Some of these characters are copyrighted to JK Rowling (as I'm sure most of
us already know). However, the characters (so far added) that are mine
are: The McDowall family of Alyson, Gregor and son Drew; the MacGregor
family of Merllynn (Llynn), cousin Duncan, Duncan's niece Delaney, and
stepbrother Iiann. Thank you for your attention and feedback.
*************************** Mid-November, Alyson McDowall was on her way to Hogwarts for her son. She'd only been told a few days ago about this. She couldn't believe it was happening. It took forever for her to get there. The train from the Scottish Highlands to London was delayed at Glasgow again and she barely made the train to Hogsmeade. She didn't have enough time to grab some Muggle fish-n-chips or a drink at the The Lucky Cauldron. She could have used a drink. She hates the stares, the whispers. Or the worst part: people standing aside as she passes them, as if she's not the brilliant potions mistress and acclaimed author she is. Granted her books sell best outside the country, in America or in translation, due to her name's infamy within the country.
"Like anything dear? Oh!" The refreshment trolley hag gasped when the lone woman in the first class compartment looked up at her.
"Yes!" Alyson quickly said before the hag hurried off and dug deep into her purse. "Pumpkin juice and a...a...a...chocolate frog, I guess."
The hag snatched the money as she threw the bottle and candy bar into the compartment then hurried off.
Alyson picked them off the floor and sighed. She ended up locking the door and sleeping most of the ride after having used the first train ride to try and think things through.
Once at Hogsmeade, Alyson walked up to the imposing edifice that Hogwarts made. She knocked once and walked in. Snape was the first person she came into contact with.
"Severus, hello. Would you happen to know where Headmaster Dumbledore is?"
"Alyson," Snape's eyebrow's raised to see one of his old crushes, "Yes, the Headmaster is in his office. I'll show you the way." Snape turned and pointed towards the staircase they were to take.
"I understand why you are here. This will be difficult for you. Give him my regards, however."
"Thank you, Severus. He will like hearing from you."
"Ear wax," Severus spoke the password to the portrait for it to swing open and lead to a steep staircase.
"Ear wax?"
"He makes up his own passwords. I never understand them."
Once again, manner overcame Snape as he allowed Alyson to go first up the stairs. At the top, she paused to let him slip open the door to speak to the Headmaster.
"Headmaster, Mrs. McDowall is here to see you."
"Ah, yes. Thank you, Professor Snape, I'll be right there." Dumbledore opened the door a minute later to let himself out of his office when Alyson caught sight of the boy he'd been speaking to. He looked to be about her son's age and he was playing with a phoenix. Just as Dumbledore was about to shut the door behind him, the boy turned so she could see his scarred forehead.
"Oh!" Alyson turned quickly and hurried down the stairs with her head spinning but only made it a third of the way down before slipping to sit on the stairs. Snape and Dumbledore hurried down after her.
"Alyson, Harry won't harm you. We were just having a chat. Come upstairs and we'll talk about what you've come about. It's time this happened. It'll be good for the two of you. I think Drew will like this in the end." Dumbledore and Snape guided Alyson back up the stairs towards the office.
"But why should my son get to see his father when that poor boy can't ever see either of his parents again? How is that fair?" Alyson choked out, shaken and sniffling.
Dumbeldore and Snape let her sniffle while they eyed each other as to what to say.
"I think the young Mr. Potter would want Drew to take advantage of the opportunity to see Gregor. It's not that often they open Azkaban to family visitation." Dumbledore finally spoke.
"We only get three hours. Is that long journey really worth it? For possibly Drew's only glimpse at his father to be of him emaciated in a rank prison miles from us until he dies, when I'm not even going to get his body back to properly bury? I don't know anymore. I don't think this was such a good idea. I'm going. Please don't tell him I was here." Alyson turned to leave once again, though this time with her emotions slightly more under control.
"Very well. If that is what you wish, Mrs. McDowall." Dumbledore watched her descent.
