Fantasy House

"It just doesn\'t make any sense," Ginny said for what seemed like the umpteenth time.



Her fiancé sighed, "I agree. It doesn\'t make any sense. But, it\'s the only solution I can think of."



Ron sat back in the recliner at Number 12 Grimmauld Place. "I think you\'re reading the Prophet too much, Harry," he said, though looking a bit anxious.



The black-haired man rolled his eyes. "Since when have I ever taken stock in what the Prophet says? Just think for a moment. Hermione\'s gone. So are the Malfoys..."



"And so are Remus and Sirius," Ginny pointed out, standing up from the couch and moving to the fireplace next to Harry. "She\'s probably somewhere off with them. Most likely, this is all just one big coincidence and, I\'m sure, once those three are back, they\'ll laugh at us for being so silly."



"Or hex us," Ron muttered.



It was frustrating for the three of them. Normally, Hermione would have owled someone by now to explain her whereabouts. But, no one, not even her parents, had heard a word from her. And, worse, the Malfoys, Sirius, and Remus were all missing as well.



That was the weird part. Harry had been living with Sirius since he graduated Hogwarts. He would never have expected his godfather to just vanish. And yet, he did. He did not even take anything with him.



A knock at the door caused Mrs. Black to start hollering and the two wizards and one witch to jump. Ginny hurried to the door while Harry spelled the portrait to silence. A worried McGonagall entered the house.



"Professor," Harry greeted.



"Hello, Potter," she said, sounding and looking highly distressed. "How goes your Auror studies?"



"How goes the school?" he asked, worried. "Is everything all right?"



The elderly woman placed a hand on her chest and fought to breathe for a moment. "Professor!" Ginny exclaimed, alarmed. She took the lady\'s hand. "Please, come down stairs and I\'ll fix us all a spot of tea. You look as though you\'re about to collapse."



"Thank you, Miss Weasley," the woman breathed as she allowed the girl to lead her into the kitchen.



As the headmistress settled at the table with the two wizards, Ginny set about making a pot of tea. "Oh, Potter, I have some very distressing news and I was hoping you could help. I don\'t wish to alert the media, but I fear they\'ll know soon enough," Professor McGonagall said.



Harry\'s eyebrows crinkled. "What\'s wrong?"



The headmistress took a deep breath and waited for Ginny to pour tea in everyone\'s teacups before she began. "Well, Professor Slughorn has decided that he no longer wants to teach Potions. Honestly, I\'m surprised he\'s lasted as long as he has. But, we need a new Potions teacher."



Harry\'s lips pinched together. "Professor, I was never really good at Potions. Can\'t you find anyone else?" he asked, thinking she was offering him a job.



The headmistress gave a derisive sniff. "I wasn\'t offering you a position, Mr. Potter," she told him, looking a bit amused at his assumption. Then, she grew grave. "No, Potter. I had hoped to convince Severus to return to the school."



"Hasn\'t he turned recluse?" Ginny asked, taking a sip of her tea. "Somehow, I doubt he\'ll want to go amongst the \'dunderheads\' again."



"He\'d probably do it for McGonagall," Ron pointed out. "As much of a slimy git as he is, he does seem to like McGonagall."



"That\'s all well and good, Mr. Weasley," the headmistress said, looking displeased at Ron\'s lack of respect for his old Potions teacher. "And, yes. I\'m sure he would take the position if I asked him. Which is why I went to his house at Spinner\'s End."



"He turned you down?" Harry asked, surprised.



"He wasn\'t home," McGonagall corrected. "And worse, still, it seems like he hasn\'t been home in a few days. I was able to go into his house, which is strange because usually when he is gone, his house is highly warded. Everything had a thin layer of dust upon it and the fruit on the table is starting to rot. I looked around the house to see if perhaps he had fallen ill or something, but he wasn\'t home. His bed was perfectly made and his traveler\'s trunk was stashed neatly in his closet. It\'s like he just... vanished."



This alarmed Harry more than he cared to admit. There was very little love loss between him and Snape, that was for certain. But, that did not mean that Harry was unconcerned. After all, Harry was one of the witnesses who were able to get Snape acquitted of all Death Eater charges and the murder of Dumbledore. Grant it, Hermione did most of the work, but Harry helped.



"That really is strange, Professor," Ginny stated as she glanced at her fiancé. "Do you think his disappearance could be connected to the others?"



He glanced at her in surprise. "What do you mean?"



"Well, it\'s funny, isn\'t it?" she commented. "Hermione, Remus, and Sirius all vanish around the same time as Snape and the Malfoys. There must be some sort of connection, right?"



