The Dursleys all had a chance to look at the note, and Dudley shook his head.
"It has to be a trick of some kind…"
Petunia nodded her own agreement, much to her son's surprise.
"Otherwise he would have been brought back here – without a note asking us to come fetch him."
"Yeah."
Vernon Dursley was looking at his family as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing – and he couldn't. For so many years they'd pretended that magic didn't exist – had tried to stamp it out of Harry with cruelty and ridicule. Now they actually seemed to accept it, and he didn't like it.
"We should just stay here and keep out of the way," he told them. "Let the weirdoes figure out this all by themselves."
Petunia frowned, but Dudley nodded his agreement.
"We definitely shouldn't go to meet them…" he said. "Voldemort's not someone to be messing with from what the books say."
"He's dangerous," Petunia agreed, reluctantly. She was obviously torn, much to the surprise of her husband who had never seen her look so concerned when it came to her nephew. "I suppose we can wait until his owl gets back and send a message of our own – see if it's really a trap or not."
"What if she doesn't come back?" Dudley asked.
She sighed.
"I don't know. We'll just hope she does."
Vernon scowled; clearly he was hoping she didn't. He was wise enough not to say that, though. Instead he shrugged and wordlessly headed back to bed.
OOOOOOOOOOOO
"Master!"
Lucius Malfoy almost dropped the goblet he was holding, and he turned sharply, reaching for his wand automatically. His surprise only lasted a moment before it turned to disgust, both with himself for being startled and with the creature that had startled him.
"Kreacher! I've told you not to do that…"
He had half a mind to punish the house elf – even though it wasn't his, despite the fact that it insisted on calling him 'master' – but there wasn't really any time for that, and Kreacher was instantly contrite, falling on his face in front of Malfoy.
"Kreacher knows where Master's son is."
"Draco?"
Which was a stupid question since he only had one son.
The grubby house elf nodded, looking up fearfully. He wasn't about to comment on the question.
"He ran away…"
Malfoy took a step closer.
"Where is he?"
"At the Potion Master's house."
Lucius frowned. There was really only one person who the house elf would title that way, but he had to make sure.
"Severus Snape?"
Kreacher nodded.
"You saw him there?"
Another nod.
"What was he doing?"
Now the fearful look was full force.
"I don't know, Master. He was inside and I could not get close."
"Is he still there?"
"He was when I saw him."
"Get back there and keep an eye on the place. Make sure you see if he leaves – and where he goes."
The house elf nodded, scrambled to his feet and snapped his fingers. An instant later he was gone. Lucius Malfoy stared at the place he'd been, but his thoughts were far from the house elf. He knew where his son was, now, and knew that his own Master wanted that information. But to give it to him would be the same as turning his son over to the Dark Lord. His only son. As furious as the Dark Lord was, there was no doubt the punishment he had in mind for Draco's apparent defection was a serious one – and perhaps a crippling one, or worse.
He hesitated, but not for too long. The Dark Lord had ways of finding information; better ways than Malfoy himself did, and was probably very close to learning the location of his son without help. There was nothing to be gained by trying to hide the location, and if he told him there would never be another doubt in the Dark Lord's mind about where Lucius' loyalties were. Something that would come in handy later, no doubt.
It didn't make him feel any better, but it did keep him changing his mind as he headed from the small room he'd been in and down the hallway to the much larger den that his master had claimed as his own.
OOOOOOOOOO
The field around the cottage was quiet, with the dawn starting to break in the far distance, but not enough to even make odd shadows around the building itself. A small grove of trees hid the small form that watched the house, and there wasn't much for him to watch. The cottage was quiet and almost completely dark – save for a single light in one window that flickered, telling Kreacher that someone had left a candle burning and may or may not be awake near it – although he hadn't seen anyone inside and knew that neither of the two had left.
Unknown to the house elf – and to those he was spying on – there was another small form in the area, watching the watcher. This one was just as quiet and stealthy and watched Kreacher more than he watched the cottage. The occupants of the cottage weren't really that interesting to him, after all.
OOOOOOOOOOO
"My Lord…"
The interruption was soft and hesitant – not at all in character for Lucius Malfoy – but it was a bad idea to startle the Dark Lord like Kreacher had startled him. It could be fatal, for that matter.
Voldemort didn't even flinch – nor did he turn around.
"Yes, Lucius?"
"I… found Draco."
"Is he here?"
"No, My Lord."
"Where is he?"
"At Snape's. Kreacher's watching the place to make sure he stays there."
"I want him brought to me, Lucius."
"Yes, My Lord."
Malfoy turned to leave, but Voldemort called him back.
"Do you have any idea what Snape is up to, Lucius?"
"No."
"How would he be able to convince your son to stray from the path you've put him on?"
"I don't know, My Lord…" Lucius said, honestly. "Maybe he's using a spell on him – or a potion."
That was a thought, really. Snape was good at potions, after all, and there were many that could force a change in the way a person thought.
"Bring me Snape, too," Voldemort told him. "I'd like to find out."
"Yes, My Lord."
His knees weak and his stomach empty and cold, Malfoy left the room.