The Incident At The Department Of Mysteries

Please see my note at the end. Thank you, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

A few weeks passed, and Draco's truce with Daphne was still holding. It took a little while, but Neville finally noted that most of Draco's circle had stopped bullying him, with the rather conspicuous exception of Theodore Nott. And Daphne noticed that Draco had even cut back on his teasing of Hermione. Only Harry and Ron continued to bear the brunt of the antagonism from Slytherin House.

Tracey might have ended up being a target herself, due to her growing relationship with Weasley. But Draco knew that Tracey was like a sister to Daphne, and so left her out of the bullying as well. He was determined to make Daphne and Astoria trust him. Ron, too, asked Tracey to stay out of any disputes he and Harry had with Draco's crowd.

"I don't want you getting hurt," Ron had told her one morning before their first class. "So please stay out of it, yeah? Me and Harry can take care of ourselves."

And so things continued as weeks turned into months, and the end of the term was at least drawing near. The fact that many Slytherins—Draco included—had joined Madame Umbrdige's so-called "Inquisitorial Squad" caused tensions between the two groups to skyrocket into a game of cat-and-mouse, as the members of Dumbledore's Army had to be even sneakier in attending their meetings. And still Draco's truce with the Greengrass sisters held out.

Then, one fateful night in mid-June, Daphne burst into the mostly empty common room, a look of fright on her face. Astoria, who had been sitting near the fireplace and reading over an essay for charms, jumped up. "Daph! What is it? Are you alright?"

Her sister ignored her and rushed down the stairs to the girls' dorms. Astoria, essay revision forgotten, chased after her. She caught up as Daphne hurried into her dorm, which thankfully was empty. Astoria followed her inside, closing the door behind her.

"Daphne! What is it? What's going on?" Her sister continued to ignore her as she hurriedly changed out of her uniform into more casual clothes; then she rummaged around in her trunk, grabbing a couple little things and stuffing them in her pockets.

"Daphne!" Astoria yelled, grabbing her sister by the arm and forcing her to acknowledge her. Daphne frowned at her.

"I don't have time to discuss it now, Astoria." Daphne replied tightly, pulling her arm free of her sister's grasp, but Astoria grabbed both her arms.

"You tell me what's going on right now, or so help me I will go tell Severus!" Daphne saw the fire in her sister's eyes and knew she would do what she threatened. Panic descended on her and she in turn grabbed Astoria's arms and gave her sister a shake.

"NO, Tori! You can't tell anyone!" But Daphne knew her sister well enough that she had to tell her something, or else Astoria would most certainly carry through with her threat. Closing her eyes with a sigh, she whispered, "Harry had a vision…his godfather, Sirius Black, has been captured by the Dark Lord and taken to the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry, and is torturing him to hand over the prophecy about Harry defeating him. Harry, Hermione, Ron, Luna, Ginny and..and Nev and I are going to go and try to rescue Sirius."

Even as she repeated it, a small corner of Daphne's brain realized how utterly foolish it sounded…a small group of fourth and fifth year students attempting to take on the most powerful dark wizard alive, as well as who knew how many of his most loyal followers. But there was no way she was letting Neville and her other friends face that danger alone!

Astoria frowned. "You mean Sirius Black who is Daddy's cousin?"

Daphne nodded.

Astoria, a glint in her eyes, raised her chin defiantly. "Alright, then I am going with you guys, Daph!" Astoria said. "Ginny and Luna are going, and they're only a year ahead of me. You know I can hold my own in a fight. I want to help save Sirius!"

Fear surged through Daphne at Astoria's words, and she shook her head. There was no way in helheim that she would let her baby sister get within a hundred miles of the Dark Lord! Besides, if she was going to die, which was quite possible, Astoria must remain alive to continue the Greengrass line.

Grabbing Astoria by her shoulders, she exclaimed, "No! Stay here, Tori. I mean it! This isn't a game!" She lowered her voice to a whisper. "The Dark Lord himself is there, along with his most trusted and deadliest Death Eaters. It's way too dangerous for you to go!"

"But, Daph, I want—"

"Stay here!" She shoved Astoria into a sitting position on one of the beds. Astoria looked scared to death, and Daphne took note of her face. Guilt flooded her and she sighed, kneeling in front of Astoria and taking both her sister's hands in her own. "Tori, I'm sorry. I can't let you go with us. Father would never forgive me if something happened to you. Please, stay here! And don't tell anyone where we're going!" She leaned forward and kissed Astoria's forehead. Looking her sister in the eye for what she prayed wouldn't be the last time, Daphne whispered, "I love you so much, Tori!" before standing and rushing back out of the room.

