2. Found

Found

The next day I woke up on the coach, I put the letters on the coffee table and sat up straight. I sighed, let the dogs out, went to clean myself up, made a cup of coffee, let the dogs back in and sat in the coach again. Wrapping Draco’s cloak around me again. “you know, I keep telling you I miss you. I’m almost scared you’ll get tired of me.” I drank me cup of coffee and just when I finished it, someone knocked on the door. I startled and the three dogs flew to the door, barking. I sighed and stood up, leaving Draco’s cloak in the coach. “sit” I said calmly and the three dog sat down and shut up, looking at the door. I opened it and almost immediately closed it again, only I was a little to shocked to indeed do so. And Dumbledore didn’t gave me the time, he knew I’d close the door so he just stepped through the door and walked in the house. I closed the door and looked at him. “do you happen to have a cup of tea for an old man?” I swallowed and nodded. I turned to the kitchen and made tea. Meanwhile Dumbledore looked at the house. “You have a lovely home.” He said when I gave him a cup of tea and gestured him to sit down at the table. “What are you doing here?”
“come come now. The past three years I’ve been looking for you, you can’t expect me to just go with it that I found you.”
“why would you be looking for me?”
“because there are still people caring for you. And because you’re a girl with a lot of opportunities, wasting them away…”
“I see you kept our letters?”
I nodded. “I only read them two years ago.”
“only two?”
“they were sent three years ago.”
“doesn’t make it less needed to answer them”
“..” I looked at him hurt and shocked. “the entire wizarding world went crazy after you vanished. The papers were full of it. Famous Hogwarts Quidditch captain mysteriously disappears. Girl, collaborating to the doom of youknowwho vanished. Joan Dhanes is gone, without leaving a clue.” I startled. It ad been a long time since I heard my name out load. Dumbledore realised and sipped his tea, letting me process. “how did you find me?”
“ah!” he said. “that’s a great story! Because when I started looking for you I didn’t have the slightest clue where to look! And when I finally found a place it appeared you hadn’t been there in a year! But from then on I go on track, realising soon that I was quickly falling behind on you, the last house I found hadn’t been visited by you for almost two years.” I nodded. “that’s how long I’m here.”
“yes” he said and now I only was guided here, because I heard a rumour of a dog whisperer that lived here, I’d always acted on clues like that. So now I did to and a friendly young man in the village told me about how the village was impressed by this dog whisperer. And how you lived alone with your dog. But the muggle also dropped there was something strange about her. It’s as if she talks to these dogs and some guy, I think something bad happened to her, he said, pitty cause she seemed real nice. As soon as he could tell me one of your dogs was a swiss sheperd by the name Mayjin, I knew I was right. So followed the road he’d explained me, but when I got here yesterday I saw and heard you and Mayjin…I realise it’s a hard day.” I didn’t answer. And stared at the table after a while I noticed him looking at the coach, where Draco’s cloak and letter laid.
“Would you mind if Snape brought you a visit, Joan? When I told him I might have found you he was …”
“I even mind you paying a visit, but I don’t suppose you care.”
“Joan we..”
“sure he can come, next week, only him.” I said and then stood up. “Joan..” I walked to the door and opened it. Dumbledore doubted but then nodded and went through the door. “bye”
I closed the door. And thought fast, at least I wanted to, but I wasn’t sure what to think. I wasn’t away from the door yet if it got knocked on again. I opened the door and once again was shocked by surprise. “I know, he told me, but please, Joan” I sighed and stepped aside so Severus Snape could enter the room. He looked at me as I was a precious object he had found again. He seemed so happy and in a way it was nice seeing him, but just like the letters were two years ago, seeing him was to much of a confrontation for me. “please leave” I said he looked surprised and hurt. “please” I repeated and he came back to the door. “joan?”
“please” I said once again and three dogs softly growling mad him step out the door, flabbergasted.
“I can’t do it, Draco, I can’t do it.” I said out load. And I grabbed Mayjins fur for comfort. The next day I saw Dumbledore and Snape on a bench a few hundred meters before the house. I constantly asked Draco what to do, holding on to his cloak and letter even more then before. About a week later I decided they would go away and would let me walk away either. “go” I said to Mayjin and I watched him running towards the bench out of the window, for a split second they seemed to think I wanted to chase them off. But then the dog sat down and barked, walked back en turned around, slowly swinging his tail he barked again. And Severus was the one to realise what he wanted, “let’s go.” He said and they followed the dog inside, where I had put three cups of tea on the table. They came in and sat down at the table. “thank you” I nodded.
“can we now talk?” I nodded once more and Severus actually really smiled.
“people will be so excited that we found you!” I looked up: “I mean they realise the loss you suffer, but they suffer a similar loss of you now.”Dumbledore continued.
“how are they?” I asked almost against my will.
“rather fine, they’ve picked up a life…but it didn’t come easy. The twins closed their shop and travelled the world for about a year, asking for you everywhere. Lee got into a depression saying you were mad at him. Harry felt guilty he always said. Ginny and Ron never talked about it. Your dad and Hermione talked about it al the time, Ned put a team together and searched every corner of England. And we, well we have been looking for you those three years. The twins after a year gave up, she’s gone they murmured as they got into the burrow a year later..We lost her. George re-opened the shop and Fred joined him, they’re still not the funny guys they used to be. Ned’s enthusiasm doesn’t match wit a six year old anymore. And whenever everyone is in the burrow they all wonder what the hell happened to you.”
“That isn’t all” Snape took over. “Every year on the 4th of August they broadcast on the radio as a celebration of Voldemorts defeat and you are thanked by the minister, saying you had shown more courage and sacrifice then anyone can imagine. Then later on November the fifth they announce briefly that you are still missing, they will this year to, saying you’re gone for three years now, disappeared of this world. Some claim you went after him and burnt your body, but we knew better..and look, we found you.”
“nobody has to know already” I stated. And both men nodded understanding.
“You will get them out of their misery once?” I just nodded “once” I replied.
“I see you aren’t entirely lonely” Dumbledore said after a while of silence, nodding to the dogs. “I am not at all” I replied. “he’s here too” Both men now raised their eyebrows.
“who?” I looked at Snape, looking deep into his eyes that were appalled, once more because the lack of will to live in it. “he” I replied simply “Draco”
“W..What do you mean?”
“you think I’ve gone crazy right? I’m not. I’ve been talking to him everyday nearly three years and I know he listens!” Dumbledore nodded, “ok”
I felt getting angry, but didn’t feel like yelling or whatever so I left it alone. “We shall go now, Joan, we won’t tell anyone yet.” I let them outside the door and slide down the door to the floor and cried. “What now Draco, what now? They’re going to pull me away from here, aren’t they?” I sighed and stood up, cleaned the cups of tea and walked round the lake with the dogs and Draco’s cloak around me.