Chapter 14
Allegra landed somewhere in London at what she guessed was about seven o'clock in the morning. She didn't know exactly where she was, but she had some confidence that she would be able to find the Ministry. She gave the broom a pat, said thank you for not killing her, and it flew off. She walked to a nearby window and looked at her reflection; she was red faced and bushy-haired with twigs and leaves through it from repeatedly falling from the broom. She also had a purple bruise appearing on her cheekbone and a grazed chin.
"Great," she mumbled to herself, removing as much of the foliage from her hair as she could see, and straightened out her grass-stained, muddy clothes. Allegra looked down the empty street she had landed on and looked for a sign that would tell her where she was. She walked down to the entrance and looked up at the building whose window she had been using for a mirror.
"London Street," Allegra sighed, spotting the black and white plate halfway up the two story building. "Like that helps."
She walked away from London Street and started along the adjoining road that looked as though it actually went somewhere interesting, since there were people walking along it and taxis driving by. She got to the end and looked along the next road, it was better than the other two, but still no signs towards the city centre. Of course there weren't. She was destined to walk the streets of London trying every fucking red telephone box she could find.
"You have to be bloody joking," Ron said looking towards his three friends who were sat in mid-air, Ginny and Hermione stood on either side of him with the same twisted expression his. "How are we supposed to get on? We can't even see them and we are going to fly on them?" Luna slid off the invisible horse and over to the others, she pulled Ron by the wrist and took him over to Neville.
"Just put your hands here," she guided him so that he could feel the horse, and helped him jump on up behind Neville. Then she helped Ginny to behind Harry, got on herself and then helped Hermione by pulling her up. Hermione and Ron both looked pale with the prospect of floating up so high on something they could see through.
"Okay ... err ... Ministry of Magic visitor's entrance, London, then ... if you know where to go ..." Harry said, looking down at the thestral. They waited a moment, and then Harry and Ginny shot up into the sky, with a squeal escaping Ginny's lips, Luna and Hermione followed and then a second later Ron and Neville shot up too, Ron kept his eyes shut until they leveled out.
"Fuck!" Ron shouted after glancing down momentarily and then clinging to Neville with an iron force. Neville was making small noises of worry, meanwhile Luna was having a rather surreal conversation with Hermione about thestrals.
By the time they reached their destination they had all practically frozen into their positions. Ron fell on to the floor as he dismounted, his legs wouldn't bend and neither of his arms or hands were listening to his commands. Neville was looking at his hand which was also unresponsive. Luna, of course, was fine, and was busy thanking the thestrals for all their help while the others got back the feeling in their limbs.
"Never again," Ron said, putting out a hand to give the thestral a pat but walked straight into it instead.
"Where do we go from here, then?" Luna asked Harry pleasantly, as though they were going sightseeing on a holiday.
"Over here," Harry called from where he had walked off ahead. He went over to an old battered red phone box and pushed everyone inside.
"Whoever's nearest the receiver, dial six two four four two." Ron reached a stiff arm out and pressed the metal buttons, turning to look at Harry but instead coming uncomfortably close to Neville's face.
"Welcome to the Ministry of Magic," a cool female voice rang out, "please state your name and business."
"Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood." Harry said quickly, "we're here to save someone, unless your Ministry can do it first!"
"Thank you," the voice said. "Visitors, please take your badges and attach them to yourselves somewhere visible." There was a clattering noise as half a dozen badges fell from a metal chute. Ron picked them up and handed them out.
Ron Weasley
Rescue Mission
"Visitors to the Ministry, you are required to submit to a search and present your wands for registration at the security desk, which is located at the far end of the Atrium."
"Fine, now can we move?" Harry said hastily.
The telephone box floor shuddered and started moving down below the ground.
Allegra's feet ached, she was tired, hungry, bruised and scratched, and she had been in what she was sure was probably seventy percent of the red telephone boxes in central London, but at last she found the one with the cool female voice.
"Welcome to the Ministry of Magic, please state your name and business."
"Allegra Boone, and um, coming to have a look for something."
"Thank you. Please take your badge and attach it to your person in a visible place." There was a swift clatter and a metal badge rattled down the chute.
