Book: Courage
Chapter 78
Word Count: 6663
Black shapes were emerging out of thin air all around them, blocking their way left and right; eyes glinted through slits in hoods, a dozen lit wand tips were pointing directly at their hearts; Ginny gave a gasp of horror.
"To me, Potter," repeated the drawling voice of Lucius Malfoy as he held out his hand, palm up. They were trapped, and outnumbered two to one. "To me," said Malfoy yet again.
"Where's Sirius?" Harry said.
Several of the Death Eaters laughed; a harsh female voice from the midst of the shadowy figures to Layla's left said triumphantly, "The Dark Lord always knows!"
"Always," echoed Malfoy softly. "Now, give me the prophecy, Potter."
"I want to know where Sirius is!"
"I want to know where Sirius is!" mimicked the woman to Layla's left.
She and her fellow Death Eaters had closed in so that they were mere feet away from Layla and the others, the light from their wands dazzling Layla's eyes.
"Have you got him?" said Layla, her eyes widening as she tried to ignore the rising panic in his chest. Was Harry right all along? Had Sirius really been tortured? "Was he here? Answer me!"
"Ah, Little Miss Werewolf. Ask Potter. The little baby woke up fwightened and fort what it dweamed was twoo," said the woman in a horrible, mock baby voice. Layla felt Ron stir beside her.
"Don't do anything," Harry muttered. "Not yet—"
The woman who had mimicked him let out a raucous scream of laughter.
"You hear him? You hear him? Giving instructions to the other children as though he thinks of fighting us!"
"Who you calling children?" snapped Layla, glaring at the woman angrily. Her words went ignored.
"Oh, you don't know Potter as I do, Bellatrix," said Malfoy softly. "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," said Harry. "I know you've got him!"
More of the Death Eaters laughed, though the woman laughed loudest of all.
"It's time you learned the difference between life and dreams, Potter," said Malfoy. "Now give me the prophecy, or we start using wands."
"Go on, then," said Harry, raising his own wand to chest height. As he did so, the six wands of Ron, Layla, Hermione, Neville, Ginny, and Luna rose on either side of him.
But the Death Eaters did not strike.
"Hand over the prophecy and no one need get hurt," said Malfoy coolly.
"Yeah, right!" Harry said. "I give you this — prophecy, is it? And you'll just let us skip off home, will you?"
The words were hardly out of his mouth when the female Death Eater shrieked: "Accio proph—"
Harry shouted "Protego" before she had finished her spell.
"Oh, he knows how to play, little bitty baby Potter," she said, her mad eyes staring through the slits in her hood. "Very well, then—"
"I TOLD YOU, NO!" Lucius Malfoy roared at the woman. "If you smash it—!"
The woman stepped forward, away from her fellows, and pulled off her hood. Azkaban had hollowed Bellatrix Lestrange's face, making it gaunt and skull-like, but it was alive with a feverish, fanatical glow.
"You need more persuasion?" she said, her chest rising and falling rapidly. "Very well — take the smallest one," she ordered the Death Eaters beside her. "Let him watch while we torture the little girl. I'll do it."
Layla felt the others close in around Ginny; she stepped sideways so that he was right in front of her, and raised her wand.
"You stay the hell away from my sister, the lot of you!" she yelled, putting emphasis on the word 'sister' as her protective instincts kicked in.
"Ooh, aren't you a fiery little thing?" said Bellatrix, a wide grin taking form on her face. "I can take you, little girl."
"You'll have to smash this if you want to attack any of us," Harry spoke up. "I don't think your boss will be too pleased if you come back without it, will he?"
Bellatrix did not move after that.
"So," said Harry, "what kind of prophecy are we talking about, anyway?"
"What kind of prophecy?" repeated Bellatrix, the grin fading from her face. "You jest, Harry Potter."
"Nope, not jesting," said Harry. "How come Voldemort wants it?"
Several of the Death Eaters let out low hisses.
"You dare speak his name?" whispered Bellatrix.
