"Minerva," Albus said as he rushed into her classroom interrupting her class. "Go straight to St. Mungos. Tom is waiting on you," he ordered as he passed Hermione to her.
Her heart dropped in her throat as she tightened her hold and she took off in a mad dash to get to the apparition point. She took a deep breath and then apparated to St. Mungos. Tom was waiting for her. He kissed her lips quickly and plucked Hermione from her arms. "There was an attack on Caithness. Your parents home were targeted."
"Are they alright," she asked frantically.
"Your father needs a procedure," he answered as he grapsed her hand and moved to Robert's room. A wizard placed a quill and parchment in her hands. "Sign it," Tom demanded.
Minerva glanced at it and realized it was a consent form to treat her father. "Why couldn't mother sign it?" she asked, fear evident in her voice. She quickly signed her name across the form and watched as it glowed brightly.
Tom closed his eyes and took a deep breath before answering, "She was taken."
"What," Minerva screamed, horror filling her at her mother's predicament.
"The Aurors believe she was the target," Tom replied sorrowfully. "She managed to take out two of the bastards but they overpowered her. A search team is on the case."
"Anyone else hurt," Minerva answered, knowing her father would want to know.
"No," Tom answered. "The Aurors believe Isobel sacrificed herself to save others."
"Oh mother," she whispered emotionally as tears flooded her eyes and ran down her face unchecked.
Robert recovered in a few weeks time and was released into Minerva's care. Malcolm and Robbie both offered to keep Robert but she couldn't bare the thought. She needed to protect her father. She brought him to her chambers at Hogwarts much to his dismay. "I want to go home Min," he begged. "Malcolm or Robbie would stay with me."
"It's not safe Daddy," she retorted. "Mother is still missing and I can't risk losing you too. It would break me."
He watched as his daughter crumpled to the floor and cried brokenly. He knelt down and gathered her into his arms and allowed her to cry out her emotions. "I have you love," he soothed his daughter. "I shall stay here with you until we find your mother."
Tom looked on in concern for his wife. She had taken Isobel's captivity hard and only he knew why. In the past timeline, Isobel had been taken and returned tortured and very much dead. The witch had been flayed alive after she had been raped repeatedly. He knew those thoughts were still in the forefront of her mind. Shaking his head, he focused on Hermione and carried her to her room. She didn't need to see her mother's breakdown.
Three months passed quickly for Robert yet it seemed to drag on at the same time. He worried for his wife and prayed constantly they would find her one way or another. His children where suffering with the unknown. He wanted to selfishly find her alive but with each day that passed, his hopes diminished a little.
Robert passed his days with spending time with his grandchildren. Hermione stayed with him while Minerva taught classes. He knew he had read every children's book in the apartment at least 3 times. The child had such a love of reading, she was like her mother.
"Robert," Albus called frantically from the door. "We have to go now."
"Isobel," he asked, hoping his wife had been found.
"She's at St. Mungos," Albus said. "They don't know if she will make it. I need to get you and Minerva there immediately just in case."
Robert's heart dropped to his stomach at the thought of Isobel not surviving this after she had been rescued. He stood there numbly before he felt a tingle run throughout his body and was suprised to find himself donning his coat and shoes. He looked at Hermione who was grinning at him. "Thank you lass," he said as he picked her up and headed towards Albus.
Within minutes the group had portkeyed to St. Mungos and were rushed into Isobel's room. Minerva was already there by her mother's bedside. Tears streaming down her face as she talked to her mother. "Tom's gone to get the boys," she whispered emotionally.
Robert handed Hermione to Sirius who was dressed in his Auror robes in the corner. He apparently had been on the team that found her and it had been him who sent word to Tom so quickly. The wizard had been determined to give the family the chance to say goodbye. It indeed appeared to Robert his Isobel was in bad shape.
