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Return to Malfoy Manor Part 1

"Cissy where the bloody hell are you" I mumbled as I walked myself back up to my dorm room.

I tried to focus on my potion's homework to no avail, I just couldn't seem to get the images of Narcissa being tortured mercilessly out of my head. I knew she was most likely just wandering around school grounds but something kept nagging at me, and I was determined to get to the bottom of it.

I dropped my textbook back in my school bag and unfurled my legs, standing up from my place on the bed. I grabbed my cloak and just decided to walk around the castle for a bit and hope I bumped into her on accident.

My first destination was the Great Hall.. no Cissy. Next, the library.. no Cissy. I made my way outside into the cold, late afternoon air and walked down to the lake and to my dismay.. no Cissy. I slowly made my way back down to the dungeons, taking different hallways than I had the first time, and stopped in front of her door once more.

'Please be back.' I thought to myself as I hesitated to knock. I was so afraid of finding the room empty once again. I finally knocked three times on the large wooden door and received no answer. My chest tightened and I let myself in to be greeted by the exact same sight I had earlier. The place was just as I had left it earlier this afternoon, Narcissa still nowhere to be found.

I ran back to the Slytherin common room in search of Draco, finding him on the same sofa as before but this time he had that Ravenclaw girl attached at his hip.

"Draco, I need to speak with you. It's urgent." My worried tone must have sparked his interest because without question he excused himself from his little study date and followed me to the other side of the common room.

"Your mother is missing" I whispered frantically.

"What? What are you on about? I saw her this morning." He looked positively puzzled.

"So did I. I've been searching for her all afternoon and she's just.. disappeared. Her room is exactly how I left it around noon, and I just walked around the entire castle before checking her chambers once again. She's gone Draco."

He finally understood the severity of the situation but I could tell he didn't want to admit what we were both thinking.

"What about the Headmaster's office? She could just be in a meeting with him."

"I'm about to go up there and check but I wanted to see if you'd come with me. If she isn't there.."

"Then we'll find her." There was fury in his eyes that I hadn't seen before, fury towards one man in particular.

We left without telling the Ravenclaw girl anything, letting her watch us leave in confusion. We quickly made our way to Dumbledore's office and up the stone steps that would lead us directly to his desk.

I knocked frantically on the door and received an 'enter' from within the room. Draco and I stepped inside to see the headmaster sitting at his desk reading over some papers.. and no Cissy.

"Terribly sorry to bother you sir, we were just wondering if you had happened to see Narcissa by any chance? I haven't been able to find her all afternoon." He looked up at me with a hint of fear in his eyes.

"So that's who it was." I furrowed my brow in confusion and glanced to Draco who was doing the same.

The headmaster sat back in his chair and sighed, rubbing his wrinkled hands over his tired face. "The wards alerted me that someone had left the grounds, however I hadn't been able to discern who quite yet."

"Shit." Was all I could get out before my legs were carrying me back down the stone steps and towards the front doors of the castle. I knew the headmaster wouldn't try to stop me, rather he would most likely alert the aurors and have them track me to whatever location I ended up at.