Hunted

Chapter 26: From Beyond the Grave

Ravena lay on the cold stone slab. Live chains snaked over her struggling body. The metal bonds coiled around her, then constricted over her chest, binding her to the hard surface. She could feel the icy dampness of the granite seep through the white ceremonial robe that she wore. She shivered.

Her gaze scanned the room, eyeing the bound form of Harry splayed on a similar slab beside her. His brilliant green eyes reflected both his fear and anger. She watched his wrists twist against the chains in a vain attempt to work himself loose.

Lucius Malfoy, dressed in robes of black, wove among them making preparations. He stopped before a large simmering cauldron. The Eye of the Serpent, an emerald reptilian gem, hung suspended in midair over the fumes that rose from the bubbling brew. The restless gaze of the gem, Voldemort's eye, swept over the room and settled on Ravena. She felt his piercing stare penetrate to her soul. Her body trembled, an involuntary shudder. She jerked her head, hoping to shake off her feelings of dread.

Across the room, Snape, Hermione, and Ron knelt on the flagstones, their arms bound behind their backs and their mouths gagged. Ravena spotted the murderous glint in Snape's dark stare, his eyes tracking Malfoy's every movement. That gaze flicked to her face, malice melting into pity. Ravena turned away, so overcome with guilt that she was unable to abide his glances.

Her eyes now whisked over the ring of hooded and masked spectators. Nearly a dozen Death Eaters positioned themselves at strategic locations around the room to watch the ceremony. She could not see their expressions, only empty, heartless stares through the masks. She uttered a stream of vituperations, but no sound escaped those ruby lips. A Silencing Hex had stifled her curses.

"It is time," Voldemort's cold, cruel voice rang throughout the dungeon cell. "Have you made all the preparations according to my precise specifications, Lucius?"

"Yes, my lord." Malfoy executed a deep bow before the cauldron and lowered his head in homage.

He beckoned to the two largest Death Eaters. They stepped aside and pushed a smaller kettle to the fore. Ravena recognized the malodorous scent and identified it as the potion that had been brewing in the laboratory. She wrinkled her nose in disgust. Her hand convulsed against the chains in an attempt to reach her face.

Ravena watched, her gaze riveted on Malfoy. His fingers coiled around a decorative urn emblazoned with the Dark Mark. What vile, poisonous substance could that vessel hold?

"Ashes to ashes and dust to dust," Voldemort's voice chanted the incantation. "From the ashes of what was once life, life will spring again."

Malfoy poured out the contents of the urn. Gray ash, Voldemort's earthly remains, spilled into the cauldron. The substance hit the surface of the brew with an angry hiss. Steam shot from the kettle like the geyser of a hot spring, a scalding blast.

Malfoy then drew a dagger from the folds of his robes. The torchlight glinted off the razor-sharp blade. Malfoy approached the table where Ravena lay. Her eyes widened with fear. Her breath caught in her throat. Malfoy passed her by. He approached Harry instead, grasped the boy's wrist in his hand, and plunged the blade into the flesh of the boy's arm. Harry screamed, his face twisted with pain. Malfoy drew blood and dribbled it into a phial. Then he returned to his cauldron, leaving Harry chained on the slab with a bloodied limb.

"Life blood of my enemy, thief who has stolen my power," Voldemort chanted. "That blood retaken will restore my life."

Malfoy poured the contents of the phial into the kettle. The liquid in the cauldron sputtered, then turned a violent vermillion. Ravena craned her neck and strained against the chains that bound her to watch.

"And from the ashes, the Phoenix will rise to life renewed and reborn." Voldemort's voice rose to a crescendo, his words echoing off the stone walls of the cavernous chamber, ominous and cruel.

Malfoy's hand delved into the pocket of his robes and extracted a gem. He held the brilliant diamond over the cauldron, hesitated for what seemed an eternity, then let it drop. Muffled gasps erupted from the mouths of the captives. Their gasps mingled with the reverberations of the incantation and the splash of the jewel hitting the surface of the fluid. The stone sank to the murky depths and came to rest on the bottom of the cauldron with a gentle clink. Ravena held her breath. Please let the spell fail.

The viscous contents roiled and churned in the kettle. In a froth of foam, the diamond floated to the surface, then rose to hover above the vapors of the enchanted concoction. The appearance of the diamond had changed, now glowing with an inner golden-red flame. The image of a bird in flight appeared within, singing an eerie mournful wail in minor keys. Ravena knew that the charm had worked its magic. Hope sank in her breast with every note rising to meet her ears.

