Chapter 27 Kidnapping

Early the next morning, Severus left Badminton Estate ahead of schedule.

Harry stayed behind, as this trip might be dangerous and it was not appropriate to take him along.

Upon arriving at Slughorn's old house, Severus could clearly sense that, after just one day, the fat walrus had grown far more tense and haggard than before.

The moment Slughorn saw Severus, he couldn't help but speak first.

"I've received some news. The Aurors from the Ministry have tracked down the potion merchants I frequently collaborate with. They're about to..."

"I doubt they'll make it in time to find you." Severus patted Slughorn on the shoulder and interrupted him, "The culprit has been identified… it's Eldred Worple and his vampire companion, the ones who attended the party for the first time that night!"

Slughorn stared at Severus in shock.

"Them? Are you certain? That vampire seemed utterly timid, and Eldred Worple was my former student, a man obsessed with making a fortune by writing books! He came to me seeking publicity for his new book!"

"And besides, why would they harm a Muggle? What grudge could they possibly have against her?"

"It's almost certainly them. I found a clove of garlic in the victim's bedroom, and only vampires would hate this kind of thing."

Severus locked eyes with Slughorn.

"Give me their address. I'll pay them a visit. Whether they're truly suspects or not, as long as I find them, the truth will come out."

Without hesitation, Slughorn pulled out a piece of parchment and scribbled down an address.

"Worple wants to write a book about vampires, called [Blood Brothers: My Life Amongst the Vampires]. For the past year, he and his vampire friend have been living here!"

Severus glanced at the address on the parchment, located in a forest near the outskirts of London. Without delay, he Apparated back to London and headed straight for the castle in the woods.

However, the trip turned out to be a dead end.

"You're looking for Eldred Worple and Sanguini?" A goblin who also lived in the castle looked at Severus suspiciously, "I'd like to find them too! Those two idiots haven't been back for over half a month!"

Severus frowned.

As Voldemort's former right-hand man and now Dumbledore's top enforcer, he held mastery in many fields.

In addition to his most famous expertise in Potions and Dark Arts, he is also a true master in Occlumency and Legilimency.

He could tell with certainty that the goblin wasn't lying. The two really hadn't returned in a long time, and their current whereabouts were unknown.

Severus didn't press the goblin further and left the dense forest.

'The most troublesome scenario now was that Eldred Worple and Sanguini had fled… possibly even left Britain entirely.'

'But if they were going to run after committing such an act, why would they bother drugging a disabled Muggle girl in the first place?'

'That Draught of Living Death wasn't even a lethal potion. If they'd wanted to kill, a vampire and a wizard had plenty of other methods at their disposal.'

'What exactly do they want to do?'

Just as Severus pondered this and prepared to return to the estate, an owl suddenly swooped down toward him. As it passed overhead, it dropped a piece of parchment before swiftly flying away without a second glance, its wings spread in a gliding escape.

Severus raised an eyebrow at the owl's almost panicked retreat, then bent down to pick up the parchment.

After unfolding the parchment, he read the contents, and at the same time, a familiar scrap of fabric fell out.

The moment he saw that scrap, his gaze froze.

Even Ghost Snape held his breath at this moment!

…

"Come with us, Dudley! I guarantee you've never seen our secret base before!"

In the feed warehouse adjacent to the Badminton Manor's stables, Septimus and his friends led Harry deeper inside.

The workers seemed to have the day off, as they hadn't run into many people along the way.

"The adults never find this place. They've never discovered what we've hidden here."

Septimus declared proudly before pushing open the wooden door to the innermost room of the warehouse.

Inside was a room lined with plush wool carpets, warm-colored wallpaper, and illuminated by a crystal chandelier. There were two game consoles, two televisions, and a foosball table in the room!

The game consoles and TV were far superior to the ones Petunia and Vernon Dursley had bought for Dudley. Harry stared in awe at the expensive electronics, experiencing for the first time the stark disparity between worlds.

"How did you guys manage to get all this in here?"

"We pooled our pocket money and asked the driver, John, to buy them for us!" Septimus boasted, "We threatened him not to tell any of the adults, or else we'd get my dad to fire him!"

But Harry felt that this was definitely not a secret base. There was no way the driver John wouldn't have told Mr. Somerset, and it was just that the adults had simply chosen not to expose the children's little secret.

But none of this mattered to Harry's current happiness.

At the Dursley's house, he had only ever been allowed to watch Dudley play, as Petunia and Vernon would never let him touch those things.

Now, thanks to his friendship with Septimus, he finally had the chance to experience them for himself.

He and the other boys played wildly for over an hour, so engrossed that he didn't even want to take a bathroom break.

Finally, when Harry could no longer hold it in, he reluctantly handed his controller to one of the others and hurried outside the feed warehouse to relieve himself.

When he had completely relieved himself, pulled up his pants, and was about to go back-

Two figures, one tall and one short, suddenly loomed over him.

Harry's eyes turned wary.

He recognized the taller one immediately, as he had an unnaturally pale complexion, handsome yet carrying a timid demeanor.

After being picked up from the Dursley's house by Severus the day before yesterday, he had seen this young man twice, once in the Leaky Cauldron and again in Diagon Alley!

There was also the short and fat wizard standing next to him, whom he had also met in Diagon Alley!

"Who are you?"

Harry instinctively stepped back and asked nervously.

"We won't hurt you, boy. Just… just be good, be good." The short wizard stammered nervously, then pulled out a length of rope from behind his back.

Seeing that things were not going well, Harry turned around and tried to run away, shouting at the same time.

"Help! Help!!"

But before he could even finish the cry, a spell rang out behind him.

"Incarcerous!"

