Earlier

'This is one of the most intricate pieces of coding I've ever seen.'

'Ugh, that's not it. I don't want to know what that video was.'

'The poor dear, why can't the world give Harry a break?'

Voices and were running rampant through Edward's head, most of them not his own. It had been almost an hour since Carlisle and Harry had gone to the hospital, the rest of them having spent the time tracing the damning video online. Thankfully, from what they'd found, it hadn't spread too far, but Jasper was still yet to take it down which would only give it more time to disperse. Edward knew Jasper believed he was close, but every minute could prove costly.

Carlisle had sent them one message twenty minutes earlier to say they had made it safely to the security room, but that he still hadn't worked out the owner of the faint scent left behind. Edward wasn't pleased to learn that Harry wasn't with him having gone back to Carlisle's office to search for possible names. Carlisle admitted he hadn't liked their split either, but believed Harry could take care of himself.

"Found any more copies of it?" Bella's voice broke through the constant chatter in Edward's head. She was sat beside him, looking over his shoulder at the computer screen he had been working at. He took her hand and began to play with it absentmindedly.

"Not for a while, no," he answered. "None of us have found any recently, and Jasper's just about there with removing it for good."

"That's good," Bella sighed, resting her head on his shoulder. "I wonder if Harry will ever get a quiet life."

"The world seems to have it in for him, doesn't it?"

"At least he's got Carlisle back. He already seems so much better in just a couple of days," she said happily. Edward nodded.

"Those two seem to understand each other in a way that helps them both; Carlisle is always happier after their chats, too." His thoughts drifted back to Thanksgiving when they had all spent the whole day together. It had been the most light-hearted they had seen Harry, his happiness infecting everyone around him. Since making up with Harry, Carlisle had returned to his cheerful self as well. Seeing everyone having fun together made Edward immeasurably happy, but there was a shred of doubt and sadness with it. His feelings must have caused his shoulders to tense as Bella lifted her head and frowned at him.

"What's wrong?" she asked him.

"When I found Harry he was waiting at an airport," Edward began. He hadn't ever really gone into detail of how he'd found Harry or what they'd spoken about; it had stayed between the two of them as a pact of silence they never addressed. "He told me that he had to go back sometime, but not until he's ready. I was just thinking –" Edward hesitated. "I was thinking about the future, when Harry does go home… do you think he'll ever come back?"

It was something that had been worrying Edward since having found Harry and bringing him back to Forks. Seeing him seriously consider leaving had reminded him that Harry did have another home that wasn't here in Forks with them. He had become so used to his presence and accent that the abrupt reminder had shaken him. Would Harry still need them once he was fully healed and surrounded by his loved ones again in England? He had spoken of his late friend Ron's family in particular having taken him under their wing; would Harry want to split his love between two continents?

"What?" Bella gasped. "Harry wouldn't leave us for good! Would he?" Edward watched the worry seep into her eyes as she bit down on her lip. He regretted voicing his concerns at once.

"No," he quickly denied, "I'm sure he'd visit. It doesn't exactly take him long to get here, does it?" He tried to put a reassuring smile on his face. "Let's not make new worries for ourselves just now. We can do that after we know Harry's identity is safe." Bella nodded in acceptance, a look of unease still on her face. She opened her mouth to speak but the ringing of Edward's phone interrupted her. He answered it and put it on speaker for Bella's sake.

"Carlisle, what's happening?"

"I've done it!" Jasper suddenly called from elsewhere in the house. A collective sigh of relief escaped from everyone.

"Well done, Jasper," Carlisle praised. "I know who it is – the scent – I've worked it out." Edward could hear his father's footsteps in the background. "It was one of the nurses, a Suzanne Prestwick."

Edward glanced at Bella with a frown. "Prestwick? But I know that name. That's –"

"The woman who's Minister for Magic in Harry's world, yes. A relative, I believe, it can't be the same woman." Edward listened to Carlisle's footsteps quicken. "I haven't heard from Harry since we parted; I'm heading back to my office to find him. Hopefully he hasn't gone looking for her himself."

Edward and Bella exchanged a concerned look. If Carlisle hadn't heard from Harry since they split, that was well over half an hour ago. The rest of the family had joined them in the room, each one of them with similar looks of unease.

A sharp intake of breath came from over the phone.

"What is it?" Edward demanded.

"She's been here," he murmured. "Just outside my office her scent is strong, as is Harry's. Neither of them are here."

Seven gasps filled the room. Emmett was the first to speak.

