As the Sister of Harry Potter

Riding a Thestral is not a method of travel I recommend. Especially if you can’t see them.

By the time we reached London, night had all but fallen. It took two groups to get through the visitor’s phone booth, but we were finally all inside the Ministry. Everything was silent except for the footsteps of nine people echoing off the floor. It was all-around eerie, and I couldn’t wait until we left.

We took the lift to the Department of Mysteries and entered. We ended up in a circular room with perhaps a dozen doors. The second Neville closed our door however, the walls began to spin, and when they stopped, we had no idea which way went where.

“Well, which way now, Harry?” Ron whispered.

“Well, in my dreams, I ended up in a room that kind of… glittered. So we should try a few doors,” Harry said, and we followed him through the door immediately in front of him.

We repeated this process a few times. We found a room with a tank of brains, one that was sort of an amphitheater with a stone arch in the center, a locked door, and finally… the room we were looking for.

“This is it!” said Harry excitedly. We took off at a fast pace down the room, which I admit was very beautiful. But there was something about this whole place… it just sent chills down my spine. Especially that arch. Harry had kept yelling there were voices coming from it, but I couldn’t hear anything. What in hell was this place?

At first we passed through a room filled with glittering clocks and a few Time Turners, and then we entered a huge room that had nothing but hundreds of shelves filled with small, glass, dusty orbs.

“Row ninety-seven,” muttered Harry.

“I think it’s this way, that’s fifty-four…” whispered Hermione. We all began creeping down the rows behind Harry until we found ninety-seven.

“He’s at the end here,” said Harry anxiously, and we set off at a run. “Right about… here…” he said slowly as we reached the end of the row. But no one was there.

“Harry, look at this…” said Hyden, who was engrossed in an orb. “It has your name on it.” Eyebrows scrunched, Harry went up to inspect it. I read over his shoulder.

“S.P.T. to A.P.W.B.D. Dark Lord and (?) Harry Potter[/'i].”

A.P.W.B.D. was referring to Dumbledore… but who was S.P.T.?

“Don’t touch it Harry,” said Hermione suddenly.

“It’s got my name on it,” he said stubbornly, reaching for the orb.

“Hermione’s right,” I spoke up. But Harry ignored us and picked it off the shelf.

“Very good, Potter. Now turn around, nice and slowly, and give that to me.”

All around us, dark shadows appeared. The one that had spoken was no other than Lucius Malfoy, holding out his hand. The Death Eaters began pressing us into a circle with our backs to each other. Hyden and Neville were on either side of me, wands raised.

“Give it here, Potter,” Lucius said again.

I could see him standing in front of Harry out of the corner of my eye. “Where’s Sirius? I know you’ve got him!” Harry said. I could practically feel the dread radiating from him. “On my signal,” he muttered to us.

“Oh, look at itty bitty baby Potter giving orders to his little friends!” squealed the woman Death Eater next to Lucius.

“Oh, you don’t know Potter like I do, Bellatrix,” said Lucius. “Now, give me that prophecy Potter!”

Bellatrix Lestrange. That’s who she was. I heard both Neville and Hyden tense up at the mention of her name.

“NOW!” Harry yelled.

“REDUCTO!” we all screamed in union, and nine curses went flying, causing shelves to smash and fall.

“RUN!” bellowed Harry, and we all took off in different directions. Hyden and Launa ran ahead of me as Death Eaters chased after us.

I turned around and ran backwards, yelling, “Glacius!” turning the flood behind me to ice. Two of the Death Eaters fell on their faces, but Bellatrix was right on our tail. I turned back around and kept running.

“’Ere!” cried out Launa, throwing open a door. We pelted inside and I slammed the door shut just in time for Bellatrix to slam into it.

“Duro!” I said, and turned it to stone.

“Let’s keep going,” Hyden suggested, and we started through the room. It was jammed full of cages, each with a different sort of sleeping creature in it, most of them ones I hadn’t the slightest clue as to what they were.

“Hagrid would love this,” I commented, squeezing between two cages.

“Look! Isn’t zis a Blast-Ended Skrewt?” asked Launa.

“REDUCTO!” screamed Bellatrix, and my stone door was blasted apart. The three of us ducked down behind cages as we heard three people enter the room.

“Hyden! Come out! Come out and play with Auntie Bellatrix!” cackled the mad witch, sweeping cages aside with magic, sending creatures howling through the air.

‘Wingardium Leviosa,’ I thought, and began levitating an empty cage. Just as a Death Eater stepping into view, I flicked my wand at him and the cage took him down.

“Stupify!” I head Launa shout through the sounds of chaos all around me.

I tried to run towards her voice, but all I heard was Hyden yelling, “Launa, no! Reformlio!” I turned a corner and found him. He was supporting Launa, and there was a great fat caterpillar at his feet. “A cage fell on her, she’s out cold,” Hyden explained shakily. “That was a Death Eater,” he added, pointing to the great bug that now oozed on the floor.