Allegra Boone
Enquiry
Allegra pinned it to the front of her jumper.
"Visitors to the Ministry, you are required to submit to a search and present your wands for registration at the security desk, which is located at the far end of the Atrium."
"Right," Allegra said, not bothering to mention that she didn't have a wand to present. The floor shuddered beneath her feet and she started her decent, the outside pavement and road began to disappear.
As the light from the Atrium flooded the booth, she stood ready for anyone that may attack her as they had at Hogwarts. But as the Atrium came into view, she saw that it was completely empty. Every time she had been to the Ministry it had always been so full that she had had to cling to her parents so that she wasn't swept away by the vast crowd of busy wizards.
"The Ministry wishes you a pleasant evening." The voice said as the booth came to a halt.
"Err ... cheers." Allegra stepped out into the vast space and looked around. She began walking down the main hallway towards the elevators, but still no one appeared. Allegra was relieved, but remained suspicious.
At the end of the Atrium were five elevator gates, one on the far right was open and an empty lift was waiting patiently. Allegra walked to it and stopped about a foot away from the edge of the lift. She looked around and inside the lift. Nothing seemed abnormal, but then nothing had seemed strange about the broom either. Until it tried to kill her.
With caution, Allegra stepped into the lift and looked at the buttons. She didn't know, but number nine was jumping out at her. Well, she had to start somewhere; she pushed the button.
"Level nine, Department of Mysteries." The female voice said. Allegra sighed and relaxed. The golden gates closed and she heard a click, suddenly the lift shot backwards, throwing Allegra to the floor and then it dropped, so fast that that she left the floor until it stopped when she hit the floor again with a hard thud. Then it shot forwards, Allegra slid to the back and hit her head on the wall. When it stopped, the golden gates opened.
"Department of Mysteries." The voice said pleasantly. Allegra got onto her hands and knees and crawled out of the lift. Allegra stood up and turned around to glare at the lift.
"Thanks," she rubbed her head and turned around. Ahead of her were a number of black doors and dark corridors. Allegra tried a few doors but none of them budged. She came to the door at the end of the corridor and tried it. It opened into a room with multiple doors leading out of it. Allegra walked towards them and a door opened on her left. She stared at it for a moment. Once again she convinced herself that she had to keep moving. So she entered the room and walked to the centre where there was a spot light. The door behind her slammed shut, and the spotlight went out. She didn't have a good feeling about this.
Blue flames jumped up from the floor and lined all the doors off of this new circular room. Something clicked and the walls began to spin, Allegra started to lose her balance and slammed her eyes shut and listened to the whirling of the walls. Once they had slowed and clicked back into place she opened her eyes, one eye at a time.
"Right, onwards we go," Allegra moved towards a door and stepped through it.
Light entered the booth until they had a full view of the Atrium. Surprisingly, no one was there. It was completely empty.
"The Ministry of Magic wishes you a pleasant evening," the door opened and Harry fell out, closely followed by Neville and Luna. The only noise in the Atrium was the water flowing out of the fountain and the sound of their movement echoing around the room.
"Come on," Harry said, leading the others down the Atrium. They walked to the lifts and Harry pressed a button which then glowed with a green ring around it. As soon as he had pressed it a lift came out of the darkness towards them, the golden gates rattled apart loudly to let them in and they all filed inside. Harry pressed the button for level nine and the grills closed with louder clattering.
"I like this elevator music," Luna said, and they smiled nervously at her. Harry didn't seem to have heard her.
"Department of Mysteries," the voice said, and the grills slid open to let them out. They stepped out into the cold black tiled corridor, which was just as empty as the atrium.
"Let's go," Harry whispered and made off towards a blank shiny door at the end of the corridor. Luna followed first, mouth agape looking around the place as they walked. "Okay, listen," Harry said, stopping again six feet from the door. "Maybe ... maybe a couple of people should stay here as - as a lookout, and -"
"And how are we going to let you know if something's coming?" Ginny asked in an annoyed tone.
"We're coming with you Harry." Neville said.
