Chapter Fifteen: Stolen

March could quite possibly be the ugliest month of the year. Hogsmead was a muddy affair with baron trees and a cold wind. Arm – in – arm Severus and Evelyn walked. The chill drew them together and caused the pair to don mufflers and gloves. The long tendrils of their scarves whipped around behind them, green and yellow winding in the wind.

"I hate March." Evelyn said her hair was being tormented by the wind; it flew about her face and got in her eyes and mouth.

"Tis the death month." Agreed Severus, his hair was treating him no better.

"Tis?" Evelyn asked, "That's just fruity." Shouts and screams filled the air; Severus' reply was lost in them. Evelyn took off running as best she could in her thin heeled boots, Severus was right behind her. Evelyn came to a halt when her dainty heel broke, sending her into a large puddle of mud. Severus came to a skidding halt beside her. Pulling her up to his side, they both surveyed the sight in front of them. The burly, blonde, Hufflepuff, LeRoy, was hurling spells randomly into an empty cadet blue sky. Two brunette Ravenclaws were embraced off to the side, their mouths were gapping as they too focused on the sky. Neville was flat on his back.

"What the hell?" Evelyn cried, unable to contain herself. She stepped out of Severus' arms and hurriedly hobbled to Neville's side.

"He's been stunned." The Ravenclaw girl said, not leaving her boyfriend. Severus, who had finished telling LeRoy to can the curses kneeled beside Evelyn and revived the stunned Longbottom. He came up swinging.

"Mudderfraker!" He yelled, barely missing Severus as he swung his fists.

"Snap out of it Mister Longbottom!" Severus said pinning his arms and making the young man calm himself. Several breaths later Neville was collected enough to be returned to his feet.

"Now," Evelyn said, "What happened?" They all began talking at once. Neville and LeRoy were livid, Madison and Christopher, the Ravenclaws, were more worried than angry.

"Sonofabitch took her!" Neville was yelling.

"We can't believe it!" Madison was saying. LeRoy couldn't even speak; he just shook his fist and growled.

"Who took who?" Severus asked. Where was Tessa, this was her group. He wondered.

"Tessa. He took TESSA." Neville growled no one had ever seen him in such a state before.

"Who took Tessa?" Evelyn asked Severus was too much in shock to say anything. Someone had kidnapped Tessa. His heart beat faster and adrenalin began to course through him. He felt the same way Neville did.

"That cock – sucking, shit for brains, fag – ass, Slytherin!" LeRoy spat. Ezra. Severus knew it.

"Everyone calm down." Evelyn said, she was shaking but her voice was holding well. "We are no help to Tessa if we are so scatter brained. We'll go up to the castle and get this sorted out."

"Sorted out? Sorted out? This isn't a first year tussle, that creep took Tessa. He took Tessa and I couldn't do a damn thing. I didn't even get to tell her that I. Love. Her." Neville cried, his face was beat red but there was also large, fat tears falling from his eyes.

"If we don't see Dumbledore then we won't know where to start looking for Ezra, we won't have a plan or a team and we won't be any closer to finding Tessa. Now move. All of you." Severus said, he was over his initial immobilizing shock and was now ready for action. Ezra Paul Kriechen was going to have to answer to him. The four students followed Severus back to the castle with Evelyn taking up the rear of the party. Everyone in it was in some form of confusion, hysterics, anger, or all three.

"I wanted to talk to Tessa. I had to; I was feeling so terrible about the fight. I figured that if she was with her friends they would make her listen, or there would at least be witnesses to my apology. I had just gotten her stopped and the four of then listening to me when he came. He tried to send me away like I was the pest, Tessa told him to go away and he started talking like how he should never go away because being a part would be terrible for all and that they were meant to be and how he would take her away from this all and they could live happily ever after and so on. I tried to tell him that I was the one; Tessa was getting all weird, kinda frightened, the creep kept pawing at her. I shoved him away and he whipped out his wand. He froze her and hopped on the broom that he must've summoned, I tried to stop him but he stunned me. That's all I really remember. I love her, Professor, I really do love her. You got to let me help you find her." Neville told Evelyn. She, Severus, Minerva, and Albus were holding individual inquiries trying to get a clear, uninterrupted story on what happened. Evelyn had Neville in her office; he was almost inconsolable, nursing tears and a cup of tea.

