Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I DO, however, own the Founder's weaponry, Trieste, Medusa, Tristen, Thiele, Tremayne, and anything else you don't recognize.
Serpens Dominus Ruina"Serpent Lord's Ruin"
Chapter 5 – Nothing's Real
Harry stormed into the Great Hall, shoving Edward down onto the floor. McGonagall came forward, frowning first at her replacement, then at her ex-student.
"Harry…what on earth is going on? Edward?"
"Professor," started the man but Harry planted a boot in his back, shoving him down so his face was against the floor.
"You would do very well to be quiet right now," growled the serpent-eyed wizard. He then looked at McGonagall and said, "Your replacement here tried to kidnap Tremayne and Tristen."
"What?" hissed McGonagall in rage and surprise. "Edward, how could you?"
"Had…orders," mumbled Edward.
"I'd like to hear these 'orders'," hissed Harry, leaning down towards the man.
"As would I," growled Severus as he entered, Tristen in his arms and Tremayne tagging along behind him. Hermione and Ginny both rushed forward, nearly shoving Parvati to the floor. Tremayne was abruptly swept up into his mother's protective embrace as Hermione pulled Tristen from his father's arms.
"I think we should take this elsewhere," said McGonagall. "To my office, perhaps."
"Fine with me," growled Harry. He jerked Edward to his feet and stalked out, shoving the man in front of him. Severus followed in a swirl of dark robes.
"Papa?" mumbled Thiele, tugging at her mother's robes. Ginny looked down at her daughter then at her son, who was also staring off after his father. She then looked at Hermione, who was hugging Tristen tightly.
Brown eyes met brown over Tristen's shoulder for a moment and both women nodded in agreement. They left the Hall after their men, followed by Draco, who had Derrick in his arms.
McGonagall stayed for a moment to tell everyone not to worry before she hurried off after them. And hoped that when she reached her office, that Edward was not any more damaged than he already was.
By the time McGonagall reached her office, Draco and Severus had had to pin Harry against the wall to keep him from doing harm to Edward. The now one-handed man was curled up on the other side of the room, Hermione and Ginny looming over him with wands drawn.
Thiele, Tremayne, Tristen, and Derrick all looked nervously up at the Headmistress. They were deeply confused by the actions of their parents.
"Harry, be still," said McGonagall in a commanding tone. "Virginia, Hermione, put Edward in that chair and bind him to it. Harry, behave!"
The dark-haired man snarled incoherently and Draco said, "Maybe it'd be better if we tied him down too."
"I'll go with that," said Severus.
McGonagall looked at Ginny, who nodded, before she gave her wand a flick. Ropes flew out of the tip and whipped past Draco and Severus to wind their coils about Harry. The dark-haired wizard continued to snarl incoherently as they bound him to the wall he was being held against.
"Much better," said Draco as he and Severus stepped back. At a look from the other man, he added, "Well, it is."
Severus just snorted and gave Harry an apologetic glance before he turned around, fixing Edward with a murderous glare. The one-handed man, who had seemed to think he was safe, tensed at the sudden realization that this man wanted to kill him as much as the other. He just had more control.
"Now," said McGonagall, "Edward, would you mind explaining what this is all about?"
"I-I don't know," stammered Edward, jumping when Severus' fist slammed against McGonagall's desk a moment later.
"LIAR!"
"Severus," growled McGonagall.
The green/black-haired man scowled at her but fell silent, his arms crossed over his chest. Behind him, Harry fell silent as well. But his serpentine green eyes were fixed on Edward, murderous rage burning in them.
"I don't know why they wanted them!" screamed Edward. "They just wanted me to get them!"
"Who?" asked McGonagall.
"The men!"
"What men?" demanded Draco.
"The one's who came to me," replied Edward. He then turned pleading eyes on McGonagall and said, "Minerva, please, believe me. They took Lisa and Peter."
Ginny frowned and said, "Who?"
"My wife and son," whispered Edward. "Five-years-old."
"Oh God," breathed Hermione.
McGonagall frowned and said, "Edward, even so, I cannot condone the fact that you tried to kidnap two children."
"THEY'RE GOING TO KILL THEM!" yelled Edward.
"By now they're probably already dead," said Severus. As Edward let out a sob, McGonagall glared at the man. He shrugged and continued, "It's the truth, Minerva. If whoever these men are are serious, his family are already dead."
"And so would our children," whispered Hermione, glancing at Tristen and her godchildren.
"No," said Severus. "They'd have kept them alive as bait. I saw it too many times among the Death Eaters. Kidnap the child and torture them until you get what you want from the parent. Simple."
Ginny frowned at him. "You sound so heartless."
"If you practice, its easy to sound heartless. Actually being heartless…now there's a trick."
Edward moaned again and Severus frowned at him.
"I'm sorry about your family. But I cannot condone you attempting to kidnap my son and godson."
Harry snarled incoherently from across the room and Severus added, "And neither can Harry."
"I'm sorry," moaned Edward. "Oh Lisa…my sweet Lisa."
"Sev…" began Hermione, looking mournfully at her husband.
"There's nothing I can do, Mione. Even if we knew that these were Death Eaters that ordered him to do this, I couldn't do a thing about it." Severus turned away and continued, "Now…I think we should get Windmyer to Poppy and these children out of here. Children should not see such things."
Ginny and Hermione nodded and ushered the four children out as Draco pulled Edward onto his feet and dragged him out. As soon as they were gone, Severus flicked his wand at Harry, who was released from his bonds and fell to the floor.
"Thank you," grunted the dark-haired man as he lifted himself up. "I needed to land on my leg at just that particular angle."
"You're welcome," growled Severus, grabbing his arm and jerking him to his feet. "And that was no way to act around our children."
"I know. But…you know…"
"Yes, yes, I know how you are." Severus sighed and slung an arm about the other man's shoulders, drawing him towards the door. "But Merlin, Harry, did you have to do a good impression of a rabid dog?"
"Is that a reference to Sirius?"
"Hmm…maaaaaaaaybe."
"I thought you two had made up."
"After hating each other for nearly forty years? Please, Harry."
"You two are pitiful."
"I prefer to think of it as mentally challenged but if you insist."
McGonagall shook her head as she listened to the two of them as they left her office.
"Those two are pitiful," she muttered to herself before she began to write out an ad for a new Transfiguration professor.