She paused at the bottom behind the portrait.
Snape jumped in, "I can have him packed and ready in a half hour."
Alyson stood there for quite some time. When she turned the men were able to see her wiping tears from her eyes. Sniffling, she nodded. "Please Severus."
Snape swept down the stairs and pointed Alyson towards his dungeon to wait for Drew.
True to his word, a half hour later, Drew descended a staircase with his trunk and eagle owl in tow of Snape. He looked confused but relaxed upon seeing his mother standing just inside the front door. Alyson looked up and gave him a wavering smile and hugged him when he reached her.
"Thank you, Severus. I will have him back in a week or so."
Snape nodded and walked with them to Hogsmeade station. "Now don't think good things but don't let them take things from you either." Alsyon tried to soothe herself by warning her son as to what to expect. This was, after all, her second time doing this. The first was just after Drew's birth and she wouldn't risk loosing her son as well as her husband to those Demontors.
"Why are they allowing this? Why are they giving us three hours? I just don't get this." Drew finally spoke when the island prison came into view from the hours long ferry set up by the Ministry for families. He recognized some of his fellow Slytherin's parents. Alyson recognized everyone and hated being on the same boat as them of anywhere near the treacherous lot. They watched her, wondering how the might Gregor McDowall was.
"It's too bad he's not out. He'd truly be the best asset to the Dark Lord as he always was. His son's a Slytherin as well. He'll become one of us shortly."
The ferry finally docked for people to troop off. Once inside the compound, the Demontors gave them all the once over before slowly taking each family to its member.
Alyson was near the front of the line but the trip to the dungeon, in the back, through so many doors took ages. It looked like they had finally come to an end when they reached a cell that had a man hanging from chains while sitting on the floor, or attempting it anyway.
Drew pulled his mum closer. The Demontor yanked the gate open to the cell and bones fell out of the robe. Alyson gasped and stepped backwards, pulling her son with her. But the Demontor continued toward the wall just next to the pile of cloaked bones to push open a door. Walking through, it gestured towards another cell.
Stepping through, they were in another corridor with cells alongside it. The one just inside on the right was the one the Demontor was gesturing towards. There sat another cloaked figure.
"Gregor!" Alyson whispered in shock. He definitely was slighter than she remembered. The eyes that looked up at her seemed distant, making her think he was give the Kiss without her being told.
The Demontor unlocked the cell and pushed them inside to lock them in, then left the way they had come in, closing the doors and gates behind it.
As soon as the Demontor was gone, Gregor swept his wife into his arms and held her. It took her some time to realize he was crying into her hair.
"I love you," was the first thing out of his mouth. He looked into his wife's face and just caressed it.
They stood like that for quite some time until Gregor realized there was someone else in the cell with them. He looked up, bewildered for a moment, and then opened his mouth in surprise. He looked down at his wife for confirmation of what he was thinking. She was looking at the young man as well.
"Gregor," Gregor said to his son and held out his arm to him to join in the embrace his parents were sharing.
"Drew. I'm called Drew." He corrected his father but let himself be drawn into the embrace.
"I remember. You told me it was Gregor." Gregor looked down at his wife again, puzzled this time.
"It's Gregor Andrew but I call him Drew. He's at Hogwarts now and doing well. He'll graduate next year, should everything go as planned." Alyson changed topics quickly hoping Gregor wouldn't notice why she called her son something other than his given name. When she looked up at him, she realized he understood as he brushed her hair across his cheek.
The family talked. Alyson told him about her books and their family home in the Highlands. Drew talked about classes at Hogwarts.
"You're a Slytherin? Do you play quidditch? Who's the Head of Slytherin?" Gregor quizzed his son upon the revelation. He'd assumed his son would end up a Ravenclaw like his mother. Figured he'd do better in life that way, have a future away from his past. But it still gave him pride to know his son took after him even with him not being there.
"Yes, sir. I don't play on the House team but I play with some of the other boys when we have some free time. Professor Snape, the potions teacher, is the Head of Slytherin."
