There was a long, painful moment in which no one seemed to know what to do, and Aurora's mind went into panic mode. All rational thought blurred together and then escaped her head, and all she could do was stare and reach clumsily for mute words. Bringing out her wand, was too dangerous; Umbridge had most of the squad behind her, but Harry and Hermione and Ron were detained, and she and the rest of her friends frozen, panicked, each of them trying to find a way out that wasn't just attack. Any attempt at violence would immediately betray their intentions, and they were outnumbered.

It was Theo who first came to his senses, enough to say, "Aurora and I were on our way to find you, Professor. We saw the Weasley twins running amok and then..." He faltered.

"Potter seemed to be joining in, with his friends. We thought it best to bring them all here, to your office, rather than risk them getting loose around the castle. And the others — Gwen and Leah and Robin — thought they'd seen something so they came to help, and then when we got here, so did Pansy."

Leah released her on cue with a smile. Her hand was still tight around her wand. If they were to move, they all had to move together. "I panicked," she said lamely. Umbridge did not look convinced. On the contrary, her smile widened.

"Miss Parkinson?"

Pansy stepped forward, and behind her, the other five closed ranks, Aurora in the centre. They followed her movement, hands on their wands, ready to strike. If they could free up the three Gryffindors behind them, then they might have a chance in numbers. But Pansy had shown a side to herself and her magic tonight which Aurora had not witnessed before, and that unknown factor scared her.

"Miss Parkinson, what is happening?" Pansy stared at her; white faced, tight lipped, wide eyed. "Miss Parkinson. There is no need to be afraid, dear."

Pansy glanced at Aurora, then at Potter and Granger. Her lip quivered. "I don't — I don't know." Her voice was so quiet that Aurora could barely hear her. "I just got here and thought something... That they might be involved with the Weasleys."

Why was she lying now? Why was she backing out after all those threats? Aurora's head spun as she tried to make sense of it all.

"You called for me," Umbridge said softly. "I told you all, that was only for use in emergencies. What was Potter really doing here, Miss Parkinson? Why was Black really with him?"

"I don't — I don't know."

Umbridge's eyes glinted. Her tone grew impatient as she said, "I'm sure you must have some idea, or else you would not have summoned me here, away from my duties."

"I — I thought maybe he might be trying to find Dumbledore, or something... After what happened to McGonagall and Hagrid... But Aurora found them! She isn't part of it."

Aurora tried to keep her face neutral and look innocent even as she felt like her brain was about to explode. "I've no idea what's going on, Professor, to be quite honest."

Stunners on Umbridge, and the rest would fall apart in panic. Cassius caught her eye, worried. He would not stand by Umbridge if she fell. She hoped that same might be true of Millicent and Pansy. But she could not be sure.

"Oh, is that right?" Umbridge's high laugh was shrill and disbelieving. "You have been sneaking around with Harry Potter all year. I have suspected for quite some time that you were hiding something from myself and your peers. You are in contact with Dumbledore too, are you not?"

"Dumbledore?" Aurora made her answering laugh sound just as disbelieving as Umbridge's. She had the means to destroy Umbridge. Threats could get her out of this, or at least stall enough for time that Potter might manage to get the Ministry, raise the alarm, save her father — do something, anything, at least. Except. How could she let him do that, without her overseeing, making sure everything went right? How could she stand to stay here? "Hardly. The old man despises me. What on earth would we have to discuss?"

"Your plans to overthrow the Ministry, for a start!"

"Why would I want to overthrow the Ministry? I'm quite comfortable with my place in it."

Umbridge's eyes darted to Draco, who seemed for a moment doubtful. His grip on Ginny faltered slightly. "I know you snuck into my office a few months ago. I know you think yourself clever, but you are just a little girl, with nothing of worth."

She knew. She knew, she knew, she knew. Aurora felt the world tumble away from her, like she had disconnected from everything. All she could focus on was the rush of blood in her head, and the knowledge that she had to get out of this. "I didn't sneak into your office at all," she said, doing her best to act bewildered. "I've only ever been in here for meetings of the squad — and of course, on this occasion."

"So you are calling Mister Malfoy a liar? He claims a friend of his saw you."

