They all whipped around as dark figures appeared around them, their wands aimed at their very hearts. In front of Megan, hand outstretched, was Lucius Malfoy.

"Give it to me, Potter."

"Where's Sirius? I saw him trapped here." she said as firmly as she could.

"You saw what the Dark Lord wanted you to see."

Megan felt suddenly very cold. Hermione had been right after all. And she had just lured all of them into a death trap.

"Now, give me the prophecy."

"Not happening," Megan said.

"Look at her, trying to stand up to us, itty bitty little baby..." said a high voice.

A woman stepped into the light beside Malfoy. She had wide eyes, messy black hair and a long black dress. Megan felt Neville stiffen beside her. She had also recognised her as...

"Bellatrix Lestrange..." he whispered.

"Longbottom, isn't it? How's Mum and Dad?"

"Better, now they're about to be avenged!"

Megan held out an arm to stop him.

"Don't. You're better than this. Don't ruin your life over her." she said in a whisper. "She'd either kill you or you'd end up in Azkaban for murder. And I'm having neither."

Neville bit his lip, not looking at her. Eventually, he took a step back. Relieved, Megan slowly lowered her arm, waiting for him to rush past her. She knew only too well that anger and pain could make you act without thinking. When he didn't move, she turned to Lucius, who was just watching them.

"Why does Voldemort want the prophecy?"

Several people hissed angrily.

"You dare speak his name?" Bellatrix spat.

"Yeah, I dare." Megan said coolly. "So why does Voldemort want it?"

"You dare soil his name with your half-blood filth?" Bellatrix shrieked, ignoring her.

"Didn't you know? He's half-blood too. And even more so since he used my blood to return to life."

She and Neville were facing Bellatrix and Malfoy, Harry and Cedric were standing to their right with two other Death Eaters, Hermione and Luna were on their left and Ron and Ginny were behind them. Bellatrix raised her wand but Lucius stopped her.

"So, what is so special about the prophecy?" Megan asked.

"Dumbledore never told you why you bear that scar?" Lucius asked.

"What about my scar?"

"He never did tell you, did he? Well, that explains why you didn't come earlier, the Dark Lord wondered, you see."

While he spoke, out of the corner of her lips, she whispered:

"On my signal, stun and run."

"He wondered why you didn't come when he showed it to you in your dreams," Lucius went on, who apparently hadn't noticed the whisper. "He thought curiosity would make you want to hear it."

"So he wanted me to come find it and get it, is that it? And why is that?"

"Because only those who are referred to in the prophecy can touch it."

"Why would he want a prophecy about me?" Megan asked.

"About both of you. Have you never wanted to know why he tried to kill you as an infant?"

Megan glanced at the ball she held. Were all the answers to her questions in her hand?

"If it refers to him too, why didn't he come for it himself?" she demanded, determined not to show her inner turmoil.

Bellatrix cackled shrilly.

"Get it himself? When everyone is so conveniently ignoring his return? When all the Aurors are wasting time on my good for nothing cousin?"

"So he had you do his dirty work, then." Megan said.

"Indeed. The Dark Lord said you weren't unintelligent..."

"NOW!"

A chaos of sparks shot in the dark, most of them hitting their target.

"GET TO THE NEAREST DOOR!" Megan yelled.

Hermione and Cedric brought up the rear, sending as many shelves and spheres crashing to the ground. Neville, Ginny, Luna, Harry, Ron and Megan fired spells back at their pursuers, who were firing at them too. One caught hold of her shoulder.

"REPULSO!" yelled Cedric and the hand was thrown off her.

"Thanks." she said, running on.

"No one touches my girlfriend," he said fiercely.

"There's a door, there!" Ginny shouted. "This way!"

Turning a hard right, they saw that there was indeed a door. Ginny, who was leading the way, wrenched it open... and vanished.

"GINNY!" Ron yelled.

But Ron, caught in his speed, fell over too, grabbing Harry to stop himself but only succeeding in making both of them fall. Neville and Luna, also unable to stop in time, toppled into the darkness, followed by Megan, Cedric and Hermione. They fell down for a few seconds, and suddenly found themselves floating a few inches above the ground, before landing roughly.

