Chapter 70
Lily stepped into the fireplace in the entrance hall of St Mungo's and flooed directly to the hospital wing of Hogwarts.
"Poppy, it's me Lily.... I need your help please"
The healer appeared immediately and shooed her to one of the hospital beds.
"Now tell me what problem you have dear, but first, let me give you something to take away the effect of the Polyjuice potion" Poppy said and handed her a glass with a blue liquid.
After she had swallowed the potion, Lily told her about the fatigue, the dizziness and the aversion against food.
"Is your body aching and do you often feel irritable?"
"Yes, sometimes. But it's a bit better already"
Poppy beckoned her to lie down and waved her wand over Lily's body like a muggle metal-detector.
Then she placed he hands on Lily's chest and abdomen and concentrated, while she hummed perpetually.
After that she ordered Lily to turn around and she repeated the procedure on the backside.
"Can you give me a urine sample and then I should be able to tell you"
After Lily had returned from the bathroom, Poppy disappeared in her office and returned shortly after.
"Well, my dear, it's been quite a while, so I guess you don't remember how it was the last time" the witch said and grinned at Lily. "I expect you can expect a new addition to your family in summer"
Lily didn't know what to say.
"But how...how... I just woke up two weeks ago. Poppy, how did this happen so fast?"
"Oh Lily, I don't have to talk to you about the birds and the bees. You know about the how-part, so let me tell you about the how so fast-part. I think that the Muscail potion has also influenced your fertility. It has alerted your whole system and also activated your ovaries."
"Oh my ... my... I am ...uhm you mean I am"
"Yes you are my dear" Poppy said and padded Lily's hand.
"Thank you Poppy. I have to tell James right away." Lily cheered and took another dose of Polyjuice potion, before she flooed back to St Mungo's.
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Water was dripping on the floor from Lady Tanya's robes as she walked from the Great Hall to the dungeons.
She hesitated slightly when the door to the potions classroom came into few.
Fortunately she still remembered where the dungeons were. Her uncle had taken her to Hogwarts a few times while he had business to do with Salazar Slytherin. She always had the feeling that her uncle wanted Salazar to be her husband, but the he had never seen anything else in her than the child she was. With the wisdom of hindsight, she thought she might have been better off with him then the man her uncle finally found for her..
She was probably the only person walking around who had known the founders of Hogwarts personally.
When she reached the door, she took a deep breath and knocked.
She entered the classroom carefully after nobody answered and looked around. It still looked very much the same as when Salazar was teaching here.
Lady Tanya then spotted a door on the right side of the classroom and assumed it had to lead to Severus private quarters.
Just when she was about to knock, the door sprung open and the potion master was standing in front of her with drawn wand.
When he recognized who the unexpected visitor, he arched his eyebrow suspiciously and asked "How did I earn the doubtable pleasure of your visit?"
"Stop that sarcastic nonsense and let me in... and put that wand away" Lady Tanya said impatiently and pushed him out of the way.
"First you come here without an appointment and now you're intruding into my private quarters" he bellowed, but it was no use.
Lady Tanya had already taken off her wet cloak and placed it on a backrest of an armchair next to the fireplace. After she made herself comfortable she said "As you might see, I had a very strenuous trip and I am cold; so some hot tea would be nice and some biscuits if you have. Then I will tell you what I came here for"
It took all of Severus' strength not to throw her out of the room. He felt his anger rising in view of so much boldness and pondered if the news she was bringing was worth the effort.
"If you're here for a nice chat, then I'm most definitely the wrong person" he growled with his arms folded in front of his chest. The tone of his voice would have made every student cry, but Lady Tanya continued to smile at him sweetly.
"As much as I would like to have a nice long chat with you, Severus, this is not the time for it. So if you don't mind I would like to have my tea now, before I really get sick."
"You should have tried it with a drying spell" he muttered, while he conjured some tea and biscuits.
"Have you ever done a drying spell without a wand?" she said firmly and picked up her cup.
Severus sat down opposite to her and retorted impatiently "Now that you have your tea ... and biscuits, would you please tell me what you came here for. I have a lot of work to do and no time to waste"
"Lily, Sirius and James have taken the children to Diagon Alley along with her muggle relatives, to get the school supplies for her nephew. The muggle man has been attacked and James took him to the hospital. Lily told Sirius to take the children to the Leaky cauldron, while she got a potion from the apothecary, but when they entered the pub Zara was gone"
"Zara is gone?" Severus' voice was barely a whisper. "Where is she now?"
"She has been abducted. Sirius came too late. When he found her, she was already in the hands of Bellatrix Lestrange."
Severus buried his face in his hands and Lady Tanya could see his form shaking terribly. At first she thought he was crying, but when he lowered his hands she could see his normally pale face red with anger. His eyes were black as charcoal and sparkling with fury.
