Chapter 27: I Use My Sixth Sense

(James)

"You did that!" shouted the voice. "You pulled her under!"

Code had made me live the memory of his sister's death five times. He had reduced me to a sobbing mess, but still he wouldn't stop. He wouldn't just leave me alone.

Suddenly I felt a presence in the maze with me. Not just in my mind, but with me. Next to me. There was this black creepy shadow towering me over me. It sent chills down my spine and I knew it was Code.

"You're a murderer, James." Code's voice seemed to come from the shadow, but I couldn't tell because it echoed, making it sound like it came from everywhere.

"I'm not," I sobbed. Then I realised what I was doing. I was letting Code win. I was letting him emotionally destroy me, his first step into actually killing me. I couldn't let that happen. I couldn't let him win. "I'm not!" I shouted my voice much stronger. "You are!"

And then I ran. I ran away from the creepy shadow. I used Occlumency to keep him out of my head. And it worked it. It was really working.

(Albus)

I could hear the screaming and cheering even from here. Lily, Rose, Scorpius, Jacob and I were probably the only ones who weren't outside at the Quidditch Pitch, watching the final task. Instead we were outside the hospital wing, anxiously for news.

Lily sat next to me, head on my shoulder. Every once in a while I could feel her shake with sobs. Scorpius and Rose were leaning against each other a little ways away from us. Scorpius' expression was blank, like he couldn't care less, but I knew better. He was dying on the inside. And I knew if Hugo didn't make it he'd never forgive himself. Rose was sniffling next to him. I was pretty sure she hadn't stopped crying since the incident. She refused to talk to me, as far as I knew the only person she'd talked to at all was Scorpius. Jacob was pacing back and forth in front of us.

"Would you quit that?" Scorpius finally snapped.

Jacob looked at Scorpius with such hatred that it shut him right up. He continued his pacing and about a minute later the door opened.

Jacob got there first as he'd been the only one standing. He didn't even wait for Madame Poppy to allow entrance, just plowed by her.

She stood staring after him for a second. "Hugo is not awake. His condition is still critical, but he can have visitors now. His parents were just here to see him. I'd prefer a maximum of two visitors at a time."

Without discussing anything Lily followed Jacob's lead and barged into the Hospital Wing.

We waited ten minutes before they came out. Jacob had his arm around Lily and she sniffled a little.

I went in next. My cousin was the only one in the Hospital Wing. He looked small in the practically empty room, in the large bed. He was so motionless it was frightening. I would've thought him to be dead but I could see the occasional rise and fall of is chest. Still though it wasn't nearly as it should be.

Madame Poppy approached. "Albus…" she said reluctantly.

I could tell by the tone of her voice that whatever she had to say was bad news. I shut my eyes tight trying to stop the tears from flowing. I knew what she was going to say. That she hadn't wanted to say so in front of everyone, but Hugo wasn't going to make it.

To my great surprise and relief, I was completely wrong. The words that came out of her mouth would've shocked me even if I wasn't expecting something totally different. "I heard you can do Legilimency."

"I-what? Legilimency?" I uttered, confused.

Madame Poppy took a deep breath. "Sometimes when people find out surprising information they go into shock," she explained. "Usually it's not this intense… but still. We want to know if Hugo found some shocking information."

"Are you seriously asking me to break into my cousin's mind to find out if he discovered something surprising?" I queried. "Why?"

"If he's in shock there's a potion-"

"So give him the potion!" I said frantically.

"We would," Madame Poppy said slowly, seemingly losing her patience, "But it will cause his body to go in over drive and if it isn't shock, that could kill him."

I closed my eyes. "If he's not in shock he's done, isn't he?"

I opened my eyes for a second, but closed them immediately when I saw her grim expression. "This is our best hope." She put a hand on my shoulder. "But that doesn't mean we'll stop trying if it doesn't work."

"Isn't there someone else you can ask? Like Flitwick?"

Madame Poppy shook her head. "Hugo knows you. He's less likely to fight your presence." She shifted her weight awkwardly. "Um, also there's a chance Flitwick's level of Legilimency could kill him."

"Kill him?!" I repeated, incredulous.

"Flitwick is very good at Occlumency. His level of power could cause Hugo go into overdrive trying to keep him out. He could mistake him for a threat. You on the other hand are family. He'll be able to sense that. And your level of Legilimency is nowhere near strong enough to kill him."

"You're sure this is a good idea?" I asked, biting my thumbnail.

"I'm sure it's the only way we have a chance of saving him at the moment," she replied.

I took a deep breath. "Then I'll do it."

The problem was I wasn't actually too good at Legilimency. I did it on Code once before, but that was like a miracle… in fact it was such a miracle I was beginning to wonder if he'd planned that to happen.

