Chapter 135 - The Department of Mysteries

During the last evacuation from the Room of Requirement, this piece of parchment had been left behind on its wall.

At the time, everyone was rushing to escape Umbridge's pursuit. No one remembered the fatal list.

And now the mysterious 31st name on that list had suddenly appeared before them, holding their list, blocking them from going to find Sirius Black.

"Thank you," Harry said — a remark that left Ginny and the other two completely baffled.

But Hermione, Ron, and Praeris herself all understood. He was thanking Praeris for what she had done for them.

The moment she agreed to serve Umbridge, their first reaction had been shock. That was true.

But Harry was no fool. Once he calmed down, he knew Praeris couldn't yet reveal her support for them, knew she was looking for a suitable excuse to refuse Umbridge.

This thanks was for the Veritaserum incident. And for hiding the Dumbledore's Army list.

After he said it, Harry spoke in a tone that was firm and left no room for argument: "We're all very grateful to you... Talia. But some things have to be done. Things I'd stake my life on."

"Yes! You can stake your life!" Praeris stared hard at him. "You don't value your life at all!"

"Me, my mentor, Dumbledore — how ridiculous we are!" Praeris said with a scornful edge. "We value your life. We take risks for you. And what do you do? You squander our efforts without a second thought!"

"Don't talk to Harry like that!" Ginny shouted. "Harry's heart is breaking too!"

"I almost forgot about the rest of you." Praeris let out a cold laugh and pointed down the line, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Luna Lovegood, Neville, one by one. "Potter. You don't care about your own life. Do you not care about your friends' lives either? You're dragging all these people with you, putting them in front of unknown danger. Can you bear the weight of these five lives?"

Harry turned back to look at his five friends, five members of Dumbledore's Army. Every one of them met his gaze without the slightest waver.

"We're willing. At least, I am." Neville stammered a little. "Isn't the whole point of Dumbledore's Army to fight You-Know-Who? My gran will be proud of me!"

Praeris looked at Hermione. Hermione averted her eyes. "I'm sorry..."

Praeris looked at Harry last. He was the leader of this group, and the only one who could truly decide whether to take this risk.

"My mentor has already gone to deliver your message." Praeris stepped forward, her voice gentling. "Harry, you don't need to go to the Ministry. It's a trap. Do you really think you're stronger than the members of the Order of the Phoenix?"

Harry frowned. His scar blazed with sudden, violent pain, an urging, a push. He couldn't delay any longer, and he didn't want to keep arguing with Praeris.

Maybe she was right. Maybe listening to her would let Harry live safely, live quietly...

But there were some things that, in Harry's eyes, went beyond even his attachment to his own life. Like the family he had barely known across more than a decade of living.

He would rather risk his life for Sirius Black than wait hopelessly at Hogwarts, burning with anxiety, hoping for news that might not even reach him.

He had waited too long already. The years of knowing nothing had stretched on far too long. Everyone, everyone who had kept things from him under the pretense of keeping him safe had done it far too many times.

Maybe it really was for his own good. But everything had to do with him, and he could do nothing about any of it.

That feeling was unbearable.

And he could even less believe that Snape would go find someone to save Sirius Black. He knew better than anyone how deeply Snape hated the Marauders.

Harry shook his head and backed up a step on his invisible Thestral. "Thank you, Talia. I'm very sorry."

Praeris stared at him, using Legilimency to read his thoughts. Harry, for his part, let his resolve open fully to his Occlumency teacher without hiding a thing.

It didn't matter what Praeris said. He would not waver. He was leaving now.

People are not magical objects that can be controlled. They have self-awareness. They have love and hate and grief and longing. Even though Praeris had exhausted herself analyzing every angle and spent every word she had trying to persuade him, Voldemort's conspiracy, the sacrifices Dumbledore and others had made, the lives of his friends...

She could not change Harry Potter's decision. She could not stop him from risking everything for his godfather.

Righteous people will always make the kind choice. Even when the cost of that choice is their life.

The argument had seemed to last a long time. In reality, it had been only a few minutes.

The only thing Praeris could do was pull a thumb-sized vial from her pocket and press it into his hand.

"He once asked me for this. I didn't even give it to him." Praeris stepped back two paces, and the helplessness in her face was total. "Come back alive. Don't let everyone's efforts be for nothing."

