A/N: EEE GASP! I bet you're all looking at the chapter and screaming your heads off, (well, maybe only a teensy few). The secrets are revealed! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters.
Dying With Amaranta
"M-Mr. Malfoy," Amaranta's shivering voice alerted them all to the owner of the drawling voice. They all flicked around. Lucius Malfoy was not alone. Several other Death Eaters were behind him, in their black hoods, their faces obscured by masks.
"Give it to me, Potter," Lucius Malfoy said, holding out his hand.
Harry felt his stomach tickle his knees.
"To me," Lucius repeated.
"Where's Sirius?" Harry said.
All of the Death Eaters laughed. The harsh voice of a female from Harry's left said, "The Dark Lord always knows!"
"Always," Malfoy agreed. "Now, hand the prophecy to me, Potter."
"Hey, isn't that the Amaranta girl?" One of the taller Death Eaters said.
Harry looked back around to see Amaranta's face blank, but pale. He knew she must be terrified right now.
"All the better," Lucius said, smirking. "The Dark Lord was just about to retrieve her anyway."
"Retrieve me?" Amaranta echoed. "What do you mean? He was going to wait until the end of the school term."
"How dare she speak so proudly!" the female voice shouted in rage. "She is but a filthy, low creature! She should grovel at the Dark Lord's feet for letting her live, if even for this long!"
"She is not the issue at hand," Lucius reminded them. "Now, Potter had me the prophecy."
"I know Sirius is here," Harry said, though his heart was racing in his head.
More of the Death Eaters laughed, though the woman laughed most of all.
"It's time you learned the difference between dreams and reality, Potter," Lucius Malfoy said. "Now hand me the Prophecy, or we start using wands."
"Go on then," Harry said, holding his own wand level with his chest. As he did that, the six other wands of his friends rose with him. Fear gripped him. If Sirius was not here, he had just led them all to their deaths.
No one moved.
"Hand over the prophecy and no one need get hurt," Malfoy said coolly.
"Yeah, right!" Harry scoffed. "I hand you the-prophecy, is it? And you'll just let us go?"
"Get the little girl," the hood of the woman fell over to reveal her face: Bellatrix Lestrange. Harry could feel Neville tense next to him. "We'll see how he acts when we torture the little girl!"
Harry could see the Death Eaters slowly close around Ginny, and he had to think fast. They wanted the prophecy; he just wanted to get out of here. He had to do something. . .
"If you want this" he held up the glass orb, "in one piece, I recommend you back off. I don't think Voldermort would be pleased if you came back empty-handed, would he?"
The Death Eater's all let out a low hiss.
"You dare speak his name!" Bellatrix hissed.
"Yeah," Harry said confidently, as he felt himself gain a foothold over his enemies. "I've got no problem saying Vol-"
"Shut your filthy mouth!" Bellatrix shrieked. "You are unworthy to speak his name, to smear his honor with your half-blood tongue, you dare-"
"Did you know he's a half-blood, too?" Harry said, smirking. "His mother was a witch, but his dad was a Muggle-or has he been telling you all that he's pureblood?"
"STUPE-"
"NO!"
A stream of red light had shot out from Bellatrix's wand, but Lucius Malfoy had deflected it. Her spell bounced off of his and collided with a few of the glass orbs on one of the shelves.
Pearly white ghosts unfurled out of the shattered remnants of the glass orbs, but their voices clashed with one another, so that only pieces of their speech could be deciphered.
"Do not attack!" Lucius Malfoy shouted at Lestrange. "We need the prophecy!"
"He dares-!" Bellatrix Lestrange shook with fury. "He dares besmirch our lord's name! The filthy half-blood!"
While they argued, Harry slowly moved his foot back, looking for someone else. He succeeded and stepped on someone's toes. The sharp intake of breath revealed to him that it was Hermoine's.
"What?" she whispered.
Hardly moving his lips, Harry answered in a low hiss. "Smash the shelves when I saw go."
He could feel Hermoine tell the others. He noticed the Malfoy had quite forgotten about Bellatrix and now turned his eyes upon Potter. "You still haven't told me what this prophecy is about," Harry said when he feared Malfoy had noticed movement in the ranks behind him.
