A New Outlook

Disclaimer: Anything you might recognize such as characters, spells, potions, and places, I don’t own, so don’t sue me. You won’t get any money because I’m poor.

thoughts
{Parseltongue}
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Chapter 10: Kidnapping

The morning of August 3 dawned bright and cheerful without a cloud in the sky. It was a beautiful day to go shopping…or kidnap certain people from Diagon Ally.

Voldemort awoke and, after dressing and checking on Harry once again, left his rooms to meet with his Death Eaters in his audience chamber. When he arrived, he found that Severus and his kidnapping crew were there, along with Zabini and 15 other Death Eaters, including Draco Malfoy.

“Draco, what are you doing here?” Voldemort demanded.

“My Lord, I am going with them,” Draco replied, dipping into a respectful bow.

“No, you are not. You are too young. You are going to stay here,” Voldemort stated.

“I beg your pardon, My Lord, but I am going. It was my idea after all,” Draco stated, with just a bit of fear coursing through him. After all, he had just talked back to the Dark Lord. Lucius and Severus just groaned. When would Draco learn his place?

Voldemort was furious. No one talked back to him, especially not in front of his Death Eaters. “Crucio,” Voldemort hissed, pointing his wand at Draco.

Draco fell to the floor in pain, biting his bottom lip to keep from screaming. Finally, he lost the battle and began to scream and writhe on the floor. After a few seconds of screaming, Voldemort stopped the curse.

“Never talk back to me! I am your Lord, and I make the final decisions. I do not care if it was your idea or not. You WILL stay here. You are too young to go on a raid. End of discussion,” Voldemort said, beginning to calm some.

Draco started to open his mouth to reply when Lucius grabbed him by the back of his collar, put a hand over his mouth, and drug him from the chamber. Out in the hall, Lucius finally released his son and turned him around.

“What, in Salazar’s name, were you thinking, Draco? Have you lost your bloody mind? No one talks back to the Dark Lord and no one disobeys a direct order from him,” Lucius said.

“But it was my idea and I want to go,” Draco whined, stamping his foot like a petulant child.

“ENOUGH, DRACO! Have you even considered what would happen if you went today and got yourself captured by an Auror, or worse, one of the Order members? You are not an accomplished Occlumens. All it would take is for Dumbledore to scan your mind and he would know everything; the prophecy, our plans, Harry’s lineage, Harry’s friends’ true alliances, and where Harry is. Would you really risk all that because you WANT to go? Never mind, it doesn’t matter. You are NOT going. I am your father and I will not risk My Lord’s and My Young Lord’s happiness on the whims of a spoiled child. I love you, Draco, but you must learn to think of others and not just yourself. Go to your room and think about what I have said. You are to stay in your room for the rest of the day and you are grounded from visiting friends and riding your broom until further notice,” Lucius said before calling for a house elf.

“Master Malfoy called?” a small elf asked.

“Yes, take Draco to his rooms and make sure he stays there all day. You may use whatever means to keep him there. He may read and have snacks, but he is not to contact or receive contact from anyone other than the Dark Lord, Narcissa, or myself,” Lucius ordered.

“Yes, Master Malfoy,” the elf replied before taking a shocked Draco by the hand and popping them both back to Draco’s rooms.

Lucius made his way back to the audience chamber prepared to take whatever punishment his Lord deemed worthy after leaving without so much as a by your leave.

Voldemort looked up when he saw Lucius enter. He allowed Lucius to kneel before he inquired, “Have you taken care of your son, Lucius?”

“Yes, My Lord. I beg your pardon for leaving so abruptly and will take any punishment that you see fit for my abrupt departure and my son’s insolence,” Lucius stated solemnly, preparing himself mentally to be cursed.

“Lucius, look at me,” Voldemort ordered.

As Lucius obeyed, he could feel the Dark Lord entering his mind. He allowed the intrusion and showed Voldemort the events that occurred out in the hall. Voldemort slipped back out of Lucius’ mind and nodded his head in agreement. “You have done well, Lucius. Now get up! You must be leaving soon and you must be prepared.”

“My loyal followers, I leave Severus and Aurelio in charge. Obey them as you would me. Severus, Aurelio, I expect you both to report to me as soon as you are able. Severus, you know where to find me,” Voldemort ordered as he sent a mental image of Harry’s room to Severus. Severus gave a slight nod to show that he had received the information. Voldemort left the room as Severus and Aurelio began to give final instructions to both of their groups.

At the Burrow, Ginny woke excited. Today she would find out more about how Harry was doing. Fred and George had told her, Luna, and Neville that Harry was safe now and they were under an oath not to reveal more. Then they told her yesterday that they were taking her, Luna, and Neville shopping for their school supplies before giving them a tour of the back of their shop. She had protested being treated like a baby at first until she saw the mischievous gleam in their eyes. When she asked if this had something to do with their brother, the twins had replied that she would have to wait and see. Ginny had Firecalled Luna and Neville to tell them of the plans.

Neville and Luna both awoke with similar thoughts as Ginny and soon all three were hugging each other as they met at the Twins’ shop. As promised, the Twins took all three to get their supplies for the upcoming year. They went to Gringotts, Flourish and Blotts, Madam Malkins, and the Apothecary. Then they went to Florean Fortescue’s for ice cream before heading back to Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes. Fred and George led them to the back and locked and warded the door. At exactly noon, they heard a knock on the back door. Fred opened it to reveal Professor Snape. “Professor…” was all Ginny was able to get out before her world went dark.

At two minutes till noon, Severus’ group Apparated to the alley behind the Weasley twins’ shop. Lucius immediately threw up Privacy, Silencing, and Notice-Me-Not spells over the entrance to the alley. After checking that Parkinson, Bulstrode, Crabbe, Goyle, Nott, and Malfoy were all completely hidden under their Invisibility Cloaks, Severus waited for the clock to strike noon and he knocked on the back door to the twins’ shop. Fred Weasley answered the door and gestured for Severus to enter. Severus heard Ginny Weasley call out, “Professor,” before Nott hit her with a Stunning spell.

Fred had a look of shock on his face before it turned to anger and he drew his wand. Before he could cast a spell though, Patrick Parkinson had Stunned him while William Bulstrode Stunned George. Neville and Luna were able to get off a couple of Cutting curses before they were downed by Crabbe and Goyle, Sr. Each wizard grabbed their respective captive and Apparated them to Riddle Manor. They took them to the sitting room that the Dark Lord had warded against entry to all but himself and persons with the Dark Mark and left them to wake up on their own.

At the same time Severus was knocking on the Weasley twins’ back door, Aurelio Zabini and his group Apparated into Diagon Ally and started blowing things up. They aimed Reducto curses at buildings, doors, anything but people. As the Aurors and Order members started pouring in, Zabini gave the signal to retreat and Apparated back to the Manor. He hoped that his team had given Severus’ team enough time.