Harry, Ron, Hermione, Luna, Neville and Ginny arrived at the Department of Mysteries via Floo Network, Constantine teleporting nearby as they looked around for the row Sirius was supposed to be at, and eventually found it.
But there was no Sirius Black to be found anywhere!
"He should be near here," whispered Harry, convinced that every step was going to bring the ragged form of Sirius into view upon the darkened floor. "Anywhere here . . . really close . . ."
"Harry?" said Hermione tentatively, but he did not want to respond. His mouth was very dry now.
"Somewhere about . . . here . . ." he said. They had reached the end of the row and emerged into more dim candlelight. There was nobody there at all. All was echoing, dusty silence.
"He might be . . ." Harry whispered hoarsely, peering down the alley next door. "Or maybe . . ." He hurried to look down the one beyond that.
"Harry?" said Hermione again.
"What?" he snarled.
"I . . . I don't think Sirius is here."
Nobody spoke.
Harry did not want to look at any of them. He felt sick. He did not understand why Sirius was not here. He had to be here.
This was where he, Harry, had seen him. . . . He ran up the space at the end of the rows, staring down them. Empty aisle after empty aisle flickered past.
He ran the other way, back past his staring companions. There was no sign of Sirius anywhere, nor any hint of a struggle.
"Where's Constantine?" Luna asked suddenly and they noted he had disappeared.
"Oh no", Neville sighed.
"Harry?" Ron called.
"What?" He did not want to hear what Ron had to say, did not want to hear Ron tell him he had been stupid, or suggest that they ought to go back to Hogwarts.
But the heat was rising in his face and he felt as though he would like to skulk down here in the darkness for a long while before facing the brightness of the Atrium above and the others' accusing stares. . . .
"Have you seen this?" said Ron.
"What?" said Harry, but eagerly this time — it had to be a sign that Sirius had been there, a clue — he strode back to where they were all standing, a little way down row ninety-seven, but found nothing except Ron staring at one of the dusty glass spheres on the shelves.
"What?" Harry repeated glumly.
"It's — it's got your name on," said Ron. Harry moved a little closer. Ron was pointing at one of the small glass spheres that glowed with a dull inner light, though it was very dusty and appeared not to have been touched for many years.
"My name?" said Harry blankly. He stepped forward. Not as tall as Ron, he had to crane his neck to read the yellowish label affixed to the shelf right beneath the dusty glass ball. In spidery writing was written a date of some sixteen years previously, and below that his name and a mention of the Dark Lord.
Harry stared at it.
"What is it?" Ron asked, sounding unnerved. "What's your name doing down here?"
He glanced along at the other labels on that stretch of shelf.
"I'm not here," he said, sounding perplexed. "None of the rest of us are here. . . ."
"Harry, I don't think you should touch it," said Hermione sharply, as he stretched out his hand.
"Why not?" he said. "It's something to do with me, isn't it?"
"Don't, Harry," said Neville suddenly. Harry looked around at him. Neville's round face was shining slightly with sweat. He looked as though he could not take much more suspense.
"It's got my name on," said Harry. And feeling slightly reckless, he closed his fingers around the dusty ball's surface. He had expected it to feel cold, but it did not.
On the contrary, it felt as though it had been lying in the sun for hours, as though the glow of light within was warming it.
Expecting, even hoping, that something dramatic was going to happen, something exciting that might make their long and dangerous journey worthwhile after all, he lifted the glass ball down from its shelf and stared at it.
Nothing whatsoever happened.
The others moved in closer around Harry, gazing at the orb as he brushed it free of the clogging dust.
And then, from right behind them, a drawling voice said, "Very good, Potter. Now turn around, nice and slowly, and give that to me."
Black shapes were emerging out of thin air all around them, blocking their way left and right; eyes glinted through slits in hoods, a dozen lit wand tips were pointing directly at their hearts. Ginny gave a gasp of horror.
"To me, Potter," repeated the drawling voice of Lucius Malfoy as he held out his hand, palm up.
