Chapter 65:
They walked a few steps forward, Neville tottering slightly due to Hermione's weight. The door of the Time Room swung shut behind them, and the walls began to rotate once more. Alicia frowned as she looked at the spinning room, ignoring the throbbing in her back from hitting the cabinet. Hermione's fiery crosses had faded from the doors.
"We'll have to start again." Alicia whispered.
"So which way d'you reck — ?"
But before they could make a decision as to which way to try, a door to their right sprang open and three people fell out of it.
"Ron!" croaked Harry, dashing toward them. "Ginny — are you all — ?"
"Harry," said Ron, giggling weakly, lurching forward, seizing the front of Harry's robes and gazing at him with unfocused eyes. "There you are… Ha ha ha… You look funny, Harry… You're all messed up…"
Alicia caught Ginny as she stumbled, one of her legs not being able to hold her weight. Alicia bent down to take a look, being careful as she glanced at Ron. His face was very white and something dark was trickling from the corner of his mouth. Next moment his knees had given way, but he still clutched the front of Harry's robes, so that Harry was pulled into a kind of bow.
"Ginny?" Harry said fearfully. "What happened?"
"I think her ankle's broken, I heard something crack," whispered Luna, who was bending over her and who alone seemed to be unhurt. "Four of them chased us into a dark room full of planets, it was a very odd place, some of the time we were just floating in the dark —"
"Harry, we saw Uranus up close!" said Ron, still giggling feebly. "Get it, Harry? We saw Uranus — ha ha ha —"
A bubble of blood grew at the corner of Ron's mouth and burst.
"Anyway, one of them grabbed Ginny's foot, I used the Reductor Curse and blew up Pluto in his face, but…"
Luna gestured hopelessly at Ginny, who was breathing in a very shallow way, her eyes still closed.
"I can bandage and splint it, I may be able to heal it too but I've never done the spell before…" Alicia said looking at Ginny.
"Alicia." Harry said
"This is her body Harry it's not something I can mess up."
"You know spells inside out, have more faith in yourself." Harry assured and Alicia looked at Ginny who nodded.
"Fine." she breathed and she pointed her wand at Ginny's ankle "Ferula!" A bandage and splint appeared on Ginny's ankle and leg, she winced slightly at first before settling.
"And what about Ron?" said Harry fearfully, as Ron continued to giggle, still hanging off the front of Harry's robes.
"I don't know what they hit him with," said Luna sadly, "but he's gone a bit funny, I could hardly get him along at all…"
"Harry," said Ron, pulling Harry's ear down to his mouth and still giggling weakly, "you know who this girl is, Harry? She's Loony… Loony Lovegood… ha ha ha…"
"Looks like some sort of giggling jinx…" Alicia mumbled
"We've got to get out of here, Alicia?" said Harry firmly.
"I'm not a healer Harry." Alicia frowned
"Right then. Luna, can you help Ginny?"
"Yes," said Luna, sticking her wand behind her ear for safekeeping, putting an arm around Ginny's waist and pulling her up.
"It's only my ankle, I can do it myself!" said Ginny impatiently, but next moment she had collapsed sideways and grabbed Luna for support. Harry pulled Ron's arm over his shoulder. He looked around: They had a one-in-twelve chance of getting the exit right the first time —
He heaved Ron toward a door; they were within a few feet of it when another door across the hall burst open and three Death Eaters sped into the hall, led by Bellatrix Lestrange.
"There they are!" she shrieked.
"Glacius Tria!" Alicia shouted as stunning spells shot across the room. She was the only one not heaving someone and had the freest hands. The four Death Eaters suddenly froze in place.
"Thanks!" Harry said
"Yeah well never done that one before so let's go before it breaks!" Alicia said and Harry smashed his way through the door ahead, as Alicia helped Neville in with Hermione. They closed the door quickly behind them and Harry pointed his wand.
"Colloportus!" shouted Harry.
He then turned around. They were in the brain room again and there were doors all over the walls.
