He had to be careful as he moved. He had cast his usual array of silencing charms on himself so he could be quiet while remaining speedy. Despite this, he had gone out without his invisibility cloak on, and could be easily spotted by anyone within range. It was a risk he had to take. He couldn't be bothered trying to deal with the cloak right now. And anyway, he was getting a bit too tall to fit under it anymore.
Harry was taking a big risk in his plan. He was heading to Dumbledore's office which, despite Umbridge being in control of the school, wouldn't let her in now. The gargoyle out front had refused to step aside and do the frog-woman's bidding. Hogwarts didn't like intruders, he had figured. Just one more reason why he loved the school so much despite all that had taken place within its walls.
The traveling had gone mostly fine, though Harry had suffered a close call at one point. A few Prefects on patrol had rounded a corner and started down the hall Harry was trying to go up. Fate had thrown him a bone then, as there were enough grooves in the wall that he had been able to press himself into one to avoid detection. Still, every second counted and he hated being hung up on things like this.
He was hurting already. With as panicked as he was, it was hard to force his pain receptors to stay shut down. But there was nothing to do about it - he had needed to wake up from that vision. Now all he needed was a way to get to the Ministry to save Sirius. All he needed was to be able to contact someone! He had to get ahold of Grimmauld. He knew that Dumbledore's fireplace was connected. Or he hoped it was, anyway. Harry was praying it was. If it wasn't, he was in trouble. However, even with his mind not functioning properly due to what had happened, he had concocted a back-up plan in case the fireplaces weren't connected. He just hoped it could work.
Reaching the entrance to Dumbledore's office, Harry faced the immovable object guarding it.
"Hi." Harry said. "Look... I'm really glad that you've been keeping that toad out, but I need in. It's an emergency. My godfather's in trouble. Voldemort is hurting him. I don't know if Dumbledore somehow gave you orders or if you're just another part of Hogwarts itself, but PLEASE - I need in! I have to see if the fireplaces are connected! You've got to move!"
Nothing happened. Harry's heartbeat increased.
"Come on! I'm not tricking you! Umbridge isn't anywhere nearby! I wouldn't let her take command of Dumbledore's office! You have to let me in!" Harry said, his voice raising slightly.
The gargoyle statue merely stared forward, not budging an inch.
"DAMN IT! Don't make me blow you apart to get inside!" Harry yelled, not caring if he was heard. "I have to see! I need to know!"
When the statue still remained motionless, Harry glared at it.
"Fine. Be that way. I can get around you! I still have a way! DOBBY!"
There was a CRACK beside Harry, signalling the arrival of the house elf. Harry grinned down at Dobby, who smiled up at Harry and said, "Harry Potter is calling for Dobby?"
"Yeah!" Harry said, nodding quickly. "Dobby, I think Sirius is in trouble. My godfather. I think Voldemort has him. This stupid statue won't move so I can check the fireplace in Dumbledore's office to see if it's connected to the one at Grimmauld Place. Can you get me inside?"
"Dobby can do you one better." Stated the house elf, holding out his hand. "Hold onto Dobby's hand tightly, Harry Potter, and we is on our way."
Harry blinked, but quickly took Dobby's hand as instructed. The house elf got a mad twinkle in his eyes for a second. Before Harry could ask what Dobby meant, the world around them seemed to fracture and fall apart. The darkness around them was filled with bright, blue objects that began hurtling past them at an incredible speed. But whether the objects were moving or whether it was Harry and Dobby, the Ravenclaw didn't know.
And then, they were halted again. Or the objects had stopped moving. Whichever it was, the world around them began putting itself back together like the pieces of a puzzle. Harry looked around, gaping when he saw where they were.
"What... did you just teleport us to Grimmauld Place?!" Harry asked.
Sure enough, they were standing in the kitchen of Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place. It was empty at the moment, though a pot of coffee looked to have been brewed recently. Harry walked around a bit and touched a few things so he could be sure this was real.
"Dobby is knowing where Dumbledore's headquarters is, of course, sir." Dobby said, looking proud. "Dobby is being able to pop in and out whenever he is needing to!"
"Oh, Dobby, you're absolutely brilliant!" Harry said, grinning wildly down at the house elf, who beamed and tugged his ears down over his eyes. "Okay, now... needta find somebody..."
