Acdecnerd – Thanks so much for the review. I'm glad you are enjoying the story so far.
Dancing in rain – I think you are right indeed that had it not been for that collar, Marcus would have been dead meat. I'm really glad you liked the last chapter. I'm not so sure about this one, it didn't come out as easy as the last one did. Heh
Again only a few of these characters have been made up by me. The rest belong to JK.
"They are what?!" Harry yelled.
Dumbledore sighed softly and couldn't hide the worried and pained expression on his face. Harry paced the floor furiously while Ron punched a wall. Remus however collapsed into the closest chair and closed his eyes as his hand swiped over his face.
"Ginny and Sirius are missing Harry. They never came back from searching Hermione's house. Severus went to see if they had found anything and all he found was an empty and unlocked house. We believe they must have been taken while searching the premises." Albus's voice was strained as he spoke.
"Dammit! This is all my fault! I assumed it would have been Malfoy's house that was the danger having once been a home of a deatheater. I sent Ginny and Sirius in there when I should have been there myself." Harry grabbed a paperweight off the desk near him and threw it across the room.
"This isn't your fault Harry." Remus spoke up. His voice was soft and soothing, trying to calm the young man down. This was by no means Harry's fault or even his own, but Remus couldn't help but feel the guilt he did. He should have spoken to Sirius earlier about what he knew, then perhaps both him and Hermione would be with them at this moment. The werewolf shook his head and pushed his guilty thoughts aside for the moment. They needed clarity for now and Remus was determined to figure things out.
"Lets go over some facts that we know Harry and then we might be able to pinpoint these people a little faster." Remus continued.
Harry took a deep breath and tried to calm his nerves. Finally he was able to speak again without hurtling another object within the room. "Ok, lets go over where all that we know are missing have disappeared from."
Albus let out a soft puff of air when Harry finally calmed and nodded as he sat down in a chair across from Remus. "Severus will you please go over the facts thus far."
The potions professor nodded. "One of our first year students was the first to be reported missing. Her parents had requested that she take a week off in the spring as one of her family members was getting married. Apparently she had gone out shopping one day in muggle London and never came home. Her parents immediately informed Dumbledore about her disappearance and we assured them that we would use every means necessary to find her."
"She is a promising young student. Reminds me somewhat of our Hermione she does." Albus said reflectively.
"The second reported missing was Hamish MacLeod. He is the grandfather of one of our current students residing in Hogwarts. He was taken from his home in muggle Edinborough and reported missing by his daughter who found his house in a shambles. Draco was supposed to meet me after his bought some supplies for potions that he had been working on, but he never arrived. He was in Diagon Alley I'm assuming because all his house elves reported that he had left the house by himself." Snape paused for a moment before continuing.
"Hermione we are a little unsure of exactly where he location was, but we do know that she was in Muggle London when taken. Sirius and Ginny have been taken from Hermione's house which is of course located in Muggle London. This is what we have at this moment." Severus let his steely gaze wander the room.
"All but Draco were taken from outside the wizarding community." Harry commented.
"I know Hamish in passing and knowing his background it is clear that all but Draco were born in muggle families." Remus said quietly.
Severus shook his head. "I don't think it would be possible that Deatheaters would work with Muggles, not when they want to destroy all of them. What about Draco, he isn't a muggle born and he certainly wouldn't have entered muggle London."
Albus steepled his fingers in thought. "Wouldn't they? It would be something that we would least suspect. Draco was a traitor to the deatheaters and I'm sure revenge would be sweet against both him and you Severus. As to his never entering muggle London, I think that just confirms that someone in the wizarding community is involved."
"And what is to stop them from killing the very muggles that are helping them when they have what they want?" Harry concluded.
"So we aren't just looking for Deatheaters. We are also looking for muggles, and the chances are they are all outside of the wizarding domain." Remus stated.
They all sat in silence for a few moments until Harry came alive. "Ok, we need to track where they have been taken somehow. Is there any sort of scrying spell or potion you think we can use in this case?"
"I think I might have an idea for a locator potion, but it would require someone to be captured." Severus stated.
"Well I'm sure that we are all on the list to be taken next so the one most likely to visit Muggle London would be the best one to go." Ron stated, speaking for the first time after hearing all the mind blowing facts.
"That would either be Remus or myself." Harry said.
"I'll go." Remus stated.
Harry was about to argue but Remus held up his hand. "We need you on the outside Harry. I expect you to come get us all out of wherever it is I'll be taken."
Harry nodded but it was obvious he didn't like the decision.
"The potion will take two days to create and two people will need to drink it. The one will become the beacon, while the other will be the Locator." Severus clarified.
"So I'll be the Locator." Harry said and dared anyone to argue with him.
"Then it is settled. For now everyone has to be extremely vigilant. We don't want anymore taken." Albus said and ended the meeting.
Remus sat back in his chair and watched as everyone gradually left, leaving him alone by the fire. His eyes settled on the dancing flames and he let himself finally feel the full force of guilt.
Ever since Sirius returned from the veil Remus knew that something was different between Hermione and his friend. They had grown closer, and there was no mistaking the smells those two were giving off. Remus watched his friend covertly for months. Sirius would drink in every moment he could of Hermione. There was envy in his friends face when Hermione and Harry would snuggle on a couch to watch a movie together. There was no doubt that Sirius had fallen in love with the young witch.
Remus couldn't blame him in the least, and in fact he thought that the two of them would be perfect for each other. They reminded him so much of Lily and James. Lily was so bright and she would chastise James for all of his pranks and especially for the way he treated Snivellus. Remus reflected on a day when Hermione and Sirius were arguing rather loudly about Padfoot's treatment of the potions professor. In fact she had called him a childish git, a name that he recalled Lily having called James once long ago.
Sirius probably thought that Hermione loved Harry, and in fact she did but the smells that those two gave off while together were anything but romantic. No, those two were not and never will be lovers. The bond that they have runs deep, but Remus knew it was more of a family thing than romantic. Had he told Sirius about how those two felt about each other, perhaps Sirius and Hermione would be together and she wouldn't have been taken.
Remus closed his eyes and let his head thump back against the chair. He could only hope that Padfoot wouldn't do something to make things worse for them all.