"Severus said to say hello, by the way." Alyson cut in. "He was nice enough to get Drew for me when I picked him up from Hogwarts."
"Severus Snape, potions teacher, at Hogwarts! I'm amazed! How did that happen? He was.well that shouldn't be." Gregor tapered off, shocked to hear his old best mate was doing so well and not in Azkaban somewhere with him. After all he did, surely he should be in here.
"Professor Dumbledore stood up in court to testify that Severus was a spy for him and he later gave Severus that job. It's anything but common knowledge, though, that he was a spy. Everyone just thinks he got away with it by saying he was under the Imperious Curse, just like Lucius Malfoy did." Alyson quietly told Gregor, remembering some of what Severus had done.
"Malfoy's not in here either? He should definitely be in here."
"Draco Malfoy is one of my housemates at Hogwarts. Mr. Malfoy is one of the Board Members of the school."
The conversation moved swiftly through many things until Gregor realized their time would probably be up soon. He grabbed a piece of parchment from inside Alyson's cloak. He wrote a note on it and gave it back to her.
"Do you remember that owl of ours that only dealt with certain post? Send this off with it." Gregor pressed his wife.
"Gregor, no! No more!" Alyson shook her head and back away with tears in her eyes.
"Do you trust me? Please this is for you."
Alyson reluctantly took the parchment and pocketed it just before the Demontor opened the door into that corridor.
"NO! We haven't had our three hours yet!" Alyson protested but realized it was the trip down to the cell that counted in that three hours as well so they only got just over two hours with him. She threw herself into her husband's arms, fearing it would be the last time she was to see him. Gregor pulled his small family into a tight embrace then let them go.
"I love you both," was the last words they heard before the door closed between them. Drew heard his mother crying for the third night in a row. He now understood why she didn't want him to return to Hogwarts so quickly after their visit to his dad. The Demontors took a toll on her, and him. He just felt weak and wanted to sleep.
When there was really no more food in the house, Alyson and Drew braved outside for a nip to the local grocer. They picked up salad, sandwich and breakfast ingredients for easy meals and were on their way home when they were surrounded by suddenly apperated wizards.
The three men came closer to them and Alyson broke.
"Please just let us alone," she sobbed and slowly sank to the ground. "We saw him and he's practically dead. He can't harm anyone anymore. Let us alone."
One of the men leaned down to her and Drew drew his wand. The wizard looked at Drew and smiled gently, pushing down Drew's wand hand.
"Alyson. It's me, Duncan and Iiann." Lord Merllynn MacGregor put his arms under Alyson's and pulled her to her feet. "Come, let's go home and we'll talk." They walked towards the McDowall home.
Once inside, the men pulled off their cloaks and Alyson sank into them, sobbing. As it was Duncan who ended up holding her, he soothed and rocked her.
"Alyson. That owl you sent. Gregor wrote that to me. All the letters that particular owl took back and forth were to and from one of us. He wants us to look after you. We're going to do that from now on. We should have done that from the beginning but weren't sure if you'd want us around, as a reminder of him." Llynn spoke softly to her, crouched in front of her and his cousin.
Alyson finally looked up. She tried to dry her eyes. "You're going to protect me. Can you stop them all from saying bad things about us? Can you make them stop glaring? Can you make them stop treating me like I have leprosy? CAN YOU GIVE ME BACK MY GREGOR?!?!" She dropped back onto the coach but turned away from Duncan to lay across the coach, sobbing into a pillow.
"Let her alone, just go. She doesn't want you here." Drew found his voice and went to his mother, thinking these wizards were Death Eaters.
Duncan, Llynn and Iian were looking at each other. Could they bring back Gregor? "Now Ali, you know that I can't change how stupid other people are but."
Llynn's pause was all Alyson needed. She jumped up and threw her arms around his neck. "Oh you can!! You really can! Bring him back, Llynn, I'll do anything." She wiped at her eyes again.
