Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Five - Most Noble
Black figures emerged from the shadows around them, blocking their escape. Malevolent stares glinted through slits in the masks they wore beneath their hoods. A dozen lit wand tips pointed directly at them. Hermione gasped and stepped closer toward Harry, but even her fear could not compare to the expression of terror on Draco's face as his father stepped toward them, his hood down.
"I said, give that to me, Potter," repeated Lucius Malfoy as he held out his hand, palm facing up.
Harry didn't respond. He clutched the delicate glass orb as tight as he dared and ran the numbers in his head. There were eight Marauders against twelve Death Eaters. They were outnumbered, but not by much. If he, Blaise, and Millie took on two each… Millie might be able to take on a third by herself… That would leave the others with only one adversary.
He dismissed the idea immediately. What if he overestimated his skills? What if he couldn't handle even one Death Eater, much less two? He couldn't risk putting Hermione or Nell in danger…
"To me," Mr. Malfoy said again, a cold urgency in his tone.
"Where is she?" Draco demanded, his voice cracking with emotion. He stepped forward, slightly shielding Harry and the glass orb from view, "What have you done with my mother?"
"I'm right here, Draco…" said a soft voice. One of the hooded figures detached itself from the swarm of Death Eaters that surrounded them. Harry suppressed a groan of dismay as she lowered her hood. Narcissa Malfoy looked just as Harry remembered. Pale, a little thin, but otherwise completely unharmed.
"I… I don't understand…" Draco stammered, looking from his mother, to his father, then back to Harry. "We were… We were coming to rescue you…"
Several of the Death Eaters laughed. A harsh female voice called out from the shadows with a triumphant cackle, "The Dark Lord always knows!"
There was a murmur of agreement from the hooded figures.
"Enough," Mr. Malfoy said with impatience, "You have done well, leading Potter to us, Draco. The Dark Lord will be pleased with you. Now, take the prophecy from Potter, and bring it to me."
"No… No, I didn't…!" argued Draco, his voice rising in both pitch and volume. He turned his face toward Harry once more, "Harry, I swear I didn't know…"
The Death Eaters had slowly closed in on them. They were now standing mere feet away from the group of Marauders. Harry felt Blaise shift position. He was now standing at Harry's side, facing Mrs. Malfoy with a look of pure outrage.
"We protected you!" he said accusingly, "You came to us for help, and we trusted you! How could you… to your best friend!"
For a moment, Harry thought he saw a look of regret pass over Mrs. Malfoy's face, but it may have been a trick of the light playing across her features as she raised her lit wand against him.
"Edana is a fool to choose Dumbledore over the Dark Lord," she said with conviction, "She can no more protect me than she has protected you, Blaise. I had to do what was right for my family…."
"You said he was going to get us killed!" Draco exclaimed, pointing a trembling finger at his father, "You said he was the one who chose wrong! That it wasn't Dumbledore, but Harry Potter who would defeat the Dark Lord!"
The Death Eaters shifted uncomfortably, as this declaration stirred up hidden doubts. But Mrs. Malfoy did not flinch.
"I said what I had to. I knew Dumbledore's Order would never take me at my word, but you… You could convince them, Draco… If you believed…"
"That's why you made me take the Veritaserum?" Draco interrupted, "So I could lie for you?"
"Your mother was merely protecting you, Draco," said Mr. Malfoy coldly, "And to serve the Dark Lord. Don't you see? We will all be rewarded for our faithful service… Just give me the prophecy!"
"He's lying," said Harry, raising his voice above Draco's father. He focused his gaze on Mrs. Malfoy, searching for some sign that she was being manipulated. "He must have used the Imperius Curse. When I saw her in my vision, she was being tortured…"
The same female voice that had called out before laughed again. Harry realized it came from the figure standing closest to Mrs. Malfoy's right side. She sang out in a mocking voice, "The little baby woke up fwightened and fort what it dweamed was twoo!"
Harry felt Ron stir beside him. He stiffened his stance, ready to stop him from doing something impulsive if necessary. Then he heard Theo whisper into Ron's ear, "Not yet… Wait for Harry…"
The realization that the others were waiting for some kind of signal filled Harry with dread. He was going to get his friends killed, and all over a stupid… What had Mr. Malfoy said? A prophecy?
Harry could still feel a reassuring heat pulsing from the orb in his hand. A prophecy… about him and Voldemort? He thought of the restlessness betrayed by the Death Eaters when Draco announced that it was Harry who would overthrow the Dark Lord. If there were rumors of that kind circling through their ranks, itw as no wonder they were so anxious to get their hands on a prophecy like this.
Mr. Malfoy addressed his son tersely. "Draco, your mother is under no enchantment. What she is telling you is the truth. Now, take the prophecy from Potter, and bring it to me!"
