My apologies for a late update. Now let's just dive right into the story. Warning: sexual themes in this chapter.
"We have to go after him," Hermione said as she paced the length of the ship. "We can't just sit here and let him disappear—what if he gets hurt out there?"
"Why would he even leave?" Ron asked out loud. He was sitting down near the fire, staring into the flames. "He knows this is the safest place we've got."
"That's it," Hermione said, throwing her hands up. She looked at the trees in the distance with determination. "I'm going after him."
"No," Draco's voice said firmly. Everyone turned to look at the blonde leaning against the far back wall. Draco shook his head. "We need to stay here. All of us."
"Well one of us is missing now," Hermione reminded, crossing her arms and glaring at Draco.
"Don't you think I know that? Even so, we can't leave this place in the middle of the night. Besides, we need to stay here in case anyone comes looking for us. We'll have a better chance at being found if we stay together and stay put in an obvious landmark."
"So we'll be found without Harry," Ron said. "They'll take us off this bloody awful island and Harry will be left behind because no one knows where he is."
"We can tell whoever finds us what happened. They will have to look for him, it would be wrong to leave someone behind."
"Harry needs us now!" Hermione argued, stepping toward Draco. "He's obviously confused and hurt, and he could get killed out there. We have to find him and bring him back."
"Unless you've forgotten," Draco said, standing up, "this island is full of big cats, huge snakes, a dense land of trees, no shelter except for this ship and the only source of drinkable water we know of is that pond! Excuse me for not wanting to risk our lives walking into an endless jungle after an insane tiger who might kill us for trying to help him!"
Draco took several deep breaths, trying to slow his racing heart and cool his red face. He closed his eyes and shook his head. "We need to stay here so when rescue comes, us four are at least together."
Hermione's eyes looked glassy, but she unfolded her arms and dropped them to her side. She looked back at the trees.
Ron glanced off into the trees, then sighed and said, "Harry is our best friend. He would go after us if we went missing."
"He's my cousin," Draco said. "I've known him all my life. He would go after one of us if we were missing. And yeah, Harry is missing, but Faolan is not. He willingly left and I think he'll be okay. He can take care of himself. I'm worried about him, too, guys, but he's not in his right mind. He wanted to attack you two this morning, remember?"
Ron and Hermione nodded sadly.
"Draco's right," Neville finally spoke softly, holding the sleeping griffin. Hermione and Ron snapped their heads in his direction. "Going after Harry is too dangerous right now. Faolan's sick and if we stray too far from here, we could get lost and make it that much harder to be rescued. And we could get attacked by something and we wouldn't have Faolan's help. We need to stay here."
Hermione felt a tear roll down her cheek, but she walked over to the group and sat down by the fire next to Ron, who looked back into the flames. Draco sat back down as well.
"Thanks, mate," Draco said softly to Neville. "You're not so bad after all."
"Thanks," Neville said. "I just hope someone finds us soon. We've been here too long as it is."
Draco looked up through a hole in the ship, catching the sight of the night sky. He sighed and wished they would be found soon as well, if only for Faolan's sake. He gathered the sheets of blankets and everyone curled up closer together to fight the cold night without Faolan.
As everyone curled under the blankets, slowly falling asleep, Draco continued to stare up at the sky. Never had he felt more afraid for Harry, and he wondered if he truly was doing the right thing by keeping everyone who wasn't losing their mind close. But what exactly happened to Harry? Was it the infection from the bite wound? It had been starting to smell, after all. Or was it something else? Did animagi usually turn on their friends like wild animals?
Draco sighed and slipped out of the blankets, careful not to wake anyone. He walked out of the ship, keeping close and stared off at the trees. He scanned the tree line. There was nothing but the night calls of birds. Sighing, Draco walked back into the ship, sparing one last glance back at the trees.
He crawled under the blankets, shivering after exposure to the night air. He closed his eyes, falling into a restless sleep.
A loud crack woke Ginny up early the next morning, and she startled out of the bed, her eyes wide.
"Dobby has found Ginny!" A house elf squealed happily.
