Author's Notes: Here we go, another chapter edited, finally! We've hit the part of the story where my beta reader quit on me, so I'm editing it myself. Going back after finishing the first draft a year, I keep finding stuff and I'm scratching my head going, why did I write that again? then promptly changing it. It's been amusing.

Chapter 48

In the fading light of day something scurried from the woods. Zipping towards familiar ground it kept an eye out for predators. Cats would be around, along with a large black dog. If it ran into either predator an alarm would be raised. It didn't need that. There was too much to do, it couldn't afford to be caught. The prey it was stalking would come this way in time. It had patience enough to wait no matter what. Over the years it'd learned that patience and a subtle touch were necessary to accomplish its tasks. This would please its master if it worked correctly. They'd kill two birds with one stone.

"Where are you two headed?" Draco inquired wiping his hands on a towel. Heather smiled.

"Thought I'd take Cassie on a lil' walk." She slid her arm into her coat sleeve. "Give ya an' Harry some time alone."

"While I'm trying to cook?"

"If ya want her givin' ya pointers on how ta stir properly…" Heather began. Draco held up his hand.

"You're right, that coupled with Harry's nervous 'are you sure you can do that' litany would be too much," he agreed sourly.

After figuring out how to put in a small working kitchen in their quarters, Draco wanted to cook a meal for them. He'd even persuaded Harry to take a chance on his cooking, though it took several assurances from Cassie that Draco wasn't going to poison him before he agreed. Draco wasn't sure if his boyfriend had been teasing him or seriously was afraid of his cooking. Well, he was going to prove to the Auror that he could cook without disaster.

In New Zealand he and Heather used to take turns cooking meals. Draco mainly did weekends, including Friday night, while Heather did the rest of the week. After a number of catastrophes involving green macaroni and cheese, he'd figured out a few tricks. It didn't hurt that Heather kept interfering and, among other things, showed him how to bring water to a boil. Being at Hogwarts for the past four months, he realized how much he actually missed it. It was nice not having to prepare meals, but there were things that the House Elves just didn't make. Thai, Japanese, Chinese and local New Zealand cuisine were not on the menu in the Great Hall. So a small luncheon with some of the more exotic flavors sounded like a wonderful way for them to christen their new kitchen in Draco's mind.

"You'll be back in time to eat, won't you?" he asked as Cassie came charging up with her jacket on.

"Of course," Heather replied, adjusting her coat so that it lay right on her shoulders.

Draco smiled and ruffled Cassie's hair. "You excited that Papa will be joining us for a meal cooked by yours truly?"

"You make great tuna fish sandwiches. Better than Gran and Trina's." She beamed.

"But we're having something better than tuna." He winked at her. "We'll be having Whitebait omelets," he told her gently.

"For lunch? We usually have them for breakfast!" she exclaimed, surprised they would.

"Well, I thought it'd be a treat since they don't make them here and your Papa has never had them. I sent an owl to Nash and he sent me some Whitebait fish, frozen, via owl post."

"Yay! I like them." Suddenly she frowned and gave Draco a wary look. "You're using Gran's recipe, right?"

"Are you implying that I can't make an omelet as good as Gran's?" Draco sniffed, feigning indignity. The little girl hunched her shoulders a bit.

"No, but Gran hasn't burnt the omelets." Cassie put in shuffling her feet slightly. Draco chuckled.

"That's because Gran didn't start a grease fire. I'm impressed you remember that. You were three." He tussled her hair again. "Now off you go, I promise I won't burn it."

Heather smiled while Cassie straightened her hair so her bangs weren't in her eyes. With a wink at Draco, the Irish woman escorted her charge out the door and down the hall.

Heather wandered across the grounds with Cassie running a few steps ahead of her. The little girl paused every so often to look back, making sure she was still there before zipping off again. As long as she stayed within Heather's sight, all was well. They weren't going very far and the cool air was good for Cassie, the Irish woman reasoned admiring the Womping Willow briefly as they passed.

"We're going to see Hagrid aren't we?" Cassie asked hoping it was true. Heather nodded and smiled.

"Aye lass."

"I want to play fetch with Fang. It's fun!" She told her guardian playing a brief game of hopscotch while waiting for her. There wasn't actually a pattern there, but she could imagine well enough. Skipping on one foot then jumping on two, she bent down to pick up a small stone before turning around and coming back.

"Hagrid's been here a long time. He said he knew Daddy and Papa when they were first years." Balancing on one foot, she watched Heather walk past before hopping around on the same foot and continuing her game.

"That's true. He was 'ere when I went ta school too." Heather told her smiling sweetly at her goddaughter's antics.

"Really? You went to school at Hogwarts?"

Heather chuckled.

"I thought ya knew. Dumbledore was a Transfiguration professor when I was here."

