A masked death eater stood there, wearing a black mask with some golden outlines, as well as a pointed hat. The Death Eater was wearing flowing black robes and was holding a wand with the core shaped as a snake’s head with dangerous green eyes and slitted black pupils. The masked death eater revealed themselves: it was Lucius Malfoy, a wide smirk spread across his pale face.

‘Ah, I see William’s daughter has joined the act…’ Mr. Malfoy said, looking at Amelia with cold grey eyes. 

His platinum blonde hair reached his shoulders. His cold grey eyes matched his son’s, Draco.  

‘Ava and Owen’s daughter, too- charmed, charmed,’ he continued, no delightness in his voice whatsoever as his eyes shifted to Olivia’s face. ‘We will do it the easy way, Potter. You will hand that prophecy to me like a good boy.’

Harry held the orb tighter. The others circled him, their wands pointed directly at Mr. Malfoy’s strangely calm face. 

‘Lucius, it’s better if you just kill the boy!’ a high-pitched voice shrieked. 

A woman emerged from the shadows. She was wearing a skin-tight cloak, with leather boots and a witch’s hat that had a black veil. The woman removed the veil off her face: dull, frost-blue eyes glimmered at the children, and black long curls were seen on the woman. She gave them the nastiest of grins possible. 

‘The Dark Lord wants Potter to be served to him alive, Ava,’ Lucius calmly said, looking upon the woman, who eyed Olivia. 

‘Why does she have to be in front of my face when I just escaped Azkaban?’ Mrs. Dragonheart groaned, trying to avoid Olivia’s horrified look. 

‘You will have the right to kill your daughter once we receive the prophecy from the boy.’ 

Another man came out of the murky shadows. Black bags under his electric blue eyes, straight undone messy brown hair, and a strong jaw… Mr. Clearwater joined the other Death Eaters. But he stopped moving when he saw his daughter staring right at him. Mr. Clearwater opened his mouth and closed it. 

‘Y-you’re going to fight and kill your own daughter, are you?’ Amelia said, her voice wavering as she tried not to cry in front of everyone. ‘Sh-shame on you, William Clearwater. Why did you have to marry my mother? She didn’t deserve you! She didn’t deserve a foul soul like you!’ 

Mr. Clearwater didn’t reply, his chest feeling tight under his black cloak. He took out his wand from his pocket, and held it tight in his hand as his eyes never left his daughter’s. His daughter’s eyes never left his, either. 

‘Potter, I will say this as many times as this takes,’ Mr. Malfoy said, his tone dead serious. ‘Hand me over the prophecy, and we’ll let you and your friends go.’

Amelia’s eyes parted away from her father’s, and she glared at Mr. Malfoy as she gripped onto her wand tighter, her heart hammering inside her. Mrs. Dragonheart took out her black wand like Mr. Clearwater and drew it to Olivia, who drew hers to her mother’s rising and falling chest. Mrs. Dragonheart smirked and a dark glitter in her eyes sparkled at Olivia, who hesitated for a moment. She saw someone else’s wand point at Mrs. Dragonheart. Albert was standing next to Olivia, his wand drawn to Mrs. Dragonheart as well. She smirked even more. Isabell saw more death eaters spawning from the black shadows: Bellatrix Lestrange, said to be one of Voldemort’s most loyal servants. She cackled in a high-pitched tone as she walked towards the other Death Eaters. She had high cheekbones, a strong jaw, blood-red lips, black curls and brown eyes that represented evil in every way and angle. 

‘Oh, look, evwewon! Potter has come to pway!’ Bellatrix shrieked in an awful baby-voice. 

Other Death Eaters stood next to Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Clearwater and Mrs. Dragonheart, as though black ghosts joining the afterlife one by one. 

‘Where’s Sirius!’ Harry growled. 

All Death Eaters burst into howling cackles and laughter. 

‘I said, where’s Sirius!’ Harry repeated, his sweaty hand clutching to his lit wand, which ignited the nasty faces of the Death Eaters. 

‘You truly believe my cousin was held hostage here?’ Bellatrix said, her hysterical laughs echoing. 

The Death Eaters continued cackling and howling. Harry was now sweating, realising he had led the others into a trap. He held his wand and the prophecy even tighter, as though the most prized treasures he ever had. He looked behind him. Amelia, Isabell, Albert and Olivia were standing on one side of him, their wands firmly drawn at targets. The other side was Ginny, Ron, Hermione, Luna and Neville, wands drawn as well. Amelia was closest to him. She whispered in his ear. 

‘Explode the shelves.’ 

Harry looked at her. She was secretly spreading the message to Isabell, who gave it to Olivia, who shared it with Albert. Harry told Amelia’s plan to Ron, who spread it to the others in turn. All of the children’s eyes turned to the Death Eaters, Bellatrix having an eager face, Mr. Clearwater and Mrs. Dragonheart looking upon their own children with either cold hatred (Mrs. Dragonheart) or sadness and disappointment (Mr. Clearwater). Isabell suddenly created some strange clicking, popping and hissing noises, with everyone’s eyes looking at her. 

‘Poor girl’s lost her tongue!’ Bellatrix shrieked as the Death Eaters howled once again. 

Amelia, Olivia and Albert frowned at her, but Isabell didn’t look at them, she smiled thinly at Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Clearwater and Mrs. Dragonheart. 

‘Potter…’ Mr. Malfoy said through gritted teeth. ‘I highly recommend you hand over this prophecy. Time is precious…’

‘No,’ Harry growled.