"Dobby!" Ginny cried, running over to the elf and hugging him happily. Dobby squeaked at the sudden move, unsure of how to return such an action. Ginny released him and smiled down at him.
"How did you find me? What took you so long!?" Ginny set her hands on her hips.
"Dobby moved as fast as he could, but Dobby can only travel so far at a time. Dobby was afraid too at first, since Lockhart threatened all the house elves. No one else is talking to the Aurors—Dobby had to do something! The magic that lets the house elves locate all the professors had not worn off on Lockhart yet, so Dobby followed him."
"Thank you so much for coming. We have to let someone else know where Lockhart is now. How quickly can you get us back to Hogwarts?"
"Dobby is . . . very tired," the elf admitted softly, wringing his hands. His ears perked up as he said, "But Dobby could send a note in an instant."
"Okay," Ginny said, a bit disappointed that she would still be stuck with the deranged man. She quietly searched around for a quill, finding a broken one in the drawer of the nightstand. There wasn't a lot of ink left remaining, so she had to pick her words carefully. She picked up the Daily Prophet Lockhart had given her last night, her eyes catching sight of the timer, which now read two days, nineteen hours, and fifteen minutes, the seconds still counting. She ripped a corner off that had some blank space and thought about what to write.
"It's going to have to be very specific and very short," Ginny said, looking at the few drops of ink in the quill. "Maybe a couple words at most. Where did he say we were? Oh yes!"
Ginny quickly wrote down her message, then handed the small parchment to Dobby.
"Dobby will send this to the headmaster right away," Dobby said, raising his fingers to snap them.
"Not the headmaster," Ginny said. "According the to the Prophet, the aurors have Dumbledore under house arrest for potential accessory to kidnapping. Send it to Sam."
"The fox?"
"Yes, the fox. Do it!"
Dobby nodded and snapped his fingers and the parchment disappeared.
Footsteps outside the bedroom door pushed Ginny into action as she pushed the elf under the bed and told him to stay quiet. She jumped on the bed and pulled the covers up to her chin. She watched as the bedroom door opened, Lockhart all dressed sharply for his "big day." The man had the three potions he had shown Ginny yesterday, and he made his way over to Ginny, sitting on the edge of the bed.
"I believe it is time to begin my connection with the Tooth of Requital. First, a little luck." Lockhart drank the first potion, the gold Felix Felicis. He tossed the vial and grabbed the next one, the dark blue one. "Remember what I said about this one? How it should enhance my darker nature? This should deepen my connection when I have committed all seven sins. Though honestly, I've already served myself a delightfully large breakfast, so there's one down as it is."
Lockhart drank the next potion, tossing it aside. He summoned a teacup and used his wand to fill the cup with water. He handed the cup to Ginny, who hesitantly took it.
Lockhart held up the pick potion and handed it to Ginny, who swallowed dryly.
"Just a drop. A drop will wear off pretty quickly, but it should give us plenty of time. You know, I was reading a column in a science journal and it talked about all the health benefits of having sex first thing in the morning. Well, it would be a shame to turn down such science, wouldn't it?"
Ginny's breath hitched and her hands trembled as she held the teacup and the potion. Throw the vial, a voice in her head spoke to her. She gulped, glancing at Lockhart then back at the vial. Slowly, she uncorked the potion and held it above the teacup. Then, with all her strength, she threw the vial at the closed door, the pink potion splattering everywhere as the vial flew through the air.
Before it could shatter, it paused, hovering just an inch off the floor. It flew back into Lockhart's waiting hand.
After she had thrown the vial, Ginny had dumped the water and jumped off the bed, retreating to the window, where she banged on it, hoping to catch anyone's attention. Where was Sam? Where was help?
Lockhart followed after the girl calmly. When he stood in front of her, he slapped Ginny hard across the face. Ginny's hand flew to cover her cheek and tears stung her eyes, but she did not cry out. She glared at the man. Lockhart refilled the teacup and handed both objects once again to Ginny. Ginny noted that a few drops had survived the fall. He leaned close, whispering in her ear, "Throw these again, and I'll kill you now and shag your dead body."
Ginny felt a tear roll down her cheek as she held up the cup and vial, all the while glaring at the man.
