Crossing The Veil

"There's more that you must do."

Harry was silent as he looked into the painted eyes of Albus Dumbledore, so much like the brilliant blue eyes that he had known for so long. Yet no painter's brush could capture the brightness in those eyes, the youth that never seemed to completely fade away.

"What is it, sir?" Hermione asked urgently, leaning over Harry's shoulder to get as close to the portrait as possible. Ginny stood not far to her left, and Ron hovered just behind Hermione, peering at the scene over her head of bushy brown hair. Watching them all from the centre of the ornate sitting room was Minerva McGonagall, Hogwarts' newest Headmistress.

"The veil," Dumbledore's portrait said simply, gazing at them all intently. "You must return to the veil in the Department of Mysteries. I had wondered long ago whether it would be possible for the dead to pass through the veil into the living world, and now I am sure of it. However, it requires that one who entered into the veil must also be the one to lead the others out. I needed to pass into death to share this insight with the only one who could make this possible."

"Sirius," Harry murmured quietly, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Yes, Sirius," Dumbledore confirmed, giving a solemn nod. "Sirius must be the one to lead the dead back to life, but he needs your help. The spell to lead him back is simple, but it requires three things: a person related by blood to Sirius; a person in need of Sirius; and the veil."

"Harry and Tonks," Ginny ventured quickly, looking around at the others for approval. "Tonks is his cousin, and Sirius was the closest thing to a father in Harry's life."

"Precisely," Dumbledore said. "But you must hurry. It won't be long before Voldemort tries to overthrow the Ministry of Magic, and then your passage to the veil will be blocked. Tom, who has always feared the unknown, will waste no time in destroying the entire Department of Mysteries."

"But what do I do?" Harry asked suddenly, the earlier quietness of his voice now replaced by a panicked urgency. "What is the spell? What do I say?"

"You will know when the time comes," Dumbledore said simply, his eyes filling with a calmness that was strangely contagious. "But now, you must go. In these perilous times, not a moment can be wasted."

Harry was about to object, to say that he needed more instructions, when Dumbledore disappeared from view. He felt McGonagall's hand close around his shoulder, pulling him away from the empty frame.

"Come along, Mister Potter," she said, her voice gentle but firm. "We must leave now."

Realising that there was no point in arguing, Harry swallowed the stream of angry words that threatened to rise in his throat. He followed along silently as the Headmistress led them out of the stately sitting room and into the summer twilight.

The last beams of sunlight winked down through darkening clouds upon Minerva's handsome house in the country, far from prying Muggle eyes. It was here that she had summoned them at the portrait's request, sure that the Death Eaters would not be able to listen to what was said.

Looking around him, Harry watched warily for any sign of trespassers. But the garden around them seemed quiet, and only the scent of many roses lifted to meet them. The group quickly made its way off of the property, moving through the rural countryside like a gathering of silent phantoms.

"Miss Granger, I'm sure that you can Apparate properly?" the Headmistress asked, breaking the silence as they walked along the darkening country road.

"Yes, Professor," Hermione answered, slightly out of breath from keeping up with Minerva's long strides.

"Once the sun has completely set, you will take Miss and Mister Weasley and Apparate to Grimmauld Place," she explained quickly, watching Hermione closely to ensure that she was listening. "I will take Harry with me, and we should arrive at the same time. We must find Nymphadora as quickly as possible, and then be on our way to the Ministry."

"Wouldn't it be easier to go by Floo powder?" Ginny asked with panting breaths, clutching at a painful cramp in her side.

"Not now," Minerva answered firmly. "We can never be too sure who's monitoring the Floo network anymore, and the last thing we need is to lead Voldemort straight to the Order."

Ginny nodded in silent agreement, her breath coming out in quick bursts as she watched the lowering sun. Clouds had gathered in the sky above them, shielding the few stars above from view.

Before long, Harry became conscious of the feeling of rain on his face. It brought him out of his lingering reverie, and he was grateful for the distraction from his darkening thoughts. He still wasn't sure of what he was supposed to do, and he hated the feeling of hopelessness that his ignorance had wrapped around him.

"Be ready, Miss Granger," McGonagall said suddenly, grabbing Harry firmly by the arm as she watched the edge of the sun dip closer to the waiting darkness.

At last the sun disappeared, and Harry felt himself being pressed in on from every side as the world went black. When the terrible pressure finally subsided, Harry found himself standing on a patch of rain-slicked grass between eleven and thirteen Grimmauld place. Professor McGonagall stood beside him, and Hermione and the others soon appeared in the shadows a few steps away.

Quickly checking that everyone had arrived safely, Minerva soon stepped forward and closed her eyes. A building materialised in front of them, and she lead them silently up the worn stone steps to the familiar headquarters. Once inside she told them to wait for her, and hurried deeper into the house in search of Tonks.

"Harry, are you okay?" Ginny asked quietly, taking his hand gently in her own. It was the first time she had been able to talk to him since they had arrived at Minerva's country home, and she now looked at him with concern.

Harry nodded, but before he could answer he saw a head of familiar pink hair hurrying towards them, Minerva not far behind.

". . . I'll explain further when we arrive," McGonagall was saying, her voice quiet as she passed the curtained portraits. Tonks glanced back to give a small nod, almost tripping over the edge of her cloak as she did so.

At last the entire group was out in the gathering dusk, where the raindrops poured down on them in torrents.

"The rain is fairly heavy," Tonks observed wryly, pulling her hood over her already-soaked locks of hair.

