Within five minutes of summoning him, Ron appeared at Harry and Ginny's side. Within ten minutes, the hospital was locked down and crawling with Aurors. Within fifteen minutes, Ron was reading several someones the riot act regarding security. Within thirty minutes, they'd found two staff that had been positively identified as the last to see Tim.

It appeared that once Tim had been pronounced stable by Ernie and Rhiannon, they had gone on to their next case, leaving the boy with the assistants. The assistants had gotten ready to move him down to his room; it was in the hallway that everyone had lost track of him. His paperwork was taken to the floor by one of the assistants and the other believed that the man who'd offered to take Tim was one of the staff assigned to patient transport. After some questioning, she admitted that he had assured her that she didn't need to accompany him, given that she must be very busy.

"So, did you look at his identification?" demanded Ron, sharply.

"No...I-I" the assistant was an apprentice healer, perhaps twenty years old. Usually, she was a pretty young woman, but now her her eyes were swollen with crying, "I just assumed...he was in a uniform...I just...he seemed to know what he was doing." she stopped and gave a little sob, mopping her streaming eyes, "He was wearing a nametag, but I-I didn't read the name."

Ordinarily, Harry might have told Ron to ease up on his hostile questioning. Now, he found himself just listening, intently.

They sat in Ernie's office, which he had turned over to the Aurors as soon as Ron had asked. Several other Auror's were rounding up witnesses and bringing them to be questioned.

"So, you hand an unconscious child over to someone unfamiliar to you? Without even looking at him properly? Is this what you normally do?" Ron went on.

"I-I...Well...Yes. I suppose I thought I'd seen him before...I can't spend all day checking the credentials of the transport staff." she said, suddenly indignant, through her tears, "What am I supposed to do, ask for everyone, down to thecleaning staff's identification?"

"Maybe, you're supposed to see that your patient actually gets to where he's supposed to go!" shouted Ernie at her, "Not hand him off, so you can take an early break!" Ernie had finished up with his next case, as soon as he was safely able and come out to join Ron in questioning the witnesses.

"I never did! Miriam..." the apprentice started.

"Was speaking to the Potters, as I'd told her to." Ernie said in a hard tone of voice, "Perhaps you need to decide whether you have the commitment to this profession that you need, Susan."

"Ernie." said Harry dully, "It's not her fault. I should have..."

Ron gave Harry a sharp look, "Don't be daft, you shouldn't have to supply security for your own sick child."

"Yes, but I knew..." Harry trailed off bleakly. He knew he shouldn't have left. They'd been bringing Tim back and forth from here for weeks. The man had every chance to plan. He could have snagged a uniform from the laundry. He could have read the child's chart, standing behind one of the assistants or apprentices. He could have walked about the place freely, carrying a mop. Harry knew better. He should have stood outside the door with his wand drawn. He should have...

"Stop, Harry. That won't help." Ron said, wearily, "Listen, I reckon you and Ginny should go home. We'll finish the investigation here and start the search. Hermione's over at the Muggle Liason Office, pulling every record of where Tim's ever been found with his mum and starting a search with the Muggle law enforcement. We've put it out that he's armed. They're to contact us if they're seen. You go on and I'll call you as soon as we hear..."

Harry started shaking his head, standing up, "No, Ron, I'll come with..."

Ron stood to, put a hand on Harry's shoulder, "No, mate." he said, firmly, catching Harry's eyes, "You need to stay with Ginny. She needs you. And so will the children, later."

Harry opened his mouth to object.

"Harry. I swear we'll call you, as soon as we catch the bastard." Ron said, never taking his eyes away from Harry's, "But you're no good in this state." he said honestly, "I wouldn't be either, if it were my kid."

Harry realized Ron was right. He had no business in this search. He'd only be a loose wand.

"When we find him, I'll call you. Right? I know you'll want to come get Tim yourself, but let us handle the wizard."

Harry closed his eyes, sat down with his face in his hands.

Ron dismissed the apprentice, telling her to give her information to the Auror outside, and make sure she was available for further questioning. Harry heard Ron mutter something to Ernie. Harry heard Ernie's footsteps leave the room and then the door shut.

"You tried your tracking spells?" asked Ron into the quiet room.

Harry nodded without lifting his head, "Yeah. I've got nothing."

"Shit. How do you suppose he cancelled them?"

Harry sat up, leaned against the wall, "The adoption's not final. Won't be, for months. His father's" Harry lingered bitterly over the word, "Magic is going to trump mine, isn't it?"

Ron let out a long sigh, "That's why the hospital wards didn't stop him leaving, then."

The door opened. Ginny came in. Her face was dry of tears and there were two angry spots of color on her cheeks.

"I slapped that stupid little cow." Ginny said flatly "She was out there whinging that you were nasty to her."

Ron reached out and hugged his sister.

She hugged him back briefly, before pushing him away, "I'm all right, Ron." she said, in an emotionless voice.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Ron said softly, "Listen, I want you two to head home. Hermione will meet you there."

Ginny glanced at Harry, who shrugged, took her hand.

"All right, then." Ginny said.

The three of them left the office together. The hospital's regular business had been suspended for the day. This was the first breach in hospital security they'd had in twenty years. Many of the staff were too young to really remember the War.

