The One Where Severus was Right
Chapter Ten
The police organized the whole thing, Draco and Lucius managed to get all the money together that the kidnappers had asked for. For once I was more than grateful for the wealth that the Malfoy's had. Before it had been part of the problem, it had drawn in the media, even though it had given us a comfort able life I hated it so much sometimes.
I had insisted on going myself, Draco too wanted to come so Lucius, Narcissa, Sirius and Remus were to stay with Nicky at the house just in case something went wrong or the kidnappers called again. I wanted to be there in case Lottie was there. Draco had the same reasoning for wanting to be there.
We did everything right and fortunately we were lucky. We dropped off the money in the locker that they had stated and then we waited. Well the police waited with their special unit that had been assembled to deal with this sort of thing and we hung back, hidden.
The wait was horrible, nothing could have been worse but finally someone came. I heard it announced on the radio that we had been given to make us slightly less restless while we waited for whatever was coming next.
It was amazing what being high profile victims could do for us. I doubted we would have had this much attention, I doubted we would even have this many men working our case if we hadn't been such a well known family.
The man who had come to collect the ransom money was a balding middle aged man who made me feel positively sick to my stomach. I watched from afar as he went for the locker, it took all of my restraint to not run up to him and start attacking him.
However that was exactly what the police did when he grabbed the black backpack that we had stashed the money in. He was tackled to the ground, much to the bemusement of passengers all around.
"I didn't do anything!" The man was protesting.
"Where's the girl?" One of the policemen asked.
"I don't know, I never took her!" He said.
"Then how did you know about the money?" He was asked.
"I asked for the ransom but I never took the girl. I just knew that no ransom had been demanded, I just need the money!" He shouted as he was pinned down and his hands cuffed.
My heart sank at his words. He didn't know where my baby was, this had all just been a waste of time. We were still no closer to finding her than we had been the moment she was taken. I was beginning to think that we had no hope left.
Draco seemed to read my mind and hugged me. "It will be okay, we'll get her back." He said, "We can't give up just yet."
"I can't help it, it just seems so hopeless."
"I know but we have to have faith." Draco said and I nodded, it did feel hopeless, no question about it. I hated not knowing but that was all I had.
We trailed back home feeling hopeless and pathetic. I didn't want to face everyone back at the house so as soon as we got back I went straight upstairs, leaving Draco to explain what had happened.
Nicky came to see me as I lay down on the bed. He climbed in beside me and I curled my arms around him. He didn't understand, he was so young. I cuddled him and tried not to cry, it took all my strength not to but I didn't want to show Nicky how upset I really was.
"Are you going to get Lottie back?" He asked me.
"We're going to keep trying until we do." I responded, stroking his blonde hair. He reminded me so much of Draco, he was the spitting image of him and it made me love him all the more.
"Where is she?" He asked.
"I don't know but the police are looking for her."
It was all I could tell him, I didn't know anything. We lay there for an hour before Draco came up to find us. He too joined us on the bed, embracing us all. Nicky started to cry as we lay there and it was heart wrenching.
We all fell asleep there with no thought to our four guests downstairs. The fact they were there allowed us all to rest, knowing that they would wake us if anything happened or she was found. It was the most rest all of us had had since Lottie had vanished.
When I awoke it was morning, Nicky and Draco were still asleep beside me. I detangled myself from them and went into the bathroom. I felt hot and sticky from sleeping in my clothes and was in desperate need of a shower.
I didn't want to make myself feel better though, so avoiding the shower and just grabbing clean clothes I headed downstairs. Remus and Sirius had found the blow up mattress we used for guests and were cuddled up together both sound asleep. Narcissa was curled up on the sofa also asleep.
I didn't know where Lucius was but I could hear him on his mobile. Even with what was going on he had work and business to attend to. He had fully taken over all of Draco's responsibilities and I was grateful for him doing that. I needed Draco's attention fully on his family.
I headed to the kitchen and began to cook whatever I could find. It didn't help to ease my pain but it kept me busy at the very least. Plus I had six people in my house that I needed to feed and I wouldn't let them go hungry.
It was a miss match of items but I laid it all out in the kitchen and set the table for breakfast. It at least kept my mind occupied. That was when the phone rang in the living room and I ran for it, dropping everything that I was doing.