A/N: I'm not really sure where this idea came from. I rather liked it though. I hope you all enjoy it also!

Harry Potter Halloween Collection Prompt: (weather) misty/foggy

Kidnapped

Sirius pulled the map of Malfoy Manor and the surrounding property out of his pocket. He'd stayed awake all last night studying it carefully, looking for promising points of entry into the wooded area behind the house. The fact that he had to go this alone infuriated him.

Three days ago, he'd returned home to find his house broken into and his wife missing, with no evidence as to who'd done it. The only clue he'd had to go off of was a stack of letters that had been hidden away in Marlene's nightstand. The stand had been tipped over in the attack, the drawer spilling its contents onto the floor of their bedroom. The letters turned out to be from Marlene's ex, Lucius Malfoy. She'd dumped him two years ago, but it seemed that he'd never quite got over the humiliation of it. The letters, which dated back as far as a year, threatened violence against her and her new husband. Sirius had always known that Malfoy hated him for marrying Marlene, although he had had nothing to do with her decision to leave. Marlene had said nothing to Sirius of these letters.

The letters had been enough to convince the police to bring Lucius in for questioning that night. Sirius had asked to be involved in the case and, despite the circumstances, the Lieutenant had reluctantly allowed him to question Lucius, but wouldn't allow him to be involved any further than that. Sirius and James had interrogated Lucius, but the man had refused to talk. They'd kept him in a holding cell while a search of Malfoy Manor was executed, but the extensive search turned up nothing. Marlene wasn't there and there was no evidence to tie Lucius to her disappearance. He'd been allowed to walk free the next day. Sirius, infuriated, had argued with the Lieutenant, but with no success. He'd even been pulled off the case and told to let someone more impartial handle it.

That was when Sirius had gotten the idea to take matters into his own hands and, not wanting to get his friend in trouble, Sirius had decided against telling James. The forested area behind the manor had been ruled out initially, due to the fact that there were no buildings or anything else in which to hide someone. This oversight proved to Sirius that the Malfoys could get away with anything, so long as they threw enough money at whatever problem they were faced with. He was sure now that the bastard had her hidden somewhere in these woods and paid off someone important to keep the area from being searched. Whether she were still alive or dead was questionable. At first, he'd thought that Lucius wouldn't kill her, but now, after the last few days with no sign of her, Sirius began to wonder if she really were dead.

"No," Sirius admonished himself, "she's not. She can't be." Refolding the map and slipping it back into his pocket, Sirius climbed over the low fence at the edge of the forest. He was approaching from the behind the manor. Trying to enter directly in front of the manor itself would be suicide. He was certain that Lucius had plenty of protection, hired thugs just waiting for Sirius to try something. He couldn't be certain that some of those men weren't here in the forest. His hand rested on the gun holstered at his side. The thick fog enshrouding the area made him feel both thankful and uneasy; no one would see him coming, but he wouldn't see anyone else either.

Sirius searched for what felt like hours, looking carefully for anything suspicious. Just when he'd given up hope, he saw something. He could just make out a shape through the fog, something that looked like a very strangely shaped tree trunk. The tree itself appeared normal enough, but the bottom of the trunk looked oddly large. Like maybe there was someone sitting against it on the ground.

Sirius approached quietly and cautiously, not sure what he was likely to find. He stayed hidden behind the trees as best he could. When he was finally able to see clearly, he had to keep himself from calling out to her, not knowing if there was anyone else nearby. It was Marlene. A single thick rope bound both her hands and feet together, forcing her to remain in a fetal position. She was sitting up, her head resting against the tree. Her eyes were closed, but he could just see the rise and fall of her chest.

When he reached her, he knelt down in front of her, working at the rope. The sight of bruises and cuts on her face enraged him. Her bottom lip was split open, dried blood caking the wound. She was pale and shivering slightly as a result of the chill, damp air. She wore only jeans and a t-shirt. The thought of her spending two cool nights out in the open, dressed as she was and with no means of keeping warm, made him even angrier. "Marlene," he said, quietly, desperately. "Marlene, can you hear me?"

Marlene's eyes fluttered open. "S-Sirius?"

"Yes, it's me," Sirius answered, relieved to hear the sound of her voice again. "It's going to be alright. I'm going to get you out of here."

"How did – you find me?" She struggled to speak.

"That's not important right now," he said, finally freeing her hands and moving to her feet. The last thing he wanted to do right now was argue with her about the letters and why she hadn't said anything to him. He was too relieved that she was alive and she didn't have the strength for it.

"I thought – I thought I was – going to die. I was afraid I'd – never see you again."

"Quiet, love," Sirius said gently. "We can talk about it later." The rope finally came loose and he tossed it aside. Removing his coat, he draped it over her shoulders. "The only thing I want to know right now is, did he – did he do anything to you?" He needed to know and yet he was afraid of the answer.

Marlene seemed to understand what he meant. "No," she replied. "Nothing like that. He did hit me, over and over. Left me here to die. Wanted me to know – how it felt to be abandoned." She coughed and winced.

"Enough talking. I need to get you out of here." Carefully scooping her up, he gingerly made his way through the forest, relieved when he spotted the fence again. They'd made it without being caught.

The next day, Marlene was recovering in the hospital and Lucius was locked away, where he belonged. Sirius had a difficult time trying to explain his actions to the Lieutenant. He managed to get out of it with only a two week suspension. "Consider yourself lucky it isn't longer. I'll be keeping a closer eye on you from now on," the Lieutenant said gruffly before dismissing him.

He'd gone immediately back to the hospital, eager to check on Marlene. She opened her eyes when he entered the room. "Hey." She looked and sounded much better than she had earlier. The doctors thought she would only need a few days of recovery and then she could go home.

Sirius kissed her forehead. "How are you?"

Marlene bit her lip. "I know how you found me," she said, ignoring his question. "James was by earlier with Lily to check on me. He told me that you found the letters."

Sirius hadn't been planning on talking about this until she was home, but now it seemed he had no choice. He sat in the chair at her bedside and thought carefully about how to respond. "Why didn't you tell me?" This seemed the easiest thing to ask. He found that he really wasn't angry with her anymore. He was too busy being relieved that he hadn't lost her for good.

"I didn't think he'd actually do anything." Her eyes shone with tears. "I'm so sorry. I should've shown those letters to you right away. I just didn't want to bother you with it."

Sirius took her hand. "You're right, you should have," he agreed. "You could never bother me, especially if it's something that will keep you safe. But what's done is done, and I think you've learned your lesson. You're safe now, and that's all I care about."

Marlene smiled through her tears. "He was wrong, you know."

Sirius looked at her, confused. "What do you mean?"

"He thought that kidnapping me and leaving me to die in the woods would make me feel what he felt," she explained. "He felt abandoned when I left him, even though he was the one who drove me away with his jealousy and need to control me. But he didn't count on you, now did he?" She closed her eyes again. "I'll never feel abandoned with you around."

Sirius smiled and kissed the back of her hand. "I'll always come for you, no matter what. Always remember that."