Phenoix Rising

Chapter 18

Once everyone was mounted the Thestrals took off for the sky. By the time they reached London it was dark and a thunderstorm was brewing.

The Ministry Headquarters was oddly empty and the security absent. They reached the Department of Mysteries without a hitch and then entered just as easily.

The room extended so far you couldn't see the end of it. The light from their wands was all that illuminated the room which consisted of shelves upon shelves of glass balls of fog, prophecies.

When they reached row 95 Harry looked around in a state of desperate bewilderment. Sirius wasn't there. Lucy eyed her surroundings, she wasn't surprised, she had half expected Harry's vision to be a false image that the Dark Lord had shown him.

There-Lucy locked eyes with a Death Eater she recognized. He simply nodded to her before slinking back into the darkness from whence he came. Lucy focused her attention back on the group and watched as Harry grabbed a prophecy, his prophecy.

Hermione broke Harry from his fixation on the glass object when she noticed a black clothed personage with a silver mask that reflected the light. A Death Eater.

"Where's Sirius?" Harry demanded.

"You know, you really should learn to tell the difference between dreams, and reality." The voice sounded modified until the figure removed his mask to reveal himself as Lucius Malfoy. "You saw what the Dark Lord wanted you to see. Now hand me the prophecy."

"You do anything to us, I'll break it." Harry threatened.

A crackle echoed from the shadows. "He knows how to play. Itty, bitty, baby." A dark haired witch stalked into the light.

"Bellatrix Lestrange." Neville identified.

"Neville Longbottom, is it? How's Mum and Dad?" She taunted.

"Better, now that they're about to be avenged." Neville pointed his wand but Lucy held him back. "Don't let her get to you."

"Now, let's everybody just calm down, shall we? All we want is that prophecy." Lucius tried.

"Why did Voldemort need me to get this?" Harry questioned.

"You dare speak his name?" Bellatrix's soft voice became yelling in a heartbeat. "You filthy half-blood."

"It's all right. He's just a curious lad, aren't you." Lucius' voice remained level. "Prophecies can only be retrieved by those about whom they are made." It was then that the rest of the group noticed what Lucy had already seen, Death Eaters all around them.

"Which is lucky for you, really." Lucius continued, "Haven't you always wondered, what was the reason for the connection between you and the Dark Lord? Why he was unable to kill you when you were just an infant? Don't you want to know the secret of your scar? All the answers are there, Potter, in your hand. All you have to do is give it to me. Then I can show you everything."

"I've waited 14 years." Harry stated.

"I know." Lucius nodded.

"I guess I can wait a little longer. Now!" "Stupefy!" Harry gave the commanded and each student cast the spell nearly simultaneously.

The members of Dumbledore's Army dashed down one path, only for Lucius to appear in a streak of smoke. They switched directions and swiftly lost him as well as each other in the mad chase. Injuring and being injured by Death Eaters on the way, they ran into each other, literally.

A billowing smoke began its approached like a predator hunting its prey, however, Ginny lay all their nerves to rest by setting them a blaze by casting "Reducto". While it did save them from the immediate danger, it swiftly caused another immediate danger as not only did so many prophecies began to fall from their places, but the shelves themselves tipped, hit the other shelves and then those shelves hit like dominoes.

They needed to run and run they did. They all made it through the door just in time, but the floor was gone, leaving them to fall, fall, and fall.