“That’s where the prophecy is,” Sirius said frightfully.

“No, really? Any other obvious remarks Padfoot?” James snapped at him.

“I am just pointing something out!” Sirius growled.

“What Padfoot means is that this is not good and only one person might be interested in taking Harry to the Department of Mysteries,” Remus said trying to calm down everybody’s flailed nerves.

Muffled voices filled his ears. His back was aching along with his head. A cool breeze washed over him, pulling him out of the darkness that had taken him forcefully what only felt like a moment ago. He was lying on his right side on a cold and hard surface. There was mustiness in the air that Harry had never felt before. There was also a distinct odor to the air that reminded Harry of the attic at Black Manor. It was certainly nothing he had ever smelt at Hogwarts.

Slowly, Harry opened his eyes and blinked in confusion. Everything felt incredibly hazy for some reason. Through his askew glasses, he saw towering shelves that held small, dusty glass orbs. The orbs gleamed slightly in the light coming from the candles set in intervals along the shelves. Strangely, the flames were burning blue but that was the last of Harry’s concerns at the moment.  He tried to push his remaining grogginess aside as he straightened his glasses and attempted to sit up.

“NO!” all four cried.

“NOT UNTIL YOU KNOW WHO IS THERE!” Lily yelled desperately.

That was a mistake.

Harry’s head pounded and his back screamed at the sudden movement. Carefully, Harry rolled onto his back, ignoring the sparks of pain that came from putting pressure on his injured back. Voices grew louder, signaling that people were approaching. He had to think of something quickly. He was in no condition to duel at the moment. He also had no idea where he was which gave him a severe disadvantage. He certainly wasn’t at Hogwarts which left only a handful of possibilities.

“Play dead Harry. Don’t let them know you’re awake,” James instructed.

With really no other choice, Harry knew he would have to play along for now. Hopefully he would be able to think of something soon although he had a really bad feeling that he wasn’t going to like the answers to the questions filling his mind. As quickly as possible, Harry rolled back on his side and closed his eyes. He instinctively grabbed his right wrist and felt his wand still in his wand holster. That was a relief. At least he wasn’t completely defenseless.

“Good boy,” Sirius wiped some sweat off his forehead.

“Move it!” a deep annoyed voice barked as he entered the room. “This has already taken too long. The Dark Lord wants the Prophecy tonight and you all know what he’s like when we fail.”

“Yeah, well. You’re the one that chose that life so don’t complain!” Remus barked and the other three stared at him. “Well, they did!” he tried defending himself.

Death Eaters. Great.

Hands roughly grabbed Harry by his robes and pulled him towards the shelves. Harry held back a wince at the pain that shot down his spine. He needed to let them believe he wasn’t conscious yet. From the sounds of the footsteps, Harry gathered that there were four Death Eaters in the room but knew there could be more just outside. He needed to think of something fast. Panicking wasn’t going to help him now. He would deal with how Death Eaters managed to take him from Hogwarts and bring him to the Department of Mysteries with no one seeing them later. Now he needed a way of escape.

“Row ninety-seven, Avery,” the deep voice said still sounding extremely annoyed. “The sooner we get Potter to touch the Prophecy the sooner we can dump the body.”

“Excuse me? You’re not dumping my son ANYWHERE!” James cried. “Padfoot, Moony, where are you?”

“We’re getting there!” Remus assured him and whispered to himself, “At least I hope so.”

“B—but M—Master told us h—he wanted P—Potter brought back w—with the Prophecy,” a familiar voice said nervously. Pettigrew. That was a surprise.

“Why Peter? Why would you be there and not help Harry?” Sirius asked hurt.

“Shut it, Pettigrew!” ordered the man who was dragging Harry. “We’re saving the Dark Lord from the trouble having Potter would bring unless you want to face your former friends again.”

“I bet he wouldn’t,” Lily snorted.

Pettigrew let out a squeak. “I’m sure they would love to meet up with the one responsible for taking their precious charge away from Hogwarts. I heard an angry werewolf is one of the worst creatures one can face.”

Remus smirked slowly and evilly. A glint in his eyes that told everyone he wanted to meet all of them, including Peter by the light of the full moon.

