As the words of the prophecy filled the room, McGonagall's heart sank. For a moment, her mind raced back to the last time such dark words had been uttered, and the destruction that had followed. Dumbledore's usually calm gaze hardened, and for a fleeting moment, the flames reflected in his eyes mirrored the urgency of the coming storm.

Chapter 1: The Department of Mysteries - Let's Go To War

The Department of Mysteries is chaotic. The colors of unknown curses and hexes streak across the room that Harry, Neville, Ron, Hermione, and Luna are scattered in. Hermione still lies unconscious near Neville from the spell Dolohov used earlier across from Harry. There is no way to get across to the other without risk of being spotted by the remaining Death Eaters engaging in battle with the Aurors that have arrived and jumped into the chaos.

Harry scans the battlefield and sees Sirius and Tonks dueling Bellatrix and Lucius Malfoy back to back. Each pair throws jets of light across and narrowly avoids them.

"Where's your mongrel of a lover Black!" Bellatrix jeers as she sends another hex towards him thinking bringing up Lupin would throw Sirius off his game.

"Last I saw him, he was besting your husband, cousin." Sirius says as he avoids yet another hex while parrying with his own.

I don't know what you had in mind
But here we stand on opposing sides
We harm ourselves with the wrongs we've done
Name them off one by one

Sirius quickly grabs Tonks and pulls her towards him as Lucius's hex whizzes past her, a few millimeters from hitting her head.

"Do you really think you and your lot are getting out of here, Black?" Lucius says as he moves closer to Bellatrix, their wands are ready for an opening to strike its mark.

"Oh, I'm sure we will continue this dance at a later date Lucy… you know I always did love to do this dance with you" Sirius jeers as he throws his own Impedimenta hex in his direction. It hits Lucius' leg and he loses his balance and Bellatrix is forced to move away from her partner lest he take her down with him.

"Relashio!" Tonks shouted, sending Lucius's wand flying. He crashes into the shelves behind him, leaving Bellatrix alone.

Sirius ducks under Bellatrix's red curse. She is laughing—wild, unhinged. "Come on! You can do better than that!" Sirius shouted, his voice echoing off the stone walls.

Everything you say
Everything you do
You push it in
And you cut me down

Bellatrix's face grows three shades of red as she screams and slashes her wand about flinging curse and hex at her two opponents.

Harry watches in rapt horror as Sirius and Tonks do not seem to be able to gain any ground against her. After everything they had gone through these past eight months, from petitioning the Wizengamot to reexamine Sirius' case, to the trial, to Sirius' name eventually being cleared, Harry's panic watching the duel in front of him is palpable in the air. He couldn't lose Sirius, not when everything was starting to turn around… Not when he had finally started to feel like he had a family.

Harry is so preoccupied he fails to notice the person coming up behind him. Startled by the pressure of hand on his arm, he quickly turns and prepares to cast a curse… until he sees Lupin.

"Hey, hey, it's just me." Remus Lupin says as he grabs hold of Harry and pulls him back towards the cover of their hiding spot.

"Remus!" Harry says as he throws his arms around his other god-father in momentary relief as he turns back towards the duel.

"Hey, no, Harry, we need to get you out of here." Lupin says as he tries to tug Harry with him.

"What! NO!? We can't leave them!" Harry says as tears begin to collect in the corner of his eyes and he turns back towards Sirius and Tonks.

"Harry, they wouldn't want you to…" But Lupin doesn't get to finish as Tonks' scream echoes off the walls and his eyes also fly to the duel at hand.

Bellatrix managed to hit Tonks with a Flipendo and she's thrown back into the stacks violently. While there are a few duels still happening around the room, the numbers are growing smaller, with only Sirius and Bellatrix still mostly mobile. Neither one was gaining the upper hand, and with each step forward one took, the other clawed back. They are however, inching closer and closer to the dias where the Veil stands at the far end of the room. The Veil seems to beckon to them, fluttering softly, like a wand waving them closer.

