See You Again

-𝕃𝕀𝕍-

'Code emerald?' asked an anxious Barty, though his question remained unanswered. They watched anxiously as she sent off a Patronus before kneeling down and untying a blue ribbon from her ankle. 'What's that?' asked Severus, eyeing the ribbon curiously as the group all subtly pulled out their wands. She quickly stood up, 'Illegal portkey, I created it when I decided to stay. Grab on!' They all hesitated for a second before doing as she asked, she smiled at them, spoke the password and they all felt the unpleasant feeling of a hook tugging on their navel. With a loud thumping noise the group landed in a vaguely familiar room. 'Hang on a second...' mumbled Remus as he looked around at the room they landed in, 'Isn't this the hideout room that the Longbottom boy created... in the room of requirement?' 'Looks like it,' mumbled Regulus as he got to his feet. James however, wasn't listening to them as he looked from person to person, feeling a rising panic grow within him, 'W-where's Ara? Guys, where's Adhara!?'

Everyone rushed to their feet as they started looking around them. 'Sh-she's not here! She's not here!' panicked James. 'The door!' pointed Barty the second he spotted it. The group all rushed towards it, only to collide into it as it refused to open. 'OPEN!' shouted James as he pulled on the handle repeatedly. 'Stand back!' yelled Sirius, and at once everyone moved out of his way. He pointed his wand at the door and bellowed out 'Bombarda!' The spell shot out of his wand and exploded upon making impact with the door, however the door remained intact and locked. 'The elf! Mimzy!' called out Regulus. And with a little pop the normally happy but now sullen looking elf popped back in, 'Yes Misters Black, what can Mimzy do's for you?' 'Take us to Ara!' James cut in immediately. 'Sorry Misters Potter, Mimzy cannot.' the elf replied sadly. Sirius and Remus had to reluctantly hold James back, Regulus stepped in front blocking him from the elf with an apologetic expression. 'Why not?' asked Regulus. 'Mimzy has orders from her mistress! Mimzy cannot!' squeaked the elf. 'Mistress? Aren't you a Hogwarts elf?' 'Mimzy was... now Mimzy isn't!' 'But - Never mind, then bring Ara to us!' he asked, more or less pleading. Once again the elf shook her head, 'Mimzy cannot!'

'What can you bloody do!?' asked a frustrated Lucius. Mimzy grabbed her long floppy ears and slightly twisted as she pondered over some things, 'Mimzy can only obey code emerald until spoken otherwise from mistress Ara! Mimzy is sorry.' 'What is Code emerald?' asked Barty, repeating his earlier question, just as panicked. 'Mimzy cann-' 'Cannot say!' chorused the group frustrated, as they cut her off and finished her sentence for her. Mimzy suddenly looked up at them, hopeful, 'Mimzy will be back!' she piped before popping out of the room. The group let out a frustrated sigh, Severus eyed the portrait above the fireplace. 'Wasn't there a passage behind that portrait in her memories?' he questioned. Once again everyone rushed to the other side of the room, James grabbed the frame and tugged. But all that was there was nothing but the wall, no secret passage and no way to get to Ara. James let out a groaning yell of frustration as he slid down the wall in despair, everyone else soon followed suit. They didn't know how long they were in the room, they were too busy panicking and racing through all the terrible scenarios in their minds. Suddenly the locked door clicked and slowly swung open as none other than Mimzy and Orion stood at the entrance.

Orion scanned the group, feeling an immediate sense of relief seeing his sons uninjured but quickly tensed as he noticed someone was missing. 'Where's Ara?' he asked, their faces saying it all. She must have stayed behind, why? Why couldn't she ever think of herself!? He quickly turned to the elf, 'Take me to Ara!' 'Mimzy cannot!' Orion faltered in his stance as he quickly looked to the elf shocked, 'B-beg your pardon!? What do you mean you cannot!? I said take me to Ara and you will do as I say!' The elf looked back up at him sadly and then popped away, leaving behind a flabbergasted Orion. 'What the bloody hell?' he whispered, baffled, to himself. Clearing his throat, he had no choice, he'd just have to use the demented elf he unfortunately still owned, 'Kreacher!' They waited for the little pop, but it never came. 'Dad? What's... happening?' questioned a nervous Regulus. Dammit! He forgot! 'Hogwarts is sealed right now... only the Hogwarts elves can pop in and out!' Sirius furrowed his brow, 'But Mimzy said she isn't a Hogwarts elf anymore.... How can she still do it?' That he didn't know, but he had a feeling it was because of Ara.

