A/N: Yes, yes, I'm making you all wait far too long for updates. Sorry.

Neville Longbottom opened the door of his home to his friend.

"Harry!"

"Neville," Harry smiled brightly, clasping his friend's hand, "how are you? This is a nice place you've got here."

Neville beamed brightly. "Yes, isn't it?"

He delightedly shook hands with Phoebe and proceeded to show off his new place. It was very nice. A spacious house, not overly big, surrounded by gardens and greenhouses.

"I did an internship with a herbologist who sells to apothecaries on the mainland," the young gardener told them proudly, "and I decided to do the same here. St. Mungo's and several Potions Masters buy their supplies from me. Business is booming already. I've managed to grow some plants that were long thought extinct."

"That's wonderful, Nev. But I thought you would remain at Longbottom Manor?"

Neville shook his head. "I love my Gran, but it's better that we don't see each other too often. She has very set ideas on what I should do with my life. A year after I turned seventeen I received my parent's inheritance because they are incapacitated. I've moved them from St. Mungo's to a nice cottage, with round the clock care. They are still insane, but I have the distinct impression that they are much happier now."

They were led to a nice room with large windows, overlooking the blossoming garden.

"So, tell me everything. How's teaching?"

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"SEVERUS! SEVERUS!!"

Dumbledore rushed around the Burrow, screaming his son's name at the top of his lungs. Downstairs, Arthur and Molly got the fright of their lives and ran up the stairs to help.

"He's gone! He's not here," a frantic Dumbledore nearly babbled, "My son…"

"Calm, Albus, he can't have gotten past the age-line," Arthur reassured him, "I'll take this floor. Molly, you search upstairs. Albus, go see if you can use a spell to locate him."

Fifteen minutes later, they had found no infant, and Albus was approaching nervous breakdown rapidly.

Arthur shook his head in despair. "It's hardly possible, but he's not here – and he can't have crossed the age-lines on his own. That leaves only one conclusion. Someone kidnapped him, unbelievable as it may be."

Molly had tears streaming down her face. "Who? And why? How could anyone just have entered without us noticing? We'd have heard the Floo."

"I don't know, Molly," Arthur sighed, "I just don't know."

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"GAAAAHHHHH!!!"

Phoebe came rushing through the hall of the hotel they were staying in.

"Harry, Harry, what's wrong, are you alright?" she asked in concern.

Her boyfriend looked up at her from the floor, pale and angry.

"No. Pain. Can't stand. Forgot braces."

"You forgot your braces?" Phoebe said sternly, "Forgot?"

"Oh alright, I didn't think I'd need them," Harry snarled, his face going nearly gray with exhaustion.

"We took a long trip to go siteseeing, we were up and about most of the day, and you didn't think you'd need them? Where are they?"

"Hogwarts," Harry muttered, his eyes fluttering close.

"Great," Phoebe levitated his sleeping form onto the bed, "Sleep, and when you wake up, we're going to Hogwarts to get your braces."

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"I just needed rest. I can do without them," Harry argued, as they walked the halls of Hogwarts the next morning.

"No, you can't." Phoebe entered his rooms, grabbed his braces and put them on him – Winky had taught her the trick.

"While we're here, I might as well pick up some clean things from my room, and then we'll go back."

Harry grumbled a bit, but gratefully took a few steps. It was much easier now, and soon he smiled a bit at Phoebe. "Sorry for being such a pain, Phoebs."

"That's okay," she gently kissed his lips, "I know you hate it."

Hand in hand they walked to Phoebe's rooms. When they entered, Phoebe gasped.

The room was a complete mess. Furniture was overturned, closets opened and the contents spilled over the floor. Flowers ripped from their vases. A portrait in the living room had been taken from the wall and trampled. It's inhabitant peeked around the corner, apparently trying to determine if it was safe again to approach.

"What on earth…" Harry started.

"What did they WANT?" Phoebe asked in tears, "nothing's even taken, just damaged. My jewelry and all are still here."

"I don't know, but we are going to find out," Harry picked up the portrait.

"Is he gone?" the portrait asked fearfully.

"Who?" Harry asked.

"That man! Went crazy in here. Ripped me from the wall, he did!" the portrait wailed, "no decent person would do something like this. But that redhaired man – horror – DEMON just kept on going, so angry."