She stood at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, helpless, and watched five shadows climb into the sky and disappear.

People are destined to die. Like a boulder tumbling down a high mountain, one day it will hit the ground.

But people are never resigned to simply dying. Time and again, they face the boulder head-on. They face the certainty of death, meet the challenge of fate, and push the rolling stone back up the mountain.

Praeris could not refuse Harry Potter the right to face what might kill him.

She had wanted to. She wanted to subdue Potter and make him stay at school. But there were five of them. She couldn't have held Potter back without someone getting hurt, on either side.

The only thing she could do was help him stay a little calmer. Help him be a little luckier. Help him earn a sliver of fortune's favor in his struggle against the boulder.

She had read widely, and she had seen so many accounts of Voldemort. Journalists who had insisted on exposing his crimes, their whole families slaughtered, the only survivor later becoming editor-in-chief of the Wizarding Family Newspaper. Innocent wizards murdered for no reason other than being Muggle-born. And more. And more.

In third year, she had used fake Felix Felicis to help Draco win. After the ball, as the box Draco had given her grew fuller and fuller, she had brewed him a real dose.

She had quietly hoped the day would never come when she'd have to give it to him.

Her mentor had been deeply unhappy about her brewing Felix Felicis. He refused to teach her how and left her to work it out herself. He did not believe in luck. He hated fate. He certainly did not believe that fortune ever descended on anyone.

Now, Praeris had no choice but to give the Felix Felicis she had meant for Draco to Harry Potter, and hope he survived.

Voldemort was volatile, ruling by terror, dealing out life and death beyond the reach of any law. If Voldemort killed Potter, Dumbledore's years of planning would be destroyed in an instant, and Winnie and Ms. Poole would have no path to survival either.

Praeris confirmed the area was empty, then pushed back her hood, put away her mask, and walked quickly toward the castle. She needed to get to Umbridge's office and deal with the aftermath.

She returned to the castle with unease pressing heavy on her chest, summoned Boleyn and Madam Pomfrey, handed the Slytherins in Umbridge's office over to people who knew what they were doing, and only then made her way to Snape's office.

She nearly walked straight into someone before she even got through the door.

"Professor! You're back!" She didn't pause. "How is Black? Potter has left Hogwarts — he's gone to the Department of Mysteries!"

She always had the ability to get every critical piece of information out in a single breath.

"What did you say!" Snape looked absolutely furious.

Sirius Black was not at Number Twelve Grimmauld Place. The ones at headquarters were Kingsley, Moody, and Tonks.

Sirius Black and Lupin were protecting Purnell, today was the day Purnell was discharged from the hospital. Sirius Black had walked in just as the message from Snape arrived.

The moment Sirius laid eyes on Snape, he went at him immediately. Snape gave back as good as he got, cutting through Sirius's poorly timed aggression with cold, biting sarcasm.

"The priority is the Department of Mysteries — in case You-Know-Who really does risk going after the prophecy!" Auror Kingsley said. "The three of us will head back to the Ministry and see what's happening!"

But Snape hadn't witnessed Harry leaving the school himself. The suspicious Moody objected. "What if this is a diversion? The Death Eaters use Harry to draw us out and then strike at headquarters!"

"What if Harry really has gone to the Department of Mysteries!" Sirius shot back. "I know what he's capable of!"

"Hey! Is anyone listening to me?" Tonks, whom no one was paying any attention to, pushed to be heard. "Can't some of us go to the Ministry while the others stay and guard?"

"Perhaps I have no right to say this." Purnell asked the question that cut to the heart of it. "Aren't you going to notify Dumbledore?"

The final plan: notify Dumbledore first, Snape returns to Hogwarts to confirm Harry's whereabouts, then everyone moves.

Snape returned to Hogwarts immediately, only to be told Harry had already left the school.

"I tried to stop them, sir," Praeris said. "They were determined to go."

Snape swore under his breath and stepped back into the flames.

The Department of Mysteries.

By the time Harry understood this was a trap, it was already too late.

He didn't regret coming. He had already made his peace with the worst.

But Praeris's words kept echoing through his head, relentless. Can you bear the weight of these five lives?

Bellatrix sent a jet of red light at Harry. Winnie and Lucius deflected it at the same time.

Still masked, Winnie moved first, snapping furiously: "Are you insane? What if you shatter the prophecy!"

