The next day dawned bright and cold, with hoar frost clinging to everything, turning it into a glittering wonderland. Once again, Rhiannon dressed warmly, gathered her trunk, her broom, and Aponi's cage, and went to meet Draco in the common room.
He was standing by the fire place, dressed in unrelieved black, staring deep into the blazing fire. Draco looked up when he heard Rhi clamor down the stairs. "Why do you have your broom?" he asked her.
"Umm, so I can fly to Wiltshire with you, unless you want to carry me, and my things on your broom," Rhi told him.
A smile played on Draco's lips. "We're not flying with brooms, you won't need it," he said to her.
"Then how are we going to get there?" Rhi questioned him.
"You'll see," he said, and took her broom from her, handing it to Pansy. "Make sure this gets put back up with Rhi's things for me," he told her, and then took Rhiannon's trunk from her.
Interlocking his fingers with hers, the walked out of the castle together, where a carriage was parked, the wheels exchanged for skis, pulled by two huge black horses that were so dark, their coats sent flashes of blue back into one's eyes. "Draco, those are Night-mares. How did you get them? They turn into your worst fear and devour your soul."
"My father tamed them by standing against his worst fear," he said, handing Rhi's trunk to the footman along with his own. "Come inside before you get too cold," he told her and helped her into the carriage.
What looked to be a tiny, average sized carriage on the outside, was large and luxurious on the inside, complete with a roaring fire contained in a black marble fire place. A house elf came scurrying over when they entered. "Is there anything Tweak can do for the young master?" he asked as he took Draco and Rhiannon's cloaks, blinking his large, lamp-like eyes, and hung them up in the closet.
"No Tweak," Draco said, turning his ice cold eyes on the house-elf. "We're fine. Go make yourself useful until you are needed," he told Tweak.
"Yes master," Tweak said in his high-pitched voice, and scurried off.
"You should be nicer to them you know," Rhi said to Draco. "One day there might be a house-elf revolution, and they'll come back to get you," she said teasingly.
Draco rolled his eyes and said sardonically, "like I would ever be afraid of a house-elf. Please Rhi, with the power my family has, we are untouchable," he said, taking her hand and leading her to the luxuriously over-stuffed couch that sat in front of the magnificent fire place. "Also," he said, sitting on the couch with Rhi. "You know as well as I do that house elves have to obey us. They have no choice. We could tell one to steal a dragon's egg as the mother watches, and they wouldn't be able to refuse."
Rhi laughed at him. "Draco, that's mean, even for you."
"Oh no it's not. Trust me on this one. Since you I haven't been mean enough, you've corrupted me I'm afraid," he said dramatically.
"Like hell I did," Rhiannon said, shoving him gently. "I didn't make you do anything that you didn't want to do."
"You did so," he told her. "I haven't harassed Potter half as much as I usually do. You're turning me soft woman."
She elbowed him lightly. "I have not, you're still the evil Draco Malfoy you've always been."
He grabbed her and hugged her tightly to him, her back pressed to her front, "and don't you ever forget it either Miss Brandy," he said. Draco was about to kiss her when Dumbledore's phoenix, Fawkes appeared flying next to the window.
Tweak rushed over to open it, and when he did, Fawkes flew in and dropped a letter on the table in front of the over stuffed couch, and then settled next to it.
Smiling, Rhi untwined herself from Draco's arms and walked over to open the letter, stroking Fawkes' head as she did do.
Draco watched as the smile that was on Rhi's face slowly fell, her skin pale to almost translucent, her black eyes turn bright as they filled with tears that she refused to allow fall.
"Rhi, what's wrong?" Draco asked her, but she just shook her head and walked around the carriage as if she was lost, one hand pressed to her lips, the other falling limply to her side, loosely grasping the parchment.
"No," he heard her whisper, over and over again. "No, no, no, they're not missing. They're at Hogwarts with Grandfather. This letter is a fake."
Draco walked over to her, and gently grabbed her face in his hands, tilting it up to look at him, and the look in her eyes caused his heart to shatter. "Rhi, what's wrong? Tell me what happened Beloved."
Rhiannon slowly shook her head and handed him the parchment that Fawkes had delivered. Keeping one arm around her, Draco took the letter from Rhi's limp fingers and read it slowly. Pixie, it said. Your parents have gone missing, and there is talk of He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named being behind it. Please do not worry, they will be found soon. Fawkes is to look for them after delivering this to you. Love, Your Grandfather.
"Rhi, I'm so sorry. Ca--,"
Just the Tweak showed up. "Young master, we have arrived, the Master and Mistress are waiting for you."