Malfoy's wand now aimed at the gem and the winged bird within took flight. The diamond glided through the chamber and came to rest over Ravena's abdomen. The jewel spun like a top on its axis, the cursed song increasing in intensity to a piercing pitch. Voldemort's laugh rang over the chamber, a mirthless cackle of triumph. Despair seized Ravena's heart in its clammy grasp. Her time had come.

"Now the life of my enemy will be poured out in death," Voldemort shouted. "And a life once issued from woman will once again come forth in labor."

Malfoy approached Harry, the dagger poised in his grip. He raised the knife high over his head, preparing to plunge the blade down into the young man's chest. Harry's green eyes flew open wide. He twisted against the iron shackles in a frenzied struggle.

Ravena's own eyes flew from his face to the jewel poised over her body. An overwhelming sense of dread seized her. She surmised that a vile seed, Voldemort's spirit again clothed in flesh and blood, was to be planted in her through the magic of the gem.

Her mind raced to find any remedy, any desperate means to thwart this diabolical plan. She willed herself to transform into her feline animagus form. Perhaps as a cat, she could flee her bonds. But try as she might, Ravena could not transform a single feature of her human body.

Her eyes flicked to the door of the chamber, wishful for escape. She froze, her gaze locked on the figures of five new Death Eaters that had appeared in the room. She stared at the thin figures hidden beneath the robes and noticed the shoes. These Death Eaters wore trainers?

The curiosity of the spectacle distracted her for a moment. Then she noticed the bow clasped in the grip of one of the new arrivals. He whipped an arrow from a quiver under the robes and notched it to the bowstring. With a shaking hand, he drew back the string and aimed the arrow at the jewel hanging over her abdomen. Was this possible? Had rescue come?

Then the archer hesitated, aiming now for the dagger in Malfoy's grasp. But this indecision was too much for Ravena. Time was of the essence and there was none to spare. Her china blue eyes bored into those of the archer. Her head jerked with what she hoped was an encouraging nod. The archer's eyes caught her stare. He readjusted his aim, training the arrow on the jewel. Ravena drew in her breath and pressed her back hard into the cold stone slab. Her fingers grasped the edge of the table with white knuckles. She held stock still and squeezed her eyes shut.

What happened next could only be described as mayhem. Her ears heard the twang of the string at its release and the zing of the arrow in flight. She felt a whish of breeze blow past her frame. Arrow tip caught the jewel with a clink. The hard gem clattered to the floor. Dungbombs exploded all around the room. Smoke and stench filled the air. Screams, gasps of surprise, and curses echoed in the chamber, a deafening cacophony.

Amid the confusion, Ravena recognized Malfoy's voice uttering a torrent of obscenities. She could not suppress her smile. Hope washed over her anew.

A hand now came to rest on her shoulder. Ravena looked up to see the archer by her side, working to loosen the chains that had ensnared her. She mouthed the charm to him and was amazed to hear the deep voice of one of her students repeat the phrase. Her pride knew no bounds. Neville Longbottom, once her least accomplished student, was her rescuer!

She twisted her head to see another liberator nearby, working to free Harry. Ravena glimpsed flashes of red hair peeking from beneath the hood and heard the voice of a young woman engaged in frantic conversation with Harry. Then her gaze flicked to see Malfoy's face loom through the smoke and haze, contorted in murderous fury. With his wand clasped in his right fist and the deadly blade clenched in the other, he descended upon Harry and his would-be savior.

Before anyone could blink, Ravena transformed into the long-haired black cat with startling blue eyes. With a feral hiss, she leapt onto Malfoy's back and dug her claws into his shoulder. Startled, he screamed, dropped the dagger, and spun to dislodge the animal from his back. But before he could land his blow, the feline dropped to the ground and pounced upon the dagger.

The distraction gave Harry just enough time to shake off his chains and duck out of sight. Malfoy uttered a hex. Flashes of red light cut through the haze, narrowly missing their intended target. Harry scrambled beneath the shelter of the stone table and darted in pursuit of the diamond. Ravena watched with satisfaction.

In an instant, Ravena resumed her human form. Dagger in hand, she stalked Malfoy. Her fingers caressed the handle of the blade. Her eyes strained to locate her quarry in the midst of the chaos. But Malfoy had disappeared. Ravena swore with frustration.

