Chapter Two

Snapes on the Move

After a restless night of almost comforting side jabs and occasional kicks, Andrew woke up to a growling stomach and to the smell of breakfast. He got up and then quickly pulled pairs of legs to the floor in attempt to wake his other siblings, who merely complained loudly and tried to push him away.

"Come on, I'm hungry. Besides, we need to find out what happened overnight," Andrew pointed out.

"Then go already!" Aurelius snapped, crawling back into bed. But the girls were sitting up and trying to clear their eyes. Alex began to poke Aurelius mercilessly until he finally sat up as well.

Andrew went down the stairs to find that there were three children already there. Joanie Weasley, Ron and Hermione's daughter, sat next to Jamie Potter talking about what they were going to do that morning, while Jamie's brother Cedric merely sat at the table yawning continuously.

"Ah, Andrew, get the cups down for me, would you please? Did you wake your brother and sisters?" Molly asked from where she stood over the stove.

"Yes ma'am," Andrew said, getting into the cupboard.

"Andrew!" Jamie called with her arms out, waiting for a hug.

"Sit by me, Andrew!" Joanie insisted, patting the seat beside her.

"Oh great, breakfast at the dwarf society," Aurelius murmured when he appeared at the bottom of the stairs.

"Mind your manners, Aurelius, and have a seat," Molly said sternly, frowning at him. "There's always room for more at this table, you know that."

"Mum had to work," Joanie said matter-of-factly. "She said she'd stay home this summer, but she's not home. Isn't it summer yet?"

"I'm sure your Mum will be home as soon as she can, Joanie," Molly told her, filling up their plates.

"And what about ours?" Alicia demanded as she and Alex stood by their chairs. Molly hesitated a moment before continuing her way around the table.

"Have a seat, dear. Your eggs are getting cold," Molly insisted. Alicia and Alex glanced at each other.

"My mum went to work. But Dad didn't come home last night," Jamie said, looking suspicious.

"Your Dad is with your granddad, Jamie. Less talk, more breakfast," Molly warned, sitting down herself.

"Is our father with them too?" Andrew asked.

"Yes, of course, dear. Would you like some more sausages?" Molly offered.

"Yes, please, but what I'd really like to know is if they've found her yet," Andrew said persistently.

"It's only been one evening, Andrew," Molly said gently. "Sometimes these things take time."

"Yes, remember when Thera disappeared nobody saw her again for over a month?"

"Alex, that's enough, dear."

"A month?" Alicia said, her face paling. "Is she going to be gone that long?"

"I think they'd find a corpse by then."

"Aurelius!" Molly barked, glaring at him warningly.

"Besides, Thera left on her own. I gather no one thinks Mum did, right?" Aurelius pointed out. "Or did she?"

"Mum wouldn't just leave us," Alex said firmly.

"Then one of her enemies must have caught up with her. Do you really think they'd leave her alive?" Aurelius said darkly.

"That does it!" Molly exclaimed, quickly getting up and dragging Aurelius out of his chair and towards the kitchen door. "You and I are going to have a little talk," she said sternly as they went outside.

"Why is Alicia crying?" Joanie wanted to know as Andrew and Alex got up and over to her side, trying to comfort her.

"It's going to be all right," Andrew told her softly. "I don't think Father thinks she's dead, and you shouldn't either."

"We can't just sit here. We've got to do something!" Alicia insisted. Alex and Andrew looked at each other thoughtfully, but before they could say anything they heard a strange noise.

"It sounds like a car," Joanie said sagely as Andrew went to look out the window.

"It's Aunt Anna," Andrew said.

Alicia suddenly burst out of the room and over to the car just as Anna got out, clinging onto her and sobbing while Anna helplessly held the child, barely able to keep her own eyes from watering. Her face was almost expressionless, and for one quick moment Andrew saw the same haunted look in her eyes that his father got from time to time.

With a firm arm around Aurelius, Molly led him over. Joanie, Jamie, and Cedric were soon peeking out the door curiously unsure of what was going on, waving to Anna.

"Hello, Molly. I see you have your hands full today," Anna said, looking quizzically over at Aurelius who was avoiding her gaze.

"Everyone does I think in one way or another," Molly said. "If you're looking for your brother, he and Arthur haven't returned yet."

"No, actually, I saw him at the Ministry this morning…"

"Have they found Mum yet?" Andrew asked.

"Or at least gotten a lead or two?" Alex added anxiously.

"Nearly the entire Ministry is out looking for her now. Your mother has a lot of friends," Anna reassured them, hugging Alicia again.

"And one too many enemies, it would seem," Aurelius said, earning another arm squeeze from Molly.

"I've come to take them back to the Broom Closet... whenever they're ready to go, that is," Anna said.

"We're going to get to ride in the automobile?" Alex said brightly. "I'll go get my things!"

"Come in a moment and have something to eat," Molly insisted.

"Oh, no thank you. I had a late dinner, honest," Anna said.

"At least some coffee?"

"That I could use," Anna agreed, following her in.