Cassie shook her head. She didn't remember Heather having said she'd gone to Hogwarts, but it was the only magical school in British Isles and Ireland was next to Britain so she must have gone there. It was only logical. Did this mean that Heather was as old as Hagrid or younger? She didn't know that, but it didn't seem right to ask. Her godmother had gotten snippy with the last person who'd asked how old she was. Cassie guessed that after a while people got tired of telling other people their ages. Everyone should know how he or she was by that point. She just didn't know when that point was, but she reasoned it must be older than Draco because she knew his age.

The courtyard opened up and they found themselves on a path leading to the Care of Magical Creatures professor's hut. Hagrid was out tending his garden, which held the pumpkins that would be used for that years Halloween party. There were other vegetables still growing in the fading warmth of early October, but most of them had been harvested. Besides the pumpkins there were carrots, potatoes, squash and eggplants.

"Those pumpkins look lovely Hagrid," Heather called out waving to him. The half-giant beamed and straightened.

"Thank you Heather," he said sticking his pruning shears in the inside of his moleskin coat. " 'ad nice weather this year."

"Indeed," she replied noticing an umbrella leaning against the garden fence. Arching her eyebrow she gave him a curious look as he quickly turned his attention to Cassie. The little girl was still balancing on one foot, holding the other one with her hand. She'd hopped all the way there, challenging herself to see if she could make it. Since she had, she was now seeing how long she could hold her position.

"Well 'ello Cassie."

"Hi Hagrid. Big pumpkins. Can I play with Fang?" She inquired tilting to the right. Waggling between one side of her foot and the other, she over corrected and lost her balance. Stumbling forward, she fell and caught herself before connecting with the ground. Trying to disguise her snickering, Heather asked if she was all right as Hagrid laughed heartily beside her.

"I'm fine," Cassie replied wiping her hands on her skirt. She shook her head at the adults not understanding what they found so funny. "Where's Fang?"

"He's inside," Hagrid told her still grinning broadly. "Just open tha door an' 'e'll come out." She nodded and strode to the hut as if she were on a mission of great importance. Heather just shook her head.

"She's quite a cutie. The boys'll be after 'er when she's older," Hagrid said wistfully turning back to his garden. "I don't know what Harry's goin' ta do."

"He and Draco will figure it out when the time comes. 'til then they have time ta enjoy her innocence," Heather replied. "They'll be fine. I have always had great confidence in Draco." Noticing a watering can, she took out her wand and levitated it to her. "Here, let me help ya." He nodded his thanks as he pulled the pruning shears out and went back to clipping back some of the dead pea vines.

They heard Cassie call Fang's name and the great dog bark in return. The hut door slammed shut as they exited causing Heather to flinch slightly at the crashing sound. She hoped it was sturdier than it sounded. Hagrid didn't seem to mind at all and continued his work.

Finding a medium sized stick amongst the kindling in the woodpile, Cassie waved it in front of the dog a couple times before throwing.

"FETCH," She commanded. The dark charcoal hound turned and charged after it, returning moments later with it clenched in his teeth. Pulling it out of his mouth, she shook off the slobber and threw it again. "FETCH." Fang happily swung around and ran after it again.

After several minutes of this, Cassie grew bored and decided to switch directions. Instead of throwing the stick in front of her, she tossed it behind. Fang whimpered and looked at her expectantly. Holding out her hands to show him she didn't have it, he sniffed them once and then put his nose to the ground. Snuffling about he finally located the stick and retrieved it. Taking it once more, she turned around and threw it with all her strength.

It sailed into the air, smacked into the roof of the hut and bounced off landing on the opposite side.

"Uh oh," Cassie whispered. Casting a worried glance at the adults, she was relieved to see they hadn't noticed. "Come on Fang, we better get it." The dog was already trotting off. Catching up to him, Cassie rounded the corner of the cottage. She couldn't see it anywhere. Getting down on her hands and knees she began searching the tall grass around the hut while Fang sniffed the area nearby.

The dog suddenly gave a short yip causing her to lift her gaze. Something grabbed her. Hands wrapped over her mouth and her middle. They lifted her up. She struggled, thrashing wildly in desperation. No, not the bad men! Not again! She tried to bite, but the villain's hand was clamped so tightly that she could barely move her jaw. Kicking, she battered her captor's legs but to no use.

"Be still brat, no one's going to help you," Pettigrew snarled hauling her to a non-descript stone. He'd spent days setting it up as a portkey after spending a month observing the child's movements. He'd chosen this spot because of the aura of safety it had for everyone. Nothing bad could happen at Hagrid's hut. It was perfect. The dog was no threat; it was already turning tail and fleeing. His crying would alert Heather and Hagrid though, so he had to move quickly.

Managing to keep a firm hold on an otherwise slippery child, he touched the stone and was transported. With a sigh of relief he felt her freeze. The sight of Lucius' private study was enough to make anyone start, but it was the face of Lucius himself that made her shrink back against him.

"You've brought her. Good," Lucius purred resting his elbows on his desk. Cassie watched in terror as her grandfather graced her with a malicious smile. "It's time she met our master."