"Yeah," said Harry, maintaining his tight grip on the glass ball. "Yeah, I've got no problem with saying Vol—"
"Shut your mouth!" Bellatrix shrieked. "You dare speak his name with your unworthy lips, you dare besmirch it with your half-blood's tongue, you dare—"
"He's a half-blood too," said Layla in a 'duh' tone. There were only a few things she was truly scared of, and a bunch of wizards in cloaks, following a bald, nose-less man aren't one of those things. "From what I've read, his mother was a witch but his dad was a Muggle — or has he been telling you lot he's pure-blood?"
"STUPEF—"
"Protego!" yelled Harry, quickly jumping in front of Layla. "Hurt her and I'll smash this thing!"
"DO NOT ATTACK ANY OF THEM! WE NEED THE PROPHECY!" screeched Malfoy.
"She dared — she dares—" shrieked Bellatrix incoherently, "she stands there — filthy half-blood—"
"WAIT UN'I'LL WE'VE GOT THE PROPHECY!" bawled Malfoy.
"You haven't told me what's so special about this prophecy I'm supposed to be handing over," he said.
"Do not play games with us, Potter," said Malfoy.
"I'm not playing games,' said Harry. Layla then felt a quick pain on her foot, causing her to inhale sharply. She saw that Harry, who was still stood protectively in front of her, and dug his heel into her toes.
"What do you want? This isn't the time, dude," she whispered to him quietly, annoyed.
"Dumbledore never told you the reason you bear that scar was hidden in the bowels of the Department of Mysteries?" Malfoy sneered.
"I — what?' said Harry. "What about my scar?"
"Answer me, Potter. What do you want?" whispered Layla more urgently.
"Can this be?" said Malfoy, sounding maliciously delighted; some of the Death Eaters were laughing again, and under cover of their laughter, Harry hissed to Hermione, moving his lips as little as possible, "Smash shelves—"
"Dumbledore never told you?" Malfoy repeated. "Well, this explains why you didn't come earlier, Potter, the Dark Lord wondered why—"
"—when I say now—"
"—you didn't come running when he showed you the place where it was hidden in your dreams. He thought natural curiosity would make you want to hear the exact wording..."
"Did he?" said Harry.
Layla, hearing the quiet words Harry had spoken to her, turned subtly towards Ginny, who was still stood directly behind her, and passed along the message.
"So he wanted me to come and get it, did he? Why?" said Harry.
"Why?" Malfoy sounded incredulously delighted. "Because the only people who are permitted to retrieve a prophecy from the Department of Mysteries, Potter, are those about whom it was made, as the Dark Lord discovered when he attempted to use others to steal it for him."
"And why did he want to steal a prophecy about me?"
"About both of you, Potter, about both of you... haven't you ever wondered why the Dark Lord tried to kill you as a baby?"
"Someone made a prophecy about Voldemort and me?" he said quietly. "And he's made me come and get it for him? Why couldn't he come and get it himself?"
"Get it himself?" shrieked Bellatrix, over a cackle of mad laughter. "The Dark Lord, walk into the Ministry of Magic, when they are so sweetly ignoring his return? The Dark Lord, reveal himself to the Aurors, when at the moment they are wasting their time on my dear cousin?"
"So, he's got you doing his dirty work for him, has he?" said Harry. "Like he tried to get Sturgis to steal it — and Bode?"
"Very good, Potter, very good..." said Malfoy slowly. "But the Dark Lord knows you are not unintell—"
"NOW!" yelled Harry.
So, Layla and the others all raised their wands, all to each different parts of the shelves, and bellowed, "REDUCTO!"
Six curses flew in six different directions and 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, as the shelves swayed precariously and more glass spheres began to fall from above. Layla absentmindedly seized Ginny's hand without realizing it and began to pull her forward, shielding both herself and Ginny from the chunks of shelf and shards of glass thundering down upon them. They were all yelling, there were cries of pain, and thunderous crashes as the shelves collapsed upon themselves, weirdly echoing fragments of the Seers unleashed from their spheres—
They were at the end of row ninety-seven; Layla had no idea where she was going, so she simply followed Harry. A hand tried to grab Ginny and yank her backwards, pulling Layla back in the process, but Layla turned around angrily.
"I don't think she wants to be touched by your filthy hands. Stupefy!"
And as the Death Eater flew backwards, Layla tightened her grip on Ginny's hand and the two were running again,.
