Disclaimer: Harry Potter and his world belong to J.K. Rowling. This story belongs to me.

Sticks, Stones and Broken Bones

Chapter 17: Back on the Street

"Harry," whispered Ron, his eyes wide in terror as he turned towards Harry. As soon as he had released them, the kidnapper had turned his attention elsewhere, but although the black-haired boy was glad that the bastard hadn't started on them yet, the fact that he didn't seem worried about their escape from this place did nothing to relax Harry. "What do we do - ?"

"Shh," Harry hissed, equally scared and unable to hide it. Ron must have seen the terror in his eyes because he closed his mouth almost immediately. Harry looked anxiously over to the kidnapper, but thankfully the man was still ignoring them for the moment.

Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Harry looked around the new location with desperation, hoping that there was some way they could get out of this. His heart was beating loudly in his chest, so much so that he could almost hear it through his brand new, and very thick, Weasley jumper, but he clenched his fists tightly to push past the fear. There had to be some way out, some escape. He hated being trapped, almost more than anything else, and the fact that he was trapped with someone who undoubtedly meant him harm caused Harry's stomach to contract in almost debilitating terror.

In fact, the only reason Harry was currently holding it together at all was down to the fact that Ron had been kidnapped as well. The strange, unhinged man was clearly dangerous and Harry was scared just as much for the life of his friend as he was for his own. Ron had little experience in situations like this, so it was up to him to save them. He had to be strong. There had to be something...

"Do you have your wand?" Harry whispered, keeping an anxious eye on the kidnapper.

Wordlessly, Ron shook his head in reply, and Harry felt the beginnings of despair rip through him. From the way the man had transported them here, Harry was sure that he must be magical. But if neither he nor Ron had their wands, how on earth were they going to fight him?

Harry's head was throbbing from where the man had hit him, and confusion was warring with fear as he sought an escape from this desperate situation. Where had the man come from? There were supposed to be wards around the Weasley property that were meant to stop this sort of thing happening. He was supposed to have been safe there...

Squinting in the darkened room, Harry could just about make out the man who had kidnapped them as he searched frantically for something, overturning a set of shelves in his desperation. The room they had landed in looked like a normal living room, albeit one in pretty dire condition, so Harry guessed they were in a house or flat of some sort. Oddly though, it looked like no one had lived there in a long time. There was a layer of dust on the floor where he and Ron were still cowering against the wall, and Harry suspected that the rest of the room wasn't much better. Even in the dark, Harry could see spider webs dotted all over the ceiling, and the room had a damp and musty smell to it that immediately reminded Harry of his old, abandoned pub.

Still looking for a way out, Harry had to hold back a groan when he realised that there was only one door and it was currently being blocked by the small man as he continued to search frantically for something in any cupboard or drawer he could see, muttering to himself as he did so. Harry glanced to his side and saw confusion amidst the fear in Ron's face as he too followed the kidnapper's movements. The redheaded boy clearly had no idea who the stranger was and neither did Harry. Harry didn't know whether to be happy it wasn't someone from his past, or not.

Outwardly, the man didn't seem so much of a threat. He was an extremely short man with fair but balding hair, who looked like he had once been fat but had recently lost a lot of weight. In fact, had they not been taken by surprise, Harry thought he and Ron could have probably freed themselves from him eventually; the man looked weedy, but Harry knew that there was some strength in him since he had already overpowered them once. Harry wasn't particularly big, but he'd always been a fighter, so to overcome him was no mean feat. Despite the aching in his body from the brief struggle, at least Harry now knew not to underestimate the kidnapper at any rate.

Harry flinched hard as the man swung round rapidly, looking back towards them with an angry gleam in his small, watery eyes. His fist was clenched around a wand that he hadn't had originally; it seemed, Harry thought with a sinking sensation in his chest, that the man had found what he was looking for.

"Harry Potter," the man growled, his voice slightly squeaky and hoarse as if from lack of use. As he made his way towards the two boys cowering against the wall in fear, Harry could see him more clearly. He looked like someone Harry could have conceivably met on the streets, with gaunt cheeks and dirty, ratty clothes. Not for the first time, Harry wracked his mind to see if he had met the man before, but he was almost certain he hadn't; he was sure he would remember that strange rat-like face.

The kidnapper stopped just short of him and Ron, clenching his pale, pudgy hand around his wand threateningly, and Harry shrunk against the wall, desperately trying to control the shaking in his limbs.

Harry knew that he couldn't afford to react like he had when Malfoy had shoved him. In fact, that sort of reaction could get him killed here, Ron too. He had to keep control of himself, like he had during the long, lonely months he had lived on the streets. He couldn't let his guard down for even one second, especially in the presence of this unstable man. It was time to bring his street-kid side back.

