"Five disappearances

"Five disappearances. Something is very wrong about all of this Albus."

"I know Minerva. But we'll figure it out. We always have. Now, what was it you were saying about Harry?"

"He told Ms. Granger his scar had been hurting him. And she told him about Mr. Malfoy's Dark Mark aching. Something about this ruby of his is bothering me. I can't put my finger on it, but something about it is, well, unsettling."

"I agree. There does seem to be something strange about it. Did he tell you where he got it?"

"His Gringotts vault." She replied, picking it up to examine it. She gasped suddenly, her arm shot out and grabbed Dumbledore's. "Albus, help!"

***************

"Ouch." Harry cried again. His scar hurt even more this time. Sirius asked if he was okay. Snape could care less. Harry suspected if his head suddenly exploded, Snape would burst out laughing for the first time in his life. Thankfully, they had not had to go all the way to the dungeons to find him; they met him on the stairs instead. "I'm fine, my scar just stung a little."

"And you see no connection between this and your nightmares?" Sirius asked.

"No." Harry said flatly. He was tired of everyone assuming everything was connected, even though it usually was.

"Well, there are some strange coincidences. All those who have disappeared have been Gryffindors, or with Gryffindors." Sirius muttered.

"Then how do these two disappearances fit in, Black?" Snape hissed. Dumbledore and McGonnagall were not in the office.

"Damn. Not again. Dumbledore was the only one who might have a clue about all this, besides Remus."

"Your confidence in me is overwhelming." Snape snarled.

It was strangely quiet in the office. Nothing had been disturbed. No one was there but Draco, Sirius, Harry, and Snape. The ruby lay forgotten on the desk.

"Is that the ruby you were telling me about?" Sirius asked. "I've never seen it before. Sure is odd looking."

He picked it up off the desk, but dropped it as if it were on fire. Harry's scar burned with pain. The ruby landed on Sirius' foot. It was as if a vacuum had been started. Sirius was being sucked into the ruby! His hand grabbed the leg of the desk, trying to pull himself away.

"Sirius!" Harry shouted. He reached out to him and tried to pull him back. He couldn't hold onto him much longer. He was being sucked in also. A hand grabbed him from behind and pulled him back, and Harry lost his grip on Sirius. It was Snape. And he had gone white, whiter than Harry had ever seen.

*********

Sirius had no idea where he was going until he landed. The last thing he remembered was dropping the ruby on his foot, which still hurt. When he picked it up, he heard a voice shout "No." It sounded like Lupin, whom he seemed to have landed on at the end of his trip.

"Oh hello Padfoot, I was wondering when you'd be getting here." he said, as if people fell on him from the sky on a regular basis.

"Moony! You're okay!" Sirius cried, hugging him.

"Yeah, no thanks to you landing on me."

"Sirius." said a voice, evidently glad to see him. It was Hermione. He looked, and saw not only her, but also Dumbledore, McGonnagall, Ron, Neville, and Colin.

"Um, what's going on?" Sirius asked cautiously.

"We seem to be trapped." Dumbledore replied calmly. "Within Harry's ruby. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a way out. Poor Mr. Weasley has had a quite a while to search without finding one. I hope you were not alone when you were pulled in?"

"N-no. Harry and Draco were there. And we brought Snape with us."

"Good. Perhaps Severus can figure out this mystery."

"Him? As if he'd help me for one second." Sirius snorted.

"Well, the rest of us are here too, so he won't abandon us." Lupin replied.

"Yeah, and he'll be sure to leave me behind. Can you believe he still hasn't gotten over my pranks in school Moony?"

"Well, you did attach his underwear to a broomstick and fly it around the Great Hall during Seventh year."

"So? I did the same to James. He forgave me."

"Yes, but he wasn't wearing them at the time."

**********

"Wh-what was that?" Harry asked breathlessly. "And why did you pull me away? Who knows where Sirius could be."

"I'm not sure where he's gone. But had I not pulled you back, you too could have been trapped. Draco, I assume you remember this from the Death Eaters?"

"Yeah, but I didn't believe.."

"Neither did I."

"Do you mind telling me what's going on?" Harry asked.

"Evidently, those who have disappeared have been pulled into the ruby. The Death Eaters were plotting a trap for Dumbledore that would trap him within a stone which could then be destroyed, but that was when Voldemort was still alive. Why now?" Draco replied.

"But, I'm not pulled in when I touch it."

"Which makes this mystery even stranger." Snape said.

"Er, Professor, it sounds like the only way to find anything out is to go after them." Draco suggested.

"Unfortunately, I believe you are correct."

"I'm going too. I'm not being left behind while everyone I care about is trapped in a ruby that I brought here in the first place."

"Suit yourself Potter." Snape replied. Draco had already been pulled into the stone. Snape was reaching for it when Harry spoke again.

"Professor? If you hate Sirius and I so much, why did you just save me?"

"Because, Potter, though I may hate you, the laws of common decency forbid me from refusing to help someone in danger. Hatred can not make me stand by while the innocent die. The only way you can come with us is to hold on to me. I don't believe the ruby will pull you in otherwise."

***************

"So, how did you get pulled in Moony?" Sirius asked.

"Hermione and I were in Dumbledore's office, waiting for the rest of you to show up. I picked up the ruby to examine it, and found myself being pulled in. Hermione tried to pull me back, but she couldn't, and got dragged in too."

"Were you the one that shouted at me?"

"Yup. Sonorus charm. Only worked when you touched it though. And obviously it was too late by then."

"And what have you been doing all this time Ron?" Sirius asked.

"Looking for a way out; there is none, taught myself gymnastics, and thought of 107 ways of killing someone without magic. I was almost glad when Neville and Colin showed up."

"But, how have you eaten?"

"Oh, he's fed us. He checks up on us once in a while, unfortunately." He replied, kicking the bars of the cell angrily.

"His cooking sucks." Neville said bitterly.

"Whose?" Sirius asked, thoroughly confused now.

"Mine." hissed a voice behind them that almost made them jump out of their skins. They turned slowly to see its source.

Lord Voldemort.