Chapter 10

'A- alive?' hesitantly, she allowed the word to escape her suddenly dry lips.

The heaviness of dread suddenly weighed down painfully on her stomach and she had to swallow hard to stop her stomach from rejecting its content.

'How do we find her? What do we do...do you know where she could be?'

Sirius gushed out the questions that were flying around in her own mind, but she could not focus her thoughts enough to concentrate on the conversation before her.

She felt an ominous spasm in her knees as they wobbled beneath her, and reached for the wall in support she allowed herself to sink to the floor, hugging her knees tightly to her chest as she forced her mind to calm to a still.

There was a loud buzzing in her ears and she closed her eyes tightly.

She's alive, she's alive.

Her breath was catching in her throat as if I large lump was blocking her windpipe.

How did I not notice? How could I not realise?

Her head felt strangely light and her body felt horribly numb.

I have to find her. I need to find her.

Her mind was spinning as thought after thought rampaged through her brain, bouncing and vibrating against the corners of her mind; even with her eyes closed she felt trapped in a web of panic.

And suddenly, as if it had built up in a crescendo of madness; everything went still.

The sound of Sirius' hurried conversation with Severus and Dumbledore vanished from her ears. The buzzing was gone. The stream of thoughts zooming through her mind seized and as clear as day, as plain as anything, a picture formed before her eyes.

It was an image that came from the very core of her soul. It seemed so obvious; so painstakingly obvious. Perhaps she had always known, the way it had stuck in her mind.

My heart recognised you.

Blonde hair, grey eyes and a heartbreakingly beautiful face.

'- we need to think about this rationally...'

'-no we need to act now!'

'Sirius, if we act to suddenly without pausing to think then there could be dire consequences –'

'Every second that my daughter is with them is dire!'

'I know where she is'

The second the words blurted from her mouth, the argument between the three men cut off into silence, as they all turned to stare at her.

Feeling a sudden burst of energy from her realisation she pulled herself to her feet, her eyes fixed intently on Sirius' and her face set in determination.

'She's at the Malfoy Manor –'

'-Impossible, I've been there hundreds of times, it's been searched over and over...' Snape interrupted, and Sirius snorted loudly.

'Then why didn't you know Alli was there then?' he sneered, and Snape's mouth shut closed.

Her gaze was broken from Sirius as Dumbledore took a hurried few steps forward, so that he was staring deeply into her face.

'How do you know this Alina?' he asked her urgently.

'I – I've seen her' she breathed, her brows creasing 'the night I escaped, there was another person...a girl.' She was stumbling over her words as she tried to get them out as quickly as possible 'She had blonde hair...'

' – and grey eyes' Sirius continued, sucking in a deep breath of realisation.

'I'm so sorry' she told him 'you were right...'

'Shhh' he hushed her, before turning to Dumbledore 'you heard Alli, Malfoy Manor! Let's go!'

'I'm afraid it isn't as simple as that Sirius.'

'What?' Sirius hissed in disbelief, causing Alina to flinch as his wave of anger hit her simultaneously to her own.

'We cannot just go bounding in there; we need to formulate a plan. We must determine her exact location and predict what matters of protection will be surrounding her –'

'- and how do you propose we do all of that?' he quickly interrupted through gritted teeth.

'For your daughter to be imprisoned in the same way that Alina was there must have been a use for her, it is only logical to assume she is gifted with the same powers as her mother...assuming this then her mind would have instantaneously have been linked with Alina's from birth, as it would have with anyone with their bloodline.'

'So what exactly are you saying?' Alina demanded, fidgeting impatiently in frustration.

'I am saying that we can hopefully use this link to determine her location.'

'Right, let's get started then.' Sirius stated, clapping his hands together and moving to sit back down at the table.

Alina immediately followed him, her heart beginning to race with the concept of finding her daughter.

She's alive.

The thought caused a random giggle to burst from her lips, and she felt the alarmed glances from Snape and Dumbledore burning into her cheeks at the sound of her hysteria.

But as she glanced up at Sirius, and he caught her gaze, she knew that he understood.