With every settled score
I thought that fighting with meant fighting for
But you turn it around

However, as the two move further and further away from where Harry and Lupin are huddled, the sounds of Bellatrix laughter grow increasingly manic.

"I expected more from a Black!" Bellatrix roars as she casts a stream of red in Sirius' direction.

It's now Sirius' turn to laugh in her face again. "And I expected more from a crazy cunt like you Bella!"

But Sirius's words seem to break Bellatrix's hold on her grasp of the situation. Bellatrix's eyes twitched as Sirius's words sank in. Her fingers gripped her wand tighter, her breathing becoming ragged. A dangerous gleam lit up her wild eyes.

"I'M… NOT… CRAZY!" she screeched, her magic flaring violently. A jet of light hits Sirius squarely on the shoulder. The laughter had not quite died from his face, but his eyes widened in shock.

Screaming at the ones we love
Like we forgot who we can trust
Screaming at the top of our lungs
On the grounds where we feel safe

Harry releases Remus, though he is unaware of doing so. He was jumping out of his hiding spot, pulling out his wand, as Lupin begins to draw his wand too.

It seems to take Sirius an age to fall. His body curved in a graceful arc as he sinks backward towards the ragged Veil...The closer Sirius fell, gaining in intensity as though in a high wind. And Harry sees the look of mingled fear and surprise on his godfather's pained face as he falls towards the ancient doorway.

No. No, not again. I can't lose him again. The words repeated in Harry's mind like a mantra, his heart pounding in his ears. He forced his legs to move, to reach Sirius before the Veil claimed him forever.

Harry is sprinting across the room, between diminishing jets of hexes and curses, pumping his legs harder and faster to get to Sirius in time, Lupin hot on his heels and throwing up defensive spells to protect Harry and himself. All Harry focused on was Sirius falling backwards.

You've got my heart
And I've got your soul
But are we better off alone?

"SIRIUS!" Harry screamed, the panic in his voice taking hold of him now, "SIRIUS!" As he watched in horror as Sirius arm barely caught him on the edge to keep himself from falling through. His mouth mumbled something Harry and Lupin couldn't hear from the distance they were.

The Veil seems to take on a life of its own, shaking, and rumbling, that causes the ground beneath Harry's feet to begin to quake. Purple electrical bolts begin to shoot out from beyond the Veil, a vortex of light and wind picking up in intensity the longer Sirius stays there. Harry and Remus have to fight to get closer, both holding on to steady each other, to work together to save the person they love. Anchoring each other they manage to each grab hold of Sirius, to begin to pull him away from what they knew could only be his certain death.

Harry and Lupin wrench Sirius with all the strength they have. They begin to feel it, feel the hold the Veil has give way, but they can't stop, they can't be certain. As they manage to pull Sirius another inch or so away, they see it, see a small pale hand reach through the vortex of the Veil and latch onto Sirius' arm.

A renewed panic set in to both Harry and Lupin, not knowing what could be trying to claw Sirius back inside. The pull at him as much as they can, seeing more of the figure coming through the Veil as well.

With every battle, we lose a little more
Remember everything that we'd die for
You are everything that I'd die for

Between screams and with a final surge of strength, Harry and Lupin yank Sirius with everything they have, all their energy, all their magic. It's enough to send them all toppling to the ground several feet away from the Veil that cracks with the sound of thunder and then falls deathly silent in the matter of a heartbeat.

As Harry, Lupin, and Sirius all begin to collect themselves, relief finally settling into their limbs and minds, they turn to see what has also come through. Not a meter away, lays the figure…a body of a young girl, no more than seventeen. The girl was gaunt, her skin pale as moonlight, with bruises blooming like dark flowers across her arms. Her dark hair fell in tangled waves. She looked like a shadow of something forgotten, pulled from the depths of another world. But there's no time for them to rejoice about Sirius' dodging death or to question this otherworldly creature, as the sounds of the ensuing fights come back into focus.

