Harry, Ron, Hermione, Dean, and Seamus stepped out of the fireplace, into the eery, empty atrium. They stayed very close together, all their nerves on high alert.
"Where do we go from here?" Hermione whispered.
"The hallway looks like the same one I went down when I came here for my hearing. I remember Mr. Weasley taking me all the way down to the last floor on the lift and then we had to walk down two more floors." Harry explained.
"Come on, then. The lifts are this way." Ron led the way to the silent lifts and pressed a button. It clanged into life as it rattled down to their floor. The sound of it echoed loud across the empty atrium. They all clambered into the lift, Ron jamming the button for the very last floor.
The group stood in silence, each of their minds racing in different directions. Seamus turned to Harry, who was doing his deep breathing exercises. He took Harry's hand into his own and gave it. Squeeze. Harry kept looking straight but squeezed his hand back.
Finally, they made it to the last stop. They scrambled out and continued down the last two flights of stairs, to the very last floor of the ministry. Harry's breath caught in his throat: The hallway was just like his vision, right down to the very last detail. He took a deep breath as he led his friends down the hall, their wands all drawn.
"What are we going to do when we find Sirius?" Ron whispered.
"We fight like hell," Seamus responded. Dean and Hermione exchanged looks.
"W-who is Sirius, now?" Dean asked nervously.
"Sirius Black – he's Harry's godfather," Seamus explained.
"And not a vicious killer like everyone thinks." Ron said.
"This is it," Harry said, stopping at the very last door. "This was the door your dad was guarding the night he was attacked."
Harry slowly reached out for the doorknob and turned. The door creepily creaked open. They all exchanged looks before entering the dark room.
"Lumos," Hermione whispered, her wand lighting. The others followed suit. They looked around the room; it was pretty empty, only the door at the very end could be seen. They proceeded to it and opened it up. Harry expected to see the room full of orbs – that's usually how the dream went. But instead, they found themselves in a room made of nothing but doors.
"Shit," Harry whispered under his breath.
"Where do we go from here?" Dean whispered.
"I'm not sure," Harry said, looking at every door carefully. "One of them needs to lead directly into a room with glowing orbs, though."
"Should we just start trying them?" Ron suggested.
"That's probably our best bet." Seamus said. He went up to a random door on his left and opened it: It was filled with broken desks and chairs. "Well, we can rule this one out," and he shut the door.
No sooner had he short the door that the floor started rumbling beneath the, they reached out for each other to steady themselves as the room started to spin.
"Oh no!" Hermione said, turning this way and that.
"What? What happened?" Harry asked nervously.
"This room is designed to confuse those who try and enter! The doors have all switched!"
"So you're saying we don't know which door is the one we originally came through?" Dean asked.
"Exactly!"
"How are we going to make our way out?" Ron asked, looking at every door for the right one: But it was useless for they all looked the same.
"We'll worry about that after," Harry said, turning to a door on his right. "Let's just concentrate on finding serious first." Harry opened the door and found himself in a room filled with fish tanks. "This definetely isn't the room either."
Harry made to shut the door, but Ron pushed it open further. "Are those – are those brains?" He asked, stepping further into the room.
"We don't have time to explore, Ron!" Harry said irritatedly as Ron headed towards the tanks. He stopped short, almost as if he was afraid to get any closer.
"Let's go, Ron," Hermione said further. Ron hesitated for a moment before leaving the room. "Don't shut the door!"
Ron paused as Hermione ran to the door. Using her wand, she carved a big red X into it. When she shut the door, the room started spinning once more, but this time, there was a blurred X spinning as well. When the room stopped, the X was still there.
"Brilliant, Hermione!" Harry said. He went forward and tried another door.
The group tried a total of four doors before they finally came across the one they needed: The one that led them directly to the room filled with glowing orbs. Harry swallowed hard as he slowly made his way into the room, the others following behind him.
"And you're sure Sirius is down this way?" Ron whispered.
"Yeah….he should be down aisle fifty-eight…" Harry increased his speed as he looked at the aisle numbers. He jumped slightly at any noise that sounded: He was terrified what he would find when he came across Sirius, but he knew he couldn't stop now: His godfather needed him.
"Harry – this is it. Aisle fifty-eight." Seamus pointed down the aisle. The others gathered at the entrance, looking down the darkened way. Harry took a deep breath as he raised his wand higher and proceeded down. He could feel his anxiety increasing with every breath he took. He tried to not get distracted by the orbs on either side of him, their glowing somehow increasing his fears.
"Harry….I don't think he's here." Hermione said as they reached the end of the aisle. Harry stopped short looking left and right. Sirius indeed was not there…where was he? Harry turned to the aisle next door and frantically started making his way down there as well.
"Baby," Seamus called out. But Harry ignored him. Sirius had to be there. He wasn't at Grimmauld Place – where else could he be? Harry could feel his lip starting to tremble. Did he truly lead his friends into certain danger?
