"Get out of the way!" said Hermione sharply. She pointed her wand at the place where a lock would have been on an ordinary door and said, "Alohomora!"

Nothing happened.

"Sirius's knife!" said Harry. He pulled a strange unfamiliar knife Nico couldn't recognize out from inside his robes and slid it into the crack between the door and the wall. The others all watched eagerly as he ran it from top to bottom, withdrew it and then flung his shoulder again at the door. It remained as firmly shut as ever. What was more- the blade had melted

"Right, we're leaving that room," said Hermione decisively.

"No kidding.." Nico muttered. He hadn't spoken in a while, what with what happened the last time he did...But he had cooled down. It was embarrassing enough that he had cried...he didn'tremember the last time he did that. The last time he was close, it was with Leo's death, and even then, he had only managed a tightly constricted throat, and deep regret and guilt at not being able to save him, but nothing else, really. But he couldn't help it then- couldn't help crying. It...hurt. There was no other word for it. It had to be some effect of the veil, he reasoned, but it still pained him terribly.

And for the first time, this pain wasn't self pity. It wasn't for Bianca- it wasn't for her death. It was for...someone else. Harry, he supposed. He reminded Nico too much of himself-all he had was Sirius after his parents' death as far as Nico knew, and he just didn't want Harry, or anyone else for that matter, to feel the pain of loss, after loosing the closest thing you had to family...of course, he had no idea how the ex-convict managed to take care of Harry while on the run...or...or while at Azkaban. The gears turned in a different directions as they walked towards another door...Now that he thought about it- all those years Sirius was at Azkaban, where was Harry? The twelve years before Sirius escaped Azkaban, where was the Boy Who Lived? He couldn't ask now, of course, but he pondered on it nonetheless.

The wall slid to a halt as Harry opened the next door- then he froze, as if recognizing the room.

Once he could a better look, Nico had to momentarily shield his eyes again, until his eyes adjusted.

The room was torture on his eyes- bright, sparkling dancing lights teased his vision as they seemed to bounce across the walls, reminding him why he was no morning person; it was like something that would come into existence if Thalia and Jason decided to ave a light show off with their hands tied behind their backs, and if Leo joined for some fun.

"This way!" Harry said breathlessly before Nico could take in anymore, and he followed him.

He led the way down the narrow space between the lines of desks, for the source of the light, the crystal bell jar quite as tall as he was that stood on a desk and appeared to be full of a billowing, glittering wind.

"Oh, took!" said Ginny, as they drew nearer, pointing at the very heart of the bell jar.

Drifting along in the sparkling current inside was a tiny, jewel-bright egg. As it rose in the jar, it cracked open and a hummingbird emerged, which was carried to the very top of the jar, but as it fell on the draugth its feathers became bedraggled and damp again, and by the time it had been borne back to the bottom of the jar it had been enclosed once more in its egg.

"Keep going!' said Harry sharply because Ginny showed signs of wanting to stop and watch the egg's progress back into a bird.

"You dawdled enough by that old arch!" she said angrily, but followed him past the bell jar to the only door behind it. Harry blushed and turned away as if not fond of the reminder, but he looked in a struggle to tone it down.

" This is it," Harry said again, "it's through here - "

He glanced around at them all; they had their wands out and looked suddenly serious and anxious. He looked back at the door and pushed. It swung open.

They were there, they had found the place: high as a church and full of nothing but towering shelves covered in small, dusty glass orbs. They glimmered dully in the light issuing from more candle-brackets set at intervals along the shelves. Like those in the circular room behind them, their flames were burning blue. The room was very cold- and there was something there too. Just like the archway, the veil and the rectangular room- it had strange feeling to it. This time it was tinged with...mystery. A mocking mystery- like a riddle with its answer staring you right in the face, and you still can't figure it out. To put it simply, Nico hated it.

Harry edged forward and peered down one of the shadowy aisles between two rows of shelves. He was squinting, as if trying to see something as Nico came up beside Hermione.

"You said it was row ninety-seven," whispered Hermione.

"Yeah," breathed Harry. Beneath the branch of blue-glowing candles protruding from it glimmered the silver figure fifty-three.

"We need to go right, I think," whispered Hermione, squinting to the next row. "Yes . . . that's fifty-four . . . "

"Keep your wands ready," Harry said softly, reminding Nico more than ever that he didn't have a wand.