All around her, the mayhem continued unabated. Flashes of red light crisscrossed the room, as curses flew. Ravena crouched to the floor and crept with stealthy tread, searching for her mother's cousin.

Her eyes glimpsed Ron and Hermione diving for cover. A large Death Eater chased after them in close pursuit. A meat hook of a hand seized Hermione's arm and yanked her backward. Hermione screamed. Ravena's teeth set on edge. She took aim and let the blade fly. The sharp projectile sank into the Death Eater's shoulder. She watched him recoil, yell with pain, and release his prize. Hermione wrested her arm free and scurried under the table, out of harm's reach.

The Death Eater's gaze turned to face Ravena. His eyes narrowed to angry slits. One hand gripped the wound on his shoulder. His other hand held his wand, now aimed at her. Once again, Ravena became the cat. Her sleek black form slipped into the shadows of the room. Unarmed once more, she watched the conflict concealed in the darkness through cat eyes.

Another Death Eater staggered backward across her path with what appeared to be a rubber chicken pecking at his mask. The man batted at the plucked and flightless bird fastened to his nose, his arms flailing against the squawking joke shop fowl. A stream of swear words mixed with yelps of agony, as he struggled against the enchanted prop.

Death Eaters fought against each other in the confusion, making it difficult to distinguish friend from foe. But from the vantage point of the cat, Ravena could clearly see the shoes protruding from beneath the robes. The trainers of the impostor Death Eaters marked them as her defenders. She watched the unorthodox battle tactics of these fighters with a mixture of amazement and admiration.

Two of the impostor Death Eaters waved their wands and sent small round objects careening about the room. The projectiles shot down the gullet of a Death Eater. In a poof of feathers, a tiny yellow canary fluttered to the floor, replacing the hulking form of the man. The enraged bird flapped his wings and chirped in furious twitters. As if in answer to her astonished stare, one of the sneaker-clad defenders raced by.

"Canary Creams," he exclaimed with a snigger.

Ravena mewed in cunning delight. She approached her quarry on padded paws, crouched, and sprang toward the unsuspecting canary with claws exposed. The cat landed on top of the bird and trapped it in her grasp. She released her now frightened opponent, only to pounce and recapture it once again. She swiped and clawed until her adversary succumbed to her attack.

She had finished with this Death Eater, when another canary fluttered to the ground in her path. Her muscles tensed, preparing to spring. The tiny bird caught sight of her, emitted a frightened chirp, flapped his wings with vigor, and shot upward in graceless flight. In a blur of mustard-colored feathers, the alarmed bird landed to roost on the floating gem, the Eye of the Serpent. Ravena crouched near the base of the cauldron and yowled at the bird with a frustrated hiss. The canary eyed her from the presumed safety of his perch, squawking.

"Get off, you bird-brained twit," Voldemort roared. "You're obscuring my vision."

The booming voice so frightened the bird that it dropped a deposit on the gem and launched into terror-stricken flight once again. Bird droppings dribbled down the face of the jewel. Voldemort launched into a tirade of curses and furious remonstrance. A purring chuckle reverberated in the chest of the ebony-furred feline.

But the cat had little time for merriment. A red flash of light landed close to her body. The heavy tread of a Death Eater in the midst of a furious duel missed her tail by the narrowest of margins. Ravena emitted a feral hiss and shot off in search of better cover, avoiding the footfalls of duelers all around her.

Hermione and Ron, armed only with badminton rackets, swatted at a swarm of canaries swooping in attack at their faces. Several well-placed swings sent the living shuttlecocks pelting into walls and flying to the far reaches of the room. Unfortunately, the effects of the Canary Creams wore off. Enraged Death Eaters resumed their human forms now in alarming numbers.

Another robed figure drifted in front of Ravena's path. The trainers on this combatant were iridescent green with butterbeer caps threaded through the laces so that they jingled. Ravena stared, intrigued. The combatant fired hex after hex with a fluid motion, but achieved spotty results. Her Impediment spell hit its target, but instead of propelling the Death Eater backward, the curse sent his robes sailing up over his head. Ravena's eyes widened with alarm, but the young combatant seemed unconcerned. She gave another airy wave, fired another spell, and glided by with otherworldly grace.

