“Fearless child, broke girl,
tell me what it's like
to burn.”
•
"DRACO! LISTEN TO ME," I was running everywhere. "Draco, tell Umbridge Harry's trying to use her Floo Network!"
"What, why!" he asked, little fazed at me ratting out my brother.
"He's trying to get to contact Sirius, that's not wrong of course, but he had a vision," I gasped as I ran out of air, running, tugging him along. "He saw that Voldemort was torturing him for information!"
"Sky, my books," he wailed as his books fell over but I didn't give him a chance to collect them.
"It's fine you won't need then anyway; year's over," I said. "Voldemort is actually control his mind now. Sirius is not really there and Voldemort just wants Harry to panic and get there. So that—"
"—he can kill Potter," Draco said. Even those it was his arch enemy in question he was quick in his feet to run to Umbridge.
That's one way to stop Harry. As I was here, running about, Hermione was desperately trying to convince him of facts. But,he never listens!
My next stop was Snape. He was in his room when I burst in and yelled, "MAKE SURE SIRIUS DOESN'T LEAVE THE HOUSE!" startling him thoroughly. "Harry. He had the vision!"
Snape stared at me before quickly writing up a memo. I was holding a chair, breathing deeply as he threw the memo in a goblet containing green fire. "It'll reach the Order in no less than five minutes."
And then Draco burst in, "Professor Umbridge is looking for you."
"And Lucius—Lucius is going to go—stop him!"
Snape didn't even nod this time. As if on autopilot, he wrote another note and threw it in the goblet. Snape ran out before I could say anything. Draco handed me all the wands he had confiscated. "I'll go stop them," he said quickly.
"Wait," I screamed. He stopped midway, jogging back towards me. "Your father."
He halted completely.
"He's going to be there. At the Ministry."
"Is he going to die?" he asked, very cold and suddenly very devoid of emotions. Jesus.
"No," I wailed. "Of course not, but he's going to get arrested! We have to stop that!"
"How?" he said, utterly calm. "He made his choices, Skylar. Can we really do anything about it?"
"Draco," I grabbed his shoulders. "If he's arrested, Voldemort is going to turn on you to exact revenge! He's going to make you kill!"
The world started spinning around me. He looked at me, I couldn't see what he felt.
"And do I?" he asked.
I squeezed his arm, eyes watering up. There wasn't much mentioned about Draco. Or if he really killed anyone. "No, Draco. You don't."
"It's alright, Skylar," he said, turning again to go to Umbridge's office. "My father always finds a way."
Snape was coming back when I finally made it to the wing that had the devil's den, handing him another memo stealthily, hoping he'd be able to reach Lucius on time. He had refused to procure any Veritaserum.
"Cru—" she was saying.
"Stop," I wailed as I entered, my unknowingly created forcefield knocking her back. "Stop, you old barking bat!"
Draco looked horrified as he was lightly clutching Ron. And Millicent, who was horrible may I add, was holding Hermione.
"Ah," Umbridge wailed, getting up. "How you dare—"
"Yes I dare," I snapped, stepping in front of Harry. "What are you going to do about it?"
She snarled at me, suddenly not prim and poise anymore. I looked around her neck. No Horcrux. It meant the locker was still at the Order Headquarters.
"I know it was you who sent the dementors to attack Harry," I growled. "Did you really underestimate me that much, Umbridge?"
Her nostrils flared. "I shall not tolerate any disrespect—"
"What?" I tutted. "Are you gonna crucio me now?"
"I would if I have to," she said, holding her wand higher, a blinding red light emerging. My shield was up, and her spell wasn't strong. It tingled slightly at most. Everyone collectively gasped. Draco let go of Ron and tried coming over, only for Ron to hold him back now. She paused, looking a little confused.
"You're weak," I stated deadpanned. "Honestly, I've been crucioed before and Voldemort," I spat his name, "did it far better than you. At least he knows how to be properly evil. You're a pathetic excuse of a teacher and a witch—"
"Crucio!"
"You might as well stop trying now," I said. This one hurt a little. The winds were rushed out of me before I had a chance to put up a shield. "You're not getting anywhere with this."
I was living on borrowed time, basically. All I was doing was stalling till Lucius got the message.
"Stop it!" It wasn't Hermione. It was Draco. "Just tell her!"
