Chapter One: The Retreat

"We all need to be touching!" Snape snarled as Harry's attempts at jinxing him flew overhead and ignited the dark forest in a faint glow.

"Where are you taking us?" A fierce, raspy voice spoke over the crashing of failed curses.

"Ask later, grab on!" Snape thought intensely and instantaneously he landed hard onto the wet, and extremely calm, grass of Spinner's End.

"What are we-" The voice rasped but was cut off prematurely. Severus Snape's long spider-like fingers wove around his wand as he cast an extremely complex spell. The eyes of the death eaters surrounding him misted over as they were lulled into a dream state.

"Apparate away! They will all believe you are dead!" With a distinct pop Draco vanished from out of sight. Like someone had poured a vat of ice over the group panting before Severus, they all snapped back to reality.

"Before you ask any questions, I need to go and inform Narcissa. Apparate back to the Dark Lord, tell him the good news." The group looked around briefly and suddenly many pops were heard.

One more crack was heard and a very frightened looking, young man stood before Severus. His sleek blonde hair was matted in front of his face.

"What did you just do?" He asked in fear. "How am I going to live now?" Draco had tears streaming his face.

"You're just lucky that the fools out there were stupid enough to believe that I could live whilst you die. I took the unbreakable vow to protect you." Severus scoffed in ridicule.

"You really killed him. He's dead!" Draco looked terrified.

"We have to get to your mother before the idiots tell the Dark Lord that I am still alive and you are not; he knows of the vow I made and he isn't as stupid. We have to escape and we have to hide."

"Where are we supposed to hide?" He said, the usual sneer making a comeback. "We have more than a dozen death eaters looking for us."

"I've got it planned. Let's find your mother."

"She's at home." Draco quickly reached for Severus' hand and apparated him to the entrance of his home.

"What was that for? I know how to apparate."

"Only Malfoy's can apparate to the doorstep, hurry!" He ushered him quickly up to Narcissa Malfoy's room and opened the door. She lay still on the bed with blankets covering her body. Draco walked over to her and gently shook her awake.

"Mother, wake. We have to leave." She turned around like it was some sort of birthday surprise for Draco to be shaking her awake.

"You did it! You're alive!" She put her hands on Draco's cheeks and kissed his forehead.

"He won't be alive if you don't hurry. We have to leave!" Severus snapped from behind them. "We have to apparate out of here, I know where to go and you will have to hold onto me."

"Where are we going?" Narcissa asked patiently.

"We need to leave!" A loud noise was heard from below. "They are already here!" Narcissa began to shrink things.

"We have no time to pack, Mother!" Draco grabbed her hand.

"Hold on!" Severus inwardly groaned as he began to imagine the place inside his head. There was another loud crash to the door within the room he was standing before he felt the familiar tugging to his abdomen. Lights rushed around them as they were sucked through one extremely long tube. Minutes later, they landed in front of a small yellow house with white shutters.

Draco leaned over and puked on the ground below him. His mother swayed as though she were being tugged back in forth by an invisible tug-of-war game.

"It's not that bad, Draco." Severus said as though it was the house that made him vomit, instead of the long apparation.

"Where are we, Severus?" Narcissa looked at Snape curiously.

"Muggle America. Meet our new home: The great Kentucky countryside." Draco grimaced as he looked toward his mother is discontent. "Shall we have a look?" Severus took one reluctant step along the sidewalk leading to the front door. He turned the handle gently and inside, Draco and Narcissa saw for the first time, a muggle house, complete with decorative floral furniture, a television, and a refrigerator.

"Before you do any magic, let me warn you that you are not allowed to." Severus snapped quickly before Narcissa pointed her wand hopefully at the couch.

"This is torture, Severus. Draco and I cannot stay here."

"You have no choice. We are all staying here until I hear from Minerva." Draco and Narcissa both choked.

"What!" They screamed in unison. Severus sat down comfortably onto the couch and began the long and winded version of the reason why he was now sitting on a floral couch inhaling the scent of cat.