The Serpens Order

Chapter 21

Bite The Dust

…...

Alexis felt her teeth shattering as she entered the leaky cauldron, hood over her face, and slid down at one of the tables. She'd been away from the school about a week now, and the first thing she'd done after the long broomride to London, was to go to Gringotts bank to take out some money from her vault before Lucius found out that she was gone and tried to freeze it for her. Then she took into the leaky cauldron, and stayed there for a few days, planning her next move. Then a few days ago she'd left and went looking at some familiar places she'd been with her family. She traveled by Malfoy Manor, wish was empty, showing no signs of fight.

Now she was back, the rain was pouring down outside and she'd been running with her head down all the way here, but now inside in the warm pub she ducked her head as she passed the landlady Hannah Abbot, Who was married to professor Longbottom her head of house. She'd had a troubling time avoiding the woman.

Alexis ordered a cup of tea and then sat down at in a corner at the bar, where she wasn't visible from the counter and let her hood fall down. She snatched a copy of the daily prophet from the table beside and made herself comfortable before starting to flop through the paper from the end for some reason. She sipped slowly on the tea, letting the warmth spread through her with a comforting feeling. She glanced up as she thought she felt someone staring, but the only other's in the bar where two bulky men at the other end, and a guy not much older then herself who smirked at her across the tables. He looked to be around 18, with dirty blonde hair falling into his eyes, suntanned skin, slightly unshaved. He had a rough look to him that was enforced by the clothes he was wearing, black trench coat similar to hers, only a lot more trashed, old brown boots and grunge jeans. She shook her head slightly at him, not that he wasn't good looking, the bad boy look certainly fit him, she just wasn't interested. She returned to the paper, but there was nothing in there that caught her interest so she shut it with a slam. And then her heart took a leap.

Covering the entire front side was a picture of her, she remembered taking that picture back in their fourth year. James and Fred had stood on either side of her, and that was why she was smiling happily on the picture, not a care in the world. But James and Fred had been cut out, and only her own grey eyes stared back at her. Over the picture read 'MISSING' with capital letters. At the bottom read 'Alexis Malfoy, 15, missing, 10.000 galleons reward'

She stared at the picture, she should have seen that move coming a long time ago. Suddenly a dark shadow fell over her table and she glanced up, and found herself gazing at the two men from the other end of the bar.

Uh- Oh.

"Er…can I help you?" She smiled sheepishly, sizing them up, and coming to desperate conclusion that they where both like trice her size.

"It's her" One of the men growled.

"Yeah, it's her" The other one agreed, and then they both reached for her at the same time.

"Uh gentlemen, can I at least finish my tea?" She babbled nervously and tried to slide away, but two pair of strong arms caught her simultaneously, and she tried to get her wand. She was locked in an iron grip, making it impossible to move. She struggled violently, but it was no use, the man holding her was far stronger then her.

"Let me go!" She hissed, trying to sneak out from the mans arms, as the men quickly made their way over the bar. And she briefly heard Mrs. Abbott calling after them to stop.

"Help-" Alexis voice was muffled by a large hand, making it hard for her to breathe. The next second they where out the door and back in the rain, her vision got blurred and she tried to blink the rain away. The man threw her over the shoulder, and then set of running. She tried to hit him in the back, but it didn't seem to matter, the man seemed oblivious to her feeble attempt to get away. If she only could reach her wand… She couldn't believe they where in the middle of Diagon Alley, and no one tried to help her. Okay, it was in the middle of the night, and really bad weather so they probably hadn't heard anything. But still?

"Hey guys! Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" Suddenly she felt the two men yanking to stop, and desperately tried to shove around to see what was happening. And caught a glance of the dirty blonde guy from the bar, cutting off the other two men's way.

"Maddox" The man carrying her grumbled "Get out of the way Maddox, you're no mach to us without your gang"

"Sorry guys, can't let you get the girl" She desperately tried to see the man again, but gave up as it was completely impossible for her to bend that way.

