Master_of_bugs123: Thanks, I'm so glad that you like it.

Chick_With_The_Purple_Guitar: I actually am working on one. It takes place a couple of months after Deathly Hallows and will be called Slytherin Story. I have not posted it yet, but keep your eyes open.

JessiS: Thank you!

Chapter 4:

Day 1

22:43

"G-gone?" Calista repeated, "as in, dead?"

"No, Dear," said Astoria, wiping a tear from her eye with a fancy lace handkerchief, "gone as in missing. We don't know where he is."

There was a long pause. The only sound that could be heard was a lone dog howling in the distance. The eerie tone filled the room with an ominous chill, as the Malfoy let the dreaded news sink in.

Draco couldn't remember ever feeling so devastated in his life. Not when he almost killed Dumbledore, not when his father was arrested, not even the death of Crabbe could compare to the feeling of anguish and utter despair that he felt at that very moment. It was as if he was in Azkaban all over again, with dementors sucking the very life out of him.

It was Calista who broke the silence first. Carefully, as not to upset her parents any more than they already were (if that was even possible), quietly said, "They will find him, won't they, Mummy?"

Astoria paused briefly before whispering, "I hope so, Honey."

It was impossible. Scorpius Hyperion Greengrass Malfoy, the whom he had raised and cared for for twelve years, the kid that could name every major league quidditch team, the child whom had always aimed high and reached his goals, the one whom he loved so much and held so dear, was gone. The thought itself seemed unfathomable, but Draco knew in his heart that it was all too true.

Potter will pay for this, he thought furiously, he would make sure that the Gryffindor regretted the day he was ever born!

"Knock. Knock," Lily said.

Nobody answered for a full thirty seconds. Finally, sighing dramatically, Albus mumbled, "Who's there?"

"I. Wanda."

"I Wanda who?"

"I Wanda GET OUT OF HERE! You lied, Al! You said we'd be our in an hour, tops! I'm tired and hungry and I can't feel my fingers! When is James coming?"

"Albus," Scorpius whispered so that only his friend could hear. His voice sounded slightly sheepish. "I, um, have to use the facilities."

Albus paused, trying to stifle his laughter. "Er . . . well, if you really have to go, do it on the other side, as far away from us as possible."

Malfoy was incredulous. "Here? Now? Are you mad?" he cried indignantly. "I can't do it here - - not . . . not with all there . . . these girls."

Rose, who had been listening to their entire conversation, rolled her eyes. "Oh honestly, Malfoy, none of us want to see any more of you than absolutely necessary. I have a hard enough time looking at you right now."

"Because I'm so good looking?" he joked.

"Yeah, you wish. Now do what you need to do and do it fast. We won't look, I promise."

Scorpius hesitated, but he really did have to go. "Make sure they stick to their word," he ordered Albus.

"Anything?" Harry asked.

Ginny shook her head. "Not a trace. We've searched everywhere. What about you?"

"The search party can't come until tomorrow morning. I guess we're just going to have to wait until then. The hotel is letting us stay free of charge under the circumstances."

Ginny rolled her eyes, "Oh, how generous of them. And you're sure there's no tracking charm?"

"Positive."

Ginny kicked the dresser in frustration. "I'm a terrible mother!" she cried in anguish. Then Ginny began to sob, a truly rare sight.

Harry was not used to such scenarios. Normally it was Ginny comforting him, not the other way around. Still, he couldn't bare to see his wife like this. Harry attempted to comfort her in a gentle, albeit somewhat awkward hug. She shrugged it off. "Look Gin - - no really, look at me. I say this with a full heart that you are the best mother I know. But even you couldn't prevent the unpreventable."

Ginny sniffed. "But it's my fault," she protested, "if I hadn't let them go off by themselves - -"

"Ginny, don't you dare say that. It's just as much my fault as it is yours. Besides, I wouldn't count them out if I were you. When I was in muggle primary school, we saw a video on people who do search and rescue. You haven't seen these muggles. They have electric blankets and food and medicine. They also have these big tracking dogs like can smell people over three meters under snow. They'll be just fine."

"Yeah," Ginny agreed, "if they survive the night," she added darkly.

"I really hope this place isn't airtight."

"What's 'airtight'?" Scorpius wondered.

Albus winced. Had he just said that out loud? Oh, god. Please don't tell him what it is, Rose. He's scared enough already. Please, please I beg of you.

Unfortunately, Rose did not receive Albus's imaginary telepathic message. Besides, it was no use anyway. Rose, being herself, would never pass up on the opportunity to show off her knowledge. "Airtight means that oxygen can't escape or enter a place. If this cave were airtight, which I highly doubt," she glared at her cousin, "then we would all suffocate and die before we died of hypothermia or starvation. But, like I said, I highly doubt it."

"How can you be so sure?"

Rose pointed up. "We're close to the surface. I know because I saw light earlier. Plus, there's a small hole right up there- - no, don't bother, Lily, you can't even get your fist through that thing, let alone climb out." She paused, then added, "Duh."

"Maybe we could make a sign and stick it through the hole," Albus suggested, "then they'd be able to find us more easily."

Rose looked at her cousin incredulously. "I can't believe I didn't think of that!"

"There's just one tiny problem," said Lily, "we have nothing to make a sign out of."