They crept forward, glancing behind them as they went on down the long alleys of shelves, the further ends of which were in near-total darkness. Tiny, yellowing labels had been stuck beneath each glass orb on the shelves. Some of them had a weird, liquid glow; others were as dull and dark within as blown light bulbs.

They passed row eighty-four . . . eighty-five . . . Nico was listening hard for the slightest sound of movement...If Harry's prophetic dreams were true, then Sirius must have been here, or somewhere really close anyway...Prophetic. Funny word, really.

"Ninety-seven!" whispered Hermione.

They stood grouped around the end of the row, gazing down the alley beside it. There was nobody there.

"He's right down at the end," said Harry, whose mouth had become slightly dry. "You can't see properly from here."

"Nico can, can't you?" Ginny said simply, but cautiously.

"Nico can't see for the rest of us, can he?" Ron said, a hint of irritation in his voice.

Nico raised his eyebrows at them- they'd been walking on egg shells around him since he'd had that out burst, expect for Luna, but he was glad that was over now.

"I can." Nico admitted. "And as far as I know, I can't make out anything, exactly... Just, really dark shapes. Weird actually- but this is the Department of Mysteries, and this is the Whatever-Creep-Name-it-Has room, which seems to sort of hinder me...or maybe the figures are just-dark."

"Dark?" Harry said, gulping. "Like...wearing Death Eater robes."

Nico stopped in his tracks, as did his companions with the looks of horror on their faces now. He took a while to take in what Harry had just said. Part of the reason was to inwardly shake his head at how cliche it was- seriously? Evil master that kills people, awkward names and nonsense about either having a feast with Thanatos, or eating Thanatos himself, and last of all, they have the way too cheesy black robes that some evil super villain in Marvel and DC would be wearing while dragging his victim into his doom. Images of Voldemort and his followers sitting around a camp fire with Thanatos above it, tied to a thick stick that was anchored by two others and rotating by magic as the Death Eaters held out their plates eagerly. The thoughts were so disturbing, even by Nico's standards, that he actually shuddered, and brought himself to the real problem...Hecate was surely messing with his brain- what the Hades?!

Harry led them between the towering rows of glass balls, some of which glowed softly as they passed, gladly distracting Nico as he cursed in his mind.

"He should be near here," whispered Harry, convinced that every step was going to bring the ragged form of Sirius into view on the darkened floor. "Anywhere here . . . really close . . ."

"Harry?" said Hermione tentatively, but he did Harry didn't seem like he wanted to respond.

"Somewhere about . . . here . . " he said, but Nico was having a hard time believing him.

They had reached the end of the row and emerged into more dim candlelight, There was nobody there. All was echoing, dusty silence.

"He might be . . ." Harry whispered hoarsely, peering down the next alley. "Or maybe . . ." He hurried to look down the one beyond that.

"Harry?" said Hermione again.

'What? he snarled.

"I . . . I don't think Sirius is here."

Nobody spoke. Nico looked about nervously- he knew Harry probably didn't want to hear anything they said, but he also knew Hermione was probably right- the Ministry of Magic was huge, true, but Nico couldn't make out any sign of Sirius' life force...he tried, even going as far as to ignore every other life essence and focus on only Sirius, but he found.

Harry ran up the space at the end of the rows, staring down them. He ran the other way, back past his staring companions. There was no sign of Sirius anywhere, nor any hint of a struggle.

"Harry?" Ron called.

"What?"

"Have you seen this?" said Ron.

"What?" said Harry, but eagerly this strode back to where they were all standing, a little way down row ninety-seven, but found nothing except Ron staring at one of the dusty glass spheres on the shelf. Nico, curiously, walked, with Hermione at his heels toward them

"What?" Harry repeated glumly.

"It's - it's got your name on," said Ron nervously. Nico took in a sharp breath, pushed his way in, and got a better look. He saw Ronw as right.

"My name?" said Harry blankly.

In spidery writing was written a date of some sixteen years previously, and below that:

S.P.T. to A.P.W.B.D.

Dark Lord

and Harry Potter

Nico stared at it- it had a strange feel about it, but Nico couldn't tell what- and it annoyed him to no end.

"What is it?"Ron asked, sounding unnerved. "What's your name doing down here?"

He glanced along at the other labels on that stretch of shelf.

"I'm not here," he said, sounding perplexed. "None of the rest of us are here."

"Harry, I don't think you should touch it," said Hermione sharply, as he stretched out his hand.

"She's got a point." Nico admitted. "For all we know, it might be a trap..."

"Why not?" he said. "It's something to do with me, isn't it?"