"We caught her first, just get out of our way and we won't smash you like a fly boy" The other man said in a harsh voice so cold that it made her shiver. She was completely lost now, did the men knew each other? It wasn't until now she caught a good look on her capturers clothes, they where worn and dirty, she also felt a faint bad smell from the man that made her wanna make a puking noise.

"Why don't you let me down while discussing eh?" She tried with a fake laugh.

"Shut up girl!" The man holding her barked and she made an offended noise.

"Look, let the girl down, or we'll have to do it the hard way" The younger man said in a coy voice, and she rolled her eyes despite her situation. He was so not a mach for these guys.

"Your choice Maddox" The man holding her scowled and she felt him drawing his wand. But before that the man beside him staggered away, dodging a spell. She took the opportunity to send her knee right into the stomach of the man holding her, making him yelp in pain and let go of her. She hit the wet ground with a splash and felt her leg and arm scratching up.

"Oh you little-" The man reached for her again, and she just slid out from his grip, and sent another kick towards his chin, hitting him squarely and heard a creaking noise as her foot made contact with his jaw. Ha.

The man fell backwards, and she begun sliding away, as the other two men where locked in a vicious battle.

"She's getting away, the girls getting away!" The man she'd kicked creaked and the other two stopped abruptly in their dueling, and both set after her instead at the same time.

Repeating, Uh-Oh.

She got onto her feet shakily as fast as she could, and started running for her life. She still hadn't gotten a hold of her wand, and now it was too late, she felt a hand closing around her arm, yanking her to stop and sending her towards the ground, taking the other person with her, and then before they hit the street, the feeling of apparition went through her.

…

"Ouch" She yelped as she hit the ground, but it wasn't the stone of the streets at Diagon Alley, but the soft ground of leaves in the forest. Then something hard and heavy landed on top of her, knocking the breath out of her. She started kicking immediately as she realized it was the younger man from the pub and the street. He growled loudly and caught her wrists, pushing them down against the ground and preventing her from hitting him.

"Let me go!" She shrieked angrily, and tried to aim another kick, but it was impossible since the man was on top of her, and pushing her down, she had no way of getting out and he was undoubtfully stronger then her.

"Calm down blondie" He cut back and she stopped struggling for a moment to send him a death glare. And to her big surprise the guy cracked a grin, a grin? What the hell was that?

"Look, whoever you are I am going to kick your sorry little as if you don't let me go immediately" She hissed.

"Alright blondie" To her surprise the man easily slid of her, and stood up beside her, brushing away leaves and dirt from his trench coat lazily. She slid away in surprise, and then scrambled up on unsteady feet a few meters away from him. And reaching into her pocket for her wand…

"Looking for this darling?" The man called with a coy smile, leaning against a tree, twinning her wand around his fingers.

"Give it to me!" She called furiously, leaping out towards him.

"Take it easy blondie, you are not the one calling the shots here!" The man smirked and she found herself hanging in the air, and the man pointing his wand at her. She tried to move but her body was locked completely.

"Who are you?" She asked harshly instead, as the guy started circling around her.

"You are in no position asking questions sweetie. I am the one asking the questions here, and you are only left with the choice of following them"

"I won't tell you anything"

"Are you Alexis Malfoy?" He asked, and she stared back at him without speaking, and suddenly he hauled up the side from the prophet with her face on it. He walked over and held it beside her head, looking back and forth from her and the picture.

"That's you alright" He mused to himself, and suddenly she felt the spell letting go of her and she hit the ground with a thud, the leaves flying around her.

"If you just come peacefully I won't hurt you blondie"

"I won't"

"That's too bad then" He smirked before poking the wand at her. She ducked and the spell hit a tree behind her, scowling he took a step towards her but she leaped around, and sent a kick towards his legs, sending him to the ground and snatching her wand away from his hand the moment he collided with the dust. At the same time she kicked his wand away from him, sending it scattering a few feet away from them. She smiled in satisfaction as she pointed her wand against his surprised figure.

"I think the roles just changed dude, now tell me who the hell you are, where we are and who the men chasing me where" She ordered, and the guy scoffed.

"I'm Maddox, and I'm a snatcher" He seemed to have regained his composure, and looked completely calm on the ground. And not at all worried that he had a wand pointed at him with a furious girl on the other side.

