Chapter 14

She was alone, had been alone for a while, in the darkness. But not all was black, there were square of light; millions of them, all around in the void.

The squares were images, pictures and movies of things yet to happen, both good things and bad. Most she disregarded having seen them before or being too far away. Others floated around her, waiting to be called up again should she need them.

Those images were all related, centered on one specific event not too far off.

No time!

One more picture, one more movie left…

She watched, shocked, as the last piece of the puzzle fell into place and she realized what was going to happen. She woke up;

"ALBUS!" Alex shrieked, lunging forward out of the bed. She crashed to floor and screamed in pain, her arms still attached to the machines. Madame Pomfrey came rushing down the ward.

"Alexandra, you're awake! What happened?" she asked hurriedly.

Alex didn't answer, her body, unused to the exercise, was feeble and she panted as she strained to free herself from the medical devices.

"Alexandra, calm yourself!" ordered the matron, cautiously approaching the struggling girl, not wanting to frighten her further. Alex looked up, breathing heavily and gasped,

"It's after them! Albus and James and Harry, we have to save them!"

The Hospital doors banged open and McGonagall hurried down the ward, she too was breathing hard.

"The Potter boys are gone," she announced to the nurse, she seemed unsurprised to see Alex awake, "Ms Neal, tell me what you saw."

Alex was too worked up to answer, knowing she was too late again. Tears flooded her eyes and she wailed, rocking her head side to side. Her arms were locked in the machinery; it seemed to be the only thing holding her up. She lifted her head, resolved and looking the old witch in the eye, she said,

"Harry…Save Harry Potter."

She collapsed.

Shaking slightly and looking kind of sick McGonagall called one of the house-elves to the ward. He appeared with a bang and bowed low to her.

"Trey, I need you to find Harry Potter and bring him here to me, immediately. If he won't come tell him it concerns his sons."

There was another bang and the house-elf dissapparated.

"Minerva, what's happened?" the matron asked, as she gently lifted Alex back into the bed.

"Not now Poppy. I will inform you when I do so to the rest of the staff."

"Potter could be anywhere you know. The elf won't find him that-"

Bang!

Trey reappeared, clutching tightly to Harry Potter's sleeve.

"Thank you Trey, you may leave."

He bowed again and disappeared.

"Professor McGonagall-"

"I am no longer your Professor, Potter, Minerva will do. Follow me."

Harry looked quizzically Alex for a moment and then ran to catch up with McGonagall. She led him to her office, collecting Luna on the way.

"Nice to see you again Harry," she said, her voice dreamy as ever.

He shot her a look, exasperated and confused at the same time. Luna just smiled blankly at him as they climbed the spiral staircase.

"Potter, I'll give this back to you, you probably know best how to work it." McGonagall said, handing the Marauder's Map to Harry.

"How-"

"You're son gave it to me last night. Potter, tell me what you were doing here and then I will explain myself to you."

"Right, well. At the beginning of September, on the Platform…you know the mind connection I had with Voldemort?"

Both women nodded, Luna smiling serenely.

"Well, I think it opened up again. On the Platform my scar hurt in the same way it did when Voldemort was alive, I couldn't make sense of it. And then, a few weeks ago it happened again. I had a…'vision'? Albus and James were there too. We each saw, I think, the others disappearing and by Voldemort's hand. When I tried to tell Ginny, she knocked me out, and locked me up in some Psych-lab. I got out, obviously, but one of the medics managed to drug me with a tranquilizer. I woke up in a muggle house somewhere in Canada, the family there said they found me unconscious on the lawn and that I'd been asleep for a few days. Anyway I convinced them I was fine and Apparated back to Hogsmeade and got into Hogwarts through one of the secret passageways. Minerva, tell me what's happened to my sons."

"This begins with the girl you saw lying in the hospital wing. Her name is Alexandra Neal and she has some sort of power to see the future. She fell unconscious about a week before your 'vision.' When Albus and his friend went to see her, she showed him something. From what I can guess, she created the vision you had using the old connection you had with the Dark Lord. She showed you some prelude to the event of your sons disappearing, I believe. She just woke up tonight, some few minutes after I discovered, through that map, that your sons were no longer in the school. She told me, 'Save Harry Potter.'"

"Harry, do you think Voldemort is somehow alive and after you, that he is getting to you through your sons?" Luna inquired.

"Voldemort is dead" Harry said fiercely, "There is no way he could have survived again."

Luna moved back a step, one eyebrow raised. Harry grimaced, touching his forehead absently.

"So what exactly did that girl say?" he asked.

"I don't know, she fainted before she could tell me more. I'm sure Poppy could wake her for us if we asked her to. You two go ahead…"

Harry and Luna left the office, walking in silence to the hospital wing.

* * * *

"I can't believe none of you realized before! Tromedlov; weird name either way! You spell it backwards you get Voldemort! How could you miss that?!?! Marvin for Marvolo and Bella for Bellatrix!" Alex shouted.

"You're saying these kids have been running around the school with a cover that flimsy and we're just figuring it out now? You've been with them all year Minerva!"

"Well, I'm sorry Potter that my super sleuth skills seem to have faded over time! You-"

"Not helping," Luna broke in, "Go on Alex."

"I don't know where they are, all I could see was a really messy room; boxes everywhere and broken glass and stuff."

She dropped her head to her hands and her voice was muffled as she continued, "James is with them under the Imperious Curse. Erik is a ferret right now, in a wire cage and they keep torturing him! But Albus is the worst. They shrunk him, he's about three inches tall and they put him in this…box. It's pretty, made of gold with diamonds and emeralds on it but its dark in there; it's doing things to him. You have to find him! It's going to kill him!"

McGonagall took charge instantly, "Luna and I will start a school-wide search with all the teachers and ghosts. Potter, you and anyone you invite can search the grounds and the forest. This isn't just about saving three lives, hurry!"

The adults raced out of the room, leaving her lone. Alex slipped off the bed and tiptoed to the door, making sure the coast was clear.

She didn't have an immediate destination; all she knew was that when she'd tried to see the cluttered room all she saw was a blank wall.

Maybe…no, if Albus' map had been able to show them the Headmistress would have found them already.

She left anyway, hoping she'd recognize something.

This is all I got for now.

Reviews would help the lift crushing weight of my next statement?

I have bad news:

Due to unfair regulations and restrictions now placed upon my computer, updating may in fact take years.

I certainly hope this is a far-fetched idea but from this day on, my computer access is limited to two hours daily, homework coming first, recreation with the left-over time.

My apologies.

I shall be using every computer I can to update, carrying my USB stick around because I am just as much in love with my stories as you hopefully are.

Till…later,

Yami