"Er, Harry?" Dean called out. Harry raced back to the other aisle. Dean was staring at one of the orbs. "It has your name on…"
"W-what?" Harry asked, confused. Momentarily forgetting about Sirius, Harry stood next to Dean and stared at the orb. It did, in fact, have his name on it.
"Why is your name in here? None of us have our names." Dean started looking at the other orbs curiously. Harry felt his heart rate increase as he slowly reached out for the orb.
"Harry, don't!" Seamus suddenly said, grabbing hold of Harry's arm.
"But it's my name…" Harry said. His hand closed on the orb, which was surprisingly warm to the touch.
"Very good, Potter."
The friends whipped around to find someone coming closer to them in the shadows. Harry raised his wand and the light fell on Lucius Malfoy, Draco's father. Others were behind him, slowly emerging from the shadows. The friends huddled closer together.
"Hand me the prophecy, and no one need get hurt," Lucius said silkily.
"P-prophecy?" Harry questioned, lookin down at the orb. "Is that what this is?"
"You mean you don't know?" Lucius chuckled softly. "You don't know what the dark lord has been trying to tell you over the last year?"
"Know what? What are you talking about?" Harry was so confused.
"The prophecy, Potter. The reason your parents were killed."
Harry's breathing started to become shallow. He looked down at the orb once more. He looked up startled when a horrendous laugh sounded on Malfoy's left side. Bellatrix Lastrange, Sirius' cousin, came out of the shadows.
"Poor little baby Potter doesn't even realize why the dark lord wants him dead!" Bellatrix said in a horrible baby voice. "Did you think your parents' murder was a mere coincidence?"
Harry swallowed hard. He needed to get him and the others out of there – but he knew they were surrounded. He needed to keep them talking while he figured out a plan. He gazed around the shelves of orbs, dreading the question he was dying to ask.
"Why did he want to kill them, then? And why is my name on this prophecy?"
"The great Dumbledore couldn't even be bothered to tell you!" Bellatrix laughed.
"If you want this, you better start talking!" Harry said, holding the sphere tightly. "Why is there a prophecy about me?"
"You dare threaten us?!" Bellatrix yelled, stepping forward. But Malfoy put his arm out to stop her.
"Now now, Bellatrix," Malfoy said softly. "Potter has a right to know. It is not just a prophecy about you. It is about the dark lord as well."
"Why does he want this so bad?" Harry asked, a plan starting to form. He slowly leaned back, and barely moving his lips, he whispered a plan to Seamus. "When I say go, destroy the orbs." Harry could feel Seamus relaying the message to the others.
"Because Potter, he wasn't able to hear it all. And prophecy's can other be taken by those they are made out to. You think the dark lord can just waltz in here to take it? When the rest of the world believes him to still be dead?"
The death eaters around them started laughing. Malfoy took a small step forward. "Come on now, Potter. Don't you want to know what it says? Don't you want to know the reason you were chosen?"
Harry stared deep into Malfoy's gray eyes. He couldn't pretend he wasn't curious. "All these years….all these years and there was an actual reason? And Dumbledore knew?"
"Of course, Potter. I know it hurts, but we can listen together….learn together…just hand me the orb. Hand it to me carefully, and we will let you leave."
Harry knew for a fact that they weren't just going to let them go scotch free. But Harry played along for the sake of the plan. He took a small step forward. "I've always wanted to know why. Why me? Why my family."
"I know," Malfoy said, fake sincerity in his voice. "And we can learn that together. That's right, nice and slow."
Harry took another step. He didn't care about the prophecy – but if it was the only thing keeping them from getting hurt, he would guard it with his life. "I've waited to know why for so long…but I guess I can wait a little longer – GO!"
Harry shouted and he heard the others shouting behind him. The next thing he knew, there were the sounds of crashes happening all around them. The death eaters threw their arms over their heads as orbs started falling on them. The group of friends ran as fast as they could down the aisle, heading towards the exit.
"Give me that prophecy, Potter!" Malfoy screamed.
Harry felt a spell fly right by his head. He felt Seamus grab him and pull him to the right and straight through the door. They closed it behind them: Seamus sealed it with his wand as the death eaters fell into the door.
"Where the others?" Harry panted, holding a stitch in his side.
"I thought they were right in front of us?" Seamus panted as well.
"You don't think –" Harry was cut short as pounding started on the door.
"Forget this door! There are others – you two go that way, you two, follow me!" Malfoy started.
"We have to get to the atrium!" Seamus cried out. He took Harry's hand and led him through another door. This one had cabinets filled with time turners. They quietly made their way through the room to the door on the other side. The stopped short as the doorknob started turning. They raised their wand, ready to strike if needed.
"Oh thank god!" They breathed a sigh of relief as the others flew through the door.
"Where do we go from here?" Hermione asked breathlessly.
"We need to get back to the atrium,' Harry repeated. They went back the way they came, now that they knew that door wasn't the way.
They shut the door behind them, watched as the room spun once more, and choose the next door at random. They found themselves back in the brain room.
