Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

Chapter 20

"Hey Sev!"

The Potion Master slowly turned his head in annoyance. "Do NOT call me 'sev'." He nearly growled.

Rielly gave a little giggle as she advanced. "Aw come on! Your name is so long. It's such a hassle trying to say it all."

"Then you are to refer to me as Professor Snape or Snape, which ever you prefer."

"I see you're the bright ball of sunshine this fine night."

"Why are you here? Tonight isn't your night to patrol the halls. You're not even on the correct section of the castle." He continued his rounds as Rielly followed in tow.

She gave a sigh as her paced matched his. "I couldn't sleep. It feels as though something is wrong. I don't know what, but I feel off."

"Maybe you are losing control of you powers." He suggested and gave a barely noticeable smirk when she glared at him.

"I don't lose control of my powers thank you very much!"

"Of course not…" he said and her look became even harder. "So how's the training with Ms. Granger?"

"Not bad. She's doing a hell of a lot better than I did. Of course I didn't have such a fabulous teacher to teach me when I was young…er," she added as an after thought.

"Hm… careful Rielly, your ego is showing and if I must say, it's a horrid sight."

"I never knew you cared so much. Thank you."

The man rolled his dark orbs. Though he'd never admit it, he was quite fond of the company. It was much different then the silence he was use to while creeping the dark halls of Hogwarts.

"Actually. I'm a little worried about her." he gave her a side-glance. "She's been pushing it pretty hard. It doesn't help that Harry and Draco are fighting for her affection."

A single eyebrow was raised on the Potion's Master face. "Potter? I would have never assumed he would have feelings towards the little know it all. Well that certainly explains why McGonagall placed both him and Draco in detention. I heard the two were participating in a muggle fistfight. How barbaric."

"It better than using their wands. They could've hurt other pretty badly."

"You needn't worry. As thickheaded and graceless as he seems, Potter is one difficult opponent to duel and Draco can handle his own. The two would've canceled each other's attacks at any rate."

"Well, Sev, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you've just gave a compliment to the Boy-Who-Lived. Careful now, wouldn't want people to think you were human or something."

He gave a little snort. "I should hope not…"A smile almost graced his lips when he heard her joyful laughing. There was a comfortable silence between the two as they walked until Rielly opened her mouth again.

"Hey? Do you remember when we were little and we use to play with each other?"

He mocked a cringe. "I hope to forget." Was his reply and he was rewarded with a playful glare.

"Anyway, I remember when we use to play together. My favorite game was 'Hero and Princess' as we so nicely dubbed it."

"Ah yes, I remember that game. I also remember that every time we played that horrid game, I would always be the princess. I can stillhear the tirades I experienced from my father whenever he caught us."

Rielly tried to hide her laughter. "Yes, but I must say you looked fabulous in a dress Sev." She could've sworn she heard a growl come from the man. "Besides, I pulled off the hero much better than you did. And it's not like I was always the hero. I gave you chances."

"Yes and only because I promised I would marry you once we were older." He replied. He stopped and turned when he realized Rielly wasn't next to him anymore. "What is it?"

Although it was dark, a slight glow from the high windows of the castle shown on her face. "You know I'm still waiting right?" her voice was so low, he just barely heard her.

His usual emotionless face disappeared as his face showed an amount of surprise and belief. "What do you mean?" Surely she didn't mean THAT! Why do I feel like I've been set up?

She never got to answer when they heard the sound of a person yelling the Potion Master's name. "We'll talk about this later." He told her as figure identified itself as Draco.

"Professors! Something happened Dumbledore told me to tell you to meet him in the Hospital Wing."

"Hospital Wing? Do you know what happened?" he asked the Slytherin.

"It's Ricardo from Gryffindor, sir. He was bleeding and that's about all I know."

Snape nodded in understanding and quickly walked off. "What about you Draco. Where are you to go?" Rielly asked him.

"Dumbledore told me to go to his office after I found Professor Snape."

"Come then. I'll walk you there. There's no need for you to go by yourself." She gently guided the blonde up the stairs towards the Headmaster's office. When they opened the door, they found Harry already sitting in on of the chairs in front of the man's desk. Accompanying him was Tori. After Tori and Rielly said their greetings, the group remained in an uncomfortable silence until the Headmaster showed about thirty minutes later.

"Professor Dumbledore, is everything alright?" Harry asked once the man entered the room.

Draco searched for the twinkle that usually possessed the Headmaster's eyes, but couldn't find anything except two dull blue orbs.

"Draco, Harry…" he gave them both morose glance. "I'm afraid Ms. Granger has been kidnapped." Both young men stay in silence. Neither could believe it. How could Hermione be kidnapped in Hogwarts?

Harry was first to speak. "W-what?" he said, his voice shaky. "But how?"

"We don't know but somehow they did. Ricardo must have witnessed the incident going on, that is why he is in such a state he's in now."

"Do you know where she is or who kidnapped her?"

"Professor Snape may have some idea where she may be, however, if his hunch is correct, then Ms. Granger is now in the hands of Voldemort."

Draco's heart sank. "This can't be happening. Not again…"

Harry snapped his head towards Draco. "What do you mean 'not again'?" he threw a glare at Dumbledore. "You mean she's been taken by him before!" he shouted. The sound of glass being crack was heard. "Why haven't I heard about this?"

"Harry, I'm sorry, but we believed that you wouldn't be able to handle the fact that one of your dearest friends was almost killed by Riddle."