"The other's will catch up and undo the spell, and if Bellatrix's will is strong enough she could break it herself, we need to seal the other doors." Alicia said quickly and she moved to begin sealing them.
"Luna — Neville — help us!" and they and Harry joined Alicia.
The four of them tore around the room, sealing the doors as they went: Harry crashed into a table and rolled over the top of it in his haste to reach the next door.
"Colloportus!"
There were footsteps running along behind the doors; every now and then another heavy body would launch itself against one, so it creaked and shuddered. Luna and Neville were bewitching the doors along the opposite wall — then, as Harry reached the very top of the room, Luna cried out, "Collo — aaaaaaaaargh…"
She was sent flying through the air. Five Death Eaters were surging into the room through the door she had not reached in time; Luna hit a desk, slid over its surface and onto the floor on the other side where she lay sprawled, as still as Hermione.
"Get Potter!" shrieked Bellatrix, and she ran at him. Alicia ducked down over to Luna and Harry sprinted back towards Ginny, Ron and Hermione.
"Hey!" said Ron, who had staggered to his feet and was now tottering drunkenly toward Harry, giggling. "Hey, Harry, there are brains in here, ha ha ha, isn't that weird, Harry?"
"Ron, get out of the way, get down —"
But Ron had already pointed his wand at the tank.
"Honest, Harry, they're brains — look — Accio Brain!"
The scene seemed momentarily frozen. Harry, Ginny, and Neville and each of the Death Eaters turned in spite of themselves to watch the top of the tank as a brain burst from the green liquid like a leaping fish. For a moment it seemed suspended in midair, then it soared toward Ron, spinning as it came, and what looked like ribbons of moving images flew from it, unraveling like rolls of film —
"Ha ha ha, Harry, look at it —" said Ron, watching it disgorge its gaudy innards. "Harry, come and touch it, bet it's weird —"
"RON, NO!"
Alicia pointed her wand and, missing everyone, tried to shoot down the brain several times, but the brain was moving too fast. What ever would happen when Ron touched the brain was unknown, but being in the Department of Mysteries were people were not allowed to enter, proved nothing good could come of it. Harry seemed to think the same as he darted forwards to try and stop it only Ron caught the brain before he got there.
The moment they made contact with his skin, the tentacles began wrapping themselves around Ron's arms like ropes.
"Harry, look what's happen — no — no, I don't like it — no, stop — stop —"
But the thin ribbons were spinning around Ron's chest now. He tugged and tore at them as the brain was pulled tight against him like an octopus's body.
"Diffindo!" yelled Harry, trying to sever the feelers wrapping themselves tightly around Ron before his eyes, but they would not break. Ron fell over, still thrashing against his bonds.
"Harry, it'll suffocate him!" screamed Ginny, immobilised by her broken ankle on the floor — then a jet of red light flew from one of the Death Eater's wands and hit her squarely in the face. She keeled over sideways and lay there unconscious.
"STUPEFY!" shouted Neville, wheeling around and waving Hermione's wand at the oncoming Death Eaters. "STUPEFY, STUPEFY!"
But nothing happened — one of the Death Eaters shot their own Stunning Spell at Neville; it missed him by inches.
Alicia turned to Luna and pointed her wand. She hadn't been stunned but she was unconscious.
"Rennervate!" Luna began to stir and Alicia turned from her, the Death Eater's backs to her as they continued after Harry.
And then she watched shocked as her brother held the Prophecy high in the air, and ran down the room away from the others!
"Idiot!" she whispered.
The Death Eaters however followed Harry, ignoring Neville, the thrashing Ron and unconscious Ginny and Hermione. As the ran Alicia moved over to Neville who was trying to help Ron.
"What do we do?" he demanded of Alicia.
"Rennervate!" Alicia pointed her wand at Ginny who also began to stir.
She turned back to Ron and grabbed the hand that had grabbed the Brain. She made sure not to touch any of the tentacles and pointed her wand to the brain.
"Immobulus!" The brain stopped and Ron pushed against it.
Alicia got up and sprinted after Harry, she heard the footsteps behind her of Neville but didn't say anything.