One of his most important rules? Survival.

"W-what do you want?" Harry stammered, raising his head defiantly as best he could. He knew from experience that he had to at least appear strong. Sometimes it helped to appear weaker than in reality, to lull the attacker into a false sense of security, but he wasn't sure that would work in this case.

"What do I-I want?" the man asked loudly, his own voice shaking slightly. To Harry, he seemed unstable, as if he could explode at any moment. That didn't bode well for Harry and Ron; instability meant unpredictability, and unpredictability never meant good things. The strange rat-like man could attack at any moment. "I want you!"

"Well you're not having him!" Ron replied bravely, scooting himself closer to Harry. Harry felt his own courage grow from the gesture, and despite the fact that Ron's life was in danger as well, Harry couldn't help but be glad he had his friend by his side.

"W-who are you?" Harry demanded, pulling himself shakily to his feet. The lessons he'd learnt on the streets came easily back to him now; always be ready to run.

"Your father knew me as Wormtail," the man replied, for the first time looking at Harry with something other than hate. The look was unreadable, but Harry couldn't help but be disgusted. "You look just like him."

That stopped Harry short, and for a second he wasn't sure he could breathe.

"You...you knew my dad?" Harry said, a horrible feeling starting to bubble in his stomach. He gulped down a deep breath, but he couldn't seem to stay calm no matter how much he knew he needed to.

"We were friends," Wormtail sneered shakily, looking as if he was caught between wanting to laugh and wanting to cry. Harry felt fear run through him, chilling him to the core as if it were ice.

"You're...lying," Harry replied shakily. He grabbed the wall to steady himself as his head spun dangerously. The man who had kidnapped them might look weak but Harry had learnt the hard way that even weak looking people could do damage. Harry was wary of underestimating this man, especially now that he had a wand.

"Who are you?" demanded Ron before Wormtail could speak again.

"I'm surprised you don't recognise me, Ron," Wormtail sneered nastily, turning his attention to Harry's friend. Ron to his credit pulled himself to his feet as well so that he could stand defiantly by his friend. Harry could see his hands shaking slightly though. "You've known me for a very long time..."

"What do you m-mean?" stammered Ron in shock, the statement taking him by surprise.

"Scabbers," Wormtail said simply, and Harry felt a sense of foreboding begin to rise within him.

"S-Scabbers?" Ron stammered confusedly, his head snapping up. "Where is he? What did you do to him!?"

"Nothing!" Wormtail replied manically. "I am him!"

"You're insane!" Harry said in disbelief as Ron stared open-mouthed at Wormtail. Harry knew from experience that he had to act like he was strong, even if he had never felt more scared in his life.

Even including every bad thing that had ever happened in his life, Harry was sure he'd never been in a worse fix.

Not only had he been kidnapped, but he was in a place he didn't know and the person who had kidnapped was a Wizard, and an unstable one at that. He had no idea how to fight off a Wizard because, despite the fact that he had been aware of the Wizarding world for around two weeks now, he still didn't know all that much about magic. His lessons with Mrs Weasley and the Hogwarts Professors weren't supposed to start for a week or two, and although Harry had started to read through the books they'd picked up at Diagon Alley, he knew he'd really only brushed the surface on what he needed to know. The only option they had was to try to survive long enough for help to come. He was sure someone must have noticed they were missing by now.

"You're absolutely mental!" Ron agreed, apparently having pulled himself out of the stupor.

"Shut it, boy!" yelled Wormtail unexpectedly, moving quickly towards them both. Harry stood his ground, but his heart was beating so loudly in his chest that he was sure it would explode out of him. He was terrified by the unknown in this situation, but Ron didn't seem to be faring much better, and if possible, that thought scared him more.

Wormtail moved threateningly over to Ron, wand raised towards the redhead as if he was about to curse him. Harry panicked and stood in front of his friend, his hands raised defensively in front on himself as if that would make any difference against a spell. The man could probably kill them with a wave of his wand.

This realisation felt like a punch in his chest, and whatever colour had remained in his face left quickly. Harry decided, then and there, that he wasn't going down without a fight. He was going to try to defend himself and his friend, even if there was no possible.

"What the hell do you want, you bastard!?" Harry growled, keeping his body between Ron and the mad man. The man hadn't used his wand yet, and Harry couldn't be more thankful for that small mercy.

"W-what do I want?" stuttered Wormtail madly, his wand still pointing towards them. He giggled nervously, and Harry flinched back slightly at the unexpected noise. The man kept switching between confident one minute to scared out of his wits the next, and it was a frightening thing to witness. "I want you!"

