7. Run. Crack.

"She's gone. They took her. They took Harriet."

"Who?"

Remy moved to bury her head in her hands but Siria caught them and gripped tight. They sat on the floorboards of the hotel room, Remy unfrozen but still too distraught to make any sense.

"Who? Tell me, Remy. They can't have got far. We'll get her back."

Tears dripped from Remy's eyes and Siria dropped her hands to hold her face instead, her fingers brushing against the scars.

"Come on, Remy. Take a breath. Tell me everything."

"The man we saw – out in the hall," she mumbled. "He's a wizard. He knocked on the door – I thought it was you! But he froze me the second the door opened and took Harriet, and my wand."

"Death Eater?"

Remy shook her head, frowning. "I don't think so. He said something about getting her to a safe place, then he'd be back."

"When?"

"Only a couple of minutes ago…"

"Okay, get back on the floor. Pretend you're frozen."

"What?"

The floorboards outside creaked and Siria leaped back, drawing her wand and positioning herself in the shadows on the right the door. Finally comprehension entered Remy's eyes and she swiped away the tears, lying back into the same position as she had been in before.

The door swung open, blocking Siria's view. She saw two wands first, held in trembling hands.

"I know who you are. And what you are."

The man lifted his own wand and drew the curtains across the window with a quick motion. The light from a half moon shrouded by cloud vanished.

Idiot.

But how could he know about Remy? She didn't recognise his voice.

"The aurors are coming. They'll lock you up, and the other one too, when she gets back. You'll be in Azkaban for years."

Not a Death Eater then – probably an overzealous Gryffindor alumnus. Or perhaps a Hufflepuff, doing what he thought was right. Considering his shaking hands, that was more likely. He stepped past the entrance to the door and kicked it shut behind him. Siria stepped forward and pressed the tip of her wand against his neck.

"Don't move," she hissed, reaching around him to take both wands from his now limp grasp.

She spun him around, passing Remy's wand back to her.

"Where is she? Where's Harriet?"

With his back against a wall, three wands aimed at his chest, his chin lifted even as his lips trembled.

"I will never tell you. That child is the saviour of the wizarding world. And she is a child. I will not let her fall into the hands of Death Eaters again."

If he really was a Hufflepuff, this was going to be harder than she had hoped. It would take hours to make him submit to threats if he had it fixed in his head that was doing the right thing.

Siria dropped the wands to her side. Remy eyed her, confused.

"We're not Death Eaters. Look."

She pulled up her sleeve to reveal clear skin where the dark mark would have been. Uncertainty crossed the man's face for a moment, then he shook his head, resolve intact.

"That doesn't mean you don't work for You-Know-Who."

"Look – what's your name?"

"Um. Derek."

"Derek, we're not Death Eaters. We don't work for You-Know-Who. We've been framed and we're trying to get to Hogwarts to clear our names."

Again, uncertainty – followed by resolve. "Why should I believe a word you say? Your faces are printed on the front page of every newspaper in Britain!"

"Confundo!"

Siria jumped as Derek shuddered, the spell seeping into him. She turned on Remy.

"What'd you do that for?"

"We need to get an answer fast! The aurors will be here any minute!" Remy hissed.

"Wha- Who?" Derek mumbled, swaying to one side as he looked between Remy and Siria.

"Hi Derek, we're the aurors you called. Can you tell us where the baby is please?" Remy asked with a gentle smile.

"Uh – you are? You look like-"

"Just a disguise to trick them, sorry for any confusion. Where is the baby? We need to get her to a safe place. You've done a great job, Derek."

A dazed smile hovered on Derek's lips. "Oh. Thank you. My room…"

He fumbled in his pockets to produce a key with the number 23 engraved on its wooden keyring. Siria grabbed it a bit too eagerly and Remy shot her a warning glance.

"You've really done a good thing here, Derek," Remy murmured, drawing him out of their room and down the corridor.

Siria shoved the key in the lock of room 23 and twisted. She pushed her way inside, Remy and Derek close behind. Harriet sat in a cot, biscuit crumbs all down her already-grubby t-shirt. Her face lit up in a smile at the sight of them and she waved.

Siria scooped her up, holding her close. Harriet happily wrapped her arms around her neck, gurgling a welcome.

"Um, excuse me… what are you doing? I can give you money if you need, but… you shouldn't just take it."

Siria turned. Derek was scratching his head as he watched Remy empty his wallet. He looked over at Siria again, then back at Remy. Confusion twisted into doubt.

The familiar cracks of apparition sounded outside. The aurors were here. She grabbed Remy's hand and disapparated.

Grimmauld Place. The numbers 11 and 13 glared down at her, hiding the true destination.

She tightened her hold on Remy and Harriet then ran, around the corner of the street and down a back alley, distancing them from the traces of magic. The aurors would follow – all she could hope to do was stall them with a confusing mess of apparition. She disapparated again.

Puddlemere quidditch stadium. Roars echoed around them, temporarily whisking Siria back to a happier time. Their shoes clapped loudly on concrete steps. Crack.

Islington Green. The escape of her childhood, before Jane, before Remy. Run. Crack.

Back to Grimmald Place, the other end of the street. Run around the pond. Crack.

Madam Malkin's. Run. Crack.

Remy's house. Run. Crack.

Godric's Hollow. NO.

Remy released Siria's hand, stumbling forward to stare up at the crumbling ruins of the Potters' house.

"Remy, stop. Remy, come on, we have to move."

Harriet let out a wail. Remy didn't move.

Siria hooked one arm around Remy's waist and tugged hard, dragging her away from the location of her nightmares. Crack.

The Shrieking Shack. Near Hogwarts – near Dumbledore. They were so close. She took a gasping breath and fell to her knees, the exertion of so much magic in such a short time bearing down on her. Her stomach roiled with anger at seeing the house again. A rat scurried past and she jumped to her feet, wand pointed. It wasn't Petra.

"We can't stay here," she muttered, trying to focus through a haze of emotion. She and Jane had slid down that bannister a hundred times. "It's too obvious. Come on."

She pulled the still-dazed Remy down the stairs to the ground floor. They continued through the house and Siria kicked down the loose door on the east side, slipping outside. A chill wind stung her skin as it whipped past. The lights of Hogsmeade twinkled under the indigo sky. Harriet whimpered, burying her face in Siria's shoulder and starting to wiggle. Turning, Siria could make out the silhouette of Hogwarts in the distance. Soon her name would be cleared. Soon Petra would be chucked into Azkaban.

"Tomorrow," Remy murmured. Her eyes shone brighter than usual, unshed tears reflecting the stars. Her hand slipped into Siria's and squeezed gently. "It's late. Harriet needs to sleep. We need a plan."

Grudgingly, Siria turned away from Hogwarts. They walked together further up the mountain, where a hundred caves were hidden behind bushes and boulders. One more day.