A/N: This is the last chapter, I'm afraid. Thank you for being such lovely readers and reviewers. I hope you've enjoyed the story.

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- CHAPTER SEVEN -

Mr Bostock ran out of the house. "Eddie! Eddie!" he shouted, "that Death Eater they’re after; he’s in the barn!"

Auntie ran out of another door and started towards the village.

Inside the barn, the man heard the commotion and sighed; he would have to be on his way soon, though he really needed one more burst of energy before he went; the last thing he wanted to do was to get himself splinched. Mr Bostock and Eddie ran up outside. Kathy stood in front of the house, giving instructions to the children from the party. They ran off in different directions.

Mr Bostock peered through the barn door and saw the man holding his wand out defensively. He jumped back and shut the door.

He barred the door shut. "Come on!" he shouted to Eddie, "He’s got a wand, and he can do very Dark Magic. Now look. You stay here and keep out of the way. I’ll be back."

Kathy ran down to the barn, but her father caught her. "You’re not going up there, Kathy," he shouted at her.

"I’m going to see him," she said defiantly.

"No you’re not, love." He grabbed her arm.

"I’m going to see him, Dad!" she shouted as she struggled in his grip.

"Look, you don’t know, love; you don’t understand."

"You don’t! You don’t understand anything!"

"Look, it’s not what you think. You don’t know who he is."

"I do, I do," she insisted, "it’s Merlin!"

"He’s got a wand, love, he’s a Death Eater!"

"You’re just making it all up because you want to get him! You can’t leave anybody alone! I’m going to see him!" she screamed.

Mr Bostock tried to haul her up to the house. "Stop it! Stop it, Kathy, stop it!" he said, "you’re not going up there, come on!"

"Oh, please, Dad!"

"Come along!"

"Please!"

"Come along, now!"

"It’s Merlin!"

"Now behave! Kathy, behave! Come along!"

"But it’s Merlin!" she shrieked.

"Come on!" He pulled her into the house and took his wand from his pocket. He dragged Kathy into the kitchen where Nan and Charlie were sitting anxiously. "Now, listen, all of you," he said, "you’re to stay here and you’re not to go out. Just do as I say, and there won’t be any more trouble. Just do as I say."

As soon as he left, Kathy ran out the back door, grabbing the bottle of Firewhisky she had hidden in her coat and ignoring her siblings' shouts. She clambered around the back of the barn and found a high window to call through.

"Merlin? Merlin? Oh, please, Merlin, please! Merlin! Oh, please talk to me, I wouldn’t hurt you, it wasn’t me, I promise..."

His stern voice came from inside, "Go away, girl...Go away."

"I brought you something though: your Firewhisky," she called.

She clambered up a pile of junk to where she could reach the window and pushed the bottle through. He picked it up and drank a large gulp, wiping his mouth of the sleeves of his filthy black robes.

"I didn’t give you away, it was Charles and Nan. But they didn’t mean to; it’s just that they didn’t think," she whispered. "Aunt Dolly has gone for the Law Enforcement Squad. What will you do? Are you going to get away?"

"We'll see, I thought I was safe here." He hung his head.

"There are lots of other children, I sent for them to help you. I know they’ll come, I just know they’ll come," she said passionately. "Did you hear what I said?"

"Yes, I heard," he muttered, fighting back the tears that seemed to be strangely filling his eyes. Why did he care about what this little girl had done?

"We wouldn’t have sent for the Squad. Not ever! Not ever!" She spun around, hearing the cracks of many wizards Apparating. "They’re coming now! What are you going to do? There must be something you can do, you can do anything!"

"Is that what you all think?" he asked sadly.

"Yes! You're the greatest wizard that ever lived!" she shouted through her tears.

Oh, no, no, no, he thought grimly to himself, I killed that one…

xXxXx

"He’s in that barn, I gather. You stay here; I’ll go up with Wilcox and a couple of men. He’ll cover the back." Teesdale and the Law Enforcement Squad were standing in the yard; he looked up, seeing groups of children approaching from all directions. "Where in Merlin's beard are they coming from?"

"I’ve no idea, sir," a young wizard replied.

"Well, I want this whole area cleared, especially of Muggles; we don't want to have to start messing around with Memory Charms as well."

xXxXx

"Please, you must hurry! You must!" Kathy shouted. "Will we see you again? Will we see you?"

"Yes," he said quietly, "you’ll hear about me again."

"Do you promise? Promise?"

A Squad wizard appeared and pulled Kathy away. "Come on, love. Out of there."

"Yes, I promise," the man whispered.

Behind him, the doors of the barn opened very slightly, Teesdale called through the gap: "You there, Snape?"

The crowds of children were gathered in the yard, watching intently. There was no reply from the man within the barn. The Squad wizards held their wands out ready.

"What about it, Snape? What’s it gonna be, then? Gonna make more trouble for yourself?"

There was a long tense moment, and then suddenly a loud crack was heard from within the barn. Teesdale dropped his head. "Right lads, back on the trail, if there's one man who deserves to go to Azkaban, it's Severus Snape.”

The Squad came out from around the barn; following Teesdale, they all Disapparated in the yard, leaving the children wide-eyed. Mr Bostock sent them all off home and went to look inside the barn.

Kathy was standing alone on the path, tears streaming down her cheeks. She noticed a crumpled piece of paper at her feet; she picked it up; it was the drawing of the Thirteen Magical Treasures of Britain that she had given the man, but the drawing of Merlin had gone from the page. A sound made her turn her head; two very little girls were standing behind her, holding hands.

"Has he gone?" one asked.

"Yes," Kathy replied, "yes, you missed him this time. But he’ll be coming again."

Kathy smiled at the girls, who turned around and walked off, and then she looked down at the picture again. Merlin was back, and she swore she saw him wink.

THE END