Sam ran through the halls of Hogwarts as fast as he could. He paused to glance in the Professor's conference room, where several professors and parents alike were arguing, reviewing isolated areas that still needed to be searched, or simply crying. He scanned the room before running off again. He ran through the legs of several Aurors who were yelling at each other as well, riled up from the unsuccessful searches and spells they had performed. He ran out of Hogwarts, pausing on the front steps, scanning the grounds.
There!
Sam ran down the steps and toward Hagrid's hut where Severus and Hagrid were drawing a map of the forest in the dirt, crossing out sections that had already been searched and narrowing down where Lockhart may have apparated from. Sam ran right on their map, stirring it up.
"Bloody hell, Sam! Get back!" Severus snapped.
: What does this say? Sam asked, holding up the parchment trapped in his teeth.
Severus took the parchment to read it. The ink started dark but faded with each letter, making it hard to read the whole note. Severus squinted his eyes at it.
"Black . . . crow . . .inn, I think. Where did you get this?"
: It appeared to me. Like how you . . . where is that place? Sam shook out his fur agitatedly. This was the first clue-and he knew it had to be a clue-anyone had gotten about where the children may be, and he couldn't keep wasting these precious seconds.
"I think I've seen the name before . . ." Severus said, frowning at the parchment.
"Knockturn Alley," Hagrid said. "I've walked by there before. Ain't a pretty place—condemned, I think. Only the innkeeper lives there now."
: That's it! Severus, you can apparate us there faster than I can fly, come on!
Sam ran for Hogwarts gates to get out of the apparaition wards.
"Wait, let me at least alert the others," Severus said, reaching for his wand. Sam barked and yapped wildly, his three tails switching back and forth.
: We don't have time! You can do it when we get there.
Severus hesitated, then nodded to Hagrid. "Let the others know what we've discovered."
Then, Severus ran after the fox, lifting the canine once past the gates and apparating to Knockturn Alley.
It wasn't happening, not to her. Ginny could do nothing more to fight back the older, stronger man once he had pushed her down on the bed. She allowed her mind to think about the amount of schoolwork she must have missed, but as she had read in the prophet, classes had been cancelled for the time being. The students must be thrilled with that, probably playing endless wizard's chess or daring each other to a Bertie Bott's jellybean challenge. And what of Ron and the others? Was her brother somewhere safe? Were they all still alive?
Lockhart's hot breath on her neck pulled her from her thoughts, bringing her back to the reality of the situation. The man was lying over her, pinning her to the bed, his hands trailing feather-light under her shirt and up her stomach, his mouth leaving a trail of kisses from her cheek to her neck. Resistance was futile at this point—it would only get her hurt, or possibly killed.
Lockhart grabbed the ends of her shirt and started to pull the article off. Ginny closed her eyes as the man maneuvered her arms out of her clothes, her cheeks starting to burn. She urged her mind to think about anything else—her family perhaps. Would they be ashamed of her now? Disgusted by her? A hiss escaped her lips as she felt teeth bit down on her collarbone.
Suddenly, Lockhart's weight on top of her was gone and a loud thud and crash echoed in the room. Ginny's eyes flew open and she looked on the floor where the man had fallen and smashed his head on the nightstand. She looked the other way.
Dobby was glaring at the man, his hand outstretched.
"Lockhart will leave Ginny alone," Dobby said.
Lockhart glared at the house elf as he reached for his wand. Dobby thrust his hand forward and Lockhart went flying into the wall this time, his back cracking against it as some drywall crumbled around him. While on the floor, Lockhart flicked his wand, and Dobby squeaked as his body stiffened and he fell over, immobilized.
Lockhart stood gingerly and brushed himself off. He raised his brows at Ginny.
"Hiding a friend, are we? Naughty girl," Lockhart said, stalking back over to the bed, he sat on the edge and allowed his hands to slowly rub up Ginny's legs until they reached her waistband, which his fingers hooked under. "I guess I'll have to punish you extra for that."
At that moment, the window shattered as Sam dove through, his jaws wide opened. The fox jumped on Lockhart and latched on to his throat. Ginny quickly slipped her shirt back on and adjusted herself before finding her shoes and putting those on.
