Chapter 29

August 1994

Alison Snape walked along the shore of the lake and smiled as she heard the cheerful laugh of her daughter which rang out to her. Hermione, Ginny, Ron and Neville had got a little boat from somewhere and Lizzie, Jamie and little Meggie, Emily's and Remus' daughter, had obviously insisted on coming along. Winking at the children, she walked on. It was in such moments as those where she had enough leisure to let her thoughts wander around in which she missed Severus with tormenting intensity. Not to know if he was still alive was hardly bearable, just as her own helplessness.

Because of Lizzie she pulled herself together but she couldn't mislead Charlotte and Emily. Since the murders in the archives had happened and Harry, Caro and Draco had fled Charlotte's trust in Albus' abilities had been shaken as well. Alison was still very much furious if she thought that Severus had only returned to the headquarters of the Dark Lord on Albus' instigation. In Alison's opinion Albus was solely to blame for Severus' misery.

As far as Harry and his friends were concerned she tended to think that Charlotte's doubts were justified. She knew that Charlotte had tried several times to write to Harry, but the owls had brought back every letter. The children seemed to have disappeared from the earth. Alison let her gaze wander around and she caught her breath. Outside the wards which surrounded Hogwarts, a man, dressed in rags had sunken to his knees. Black long hair fell him into his face. The certainty that it was Severus hit her with sudden force. And Alison began to run.

Hermione sat in the back of the little boat and clutched startled at the boat sides as it was rocking fiercely for a moment. The reason for this was that Jamie and Lizzie quarrelled with Ron over the oars. Ron however got his way and threatened the little ones that if they wouldn't sit immediately still they would be brought back to the shore. That had the wished effect and relaxed Hermione could again lean back. She smiled to Ginny who sat opposite of her and was holding five year old Meggie in her arms. But Ginny was lost in regarding her bracelet that glistened like snow in the sun.

Her friend had never told her where from she had it or the blinding shimmering ring she had got a few months ago. Hermione sighed sadly. Their relationship was nowhere as close as it had been in the past and Hermione didn't even know the reason for this. Since that one day nothing was the same anymore as it had been once. Had Harry, Caro and Draco never appeared in Hogwarts all this wouldn't have happened, she thought bitterly. Sirius had been so happy about finding his godson again. And Hermione knew that she had been jealous and on top of that having to discover that Carolina's father had murdered her Dad would have brought everyone to wish that they would again disappear. Her wish had been fulfilled but the consequences had been terrible.

Ginny's brother had been killed, the same as the other wizard and the happenings had hit Sirius very hard. He had changed and Charlotte also was unhappy. Only because of Harry, she thought angrily.

"Hermione, I'm hungry!"

Jamie's voice jolted her out of her thoughts and Hermione looked up. Since Lizzie also spoke up and announced that she was hungry too, Ron and Neville brought the boat back to the shore and they set off to return to the castle. Reaching the Great Hall of Hogwarts they saw the headmaster and several members of the Order standing close together and fiercely discussing something at the other end. Fred and George hurried over to them and halted shortly before them.

„We've just heard it. You won't believe it but Snape has retuned!" Fred informed them agitated.

Hermione clasped Jamie's hand and didn't know why but for a moment fear seized her.

Although the Order had still tried to keep Severus' unexpected return a secret the whole castle soon knew about it. As Hermione went back to Sirius' and Charlotte's chambers with Jamie and Charlotte came shortly afterwards to bring Jamie to bed, Hermione heard what uproar Severus' return had caused.

"Half of the Order thinks that it's a trap and demands that Severs leaves the castle as soon as possible," Charlotte said, shaking her head, after she had given Jamie a goodnight kiss and had closed his door.

"And if it is one?" Hermione asked who was sitting at the table and was sipping at her pumpkin juice.

„No, Severus isn't under the Imperius-Curse, Hermione. Nor the Polyjuice Potion has been used. Albus checked it. You don't need to worry, Hermione, nothing will happen."

"How was he then able to escape?"

Charlotte frowned.

"I don't know, Hermione. Actually we know nothing yet. He isn't exactly in a good physical shape, what isn't surprising after all. Anyway Dumbledore has forbidden asking Severus any questions for the time being. In a few days we'll surely know more."

After Charlotte had left again, Hermione stood up and went to one of the windows. Looking out she said herself that there wasn't any reason for this but why she had then this strange feeling if a dark premonition?

