The Eighth Horcrux

Chapter 10: The Questioning

The next day, Harry talked to Alex about what had happened with her, Bellatrix, and Voldemort, and she explained how she couldn't remember the night Bellatrix took her very well. He then called a meeting of the whole camp and explained what had happened.

"The Death Eaters are getting stronger. A war is inevitable, and it will be coming soon. But what we need to focus on now is that someone must have given them information about where Alex was if they were able to find her here. And no one knows where we are, so it had to have been one of us. Or, more likely, one of them masquerading as one of us. We are going to spend the day questioning everyone to eliminate the possibility of Polyjuice Potion."

"Poly-what?" Matt whispered.

Alex tried to stifle a laugh. "Polyjuice Potion, darling. You take it to make yourself look like someone else. There is the possibility that a Death Eater is here, disguised as an Auror."

"No one is permitted to leave the camp boundaries until the culprit is found," Harry continued. "Charms have been put on the borders to ensure that no one disobeys this order. Questioning will begin now."

Everyone came out clean from the questioning. It had taken most of the day, and everyone was exhausted.

As the sun set, Alex, Harry, Hermione, Ron, and a few of the other head Aurors sat around a table to discuss what path to take next. Matt sat with Salome on the other side of the room. He tried to distract her with games on his phone, but she was only half interested.

"We have eliminated any chance of Polyjuice Potion," Harry said. "The next thing to look at would be the Imperius Curse."

"How would we check for that?" one of the other Auror inquired.

Harry sighed, running a hand through his hair. "That's the problem. We'll deal with it tomorrow. The main issue is that we need to move locations now that the Death Eaters know where we are."

The others nodded.

"We will have to send forces to Hogwarts soon," Harry continued. "I don't know how much longer the Death Eaters will wait to attack. We'll move locations tomorrow; 20 miles east and 30 miles north. And then there's still the issue of your memories of the night you were taken, Alex. Can you tell us what you remember again?"

She sighed.

"Salome told me that she heard a noise outside and I went to go see what it was. I ... I don't really remember much after that. I think there was a cat? The last thing I remember is an old woman giving me tea and then she turned into Bellatrix."

"Well, it could have been whatever was in the tea she gave you that made your memories fuzzy, but that wouldn't explain why you went with a stranger in the middle of the night. I mean, you wouldn't do that normally, right?"

Alex shook her head. "Of course not."

"Are you sure that Salome was the only one who was with you?"

"Yes. Well, Matt was there too, but he was asleep."

"This isn't making sense. From what you've told me, it sounds like it could have been the Imperius Curse or the Confundus Charm. But if no one else was there, that doesn't fit. Even if she wanted to, Salome isn't an experienced enough witch to have put a curse on you like that. And you would have heard it being uttered unless it was a silent curse, and she wouldn't be experienced enough to do that, either."

Silence settled over the table as the information sunk in.

"Well, I guess we'll talk more tomorrow," Harry concluded.

The group at the table agreed and bid each other goodnight.

**********

"Sweetheart?" Alex said softly as she poked her head into Salome's room of their tent later that night. Her daughter was hunched over writing furiously, her brow knit in concentration.

"What are you doing still up?"

Salome looked over at her mother. "Writing in my journal."

Alex smiled. "Okay, but go to bed soon. You need to get some sleep."

"Alright, mum. Goodnight."

"Goodnight. Sleep well."

Alex walked around the corner to where she and Matt slept. He was waiting for her, sitting on the bed.

"Hey," he said, looking up at her as she walked over.

"Hey," she sighed, sinking down on the bed next to him.

He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. She nestled her head into his chest.

"I just want this to be over," she whispered.

"Oh, my love, I know. But it will be soon, right?"

"It could be over now," she said, her voice barely audible.

She felt him tense. "What do you mean?" he asked shakily.

She looked up into his eyes. "You know what I mean."

"Alex, please..."

"Remember what you promised me, Matt. If I choose to die, you can't try and stop me. It's wrong to let so many others die when if I wasn't alive, Voldemort would become mortal and could be killed."

"I love you, Alex," he said softly, his voice thick with tears. "I love you so much. I don't want you to leave me. Please don't leave me..."

"Oh, darling," she cupped his cheek in her hand. "I love you too. But you understand why I might have to do this, right?"

"Yes," he whispered. "Yes, I do."

He held onto her tightly, never wanting to let her go.

**********

Alex felt herself dozing off when she thought she heard the sound of flapping wings in the tent. Her eyes snapped open and she sat up, squinting to gaze around the darkened room.

"What is it, love?" Matt asked sleepily from beside her."

Alex shook her head. "I thought I heard something. Must have just been my imagination."