"Snatcher?" She repeated wonderingly, staring at the man.

"That's what I said"

"But, why are you chasing me?"

"Look darling, you have a prize on your head, and those guys back at Diagon Alley, they where also Snatchers, but from a different gang. And if you just co-operate with me, I'll take you back to my gang, we'll get you back home to your apparently very worried grandparents, get our money and we'll never have to see each other again. Deal?" Somehow during his rambled he had shot to his feet, and she had been to shocked to react. So now he was towering over her, but she still kept her wand in a firm grip.

"No, I'm not coming with you"

"Too bad then, how are you going to get home? You are fifteen, you can't apparate, and have no idea where we are" Maddox smirked, and she felt like pouting at him.

"I still don't understand, I thought snatchers only went after muggleborns, and I didn't even know you still existed? And I'm a pureblood!"

"That was a long time ago darling, snatchers nowadays are more like… bounty hunters. Whenever there's someone missing or wanted, and a reward is put out the hunt is on. And all the snatcher gangs are in a war to get the new prize first. And a few days ago, your grandfather made you a prize" He gave her a lazy glance and she stared back.

"Oh"

"Yepp, so now if you would just come with me- ACCIO" He cried out and caught his wand easily. She didn't think before pointing her own wand at him.

"Expelliarmus!" She shouted loudly and watched his wand snap away again with a smirk.

"You did not just do that blondie…" He sighed while shaking his head.

"I just did" She smirked "And stop calling me blondie"

"Whatever darling"

"And darling!"

"Okay sweetie"

"Shut it! I'm the one with a wand, I will use it!" She shouted.

"Yeah, that was your first mistake blondie, you're underage, we're in the middle of nowhere, the ministry will send out people immediately"

"What? No?"

"Yes they will, and since the whole ministry are looking for you, they'll assume it's you, and send some aurors or something" He rolled his eyes and she stared at him. He was right, damn it!

"Help me!" She hissed and he raised one eyebrow at her.

"Will you come with me if I do?"

"Yes" She cried in desperation, she had no idea where she was, she needed his help. She would figure out a plan later.

"Okay then blondie" Maddox swooped his wand up.

"It's Alexis" She said sourly, and lowered her own wand, he glanced at her quickly, before grabbing her arm, as a loud cracking noise sounded through the forest.

"Already? Damn they're fast" She whispered.

"In here!" He pushed her behind a large tree and then placed himself in front of her, pushing her towards the tree. And sure enough, a second later she heard voices. Wow, the ministry was really fast sending out people, gotta give 'em some credit. She was slightly unfazed by being so close to Maddox, she faintly noticed that he didn't smell bad like the other snatchers. He smelled kind of good, a leathery rainy smell. Then she recognized one of the voices.

"Someone was here" A familiar voice said, and she yelped in surprise as she recognized it as Teddy's.

"Shhhhhh" Maddox clasped a leather clad hand over her mouth and she glared at him.

"They might still be around" Another voice commented and she looked up at Maddox, who was narrowing his eyes listening just as she.

"In that case they're still near" A third voice called. And she saw Maddox poke out his head around the tree to look quickly, then letting his hand down from her face.

"There's only three of them, just wait here while I take care of them-"

"They're aurors! You don't stand a chance dude!" She snorted silently, almost feeling like giggling at him.

"This way, I can see footsteps" She heard Teddy call and her eyes widened in panic, they weren't far away and she could hear footsteps against the ground. Alexis considered her possibilities. Either she stay with Maddox, who was a snatcher that wanted to turn her back to Lucius for the money. Or she get's caught by the aurors, and get's turned into the ministry, in wish way she still end up being handed to Lucius. But she had a lot better chance getting away from one snatcher, then the whole ministry…

"I'm with you" She hissed as the footsteps grew closer, and Maddox gave her a swift nod before lashing out. The first auror fell whiteout a fight. Teddy and the other auror went to counter attack without a second thought, and Alexis took a deep breath before also sliding out from behind a tree.

