As soon as we landed, I fell off my Thestral.

Dusting myself off, and trying to not let it bother me that everyone else dismounted theirs gracefully, I squeezed myself with the others into the battered telephone box where Harry managed to score us these cool badges.

Neve Longbottom, Rescue Mission, mine read. I couldn't wait to show it to Trevor.

Harry tried to shrug us off again once we reached the entrance to the Department of Mysteries. But I wasn't having it.

"We didn't get these badges for nothing!" I said determinedly, thrusting my chest out so Harry could see where I'd proudly pinned my shiny new badge.

"Okay, let's get on with it then," he muttered, rolling his eyes disdainfully as though he was talking to a little child.

We stepped through the door into a small circular room containing other doors. Harry barked an order for someone to shut the door we'd just come through behind us, and when I eagerly complied, he grew angry.

Because in shutting it, despite it being Harry's order, I had caused the wall surrounding us to rapidly rotate meaning we had no idea which one we'd gone through when it eventually stopped.

"Good one, Neve!" Harry spat irritably, make my cheeks flame ashamedly.

"How are we going to get back out?" Ginny asked uncomfortably.

"Well, that doesn't matter now," Harry sighed, giving me a contemptuous look, "we won't need to get out till we've found Sirius."

We tried each door, remembering to put an 'X' on them each time we came back through.

One of the rooms contained some sort of archway which Harry got a bit obsessed over until Hermione reminded him why we were there.

Eventually, we found the place Harry had had a vision about.

"This is it!" he cried as we entered a room as high as a church and full of nothing but towering shelves covered in small, dusty, glass orbs.

"Keep your wands ready," Harry said softly as we crept past aisle after aisle.

My heart was hammering in my throat. I was terrified, but I was determined. The possibility that any moment I'd be facing up against Voldemort just like my parents had was like nothing I'd ever felt before.

But it turned out Voldemort was not there after all. And neither was Harry's godfather.

Harry had been had. And we'd followed him right into the trap.

"Very good, Potter," a drawling voice spoke from behind us as we inspected the dusty ball Harry had clasped in his hand. "Now turn around, nice and slowly, and give that to me."

I gulped as we all turned slowly on the spot.

About a dozen figures in black cloaks, their faces hidden behind horribly familiar masks were pointing their wands at us.

The man who had spoken, lifted his mask revealing grey piercing eyes and a long mane of white-blond hair. I tried to stifle my gasp; the resemblance to his son was uncanny.

But it was the woman who stepped up beside him that really shook me to my core.

It was Bellatrix Lestrange. The woman who had as good as killed my parents.

I tried to control my trembling hand as I held my wand aloft alongside Harry, Hermione, Ron, Luna and Ginny. We were just six underaged school kids against twelve mean looking wannabe murderers.

What had we been thinking?

As they taunted Harry, who seemed quite blithe by our predicament, I wished so much that I could be back at the castle with Trevor and Draco.

I felt my chest ache and a prickling behind my eyes as I recalled how I had left Draco frozen on the ground in Umbridge's office.

I realised I would probably never see him or my Trevor again. I hoped Draco would take care of him for me.

And then all of a sudden Harry was yelling "NOW!", and the shelves around us started exploding.

"Come on Neve!" Hermione screamed at me, as the others started running back the way we had come in.

I raced on after them, shielding my head against the explosion of glass and wood raining down, Death Eaters hot at my heels.

To my relief, I made it through the door just as Hermione sealed it shut behind me.

"Where - where are the others?" Harry panted, looking around.

Ginny, Luna and Ron were nowhere to be seen.

"They must have gone the wrong way!" Hermione whispered with terror in her face.

Before we could run to safety, two Death Eaters stormed through Hermione's 'cleverly' locked door by simply shouting "Alohomora!"

Chaos ensued. We desperately fired spells at them, with me in my panic accidentally Disarming Harry.

He gave me the filthiest look.

Hermione managed to successfully Stun one of the Death Eaters, whilst the other fell into a bell jar which turned his head into a bawling baby.

Just as we thought we were safe, two more Death Eaters hurtled through the door, furiously brandishing their wands.

"IMPEDIMENTA!"

The blast caused all three of us to go flying backwards off our feet.

It felt as though I was moving in slow motion as I went careering over a desk, landing painfully face down on the ground the other other side.

When Hermione got struck by a spell which made her crumple motionless to the floor, I crawled out rapidly from under the desk to get to her, only to be kicked violently in the face by a Death Eater.

A howl of pain issued from my lips as I recoiled, clutching my mouth and nose, trying desperately to stem the flow of spurting blood.

