Disclaimer: I do not own or claim to own any of J.K. Rowling's characters, places, or items.
Comments: Sorry for the wait! I was at a friend's house for a while and when I came back I was a bit sidetracked; we looked at stupid model homes for like five friggen hours! I absolutely love how impatient you guys are – it's so cute. Teehee. Oh yeah and guess what I put in this chapter? Oh wait...it's a surprise. You'll just have to read and find out. (Aren't I so mean?)
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Chapter 46 – Escape
Harry watched intently as Silver slept. He was fascinated by the way her sides moved gently up and down as she breathed, how she looked so content and at peace. A strand of almond-colored hair graced her cheek, the rest fell limply behind her. He had an incredible urge to get up, walk over to her, and brush her hair back simply because he loved the feel of it. Snape, Tonks, Lupin, Ron, and Hermione all sat silently waiting for Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall to return. Nobody so much as moved for the sake of allowing Silver to sleep – of course, Harry doubted if she would awaken unless somebody practically yelled in her ear. The sound of a door opening caught his attention, but his eyes stayed focused on Silver. He heard many footsteps coming from the direction of the door, and knew that members of the Order were filing in. He wasn't sure if he could bring himself to tear his eyes from her, even for a moment. He heard hello's being said, and grudgingly looked up at the feel of a hand on his shoulder.
"Harry," Moody greeted, "How are you?"
"Good," Harry answered, not sure if it was the truth or not.
Soon, all the members of the Order were squeezed into Dumbledore's rather cramped office, all facing his desk expectantly. Dumbledore explained briefly what had happened, leaving out a good deal about Silver.
"We will need a team appointed to stop Fudge from going to Azkaban this morning and explain to him what has happened," Dumbledore said.
"I'll head it," Kingsley volunteered.
Dumbledore nodded. "Thank you, Kingsley," he said, "Now I'd like two or three more – Alastor, yes, Arthur, yes...no no, Remus, you've done quite enough for now. Hagrid, excellent."
The four that had been chosen stood up and made their way to the door. Hagrid patted Harry's shoulder as he went, but couldn't seem to find words to convey his feelings at the moment. Mr. Weasley ruffled Harry's hair and muttered, "Atta boy, Harry."
"Please try and make it back within four hours," Dumbledore said, "We may need you later on today."
They all nodded and then left. Silver suddenly stirred, and everybody looked over at her.
"No," she murmured, "I'm in love with Harry."
Harry grinned as he watched her. He wondered what she was dreaming about. He glanced upwards to see, much to his amusement, that Snape looked completely appalled by Silver's pronouncement. He leaned back in his chair, turning his gaze back to Silver. He knew that there was probably a lot about her past and herself that she hadn't told him, but he also knew that she would. After all...she loved him.
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Two hours later found Hagrid, Mr. Weasley, and Moody back with them. Kingsley was in the hospital wing being tended to by Madam Pomfrey – apparently he had somehow taken a nasty blow to the head. Silver appeared to be sleep deprived, and was still sleeping soundly, although every now and then she would shift positions, she never gave any sign that she was going to awaken. Everybody in the room fell from quiet mutterings to silence as Dumbledore called them to attention. Harry listened halfheartedly as he explained about the attack that was going to be made on his aunt and uncle. He was quite sure that if the Dursleys died, he wouldn't be anywhere near heartbroken, or even sad.
"Now," Dumbledore was saying, "I would love it if we could keep Harry's family inside their house, where it would be easier to protect them. This shouldn't require too many people; however, since we don't know for certain what Voldemort's plan is, or if there is going to be back-up, I would like to divide you up into units for..."
Dumbledore stopped suddenly as everybody heard Silver's voice.
"Lots of back-up," she murmured sleepily, "They thought I had already told you what they were going to do, so they're prepared."
She stretched and pulled herself up into a sitting position, looking at Dumbledore with a kind of hesitant honesty. Dumbledore looked surprised to see her awake, but brushed it off quickly.
"Well, thank you Miss Riddle," he said finally.
"My mom is going to be there," she continued, as if she hadn't heard him, "She's going to be mad that I've escaped."
"No doubt," Dumbledore replied.
Silver turned to him, her deep brown eyes wide and sad. "She wants to hurt you," she said softly, "For helping me."
"As I'm well aware," Dumbledore agreed.
Silver gave a soft sigh. "I wish I wasn't the reason for so much hate," she said quietly.
Dumbledore fixed her with a piercing stare. "My darling, if you were to truly look at the way you influenced those around you," he said, "You would see that you are much more a reason for love than you are hate."
A small smile spread across her face. "You think?" she asked.