"We need to get out of here… NOW!" Lupin screams as they all get to their feet.

"What about.. Her?" Harry says as he struggles to right himself and take in everything.

"We don't know who.. or what…" Lupin starts, but doesn't have time to finish as the echoes of laughter begin to grow louder.

"Fuck it." Sirius says as he uses his remaining arm to do his best to pick up the unconscious girl and drag her with them.

Harry quickly moves to the other side while Lupin resumes his defensive spells on their group as they make it back to where the other Aurors and a newly arrived Dumbledore are waiting. Neville, Ron, Ginny, Luna, and Hermione are already on the other side of the defensive line the Aurors have created. And while no one will be safe until they are all out of the Department of Mysteries, Harry can't help but feel a small sigh of relief, especially as he palms the pocket of his jacket and still feels the prophecy contained within.

But the relief is short lived for all who stand bruised and battered. A black cloud of smoke swirled across the room, and from it stepped Voldemort. His snake-like eyes gleamed with malice as he surveyed the chaos around him, a cruel smile curling at the edges of his lipless mouth. He stands in front of the regrouping Death Eaters, each pulling their own wounded or stunned towards them. Harry watches as Dumbledore walks forward.

"You should not have come here tonight, Tom," Dumbledore said, his voice quiet but laden with authority. "This will end as it always does—with you fleeing into the shadows."

"I won't be staying long, and by the time more of your reinforcements arrive, I shall be gone." Voldemort says with a flourish of his wand, an offensive stance at the ready.

No one breathes, no one moves, everyone is frozen waiting to see who will cast first. But the moment passes, and Voldemort turns and walks towards his group of Death Eaters, each supporting one or two.

"I'll leave you with a parting gift, Albus." Voldemort says without glancing back over his shoulder. His wand sparks to life as he raises it and and a jet of dark green light and energy explodes through the ceiling and up outside to the night sky above the ministry. After the spell is cast, Voldemort and his Death Eaters all disapparate in clouds of black smoke. The Aurors previously holding the defensive line run forward and look up into the gaping hole torn through all levels of the Ministry. The Dark Mark hangs in the sky above them.

Do we feel safe?
Do we feel safe?
Do you feel safe?

Dumbledore turns from staring up into the sky to the group, all more than a little worse for wear. His eyes go from each of his students and former students until it lands on the unconscious figure that Sirius and Harry support between them.

Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Luna, and Neville had been promptly taken to St. Mungo's. While Hermione was still in the hospital to treat the unknown curse Dolohov had thrown at her, tRon, Ginny, Luna, and Neville had been returned to Hogwarts.

Two days later, Harry was standing at Hermione's bedside, in between her and the other occupant of the room, the girl that had come through the Veil. She had yet to wake up, and no one was sure what to think. There was no recorded record of someone going into the Veil, let alone someone coming through it. Dumbledore, Minister Fudge, and several Aurors and Unspeakables had all come by trying to find out more about who she was or where she came from.

It had been Sirius to shoo them away, becoming more and more rapid at the intrusions as each new batch of people came by. He had taken to standing guard in the room, only leaving briefly if Lupin came to offer him a brief respite.

"Ah, Harry, anything yet regarding Ms Granger or our mysterious friend?" Dumbledore asks as he enters the room.

"Albus…" Sirius practically growls from his seat at the couch to one side of the room. His hackles seem to raise on a hair trigger. Lupin, sitting next to him, quickly moves to place his hand on his partner's arm to attempt to calm him. It does little to help though.

"No need for that, Sirius. I merely wish to know if they have woken up."

"No, sir." Harry says as he turns to face his headmaster.

"Sirius, Lupin if we can have a word… outside." Dumbledore says as he waits for Sirius and Lupin to follow him outside the hospital room.