"Its gunna be all right Neville. She'll be just fine. Tessa is a smart and tough girl." Evelyn reassured the boy in the process reassuring herself as well.

Meanwhile…

"I don't know if I should help you, you did give me a C on that last potions exam." Madison Carson said crossing her arms over her chest and narrowing her eyes at the man across the table from her. They were sitting in an empty class room, Severus was trying to find out what she knew but Madison was successfully avoiding talking to him.

"I suggest, Miss Carson, that you do help me, because your aid is the only way that we can get Tessa safely back." Severus said through clenched teeth. He was losing patents with the girl. She was her friend, she should be falling all over herself to help, not be reserved and cryptic. Didn't the little bitch want to help? He couldn't believe the girl, her friend was in trouble, and she was thinking about herself! Madison sighed heavily and brushed a wayward strand of auburn out of her face.

"Neville tracked us down. There where you found us. He was serious about getting her back, I'm glad; she's been unbearable since they broke up. Real depressed, unlike her normal self, way moodier too, we got into tons of fights between then and now. Today was the first normal acting day out of her in a long while; she was actually trying not to think about him. Anyway he came and started apologizing and stuff. But then in the middle of it all Ezra comes and all of a sudden Tessa was thrown over the handle of a broom like some cloak and the creep's kicking off. Roy started firing curses and hexes at them but was either blocked or deliberately missed because he would've hit Tessi. The creep was using her as a shield. Neville got stunned and Chris grabbed me to keep me safe. And that's how that tune goes." Madison said. There was something in her eyes that was telling him that she wasn't saying everything.

"Is there anything else?" Severus asked.

"Just that I hope someone kills that Shithead, sorry professor, that bad person, because he's been bringing Tessa down since day one. She's had serious problems and I'm tired of advising them for her. All she ever talked about the first like three years was her and her boy troubles. How conceded, I have issues that need attention too you know. Where's my love. But she was just so drama all the time." Severus couldn't believe his ear, what human could actually say something like that, what friend! His hands clenched in fists and he took deep breaths through his nose to calm himself.

"I can't believe that Tessa is friends with you, are you listing to what you are saying or are you too self absorbed to give a damn about anyone other than yourself?" Severus asked snappishly. Madison looked hard into his dark eyes, and then unexpectedly her cerulean eyes filled with tears. The young woman crumpled into sobs. Severus just looked on bewildered.

"Oh, Professor, I can't believe I said that either, I don't honestly believe all that. I just promised her that I would never tell anyone about what happened to her. He was stalking her, it was scary. I was afraid for her and I knew that she was fearful as well. After a while she would stop talking to me about it, she stopped tell anyone, just locked it up all in side. It was killing her, I know it, but she was determined to put on a happy face and ignore it. I watched them for three years, Tessa running and Ezra chasing. I tried my best to help her, but I didn't want to alarm her or make her mad, she had enough on her plate, she didn't need a fight with me added. But then Valentine's Day happened." Madison blubbered. Now he was getting somewhere. The sixth year raised her head and he handed her his handkerchief she wiped her runny eyes and make up on it then blew her nose with a honk.

"Valentine's Day?" He asked. Miss Carson nodded handing the cloth, now soaked, back.

"It must've been after she blew up at Neville. I found her in Myrtle's bathroom, crying. I asked her what had happened. She was sad, no crushed, over Neville, but I haven't spent six years by her side to believe that that was it. She was too emotional to keep it under her hat or in this case her bag. She pulled out this pink envelope. There was this card from Ezra. It was the mushiest Valentine's Day card you could possibly get, not even my parents would touch it. And inside was all this creepy wedding stuff, he had drawn this picture of them on a wedding cake, he wasn't a very good artist but you couldn't mistake it. It was like the Phantom of the Opera. He also had like, your future address, written in it. It had her so freaked. I couldn't think about it. And now and now look! He's kidnapped her. He's gunna do something, I know it." The Ravenclaw relapsed into bawling sobs.

