Lots of cheers and prolific clapping to CatherineMorgenstern for all her help and support. You're a star.


The first step of Hermione's plan was to use the tracking crystal to locate Bella and Peter. Finding them should lead to Harry. They couldn't rescue him, not when Stewart had the poppet linked to him, but it would give them the opportunity to carry out the next steps. She glanced towards the hut where Scabior sat. A streak of red flashed as he tossed the crystal from one hand to the other. He said it allowed him to strengthen the bond between himself and Bella's blood, but Hermione thought he might be stalling. She'd allow him five more minutes before she'd march over and tell him it was time to leave.

Chewing on her bottom lip, she checked her bag to make sure she'd packed the potion ingredients she'd need before she tugged it shut and walked towards Scabior.

"Only missing one thing," she announced.

"Our sanity?"

"I lost that a long time ago." She climbed the steps and placed her bag inside the hut, bending over to push it under the cot and out of sight. The Snatcher hadn't moved from his position when she returned, but he had stopped throwing the crystal.

"Yer sure yer wanna do this, Pet?"

"Can you think of a better plan?"

His silence answered her question.

"Let's get this over with, shall we? The sooner we go and all that." Hermione pushed to her feet and waited for the Snatcher to do the same.

He scowled before shoving himself into a standing position. He reached across, grabbed her hand and Apparated them away without a word. They landed on a pebbled beach. Angry waves crashed against the shoreline, spraying them with icy droplets of seawater. The only light came from the moon which winked in and out of view from behind scudding clouds.

"Further north," Scabior muttered as he squeezed the tracking crystal. "Yer ready for another jump, Love?"

Hermione swallowed. Nausea settled in the pit of her stomach and she knew it would get worse as the night continued. Multiple journeys using Apparition wasn't recommended, but they had little choice. Harry's life depended on it.

"I'm ready."

They jumped five more times before they stopped. Scabior said the crystal began to pulse as they neared Bella's location. Hermione should have been pleased by the news, but she was too busy trying to settle her cramping stomach. The third Apparition had led to her throwing up and though they hadn't moved for a while, her stomach threatened to explode if she moved. That's how she ended up on her back, staring at the black sky as the damp grass wet her clothes.

"Yer gonna lie there all night, Dove?"

"Yes."

"What happened to snatchin' Bellabitch Lestrange?"

Hermione scowled at Scabior. "You snatch her. I'll wait here."

"And steal all the fun? Fuck that, Pet. We can walk the rest of the way from 'ere." He reached for her hand and pulled her to her feet. "The fresh air will 'elp yer."

"Why don't you feel sick?"

"Built up a tolerance over the years, Love." He looped his arm around her waist and tugged her towards a clump of trees. "Betcha didn't know how special I am, did yer?"

Hermione ignored him and concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other. The cramps in her stomach had faded to a dull ache which intensified whenever she twisted. Taking deep breaths of cool air eased the dizziness and fatigue.

"How far away is she?"

"Few miles, I reckon." He stopped moving so he could place the crystal in her palm. "Can yer feel how active the tracker is?"

The edges felt sharper against her skin and it felt heavier, as if a chunk of metal had replaced its centre. There was the sensation of it being pulled away from her, although it hadn't moved from its position in the slightest.

"I can feel it." She glanced at Scabior and smiled. "It really works."

The Snatcher looked offended. "Course it does! Yer think I'd make a dud?"

Hermione shook her head. "I just never imagined it would be so easy."

"Yer call that easy? Fuck, I'd hate to see what you'd find 'ard."

"I might find the next bit tricky."

Scabior snorted. "Yer could be right, Pet."

They reached a boggy section of ground and had to detour to avoid it, which cost them several minutes. Once back on track, they increased their speed and made it to the trees. The scraggly oaks looked ancient and there was a stillness about the air that spoke of old times. Hermione closed her eyes and felt the prickle of magic at the edge of her awareness. They were hidden somewhere here; she could sense it. The house or shack or whatever would be hidden from sight and the plan could only succeed if they located it.

"Can the crystal get us nearer to where they are?" Hermione asked.

Scabior shook his head. "Not without trippin' the wards. We need to sneak through 'em first. It's gonna be a ball ache to do, Pet."

"But you can do it?"

He thumped a fist against his chest. "I'm a man, ain't I?"

"Which is why I'm asking you if you can do it," Hermione said with a sweet smile.