Which was impossible. Draco and most of their friends were out of the castle on the occasion Aurora really had been in. Perhaps he suspected, but he had no evidence. Aurora shifted so she was hidden behind Pansy, and brushed her fingertips around Gwen's wrist, hoping she would understand it was a signal. Umbridge was distracted. The Gryffindors could be freed, carefully. "My cousin has rather turned against me, I fear. He is known to lie." She could not stop herself from looking at him. Then her gaze slid to Millie, who was staring between her and Pansy in dawning horror. Something was happening behind her eyes that Aurora could not understand. "But I have done no such thing."

"She's lying! Crabbe saw her!"

"And does Vincent have proof? I trust no one has stolen anything from your office, Professor? I would not."

And she had not. Much as she wanted to crow to Umbridge about the power she held over her, now was not the time. This was only about getting herself and Potter to the Ministry, without suspicion, and saving her father.

"Don't have proof," Vincent muttered.

Umbridge glowered and said, "That is besides the point. You were caught here with Mister Potter and his associates, who were clearly up to no good, and likely used the Weasley twins' antics as a distraction to sneak in here."

"I caught him."

"So Miss Parkinson says. But I would like to hear Harry Potter's version of events now."

"You haven't wanted to hear my version of events all year," Harry bit out, struggling against the tendrils of ivy Umbridge had caused to wrap around him.

"And yet, you have been so eager to give it."

It all happened very fast. One moment, Umbridge had her wand pointed straight at Potter; the next, two Stunners had raced from opposite ends of the room and hit her, one in the chest and another in the back, and in a flash of red light, she collapsed to the ground.

"Theo?"

"Bulstrode!" Draco snapped, but Millie had already relinquished Neville and Disarmed Vincent, letting Luna rush out from his grip.

Aurora dove for her wand as Gregory snapped around, sending a hex slicing through the air towards her. In the chaos, Cassius let Ginny go; an instant later, Aurora shot a Petrification Jinx at Draco and he fell backwards, still stunned and clutching his forearm.

The same was done to Vincent and Greg and the Carrow sisters, and then it was just Millie and Cassius, the latter staring wildly around the room. Behind Aurora, Leah reversed the curses on Granger and Weasley and they slipped down against the wall, exhaling loudly and unsteadily. Silence reigned. Aurora kept her wand fixed on Cassius.

"What's going on?" Millicent asked, eyes wide. "She—" she pointed an accusatory finger at Ginny "—said something to Longbottom about your dad being in trouble. Is it true?"

Aurora could not remember the last time she had spoken to Millicent, in any civil way. Yet here she was, and she had possibly just saved them all.

"I — yes, Millie. Yes, it is. Thank you."

Millicent's gaze fell on Pansy, who was still trembling in Gwen's grasp. Leah stood, horrified and frozen, to the side. Millie's forehead was creased in naive confusion. "You didnt come here to help, did you?"

Pansy opened her mouth but no sound came out.

"Go," Millie said, blinking rapidly.

"Millie, we can't let them go!"

"Why not?" Potter spat. "Do you know what's happening?" He whirled around on Aurora. "Black?"

"Of course I — I — you can't go. Please. I'll be in ever so much trouble."

"Is this what you were talking about? After Easter?"

"Millie, shut up!"

"It was about Aurora?" Millie's mouth fell open in surprise. "Pansy!"

Before Millie could say anything more, Pansy had grabbed her wand and hit her with an effective Body-Bind Jinx, that sent her plummeting to the floor. Robin surged forward, shoving his way between Pansy and Gwen, seemingly her next target. There was a look in her eye that Aurora did not recognise; terrified and almost deranged, panicking. It was a look that usually would make her stop and give sympathy, make her want to hold her friend close and fix her problem.

But Aurora's problem seemed to her far bigger than Pansy's. In fact, Pansy's problems — whatever those were — seemed to completely dissolve in the face of her own mounting stress and anger.

"Put the wand down," Aurora said, voice dangerously low as she stepped closer, wand tight in her hand as she aimed it at Pansy's cheek. "Tell me what you know, now:"

"Aurora I can't, you know I can't — I'm sorry!"

"For what? What's going on? What are they doing to my dad, Pansy? What have you done?"

