Death Room
From UnknowableWiki
The Death Room is a room in the Department of Mysteries presumably used to study the mysteries related to the supernatural force of death.
The room is large and rectangular, containing a twenty feet deep stone pit in its centre. Stone benches descend in steps all around the chamber forming several tiers, resembling an anphitheatre. In the middle of the pit is a stone dais upon which is an apparently ancient stone archway. Hanging from it is a tattered black veil that "despite the stillness of the cold surrounding air", flutters "very slightly as though it ha[s] just been touched".
The Death Room contains several doorways, at least one of them leading to the circular chamber (OP34) and another to the Brain Room (OP35).
While in the Department of Mysteries, the DA members first enter this room while looking for the Hall of Prophecy, by one of the twelve doors in the circular chamber. Believing someone else is in the room behind the veil, Harry Potter descends the stone steps until he reaches the bottom of the pit. When the boy gets to the other side of the archway, however, no one is there.
Harry gets completely mesmerised by the archway, and while Luna Lovegood and he point out they can hear whispers coming from the other side of the veil, Hermione Granger is skeptical. She convinces the boy to leave the room pointing out they were supposed to be there to rescue Sirius Black. Hermione and Ron Weasley then proceed to drag Neville Longbottom and Ginny, who also seemed to be entranced by the veil, back to the circular chamber (OP34).
Battle of the Department of Mysteries
Full article: Battle of the Department of Mysteries
During the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, Harry flees from the Brain Room into the Death Room carrying the prophecy. Five Death Eaters immediately follow him, and Lucius Malfoy tries to talk the boy into handing them the orb in his power. Neville Longbottom then enters the chamber and confronts the dark wizards.
As a way of convincing Harry to give up the prophecy, Bellatrix Lestrange casts a Cruciatus Curse on Neville. However, before Harry has a chance to give the witch what she wants, Sirius, Remus Lupin, Mad-Eye Moody, Andromeda Tonks and Kingsley Shacklebolt burst into the Death Room. A battle between members of the Order of the Phoenix and Death Eaters immediately starts, during which the two DA members keep on preventing the dark wizards from getting to the prophecy.
Antonin Dolohov hits Neville with Tarantallegra, causing the latter to lose control of his legs. Eventually, the boy kicks the prophecy that had fallen on the ground, smashing it. Albus Dumbledore then arrives, and all the Death Eaters attempt to flee but Bellatrix, who is still duelling with Sirius. The witch manages to hit him with a spell squarely on the chest, causing him to fall straight through the archway and the veil hanging from it (OP35).
Sirius fails to reappear on the other side of the archway, and Remus Lupin proceeds to try to convince a skeptical Harry his godfather is dead. Meanwhile, Dumbledore has most of the Death Eaters immobilised, and Bellatrix starts duelling with Kingsley. The witch manages to hit the Auror with a spell and flees the Death Room. Harry, finally realising she was responsible for Sirius' death, runs after her towards the Brain Room (OP36).