"Alexis!" Teddy called out after her, and for one second she was frozen. She felt Maddox glance at her, as he was locked with the other auror in a battle. And left her to deal with Teddy.

"Alexis, we don't want to hurt you, just come with us" Teddy begged and stepped towards her, she shook her head and backed away.

"Alexis, he's a snatcher, he's only using you for the money!"

"I know Ted! I know! But I can't come with you!" She cried out.

"Why not, you'll be safe" Teddy tried, and she felt strange. She was running away from a person she would have trusted with her life any other day. A person that she had almost considered a big brother.

"I can't go back Teddy! I can't go back now" She breathed, and lashed out before Ted, sending his wand away.

"Good work blondie!" Maddox shouted out and she saw the other auror fall to the ground, and before she had time to stop it he sent a hex towards Teddy, who was defenseless without his wand.

"NO! Don't hurt him!" She shouted and Maddox looked at her strangely.

"He's only unconscious, they all are. I'm not a monster" He snorted, and she noticed that he was clutching his side. She let out a relieved sigh that Teddy and the other aurors where okay.

"Do you know that dude?" Maddox nodded towards Teddy's unconscious body, and she nodded.

"Yeah, he was my quidditch captain and a good friend" She smiled slightly at the memory. And something hit her as she looked at Maddox. He couldn't be more then eighteen but still she didn't recognize him from Hogwarts.

"You didn't go to Hogwarts" She stated.

"Nope, there are more schools you know"

"How old are you?"

"What is this? 20 questions?"

"Now I'm thinking you didn't go to school, I asked two questions and you think it's 20" She answered sarcastically.

"Shut up blondie" He rolled his eyes and grabbed her arm. And before she had time to react they had apparated, again.

…

She growled loudly as they once again changed places, this time she stayed on her feet, and tried to shrug of Maddox arm in vain.

"Can't you give me the heads up first!" She cried.

"Nope"

"Jerk" She spat and he let out a low chuckle, damn he was an ass. Well, what did she expect? He was a snatcher after all, and she was kind of his prisoner. This was not what she had planned when leaving Hogwarts, okey truth to be told she hadn't planned much at all.

"This way" Maddox ordered as he took her wand away from her, and pointed his own right between her shoulders, forcing her to walk forward. She didn't see any other choice then walking, so she pouted and started stalking forward in the new environment. It was also a forest, but in this there was still leftovers from the snow on the ground. They walked in silence for a while, until they reached an opening, and she saw a rough looking house. But that wasn't why she gasped, the house was placed at the side of a mountain, and had a great view over the twilight. It was a truly beautiful sight, that she would have loved to stay and watch if it wasn't for the damn snatcher who roughly pushed her in through the door and into the house.

"Maddox! Finally!" A female voice shot out the moment they entered, and Alexis was met by a woman in the same age as Maddox, with bright red hair resting on her shoulders. Military green rugged trench coat, and thigh-high, killer-healed boots. Alexis wanted to shrug away from the fiery looking girl with the unnaturally red hair.

"Take it easy Valerie, I ran into some problems. First I had to deal with Stupid and Stupider, then Blondie here decided to put up a fight, resulting in a few aurors coming around, Blondie had a nice chat with one of them and then I could finally take her here" Maddox gave her a scuff, towards a couch in the corner of the wooden room, and she sunk down with a scoff. Stupid and Stupider? Must have been the guys that first kidnapped her.

"That's her?" The woman, Valerie, raised one eyebrow towards Alexis.

"Yepp, I have no idea how she can be so important" Maddox rolled his eyes.

"EY! Maddox man, you finally back?" Two other men came in through the door, one big and blonde, the other one short with brown hair. They both stopped when they noticed Alexis on the couch, and she shrugged uncomfortably under the stares of four pair of eyes. She'd forgotten about Maddox 'gang', this made things a lot more complicated.

"Is it that thing that's worth 10.000 galleons?" The big man asked, and she made an offended sound.

"Hey! Would you all stop talking about me like I'm an object?" She shot out and the woman let out a short laugh.

"Aah, Maddox, why couldn't you just take her directly to the Malfoy dude and get the Money?" She asked.

