Disclaimer: Not mine.

The Uninvited

Chapter 28

Time seemed to pass slowly. Each day the weather turned colder, the landscape bleaker. She looked for Severus to come back. One night during a storm, she was sure she saw him, his black cloak blending into the darkness, lit by a flash of lightening. She yanked the door open and ran out into the thunderstorm, calling his name until lights started to flick on in the surrounding houses and Lenny quickly spirited her back inside forcing her to remain and locking her in.

She became scared of noises. The bushes that scratched against the side of the house brought visions of a crazy long-nailed laughing Death Eaters to her dreams. Taking an axe, she chopped the yews down and breathlessly pulled the soon to be brown branches to the curb. She ripped the ivy that climbed the house nearly to the children's bedroom window and pulled down the trellis for fear someone could climb up and snatch them away.

Every morning she would run to the kitchen window and search the ground for footprints that would still be frozen in the heavy frost. Holding her breath until she knew they was safe, she would let it out in a rush before remembering that it meant that he had not come either.

When she spoke of this to Remus, he became concerned. He knew that it gave her comfort to believe that Severus was watching over her, but he knew better. The shadowy figures were either Ministry or the Dark Lords minions. Remus did not know which and without their spy the Order could not discover the truth.

He was equally concerned by her fears and the way she was quickly becoming a recluse. Refusing to do her own shopping and afraid to be seen. Remus arranged a visiting schedule with the Order members still willing to help her, which they seldom kept.

Hearing a loud knock on her front door one day, Abigail ran to peek though the tiny hole that was in the door. She smiled widely and threw open the door to the Weasley Twins. They looked at her with their lopsided grins, and reached out to her at the same time for a three-person hug.

Walking into the house they both looked around a little uneasily casting glances between themselves and avoiding her eyes. She walked into the living room asking them about Molly, Arthur and all the rest. They passed a few minutes in chitchat before Lenny brought the babies in to see the visitors.

"Look at this Fred," George said picking up Albus, "he is going to be walking soon." He laughed as the baby gave his nose a squeeze.

"He can already pull himself up and let go," she smiled proudly. "He tries to walk, but… can't quite do it yet. He is getting good at falling though."

"Nah," Fred grinned, "I like the girls." He laughed picking up Ainslie.

"That one is the climber," Abigail reached out and tapped her nose and frowned at her. "I found her up on the kitchen table this morning, and yesterday she was half way up the chest of drawers. Thought I would die."

"Mum used to put a carpet by the cabinets…" George scowled.

"In case we fell it would cushion us." Fred finished.

Abigail sat watching the two known pranksters as they stood together each twin holding one of hers. The two red heads then looked at each other, and then at Abigail.

"You know," Fred started.

"We only do this for their good," George finished.

"What?" Abigail began to feel uncomfortable as she saw them glance at one other, and watched their smiles slip.

"They'll be taken good care of," George said sadly.

"Promise," Fred finished with a nod to George.

With a crack of thunder, they were gone. Abigail could not think further than this being some kind of joke. Some sort of prank that the boys were pulling to see her reaction. She was sure they would appear any moment. She called for Lenny, then waited and called again. After a few minutes, she was screaming for him, ripping open the door under the sink and searching the closets.

He was gone. God, when she truly needed him he was gone. She paced and wrung her hands, cursing the elf until she stopped suddenly, understanding the implication.

He was with them. They were his. No matter who took them, no matter what, he would not leave them. He would protect them. She closed her eyes and was able to breathe easier, knowing that whoever had them would have to deal with Lenny. Knowing they would have to deal with their elf was the only thing that would keep her sane. Now she was mad as hell.

She walked the house all that night and into the next day thinking of what to do. One moment she could sit quietly and wait, the next she was throwing and smashing anything she could find. If asked to identify her feelings she could not. She shut down her mind and built walls to shut off her feelings, refusing to get lost in them, not now, not when her children needed her.

If she had learned anything at Reyes Manor, it was this. Never, absolutely never let your emotions lead the fight. Think it out and then carry it through, calm, emotionless and coldly.

She could not go to the Burrow. She had no magic. Fuck, she thought, as she realized that she did not even know where the Burrow was. She cursed herself for being so stupid as to have put her trust in anyone. She used to know better. She used to know that everyone had their own agenda. An agenda that did not include protecting children.

Now she sat in her Muggle house, in Muggle London. Miles from where she thought the Burrow was. Scotland became her destination but she had no way of getting there. No owl to send. No-one she trusted. Seeing the robes Remus had brought her hanging on the coat stand, she slipped them into a bag and headed for Diagon Alley.

She took a cab to the area of the Leaky Cauldron. Pulling a cap low over her face, she pushed the door open and headed toward the back door, changing into her robes as she went. She knew she could not enter though the brick wall unless she had help, but she had no place else to go. She stood in the small space for several minutes, waiting to slip in with someone else, and then sighed and went back inside.