"No—we h—have to tell her," Hermione pretended to cry. Gotta give her an Outstanding for acting. And then, things took their course. Umbridge threatened me to sort this matter when she came back, which I knew she wouldn't be. And Hermione and Harry went on with Umbridge to have a cup of tea with Grawp, leaving the rest of us at Umbridge's office.
"What's his weapon?" Draco asked.
"It's a giant," I said. His eyes widened at this. This fazed him more than the idea of his father going to jail. "He's a good giant."
"What's going to happen to her?" Pansy asked.
"She's going to be taken of by Centaurs," I said nonchalantly. "Oh, no," I added looked at her scared expression. "She'll be fine. Don't worry. However. . . "
"Potter's still gonna go to the Ministry, isn't he?" Draco snorted.
"How does he know all this!" Ron exclaimed.
"He does," I shrugged. "We have to go now."
I didn't notice who came with me. But when we reached the edge of the forest, a very disgruntled Draco said something about tattered robes.
"What on Merlin's name are you doing here!" I wailed. "Harry, Jesus, Harry!"
"Skylar!" Harry called out. I looked at the general direction and he appeared, with a very teary eyed Hermione.
"Are you hurt," I said looking at both of them apprehensively.
"No,but how—" Harry was saying.
"You can't go Harry!" I screamed. "Sirius isn't there. Sirius is safe. Voldemort made you see that!"
"You don't understand," he shouted. "He's the only family I have left!"
What? Am I a joke to him?
"But you have to believe me, Harry," I said, shaking him furiously. "He is not there! And if you go, he's gonna come and then—"
"Then what!" Harry screamed.
"Bad things are going to happen," I shouted, voice hoarse from all that screaming. "Voldemort only wants you because you're the only one who can retrieve the Weapon!"
"Well," Harry fumed, red in his face. "I don't care. I'm going there anyway."
He ran towards the castle before I could say anything.
"Harry," I ran behind him, with everyone else. Conversations happened within the DA and unanimously everyone wanted to go. And then, Luna serenely suggested the thestrals.
"God damn it Harry!" I snarled, clenching my fist and rushing towards him, about to knock him out if that meant stopping him. Draco held me back.
"Stop," he struggled. "You cannot kill the boy who fucking lived!"
"Fuck," I groaned as we reached where the thestrals were. "I'm coming!"
"No," Harry said. "Look I appreciate you trying to help—"
"Harry James Potter!" I screamed dangerously close to him. "I'll stun you if I have to but I am coming. Here!" I handed them their wands. No less than eight thestrals were grazing the field. "Let's go."
I don't think we've ever zoomed in the sky so fast. We were at London before we could properly register what happened. Draco had, despite my repeated warnings, come along. I could think of a million possible things that could go wrong at this point. All I wanted was a peaceful sleep after the OWLs. But no.
"Over here," Harry said, ushering us towards the telephone booth. All right of us were cramped inside the telephone booth.
"Whoever's nearest to the receiver dial, 6-2-4-4-2!"
A dozen batches slid out as we all, congestedly, attached them to us. When we reached the atrium, it was darker than usual. I'd never been here of course. But I know it was brighter. Something was wrong. And I knew exactly what as all right of us, wands ready in our hands, ran towards the hall for security. The man wasn't there.
We removed that thought quickly as we cramped inside the elevators now, Harry pressing buttons as we arrived the Department of Mysteries. Everything was quite. Harry found the black door and opened it.
"Let's go," he whispered.
And the moment Neville closed the door light flickered on and the circular wall circumferencing the room started rotating.
"Hold your ground," I said stepping forward next to Harry. No one seemed to be fazed by Malfoy anymore. And then as quickly as it began, it stopped, leaving us blinded for a moment.
Harry started marching straight down, as if this git knew everything. And he led us to the creepiest room ever,with brains in a green water tank. We quickly got out of the room as I remembered the second room had the Veil.
"That's not it," Harry murmured as he entered.
"Then leave," I snarled, yanking him out. Jesus, what's wrong with this boy!
And the third room we approached was cold. But the fourth room gave Harry a tingle.
"This is it."
And through this room, filled with ticking clocks, was another room. The room. Filled with glass orbs. Prophecies. The room was very cold. I shivered a little.
"Stay behind me," I said. "Row ninety seven."
Quietly, we had reached that place. Harry kept looking around for Sirius as I was losing my temper.
