La Belle Sauvage II seemed to speed on for ages, under little or no control from Harry or Hermione. The force of the current was carrying them along at quite a pace and the best Harry could do was to dig one of the oars into the water to steer rather than paddle. He was sure the boat would capsize and they'd all be drowned at any moment. There were all sorts of obstacles ahead ... fallen trees, buildings, the remnants of bridges smashed to pieces by the driving tides. And that wasn't even considering the hidden hazards lurking beneath the water.

But Harry was too afraid to think about those too much, so he focused on what he could see and control instead. Marici sat firm at his side, alternately licking the blood seeping from his ankle, that Hermione had roughly bandaged, and shouting out instructions like they were in a rally car.

"Go left! Watch that branch! Look over there ... it's a rubber duck!"

That was one of the more bizarre sights that they passed, but far worse was something they happened upon a short while later ... a collection of things that had bunched up near a clump of trees, that had been knocked over and was now bottle-necking the flow.

"Are they ...?" Hermione hushed, looking in horror at the river.

"Yeah. Bodies. All dead ... drowned, probably," Harry confirmed grimly. "I hope I don't have to push them out of the way with my oar ..."

The thought made him shudder worse than the lashing rain, but he might have had no choice. But then one of the bodies came loose, a woman face down with her hands over her head like she was facing a bank robber, and that opened up a way through for La Belle Sauvage II, just as the canoe reached the bottle-neck.

"Perhaps we should do something for them," Hermione fretted, looking back out of the canoe at the mass of floating corpses, which now seemed to be following them downriver.

"Nothing we can do," Harry muttered. "Got to focus on ourselves now."

"We should stop. Decide what to do."

"No, we should keep going. Put some distance between us and Bella."

"We have put distance between us! We've been going for hours. Might be half way down whatever's left of the Thames Estuary by now. We'll be on our way to the German Ocean if we're not careful."

"We call it the English Channel mostly."

"Oh yeah. Forgot what world I was in for a minute."

"Lucky you. How's my sister?"

Hermione lifted the baby and gave her a sniff. "She's happy enough but a bit ripe. I don't think adventuring agrees with her ... smells like she's wee'd herself."

"The nappies are absorbent, she should be okay for a bit."

"We still need to change her. She'll get sore if we don't."

Harry looked into the shadows of the bow. Hermione was under a waterproof, waxed-tarpaulin canopy that had been erected over a skeleton of stretchy poles down at that end. It would run the whole length of La Belle Sauvage II if needs be, but Harry had to be uncovered to see where they were going and to steer from the stern. He was soaked to the bones, freezing cold and knew they had to stop soon, if only to bail out the water that was rising in the canoe, not to mention the hundred other good reasons they had for taking a break.

Harry looked out across the saturated fields. The whole place looked like a chilled-grey great lagoon that stretched out for miles in all directions. Harry could make out the spires of churches and the roofs of tall houses in the distance, and there were hills far off the the right of them, but there was no obvious place to set down.

"The next clump of uprooted vegetation, Harry," Marici advised. "Head for it and get the canoe stuck. We can use it as camouflage and then empty out this water. Then we can get you dry before you freeze to death."

Harry nodded in teeth-chattering agreement. He had to be sensible and drop his silly, noble, saving-people-thing for a minute. Hermione and Seren needed him, so they had to play smart and stay alive.

But the sky was still filled with a profound and foreboding darkness by the time they found a suitable spot to come to rest. Hermione had dozed off in the bow, after curling her legs over the seat in front of her to turn her body into a sort of cradle for Seren, who was babbling in her sleep as she chewed on her thumb again.

The gentle bump, as Harry managed to guide the canoe into a clump of dense bushes trapped beneath a fallen beech tree, was enough to wake the slumbering girls.

"Wah? What's happening?" Hermione asked, groggily.

"Got ... got to stop," Harry mumbled. "Hands are frozen ... got to get warm."

"Come here then," Hermione ordered. "Sit with Seren ... I'm going to tie us up and pull the canopy fully over the canoe."

Harry was so stiff from sitting in the same rain-battered position for so long that his muscles had seized up. Hermione had to vigorously massage his thighs, knees and elbows to get them to work again, and that was before she attempted to prise Harry's frozen hands from the oar.

Then she set to work securing La Belle Sauvage, tying an excellent reef knot to a sturdy branch of the tree before attaching the now extended canopy to the fixings on the gunwale, so that it covered the entire canoe. She left one bit open so that Papageno and Marici could start bailing out the water, which they achieved by sucking in huge mouthfuls before spitting them over the side. It would be slow work, but they soon began to see it as a sort of contest ... to see who could spit the most and furthest ... and laughed together as they set to their task.