Draco didn't move. He was staring into his mother's face, as if searching for a sign that his father was lying. But Mrs. Malfoy smiled at him. It was not a happy smile, nor a triumphant one, but one that seemed to offer comfort and reassurance.
"Listen to your father, Draco," she urged softly, "It's going to be alright. Once we have the prophecy, we can go home. No one needs to get hurt."
A tense stillness filled the air. Then, very slowly, Draco turned toward Harry.
"Wait, Draco… Think about this…" Harry whispered to him, "Do you really think if I give you this… this prophecy, that they'll just let us all go?"
The words were hardly out of his mouth when the female Death Eater shrieked, " Accio Proph… "
Harry reacted faster than even he could have predicted. He shouted " Protego !" before the woman had completed her spell, and though the glass sphere slipped to the tips of his fingers, he managed to cling to it as easily as he might have caught the Golden Snitch.
"Oh, he knows how to play, little baby Potter!" snarled the woman, her mad eyes flashing through the slits in her mask, "Very well… Let's play!"
"I told you, no!" shouted Lucius Malfoy, grabbing the woman by her wand arm before she could fire off another spell, "If you smash the prophecy…!"
Harry's mind was racing. He kept tallying the number of Death Eaters, measuring his own friends' strengths and weaknesses, recalling every spell they had practiced with the rest of the Marauders… The Death Eaters wanted this prophecy. Harry didn't care about it. He just wanted to get his friends out of here alive…
The woman had stepped forward. With an angry gesture, she tore away her hood. Azkaban had hollowed the face of Bellatrix Lestrange, making it gaunt and skull-like, though the shadow of her former good looks haunted the expression suffused over her feverish, fanatical features.
"Perhaps he requires more persuasion?" she said, her chest rising and falling with each quick breath she took, "Very well… Take the girl. The one with the coiled hair. Let him watch while I torture her…"
Harry felt his friends close ranks around Hermione. She gripped the back of Harry's robes with one hand, keeping her wand raised in the other. She didn't make a sound, but he could feel her fingers trembling against his back.
Without another thought, Harry pressed the orb into Draco's palm.
"Go ahead," Harry said, "Give it to your parents. Smash it on the floor, for all I care. But they're not going to hurt my friends. I won't allow it."
Draco slowly turned back to face his mother and father, the prophecy clutched in his fist. Slowly, hesitantly, he took a step toward them.
"Draco…" said a shaky voice from somewhere behind Harry. He realized it was Ron, clustered so close to the others in their circle that Harry could feel his breath on the top of his head. "W-What are you doing, mate?"
Draco froze, caught in the few feet that existed between his friends and his family. He clutched the prophecy to his chest and asked, "What… What sort of prophecy is this, anyway?"
"What kind of prophecy?" repeated his Aunt Bellatrix, the mad grin fading from her face, "This is no time for jokes, nephew…"
"I wasn't aware of this plan, remember?" Draco said, his voice gaining in strength. It wasn't necessary for him to speak so loud. His parents were right in front of him. And yet he continued to talk, his voice rising higher, though not quite a shout. "It must be pretty important, if Voldemort wants it so badly…"
Several Death Eaters hissed in displeasure, while Bellatrix Lestrange loudly scolded her nephew for daring to use the Dark Lord's name. Harry was stunned. In the entire time he had known him, Draco had never uttered Lord Voldemort's name. That's when he realized what Draco was doing. He was buying them time.
"Why shouldn't I say his name, Aunt Bella?" Draco asked with mock innocence, "After all, he's going to reward me for bringing him this prophecy, right? Why would Lord Voldemort care if I…."
"Shut your mouth!" Bellatrix shrieked, raising her wand against him.
"Enough, Bella!" shouted Mrs. Malfoy at the same time, grabbing her sister's arm to deflect the curse she had fired at her son.
A jet of red light smashed against the shelf a foot to the left of Harry. Several of the dusty orbs shattered. From the scattered fragments of glass rose several figures, pearly white as ghosts and fluid as smoke. They unfurled themselves from the pieces of glass that now littered the stone floor and began to speak, their voices competing for dominance over the shouts of the Malfoys and Bellatrix Lestrange.
"... at the Solstice will come a new…" said the figure of an old, bearded man.
"... YOU DARE ATTACK MY SON?"
"He dares to use his name! He is no loyal servant… he has been poisoned by…" Bellatrix screamed incoherently.
"WAIT UNTIL WE HAVE THE PROPHECY!" bellowed Mr. Malfoy.
"... and none will come after…" conclude the shade of a young woman.
The figures that had burst from the spheres melted into thin air. Nothing remained but the glittering pieces of glass on the floor. Harry had an idea.