Pansy let out a broken sob and Aurora reached forward; the sound did nothing but infuriate her. She grabbed her friend's shoulders, pulled her around to face her. "Tell me!" she shouted in her face. "Tell me what the fuck is going on, Pansy! Tell me why you'd betray me to Umbridge, tell me why Millie thinks you know about whatever is happening to my father and tell me now, before I have to march to the Ministry myself and tell Voldemort it was you who revealed his plotting to me!"

She hadn't realised she had dug her wand into Pansy's neck until Pansy shrieked, trying to back away. "I can't!" She tried to turn and run, but Potter blocked her exist, his own wand pointed straight at her.

"Tell us how to get to Sirius," he demanded, voice furious and terrified. "Now."

"I..." Pansy's words shattered on a ragged sob. "He's..." She swallowed tightly. "They took him to the Department of Mysteries. The prophecy hall. I don't know how to get there, no one told me! But Aurora, please don't go! You'll be in danger!"

"My father's being tortured, you fucking idiot!" This just made Pansy burst into tears.

"I'm sorry, Aurora — I didn't have a choice—"

"Of course you had a choice! You didn't have to call Umbridge—"

"If you go running off after him, with that lot, who knows what'll happen to you? They want to kill you!"

"They'll find a way even if I don't go! You can't protect me from that, Pansy!"

"I'm trying to!"

"No. No, you're not. You'll never do enough to." She grabbed her wrist and squeezed tightly so that Pansy gasped in pain. And it felt good. Like she could make Pansy feel the anguish that was tearing at her own heart right then. "Tell me the truth. The whole truth, right now."

"I don't — I don't know why — they're there, in the prophecy hall."

"With my father?"

"Yes. But Aurora, you can't — it's a trap."

"But my father is dying."

Pansy stared at her, eyes glistening with tears, and nodded. "You barely know him, you can't—"

Aurora had cut her off with a slap before she even knew what she was hearing, before she even felt herself move. Pansy gasped, shrieked, fell to the side. "He's my father. Don't tell me what I do and do not know, Pansy."

"Aurora," Harry's voice broke in, impatient, but laced with disgust, "we have to go. Sirius is still there."

Yes. Yes, he was, and no amount of snarling and spitting and screaming at Pansy was going to save her unless she went now.

So she locked gazes with her once friend, disgust rolling through him, and raised her wand. Pansy's breath hitched. "Please don't—"

"Petrificus totalus."

The curse was painless, but it hurt Aurora to cast. To realise it was necessary and to see Pansy fall to the floor like that, eyes still gleaming with tears and lips holding a half-formed apology. But Aurora found herself unable to care for the tears and the sorrow. Only anger ran through her, hardening.

"It's a trap," she said hollowly, turning. "Im not letting any of you go in there."

"Bullshit," Robin said, folding his arms.

"Oliphant, I can't—"

"Im coming," Harry said, and she rolled her eyes.

"I wasn't counting you, Potter, I know there's no stopping you. But the rest of you, please. Stay here. Keep an eye on this lot. Try and get a message... I don't even know."

"You can't go in just two people if there are Death Eaters there!" Ginny Weasley said, annoyed.

"We can and we will."

"We're not going to let you," Theo said.

"There's not a question of let—"

"I agree with Nott," Ron said, looking pained. He turned to Harry. "Come on, mate. You can't do this alone, the two of you."

"I've managed to do a fair bit on my own, just me."

"Well not this time, Harry!" Hermione pleaded. "We all want to go and fight. We care about you and Sirius, and the war."

"I can't let you—"

"Fine," Aurora snapped, "we're wasting time now. But we need some plan, and someone needs to make sure Umbridge and the rest don't wake up and ruin things."

"We have to have something to fight with," she said, stumbling into Umbridge's desk as she came to Potter's side "we're going into a battle, whether my father's there or not, and we have to keep you away from the prophecy—"

"Prophecy?"

"I'll explain on the journey — and we have to be prepared to make a quick exit, and if he isn't there, we get in and get straight back out and we — if it is a trap, there'll be back up. Potter." She locked eyes with him. "Go through the Floo, under the cloak, scout it out, then come back. If it's clear, I'll come through."

"And us," Ginny piped up, and Aurora glared at her.

"Yes, fine, if you want to get killed, that's fine! Theo, you stay back, if the Death Eaters are there you're in too much danger that you can't escape if you're seen, and you can lock the Floo if Umbridge comes to and Leah, you too, then you can come through if you need to get a message to us, and — and really, none of you should be coming at all, but — Potter, go!"

