Chapter Twenty-One: Kidnapping of a Stowaway

Marduk nestled deeper within the cushions until all light was blocked out. He was breathing fast so he tried to calm himself down. He couldn't risk them finding him… not yet… not after everything he had done to make it here. There was no way he was going back.

"They want you…"Hanar whispered as she looked at the letter in her hand. "And two years early… but you shan't go," she said resolutely. "You shan't…"

"Who wants me? And why shan't I go, mama!" he had begged, pulling at her skirts.

"This is a letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and you shall not go because I said you won't… That place is full of ignorance, Marduk," Hanar had said looking down at him with a sad smile and, as she had smiled that first time the letter had come, she smiled all the times after that the event was repeated. "They have no patience for the ones like you and me… the ones of old. Our potions are more potent, our spells more powerful, and our hearts less corrupted. You would never belong in a place like that, Marduk. You would never fit in. You would surpass them all and they would despise you for it. Your little heart would break and your magic would twist." Hanar's face had fallen, as if in deep memory and Marduk's heart ached as he remembered that same face, upturned in a smile as she praised some magic of his or another. "Your father chose that path so many years ago. That is when he came to me. They drove him from their stone walls and carpeted rooms with curses and jokes. He was young then… older than you only by years. It is for him that I gave my eternal summer… and I'll be damned if they'll have yours." With that, she had torn up the thick envelope, scrawled on in emerald green ink.

"I told them I wouldn't stay there," he whispered to himself, steeling himself against last minute regrets as the train started its slow movement and began to build speed. "And I won't."

As he waited, his breathing stifled and his heart racing, Marduk fell into an uneasy sleep. Children laughing. His mother coming forth to comfort him… then her eyes flamed red as she transformed into the fearsome shadow beast.

Marduk woke, his skin prickling with a strange pain. He uncovered himself, sitting up slowly and looked around. But he couldn't see. With the window drapes drawn, the car was dark.

"Who's there?" he whispered fearfully. He could hear breathing. He knew someone was there with him… very close to him. Watching him. "I know you're there," he said.

"Yes… I believe you do know I'm here… I can feel the power seeping off you in waves," hissed a slow easy voice from the corner.

"Are you with Hermione?" Marduk asked, a shiver of fear moving swiftly down his spine. He began to shake. "Or Draco? Are you with them?"

"In a way, yes I am," replied the voice and Marduk heard movement.

"You won't tell them I'm here… please… you can't." Marduk was ashamed to hear the tremor of fear in his own voice.

"They'll never know," the voice whispered and suddenly it was right next to his ear. "You're coming with me."

"Who are you?" Marduk asked and suddenly, the drapes shifted aside, filling the car with midday sunlight. Marduk squinted, his eyes focused. Before him stood a young man of average height with lean muscles, green eyes, and jet-lack messy hair.

"Why I'm Harry Potter," the voice said.

"Well… Harry Potter, I'm not going anywhere with you… Why would I?" Marduk asked. "When we get to London, I'm going to tell Hermione and Draco I've come with them… and they're going to let me stay with them."

Harry cackled coldly and the sound filled the small car. Marduk could feel the evil aura roll over him. It was so strong, it was nauseating... Marduk was momentarily confused though. The aura was more powerful than anything he had ever felt before and yet he could sense that the outlet for the power was so… weak.

"They're not going to let you stay," Harry drawled.

"They would…" Marduk snapped. "Hermione cares for me."

"Hermione cares for you?" The voice snapped right back. "They left you once didn't they?" it asked and Marduk thought about it.

"They did… but they had no choice…That McGonagal told them so. But once they see how good I am and that I won't be too much trouble, that'll change…" he said, trying to convince himself.

"Draco and Hermione have no need for you anymore. You and your mother served your purpose already," Harry murmured calmly, his voice lilting into a soothingly low tone. Marduk could feel the magic in it, but there was no resisting. "They'll send you back without a second thought and they'll never want to see you again," Harry said and Marduk tried not to see the truth in what he said, but the longer he listened, the fuzzier his mind became and the more sense this Harry Potter made. "You're so powerful," Harry drawled, reaching out to touch Marduk. He was unable to move, but as Harry's fingertip brushed his shoulder, Marduk felt a jolt of pain and he pulled away. "I could sense it the moment I saw you sneak onto the train," he said, his green eyes pulling him back to the seat, forcing him to hold still. "Strength like your mother's…" and all of the sudden, Marduk didn't want to move. He just wanted to hear the stranger speak more... more about his mother. "They don't see it. You know that… You know they only see you as a child. A nuisance. Something to hold them back."