The group wasted no time in getting organised, and soon Apparated into the Atrium of the Ministry of Magic, Harry now travelling with Tonks.

Upon arrival, it didn't take long for them to notice that something was very wrong. The usually busy Atrium was completely deserted, and Tonks gazed around in silent bewilderment.

"Where is everybody?" she wondered aloud. "The Aurors usually work later on Saturdays."

Feeling a sense of growing dread, Harry ran ahead of the others, leading them to the lifts. Squeezing inside, he hammered he nine button and the lift descended noisily. The usual female voice spoke, announcing the Department of Mysteries as the crowd hurried through the opening grilles.

"Maybe you guys should go back," Harry said abruptly, halting to look back at his teacher and friends. "Dumbledore said that he needed Tonks and me; there's no reason to put the rest of you into danger."

"Don't be foolish, Potter," McGonagall said curtly, prodding him ahead with her free hand as she drew out her wand. "We're not leaving the two of you to face this alone."

Realising that he didn't have the time to debate the matter, Harry gave a stiff nod before continuing along the corridor, pushing his way through the plain black door.

Stepping into a circular room, Harry felt a dizzying confusion as Tonks closed the door behind them, sending the walls spinning around the still floor. He paused uncertainly for a moment, when suddenly a door opened to their left.

"It's them! The intruders are here!" a voice called, carrying out from under the unknown Death Eater's mask. Before Harry could react, Minerva had shot a Stunning Spell at the cloaked figure, and was running towards another door.

"This way!" she called, wrenching open the door. She stopped short as she saw the Unspeakable inside, rocking himself back and forth as he murmured gibberish beneath his breath.

"Chocolates . . . I wish marshmallows tasted like chocolates . . . chocolates . . ."

"He's been cursed!" Hermione exclaimed, halting at the sight of the insane wizard. "There must be more Death Eaters that way!"

Harry could hear footfalls coming from the door beyond the fallen Death Eater, and hurriedly pulled open another door. Running inside, he felt a flickering of hope at the sight of the steps leading down to the stone dais. He was about to call the others in when the door slammed shut behind him. Tugging vainly at the unmoving door, he heard a familiar scream of laughter.

"Aw, isn't it wonderful to see wittle Harry Potter again?" a mocking voice called out from behind him. "And look! He's going to die in the same place as my dear cousin!"

Spinning around, Harry saw Bellatrix Lestrange standing across the room from him, leering at him through the slits in her mask.

"What are you doing here this time, little baby Potter? Are you chasing after me again? Are you still trying to avenge my dear cousin?"

Harry stayed determinedly silent, refusing to let her taunts bother him. He was so close to getting Sirius back, he wasn't going to give up now . . .

Harry saw Bellatrix raise her wand, and lunged out of the way as the spell blew past him. The stone step he had been standing on erupted in a shower of debris, raining on him as he tumbled down the steps towards the dais. Standing dazedly to his feet, he looked up just in time to see Bellatrix leap down the steps towards him. He fumbled in his pocket for his wand, but it was blown out of his hand before he had even raised it.

"Looks like little Harry has nothing left," Bellatrix said smoothly, her wand aimed at Harry's chest. "No parents, no Sirius . . . no wand. Tsk, tsk, I expected better of you. But now the time has come for you to die, just the same as my dear cousin!"

Harry tried to dive towards his wand, but the spell knocked him off his feet, hurtling him towards the veiled archway. His back hit the stonework painfully, and through the haze of agony he was vaguely aware of Bellatrix leaping up beside him, her face looming mere inches from his own.

"Sirius . . ." he murmured miserably, unable to control the words bubbling up out of him. ". . . Sirius . . . help me . . ."

"Time to say 'bye-bye', Harry Potter," Bellatrix whispered in her mock baby voice, grabbing him by the throat and pushing him towards the fluttering curtain.

Unable to think clearly through the pain surging through his body, Harry grabbed at the hand around his throat and pulled it away. He used much more force than he had meant to, scraping Bellatrix's hand roughly against the coarse stone of the archway and leaving a trail of blood behind it. He released her bloodied hand in shock, and she lunged at him again in rage. As her hands wrapped around his neck in a vice-like grip, Harry felt the words bubbling up from his throat again.

"Sirius . . . help . . ." he called, his voice barely above a rasping whisper, " . . . I need you . . ."

Harry was about to pass out when he heard Bellatrix's scream of shock and terror, and her hands were suddenly gone from his throat. He gasped in a welcome lungful of air, peering up blearily through half-raised eyelids.

A tall figure stood above him, and others soon joined it from beyond the veil. Harry tried to raise a hand towards it, but the dark figured quickly stooped down to lay Harry's hand at his side.

"You need to rest now, Harry," Sirius said gently, his voice like a beacon of hope through the fog of pain. A second face appeared near his, and Harry hazily recognised the bright blue eyes of Albus Dumbledore.

"The others . . . Death Eaters . . ." Harry tried to explain, pulling at words from the jumble in his mind.

"Don't worry son, we'll help them," another voice said, both familiar and new at the same time. Peering up at the faces around him, Harry saw a man with tousled black hair lean over to run a soothing hand over Harry's own ruffled bangs.

His father.

As the combined forces of shock and pain overwhelmed him, Harry felt himself slip into the temporary hold of unconsciousness. Yet before the darkness enshrouded him, his mind had only one final thought.

Everything will be fine now.