"What was he looking for?" Phoebe asked, clutching a torn book to her chest.

"Why, my dear lady, I believe he was looking for YOU."

Harry shuddered. "Thank Merlin we weren't here. It's bad, Phoebs, but imagine if you had been here, alone…"

Then his eyes widened. "Did you say 'redhaired'?"

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Minerva was running through the corridors, a very unusual thing for her to do unless in catform. Which she wasn't right now – she was far too upset.

Rounding the corner to Albus's office, she bumped into someone she had not expected.

"Phoebe! Harry! What are you doing here?"

"We came to pick up some things," Harry replied, "and discovered that Phoebe's room has been broken into. Professor! What's wrong? You look very upset!"

"Oh, Harry, it's terrible," the witch sniffed, "Arthur Weasley called from the Burrow. Albus had gone to spend the day there, and now Severus is missing! Stolen from his crib, by all accounts."

"What? Someone stole him from the Headmaster's office?" Phoebe nearly screamed.

"No – from the Burrow. Albus had taken him along. Oh, I don't know what to do, the poor child, and poor Albus…"

Harry's eyes went dull.

"I – Minerva, I'll Floo to the Burrow. I think – I hope not, but…Oh…."

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Molly had forced a glass of Firewhiskey into the Headmaster's hand when the Floo fired. Arthur had gone to the Goblins, to enlist their help in finding out if the wards had been breached.

"My boy, my child," the Headmaster muttered, "Severus…I can't lose him, not again, not now!"

Molly looked helplessly at the two new arrivals – Harry and Phoebe. Carrying a wrapped up package.

"Molly, can you call Arthur?" Harry asked without wasting time, "I fear I have bad news."

Soon all five were seated around the table.

"Phoebe's room at Hogwarts was destroyed," he began, "nothing was taken. We believe it was an act of vengeance. Because she wasn't there."

He unwrapped the package to reveal a damaged portrait.

"Tell them what you told me."

The portrait glanced at it's audience, peeking over the edge of the frame.

"A redheaded young man, he came in, wand at the ready. When I moved, he reacted on instinct and shot a Stunner at me – it didn't hurt me, of course, but it did knock me off the wall. He ranted and raged for a long time, destroying things. He was after Miss Phoebe," he nodded towards the witch.

"Molly, Arthur," Harry hesitated, "Can all of your children….are they all keyed into the wards?"

Molly nodded, not understanding, but Arthur went gray.

"No! No, that's not true. It can't be!"

"Is there a way of knowing for sure?" Phoebe asked gently.

"The wards – the Goblins need to find out…."

"The Age-line, Arthur," Molly suddenly said, "how stupid that we didn't think of that. Remember the spell to show who crossed it?"

Arthur's hand trembled as he pointed his wand at the ageline.

The line growed bright orange as he finished the incantation, then turned green. Arthur stared in shock. Molly dropped unto her chair and began sobbing.

"What is it?" Albus asked, numb from shock.

"Harry, oh Harry," Molly cried, "He wouldn't, please tell me he wouldn't!"

"I'm afraid so, Molly," Harry said, "I'm sorry, Arthur. Ron and Ginny are the only ones besides you three who crossed the Ageline. They can also easily enter Hogwarts. I'm so sorry, but it looks like Ron and Ginny have taken Severus, and tried to take Phoebe."

"Why?" Arthur demanded coldly, "Why would my children do something like that?"

Harry licked his dry lips. "Arthur, Ron hated Snape. Deeper than anyone knew. When he saw Severus – you know how he reacted. Ginny wanted me, she always has. I can only assume that they had some sort of plan by kidnapping both of them."

A deathly silence descended upon the kitchen, interrupted only by Molly's helpless sobbing. Finally Arthur looked up, withdrawn and smaller looking than Harry ever saw him.

"I thought we raised them well," he said, defeated, "I thought we taught them – there must be a reason. I can't imagine my children hurting an infant."

"I can't imagine our children kidnapping either," Molly suddenly said, sitting up straight, "When I get my hands on the two of them…"

Albus slowly stood up. "It's not your fault," he managed, "you did nothing wrong. I – just want Severus back."

"It may prove difficult," Harry bit his lip, "we know more or less what happened now, but we still don't know WHERE they are."

Seeing Dumbledore's face, he quickly added, "But find them we will. One way or another."