Here is the next chapter! Thank you everyone for your kind reviews.
"What do you think you are doing, young man?" Severus asked as he entered his kitchen and smiled down at his three-year-old son, sitting across from the boy.
"I make breakfast, Daddy," Harry said.
Severus smiled as he watched Harry finish putting on what must have been a fifth layer of butter. Finally, Harry set the abused bread down and used a fork to cut off a piece.
"Yummy," Harry announced, holding the fork out to his father.
Severus obediently opened his mouth and accepted the food, believing he could choke it down. However, when the bread hit his tongue, he knew that this was not just heavily buttered toast, and behind the loaf of bread revealed the other ingredients: cheese, sugar, salt, vegetable oil, raw eggs, and white cheddar cheese.
"It's French toast, Daddy," Harry said.
Severus chewed slowly despite his burning tongue and watery eyes, then nodded his head and forced a smile. "Mmm, this is good."
"Good?"
"Very good."
Harry beamed and picked up his spoon and scooped out more yolk from a broken egg on the table and drizzled it on his "French toast." While the boy was distracted, Severus summoned a napkin and spat the food out, his face contorted, then vanished the napkin before Harry looked back at him with another forkful of the bread.
"That was delicious, Harry, you are quite the cook."
"More?" Harry smiled, offering another forkful to his father.
"Why don't we save some for your uncles, hmm?" Severus suggested, taking the fork from Harry and setting it on the plate, pushing the offending breakfast away. He turned Harry and snorted at the child's messy, sticky pajama top. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up."
Picking up his son superman style, Severus flew Harry to the bathroom, earning several squeals of laughter. He settled the boy on the sink counter and used a freshening charm on the sleep clothes before he picked up a washcloth and soaked it with warm water. He dabbed at Harry's face and hands.
"Do I need to put the crib back in your room?" Severus asked his child.
Harry shook his head. "No. I like my new bed. It big boy bed."
"Then you need to stay in the big boy bed until Daddy gets up as well, understand? Or you'll be back in the crib until you learn to either stay put or come wake Daddy up when you're up."
"Okay. I gonna be a professional chef when I'm bigger."
"Is that so? Yesterday, you told me you wanted to be a train conductor. And the day before that, you wanted to be Batman."
"I be everything! I only be Batman at night and then train conductor and I'll feed everyone on my train my yummy French toast."
"And watch them all succumb to Salmonella. It sounds like you'll be very busy. You won't have time for Daddy anymore."
"No! I always have time for Daddy. I come visit every day."
"And I'll always have time for Harry," Severus said, rubbing his nose against Harry's. "No matter how far away you go or what you become, I'll be waiting for you with open arms. Always."
Severus gave Harry's forehead a kiss, which was sloppily returned by Harry. The boy grinned before kicking his legs to get down.
"We go have more French toast?"
Severus hummed as he picked the boy up and set him on his feet. "Or, we could save the French toast for later and I'll make us some yummy blueberry muffins with applesauce."
Harry gasped. "Applesauce is my favorite!"
"I know, let's go get some."
Harry clapped his hands as he followed his father out of the bathroom.
Severus was smiling as he stared down at his tea, lost in his own world, oblivious to the fox that misted in front of him, taking the form of Sam, who sat down on the table and tilted his head at Severus. The man sighed in his memories, a sad look on his face.
: Penny for your thoughts? Sam asked.
Severus jumped, spilling the tea slightly. "What?" he asked, blinking at the fox.
: Or is it a thought for a penny? You know, where I'm from, we just ask you what you're thinking.
"Ah. I was up and decided a hot cup of tea would help me sleep better." Severus motioned to the cup in his hand. Sam narrowed his eyes at it, his ears pivoting back.
: Hot, you say?
"Hot." Severus took a small sip to make his point, then spluttered. The tea was ice cold. When had that happened? Had he really been sitting at the table for that long? After spending most of the night tossing and turning, he had gotten up for a quick cup of hot tea to help him relax. Before he had even taken a sip, he found himself recalling happy memories of his son. He summoned a napkin and wiped his mouth, shaking his head slightly. "It was hot. Sorry, I was so lost in a distant memory, I guess I lost track of time. I miss Harry."
