I do not own Harry Potter but one can dream, can't they?

~ Who Wrote This Crap

Chapter four: The End of the Beginning

Pandemonium was the word that came to mind when he entered the next room. It was the room with the archway, and it was nothing less than chaotic. Aurors and other allies Percy didn't recognize were each battling a Death Eater, some were even battling two! But Percy looked past them searching for Harry and hoping to Merlin that The-Boy-Who-Lived was still alive. Then, Percy spotted him trying to scramble out of the line of fire with a very shook- up Neville. Dodging spells and leaping down the benches, Percy was going as fast as he could to get to Harry, without getting himself killed, when he saw a Death Eater grab Harry by the throat and lift him off the ground. Percy raise his wand to cast a rather nasty spell on the Death Eater, when a green light shot at him, and he was forced to throw himself behind one of the benches to avoid being hit. He covered his head as the stone overhead rained on him having been turned to rubble from the spell. When Percy finally managed to look back up the first thing he saw was Moody fly through the air and land hard at the bottom of the steps. His attacker, Dolohov, then hit Neville with a spell and his legs started to jerk madly. He cast a spell at Harry, but Harry yelled Protego! just in time to block the attack. Percy scrambled to his feet and commenced his dissent to the floor to where Harry and Neville were.

Dolohov raised his wand again, but this time Percy was ready this time.

"Acci-"

"Impedimenta!" Percy's curse hit the Death Eater right in the face. Dolohov fell over, bound by his spell.

An ally who had reached Harry and Neville looked up a him. "Nice hit!" he said. Percy ducked a Stunning Spell, leaped over the last two rows, until he finally came to a halt when he reached Harry, Neville, and the ally he now recognized as being Sirius Black- the one Harry and the others had come all this way to rescue. "Harry, take the prophecy, grab Neville, and run! Percy help them!" Black told them running into the fray to battle Bellatrix. Percy didn't even bother to wonder how he knew his name, instead he focused on aiding his ex-schoolmates.

"Here let me help you." Percy pointed his wand at Neville's feet. "Finite"
Neville's legs stopped dancing and he fell to the floor.

"Danks," Neville said breathlessly.

"Can you stand?" Harry asked him. Out of the corner of his eye Percy saw Lucius Malfoy lunge at them.

"Look out-!" The words barely left Percy's mouth when a dark-blue spell knocked the air out of him, and sent him flying across the room and into a row of stone benches. Pain erupted along his spine and skull. His ears were ringing, drowning out the sounds of battle. Trying his best to steel himself past the pain, Percy looked up. Though one of the lenses of his glasses was now cracked, he could still make out that Harry and Neville were nearly to the Brain Room. Then out of that room burst none other than Albus Dumbledore himself. With more speed Percy ever though the old man was capable of, he ran down the steps rounding up Death Eater after Death Eater until only one remained dueling: Bellatrix Lestrange. She was dueling Sirius Black, who was doing his best to taunt the mickey out of her.

"Is that the best you've got?" he laughed.

The fool was going to get himself killed! Percy knew for a fact that Bellatrix Lestrange was an expert duelist. Her reputation alone had her marked as being one of the most dangerous dark witches in Britain, and possibly the world. Whether he would ever admit it or not, Black needed help. Percy pushed himself to his feet and aimed his wand at Bellatrix.

"Come on, you can do better than-"

"Expelliarmus!" Percy shouted. But Bellatrix ducked his spell, thus instead of hitting her it hit Black. Black went flying off the arch's platform and over to where Tonk laid motionless, hitting the stone hard. He did not get up.

"Sirius!" Percy heard Harry cry from across the room.

An icy knot formed in the pit of Percy's stomach as he was suddenly overcome with the dreadful feeling that he was in big trouble. And he was right, for then Bellatrix turned to him as she cackled madly at his blunder.

"You want to play with me wittle boy?" she said as a grin stretched across her what could have once been beautiful face. "Alright, then!" She threw a violet curse at him. Percy ducked behind a bench. The curse missed him by an inch and exploded over his head. This wasn't good. It had been ages since Percy had dueled, he was extremely rusty, and Bellatrix wasn't giving him any time to recover. She sent another spell his way which he managed to deflect, then another which he dodged, then another, and another, she wasn't giving him the opportunity to throw a curse back at her. There was no other option left for but to retreat.

