Disclaimer: This all belongs to JK Rowling.

Hi again. Sorry its taking so long. Thank you to the wonderful reviewers! I promise to continue writing this one. As for "To Wish One Could Forget", I am so sorry, but I just plain ran out of ideas. If you have any, I'm open to any suggestions anyone might have for finishing that one. As for this story, I still have plenty of ideas to keep it going, only limited time to write them down.

And umm, I'm not going to go easy with the whole "escaping" thing. Just don't happen. I like drama and angst, so, I'm just warning you.

Well, enjoy. Here we go again. Please r/r afterwards.

Chapter 5: Of Traitors and Betrayers

The two figures remained absolutely still until the Death Eaters completely disappeared. "Why can't we just appearate?" Harry asked quietly.

"You can only appearate or dissappearate when the Dark Lord wants you to. Other than that, you can't. That's why it's a great prison. Now, let's get moving. They'll discover you're gone shortly. But before we go any farther," Snape reached into his pocket, "you need to have this back."

Harry opened his hand and received the thing that Snape held out to him. It was his wand. "Where did you get this?" Harry questioned.

"We found it in the bushes of your home. It hadn't been destroyed in the fire. "

"Thank you," Harry said gratefully.

Snape practically pulled Harry to his feet, and they began walking away again. Harry began to gasp for breath, and Snape felt the boy's weight begin to fully lean on him. "Not much farther," he said. Harry was surprised to hear how encouraging his voice sounded.

"Don't move another step," a voice said from the side' a voice that Harry knew all too well. It was none other than Lucius Malfoy, who stepped into viewpoint, his death eater's robe and mask still hiding his face. Still, both Harry and Snape knew who it was. "What a surprise, Severus, to discover that after all this time, you were the traitor. And to think that the Dark Lord trusted you so much. He will reward me greatly for turning you in."

"Move out of the way, Lucius," Snape commanded.

"Or what? They boy won't be able to escape, and in case you haven't noticed, I have my wand aimed at you, so if you make any sudden movements, don't think I won't blast you away."

"There are two of us, and one of you," Harry said quietly. "You may be able to get one of us, but can you get us both without one of us hitting you?"

"One is better than nothing," Malfoy remarked snidely, although Harry had taken away some of his confidence.

Snape slowly made his way from where Harry was standing, and without the support of a strong arm, Harry nearly fell flat on his face. "Stop moving!" Lucius commanded. Snape obediently stopped. Footsteps and voices were heard behind them. "Ah, just in time."

Snape used the opportunity of Lucius being distracted to yell "Expelliarmus!" Lucius went flying in the opposite direction of his wand, slamming into a tree behind him. "Come on, Potter," Snape hissed. "We haven't a second to lose!" Harry struggled to his feet, and Snape turned, then seemed to fall away from view with a gasp of surprise.

"Professor," Harry softly called after his professor. 'What has happened to him?' he wandered. A voice behind him hissed, "Now I have you." Turning quickly, Harry saw that it was Peter Pettigrew. He had somehow woken up and made his way to where Harry and Snape had been. He was without his wand, but armed with a very dangerous looking knife.

Harry would have screamed, had he the energy left in him. But there not a breath to be spared for screaming, and come to think of it, would he really want the other death eaters to hear him. Either way, he was pretty well doomed. He suddenly remembered that he had his wand with him once more. Taking caution to make sure that Wormtail didn't see his wand, he quickly raised it up and aimed and fired a curse at Wormtail. But instead of the curse finding its mark, it bounced away with a swift motion of his hand.

Startled, Harry saw that Wormtail had raised his silver hand and warded off the curse. It was amazing, and at the same time very frightening. He shuddered and stumbled backwards, as Wormtail thrust the knife in his direction. "Master! I have him here!" Wormtail called to Voldemort. Harry knew that he had to fight if he was ever going to get away. So, fight he did. As Wormtail had turned his head to call for Voldemort, Harry lunged for the overweight, balding servant.

Wormtail cried in surprise, and raised a hand to defend himself. He was overtaken by the scrawny, nearly dead boy, and couldn't defend himself to, literally, save his life. Harry latched onto the silvery arm so that Wormtail could not use whatever magic it harnessed. Wormtail's knife lay on the ground not far away, but just out of reach of the both of him. Harry didn't know if he could use it to defend himself anyway. He was angry with Wormtail, but killing him was something he was unsure of. Wormtail, however, would not hesitate to use the knife if given a chance.