"She's right. Secure the prophecy first!" Lucius Malfoy shouted.

Harry bought a few seconds of delay. The Dumbledore's Army members smashed the shelves holding the prophecy orbs, and all five scattered into the chaos.

Winnie wanted no part of this ambush. She was desperate for any chance to tip off the Order of the Phoenix. But Bellatrix had made a mistake tonight and was now working hard to make up for it. She kept her eyes locked on Winnie, terrified of giving her an opening to turn.

Bellatrix had insisted on bringing Winnie along. Winnie had cried, played scared, made herself as miserable and helpless as she could manage, and it hadn't mattered. There was no way out.

So Winnie came.

She put on her mask and blended into the Death Eaters. She cast the fewest spells, ran the fastest, and when the opportunity arose, she muddied the waters by firing a few shots at the Death Eaters themselves.

Winnie couldn't help but reflect: Voldemort truly no longer trusted her. Even during the worst fighting of the wizarding war, she had only ever been kept at the Death Eater base doing research. And now she was here, ducking and hiding in the middle of a battle blazing with spells.

One Death Eater's head had been transformed into a baby's head, and he was rampaging through the chamber.

Winnie trailed after him, shouting in a convincing panic: "Are you all right? Oh! Good heavens, what do we do! I can't think of a single way to help you!"

The baby-headed Death Eater charged into an office. Winnie looked inside and stopped cold. That bastard Dolohov was on the floor, Potter had taken him down.

Their eyes met across the room. Harry had no idea who the Death Eater in front of him was. He raised his wand on instinct.

"It's me!" Winnie growled, low and urgent. "Winnie Brown! Run — all of you, run!"

"Hermione!" Harry shouted quickly. "Hermione's been knocked out!"

Winnie pulled the last small vial she'd brought from Black Moon Lane out of her sleeve, crouched, and slid it across the floor toward him. "I'll draw him away. Go!"

She turned and fired two more curses at the Death Eaters already lying on the ground.

They were clearly incapacitated. But both of their bodies seized up anyway, stiffening and twitching, jerking like fish stranded on dry land, before going completely still.

She used a strange, eerie light to lure the baby-headed Death Eater away. Behind her, she heard the hurried sound of Harry and the others running.

She stalled for about 5 minutes. Then Winnie hesitantly peeked around the corner, gritted her teeth, and slipped out again, wanting to find out how Harry and the others were faring.

She had a pathfinding spell. It didn't take long to locate the main body of Death Eaters.

Harry had not escaped. He was surrounded again.

Winnie almost screamed. Was there any saving this?

Then two doors burst open and members of the Order of the Phoenix came pouring through. The tide of battle flipped.

She immediately trusted her instincts and melted into a dark corner, her hands trembling as she feigned unconsciousness, while her half-open eyes stayed fixed on Bellatrix's every move.

She really was a coward. Truly.

She had long since regretted ever becoming Voldemort's student. She wanted nothing to do with this fight.

She wanted to go back to Black Moon Lane and read novels. Wanted to go back to her beauty potion shop on Diagon Alley. Wanted to wheedle ice cream out of Florin, doze on her armchair, pick fights with the cat at Flourish and Blotts, brag to Praeris, drink tea with Plim and talk about nothing that mattered.

In the dark, Winnie reached out and carefully dragged Tonks closer, Tonks, who Bellatrix had struck down.

Winnie didn't have much courage. But this girl was about the age Winnie had been back then. This girl had come here to fight. Weren't her parents worried sick? Weren't her friends afraid?

Winnie didn't know.

She hunched over Tonks, wand pressed to the girl's wounds, murmuring healing incantations under her breath.

"Du-Dumbledore—" a round-faced boy shouted, stumbling over the word.

Winnie's head snapped up. She saw that silhouette, the one that had once meant hope to her. Her eyes went wide.

She scrambled to her feet, grabbed the mask on her face, and tore it off. She hurled it at the ground with everything she had.

Dumbledore was here. The Death Eaters had already lost. It was time to settle every score, time to pay back every debt.

She found the figure she had been tracking through the chaos, her eyes going hard. She gripped her wand and charged.

They wanted to kill Plim?

They wanted to come after her?

Winnie gripped her wand and ran, straight toward where Bellatrix and Sirius Black were locked in combat.

➤ Next: Fierce Battle