Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me.
Thanks to Anna Rose for correcting this chapter!
Ch31: ESCAPE
Light up, light up
As if you have a choice
Even if you can not hear my voice
I'll be right beside you dear
Louder, Louder
And we'll run for our lives…
(Run by Snow Patrol.)
Everything was happening too fast in Harry's opinion. He could not believe what he was trying to do, even as he did it. It was crazy and insane, and nothing could guarantee his death more. On top of that, Harry was not in a very good shape himself; he had been told to rest by the doctor for a reason. He did not even have his own wand - he had the Dark Lord's! Of all the unfortunate things that had happened to him, this was the drop that made the goblet spill. If he had not asked for death before, he certainly did now.
The hall in front of him looked deserted, so he kept running until he came to a large, green door. He did not bother to slow down and sneak his way in, because if someone was in there then they would surely react the same way anyway. Besides, he would have surprise at his advantage.
He burst in and came into a small living room with a large table that took all the space and created a slightly claustrophobic feeling. Crabbe and Goyle Senior, who until then had been eating wholeheartedly, looked up with dumb surprise written over their faces.
"Obliviate," said Harry quickly, two times in a row. "You have seen no one the last twenty minutes."
Harry would have killed them since he did not like them anyway, but it was too early to cast suspicion over himself. Instead he checked that his disillusionment charm was still working and jolted into the next room, which was fortunately empty.
Harry was grateful that he had gotten a lot of training while he had been staying in this little mansion. If he had not, then he would have been far worse off then he was now. Hopefully he would be able to keep the speed up until if or when he got out of the building.
However, Harry began to feel tired when he was just a little over halfway out and was forced to slow down to walk. He was in real trouble, but his body simply refused to allow him to run more. The wand in Harry's hand vibrated softly, sending shivers down his spine. It longed to be used and it longed for power, but most of all it longed for its master.
Harry was beginning to get near the exit now. He had remembered the way from the time he had came along to the raid in Diagon Alley. Right, right, left, right... As last time, Harry saw portraits of the Slytherin family, snoring in their frames. Harry took extra care in walking carefully past them, as he knew the portraits would tell the Dark Lord if they saw or heard anything suspicious. Harry just hoped that everyone had yet to be informed of his absence.
… A floorplank creaked. Harry halted and held his breath.
"Who's there?" a portrait with long, grey beard asked. "Who's there? Come forth!"
Harry closed his eyes bitterly. What if the portrait saw him despite of the Disillusionment charm? Harry did not move a muscle for several minutes as the portrait kept its eyes open and continued to peer around the hall. However, eventually the portrait sighed and closed its eyes once again, presumably to go back to sleep.
Harry let out a shaky breath and moved forward slowly.
"HAH! I knew it! HALT STRANGER!"
Of course, Harry did anything but that. As a wave of adrenalin kicked through his veins he began to run again, away from the portrait's wail, which now had several others to join it. Only twenty seconds later alarm bells rang through the castle, and Harry realized that the Dark Lord knew he had disappeared. He could not remember being more scared than what he was at that moment.
Hadn't something like this happened before?
The thought confused Harry, but he did not have time to think more closely about it as he rounded a corner and saw the large, green front doors ahead of him at the end of the hall.
However, someone had gotten to the door before him. McKnair's powerful body blocked the way, his wand stretched out before him.
"Stop right there, Potter."
Harry almost did; no one ever called him that. Actually, they had seemed to be careful to not mention it at all, and if they got into the subject then they would quickly find a way to avoid it. Not anymore though.
Harry knew he would only get one chance. He was a trained wizard, but the wizard in front of him had decades of more experience. Harry continued to run towards the front doors, his eyes never leaving the older wizard.
Just a little more, now…
Suddenly Harry jumped two steps to the left. Because of the Disillusionment charm, Harry's movement was enough for McKnair to blink. Then Harry made a forward roll and landed with the Lord's wand in front of him. The words "Avada Kedavra" left his mouth, and a second later McKnair's body fell to the floor.
Breathing hard, Harry pulled roughly on the snake-formed door handles, but they would not open. Harry soon discovered why- McKnair's body blocked the way.