“Whatever we do with him, I just need a few moments alone,” a female voice said with a laugh from behind Harry. She sounded almost eager.

“Quiet!” shouted the deep voiced Death Eater. “Why don’t you all just alert the Ministry that we’re here?”

“Yes, please do,” Lily begged. “At least someone could come and help!”

Everyone fell silent allowing Harry to think clearly. He now knew three of the four Death Eaters who were in the room. Pettigrew would be easy if Harry acted quickly. The woman had to be Bellatrix Lestrange and she wouldn’t be as easy along with Avery, his carrier. The fourth Death Eater and the leader of the group would probably be the most difficult. The man was already short on patience and clearly wanted Harry dead more than anything.

He would have to attack hard and fast before running for it. It was his only hope. Harry had no intention of touching the Prophecy. He would destroy it before he touched it. If Professor Dumbledore was so persistent to keep it guarded then Harry would do everything in his power to ensure Voldemort never heard the contents of it. I just have to figure out a way to pull it off without getting myself killed in the process.

As Avery began to slow his pace, Harry knew he was running out of time. He cleared his mind of thought and listened hard. After a few moments he could place where the four Death Eaters were in relation to him. Avery would be easiest to stun without anyone noticing. As discretely as possibly, Harry flicked his right wrist and grabbed his wand tightly. His head was bowed, allowing him to open his eyes without anyone noticing that he was indeed awake. He could see Avery’s feet. He would have to time this perfectly.

Pointing his wand, Harry saw his opportunity. “Stupefy,” he whispered. It was a direct hit. Avery fell to the ground, taking Harry with him. Ignoring the pain in his back and head, Harry rolled onto his back and flipped to his feet, his wand ready. He instantly stunned Pettigrew and turned to Lestrange and the other Death Eater who looked surprisingly familiar but Harry couldn’t worry about that now.

“YES! Good boy Harry! Now stun them and get the hell out of there!” Sirius urged him.

“Very sneaky, Potter,” the leader hissed as he pointed his wand at Harry, “but do you honestly think we are the only ones here? We killed Dumbledore’s little guard and we won’t hesitate to kill you. You can’t take on all of us. Crucio!”

“NOOOOOOOOOO!” Lily cried and James hugged her close.

“Who was the guard?” Remus asked shakily. Sirius shook his head signaling he didn’t know.

Harry dodged the spell as he ran for cover behind one of the shelves. Closing his eyes, Harry reached inside his shirt and grabbed the pendants Sirius and Remus had given him for Christmas. He had to admit it. He couldn’t face them on his own, especially if there were others waiting outside. He needed help. Sirius, Remus, I need you. Please hear me. The pendant warmed slightly in his hand. All he could do now was pray that someone would find him. Until then, he was on his own.

“We’re coming Harry! We are!” Sirius cried.

A spell shot through the air and hit a Prophecy near his head causing a white figure to take shape. He had been found. Harry ignored the misty figure and fired a Reductor Curse at his attackers before running towards row ninety-seven. He didn’t have much time before more Death Eaters entered the room. He pointed his wand over his shoulder and cast a Confundus Charm followed by a Stunning Spell. He glanced at the shelves as he ran past. Seventy-five…seventy-six…seventy-seven…He kept running.

“Look out Harry!”

Harry didn’t have time to question the voice as he dove between shelves eighty and eighty-one. Looking over his shoulder, Harry saw a red spell fly past. It would have hit him if he hadn’t moved. Snapping out of his thoughts, Harry hurried to his feet and ran to the end of the long shelf before continuing towards row ninety-seven.

“Okay, no idea where that voice is coming from, and I still think it’s dodgy but thank you anyway,” Remus said faintly.

 He reached row ninety but had to skid to a halt and dodge a Cruciatus Curse as Avery stepped out in front of him.

“Nott!” shouted Avery. “I found him!”

Harry quickly hit Avery with a Disarming Spell followed by a Reductor Curse which sent Avery flying backwards into a wall. He could hear loud voices outside the room but focused on the more dire threat. He had three Death Eaters somewhere trying to kill him. Looking over his shoulder, Harry saw Lestrange and Nott step out from the shelves with their wands pointed at him. He returned his gaze to what was in front of him and saw Pettigrew approaching with his wand ready.

