Disclaimer: I do not own or claim to own any of J.K. Rowling's characters, places, items, ect.
Comments: Well, this chapter took me a while to write. There were certain things I wanted you guys to know, and certain things I didn't, and I had creative inspiration at the last minute, which made me change a few things up. So, sorry it took me a bit longer than usual to update!
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Chapter 42 – The Ring
Harry followed Dumbledore and Snape up to Dumbledore's office in a trance. Ron and Hermione had to literally drag him with them. After the gargoyle sprang open, Harry paused and stared at it a bit, as if he had never seen it before. Half of him felt like he had never seen it before, in fact, because it was so – different.
"Harry!" Hermione snapped, her patience lost, "Come on!"
Harry looked from Hermione to Ron to the gargoyle and suddenly sprinted up the stairs to Dumbledore's office. He pushed open the door with a bang, and Dumbledore and Snape merely looked at him, unfazed.
"Where was she taken?" Harry demanded, looking back and forth between the two of them.
"How are we supposed to know, Potter?" Snape replied, annoyance evident in his voice.
"Well when are we going to go get her?" Harry asked.
Snape gave him a look of utmost annoyance and turned back to Dumbledore, who was talking to the portrait of Phineas Nigellus.
"Right away," Phineas replied, disappearing from the portrait.
Then Dumbledore turned to Fawkes, who was watching interestedly.
"Fawkes," Dumbledore said quietly.
The bird tilted it's head questioningly.
"Find her," was all Dumbledore had to say for Fawkes to disappear in a flash of fire.
"How can she be gone?" Harry demanded.
Dumbledore and Snape just stared at him.
"I said, HOW CAN SHE BE GONE?" Harry yelled, "She just went to the bathroom, how can she be gone?"
Dumbledore continued to look at him, and Snape shook his head and looked away. For some reason, Snape's action angered Harry beyond belief.
"HOW?" Harry bellowed at Snape, "Why won't you look at me? It's your fault, you know! If you had just-"
Harry was forced to stop as Snape whirled around and grabbed him by the throat.
"Listen and listen well, Potter," he snarled, "Say that again, and you won't live past your next birthday."
"Let him go, Severus," Dumbledore commanded.
Harry felt Snape's fingers tighten around his throat, and then release. Harry took three large, fast steps backwards, breathing deeply. He looked at Dumbledore in amazement. Snape had just nearly strangled him, and all Dumbledore was going to do was tell him to let go? Dumbledore's blue eyes seemed to be boring holes through his, and Harry was forced to look away.
The flames of Dumbledore's fire suddenly turned green and spat out a worried-looking Lupin.
"Good evening, Remus," Dumbledore greeted.
Good evening Remus? Harry echoed in his head, Silver disappears out of thin air and he has the nerve to say 'good evening'? He realized that Lupin and Dumbledore were both staring at him, so he grudgingly greeted Lupin. "'Lo," he mumbled.
Lupin looked as if he didn't quite know what to do. Finally, he walked over and put his hands on Harry's shoulders. "We'll find her, Harry," he said.
Harry nodded, although he wasn't so sure. She had completely vanished – how were they supposed to track that? He heard the door open, and Tonks walked into view shortly. She stared hard at him for a moment, and then exchanged a meaningful glance with Lupin. Harry turned away from the two and looked at Dumbledore.
"What are we going to do now?" he asked.
"There's nothing we can do, Harry, except wait," Dumbledore replied.
"Maybe...if I could talk to Voldemort again...he would tell me if he had caught her, I know it. He always gloats..."
"No, Harry," Lupin and Dumbledore said at the same time.
Harry glared at them. "Well there has to be something to do other than just sit and wait!" he exclaimed.
"Shut your trap, Potter," Snape growled.
"I don't ha-"Harry began hotly.
"SHUT UP!" Snape roared, advancing on him.