"You still haven't told me what's so special about this prophecy," continued Draco, as if there had been no interruption, "If it's to buy my family's protection, I think I deserve an explanation…"
"Draco, do not be difficult…" warned his father. "There will be time for explanations after you have given me the prophecy…"
While Draco continued to play for time, Harry shifted his stance, leaning closer to where Blaise and Millie stood. They were so close together, it wasn't hard to find one of them with his foot. He stepped firmly on someone's toes. A sharp intake of breath told him he had found Millie.
"What?" she whispered.
Harry hissed to her in parseltongue, " Smash shelves… When I give the signal…"
"If it was so important, why didn't you take it yourself?" Draco asked, "Wouldn't the reward have been greater for you? Why did you need to bring me here?"
"Not you," Mr. Malfoy replied, "Potter. The only people who care permitted to retrieve a prophecy from the Department of Mysteries are those about whom it was made."
Behind him, Harry heard Millie hissing his instructions to Blaise. He knew his friends would pass his message along to the others, but he had become distracted by the conversation Draco was having with his father.
"So this was all about Harry?" he said. Despite the fear and resentment he must feel, he still sounded pained by his father's lack of concern for his own son.
"And the Dark Lord. It concerns them both. This is why the Dark Lord has been so eager to retrieve it. And why he will surely reward us for its safe delivery…"
"Then why didn't he come get it for himself?" asked Draco.
Bellatrix cackled again, The Dark Lord, waltzing into the Ministry of Magic? When they are so sweetly ignoring his return?"
"Enough of this…" interrupted Mr. Malfoy, holding his palm toward his son again, "All will be explained to you in time, Draco. For now, hand me the prophecy, or I will be forced to take it…"
"NOW!" shouted Harry.
He didn't expect Draco to be prepared. Borrowing time as he was, he couldn't have heard the message that passed between the others. But to Harry's surprise, Draco was ready with his wand. While seven voices roared, " REDUCTO! " firing spells at the shelves around them, Draco took aim at his father and shouted, " Impedimenta! "
The shelves and their contents exploded under the force of their spells. The towering structures swayed dangerously as hundreds of glass spheres fell and burst apart, filling the air with the ghostly figures of prophets and oracles. Their haunting voices joined the sound of breaking glass and splintering wood that rained down from above.
"Run!" Harry ordered, seizing Hermione by the hand and dragging her forward. He threw his wand arm over his head as chucks of shelving and shards of glass began to fall upon him.
A masked Death Eater lunged at him through a cloud of dust. Harry elbowed the man as hard as he could in his masked face and continued to plunge forward, not waiting to see how he had taken the blow. Hermione screamed as one of the tall shelves teetered and fell, setting off a chain reaction with the structure next to it, felling row after row of prophecies. Thousands of specters rose in clouds of silvery white, adding their voices to the cacophonous din.
A screech from up above told him that Millie had transformed into her falcon form. Flashes of red and green light chased her through the air, but she easily evaded them. She, at least, was free from the chaos that reigned below.
Through clouds of dust and dissolving white figures, Harry miraculously spotted a clear way ahead. Ron, Nell, and Blaise sprang past him. Harry started to follow, but a hand fell heavily on his shoulder. He heard Hermione yell, " Stupefy! " and the hand released him at once.
There was no time to thank her. They had reached the end of the row. Harry turned to his right and began to sprint at full speed, never losing his grip of Hermione. He could hear footsteps right behind them. For a moment, he feared they were still being pursued, but he could hear Hermione's voice urging someone to stay close. He wasn't sure who she was talking to. Draco? Theo? He didn't risk glancing back to check. He spotted a door just ahead of him. He could see the dancing light of the bell jar shining through the opening. Harry pelted through, dragging Hermione behind him before slamming the door.
" Colloportus! " gasped Hermione, and the door sealed itself shut.
Harry had hoped he'd heard two sets of footsteps behind them, but only Theo leaned against the doorframe, panting from the exertion of their spring. Harry gazed around the clock-filled room. He had expected Ron, Blaise, and Nell to be there already, waiting for them. But no one was there.
"Where are the others?" Harry asked.
"They must have gone the wrong way!" Hermione said with a look of horror.
"Draco…" Theo said with a gasp, "He still has the prophecy!"
"I don't care about the prophecy!" said Harry. He had just realized that Millie had not followed them, either. If she hadn't managed to find another exit, then she would still be circling the hall, fighting off the curses of the Death Eaters on her own.
"We have to go back for…" Harry started to say, but Hermione waved her hand for silence.
"Hush!" she urged, "Listen!"
Footsteps echoed behind the sealed door. Harry put his ear close to the wooden surface and heard Mrs. Malfoy call, "Leave him! The Dark Lord will not care for his injuries as much as losing that prophecy! We have to find him! Find my son!"