Sam nodded.
: It is good to reflect on happy memories in a time like this.
"You don't say? I don't think I've ever been more afraid for my son. I can't believe I've allowed this to happen. I knew they were all up to something, I should have checked on their so-called study group."
: You cannot blame yourself for this. They're not exactly kids anymore. They are finding their place and purpose on this planet. And in doing so, they're going to make a lot of silly mistakes. As we all have.
"When I find that Lockhart . . ."
Sam sighed, looking down at the trembling teacup in Severus's hand, the man's knuckles white around the rim of the porcelain. Sam's ears flicked as he looked back up at Severus.
: Careful, Severus. There is an evil in this world. One that exists within us all, for we are not clean of our sins of the past or future. However, we can choose to let that evil consume us—or we can let the light of the world wash over us and follow it to the end of our days. We can only try to be good. It is all we can do, after all. Deep breath and shake off the negative feelings.
Sam took a deep breath and shook out his fur, puffing it out.
Severus took in a deep breath himself, and nodded at Sam's words, setting the teacup down. He thought back to his son, wondering where he was and what on earth he might be doing. Heading to the kitchen, he dumped the tea in the sink and poured himself a small dose of a calming draught. He needed to keep looking for the missing children and Lockhart, and he best get some sleep to be fully alert and ready for a duel should one break out. He could only hope he found the children safe.
Draco's eyes blinked open, and he nearly did a double take at the sight of Hermione's hair in his face. He realized he was curled against her, and she against him, as were Ron and Neville at his other side. Faolan was wrapped around everyone, his fur providing some warmth against the cold night better than the thin sheets that covered the children. Ivan was settled in his lap, trying desperately to use his robe as a second blanket.
Draco shivered as he sat up, rubbing his hands up and down his arms. Faolan let out a loud yawn as he lifted his head and blearily watched Draco. Hermione was the next to stir and she ran a hand through her frizzy hair as she sat up, and the other two boys awoke as well.
The sun had yet to rise, but Draco knew there was no way he'd fall back to sleep again. It was too cold without the sun's burning rays, and he needed to find warmth quickly. He moved stiffly over to the fireplace, Ivan ruffling his feathers and following. Faolan stood and stretched, yawning again, his tail rising up and over his back as he did so.
Draco picked up the flint rocks and struck them together repeatedly at the small amount of kindle in the firepit. The others gathered around him patiently. Finally, the kindle caught a spark and a fire spread quickly. Ron picked up some wood he had gathered from last night and arranged it in the fireplace while Neville used the knife to carefully open the one of the few remaining cans of corn. Neville carefully separated the juice from the corn into an empty can for Hermione, who picked up Ivan. While Ron helped pry the baby's mouth open, Hermione poured the juice into the baby's mouth, ignoring the protesting screeches.
Once Ivan had drank all he would, the baby squirmed out of Hermione's arms and angrily stomped away, pawing at his beak in an attempt to get rid of the gross flavor.
Everyone else shared the small amount of juice left, Faolan allowing the last bit of it to be poured into his mouth. The tiger followed Ron and Hermione as they left to collect some fruit for breakfast while Draco and Neville kept the fire going. Faolan kept a close eye on his friends as he licked his wounded shoulder. It still caused too much pain whenever he tried to shift, so he made no further attempts to do so.
While collecting fruit, Ivan crooed and chased after a fluttering leaf.
"Stay close, Ivan!" Hermione called to the baby.
Faolan chuffed at the small griffin, who seemed to understand the cat language and sheepishly crawled back to the group. Early birds cawed above them, and Ivan let out a happy trill as he looked up at them, fluttering his own small wings. The birds disappeared in the trees, and Ivan sadly crooed.
"Look at him," Hermione said. She smiled at the baby. "We can't keep him. He needs to be with his own kind and free."
"Yeah," Ron said. "I guess you're right. He wants to fly."
"I think I get it now," Hermione said. "About that tooth."
Faolan's ears perked and he looked at Hermione.