The two unorthodox fighters now whipped another weapon from the pockets of their robes. Streams of living webbing jetted from the tips of two brightly colored aerosol cans. A trail of the sticky thread meandered toward Ravena. She jumped out of its path. The string tripped up an unsuspecting opponent, then bound his limbs in a hopeless tangle of tacky trappings. In a matter of minutes, the hapless victim was trussed up like a fly in the web-like substance and suspended upside down from the ceiling.

The sticky strings had incapacitated several Death Eaters when an unfortunate hex knocked the can from the young man's grasp. The aluminum container hit the floor with an audible clank and rolled to rest under the table next to Ravena. The label on the side of the can read Weasleys' Wonder Webbing and featured a picture of two young red-haired men, each bearing resemblance to Ron Weasley. Ravena eyed the two fighters, guessing that they were the inventors. Ravena batted the nozzle of the can with a padded paw, but to her disappointment, the container was empty.

The black robes and trousers of a man engaged in heated battle now danced past Ravena's view. Her azure eyes flicked up to see Snape, armed with a wand, in combat with a heavy-set Death Eater. Hexes flew from their wands, an intense volley of spells. Ravena watched the conflict, helpless to assist him in her current state. Her gaze scanned the floor, hoping to locate a discarded wand or weapon that she might use. But she could find none.

Then she spotted Lucius Malfoy from across the room. His cold gray eyes were fixed on Snape with a contemptuous stare. A malicious sneer crossed his lips. His wand lowered to point at her lover, distracted in the heat of his own struggle. A Slashing Curse flew through the air straight toward Snape's heart. Ravena's eyes widened with horror. Without a thought for her own safety, the cat leapt from her hiding place, dashed toward Snape, and landed at his feet. In an instant, Ravena transfigured back to her human form and straightened to position herself between his body and the incoming hex.

The curse caught her on the left side of her face, slicing the flesh of her cheek to the left of her eye down to the muscles surrounding her mouth. At first, she felt nothing. Then searing pain shot through every nerve on the left side of her face from the six inch gash. She screamed. Her fingers reached to cradle her wounded cheek, bathed with the crimson flow. Blood spotted the immaculate whiteness of her robes and spattered in glistening droplets on Snape's black garments.

Her eyes raised to stare into Snape's horrified face. He gazed back, taking in her injuries. His usually sallow complexion had turned ashen. His wand trembled in his fingers. Ravena stared with horror, surmising from his expression that the wound must be beyond his healing capabilities. She gasped and crumbled into his waiting arms.

Malfoy's mocking laughter echoed in the chamber. Ravena felt the muscles in Snape's arm tense and his anger surge up through his body. In a hissed string of hexes, he disarmed the first opponent and then trained his wand on Malfoy.

"I shall see that you pay for this, Lucius," Snape hissed through clenched teeth.

Malfoy would not be caught empty-handed. His left arm encircled Ginny and held her tight, shielding his body with hers. In his right hand, his wand tip prodded at Ginny's throat. Ginny's terrified face shot Snape a pleading look.

"Severus, do you really think that I would come after you unprepared?" Malfoy mocked. "Attack me and I will kill the girl. But what's a Weasley, more or less?"

Ravena gripped the sleeve of her robe and pressed it to her face to staunch the scarlet flood that coursed down her cheek. Dizziness overtook her at the sight of so much of her own blood. Her body pitched into Snape's. From the refuge of his embrace, she scanned the chamber.

Of the original thirteen Death Eaters, only Malfoy and four others remained standing. Several were strung up from the ceiling in the enchanted webbing. Others had collapsed on the floor, victims of spells and injuries inflicted during the struggle. The four remaining Death Eaters held the now unmasked Weasley twins, along with Ron and Hermione, captive. Neville, entwined in the tacky thread, twisted in a webbed cocoon suspended from the ceiling. Luna lay in a crumpled heap at his feet, wisps of dirty-blond hair peeking from the hood, the jingle of the butterbeer caps silenced.

Harry panted at the far side of the room away from the others. His face was bruised from the battle, but his green eyes shown bright with defiance. A lightning-shaped scar, remnant of his miraculous childhood escape from the hand of Voldemort, showed through the unkempt fringe of his black hair. His bloodied right arm held a purloined wand. The fingers of his left hand clutched the brilliant gem, still singing its eerie funereal dirge.

"Malfoy," he shouted. "It's me you want and this diamond. Let her go."

Malfoy eyed him with contempt and chuckled. Another laugh, far colder and more heartless, joined with Malfoy's jeers in the dungeon cell. Voldemort's piercing gaze surveyed the room and came to rest on Harry.