Lockhart cried out as the fox thrashed at his neck before he managed to use his wand to hex the fox off. The man stood and fled the room. Sam ran to Ginny's side.
: Are you hurt? Did he do anything to you?
"I'm okay," Ginny said, wrapping her arms around Sam. She had never felt so relieved in her life. "I was so scared."
: But you acted very brave, Sam said, allowing the hug for a second before slipping away. Are the others here?
"No, it's just me," Ginny said. "And Dobby. I don't know where the others are."
: Stay here with the elf. Sam said, leaping away from Ginny and running out of the bedroom.
Meanwhile, Lockhart had snatched the tooth necklace and was running out of the room and down the stairs, absently healing the wounds on his neck with simple skin suture spells. He froze at the end of the stairway when his nose met the end of a wand.
"Leaving so soon, Lockhart?" Severus asked, an eyebrow raised.
Lockhart's grip on the tooth tightened as he took a single step back up the stairs. Severus stepped closer, keeping his wand on the man, watching Lockhart's wand hand closely. If the man so much as twitched the wand he held against his neck, Severus would fire every unforgivable curse known and unknown to man. The man's bloody neck and few remaining puncture wounds from Sam would have to do for now.
: I found Ginny, Sam announced from the top of the stairway. No one else is here.
"Where are the children?" Severus demanded. "Where's my son?"
The tooth began to glow an eerie blue as Lockhart's grip tightened even more.
"Get me out of here," Lockhart growled softly.
A thick fog spread quickly around Lockhart, hiding the man from his two captors.
"No!" Severus said, firing a stunning spell.
: Take me with you! Sam barked, leaping into the fog just as it disappeared.
Severus's eyes widened as Lockhart and Sam vanished with the fog. His spell had harmlessly passed through the strange fog, and now they were gone. Was the tooth's magic similar to apparition? Could he track where it had taken Lockhart and Sam?
"Professor Snape!" Ginny's voice cried from the top of the stairs. The girl ran down the steps and hugged the professor. Severus pulled back from the girl and looked her over briefly, frowning at the bruise on her face and his eyes widening at a bite mark on the girl. He saw red at that.
"Did Lockhart . . . did he rape you?" Severus asked, reaching into his robe for a healing salve.
"Sam stopped him before he . . ." Ginny's breath shuddered.
"I'm sorry," Severus said softly, gently rubbing the salve in the wound and then on the bruise on the girl's cheek. "You're safe now." When he finished, he looked back at the stairway, then at Ginny. "I'm going after them. Aurors should be arriving soon, do not leave this inn. Stay right here."
Severus waved his wand and summoned his patronus, a silvery doe that danced around Ginny, settling herself at the girl's side. Ginny smiled at it, then watched Severus step on the exact stairway Lockhart had disappeared.
"You'll be safe with my patronus. They shouldn't be long."
"Dobby's here, too. He sent my message."
"Good teamwork," Severus praised before focusing on locating where the two had gone, chanting "Locus Revelio" under his breath as he swirled his wand as one would stir a potion. A poor image of trees came to Severus's mind, but it was not enough to pinpoint a location. He kept chanting under his breath, closing his eyes, swirling his wand faster and concentrating harder. The sound of waves hit his ears and he frowned, focusing on it. The image of trees returned, then zoomed out, revealing an island surrounded by water.
"I've got it!" Severus said, his eyes opening. The last thing he saw was Ginny's bright smile before he apparated away.
His feet hit sand and he slipped on the wet surface, soaking his robe in the ocean. So it wasn't his best pinpoint apparition, but at least he had arrived to the same place Sam and Lockhart had. The sun's heat was quickly making him sweat, but the water felt nice. He stood up, wringing out his robe and taking off his sand filled boots to dump out. A familiar voice startled him.
"Uncle Sev!" It was Draco. The boy came running over to him, hugging him tightly around his chest. Severus returned the hug warmly and with as much strength, afraid that if he let go, he would discover it had all been a mirage.
