We landed at a seemingly random point in London. I morphed back into human form, and helped some of the others off the Thestrals. I knew first-hand how flying without visible support would feel.

How on earth are birds comfortable?

Most birds weren't human.

I led the group to one specific telephone booth.

"This is out of order," Darion pointed out.

"Of all the problems with this idea, you point out the flimsy disguise the Ministry uses?" I chided him. He shrugged, and entered the booth. Everyone else followed.

"Whoever's nearest the dial, dial 62442!" Harry mumbled from the floor. Ron did it… somehow.

Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your name and business.

"Harry Potter, Ginny Weasley, Amber Granger, Darion Okima, Ronald Weasley, Hermione Granger, Luna Lovegood and Neville Longbottom… here to save someone, unless the Ministry can do it sooner!" I called out from the wall.

Thank you. Visitors, please take these badges and pin them to your robes.

Eight badges fell from the change deposit box. Ginny took them off her lap, and passed them over. The top one was labelled Harry Potter: Rescue Mission.

Visitors, you are required to submit your wand at the security desk, which is located at the far end of the Atrium.

"Fine… now can we go down?" Hermione asked. The telephone booth shuddered, and we started to descend.

It took us an odd amount of time to get from that telephone booth and into the Department of Mysteries. Hissing at the bloodstain that Arthur left as we passed, we went through the Department too quickly for the tricks and traps that one would expect from a top secret facility to activate.

Muggles guard their secrets so much better…

Really? Shredded paper can be fixed by carpet weavers.

"So… where's Sirius?" I asked. Harry said nothing, but ran to a random point. Following weakly, we went with Harry to this point. He was scanning the ground. But Sirius was never here…

"Harry…" Ginny said. I knew something was up. She should have dropped her hand to Harry's shoulder. Instead, she was gazing at a crystal ball on the shelf.

"It's got our name on it," she pointed out. I looked at the label.

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

Dark Lord, (?)Harry Potter, (?)Ginny Weasley, (?)Amber Granger.

One of G.M.W. and A.P.G. is Summer.

"What's the meaning of this? What does Summer refer to?" I asked.

"Only one way to find out," Harry said, point blank. He reached for the orb, and took it.

"What does Summer mean?" he asked the ball pointlessly.

"It means… that you are the most gullible human being to ever be born of a respectable family," a cold voice said.

It was Lucius Malfoy.

"Hello, Amber. It's nice to see you again."

"Can't say the same to you. Our last meeting seemed to involve you cheering for my torture," I told him back. "Now tell us why you're here, where Sirius is, or what Summer actually refers to, before Darion curses you for me mentioning the torture." Darion was indeed holding his wand with one hand and my hand with the other.

"I elect to answer the question of Sirius. He isn't here. What you saw, Harry Potter… was nothing more than a figment of the Dark Lord's imagination, used cleverly to ensure you would come to this room and take the prophecy in your hand."

"Ol' Tommy wants a prophecy? Why? Prophecies are just tinpot baloney that wind up coincidence!" I roared.

"Not necessarily. The prophecies made in this hall are all genuine. Rather like the one involving Wormtail and Sirius," Ginny said.

"How do you know?"

"If Dad wasn't talking about Muggles, he was teaching us about the Ministry of Magic."

"This is the Department of Mysteries. I doubt he knew about-"

"That's enough chit-chat from you, Potter," a second voice, this one female, echoed from behind Malfoy.

"Bellatrix Lestrange!" Neville shouted, drawing his wand.

"Longbottom? How are your parents?" Bellatrix asked. A low blow. Neville cast a curse, which Bellatrix deflected easily, smashing two crystal balls.

"Now, Potter… give us the prophecy, now!" Malfoy demanded. I started mentally dividing our group. Harry and Ginny had the same look.

"No? Then maybe I'll just have to take it…" Malfoy cursed, before I took Darion's hand.

"REDUCTO!" all eight of us cast, sending randomized shelves into dust, and domino affecting all of the others. Me, Harry, and Ginny ran separate ways, hoping to confuse.

"Amber, what's the plan?" Darion asked. I showed him my hand. I had nicked the prophecy, and smashed it along with the other ones.

"You just pissed off the Death Eaters, big time!" he cheered, but I locked us in a separate room, hoping the others were all right.

"Darion, what I just did was completely planned, but I don't know how the others went. But I do know what to do," I told him once our breath came back.

I held my hand out, and conjured. A perfect replica of the prophecy appeared in my hand. Darion smirked.

"The old bait-and-switch? Will it work?"

"As soon as it fails, we start smashing heads." I told him. Darion took a second to be surprised, before kissing me… finally.

So this is how Harry felt…

Harry? Are you sure you're not thinking of Ginny?