"Don't play games with me, Potter," Malfoy sneered. "You know very well that you hold the reason to why you bare that scare."
"I-what?" Harry had almost forgotten bout the plan, he now refocused. "What about my scar?"
"Dumbledore never told you, did he?" Malfoy continued on. "That explains why you didn't come earlier. The Dark Lord wondered why. . . He thought natural curiosity would bring you here."
"So, he wanted me to come get it," Harry put two and two together. "Why?"
"Why?" Lucius reiterated. "Because the only people who can retrieve the prophecy are those about whom it was made."
"So what's he want with a prophecy about me?" Harry vied for time.
"About both of you, Potter," Malfoy said. "Haven't you ever wondered why the Dark Lord tried to kill you as a baby?"
"So he's made me come and get it," Harry said. "Why couldn't he get it himself?"
"Get it himself?!" Bellatrix shrieked, laughing madly. "The Dark Lord walk into the Ministry of Magic when they are so kindly ignoring his return? The Dark Lord would not-"
" NOW!" Harry yelled, and six voices shouted "REDUCTO!" Six curses flew in different directions, and the shelves exploded on contact. The tall, swaying shelves began to clamber down, thousands of glass orbs shattering to small, glittering pieces.
" RUN!" Harry ordered at the top of his lungs, as he dashed forward, the others following. A Death Eater attempted to stop Harry, but he elbowed him in the face. They continued to sprint forward, the Death Eaters hot on their trail.
Harry heard Ginny's scream, but before he could turn around to help her, he heard Amaranta's quiet, but defined voice, "Stupefy!"
He turned around the corner, and he could see the door from which they came right ahead. He pushed as far as he could, clambering through the doorway, and he could hear the others follow after him. Hermoine wheeled around and pointed her wand at the shut doorway. "Colloportus!" The door sealed itself shut.
He looked around him, but only saw Hermoine and Neville. "Where are the others?" Harry gasped, still trying to catch his breath.
"They must've gone the wrong way!" Hermoine said, horror stricken."
"What do we do?" Neville asked.
"Well, we won't stand here, waiting for them to find us," said Harry. "Let's get away from this door."
They ran, as quietly as they could, toward the exit into the circular room from whence they came. They were almost there, when a loud thud! came from the door which Hermoine had just previously charmed shut.
"Stand aside," commanded a deep voice. "Alohommora!"
As the door flew open, Harry, Hermoine, and Neville dived under the desks. They could see the hems of two Death Eater robes drawing nearer with every step.
"Check under the desks," said the deep voice.
As they got passed Harry's and Neville's desk, they pointed their wands at them, and both cried, "Stupefy!"
Their spells collided with the two Death Eaters, and they fell to the ground. The kids crawled out form under their desks and ran to each other. Before they could say anything, a scream, followed by a loud crash was heard from the next room.
"RON?" Harry shouted, turning towards the exit. "GINNY? AMARANTA? LUNA?"
When he heard footsteps coming from the Hall of Prophecy, he knew that he should not have shouted and given away their position.
"Come on," he pulled the other two along.
They walked down the black hallway, away from the office, which was now eerily deserted. When he had reached the circular room, he had noticed that something looked different. The room had rotated while they were gone. All the identical black doors loomed at him, and he could not remember from what door they came.
"So, which way d'you reckon-?"
Before they could say anything, a door to their right sprang open and four people clambered out of it.
"Ron!" Harry exclaimed. "Ginny-are you alright?"
The young Weasley girl was clutching her ankle, in a sitting position on the floor.
"What happened?" he asked Luna.
"Four of them went after us," Luna answered dreamily. "We were in this dark room. We floated along most of the time. Anyway, one of them grabbed her ankle, and I used the Reductor curse on him, but. . .I think it's broken. I heard a crack."
She looked hopelessly at Ginny, who was breathing in shallow breaths, tears in her eyes.
