Yikes, it's been a while hasn't it? Sorry about that. Anyway, here's the new chapter, it's more of a 'filler' than anything else, but hopefully you'll still enjoy.

Harry was floating in a sea of darkness. His limbs dangling effortlessly by his side as the gentle current carried him along into nothingness. There was no sound in this place, wherever he was, and no people as far as he could tell. He was alone, encased in the darkness, and he wanted to stay there forever.

Almost as soon as he thought this, everything began to change. His arms and legs started to become heavier, no longer floating effortlessly. The darkness around him was beginning to fade, and there were voices too. Indistinct sounds echoing around him, disturbing his peaceful bubble. He became aware of the throbbing pain in his head, as though someone had taken a large hammer and had attempted to break his skull with it.

With what felt like a monumental effort, Harry opened his eyes. For a moment the world swam in and out of focus, and Harry had a hard time making anything out. He discerned that he was in some sort of dungeon, judging by the rough stone floor he had been laid upon. It was a small room, about the size of his bedroom at the Dursleys, and the only light came from torch mounted on the wall, which cast a flickering orange glow about the place.

Sitting up gingerly, Harry saw in front of him a set of thick iron bars which separated his cell from the main corridor, and beyond it was another cell facing his own. He reached for the bars to pull himself up, but as his fingers closed in around the metal, he felt something akin to a surge of electricity pass through him, and fell to the floor with a cry of pain.

"Nice little feature that," came a voice from above him, "stops you doing anything stupid….like trying one of your little escape plans."

Harry looked up, his body jerking uncontrollably, and saw that it was the tall death eater from the forest. He smiled at Harry's glare.

"What, d-did you do Hag-grid?" said Harry between tremors.

"Oh don't worry, your half-breed friend is still alive…just. It seems as though he has a few allies in the forest, and they came to his aid before we could finish him off…pity really. But no matter, we have achieved what the Dark Lord set us out to do, and I shall be rewarded handsomely for my endeavors."

The sound of footsteps echoed in the corridor, and the tall man looked around as a second death eater clad in robes and a mask came into view.

"Jasper, the Dark Lord wants to see the boy upstairs."

The tall man, Jasper, smiled cruelly at Harry.

"Well then," he said opening the cell, "we'd better not keep him waiting."

Minerva McGonagall had been steadily working her way through the large mound of essays sitting on her desk, when something came zooming in through the window, knocking them all onto the floor. With a sigh of frustration, she levitated the papers back onto her desk, and looked around. Fluttering in the corner of her office was a small creature, which Minerva guessed to be a sprite or pixie. Unlike the disastrous lot that Gilderoy Lockhart had once set loose in his classroom, the Deputy Headmistress recognized that this particular creature was an inhabitant of the forbidden forest.

It continued to flutter by the door, obviously wanting her to follow, and with a deep sigh, she acquiesced. Minerva had to hurry to keep up with the creature who, buoyed by her compliance, had rocketed out of her office and down the corridor. It led her out of the castle, towards the edge of the forbidden forest where a group of centaurs had gathered.

The sprite landed on the shoulder of the largest centaur at the front of the group, and the two began conversing in a language the Professor didn't understand.

"Professor McGonagall," he said turning to her at last, "my name is Alaois. I had sent Gadrag here to summon Professor Dumbledore, but it appears he had no luck and brought you instead."

"And how may I be of assistance?" she asked cautiously.

Alaois gestured to two members of his group, who both turned and trotted into the darkness. After a few moments, they returned dragging something large on the floor between them, and with a gasp, Minerva recognized the bloodied body of Hagrid.

"Merlin! What happened to him?" she asked horrified, moving to kneel beside his semi-conscious form.

"A group of death eaters appeared in the forest a couple of hours ago. My clan had been watching them closely for any signs that they might try to attack the creatures of the forest, but they were waiting for a student from your school. It is not usually in our nature to interfere with human affairs, but a friend of Hagrid is a friend of ours, and so I sent word to him to come and help the boy. By the time he arrived it was too late, and all we could do was make sure that Hagrid wasn't harmed further."

"You said the student was a friend of Hagrid's," said the Deputy Headmistress, desperately hoping she had heard wrong, "do you know who it was?"

She knew what the answer would be even before he had said it, but that didn't stop the feeling of despair that consumed her when he responded.

"Harry Potter."

She closed her eyes briefly, and asked the next question, "Do you know where they took him?"

"I'm afraid I don't" he replied, somewhat remorsefully.

Her heart sank. She had been afraid that something like this would happen ever since that repugnant woman had published the whole story of Harry's adoption. Taking out her wand, she sent a patronus to Albus relaying what had happened.

A small moan from Hagrid finally set the transfiguration mistress into action. She stood up, and after thanking the centaurs, levitated the Gamekeeper and propelled him back towards the castle. As she walked through the entrance hall however, the bell rang for lunch, and hundreds of students began to pour out of their classrooms into the corridors. Reacting quickly, Minerva placed a concealment charm on Hagrid's body, and levitated him higher into the air to avoid the oncoming students. Many ghosts looked confused as Hagrid's solid but invisible form passed through them, and Minerva heard much giggling from the students around her, as she marched through the corridor, wand held aloft.

Only when she had reached the hospital wing, and had pulled the privacy screen around Hagrid's bed, did she remove the charm, calling the Matron as she did so. Madam Pomfrey, after getting over her initial shock at seeing Hagrid in such a state, set about to business healing the deep cuts and wounds with her wand, whilst administering a variety of potions to the half-giant.