Hermione nodded at a job well done, and then set back to her own task. It was dark under the canopy of the canoe, and cold too, so she quickly whipped out one of Seren's spare bottles from the Bottomless Bag. A quick transfiguration spell later and it had become a large bell jar, which she quickly filled with her trademark bluebell flames.

"Mmm," Harry groaned in deep contentment as the heat and light washed over him. "That's much better!"

"How's your ankle?" Hermione asked, lifting Harry's wounded leg into her lap.

"Sticky and stinky," Harry grumbled, looking at the bluish glow flickering over Hermione's face. She was deeply concerned and Harry couldn't have that. He decided that that would be the last time he complained. She wasn't complaining, so he had to be as brave as her, too. "But it's just a scratch."

"I'm going to change your dressing," Hermione told him, gently unwrapping the blood-soaked bandage from his ankle. "Pass me the first-aid kit, will you?"

Harry could just about reach, with Seren limiting his movements, but he managed to reach the metal box and handed it to Hermione. She carefully undid the very last bit of bandage, but Harry still whimpered as it came away from the raw flesh.

"Sorry, sorry," Hermione whined in response to Harry's wincing. "It has to be done. I'll apply some antiseptic cream and then put a new dressing on, okay?"

"Will I get a badge or a sticker for being brave?" Harry funned.

"Of course," Hermione tittered. "And a lolly if you manage not to cry!"

"I hope you have cherry ones. I like cherry."

"Shut up, Harry."

"And there was me thinking you had the best beside manner, Nurse Granger! How wrong I was!"

"It's me or nothing, Harry! Now sit still!"

Hermione was typically gentle and cautious. She carefully dabbed some cream onto the sliced flesh, causing Harry to jump and curse under his breath with the stinging, while Hermione muttered things like, 'stop wriggling' and 'it'll hurt more if it gets infected and we have to cut it off!'. It felt to Harry like it took several agonising hours, but it was more like five minutes or less until Hermione was pressing a gauze to the cavity along his ankle and strapping it tight with a fresh bandage.

"Well, it's the best that I can do, but it wont hold," Hermione fretted. "That wound is just too deep. We have to find you a Healer, or at the very least a Muggle doctor."

"I think they'll all have their hands full," Harry grimaced as he sat up. "This will do just fine. Thanks."

"Hmm," Hermione frowned. "You should at least have a biscuit. The sugar will keep your energy up."

"Then let's all have one."

"We should change the baby first."

"I'll do it," Harry volunteered. "I'll need to use your thighs as a makeshift changing mat."

So they shifted around awkwardly in the little canoe until they were facing each other. Hermione put a dry blanket from her bag across her legs, shimmied Seren out of her Gryffindor baby-grow and detached the soiled nappy, which had fallen apart from the dampness anyway.

"We need to dry her little outfit before it goes back on," Hermione told Harry. "It's soaked with rain and wee. "Do you know the Scourgify Charm to clean it?"

"No, my Mum and Dad always made me do dishes and cleaning things by hand," Harry grumbled crossly. "They said it was good training for later life. Cretins."

Hermione giggled at that. "I can do the Drying Charm. We'll just have to use that for now. Seren will smell a bit, but at least she'll be warm and dry."

"Ah, the aroma of Eau de Warm Urine," Harry scoffed. "Lovely."

Changing the baby was much easier this time. Harry got it right after a few false tries and didn't even waste a nappy. He was happy that by the third or fourth go he'd be an expert at all this baby stuff. He reached down for her bottle and made to feed her.

"I'll do it," Hermione offered. "You need to rest. You look so tired."

"I'm fine. I'm not tired," Harry argued weakly.

"Yes you are," Marici corrected, turning her great head to him. "Don't listen to him, Hermione. He's lying. He's actually exhausted."

"Shut up, Chi," Harry scowled. "I am not."

"You are. And I know you are ... because I am. I could sleep for a week."

"Traitor," Harry fumed. "I'm going to find a way to put you back inside me if you carry on being so sassy with me. Sirius can tell us how."

But thinking of Sirius and his unknown fate was painful, so Harry pushed the thought away for now.

"I wouldn't need dæmonic instincts to know that you're tired, Harry," Hermione cut in. "I can tell well enough myself. You need to rest."

"I wont be able to rest, the canoe is too cramped," Harry pointed out. "I'd never get comfy enough."

Hermione made a strange tutting sound in her throat, then leant back against the canopy and gunwale, which was firm enough to take her weight. She held Seren in the crook between her legs and stomach, then patted the end of her thighs just above the knee.