"I know," he replied.
For a moment, the two exchanged a meaningful and reminiscent look. Harry found himself wondering just how deep their relationship went. He knew that Dumbledore had "rescued" her from her household and all that lay within it, but he had never, other than now, heard them exchange conversation that would lead him to believe that Silver truly trusted him. He knew from the way that she talked to Ron and Hermione that she trusted them, but not wholly. When she spoke to himself and Snape, however, there was a type of unguarded honesty that revealed itself, showing that she truly did trust – and love them.
Dumbledore abruptly turned his gaze back to the other people in the room. "Well, it appears as though we very well may have to fight," he announced.
Nobody said anything, and nobody's determined expression faded. Harry looked at Lupin, who had regained much of his energy and had a hard look on his face. He could die trying to save my stupid aunt and uncle, Harry realized, and...Dudley. Ugh. As much as Harry wanted to protest that saving his family was of no importance, he very well knew what Dumbledore's response would be so, for the sake of letting everyone come up with a good plan, he kept quiet.
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Suddenly, everybody was standing up and heading for the door, all now sorted into their assigned 'units'. Lupin gave Harry a pat on the shoulder and a reassuring look as he left, and Silver nearly squeezed Snape to death before allowing him to get up from his chair. Finally only Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Silver were left in the office with Dumbledore. They all exchanged glances and then turned to the expected headmaster.
"Please," Silver said, "Can we go, too?"
"That would be unsafe," Dumbledore answered sensibly.
"We'll be really careful," Silver pleaded, "And we won't do anything hasty. We just want to be there...just in case."
"Just in case of what?" Dumbledore asked, "In case you need to 'take over' a duel?"
Silver nodded earnestly.
"Miss Riddle, you are very talented at dueling, but you are not ready to take on a fully trained Death Eater – none of you are," he said, looking at all of them.
"But we can't just sit here and wait!" Silver protested.
"I think you will find that you are very capable of it," Dumbledore replied.
Silver frowned, and was mirrored by the other three.
Dumbledore stood and gave them all a grave look. "You four will wait here for me to return," he said, "If you have any physical needs...other than exercise, that is, you may ring that bell on my desk and a house elf will attend to you. You will find that I have temporarily disabled my fireplace from the Floo Network, so I would not suggest stepping into it and attempting to follow us. I would also appreciate that my personal belongings are left alone."
With that, he left.
"Did Dumbledore just lock us in his office?" Hermione asked, sounding shocked.
"Appears that way," Harry answered.
"We have to go," Silver said.
"And how are we going to manage that?" Ron asked.
Silver put her arms around her knees, looking deep in thought.
"Well, no Floo," Harry said thoughtfully, "And we couldn't Apparate even if we knew how...the Knight Bus won't come to Dumbledore's window..."
"Charisma!" Silver exclaimed suddenly, jumping up, "We could ride Charisma!"
"The only problem with that being that Charisma isn't here," Ron countered.
Silver smiled and walked to the window. It opened easily. She closed her eyes and seemed to concentrate very hard.
"Hagrid's tied her up," she announced, "But she thinks she can break free."
"All four of us are going to ride her?" Hermione asked nervously.
"Unless you want to stay behind," Silver replied.
Harry chuckled. "No worries, Hermione, it's not half bad, riding a hippogriff," he told her.
"At least we'll be able to see her," Hermione relented.
"Yeah," Ron agreed, looking very relieved.
"Why wouldn't you?" Silver asked curiously.
"We rode threstrals last year," Harry explained.
"Ooh," Silver said, "They look like fun to ride!"
"They're not," Ron said quickly, "Not at all. We'll stick to the ones we can see."
Silver giggled, and then stopped abruptly and rushed to the window.
"Charisma's free," she announced, "Get ready to ride."
Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked towards the window expectantly, when suddenly Ron spoke, nervousness tracing his voice.
"Silver...has Charisma ever been ridden before?" he ventured.
Silver's face fell slightly. "Well, no," she said, "But I'm sure she'd let us."
"You don't think that hippogriffs are like horses, do you?" Harry asked, "I mean, she won't try and...throw you, will she?"
"I'm sure she won't," Silver replied, "Look, here she is now."
Sure enough, what appeared to be a huge silver bird was growing steadily larger as it neared. Soon, Charisma was hovering outside the window as Silver greeted her with hugs and kisses. Harry listened amusedly as Silver explained to Charisma that they were going to need to ride her. When Silver turned back to them, she was smiling.
"Charisma says she doesn't mind that we're going to ride her," she announced.
"How would she know?" Ron asked, "She's never been ridden."
