Chapter 22

- On The Run -

Teddy felt his feet land on the forest floor with a uneven thud. He stumbled slightly, catching himself on a tree branch. Five sets of frantic breathing echoed around the forest. Leaning back against a tree stump, Teddy looked up at the afternoon sun.

"That treacherous little bleeder." Ron grunted. "Is there no one we can trust?"

Arkie, from where she laid on the ground out of breath, shot Ron a stern look. "They kidnapped Lune, Ron. They kidnapped her because..." Her voice trailed off at the last minute and her eyes flew to Harry.

"Because of me."

"He was just desperate." Teddy said quickly. "He had no choice... We all would've done the same if we were him." Ron didn't look convinced and instead stared off into the maze of trees.

A bird flew up into the sky, squawking loudly. But non of them paid any attention to it. Hermione slipped her wand from her pocket. "I'll do the enchantments." She walked to a large tree and Teddy jumped to his feet was a shape stepped out from behind it. A Snatcher, the same one he'd seen nights before Ron had even left, grinned flirtatiously down at Hermione.

"Hello, beautiful."

More Snatchers appeared from behind the trees glaring at the group. "Run!" Harry yelled, but his cry was unnecessary as everyone was already on their feet and dashing away into the woods.

"Well, don't hang about, snatch them." The Snatcher smirked. And the wild chase began.

Teddy was sick of running. It was all they did these days. When could they just rest? Couldn't they have a moment to take the weight off their shoulders and just be kids for another day?

But they weren't kids anymore.

The Snatchers were getting closer. His legs were so tired and sore, he was afraid they might break if he ran much faster. Trees passed him in brown and green blurs. Occasionally, a low hanging branch would miss his face by an inch but he kept on pushing forward. He felt a hand on his shoulder and pulled out his wand.

"Expelliarmus!" The hand lots its grip. Teddy gasped as he nearly dropped his wand. Quickly shoving it in his pocket he looked around for the others. But suddenly he tripped. He rolled in the group painfully but was soon on his feet looking at the others. Hermione was the last to make it to the group. "Harry!" She shouted.

A bright light flew from Hermione's wand hand and hit Harry in the face. The boy was set tumbling over in the dirt. When he got to his knees Teddy flinched at the sight of his face, but relaxed when he realised what Hermione had done.

Harry's face had completely changed. It had gone all puffy, like he'd just recently been beaten up. It was so bad he was unrecognizable. A clever idea on Hermione's part. But Harry hadn't seemed to notice Hermione's brilliance. He gaze was distant and blank.

Teddy had seen that expression enough times to know what was going on in Harry's head. He was once again seeing through the eyes of their greatest enemy. "The Hallows exist..." He said, his voice strange due to his new appearance. "But he's only after one of them, the last one. He knows where it is. He's gonna have it by the end of the night. You-Know-Who's found the Elder Wand."

"Ah!" Arkie screamed, a Snatcher had come up behind her and was holding her arms behind her back with one hand and pointing his wand at her neck with the other.

"Don't touch her!" He yelled, raising his wand but then feeling a great force on his back causing him to fall over. "Unh!"

"Get off him!"

"Gah!"

Harry was being held back by two Snatchers. The leader was marching down towards them, looking at Arkie who was struggling to get to Teddy. "Your boyfriend will get worse than that-"

"Get off me!"

"-if he doesn't learn to behave himself." The leader passed Harry, whose face was so mutilated that one of his eyes were forced to stay shut. "What happened to you, ugly?" One of the Snatchers holding Harry looked offended and the leader rolled his eyes. "No, not you."

Teddy suddenly remembered the Snatcher leaders name. He'd heard it over the radio one night. Scabior.

"What's your name?" Scabior asked Harry.

"Dudley. Vernon Dudley."

If the situation had been nicer, Teddy would've snickered. But what someone has their wand to your neck, humor evaporates before your eyes. "Check it." Scabior ordered a Snatcher who open a book containing, from what Teddy could, hundreds of names.

"And you, my lovelies. What do they call you?" He walked over to Hermione and Arkie.

"Penelope Clearwater, half-blood." Hermione mumbled.

Arkie looked scared beside her, but was able to keep her voice from shaking. "Jane Evans. I'm half-blood too."

"There's no Vernon Dudley on here." The Snatcher who'd been reading the book of names said.

Scabior made an excited, amused face. "Did you hear that, ugly? The list says you're lying. How come you don't want us to know who you are?"

"The list's wrong." Harry replied. "I told you who I am."

Scabior was staring at Harry closely. But the spell was doing its work nicely. Suddenly, Teddy's gut dropped as Scabior used his wand to push back Harry's knotted, sweaty hair, revealing the lightning scar on his forehead. Teddy made a silent curse. He should've thought of that, should've casted a small cloaking spell. But it was too late now. The jig was up.

Scabior had gone ridged. "Change of plan fellas. We're not taking this lot to the Ministry."