"Potter, if you are telling me a tale I will march you up to that town square right now and hand you a wand!" Snape muttered furiously to Harry after he had been told of Ellery's invention. 

         "I swear sir," Harry said, wide eyed. "He'll show it to you too. Go ask him!"

         Harry watched as Snape marched up to Ellery and asked to see the invention that had supposedly brought them back in time, which Ellery lifted out of the box once more. Snape asked Ellery something Harry didn't quite catch, and Ellery frowned, looking puzzled. Snape looked ready to spit poison, and Harry was quite glad he was far away from him. Harry watched Ellery take a step back as Snape berated him loudly with a long stream of cuss words that Harry though even Uncle Vernon would be proud of. He then stalked back over to Harry, looking murderous.

        "Keep your eyes in your head Potter," Snape growled in response to Harry's shocked stare.

        "Sorry sir," Harry muttered, looking at his feet.

        "And ... don't repeat any of those words," Snape finished gruffly, still panting angrily.

         Harry nodded furiously. "What did you ask him?" Harry inquired.

         "I asked when we will return to our own time," Snape said. "The idiot hasn't a clue when, or even if we will go back. In fact he hasn't even planned any way that we, the supposed saviours, are supposed to help everyone anyways! Disorganized dimwit!"

        "You mean we might be stuck here forever?" gasped Harry, not taking the news well at all. "But I finally have friends!"

        "You didn't have any before Hogwarts?" Snape scoffed, sounding surprised. Harry flushed.

        "Well, there was this one girl but Dudley sort of ..." he mumbled, his voice getting quieter with every word.

         Snape's eyes narrowed. He appeared to be filing the information away for later. Harry figured he was most likely going to pull it out during class to mock him with. Assuming they ever got back, of course.

        "Well Potter, we might as well do something useful. Your education need not suffer while you are away; come here so I can quiz you in Potions."

        Harry suppressed a groan and followed Snape toward the table by the fire.

           Snape spent the better part of an hour throwing questions at Harry. He asked him everything from which ingredients shouldn't be mixed to how the metal type of your cauldron could affect the outcome of a potion. While Harry answered questions, he could not help but notice that Evelyn was sitting nearby and listening to Snape's questions with interest. It was clear she was impressed. In the end Harry was surprised he got at least more than half right, and was quite pleased with himself. Harry thought Snape looked at least less grumpy than usual, so he decided to interpret that as a job well done.

        "Well Potter," Snape said, glancing at his watch with a rather bored expression, "where are you in charms right now?"

        "We're still working with hover charms," Harry replied. "Professor Flitwick said we are going to start levitating books on Monday."

        "Show me your progress," Snape said. "Pull out your wand."

        Thinking it was lucky that he had been wearing his robe when he was transported back in time, Harry thrust his hand down into his right pocket, and then his left.

        "Er, Professor?" Harry said, feeling suddenly sick.

        "What Potter?"

        "My wand is gone," he muttered.

        "What do you mean gone?" Snape spat. "Didn't you have it in your robe when ..."

        "Yes sir," Harry said fearfully, thinking back to when he last had his wand. He was positive he felt the shape of his wand in his pocket when they arrived in the square. He didn't remember feeling it when they stopped in the forest. "I think it fell out of my pocket when we were r-running."

       "Trust you, Potter," Snape said irately. 

       "What should I do?" Harry whispered.

        "If it did indeed fall out of your pocket when we were running," Snape began thoughtfully, "it may not be far from here. It is likely that we will be here a while, so we would do well to go and get it."

        "Isn't it dangerous sir?"

        "Of course it's dangerous," Snape spat. "But I happen to have on good authority that I am skilled enough to evade a few witch-hunters. You, not so much. In a dangerous time like this, even if I can teach you to do a simple hex with that wand you would be much better off than if you were to use your fists. In case you have not noticed Potter, physical strength is not one of your strong points."

         "I can run fast you know," grumbled Harry, slightly cross from Snape's comment on his strength.

         "Yes Potter, but can you outrun a horse?" Snape raised his eyebrow. "I did not think so."

       Harry frowned. He did have a point. "But shouldn't we just find a new wand? I mean, however much I like my wand, is it worth the risk?

       "You are right - how about we just stroll down to Ollivander's to buy a new one?" hissed Snape in a low voice, practically spitting. "Foolish boy. Besides, Potter, the last thing we need is for a wand found in in the middle of a town obsessed with witch-hunting to be traced back to you."

         ***

       "But sir, can't I come?" Harry whispered from where he had been trying to fall asleep.

      "No you may not," Snape replied firmly, keeping his voice down so as not to wake the others. "It is too dangerous. Besides, it may take me a while to find your wand, as it would not be wise for me to use a summoning charm. Not to mention that it would be far harder to sneak around the town with a clumsy little boy following me!"

