"What?" this was a trick. Magic. Dark magic.
"You don't recognize your own father?" He stepped forward.
"You're not my father. My father couldn't be a-"
"But I am. You could be too. Your wand, it's basilisk core, isn't it?" What's he getting at? "Incredibly rare; Basilisks. They're terribly hard to kill if you are ever unfortunate enough to come across one. They're often heirlooms of Slytherin-type Purebloods and always bond to a budding dark wizard"
"No," I shook my head, trying to make it all go away.
"I can tell you about Michelle. I can answer all of your questions. I can tell you who killed her. All you have to do is give me the prophecy," he outstretched his hand, palm open and empty.
Tempted, I looked down at the swirling magic. If I were to give it to him, I would have all of my answers. It would be easy: simple.
However, I remembered what Dumbledore's words last year. If you study, you shall gain that knowledge when you are well learned. You will find that where your heart leads you may not be where you expect, but that you will discover the truth.
"Never!" I sent a spell at him, knocking him back into the darkness. I took the opportunity to run. I sprinted; taking turns that I thought led to the exit. I realized that I had no bloody idea where I was. Hearing footsteps, I ran forward only to crash into someone.
"Harry!" I nearly screamed from surprise- and relief. If we weren't currently in danger, I'd hug him and never let go.
"Jenny! You're alive!" he looked just as relieved as I was- glad, even. I noticed a glass ball in his hand, filled with swirling smoke. The color of the smoke in both of our prophecies seemed to change, but I was woken from my trance before I was completely entranced.
"This way!" Neville's voice alerted me. Harry and I darted after him, avoiding attacks from two death eaters who were pursuing us. We ended up in another room: the Time Chamber.
A spell shot past my head and Harry lunged for the death eater, distracting and, potentially, injuring him physically. The second death eater looked as if he was about to alert his allies of our location.
"Stupefy!" I shouted, stunning the death eater before he could leave.
"Expelliarmus!" Neville shouted, disarming the death eater- and Harry.
I stunned at him when he was distracted, sending him tipping backwards. His head landed in some sort of crystal tower. His head transformed into that of a baby's, then aged until it was an old man, then back in a cycle. I was transfixed: amazed and horrified by the transformation.
"Come on!" Harry grabbed my hand, yanking me from my trance and into another room.
"Impedimenta!" Two death eaters bombarded us at once. I stumbled over my feet, shaken by the spell.
"Stupefy!" I shouted, sending a curse at a death eater. Unfortunately, because I was still regaining balance, my aim was off. Luckily, I hit the other death eater. Harry placed the other death eater under the body-bind curse.
"Let's get out of here-" I began, heading for the door.
"We can't- the others are here" Harry stopped me.
"How many?"
"Luna, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny"
"Then let's meet with them and get out. They want these, Harry. Whatever they want them for, it can't be good," I held out my prophecy, now swirling with purple clouds of magic.
Hearing a scream, we all ran from the room and followed the sound. It sounded like- Ginny.
When we arrived at the Thought Chamber, Ginny was on the ground. She was in shock. All color was drained of her face and she held her ankle while staring blankly before her. Ron seemed highly confused, mumbling something about brains. I noticed, then that there was a giant tank full of brains behind him. "Luna," I called, hoping for some information on what happened.
She smiled dreamily at me, despite the situation, "we've slowed them down a bit, but we don't have much time"
Suddenly, a swarm of dark magic swirled around us, forming death eaters.
"Brain!" Ron shouted in attempt to fight a death eater. He had summoned a brain, stunning Hermione and Luna on the spot. I noticed one particular death eater slip out a door in the back. I charged after him, determined to get some answers- and if not- justice.
As my foot passed through the doorway, air rushed from my lungs. The floor had disappeared and I was now plunging towards the stone floor beneath me.
It seemed I fell four stories before I reached the ground. I wasn't hurt, though. There was some sort of charm on the place that made me stop a foot from the ground before letting gravity take me.
I lifted my head from the ground, spotting him making a run for it. My wand pulsed in my hand, thirsting for a curse.
"Impedimenta!" I shouted, scrambling to my feet before running towards him. He stopped in his tracks, immobilized by my spell. "Who are you?" I asked, pointing my wand at him.
"My name is Alaric"
"Alaric who?" I narrowed my eyes.
"…Bennett"
As he spoke, I stretched my fingers and re-curled them around my wand. My wand was pulsing, a devil chanting in my ear. He took this as encouragement, and carried on.
"The prophecy in your hand, you know what it says, don't you? Your mother herself speaks the words you hear. She had the sight, and foretold this prophecy. She was in your company at the time, and you made the mistake of repeating it to another"
My heart raced as he shared a piece of my past. I had a feeling I wasn't going to like what came next.
"That's why she's dead"
"No," I pressed my wand to his throat with growing need for revenge. I didn't get the reaction I thought I would, however.
With a sick smile, he continued, "you can feel it, can't you? The dark malicious intent pulsing through your veins. Like it or not, Jen, you are the reason your mother is dead. You are the reason your friends are here, hurt, and perhaps killed already," he snickered, "It was you who led Potter straight to us"
"Crucio!" I cried, knocking him off his feet with a yelp. It didn't work, however, for he didn't seem to be in pain. In fact, he was laughing.
"You want the prophecy? You can have it!" I chucked it at the ground, sending shards of glass across the floor. The purple smoke disappeared into the damp air, leaving nothing in its wake. The look of devastation crossed his face, flashing to failure, then to- fear.
Unexpectedly- Harry fell from the sky.
"Harry! Get out of here-" while I was distracted, Alaric had snatched my wand from my hand, holding his against my neck. He had me in his grasp, as easy to kill as a bubble is to pop.