Stepping out of the Forks hospital, Carlisle took a deep breath of fresh air. Today had been exhausting; he couldn't remember many days that had been more stressful than today. With the ongoing investigation of Harry's disappearance, the hospital had been full of police officers running about asking questions while doctors tried to get on with their jobs. Many had become frustrated, insisting that they knew nothing about the missing boy, and the police had left them alone. They would be back though. They had still found no evidence, for which Carlisle was thankful.

At a leisurely human pace, Carlisle made his way through the carpark to his Mercedes. It was only four o'clock in the afternoon and yet he was finished for the day. The hospital had decided to let him off early after being in the hospital until four o'clock that morning and returning only three hours later. If he were human, Carlisle would be exhausted from lack of sleep and stress. As it were, he still felt decidedly worn out and in need of a break.

When he reached his car, instead of getting inside, he perched himself on the bonnet and looked around the carpark. Two police cars were still parked out the front of the hospital, one of which belonged to Chief Swan. The Chief had spoken to Carlisle again today to tell him what was going to happen.


"Doctor Cullen!" Chief Swan called out across the main foyer. "Mind if we have a word?"

"Of course, Chief," Carlisle smiled. "Let's sit in my office."

The two men walked through the corridors exchanging small talk until they made it to Carlisle's office. Unlocking the door, Carlisle moved aside to allow Charlie to enter.

"What can I do for you, Charlie?" he asked as he gestured to the spare seat for the Chief to sit.

"Well, Carlisle, I just wanted to update you on the situation," Charlie began. He had dark circles under his eyes; while Carlisle had gone home briefly that morning, Charlie had stayed at the hospital all day. He sat slumped back in the chair as though grateful for a few minutes rest. Carlisle felt sorry for him.

"As it turns out, the blood in the room was all Harry's. There're no signs of a struggle or any indication that another person was involved: no finger prints, no blood, nothin'." Charlie let out a long breath. "We're stumped as to what happened to the kid, and without the security footage," he muttered a curse as he mentioned the missing tape, "we have no real way of finding out."

Carlisle observed the defeated man in front of him. He wished he could give Charlie the information he wanted, but that would mean betraying Harry. Carlisle wanted the boy to return and so felt the need to protect his secret, whatever it actually was.

"Did you find any sign of him outside?" Carlisle hated himself for asking these useless questions, but he felt the need to know everything the police had or had not found.

"Nope," Charlie huffed. "If it wasn't impossible, I'd be willing to say the kid vanished into thin air."

Carlisle gave a tight smile.

"Yes, it does feel like that, doesn't it?" Saving him from saying anything more, his pager went off. He was needed in emergency.

"I'd better let you get back to it, then," Charlie said as he stood. "Sorry for keeping you."

"Not at all, Charlie," Carlisle replied as he too stood to leave. "I appreciate you keeping me updated on Harry's disappearance." He couldn't help saying Harry's name with a little emotion, making Charlie pause and look at him.

"You really are worried about the boy, aren't you?" he sounded almost awed.

"Of course. Harry is a very special young man."


"Carlisle?"

Coming back to the present, Carlisle turned towards the voice; it was Simon.

"Thinking heavy thoughts, are you?" he asked, leaning against the car beside the Mercedes.

"Just wondering where Harry is," Carlisle admitted. Simon gave a light chuckle.

"You and everyone else in this town. There was something peculiar about that kid."

"Yes, he was certainly diff–"

Hold on.

"Sorry, everyone in this town?" Had he heard that properly?

Simon looked at him, bewildered.

"Of course! What do you expect? Nothing stays secret for long in Forks, especially something as big as a patient going missing from the hospital. Apparently everyone in town has been talking about it today."

This was bad. This was very bad. The whole of Forks couldn't possibly know about Harry, could they? How much would they know? Perhaps Harry shouldn't come back to Forks. He could get into deep trouble if he returned and the police found him. They would ask all kinds of awkward questions.

"How much do they know?" Carlisle's mouth was suddenly very dry.

"Well, they don't know anything major, of course," Simon assured him. "Nothing like his name or where he's from or anything. Heck, that's all that we know! Nah, it's just the general stuff, you know, that a kid has gone missing from the hospital and no one has any clue where he's gone."

Carlisle relaxed slightly. Perhaps it wasn't so bad. There was still the problem of the entire hospital and police department knowing exactly who Harry was. They would have no doubt if they ever saw him again.

'What am I thinking? I'm getting ahead of myself; who ever said Harry would come back?'

"You should probably get home, Carlisle," Simon spoke up, pulling Carlisle out of his thoughts once again. "You look exhausted."

"I probably should, you're right. I'll see you tomorrow, Simon. Call me if there are any updates."