Silver giggled. "Just come on, or we're going to be late," she answered.
Before anyone could say anything, she had climbed out the window and onto Charisma's back. Charisma hovered patiently in the air and looked back at them as if to hurry them along. Harry shrugged and headed for the window. Soon, all four had climbed on. Silver was in front, followed by Harry, Hermione, and finally Ron.
"To Pivet Drive, please," Silver directed.
Charisma needed no further urging to soar first upwards, and then sharply to the right.
"How does she know where Pivet Drive is?" Harry asked curiously.
After a moment, Silver replied, "She says she just knows."
Suddenly, she leaned back into his arms. Upon glancing down, he saw that her eyes were blissfully closed. He kissed the top of her head and pulled her closer. He didn't feel like letting go anytime soon, especially not to allow her to go and battle a Death Eater. He suddenly found himself not so sure that they should have broken out of Dumbledore's office.
"Hey," he said quietly.
"Hmm?" she replied.
"Promise me you won't do anything dangerous," he requested.
He could feel her smile. "Harry Potter telling me not to do anything dangerous?" she asked in mock surprise, "Well I'll be!"
"I'm serious," he insisted, "I don't want to lose you."
She turned to the side so that she was able to face him. "I'll try, Harry," she said honestly, "But I can't promise."
He frowned. "Why not?" he asked, brushing through her hair with his fingers.
"For the same reason you can't," she replied, "If somebody needs me, I'm going to help them, Harry. I'm not going to stand there and let them...well, die."
Harry regarded her for a long moment, not sure whether he should be proud that he had such a wonderful girlfriend, or angry because she was telling him that she would willingly put herself into danger. "Alright," he consented, "But unless somebody needs us, we're going to stay out of sight, right?"
He glanced back at Ron and Hermione as he asked. They both nodded. He then looked at Silver, who mirrored them with a too-innocent look on her face. He almost questioned her on it when Charisma suddenly dove downwards, causing Hermione to grab onto him and nearly cut off his circulation. Silver, on the other hand, leaned forwards, clutching to Charisma's neck and closing her eyes to the feel of the wind in her face. Harry was a bit worried that she would slide off of Charisma's neck, but he didn't think Charisma would allow her to, so he relaxed until they touched down in a deserted parking lot not far from the park. It suddenly occurred to him that the four of them were riding on the back of a half-bird, half- horse, in muggle community.
"Erm," he said as they all slid off, "D'ya think Charisma should maybe stay here? Muggles aren't really used to seeing hippogriffs. In fact, if you said the word hippogriff around my aunt and uncle, they'd probably think it was a swear word."
Silver giggled. "I think she could manage," she replied. She turned to Charisma with a smile. "Stay here, unless somebody other than us comes – then hide, okay?" she asked.
Charisma made a head motion that was undeniably a nod.
"So, where can we watch?" Silver asked.
"Uh, well, from the park, I guess. But you can't really see the house from there..." Harry said thoughtfully.
"What about your room, Harry?" Hermione asked, "We could sneak into the house."
Harry's eyes widened. "Do you know what my uncle would do if he caught us?" he asked.
"Oh, come on," Hermione replied, "Why would he catch us? They treat you like you're contaminated; I seriously doubt they do regular check-ups of your room."
"I suppose," Harry said doubtfully, "But if we get caught..."
He stopped and shook his head. "Let's go," he said resignedly.
Silver suddenly giggled mischievously. "Fred and George told me they gave Dudley a Ton-Tongue Toffee one time," she commented.
Harry grinned in recollection as Ron snorted with laughter. "Yeah, they did," he agreed, "I don't think he's ever eaten another toffee."
"Well, it's not like he needs one," Ron exclaimed, "Seriously, the kid makes a bear look like a bunny rabbit!"
Silver burst into giggles as Hermione gave Ron a disapproving look.
"You know, Ron, it's not nice to tease others about their weight," Hermione commented.
"Sorry," Ron mumbled.
"Come on, Hermione, that was a really good comparison," Silver insisted through giggles.
Hermione rolled her eyes, but the corners of her mouth were slightly upturned. As they walked down the street, Harry suddenly stopped, causing Silver to crash into him.
"Guys," he said, "Do you think...we're being watched?"
Immediately they all looked around, excepting Silver.
"Honestly, I don't think they'd be standing where we could see, you guys," she said sensibly.
"Right," the other three said in unison.
"Is there any other way to get to the house?" Silver asked.
"Well...we could always go around and climb the backyard wall," Harry said hesitantly.
"We'll have to do that, then," Silver said decidedly.
"But...we'd have to go through someone else's backyard to do that," Hermione said.