"What?" Harry quizzed to the prompting.

"Lie down, with your legs facing into the stern," Hermione instructed. "You can curl them up ... then use my lap for a pillow."

Harry blinked and swallowed hard. "I ... I couldn't do that. I mean, you're holding the baby already."

"There's enough room for two Potters in my lap," Hermione replied brightly. "Don't argue, Harry. I'll hex you to sleep if you force it of me."

Harry laughed nervously. "Well ... wouldn't want that. Are you sure, though?"

"Positive."

"Oh -okay."

Harry shifted himself like a contortionist and managed to find a reasonably comfortable position. Then, with several false and uncertain movements, Harry lowered his head until it came into contact with the mass of Hermione's pressed-together thighs. For a moment he held his head suspended slightly above them, but the warmth he could feel was too enticing to resist and he gave in within a second or two.

"There. Isn't that nicer?" Hermione asked in a curiously breathy tone.

"Mmm. But are you sure you're okay?"

"Never better," Hermione smiled down. "Now sleep, Harry."

He nodded briefly, had absolutely no intention of sleeping at all, but within a minute was puffing away as his tiredness got the better of him.

"Out like a light," Hermione whispered fondly. She reached over and gently smoothed Harry's sleeping head. "He must have been wiped out, poor thing."

"He was," Papageno confirmed as he padded over to Hermione. "Marici, too. They kept themselves awake for us for as long as they could."

"Is she sleeping, too?"

"Comatose," Papageno replied. Then he looked shrewdly between Hermione, her one hand stroking Harry's hair, while the other cradled his little sister. "I think you're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Enjoying what?"

"All this ... pretending to be be a little family stuff," Papageno told her, inclining his head at the scene.

"Are you joking?" Hermione argued hotly, as her heart beat in wild agreement with her dæmon. "Have you smelled those dirty nappies? That isn't enjoyment, Pap."

"Yet you're still revelling in it, perhaps a little too much. Despite all the dangers, you're quite liking this."

"So what if I am? I might want to have babies of my own some day. There's nothing wrong with that."

"Perhaps. But just make sure that some day isn't any day soon," Papageno warned. "Don't go getting any silly ideas."

"Don't be stupid," Hermione hissed. "I wouldn't do anything like that! But still ... in the future ..."

" - you might want to have babies with Harry. I know that's what you're thinking."

"Again ... so what if I am? They are my thoughts and I can have them if I want to, you know."

"Of course you can, but perhaps you should put that thought aside for, ooh, the next decade or so and focus on the present. We need to think about what we're going to do in the here and now."

"You're right. I'm sorry. I'll get my head screwed back on straight again, I promise."

"Why did you suggest we go and find this Source place?" Papageno asked. "What do think we can do there, if we can even find it?"

"I don't know, find some answers, some solutions maybe," Hermione pondered. "Maybe we can undo some of this damage."

"How? It's not like we can go back in time and stop the worlds being broken open or anything ... can we?"

Papageno's words tailed off suddenly and Hermione felt her eyes go very wide.

"Pap ... Pap that's it!" Hermione whispered in muted excitement. "You're a genius! We need to find The Source -"

"- the very point that the Magisterium have burst into -"

"- and then we need to use -"

"- the Time-Turner!"

"- to go back and stop the flood happening at all!"

Then Papageno frowned. "Actually, I don't know if that will work. An event this big ... we'd do untold damage to Time itself if we tried to make a change like that. People wouldn't accept the false memory and they'd go mad. You remember what McGonagall told us about that. We can relive things, but not change anything. The ripple effects are too unpredictable even for the smallest things."

"But we could save so many lives!"

"At the cost of the continuity of existence as we know it!"

"Yes, I suppose that would be a rather hefty cost," Hermione huffed. "But we still need to get to The Source before they do."

"I agree. I think we have to find The Source, use the Time-Turner to see what progress Riddle and the Magisterium have made and then find a way to undo or prevent that. We can't do anything about what has happened with the flood in the past ... but we do have the power to shape what happens in the future."

"Then that's the plan," Hermione agreed doughtily. She adjusted her body as Seren shifted in her arms. "That's what we'll do ... somehow."

"Don't fall asleep," Papageno warned.

"I wont. You don't either."

"I'm not sleepy."

"Yes you are. I can feel you dreaming of cuddling up to Marici's mane."

"Well, she is nice and cosy and ever so warm."