Mrs. Dragonheart started to pounce at him-

‘Ava, no! The Dark Lord gave us clear instructions! Let the boy retrieve the prophecy and make him hand it to us without harming him!’

‘Well… he didn’t say anything about the other children…’ one Death Eater said in a raspy voice, and several Death Eaters murmured in agreement. 

Amelia recognised that raspy voice: it was Augustus Rookwood. He was masked like most of the Death Eaters around him, with a pointed hat and flowing robes like Mr. Malfoy, whose gaze never left the prophecy that trapped the swirly clouds. Isabell thought for a second that the swirls made out the shape of a woman’s anxious face, until she shook her head and the face wasn’t here anymore. 

‘We don’t harm any of them until we retrieve the prophecy!’ Mr. Malfoy’s voice echoed through the vast chamber. ‘We are twelve Death Eaters, fully grown adults. They are ten children. This task is simple enough!’

Ava stayed put in her place, the eagerness in Bellatrix’s faces creeping up on hers, too.  

‘Potter,’ Mr. Malfoy lashed. ‘Prophecy. Now.’

‘Sirius has to be here!’ Harry argued.

The Death Eaters exploded again, Harry feeling unsettled. 

‘Oh, Potter, Dumbledore hasn’t taught you the difference between imagination and reality, life and dreams…’ Mrs. Dragonheart cooed, smirking terribly.

‘He- he’s not here-’ Amelia gasped. 

‘You see, the Dark Lord always has a qualified plan in his sleeves. “To lure the little boy in,” he said, “...Harry and I have a connection of some sort. A connection in which he can see what my eyes witness. So, why don’t we make it seem like one of his loved ones was held hostage in the Prophecy Room and he will simply cme scurrying here. He chooses courage over intelligence.”’

‘Well, all that your “very smart” Dark Lord would have done was get the prophecy himself and not worry about some children getting it for him!’ Isabell snapped. 

‘Ah, Riley’s daughter, I see. That tramp found his way into high ranks in the Ministry…’

‘Don’t you dare talk about my father like that!’ Isabell fumed, her cheeks reddening with anger. 

Mr. Malfoy’s cold grey pits flew to Harry. Then to the orb in his hands.

‘Potter, we could do this all day…’ he said darkly. 

‘On three…’ Amelia breathed, audibly enough for the other students to hear her. 

‘One…’ Olivia whispered. 

‘The prophecy is all we need…’ Mr. Malfoy said, his grey eyes gazing upon the prophecy clutched in Harry’s sweaty hand. 

‘Come near me and I will break it!’ Harry challenged, his grip loosening on the orb. 

Mr. Malfoy’s eyes filled with worry, yet impatience.

‘Two…’ Albert murmured. 

‘Yeah, that’s right. Too afraid that I’ll break it and you will go to your master empty-handed!’ Harry yelled. 

‘Three,’ Isabell softly whispered. 

‘REDUCTO!’ Ginny was the first to perform the spell. 

The blue light hit the shelf next to the Death Eaters. It began leaning in towards them, the orbs rolling off and braking on the cold floor, the clouds trapped inside finally free as they spread out and collided with each other. Harry made his move. He started running, the orb still in his hand as though glued to it. 

‘GET THE BOY!’ Mrs. Dragonheart shrieked as she and Bellatrix vanished into balck smoke, which started soaring towards Harry from either side of him. 

‘Stupefy!’ Isabell yelled behind Harry, her wand pointed on the flying smoke on the left, which changed into Mrs. Dragonheart falling back and crashing on the ground. 

The chase had started. Amelia was being chased by two masked Death Eaters, and she exited the Prophecy room, almost hit with a cruciatus spell from one of the Death Eaters. She continued running, pushing one clock and making it fall to the ground. The Death Eaters jumped over it, Amelia already at the door. She frantically looked around, the wall was turning once again, until it came to a stop. Amelia heard the door in front of her break open, the two Death Eaters chasing her again. They were so fast that they were already closing in, finally having their victim cornered-

Amelia stepped back and fell on a galactic ground. She got up, groaning, and started to run to the end of the room, hidden behind Jupiter. The two Death Eaters slithered in, their wands lit up and looking around through their masks. 

‘Come out, come out, wherever you are, little dull-witted princess!’ one Death Eater croaked. 

The Death Eaters looked at all angles of each planet, finally stopping at Jupiter. Like a large cannonball, Jupiter swung back and forth, hitting the two Death Eaters hard and causing them to collide a few feet back. Amelia got off Jupiter, which stopped back in its position, and started to run to the door, when one of the moaning Death Eaters managed to shoot a spell at Amelia.

‘Locomotor Wibbly,’ one of them wheezed. 

Amelia yelled: her legs were bonded together like a knot. She tried her best to crawl towards the door, the hand grabbing the floor and pushing it as though a big cat was ready to pounce at the prey. The same Death Eater fired another spell, which missed Amelia’s head by inches. She pushed the door open and smashed it shut behind her, trying to call for help, until a man with blue eyes walked over to her. 

‘Don’t touch me!’ Amelia yelled at Mr. Clearwater. 

‘Here I am risking my loyalty to help you, and you reject the offer?’ her father asked, arms outstretched. 

Amelia ignored his arms. 

‘Go. Away. I don’t care if you kill me right now. I don’t care about anything that you do!’ she yelled. 

Mr. Clearwater’s pupils outlined red for a fraction of a second. He started walking away. 

‘If one of the Death Eaters kill you, then I will be most delighted, I will prepare a funeral and everyone will wear white for the marvellous occasion that will sooner or later come,’ he said as he exploded into black smoke that started trailing to one of the rooms. 