"Your game is played out, foolish boy," Voldemort's voice scorned. "Look around you. There are only two of you left to stand against my Death Eaters. You are outnumbered and the others of my faithful will soon revive to join their colleagues."

As if in response, several of the fallen Death Eaters moaned and stirred. Harry's gaze flitted to his captured friends' faces and the attackers rising to their feet. Ravena shook her head.

"Just look at the feeble state of your rescuers," Voldemort continued with a mocking laugh. "Students and young men inexperienced in combat. This is all that is left of Dumbledore's forces. My faithful have been systematically eliminating them all year. And tonight the Minister holds your doddering old Headmaster in custody. There are no seasoned warriors left to come to your aid. Come quietly and I might see fit to spare your friends."

Although bloodied, Ravena was not beaten. She could no longer hold her tongue. Harry must not give in.

"Harry, destroy the diamond," she urged in an audible whisper. "He is but shadow with no real power. Without the diamond, he cannot come back."

"Silence her," Voldemort screamed.

At his command, five wands trained on Ravena's chest. She cringed and clung to Snape, aware that she had no means of self-defense. Snape positioned himself in front of her, his wand held at the ready. Voldemort laughed again, merciless and callous.

"So I have no power, do I?" he chided. "Then why do you tremble at my every word. Behold my faithful. I command and they obey. They are my power and my means of retribution. But the time is at hand when my own arm shall weld might once again. And then all shall fall under the spell of my sway and persuasion."

"If you're so powerful, Voldemort," Harry challenged, holding out the diamond. "Then why do you need this?"

"Can it be that you do not know of the talisman that you regard with such carelessness?" Malfoy chuckled. "Potter, you surprise me. I thought that with your natural propensity to stick your nose in every one else's business, you would have figured that out by now." He nodded to Hermione and cast her a condescending grin. "Or perhaps your mudblood friend is not as clever as she believes herself to be?"

"Why?" Harry eyed the gem with uncertainty, rolling it between his fingers. "What does it do?"

"The diamond has the power to restore to us those who are no longer part of this world," Malfoy answered.

"Anyone?" Harry queried. He stared at the gem with wonder. "Then why didn't it work before?"

"Your friends interrupted my ceremony before the spell was completed," Voldemort replied. "But if you hand over the gem, you will see a demonstration of its abilities that I guarantee you will not forget. You see, I am not content with merely recalling my body to this world. I want what you have stolen." His voice rose to a crescendo. "You try my patience, boy. Seize him."

Several Death Eaters now surged toward Harry. The young man backed away. His gaze flickered between his attackers and the gem clenched in his fingers. Malfoy prodded Ginny harder with his wand.

"Hand over the gem, Potter," he commanded. "Or I will kill her."

"Destroy it, Harry," Ginny whimpered, trembling in Malfoy's grasp. "It won't bring them back."

"Bring who back, Potter?" Malfoy's eyes narrowed with cunning. "Sirius Black, your beloved godfather? Or perhaps your mudblood mother and your pathetic father?"

Harry's green eyes shot open wide. Malfoy sneered, ascertaining that he had guessed correctly. The reptilian eye now bored into Harry. Voldemort cackled.

"Your muggle-born mother?" Voldemort hissed. "A foolish and worthless woman."

"Don't talk about my mother," Harry screamed. His face grew red with suppressed fury.

"I remember her death like it was yesterday," Voldemort taunted. "How she pleaded for your life and begged me to spare you. But she had no power to stop me. I swept her aside and cast her away like the rubbish that she was. She deserved to die, as do all her kind."

"She's worth a thousand of you!" Harry screamed.

Harry trembled with rage. His fist clenched the gem. The torches in the room flickered and dimmed. The diamond in his fist shuddered and vibrated. The birdsong rose to an ear-splitting shriek. Ravena jammed her fist into her ear, but could not shut out the sound.

The flying bird within the stone had changed from crimson to amber to a blinding white. The stone exploded with a forceful blast. A shock wave burst from the center of the diamond and fanned out in concentric rings, flattening everything in its path. The Death Eaters closing ranks on Harry were blown backward and slammed flat against the stone walls of the chamber by the hurricane force. Snape's arms tightened around Ravena's body and dragged her to the floor. She buried her face in the folds of his robes, feeling the aftereffects of the wave wash over her back. Certain that the danger had passed, she pulled free and jerked her head up.