Hermione supposed she replied, but next thing she knew was that she was looking out across the river, counting dead animals as they floated past. There were sheep mostly, but also cows and horses and unicorns and even a hippogriff that had bright purple feathers. Hermione was bothered by the knowledge that their ghosts were likely crying under the water. She wondered if she could think of a spell to help them ... to stop their baaing and neighing and mooing. There was even a bizarre Ha! Haa! Haa! That sounded like a ghostly hyena ...

"Hermione! Hermione! Wake up! Sshh!"

Harry was on his knees in the dark of the canoe. Hermione could tell that even if she couldn't make him out.

"Harry? What? What time is it?"

"Dunno. Late. But don't worry about that ... keep your voice down and make sure Seren stays absolutely silent."

"But why?"

And then they both heard the voice of Bellatrix Lestrange float to them on the breeze.

"This is ridiculous. We'll never find them in the dark. We might have passed the little brats already."

Then another voice, one with a distinct rodent-tint to it.

"Why are we using a boat, Bella? Why not just wait on some high ground for them to float to us?"

"Because Peter, you wormy fool, it is nigh-on impossible to Apparate onto a moving target," Bellatrix sneered back. "We need to catch them the old fashioned way. It's a game of cat-and-mouse ... and it always pays to be the cat."

"And are we?" asked Peter Pettigrew. Hermione could only imagine how angrily Harry must be gripping his wand at that moment.

"We have magic, they have paddles and oars," Bella clucked. "What do you think? Point your wand that way. I cant see a thing with these bloody rain clouds."

The sounds diminished.

For a moment they could only hear the steady patter of rain on the canopy, and the soft puffs of Seren's breathing as she dozen in Hermione's arms.

"Are they gone?" Hermione whispered.

"Sounds like it."

"They have a boat and a light. Probably just using Lumos."

"We shouldn't then. In case they see us."

"It'll be harder in the dark."

"We'll just stay here till morning then. It was only the dark that stopped them spotting us anyway."

"I don't think they're going to leave us alone, are they?" Hermione's words seemed to tremble from her lips.

"No, they wont," Harry replied gruffly. "But we knew that anyway. They seem to want my sister more, though. That's what scares me."

"Well they aren't having her," Hermione told him sternly. Her words were still chattering. She sensed movement and then felt the soft fabric of a blanket snake around her shoulders.

"You're cold," Harry observed, adjusting the blanket until it fit just right. "I had to put the flames out in case Bella saw. The blanket will have to do for now."

"But what about you? The other one is soaking."

"I'll be alright."

"Come under here with me. There's plenty of room."

"No, I ... I want to keep an ear out, just in case they come back."

"And you'll be able to hear better without a blanket on?" Hermione quipped.

"You know what I mean."

"I know, but come in anyway. We can keep each other warm."

Hermione held open the blanket and for a moment Harry seemed torn, even though Hermione couldn't see his face. But then he appeared to give in and moved to form a tight little cocoon with Hermione and Seren. He adjusted himself so that Hermione's back was pressed to his chest, took told of the edges of the blanket and brought them around Hermione like a sort of envelope, settling his fists around his sister where she was snug in Hermione's lap.

"It's just more comfortable this way," Harry explained nervously, which was something Hermione definitely wasn't going to argue about. Very soon, they both drifted off to sleep once more.

By the morning the rain had eased slightly. The air was still saturated with moisture and gusty winds blew a cold spray off the flood waters, which hadn't gone down at all. Harry made an assessment of their supply situation and set to completely drying out the inside of the canoe, as Hermione re-purposed her Bluebell Flame Charm to heat a little water, which she then used to clean Seren, as she needed changing again by first light.

"I think you should burn that nappy," Harry grimaced. "It reeks."

"I was thinking of burying it and offering a prayer to the gods," Hermione quipped. "That smell is unnatural and needs to be entombed in consecrated ground!"

Seren made small, angry noises of general discomfort or complaint as Hermione contorted her into a fresh nappy, but she was happy enough when she had another biscuit to suck.

"We need to find some fresh water, Harry," Hermione advised. "Seren cant live on biscuits alone ... she's not a teenager yet! We'll need to make up some more formula soon."

"The flood seems a little calmer," Harry replied, looking out across the watery grey desert before them. "We should be able to paddle somewhere."

"But where? The Thames Estuary is gone, the canal system decimated. We have literally no idea where we are."

"We need to find higher ground," Harry insisted. "The whole country can't be under water, surely!"

So they set about freeing La Belle Sauvage II from her tangled, makeshift mooring and sped off with the current. They didn't know where they were going, but decided to head out for any dry ground that came into view.

They came across a high hillock with a crumbling old church perched on top, but were chased off by looters who had moved in and annexed the place; the next try was a tower at the top of some industrial complex, but Hermione didn't think it was a good idea for the baby to be swallowing potentially toxic fumes. Eventually, they spotted a likely candidate to stop.