"Well, do you guys want to go, or not?" Silver demanded.
With a shrug, Harry began to lead them towards the street behind the Dursleys'. As Harry tried to figure out which one was the one they were supposed to enter, the other three stayed silent as they observed the houses. They were all pretty much the same – whitewashed walls, neatly painted trim, clean-cut lawns, and the occasional lawn flag.
"I think it's this one," he announced finally, "Now...how do we get in their backyard?"
"Well," Silver replied, walking up to the backyard fence, "I was thinking something like this."
She backed up, took two running steps, and jumped as she grabbed on to the top of the fence. The next moment she had disappeared on the other side.
"That's unfair," Ron complained, "I'm never going to be able to do that."
Silver giggled from the other side. "Then have Harry give you a boost."
"And how am I supposed to get over?" Harry demanded.
"Oh, for heavens sake, you two are just going to have to work something out," she replied, "Hermione, can you get over?"
"I think so," Hermione said uncertainly.
Hermione walked forwards a few steps, broke into a run, and attempted to imitate Silver as she grabbed a hold of the fence and swung over. Although it was a bit less graceful, Hermione successfully made it to the other side – although it sounded painful. Ron and Harry exchanged glances.
"Uh, I'll...give you a boost, I guess," Harry said doubtfully.
Ron looked equally dubious as the two walked up to the fence. Harry cupped his hands and Ron put his foot in them.
"Count of three?" Harry asked, thinking that it sounded oddly like an Occlumency lesson.
"Yup," Ron agreed.
Five seconds later Ron was cursing rather loudly at the fact that his ankle had hooked over the side of the fence, causing him to land on his bottom. Silver and Hermione were giggling helplessly. Harry grabbed onto of the fence and gave a huge jump. He managed to hook his leg over the side, and eventually pulled the rest of himself over, too. He couldn't help but join in the girls' laughter as he saw Ron. Ron was clutching his bottom as he hopped around, cursing.
"Quiet down," Harry told him in between laughs, "They're going to realize somebody's in their backyard."
Everybody quieted, but the girls were shaking with laughter as they walked across the lawn where there was, to Ron's dismay, another fence to climb.
"I'm not getting any bloody boosts," Ron declared, glaring at the fence and sending the girls and Harry into fresh waves of laughter.
"I'll show you how I got up," Harry offered.
"As long as it's better than how I got down," Ron replied.
"Boost me, Harry?" Silver inquired, smiling sweetly at him.
He grinned. "Course," he replied.
Instead of cupping his hands, he placed them on her waist, pressing a kiss first onto her neck as he did so. She giggled softly and pushed his head away with her shoulder.
"Come on, we have to get in," she said.
He straightened disappointedly. "Alright then, on three," he consented, "One...two...three."
She jumped at the same time he lifted her, and he was able to place her so that she was sitting gracefully on the fence. She gave him a smile before she hopped down to the other side. Hermione hopped up much the same as she had before, seeing as Ron was still clutching his bottom, but had given Harry a look that clearly said he did not want him 'boosting' Hermione. Harry showed Ron how he had jumped up, and then waited for Ron on the other side. The girls began to giggle as Ron cursed the whole way over, but Harry silenced them. He definitely didn't want to get caught by the Dursleys now.
Slowly, they tromped their way across the yard to look up at Harry's bedroom window. There was absolutely no way to get up from where they were standing. Silver began to giggle.
"Harry, I thought you said we could get in through the backyard," she said.
"Well...I thought we could," he replied uncertainly.
"Are you telling me that I just busted my arse open for nothing?" Ron demanded.
Harry grinned sheepishly. "Well, it's kind of a nice backyard," he defended slowly.
Silver and Hermione dissolved into giggles. Harry scratched the back of his neck and looked up at the window hopefully, as if he expected it to bend down so that they could climb in at any second. After Hermione and Silver had successfully recovered themselves, Silver said the only thing that made sense.
"Well, we'll either have to sneak through the house or go home."
He turned to look at her, and she added quickly, "And I'm not going home."
"Oh, so you're going to sneak into the house without me?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.
"If I have to," she replied.
"No," Hermione said suddenly, "Look here."
She was standing in the corner of the yard where the house and the white fence came together. As Harry drew near, he realized that there was actually a gate there, very well concealed by the paint. There was also an inconspicuous crack where the hinge was, and through it you could see everything that happened both at the front door, and the street.
"Let's just stay here," Hermione suggested, "We'll be well hidden, and have a fast way to get into the house or onto the street if anything happens."
"Okay," Silver consented, taking a seat on the grass beside her.
