Hermione was in the middle of a department meeting when her fiancé came crashing in through the door, complete in his sooty smock and wild hair. Her shocked yelp when he grabbed her wrist didn't deter him. He dragged her out of the conference room, much to the astonishment of her colleagues, and raced through the crowded corridors to get to the Apparation Point from where he quickly disapparated with her. They landed directly in the St. Mungo's front entrance. At that point, Hermione stopped tugging her hand and her heart thundered in her chest as she feared the worst. She let Ron pull her along. Her feet felt like lead and all she could hear in her head was her pulse. She couldn't handle another tragedy.

He jerked her through the landing on the third floor, only slowing down when he turned two corners. He stumbled to a halt by the room farther down the corridor.

Hermione pressed her hand to the glass wall, her throat closing up and tears stinging in her eyes as she watched doctors and nurses buzzing around the hospital bed. "Oh God," she choked out. "Wh-why?"

The old mansion settled in the cold, sending creaks and groans down wooden beams and floor slats. Alit candles cast ominous shadows on the stone walls that were bare, devoid of all ornaments. A draft raced through the empty and dusty hallways as though it were being chased.

The silence on the third floor was abruptly broken by the sound of a door crashing into the frame atop the marble staircase, followed by pounding footsteps surging through the chilled corridor. A race against the wind. There was no winning this. There would be no escape for the wicked, especially not from demons. Heavy panting echoed through the manor, throwing the darkness out of proportion. No escape.

As he was grabbed from behind, he let out a frightened scream. He was flung against the wall, which he struck with his elbow and shoulder, both cracking painfully. He slid to the floor, clutching at his arm in agony. He struggled to press his back against the wall, his pale face and dilated pupils facing upwards. Helpless.

Edward knelt on one knee in front of his captive. "Where can I find him?" he murmured quietly.

"I-I don't know," Rodolphus stammered between shaky breaths. The pain was excruciating. He couldn't even think. "I d-don't-"

Edward cut him off by wrapping his fingers around the Dark wizard's fragile neck. He could feel the soft pulse and warmth under his palm. "I don't think you understand," he said. "I want to find your brother."

"Oh God, please," Rodolphus whimpered. He closed his eyes tight. "H-he's somewhere o-out east. I don't know. B-Bulgaria. Please."

Edward tightened his grip instead. "And where will you be?" he asked.

"I-I'll go. I'll go. I won't come back." Rodolphus shook his head vehemently while biting back a groan. "Please, don't hurt me."

"Then you had better leave before I change my mind…"

As soon as he was let go, he scampered up without another word and stumbled down the hall, rushing through the throbbing pain to get away from the monster who would surely plague him for the rest of his life.

Head Auror Gawain Robards was enjoying a lazy afternoon with his year old granddaughter, bouncing her on his lap and trying to make her laugh, when his wife entered the living room and caught his attention. He tilted his head at her bewildered expression. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"You've got a note from the office," she said.

"Oh? What about?" He got up on his feet, carrying his beaming granddaughter at his hip. He handed her off to his wife and took the note in exchange with a quiet frown. He hadn't been expecting any situations on his day off.

His eyes widened as he read the short message.

"I… Is that… what I think it is?" his wife hesitated.

"I-I need to go," he rushed. He was already on his way to the fireplace. "I'm sorry, I just-"

"It's fine. Go. We're fine here."

"Bye, grampa!"

Teddy had been in the middle of his afternoon nap when he was rudely awakened by his grandmother. He put up a fuss as she picked him up none too gently and carried him out of his room, down the stairs and out the front door without saying a single word. He whined into her ear, letting her know without many words exactly how he felt about being interrupted from his sleep.

But when he smelt the scent of menthol and sterility, he opened his eyes in fright. He was at St. Mungo's. His stomach clenched and his heart started to speed up its beating. He didn't like hospitals anymore. He didn't want to be here. "Wh-what's happened?" he stuttered while tightening his arms around Andy. "Grammy, what's happened? What's happening?"