It was like a haven in the middle of the icy lagoon. It was a range of hills with outcrops of trees and stone still visible quite a way from the waterline. It must have been a geological feature of some local significance, but rural geography wasn't either of Harry or Hermione's strong suits, so they couldn't put a name to it.

Even so, it offered the best chance they had. There might be a mountain stream or something that would do for fresh water, and at least they'd get to leave the canoe for a while, as Hermione was feeling green with sea-sickness. So Harry gunned out for it, paddling with all his might to keep La Belle Sauvage II pointing in the right direction. It was laborious work, and by the time the canoe bumped into the muddy bank of the island Harry's arms and shoulders were aching badly, his back and torso too.

As soon as Hermione and Seren were safely on the bank, Harry tugged the canoe up after them and hid it in some bushes and large shrubs that lined the water's edge. Then Harry fell flat on his back.

"Well, I'm knackered!" he puffed out. "Just leave me here so I can die quietly."

"You did very well," Hermione told him encouragingly. "Seren and I both agree, don't we, babba?"

Seren farted by way of response.

"Nice. She can't need changing again?" Harry snorted. "That cant be normal. She must be defective."

"She is not defective!" Hermione cried. "Don't you listen to him, babe. Just ignore nasty, grumpy old Harry!"

"You'd be grumpy too if you'd just paddled your arms off, you know!"

"It keeps you fit," Hermione said sniffily. "Come on. Let's see if we can find some open land. Make a proper fire and have something to eat. There's some tinned sausages in my bag."

Harry perked up at the sound of food. He hauled himself to his feet and followed Hermione to one of those outcrops of forest they'd seen from the water. Hidden safely under the canopy, Hermione conjured another of her Bluebell fires and began opening the tin of sausages.

"I hope no-one sees the fire from the water," Harry commented suddenly. "This is the only bit of land for miles around, probably. It'd be like sending up a smoke signal."

"Nah, my fires are waterproof, portable and smokeless," Hermione smirked. "You should know me by now ... I think of everything!"

Harry guffawed at that and stretched out languidly alongside the fire, setting Seren in a seated position against his chest. She waved her hands randomly at the fire, as though trying to catch the embers and seemed entertained enough. Hermione cooked her a little bit of sausage first, blew it till it was cool enough, then gave it to her. After a few moments of waving it doubtfully in her hand she eventually found her mouth, where she began to suck and gum on it, making little sounds of pleasure as she did so.

Once all the sausages were eaten, Hermione announced that she was going to search for some water. Harry wanted to join her, but his aching body protested. So after seven promises that she would be careful and run back at the first sight of trouble, Harry relented and allowed Hermione to leave, but not before he saw both her wands firmly ready in her hands.

Hermione was gone for over an hour. The rains had returned under thick clouds, giving the impression that it was much later in the day than it actually was. Gloomy, sodden air sped all around them as the wind picked up too, and Harry had to retreat further under the cover of the trees as Seren started to mewl pitifully the longer the time wore on.

"I know, you're cold and wet and probably hungry again," Harry whispered to his little sister. "But Hermione will be back soon, and we can make you up a bottle and then find somewhere warm to bivouac down for the night. That'll be alright, won't it? It'll be like camping ... not that you've ever been camping before. Neither have I, now I think about it. This is quite the adventure for us, isn't it? Full of new and exciting things."

Seren snorted and burped at the same time, which Harry thought was an impressive feat, even if it probably hid a derisory tone at his promise.

"Hermione's been gone a long time," Marici commented, sitting taut on her haunches and watching the patch of trees that she'd disappeared through earlier. "We should have gone with her."

"She'll be fine, she's got Pap with her," Harry told his dæmon confidently.

"But what if she's here? They might have caught her."

"They wont have. Hermione's too smart for that."

"But there are two of them, they might have found her and cornered her."

"But they didn't ... though I did find someone!"

"Hermione!" Harry exclaimed as her voice took him by surprise. "You're back! I was getting worried. And who did you ... Nev? What the hell? How did you manage to get here?"

"Nice to see you too, Harry!" Neville Longbottom grinned as he emerged from the tree line with Hermione. Harry beamed at the sight of him. "Good to see you're in one piece."

"Only just," Harry laughed.

Then Neville looked down at little Seren. "Oh, you've got a baby ... when did you get a baby?"

He glanced suspiciously between Harry and Hermione with a twinkle in his eye. Hermione noticed and slapped his arm playfully.

"This isn't our baby, silly," Hermione giggled. "It's Harry's little sister, Seren."

