A loud, annoyed growl echoed around the library as Voldemort threw a book to the ground in anger. The twenty four hours since they'd received the note from the kidnappers was almost up, and with another letter due any moment, they'd frustratingly found nothing to help them use Harry's wand to find him.
Hermione and Draco had helped their search until the early hours, before Voldemort had sent them back to school. Lucius and Narcissa had stayed a bit longer, but they'd also gone back to school, while both Voldemort and Severus had insisted that Beth and Rosmerta get some rest. However, Severus hadn't gone anywhere and he'd been at his father's side all night as they searched for a way to find his son. Voldemort had even filled Bernard Nott in on their plan in the hopes the Ministry could help them, but so far he'd heard nothing back from the Minister.
Beth and Rosmerta had forced their husbands to eat some breakfast, before they'd joined in the search, but like their husband they were finding nothing of any help. Again at their husband's insistance, the two witches had gone to rest for a while, so currently Voldemort and Severus were alone in the library.
"I don't know where else to look," Severus admitted with a sigh. He didn't want to give up, but he was sure there was nothing in the library that would help them.
"I don't think there's anything here," Voldemort agreed.
"What do we do?" Severus asked. "It's looking like we're going to have to agree to the exchange, and you know I don't want that."
"No-one wants that Severus, but it might be our only option," Voldemort said quietly.
As the two wizards paused to take stock of where they stood, Beth's voice suddenly cried out from the front room. Without a moment's hesitation both wizards turned and sprinted out of the library. When they reached the front room they found Beth nursing a bloodstained hand, while Rosmerta slammed the windows closed.
"What happened?" Voldemort asked, rushing over to his wife's side, relived that whatever had made her scream wasn't the baby.
"Blasted bird bit me when I tried to take the letter off him," Beth snarled as she pulled out her wand and cleaned up her hand.
"Letter?" Severus's face paled when he spotted the envelope lying on the table. Like the one they'd received the previous day his father's name was printed on the front.
"Looks like this is it," Voldemort said as he picked up the letter and tore into it.
Unlike the last letter there was no picture of Harry. In fact the note consisted of two lines. One was a time and a date – two days' time at midnight. And the second was a set of co-ordinates. There were no instructions, but the message was clear. Voldemort was to get to the co-ordinates on the paper at the time and a date that Harry's kidnappers had instructed. How the switch would be made was a mystery, but they were hardly in a position to communicate with the people who had Harry.
"We've got just over forty eight hours," Voldemort said. "Either we find an answer before then, or we go through with the exchange."
"Or we come up with a back-up plan for the exchange," Severus suggested. "We could visit this site now and see where we're going to be meeting."
"And tip our hand? I don't think so," Voldemort said with a shake of his head. "If I'm right, the only way they can contain me at an exchange is to set up some sort of magical circle that will bind my magic, and I'm guessing those co-ordinates are right in the centre of the circle and chances are it's active as we speak. We can try apparating to somewhere nearby, but without exact co-ordinates or prior experience we can't know what we'll be walking into."
"So what, we're just going to sit back and wait for the exchange?" Severus demanded. "In case it slipped your notice, there's no details of how we're getting Harry back. What if you go to them and we lose both of you?"
"I'm still hoping for to use Hermione's suggestion to use Harry's wand to find him," Voldemort said.
"But we've found nothing, and we couldn't find anything of any use at the manor," Beth pointed out. "We could do research for days and still be no further forward."
"I'm aware of that," Voldemort said with a thoughtful shrug. "What we need is an expert in wand lore."
"And where are we going to find one of them?" Rosmerta asked.
"Diagon Alley," Voldemort answered, sharing a smirk with his son as he spotted Severus getting on the same track as him.
"Ollivander," Severus stated.
"Got it in one," Voldemort said. "Ollivander is going to help us."
"And what if he won't?" Beth asked.
"Then we make him," Voldemort answered with a shrug. He may have been against using force to get his own way before now, but now his grandson was missing and the game had changed. He would get Harry back, and he would do whatever it took to get him back.
"Let's go," Severus said, anxious to move now they had a plan.
"Not so fast," Voldemort cautioned. "Let's get everything in place before we move. First, we need somewhere to hold Ollivander if he proves less than willing to help us."
"The manor," Severus suggested. "Their dungeons are secure and we should be done before the full moon."
"Talk to Lucius and see if he can arrange it," Voldemort said.
Severus nodded and giving his wife a quick kiss he headed to Hogwarts for the first time since his son had gone missing. Ignoring the work that had stacked up in his absence, he headed straight to Lucius's classroom, and even though his friend was in the middle of a lesson, he asked to speak to him in his office.
"Do we have a breakthrough?" Lucius asked once the pair were in Lucius's office with the door firmly shut.
"Hopefully we'll have one soon," Severus said as he quickly filled Lucius in on their plan to use Ollivander to get the help they needed.
"I can get back to the manor after lessons and alter the wards," Lucius said. "It'll allow you and your father to bring Ollivander straight into the dungeons."
"You don't think he's going to help willingly?" Severus asked with a wry smile.
"Do you?" Lucius retorted.
"Of course not," Severus replied. "So will you be joining us this evening?"
"Just you try and keep me away," Lucius replied with an evil smirk. He fully backed Voldemort's new way of going about things but he had to admit part of him missed the action and darker side of their nature. "What do I say to Hermione and Draco? Hermione's been asking for news all day."