'Don't, Harry,' said Neville suddenly. Nico spared him a glance. Neville's round face was shining slightly with sweat. He looked as though he could not take much more suspense.

"It's got my name on," Harry said defiantly. Nico scowled.

Looking crazily reckless, Harry closed his fingers around the dusty ball's lifted the glass ball down from its shelf and stared at it.

Nothing whatsoever happened. The others moved in closer around Harry, gazing at the orb as he brushed it free of the clogging dust.

Nico's demigod senses, blazing, snapped his attention to feather soft footsteps that no one else would have heard...Out of the corner of his eyes, he could make out shocking platnium hair. Nico was thrown across the room by a powerful force of magic which hit him in the gut like a bowling ball,causing him to go slamming into several silvery balls, breaking them apart, and falling to the floor with a loud, crashing voice. Nico drew in a sharp breath and stuggled not to make a sound as glass, glass that was definitely not normal and stung a thousand times worse, dug into his skin, drawing blood. Foam rose into the air around him, but that wasn't what paniked him worse-behind him, he could make out a drawling, bored, voice-

"Very good, Potter. Now turn around, nice and slowly, and give that to me, and no one is going to get hurt. Not yet, at any rate."

Er...So, see, this is kinda embarrassing, but my laptop's had it though, and I had to sort of start it anew and all my files got deleted and such...There won't be any delay in updating, but my chapters will be slightly less longer because it's so frustrating having to write them again and I don't think I can muster enough patience. Sorry. But the good news is, I have some Chapters on mom's lappie, (Year 6 ones) so there won't be any delay with that. SO moody today...and, yeah, next (sigh) will be fun...I hope the entire Thantos eating thing isn't too disturbing...*wince*

Remember when I said I had inspiration for a scene in Year 7 when Leo does something awesome, and I was inspired by burning up, Jonas Bros? Well, here!:

I'm hot

You're cold

You go around

Like you know

Who I am

But you don't

You've got me, on my toes

(Chorus)

I'm slipping into the lava

And I'm trying to keep from going under

Baby

Who turn the temperature hotter

Cause I'm burning up

Burnin up

For you baby

Pretty hot, huh? Anyway, here are my replies to your reviews, and really, thank you all! I'm not loosing a packet of Cheetos after all! *cheers!* I would vouch on more, but Cheetos is too precous to loose-

RRs:

alealea: Thanks! I appreciate your reviews, and it's you readers that always keep me going!

Neon Wish: Nico wishes you a happy birthday right back!

Winterlover6: Thanks for reviewing, and thank you for flattering me, but I'm really not that good. I read some of my first chapters and...ugh, I feel like deleting each and every one of them! I'll go mad rewriting after this!

HowlingRain: Thanks for leaving a review, and your opinions! Yes, don't worry, someone will definitely die in book 6 (besides Dumbledore, obviously) but just not the two characters I had been intending earlier.

Kerowyn6: Thanks! And yeah, no real answers for the veil, just thought I'd make it something special. As for why DOM keeps it there- GOOD THINKING, I HAVE NO IDEA! I mean, seriously! Who keeps a murdering curtain in the middle of he ministry? But after all, they ARE the Department of Mysteries, and only Unspeakables are supposed to be and work there, that assuring they know what the veil is and stay away from it- so it's not really their fault, but I do find it frustrating nontheless...Gr. Never gonna work there, I think I'll stay in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and Rights of Magical Creatures with Hermione...Well, in 2017, I'll be 15, o I'll be sure to pass my CoMC OWLs.

Guest:Ah...School work, our torture techniques. I swear these essasys will kill me one day. And thank you for such flattery, and giggling and blushing, so thanks for doing what you did!

PrincessOfFlames: Yep. Agree 100%. My chocolate wrappers glitter, but they're not gold. Unfortunately. And thank you, for leaving a review! Your reviews are encouragent!

fangirl2471999: Oh, well, we'll see...And yeah, I totally agree with you about Nico in disguise...I mean, hell! You make Nico sound like he's on his first mission! If he wasn't good at keeping his cover the entire mortal/muggle world would've known! And Damien and Bri? Well, see, you won't be seeing much of them the rest of this book, or the next, or the next...but in book 6, something does happen.

Finwitch1 : Er...sorry, what? Well, as you see, they got the prophecy. So...thanks for leaving a review!

.: I...I guess. Is becoming an adult that bad? I'm getting scared now- responsibility! *Shudders*...My bane of existence.