"Is this nurse magic? Is she a witch?"

"I don't know," Carlisle admitted. "I don't believe so. Her scent is ordinary compared to Harry's and even that woman who came to speak to him at our house. I would say she has no magic."

"So she's taken him on foot then?" Edward asked, already on his feet.

"So it would appear. I need some of you to come and help me cover more ground. Esme, would you stay at the house in case Harry somehow finds his way there?"

"Of course, dear," she said, her voice far steadier than her thoughts Edward could hear.

"We'll be there in a minute, Carlisle," Edward said and ended the call. "Bella, come on, I'm taking you home."

"What?" she cried. "Shouldn't I stay here in case Harry comes?"

"That's why Esme's staying. We'll need you at your house in case Harry ends up closer to your place and makes his way there." They headed outside, the others already sprinting off to the hospital. "Besides, the last thing we need is for Charlie to notice you missing." He kept walking towards the trees, away from the garage full of cars.

"Fine then. Why aren't we going to the car?"

"No time," he said. "Have I given you a piggyback yet?" He grinned madly at her, slinging her up onto his back. She shrieked as Edward sprinted through the trees. Edward tried to take the smoothest path possible, but Bella still kept her head tucked firmly into his neck. It only took them a few minutes to reach her house, and a few more after that for Edward to detach Bella from him. Edward grabbed onto her waist and leapt right up to her bedroom window, helping her in. He could hear Charlie's snores down the hall.

"You'll let me know as soon as you know anything, won't you?" Bella asked. Edward could see she was terribly worried about Harry. The fact it seemed he hadn't been able to use his magic to get away was weighing heavily on all of them.

"Of course. Likewise if you find him or hear anything odd you'll call me?" She nodded. He kissed her gently on the forehead. "I'll see you soon."

"Yeah," Bella agreed. "Soon." She gave him a shaky smile as he dropped to the ground outside and sprinted off to join his family.

It didn't take him long to reach the hospital where he found Carlisle waiting outside.

"No sign of Harry on your way over?" he asked, a deep frown of concern on his face. Edward shook his head. "Come inside then – the others are in there familiarising themselves with Prestwick's scent." Carlisle turned on the spot and quickly headed through the back entrance, Edward following close on his heels.

In no time at all they were at Carlisle's office, the rest of Edward's siblings gathered inside. Edward took in a deep breath; he could easily identify Harry, his scent stronger inside the office as well as in the corridor. The other scent, however, Edward found harder to distinguish. There was definitely no trace of magic in it, and despite its thickness in the air it didn't seem to be as novel as he felt it should. Thinking hard, Edward sat down at Carlisle's desk and began flicking through Harry's file which had been left open. Carlisle closed the door.

"There's no sign of her or Harry past this corridor," he began, addressing them all like his soldiers. "I've run the perimeter already at a narrow radius and neither of their scents lead away from the hospital at all. She and Harry appear to have vanished from inside the hospital."

"She must have taken him somewhere – used one of those glowing transporter things if she's not magic herself," Jasper mused. They all exchanged glances; if Suzanne had taken Harry away using magic, he could be anywhere between Forks and England.

"That seems to be the case, yes," Carlisle agreed.

Edward was only half paying attention to what was being said around him. He was trying to let Suzanne's scent invade his thoughts, because he knew that he recognised it. He continued to look through Harry's medical file, stopping to pause at each S. Prestwick signature. Being back inside this office also sent Edward's memories back to when he first met Harry and how adamant he had been that his family should leave Forks. Edward wondered how things would have turned out if his family had listened to him that day.

Edward pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a frustrated sigh. Why couldn't he place the scent? And why was he having so much trouble holding onto it? It was almost as bland as some of his classmates at school, many of whom he had desensitised himself to after being around them every day. That's what this felt like – like his sense of smell had recognised this as something familiar that he shouldn't bother worrying about. But he should be worrying about it; this woman had taken Harry somewhere they couldn't easily follow. Perhaps they ought to get Artemis out again…

And then it hit him.

His mind raced back to when he stood outside Harry's house with Bella as they went to find Artemis. Suzanne's scent had been there. It was always in Harry's neighbourhood – Edward had assumed it would just belong to another resident on the street. But that's not the only place he knew it. He was sure – he was certain – that he had smelled it near Bella's house as well. His mind had catalogued it as familiar because it was. He had been smelling it every day for months now.

"Edward, what's wrong?" Carlisle's voice came from a thousand miles away, drawing him back into the present. Five sets of golden eyes were fixed on him.

