AND REALLY, TIME FLEW BY AND LYRA HAD FOUND HERSELF IN DEEPER TROUBLE THAN EVER.
''RUN! Run if you want to live!'' she whispered frantically at the three of them, loud enough for them to hear, before turning around to cast a look on Dolohov and Jugson. They were running towards Harry, Neville and Hermione as fast as they could and if those three weren't fast enough, they wouldn't live another moment along with the prophecy.
The stupid prophecy, which brought in so much chaos that Lyra found herself in Ministry in a blink of eye. Literally.
''The door, Harry!'' she heard Hermione yell as two more Death Eaters burst in, and to her disgust: they were grinning broadly.
Before either of them could react, Harry, Neville and Hermione were thrown backards with such force that Lyra thought they were dead. Neville disappeared out of view, Hermione smashed into bookcase and Harry slammed into the wall, his head swinging back and forth.
''WE'VE GOT HIM'' yelled Dolohov triumphantly as Lyra stood next to him bewildered. ''IN AN OFFICE OFF — ''
''Silencio! '' cried Hermione, and the man's voice was extinguished. He continued to mouth through the hole in his mask, but no sound came out; he was thrust aside by his fellow.
''Petrificus Totalus!'' shouted Harry, at the second Mulciber raised his wand. His arms and legs snapped together and he fell forward, facedown onto the rug at Harry's feet, stiff as a board and unable to move at all.
''Well done, Ha — ''
But Dolohov, although mute, made a sudden slashing movement with his wand from which flew a streak of purple flame. It passed right across Hermione's chest; she gave a tiny ''oh!'' as though of surprise and then crumpled onto the floor where she lay motionless, barely breathing.
''Are you going to stand all day? MOVE!'' Avery yelled at her as she shot him an enraged look, not even daring to look at Harry's face. What is the boy going to think of her now?
I'm sorry, Neville, Lyra muttered to herself and kicked him in the face as he gave a yelp of pain and fell over, clutching his broken wand. It was her or him, and Lyra wasn't playing games with her death.
Dolohov cracked his long face into a twisted grin at Harry who turned around, clutching his wand and anxiously watching him point at the prophecy then himself and then Hermione - he made it clear; the prophecy or he dies.
Lyra felt her stomach sink; she had to do something or they were going to die. As Lyra was contemplating her thoughts, the door erupted open and Lyra, Dolohov and Avery dived for the floor to avoid explosion, and by the time they got down, the three of them were already gone with prophecy by their side. Avery was the first one to recover.
''You lead the way, Lestrange.'' he snarled at her, nudging her with his foot to move and stand up. ''I would love to see your mommy's look when she sees they fleed.''
She knew he didn't like her, especially after she had driven his son Blade insane after he met her at Manor. Not that she felt any pity for him. He was an asshole.
''I would hold my tongue if I were you.''
''Zip it, you two. We have a bigger problem.'' Dolohov hissed, making his way towards the circular, stone-cold room. They entered the icy room, and Lyra's heart dropped to her feet: they were actually going to win. And the children were going to die.
''Ah, but you're late to the party!'' Bellatrix exclaimed tauntingly as they drifted towards the centre. On a second, Lyra thought of throwing a snarky remark to Avery about fleeing, but she controlled herself - it would not be smart to show he actually knew these people in front of Harry.
It was late, too late, Lyra thought as she watched people around the room; her mother was standing aside, twirling with her wand and her father was gripping Luna by her hair, Travers was close to strangling Ginny to death, Lyra's uncle Rabastan held the wand to Ron's neck and a passed out Hermione was lying next to Macnair's feet.
''Potter, your race is run.'' drawled Lucius, pulling off his mask. ''Now hand me the prophecy like a good boy. . .''
''Let — let the others go, and I'll give it to you!'' said Harry desperately.
A few of the Deat Eathers laughed merrily, Lyra along with them. Her snickers cut deep as only a moment later, her eyes found Ginny's and they sent a clear message. Ginny pleaded frightfully with her eyes to help them, but Lyra could not; she couldn't break her own rules. Her loyalty resided within herself.
''You're not in a position to bargain.'' Lucius said, a pleasant smirk taking his face. ''And you're alone, Potter. . .''
