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Hestia Abbott ([info]eagleofdelphi) wrote in [info]all_roads,
@ 2008-04-30 23:27:00

Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Entry tags:*thread-completed, dominic abbott, ernie macmillan, hestia jones, miles stebbins

Reactions; the Abbott's [HJ, DA, EM, MS]
WHO: Hestia, Dominic, Ernie and likely Miles
WHERE: the Abbott's
WHEN: Monday, 17 January, 2000; evening
SUMMARY: Reactions to the ongoing journal exchanges and owls. COMPLETED THREAD.
RATING: PG-13


Though brief, it seemed Hestia had at some point slept, as when she woke, the light in the room was different and both Ernie and Miles were passed out on various pieces of furniture. Dominic, however, wasn't within sight, but she had a guess where he was, the same place he had retreated to several times when it had become too much and he hadn't wanted her to see him drinking to blur it all a bit. Getting up quietly so not as to disturb the other two, she left the room, ignoring the Aurors in the hall. Ultimately, they hadn't been able to keep them entirely out of it and it was a constant source of fear, despite being certain Rodolphus and Bellatrix would know the guard staff would know, but Hestia had kicked Shacklebolt out of the house herself rather than having more Aurors involved.

At the door to Dominic's study, she pushed the door open, finding him at his desk, drink it hand and head bowed. She went to him, bare feet making no noise on the thick rug.

"You know, that's not fair, as I can't have any," she said quietly, leaning down to kiss the top of his head as she slid one arm around his shoulder.

Two days, or just a few hours short of two days, and it felt as though it had been a lifetime.

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[info]regretfulde
2008-05-01 03:53 am UTC (link)
Two days wasn't that long at all in the scheme of things, but to Dominic it felt like two years. Though the house was fuller than it normally was with the addition of the Stebbins boy, it felt so empty and cold that part of him wondered if it was the same home he had left just before his birthday gala. And that was the irony of the entire thing, that it had been on the tail end of his birthday festivities that his daughter was taken, as though Rodolphus Lestrange was giving him his own sort of twisted present.

He scowled at the wall, taking another swig of the amber colored liquid. He was careful to not drink in excess to the point of being drunk, because he knew that that wouldn't help Hannah, but he drank just enough to dull things, so that it didn't feel quite so unbearable.

He didn't hear Hestia come in, or even notice her until she kissed the top of his head, so perhaps, he decided, it was time to stop. He sat his glass down and turned the chair to hug her tightly. At least he still had her, but when one half of your very soul was ripped away and someone tried to console you that the other half was still there, it was very small consolation indeed.

"It doesn't help much, if it makes you feel any better."

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[info]eagleofdelphi
2008-05-01 04:01 am UTC (link)
Cradling his head against her stomach with one hand, Hestia ran the other through his hair several times, slow and soothing though she knew no touch she could come up with right now would actually soothe him. There was no counter to Hannah missing, save getting her back, and as the days slipped by with few owls and only one exchange in the journals, it became harder to believe that would happen any moment. They had no advantages here, not as they had with her own kidnapping just a week ago. That too felt as though it had been forever ago.

"I figured, since you're still upright. It would only be helpful at the point you were passed out drunk," she said softly.

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[info]regretfulde
2008-05-01 04:12 am UTC (link)
Dominic absently turned his face a little, pressing his lips against her stomach. He had to remind himself of what he did have. He had Hestia, and he had their child, and he had the knowledge that Hannah had been alive long enough to write a note about how nice Lestrange had been at the very least. Her handwriting was something he knew quite well, from her letters when she lived with her grandparents, or little notes she would send from Hogwarts, even from the first awkward looking words she learned to write as a child. The letter was no forgery, and that was something. If he dwelled on the positives perhaps he would live to see that day that Hannah would be home.

"I can't sleep." He sighed quietly. He had dozed off several times over the last two days, but the events seemed muddled together to the point where he couldn't remember sleeping, only the waking hours of living hell, waiting, hoping.

