Chapter 26:

They were on a snowy hillside, Hermione was sobbing and Harry was lying on the ground beside Alicia. The polyjuice potion was beginning to slowly wear off as the tips of her hair was turning from blonde to black and Hermione's was becoming bushier while Harry's went messy. Alicia looked over Harry, worried but she knew instantly he wasn't dead, and not from their bond, but from the fact that he was moving and muttering, as if having a dream.

Alicia looked him over, his arm was bleeding and instantly she remembered the Snake had bitten him…

But it wouldn't kill him. she knew, because she knew that Voldemort wanted to do it, and even his snake couldn't have the pleasure.

"Hermione. Dittany. Harry's arm." Alicia said and she went to move before she felt a nasty pull in her side and instantly recoiled back. Hermione looked up, her sobs subsiding momentarily and was rummaging in her bag for the dittany. With the tiny bottle clutched in her hand, she moved around to Harry's arm, pulling off the cloth there in order to wash the wound. Alicia watched her, seeing the puncture wounds in his skin, and then Hermione turned when she hadn't moved.

"Do you wanna put the enchantments up?" she offered, her voice shaking a little. Her eyes swept the hillside worryingly as though someone would pop out of no where and another calamity would occur.

"I can, after you pull the glass from my stomach." Alicia said, her breath coming out wispily. Alicia's head was spinning and she knew that if something wasn't done soon, black spots would cover her vision.

Hermione looked down to see a patch of blood over Alicia's top which was stuck to her skin. There was a shard of mirror in her side glistening slightly against the snow and in the darkness.

"Alicia!" Hermione instantly moved forwards with her wand and she helped Alicia lie down.

"What happened?"

"I think it was… when your curse hit the wardrobe mirror… a shard… got me." Alicia breathed.

Hermione muttered under her breath as she had the shard removed, cleaned the wound and instantly put dittany on the stab. Alicia lay still, breathing deeply and even after Hermione went back to Harry she knew not to move.

Harry wasn't quiet, in the last few moments alone he'd begun to moan.

"He has a fever." Hermione mumbled and Alicia slowly sat up.

"We need to get him inside, get some water into him, let him sleep. If he stays in the snow…" Alicia slowly, careful of her freshly healed wound, got to her feet.

"Alicia you shouldn't be moving!" Hermione gasped.

"I know, so I'll take it slowly, carefully and I'll put up the protective charms. You set up the tent and get Harry inside, then I'll sit." Alicia promised. Hermione pursed her lips and watched as Alicia began to move in a wide circle. Each step seemed well thought out as she was careful and slow. Hermione had the tent set up with a flick of her wand before she used a hover charm to get Harry into his bunk. By the time Hermione had covered Harry in many blankets Alicia had finished the protection enchantments, she got changed, washing up as the Polyjuice potion wore off and when she came back out, Harry was Harry again and so was Hermione. Hermione was wiping Harry's forehead as he moaned and Hermione looked worried.

"Alicia…" the girl looked up at Hermione to see a broken expression in her face.

"What's wrong?" Alicia asked and Hermione rolled her lips, her expression worried and guilty before she picked something up for Alicia to see. Alicia moved further forwards before her eyes widened at the look of shock.

In Hermione's hand was Harry's wand. The holly and phoenix wand was nearly severed in two. One fragile strand of phoenix feather kept both pieces hanging together. The wood had splintered apart completely.

"Oh no…" Alicia whispered "How'd that happened?"

"I… I think I did it, with my B-Blasting Curse. Remember it went everywhere—"

"And caused me to get stabbed, yeah. I didn't realise it hit the wand." Alicia mumbled as Hermione looked at her sorrowfully.

"Harry's going to hate me!" Hermione whispered, worried.

"It wasn't your fault Hermione. Your rebounding curse was enough of a distraction to help us get away." Alicia said "Harry wont hate you." she said. Hermione turned back to the boy as he lay sleeping, his head twitching slightly and his eyes moving below their lids.

"He hasn't woken up." Hermione whispered, changing the subject.

"He got bitten by a snake and knowing Voldemort our escape would have made him so angry he's probably overwhelmed Harry." Alicia said as she carefully sat herself into one of the chairs and then rubbed her temple.

