Disclaimer: The Twilight character all belong to Stephenie Meyer. I do not make any money…I simply play with them. The magical locations belong to J.K. Rowling.

Special thanks to my wonderful beta, sorceresscirce. She makes my work readable and gives me the funniest comments. I would also like to thank ObsessingOverEdward for helping me out of my writers block and for being just plain awesome.

Chapter 25: Not Knowing

Isabella Swan

I was in a state of shock as I sat on one of the overstuffed leather chairs in the Headmaster's office. I could hear the low mumble of talking going on around me, but nothing really made sense. How could Edward have been taken? Why would he be taken? Where could he be? I had a million questions and no answers.

I had never craved Edward's reassuring hugs as much as I did at that moment. I wanted him to tell me that everything was going to be alright. I wanted this to be some sort of nightmare. It was a nightmare. It would not end when I woke up in the morning. Edward was really gone.

"It's all my fault," Emmett whispered in a pained voice loud enough for only me to hear. "I shouldn't have left him in the Quidditch Pitch on his own."

"You couldn't have known," I answered, reaching for his hand and squeezing it reassuringly even though I needed just as much as comfort.

"The Aurors are going to find him," Jasper added in a confident tone that didn't match the worry in his face. I knew he was trying to convince himself as much as the rest of us.

"How can you be so sure?" I whispered nervously.

"I'm sure he's alright," Alice added as she wrapped her tiny arms around me. "They'll find him in no time."

I wasn't sure what to say. I wanted to believe Alice and Jasper. If anybody could find him, it would be the Auror team headed by Jasper's father. But where would they begin? Even Carlisle's superior senses couldn't pinpoint who had done it. How could the Aurors?

The flame in the Headmaster's fireplace suddenly grew larger, changing colors as Jasper's father appeared, closely followed by Mr. and Mrs. Masen and then four more Aurors appeared after them.

"Emmett!" Mrs. Masen cried as she rushed out of Mr. Masen's arms and into Emmett's. She looked completely distraught. Her face was extremely pale and her eyes were puffy and blotchy from crying. She seemed defeated. I felt my own tears begin to fall again as I watched Mrs. Masen cling to her son.

"Any news, Marcus?" Mr. Masen asked the Headmaster. Mr. Masen was more put together than his wife, but he still seemed at least a decade older. His eyes seem duller, and it was obvious even from a few feet away that he had shed at least a few tears.

"Nothing, I'm afraid. We had all the professors search the castle and its grounds. There is no trace of anything." Even though I had already heard that the professors hadn't found anything, it was still chilling to hear. How could the responsible person have left behind nothing?

"I would like my team to search the castle again," Jasper's father added authoritatively.

"Of course," the Headmaster replied before Mr. Whitlock ordered the team of Aurors that were there to search the castle. I knew he was giving precise orders to his team, but my attention had returned to Mrs. Masen and Emmett.

Mrs. Masen's grip on Emmett had not loosened since she had arrived. Her sobs had settled, but her tears had not stopped. It was gut-wrenching to watch, but I couldn't seem to make myself look away. Mrs. Masen understood my pain. I knew she had to feel just as hollow as I felt. I was empty, missing my other half.

"Bella, Emmett," Mr. Whitlock sighed as he turned his attention to us. "I would like to speak to the both of you."

Emmett immediately stiffened at his words. There was nothing we could do to stop Emmett's guilt. There was nothing anybody could do to stop my guilt. I should've come out earlier. I may have been able to prevent it.

"I should've stayed," Emmett whispered as he hugged his mother closer before taking a deep breath. I watched in silence, letting my tears fall, as Emmett stood up still holding his mom. Mrs. Masen wrapped around her husband as Emmett motioned to me to follow Mr. Whitlock to the adjacent room.

"Please tell me anything and everything you can remember. No detail is too small," Mr. Whitlock said as we sat down in the small table.

Emmett began to talk as I tried to stay calm. My brain kept conjuring up horrendous images. I wanted to be strong. I wanted to help in any way I could. I wanted to bring Edward back.

Emmett spoke for at least ten minutes, but none of it really registered or probably mattered. I had heard his story before when he had told the Headmaster and Professor Cullen. He hadn't seen anything suspicious.

"Bella" Mr. Whitlock turned to me, giving me the go ahead to begin. I could tell he was just as affected by this as Mr. and Mrs. Masen. Edward was not his biological son, but he was his son's best friend. Mr. and Mrs. Whitlock considered Edward one of their own.

I repeated everything I could remember. I didn't really understand what Professor Cullen had said about no traces left behind, but Mr. Whitlock seemed to. My story took under fifteen minutes to explain, but it didn't make me feel better. I still had no idea where he was.