"Let's just get on with it," Ron said firmly, trying to stop Harry from leaving everyone behind. After all they'd learnt in D.A., none of them were prepared to let him go off on his own, we'd come this far. Harry faced the door and walked towards it, it swung open for him and he marched straight in, the others followed quickly. They found themselves standing in a large circular room, covered with doors. Everything inside the room was black, including the ceiling and floor, and each door was identical. The only thing that they could see once inside was blue flames on the walls and their reflections in the shiny surfaces.
"Someone shut the door," Harry said, and Neville - who was the last in - closed it. Immediately it became so dark that no one could see anything but the flames. Harry stood looking at the doors, but as he considered his next move, there was a rumbling and a clink and the wall began to rotate. The blue flames blurred into a mass of blue lines, eventually coming to a stop and clicking back into place. Ron blinked hard as his eyes were blurry with the left over blue light fading in front of his eyes.
"What was that about?"
"I think it was to stop us knowing which door we came through," Ginny told her brother in a hushed tone.
"How are we going to get back out?" Neville asked uncomfortably.
"Well, that doesn't matter right now," Harry said blinking the same as Ron had, "we won't need to get back until we've found Sirius."
"Don't shout for him or anything, though." Hermione said.
"Where do we go now then Harry?" Ron asked.
"I don't -" Harry began and then paused, "in the dreams, I went through the door at the end of the corridor and into another dark room - that's this one - and then I went into a room that sort of ... glittered. We should try a few doors. I'll know the right one when I see it, come on."
Harry walked straight towards the door in front of him; and the others followed behind closely so as not get left behind. Harry put his hand on the cold black door, raised his other hand with is wand, and pushed it open. Unlike the room they were coming from, this room was long and rectangular. Lamps hung from chains from the ceiling which helped with the light, but it was still rather dingy. There was nothing in the room bar a few old dusty desks, and rather strangely, in the middle of the room there was a large, glass tank filled with a deep green liquid. There were some strange looking bone white objects floating around inside.
"What are those things?" Ron whispered.
"Dunno," Harry whispered back, not taking his eyes off the strange tank.
"Aquavirius maggots!" Luna suddenly exclaimed excitedly. "Dad said the Ministry were breeding -"
"No," Hermione cut in, "they're brains." She said in a sickly voice.
"Brains?" Ron repeated looking closer at the tank.
"Yes ... I wonder what they are doing with them?" Harry walked towards the tank where Hermione and Ron were stood. He watched the slimy objects drift in and out of view.
"Let's get out of here. This isn't right; we need to try another door."
Ron looked around, "there are doors here, too."
"In my dream I went through that dark room into the second one," he said turning back to everyone, "I think we should go back and try from there." They hurried back into the circular room.
"Wait!" Hermione said sharply as Luna closed the door, "Flagrate!" A fiery 'X' appeared on the door as soon as the door clicked shut. At the same moment, the rumbling returned and the wall began to revolve again. Once it stopped, the red 'X' on the door remained.
"Good thinking," Harry said, "okay, let's try this one -" Harry went towards a different door and pushed it open to reveal a room - if you could really call it that - full of rocky stone that formed a mountain up in front of them, a set of stairs led to the top where a rock arch way stood. Inside the archway the air was silver and fluttering, like a curtain in the breeze.
Harry ran inside and started up the steps. "Who's there?" He called, his eyes searching all around.
"Careful!" Hermione shout-whispered. Harry scrambled up the steps until he almost reached the top platform where the archway stood. Harry circled the veil, and the silver substance still flowed gently in the invisible breeze.
"Sirius?" Harry said, more quietly than he had before as Hermione and Ron edged up the stone steps towards him. Harry was eyeing the archway suspiciously, as if he was expecting someone to emerge. He circled the veil once more but did not find anything.
"Let's go," Hermione called, "this isn't right, Harry. Come on, let's go." She sounded scared, even more worried than she had in the last room with the brains, and glanced at Ron to share her expression. "Harry, let's go, okay?"
"Okay," Harry said, but he did not move.
"What are you saying?" Harry asked loudly, his voice echoing all around but he did not stop staring at the veil.
"Nobody's talking, Harry!" Hermione exclaimed, moving around the veil towards him as Ron moved around from the other side.
"Someone's whispering behind me, is that you, Ron?"
