Alone

Chapter 12

"Bloody hell. This world just gets smaller and smaller," he whispered as the door to the dorm opened and a girl walked in.

They stared at each other for a moment.

"Thief!" she began to scream at the top of her voice, pointing at Jake.

Jake snapped into focus immediately.

"Shh," he told her, trying to shut her up, but to no avail. Raising his hand, he silenced her with a silencing spell. Then the girl took it upon herself to try and beat him up, which was pretty hard to do while wearing three inch heels and you're up against a guy who works out at the gym three times a week.

"Calm down, I'm not a thief! I'm Lucy's friend, and I'm here to pick up some stuff for her," Jake told Lucy's roommate.

The roommate calmed down a bit and looked at Jake suspiciously. Opening her mouth to talk, she was horrified to find that she couldn't speak. Mouthing what was obviously 'what the hell have you done to me?' at Jake, she looked like she was about to launch herself at him again.

Jake quickly removed the charm from her and looked for a way to escape.

"Obliviate," he said, pointing his wand at the roommate. He breathed a sign of relief when a slightly confused, but mostly blank look came over her face.

Focusing her eyes, she stared at Jake.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" she asked dazedly. Jake smiled apologetically.

"I'm sorry, miss. Don't you remember? I asked you if you could tell me where to find the front desk and you invited me in for a few minutes," Jake answered. The roommate nodded her head.

"Of course," she murmured.

Jake smiled.

"Excellent, but I'm afraid I can't stay. I have to go. Sorry to have bothered you miss," he apologised before strolling out the door.

~~*~~

She swallowed.

"M-my name?" she asked feebly as the red-eyed man nodded impatiently.

"Nancy Turner," she answered, making up a name from the top of her head. She had a feeling that she shouldn't tell this man her real name. The red-eyed man turned and bore down on the youth.

"I thought I told you to get her, not some snivelling little Muggle!" he hissed angrily as the youth shrank back into the shadows.

"B-but My Lord, this girl is the girl who you wanted. She told me when I went to help her. She is lying now, My Lord," he cowered, almost wetting himself in fright, although he wouldn't let anyone know that.

The man turned toward her again and she felt fear spread through her body. Maybe lying to him hadn't been such a good idea after all.

"I will ask you once again. What is your name?" he demanded. She tried to make her vocal chords work, she honestly did, but she was too frightened.

Opening and closing her mouth, she found, to her utmost horror that her voice box had shut and refused to function anymore.

The man sneered and pointed a piece of wood at her. She trembled uncontrollably as the worst pain imaginable filled her body, and as her screams filled the room.

After what seemed like an eternity to her, but was actually only a few seconds in reality, the curse was lifted from her.

"Now," the man said in a pleasant voice. "What was your name again?"

She whimpered, but in fear of receiving yet more pain, she answered him.

"M-my name is," she began. (A/N No prizes for guessing who it is)

~~*~~

Jake ran into Dumbledore's office with the letter clutched tightly in his hands. He could not believe it! How come Lucy never told him? But then Lucy never knew either, by the sounds of it.

Stumbling into the office, the first person to tackle him was Derek.

"Where the bloody hell have you been? Do you know how worried I was about you?" he demanded angrily, while restraining himself from beating the guy to a pulp.

He had gone after Jake, but as Jake was much fitter than him, Derek soon lost sight of him. Running as fast as he could, Derek made it in time to see Jake apparate out of Hogwarts at the edge of the grounds. Seeing as there was nothing else to do, but go back, Derek had waited for an hour in Dumbledore's office with the other members of the Order.

Jake's eyes refocused and he stared at Derek.

"I-I," he stuttered, wondering how he was going to tell Derek what he found out.

"What?" Derek asked more calmly.

Then he noticed how worried and distant Jake looked.

"What's wrong? Where's Lucy?" he asked, panic creeping into his voice. Jake wordlessly handed over the letter and then watched as disbelief and denial washed over Derek's features.

"What the hell?!" he exploded, throwing the letter back at Jake. "Tell me that isn't true."

"Er, I'm afraid it is. Look at the signature," Jake responded, pointing to the signature.

Dumbledore cleared his throat.

"If you don't mind Jake, can I please have a look at that letter?" he asked gently. Jake glared at the old man, but soundlessly handed over the letter. Dumbledore read it quickly and surprise was evident on his face.

"Well," he began, not quite sure of what to say.

"We have to get her back," Derek said desperately.

