You and the others found yourself in a forest grove filled with Thestrals that only you, Harry and Luna could see. Since only three of you could see the creatures, you had to pair up with each other. Hermione clung to your back and you both pulled Ginny up to sit behind her on the back of the huge creature, while Harry paired with Ron, and Luna and Neville climbed onto another Thestral. Luna looked completely serene and relaxed as if she did this everyday, while Neville gripped her waist tightly, his eyes wide with fright but also with a blush staining his cheeks at the close proximity to the blonde girl.
"This is mad..." Ron muttered faintly as he gripped Harry tightly.
Harry looked down at the creatures, unsure how to get them to take off or how to tell them where to go, he cleared his throat, "Ministry of Magic, visitors entrance, London. Uh...if you know where to go." He glanced at the rest of you awkwardly as nothing happened, but then the Thestrals moved beneath you and stretched out their enormous wings. They crouched and then rocketed so fast into the sky above that you nearly fell off but you clung tightly onto the creature's silky black mane, and Hermione screamed in fright as she buried her face in your back.
Ron screamed too, "THIS IS BLOODY MAD!"
You flew over the castle grounds and watched Hogwarts fade into the distance as you soared through the air on the winged creatures, travelling so fast that the wind whipped your face violently. London's gridlike city streets came into focus and as you neared the ground, you braced for the impact of landing, but the Thestrals landed so lightly on the ground that you didn't even realise that you'd reached the ground until they'd stopped moving.
You slid off the Thestral's back and patted its neck, grateful that it didn't kill you, and then you helped Ginny and Hermione down, and they both looked extremely relieved to be on solid ground again. Harry hopped down from his Thestral's back and turned around to help Ron, but he'd already flung himself off and had unceremoniously toppled to the ground in a heap.
"Never again, never," he said as he rolled onto his back on the concrete ground of the deserted street and looked up at the sky. Neville and Luna walked over to join you and Luna smiled at Neville and she patted his arm gently, and his eyes widened and he looked at her in astonishment as she walked away.
You followed Harry over to a heavily graffitied phonebox, and you were extremely baffled as he opened it, gesturing for you all to walk inside. You trusted Harry knew what he was doing from having been at the Ministry of Magic before with Mr Weasley for his hearing, so you stepped in and Hermione and Ginny followed you. You were squished up against the back of the box as everyone else squeezed in.
"Whoever's nearest the receiver, dial six two four four two!" Harry instructed and you did as he asked, and then a tinny voice spoke into the box, "welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your name and business."
"Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Y/N Y/L/N, Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood," Harry said quickly, "we're here to save someone, unless your Ministry can do it first!"
"Thank you," the voice responded, "visitors, please take the badges and attach them to the front of your clothes." Seven badges fell into the chute where returned coins usually came out and Hermione scooped them up and handed them to Harry over Ginny's head. He quickly pocketed them and glared impatiently at the phonebox that had yet to do anything and he groaned irritably as the voice gave instructions about having your wands registered by security.
"Fine!" He said loudly, suddenly wincing in pain and his hand flew to his scar, "now can we move?"
The floor of the phonebox shuddered and then lowered like you were in a lift and you watched in awe as the large atrium appeared below you. As soon as you reached the floor, you all pushed out of the phonebox and into the wide open space of the Atrium, grateful to not be squished up together any more.
You looked around the huge space with towering ceilings and numerous doors lining the walls.
"Come on," Harry said as he led you past the enormous golden fountain and towards the security watchwizard's desk, which was empty. You looked around you and noticed that the rest of the atrium was completely empty, and aside from the sound of your groups' footsteps, it was eerily quiet which made your skin crawl with anxiety.
You followed Harry to the golden gated lifts where he pressed the nearest 'down' button and when the gold grilles opened on the one to your left, you stepped inside. Harry stabbed the nine button and the grilles closed behind you and you felt yourselves travelling downwards.
"Department of Mysteries," the tinny voice said as the grilles opened and you stepped out. Harry looked around and settled his gaze on a large black door at the end of the dark tiled corridor, and you presumed he recognised it from his vision about Mr Weasley's attack.
"Lets go," he whispered and he walked down the corridor with Luna right behind him, who was gazing around in awe. Harry stopped just shy of six feet from the door and turned to the rest of you, "okay listen, maybe...maybe a couple of people should stay here as a lookout-"
"And how would we let you know if something's coming?" Ginny asked, taking the words right out of your mouth, "you could be miles away."
You stepped closer to Harry and looked at him intently, "we're coming with you, Harry." And you could see your friends nodding in agreement, "let's get on with it," Ron said, eyeing the large door warily.
