ruins ; harry potter [1]

seventeen ; the farewell

Death Eaters were appearing all around them, encircling them until they were all pressed together with their wands held tightly in their hands. They all faced outwards toward the Death Eaters, ready to attack if need be.

"To me, Potter," Lucius Malfoy drawled, pointing to the orb in Harry's hand.

"Don't give it to him," Diana whispered under her breath, barely audible except to the group of terrified fifth years. They were trapped. There were nearly twice as many Death Eaters, all with much more experience than any of them.

"Where's Sirius?" Harry asked Lucius.

Many Death Eaters laughed loudly; Diana heard Bellatrix Lestrange's loud, cackling laugh over them all. "The Dark Lord always knows!" Bellatrix shrilled.

Lucius smiled nastily. "Always," he echoed. "Now give me the prophecy, Potter."

"I want to know where Sirius is!"

"I want to know where Sirius is!" mimicked Bellatrix. More Death Eaters laughed.

"Shut up, Bellatrix!" Diana snarled.

Bellatrix's face morphed to fury. "You vile girl! I'd kill you if the Dark Lord didn't want you alive!" The Death Eaters closed in on them, reducing the circle around them until they were only a few feet away.

"You've got him," Harry said. "He's here. I know he's here."

"The little baby woke up fwightened and fort what it dweamed was twoo," Bellatrix mocked in a horrible baby voice.

"Don't do anything yet," Harry said. Diana barely heard him.

Bellatrix let out a scream of laughter. "You hear him? Giving instructions to the other children as though he thinks he's fighting us!"

"Oh, you don't know Potter as I do," said Malfoy. "He has a great weakness for heroics; the Dark Lord understands this about him. Now give me the prophecy, Potter!"

"I know Sirius is here," Harry said desperately. "I know you've got him!"

The Death Eaters laughed. Malfoy asked again. Harry refused.

"Hand over the prophecy and no one need get hurt."

Diana snorted quite ungracefully. "As if! You idiots really think I'll believe that you will just let us skip off back to Hogwarts?"

"Accio proph—" Bellatrix shrieked.

"Protego!" Diana yelled, casting a shield in front of Harry. It was just in time, because the prophecy slipped to his fingertips.

"Oh-ho!" Bellatrix said gleefully. "Little Diana wants to play! Very well then—"

"NO!" yelled Malfoy. "I told you no! If you smash it—!"

Bellatrix stepped forward and removed her hood to reveal her face. It was gaunt from her years in Azkaban, worn and hollow and skull-like. Her eyes gleamed with something dark and evil, almost gleeful.

"You need more persuasion?" she said. "Very well. Take the smallest one. Let them watch while we torture the little girl. I'll do it."

They closed in around Ginny, and both Harry and Diana stepped in front of her. They were shoulder to shoulder directly in front of Ginny, like a shield.