"I'm walking the Potters out to the apparition point." Ron told one of the Aurors who was guarding the now-repaired front door.

The man nodded, "We'll find your boy, Mr. Potter. Don't worry." he said to Harry.

Harry nodded, thinking distantly that the young man could do with some more training. One just didn't give guarantees like that to the victim's family.

Nothing felt very real to Harry; arriving home, walking through the door, explaining to the distraught house elf what had happened. He moved through a thick fog of shock. Automatically he walked up the stairs to the drawing room and sat down. Ginny followed him.

"What are we going to tell the children?" asked Ginny quietly.

"I-I don't know." admitted Harry, "I suppose we don't need to tell them anything for a bit. Lily's already headed to the Burrow for the night..."

"It'll be in the Prophet by tomorrow." said Ginny softly, "We can't let them find out that way."

Harry sighed, "All right, but, let's leave it until tonight...I can't...not right now."

The door opened and shut, "Harry? Ginny?" called Hermione from downstairs.

"Up here." called Ginny.

Hermione came into the room, breathing hard, from running up the stairs, "We've started looking ...The muggle police have put out a Child Alert. We've put it out that's its a custodial kidnapping."

Harry just nodded. Ginny and Hermione talked to each other, but Harry let his attention wander. He wanted something to do. He wanted to be out there looking for the boy, not trapped here. He started pacing again.

He kept coming back to the profound sense of betrayal the child would feel when he woke. Harry's stomach twisted into a hot knot of pain. He'd just sensed Tim starting to trust them, wholeheartedly and now...

A knock at the front door startled all of them. After a moment, Dudley came into the room, following Kreacher who was eyeing him suspiciously.

"Dudley?" said Harry blankly.

"I came as soon as I heard, Harry." Dudley said worriedly.

"How did you hear..?"

Hermione said, "I told you Harry, we've got the muggle police involved. Dudley is listed as Tim's case worker, so they'll call him if-when they find him."

Dudley pulled out his mobile, "It'll work here, will it?"

Hermione took it, tapped it with her wand, "Now it will, I've shielded it against magic. The charm won't last, but it'll keep it from blowing up today."

"Thank you."

Dudley nodded, sat himself down near Hermione, "The police have been told that it's a custodial kidnapping. Which it is I suppose, and that the father's off his nut. They won't approach him themselves, they're to wait for backup. But," Dudley looked uncomfortable, "How do we know they're still in the country? COuldn't he have just," Dudley snapped his fingers, "Disappeared himself and the boy?"

Hermione shook her head, "Apparition is only good for short distances. And there hasn't been any unregistered port key activity since the boy disappeared. We've looked. The only other way he could have taken the boy would be flight or floo. We're monitoring the Floo Network and Tim's in no condition to ride a broom or anything like that. OUr guess is that he's gone to ground, hoping he can slip out through muggle London.

Harry heard all this, through the thick fog of emotion surrounding him. He couldn't settle down. The three others carried on their conversation, but his pacing continued, until Ginny snapped, "Harry, for god's sake, stop."

"What else am I supposed to do?" he demanded, flaring up.

"Just-just stop. Please. For five minutes." Ginny sounded close to tears.

Harry expelled all the breath from his lungs as though he'd been punched in the stomach, "Ginny..." he sat down next to her. He went to put his arms around her, but she waved him off, her mouth twisted. Harry understood, if she let him hug her, she'd cry. If she cried, she might not stop. Instead he patted her hand and left it at that.

"Why do you suppose he wants Tim?" asked Ginny after taking a few deep breaths.

Dudley sighed, "If this were a normal custodial thing, I'd tell you it was because the father thinks the boy is his property. People like this are often very keen on their rights and privilidges but not so eager about their responsibilities. They don't see their families as people, but as so much chattel. I don't know if it works the same with wizards."

"It more or less does." sighed Hermione.

The afternoon wore away with no word. Ron popped in for a moment to tell them that there was nothing to tell, yet. Harry didn't have much to say and it felt surreal to have Dudley there, offering consolation. Dudley treaded very carefully, Harry noticed.

Harry tried to activate his tracking spells on Tim, several times, but no joy.

Sometime past dinner time, Kreacher came into the room, his eyes gleaming, "Master Harry?" he said in his bull-frog croak, "Little Master Tim has called for Kreacher."

Harry and Ginny both started to their feet, "Oh, clever boy!" exclaimed Ginny, "I didn't think he'd know to do that!"

"Shall Kreacher go fetch Little Master Tim?"

"No, Kreacher." replied Harry firmly, "It might be dangerous." At last, at last he had some way of finding his son. He raised his wand and summoned his invisibility cloak "You take me there and then you come back here and lead Ron and whatever others he got with them there." Harry summoned a Patronus, sending him out to find Ron and pass on the message.

"Harry. Be careful." Ginny wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him for luck, "Come home safe."

"I'll get him, Ginny." Harry assured her, "Kreacher, take me just outside of the place, I don't want to be dueling over Tim's head. And if something happens to me..." Harry hesitated over the stricken look in Dudley's face, but it didn't matter, "Stay with Tim, don't lose where he is, not matter where his father takes him." Harry had spent the day kicking himself that he'd not asked Kreacher to keep track of Tim like that before.

Harry pulled the invisibility cloak over himself, "All right Kreacher, let's go."