"Locomotor Mortis!"

A streak of red light struck Harry first, and his legs snapped together as if glued. Then, the rope flew toward him, twisting around his body like a serpent, binding him tightly!

The short wizard and the pale young man were, of course, none other than Eldred Worple and the vampire Sanguini, the very pair Severus had failed to track down.

Worple lowered his wand and continued wrapping the pre-prepared rope around Harry, ensuring he couldn't escape once the magical bindings wore off.

Harry was desperate at this point. He knew that no matter how much he shouted, it was useless.

This feed warehouse is so huge that no sound can be heard outside, and Septimus and the others were too absorbed in their game to notice anything. Let alone him shouting for help, they might not even notice if there was thunder in the sky!

"You're tying him too tight! He can't breathe!"

Harry, whose face had turned red, was grateful for the sound, because he was indeed about to be suffocated by the rope.

Hearing Sanguini's warning, Worple quickly loosened the bindings slightly.

"How do we get back? Apparition?" Sanguini asked nervously.

"He's too young. It's easy to get into trouble if we take him with us. Let's take the motorcycle! Didn't you say there's one parked nearby? It belongs to old Somerset!"

"B-but we d-don't have the key!"

"We're not holding troll clubs, we have wands!"

Worple snapped at him, then tugged the ropes that bound Harry.

"Walk with us, boy. We won't hurt you… We won't hurt anyone! As long as you behave!"

"Don't be so rough with him… he's j-just a child." Sanguini pleaded.

Harry panted rapidly, forcing himself to stay calm. It was clear that these two had been watching him. This was a planned kidnapping!

'But why did they want to take me?'

'Are they that Dark Lord's men?'

'My parents' enemy?'

'But how did they know I am Harry Potter?'

Worple and Sanguini quickly led Harry to an old motorcycle stored in the warehouse.

"Are you sure you can drive this thing?" Worple asked skeptically.

Sanguini gulped, then nodded.

"She... she t-taught me..."

They pushed the motorcycle out. Sanguini pressed the clutch and twisted the throttle while Worple, following his instructions, cast an Unlocking Charm on the ignition.

The engine roared to life, and the two exchanged relieved smiles.

Worple climbed onto the back, wedging the bound Harry between them. Then, with a cloud of dust, the kidnappers and their hostage sped out of the stables!

A full hour passed before Septimus and the others realized Harry still hadn't returned.

However, by the time they went looking, he was already gone.

…

Harry had no idea how long the motorcycle ride lasted.

Wedged between Worple's large belly and Sanguini's bony back, he felt like he was being squeezed to the point of suffocation.

Finally, just before he passed out completely, the bike came to a stop.

Sanguini carefully lifted Harry off the motorcycle, his expression full of guilt.

Beside them stood a dilapidated cabin in the woods, and there were no other buildings around, let alone people.

"Quick! We need to send a letter to Snape immediately. We have to let him know we have the boy!"

Harry, who had been dazed and disoriented, suddenly became clear-headed after hearing what Worple said.

His eyes widened as he stared at Sanguini.

"You're using me to threaten my teacher?!"

"N-no, not a threat! It's a p-plea for help!" Sanguini stammered, wringing his hands anxiously.

"Is kidnapping someone how you ask for help?" Harry shouted angrily.

"There's nothing we can do, kid! The Ministry of Magic must not know about this. If they find us..."

"Enough talking! Get him inside!"

Worple urged.

Sanguini reluctantly pulled Harry into the cabin.

The interior was a mess, cluttered with what looked like a mix of broken and usable objects.

There was an owl perched on the windowsill, preening its feathers with its sharp beak.

"He's Severus Snape... You must have heard of this name, Eldred. He used to work for the D-Dark, that man..."

Sanguini was extremely nervous as he paced back and forth restlessly.

"But this is our only option!" Worple snapped at him, "We can only use this child to force him to help us!"

"What if he doesn't care about this boy at all? He's ruthless! Heartless!" Sanguini collapsed onto a creaky stool, tugging at his own hair in distress.

"Then we rot in Azkaban! And you'll never see her again!"

Harry stayed silent, his eyes darting between them. By now, he had pieced together who these two were… but he wisely kept his mouth shut.

Soon Worple finished writing the letter, and then he tore off a corner of Harry's robes, tying it to the parchment.

"He'll kill Eerie! The moment he sees this letter, he'll kill her!"

Sanguini watched as the owl took flight, tears streaming down his face.

"No, he won't! Eerie's clever… she knows how to protect herself!" Worple insisted… though whether he truly believed that or was just lying to himself was unclear.

The cabin fell into silence.

Sanguini stared blankly out the window, while Worple busied himself rearranging the already chaotic clutter. But why did he need to clean up the mess? He was just trying to find something to do for himself.

After a long while, Sanguini wiped his tears. He had been the most fearful at first, but now that the letter was sent, he seemed oddly calm.

"Your name is Dudley Dursley, isn't it?" He looked at Harry, rummaging through Worple's trunk, "Want some candy?"

Harry shook his head so hard it was like a baby's rattle.

"I'm sorry… so sorry you got dragged into this. But I swear… no matter what happens, we won't hurt you."

Sanguini unwrapped a lollipop for himself and said dejectedly.

Harry looked at the young vampire, hesitated for a long time, and finally couldn't help but ask.

"Wh-why did you hurt Miss Patty?"

When he heard the name Patty, Sanguini's tears started flowing again.

He buried his face in his hands, his body trembling, and he looked like he was crying.

Harry was taken aback and stammered an apology, "S-sorry! I didn't mean…"

Sanguini shook his head and spoke in a crying voice, "I never thought of hurting her… never!"