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[info]eagleofdelphi
2008-05-01 04:20 am UTC (link)
"I know," Hestia said softly, curling downward for a moment to press another kiss to the top of his head before tightening her grip on him again. She needed the contact too right now, had since Hannah was gone, as though letting go would let something happen. She imagined it was starting to unsettle Ernie with that fact, as she had hugged him several times for absolutely no reason, as well as when the owls had arrived. Miles had already brought it up several times when he too found himself the focus of random hugs or touches, but she had been gratified that the jokes about her 'wanting him' hadn't been followed by him edging away.

"Anything new?" she asked, even as her gaze fell to the open journal on his desk. The silence since the last, disastrous owls had been almost a day now and she has refused to think about why that was.

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[info]regretfulde
2008-05-01 04:40 am UTC (link)
Dominic sighed heavily, looking at the open journal. There was more that he could show her, but it was hardly flattering to him. He had known when he began to beg that it would have no effect, and yet he had not been able to stop himself. There was nothing that one wouldn't do for a child, even if it was humiliating, even if it was impossible.

Quickly he unlocked the journal's spell so that she could read the entry that had been warded to him, he handed it to her, and scooted his chair back a bit so that she could read it without him so close. He turned his chair closer to the fire, gazing into it broodingly and waiting on her to read it.

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[info]eagleofdelphi
2008-05-01 04:53 am UTC (link)
Grabbing it almost greedily, Hestia read it all quickly, then again, thinking nothing of Dominic begging. It changed nothing about her for him, for she would have done the same, done that and more. With a fingernail she traced Hannah's words, blinking back tears. Of course she knew Hannah loved them all, but seeing it right there, in her own hand writing, brought new hope to Hestia. She laid the journal on the desk and rounded Dominic's chair, pulling him close to her again.

"We're going to get her back. Somehow. We will."

What she couldn't shake was the idea Rodolphus Lestrange wasn't being his typical bastard self with Hannah, given the past and his actions in toying with her.

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[info]regretfulde
2008-05-01 05:12 am UTC (link)
Dominic held her tightly, closing his eyes. He could still see Hannah's words, still hear the sound of her voice in his memory, so it was almost as good as hearing her speak once more.

"She was alive after they took her, she was alive long enough to think Lestrange a kind man, so perhaps she's still alive now." It was something to hope for, but with Hannah's forgiving nature, it was entirely possible that she forgave Lestrange a moment after he apologized to her, as that was his little girl's nature.

"I don't feel as though she's gone. I don't feel as though I've lost a child." He took a deep breath and then opened his eyes, looking up at her."We have to get her back. Every time Lestrange sends us something..." He didn't finish his words, he couldn't. Every time he opened a package or envelope, he had no idea if it was Hannah's clothing, or lingerie, or, as the Lestrange bitch kept suggesting, a literal piece of his daughter.

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[info]eagleofdelphi
2008-05-01 05:20 am UTC (link)
"You haven't," Hestia said, cupping his face with both her hands, bending so her face was quite close. "You haven't lost her, she isn't gone – she's out there and we'll get to her. She wouldn't have lied about him being nice and she wouldn't have been able to write that much if half of what they imply is true." She couldn't think about the dirt of the earth doing those things to Hannah, or she would fall apart as she had the night they took her.

She kissed him, a reassuring firmness rather than amorous intent, then stroked his cheeks with her thumbs. "Maybe it's time to involve someone else, Dominic."

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[info]regretfulde
2008-05-01 05:43 am UTC (link)
Dominic leaned into her touch, looking at her curiously. "Involve who?" He didn't know who else they could involve without making it obvious to Lestrange that they had not followed their end of the bargain.

Feeling a bit stronger from her steadying touch, he rose to his feet before she even had a chance to answer, freeing his desk chair. "You should be sitting, you know, not catering to me." Dominic knew that Hestia was quite close to Hannah as well. Though she wasn't Hannah's mother, she had been acting a great deal like a mother for some time, and before that Hannah and her had been good friends, almost sisters. Hestia's family was gone now too, and he was being very selfish if he thought for a moment that it was otherwise.

