Authors note: Just in case you read the short preview of chapter 16 and didn't see, the whole of that chapter is now posted. This is a little short, but I hope to post sooner than this time. If I have missed replying to a review forgive me. It's been crazy around here lately.
Wonderful chapter 17
Hex Em
Severus woke up and saw some light creeping in through the seam of the car trunk. At least they had not driven off somewhere in the night. The car had never moved. He didn't know that he had help, even if it was unsuccessful in the form of his 720th a millionth removed cousin Ovid. The older boy was waiting for a chance to let Sev go, but Dinu and Buna were watching like hawks. By the time one of them had fallen asleep he had as well. Snape again tried to use his kid magic to escape. He remembered what his mother had told him, 'One must control one's fear for magic to work well.' It was hard not to be afraid. It was dark, it was cold, and it smelled. When Buna went to make breakfast and Dinu hadn't woken up yet, Ovid went to the car. He could hear the boy repeating a word he could not figure out. "Allowmoris?" Sev had also been told confidence helped magic. Not being sure of the charm didn't help. "Alegromogo? Alohamomo?"
'What is it?' "Alohamoris." At least this time it wasn't a question. "OPENUP!" The sound of kicking could be heard from inside the trunk. Then there was more crying.
"Listen kid," Ovid said. He had to be loud enough for the boy to hear, but low enough for his grandfather and great-grandmother not to hear. "I don't have the key. I'm going to try and get it."
"Use your wand, use your wand," a panicked Severus pleaded. "Don't go away use your wand!"
"Kid, I don't have no wand."
"You've got to be old enough for a wand. Use your wand." The kid was obviously frazzled. He began to kick and say the word he had been trying to remember. "Allogamoro!" Kick, kick, kick. "Al"- Kick - "Lo" - Kick - "Ha" - Kick - "Mo" - Kick - "Mo!" KICK!
"Calm down," Ovid implored. "If you wake up my Grandfather, I won't get the key."
"You better hurry, or it's going to get real wet in here."
"Oh no, don't you dare kid."
"What do you expect when you lock someone up in a trunk all night?"
"Got a point there." Ovid went to look for the key.
Severus continued to kick and say things such as, "Alegromogo!" "Alolgomogo!" & "Aloemora!"
Then he heard the voice he had wanted to hear all night say the right incantation, "Alohamora, Sev it's Alohamora. You have to say it." Wordless spells Eileen could handle, wand less spells, that took a kid.
"Alohamora!" Sev shouted and the trunk up latched. Ele lifted it up the rest of the way and her son grabbed on to her for dear life. Instead of saying 'Mum,' Severus kept repeating the spell, "Alohamora, Alohamora - - " He was also crying the way kids do in fits and jerks. He was nearly choking Eileen with his arms around her neck and his legs around her waist. "Alohamora - - "
"Sevvy, you can stop saying it now. Everything is all right."
"All right for us eh Miss. Vitch?" It was Dinu.
Ele turned to face the old muggle. "It's Mrs. Witch thank you." She began to walk away.
"Vhere do you think you are going?"
"Get the Hell out of my way Muggle before I make you pay for what you've done to my son."
Anyone else seeing the look in Eileen Snape's face would have done more than get out of her way, they would have run. Dinu was not anyone. "Hear'd you tell de little vizard, you got no vand. You are not going anyvhere."
"She may not have a wand," a new voice said. "But I do." It was Slughorn. His wand was pointed at the old man's face.
Dumbledore was behind the man, his wand aimed as well, adding the words, "As do I."
Severus stopped saying Alohamora and said in amazement, "Wizards, cool." Then the little boy pointed at Dinu and shouted, "HEX EM! HEX EM!"
"We're not going to hex anyone," Dumbledore informed to the disappointment of the little wizard. "Unless they do something really stupid."
The entire time Dinu Snapeivitsky was transfixed by Dumbledore. He mumble, "Es you, es you. Dumbusdore."
"You know me?" Albus ignored the mangling of his name.
"You are da one who defeats Gindlevald." There was actually a head bow of respect given by the old gypsy. "Forgive me, I did not know dis little vizard vas one of yours."
"Mine or not, you shouldn't be throwing little kids into automobile trunks, now should you?"
No, no Sir." Dinu scraped and bowed again.
Buna had other ideas. Seeing a hoard of Wizards as well as the Witch had come to rescue the boy she had thoughts that weren't that bright. She threw one of her bags of paprika at Dumbledore.
"Really Madam." Dumbledore laughed as he brushed off the powdered condiment. "That may work on a seven year old, but not me."
At the same time Dinu was asking Buna if she was crazy in their own language, Severus yelled out, "Hex the old muggle!"
Ovid came back with the key, a bit too late, to see the scene that was taking place. He stopped short and held up the key. "I was going to let him out," he informed.
Eileen looked at Ovid. She closed her eyes and shook her head not believing what she was seeing. If Sev looked like Toby, Ovid looked even more like him. She had a bad feeling about this. "You, you look like - - "
The uncanny resemblance was not lost on Dumbledore or Slughorn. They looked at the little boy in Eileen's arms and the older one that had just arrived and came to the same conclusion. It was little Sev that said, "I think they're related to Dad."
"You don't say," Ele said. She was starting to fume. The two wizards both thought to themselves, they wouldn't want to be Mr. Snape when Mrs. Snape arrived home that day. "So - - "
"Eileen, we should be going." Dumbledore touched her elbow to remind her. "We'll go back to Hogwarts and make sure your son is all right."
The young witch's eyes were narrowing at the three gypsies. They were so lucky she did not have her wand. "You touch my son again," she warned. "And I'll do a lot more than hex you."
"Eileen."
The wizards let the witch exit in front of them just in case there were other traps set up. Looking back from his mother's arms, Severus was still whining, "Isn't an-y-bod-y going to hex them?" This question went unanswered. Realizing there was to be no hexing, the boy pouted. "Shoooooot!"
tbc