"I'm here, mate," Ron said.
"Can't anyone else hear it?" Harry demanded.
"I can hear it too," Luna breathed, who was slowly making her way up the stairs, looking even more dreamy than normal. "There are people in there!"
"What do you mean 'in there'?" Hermione said, sounding thoroughly spooked. "There isn't anyone 'in there', it's just an archway. There is no room for anyone to be in there. Harry, Luna, stop it, come away -" Hermione took hold of Harry's arm and tried to pull him away, but he stayed. "Harry, we are supposed to be here for Sirius!" she said, straining.
"Sirius ..." Harry repeated, still mesmerised by the swaying veil. "Yeah ..." Harry suddenly stumbled back and looked at Hermione, "let's go."
"That's what I've been trying to do - well come on then!" Hermione pulled him back passed the arch and down the steps and Ron did the same with Luna. Neville and Ginny were standing at the bottom, staring up just as Harry and Luna had been. Hermione shook her head and grabbed Ginny on her way past and Ron pulled Neville.
"What do you reckon that arch was?" Harry asked once back in the dark circular room.
"I don't know, but whatever it was, it was dangerous," Hermione said firmly, putting another fiery red cross on the door. Once more, the wall span, and Harry approached the next door and gave it a push, but it wouldn't budge.
"What's wrong?" Hermione asked.
"It's ... locked." Harry said, this time throwing all his weight at the door.
"Then this is it, isn't it?" Ron said, joining Harry's attempt to force the door open.
"Bound to be."
"Get out of the way!" Hermione said 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!" Harry gasped. He pulled it out and slid it into the crack between the door and the wall. The others watched as he ran the blade from top to bottom, withdrew it and then flung himself at the door again. It remained firmly shut. Harry looked at his knife; the blade had melted.
"Right, we're leaving that room." Hermione said decisively.
"But what if it's the one?" Ron asked, looking back at the door longingly.
"It can't be," Hermione said firmly, "Harry could get through the one in his dream." She marked the door with another X.
"You know what could be in there?" Luna said eagerly as the wall started to spin.
"Something blabbering, no doubt," Hermione said under her breath and Neville sniggered. The wall came to a halt and Harry tried the door, pushing it open with ease.
"This is it!" Harry exclaimed, gazing into the sparkling bright room that was in front of them. "This way!" Harry led them through the room, past desks towards a crystal bell jar.
"Oh, look!' Ginny said, pointing inside the jar. Drifting along inside the sparkling jar was a tiny egg. As it rose in the jar, it cracked open and a hummingbird emerged, flying to the top of the jar. As it reached the top it became less graceful, dropped back down and enclosed itself back into its egg.
"Keep going!" Harry said sharply.
"You dawdled enough by that old arch!" Ginny said crossly.
"This is it," Harry repeated, "it's through here -" Harry glanced back at them and opened the door. Inside it was just as Harry had described. An enormous room, seeming to never end in all directions, thousands upon thousands of rows of shelves, all holding little glass orbs that themselves seemed to glow producing the only light source in the room.
"You said row ninety-seven," Hermione whispered.
"Yeah ..." Harry said softly, looking up at the closest row for some sign of a marker. On a shelf above his head he found a small metal tag saying '53'.
"We need to go right, I think," Hermione whispered, also looking up at the shelves and the next few rows, "yes, that's fifty-four."
"Keep your wands ready," Harry reminded softly. They all crept forwards, following Harry and Hermione quietly.
"Ninety-seven," Hermione whispered and stopped, gazing up at a row.
There was nobody there.
"Err ... he was right down at the end, you can't see right to the end." Harry said nervously. They followed him down to the other end and again stood in an empty clearing. "He should be here ..."
"Harry?" Hermione said softly as Harry began to pace, mumbling to himself as he looked around.
Still there was no one.
"Harry?" Hermione tried again.
"What?" he snapped.
"I don't think Sirius is here." No one else dared speak. Harry was not going to admit that he may have been wrong about this one. And that they were now stuck in the middle of the Department of Mysteries for nothing. Harry was peering down at the floor, gripping his wand tightly and breathing angrily.
"Harry?" Ron said bravely.
"What?"
