Travelling with a companion turned out to be better than Dean and Seamus could've imagined. Ted knew way more protective and survival spells than they did, and he had a good amount of Muggle money on him. They stayed informed with Potterwatch and stayed on the move.

The snow and cold began to ease up as they left February behind them, which made travelling easier. They soon ran into Dirk Cresswell, who Ted knew from some Ministry encounters, and a couple of goblins. They were all heading east, and so they decided to travel together for the next week.

Dirk was a bit surly, and the goblins were distrustful of Dean, Seamus, and Ted, but they got along well enough to survive. Dean was actually less bothered by the goblins than he was by Dirk. Every now and then he caught the man staring at him with a calculating expression, and this bothered him to his core.

"Just ignore him," Seamus murmured to him one night, his head on Dean's chest, huddled together in the sleeping bags they'd zippered together.

"I'm trying to, but I just don't know what his problem is," Dean whispered back. "I think he might be racist. That's the only thing I can figure."

"Well, we won't have to travel with them much longer," Seamus replied, lifting his head to look at Dean. "If he says anything, I'll jinx him."

Dean gave a half-hearted chuckle.

"D'ye want to talk to Ted in the morning?" Seamus asked. "We could split ways early."

"Nah, I'll deal with it," Dean replied, sounding tired. "I've been dealing with it my whole life."

Seamus frowned sadly, wishing there was something he could do. But just like Dean couldn't make people accept Seamus' gender, Seamus couldn't make people accept Dean's skin color. There was just too much hate in the world, especially now.

In the morning, though, Dean found he couldn't take another one of Dirk's strange gazes. The man was casting inquisitive glances at him as they ate beans out of cans the next morning. Dean threw his empty can to the ground and glared at Dirk.

"D'you have a problem?" he asked.

Dirk frowned. "I don't—"

"You keep staring at me," Dean snapped, "and I'm sick of it. So what's the problem?"

"Now, now," Ted said soothingly. Dean glared at him.

Dirk sighed. "I didn't mean no offense, son. You looked familiar when we met, and I've been trying to place you."

A muscle flexed in Dean's jaw. "I've never met you."

"I know, but I swear you're the spitting image of a buddy of mine from my early Ministry days. Roger Harris. Wrote political columns for the Prophet before settling down with a Muggle woman."

Dean relaxed just slightly. "Well I don't know who he is."

"Of course you don't, he's dead."

There was a length pause. Dean was still tense, and Dirk was staring at the ground with a pinched expression. Ted and Seamus exchanged a look, then watched the pair again.

"I'm sorry," Dean said. "What happened?"

"The war started, and he disappeared and left his pregnant wife behind. He was found dead a week later. Rumor was that Death Eaters wanted him to join up cause he was pureblood."

"The Death Eaters didn't kill his wife?" Dean asked.

"I imagine they tried but couldn't find her. Roger was very protective of her, even before everything started. That's why he quit the Prophet, to live in the Muggle world with her," Dirk replied. "I only ever knew her first name: Abigail."

Dean inhaled sharply, staring at Dirk with wide eyes. Seamus was staring as well, his gaze switching back and forth between Dean and Dirk, his mind racing.

"What is it?" Ted asked.

"That's my mother's name," Dean said.

Dirk's eyes widened as he stared back at Dean.

"That's my mother's name," he repeated. "My…my biological father ran out on us before I was born, she said he didn't care, she said he gave up—this…this…"

"It's possible," Ted said gently. "Stranger things have happened."

Dean shoved himself up from the ground and began pacing back and forth, rubbing a hand over his head in agitation. Seamus watched him with a pinched expression, ready if Dean needed him. The goblins were murmuring to each other in malicious tones from where they sat apart from the wizards.

"I don't believe it," Dean said. "It's just a coincidence. I'm...I'm muggle-born, I—"

"I wouldn't believe it either if you didn't look just like him," Dirk insisted.

"My mum said he left us, abandoned us!"

"He probably lied to protect the two of you."

"No, no!" Dean yelled. He was breathing heavily, staring at all of them. "I need a break," he said, then walked away from them.

Seamus set his can of beans down and went after Dean without a word to the others. Tension was set into Dean's broad shoulders as he stalked down the hill toward the Muggle city. Seamus followed Dean from about two meters away, close enough to know where he was but far enough to give him the distance he needed.

Dean kept walking until they reached a small park, and he collapsed onto a bench. Seamus sat cautiously next to Dean, then put his arms around him. Dean was shaking slightly, and Seamus could tell he was making an effort to keep his breaths deep and even.

"What are ye thinking?" Seamus asked calmly.

"I don't even know," Dean replied. "If it's true, then I've spent my whole life hating a man who died to save me and my mum."

"That's not your fault. You didn't know," Seamus said.

"But it changes everything!" Dean exclaimed.