Harry felt a surge of relief now that he wasn't facing the prospect of sneaking through the Dursleys house.
"I need a couch, though," Ron complained.
"Oh, shut it, Ron," Hermione commanded.
Ron looked taken aback. "Fine," he muttered, gingerly taking a seat away from Hermione, who tutted and rolled her eyes.
Suddenly Silver shushed them all and pointed out the crack. "Look," she whispered.
They all crowded around and peered out. Just a few feet away from them, in the street, stood Mr. Weasley, Lupin, Moody, and Tonks. They all conferred for a moment, pointing to various bushes, before performing Disillusionment Charms on each other and going to hide in the places they had just pointed out.
"They're crazy," Harry whispered, "They just did magic in the middle of the street."
"Well, nobody seemed to notice," Hermione said unhelpfully.
"What time is it?" Ron asked.
Harry pulled the watch Silver had given him for his birthday out of his pocket. He gazed at the engraved name for a moment before opening it.
"Eleven forty-seven," he announced.
They all watched through the crack for a while before a woman suddenly walked by. Silver gave a slightly loud gasp and clapped her hand to her mouth.
"What is..." Harry began in a whisper, but he stopped.
The woman walking past them was strangely familiar. Slightly curly reddish- brown hair fell down over her shoulders, and Harry felt that he had seen this woman's frame before. Shadowy frame...suddenly he realized who she was. His head shot towards Silver at lightening speed. She was as white as a sheet, and shaking uncontrollably. Her eyes were wide and scared. He instinctively reached out and pulled her into his arms. She buried her face into his chest, but didn't have a chance to say anything.
"Where are you going?" Moody's voice suddenly growled.
He stepped out of a bush, fully visible once more. Silver's mother stopped, looking completely unsurprised. A slight smirk was visible on her face. Harry noted that she had light blue eyes – eyes that looked cold, and hard. Not Silver's eyes by a long shot. Behind her, Mr. Weasley, Lupin, and Tonks all quietly stepped out of their hiding places, now visible as well.
"Is that really any of your business?" she replied.
Harry felt a shiver go down his spine. The voice that was speaking was the same one that he had heard torture Silver in her memories. He pulled Silver completely into his lap as she shook, feeling a surge of protectiveness. She willingly came to him, and although she didn't make a sound, he felt his shirt dampen.
"I believe so," Moody replied evenly.
Silver's mother gave a derisive laugh. "Get out of my way, Alastor," she ordered.
"You've lost your touch if you think I'm going to listen to you," he told her.
"Be prepared to pay the consequences of standing in my way," she said, her voice icy and hard.
Moody chuckled.
Harry strained to see through the crack, and by now he could see that they all had their wands drawn out. He was struck with the realization that a magical battle was about to ensue on Pivet Drive – quiet, blended-in Pivet Drive. Hermione glanced back at them and did a double-take. 'What is it?' she mouthed to Harry. 'Mother', Harry mouthed back grimly. Hermione's eyes widened and she looked from Silver to the lady through the crack. She nudged Ron, pointed out the crack, and mouthed the words, 'Silver's mom'. Ron's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as he glanced first at Silver, and then out the crack at her mother.
"You laugh now, Alastor, but you won't be laughing when I kill you," she said.
Moody's face hardened. "I'd like to see you try," he snarled.
"Don't lay a wand on her," another voice said suddenly. It didn't belong to Mr. Weasley, Lupin, or Tonks.
Silver's mother whirled around, her bright blue eyes sparkling with surprise.
"She's mine," Snape finished as he stepped into view.
"Go, Snape," Ron whispered.
Silver dislodged herself from Harry and wiped her eyes as she peered out the crack. She gave a soft groan, and a determined glint came into her eyes.
"He is such a stubborn idiot," she whispered furiously, "What does he think he's doing?"
"I've heard about your heroic little act, Severus," Silver's mother said coolly, "But I never thought you would stoop to this level."
"Spare me the theatrics," Snape retorted dryly.
Silver's mother didn't reply. Instead, she surveyed him for a long moment, as if sizing him up.
"Why'd you do it?" she asked finally.
Snape simply stared at her.
"Why did you save the boy?" she asked, "Of what importance is he to you?"
Snape snorted. "None whatsoever," he replied honestly.
"Then why?" she demanded, "I watched you suffer for him. I saw, Severus. Why endure that torture for so long if he means nothing to you?"
Snape paused only a moment before answering. "I am not the only person in the world," he answered.
Her eyes widened. "So you did it for someone else?" she asked, "Who? Who would Severus Snape care for enough to endure such torture?"