"We were wrong," Edward whispered. "She's been watching the whole time – following us." He stared at his father without seeing him. "She knows who Harry's friends are."

"Edward, what are you talking about?"

She knows his friends.

"She knows that she's involved!" His voice was finally catching up to what his mind had quickly put together. "She's not safe – Bella. Suzanne's going to use her to hurt Harry."

Not caring who might see him, Edward sprinted from the office, hoping against all odds that he wasn't too late.


Meanwhile

Bella lay on her bed staring up at the ceiling. She was exhausted but she knew she would not be getting any sleep tonight; not until she knew what had happened to Harry. Her insides squirmed with worry and helplessness – she hated not being able to contribute anything to the Cullens' search. She had always tried her best not to let it get to her, but as an ordinary human surrounded by vampires and a wizard, Bella couldn't help but feel useless. Edward had tried talking to her about it, but she had brushed him off, assuring him that it didn't worry her. Unable to read her mind, Edward had not been able to prove otherwise, and so had let it be.

She had, of course, been lying through her teeth.

She loved both Harry and Edward dearly, a feeling that had begun to spread to the rest of the Cullens as well. Harry had become the brother she'd never had; she loved being able to offer him help and friendship when he'd had nobody else, and now as he was healing every smile on his face filled Bella with immeasurable joy.

Edward, meanwhile, had become more important to her than she ever could have expected. It felt like years ago that she had suspected Edward of involvement in the disappearance of a foreign boy from the Forks hospital and the mistrust that she had felt towards him. Now she couldn't imagine her life without him, a fact that made her terrified of the future.

There were times when the differences between the three of them slipped from all their minds, allowing them a few moments of uninhibited companionship and equality. All it would take to break that is a casual mention of Harry's magic, or a lightning fast movement from Edward and the reality of their differences would crash around Bella, bringing themselves to the forefront of her mind once again.

She frowned at herself; how could she be thinking of her own insecurities at a time like this? Her best friend was missing, likely kidnapped and in incredible danger, and here she was moping to herself about not having fancy powers. She had done her best to hide her anxieties from her friends, particularly Harry. He was the one who needed everyone's focus, now more than ever. When Harry was safe – and only when Harry was safe – would she dwell on this again, and perhaps talk with Edward.

Bella flung herself off her bed and began to pace her room, rubbing her arms as she did so to try and create some warmth. She'd left her window open in the hope that if Harry did turn up she would be able to hear his arrival quickly, and a cool breeze was blowing in sending chills down her spine. None of them knew what sort of state to expect Harry in when they did eventually find him. No one had dared voice the very real possibility that they would be too late to help.

A snap of a twig outside drew a startled gasp from Bella's lips. She rushed to her window and looked out into the dark street looking for any sign of Harry. Her breath fogging in the freezing air, Bella shivered. There was no indication that anybody was outside, least of all Harry. She was about to pull her head back inside when something on her driveway caught her eyes. It was far too dark to be able to see clearly what it was, and Bella found herself feeling apprehensive. Was it something dangerous?

She pondered calling Edward, but she quickly dismissed the idea. He was busy searching for Harry, something that needed his full attention. He had told her to let him know if Harry turned up, but otherwise, she figured, it was best to leave him and his family to their job. No, she thought, best to leave them alone and leave mysterious object alone too.

Bella dug around in her drawer for a few moments until she extracted a large flashlight. Looking outside again, she pointed the beam of light at the suspicious object only for her to let out another small gasp. There was what appeared to be a book sitting in the middle of her driveway, and sitting on top something small and reflective. Bella's heart jammed in her throat as she realised what it was: Harry's glasses.

Snatching her coat off its hook, Bella ripped open her bedroom door and hurried down the stairs as quietly as she could manage. She carefully turned the knob of her front door and let herself outside. Her bare feet were freezing as they padded across the icy concrete. She fell to her knees beside the book and glasses, reaching into her pocket for her phone; she had to tell Edward. She cursed herself upon finding her pockets empty; she'd left her phone back upstairs.

Bella reached out tentatively to pick up the glasses, but froze as a bright blue light came from somewhere to her left. Instinctively she leapt to her feet, sweeping the flashlight towards where the blinding glow had come from. There was nobody there. She could feel her heart pounding in her temples, the beam from her flashlight wobbling as her hands shook from the cold and fear. Bella knew she needed to get back inside and call Edward, so she forced her legs to cooperate and slowly backed towards the book and glasses; she'd take the glasses inside to show Edward. Bella wondered what had happened to Harry for him to have had his glasses stolen.