"Does it?" Seamus challenged.

Dean turned to stare at him. "How does it not?!"

"The past is the same," Seamus said. "Ye lived with the knowledge ye had at the time. Ye thought yer biological father abandoned ye. But ye still had a dad, Dean. A dad who loves ye. And three beautiful little sisters too."

Tears filled Dean's eyes, and he quickly swiped at his eyes. Seamus rubbed his shoulders gently.

"Now ye can have closure on that part of yer life. Ye know the truth now," Seamus said.

"You're right," Dean said. "It's just hard to believe."

They sat there in silence and contemplation. Seamus thought of his own father, who he hadn't seen since he was a young child. Briefly, he wondered how his father would react to him being transgender, but figured if the man left them after finding out his wife was a witch, he probably wouldn't come back for a gay, transgender wizard kid.

That made him think of his mam, and the fight they'd had the last time he saw her. There was no way he would let her treat him like her daughter anymore, but he hoped there was a way for her to learn to accept him. Then he remembered her angry, twisted expression when she told him not to come home again, and he lost the little sliver of hope.

"We should probably head back," Dean said, standing up.

Seamus looked around and saw that the sun was up high in the sky. It was already midday, and they'd planned on doing some travelling today.

"You're right," Seamus replied.

Together they walked out of town, holding hands once they were in the cover of the trees. As they navigated back to their campsite, they suddenly got the feeling that something was wrong. There was smoke coming out from the trees in the direction of their campsite, and cold dread filled their chests.

They drew their wands and slowly approached their campsite, clinging to the trees and shrubs and whatever cover they could find. Bile rose in Seamus' throat when the camp came into view. The three tents were ransacked and destroyed. Dirk's body was slumped unnaturally next to the smoldering fire. Ted was a few feet away, his empty eyes staring out at nothing, blood streaming from the corner of his mouth.

A cackle of laughter drew his attention away from his companions' bodies, and his stomach dropped out when he saw four people in long black coats with their wands trained on the two goblins. The goblins were growling and grumbling to each other in their rough tongue, and a Snatcher sent a jinx at one that caused it to howl and claw at its ears. The other goblin lunged at the closest Snatcher.

"Avada Kedavra!" the Snatcher snapped, and the goblin dropped to the ground with a merciless thud.

"Aw, what'd ya do that for?" another Snatcher asked.

"Ruined all the fun!" cried the Snatcher that cursed the other goblin.

"We can still have fun with this one," the first Snatcher replied.

The four Snatchers approached the goblin in a circle, their wands out, grinning menacingly. Seamus reached out and grabbed Dean's wrist, tugging him gently and nodding his head, indicating that they should escape while they had the chance. They'd have to gather all new supplies, but they'd done it before, they could do it again, just so long as they were still alive.

The goblin let out a cry of pain and fury, and Dean couldn't look away. Seamus tugged at him harder, panic flaring up inside his chest. Dean took a stumbling step back, his foot snapping a twig.

The Snatchers' heads swiveled, and Dean burst through the tree line before Seamus could stop him. "Expelliarmus!" he cried, getting the jump on the closest Snatcher to him. "Stupefy!"

Seamus swore to himself, then joined in the fray. "Petrificus Totalus!" he yelled at another Snatcher, then turned and Stupefied the one that Dean had Disarmed.

"Crucio!" cried the fourth Snatcher. Seamus fell to the ground, convulsing and screaming. Pain laced its way up and down his limbs, lighting a fire in his brain.

"Stupefy!" Dean shouted, and the pain stopped as the Snatcher hit the dirt. Seamus lay, panting, for a long moment, trying to clear the stars from his eyes.

"We have to go. Now," Dean said, pulling Seamus to his feet. Seamus swayed, and Dean held him steady. Dean's face turned to the side, where Seamus was surprised to see the goblin was still there and hadn't run off in the commotion. "Griphook, right?" Dean said. The goblin nodded. "You're welcome to come with us, but we're leaving now."

The goblin nodded again. "You saved me." It wasn't quite a thank you, but there was an odd sort of tone in the goblin's voice.

Dean shrugged. "You'd have done it for us," he said, but Seamus wasn't so sure. He didn't trust the goblin's empty black eyes.

They cast final Full-Body Bind Curses and Stunning Spells on the Snatchers before they ran, only looking back for a moment at their fallen comrades.

HPHPHP

Although it was slowly getting warmer as spring approached, the weather was still difficult to bear. It had been just a week since the ambush on their campsite, and they were too scared to go into town for supplies. Every shadow, every rustle, every creature in the woods could be a Snatcher or a Death Eater. They were barely surviving, trying to hunt and forage for what they could.

"It just feels so hopeless," Seamus muttered. "Like they're getting closer every day."

"I know," Dean said.

