The battle between Sirius and Bellatrix erupted with vicious intensity.
Bellatrix's first curse exploded against the stone floor where Sirius had stood a heartbeat before.
"Too slow, cousin!" Sirius taunted, rolling to his feet with predatory grace. "Azkaban made you sloppy!"
"FILTHY BLOOD TRAITOR!"
Green light erupted from Bellatrix's wand. Sirius twisted aside, the Killing Curse missing by inches. His return volley—a vicious purple flame—forced her to dive behind a fallen column.
Arthur watched from the Mirror Dimension, positioned close enough to see the sweat on Sirius's face. The cousins' dance of death carried them steadily toward the ancient archway.
Almost time.
Suddenly, the fighting throughout the rest of the chamber stopped as if frozen in time. Arthur glanced toward the doorway to see what had caused this dramatic shift.
An old man with a magnificent beard and colorful robes stood in the entrance, his presence commanding immediate attention.
Dumbledore had arrived, and he was furious.
Arthur had never seen such cold rage on the headmaster's face. His wand moved with precise, devastating efficiency, dropping Death Eaters one after another without them offering any resistance. The sheer terror in their eyes prevented them from mounting any defense.
However, while the larger battle had essentially ended, one duel continued with unabated ferocity.
Sirius and Bellatrix, lost in their personal war, seemed oblivious to Dumbledore's arrival.
Arthur positioned himself mere inches from the combatants, watching as Sirius ducked beneath a scarlet curse that sizzled past his ear.
"Come on, you can do better than that!" Sirius shouted, his voice echoing through the chamber as he laughed at his successful evasion.
Arthur tensed, knowing exactly what came next. Bellatrix's second spell—the one that would strike Sirius squarely in the chest and send him tumbling through the veil.
It happened precisely as Arthur remembered from his knowledge of canon events. Bellatrix raised her wand with murderous intent, the spell already forming at its tip.
In that crucial moment, Arthur acted. He burst from the Mirror Dimension into reality while invisible using the Disillusionment Charm.
Scarlet light erupted from Bellatrix's wand. The curse streaked toward Sirius's chest with deadly precision.
Arthur's hands moved in a practiced gesture. Reality cracked around Sirius like shattered glass, yanking him into the Mirror Dimension just as the curse passed through where his body had been.
The transition happened so quickly that to any observer, it would appear that Bellatrix's spell had struck home, sending Sirius falling backward toward the archway.
In the Mirror Dimension, Sirius stumbled, completely disoriented.
"What the bloody—" he started.
Arthur's stunning spell cut him off mid-profanity. The unconscious wizard slumped in his grip.
"Sorry about this," Arthur muttered, opening a portal to his London manor. "But you'll thank me later. Probably. Maybe. Actually, you'll probably try to hex me."
He shoved Sirius through the glowing doorway and sealed it behind him.
Rescue complete. Time for entertainment.
Arthur conjured a comfortable chair and a bowl of popcorn, settling in to watch the show. The butter-scented kernels were perfectly salted. The benefits of mystical food creation—always exactly to taste.
In the real world, chaos erupted.
"SIRIUS!" Harry's anguished scream tore through the chamber like a physical blow. "SIRIUS!"
Lupin grabbed Harry, preventing him from rushing toward the veil. "There's nothing you can do, Harry—"
"Get him, save him, he's only just gone through!" Harry struggled violently against Lupin's grip.
"It's too late, Harry," Lupin said, his voice breaking with grief.
"We can still reach him—" Harry fought desperately.
"There's nothing you can do, Harry... nothing... He's gone."
Arthur munched his popcorn with satisfaction. Everything was proceeding according to plan. Harry believed Sirius was dead, which meant the next sequence of events would unfold exactly as they should.
The battle's aftermath played out around them. Dumbledore had corralled most of the remaining Death Eaters in the chamber's center, binding them with invisible magical restraints. Mad-Eye Moody crawled across the floor to where Tonks lay unconscious, attempting to revive her.
Behind the stone dais, flashes of light and sounds of combat continued—Kingsley had moved to engage Bellatrix after Sirius's apparent death.
Harry stood frozen, lost in shock and grief, while Neville and Lupin positioned themselves protectively nearby.
Then—BANG!
Kingsley cried out in pain as he hit the ground hard. Bellatrix wheeled around, her wild hair flying as she spotted Dumbledore advancing on her position.
She was fleeing.
Dumbledore's wand whipped up, a spell streaking toward her retreating form. Bellatrix deflected it with desperate skill and continued her escape.
"Harry—no!" Lupin shouted, but Harry had already torn free from the professor's loosened grip.
"SHE KILLED SIRIUS!" Harry bellowed, his voice raw with fury and anguish. "SHE KILLED HIM—I'LL KILL HER!"
He scrambled up the stone steps like a man possessed. Multiple voices called warnings, but Harry heard none of them.
"This should be good," Arthur murmured, following through the Mirror Dimension.
The chase was almost comical—Harry sprinting with teenage fury while Bellatrix fled with the desperation of someone who'd just realized they'd done evil in front of Dumbledore.
Through corridors and past abandoned offices they ran. Harry's helpful door-opening and lift-operating made Arthur's spectating in the Mirror Dimension remarkably convenient.
Finally, they burst into the Atrium.
Bellatrix stood at the center, panting like a cornered animal. Harry faced her across the polished floor, his entire body trembling with rage.
"Come out to play, baby Potter?" Bellatrix's voice dripped false sweetness. "Want to join your dogfather?"
"Don't you dare—" Harry's wand shook in his grip. "Don't you DARE talk about him!"
"Aw, did I hurt baby's feelings?" She twirled her wand mockingly. "Going to cry? Going to—"
"CRUCIO!"
The curse erupted from Harry with all the force of his grief and hatred. Bellatrix screamed and collapsed.
For about three seconds.
Then she was back on her feet, laughing harder than ever.
"That tickled!" she cackled. "Is that really the best you can do? Let Auntie Bella teach you how it's done!"
Arthur leaned forward in his conjured chair. Things were getting interesting again.
"You have to mean it, boy!" Bellatrix circled him like a shark. "You have to want to cause pain—to enjoy it! Righteous anger won't hurt me for long!"
Harry dove behind the golden fountain as her curses shattered the floor where he'd stood.
"Potter, you cannot win against me!" Bellatrix's voice had gained an edge of desperation. "I was trained by the Dark Lord himself! Give me the prophecy—roll it out toward me now—and I may spare your life!"
"The prophecy's gone!" Harry shouted back. "Smashed to pieces! Your master won't be happy about that, will he?"
"LIAR!"
Terror crept into Bellatrix's shriek. Arthur could practically see her imagining Voldemort's reaction to this news.
"Give it to me! Give me the prophecy!"
"Nothing to give!" Harry called from behind a golden centaur. "It's destroyed! Tell Voldemort he wasted his time!"
"Tell me yourself, Potter."
The temperature plummeted. Arthur watched with more excitement.
Voldemort had arrived.