"Tell her it's in hand," Severus replied. "Depending how tonight goes, I might come and see her tomorrow and fill her in."
"I take it we're keeping her away from Ollivander," Lucius chuckled.
"Definitely," Severus replied with a nod. "My sister is talented, but she isn't ready for such things. I've got to get home, but let us know when everything's set up at the manor."
"Will do," Lucius promised as Severus exited the office and headed back home to make preparations with Voldemort in regards to approaching Ollivander for help.
C.O.T.D.
As the shops in Diagon Alley began to close, the shopkeepers didn't notice the two shadowy figures lurking near to the top of the adjoining street, Knockturn Alley. The two figures of Voldemort and Severus had a perfect view of Ollivander's wand shop from where they stood, and the second they spotted the wand maker pulling down the blinds over the windows they surged forwards and entered the shop without anyone on the street spotting them.
"What do you want?" Ollivander asked, trying not to let the fear he felt sound in his voice. Despite Voldemort's lack of violence since his return, he could remember the first war and he was wary of the dark wizard and his family.
"We need your help," Severus answered as his father locked the door of the shop.
"I won't help you," Ollivander said firmly.
"I thought you might say that," Voldemort said with a smirk as he pulled out his wand. "Perhaps some persuasion will help you reach the right decision. Crucio!"
With a cry Ollivander fell to his knees as the curse hit him. Voldemort kept up the curse for a couple of minutes, before lifting it and checking if Ollivander was ready to help. When the wand maker still refused to agree to help, Voldemort hit him with a second blast of the Cruciatius curse. Again he held it for a couple of minutes, before checking on the stubborn wand maker yet again.
"We could be on all day with this," Severus snapped impatiently as his father hit Ollivander with yet another blast of the curse. "Let's just move him."
"I guess you're right," Voldemort said with a sigh as he lifted the curse and walked over to Ollivander and bent down to whisper in his ear. "You will help us old man, even if it's the last thing you do."
With two cracks, Voldemort and Severus dissapeared, with Voldemort taking Ollivander with him. Thanks to the changes Lucius had allowed on the manor's wards the three wizards landed in the dungeons. Taking advantage of Ollivander's pain and confusion, Severus quickly found his wand and disarmed him. With no wand, Ollivander was completely at the dark's mercy and he knew it. The second he had enough strength he crawled as far away from the dark pair as he could.
"Cowering in the corner won't help you," Voldemort sneered just as the door to the dungeon opened and Lucius entered the room.
"Ah, I haven't missed all the fun," He declared, smirking at Ollivander.
"Before we start, let me tell you what we want," Voldemort said, advancing on Ollivander. "As you might know my grandson Harry is missing, and as you know our wands have a connection."
"I remember," Ollivander spat.
"Well you're going to help me use that connection to find Harry," Voldemort connected.
"I won't," Ollivander declared stubbornly.
"But it can be done?" Severus questioned.
"I can't say," Ollivander said with a slight smirk.
"I'm sure we can prise it out of you," Voldemort said. "Severus, Lucius, who wants to go first?"
"I think it's only right Severus gets proceedings underway," Lucius said.
"I'll be glad to," Severus said with a malicious smirk as he pulled out his wand and advanced on the terrified wand maker.
Severus started with the Cruciatius curse, and he kept it up until Ollivander's screams were echoing around the stone room. When he dropped the spell, he didn't bother asking if Ollivander was willing to help yet, instead he took out all his frustrations on Ollivander and hurled every dark hex he could think of at the wand maker.
"Time for a break, Severus," Voldemort said quietly, reaching out to stop his son after a while.
With a growl, Severus stepped back and Voldemort checked to see if Ollivander was ready to break. To the wand maker's credit, he was tougher than he looked and even though he was in pain, he still refused to help.
"Lucius," Voldemort called, handing the reigns over to the blond wizard.
Lucius stepped forward with relish and took over the torturing from Severus. Like Severus he used a mixture of the Cruciatius curse and other dark curses to have the older wizard howling in pain. However, they still didn't have the desired effect and Ollivander refused to give in.
"I think it's going to be a long night," Voldemort remarked. "We can handle it, can you?"
"I can cope," Ollivander gasped out.
"I doubt it," Voldemort replied with a chuckle as he raised his wand.
What followed was the night from hell for Ollivander. All three wizards took their turns in torturing Ollivander, and aside from making sure he didn't die on them they held nothing back. Finally as dawn began to break he finally cracked and promised to help.
"Now that's wasn't so hard was it?" Voldemort asked with a smirk as Lucius summoned a chair and they sat the badly tortured wizard on the chair. "Now tell me what I need to know. Tell me how to find my grandson."
With a shaky breath, Ollivander began to tell Voldemort how to use the wand connection to locate Harry. By the time he'd explained what needed to be doing, Ollivander had reached his limits and he collapsed from the chair, onto the floor.
"Lucius, check he's not dead," Voldemort said with a dismissive glance down at Ollivander.
"He's alive," Lucius confirmed.
"Wipe his memory and dump him somewhere he'll be found," Voldemort ordered. "We've got work to do."
Leaving Lucius to deal with the wizard they'd tortured for information, Voldemort and Severus headed home to begin using the information they'd gotten from Ollivander to find Harry. The end was in sight, and unless Ollivander had been lying, and by that stage he was beyond playing with them, Harry would soon be home in the bosom of his family and whoever had taken him were about to pay a heavy price for kidnapping the grandson of The Dark Lord.