Harry looked over the four. Luna had a scratch over her face, her hair was disheveled. Ron had a busted lip and blood was trickling down the corner of his mouth. Amaranta, however, looked strangely unharmed, but Harry knew that she received more mental damage, though. She was paler than normal, and shaking. It had been engraved into her brain to fear and obey these people. When she came with Harry, she hadn't been expecting to go up against a bunch of Death Eaters. None of them had.
"We've got to get out of here," Harry said, hectically. "Luna, can you help Ginny?"
"Yes," Luna nodded.
Ginny grasped Luna for support and Harry looked around. They had a one in twelve chance of getting the right door.
They were within three feet of one door, when another door burst open, and three Death Eaters sped into the hall.
"There they are!" Bellatrix Lestrange shrieked.
Stunning spells shot across the room and Harry dashed into the door ahead of him. He was traveling down stone steps, hopping down them as fast as he could. He soon reached a large, open chamber with a dais in the middle, sporting a large archway with a curtain billowing eerily, although there was no wind. He ran on to the dais and looked around, the glass prophecy miraculously unbroken in his hand. The room was filled with the Death Eaters laughter. His heart sunk when he noticed that each of the Death Eaters was holding one of his friends hostage, they struggled fruitlessly.
"Potter, it's over," drawled Lucius Malfoy, as he held out his hand. "Now hand me the prophecy."
"Let the others go, and I'll give it to you!" Harry said desperately.
The Death Eaters all gave a hearty chuckle.
"You're in no position to bargain, Potter," Lucius Malfoy sneered.
"This is Longbottom, isn't it?" Bellatrix held up Neville in a full nelson, her face filled with glee. "I had the pleasure of meeting your parents. Listen up, Potter! Give us the prophecy or I'll let Longbottom relive his parents' legacy."
" DON'T GIVE IT TO THEM!" Neville shouted, struggling against Bellatrix's grasp.
Bellatrix raised her wand. "Crucio!"
Neville let out a tortured scream, and his body flung about. Bellatrix let him fall to the ground where he writhed and screamed in agony.
"That was just the appetizer," Bellatrix smirked, raising her wand so that Neville's screams ceased. "Now, Potter, give us the prophecy or watch your friend die the hard way!"
Harry had no time to think. There was no choice. He held his hand out, the prophecy warm from his body heat.
"Harry, no!" Hermoine cried.
Malfoy jumped to take it.
But then five more decided to join the party. Sirius, Lupin, Tonks, Moody, and Kingsley ran down the stairs. Malfoy turned to raise his wand, but Tonks had already sent a Stunning Spell at him. Harry quickly leapt off the dais, clutching the prophecy tightly in his hands. The Death Eaters had to release their hostages in order to defend themselves against the spells now raining on them from the Order members that were descending.
The room was utter chaos. Different colored jets of light streamed across the room, over Harry's head as he pressed his body against the floor and crawled to Neville.
"Are you ok?" he asked him.
"Yeah, I'm alright," Neville said, before rolling out of the way, just in time to avoid a red jet of light.
Harry turned around to see Dolohov, one of the Death Eaters raise his wand at Neville. "Tarantellegra!" he shouted, and Neville's feet tripped himself, causing him to fall face down on the floor. "Now, Potter," he said and made a slashing movement with his wand.
Harry quickly called out, "Protego!" He felt something slice his cheek, but the sheer force of the spell sent him hurtling backwards.
Dolohov pointed his wand a Harry, once more. "Accio Proph-"
Sirius came hurtling out of nowhere and rammed Dolohov with his shoulder. Now Sirius was dueling with Dolohov, their wands slashing like swords, sparks flying everywhere.
"Petrificus Totalus!" Harry called, and Dolohov's body became limp.
"Nice one!" Sirius called. "Now, I want you to take Neville and the prophecy, and get out of here!"
Sirius looked up to see Tonks tumble down the stares, her limp body reaching the floor, with Bellatrix looking triumphant. "Run," Sirius said, as he chased after Bellatrix.
Harry heaved Neville's arm over his shoulder. "Can you stand?" Harry asked him.
Neville nodded his head, but Harry pulled him down to avoid a jet of green light. In doing so, the prophecy slipped out of his hand and crashed onto the floor. A pearly white figure, with large, round eyes arose, unnoticed by all but them, rose into their air. It's words were unheard through all the clamor and noise of battle, and soon, its faded away.