“Come on, let’s get out before she finds us,” I said, and we picked up Launa and began carrying her to the nearest door.

“Crucio!” The curse missed us by inches. Bellatrix was back on our trail.

“Herbivicous!” Hyden yelled, turning the cages behind us into thick foliage that caught Bellatrix off guard. We sprinted through another door and I slammed it shut.

“Accio cages!” I yelled, and I heard crashed and curses as the cages crashed against the wall, barricading the door. “Excellent transfiguration, Hyden,” I panted.

“Thanks. Nice charms,” he replied.

We found ourselves once again in the Prophecy Hall. We hobbled along, trying to find another exit. But the shadow in the middle of our aisle made me stop dead in my tracks.

It was Lance.

He stood with lazy posture and the wickedest smile I had ever seen. His piercing gaze made me tremble. Not him, not now…

“Hyden, take Launa, go another way,” I said hoarsely, trying to steady myself.

“Jen –”

“Go, Hyden,” I snapped.

“Don’t worry Hyden, I’ll let you and Launa leave. This is between myself and Jennifer,” said Lance smoothly. Hyden gave me one long last look, and then shuffled away with Launa as fast as he could.

“Harry’s even stupider than I thought, running all the way out here on a silly dream.” Lance’s attitude immediately changed to sneering.

I now shook with anger. “Leave Harry out of this,” I growled, gripping my wand tighter.

“Oh, that’s right, I almost forgot. You’re the over-protective big sister, aren’t you?” he mocked, adding the Malfoy drawl to his voice.

“Quit playing games Lance. If you’re going to fight me, do it.”

“Well, I’m sorry to inform you my dear, but I’m afraid that wouldn’t be very fair. You see, you don’t stand a chance against me anymore.”

By now, I was seething. This was probably Lances’ goal, but I couldn’t help it. I got into a dueling stance. “Come on then! If you think you’re so great, prove it!”

But all he did was smirk. He didn’t pull out his wand, didn’t even shift his weight, but he smirked.

And it drove me insane. So I made the first move.

I sent a Stunning Spell at him, and he pulled his wand and reflected it back at me so fast I just nearly ducked out of the way. This just pissed me off even more. I started throwing every spell I could think of at him, my rage building. But all he did was dodge.

“What happened Lance, soften up?”

“No, you’re just losing your touch. Your brother and his pathetic friends must be softening you up.” I snarled, but stopped for a moment. My original tactic was not going to work…

‘Think Jen, think,’ I thought, glancing around my surroundings. Nothing but prophecies and… shelves. I pointed my wand at the shelf behind Lance, and thought, ‘Carpe Rectactum!’ I yanked, and the entire shelf began to fall.

This totally caught Lance off guard. I ran out of the way of the shelf and cast Glacius on the floor behind me so Lance would slip and slide. My first shelf hit another with a deafening crash, and a Domino effect began, smashing prophecies and shelves.

“Oops,” I said, realizing my mistake. Now the Ministry would probably sue me.

“Oops is right, sweetheart,” that awfully deep voice rang in my ear. I froze against my will. But he wasn’t touching me… Lance walked around to look at my face, and let out a chuckle. “Frozen in surprise…” he muttered. “Yes, Jen, I developed this lovely little freezing spell. It’s very handy, although it doesn’t hold for long. But it still makes me better. Better than you’ll ever be.” He stepped closer to me, inches from me. “When you left me, it hurt. A lot. And I swore I’d do anything to get you back. So I did what I had to do. I became stronger, more powerful. And now you’re mine,” he sneered, his face a contortion of hate and adoration.

“What makes you so much better than me?” I asked. At least my mouth worked, but not my brain apparently. Taunting was not a good idea on my part. He struck me across the face, and my head jerked to the side. I tasted blood in my mouth, but what really got me was the creepiness of the fact that only my head had moved.

“I’m not a failure at Legilimancy for a start. I can actually read people’s thoughts, control them even… and you can’t even block me out.”

My heart stopped. “You… you’ve been causing my nightmares with it!” I screamed, wanting desperately to pounce and strangle him.

“Yes, of course. It’s been so much fun to explore your mind. You have a lot of pain kept up inside you. But I’m glad you still think about me every… freaking… second…”

He reached out, grabbed my face, and kissed me. It wasn’t a hungry kiss like all his past ones, but instead dripping with passion. His hands caressed my face and neck, and his body stuck to me like glue. I didn’t stop him when his tongue invaded my mouth sensually… but could I have done something? I didn’t have time to think.

When he pulled away and stared into my eyes, there was a malicious tint to them. “I’m so sorry, Jennifer, my love. But I’m going to have to kill you now. My face will be the last one you ever see.”