‘Fine, go!’ she said, her voice cracking.

Amelia stayed where she was, immobilised, petrified, helpless, alone…

Isabell and Hermione were being chased in the Prophecy Room by three Death Eaters. 

‘Stupefy!’ Hermione yelled as she pointed her wand from behind her, blasting a Death Eater and making him collapse on the ground.

‘Hermione! Follow me!’ Isabell yelled to Hermione. ‘We’re going to the Fear Room!’ 

But before Hermione could protest, one of the two Death Eaters hit Hermione with a spell, sending a streak of purple flames towards her. Hermione screamed as injuries started slashing her arms and legs, the pain forbidding her from moving. 

‘Hermione!’ Isabell yelled. ‘Petrificus Totalus!’

Isabell’s spell caused the Death Eater at the front to freeze and fall, the other Death Eaters tumbling and falling on him. Hermione was in between consciousness and unconsciousness, her head drooping down then striking up. Isabell, panicking, used a spell which tied Hermione with invisible ropes and made her float in midair, only her head lolling around as her lids were barely open. 

‘It’s fine, Hermione, I’ll place you somewhere safe,’ Isabell breathed. 

Isabell started running, Hermione following her in midair, until their path was blocked by a Death Eater. The Death Eater walked towards them, drawing nearer as his wand was pointed at them. Isabell decided to make her move. She punched the Death Eater in his face, his mask wearing off into dust. Isabell ran away, Hermione next to her, floating in midair and fully unconscious. They got out of the Prophecy Room, with the Death Eater chasing them, bare-faced. He got out, but nobody was there. The Death Eater yelled in surprise when Isabell appeared out of nowhere and pushed his head into the crystal jar ball. The Death Eater yelled, his head stuck inside the crystal ball. He got out his wand and yelled a muffled spell, which made the ball explode. The source of light for the Time Room faded, and Isabell lit up her wand to see the Death Eater with the face of a baby. But then the head transformed into its original self, then again to a baby’s head. The Death Eater was helpless, grabbing his head in shock as it kept transforming from baby to normal, normal to baby. Isabell, with Hermione drifting behind her, exited the Time Room, seeing Amelia on the floor, with her legs knotted together. Amelia looked up at them.

‘Y-you’re okay- What happened to Hermione-’

‘What happened to you?’ Isabell asked, using a spell to untie Amelia’s legs. 

Amelia still couldn’t stand up right, taking Isabell’s hand to stand up. She leaned on Isabell, who was now in charge of two immobilised people.

‘Death Eater’s doing,’ Amelia replied. ‘What about Hermione…’

‘Antony Dolohov used a spell that I have no idea what it is. She’s injured and unconscious.’

Amelia tried to walk as her wobbly legs moved, only to fall hard on her elbows. 

‘It’s alright… the others will defeat the Death Eaters…’ Isabell whispered, helping Amelia up. 

Ron, Harry and Albert were being chased by Mr. Clearwater, who was firing spells at them. Albert and Ron ducked and dodged them and ran in zig-zags to avoid the blasting spells. 

‘We need the prophecy!’ Mr. Clearwater raged, firing more spells at them. 

One spell missed Albert’s ear by an inch, making him feel air that made his hair ripple.

‘We have to get out of here if we want to have more space,’ Albert said as he, Ron and Harry were just avoiding the curses and spells being fired behind them.  

They saw a few shelves to their right side fall down, sending orbs crashing on the ground. They heard the yells of three girls and a boy, and two Death Eaters yelling in anger. They reached the door and closed it just in time as Mr. Clearwater fired a killing curse at them, which shattered the door. The wall was about to revolve as it was twitching. They went to an unmarked handless door and went inside, just as Harry caught a glimpse of a blonde girl with knotted legs coming out of a room. 

A tinge of green, eerie light entered the dark room they were in. They all yelled in surprise. A large tank that could fit at least five people stood in front of them, the water a slimy colour of green, and pink squishy objects swimming in the tank. Only the three boys realised that it was the room that had brains. Ron laughed. 

‘Still can’t get the image of brains out of my mind,’ said Ron, shaking his head.

‘Ron, don’t you dare take one again-’ 

Ron had summoned one brain, which plopped out of the water and moved towards him. Ron held it. 

‘Bloody hell. It’s slimy,’ he said, laughing. 

‘Ron, I don’t think it’s a good idea to really touch that…’ Albert said, shuddering at the sight of the brain in Ron’s goo-filled hand. ‘Not after what happened before…’ 

The brain suddenly sprouted tentacles from its bottom, with the tentacles growing longer. The brain almost represented an octopus, with eight dangling purple tentacles with suckers that had small teeth. 

‘Ron, let go of it!’ Harry warned. 

But it was too late: the brain’s tentacles started slithering around Ron, whose eyes widened in shock. The suckers on the tentacles started sticking to Ron’s body, slowly digging their teeth through his robes. 

‘H-help!’ he yelled. ‘Blimey, guys! Don’t just stand there!’ 

Albert and Harry fought the tentacles, trying to remove them from Ron, who yelled in pain. One of the tentacles, which hadn’t held Ron’s body, started to grab the prophecy in Harry’s hand. Harry tried to fight it, but the tentacle’s suckers stuck to the glass orb, and it snatched it away from Harry’s grip. 

‘CONFRINGO!’ Albert yelled, firing a spell at the tentacle. 