But Hugo's life was in my hands. I didn't like that kind of responsibility but there was nothing I could do about it. Just do what I was told and pray it worked. Try my best.

I snorted. That felt so… pathetic. I'd try? My cousin's life was in my hands and I'd try? No. My cousin's life was in my hands and he could trust me. They all could. Because I'd save him. I'd prove to James, to my parents, to everyone that I could do something to. Throughout the whole war I felt practically useless. Now was my chance. This was something only I could do. And I'd do it right.

"Legilimens!" I shouted.

The first memory I saw was one of the Weasley/Potter family playing Quidditch when we were young. I smiled as I watched myself catch the snitch. Dom complained loudly about the game being rigged and James broom tackled me in a hug and started ruffling my hair. Then he went and did the same to Hugo.

I shook my head. No. I shouldn't be here. I needed to find Hugo's most recent memory. I needed to find out what happened.

I focused, willing myself to Hugo's most recent memory. Willing myself to see what had happened. I had closed my eyes and when I opened them again, I was in a house.

It was Code's house. I'd seen it once before when Hugo and I had been locked in the basement by Claire Code, although it was a brief view. Now I got a full on look of the filth of the place. Garbage littered everywhere. Dust coated everything like no one had cleaned in years. I was pretty sure there was a dead mouse in the corner of the kitchen.

And then I saw Hugo sitting on the partially moldy couch. He was watching the old crappy television.

On the TV Ryan and Claire were discussing something. I didn't know what though because although I could see their mouths moving I heard no sound come out. I couldn't hear any sound, actually.

I kicked my foot against the wall. No sound.

The only explanation I could think of was that since this was a memory of Hugo in Code's mind watching a memory of Code, this was a little advanced for my Legilimency skills.

I could get the gist of it, just by watching. Code was mad at Claire. At first she was her usual whiny self and then he said something to piss her off which caused her to snap at him. He retorted angrily and then the screen went blank.

Hugo clicked the remote and a different memory starting playing.

This time Code was talking to Marlo. This discussion seemed much calmer until Code said something to set Marlo off. Shortly after Marlo was holding a wand up in front of Code, tauntingly. At first it looked like a regular wand but upon closer inspection I realised it was the Elder Wand.

So Hugo had discovered proof that Code had the Elder Wand, just like Scorpius wanted. And by the shocked look on his face he'd discovered much more too. Perhaps even why Code wanted the Elder Wand.

When the real Code showed up, bursting through the door, I was forced out of Hugo's mind. When I opened my eyes I was in the infirmary lying on the floor with Madame Poppy standing over me.

"You fainted, Albus," she explained, "are you all right?"

I shook my head trying to clear it. If Hugo did go into go into shock, it wasn't because of the Elder Wand. He already had a pretty good idea that Code had the Elder Wand. And the reason of Code using it didn't seem like enough… so I must've missed something. That or some supernatural, unexplainable thing happened to Hugo and we'd never be able to cure him.

And I wasn't going to except that.

"I have to go back," I stated firmly.

"No," Madame Poppy said just as firmly.

"I'm going," I said.

"If I was looking for recklessness, I would've asked your brother," Madame Poppy muttered.

I had turned ready to cast the spell again, but I turned back around to look at her. "Recklessness? You think that's what this is? There's a difference between recklessness and a necessary risk! I will not live knowing I had a chance to save my cousin and I didn't take it. I will not watch my sister slip into depression when she realises he's not waking up, knowing I had a chance to save him. I will not lose another family member knowing I can save him!"

I hadn't realised how loud I'd been talking. I opened my mouth, possibly to apologize, but then shut it firmly. I'd said what needed to be said and I wasn't going to take it back.

Madame Poppy just nodded.

Without looking back at her again I shouted, "Legilimens!" and left the Hospital Wing behind.

This time I felt incredibly weak, but I had made it to the correct memory on the first try.

The minute I was in the house I doubled over, gasping for breath. Now I could hardly see, my vision was coming and going, but I could hear.

"You're a squib!" I heard Code shout.

For a second I couldn't hear anything but white noise.

And then, "Well, Daddy, can go-" insert bad word that means screw here "- himself."

Through my very blurry vision I saw that the screen went blank again and Hugo clicked the remote and another memory came into view.

My vision blacked again, but I could hear.

"I was just informed that Amycus Carrow and his daughter had set their plan in motion." Marlo's voice.

"Huh? What plan?" Code's voice.

"The plan where she uses the Persuasive potion to convince James to go to the maze…"

Then both vision and hearing abilities disappeared. I knew I had to get out of here. I tried to focus, but I just succeeded in totally losing consciousness.

(James)

Fear.

