"Okay… I don't like this…"

Minerva looked over at Daniel, who was alternating between green and pale as he had been since the moment the carpet they were all sitting on had risen into the air and started flying them forward.

"It's all right, Daniel," she assured him – again. "The carpets are quite safe."

Sam leaned over the edge, looking down at the lights of some small town they were flying over in the dark. She wasn't afraid of flying this way at all – and had no fear of heights like Daniel did – and the thing entranced her.

"What keeps it up?" She asked, curiously, her short blonde hair flying every direction in the slipstream of their passing.

"Magic," Sirius said, smiling at her interest.

Sam rolled her eyes, looking over at him.

"I know that, Sirius. But look at the size of this thing, and then look at how many people we have on it. There's no way that it should possibly be able-"

"It's all magic, Major Carter," Lupin assured her from where he was sitting beside Teal'c. "I don't think you can explain magic like you can your Muggle sciences."

"Arthur Weasley might disagree with you on that one," Sirius said, his eyes twinkling in amusement in the faint light that his wand was producing so that those on the carpet could see each other.

"Don't even bring it up," Minerva said, shaking her head.

She was sitting in the very front of the carpet, but as far as Daniel could see – and he had closed his eyes fairly often since the ride had begun – no one was steering the thing. For that matter, he wasn't even sure how the thing knew what direction they wanted to go since there wasn't any way to guide it, as far as he could tell. They'd just all sat down on it and it had risen into the air. Just like that.

"Sam, don't lean over like that, okay?" He asked, his mouth dry – and not because of the wind rushing at them.

"It's safe, Doctor Jackson," Lupin said. "You could even stand up on it if you-"

"Don't stand up on it," Minerva interrupted, glaring at Lupin for giving Daniel the idea. Like he had any intention of doing something so stupid anyways?

"I won't," Daniel assured her, shivering in the cloak he'd been handed before they'd taken off. But he'd never do this again, either. Not as long as he lived.

OOOOOOOO

Dumbledore shrugged, looking at Harry.

"I'm not sure, Harry," he said, sighing. "Did you feel anything else? Any sense of where they might be?"

"No, sir. Just frustration and annoyance."

Harry was frustrated, too, and worried. But more than either of those, he was feeling guilty. This was all his fault, after all! He'd been the one to send Dobby to Jack, and even though he hadn't told the house elf to kidnap Jack, he was ultimately responsible for it happening since it was for him that Dobby had done it.

"There must be something else I can do, sir," Harry said, fervently.

"Everything that can be done is being done, Harry," Dumbledore said, kindly, as if he understood what Harry was feeling. "We have several people out trying to get some idea of what Voldemort wants with Jack, and more trying to figure out where he has taken him. Surely someone will hear-"

"This is my fault, though, sir!" Harry hissed, just barely remembering to keep his voice down so his uncle wouldn't come rushing back and start causing a scene again. Not that Harry cared what Vernon did, but he didn't want the distraction just then. "I need to help fix it."

"The last thing we want is for you to be anywhere near Voldemort, Harry," the old wizard said. "If he were to get his hands on you-"

"I don't care what he does to me!" Harry interrupted. "I just want-"

"Harry." Dumbledore's voice was stern – as stern as Harry had ever heard it – but more importantly, his face was dead serious as well. "I want you to stay here, where you'll be safe. It's-"

They were interrupted by a cracking sound outside the house – just loud enough that both of them knew what it was immediately. Someone had arrived. A moment later, a most unwelcome intruder came through Harry's window, floating as if he were simply out for a walk in mid-air.

"Snape."

Harry couldn't keep the fury out of his voice or his expression. Bad enough that the slimy potions master had come, but for him to be in his own bedroom…

"Professor Snape, Potter," Severus said, landing lightly on the floor and looking around with distaste at Harry's room. "Don't you forget it for one moment. I'd hate to have to find a reason to-"

"That is enough, Severus," Dumbledore said, well aware that Harry and Snape didn't like each other – and knowing the reason for it even better than either of them did. "Have you found anything?"

"I was looking for you."

"You found us," Harry said, still scowling.

"Not you, Potter. As tired as I am of trying to rectify your mistakes, there is no-"

"Severus," Dumbledore interrupted with a sigh. "Have you found anything or not?"

"Yes, Headmaster," Snape said. "The Dark Lord himself told me where he plans to take Jack O'Neill – and something of his reasons for going there."

"What are they?" Harry asked, before Dumbledore could.

Snape sneered at the boy before looking at the Headmaster.

"Perhaps we could go someplace… quieter… and discuss this?"

While Dumbledore didn't like the way Snape had said it, the last thing he wanted was for Harry to know where Voldemort was going – or what he was planning. Reluctantly, knowing that it was going to infuriate and crush Harry in the same moment, Dumbledore nodded.

"Harry. Stay here while I speak with Professor-"

"But, sir! I-"

The predicted explosion came even sooner than Dumbledore had expected.

"Harry." Dumbledore interrupted him before he could even get started. "Do as I say. I will return in only a moment."

With a vastly superior expression on his smug face, Snape led the way out the window once more, and Dumbledore followed, pulling out his wand and muttering a spell too softly for Harry to hear. A moment later, Dumbledore and Snape floated to the ground and walked several feet away from the window, behind some bushes where they could speak in private.

Burning with anger and humiliation at being left out, Harry dived under his bed, pulling up his floorboard and reaching into the space there.

"What is Harry Potter doing?" Dobby asked, curiously. The house elf had expected Harry to ask him to eavesdrop on the conversation between the two wizards – something Dobby would never do – even for Harry Potter – but he hadn't expected this.

"Nothing," Harry said, emerging from under the bed with a fleshy colored item in hand. A very long item that looked a lot like an ear on one end. He went over to the window and let one end of it down, sliding it under the bush that Dumbledore and Snape had vanished behind, while putting the other end in his ear. "Thank you Fred and George," Harry murmured, softly, before going quiet so he could hear what was being said.