"He's letting him in!" Hermione gasped

"What do you want him to do about it? He's not very good at Occlumency when he's awake, let alone while he's asleep." Alicia asked her sighing slightly. Hermione looked her over, the girl was slightly pale but stayed in the seat, still for a moment as though getting her bearings, before leaning down for her bag which she'd dropped on the floor. She pulled out her mirror, which had remained blank since George had appeared in it all those weeks ago, before Ron had left.

Hermione clearly believed arguing with Alicia in her condition was not worth it and so she said nothing. She didn't get much of a chance regardless as Harry shouted and thrashed as he slept. Alicia jumped and put her mirror down, surprised, on the table while Hermione instantly reached to hold Harry, trying to keep him still so he wouldn't hurt himself. Alicia grabbed her wand from her pocket and pointed it at Harry. Instantly he was still and Hermione gapped at him. She turned to Alicia who put her wand beside her mirror.

"Alicia!"

"We can't have him thrashing about, it'll only worsen him. And we can't stop his dreaming while he's unconscious so…" she mumbled in defence. Hermione sighed and dabbed Harry's face again.

Alicia meanwhile got up and, taking her bag, mirror and wand, she went to sit at the entrance of the tent.

"Alicia! What are you doing?" Hermione demanded

"I don't have the strength to look after Harry, it's best you do that, so I'll take first watch. Try and get some sleep too Hermione." Alicia said

"But Alicia…"

"I'm well enough to sit at the entrance of a tent." Alicia said annoyed. Hermione pursed her lips and didn't argue with her. She turned to Harry and watched him as he was still as a plank of wood, his eyes still moving rapidly and his breathing increasing.

"He has a temperature." Hermione whispered

"He'll be fine once he wakes up. It could take a while Hermione, I suggest you get some sleep."

"But…"

"The quicker you sleep the quicker you can take over from me." Alicia said rolling her eyes. Hermione sighed and nodded.

"Alright." Alicia turned and watched Hermione as she pulled one of the chairs over towards Harry and grabbed her blanket from her bed, sitting herself down.

Alicia sighed as she looked over the white darkness, the snow glistening under the dark sky, everything black and grey in the lateness of the night.

How stupid they had been! Going to Godric's Hollow was the worst decision ever! They hadn't discovered anything about the sword, Bathilda had likely been dead for months! Voldemort had known they'd go to the house all along! Just like Hermione had first assumed and just as Alicia had warned them. She'd known the sword wouldn't be there, as well as it being dangerous! They only thing they'd accomplished was seeing their parents graves and seeing how people were supporting them even now on the sign by the house.

Perhaps it could have been made a worthwhile trip, if only they'd had the sword before going. They could have killed Nagini and taken out a Horcrux! The hardest one ever and it had been right in front of them!

They needed that sword, not just for the locket's destruction, but in case they ever came up against Nagini like that again. It would have been the perfect opportunity! Alicia had heard her parseltongue, she could have had the sword in her hand to swipe at the serpent as she'd blown open the door, but it was still with Snape. And all because she hadn't tried hard enough to tell Phineas where they were.

Alicia turned to see Hermione's head slumped in her chair, Harry still unconscious and the beaded bag sitting on the table where Hermione had put it. She got up from her spot, ignoring the slight pull at her freshly healed wound and moved over to the beaded bag. Alicia moved it back to the entrance, turning her back on the snow as to keep the tent in her sights, Hermione and Harry the prime concern to be watched.

Alicia reached into the bag, feeling for the object she wanted until her hand clutched against the frame of the portrait. She instantly began to yank it out, the large frame struggling through the tiny opening until Alicia held the frame before her. She glanced back at Hermione and Harry again as she licked her lips.

"Professor Black." she whispered ever so quietly. "Phineas Nigellus. I really need to talk to you, please."

"Well, I guess seeing as you asked nicely." Phineas said as he walked into the frame, his blind fold over his eyes. Alicia pulled out her wand and pointed it at the portrait so that the blind fold vanished and Phineas blinked surprised.

"I don't think it right, nor necessary, to blind fold you." she said and Phineas eyed her.

"You trust me to see your hide out?" he said

"I need you to know where we are. I need Professor Snape to be able to get the sword of Gryffindor to us!" Alicia whispered

"The sword of Gryffindor?" Phineas said all too loudly so that Alicia shushed him and looked back at Hermione and Harry. Hermione had stirred slightly.