Astoria sat in stunned silence on the bed for several moments, her mind spinning and feverishly trying to work out a solution. Yet she knew Daphne was right: if she went, Daphne would be too focused on Astoria's safety to pay attention to a fight. And Daphne would already be extremely worried about Neville's safety anyway. And yet, Astoria refused to let her sister go into such extreme danger without lifting a finger to help. Her mind settled on an idea, and she sighed.

"I'm sorry, Daph," she whispered, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. "I know I can't go, but I just can't let you go alone either. You'll all be captured and tortured yourselves…or killed." She paused and sniffed, swiping at her nose as a tear escaped her eyes and slid down her cheek. "You said not to tell anyone, so I hope you'll forgive me for this…someday." I need you to be around to forgive me. Astoria paused and sucked in a deep breath, then yelled, "LIZZY!"

A few moments later, the elf appeared, wringing her hands and bowing to Astoria. "What's wrong, Miss? Are you sick? Are you hurt? What does my little mistress need?"

"Take me to my father, Lizzy, right away!"

"What be wrong, little mistress?' the elf repeated. "Is you sick? Where is the other young mistress? Is she alright? What is happening?" Lizzie sounded panicked, and began tugging her ears.

"Please, Lizzy! Just take me to Daddy now!" Astoria was beginning to panic as well.

With a whimper and a nod, Lizzy grabbed Astoria's hand and aparated them to the Greengrass estate, appearing in the front entry hall.

"DADDY!" Astoria yelled as soon as her feet hit the floor, dropping Lizzy's hand and racing for the sitting room. "Aunt Bella!"

Both adults stood as Astoria burst into the room. She threw herself on Will, who hugged her briefly before stepping back, keeping hold of Astoria's shoulders. "What is it, sweetheart? What's wrong?" Will sounded panicked; Bellatrix put her hand on his shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Tell us what's happened, Astoria?" She asked. Her voice sounded calm, but inside she was as worried as William was.

Astoria paused a moment, catching her breath. "Daphne and the others are on their way to the Department of Mysteries to try and rescue Sirius Black!"

"Sirius?" Bellatrix frowned in confusion. "What on earth is Siri doing at the Department of Mysteries in the middle of the night?"

"Harry had a vision that your cousin Sirius had been captured and was being tortured by the Dark Lord at the Ministry, so he and Neville and Daphne and Hermione and some of the Weasleys are going to try and save him!"

A scowl covered Will's face, and the panic in his gut turned to cold terror. "Those idiot kids! What do they think they can do against the Dark Lord?" He turned to Astoria. "Did your sister say where in the Ministry they were going?"

Astoria scrunched her face up in thought. "Something about a mystery department."

"The Department of Mysteries?" Will replied, his face growing pale.

Astoria nodded.

Will let go of Astoria and grabbed fistfuls of his hair, his eyes alight with panic. "Damn it! I can't lose Daphne! I've got to do something!"

Bellatrix squeezed his shoulder again. Will closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. Astoria was wringing her hands, tears streaming down her cheeks. Resolution and rage replaced the stark terror in his mind. A grim expression settled on his face, and he exchanged a look with Bellatrix; she gave him a small smile and a nod.

Will let out a heavy sigh. "You ladies stay here, I need to get something. Back in a moment." Without another word, he turned and strode from the room. Astoria flung herself on Bellatrix and began sobbing. "Daphne is gonna die, isn't she Aunt Bella?"

Bellatrix knelt and returned Astoria's hug. "Shhh…No, no, sweetheart. Daphne will be fine. Your father and I will save her and her friends. I promise." Although just how they would do that escaped her at the moment. But she trusted Will. If anyone could save Daphne and the others it would be him. After all, he had rescued her from Azkaban and restored her sanity, two things that most would say were impossible. Yet Will had done them both. With help, of course, but still.

Will returned a couple of minutes later, holding a peculiarly and ornately carved staff about five feet long. Bella wanted to ask him what it was, but she could see the look of grim determination—and worry—that still covered his face, and decided questions could be asked later. Will knelt and gave Astoria a hug. "Stay here with Lizzy, Astoria. We'll be back soon." Kissing Astoria's forehead, Will grabbed Bellatrix's hand and strode from the room.

