On the Run

Disclaimer: As I am not JK Rowling I can sadly say I do not in any way own Harry Potter.

Chapter 3.

"I'd like a room for the night," Wormtail said to the clerk. "For me and my son." He indicated Harry, whose face was mostly obscured by the oversized cap he still wore. His arm was about Harry's shoulders in what would probably look like an affectionate gesture. But in reality was to remind Harry not to do anything stupid. Harry could see his wand in Wormtail's hand, half hidden by a baggy sleeve and heard him mutter something that sounded a great deal like 'Imperial.'

Harry grimaced at the man's touch. Wormtail had stayed annoyingly close to him the entire time they were on the Knight Bus and had kept a firm grip on him as they disembarked so Harry couldn't make a run for it. He'd kept hoping that someone would recognise him. The usually frustrating cries of, "Look, it's Harry Potter," would have been welcome for once, especially if it had provided a good enough distraction to at least attempt an escape, or if that hadn't worked it wouldn't have taken long for word to get back to Dumbledore about where he'd been.

Harry looked up into the eyes of the muggle clerk, a young man with blonde hair who was giving Wormtail a simpering smile as he did whatever it was he was doing. Harry tried to put a pleading look in his eyes. This man could call the muggle police and... what? Wormtail would hex them and run off again. No, Harry's only help would come from wizards. Besides, the clerk had a glassy eyed look to him, Harry doubted he'd be much help.

"Here you are, sir," the clerk said, handing Wormtail a key. "Room 214. Have a good night."

Wormtail nodded tersely and Harry was dragged to the lifts. He was getting really tired of being pulled about.

It was only a few minutes later that they entered the hotel room and Harry was shoved unceremoniously onto one of the two beds. Wormtail spent some time using charms to lock the door, leaving Harry to wonder how he intended to pay for this. Harry's moneybag only had galleons in it, nothing that could be used in the muggle world.

Harry's eyes roved about the room. The door wasn't going to work, unless he could steal his wand back from Wormtail. He recognised most of the spells being used and knew that one of them sounded an alarm if the door was approached. That left the window. It was large and Harry doubted he would have any difficulty climbing through, but he didn't know how high up they were. Without a broom he could break half of the bones in his body. It was worth a try though. Maybe there was a drainpipe he could climb down or something. He could wait until Wormtail was asleep and creep out that way. He could be home by breakfast tomorrow!

Unfortunately Wormtail had other plans. Having secured the door, he turned back to the young boy sitting nervously on the bed. He whispered a spell Harry did not hear, but he recognised the effects instantly as his eyes began to feel heavy.

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The big, black dog that was Sirius Black watched the Hogsmeade street with interest. The people were literally buzzing with whatever news was in the paper today. Sirius knew that whatever it was, it was big and he had to find out what it was. He was hoping that someone would throw out their copy so he could steal it from a bin as he had countless times before.

What little he'd overheard was worrisome. He'd heard his own name muttered angrily in the same sentence as Harry's was said with concern, but even with his dog hearing was unable to find out just what it was he was supposed to have done this time. Add to that the fact that Peter was missing and Sirius was a very worried man.

Ok. That was it. What little patience Sirius had was long gone and it was now time to act. His eyes found a tall man whose newspaper was held out before him and they narrowed dangerously. His haunches shifted as he got into the prime pouncing position and... he struck.

His back legs uncoiled and propelled him upwards as his jaws snapped closed around the paper. The man yelped and let it go, backing up quickly, as though expecting the dog to turn on him now.

Sirius couldn't help himself. He barked happily, allowing the paper to fall to the ground. With his paws he rolled it into a neater shape and picked it up in his teeth. He wagged his tail at the bewildered man and ran back to his hiding place, leaving the man to stare after him, wondering at his behaviour.

It only took the dog a few minutes to get back to the cave he was staying in at the moment. In order to not leave a trail he was changing his hiding place every week or so. There were plenty of caves in this part of the countryside so it hadn't been too difficult. Once he was safely inside he transformed back into a tall, skinny man with dark dishevelled hair that was matted and hung past his shoulders. His blue eyes desperately fell to the front page of the newspaper he had dropped before him.

Boy-Who-Lived Kidnapped.

The staff and students of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry were devastated yesterday, when Harry Potter (13), also known as the Boy-Who-Lived went missing.