Harry had just turned around to leave the room when someone came in. Arthur Weasley's eyebrows raised when he saw Harry and Dobby in the room.
"Harry? What are you doing here?" He asked.
"Mr. Weasley! Oh, am I glad to see you!" Harry said, rushing over. "Please tell me Sirius is here. Please tell me he isn't out of the house!"
Arthur's brow creased. "Harry, Sirius and Remus have both been out on a mission for Albus for awhile now. A few days. Why? Did something happen?"
"I... did your kids tell you how you were saved?" Harry asked.
"They told me you had some kind of vision and went to Minerva. She called on some friends to check on me. ...Did you have another vision?" Arthur asked.
"I did." Harry said. "I... Sirius is at the Ministry of Magic, Mr. Weasley. Voldemort has him! He was being tortured or something. I don't know where he is. There were a bunch of orbs or something. I dunno. I woke myself up and Dobby brought me here. We have to do something!"
"Harry, calm down!" Arthur said, putting his hands on Harry's shoulders and looking him in the eyes. "...Good lord, son, when was the last night you had a proper night's rest?"
"Too long." Harry said. "We have to go get him. Do you know where that room is?"
"Sounds like a place in the Department of Mysteries." Arthur said, turning his head in thought. "Yes, I'm sure of it. Something about prophecies being stored there. People down there are a bit odd, though. I try not to go there if it can be helped."
"We have to, though! But... how do we even get to the Ministry?" Harry asked, stepping away and running both hands through his hair. "And we need more people. We need... I dunno, we need some Aurors or some Order members or SOMETHING!"
"Harry, calm down, alright? Are you sure this was the same kind of thing that happened as when you saw that snake attacking me?" Arthur asked.
"Voldemort appeared. Talked to me. He wouldn't tell me where he was. But Sirius was looking awful." Harry said. "I'm positive it was the same type of vision, Mr. Weasley."
Arthur looked into Harry's eyes for awhile before nodding and turning. "I'll round up some of the lads, then. We can apparate out to the front of the Ministry and make our way from there. Get ready, Harry."
"Thank you." Harry said, a rush of relief coursing through him.
Harry sat down as he waited for Arthur Weasley to return. Dobby lingered around, keeping an eye on Harry, who drummed his fingers faster and faster the longer he had to wait. Dobby didn't much like the look in the boy's eyes. It didn't look like Harry was thinking straight. Not that Dobby would ever dare say something like that out loud. He knew better than that. Even if it was Harry Potter, a wizard who was friendlier to him than anyone else in his life had been. There was something dangerous lurking in those green eyes. Dobby didn't want to be the one to find out what it was.
Some fifteen minutes later, Arthur reappeared, a dozen other people entering behind him. "We're ready. Now just stay here and--"
"No!" Harry cried, getting up to his feet so quickly he knocked his chair over. "I'm going with you!"
"Not in that condition you aren't. You need to rest. Leave it to us, Harry. We can do this." Arthur said, offering the Ravenclaw a reassuring smile.
"He's my godfather!" Harry protested. "I have to go!"
"Looks like he's pretty out of it." Commented one of the wizards behind Arthur.
"Someone go wake Poppy up and tell her to give him some Dreamless Sleep. Poor thing looks like he hasn't slept in a month." Piped in a small, plump witch.
"This could be dangerous, Harry." Arthur said, his voice growing louder to silence all the others. "You don't look well. You don't need to come with us. We're fully capable of saving him."
"You owe me." Harry growled. He hated that it came down to this, but there was no way in hell he was being left behind. "If I hadn't forced myself to wake up - like I did tonight. And remind me to tell you the side effects when we get back - you would be dead right now. You owe me one, Mr. Weasley!"
Arthur stared at Harry before sighing and bringing a hand up to rub the bridge of his nose. "You're dead set on going, aren't you?"
"If you left me, I'd have Dobby take me there." Harry said. "Right, Dobby?"
Dobby raised his head in defiance when the witches and wizards turned to stare at him. "Right, Harry Potter, sir!"
Arthur sighed again. "Very well. But if any fighting breaks out, you stay back and leave it to us, understand?"