"Of course," Simon assured him. "See you, Carlisle." He turned and headed back inside the hospital.

Carlisle gathered himself together and got into his car. There was no point hanging around at the hospital any longer. He had been told to go home and rest, and that was what he planned on doing. Partly.

He pulled out of the carpark and was soon out in the minimal traffic of Forks. Before long he made it to the edge of town and sped up; he knew exactly where all the police officers were today, and none of them were out looking for speeding cars.

Carlisle allowed himself to think again. He needed to let Harry go. Even if there was any chance the boy wanted to return to Forks, it would most likely be too dangerous for him to stay. No doubt someone would recognise him and he would be taken in for questioning by the police. Carlisle hoped that wherever he had gone he had friends with him. The boy's words about family had troubled Carlisle deeply.

A bright, blue light coming from ahead brought Carlisle out of his thoughts. He slowed his Mercedes slightly, keeping an eye and ear out for anything strange. He was most of the way back to the house and so there was nothing but the trees that stretched on forever on either side of the road.

All of a sudden he braked, the car screeching to a halt. Had he not been driving slower than usual he could have easily missed the body lying beside the road. A very familiar body.

'Oh no.'

Pulling the car over so it was off the road, Carlisle switched off the engine and jumped out without even bothering to close the driver's door. The smell that hit him when he stepped outside was all the confirmation he needed.

It was Harry.

Carlisle flashed to the boy's side and was relieved to see he was still breathing, though only just. The breaths were slow and ragged, and his heartbeat was weak. Carlisle could smell that Harry hadn't eaten anything in the time he'd been away and guessed that he hadn't drunk either. Carlisle hadn't seen the boy eat or drink once while he was at the hospital; Harry was too weak for his body to stay awake. He needed nourishment.

Carlisle went to pick Harry up to put in his car, but stopped. What was he thinking? He couldn't take the boy home with him. If Harry woke up in a house full of vampires he would try to escape no matter what his condition, and that could make things much worse. Taking him to the hospital was impossible as the whole place was still on the lookout for him. No. The best thing for Carlisle to do would be to treat him as best he could here in the forest and try to convince Harry to accompany him home.

Carlisle hurried back to the car and grabbed an old unused coffee cup that he kept for appearances. This time he shut the door and locked it before racing back to Harry and carefully picking him up. Once he was sure Harry was secure, Carlisle went to move his foot and kicked something along the ground. Looking down he saw a stick come to a gentle stop. He almost ignored it until he felt a tugging memory at the edge of his mind; this belonged to Harry. Taking extra care not to jostle Harry too much, Carlisle pocketed the stick and carried the boy away from the road, deeper into the trees.

There was a creek very close by and that was where he headed. Carlisle placed Harry down gently against a large tree and took the stick out of his pocket to set it down. As he held it, Carlisle noticed how beautiful it was. It was well polished and elegantly carved. It vibrated ominously in his hand, as though it knew what was holding it. Somewhat unsettled, Carlisle placed it down beside Harry and went to fill up the coffee cup.

The water was clear and cool to touch even for Carlisle. He carried the now full cup back to Harry and knelt down beside him. He allowed himself a moment to look at Harry's physical condition. The boy's hands were covered in cuts, Carlisle presumed from the glass in his hospital room. Some of the deeper ones were bleeding and would need stiches if Carlisle ever had the opportunity to do that for him.

Unable to resist the temptation, Carlisle carefully shifted the boy's dark fringe to reveal the thin scar he had seen briefly in the hospital. It was the most curious scar Carlisle had ever seen, a perfectly drawn lightning bolt etched into the skin nearly as old as Harry himself, suggesting he had received it as an infant. Carlisle wondered if he would ever learn of its significance.

Dipping his hand into the water, Carlisle gently flicked his dripping fingers at Harry's face.

No reaction.

Carlisle did it again. This time Harry groaned.

"Ron, stop – gerroff…" Harry's eyes moved behind his closed lids.

Carlisle cupped some water in his hand and threw it in Harry's face.

The reaction was instant; lurching upright, Harry coughed and spluttered, his face dripping. Eyes still closed, he removed his wet glasses to wipe them. Carlisle watched as he then gave his eyes a quick rub before replacing his glasses back on to his nose. As the coughs subsided he opened his eyes. Harry yelled out in surprise.

Carlisle took a step back in alarm. Harry's eyes were wide in fright as he took in his surroundings.

"Where am I? What have you done? What's going on?" Carlisle could sense the hesitation and fear behind the demand. This was not the same boy Carlisle had treated in the hospital; gone was the confidence and self-assuredness. That had been stripped away in the boy's absence, leaving behind a frightened teenager.

Carlisle put his arms out in front to show he meant no harm, and went to take a step forward.