"Professor!" More children cried, running up to him from a wrecked ship and hugging him along with Draco. Severus smiled as he took in each unscathed face, glad to have found the children safe and unharmed. And a thin but otherwise healthy griffin, Severus noted, spotting the creature in Hermione's arms when the children stepped back.
"Where's Harry?" Severus frowned, swiveling his head around.
The children all shared a sad look and Severus felt his chest ache as it had when he first heard that the children had vanished. He looked around the island, wondering where Lockhart and Sam were and if Harry might at least be near Sam.
Deep in the jungle, Lockhart fell harshly through the trees. He used his arms to protect his head as he fell to the ground, landing harshly on his chest. The wind was knocked out of him and he struggled to breath for a minute. Finally, he took in a breath and rolled over, holding up the tooth still in his hold. He felt around for his wand, but when he didn't find it after a few minutes, he started digging around frantically through the dead leaves and dirt.
: Looking for this? Sam asked from up in a branch.
Lockhart looked up just in time to see Sam snap the wand in his teeth, the pieces falling to the earth below. Lockhart's eyes widened and lunged for the broken pieces, grabbing them and trying to put the wand back together.
: I snatched that right before we vanished, Sam said. The fox took his time to lower himself to Lockhart's level by jumping from branch to branch. I take it this island is where the children are. What an awful place to wind up for three days. Now, how about you and I take care of this . . . theft of personal property.
"I didn't need my wand anymore anyway," Lockhart said, putting the dragon tooth necklace on. "Get rid of that fox!"
The tooth glowed blew, then faded without anything happening. "What . . .?" Lockhart looked down at the tooth.
: It's not going to obey your every command just yet, especially the ones that concern its bonded owner.
"It won't take me much longer to become the new bonded owner! I've already committed greed, pride, gluttony, and lust! And right now, I'm feeling very envious of the tooth's bond with you!" The tooth glowed blue against Lockhart's chest as the man declared that statement. "You see, I've taken several potions to ensure today goes my way, and by sunset I will have control of this tooth, and everyone will bow to my name, including you."
Sam scoffed as he jumped down a couple more branches.
: The day's still young. And you didn't need potions to complete your sins. You are greedy for your profits, prideful and lustful of yourself, a glutton for your fame, a sloth for your achievements, and obviously envious of a fox."
"Then the tooth should be bonded to me already, then. Why doesn't it obey me?"
Sam paused ten feet above Lockhart. He sat on his branch and gave a curious tilt of his head, an ear flopping over.
: Maybe it doesn't want to.
"That's ludicrous."
: But must be possible. Who am I to say what the tooth is entirely capable of? From what I'm gathering, it would much rather stay with me.
"Over my dead body," Lockhart snarled.
: I can arrange that.
Sam leaped off the branch and opened his jaws for Lockhart, who ducked and rolled out of the way. Sam's form misted in the air and redirected toward Lockhart before solidifying and ramming into the man.
Lockhart covered his face and neck with his arms as Sam bit down on his, catching a wrist and thrashing. Lockhart kneed the fox and rolled away. He pushed off the ground and ran. Sam followed, breathing a flame at the man's robe.
The hem of the robe caught fire and spread quickly on the cotton attire. Lockhart yelped and dropped to the ground, rolling to put the flames out.
Sam debated creating a circle of fire around the man to keep him put, but he did not want to start a wildfire if the children were hidden somewhere on this island. Instead, he lit his three tails and walked threateningly toward the man. He figured he could probably just burn Lockhart to ash if the man didn't surrender the tooth willingly. The tooth would not burn, so Sam had nothing to lose doing so.
Lockhart saw Sam, and touched the tooth, muttering something quietly.
The earth began shaking under their feet and then a large tree fell in between Sam and Lockhart. Sam looked up as he heard the firecracker sound of a trunk pulling apart from the rest of the tree, branched breaking and snapping as another tree came tumbling down, followed by four more, all narrowly missing Sam as the fox back away further and further.
Lockhart took the opportunity to run deeper into the forest. Sam snarled and jumped over the fallen trees. Clearly this man had no problem messing around with nature.
Lockhart glanced back, glad that he did not see the fox. He glared at the tooth around his neck.
