The stairs they descended led to a dark, narrow hallway on the ninth floor of the basement. The dreary corridor, with an unadorned black door at the end leading to the Department of Mysteries, was crowded with children who had just escaped and been reunited with their parents. Albus met James and Lily, who had arrived with Ginny, and they clung to each other in joy and relief. Elijah Zabini was standing nearby with his parents, and when he saw Albus and Scorpius, he beamed and waved.
"Albus, Scorpius! Thank goodness you're back safe and sound," said Elijah brightly.
"Once again, my son's in your debt," said Mr. Zabini solemnly to the two children. "Thank you so much. I can't imagine how we can ever repay you . . . "
"Vote for Aunt Hermione next time, then," said Albus cheerfully. "That's more than enough for me."
"All right, I promise I'll give her my vote," said Mr. Zabini. "That is, of course, if we get to vote next time . . . "
"I'm sure you can, Mr. Zabini," said Scorpius confidently. "Just wait a little longer and Mr. Potter will be back with plenty of reinforcements."
With that, Mr. Zabini nodded and followed his family into the staircase leading to the underground courtroom. Meanwhile, Teddy was busy telling the D.A. members surrounding him about the adventure he had just had on the level four.
"So here I was, surrounded by four werewolves, with nothing to do but wait to die. . . . Then someone next to me said, 'Get on the werewolf!' It was the craziest thing I ever heard. But you know what's even crazier? That came from Scorpius Malfoy, the famous bookworm!"
"I said that?" said Scorpius, who was listening nearby, his eyes wide with surprise. "I must've been in the lift going down at the time."
"Or maybe you were hallucinating," said Professor Longbottom casually. "It happens sometimes in extreme circumstances. I had all sorts of visions in my seventh year, you know."
"That's because you were beaten so badly by the Carrows, Neville," said Ginny coolly. "No surprise, considering what they did to you."
The Carrows must have been two of the Death Eaters who had made the insulting remarks to them when they'd visited Azkaban. While it seemed like karmic retribution, given the horrible deaths they'd suffered at the hands of Eisenbein in their cells, it almost made the Carrows seem like the better people for what the Dawn Breakers were about to do.
Meanwhile, the children still in the corridors had been led down to the courtroom below by their parents, and the few remaining Aurors and Hogwarts professors had gone with them to cast powerful defensive spells on the stairs. Now only the members of Dumbledore's Army remained. Hermione looked around to see who was left.
"Look, you did a great job back there. We saved all those trapped students, and if we keep up the good work —"
She was cut off by the sound of something large and heavy slamming against the steel gates. Seconds later, there was another loud bang, followed by an earth-shattering thud.
"What a way to knock," said George Weasley, and the others laughed. But their smiles turned to tension when another thud came from the gates.
"I'll have a look from the top of the stairs," said Professor Longbottom, stepping forward. "Someone should see how long the door will hold."
"Okay, Neville," said Ron. "If you think the door's about to break, just come down and let us know."
Once Professor Longbottom was gone, Hermione looked back at the rest of the group and saw that Albus, Scorpius, James and Lily were still there. She called out to Ginny, "Ginny, you'd better get your kids downstairs. The battle's about to start —"
"We wanna fight too!" cried James. "I'm a seventh year, I'm over age!"
"I'll give the overage students a chance to fight when we get to the court, but not now," said Hermione firmly. "Right now I need fighters with battle experience. . . . We're going to stay in the Department of Mysteries and fight, inflict as much damage as we can on our enemies, and then escape downstairs; that's not something a student can do."
"All right," Ginny said, "I'll take the children and come back up."
Then, this time, Ron spoke. "Ginny, you should remain with the children."
"What? Are you treating me like a child now?" said Ginny indignantly. "I fought on this floor when Voldemort and his cronies came to the Ministry! I'm just as good a witch now as I was then!"
"I don't doubt your skills, it's just that Harry asked us to do this before he left," said Ron pleadingly. "Harry asked me to keep his family safe, no matter what. . . . I'm just doing my best friend a favor."
Albus saw his mother's eyes flicker at the mention of her husband's name, but only for a moment.
"You're just like Harry! Still treating me like I'm some kind of underage girl and —"
"Ginny, I'm not asking you to hide down there," said Hermione. "We need to secure a passage so we can escape. . . . Come here, I'll tell you what to do in the courtroom."
Ginny nodded, still looking grumpy as Hermione rattled off the details.
"Come on now!" cried Ginny once the instructions were given. This time, even James headed for the stairs without protest when he saw the stern look on his mother's face. Albus wanted to stay and fight, but he had no choice but to follow his family with Scorpius. Then there was an unusually loud bang at the door and Professor Longbottom came running down the stairs.