"Torture?" Silver echoed in a whisper. Realization dawned in her eyes as she realized that Snape's downtrodden physical state had been the effects of the Cruciatus Curse.
"Why don't you shut your mouth and get down to business?" Snape suggested in reply.
"Don't want to tell me, hmm?" she asked amusedly.
Snape struck suddenly and, in Harry's opinion, unexpectedly. "Stupefy", he hissed, brandishing his wand at her.
"Protego," she cried at the same moment, and, within the same breath, "Crucio!"
Snape jumped out of the way, but only by inches.
"Do you really think you can get me with such petty spells?" Silver's mother inquired curiously.
"What is it with this god-forsaken family and dueling?" Snape roared angrily.
Silver's mother laughed, and a different voice answered Snape.
"It's a natural talent."
Harry nearly threw himself at the crack. Bellatrix Lestrange had popped seemingly out of nowhere, and was now smirking as Moody stepped forward to duel with her.
"Really, Alabastor," Lestrange said, twirling her wand about, "Do you believe that you'll be able to defeat me? My own cousin, a Black in his own right, couldn't do so. And you, Moody, are no Black."
"You don't have to be a Black to duel," Moody snarled.
Lestrange laughed. "You think that, old man," she replied.
Suddenly, two Death Eaters appeared. Harry recognized them as Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy. Without thought he lunged for the latch on the gate, but Ron and Hermione held him back.
"Harry," Ron grunted, "Stop. Just stop."
Harry grudgingly stopped, glaring through the crack at Lucius as he did so. Hexes and curses were being thrown everywhere, and, amazingly, not one muggle had given any signs of having seen. Harry's eyes were locked on Lupin and Lucius, who had yet to begin their duel but were still in the process of throwing insults, but a gasp from Silver made him look to Snape and her mother. The wound on Snape's shoulder was freshly opened, and blood poured freely, but he looked triumphant nevertheless. Silver's mother lay, motionless, on the ground.
"Is she..." Harry asked uncertainly.
"Stunned," Silver supplied, "Just stunned."
"Right," Harry said.
He watched as Snape's eyes rose, and suddenly locked on Lucius. An intense hatred filled them, and spread from there through Snape's entire body, so much so that he shook with rage.
"Lucius," he snarled.
The two men made eye contact, and everyone else stopped what they were doing to watch. Harry doubted if he had ever seen Snape so angry and full of hate. A glance at Silver showed her to be tense and anxious, her hand in fists and her knuckles white.
"Nice to see you, Severus," Lucius commented.
"Filthy, disgusting, slimy bastard," Snape accused.
If looks could kill, Lucius Malfoy would be far worse than dead, Harry thought as he looked at Snape. Lucius' eyes filled with first confusion, and then understanding. He chuckled, but it was cold and unnerving.
"I never knew you were so fond of flowers," he commented.
Silver began to shake once more, but Harry knew better than to try and tear her away from the crack which she was now glued against. Snape gave a low growl, shaking with fury.
"I had a feeling you were a traitor," Lucius commented, observing Snape distastefully, "You never did use the Cruciatus unless commanded to. Or was that because of your father?"
Lucius gave a laugh, and Snape remained unwavering, wand at the ready. Upon closer inspection, Harry could see that Snape looked to be fighting an inner battle. Lucius seemed disappointed that Snape hadn't reached the breaking point yet, and so he continued in a low, cold voice.
"I make flowers wilt, Snape," he hissed.
Snape just about exploded with anger. "Crucio!" he roared at the top of his lungs.
Beside him, Silver gave a gasp. Lucius was only under the curse for a second before he screamed. Instantly Snape lifted the curse, looking at his wand as if it had betrayed him. Once Lucius had recovered enough, he chuckled.
"You can't take it," he accused, "You're weak. Insufferably so. Your father wasn't, though, was he? He didn't stop when you screamed, did he?"
Resentment was fast flooding Snape's eyes.
"Crucio," Lucius hissed.
Snape didn't attempt to escape. Instead, he let the curse hit him. The pain he was feeling reflected in his eyes and the tight lines on his face, but he didn't cry out. After a few seconds during which Harry was sure Silver was going to bite her lower lip off, Snape's body seemed to break. His knees buckled, and it seemed to take all of his willpower to keep from screaming as he fought to stay up. Silver suddenly gave a sob. Harry pulled her away from the gate and turned her into him. He looked through the crack, and suddenly Hermione pointed towards Silver's mom. He inwardly groaned as he saw Lestrange reviving her. He pulled Silver close, as if to shield her from all that was happening, as she sobbed. Silver's mother got up, anger blazing in her eyes, and she smiled as she looked at Snape.