Remembering the feel of Snape's fingers around his throat, Harry satisfied himself for a glare and obscene mutterings under his breath. Lupin stepped in between him and Snape, giving Snape a death glare and him a sympathetic glance. Suddenly, a ball of fire seemed to burst from Dumbledore's desk, causing everyone but Dumbledore himself to jump. Fawkes had returned.
"Ah, Fawkes," Dumbledore said, "Have you found her?"
Fawkes lifted into the air and dived for Snape, who looked a bit frightened. The bird attacked the inside of his robes, and a Death Eater's mask fell to the floor. Fawkes picked it up and dropped it into Dumbledore's hands. Harry felt like he was going to be sick – that wasn't a good sign at all. Dumbledore looked at Fawkes gravely.
"The same place?" he asked.
Fawkes made a crooning noise, and Dumbledore seemed to have made a conclusion.
"Silver is at The Cellar," he announced, "She is alone and unguarded at the moment, but that will soon change. The door is easy to open from the outside, but impossible from the inside. Severus, Remus, and Tonks, you will retrieve her. The children may come if you wish."
"They stay," Snape said, eyeing Harry with dislike.
"They go," Lupin countered.
"They go," Tonks agreed, "Sorry Severus, two-to-one."
Snape gave her a murderous glare, but then seemed to realize that he had other things to be doing. "Well, come on then," he snapped, snatching a jar from atop Dumbledore's fireplace and grabbing a handful of Floo Powder before thrusting the jar into Lupin's arms. Nobody dared to ask where they were flooing to. Snape threw the powder into the fire with force, stepped in, and demanded, "Snape Manor!"
Lupin politely held the jar open for Tonks, who smiled at him as she took some and then transported herself. Next went Hermione, then Ron, and then Harry. Harry very nearly jumped out of the fireplace when it deposited him in Snape's study, which caused everybody but Snape to jump out of the way. Snape merely looked at him as if daring him to come into any kind of contact with him. Harry was returning Snape's glare as Lupin arrived.
"So why did we come here?" Harry asked, "And what's 'The Cellar'?"
"Don't ask questions," Snape replied, and then, to the rest of the group, "Follow me."
Exchanging glances, everybody did as they were told. Snape seemed in a particularly bad mood, and nobody wanted to push that. Snape grabbed his cloak and put it on as he led them out of his front door, and began walking down the dark road.
"Severus?" Tonks ventured, "Where are we going?"
"Are you deaf?" Snape retorted, "The Cellar."
"Don't talk to her like that!" Lupin interjected.
Snape looked back and sneered at him, causing Lupin's face to redden with anger. Tonks looked back at Lupin and mouthed, 'Let it be', and Lupin grudgingly nodded. They came to a fork in the road, and Snape abruptly stopped and turned around, causing everyone to stop dead.
"We cannot talk beyond this point until we reach The Cellar," he said, "So I wanted to make clear what we are doing. We are coming to get Silver – and only to get her."
His eyes focused on Harry, boring a hole into him.
"Reckless acts will result disastrously. Some of us would do well to remember that," he finished.
"Are you talking about me?" Harry asked, his temper flaring.
"Yes, Potter, I am," Snape answered, "You will not let your thirst for revenge risk her safety."
Harry noted how the only person's safety Snape seemed concerned about in the least was Silver's. Although he still felt like punching him in the nose, he relented.
"Okay," he said resentfully.
Snape nodded and then swiftly spun and began to head down the right fork. The path became more and more narrow as they progressed, until they had to walk single file. Harry was right behind Snape, and he had no idea who was behind him. All he knew was that he wanted to get to Silver, and fast. However, the trail never seemed to end. Snape neither sped up nor slowed down, but kept up one brisk pace. Harry attempted to put his head to the side to see if there was a clearing – or a cellar – or anything, really, but as far as he could see in the moonless night, the trail continued on forever. Suddenly, Snape stopped dead. Harry collided with him full force, and behind him he felt many more impacts and a few yelps of surprise. Snape somehow managed to stay standing, regarding them all with distaste, but true to his word, he didn't speak.