The tentacle exploded into two, with half of it flopping on the floor. Albert stepped on it hard, and it didn’t move anymore. Harry managed to catch the falling prophecy just before it fell and shattered on the ground. He held it tight in his free hand. They both jerked their heads to Ron, who was held tightly as though the tentacles were a whole snake, squeezing the victim. 

‘H-help-’ Ron gasped, with the last ounce of breath-

The tentacles suddenly freed Ron, his robes filled with holes from the teeth of the suckers. The brain started to climb up the large water tank using its sticky suckers and joined its fellow brains that were motionlessly swimming in the green water. 

‘Ron!’ Harry yelled, looking worriedly at his friend. 

Ron’s eyes fluttered open, and a goofy smile appeared on his face.

‘Do you have any food, Harry?’ he asked. 

‘Ron, snap out of it! It isn’t funny!’ Albert yelled.

Ron frowned at Albert. 

‘And who’re you?’ 

Harry and Albert exchanged horrified looks. Ron looked at the tank. 

‘Hey, Harry… there are brains in there, isn’t that weird, Harry?’ he said, looking at the motionless brains in the large water tank. 

The large rectangular room they were in had low-hanging dimly lit lights that swung since the chill touched them. The eerie green solution’s surface that was in the tank was silently rippling as the brains continued to swim into nothingness. 

‘Are these human brains…?’ Albert asked uncertainly.

‘Maybe, maybe not. What matters is that-’

The door of the Memory Room was banging, Mr. Clearwater trying to break in.

‘I know you’re in there!’ 

‘Father, don’t you dare!’ a voice yelled from outside the room. 

Harry was about to put down the prophecy to pick Ron up-

‘Harry, no,’ Albert said. ‘I’ll carry him. You keep the prophecy and try to defend us. It’s the prophecy they need.’

Harry firmly nodded, drawing his wand at the door. But there seemed to be commotion outside. Harry slowly swung the handless door open to see Isabell duelling with Mr. Clearwater, with Isabell repelling or dodging Mr. Clearwater’s spells. Amelia and Hermione were on the ground, one unable to move and the other fully unconscious. Albert joined Isabell as they effortlessly sent spells towards Mr. Clearwater, who was barely avoiding them. 

‘Stupefy!’ Isabell yelled, firing red sparks towards Mr. Clearwater.

He simply repelled it.

‘Dumbledore didn’t teach you non-verbal spells, I see!’ he yelled. ‘You always let me know what’s coming!’ 

But then he yelled, arms grabbing his legs and tripping him. 

‘Well, you didn’t see that coming,’ Amelia said hotly. 

She had stealthily crawled up to her father and grabbed his legs. 

‘Do your thing,’ she told Albert.

‘Petrificus Totalus,’ he murmured as Mr. Clearwater’s body position froze. 

A door suddenly opened, with Neville emerging from the door, blood running from his nose. Then Luna, unconscious and floating in mid air. Behind her was Ginny, limping towards them with a hurt right leg and finally Olivia, somewhat between consciousness and unconsciousness.

‘What happened-’ Albert said, looking at Olivia, who was tied with magical chords (the work of Neville). 

Nobody was able to speak.

Back then, Ginny, Luna, Neville and Olivia were being chased by Mr. Malfoy, Mrs. Dragonheart, and two other Death Eaters. Olivia tried to blast one of the shelves in an attempt to slow the Death Eaters down, but Ava shot a spell at her that caused it to slash her arm like an invisible dagger. Olivia yelled in pain, holding her injured arm. 

‘We have to keep moving!’ she told the others. ‘Ginny, try to slow them down!’ 

‘Daughter giving instructions!’ Ava shrieked, her wand aimed at Ginny, who dodged a flying killing curse by inches. 

‘Reducto!’ Luna’s dreamy voice echoed, blasting a shelf of glass orbs and causing them to fall down.

An orb the size of a basketball hit one of the masked Death Eater’s head, sending him collapsing on the ground. 

One Death Eater wiped out. Three more to go.  

Mrs. Dragonheart, with angry yells, kept firing curses at them, each avoiding her curses by inches. 

‘We have to lose them,’ Ginny breathed as they continued to run past shelves. 

Luna blasted another one, with Mrs. Dragonheart and Mr. Malfoy exploding into the black smoke and flying over the falling shelf. The other Death Eater got flattened by the shelf, though they thought they heard groaning. 

Two wiped out. Two more to go. 

Only the other two were powerful, able to simply go through any obstacle that the four children threw at them, either exploding shelves of prophecies, attempts at non-verbal spells- 

Another killing curse came to them, with Neville ducking just on time. 

‘Expelliarmus!’ he yelled, pointing his wand at Mr. Malfoy’s wand, which flew out of his hand.

Ginny caught Lucius’ wand as soon as it went towards them.

‘Nice catch!’ Luna echoed.

‘Thanks!’ Ginny yelled back.

They continued to run, with Mr. Malfoy trailing behind them as black smoke and they heard Mrs. Dragonheart’s boots hurriedly tap at the cold floor. Olivia, Neville, Ginny and Luna continued to run as green and red sparks flew to them. They ducked and twisted as Mrs. Dragonheart’s curses shot towards them. 

‘Filthy rats!’ they heard Mrs. Dragonheart shriek behind them. 

They were near row 35, with the door of the Prophecy room getting closer and closer, so that they could soon make out its fine details and polishness. They had lost Mrs. Dragonheart, but two Death Eaters from in front of them blocked their path. Soon, Mrs. Dragonheart and Mr. Malfoy reached them. They were at last cornered-

‘Expelli-’ Ginny began. 