"I think I heard them this way!" Voices could be heard coming from the spinning room. The others ran to hide, under desks and behind cabinets.
Harry watched as the robes of a death eater made their way closer to his and Seamus' hiding spot. Harry positioned his wand just right: The robes got longer as the death eater started bending down. Harry jabbed his wand into the death eater's mask, causing him to cry out.
"They're here!"
Harry and Seamus jumped out and started firing spells at the other Death Eaters, who were completely caught off guard. Seamus got one right in the chest, causing him to fall backwards into a cabinet. It was almost like slow motion as he fell into the time turners, time reversed, he sprung back up, shook his head and fell backwards once more, the entire process repeating.
"Let's go!" Dean yelled, and they headed for the exit. They ran through the moving room straight into another room. It was vast, almost like a theater. There were hundreds of stairs, and a stage like platform at the bottom. The friends quietly made their way down, hoping for another way out.
"What is this place?" Dean whispered, looking around in awe.
"Not sure," Harry said. He felt in his pocket to make sure the orb was still there. His eyes kept glancing towards the stage: There was an archway covered by a ripped, decaying cloth. Harry got an ominous feeling from it. He turned to the others. "Do you think –"
There was a sudden yell, and death eaters poured into the room. The group looked around frantically; they suddenly realized too late, that that there was no exit. They were trapped. The friends huddled together, their wands held aloft.
"You're trapped, Potter!" Malfoy yelled. "Hand over the prophecy!"
"You promise to let my friends go?" Harry yelled desperately.
"The time for negotiation is over! Hand it to me, now!" Malfoy pointed his wand at the orb, but Harry held on tightly as it trined to leave his hand. The death eaters ran down the stairs, jumping over seats.
"Expelliarmus!" Harry shouted, causing one of the death eaters to lose him balance. They watched as he bounced down the stairs. The others started throwing spells as well, some hitting their target, while others missed.
"Harry!"
Harry looked up at the entrance and his heart burst with joy: Sirius was there! He started running down to them, blasting at any death eaters along the way. He was soon joined by Lupin, Tonks, Kingsley, and Mad-eye. Harry watched as almost all the death eaters turned their attention to the other members – except for Malfoy, who was still desperately trying to get the orb.
Harry and the others started making their way up to the exit, desperately trying to avoid the death eaters and their flying spells. Harry kept looking back, making sure his friends were still behind him, where he felt himself hit by a spell, knocking him backwards. The orb flew out of his hand, but Seamus managed to catch it. He bent down to help Harry up, when he too, was hit by a spell. Harry watched in horror as Seamus fell down a few stairs an laid sprawled out on the floor below.
Dean, who was now closest to Seamus, grabbed the orb and tossed to Hermione. "You go on! I've got him!" But Harry couldn't leave his love. He turned around.
"Harry, look out!" Ron shouted. Harry managed to turn just in time and dodged a curse thrown his way by Malfoy, who was very fast approaching.
"I don't think so, you bastard!" Sirius hurled himself over a fallen death eater and a few steps, and was right on top of Malfoy in a matter of seconds. He drew his fist back and bunched Malfoy as hard as he could in the face. "Harry! Don't worry about the others, run!"
Harry stood frozen: He couldn't leave the others. He went to take a step forward, but Ron grabbed his hand and started dragging Harry up the stairs. Harry watched in desperation as Dean was able to lift Seamus up with the help of Hermione and started dragging him up the stairs.
"Give me the prophecy!"
Harry and Ron stumbled as a death eater suddenly appeared in front of them. He held his and to his face, smiling at him menacingly.
"Don't do it, Harry!" Dean yelled below him. Harry didn't see any choice out of this. It was either hand the orb over and get killed, or keep it and get killed anyway. Harry slowly lifted the orb up, his hand shaking greatly. The death eater looked at it hungrily, triumphantly as Harry slowly extended his arm forward.
"It's Dumbledore!"
Every death eater, order member, and student looked up just then to see a very angry Dumbledore standing at the top of the stairs. There was a fury in his eyes he had never seen before. But he knew in that moment, they were saved.
"Retreat!" Malfoy yelled, supporting a bloody nose.
In Harry's brief hesitation at the arrival of his headmaster, the death eater had made a jump for the prophecy: He and Harry had wrestled each other for moment before Ron jabbed the man in the eye with his hand. Harry slipped as the man let go of him and Harry fell to the ground, the orb falling out of his hand and bursting open. In the chaos, no one could hear what the prophecy said as it slowly started dissipating.
Harry looked up in time to see most of the death eaters had been rounded up and tied together by Dumbledore. The only two left fighting were Sirius and Bellatrix. Their fighting was turning deadly as they threw curse after curse at each other. Harry tried not to pay attention as he and Ron made their way down to Dean, Hermione, and Seamus.
Before Harry knew what was happening, he looked up just as Bellatrix threw a curse at Sirius: It hit him in the chest. Sirius looked shocked as he stumbled backwards. He and Harry briefly made eye contact before Sirius's eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he fell backwards through the veil.