"I was supposed to help protect Lily and James. I lost a good man in that fight and then they were lost. I still don't know what I can do or what's to do. But I know one thing, Gregor McDowall is a good man who doesn't deserve to be in Azkaban for life."
"What do you know that I don't?" Alyson pressed him.
Llynn looked at his cousin. Duncan nodded while his step-brother, Iiann, shrugged. "Gregor was a spy for us. By the time we realized where he was, it was too late for any of us to intervene. We thought he'd just gone to our safe house to lay low for a little while or was off dealing with Voldemort. You know how hard it is to get the same day's or even month's copy of the Daily Prophet around here." Llynn moved away from Alyson, shaking his head. "I don't know if I can bring him back."
"Yes, you can. You're one of the most powerful wizards around, being a direct descendant of Merlin himself. You need to. I need him. He's dying in there. They're only feeding him twice a day and it's ice cold by the time it gets to him." Alyson pleaded with the men, searching each face, pulling her son closer.
"We'll see what we can do." Duncan stepped forward to comfort her again. They each hugged her.
"What school are you at?" Llynn inquired at Drew.
"Hogwarts."
"Hogwarts!" Llynn looked down at Alyson in shock.
"Dumbledore sent us the acceptance letter and I wasn't stupid enough to not send him." Alyson replied. "Why? Where are you children? As I'm assuming you all have children?" She inquired of them.
"Aye, we each have. I've got two, Duncan's got five and Llynn's got four." Iiann finally spoke up. "Llynn's are in America since his wife's American while mine are at Beaubaton's since my wife's French and Duncan's are split in America and Russia since his first son's mother was Russian and his twins' mother is American."
"Well the ones that are old enough for wizarding school are out of the country, yes." Duncan corrected his step-cousin.
"They should all be at Hogwarts." Alyson stated.
"I think we'll join you when you return you Drew here to Hogwarts and speak to the Headmaster ourselves." The trio decided. They couldn't wait to see Snape's face when they alighted from their carriages at Hogwarts with Alyson McDowall. Things were looking better and if all went as planned, their children would be in Hogwarts by Christmas end.
*************************** Mid-November, Alyson McDowall was on her way to Hogwarts for her son. She'd only been told a few days ago about this. She couldn't believe it was happening. It took forever for her to get there. The train from the Scottish Highlands to London was delayed at Glasgow again and she barely made the train to Hogsmeade. She didn't have enough time to grab some Muggle fish-n-chips or a drink at the The Lucky Cauldron. She could have used a drink. She hates the stares, the whispers. Or the worst part: people standing aside as she passes them, as if she's not the brilliant potions mistress and acclaimed author she is. Granted her books sell best outside the country, in America or in translation, due to her name's infamy within the country.
"Like anything dear? Oh!" The refreshment trolley hag gasped when the lone woman in the first class compartment looked up at her.
"Yes!" Alyson quickly said before the hag hurried off and dug deep into her purse. "Pumpkin juice and a...a...a...chocolate frog, I guess."
The hag snatched the money as she threw the bottle and candy bar into the compartment then hurried off.
Alyson picked them off the floor and sighed. She ended up locking the door and sleeping most of the ride after having used the first train ride to try and think things through.
Once at Hogsmeade, Alyson walked up to the imposing edifice that Hogwarts made. She knocked once and walked in. Snape was the first person she came into contact with.
"Severus, hello. Would you happen to know where Headmaster Dumbledore is?"
"Alyson," Snape's eyebrow's raised to see one of his old crushes, "Yes, the Headmaster is in his office. I'll show you the way." Snape turned and pointed towards the staircase they were to take.
"I understand why you are here. This will be difficult for you. Give him my regards, however."
"Thank you, Severus. He will like hearing from you."
"Ear wax," Severus spoke the password to the portrait for it to swing open and lead to a steep staircase.
"Ear wax?"
"He makes up his own passwords. I never understand them."