"Harry, I –"

"Don't come any closer!" He shouted, his hands scrabbling around on the ground. His hand closed around the stick Carlisle had placed next to him and he picked it up. Brandishing it like a weapon, Harry pointed it right at Carlisle's chest. Carlisle froze.

Using the tree behind him for support, Harry managed to get to his feet while keeping the stick pointed at Carlisle. He took his hand away from the tree and stood for a moment before clutching his head and staggering dangerously. Carlisle strode forwards and caught him before he hit the ground. Carlisle could feel Harry writhing in panic in his arms.

"Let me go!" Carlisle ignored him and helped him get his feet firmly planted. When Harry was standing again Carlisle still didn't remove his hand from the boy's shoulder and Harry tried to wrench himself away.

The boy was panicking, Carlisle could see that. Harry gripped tighter on to the stick in his hands and closed his eyes. Carlisle was about to call out to him but before he could get the words out the ground disappeared from beneath him and the air squeezed around them.


Kingsley Shacklebolt stood in his office looking out over London. The fake window was showing the city as a real time image; it was dark, just after one in the morning, the streets quiet. The Ministry was equally silent. Kingsley was only still here because he had been told of an urgent report coming in from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. He had been waiting for a long time now; he would have liked to have gone home.

A soft hoot from behind him made Kingsley turn around. Perched on his desk was a large barn owl, and beside it a package. Kingsley turned to look at the clock on the wall. Harry should have arrived back in America by now, which meant that it was safe for him to be sent the other items Kingsley had for him.

Pulling out his wand, Kingsley tapped the stand the owl sat upon, causing it to glow blue. He then tied the package to the owl's leg and stepped back. Just as the bird stand began to vibrate, a sharp knock came from his office door. The owl vanished in a blue light just as the door opened and a woman stepped inside with two men in her wake. She paused and stared at the spot the owl had just been with narrowed eyes.

"Ah, Prestwick," Kingsley broke the suspicious silence. "I was told that you would be visiting."

Prestwick snapped her eyes from the desk to meet Kingsley's gaze, and her cold stare was replaced with a cruel smile. She strode forwards and placed a bag upon the desk.

"Minister, so good to see you again," Prestwick sneered. "I just wanted to deliver this to you." She gestured to the bag on the desk. Kingsley opened it and made sure not to let the worry show on his face.

"Potter's invisibility cloak," he muttered. "Impressive. Where is he then?"

"He went to St Mungo's to visit that girl, like we expected. Unfortunately he evaded capture," she elaborated, the cold smile never leaving her face. "Potter managed to escape by means of a portkey, which is rather interesting, don't you think?" Her voice was toying now. Kingsley wrapped his hand around his wand inside his robes.

"It is certainly unexpected," he replied. Kingsley noticed the two gentlemen who still stood by the door reach inside their own robes, no doubt going for their wands.

"It is interesting," Prestwick continued, "because Potter should not know how to set up a portkey, which means that someone must have given it to him. That must mean that someone is helping him." She spoke with confidence; she knew exactly what was going on. Kingsley gripped his wand tighter.

"It is also interesting that he was in possession of his invisibility cloak which was, as I understood, in the hands of the Ministry. Now, Minister, I hope you can help me understand this, but how is Potter to have used his cloak when it was in the possession of the Ministry, hmm?" The smile slid from her face.

"The game is up, Minister. I don't know where you sent Potter with that portkey, but mark my words we'll find him," she threatened coldly, her eyes shining in the light. "I know that I saw another portkey disappear off this desk when I walked in. If you're helping Potter then I'm afraid we can only assume you're a traitor to the Ministry," she sighed, pulling out her wand. Kingsley waved his wand and stepped back into solid air. He frowned.

"Oh, and don't bother trying to disapparate. I've already taken care of that," she smiled, showing gleaming white teeth. From outside suddenly came shouts of panic.

"Whoops, silly me," Prestwick laughed. "I forgot to mention there was a little gaol break earlier. I guess that one must have missed your notice." The door swung open and four men filed in. Giving Kingsley no time to react, the Death Eaters' wands were raised and mouths opened.

Kingsley raised his wand, but there was nothing he could do to shield himself from the bright flash of green light.


A/N: Hello everyone. Thank-you so much for the continued support. It means a lot. I know that some people have grown frustrated with the slow updates and short chapters. While I understand your views, I won't be changing how the story is updated. The more important thing to me is well edited and proof-read chapters that come out on a consistent schedule. Getting a new and properly complete chapter out every week is my main focus, and is something that I intend to continue. I have every intention of finishing this story, as it is something that has developed in my mind for a long time now. This update schedule allows me to also keep up with the rest of my life studying medicine at university. So, thank you once more for all the support, and I hope you understand why I update like I do and you can continue to enjoy the story.