“Don’t move, Potter,” Nott growled. “One step and you’re dead.”

The sound of the door slamming open and someone entering startled them all, making the loud voices coming from outside clear. It sounded like a battle out there. Harry quickly took a step back towards the shelves as Barty Crouch Jr. ran towards them. “Dumbledore’s here with at least ten from his Order!”

“YES!” the four teens cried and jumped in the air celebrating.

“Now Dumbledore is going to kick your ass!” Sirius cried happily at the book.

Crouch exclaimed then took in the sight of Harry nearly surrounded by three Death Eaters and one unconscious on the floor nearby. “We don’t have time for this! Where’s the Prophecy!?!”

“We don’t have it yet,” Nott said as he glared at Harry. “Hold them off. This won’t take long.”

Crouch pointed his wand at Harry. “I think you’ve had enough time, Nott,” he sneered. “Stupefy.”

“Protego,” Harry countered then ran between shelves ninety-one and ninety-two. He pushed his legs to move faster than they ever had before. He was an easy target and there was no place to hide until he reached the end of the shelf.

The four Death Eaters moved to follow when the sound of several people entering the room forced them to turn back to the commotion. Harry took the opportunity to run towards the door. Please let it be someone from the Order! At the moment destroying the Prophecy was farthest from his mind. He was more concerned about survival and the presence of more Death Eaters would certainly make that more difficult.

“HARRY!”

Harry picked up his pace at the sound of Sirius’ voice.

“Yes, Padfoot! You’re there! Thank you!” James cried relieved hugging Sirius and Sirius noticed that James’ cheeks were damp.

He turned and ran between shelves sixty and fifty-nine towards the sound of his godfather’s voice. He could see curses flying back and forth through the air. Reaching the end of the shelf, Harry saw Sirius dueling with Lestrange while Remus was dueling with a cloaked Death Eater. He also saw Kingsley Shacklebolt, Tonks, Bill Weasley, Moody, Hestia Jones, Dedalus Diggle, Emmeline Vance and Elphias Dodge fighting along with Professor Dumbledore. Harry couldn’t help but feel relieved. Help had indeed arrived.

“Yes, you’ll be fine Harry,” Remus said relieved. “Now run to safety!”

Unfortunately Harry was prevented from hurrying to Sirius’ side when a pair of hands grabbed him from behind. He was pulled around roughly allowing Harry to see that Crouch had been the one to catch him. A hand rested around Harry’s throat causing him to reflexively drop his wand and try to pry himself free. Crouch only tightened his grip, causing Harry to gag for breath and lose his footing, relying completely on Crouch to hold him upright.

“Dumbledore!” Crouch shouted as he pulled out his wand with his free hand and pointed it Harry’s head. “Tell your people to stand down or Potter dies!”

“STAND DOWN PEOPLE!” Lily cried distressed.

That got everyone’s attention. Silence filled the room as the Death Eaters slowly moved towards Crouch while keeping their wands pointed at the Order members. Harry struggled to breathe as he tried to claw at Crouch’s hands. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears. His chest started to burn. His arms grew heavy as darkness crept in. Closing his eyes, Harry let his body go completely limp. He felt Crouch lessen his grip slightly allowing Harry to take in a small and quick breath.

“Let Harry go, Barty,” Professor Dumbledore said firmly. “He’s just a boy.”

Crouch let out a laugh. “I don’t think so, Dumbledore,” he said coolly. “I think we all know that Potter is more than just a boy. I taught him myself for months, remember? I was actually there that night Potter put the Dark Lord into a coma. We will be taking Potter and the Prophecy tonight and if you’re lucky he won’t experience much pain before he dies.”

“Let him go, please,” Lily was begging and crying and being hugged by a teary James again.

Harry’s eyes flew open as a sudden wave of power filled his body, pushing away any sensation of pain. Any sort of panic he should feel was ignored with the desire to defeat the enemy. Harry knew he didn’t have a choice. He had to use this outburst of magic for as long as he possibly could. If they want a fight, I’ll give them one. I’m not going anywhere and neither is the Prophecy.