"The danger Dobby sensed that would happen at Hogwarts—it was the tooth all along. There was never any danger at Hogwarts. Ivan isn't dangerous. And the basilisk would never have come to life if we didn't follow the tooth's magic. And even if Lockhart is actually bad, what he does is underhanded, and we'd've never known about it all year if not for the tooth."
"So the tooth saved Ivan," Ron said.
"We saved him. All the tooth did was send us on a wild goose chase just to gain more power for itself. It created the danger for us. That is what Dobby sensed was coming, he just didn't know it."
"And Sam was trying to protect us from it," Faolan said. "Only he knows how to control it without going crazy."
"He knows how to use it for good," Hermione corrected. "Control is an illusion with that thing. Remember when you read Ivanhoe?"
Faolan gave a single nod, wondering where this was going. Hermione huffed when she realized Faolan wasn't making the connection.
"For he that does good, having the unlimited power to do evil, deserves praise for the good that he does, and the evil he resists. Something like that. Remember? Sam could do who knows what with that tooth, but he only chose to do good. It's not about controlling it. It's about using it in a way that benefits everyone and keeps the tooth in a good state of magic. That is what Sam does."
"Makes sense," Faolan said, staring down at his paws.
Rustling in the shrubs alerted everyone, Faolan especially as the great cat stood and faced the trees. Ivan dove under Faolan, his feathers ruffling.
Hermione and Ron clutched as much fruit as they could hold and backed behind the tiger. They remained still for a few intense moments, watching Faolan's tail twitch. Ivan slowly back away further until he hid behind Ron. Faolan took a step toward the trees, peering through the shrubbery.
"Harry," Hermione said, "I think it's clear. We should go back."
Faolan's tail twitched more, but the tiger did not move.
"Come on," Ron tried, turning for the ship. "Let's go. I think you scared it away."
One of Faolan's ears flicked before the tiger slowly turned around, snarling. Hermione and Ron froze, unsure who the snarls were intended for. Faolan stepped toward them, his ears pinned down and his eyes wide, his tail agitatedly swinging. Ivan whimpered as he shuffled away further. Hermione and Ron took a cautious step back.
"Harry?" Hermione's voice quivered.
"What are you doing, mate?" Ron asked.
Faolan took another step closer, lowering himself more to the ground as if to pounce, his snarls increasing in volume.
Then, a rock struck Faolan in the face, and the tiger yelped, pawed his face, and swung his head in the direction the rock had come from.
"What's going on over here?" Draco asked as he came toward the group. Ivan crooed loudly and ran over to Draco, jumping around at the boy's feet. Draco kept his narrowed eyes on Faolan, however.
Faolan shook his head, hissing as he leaned a bit too much on his injured side. He looked at his friends, blinking. He sat down.
"Sorry," he purred. "I . . . I don't know what came over me."
"Back to the ship, everyone," Draco said, pointing to the wreckage. "I think a little food and more sleep might do you some good, Faolan."
"Maybe," the tiger agreed, walking slowly for the ship. "It'll do us all good."
"Good idea," Hermione agreed, watching the tiger curiously. Something was wrong with Faolan and she looked to Draco for answers, but the blonde had his back turned and was walking at the tiger's side. She took a deep breath and followed, Ron doing the same.
Ginny sat on the bed hugging her knees. Her fingers were still bleeding from her attempts at breaking the frame around the door piece by piece. She ended up with more splinters than she did with successful wood removal. She clenched her red tinged fists. She had not seen Lockhart since he had let her use the restroom and delivered her breakfast that morning, which was cold as ice now. It was the same disgusting porridge he had offered her yesterday. Once again, she tried to eat it to appease her growling stomach, but she could not force it down her throat, which was now soar from the screaming she had done to get attention.
Nothing had worked.
Now she sat there, watching the busy street outside. She had no idea how many people actually dared to venture into Knockturn Alley, but the more she watched, the less interesting things she saw. It was almost like watching Diagon Alley. People were just going about their day, collecting items, buying odd food—one man came out of a store with a shiny ring and unique flowers. She wasn't sure what rock it held, but she could only imagine the lucky lady it was for.