Confident that Hagrid was in good hands, the Deputy Headmistress left the hospital wing, and made her way to the Headmaster's office. She wondered what her friend was going through right now. Minerva had been one of the few people who had known about the adoption from the beginning. In fact, it was because of her part in Harry's upbringing, that the world had never known the small boy who had once lived at Hogwarts had been Harry Potter. She had helped disguise his identity using her own family name, and along with the powerful enchantments Albus had placed upon him, nobody had ever been able to piece together the truth. Until now.

She rounded the corner, and to her utmost surprise found that a small queue of students had formed outside the stone gargoyle.

"What on earth is going on here?" she asked them.

"We're waiting to see the Headmaster," said a small boy whom Minerva recognized as a second year Hufflepuff, "but this thing won't let us pass" he added, jerking his thumb at the gargoyle.

"I need to get a form signed by him Professor-" chimed in another student.

"I was here first-" came the voice of a third student.

"No you weren't!" replied the Hufflepuff.

"Yes I was!"

"No you-"

"Enough!" ordered the Deputy Headmistress, "The Headmaster is currently very busy so I suggest that you all go to lunch. If any of your queries are urgent, leave a note on my desk, and I will see to it that they are sorted out as soon as I have finished speaking with him."

Muttering under their breath, the students trouped back towards the great hall, leaving the professor to direct a glare at the stone gargoyle. It immediately sprang aside, allowing her to step onto the revolving stairs towards the Headmaster's abode. Knocking gently on the heavy oak door, she pushed it open only to find the room empty.

"Albus?" she called out quietly.

There was no response. Moving further into the room, Minerva looked around hoping to find some clue as to where her employer might be, when a voice spoke to her from above.

"You'll not find him here Professor, he's in a bad way."

Looking up, she saw it was the portrait of Everard talking.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Dumbledore spoke to the boy, Potter, and things didn't exactly go so well. I believe he is upstairs drowning his sorrows as we speak."

Concern for her friend doubling, Minerva made her way over to where she knew Dumbledore's quarters were hidden. Much like the Headmaster, the transfiguration professor's position as Deputy Headmistress was recognised by the castle itself, and as she pressed her palm against the stone wall, it melted away, allowing her entrance into the Headmaster's chamber of residence.

She stepped into the living area, a beautiful, circular room, imitating the Headmaster's main office. Much of the space was taken up by large, squashy armchairs that surrounded an enormous fireplace, and set low between them, a beautifully carved wooden table supported an elaborate chess set complete with emerald pieces. The wall on one side of the curved room was taken up by a large bookcase filled with part of the Headmaster's seemingly infinite collection of reading material.

Despite her right to be there, Minerva still felt uneasy about being in the Dumbledore's private quarters without his permission. Creeping quietly through the living room, she looked around, before noticing that the door to the bedroom was ajar.

"Albus?" she called out once more, knocking on the door.

Once again, there was no answer.

Hesitantly pushing the door open, she stepped inside, and it took a moment for the professor to register the scene in front of her.

Albus Dumbledore, respected Headmaster of Hogwarts, lay in a collapsed heap across his bed. The half moon glasses were skewed beneath the strands of silver hair that were covering his face. In one hand he clutched an empty bottle of firewhiskey, and for a moment, Minerva had to wonder whether she was dreaming. Not in 60 years of knowing him, had she ever seen her friend in such a state.

Her senses soon came back to her, and she rushed to his side, grabbing fistfuls of his purple robe, and began shaking him in earnest.

"Albus! Wake up!"

The Headmaster did not respond, his head lolling to each side as she continued to shake him. Minerva pulled out her wand and pointed it at his chest.

"Enervate"

Dumbledore woke with a start, his blue eyes flying open. It took a moment for him to gain his bearings, and his eyes darted around the room before finally landing on Minerva.

"What has happened?" he asked immediately, seeing the worried expression in his Deputy's eyes.

Minerva tried to compose herself, knowing she was about to deliver to worst news imaginable to her friend.

"They have him Albus," she said, and despite her best efforts, her voice shook with emotion, "the Death Eaters….. they've taken Harry."

Dumbledore gazed at her for a moment, as though not quite believing what she had just said. But his shock was brief, and in a flash he was on his feet, sweeping past her towards his office.

With a wave of his hand, his hair and robes regained their usual dignified appearance, and as he made his way across the living room and down the stairs to his office, he called out over his shoulder.

"Summon every available Order member to Headquarters. Join us as soon as classes are over, but do not speak of this to anyone just yet…Not even Mr Weasley or Miss Granger-"

"Albus….."

He stopped mid-sentence and turned to stare at her. Minerva wasn't exactly sure what she had planned to say, but looking into those blue eyes, she could see the father in him trying desperately to remain strong, and wanted more than anything to offer some kind of support.

"We'll find him Albus…he's a strong boy, everything will be fine."

For a moment a powerful emotion played across his face, one she couldn't discern, but as always it was quickly shielded and his face became impassive once more.

"As I said," he continued, turning away as though uninterrupted, "do not speak of this to anyone. I will see you at Headquarters."

He opened the office door for her, signalling an end to the conversation, and recognising defeat, she clasped his shoulder briefly before taking her leave.

Closing the door behind her, Dumbledore moved to the window by his desk, and gazed towards the forest where, not so long ago, Harry had been taken from him.

"Hold on my boy," he said, blue eyes blazing determinedly, "I'm coming for you."

I understand that the events of Harry's childhood are somewhat vague at the moment, which may be difficult to follow, but just go with me for the time being ; )

As always, I appreciate your feedback!