Harry breathed a sigh of relief. Draco had not been captured… Not yet, anyway. He prayed that Millie was safe too, that they had stuck together. His relief was short-lived. The next moment, Mr. Malfoy's voice rang out, "Remember, you must not kill Potter! Kill the others if you must, but leave Potter for the Dark Lord!"
"Rodolphus, with me!" shouted the voice of Bellatrix Lestrange, "Crabbe and Rabastan, you go right. Dolohov and Macnair, to the left. Avery and Nott, take the door straight ahead. Mulciber and Rookwood, that way. As for you, Cissy, take Lucius and find that brat of yours!"
Harry looked into Theo's face. He had sunk against the door frame, shaking from head to foot.
"Nott, did she say?" he asked, "Then my father… My father is here, too…"
"Well, let's not stand here and wait to say hello," Harry advised grimly, "Get away from the door…"
They began to run, as quickly and as quietly as they could without making a sound, past the bell jar and the myriad ticking clocks. They had almost reached the circular hall, still visible through the half-open door at the far end of the room, when something large and heavy collided with the door they had charmed shut.
"Move out of the way, idiot!" said a rough voice from the other side before shouting, " Alohamora! "
Harry, Hermione, and Theo dove under the desks that bordered their path as the door flew open. The Death Eaters hadn't spotted them. Harry could see the bottom of their black robes as they moved rapidly forward, drawing closer toward the open doorway.
"They must've run into the hall," suggested the one with the rough voice.
"We should check under the desks," replied the other.
Harry watched their knees bend, only inches from his face. He reacted before they could lower their heads to peer beneath into his hiding place.
" Stupefy! "
A jet of red light hit the nearest Death Eater, causing him to fall backward and into a grandfather clock, toppling it to the floor with a ringing crash. His companion had jumped out of the way, deflecting the spell that Theo had aimed at him. He raised his wand against Hermione, who was scrambling out from her hiding place.
" Avada… "
He never had a chance to finish the spell. With a roar of rage, Harry forgot his wand and launched himself at the man's knees, causing him to stumble. Theo pointed his wand at the flailing man and cried, " Expelliarmus! "
The Death Eater's wand flew from his outstretched hand. Cursing, he tore away the mask that had slipped across his face and bellowed, "Junior! What do you think you're doing?"
Theo's face turned a ghastly white as he stared into his father's outraged face. But before he could say another word, Theodore Nott Sr. had freed one of his legs from Harry's grasp. He lifted his foot, prepared to kick him in the face, when Hermione hit him with a stunning spell so powerful he was knocked backward.
Harry jumped to his feet, ready to hit the Death Eater with another spell, if necessary. But he stopped, frozen in horror at the sight he now beheld. Theo's father had fallen against the desk that housed the bell jar. His head, rather than knocking into it, had simply slipped through its pearlescent surface. For a moment, it looked as though he was wearing a bizarre fishbowl over his head. But as he lay sprawled with his back on the table, his head amidst the strange, glittering current inside the jar, his features began to change.
His head was shrinking very fast. His brown hair, very like Theo's, appeared to retreat back into his skull. His stubble-covered cheeks became smooth and round until eventually a baby's small head rested on his thick, muscled neck. Mr. Nott fought to get up as his head swelled back to adult size, only for the process to repeat itself again.
"What's… what's happening to him?" Theo cried as he watched the strange transformation that had befallen his father.
"Oh god…" Hermione murmured, her hand over her mouth. "Time… It's Time!"
Harry couldn't seem to tear his eyes away from the disturbing sight. But his trance was broken by the sound of a great crash coming from another room, followed by a scream. He grabbed Theo by his arm, dragging him away from his struggling father as he plunged forward.
"Blaise?" he called, "Millie? Nell?"
It was no use. He couldn't tell from which direction the scream had come, and his shouts had betrayed their position. He heard more footsteps echoing from the Hall of Prophecy, running toward them with haste.
"Come on!" Hermione urged.
She was leading them toward the circular hall once more, but just as they reached the threshold of the Time Room, a door on the opposite side burst open, and two more Death Eaters ran forward. Harry spotted a door to their left, leading into a small office. He shoved Hermione and Theo inside and attempted to lock the door behind them, but the Death Eaters shoved their way through.
" Impedimenta! " they cried simultaneously, knocking Harry, Hermione, and Theo off their feet.
"We've found him!" cried the shorter Death Eater excitedly, "We've found, Potter!"
" Silencio! " Hermione cried, silencing the man with her spell before he could say anything more. Angered by her interference, the man made a slashing motion with his wand. Harry reacted quickly, protecting Hermione with a shield charm before his curse could land.
" Petrificus totalus! " Theo shouted as the man's partner took aim at Harry. The Death Eater's arms and legs snapped together in a full-body bind. He teetered unsteadily for a moment, before tipping forward and crashing on his face. Meanwhile, Harry was defending both himself and Hermione from the onslaught of silent curses being directed toward him by the other Death Eater.
