Potter's Girl / Butterfly Effect.

63. When the Stars Burn Out

CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE;

WHEN THE STARS BURN OUT

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

The concept of flying on something Cassie could not see scared her out of her wits – and, for that reason and that reason only, there was an upside to watching death occur.

Thestrals were interesting creatures. They flew at speeds that seemed impossible to mankind and, to be honest, Cassie felt quite nauseous on the back of her thestral (which Luna had so graciously named William). Her hair whipped behind her and the cold air stung her eyes to tears, but she did not break her focus from the growing speck of light on the horizon that had to have been Muggle London. The closer they got to the Ministry, the closer they were to Sirius..

   Finally, they landed on an empty and misty street and sent the thestrals off–they figured if they made it out alright, they could find another way home. The thestrals clomped off toward a nearby park, leaving the teenagers utterly alone in a dark alleyway.

   "Well?" said Cassie expectantly, looking around. "How do we get in?"

   Harry did not reply verbally. He stepped toward an empty telephone box and pulled the crooked door open, then stepped inside. He gestured for the rest of them to follow, and they did.

The Ministry was a place Cassie decided she hated. No particular reason, really, but the black tile floors and unending hallways gave her an uneasy feeling. It took them nearly twenty minutes to find the room Harry had seen Sirius in, and even then, its walls spread beyond their range of sight. Cassie reached forward to touch one of the many crystal balls on the shelves surrounding them, but Harry quickly grabbed her by the elbow.

   "I don't think we should touch anything," he said in a warning whisper, glancing around. Cassie frowned and turned back to the mystical balls, tilting her head to the side. As she approached another shelf, the crystals seemed to be calling out to her in harsh whispers; quiet at first, but as she drew closer, their voices were practically echoing around her mind. She winced and stumbled back.

   "What's wrong?" Harry was quick to say, pointing his wand in the direction Cassie had stumbled from. She held her ears and looked up worriedly.

   "You can't hear them?" she asked. Everyone shook their heads – even Luna, who believed in everything.

   "C'mon, let's get to row ninety-seven," said Hermione slowly. The group started down the rows, eyeing each shelf until they approached eighty-six, then eighty-eight, ninety, ninety-two, ninety-four, ninety-six... Cassie slowed to a stop and turned; Harry held his lit wand to a crystal ball numbered ninety-seven. But this couldn't have been right, could it? Sirius wasn't even here. How could.. Unless, of course, Voldemort had already killed Sirius... Cassie inhaled a shaky breath. Atticus subtly reached forward and slipped his hand into hers for comfort. She squeezed his fingers so tight, it felt as though they may pop off.

"He's not here," said Harry bluntly, his jaw tightening.

"That much is obvious, thanks," Cassie snapped, her eyes narrowing. Her mind ran through a million possibilities: her father was already dead; Voldemort had gotten what he wanted; it was a trap; Sirius had gotten away.. And then, it clicked into place as Cassie's eyes locked onto a swirling orb with Harry's name on it. The prophecy. "We need to get out of here," she muttered, pulling Atticus by the hand and hoping the others would catch on without laying their eyes on the orb titled with Harry Potter.

Unfortunately, Ron didn't get the hint. "Harry, this one's got your name on it!" he announced, reaching for the orb. A cold and drawling voice caused him to falter and Cassie spun around to be face to face with a man in a silver Death Eater mask.