"Please keep your vice down or you'll wake them." she whispered

"You're going behind your friends' backs?" he said again surprised.

"Yes, because I know things they don't, and Professor Snape is our only hope." Alicia said

"Know things? What could a child like you know?" Alicia sighed aggravated and glanced at the two again before looking back at the portrait.

"I know that the Sword of Gryffindor was swapped out for a fake, and the fake is in Gringotts. I also know that Professor Snape was asked to kill Professor Dumbledore, by the Headmaster himself. I know he didn't betray anyone. I also know he loved my mother, and that's why Dumbledore trusted him so much. I know Professor Snape will have the real sword, or at least know where it is and we need it!" Phineas stared at her

"And how would you know all this?" he questioned

"I know how to piece information together." Alicia responded. Phineas stared at her for a moment and she let him.

"You trust Professor Snape? You agree with his methods?"

"I agree that he's done all he can, and everything that's been asked of him, in order to help Dumbledore." Alicia said "I don't care for his hate for my father or my brother, I only care that he's done all he can, and done so so well that so many dislike and distrust him." Alicia frowned "It must be terrible that he has only done what was asked and yet the entire world hates him for it. I can't imagine how that must feel." she whispered.

Phineas said nothing as Alicia took a breath.

"Now, back to the topic at hand, unfortunately, right now, I do not know where we are. We're on a snowy hillside which Hermione brought us to. But we move every morning and generally don't spend more than one night at a place. We pitch the tent and we have protective enchantments all around us to deter muggles, keep us hidden, silent, so no one can get to us. Phineas, if I take us somewhere, I will tell you if I can." she sighed and looked back at Hermione and Harry. "No one else knows about what I know. Dumbledore never told me Snape's secret in loving my mother, I worked it out. Dumbledore never told me of the deal between him and Snape, I worked that out too. And I know what's in store for Harry's fate. But I cannot tell anyone any of this, for reasons obvious. And so I cannot tell you where we are while Harry and Hermione are listening or watching." she said quietly. "Professor Black, I implore you to listen to us, whenever you can, and I will do my best, make the circumstances right, for you to hear our location."

"You want me to pass this on to the Headmaster?" Phones said

"Yes! The moment you receive it. I believe it is for his best interest." Alicia nodded "Well… for ours as well, but he cannot help us without this information. And we need his help."

Phineas looked at her for a moment.

"Well I guess seeing as you've got most of the facts no one besides the Headmaster, and the previous Headmaster had known… Professor Snape has been interested in your whereabouts." he said

"And that's why you've been asking. Asking Hermione and Harry will get you know where though." she believed

"How long have you known all this?" Phones wondered

"Well… I knew Dumbledore was dying before his death. I knew Snape killed Dumbledore on his orders as I sat beside the Headmaster's body that night. I knew Snape loved my mother the same day I discovered Dumbledore was dying and that Harry has to be killed by You-Know-Who," she glanced at her brother again. "I only learnt the sword of Gryffindor was necessary for us, and that a fake had been made, not too long ago…" she said thinking.

"This is why you sent the house elf to Professor Snape." Alicia looked at the portrait surprised.

"Yes. I believed it important that he knew we had your portrait. See if he could try and watch us if necessary. Honestly we forgot we had it for a while but…" she smiled sheepishly. "Is it alright for you to inform Professor Snape for me?" she wondered

"I will do my best. I think some of it he may appreciate."

"I hope he's not too mad at me…" she said "Tell him I'm sorry for being a pain in his class too." she chuckled slightly "My temper can get out of control."

"I will pass along your message, in return for fixing my portrait." he decided

"Well, don't say anything to Hermione about me doing that when she next takes out your portrait and it'll be fine." Alicia promised.

"Good night Miss Potter."

"Good night Professor." Alicia nodded and the man turned and walked out of his portrait. Alicia watched it for a moment before she began to shove it back into the beaded bag. She made sure to put it back on the table where Hermione had left it and left the thing open.

Alicia sat at the tent entrance feeling much more content with herself now, feeling she may have accomplished something. If she could make sure their whereabouts were spoken while the bag was open, then they'd have the sword. One less thing to find and one less thing to worry about.

She turned around to look at Harry. All they needed now was for Harry to wake up.