As Severus with the two children whose hands he was holding ran faster and faster to the soft shimmering wall of the wards, Sirius rose halfway up from his chair. Alison's eyes were also riveted on Severus and Lizzie and Jamie while the feeling of irrational fear and threat was increasing more and more. She froze in that moment where Severus passed the wards and suddenly several figures, dressed in black, appeared out from nowhere and surrounded Severus and the children.

"Jamie!" Sirius screamed and broke out in a run. He hadn't come very far however as Severus, the children and the other Death Eaters disappeared. Alison blinked. Everything had happened so fast that only now the wizards and witches, who had made themselves comfortable on colourful blankets on the lawn, rose and reached for their wands.

Alison stood up as well, turned slowly around and began to walk. She arrived at her tree, where she, leant against the trunk, had cried for her unborn child so many years ago. She slid to the ground. Her inner being was frozen. Not a single tear wanted to roll down her cheeks. She had been so happy as Severus had miraculously returned a few days ago.

At nights she had laid awake and had watched Severus while still not believing the wonder which had brought Severus back to her; even if he had completely changed. His coldness, his changed character she had explained by him having had to suffer indescribable pains in the time he had been Voldemort's prisoner. She had suppressed his change, hadn't wanted to see it and had clutched to the hope that he would find back to his old self some day and that they would become again the happy family they had been before his disappearance. Even to Lizzie who had met the stranger rather fearful he had acted coldly. It had pained her but now her world anew collapsed, knowing that the man who had returned to her hadn't been her Severus.

Severus would have never kidnapped his daughter. Voldemort, she thought, it was always Voldemort who destroyed her life. What had he only done? What had he done to Severus?She should have had been more wary. She should have had…yes, what? Alison felt how dismay and bottomless fear seized her. She couldn't breathe anymore. ‚Lizzie!' she screamed silently. What did Voldemort only have in mind with kidnapping two little children?

As soon as Charlotte had heard that Jamie and Lizzie had been abducted by Death Eaters, she tried with all her might not to lose her composure. An Order assembly would take place soon but Charlotte knew that the Order had no possibility to help Jamie and Lizzie. Sirius was standing with rigid face at the window. She wanted to go to him but her legs gave way.

She thought that she had said to Hermione a few days ago that she didn't need to worry. How right those had been which had demanded to exile Severus immediately out of the castle. What should they only do now? Her child, her only child was in the hands of Voldemort and she couldn't do the slightest thing to save Jamie. Desperate she dug her nails so deeply into her palms that blood gushed out. Charlotte didn't even notice it, neither Emily's arm which was lying around her shoulders. She saw Jamie in front of her, the little baby who slept in her arms, the little toddler who had tried with clumsy steps to learn walking and she saw Jamie who sat smiling on his broom. A never known fear overcame her and choked her.

Suddenly the door flung open and Hermione and Ginny stormed in.

"Charlotte, there is perhaps a way how we can rescue Jamie and Lizzie," Hermione breathlessly exclaimed. Ginny stepped forwards and said,

„Last October Charlie – my brother – was caught by Death Eaters. They tortured him and they would have killed him if Harry hadn't appeared. Harry has saved his life. Harry would surely help us. He must know a way how we could get into the Headquarter!"

Sirius whirled around. His features were distorted.

„Harry is a Death Eater! He has killed Alfred and your brother. Did you forget this?"

Ginny shook her head.

„If he were one he wouldn't have saved Charlie's life. Apart from this he told me once they've escaped because they didn't want to learn how to kill. And regarding Mr. Farle and Bill, perhaps Caro did it or Draco. Or something entirely different happened of which we have not the slightest idea! Where from do you want to know that it was Harry?" Ginny retorted angrily.

"It couldn't have been Draco. He had detention with me at this time," Remus threw in.

"Then perhaps it was Caro, "Ginny said and shrugged her shoulders.

Hermione looked thoughtfully up. She hadn't wanted to believe it as Ginny had come to her and had told her that she had never believed Harry to be guilty and that it had been him who had given her the bracelet and the ring and that Charlie owed his life to him. While listening to Ginny, she had also realized why Ginny had never told her this. She had never made a secret of her aversion against Harry and his friends and only when she had realized that Ginny loved Harry, she had understood how much she had hurt Ginny out of ignorance. She had also to admit that Ginny's arguments couldn't be denied entirely. Besides, she thought, if there was even the tiniest chance that they thus could rescue Jamie, she would not withhold her thought.