Harry's insides plummeted sickeningly. They were trapped and outnumbered two to one.
"To me," said Malfoy yet again.
"Where's Sirius?" Harry said. 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 Malfoy softly. "Now, give me the prophecy, Potter."
"I want to know where Sirius is!"
"I want to know where Sirius is!" mimicked the woman to his left. 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," said Harry, ignoring the rising panic in his chest, the dread he had been fighting since they had first entered the ninety seventh row. "He's here. I know he is."
"The little baby woke up fwightened and fort what it dweamed was twoo," said the woman in a horrible, mock-baby voice.
Harry felt Ron stir beside him. "Don't do anything," he 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," said Malfoy softly. "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," said Harry, though panic was causing his chest to constrict and he felt as though he could not breathe properly. "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 Malfoy. "Now give me the prophecy, or we start using wands."
"Go on, then," said Harry, raising his own wand to chest height. As he did so, the five wands of Ron, Hermione, Neville, Ginny, and Luna rose on either side of him.
The knot in Harry's stomach tightened. If Sirius really was not here, he had led his friends to their deaths for no reason at all. . . . But the Death Eaters did not strike.
"Hand over the prophecy and no one need get hurt," said Malfoy coolly.
"Wrong! You lot do."
And then Constantine appeared, punching Lucius as he fell down and then flames spewed out from him towards the Death Eaters who turned to mist to avoid, though shelves were hit as prophecies shattered.
"Come on, run you bloody fools!" Constantine called out as they started running, and one Death Eater tried to lunge at Harry but the boy elbowed him and they were off as the Death Eaters started flying around in mist form.
Antonin Dolohov aimed his wand at Constantine. "You were a fool to fight us. Crucio!"
Constantine blocked the spell with his magic and turning it into a rope, hurled it at Dolohov as it bound him and caused him great pain due to being formed from the Cruciatus Curse.
Walden Macnair and Crabbe were walking around with their wands when suddenly Zatanna Zatarra appeared in front of them.
Before they could cast a spell she chanted. "erifkcaB no meht."
Walden was hit by his own Confundus Charm which backfired on him as Crabbe's Stunning Spell backfired on him too, and both were sent flying back.
"Uhhhh…." Walden muttered, confused.
"eiT meht pu", Zatanna chanted as ropes appeared and bound both Death Eaters.
Mulciber was walking to a door when suddenly Constantine charged him from the shadows and decked his face twice before kneeing his gut, and smashed him into a shelf, making it crash upon him along with various prophecies, knocking him out.
Rodolphus and Rabastan appeared and aimed at him but Constantine chanted. "Impetu earum thyrsos."
Their wands turned into snakes that dug their fangs into their throats, making them gasp in pain as they fell down, dying from what was happening to them.
Harry, Ron, Hermione, Luna, Neville and Ginny had arrived in the Death Chamber now, with Avery appearing as Luna shouted. "Levicorpus!"
And that sent him off as Neville did a 'Petrificus Totalis' on Nott, with Ginny hitting Rockwood with a 'Reducto', taking him out brutally as his bones were gone.
Then Lucius, Bellatrix and Jugdon appeared, with Nott recovering as the six were surrounded.
"Give us the prophecy!" Lucius commanded.
Then there were flashes of light as Sirius, Lupin, Dumbledore, Moody, Tonks and Kingsley appeared.
"You people keep your hands off my Godson", Sirius snarled as they began dueling the Death Eaters, a recovering Avery joining his side.
Constantine then appeared and tossed Harry his lighter. "Come on boy!"
Harry closed his eyes, concentrating, and felt the flames in his hand as he opened his eyes. Lucius was about to fire a spell at him but Harry fired his flames and Lucius was hit, burnt in the arm and sent flying off as he screamed in pain, his arm scorched now before he passed out.
"Nice one James!" Sirius cheered as Zatanna appeared.
