The night air was cold, pressing against the windows of the safe house like an unspoken warning. Inside, the Order gathered around a worn wooden table, maps and parchment spread before them. The flickering candlelight cast long shadows across their faces, the tension thick in the room.

Sirius leaned forward, tapping a marked location on the map. "We know Bellatrix isn't working alone. She has the Death Eaters who tortured the Longbottoms still loyal to her. If she's planning something, she'll need a place to regroup, to strategize."

Remus nodded. "We've tracked Death Eater activity in these areas. They're moving in patterns, gathering resources. It's not random."

Frank, standing beside Neville, studied the markings. His voice was steady but carried a weight of experience. "She's not just coming after Harry this is personal. She'll want to finish what she started with Alice and me as well."

Neville clenched his fists. "Then let's make sure she never gets the chance."

Frank opened his mouth to respond, but then hesitated. His brow furrowed as a thought took hold. Slowly, he exhaled and shook his head. "No," he muttered, voice quieter this time.

Remus turned to him. "What is it?"

Frank looked down at the map, his expression hardening. "I was wrong. Bellatrix doesn't care about Alice or me anymore. If she wanted to finish what she started, she would have come for us already. But she hasn't."

A heavy silence settled over the room as everyone realized what he was implying.

Neville swallowed. "Then she's only after Harry."

Frank nodded grimly. "It's him she wants. She's obsessed."

Harry's grip tightened on the arm of his chair. He had suspected as much, but hearing it confirmed sent a cold shiver down his spine.

Sirius's expression darkened. "Then that means she's not going to stop. Not until she gets to him."

Harry lifted his gaze, jaw clenched. "Then let's make sure she never does."

Stevan, who had been quietly observing, finally spoke. "Harry, you need to focus on getting your strength back. Your body's still recovering from everything she did to you."

Harry met his gaze, knowing he was right but knowing also that rest wasn't an option. "I can't just sit here while she's out there planning her next move."

Sirius sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't like it, but Harry's right. We can't afford to be passive. We move first."

Frank exchanged a glance with Remus. "Then we need to track her down before she tracks us."

Meanwhile…

Far from the safe house, in the ruins of an abandoned manor, Bellatrix Lestrange stood before a gathering of cloaked figures.

Her lips curled into a wicked smile. "They think they can run. They think they can hide."

Her dark eyes gleamed with something almost like amusement.

"Let them think that. It will make breaking them so much more satisfying."

A low chuckle spread through the room, but none dared to speak without her leave. She turned, surveying the faces of the loyal few who had come when she called. Rodolphus Lestrange stood to her right, his expression impassive, but his eyes burned with a quiet intensity.

Amycus Carrow sneered. "The boy's weak. He barely survived last time."

Bellatrix's smile widened, slow and deliberate. "Exactly." She stepped forward, her boots echoing on the cold stone floor. "He is wounded. He is afraid. And soon, he will be mine."

She flicked her wand, and the air crackled with dark energy. A faint shimmer of green light danced at her fingertips. "We move soon," she murmured, almost to herself. Then her voice sharpened. "He was spared before, but there will be no mercy this time."

Rodolphus finally spoke. "And the Order?"

Bellatrix tilted her head, amusement dancing in her eyes. "Oh, let them come. Let them try to protect him." She ran a finger along the edge of her wand. "They cannot watch him forever. Eventually, he will be vulnerable. And when that moment comes..."

She let the words hang in the air, and the room filled with an eager, anticipatory silence.

Then she laughed a high, wild sound that sent a shiver through even the most hardened of her followers.

Soon.

Very soon.