"But what will happen when they find out I'm gone?" he asked.

"Nothing," Harry said without hesitation. "No one will miss you…" He whispered. "No one will care. Your mother made sure of that."

"Mama told me to go with them," Marduk said.

"No… she didn't. They lied to you. Your mother was dead before you left the cabin, but they needed your help and they knew you'd never go with them if you knew… So they lied… They used you, Marduk. They will never appreciate your gifts. No one in that world will."

"Where will I go?" Marduk breathed hazily, leaning his head back into the seat cushions, easing into a magical darkness.

"Home."

"Home?" Marduk asked, feeling a pang of longing in his breast. Thought of home brought images of his mother, the smell of their small shack, and the sounds of the forest all around them.

"Home…"

"I want to go home…" Marduk whispered, tears filling his eyes. "I will make them miss me… I will make them see that they could have taken me with them."

"Yes. They will see."

A/N: so, another shorty of a chapter, but this one I think makes a little more sense. All right, so last chapter WAS a bit confusing. so I guess I'll take this opportunity to explain it a little better and if you still have questions, let me know and I'll answer them individually :) I live to make this experience easier and sometimes, my ideas only make sense to me. One of the curses of knowing all your own ideas and backgrounds. You have to remember to let others in on it... or else its sort of the fictional equivalent of an inside joke. So... last chapter. Hermione didn't want to leave it up to McGonagal or anyone else to negotiate their terms of "surrender" because as you know, they are criminals. So, she sent an owl to the Order telling them where they were and who all was there. She told the order what she wanted out of the deal for herself, an active position in the Order, which they agreed to. She also tried to negotiate Draco's terms, though they were a little less compliant. The deal was that they would be lenient if Draco made it back to London... escorted by an Order team, which just happened to be led by his step-brother, Lucien (can you guess where the namesake is from?) Draco, of course, knows who he is and from everything that happened, knew who had really made the negotiations with the Order. He takes it to mean (with influence from his dream about the apple in the oak) that Hermione doesnt trust him and in turn, if she would make decisions like that without telling him, then she can't be trusted... you can figure the rest out.

Okay. now for this chapter... Poor Marduk! He's soooo young and he misses his mommy. Sounds like Voldemort to take advantage of that.

so... here are my thanks:

Trumpet Queen: Good to hear from you and thanks! I try to update as quickly, but as well as I can lol. These last few chapters have been a challenge, but I'm hoping to get back into some kind of... erm... schedule i guess I'd say

xXbittersweetxtearsXx: I know! well, more hardships for Marduk are soon to come I'm sad to say :) but I hope you liked the emotionalness... there's more yet to come... plus a little angst. Im gonna make Draco fight for his woman.

Dracoisthesexiestmanalive: Let me know if my little note cleared it up for you all right:) thanks for letting me know. any questions and feel free to drop me a line!

last summer's rose: Yeah... stalkerish. sounds like voldemort to keep tabs on his most dangerous enemies thought huh? lol. and Draco's brother was kind of a last minute inspiration but I put a lot of thought into the character design. He's going to be a big player for a while.

HarlequinHangman: Thanks for the reviews! Its good to hear that :)

Erytha: Here's the update! Lol... I didnt put the bad ones on my list, though I did write it like that. I put the only good ones i saw on my list, but I havent found any good harry potter ones in a while. My bad lol!

Bflatgirl: I hope the top note explained it. I got the feeling it was going to be a little weird. I always do that, dont explain things that I understand... but other people dont understand whats going on in my head, so thus they dont understand the chapters... oh well... hehe. very common flaw in writers I think. Yeah, he's younger. and I'm glad you "like" him lol. I put a lot of work into him to make him unlikably likable. I like him anyway... but that could be because I made him.

grace: I know! I hate doing it to him, but lets face it, the boy's got it made! it would be boring if there wasnt any angst. I hate doing it but goodness... make him fight for some things. Yeah... Lucien was a last minute sort of inspiration but I spent some time in contemplation and i think the dialogue reveals a lot about family dynamics lol.