Snape turned to his right and walked into the trees without hesitation. For a moment Harry just stood there and gaped, but Hermione pushed him impatiently and he dived in after Snape. Snape led them through the thickest forest Harry had ever been in at a very fast pace. Harry tripped over tree roots about every three steps, but managed to stay on his feet the entire time. If he put his hands up on either side of him, he could always feel trees. It was like walking through a very narrow, dark, bumpy hallway. Then it happened. Harry saw definite light ahead. He began to quicken pace, hopping over the tree roots as he did so. He suddenly found that there was no more moss or roots under his feat, but instead very worn down cobblestone. The others filed out behind him, and they all stopped and surveyed their surroundings with interest and wonder. They were standing to the side of an old, wide cobblestone street that was bathed in a dim sunlight. In front of them was what looked to be a ghost town. Old, dilapidated and crumbling stone buildings stood around them, and broken down carts lay to the sides of the street. The entire place had an eerie, foreboding feeling to it.
"Where-"Tonks began, but Snape lunged at her and clapped his hand over her mouth before she could say anything else.
He pushed her back into the forest, his hand still over her mouth, and the others quickly scrambled in at his look. Snape pushed Tonks down and squatted beside her, and the others did the same. Suddenly, what sounded like rapid gunshots came from the clearing, promptly followed by a shrill scream, and more shooting. Harry crawled forward for a glimpse of what was going on, but Snape abandoned Tonks and pulled him back by his collar. Harry put a hand on his now sore neck, glaring at Snape, who mouthed, 'Don't look' in a very stern way. The shots continued to be fired for at least another two minutes, and then, abruptly, everything stopped. Snape made them stay crouched there for another five minutes before he rose and turned to them. He put his finger to his lips, and, with a grim face, stepped out of the trees. Harry was about to follow him when he saw Snape cringe – something Snape had never done before. Cautiously, Harry stepped outside.
The sight before him nearly made him throw up. Laying just a few feet away from him was Sirius – dead. His eyes were open, and he was staring at Harry emotionlessly. Harry began towards him, but Snape grabbed his wrist and shook his head. Harry allowed his eyes to dart away from Sirius. Laying just a few feet away was a dead Silver, her eyes also open. Hermione cautiously stepped out of the trees, and had to clap her hands over her mouth to refrain from making any noise. Ron stepped out, and his eyes practically doubled. He set his mouth in a firm line and refrained from making any noise, however. Lupin stepped out, and had much the same reaction. Finally came Tonks. Her eyes widened, and she jumped backwards. Snape raised his hand out in the air to get everyone's attention, and he began to walk determinedly down the street. Harry wanted to look up, away from the corpses that he was sidestepping, but he couldn't. He walked past a dead Lupin, Ron, Hermione, Dumbledore, the entire Weasley family, and the entire Order – minus Snape - before he was truly affected. Lying dead on the street in front of him was Cedric Diggory. The first thing that raced through Harry's mind was, I have to take his body to his parents. He reached down towards Cedric, and Snape turned around faster than any normal human being ever could and grabbed Harry's arm. Harry tried to reach for Cedric with his other hand. Snape grabbed both of his arms and hauled him past. Harry tripped over something, and looked down to see another dead Sirius. It made him sick. He fell to his knees and wretched next to Sirius' body, Snape still holding on to both of his arms. Harry made no effort to move when he was done, and Snape began to drag him, holding both of his wrists in his hand. Harry felt incredible waves of loss and grief running over him, and allowed himself to be dragged across the hard cobblestone, not caring what physical pain it did him.