"dinB mih", she pointed at Avery who was bound in ropes too, while Ron hit Jugdom with a Stunning Spell, sending him flying off and falling down, and Constantine kicked the dazed Death Eater out.
Hermione disarmed Nott with a spell as Zatanna bound her too.
Bellatrix was dueling Sirius in front of the veil and fired a Stunning Spell when Constantine appeared in the way and caught it in his hands.
If not for him Sirius would have been sent through the veil.
"You have such great power; you can serve the Dark Lord!" Bellatrix said.
"Not interested, luv", Constantine said, then chanted in Egyptian. "auktub alnasa huna jalb alkhanafis alqatilat – aljueran."
His eyes glowed as the red Stunning Spell transformed into red scarabs, and they crawled towards Bellatrix fast, none of her spells affecting them.
"Expelliarmus!" Neville cried out and disarmed her, as she had been too busy trying to fight off the scarabs she hadn't paid attention to him.
The scarabs crawled onto Bellatrix and bit through her skin, eating her on the inside as she screamed in pure agony, actually crying, all watching the insane woman finally face the consequences of her actions, and soon, an empty husk of a skin fell down.
Bellatrix Lestrange was dead!
All looked at the husk, Neville with a lot of satisfaction. Dumbledore had grouped the unconscious Death Eaters into the middle, all out now.
Suddenly, there was a burst of shadow, with Harry's scar searing as a tall, thin and black-hooded man appeared, his face terribly snake-like white and gaunt, his scarlet, slit-pupiled eyes staring . . . Lord Voldemort had appeared in the middle of the Chamber, his wand pointing at Harry who stood frozen, quite unable to move.
Dumbledore appeared in the way, shielding Harry.
"It was foolish to come here tonight, Tom," said Dumbledore calmly. "The Aurors are on their way —"
"By which time I shall be gone, and you dead!" spat Voldemort.
They were about to fight when Constantine stood in the way to fight himself.
"Hello there, no-nose. Was starting to think you were avoiding me." He grimaced at the snake-man's appearance. "Starting to wish you were."
"John Constantine. The Muggle who thought himself a Wizard."
"Oh, I am most definitely not a Wizard, mate. I'm much worse, ask anybody."
Voldy and John paced and stare at each other, the former putting up a front.
"You seem pale, Old Tom Voldy. Nervous?" John chuckled at the glaring dark lord. "You should be."
"AVADA KEDAVRA!"
A green light shot out at Constantine when suddenly the Shinigami book appeared in his hand and he held it up, using it to block the Killing Curse.
Voldemort stared at his wand confused as Constantine peaked his head over the book. "Shooting blanks? Don't worry, my son, happens to the best of us."
Voldemort's eyes widened in horror. "How-"
"The world is big, very big, and there are many more worlds, with power greater than your feeble mind can comprehend", Constantine sneered at Voldemort, everyone else just watching the battle in awe.
Voldemort fired a string of other curses, Constantine simply blocking them all with his hand, and deflected one at Voldemort as he was sent flying back and crashing to the ground.
The others were jaw-dropped at how easily Constantine was taking on Voldemort.
Voldemort screamed and fired a very powerful destructive curse but Zatanna flashed her wand. "tcelfeD."
An invisible shield deflected the curse as there was a small explosion, sending Voldemort staggering back.
As he tried to fire another blast, Constantine countered with a blast of fire that overpowered Voldemort and sent him flying back and crashing to the ground.
That was when various Aurors started arriving, and Fudge was with them too, now finally seeing Voldemort as his eyes widened in horror. "He's back."
Dumbledore gave him an 'I told you so' look as Voldemort fired Killing Curse after Killing Curse but Constantine kept blocking with the Shinigami book even when Voldemort flew behind him to do it, Constantine turned around in time.
"You can't win here", Constantine shrugged.
"Give up, Tom", Dumbledore said.
"NEVER!" Voldemort screamed as he was about to fire another Killing Curse when there was a shockwave and he fell down.
Esrin Fortuna had appeared!