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[info]eagleofdelphi
2008-05-01 05:58 am UTC (link)
"Stop it and sit back down," Hestia said gently, compromising by guiding him down to the chair again and perching on his lap. Had she known what he was really thinking, she would have scolded him. Though she had known Hannah since the day Hannah had been born, in her mind, his relationship so far trumped that that it wasn't even possible to compare them. He had been there when she went to pieces the other night and she had strove since then to be there for him, she wasn't about to stop now.

"As for who, I don't know. The Order. Morgandy Yaxley. Hell, even Rabastan Lestrange. Just someone who might be able to help but can do it without alerting the world or the Lestranges."

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[info]regretfulde
2008-05-01 06:15 am UTC (link)
Dominic sat, though he was about to protest before she sat on his lap. This, though, with them both relaxing, felt right.

"The Order, and Yaxley, I can agree to. I know that I can trust them, and that Yaxley will recognize that this could easily be her daughter that they've taken." He paused, thinking hard for a moment. "I don't know about Lestrange though. Hannah seems to trust him a great deal, and she even gave him papers that allow him a bit more freedom, but he's a largely unknown entity in this." He thought a moment longer. "Perhaps Narcissa Malfoy as well?"

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[info]eagleofdelphi
2008-05-01 06:24 am UTC (link)
Hestia tipped her head to one side, then they other, stretching her neck muscles as she considered it. She was far from relaxed, really, and she didn't think she would relax voluntarily until Hannah was home.

"Does she even speak to the Lestranges?" she finally asked, turning to him. "After Carina was kidnapped, if she still did, I would be surprised. Maybe neither of them are good choices, just because these are their siblings doesn't mean they can help us."

She rubbed her face. "We need someone who can give us information like the locations of hideouts, things like that. Ultimately, we need someone inside. Yaxley may be our safest bet, but if we get her help, we won't be able to use the Order, not fully."

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[info]regretfulde
2008-05-01 06:28 am UTC (link)
So this was the proverbial rock and hardplace that everyone was always talking about, the devil's choice between involving good forces or evil ones when only one could really be chosen.

"Yaxley." He said, clearing his throat. "Yaxley would know them better than any of us would know, if she's the one they chose to try to replace you, and we'll ask both the younger Lestrange and Malfoy in a very discrete way if they know anything." He could only pray that his decision was the right one. "If Yaxley is of no use then we will turn to the Order." If they had to, he would let it slip that he had been the Death Eater informant as a last choice desperate measure. Even if he served a day, a year in Azkaban, having Hannah home would be worth it.

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[info]eagleofdelphi
2008-05-01 06:36 am UTC (link)
"That's what we'll do then," Hestia agreed. Sounds at the door made her look up and over the chair, finding Miles standing in the doorway, apparently trying to be nonchalant.

He cleared his throat. "I just, you know-"

Hestia tipped her head to the side. "Wanted to make sure we hadn't been kidnapped?" she said, a soft look on her face.

Making a face, though that had been partially his thought when they had both disappeared, just as it had been anytime anyone wasn't in the room when he woke up and realized he'd dozed. "Fuck no. I was looking for the good alcohol!" he said, snorted derisively, and then retreated quickly.

After a moment, Hestia shook her head, the ghost of a smile there for a moment.

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[info]regretfulde
2008-05-01 06:52 am UTC (link)
Dominic snorted at Stebbins as he left. He wasn't such a bad kid after all, and Hannah was lucky to have a friend who would stick around to try to find her, even if he did have a rather foul mouth.

"I miss her." He said honeslty, playing with Hestia's hair for a moment. "I missed you too, when you were gone, but I never thought that you weren't coming back. I was worried, but I knew that you were a strong auror. Hannah's strong too, but she's just a child, she's no match for those people, people who have been killing since before she was born. I'm so frightened for her."

Ernie woke up alone and, all but jumping to his feet, he made his way down the corridor to the Minister's study where Dominic usually was, figuring that everyone else was there. In the hallway, he all but ran into Miles, and an awkward look came over his face. He really should apologize for punching Stebbins in the face, but he was so tired and stressed now that he couldn't really seem to find the words.