"Oh right!" Neville puffed out. "I was going to say ... you hid your bump really well, Hermione!"

"Shut up, Neville," Hermione and Harry chorused together, before hitching matching blushes onto their cheeks.

"You still haven't answered my question," Harry went on quickly. "How did you get here?"

"It was the only bit of dry land for miles around," Neville explained. "After the attack on Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, a load of the parents tried to take their kids home using Apparition, but found their houses flooded out. This used to be a sort of Summer Camp for Magical kids and Penelope Clearwater suggested using it as a temporary sanctuary. That's the sort of thing that makes her Head Girl material, you know. So we here are."

"There are more of you?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, loads. Loads and loads. Actually ..." Neville cocked his head over his shoulder. "Guys! It's safe! It's just Harry Potter and his baby sister!"

The tree line suddenly exploded with movement. Dozens, scores of young witches and wizards all came flooding out, all talking at the same time and welcoming Harry to their little gathering. Most looked lost and frightened, some excited at the adventure, but others just clinging close for support.

House rivalries had been totally forgotten; Gryffindors were mingling with Hufflepuffs, Slytherins were swapping daring escape stories with eager Ravenclaws; Harry saw Marcus Flint, the Slytherin Quidditch Captain, comforting a scared Ravenclaw girl that Harry recognised as Luna Lovegood; Cedric Diggory was moving from student to student with Cho Chang, conjuring water from their wands to fill bottles and canteens; and there was Head Girl Penelope, herself, Transfiguring tree branches into sleeping bags and handing them out one by one.

"I'm just going to help," Hermione whispered to Harry as she knelt by his side. "Penny has asked me to conjure more of my little fires, so I'm going to go and do that. I've made up a fresh bottle of baby milk for Seren already. I'll be back soon."

And she left Harry to feed his sister. It felt much better having familiar faces around him and he relaxed a bit. He hadn't noticed how tense his shoulders had become until the knot between them undid a little.

Then Neville put it right back there.

"Er ... Harry? You do realise that your dæmon is showing?"

Harry started. It was akin to Neville telling him that his flies were undone. Harry snapped his head to Marici to see that she had slinked into the shadows behind a nearby bush, and Neville had only spotted her because he had come so close.

"She'll be fine hidden in the bushes," Harry replied, hopefully. "Knowing my sister she'll dirty her nappy any minute and trust me, when that happens, everyone will want to stay far away!"

Neville chortled at that. "How did you come to be looking after her? I thought your parents would have taken her back."

Harry sat bolt upright, his heart thudding under his ribs. "My parents? Did you see them? Were they okay?"

"Yeah, they were bedraggled by the rain but seemed alright," Neville nodded eagerly. "Your Godfather was helping his wife and that other bloke that was with them. He had a massive gun, you know. He took a curse to the leg but it didn't look too bad."

"That's Mal, it's Mal!" Harry sang. "And he's tough as old mutton. Thank Merlin they are okay, but how did you see them? How long did you stay for?"

"Ages. Mum and Dad used to be Aurors, didn't they? There was no way they were ducking out of a fight," Neville said, puffing out his chest proudly. "Dad only brought me here 'cause he and Mum were going to join your parents in looking for survivors. I don't know how many there would have been though ... this flood has been immense."

"Lord Voldemort isn't known for leaving survivors," said Harry, darkly.

"Lord V ... You-Know-Who?" Neville hissed in horror. "Is he behind this?"

Harry nodded. Then he proceeded to tell Neville all he knew about Riddle, the Magisterium and their Grand Plan. Neville listened in rapt terror as Harry talked, but he steeled up when Harry got to the part about Bellatrix Lestrange.

"And now she's after us," Harry said. "Wants my sister for a sacrifice, but she ain't getting near her so long as I have a breath in my lungs. But she'd happily take that breath to get to her."

"A sacrifice? For what?"

"Dunno. But this Magisterium thing opens worlds by killing people. They Separate them from their dæmons using this machine, right, and the force it generates has enough energy to blow open a hole between worlds. They must want a Magical kid to break through a really hard barrier ... like maybe we have even more life energy than people in their world, I bet."

"And they've picked your sister?" Neville spat. "And sent that Lestrange bitch to get her?"

"Yeah, just out of spite, because Voldemort has a mega grudge against Mum and Dad for stopping him last time," Harry explained. "He wants to kill me because of some prophecy, but if he can wipe out all my family and friends just to get to me he'll see that as a bonus."

"No wonder Sally-Anne gave you the push!" Neville smirked. "Don't worry, though, I'm still your mate, Harry. And if Lestrange wants to get to you she'll have to get through me first."