"Leave Nott… leave him, I say! We have the hostages right here! All we need to do is find the other two! They shouldn't be hard to find. Split into pairs. Each pair should take a different route."

"But we're oddly numbered…"

"Rookwood, you go alone. You know this wretched Department best!"

We broke apart, a look of terror on our faces.

"They have the others…"

"And they want us!" we panicked. I conjured another fake prophecy, and me and Darion ran separate ways.

I wound up alone, staring at an old archway. I don't know how I got here, nor do I care to figure out. I heard a bang, and seven pairs of people appeared, staring right at me. The others… and Death Eater guards. Lucius Malfoy appeared in front of me.

"How cunning, to use a fake prophecy. But your escape ends here. Give me the real prophecy, or watch your friends… die."

"You'll have to go through me first, you snivelling coward."

"Why you insolent… Cruc-" Malfoy started, but I knew from experience that was a mistake. Three Death Eaters were knocked off their feet, as Harry, Ginny and Darion all shot Stunners straight at Malfoy. He was stopped mid-curse, and fell to the ground. The other Death Eaters prepared their wands, but they hesitated. Five people burst into the room.

Sirius, Remus, Tonks, Moody and Kingsley all made their arrival known by shooting jets of light straight at the biggest offenders, leaving the others choked. But the element of surprise was not enough to leave a bloodless fight. The Death Eaters started shooting spells back, and all… thirteen of us began to hold off the entire army.

Me, Harry, Ginny and Sirius found ourselves nearest the archway.

"James, Lily, I want you to take the others and go!" Sirius told us. The others looked at him oddly, but their question ran short.

"Avada Kedavra!" Bellatrix Lestrange called out. The jet of light hit Sirius straight in the heart.

"NO!" Harry cried out. Years ago, he described my scream after Tom Riddle let me go as the most agonising sound he ever heard. This was the most agonising sound I had ever heard. Ginny put her arms around Harry in a definite attempt at comfort, but I chose not to.

"Crucio!" I cried out, having caught up to Bellatrix at last. Bellatrix was blasted off her feet, but didn't writhe in pain.

"He told me that you could cast Unforgivables… but he was wrong. Give to me that wretched prophecy!"

"Can't. This one's a fake!" I taunted, throwing the prophecy at Bellatrix's feet. It smashed, leaving no record like a normal prophecy would.

"Avada Kedavra!" Bellatrix cried out, but I avoided it.

"You can't fight me forever, Lestrange. And you can't hide the prophecy's destruction from your master forever. He won't be happy, will he?" I spat, finding a new villain to hate. "You twisted pure-blood scum; you'd be too cowardly to spit it out."

But I can just pluck the thought from her mind. You know this, right?

"Yes I do, Riddle. Show yourself," I commanded. Tom appeared directly in front of me, next to Bellatrix.

Amber Granger… so you smashed the real prophecy? Did you hear what it may have said? Tom asked. His voice had become much more snakelike, to the point that it was barely a voice.

"Of course I didn't. I smashed it in the same mess that every single other prophecy in that Hall was. You couldn't hear a word of any prophecy in there. No mental penetration this time!"

Amber Granger… you are a terrible foe… but there is some news that I should impart.

"Riddle, whatever it is, I'd like to hear it from a friend, not a foe."

That Summer on the prophecy label… you'd like to know what that means, correct?

"Not from you. But yes, it has piqued my curiosity."

Summer is a girl… Summer Potter. Harry Potter's twin sister.

"Oh, you just come up with Luna's rubbish?" I tilted my head. But a jet of light appeared from my side. Tom deflected it easily.

"It was foolish of you to come here tonight, Tom. The Aurors are on their way…"

By which time I will be gone. And you shall be dead, along with one of your precious three.

Two jets of green light shot from Tom and Bellatrix's wands, and me and Dumbledore dodged them easily.

"Glacius Maxima!" I called, creating a blizzard to catch the two in. Dumbledore shot fire straight at the snowy figures, but the fire surrounded the two like a snake. The snake turned to us, fangs reared, but I turned the water into a jet that extinguished it.

"Defodio!" I called, breaking the ceiling to allow moonlight to shine. "Lunaflante!" I tested, shooting a blast of moon towards the two. The blast knocked their legs weak, but Bellatrix just mended them and the ceiling. Dumbledore tried sending glass shards around the room, before I launched them straight to the pair. Bellatrix casted a shield which turned the glass to dust.

"Draconem Pulsus!" I experimented, launching a high powered beam towards them. They blocked, but the beam inspired me.

"Amber?"

