26. Taken

The Saturday when Bobbie was to meet Hermione in Hogsmeade had arrived. Shortly before noon Severus had made sure that Bobbie was dressed warmly and that she had her gloves with her. He still had misgivings about her going out shopping almost seven months pregnant but he also knew he couldn't hold 'Whirlwind Bobbie' back. He smiled when he thought about her bubbly personality which sometimes surfaced. It had died down a little lately because of her pregnancy but he could still see it shining through once in a while. At least he had talked her into letting Hagrid take her to Hogsmeade by carriage and also have her picked up by him on the way back home.

He walked her to the front gate and said, "Call me when Hagrid needs to pick you up. Please be careful, my Love."

"I will, I'll see you tonight." They kissed and Severus helped her into the carriage.

Severus stood there watching the carriage until it disappeared around a bend in the road. He inhaled a deep breath and let it back out noisily. For just a moment a sense of foreboding went through him but he suppressed it right away. There was no reason for him to fall back into old habits of dread and doom, the way he had when he was still a spy. It was just that, old habits. He shook his head and turned and made his way back to the castle.

888

The two women met outside 'The Three Broomsticks'. After a greeting and a brief hug Hermione Apparated the both of them to Diagon Alley where they walked to the little café Bobbie and Severus had tried out before and sat down for lunch. They had a pleasant conversation while doing so, and after Bobbie paid the bill they went Christmas shopping. It seemed that a lot of other people were as well because the place was a good deal more crowded than usually.

Their first stop was Madam Maulkins where Bobbie bought maternity sleepwear. The soft flannel material would feel nice during the next couple of months. She also bought a few things for newborn babies. Hermione looked at her and smiled, "These are so cute. They will look precious on Serina."

"I think so. I will also be glad when I don't have to wear these tent-sized clothes anymore," Bobbie said showing Hermione her newly acquired sleep wear.

Hermione laughed and said, "You are looking just fine, Bobbie. From the way I see it you are probably going right back to your normal clothes after the baby is born. Speaking of clothes, I need to get fitted for dressing robes for the Christmas party at the Ministry. Would you mind helping me to pick out a nice material for it?"

"Of course!" she answered. Bobbie wouldn't need robes for Christmas and the New Years Eve party because Minerva mentioned to Severus that he and Bobbie should leave and spend the time in the cabin. She thought Bobbie would be more comfortable there with her advanced pregnancy. Severus and Bobbie had appreciated the gesture and were looking forward spending the time alone.

Bobbie helped Hermione picking out an iridescent material in a forest green that shimmered in red when the light hit it just right. They both agreed that it would be perfect for a Christmas party and the colors would look nice with Hermione's hair color.

They both went through a book with the newest cuts of dress robes and picked one that was strapless and layered from the waist down. After Madame Maulkin measured Hermione she showed them a pair of matching high-heeled shoes. After Hermione found the right size they paid and left everything they had bought there for delivery to Hogwarts, or in Hermione's case to her flat. Their next stop was Weasleys Wizard Wheezes where they said Hello to George, Lee Jordan and Ron who was there helping once again. George showed them the newest inventions in the joke shop but he also had some useful things that would come in handy for Aurors. Bobbie was most impressed with the Pygmy Puffs. She liked those little cuddly creatures but figured Benton and Bella wouldn't be too amused if she would bring one home, not to mention Severus. She could just see the thing climbing into bed with them and interrupting something.

After they said their goodbyes they went by the apothecary where Hermione bought some potion ingredients to brew some more Pepperup. Bobbie knew that Severus had just gotten a huge order and so she just helped Hermione finding the things she had on her shopping list.

They slowly but surely made their rounds in the shops in Diagon Alley and then arrived at their last stop which was the book store. Hermione had made good on her promise to Severus and had made sure that Bobbie didn't overdo things by sometimes sitting down on a bench for a rest and a hot tea and asking Bobbie once in a while if she was okay.

Bobbie felt fine but was still glad when they finally made it to the book store. Not that she felt overly tired but she also had never been much of a shopper. She could never understand women who were having fun shopping all day. For her it was more of a necessity.

