Thanks again for the lovely posts everyone, and Happy Thanksgiving to those of you who celebrate it

Luckily for me the spell had missed my face by about three inches, but unluckily for us it had shattered part of the ledge we had been hiding behind. The noise caught Yaxley and my mother's attention, and before I knew it they were peering out over the ledge at us.

"Well, well, if it isn't..." Yaxley started, but was cut off by a horribly aimed spell from a death eater hiding in the shrubs.

The spell hit Yaxley square in the face and with such force that Yaxley went sailing backwards, taking my mother along with him.

"We must be on our way!" said Dumbledore, taking hold of my arm and spinning on the spot.

Once we had landed I had my couple of minutes of coughing and choking for breath before Dumbledore helped me sit down on a little bench. Once I was back to my normal breathing and my face had returned to its usual color I turned to face Dumbledore more clearly.

"So much for going unseen," I said with a wry smile.

"Ah...yes...well I suppose we should have known that people would be hiding in the bushes, but at least none of them recognized who you were."

"How do you know that?" I asked. I had been so taken aback by the whole thing that I barely had the time to sort through my own thoughts let alone someone else's.

"Well I am not too sharp with Occulmency myself, plus I figured you would be more focused on trying to get in your mother and Yaxley's heads than anything else, so I had your back so to speak."

Dumbledore gave me a gentle smile and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Well, thank you Professor, but I'm not quite sure we really got anything useful."

"Ah...but we did. It is pretty apparent that your mother is under the influence of some kind of magic."

"That imperious curse?" I suggested.

"No, no. I don't think so. This looks stronger...no...I imagine it is Voldemort's work but as to what he is doing to her I cannot say."

I stared at Dumbledore, my body going numb at the thought that we might not be able to help her.

"So you think she's there against her will?" I asked.

Dumbledore was quiet, making sure to formulate his thoughts correctly before speaking.

"I think she originally went there on her own will, but I am not sure that she knew what exactly would happen to her once she did. Your mother is not a dumb woman, but I think she may have underestimated the situation going into it."

"I just don't understand!" I said, standing up in frustration. "How could she do this? How could she just leave me here without talking to the Order or acting like a sane person?!"

Dumbledore eyed me sympathetically. "It is strange to see just how far and reckless people are willing to act for the one's they love. You are her life Abby, and to save yours at the price of her own is something she is willing to pay."

"And what good to me is she if she's dead?" I asked.

Dumbledore eyed me, deciding that a response was not really necessary. I collapsed back on the bench and rested my head against the back. Dumbledore was sitting their quietly, watching something across the street when it finally occurred to me that I had no idea where we were.

"Where are we?" I asked, sitting up.

"We are across the street from my old home," he said with a little smile.

I looked around, amazed to see that we were in Godric's Hollow. "You lived in Godric's Hollow?" I asked, amazed.

"Yes, I did, after the incident with my father and those poor muggles."

I had heard about the story, so I decided it was best not to open old wounds. "It's a lovely house," I said with a little smile.

"Ah...it is. My mother was never much for doing yard work or house work for that matter, but it really didn't need it. It has a charm of its own in my opinion."

"I agree," I said, admiring the stone and the little brass fence in the front.

"We'll get this mess sorted out with your mother Abby," Dumbledore said, taking his eyes off of the house to look at me.

"I hope so..." I said, staring at the little walkway. "Do you think something has happened to my father?" I asked.

Dumbledore was silent, his gaze back on the house.

"I think you know the answer to that question Abby."

I closed my eyes and thought back to where we had just come from...the man in the bushes...the man was my father.