"Everyone okay?" Cedric asked, helping Megan to her feet.

They all nodded as they stood. Megan glanced around her. They were in a tall room with a floor and walls made of stone. They were in its very centre, with several uneven levels of rock around her, formed what Megan found looked like stairs. The room was also surrounded by a ring of void that gave an eerie atmosphere to the place. Megan shuddered.

"Where are we?" Hermione asked in a low, scared voice, gripping Megan's arm.

"I have no idea..." Megan whispered back.

Just then, a cold wind swept around them.

"Everyone get behind me!" Megan called, looking up.

They all stood together, raising their wands. Just then, dark shadows surrounded them. And by the time they'd lifted, Megan was alone in the centre of the room. The others were all being held with a wand to their throats by Death Eaters on the lower level, about five feet apart and ten from her.

"Now. You have a choice, Potter," said Malfoy, standing in front of her.

He wasn't holding anyone.

"Give us the prophecy like a good girl. Or we kill your friends, right in front of you. One. By. One."

Megan glanced around. Bellatrix had Hermione, but all the others were hooded.

"Now, I know you don't want us to hurt your friends," he said softly. "So, be reasonable and give me the prophecy."

Megan looked at her friends, all risking their lives for a stupid dream... she wasn't sure what to do. If she didn't give it to them her friends were dead. But she wasn't stupid. Even if she did, she knew they would kill them all. Out of fun or just to not leave any witnesses.

"Don't give it to him, Megan!" came Neville's voice.

"He's right, you mustn't!" Harry added.

"Megan, look at me," Cedric said.

She glanced at him.

"No matter what happens to us, you can't give in!"

"But-"

"SILENCE!" shrieked Bellatrix.

"Now give me the prophecy!" Lucius said more angrily.

Megan took one last, long, apologetic look at her friends, wishing she could save them somehow. She turned back to Lucius.

"No."

"What?"

"If you want it, you'll have to kill me."

"Then, so be it!" Lucius snarled, raising his wand.

Megan was still holding the prophecy in her hand. Suddenly, a powerful force caught around her neck, rendering her unable to breathe. She could only splutter. Her free hand flew to her neck, the prophecy clasped as tightly as she could in the other. She felt her lungs burn from lack of air, and she clutched the ball in her hand, wondering why Lucius didn't just take it now.

"MEGAN!" yelled Cedric. "Leave her alone! Let her go, you're killing her!"

"That is my intent, fool!" Lucius hissed.

"Stop it!" cried Hermione in a scared voice.

"Get your slithering hands off my goddaughter!"

Just then, a burst of light shot at Lucius who stumbled, loosing his concentration and releasing Megan who dropped to her knees, coughing and spluttering.

Sirius stood by her side.

"Sirius...?"

"You all right?" he asked, his eyes on Lucius.

"Yeah..."

Her hand still on her throat, she cast a worried glance at her friends, but just as she did, golden mist showered in, similar to the black one that had taken the others. But this time, her friends were free. Shortly after, they returned to human form. Tonks, Mad-Eye, Lupin, Kingsley and Sirius had all come to help them. Sirius pulled Megan out of the way of Malfoy's spell and retorted by firing with his own wand. But another Death Eater was aiming at Sirius who hadn't seen it, too busy with Malfoy.

"PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!" Megan shouted.

The Death Eater froze and keeled over.

"Nice one," Sirius said, pulling her to the ground. "Now, take the others and run!"

"No, not without you!"

"You've done fabulously, but you have to go."

"GIVE ME THE PROPHECY!" Bellatrix shrieked, lunging for Megan, who was thrown to the floor before Sirius could block her.

Megan struggled and managed to shove her off with a punch. As creepy and magically skilled as she was, her time in Azkaban had rendered her physical strength close to nothing. Megan shoved her off. Then, she got to her feet and said:

"You want the prophecy?" she called. "Then take it!"