His head slowly rose, catching Crouch’s attention. Their eyes met causing Crouch to gasp in surprise. That was the only warning Crouch had before Harry slammed his forehead into Crouch’s. Crouch lost his footing as Harry manually disarmed Crouch with one hand while calling for his own wand with the other. In the blink of an eye Harry had Crouch stunned and turned to look at the remaining Death Eaters.

“Take that!” Sirius pounded his fist in his other hand.

“No one’s taking me anywhere,” Harry said icily then launched himself at the nearest Death Eater, using both wands to cast spells with a speed and accuracy that was thought to be impossible. He eyes were shining brightly in the dim lighting, alerting everyone that Harry was in the middle of a powerful outburst and had no intention of stopping anytime soon. This caused a lot of uneasiness among the Death Eaters. The last time Harry Potter’s eyes were glowing he had held his own in a duel against the Dark Lord Voldemort.

“Yes, be afraid. Be very afraid!” James growled.

The Order immediately jumped into battle as Harry flipped backwards to avoid a curse shot by Bellatrix. The Death Eaters separated into two groups: one taking on the Order and the other concentrating on Harry. Five Death Eaters surrounded Harry who quickly created a protective shield around himself before flipping forward and shoving his feet into the chest of a Death Eater Harry didn’t recognize. The man fell to the floor with Harry landing in a crouched position on the Death Eater’s chest before jumping up and turning in the air to bring a foot across another Death Eater’s face. As that Death Eater staggered back Harry quickly cast full body binds on two Death Eaters that he did recognize: Crabbe and Goyle.

A spell hit his protective shield but didn’t break through. Harry dodged a punch from Malfoy before falling to one knee and knocking Malfoy’s feet out from under him. The Death Eater he had kicked in the face had regained his bearings and charged Harry. With one wand Harry sent a Trip Jinx before casting a Stunning Spell with the other. The Death Eater fell to the floor with a thud. Harry turned his attention completely to Malfoy. He didn’t give the father of his rival time to think. Before Malfoy knew what hit him, the man was stunned and in a full body bind.

“Bet they weren’t expecting that much of a fight,” Remus smirked.

With everyone else distracted, Harry ran for row ninety-seven. His outburst had finally passed so he was on his own now. Harry realized now that destroying the object everyone was fighting for was the only way to stop the battle. Voldemort would never stop trying to get his hands on it. Reaching shelve ninety-seven, Harry quickly looked at the names written on yellowish labels underneath the dusty glass balls. There were so many and he didn’t even know what he was looking for. Sirius and Remus never told him what was written on the label. He finally spotted one just above his line of sight that was dated nearly sixteen years ago. Below that:

S.P.T. to A.P.W.B.D.

Dark Lord

and (?)Harry Potter

That had to be it. Pointing his own wand at the glass ball, Harry glanced left and right before sending a Reductor Curse at it. The ball smashed into pieces as a pearly-white figure with unnaturally large eyes rose into the air. Harry took a nervous step backwards to see the figure’s mouth moving as a distorted voice filled his ears. He couldn’t make out what was being said which Harry was glad for. He didn’t want to know. Eventually the figure stopped speaking and dissolved into the air.

“Well done!” Remus beamed.

”MOONY!”

“What? I’m congratulating Harry!” Remus said annoyed.

“No, it’s in the book,” Sirius explained pointing at the book in a shaky voice. He had read a few words ahead. He gulped and continued reading.

Harry paled at the sound of panic in Sirius’ voice. Without another thought, he ran as quickly as he could towards the commotion to see Pettigrew with his silver hand around Remus’ neck as Sirius fought his way to reach his best friend’s side.

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” James and Lily cried and in a second they were with Sirius holding Remus tightly.

“Get off him traitor!” James bellowed.

 Remus fell to his knees as he started to convulse. Harry stared in horror as purple lines began to appear on Remus’ skin as if an invisible person were drawing them with a quill.

Younger Remus was pale and shaking and the other three teens were dreading reading ahead.

