A/N: To answer Paradise's question: The Marauders weren't there because they wanted to get Sirius free ASAP and they didn't know that Harry was there (they find out in this chapter). Had they known that Harry was there to begin with, they would have stuck around.

Previously,

Voldemort raised his dagger and started to lunge. However, with his Quidditch skills, Harry ducked and tripped Voldemort to send him flying into the veil. Harry was still laying on the floor, unharmed.

Things were starting to look good except for one thing:

In the process of tripping Voldemort, Harry's foot entered the veil. And the veil was starting to pull him in.

Chapter 16: Hospital Wing

Harry started to search for something to grip onto. As his body started to enter the veil, the body parts inside the veil grew numb. By the time he had gone halfway through he felt someone grab his arm.

It was Ginny.

"Dad! Help!" she yelled as she started pulling.

Not only Arthur, but the members of the Order who were there (Tonks, Moody, Kingsley, etc) and even Percy grabbed a hold of Harry or someone who did have a hold on the boy and started pulling.

Between all the people trying to pull him out and his upper body strength, Harry managed to break free of the veil.

"Thanks." Harry managed to say before collapsing in Ginny's and Arthur's arms. The veil had sucked out too much strength.

0000

At Hogwarts a few minutes later,

"I want to see my son!" James argued with the nurse.

"Well, he's not here." Pomfrey said giving James a strengthening potion.

After turning in Wormtail, Moody suggested that the foursome get back to Hogwarts ASAP. Once there, Lily started hugging James thanking Merlin and God that her husband was alright. Then she sent the foursome to Poppy. The tone in her voice told them not to argue.

Once the Matron saw the four, there was no escaping her. And nobody except Dumbledore knew that Harry left. For all they knew, he was out somewhere getting a head start for the school year.

She left to get some more potions from her cabinets before James could ask anymore questions about his son.

"You knew this would happen." Sirius told James. "She loves us too much to let us go so soon."

Suddenly, the doors burst open and the Order members who were at the Ministry came in. Arthur carried an unconscious Harry.

"Do we WANT to know what happened this time?" Snape asked when he saw Harry.

James, Remus, and Sirius just gapped at the unconscious teen.

"Not really." Ginny said as her father laid Harry down in one of the beds.

"What happened NOW?" Poppy sighed when she entered to see Harry unconscious.

"I think he just needs a strengthening potion when he awakens." Kingsley said. "He was nearly sucked into the Veil."

"WHAT?!" the three Marauders yelled.

"What was Potter doing there?" Snape asked.

"Saving your arses most likely." Tonks said. "When we saw him dueling You-Know-Who…"

"WHAT?!" the three Marauders repeated.

The only reason Madame Pomfrey wasn't shushing them was because Harry needed to be awake for the potion.

"When we saw him dueling You-Know-Who," Tonks repeated irritably. "He was talking about how he had snuck into the hideout and rescued the prisoners under his and the other Death Eaters noses."

"Even though the actual quote is more creative." Ginny added. "'I snuck in here right under your and your Death Munchers noses without being detected and freed Dad and the others. It helps to be a multimagus.'"

"A MULTIMAGUS?!" the Marauders exclaimed.

"That explains the self-opening shackles." Snape said under his breath. "And the Dark Lord?"

"Went head first into the Veil." Moody said. "Tried to stab Potter, but he ducked and tripped him. Excellent Auror maneuvering except for the foot getting stuck. It was during the trip, his foot got stuck in the Veil."

James, Remus, and Sirius were just starring at the unconscious boy.

Suddenly, Harry stirred.

"Good. You're up." Pomfrey said as Harry opened his eyes.

Harry closed his eyes again and groaned. The Hospital Wing was the last place he wanted to be.

"Don't give me that, Mr. Potter." Pomfrey said. "it's your own fault for sneaking to the Ministry."

"Dumbledore knows." Harry groaned.

"Really?" Ginny said looking at the doors. "Excuse me for a few minutes."

The redhead stormed right out of the door.

"I'm feeling sorry for Albus." Arthur said as he watched his daughter as she reminded him of Molly.

"What possessed you?" Sirius asked his godson.

"I heard a prophesy about what happened." Harry said before explaining the prophesy.

"And Dumbledore told me how to tell when she's making a real prediction." Harry finished. "I recognized the symptoms. So, I told Dumbledore, grabbed the cloak, and left to find a Death Eater. I ripped Malfoy's sleeve to help prove I was telling the truth, but he was captured before he could make a run for the hideout. That's when I spotted Wormtail. So, I followed the rat."

James had no idea what to say. On one hand, his son had snuck out of Hogwarts, used underage magic, fought Voldemort by himself, and nearly got himself killed. On the other hand, his son had rescued them, helped them get started on the process of getting Sirius' name cleared, got a good many Death Eaters in jail, and defeated Voldemort.

Finally, James came to a conclusion.

"We'll let your mother deal with this." James responded.

Harry winced. This wouldn't end well.

"HARRY JAMES POTTER!" Lily's voice rang through the halls.

Lily came storming into the Hospital Wing in a fury.

"What's this I hear about you sneaking off to the Ministry to defeat Voldemort?" she asked dangerously.

"Guess maybe this isn't the time to say, "thanks for the wand"?" Harry asked holding out her wand.

Lily got a confused look and pointed to the wand. Then she pulled out the wand that was in her pocket. It was Holly instead of Willow.

"You switched wands?" she asked extremely dangerously.

"If not, I wasn't going to defeat Voldemort." Harry said. "Of course, he never bothered with the killing curse because of what happened last time. Instead the git conjured up a dagger and tried to stab me."

Lily was as white as the walls.

"Don't worry." Harry told his mother. "I dodged. Only to be halfway sucked into that bloody veil."

"HARRY POTTER!" Hermione's voice rang.

Hermione and Ron came running into the Hospital Wing.

"What's this I hear about you nearly getting yourself killed?...Again" Hermione asked.

"I just got rid of Voldemort." Harry said with a shrug.

"You went without US?" Ron asked.

"Well, you guys were off snogging somewhere." Harry argued. "I wanted to offer, but you two were having SUCH a good time."

Ron and Hermione started blushing.

"Déjà vu." Remus said as he watched the two blush. "Reminds me of when Sirius was teasing Lily and James about snogging in the Heads Dorm just before they announced they were going out."

Lily and James had started dating before announcing it so they could have a trial period.

"How did you guys hear about this?" Harry asked his best friends and mother.

"Ginny." They all answered.

"You could hear her from the library." Ron said. "Something about letting you go to the Ministry by yourself."

"She's scarier than your mum AND Mrs. Weasley combined." Hermione said.

The Marauders shivered at the thought.

"Are you lot okay?" Elizabeth asked as she and her husband entered.

"Just dandy." Sirius said.

"I'm grounded again, aren't I?" Harry asked his mother.

"You have no idea." Lily said dangerously.

TBC