Owls and Musings - The Sequel

Chapter 9 - A Trip To Hogsmeade

Alisha was sitting at her regular table in the Ravenclaw common room surrounded by piles of schoolbooks. Four weeks back from winter break - and it felt as if it had been a year ago. The teachers had been piling on the homework, and Alisha was feeling the pressure. But it was a pressure she liked. She worked best when the heat was on, so here she was working on a three-foot essay for Professor Lupin on Centaurs. She had even gone so far as to gain an interview with Professor Firenze who, while quite vague at times, ended up adding quite a lot of information that was not in the library books. She dipped her quill into her inkpot and continued to elaborate on the herd structure - specifically of the herd in the Forbidden Forest.

She did not notice her little sister approaching and sitting down on the opposite side of the table. It finally took Brigida clearing her throat to gain Alisha's attention.

"Huh? Oh, sorry, Bree, I didn't hear you sit down," the older girl said, looking up quickly.

"That's alright. I was wondering if you were going to Hogsmeade on the thirteenth?" Brigida asked while spreading out her own homework and reaching inside her bag for a bottle of ink and a quill.

"Is there going to be one? I hadn't noticed," said Alisha with her head back down and her quill scratching away again on her parchment scroll.

Brigida sighed. How like her elder sister to not read the notices. "It was posted on the notice board last weekend! Anyway, I was wondering if you would get me some Chocolate Frogs from Honeydukes? That is, if you were going..." she requested a bit wistfully. If there was one thing she absolutely adored, it was Chocolate Frogs.

"Ran out of your Christmas stash already?" asked Alisha with a smirk worthy of her father on her face. She leaned back in her chair surveying her begging sibling.

Bree nodded. Alisha had gotten her a huge box of the wizarding treat for Christmas, but even limiting herself to one Frog a day, her supply still had dwindled quite rapidly. She secretly suspected some of her dorm mates had snuck a few - but that was fine with her; she was willing to share as long as they left her the cards; it was her stash after all. Still, she needed to replenish her box.

Alisha finally relented. Really, Brigida was a favourite sister and never really bothered her all that much. "Alright, I'll go. Just get me your money beforehand." She leaned back in to the table to resume her writing.

"Thanks, Lish, I really appreciate it." Bree rushed around the table and gave her sister a big hug before returning to her seat to start on her homework.

February thirteenth dawned cold and clear. Alisha and her dorm mates - Roxie, Blanche, Lorraine and Rena - were bundling up in cloaks and scarves when Brigida rushed into her dorm.

She panted as she held out a bag of coins to her big sister. "Here...is the...money...for the...Frogs!" she managed to finally get out. She sat on the edge of Alisha's bed as she gained her breath back. She was absolutely red in the face and clutched a stitch in her side. "I ran all the way from the Great Hall. I thought you might have already left!"

"Calm down, Idgit. If you hadn't come in by the time I was ready to leave, I was going to hunt you down." Alisha stuffed the bag into a pocket, tossed her House scarf around her neck and pulled on her matching mittens. "You guys ready?" she asked her mates. The other girls nodded and they headed out the door with Bree trailing behind. She saw them to the portrait hole and then headed off to the library to work on an essay for her father, still clutching the stitch in her side.

The five Ravenclaws got in line to be checked off by Filch as being allowed to go to Hogsmeade. They chatted as the line moved slowly forward eventually making it past the sour old squib and his mangy cat and wandered down the road to the wizarding village.

"Where to first?" Roxie asked as they approached the edge of town.

"I need a new robe," offered Lorraine.

"I need to get some Frogs for Brigida and some rolls of parchment for me," was Alisha's contribution.

"Well, I want to look at robes as well, shall we start at Gladrags?" The girls all agreed to this suggestion by Rena and headed over to the clothing store.

They eventually made the rounds of all the shops they needed to hit as well as a stopover at the Three Broomsticks for some butterbeers when Alisha remembered she had forgotten to stop at Honeydukes for her sister's Frogs.

"You know what, you four go on ahead, and I'll catch you up on the road. I'll just take this alley over to Honeydukes and meet you," Alisha suggested, pointing out the dimly lit alleyway that led over to the next street.