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[info]eagleofdelphi
2008-05-01 07:07 am UTC (link)
Hestia wrapped her arms around his necked, hugging him tightly. "I know you do, I do too," she said softly. "And it was different because you could talk to me, you knew what you'd get me back. We can't do those things right now. But she's better prepared than most, what with the training she had to be at the Centre and the things she and Ernie were working on. She might even still have her wand, you know how many times we've told her to keep it concealed even if she has to lie."

It was a slim hope, made slimmer by the fact her dress had come to them shredded and they had no way to know if it had been done while on her or taken and done alter to provoke them. She prayed, with all she had, that it was the latter.

Stuffing his hands into his pocket after all but colliding with Ernie, Miles nodded over his shoulder.

"The Minster's drinking the good alcohol and not sharing and Jones is being all "Stebbins, take me right now" again, so I'm escaping, in case you wondered where they were."

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[info]regretfulde
2008-05-01 07:42 am UTC (link)
Where Hestia saw hope, Dominic saw despair. Yes, Hannah might still have her wand, but odds were if she had not had opportunity to use it now, there was a reason. Perhaps they discovered that she had lied about having it and punished her severely. Perhaps they used her own wand to hurt her. His jaw clenched.

"We've nothing to do now but hope that they are kind to her, that they return her unharmed and show her mercy."

Ernie nodded, his hands going into his own pockets and his fingers brushing against the delicate metal design of Hannah's bracelet. He smiled slightly at Miles as his hand closed around it, holding it tightly. "Well glad for you that you escaped then before the situation reversed and it was Hestia hoarding all the good liquor and the Minister shooting you 'Stebbins, take me now,' looks." It was a poor attempt at a joke, and mostly fell flat, and it instantly made him feel guilty. What right did he have to be laughing when Hannah was out there, frightened and in the hands of Death Eaters?

"Any new news?" he asked hastily.

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[info]eagleofdelphi
2008-05-01 07:51 am UTC (link)
Hestia shook her head. "We do have things to do, Dominic. Owl Yaxley, meet with her, see what she knows, if anything, about Hannah and get the locations of hideouts." She kissed him again and slid off of his lap. "Owl her, find a place we can meet her without anyone catching on, like your office or something. Ministry business cover."

Out in the corridor, Miles grinned back, somewhat heartened Ernie could joke, even if the look Ernie had been wearing for two days came right back. A flat joke was better than thinking his best mate was slipping to some point of no return.

He shrugged at the question, however. "I don't know, I didn't ask," he said, nodding back toward the study. "They were talking about something, I figured it could wait." He certainly wasn't going to admit he had even thought to ask, that his concern had been locating people before he backed out quickly from the Minister and Jones' private moment.

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[info]regretfulde
2008-05-01 08:22 am UTC (link)
Dominic scooted closer to the desk, quickly summoning parchment and paper to write Yaxley an owl. He read over it once, thankful of the brief distraction the task had given him, and then handed it to Hestia to read. She had a hand in this too, and if she thought something was missing, or not well expressed, he would fix it, but the note was so brief and to the point that it was highly unlikely that any changes would be needed.

Ernie turned to go toward the Minister's study, but he paused, looking over his shoulder at Miles. "I'm glad to see that your nose is looking better. More accurately, I'm sure that half of Britain's female population is glad to see it looking better." He said it sheepisly, as it was the closest thing that he could manage now in way of apology.

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[info]eagleofdelphi
2008-05-01 08:31 am UTC (link)
Scanning it quickly, Hestia handed it back and leaned in to kiss his temple. "It works, go ahead and send it, " she said, then went to the window to whistle for one of the owls. When the one that came was Scheherazade, she had to take a deep breath to keep from reacting. Fetching an owl biscuit, she fed it to the owl, talking softly.

Miles grin turned a bit repentant. "Well, it's the price of being an arse," he said, touching his nose gingerly, even though it didn't hurt anymore. That was about as close to an apology as he could get. "Would have had to kick yours had you fucked it up, though."