Once again, manner overcame Snape as he allowed Alyson to go first up the stairs. At the top, she paused to let him slip open the door to speak to the Headmaster.
"Headmaster, Mrs. McDowall is here to see you."
"Ah, yes. Thank you, Professor Snape, I'll be right there." Dumbledore opened the door a minute later to let himself out of his office when Alyson caught sight of the boy he'd been speaking to. He looked to be about her son's age and he was playing with a phoenix. Just as Dumbledore was about to shut the door behind him, the boy turned so she could see his scarred forehead.
"Oh!" Alyson turned quickly and hurried down the stairs with her head spinning but only made it a third of the way down before slipping to sit on the stairs. Snape and Dumbledore hurried down after her.
"Alyson, Harry won't harm you. We were just having a chat. Come upstairs and we'll talk about what you've come about. It's time this happened. It'll be good for the two of you. I think Drew will like this in the end." Dumbledore and Snape guided Alyson back up the stairs towards the office.
"But why should my son get to see his father when that poor boy can't ever see either of his parents again? How is that fair?" Alyson choked out, shaken and sniffling.
Dumbeldore and Snape let her sniffle while they eyed each other as to what to say.
"I think the young Mr. Potter would want Drew to take advantage of the opportunity to see Gregor. It's not that often they open Azkaban to family visitation." Dumbledore finally spoke.
"We only get three hours. Is that long journey really worth it? For possibly Drew's only glimpse at his father to be of him emaciated in a rank prison miles from us until he dies, when I'm not even going to get his body back to properly bury? I don't know anymore. I don't think this was such a good idea. I'm going. Please don't tell him I was here." Alyson turned to leave once again, though this time with her emotions slightly more under control.
"Very well. If that is what you wish, Mrs. McDowall." Dumbledore watched her descent.
She paused at the bottom behind the portrait.
Snape jumped in, "I can have him packed and ready in a half hour."
Alyson stood there for quite some time. When she turned the men were able to see her wiping tears from her eyes. Sniffling, she nodded. "Please Severus."
Snape swept down the stairs and pointed Alyson towards his dungeon to wait for Drew.
True to his word, a half hour later, Drew descended a staircase with his trunk and eagle owl in tow of Snape. He looked confused but relaxed upon seeing his mother standing just inside the front door. Alyson looked up and gave him a wavering smile and hugged him when he reached her.
"Thank you, Severus. I will have him back in a week or so."
Snape nodded and walked with them to Hogsmeade station. "Now don't think good things but don't let them take things from you either." Alsyon tried to soothe herself by warning her son as to what to expect. This was, after all, her second time doing this. The first was just after Drew's birth and she wouldn't risk loosing her son as well as her husband to those Demontors.
"Why are they allowing this? Why are they giving us three hours? I just don't get this." Drew finally spoke when the island prison came into view from the hours long ferry set up by the Ministry for families. He recognized some of his fellow Slytherin's parents. Alyson recognized everyone and hated being on the same boat as them of anywhere near the treacherous lot. They watched her, wondering how the might Gregor McDowall was.
"It's too bad he's not out. He'd truly be the best asset to the Dark Lord as he always was. His son's a Slytherin as well. He'll become one of us shortly."
The ferry finally docked for people to troop off. Once inside the compound, the Demontors gave them all the once over before slowly taking each family to its member.
Alyson was near the front of the line but the trip to the dungeon, in the back, through so many doors took ages. It looked like they had finally come to an end when they reached a cell that had a man hanging from chains while sitting on the floor, or attempting it anyway.
Drew pulled his mum closer. The Demontor yanked the gate open to the cell and bones fell out of the robe. Alyson gasped and stepped backwards, pulling her son with her. But the Demontor continued toward the wall just next to the pile of cloaked bones to push open a door. Walking through, it gestured towards another cell.
Stepping through, they were in another corridor with cells alongside it. The one just inside on the right was the one the Demontor was gesturing towards. There sat another cloaked figure.