"Tom? Right?" she said to the tall wizard standing near the back.

"Yes, I am Tom," he said turning. "And you are who?"

"A friend of Remus'," she said, trying to lower her voice, "a Muggle."

Tom reached up and pulled the hood back enough to see her face. Then muttering to himself he roughly grabbed her arm and pulled her into the shadows.

"You have no right to be here," he snarled at her. "I told you before to stay away."

"I need to get in," she spat back at him. "Someone took my children and I intend to find them or make them sorry they did this."

Tom stood still. He pulled her aside, pushed her up the stairs, into an empty room and stood glaring at her.

"We can't talk down there. Now, tell me what's going on."

"Someone, I thought to be a friend," she paused, not wanting to give too much, "The babies were both taken. I have to find them."

"Where do you plan on looking?" he asked flatly. "You won't find Snape you know."

"I am not looking for him, only them," she answered firmly, pulling the walls up tight. "They won't be with him, he's too clever for that. But I know who took them, just not where."

"You think without magic you are able to do anything?"

"They won't expect me. If I can catch them by surprise I will have a chance."

"I trusted him you know," Tom said, folding his arms over his chest. "I trusted him."

"More the fool you," She folded her arms as well and lifted her chin to match his stance. "Right now I don't give a fuck about your feelings. Be hurt later. Open the wall now."

"You are not wanted here. You know that don't you?" Tom said showing no emotion himself.

"Good. It's not my favourite place either. You think I want to be here? You think I give a fuck what those arseholes in the Alley think of me?"

"People blame you. Yesterday's Daily Prophet ran your picture again," he said, raising his wand to summon a paper from the downstairs counter.

"They had your picture right next to your Grandfather's," he said as he handed her the paper.

She looked at the first page of the paper as her knees gave out. She grabbed onto the nearby table until she could slump down slowly to the floor. Her picture and that of an old man, stared back at her.

The headline of "Reyes Family, Will the Horrors Ever Cease" was right there. She was identified.

She picked the paper back up and saw the picture of herself and Severus holding the babies, leaving the Ministry after the trail. He knew, the Dark Lord knew, and the Weasleys were hiding the babies from him as well as her. They believed the paper.

"What about you Tom? Do you think this is entirely my fault?" She asked as the sound of blood rushed through her ears.

"I don't know, people say Snape was on Dumbledore's side until you showed up." He shrugged, "They say this whole thing started when you tried to trap him with getting pregnant."

"Right and I am such a catch that he couldn't keep his hands off of me," she sneered as she pulled herself up remembering how she had begged him to make love to her. "That's why he hid me in the dungeons. That's why I am living alone and my children are taken."

"The Daily Prophet. They publish fiction and call it news." He studied her face before continuing. "They say he has an older daughter, but no-one knows where."

"A daughter? Who… I mean…," she looked away fighting to regain her coldness.

"Some clerk at Flourish and Blotts claims he buys her school books there," he said seriously.

Abigail began laughing, releasing the tension and fear that had flooded her. She sat on the edge of the bed. Waving her hand toward the chair opposite, she smiled up at him. Tom looked at her oddly, but did as she bid uncertainly.

She laughingly told him the story about the shopping trip with Severus. Then seeing his face, and knowing that he was a one-time friend of Severus', she told him the short version of her learning to read, and the fact that she had no formal education.

When she had finished he stood and walked to the door.

"I will let you into Diagon Alley," he said hoping she was not making a fool of him. "If you need a place to sleep, come back here but be careful. If you are picked out, I will deny any knowledge of you. Sorry , but…"

"No, really," she jumped up and placed a hand on his arm. "I understand. Really I do. But, you have to understand as well… I will do anything to get them back. If I find out that you put them onto me, if you tell anyone I am here…I don't have magic, but understand I will come back and make you sorry. Your life will be a living hell. Trust me on this, I am a Reyes, and there are non-magical ways of doing things."

He looked into her eyes and nodded. He found himself trusting her after seeing and hearing her determination. He had no doubt that she could make his life miserable. Shite, he thought, Snape deserved her.

"Only one thing I need to see before I take you down there," he stepped back and pulled out his wand that he'd held loosely at his side.

She nodded, and not taking her eyes of his, pushed up her left sleeve to expose a scarred but Mark free arm, shaking the garment back down at his nod.

"Sort of shoots that theory in the arse," she smirked.

"Not always, it's said not all wear the mark."

"Then it's said wrong." She pushed past him angrily and stood waiting in the hall.

She followed him down the stairs and watched as he tapped the bricks and waited for the wall to slide open. She stepped into the opening of the Alley and heard the bricks reposition behind her. She had no escape now. She could only go forward.

As the stepped onto the main pavement, the first explosion could be heard deep within Diagon Alley. The last day of the war had begun.