The Nuel Household

He nodded his head. "I have to see this."

"Okay then, let's go!"

He started to leave, jumping out the window fearlessly before apparating away

I sigh, "I don't know how to apparate!"

He returns and grabs her hand and THEN apparates.

xD

Samantha is sitting just outside her home, under a big willow tree.  It's been days, almost a week now, and Crest still hasn't returned.  Sam is incredibly anxious, almost hyperventilating every day.  Her eyes are red from crying, and heavy bags are under her eyes from the lack of sleep.  What if something happened to him?  What if he died?!!  Tears run down her face further as the thoughts repeat through her head, over and over again.

Heather had heard about Crest Strayer's disappearance and just knew that Samantha Nuel would be greatly affected by it.  Disguised as someone else, she approaches Sam. "Is there something the matter, Dear?"

Sam just looks up at the stranger, not suspecting Heather at all.  "I-it's nothing y-you need to worry a-about..."  Sam sobs.

After a lot of talking, Heather eventually takes Sam in her broken state to her asylum, with Sam not knowing.

Crest had been gone a long time. It was unlike him. H knew of his competence on the field and how Crest always avoided distractions. So wherever he was, he was in trouble somehow.

He had hoped that Sam would be able to provide him with a clue as to where he went, but as he arrived he found the place vacant, a ghost town.

Crest most assuredly wouldn't have taken Sam with him on such a dangerous assignment. That left only one conclusion, Heather.

H cursed himself for not planning for this, berating his lack of foresight, but he knew he needed to get Sam back. After all, her rescue could bare unexpected rewards, or at bare minimum get Crest to be receptive to his views.

Sally enters the house with Jack, tears flowing down her face.

Eugene was with them, deeply lamenting the cold decision to leave Topher there but they had little choice.

Sally lays Jack on the couch and writes a letter to Artisan, knowing that Artemis is still weakened.

Artisan,


Topher has been captured by the Death Eaters and is at Malfoy Manor.  We need your help.


- Sally Nuel.

A response came back a few minutes later.


Sally,
I'll get on it as soon as I can. Don't worry I'll take care of it!
Artisan

Sally sighs with relief, then sits down on the couch, "Where's Sarah's soul?"

"I have it here, and I'm confident to report I think we'll be able to get it back into her body..." He took the glowing sphere from his bag and handed it to her.

Sally takes it into her hands, caressing her little girls soul. "Oh, Sarah... My baby..."

"Jack, I'm sorry but i must ask the impossible of you..."

Jack twitches a bit, the spell gradually lifting, "What is it, Eugene?"

"I know you're tempted but do not slay Casimir... not until I can recreate what he's done!"

Jack sits up slowly after the spell lifts completely. "Fine... But I'll kill him the moment you know..."

"I expect nothing less... but then again.." He pauses to consider another possibility. "He is a rather knowledgeable specimen.. it would be a shame to waste such a wealth of knowledge..."

"What makes you think he'd talk?"

He started to grin, flexing his fingers in an excited giddy over the ideas, "Well even if he doesn't willingly, there are more than an few potions I can use to extract the information..."

"I could torture it out of him..." Jack grins.

"A bit cruder, but nonetheless as effective..." He looked upon the man he considered his true father and felt ever more confident in him now than ever.

"But the first thing is first, we must get Sarah's body back..."

"But how?" Jack looks at Sally, who I cradling Sarah's soul like a baby. Jack wraps his arms around her, wishing that all of this could be just a dream.