Ron snorted. "Oh, that\'ll be fun once the Prophet hears. Next we know, they\'ll blame the Malfoys and Snape for kidnapping."



"That\'s not fun, Ron," Ginny scolded. "This is serious. Snape is a decorated hero. He\'s done a lot of good for the wizarding world in the fight against You-Know-Who. The last thing he needs is to get implemented in Hermione\'s kidnapping."



"Are you sure Miss Granger was kidnapped?" McGonagall asked.



"At the moment, we aren\'t sure of anything," Harry confessed. "I\'m waiting for a warrant to search Malfoy Manor."



"But, I thought you had to be a trained Auror to get a warrant?" the woman inquired, curious.



"Not if you\'re Harry Potter," Ron pointed out. "He hasn\'t even really trained much. They just slapped him with a badge and started handing him cases. And since I\'m his \'trusty sidekick\', they let me tag along in investigations."



"What are you expecting to find in Malfoy Manor?" the elderly woman asked, looking at each boy in turn before settling on Harry.



The dark haired boy shook his head. "I have no idea. I\'m hoping we\'ll find something to lead us to them all," he said, honestly. "Not just to Snape and the Malfoys, but, hopefully," he hesitated, "to Hermione, Remus, and Sirius as well."



McGonagall gasped. "Black is missing as well? And Remus?"



Ginny nodded. "It seems so, Professor. We thought he had gone on vacation. At least, that\'s what Mrs. Tonks told Harry and me when we visited. But, it just... it doesn\'t seem like him, does it? Especially with a son. He wouldn\'t just leave Teddy like that."



Ron wrinkled his nose. "I wouldn\'t be too sure of that, Gin," he said before downing his tea and grabbing a biscuit. "He tried once before to leave wife and child behind."



"Yes, but he was new and he was terrified of becoming a father," Harry pointed out. "He\'s had Teddy long enough to get used to it. Besides, you didn\'t see him the last time I was over there with them. If Teddy isn\'t spoiled, I\'m a hippogriff."



"And, anyway," Ginny commented, giving her brother an annoyed glare. "Where would Remus go? He takes his responsibilities quite seriously. I would expect his best friend to up and leave, but not Remus."



"Hey! Don\'t talk like that," Harry scolded. "Sirius would never run from responsibility like that."



McGonagall sighed, "If they were all taken, it still begs the question. Who would be stupid enough to kidnap so many powerful wizards? Not to mention Hermione Granger. And where would they be put so that no one can find them?"



Harry gazed at his ex Transfiguration teacher. "That\'s why I need to get to Malfoy Manor. I have a feeling those answers are there."



"And if they aren\'t?" Ginny asked.



Harry shrugged, "Then the Malfoys are innocent. But the only way to find out is to look."



"But, what will McGonagall do?" Ron asked. "She can\'t go back to Hogwarts without a Potions teacher. And if word gets out that Snape is missing..."



"Word won\'t get out that Snape is missing," Harry said. "We\'ll have to keep it all quiet."



"I have no one else to teach Potions and school will start next month," McGonagall pointed out.



Harry thought for a moment. "What about George?"



"He wouldn\'t," Ginny said, immediately. "Even if McGonagall got on her knees. And, if he did, he\'ll only teach the kids the type of potions they don\'t need to learn."



"Yeah, I can see it now," Ron agreed. "You let George teach Potions and he\'ll have his own Skiving Snack Box testers."



"He might be the only option, though," Harry said. "At least, for the moment. Until we can get Snape back."



"If Snape is still alive," Ginny said.



That made the other three look at her in stunned silence. She took a deep breath. "It\'s possible that..."



"No!" Harry hissed, slapping his hand on the table in finality. He pointed an accusing finger at her. "You will never say that again. They are alive and we will find them. In the meantime, George will look after the Potions classroom. He could use the break from the shop, away from memories of Fred."



Ron and Ginny had seen that look before in Harry\'s eyes. Ron nodded in agreement. He, too, refused to accept the possibility that Hermione could be... No. He refused to even think it.



(II) (II)



Lucius walked along the outer wall of the house. He needed something to punch, or throw, or hit, or just... straggle. What he really wanted to do was Crucio Blaise Zabini into next year.



Lucius Malfoy had always prided himself on his cool demeanor. Even during the Dark Lord\'s reign, when Voldemort took control over his home and life, Lucius was always calm. But this?



Perhaps Lucius should not be so upset. But, things just kept getting worse and worse for him, it seemed. It wasn\'t enough that the upstart had taken his wife from him. It seemed Zabini wanted Lucius\' dignity as well. Maybe even more.



