Author's Note: Here is the next chapter~~ I hope you will enjoy it! Comment or leave any critics~ I would love to hear your thoughts on the story!
Another shoutout to my awesome BETA! thewriterisme93! Thank you so much :):):)
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters!
˜Chapter4˜
"Scordius!" Hermione groaned as she grabbed her son by the arm, "Don't run!"
The group of friends and families had decided to go to the zoo as promised. It was surprisingly crowded and all the children were extremely excited.
"But I want to see the lions!"Scordius frowned.
Draco chuckled, "No, you mean the pythons."
"No, the lions!" The twins chorused loudly.
Lily and Scarlet held hands as they asked, "Can we see the giraffes first?"
After pushing their way through the crowd, the group finally made their way to the lion enclosure. Draco lifted Soteira onto his shoulders while cooing, "There, in the corner, can you see the lions?"
"Yes!" Soteira giggles as she bounced excitedly.
Hermione smiled at her daughter before turning her attention to the twins. She sighed as the twins made faces at a lion, earning a roar from it. Their eyes widened as they began clapping excitedly, while Scarlet and Lily were shocked.
Scorpius and Scordius then beamed at the adults, "Ooh! ooh! We wanna see the alligators! Come on!". With that, they took off again.
Draco put Soteira onto the floor and dashed after the twins, "Scors! Stop right there! You have to wait for us!"
"Those two, honestly!"Hermione fretted as she watched Draco chase after the two boys. "I'm glad you didn't take after your father." Hermione smiled at Soteria, holding unto her hand.
The group had stopped at the bear enclosure, with Lily and Scarlet exclaiming how cute the cubs where while the others went in search for Scordius who had ran off again. When Hermione noticed something wrong, "Ginny where is Soteira? Wasn't she with you?"
Ginny nodded as she held onto Scorpius, who was ready to run off again. "Yeah, I left her with Ron when I had to go to the washroom." She turned to look at her brother and a sudden sense of panic filled her as Soteira was nowhere to be found.
"Ron!" Lavender yelled equally panicked, "Where's Soteira?"
"She's just over-" Ron spoke but cut himself off as he looked around. "Soteira?"Ron froze and his eyes widened in fear.
Draco and Blaise came back at that moment with Scordius trying to break free from his father's arms to hear the discussion, "You lost my daughter?!"
Suddenly, they heard screams erupting from the building across from them.
"The snakes broke out!" Cried a boy as groups of people fled away from the Reptile room.
"That little girl! She must be so scared!" Another person howled.
The gang's eyes widened in a mix of shock and alarm. Harry frowned as memories from his own childhood rushed through his mind, "Hurry, we have to find her and take the kids out of here."
They searched through the hallways, and near the snake exhibit entrance, that's where they found Soteira surrounded by a heap of snakes who swirled around her.
"Oh Merlin!" Hermione gasped in horror as she whipped out her wand, "Harry, tell them to leave!"
"You'll hurt her."Draco cut in, lowering Hermione's hand as he nodded at Harry.
"Leave the child alone!"Harry hissed in parsel tongue. But the snakes didn't budge as they slivered around Sorteira. Harry frowned to himself, had he lost the ability to speak in parsel tongue? He tried again. "Leave the child alone." And this time, he got a response.
"We won't obey your words." Hissed the snakes.
Harry stared at them in surprise and said again forcefully "I said, stay away from the childl!"
"We do not fall under your command, we do not listen to your orders." They hissed back angrily.
Suddenly, one of the snake bowed it's head at Soteira, who began patting it affectionately.
"Soteira!"Hermione exclaimed raising her wand again, ready to strike.
Soteira beamed upon hearing her mother's voice and lifted her head, "Mommy! daddy! Look how pretty they are!"
"Princess." Draco gulped trying to stay calm, "Can you move away from the snakes?"
Soteira nodded gleefully as she rose to her feet. The snakes parted immediately letting her pass through. Soteira skipped happily to her parents and wrapped her arms around her mother. Hermione gripped Soteria to her protectively as everyone else was still frozen in shock.
~Hogwarts~
"Screndus! Albus! Roux! Wait up!" Lukas chased after his friends who were making their way down the hall. "I got a pack of sweets from dad!"
"Sweet!" Roux smiled as he fist bumped Lukas, "Tonight, we eat like kings!"