Isobel was pale as he had ever seen her. Her hair matted together in spots and appeared as if spots were pulled out in others. It was streaked with caked on blood. A simple slip covered her and showed her bruised covered body. Burns, deep cuts, whelps and bite marks littered her body. He could barely make out her face due to the swelling and black eyes. What had she went through? he wondered.
"Oh Isobel," he whispered brokenly as he saw her.
Isobel turned towards him and moved her hand towards his. He grasped her hand tightly within his and leaned down to kiss her forehead. "I love you," she finally managed to get out.
"No goodbyes," Minerva begged her mother. "Please give them consent to treat you."
"I cannot," she said emotionally. "I can't have that on my conscience."
"What's going on," Robert asked his daughter.
"Mother's 14 weeks pregnant and won't consent to treatment because it will end the pregnancy," Minerva sobbed.
Robert closed his eyes at the implications. His wife was tortured, raped and now carried another man's child. "It's her decision," he finally choked out as he kissed his wife's lips. "We will support her with any decision she makes."
Isobel closed her eyes as relieved tears filled them. Her husband thought no differently about her for carrying another man's child. He loved her regardless of what happened and how she found herself. He was such a humble man and she was blessed to have him.
"I help," Hermione said as she reached for her grandmother.
Sirius was well aware of Hermione's ability and her knowledge of them so he placed her beside of Isobel on the bed. Hermione couldn't formulated the words to explain what she could do to help but held her Momma's hand and placed the other to Isobel's temple. She showed them an image of Hermione using a long forgotten spell to switch the fetus to a new host, to Minerva. Isobel gasped in suprise and met her daughter's gaze in silent question.
"Do the spell Hermione," Minerva answered without hesitation. "Albus please make sure no one enters this room until the spell is performed and Hermione is taken out of here. Sirius you will be responsible for ensuring Hermione makes it safely back to Hogwarts. I am unsure if I will be able to protect her for a while after this."
"Understood," Albus said as he walked out of the room. He knew once Minerva had decided on a path she couldn't be deterred.
Minerva conjured a soft reclining chair and sat down in it gently. "Go ahead Hermione," Minerva demanded. This needed to be done quickly so that Isobel could give consent for treatment and hopefully pull through the organ destroying curse.
Hermione took her grandmother's hand and her mother's as she began the spell. Her eyes flared white and an unearthly glow settled around her. She chanted, a forgotten language, in a voice far older than hers should of been. A blue mist settled over Isobel's stomach and glowed brighter as the minutes ticked by. A white orb was pulled from her stomach through an old cut that had torn back open and surrounded by the blue mist protectively. Isobel couldn't prevent the cry of pain. More chanting and the the blue mist moved to Minerva and settled around her, her waist. Minerva's shirt tore open to reveal her belly. She bit down hard on her lip to avoid crying out in pain as an incision drew down her belly by an invisible knife. Slowly the white orb pushed its way through the incision and disappeared from sight. The blue mist slowly knitted Minerva's skin back together and faded from sight. Hermione slumped against her grandmother on the bed exhausted.
Sirius waved his wand over her before answering the unasked question in Minerva's eyes. "She's just magically exhausted. I will take her to your chambers and have Poppy check on her."
"Thank you Sirius," Minerva panted from her chair. The spell had taken its toll on her.
Isobel reached over and grasped Minerva's hand in gratitude. Words failed her but Minerva knew what she wanted to say and mustered a tight smile for her. Minerva turned towards her father and gathered enough strength to talk. "Ask Albus to find someone to bring the paperwork for Mother."
He nodded as he exited the room. He wasn't gone a minute or two before he and Albus came back in. Albus quickly put a few glamor charms on Minerva to avoid questions. He would come up with an alternative explanation of the situation later. Hermione's ability needed to remain a secret for as long as possible. "Malcolm and Robbie just arrived," he informed Isobel.
Right as Isobel signed the paperwork, her sons came in and rushed to their mother. Both choked up at her appearance but she waved their concern off. "I'm fine loves," she managed before she was carted away for treatment.