"Will we even know when it's over?" he asked. "Or will we still be sitting out here in the woods, living off rabbits and berries?"

"Wizards rise and fall, wars rise and fall. It will all go on," Griphook grumbled.

"Yeah but we might not," Seamus pointed out. "If it's up to me, I'd like to not fall."

"It's not up to you."

Dean and Seamus exchanged a look. What little Griphook said was always grim like this. Seamus frequently wondered if it had been worth it to save the obnoxious little thing and put themselves in danger like they had. It wasn't like he brought much to their group other than his inane mumblings.

"We've got to get some real food, and maybe some jackets," Dean said.

"It's too dangerous," Seamus protested.

"We're sitting ducks either way," Dean replied. "And at this rate we'll be too tired and hungry to travel at all."

Seamus looked at Dean, really looked at him for the first time in months. His cheeks were hollow, and his tattered clothes clung to his skinny frame. The broad shoulders Seamus loved were bony and sunken with exhaustion. Between the cold and the wet and their lack of proper clothing, they almost never stopped shivering.

"Ye're right," Seamus said. "Sometimes…" He sighed. "Sometimes I just wish they'd find us already, that way it'd all be over."

"Hey." Dean's voice was stern. "Don't talk like that. We're going to survive this."

"How do you know?" Seamus asked.

Dean reached over and took his hand, rubbing his thumb over Seamus' dirty knuckles. "I have faith."

Griphook snorted derisively, ruining the moment, but Seamus' chest felt warmer than it had in months.

They decided that one of them would go into town to find a warm meal and the other would try to find some clothing. Griphook insisted that he didn't need anything and continued to munch on the squirrel he'd caught. The plan was to go into town for only an hour, regroup, and leave immediately. If they encountered any trouble they were to send sparks into the air. Hopefully Muggles would just think they were fireworks, but at this point they really didn't care.

Dean and Seamus parted at the edge of the forest, clinging together with one last kiss before going their separate ways. Seamus went for the seedier side of the town, looking for a homeless shelter or some restaurant dumpsters, maybe even an open window he could summon some food out of.

As he walked, paranoia crept up his body and settled itself around him like a heavy scarf. Every person around him was suspicious, and he couldn't stop looking around as he walked. He was probably drawing more attention to himself by acting so shifty, but he couldn't help it. He saw threats everywhere.

Finally, he found a soup kitchen and went inside. There weren't many people, for which he was grateful, and the woman at the front graciously gave him two to-go packages of stew and bread, and he went on his way.

The aroma of the food made his stomach rumble loudly, and he hadn't realized just how starved he'd been until presented with real food. Part of him wanted to sit on the closest bench and scarf down his portion, but he needed to get out of the town first. The knot in his chest eased slightly when he left the town limits and approached the edge of the forest. Their not-really-a-campsite wasn't far, and if he could just—

"Stupefy!"

The spell hit Seamus square in the back, and he fell forward, blackness swallowing his mind.

HPHPHP

[content warning: misgendering, deadnaming]

"Rennervate."

Consciousness flooded back into Seamus, and he jerked wildly upon remembering that he was attacked. Something restrained his hands behind his back, though, and he realized he was tied to someone. More than one someone. Looking to either side of him, he saw Dean and Griphook, and when he looked up he saw seven figures in long black cloaks, and his heart sank. Snatchers.

"Rise and shine!" sang a woman, peering at them with dark glee.

"Your shelter idea paid off, Carswell," said another Snatcher.

"What better place for Mudbloods to hide than among the Muggle filth?" growled another.

"Enough," a huge, menacing Snatcher grumbled, pacing around into Seamus' view. Seamus froze when he saw the Snatcher's pointed teeth and matted hair. He'd heard rumors of a werewolf Death Eater, who cannibalized the victims he didn't turn. This must be him: Fenrir Greyback.

"Let's see if we can make a profit off them," Greyback growled. "Scabior, get the list."

"Yeah, Scab, check the list!" cried another woman.

Another Death Eater—Scabior—glared at her, but pulled a roll of parchment out of his robe pocket. "What's ya names?"

Seamus looked over his shoulder at Dean, who shook his head resolutely. Another Snatcher reared back, and Seamus expected a curse or a jinx, but instead he backhanded Seamus across the face. Stars danced in his vision, and he spat out the blood that pooled in his mouth.

"Thomas!" Dean cried out. "Dean Thomas."

Scabior grinned widely. "Well, well, well. We've caught ourselves a Mudblood!"

The Snatchers all jeered and laughed at Dean. Greyback snarled at him. "I thought I smelled something rotten."

"Finnigan, half-blood!" Seamus announced just so they'd leave Dean alone.

"Got a Siobhan Finnigan on 'ere," Scabior said, then squinted at Seamus. "Wait a second, you're a girl, ain't you?"