"I think the others went this way," Layla gasped, taking a left. The two kept running, shooting spells here and there, until it seemed like they were going around in circles. "Where are they?!"
"We must have gone the wrong way," Ginny panted, looking around to make sure there were no Death Eaters nearby before releasing Layla's hand and panting loudly, out of breath. "Hold on. I've got a stitch."
"Are you okay?" asked Layla, also out of breath, occasionally looking around and keeping a firm grip on her wand.
"Yeah," said Ginny, taking in deep breaths. "Come on, we have to find the others. Let's try a different wa—"
"LAYLA! GINNY!" a voice screamed down the row that they were near. Layla immediately raised her wand and pushed Ginny softly behind her, wondering if it was a trap. Two figures then came pelting into view.
"STUPE—"
"No, Layla, it's just us!"
"Ron?" Layla sighed in relief. "Luna?"
"Are you guys alright?" asked Ginny.
"Yes, but the bad men are following us. We have to run," said Luna, looking more serious than ever. As they all exchanged nervous glances, they had crashes and shrieks nearby. The Death Eaters were drawing closer.
"Come on," said Layla, sprinting down a nearby row and dodging the smashing prophecies. "I think there's a door up ahead—"
But suddenly, a purple light went whizzing past them, barely grazing a pink strand of Layla's hair. As she ran, she looked over her shoulder to see four Death Eaters sprinting towards them.
"Take a right!" Layla yelled to the others, and they all swung right at the end of the row, bolting down another aisle of smashing prophecies. Three more jets of lights shot past them, hitting shelves around them.
"Layla, duck!" Ron grabbed Layla and pushed her down as a bright green light flew over her head.
"Thanks," Layla said gratefully to Ron before the four of them picked up speed. "Take the next left!"
So, as they reached the end of the row at last, they swung left and continued running. Layla felt like her legs were about to give way from underneath her, and she could have fainted with relief when she saw the dark outline of a door at the very end of the row.
Ginny began to slow down from exhaustion, barely avoiding a curse that flew past her, so Ron had to grab her hand so they could reach the door quicker. Once they reached it, Layla swung it open and the four of them burst into the room. They all immediately collapsed to the ground, exhausted. Layla hurried to close the door, but before she could, it burst open and the door was ripped off its hinges. Layla had to pull Luna down so she wasn't hit by the door, and the four of them scattered around the room.
As Layla hid in the far corner, she took a quick moment to look around the room. It seemed to be a room full of planets, with each planet hanging down low from the ceiling, scattered dazzlingly around the room. The room was altogether very dark so Layla could barely see the Death Eaters in their black cloaks. She looked down and noticed that the floor was full of stars, so it gave off the impression that they were floating in outer space.
"Spread out," grunted one of the Death Eaters. "They're in here. Find them! Kill them if you have to. Malfoy's gone after Potter and the prophecy."
So, Layla heard the loud noises of thundering footsteps as the four Death Eaters began searching the room, knocking planets out of the way and checking every dark corner, until one of the Death Eaters began heading in Layla's direction.
Before the Death Eater could notice her, Layla raised her wand towards him.
"PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!"
As the Death Eater fell to the ground, unmoving, the others jumped into action, storming around the room more angrily. But Layla and her friends had hurried out of their hiding spots, prepared.
"GO!" screamed Ron, and altogether, four jets of light flew towards the three Death Eaters. Two of them blocked the hexes, but one flew back into a wall and fell to the ground, scrambling again to his feet.
"Four against three, huh?" said Layla, smirking. "Easy."
Hex after hex was fired back and forth, an occasional Unforgivable thrown at the students, but their D.A. lessons had definitely paid off.
As Layla threw a quick hex towards one of the Death Eaters, she heard a loud grunt from beside her. Turning, she saw that one of the Death Eaters had grabbed Ginny by the back of her hair and was pulling her backwards towards the planet, his wand held to her temple. Thinking fast, Layla raised her wand and aimed it at Pluto, which was the planet dangling closest to Ginny and the Death Eater.
"REDUCTO!"
