In the morning, reality set in on them. They were stranded without their packs, without food, without a map. The only things they had were their wands and the ratty clothing on their backs. They briefly deliberated following the same route they'd taken days before, hoping the Snatchers would move on and not think they'd go back, but they couldn't take that risk. They never wanted to see Taylor's farm again.
They decided to go backwards instead. They'd been heading in a somewhat northeastern direction, aiming loosely for Cambridge. Now they turned back toward London, but they wouldn't go back that far.
"Our first priority is getting you to an urgent care," Dean said. "Some of them donate services to homeless, so we'll need to find you one of those."
"A Muggle doctor?" Seamus said, wrinkling his nose. "They'll stick me with needles!"
"We don't have another choice," Dean replied. "And Muggle medicine really does work. It's just not quite as effective."
Seamus sighed but smiled when Dean's hand found his. There was a long, uphill battle ahead of them, and Seamus was honestly worried about their ability to make it. It was getting steadily colder, and it would probably start snowing in about a month.
"We're going to have to steal," Dean said glumly. "Coats, sleeping bags, food, maybe even some money. It's not ideal, but—"
"We have to survive," Seamus finished, looking up at him. "I know."
Dean smiled. "I don't know if I could've done this without you."
"Ah, ye'd've been alright," Seamus said with a grin.
They got Seamus stitched up that day, which gave him a whole new appreciation for Madam Pomfrey. It also gave him a new appreciation for Muggle world, and for Dean. He'd never given much thought to the fact that Dean lived in two different worlds, but seeing him navigate the Muggle world was incredible. He easily lied to the doctor, saying they'd gotten in a knife fight, and then got them directions to the local soup kitchen for a warm meal.
"It's nothing," Dean said when Seamus told him how amazing he found it all. "It's just normal to me."
After inhaling their portions of bread and soup, they wondered what to do next. They considered sitting out on the street and begging, but that felt like sitting and waiting for Snatchers to find them, so they decided to go to the outskirts of town and waiting until nightfall there.
They were just about to leave when a woman approached them. "How old's you boys?"
"Eighteen," Dean lied, and Seamus remembered that was the legal age for Muggles.
"D'you have anythin'?"
Dean and Seamus looked at each other and shook their heads. She clicked her tongue and began rummaging around in the pockets of her overcoat. She extended her hand, which was clad in a grimy glove, and Seamus saw there was money in it.
"Oh, no, you need—"
"I can get more. You boys're young. Get back on yah feet while you can, eh?" she said, setting the few notes and coins on the table when they didn't take it.
"Th-thank you," Dean stuttered.
"And you keep that arm clean. Infection's the last thing you need," she commanded Seamus, nodding at his bandages. Then she patted their shoulders and moved past them.
Dean rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, and Seamus squeezed his hand.
That night they stole two sleeping bags, a tent, and a map from a camping store. It was quick and quiet thanks to magic, but they broke the door to make it look like Muggles did it and left a couple coins on the counter when they were done. They didn't want to draw any Snatchers' attention with unusual break-ins, which was also why they left the town that night.
For two and a half months they lived like that: utilizing the resources they could in a town, never staying more than a few days, and always leaving after stealing. They tried not to steal as much as they could, mostly going for things that were thrown out, but there were some things they needed that wouldn't be easily found in a dumpster, like winter coats. It wasn't living, but it was surviving, and that was the priority.
A couple of times, they saw what they thought were gangs of Snatchers or Death Eaters: people walking in long, black robes that would be considered casual in the wizarding world but stuck out in the Muggle world. They cleared out of town fast after those sightings.
Even though they'd successfully Apparated to the grassy hill when escaping the Snatchers, they still didn't trust their abilities enough to travel that way. They'd gotten used to travelling, though, and could more accurately estimate their travel time between cities and usually managed to get enough food to tide them over. They camped by rivers and in forests, occasionally finding abandoned structures in the woods.
The snow and cold were brutal. A few times they thought their extremities would fall off. They were grateful that incendio was one of the first spells they'd ever learned, or they might've died a month ago. Despite all this, all the weather and hunger and danger, the hardest part was the isolation. They had absolutely no idea what was happening in the wizarding world, in Hogwarts, to their friends, to others on the run. Occasionally they'd hear a bit of news that seemed odd—a sudden disappearance, an unusual death, homes burned to the ground—that let them know the world still wasn't safe, but they didn't have a clue beyond that. They didn't know who was winning, who was still alive, if anybody was still fighting...
They didn't have much time to dwell on that, though. All they could do was focus on living in the moment, surviving long enough to see the next sunrise. The question was, how many sunrises did they have left?
"This isn't sustainable," Seamus said one day, breaking a days-long silence between them.
Dean looked around the tent city they were staying at for the night, checking to make sure nobody was too close to them. "What do you mean?" he asked in a low voice.
