Sophia Holmes and the Search for Horcruxes (Harry Potter Fanfic) *Completed*

Chapter Nineteen

The landings still haven't got any easier. We scramble to our feet and look around. We're back at the riverbank where Ron left us weeks ago.

"That treacherous old bleeder!" Ron cries. "Is there no one we can trust!"

"They've kidnapped Luna because he supported me," Harry defends, softly. "He was just desperate."

Ron doesn't reply but spits to clear the grit from his teeth and peers towards the river.

"I'll do the enchantments," he says after a moment but I freeze, hearing movement in the woods.

I look up and my breath catches. In the tops of the trees, clinging to the branches of the trees above almost as if a part of the trees themselves, are Snatchers.

A wand lights up above, illuminating the face of the young Snatcher that could smell me the other day. Hermione's red scarf that she left behind for Ron hangs, faded and filthy, from his neck. He presses it to his grimy nose, inhales and grins at Hermione.

"Hello, beautiful."

"If one or more of us get seperated," Ron says under his breath, "head for Shell Cottage in Teignmouth." I nod and we run, sprinting in different directions. Hermione and Ron run towards the forest while Harry heads for the river.

I run in the opposite direction, heading alongside the river with the intention of reaching its mouth and, from there, working out where I am. I have two Snatchers on my tail, firing a succession of spells towards me. I zig-zag and spin, firing my last two bullets and hitting them before speeding off again.

I slow down once I'm sure I'm not being followed and walk for just fifteen minutes before I see a small town. The sign welcomes me to North Connel, so I realise the river was actually Loch Etive. I'm in the Scottish Highlands somewhere, pretty much the farthest I could get from Devon. Perfect.

I take the bridge to bring me to the other side of the Loch, into Connel, and from there follow the signs to the train station.

The quickest I can leave is the 2.52 to Dalmuir and, if I'm lucky I can catch the 5.33 to Glasgow. From there it's a straight run back to Euston and a few tubes to get to Baker Street. At this rate, I should get back for around midnight. Would be a lot easier if I could disapparate, but there we go.

***

I finally reach the flat at just past midnight after what seems like the longest train ride ever.

Mrs Hudson is high on her 'Herbal Soothers' when I arrive so she doesn't hear me come in. There's no point hurrying: trains to Devon from Paddington don't start leaving until 5.19 am and I want a decent night's sleep before heading off again. I doubt Mrs Hudson will come up, so I can avoid her so long as I lay low until she leaves for her weekly shop at 10.15. That should leave me enough time to catch the 10.35 train to Devon. There are earlier ones, but they would involve a change at Exeter St Davids, so I decide to take the Paignton train which will bring me straight into Teignmouth.

I consider calling Beth but I don't really want to drag her into this. I'm enough of a burden without having two non-magical people involved.

I set my alarm for 9.30 before passing out on my bed, getting the most peaceful night's sleep in a long time before waking up. Mrs Hudson has the hoover on downstairs so I move around quietly upstairs under the cover of the noise, packing all the ammunition I can find into a set of bracelets Nat sent over.

At 10.15 exactly, I hear the front door open and close and I look out the living room windows to watch her walk up the street. I follow quickly behind her and by 10.35 I'm on the train to Teignmouth.

The journey is the same as the one we took to get to Dartmoor last year and yet I'm two people down. I spend the three hour ride Google Mapping Shell Cottage in order to distract myself. Hopefully, the trio will already be there. If not, they've been caught and I'll be back at square one with no idea how or where to find them.