He did as he was told, but pulled Ron and Hermione under the cloak with him, predictably.

"I'm not staying behind," Theo told her. "I'm not letting you run into danger—"

"You're not letting me do anything," she said through gritted teeth. "It's my choice."

"And what about my choice?"

"Oh, so you want to be disowned and tortured and murdered by your grandfather, do you?"

"Well I don't want you to be!"

"Well, what if that's more likely if you're there? I don't think your family's going to like that! Just — please, stay!"

"You can't just tell me—"

"Theo, please!" Her voice wavering on a high-pitched sob. "I can't — I might lose my father, I can't—"

He stepped forward, warm arms wrapping around her, hands nestling gentle in her hair. His voice whispered in her ear, "I want to fight alongside you, Aurora. I can't stand the thought of you being in danger like that, I can't just stand by—"

"I need you to do this," she whispered back, squeezing her eyes shut to push back the stinging tears that threatened against her lashes.

"Don't tell me—"

"Aurora?" Potter's voice came from the fireplace and she whirled around, out of Theo's grasp. Potter raised his eyebrows, but said nothing. "All clear."

She disentangled herself from Theo without looking at him, and looked over his shoulders to the others. "You know this is the best solution. We need someone here."

"You don't have to protect me," he whispered, anger flashing in his eyes. "I can make my own choices."

"I'm protecting myself," she hissed back. "Can't you see — if you're caught there, everyone will know it's because of me. Well both be in more danger, and I can't have that on top of my dad."

"So it's selfish?"

"Would you rather it wasn't? You don't seem to like either intention, so either come or don't, but you really, really should say."

She turned before he could stop her and was through the Floo to the deserted Ministry atrium, joining Granger and Weasley to wait for Potter, Ginny, Neville, Gwen, and Robin. Too many people, she thought, anxiety churning up in her chest. Far too many, again. People she could not rely on, people who weren't her, people who could screw up and whose mistakes she might not be able to salvage.

She could only hope that she herself was not making the biggest mistake of them all.

But she had to put that out of her mind, as Harry got them in to the now deserted Ministry, as they hurried through the high, imposing Atrium and downstairs towards the Department of Mysteries, as everybody else whispered and plotted and Aurora could only focus on keeping herself and her father alive, for fear that if she did or tried to do anything else, she would simply fall apart. She had to focus on the goal. It was the only way.

There was no security around to stop them. They walked straight through the empty rooms and they did not have to halt. Every step, Aurora grew more and more certain that they should turn back. It was a trap, it was clear. The stage had been set already for them. At the very least, she should send the others back, to safety, and forge on ahead herself. At least she could control her own actions.

But they would not go, and selfish desire meant that she wanted to keep them around. There was safety in numbers.

She let Harry lead them through, until they reached a circular room lit by eerie blue light and he paused, uncertainty etched on his face. Aurora stepped up to stand by his side, facing one of the dozen doors that surrounded them now.

"How do we know where to go?"

"The prophecy hall," she told him, "that's what Pansy said."

"You think she's telling the truth?"

"Yes." At least, it confirmed her own thoughts. "It fits what you described. And they'd have reason to be there. It's — it's being guarded. Or should be."

She couldn't remember who was supposed to be on guard duty. If it even mattered. They had failed. Perhaps they were already dead.

"How do you know?" Harry demanded. "How can you be sure of what Parkinson says, she's already betrayed you."

"I'm sure it's the prophecy hall—"

"Why?"

"Because he wants you there," she snapped. "Voldemort." A chorus of gasps went around. Aurora hadn't quite realised she was capable of saying the name until now. "That's why he's hurting my father, because he wants the prophecy about you and he needs you to get it for him and — and..." Her head clouded again, the thought she was reaching for disappeared. "He's there. Vol — the Dark — he's there?" But he shouldn't be. Doubt crept at her. What had her father done, to stop him? To force this?

"I don't understand."

Confidentiality did not matter any longer. If Dumbledore would rather Potter stay in the dark and die for it, then that was his problem. Aurora, somehow, stupidly, didn't want him to die.

