Chapter 12:
Alicia opened her eyes and found herself standing in a very familiar small and shabby square. Tall, dilapidated houses looked down on them from every side. Number twelve was visible to them, for they had been told of its existence by Dumbledore, its Secret-Keeper, and they rushed toward it, checking every few yards that they were not being followed or observed. They raced up the stone steps, and Harry tapped the front door once with his wand. They heard a series of metallic clicks and the clatter of a chain, then the door swung open with a creak and they hurried over the threshold.
Harry closed the door behind them and old-fashioned gas lamps sprang into life, casting flickering light along the length of the hallway. Nothing had changed in the house since Alicia had last been here, two whole Christmases ago, it was still eerie, held cobwebs, house-elf heads were on the walls and throwing odd shadows up the staircase. Long dark curtains concealed the portrait of Sirius's mother. The only thing that was out of place was the troll's leg umbrella stand, which was lying on its side as if Tonks had just knocked it over again.
"I think somebody's been in here," Hermione whispered, pointing toward it.
"That could've happened as the Order left," Ron murmured back.
"Or Mundungus when he raided the place." Alicia added
"So where are these jinxes they put up against Snape?" Harry asked.
"Maybe they're only activated if he shows up?" suggested Ron.
Yet they remained close together on the doormat, backs against the door, scared to move farther into the house.
"Or we haven't activated them yet." Alicia added
"Well, we can't stay here forever," said Harry, and he took a step forward.
"Severus Snape?"
Mad-Eye Moody's voice whispered out of the darkness, making all four of them jump back in fright.
"We're not Snape!" croaked Harry, before something whooshed over them like cold air. Alicia's tongue curled backward on itself, making it impossible to speak, only it lasted less then a second before it was unravelled and she swished it over the backs of her teeth to remove the weird feeling the spell had created.
It seemed they'd all experienced the feeling for Ron was making retching noises beside them.
"That m-must have b-been the T-Tongue-Tying Curse Mad-Eye set up for Snape!" Hermione said.
"That's one jinx, who wants to step forwards this time?" Alicia offered.
Gingerly Harry took another step forward. Something shifted in the shadows at the end of the hall, and before any of them could say another word, a figure had risen up out of the carpet, tall, dust- coloured, and terrible: Hermione screamed and so did Mrs. Black, her curtains flying open; the grey figure was gliding toward them, faster and faster, its waist-length hair and beard streaming behind it, its face sunken, fleshless, with empty eye sockets: Horribly familiar, dreadfully altered, it raised a wasted arm, pointing at Harry.
"No!" Harry shouted, and though he had raised his wand he said nothing. "No! It wasn't us! We didn't kill you —"
On the word kill, the figure exploded in a great cloud of dust. Alicia coughed, her eyes closed as she brushed her hands over her face. Harry was beside her, coughing as his eyes watered. Hermione was crouched on the floor by the door with her arms over her head, and Ron, who was shaking from head to foot, patting her clumsily on the shoulder and saying, "It's all r-right… It's g-gone…"
"Good job Moody." Alicia mumbled as her heart was still racing.
Dust swirled like mist, catching the blue gaslight, as Mrs. Black continued to scream.
"Mudbloods, filth, stains of dishonour, taint of shame on the house of my fathers —"
"SHUT UP!" Harry bellowed, directing his wand at her, and with a bang and a burst of red sparks, the curtains swung shut again, silencing her.
"That… that was…" Hermione whimpered, as Ron helped her to her feet.
"Yeah," said Harry, "but it wasn't really him, was it? Just something to scare Snape."
"Well it worked on us." Alicia mumbled and Hermione nodded.
Alicia took the next step and when nothing happened she was first to head down the hall, Harry, Ron and Hermione following. Nothing else moved except for a mouse skittering along the skirting board.
"Before we go any farther, I think we'd better check," whispered Hermione, and she raised her wand and said, "Homenum revelio."
Nothing happened.
"Well, you've just had a big shock," said Ron kindly. "What was that supposed to do?"
"It did what I meant it to do!" said Hermione rather crossly. "That was a spell to reveal human presence, and there's nobody here except us!"
"And old Dusty," said Ron, glancing at the patch of carpet from which the corpse-figure had risen.
"That'll probably happen every time someone walks through the door." Alicia nodded.
"Let's go up," said Hermione with a frightened look at the same spot, and she led the way up the creaking stairs to the drawing room on the first floor.
Hermione waved her wand to ignite the old gas lamps, then, shivering slightly in the drafty room, she perched on the sofa, her arms wrapped tightly around her. Alicia sat beside her, comfortingly as Ron crossed to the window and moved the heavy velvet curtain aside an inch.
"Can't see anyone out there," he reported. "And you'd think, if Harry still had a Trace on him, they'd have followed us here. I know they can't get in the house, but — what's up, Harry?"
Harry had given a cry of pain and Alicia had gasped as her scar burned.
"What did you see?" Ron asked, advancing on Harry. "Did you see him at my place?"
"No, I just felt anger — he's really angry —"
"But that could be at the Burrow," said Ron loudly. "What else? Didn't you see anything? Was he cursing someone?"
"No, I just felt anger — I couldn't tell —"
"Ron." Alicia said "Take a breath, I'll give you my mirror and you can scream hoarse at it, but badgering Harry on something that's not full proof, isn't gonna help." she said.
