Snape and Lily's daughter

Death Eaters

Black shapes were emerging out of thin air all around them, blocking their way left and right.

"To me, Potter," Lucius Malfoy repeated.

"Where's Sirius?" Harry asked.

Several of the Death Eaters laughed. A harsh female voice from the midst of the shadowy figures to Harry's left said triumphantly, "The Dark Lord always knows!"

"Always," echoed Lucius softly. "Now, give me the prophecy, Potter."

"I want to know where Sirius is!"

"I want to know where Sirius is!" the woman mimicked him.

She and her fellow Death Eaters had closed in so that they were mere feet away from Harry and the others, the light from their wands dazzling Harry's eyes.

"You've got him," Harry said. "He's here. I know he is."

"The little baby woke up fwightened and fort what it dweamed was two," said the woman in a horrible, mock-baby voice.

Grace felt Ron stir beside her.

"Don't do anything," Harry muttered. "Not yet —"

The woman who had mimicked him let out a raucous scream of laughter.

"You hear him? You hear him? Giving instructions to the other children as though he thinks of fighting us!"

"Oh, you don't know Potter as I do, Bellatrix," Lucius said. "He has a great weakness for heroics; the Dark Lord understands this about him. Now give me the prophecy, Potter."

"I know Sirius is here," Harry said, with panic in his voice. "I know you've got him!"

More of the Death Eaters laughed, though the woman still laughed loudest of all.

"It's time you learned the difference between life and dreams, Potter," said Lucius. "Now give me the prophecy, or we start using wands."

"Go on, then," Harry said, raising his own wand to chest height. As he did so, Grace and the others did the same.

But the Death Eaters did not strike.

"Hand over the prophecy and no one need get hurt," Lucius said.

It was Harry's turn to laugh.

"Yeah, right!" he said. "I give you this — prophecy, is it? And you'll just let us skip off home, will you?"

The words were hardly out of his mouth when the female Death Eater shrieked, "Accio Proph —"

Harry was just ready for her. He shouted "Protego!"

The orb almost slipped out of his hand.

"Oh, he knows how to play, little bitty baby Potter," she said.

"I TOLD YOU, NO!" Lucius Malfoy roared at the woman. "If you smash it — !"

The woman stepped forward, away from her fellows, and pulled off her hood. It was Bellatrix Lestrange. Grace had seen her face in one of the articles of the Daily Prophet.

"You need more persuasion?" she said, her chest rising and falling rapidly. "Very well — take the brunette one," she ordered the Death Eaters beside her. "Let him watch while we torture the little girl. I'll do it."

Hermione and the others got closer to Grace, as Harry took a step to stand in front of her.

"You'll have to smash this if you want to attack any of us," he told Bellatrix. "I don't think your boss will be too pleased if you come back without it, will he?"