Disclaimer: I do not…Well, you know. Why write it here?

Snowbyrd

Ch. 2

"Mom?" The woman turned and smiled. Byrd ran up and embraced her. Her mom hugged her back.

"Byrd! Wake up now! You have a visitor!" Byrd frowned at her mom. What was she saying?…

Byrd groaned and woke up. She had been having the same dream for the past three months, ever since the incident with the lady. Distantly she heard Mrs. Pinwagon telling her to get up and dressed and come down to the office. Byrd checked her watch. Five thirty. Who would want to see her at five thirty in the morning? Groggily she got dressed and stumbled down the stairs and into Mrs. Pinwagon's office. Standing there was a short, squat balding man that reminded Byrd of a rat. He had a black glove over one of his hands and kept rubbing his left forearm nervously. "Who are you?" asked Byrd.

The man smiled somewhat kindly. Byrd thought it looked sneaky. "Oh, you look just like your mother!" he crooned.

Mrs. Pinwagon smiled her sour smile at Byrd. "Byrd, this is your father. He has come to take you home!" she said.

Byrd's mind instantly went back to the woman she had met three months ago. Struggling to keep control of her voice, Byrd asked, "Wh-what's your name?"

The man looked surprised. "Oh, it's um, it's Peter!" he said. Byrd made up her mind. The woman hadn't said anything about a Peter. He must be one of those 'strange' people that were dangerous.

"Er, okay. I, I'll just go get my stuff. Be right back!" said Byrd.

"Okay. Just be quick about it." said Mrs. Pinwagon. As she climbed the stairs, Byrd's mind raced. She had memorized the information on the scrap of paper from reading it so much. The trip shouldn't take too long, only a couple of hours if she hurried. But how to escape? She couldn't go out the front door, it was right in front of the office. And if she went out the back door, all the children would see where she was going and ask questions. That left one option: the window.

After putting on her coat and shoes and retrieving her flashlight, Byrd unlocked her window. Taking off the screen, Byrd clambered onto the roof. Looking down at the ground, Byrd groaned inwardly. It was a long ways away. Taking a deep breath, Byrd was about to climb back in the room when she heard Mrs. Pinwagon and the rat-looking man inside her room. She crawled back and found nothing below her. Grabbing wildly, she felt her hands come into contact with the drainpipe. Dangling there, Byrd realized that her feet weren't very far from the ground. She let go and landed in a lilac bush. The cracking of branches causes the rat man to look outside the window. "Hey! Get back here!" he yelled pulling a stick out of his pocket. Byrd remembered the lady having a similar stick and ran. The man pointed his stick at her and yelled something. A jet of green light streamed from the end of his stick and flew directly at Byrd. She screamed. The lilac bush she had landed in leapt up and caught the jet of green light. It withered and died. Shock covered the man's face. Byrd was feeling similar confusion. Did I do that?

But she didn't have time to think as the man aimed another stream of light at her. Byrd darted into the woods, feeling the jet brush past her. She shuddered violently but kept running.

After a while her run slowed into a fast walk. Dusk was approaching, and even though it was now spring the nights were freezing. Byrd was glad she had brought her flashlight when darkness fell. She should be getting close. She looked at the paper again. The Burrow. That's where she was going. Faint lights were ahead, growing stronger with every step she took. Gradually she began to make out a house, and a small shed. Voices were coming from inside the house. Byrd rubbed her eyes wearily. She listened to the friendly chatter for a moment, then knocked quietly on the door. She heard someone walk up to the door and open it a crack. Whoever was looking at her from the other side of the door gasped and threw it wide open. "Oh my god! Ron, come quick!"

Blinded temporarily by the light coming from inside, Byrd asked, "Are you Hermione, Ron or Hagrid?" The woman (for it was a woman) led her inside and sat her down.

"Yes, I'm Hermione. Ron, come here! Are you hungry? I've got some leftover stew here…" A bowl of delicious-smelling stew was thrust in front of her. She gulped down the stew despite its being scorching hot. She hadn't had anything to eat all day. A tall, red-haired man entered the room. Byrd's mouth fell open. He looked exactly like the lady she had meet three months ago!