"Harry, this one's got your name on." Neville said behind them, pointing up at one of the shelves. About five feet up was an extremely dusty orb with a little brown paper tag.
"My name?" Harry echoed, moving towards the orb and moving the brown - slightly curled - label to face him for a better look. In script style handwriting was a date from sixteen years ago, and below it said:
S.P.T to A.P.W.B.D
Dark Lord
And (?) Harry Potter
Harry simply stared at the label. After a few moments he reached up and closed his fingers around the orb, bringing it down to holding height. Nothing spectacular happened as his friends closed in around him to have a look; it just glowed contently as it had been doing on the shelf.
"Very good, Potter. Now turn around, nice and slowly, and give that to me." They spun around; black shapes in a smoky texture were emerging out of thin air all around them, blocking their escape down any of the nearby paths. Black hooded figures stood pointing their wands at their hearts. "To me, Potter," Repeated the drawling voice of Lucius Malfoy as he held out a clawed hand, palm up. "To me."
"Where's Sirius?" Harry demanded. The Death Eaters laughed form beneath their masks and a distinctive cackle joined them as Bellatrix Lestrange walked into view.
"The Dark Lord always knows!"
"Always," Malfoy echoed with a coy smile, "now, give me the prophecy, Potter."
"I want to know where Sirius is!"
"I want to know where Sirius is!" Bellatrix mimicked.
"You've got him, he's here, I know he is."
Bellatrix cackled again, "naww, little baby Potter, believes everything he dreams!" She pouted. "Shouldn't always believe your dreams, Potter."
"It's time you learnt the difference between dreams and reality, Potter." Malfoy said harshly, "now give me the prophecy or we'll start using wands."
"Go on then," Harry challenged, as they all raised their wands to the closest Death Eater.
"Hand over the prophecy and no one need get hurt," Malfoy said coolly.
"Yeah, alright," Harry laughed, "I give you the prophecy and you'll just let us skip off home, will you?"
The words had only just finished coming out of his mouth when Bellatrix shrieked, "accio proph-"
"Protego!"
Bellatrix give a short laugh, "this boy knows how to play. Itty, bitty, baby."
"So what's this prophecy?" Harry said. "How come Voldemort wants it?"
"You dare speak his name?" Bellatrix whispered.
"Yeah, I've got no problem with saying Vol -"
"Shut your mouth!" Bellatrix shouted. "How dare you speak his name you filthy half-blood!"
"Did you know he's a half-blood too?" Harry said smoothly, "Voldemort? Yeah, his mother was a witch but his dad was a Muggle - or has he been telling you he's pureblood?"
"STUPEF-"
"No!" A jet of red light shot from the end of Bellatrix's wand but Malfoy deflected.
"We do NOT attack, Bella! We need the prophecy!"
"He stands there - he dares!"
"You haven't told me what is so special about this prophecy I'm supposed to be handing over."
"Do not play games with us, Potter," Malfoy warned.
"I'm not playing games," Harry replied.
"What?" Hermione whispered, quite randomly.
"Dumbledore never told you the reason you bare that scar was hidden in the bowls of the Department of Mysteries?" Malfoy sneered.
"I - what?" Harry said. "What about my scar?"
"What?" Hermione whispered again.
"Can this be?" Malfoy said, sounding maliciously delighted.
"Inaminuteattack -" Harry whispered, the words slightly blurring together.
"Dumbledore never told you? Well, this explains why you didn't come earlier, the Dark Lord wondered why -"
"- whenIsaynow -"
"- you didn't come running when he showed you the place where it was hidden in your dreams. He thought natural curiosity would make you want to hear the exact wording ..."
"Did he?" Harry said. "So he wanted me to come and get it, did he? Why?"
"Why?" Malfoy repeated, sounding utterly thrilled that he was getting to tell the story. "Because the only people who are permitted to retrieve a prophecy from the Department of Mysteries, Potter, are those about whom it was made, as the Dark Lord discovered when he attempted to use others to steal it for him."
"And why did he want to steal a prophecy about me?"
"About both of you, Potter ... haven't you ever wondered why the Dark Lord tried to kill you as a baby?"
