The waiting was unbearable. Even with Sirius to wait with him, Harry was out of his mind with worry, pacing impatiently across Dumbledore’s office and back again. He had already attempted to contact the Order at their headquarters, but as Harry had expected, there was no one to be found. He presumed they were all either here at Hogwarts or in other locations, trying to find what Voldemort was planning. He joined Sirius in trying to restore the wreckage that had been left behind.
“Harry, settle down,” said his godfather, as Harry accidentally snapped a lampstand in half as he placed it, none too gently, on the headmaster’s desk. “They’ll be alright. Moony’s as fine a wizard as I’ve ever seen; he’ll take care of them.” Professor Trelawney placed a caring hand on Harry’s shoulder. Harry shrugged it off.
“Sirius, we don’t know what they’re facing or where they went! I can’t believe I let my closest friends go off to . . .to who-knows-where.” He was deeply regretting not insisting that he be allowed to join them. “What if they don’t come back?” Harry voiced the gathering fear that was growing inside him.
Sirius, in Trelawney's body, now placed both hands firmly on Harry’s shoulders. “Harry, listen to me. You cannot help them if you’re dead. The best thing you can do for your friends now is to not walk headlong into the trap that has been laid for you. They’ll be kept alive as bait, as long as the Dark Lord knows he doesn’t yet have his prize “ you, Harry.”
“How can you stand to just wait here,” Harry raged at his godfather. “Don’t you care if they live or die?” Harry’s throat burned with angry tears as he glared at Sirius behind Trelawney’s eyes. To his astonishment, he saw tears begin to form there as well.
Sirius spoke in a tortured voice. “I care, Harry. Believe me, I care very much.” He turned away and strayed to the window. “I care so much that I can’t let you do something that would endanger all of you “ like I did, when I left Grimmauld Place that night and went to the Department of Mysteries to try and rescue you. All I accomplished was getting myself killed, and leaving you without the guardian your parents had chosen for you. I broke my word to them, Harry. I promised I would always watch over you, and now here I am in a body not my own, unable to stay with you or help you, only able to offer you empty words. If I had listened to those who were wiser than I, I would still be here for you, still be able to help you, when you need me now more than ever. I’m . . . I’m sorry, Harry.”
The voice coming form Trelawney had been growing feeble, and Harry saw Sirius stagger backwards. He was beside his godfather in an instant.
“Sirus, I’m sorry. You can’t blame yourself. I know you didn’t want to leave. It’s not your fault!”
Sirius leaned heavily against the wall. He looked at Harry, his body weakening, but his eyes blazing. “No, Harry, it isn’t. Everything that has happened - your parents, Cedric, the Longbottoms “ It’s Voldemort, Harry. Voldemort. Remember that. And when the time comes for you to face him, remember what he’s done to you, to me, to all of us. Beat him, Harry. Kill him. Listen to Dumbledore, listen to Lupin. You’re a powerful wizard, Harry. I know you can do it. I’ll be . . .w-watching.”
Harry knew he was losing his godfather yet again. He helped Trelawney to the floor as Sirius’ strength gave out. “Harry,” he whispered, “I don’t think . . . Sibyl . . . will let me in . . . anymore. She doesn’t . . .seem . . .to enjoy . . .my company.” Harry nodded, tears clouding his vision. He dashed them away with one hand.
“I’ll miss you, Sirius,” was all Harry could manage to tell him.
“I’ll find another way.” Harry could hardly hear him. “I’ll see you . . . again.”
Professor Trelawney closed her eyes and laid her head in Harry’s lap. The shallow breathing grew deep and steady, and Harry knew that his godfather had gone back behind the veil.
Harry sat for a moment, thinking about what Sirius had said. He knew his godfather was right “ about some things. Harry gently pushed the sleeping professor’s head from his lap and stood up. He glanced around the dismantled office, looking for anything he could use. He found nothing intact. He bolted from the room, raced down the staircase, and ran as fast as he could towards Gryffindor tower.
He returned a few minutes later, panting and out of breath “ and carrying his Invisibility cloak. He stopped to recover, leaning against the headmaster’s desk, when he noticed a perch laying on its side. Fawkes! thought Harry. He was not sure how to summon the bird, but he remembered how the Phoenix had come to him down in the Chamber of Secrets when he had defended Dumbledore in his second year. He concentrated on Dumbledore as hard as he could, focusing on the fact that the headmaster was in danger.
It worked; Fawkes came swooping gracefully through the open window. Harry was never so glad to see him. “Fawkes,” he said, holding out his arm for the bird. “Fawkes, Professor Dumbledore’s in trouble! Can you go to him? And . . . can you send me a signal if he needs me?” The Phoenix nodded his brilliantly plumed head, and fluttered into the air. In a flash of fire, he was gone.