"We don't have much time," said Longbottom, "they've brought something huge and started melting down the gates. It's too hot to be up there."
"What could that be?" Ron thought for a moment, then said, as if it had suddenly dawned on him. "Could it be the weapon Ollivander said he helped make? What the hell could it be that could blow through such a large door so quickly —"
"There's no point in worrying about that. Besides, if the weapon is that big, it won't be able to get down here," said Hermione wisely. Albus had taken advantage of the distraction caused by Longbottom's appearance and was listening to the adults' conversation, and Scorpius was doing the same.
"Albus, come here!" yelled Ginny. Albus turned away at the sound of his mother's annoyed voice, but then Professor Longbottom called to him.
"Albus, Scorpius — you should stay."
"What? But Neville —" Ginny protested, but Professor Longbottom had a serious look on his face that told her to trust him.
"I promise you, Ginny. I won't let them get into anything dangerous. These two boys just saved a hundred students, and they're exactly the kind of people we need for what we're about to do. As their teacher, I know that better than anyone."
"And what about me, Professor?" said James, his voice filled with discontent. "I was just as good at Hogwarts —"
"You had a reputation for being a troublemaker, but this time I need the help of calmer students," Longbottom said with a grin. James was about to argue further when a loud bang from above interrupted him.
"Make sure you get them both back safely, Neville," Ginny said, and she took James and Lily down to the courtroom. When they were out of sight, Hermione pointed her wand at the ceiling of the stairwell entrance and shouted, "Defodio!"
The ceiling exploded, sending a shower of rocks, large and small, crashing down the stairs, completely blocking the way down. As if that wasn't enough, Hermione muttered, "Salvio Hexia . . . Protego Totalum . . . Repello Muggletum . . . " and cast a series of defensive spells to completely block access. "Kingsley and Minerva will cast defensive spells down below as well, but I needed to be sure. . . . Now our goal is to lure as many of them as possible to the Department of Mysteries and buy time, so follow me while I explain the plan."
Albus followed the adults to a black door at the end of the corridor. It opened to reveal a large circular room with the featureless and handleless black doors spaced at regular intervals against the black walls. Between the doors were branches of candles with blue flames, their glow flickering with every jolt from above.
"The invaders don't know exactly where we've taken the other civilians," Hermione told the wizards and witches who had gathered around her. "So if we launch an attack from here, they'll swarm into this room instead of the collapsed passageway. We'll fight them off to reduce their numbers as much as possible, and then make our way down."
"How are we supposed to get down? You've just collapsed the passageway," said George, and Hermione gave him a meaningful smile.
"I'm prepared for that too. . . . I want to go to the Death Chamber!"
The round wall around them turned at her command and one of the plain black doors stopped right in front of Hermione. Albus strained his legs to keep up with the moving walls and the flickering blue candlelight, but he still felt dizzy. Hermione, who looked like she'd been here a few times, strode forward and threw open the door, leading them inside.
"Come in, we don't have much time."
The Death Chamber was darker than it had been when Albus had sat down with his friends for their History of Magic lesson; all the candles on the ceiling were gone, giving the archway that stood alone in the sunken pit in the center an even more sinister aura.
"Can you believe we had a class here just this morning?" said Scorpius. "It seems like weeks, maybe months, have passed since then."
"I agree," said Albus quietly. Hermione walked quickly down the steep stone steps that surrounded the pit, then moved to the back of the platform where the archway stood.
"Now, a quick question — does anyone know what this room used to be?"
Scorpius raised his hand and answered, "as a place of execution." He blushed a little with embarrassment as the adults looked at him in admiration and added, "Oh, I learned that in my last History of Magic lesson . . . "
"You do learn something in that subject, I'm surprised," George said, and the D.A. members laughed at that.
"Well said, Mr. Malfoy. This used to be where the highest penalty in the Ministry of Magic was administered, before it was replaced by the Dementor's Kiss. . . . As soon as the Wizengamot had finished sentencing in the courtroom downstairs, the condemned were brought here by a secret passage and had to pass through this archway."
"So that's where the secret passageway is?" said Seamus Finnigan impatiently.
"Exactly. Specialis Revelio!" exclaimed Hermione, and with a flick of her wand, the middle of the stone steps became transparent, revealing the dark tunnel. Then she pulled a shiny gold coin from her pocket and showed it to everyone. "Now, this is a fake Galleon that every D.A. member has. I understand that Albus and Scorpius each have one, right?"
Albus nodded and pulled a fake Galleon out of his pocket. The last time he had been kidnapped by the Dawn Breakers, along with all of Hogwarts students, he had used it to contact Scorpius and narrowly escaped.
"I've put a very powerful enchantment on this entrance so that only the person with these coins can pass through. Take good care of them, okay?" said Hermione. "As for the rest of the plan, I'm sure you've all heard it before, so now go to your respective places."
