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Chapter 21 Escape- Part I

Severus stayed outside for as long as he deemed practical, trying to contain the pooling dread that had taken up residence in his stomach. The connection he held with Harry Potter only worked when he was in a meditative trance or they were both asleep. This was just ordinary fear and worry, just as any parent would feel. Severus was coming to terms with the fact that he was really responsible for a child, with all that this entailed—especially when that child was the famous Harry Potter.

Suddenly, a scream broke into his musings at the same time he could clearly hear the klaxon on the wards going off. It took him a split second to realize those weren't his wards. They were coming from the Thomas house next door.

Bounding over the nearest hedge, Severus barley slowed down to spell the back door open as he ran into his neighbor's house. Both adults were in the kitchen. Mrs. Thomas appeared to have fainted. Mr. Thomas appeared uncertain what to do, and his relief when he saw Severus was palpable.

"They are in the front yard. There are two of them. They took the kids!"

The succinct passing of information from Mr. Thomas to Severus took only seconds, and he had barely slowed down during that time. He continued through the house and out the front door. There, he saw that the wards were doing the trick. Apparently, Crabbe and Goyle had not expected wards on a muggle house. They had gotten into the yard and grabbed both Thomas children, but the wards were not allowing them to apparate to their destination.

"Release them at once," Severus heard Shaklebolt order. He remained in the Thomas's open doorway, pleased that the couple had the sense to stay in the kitchen. As muggles, there was little they could do in this situation. They would need to be obliviated later anyway.

"Drop her, Goyle!" Severus ordered. "Surely even you can see that you are outnumbered."

The Death Eater maintained his grip on the struggling muggle girl, but he did at least let her feet touch the floor. Henrietta took advantage of his momentary lapse in attention to kick him squarely in the shins. Severus wondered if she was taking the same self-defense classes as Harry. With a cry, Goyle let go of the girl. Without hesitation she ran to Severus. He pushed her behind him with no small sense of relief.

Meanwhile, both Death Eaters were surrounded by aurors and Order members. Crabbe still had both hands on Emrys and showed no inclination to let go of what he clearly saw as his only leverage. He began making a slow circle, trying to keep his eyes on all of the wizards at once.

"Don't even think about it," Lupin growled. "If you harm that boy, nothing on Earth will get you out of this with your soul.

Severus was annoyed that Lupin was even here, but he had to admit that Lupin's feral side seemed to be making an impression on the thick-headed Crabbe. Goyle began backing away from his fellow Death Eater, but still said nothing. Severus thought this was stupid on his part; if there wasn't a child hostage, Severus was not sure what the aurors would have done.

"Goyle, if you surrender and cooperate with regards to Potter, we will make concessions," Shaklebolt offered. "Limited concessions, and this offer is expiring shortly." He turned his attention to Crabbe. "Same offer to you. Let the boy go and tell us where Potter is, and we will see to a reduced sentence."

"What will it be? The Dementor's Kiss or Azkaban?" Madison asked grimly.

No one moved or said anything for what seemed like much longer than it actually was. In reality, Severus realized it was no longer than 90 seconds. Then, Crabbe released the boy. Emrys ran to Severus, and then past him and into the safety of the house.

"Do you surrender then?" Kingsley clarified.

Both Death Eaters nodded. A quick incarcerus later and both of them were magically shackled and taken to auror headquarters. Severus was relieved that they were not in his house, in case either of them ever got out. Perhaps they still did not know where he lived. They might still wonder what he was doing in the home of the muggles or working with aurors.

"I am going down there," Severus insisted to Kingsley, who had remained behind to confer with Dumbledore.

"Severus, that is not a good idea," Kingsley told him firmly. "We will let you know as soon as reasonable intelligence is retrieved from them."

"Nonsense. Nonsense, Shaklebolt!" Severus ground out, as if the words themselves were painful. "He is my child. I am going."

"You will be more helpful for us if you stay behind for now, for the questioning of the muggles," Shaklebold insisted. "If we need you, we will call you."

With that, he left. Severus was beyond frustrated, but even he could see some logic in this. With one last glare to Lupin and Dumbledore, he entered the Thomas home. As he walked through the house into the kitchen where the family was sitting with aurors, he tried to calm his nerves.

"Wizards …" Mr. Thomas was saying. "How?"

"Mr. Thomas, it would help if we just began at the beginning. Have you seen either of those men before?" Madison asked.

Severus sat down in the sitting room across from the kitchen table, in a worn and cozy armchair beside the fireplace. Mrs. Thomas was sitting on an overstuffed sofa with her daughter in her lap. Emrys was sitting next to them. Both children looked stricken, as if they still had not awoken from their ordeal.

"No," Mr. Thomas answered, after swallowing hard. "No, I don't think so. But I just got home last night. Late last night. My wife, Mildred, she just told me what happened to … what happened to the neighbor boy."