All the eldest Malfoy wanted to do was lock himself up in Malfoy Manor and live his life out in silence. Wasn\'t that enough? Hadn\'t he paid enough for his crimes?



He had given Narcissa nearly everything. In turn, she demanded a divorce and became engaged to Draco\'s supposed best friend. How the hell did that factor? When did it happen?



Nothing made sense anymore in Lucius\' world, and that was what scared him most of all. It had always been about the control. But, suddenly, Lucius was no longer in control. He wondered if he ever had the control to begin with.



As a child, everything revolved around his father. Anything Lucius did or wanted to do had to be approved by Abraxas first. Abraxas even picked out the woman Lucius married. Then, shortly after marriage, Lucius joined the Dark Lord.



The only thing Lucius was ever able to do on his own was name his son. Thankfully, Narcissa had given that to him. He had also been grateful enough with how much Draco had looked up to him.



For a while there, Lucius had gotten his life under his own control. His father had, thankfully, passed away when Draco was young. The Dark Lord was no where to be seen or heard from when he tried to kill a one year old child.



It was, quite literally, eleven years of control-free bliss for Lucius. Sure, Narcissa had a pretty bad spending habit, not just for herself but for their son as well. But Lucius was more than happy to give his family what they wanted in return for their admiration. He had a well paying job in the higher ranks of the Ministry and more influence than he could shake a fist at.



For a short while there, he even had a seat on the School Board of Governors. Life had been great for Lucius.



He suspected life would have continued to be great if the Dark Lord had not returned. That is where everything started to go wrong. And it was not even so much the Dark Lord\'s return that brought the Malfoys to ruin. It was a stupid little mistake involving some ridiculous prophecy!



Lucius kicked at the grass, then, whilst hopping on one foot, realized just how intelligent it was to kick at the grass shoeless. This only made him more angry. He could not even vent his anger without losing control!



"Oi!" said a voice, causing Lucius to glare at the newcomer.



Sirius approached the blond cautiously. "You all right?" he asked, glancing at the Slytherin\'s injured foot.



Lucius stood up straight. Well, as straight as he could while trying to keep his foot from touching the ground. It was tender. "I\'m perfectly fine, Black," he answered curtly.



The animagus raised an eyebrow. "Really?" he said, stepping closer. "Well, it sure looks like it. I didn\'t know pureblood snobs bled red."



The blonde\'s eyes narrowed before Sirius pointed to Lucius\' foot. Lucius looked down to see that his big toe was gushing quite a lot of blood for a toe. "Shit!" he hissed, glancing around quickly for some place to sit.



Sirius was taken aback. "Wow. You must be pissed," he said with a low whistle. "Mind, I don\'t know you that well, but I do not believe I\'ve ever known you to swear."



"Never you mind, Black," Lucius growled, spotting a bench and hopping over to it.



Sirius followed him and took the seat next to him. "So, how\'d you do it?" he asked.



"Do what?" Malfoy questioned, not really paying attention. He had never seen so much blood. He couldn\'t even tell where the blood was coming from.



"Here, let\'s get you into the house," Sirius suggested, standing up and holding out his hand. "We need to clean the wound before we can find it."



Lucius sneered at the proffered hand, but took it anyway. There was no way he would be able to get into the house alone with a wound like this. How\'d he do it, indeed? "There must have been a rock or something in the grass," he said, more to himself, but also to answer Sirius\' question.



Sirius nodded as he helped the blond up. He took Lucius\' arm and brought it to rest around his shoulders for extra support. Together, they ambled back into the house and straight into the kitchen.



Once there, Sirius sat Lucius into a chair and went into the cupboards for a bowl and a wash rag. He filled the bowl with warm water. Sitting on the floor in front of Lucius, Sirius began cleaning the wound. It was actually a really small cut right on the tip of Lucius\' big toe.



"That was one hell of a rock," Sirius commented. He grabbed a clean rag and began trying to stifle the flow of blood. "We should give it a medal of bravery for defeating such a huge foe."



"Shut up, Black," Lucius hissed through clenched teeth. It may have been a small cut, but it hurt like hell.



Sirius glanced up at the older man. "You know, you really need to learn to lighten up a little," he said. "All that seriousness is going to make you older before your time."



"I served the Dark Lord for much of my life, Black," Lucius pointed out. "The \'seriousness\' has all ready made me older than my time."



"Probably," the animagus agreed.



