For a split second, Harry thought he'd been discovered.
Severus Snape's sharp eyes lingered on the spot where Harry stood for nearly half a second before finally shifting away.
Harry was almost scared senseless. Only after Snape and the other Death Eater, the one named Aiden, turned and left did he finally let out the breath he'd been holding behind the tree.
That had been dangerously close.
Luckily, Snape had only looked for an instant, and Jon's Disillusionment Charm had held perfectly. If Snape had seen through it, things would have gone terribly wrong.
Harry didn't dare follow immediately. He stayed hidden behind the trunk.
Only after Snape and Aiden had put some distance between them did Harry pull out the wand Jon had given him.
"Expecto Patronum," Harry whispered.
Nothing happened.
The tip of the wand remained dark, even as Harry desperately tried to focus on happy memories.
He tried again and again.
At last, his Patronus answered.
A silver stag burst into existence beside Harry Potter.
Harry motioned it closer, leaned in, and whispered several quick instructions into its ear. Then he sent it off to find Jon and tell him what had happened here.
The shining stag obeyed at once and vanished into the forest.
Far ahead, Snape and the other Death Eater noticed nothing.
Harry had no time to rest. The two men had already gained too much distance, and if he delayed any longer, he would lose them.
He hurried across the wet forest floor as fast as he could.
...
Fortunately, Snape and Aiden weren't moving very quickly.
And the path ahead was relatively straight, without many sharp turns or twists.
After nearly half an hour, Harry finally closed the gap to a manageable distance.
Severus Snape looked visibly irritated, an expression Harry had never once seen during Potions lessons at Hogwarts.
What was he searching for?
What could make Snape this impatient?
Harry's mind immediately reached one answer.
Voldemort.
If he really managed to locate Voldemort's hiding place, this would be an enormous discovery.
According to what Jon and the others had said, Voldemort was in an extremely weakened state right now, perhaps weaker than an ordinary wizard.
If Jon could contact members of the Order of the Phoenix and bring them here, then together they might wipe out Voldemort and all his followers in one strike.
At last, the Dark Lord who had plagued magical Britain for years would be finished.
The thought sent a surge of excitement through Harry.
Even so, he didn't slow down for a second. He kept tight on the trail of the two Death Eaters ahead, never letting them slip away.
As they continued forward, the trees around them gradually thinned.
They were nearing the edge of the forest.
Which made sense. Ever since leaving the riverside camp, they had tracked the Death Eaters almost nonstop for close to two hours.
Then suddenly, a figure appeared ahead.
Was it Voldemort?
Harry's eyes lit up at once.
But the excitement quickly faded.
One glance at the figure's clothes told him it was only a Muggle.
Judging by the outfit, probably some kind of forest ranger or groundskeeper. Very few Muggles would venture this deep into the woods in damp weather like this unless it was their job.
Harry immediately felt uneasy for the man.
He was about to walk straight into two Death Eaters, men capable of any cruelty. If he survived the encounter, he'd be lucky.
Just as Harry was debating whether he should intervene and save the Muggle...
Snape and the other Death Eater had already reached him.
Aiden looked confused at first.
But the moment he saw Severus Snape bow respectfully to the supposed Muggle, he understood instantly.
Harry understood too.
More than two years ago, in the graveyard at Little Hangleton, Harry had seen countless Death Eaters use that same gesture when Voldemort returned.
Which meant this plain-looking "Muggle" was Voldemort himself.
Suppressing the rush of excitement in his chest, Harry crept closer.
If only his Patronus were still beside him. He would have sent it straight to Jon and the others in the Order.
...
"Severus. Aiden."
The Dark Lord, dressed like a forest ranger, spoke in a calm, indifferent tone.
"Weren't you supposed to bring Mr. Potter to me?"
"I'm sorry... Master..." Aiden stammered.
He hurriedly explained everything that had happened in the cave, including how they had been forced to return early.
His words came out clumsy and unclear. Under normal circumstances, with Voldemort's temper, he would have been killed and fed to Nagini already.
But Voldemort merely stood there, expression calm, almost emptied of anger or joy.
"You actually did quite well, Aiden," Voldemort said dismissively.
Then he turned to Snape.
"And you, Severus? What do you think?"
Among all the Dark Lord's followers, Severus Snape was clearly the one he trusted most now.
Snape finally spoke, wearing the look of a man fully in control.
"We did not find Potter. But we brought him here."
He paused.
"More accurately, he followed us."
"So... I brought Potter."
"Petrificus Totalus!"
Snape's voice cracked through the air.
At that same instant, Harry's entire body locked solid. Every muscle froze. He couldn't move at all.
The Full Body-Bind Curse had struck him cleanly.
A moment later, Severus Snape strode straight toward him, tapped Harry lightly with his wand, and the Disillusionment Charm vanished at once.
Harry's body, however, remained rigid and helpless.
"Aiden. Severus."
Voldemort's mood visibly brightened the moment Harry Potter appeared before him.
"You've both done very well."
"It was only chance," Snape said flatly. "To be honest, it was hardly my doing."
"Excellent... Potter... Harry Potter..."
Voldemort stared into Harry's face, smiling now, his eyes gleaming with excitement.