His disappearance was first noted when he failed to turn up to the Quidditch match in which he would have been playing as Gryffindor's seeker. The match was cancelled and the students relocated as teachers searched the castle and grounds to no avail.

Close friends of Harry's, Ron Weasley (also 13) and Hermione Granger (14) were the ones to find Harry's glasses in his dormitory and also discovered that silencing charms had been placed on all the beds, including Harry's, leading investigators to the conclusion that our boy hero was taken against his will.

As we all know, Sirius Black, murderer of twelve muggles and one wizard, escaped from Azkaban in July and has recently been sighted near Hogwarts itself. Has he kidnapped Harry, hoping to use him in some dark ritual to resurrect his master, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?

Our hearts go out to Harry's friends and family and we pray that he is alright and will be returned to us soon.

Sirius cursed and threw the paper aside. He was going to kill that rat! How dare he so much as touch Harry? He spent a long minute pacing, trying to decide the best course of action. It couldn't have been anyone but Wormtail, though it showed an unusual amount of courage from his ex-friend. The question was, what to do now.

"Not much point hanging about here," he said to himself. "Where would Peter go?"

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The hour was late. Albus Dumbledore sat tiredly behind his desk, watching those gathered in his office from behind half moon spectacles.

Remus Lupin sat staring into space, looking as though he'd just lost his best friend. In a way, Albus supposed, he had. Harry's physical resemblance to James Potter was startling to say the least and Remus had taken to him quickly. Harry was a stark reminder of his long-dead friend, one that was effecting Remus profoundly now it was gone. That it had been Sirius Black, his other best friend from long ago, who had likely stolen the boy only made the blow that much harder to bear.

Molly and Arthur Weasley sat nearby. Arthur was pale from tiredness and distress, but he continued to comfort his distraught wife. Molly was sniffling gently, long past the point of tears and now anger bubbled beneath the surface. He would almost pity Black if she came across him right now. Her eyes were red rimmed and hollow looking. She had most likely spent the entire time since yesterday, when Harry's disappearance was first discovered, crying. Albus couldn't blame her. He felt like sobbing himself.

Minerva McGonagall sat primly in her seat, her face, as always, a mask of strict control. Only the sad flicker in her eyes gave away just how upset she was over recent events. Not only had one of her Gryffindors been taken, but this one in particular, one whom, she had confided to Albus, she felt a strange urge to mother every time she saw him. The rest of the students in her house were anxious for news of their seeker and friend and she bore the brunt of their questions. Exhaustion and worry exuded from the usually strict professor.

Severus Snape burst into the room without knocking. He threw an irritated glance at Albus before seating himself as far away from Remus and the Weasleys as was possible.

"Now that we are all here," Albus began. "Let us discuss our next course of action."

Molly wiped her nose and nodded. "We need to find Harry as quickly as possible."

"If he is not already dead," Snape said disdainfully.

Molly gasped in horror. Her eyes turned a pleading look at Albus, begging him to tell her it wasn't true.

"Severus, that was unnecessary," Albus said firmly. "Molly, I have every reason to believe that Harry is still alive. If his kidnapper wanted him dead he would have killed him in his bed, not gone to all the trouble of spiriting him from the school." He saw Molly sigh in relief and felt awful for being the one to remind her of the gravity of the situation. "However, it is likely that he is being taken to Voldemort," he paused for Molly's small squeak of surprise and terror. "For what reasons we cannot yet know."

"Is the Prophet right?" Arthur asked, shuddering slightly at the forbidden name. "Could Harry be used in some ritual to bring back You-Know-Who?"

Albus lowered his eyes sadly. "It is a possibility. Or maybe he is to be held for a ransom. There are many who would pay for Harry's safe return. The Ministry, too, will pay a great deal to ensure Harry's safety, Cornelius especially. The public look upon Harry as their saviour and he knows that if anything happened to Harry because he refused, his term would be over in moments."

"Has a ransom note been received?" Minerva asked, glancing at Remus who had yet to show he was paying any attention to the conversation.

"Not as yet, but it is still early days," Albus replied.

"I think you are giving Black entirely too much credit if you expect him to be acting rationally," Severus sneered. "He probably took the boy somewhere to torture him for a while before he kills him. The man is insane, need I remind you. We cannot predict what he will do." Severus seemed a little smug about it and Albus frowned at his apparent lack of concern for a young boy's life.

Albus saw Remus stiffen. The first movement he had made in almost an hour. Minerva had a disapproving look on her face that made Albus grateful that he wasn't Severus, but it was Molly he should have been watching for.