"He is not here Harry!" I whispered. He still looked on nonetheless. Until Ron found the orb with Harry's name on it. And despite Hermione repeatedly telling him to not take it, he did. And then it happened.
"Very good, Potter," drawled the voice of a man I didn't recognize. "Now give it to me."
Black shapes started materializing around us, as the reality of this moment in the books finally set in. I don't understand how they managed. So many Death Eaters against a few children. It was Dolohov who who was talking to Harry. Until a female voice sniggered from behind and all my air was collectively stolen from me.
Bellatrix Lestrange was a tragic beauty. She was probably drop dead gorgeous when she was young, but years of torture in Azkaban had left her with a heavily tattered, manic-on-the-run look.
I couldn't speak. Harry, unfathomably dumb, continued talking.
"You've got him," Harry was saying, as Draco held my arm to ease me. "He's here I know he is!"
Ron stirred when Bellatrix mimicked a very childlike voice. I couldn't believe my eyes. Bellatrix.
"It's time you set aside the heroics," Dolohov sneered. "And give us the prophecy or we start using wands."
"Go on then," Harry challenged.
And it happened. Dolohov quickly tried to Accio the wand but his spell ricocheted off the Protego Harry had cast.
Bellatrix stepped forward. "You need more persuasion?" She asked, in a voice that could kill. "Very well, take the smallest girl."
I didn't reveal myself yet. We closed in on Ginny, including Draco, and Harry started buying time talking about the prophecy. I could feel Neville shaking against us, and Draco getting sweatier as the time passed, only realizing even though his father wasn't here, his psychotic aunt was.
And then it happened. Harry had muttered something about smashing prophecies to cause distraction, and I was silently murmuring silent incantations of protection around everyone. And then, seven different voices behind Harry, including me, screamed "REDUCTO!"
It went on. We had scattered all over the place, Draco with me, smashing prophecies, attempting to disarm the Death Eaters.
"Stupefy!" I screamed as I revealed myself from behind a shelf, stunning a Death Eater. "Reducto," I heard Draco wail in another direction, probably at another Death Eater.
It was chaotic. Hundreds of years worth of prophecies, just falling and disappearing into wisps of smoke.
Death Eaters running around everywhere, as all of us screamed hexes and jinxes in all directions. Someone was saying something about getting us somewhere.
"Silencio," Hermione wailed.
"Petrificus totalus," Harry screamed and I successfully deflected whatever hex was coming towards Hermione.
When we had finally escaped the Death Eaters and all accumulated in a place, Draco quickly muttered "episkey" over Ginny's broken ankle and Neville's nose. I looked over at Ron and quickly muttered "Reparifors!"
They were just healing when Bellatrix was back. And Ron had drunkenly accioed the brain in a tank. Draco thought quick and deflected it towards the Death Eaters. We watched in awe as it grew tentacles and entrapped two of them in it's grasp. Bellatrix didn't care.
More stuns were spelled, Bellatrix still didn't have a clue who I was, and Harry ran to the middle of the días, holding the prophecy above him as if to throw.
And then bad things happened again.
Neville came ahead as if to help Harry. A large Death Eater grabbed him. And Bellatrix decided to see if he cracks before his parents did.
"No," I wailed. Her eyes turned to me, wand pointed now.
"I never had the pleasure to meet you," she snarled. "Who—"
"Skylar Firegold," I gasped. "Skylar Nova Firegold."
She didn't have a chance to reply or register it. Two doors high above them opened and five more people burst in.
Including Sirius Black.
The was had been taken over. Screams and noises carried on around as ex-convicts fought the greatest aurors of the century. My screams to keep Lucius at bay were unheard. Draco running around, trying to fight off Death Eaters, to reach Hermione, who had now been stunned, and still recovering Ginny and Ron. "Luna, LUNA," he screamed to warn the only conscious person there.
"Protego," Luna cast, as a shower of stuns ricocheted of them.
I was trying to go over to Sirius.
"Get up," I screamed at Harry and Neville. "Get up—Get up—Get up and go!"
"Dubbledore!" Neville said.
"Yeah, about time," I screamed and rushed off towards Sirius who was now duelling Bellatrix. The orb was smashed. And Dumbledore was here.
He was here.
We'll be okay. Only if. . .
Only if I made to Sirius on time.
And I have to. I didn't come all this way just for Sirius Black to die. Not today. Not ever. Not on my watch.