With a disgusted grunt, Harry kicked the body out of the way, taking care to avoid the still-opened eyes and pressed himself out of the small opening he had made through the door. The familiar rush of a kill made Harry feel more alive than what he had felt in a long time, but the stench of rotting corpses outside effectively ended that sensation and almost made him retch.
Go back, something inside him ordered. Harry hesitated until he realized the sudden urges probably had something to do with the potion. The more he thought about it the surer he got, because the urge inside him to follow the order got stronger and stronger. It made him dizzy, but deep inside he knew he could not do it … he had killed a Death Eater, and he had disobeyed the Dark Lord. If Harry knew one thing, it was that the Lord was not very forgiving.
"You may be my Lord, but I refuse to let you control me!" Harry screamed out, clenching his fists. "I AM NOT GOING TO LET YOU!"
His scar erupted in a pain so strong that the world around him disappeared. Harry knew that he had to get outside the Apparition bounds if he was going to make it, but the pain was so consuming…
Help someone …please! Harry closed his eyes in agony and felt unconsciousness luring in the corner of his mind. Somehow he was laying on the ground. However, just as he was about to give in to the blackness, he remembered something. A small sentence, but with great meaning to him: You're a great wizard, Harry.
Somehow, he knew that the voice had helped him survive before and that it was important to him. However, who would say something like that to him, with such trust and tenderness? The Death Eaters would certainly never do that, not even if they wanted something. No, the one who had said that to him was a girl, a very important one. Could it be someone from his former life? But then again, everyone who could have known the old him had abandoned him a long time ago, and he had ended up at the Dark Lord's mercy. It didn't make any sense.
Harry calmed himself with a few, trying breaths. The pain in his scar had subsided. After laying still for a few more seconds he became aware of what was going on around him again, including voices, not too far away.
Not good. Harry quickly got up to his feet and looked back at the entrance. He couldn't see anyone, but he knew they were not far away and that there were enough to take him out without a problem.
What was he wasting the time for?
"Colloportus!" shouted Harry, pointing the Dark Lord's wand wildly at the door. Luckily it worked and the door closed. It wasn't much, but it could buy him some extra seconds. Not knowing what else to do as the Apparition point was so far away, Harry ran to the nearby river. He jumped in, but instantly regretted it. The river was cold, disgusting and filthy, and it was filled with rotten corpses. This had to be the place where they dumped those who where killed.
It wasn't before then that Harry realized he was not a good swimmer. Actually, he did not know how to swim at all. Spluttering, Harry felt a flash of panic and reached out to the edge of the river before performing the Bubblehead charm on himself. What if his scar hurt again? If he fainted where he was it would be unnecessary for the Death Eaters to do anything with his body. However, he knew he could not afford to get up again, not as the other death eaters could be out of the Stone Edge already. Harry slowly and quietly moved his way down towards the Apparition point. He had to move away several rotten corpses and objects on his way so he could get through.
He began to feel numb from cold and exhaustion. He could not really feel his legs anymore, except when they hit something he would rather not think about under the surface. Maybe he would be better off with the Death Eaters after all? He shook his head at his own idiocy. No, he could take same more … just a little bit more and then it all would be over.
Hanging onto that thought and the edge of the river (was it even a river? It looked more like a canal), he made his way as far down as he could until it was impossible to continue. Wood, corpses and other stuff blocked his way. He could either swim under or get up from the water.
He still had the bubble head charm over his mouth that provided him with fresh air, but the sight became too much and he retched into the bubble. He was definitely getting up!
Harry slowly and gingerly lifted himself up from the chilly water and crawled up to the sloppy mud on the ground. He could see Death Eaters there, peering after a trace of him, but most of them seemed to have lost interest and looked like they would rather go back inside. Still, all they needed to do was to turn their heads, and then they would surely see him.
Cancelling the Bubble Head charm and cleaning himself free from the stench with a soundless order, he crouched down and got ready to sprint.
One, two... jolting to his feet, he ran like he had never ran before. His wet boots made squishing sounds every time he moved his feet. He didn't turn to see the Death Eater's reaction, but he heard several yells of outrage and soon they began to fire spells over his head.