"I know, but we have to figure out where he is first. He could be anywhere," Jake said, running a hand through his hair.

"Where who is Pot-Stevens? What the hell are you talking about? If you don't mind, I would like to know too," Draco interrupted, glaring at Jake. Jake glared back.

"Lucy has been kidnapped, by Voldemort. And we need to know where he is so I can go and get her," Jake explained, as the letter was passed around the Order. He heard most of them gasp with surprise when they read it. Jake shook his head mentally.

Draco grabbed the letter and scanned the contents.

"Well this just screws things up further," he said as he gave Jake back the letter. Jake sighed.

"Don't I know it?" he mumbled. He really needed to know where Voldemort was because he needed to get Lucy back before Voldemort did something to her.

"Where might this Voldemort guy be?" Derek asked desperately, looking more worried and scared than Jake had ever seen him, including when he dumped honey and then feathers on their boss and got caught. Though Derek still had the negatives for the pictures he took and they were now tucked safely in his photo album.

"Malfoy Manor," Draco answered tonelessly as Jake turned around and stared at the young man.

"Your house?" he asked as Draco flinched.

"It's not my house, it's Lucius's house," he bit back heatedly as Jake held up two hands.

"Whoa, sorry. Hit a nerve there. Didn't mean to," he muttered as Derek just looked confused.

"But wouldn't Malfoy Manor be your house since you're a Malfoy?" he asked. Jake quickly shushed him as he saw Draco literally bore holes into Derek's head with the intensity of his glare.

"I'll explain later," Jake said hastily. "Besides, we should really work on getting Lucy back."

Derek sobered immediately and nodded.

"Well, if Voldemort's at Malfoy Manor, then let's just go and get her," Jake said impatiently.

"Are you absolutely crazy Potter?" Draco asked, disbelief written all over his face.

"No, it's a good idea," Jake argued as Derek rolled his eyes.

"It's a shit plan. Well I suppose it's a good idea if you want to get caught and tortured, but if you actually want to get out alive, like the majority of people would, then it's a shit plan," Draco said flatly as Jake pouted.

"Then what do you propose we do? Should we knock on the door and say 'Sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if I could nip in for a while and take Lucy. She has a doctor's appointment and she really can't miss it.'?" Jake asked sarcastically as the corners of Draco's mouth twitched a little.

"No, that's even more stupid than your previous idea. You'd be lucky to even make it alive to the front door, let alone facing so many Death Eaters. Do you even know how many hexes there are on the front door? And once past the door there are those inside the house to deal with," Draco added quickly.

"Than what do you suggest?" Derek asked, cutting in before Jake could retort.

"Something that requires the use of brain cells instead of just Gryffindor idiocy," Draco replied, looking pointedly at Jake.

Jake fumed.

"If you're so smart, then you come up with a plan," he said glaring at the smirking blond.

"Fine, I will, and I'll come up with it by tonight," Draco retorted.

What am I saying? Me? Come up with a plan? In less than twelve hours? Am I crazy? Me and my stupid sarcasm. Why couldn't I have kept my mouth shut instead of provoking Potter? Draco thought with an inward groan as he realised what he'd gotten himself into.

Jake looked faintly triumphant, but quickly covered it up. This wasn't the time to think about petty rivalry. More important things needed attention.

Like getting Lucy back, Jake thought.

"Why don't we all go back to our rooms and meet back here at dinner? We'll see who comes up with what plans by then," Dumbledore said kindly as the Member of the Order nodded to the agreement. Jake and Derek escaped quickly and were the first out the door. Sirius and Remus were a close second behind them, both wanting to apologise to Jake.

~~*~~

"M-my name is Lucy Campbell," she stammered as Voldemort smiled.

"Excellent," he purred as Lucy cowered in fear.

"What do you want?" she asked timidly as Voldemort's smile widened.

"You, Lucy, my dear, are a witch," he told her.

~~*~~

"Harry! Harry! Wait up!" Sirius called to the distant figure in front of him. The figure faltered for a few steps, but didn't stop. Instead, he picked up his pace.

"Damn him," Sirius muttered as he ran to catch up with him, Remus by his side.

"Jake!" Remus called. The figure stopped and turned around. Derek stopped as well and looked at Jake in surprise.

"Remember your promise to me," he whispered.

Jake nodded.

He couldn't forget, no matter how badly he wanted to. His old friends had just hurt him too much.

"What do you want?" Jake asked coldly as Sirius and Remus stopped a few feet away from him.

"I," Sirius began.