Once outside, they proceeded down the steps onto the front lawn of the manor. "The Ministry has anti-apparation wards, and the floos are most likely shut down for the night. This will get us there fast. It's a powerful magical object that's been in our family since our line was first established." He grabbed Bellatrix and held her tightly against him.

A thought suddenly popped into Bellatrix's mind, and she looked up at him, her face twisting in worry. "Will, if we show up together, everyone will know that you broke me out. And the DMLE will be after you! I—I can't put you at risk like that. It could jeopardize your place in the Wizengamot!"

"Let them know!" Will replied with a growl, his face covered in a scowl, his eyes shadowed with fear and rage. "My daughters mean more to me than anything on earth, besides you, my love. And the Greengrasses are one of the seven families who have a hereditary and perpetual seat on the Wizengamot since we were there when it was originally founded. There's nothing anyone can do about that. They'd have to amend the entire charter, and other families wouldn't want to risk potentially being removed themselves one day." He leaned close and kissed her. "It will be fine, my love. But we have to go."

Will closed his eyes and tapped the staff against the ground three times, exhaling his breath as he did so. With no warning, a vortex of darkness opened beneath their feet. Bellatrix gave a little yelp as they sank into the ground…

…emerging moments later into the midst of a fierce battle. Spells were flying around the stony, cavern-like room they found themselves in. Will saw Harry and Sirius dueling Lucius Malfoy and what looked like Antoin Dolohov in front of a stone arch. Bellatrix spotted a few other Death Eaters dueling with her niece Nymphadora and a strange man she didn't quite recognize, and beyond them a group of children—children!—struggling against some other Death Eaters whose identities she couldn't make out at that distance.

Will, both his wands in hand, immediately shot several spells at Dolohov and Malfoy, while Bellatrix made her way closer to the children. She saw Daphne's blonde hair and fired a curse at the Death Eater that looked to be almost ready to hex the girl.

Malfoy's head shot over and his eyes widened when he saw Bellatrix dashing off, and Will hurling spells at him. And like the coward he was, Lucius ducked behind some rubble and hid while Will battled Dolohov. Harry and Sirius both gaped as well at Bellatrix and Will's arrival, before a couple other Death Eaters attacked.

The moment that Sirius was distracted by one of the other Death Eaters, Lucius stood from his hiding place and yelled, "AVADA KEDAVRA!" But Bellatrix had heard Lucius, and saw who his target was. Without thinking, she jabbed her wand at Sirius and yelled, "STUPIFY!" just before Lucius finished his own spell. The stunning spell hit Sirius first, and he toppled to the ground a mere moment before the killing curse flashed through where he'd just been standing.

"How dare you!" Bellatrix shrieked, lunging at Lucius. The force of her attack knocked Lucius over, and he dropped his wand. Bellatrix grabbed him by the front of his robe and slammed the back of his head against the ground. "You dare to raise your wand against a member of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black?! You dare to use the killing curse on my cousin?"

She put her wand to his throat, glaring down at him with her teeth bared as her other hand wrapped around his throat. "You had better thank Merlin every day for the rest of your miserable and pathetic life that Cissy loves you as much as she does. Otherwise I'd kill you right here and be done with it!"

Lucius gaped up at her, terror plain on his face as he futilely attempted to remove his sister-in-law's hand so he could breathe. And unnoticed a few feet behind them, Harry Potter stood gaping at the sight of Bellatrix Lestrange manhandling Lucius Malfoy.

Moody, meanwhile, had seen what he assumed was clearly Bellatrix attacking Sirius. With a roar of "I KNEW IT!" he launched a volley of spells at Bellatrix, forcing her to roll off Lucius and duck behind a pillar. Moody frowned as Bellatrix steadfastly refused to return fire, simply batting away any spell that came too close to her. "Stop it, you crazy old fool!" She hollered. "I'm on your side!"

"HA!" Moody shouted back, continuing to fling spells at her hiding place. "Like I'm supposed to believe that, you Death Eater scum!" And yet, a tiny corner of his mind pointed out well, she has only been attacking the other Death Eaters.

Moody ignored the little voice in his head, however. There was no way in Merlin's life that Bellatrix Lestrange had joined the forces of the light.

But Moody's attack against Bellatrix was short lived. For Will, who had succeeded in knocking Dolohov out of the fight by breaking both his legs with a bone breaker curse, turned at just the right moment to see Moody attack Bellatrix, and he instantly began flinging his own spells at the old ex-Auror. Moody was forced to stop fighting Bellatrix and go on the defensive as Will fired spell after spell at him.