Harry didn’t have long to wait. In only a few moments, a golden feather appeared in a small burst of flame and slowly drifted downward. Harry caught hold of it and slid it carefully into his pocket. Then he approached the shards of magical glass still littering the floor. Wrapping the Invisibility cloak tightly around him, he pulled out his wand, took a deep breath and reached for a piece of glass.
The familiar jerk behind his navel told Harry that Hermione’s theory about the portkey had been dead on. Swirling colors rushed by him as he fought to keep his hold on the cloak, hoping he could arrive wherever he was going undetected. Sooner than he expected he felt himself crash land onto a hard dirt floor. He rolled three times and stopped.
Harry opened his eyes and immediately checked that he was still invisible. His hold on the cloak was firm; it was wrapped tightly around his body. He struggled to sit up, and tried to take in his surroundings.
Harry had never been in a place like this. It was a huge underground cavern, so large he couldn’t see the other side. Dim light was provided by several lanterns floating in the air near the dome of the cave. Stalactites and stalagmites grew from the ceiling and floor, forming columns in several places. The reflection of the lights on the distant side of the underground chamber told Harry that there was a large lake in that direction. Could he possibly have landed at the lake underneath Gringotts Bank? He knew it was supposed to be miles under the earth. He recalled seeing the chamber rush by on his first journey to the bank vaults.
His attention was diverted from these questions to something more immediate. The sounds of battle were carried to him as he scrambled up and secured his cloak. He moved quickly over the smooth cave floor towards the sound. He found himself on a small ledge overlooking an immense open area. Below, a great contest raged. Harry could see Death Eaters everywhere. Teachers and students fought side-by-side. He slid down the embankment and ran to help. As he got closer, he could see several figures unmoving on the ground “ some, dark-cloaked Death Eaters, but Harry could not see their faces. It looked like some were students.
High above, a clear golden light was shinning down on one of the combatants “ Professor Dumbledore. Harry remembered how fearsome his headmaster had looked when he was fighting Voldemort, protecting Harry at the Ministry of Magic “ he looked twice that frightening now. Over his head soared Fawkes, lighting his way as he battled three Death Eaters at once.
Harry pulled out his wand and began silently stunning the Death Eaters nearest him, whispering his incantations so as not to give away his position under his Invisibility cloak. All around him he heard the familiar voices of his professors and fellow-students.
“Expelliarmus!”
“Protego!”
“Impedimenta!”
Harry moved closer to the center of the fray. Mad-Eye Moody was dueling furiously with someone Harry recognized, Rodolphus Lestrange. A whispered "stupefy" and Lestrange was down.
Moody looked around, and his spinning magical eye landed squarely on Harry, underneath his cloak. “Good man,” muttered Mad-Eye, before turning to help little Professor Flitwick, who had just propelled two adversaries through the air, and left them floating near the cavern ceiling.
Harry spotted Ron and Hermione, working together to cast every conceivable jinx on the young Death Eaters closing in on them “ Draco Malfoy, with his ever-present body guards, Crabbe and Goyle. Hermione had just cast jelly-legs at Goyle, Crabbe was on the ground with a white feather (“Rictasempra!”) tickling him senseless, and Malfoy dropped to his hands and knees and began noisily vomiting slugs. Clearly, Ron and Hermione didn’t need his help.
Then Harry spotted a figure on the ground he recognized. Professor Snape lay face down on the dirt, his long black hair unmistakably identifying him. Harry rushed to him, silently praying that he wasn’t dead. He rolled the heavy form over; Snape was still breathing but looked bad. Harry whispered, "Ennervate", to no effect. He looked quickly around; no one appeared to be watching. He grabbed hold of Snape’s ankles and dragged him back behind a pillar, wedging him into a concealed crevice between the rocks. It took much huffing and puffing, and Snape’s robes were ripped and tattered by the time Harry felt he was safely hidden. Then he rushed back to the battle.
After stunning and binding a few more Death Eaters, Harry finally saw the red head he had been searching for ever since he arrived. Ginny Weasley was dueling with the Death Eater that had been caught on Christmas Eve; he was still wearing his purple cloak. She was doing brilliantly; the big man’s legs were ferociously dancing the Tarantallegra before Ginny stunned him. Harry murmured, “Incarcerus!” and thick cords flew from his wand to bind the dancer. Ginny spun around to see from where her help had come, but Harry, though he wanted to, knew it wasn’t yet time to reveal himself.