"Gregor!" Alyson whispered in shock. He definitely was slighter than she remembered. The eyes that looked up at her seemed distant, making her think he was give the Kiss without her being told.
The Demontor unlocked the cell and pushed them inside to lock them in, then left the way they had come in, closing the doors and gates behind it.
As soon as the Demontor was gone, Gregor swept his wife into his arms and held her. It took her some time to realize he was crying into her hair.
"I love you," was the first thing out of his mouth. He looked into his wife's face and just caressed it.
They stood like that for quite some time until Gregor realized there was someone else in the cell with them. He looked up, bewildered for a moment, and then opened his mouth in surprise. He looked down at his wife for confirmation of what he was thinking. She was looking at the young man as well.
"Gregor," Gregor said to his son and held out his arm to him to join in the embrace his parents were sharing.
"Drew. I'm called Drew." He corrected his father but let himself be drawn into the embrace.
"I remember. You told me it was Gregor." Gregor looked down at his wife again, puzzled this time.
"It's Gregor Andrew but I call him Drew. He's at Hogwarts now and doing well. He'll graduate next year, should everything go as planned." Alyson changed topics quickly hoping Gregor wouldn't notice why she called her son something other than his given name. When she looked up at him, she realized he understood as he brushed her hair across his cheek.
The family talked. Alyson told him about her books and their family home in the Highlands. Drew talked about classes at Hogwarts.
"You're a Slytherin? Do you play quidditch? Who's the Head of Slytherin?" Gregor quizzed his son upon the revelation. He'd assumed his son would end up a Ravenclaw like his mother. Figured he'd do better in life that way, have a future away from his past. But it still gave him pride to know his son took after him even with him not being there.
"Yes, sir. I don't play on the House team but I play with some of the other boys when we have some free time. Professor Snape, the potions teacher, is the Head of Slytherin."
"Severus said to say hello, by the way." Alyson cut in. "He was nice enough to get Drew for me when I picked him up from Hogwarts."
"Severus Snape, potions teacher, at Hogwarts! I'm amazed! How did that happen? He was.well that shouldn't be." Gregor tapered off, shocked to hear his old best mate was doing so well and not in Azkaban somewhere with him. After all he did, surely he should be in here.
"Professor Dumbledore stood up in court to testify that Severus was a spy for him and he later gave Severus that job. It's anything but common knowledge, though, that he was a spy. Everyone just thinks he got away with it by saying he was under the Imperious Curse, just like Lucius Malfoy did." Alyson quietly told Gregor, remembering some of what Severus had done.
"Malfoy's not in here either? He should definitely be in here."
"Draco Malfoy is one of my housemates at Hogwarts. Mr. Malfoy is one of the Board Members of the school."
The conversation moved swiftly through many things until Gregor realized their time would probably be up soon. He grabbed a piece of parchment from inside Alyson's cloak. He wrote a note on it and gave it back to her.
"Do you remember that owl of ours that only dealt with certain post? Send this off with it." Gregor pressed his wife.
"Gregor, no! No more!" Alyson shook her head and back away with tears in her eyes.
"Do you trust me? Please this is for you."
Alyson reluctantly took the parchment and pocketed it just before the Demontor opened the door into that corridor.
"NO! We haven't had our three hours yet!" Alyson protested but realized it was the trip down to the cell that counted in that three hours as well so they only got just over two hours with him. She threw herself into her husband's arms, fearing it would be the last time she was to see him. Gregor pulled his small family into a tight embrace then let them go.
"I love you both," was the last words they heard before the door closed between them. Drew heard his mother crying for the third night in a row. He now understood why she didn't want him to return to Hogwarts so quickly after their visit to his dad. The Demontors took a toll on her, and him. He just felt weak and wanted to sleep.
When there was really no more food in the house, Alyson and Drew braved outside for a nip to the local grocer. They picked up salad, sandwich and breakfast ingredients for easy meals and were on their way home when they were surrounded by suddenly apperated wizards.