"Through us, first," Hermione agreed as she joined them and sat back against the tree. "Here, Harry, give me the baby for a bit."

Harry didn't even think to argue, just slid Seren into Hermione's open palms.

"That's a pretty name, that, Seren," Neville commented.

"It's Welsh. Means star," Harry explained. "Mum's into all sorts of symbolism like that."

"Then why are you called Harry?" Hermione queried curiously.

"Dunno. My Dad picked that name."

Neville hooted out a laugh that made Seren babble incoherently at him. Then he turned back to Harry. "What's your plan then?"

"Probably stay here with you until the adults come to get us," Harry replied evasively. He didn't think it was right to include Neville in his and Hermione's plans to save the world ... again.

"Well, I hope they come soon," Neville said through chattering teeth. "I'm not an outdoors-y type. I mean, I cant build a fire like that."

Harry cocked his head to where Neville had inclined his own. A gaggle of students had combined some of Hermione's bluebell fires and started throwing bits of broken tree onto it. It caused the fire to roar and spit and intensify in heat. They could feel it even from here, and Harry watched as the thick smoke from it rose into the sky.

Then Harry blinked ... smoke?

"Hermione!" Harry hissed in horror.

She looked over and her face dropped in a heartbeat. "Get them to put it out, Harry! Put it out now! I didn't tell them to do that!"

"Put it out? Why?" Neville asked in confusion, as Harry jumped to his feet. "What's the prob -"

Whoosh! Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

The dreaded sound of Apparition echoed loud through the clearing. Harry looked around as masked and hooded figures appeared out of nowhere and began firing Stunning spells at the shocked and frightened children. Screams and cries filled the air, there was more Apparition, and then ...

"Find Potter! Find that girl he's with! Bring me that kid alive, kill the spares if you have to."

"Lestrange!"

It was Neville who hissed first. He was on his feet in a flash, his wand in his hand. He turned to Harry and Hermione.

"Go! We'll hold them off!"

"You cant! There's too many of them!" Hermione called out desperately.

"She tortured my Mum and Dad!" Neville seethed. "This is my chance for revenge! Go, I'll cover you."

Harry went to protest, but Neville seemed too determined to argue with. So Harry just nodded.

"Hermione, give me Seren. Grab the bag. Let's go!"

Hermione complied in an instant. Wand in one hand, his sister in the other, Harry darted through the dense trees and hoped he was vaguely going in the right direction. More screams sailed past them, children were crying and sobbing in the night, Harry's brain was barely functioning in his fear.

Luckily, he wasn't alone.

"This way, Harry! The shore is this way!"

"Chi! There you are!" Harry breathed in relief. "Stay close. I need you."

"I'm right here, Harry. I'll never leave you."

Harry felt a hundred times stronger with his fierce dæmon at his side. He sprinted faster now, Hermione close behind. They were approaching the shore again, they'd be there in seconds ... but then ...

"Potter! I've found him! He's ... oof!"

"Petrificus Totalus!"

Harry snapped his head around to see Neville with his wand aloft, looking curiously shocked at what he'd just done.

"I did it ... I actually did it," he muttered to himself.

"Yes, very well done, Neville," Hermione panted impatiently. "Now, help us with this canoe. You're coming with us."

Neville looked too dumbfounded with his own success to argue. He helped Harry pull La Belle Sauvage II out of the bushes and back to the water's edge. Hermione jumped in with the bag, took Seren, and Harry and Neville pushed hard again until the prow of the canoe touched the water. Neville reached eagerly for the oars, Harry tried to kick off, but a random spell whizzed by and spun the canoe wildly.

"Whoa!" Harry yelled, groggy with dizziness. Then he was jerked roughly and fell face down into the boat. He felt his glasses crack with the impact.

For from his failing arms the mooring rope had soared into the air and got trapped on a sturdy branch. It tugged hard on La Belle Sauvage II and brought her to a juddering halt, causing Harry to lose his footing.

And then ...

"Ha! Ha, ha, haaa!"

That infernal cackle, so babyish, so evil, all in the one sound. Harry hated it.

"No chance to escape now, ickle Potter," Bellatrix taunted from the bank. "Just give me the baby."

"Over my dead body!" Hermione shouted back.

"As you wish. But first ... Accio Baby!"

Hermione felt Seren slip to the edge of her grip as the Summoning Spell hit her. Papageno leapt in the way and pushed her back.

"Sorry, sorry," Hermione hushed at the forbidden contact, which had at least made Seren completely silent.