"I've taken down a dragon with only one of these." Harry said, quickly drawing both of his wands. "Can anyone top that?" When no one spoke, Harry smiled and continued, "That's what I thought. Now come on, we need to hurry! We've waited too long as is!"
Some ten minutes (and many instances of Harry demanding everyone hurry up) the small group was standing just inside a frightfully empty Ministry building. Harry had insisted that Dobby come along, as house elf magic might come in handy. Harry had to put up with side-along apparition, which left him dazed as usual, followed by an insipid process of ordering badges into a phone booth.
"Why is no one here?" Was the first thing Harry asked as they entered.
"Good question." Replied one of the witches. "Helga, Brahm, would you two care to help me look around this floor? Arthur and the others can go on ahead."
"Will you be alright by yourselves?" Asked Arthur.
"Unless there's an angry manticore wandering around." Said the witch, giving the redhead a thumbs-up.
"Right. Okay, you lot, follow me. It's a fairly short lift ride down to the Department of Mysteries. Not exactly sure where to go from there. Very strange down there." Said Arthur, leading the group towards a large elevator.
Once everyone was inside and Arthur had pushed the appropriate button, he turned to Harry. "Any idea what kind of odds we're at? He isn't here personally, is he?"
"Could be." Harry said, staring at the elevator doors. "If he is, I'll take care of him. Dobby, if he's here, go and get Dumbledore, okay? I should be able to hold him off until he arrives."
"Right!" Squeaked the anxious little house elf.
"Too dangerous." Said one of the wizards. "I don't care how many times you've gone up against him. The odds are stacked against you at this point."
"True." Harry said. "Never stopped me before, though. I only saw Voldemort himself. But I couldn't exactly move much. He had done something to my dream self so that I couldn't do anything. He moved me around. Talked to me. Didn't say anything of importance."
"Did anyone try contacting Sirius and Remus?" Asked one of the witches.
"Before I gathered everyone. No one answered. And neither of them were supposed to leave the safe house until Dumbledore told them." Arthur said, shaking his head.
"I hope Moony's alright." Harry said. "I only saw Sirius..."
The elevator doors popped open, revealing an oddly-shaped room with at least a dozen hallways branching off from it. As the group stepped out and into it, Harry asked, "Where do we go now?"
"Glass orbs, yeah?" Asked one of the wizards.
"Yeah."
"This way. I've been there before. Had to get something with a barmy old woman." Muttered the wizard, idly twisting at his long beard.
The group followed the bearded man along the long, barren corridor. It began to twist to the right eventually. Halfway up that hall, Harry got the distinct impression that the passage was actually getting thinner as they went. Rounding the next corner to the left, the hall opened up again, but everyone had to duck slightly due to an annoyingly low ceiling. Harry was getting fed up with the quirky corridor and was about to draw his wands and just blast them a direct path to the room.
But, thankfully, the hallway came to an end not long after that. The room they entered seemed normal enough, though it had many doors lining its walls.
"Now where?" Asked Harry.
"That way." Said the bearded wizard, pointing to the third door on the right. "Should be, anyway. This place has a bad habit of rearranging itself every so often."
"Fantastic." Harry muttered.
"Wands out." Arthur said as the group approached the door. "Better safe than sorry. Can anyone feel or sense anything out of the ordinary?"
"Something..." Dobby said, his voice quiet. "Something is here, sirs. But not from that room..." The house elf turned and paced in front of the doors for awhile. Finally, he stood in front of the fifth door from the left. "In here! There is something strange in here!"
"Colt, Waitright, you two inspect the room with the orbs. If we see anything, you'll be the first to know." Said Arthur.
Two wizards stayed near the door to the orb room while the others walked to where Dobby was standing. Harry looked down at Dobby, then over to Arthur. "Ready?"
"Shouldn't I be the one asking that?" He asked, smiling faintly. Reaching out, the man grabbed the doorknob and shoved the door open.
All wands were drawn and aimed inside. But there was nothing there. At least, nothing human. Slowly, the group made their way inside. There were various objects scattered about the room, as though it was little more than a magical storage closet. Harry looked around as the group scattered to investigate the room. There was a car to his left. At least, it looked like it used to be one. It was in pieces now, the silver-colored parts huddled up together behind a roped-off warning labeled 'time machine - keep away.'