"Oh Esrin, right in time", Constantine smirked as Voldemort's other Hocruxes- Slytherin's locket, Ravenclaw's diadem, Hufflepuff's cup, Gaunt's ring and Nagini were all hovering in the air.
"What…..?" Voldemort trailed off.
"You split your soul, didn't you? But now it ends", Esrin said as she chanted and soul fragments seeped out of all the Hocruxes, and Harry as well as he gasped and fell down, pained, with Ron, Hermione, Luna, Neville, Ginny, Sirius, Lupin and Dumbledore all supporting him.
The soul fragments together formed a cloud of grey smoke with Voldemort's face appearing on it.
"NOOOO!" Voldemort screamed as he tried to fire at her but Zatanna deflected again as he was thrown down.
Dark magic projected from Esrin's hands as black, ethereal gas and it circled the soul fragments, forming a ring that kept on spinning as the gas turned into an orb with the face starting to screech, and when the orb was fully formed, it condensed before a wave of dark energy that sent all to the ground.
When they recovered, the soul fragments were all destroyed, leaving the Hocruxes as the normal but prized items they were.
Zatanna immediately struck Nagini. "lliK eht ekans."
A blast of magic killed Nagini as Voldemort screamed in pain, feeling the loss of all his Hocruxes, and tried to stagger up.
"You fear death, now let it take you", Constantine said and chanted. "Mors daemonis in hoc libro, eum dimitte."
A spectral form flew out of the Shinigami book which then took shape.
The thing had a fairly humanoid appearance. He was extremely slim and had light-gray skin, almost blue-ish in color, with spiky black hair; thin, blue-gray lips; and sharp, pointed teeth. His limbs were abnormally long, and he wore rings on his fingers. He had large, round yellow eyes with bright red irises and retractable feather-like wings on his back that enabled him to fly.
A Shinigami!
"Hello everyone, my name is Ryuk", the Shinigami introduced himself, cracking his neck. "It was a pain being trapped in my own Death Note."
Ryuk raised his hand as the Shinigami book aka Death Note flew from Constantine's hands into his own, and a pen appeared in his hand as well. "The human whose name is written in this note shall die."
Voldemort said to him. "Join with me Shinigami! We can rule this world together and you can kill as many as you want, come on! Write all their names and kill them."
Low of Solipsism plays
"I'll write it", Ryuk raised his pen. "Sure."
Voldemort laughed as all but Constantine, Zatanna and Esrin were frightened, and fired various curses at the Shinigami which passed through him.
Voldemort laughed in victory as Ryuk shrugged. "Sorry everyone, that stuff is too weak to touch me."
"Do something!" Hermione said to Constantine, Zatanna and Esrin.
"Ryuk will write all your names in his book, and I shall rule all!" Voldemort laughed hysterically, then turned to Ryuk. "Are you done writing?"
"Oh yes, I am", Ryuk nodded.
"Show me", Voldemort said.
"You got it", Ryuk turned the Death Note around and showed it to Voldemort. There was only one name on it.
Tom Marvolo Riddle!
Voldemort's eyes widened in horror as even with his pale skin he paled.
"Your time has come, Tom, theirs has not, and relying on me will be the death of you", Ryuk said callously as Voldemort screamed, trying to fire a Killing Curse at Ryuk which just went through him. He fired at the Death Note but that was unaffected too.
And then 40 seconds passed as Voldemort gasped, feeling a sharp pain in his chest. He was going into cardiac arrest!
Blood poured out of his mouth and he fell to the ground, panting before eventually staring without seeing.
Voldemort was dead! He had tried to split his soul, avoid death, and be the greatest threat to mankind who'd fear him like a God.
But now he had died like any man.
"Well, this was fun, time to go", Ryuk then disappeared with his Death Note.
The others all looked around at the captured or dead Death Eaters, and Voldemort's corpse as Constantine finally took his lighter from Harry and smoked a cigarette.
"Well, this is it, anything else? No? All right then, give me my bloody money!"