Harry Potter and the Wizards of Waverly Place: The Stone of Dreams

Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Jerry and Justin returned home late that afternoon, they had already sent Zeke home about 7 that morning. Hagrid and Kingsley had left to find a wizard hotel which Hagrid could fit in so that they could catch a nap. The Indian Point nuclear power plant was now completely under the control of the wizard engineers which Justin had been training for the last 8 hours, and the normals would be none the wiser.

Teresa was much happier with her husband and Justin at home. She had let Max stay home from school that day so that he could entertain Ginny and George, who for the time being seemed to have given up on looking for Harry. Eventually they had all decided to go on the quick magical tour of New York's famous attractions, the three of them determined to pull some pranks on someone. Maybe they would play superhero and pick on some criminals.

Ginny was itching for somebody who deserved a thrashing. She was more annoyed that Harry, Hermione, and Alex had left again than she let on. Max had seen that look in Mason's eyes before. So Max was a bit more careful with his jokes, just in case one aggravated her. Max really dug Ginny. She was really cool-not to mention hot. He hoped she would stay for a while and fervently wished that she didn't have to go back to England.

When Alecto looked her map that afternoon, she spotted a blip near a small lake in Virginia. The arrow pointed to the same spot for several minutes. She said nothing to her brother who was watching the 24 hour television news networks, which had all been going on incessantly since midday about the gruesome occult ritual murders which they had committed in a Brooklyn Heights townhouse last night at midnight.

"This is brilliant Alecto," Amycus said, chortling with glee. "Our handiwork is bloody famous. I love muggle media."

Alecto rolled her eyes and looked back at the map. The arrow was still pointing to that spot. She knew that Harry would eventually apparate, and she was waiting to see where he would reappear. After 10 minutes the wait was getting annoying. What the hell was Potter doing? Making out with the two pretty little girls she had briefly seen him with?

Alecto actually giggled at the idea of that bony little blood-traitor with the stupid glasses trying to put the moves on the girls. She knew that the Granger bitch was rumoured to be Potter's girlfriend now, but she still couldn't imagine him getting up the nerve to do anything. That girl would come begging for Alecto's special outfit and toys soon, she thought to herself as she cackled with a leer on her face.

She wished Potter would hurry up, whatever he was doing. It was getting later and later in the evening. Alecto wasn't about to jump at his first location. She wanted to analyse his travel pattern so she could narrow down where best to meet him. The last thing she wanted was to apparate into a trap. And Alecto knew that Potter was learning quickly that when dealing with Death Eaters, he couldn't always resort to a disarming spell.

Finally, the arrow jumped to a small town in Maryland, then to Pennsylvania. Oh this was good she thought. Potter was coming back this way. But even if he veered a different direction, it didn't matter Alecto thought. She would track Potter down to the ends of the Earth if she had to, then she would kill him and use the spell that only she knew while performing a blood rite upon his body-and the bodies of his little harem. She snickered again at the image in her head. Amycus would like it too, except for the bit when she took for herself all of Potter's magic along with his life-force.

Then the arrow was bouncing randomly around New York city again, and Alecto knew that Potter was at the unplottable place again. But this time she would be ready when he left again. She cast a Snare spell that enveloped the entire city. That should hold him until she apparated to him. It was twenty to midnight when the arrow stopped bouncing. Then it vanished altogether.

It took Alecto a moment to register what had happened. She screamed angrily.

"NOOOOO! Bloody Hell!" Then she growled at Amycus. "He's gone... he's gone completely. He's in the other fucking hemisphere, and it's too late to perform a ritual to refresh the map for the next 24 hours."

Amycus was glad he had cast some muggle repelling charms so that the muggles wouldn't hear Alecto getting loud again. He just turned the volume up on the television and ignored her. He would move when Alecto told him to move. But in the meantime he was going to stay right where he was. Amycus had never partaken in muggle forms of entertainment before, and he found it quite amusing. Muggles seemed obsessed with programmes about serial killers and mass murderers. He had also come across a few Muggle horror films that he found particularly gripping.