But Mrs. Dragonheart was quicker, she used the disarming spell and Ginny and Mr. Malfoy’s wands flew out of her hands. Mrs. Dragonheart caught Ginny’s wand, and Mr. Malfoy took his back. 

‘Nowhere to go, now!’ Mrs. Dragonheart laughed hysterically. ‘You wasted your time trying to outrun me!’ 

The four Death Eaters started closing in… Olivia swivelled around, stabbed her wand in one of the two Death Eater’s faces, and jumped over him as he fell, beckoning the other three to follow her. But the other Death Eater caught Neville, who tried to escape his grip. Neville kicked the Death Eater’s shin, and was free. But then the Death Eater managed a punch- right on Neville’s nose. Blood instantly started falling from his nostrils as he held his nose. 

‘I’m fine!’ he yelled. 

‘Get them!’ Mr. Malfoy thundered. 

‘Reducto!’ Ginny yelled, blasting a shelf. 

The orbs started falling down like water drops falling from the sky and plopped down, almost hitting Mrs. Dragonheart’s head. 

‘We have to get out!’ Luna yelled, her voice losing its dreaminess and replaced by a worried tone. 

‘Not until I kill you all!’ Mrs. Dragonheart shrieked behind them, sending a killing curse straight towards Olivia. 

Ginny pushed Olivia aside just on time as the green light passed their eyes. They made a run for it once again, Neville with a broken nose. 

‘COME BACK HERE!’ Mrs. Dragonheart yelled. 

‘Not until you catch us!’ Ginny shot back as they ran straight towards the door. 

She was about to open the door, when Mr. Malfoy exploded into black smoke and landed in front of her, blocking the door. His lips twisted into a terrible grin as Ava cackled behind them. Lucius pointed his wand at Ginny’s right leg, causing it to twist. Ginny screeched in pain, collapsing in front of Mr. Malfoy, who placed his wand back in his robes. 

‘What did you do to her!’ Olivia yelled, trying to help Ginny, until she felt herself float upside down, as though held by her ankle. 

‘Really enjoyed it when this spell was used on Snivellus,’ Mrs. Dragonheart cooed, her wand pointed at Olivia. 

‘Let me down!’ 

Ava merely smirked. 

‘Fifteen years… and I never had the chance to kill you…’ Ava spoke, mostly to herself. ‘Now… all of that changes…’

Mrs. Dragonheart looked at her daughter one last time. 

‘You were less useful than the other one,’ she cooed. 

Olivia locked eyes with her mother, fear rising up. 

‘AVADA KEDAV-’ 

Mrs. Dragonheart yelled in surprise as Luna threw an orb at her. The orb hit the shelf next to Mrs. Dragonheart and she ducked as glass shards went straight towards her. Olivia fell hard on the ground. 

‘Run,’ Ginny gasped.

‘You’re injured-’ Luna began. 

Mr. Malfoy was still blocking the door. Neville tried to snatch Lucius’ wand from him, but failed and Mr. Malfoy kicked him away from him. Mrs. Dragonheart stood, a cut on her reddened cheek. 

‘You filthy rats have taken this too far…’ she whispered audibly, her voice suddenly deadly. ‘We will have the prophecy that the Dark Lord desires… and you all will end up dead… right now… in front of me…’ 

She looked at Mr. Malfoy, who drew his wand and pointed it at the children, Ava doing the same.

‘Avada Kedav-’ they both said in unison. 

The door that Mr. Malfoy was standing behind blasted open, a giant praying mantis standing there. The mantis had a large triangular head poised on a long thorax, its mouthparts bared. Its eyes were pure green and large, with no pupils. Its antennas shivered, its limbs twitching. It had a long, slender body, its front legs coated with spines. Ava looked at the mantis. The mantis was walking through the door, almost smashing Mr. Malfoy (who moved away just on time). 

‘Crucio!’ Ava shrieked, pointing her wand at the giant bug.

The mantis screeched, collapsing on the ground. 

‘It’s on our side,’ Luna said dreamily. ‘Isabell summoned it back then.’

The jolts of pain stopped, and the mantis regained strength. 

‘Climb on it,’ Olivia breathed. 

‘ARE YOU INSANE?’ Neville shrieked, his hand still pressed on his broken nose.

‘Trust me.’

Neville pressed his foot on one of the mantis’ hind legs and seated himself, helping Ginny up as she was unable to move because of a twisted leg. Olivia tried to get up, but the wide slash on her arm suddenly seared with pain and she lost her grip- Luna supported her from behind her. Olivia firmly held Ginny’s shoulders, feeling Luna holding hers. The mantis, with its new riders, stood tall in front of Mrs. Dragonheart and Mr. Malfoy, who drew a few steps back. But then Mrs. Dragonheart smirked. 

‘Ah, magic truly helps us,’ she said softly. ‘Reducio.’

The mantis suddenly started shrinking, with the children hopping off it and falling hard on the ground, groaning. The mantis was the original size, giving out a tiny squeak instead of emitting a large screech. Mrs. Dragonheart stepped on the mantis with her boot, smiling terribly. 

‘That was a waste of time…’ she whispered darkly. ‘Crucio.’

Her wand was pointed straight at Luna, who immediately fell on the ground and started twitching.

‘Leave her alone!’ Olivia yelled. 