"Mico!" Percy yelled. He closed his eyes as a brilliant flash of light emanated from the tip of his wand. Hopping that would by him some time, he headed for the closest door. He ran up the steps as fast as he could, throwing every defensive spell he knew behind him. Spells flew by him, blasting into the benches, leaving craters in the stone. A few steps from the top the spells stopped coming. Percy dared to glance back. Down below Kingsley had intervened and was trying to duel Bellatrix. But he was limping and it only took a few seconds for her to out duel him. Kingsley fell to the ground, yelling in pain. Bellatrix jumped over him and flew up the stairs after Percy. He flung open the door and slammed it shut once inside. He pointed his wand at the door, "Colloport- arrgg!"

He was thrown off his feet and into a floor covered in broken glass. Percy screamed in pain as the shards cut through his skin. He looked around him. He was in the Prophecy Room-or what use to be the Prophecy room. Only few prophecies remained intact. Percy grabbed an unbroken prophecy and used it to push himself off the glass-covered ground, and continued to run deeper into the room. He rounded a corner when he heard the door slam opened. He could hear her running as her footsteps crunch against the glass. She was not far behind him. His bruised and beaten body was screaming at him, begging him to stop, but Percy pushed past the pain and kept on running. There, straight ahead was the door to the circular hall. Percy ran through it and closed the door behind him.

"Flagrate"

Percy put an fiery X on the door to the Prophecy Room just before the walls began to spin. His other X was still brightly burning. And since he knew that the door to the left of the one he marked with the X was the room with the arch, and the one next to that one was the Brain Room, then that left him with a 1/8 chance that the next room he picked would be the exit. Continuing with his strategy, Percy chose the door next to the Brain Room. It opened to a familiar dimly lit hall. It was the exit! Thrilled, Percy threw himself inside the hall, slammed and locked the door behind him just as Bellatrix ran into the circular hall. He ran to the lift. He had no idea where he was going to go, but he had to get as far away from Bellatrix as he possibly could if he want to stay alive. He feverishly pushed the button calling the lift. As soon as the grilles slid open, he ran inside and harshly pressed the Atrium button. As the grilles closed, Bellatrix rounded the corner. She sent a curse his way, but he met it with his own spell. She screamed in fury as the lift took him up.

When the lift came to a stop and the grilles opened Percy sprinted into the Atrium. I need to tell the Minister, and call for more Aurors, and-. The lift doors were opening again. Percy spun around, out of the lift, to Percy's horror, came Bellatrix Lestrange. Instinctively Percy hid behind the Fountain of Magical Brethren.

But Bellatrix had seen him.

"I see you there," she said in a childish voice edged with impatience. "I don't have time to pway with weasels," she raise her wand and dropped baby talk. "so I'll kill you quickly. Avada Kedavra!"

Percy hit the ground as the curse took half of the House-elf's face off. He crawled to the around the rim of the fountain until he could see Bellatrix's legs. Immediately he had an idea. Percy casted his spell nonverbally, and Bellatrix's legs started dancing uncontrollably. She fell to the ground and screamed in furry, as Percy headed for the nearest fireplace. He tried to run, but having been thrown into walls repeatedly was really taking its toll on him. His back was bruised, his head was throbbing and probably still bleeding. Percy screamed. His whole body was on fire! Pieces of glass were rushing through his veins, tearing him up from the inside out! He was dying . . . he had to be. Then as suddenly as it had started it stopped. Percy was left on the floor gasping for breath- practically sobbing.

"Potter!"

He cracked open an eye. He could hear voices behind him. Painfully, Percy rolled over. He tried to move as little as possible; the adrenaline that had let him push his body to its limit was wearing thin, and he was beginning too feel the shards of glass that had embedded themselves in his skin and mussels back in the Prophecy Room. He tried to lift his head to see who his possible savior was, and sure enough there was Harry Potter standing at the other end of the Atrium.

"Give it to me!" Bellatrix demanded.

"Give you what?" Harry said spreading his arms wide. "Theres nothing to give! The prophecy's gone!"

"Give me the prophecy!" Bellatrix shrieked with urgency, she pointed her wand at Percy, "Or Weasley dies!"

