Being at the receiving end of someone's unrelenting hatred was a familiar position for Harry Dresden. It went along with the whole mystique that surrounded him after it became well known within the magical community what sort of fate Justin Morningway had met with. So the years of becoming conditioned to ostracism came in handy for Harry as a series of metaphorical doors were slammed in his face once he'd barely gotten his question out.

Then again, he supposed that considering his reputation for being "that wizard who killed his uncle using black magic, self-defense my ass" it wasn't exactly tactful of him to ask those who'd meet with him if they knew of a spell to bring back a spirit from the Other Side. Those who had been kind enough not to leave instantaneously had been brave enough to inquire if Harry "had lost his flipping mind?" or "had a death wish?" and usually followed those questions up with warnings "never to contact me again" and "if I see you again, I'll report you on spot." All in all, Harry thought it a nice waste of bribes he couldn't afford in the first place to even get the meets.

And then life threw Harry Dresden one more surprise.

Despite the well-displayed "Closed" sign, there was persistent knocking at the door that finally pulled Harry from the depths of his lab. Through the dusty windows that could have benefited from a good wash, the wizard could make out the outline of a man.

"Read the sign! I'm closed!" Harry shouted from his place in the hall.

"Harry? It's me. Dante Arrias?"

"That's great. I'm still closed," replied Harry. Then he paused, thinking on the name. "Wait, who?"

"Dante Arrias," repeated the young man. "You…um…helped me out when Caleb -"

"Dante?" Harry approached the door and as he did, the outline became clearer until he could see a pair of clear green eyes set in a dark face. The curly hair which had previously been haphazardly sprawled over his head was now closely cut, giving him a more defining, mature look. But it was definitely the same kid Harry remembered. He pulled the door open to finally give himself a clear view.

The arrival smiled at the surprised expression on the wizard's face. "Hey, Harry. Good to see you again."

"Uh…yeah," replied Harry, confusion taking place of the initial shock. The last time he'd seen Dante, the college student had been laid up in the hospital, awaiting the High Council's intervention to rescue him from charges of theft on multiple accounts. "What…what are you doing here?"

"I'm here to see you," answered Dante, good-naturedly. His tone suggested he was popping in to take Harry out for a drink. "Can I come in?" At seeing the reluctance on the wizard's face, the former college student's smile dipped into a more serious, conspiratorial expression. "Just for a few minutes, Harry. Really."

With a sigh, the wizard moved to the side to allow Dante through. Taking in his surroundings, the younger man noted that Dresden's office could do with some proper ventilation. As well as an army of maids. The place looked worse than his old frat house.

"Look, Dante, I'm kind of busy with some stuff right now," Harry began.

"It's okay," Dante waved off. "I know. You've been trying to locate your missing friend. The one that went to the Other Side."

The wizard's eyes narrowed. "Who told you that?"

Dante gave him a wry smile. "First lesson that they teach you is to be ever vigilant."

"Those High Council guys grooming you already?"

The former student shrugged. "Beats prison." He caught the look on Harry's face. "No, no, it's not like that, Harry. I'm not spying on you for them or anything."

"So what are you doing?" demanded Harry.

"I know you've been asking around about finding a way to get your friend back," he replied, hurriedly. "I think I might know someone who can help you." While the tense stance of the wizard hadn't let up, Dante took his silence as invitation to continue. "The wardens have…someone that they're currently keeping under wraps outside the city. They sort of have me as his keeper while he's here."

"Why you?" Harry interrupted.

"The work's not hard. But it just requires someone who can stay focused with a high tolerance against temptation."

"And they picked you?" asked Harry, skeptically. "Not to sound judgmental here, Dante, but the whole reason why we even met was because you were seduced by a ghost."

Dante's face clouded over. "As weak as it sounds, I learned my lesson on trying to make deals with spirits. That trickster can offer me the whole universe and I'd turn him down flat."

"A trickster? You're telling me to go see a trickster for help? Are you crazy?" demanded Harry, unintentionally mimicking the question he'd been hearing all week from everyone.

"He's no ordinary trickster," assured Dante. "I'm telling you, Harry. This guy is your best shot at making contact with the Other Side." Digging into the bag that was slung over his shoulder, Dante drew out a folder. He held out the thick file to Harry. "Take it. Read it over. I put a number in there where you can reach me. If you're interested I can sneak you in a meeting with him."

Harry stared at the outstretched folder before closing his own hand over it. The thick sheaf of papers weighed heavily in his hand. "Even if this guy's not an average trickster, his help will come at a price."

Dante nodded solemnly. "I'm sure you're right. But," he added. "From what I hear, you're getting close to paying some high prices anyway to find a spell to locate what you've lost."

Gripping the pages, the wizard drew them closer to his chest. "You're right," he admitted, quietly.

"My number is in there. It's a private line. No High Council," assured Dante.

"Why are you helping me?"

The young man chuckled at the bewildered tone in Harry's voice. "Because you helped me, man. I'd be in jail or worse, dead if it weren't for you. You gave me another chance to start over with a new life. Why wouldn't I help you?"

Harry convinced himself the overwhelming urge to cry at the unfamiliar words of support coming from someone other than Bob was just due to exhaustion. "And you're going to throw away all my hard work by helping me, huh?" he joked, weakly.

Dante grinned. "Well, if I am going to screw up. I might as well do it for your sake."