The three men came closer to them and Alyson broke.
"Please just let us alone," she sobbed and slowly sank to the ground. "We saw him and he's practically dead. He can't harm anyone anymore. Let us alone."
One of the men leaned down to her and Drew drew his wand. The wizard looked at Drew and smiled gently, pushing down Drew's wand hand.
"Alyson. It's me, Duncan and Iiann." Lord Merllynn MacGregor put his arms under Alyson's and pulled her to her feet. "Come, let's go home and we'll talk." They walked towards the McDowall home.
Once inside, the men pulled off their cloaks and Alyson sank into them, sobbing. As it was Duncan who ended up holding her, he soothed and rocked her.
"Alyson. That owl you sent. Gregor wrote that to me. All the letters that particular owl took back and forth were to and from one of us. He wants us to look after you. We're going to do that from now on. We should have done that from the beginning but weren't sure if you'd want us around, as a reminder of him." Llynn spoke softly to her, crouched in front of her and his cousin.
Alyson finally looked up. She tried to dry her eyes. "You're going to protect me. Can you stop them all from saying bad things about us? Can you make them stop glaring? Can you make them stop treating me like I have leprosy? CAN YOU GIVE ME BACK MY GREGOR?!?!" She dropped back onto the coach but turned away from Duncan to lay across the coach, sobbing into a pillow.
"Let her alone, just go. She doesn't want you here." Drew found his voice and went to his mother, thinking these wizards were Death Eaters.
Duncan, Llynn and Iian were looking at each other. Could they bring back Gregor? "Now Ali, you know that I can't change how stupid other people are but."
Llynn's pause was all Alyson needed. She jumped up and threw her arms around his neck. "Oh you can!! You really can! Bring him back, Llynn, I'll do anything." She wiped at her eyes again.
"I was supposed to help protect Lily and James. I lost a good man in that fight and then they were lost. I still don't know what I can do or what's to do. But I know one thing, Gregor McDowall is a good man who doesn't deserve to be in Azkaban for life."
"What do you know that I don't?" Alyson pressed him.
Llynn looked at his cousin. Duncan nodded while his step-brother, Iiann, shrugged. "Gregor was a spy for us. By the time we realized where he was, it was too late for any of us to intervene. We thought he'd just gone to our safe house to lay low for a little while or was off dealing with Voldemort. You know how hard it is to get the same day's or even month's copy of the Daily Prophet around here." Llynn moved away from Alyson, shaking his head. "I don't know if I can bring him back."
"Yes, you can. You're one of the most powerful wizards around, being a direct descendant of Merlin himself. You need to. I need him. He's dying in there. They're only feeding him twice a day and it's ice cold by the time it gets to him." Alyson pleaded with the men, searching each face, pulling her son closer.
"We'll see what we can do." Duncan stepped forward to comfort her again. They each hugged her.
"What school are you at?" Llynn inquired at Drew.
"Hogwarts."
"Hogwarts!" Llynn looked down at Alyson in shock.
"Dumbledore sent us the acceptance letter and I wasn't stupid enough to not send him." Alyson replied. "Why? Where are you children? As I'm assuming you all have children?" She inquired of them.
"Aye, we each have. I've got two, Duncan's got five and Llynn's got four." Iiann finally spoke up. "Llynn's are in America since his wife's American while mine are at Beaubaton's since my wife's French and Duncan's are split in America and Russia since his first son's mother was Russian and his twins' mother is American."
"Well the ones that are old enough for wizarding school are out of the country, yes." Duncan corrected his step-cousin.
"They should all be at Hogwarts." Alyson stated.
"I think we'll join you when you return you Drew here to Hogwarts and speak to the Headmaster ourselves." The trio decided. They couldn't wait to see Snape's face when they alighted from their carriages at Hogwarts with Alyson McDowall. Things were looking better and if all went as planned, their children would be in Hogwarts by Christmas end.