       Harry opened his mouth to say something but Snape gave him a look that clearly said to go to sleep. With a scowl Harry watched Snape's robe whip around the corner as he exited the cave.

       "I'm not a little boy," complained Harry quietly as he curled up under the blanket on his mat of straw.

         He let out a sigh, which fell upon deaf ears, as all of the occupants of the cave had since fallen asleep. It was quite late; Snape had said there were only a few more hours until sunrise. Regardless of the late hour Harry could not sleep. He felt strange, and out of place here. Everything was so different. 

He felt a pang in his stomach as he thought of Ron and Hermione, safe in their beds at Hogwarts. Though he had only been friends with Hermione for a short while, he had already begun to miss her company when she was not around. He wished that one of them could be here with him, even though he knew it wouldn't be good if they were here too, stuck hereSnape in such a dangerous time.

    The thought of  Snape made Harry grimace, and he couldn't help but think that if he had to choose who to be stuck in the past with, he certainly would not have picked Snape. Snape was just so controlling, and had even taken it upon himself earlier to tell Harry when his bedtime was! Personally, Harry found this infuriating, as he could take care of himself. The Dursleys had never told him when to go to bed; he was just expected to leave them alone and not cause trouble. He had always gone to bed when he was tired, not when someone told him to! This only made Harry more irritated with Snape's insistence for control. He let his restless mind wander on these topics for some time.

        It must have been at least twenty minutes later when Harry sat up suddenly, for he had heard something. It was a slight fluttering noise, coming from across the cave. The sound piqued his interest, and he paused to wonder if a bird had gotten lost in the dark corners. With a slight frown Harry thought of bats, which were most likely the cause of the noise. His brain, wide awake, took it upon itself to fill his mind with all sorts of frightening images of enormous bats, blood dripping from their fangs as they came to feed on the people in the cave. Harry shivered a little, and could feel the hairs on the back of his neck standing up. Thinking of bats and creepy crawlies and monsters, it was quite a surprise when Harry saw what was really making the noise. At first Harry thought it was a fairy, but then he noticed the four arms, and that it wasn't nice looking at all. It had beetle-like wings, and beady black eyes. None of these characteristics however, where what drew Harry's attention. It was the fact that it glowed.

        Harry threw the blanket off himself and stood up. The creature was leisurely fluttering through the air to the opposite end of the cave. Harry glanced at all of the sleeping figures around him, and in a fit of curiosity pulled on his shoes, donned his robe and hesitantly began to follow it. The creature bathed the cave in purple-blue light and made the mineral deposits in the cave shimmer slightly where they were damp. The cool air of the cave renewed Harry's energy, and soon he was picking up his pace in order to stay close to the creature. Harry wondered briefly if it had a nest, and he was curious as to whether the eggs would glow too. He decided he would follow it for a while, so that maybe he could see the nest. They soon neared the end of the cave, and reached a little shaft in the rock: a small tunnel that went up out of sight. Harry frowned when the creature began to fly up it, wondering how he was supposed to follow it now. The light illuminated the jagged surface of the shaft, and Harry realised that there were a lot of footholds and handholds. His curiosity got the better of him, and he began to climb. The shaft was not too steep after a few feet, as it was not straight up but angled slightly. Full of energy from his adventure Harry climbed quickly.  It only took a minute to get to the top of the shaft. The creature disappeared suddenly, much to Harry's displeasure. He soon realised however that the creature had flown through a tiny hole in what appeared to be a mass of grasses. Wondering what was on the other side, Harry pushed the grasses aside and poked his head out of the hole.

        Harry grinned, for he was outside. He had found a secret escape! Congratulating himself on his daring, Harry glanced around, pulling his torso out of the hole, his feet firmly perched on a rocky outcrop near the top of the shaft. The creature was gone, but Harry didn't care for he was staring in awe at the crescent moon above. It cast strange shadows in the forested area that Harry found himself in, making the night seem almost surreal. Harry was just about to go back down when something grabbed him by the collar.

      "Hey!" said a deep male voice. "Earl, look at this."

      "Let me go!" Harry cried out fearfully, struggling as he was pulled up onto the ground.

      "You think he's one of them?" said a rather wheezy voice, presumably belonging to Earl.

      "Why else would ‘e be in the woods?" replied the man whose hand still gripped Harry's collar tightly.

      "Take him to McTavish," said a third voice nearby, low and harsh. "He'll sort him out."

      "I don't know, he's kind o' little Bruce," said the man holding Harry by the collar. "Perhaps we should jus' ..."

      "If he's one of them he has to be taken in," warned the man called Bruce as he stepped out of the shadows. Harry thought it would have been more appropriate to call him Brute, as he looked like he could take on a bear.

