For His Protection

19. Missing In Action

Dumbledore received the owl that night and sent reply right away. He was due to return the following morning. Sirius or Severus neither one didn't sleep that night. They aimlessly roamed the castle, looking for clues to Serena's whereabouts, checking her quarters and any other place she might have gone. They left no stone unturned. They were determined to prove that she was innocent. Both were disheartened when they found nothing. That could only mean one thing. Morning came with a bitter pill to swallow. Severus had probably been right from the start.

Severus cringed. "I can't believe this. It really happened."

"No," Sirius said adamantly. "I refuse to believe this. Serena is not the monster you described. I know her."

"You knew her," Severus corrected him. They were sitting at the staff table in the Great Hall. Breakfast was spread out in front of them, yet neither of them ate. "Ten years passed and we have no idea what happened to her in that length of time."

He wasn't giving up that easily. "Maybe not, but I know the woman that has been here all year and she would never hurt you. No one is that good an actress." He pushed his plate away. "I can't even think about food right now."

"Me either," Severus stated. He too pushed his food away.

"Chins up, gentlemen!" a loud voice came from in front of them. Sirius and Severus both glanced up. Dumbledore stood in front of them with a smirk on his face. Their expressions, however, were gloom and doom. "Don't despair. It's not at all what you think."

Severus and Sirius looked at each other then back at Dumbledore. The old man's smirk morphed into a smile.

"If you're both finished with your breakfast, please come with me."

The two of them got up immediately and followed Albus out of the Great Hall. Not a word was spoken until they reached the fourth floor and stopped outside the doors of the hospital wing.

"What are we doing here?" Sirius asked, his forehead creased.

"Ah," Dumbledore said mysteriously, "we're here to see our young Mr. Potter."

Severus's eyes widened. Sirius's too. "Headmaster, what happened?"

The old man chuckled slightly. "Harry, Ron, and Hermione had quite an adventure last night." Sirius and Severus both started to talk at once, and Dumbledore held up his hand to silence them. "Harry's okay. They're all okay. Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley are resting in their dormitories." He pushed the double doors open.

Severus and Sirius rushed inside to find Harry unconscious in a nearby bed. Madam Pomfrey was bent over him, checking his pulse. Both their hearts dropped. Dumbledore walked calmly over to the bed.

"What happened?" Severus whispered.

Sirius shook his head. "Kid got past us. That's what happened." He looked to Dumbledore for confirmation. The smile on his lips gave it away.

"He's fine," Albus assured them. "He gave me quite a scare, but I've already talked to him. He stopped Quirrell from getting the stone for Voldemort."

Both men's eyes grew as round as saucers. Dumbledore continued. He told them of how he was bombarded by Hermione and Ron when he finally reached the school and that they'd told him Harry went after the Sorcerer's Stone. "When I found him, he was lying there in the chamber in front of the Mirror of Erised and I thought he was dead. Luckily, I was wrong. I carried him back here and let him rest a while before he woke up. Harry told me everything."

"What happened to the stone?" Severus asked.

There was a twinkle in Dumbledore's eye, along with a hint of sadness. "It was destroyed immediately. Voldemort won't be able to return without it. Not this time anyway."