Finally, the corpses seemed to come to an abrupt end as the street forked off. Snape took the left road without slowing down in the least. Still being dragged, Harry managed to get to his feet at the same time, feeling pangs of loss. Everyone's dead, he mourned silently, I'll never play chess with Ron again, or do homework with Hermione. I'll never get a kiss from Silver again, I'll never be able to... His thoughts were cut short as Snape suddenly grabbed him by the shoulders and turned him around. He felt waves of relief as he saw Ron, Hermione, Lupin, and Tonks all walking towards him. For a moment he just stood there, but Snape gave a sharp tug at his arm, and Harry knew that they weren't done yet. He felt incredibly tired as he walked, and that he would like nothing more than a good sleep. His knees began to buckle, but suddenly something hit him sharply on the side of the head – Snape's fist. He angrily opened his mouth to tell him off, but was smothered by his hand immediately. He exchanged a hateful glare with Snape before consenting to keep quiet with a curt nod. Snape removed his hand from Harry's mouth and wiped it disdainfully on his robes. Harry couldn't help but find it the tiniest bit amusing. As they walked, Snape circled the group, keeping them awake with blows to the head, excepting Tonks and Hermione, whom he shook roughly by the shoulders.
Suddenly, a small, wooden house seemed to pop out of nowhere. It was so small, in fact, that it looked like Harry's bedroom at the Dursley's with a door. Snape opened it and gestured for them to go inside. Harry stepped through the door expecting to find himself in a very small room, but instead found himself on what looked to be the same path he had just stepped out of, only the sunlight was gone, and the moonless night they had come from had returned. The feeling of gloom and depression left him, and his tiredness faded away. The others filed in behind him, and looked similarly relieved. Tonks had tears streaking her face, and was wiping at them furiously. Ron was extremely red, looking as if he had just gotten the most embarrassing insult of his life. Hermione and Lupin simply looked stunned. Just ahead of them was a small well, and beyond that, a small stone room with a door that looked like the one they had just entered. Finally, Snape came in and shut the door behind him.
"We can talk now," he announced.
Immediately he was bombarded with questions.
"What was that place?"
"Why couldn't we talk?"
"Where are we?"
"How did you know your way through that forest?"
Harry kept silent as the others asked questions, for he could see Snape's tolerance level going down as the level of questions went up.
"Silence!" Snape yelled.
Everyone fell quiet immediately. Snape inhaled deeply, giving them all piercing looks.
"That was the only way to get to The Cellar," he said quietly, "It is an enchanted magical town that is activated at the sound of the human voice. The person, or people, you have deep emotions towards in any way but hate, are the ones that you saw dead. If you were to touch one," he paused and glanced at Harry, "You would die. The next path we walked down is designed to use the feelings of grief and loss you had previously felt to lure you to sleep. If you had slept, you wouldn't have woken up."
"Do...do we have to go back?" Hermione ventured.
"Most likely," Snape replied, "But as long as everyone stays silent, there will be no 'side effects' to the roads we take."
"Why did I see Sirius?" Harry asked suddenly, "If he's already dead, why did I see him?"
Harry didn't want to mention the fact that he had also seen Cedric.
"Just because someone is dead doesn't mean you can't have feelings about them," Snape replied.
And what would you know about feelings? Harry wondered as he looked at Snape, the most emotionless being he had ever met. Snape looked back at him with no sign of sympathy at the fact that Harry had just been tortured by images of his dead godfather.
"Who did you see?" Harry inquired.
"That's none of your business," Snape replied evenly.
"Fine," Harry said, annoyed, "Where's Silver?"
Snape pointed to the small stone room. "In there," he replied.
With that, he began to walk towards it. Harry was momentarily stunned, but then he quickly caught up to Snape.
"Why've you been sitting here all this time?" he demanded, "Why haven't we gotten her already?"
Snape whirled around on him, his eyes flashing menacingly.
"Because I needed a break!" he hissed.
Harry took a step backwards and fumbled for his wand. Snape rolled his eyes and turned back towards the small house. When he reached the door, he turned to them, and said quietly, "Stand back."