Mr. Malfoy pointed his wand at her and she fell a few feet back, falling hard against a shelf of prophecies and collapsing on the floor, paralysed. Neville yelled and didn’t hesitate to punch Mrs. Dragonheart’s face. Mrs. Dragonheart shrieked in fury and pain as she fell on the ground. Neville kicked Mr. Malfoy’s shin once again, both Death Eaters unable to move. Olivia’s vision was blurry, her head turning around and her arms searing with pain. Ginny’s leg was still twisted badly as she pressed her hands on Neville’s shoulders to stand up. Luna was fully unconscious, unable to resist the pain that Mrs. Dragonheart had fired at her. Under Neville’s nose was dry red blood. He tied Luna and Olivia with magical chords and made them float as they started to walk away, not proud that they finally defeated the Death Eaters, but afraid that there would be more that they would have to face. 

They were all together once again, with only Harry, Neville, Albert and Isabell without serious injuries. Ginny, Ron and Amelia weren’t unconscious, but were too weak to even stand up properly and Ron had just been abducted by a brain once again. Hermione and Luna were fully unconscious, and Olivia was close to fainting. 

‘We have to get out, we can take this prophecy to Dumbledore,’ Harry said, looking at the unconscious Hermione with sadness. 

One of the handless doors burst open. Mr. Clearwater emerged from it and sprung towards them like a gazelle. Another door opened, and two Death Eaters, one with an ageing and de-ageing head, came out of it and started to run towards the children. And then another door opened, Mrs. Dragonheart and Mr. Malfoy coming out with deadly looks. 

‘The prophecy, Potter!’ Mr. Malfoy raged, already closing in on them. 

‘Go to that door!’ Amelia ordered, pointing at one of them that was streaked with a scorching “X”.

Isabell supported her and Neville supported Ginny. Albert carried Olivia on his back. Harry supported Ron and made sure that Hermione and Luna were going after them as they drifted behind them in mid air. They all jumped into the room, all falling down towards a stone floor- Amelia managed just on time to use a spell which made them all stop an inch from the floor. They all fell on the ground. Blasting black smoke tails started firing in the Death Chamber as the Death Eaters entered. 

‘Trapped yourself, Potter!’ Bellatrix cackled as she replaced black smoke. 

The rippling veil still stood there, Amelia, Albert, Luna and Harry hearing the familiar faint mutters and whispers. Mr. Malfoy slowly slithered towards Harry, his eyes never leaving the glowing glass orb.

‘Potter… give us the prophecy or your friends will get tortured and killed right in front of you,’ he said darkly, his eyes looking at all the children. 

‘No,’ Harry replied, tucking his arm behind him. 

‘If that is what you want…’

The Death Eaters exploded into black smoke and started going around and in between the children, who covered their heads or closed their eyes. Harry opened his. Nobody was next to him. The black smoke was gone. Harry looked around him: Bellatrix grabbed Neville by his hair, her wand on his throat. Mrs. Dragonheart held Albert with his collar, her wand pointed at him. Mr. Clearwater held Olivia and Amelia. Suddenly, black smoke trailed in the room, revealing a masked Death Eater. The Death Eater took off the mask. It was a tall man, with brown hair styled back and emerald green eyes. 

‘Owen, you are late,’ Mrs. Dragonheart snapped. 

Olivia’s eyes flared open to look at her father, who was looking directly at her. She got transported to Mr. Malfoy and he grabbed her by her hair. 

‘Give it to us, or she dies. And I will get each and every one of them in front of you and kill them. This one is first.’

‘Lucius! Let me do it!’ Ava said eagerly. 

‘No, Ava,’ Mr. Dragonheart growled. ‘Let our leader for this mission do the job.’

Mrs. Dragonheart muttered something unclear.

‘Don’t you dare do anything to her!’ Albert yelled. 

Mrs. Dragonheart held his neck, digging her black nails into his throat to silence him. 

‘Crucio,’ Mr. Malfoy’s dark voice echoed. 

‘NO!’ Albert choked.

When you’ve ever suffered pain from a deep slash in your arm… a cruciatus curse would certainly compound to that amount of pain. Olivia screamed and dropped to the hard, cold floor, unable to control the pain. Albert struggled from Ava’s hard grip. She was laughing hysterically, her laughs echoed by Bellatrix. 

‘Stop them, father!’ Amelia said, looking at the writhing Olivia.

Mr. Clearwater looked down at his captive. He looked forward again, ignoring his daughter’s pleads. 

‘I regretted Victoria’s death the moment the Dark Lord killed her. And yet all you see of me is a beast,’ her father whispered, so that only Amelia could hear him.

Amelia had no words. Yes, she did think of her father as some kind of monster, but never in a million years did she think her father cared that her mother was dead. She looked at Olivia, not wanting to see her killed the same way her mother was killed. By a killing curse. Harry looked down at Olivia, horrified. 

‘D-don’t do it- I- I’ll k-k-keep f-figh-’ Olivia wheezed, twitching badly as strong jolts of pain rose up her body. 

‘Harry, don’t!’ Neville yelled as Harry was about to hand over the prophecy to Mr. Malfoy. 

Mr. Malfoy stopped the spell. Olivia was lying on the ground, gasping for breath, barely able to breath-

‘I’ll ask you once more, Potter. Hand me over the prophecy or your pathetic friend here is gone for good,’ Mr. Malfoy said, smirking at the end. ‘And, William, you will end her for all of us.’

Amelia turned sharply to her father’s face. Mr. Clearwater nodded, avoiding Amelia’s widened blue eyes. 

‘Harry… d-d-d-don’t…’ Olivia said with her last ounces of breath. 

