Lucius was leading people to search for Harry—or more precisely, for the prophecy orb in his hand.
Re-entering the Hall of Time, the two of them heard noises outside and couldn't help but grow anxious for their companions.
"What should we do?" Even Hermione, faced with a situation like this, was struggling to stay calm.
Harry, however, had a steady heart. Aside from occasionally doing something foolish, in moments like this he was the one who could stay composed.
"We can't just sit here and wait for them to find us. Quick, away from this door."
Harry knew very well that if he were caught, that would put his friends in true danger.
As long as he wasn't captured, the Death Eaters wouldn't dare kill his companions.
They crept forward as quietly as they could. Passing by a glittering, bell-shaped glass dome, Harry noticed the little birds inside chirping away. They hadn't turned back into eggshells.
The oddity flickered across his mind for an instant, but he didn't dwell on it.
They hurried toward the circular exit on the far side of the chamber.
Just as they were about to reach it, a crash came from the door being slammed shut.
"Alohomora!" a harsh voice barked.
The door flew open, and Harry yanked Hermione down under a table.
From beneath it, he could see the hems of the Death Eaters' robes drawing closer and closer.
Harry and Hermione gripped their wands tightly, nerves stretched taut.
"They probably ran straight into the Hall." It was the same rough voice.
"Check under the tables." Another voice, more cautious.
The two Death Eaters bent their knees, and Harry and Hermione struck at once.
Wands shot out from under the table. "Stupefy!"
Twin red beams flashed; one Death Eater couldn't dodge in time and was blasted backward into a tall grandfather clock.
His head struck the clock, and both crashed down together.
The other Death Eater, more alert, leapt aside to avoid Hermione's curse. He raised his wand and aimed at Hermione as she scrambled out from beneath the table.
"Avada K—"
"Aah!!" With a furious roar, Harry lunged forward along the floor, wrapped his arms around the Death Eater's knees, and yanked him down.
They tumbled into a struggle on the ground. Hermione crawled out faster, wand aimed at the two figures thrashing together.
Thinking quickly, she shouted, "Expelliarmus!"
Both wands flew from their hands. Hermione immediately cried, "Harry, hold him down!"
Harry obeyed at once, switching from fighting to pinning the Death Eater in a tight grip. Stripped of his wand and unable to break free, the Death Eater exposed his upper body—Hermione seized the chance and hit him with a Stunner.
The red beam struck the Death Eater, and he collapsed instantly, unconscious.
"Haah.. Nice work, Hermione." Harry looked worse for wear—fighting a grown man at fifteen had left his nose crooked.
"Accio wand."
Hermione retrieved his wand and tossed it back to him.
"Episkey." She cast the healing charm.
"Ow." With a sharp crack, Harry's broken nose snapped back into place.
He rubbed at it, half-convinced he'd end up with a crooked nose like Dumbledore's.
Without wasting another second, they sprinted toward the circular exit.
A red beam shot from behind and struck Hermione, only to be blocked by a shield charm.
Startled, Harry glanced back—the Death Eater who had fallen was awake again.
Hermione's Stunning Spell hadn't been strong enough.
Splinters rained down on her shoulders, but Harry didn't hesitate. He roared, "Stupefy!"
His magic was stronger than Hermione's, but the Death Eater ducked aside. The red light slammed into a glass cabinet instead.
Inside were all kinds of hourglasses. The cabinet crashed to the ground, shattered—only to rebound against the wall two seconds later, whole again, and topple over once more.
The cycle of shattering and restoring went on endlessly.
Harry and the Death Eater fired red beams back and forth, blasting apart whatever they struck in the Hall of Time.
Hermione joined the fight, and together they forced the Death Eater back against a bell-shaped glass dome. Harry's spell hit the man squarely in the chest.
As he fell, his head struck the dome and sank into it, as though he had plunged into a bubble.
To their horror, before their eyes, the head began to shrink rapidly, growing younger and younger.
"It's time…" Hermione whispered in awe.
The Death Eater stirred, his head now that of an infant. His mind seemed to have regressed as well—he flailed his tiny hands helplessly against the air around him.
Harry raised his wand to strike again, but Hermione grabbed his arm, stopping him. She couldn't let him harm a baby.
Shouts and pounding footsteps echoed from the Hall of Prophecy—Harry realized instantly they'd been exposed.
He seized Hermione and dashed for the great black door on the opposite side.
Two Death Eaters burst into the Hall of Time just in time to glimpse their retreating figures.
Harry and Hermione veered into a pitch-dark, cluttered little office.
They had barely shut the door when it burst open again.
"Impedimenta!" two voices rang out.