They all backed up immediately, and Snape threw open the door and stood to the side. After waiting a few seconds, he stepped cautiously into the doorway. Suddenly, like a hound that picked up a scent, he straightened. The others quietly walked up behind him, and held their breaths when they heard what had caught his attention. Right in front of them was a long stairway that led downwards, and coming from it there was unmistakably the sound of sobbing.
"Silver?" Snape called.
The sobs stopped for a moment, and then returned twice as loud as the first time.
"Silver," Snape said, only this time it was a statement. He put a foot on the stairway, but Silver's voice stopped him.
"No!" she cried, "Don't come down here!"
Snape pointed his wand down the stairway, as if ready to hex it. "Is it a trap?" he asked cautiously.
"N...no," she sobbed, "But y...you can't d...down."
"Why not?" Snape inquired, eyeing the stairway suspiciously.
"B...because," she wailed, "I'm not...I don't have any...I'm..."
"What is it, child?" Snape demanded.
Silver only sobbed louder.
Snape looked flustered. "What is she talking about?" he asked incredulously, looking at them.
"Silver," Harry called, "What if I came down?"
"NO!" she yelled, "Don't...y...you...dare!"
Harry was appalled at her passionate answer, but Snape looked a bit satisfied. They all looked at each other questioningly as they listened to Silver's sobs, when suddenly Hermione whispered something into Tonks' ear. Tonks' eyes widened, and she stepped up to the stairway and squatted down.
"Silver?" she called, "Are you...naked?"
"Yes," Silver wailed miserably.
Harry and Snape each took a huge step back from the stairway. Lupin and Ron edged away a bit, as well. Hermione began to look around the small room intently.
"Where are your clothes?" Tonks called, "Are they up here?"
"N...no," came the reply.
Hermione stopped searching the room.
"Are they down there somewhere?" Tonks asked hopefully.
"No," Silver sobbed, "V...V...Voldemort...h...has...t...them."
"Filthy bastard!" Snape cursed loudly.
He took off his cloak and thrust it at Tonks. Tonks took it and looked from the cloak to Snape questioningly.
"Do with it what you must," Snape said impatiently, "Just get her clothed and bring her to me."
Tonks nodded. "Silver," she called down the staircase, "I'm coming down there, okay?"
"No!" Silver cried.
"Listen, honey, I'm going to bring you something to wear," Tonks explained.
"N...n...no," Silver sobbed.
Tonks sighed and looked at Hermione, who shook her head.
"She would want you to go down more than she would me," Hermione said, "Trust me."
Tonks nodded and began to head down the stairs. Everybody listened intently. The heightening of Silver's sobs signaled that Tonks had successfully made it down the staircase.
"Here, sweetie, wrap yourself up in this while I get the door unlocked," Tonks said soothingly.
They heard the rattling of chains and then a horrible sliding noise, followed by a click. Silver's sobs quieted dramatically.
"Alright now," Tonks was saying, "I thought we'd just wrap it around you and..."
Tonks' voice trailed off momentarily, and when they heard it again, she sounded as if she were on the verge of tears.
"Oh, sweetie," Tonks sighed, "It's going to be okay."
Silver's voice became audible, but Harry couldn't tell what she was saying.
"You're going to be all right," Tonks was saying soothingly, "Everything's going to be fine. Now let's get this cloak on you properly...no, we can't stay here for a while. Severus would kill me."
A second later, Tonks called up, "Sorry, Sev, we're going to have to tear your cloak!"
"I don't-"Snape began, but suddenly he stopped, and his eyes flashed. "Sev?" he roared, "Sev?"
Tonks' giggles drifted up the staircase, but Silver remained silent. The anger left Snape's eyes to be replaced by worry. Harry began to pace in front of the stairway, running his hand through his hair repeatedly. Suddenly, he heard footsteps. He jumped around and faced the stairway, not daring to peek down, but waiting for Silver to surface.
"There's nothing to be scared of, sweetie," Tonks' was saying soothingly.