It was not too far to the Apparition boarder now, and Harry was sure he could make it unless he got hit by a curse. However, now as he had gotten this far another problem surfaced: Where could he Apparate to? He had only been two places outside the Stone Edge, and he needed a place where he could melt into a crowd.
Knockturn Alley then, he decided, just as he felt a sleeping spell hit his foot. The effect was immediate and he had to use the other leg to support himself as the other one lost its strength.
Harry ignored his sleeping leg as he was just by the boarder, and he abruptly closed his eyes, focusing on his Apparition point. A second later he felt the world spin and his body left the Stone Edge.
-
Knockturn Alley had been quite empty the last few weeks, more than what Diagon Alley had ever been. One could still see people taking care of their shops and going out and looking for costumers, but they had little company and several shops had been closed as the owners went bankrupt. If one ever saw someone, their steps would be quick and with a clear destination. The reason was simple: the Ministry of Magic had opened their eyes to all the dark magic that had been going on in the small village. In an effort to stop the illegal trading and gain popularity among the people at the same time, Aurors had began to set up traps for anyone unfortunate enough not to see them.
Therefore, it was quite unusual to see a dark clothed, wet young man appear in the middle of the street, only to fall over as his left leg failed beneath him.
"Finite," muttered Harry to himself, and his leg slowly returned to normal. The exhaustion was finally catching up with him and he desperately wanted a place to sleep. He could see a few shop owners staring at him from their windows. He knew he couldn't stay.
Shakily, Harry got up to his feet again. He needed to find a way out of this hole. He didn't know if his fellow death eaters had a way to trace Apparition, but he didn't want to wait around to find out.
Harry only knew one direction, and that was towards Diagon Alley. He felt apprehensive to go there; after all, the last time he had been there he had killed and scared a lot of people. They would hardly welcome him. That thought made Harry feel even more alone. He would never fit in anywhere. His world existed of a weak group and a powerful group, and he had betrayed both of them. He was a wanted criminal. If only he knew where to hide.
"Excuse me," said Harry as he nudged an elderly woman in the chest, not really meaning it, but not careful enough to avoid it. The woman didn't turn, however, and just continued down the street from where he had came from.
"So much for being polite," muttered Harry under his breath.
He found the way up to Diagon Alley. The place had regained its popularity since Harry's last visit. He guessed it had something to do with the heightened security, because he could see Aurors patrolling the streets everywhere. It probably made the citizens feel safe.
Harry felt a pang of jealousy and felt a weird urge to sit down and cry. Everything was a mess and he did not know what to do. He had tried so hard to fit in, to belong somewhere, to please those around him … all for nothing. If only he could start over!
"Can I help you?" a voice said to his left, startling Harry. He hadn't realized that he had stopped his walk.
"N - no," said Harry, his voice quivering a little. "No thank you."
"Merlin! You're freezing! Come here, and I'll give you something warm to drink."
"I said I am fine!" said Harry firmly, turning to look at the face to the one who had intruded his thoughts. What he saw was an old, balding man with a cloth in his hands. The man stared at him for a few seconds, before he blinked and asked:
"Mr. Potter?"
Harry opened his mouth in shock. The man knew who he was! He must've heard what had happened, and now he wanted to put Harry behind bars!
"Hush!" said Harry desperately, looking around wildly.
"Don't fret, young man," said the man with a kind smile. "We can hide you in a room and call the Aurors, and then they'll take care of you-"
"No!" Harry knew he could not afford to stay where he was anymore. He had not gotten this far only to be captured. Turning abruptly, Harry dashed down the street. He had no idea where to go, but he did not care. He just wanted to get away. He should not have gone through Diagon Alley at all. What had he been thinking?
His running attracted a lot of attention, but with a stroke of luck he found what had to be the exit. It looked like a huge brick wall that had been rearranged to the side to let people through. It was just wide enough to let him pass, and as soon as he had gotten through, the wall closed behind him. There was only one way to go now, and that was through a small-looking bar.