It was odd to think that anyone who shopped in Knockturn Alley could have good intentions, but she did not see many scary people out that day. After all the stories she had heard about Knockturn, she expected someone to be at least hexed in broad daylight.
When the streets had died down some, she was sure the lunch hour had passed, and still there was no sign of Lockhart. Had he abandoned her? Was he ever coming back? Would anyone ever find her? Ginny refused to cry over her predicament and instead she laid down on the bed and closed her eyes, falling into a restless sleep.
She wasn't sure how many hours passed when she heard the click of the apartment door. Her eyes snapped open and she waited expectantly, listening to the sound of footsteps across the floor. She sat up on the bed once more, hugging her knees to her chest. Another click sounded, and the door to the bedroom opened.
"Ah, still in bed, I see." Lockhart smirked as he entered the room. He carried a few bags with him that he set on the floor while he sat on the edge of the bed. Ginny glared at him but didn't move.
"I bet you're hungry," Lockhart said, reaching into one of the bags and pulling out a large red apple. He offered it to Ginny, who eyes it suspiciously. "It's the season for them, you know. Don't you want it? If you're wondering, I've done nothing to it. Don't expect a . . . what do the muggles call it—a Snow White effect?"
Ginny wasn't sure what Lockhart was referring to, but her growling stomach made her throw all caution to the wind and she took the apple from Lockhart and hungrily bit into it. The crunch of the flesh was music to her ears, and the sweet juice satisfied her taste buds and her growling stomach. She quickly took another bite. Never did she think she would appreciate something as simple as an apple, but at that moment, it was the most delicious thing in the world.
"I did a little shopping while I was out," Lockhart said, reaching into another bag and carefully lifting three small vials. He held up the deep blue one first. "This is called Peccatentia. This potion was designed to help someone connect with their darker nature—it was invented by a young scholar who was bullied by peers and his own family all his life. He was a weak, timid fella, but now he is in Azkaban. What it does is it enhances all your emotions, you see. I will be quick to anger, quick to envy—see where I'm going with this?"
Ginny didn't respond. She simply took another bite of the apple, keeping a tight hold of it.
"And this," Lockhart said, holding up a pink one, "is Amortentia. Heard of it?"
Ginny stared at the apple, refusing to answer. She had not heard of that potion either, but she did not comment.
"It is a love potion," Lockhart explained. Ginny snapped her head up, her eyes meeting Lockhart's evil smirk. "Well, it doesn't actually create love, just another . . . sinful obsession. This should help tremendously. Lust will be a hard sin for me to commit. I don't think I've ever loved anyone on this planet more than myself, so you see why this is a necessity."
Ginny stared back at the apple; her mind blank. It was easier to disconnect herself from what was happening around her, from what Lockhart was telling her. It was like it wasn't even happening.
Lockhart set the vials back in the bag, keeping the third and smallest vial on the bed, gold in color. Ginny briefly considered kicking the vial off the bed in hopes that it would break on the floor, but she did not move except to take another bite of the apple.
"And this prized beauty," Lockhart smiled, holding up the vial, "is Felix Felicis. This took me all day to find. It will grant me luck and fortune. Tomorrow, I will have the whole day, and with this, there is no way I could not perform all seven deadly sins. I will be victorious, and the tooth will bond to me and me alone. And when it does that, I will have all the unlimited power in the world."
Lockhart set the potion back in the bag with the other vials. Then picked up both bags of food and potions and made his way out of the room. He noticed the splintered wood on the frame and some blood stains. He glanced back at Ginny.
"I almost forgot." The man reached into a robe pocket and tossed a rolled-up parchment at Ginny. It landed at the foot of the bed. "The Daily Prophet. Reading material for you. I'll let you out in an hour for the restroom. I'm sure you can wait a little longer."
With that, Lockhart shut the door behind him, and it clicked.