"Will you find him?" I asked softly even though I knew Mr. Whitlock didn't have the answer. I just needed to know that he was going to do everything in his power to find Edward and bring him back safely.

He was unable to answer before Mr. Masen opened the door. "Aiden, you need see this," he stated, causing Mr. Whitlock to get up and exit the room.

"Do we follow?" Emmett asked me. I really wasn't sure if he was done questioning us, but Mr. Masen's tone was worrisome. He seemed almost frantic.

I stood up, walking out of the room. All the adults stood around the Headmaster's desk as Mr. Whitlock recited some spells and waved his wand. I had no idea what was happening, but the concerned look on everyone's face were not comforting.

"What happened?" I asked Jasper.

"A letter arrived addressed to Mr. Masen," he answered. "It looks like it's written by a Muggle typing machine."

"A typewriter," Alice corrected. "And it appears it's untraceable."

"What does it say?" I questioned, hoping it had some information about Edward. I was getting more and more worried with each passing minute.

"They haven't opened it," Rosalie answered. She had been uncharacteristically quiet all night. I didn't know her too well, but I was glad she was there as moral support for Emmett.

I heard the letter being opened, causing me to hold my breath. Part of me was afraid to know what information the letter contained, but the other part held hope that it would give the Aurors the information they needed.

"It's a ransom note," Professor Cullen declared, causing Mrs. Masen and I to gasp simultaneously. What did they want in exchange for Edward?

"What do they want?" Mrs, Masen asked as she clung to her husband's arm. "Do they want money?"

"No," Mr. Masen answered. His face had turned at least ten shades paler. He looked distraught and confused.

"You don't have to make a decision now," Mr. Whitlock stated, trying to be logical. "You should meet with you advisory board and give my team a few days to investigate."

"What if we don't have a few days?" Mr. Masen asked, making my blood run cold in my veins. Would they kill him?

"What do they want?" Mrs. Masen asked in an exapserated tone.

"They want me to step down as Minister," he answered somberly.

It didn't take me long to realize just who had kidnapped Edward. There was no doubt in my mind about who it was. But I knew my suspicions wouldn't mean a thing. The Aurors needed concrete proof to act. Evidence they will not find. I knew for certain that it was James Malus Sr.

"Mr. Malus and Professor Sangue," I blurted out, not realizing what I had just said. The entire room turned to look at me.

"What about them?" Mr. Whitlock questioned as the Headmaster cocked one eyebrow.

"Edward and I overheard them discussing a potion," I explained. I had not meant to say anything, but there was no use not saying what I knew. "I don't know what potion, but I know one of the ingredients is squid ink."

"That's a pretty big accusation, Ms. Swan," the Headmaster spoke, breaking the silence. The look of terror on Mrs. Masen's face confirmed what I had figured out. Squid ink was only used in evil potions.

"I'll make sure we follow up on that. We can start by questioning all your political opponents, starting with James Malus Sr." Jasper's father took the lead in laying out a plan of action. I wasn't sure if my information was going to be much help, but I couldn't keep it to myself. We needed to get Edward back.

The next two weeks seemed to crawl by. Edward had not been found even though they had questioned all of Mr. Masen's political opponents, including Mr. Malus. They had even searched his house and turned up nothing. Jasper had become our only source of information. His father would share wih him what he could. But for the most part, we were clueleess. We had no idea what was going on.

I stared at the ceiling in my dorm room, trying to will myself to stay awake. I had barely slept over the last two weeks. I was mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausted, but I couldn't sleep. I was afraid to sleep. I was afraid of the dreams that I knew would come if I did. The dreams I had everytime I succumbed to the exhaustion and slept.

I felt my eyes drooping closed. I knew I would have to at least sleep a few hours tonight. I had no choice. I was fighting a losing battle. I only hoped I could make it one night without the nightmares. I just wanted to rest.

I walked across the Quidditch Pitch searching for Edward. I yelled out his name, recieving no answer in reply. I gripped my robe around me, feeling the icy cold grip my bones, causing me to shiver. I was freezing, but I knew I had to find Edward. He had to be here.

I ran towards the storage room when I realized the door was slightly ajar. I could see the faint glow of light from the inside. I just knew Edward would be waiting for me inside. I had to get to him.

I yanked the door open, my eyes growing wide as I took in the scene before me. I couldn't make sense of it at first. But then it became all too clear.

Edward's body was lying in a pool of dark blood. His green eyes were open and staring right at me. There was blood on the walls and on every surface imaginable. I felt the bile rise in my throat as I realized what I was seeing. Edward was dead.