When he walked in, the talking stopped and all eyes turned to look at him. Harry clung tightly to his wand just in case he needed it as he hurried through the pub, not stopping until he was out and had several blocks behind him. He knew he had reached muggle London, but he had no intention to let his guard down and believe he was safe.
Finding a deserted corner, he closed his eyes and Apparated again.
He appeared in the only other place he had been besides the Stone Edge, Knockturn Alley and Diagon Alley; the small road with brick houses on each side, where he had killed the couple Lucia and John Smith, who had been expecting a baby. He glanced carefully at the house of crime and saw a "For Sale" sign in the front. Harry turned from the sight and walked quickly in the opposite way.
He ended up in a nearby park where he found a small bench to sit on. He could see the sun going down in the horizon. He felt so tired and exhausted that he wanted nothing more than to lay down on the bench and sleep, but he knew he couldn't do that.
It was not before then that he noticed how cold it really was. He did not know the time of year, but it had to be in the middle of the winter because even though there was little snow outside; the ground, trees and the bench he was sitting on were covered in frost, and the wind went right through Harry's little clothing. He had been warm while he had been running, but now as he was sitting still he noticed that his shirt and pants were beginning to get stiff with cold and his hair had stripes of ice in it.
Harry performed a slight drying and heating charm on himself from the Dark Lord's wand, but it had to be done extremely subtle because of all the muggles around who could see him. Harry's heart did a slight jump when he realized that he may not be old enough to do magic out in the open. Maybe the Department of Underage Magic would see -
No. Either he was old enough, or the ban had been lifted off of him sometime. They would have discovered his magic before had the ban still been in place. He did not have count on all the times he had used magic the last few months, but it was quite a lot.
The heating charm was not enough to keep him warm though, and his fingers slowly started to get a faint, blue look over them. His could no longer feel his toes, as his boots were even more reluctant to dry than his clothes and were therefore ice cold and wet from the river. He knew that he should take them off and that if he stayed still any longer then he would freeze to death, but he was too tired to move.
He almost did not care anymore. Maybe sleeping for a while on the bench would be the most merciful thing he could do to himself. His eyes began to drop…
"Excuse me, Sir, are you alright?"
"Yes," said Harry tiredly, looking at the stranger's feet and realized that they belonged to a small child. "I am fine, just a little sleepy..."
"You can't sleep there, you'll freeze and get a cold! My mum says so. Where do you live?"
"I ... do not know exactly," said Harry after a pregnant pause. "But I am sure I will find out..."
"Nathalie!" said another voice, which belonged to an older woman. "What are you doing? You cannot talk to strangers!"
"But mum! Can't you see he's freezing?"
The woman sighed. "He is a beggar! Oh, very well. Here is a couple of cents for you, boy," she said, and she threw a few coins at a perplexed Harry. "Now, let's go, honey. And tuck your scarf more tightly around your neck."
"Okay mum..." the girl said, and the two of them began to walk away.
Harry frowned at the few coins on the ground before him. She truly believed he was a beggar! The nerve of that woman! "HEY!" he called after them. "I AM NOT A FREAKING BEGGAR!"
Despite of his words, Harry bent down and picked up the coins, putting them in his pocket. Desperate times called for desperate measures. He would need it.
Taking a deep breath, he got up and started walking.
-
He walked for several hours. He never stopped. He knew that if he did, he would not be able to continue. He no longer had any clear idea of where he was or where he was going. The houses, the people and the traffic seemed to melt together as a wet painting. He began to think that anything was better than being where he was now, and he began to look into the windows longingly. It would be so nice to be inside in the warm...
The world around him seemed even more surreal to him, and the road he was walking on seemed longer and more never-ending. He had to stop several times to steady himself. He was not going to make it!
Swallowing his pride, he turned abruptly and went up to a dark door and knocked. Harry had to hold onto the railing convulsively to stay on his feet. After what seemed like an eternity the door opened.
"Hi," said Harry, and he collapsed.
What he did not know was that the day after his escape from the Dark Lord's clutches, his face would be decorating the front pages in all of the Wizarding papers across Britain:
The Boy-Who-Lived Lives Again.
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