He banged his fists on the table and screamed "My child! This worthless bitch has my child. And when I get my hands on this bloody dog, I will make sure that he will never have children of his own"
"Calm down, Severus. Finding Zara has to be our main priority now and you need to keep your mind clear"
"Calm down... calm down... I can't bloody calm down. The most evil person besides the Dark Lord has my daughter in her clutches. She might be dead already. I wouldn't put it past Bellatrix to torture her into insanity. She did it before" he said; now with a slightly calmer voice that had a sinister tone.
"Kimberly is upstairs to inform Albus and now I would like to know if you have any idea why they abducted Zara"
"Yes I know it. The Dark Lord knows that Zara is my daughter and he blackmailed me to hand Potter and Dumbledore over to him or Zara will die. I'm not sure if this abduction is an order of him or if Lestrange is acting on her own accord."
Nervously, the potion master got up from his chair and started pacing the room.
"Where could she have taken Zara?" Lady Tanya said calmly. She knew if she would show her own fear about the girl that would wind up her father even more.
"She might have taken her to his mansion, but I'm not sure. The Dark Lord has places all over Britain. She could be everywhere."
"I have to return to Hagrid's hut now" she said and emptied her cup before she put her cloak back on. "I want to return to headquarters as soon as possible. Sirius might need our help"
"Why don't you take my fireplace to floo back?"
"The floo network is blocked. This is why we came here on the back of the hippogriff."
"You took the hippogriff?"
"Yes there was no other way for us to get here. We were afraid an owl might get intercepted"
"Then at least floo to the hut." Snape said and seized 2 vials from a shelf. "And take this. It will prevent that you get sick"
"Thank you Severus" she said and smiled at him charmingly. "I know Kimberly will appreciate it too"
Severus guided her to the fireplace and before Tanya stepped into the flames, she stroked his cheek and said "Don't worry, my dear and don't lose faith. We're going to find her"
Then in a whirl of flames she was gone.
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Dumbledore was deep in thought at the end of Kimberly's narrative about today's events.
"I will inform Severus straight away. He is personally involved in this matter and needs to know"
Just then a knock on the door alerted the old wizard.
Severus entered the office and greeted Albus and Kimberly.
"I believe somebody has already informed you about the current situation, my boy" Dumbledore said as he recognized Severus troubled expression.
"Yes I know that Zara has been abducted by Bellatrix Lestrange" the potion master said darkly.
"I will just show Kimberly out, and then we will see to the problem at hand"
Dumbledore kissed his great granddaughter on the cheek and Kimberly left the office.
She had decided to walk to the gamekeeper's hut, to clear her troubled mind.
Just when she reached the entrance hall she heard someone call her and turned around.
"Hello Remus" she greeted the werewolf. The DADA teacher gave her a friendly hug and when he recognized strained expression on her face, he pressed her on to talk to him about it.
Soon she had told him about the abduction of Zara, the disconnection of the floo network and the injury of Mr Dursley.
"It seems to me that the next attack of Voldemort is closer than we all expected" Remus said thoughtfully as they walked next to each other over the grounds.
"I just hope nothing has happened to the girl. Bellatrix is the most obnoxious and wicked person I have ever heard of and I don't even want to imagine what the poor child is going through right now" Kimberly said and a silent tear trickled down her cheek before it fell on the frozen ground.
The rest of the way was overshadowed by an awkward silence. Nobody knew exactly what to say and both had their conversation with Sirius on their minds.
When they reached the hut, Lady Tanya was already standing on the frozen pumpkin patch and waited.
Hagrid brought out the hippogriff through the back door and waved at the two teachers.
Kimberly and Tanya said good bye to Remus and Hagrid assured them, that he had seen nothing unusual on the ground in the past hour.
The two women mounted the hippogriff once more and Buckbeak took off.
Remus and Hagrid followed them with their eyes, while the hippogriff rose higher and higher into the winter sky.
They were about return to the hut, when all of a sudden, they heard a hissing noise from the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
Just then Hagrid pointed into the sky and Remus recognized that Buckbeak has lost height.
"Whas wrong with Beaky" Hagrid wondered and then he shouted "Quick, quick Professor, she's fallin"
Remus dashed forward waving his wand to slow down Kimberly's fall. He knew she wouldn't survive if she would hit the frozen ground.
Then in the last moment, Hagrid leaped forward and caught her before she hit the ground.
Lady Tanya was trying hard to turn the hippogriff around and force him to land, but Buckbeak shook his head frantically and rose higher.
"Go on... go on... ye can't land him. He's scared." The gamekeeper yelled and Lady Tanya shrugged her shoulders apologetically before she disappeared behind the Forbidden Forest.
"Take 'er to Poppy, Professor. I'll follow that scoundrel" Hagrid boomed and pushed Kimberly into Remus' arms.
The werewolf ran towards the castle in high-speed. He had seen that she was unconscious and he felt her burning hot skin through her damp clothes.
He had no idea what happened to her, but he was sure it was nothing good.