Pluto flew apart into smithereens, knocking the Death Eater away from Ginny, who yelped in surprise and fell to the floor, though she landed so uncomfortably that one of her legs tucked under her body, putting her whole weight onto her ankle. Layla heard a painful snap, and Ginny cried out in pain. Her eyes widening, Layla rushed towards her, leaving Ron and Luna to handle the Death Eaters for just a moment. She knelt down beside Ginny.
"I'm so sorry!"
"It's not your fault. You were helping me," said Ginny quietly, gripping her ankle. "I can't move it."
"I think it's broken," said Layla, trying to wrack her brain for a healing spell.
Suddenly, Layla's heart skipped a beat. The commotion around her became more aggressive, angrier and more intense spells circling them.
"Wait here, okay? I'm sorry. I'll be right back," Layla told Ginny before rising to her feet and running to stand with Layla and Ron, firing a hex at one of the Death Eaters, who blocked it.
As Layla looked back over at Ginny to make sure that none of the Death Eaters had gone after the injured girl, she heard a yelp of surprise. Turning back around, she saw Ron fly back into Uranus and sink to the floor, unconscious.
"We can't win this one," said Luna, dead serious as she fired a jinx at a Death Eater.
"I saw another door at the far right corner. We can escape through there and bolt the door," said Layla quietly, firing another hex at the Death Eaters. "You help Ron, I'll help Ginny. NOW!"
As Luna fired her final hex, Layla raised her wand once more.
"ROSEA FUMI!"
A jet of pink smoke started to burst out of the tip of her wand, clouding the room so that it was hard to see. Using that distraction as an opportunity to escape while the Death Eaters were trying to rid themselves of the pink smoke surrounding them, Luna dashed towards Ron and Layla hurried over to Ginny.
"Come on," said Layla, wrapping one of Ginny's arms around her shoulders and helping the girl stand up. "This way."
Layla began to head towards the door at the back of the room, bursting through it. Once all four of them were through, they paused to check on Ginny's ankle and try to wake Ron up.
"Are you okay, Gin?" asked Layla, receiving a pained nod in return. Layla went to pull out her wand and try to think of a healing spell, but just then, Ron gasped awake, coughing wildly. Luna helped him sit up. "One sec, Gin," Layla stood up and walked Ron, who was trying to sit up as if he was a baby trying to walk for the first time. "Ron? Are you okay?"
Layla was concerned as Ron started to giggle childishly. What kind of spell had he been hit with? The Lupin girl offered Ron a hand to help him stand up.
"Ron...?"
"Layla!" Ron grinned, wrapping his arms around her, picking her up, and spinning her around. "You're my sister, Layla! My sister from another mister!"
"Ron, what's going on with you?" Layla wondered as Ron put her back on her feet.
"Sshhh," Ron pressed his finger to Layla's lips. "Ha ha, I'm hearing voices! Voices, Lay!"
"He's hearing voices now?" Ginny scoffed from the ground, still clutching her ankle, unamused at her brother.
"No, I think he's right," said Luna, walking closer to another door at the other end of the room. "I hear... Harry! Hermione and Neville, too!"
"What?" said Layla, her eyes widening. "I think you're right, Luna. Come on!"
Layla helped Ginny get up again and support her while Luna went to make sure Ron wouldn't walk into a wall or something.
And then, as they reached the door, they all flung themselves through it. Sure enough, there stood Harry, Hermione, and Neville. Harry seemed unhurt, whereas Neville was checking on Hermione, who was unconscious.
"Layla! Ron!" croaked Harry, dashing towards them. "Ginny — are you all—?"
"Harry," said Ron, giggling weakly, lurching forwards, seizing the front of Harry's robes and gazing at him with unfocused eyes, "there you are... ha ha ha... you look funny, Harry... you're all messed up..."
Ron's face was very white and something dark was trickling from the corner of his mouth. Next moment his knees had given way, but he still clutched the front of Harry's robes, so that Harry was pulled into a kind of bow.
"Ginny?" Harry said fearfully. "What happened?"
But Ginny shook her head and slid down the wall into a sitting position, panting and holding her ankle.
"Her ankle's broken," whispered Layla, who was bending over her. She and Luna seemed to be the only ones unhurt.