As soon as the women entered the store and the salesclerk spotted them he waved to Bobbie and said, "Dr Snape, you may want to see the new book that just came in."

When she and Hermione made it over to the counter he said, "I haven't even had the time to put them on the shelves. Let me get one of the boxes."

He went to the back room and came back shortly with a large heavy box and plopped it onto the counter top. He reached inside and came up with a book and said, "It is the newest Potion book your husband wrote."

Bobbie was stunned. "What? How can that be done already? He just dropped it off at the editor a few weeks ago."

"Well, my guess would be that there was nothing to edit. Professor Snape is one of the best Potion Masters in the world, maybe even THE best. How would an editor know if there is something wrong in that book? They most likely just took the manuscript and put it into print." He handed the book to Bobbie with a large grin.

Hermione pointed with her thumb to the clerk with a smile and said to Bobbie, "Well, when he is right, he is right. He does have a point..."

Bobbie looked at the book in her hand and said, "I'll take one. I think I will give it to him for Christmas. He should have the book he wrote regardless if he already knows everything in there."

Hermione also took one and they told the clerk to hold them behind the counter until they were done with the rest of their shopping.

"Very well!" said the clerk and laid two of the books underneath the counter top. He then took the box and said, "I better get the rest of them on the shelves. People will want to buy those for Christmas presents."

The women went to rummage around in the store a little while longer and Bobbie came up with a calendar full of Labrador Retrievers and a book with wonderful pictures taken from the Hubble telescope. When she looked around for Hermione she spotted her dragging an armful of books to the counter. Bobbie smiled remembering Severus telling her that Hermione practically lived in the library with her nose inside a book during the time she was a student at Hogwarts. Some things never change, she thought.

Bobbie walked up to the counter where Hermione showed her the books she had found when a man in dark robes walked up to her and grabbed her around her shoulders. The next thing she knew was the feeling of Apparating. Before she got over her surprise she felt solid ground under her feet again, and after getting over her mild nausea from not having been ready for Apparating, she noticed she was standing in front of a grand Manor. She probably would have been in awe of the magnificent place if it wouldn't have been for the stranger that had just taken her without warning. She knew that something wasn't right and glared into his eyes and demanded an explanation while tearing herself away from his grip.

He laughed and took a hold of her upper arm. "Well, well, well, Severus's little Muggle is demanding an answer. How fetching...," he mocked.

"Let me go you creep!" she hissed and tried to get away from him.

He did let her go and put a binding curse on her, which of course didn't work on a Nevari. She glared at him and smacked him in the face. She knew there was no way for her to run in her condition and the other problem was that she didn't know where she was and therefore didn't know in which direction to run. She just stood in front of him and glared daggers at him. He again tried the binding curse on her and then the Full Body-Bind.

He grabbed her around the wrist this time and said, "Looks like Severus got himself a little fireball with you. Very charming but who are you or better, what are you? Why doesn't my magic work on you?"

"That's because I'm not a Muggle. My magic just is a little different." Bobbie thought it was better to lie than to have him start thinking about her heritage and maybe even finding out about it. "I can't do magic but I can defend myself from the magic of others." Well it wasn't really a lie but the word 'Nevari' would probably be a death sentence for her because of all the rumors, as unfounded they may be.

"Well, I think we can remedy that," he said and conjured up a rope and bound her hands together with it. He then shoved her toward the massive wooden doorway of the manor, opened one of the double doors and pushed her inside before locking it.

Inside stood a small house elf with an almost frightened look on his face and dressed in a small pillow case and a collar around his neck and said, "Master Preston is it anything Quincy can do for you?"

"Yes, you can get out of the way, you stupid thing, so I can get to the dungeons." He grabbed Bobbie by the ropes around her wrists and roughly pulled her along the corridor causing the house elf to scamper to the side to avoid being run over.

Bobbie protested and yanked on the ropes. She knew she was no match for the man, but she didn't want to make it too easy for him. He just laughed and said, "The more you fight, the more it hurts."