"It's alright, love," Andromeda murmured. Her voice was trembling however and it provided little comfort for her grandson.

"S-someone's ill?" he asked frightfully. "Is someone ill?"

"No. Nothing like that."

"I-I don't want to be here. I want to go home." He didn't want to know if someone else had died. He just wanted to go home and sleep. He pressed his face against his grandmother's shoulder and screwed his eyes shut. He didn't want to feel sad all over again. "Please, Grammy… I want to go home…"

Draco toed off his shoes while flicking the lights on his home. He let out a strangled gasp when he found himself in the presence of company by the stairs in the foyer. He clutched a hand to his heart, the other arm lowering a wand that was pointed at Edward who sat silently on the step, his eyes on the Persian rug adorning the wooden floor. "What are you doing here?" Draco exclaimed.

Edward kept his gaze on the dark red design but every cell in his body wanted him to keep moving. He wanted to hunt. He had never felt such a need before. "That note you gave me… There's a base out east. Do you know where it is?" he asked quietly.

Draco's eyes widened. "Rabastan?" he guessed correctly. "But it's been so long. He… He must be long gone."

"Where is it?"

"Uh, um, Kyustendil province." Draco looked away to speed up his recollection. "Boboshevo. But you won't be able to find it. The headquarters can only be detected by wizards and witches." He glanced back up. "Is this important? I haven't-"

Edward stood up abruptly, clenching his fists and bringing them up to his forehead as he tried to push down his thoughts. "Talk me out of this, Draco," he mumbled. "You need to talk me out of this."

Harry awoke with a start, jerking his legs as he fell in his dreams. He opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. Then he exhaled carefully. Fresh air… He closed his eyes and inhaled. Sweet, cold, fresh air.

He felt growing heat against his side, which prompted him to open his eyes once more and tilt his head over.

Teddy lay curled up by him, trying to take up as little room as he could while he slept. His face was stuck up close to his godfather's chest and his arms and legs coiled towards his stomach so he looked like a little twitching ball. He had refused to leave Harry's side all day long. No amount of coaxing helped. The nurses finally caved upon seeing his large doe eyes filling up with tears. He had triumphantly crawled in next to Harry, cuddling close to him so that, when he woke up, he wouldn't be alone.

Harry rolled out of bed and tested the floor with his feet, flinching back slightly when the cold seared his warm skin. He didn't fancy a freezing floor. He stood up carefully, waiting for the room to stop spinning and his eyes to focus as best they could without spectacles. Once he had managed to figure out how to walk, he shuffled off to the washroom. His bladder was about to burst.

After he was finished with his business, he turned on the faucet lethargically to wash his hands. He squinted at the reflection in the small mirror. He looked like crap. No dancing about the point. He had deep circles under his eyes, his cheeks were sallow, and every blemish on his skin seemed to stand out against his starkly pale skin. He looked down at his hands, cupping them so he could trap water and wash his face. He wiped the sleep out of his eyes and rinsed out his parched mouth. Something wasn't right but he couldn't put his finger on it. He turned off the taps and wiped his face with his sleeves. It was that feeling he got when he had slept in for much too long – nausea and dizziness. He should get back in bed.

He reached for the bathroom door.

Teddy jumped when he heard loud clatter in his dreams. The first thing he did was to throw his arms to the side, trying to grab onto Harry. Upon finding himself in the empty bed, his heart sank, stomach clenched, and blood ran cold.

The boy fell out of bed in his hurry to get down, landing on his hands and knees with a sharp thud. Ignoring the sting, he scampered to the alit bathroom, quickly followed by the nurses who had burst into the room upon hearing alarms ring at their station.