"Couldn't risk being caught by the aurors, because now they know we have her" Maddox sighed and scratched his unshaved jaw in thought. "I'm thinking we tie her up for the night and go get the money tomorrow?"

"Sounds good to me" The big man yawned, and the other shorter man followed almost shyly behind him up the stairs. Alexis stared after them.

"Tie me up? Is that really necessary?" She asked with a raised eyebrow, as she saw Maddox put her wand away at a cabinet, and then pointing his own at her. Suddenly her wrist was pressed together as an invisible rope clutched around them, she yelped in surprise at the sudden pressure and Maddox grinned in satisfaction of his wordless spell.

"Now, I'm going to sleep, I've been chasing blondie for days without sleep" He yawned and followed the other men up the stairs. Valerie considered her for a moment, before locking the door and then disappearing into another room. Leaving Alexis alone in the dark room on the couch, without ability to move. She didn't have a gag, but knew that screaming would be useless.

For the first time since she left Hogwarts she felt completely useless, she couldn't do anything. She would just have to wait until tomorrow, and then she'd be handed over to Lucius, and then lord knows what would happen to her. And she'd failed, she didn't have any more information about her parents, it was like they had dropped off the face of the earth.

Somewhere along her mind-rambling Alexis eyes fell shut as exhaustion got the power over her, and she fell into a worried sleep.

In her dreams she found herself back at Hogwarts, at the warmth of the fire in the common room. James was sitting beside her, copying her astronomy homework. She knew this moment, it was back in their fourth year, they had both gone up in the middle of the night to study because they had both forgot during the day. And the common room was completely empty. She remembered sitting there until the flames had burned down, just talking about completely ridiculous things. And then finally she'd fallen asleep against his shoulder, feeling like the safest and warmest girl in the whole world with his arm around her. Then in the morning, she had woken up before him, slid out of his grip and tiptoed up to her dormitory, and the moment was broken.

…

James Pov:

James cautiously entered the headmistress office together with Fred and Megan. Scorpious, Montague and the Zabini girl where already there, looking as stiff and worried as he felt himself.

"Please sit down kids" Professor McGonagall nodded towards three chairs and they all slid down into them without another word.

"Do you have any news about my sister?" Scorpious asked attentively.

"Yes Mr. Malfoy, you all said that you would like to be updated about her case, so as you are her closest friends, I thought it would be wise to follow that request"

"So what's the news?" James shot out, not wanting to hear the stupid explanation, he wanted to know where Alexis was!

"Ms. Malfoy was seen at the Leaky cauldron by Mrs. Abbot, but… she was being kidnapped by snatchers-"

"WHAT?" Six voices bellowed and McGonagall actually shrugged back slightly.

"Yes, but when the aurors later found her, she was however with another snatcher, a man known as Maddox. Pretty famous, snatcher, thief and all that, well known within the ministry. But Ms. Malfoy refused to go with the aurors, even if one of them was Ted Lupin-"

"Teddy saw Alexis?" James breathed.

"-as I said she still didn't go with them, her mind seemed to be pretty stuck on staying away as Mr. Lupin put it. And she actually joined forces with Maddox, when Mr. Lupin and the other aurors woke up they where long gone without any trace" McGonagall finished.

"That doesn't surprise me at all" Scorpious snorted sarcastically from beside James.

"What doesn't surprise you Mr. Malfoy?" McGonagall asked with a raised eyebrow.

"That she wouldn't go with the aurors, she probably thought she would have a better chance escaping the snatcher instead of the ministry"

James gave Scorpious a quick glance, he actually had to agree with him. If Alexis wanted to stay away even Teddy couldn't have made her chance her mind. But now she was being captured by Snatchers! They would probably hand her right back to her grandparents. What would she win? No one else spoke for a few minutes, as they all thought about the news. James was glad to hear something about Alexis, they had gone a week without hearing anything and he'd begun to feel really worried. At least now he knew she was alive.

I love Maddox, I don't know why but I've always had a thing for the bad boys. And this charming fellah is a favorite of mine, do you like him? Hate him? Review people!