Harry was in the thick of it now, and could see that Hogwarts' students and teachers were forcing the remaining Death Eaters into the center of the fray, surrounding them. He was very near to Professor Dumbledore; Harry could see his blue eyes flashing. His wand was moving so quickly that it was a blur. The headmaster was battling Lucius Malfoy, who had a terrible look on his face, and a wand that was cutting the air just as quickly. Harry thought about trying to hit Malfoy with a spell, but was afraid of hitting Dumbledore; the two were dancing about each other with footwork Harry had never seen.
Dumbledore seemed to have sensed Harry’s presence; he took his eyes off his opponent for only a moment. Seeing his opportunity, Lucius thrust his wand at the professor’s heart. With reflexes only a Seeker could have, Harry leapt out in front of Dumbledore as Malfoy screamed, “Avada Kedavra!” Green light flashed; with a fearful cry Fawkes the Phoenix dove for Malfoy and sank his talons into the man’s face, forcing him back.
Harry felt a terrific jolt of electricity course through his body. He felt himself falling, falling . . . like in a dream, he heard the words of the curse Malfoy had aimed at Dumbledore. He could hear his attacker howling with pain as Fawkes sank his sharp talons into the Death Eater’s flesh. Still he was falling. And then he heard something else . . .
“Keep fighting . . . .” It was his mother and father. For the briefest of moments he saw them standing together. “Harry . . .keep fighting.”
“It’s not your time, Harry. Get up. Finish what you’ve started. . . .” The shaggy black head of his godfather slowly faded from view.
Harry rolled over and struggled to his feet. His body was smoking; there was no more Invisibility cloak. He was standing in the center of a small crater. The cavern walls were rumbling, the floor was shaking, and in the distance, the sound of the great stalactites splashing into the lake.
To his left he heard a scream. “Nooooo! It’s not possible! He cannot be alive!” Harry turned to find Bellatrix Lestrange staring at him from the edge of the crater, her eyes wide with fear. Next to her on the ground lay Remus Lupin.
Harry bellowed in rage, and aimed his wand. “Crucio!” he roared. But before the curse could touch the Death Eater, Dumbledore had appeared between Bellatrix and Harry, and deflected the spell with one of his own.
Bellatrix ran. Harry, incensed, sprinted after her. He heard Dumbledore shout, “Stupefy,” and down she went. Harry was almost on top of her when she vanished “ along with the fifty or so other Death Eaters in the cavern. He spun wildly, looking for her. Then he whirled on Dumbledore.
“WHY DID YOU STOP ME?” Harry thundered. “She’s gone! We could have had her, and now she’s gone!” Harry thought he might physically harm his headmaster; he took a step back.
Professor Dumbledore looked at him with sad eyes. “She’s not worth it, Harry. She’s not worth destroying yourself.”
“What? I had her, Professor! She didn’t even have her wand out. She couldn’t have cursed me!”
“No, Harry, she couldn’t have. But you could have cursed yourself. Harry, only your heart can stop Voldemort “ only a pure heart. Hatred for Bellatrix will poison it, Harry. You must not let that happen.”
Harry blinked. He understood what his guardian was trying to tell him. But it didn’t make it any easier to give up his fury. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, using what he had learned to force the angry emotions from his mind, from his heart. It took several attempts before he felt calm enough to look the professor in the eye. When he did, he saw tears sparkling there. “I’m proud of you Harry,” the headmaster said quietly. “You have won today.”
“Harry,” a feeble voice behind him spoke. Harry turned to find Professor Lupin, supported by Kingsley and Professor Vance.
“Remus!” Harry shouted. He moved to hug his friend, but Kingsley put up a hand.
“He’s pretty badly hurt, Harry. Gentle, okay?”
“I’ll take him,” said Harry, slipping underneath Lupin’s other shoulder and replacing the Dark Arts professor. “Remus,” he said, looking into the eyes of the man who had taught him so much; “Remus, I . . .” He couldn’t finish.
Professor Lupin had an odd, gray pallor to his skin. “It’s alright, Harry,” he said weakly. “I’m going to be fine. Madame Pomfrey has seen me look worse than this.”
Professor Dumbledore had assembled the students and teachers. Harry could see that Remus wasn’t the only one in need of Madame Pomfrey’s services. Neville had obviously been the victim of a jelly-legs jinx, and Terry Boot had severe burns on his face and hands. Professor McGonagal’s robes were in tatters, and she was leaning heavily on Professor Sinistra. Suddenly Harry remembered.
“Snape!” he cried. He gently helped Kingsley set Lupin on the ground, and ran for the pillar where he had concealed the professor. Ron, Hermione and Ginny broke away from the others and followed him when they saw him run off. Aside from some bruising (and a steadily blackening eye on Ron), they were unhurt.
