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ATHENA TURNED JUST AS REMUS stepped out the fire behind her. She took his hand as the group started to quickly pace across the shining black halls.
There was the sound of bursting flames coming from behind them. Everyone turned to see Theodore stepping out of the fire.
"What are you doing here?" Athena asked, "you're not supposed to be here"
"I couldn't sit back at Grimmauld place knowing what was going on, I want to help" Theodore argued.
"It's dangerous—"
"We don't have time!" Moody yelled over everyone, "Sanders stay close"
Theodore nodded instantly, hurrying along behind Athena and Remus as they moved out of the large ministry hall and into the smaller corridors. Moody was the first to enter the golden lift and stood at the back so that everyone could fit inside.
Even after this, it was still a squeeze. Athena could hear an abundance of heartbeats which let her know everyone was just as scared as she was.
Athena couldn't believe where they were going. All those years ago when they'd graced the doors of the department of mysteries, she swore she'd never return. Now she could see the spinning walls, the eery lightly coating all of the rooms and most of all the archway sat below all those many stairs.
Everyone was silent as they moved down in the lift. Athena gripped onto Remus' hand. Her mind was glued to Harry and Neville. She couldn't believe that Neville was here, that he was in trouble.
The lift doors opened, leading them out into an empty corridor, a single door at the end.
Moody strode ahead of the rest of the group in swift strides. The rest followed close behind as fast as they could manage.
"Remember, our priority is helping the kids" Kingsley repeated as they opened the door.
Athena recognised the room instantly. The large circle with dozens of doors all over the walls. Before the room could spin, Moody shot a spell at one of the doors and they all strode towards it.
"This is the way to the propchey room" Moody explained as they all piled in.
As they entered the small room in front of the hall of prophecies, Athena immediately spotted the body of a death eater lying knocked out on the floor. Beside him lay the crumpled body of Hermione.
Athena let out a loud gasp and dashed towards her, placing her fingers against her neck.
"She's alive" Athena breathed in relief.
"We'll leave her here for now" Moody grunted placing a spell on the death eater to ensure he wouldn't wake up.
They continued into the hall of prophecies. Each of them cast a silver light over the room like ripping water.
"Does anyone know where Potter's is?" Moody asked.
"Over here!" Athena called, rushing ahead. She paced down isle after isle before seeing the mess. Shattered glass lay everywhere, shelves completely toppled over. Everyone stopped, skidding behind her. Tonks slipped on one of the prophecies and Sirius had to stop her from falling.
"Well it's either smashed or someone has it" Athena muttered, "come on!"
They used the side door to push into the next room where Athena instantly realised something was wrong.
Luna was sat on the floor in the middle of the room between two glass tanks with Ginny lying against her. Yet again Athena had a feeling of remembrance, she'd been here before. Inside the tanks that looked like home for fish sat brains. There was one missing.
"Is everyone ok?" Athena asked, rushing forwards.
"Ginny's twisted her ankle—"
"I'm fine" Ginny interrupted in a weak voice, "Ron, check on Ron... he was confounded... brain"
"He's over here!" Tonks called. Everyone dashed over and Athena let out a gasp.
There was a brain lying beside him, welt like scars twisting all over his arms. Now unconscious, there was still a hint of fear even in his resting expression.
"He'll be ok" said Kingsley, running his wand over him.
"Ginny, Luna where are Harry and Neville?" Athena called. Luna lifted one shaking arm to point at the door across from them. Even though Athena couldn't see through walls she knew exactly what room was on the other side of that door.
"Right, come on then" Moody snapped, walking ahead of them all again. Athena took a deep breath, only shaking slightly.
The door slammed open and the group of eight burst through the door.
Athena saw the archway right away in the centre of the pit. Death eaters stood all around in their black robes. Harry and Neville were in the centre looking scared and alone. In Harry's hand sat a glowing, pearly orb.
They were outnumbered before the order had got there, now they had the upper hand.
She glared over the death eaters faces, seeing the relief painted over Neville and Harry. The first person she recognised was Lucius Malfoy, she could have seen his disgustingly bright blonde hair from a mile away as it shone in the light.
Malfoy turned, and raised his wand, but Tonks had already sent a Stunning Spell right at him. He managed to deflect it just in time but he toppled backwards.