"Can't you see I'm busy?" Draco snarled at the house elf, causing Tweak to quiver in fear. Then he turned back to Rhi and soothed her with gentle words and caresses. "Come Rhi, we have to meet my parents, we can talk to my father about this, he might know something that can be done."
Rhi nodded and numbly followed Draco out of the carriage and up the front steps of the daunting manor that he called home.
Walking up to the huge dark wood doors, Draco slipped Rhi's hand into his own and squeezed it tightly in reassurance. "it's going to be okay, my father will know what to do. I promise you Rhi."
Rhiannon just nodded and stared straight ahead as they entered the manor and made their way through the halls and over the gleaming black marble floors. Draco led her through corridors which she would have stared at in wonder at the brilliant murals that covered them. Instead, she walked a step behind Draco, her head down, her expression solemn and grave.
He slowed his pace slightly and slipped his hand into Rhi's, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "You okay?" he asked her as they entered the magnificent room in which his parents sat.
Rhi nodded slightly, but stared straight ahead at Lucius and Narcissa. "Ah," Lucius said. "You've arrived. How was the trip?"
"It was fine Father," Draco replied, but before he could say anything else, Rhiannon turned and marched quickly from the room, back to the front foyer of the mansion. She grabbed at her trunk which the house-elf Tweak was struggling to carry in, and threw the lid open, digging through it with a purpose.
Finally, she pulled out a little black velvet pouch that had hour glasses embroidered in silver all over it. Draco came running out after her. "Rhi, what in the bloody hell are you doing? You just walked out on my parents, for that little bag!" he exclaimed. "What is it anyway?"
"It's the Sands of Time, Draco. I'm going to find my parents one way, or another, with help or without it," she replied and ran out the front door to stand in the middle of the vibrantly emerald lawn.
Drawing open the sack, she gathered a large handful of the Sands, and placed the little bag on the ground by her feet. Straightening, she tilted her head slightly to one side, and ran the Sands from her left hand, into her right in a continuous stream. Then Rhi tilted her head the other way, and ran the Sands from her right hand into her left. She then leveled her head and streamed half of the Sands back into her right hand.
Straightening her arms out at her sides, with her palms up, she opened her tightly fisted hands. A wild, furious wind kicked up, blowing the Sands and yanking her hair free from the neat tail that had trailed down her back. Tilting back her head, she spun in a counter clockwise circle, as she chanted.
"Dust and grime, Sands of Time, take me back to the scene of the crime," and as she did, the winds died down, and what appeared to be a very peculiar, and large mirror, appeared in front of her.
Rhiannon watched as a wizard with the new mark of a Death Eater descended upon her parents, paralyzing her mother first, and then her father. She watched, with the expression on her face as cold and hard as stone, as the new Death Eater brutalized her parents, physically and magically. As Rhi watched, a single tear slid down her ivory face.
Wiping it away quickly, she captured the image of the wizard in a frame, and marched back into the mansion, to stand in front of Lucius and Narcissa once more.
"You have some nerve acting so rudely in this house," Lucius said coldly. "You will be lucky if you're permitted to stay. Now, tell me why I shouldn't send you back to your parents."
Rhiannon threw the frame to the black marble floor, causing it to chatter in a soundless explosion of light. As the frame shattered, a life-sized image of the wizard appeared. "Tell me who this man is, and I'll escort myself to the door," Rhi told him, her gaze locked on his and completely unwavering.
"Why should it matter who he is? Or furthermore, you uncouth child, why should I tell you who he is? You've been arrogant since you set foot in our door."
Taking a deep breath, Rhiannon visibly calmed herself. "He has my parents, and I think he's going to kill them, maybe use a blood magic ritual and steal their powers. Tell me who he is, and I'll leave."
Lucius laughed. "What does a child know of blood magic? And what could you possibly do against him, even if you did find him?"
"Blood magic is the magic that is created by the spilling of an innocent's blood. It is then absorbed by the witch or wizard performing the ritual, and can be stored or used, but either way, it is passed onto a chosen heir. To even stand in a room where a ritual has been performed is enough to stop the heart of an individual and condemn them to the pits of Hell."
"Well," Lucius said, "it seems you know what you're talking about. What makes you think I know who he is?"
"Because, you're Lucius Malfoy, you either intimidate or control nearly every individual in the magical world. I know that you know who he is."
"Fine, his name is Alistair leFae, but you have to find him yourself."
Rhiannon glared coldly at Lucius for a brief moment, then spun on her heel and marched swiftly out of Malfoy Manor.