She came to the door to find the room with the Archway. Harry was at the bottom and ten other Death Eaters were surrounding him, approaching fast.
"Potter, your race is run," drawled Lucius Malfoy, pulling off his mask. "Now hand me the prophecy like a good boy…"
"Let — let the others go, and I'll give it to you!" said Harry desperately.
A few of the Death Eaters laughed.
"You are not in a position to bargain, Potter," said Lucius Malfoy, his pale face flushed with pleasure. "You see, there are ten of us and only one of you… or hasn't Dumbledore ever taught you how to count?"
"Incarcerous!" Malfoy found himself falling down the stairs as he was tied up and bound, the ropes tightening.
"You're the ones who can't count apparently." Alicia said simply
"He's not alone!" Neville shouted. "He's still got us!"
Neville began to scramble down the stone benches toward the others, Hermione's wand held fast in his trembling hand.
"Alicia — Neville — no — go back to Ron —"
"Reducto!" She pointed it at a Death Eater and he was blown off his feet. She flipped her wand quickly for a stunning curse to collide with a shield and bounce back at a Death Eater.
She moved her position quickly.
"STUPEFY!" Neville shouted again, pointing his wand at each Death Eater in turn, "STUPEFY! STUPE —"
One of the largest Death Eaters seized Neville from behind, pinioning his arms to his sides. He struggled and kicked; several of the Death Eaters laughed.
Alicia stopped as she'd been jumping down towards her brother, Harry being at the bottom of the pit.
"It's Longbottom, isn't it?" sneered Lucius Malfoy. "Well, your grandmother is used to losing family members to our cause… Your death will not come as a great shock…"
Alicia felt anger boiling inside her.
"Longbottom?" repeated Bellatrix, and a truly evil smile lit her gaunt face. "Why, I have had the pleasure of meeting your parents, boy…"
"I KNOW YOU HAVE!" roared Neville, and he fought so hard against his captor's encircling grip that the Death Eater shouted, "Someone Stun him!"
"No, no, no," said Bellatrix. She looked transported, alive with excitement as she glanced at Harry, then back at Neville. "No, let's see how long Longbottom lasts before he cracks like his parents… Unless Potter wants to give us the prophecy —"
"DON'T GIVE IT TO THEM!" roared Neville, who seemed beside himself, kicking and writhing as Bellatrix drew nearer to him and his captor, her wand raised. "DON'T GIVE IT TO THEM, HARRY!"
Bellatrix raised her wand. "Crucio!"
Neville screamed, his legs drawn up to his chest so that the Death Eater holding him was momentarily holding him off the ground. The Death Eater dropped him and he fell to the floor, twitching and screaming in agony.
"That was just a taster!" said Bellatrix, raising her wand so that Neville's screams stopped and he lay sobbing at her feet. She turned and gazed up at Harry. "Now, Potter, either give us the prophecy, or watch your little friend die the hard way!"
Alicia felt Harry giving up. But she felt too angry to give them what she wanted.
"Stupefy!" The Death Eater who'd held Neville collapsed and the Death Eaters turned to her. "Harry. Smash it." Alicia said
"You dare—" Bellatrix began
"Well we don't care what happens to it, so, smash it! And then you can kill us all before going back to Voldemort and getting yourself killed by him in return." Alicia grinned
The Death Eater's looked enraged and several raised their wands to her, only they didn't get the chance. Suddenly, two more doors burst open and five more people sprinted into the room: Sirius, Lupin, Moody, Tonks, and Kingsley.
Alicia looked shocked, beamed slightly before she turned back, Tonks sent a stunning spell at Malfoy and Alicia body binded another quickly. She saw Harry dive off the dais and quickly made her way down, raising shield spells everywhere as she made her way towards him.
The Death Eaters were completely distracted by the appearance of the members of the Order, who were now raining spells down upon them as they jumped from step to step toward the sunken floor. Through the darting bodies, the flashes of light, Harry could see Neville crawling along. He dodged another jet of red light and flung himself flat on the ground to reach Neville.