"There's a prophecy about you and Voldemort," she said, forcing the name out. It was the only way to keep Potter's attention on her. "It's the weapon they've all been talking about."

"Weapon?" Gwen echoed.

"Who the fuck's they?"

"That doesn't make sense. How's a prophecy a weapon?"

"Because it says how you two can destroy each other! But, Harry, he needs you to get it, prophecies can only be retrieved by the people who they're about, so he needs you there but — but he should be able to get it himself and so he — I don't know what's real. Merlin, I should have seen it sooner—"

"So there's a prophecy about me and you knew it's the weapon this whole time and you didn't say anything! You've known all year!"

"I couldn't tell you, my dad didn't know about the Order when he told me—"

"This was before this year?"

"He had to explain your parents' deaths to me so I'd know he was innocent—"

"You've known since third year?"

"I didn't know it was fucking important!"

"It's about me!"

"Oh yes, I forgot you're the centre of the universe!"

"Both of you, stop!" Hermione shouted, and Aurora was just startled enough to stop talking. Hermione lowered her voice. "Let's not alert anyone where we are. The more time you two waste bickering—"

"She lied to me!"

"—the less time we have to save Sirius."

She wasn't even sure if he was down there. But she had heard screaming. Pansy had known he was there and knew Aurora would go to save her father and she had to try and stop it.

"It's still a trap."

"And you'd rather your dad died?"

"No." But her heart was pounding and her palms sweaty and her head spinning and her throat clogging with nausea and bile and she could barely even see straight, only just holding onto her wand with such trembling hands. "I just — I don't want to walk into a trap and get all of us killed. We have to have a plan to de-escalate. We needed more time, we rushed into this—"

"We don't have time—"

She seized his arm, pulled him towards her and glared right at him, furious. "There are nine of us. We need to split. Someone to confront whoever's waiting there. Someone to free my father — presumably he's bound, if he's being tortured. Someone to guard the prophecy. Or break it." It could save them, if they knew its contents, but if the Dark Lord came here, in the chaos, then he would be able to access it, too. She would rather lose a weapon entirely than give it to the enemy. "But Voldemort isn't the one torturing my dad. Or else, if he was here, he'd already have the prophecy."

It dawned on Potter then, the light in his eye. "I thought that was what I saw. Voldemort torturing him."

"It might not be here. He might have manipulated it… Your Occlumency…" Her heart thudded in her chest. They were wrong, they were fools.

"I didn't see Voldemort, though. Just Sirius, in pain…"

"But you saw through his eyes!"

"No, I — I don't know. I don't know how this works. But you heard his screaming!" Someone's screaming. She was sure it was him, but that could be faked too, and she had been desperate and scared. Nausea rolled through her. "We have to try, Aurora. I — me and you can take the Death Eaters, yeah? We'll distract them, they'll expect the two of us and no one else, probably. The others… Ron and Hermione can find Sirius and — and everyone else should stay behind."

"What?" Ginny exclaimed, hands on her hips. "I'm not staying out of it."

"You could be a lookout. Just in case…"

"And how're we going to let you know if something happens?" Ginny asked, arching a cool brow. "You could be miles away."

"We're coming with you, Harry."

Aurora sighed. "Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I, will take the onwards approach into the room we need to be in. The prophecy hall. When we say split, the rest of you go double back and go round until you find Sirius."

"I know exactly where he is," Potter said. "Down to the row…"

Aurora was certain it would be as close as possible to wherever his prophecy was. Her chest tightened.

"And if he isn't there, we run. Immediately."

They all nodded, braced for a fight. Aurora tried not to look at them, guilt already setting in. She should never have come here, let alone let anyone join her. But now that she was, she could not walk away. Not if there was even the slightest chance that Potter was right.

"Alright," Aurora said stiffly. "Which door is it?" Just as Harry opened his mouth, the wall started to grind together and rotate, the doors spinning. They got faster and faster, the blue lights burning themselves into blurs in her vision, until eventually, just as Aurora thought she might pass out from the confusion of it all, it stopped.

She breathed in deeply.

"What was that about?"

"I think it was to stop us knowing which door to go through."

"Well, obviously," Aurora snapped, "Potter, come on. Use your… Whatever. Your sense. Where do we go?"

"I don't know. In my dreams there was only one door and then I went through another door into a room that kind of… Glitters. We should try a few doors. I'll know the right one when I see it."

