DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry potter

written for QLFC competition

Team: Portsmouth Plovers

Prompt: Fairytale dabbling; Hansel and Gretel

Position: Chaser 1

extra prompts used- God doesn't need to punish us Quote

Harry and Gemma huddled up together by a tree, cold, hungry, and angry. Their parents had let them into the woods and left them there, and neither knew their way home. Gemma's teeth chattered as she huddled closer to her brother.

"I-I know you s-said that you think it was because we ate all of the f-food, but do you think there could be a d-different reason?" Gemma chattered. Harry sighed; they had been over this a hundred times.

"No, Gemma, I don't know another reason as to why we would be left out here cold and alone," he said, pulling his little sister close. Gemma was twelve and Harry was fourteen, so he had always made sure he and Gemma had food (maybe a little too much food), clothes, and other necessities.

"Maybe God is punishing us for eating all of the food," Gemma said.

"God doesn't need to punish us, he grants us a long enough life to punish ourselves."

Gemma laid her head on her big brother's shoulder and sighed contently as sleep washed over her. Harry pulled her closer and let a single tear slip down his face, but he wiped it away hastily. He had to hold it together for her. They had been in the woods for three days. Their parents had left them for the second time, and now they couldn't find their way home. Harry wanted to start walking again when Gemma awoke, but he had promised her that they would rest.

Harry stared at the stars through the trees sleepily until his eyes drooped shut.

Gemma woke up early and watched the sun rise high into the sky before she turned and shook her brother.

"Harry! Harry! The sun has rose, we should go!"

Harry mumbled incoherently before rousing completely. He stifled a yawn. "Right, let's go, little one." Harry set off through the trees searching for a way home. They wandered for hours, and Gemma ended up on Harry's back because she had tired out again. Harry stared at the ground, panting, every step he took growing heavier and heavier.

"Big brother, look there!" Gemma's voice startled him as she pointed to a small house ahead of them.

"It looks like a house. Let's take a closer look," Harry said, walking closer, his earlier fatigue and hunger forgotten momentarily. Harry and Gemma both gasped as they took in sight of the house. It looked to be made of bread, cakes, and other sweets.

"Oh! What a good meal we have found!" Gemma said excitedly as she jumped from her brother's back. "Can I taste it?"

"You take the window and I will take the roof," Harry said. He broke a piece of the roof off in order to have a taste. "Mmm, how right you were Gemma! This is good!" The kids ate at the house for quite some time before they heard a whisper.

"Who is nibbling at my house?"

"Shh! Big brother, did you hear that?" Gemma asked, fear spreading through her.

"I did, what could it be?" Harry asked. Just then, the door to the tiny house creaked open and a frightening elderly woman appeared at the door.

"Oh, you poor children, who has left you out here? Come in, come in!" the elder woman spoke. Harry and Gemma shared a look before following the woman into her little house.

"Come, let's get you something to eat, and then you can sleep in a nice warm bed," the lady spoke as she ushered them to a table and set pancakes with fruit and warm milk in front of them.

The two children ate until they were happy and full. The woman then led them to a small room with two clean beds. Harry and Gemma settled in bed and fell asleep right then.

Once the children were asleep, the woman crept down to the basement she had made underground. She sat in a rocking chair and rocked slowly until morning.

In the morning, the woman dragged Harry from his warm bed outside to the stable behind the little cottage. She shut him in and locked him behind an oak door. He screamed and yelled, but it was no use. No one would hear him.

The witch made her way back into the house and woke Gemma, telling her to cook the best food for her brother. The old lady planned to fatten up the two children one by one and eat them. What she didn't know was that her son, Draco, was coming back soon. Oh, how he hated it when his mother ate children.

Harry sat in a corner of the stable, shivering at the cold. The door creaked open, and Harry flinched, thinking it was the witch. Who came in was someone he had never seen before, a boy. The boy looked his age, and seemed like he was well fed. He had white blond hair that shone against the afternoon light that was coming through the open door. What really caught Harry's eye was the tray of food the boy was carrying, making him subconsciously lick his lips.