The two struggled for a long time. Voldemort had been delayed temporarily, but nothing would hold him away from his objective for long. Harry was weak because of his recent mistreatment, but Wormtail was naturally weaker. However, it was inevitable what happened next.

Wormtail gained an advantage over Harry. He had not recently been in a plight for his life as Harry had. Eventually, Harry was pushed aside by Wormtail. The two of them had been struggling so hard, that when Harry was roughly thrown aside, he heard his arm crack, and knew that it was broken. Lights flashed before his eyes, and he felt sick at the sound.

Wormtail took the advantage he had and used it to grab the knife that lay abandoned on the warm earth. Harry struggled to stand on his own two feet as Wormtail darted toward him. The knife paused between them as Harry struggled to keep it away from himself. His right arm, the one which had not been broken, soon gave out though. He felt the cold steel stab into the skin of his stomach, and the sickening sound of the blade going through skin and blood. He felt the blood begin to pool around the blade, until Wormtail pulled it free of Harry. The teenager stood there for a moment, as though in shock at what had just happened. He was in pain, although his mind had yet to realize it. He sank onto his knees in an almost forlorn fashion.

"This time, there will be no escaping alive," Wormtail said in a snide tone.

"How could you?" Harry gasped.

"You shouldn't be surprised. You, of all people, know what I am capable of."

"You are a COWARD!" Harry shouted the last word. "A traitor and a betrayer! You hurt the only people I loved, and who truly loved me! And for what?"

"The Dark Lord will reward me greatly when this war is won. I have done more than my share to secure my position as one of his right hand men."

A thought occurred to Harry then. Maybe it was part of the exhaust, and the mental fatigue, but he clearly remembered something he had been told at the end of his third year: That Wormtail owed him a wizard's debt. He had saved Wormtail's life, as pitiful a life as that was, and as undeserving he was to have his life saved.

"You owe me," Harry said quietly.

"What?"

"You owe me. I saved your pathetic life. And this is how...I...am repaid." Breathing was becoming more difficult, and the blood seemed to flow more steadily as the time wore on. He knew he hadn't much longer.

Wormtail stood there, shell shocked at what he had just been told. It was the face someone has when they are told something that they knew, but had forgotten, even though they should have remembered, along with the look of dread and regret. After all, what happens to a wizard who doesn't fulfill his debt to another? Ask a ghost, and maybe they will tell you.

Wormtail realized what he had to do as Harry tried to stand again, and this time collapsed against a tree. Death eaters came from everywhere, seeing Harry and Wormtail there in the trees. "I'll kill him!" Crabbe and Goyle said in unison.

"No!" the sharp voice of Voldemort rang clear. "I will be the one to kill him. Wormtail here has just made my job much easier."

"I can't let you do it," Wormtail said in a quiet voice.

"What did you just say?" Voldemort hissed.

"I can't let you kill him. I am indebted to him. I owe him my life."

"You owe the boy nothing! Now step aside, or you will meet the same fate as he!"

"I can't!"

Harry was surprised at the sight unfolding before his eyes. He would have appreciated it more, had he not been on the verge of dying right there. Wormtail was actually being brave, for once in his life.

"You were warned!" Voldemort said, almost shrieking.

"Avada Kedarva!" The green light came from the tip of the wand, and Wormtail was dead in an instant.

Wormtail fell to the ground, landing on a great pile of dust that had been directly underneath him. As the dust clear, the death eaters saw something they couldn't believe. Harry Potter was gone!

Snape, unseen by all there, appearated there and away in a split second. He had managed to sneak Harry away from the prying eyes. They landed not far away, because Snape himself was very warn out. He had met up with a huge plant that had seemed to want to trap him. No spells had worked, and he had had to fight it. The plant had had poisonous thorns that tore skin easily, and had fought Snape. (He would have to remember to ask Professor Sprout about it.) He had heard yells and words coming from Harry and someone who sounded like Wormtail, but had been unable to do anything.

He fell to the ground, with Harry still firmly in his arms. He sank to the ground, and realized how badly injured the boy really was. Blood spilled everywhere, and he was barely breathing. His skin was cool to the touch, and he had the look of someone on their way out of this life.

Rising to his feet, Snape looked around. From a distance, he could see Dumbledore and Lupin running toward him. He felt relieved, and yet distraught at the same time.

As Lupin neared, only slightly ahead of Dumbledore, Snape extended Harry toward him. He hasn't much longer, he said. Then, as soon as Harry was out of his hands, he collapsed, the poison from the plant having taken its full effect.