Harry watches them leave and Lupin closes the door softly behind them before turning back to Hermione. He moves closer to her bed and softly takes her hand in his, brushing his fingers gently over her knuckles.

"You saved us Mione. If you hadn't silenced Dolohov…we'd be dead." Harry says quietly. "You're always doing that, you know, throwing yourself into the thick of it with me… you shouldn't… shouldn't have to do that."

Hermione seemed to stir at his touch and Harry looked up at her face. Slowly, her eyes fluttered ever so slightly open. She gave Harry a soft smile.

"Hi." Hermione said groggily.

"Hermione!" Harry let out a shuttered breath as he squeezed her hand.

"Did we… is Sirius?" She tried to ask through a hoarse voice.

"Yes, he's safe." Harry quickly tells her and "I'm so sorry Hermione. It was a trap, he wasn't there. Kreacher… he went to the Malyfoy's. They told him… to lie to me. I'm so sorry Mione. I should have…" Harry stutters with tears gathering in his eyes.

Hermione weakly moves her hand to bring Harry's up to her face and lean it against her cheek. "Shh…" She says to quiet her mumbling friend. "The others?" She asks quietly.

"They are back at Hogwarts, well… except her." Harry says as he motions to the bed next to her.

Hermione moves her head slowly to take in who Harry motions to. The girl in the bed next to her. While hard to tell from her vantage, she appears to be the same age as them and their friends. Thin, almost painfully so, her skin is pale with small clusters of purple bruises on the skin that Hermione can see. Her hair lays in small dark waves reaching almost to her elbows. It reminds Hermione of Sirius' hair a little.

"She came through the Veil." Harry says quietly.

Hermione's eyes snap back to Harry. "What?"

"Bellatrix, she caught Sirius on the shoulder, he was falling towards the Veil. Managed to catch himself before he fell through… but she came through. No one knows what to make of it, the Ministry has had loads of people coming by, trying to figure out what's going on."

Sirius, Lupin, and Dumbledore enter the hospital room. Sirius and Lupin light up seeing Hermione awake and even Dumbledore looks pleased to see her awake.

"Hey kid." Sirius says as he comes to stand near her bed.

Lupin follows closely behind Sirius and rests a hand on his shoulder to look over it. "Goodness Hermione, you gave us a fright."

"Ah, Ms Granger, lovely to see you awake." Dumbledore says as he pops a lemon drop in his mouth. "We were just discussing…"

But Dumbledore doesn't get a chance to say anything else as a strangled gasp comes from the next bed. With wide eyes, everyone turns to look, and is met with wild, frantic storm gray eyes, and a lanky body practically hurtling itself off the hospital bed and onto the floor.

"No… no hospitals… no needles… no more…" The girl says as she tries to throw herself further into the corner.

"Shhh… it's okay." Sirius says as he holds up his hands and tries to approach her, all but shoving Dumbledore out of the way. "You're safe, no one here is going to hurt you."

The girl practically curls into herself, wrapping her arms as tightly around her body as she can, and watches as Sirius crouches down and gets to her eye level.

"Do you remember what happened?" Sirius asks as he nudges closer to her. "I heard you. On the other side… I told you to reach through."

The girl's eyes darted around the room to all the people before finally settling on Sirius. "You… something… called to me." She says as she allows Sirius' hand to reach out to her. She reaches a delicate hand out to take it. "I was…hiding… I heard voices… through the… chaos. I heard you, Sirius Black."

Sirius froze, his hand hovering in midair. Lupin's brows knitted together in confusion, while Harry took a step back, his mind racing. How did she know his name?

Sirius chuckles but helps her to stand delicately. "Well you seem to have me at a disadvantage, you know my name, but I don't know yours." Sirius says as with a grin to try and keep her calm.

Again, the girl looks around the room at everyone staring at her before her eyes settle on Sirius' eyes, eyes identical to hers. "It's River… River Tam."

AN: Hope you all enjoy the first full chapter! Next update will be next Friday.