Updated: Wednesday 9th February 2005, in honour of Haley Carr's Birthday
Disclaimers: See Chapter One
Black Light
By Dante Lewis
Chapter Nineteen: Something Once Forgotten
It was several months after Estella's sixth birthday. The child, for the past semester, had been attending a prestigious day school in Hogsmeade, one of the only all-wizarding preparatory schools in Europe. The issue was cause of much consternation between her guardian and others interested in her welfare. Severus, on one hand, had been extremely adverse to sending Estella away from the sanctuary of Hogwarts' protective wards unaccompanied by either himself or one of the few people he entrusted her safety to. Most Wizarding children (especially those with muggle heritage) either received their elementary education in the Muggle school system or were home schooled by their mothers. The wealthier, predominantly prejudicial pureblood families on the other hand, often employed the services of highly qualified magic tutors to give their child a distinct academic advantage and ensure their admittance to Hogwarts. Severus and Selina themselves, had of course been afforded the best tutors of their day; and Severus anticipated that the same principles would be best applied in regards to his niece's educational development.
Estella's godfather, however, had different ideas; and was wholly supported by Albus. Both believed that Estella would benefit greatly from not only socialising with peers her own age, but also the experience of an academic environment segregated from Hogwarts. While Severus did not care much for the opinion of a simple half-breed whose presence he would never tolerate socially if not for his niece, the Potions Master, did, however, hold Albus' input in high esteem. He was also secretly willing to admit, begrudgingly, that what the headmaster and infernal werewolf were suggesting was a proposal that Selina herself most likely would have assented to. And so, for that foreshadowing fact alone, Severus relented and agreed to send Estella to day-school.
The first few weeks were hard. Not only was Estella accustomed to spending all of her time within the Hogwarts grounds, but she had never been without the reassuring company of either her Uncle or Godfather. Severus too, although he would be remiss to admit it, was feeling her absence also. He no longer had a precocious young child to tear his attention away from the students he couldn't stand at lunchtime, nor would he feel the familiar warmth of the child's presence beside him in the halls between classes, or see her in his peripheral vision as she occupied herself diligently in her corner of his classroom while he taught. No, Severus would have been much happier for Estella to be tutored by himself or another in a manner that would have ensured that their standing routine would have remained unchanged.
And so the routine changed. Each morning after an early breakfast in the sanctum of their private quarters, Severus would accompany Estella across the Hogwarts grounds for the short walk into Hogsmeade. From the Hogwarts gates, he would then save them a lengthy walk through the village by apparating them both to the school's apparition point, the kiss-and-drop. After school each day Estella would then be met by Rubeus Hagrid, the large groundskeeper of Hogwarts who would collect her whilst in the village running errands. Estella would then walk through the village with the overbearingly gentle half-giant, getting a daily dose of fresh air and exercise, and in drawing the time out until she was due to return to her uncle's care, enabling him to complete his teaching duties before her return.
While Severus regretted that he had responsibilities at Hogwarts on most afternoons that rendered him unable to collect Estella from Hogsmeade everyday, he found himself refreshingly racked with anticipation each time he stepped through the threshold of the private quarters he shared with his niece. His quarters were closely guarded with a plethora of wards he had designed to ensure Estella's safety at all times. Anything that posed a potential threat to a curious, unsupervised child were locked away and the wards were structured to alert him in the unlikely event of emergency. In turn, Estella only had to send for Lena if she required nutrients or assistance in remedial tasks. The eager, ever faithful former Hufflepuff house elf was the only elf trusted enough to enter through the complex wards of his quarters when he himself was not present.
Severus reflected appreciably at his fortune of having a niece in his care who was so level headed and reliably well behaved. Despite her tender age, Severus was comfortable to leave the child to her own devices in their quarters for he not only trusted the child to abide by the rules, but he trusted the wards – and the ever-loyal house elf's intuitive sense of preservation - to adequately contain the child. Of course, he did not habitually leave Estella alone, nor was it ever his intent to leave the child without supervision, it was merely a last resort he had confidence in implementing when circumstances sent a unexpected bludger his way and kept him from returning home early enough to welcome her arrival. That way, on the occasions that Severus was running late, he would not have to spend additional time arranging alternative care for his niece, he could just return when he was free to do so, safe in the knowledge that his niece would be home waiting for him with enough protection and activities to keep her out of harm's way.
Severus was soon to realise, however, that no plan was ever completely infallible. It was an abnormally frosty day in early spring that saw everything change. The day had started off like any other. Severus had roused Estella at the usual time and left her to don her regulatory navy blue school robes while he ordered a light breakfast for them both from the house elves. Breakfast was uneventful, with Estella prattling off with her usual chatter about the things she was going to do at school that day and Severus sipping his black, steaming coffee, bent over that morning's edition of the Daily Prophet. The cold fresh air assaulted their faces as he walked briskly across the dewy Hogwarts grounds, Estella keeping up with him at a slight run, her shallow, warm breaths visible on her flush features as they came in short bursts, dispersing into the cold air. Their parting was routine, and Severus went about his day unfazed.
"Estella!" Severus called out in welcome as he crossed the threshold of their quarters later that afternoon. "I apologise for my tardiness, there was a potions incident in my last class that required immediate attention."
When he could hear no rapid approach of feet or verbal response from his niece, Severus set down his paperwork on a nearby shelf and scanned the room, frowning. He was almost an hour late, which was unheard of, but surely the child was perceptive enough to deduce that it was nothing personal and had suitably refrained from sulking. "Estella?" He called out questioningly.
'Perhaps she is napping in her room?' he mused, as he made to cross the living area towards his niece's closed door. He instead, however, froze, mid-step as his body registered the stale cool ambient temperature of the room. In an effort to maximise the strength of the magical protection surrounding the school the castle conserved energy by only heating of cooling its room when a person was present in them. If Estella was indeed asleep in the next room, the living area would not be in such a state.
An increasing sense of foreboding gripping around his heart, Severus sought out any sign of his niece's return from school. No fresh artwork lay scattered on the table by his armchair waiting to be appraised. No dirty dishes from the child's afternoon tea lay neatly stacked for collection by the hearth. Then, most tellingly, Estella's book bag was missing from its hook. With each sign that failed to reveal itself, Severus felt the constriction in his chest tighten as panic began to set in. He was, by now, rigidly searching the rooms of their quarters for any sign of his niece, his mind unwilling to accept that indeed no one had been in the rooms since morning.
Estella was gone.
End Chapter Nineteen: Something Once Forgotten