"Dobby, sense anything?" Harry asked.
"It's that..." Said the house elf, pointing at an odd-looking doorway-shaped object at the center of the room.
"Anyone know what that is?" Harry asked. Apparently, no one did. Harry thought for a brief moment that he could hear voices coming from it, but he shook his head and listened again. Nothing. He continued scanning the room, searching for potential hiding places or, with any luck, his godfather.
More random relics were passed by. A pair of strange statues, pointed at one another, were standing in one corner of the room. These were behind a wall of glass that stretched from floor to ceiling, blocking them in. There was a sign on it that read 'Quantum Locked - Do Not Move.' Harry wasn't sure what that meant, but decided it couldn't be good. He turned away from the statues, feeling somewhat uncomfortable looking at them.
"There's nothing in here." Harry said after a bit more searching. "Nothing we're here to find, anyway."
"Let's go see if Colt and Waitright have found anything." Arthur said.
"No need to do that." Came a woman's voice from the doorway. She had a thick accent and looked to have stepped out of some old horror movie. She was gaunt in a way that would have made Solieyu look healthy, and had a wild-eyed look about her. She was also grinning. There wasn't a single thing about this woman that screamed 'friendly' to Harry. A sudden CRACK occurred from behind him, but he didn't turn to look.
"Who are you?" Asked the bearded wizard, his wand aimed on the woman.
The woman looked at the bearded man for a moment before laughing and aiming her wand behind her. She stepped into the room and gave a sudden jerk on her wand. The crumpled, bloody bodies of Colt and Waitright flew into the room, landing in a heap. Then, slowly, more people began to filter into the room. Death Eaters, in full regalia, joined the woman.
"My name is Bellatrix Lestrange." Said the woman, grinning again. She scanned the room quickly, her eyes landing on Harry. "Ah, there you are. Poor little Potter... my master said you were so strong..."
"Where's Sirius?" Harry growled, his wands in his hands.
"Sirius?" Repeated Bellatrix. "Silly boy, he isn't here."
"What? ...No, he has to be here!" Harry said. "I had--"
"A vision? No, you were merely toyed with. He told us he was able to fully manipulate you. What makes you think he didn't manipulate the world around you, as well?" Asked Bellatrix.
Harry felt as though someone had slugged him in the stomach. His eyes slowly moved to the two dead wizards. It was his fault. More would die. The three upstairs probably had been killed as well. If he had just stopped long enough to THINK! If he hadn't blindly ran off like some kind of idiot Gryffindor! He was supposed to be a Ravenclaw and yet he was acting like he didn't have a brain at all!
Harry staggered as Bellatrix began to laugh again. "How does it feel, little boy, to know that you've gotten all of these people killed? That you've led them to their deaths?"
"Why... why here? Why did he want to lure me here?!" Harry yelled.
"Why indeed." Said Bellatrix, her laughter abruptly halting. "We have need for you, Potter. My master was interested in a prophecy kept in this place. But only the one the prophecy was made for can lift it from its spot amongst all the others. Perhaps if you do as we say, you can spare the lives of these people..."
"We can handle them, Harry." Arthur said, wand clutched tightly in one hand. "Don't do it."
"It all lies for you to decide." Said Bellatrix in a purr. "Do as we say and they may live. Resist and you will all die. Which do you choo--"
She was cut off mid-sentence as a slashing hex flew by, just inches from her head. Her face immediately twisted into rage and she screeched, "KILL THEM! ALL OF THEM!"
Bellatrix charged at Harry, who brought up twin shields to guard himself with. A good thing, given how heavily the woman was striking at them. Harry didn't need this! He was hurting badly from dropping his Occlumency enough so he could just muster the power to protect himself. His mind was reeling at being tricked so simply. If he had stopped to think for just a minute, he could have put it together. If he hadn't been caught off-guard. If he had been able to sleep and think rationally...!
Harry was being backed into a corner with each wild motion of Bellatrix's arms. Hit after hit of powerful curses and hexes were pounding against the two shields like battering rams. It was all Harry could do to keep his guard up. He didn't have a chance to go on the offense.