He kept pulling her after him and at one time Bobbie kicked him in the back of his knees and he almost fell. He turned around and grabbed her by her neck with his gloved hands and pushed her head back with his thumb on her chin and growled, "You do that again and things will get very unpleasant for you and especially this bastard you are carrying."

"What do you want from me?" she whispered in fright while searching his eyes.

"I want that traitor of a husband of yours to pay me back what I lost when he helped kill the Dark Lord, and you are going to help me do so. Now shut up!" he hissed.

He let go of her head and pulled her along the corridor again and to a flight of stairs leading downwards. After they went down the stairs they came to another one and he dragged her down there also. She could feel it getting colder the farther down they went. They came to a dark corridor and he pulled her along while a few candles here and there came to light while they walked. The floor and walls were rough hewn stone and Bobbie thought she could hear water dripping in the distance.

Her captor finally stopped in front of an iron door. He opened it and pushed her inside, then cut the ropes around her wrists and shackled her to the wall and left without a word. When he threw the door closed behind him the loud bang startled her and she suddenly realized that this was real and not simply a nightmare from which she would wake up.

Bobbie stood there in the dark and the cold kept seeping through her clothes. Just when she decided to try and sit down on the cold floor a dim light switched on and the house elf Quincy appeared with a few blankets and some food and water. He looked shyly at Bobbie and slowly put everything on the floor. Bobbie knew right away that it was too far away for her to reach everything.

"Quincy, I can't reach that. Would you please untie me?" Bobbie said.

"I's is not allowed. Master will come. Quincy only allowed bring blankets and food." The house elf looked at her with a sad face and disappeared.

Bobbie again was left in the dark. Her feet were aching and she needed to sit down but she wasn't sure if the chains on the shackles were even long enough for her to do so. Whether she wanted to admit it or not the day in Diagon Alley had worn her out. Bobbie tried to sit and again when the light came on and this time her captor was coming inside.

He paced around the cell without coming all the way to her and said, "I am going to take off the shackles and I suggest you behave and eat your food." After this statement he went to walk back outside and just before he closed the door he pointed to a dark corner and said, "If you need to use the bathroom, there is an old cauldron back there in the corner." He laughed maliciously and then she heard him say "Alohomora" and her shackles opened and fell off her wrists. As soon as the door banged shut the dim candle went out again and she was in the dark once more. She heard him lock the door and then the echo of his receding footsteps growing quieter and quieter.

Bobbie knew she needed to eat and drink for her baby's sake and went clumsily down on her knees and felt for the plate in the direction she had seen it. After about 30 seconds she had found it. She pulled off her gloves and ate the sandwich that the elf had brought her and then drank the water. By the time she was done she noticed that there was a little window far up on one of the walls and that the moon let in a little light so she was able to recognize things once her eyes had adjusted to the dark. She found the blankets and made an uncomfortable bed out of them. The blankets really were only enough to fend off the worst of the cold. She curled up as much as she was able with her belly and covered herself as well as possible. There was no pillow.

While she was laying there she thought about Severus and knew he would be worried once he heard what had happened and she knew he would move heaven and earth to find her. She stroked her belly and murmured, "Don't worry baby, your Daddy will find us." She hoped that she herself would be strong enough for herself and the baby. She needed to keep her wits as long as it took. Oh Severus, I miss you so much. Please hurry... When she felt some tears trailing down her face she scolded herself. This was not the time to lose hope, but she couldn't help it. Fortunately as exhausted as she was she fell soon into a fitful sleep.

888

Shortly before dinner time Severus heard some desperate knocking on the door of his lab and Hermione came storming inside without waiting for an answer. He knew right away that something terrible had happened. Her face was flushed and tears were running down her cheeks.

"Severus, I'm so sorry... I don't know how this could happen... How he could just take her..." Hermione was inconsolable and collapsed in a chair with her hands in front of her face. "Oh gods, how could this happen...?"