Greyback leaned in close, closing his hand around Seamus' jaw. He leaned in close, close enough that Seamus could count the individual whiskers on the hideous man's face. He tilted Seamus' head and leaned in further, pressing his nose against Seamus' hair and breathing deeply. Seamus felt like he might be sick.

"Smells good enough to eat," Greyback growled.

"Leave hi—her alone!" Dean shouted. The pronoun stabbed Seamus in the heart, but he squashed the Terrible Thought down. He knew it was just to protect Seamus from further abuse if they knew just how different Seamus was.

"A Mudblood and a truant," Scabior declared. "Let's turn 'em in and—"

Suddenly, there was a loud crackle and the air around them felt charged with electricity. The Snatchers' faces lit up with excitement.

"What a lucky night!" Scabior yelled with glee, then a Snatcher grabbed Dean and Seamus by the shoulders.

"On three!" Greyback yelled, then he counted and they all Disapparated.

After squeezing through space and time and feeling almost like they'd been put through a meat grinder, they emerged in another forest. One of the Snatchers grabbed at their tied-together hands again and forced them to the ground.

"Fan out, come on," Greyback commanded.

"A tent, there!"

"Let's see what unlucky ducks triggered the Taboo."

Seamus looked around wildly, trying to see anything

"Come out of there with your hands up!" one of the Snatchers shouted from somewhere Seamus couldn't see. "We know you're in there! You've got half a dozen wands pointing at you and we don't care who we curse!"

"Dean? Dean, what's happening?" Seamus hissed.

"Someone triggered the Taboo," Dean said.

"Yeah, I gathered that much, thanks," Seamus snapped. He tried wriggling his hands and arms, but the ropes dug into his skin too much. "D'ye have yer wand?"

"No, they snapped ours," Dean replied, and Seamus felt like part of himself had snapped.

There was a struggle beyond them, and Seamus could hear multiple voices protesting against the Snatchers.

"Get—off—her!" someone shouted, and a girl screamed in protest as the boy was presumably beaten.

"Two?" Seamus asked.

"I think three, the other one's just being quiet," Dean said. "It's so dark, it's hard to tell."

Seamus strained his ears to listen as the Death Eaters interrogated the three. If they triggered the Taboo, that had to mean they were on their side, right? He thought he heard one of the Snatchers say they looked Hogwarts age. If they were fellow schoolmates, even dormmates—

"Bind them up with the other three prisoners!" Greyback's raspy voice snarled.

Seamus heard a struggle as the trio were dragged over to where Dean, Seamus, and Griphook were sitting. A Snatcher with more rope tied them all together, then stalked away.

"Anyone still got a wand?" asked one, a boy. The voice sounded familiar, but Seamus wasn't sure if that was true or just wishful thinking.

"No," said the other two, a boy and a girl.

"This is all my fault," the first voice continued. "I said the name, I'm sorry—"

"Harry?" Dean whispered, and Seamus' heart pounded.

"Dean?" the voice said incredulously.

"It is ye!" Seamus exclaimed in a hushed voice.

The other two—they had to be Ron and Hermione—squawked, "Shea?!"

"If they find out who they've got—!" Dean continued. "They're Snatchers, they're only looking for truants to sell for gold—"

Greyback returned. "Not a bad little haul for one night," he snarled with satisfaction. "A Mudblood, a runaway goblin, and four truants. You checked their names on the list yet, Scabior?"

Seamus listened, tense, as Scabior revealed that there was no 'Vernon Dudley' on the list. Greyback interrogated Harry about his identity, and Seamus was amazed at how well Harry was keeping up the lie. He wondered how Harry, Hermione, and Ron had been faring on the run. With Hermione along, they'd probably done much better than Dean and Seamus had.

"Hey!" a voice shouted. "Look at this, Greyback!"

"What do they have?" Seamus whispered.

"Looks like a sword," Dean replied.

"No!" Hermione breathed.

"Ve-e-ry nice," Greyback said. "Oh, very nice indeed. Looks goblin-made, that. Where did you get something like this?"

"It's my father's," Harry replied. "We borrowed it to cut firewood—"

"'Ang on a minute, Greyback! Look at this, in the Prophet!"

Seamus listened with a sinking heart as Scabior read off a description of Hermione, and noted the resemblance between her and the photo. The air around them changed as the Snatchers realized who Hermione was, and who she was supposed to be travelling with. Greyback leaned in close to Harry, questioning him further. Seamus' arms were tingling as the blood circulation was cut off from the way they were tied. He wished he had his wand, a rock, anything he could use to fight back.

"I found glasses!" another Snatcher called. "There was glasses in the tent, Greyback, wait—"

There was a tense moment, and from the way Harry groaned Seamus guessed they stuck the glasses on him.

"It is!" Greyback exclaimed with sick glee. "We've caught Potter!"