The Battle for the Prophecy The Battle for the Prophecy

Plutonium

The first Death Eater grabbed Ginny’s ankle.  While he was pawing clumsily for the knife sheathed at his waist (that must be his off-hand, thought Luna), Ginny managed to twist around far enough to point her wand at his face and shout “Vespertiliora ex Muco!”8  Instantly, his face was covered in bat bogeys.  He didn’t lose his grip on her ankle, but now his off-hand was occupied brushing off the gooey bats.

As he floated past Pluto, Luna gauged her speed carefully, pointed her wand at the immobile planet and calmly said “Reducto.”

Pluto exploded in the Death Eater’s face.  He let out a muffled roar of surprise and pain, there was a loud, sharp snap, and Ginny screamed.  At the same moment, Luna was knocked off the moon in the opposite direction, upward.  She couldn’t help but notice that, from above, all the planets were turning widdershins.9

Bellatrix was making her first contact with the wall, and as she did she pointed the wand at herself and said, “Descendo.”  This spell was working, Luna noticed, as Bellatrix slid slowly down the wall toward the floor.  Although her descent seemed controlled, her body was in a rather awkward position, pointing downward at an angle.

Ron seemed to be getting the hang of floating about the room.  At the moment that his body was lined up toward Bellatrix, he pointed his wand at her, straight above his head, and yelled, “Expelliarmus!”  Bellatrix descent quickened, and her wand hurtled off in another direction.  Her wordless screech of rage distracted Luna so badly that she almost missed preparing for her contact with the wall.  Jerking her head around, she spied another door.

⁸ Vespertiliora ex Muco! — Latin, meaning “Bats out of mucus!”, pronounced wess • pair • tea • lee • ore • ah   ex   moo • coe (as in toe)

⁹ widdershins — counter-clockwise, this archaic term is commonly found in witch stories.

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