"She didn't tell you before? She has not been in communication with you?" A female auror that Severus did not recognize asked this question, looking at Mrs. Thomas and then back to her husband.

"Well, no. No, I guess she didn't." He looked positively green.

"Mrs. Thomas?" The female auror asked. "Why didn't you mention it? Have the two of you not communicated since then?"

"Well, we have," she said, in a shaky voice. "I thought … I thought it best to wait until he was home. The investigators … well, we thought you were police … we were told the children were also targeted." She broke off into a choking sob. "It didn't seem to be the kind of thing you say over the telephone." Mrs. Thomas then looked apologetically up at Severus, as if admitting this was some sort of affront to him.

"Yes, well," Madison seemed to accept this response. "Miss Thomas, can you tell us what happened?" It didn't seem lost on anyone in the room that the younger Thomas child had acted with wit and vigor. Perhaps that was why he chose to call on her first.

"We were playing in the yard. Football. The two men came out of nowhere and grabbed us. I mean actually nowhere. It was just two pops and they were there. Then they couldn't get away, I guess. I screamed." She shrugged and looked at her brother, who simply nodded.

"Do you have anything to add to that, young man?" Madison asked, in what he seemed to be trying to make into a gentle voice.

"No."

"Very well, then. And you, Sir?" Madison turned to Severus.

"I was on my back patio getting some air. I heard a scream and the alarm of the wards falling. I ran into the house. Mr. Thomas had the presence of mind to tell me that two men were targeting his children and they were in the front yard. When I arrived, I saw what you saw."

Severus responded as succinctly as possible. He noticed Mr. and Mrs. Thomas watching him appraisingly. It made him feel self-aware, even though he knew their memories would be modified. Part of him wondered if they should. It might not be a bad thing for his closest neighbors to know that he and Harry were wizards.

"Very well. Thank you, Sir."

"You were all there, at his house?" Mr. Thomas asked, his voice strained. "All of you?" Severus took that to mean all of the people he had seen in the yard. They must have peaked out the windows. Severus wondered how many muggles would need oblivation today. He was glad the houses were at the end of the block.

"We have been using the house as a headquarters of such for the search effort, yes," Madison responded tersely. "Professor Snape has been most hospitable. He wants his son returned as quickly as possible, of course. We appreciate your assistance in this endeavor."

"Well, of course!" Mrs. Thomas insisted. "Certainly, wizards would have a police force too, Dear." She gave her husband a look Severus could not quite read.

"Well, yes. We will just have all four of you write and sign a statement and then we will be on our way. Sir, a word?" Madison called Severus to the parlor. "Do you feel that they are being truthful? You know them well enough."

"I believe so, yes. I think that any hesitation is simply nerves. I do not know him as well as I know her, but they are a decent family. They have just witnessed an attempted kidnapping on their children and found out that magic and wizards exist. It is understandable that they feel flustered." Severus told him.

"And the boy. Is he simple?"

Severus thought carefully before responding. "I honestly do not know. I barely know that one. He has been living with his mother. This is a blended family." In response to Madison's clear look of confusion, he clarified. "It is a muggle term for a two-parent family where each parent has a child in the arrangement previous to the marriage. The boy does not live here full time. The girl does."

Madison nodded. "I see. You believe he is just traumatized."

"I believe they all are. I think that Mrs. Thomas and her daughter are not showing it as much."

"Very well. Thank you, Sir. You are free to go."

With that, Severus left by way of the back door so that he could go through the kitchen and give his leave to the Thomas family. They were all sitting at the table writing statements and barely acknowledged them apart from Mrs. Thomas, who gave him an aggrieved smile.

Back in his own home, Severus almost immediately got into an argument with Dumbledore over storming into auror headquarters to find out what was going on with Crabbe, Goyle, and information about where Harry was being held. Dumbledore was of the same opinion as Shaklebolt or was at least supporting his authority. It frustrated Severus to the point where he growled at Dumbledore to mind his own bloody business and went upstairs to the library. Unfortunately, it was occupied.

"Oh, I apologize, Severus. Would you like me to leave?"

"No, Lupin. Why should I have any place in my own home to get a moment's peace?" Severus sat in the armchair across from Lupin and sighed, laying his head between his hands.

Raising an eyebrow at what he probably perceived as Severus letting down his guard, Lupin tapped the chess set on the table between them. "How about a game then? We have both received a sound verbal thrashing from the Headmaster. What more than a game will get our mind off our troubles?"

Severus might have grumbled something about Lupin's pitiful attempt at a joke if the sight of the chess set where he had taught Harry how to play had not caught the words in his throat. He simply nodded. As Lupin set up the board, without magic, he called Arial and asked for tea. He would rather have had something stronger if it had not been for the fact that he might be getting the news of where and when to move at any time.