The man was skilled, probably more skilled than Harry. It was all he could do to parry his spells. Since he could cast the charms without uttering an incantation, Harry couldn't even prepare himself for what the man would do next. Time seemed to slow for a moment as the man once again lifted his wand toward Hermione…
" Stupefy! "
Through the slits in his mask, Harry saw a brief look of surprise cross the man's eyes, then he dropped to the floor, stunned and unconscious. As his body fell, the doorway he had been blocking was revealed. Millie and Draco stood in the opening, their wands raised. They had struck the Death Eater at the same time.
Draco stepped over the man's unmoving body as Millie stooped to pick up his wand, breaking it in two before tossing it onto his back.
"Are you alright?" he asked, grasping Harry by the hand before turning to help Hermione to her feet.
"Yeah, I think so…" Harry replied, checking to ensure that Theo and Hermione were unharmed. "What about you…?"
"Fine," replied Draco as he reached into the pocket of his robes, "And I've still got the prophecy."
He pulled the orb from his pocket and pressed it into Harry's hand, just as Harry had done to him earlier. Harry had half a mind to break the stupid thing, but thought better of it. They still hadn't found Blaise, Nell, or Ron. If his friends had been captured, then the prophecy might become a useful bargaining chip.
Together they fled the office of the Time Room, ignoring the cries of Theo's baby-headed father behind them. They stood in the circular black room once more, searching for some sign of where the others had gone. Too late, Harry realized that the fiery sigils Blaise and Hermione had placed on the doors had faded from sight. As Mr. Nott Senior regained his feet, screaming and thrashing around the clock-filled room, the door swung shut behind them. Just as he feared, the doors began to spin once more. When they settled, Harry had no idea which direction to go next.
Before he could make a decision, however, a door to their right burst open, and Blaise, Ron, and Nell came bounding out.
"Blaise!" Harry cried as both he and Millie rushed toward their friend.
Ron, on the other hand, stumbled forward into the arms of a very surprised Draco. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. His face was white, making his freckles stand out in sharp relief, but despite his haggard appearance, he was giggling uncontrollably.
"Hee hee… You know something, Draco? Your dad is a real wanker! Ha ha ha…" he commented before his knees gave way and he slid down the front of Draco's robes, still snickering.
"What's wrong with him?" Theo asked, trying to help Ron to his feet.
"We think he got hit with a Confundus Charm," Blaise replied with a grim look. He was holding one of Nell's arms over his shoulders, supporting her weight as she leaned against him, panting heavily.
"Are you alright?" Hermione asked her.
Nell shook her head, wincing slightly, while Blaise explained, "Four Death Eaters chased us into a room with a bunch of planets. It was dark. Nell was dueling one of them when she sort of… fell through space… I think she's broken her ankle."
Harry glanced around them. Twelve doors lined the circular wall. The door from which Blaise and the others had just fled remained open, revealing nothing of the room beyond but a sort of chilling blackness. They had a one in eleven chance of choosing the right room the first time.
"Follow me…" Harry told the others as he made his way across the room, selecting a door at random. They were only a few feet away before four Death Eaters emerged through the open door behind them, led by Bellatrix Lestrange.
"There they are!" she shrieked, pointing her wand at their backs.
Three stunning spells shot across the room as she screamed. Millie blocked them all with a practiced flick of her wand, keeping the others protected as Harry smashed through the door. He ushered everyone inside before grabbing onto the back of Millie's robes and pulling her through, slamming the door in Bellatrix's face.
" Colloportus! " he shouted before spinning around. They were back in the Brain Room. His heart sank as he noted several doors lining the four walls. He could hear footsteps circling around. The Death Eaters had spread through the other chambers, searching for another way in.
"Millie, Theo, Hermione," Harry said, "Help me!"
Leaving Blaise to tend to Nell and Ron still hanging helplessly on Draco's neck, the other four began to race around the room, sealing as many doors shut as they could. Loud bangs from the other side told him that the Death Eaters had them surrounded. Occasionally, they would throw themselves against a sealed door. It was only a matter of time before one of them recalled the charm that would allow them inside…
Sooner than expected, Harry heard a scream from across the room and turned in time to see Millie tossed through the air. She shit a desk, knocking it over as she slid to the ground, unconscious. Six Death Eaters surged through the door she was unable to close in time.
"Get Potter!" Bellatrix commanded as she took a few menacing steps toward Draco and Ron, "I'll take care of my nephew…"
Draco fired a spell at her, but it was difficult to take aim with Ron still leaning against him. Bellatrix dodged the curse easily, though she did not raise her own wand against him as she drew closer. She must have thought Draco still had the prophecy.
"Ron, get out of the way!" Draco urged.