"Why?" Harry asked desperately. "Why us?"

"The Dark Lord will reward me," muttered Wormtail in reply, and Harry felt his insides freeze as realisation hit him.

"Voldemort is dead –"

"Do not speak his name!" Wormtail swung an arm out erratically and struck Harry across the face. Harry's neck snapped back with the blow and he felt blood spurt out of his nose as he fell back onto Ron.

"Hey!" yelled Ron, trying to hold Harry steady as he stepped from behind his friend to face the man. "Leave him alone!"

"Shut up!" cried Wormtail angrily, pointing his wand in Ron's direction. Ron fliched but otherwise he stayed frozen where he was. Wormtail looked out of control for a moment, but Ron stayed silent, and after a few moments Wormtail seemed to pull himself together. Harry, who had a hand pressed tightly to his nose in an attempt to stop the bleeding, felt apprehension rise up in him.

"The Dark Lord is not dead." Wormtail continued much more calmly this time. Harry felt more scared now than ever. "With you in my power, He w-will return. He will come back to full greatness and He will reward me beyond all others!"

"Go to hell!" Harry yelled bravely. "That bastard killed my parents! I hope he rots!"

Wormtail gripped his wand even more tightly, knuckles turning white as he clenched against the dark wood.

"You will help me," Wormtail said somewhat desperately, a small trace of fear finding its way back onto his face.

"Never!" yelled Harry defiantly, squaring his shoulders.

Wormtail raised his hand angrily, and Harry couldn't help but prevent a flinch at the sudden movement. Instead of hitting him though, Wormtail grabbed Harry by the jumper, pulling him close enough for Harry to smell the stench of desperation around the man.

"You defeated the Dark Lord last time, Potter!" growled Wormtail threateningly. "This time y-you will help bring him back!"

"I was a baby, you bastard!" Harry cried, the grip on him slightly painful. "I don't even remember that night! It was only recently that I found out my parents didn't die in a bloody car crash!"

"No-o. You...you have to help me!" Desperation and fear were back on Wormtail's face. In fact, Harry felt the smallest bit of pity at how scared the man was. Why on earth did he want to bring back someone who scared him that much?

"I can't, you mad man!" Harry ground out desperately, pushing aside any pity he felt for the man. His head was throbbing badly now, and his nose was still bleeding.

"You will help me, Potter," Wormtail stated, and before Harry could register the movement, the man pushed him away so that he hit the wall with a thud. Harry was momentarily stunned by his release but his relief was short-lived. Whilst Harry had been unable to fight back, Wormtail had grabbed Ron instead, and was pointing his wand at the red-head's throat. Harry paled and he felt his stomach clench in fear.

Ron was struggling valiantly, but Wormtail had a good grip on him. Harry had to do something. He couldn't let Ron get hurt because of him...

"Leave him alone!" Harry cried. Clenching his fists, Harry charged towards Wormtail before the bastard could even consider doing a spell, head-butteding the man in the stomach with all the strength he had left in his aching body. Wormtail staggered back, taken by surprise at the sudden move, but Harry fell with him, crashing to the ground with a thud. Pushing the pain to the back of his mind, like he had had to do so often in his young life, Harry used the fact that Wormtail was momentarily stunned by the unexpected attack to knock away the man's wand.

"Ron, run!" Harry yelled, crying out in pain as his ankle twisted under the larger man in their struggle. Ron had been thrown to the side when Wormtail had fallen, but within seconds the redhead had pulled himself to his feet. He seemed pale, but otherwise unharmed.

Ron ignored Harry's call and charged over to the two of them as the continued to struggle on the floor. Harry felt Ron shove Wormtail over, who hit the floor with a smack and stilled immediately. Wasting no time, Ron began to pull him out from underneath the heavy man, desperation and fear clear in the boy's face despite the darkness of the room. Wormtail might have looked like he could use a few square meals, but the man was no lightweight, and it took some force, and no small amount of pain, before Harry was free.

Harry gasped in pain as Ron pulled him to his feet, his ankle collapsing as soon as he tried to put any weight on it.

"C'mon, mate," Ron said fearfully, pulling Harry's arm over his shoulder to act as a crutch. "We need to get out of here."

"Wormtail?" Harry ground out as he grimaced in pain, trying desperately to twist around to see where the man was.

"Steady, Harry," Ron replied, sounding worried as he half-carried Harry to the door. "He's unconscious at the moment, I think. Hit his head on the floor. I don't know how long that'll last though, so we better move."