He didn't even dare risking a glance away to see how everyone else was doing. When Bellatrix had charged, so had the others. But Harry had to concentrate on his own attacker. Arthur had insisted that they could hold their own. Harry was banking on it now.
"What's wrong?!" Cried Bellatrix, her horrible grin returning. "I thought you were strong, Potter! I thought you were defiant! I thought you were capable of overcoming any odds! Where is all that bravado now?!"
Harry glared at the woman and forced more power into his shields. In truth, he didn't have a comeback to spit in her face. His strength was in his friends, who weren't here with him. Instead, he had lead one of their parents, a man he had only recently saved, into a death trap. His confidence was declining with each passing minute, with each strike against his shields. He was hurting, his vision was getting blurry, and he didn't know how much longer he could keep his shields going. But he had to try. She had to have a weak point. She had to slip eventually!
But she didn't. Harry was up against a wall now, both literally and figuratively. And still the attacks came, all the while the sounds of battle echoed around the room. And once more, Harry thought he could hear voices coming from the strange doorway in the center of it. Maybe it was some kind of teleportation device. He didn't know where it led, but if he could throw Bellatrix into it, then maybe...
But no, he needed to get an edge just to escape his constant guard, and that didn't look like it was possible.
Just then, a CRACK filled the air again. And, from behind him, a squeaky voice cried, "BE STRONG, HARRY POTTER, SIR! THEY IS ALMOST HERE!"
And indeed 'they' were, for moments later spells came flying through the still-open doorway. Some of the Death Eaters, caught offguard, were thrown across the room when they were hit. Moments later and Sirius Black came charging in, taking down a Death Eater that was coming up behind the bearded wizard. Behind him were Remus Lupin and Dumbledore himself.
"YOU!" Shrieked Bellatrix, her attention turned on Sirius.
"Shit, what're you doing here?" Sirius asked, growling at the woman.
Before Harry could even lower his shields, the two had launched at one another. Spells and counterspells flew back and forth as the distance between them grew smaller. Lupin ran over to Harry as his shields gave out, catching the Ravenclaw as he wobbled and started to fall forward.
"Are you alright?" Lupin asked.
"They... I'm sorry, Moony... it's all my fault... It's al--AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Harry's head snapped back as his scar erupted in pain, blood oozing from it and running down his face. Lupin turned to yell for Dumbledore to help, but saw that it wasn't going to be possible. Dumbledore was stepping back from the doorway casually, looking as though facing down Lord Voldemort was a daily occurrence. For Voldemort had arrived, along with a second wave of Death Eaters.
"Hello, Tom." Said Dumbledore amicably.
"That is not my name." Hissed Voldemort, stepping into the room far enough that his Death Eaters could flood in around him.
"Tell me, why are you here?" Asked Dumbledore.
"Prophecy!" Harry yelled through his pain. "Some kind of prophecy! He needs me!"
"Ahh..." Dumbledore said, nodding slowly. "Really, Tom, to believe in such things..."
"You know as well as I that it was a true prophecy." Said Voldemort, smiling as he continued into the room. "And I wish to know the part I did not overhear..."
"I am afraid I cannot let that happen." Said Dumbledore. And, before Harry could see what he had done, Dumbledore had closed the distance between himself and Voldemort, firing off a powerful spell at near point-blank range. Voldemort seemed to be expecting an attack, however, and managed to move just in time for the spell to merely clip his left arm. That was all it took. The two were officially engaged in combat.
"Come on!" Lupin said, turning back to Harry and banishing the blood still pouring from his scar. "You need to get out of here!"
"Can't leave!" Harry growled. "I can fight! I can still fight!"
"We can clean this up." Lupin said. "You don't have to do everything yourself, Harry!"
"It's my fault. I'll deal with it!"
"Harry, you--" Lupin began. But a sudden yell from across the room sent both of their heads turning. "Oh god..."
Sirius was pinned against a wall, two large spikes driven through his hands, holding him there. His wand lay on the ground near his feet. Bellatrix was slowly closing it, a crazed expression on her face.
"Really now, Sirius. Do you think you could beat me in a fight?" Purred the woman. "You were in prison longer than I was, if you'll recall."