"So you assumed that if I didn't know at all I'll be fine!" he stared at Dumbledore with disbelief. "What in your right mind would ever make you believe that!"

"Potter, calm down…" Draco said quietly.

"Not now Malfoy!"

"Yes now. Obviously, Professor Dumbledore has something to say that might help rescue Hermione and you're ranting on like a child!" the blonde snapped. He was not in a good mood right now. "So why don't you shut up and listen!"

The raven-haired boy glare at Draco but remained silent. He was right. Throwing one of his tantrums wasn't going to help right now.

"Dumbledore how is Ricardo?" Tori asked once everything went quiet.

The elder wizard gave a sigh. "Not good. His hands were severely burnt and he suffered a Cruciatus. The person had also engraved words into his back with a knife. He'll survive, but will be in extreme pain during recovery."

"Why wasn't he in the dorms with the rest of Gryffindor?" Draco asked the headmaster.

"Ricardo isn't a normal teenager. In fact, he's part of the Order."

"What? How is he part of the Order? He's even younger than I am." Harry stated in confusion. He thought the Order of Phoenix didn't accept minors as members, at least not officially.

"Yes, that may be true, but he is special non the least." Dumbledore looked at the confused faces of Harry and Draco before he continued. "Ricardo comes from a line of very bright, powerful and well balanced group of wizards. He is a prodigy to most and is an exceptional duelist. He is also an animagus. We needed these kinds of traits in an alley and fortunately he was willing to help in an way he could."

"So you made him into a spy to look after the students." Draco concluded.

"In a way yes. We also needed him to look out for Ms. Granger."

"So is that why he's in that state? He was trying to protect Hermione?" Dumbledore gave a nod. "You say he's so strong, so how did he let those goons get the best of him?" Harry asked.

"I said he was powerful, not invincible. More than likely he was out numbered." Dumbledore suggested.

"Albus, we believe we may know who did this." Rielly spoke up for the first time. Three heads turned to the two new teachers. "Draco you know too." Draco gave her a puzzled stare. "Think about it. Who do you know that loves to play with fire and knives?"

"Draco thought about it and suddenly groaned. "Not them…" he said with much loath. "Professor," he turned towards the headmaster. "The people who did this, their names are Eric and Aurora."

"And they are like Rielly and I." Tori added.

"Ah, I was wondering were the other two were." Dumbledore replied, bemused.

"Wait a sec!" Everyone turned to look at Harry. "I'm lost. Now who is Eric and Aurora and how are they connected to all of this."

"Harry, has Ms. Granger ever told you about her ancestors." Harry gave a nod. "Well both Professor Rielly, Professor Perry and the other two mention had ancestors like hers."

"So they're like Hermione?"

"No. Not exactly." Rielly answered. "While Hermione has all her powers, us four each only have one. I have the power over the mind, Professor Perry has the power over strength, Eric has the power of destruction and Aurora has the power of healing and purification."

"So then if she has all those powers, that'll make her strong, very strong." Harry gave his attention back to Dumbledore. "But what I don't understand is why Voldemort would kidnap her. Aren't I the only real threat to him?"

Draco snorted. "Once again, Potter, you think everything is about you."

Before Harry could snap back, Dumbledore interrupted. "The Prophecy did say that yet we discovered there was another prophecy that intertwined with yours."

"How is that possible?"

"The prophecy I told you about in your 5th year was a recent one saying that neither you nor Riddle could both live at the same time. However, there was another prophecy created long ago. It's so old, that even I heard it told as a child. Though it is a prophecy, somehow during time, it was changed into a song and then later a story."

"How does it go?" Harry asked. Dumbledore looked a Rielly as a signal to begin the tell.

"Ages past, time go by, the four souls that slumbered now awakened. Yet five stills lays, psychically, until dawn rises and darkness falls, yet comes back again. Darkness rages against dawn, fearing its rays deceasing it's love, but only leaves dawn with nature's dreadful light at the pit of its appearance. Soul five, fairest of the four holds alliance with dawn, for they hold elemental bounds together. Without one, dawn's aura couldn't effect, without one, Soul five's wind of the soaring skies of the west and of mind, earth of trembling lands in the north and of strength, water of the deep ocean of the east and of heal and fire from the pits of hell in South and of Destruction and chaos will be taken..."

"Ron told us this story when we was on the train to Hogwarts. He said it was just an old wizard's folk-tale."

"To most it is, but we know better don't we." Dumbledore replied.

"Isn't there more?"

"That's the problem with prophecies, they never give exact answers."

"So I'm walking into battle just as blindly as I was before. Except this time, my only hope of winning is in the hands of that sadistic prick."

No one replied. As much as they hated it, Harry was right. Not only was their last hope gone, but also that now had no choice but to storm into enemy grounds, which will be a trap no doubt.

"So what do we do?" Harry asked in a defeated tone.

"I wish there was some other way, but our only option is to come to him. Fortunately, Riddle is one to gloat about his successes so we will have time to get ready before he become too restless. I will make a call to all the Order members. I would call the ministry, but that would be a fruitless attempt, wouldn't it?" he said more to himself than the others in the room. "Professors, please escort Harry and Draco back to their dorms. Tomorrow morning, come to office, the both of you. That will be all. Good night."

The two teenagers took one last look at their headmaster before being escorted out the office.

(End of chapter)