"Dumbledore!" Neville suddenly shouted.
"What?" Harry looked at his astonished face.
"DUMBLEDORE!"
Harry turned to look where Neville was staring. Standing in the doorway stood Albus Dumbledore, face white and furious, his wand aloft. Harry felt his hair stand on end. They were saved! Dumbledore sped down the steps, and his arrival spread like a wave amongst the battlefield. The Death Eaters began to run for their lives. Only one couple seemed unaware of the new arrival.
Sirius dodged Bellatrix's jet of red light, laughing. The second light hit him squarely in the chest, but his laughter hadn't died from his face. His body seemed to take forever to fall from the top of the steps into the ragged veil that graced the stone archway. Harry heard Bellatrix's triumphant scream. But Sirius had just fallen through the archway, Harry told himself. He would reappear any second on the other side.
But Sirius did not reappear.
"SIRIUS!" Harry bellowed, and dashed for the dais. "SIRIUS!"
He felt Lupin hold him back. "There's nothing you can do, Harry-"
"We've got to save him! He's only just gone through, we can still bring him back!"
"There's nothing you can do, Harry. He's gone."
"He is not gone!" Harry struggled, his throat was beginning to feel sore.
"He can't come back, Harry," Lupin said in a sympathetic voice. "He's d-"
"HE IS NOT DEAD!" Harry yelled, but even as he said so, some part of him realized that Lupin was right. Sirius was never coming back. He would never be waiting for him.
Dumbledore had all the other Death Eaters rounded up by now in the side of the room, seemingly immobile by invisible ropes. Bellatrix was half-way out the door by now.
"Harry-no!" Lupin called out, but Harry had already ripped out from Lupin's slackened grip.
"SHE KILLED SIRIUS!" Harry bellowed. "I'LL KILL HER!"
He followed after her until he found himself in the Atrium. She was almost to the telephone lift by now but as he sprinted after her, she turned around and aimed a spell at him. He dodged behind the Fountain of Magical Brethren. She had stopped running now.
"Come out, come out, little Harry!" she called in a mocking voice. Her voice echoed across the empty chamber. "I thought you were going to avenge my dear cousin."
"I am!" Harry shouted and a chorus of other Harry's mimicked his voice.
"Aaaah. . .did you love him, little baby Potter?"
Harry had never felt such hatred in himself before. He rose from behind the fountain and shouted, "Crucio!"
Bellatrix screamed, the spell knocking her off her feet, but she did not cry in pain as Neville had done. She was on her feet in a moment, breathless. "Never used an Unforgivable Curse, have you, boy?" she abandoned the baby voice. "You need to mean them, Potter! You need to really want to cause them pain! Your righteous anger won't hurt me for long! I'll teach you how it' done."
Harry's reflexes weren't fast enough to dodge the spell that Bellatrix was sending at him, but he heard another voice shout "Levicorpus!" just as Bellatrix had said her curse, sending Harry flying away from the fountain. He flicked around to see Amaranta running towards him, her wand raised, and her face sure. She was no longer shivering and cowering as she was before, she looked ready to last a siege. Ready to attack.
"Sorry about that," she said as she helped him up. "But it didn't look like you'd have made it. And trust me, those things hurt when they come from her."
"I'm fine," Harry reassured her, as he got to his feet and glared at Bellatrix.
"Oh! Has your girlfriend come to help you then?" she reapplied her mocking voice. "Even with this weak creature, you can't defeat me! She is nothing! You fear me, don't you, girl!"
"Not anymore," Amaranta said defiantly, her wand never falling from Bellatrix's direction.
Bellatrix gave an amused snort. "Give me the prophecy, Potter, and I just might spare you and your girlfriend's lives!"
"Well, you'll just have to kill us," Harry shouted over to her. "Because it's gone." He winced as his scar seared. "And your precious Voldermort knows."
"What? What do you mean?" fear finally licked Bellatrix's voice.
"The prophecy was smashed when I tried to help Neville," Harry said. "What do you think Voldermort will say about that?"