Ginny finished every bite of the apple excluding the stem and seeds. She dropped those on the nightstand and crawled down to where the paper had landed. Lying on her stomach, she unrolled it frowned at the front page. It had the date, November first, and six pictures and a large timer took up most of the front page. The pictures were of each of the missing children, herself included. The headline: Hogwarts Under Lockdown: Six Students Still Missing. A subtitle read: Famous Author and Professor Gilderoy Lockhart suspected of kidnapping. Nationwide search still underway.
Ginny sighed and rested her head on the bed, staring at the slowly increasing numbers of the timer.
Children Missing for: 2 days, 3 hours, 15 minutes, 12 seconds.
13 seconds.
14 seconds.
15 seconds.
Sam walked through the forest sniffing around, hoping to find some kind of magical remnants. They were far past the apparition wards and wandering into dangerous territory, but in order for Lockhart to have escaped with any child, he would have had to pass those wards. Sam wasn't sure how tracking where Lockhart had disapparated from would help their case, but according to Severus, there were Aurors trained in tracking magical signatures. They just had to figure out where the man had left from.
Even so, the forest was massive. There were other aurors and professors assisting in other areas of the forest, as well as various areas around Hogwarts and even in Hogsmeade. Sam couldn't help but think of how low the chances were of finding one spot where the man could have disapparated. He sighed and paused in his search, looking to his right. Trees filled his vision. He looked to his left. More trees. This was impossible.
Sighing again, Sam scratched at an ear mindlessly before shaking out his fur. He scanned the trees more, his ears perking and his tail raising slightly as the sound of hooves became clear in the distance.
A herd of thestrals galloped through the trees just yards away from him. Sam lowered himself to the ground and slowly began backing away, hoping to make his leave without one noticing him. However, one thestral paused and snorted at Sam. It changed direction and charged for him. Sam really didn't feel up for a chase and he swallowed harshly as he prepared to breathe a flame in hopes it would startle the great beast away.
The thestral came closer but just before it could rear in front of Sam, a roar made the creature pause.
A large tiger came bounding for the thestral. The winged horse turned and galloped the other way, keeping its wings tucked close to keep from catching on branches. The tiger chased the thestral until it disappeared deep in the forest.
: You have impeccable timing, Freyr, Sam said, tilting his head, a sly smile spreading.
"Did you ever figure out why those thestrals hate you so?" Freyr asked, strutting back over to Sam.
: Hagrid once said something about disrespecting them. But I of all foxes know a thing or two about respect. I would have never done such a thing.
"Careful, there's one coming up behind you." Freyr chuffed.
Sam jumped behind Freyr quickly.
: Now that I think about it, I may have snarled at a couple when we first met, Sam confessed, peering out from behind Freyr and looking around the forest. Sam's ears dropped at the smug look on Freyr's face. There's no thestral, is there?
Freyr chuckled, then shifted into Severus.
"There could have been," Severus said.
Sam rolled his eyes sulkily.
"Don't worry, Sam. You'll always have my protection."
: I don't need your protection, Sam said, trotting away from Severus with his head held high. I could handle those thestrals myself if I needed to.
"Yes, I'm sure. In a blaze of glory, isn't that right?" Severus followed behind Sam, summoning his wand and using it to detect for old apparition magic. "All fire, no bark or bite."
: I think I liked you better as Freyr. Perhaps you should make it a permanent thing.
Severus's smile faded, and he said, "One can go mad if they remain in their animagus for too long, especially when filled with fear."
Sam paused and looked back at Severus, his ears falling back at the man's despondent face. He lifted his three tails and offered the man a smile.
: We will find him, Severus. We will.
Severus nodded, then looked up at the sky. The first stars were beginning to make their appearance. "We should head back before the night predators come out."
: You mean like me? Sam said, ruffling the fur around his neck. I roam these forests at night as often as they do.
"I know. So we should head back."
Sam's jaw dropped for a second, but he collected himself and glared at Severus, even as he followed the man back to Hogwarts.
: Well, I appreciate your vote of confidence.
"I'd rather not have to put out another forest fire."
: It was one side of a tree; I'd hardly call that a forest fire.