"Four of them chased us into a dark room full of planets," said Luna. "It was a very odd place, some of the time we were just floating in the dark—"
"Harry, we saw Uranus up close!" said Ron, still giggling feebly. "Get it, Harry? We saw Uranus — ha ha ha—"
A bubble of blood grew at the corner of Ron's mouth and burst.
"—anyway, one of them grabbed Ginny's hair, Layla used the Reductcr Curse and blew up Pluto in his face, but Ginny didn't fall to the ground that gracefully, so—" Luna gestured hopelessly at Ginny, who was breathing in a very shallow way, her eyes still closed.
"And what about Ron?" said Harry fearfully, as Ron continued to giggle, still hanging off the front of Harry's robes.
"We don't know what they hit him with," said Layla sadly, "but he's gone a bit funny."
"We've got to get out of here," said Harry firmly. "Layla, can you help Ginny?"
"I don't take orders from you," said Layla. She didn't even know why she said it. She just realised that she and Harry had been getting along and wanted to put a stop to it. She still headed over to Ginny, putting an arm around her waist and pulling her up.
They headed towards one of the twelve doors; they were within a few feet of it when another door across the hall burst open and three Death Eaters sped in, led by Bellatrix Lestrange.
"There they are!" she shrieked.
Stunning Spells shot across the room: Layla followed Harry and a giggly Ron through the door ahead, placing Ginny gently onto the floor before ducking back to help Neville in with Hermione: they were all over the threshold just in time to slam the door against Bellatrix.
"Colloportus!" shouted Harry, and three bodies slammed into the door on the other side.
"It doesn't matter!" said a man's voice. "There are other ways in — WE'VE GOT THEM, THEY'RE HERE!"
Layla span around; they were back in the Brain Room and, sure enough, there were doors all around the walls. He could hear footsteps in the hall behind them as more Death Eaters came running to join the first.
"Luna — Harry — Neville — help me!"
The four of them tore around the room, sealing the doors as they went. There were footsteps running along behind the doors, every now and then another heavy body would launch itself against one, so it creaked and shuddered.
As Layla reached the very top of the room, she heard Luna cry:
"Collo — aaaaaaaaargh..."
Layla turned in time to see Luna flying through the air; five Death Eaters were surging into the room through the door she had not reached in time; Luna hit a desk, slid over its surface and on to the floor on the other side where she lay sprawled, as still as Hermione.
"Get Potter!" shrieked Bellatrix, and she ran at him; Harry dodged her and sprinted back up the room.
"Hey!" said Ron, who had staggered to his feet and was now tottering drunkenly towards Layla, giggling. "Hey, Lay, there are brains in here, ha ha ha, isn't that weird, Lay?"
"Ron, get out of the way, get down—"
But Ron had already pointed his wand at the tank.
"Honest, Layla, they're brains — look — Accio brain!"
The scene seemed momentarily frozen. Harry, Layla, Ginny, Neville, and each of the Death Eaters turned in spite of themselves to watch the top of the tank as a brain burst from the green liquid like a leaping fish: for a moment it seemed suspended in midair, then it soared towards Ron, spinning as it came, and what looked like ribbons of moving images flew from it, unravelling like rolls of film.
"Ha ha ha, look at it—" said Ron, watching it disgorge its gaudy innards, "come and touch it; bet it's weird—"
"RON, NO!"
Layla did not know what would happen if Ron touched the tentacles of thought now flying behind the brain, but he was sure it would not be anything good. She darted forwards but Ron had already caught the brain in his outstretched hands.
The moment they made contact with his skin, the tentacles began wrapping themselves around Ron's arms like ropes.
"Layla, look what's happen— No — no — I don't like it — no, stop — stop—"
But the thin ribbons were spinning around Ron's chest now; he tugged and tore at them as the brain was pulled tight against him like an octopus's body.
"Diffindo!" yelled Harry, trying to sever the feelers wrapping themselves tightly around Ron before his eyes, but they would not break. Ron fell over, still thrashing against his bonds.
"It'll suffocate him!' screamed Ginny, immobilised by her broken ankle on the floor — then a jet of red light flew from one of the Death Eater's wands and hit her squarely in the face. She keeled over sideways and lay there unconscious.