"LIAR!" Bellatrix shrieked. "GIVE IT TO ME! Accio Prophecy! ACCIO PROPHECY!"
Harry laughed, because he knew nothing would ever be summoned. He showed her his empty hands, but then ducked to avoid the green light that she shot at him.
"No!" she screamed. "It isn't true! MASTER, I TRIED! I TRIED! DO NOT PUNISH ME!"
"Don't waste your breath," Harry said, the pain in his scar blurring his vision now. "He can't hear you from here!"
"Can't I, Potter?" said a cold voice from behind him.
Tall, black hooded, white, snake-like face, scarlet pupils. . .Voldermort was standing in front of Harry and Amaranta, who looked as if he had just ripped her heart out.
"Master, I am sorry," Bellatrix brought herself down at Voldermort's feet. "I knew not! I tried."
"Be quiet, Bella!" said Voldermort dangerously. "I didn't come all the way down here to hear your sniveling apologies! I shall deal with you later. Until then, I have more pressing matters to attend to."
His blood red eyes turned on Amaranta, who looked like she just might wet herself, or already had. "Come here, girl," Voldermort ordered.
"Y-y-y-yes, m-m-m-m'lord," she stuttered, fear shaking her entire body, and her foot slowly took the first step.
"Amaranta, no!" Harry called out, raising his wand, but Voldermort flicked his wand lazily at him, sending Harry flying back against the wall, where his body became strangely immobile. "Leave her alone! She has nothing to do with this!"
"Oh, but she does, Potter," Voldermort said as he began to circle the frightened girl, his wand gracing her chin, as he closed, full circle. "She has everything to do with this. I have come to reap the fruits of my other plan."
Harry felt is heart tumble in his stomach, trying to get out, to attack the serpentine man. "What do you mean?"
Voldermort only smiled ruefully. "Since she is here, it seems that she has betrayed me," as he said this Amaranta let out a sharp sob. "But that is of no matter. This only means I get to finish it quicker. You look healthy, Amaranta, very healthy. It seems your Heart Flower has bloomed beautifully."
Since Amaranta looked too afraid to ask the question, Harry did. "Heart Flower? What do you mean?"
"I didn't expect you to figure it out," Voldermort sighed as he looked at Harry as if he were some idiot. "It seems Dumbledore didn't realize it as well, or else he would've put greater protection on her. Well, Potter, I shall enlighten you, and her as well. This girl here," he tapped her shivering head with his hand, "is a Blommarian, a species of plant that look and are almost exactly like humans, except for their heart. They do not have the organ, as we do, but a plant, called the Heart Flower. Legend has it that the fruit of a Heart Flower can grant you eternal life. And that," he stopped his predatorily circling of Amaranta as he put his cold hand on her shoulder, as if she'd ever move away, "is what I'm after."
Harry felt his stomach try to crawl out through his mouth as he realized Voldermort's plan. "No!" he yelled, struggling against invisible bonds. "No! Leave her alone! Don't you dare-!"
"You have no right to tell the Dark Lord what he dares!" Bellatrix shouted, but Voldermort called her down.
"Patience, Potter," he said, as he turned to face Amaranta. "I'll kill you next."
Amaranta looked wide-eyed and fearful at the man standing in front of her. His over-bearing presence brought her down to her knees as she gaped up at him, tears filling her eyes, which stared stupidly at the tip of Voldermort's wand.
"P-p-p-p," her stuttering was quiet, but it soon gained voice. "P-please. . .F-f-father. . ."
"Don't call me by such a revolting name!" Voldermort yelled in fury as he waved his wand at her.
"NO!" Harry shouted but it was too late, there was nothing he could do.
With a disgusting gush, her chest burst open, blood splattering all around her. Her body fell back, limp as she stared up at the ceiling, tears still pouring down her face.
If Harry could move his body, he would have covered his mouth to keep himself from puking, but instead, he turned his head to the side so that it spilled next to him. He turned back, reluctantly, to see a plant slowly growing out of Amaranta's open chest at an incredible rate. As soon as it sprouted leaves, the stalk grew up to Voldermort's knees and soft magenta petals unfurled themselves to reveal a round, pink fruit inside, about the size of a good peach.