"Your future address? Madison, where is the card!" Severus cried. It would have where he was taking Tessa.

"I didn't want it. I didn't want her to have it. So I sucked it up and dealed with it, it was more important for her to have piece of mind, so I took it. I wanted to burn it, but I couldn't, I guess it was fate, but I just couldn't get rid of it. So I gave it to Roy, he's braver than I am, he promised to protect her." Madison said. She was quiet but then cried out, "Oh! I should've let Roy pond Ezra after he read the card! I should've let him kill the prat!" For the third time Madison Carson shed tears.

Albus Dumbledore stood in his office restraining with some effort a rebellious LeRoy James.

"Now really Mr. James, anger is not going to solve anything." He said, eventually after a long staring contest, in which the young Hufflepuff lost, the boy took his seat.

"What exactly happened?" Albus asked.

"Where do you want me to start that creep's been giving our Tessi trouble from the start. I've been itching to pound him for ages, now not even Mad will argue with me." LeRoy said cracking his knuckles. He was livid.

"Violence is not the answer. I'm sure Miss Melee will be quite all right, she is a very talented young woman. I would just like to know what happened today, and if you have any idea where she might be." Just then Severus burst into the room; he had dashed all the way from his interview room to the office.

"Mister James, we need to go to your room right now." Severus said impatiently, he was already put out by the slow place.

"Severus, what is this about, Mr. James and I haven't had a chance to talk yet." Albus asked.

"Maddy told you about the card? Will that help?" LeRoy asked looking between his professors.

"Yes. Let's go!" Severus said. LeRoy stood and lead the way and Dumbledore followed, giving Severus an 'explain this' look.

"Miss Carson gave Mr. James a card that she had taken from Miss Melee that might tell us where Mr. Kriechen has taken off to." Severus told the older man.

"I see." The man replied. The three men met Madison outside of the office and the four of them went straight to the Hufflepuff commons. LeRoy went in as the rest weighted outside. Eventually LeRoy returned to the group holding the pink card that Madison had described. The girl took one look at it and her knees buckled. Severus caught her arm and stabilized her until she regained control. Dumbledore took the card and Severus looked over his shoulder. There was the drawing in all its shitty glory, Madison was right, Ezra couldn't draw worth a damn. Tessa was pictured with emphasize on her blonde hair and chest, the dress was an elaborate mass of symbols and bows. Not even a blind man would subject a person to that monstrosity.

Meanwhile…

"Is she going to be alright, Professor?" The tall brunette Ravenclaw boy asked worriedly as he fidgeted with his earring.

"I don't know I believe she will, but we need to find her." Minerva McGonagall – Dumbledore said sitting in her sitting room, the one allotted as a member of the staff, not the one she actually avidly used.

"I don't understand what happened, it happened really fast. I couldn't do anything." He said. He looked pretty broken up about it.

"I'm sure that there was nothing that you could've done anyway." Minerva assured the young man.

"It still doesn't feel right. I should've done more, earlier; he's given her trouble before. I told him to take a hike once, I should've paid closer attention after that." He was determined to blame himself for the mess. His face was hidden in his hands.

"Our first three years she was having trouble with him, bad vibes that kinda stuff he seemed to always pop up, and then afterwards her mood would plummet. We would've done way more stuff but she would feel sick. I got tired of it so one third year day I told him to take a long walk on a short pier and not to bother us again. I thought he had. Maddy was still uneasy about it, but she's paranoid about some things. She gets the same way when she smells a relationship. And now look at this mess."