Harry had fallen on the tiles as his legs gave way. He was hyperventilating by the time help arrived. Teddy froze by the doorway while attendants quickly assessed the situation. A few ran out to get the on-call doctor. One of the nurses had her hands cupped around Harry's face, trying to make him look up. "It's okay. You're safe," she kept saying over and over again. But Harry wasn't listening. He was letting his hysteria take over instead. He shook in her hands as he struggled to breathe, clutching at his chest from the pain.

The Mediwizard wasn't far behind. He saw his staff struggling to calm his patient down and took matters into his own hands. A stunning charm was placed on Harry. He fell faint as soon as the red sparks struck him. He sank into the nurse's arms without a word, asleep and still.

Ron and Hermione were pacing the length of the room, going in different directions, with their arms crosses against their chest and teeth worrying their lips. Andromeda sat on the chair by the bed. Molly and Arthur stood near the window, speaking quietly amongst themselves. If they glanced down the glass, they could see a horde of reporters and law enforcement officers at the entrance of the hospital. News traveled fast.

The doctor was sweeping his wand over his patient, taking down vitals and conversing with the nurse intermittently when he found the need to. Harry was lying in bed, sedated and silent. Teddy sat close to him, cross-legged on the sheets. He was watching the Mediwizard's wand warily. He didn't want Harry to get hurt again. He just wanted Harry to wake up, that's all.

After one last flick of his wand, the doctor let his wand arm drop to his side. That prompted the adults to turn their attention to him as well. He nodded once at the nurse who walked over to the foot of the bed where she had laid out some potions on the table. She picked up a silver vial and handed it to the doctor.

"A-are you sure it's alright?" Hermione broken in. "Will he… Is it safe?"

The Mediwizard nodded once. "It's a slow stimulant. It should wake him up without overwhelming him." He then proceeded to uncork the vial and tip its contents into Harry's mouth. Teddy watched with growing anticipation. What if Harry got scared again? Would he have to go back to sleep then?

Harry groaned quietly as he returned to his senses. He shifted in bed and frowned before coughing up the foul liquid that was stuck in his throat. The doctor helped him sit up against the pillows so he could swallow more thoroughly. The nurse had a cup of water at hand by then. As soon as Harry had opened his eyes, she thrust the cup at him. He accepted it, gulping down the water gladly to get rid of the bitter taste. It was as though his insides were on fire.

"H-Harry?"

He didn't stop his gulping but he flicked his myopic eyes over at Teddy unconsciously.

The cup tumbled out of his hands and he sprayed water all over the boy.

"Ack!" Teddy scrambled back. "Don't do that!"

Harry gaped at him, paying no heed to the water dripping out of his mouth or soaking into the bed sheets.

"Mr. Potter," the Mediwizard said, causing his patient to swivel his head the other way in fright. "You are in St. Mungo's. Do you know where that is?" He handed Harry a small towel he conjured with a wave of his wand.

Harry grabbed the towel and dabbed his mouth with it frantically. "Wh-what's going on?" he croaked.

"Do you know where you are, Mr. Potter?"

"St. Mungo's. You just said-"

"Right. And I am Dr. Bryce," the Mediwizard interrupted. "Now can you tell me if you feel pain in any part of your body?"

Harry blinked rapidly, looking away. "Wait, where's… I was… I-is Draco alright?" he stuttered out.

He was met with silence.

He glanced up at Dr. Bryce. "Do you know if-"

"Draco?" the doctor echoed, knitting his brows together in confusion. "I'm sorry. I'm not familiar with-"

"Malfoy's alright."

Harry turned to Hermione in astonishment. He stared at her for a beat before recognizing her fuzzy shape. "Hermione, you… I'm… Wh-what happened?" He flicked his eyes at Ron who was standing beside her. "You need to tell me what happened."

Teddy decided he had had enough of being ignored. "You're alive!" he cheered. "Isn't that great? You're alive!"

"Alive?" Harry mumbled. "Of course I'm… Wait…" His brows shot up. "What do you mean by that? Of course I'm alive!" He went back to ogling Teddy. "Who're you?"