"And look what it's taken for you to get the advantage, despite that." Sirius said, grinning defiantly at the woman. "What's wrong, Bella? Joints still stiff?!"
Another spike flew forward, piercing Sirius' left leg, just above the knee. Unable to hold it in, he let out another cry of pain. Bellatrix followed up by sending yet another one at Sirius, this one piercing the same place on his other leg.
"Always the rebel, Sirius. Always trying to be different. Things would have been so much easier if you had just given in and joined the rest of us." Bellatrix purred. "But then, you never were much of a fighter."
"Said the woman who had to pin her opponent to the wall to win!" Sirius spat.
"Anything for victory." Said Bellatrix.
"You'll get yours eventually, Bella." Sirius growled. "And if there's any justice in the universe, you'll suffer for a long time before it happens!"
"I cause others to suffer, my dear Sirius. I am too strong to suffer myself." Bellatrix stated, drawing her wand arm back.
Sirius eyed her wand. "Planning to kill me now, are you?"
"Unfortunately, I have more important matters to attend to." Bellatrix said, the psychotic expression returning to her face. "Goodbye, Sirius."
It was as if it all happened in slow motion to Harry, from the time he saw Sirius pinned to the wall to the time Bellatrix's final attack had happened. Sirius' eyes were able to land on Harry just long enough for the Ravenclaw to understand the meaning within them.
'I'm sorry.'
Bellatrix's arm spiraled forward, jabbing Sirius in the center of his chest. There was a deep rumbling from the whole area and, seconds later, Sirius literally ceased to exist. It was as if his entire body had exploded, splattering his blood onto everything surrounding it, Bellatrix included. There were no body parts left to fly, as they had all been vaporized. Only the blood had remained.
Harry stared. Lupin's hands had slid off his shoulders as his friend had been destroyed. He had come to rescue Sirius... and because of that, Sirius had been killed. The thought circled round and round in Harry's tired mind. Around it went, over and over, the power behind it building with each circuit it made. And then... it stopped. Everything stopped.
Harry threw back his head and screamed as his magic erupted throughout the room.
Death Eaters and Order members alike were sent flying. Poor Remus Lupin, standing closest to Harry, was sent smashing back and into one of the many objects littered about the room. Glass shattered as Harry's magic coursed through it. Objects rattled and flattened from the force being exerted.
Harry's body, as though acting on its own, swung loosely so that he faced the blood-soaked Bellatrix Lestrange. When his eyes opened, they were entirely green for the briefest of moments. And, in that time, a bright, white light encased his body. When it passed, Harry's eyes were burning with anger. Tears, unspilled, remained in the corners of them. He was visibly shaking, though his body felt revitalized.
"Good, Potter!" Cried Bellatrix, laughing once more. "Give in to it! To the hatred! To the anger! Fight me, Potter! FIGHT ME!"
Harry took a step towards the woman, his hands wrapped tightly around his wands. Bellatrix laughed as he wobbled slightly. The laughing was cut short when another brief, white flash encased Harry's body. Suddenly, he was standing directly in front of Bellatrix. The woman barely had time to raise a shield spell. But it wasn't enough. A jerk of Harry's wands and it shattered, the force of which threw her back.
Another scream left Harry's throat as he charged. Dumbledore's head suddenly turned to stare at the boy as a surge of power filled the room. Voldemort seemed to feel it as well, for he was now watching Harry too. As Bellatrix got back to her feet, Harry's arms crossed over his chest. And, as Bellatrix tried in vain to bring up another shield spell, Harry began his attack.
Harry's arms shot back and forth in violent, whip-like motions. And, as though they were actual whips, each lashing made Bellatrix scream louder. Each hit caused her to stumble farther and farther backwards until she was up against the wall. But still, Harry's attack continued, mercilessly crushing the woman's soul with the power of the one spell he had promised never to use.
When the Anima Laniatus ended, Bellatrix sunk to the ground. She was twitching and her eyes were wide and filled with tears. But Harry wasn't finished yet. Jabbing both wands at her, Harry pierced the woman's shoulders with two long, tendril-like magical tethers. Another scream from Harry and Bellatrix was sent flying across the room. He jabbed his wands at her as she connected to the wall near the ceiling. The tethers connected again. Harry threw his arms downward, sending Bellatrix smashing to the floor. And one final time, the tethers were attached to send the woman hurtling back across the room. She landed in a heap near Harry's feet.