Will was sending so many spells in such quick succession that Moody couldn't attack as he was too busy attempting to block the furious volley constantly bombarding him. Moody would never admit it—in fact, he had a difficult time admitting it even to himself—but he was getting old. As powerful a wizard as he was, and an expert in dueling and combat, his reflexes were slowing down.

Finally, Will managed to sever Moody's artificial leg. The man fell with a grunt, landed hard on his side, and dropped his wand, bellowing in pain as his arm broke from the impact of his fall. Will rushed forward and pinned Moody to the ground, kicking the old man's wand several feet away.

"Go ahead, Greengrass—do it!" Moody growled, gritting his teeth because of the pain he was experiencing. "Kill me! The Order and the DMLE will hunt you for the rest of your life!"

"I've heard that same threat from you a hundred times! They have to get to me first, you decrepit antique!" A manic smile covered Will's face, the battle lust having taken control of his mind. "Anyone setting foot on Greengrass land while be annihilated! I've seen to that! I'll destroy your pathetic Order of the Phoenix! I will crush the DMLE! The Dark Lord will take over magical society! Is that what you want, Alastor? But at any rate, yes, I am going to kill you. I warned you what would happen if you ever threatened my family again! In fact, I think I'll give you the same thing I gave Rodolphus Lestrange!" A maniacal laugh escaped Will, his mouth twisted in a horrible sneering grin.

"Will, no." A voice spoke from behind him just as he opened his mouth to utter the terrible curse, and a gentle hand was placed on his shoulder. Bellatrix had crawled over to the two men as soon as she saw Will pounce on Moody. "Don't kill him, Will. I know how you feel about him, I don't care for him either; but you don't want his death on your hands, my love. Not like this. You've beaten him. He's unarmed. If you kill him now it would be in cold blood, and that isn't you, that isn't the William Greengrass I fell in love with all those years ago. Let him go, Will. For me."

Her words brought Will back from the bloodlust that had taken possession of his mind. He gazed up at Bellatrix and slowly withdrew his wand from Moody's neck. He stood, tears gathering in his eyes as Bellatrix's words sank in, and enveloped her in a crushing hug. "Thank you, my love. Thank you for bringing me back."

Bellatrix returned his hug. "I love you, Will," she whispered. "The fight is over now, so let's go home." Will clapped his hands, the staff returning to him. He once more tapped it on the floor three times, and the two sank into the vortex that opened beneath them as Moody watched wide-eyed.

So that's how the scum did it…he has the Staff of Taliesin! The Greengrasses are far more dangerous than even I thought! He filed it away for later as he put a temporary splinting spell on his injured arm and crawled over to retrieve his wand. And then another thought occurred to him.

"Dammit!" Moody hollered as Kingsley hurried over and helped him to his feet, handing him his fake leg back. "Why didn't Greengrass just kill me?!"

Kingsley, who had witnessed Will and Bellatrix's departure himself, shot Moody an incredulous look. "Wait-are you saying you want to die, Alastor?"

"No, not just yet," he grumbled. "But death would have been better than owing that bitch of a Death Eater Bellatrix Lestrange a life debt like I do now!" Moody hated Death Eaters. In fact he hated every dark witch and wizard on earth, whether they were Death Eaters or not. And now…now he owed his continued existence to perhaps the one dark witch and Death Eater he despised above all others.

Harry sat on the floor, cradling a still unconscious Sirius in his arms. His mind was spinning from the events of the last few hours: His vision, ditching Umbridge, the ride to the Ministry on Thestrals, his loyal friends joining him without hesitation, the arrival of the Death Eaters led by Lucius Malfoy, Lord Greengrass showing up with Bellatrix and joining the battle against the Death Eaters. It was almost too much for Harry to process.

But one thing, and one thing only, stood out sharp and clear in Harry's mind: Bellatrix Lestrange had saved the life of Sirius Black…and she'd done so on purpose. Bellatrix Lestrange now had two people who owed her a life debt. Harry wasn't sure how Sirius would take the news that his "deranged cousin" had in fact saved his life, yet the fact remained: Sirius would have been dead if Bellatrix hadn't stupified him before Lucius' spell had hit. Harry exhaled sharply as he sat there, looking down at his godfather and realizing how close he had come to losing Sirius.