"I was just speaking with your sister, Gemma, and I understand that your parents left you out in the woods. I know that this is not something that you want to hear, but I've seen this kind of thing before. The lady you are staying with is not as nice as she seems—"

"What are you talking about? She fed me and my sister and provided us with a place to sleep. Who are you anyway?" Harry interrupted.

"Yeah, she may have given you a bed and food, but she also threw you in here. And she plans to fatten you up and eat you," the boy said. Harry looked away, blushing in embarrassment.

"You never answered my question. Who are you?" Harry asked again.

"My name is Draco. That old lady in there is my mother, and I'm gonna save you," Draco said.

"And just how do you plan to that?"

"Simple. When she feeds you, don't eat all of it. She will check and see how fat you have gotten every night, so you should use something else to make her think you are not gaining any weight…" Draco stopped and looked around the stable. He spotted a bone and picked it up.

"You will use this; she has bad eyes so she won't notice. She will grow impatient and drag you out, probably to let you starve to death."

"Your plan is to let me starve to death?!" Harry asked.

"No, I will watch, and when she's ready to throw you out, I will tell her that I will do it, and then you guys can escape," Draco said. Harry sat there, thinking about what the boy just said.

"Okay." Harry nodded.

"Alright here, eat this." Draco pushed the tray over to him.

"All of it?"

"Yes, this time."

Two weeks passed, with Draco visiting Harry every night to give him an update. Harry made Draco promise he would make sure Gemma was being fed properly.

"We will escape tomorrow at dusk. Your food for tonight will come in an hour," Draco said to Harry that night when he was giving his update.

Harry nodded and said, "Thank you, Draco. I know it must be hard for you to—"

"No, trust me, she doesn't need to be eating children. It's not right. She needs to be stopped, so thank you."

"Uh, yeah." Harry blushed. These last few weeks. he and Draco had become friends. Draco was a nice person. Draco nodded and left again.

Gemma looked up, surprised, from the floor she sat on when she saw heard the witch enter the cottage. She had been out collecting berries.

"We will bake tonight for your poor brother," the witch said, seizing the girl's arm and dragging her into the small kitchen.

"I have already heated the oven and made the dough. Stick your head in there and see if it's hot enough."

Gemma was smart enough to know not to do that, so she said, "I can't fit in there; it isn't big enough."

"Don't be silly. I can fit in myself, see?" The woman crept into the oven and Gemma gave her a little shove. The woman screamed, and Gemma shut the oven door. She stood there, staring for a second, and Draco walked in a moment later.

"What did you do?" he asked

"I-I pushed her i-in there," Gemma said.

"What! Nevermind that, we need to get your brother and get out of here!" Draco said, grabbing her arm and running from the room. They made it to the stable, and Draco stopped.

"I forgot the key,. Do you know where she keeps it?"

"No." Gemma shook her head.

"It's under the welcome mat by her bedroom door," Draco explained.

"Classic," she retorted

"Whatever, just hurry back," Draco said to her. She took off, and he turned back to the oak door.

"Harry? Harry, can you hear me?"

"Draco, what's going on? I heard screaming," Harry said through the door

"Gemma killed my mom. I'm gonna get you out of there."

"Okay, please hurry," Harry pleaded.

"Here, t-take it," Gemma gasped, out of breath when she returned with the key. Draco quickly turned the key to the stable and threw the door open. "Harry?"

An unknown force threw itself at the blond, and he fell to the ground.

"Harry?" he said again.

"Draco!" Harry hugged his blonde friend tight. "Thank you."

"Yeah." Draco blushed and Harry let go of him, moving in on Gemma. He embraced his sister just as tightly as he had Draco.

"Are you okay?" he asked her once they had pulled apart.

"Shouldn't I be the one asking you that?"

"We can decide whether you guys are okay or not later. For now we need to go," Draco interrupted.

"Go where?" Harry asked.

"I know a place where we will be welcomed," the blonde answered.

"Okay, let's go." Gemma grabbed her big brother's hand tightly. They took off into the night as the sun began to rise, Gemma on the left, Harry in the middle, and Draco on the right, clutching onto Harry's hand.