"YOU VILE, DISPICABLE EXCUSE OF A MAN! How can you be so happy that poor Harry is suffering as we speak? He's the sweetest, gentlest boy I have ever had the pleasure of knowing and you sit there and smirk because he could possibly have... have...." Molly trailed off, her eyes going glassy. She sank back into her seat at Arthur's side and laid her head on his shoulder, seeking comfort. Arthur held her gently, his own expression mirroring her despair.

Minerva cleared her throat. "How did he get into the castle, Albus? We've blocked off all the secret passages and have had almost constant patrols. It's not possible to just stroll in here and take someone out without anyone finding out until the next day."

"Alas, I do not know," Albus said slowly, his eyes now focused entirely on Remus, who was wringing his hands in his lap. He was biting his lip hard enough to draw blood, not that he had noticed. Curious. What could be causing such a reaction? "Harry has an invisibility cloak, a fact that Black could possibly be aware of as Harry inherited it from his father, who was Black's friend in school. He may have used that to remove Harry from the school. Though that does not explain how he got in."

"I think I can explain that," Remus whispered. His voice was so low that Albus almost missed it. His eyes came up and met Albus' desperately. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you before this, but I was ashamed. I didn't want you to know how I abused your trust. But now Harry has paid the price for my silence and I can't..."

"I knew it," Severus said greasily. "The werewolf has been helping his old friend all along. I told you he could not be trusted." The dour Potions Master looked almost gleeful.

"Remus, you didn't?" Minerva sounded shocked. Albus wasn't sure how he himself felt about this yet, but moved to intercept Molly before she killed his DADA Professor with her bare hands.

"Please, everyone, remain calm until we have the full story. Remus, tell me everything."

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Ron and Hermione sat in a quiet corner of the common room. No one disturbed them, for which they were both grateful. Ron hadn't spoken to anyone but Hermione and McGonagall since the day before. Hermione knew he was blaming himself at least partially for not realising his best friend was being kidnapped while he slept in the next bed. Hermione had tried to reason with him, but her attempts had been fruitless. She suspected that only Harry would be able to talk him round.

She was crying again. She couldn't seem to stop. Every time she heard or even thought Harry's name the tears would start. It didn't help that Harry was the subject of every conversation at the moment.

Her eyes came to rest on the pile of books before her. She couldn't concentrate enough to do homework right now and to be honest she didn't care.

She fingered the chain around her neck. Yesterday, when they'd found out that Harry had gone missing she'd been sorely tempted to use it to stop it from ever happening. Only the realisation that she didn't know enough about what happened stopped her. Besides, it only had a range of six hours and as the idea had only occurred to her at sometime after eleven am the furthest back she could have gone would have been about five. By that time it was starting to get light and the teachers were starting to move around, not to mention portraits waking up everywhere. No, she was sure it had happened long before then. The kidnapper would have chosen a time when less people were around.

It was frustrating though, to wonder incessantly about how it had been accomplished. How could he have gotten into the school without being detected?

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Albus was impressed despite himself. "You mean to say that Sirius Black, James Potter and Peter Pettigrew all became animagi? What a remarkable achievement."

"You didn't know?" Minerva questioned with wide eyes.

"My dear Minerva, it is impossible for any one man, even me, to know everything that happens in this school." Albus pointedly ignored Severus' snort and spoke instead to Remus. "Although I am disappointed that you did not tell me this sooner," he said, noting how Remus flinched at his words. "I understand why you did not. This information could have prevented Black from entering the castle and taking Harry had we known it." He sighed lightly, not wanting the young Professor to feel any worse than he already did. "However, it may well help us to locate him now. Thank you for telling me."

Remus nodded sadly. Albus detected a faint flicker of guilt behind his eyes and a grief so powerful it made him slightly dizzy. "When you catch Black, can I talk to him?" Remus asked quietly.

"Don't you think you've done enough damage?" Severus asked lightly.

Remus closed his eyes, as if to shut out the words. "I want to understand why he did it. He was our friend and Harry's godfather. He doted on Harry. I have so much trouble believing he would betray us like that. I just want to understand."

"I have no difficulty in believing it," Snape said with a shake of his head. "He proved he was dangerous many years ago as far as I am concerned."

"I promise you nothing," Albus cut in. "But I will try."

Remus nodded gratefully and went back to studying the floor.

