"Well, we sure have a group here, don't we?" one Snatcher that Mary knew by the name as Scabior spoke up, standing front and center. "Two Mudbloods, a Scamander, and a traitor. How interesting..."

"Yes, quite a crew," another Snatcher added.

"If only we could stay and chat, but we're in a bit of a rush," Jacob said, pulling his two friends close to him.

"Why in a hurry? We can all get to know each other while we're on our way to the Ministry," Scabior stated.

"That's not happening," Mary retorted.

He snickered in response. "Oh, I think it will, and I'm sure your parents will be pleased to see you after running away from Malfoy Manor last night."

Oliver shot her a confused look. "You did what?"

"Alright, enough chit chat," Scabior cut in. "Snatch 'em!"

"Like I said, not gonna happen," Mary snapped, grabbing her wand from her pocket. "Stupefy!"

Scabior fell backwards, followed by the other Snatchers charging forward.

"Inside the house now!" Jacob shouted, leading the others through the door, slamming it behind him and locking it, hearing the pounding and shoutings of the Snatchers from the other side of the door.

"Please tell me you still don't have the Trace on you," Eliza said to Mary.

"Yes, I do. I turn seventeen next week."

Eliza groaned. "This is bad. Now the Ministry can track you, therefore, track all of us! Not to mention that Muggles can see us!"

"Sorry, I was too busy trying to get us away from them!" she yelled. "I wasn't thinking!"

"Yeah, really," Eliza huffed.

"We need to get out of here!" Jacob yelled.

"Right, there's a back door. We can escape that way," she said.

Jacob nodded. "Great. Liza, you and I will stay behind and hold them off for as long as we can." He looked towards his other friend. "Ollie, seeing as you still have the Trace on you as well, you and her sneak out the back and we'll catch up."

"Are you sure?" Oliver asked.

"Yes, just go!" Eliza replied, pushing him towards the back door. "There's no time to waste!"

So Oliver obliged and motioned Mary to follow suit. He dashed to the back of the house, opening the door that led to the backyard. Heading for the fence, he remembered the lock was jammed due to the rust that coated over it. His next idea was more of a hassle, but their choices were limited.

"We're gonna have to climb the fence," he commented. "Come on."

Oliver placed his hands at the top of the fence, making sure his grip was tight. He quickly climbed to the top, his feet slipping only once, jumping over and tumbling to the ground. Mary followed suit, swiftly hoisting herself up and jumping off, letting out a grunt once she landed on her two feet.

"Now where?" she asked.

"I know a place. Let's go."

Oliver took off, with Mary following behind him. They resisted the urge to turn around, knowing that they could no longer see inside Eliza's house. Getting back into focus, the two rushed across the street and on the sidewalk, where their pace slowed down enough to catch their breaths.

"Do you think they'll actually catch up with us?" Mary questioned.

He looked at her, panting. "Knowing them, yes. Let's get off the streets before any Snatchers catch up with us."

With that, they took off running again. Passing by houses filled with Muggle families, the two felt their hearts pumping, the adrenaline coursing through their bodies. Every so often they would look behind them for the assurance that they were not being followed by any Snatchers. So far, luck was on their side.

Once they got to the busy side of town, away from the Muggle neighborhood, Oliver led Mary to a small ice cream shop nearby. He headed inside and took a seat at the nearest booth, with Mary sitting across from him. A lady working there was about to make her way towards them, but Oliver motioned her two waters before she could approach them.

"Do you think any of them could be following us by chance?" Mary asked in a low voice.

"Let's hope not," he responded.

The lady came back with two cups of water, to which they smiled at her in gratitude.

"Let's also hope Eliza and Jacob join us shortly," Mary added.

"They will," he assured her. "They know to come here. Eliza, Andrew, and I came here all the time, usually whenever Jacob and Violet were away on a trip."

"So it's something just for the three of you?"

Oliver nodded. "Yeah, since the three of us live close to each other, we saw each other a lot over the summer." He paused, taking a small sip of his water, then took a deep breath. "What did that Snatcher mean by you running away from Malfoy Manor last night?"

Mary lifted her cup. "It means exactly that." She gulped down her water, placing the cup back on the table. "I got the opportunity to leave, so that's what I did, thanks to Draco."

Oliver raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Malfoy helped you?"