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[info]regretfulde
2008-05-01 08:45 am UTC (link)
The bird certainly didn't need two biscuits, but Dominic got another one, feeding it to the owl nonetheless. They would spoil Hannah like this when she came back. She would never leave his side and he would never take his eyes off of her again. She would have everything she could wish for.

I wish you could find her, he thought, looking at the owl. I wish you could find her and bring her back here where she belongs

Sighing as wishes weren't granted so easily, he fastened the note to the bird. "Be quick and careful."

Ernie snorted, glad that the tension in the room had dissipated a bit. It took too much energy to stay angry with Miles, energy he'd rather be devoting to getting Hannah back.

"I'd like to see you try."

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[info]eagleofdelphi
2008-05-01 08:56 am UTC (link)
Cocking its head, the owl let out a soft trill and then took flight with the letter. After watching it go, Hestia turned and slid her arms around Dominic, resting her chin on his chest. "I love you," she said softly, "and Hannah loves you and she knows we all love her. If anyone can keep faith they'll be rescued, it's her, and we won't breath that faith because we'll get to her."

Miles waved his hand dismissively. "Not now, I'm hungry. Later, I'll kick your arse while Hannah watches." It was a promise without devolving into what Miles would term 'nancy emotions' – they would get Hannah back and she'd be around for all sorts of joking fights in the future.

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[info]regretfulde
2008-05-01 09:45 am UTC (link)
"I love you too." Dominic answered, wrapping his arms tightly around her as though by the force of his grip alone he could keep her there forever. He knew that she was right, and yet, somehow, hope seemed too far off to even begin to touch. This was to the point of touching the children now, and that alone was enough to make things seem far more bleak than they had ever been before.

Ernie turned, giving Miles an appreciative look. There was a reason this was his best mate, and it was because Miles could be meaningful and pass it off as a joke all at once. Somehow, though he wasn't sure how or why, he felt a little better.

"Fine, go get something to eat, pad your arse with cookies and cake and prepare yourself for the arsekicking of your life when Hannah gets back." It felt more comfortable to talk about it like this, as though Hannah was just gone on holiday and he missed her, yes, but that there was a definite end date in sight. It, if nothing else, was worth thanking Miles for after this was all over.

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[info]eagleofdelphi
2008-05-01 10:03 am UTC (link)
Not even protesting the fierceness of his grip, as she understood where it was coming from, Hestia rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes. It would be so easy to pretend this wasn't happening, that Hannah was safely upstairs watching movies with Ernie or working at Hogwarts or baking in the kitchen, but it wouldn't be fair to Hannah to do so. Their baby – while she would never replace Teaghan, would never be Hannah's 'mother', Hannah meant as much to her as she knew her own child would – was out there with many odds stacked against her and they couldn't afford to forget that, no matter how much it hurt.

Miles laughed outright. "I know you're jealous you can't be a master of carbs like I am, but all the more for me," he said, saluted with a cocky air and then wandered off down the corridor toward the kitchen.

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[info]regretfulde
2008-05-01 10:21 am UTC (link)
Dominic closed his eyes. Gods, but he was tired. He was tired and hungry and exhausted (which was really the same thing as tired only amplified) yet the thought of eating made him feel ill and the thought of sleep filled him with panic over the thought of missing one of Rodolphus's communications. "Two days...." he sighed. Tomorrow would be three days, Hestia had been gone three days. One could hope that this time would be the same as the last, that something would happen and free Hannah and he'd go to find her unharmed. Frightened, ready to go home, but safe and in the same condition he had last seen her in. If he could have one more birthday present, one present to last him for the rest of his days, that would be it.

"All the more of you."Ernie said to Miles's retreating back, and then he was alone once more in the corridor, and reality set in again. As often happens when something bad happens, the grief seemed to come in waves, and when he was again alone he felt as though he were drowning. Not wanting to disturb Dominic and Hestia from what sounded to be a private moment, he went instead to Hannah's room, where he could sit and feel close to her and try to think of some solution.