Once he was able to stifle much of the blood, he stood up and went to a cabinet above the sink. He rooted around a bit before finding some cut salve and a box of bandages. He sat back in his spot on the floor. Apparently, the wound hadn\'t finished bleeding, for he had to clean up some more blood. But, he got it under control and was able to rub some salve on it and wrap it in a Band-Aid.



"Well, it\'s a good thing Voldy\'s dead, huh?" Sirius said as he started cleaning up the mess.



Lucius glanced at him. "What do you mean?"



Sirius placed the bowl in the sink. He put the salve and bandage box up and threw away the wrapper from the Band-Aid on Lucius\' foot. "Well, think about it," he said, going to the pantry and taking out a bottle of mead. "Care for a drink?" he offered, showing the bottle to Lucius.



"That\'s fine," Lucius said. "I need a drink after this."



Sirius could not agree more as he popped open the bottle. He pulled out two glasses from the cabinet and poured generous amounts in both. Handing one glass to Lucius, Sirius took a seat at the table.



"With Voldy gone, you\'ll be able to relax now. We all will," the animagus explained.



"You mean once we get out of this house," Lucius pointed out before taking a sip of his mead.



Sirius shrugged. "Maybe," he muttered, taking a swig of his own drink. He looked thoughtful for a moment before saying, "Then again, maybe this house is just what we all need."



Startled, Lucius gazed at the black haired man. "What?"



"Well," Sirius explained, "what were we all doing right before this? The only one here with their life on track is Hermione. And even she is overworked. Remus was wallowing from the death of his wife. He still is, by the way. You just went through a really bad divorce which ended up costing you about half of your son\'s inheritance. And Draco can\'t even get a job! No one wants to hire the son of an ex-Death Eater. As much as I hate to admit it, both Snape and I were well on our ways to becoming hermits



"This house might just be the ticket to overcoming our problems. The longer we stay here, the better chance you have of getting everything your wife stole from you back. And then some. Remus, I love him like a brother, but, maybe Remus will finally be able to let Tonks go. And Hermione will finally be able to relax."



"And how will us being stuck here help Draco?" Lucius asked, curious.



Sirius cocked his head to the side slightly. "Well, once we are out, the truth will come out with us. Hermione will be able to tell the wizarding world exactly what happened. And Remus and I will be there to back her up," he said. "Not to mention, Snape. As much as I hate the bastard, he is a decorated war hero."



"Not by choice," Lucius pointed out. "The only reason he received any honours at all was because of the Golden Trio. The Wizengamot was ready to shove both of us into Azkaban without a second thought."



"I know," Sirius said. "But, he\'ll have Hermione and Remus on his side."



"And yourself," Lucius said.



"What?"



The blond gazed at the black haired man. "You forgot to add yourself," he told him. "You\'ll be on his side as well."



"Well..."



Lucius rolled his eyes and sighed. "Do you really think this is easy for any of us, Black?" he inquired, a bit perturbed. "Yes, you dislike Severus. Believe me when I say the feeling is mutual. I still don\'t know what happened to cause you to hate him so much."



"He exists," Black growled, with a bit of malice.



"Yes, and without him, your friend would be feeling the full effects of the full moon within a week," the Slytherin snapped. "Regardless of how you and your friends treated him growing up, Severus is still willing to help you both. He\'s in the potions lab making cauldrons full of stuff for all of us, including you and Lupin."



Sirius opened his mouth to respond, but Lucius cut him off. "The point is, the six of us need to put aside our differences. Miss Granger and Lupin were right about that. If we are going to beat this place and get the hell out of here, the six of us will have to work together. We cannot do that if you and Severus are fighting like children.



"You asked me to be less serious. To relax. I think you\'re doing enough relaxing for all of us, Black. Gods, you would think twelve years in Azkaban would make you grow up, but apparently it didn\'t.



"Thank you for cleaning my wound and bandaging it for me, Black. But, really, you need to learn to live up to your name."



The pureblood aristocrat stood up and limped out of the room. Sirius sat there for a moment, thinking over what Lucius had said. Then, he drained his glass, put it and Lucius\' glass in the sink, and left the kitchen to find Hermione.



No one even bothered to clean up the trail of blood on the floor from the door to the kitchen.

---

Author\'s Note: Hi, guys! Got another update for you all. Yay! There\'s no sex, but we do get a look into what Harry\'s up to. I hope you are all enjoying it. I really do appreciate the reviews I receive from everyone.



If you haven\'t checked out my other stories, I really hope you do. Also, you can friend me on my livejournal. Sometimes, I post stories there that you won\'t find here or on FF net. If you have questions you want answered, please feel free to ask me on my formspring. More details on all these things can be found on my profile.



Thank you all again for reading and reviewing!