got Padfoot!"

"Who's Padfoot, Severus?"

"I'm not sure. I don't like gibberish shouted at me, Potter." And he walked out with his robe bellowing behind him. Say whatever, Prof. Snape definitely knows how to make an exit.

The toad was fuming, "You leave me no choice, Potter. I don't want to do this but I'll have to take matters into my own hands. This is a matter of Ministry security. The Cruciatus Curse will loosen your tongue."

"No! You can't do that. It's an Unforgivable curse." H interjected.

"These are special circumstances." She said it like she was convincing herself that it's the right thing to do.

"But the Minister wouldn't like it if you did this to a student. Once this goes to the press, you wont even have your position at the Ministry." I said. Nothing is more important to her than her reputation.

"What Cornelius doesn't know, won't hurt him. Besides, when I sent the dementors to attack Potter…"

"You did that?" Harry asked in shock.

"Well, everyone at Ministry was talking about how you had to be stopped. Only, I did something about it. Now Potter, brace yourself…" She had a mad gleam in her eyes.

A few of the cat saucers things on her wall burst. She looked shocked. None of us had our wands with us.

"Who did that?" She asked.

"I did." I told her with pride. I couldn't hold it inside of me. She sent the dementors.

She turned her wand on me. "You've been getting on my nerves."

"No, I'll tell you." H said frantically. She sobbed on Bulstrode's robe for extra measure. Bulstrode moved away from her in disgust. We all looked shocked.

"You can't tell her." Harry said.

"No Harry, we have to." H said desperately. What is she playing at?

She made an amazing story about trying to contact Dumbledore and to tell him the weapon was ready. Umbridge bought every word because that's exactly what she wanted to hear. She wanted this weapon for herself. So, asked H and Harry to take her to the weapon's location. The three of them took off. I wonder where H is going to take them.

Right now, I have to get out of here. Maybe, it's time to elbow Parkinson now. I elbowed her stomach first. She let out a low howl. This time I elbowed her jaw. Ron and Ginny started fighting off their captors as well. Neville tried his best too. Luna was still looking out the window. The Slytherins were so shocked they didn't know how to react. Ginny got a hold of our wands and gave them to us. We shot some stunners. Ginny shot a Bat Bogey Hex on Draco. I, so, didn't like that. I physically stopped myself from helping him.

"Now, where would they have gone?" Ron asked no one in particular.

"They went to the forest. I saw them through the window." Luna said calmly. How can she be so calm? It's mind-boggling.

We ran towards the forest. I wondered if Hermione took the path that lead to Grawp.

"I think, we should take this path." I said.

"How would you know?" Ginny asked me authoritatively.

I glared at her for the tone she used, "Hagrid took us on this path the last time, we were here."

That seemed to shut her up. I lead them to the makeshift clearing but Grawp wasn't there. Where could he have gone?

"Now, where to genius?" Ginny said triumphantly. "We should not have listened to her."

"Oh really? To where would you have led us?" I asked her.

"Look, Gin. She at least knew where to bring us. Or else we would have been lost." Ron stepped in.

"Thanks Ron." I felt so touched by him standing up for me. Then we heard loud roar towards the west side of the forest. Ron and I glanced at each other and started running towards to noise.

"How are we going to get there?" We heard H say a little ahead.

"We were thinking the same thing." Ron said when we saw them.

The both were covered in blood clearly not theirs.

"So, did Voldemort really take Sirius?" Ron asked.

"Yes. And we have to get there soon." Harry and I stared at each other for a few moments.

I still have a bad feeling about this. I knew Harry was waiting for me to say that I'm sorry. Excuse me, for not wanting to believe something that still feels unbelievable.

"Right, How to we get there now?"

"We fly, of course!" Luna said calmly.

"You, three are not coming." Harry told Ginny, Luna and Neville.

They made some convincing remarks, so, Harry had to give in. Luna pointed out to the thestrals. And Harry agreed it was a good plan. I don't think so! Imagine flying on something I can't see.


This is what I remember of what happened in the Department of Mysteries. It felt like I was watching everything in fast forward.

As soon as I got down from the thestral in London, I vomited into one of the bins. That's what happens when you can't see what's flying you – Motion Sickness. We got into a phone booth, which apparently is the entrance to the Ministry. The Ministry was surprisingly empty. There was literally no living soul in sight. We took the lift to the Department of Mysteries. The black door was just like Harry had described it.

When we opened the door and went in, the black door closed by itself. This is not good. This should be ringing alarm bells in everyone's heads. We were in a circular room with various doors. The walls started spinning. When it stopped we opened the door right in front of us. Like that we entered a couple wrong rooms. Finally, we got to a room, which looked look a rocky land, in the middle was an arch with has a flimsy veil. Beyond it, was a room, which was huge and filled with ceiling high shelves. Actually, I couldn't see the ceiling. The only light coming was the faint blue-white light coming from the little spheres on the shelves.

Harry said we had to get to row ninety-seven. There was no one at row ninety-seven. No Sirius, No Voldemort! This was the time to say 'Aha!' but I know he would like it so I let it be. Ron found an orb with Harry's name on it. As we were looking the orb, now in Harry's hands, Lucius Malfoy asked Harry to hand it over to him.