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[info]eagleofdelphi
2008-05-01 10:32 am UTC (link)
"I know," Hestia said, knowing there was nothing else to say that she had not said fifty times at this point. Instead she held on to him for a time, until she realized it had been awhile and if she had woken up and so had Miles, Ernie likely had or would soon.

"I'm going to go check on the boys while we wait for Yaxley's reply," she said as she kissed his cheek. She knew her anxiety was showing, but it didn't matter right now. Dominic had her, even if that was no consolation for not having Hannah back, but Ernie was dealing with the bulk of his feelings in this alone.

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[info]lost_ernie
2008-05-01 08:48 pm UTC (link)
Dominic nodded, his eyes going to the window as he waited on the Death Eater's reply. "Be careful." He said softly. It might just be inside of their house, and she might be surrounded with his trainees, but Dominic had a hard time trusting anything anymore, even his own home.

Meanwhile, Ernie was sitting in the middle of Hannah's floor surrounded by maps and books. It was worthless work, as he could no sooner find Hannah this way than by throwing a dart at a map, but at least it made him feel as though he were doing something.

"That's definitely out..." he muttered, crossing out a point of interest he had earlier identified because it was too near to a Muggle highway. "Where are you, Hannah?"

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[info]eagleofdelphi
2008-05-01 10:39 pm UTC (link)
"I will," Hestia said quietly, kissing him again before exiting the room. She went back to the family room then to the guard room and then to the kitchen, finding Miles but not Ernie. However, it wasn't hard to guess where he was and so, with a heavy heart, she made her way up the stairs to Hannah's room. As predicted, she found him there, entering just in time to hear what he was muttering to himself.

"Not in those maps, kid," she said, sitting down cross legged next to him after clearing a spot for herself.

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[info]lost_ernie
2008-05-01 10:53 pm UTC (link)
Ernie was so lost in his own thoughts that Hestia's entrance startled him, making him jump a good deal more than was perhaps expected. "Sorry, Hestia, I didn't hear you come in."

He straightened one of the maps near her knee a bit, pointing to an area he had circled. "I thought that I might go there to look around a bit tomorrow, it's fairly remote and it makes sense they'd have a hideout there being as it's far from any large Muggle gathering. This place..." he paused, shuffling through four maps before he found the right one. "Is in France, but I think Lestrange used to have some property around there, and this one..." He growled in frustration when he couldn't find the map of the location that he wanted. There were entirely too many maps and books in the room to make full sense of any of them, and it was clear that the problem wasn't a lack of information but a lack of relative information and an excess of things which could be either very trivial or very important, depending.

"Anyhow," he said, giving up on the map. "It's just outside of Hogwarts grounds, and the house has been abandoned for some time, and I wouldn't put it past them to hold her there, knowing that she teaches there."

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[info]eagleofdelphi
2008-05-01 11:03 pm UTC (link)
Hestia listened to him with something akin to feeling her heart actually breaking. She knew what he was doing and she knew how quickly it would kill his hope, searching everywhere and finding nothing. They knew who had Hannah, now they needed to use the knowledge of others to get her back now, rather that wasting energy on possible leads.

"We're bringing in help," she said without preamble. "We've played their game two days too long now. That means you have to focus on where that is going to take us, not," she gestured, "all of this, as much as you want to. We have to use our talents and energy on the information we get, rather than scouring every inch of the wizarding world for her."

She propped an below on her knee to rest her chin on her hand. "You went with Hannah when she met with Rabastan Lestrange. Tell me about your impressions, more than just the basics I asked before. Even the little observations."

It was part distraction, getting him to think critically about the younger Lestrange, and part purposeful. If they could use Rabastan Lestrange's knowledge, it would only help them, but that could only happen if he wouldn't run right to Rodolphus.

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[info]lost_ernie
2008-05-01 11:11 pm UTC (link)
Ernie nodded when she told him he had to focus on the leads that were about to start coming in, a bit sheepish at making such a mess in here. He just felt so useless, waiting on the latest tormenting item to come from the Lestranges. What would it be next, he wondered, her knickers? A bragging note from Lestrange blatantly describing taking Hannah's virginity? His jaw clenched as he remembered the white sheet with the drops of blood, wondering if they were fake or if Rodolphus had harmed Hannah, either physically or sexua--

No. He was getting distracted and Hestia had been talking about something else...what was it? Lestrange, the younger one, Rabastan.