"Are you okay?" he yelled, as another spell soared inches over their heads.
"Yes," said Neville, trying to pull himself up.
"And Ron?"
"I think he's all right — he was still fighting the brain when I left —"
"I immobilised it so we'll see." Alicia said as she dived down with them. "I also woke Ginny and Luna but…"
The stone floor between them exploded as a spell hit it, leaving a crater right where Neville's hand had been seconds before. The three scrambled away from the spot, then a thick arm came out of nowhere, seized Harry around the neck and pulled him upright, so that his toes were barely touching the floor.
"Give it to me," growled a voice in his ear, "give me the prophecy —" Alicia could see him going pale and feel her airways cutting off as the Death Eater crushed Harry's windpipe.
Sirius duelling with a Death Eater some ten feet away. Kingsley was fighting two at once; Tonks, still halfway up the tiered seats, was firing spells down at Bellatrix.
"Get — off!" Alicia shouted and she waved her wand. The man cried out in pain and released Harry before Neville launched himself at the Death Eater and jabbed him in the eye with Hermione's wand. Harry sat gasping on the floor as both Alicia and Neville hit the man with a stunning spell.
The Death Eater keeled over backward and his mask slipped off. It was Macnair, Buckbeak's would-be killer, one of his eyes now swollen and bloodshot.
"Thanks!" Harry said to Alicia and Neville, pulling him aside as Sirius and his Death Eater lurched past, duelling so fiercely that their wands were blurs.
"Well pay attention!" Alicia snapped.
As she said that Harry's foot made contact with something round and hard and he slipped. Alicia caught him just as they saw Moody's magic eye spinning away across the floor.
Its owner was lying on his side, bleeding from the head, and his attacker was now bearing down upon Harry and Neville: Dolohov, his long pale face twisted with glee.
"Tarantallegra!" he shouted, his wand pointing at Neville, whose legs went immediately into a kind of frenzied tap dance, unbalancing him and causing him to fall to the floor again. "Now, Potter —"
He made the same slashing movement with his wand that he had used on Hermione just as Harry and Alicia yelled, "Protego!"
Harry was knocked sideways, and he fell over Neville's jerking legs, but the Shield Charm had stopped the worst of the spell.
Dolohov raised his wand again. "Accio Proph —"
"Impedimenta!" Dolohov was thrown across the room and into one of the sets of steps before collapsing.
"Nice one!" shouted Sirius, forcing the twins' heads down as a pair of Stunning Spells flew toward them. "Now I want you to get out of —"
They both ducked again. A jet of green light had narrowly missed Sirius; across the room Harry saw Tonks fall from halfway up the stone steps, her limp form toppling from stone seat to stone seat, and Bellatrix, triumphant, running back toward the fray.
"Can you seriously think we're going to leave you! What are you doing in the Ministry anyway!" Alicia demanded to Sirius.
"Alicia!" he said looking almost disappointed
"Don't you dare look at me like that, this is all on him." she said pointing at Harry. "You know if you'd just told us about it this wouldn't have happened!" she shouted over a blast. Sirius turned to Harry instead of facing Alicia.
"Harry, take the prophecy, grab Neville, and run!" Sirius yelled, dashing to meet Bellatrix.
"Sirius!" Alicia shouted but Kingsley got in the way and stopped her from seeing what happened.
Alicia ducked, pulling Harry down as well, as another jet of green light flew over Harry's head as he launched himself toward Neville —
"Can you stand?" he bellowed in Neville's ear, as Neville's legs jerked and twitched uncontrollably. "Put your arm round my neck —"
Neville did so — Harry heaved — Neville's legs were still flying in every direction, they would not support him.
"For gods sake Harry!" Alicia complained and she pointed her wand to have Neville's legs stop. "You need to—" she was cut off in scolding him when another man lunged at them. Harry and Neville toppled backwards.
"The prophecy, give me the prophecy, Potter!" snarled Lucius Malfoy's voice, and Alicia saw the tip of Malfoy's wand pressing hard between his ribs.