"Ha ha, look at them, Draco! There are brains in that tank… hee hee hee…"
Ron's rambling had given Harry an idea. Thinking quickly, he directed his wand at the tank and shouted, " Wingardium Leviosa! "
One of the brains burst from the green liquid and hung suspended in the air, like some kind of nightmarish kite. Harry had no idea what it was or what it might do, but he flicked his wand toward Bellatrix, sending the brain toward her.
It spun as it soared through the air, trailing strange ribbons of moving colors behind it, like long strips of film. The streams of thought continued to unravel as Bellatrix used her wand to block its approach, sending it colliding instead with a Death Eater who had followed her.
The other Death Eaters paused to watch in confusion and horror as the brain's tentacles began wrapping themselves around their comrade's arms. He was trying to fight off the climbing ribbons of thought, but as they began to expand further, spinning around his chest, he gave a petrified scream.
Bellatrix either did not notice or care about his distress. She had continued to stalk toward Draco. Blaise, trying to help from where he was still supporting Nell, followed Harry's example. Pointing his wand at the water-filled tank, he summoned one of the brains and tried to send it flying toward Bellatrix. She pivoted at the last moment, swiping her wand at the brain and sending it flying back toward Blaise. He managed to push Nell out of the way before the brain could touch her, though he wasn't so lucky. As Nell hit the floor with a gasp of pain, the brain's strange, bright tentacles began wrapping themselves around Blaise's arms.
"NO!" Harry screamed, knocking two Death Eaters to the ground in his haste to get to Blaise.
" Diffindo! " he yelled, trying to sever the tentacles that were now wrapping themselves tightly around his friend, binding his arms to his sides. But they would not break. Blaise fell to the ground, thrashing against his bonds.
"They'll suffocate him!" screamed Nell, crawling across the floor toward him.
A jet of red light flew by her head, nearly hitting her. Nell, still clutching her wand in one hand, turned and stunned the Death Eater who had tried to attack her.
Blaise had continued to struggle against the brain's tentacles, his wand held tight in his hand. Nell had dragged herself to his side, not daring to touch him, but murmuring incantations under her breath as she moved her wand across the ribbons of color, testing their hold.
Harry couldn't bear to watch as Blaise's struggles grew more weak. He turned his face away, only to see that Draco had shoved Ron aside and was dueling his aunt, who was loudly screeching at him, demanding the prophecy. Theo was dueling a tall, stocky Death Eater, while Hermione fended off two adversaries at once. Millie lay on the ground on the other side of the room, still unconscious from where the spell had hit her. Harry desperately hoped she was merely stunned…
He had only one thought. He needed to get the Death Eaters away from his friends. Praying that Nell would find some way to free Blaise, he grabbed to prophecy and raised it high above his head.
"Bellatrix!" he screamed over the sounds of fighting, "I've got what you're looking for, right here!"
He paused just long enough to confirm that she had seen him, then bolted out the closest open door. His plan seemed to have worked. The Death Eaters who were still fighting abandoned the others to chase him. He continued to run at random, twisting through the back hallways of the Department of Mysteries, bursting through door after door until all at once the floor seemed to vanish. He fell forward, rolling down a series of stone steps until he landed with a crash. Groaning, he rolled onto his back, only to see the crumbling stone arch directly above him.
Bellatrix and the three Death Eaters who had followed him from the Brain Room trailed slowly into the hall. They laughed as Harry scrambled to his feet, spreading out across the top tier of the stone theater. Five more joined their ranks, emerging from other doors that encircled the room. Among them was Narcissa Malfoy, her long blonde hair loose and flowing as she stepped forward. She did not appear injured, but there was a ferocity about her expression as she gazed coldly down at Harry.
"This is the end," she said without emotion, "Hand over the prophecy now, Potter. You are surrounded."
"Don't you want to know where your son is?" Harry spat at her, "Not worried one of your buddies has killed him, are you?"
Narcissa directed a sharp glance at Bellatrix, who tossed her dark hair and sneered, "Relax, Cissy. I haven't harmed a hair on ickle Drakie's head."
"Who cares about him?" called the stocky Death Eater Harry had seen dueling Theo. His mask has been knocked askew, and Harry thought the face underneath bore a striking resemblance to Crabbe. "We just need the prophecy!"
Harry lifted it high for them all to see, careful not to lose his grip in case they tried to summon it out of his hand again. "Here it is! Let the others go, and you can have it!"
At that moment, three more Death Eaters reappeared, holding fast to Blaise, Nell, and Draco. To Harry's immense relief, Blaise seemed to be free of his bonds, though there was a strange, vacant look on his face. Nell had her eyes closed in pain, trying to place her weight on one foot while the Death Eater who held her captive pointed a wand into the side of her neck. Only Draco seemed to have the strength to continue fighting as he struggled against this captor.