"I don't remember." He said honestly. "I don't remember much anyway." Memories of Hannah were too brightly painful now to remember a meeting so long ago. The last two days felt like two years, and anything before that seemed like a lifetime ago. "He seemed genuinely apologetic for what his brother and sister in law had done, and he warned Hannah about trusting Rodolphus. Maybe it was just an act but he seemed tormented, as though it hurt him to reveal details about his brother but he didn't want his family to hurt anyone either." He swallowed deeply. "She trusted him. She trusted him enough to give him papers that gave him more freedom."

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[info]eagleofdelphi
2008-05-01 11:40 pm UTC (link)
Hestia listened carefully, looking over the maps without really seeing them, as her focus was on Ernie speaking, not anything else. It was as much as she had suspected, heartened by Ernie's perceptions but worried by his doubts. She wasn't sure where it left them.

"And that is Hannah, to trust," she said softly. "But I don't think we can pin anything on her trust alone. I don't know if he's useful but we have to weigh the risk against what he could tell."

Ultimately, she realized she couldn't rely wholly on him making the decision, but she still needed assurances that even approaching Rabastan wouldn't irrevocably harm the situation, reassurances she knew that neither Ernie nor Dominic – or anyone really – could really provided.

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[info]lost_ernie
2008-05-02 12:08 am UTC (link)
"I didn't trust him, at first." Ernie said candidly. "Because of his last name, I suppose, because of the things he's done, but he tried to warn Hannah, and so she showed you and the Minister what that bastard had been up to."

He looked at Hannah's bedspread, trying to remember the little details about that meeting. "She gave him a bit more freedom, and it was obvious that it moved him. I thought at the time that perhaps he was a bit like Dominic in the fact that he held his family closer than anyone, it was clear that he missed his daughter. I can't say for sure, but I think that talking about the matter with him might be safe, even if he can't help, because he didn't tell Rodolphus about her meeting before."

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[info]eagleofdelphi
2008-05-02 12:27 am UTC (link)
Thinking about what Rodolphus had done before only made Hestia feel sick, because she feared he would try to do it again, especially now that she knew Hannah had distinguished him as being nice to her. And thought she wanted to protect Ernie from the knowledge of that, she knew he deserved to know, deserved to have the same reassurance of hope the rest of them had received. There was not much else to say about Rabastan Lestrange right now, until a decision had been made.

"Dominic had another exchange with Lestrange today," she finally said, looking up at him. "Hannah had written a letter and he taunted Dominic with it, but let him see a few scraps of it. It was definitely her handwriting and it was written after she had been captured." Her look softened. "She wanted you to know she loves you, love us all, and not all of them are being difficult with her."

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[info]lost_ernie
2008-05-02 12:42 am UTC (link)
The fact that not everyone had been cruel to Hannah heartened Ernie, but just as quickly sent a cold chill down his spine. The elation that he was feeling was entirely defendant on who was being so kind to Hannah. If it were a random Death Eater who was compassionate, as the one who had replaced Hestia had been, then it was a blessing. If it was Lestrange however, it would be worse than anything, because it would instill further trust in a man who didn't deserve even a hint of such a thing.

"It was Lestrange, wasn't it, who was kind to Hannah?" Not even waiting until Hestia answered, he swore, and he swore again more vehemently once she did nod. There was nothing to say, this was going more wrong than anyone could have anticipated. "We have to get her back." He insisted. "We have to do it quickly. Hannah's too trusting, if we don't she could be lured in again by trying to save him. He could do more damage..." he cleared his throat, not liking his almost desperate tone. "We have to get her back today."

