Stardust and Shadows (ON HOLD)

Chapter 1: Department of Mysteries

June 18, 1996

"Department of Mysteries," the voice announced as the lift stopped.

The teenagers didn't know what to expect as they stepped out, all frightened but putting up a brave face.

Hermione Granger, the brightest witch of her age, was ready to stand by her best friend's side, ready to face whatever lay ahead as a true Gryffindor would do.

"This is it," Harry breathed out, forcing himself to sound brave for his friends.

They started taking small but determined steps towards the door in front of them, with Harry leading the way through the corridor.

Hermione silently walked right behind Harry. Her heart was pounding against her chest, and her hands were becoming sweaty.

"Okay, listen," Harry's voice pulled everyone out of their own thoughts as he stopped before reaching the door. "Maybe...," he hesitated. "Maybe a couple of people should stay here as a lookout and—"

Yet, he didn't get to finish his sentence as Ginny, clearly fed up with Harry's hero act, interrupted him.

Hermione chose to let her friends deal with Harry, thankful that Ginny, Neville, and Ron took the initiative to put Harry in his place.

The brunette girl took a deep breath as she watched Harry turning the knob of the door, pushing it open.

—

"Lumos!" Harry said as the tip of his wand started glowing.

"Lumos!" Hermione and Ron followed Harry's lead.

Hermione looked around, scared at the darkness surrounding her.

Here it was cold, too cold for her liking, and it made her involuntarily shiver.

Hermione wasn't sure what she expected to find, but she clearly wasn't expecting to see thousands of shelves filled up with countless crystal globes covered in dust.

She briefly looked to her left and noticed that Ron was as scared and confused as she was, and there was no doubt that Harry felt the same way.

A rumbling sound broke the eerie silence, and all six members of the Order let out a soft gasp.

The door they had just finished walking in through started moving, as the walls started rotating.

'Clever move,' Hermione thought. 'They don't want us to know which door we came in through.'

The girl slowly turned her head to look at Harry, at the same time as Ron did, and the three teenagers shared a look of concern before Harry started to speed walk through the shelves, hoping to find the same row number he saw in his vision, praying that they would arrive in time to save Sirius.

—

"You said it was row ninety-seven," Hermione whispered to Harry, waiting for confirmation.

"Yeah," Harry breathed out, and she watched him lean forward to have a better look at the end of the closest row.

Hermione looked around, her mind racing a thousand miles per hour as she squinted her eyes to the next row.

"We need to go right, I think," whispered Hermione again as she tried to read the number of the row. "Yes," she mumbled once she spotted something. "That's fifty-four."

Harry quickly took off, almost running, as everyone else did the same.

—

"Ninety-seven!" Hermione whisper-shouted, being the first to spot the number they had so desperately searched for.