Adelaide had never been to the Ministry of Magic before, but she recognized it anyway. There were enough pictures of the atrium in the Prophet that it was hard to mistake.

There was a witch behind a desk near the entrance, a little queue in front of her where people were waiting to have their wands weighed. She stood up when she saw them, raising a hand to stop Professor Snape, but a single look from him had her sitting behind her desk again. The witch just looked after them, eyes wide, and didn't say a thing about Professor Granger's pocket full of wands.

They were the only ones in the elevator. They stopped at a few floors, the pleasant voice announcing the different offices, but everybody who'd been waiting for the lift decided to wait for the next one.

"Hopkirk," Professor Snape barked the moment they left the elevator, the pleasant voice still telling them they'd arrived at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

"Snape!" a man in Auror's robes yelped, turning to them so quickly he spilled tea on himself.

"Your incompetence continues to astound," Professor Snape said. There was something comforting about the professor at his infuriated best. He'd been truly frightening in that room with the chair, magical and physical violence seeming to come to him so easily.

"You found her," Hopkirk said, smiling like he was trying to ignore the way Professor Snape was sneering at him. "Never doubted you for a moment. And who are these?"

"These," Professor Snape snarled, "are Adelaide Grant and Atticus Porter. Next year's Head students at Hogwarts."

"I see," Hopkirk said, though he clearly didn't. He looked like he might have assumed Professor Snape had brought them along for the experience.

"They had been kidnapped as well as Professor Granger," Professor Snape said. "Or hadn't you noticed? See how the three of them are in their pajamas?"

"Mum," Adelaide said, looking away from the professor and Auror for the first time only to see her mother sitting in a chair a few cubicles over. She was dressed, but her hair was a mess and she was wearing two different shoes.

"Adelaide," her mum said, jumping up and running to her. Adelaide grabbed her and held on, feeling safe for the first time all day. Everyone in the office was staring, but it didn't matter.

"Dad!" Porter said.

"You were so concerned with finding your missing 'war hero' before your boss noticed she'd disappeared on your watch that you missed two children… disappearing," Professor Snape hissed.

"Professors," Hopkirk said, his tea clenched in his hands, "perhaps you'd be so kind as to step into my office?"

Professor Snape shouldered past him into one of the offices on the far wall.

"Auror Bones," Professor Granger said, voice just as calm and authoritative as it was in the classroom even though they were nowhere near her classroom, "would you be so kind as to call a mediwitch to have these two checked."

"Of course, Professor Granger," the other Auror said, standing and guiding Adelaide, her mother, Porter, and his parents toward what looked like a conference room. "Would any of you like anything to eat? Anything to drink?"

Adelaide shook her head; she was too queasy from relief to eat. Porter seemed to be the same way, but his mother requested some tea. While they waited for the Auror to get it for her, Adelaide looked back and saw Professor Granger join Auror Hopkirk and Professor Snape in the office, closing the door gently behind her. Adelaide had seen that same dead coldness in her eyes again, though.