With that, the members of Dumbledore's Army marched in unison up the stone steps, opened the door and stepped outside. Hermione and Ron waited patiently until only Albus and Scorpius were left in the room.
"I have the most important job for you two," said Ron seriously. Albus's chest swelled with anticipation.
"Your job is to wait here," Hermione finished for her husband, deflating Albus's expectations like a punctured balloon.
"You want us to wait here while everyone else is out there fighting for their lives?" said Albus angrily. "Then why did you ask us to stay in the first place?"
"Listen, Albus," said Hermione soothingly. "You're going to stay hidden in this passageway and let us know when the Dawn Breakers come in. Then we'll come back here and escape downstairs. From what I've heard from Neville, you're both capable of conjuring the corporeal Patronus, right?"
Albus nodded reluctantly. He'd expected to be able to fight alongside the adults, of course, and it was disappointing to learn that they were only here to signal with their Patronuses.
"If you hide behind this entrance, this room will look empty, so they won't be interested in this chamber," said Ron. "But if you do something stupid and invite them in, we could all be in trouble. Just stay in here and wait."
"Yes, Uncle Ron," said Albus gruffly.
"Very well, Mr. Weasley," Scorpius replied more cheerfully, and Ron and Hermione left them, seemingly satisfied, and headed up the stairs.
Albus begrudgingly did as Hermione had instructed and ducked into the passage with Scorpius. As they passed, the stone steps that had become transparent solidified again, blocking the entrance, and it was pitch black around them.
"Lumos!" A light appeared from the tip of Scorpius's wand. Albus leaned back against the cold stone wall, wondering how long they would have to wait here.
"Albus, you have the magical eyeball. Why don't you look outside?"
"Right, I forgot."
Albus quickly pulled an electric-blue eye from his chest and held it up to his eyes, and the walls in front of him became transparent, revealing the entire department. The Dawn Breakers had just burst through the door and were pouring into the corridor outside, looking cautiously around the long room lit only by blue candlelight and making their way toward Ron as he flung open the door to the circular room and cast a Stunning Spell.
"Okay, I think Uncle Ron just lured them in," said Albus.
Soldiers in helmets, masks and black uniforms quickly crossed the corridor, illuminated by flashlights attached to their rifles. As Ron emerged from behind the door and fired a beam of red light, the soldiers ducked and dodged, then opened fire, the intense flashes from their muzzles brightening the dark hallway in an instant. Ron crouched down, slamming the door behind him and locking it with a spell. Albus looked around with his magical eye and saw that the circular room leading off the corridor contained a dozen black doors lining the walls, each with two or three D.A. members hiding behind them.
The soldiers kicked open the doors and tried to enter the circular room, but found it locked, so they attached what looked like a small square box to the door. They stepped back, and a moment later, with a loud bang, the door blew open in an explosion. The soldiers kicked in the tattered door, and at the same time the D.A. members fired Stunning Spells from all sides, knocking down those in the lead. The Dark wizards in black robes, waiting a few feet behind them, created an invisible shield from which the beams of red light bounced off. When they unleashed Killing Curses, the D.A. members quickly closed the door in front of them and hid.
When there was no resistance, the dozens of Dawn Breakers waiting in the hallway burst into the circular room at once. As they tried to check the door on the far left, the dark walls suddenly swung around and moved, causing them to panic and fire at the empty air. After a few seconds, the Dawn Breakers realized what was happening and waited for everything to stop.
As soon as the wall stopped moving, the D.A. members fired back. The door in the center swung open and Ron, Dean and Seamus threw an enormous tank into the center of the circular room, shattering the glass and spilling the deep green liquid and flailing brains onto the floor. As if to punish those who had disturbed their peaceful rest, the brains rose straight into the air and flew toward the soldiers, tiny jellyfish-like tentacles snaking behind them. To the left and right of them, ribbons of moving images, which looked like smartphone screens, jumbled and played, adding to the chaos in the circular room. The moment one of the brains touched a soldier's body, numerous tentacles wrapped around his arms and clamped down on his chest. As they did so, more tentacles stretched out and began to wrap around the soldier's entire body, slowly squeezing him.
His companions raised their knives and tried to cut the tentacles from their struggling companion, but as soon as they reached out, the tentacles extended and wrapped around their arms as well. Similar scenes were repeated throughout the circular chamber, and by now nearly half of the soldiers were screaming in agony as they were held tightly in numerous tentacles. Those who had narrowly escaped the brains' onslaught clung to the walls and threw open the nearest doors to seek refuge inside. But being inside didn't make things any better. . . . Hermione, who had been waiting, waved her wand at the floating planets in the darkness and they struck and knocked out the Dawn Breakers. Those who managed to dodge scattered in confusion as Pluto and Neptune chased after them like rogue Bludgers, slapping them on the back.