"Where are Zoë and Zacchius?" Alicia asked, feeling a little better for being told they were going to be taken home.

"They're going to stay with their grandparents for a while. But I'm going to be staying with you unless there are any objections," Anna added, looking at the others.

"None here," Andrew said. "Can you cook?" Aurelius rolled his eyes.

"I'd rather send out for pizza," Anna admitted.

"That works too," Andrew nodded.

"Andrew, why don't you three run along and get your things together? Perhaps Jamie and the others would like to help," Molly suggested.

"More like get in the way or break things," Aurelius said, earning another stern look from Molly. "All right, all right. Let's go upstairs, Gnomes."

"I'm not a Gnome," Cedric protested.

"Are you sure? We can take you all out to the backyard and see if you don't get thrown over the wall."

"Aurelius!" Molly snapped.

"Can't anyone take a joke?" Aurelius said, stomping up the steps. Molly shook her head.

"He's taking this pretty hard," Anna said quietly. "Alicia too."

"Yes, they are. I'm surprised the other two are handling it so well, but then Andrew always did take everything in stride," Molly said. "Alex just doesn't believe in waiting. She only believes in results."

"Well, you look exhausted," Anna scolded her. "Why don't you sit down for a change? I'll get the coffee."

"Was it just yesterday that we got the note saying she would be here after she ran some errands?" Molly asked, rubbing her eyes a bit and thanking Anna gratefully for the cup she was handed. "For some reason it seems so much longer. I just don't understand where she could have gone. This isn't like her at all!"

"No, it's not. And I'm glad Arthur realized it soon enough to go ahead and start looking last night, even if they haven't found her yet," Anna said, sitting down.

"And how was Severus when you saw him?" Molly asked worriedly.

"Exhausted, but otherwise all right so far…" Anna shook her head. "To be perfectly honest, I don't think it's really hit him yet. I don't know if it's faith, optimism, or just shock. He's so determined to find something… anything… that will make it seem real to him, and I don't know how long it's going to take before we find it."

Little did she know, however, that even before she had driven up to the small seaside cottage that the Snapes called home, the four children had devised a plan of action. The moment they arrived, the four of them went upstairs, assuring Anna that they'd like to unpack their things themselves and needed a bit of time alone. Accepting it as grief, Anna decided to stay out of their way and let them support each other for a bit, turning her attention to trying to make the house feel alive again by getting some candles and lanterns lit and throwing something on the stove.

Alicia immediately began to look over her paintings when the four of them got into her room. Finally she found a decent one of her mother and hung it on the wall, looking at it objectively.

"Okay, I'm ready. Everyone else?" Alicia asked. Alexandria and Aurelius took out their wands, and Andrew showed her the phial of liquid in his hand.

Alicia took a step forward and a second later was standing on the edge of the painting, giving the rest a hand until they were all there. Making sure everyone was paying attention, Alicia stepped to the edge of the painting and off into the darkness, searching for the next frame edge, the others following close behind. Within an instant they reached the edge another frame. Cautiously Alicia peered through it, then frowned. "Well this isn't right at all," she said at last.

Andrew peered through the frame to find that he was looking at the ceiling of Alex's bedroom.

"Oh, I see, it's the next painting over. Is this where we're supposed to be?" Andrew asked.

"No, not at all!" Alicia said with frustration, jumping into the darkness once more. It took quite a few minutes walking in the darkness before Alicia was ready to step into another painting. It was a much bigger frame, and all four of them could comfortably stand along the frame without disturbing the painting itself. "Well, at least we're not in the house any more. It looks rather like Hogwarts," she mused.

"This is Father's office," Aurelius agreed, stepping out of the frame. A moment later the others followed, looking around. Nothing seemed out of place there as they cautiously wandered about the room. Severus' familiar, Rasputin, gazed at them through his one glass eye from where he lay across a small wooden box near the fireplace. "If Father asks, you didn't see us," Aurelius hissed in parseltongue.

"Why would he ask?" the Basilisk wondered, laying his head sleepily on the edge of the box.

"Well, there's definitely nothing here," Alex sighed, glancing back at Alicia. But Alicia was busy staring mesmerized at the painting they had come out of, for it was a painting of their mother.

She didn't look all that different, and yet Alicia knew the painting was fairly old. She was dressed in velvet for the holidays, and was gazing back at Alicia with open concern. The other three stopped to stare at it a moment as well, watching the exchange between their younger sister and the image.

"It's just taking us to other paintings of her," Alicia said. "Mum, where are you?"

The painting of Jennifer frowned as if troubled.

"She can't know, Alicia, she's only a painting," Aurelius sighed.

"But you don't understand. I've done this so many times before. Gone in paintings to find people, I mean. What normally happens is that it leads me to the frame of the closest painting to them, and we know she's not here. As long as the painting is good, it should have worked, and I chose one of my better ones!" Alicia insisted.

"Maybe we're taking the wrong approach," Alex said. "Alicia, you were able to find Ciardoth by using the diamonds. Do you think you can do the same with Mum's ring?"

