In The End ⁂ H. Potter Twin

You Can Run, But You Can't Hide

Iris knew they had to get out of there. She easily snaked her way into each of her friends' minds, whispering to them: When I say, attack.

"Haven't you ever wondered why the Dark Lord tried to kill you and your sister as infants?" Lucius asked seductively, "The reason for the connection between you now? The secret... of your scar? You hold the answer in your hands. Come— let me show it to you..."

Harry looked down at the glowing orb and hesitated. He put on a show, "I've been waiting fourteen years... I guess I can wait a little longer."

"NOW—!!" Iris yelled.

Six different voices around her bellowed "STUPEFY!" Seven curses flew in seven different directions and several of the shelves opposite them exploded as they hit. The towering structure swayed as a hundred glass spheres burst apart, pearly-white figures unfurled into the air and floated there, their voices echoing from who knew what long-dead past amid the torrent of crashing glass and splintered wood now raining down upon the floor —

"RUN!" Harry yelled, and as the shelves swayed precariously and more glass spheres began to pour from above, Iris seized a handful of her brother's robes and dragged him forward, one arm over her head as chunks of shelf and shards of glass thundered down upon them. A Death Eater lunged forward through the cloud of dust and Harry elbowed him hard in the masked face. They were all yelling, there were cries of pain, thunderous crashes as the shelves collapsed upon themselves, weirdly echoing fragments of the Seers unleashed from their spheres —

Iris found the way ahead clear and saw Ron, Ginny, and Luna sprint past her, their arms over their heads. Something heavy slammed into her side but she ignored the pain; a hand caught her by the shoulder; she heard Hermione shout "Stupefy!" and the hand released her at once.

They were at the end of row ninety-seven; Iris shoved Harry to the right and they began to sprint in earnest. She could hear footsteps right behind them and Hermione's voice urging Neville on.

Iris could see a door up ahead, and she and Harry pelted through it, the prophecy still clutched tight and safe in his hand, waited for the others to hurtle over the threshold before slamming the door behind them —

"Colloportus!" gasped Hermione and the door sealed itself with an odd squelching noise.

"Where — where are the others?" gasped Harry.

Iris had thought that Ron, Luna, and Ginny had been ahead of them, that they would be waiting in this room, but she realised in horror that there was nobody there. In a moment of panic, Iris noticed they had gone through the wrong door altogether. Rather than the corridor they had first entered through, they were now in a room filled with dozens of desks and random junk. It was rather dark in the room, and there were large deep red curtains draped down the walls that seemed to swallow the light.

"They must have gone the wrong way!" whispered Hermione, terror in her face.

"Listen!" whispered Neville.

Footsteps and shouts echoed from behind the door they had just sealed. Harry put his ear close to the door to listen and heard Lucius Malfoy roar: "Leave Nott, leave him, I say, the Dark Lord will not care for Nott's injuries as much as losing that prophecy — Jugson, come back here, we need to organize! We'll split into pairs and search, and don't forget, be gentle with Potter until we've got the prophecy, you can kill the others if necessary."

"What do we do?" Hermione asked Harry, trembling from head to foot.

Iris heard something large and heavy collide with the door Hermione had charmed shut.

"Stand aside!" said a rough voice. "Alohomora!"

As the door flew open, Harry, Hermione, and Neville dived under desks. Iris, however, sunk back into the wall, hiding herself in the darkness behind one of the thick curtains. She watched as two death eaters burst into the room, looking around hurriedly.