"Ha ha! Scorpius, you really should see this. . . . They're really putting up a good fight!"
"Good news, mate. For another good news, I've just managed to eavesdrop on their comms." Scorpius, who was operating his smartphone, handed over a pair of wireless earphones. "Here, try this."
" . . . this is Colonel Fubster. What is the status of your units, Lieutenant?" said a raspy voice in the earpiece.
"This is Lieutenant Gordon, sir. The situation's not great, we can't even get inside right now."
"You incompetent bastards, I shouldn't have brought the mercenaries . . . " Fubster said harshly, clicking his tongue. "Of course, you are no match for those evil wizards. I'll let the Death Troop do the job — Warren, lead the troopers in."
Albus heard the words and looked back down the hall. Dozens of Dark wizards in black robes descended the stairs and began to approach the circular chamber, two of them remaining behind just in case. The rest of the wizards paused when they saw through the open door the soldiers lying on the floor, tangled in brain tentacles. The one in the lead pulled out a radio and held it to his mouth, and Albus could now hear Warren's voice through the earpiece.
"This is Warren, Colonel. The soldiers have been attacked by the brains from the Brain Room."
"Burn them," said Fubster simply. "Eisenbein said thoughts can cut deeper than anything else. . . . They won't be in their right minds anyway, so let's save them the pain."
"Understood, Colonel."
With the transmission over, Warren pulled out his gas mask and put it on, and without a moment's hesitation, he drew his wand, a powerful burst of flame erupting from its tip. The flames consumed the soldiers on the ground and the brains as well, burning them alive.
"I can't believe it . . . they're burning their friends," Albus said in shock. "The Death Troop has no mercy at all. . . ."
"From what I've heard, they've been mercilessly slaughtering Aurors and Hit Wizards of the Ministry of Magic," said Scorpius darkly. "The D.A. will have to be careful too . . . "
Warren and the other Dawn Breakers used their wands to disinfect every inch of the circular room, then, once the flames had died down, they opened the door on the far left and entered. Ron, Dean and Seamus, who were waiting there, cast Stunning Spells, but they failed to reach Warren and his companions, who had taken cover in the thick smoke from outside. Warren cast a Shield Charm to block the second wave of incoming spells and began firing off Killing Curses. Ron, Dean, and Seamus deftly dodged the curses at first, but when the other Dawn Breakers joined in, they were forced to open another door and retreat.
Warren left a few of his companions behind to lead the rest back into the outer circular room, where they stepped over the charred bodies to enter other chambers. The D.A. members fought back with a barrage of hexes and curses, but they were unable to hold off the Dawn Breakers, who simply blocked them with Shield Charms and countered with Killing Curses, and gradually retreated to the other rooms at the rear. Albus looked back to his left, where Ron, Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan were being chased by the Dawn Breakers. Just then, Seamus Finnigan tripped over something and fell to the floor, and a Killing Curse flew out and hit him in the back.
"No!" Albus yelled, "Mr. Finnigan — he —"
Albus scanned the scene, hoping he was mistaken, but judging by the frenzied look on Dean Thomas's face as he lunged at the Dawn Breakers, and Ron's sobbing expression as he dragged him away and carried him into another room, Seamus Finnigan was indeed dead.
The two survivors entered another room with miniature planets floating in the air and made a desperate run for it, along with Hermione, Luna, Angelina and George, who happened to be there at the time, but when the Death Eaters burst in from the other door, they managed to escape the Killing Curses by opening a door in the middle wall. The room, which seemed to be the largest in the entire department, was lined with bookshelves filled with books of all kinds, making it look like a vast library. One by one, the D.A. members who had been driven out of the various rooms converged on it, using the bookshelves for cover.
"Albus, is anyone coming this way?" said Scorpius quietly. Albus glanced at the pit just beyond the wall and lifted the magical eye from his own.
"No, and we've got to help the adults!"
"But Albus, the Minister wants us to —"
"It's not like that!" Albus shouted curtly, pulling out his fake Galleon and stomping forward, the wall in front of him disappearing to reveal a passageway. "It seems they are locked in the Hall of Prophecy. . . . Dad told me about that place before."
"But Albus, what if someone comes here —"
"We can't just stay here!" exclaimed Albus. "Mr. Finnigan just died. . . . We need to give them a way out before they're completely trapped in that room."
Scorpius hesitantly followed Albus out and around the pit, circling the archway in the center. He fiddled with his phone all the way, then gave up and put it back in his pocket.
"Looks like they found out we were listening. . . . They must have changed their frequency."