"This isn't getting Harry found any more quickly," Molly pointed out.

"Very well," Albus said, standing gracefully. "Minerva, if you would, please reassure the students that everything is being done to retrieve young Harry." Minerva nodded and left the room. Albus wasn't sure, but he thought he detected a single tear coursing its way down her cheek. "Severus, speak to your associates. They may have heard something. Arthur, you and I will go to the Ministry. We need to speak to Cornelius about this latest information. Molly, get some rest. Harry will need you once he has been found."

They began to stand and go about their tasks when a voice asked meekly. "How can I help?"

"Remus," Albus said gently. "The full moon is only a couple of days away. You are in no condition to go hunting about the countryside. Severus has made your potion. Take this time to prepare yourself for a long discussion I feel it is high time you had with Harry. You are a link to the parents he has never known and I believe he would be grateful to hear about them from you. I will also leave it to you to explain the story of how three students here became illegal animagi." Remus winced, but agreed.

Moments later the office was empty except for the red and gold phoenix that had been watching the proceedings with great interest.

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Harry awoke suddenly and sat up on the bed. He hated that spell. It made him feel as though he hadn't really slept at all and left him feeling irritable. His gaze went straight to the next bed, where a rat was curled up in the blankets. It would be easy to kill him when he was like this, Harry realised, but he also knew that he wouldn't be able to bring himself to do it. Sure, he'd contemplated killing Black when he got his hands on him, but Black had betrayed his parents and assigned them to death. Wormtail may have kidnapped him, but Harry didn't feel the sort of rage for Wormtail that he felt for Black. Harry wasn't really all that sure that he could do it anyway.

Wormtail hadn't bothered with the handcuffs, depending on the spell instead to keep Harry incapacitated, which made everything that much simpler. He needed to use the bathroom, but didn't want to risk his captor waking up. He moved hesitantly to the window, climbing easily onto the desk that sat before it.

He looked back to Wormtail to check that he was still sleeping before easing the window open and letting out a breath he hadn't been aware he was holding as no alarms sounded.

He poked his head out and was relieved to see he was only one story up. He'd fallen that far before, like the time he'd accidentally gotten himself on the roof of his primary school when Dudley and his gang had been chasing him. Piers had run to tell a teacher on him and Harry, wanting to avoid being locked into his cupboard by the Dursleys, had run to the other side of the building, lowered himself down and allowed himself to fall onto the playground. He'd been absolutely terrified as he tried to mingle amongst the other kids, but he had been out of luck. A teacher had seen him and thought he'd been climbing to show off. She had written a note to his Aunt Petunia and... her reaction had been fairly predictable.

Looking back he thought it was most likely the same accidental magic that had got him on the roof in the first place that had allowed him to get down so easily. So if he could use magic then, why couldn't he now? True, he had no wand. Wormtail had transformed it with him back in that shack they had been in, as he did all those extra clothes he always carried around so there was no point even looking for it. Maybe there was a way to harness accidental magic. If there was, Harry had never heard anything about how to do it, but it was worth a try.

Harry took a deep breath and climbed through the window. He dropped his legs over the ledge and pushed himself forward until he was hanging on by his fingertips. He tried to picture himself floating gently towards the ground and landing safely as his arms shook from the pressure of holding up his weight. Closing his eyes tightly and focusing even harder on that image, he let go.

He landed with a thud on the soft grass at the back of the hotel and rolled. Ok, so that hadn't worked. Gingerly, Harry climbed to his feet, wincing as he put weight on his left ankle. It wasn't broken, but Harry was fairly sure he'd sprained it badly. Nothing else seemed to hurt though, so he began to lope towards the gates, limping slightly as he went, but ignoring the pain.

Once he was through the gates a thought struck him. Exactly where was he going to go? He knew he was in London, somewhere, but that was a big place. The Weasley's lived far away, in Devon and Hogwarts was up in Scotland. Neither one looked a likely prospect. He might be able to find the Leaky Cauldron, but he had no idea what part of the city it was in. The only time he'd approached it from muggle London had been before first year and his mind had been too full of excitement at finding out he was a wizard to be able to pay attention to where they were going. So where did that leave?

Away from here, was the answer that came to mind, as Harry started moving again in a random direction. It didn't matter where he went as long as it was far from Wormtail. With any luck someone magical would recognise him- he was famous after all- and he would get directions to the Leaky Cauldron.

It was wishful thinking, but it was all he had.