Severus knelt down in front of her and pulled the hands from her face and asked in a rushed voice, "What happened? Where is Bobbie?" He had a really bad feeling and his stomach felt like it was in knots.

"She, she is gone. Some... somebody t-took her. I promised... I would keep her safe... I-I'm so s-sorry," Hermione sobbed.

"Who took her... where...?" Severus felt like shaking her in his desperation.

"I-I don't know. It was i-inside th-the book store...," Hermione hiccoughed.

Severus saw that Hermione was too distraught to give him good information and ran out of the door fetching his cloak on the way. He hastened up the stairs three steps at a time and sprinted out of the door almost running over Minerva.

"Severus, what's...?" she shouted after him.

"Somebody took Bobbie...," he yelled back at her without missing a step.

At this point Severus didn't care if anybody saw him flying unsupported without a broom, the way only Death Eaters knew how, but he couldn't get to the Apparation point outside the gates fast enough. As soon as he arrived there he Apparated to Diagon Alley right outside the book store. When he stormed inside he already saw the place swarming with Aurors. He saw the clerk behind the counter and grabbed him on the collar, almost pulling the poor man across the counter and asked in a frenzy, "Where is she? Who took her?"

The guy flailed his arms trying not to fall over and stammered, "I-I don' kno... Prof..."

Neville walked up and shook Severus on the shoulders and said, "Severus, the poor guy is choking. Let him go. He is not the one who took her."

Severus looked at Neville, his eyes wide with fear but he finally let go and croaked with emotion, "Why...? Why would somebody take her...? She never hurt anybody..."

"The clerk doesn't know who it was. He said some man in a dark cloak just walked up beside Bobbie and Apparated her away," Neville said.

"Can't we do anything? We need to find out who it was...," Severus whispered too stunned to grasp a straight thought and staring at the wall without focus.

"We are already on it. Ron and Harry took the clerks memories and are on the way to Hogwarts to use the Pensieve to see if anybody recognizes the man. You need to go back home, but you should also look at the memories," Neville said. He patted Severus on the shoulder and said, "Let's go. I'll go with you."

Severus nodded in a daze and followed Neville outside. They Apparated to Hogwarts where they could already see Minerva talking to Kingsley and a still crying Hermione. Minerva walked up to Severus and said, "Go to my office. Harry is there using the Pensieve."

Severus nodded and made his way to the Headmistresses office. The gargoyle let Severus by and the door to the office was ajar. Harry and Ron had their heads inside the pensive but since it was only a short memory they had gotten from the clerk they were done in no time.

Severus asked them, "Anything?"

"No we watched it 3 times. We don't recognize that person," Harry said shaking his head.

"You need to see it, Severus. My guess is since he targeted Bobbie he may be somebody you know," Ron said.

Severus walked to the Pensieve and dove in it. He looked at the man and recognized him right away. When he came back out he said, "I don't know his name or where he comes from but I recognize him from a Death Eater meeting."

"Damn!" Harry said in anger while hitting the top of the desk with his flat hand. "And there I thought we had them all."

"We should take the memory with us and show it to the Death Eaters who are sitting in prison. Maybe somebody spills the beans," Ron said.

"Well, maybe if we give them a few years off their sentence if we catch the guy...," Neville said. "I don't think they will do it out of the goodness of their hearts."

Severus looked tiredly at his watch and said, "Before you do that let me talk to Lucius Malfoy tomorrow morning. If I catch him in the right mood I may get something out of him. It is late and if I show up now he is most likely already inebriated."

"And you think you'll have better luck tomorrow when he is sporting a hang-over?" asked Minerva, who had just walked in the door.

"He will if I bring a Hangover Potion as a peace offering," Severus said tiredly.

In the same moment an owl flew into the office and landed in front of Severus on the desk. Severus right away noticed the note tied to its leg. He looked at Minerva and untied it, then unfolded the parchment and read it.