"Get me off this terrible island!" He demanded, but the tooth did nothing. "I command you to obey me! Get me out of here!"
Something moved in the nearby shrubs, a low growl following.
"Stay back, fox!" Lockhart said, clenching the tooth. "Or I'll drop more trees on you."
The growling continued as the shrubs shifted and shook around him. Lockhart felt unease sink in his stomach. Whatever this was, it wasn't Sam. Lockhart kept his hand on the tooth as he watched the moving bushes.
A large striped paw stepped out of the trees, followed by a long, muscular tiger. The animal hissed at Lockhart.
Sam came charging into the clearing but halted at the sight of the tiger.
: Faolan?
Lockhart frowned, then his eyes widened as he recalled the name mentioned once before.
"Harry," Lockhart smiled. "See, I've come to take you children home. Where are the others? Are they close?"
The tiger hissed again, then snarled at Lockhart. Faolan took another step closer to Lockhart.
"Faolan," Lockhart said, holding out his hands as he took a step back.
: Faolan, stand down! Sam said, stamping a paw.
With a roar, Faolan leaped at Lockhart. Sam jumped and caught the tiger's ear, dragging the tiger downward and away from Lockhart. The tiger growled and swatted at the fox. Lockhart ran. Faolan circled Sam, his tail switching, and his ears flattened.
: Faolan, it's me, Sam tried, but the tiger hissed and swatted.
Sam saw Lockhart running through the trees. He sighed.
: Sorry about this, Sam said. He lit a tail and flicked it Faolan, sending sparks flying at the tiger's face. Faolan cried out as he pawed at his face. Sam took the time to slip away, chasing after Lockhart.
Sam caught up with Lockhart and bit down on his heel, tripping the man. When Lockhart fell, his grip on the tooth tugged against the necklace, snapping the leather off his neck. The man dropped the tooth and it rolled away. Sam lunged for the man's neck, but Lockhart palmed the fox's lower jaw then kicked him aside.
Lockhart crawled for the tooth and snatched it, nearly falling over the edge of a cliff. His eyes widened and his breath caught at the sight of the sharp rocks down below, the waves loud as they crashed against the side of the island.
Lockhart carefully stood up, the earth crumbling under his feet. Sam paced in front of him.
"What are you going to do?" Lockhart challenged. "Push me off this cliff?"
: Not while you're still holding my tooth, Sam answered.
"You stopped that tiger from killing me," Lockhart said. "You know what your problem is, fox? You're too good. I don't see why this tooth would want to stay bonded to you. I could unleash all of its power, while you'll do nothing but use it for the greater good."
: Sometimes, the small amounts of good outweigh all the evil in this world. I believe the tooth—sentient or not—realizes that.
Rawr!
Faolan burst out of the trees and charged for the pair. Sam backed away and Lockhart tripped over his feet as he tried to run, slipping over the edge and managing to cling on with his arms. The tooth rolled away, teetering dangerously on the cliff. Lockhart struggled to pull himself up while Sam used a flame to back the tiger up.
"Great kitsune!" Lockhart cried. "Please, I repent my ways. Help me."
Sam met Lockhart's eyes.
: Fool me once, Sam said, his ears pivoting back, shame on you.
And with that, Sam turned and chased after his tooth, catching it before it could fall over the cliff. Sam used his mind magic to carefully mend the broken leather before slipping the necklace back on, feeling a huge sense of relief wash over him. Everything would be okay. He was never taking this off again. With time, the tooth's magic would calm down. A scream caught his attention and he looked back.
Lockhart watched as Faolan stalked toward him, snarling all the way.
"Nice kitty," Lockhart said.
Faolan roared and raised a paw, but Lockhart let go of the cliff and screamed as he fell to the rocks below.
Faolan grunted, pawing at his face for a moment before turning his attention to Sam, snarling with ears flat and tail switching once more.
: Ay, kuyashii, Sam huffed.
The last phrase Sam said is a hard term to translate appropriately into context, so here, it is equivalent to "this (whole situation) sucks." It is generally a term used to express frustration, anger, and/or disappointment. Hope you enjoyed. Next chapter will be very soon!