The Parent Trap

Chapter 22: A special place: Past and Present. By Clayre

Albus and Minerva were frantic with worry, the school had been searched from top to bottom and the girls had not been found. Minerva had contacted Abigail's friends who had not seen her since a few weeks before and Albus had contacted Aberforth who had flooed straight over to help.

Minerva was pacing up and down the living room, turning sharply when she reached the end of the giant rug. The girls had been missing for five hours now and it was dark, Albus knew that Evie knew her way around the school and grounds but what if something had happened to one of them. He was trying to think where they might run too but nothing was coming to mind that hadn't already been checked. It was possible that walls of Hogwarts were protecting them and had created a room for them to stay till they wanted to be found. Both he and Minerva had experienced the thoughtfulness of the school in the later stages of their courtship and early days of their marriage, they had been grateful to escape from the busy school and find a quiet room that no one else would be aware of.

"I need to speak with that woman!" hissed Minerva, she was distraught and her eyes glowed with annoyance and anger.

"She is refusing to see us Minerva." Albus answered with a frustrated sigh.

"Which obviously means that she has done something to them," snapped Minerva "I want my daughters Albus."

"As do I.," he replied

"Then why aren't you doing ANYTHING!" she yelled, her temper getting the better of her.

Albus looked at her with surprise, in all the years he had known her, he had never heard her yell before. They had had arguments in the past but she had always kept a level head and remained cool and collective. He supposed that it was due to the fact their daughters were missing that she wasn't able to keep a rein on her emotions. He was struggling to control his own emotions as well, he wanted to storm up to the infirmary and shake Nicholette Cline till she told him what she had done with their daughters. He had already tried to get past the medi witch but had been told that Nicholette needed to rest and that she was exhausted. Albus couldn't have cared less about Nicholette and her exhaustion, he wanted answers.

He rose from his chair silently and made his way towards Minerva, he carefully reached out and placed his hands on her hips. When she didn't resist him, he made the bold move of pulling her towards him and then wrapping his arms around her. She was stiff in his arms at first but after a few moments, he felt her body relax and then felt her own arms wrap around him. She rested her head on his shoulder and sniffed.

"I am sorry for yelling at you," she whispered "I just don't know what to do."

"Lets go and see if Nicholette is able to answer our questions now." He suggested, he dearly hoped that she would tell them what had happened so they could find their daughters and be reunited as a family again.

Silently they broke apart and walked hand in hand towards the infirmary, they walked purposely and their steps matched one another. Albus pushed opened the double doors that led to the clean hospital wing and his eyes fell upon the Charms professor who seemed to be recovering extremely well. She seemed to be smiling to herself but that soon changed as she noticed that she had visitors.

"Professor Cline," started Albus, he sounded professional and curt "regardless to the situation that preceded your visit to the infirmary, I would like to know what has happened to my daughters."

Nicholette Cline looked from Albus to Minerva and then back at Albus before speaking, she was trying to formulate a plan to get her out of the sticky situation that she presently found herself in.

"You haven't seen them?" she asked shakily

"No," answered Minerva sternly "we haven't seen them since they left the picnic. Obviously they bumped into you and you did something to them so I suggest you tell us what you have done or Merlin help you when I get my hands on you!"

Nicholette flinched at the harsh tone that the black haired witch before her had used while talking to her; she looked at Albus and spoke to him rather than to the both of them.

"I have done nothing to the girls," she answered "they did something to me which I think is obvious since I am here in bed after being found at the bottom of the stairs."

Albus felt Minerva grip hold of his hand; he could tell that she was angry that the woman was blaming two eleven-year-old girls. Albus squeezed her hand and glanced at her, he caught her eye and saw the determination in them.

"I find it hard to believe that my…our girls would knowingly harm a fellow witch," began Minerva "what have you done with them?"

"I hate to tell you this Ms Dumbledore or what ever you call yourself," replied Nicholette "but your girls aren't as perfect as you seem to think. They are spoilt brats who deserve a few harsh lessons in life."

"HOW DARE YOU!" yelled Minerva as she leapt forward, Albus only just managed to wrap his arms around her waist and prevent her from striking Nicholette.

"Professor Cline," said Albus sternly as he struggled to keep a hold of Minerva "you have no right to pass judgement on two girls who you know nothing about. I suggest you tell us what happened."

"All I will tell you is that I have done nothing to those brats," she spat back "but I might have done if I had been given a chance."

Albus increased his hold on Minerva as the words fell from Nicholette's mouth; she smiled at the smugly and then turned her back to them.

"If you have touched even one hair on their heads," he warned "you will be finding yourself on your way to the ministry faster than you can say charms."

Nicholette remained silent and closed her eyes, she had to admit that she had enjoyed getting under Minerva's skin and getting the reaction she did, had been the icing on the cake. If only Albus hadn't been quick enough to restrain his estranged wife, Nicholette should have taken her to the ministry for assault.

Albus managed to get Minerva out of the infirmary without her going for Nicholette and she glared at him when he finally let her go. She stood before him, her hands resting on her hips and her emerald green eyes boring into him.

"How could you have someone like that, working with children," she hissed "did you and Armando not vet each candidate properly? If she has hurt them, I lay all the blame at your feet Albus Dumbledore."

Albus chose to ignore her biting words, he knew that they were probably said because emotions were high and they seemed to be getting nowhere. Albus wracked his brain, if the twins weren't in the castle or in the grounds; there was only one other place that they might go. Evie knew that Forbidden Forest was out of bounds but then if she thought she was in trouble that would be the last place that they would look for her.

"They might have gone into the forest!" he said softly, he didn't want to raise alarm but he knew that the mere mention of the forest would cause alarm to Minerva.

"Oh Merlin," she gasped, her hand going over her mouth as she tried to keep herself together "it's dark Albus. What if something happens to them? We must find them Albus."

"They would look for shelter I am sure," he said calmly as he tried to think of the obvious places to shelter in the forest "come on lets get down there and look."

They hurried down towards the forest, holding hands without even realising it. They were gaining strength from one another and instead of panicking, they were now on a mission and their blood was pumping fast through their bodies. They reached the edge of the forest and called out their daughter's names, their voices seemed to echo in the darkness and they received no answer back.

"What about the unicorn clearing!" suggested Minerva softly?

"That offers a wonderful place to hide and not be found," answered Albus, who tried to push memories of their visits to that clearing out of his mind because they were searching for their daughters.

Albus believed that the girls had been conceived the night, he had taken Minerva to see the unicorns. They had sat for hours in the shelter, waiting for the unicorns to appear and they watched in silence as the unicorns appeared with their young to drink from the brook that ran through the clearing. It had been so romantic that night and as it wore on, they had made love under the stars and shortly after that night, Minerva had announced that she was pregnant and Albus had matched the number of weeks she was with their trip to the clearing. The place had always had a special place in his hearts as had unicorns, that was partly the reason why he had brought them unicorns as babies. The meaning of the unicorns held a special meaning for husband and wife.

"Let's get there quickly then Albus!" said Minerva as she broke into his thoughts.

TO BE CONTINUED