Harry was blasted across the room, while Hermione stared in shock—completely unharmed.
Her Shield Charm had triggered, leaving the two Death Eaters stunned for an instant.
One of them struck mercilessly, raising his wand and roaring, "Avada K—"
"No—!"
Harry's head spun from the impact, stars bursting in his vision, but when he saw this scene he let out a desperate shout.
The Death Eater smirked triumphantly, wand aimed straight at Hermione.
"Ghh—" His throat suddenly seized, the sound cut off.
Harry quickly fired a Body-Binding Curse, blasting him backward.
The other Death Eater whipped his wand, a red flash streaking toward Hermione.
She reacted in time, tried to block it, but was still knocked off her feet.
Yet again, the red light bounced harmlessly away—her Shield Charm saved her yet again.
"How many Shield Charms do you have?" the Death Eater muttered, baffled. He hadn't seen her lift her wand once.
Rubbing her aching elbow from the fall, Hermione glared and snapped, "None of your business."
"Petrificus Totalus!"
Harry took the straightforward route—he answered with a spell. The Death Eater stiffened, frozen, and toppled onto the one already lying there.
"That thing just now—he couldn't speak. Was that you?" Harry asked curiously.
Hermione frowned. "I don't know. I didn't do anything."
She tugged a wooden tag from the waistband of her trousers. "This was the last one."
"What is it?" Harry asked as they made their way toward the circular hall.
"John gave it to me. A protective charm." Hermione's thoughts flickered back to John again, wondering if his illness had recovered.
"Alright. Hermione, we need someone to sound the alarm," Harry said seriously. "I need you to go. Their target is me."
Hermione knew that against Death Eaters, people like them were almost laughable. Hearing Harry speak this way, she suddenly felt as though the boy had grown up.
"Then you take this, Harry." She handed him the last protective charm.
They pushed open the door and stepped into the circular hall—just as another door swung open. Out came Luna and Ginny.
Then another door opened, and Ron stumbled out, dazed.
With everyone gathered, why hesitate?
"We're all here. Let's run!" Harry said with relief.
They only needed to find the door with the mark to know which one it was. But when he looked up—every single mark on the surrounding doors had vanished.
Unluckily, a door across from them burst open and Death Eaters charged out.
"There they are!"
A dozen red beams shot toward them, and Harry and the others scattered in a panic.
They dashed through the nearest door.
The streaks of red light whizzed after them, leaving no chance to fight back. Looking up, they realized they'd run into the Brain Room.
Several doors lined the walls.
"Seal the doors!" Harry shouted, firing a spell at the one behind them.
The others quickly followed his lead. By the time they reached the fifth door, Luna stepped forward to cast the spell—but instead, the door swung open.
A red curse hit her square in the chest, slamming her onto a desk where she lay motionless.
"Luna!" Ginny screamed.
Five Death Eaters stormed in. Lucius leveled his wand at Ginny, sent a red bolt flying, and she collapsed before she could dodge.
"Get Potter!" Lucius commanded, and all of them surged toward Harry.
On the way, Ron was struck by a spell and went flying, landing face-first on the floor.
Hermione's gaze fell on the grotesque floating brains. Taking a desperate gamble, she shouted, "Accio brains!"
"Hermione, no!" Harry tried to stop her, but it was too late.
Countless brains shot out of the green liquid, tentacles writhing from them so menacingly that even the Death Eaters didn't dare touch them.
Hermione ducked out of the way of one brain just in time, and the two of them bolted for the only door left unlocked.
They were almost there—when two red beams blasted from behind, striking them both.
Harry's Shield Charm flared, blocking his curse, but Hermione was hit and went down hard.
"Hermione!" Harry reached out to grab her, but the Death Eaters were already closing in. He had no choice—clutching the prophecy orb, he dove through the door.
It was the Death Chamber.
He stumbled and fell, tumbling down step after step until he crashed into the pit at the bottom.
Harry gasped, struggling to breathe.
His heart pounded so violently it felt like a balloon about to burst.
Dragging himself up onto the stone dais in the pit, he saw Death Eaters filing in after him.
A few of them dragged his captured friends along, forcing them to their knees. Lucius Malfoy steadied his breathing before speaking smoothly, almost leisurely. "Potter, you're finished."
Drawing out his words, he said, "Hand me the prophecy orb, and do it nicely."
"Let the others go, and I'll give it to you!" Harry shouted.
His demand drew mocking laughter from the Death Eaters. Even Lucius couldn't keep a straight face, chuckling twice before sneering, "Do you really think you're in a position to bargain?"
Lucius mocked, "Has Dumbledore's teaching left you unable to count? Foolish child."
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