„Perhaps they didn't spy fort he Dark Lord. Perhaps they just wanted to find out who had murdered Caro's father," she said softly.

Sirius and Remus stared at her while Ginny slapped her hand against her forehead.

"Of course, they must have searched for this!" Ginny exclaimed.

"For what?" Remus asked sharply.

„Caros' father was murdered by the Order of the Phoenix. They must have searched for some evidence;" Hermione explained who surprised realized that she had a guilty conscience. To hear from Ginny that Caro's father had been murdered by the Order had confused her.

„That doesn't change anything that they killed Alfred and Bill Weasley," Sirius said fiercely.

Charlotte sat abruptly up.

"Sirius, who killed Caro's father? If it was Alfred they would have had a reason."

The events which had taken place in Hogwarts last year, seemed to appear in a completely new light to everyone present.

"I don't know! But Bill? He hardly could have had killed Caro's father!"

"Be that as it may," Charlotte said.

"It's definitely worth a try."

Sirius stared unbelievingly at his wife.

"What?"

He wasn't prepared for the angry blazing in her eyes. She stood up and halted directly in front of him.

"Do you think that the Order will attack Voldemort's headquarter? That Albus will allow this? And even if, how much time would pass until we would have stormed the castle? If we should ever manage this at all! What I strongly doubt! Until then Jamie and Lizzie would be…."

Charlotte's voice broke but then she continued,

„I won't allow Voldemort hurting my child, Sirius! And if Harry can help us then it doesn't matter to me a bit if he has murdered anyone or not! I doubted his guilt anyway the whole time! Besides, if he has helped Charlie why shouldn't he help Jamie and Lizzie as well? He has liked the little ones! And he knows Voldemort's castle. He has grown up there! We'll have to try it, Sirius!"

Sirius blinked and pulled Charlotte, whose voice had sounded so desperate, close to himself.

Crying she clung to him for a moment.

A while later Sirius cast a glance at Ginny who was writing the letter to Harry while his thoughts wandered to Harry and he allowed them for the first time in a long time. The chaos of feelings that assailed him was hardly to bear. What had happened on that day had shocked him. Disappointed and betrayed he had banished Harry from his heart. Suddenly he started to think about Ginny's words and a shimmer of hope began to fill him.

Could it be that Harry hadn't been the one who had murdered the two? But was this still important now?

Solely Jamie counted in the moment and to save him he even would have formed an alliance with Voldemort in person. Sirius froze. What a nonsense. Voldemort was the reason for all misery, mourning and pain he had felt in the last fifteen years and now he was also responsible for the abduction of Jamie since he didn't believe that Severus would ever willingly kidnap his daughter, even if he had hated Severus ever since he could remember.

Looking at Alison, anger rushed over him. Why for god's sake hadn't she noticed anything? She must have noticed something after all! The fear for Jamie drove him nearly mad and the realization that he would indeed ally himself to his worst enemy to save his son's life, did upset him no less.

'You would betray all in which you believe," a voice whispered in him and Sirius was appalled as he noticed that this wasn't bothering him particularly. He watched how Charlotte and Alison added still a few lines to Ginny's letter and how Ginny leaned out of the window.

"Rainbow!" she yelled and it took a moment until Sirius realized that Ginny shouted for Harry's phoenix. Harry, he thought, would he help them and get them entrance to the Dark Lord's castle? Sirius thoughts went only so far. He desperately forbid it himself to think further what they would find in the headquarters of the Dark Lord or what would happen there. That would go inevitably beyond his power. His bracelet lighted up and Sirius frowned. Whatever Albus would decide, one thing Sirius knew, he wouldn't abide by his decisions. Nothing, nothing in the world, would keep him from saving Jamie.

"Bring the letter as soon as possible to Jamie, will you? It's very important." he heard Ginny say to the black shimmering phoenix and for one moment it crossed Sirius' mind whether the magical bird had understand one word of Ginny's request at all.

Ginny looked in the black eyes of Rainbow and couldn't help herself as to believe that everything would turn out all right. She shuddered at the thought what she would have done if Rainbow hadn't come today to visit Fawkes. It was almost so as Rainbow had known that she would be needed. As Rainbow flew away, Ginny clutched her bracelet and gazed after the magical bird. The bracelets of the adults trilled and Sirius tore his eyes away of the phoenix which was nearly out of sight now and stepped to Charlotte and Alison,

"Let's go," he said in a harsh voice.