‘I have to,’ Harry said sadly, his hand rising up, holding the orb tightly. 

He hesitated to hand over the prophecy to Lucius Malfoy, whose arm was outstretched, ready to grab the glass orb. At last, the orb met Mr. Malfoy’s hand, and his fingers curled around the prophecy. 

‘Kill them all,’ Mr. Malfoy echoed. 

The Death Eaters started chortling, all but one. Mr. Clearwater remained standing there, with no happy expression on his face. Instead, his expression was rather glum. Harry looked at Mr. Malfoy, horrified.

‘Avad-’ began Mr. Dragonheart, his wand pointed right at Amelia. 

White dazzling fumes came into the Death Chamber, trailing right onto the stone floor. Replacing one of the white clouds of smoke was Kingsley Shacklebolt, with his broad shoulders, dark skin, and single golden hoop earring. More of the Order of the Phoenix started emerging into halos of spotlights. Someone became visible under the white clouds. A young witch with a pale, heart-shaped face and vibrant spiky violet hair, as well as dark sparkling eyes. Another figure appeared. A man with light brown hair that had soft streaks of grey appeared. He had bright amber eyes and three faint slashes across his face. Remus Lupin, their werewolf third year teacher, had come, his wand drawn, ready to face off the Death Eaters. Another man with a bent back came into view. He had a wooden leg, a great chunk taken out of his wide nose, and a magical artificial eye, its bright blue pupil and iris zooming about. It was Mad-Eye Moody, their Defence Against the Dark Arts professor from last year who had been trapped in a chest and the one Barty Crouch Junior disguised as. Another man popped up from the light. A tall man with long curly black that reached his shoulders and grey eyes appeared. It was Sirius Black, the first to have escaped the wizarding prison, Azkaban, and who was also Harry’s godfather and best friend to his dead father. The Order of the Phoenix were standing there, wands drawn at the mass of growling Death Eaters.

Black versus White. 

Evil versus Good.

‘You will not touch any other child,’ Nymphodora Tonks pipped, who was the violet-haired witch. 

At once the Order of the Phoenix erupted into white sparkling smoke, attacking the Death Eaters and making them lose hold of the children, who were then magically rounded up by a surrounding trailing of white dazzling clouds. The children found their feet gently touching the floor, with Luna and Hermione still floating a few inches from the stone floor. The battle between the Order of the Phoenix and the Death Eaters had initiated, with red, green and blue sparks flying about, and a white trail of smoke running after a black gloomy trail of smoke.

‘CHILDREN, LEAVE!’ Kingsley boomed as Isabell was about to fire a spell at Mr. Clearwater. 

‘We can help!’ said Isabell, her spell missing Mr. Clearwater by inches.

They heard a loud yell behind them; it was Mr. Malfoy, the prophecy not in his hand anymore. 

‘Looking for something?’ smirked Amelia, throwing the prophecy into the air and catching it again with one hand. 

She was leaning against the wall, still throwing the prophecy. 

‘GIVE IT!’ Mr. Malfoy yelled in fury. ‘Avada Kedavra!’ 

Green sparks went towards Amelia, who ducked just on time as the trail of green sparks went above her. Mr. Malfoy sent red sparks of the stunning spell towards her. Amelia didn’t have time to duck. She knew she had failed them-

The spell bounced off her, as though she were in a-

Protection bubble. 

She saw Isabell, pointing her wand at her as she gave her a powerful shield. 

‘Harry,’ they heard Sirius say. ‘Round up the others and go!’

‘Sirius, we need to fight with you!’ Harry argued. 

Sirius looked at Harry. 

‘Alright then, James, you can do it,’ he growled.

Harry looked at his godfather, surprised that Sirius had addressed him with his father’s name. 

‘But the ones unable to duel have to stay back. Which means that you, Longbottom, that ginger haired boy, and Isabell can only fight.’

Sirius was looking at Albert and Isabell, who were already duelling Mr. Dragonheart together. Mr. Malfoy came towards Harry and Sirius, his wand drawn, the snake at the core’s eyes flashing deadly green. Sirius smirked, his wand drawn at Lucius. 

‘Long time no see, Lucius,’ Sirius spoke, arms stretched wide, as though welcoming an old friend… into a duel.  

‘Stupefy!’ Isabell yelled, firing a stunning spell at Owen, who repelled it with one swish of his wand. 

‘You think two children could have the power to defeat a Death Eater, who was trained by the Dark Lord himself?’ Owen mocked, sending a non-verbal killing curse towards Albert. 

Isabell pushed Albert just on time as the green light passed them. They kept yelling spells at Mr. Dragonheart, who simply repelled them, no matter how intense and fast they were firing the spells at him. 

‘CRUCIO!’ Albert yelled, the spell hitting Owen squarely in his chest. 

Mr. Dragonheart flew a few feet back, his head almost touching the rippling curtain of the veil. He got up, smiling.

‘You have to mean it, boy,’ he stated darkly, slithering towards them like a venomous snake. ‘Ava, why don’t we kill this boy our daughter has been hanging around with once and for all?’

‘Yes,’ Ava agreed, appearing out of black smoke.

‘No!’ Isabell shouted. ‘Albert, get away from them!’

‘Oh, the little girl wants to steal Albert from our Olivia, and marry him. But whatever, Olivia will die before she finds out that her friend wanted to steal-’

‘DUMBLEDORE!’ Neville exclaimed, pointing his finger at a long-bearded man. 