"Are you sure?" Rena asked, a bit concerned at this plan. "We could just wait for you."

"Nah, it's too cold to just stand around. Go on ahead, I'll be fine. It won't take me long, and I'll just run to catch you up," she insisted.

"If you say so." Rena wasn't convinced this was a good idea but Alisha seemed insistent. And really, what harm could there be? The four girls waved to Alisha as she slipped into the alley, and they headed on down the road towards the school chatting animatedly about their purchases.

Alisha never made it to Honeydukes.

Halfway along the alley she was hit by a whispered Petrificus Totalus, and as she fell forward onto the ground she heard an Accio as well and felt her wand leave her pocket. A piece of paper was shoved into her hand, and moments later she felt a hook-like feeling behind her navel and was portkeyed away. She never saw her attacker's face, and she never heard the pop of their Disapparition. All she could think about was how worried her family was going to be. Cold tears flowed down her face as she was whirled away.

Brigida wandered over to her sister's friends at dinner that evening.

"Hey guys, where's Lish?"

"Don't know," Blanche said as she dished herself some shepherd's pie. "She said she would catch up with us on the road after she hit up Honeydukes for your Frogs. We never saw her though." She shrugged as she began eating.

"Didn't she make it back to you, Bree?" Rena asked. "I kinda figured she would search for you first."

"No. I've been in the library all day. It's getting late though." She sat in thought for a moment drumming her fingers on the table in concentration. Coming to a decision she got up from the table. "Save me some pie, would you? I am going to check with Mr Filch and see if she has checked back in."

Rena looked at her dorm mates who did not seem overly concerned over their friend's absence, but she'd had a bad feeling about this entire venture since Alisha had suggested it. Making a decision, she got up from the table as well. "I'll join you, Bree," the older girl proffered.

Brigida gave her a grateful look as the two girls headed out the double doors and walked to the Great Doors where Mr Filch was standing, rolling up his scroll and getting ready to close the doors for the night. The look on his face was enough to make the girls think twice about approaching him, but when Rena stalled Brigida grabbed her hand and pulled her along as she approached the caretaker. She was determined to get to the bottom of this.

She hurried up to him. "Mr Filch, has my sister checked back in yet?"

"No, she has not!" he growled at her. "I was just on my way to inform the headmistress. When that girl gets back here, there'll be hell to pay for her tardiness! Mark you, she'll have detention for a month if I have any say!" Filch was livid, the girls realised.

"Why don't I let her know, Mr Filch? You've been standing here so long, I'm sure you would just like to go sit down with a nice hot cuppa? I need to inform my father as well, and I can let them both know at the same time!" she wheedled to the caretaker.

"I don't know..." he wavered, stroking the cat in his arms thoughtfully.

"Come on, Mr Filch. You've known me since I was born. I'll let her know. Is there anyone else not back?" She let concern flood her voice and her visible emotions and could feel him relenting. She had known for years how to get on the good side of Filch - if only her brother had figured it out as well. She enjoyed being one of the few castle residents who could bend the old sourpuss to her will.

"Alright. Just this once, Missy, and it's only 'cause my joints ache somethin' awful. No, there isn't anyone else," he acknowledged.

"Thanks, Mr Filch!" Brigida called out as she and Rena headed back up the short flight of marble steps to the doors to the Great Hall. They hurried down the central aisle towards the head table and went around the far edge of it to circle around to her father's chair. While she had told Filch she would let the headmistress know about her missing sister, she felt her duty was to let her father know first.

Severus eyed his younger daughter and Rena Wells approach up the aisle. He could feel that something was wrong, and the look on his daughter's face bode ill.

Brigida stood by his chair and leaned in to whisper to him. "Da, Alisha never made it back from Hogsmeade. I just checked with Mr Filch." Severus flinched at the news, and McGonagall beside him turned to join in the conversation.

"What has happened, Miss Snape?" she interjected before Severus could utter a word. He shot a warning glance at his superior.