"Come on, you can do better than that," Sirius screamed. And I ran for it. Just as a jolt of red light left her wand, I pushed Sirius out of the way. Both of us tumbled onto the debris and Bellatrix didn't stop. She kept throwing hexes at Sirius, weakly penetrating my shield and bouncing off, her eyes blank as if she didn't register I was there. And then a very irritated expression passed over her face and she said, "What on Earth are you doing Meredith, kill that traitor!"
"I am Skylar Nova Firegold," I roared at her, dim lights flickering violently, zapping her out of the trance she was in, getting along with it attention of all who were in combat. Her eyes widened. "And you're not hurting Sirius Black. Petrificus Totalus!"
Her limp body fell on the ground, as all the chaos stopped for a split second to stare at their best duellist fallen at the hands of her goddaughter.
Sirius Black was alive.
Dumbledore was here. I had never felt more weak in my like. Sirius was holding me up as I looked at Dumbledore rounding up all the remaining Death Eaters inside. Harry, was just realizing the essence of what had happened, a whole department destroyed because of him and his stubbornness.
"I—" he muttered. Draco heard. "What Potter!"
"I have to go!"
"Go where," I managed to scream but he was already on his way out. "Go where! GO WHERE! Fuck!"
I tried standing up.
"Where—" Draco was saying.
"Him—Harry—stupid!"
"Indeed."
"Voldemort," I gasped, and stood up. "Send Dumbledore. And Sirius," I said. He looked up at me. "Don't let Draco come. Jesus fuck I'm going to die—"
Voldemort was already outside by the time I reached. He was looking at Harry dangerously. Tall, thin, and black-hooded, his terrible snakelike face white and gaunt, his scarlet, slit-pupiled eyes staring. Lord Voldemort had appeared in the middle of the hall, his wand pointing at Harry who stood frozen, quite unable to move.
"I have nothing more to say to you. You have irked me too often, too long. Avada—"
"Tom Riddle!" I called. "Do you not recall the Second Prophecy?"
He turned, little surprised by my visit. His thin lips curled into a smirk.
"Of course not, child of my favorite Meredith Potter," he said, so softly I almost thought he might mutter something nonverbal and I'd be dead. Fuck my life. Fuck Harry Potter. Fuck everyone. "Do you not recall the last time we met?"
Little Hangelton. Triwizard Tournament. Crucio.
"I'd say I've gotten better at blocking your jinxes, Tom," I smiled. "You can try if you want!"
He sneered, smoothly pointed his wand at me and a shot of red light appeared from his wand. It hit me straight in the chest, and it hurt. It hurt so much, despite my shield, I could just die from it itself. And he stopped for a second. I laughed. "Is that it, Tom? You were a lot more ambitious last time we met!"
"—crucio!"
This time it didn't hit me. The Statue of Brethren had leaped and stood between me and Voldemort, the spell ricocheting of him. Dumbledore.
Everything was going to be alright,I thought, my legs gave away, the adrenaline dispersing. Everything was fine, I thought before collapsing.
I woke up three days later in the Hospital Wing. Harry was right next to me as I stirred awake. He jumped at the sight of my awakening and out pillows behind me to help me sit.
"How long—" I said in a groggy voice.
"Three days," he said.
"Why are you here?"
"Well, we've all been taking turns to sit here, in case you woke up," he said. "Draco just left."
"What—" I noticed the blackness around his eye. "What happened to you? Did Voldemort punch you after I passed out?"
Harry laughed. "More like Malfoy," he said softly. "I'd had punched myself too if I were him. He was delirious, with his aunt and you collapsing, not letting anyone come close and all. Dumbledore had to cast a calming spell to get you here."
"Oh," I said. "Why did I pass out?"
"Madam Pomfrey is afraid it might be because of all the stress you've been through. The exams and the battle. And the Crucios you took straight to heart."
I looked at my lap. And on the table next to me was a copy of the Daily Prophet.
HE-WHO-MUST-NOT-BE-NAMED RETURNS
"So," I smiled. "They finally accepted he's back."
"Yeah," Harry smiled faintly. There was no reason to smile. It was a bad news in the cover of a good one. But it was still good to not be called a liar. "They did."
__________
A/n
I would like to say after four years of procrastinating, OOTP part is finally over. Sirius is alive and well.
And I'm so happy I finished this portion, considering how long it took me.
Only two more books to go Bros.
This is a huge story.
X