"You're gonna wish you didn't do that," snapped Layla, turning towards the Death Eater. No one harmed Ginny. No one. "INCENDIO!"
And suddenly, the Death Eaters robes caught on fire. He was running around like a mad man, screaming, until another Death Eater grew annoyed with the screaming and cast a water charm.
Harry, Layla, and Neville were now the only three left fighting the five Death Eaters, three of whom sent off streams of silver light like arrows which missed but left craters in the wall behind them. Harry ran for it as Bellatrix Lestrange raced right at him: holding the prophecy high above his head, he sprinted back up the room.
The Death Eaters streaked after him, knocking chairs and tables flying but not daring to bewitch him in case they hurt the prophecy. Layla realised that Harry was trying to lure the Death Eaters away and it seemed to be working. As Harry dashed through the only door still open, the Death Eaters close behind, Layla turned to Neville.
"Come on, we have to free Ron and get the hell out of here. We'll call a Professor to come and rescue Harry, because I sure as hell am not risking my life for him."
"Den I will," said Neville, his voice all messed up so that it sounded like he had a severely blocked noise. "I'll get Harry, you sabe eberyone eld."
"Neville, no!" Layla screamed, but it was too late. Neville was already running through the door that Harry and the Death Eaters had ran through only a few moments before. "Idiot..."
So instead, Layla turned towards Ron who was turning purple in the face. She tried to rip the ribbons away but they wouldn't budge, they only got tighter. Layla sighed and raised her wand, remembering one of the spells that she had to use in her O.W.Ls.
"Frange vittas!"
The ribbons recoiled as if they'd been harshly burnt, but the spell also resulted in Ron falling unconscious. He sort of just hung there until the ribbons had fully untangled themselves from Ron's body, and then he fell to the ground.
Layla grabbed Ron's hands and simply dragged him closer to Hermione, Ginny, and Luna, propping all of them up against the wall.
"Neville, where the hell are you?" she quietly asked herself, but moments later, it was like her question was answered.
She heard a loud scream. A scream that was very familiar.
"Neville!"
Forgetting about her unconscious friends, Layla sprinted towards the far door, bursting through it and descending the large number of stairs, almost tripping down them once or twice.
Once she'd reached the bottom of the stairs, she saw Bellatrix looming over Neville, wand pointed at him as another Death Eater grabbed his arms. Neville screamed, his legs drawn up to his chest so that the Death Eater holding him was momentarily holding him off the ground. The Death Eater dropped him and he fell to the floor, twitching and screaming in agony.
"Stop it!" Layla screamed, raising her wand towards Bellatrix. She ended up shouting the first word that came to mind. Avada—"
But Bellatrix span around and waved her wand wordlessly with full intentions of sending Layla flying across the room, but Layla held her ground, putting in all of her strength to root herself to the ground. Bellatrix's spell only ended up making Layla stumble back a few paces.
"You really think I'm going to let a week, next generation werewolf, little girl be the end of me?" snarled Bellatrix, rounding on Layla as Neville's screams stopped and he lay sobbing on the ground.
"It was worth a shot," said Layla, struggling nonchalantly. She wasn't scared of Bellatrix. "Just leave my friends alone."
"We'll see about that, missy. Let's get started," Bellatrix tore her eyes away from Layla to gaze at Harry. "Now, Potter, either give us the prophecy, or watch your little friends die the hard way!"
Harry's eyes flickered from Layla, to Neville, and back again. Layla may hate him, but his feelings for her were unwavering. He'd liked her when she fell in love with Cedric, he'd liked her during the Quidditch world cup, he'd liked her when he saw her in her Yule Ball dress, he'd liked her when she was there for him during his Triwizard tournament tasks, and he loved her even if she hated him.
Harry inhaled sharply. He was in love with Layla.
He wasn't about to let Bellatrix hurt her, or any of his friends. So, Harry went to give the prophecy up. For her.
But then, high above them, two more doors burst open and five more people sprinted into the room: Sirius, Remus, Moody, Tonks and Kingsley.