Harry relented, "okay, well this is it," he said as he turned towards the large door in front of you. You pushed through the door and found yourselves in a large circular entrance room that was lined with twelve doors like the one you just came through. As soon as the door behind you closed, neon lights streamed around you and the room spun, completely disorientating you as the doors passed you by in a blur, before coming to a stop once again, and you had no idea which door you'd just come through.
"Now what?" Ron asked as you all shared uneasy looks with one another.
Harry bit his lip anxiously as he looked around at the doors, "we'll have to try every room until I find the one I recognise from my vision."
You all said nothing as he approached a door and opened it carefully before stepping through. You followed him in and felt your stomach turn at the sight in front of you, a large tank in the centre of the room with what looked like brains floating around in it. The room was lined with desks and shelves, but you could tell by Harry's face that this wasn't the right room. You went back out to the entrance room and as the door was closing behind you, Hermione pointed her wand at it, "Flagrate!" and just as the doors began to spin again, a large 'X' marked the door you had just come through.
"Brilliant, Hermione!" you said in awe and she smiled at you gratefully, then you followed Harry into the next room. This room was completely different from the previous, it looked like a large amphitheatre with a high ceiling and stone benches that circled the walls all the way down to a large circular pit at the bottom. The pit had a large stone platform in it, and on that a strange arch stood unsupported by any walls. You slowly climbed down the benches towards the curious stone arch and as you got closer you could see a rippling curtain or veil hanging from it.
You saw Harry, who was ahead of you, approaching it and he peered through it, "what did you say?" he asked and Hermione and Ron shared a concerned look.
"No one is talking, Harry," Hermione told him, her brows pinched in worry as she watched her friend.
"But there's someone whispering in there! Can't anyone hear them?" Harry said and as you got closer you could hear what he was talking about. There were whispered conversations going on behind the strange translucent curtain, but you couldn't make sense of anything that was being said.
"I can hear them too," you said as you stared, completely mesmerised, at the arch and watched the rippling veil move as if it was being blown by a light breeze.
"There are people in there," Luna breathed as she stepped up beside you and looked at the arch as if she was hypnotised.
You were vaguely aware of Hermione telling you all to leave but you were too engrossed by the whispering voices that you didn't pay attention, but then Ron pulled you away by the elbow while Hermione and Ginny pulled Harry away and Neville led Luna back up towards the door.
You shook yourself from the strange trance as you walked back up the stone benches and out into the entrance room, and Hermione marked the door just as the room began to spin once again. The next door you tried refused to open no matter what enchantments you used on it, so Harry moved onto the next one which opened into a large hall with high arched ceilings and endless towering shelves. The only source of light in the room was blue flames from candle brackets that lined the shelves at regular intervals, and the shelves all held mystifying white orbs that were covered in dust and all had aged parchment labels on them.
"This is the place," Harry said as he looked around with a determined look on his face, "this is where he has Sirius." He began walking down the aisle with shelves on either side, "we need to find row ninety-seven! That's the one I saw in my vision."
You all followed him, letting the door close behind you and using the lights of your wands to guide the way down the dim chamber to find the right row. You reached row ninety-seven and your heart dropped as you saw no one at all was there, let alone Sirius.
"You can't see him from here, he must be at the other end," Harry said quickly and he kept walking and you glanced nervously at the others but followed him. The end of the row was also empty and Harry was looking around as if Sirius would appear on the floor next to him.
"Harry," you said quietly but he didn't answer, you called his name twice more but he was distracted and muttering to himself as he continued inspecting the space around you. He didn't snap out of it until you put a hand on his shoulder, "Harry."
He spun around, "what?" he snapped but you know he was scared and didn't mean his harsh tone.
"I don't think Sirius is here," you said solemnly and a whole range of emotions flickered across his features as realisation dawned on him.
"Harry?" Ron said from behind you and you turned around and approached him. "This has your name on it," he said, pointing to one of the orbs on a shelf and Harry stepped up beside him, and sure enough the aged parchment label attached to its stand had Harry's name written on it.
Ron went to pick it up but you grabbed his wrist, "don't touch it, I've a bad feeling about those things." Ron nodded and swallowed nervously as he dropped his hand, but before any of you could stop him, Harry reached up and lifted the orb from its small stand.
You let out a breath of relief when nothing happened, but then a vaguely familiar voice whispered from it, and the final words it spoke said, "either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives," which sent a chill down your spine. Harry looked at you and opened his mouth to speak but he was interrupted by another voice.
"Very good, Potter. Now turn around, nice and slowly, and give that to me."
You turned around and you all gasped in fright as you realised that you were surrounded by at least a dozen figures wearing black hooded cloaks and grotesque masks.
Death Eaters.