"Oh, Pet, I can do all sorts of things, just come a step closer an' I'll show yer."

She rolled her eyes. "We don't have time for this. Can you break through the wards without alerting them or not?"

Scabior pursed his lips and stared towards the centre of the trees. He remained that way for a few minutes, a serious expression sharpening his features. "With 'elp from Bellabitch's wand I can, Love." He glanced at her. "I'm gonna need yer to give me some space."

Hermione backed up and watched as he bowed his head, held Bella's stolen wand up and closed his eyes. At least an hour passed in which she almost drove herself mad with worry. So much could go wrong with the plan. They might not capture Bella and Peter, Harry could be hidden somewhere else, the curse she planned to use on Stewart may not even work. That worried her the most. The curse failing would cause Harry to be harmed or even killed. Yet they had no choice. This nightmare had to end. Before leaving the hut, she'd practiced the wand movement until her arm ached and her throat felt dry from the number of times she'd recited the incantation. The curse wasn't hard, it was merely a modification of a containment charm, but the nuances needed were critical to its success. One wrong move and it would be over for them.

Scabior pulled her from her thoughts by lifting his free hand and holding it out to her. Unsure of what to do, Hermione stepped forward to take it. His cool fingers closed around hers and Hermione felt something like a warm breeze wash over her. It didn't hurt, but it didn't feel pleasant either. As soon as the sensation had left, Scabior pulled her forward and through the first ward.

"One down, fuck knows how many more to go," Scabior muttered as he let go of her hand and eased his way towards the next barrier.

Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. She couldn't help but feel gleeful that the wards recognised Bella's wand and helped speed up the process of breaking through. The Snatcher resumed his earlier stance and began to work on breaking through the next layer of protective magic. It took longer than the first, but he did it. That's how the night proceeded. It was dawn by the time they eased through the final ward, leaving the both of them tired and irritable, especially since they still hadn't managed to locate Bella and Peter's exact hiding spot.

"We take it slow, Pet," Scabior whispered. "You step where I step and no talkin' unless I say it's safe."

Hermione nodded, content to let him take the lead. This was his specialty after all. It took an hour to find the small cottage tucked between several large holly bushes, not because the area was big, but because they had to search slowly. Ivy covered the walls and roof and you only noticed the brickwork between twisted vines when you looked closely. They halted farther away than Hermione would have preferred, but she knew if they crept any closer, the chances of them being spotted would increase.

"Stay 'ere," Scabior mouthed.

Hermione squatted behind a fallen trunk and waved him away. She watched as he weaved his way through the trees and out of view. He didn't make a single sound. As time passed, she grew nervous, worried that he'd decided to attack the cottage alone. She even shifted as if she meant to stand.

"Weren't thinkin' of goin' anywhere were yer, Dove?" Scabior breathed into her ear.

Her squawk of surprise was caught in his hand. She scowled and tried to face him, but he'd knelt behind her, pressing his chest against her back with his arm looped around her waist to prevent her from moving.

"Got some good news, Love," he murmured.

Hermione pulled his hand from her mouth. "What?"

"Peter's dead."

"What?! How?"

"Hush now, Pet. Do I need to put something in yer mouth to keep yer quiet?"

A blush flowed into her cheeks at his innuendo. "Shut up and tell me," she whispered.

Scabior placed his chin on her shoulder. "Dunno how he died, Pet, but some fucker dumped 'im around the back of the cottage. Startin' to stink up real nice."

Hermione frowned. Why would they kill him? Surely he was useful to them. It made little sense.

"Are you sure it's him?"

"Yep. I'd know his stench anywhere, Love."

"Well, what should we do now?"

Scabior narrowed his eyes as he looked towards the cottage. "We got two options, Pet. We can sneak in and snatch the bitch now or we can wait a bit to see if Stewart shows up. Your choice, Love."

Hermione considered his words. They needed to catch Bella without Stewart knowing or the plan would fail before it had even started. Pettigrew's demise made things easier; they wouldn't have to worry about him sneaking up on them and could focus their attention on snatching Bellatrix.

"We wait until midmorning, hopefully Stewart will be with the other Aurors filing paperwork and whatever else they do." She nibbled her bottom lip. "That should give us a few hours to play with."

"Then we wait." He wrapped his arms more securely around her. "Relax, Pet, we have everything ready, all we need is Bellabitch Lestrange."


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