The first door led to a room glowing with strands of golden light. The others went inside but Aurora hung back, nervous. If it wasn't right, she couldn't go.

"Look at this," Harry said over his shoulder. "There's brains here, in a tank."

"Stay back," she snapped at them. "It could be dangerous. And it isn't what we're here for, either. Stay focused. This place is designed to distract. Like a labyrinth. You'll get lost forever if you're not careful."

They all exchanged glances that she did not want to read into. But they hurried out on Harry's word, Hermione marked the door with a fire brand, and the wall was shuddering round again.

Despite her reservations, the next room they opened the door into called to her. She could see through the darkness a sort of sunken tiered amphitheatre, around twenty feet deep, in the centre of which there was a stone dais with an ancient, near-crumbling archway. It hung with a tattered black curtain, but Aurora could hear voices whispering behind it.

She could barely hear or even sense the others as she made her way to the dais, her ring burning on her finger. She jumped down the tiers and benches of the room, her heart pounding. She believed in some mad part of her heart that she could hear her father's voice there, too. The curtain swayed gently, as though by a light breeze, or as if someone had just passed through it. She could feel a hand at her shoulder, but nobody was there.

"Dad?" she whispered. Silence. She approached the archway with caution, arm raised, nauseous, and circled it, caught by the dizzying irrational sense that there was something standing on the other side, watching and mocking her. But there was nobody, only empty, cold space.

"Who is there?" she whispered, staring at the darkness of the veil. "I know there is someone."

It had Death's shadow about it. In the distance, she heard a boyish laugh, more voices. "Trapped," one said, the voice of a young man, far away as though he were underwater. "Help us."

"Can't you hear them?" she murmured. Potter came to stand by her side, reaching out a hand toward the veil, but she caught it, moving him away. "Don't touch," she said. "It has Death around it. Just... Listen."

Don't cry, Aurora, said Arcturus' voice. It's alright now.

She swallowed the lump that rose in her throat, shoulders relaxing as she watched the veil fluttering calmly. "It is," she said quietly, and waved her hand through the air. Around the side of the Veil, Death turned to stare at her, lips curving in a curious smile. "It is alright now."

"I don't like it," Neville's voice said nervously. "Aurora, Harry, get away from it."

"It's alright," she said again, holding a hand for silence.

"There's something behind it," Harry said. "I can hear voices."

"They won't hurt us," she told him, turning with a small smile on her lips. "Don't worry, Harry. It's all alright. Just listen."

They stood in silence a moment longer. Those voices overlapped, creating a sea of syllables. Arcturus' stood out, but there were others too. She longed to step forward, to be beside them, but she knew better. They were beyond now. But that was alright now.

"Let's go," she said softly, and though she didn't touch the curtain, she trembled her fingerstips over the stone of the archway, and Death's cold fingers wrapped around hers, oddly comforting.

"Be wary," he told her, and her other hand went to the snake necklace around her throat. Julius hissed and she smiled.

"I will be." The voices rang in her head again and she blinked away tears. "Thank you."

She wanted to stay there forever, wanted to hear every word that they had to say to her. They were calling to her, they needed her. She put her hand upon the cold stone, relaxed into it.

"We really need to go now!" Hermione said with urgency, but Aurora hardly listened.

She could hear her family, she was sure she could. She was desperate to reach out and to touch them, see them, listen to the words she needed to hear, the words that might save her.

"We are meant to be here for Sirius!" Hermione shouted, voice cracking through the strange silence, and the words echoed sharp in her mind.

Her father. She had to find her father. She stepped away from the veil. She may have lost everybody else, but she refused to lose him, refused to give up.

"Let's go, then," she said, voice thick as she hurried back to the door, past Hermione, into the large room. Potter trailed behind her, looking dazed. "Please, let's — let us go now."

She did not dare to look at anybody, not even as they tried to solve the conundrum of the next door they came too, which would not open and melted the device Potter tried to unlock it with. But the fourth door led to a vast glittering hall, crowded with clocks. Aurora did not let her curiosity make her stop to pause and investigate the clocks or the time turners or the bell jars, for she did not care; the only time that mattered to her was the time that they were losing to distraction.

"Hurry up," she prodded Ginny Weasley, clasping her wand tighter.