She saw the same bewilderment and disbelief in his eyes that she knew was held in her own. And when he moved towards her and held out his hand she clutched it tightly, desperately, as if it were her very lifeline.

And in some ways it was.

The chair scraped on the floor as Dumbledore took a seat directly across the table from Alina. The sound echoed against the walls and seemed to increase the tense atmosphere in the room.

'Severus, you do not need to stay here now, you are free to go home and rest' Dumbledore turned to the man beside him 'you must be exhausted –'

'-NO!' her protest came out far louder than she had intended 'you might trust him Albus, but I do not. He could run out of here and go straight to Voldemort with this information...'

'I was the one who gave you the information' Snape retorted dryly.

'I don't care. I want him in here where we can see him...I am not taking any risks when It comes to finding her'

Snape opened his mouth to protest, but she kept her gaze firmly set on Dumbledore's eyes.

She did not know what he saw in them, but something in her gaze must have told him that she was deadly serious.

'Would you mind staying Severus?' he asked simply, and after a curt nod from Snape, turned immediately back to Alina.

'Now...what do I do?' she asked, grasping Sirius' hand even tighter.

'Breathe in. Deeply. And exhale slowly' Dumbledore instructed, and closing her eyes Alina followed his directions.

'Do so until you feel completely calm' he continued 'ignore everything else around you, everyone here, listen to only my voice.'

With her whole body trembling slightly she continued to breathe in the way she was told, blocking out the creaking noises of the ancient house they sat in, the slightly jagged breath of Sirius beside her and the sound of footsteps coming from above.

'Now, I want you to connect with your powers. Allow your mind to trail through your body, over each atom, each organ from your head to your toes. Let yourself explore the power within you and embrace it as tightly as you can.'

Unable to brush away the thought of how stupid the instruction sounded, Alina sighed and attempted to do as the man said.

The familiar jolt of electricity sparked up the second she focused on her mind, on the ability it held, and with this jolt she pushed it down her neck, she led it down her chest and let it seep through her lungs until she felt as though she were breathing her power. The tingle flowed along her arms, causing each hair to stand on end until it reached her fingertips and almost begged to be allowed to continue.

She was positive that if anyone so much as touched her at that moment they would be greeted with a shock of sheer electricity.

She shivered as the tingle travelled down her spine and caressed her legs as it ventured to her feet.

'Amazing' she muttered, uttering her thoughts out loud.

It truly felt amazing. It was as if her entire body had given in to her power, she no longer was Alina, a witch, a human – she had become pure, undiluted magic.

'Keep your breathing steady Alina' Dumbledore warned her as her chest began to move faster with exhilaration 'you need complete and utter focus'

Mutely, she nodded, and forced herself to slow her breathing, focusing on the slow tingle in her throat as the oxygen transpired into her very own magic. She could feel the power willing her to allow it to escape, to flee her body and flood into the outside world.

'What now?' she muttered through clenched teeth, as she began to fight with the urge to allow it to leave her clutches.

'Imagine your daughter. Remember how you felt when she first kicked. Remember how close you felt to her knowing she lived in you, that she was part of you. Remember how hard you fought to keep her alive, to stop them from hurting her. The strength it took for your magic to keep her alive inside you even when they were torturing you.'

As he spoke the words the memories came alive before her eyes. She remembered her amazement as her stomach swelled, even in the darkest of hours, even as she was tortured, she could not hold back her wonder at the child that grew within her. She remembered the shock as the tiny foot nudged her stomach, letting her know that she wasn't alone; she would never be alone. How she felt when they had discovered her pregnancy; she had something to fight for – to live for.

'Now picture her face, remember her hair, her eyes...'

My hair, Sirius' eyes.

The face appeared before her instantly, without any confusion or loss of memory.

'Reach out for that face, push your powers towards that one thought...send them too her.'

Whilst it had been easy enough to allow her powers to flow freely through her, reeling them back in was not the same. She urged them to follow her command but the resistance was powerful.

It begged her to let it escape, to run freely, not to be trapped within her mind.

