Saudade

Chapter 27 Act of Defiance Ophelia

Black shapes were emerging out of thin air all around them, blocking their way left and right; eyes glinted through slits in hoods, and a dozen lit wand tips were pointing directly at their hearts; Ophelia gave a gasp of horror.

"To me, Potter," her father's drawling voice repeated as he held out his hand, palm up.

Ophelia's insides plummeted sickeningly. They were trapped, and outnumbered two to one.

"To me," her father said yet again. He shot a look at Ophelia.

"Where's Sirius?" Harry said.

Several of the Death Eaters laughed; a harsh female voice from the midst of the shadowy figures to Ophelia's left said triumphantly, "The Dark Lord always knows!"

"Always," Lucius echoed softly. "Now, give me the prophecy, Potter."

"I want to know where Sirius is!"

"I want to know where Sirius is!" the woman to their left mimicked.

She and her fellow Death Eaters had closed in so that they were mere feet away from them, the light from their wands dazzling Ophelia's eyes.

"You've got him," Harry said. "He's here. I know he is."

"The little baby woke up fwightened and fort what it dweamed was twoo," the woman said in a horrible, mock baby voice. Ophelia's wand twitched in anger. She knew exactly who the woman was even if she couldn't see her. Her aunt, Bellatrix Lestrange.

"Don't do anything," Harry muttered to Ophelia, noting her anger. "Not yet--"

The woman who had mimicked him let out a raucous scream of laughter.

"You hear him? You hear him? Giving instructions to my dear niece as though he thinks of fighting us!"

Ophelia felt the shocked stares from her fellows but she remained glaring at her father.

"Oh, you don't know Potter as I do, Bellatrix," Lucius said softly. "He has a great weakness for heroics; the Dark Lord understands this about him. Now give me the prophecy, Potter."

"I know Sirius is here," Harry said, firmly. "I know you've got him!"

More of the Death Eaters laughed, though Bellatrix laughed loudest of all.

"It's time you learned the difference between life and dreams, Potter," Lucius said. "Now give me the prophecy, or we start using wands."

"Go on, then," Harry said, raising his own wand to chest height. As he did so, the six wands of Ophelia, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Ginny, and Luna rose on either side of him. The knot in Ophelia's stomach tightened. She wished she had convinced Harry harder not to come. It would be her fault if anyone died...

But the Death Eaters did not strike.

"Hand over the prophecy and no one need get hurt," Lucius said coolly.

It was Harry's turn to laugh.

"Yeah, right!" he said. "I give you this--prophecy, is it? And you'll just let us skip off home, will you?"

"One of you, yes," Lucius said simply.

Suddenly, Bellatrix shrieked, "Accio proph --"

Harry was just ready for her: he shouted "Protego" before she had finished her spell, and though the glass sphere slipped to the tips of his fingers he managed to cling on to it.