Kidnapped
As Harry was showing Minerva around his room, he was puzzled. Why did I have to leave? Is it really because of my party, or is something bad happening again? Harry had a good memory, and he could vividly recall the last time his aunt had sent him away without a fitting reason. Fawkes had taken him and Nyx to a place with a lot of other animals, and when he returned his Papa was burned, his godfather was a dog, Uncle Moony was resting because of his head, and his aunt had been unable to hug him because she hurt her ribs. Was something like that happening again?
Still thinking, Harry looked out the window, wondering if they could go back now. He was surprised to see a group of people in black walking rapidly up the street, surrounding Aunt Lyss's house. They disappeared, but Harry had a feeling they were still there. Magic can make people disappear; Papa and Aunty do that when we play hide and seek, Uncle Moony and Padfoot do too.
He saw the door to the house open, thinking that someone was coming to get him to take him back to the party, when Fawkes gave a shrill cry. The phoenix started for the window, but by the time he flew across the street it was too late; the figure in black who had left the house had been hit with a red spell and the people had taken them away.
"It would be prudent to speak of this later," Severus said, still thinking of possible strategies. It would be a shame to have to finally move, we've only just got settled completely.
"Yeah, Harry probably wants to come back to his party," Sirius said, still looking glum. Why is it that Malfoy has to ruin everything? We're happy, now that slimy git has to come and ruin that. Typical.
"The atmosphere in this room is one I would expect to find at a funeral, not a child's birthday party," Alyssa said, calmly locking all thoughts of Lucius Malfoy away in the back of her mind. "Try and put on a happy face for now. I'm going to go fetch Harry, and maybe we can salvage his party."
The others nodded, and Alyssa calmly left the room, bringing her earlier feelings of happiness to the surface. Of course, it was an act, as she was far too nervous to be relaxed as she was before she received the letter, but Harry didn't need to know that.
She opened the front door, pausing for a moment as she thought she could feel errant magic lingering, as though someone had been casting spells recently. Minerva probably did magic for some reason, or I'm feeling traces from the spells on Nyx, she thought, shrugging off the incident as she stepped off her porch, outside the safety of the wards. The shrill cry of her familiar warned her that all was not well, and she raised her wand as a Stunner came out of nowhere. Before she lost consciousness completely, she could feel someone picking her up and she realized what Fawkes had been trying to warn her about. The Death Eaters, she thought as blackness spread across her vision, I can't believe I was that careless.
"What's that?" Sirius asked, tilting his head slightly to the side as a shrill cry came from outside.
"Sounds like Fawkes," Remus said, frowning, "But he was with Harry…"
The three men looked at each other for a moment before bolting out of their chairs, running for the front door. If something was wrong, Alyssa would've sent her patronus for us, Remus tried to reassure himself as they hurried outside. The sight that met his eyes made him freeze in his tracks.
Alyssa was lying, unmoving, on the grass just outside the wards. Her body rose slightly, as though someone was picking her up. A figure appeared out of nowhere, cancelling the spell that had previously hid him from view. A flash of blonde hair was the last sight they had of the man before he was gone, taking Alyssa with him.
Fawkes shot over from where he had been guarding Minerva and Harry; hovering slightly above the spot where his mistress had fallen, he began to trill sadly, telling the world about his loss. Remus was only slightly more controlled. He fell to his knees, staring blankly at the space where Malfoy had been before he disappeared, taking Alyssa with him. Why, he questioned savagely, why is it that happiness is always denied us? I nearly lost her once before; I don't think I could handle that again. A stinging pain in his cheek made him look up.
"You hit me," he said, looking reproachfully at Sirius.
"You weren't paying attention," he countered, not looking too repentant. "We need to focus. They took Alyssa, and we're sitting in the middle of the yard, practically begging them to come back for us. We need to get inside, keep an eye on Harry, and figure out where they took Alyssa."
"And why they took her," Severus said softly. He looked better than Remus; maybe it was because of all the times he had nearly lost her throughout the years. Sirius put a comforting hand on Severus's shoulder, silently supporting him.
"You're right Padfoot," Remus said, even as his eyes burned with tears he refused to shed. Later. Cry when all options are exhausted and it time for you to go to bed, alone, without Alyssa's comforting presence beside you. Shaking his head to dispel such thoughts, he took the hand Sirius offered, letting the other man pull him to his feet. As he regained his footing, Harry came running out of the house, followed by Minerva.
"Papa, bad men took Aunty," Harry said, running over to Severus and attaching himself to the man's leg, as that was the highest he could reach to hug his father.
Severus bent down, picking Harry up and holding him tight. "We know Harry," Severus said softly, wishing that Harry didn't have to know, "And we're going to get her back." They had too, he didn't know what they would do otherwise.
Alyssa awoke, listening intently for any sound before opening her eyes. Surprise was key, and if her captors thought she was still asleep they might talk freely about where she was and why she was being held captive. Hearing nothing, she opened her eyes and slowly sat up. Her head hurt, probably from its less than gentle encounter with the ground, but she pushed that to the back of her mind. Where am I, she wondered, looking around the dank and dreary dungeon that she was being housed in. I'm definitely a prisoner, she thought, eyeing the bars on the thick wooden door, and they have my wand. So escape isn't currently an option. Perhaps gathering information would be beneficial before I attack, though how I will attack without a wand is another matter entirely.
Footsteps in the corridor broke her out of her musings, and she instantly sat as straight as possible, ignoring any discomfort. Never show weakness, she reminded herself, one of the many lessons left over from her childhood. The door to her cell creaked open and someone stepped into the cell, pointing a wand at her so she didn't try anything. At that moment, looking at Lucius Malfoy's smirking face, all she wanted was to fly off the cot she was sitting on and attack him, but she restrained herself. Patience, there will be time for revenge later if you are prudent. Focus on escape first.
"Welcome Alyssa," Lucius drawled, "We've been waiting a long time for you to visit."