Snapping out of his shock Harry pointed both wands at Pettigrew and cast a Stinging Hex with as much power as he could through both wands.

Pettigrew started to scream as his skin broke out in painful welts.

“You deserve a lot worse,” Sirius said in a hoarse voice. “Doing that to Moony! He was your friend! He would have died for you!” he finished outraged.

 He released his hold on Remus, causing the still convulsing werewolf to fall to the floor. Sirius was instantly at Remus’ side trying to do anything and everything to stop the seizure. Before Harry to take a step towards them a beam of light caught his attention forcing him to duck out of the way. He shot a Stunning Spell in the direction the light came from hoping he actually hit something.

Harry was about to hurry to Sirius and Remus when his scar flared with pain causing him to stagger slightly. Voldemort was here. Harry knew it and he also knew that Voldemort was not going to be happy that the Prophecy was destroyed. He’ll order everyone killed. Sirius and Remus will be killed.  Harry wasn’t about to let that happen. He couldn’t let it happen. He couldn’t let anything happen to Sirius and Remus. Remus was already injured. Harry knew he needed to end this quickly so Remus could receive proper care as soon as possible.

“Don’t do anything stupid on my account Harry James Potter!” Remus ordered.

That left only one choice. 

Letting out a sigh of defeat, Harry pushed his pain aside and gripped the wands in his hands tightly. He buried his fears and focused on his connection to Voldemort. He could feel Voldemort coming closer but he wasn’t in the Department of Mysteries yet. There was still time. There was still a chance, a small one but any chance was better than none at all.

Everyone was still busy with their own battles. Sirius had pulled Remus into a corner and was still holding him in place as now more sporadic convulsions ripped through his body. With one last glace at his mentors…his family, Harry ran out of the room relying completely on his instinct for where to go. He entered an extremely brightly lit room that had clocks everywhere and ran down narrow space between a line of desks then into a dimly lit, rectangular room with what looked like a great stone pit in the center of it and an archway that had a tattered black veil hanging from it, fluttering in the non-existent wind. Harry didn’t pay attention to any of the items in the room as he hurried through the door and into a dark circular room.

“Where is he going?” Lily asked worried.

Everything in the room was black including the ceiling and the marble floor. Black handleless doors were along the circular wall with branches of blue tipped candles between them. In all honesty Harry didn’t know what door to try and he really didn’t want to face Voldemort in this room. Closing his eyes, Harry once again concentrated on his link to Voldemort, instinctively walked to the door in front of him and pushed it open.

“He’s looking for Voldemort!” Remus cried in a disbelieving tone. “That constitute stupid Harry! Get back to where we are now!”

Stepping out of the circular room Harry opened his eyes to see the lifts he had used when he had been at the Ministry over the Christmas holidays. What was he supposed to do now? If he chose the wrong floor Voldemort would reach the Department of Mysteries. His instincts had helped him up until now but he didn’t know if he could trust them to pick the correct floor.

“I don’t think he heard you Moony,” Sirius whispered.

“Trust yourself, Harry.”

“Shut up stupid voice!” James cried. “I’m going to kick you’re ass if you don’t stop encouraging Harry to look for Voldemort!”

Harry quickly turned around with both wands at the ready but saw that he was alone. All right Harry. Your mind is playing tricks on you. You did not actually hear the voice of your dead father telling you to trust yourself. It had to be the stress or the exhaustion. It was as simple as that.

“No you didn’t because I wouldn’t say something daft as that! I’d tell you to go back to Moony and Padfoot because they surely have a Portkey or something to go home!”

“I’m trying to help you, Harry. Remember when you had that painful headache? I helped you through that. I want to help you, son. You just have to let me.”

“Make the impostor shut up!” James cried.

“I have a bad feeling about this voice,” Lily fretted.

Harry turned back around to face the lift and hit the button to call for one. Jangling and banging noises filled the air as a lift lowered. The grilles slid open and Harry hurried inside. He would deal with the strange voices in his head later and possibly commit himself but now he had other matters to worry about. Looking at the buttons, Harry followed his instincts and pressed the button marked ‘Atrium’. The doors slid shut and he was lifted upwards.