More death eaters surrounded us. Among them was Bellatrix Lestrange. Harry was asked to give the orb to Malfoy. Like Harry was going to do that. He kept asking for Sirius. The death eaters, after laughing to their hearts content, decided to tell Harry that Voldemort had tricked him into coming here with the false dream.

While Harry kept the death eaters talking, we smashed the shelves and a fight broke out between the death eaters and us. Harry instructed us to go back the door. I didn't know which direction I was running in. I was lost and I was alone. I could hear the death eaters behind me. The most terrifying minutes of my life. Despite being spilt apart, somehow, we all end up in the room with the arch.

The death eaters managed to catch us. Harry was asked for the orb. They called the orb a prophecy. Out of nowhere, Sirius, Lupin, Tonks, Moody, Kingsley, Mike and Will turned up. Relief spread through me. Now, the death eaters were fighting off the order. Malfoy was still attempting to get the prophecy. During the fight, somehow the prophecy slipped out of Harry's hand and smashed on the floor.

Bellatrix was trying to kill her niece, Tonks. Sirius stepped in to help Tonks. Dumbledore join the order. The death eaters started leaving when they realised that Dumbledore was in the room. Only Sirius and Bellatrix fought uninterrupted. Then a spell hit Sirius on his chest. When he didn't send a curse of his own, I realised something was wrong. He fell into the arch. He was gone. I didn't see him on the other side. Will held me close which stopped me for moving. Prof. Lupin caught Harry before he could go into the veil. Harry kept shouting for someone to go through the veil and get Sirius.

Bellatrix deflected the curse Dumbledore shot at her. She started running out. Harry in a fit of fury started running behind her. This is not good. I don't know what got into me and I ran behind him. I didn't want him to do anything stupid. She was taunting Harry to come after her. This has to be a trick.

We reached the atrium. We both shot spells at Bellatrix but she was just too fast for us. Harry told her that prophecy smashed during the fight. Harry tried to shoot her a cruciatus curse but he was unsuccessful. That shocked me. it shocked me that he even thought of using the curse. On the other hand, she kind of deserved it. I kept the magical shield up as Harry insulting Bellatrix and say 'Voldemort'.

Out of nowhere, something appeared behind us. If Harry hadn't addressed him as Voldemort, I would have thought he was someone who definitely deserved a full refund from him plastic surgeon. He didn't look human at all. I wonder if that was the result of using dark magic day in and day out. He eyed me.

"Well Potter would like to see your girlfriend die in front of you as well? I read that interview you gave. Diggory, was it? His death still haunts you. I wonder how much her death would haunt you?"

He stood in front of me, "You'll never get to do that." I'm so surprised by his confidence. I'm surprised he didn't even say I'm not his girlfriend.

"You're as foolish as your mudblood mother." He laughed maliciously.

"Don't you dare insult my mother! She was way better than you." Harry said.

"I gave her the choice to step aside and let me kill you but she wouldn't budge. And now, she's not here. Love is a weakness."

"What would you know about love or having a mother? Almost seems like you never had a mother." Harry said angrily.

It seemed to have hit a nerve. And he shot a death curse at Harry but wizard's statue at the Ministry's fountain came and stood in front of us like a shield. Dumbledore came through the lift. A duel broke out in between Dumbledore and Voldemort. The statue had pushed us to a wall now.

Voldemort pulled the vanishing act a couple of times. Dumbledore was not sure if Voldemort was gone for sure so he asked to stay where we were. Then Harry started screaming and asked Dumbledore to kill him. It was not Harry's voice though, it was Voldemort's. I was scared to see Harry like this. He looked like a sinister version of himself. Then he looked at me venomously and caught my throat. He strangled me.

"Ha…rry, tis isss…not…you. Loooook at…me." I tried to gain his attention as much as possible while your getting strangled.

I spared a look at Dumbledore and for the first time, I saw look confused. He couldn't make up his mind about what to do.

After a few seconds, Harry looked at me and slowly his green eyes started focusing on my dark brown ones. When he realised what he was doing he stopped chocking me. Harry was panting heavily. He wouldn't look at me.

I was going to say something to Harry to make him feel better but the Ministry officials came. The Minister was there too. They saw Voldemort and now they believe. Dumbledore told Minister Fudge the list of things he wanted the minister to do for him and in return, Dumbledore would tell him everything that happened.

He made a portkey out of a piece of rubble on the Atrium floor and Harry asked him to wait for his return. I was going to leave with Harry as well but Dumbledore stopped me.

"Miss Shepherd. It would do best if I talk to him first. You can help your friends here and the order members." Dumbledore told me kindly.

I watched as Harry took the portkey and left. Harry looked like none of this mattered to him anymore. He wasn't aware of anything around him. He looked broken. I want to console him so bad. I went along with the aurors who were asked to go the 'death room'. It's safe to assume death room is the room Sirius died in.

Mike and Will hugged me when they saw me. Everyone was now facing the fact that Sirius was gone. Lupin was in a corner, Tonks was trying to get him to talk to her but he was quiet. H was unconscious. Ron, Ginny, Luna and Neville were injured. Heck, everyone was injured.

The aurors took the captured death eaters away, in magical handcuffs. Lucius Malfoy sneered at me as he passed by my brothers and I.


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