Hermione spoke next, sounding scared.
"Your scar, again? But what's going on? I thought that connection had closed!"
"It did, for a while," muttered Harry, trying to concentrate through the burning. "I — I think it's started opening again whenever he loses control, that's how it used to —"
"But then you've got to close your mind!" said Hermione shrilly. "Harry, Dumbledore didn't want you to use that connection, he wanted you to shut it down, that's why you were supposed to use Occlumency! Otherwise Voldemort can plant false images in your mind, remember —"
"Yeah, I do remember, thanks," said Harry through gritted teeth.
"Hermione." the girl looked surprised at Alicia's tone as she scolded her. She frowned as she looked guilty, after all when Voldemort had last pushed an image into Harry's head, it had ended in Sirius' death.
There was silence for a moment as Harry turned his back on the three before Hermione shrieked and Alicia looked surprised. Harry spun around with his wand raised as a silver Patronus soared through the drawing room window and land upon the floor in front of them, where it solidified into the weasel that spoke with the voice of Ron's father.
"Family safe, do not reply, we are being watched."
The Patronus dissolved into nothingness. Ron let out a noise between a whimper and a groan and dropped onto the sofa: Hermione gripped his arm.
"They're all right, they're all right!" she whispered, and Ron half laughed and hugged her.
"Harry," he said over Hermione's shoulder, "I —"
"It's not a problem," said Harry, sickened by the pain in his head. "It's your family, 'course you're worried. I'd feel the same way. I do feel the same way."
Alicia however had dived for her bag and was rummaging through the objects she could see in it.
"Could we use the sleeping bags I've brought and camp in here tonight?" Hermione asked looking at Alicia.
"Fine by me." she said as Ron agreed as well. Harry however muttered saying bathroom as Alicia ignored the increasing pain in her neck and pulled out her mirror. In the same instant she saw Fred appear.
"You guys are alright!" she said instantly
"Somehow, took me a while to find your holiness though." Fred said smirking.
"Your dad just sent us a message, but, I thought I'd check." she said
"No one was hurt?" Ron demanded beside her and Fred shook his head as the single eared George appeared.
"We all managed to get away, fight off the Death Eaters a bit too. Mom and Dad had to leave the house but give it a bit and I'm sure it'll be fine. What about you guys?" he asked
"Well we got out, and then two Death Eater's found us almost instantly." Alicia said and the boys looked surprised
"How?"
"We don't know." Hermione admitted
"With the Ministry now under their control, I wouldn't be surprised if they'd done something." Alicia said
"Where are you now?" Fred wondered and the three paused and shared a look.
"I dunno if we should answer that…" Alicia said and she rose an expectant eyebrow at Fred.
"I'm gonna go ring shopping tomorrow." Alicia couldn't help but laugh as the two beside her looked surprised and confused.
"Alright, alright. We're at Grimmauld Place." she admitted
"Really? But Snape—!" George began
"Moody's set up some pretty scary jinxes by the door. And I'm not worried about Snape." Alicia said, earning a look from Ron and Hermione. "But you can't go telling everyone where we are, we can't have Mrs Weasley turning up or heaps of the Order, it'll give us away." she said and the two twins nodded in agreement.
"Wait where's Harry?" Fred asked
"Watching Voldemort torture someone while he's absolutely infuriated." Alicia responded reaching up to her neck which was burning even hotter and scratching at it as if that would cool it down.
"What?!" Hermione demanded and she got up.
"Hermione." she stopped "Voldemort's anger is too much for Harry, he can't help if it overpowers him. Don't go badgering him about it alright." Hermione opened her mouth to argue but she sighed and nodded before she went back to her bag and pulled put some things, vanishing again.
Alicia turned back to the mirror.
"Keep us updated with what's happening, we're not gonna be able to get the Daily Prophet as often or contact anyone else." she said and she looked at Ron.
"Be careful." he added and Fred saluted.
"You too." and he vanished from the mirror. Alicia took a breath and looked at Ron.
"I'm so glad you've got that." he said to her.
"Be glad I fell for your brother too then." she smiled as she put the mirror back. "After all, if I hadn't I wouldn't have given him the mirror would I?"
She put the mirror back in her bag before she leaned in and pulled out two sleeping bags. She then did the same to Hermione's beaded bag and gave Ron some clothes from it and then a toiletries bag. She pulled out some more for Harry and then from her bag pulled out her's and Hermione's with some clothes.
"I'm gonna go downstairs, see if there's anything down there and make us something." she told Ron who nodded before the girl moved off down the stairs.
She felt slightly odd being back in this house. She remembered when it'd been full of people and at Christmas when Sirius had been singing holiday tunes everywhere. It was the only time the house hadn't been dreary looking, Sirius had somehow lightened it up with his mood.
She moved back to the landing and then went further down into the basement were the kitchen was. A layer of dust had collected on the long table that sat there and Alicia remembered the first time she'd sat at it, and her fifteenth birthday.
She waved her wand and the layer of dust rose and then dove into one of the bins. She moved to the cupboard but like she'd expected there was nothing there that could be done. No one had been here for a while. With another wave of her wand the bad food dumped into the bin as well. She moved to her bag and pulled out some things before she began duplicating and then with a wave of her wand things began to move and cook.