"I mean this—travelling cross-country, always on the move, camping in the snow." He shivered hard. "How long d'ye think we can keep this up? We've been at it for four months. This war could last years."
"We're doing fine," Dean replied.
"For now," Seamus said, "but it can't continue forever. The Death Eaters are gettin' stronger, the Snatchers more desperate. Sooner or later we'll make a mistake."
Dean frowned. "We have a system. We haven't gotten in trouble since Taylor's farm."
"We've gotten close."
"Then what do you think we should do?"
Seamus stood and paced slightly. "Maybe we could find a place to lay low, or leave the—"
"Shea, we talked about this," Dean said tiredly. "All the places worth laying low don't have supplies, and we can't leave the country without paperwork."
"We could just Confund—"
"No," Dean said. "We just keep doing what we're doing. If we're safe, the Death Eaters and Snatchers won't find us."
"Excuse me."
They whipped around at the voice that was suddenly close to them. Dean surreptitiously slipped his hand into his bag, wrapping his fingers around the hilt of his wand. The man smiled at them, his cheeks dirty and his face slightly drawn.
"You might want to keep your voice down when talking about that lot," he advised.
"Who are you?" Seamus asked. He patted his pants pockets but found them empty.
The man raised his hands. "No need for wands," he murmured, then pulled the left sleeve of his jacket back, showing his bare forearm. "There. Now your turn."
Dean and Seamus exchanged a look, then pulled their sleeves back as well. The man smiled and nodded.
"See? All friends here. Might I sit with you?"
Dean nodded stiffly. "Just for a moment."
The man sat near them, but at a slight distance. Seamus sat back down next to Dean and grabbed his wand from his other jacket and held it tightly at his side. The man watched them, his eyes sad.
"You're Hogwarts-age, eh?" he asked.
They didn't answer. Dean's skin was crawling, remembering the last time they trusted an adult. Seamus reached out and took his hand, and Dean knew he was remembering too.
"I'm sorry, lads, I'm being rude. I'm Ted, Ted Tonks. I'm Muggle-born, and I suppose you are too?" he asked.
Dean glanced at Seamus and then gave Ted a nod.
Seamus cocked his head to the side. "Wait, Tonks? Isn't there an Auror named Tonks? She patrolled Hogwarts last year."
"Dora!" Ted said warmly. "Yes, my daughter."
"I'm Dean, this is Seamus," he introduced. "So you've been on the run, too?"
"Since June. Once Dumbledore died, I knew it was a matter of time. Didn't want to hang around and cause trouble for my family, being Muggle-born and all," he explained. "I've run into some other groups, but you're the first kids I've seen. What about you?"
Seamus' face turned dark. "Once. Didn't work out well."
"Oh. I'm sorry for your loss," Ted said, misunderstanding. "You've been on your own, just the two of you?"
"Yeah, problem?" Seamus challenged.
Ted raised his hands again. "No, I'm impressed. Plenty older than you've been caught already."
"Do…do you know what's happening out there?" Dean asked.
"Have you not been listening to Potterwatch?" Ted sounded surprised, but they had no idea what he was talking about.
"Potter-what?" Seamus asked, wondering what Harry had gotten himself into this time.
"Rebel radio broadcast," Ted replied. "Dunno who runs it, they use codenames, but they give updates on what's happening. Just need a radio and the password. The next one's password is Dearborn."
Seamus and Dean felt hope in their chests for the first time since before they left London. They only news they'd gleaned from the happenings was bad and hinted at the Death Eaters winning.
"What information do they give?" Seamus asked eagerly.
"Names of Death Eaters and sympathizers, people confirmed dead, tips on surviving, that sort of thing," Ted answered. "Oh, also a Taboo curse has been placed on You-Know-Who's name. Snatchers are alerted to the location of anyone who says it, so, y'know, don't."
"Right," Dean said, nodding.
"Any news of Harry?" Seamus asked.
"A few rumors, but nothing major. I think that's good, means he's still out there," Ted responded. "D'you know him?"
"We're his dormmates," Dean replied.
"Potterwatch says to help him if we see him." Ted smiled. "It's great actually talking about this. Weird in the Muggle world, eh? As if everything's almost normal."
Dean and Seamus nodded in agreement. The suffocating isolation they'd felt for months now was somewhat eased. If only they could get their hands on a radio to listen to Potterwatch, they'd be set.
"You taking off in the morning?" Ted asked.
"Yeah, south. You?"
"South as well."
Dean looked at Seamus, who pursed his lips for a moment, then shrugged. If he was Muggle-born, his daughter was an Auror, and he was listening to an illegal broadcast, he probably wouldn't summon Snatchers to grab them. And having an adult—a real adult—along couldn't hurt.
"Want to travel together?" Dean asked. "Just for a little bit."
Ted smiled brightly. "I'd be honored."