If you want to see your wife again you follow these instructions: Put 200.000 galleons into a bag. You will receive another owl with a small package in about 4 days. It will contain a Portkey which will activate within 5 minutes after opening the package. This should give you ample time to tie the bag to the Portkey. If anybody tries to deceive me and is arriving with said Portkey they will be killed on arrival together with your wife. Do NOT involve Aurors. Your wife will be set free as soon as I am in a secure location.

Severus read it once more and then handed it to Harry, who read it and said, "I guess it is a little late for the instruction about not notifying Aurors."

"Yes, but surely he must know that the store owner would have called them in. He just wants to make sure that you aren't around after Severus got this letter," Minerva said. "Hogwarts is secure. He won't know that you are here."

"I also don't know what he is afraid of. Nobody is dumb enough to use his Portkey and get themselves killed on arrival," Kingsley said.

"I don't like it," Harry said, "Bobbie and also the clerk have seen him. He can't ever show his face anywhere again unless he used Polyjuice Potion when he captured her."

"Shit, I haven't even thought about that possibility," Ron said.

"I will still pay Lucius a visit tomorrow. We need to cover every possibility," Severus said defeated and then walked out.

Severus walked straight into Hermione when he turned the corner down to the dungeons. She had been waiting for him and her eyes were still red from crying. She said, "Severus, I am so sorry. I was supposed to take care of her and I let you down, both of you."

"I saw in the Pensieve what happened. There is nothing you could have done. Do not blame yourself," he said quietly and continued on his way.

Hermione stood there and watched him walk away. He looked like he had aged 10 years, like the way he had looked before he had found happiness. The only difference was that he didn't have a scowl on his face but instead a sad and pained expression. Hermione watched him until he was around the corner and then tearfully she went on the way to find Ron.

888

When Severus arrived inside their quarters the place seemed so utterly empty even though Bella and Benton walked right up to him. He stroked both of their heads for a short time and then leant back against the closed door and slid down on the floor and put his head into is hands and started weeping. No, he didn't blame Hermione, he blamed himself. He had done it again putting somebody into danger and this time it was the most precious person in the world to him. He was the one who put Bobbie into danger. He had known it all along. As long as there were former supporters of Voldemort out there she would always be in danger. Most Death Eaters were incarcerated but there were other supporters who had never taken the Dark Mark. They also saw him as a traitor. How could he have made the mistake and think that things could change, that he would be able to live like a normal person? Now there was a madman out there who wanted to harm Bobbie if he didn't pay. He didn't care about the money but he would never be able to live with himself if Bobbie would be hurt... or worse. He knew he couldn't bare it if he would lose her... if he would lose them. There was his unborn daughter...

He suddenly felt Benton lick the back of his hands which he had in front of his face. Severus slung his arms around the dogs' neck and sobbed into his fur. Bella was also there. She lay beside him with her head on his thigh. Severus had never been so scared in his life, not even when he was going to Voldemort as a spy.

After the longest time he finally picked himself up of the floor and dragged himself to his bed. He didn't bother to undress and laid down on the top of the covers and fell into a fitful sleep. He had nightmares about Death Eaters slaying innocent people, about his involvement in it and somebody screaming. He heard someone in a menacing voice, "It is you... it is your fault." Severus suddenly jumped up covered in cold sweat with a scream on his own lips. Then he noticed his mobile phone ringing...

He saw it was Bobbie and picked up, "Where are you? Are you okay?"

"I am okay. I just woke up. Please just listen and then I will switch the phone off again. I don't want to get caught by it ringing. I don't recognize where I am but I saw that it is a huge Manor, with a large wooden front door - double doors. The building has light grey stucco and has a round tower with a flat top on the left side. There is a house elf with the name Quincy and the elf calls the man who kidnapped me Master Preston. That is all I know," she rushed through her story.

"You said you just woke up. They gave you a bed at least...," Severus guessed.

"Well, not exactly. I'm locked inside a dungeon room. They fed me and gave me blankets. I haven't seen or heard anybody but that man and the elf. I didn't get any flashbacks because I had my gloves on. I have to go before I am found out. I also don't want to run my battery down. I love you, Severus!"