Keeping her eyes forward, Bella reached back with her hand, groping around for the glasses. Her hand brushed the book and she crept her fingers along its spine until she found the thin wire frame of Harry's glasses. As soon as she got a good purchase on them, Bella felt a sudden lurch around her stomach as a bright blue light engulfed her. Too surprised to call out, Bella watched as her house disappeared from in front of her to be replaced by a dark clearing in the middle of nowhere.

Still hunched down on the ground, Bella was too terrified to move and so never stood a chance against the heavy blow on the back of her skull. Darkness crept into her vision and she was gone to the world.


Bella woke with the feeling her head was bursting to split open. She tried to clutch it with her hand but found that her body was not following her orders. Willing herself into full awareness, Bella tried again to move her arms, only to find them still unmoving. As she rolled over slightly, she worked out that her arms had been tied tightly to her side.

Her eyes flew open in terror. Her surroundings were almost pitch black, the only light in the clearing given from the large moon above. All she could make out were the giant trees that surrounded her, unable to see anything past them. Her head pounded and she was freezing, her bare feet numb with cold from the frost covering the grass she was sat upon. She groggily tried to remember what had happened.

She remembered being at her house – outside her house. She had found something, something important. But what? She winced in pain as she shifted her head slightly. She had no doubt she had some kind of concussion; where was Carlisle when she needed him?

"Miss Swan, how kind of you to join me." The soft voice came from right behind her, making Bella jump in surprise. It took all of her strength not to cry out in pain and fear. She heard soft footsteps to her right as the owner of the voice walked to stand in front of her. Bella looked up into the eyes of her captor, struggling to make out any details except the large baseball bat in the woman's hand.

"Who are y–you?" Bella asked, her voice trembling.

"I think you know who I am, dear," the woman replied. In a different, non-life-threatening scenario, Bella would have found the woman's voice sweet and peaceful. As it were…

"You're Suzanne," she replied, her tongue feeling heavy in her mouth. "You took Harry. Where is he?!" Her mind finally catching up to what had been happening, Bella managed to fight past the pain in her skull and the fear in her heart.

"Elsewhere," Suzanne said simply. "Harry Potter is presently with my sister being well looked after, I promise. Mr Potter is very important to our cause, we don't mean him any harm." The kindness in her voice terrified Bella more than if she had spat the words in wrath.

"What do you need me for?" Bella knew she was only here because of her friendship with Harry, but she couldn't understand her role in their grand scheme.

Suzanne didn't answer immediately. Instead Bella watched as her silhouette stepped back and reached down to the ground. A bright light suddenly filled Bella's face as her own flashlight was shone into her eyes. The flashlight was set upon the ground, lighting the woman in front of her. When the flash had disappeared from her eyes, Bella finally could make out her captor.

She was tall, accentuated by Bella's current position on the ground, and strongly built. She looked to be somewhere in her thirties or forties, the hairs by her ears beginning to lighten to grey from their usual dark shade. Surprisingly, her features were kind; Bella had half expected a long nose with a wart on the end. Unfortunately for her, though, this wasn't a fairy-tale.

"It's not easy, is it?" Suzanne queried, giving no indication she intended to answer Bella's question. "Being the one with nothing special to give? No magic in your blood." She paced just outside the beam of the flashlight, the baseball bat hanging limply at her side. "I've never been bitter of my sister's abilities, I love her too dearly for such childish nonsense. I found it far more worthwhile to focus my hatred on those who kept us apart. It's a shame, Isabella, that you do not share my maturity over the matter." She stopped pacing and glanced down at Bella, sighing sadly.

"What are you talking about?" Bella was finding it difficult to focus on the conversation. Her head was still pounding and she was too busy trying to wiggle her hands free. It was all for naught.

"I have been watching you and Harry so very closely these past months. I feel like I know all about you, dear – the awkwardness of your relationship with your father, your love of anything quiet and relaxing despite befriending the most troublesome person Forks has ever seen. Not to forget of course your growing animosity toward Harry's magic and your own… plainness." Suzanne shook her head with a look of deep sadness on her face. Bella could feel herself flushing.

"I don't hate Harry," she said firmly.

"Oh no, dear, I didn't mean to upset you!" The fluffy kindness was back, the constant changes in attitude giving Bella whiplash. "I know you don't hate your friend, but you hate his magic and, horribly, you hate yourself as well." Suzanne made a sudden shushing noise as though to stop Bella's argument. "No, stop, I understand. You have no worth at all. That boyfriend of yours is only with you out of pity; even without magic or anything special himself he's in a league well above yours, my dear. But surely you must realise that everybody pities you, and as soon as they grow bored you'll be left alone once again."