The explosion had knocked everyone to the ground. Wands were scattered everywhere. Ginny had broken free from Malfoy's clutches and scrambled to Harry's side. The emerald gem, the Eye of the Serpent, bobbed over the cauldron like the flotsam of some shipwreck tossed about in a storm. The birdsong had fallen silent, but a new sound rose to take its place. A dog's growl, menacing and low, filled the chamber.

"Get back," Voldemort screamed. "Stay away from me, you mangy cur."

Ravena's eyes scanned the room. No dog appeared, but growls followed by a barking laugh echoed even louder off of the stone walls around them. Ravena stared at the startled faces of her companions. Only Harry's face lit with a look of recognition.

"Padfoot!" he yelled. His eyes flitted around the room in a desperate search for a glimpse of the animagus.

Ravena followed his gaze, but could see no dog. The voice seemed to come from the gem itself, as Voldemort's had done. She surmised that the dog was not a physical presence at all, but an inhabitant of the shadow world where Voldemort's spirit resided.

Voldemort screamed again in panic, a voice resonating with terror and pain. Sounds of an intense struggle reverberated in the chamber, blow upon blow. The dog whimpered, then snarled and growled. A terrified shriek rang against the stone walls, then a strange man's voice spoke from the gem.

"You're going to hell, Voldemort," the voice menaced. "Even if I have to drag you there myself."

"You won't have to do it alone, my brother," another voice intoned.

"Prongs, old mate," the first voice said.

"Stay back, both of you." Voldemort emitted an agonized scream.

"Black? Potter?" Snape's incredulous voice whispered in Ravena's ear. Her gaze flicked to his face. His mouth hung agape. A haunted look shimmered in his dark eyes, ghosts from his past.

Harry ran toward the Eye of the Serpent. He waved his hand in desperation before the gem. His brilliant green eyes bored into the jewel.

"Sirius, Dad, can you hear me?" he shouted. "Can you see me?"

"Harry, we can hear you," Sirius panted in a voice breathless from battle.

"Where are you?" Harry yelled, thrusting his face over the cauldron. "Why can't I see you?"

"You summoned us," his father said. "We heard your call for help. The horn. Listen to me, Harry. You must destroy the Eye of the Serpent. It binds Voldemort to your world. Release him to us and we will deliver him to the gates of hell."

"But will I see you again?" Harry pleaded.

"Of course, you will." Sirius sounded desperate, his voice reduced to a rasping whisper. "I can't hold him much longer, Harry. Do it now! Destroy the emerald!"

"Stand back from the emerald, Harry," Hermione's voice counseled, calm and resolute.

Harry spun around. Hermione stood with a wand in her hand, pointed toward the gem. The four Weasleys backed her up and aimed their wands at the stone.

"Don't let them, Potter," the silky voice of Malfoy whispered from the shadows. "If they destroy the emerald, the link to your father will be lost to you forever."

"Silence!" Snape spat through clenched teeth.

His brooding gaze locked on Malfoy. His lips uttered incantations. A hex took wing from the end of his wand and exploded against Malfoy's chest. The force of the curse threw the Death Eater's body to the wall and pinned him writhing against the rough surface. Snape's jaw clenched with his fury. Then he lifted the jinx with an abrupt jerk of his hand. Malfoy's body convulsed with a single violent shudder, slid down the wall, and slumped to the floor. Magical ropes flew from Snape's wand, binding Malfoy's arms to his sides.

"Shall I kill him?" Snape hissed, eyeing Malfoy with hatred.

"No, Severus!" Ravena grabbed hold of Snape's arm and cast him a beseeching stare. "I would not condemn you to a life sentence in Azkaban for him. Let me do it." She held out a trembling hand, stained crimson with her own blood. "Give me the wand."

Snape stared down at the slender hand. A look of horror flashed in his dark eyes. "No!"

"Then we will hand him over to the authorities." Ravena's blue eyes beheld Malfoy with contempt. "I shall see that he stands trial for the murder of my mother and the injuries inflicted upon me. Lucius, all the galleons in the world are not going to get you off this time."

Snape's gaze now turned to the emerald. "Destroy it!" he commanded. "Potter, step aside."