"I love you too. Please be careful!" he said before the phone went dead.

Severus noticed it was almost 5 o'clock in the morning. He decided to take a shower. It wouldn't do for him to show up like this at Malfoy's place. He knew it was still too early to go there, so he went to his potion stores and found a few Hangover potions. He pocketed them and then went outside with the dogs. He could tell that they knew that something wasn't right. He was actually glad that they were here and he wasn't all alone. They reminded him of Bobbie.

The call from Bobbie had given him some hope. He thought about all of the mansions he knew and couldn't come up with any that looked like the one she had described. He hoped he could persuade Lucius to put his animosity aside and help him. Lucius and Narcissa were invited to many a party and knew more people and their homes than he did.

Shortly after he came back to his quarters Minerva knocked on his door. When he opened it for her she asked, "How are you holding up, Severus?"

He only sighed and slowly shook his head.

Minerva nodded and said, "I know you don't really feel like eating anything or facing everybody for breakfast up there. It also would raise some eyebrows if you would come alone. But you do have to keep your strength up so I will order something for us and we will stay here if this is acceptable to you?"

He nodded and croaked, "Yes!"

"You know Bobbie is strong. She will hang on until we find her...," Minerva said and then ordered some breakfast for them with Winky.

"What if they are torturing her? What if she is losing the baby? What if they are hurting her or, or worse...?" Severus's voice broke when he finished the last sentence.

"Stop that, Severus! Don't do that to yourself. You need to keep your wits about you for her. It doesn't help anybody if you fall into an emotional hole."

Severus was too lost in despair to hear her and said with tears in his eyes, "I can't lose her Minerva. I can't...! What am I doing without her? I am only alive because I had her. I love her so much. I don't know what to do. I feel so helpless. I don't know what I will do if I lose her. She is all I have..." He had gotten quieter and quieter by the end.

Minerva had never seen Severus so desperate in all the years she knew him, so she grabbed his upper arms and shook him and said, "Severus, listen to yourself. You can't think like that. You need to snap out of this. You aren't doing yourself or Bobbie any favors in this state. We will find her!" Minerva didn't really know who she was trying to convince with her last remark, Severus or herself. Still she went to the table and poured tea for them and then sat down and told Severus to sit down also.

He finally took a seat and reached for a piece of toast when Minerva held the bread basket under his nose. He put it onto his plate and stared at it.

Minerva finally asked, "Are you eating this or are you just looking at it? Put some butter on it."

Severus reluctantly did and then some jelly. He slowly chewed every bite like in trance. It tasted like cardboard to him, but he ate it and also finished his tea.

Minerva watched him as unnoticeable as she could. Breakfast was a very quiet affair. She felt sorry for Severus. He finally had been happy for the first time in his life and now this happened. He was a mess and she didn't doubt it a bit that he would fall into a deep depression if something happened to Bobbie. In all the years she knew Severus she had never seen him scared, not even when he was spying. Worried and tense maybe, but never scared. Finding love, true love, changed all that. He was genuinely frightened for Bobbie. It was a whole new feeling for him and he didn't know how to handle it.

Truthfully Minerva had never thought that Severus would ever find love. Yes, he had feelings for Lily, but it was nothing like what he had with Bobbie. Albus had always said that one of these days it would happen and that it would happen when Severus least expected it. You were so right Albus. Just when you demanded to be killed by him she showed up. Minerva gritted her teeth at the thought of this harebrained idea. Yes, it had worked but she would never condone that Albus had put Severus through this mess.

Minerva finally took a deep breath and put the thoughts aside just when Severus pushed the plate away from him. "You only ate one piece of toast. Are you sure you are done?"

"I can't eat when I feel like somebody is choking me. I know you mean well but give it a rest," he said with a sigh.

Minerva patted his hand and got up. "I will leave you now. Good luck with Lucius Malfoy."

"Thanks," he said quietly and also got up to get ready to leave. Just before he walked out he made sure he had the Hangover potions and even more important, the vial with the memories of the clerk from the bookstore in the pocket of his cloak.