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[info]eagleofdelphi
2008-05-02 01:17 am UTC (link)
"That's why we're bringing people in, Ernie," Hestia said, reaching out to rest her hand on his arm. Telling him it was Lestrange, even a non-spoken telling, had been difficult because he knew as well as she and Dominic what might happen if Hannah was vulnerable and Rodolphus convincing, she would believe him. "We know what's at stake here, her safety in a number of ways, and so the risk of involving others is... well, no risk where Hannah's concerned is acceptable, but you know what acceptable risk is. You were taunt that before most other things in training. That's what we're dealing with right now."

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[info]lost_ernie
2008-05-02 01:21 am UTC (link)
Acceptable risk was one thing, and this felt like another. Logically he knew this was the very definition of acceptable risk, but how could he ever think it "acceptable" when he remembered the threat in Dominic's note.

He rested his hand shakily on top of hers. She was his trainer, his friend, and he had to trust that she was right on this.

"I want to be involved." He said firmly. "I want to do something to help bring her home." He knew it was unreasonable, this guilt he felt, but it was there none the less. He had gone over the gala so many times in his mind, looking for things he should have noticed, things that might have alerted him to the fact that a kidnapping was about to occur.

"Hestia..." he said hesitantly. "You don't think they know about me being in the Order, do you?" It was a delicate subject, because he knew she didn't want him there, but he had to know if his induction into the order might have had anything to do with this.

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[info]eagleofdelphi
2008-05-02 01:31 am UTC (link)
Hestia blinked at him a moment, surprised. "Of course you're going to be involved," she said and then sighed. She knew her reaction to him joining the Order had been unreasonably extreme and so it stood to reason she might feel the same about him involving himself in this, but she didn't see it that way. This was for Hannah directly and she could never keep him from that.

But his next question, the one she couldn't answer, hurt more to hear because she couldn't reassure him. For all she knew, they knew every member of the Order, including him. She moved closer, resting her hand on the back of his neck, the faintest sisterly or motherly gesture of comfort.

"Listen to me. Whether they know or not, this isn't about that. This is about Dominic, about me, but this isn't about you."

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[info]lost_ernie
2008-05-02 01:40 am UTC (link)
Ernie took comfort from the touch to his neck, but he didn't allow himself to change topics to something less worrisome. This could very well be about him, for all that he knew. It could be about all of them or a direct punishment for him choosing to join the Order too. Or it could be about Dominic's birthday or Hestia's escape, it could have been idle bordom on Lestranges's part, or something else entirely, there was just no way to know for certain.

"I'm sorry." He said quietly. "If you're wrong and I'm in any way responsible for her being taken, I'm sorry." He didn't say that he would resign, he didn't think that would help matters, but if his decision to join to begin with was responsible for her being taken, then he really was sorry for his decision.

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[info]eagleofdelphi
2008-05-02 02:17 am UTC (link)
This was making it really, really hard for Hestia to hold it together, listening to Ernie apologize for things that weren't even his fault, even if the Lestranges knew he was in the Order. They didn't even need to know it, they would have been reasonable to assume it given Ernie's choice of associations.

Leaning forward, she hugged him hard. "Kid, you're killing me here," she whispered. There wasn't a way to make this better for him, except getting Hannah back, and that they couldn't do right this second, no matter how badly they all wanted it.

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[info]lost_ernie
2008-05-02 02:32 am UTC (link)
The apology had been said, the plans that could be made were made, and now there was nothing more to say. Ernie just held tightly to her. She was like an anchor in all of this, the woman he thought to be so indestructible despite all of the times it had been proven otherwise. She cared for Hannah just as much as he did, and he wasn't alone in this.

"When Hannah's back, she's never going to get to leave the house again, just so we're clear." He said, hoping that it would sound humorous but instead it sounded far too earnest and heartfelt to be a joke.

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[info]eagleofdelphi
2008-05-02 02:46 am UTC (link)
Nodding fiercely, Hestia hugged him even harder. "You got it. The minute she steps foot inside the house again, we'll lock the place up from everyone."

It was a slightly ridiculous plan, and wouldn't likely be what they did do, but when Hannah returned, because it was when, not if, there would be some pretty big changes. They might not be changes that everyone would have made themselves, but she knew no matter what it involved, they would all gladly do it to keep Hannah safe, them all safe, from that point on.

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