A moment later, the two appeared. Silver was latched into Tonks' side, shaking uncontrollably. She was wearing Snape's cloak as one would a bath towel, clutching it to her defensively. Her eyes lifted, and slowly scanned the room. Her eyes locked onto his, and she gave a sharp intake of breath and clutched her towel to her closer than before and shaking even more. She blushed, and lowered her eyes, leaving Harry halfway confused. He could see how it might be awkward for her being wrapped up in nothing but a cloak, but she had looked...scared. Scared of him. Her eyes continued to search the room, until they locked onto Snape. She tore away from Tonks and ran to him.
"Hide me," she whimpered.
Snape awkwardly lowered his arms so that they covered her bare shoulders. Still shaking, a sob escaped her. She began to cry, murmuring into his robes the entire time. The word "scared" could be made out again and again. It was obvious that Snape had no idea what to do. Harry had to admit, he had no idea himself. Finally, her sobs subsided, which left her merely shaking.
"I was so scared," she said shakily, "So scared."
"Well, you can stop being scared now," Snape replied, a matter-of-fact tone to his voice.
She didn't reply, and Snape looked down at the top of her head with worry. "Why are you shaking?" he demanded. Still no reply.
Snape squatted down and looked up at her piercingly. "What did he do to you?" he asked.
She shook her head and buried it in his shoulder. Snape looked at a loss, until his eyes landed on Harry. He seemed to have an idea.
"You haven't said hello to Potter yet," he informed her.
She drew away and Harry was unable to see the expression on her face as she looked at him. Then, she turned and looked at Harry. His stomach flopped about excitedly. He wanted to run up to her, take her in his arms, and swing her around with joy at having found her, but the fearful look in her eye stopped him. She took a cautious step towards him, her head tilted to the side as she observed him.
"I won't hurt you," he said quietly.
It was almost as if she were released from a spring. She launched herself into his arms, her face buried in the crook of his neck. Trying not to look too shocked, he wrapped his arms around her.
"Harry," she whispered quietly.
He pressed a kiss into her hair in reply, and she tightened her arms around him. After a few seconds, she took a step back and out of his arms. She looked at him intently for a moment before putting a hand to her forehead and letting out a soft sigh.
"Oh no," she groaned.
Harry and Snape both stepped towards her concernedly. She turned to Snape, much to Harry's disappointment. She and Snape looked at each other for a moment before she completely burst.
"VoldemortsgonnakilltheDursleyssoHarrywon'tbesafeandheleteveryoneoutofAzkabantonightbutthedementorswonttellbecausethey'reonhissideandIwantedtotellyousoonerbu-"
Snape put a hand to her lips to silence her and squatted down once more. "Again...slower," he requested.
She took a deep breath. "Voldemort is going to kill the Dursleys so that Harry won't be protected at their house anymore. He's going to lure them out telling them they've won something...I don't know what, apparently Bella thought of the plan, though, so it can't be that clever. He also let all the Death Eaters out of Azkaban tonight, but I doubt the rest of the wizarding world will know until around noon tomorrow when Fudge makes the rounds, because the dementors aren't going to raise the alert. Oh and they're going to perform the kiss on Fudge while he's there, but let at least one other person off to tell the story."
She finished and there was complete silence. Snape blinked at her a couple of times and then straightened.
"When is he planning on carrying out his plan?" he asked casually.
Silver bit her lip. "Um, tomorrow at around noon," she said.
Snape blinked at her again, and then pulled out his watch. "I suppose you mean today around noon," he observed wryly.
"I'm really sorry," Silver said, her lower lip quivering dangerously, "I wanted to tell you!"
"Don't be sorry," Snape said, "It's not your fault."
"But it is," Silver protested, "I knew about it and I didn't tell you!"
"Don't be silly, child," Snape replied briskly, "Now how are you feeling?"
Silver looked surprise at the change in subject. "How am I feeling?" she echoed.
"Yes," Snape said, impatience lacing his voice.