Levitating her up, not caring about her pathetic, weak pleas to stop, Harry slammed her into the wall. And, just as she had done with Sirius, Harry held her in place to that spot using two large bolts.
Before anyone could stop him, his arm was drawn back. He shot forward, the spiral and jab at the end packing more force than he had ever put into it before. His wand slamming into her stomach, Bellatrix's scream was lost as her body was given the same fate as her victim's.
Thoroughly coated with Bellatrix's blood now and panting heavily, Harry turned. Nobody in the room was fighting anymore. Combatants on both sides had stopped to witness Harry's power be unleashed.
And, before Dumbledore could stop him, Voldemort had muttered a spell at each of his surviving Death Eaters. As it hit, they vanished with a loud CRACKing sound. Voldemort himself merely gave Harry a strange grin before he used the spell on himself.
For a long time after that, no one moved. Harry was staring at Dumbledore now, the hate still swirling in his bright, green eyes. And, completely at randomly, he charged the old man, a flurry of spells leaving his wands as he ran across the room.
Dumbledore, however, was much stronger than Bellatrix Lestrange had been. His shields lasted the onslaught brought on by the furious Ravenclaw. Time and again, Harry's attacks crashed into Dumbledore's shields. But Harry was visibly weakening. He screamed at Dumbledore, yelling that if he had only been at Hogwarts - if he had been there to help - none of this would have happened. That Dumbledore would have been able to get ahold of Sirius using Fawkes. That no one would've had to die.
Harry let out a choked gasp as something struck him in the small of the back. He dropped down to his knees immediately, turning to look over his shoulder. And, as he crumpled to the ground unconscious, the small form of a sad house elf looked back.
Dumbledore stared down at the boy for a long while before aiming his wand. His levitating spell hitting, Dumbledore raised Harry's body into the air.
"I am sorry." Whispered the elderly man. "I am so very sorry. For everything I have caused to happen to you." And then, looking around the room at the witches and wizards who were still alive, he announced, "We are leaving. Collect the dead."
Dumbledore turned and left the room, floating Harry's body behind him. Dobby followed behind the former headmaster, looking up at him and asking, "Is Harry Potter going to be alright, Dumbledore, sir?"
"I do not know, Dobby." Sighed Dumbledore, looking at least twice his age. "We can only pray he will be."
"Harry Potter is a strong wizard!" Dobby asserted. "He will be better!"
"Perhaps. But I am afraid if he recovers, it will leave him changed. We can only hope it is for the better, despite the carnage we have witnessed here tonight..." Dumbledore said, his voice soft. "But there are some things in this world that are impossible to overcome."
"We must believe in him, Dumbledore, sir." Said Dobby, ears lowering. "He is needing us, so we has to believe. We has to be there when he is needing us."
"Yes." Dumbledore said, an edge to his voice suddenly. "And the first step towards being there for him is reclaiming Hogwarts. I am afraid that this has gone on for long enough!"
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
Author's Notes: And now you see why Harry had to be in such a wrecked state for so long. He was at his breaking point and, once pushed, he snapped. His power was drawn out and poor, poor Bella was the target of it. I'm kind of sad I had to get rid of Bella here. You know, originally, Bella was going to be just a few years older than Harry and company and transfer into Hogwarts? I realized I wouldn't be able to do a few things if that happened, though, so the idea wasn't to be.
There IS an explanation for the white flashing light and Harry's solid-green eyes. It will come up again in book 6. It's a scene that has been in place since the start of book 4. It's going to be hard to write.
I'm sure people have a lot of questions. I'll try to answer them all. I'm terrible with emails, though, so go ahead and ask away in your reviews. While I try to keep my author's notes short-ish (because FFN hates long AN sections) I'll answer as many important questions as I can.
This marks yet another turning point in our story, kids. Harry has officially killed in cold blood. And he mutilated Bella's soul before he did it. Harry's going to change again. Oh, and before anyone asks - the objects in the DoM that I described were the DeLorean from Back to the Future and two of the Weeping Angels from the 'Blink' ep of Doctor Who. Until next time, kids.