"Alright, we'll do it the other way," Bellatrix snarled. She raised her wand again. "Avada -"

Then there was another, far angrier snarl, as Marici soared from the canoe and landed right on top of Bellatrix, who screeched in fury. Harry watched as his dæmon took aim and clobbered Bellatrix so firmly around the shoulders that she was sent toppling into the water, where the speeding current began to carry her away at some pace.

But not before she fired a random spell as she spun out of sight.

It was a Slicing Hex ... it hit the tree branch ... and La Belle Sauvage II was released and caught by the rapids ...

And Marici was left watching and whimpering on the shoreline ...

Harry watched in slow motion until the pain struck him like a lance to the chest. He screamed out in agony as the cord between himself and his dæmon stretched and stretched to the limit of his endurance. He bellowed out in terror and torture, screamed and screamed and clutched at his heart.

"MARICI! CHI!" Harry sobbed, hot tears bursting boiling on his cheeks and freezing in the cold wind. "My heart! My love! I cant ... I cant! MARICI!"

"Harry!" Marici mewled back, pouncing pitifully to the edge of the bank. "HARRY!"

Her screeches were easily the pained equal of Harry's own. It was the sort of pain that could cross worlds. Harry thought she looked so young and vulnerable alone on the bank. His heart, his lioness, his brave, brave Chi. Harry couldn't take it anymore. He moved to the edge of the canoe and prepared to jump into the rushing waters to get back to her.

But then Hermione dived forwards and took his shoulders firmly from behind, pulling him down. "No, Harry! Don't! You'll drown!"

"I can't leave her!" Harry shrieked. "I just cant! I'm dying, Hermione! I'll die without her! Don't you know I'll die!"

"You'll die if you go into that water!"

"I wont leave her, I wont! MARICI!" Harry yelled gutsily.

"You have to, Harry! You have to let her go!" Hermione cried, throwing her arms around him and hugging him tight. "It'll be okay ... I'm here ... I'm here ... I wont let go."

"I - wont - leave - her!" Harry growled. He tried to throw Hermione off, but the agony in his soul was making him weak and flimsy. "Let - me - go!"

"It'll be okay ... hush now ... it'll be all over soon, I promise," Hermione tried to soothe. She knew this horror all too well ... the memory swelled painfully in her own breast and she tugged Harry closer still.

"My heart, Hermione! My heart!" Harry sobbed. "It's breaking! I'm dying. Just let me die. I'd rather die than leave Marici all alone out there."

"Hermione ... I'll stay with her," Pap called up quickly from her feet. "She'll need me, just like Harry will need you. Hurry, if you throw me really hard I can still make the bank. Do it now, before it's too late!"

"Oh, Pap! You're so brave!" Hermione squeaked. And now she was crying freely too. She left Harry a moment, scooped up her dæmon, hugged him as tight as she could manage ... then flung him with all her might from the edge of the canoe.

Papageno soared through the moist air ... for a second it didn't look like he was going to make it ... and then he hit the very edge of the bank and dug his cat claws into the soggy mud. Marici raced forwards and took Papageno's nape in her powerful jaws and dragged him to safety. Neville whooped and cheered, Marici collapsed to a sitting position and Papageno started softly licking tears that were flowing from her great, lioness eyes.

Harry howled out in sheer torment. It was coming, he could feel it, and he knew he wouldn't survive this. His heart had a crack in it, and he could imagine it getting wider and wider every second that Marici got further away from him. The cord was stretched to the very limit that Harry could stand. This is what dying felt like, he was sure of it ... he just never imagined it would hurt like this. Why had nobody told him before now?

But Hermione was suddenly back at his side, hushing and cooing to him and telling him it was going to be alright, as if she was defying nature itself. Could she really defy Death? Harry doubted that even she could pull off that one. Hermione tightened a blanket around his skinny shoulders, sat close and held him as tight as she could manage. Then she placed a shy, self-conscious kiss to his tear-streaked cheek and started whispering rapidly to him, never giving him a second to focus on the pain he was suffering.

"It'll be okay ... it'll be okay," Hermione hushed over and over. "I'm here ... you're not alone ... you'll never be alone ... I'm here ... sshh now ... it'll be alright ..."

And then, in a moment that flashed by like a lifetime of sheer agony, Harry felt the cord finally reach its breaking point. He howled out louder than ever before, louder than anyone in this world likely ever had. Hermione pulled him so tight it was like she was trying to fuse with him, fresh tears spilled from Harry's eyes and his body was wracked with wave after wave of shuddering sobs ...

There was a flash of dull light ... one last, joint shriek of heart-sore distress ... and the connection between Harry and Marici was ripped apart, as if torn asunder by the jagged hand of an evil, vengeful God.