She pulled and tugged at the sensation, feeling the sweat begin to trickle down her face as she did so.

'It is your power Alina' Dumbledore told her firmly 'you can control it.'

'Think of her Alli...think of our girl'

It was Sirius' words alone that gave her the strength of control, giving her the ultimate surge of power.

'GO...TO...HER' she shouted out loud, in an attempt to strengthen her thoughts.

The sensation was strange, as if her mind was vacuuming up the spilled power in her body. It sucked it away from her fingertips, drew it up from her legs and caused it to shoot back up her spine.

It licked away the power from her lungs, making her breath catch as if there were no longer any oxygen in the world.

Each tear, each suck of the power tendrils caused her to gasp out loud. It stung. An icy burn replaced the wonderful tingling sensation.

An intense pressure grew within her skull as more and more power was forced unwillingly back inside it. It felt as if a thousand creatures were clawing at her mind, desperately scraping against her skull to escape their prison.

'Alli...?'

Sirius' calls seemed so distant, too far away to cling to; to seek solace in.

The pain was almost unbearable, her mind was on fire. Scorching her, scolding her from the inside out.

'Go. To. Her' she commanded through clenched teeth.

And pushing harder than she had ever done with her mind, she launched her powers away from her with the sole image of her daughter in her mind.

And it went.

It went to her daughter.

The pain evaporated almost instantaneously, leaving her entire body in total exhaustion.

She felt Sirius' arms wrap around her and allowed him to draw her in to him as she rested her head on his shoulder.

'Well done' Dumbledore told her quietly, smiling gently at her.

''ot 'now?' she muttered.

'Pardon?' Dumbledore questioned softly, gazing sympathetically at her exhausted frame.

'She said, what now?' Sirius repeated, squeezing her too him.

'Hopefully the power will find your daughter and then return to you, some will remain with her and this should allow us to detect her whereabouts...'

'Wait!' Sirius protested 'Hopefully? Should? So basically you don't really know if this will work? We need to know where she is now!'

'I am afraid I have never met another Witch with Alina's bloodlines so everything I suggest is based on logic and theory...I do not however believe that I am wrong.'

'So when will I know where she is? And how?' Alina asked tiredly.

'Hopefully not too long Alina, but sadly none of us can be the masters of magic to completely beckon it under our command. We are simply the servants it dedicates itself too'

Eve jolted awake suddenly and found herself gasping for breath, her chest was heaving and she felt her skin glittering with sweat.

And that woman's face was burning into her eyelids.

Reaching out to the wall for some support, she tentatively pulled herself up into a sitting position and slowly moved each limb to test for any painful areas.

She sighed when she realised the pain was no longer as severe as it had been a few days before, and tilted her head to crack her neck.

Sleeping on the floor was not helping her body to heal.

Sighing, she brushed her hair behind her ears and glanced around the room, it now looked like exactly what it had always been; a prison.

All furniture and aspects of comfort had been almost immediately removed, and she had been left with a windowless, empty cell.

For the past few days she had neither the energy nor the physical ability to notice her surroundings. She had awoken from unconsciousness in an incredibly bad state and it even startled herself that she had managed to survive the attack.

The floor, previously drenched with crimson, was now stained with the rusty brown colour of dry blood. Stroking her fingertips across her cheek she could feel the undeniable swelling under her eyes and the tenderness of bruised skin.

For the first day of consciousness she had just simply cried. And the stinging caused by the salty tears reaching her cuts brought on even more tears.

At some point, she guessed she had cried herself to sleep.

The day after that she had barely been able to move, every joint in her body was in agony, every muscle ached and her head thumped wildly against her skull.

But amongst it all, the most pain was in her heart.

Draco was gone. He would never be able to return again, not now he had been caught, and that knowledge alone broke her heart.

What more did she have to live for? What was there to look forward too?

How long would it be before she was put before him again? How long before she would be used again as their sick weapon?

But this morning, today, she had woken up with a new surge of energy that she didn't know she had left in her to possess. With the lack of food, the pain and injuries she had suffered, it seemed almost impossible to feel so alive.