'Do you know what Code emerald is?' questioned James. Orion looked at him curiously, 'No. I do not, why?' They then explained to him everything that happened from the portkey to the moment he arrived and opened the door with Mimzy. 'Mimzy!' Orion suddenly called out and the elf returned. 'These wards... sealing Hogwarts... this is Ara's doing, is it not?' Mimzy tilted her head side to side thinking if she could answer or not before hesitantly nodding, 'It is...' Which means they're impenetrable! He may not have known Ara long... but he was no fool, she was clearly stronger than Dumbledore and this Tom Riddle. She just didn't know it or is refusing to admit it. His pondering came to a sudden halt as the elf suddenly squeaked, 'It's time!' Mimzy promptly grabbed onto Orion and they both vanished from the spot, leaving behind the panicked and anxious group of boys. 'Time for what!?' yelled out Sirius. Though no one responded as they were just as bewildered as he was. 'Come on!' Barty suddenly said as he took off in a run, the group promptly followed after him. 'Barty! Where are you going!?' yelled out an out of breath Regulus. 'Hogwarts is sealed, Hogsmeade is too far to see from the gates! The Astronomy tower has telescopes that might work!!' he yelled back.

'Well? What do you see?' questioned Remus, 'I just see some buildings ripped apart... and a few Aurors. I can't see Ara!' answered an anxious James. 'Ripped apart?' questioned Lucius. James hummed in response before dropping the telescope into Sirius's hand, frustrated. 'If the Aurors are there maybe... Ara's back here now.' Regulus mumbled in thought. Sirius lowered the telescope's sight to the gates of Hogwarts, all he could see was a large crowd of people. Searching thoroughly for any sign of Ara until the gate opened revealing Dumbledore and some Aurors along with his father. 'Dad's back!' Once again the group set off in a run, this time heading straight for Orion. The boys came to a sudden halt as they saw a furious crowd of parents making their way to Dumbledore, 'We'll question our dad, you guys go to your parents and find out what you can!' Sirius answered before grabbing Regulus's arm, quickly maneuvering through the crowd to get to Orion. Though when they got to their father, they saw that he had bloodshot eyes as if he had been crying. 'W-what happened?' panicked Sirius, fearing the worst. Orion hesitated a moment before clasping his hands on their shoulders and moving them away from the crowd. 'Sh-she left,' he whispered out. The boys looked back at him in disbelief, 'N-no... she- she couldn't have... left. She promised not to -' Sirius began, Orion quickly cut in, 'She said that she couldn't keep it this time, that it was time for it to end.'

His boys looked back at him, eyes pooled with tears and a mixture of fear, anger and worry written on their faces. 'B-but we haven't found a-a way to save her yet!' Regulus stuttered out. 'Save her?' a voice spoke from behind them. Sirius and Regulus turned around to face none other than James, 'What do you mean save her?' he asked, tears falling down his face. 'Shit...' whispered out Sirius, with a pained expression. James looked from Sirius to Regulus for answers before looking at Orion. Orion let out a small sigh, 'Follow me.' he said swiftly as he took off in a brisk walk towards the Black Lake for some privacy. The boys who were joined by the rest of their odd group followed along and Orion told them all about Ara leaving and James the truth of Ara's return coming with a price. Naturally, James did not take either news well... good thing he foresaw the outburst the boy would have and put up some precaution spells. 'So what do we do!?' James panicked, 'H-how do I-!' 'Nothing.' Orion stated clearly, everyone looked back at him angry and in disbelief. Orion rolled his eyes as he clarified, 'I mean you will do nothing. You boys are gonna stay here like she wanted.' 'But -' Orion cut off Sirius with a raised hand, 'I need to leave as soon as I return home tonight, I believe I've found a possible location of a Necromancer, then I will be meeting up with Abraxas tomorrow morning... we will scour through the book, hopefully with the Necromancer and possibly be able to find something.'

They must! He thought to himself desperately. 'A-and the Horcruxes?' questioned Regulus. 'Abraxas has the diary currently. The cup on the other hand, I do not know. I had all the Black family members' vaults checked thoroughly, several times... the cup wasn't there.' Orion tried not to let his frustration show, 'Since I prevented Bellatrix from actively being marked... I believe the cup was given to someone else. Which means, we have time, as Ara also isn't aware of where the cup is.' He wasn't completely sure whether she was aware or not but it was the only hope they had, he wasn't gonna take that away. He sent the boys off and had a few words with some of the other parents before promptly returning home. It was however, as he was packing a small bag of clothes that he noticed an emerald green envelope on his pillow.

The boys slowly made their way back to their dorm, reluctantly and silently, full of battling emotions. It wasn't until a few minutes of silence while sitting on their beds in deep thought, that they noticed they had an emerald green envelope resting on their pillows. James slowly and gently picked it up. Sniffling as he read his name that was written in the beautiful handwriting he recognized as Ara's and hesitantly opened it, pulling out a letter.