She nodded. "Yeah. He was the one that gave me your addresses to find you and Eliza. The Snatchers were coming here first, so I made sure to get here before them so you had the time to leave before they found you. Of course, the timing was not so great..."

"But..." he eyed her suspiciously, yet curious at the same time. "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why go through all of that trouble and risk your life just to help us?"

She sighed. "It wasn't just to help you guys. I did it for myself as well." She leaned back in her seat, fidgeting with her fingers on the table. "Deep down, I knew being a Death Eater wasn't for me. But I kept my mouth shut and still went along with it all, for my family." Her fidgeting turned into tapping.

"So what's the next plan for you?"

She shrugged. "No idea. Just run, probably, stay in hiding for as long as I can." Another sigh escaped from her mouth. "Maybe that's better than trying to join you and your friends, especially after shooting that spell with the Trace still on me."

Oliver wasn't sure how to respond. But before he could even get the chance to do so, an exhausted Jacob and Eliza entered the shop, relieving him of his worries.

"Not too surprised you picked this place to meet up," Eliza stated, sitting beside him.

"Well, I'm sure you knew this was the first place to check," he pointed out.

Jacob took the last available spot beside Mary, not even making eye contact with her, making an attempt to not look so uneasy. "Those Snatchers didn't stand a chance against our spells," he said.

"So they're gone for certain?" Oliver asked.

Jacob nodded. "Yeah, we're fine for now." He took a pause, finally glancing over at Mary, then back at Oliver. "She's still here?"

"Yes, I'm still here," Mary replied, looking his way. "I just saved your asses, by the way."

"Hardly," he muttered.

"Which is why we should part ways with you like originally planned before we were ambushed," Eliza added. "As much as we appreciate the warning, we still don't trust you."

Mary, knowing she would say that, still nodded in disappointment. "I get it." Exhaling, she got ready to stand up.

"Wait," Oliver spoke up, stopping her. He looked at Eliza, then across the table at Jacob. "Maybe she should stay with us."

"Are you serious?" Eliza hissed. "Ollie, she can't be trusted. She's one of them, not to mention she poisoned Jacob."

"She ran away from Malfoy Manor," Oliver pointed out. "Plus, she still has the Trace on her. If she uses any more magic--"

"That's not our problem," Jacob snapped.

"It is if she gets caught and it leads us to getting arrested for being Muggle-borns and for you getting arrested as an accomplice," he retorted. "Maybe she can also help us find Andrew and Violet, especially if they're in any danger right now."

Eliza scanned her eyes at the two boys and sighed, then at Mary. "Could you be useful if that's the case?"

Mary glanced at all three of the friends. "Yeah, I can be." Pausing, she took a deep breath, her expression almost looking desperate. "Look, I have nowhere else to go, and other than Draco and those Snatchers, no one else knows where I'm at."

The trio exchanged glances of unsure looks. Oliver was the first to say something again. "Let's be honest, she can't find her way around England by herself. Not only that, but in these dark times, no one can survive alone." He turned towards Mary. "No one should be alone."

Jacob and Eliza were the ones to make the final decision, and Oliver was hoping they would pull through and agree to it. As much as he didn't trust Mary, maybe she could help find their two friends.

It was Eliza who opened her mouth to say something. "You are lucky that I trust Oliver's judgement. With that, I'm willing to give you one chance, but if you screw up, then you're gone." She eyed Jacob. "What about you?"

Jacob remained stiff, crossing his arms over his chest. He took a moment to ponder his choice, eyeing Mary in a suspicious way. Finally, he sat up from his seat. "I still don't trust you, we already knew this. However, I would like to get my friend and girlfriend back, so if you really can help, then I'm willing to let you join us."

Mary felt relieved. "Thank you."

Jacob nodded, unfolding his arms. "Right, so let's head to my place, shall we? We've got a lot of figuring out to do if we want to find Andrew and Violet. Things are about to get worse for us wizards and witches, you can be sure of that, and I'll be damned if I let anyone mess with those two."

~~~~~~~

A/N: Well, things are about to get intense.

Song above is Wolves by Sam Tinnesz and Silverberg.

Comment, vote, PLEASE, PLEASE COMMENT. It's frustrating that I keep having to ask for comments, especially for my newer works. I LOVE comments, so please give my stories (definitely this one) some love.

-A