Suffering Part 6: No Longer

Chapter 50

The moment Severus and Lucius apparate back to the house, something feels off. There's an unsettling stillness in the air, a silence that raises the hair on the back of their necks. Lucius is the first to speak, his voice sharp and tense.

"She's not here."

Severus's eyes narrow, his entire body going rigid as his gaze sweeps the room, his mind already racing through possibilities. "What do you mean, she's not here?" His voice is clipped, already laced with a sense of rising panic.

Lucius moves quickly, scanning the room, looking for any sign of you. But it's empty. Too quiet. Too still. "She's gone, Severus," he says, his tone now more urgent, as if the words themselves are a threat. "She's not here."

Severus pulls out his spellphone, his fingers moving rapidly over the screen as he checks the tracker. The blood drains from his face as the reality hits him like a freight train.

"The tracker's off." His voice is low, almost disbelieving, but there's an edge of pure panic that Lucius has never heard before. "She's gone."

Lucius's eyes widen, and he takes a step toward Severus, his hand already reaching for his wand. "That bastard Evan," he growls, his jaw clenching. "He's behind this. He had her when we left."

Severus's hands are shaking as he tries to think, tries to control the rising fear that's clawing at his chest. "He turned it off," Severus says, his voice now laced with fury. "He knew we'd come looking. He planned this."

"How could he—" Lucius begins, but Severus cuts him off, his voice cold and angry.

"He knows everything," Severus snaps, turning to Lucius with dark, murderous eyes. "He had her spellphone. He's been watching her. Waiting."

Lucius's heart is pounding now, the realization hitting him just as hard. "We need to find her. Now."

Severus storms toward the fireplace, his hands shaking with barely contained rage as he grabs a handful of Floo powder. "We'll tear that place apart," he snarls, his eyes blazing. "I'll kill him."

Lucius places a steadying hand on Severus's shoulder, though his own nerves are shot. "We need to be smart about this. If he's taken her somewhere, we can't rush in blind."

Severus's jaw tightens, his chest heaving as he struggles to rein in his emotions. "I swear to you, Lucius, if he's touched her..."

"He won't get the chance," Lucius interrupts, his voice cold and determined. "We'll find her, and when we do, he'll wish he never laid eyes on her."

But even as they prepare to leave, the growing fear in both of them is impossible to ignore. You're not just missing—you're in danger, and they have no idea where to start.

Severus and Lucius exchange a glance, their mutual fear unspoken but palpable. They will find you, no matter what it takes, and when they do, Evan will pay.

Severus wastes no time as his spellphone shakes in his hand. His fingers fly over the screen, dialing Pansy Parkinson. His voice is tight, barely controlled, when she picks up.

"Pansy. It's Severus," he begins, his tone clipped and cold with urgency. "She's gone. Evan, the man from the club —he took her."

There's a beat of silence on the other end before Pansy's voice cuts through, firm and professional. "I'll be right there."

The silence in the house feels suffocating as they wait, the clock ticking far too slowly. Severus's mind races, every horrible possibility flashing in front of his eyes. Lucius paces, his jaw clenched so tightly that his temples throb, his eyes flicking back to the door every few seconds, as if expecting Pansy to materialize out of thin air.