"Alisha, Grandma; she didn't make it back this afternoon." McGonagall's eyes went wide, and sharing a look with Severus she turned to Harry on her other side. "Harry - Remus, you too - we have a situation. Severus, Esme and you as well, Miss Snape and Miss Wells - let's go to my office and sort this out." The group trooped out the staff door to murmurings in the hall as the students noticed the mass staff exodus, and took the back way to the head's office.

When they were all seated around her desk, Minerva skewered her great niece with a look over her glasses.

"Well, Brigida, tell me from the beginning." Severus rose up and came to stand behind his daughter's seat, placing his hands on her shoulders to give her some moral support.

Brigida took a big breath, grateful for her father's strong presence bolstering her. "Alisha was supposed to get me some more Frogs from Honeydukes today and never showed back up. So, I went down to dinner thinking to catch up with her there. When I got to the hall, the girls said she hadn't returned with them; that she had forgotten the chocolate and had gone back to Honeydukes to get it and told them to go on ahead. I checked with Mr Filch, and she is the only one not to come back." She settled back in her chair, letting her dad run his hands soothingly over her hair as she tried to stifle back the tears that were threatening to overwhelm her as she worried over her sister. His ministrations helped, but the panic was still causing her chest to hurt.

Minerva turned her attention to Rena. "Miss Wells, what can you add to this?"

"Not much, ma'am. Only that she was going to take an alley shortcut over to the sweets shop." She was visibly shaking like a leaf, as she looked the headmistress in the eyes. She was obviously scared and worried for her friend.

Harry leaned forward. "Can you show us where she took the shortcut, Rena," he asked gently, not wanting to frighten the girl any further.

Rena looked over at the Defence teacher and nodded in the affirmative. She looked as if she would start crying soon if she tried to talk anymore. Esme came over and gathered the girl in her arms to comfort her, gently whispering encouragement in her ears. They could hear Rena mumbling, "I knew it didn't feel right, I just knew it!" When Rena calmed down, Esme returned to her seat next to Lupin.

Severus gave his daughter's shoulder a squeeze to get her attention, and she swivelled in her chair to look up at him questioningly.

"I want you to go find your brother and then join your mother, Becca and A.J. at home," he said to her. Severus looked over at the couch where Esme and Remus were sitting. "I don't think I need to tell you how dangerous this could be. Keep the children safe, and we'll be back as soon as we can. Miss Wells, let's go get your cloak and we'll meet Professors Potter and Lupin in the main entry. Remus, do you think Tonks would be of any help?"

"It's been awhile since she was an Auror, Severus. Harry has the more recent experience," his friend pointed out. Severus nodded his acceptance of the information.

Brigida swallowed hard as she listened to the adults around her. She watched as Rena rose from her chair and followed her Da out the door to head back to the Ravenclaw dorms and then as Professor Potter and Uncle Remus followed after him, each stopping by Esme to say an encouraging word to her. Esme eventually glanced up at her daughter and seeing the anguish and worry on the girl's face, opened up her arms. Bri gave a little cry and launched herself from her chair onto her mother's lap, letting the soothing sounds of her mother wash over her as she sobbed into the woman's shoulder, letting all her fears out. Minerva came over and sat on the other side of Bree, gently rubbing her back as the girl spent her tears. She quietly offered her grandniece a hanky when it looked as if she had calmed down, and Bree accepted with a little embarrassed grin, although she didn't immediately leave the comfort of her mum's lap.

"Right. Esme, you need to get back to your youngest. I'll take Brigida over to Gryffindor tower to find her twin, and we'll meet you back at your rooms," Minerva suggested.

"Thanks, Auntie. I'll see you in a few minutes, honey," Esme said to her daughter as she helped her stand back up. "Don't worry; your Da, Uncle Remus and Professor Potter will find Alisha. I promise you that!" She gave her daughter a hug. "You watch; she'll be home by curfew. I bet she got sidetracked by some book and just lost track of the time. They'll run into her as she's walking home."

"Sure, Mum." But Brigida was far from convinced, and as cheerful and confident as she sounded, she knew her mum really didn't believe what she had said either.