Narcissa seemed to take note of her son. With a self-satisfied smile, she turned back to face Harry and said, "As you can see, you are in no position to barter."
"Don't listen to her!" Draco shouted fiercely, "Don't give it to them, Harry!"
Narcissa did not seem angry. She merely looked at her son as if she were seeing him for the first time, stunned that he would dare to defy his parents. Bellatrix, however, smirked at this act of teenage rebellion.
"Perhaps Potter needs a little incentive?" she suggested.
Before Narcissa could reply, Bellatrix had pointed her wand at Blaise and screamed, " Crucio! "
The vacant look on Blaise's face crumbled into a mask of pain as he screamed, dropping out of his captors arms as his legs buckled beneath him. The Death Eater jumped back, as if afraid the curse would somehow pass to him if he touched Blaise, like an electrical current.
Bellatrix allowed his screams to fill the hall for a few seconds before lifting her wand.
"That was just a taste of what I can do! Now, Potter… Either give us the prophecy, or watch as each of your friends dies, slow and painful…"
"Bellatrix, no!" Narcissa gasped as her sister once again pointed her wand at Blaise.
" Cruc… "
"HARM MY SON AGAIN, AND I WILL KILL YOU!"
Harry's head jerked in the direction of the voice. High above him, silhouetted by an open doorway, stood Mrs. Zabini, looking more beautiful and frightening than Harry had ever seen her before.
She was not alone. She was flanked by Sirius and Remus on one side, Tonks and Kingsley on the other. Bellatrix turned her attention to face this new threat, but Mrs. Zabini was faster. She sent a stunning spell flying at Bellatrix. Harry didn't wait to see if the curse landed, but dove toward the stone steps, taking cover.
The Death Eaters were distracted. They outnumbered the members of the Order, but they had been caught unaware. As they fought off the spells that now rained down upon them, Harry crawled as fast as he could to where Blaise lay, shaking and panting.
"Blaise? Blaise, are you alright?" Harry asked urgently.
He didn't like the look of his friend's arms. The tentacles that had bound him seemed to have cut through the fabric of his robes, down to the skin beneath, leaving a trail of ugly red welts behind.
Whatever hold the brain had held on him seemed to have been broken by Bellatrix's torture, for Blaise was able to nod his head, though he flinched with pain.
"I'll be fine," he replied, his voice hoarse, "Where… Where are the others?"
Harry lifted his head as high as he dared. The Death Eaters that had held Draco and Nell had abandoned their charges in their haste to duel the members of the Order. Nell, unable to move far with her broken ankle, lay slumped against one of the stone seats, looking terrified. Draco, on the other hand, had taken a wand dropped by a stunned Death Eater and joined the fray. As Harry continued to watch, Hermione, Theo, and Millie burst into the room. Hermione and Theo stooped to help Nell, while Millie shifted into her falcon form and soared above the fighting. She dove suddenly, snatching a Death Eater's wand in her talons before snapping it in two.
With their forces combined, they were no longer outnumbered. The Death Eaters were falling back. Some lay on the ground, knocked unconscious in the fight. Others were attempting to flee out the open doors surrounding the hall, only to be called back by the outraged voices of their comrades.
"Come on…" said Harry, helping Blaise to his feet, "We should move, while the others are distracted…"
They had not made it very far when a thick arm grabbed Harry by the collar of his robes.
"Give me the prophecy!" snarled a masked Death Eater in his face. His hand closed around Harry's throat. He couldn't breathe, much less utter an incantation.
Blaise, his wand long gone, lunged the Death Eater with the last of his strength. Harry's attacker was thrown off balance enough that he loosened his hold, and with the wand Harry still had clutched in his hand, he stunned him.
"Thanks," Harry said to Blaise, pulling him aside as Remus rushed by, engaged in a fierce duel with his own Death Eater.
"Harry! Blaise! Gather the others and get out of here!" he shouted as he passed.
Harry wanted nothing more than to heed this command, but at that moment, he heard a cry that was abruptly cut off. Tonks fell several feet down the stone steps, knocked unconscious by a Death Eater. The man's mask had been removed, and Harry recognized the face of Dolohov from the Daily Prophet. The man was grinning evilly at Harry, raising his wand toward him…
" Protego! " Harry shouted at the last minute. He managed to protect both him and Blaise from the worst of the spell, but he was knocked off his feet. Dolohov was bearing down upon them now, but before he got close, Sirius slammed into him.
"Harry! What are you still doing here? Take Blaise and go!"
Behind him, Dolohov had recovered. His gaze was now locked on Sirius. Before he had a chance to utter a spell, however, Harry shouted, " Petrificus Totalus! "
Dolohov's arms and legs snapped together in a full-body bind. He came crashing to the ground as Sirius grinned at Harry.
"Nice one! Now, get out of here!"