Bella stared defiantly at the grass, determined to not let the tears fall. It sounded disgusting said out loud, but Suzanne was right; not one of the things she said had not crossed Bella's mind in the past few weeks. She had surrounded herself with people who were just better than her – that was the truth of it. How could Bella ever amount to anything when she compared herself with people like that? But Suzanne was right: soon enough Harry would be happy enough to go home. Perhaps at first he'd still visit but soon enough he would find his place back in the wizarding world and stay there. As for the Cullens, Bella knew they couldn't stay in one place forever to avoid raising suspicion. Eventually they'd have to leave as well, leaving Bella behind just like Suzanne promised.

"You're wrong," Bella said, though her words were empty. She knew that she couldn't dwell on her own insecurities right now. She needed to keep her wits about her if she was going to find out anything more about where Harry was being kept. "Tell me where Harry is."

SMACK

Bella fell sideways in a heap, the blow across her face coming as a complete shock. She lay with her eyes squeezed shut, the harsh sting on her cheek adding to the throbbing pain in her skull. Bella had been proud that she had held herself together during Suzanne's verbal attack, but this demeaning physical assault was what caused the first tear to streak down her face.

"Oh dear," Suzanne cooed, "I'm so terribly sorry, but you were making me angry. You see, it isn't polite to make demands of your elders like you did. That's why I needed to punish you, sweetheart." The repulsive sweetness in her voice brought more tears to Bella's eyes.

"No one is coming for you, Isabella. Harry is a little preoccupied and your father and boyfriend are probably fast asleep at this late hour. You're all alone. What good practice this will make for your future," she finished happily.

Bella's eyes opened sluggishly at Suzanne's words about Edward. Did she not know they were vampires? Bella dared to hope – maybe they had one up on the Prestwicks.

CRACK

The sound like a gunshot couldn't even rise Bella from her prone position she was in so much pain. Footsteps approached them.

"Wonderful work, my dear sister." The other Prestwick had joined them.

"Isabella has been difficult, but with some tough love I think we've learned our lesson, haven't we Isabella?" Bella did not respond as the two women began to laugh. She glanced up, seeing the two of them standing in the beam of the flashlight glaring down at her. It was obvious they were sisters, though Suzanne had definitely aged the worse of the two. They both had the same manipulative smile, though while Suzanne's eyes masked her inner evil with kindness, the other Prestwick's eyes were as cold and unfeeling as Bella knew her to be.

"Isabella will be coming with me now," Prestwick said, waving her wand at Bella who flinched back. She let out a startled grunt as a thick rope tied around her jaw, effectively gagging her silent. "Take this, sister." Bella watched on as the witch handed over a large rock. "It will return you to your work. I will come find you when the next step is ready to begin."

Suzanne smiled lovingly and reached out for the rock.

"Thank-you for spending some time with me, Isabella. The next time we meet the world will be a very different place." She grabbed the rock and disappeared in a flash of blue light. Prestwick's eyes shifted down to where Bella still lay.

"Time for you to take your starring role." Prestwick bent down and roughly grabbed the back of Bella's shirt. She gave a great pull and suddenly Bella was being squeezed from all sides in the compressive darkness. As quickly as it came, the pressure released and Bella could feel the cold grass beneath her legs again. Held up in a kneeling position by the scruff of her neck, Bella could feel the tip of Prestwick's wand pointing into her temple. The tears almost began again as she realised she was sitting eye to eye with Harry who, like her, was also bound in thick ropes. Seeing him stare at her with wide eyes behind his wire-framed glasses caused Bella's stomach to drop unexpectedly; it hadn't been Harry's glasses on her driveway. She'd been fooled. Prestwick's voice broke through her distress, and made her blood run cold.

"Either you help my sister and me reveal magic to the Muggles, or Isabella Swan dies."


A/N: Hello! First off thank you for the continued reviews and support. I haven't gotten around to replying to many recently due to hectic real world but I hope to do so soon! Nevertheless it is all appreciated very much!

Right into the climax now and not long left of this story (woah). I'm looking for requests as to ideas for oneshots of events in this story that were not played out in chapters. I'm hoping to complete some of those after this finishes as currently there is no immediate plans for a sequel (though this could change if I am struck by a plot).

Again, thanks so very much for the support. See you at the finish line!