It controls you. It baits you, and you're stuck. Then it gives you a little slack, it lets you think that escape is possible, but that's just false hope. It just reels you right back in and never lets you go.

Being fearless is impossible. No matter where you run, where you hide, fear will find you. It found me here, in this dark scary maze. But I should have known that. I should have expected that. Hell, if I were in a happy sunny field filled with lilies and sunflowers, fear would still find me.

Fear was doing a good job of rendering me hopeless. There was no more… anything. No more running, no more hiding, no more pretending it didn't exist. And fear wanted to show me that. It was like it had a hook in me and right now I was completely reeled in. I was staring fear in the face and there was nothing I could do about it.

"You'll never get me," I whispered. Then, sounding slightly delusional, I repeated loudly, "You'll never get me! You hear that? Never!"

There was no response except the echo of my own voice.

"I'll fight," I challenged. "You'll have to kill me. I won't give up!"

I would take pleasure in killing you.

I froze. He couldn't be in my head. Not now. Not here. As if I wasn't already going insane. What about the Occlumency? Sure I wasn't perfect at it but it should have helped. It had been working.

"Leave me alone you murdering idiot!" I yelled.

I think you and I both know this is too much fun for me to do that. The sick twisted laugh that followed echoed around my head and made my insides squirm.

And suddenly I was no longer in the maze. I was somewhere scarier than that. I wasteland of a world where I stood on a pile of ashes and dead bodies.

"Let me go!" I yelled not sure if I was talking to Ryan Code or fear in general. Both had a firm grip on me and both were my mortal enemies.

As if my thoughts were being read- and they probably were- the world around me changed and I was surrounded by bodies of my friends and family.

And that's when I knew there was nothing to do. There was no escape. It didn't mean I stopped fighting, I'd go until the very end, but I knew now that it was pointless. Fear had won.

(Albus)

I hated it when James pranked me. He'd always been the early riser of the family while both Lily and I usually slept in. James used this to his advantage constantly.

He'd do stupid immature things like cover our hands in whip cream and then tickled our noses. Or fill our bed with realistic looking rubber snakes or spiders so that we'd scream at the top of our lungs when we woke up. One time he even took two air horns, put them right next to my ears and then sounded them. I would've gone completely deaf if my parents didn't heal me magically.

One of James' personal favorites though, a classic as he called it, was to put some smelly substance under our nose, like Pigwidgeon's dung, until we woke up. He even dumped it on me once.

So naturally my response to the disgustingness I smelt was, "Go away, James," I moaned.

He didn't though. The smell persisted. At first I was totally convinced I could ignore it, but then it became too much. I sat bolt right up and was ready to punch my brother when I realised it was a women in front of me. Madame Poppy. And I was not in my bed at home, or even in my dormitory. I was in the Hospital Wing.

Suddenly the events came back to me. The Legilimency. Hugo being near death. And the conversation I'd heard between Marlo and Code. Amycus Carrow and his daughter were planning to do something to James in the maze…

"How long have I been out?" I asked throwing the blankets aside and standing up, although it made me slightly dizzy.

"Sit down!" she commanded in her sternest voice. "You just fainted! I wasn't sure if you were even going to make it."

"How long was I out?" I repeated crossing my arms over my chest.

She sighed. "Two hours."

"Is the House Cup championship over?"

She seemed bewildered by this question. "I think it just finished. I believe Lucas Reed of Slytherin won."

"What place did my brother come in?"

"Overall, third. He was the first one out of the maze though. He sent up red sparks."

I nodded and then said, hoping I was right, "Hugo did go into shock. Give him the potion."

And with that I darted out from the Hospital Wing.

There was no way James would ever send up red sparks. There was no way that was him. I had a theory about that, seemingly farfetched, but it was the only thing that made sense.

Melissa Young must've been the daughter of Amycus Carrow that Marlo had mentioned. And Melissa Young is a Metamorphagus. She must've turned into James and surrendered for him.

Why I didn't know. But I did know that for whatever reason James was in that maze. And if I didn't hurry he'd be stuck in there, at Code's mercy.

A walk from the Hospital Wing to the Quidditch Pitch should've taken fifteen minutes. I was running as fast as humanly possible and it took me about five.

Tons of people were still crowded there. Jeering and booing Gryffindors, roaring Slytherins talking about a wicked victory party, Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs politely clapping or congratulating their own champions.

Nobody was focused on the maze. I bolted through the stone entrance without a second thought.

I could feel the temperature drop immediately as I entered maze. I wasn't sure if that was supposed to be part of the effect or if it was something else. Either way it sent a very unwelcome chill down my spine.

I realised once I entered the maze that I had no idea how to find James. I tried to pry into his mind, hoping to contact him, but there was someone keeping me out. And it wasn't James. So Code had already gotten to him. I was too late.