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"Hello dear" Lily cheered as she joined James and Dudley in the cafeteria. "I think it's time that we return to the ward. The healers should have further informations now"
"We can leave as soon as Dudley is finished" James said and looked at the boy next to him, who had just consumed 4 pieces of chocolate cake.
Dudley, who was afraid he might have to leave the rest of his cake if he wasn't fast enough, stuffed the last remains into his mouth.
When they returned to the Livingstone Ward, the door to Vernon's room opened and the healer came out.
Lily approached him immediately.
"The state of Mr Dursley is stable now. We were able to heal the damage on his heart, but a big scar will remain on the skin. I'm sure that he will be able to leave the hospital tomorrow morning after we have altered his memory" The healer said friendly.
"Is he awake now?" James asked. "I would like to ask him about his attackers"
"He's awake, but still very weak, Mr Weasley. I have to insist that you make it a short interrogation"
James nodded and they entered the room.
Petunia had fallen asleep with her head on Vernon's bed and startled as Lily placed a hand on her shoulder.
Dudley looked frightened at his father, whose face a distorted in pain.
"When you are finished Mr Weasley, I will give him a sleeping draught and something against the pain."
James sat down next to Vernon, while Lily guided Petunia and Dudley out of the room.
"Vernon, what did these want from you?"
"Asked... questions... Harry" Vernon whispered.
"They asked questions about Harry? What kind of questions?"
"Where..."
"They wanted to know where Harry was?" James asked puzzled and Vernon nodded.
"What did they do to you?"
"Put ... hand ...on... me and growled" Vernon said weakly.
"That has to suffice for now. He should be a lot better tomorrow and then you can finish your questioning" the healer said firmly and showed James out.
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Zara was screaming at the top of her lungs "LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT NOOOOOOOW!"
Every few seconds she glared at the corner where the spider had attacked her.
Then after several endless minutes, she heard footsteps approaching.
A door, which Zara could have sworn wasn't here earlier, opened and a hooded figure entered.
Zara withdrew to the corner, the spider totally forgotten.
"Hello precious" said a male voice and then a torch lightened the cell
The person in front of her lifted the hood and the silver blonde hair of Lucius Malfoy glistened in the torch light.
Zara cowered in the corner and wrapped her cloak tightly around her.
"Who would have thought that my old friend Severus was capable of producing such a charming girl? You don't need to be afraid of me child, I'm not going to harm you. Quite the contrary." Malfoy drawled.
The Ravenclaw didn't know what to do. She couldn't go back any further because she was already pressed against the cold stone wall.
Malfoy walked slowly over to her and lifted her chin up, so he had to look in his storm-grey eyes.
The touch of his cold hands made her shiver.
"I could make sure that you get more comfortable quarters. All you need to do is..."
Zara swallowed hard when Lucius Malfoy whispered in her ear.
"Be nice to me and you will survive all this, refuse and you will die a very painful death"
Zara closed her eyes and resisted the urge to slap Malfoy across the face.
"What do you mean... be nice? I don't know how." she croaked and Malfoy's grip around her chin tightened.
"Oh trust me, my dear, I will teach you how to please me" he drawled. "I will give you a little bit of time to make up your mind."
He then flicked his wand and conjured a sandwich and a glass of water for her.
"I don't want my little doll to starve, do I?"
Zara grabbed the sandwich greedily, but when she was about to have the first bite, Malfoy grabbed her arm and his nails dug deep in her soft flesh.
"I recommend that you do my bidding when I return. Until then I will give you some insight on what you might have to face if you refuse."
Zara winced as she recognized blood dripping down her wrist.
Then Malfoy let her go and proceeded to the door.
The Ravenclaw was relieved that he left the torch. It wouldn't burn forever, but at least it would give her some light for a few hours.
"Where am I?" she asked anxiously.
"Why should I tell you? You are a Ravenclaw, find it out on your own" he sneered and left the room.
Zara recognized that he transfigured the wall into a door with stanchions, so that she could see the gloomy hallway.
She knew exactly what Malfoy wanted from her; she wasn't that naïve.
The question at hand was could she give herself to Malfoy to save her life and would he spare her if he got what he wanted?
She decided that she wouldn't dwell on it now and ate the sandwich. Although she was extremely thirsty, she wanted to save half of the water for later.
Eventually she had no idea when Malfoy would return.
When Zara put the glass back down, she felt the room getting colder and colder.
A terrible cold crept inside of her and it was harder for her to breath with every second. Then she heard a rattling noise outside her cell. It felt like someone was trying to drain the little hope and happiness she could feel in such a place out of the air around her.
The chillness that clenched her heart made her head spin and she groaned.
She heard Malfoy and Bellatrix in her head again. All the terrifying things that had happened since she was captured in Diagon Alley, replayed in her mind and she whimpered in fear.
The Ravenclaw tried to creep forward towards the door. Somebody had to help her, but after a few inches, she recognized the coldness increased the closer she came to the door.
Her whole body felt numb as she lay on the stone floor and her conscience was slipping away.
Dementors, was the last thought on her mind, before she drowned in the chillness around her.