"No — get — off — me … Neville — catch it!"
Harry flung the prophecy across the floor, Neville spun himself around on his back and scooped the ball to his chest. Malfoy pointed the wand instead at Neville, but Alicia got their first.
"Stupefy!" Malfoy slumped and Harry pointed own wand back over his shoulder and yelled, "Impedimenta!"
Malfoy was blasted off his back. As Harry scrambled up again he looked around and saw Malfoy smash into the dais on which Sirius and Bellatrix were now duelling.
"Harry, Alicia, round up the others and GO!" Lupin shouted as he moved to check Malfoy was not getting up to attack again.
"Half of them are unconscious!" Alicia warned as they got to their feet.
Harry listened and began to pull Neville to the stone steps. They began to climb them before as spell hit just below them and the step crumbled. Harry grabbed Neville to stop him falling and Neville's robes split all along the seam. The small spun-glass ball dropped from his pocket and before either of them could catch it, one of Neville's floundering feet kicked it. It flew some ten feet to their right and smashed on the step beneath them. As both of them stared at the place where it had broken, appalled at what had happened, a pearly-white figure with hugely magnified eyes rose into the air, unnoticed by any but them. The lips moved as Alicia stared in what she swore was Professor Trelawny, but there was too much noise to hear what was being said.
"Harry, I'm sorry!" cried Neville, his face anguished "I'm so sorry, Harry, I didn't mean to —"
"It doesn't matter!" Harry shouted.
"It's not important Neville." Alicia assured.
"Let's just get out—"
"Dumbledore!" said Neville, his sweaty face suddenly transported, staring over Harry's shoulder.
"What?"
"DUMBLEDORE!"
Harry and Alicia turned and standing directly above them, framed in the doorway from the Brain Room, stood Albus Dumbledore, his wand aloft, his face white and furious.
Dumbledore sped down the steps past Alicia, Neville and Harry, neither of which made a single move to leave. Dumbledore was already at the foot of the steps when the Death Eaters nearest realised he was there. There were yells; one of the Death Eaters ran for it, scrabbling like a monkey up the stone steps opposite. Dumbledore's spell pulled him back as easily and effortlessly as though he had hooked him with an invisible line —
Only one couple were still battling, apparently unaware of the new arrival. Sirius ducked Bellatrix's jet of red light: He was laughing at her. "Come on, you can do better than that!" he yelled, his voice echoing around the cavernous room.
The second jet of light hit him squarely on the chest.
The laughter had not quite died from his face, but his eyes widened in shock.
Alicia didn't know how but she found herself at the bottom of the stairs, her eyes were pricking and she stared at the shocked eyes, the laughing grin on his face.
It seemed to take Sirius an age to fall. His body curved in a graceful arc as he sank backward through the ragged veil hanging from the arch…
There was fear and surprise on her godfather's once handsome face as he fell through the ancient doorway and disappeared behind the veil, which fluttered for a moment as though in a high wind and then fell back into place.
She couldn't move. Her feet were rooted in place. Bellatrix Lestrange's gave out a triumphant scream. Harry was shouting as he reached the floor near her.
"SIRIUS!" Harry yelled, "SIRIUS!" He sprinted for the dais and Lupin grabbed him, holding him back.
Tears were pouring down her face as Harry was struggling against Lupin's hold beside her. No one touched her, she didn't make to move.
"There's nothing you can do, Harry —"
"Get him, save him, he's only just gone through!"
"It's too late, Harry —"
"We can still reach him —"
Harry struggled hard and viciously, but Lupin would not let go…
"There's nothing you can do, Harry… nothing… He's gone."
Alicia felt like a giant hole had been carved through her chest, taking out her heart and vital organs, leaving her alive with a gapping hole. Her body tried to function and repair but there was nothing possible that could fix it. The pain inflamed. Nothing she'd ever felt before. Darkness seemed to crash on her like boulders, everything seemed to be meaningless. There was nothing. It was taken.
He was gone. Sirius was gone. The only adult… the only real…
And it was all their fault.