There was an odd feeling for Oliver when he saw the house empty for the first time since they moved in so many years ago.

For him, it was something that he knew would happen, no matter the circumstances. Did he think it would be this soon? No, but the timing couldn't be better.

He walked around each room, no longer filled with furniture or pictures. He tried to imagine like they were before, back to a time when, to him, things were normal for him and his parents. Now, he knew it was obvious that nothing would ever be normal again, not the way he would remember, anyway.

His parents had been gone for ten minutes. That was ten minutes where neither one of them knew that Oliver Campbell was their son and that their daughter was dead. They knew nothing of the Wizarding world, which made them safe. While Oliver was thankful for that, he was still upset that it had to come down to changing their memories.

Taking one last look at the final room in the house, he tightened the grip of his rucksack and went downstairs. He practically sprinted out the door, making sure it was shut tight before he headed across the street to Eliza's house. Before he could knock on the door, Eliza opened it for him.

She gave him a soft smile. "I was wondering if you were ever going to leave your house."

"I needed some time to get one last look at the house," he admitted. "You know, it takes me back to simpler times, even if those times weren't...well, the best."

The girl nodded. "I get it. Come in. I still have a few things to pack before we go." She moved out of the way for him to enter her former home.

While they appreciated the offer from the Hamilton family, Oliver and Eliza waited until their parents were sent away before they left. Violet never wrote to them all through July, which was something that worried Oliver, but it became the least of his problems as his parents were more of a concern. Nevertheless, he was certain that Violet and her family were still expecting him and Eliza.

"You think we should write to Vi, just to let her know we're still coming?" Oliver asked.

Eliza tucked a few more things in her rucksack. "I did, actually, this morning. I got no response."

Oliver shot her a surprised look. "Doesn't that worry you? I mean, she's usually so prompt with writing back."

She couldn't help but let out a slight laugh. "Ollie, I'm sure she's fine, along with Jake and Andy."

"We haven't heard from them, either," he pointed out. "Maybe if we write to one of them now..."

"Hey." Eliza went over to him and took his hands in hers. "Our friends are fine. Once we get to Violet's house, you'll see that you're overthinking all of this."

He sighed. "It's easy to do that during these times, Liza. We don't know what to expect anymore."

"Was life really that predictable before this war business came about?"

Oliver chuckled, shaking his head. "No, I guess it wasn't, now that I think about it." He paused, looking down at their hands. "I have a feeling that we'll be thinking about the better days where a war was the least of our problems."

For a moment, as he lifted his head up and looked into Eliza's eyes, remembering the memories from the past school year, back when he was happy and anticipating his second to last year at Hogwarts with his best friends. Being with Eliza in this moment, even with the terrible circumstances, he felt safe.

Eliza blinked, letting go of his hands and clearing her throat. "We should get going."

Oliver nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we should."

So the two got ready to leave, making sure that their rucksacks were filled with their necessities. They were grateful they knew the charm in order to fit more things inside their bags. Neither of them knew how long they would be gone, but they had a feeling they'd be away for a long time, much like their parents.

"Was it hard to do it?" Oliver asked Eliza, referring to her parents.

Eliza turned around and looked at her friend. "A little. I think watching them drive away was the hardest part, honestly." She paused. "What about you?"

"Same," he responded. "And then seeing the house empty, it just..." he trailed off, trying to keep it together. "It'll be difficult for a while."

She nodded. "Yeah, it will be." She sighed, flinging the straps from her rucksack over her shoulders. "Shall we go by Andy's place one more time before we head out? You know, for old time's sake."

"Sure, for old time's sake," he repeated.

The two glanced around the house one more time before they made their way towards the front door. But before they could get outside, a familiar face stepped in the doorway.

"Hi," Mary greeted them awkwardly, almost out of breath. "I'm glad I caught you two."

"What the hell are you doing here?" Eliza asked in an annoyed tone. "And how did you even find us? Have a record of every Muggle-born for your Snatcher friends to find us?"

"That's why I'm here," she answered. "They're coming right now."

"What?" Oliver asked, getting anxious. "Did you send--"

"No, I didn't," Mary protested, then faced Eliza once again. "Yes, there are records of every Muggle-born that Snatchers are using to track down and take back to the Ministry, and they're on their way to get you two."

Eliza nodded her head, trying to not look so scared. "Well, it's a good thing we're leaving right now. Goodbye, Mary." She grabbed Oliver's hand and attempted to get through the door.

Mary stood her ground, keeping her hands pressed against the frame. "Let me come with you."

Eliza scoffed. "No way."

"You need me."

"No, we don't."

"They'll find a way to catch you."

Oliver finally intervened. "Okay, say we decide to let you join us. How can we be so sure that we can trust you? It's not like we have any reason to do that, especially after the things you did just a few months ago."

Mary sighed. "What I did was a mistake. All of it was a mistake. From what happened to those Gryffindors and your friend, to trying to kill Dumbledore--"

"Trying to kill Dumbledore?" Eliza cut her off in shock, widening her eyes. "I'm assuming Malfoy was a help in this, too, along with letting Death Eaters inside Hogwarts?"

The girl nodded. "Yes, that was us. Although, Snape was the one who killed him. Neither of us could do it."

"That doesn't take away the fact that both of you were still involved in it," Eliza pointed out. "Andy was right about you. He was right all along." Gripping Oliver's hand tighter, she looked at him. "We're wasting time."

Oliver nodded his head in agreement, not taking his eyes off of Mary. "We need to go, so it would be best if you move so we can go and you can be on your way."

She was reluctant, but Mary stepped aside, letting the two out of the house. But before they could even get far on the pavement, a loud crack, followed by a familiar face, filled with panic, as he made the others jump in fright.

"Jacob!" Eliza let go of Oliver's hand and placed it over her chest. "Smart of you to Apparate in the middle of a Muggle neighborhood."

"I know, I know, but it's an emergency," he said, just about out of breath. "I went over to the Hamiltons earlier today and the place was completely trashed, like someone came in and just wrecked the whole house."

"And no one was there? Not even Violet or Andrew?" Oliver asked.

Jacob shook his head. "No, it was empty."

"Maybe Snatchers invaded the place," Mary said. "Are either of them Muggle-borns?"

"No, just Eliza and I," Oliver answered.

Jacob's expression went from worried to annoyed. "What is she doing here?"

"To give us a warning, apparently," Eliza stated. "And we were just about to leave before you showed up." She paused, exhaling loudly. "Jacob, is your place available?"

He nodded. "Not for long, though. My parents said the Order is most likely to start using it as a safe house, that's only if Death Eaters don't get to it first."

"At this rate, Death Eaters will take over whatever house they can," Mary added.

"Okay, is anyone going to explain why she is still here?" Jacob asked in an annoying tone.

"It doesn't matter, because the three of us are about to head out and she's not coming with us," Eliza said. "We're leaving this time, before anything else stops us from--"

Another crack was heard, accompanied by a group of men, ready to circle the four.

Mary was the only one to comment. "Oh, great."

~~~~~~~

A/N: Well, that's not good, and it's only going to get worse.

Song is Kids by OneRepublic.

Comment, vote, especially because more will come soon if I want to finish this by April.

-A