Thanks to each and every person who reviewed I love you all. Glad you liked the Dudley thing I thought people might find it too...silly...

Chapter 4

Teddy was close to crying now. The man was sat at the desk again, but he wasn't writing. He was waiting.

Teddy didn't understand it. Any of it. He wanted to go home, but he didn't know if he would. Didn't know if he was ever going to see Harry again, or Ginny, or his grandma, or Ron or Hermione or anyone.

Was he going to die here?

No. He thought fiercely. I'm not going to die. I won't let him kill me.

Maybe it was stupidity rather than bravery, desperation rather than belief, but Teddy was determined anyway.

And when Teddy was determined, nothing could stop him.

Hadn't he got nearly to the top of that bookcase? Wouldn't he have made it if his Grandma hadn't pulled him down? Hadn't he jumped from the top of the climbing frame, even though Victorie had tried to stop him? Hadn't he climbed to the top of those rocks that time, without even slipping? Didn't he always do what he made his mind up to do?

And Teddy had something no one could take away from him.

Didn't everyone always tell him that his parents were looking out for him, that they'd keep him safe, protect him?

I'm not going to die.

----

"Harry!" Ginny yelled suddenly, and Harry, who'd still been getting over the shock of seeing his long-lost cousin, turned quickly, fearful. Ginny was looking out of the window, where a tawny owl was tapping on the glass. His heart beating furiously, Harry raced to window, and opened it. The owl just held out it's leg for Harry to remove the letter, then flew away.

Harry held the letter with shaking hands, turning it so he could remove the seal. It seemed to take him forever to open it, unroll it. And then he read the first few words several times before he could concentrate enough to actually understand them.

Harry Potter.

The child is alive. He will not be harmed as long as you are at Ivy Cottage in the next hour. Alone. If you fail to arrive, or arrive with other people, the child will be killed.

Harry read it again, just to make sure. Then he looked up. Everyone had been reading over his shoulder, everyone was staring at him.

"Ivy Cottage. I've never even heard of it." Hermione said.

"I'll be able to apparate to it." Harry replied.

"You're going?" Andromeda asked him, her voice shaking.

"Of course I'm going." Harry replied. The idea of not going, of leaving Teddy to die was ridiculous.

"We need a plan." Hermione said. When Harry looked confused, she rolled her eyes. "Did you think we'd really just let you go on your own?"

"It tells me to be alone." Harry pointed out.

"Which is why we have to work out how we're going with you without him knowing." Ginny replied. When Harry opened his mouth to argue, Ron cut him off.

"We're not going to put Teddy at risk. We need to work this out. Do you think the invisibility cloak would work?"

"It wouldn't cover three of us." Hermione said.

"What makes you think I don't want to come?" Andromeda asked.

"You need to wait here for news from the ministry people." Hermione said. "I'm sorry, but you're his guardian, they won't tell the rest of us anything."

"Fine." Andromeda muttered.

"Disillusionment charms would be detected." Hermione murmured.

"You could just hang around outside." Harry said. "No - listen - if I go inside, you guys can wait a couple of minutes, then come in too. Someone needs to get Teddy out of there, he's first priority. This guy probably wants to kill me, so he'll attack me straight away, which means I'll have to be ready...maybe I should attack him first..."

"You could go in the cloak." Hermione said. "He doesn't say you have to visible, does he? You go in, stun him, maybe?"

"We could try..." Harry nodded. "I mean it, Teddy's first. Get him out. Don't worry about me."

"We know." Ginny muttered.

----

"Tick-tock." The man said, and Teddy looked up. "Twenty minutes gone...you better hope he can make it in the next forty."

Teddy didn't say anything.

"You better hope he comes alone, too." The man continued. "Otherwise I'll get rid of you on principle, see? Tick-tock..."

Teddy still didn't speak. His hair was changing colours, as it did when he was anxious. Blond, brown, black, red, turquoise, dark blue, emerald green, lilac, pink, violet, blond, brown, black...

"What are you doing?" The man said sharply, finally looking at Teddy properly and noticing. He watched with mild interest and Teddy shrank further against the wall. He was scared, now, and his hair was changing faster, faster, every colour Teddy had ever seen, flashing and changing rapidly, uncontrollably.

"Stop, now." The man said, evidently bored with Teddy's trick now. Then, when Teddy didn't obey, he yelled. "Stop it! Stop it, you little freak."

But Teddy couldn't stop it, his hair changed faster, faster, whirl of colour and he simply looked at the man, scared but pleased that it was annoying him.

"STOP!" The man yelled, and he had his wand pointed at Teddy suddenly. Teddy fearfully tried to make his hair stop, just stay one colour, but it wouldn't, and in anger at his disobedience, then man muttered something, and a jet of light shot at Teddy, who tried to move, to avoid it, and hit his head, hard, on the wall behind him.

Knocked out, he slumped forward, his hair finally sticking on one colour, his favourite turquoise, due to his unconsciousness.

The man watched him for a few seconds, and when Teddy didn't stir, he turned away from the child and began to pace.

Ah Teddy I've put you through so much...I'm so sorry...

How was the letter? I personally think it sounds stupid, it was hard to write. And their plan...was hard to think of and I'm very much doubting it's believability...let me know...