"Someone made a prophecy about Voldemort and me? And he's made me come and get it for him? Why couldn't he come and get it himself?"
"Get it himself?" shrieked Bellatrix, "the Dark Lord, walk into the Ministry of Magic, when they are so sweetly ignoring his return? Reveal himself to the Aurors, when they are wasting their time on my dear cousin?"
"So he's got you lot doing the dirty work for him, has he? Like he tried to get Sturgis to steal it - and Bode?"
"Very good Potter, very good ... but the Dark Lord knows you are not unintell -"
"NOW!" Harry yelled.
"STUPEFY!"
Curses started flying in all directions as they began to fight off the Death Eaters. Shelves exploded in glittering glass and orbs fell to the floor and shattered to dust.
"RUN!" Harry shouted as the tall shelves began to wobble and fall into each other like dominoes. Thousands of prophecies crashing down. The teenagers took flight and ran down the pathway in between avalanching orbs; their hands shielding their faces from the splintering glass.
They saw a dark black door in front and aimed for it, Harry ran through first and disappeared, they all followed falling down towards a hard floor - and stopped themselves with a spell they had learned in D.A.
"Oooft," they groaned as they dropped the final two feet to the floor. They stood up, Ron was holding his ribs and feeling slightly winded. They looked around; they were back in the room with the veil.
The room was huge - if you could call it a room at all. It was a similar size to the Atrium above, except that it felt even emptier with years of disuse. Allegra didn't feel right. Her nerves were on edge and her body pumped with adrenaline that was helping her see shadows moving and listen for the slightest sound in the deathly quiet; making her feel like she could hear someone's footsteps, and someone breathing. But it was just Allegra.
The silence pounded at her ears and amplified her heartbeat. The rocky stone mountain stood proud and fierce in front of her, smooth ebony steps led up to a platform where the archway stood. She approached and saw a thin silvery substance flowing steadily in the non-existent breeze.
But there was something fake about it. Which was good, since she was going to go through it.
Still, something worried her. For one, she had seen no one. Nothing at all on her way through the Ministry, and there was something very wrong about that. Since she had taken the note from Cedric's hand she had had murder attempts from inanimate objects and attacks from witches and wizards. And yet inside the Ministry, nothing moved.
Allegra was here to step through something that in normal life ... killed people. It took their souls and destroyed the physical body. Allegra had tried not to think about that the whole way here. But she was there, she had come all the way from Scotland to try out her theory. She was battered, dirty, blood-stained and for-the-love-of-god tired.
All she had to do was walk a little to the left, turn to face the veil and run through. There was nothing else left to do now.
Five ... four ... three ... two ... one. Allegra ran towards the veil and then she was gone.
"Quick, run to the top, that way we'll be able to attack quickly when they appear!" Ginny said. Ran up the steps towards the archway and Hermione used her wand to close the door and followed them up. They stood at the top, panting and waiting for the Death Eaters to force their way through the doors.
But instead black mist appeared whizzing around and they were all thrown to the floor. In a matter of seconds the Death Eaters had formed a circle around the edge of the rock, each holding a student and facing Lucius and Harry in the middle, prophecy still in hand.
Pumph. It had been like running full pelt and then being tripped up and pushed over at the same time. No sooner had Allegra put a toe through the veil she had been thrown to the floor on the other side. She couldn't see a bloody thing; the air was black and rushing all around her.
Before she could grasp her bearings she had been picked and stood at the edge of the rock, someone was holding her forcefully but she could feel their rough skin through her jumper and clasped over her mouth.
"Eeeeee! Aarrghh!" Allegra struggled but she was muffled by the and that was increasing its pressure as she shook. Bewilderment set in as her eyes darted around the room, taking in the Death Eaters and six of her friends. In the centre of the room, just the other side of the veil was Lucius Malfoy and Harry, staring each other down. No one had noticed Allegra yet, despite the thrashing she was doing.
"No more running for you and your friends, Potter," Lucius said. "Now hand me the prophecy like a good boy." Lucius's eyes narrowed upon Harry's hand where the glass orb sat.
Allegra managed to keep control of herself with her interest in the scene in front of her. She had been gone for - well, she didn't know how long for - and so she had no idea what was happening.
