Title: Whispers

Author: Meissa6

Summary: Haley Potter is declared missing after a disastrous magical accident in the Ministry of Magic. Most of the Wizarding World assumes that she is dead - killed by her outburst of magical energy bordering on that of an Obscurus. Ginny refuses to believe Haley succumbed to her own magic, but how far will she go to prove otherwise?

Disclaimer: I do not, nor will ever, own the Harry Potter series, or any of its characters and plots.

Prologue: The Calm Before The Storm

POV: Haley Potter (first)

The second I saw the spell hit Sirius' chest, knocking him backwards into the Veil, I knew it was all over.

I had lost, and not because I'd been overpowered, but because I was the idiotic one to place myself in that place. This wasn't like the graveyard. This wasn't like the Chamber. I had chosen to come here of my own volition, deluded into believing my only worthwhile relative was in danger, and now he was dead.

Bellatrix's laugh broke me from my numb state, and I dragged my eyes from the shimmering fabric of the Veil, meeting hers across the chamber. She gave me a cold smile and then turned, running from the room.

I didn't hesitate before I followed her, ignoring the voices that called after me. For some inexplicable reason, nobody followed me.

"I killed Sirius Black! I killed Sirius Black!" Bellatrix shrieked with joy, practically giggling as I chased her into the large atrium that should've been bustling with activity.

"Petrificus totalus!"

I could tell by the way she fell that Bellatrix hadn't expected me to attack her from behind, let alone with a spell that a first-year could do. I approached her slowly, keeping my wand focused on her. With one foot underneath her stomach, I managed to roll her over, smiling a little at the panicked look in her eyes.

Come now, Haley, surely you can do better than that. The Voice goaded, a note of excitement behind the words.

I knelt down, brushing the tip of my wand against Bellatrix's cheek. Her eyes widened as I moved it down her chin, pausing over her jugular.

"I should kill you." I whispered, gazing down at her. "It's not like I can become any more deranged in their eyes."

Her eyes flickered between mine in clear distress, and I tilted my head, watching her futilely fight against my magic holding her in place.

She killed him; she deserves it. You know the incantation.

The Voice was right. I knew more than I'd let on to my friends. Isn't this the moment I had been training for? Isn't this what I had been wishing for – to have one of Voldemort's best warriors held underneath my own control? It was just me and her in that moment; I could've done anything to her, and yet…

The longer I stared down into her eyes, the more I felt my anger fade until I was lowering my wand back to my side. She watched me, somehow both knowingly and amusedly.

"Killing you isn't going to bring him back." I muttered, twirling my wand between my fingers.

She just looked at me until I looked away, clenching, and unclenching my jaw.

"Killing you won't erase the last fourteen years of my life."

I pushed myself to my feet, ignoring the twang in my lower back from where I had fallen earlier. The moment I was standing, I was suddenly all-too-aware that it wasn't just Bellatrix and me anymore.

You are playing with fire, Haley. He won't be as generous. The Voice breathed through my thoughts, cutting through the influx of sorrow like a knife through butter.

I turned to face the one who'd been trying to kill me since I was born, feeling his magic rip away my wand before I could ever point it at him.

Voldemort was even more terrifying than he was in the graveyard. His eyes seemed brighter, his body stronger than before. If I was anyone else, I would've been quaking in my shoes. As it was, I merely looked at him, purposely unreactive to the burn in my scar from his magic brushing against my skin, testing me, daring me to react.

"I knew you'd come."

There was something odd about my voice as I spoke the words. It was far too soft, almost welcoming.

Surprise flashed across Voldemort's face before he reclaimed his blank expression, crimson eyes piercing through mine. I saw brief reminders pass through my mind of how hellish my year had been. From the nightmares to the constant dehumanizing from people who thought they knew me, to feeling utterly isolated from those I once called friends – I was never more alone than I was in that moment.

Except, I wasn't alone, was I? Even now, I could feel that strange presence at the back of my mind, swirling against my thoughts but seemingly contained by an unknown force.

The Voice was uncharacteristically quiet, but even so, I could sense It near. It reacted negatively to Voldemort's intrusion into my mind, lashing out at him with a strength that I had never been able to muster in Snape's lessons.

Voldemort retreated mentally, and I saw him step towards me, that surprised look back on his face. He opened his mouth like he was about to speak, or curse me, but the fireplace furthest from us suddenly burst to life.

I unfroze myself, a small amount of self-preservation returning to me, as I ran towards the fireplace. I barely made it a few feet before Bellatrix sprung to life behind me, her arms shockingly strong as she yanked me back against her. I struggled until I felt cold metal against my neck.

"Haley…" Dumbledore's soft whisper somehow carried across the atrium, and I looked up at him, panic rushing through me as I realized just how trapped I was.

By the horror in his expression, I guessed that he knew it too.

Now is not the time to panic, Haley. The Voice murmured, and out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Voldemort's head snap towards me. Relax into her hold. She will unconsciously relax when she thinks you are no longer a threat.

"Release the girl, Tom. She is a mere child." Dumbledore said, unknowingly talking at the same time as the Voice.

Voldemort completely ignored him, his gaze boring into the side of my face, but Dumbledore's words hit a chord inside of me.

"A mere child?"

I didn't mean to shout the words, but they came out louder than expected as I tensed in Bellatrix's arms, my anger refocusing on the man who'd dared even for a second to demean me.

"Could a mere child break into one of the securest places in the world?" I challenged. "Could a mere child fend off dozens of Death Eaters to protect a stupid little ball?"

Dumbledore snapped his attention to me, his eyes widening a bit at the fury in my voice. It was strong, even more so than anything I'd ever felt.

"Haley, my girl-"

"NO! I've done your dirty work since I was fucking eleven!" I screamed, feeling my vocal cords seize up with the sudden overuse. "I killed Quirrell. I killed Tom. I nearly got Hermione killed at the hands of a werewolf. And Cedric-"

I broke off, breathing heavily as I tried to regain control.

"Haley, please. Let's-"

"Sirius is DEAD!" I shrieked, a sudden sharp pain in my throat warning me of how far I'd gone, but that wasn't all.

On the last word, every mirror and window that overlooked the atrium shattered at once, trillions upon trillions of tiny specks of glass raining down on us. Bellatrix was suddenly gone, and I sank to my knees, covering my face with my hands as I silently sobbed, unable to make a sound after that last scream.

He was gone. They were all gone. It was all my fault.

Over and over, the thoughts spiraled through my head like a hurricane until, with a flash of red, everything was silent.

I drifted.

A/N: The next chapter is already written, and is undergoing editing as I post this. Please review, and let me know your thoughts!