My eyes watered in agony and I felt hot tears spill down my cheeks. I wished so much that I had listened to Draco.

The Death Eater who had kicked me was yelling at Harry to hand the prophecy over or else he would do much worse to me.

Despite my fear, I felt as though I couldn't be in any worse pain than I was, so, reaching inside for an ounce of courage I looked towards Harry.

"Whaddever you do, Harry," I said fiercely, lowering my hands from my bloodied face so he could hear me better, "don'd gib it to him!"

Blood poured down my mouth and chin, splashing onto the floor. Harry grimaced at the sight of me before Stunning the Death Eater with ease.

Harry tried to persuade me to take Hermione to safety and go and raise the alarm.

"And whad are you going do do?" I said thickly, mopping my bleeding nose with my sleeve as I frowned at Harry.

"I've got to find the others." he said simply.

"Well, I'm going do find dem wid you." I said firmly.

Harry, sighing heavily, made me carry Hermione as we went in search of the others.

Ron seemed a little drunk on stupidity when we eventually came across him and he nearly got strangled by a brain. Luna hit a desk and fell unconscious, and Ginny sprained an ankle.

Harry and I were the only ones left that could fight.

So I dumped Hermione's body with the others and followed Harry into the room with the veil where he was already surrounded by Death Eaters after having fallen down into the pit.

"You are not in a position to bargain, Potter," Draco's father said, his pale face flushed with pleasure as he rounded on Harry. "You see, there are ten of us and only one of you... or hasn't Dumbledore ever taught you how to count?"

"He's dot alone!" I shouted from where I stood at the top of the benches above them. "He's still god be!"

I started scrambling down the stone benches towards them, my wand held fast in my trembling hand.

"Neve - no!" Harry cried exasperatedly. "Go back to Ron-"

"STUBEFY!" I shouted, pointing my wand at each Death Eater in turn. "STUBEFY! STUBE-"

One of the largest Death Eaters seized me from behind, pinioning my arms to my sides. I struggled and kicked; causing several of the Death Eaters to laugh.

"It's Longbottom, isn't it?" Lucius sneered. "Well, your grandmother is used to losing family members to our cause... your death will not come as a great shock."

"Longbottom?" repeated Bellatrix, and a truly evil smile lit her gaunt face. "Why, I have had the pleasure of meeting your parents, girl."

"I DOE YOU HAB!" I roared, feeling a ripping anger course through me as I fought so hard against my captor's encircling grip that the Death Eater shouted, "Someone Stun her!"

"No, no, no," Bellatrix croned, looking at me almost hungrily. "No, let's see how long Longbottom lasts before she cracks like her parents... unless Potter wants to give us the prophecy."

"DON'D GIB ID DO EM!" I roared, my heart beating frantically in both terror and fury as Bellatrix drew nearer to me, her wand raised. "DON'D GIB ID DO DEM, HARRY!"

Bellatrix raised her wand. "Crucio!"

I screamed as pain like I'd never experienced engulfed my entirety. I was dimly aware of being dropped on the floor as I twitched and screamed in agony. I felt as though I was being burned alive. I wanted to die.

"That was just a taster!" Bellatrix squawked once she lifted the curse as I lay sobbing at her feet. I sensed her turn to face Harry. "Now, either give us the prophecy, or watch your little friend die the hard way!"

I was too exhausted, too debilitated to tell him not to.

But just then, as Harry stepped forward to hand it over, the door burst open and familiar looking adults burst through; Moody and Lupin amongst them, as well as Sirius himself.

We were saved!

Spells started shooting above our heads and Harry dove down on the ground beside me.

"Are you okay?" he panted, looking at me in concern.

But just as I was about to answer, Harry was seized by a Death Eater, slowly strangling him.

With my last ounce of strength and courage, too exhausted to shout a spell, I jabbed the Death Eater in the eye with my wand.

"Thanks," Harry said just as Sirius darted up to us.

"Harry, take the prophecy, grab Neve and run!" he yelled before dashing across the room to start duelling Bellatrix.

But before we could make it up the benches, Lucius dived upon Harry's back. "The prophecy, give me the prophecy, Potter!" he snarled.

"No - get - off - me... Neve - catch it!"

I looked up in horror as Harry hurtled the glass ball towards me. This was never going to end well.

But unbelievably I actually caught it!

And then I immediately dropped it.

"Harry, I'b sorry!" I cried in anguish as we watched in horror as the glass orb smashed and the words of the prophecy drifted away unheard. "I'b sorry, Harry, I didn'd bean to-"

But I was cut off by Bellatrix blasting Sirius through the stone archway where he disappeared behind a fluttering veil.

I'm not going to lie - it didn't look good.

*****