"Let the others go, and I'll give it to you." Harry said. Echoing laughter filled the room from the Death Eaters.
"You are not in a position to bargain, Potter," Lucius grinned maliciously, "you see, there are ten of us and six of you." The Death Eaters laughed but the Death Eater behind Allegra stopped very abruptly.
Good god, he could count.
He had noticed the change in numbers. Harry carried on debating with Lucius and Allegra tried to look around. Everything felt surreal, but this was the real world. The dark blue tint had disappeared and her senses felt electrified. Her happiness was short lived, because it also caused her to lose control.
The Death Eater behind her let go and was sent flying off the indoor mountain, just managing to turn into swirling smoke before he would have hit the wall with a sickening crunch. Everyone looked at her. The girls squealed from under their captors' hands and Harry looked at her.
"Allegra?" Everything set into motion. They knew she was here. Allegra concentrated, and the Death Eaters let go of her friends as though they were on fire. Fighting broke out and Allegra tried to control it, stunning specific Death Eaters instead of just anyone within a certain radius of her. And it was working.
Members of the order appeared and joined in the fight.
"Allegra?" she turned and came face to face with Sirius.
"Yes," she grinned.
"But - what - how?"
Allegra jumped out of the way of a hex and threw her hand towards the Death Eater that had thrown it. This time it did hit the wall with that crunch. And didn't stand back up.
"I think we better focus!" Allegra said, although Sirius was looking at her wide eyed. Of course, he didn't know she could do that. She turned just in time to have a spell hit under her jaw and she immediately began to bleed.
The fighting became more intense and Allegra was grabbed and pulled down to a lower level of rockery by Tonks.
"What the -?"
"Stay here and stay down!" she demanded.
"Wait, didn't you see, I can help!" She obviously didn't see what she could do, because Tonks took one look at her bruised and bleeding face and told her to stay the hell down.
The order advanced up the rock towards Harry, Lucius, Bellatrix and Sirius who were dueling around the archway. Harry picked off Lucius as the prophecy smashed into thousands of little pieces. Sirius pushed Harry away as he battled his cousin. Lupin grabbed Harry, and there was a shot of green light. Harry screamed, raw and loud. Allegra jumped up to see Sirius fading into the silver mist from where she had just come.
"SIRIUS! SIRIUS!" Harry tried to tug himself from Lupin's grip but he clung on as tightly as he could. Bellatrix let out a scream of triumphant laughter and skipped off down the steps and through the doorway that led back to the circular room. Harry was screaming, "HE'S NOT DEAD! HE CAN'T BE ... he just can't be - he's not - he can't."
Suddenly he tore himself from Lupin's grasp and jumped down the rocks to follow Bellatrix and her chanting and giggling.
Allegra felt anger rise in every cell of her body and the world pulsed around her. Hermione and Ginny who were nearby must have felt it, because they looked at Allegra with shock. Allegra jumped up and followed Harry, out down the corridor and she slipped inside the sliding grills before he had a chance to leave without her. Harry hammered the button marked 'Atrium' and the lift began to move. Harry glanced at her, both panting and then looked at her properly.
"Harry," Allegra smiled, he grinned back. "We'll talk later."
As soon as there was a person-sized gap between the gates Harry was out and Allegra followed. Bellatrix was skipping up the hall ahead.
"I killed Sirius Black, I killed Sirius Black!" She sang, laughing.
"Reducto!" Harry shouted and Bellatrix fell to the floor, sitting back on her hands and looking up at them as they ran to her, she pouted and made a sad face. "Crucio!" nothing happened and Bellatrix laughed.
"Never used an Unforgivable before, have you boy? You've got to really mean it. You need to really want to cause them pain, put all your being into it - enjoy it -" Bellatrix dropped writhing on the floor, Allegra knew she was doing it but didn't stop it until she was able to get a hold of herself properly. She glared down at Bellatrix and Harry looked at Allegra. She didn't look up in case she saw horror on his face.
Bellatrix stared at Allegra and then she broke to a grin and laughed. Harry clutched his head and gasped in pain. Allegra felt something behind her and she turned. Voldemort stood there with a stony look on his face.