The news wasn't very encouraging, but it didn't dampen Albus's resolve. Running up the steep stone steps two or three at a time, Albus pushed open the door above them and stepped into the circular room. The sickening smell of charred flesh stung his nostrils. . . . The burnt corpses were even more horrifying up close than they had been from afar through his magical eyeball. He opened the black doors that lined the walls one by one, and when he reached the fourth, he gasped at the beautiful light that sparkled like diamonds.
"This is what used to be called the Time Room. . . . We go in this way," said Albus briskly. He was glad that his father and mother had told him the details of what had happened in the Department of Mysteries in their time.
"This is where they used to keep the Time Turners." Scorpius said, looking around the room, which was empty except for the bell-shaped crystal jar that sat on the desk, emitting light. "Apparently they were all shattered in the battle your parents were involved in . . . "
"Right, every one of them was destroyed then. And the Aurors confiscated and destroyed any illegally made ones a few years ago, so there shouldn't be any left," said Albus thoughtfully. "It's our fault for messing with time, I guess. That's why we have to save Dumbledore's Army now, Scorpius. There's no way to turn back time now."
Scorpius nodded without a word and stepped past the glowing crystal jar, leading Albus to the door behind it. Once inside, Albus couldn't help but be dazzled by the magnificence of the room, momentarily forgetting that he was in the midst of a life-threatening battle. Under a ceiling as high as a steeple, shelves lined the walls with books of all kinds. Illuminated by candles that burned an ominous blue along the walls, the air was very cold. At first glance, no one seemed to be there, but upon closer inspection, someone was talking.
"This way," whispered Albus. He and Scorpius ducked behind a bookshelf and slowly made their way through the rows to where the voices were coming from.
" . . . put your wand down, Granger." Albus quickened his pace at the faint sound of Warren's voice. "You're outnumbered, you don't stand a chance."
"Never!" came Teddy's voice. "We are all ready to fight to the death!"
"Oh, but you're not so willing to take the lives of others, still using Stunning Spells," said Warren mockingly. "You seem to think it's very noble of you not to kill, but your friend lying dead there might regret it."
"Shut up, don't talk about Seamus like that!" Ron shouted in anger.
By this time, the two boys had followed the voices to where Dumbledore's Army was confronting the Dawn Breakers. They had taken refuge in the bookshelves next to them, where they could watch the situation from among the books on the shelves. A dozen or so members of Dumbledore's Army — Ron, Hermione, Teddy, George, Angelina, Lee Jordan, Luna and her husband, and two people Albus didn't recognize by name — were pinned against the wall, surrounded by Dawn Breakers who outnumbered them at least three to one. The odds were against them . . . Hermione had just restrained her husband, who was about to charge forward, before she spoke.
"Dumbledore's Army has always consisted of people who want to learn how to defend themselves against the Dark Arts, and it still is. We'll never fall for the Dark Side. . . . You Dawn Breakers speak of lofty ideals, but you have now degenerated to a level below that of the Death Eaters."
"Ah, you speak so convincingly," a new female voice said.
It came from behind Albus, making him jump and turn to face the bookshelves at his back. Robby Leach and her gray-uniformed Pain Troop were walking down the path Albus and Scorpius had just taken. If she'd looked just a little to the side, Leach might have spotted them, but she was too busy looking in the direction of Hermione and the other D.A. members to notice the two boys hidden in the shadows. Now that the number of Dawn Breakers had doubled, Dumbledore's Army became noticeably more nervous and raised their wands.
"I've always wanted to talk to you, Granger. . . . How do you feel about taking my grandfather's place? You've been talking a lot about reform for a while now - do you think the Wizarding world has gotten better under your watch?"
"I wouldn't say it's perfect yet," said Hermione calmly, "but it's getting better, and our world is now more united than ever, thanks to the fight you Dawn Breakers waged against us."
"Ah, I see . . . so you're no different from your friends," said Leach. "Haven't you noticed that your world has rotted to the bone over the years? My God, a world that still discriminates against someone based on their birth status . . . "
"It may have been so in the past, but I and my predecessor have removed the legal advantage for purebloods and improved the rights of magical creatures, including house-elves —"
"But many of you still enslave those elves, don't you? Even your greatest hero, Harry Potter, owns one," Leach cut her off and said sternly. "You and Harry Potter haven't changed a thing . . . The Malfoys were still living in the luxurious manor despite all their sins. It wasn't until we burned the whole place down that some justice was served."
"If you call kidnapping children, draining their blood and torturing them justice, I'd rather be a rogue," said George coldly. "I've heard enough of your nonsense. If you wanna fight, fight. If you wanna give in, give in."
"Ah, you want to negotiate," Leach chuckled, then turned back to Hermione. "All right, give me Scorpius Malfoy and I'll get the rest of you downstairs safely. Although I don't know how long you'll last down there."
