Author's Note: So this chapter reveals a little bit about Helena's parents that you might have suspected before... Stay tuned.
Helena's breath was puffing out of her mouth rapidly. She had to stop at some point, for the fear that she might just collapse from running for so long. Her legs made her fall to the floor and she proceeded to hug her knees up to her chin.
She honestly had no clue where to go. She could be going backwards, for all she knew. But it did seem to get colder the further she ran and she took that as a good sign. There wasn't anything to tell her about where she was, as every inch of the tunnel appeared to be exactly the same as the last inch.
It was surprisingly cool here, and it calmed her. Why? She could not say. But it rippled through her like a Calming Draught would do.
But then it occurred to her that she was alone in an enclosed space. Perhaps that was why she kept on running without slowing down. Maybe she was afraid of being here, rather than the fire. Or maybe she was scared of both, which was why it was so chilly right now despite it being a hot summer's night. It was strange how the weather worked, because only mere hours ago she had been beside Katie...
No, she thought sternly. I will not think of her here.
But her eyes widened all the same as the walls felt like they were squashing her together.
Was the tunnel always this small? Or is it my imagination?
She attempted to stand up and run again, but she was only greeted by a shearing pain in her stomach preventing her to go very far.
Fuck. I have a stitch, she thought bitterly.
She decided to stay seated for a few more minutes whilst she caught her breath.
What would we be doing now if she wasn't dead? She thought suddenly. We would be celebrating. She would've won the stupid task and we would probably be fucking alone in the Dormitory that Lord-fucking-Voldemort had no idea was still accessible.
She massaged the piercing pain before attempting to stand up again, taking it easy. She began to put her legs in front of one and another, but they still felt incredibly like they were made from jelly.
It wasn't long before she was greeted by stairs that loomed over her.
She sighed and began to climb them one by one, careful not to fall down or up them. She attempted to count them all but she lost count at around the three hundred zone.
How many more stairs can there be? She groaned internally.
Eventually, she got to the last few steps. She felt drained from climbing up that far – exhausted, even.
But she was out of luck when she was created by a dead end.
"Fuck!" she exclaimed.
There was just a single, lone, mud covered wall blocking her way. She ran her hand down the surface of the wall and that apparently seemed to work. She gasped as the wall vanished and instead appeared in a kitchen of sorts.
It was rather narrow, but deep. Cavernous, some might call it. There was a large fire place at the far end, though it was barely seen due to a long, wooden table in front of it. There also appeared to be numerous mahogany cabinets on the side of the room that looked very expensive indeed. Low light flickered above, as though this place was underground. The light barely illuminated the pictures hanging on the wall. It was quiet.
"Hey!" a voice came from behind her. She jumped violently and turned to see a woman in her early thirties with her wand pointing directly at Helena. She became self-conscious that she was covered in dirt. "How did you get in here?" her voice was high pitched, clearly scared.
"I - I - um. Just kind of came through a passage way. I'm sorry, I didn't realise it lead to here..." her voice trailed off.
"You took the passage way? I thought that was closed?"
"Well I was greeted by a dirt wall of some kind but I got past."
The woman lowered her wand.
"What's your name?" she asked Helena.
"Oh um... Helena. Prince."
The woman stared at her. She then gave her a smile with perfectly straight teeth.
"Well, Helena. Welcome to the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix."
Helena stared blankly at the woman. She appeared to have slightly bushy hair. The Order of the Phoenix? That's impossible. All of them were wiped out years ago.
"I thought the organisation vanished?" Helena frowned.
"In a way, yes. It has been vanished for about, I don't know, seventeen years?" she replied, rather in a stuck-up fashion.
There was an awkward pause.
"And... Has it just been like that? Vanished?"
"Yes and no. Many good people died in that time, some betrayed us and changed sides -" she shrugged. "The members just decreased, and we couldn't recruit more without the risk of being found out, I guess."
"So, it's just been inactive?" Helena asked after a slight pause.
"Yeah. It's been difficult for us all, really. The war has taken its toll on us. It looks like it's take a toll on you, if you're here. You must've been really desperate for the passage way to re-open."
"What do you mean?" she asked sharply, her voice quiet.
"Well, the last time it opened was by your father approximately eleven years ago. That was the night he was killed, along with your mother."
"My parents were members of the Order of the Phoenix?" Helena's eyes widened at the thought.
"Yep. That's why they had the passage way. The house used to be used as a safe house, but ever since they died we couldn't access the house for many reasons. They were one of the last members to die, the rest became too fearful so they just joined the Dark Lord. But, enough of that. Follow me, I know a few people that would like to see you."