Something was wrong. In the second before Sirius turned his face away, ready to face another adversary, Harry caught a glimpse of his wild expression. He wasn't sure what he had seen, but as much as he wanted to help his godfather, he knew Blaise needed him more.
He pulled Blaise's arm over his shoulder, as he had seen Blaise do for Nell before. And yet before Harry could help him to his feet, he felt another hand descend on his shoulder. This time it was Lucius Malfoy. He spared not a glance for his son, who had turned against him, nor his wife, who was fighting for her life. He stared at Harry, his expression livid, as he directed his wand against him and shouted, "The prophecy! Hand it over!"
Harry was fed up. All of this pain and bloodshed for a prophecy he didn't know about until tonight, and one he didn't care about at all. He glared up into Lucius Malfoy's face, grasping the prophecy in one hand.
"You know what?" he said, lifting it before Mr. Malfoy's eyes, "Choke on it."
Before Mr. Malfoy could stop him, Harry had thrown the glass orb on the ground at his feet. A pearly white figure with strangely magnified eyes rose into the air, unnoticed by anyone but Mr. Malfoy, Blaise, and Harry. He could see her mouth moving, but between Lucius's scream of anger and the fighting that raged around them, the words were lost. She spoke only for a moment, then dissolved into nothingness.
Mr. Malfoy glowered at Harry, jabbing his wand in his side as he hissed, "You'll pay for that, Pott…"
"Impedimenta!" Harry cried before he could finish, blasting Mr. Malfoy off his feet and sending him hurtling down several rows of stairs.
"Harry…" Blaise said, his eyes wide. Harry marveled at how his friend still managed to look surprised after everything they had witnessed that day. "The prophecy…"
"Who cares?" Harry asked, trying once more to lift his friend to his feet.
Blaise waved him away, "Don't bother, Harry! I'll be ok. You should go and help the others!"
Harry looked around him once more. Draco and Theo were standing back to back, dueling Death Eaters on either side. Hermione and Nell had vanished through one of the doorways. Meanwhile, Ron was missing, and the members of the Order who were still standing continued to fight.
Harry waved his hand as Millie flew overhead, summoning her to his side. She landed in human form, crouched next to Harry and Blaise.
"Can you take Blaise and round up the others?" he asked, "See if you can get everyone out of here!"
Millie nodded wordlessly, lifting Blaise easily off the ground. He staggered to his feet, looking surprised as Harry handed him his own wand for protection.
"What will you use?" he asked.
"I don't need it," said Harry.
He didn't stay to answer further questions. Dashing down the steps, he rushed toward Sirius. Bellatrix had managed to get the better of Mrs. Zabini, and was now engaged in a heated battle with Harry's godfather atop the stone dais.
" Protego! " Harry shouted, throwing his arms wide just as Bellatrix directed a stunning spell at Sirius.
The shield charm worked. Bellatrix's spell rebounded, striking her in the chest. She slipped soundlessly off the edge of the stone dais, collapsing in a heap on the floor. Harry turned to his godfather, a smile on his face as he anticipated more praise. But to his shock, Sirius sank to his knees. For a fleeting moment, Harry thought he had failed to block Bellatrix's spell, after all. Then he caught sight of his godfather's face, and his vision swam.
The skin of Sirius's face was mottled, half of it bearing the same gray, desiccated appearance Harry had seen on his chest many months ago. The curse mark had spread, not just to his face, but across his neck and even on the back of his hands. There was no telling how far the mark spread. It had nearly consumed him.
Sirius began to tip forward. Harry caught him before he could slam his face into the hard floor. Harry knelt on his knees, cradling Sirius in his arms and calling his name.
"I'm… sorry…. Harry," his godfather wheezed in between shallow, rapid gasps, "I couldn't… keep my promise… I couldn't… beat this…"
"No!" Harry pleaded, his eyes burning with the tears he fought to hold back, "No, you're going to be fine! We're winning, we'll push them back…"
"Harry… I can't…"
"It'll be alright!" Harry begged, squeezing Sirius's shoulders. Had he always been so thin? He felt small and frail in Harry's hands, like he would dissolve away at any moment. "We'll get you to St. Mungo's… The healers will know what to do…"
"No…" Sirius said, a sad smile across his ravaged, once-handsome face, "Listen to me, Harry… You and Remus… take care of each other…"
Harry couldn't hold back any longer. He was sobbing openly. He couldn't tell if the fight was still raging. He didn't know if the Death Eaters had been captured or if his friends made it to safety. It was as if the stone dais with its crumbling arch were a deserted island, and he was completely alone. Alone, with only his godfather slowly dying in his arms.
Sirius's lips were still moving, as if there was more he wanted to say. But no words came out. Softly, he closed his eyes. His short, frantic breathing stopped, and Sirius Black, last of the Most Noble and Ancient House of Black, moved no more.