Harry stepped back with a reluctant stride, but did not raise his wand. Snape and the five youths trained their wands on the gem and uttered curses. Beams of light shot from six wands and converged on the emerald. But the jewel absorbed their hexes without effect. A look of frustration flashed across Snape's face. He swore under his breath. The dog yelped and Voldemort's mocking laugh again filled the chamber.

"You see," Voldemort taunted. "Even from beyond the grave, I weld tremendous power. Your feeble spells cannot touch me. And as long as the Eye remains intact, your father cannot defeat me here either. I shall have the pleasure of killing him twice."

"Harry, destroy it," Sirius urged in a hoarse voice. "Use the Killing Curse."

Harry's face now screwed up with fortitude. His right hand whipped his wand toward the emerald gem. His eyes flashed. "Avada Kedavra!"

A bolt of green light flew from his wand tip. The forbidden hex hit the gem, lighting the room with a sickly jaded glow. The silver setting of snakes melted from the intense heat and slithered away into the depths of the simmering cauldron. The gem shuddered. An ear-splitting crack reverberated throughout the dungeon cell, bouncing off the walls from every direction. Then the jewel shattered, raining down upon them in tiny emerald droplets. Voldemort's voice, along with the barking of the dog, had fallen still, replaced by an eerie silence.

Ravena breathed a sigh of relief. She allowed her body to relax and sank to her knees. The room around her began to swim in and out of focus. She struggled against the unconsciousness that threatened to overtake her. Just a few minutes more.

Snape and the Weasley twins secured the rest of the Death Eaters. Harry knelt to the floor and gathered a few shards of the gem in his fingers. He turned them over in his palm and regarded them with sorrow. Ginny reached for him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. He did not look at her.

"It didn't work," he muttered. "They didn't come back. Sirius and my Dad, they're gone again."

"I told you," Ravena whispered. "The problem with Dark objects is that they never work in the way you think. But the horn did bring them back, if only for a short while. It summoned them to your aid."

Harry cast Ravena a feeble smile. "You all right?"

"I'll be fine," Ravena lied. "You two go on. Get out of here."

Harry turned to Ginny. "You all right?"

"Yeah," Ginny replied, her freckled cheeks turning scarlet.

"Thanks...er...for what you did," Harry stammered, blushing almost as much as Ginny.

"Consider it payback for what you did for me my first year." A shy smile crossed Ginny's lips. Her eyes sparkled. "Now we're even."

"How did you get here?" Harry asked.

"I...er...sort of borrowed your motorcycle." Ginny's gaze dropped to her shoes. Cascades of red hair obscured her face, hiding her embarrassment. "I hope that's okay?"

The widest grin imaginable broke out over Harry's face. "Then can I give you a ride back to Hogwarts?"

Ginny's fingers swiped the hair from her eyes. She nodded and shot Harry another bashful grin. Harry held out his hand to her. His eyes danced, as Ginny placed her hand in his.

Ravena's head sank to the floor. She felt the refreshing coldness of the stone against her cheek. The left side of her face throbbed with a pain that burned like fire. She closed her eyes and rested there. All the fight had been drained from her body. She was losing her battle with consciousness.

Her ears heard approaching footsteps, but she was beyond caring now. The stones had been destroyed and Voldemort's sinister plan foiled. What did it matter what happened to her now?

She felt herself lifted into someone's arms. Her eyes fluttered open once more to glimpse Snape and the kindly face of Dumbledore peering at her over his shoulder. Dumbledore's piercing stare rested on her face. A long finger brushed against the gash on her cheek, bringing some measure of relief from her agony. She attempted a whispered word of grateful thanks, but any movement of her lips was too painful.

Dumbledore spoke words of instruction to Snape and moved off. The faces of her two cousins now loomed into view. She closed her eyes. In her grief over her betrayal, she could not face them.

She felt herself being borne from the room with a jerky stride. Her eyes flew open once more to gaze into Snape's face. He stopped, shifted her in his arms, and froze, catching sight of her stare. Those obsidian eyes, once cold, regarded her with warmth and tenderness. Ravena's lips moved to speak in spite of her suffering. She must tell him now. She may never get another chance.

"Severus, I lo--"

Snape cut her words short and would not allow her to speak. "Hush," he whispered. "You'll only make it worse."

"But--"

"Silence." His voice was commanding and almost harsh this time.

Ravena closed her eyes that now filled with tears. And she did not know whether her injuries or her heartache hurt her more. Her head lolled against his chest. Her mind drifted into the blissful forgetfulness of unconscious thought.