Around him the captured Death Eaters—including Lucius Malfoy himself—were unconscious and bound with binding spells. Kingsley had sent a patronus to alert the Ministry to the presence of the Death Eaters. Lupin was doing minor healing charms on the most injured members of the Order and Dumbledore's Army. But what was uppermost in the minds of the Order members were thoughts about the appearance of Daphne's father, in the company of Bellatrix Lestrange.

Ginny and Ron were sending Daphne angry glares. Moody was still grumbling about being saved by Bellatrix. Daphne was staring at the ground, unable to meet anyone's gaze. Noticing this, Neville placed his hand in hers and gave it a gentle squeeze. Glancing up from behind a curtain of blonde hair, Daphne met his gaze; He smiled at her, waiting to see a small, tentative return smile from his girlfriend. Before, with another gentle squeeze of his hand, he turned a defiant gaze upon the others in the room, as if daring them to say or do anything to Daphne.

"Well," kinglsey murmured, giving Daphne a contemplative look of his own. "I believe that this will require a little discussion." Tonks had now joined Neville at Daphne's other side, placing her hand on Daphne's shoulder, and giving it a gentle squeeze of her own, while glaring at Ron, Ginny, and Moody.

"Why don't you ask Greengrass why Bellatrix Lestrange showed up here with her father!" Ron growled.

"Yeah," Ginny piped up. "She an escaped murderer and Death eater!"

"Who was just here fighting against the Death Eaters!" Neville growled, glaring at Ginny. "If anyone here has a reason to hate her, it would be me." Then he dropped a bombshell. "And I've known she was at Greengrass Manor for months now."

Ginny's face went pale, and she gaped at Neville.

"But she attacked Sirius!" Moody exclaimed. "Saw her do it myself, I did!"

"Shut up, Moody," Tonks growled.

"No, she didn't," an unexpected voice quietly spoke. Every eye in the room turned to the speaker. Harry, still kneeling beside Sirius, looked up at the others. "She did it to save him."

Moody gave a derisive snort. "Nonsense! She was trying to kill him!"

Harry stood, shaking his head. "No, she didn't," he repeated. "Lucius Malfoy sent the killing curse at Sirius. Bellatrix…she saw it and sent a stunning spell at Sirius, and he fell over right before Malfoy's curse would have hit him. Then she attacked Malfoy, knocked him down, and screamed something about him daring to try and kill her cousin."

Ginny rolled her eyes at that; and Ron, still glaring, opened his mouth to reply to Harry, when from somewhere above there was the sound of a mighty explosion, and the room shook. Everyone was instantly on alert once more.

With a sigh, Kingsley took charge. "As I said, this will require a good amount of discussion, but that must be saved for another time. Lupin, get Sirius and these injured kids back to Hogwarts. Moody, Tonks, come with me upstairs. And for now, NO ONE is to say anything about Greengrass and Lestrange being here. No one, Is that understood?" he gave Ron and Ginny a pointed glance. "We need to consult with Dumbledore on that before any of us says anything to anyone."

Ron, still glaring, glanced at Harry, then Neville and Daphne, his face softening a little as he thought of Tracey, wondering if she knew anything about it and not wanting to get her in trouble as well. He turned back to Kingsley and sighed. "Fine. We won't say anything."

Ginny spun to face him. "But Ron—" she began before Ron cut her off.

"No, Gin. I mean it. We stay quiet until Dumbledore okays it. Besides, she did give old Malfoy what for, and that buys her at least a temproary reprieve in my book." He decided not to mention his worry about Tracy being charged by association, knowing Ginny still hated Tracey and Ron's relationship as it was, and didn't want to give her any more reason for doing so.

With a huff, Ginny folded her arms across her torso and glared at her brother. "Fine. For now." And with that, everyone followed Kingsley's orders—the kids hobbling over to Lupin who began to sidelong apparate them to Hogwarts in pairs, while Kingsley, Moody, and Tonks headed out of the room.

A/n: Well then. It has been over a year since I updated this story. :/ There is no excuse I can give. And the only explanation I have is: life happens…among other things, I had covid, I got married, and I moved out of state. I shant bore you with anything else. If anyone who reads this is also following any of my other stories, updates will be coming very soon for "It Runs In The Family" and "Lucius Malfoy Saves The Wizarding World". Very soon. Like, next week. I am going out of town for the Easter weekend tomorrow, and I really, really wanted to get this update posted tonight. I hope everyone is well, stays safe, and has a great Easter. And thank you so very much for your continued support.