      The man holding onto Harry hesitated a little, which seemed to infuriate Bruce.

     "I'll take him then," Bruce growled, roughly grabbing Harry's arm.

     "Get off me!" said Harry, wishing so much he had stayed in bed. He was really in for it now.

      "You, Earl," Bruce barked, "follow us at a distance to make sure nobody is on our tail. If someone is ... catch them."

      "Yes sir," muttered Earl.

     "The rest of you keep searching the area. Where there's one, there will be more."

      Bruce dragged Harry along beside him, who tried to resist, but only succeeded in getting himself dragged. Harry aimed a kick at Bruce's shin, which ended in Bruce laughing and Harry wincing with a sore foot.

      "Have to do better than that boy," Bruce told him, effortlessly dragging Harry through the trees.

      Terror clawed at Harry's insides as the shadows nipped at their heels. How would he get out of this one? Where was Snape, and had he found the wand yet? His head raced with questions as he was pulled through the thinning trees and toward the town. Bruce still had a firm hold on Harry, but Harry noticed that the hand gripping the material on his shoulder was quite close to his mouth. Making his mind up in a split second Harry sunk his teeth into the man's hand. Bruce cursed loudly as Harry made a break for it. Just when Harry thought he was clear of Bruce, an arm grabbed around his stomach and pulled him back. Harry let out a yelp as his head crashed into something solid, which Harry realise was Bruce's side.

       "Idiot boy!" growled Bruce, one hand gripping the back of Harry's robe. Bruce was examining his other hand, which was bleeding slightly. "Sharp set of teeth on you ..." he mumbled. "Do that again and you'll regret it!"

        Harry scowled as deeply as possible, meaning to do exactly what he just had again if he got the chance. But time was running out for an escape, and before Harry could find a new way to break free he was being pulled up the hill and to the edge of the town. It was dark, and silent but for the occasional exhale of breath from a horse in one of the few stables. Just before he was pulled into the town, away from the hillside, Harry could have sworn he heard a scuffle a ways down the hill. He immediately thought of Snape, but dismissed the thought. He didn't want to get his hopes too high, just in case they were let down. This only contributed to Harry's feeling of having eaten worms for dinner as he was pulled further and further toward the centre of the town. He was surprised to be pulled toward a house, rather than closer to the square. Bruce brought them both to a halt in front of a door to a small dwelling. Harry watched him raise an enormous fist to the door and rap three times, the sound echoing like thunder through the silent night. There was a slight scuffling noise and a clatter. Footsteps sounded, and stopped at the door.

       "Oy, Blaine!" said Bruce.

       "What do you want?" said a tall man as he opened the door, holding a lantern in one hand and looking positively wretched in his worn nightshirt.

       Harry stared. He had piercing blue eyes, but quite unlike those of Dumbledore's. They were as cold as Harry imagined the Arctic Circle to be, and he felt chilled to the bone just looking at them. So this was Blaine McTavish. Harry quite wished he hadn't gotten the chance to meet him in person.

       "Found this kid down in the forest," Bruce grunted, pulling Harry into the light.

       "Where?" asked McTavish, squinting at Harry.

       "He was in a hole. We had to pull him out. Do you think he's one of them?"

       "Well boy," said McTavish slowly, piercing blue eyes boring into Harry, who squirmed. He didn't seem to care what Bruce had just said. "There are others, aren't there?"

        Harry didn't say anything.

        "Answer me!"

        Harry made to take a step back, but McTavish grabbed a hold of his collar, wrenched him out of Bruce's grasp and pulled him near. They were face to face. McTavish held up his lantern so close to Harry that he could examine the wood frame and metal grate.

       "They're there, aren't they?" McTavish spat, an insane glint in his eyes. "They are, and I will find them all. I will find every single one of your little friends, and I will make sure that they are put in their place ... a mass grave!"

       Harry unknowingly let out a little whimper, thinking of Snape, and of Evelyn and the children, not much younger than he, in the cave. He could feel a deep foreboding inside him, telling him that this man, whose muscular hand was only inches away from his throat, was not to by toyed with. Harry gulped, an inferno of terror slowly spiralling upward through his senses, growing stronger with each word that McTavish spoke.

       "Then boy, I will make sure you are put on top of their bodies, and buried far bene-"

       Suddenly the wooden frame of the lantern splintered and the metal handle detached, sending the lantern crashing to the ground, the candle flickering as it slowly died. Harry's eyes widened. He knew it had been him ... and so did McTavish.

       "Oops," breathed McTavish, his putrid breath washing over Harry, who only just caught a glimpse of the mad smile that McTavish wore before the candle died completely, plunging them into darkness.