"Not true," Al pointed out, "we just have to be creative, that's what Dad and Mum always say. For instance, we can use . . . the ski pole as a stick," he grabbed his pole, "and we need some paper - - or something paper-like to write on. Like, um . . ." Albus thought hard, trying to come up with an example. Surely therehad to be something.

"I still have the receipt from my coat," Rose announced, "we can write on the back of it."

Albus nodded, feeling like an idiot for not that himself. Of course, it was so bloody obvious!

Al smirked at his cousin. "Good work, Rosie," said, knowing it would make her upset. It was well-know that Rose hated her nickname. The petname had originally been thought up by Ron. It was cute when she was six and all of her older cousins called her "Rosie Posy", after Victoire had called her by it in the corridor during her first term, everyone taunted her about it for months. Rose had then announced that she never wanted to be called Rosie again. Normally family member respected this, but on occasion the rule was still broken to annoy her.

Albus's plan work. Rose's cheeks turned bright red, and Albus realized at once that he had made a horrible mistake. Normally, after teasing Rose an adult would stop her from hurting anybody, but there were no adults in the cave. That meant that no one could stop her from physically abusing her cousin in a place where nobody could hear his screams (well, except Scorpius and Lily- - but that's besides the point!)

That was another problem with Rose; many people underestimated her because she was a girl. But make no mistake, if she wanted to, Rose could pack a punch. Albus remembered her once breaking a kid's nose after he made fun of her weight. She probably would have broken more if she had the chance. (Yet again, this made her a useful ally to have, for she was also extremely protective.)

"Wait, stop it! I'm sorry Rose. Please stop it!"

Rose swung her fist and stopped just before it hit her cousin. Then, she began laughing hysterically. "Merlin, you should have seen your face!"

Albus fumed. "Bloody hell, Rose. Why did you do that?" He turned. Scorpius and Lily were laughing, too. "Stop it! Gerroff! It's not funny!"

"No, it's pretty funny."

Without thinking, Albus lunged at Rose with all of his might.

"What is wrong with you? Can't you take a joke?" She cried.

Albus was breathing hard. He had just pinned his cousin. He never did anything like that. What was wrong with him?

"You just hit a girl!" Scorpius cried.

"Ooh!" Lily added for dramatic effect.

"Shut up!" he shouted. "Rose, I-I'm sorry. . . again."

Rose smiled sweetly and took her cousin's hand- - and then flipped him herself.

Albus moaned in pain. "Okay, we're even."

"Nope," she smacked him in the face, "now we're even!"

James (understandably) could not sleep that night. The traumatized teenager lay in bed, eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling. What had happened in the avalanche had been his fault. He was probably the worst older brother in the entire world.

Professor Trelawney had made a prediction last term that he would lose someone he loved. James had dismissed the prophecy as hogwash, not taking it all seriously. Yet again, James rarely took anything seriously. Except for now, that is. Maybe if he had been more careful, . . .then maybe, maybe he could have saved them. If he had just acted a little more quickly . . .

"James? James, are you still awake?"

James knew that he wasn't supposed to be up at this hour, and that if his mum caught him, he'd be in big trouble- -or worse, she might try to comfort him about the situation! James did not respond, instead he pulled the covers over his head and pretended to be sleeping.

I don't know why I'm so worried. They'll probably find them tomorrow, James reasoned.

Now satisfied with his logic, James rolled over and slept the night away.

Little did he know, things were about to get far worse, before they would get better.

Albus said, "Hey, Lily. I need your hat."

"What? No, you have your own!"

"I can't use mine, it won't do the job. Yours has finer threads."

Rose's eyes widened as she realized what her cousin panned to do. "Give it to him, Lily," she ordered.

Lily hesitated. "What are you planning to do?"

"Um. . . it's a surprise. Trust me, Lil'."

The younger girl sighed and handed it to her brother reluctantly. "Just be careful with it."

Al nodded and began to put a loose string in the hat, slowly unraveling it until there was a large gaping hole.

Lily screamed. "Hey! Grandmother made me that!"

Scorpius shrugged. He didn't see what the big deal was, it was just a stupid hat. So why did Lily look like she was going to cry? "Just buy a new one," he suggested.

Lily's lower lip quivered. "No! This one had shentimentil value!" she cried, repeated the word she had often heard grown-ups use.

Rose laughed. "That's sentimental value." Still, Scorpius's insensitivity to her cousin was understandable. She and Albus had visited the Malfoys before, and they never struck Rose as the kind of family that would knit each other hats. Changing the subject, she cleared her throat. "Anyway, Al? How's the sign coming along?"

Albus shook his head. "I'm such an idiot! I forgot the most important part! We need something to write with and I don't even have a pen."

"We could always use blood," Scorpius pointed out. His friends looked at him in disgust.

"Blood?"

Scorpius blushed, looking somewhat sheepish. "You know, like in stories where two people need to sign a contract and they write their names in blood to make it official. Mum always read them to me and Calista."

"Wow," said Albus, "no offense, but those are some pretty morbid bedtime stories."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Don't mind him, he's a wimp. He won't even let him mum read Babity Rabbity to him!"

Albus frowned, "I don't like stories where doggies die!"

AN/: Babbity Rabbity and her Cackling Stump is a short story in the Tales of Beadle the Bard. I myself do not read things where dogs are killed.

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