Sorry it took so long to update! I've been very busy!
Chapter Eighteen
Try as I might, there is no way out. I have yet to even breathe fresh air whilst not under his careful eye. The only time when he does not literally hold me is the morning, and that only changed after more than a week of convincing, wheedling, and repercussions. To gain that small measure of freedom, I agreed to allow him to hold as I sleep without even a word of protest.
Thankfully, he has not forced me yet, but he is getting impatient. He might resort to that soon.
ooooooooooo
After dinner, Hermione hurried after the Headmaster. She stopped him in the hallway and asked, "Headmaster, do you know what happened to Lin?"
"Ah. I was wondering when you would notice, Miss Granger. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you, for that would be a betrayal of trust," Dumbledore said, looking down his long, crooked nose at her.
"But, Sir, Professor Lupin said for you to tell me about 'that day'," she said, persisting.
The aging wizard quickly looked back to the student. His gaze was serious and sorrowful, just like Lupin's had been. "Miss Granger, would you kindly come up to my office, please? This matter warrants more privacy," he said before beginning to walk back to his office.
As soon as they were in the privacy of his office, Dumbledore turned back to Hermione and said very seriously, "Allow me to impress upon you now the seriousness of this matter. It is not to be shared with anyone."
"I understand, Headmaster," Hermione said quickly with a nod.
"Lin has been kidnapped by a very powerful...being. He wants to...how do I say this?...he claims that he loves her...There is also a chance that he might join Voldemort. If he joins, he will force her to as well," Dumbledore explained, trying to at least tell her the gist of what was happening while retaining some amount of secrecy.
"Professor, what exactly is this...person?" Hermione asked. Of course, she would notice how vague he was purposely being.
"Unfortunately, I cannot tell you that, Miss Granger. I will only say that Professor Lupin has been greatly affected by this event. There is only so much I can do to help him," Dumbledore said, hinting at the true purpose of this conversation.
Hermione, being intelligent, understood to what he was hinting and nodded in understanding. She then stood and said, "Thank you, Professor."
As she began to walk out, Dumbledore called after her, "Miss Granger, tread lightly."
She heard, but she did not pause. She had to tell them. The three of them could possibly help.
Several hours later, three Gryffindors remained awake, and they could think of no way to help.
oooooooooo
The following night, Dumbledore was not in his office. This in and of itself would not be that unusual, but for the fact that Professors Snape, McGonagall, and Lupin were gone as well. They, as well as a handful of other witches and wizards, met in a secret place, which even I, your humble narrator, am unable to disclose.
Disregarding this, one major fact linked these people together: they all had been and would be the Order of the Phoenix, though of course there were more than just them. Those others were Alastor 'Mad-Eye, Kingsley Shaklebolt, and Arthur Weasley. They could only hope that this many witches and wizards would be sufficient for the task ahead of them.
At this secret location, Dumbledore stood from his seat at the head of the table and said to them all, "I have been hiding something from you, not quite all of you, but most. For the past 87 years I have been hiding a sylph at Hogwarts."
"Are you mad, Albus? They're very flighty creatures. Set one of them off and they could destroy the castle!" Mad-Eye interjected immediately.
"I know, Alastor. I've kept her calm for this long-" Albus began.
Snape interrupted and said, "But now it is unchecked."
"No, Severus. Now she was kidnapped," Albus corrected.
"By whom?" the pale, greasy man asked nasally.
"A maedar, a male medusa," Albus said.
"Those are only myth, Albus. This can't be-" Kingsley began to say.
"Maedar are very real, Kingsley, and one of them has taken Lin," Albus said seriously and sadly.
"Dumbledore, perhaps I misunderstood you. Are you suggesting that Lin is a sylph?" Snape asked, sounding very doubtful, sneering almost.
"The sylph, Severus. He destroyed all but her because she hid from him," he answered seriously.
"And what are we to do about it, Albus?" Mad-Eye growled.
"Find her, save her," McGonagall said, sounding almost aghast that they hadn't considered that.
"Impossible. Maedar hide their lairs too well. Even if we did know where they were, maedar are very powerful creatures. We could not hope to even distract him long, let alone defeat him," Snape said, shaking his head.
"I thought you would know something of them. Now, Severus, tell me, have you ever found any way of locating their lairs?"
"No. The only way would be if one of them were to tell you where it is. Even then, there would be powerful wards in place," he said, shaking his head.
Albus sighed and sat heavily.
"There's still a chance we'll find a way," Arthur spoke up.
"There has to be," Remus said dismally, though he sounded quite determined to do anything for her.