In Servitude to the Dark || Tom Riddle

𝙇𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙑𝙤𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙩'𝙨 𝙍𝙚𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣

December 17

Great Hall Right After Aster Disappears

Thanks to Aster's cue, Severus was prepared for the pandemonium that arouse when the Granger girl screamed like a banshee. "Do not touch a thing!" Severus growled, his long strides taking him quickly to the Gryffindors.

Sirius had jumped over the table in a rush, demanding what happened.

"Everyone, please calm down," Dumbledore ordered, a sonorous magnifying his voice. "Heads of Houses, will you escort your students to their dorms, except the Gryffindor 4th years. Sinestra, please take the Slytherins."

By the time Dumbledore made it to the horrified Gryffindors, Severus had already contained the pile of letters with a protective bubble. "Miss Granger, can you tell us what happened?"

"I...I don't know!" Hermione sobbed. "She was just opening her gifts like normal..."

"She just disappeared," Ron continued, looking sort of shell shocked.

"It's got to be a portkey," Sirius said, glaring darkly at the pile, sitting innocently on the breakfast table. "How could we be so stupid!"

"Miss Granger, did you by any chance see what object Aster touched?" Dumbledore asked kindly.

Hermione shook her head regretfully.

"I think it was some kind of bracelet," Ron answered. "It was silver and looked kind of girlish. I didn't get a good look at it."

Dumbledore nodded his thanks. "I'm afraid we will have to report this," he said, looking none too pleased about the prospects. Having the Girl-Who-Lived snatched right out from under his nose was going to be another offense on top of a growing list that he knew Andromeda Tonks was keeping.

It took a while to organize everyone, since the foreign schools were clamoring for answers, demanding Dumbledore to do something to ensure their students were safe too. The only blessing was that the reporters hadn't gotten wind of this yet, although all of them knew it wouldn't take them long before they stormed the castle.

After that, the Aurors began their investigations. They confiscated the pile of gifts and interviewed all the students who sat close to Aster Potter. Ron had to take Hermione to Madam Pomfrey for a Calming Draught. Meanwhile, Severus, Andromeda, Sirius, Dumbledore, and Amelia Bones met up in the Headmaster's office.

"Our preliminary reports indicate that Miss Potter was abducted by an over-zealous fan," Amelia said. "Or someone posing as such."

"And were you able to trace the portkey?" Sirius asked. Having been a former Auror, he knew how an investigation was conducted.

"I'm afraid not, Mr. Black," Amelia said regretfully. "It was untraceable. Now in addition to over-zealous fans, can any of you think of who might want to kidnap Miss Potter?"

"It cannot be a coincidence that Aster's cousin went missing," Dumbledore said. "And a week later, so too does Aster."

Severus shook his head, not wanting the two incidences to be linked together. "Any of the usual suspects who might have wanted to hurt Aster will have no reason to kidnap the muggle cousin as well, while leaving the aunt and uncle untouched," he said. "If this is some Death Eater plot, which I haven't heard anything about, they would sooner slaughter the whole family instead of bothering with an abduction."

Andromeda turned to Amelia. "How far has your investigation gotten on the missing cousin?"

"We've unearth a long history of violence," Amelia answered, her voice becoming distant as she tried to recall the file. "Dudley Dursley became a bully at a very young age, terrifying the neighborhood children. Some reported seeing Dudley engaging in some sport called Aster Hunting, where he and his friends would literally hunt Miss Potter down like an animal and proceed to beat her up. Broken bones were the norm, not the exception. This seems consistent with the medical report provided by Severus Snape. Later, muggle reports indicate that Dudley Dursley became a member of the local gang, involved with illegal muggle drugs and violent vandalism. It is common for these troubled teens to run away from home or get injured or killed by rival gang members." She shook her head. "Sad case all around, and to think we left our Savior there, unchecked, for ten years."