She seemed to consider it a moment. "Terrible," she finally pronounced, "But much better than I did a few hours ago."
"Tired?" Snape asked.
"No...o," Silver replied as she yawned.
Snape smirked. "I'm can tell," he said sarcastically.
Silver looked around. "How are we getting home?" she asked. She looked at the door and took a step back. "Not that way," she said, her voice begging.
"It's the only way," Snape replied.
"No," she said fervently, "I'll never go there again. It was...it was horrible. You were dead."
She turned her eyes on him, and he looked back down at her with a strange expression in his eye. Finally, he seemed to have made a decision.
"Come here, child," he requested.
Silver took a cautious step towards him. He looked down at her gravely, and began to speak, but Harry was suddenly distracted by something in the corner of the room. It was a small ring, probably gold, with a glittering red stone on top – a ruby. For some reason, it looked familiar to him – as if it were his, and he had lost it a very long time ago. He began to walk towards it, entranced by it's sparkle.
"Harry, don't touch that!" Silver exclaimed suddenly.
But it's mine, his mind said, I have to touch it. I have to. He stretched out his hand towards it and heard a faint cry somewhere in the distance, but it didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was getting the ring – the ring that was enticing him as he looked at it. He had to at least touch it, feel it. It is mine, after all, he thought to himself. Somebody grabbed ahold of his other arm, and he began to panic.
"No!" he shouted, "Let me get my ring!"
He lunged for it, and whoever was holding him lost their grip on him. He greedily grabbed at the ring, and one of his fingers made contact. Suddenly, he felt a tugging at his navel. Realization hit him hard, and much too late. The ring was a portkey.
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Response to Reviews
fINeLInEbETwEeNLoVeANdHAtE – I'm glad you like my story so much, thanks for your compliments! -beams- Oh, and I'm not quite sure what the sequel's going to be called yet, but I'll let you guys know in the last chapter. :)
PinkPixieDust16 – Hehe, I'm very happy that you are so "in" to my story. It's nice to know! And yes, the sequel is going to be in the 7th year. I will be updating as often as I can!
wordwiz8121 – I'll keep that in mind. ;)
SmileyMare1810 – As far as why Harry doesn't use the Marauder's Map, my guess would be that he was so shocked that she was gone that it didn't cross his mind. (In other words, it didn't cross my mind...lol) Oh and too bad about the whole horses thing...ah well.
P4L – Well, nice to know my chapters aren't too long, at least. And yes, I'm an evil cliffy writer. I think that cliffies are nice towards the end of a story...kinda adds to the climax, ya know? Oh and you will definitely be seeing a sequel, no worries!
Tumblechick – Yes, it was rather evil, wasn't it? I'm not sure if this chapter was much better as far as evilness goes, though...
sun-star-n-moon22 – Hehe, thanks for the comments! Sorry for being so evil with the cliffies all of a sudden! They are rather fun to write, though...oh and yeah, Lupin and Tonks just seemed to work together him my mind, so I went ahead and put that in there.
Kittie Riddle – If I told you what happens next, there would be no story! -wink, wink- And her parents identities will be revealed soon...well, at least her mothers will be. I'm still debating on whether to save her father's for the sequel or not. Evil, aren't I? ;)
Peanutbutta3636 – Yay, glad you appreciated all those extra little parts I threw in. Thanks for your reviews!
Dobby's #1 Fan – Yeah, fanfiction . net has been acting up with chapter 42 – it keeps telling me that the chapter does not exist...but usually if I press refresh, it loads. Dunno if anyone else is having that problem.
Tekvah Ariel – I think I answered the Marauder's Map question...see SmileyMare's response. And nah, I'm not gonna kill off Silver right now. Death Eater statuses – ugh. I can't remember all those names. Basically, most of them are in Azkaban...well, not anymore in my story, but in the real books they are.
I would also like to thank HoofsTails Gal and Chocolatehundreddollarbill for their awesome reviews!