Ron fumbled with the door, struggling slightly as he held Harry up. As soon as it was open, they stumbled out and hobbled along the corridor and down the stairs as quickly as possible.

In mere minutes, they burst out onto the street, panting as they continued to struggle on in desperation without looking back. The night-time air was cold, and their clothes offered little protection against the chill. It was late so the street was empty, but Harry knew it was only a matter of time before Wormtail woke up, so they couldn't afford to wait until daylight to get help.

"We...we need to find somewhere to hide," Harry told Ron, grimacing in pain as they hobbled along. They weren't travelling in any particular direction, but Harry had been taking careful note of the area they were in, and he was sure he recognised the memorial they had just passed. He had been here before...

"That way," Harry said, nodding to a dark side street off to their left.

"You know where we are?" Ron asked as he continued to support Harry, whose ankle was feeling worse and worse by the minute. The rest of him wasn't feeling to good either, and he was glad for the fact that his friend was there to help him.

"Think so," Harry replied with difficulty. His head was really starting to throb and dizziness was building from the back of his mind. "Wandsworth."

"Wandsworth?" Ron asked, the beginnings of hope spreading across his face. "Is that a Wizarding town?"

"Don't think so," Harry answered, and Ron's face dropped. "It's in muggle London. I stayed here for a bit. You know...a while ago. It's fairly safe."

"Do you think you can find somewhere for us to hide out?"

"There's an old factory near here, I think," Harry replied as they struggled on. "I stayed there for a few nights. There's no heating, but it's summer so we should be alright."

"Old factory it is," Ron said, clearly trying to inject enthusiasm into his voice as he continued to support Harry. "Lead the way, my friend!"

A small smile momentarily displaced the grimace on Harry's face at Ron's effort. He felt a burst of new strength flow through him from the mere gesture, and sped up in the direction he hoped would take them to safety, Ron's arm never leaving his side.

It didn't take long for them to make it to the place Harry remembered. Even with his aching ankle, the walk hadn't been too bad with Ron supporting him. Dread filled him whenever he let his mind dwell on Wormtail though, and he was finding it difficult to control his shaking limbs, even with the distance they had put between them and the mad man. Harry was scared out of his wits, even more so now that the adrenaline was wearing off. He and Ron were in bad shape and he didn't think he'd be able to put up much of a fight if somehow Wormtail managed to find them. Harry could only hope that the man was still unconscious, and that they were safe enough here.

Pushing aside his unhelpful thoughts as best he could, Harry pulled his arm from Ron's shoulder and hobbled painfully over to the small door that he knew led into the factory. Harry let out a sigh of relief when he saw that security hadn't been improved since last time he had been here. The hinge was still weak, and it only took a small push for Harry to force his way in. Harry gestured for Ron to follow him, but he didn't speak. It might be late, but he didn't want to bring any unwanted attention to them.

Luckily the area was deserted. They would have had a hard time blending in, looking like they did. Harry's face and chest were covered in blood, and the grimace around his mouth showed the pain he felt as he hobbled through the door. Ron, for his part, was covered in some of Harry's blood as well, but had his own injury on his forehead just above his eye as well.

Once they were both safely inside, Ron replaced the door and turned to Harry.

"What do we do now?" he asked, his eyes betraying his fear.

"We wait," Harry replied evenly as he surveyed the deserted factory floor. It looked like they would be safe here tonight at least, and Harry felt a small amount of the tension leave him.

"Can't we call for help?" Ron asked slightly desperately. He didn't particularly look pleased about having to stay the night here, but made no move to complain and Harry was grateful for that.

"How?" Harry replied as he pulled himself over to a dusty corner. He slumped down until his back was against the wall, still facing the door just in case they had an unexpected visitor. "Neither of us have our wands, and I have no idea where the entrance the Diagon Alley is. We'll just have to wait until someone finds us. I'm sure they're looking by now."

"What if Wormtail finds us?" Ron asked fearfully as he came over to sit by Harry. Even in the dark factory, Harry could see how pale his friend looked, but he couldn't pretend that everything was alright. The truth of the matter was, Harry was terrified too.

"We'll need to take it in turn to be on watch," Harry answered grimly. "Just in case he does find us."

"I'll take first watch," Ron said firmly, a stubborn look on his face that told Harry that he wasn't going to take no for an answer. "No offence mate, but you look like shit."

"Head wounds bleed more," Harry muttered stubbornly. "It doesn't mean it's serious."

"I'll take first watch," Ron repeated, looking over to Harry expectantly.

Harry knew, by the look in the boy's eyes alone, that Ron was not going to be budged on this, so he just admitted defeat, too exhausted to argue. Pulling himself down until he was lying on his back, Harry tried to will his aching body to relax.