No. I told myself firmly. I couldn't afford to think like that. He had to be okay. He had to be.

Ever since the fire I'd been over cautious. Even before then I'd been cautious, maybe too cautious- after all with a brother like James you had to be. But the fire… that affected me. Every little thing worried me. It annoyed Lily and Hugo and all my other cousins, they said I was being overprotective. But I had reason to be didn't I? I let my guard down with Hugo for just a minute and look what happened. And it was my best friends who did it to him! I hadn't been cautious with James, I thought he could take care of himself. And now… I could only imagine what Code would do to James given the chance.

I ran through the maze frantically calling James' name. I didn't run into a single creature, so I assumed they'd all been cleared out of the maze by now.

When I was younger one of my teachers at Muggle school said everyone had a sixth sense, which was an ability to sense a human presence. We all thought she was crazy and so we tested the theory. First she had half of us close our eyes while our partners inched towards us, coming at unexpected times and weird angles. No matter how secretive they tried to be we could always sense when the person was approaching us.

Then we tried it in a different sense. We went out to the field, blindfolded kids and had a select group of no more than five kids stand in a random spot in the field. They didn't make any noise, didn't do anything besides breath, but still each time the blindfolded kid would find them. We even once had the group of kids constantly move around and still the blindfolded kid would find them.

My teacher told us that if we practiced this ability we could get even better at it. So good that we'd be able to tell things like the age or gender of a person near us without even looking at them. She was sort of a nut job, but she seemed to be right about this. Finding the concept intriguing I had practiced and found that it was true. I had a heightened sense to know when people were near me. It was like I had special human senses. Flitwick told me it might be a reason why I was a natural at Occlumency and Legilimency.

Now I used that ability to find James. I took even, deep breaths as I ran, focusing, and somehow my feet just did the rest. I took what might be considered weird and random turns, I even ended up turning back around once or twice, but my instincts were right in the end.

After turning one last corner I found a door. I'd passed it before, I was pretty sure, except it blended in with the stone so well I easily could've missed it.

I couldn't explain how I knew, but James was behind that door. The only problem was the door didn't seem to have a way it. There was no handle and I couldn't budge it even by ramming it. I tried hitting it with spells but that didn't work either.

After hitting it with a fifth spell I stopped and took a calming breath. This had been designed carefully and cleverly. I couldn't just ram my way in like a Gryffindor. I had to think like a Ravenclaw.

I bit my thumb nail as I carefully examined the door. And that's when I saw it. A small triangle near the bottom left side of the door. I didn't know why, but I felt like I'd recognized that triangle. Not just recognize it but had a weird déjà vu feeling about it. I tried to press it, but nothing happened. Then I had a better idea. I tapped the middle of the triangle with my wand.

The door disappeared revealing a long dark passageway. It's not like I was scared of the dark or anything, but something of about the total blackness of the tunnel made me have second thoughts.

I shook off my wariness, however, reminding myself this was for James and started down the tunnel. I had a feeling that I shouldn't illuminate the passageway, just so I could keep the element of surprise, so I made my way down it in the dark. I ran my hand along the wall as I went, mostly to remind myself I wasn't just floating in a never ending black hole.

It felt like I'd been walking for hours when I finally began to see an end to the tunnel, a light. In the darkness of the hall it sort of reminded me of the white light people talk about seeing after you die.

I cast a charm on myself that made my shadow invisible so no one would see me approach. I tried to cast a Disillusionment charm as well, but I had only done it minimal times before and I was pretty sure I failed. I wished I'd thought to bring the Invisibility Cloak.

I crept towards the entrance and the closer I got, the more confused I got. One of the things I'd learned to sense about human presences was the number. And there was five of them. Code, James, Claire, possibly Filch, but who else was there and why? Code usually worked alone. Or at least he liked to. And from what I'd heard him say in Hugo's memory he wanted nothing to do with Filch. So if wasn't Filch there with him, who was?

I didn't know who or what I expected to see, but the sight I saw was far from it.

A/N: Hey guys! Update is finally here. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. There's only two left after this.

1: Next update will be in 25th-29th. It will most likely be a double update but no promises.

2: QotC: Do any of you feel like you have a sixth sense? I've worked on it in this self defense class in my school and what I said seemed to be true. Everyone in my class could sense when someone was getting close and where they were, even when the person made no noise. I think that's kinda cool!

"You gain strength courage and confidence in every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face; you must do the thing you think you cannot do," Eleanor Roosevelt.

Will Albus save the day? Will Hugo be okay? Will James get over his fears? Will Code suceed in breaking him? What is Code's plan? Who else is in the room? What did Albus see that he didn't expect to?

-Monkeywoman14