Draco, Hermione, Ron, and Neville sat around the burning fire, the chilly night air creeping up on them once more. The day had remained uneventful since Faolan's strange episode that morning. The tiger slept for most of the day, which concerned the other children. Ron and Neville had gone to gather more water before the sun set while Draco and Hermione collected more fruit. Neville opened one more can of corn that night, pouring out the juice for Ivan and everyone else eating the corn.
Now, they sat staring into the flames, Faolan hiding behind the hanging blanket once more.
"I really wouldn't mind eating another rabbit," Ron said, biting into more fruit. "Even if the one Faolan caught tasted burnt when we were done with it."
"I'm really worried about Harry," Hermione said. Ivan yawned and cuddled deeper into Hermione's lap.
"Me too," Ron agreed.
"He'll be okay," Draco said. "When Uncle Sev finds us, he'll heal him, and everything will be normal again. We'll be home."
"I hope," Neville said.
"Do you guys hear that?" Ron said, frowning as he tried to look out of the entrance.
Everyone fell silent and listened. It sounded like feet scuffing in the sand. Neville stood and peered around the opening in the ship. He gasped and pulled back. "We need to hide. There's three cats out there."
Everyone jumped to their feet and climbed up on what remained of the upper level, Hermione passing Ivan to Draco so she could climb up. Ron briefly considered putting the fire out, but if the cats left peacefully, the fire was their only source of heat and it would waste water. Ron shook his head and joined the others.
"What about Harry?" Neville asked.
"He's hidden," Draco said. "He'll be okay, I'm sure of it."
The four covered themselves up with the sheets and held their breaths, Ivan's beak held shut by Draco.
A black cat poked its head into the ship, sniffing around cautiously. Two slightly smaller ones pushed past the first and entered fully, staring curiously at the fire but keeping a safe distance away. The largest sniffed around the ship, finding left over rabbit bones and munching on them, the other two joining it.
The largest cat then moved over to the hanging blanket, and Draco sucked in a breath. The cat hesitated, it's nose twitching and its ears flattening. The cat inched closer to the blanket and used its nose to lift some blanket up to look under.
Rawr!
Faolan shot out from under the blanket, swatting at the black cat who leaped away and ran out of the entrance. It stopped and looked back at Faolan. The other two cats hissed at the tiger, but they did back away slowly out of the ship.
Faolan snarled at the cats, walking the length of the ship before charging the cats. All three ran back to the trees.
Faolan stopped just at the entrance, staring after them.
"Good job, Harry," Ron said, removing the blanket and sighing with relief. Draco let Ivan go when the griffin squirmed out of his hold, but he did not get off the upper level. He stared at Faolan as the tiger continued to stare into the night.
"You did it, Harry," Hermione said, jumping down, everyone else following her lead. Draco reluctantly jumped down.
Faolan did not turn around.
"It's all right," Hermione said, stepping toward the tiger. "They're gone now, you chased them off."
Draco grabbed Hermione's arm, stopping her from moving any closer to Faolan. Something was wrong. Draco had been around Harry's animagus to know that there was something seriously wrong with the tiger's behavior. He shook his head at Hermione, who gave him an affronted glare. Ron and Neville stood next to Draco, realizing too that something was off with the animagus.
Faolan huffed, then stepped out of the ship and began walking toward the trees.
"Harry!" Hermione shouted, yanking out of Draco's grip and running after the tiger.
"Hermione, stop!"
But Hermione didn't listen. She caught up to the tiger and placed a hand on his shoulder. Just as quickly, Faolan hissed and swatted at Hermione, missing her by a hair as the girl fell back into the sand. A loud cat cry from the trees caught Faolan's attention, and he stared off at the forest again before heading in its direction.
Ron and Neville ran forward and helped Hermione to her feet. Draco slowly stepped forward, his eyes on Faolan, a sense of fear crawling up his spine, making him shiver. He wasn't sure what was wrong with his cousin, but he hoped help came soon for all of them.
"Harry!" Hermione called to the tiger.
And Faolan stopped right before the tree line. But he did not look back. He glanced right, he glanced left. Then he disappeared into the trees.
Like Amortentia is "love held," Peccatentia is "sin held." Leave your thoughts. I'd love to hear them.