"Sorry this happened on your birthday, Harry," Ron said sadly as he looked down at his friend.

"S'alright," Harry muttered tiredly. He tried to give Ron a reassuring grin, but it probably came out more like a grimace. "This is actually one of my better birthdays believe it or not."

"That isn't something to be happy about, mate," Ron said with a frown.

"Why not?" Harry replied, his eyes closing almost against his will. "We're alive, aren't we? Think of it as an adventure. It'll help. It used to help me, anyway."

"An adventure," Ron mused softly. "Like Frodo and Sam?"

"You've read it?" Harry asked, opening his eyes a crack to look towards his friend.

Ron blushed slightly. "Dad used to read it to me. He's read it to all of us. I've forgotten most of it though."

"You can borrow mine," Harry offered tentatively, allowing his eyes to fall closed again. "You know...if you want?"

"Yeah, I'd like that," Ron replied softly, obviously trying to keep his voice quiet. "If you don't mind, that is?"

"I don't mind," Harry replied tiredly. "I've, erm...I've never had anyone to share anything with before..."

"Well you've got me now," Ron replied brightly. He was obviously trying hard to keep the tone light, and Harry was glad for the effort. "I'd offer to share something of mine too, but you're my brother now, so everything I have is pretty much yours anyway."

Harry opened his eyes again, scared that he'd find some resentment in his friend's expression. To Harry's relief though, Ron simply smiled reassuringly, and Harry knew in that moment that the redhead would never resent his presence in Weasley family. It meant more to him than even his birthday party had, and that was saying something.

"The only thing I really owned of any value was Scabbers," Ron continued absently, still keeping his voice low. "And he turned out to be a bloody wizard."

Harry snorted. It wasn't funny really, but Ron shot his friend a grin, and Harry felt himself return it. Not for the first time, Harry realised how lucky he was to have met the Weasleys.

With a faint grin on his face, Harry met his friend's eyes. "I'm glad you're here, Ron."

"Me too, mate." Ron replied softly as Harry closed his eyes again. "Wouldn't miss this adventure for the world."

A/N- I'm really nervous about posting this chapter for some reason. There's quite a lot of action in this one, and I'm not sure I've pulled it off. I think I'm much better at the angsty stuff, but I felt the story needed something like this to happen. There are a few reasons why I chose to go in this direction and hopefully things will make a bit more sense when I've explained why I've done this.

Firstly, from the moment the Weasleys enter the story, Harry is turned from an independent street-kid into this unsure, scared, traumatised young boy. In my opinion, this is still in character, especially considering what he's been through, but at the same time, it isn't his whole character. Although I hope I've shown this already in small bits, I wanted to explore the other side to him, where he is a bit more confident and brave and resilient. He didn't survive for two years on the streets by accident, and this new story arch will hopefully explore a side to him that we haven't really seen yet.

Secondly, I made a conscious decision to include Ron in Harry's return to the streets, simply because I wanted steer clear of any abandonment or depression issues that might result from him being alone on the streets again. By including Ron, Harry knows he isn't alone, and he has with him a living reminder that he has a family now. I didn't want him to relapse and go back to square one again, when he'd made such progress in the last couple of chapters. It would be boring to go through it all again, and truthfully, I think it's a bit unfair to you readers!

Also, having Ron there is important for another reason. In the books, Ron and Harry's friendship is solidified by the life and death adventures that they go on together. Because my story begins when they are thirteen-ish, they've missed out on what the adventures of the Philosopher's Stone and the Chamber of Secrets gave them in the books. I know they had a run in with some thugs when they first met, but that isn't the same. I wanted a plausible adventure for them to go together, so that their friendship ends up with a similar feel to it as it does in canon. Hopefully it'll work.

Lastly, I'm well aware that Pettigrew is a bit out of character, but it was necessary for the plot. A lot of things will be happening now because of his reappearance, so I needed him to come out of hiding when he ordinarily wouldn't. My explanation is that he's shocked by Harry's reappearance in the Wizarding World, and has convinced himself that it's a sign. He's still scared and spineless, but he's a little more confident than he was in canon. He was overpowered by two thirteen year olds though, so I think he's still partially in character at least.

Oh, and as a final note, Wandsworth is a real place in London. I was there recently and thought it would be the perfect place for the boys to find themselves.

Anyway, sorry for the long authors note. Hopefully it's cleared a few things up, but if anyone still has any questions, feel free to ask away, and I'll definitely do my best to answer. Thanks for all the support, but most of all, thanks for reading!