Later that evening the faculty and staff of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry sat in an emergency meeting. Dumbledore laid out what they knew it was now down to who should go. Mr. and Mrs. Melee's notification was already half way to their home by that time.

"Neville is desperate to go, and I don't see why he shouldn't the boy loves her.
Evelyn said. Nobody objected to seriously.

"He wouldn't have to do anything other than be there for her. No magic." Severus agreed the only flaw with bringing Neville would be his abominable skills with his wand. It was decide, Neville would go.

"Who else then?" Bethany Marcus asked.

"You're the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." Sinistra pointed out, "I think that you should go."

"I agree." Said Dumbledore. "I will go as well. Minerva can run the school in my place."

"I'm going too." Severus said. He was to be damned if he was going to let Tessa be in trouble when he could help. The rest of the teachers agreed to stay behind and do damage control, they wanted to keep this under wraps for Tessa's sake. The meeting adjured and Evelyn and Severus parted ways before they could talk.

He came to her in the night, unable to sleep. He let himself into her chambers and found her in the same condition. She was curled on the sofa listing to the Vivaldi album he had bought her for Christmas. Over the rim of the tea cup she was sipping from she looked at him.

"You should be glad that I am awake or you would be a dead man abut now." She said offering him the offering the half of the sofa. They curled together heads touching, sharing the knit afghan.

"Couldn't sleep." He said.

"Neither could I, for the same reason." Evelyn said.

"I'm just so worried, and angry. Angry at Ezra and angry at myself."

"Why are you angry at yourself? You're not a God, not even a Deity." Evelyn said tucking his hair behind his ear and caressing the side of his face and neck.

"I knew." He said. "She told me everything, but made me promise not to do anything. And now look!" His voice was horse with emotion.

"Severus, you kept your promise, there's something to be said for that. You couldn't have foretold that this was going to happen. And now you're going 'cross Europe to retrieve her. This isn't something that I'm going to let you beat yourself up over." Evelyn said soothingly. She was bet – your – ass right of course, but he still felt responsible. They sat in thought, quiet for a long while, then he noticed she was shaking.

"What is it?" he asked turning her face to him. Small tears were leaving tracks down her face.

"I'm so worried." She said, voice trembling. "Tessa's all alone! And now you're leaving. I know that he's just a seventh year boy and you're a full grown, trained man, but I still don't want you any where were you could get hurt. You're my man." She was sobbing now. He collected her into his lap and cradled her against his chest as she cried. Her tears were leaving damp spots on his shirt. After he calmed her down, something that took a while he turned her head to face him and brought their lips together. She still had tears in her eyes as they kissed.

"I love you. I promise that I will return in one piece." He told her before dipping his head and kissing away her tears. The water works tasted of salt and of her.

"You love her, don't you? Not like you love me, but you do love her."

"Yes, I do. She came to me at a time that I didn't have you. She reminded me so much of you, and of me. Now you're here, but I still love her." He said.

"Then I won't worry you. She needs you." Evelyn said looking ashamed that she didn't want him to go.

"I love you." He said again. They were quiet again for a while. Then a soft snoring broke the silence. Evelyn had fallen asleep in his arms. With some difficulty he lifted her. He was not the strongest man and his legs were in a beginning stage of sleep. But yet by the probable grace of some God or another he got her into her bed chamber and under the covers. He had never been in there before. From what he could tell in the half light there was a bed, fireplace, nightstand, vanity, chair, two doors and a wardrobe. A stained glass window was behind him depicting something mythological, the colors were cast into the room by the light of the moon. He guessed the walls to be an olive green. It was beautiful, but not as beautiful as the lady of the chambers. He turned to go, return to his own chambers and take a sleeping potion when he heard her speak.

"Sev. Severus, please don't go. I don't know if I can be alone right now. Stay. Please." It didn't sound dirty, and he didn't take it that way.

"Okay." He said and walked around the bed to the other side. The bed shifted as he climbed in. They immediately found each other and spoon. Lying with each other both parties fell into a restful sleep.

7