She turned on the spot and started to walk out of the lengthy kitchen. Helena felt very out-of-place so she just followed her. She took her to a living room adjacent to the entrance of the kitchen.
About a dozen people were gathered in this room, and it was colossal in comparison to the one that she had just been in. There were tiny little paintings or pictures dangling from pieces of elastic from nails hammered carelessly into the wall. All of their heads turned to her, making her intimidated with their eyes. She noted that none of them were under the age of 30 at least.
"Who's she?" called out a husky voice.
"Everyone," the woman announced. "This is Helena Prince."
Silence ensued. A pencil dropped and it echoed throughout the house.
Scowls followed and they appeared on each of their faces.
"How is that possible?" someone asked finally.
"She used the old passage way. The one that we thought was closed. After Devon and Michael, we thought she was dead. But obviously there were rumours that she has defied the Dark Lord numerous of times."
"And she's still alive?"
"Apparently so, because here she stands," Helena replied coldly.
"Well," a red haired women went up to her. "We're glad to have you here."
X
It was late at night. Helena was in the drawing room. She had been invited to sleep on the sofa, because everywhere else was full. She couldn't sleep, though. She was too busy dwelling on the past day. Or has it been two days? She had lost track of time, and her watch was lost. She sighed and pushed the covers away from her. It was a hot summer's night, after all.
This was all very surreal to her though. It made her wonder if her parents had been in this very same place that she'd been in, planning... wondering. She had only been here for less than a day and she couldn't believe her luck. How could so many great wizards before her not find this place like she did? She was sure it was under a Fidelius Charm, but even-so, no one had exactly told her the secret. It was weird.
Of course she missed Katie - there was a deep hole inside her that couldn't be filled. She felt her auburn hair, touched her pearl earrings, and remembered that stupid ribbon she wore... And yet missing her did not seem enough.
She heard a sudden movement from the wall, behind some small, curtains. She assumed that a portrait was there.
Curious, she pulled back the curtain and she gasped when she saw who was behind them.
Professor Dumbledore was looking at her, not even remotely tired.
"You're Helena Prince," he stated.
"Yes," she replied quietly.
His blue eyes were x-raying her body.
"You need to get out of here," he said finally.
"I - why?" she asked.
"Not everything is as it seems. You see -"
Several shrieks came from above her, causing her to immediately grab her wand out of her pocket and she rushed upstairs.
Many of them were running, as some passed her on the stairs.
"What's happening?" she asked one person.
"You-know-who. That's what - Someone's betrayed us. I'll put my galleons on Snape."
"Snape - what does he have to do with this?"
"No time to explain. Just hide! Hide in that tunnel you came in through... Here, follow me."
So Helena followed without another word. Did she really want to fight Voldemort here?
As it turned out, she was the last one in so she closed it and locked it. She looked down to see them standing on the stairs, no one daring to go further down than they needed to.
They were all waiting in anticipation, careful to not make a sound.
"Come out, come out wherever you are..." Voldemort mused in the room that's literally next to them. So close... "I know you're here... somewhere. Be a good girl and come out, Helena. You don't want things to be even worse than they already are, do you? Do you want all of these people dead, with the blood on your hands?"
Helena shifted uncomfortably. She felt all the eyes on her, punishing her. She was a stranger. Why should she left these people die because of her?
Subconsciously, she opened the door with some harsh whispers firing at her.
"What are you doing?"
"Why the fuck are you doing that?"
"Helena - get back here!"
She ignored them all and shut the portrait behind her, not revealing anyone inside.
"Well, well, well. What do we have here?"
Helena stopped and turned sharply to her right to see Voldemort standing there.
His scarlet red eyes were glistening at the sight of her, his long fingers wrapping themselves around his wand. His lipless mouth curled. Helena backed up and found herself against a wall with nowhere to go.
He held his wand point to her throat and her lip quivered ever so slightly. Her hand tightened around her wand, which was UN raised by her side.
"Drop your wand," he snarled.
Helena smirked.
"Actually, I think I'd like to hold onto it, thanks."
His smile dropped as Helena fired a curse at Voldemort that blasted him backwards. The air was filled with black, ash cloud as ten Stunning curses charged at the wall where Helena was pinned at only seconds ago.
The curses hit the wall, completely crumbling it.
Voldemort screamed in fury as blue shock waves rippled the house.
Meanwhile, a witch had apparated into Diagon Alley mere seconds later.
She strutted tall in the Alley, shaking her head as though as she was disbelieving of what she was seeing.
Two wizards dressed in robes came from behind her and struck her simultaneously with the same curse.
Darkness overcame the woman and a storm surged overhead.