"This is it," Potter said, tugging her towards another door at the far end of the hall. "It's just beyond there, and then, it's — it's row ninety seven, and that's where he is."

"You're absolutely certain?"

"Of course I am, Aurora."

But the Dark Lord would take it for himself. If her father had dallied and stopped him, would he not have raised the alarm? What if they were too late anyway, to save the prophecy or to save her father? Aurora could not help but feel that she was in too deep, over her head, that somewhere along the way she had made a grave miscalculation.

There should be no point to their being here now. And it was too quiet for a scuffle, too quiet for a fight. Unless he was already dead and the prophecy already gone. He must have been captured, but what had happened to whoever had been on guard duty? What if something had gone wrong and been changed and her father had been the last line of defence, and Voldemort had taken the prophecy along with her father's life, and there was nothing more? What if he was already gone?

"I don't think we should be here," she said as Harry opened the door to reveal a high-ceilinged room full of dusty shelves, littered with balls of curling pale blue smoke. And he ignored her, because he always did, and she did not dare to be left behind.

She kept her wand out and kept to the back, the better to keep an eye out for attackers from behind. She felt nobody else would have the foresight to worry about that.

"You said it was ninety-seven," Hermione whispered to Harry, not very well, as Aurora could hear it, too. "We need to go right, I think. Yes, that's fifty-four."

The silence and the stillness was disconcerting. No signs of a struggle. Either her father was already dead, or they were in the wrong place.

But he was somewhere, somewhere unknown. It may as well be here, or at least there may be a clue. When they reached ninety-seven and there was nobody there, she damn near burst into tears.

"We have to go" she told Potter, "we have to turn back."

"We have to find him. He's somewhere."

"But not here. Please, Potter this isn't right, I — it isn't adding up, there should be a struggle…"

"What if I was seeing the future?"

"When have you ever seen the future?"

"It's further down. I know he's here. He is. The rest of you, go round the back now."

It was too quiet. He was already dead.

Harry kept leading them on, but no matter how far down they went, there was no sign of her father. But the ring on her finger burned and so did Julius around her neck.

"She is here," he hissed, "I sense her. Lady Black, you must leave this place, now."

She knew that too. But she couldn't run, not now and not alone. Her head spun. It was wrong, all wrong. She was wrong. She had been reckless and foolish, and now…

"It has my name on it," Harry said. "That's it. It's still here."

"Run," she said. "Like I said — the rest of you, go, now—"

"So soon, Lady Black?" asked a high, mocking, feminine voice. "Don't you want to see your father? I'm told you've grown rather fond of one another."

Her stomach twisted as a woman's figure emerged from the shadows, clad all in black, wearing a mask that concealed her features. But Aurora could imagine her face already. She knew it all too well. "Bellatrix," she whispered.

"Very clever. Now, if you'd be so kind as to instruct dear Potter to hand over that prophecy over there, you can see Sirius again. We've had great fun getting reacquainted."

Perhaps it wasn't Voldemort who had been torturing him, perhaps it had been Bellatrix; either way it didn't matter. Her father was here. He was suffering.

"Where is he?" Harry demanded. "Where's Sirius?"

"All in good time, Potter," drawled Lucius Malfoy's familiar voice, emerging from the shadows. As he moved, Aurora could just about make out a group of half a dozen or so Death Eaters, holding between them one limp form. Her father. Death was not here yet, but she feared it was close.

Her whole world seemed to narrow in on that one limp shadow.

When Lucius said to Harry, "Give that to me," Aurora whispered, "Do it."

Harry's hand reached up to the shelf. Hermione hissed, "Harry, no! That's what they want!"

"Of course it's what they want," Aurora said, locking her gaze with Lucius's cold eyes. "And they have what we want. A trade is only fair. Do it, Harry."

"I want Sirius first," Harry said. "He's not useful to you — this is."

She should have been the one to bargain. But she couldn't tear her gaze from her father, she couldn't think beyond the words, do it, Harry, just fucking do it and give it over and be done.

"Very well," Lucius said, then snapped, "Nott. Bring Black over here."

Cold shot through Aurora at the sound of Theo's surname. It worsened at the sight of her father, limp between two Death Eaters' arms, being hauled over the floor to fall in a heap, at Lucius' feet. "What have you done?"