Malfoy turned, and raised his wand, but Tonks had already sent a Stunning Spell right at him. The Death Eaters were 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. Through the darting bodies, the flashes of light, Layla could see Neville crawling along. She dodged a jet of red light and ran towards Neville, crouching down beside him to try and shield both of them from the flashes of red and green lights being flung everywhere.
"Are you okay?" she yelled, as another spell soared inches over their heads.
"Yes," said Neville, trying to pull himself up. "Did you free Rod?"
"Yeah, Ron's alright. He's unconscious with the others, though," said Layla.
"Guys!" Harry rushed up to them, dodging spells as he went. "Are you two alright?"
"Yeah," Neville said a little shakily while Layla simply nodded.
The stone floor beside them exploded as a spell hit it, leaving a crater right where Neville's hand had been only seconds before; all three of them scrambled away from the spot, then a thick arm came out of nowhere, seized Harry around the neck and pulled him upright, so that his toes were barely touching the floor.
"Give it to me," growled a voice in his ear, "give me the prophecy—"
"Get off him!" screamed Layla, jabbing her wand hard into the eyehole of the Death Eater's mask. The man relinquished Harry at once with a howl of pain. Harry whirled around to face him and gasped:
"STUPEFY!"
The Death Eater keeled over backwards and his mask slipped off: it was Macnair, Buckbeak's would-be killer, one of his eyes now swollen and bloodshot.
"Thanks," Harry said to Layla. Neville, pulling her and Neville aside as Sirius and a Death Eater lurched past, duelling so fiercely that their wands were blurs.
"Yeah, yeah," said Layla, rolling her eyes. "We have more important things to be doing now."
"Right," said Harry quietly, just as his foot made contact with something round and hard and he slipped. For a moment, Layla jumped, thinking that Harry had dropped the prophecy, but then she saw Moody's magical eye spinning away across the floor.
Its owner was lying on his side, bleeding from the head, and his attacker was now bearing down upon Harry, Layla, 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—"
He made the same slashing movement with his wand that he had used on Hermione just as Layla jumped forward, yelling, "Protego!"
Layla felt something streak across his face like a blunt knife, but the Shield Charm had stopped the worst of the spell. She turned to Harry.
"Seriously, Potter, you've got to step up your game. I can't keep saving your arse."
Dolohov raised his wand again. "Accio proph—"
Sirius had hurtled out of nowhere, rammed Dolohov with his shoulder and sent him flying out of the way.
"Siri!" Layla yelled in worry. Now Sirius and Dolohov were duelling, their wands flashing like swords, sparks flying from their wand-tips.
Dolohov drew back his wand to make the same slashing movement he had used on Harry and Hermione.
"No!" Layla cried out again.
Harry suddenly yelled, "Petrificus Totalus!"
Dolohov's arms and legs snapped together and he keeled over backwards, landing with a crash on his back.
"Nice one!" shouted Sirius, forcing both Layla's and Harry's heads down as a pair of Stunning Spells flew towards them. "Now I want you guys to get out of—"
They all ducked again; a jet of green light had narrowly missed Sirius. Across the room, Layla 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.
"Guys, grab Neville and run!" Sirius yelled.
"Please be careful," pleaded Layla. Sirius sent her a soft smile.
"Don't worry about me, kiddo."
And with that, Sirius dashed off to meet Bellatrix. Layla did not see what happened next: Kingsley swayed across her field of vision, battling with the pockmarked and no longer masked Rookwood; a jet of green light flew over Layla's head as she launched herself towards Neville, Harry close behind her.
"Can you stand?" said Layla as Neville's legs jerked and twitched uncontrollably. "Put your arm round my neck. Harry, a hand would be nice!"
Neville put his arms around both Layla's and Harry's necks and they heaved him up. Neville's legs were still lying in every direction, they would not support him, and then, out of nowhere, a man lunged at them: all of them fell backwards, Neville's legs waving wildly like an overturned beetle's, Harry with his left arm held up in the air to try to save the small glass ball from being smashed, and the heel of Layla's hand pressed against her forehead where she could feel blood trickling down from a gash that had formed. She'd hit her head rather harshly against a sharp corner of the dais. She'd need stitches for sure.
"The prophecy, give me the prophecy, Potter!" snarled Lucus Malfoy's voice.
