-- Nothing From Nowhere --

- Chapter 9: Recognize One Silent Call -

As Bellatrix slept again (a restless medicated sleep), Dumbledore shared his findings with Sirius.

"Do you think..." Sirius trailed off, unsure whether to voice his thoughts.

"Do I think, what?" Dumbledore prompted him.

"Well, do you think that, maybe, they left her behind on purpose?"

"That is certainly NOT the case," a new voice broke into the conversation. "Seeing as he's absolutely furious over her diappearance. You are talking about Bellatrix Lestrange, I assume?"

"Severus, I didn't hear you come in," Dumbledore greeted him pleasantly.

"What are you doing here, Snape?" Sirius asked rudely.

Dumbledore ignored him and answered Snape's question. "Yes, that is who we were talking about. But surely you didn't come here to talk about that?"

"Actually," Snape replied sourly, "I did." He paused. "I was hoping Sirius had some way to contact you, to relay a message... I suppose I should have realized you'd be here." He flinched suddenly and clutched at his left forearm with his right hand.

An ear-splitting shriek sounded from upstairs.

"I wish he'd quit doing that," Snape said, rubbing his Mark and scowling. "It's really rather painful. Anyway, the message." He was suddenly all-business again. "Potter came to me this evening to report that he'd had another vision, one of the Dark Lord's anger." Dumbledore started to say something, but Snape answered the question before he'd even asked it. "He managed to block it out - by concentrating very hard on happy memories and shutting out all other thoughts, like when he casts his Patronus - he told me. But before he shut the connection down, he saw something he thought you might find useful or at the very least, relevant. As I said before, the Dark Lord was furious."

"Because they didn't get the propchecy," Sirius interjected.

"No," Snape replied. "They did get the prophecy. His fury is beacuse of her. Not that she was left behind at the Ministry, but because she was taken in the first place. I believe his exact wording was 'Why did you even take her with you when you know she is worse than useless in that condition?'."

"So, what does that tell us?" Dumbledore asked placidly.

"Well, for one thing, he wants her back," Snape answered, flinching as the Mark burned strongly once more. "And he seems to be trying very hard to contact her."

And in the bedroom upstairs, blood seeped into the sheets as Bellatrix clawed at her burning flesh...