"Don't you dare offer me such a term!" cried Hermione. "I will not give up a single child, even if it means my own death."
"Look at you, you've got that servile spirit in your soul," spat Leach. "The so-called pureblood families, including the Malfoys, treated us Muggle-borns like some vermins, like some playthings to be tortured, and yet you would lay down your life for a Malfoy boy —"
"People change. Scorpius is a good boy and you only hate him because of his bloodline," said Hermione. "You've become just like the Death Eaters you hate so much, living off the power of your anger and disgust."
"Albus, I think the fight is about to begin," whispered Scorpius. "And when it does, more people will die . . . "
"I agree," said Albus. "We need to draw attention to us. . . . Reducto!"
Albus pointed his wand at a high shelf behind them, and the stack of books the curse hit exploded like a bomb, shattering covers and pages and scattering them in all directions. The impact of the curse caused the shelf to topple and fall sideways, causing other shelves to collapse like dominoes.
Dumbledore's army took advantage of the chaos like seasoned fighters, Stunning those around them before scurrying out the nearest door. At that moment, Robby Leach glanced to the side and locked eyes with Albus and Scorpius, who were hiding among the bookshelves.
"Not them, you idiots! There's Malfoy! Go after him!" yelled Leach.
Albus and Scorpius scrambled over the shelves on the collapsed side and sprinted for the door to the Time Room. If they were caught, Scorpius would be subjected to terrible torture. . . . With that thought, Albus felt a surge of strength in his legs as he stepped over the books and broken shelves that littered the floor in disarray.
"Expulso!" Albus roared at a shelf that hadn't fallen yet, and another explosion blew a large hole in the middle of the bookshelf, through which they stepped. Torn paper and splintered wood fluttered through the air, only to be hit by flashes of red light from behind, causing much smaller blasts.
"Crucio!" came Leach's voice from behind him. Scorpius, who had been slightly ahead of Albus, screamed as he was hit by the curse and fell to the ground, struggling.
"Protego!" Albus cast a Shield Charm between Leach and his friend, breaking the curse, then helped Scorpius to his feet as he writhed in pain. He helped his friend to his feet and pushed open the black door, noticing a the crystal bell jar about his height resting on the desk beside him. He hadn't gotten a good look at it before, but inside was a full-grown hummingbird, sinking down to return to its egg form. Since this was the Time Room, the glittering wind filling the jar seemed to magically reverse time. Albus suddenly had an idea and pointed his wand to the door they had just passed through.
"Reducto!"
The black door shattered, removing the last barrier between them and their pursuers.
"What-what are you doing?" said Scorpius weakly, still shuddering. "Why did you smash the door?"
"Locking the door won't work for long anyway. Let's hope my trick works."
Albus lifted the crystal jar with his magic and threw it at the gaping door. It shattered, releasing the sparkling wind that filled it into the surrounding area. An amazing sight appeared before their eyes. . . . As time kept passing and reversing, the shattered door reassembled and became whole again, then shattered into tiny pieces.
"C'mon, let's go!" Albus shouted, glancing back before leaving the room to see the pursuing Dawn Breakers stopped in their tracks, helplessly watching the door assemble and disassemble.
"Find another way out! Don't stall!" Leach's voice echoed behind them as they left the Time Room.
Running away from them was easier after that. They emerged into the circular room again, and after opening a few doors, they found the Death Chamber and entered it. A glance revealed a pit with a veiled archway in the center, and no one on the steep stone steps surrounding it.
"Good, no one's here yet," said Albus cheerfully. "Now if we just hide in the secret passage like we did —"
"Albus, there's someone," Scorpius said in a low voice.
Slowly making their way down the stone steps and into the pit, there was indeed a figure behind the archway. It was a figure that could never be confused with anyone else. . . . The old soldier in the red beret had one eye replaced by a red glowing artificial eyeball, and bobbing on top of his head was a scorpion-tail machine attached to his back. Colonel Fubster, the commander of the Death Troop, was in the Death Chamber. Looking back at Albus and Scorpius through his prosthetic eyeball, a red light flashed ominously.
"I've been wondering when you ruddy kids were going to come back . . . " Fubster said, raising his rifle. "Eisenbein's always one step ahead of you. Did you think we didn't know there was a emergency exit in this room? It was easy to get in with you boys out of the way."
Albus and Scorpius drew their wands and pointed them at him. At first Albus panicked at the unexpected intruder, but was slightly relieved when he realized that the only other person there was an old soldier. Besides, Fubster wasn't even a wizard, was he?
"You know that and you still came alone. Stupid," Albus spat.
"You don't know that until you know who you're dealing with, rookie." Fubster shrugged, then aimed and fired his weapon in a flash.