Harry looked at him, there was panic in his eyes. "I don't have it! I-I gave it to someone." he said, but the desperation in his voice made it all too obvious that he was lying. Harry closed his eyes, slapped his hand to his forehead, and hissed in pain.

"Liar!" Bellatrix shrieked. She ferociously advanced toward him with her wand still pointed at Percy. "I know you have it! Give it to me, now!"

"He isn't lying," Percy grunted finding the strength to push himself up into a sitting position. "He doesn't have it." Percy held up his left hand and opened his palm, revealing the unbroken glass sphere he'd picked up in the Prophecy Room. "I do."

Bellatrix's eyes lit up at the sight of the prophecy.

"Give it to me, Weasley!" she demanded.

"You want it? Then go get it!" With the last of his strength, Percy threw it as far as he could away from Harry and himself, and waved his wand.

Bellatrix ran after it, leaped forward and slid across the floor, hands outreached. She caught it, and gave a triumphant yell. But before she could get to her feet, black wire shot out of the tip of his wand and wrapped themselves around Bellatrix. She struggled against her bonds, shrieking.

Harry ran over to him. "Are you okay?" he asked, kneeling by Percy. He carefully helped him sit up. Percy leaned on him heavily.

"No. I'd like to go to the hospital now." Percy said, but Harry didn't seem to have heard him. He was holding his forehead, hissing in pain. "What is it? Did you hit your head?"

"No, it's my scar... it feels like it's splitting my skull in half." Harry said. "He knows..."

Percy furrowed his brow, "Come again?"

"Voldemort, he knows it's smashed...the prophecy."

"You smashed the prophecy?" Percy said incredulously.

"I didn't smash it. It was an accident." Harry said a bit too loudly.

Across the room Bellatrix shrieked."WHAT? But I have it! I have the prophecy right here!" she yelled feverishly.

"No, Bella." said a high, cold voice above them. Shivers ran down Percy's spine. He felt Harry stiffen besides him. Slowly Percy looked up.

A being, tall and thin, whose face was hidden in the shadow of his black hood, was hovering over him like Death.

"That is not the prophecy I wanted, is it, Weasley?" The being lowered his hood. All the air in Percy's lungs left him with a gasp. He was whiter than a skull, his nose was flat like a snake, and had slit-pupiled eyes, red and pitiless. He was the essence of the horror stories Percy had heard as a child, the reason his uncles were dead, and the cause of so many tears.

He was Lord Voldemort.

And he was very much alive.

"So you smashed my prophecy?" You-Know-Who said softly, looking at Harry. "Months of preparation, months of effort . . . and my Death Eaters have let Harry Potter thwart me again."

Somewhere in the distance Bellatrix was sobbing. "Master, I am sorry, I knew not, I was fighting the Animangus Black! Master, you should know-"

"Be quiet Bella," You-Know-Who said in a dangerous tone. "I shall deal with you in a moment. Do you think I have entered the Ministry of Magic to hear your sniveling apologies?" His red eyes shifted and stared straight into Percy's blue. Percy felt his heart stop before You-Know-Who had even uttered the curse.

"AVADA KADAVRA!"

"NO!"

At the last second Harry had lurched forward and pushed the dark wizard's arm away. A flash of green light came at him, and the world became a blur. Percy was on his back again. He reached up to his face and felt the remains of his horn-rimmed glasses clinging to his ear. The curse had hit the very corner of his glasses which snapped on impact.

Percy squinted his eyes, barely able to make out what was going on. He felt more than saw Harry being pushed backwards across the room.

"No Potter, watch as your friend dies!" You-Know-Who pointed his wand again at Percy. "Or shall I make him suffer first? How about both?"

"DON'T!"

A jet of black light hit Percy in the chest. He screamed as the curse tore up his skin and broke his bones. Far in the distance he heard his scream echoing off the high walls of the Atrium. And then . . . there was nothing.

Once again, thank you so much for those of you who took the time to review my story. I have decided to divide this epic story into sections, so this will be the last chapter for this section. I am currently working on the squeal, and though I have a pretty good idea of where I'm going with this I would love to hear your suggestions and ideas about what you think will happen to Percy.