The Death Eaters seemed completely distracted by the appearance of the members of the Order, who were now raining spells down upon them as they jumped from step to step towards the sunken floor.
Athena hadn't felt so alive yet distraught in years. She remembered the feeling of battle in those order missions. Always scared but admitting the adrenaline rushing through her was a good feeling
She sent a spell flying directly at a death eater still wearing their mask (coward) it hit them along with another spell sent by Remus. The death eaters had realised they stood little chance but they fought anyway with that disgusting false confidence which made them so arrogant.
Athena saw Sirius duelling with a Death Eater some ten feet away; Kingsley was fighting two at once; Tonks, still halfway up the tiered seats, was firing spells down at Bellatrix.
Athena had reached the bottom as fast as she could. Of course she would have loved nothing more than to beat a dozen death eaters in a duel but the main thing on her mind was getting to Harry and Neville. Finding herself in a duel with who she recognised to be Redolphus Lestrange, she looked over to see both Harry and Neville also attempting to duel.
Sirius and his Death Eater lurched past, duelling so fiercely that their wands were blurs. Athena felt something collide with her shoulder, it was a spell that sent her alive with purple streaks of energy. Redolphus regretted his action immediately as Athena sent the spell right back at him. He crumbled to the floor and didn't move as Athena tried to make her way over to the students.
She heard a loud crash and turned to see Moody's magical eye spinning away across the floor. Its owner was lying on his side, bleeding from the head. Athena let out a horrified gasp. Moody being down so fast was certainly not a good sign. She didn't have time to check if he was alright as she turned to check where his attacker had gone.
Athena spotted his attacker was now bearing down upon Harry and Neville: Dolohov, his long pale face twisted with glee.
"Tarantallegra!" he shouted, his wand pointing at Neville, whose legs went immediately into a kind of frenzied tap-dance, unbalancing him and causing him to fall to the floor again. "Now, Potter--"
Athena ran forwards but before she could get there, Sirius had hurtled out of nowhere, ramming Dolohov with his shoulder and sending him flying out of the way. Now Sirius and Dolohov were duelling, their wands flashing like swords, sparks flying from their wand-tips.
Feeling another spell hit her she turned to see Lucius Malfoy striding towards her. Athena raised her wand immediately, happy to finally wipe the smirk off Malfoy's face.
"Do you remember what happened here Athena?" He asked in a cheerful tone, "I certainly do"
Athena sent a spurt of flames at him paired with the spell he had used against her. Lucius moved his arm up in defence as Athena turned to see Dolohov raising his wand menacingly towards Sirius.
Athena pointed her wand at Dolohov's back but the cry of "Petrificus Totalus!" did not come from her.
Dolohov's arms and legs snapped together and he keeled over backwards, landing with a crash on his back. Harry was standing behind him arm raised looking triumphant.
Athena fired back against Lucius again who had gained his footing. Despite being one of Voldemort's most trusted followers, Lucius was not a fair opponent to her. Athena could fight him and another death eater at once and she would still win.
"Nice one!" shouted Sirius, forcing Harry's head down as a pair of Stunning Spells flew towards them. "Now I want you to get out of--"
They both ducked again; a jet of green light had narrowly missed Sirius. Athena felt her heart race as she saw it hit the few hairs on his head standing above the rest.
Across the room Athena saw Tonks fall from halfway up the stone steps, her limp form toppling from stone seat to stone seat and Bellatrix, triumphant, running back towards the fray.
Looking in fear towards the now unconscious figures of both Tonks and Moody, Athena waved her wand over her head and sent a murder of crows created from shadow right at Lucius. They attacked down on him in an instant causing the man to struggle temporarily.
"Harry, take the prophecy, grab Neville and run!" Athena yelled, as she watched Sirius dashing to meet Bellatrix. Harry nodded in her direction and Athena wished she could have helped him but Lucius had figured out her little charm and was walking towards her yet again.
His blonde head twitched to the side and Athena realised he had been distracted. In the next instant he dived to the right, grabbing the figure of Harry and pushing him down to the floor.
"The prophecy, give me the prophecy, Potter!" snarled Lucius.
"No--get--off-- me ... Neville--catch it!"
Harry flung the prophecy across the floor, Neville span himself around on his back and scooped the ball to his chest. Malfoy pointed the wand instead at Neville, but Athena got there first, sending him flying away from both of them. Lucius collided with the side of the fatal archway, escaping death by inches.