She had awoken to that woman's face yet again.

She had been haunted by the blonde hair, the blue eyes that flashed with a power far too intense for herself to be able to comprehend, and the face thin as a clear result of malnutrition and poor treatment.

She had been used the same way as herself.

And yet she was older, far older than Eve, so how long had she been there?

Sometimes she pretended that she was the stranger. That she looked as strong as the other woman, and possessed the same power that she wielded in order to escape.

She would day dream and fantasize for hours just how she would do it, how she would break their hold on her and disappear into the night air.

But how had she disappeared? That was a puzzle Eve had never been able to solve. It was something she had never been taught in all of her lessons with Lucius.

Probably for exactly that reason; so I don't escape.

She groaned out loud, and felt both restless and frustrated as she looked around at her prison.

She could not live like this. She knew she would go mad, and it probably wouldn't take very long.

When the room had been furnished she could pretend it was a home, a place she resided in out of choice, but empty as it was now she could not fool herself.

'I need to get out'

As soon as the thought entered her mind, the words were on her lips.

I have to escape.

'But how?' she mumbled, frowning in frustration.

Resting her head in her hands she closed her eyes to try and clear her mind, she needed to think...

Think, think, think...

Almost instantly the familiar image of the woman was conjured up by her mind's eye.

How did you do it? How did she do it?

'Help me' she whispered, knowing how utterly ridiculous the plea sounded in the emptiness surrounding her.

She began to impatiently pace the room, as if her body were urging her mind to begin working; to find some plan of escape.

As she paced faster and faster a strange tingling sensation caressed her chest, and began spreading across her torso.

The feeling was electrifying, and she gasped out in wonder as the sensation flooded through her veins, reaching the very tips of her fingers and the soles of her feet.

Within seconds her entire body was absorbed by the electrifying force and it both terrified her and left her in pure exhilaration.

The frustration she had been feeling evaporated and instead she felt something she had not experienced, perhaps ever.

Total power.

She could feel the tingling burning at her fingers, pulling at the surface of her skin, begging for release.

At first the sensation scared her, what was happening? What would occur if she let it free...this all consuming energy that had born inside of her?

But this was quickly brushed aside as a tiny thought scuttled into the forefront of her mind.

What have I got to lose?

The results of her decision were apparent instantly, as if a gust of wind had swept through her, the power surged from her body. It escaped from every possible angle, charging out of her and into the prison.

She shouted out loud in shock as the room began to shake, as the pressure of the electric energy forced itself against the concrete walls, as it barged against the doorway and caused the wooden frame to split.

The sound of a dull rumble ominously reached Eve's ears and she cowered backwards against the wall, staring wildly around her as the power crackled in the air.

The noise grew louder and louder, the pressure growing more and more intense until with a mind blowing crash, the doorway and the majority of the wall surrounding it blew into pieces.

Wood, rocks, concrete and dust exploded around her, hurtling dangerously towards her.

In a natural reflex her arms flew out in protection as she let out an ear piercing scream of terror.

And everything fell silent.

It was as if her scream had frozen time itself. The deafening rumble that had seemed to shake the very foundations of the manor suddenly ceased, the rubble and splinted wood that had been hurtled into the air around her had dropped instantly to the floor before it had reached her and only the sounds of her panting could be heard at all.

Trembling violently, she steadied herself on her feet and let out a shaky whimper as the shock set in.

'What...the...'

Her words trailed off as her eyes finally appreciated the sight before her.

A giant hole in the place that had once held the door that locked her in.

She knew that someone would have heard the catastrophe that had taken place in her cell, and that she only had a matter of minutes before they would reach her, so not pausing to think she sprinted across the room and darted through the hole.

It was time to escape.

A/N: So sorry it's taken so long, family drama, deadlines and University work have taken their toll over my free time to write! I know this is a bit of a nothing chapter but it's leading up to the next one which will be longer than normal! I hope I still have my readers and I'm sorry i've left you for so long!

Please review to let me know you're still here!

And i'll update as soon as i can!

Thank you!