"Want some help, Lucius?" she inquired.
Lucius smiled. "Be my guest," he replied.
In an instant, Silver had torn away from Harry.
"No!" she cried.
Harry clapped a hand over her mouth and yanked her back down.
"Silver," he hissed.
She gave a muffled yelp against his hand and fought to get away, but she was no match for him. Nobody outside of the gate appeared to hear except for Snape. His head shot towards the gate, disbelief in his eyes. Lucius followed Snape's gaze curiously, and immediately everyone backed away from the fence.
"What's in there?" Lucius growled, lifting the curse.
"Nothing," Snape grunted in reply, fighting to keep standing.
"Don't lie to me, Snape," he said, "What's in there?"
Harry, Ron, and Hermione exchanged glances. It seemed that Lucius' voice was getting closer. Harry looked desperately around for a hiding place. Aunt Petunia's rosebushes would do them no good, and neither would her tomato plants. Suddenly the fence seemed to explode towards Harry. One of the boards gave him a good blow to the head that sent him reeling backwards, and the next thing he knew, Silver was no longer in his arms. Although he was dizzy, he sat back up immediately. He saw Ron and Hermione, but not Silver. A look through the broken fence showed her to be in the possession of a triumphant Lucius Malfoy. He, Hermione, and Ron abandoned all pretense of hiding and dashed out onto the sidewalk.
"Well, well, well," Lucius said, completely ignoring them, "Look what we have here."
Silver had tears in her eyes and was looking at Snape pleadingly.
"You're here," Snape commented.
"I'm sorry," Silver said tearfully, "I'm really, really sorry."
She made as if to run to him, but was yanked back forcefully by Lucius. Snape looked up at Lucius, who was wearing a smile on his face.
"Let her go," he said, his voice every bit as threatening as it ever had been.
Lucius ran a finger from her shoulder down to her hip in mock thoughtfulness, causing her to shudder. "I'm not so sure," he said tauntingly, "I am rather fond of her."
"Just let her go," Snape replied.
"Let me go!" Silver echoed, struggling against him.
Lucius gave her a clean blow to the head and yanked her arms back, causing a whimper to escape her. "Don't tell me what do to," he hissed, "And don't try any funny stuff." He then turned to Snape with a smile on his face.
"What do you want?" Snape asked.
"You, my friend," Lucius replied, "The Dark Lord is offering a rather large reward for you at the moment."
"Fine," Snape said, without hesitation, "Let her go, and you can take me."
"No!" Silver cried, "Don't, please!"
Lucius twisted her arm, causing her to fall into silence, and looked at Snape disbelievingly. "Hand over you wand," he ordered.
Snape willingly held out his wand, and Silver began to sob. "Take...it...back!" she cried, "Don't give it to him!"
As Lucius reached for it, Snape withdrew it, causing Lucius to frown.
"What am I to do, then, child?" Snape demanded, looking at Silver.
"I don't care, just don't die!" Silver replied through tears.
"How positively touching," Silver's mother said in mock delightfulness, "My widdle daughter has found herself a daddy. Or are you her husband? Lucius mentioned she was quite delightful when she..."
She paused a moment as she found three wands at her throat.
"I wouldn't advise finishing that sentence," Lupin said, his face hard.
"Maybe," Lucius said thoughtfully, "I could just torture her. Yes, torture seems the ticket. Until she loses her mind. Imagine, Severus – watching her go through that agony for hours on end, and then, finally, she's free. And guess what? She has no idea who you are. She doesn't have any feelings for you. If you die, she won't care. I guess that would bring a total of people who care for you to zero, wouldn't it?"
Snape stared hard at Silver, who was crying hard by this time.
"What do you want with her?" he asked finally, his voice breaking, "Just let the child go. She hasn't done anything."
"Hasn't done anything?" Silver's mother repeated incredulously, dodging the wands pointed at her with ease that almost scared Harry, "The girl's a brat, a traitor. She gave away the Dark Lord's plans, and..."
"No, she didn't!" Snape said, his voice rising, "She kept the secret, goddammit!"
Lucius, Lestrange, and Silver's mother all turned their eyes to Silver, who was sobbing even harder at this revelation.
"You lie," Lestrange said flatly.
"You know I speak the truth," Snape answered.
Suddenly, while everyone's eyes were averted, Snape caught Harry's eye. At first Harry thought Snape was merely noting he was there, but then he noticed the subtle movements he was making with his hands. He was pointing at Lucius, and Harry realized that he, Hermione, and Ron all had a free shot at his back. I'll Crucio him 'til kingdom come, Harry thought. Snape shook his head a bit less subtly than he had been, and Harry knew that his emotions must have been showing. Or I could knock him out, he decided, with a bit less relish. He nudged Ron and Hermione and whispered instructions to them. Nobody noticed as they all levitated a rather large boulder across the street until it was hovering atop Lucius' head.