"Protego!" Scorpius shouted back, casting an invisible shield. To their surprise, however, the bullet hovered in midair for a moment before piercing the shield, and Albus ducked his head to narrowly avoid it. As he raised his wand in response, the scorpion-tail machine that had been hovering over Fubster's head whirled and fired an intense red laser beam from its sharp tip.
"Arrrgh!" screamed Albus when the beam hit him in the wrist. His wand flew out of his hand with a searing pain.
"Stupefy!" roared Scorpius. But the flash of red light he fired vanished into thin air when it was hit by a laser coming from the scorpion-tail machine. Meanwhile, Albus had flung himself in the direction his wand had fallen. Fumbling on the cold stone floor, he managed to find and retrieve his wand, though the burns he'd just suffered still made it painful to feel his wrist pressed against the hot metal. Meanwhile, Scorpius ran around the archway, dodging bullets fired by Fubster. His eardrums throbbed with every shot that ricocheted off the stone steps surrounding the pit, amplifying the sound.
Albus absentmindedly raised his wand to fire a curse at Fubster's back, but changed his mind when he saw the scorpion-tail machine whizzing in his direction. He spun and ran behind the dias to join Scorpius. Fubster fired more shots in their direction, but the bullets disappeared behind the veil, leaving the two boys unharmed. They flattened themselves under the dais and heard Fubster curse and load his rifle with a clank.
"I reckon he's put some curse on his bullets. . . . My Shield Charm doesn't work," whispered Scorpius. "Any ideas, Albus?"
"Using magic unprepared is definitely a bad idea," Albus said, showing his friend the red burns on his wrist. "No matter how fast you move my hands, you won't be able to outrun that machine on his back."
"We need to block its view." Scorpius said after a moment's thought. "Fubster's red eye must be detecting enemies and commanding the scorpion-tail weapon to act."
Just then they heard Colonel Fubster, who had finished loading his rifle, stomping around the side of the dais.
"Let's split up," said Albus. "Now!"
Albus and Scorpius jumped simultaneously to the left and right of the dias, respectively.
"Nebulus!" Scorpius shouted, and a thick mist billowed from the tip of his wand, obscuring the view of the pit for a moment. All that could be seen through the white haze were the glowing red mechanical eye of Fubster and the laser launcher hovering at the end of the scorpion-tail machine. As before, a laser beam flew toward Albus, but the mist caused it to pass him by, hitting the stone steps behind him instead.
"Stupefy!" Albus shouted in the direction of the red glow, the Stunning Spell from his wand cutting through the fog, but by then Fubster was already gone. The mist blinded them as much as it blinded their enemy. . . . Albus suddenly remembered the magical eye in his pocket and quickly placed it over his eyes, and the two human figures moving through the fog glowed blue. As Scorpius stumbled through the pit, waving his wand this way and that, Fubster was right behind him, pointing his rifle at him. . . .
"Scorpius, watch your back!"
Scorpius ducked just in time, and a hail of bullets rained down where his upper body had been. As Scorpius raised his wand to fire back, the scorpion-tail machine fired a laser that caught him in the wrist.
"Arrrgh!" Scorpius cried in pain.
"Stupefy!"
Albus shouted at Fubster, but his spell was intercepted by another laser from the scorpion-tail, just as it had been before. Undeterred, Albus charged at him, firing a barrage of curses, but Fubster blocked them all with the lasers from the weapon on his back and pointed a gun at the fallen Scorpius. . . .
Albus didn't hesitate a second and smashed into him with his own body. But Fubster was tougher than he thought. . . . He didn't even flinch when Albus pushed him with all his might, instead smacking him in the face with the butt of his rifle. Next to him, Scorpius staggered to his feet and tried to aim his wand, but was knocked to the ground as the laser from the scorpion-tail machine burned his wrist. Albus groped for his dropped wand, his eyes still spinning from the impact of the blow he'd just received, and felt for the stone floor where the mist had settled. Just then he heard the door open and Hermione's voice call out.
"Diffindo!"
Her attack was so swift that the scorpion-tail machine had no time to block the curse, and the thing was severed in the middle, its jointed metal body falling to the ground with a loud clatter. But there was no time for Albus to breathe a sigh of relief; Fubster grabbed him by the neck and dragged him back to the dias. By the time the adults who had emerged from the mist surrounded them, Fubster and Albus — now his hostage — were already in front of the veiled archway.
"If you try anything stupid, you know what will happen. . . . This boy will meet the same fate as Sirius Black," said Fubster calmly. There was a clang and a cold sensation at the side of Albus's head — it was the muzzle of a pistol. Fubster didn't falter even when there were nearly twenty members of Dumbledore's Army, all with wands drawn and pointed at him. How close the two of them were to the archway. . . . The tattered veil fluttered on its own in the absence of wind, occasionally brushing Albus's arm and sending shivers down his spine. Someone, he couldn't tell if woman or man, whispered softly through the veil, inviting him inside. Was it the voice of Sirius Black, the man he had never seen, but who had been his father's beloved godfather, calling to him?
