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Part One / Chapter Thirty-Nine
There was movement going on around her, pointless bustling, the flashes of more spells. To Venus it was meaningless noise, the deflected curses flying past her did not matter, nothing mattered except Venus on her way to murder Bellatrix Lestrange. Spells narrowly missed her, but under her murderous rage, she didn't care for them.
Dumbledore had most of the remaining Death Eaters grouped in the middle of the room, seemingly immobilized by invisible ropes. There was a loud bang and a yell from behind the dais. Bellatrix Lestrange turned tail and ran as Dumbledore whipped around. He aimed a spell at her but she deflected it. She was halfway up the steps now —
"Venus!" cried Lupin, Venus was already at the top of the stairs, "Harry — no!," but Harry had already ripped his arm from Lupin's slackened grip.
"SHE KILLED SIRIUS!" she heard Harry shout from behind her. "SHE KILLED HIM — I'LL KILL HER!"
The hem of Bellatrix's robes whipped out of sight ahead and they were back in the room where the brains were swimming. . . .
She aimed a curse over her shoulder. The tank rose into the air and tipped behind Venus, nearly crushing her. Harry was not so lucky and was trapped on the other side.
"Where did you run off to, Bellatrix?" Venus called out, maliciousness seeping in her words.
Bellatrix was disappearing through a door on the other side of the room — beyond her was the corridor leading back to the lifts.
She ran, fortunately, catching the door before Bellatrix could slam it in her face. But, this meant that the others were stranded. Now, Venus was stowing upon Bellatrix, throwing hexes and curses, only for them to be deflected.
A jet of red light slammed against Venus' chest and she was sent flying backward, and into the wall. Bellatrix gave a wary cackle, entering a lift and waving goodbye as she ascended up the elevator.
Venus mustered up all of her strength, but when she tried pushing herself up from the ground, an unbearable pain shot up and down her right arm. Her arm had been deeply bruised; yellow and purple tainted her honey skin. Venus' eyes began to water, the world around her slowly began to thin.
No. She couldn't faint right now, she had to get to Bellatrix.
"Venus," said a voice from behind her. "Venus!"
Harry's fingers merely grazed her broken arm and Venus' winced violently. He shuffled to the other side and pulled her good arm around his neck. He got Venus up and sprinted down the passageway, swung around the corner, and slammed his fist into the button to call a second lift. It jangled and banged lower and lower; the grilles slid open and they dashed inside, now hammering the button marked Atrium. The doors slid shut and they were rising. . . .