Ron helped Harry pull Snape from his hiding place; he was still unconscious. Harry thought he looked a little worse than when Harry had placed him there. Professor Dumbledore joined them, and knelt down to examine the unmoving professor.
“It looks like he took an Obliviation spell,” said the headmaster grimly as he lifted Snape’s eyelids and peered into his lifeless eyes. “I’m afraid I can’t tell how much damage has been done.” He rose heavily. “We must get the wounded back to the castle. "Mobilicorpus,” he intoned, and Professor Snape floated upwards and followed Dumbledore back to the group of waiting injured.
Professor Dumbledore turned to Harry and Ron. “Please give me your shoes,” he asked them as he took off his own. They looked at each other questioningly, but complied. He piled them with his own on the cave floor, then, “Portus.” The other teachers had been putting the students into groups; Dumbledore gave each group a portkey, beginning with the most critically injured.
Finally, when all the others had been safely sent back, the headmaster turned to Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny.
“In all my years at Hogwarts, I have never seen any fight as bravely as you four did here today. You were fearless. You will receive 100 points, each, for your house.”
“Thank you, Professor,” Hermione said with a sad smile. “But it’s not about points anymore, is it?”
Dumbledore sighed. “No, my dear girl. It is not. You have proven yourselves able warriors in this battle against the Dark Lord. And I would like to ask you all “ with your parents’ permission, of course “ to officially join the Order of the Phoenix.”
They looked at each other soberly. “Thank you, Sir. We’d be honored,” answered Harry for them all.
“And now, I would like a private word with Harry, if I may.” The headmaster handed Ron, Hermione and Ginny one of his curly-toed shoes. “Please go to the Hospital wing and tell Madame Pomfrey that I will be there directly.”
Professor Dumbledore took off his half-moon spectacles and polished them on his robes as the others departed with his shoe. Then he looked at Harry. He seemed to have difficulty finding words. Before he could speak, Harry plunged ahead with what he needed to say.
“Headmaster, I’m sorry. I know I shouldn’t have used the Cruciatus curse on Bellatrix. That was really stupid. I can’t even do it properly anyway. I was just so . . . so angry after what she did to Sirius, and then to Remus; it was the first spell I thought of.”
Professor Dumbledore smiled. “Thank you, Harry. I must confess it was also the first spell I thought of when I saw her standing so near to you. But that’s not what I wanted to talk about.”
“It isn’t? Then what . . . ?”
“Harry, how did you know to send Fawkes to me?”
Harry thought. “I . . .don’t know, Sir. I just remembered how he helped me before and thought maybe he could help you.”
“He was more help than you could have imagined, Harry,” said the professor. “You probably saw the mess in my office. We were questioning Lucius Malfoy and the other Death Eater. Professor Snape was attempting to reach into Malfoy’s mind when his companion broke free and grabbed the glass sphere on my desk “ foolish of me to leave it where he could reach it. I had hoped one of them could tell me what it was. The man smashed the ball to the floor, and we all were transported here. I couldn’t believe it when I saw all the inhabitants of the castle were here as well, and bound hand and foot, just as we were.”
Professor Dumbledore started to pace; Harry had to follow him to hear what he was saying. “Every Death Eater I’ve ever heard tell of was here waiting for us, Harry. Well, actually waiting for you. When Fawkes appeared, a tremendous light shone from him; it was something I’ve never witnessed. The Death Eaters were temporarily blinded, and our bonds broke loose. In my wildest dreams, I never imagined that my students would have to fight for their lives.”
“Professor, how did all the Death Eaters vanish? A lot of them weren’t even conscious, and most of them were tied up.” Harry hated knowing that so many of them had gotten away.
“I expect it was a spell similar to the one in the glass ball, Harry. A spell Voldemort used to draw his followers to himself if Bellatrix went down, or perhaps Lucius. Which brings me to the question I really wanted to ask you “ how are you feeling?”
After everything else, the question took Harry by surprise. “What? Oh “ I’m fine, Sir. A little banged up like everyone else, I suppose . . . .”
“Harry,” said the headmaster, looking straight into his green eyes, “you do realize you were hit with a killing curse?”
What with worrying about everyone else, Harry had actually forgotten. “Oh,” he said. He could think of nothing else to say.
Professor Dumbledore put a hand on Harry’s shoulder. “My boy,” he said throatily, “you didn’t have to do that. But I thank you that you did. You saved my life, Harry.”
Suddenly the memory of his parents, of Sirius, came rushing back. He tried to tell Dumbledore. But all that came forth was a low, moaning sob. Dumbledore pulled Harry close, wrapping him in his own cloak. He picked up the last remaining portkey and took the grieving child back to Hogwarts.