Flamel's Legacy (Teaser)

Teaser: The Death Chamber

[[Disclaimer: Harry Potter and Fullmetal Alchemist are property of J.K. Rowling and Hiromu Arakawa respectively. The only thing that belongs to me is the plot.]]

The trio flew down the black-tiled hallways of the Department of Mysteries. The Unspeakable leading the group took a quick glance to make sure the two Aurors were following.

"It's this way," the Unspeakable panted. They ran nonstop from the Atrium of the old Ministry of Magic all the way to this section of the Department of Mysteries.

The Aurors said nothing, focusing only on following the black robed man ahead of them...

--Earlier--

A young Auror swiftly passed through the various cubicles that made up the new Department of Magical Law Enforcement, searching for the section he had become all too familiar with: the Auror Office.

One of the workers peeked over his cubicle. "Jameson? You alright?"

Jameson nodded distractedly. "Has anyone seen the Head Auror?"

The worker pointed a thumb at one of the doors. "He's in his office."

Jameson thanked the worker and went straight for the door. Just as he raised his hand to knock, the door opened to reveal a very pale Harry Potter.

"Oh! Uh, Mr. Potter...Are you alright?"

Harry blinked upon seeing the slightly distraught Auror. "Jameson?" A look crossed his face. "Did something happen?"

Jameson had become very familiar with that look. Harry knew when something was serious. And this was very, very serious. "One of the Unspeakables...something to do with the Death Chamber, and--"

Harry raised a hand to calm the young man. "Take a breath and start again. Now, what's this about the Death Chamber?"

Jameson did as he was told and took a deep breath, collecting his thoughts. "Something's happening at the Department of Mysteries."

--Present--

It hadn't taken the two Aurors long to meet the Unspeakable at the Atrium of the old Ministry of Magic. And now the three men were practically running for their lives. The Unspeakable with them said they didn't have much time.

As he followed the other two, Harry was reminded of the mad dash he and his peers had made several years ago when they had snuck into the Ministry to rescue Sirius Black. Some rescue mission that was...

And now he was heading straight back to the very place where the last of his family was taken away from him. The Death Chamber...he remembered that place all too well. But what could have possibly happened to cause the workers to send for Aurors?

He saw his answer the moment the trio burst through the door. The stone archway on the stone dais at the center of the room caught his immediate attention but that wasn't what has the Unspeakables so spooked. On the dais itself were strange runes glowing in the darkness. Even the veil hanging under the stone arch seemed to glow.

"What is this...?"

Several Unspeakables stood around the dais, none of them standing too close for fear of...something.

The Unspeakable that brought them there whispered, "One of the other workers...he was new and...well, he stepped on the dais. And that's when it happened..."

"What happened?" Jameson asked in a hushed voice.

"He disappeared. It was almost as if he...disintegrated..."

"Bloody hell..."

Harry's eyes narrowed as he noticed the glow grew brighter. "When did this start?"

"About an hour ago," came the reply.

The Head Auror's hand wandered up to his forehead. That was when that happened...but what could it mean...?

"Are you alright, sir?" Jameson asked. "You look pale. Again."

Harry ignored the question and hopped down the stone steps towards the dais. No one needed to know what happened an hour previous, it would only cause panic. "It's getting brighter," he muttered. Already, he could hear the voices emanating from the veil. But last time he heard them, he was much closer, almost touching the veil...

"Mr. Potter!"

"Please, wait sir!"

A flash of light stopped Harry in his tracks. Blue lightning sprouted up from the runes on the dais. Harry shielded his eyes from the light. "Everyone back away! Now!"

Rumbling filled the room. Many stumbled towards the steps to get some support. Others simply crouched down, trying to grip the stone floor for dear life.

Once the rumbling subsided and the crackle of lightning ceased, Harry risked a look. What he saw was more than shocking.

Instead of the veiled arch stood a stone slab with a strange mural on it. Harry's green eyes wandered up to the top of the mural where he saw engraved a symbol of a cross with a snake wrapped around it, with detached wings and a crown above it.

Wands were drawn, all pointing to the stone slab. The glow from the runes remained though it was dimmer than when the Aurors first arrived.

Harry swallowed, wondering what this could all mean. It didn't take him long, as the stone slab seemed to divide in half, swinging open like doors. White light flooded from the open stone doors.

Everyone shielded their eyes from the light. Harry, however, managed to sneak a peek at what was happening. Though, what his eyes beheld was simply impossible. Tiny particles floated out through the doors, assembling themselves bit by bit until those particles became...a human. A human boy.

The stone doors closed with a thud and slowly disintegrated, the particles floating up into nothing. The glow of the runes faded completely though the runes themselves remained, almost as if it were burned into the stone.

As for the boy, he stood upright for a moment before swaying a little. Harry ran onto the dais to catch the now unconscious boy before he fell to the ground.