"Lucius!" Lestrange screamed suddenly.
They let it drop, and as Lucius looked up, he was rewarded with what looked to be a very hard blow to the face. Almost the same as knocking out the ogre, Harry thought amusedly to himself as he remembered his first year. Lucius' grip on Silver diminished, and she ran towards Snape, but he pushed her away.
"Go, child," he said exasperatedly.
Obediently, Silver turned and ran. Harry caught her with one arm as they ran for some nearby bushes. In a matter of minutes, Lestrange, Narcissa, and Silver's mother were all stunned. The foursome immediately leapt up and towards the other members of the Order, all whom looked at them extremely disapprovingly.
Silver tentatively walked up to Snape, whom Harry realized must be extremely sore from the Cruciatus. For a moment, Snape regarded her the same way he had the others, but then, rather suddenly, he reached out and pulled her to him, not giving any sign of hurt as he did so.
"I'm really sorry," Silver murmured.
"It's over now," he answered, "But I don't want you to do anything of that sort ever again."
"Alright," she whispered, "Do you forgive me?"
Snape looked a bit annoyed. "Of course, child," he said.
She tightened her arms around him, and he cringed. Immediately she jumped a foot away from him, her eyes wide.
"Oh, I'm so sorry," she said, "I didn't mean to hurt you."
"Do you ever stop apologizing?" he replied, sounding halfway amused.
For a moment she looked as if she were about to apologize, but then she thought the better of it, and didn't say anything at all.
Harry was about to speak when a large crack filled the air. Five Ministry Officials had Apparated around them.
"Well, what have we here?" one of them inquired.
"Four Death Eaters, three stunned and one unconscious," Snape replied.
All five of them began to take notes.
"Names?" another one asked.
"Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy, Bellatrix Lestrange, and Alexandra Meliflua," Snape replied.
Meliflua? Harry thought to himself, It sounds familiar, but I can't place it...where have I heard that before? A glance at Ron and Hermione showed that they had definitely never heard the name before, but Harry was sure he had. He frowned in concentration, but couldn't place it, no matter how hard he tried.
"Your names?" yet another asked.
Snape looked around as he began to recite names. "Severus Snape, Arthur Weasley, Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, Alastor Moody..."
He paused as his eyes landed on Harry.
"...Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, Hermione Granger, and Silver..."
He trailed off uncertainly as his eyes landed on Silver.
The officials looked up questioningly. Silver flushed. "Meliflua," she admitted shamefully.
"No," Snape countered immediately, "Just Silver. Surname unknown."
With raised eyebrows, the officials made a line through the word "Meliflua" and wrote what Snape had said – all in unison. It was the slightest bit unnerving.
"We'll contact you for further details later," one of them said.
By that time, Harry had lost track of who had already spoken and who hadn't, but he had a suspicion it was a different one altogether. Four of the men took handcuffs out of their pockets, pressed a button on them, and then let them go. The handcuffs floated to the unconscious Death Eaters, fastened themselves around their wrists, and yanked them into an upright position. At the same time, a green light flashed on the handcuffs, and both the Death Eaters and the four officials that had set loose the handcuffs disappeared. The last one took out a small black rectangle, pointed it at the street, and pressed a switch on the side into the "Off" position. A small wave seemed to pass over the street, and then the official Disapparated.
"Come on," Lupin said suddenly, "The Muggles can see us now."
"They couldn't before?" Harry questioned.
"They were all under a spell to keep them sleeping and inside of their houses up until now," Tonks replied, "Now come on, we have to get back."
"We have to go get Charisma first," Silver said hesitantly, "She's how we got here."
"You rode a hippogriff here?" Lupin asked in astonishment.
"Well, yes, Dumbledore locked us in his office, and there was no other way to get out," Silver said, as if it made perfect sense.
Snape merely shook his head and sighed as Silver began to lead them towards the deserted lot. Harry desperately hoped that Charisma hadn't been discovered – he had a feeling Dumbledore would be displeased enough with them, as it was.
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Note: Yay, we all know who Silver's mommy is! And if you're confused on where the name Meliflua comes from, you'll learn more about it next chapter. I promise that it was JKR who made it up and not me, though!
Oh, and I just couldn't bring myself to do the Response to Reviews...it takes too long! Besides, I knew you guys all wanted the new chappie.