Open Letter

Chapter Fifteen

Severus and I followed Draco to the Great Hall and immediately sought out Dumbledore. With typical speed he notified the other teachers of the situation and ordered the prefects to lead their houses back to their dormitories. The heads of the various houses left with the students, to make certain that all were accounted for. Thankfully no students had been taken. Still, we were left with the fact that Voldemort had Harry. Once Minerva and Severus had returned from the dormitories, Draco narrated the events of the abduction.

He and Harry had gone outside for a stroll, much as Severus and I. They saw us sitting on the bench and decided to walk further away from the castle in order to give us privacy. The actual reason was probably somewhere more along the order of Harry being uncomfortable seeing me with Severus. He was fine with the knowledge that Severus and I were married, but he still didn't like to actually observe us being affectionate. At any rate, Draco and Harry found themselves near the Whomping Willow.

Harry was relating to Draco the events of our third year when the Willow stopped moving. They were both puzzled by the sudden inactivity of the usually quite violent plant. That was when an invisible assailant grabbed Harry. Luckily, Draco stood still in shock. Spells were murmured and Concealment Charms were discarded. Lucius Malfoy was standing to the side while Crabbe Jr. held Harry still. Wormtail scampered up and then transformed back to his human form. Lucius congratulated Draco on luring Harry to the edge of Hogwarts grounds, apparently forgetting that his son had not been enlightened as to the fact that a kidnapping had been planned. Lucius cast Stupefy on Harry and then covered him with a Concealment Charm. The group made their way back to the tunnel and most likely Apparated as soon as they were outside of the Hogwarts' wards.

We all felt ashamed at having overlooked something so simple. Of course Wormtail would have no compunctions about telling the secret of the Shrieking Shack and its tunnel. It's only a miracle that he hadn't told someone sooner.

Ron was all for rushing after them and attempting an immediate rescue mission. Ginny and I helped calm him down, since Hannah had left to put the three children to bed. We pointed out that we didn't even know where Harry had been taken yet, and that we needed more information before attempting anything. Ron had to grudgingly agree with our logic but I could tell that it was still taking an effort for him to restrain himself. He brashly went up to Dumbledore and demanded to know what was going to be done. We never got to hear Dumbledore's answer because at that point Draco yelped in pain and clutched his arm. We all knew what that meant.

I turned to look at Severus. His lips were tightly pressed together and had closed his eyes, yet he had resisted the urge to grab his arm. I walked over to him and slowly placed my hand on his so as not to startle him. He shook slightly and then the first wave of pain was over. He let out the breath he was holding and looked down at me. He entwined his fingers in mine and squeezed my hand. "Try to resist the urge to do anything too Gryffindor while I'm gone," he said with as much sarcasm as he could muster under the circumstances.

I returned the squeeze and said, "I'll just have to use those Slytherin skills you taught me and make sure that you never find out." This conversation had become something of a ritual for us whenever he was called by Voldemort. We teased one another and didn't give voice to our fears.

I wanted to tell him to be careful and pour out how much I loved him and how afraid I was that this would be the last time I saw him. I had only given voice to those thoughts once, the first time he had been summoned while I was with him. I ended up crying and instead of holding me and comforting me, he slid out of bed and began to get dressed. With his back to me he said, "How dramatic, how Gryffindor. Your house has always enjoyed making a spectacle of your suffering."

Of course I became furious. I think that a quick temper is as much a trait of Gryffindors as bravery. I stood up and threw my Concealment Cloak on and then snapped, "Well, at least I'm not a cold-blooded Slytherin. Your house has always been full of people better suited to living under a rock." I had pulled my hood up and stalked from the room. My anger carried me all the way to my bedroom.

It was only once I shut the door behind me that I realised what Severus had done. Instead of trying to comfort me, which most likely would not have had any effect at that point, he had shifted my emotions. I was too busy being angry to be worried at that time. Honestly, I think that was the only way to have kept me from hysterics.

The next time that he was summoned, he said the now familiar words. By saying them he reminded me that although my first instinct was to worry myself into a panic, it wasn't the best thing for me to do. He'd rather have me at peace than falling apart. My response let him know that he had helped me and that I would be okay.

His smile turned into a grimace as a fresh wave of pain crashed over him. I let go of his hand and watched as he crossed the room to stand by Draco. Draco was holding his arm and whimpering. He had yet to get used to the pain of the summons. Severus bent close to him and appeared to say some words of encouragement. Whatever he said seemed to help Draco, for he stood up straighter and nodded. They exited the castle together so that they could reach a spot where they could Apparate.

Dumbledore advised us all to get as much sleep as we could. The Weasley brood would be Flooing back to Grimmauld Place. Ron, Hannah and Ginny would be staying at Hogwarts since their children were already asleep. I offered my room to Remus so that he could stay close by--he was very taken with little Sirius. The child reminded him of his namesake, as well as Harry and James. He gratefully accepted my offer. I showed him my room in Gryffindor tower and then made my way to the dungeons.

I often slept in Severus's room on nights that he was summoned. His sheets still held his scent, and I pressed my nose into the pillow before falling into an uneasy slumber. My dreams were dark and thankfully I only remember a few details: a sense of foreboding, an oppressive black night, and a circle of figures around some sort of brilliant light.