Lucius got up in fury again and pointed his wand at Athena. She raised her own until she felt a chord tighten around her neck. Lucius' spell was not one she could absorb. The leather chord tightened and she felt her eyes widen in shock. Of course she couldn't die but there was still damage she could succumb to.
Her wand was dropped in the confusion as she tried to wrench the chord from her neck, tears in her eyes as she looked around desperately for someone to help.
"Rena!" Harry was yelling as Lucius approached.
Then out of nowhere, Remus had jumped between them.
"Harry, round up the others and GO!" Remus yelled, first blasting Lucius away again and then turning to Athena.
She felt the chord drop to the floor and gasped for breath. The skin around her throat felt red raw. Remus was already duelling someone else, still turning to her in concern.
"I'm fine" she chocked in a voice barely above a whisper as she grasped for her wand.
Athena's confidence had been knocked off course and she was happy to see that Lucius was still lying unconscious on the floor. Turning, she looked over to Tonks who was now bleeding out the side of her head. Athena raised her wand again as Dolohov ran towards her now free of the body bind curse.
Their wands moved as fast as light, Athena could barely keep up. She could feel sparks hitting her from the collisions of the spells. The blur of her hand now matched with the fast beating of her heart. They were too close to the archway and Athena now feared what would happen if she was pushed into it. Would death yet again make an exception? This was the harbour of death. It seemed hard to believe that there would be a way out.
She turned to see Kennedy furiously duelling another death eater with more skill than Athena knew she had. Of course Kennedy had always been good at duelling but not this good. However it seemed by the end she was bored by the sparks of magic. Raising her bat in the air she sent it colliding with the death eaters shoulders. He fell, surprised by this muggle attack and was now open to be left unconscious by a simple stupify.
Suddenly Athena heard a cry coming from Neville. His voice was messed up from his broken nose yet it was impossible to mishear what he was saying.
"DUBBLEDORE!"
Directly above them, framed in the doorway from the Brain Room, stood Albus Dumbledore, his wand aloft, his face white and furious.
Athena almost sighed in relief, trying not to take her eyes of Dolohov even for a second. With this new found hope that the death eaters were lost she sent a spell right at Dolohov's face and before he could deflect it she sent another at his chest. In the confusion, both spells hit him and he went stumbling to the floor, tripping on a step and hitting his head against the stone.
"Get the boy and go!" Lucius was yelling at one of the death eaters, pulling himself to his feet.
Athena turned to Harry immediately but saw he was guarded by Remus who had now won his fight.
However as she stared at Remus she saw he was pointing desperately towards the other side of the room. Athena saw the panic in his eyes, he was telling her to do something.
She turned to see Theodore being knocked back with three spells as a bunch of death eaters ran towards him. Dumbledore looked towards them but not before Athena started to sprint. Athena couldn't let them take Theo, she was supposed to be looking after him.
She pointed her wand, sending streams of fire at the death eaters to slow them down but it was too late. They grabbed the arm of unconscious Theodore and vanished in black smoke, flying out the room with magic Athena didn't even understand.
Athena stood defeated staring after them. She could be sick as her eyes found Remus' across the room. She started to pace over, aware that the fight was won now. The death eaters didn't have even the smallest chance.
Dumbledore sped down the steps past Neville and Harry. He was already at the foot of the steps when the Death Eaters nearest 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. Athena saw Sirius duck Bellatrix's jet of red light: he was laughing at her.
They were fighting with years of family grudges. With a quick look to Remus, Athena started forward to help but Sirius sent her an angered glance which said he could manage. Bellatrix wasn't an opponent that even Athena would like to face. With all the other noise in the room now dying down she could hear every word they were saying.
"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 curved in a graceful arc as he sank backwards through the ragged veil hanging from the arch.
Athena saw the look of mingled fear and surprise on Sirius' wasted, once-handsome 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.
Athena heard Bellatrix Lestrange's triumphant scream.
She stared at the place where Sirius had been and felt everything around her melt away. This wasn't real. Sirius wasn't one to be defeated that easily. He was tricking her. Of course he was and in a moment he'd walk around the veil with a laugh and a smile before finishing Bellatrix off.
But Sirius did not reappear.
☽☽☽
A/n
Words - 2808
Published - 6th August 2021
well that was a lot of damage