"No — get — off — me... Layla — catch it!"
Harry flung the prophecy across the floor and Layla was quick to scoop the ball up, holding it tightly in her hands. Malfoy pointed the wand instead at Layla, but Harry jabbed his own wand back over his shoulder and yelled, "Impedimenta!"
Malfoy was blasted off his back. As Layla scrambled up again, the prophecy still clutched in her hand, she looked around and saw Malfoy smash into the dais on which Sirius and Bellatrix were now duelling. Malfoy aimed his wand at Harry, Layla, and Neville again, but before he could draw breath to strike, Remus had jumped between them.
"Honey, round up the others and GO!"
Listening to her dad, Layla gestured for Harry to help her and together, they seized Neville by the shoulders of his robes and lifted him bodily on to the first tier of stone steps; Neville's legs twitched and jerked and would not support his weight; Layla and Harry heaved again and they climbed another step.
A spell hit the stone bench at Harry's heel; it crumbled away and he fell back to the step below. Not being able to support Neville's weight on her own, Layla sank to the ground, bringing Neville with her.
"Look after this," Layla held up the prophecy and shoved it into Neville's pocket. "Don't lose it," she then went up to Harry and grabbed his forearm, yanking him to his feet.
"Come on!" said Layla desperately. Both she and Harry then hurried back over to Neville, hauling at his robes. "Just try and push with your legs—"
Both Layla and Harry gave another stupendous heave and Neville's robes tore all along the seams — the small spun-glass ball dropped from his pocket and, before any of them could catch it, one of Neville's floundering feet kicked it: it flew some ten feet to their right and smashed on the step beneath them.
As all of them stared at the place where it had broken, appalled at what had happened, a pearly-white figure with hugely magnified eyes rose into the air, unnoticed by any but them. Layla could see its mouth moving, but in all the crashes and screams and yells surrounding them, not one word of the prophecy could she hear. The figure stopped speaking and dissolved into nothingness.
"I'b sorry!" cried Neville, his face anguished as his legs continued to flounder. "I'b so sorry, I didn'd bean do, Layla gabe id do be and—"
"It doesn't matter!" Harry shouted. "Just try and stand, let's get out of—"
"Dubbledore!" said Neville, his sweaty face suddenly transported, staring over Layla's shoulder.
"What?"
"DUBBLEDORE!"
Layla and Harry both turned to look where Neville was staring. Directly above them, framed in the doorway from the Brain Room, stood Albus Dumbledore, his wand aloft, his face white and furious.
Dumbledore sped down the steps past Neville, Layla, and Harry, who had no more thoughts of leaving. Dumbledore 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. Harry saw Sirius duck Bellatrix's jet of red light: he was laughing at her.
"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.
Layla released Neville, though she was unaware of doing so. She was jumping down the steps again, pulling out her wand, as Dumbledore, too, turned towards the dais.
It seemed to take Sirius an age to fall. Instead, he had glanced towards Layla and smiled — smiled — as he ripped off the locket around his neck that had been hidden beneath his robes, and threw it towards her. Layla caught it, though her eyes never left Sirius.
Sirius' body curved in a graceful arc as he sank backwards through the ragged veil hanging from the arch.
Layla 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. Sirius, the man who always made time for her. Sirius, the man who would call her kiddo. Sirius, the man who would make a joke even in a serious situation.
Sirius, the man she had asked to walk her down the aisle one day as well as Remus.
Sirius, her second father.
Layla heard Bellatrix Lestrange's triumphant scream, but knew it meant nothing — Sirius had only just fallen through the archway, he would reappear from the other side any second. Right...?
But Sirius did not reappear.
"No! NO! SIRIUS!" Layla yelled. "SIRI!"
She had reached the floor, her breath coming in searing gasps. Sirius must be just behind the curtain, she would pull him back out...
But as she reached the ground and sprinted towards the dais, Remus grabbed Layla, holding her back.
"There's nothing you can do, Lay—"
"Get him, save him, he's only just gone through!"
"—it's too late, honey."
"We can still reach him—" Layla struggled hard and viciously, but her dad would not let go.
"There's nothing you can do, Lay... nothing... he's gone."