Alicia turned and looked at the ring on the Jennifer portrait's finger.

"Yes, let's try that," Alicia agreed, grabbing a piece of paper from the desk and sketching it, using as much detail as she could. "I'm afraid that's the best I can do in such short notice," admitted at last, putting down the quill.

Alicia stepped into the sketch with Andrew then offered hands to the other two, and the four of them were off again, stepping into the black beneath the frames. It was a very long time before Alicia found the edge of the frame they had been led to. She frowned as she peered in, not saying anything for a long time. Impatiently the others stepped further over to take a look.

It appeared to be the most dismal shop they had ever seen. Magical antiques and artifacts were cluttered about around cases of smaller items, and most of them looked like the sort of thing that their father might demonstrate in class for hexes and curses. Dust covered many of the items as if the House Elves had long abandoned the place, and even in the late morning light, the shop was dim and grey. One by one they stepped out, looking around but very careful not to touch anything as they read off warning labels and price tags to each other.

"We seem to be in a pawn shop," Aurelius whispered after a moment, slipping over to the window display and leaning over a bit to read the sign. "Borkin and Burkes? This is in Knockturn Alley!" Alicia's eyes went wide.

"We're not allowed to be here! Boy if Mum knew…" Alicia caught herself then, unable to continue.

"Rel, you don't think the ring would really be here, do you?" Alex asked, sounding a bit frightened.

"What are you kids doing in here?" A gruff shopkeeper called, coming out of the back. "I didn't hear you come in. Get out and don't touch my stuff."

"Excuse me," Aurelius said, raising his chin and walking up to the counter while the others gazed at him with surprise. "My name is George Stockton. Haven't you heard of me?" Aurelius said, looking over the man as if he weren't worth the trouble.

"Ah, the heir of the Superstition gold mine, yes. And how are your parents?" Borkin sneered slightly.

"Still holding out, hoping to get any knut I throw at them," Aurelius snorted. "I was looking for something I could either curse them with or bribe them with. My mother especially, of course. I think I may have a chance at bribing her to sign guardian papers over to my lawyer with the right persuasion. Do you have anything in diamonds? She's rather partial to them."

"As a matter of fact, I have something that might suit your needs perfectly, Mister Stockton," Borkin grinned, pulling up a black velvet tray and taking out a rather gaudy ring. "This ring, as long as it is freely accepted, has a nice little charm curse on it. Once it is put on, one cannot take it off, and are bound to do whatever the person who gave it to them wants, provided that they ask politely."

"Clever," Aurelius agreed thoughtfully, gazing at it. "It could use a bit of polishing up."

"I'm sure if you're interested, I can arrange to have it cleaned so she would take it," Borkin said smoothly. "Of course, being that it's cursed I have to be very careful not to let it fall in the wrong hands, but I'm sure we can come up with something suitable to make it worth my risk and your needs, Mr. Stockton."

"I'll have to check my allowances, of course, to see what my current totals are," Aurelius said casually, his eyes still feigning interest in the ring. "Do you suppose this would qualify as an investment? I have a much larger allowance for that."

"Oh, indeed, I think it would definitely be a very solid investment, for your future happiness, don't you?"

"Very much so," Aurelius agreed with a grin. "I'll be back straight away then…" he said. But as he begun to turn towards the door he paused, glancing at the tray. "Interesting ring there. What does it do?" The other three, standing silently behind him, exchanged subtle glances.

"Actually, nothing that I know of," Borkin said with a shrug, putting the tray away. "Someone's family heirloom I suppose, a street scoundrel turned it in for lunch money. Just a pretty trinket with a nice diamond, but nothing so valuable as the one you had the taste to notice, Mr. Stockton."

"Yes, of course you're right," Aurelius said dignity. "Follow me, you three. Time to go to the bank," he stated, stepping out of the shop. The others followed behind, exhaling from the relief of being out of there.

"That was brilliant, Aurelius! Wasn't he positively brilliant?" Alex said excitedly.

"I think all those acting scenes out actually paid off for you, Rel," Andrew agreed.

"I thought we were done for when he saw us that first time," Alicia admitted. "But what do we do now?"

"We need to find Father and tell him what we found out," Aurelius said, leading them in the direction he assumed Diagon Alley would be, making sure the others were staying with him.

"They said last night that they were investigating around the bank, so he might be in the area," Andrew said.

"We can't go to him like this! He'll be sure to know how we got here, and Aunt Anna will be cross," Alicia said.

"No way to escape that now. We have to tell Father what we know and how we know it," Andrew said. "Do you suppose he's still at the Ministry?"

"And just what do you think you four are doing?"

The Snapes looked up in surprise to see a tall lanky man in Ministry Law Enforcer robes standing with his arms folded and a suspicious look on his face. It was none other than Ederick Thurspire, Deputy Minister.

"Well if he is at the Ministry, it looks as if we're going to get to see him soon," Aurelius said wryly.