"He's just a boy, let Albus go," said Hermione pleadingly. "I'll let you leave unharmed."
"Ha ha, please stop trying to fool around. What if I fall through this door with him from laughing?"
Fubster playfully pulled his thick arms backward around Albus's neck, and the D.A. members gasped in horror. Albus wondered who would be waiting for him if walked through the archway. Sirius Black, Draco Malfoy, Faraday Prewett, Seamus Finnigan, his grandparents. . . . Albus's heart sank as he studied the faces of the adults in front of him, one by one: Professor Neville Longbottom was nowhere in sight. Had he already lost his life and was waiting for him behind the veil? Albus felt a sudden surge of strength as he remembered his father's face. His father had believed in him; he couldn't give up now.
"Tell me what you want," said Hermione desperately.
"Oh, I just want you to listen to me," said Fubster idly. "You are not the kind of person we can easily meet. . . . You're all masters at hiding, aren't you?"
"Just tell us what you've got to say," said Hermione. She gestured, and three of the D.A. members turned and watched the black door. It looked like she was trying to keep them from being ambushed by Fubster's men. But strangely, there was no sign of any activity outside. . . . Albus regretted that he couldn't lend someone the magical eyeball in his pocket.
"This is just the right place for this conversation," said Fubster, "because the beginning of my story is also about Sirius Black, who disappeared forever behind this archway."
Albus concentrated on his story, forgetting for a moment the awful situation he was in. What did Colonel Fubster, an ordinary Muggle, have to do with Sirius Black? The members of the D.A. looked confused, as if they were thinking the same thing.
"I was a happy husband and father at the time, and on the day I met him, I was out shopping for the weekend with my wife and daughter," Fubster went on. "Then we came across two men fighting in the street, one dark-haired and handsome, the other short and plump, and the taller one was pushing the shorter one so hard it looked like he was going to kill him. The smaller man, cornered, cried out, 'Lily and James, Sirius! How could you?' He reached for his waistband, and at that moment there was an explosion. The same explosion that took away my little girl and my wife and my one eye . . . "
"Mr. Fubster, Peter Pettigrew was a Death Eater," said Hermione softly. "He was our enemy and in the end he got what he deserved —"
"Shut up and listen!" shouted Fubster harshly. Albus could feel his hot breath on his neck. "When I woke up, the doctors convinced me it was a gas explosion, a terrible accident that had nothing to do with the two men who fought — but, of course, your government had tampered with the witnesses' memories. Was that Pettigrew's doing as well?"
"Don't you see why we're in hiding?" cried George, unable to bear the accusations any longer. "Look at you, as soon as you Muggles found out about our world, you did all kinds of evil things to take away our magic."
"And that's why you hid like rats? Ha ha, you're the best at blaming others," Fubster chuckled. "Yeah, come to think of it, that Pettigrew could actually turn into a rat. The doctors said I had been hallucinating at the time, but I clearly remember seeing him turn into a rodent and disappear into the sewers right before the explosion. . . . I was almost convinced, I was almost blindsided by the doctors' claims. But there was one thing that didn't convince me, and that's why I set out to find the truth."
Albus felt Fubster's left arm shift slightly in the tight circle around his neck, and he saw that the mad soldier was holding a small device in his other hand.
"In the hospital, I thought to myself: How the hell could the flames be green?"
Fubster activated the device with the thumb of his left hand, and there was a rumbling explosion from above, followed by a burst of green flames created by a mighty curse. Albus felt Fubster grab him and try to step backward through the veil, but then Hermione flicked her wand and a golden rope shot out of its tip, tying itself tightly around Albus's waist.
The force that held him in place vanished in an instant as Fubster stepped through the archway, and the recoil sent Albus flying out the other side. Ron was just as quick, binding Scorpius with another golden rope and throwing him out of the pit with Albus. Even as Albus flew through the air with his friend, the ceiling collapsed in an intense greenish explosion, swallowing Dumbledore's Army that was still in the pit, along with the archway and the dias.
Someone tried to stop the falling debris with a Shield Charm, but the flimsy defense was torn to shreds by the powerful impact, unable to stop the green flames. Everyone was too stunned to use more advanced magic, and even if they had, there was no way to stop such a powerful curse. Before the green flames could dissipate, the heavy, thick stones that had supported the ceiling fell into the pit like hailstones. Albus felt the force of the blow as he slammed his shoulder into the wall outside the pit, but the pain was drowned out by the hopeless truth he had just realized.
Dumbledore's Army was no more; they were all dead now. . . .