"Only slight torture, and a Body-Binding Curse. He will be mostly intact."

Bellatrix laughed. "If you give us the prophecy, that is."

She wasn't even sure her father was breathing; she kept watching, unblinking, desperate to hope. "Do it, Potter," she said, tongue coming loose of her body. She didn't know she was speaking until a second later, when she realised she recognised the sound of her own voice, but still she could not tear her gaze away from her father long enough to see if Harry was listening.

Staring there, with time and the world condensing around her, Aurora was torn back to a day only a few years ago, an empty meadow and a room of unfamiliar faces after she set her aunt and uncle to rest; further, to an empty room and a cooling hand and fear of the unknown setting in; to letters throughout the year, of family members falling like chess pieces; to the emptiness after Grandmother died and the uncertainty of being forced into the world; to dreams of lights and fire and screams and pain, over and over, to the feeling of the world falling away, like she was scrambling to cling to a cliff side with rocks eroding and rolling over her, pushing her down, further from everyone she needed, everyone she loved.

"Harry," she said in a broken voice, catching on a sob, "just do it, please, just give it to them, now, we can figure out the rest later, just do it!"

"Don't," Hermione hissed, but Lucius made a sound of triumph and Aurora knew that Harry had the prophecy off the shelf. His footsteps behind her were quiet, soft, and as he came to her sides she could just make out the pale blue glow of the prophecy.

He shot her a sidelong glance then said, "Free Sirius first."

"And why would you do that?"

"I'll break this if you don't," Harry said, and Aurora whipped around to glare at him.

"Don't do that, you idiot — give it to me—"

"Very well," said Lucius, surprising her. "He will not be of very much use to you... And seeing as you have been so co-operative, I am sure we can stand to give you some sort of reward."

She didn't believe for a moment that that meant they would be free to go, and she knew Harry was not naive enough to believe so, either.

"Lucius," Bellatrix said in a low voice, "you said I could have him. The Dark Lord—"

"Will be grateful for the prophecy. You can still play with Lady Black, Bella."

Aurora did not like the sound of that. "Fine," she said, tilting her chin up, "you want me, Bellatrix? Let my father go."

Grey eyes lit up silver beneath the mask, and Aurora stepped forward, Harry at her side. If she let her father die, she knew that she could not live with herself; she feared that losing one more person would break her entirely. And there was that rushing, pulsing desire under her skin too, fury and destruction that wanted so deeply to break through, to cause a scene, to make this whole place crash and burn. It was Castella's magic, coursing through her, furious and frightened and old, clawing for a way out.

Bellatrix and Lucius looked at one another, and slowly, Lucius nodded. "Release him, Nott."

Again, the name was like a cold slap to the face. And she knew it had to be just her imagination and fear, but she swore Nott was watching her, swore she could see his cold and challenging smirk, seeing right through her. "Finite incantatem," he said in a voice she did not recognise. Not Lord Nott, then, but Theo's father instead. Of course it was.

Her father slumped onto the floor, but turned, making an unsuccessful attempt to push away. "Dad!" she cried out, rushing forward, but Lucius held an arm out to stop her. "Let me—"

"Not so fast," Lucius said softly, as her father let out a cold, broken cough and twisted around. "The prophecy."

"Harry, do it, then we can—"

"No." her father's voice broke through, his eyes bright and frantic. "Harry, Aurora, don't — don't give it to them."

"Shut your mouth," Nott snarled, and cold went through her.

"Dad, are you—"

"NOW!" roared Potter's voice, and all Aurora could do was duck as half a dozen streams of blue light flew over her head, right towards where the Death Eaters were standing.

A handful were thrown back, and the rest just scattered, into the shadows where, it seemed, Luna and Neville had been waiting, leaping out with wands brandished and forcing them back. Lucius and Bellatrix distracted by being hit, Aurora darted forward and grabbed her father, hailing him to his feet.

"You're alive," she panted, and he stared at her blearily, swaying slightly.

"Seems like it. Let's keep us all alive, hm?" He looked over her shoulder at the others, then to Neville and Luna running towards them, and ordered, "All of you, turn and run now! Go!"

And they all careened into the dark, as curses rained around the room and the shelves swayed and toppled, prophecies falling and shattering at their feet.