I jumped in my bed, screaming in terror. I could feel the cold sweat on my body as the tears welled up in my eyes. I rushed out of bed and into the bathroom, emptying my stomach into the toilet. It had been the same everytime I had allowed myself to sleep. I would wake up in terror and throw up the small amount of food Alice and Jasper had forced me to eat at dinnertime.

I felt Alice's small arms wrap around me as she sat with me on the bathroom floor. "It's just a dream," she whispered softly, trying to comfort me.

"I'm sorry," I cried. I had woken up my entire dorm room everytime I attempted to sleep. The girls never said anything, but I knew they were annoyed. I couldn't blame them. Nobody liked to be woken up by a scream.

"It's alright, sweetie. It's time to get ready for class anyhow," Alice replied as she ran her hand up and down my back. "Why don't you go take a shower?"

I simply nodded, not knowing what else to say. I made into the shower, allowing the warm water to wash down my body. I wanted it to erase the horrific image of Edward's lifeless body in the pool of blood. But I knew it was impossible to erase.

"Alice, do you have any tampons?" I heard Angela ask Alice through the closed door as I stepped out of the shower.

I felt my entire body freeze as I tried to remember when I had last had my period. It had been over a month ago before Christmas. The obvious suddenly seemed to dawn on me. Edward and I hadn't used protection on Christmas Day. I had been too caught up in the moment and the afterglow to realize what we had done. Could I be pregnant?

It all made sense if I was. Every morning I would wake up and have to rush to the bathroom to throw up. I had blamed the dreams, but it was very possible that it was morning sickness. Pregnancy would also explain my late period. The signs were obvious.

I gripped the bathroom countertop, taking deep, calming breaths. What was I going to do if I was? How could I deal without Edward? Would they expel me from Hogwarts if I was? What would my parents say? I didn't know what to do or what to think. I was overwhelmed.

"Bella, are you alright?" Alice asked as she knocked softly on the bathroom door.

"I'm fine," I answered even though it was lie. I wasn't ready to talk about the possibility. I had to find out whether I really was. I needed to go see Nurse Platt.

The rest of the day passed by in a foggy haze. I simply went through the motions of going to class, barely paying attention to what my Professors were talking about. I could tell that Alice and Jasper were concerned, but neither of them said a word to me.

I climbed into my bed as soon as dinner was over, completely ignoring my homework. Thankfully, I had finished the majority of my work for the next week, allowing me time to think things through.

I sat there for a long time just staring out into space. I needed to make sense of everything. I had always wanted children. And I had no doubt that I wanted to have Edward's children. But I was too young. I wasn't even finished with Hogwarts. What was I supposed to do? Could I handle it all? I was terrified at the prospect of having to do it all on my own.

"Bella, sweetie, what's wrong?" Alice questioned as she entered the dorm room.

"Nothing," I replied grabbing my pillow and hugging it to my chest.

"You've been a zombie all day. You don't have to tell me, but I'm here to listen if you want." Alice spoke softly as she joined me on the bed, wrapping her arms around me. "Jasper is concerned, too. You barely even touched your dinner."

"I think I'm pregnant," I whispered in a barely audible voice, causing a small gasp to escape Alice's mouth.

"Are you sure?" Alice asked. "Did you go see Nurse Platt?"

"Not yet," I answered, causing Alice to get up.

"Let's go," she urged, catching me offguard.

"Now?" I knew Alice was going to tell me to go see her. But I hadn't expected her to want to go now. Was I ready to know?

"The answer isn't going to change, Bella," she replied logically. "Why wait?"

"It's after curfew," I pointed out, knowing full well I was stalling.

"Bella, let's go," Alice implored impatiently, causing me to sigh in defeat.

The walk to the Hospital Wing was uneventful. We didn't run into any professors. I was a nervous wreck. I knew I wasn't ready to be a mom, but something in my gut told me I was pregnant.

My eyes widened in shock the minute I stepped inside the infirmary. I had expected to find Nurse Platt looking after students, but all the beds were empty. All except one. I immediately drew my wand as I realized what was going on. Professor Cullen was biting Nurse Platt's neck.

"Stupefy!" Alice and I yelled simultaneously, causing Professor Cullen to fall back onto the floor and Nurse Platt to let out a loud scream.

"I didn't know spells worked on vampires," Alice stated in shock.

"Neither did I."

A/N: So, is Bella pregnant? A lot of you seemed torn on this situation. Some of you want her to be, while others are flat out against it. What do you think now?

Please review and tell me your thoughts. I really want to know what you guys are thinking. This chapter and all the coming ones have been the most difficult to write, but I think they are well worth it.

Next Chapter: A Possibility

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