''HE'S DOT ALONE!'' shouted a voice somewhere behind her as Lyra recognized the boy to be Neville. This was it; she was sure that at least one person was going to die today.
Lyra looked over at her mother and it appeared that some of Death Eaters did so too for they recognized Neville. Her face broke into an evil grin, as all the beauty of her face vanished in second, like it was never there.
Neville climbed up the stony steps, occasionally wincing because of pain; he was looking horrible and it seemed like it would only worsen his current state for her mother obviously gave herself a task of turning all Longbottoms insane.
''Why, Neville, I have had the pleasure of meeting your parents. . .'' she said, her voice filling the room. ''Seize him, Lyra.''
She gulped. Lyra made her towards the Neville who lay at the floor kicking and shouting as Bellatrix drew nearer to them.
''Stun him!'' Lyra had heard Rodolphus yell left of her, but she wasn't sure it came to her head; Neville fought so hard against her that she felt the air from her lungs leave, and she was sure he was going to leave a couple of bruises on her body.
''Watch it, boy. This is my daughter you're hurting.'' she hissed at him, her face frowned in anger and then second after filled with fanatic glow.
''No, let's see how long Longbottom lasts before he cracks like his parents...Unless Potter wants to give us the prophecy — '' she continued, her wand raised. Lyra let him go as he stumbled down to floor.
''Crucio! '' her mother screamed and the memories came flooding back. . . . . .Bellatrix ordering Lyra to sit and watch. . . . . . Rodolphus snickering insanely at the man's bleeding body. . . . . . Barty Crouch being afraid to cast the spell first. . . . . . Rabastan coldly gazing at Alice's distant look. . . . .it all came back, as if it never left.
''Now the prophecy, Potter, or you watch your friend die the hard way!'' her cackles filled the room and Lyra thought her ears would bleed; Lyra remembers being 2 years old, enduring her laugh as she played with her toys, pretending to have a normal family.
There was no choice. There was no time to save them. Harry held the prophecy out as Lyra and others watched Lucius jump forward. Pathetic, she thought, he is probably going to take all work for himself.
But before Lyra could even understand what happened afterwards, two doors high above them burst open and five more people sprinted into the room, knocking Rabastan and Macnair in the wall.
With her wand out, Lyra turned around to face none other, than Tonks who seemed to be taking deep breaths. The kind face and the teasing laughter wasn't there, for it was replaced with fury and disappointment - and all because Lyra was on the wrong side of story, born in the wrong family.
''I TRUSTED YOU!'' she shrieked at her, sending spell after spell at Lyra who only deflected them aside. But if the spells from her wand continued to pour, Lyra would have to hurt her and she did not want that.
She had just stopped to answer to her, when she was thrust aside violently by no other than her own mother. It was bound that there were broken ribs; she could not breathe and her forehead was bleeding heavily.
Tonks was now duelling her intensely and Lyra knew it was a lost battle since only a couple of moments later, she was lying on the floor unconscious and bleeding from her arm. There was Lupin duelling Avery who rained the spells on him and Dolohov taunting Moody; Lyra's side was losing a battle.
''Harry, take the prophecy, grab Neville, and run!'' Sirius yelled, dashing to help Lupin.
The air was filled with Bellatrix's triumphant screams as she dashed to the centre of fight - no one seemed to see that Lyra was drifting to another world - the world of peace and silence.
Lyra looked around the room, her eyelids heavy - her father was losing to a dark-skinned man that seemed to drown him in all sort of hexes and jinxes and Rabastan's body was stumbling not far from them.
However, before Lyra could even hurry to help her father, she was stopped by no other than Sirius Black. He stood in front of her, preventing her to see what was going on; his wand was raised and his upper lip bloody, but it didn't matter to him for he seemed to have a vengeful look on his face - one Lyra saw too often at home.
And she smiled weakly, because he would help her, right? Harry or Fred must've told him about her. She was Fred's girlfriend, after all.
Lyra limped forward, brushing aside curls that were stenched with blood; she stretched her hand towards him and. . . . .and everything became fuzzy.
There was her mother, enraged, darting to help her, and then she wasn't; her heart pounded, and the only thing she could hear were fading pleas for help and spells bouncing off.
The world had a couple of stars less.