"Stop it!" Harry cried, completely revolted and angry about what he was doing to her.
Before Voldermort could touch the pink fruit with his slender fingers, the golden statue of the giant wizard had sprung alive, and crashed in between Voldermort and Amaranta's bloody body.
"What the-?" Voldermort looked around and then breathed, "Dumbledore!"
Harry looked over towards the fountain where he saw Dumbledore standing, a horrified but knowing look in his face as he recognized Amaranta's corpse. Voldermort shot a stream of green light at him, but with a whirl of his cloak, he was behind Voldermort, and he waved his wand so the rest of the statues sprung to life. The witch hurtled after Bellatrix, who screamed, and uselessly shot spells at it, and it pinned her down. Meanwhile, the goblin and the House-elf set along the wall by the fireplaces, as the centaur charged at Voldermort, who vanished and reappeared beside the pool.
"It was foolish to come here tonight, Tom," Dumbledore said calmly. "The Aurors are on their way-"
"By which time, I'll be gone and you dead!" spat Voldermort. He sent another killing curse which missed and burst the security guards desk into flames.
Dumbledore waved his wand, but Voldermort conjured a silver shield to block the spell, whatever it was. "You don't seek to kill me, Dumbledore?" Voldermort's scarlet eyes narrowed.
"We both know that there are other ways to destroy a man," Dumbledore said calmly. "I admit, that I am not merely satisfied with taking your life."
"There is nothing worse than death, Dumbledore!" snarled Voldermort.
He sent another jet of green light towards Dumbledore. The centaur had come galloping in front of Dumbledore, shattering to pieces, but before the pieces had even touched the floor, Dumbledore waved his wand again. A long, thin flame lashed out from the tip of his wand like a whip and wrapped itself around Voldermort. But just as soon as it touched him, the fiery whip became a flaming serpent that turned on Dumbledore at once.
But Dumbledore's wand work was quicker, and the molten snake vanished, and the water from the pool covered Voldermort. The Dark Lord was a rippling dark figure, and then he was no more. Harry knew that he had decided to flee, he could even feel the spell that Voldermort had put on him vanish.
Harry made to run to him, but Dumbledore bellowed, "Stay where you are, Harry!"
Harry was confused at the awkward sound of fear in his voice. Voldermort was gone.
And then Harry's scar burst open. The pain was beyond imagining.
He was wrapped in the coils of a creature, with scarlet eyes, so tightly bound, that Harry did know where his body began and the creature's ended. And when the creature spoke, it used his mouth.
"Kill me now, Dumbledore. . ."
The pain was blinding, and all of his body was screaming.
"If death is nothing, Dumbledore, kill the boy. . ."
Let the pain stop, Harry pleaded wordlessly. Kill us, Dumbledore! End the pain! Death is nothing compared to this. . .And I'll see Sirius again. . ."
As Harry's heart filled with emotion, the creature's coil loosened, and the pain was gone. Harry was laying on the Atrium floor, his glasses next to him, his face on the floor, shivering. He slowly raised his head to see Dumbledore only inches from his own.
"Are you all right, Harry?" he handed him back his glasses.
"Yeah, I'm fine," he said as he put on his glasses. "Who are all these-?"
He looked around, the Atrium was full of people, all of them screaming at the sight of where Amaranta's bloody corpse had lay open and on the floor. Harry wondered why her body was no longer there. He saw the golden statues of the goblin and the house-elf leading a shocked Cornelius Fudge to them.
"I saw him!" Fudge said, shaking. "Merlin's beard! HERE? At the Ministry of Magic? How can this be?"
"If you proceed downstairs, Cornelius," said Dumbledore smoothly, "into the Department of Mysteries, you'll find several escaped Death Eaters contained in the Death Chamber by a Anti-Disapparation Jinx."
"Dumbledore!" gasped Fudge. "You-here-I-I-you will need to tell me exactly. What happened here?"
"We can discuss this after I have sent Harry back to Hogwarts," Dumbledore said calmly.