"Quodest Radior!" I launched a huge blast of pure energy. A hyper beam. It launched right at the two and caused a giant explosion. The hyper beam left me exhausted, and I fell to the ground.

"Amber… Amber, are you alright?" Dumbledore asked. I couldn't speak. I could barely breathe.

At last… I am here again. Calm, Amber… think of Harry… Darion…

Go to… Go… G…

Dumbledore… kill me now! Words escaped between my lips. Dumbledore hesitated.

If death is nothing, old man, kill the girl.

Please end this, Dumbledore… death is nothing to this… I thought, my mental self in tears. Darion came to mind. His scent… the feel of his touch on me…

And Harry, too. Once before, on a wild impulse, I had kissed him, too. Even then, I knew Harry's girlfriend would be a lucky girl. Only then, I had hoped that I would be that girl.

Ginny… she's like a sister to me… Anything that would please her pleased me.

Owowowowow Tom roared, his dark thoughts becoming my own words. I knew what was happening. I allowed thoughts of Darion, Harry and Ginny to course through my very soul, forcing Tom to relent.

"Amber, what happened?"

"Riddle… he got in again…" I cried. Tom appeared over me.

"You lose again, Granger. This time, the stakes are everything," he taunted.

The fireplaces roared. Tom grabbed Bellatrix, and left.

"Did you just see that?" Fudge asked. None of the other Ministry workers had understood it.

"Wait… Dumbledore? What's he doing in the Ministry?" Percy asked.

"Everything will be explained once I have sent Amber to school," Dumbledore responded. He summoned some object, and gave it to me.

"Three, two, one…"

Dumbledore arrived at his office half an hour later, to see me laying on his sofa, arm over my face.

"Amber, you will be pleased to know that none of your friends will suffer lasting harm from tonight's events." I sighed in relief. That trauma must be deadly to some of them, but at least they were handling it well.

"As for you, you casted several advanced spells in sequence, each one adding stress to your mental power without any recharge, before your Hyper Hex. And I suppose Voldemort possessing you did you no favours."

"Call him Riddle, Dumbledore. He's just a coward, a creeper and the second rising of Hitler hiding behind a snakelike face. Don't call him by his terms."

"Of course, I should have paid attention. After casting all of those complicated, powerful hexes, I wouldn't be surprised that you succumbed to Riddle so easily."

"Please, Dumbledore, that was a nightmare! Can we leave it be?" I pleaded.

"For now, maybe. But remember, Amber… there will come a time where this event may play out, with horrible consequences."

"But sir… what of Summer Potter? And the prophecy?"

"Ah yes, long overdue answers. Amber, you must pay attention to these words…" Dumbledore said, pulling out his Pensieve. "One long night, I visited a young Sybil Trelawney, who was applying for the post of Divination. I felt that she did not have the necessary talents, however, so I turned to leave. She then prophesised this…"

The Dark Lord's bane are born while the seventh month fades
One born to lead, one born his lover, and one just aids.

The Dark Lord leaves the Riddle of his rival
But what really matters for the three is survival.

Yes, two must fall to the hand of one, and one to the hand of two.
And the one called dawn will never recover, never renew…

I just looked at the bowl in shock.

"Never recover, never renew? That doesn't sound good…"

"I can only offer my interpretation. The three, of course, would be you, Harry and Ginny. Which one of you will leave his biggest fight, or indeed, how many of you, will be determined by subtle hints, but wouldn't matter anyway. The biggest line here, though, is the fifth: Two must fall to the hand of one, and one to the hand of two. Of the three of you, at least one will die."

"What? You seriously tell me that?"

"Sadly, yes… and there's more. At least, from what I could divine. Of you and Ginny, one would be a long lost sister of Harry's, Summer Potter."

"Not this nonsense again!"

"Amber, it is true. I wiped my mind, sadly, so I do not know which. The prophecy strongly hints that Summer will survive the fight, and be left only a shadow of her former self."

"…Sounds depressing. So, Riddle's survival will let us live relatively happier? I think we're just being played for fools! Dumbledore, I will assure you: Riddle will die on our terms!"

So yes, the wham line... one of the Chosen Trio will fall. It took forever to get good wording...

I have some bad/good news, depending on how you look at it... I think I got an ending: Chapter 33. 3 chapters for Half-Blood Prince, and 4 for Deathly Hallows... Not as long as I thought left. To compensate, I may do some extra scenes from no book, like the ones I did for Whatcha Doin'?, except good.

I admit: I may be having some slight fun with the Latin translations. One of Amber's hexes should clue you in as to where they all come from. Amber is not making them up on the fly (yet)... we will be pretending that they are all real spells for simplicity's sake. Mostly because they don't exist yet, in terms of timeline.

Two must fall to the hand of one.