Directly above them, framed in the doorway from the Brain Room, stood Albus Dumbledore, his wand aloft, his face white and furious. Dumbledore sped down the steps past Albert and Isabell, who were staring at the old man as though they had never seen him before. Dumbledore was already at the foot of the steps when Ava and Owen realised he was there and yelled to the others. One of the Death Eaters ran for it, scrabbling like a monkey up the stone steps opposite. Dumbledore's spell pulled him back as easily and effortlessly as though he had hooked him with an invisible line. Only one pair was still battling, apparently unaware of the new arrival. Sirius Black and Bellatrix Lestrange. Though Sirius was laughing.

'Come on, you can do better than that!’ he yelled, his voice echoing around the cavernous room. 

The second jet of light hit him squarely on the chest. The laughter had not quite died from his face, but his eyes widened in shock. It seemed to take Sirius an age to fall, his body was curved in a graceful arc as he sank backwards through the ragged veil hanging from the arch. Isabell saw the look of mingled fear and surprise on Sirius’s face as he fell through the ancient doorway and disappeared behind the veil, which fluttered for a moment as though in a high wind, then fell back into place. Isabell heard Bellatrix Lestrange's triumphant scream. Harry looked at the archway, as though expecting Sirius to appear out of the other side. But Sirius did not reappear. 

'SIRIUS!’ Harry screamed. 'SIRIUS!' 

He had reached the floor, his breath coming in searing gasps, but as he reached the ground and sprinted towards the dais, Lupin grabbed Harry around the chest, holding him back. '

There's nothing you can do, Harry-' 

'Get him, save him, he's only just gone through-’

‘It’s too late-’ 

‘We can still reach him-' 

Harry struggled hard and viciously, but Lupin would not let go... Isabell, who was nearest to them, stared at the veil, understanding what Harry didn’t. 

'There's nothing you can do, Harry... nothing... he's gone.' 

'SIRIUS!’ Harry bellowed. 'SIRIUS!' 

'He can't come back, Harry,' said Lupin, his voice breaking as he struggled to contain Harry. 'He can't come back, because he's d-’

'HE—IS—NOT— DEAD!’ roared Harry. 'SIRIUS!'

Harry’s struggle eased, but not his gasping quick breaths. His eyes still locked to the veil, wishing Sirius would come out, saying it was all a joke… a prank… something that wasn’t literal… Lupin dragged Harry away from the dais, Harry still staring at the archway.

Lupin still held him, also looking upon the calm ripples of the veil. Harry remembered that Lupin and Sirius were two of the Marauders, always stuck to each other. Yet, Lupin never shed a tear as his amber eyes continued to gaze at the veil, his dearest friend and Harry’s godfather gone… 

Behind them, Amelia almost lost grip of the prophecy as she watched Sirius disappear through the curtain of the veil. Sirius, whom she had always believed a murderer and savage. In their third year, he turned out to be one of the kindest men she’d ever met, she even loved him more than her own parents. The most beautiful flowers had to be picked from the garden… her mother, Cedric - who was just an innocent Hufflepuff yet with a strong heart and died in her fourth year- and now, Sirius… Dumbledore had most of the remaining Death Eaters grouped in the middle of the room, seemingly immobilised by invisible ropes; Mad-Eye Moody had crawled across the room to where Tonks lay, and was attempting to revive her; behind the dais there were still flashes of light, grunts and cries. Kingsley ran forward to continue Sirius's duel with Bellatrix. Harry was feeling what Amelia felt ten years ago: how it was to lose a loved one. Her eyes caught something pointed directly at her. A wand. And not just any wand, it was Olivia’s.

‘Olivia, what are you doing-’ Amelia began.

‘Crucio…’ 

Amelia gasped, her legs wobbling badly as she collapsed on the ground, the prophecy rolling away from her. The prophecy stopped at Mr. Clearwater’s feet, and he caught it as he watched Amelia on the floor, the pain vibrating abruptly throughout her body. Amelia’s eyes were dull, the colour in them wearing away like ashes. She spotted Mrs. Dragonheart, yellow light that almost resembled floating pollen circling Olivia. 

She’s under the Imperius curse-

‘Stupefy!’ a voice yelled, and Mrs. Dragonheart yelped in surprise as she fell on the harsh ground, stunned. 

Her wand rolled to Albert’s foot. His eyes were full of scorching fire, his face filled with fury. Olivia stopped pointing her wand at Amelia, her face shell shocked at what she was doing.

‘I-I-’

‘I-it’s fine… I know…’ Amelia rasped, the pain immobilising her weakened body. 

‘Where’s Harry? And Dumbledore-’ Isabell said as she approached Amelia, supporting her as she made her stand up. 

There was a loud bang and a yell from behind the dais. They both saw Kingsley hit the ground yelling in pain. Bellatrix Lestrange turned and ran as Dumbledore whipped around. Someone aimed a spell at her but she deflected it; she was halfway up the steps now-

'Harry—no!’ Lupin cried, but Harry had already ripped his arm from Lupin's slackened grip.

Albert was looking at them. The girls followed his gaze to see Bellatrix running out of the Death Chamber with triumphant laughter following her, also Harry.

‘I killed Sirius Black!’ Bellatrix taunted as she ran out, Harry charging after her like a raged bull. 

The anger Harry had was transferring to Isabell, who was trying to resist going after them. And yet, Bellatrix killed Sirius, whom she considered her second father… Next thing her friends knew, she was following Harry, revenge controlling her. She ignored her friends’ desperate yells echoing behind her. 

‘Isabell, don’t go!’ Amelia yelled, but Isabell was already gone.