Screndus rolled his eyes as Albus smacked Roux over on the head, "You just ate a whole bag of chocolate frogs, you'll get sugar high!"
"I'm perfectly fine!" Roux crossed his arms.
"Come! Come to me." Someone hissed.
"What?" Screndus turned towards Albus.
Albus furrowed his eyebrows together, "I didn't say anything."
"Come to me, young one, come!" The voice hissed again.
Screndus froze, he had defiantly not imagined the voice this time. He turned to look at the wall, but again, there was nothing there.
"You alright?"Albus asked concerned.
Screndus nodded mindlessly slightly shaking his head, "I think I'm just tired, I'll retire to my dorm."
"Scren!" Albus caught Screndus's shoulder and looked worriedly at the boy who he had come to see as brother, "Tell us if anything's wrong ok?"
"Yeah." Screndus nodded, "Like I said, I'm just a little tired, maybe I'm coming down with something."
"Are you sure you can get back to the dorm alone?" Lukas asked, "Now that you mention it, you look a little pale, and not your usual pale."
"I'm alright." Screndus nodded, "You guys go ahead, and save some chocolate frogs for me."
With that he made his way down the hall and back towards the dungeons.
Screndus walked down the corridor thinking of the warm bed in his dorm. He turned another corner when he heard the familiar hiss rattle across the corridor.
"Young Malfoy! Come! Ashes are falling, falling like dark snow from the sky. Come!" The voice hissed.
Screndus flinched as he looked around to see, yet again, nothing. He looked along the walls and down the corridor. Screndus could feel fear creep along his skin and the sound of his heart thumping in his chest.
"Stop it, there is nothing there! It's just your stupid imagination." Screndus chastised himself. Maybe he really was coming down with a fever.
Screndus sighed and opened his eyes once again, but instead of an empty corridor, Srendus was greeted by a figure that towered over him.
"Uncle Snape!" Screndus yelped as he stumbled back. "You, er...startled me."
Snape only raised an eyebrow at the boy. He noticed the small beads of sweat on Screndus's forehead and the pale shade of his skin.
"Screndus, follow me." Snape said as he walked forward. Screndus sighed as he followed him down the corridor and into his office.
Snape sat down on his chair and gestured for Screndus to take the empty seat across from him, "Is anything wrong?"
"No" Screndus said far too quickly, "What makes you think that?"
Snape looked at him with hesitation, it was plainly clear that the boy was hiding something. But Snape wasn't about to force it out of him. He finally sighed and reached into a draw in his desk. He pulled out a small purple vile and passed it to Screndus, "Here, you look like you might be getting sick, take this before you go to sleep. I recall you have Quidditch try outs tomorrow, don't push yourself too hard."
"Thank you." Screndus said as he took the vile and practically fled from the office.
Snape stared at the now empty seat across from him. Dumbledore and the war had influenced him too much. Now, he was becoming increasingly worried about Slytherin house, his students and what might happen to them.
HP
Draco sat at in his office at the Malfoy manner with both hands supporting his head looking at the letter that his owl had just carried in. Harry had sent detailed research on the book that had attacked his daughter in the ministry. Most of the book was destroyed by Ginny's spell, but the aurors managed to salvage some left. According to Harry, they had managed to find traces of dark magic on the book. It was supposed to act as a portkey. But unlike a normal portkey, the magic used on the book was particularly dark. The person who had cursed the book had made it so that it would be able to find the person the caster wished to teleport.
Draco balled his hands together into a tight fist, someone was trying to kidnap his daughter. But for the life of him, he couldn't think of a single person who would go after his family.
Harry's letter went on to say that the aurors were still trying to find who had snuck into Hermione's office without breaking the many wards she had set up and Draco rustled his hair in frustration.
"What's wrong." Hermione asked as she hugged Draco from behind. Draco jumped slightly at the voice before turning around to face his wife. He turned Hermione around and encircled his arms around her. He silently grabbed the letter and shoved it into the drawer.
"Nothing, just the fact that Mrs Malfoy here, did not pay her debt to our little bet yet." Draco smiled lightly.
Hermione rolled her eyes as she leaned back into Draco, "Well… I could always pay it now."
"Hmm." Draco nodded, "I think I like the sound of that." And any thoughts of Harry's letter was gone, he flipped Hermione over and mumbled in her ear, "Since you're late, there'll be interests to pay."
Hermione rolled her eyes as she hid her grin.