As he rose floor by floor, Harry could feel the pain from his scar increasing. He was getting closer to Voldemort. When the doors finally opened, Harry cautiously stepped out with both wands ready to fire. He would need every ounce of training Sirius and Remus had given him now. He needed to be silent. He needed to catch Voldemort by surprise. He noticed the large fountain that he had seen in December. The pain in his scar intensified making Harry wince. Voldemort was close…extremely close but where was he?

As if on cue a familiar high pitched voice filled the air. “Harry Potter. We meet again.” Harry instantly turned around to see a tall, thin and black-hooded figure with his awful snakelike face, white and bony. His deep red slit shaped eyes were staring at him, almost in a judging manner if that was possible. Lord Voldemort pulled out his wand and twirled it between his fingers. “You almost look like you were searching for me, Harry,” Voldemort said curiously. “Have you finally realized that only I can help you see your true potential? Or perhaps you were hoping to merely delay me from killing your precious guardians.”

“How does he know that?” Remus asked suspiciously.

“He guessed,” Sirius said. “It’s not hard to do after all Harry has done to protect me in third year.” Remus looked doubtful.

Harry fought to keep his emotions under control. He wasn’t going to let his anger get the better of him. Keeping both wands pointed at Voldemort, Harry kept his stance ready as Voldemort began to walk around him. Harry followed him step by step. He still had the protection spell on but chances were it wouldn’t last long against Voldemort’s curses. It was only a matter of time before someone missed him down in the Department of Mysteries. It was only a matter of time before Dumbledore realized what Harry had done.

“I hope he comes soon,” Lily whispered.

“So where is the Prophecy?” Voldemort asked as he pointed his wand at Harry.

“Where it belongs,” Harry answered firmly. “Where it will stay.”

Voldemort stared at Harry curiously for a long moment. “You’re not interested in what it says?” he asked. Harry remained silent. “Interesting. Perhaps that is because you already know. I know you have power, Harry. Even now I can sense the power radiating off of you. You could be great yet you allow yourself to be used like a puppet for that old fool.”

“Better than being your puppet,” James growled.

Harry’s eyes narrowed. “I’m not even going to dignify that with a retort,” he said through his teeth. “You don’t know anything about me. If you did then you would know trying to offer me power is pointless. I will never join you, accept it. I became your enemy the day you killed my parents. I won’t turn against them and I certainly won’t turn against the family I have now.”

Voldemort’s lipless mouth smiled. “You should know better than most of what people will do for those they love,” he said with a hint of mocking in his voice. “What if I could promise you that the blood traitor and the werewolf would remain unharmed? What about your precious friends? Wouldn’t you do anything to save them from the pain they will face?”

“Harry, remember my words; don’t do anything stupid on our account!” Remus begged.

“Your promises are empty ones, Tom,” Harry said firmly. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Did Voldemort actually believe anyone would fall for such a pack of lies? “You once told me you could bring my parents back. I didn’t believe you then I don’t believe you would simply spare everyone in my life from the terror you bring.”

Voldemort let out an angry hiss. “Never call me that!” he spat. “I am Lord Voldemort and you are just a child who understands nothing! If you refuse to join me then you will die tonight, Potter, and once I’m through with you I will take my time on your precious guardians before I kill them.”

Tightening his grips on his and Crouch’s wands, Harry struggled to hold on to his patience. He couldn’t make the first move. Voldemort was expecting an impatient and emotional teenager. Harry had to be the exact opposite. “You haven’t managed to kill me yet, Tom,” Harry said evenly, aware that he was already treading on thin ice with Voldemort’s temper.  “No matter what happens to me, I know that you have lost. The Prophecy was destroyed. Your minions have failed. You have failed again.”

“Don’t anger him Harry!” Lily cried.

“WHAT!?!” Voldemort shouted. “WHY YOU LITTLE BRAT! I’LL KILL YOU FOR THIS! AVADA KEDAVRA!”

“NOOOOOOOOOOO!” the boys cried.

“He is dead! My baby is dead! He killed him!” Lily sobbed.