Sorry about the wait guys, my computer broke. Originally this was going to just be one long chapter but then I decided to break it in two parts as it was getting a bit wordy and I was getting carried away slightly. This isn't my best work but I hope it placates those who were waiting for an update.

Chaos.

That was the only word to describe the Order the moment that Harry Potter was reported missing. It had only been a day since the announcement that a mysterious figure had infiltrated the castle and now an even bigger bombshell had been dropped. Within two days things had turned from relatively quiet to a shambolic mess of noise. Everyone seemed to have an opinion on what happened and each one was shot down in turn by a mentally drawn Dumbledore. If he was honest with himself, he couldn't quite figure out the order of events either but he had to retain an image of omnipotence so to keep the masses as relaxed as he could. In truth, he took on board each suggestion and mentally dissected them, seeing if there could be a grain of truth drawn from each theory.

The only thing he could ascertain so far was that both events were connected. As different as the circumstances were, the two problems seemed to be linked. The woman at the castle said it herself after all and by her tone, she knew that the Order would never be able to stop it, regardless of whether she told them or not. There was also a similar air between the two figures. The both were immensely confident, bordering on arrogant, and neither was giving him anything to work with in his investigation. This implied that one, if not both of them, knew him at a personal level and knew not to give anything away. It was frustrating that finally someone was playing him at his own game but it was only a minor inconvenience. He would get the answers somehow, they knew this. It was only a stalling tactic to buy time.

It wasn't until the second week after his disappearance that new information came to light though, and by that time his stress levels were at an all-time high. He regularly made himself check the student registry to make sure Harry was still alive but past that there was nothing he could do to track his whereabouts. No tracking spells seemed to be working; even ones of his own designs, used to track even through a Fidelus, were coming up with nothing. It was unheard of and it was making him edgy.

It was on a late Friday night when there was the breakthrough. The whole order had been called in after a raid, and there was a lot of tension on the room. Molly Weasley especially had been frantic after young Harrys disappearance, often demanding that the headmaster do more. What more he could do he didn't know but he seemed to be able to placate her most of the time. Her husband Arthur could be seen trying to calm her down on multiple occasions and when the children were around they pitched in also.

Moody occupied his usual seat and the far side of the table on the opposite head to Dumbledore. His paranoid side seemed unable to let him sit anywhere there was a possibility that anyone could sit next to him. He was funny like that. Farther down the table was Molly and Arthur, usual worried expression on their face, white with lack of sleep with sunken eyes; yes they had taken Harrys disappearance particularly hard. Next to them were Diggle and Tonks, two of the aurors that had taken the trip to the castle when the intruder alarms went off. Their bruised pride hadn't taken too long to heal, since it was obvious their opposition was leagues above anyone in the room, including, he hated to admit it, even him possibly.

Albus had seen the fight on his pencieve and watched in fascination as this strange young woman duelled effortlessly with Britains best and seemed to take them down without even breaking sweat. She wasn't even using lethal spells, using imagination and finesse to outmanoeuvre and outthink her opponents. A lot of the spells she used he didn't even recognise which concerned him a bit, seeing that there wasn't a lot he didn't know magic wise. He was nearly 140 years old after all and had been learning for years. This girl was 16 and looked like she was barely out of school…in fact she should still be in school now but couldn't find anyone matching her description in any record anywhere. It was a complete mystery.

Tonks and Diggle seemed to be talking to each other about the fight in Hogwarts again with great enthusiasm. The talked about her as if she were their idol. It was amusing to watch considering that she could have easily been another Voldemort though her words seemed to indicate the opposite.

Next to them was Snape, his permanent scowl and impassive expression apparent. He had become increasingly more edgy since Harrys disappearance, which shocked Albus slightly considering the enmity between the two but he supposed that he still felt it was his duty to protect the child, regardless of whether he liked him or not. He seemed to have lost some of his bite, his bitterness not as infectious as it once was. He hoped this change was a sign of better things to come, but only time would tell. He had held onto the bitterness for far too long now.

Sitting next to him very quietly was Kingsley, a dark look on his eyes. He had not taken well to being put in the hospital wing after being thrown through a wall by the mysterious assailant and since then had been mercilessly searching for the woman with no success. It was like she too had vanished into thin air, though because no-one seemed to know her identity, there wasn't many ways she could be found.

Lupin and the Twins occupied the other side of the table, along with Fleur Delacour and her boyfriend Bill Weasley. They talked animatedly among themselves, about what he didn't know, but he guessed it was about another one of the twins amazing new inventions. They truly were ingenious. The Order had already put in hundreds of orders in for their curse reflecting hats and cloaks and they had already started to create a variety of different traps and gadgets for the use of Aurors in the field. They had proved invaluable and despite their mothers constant arguments, had been inducted as members almost without arguments. No doubt whatever they were cooking up now would be equally as useful. Even some of the joke items had come in handy, for instance an Auror only a week ago had used a skiving snackbox to break out of their cell once they were caught, crying out in their cell that they felt ill, and rushing out once the cell door had been opened. It was simply yet ingenious and could be used to fool the more mentally challenged death eaters among their ranks.

Remus looked like he'd seen better days but at least now he was smiling. He was another one that had been adversely affected once Harrys disappearance had been made known. Fleur and Bill listened attentively, occasionally laughing at the twins antics, though steeling glances at each other at regular intervals.

Ah young love Dumbledore thought.

Still, it was time to get the meeting underway and he tapped a goblet that he had set out in front of him to get everyone's attention, the room quietening down as he did so.

All at once faces turned to him, waiting for him to speak.

"Welcome, I am glad you have all made it tonight. I understand that for some of you, this was relatively short notice but we have a lot to discuss, some old news, some rather new. First of all though I would like to ask Severus to give an account of how Lord Voldemort is acting now that Harry's disappearance has no doubt reached him." He gestured to the stone faced man beside him, indicating it was his turn to speak. The potions masters eyes briefly flitted over to the headmaster but nothing more, as he slowly rose from his chair to speak, his usual drawling voice filling the room, despite the fact that he wasn't talking very loudly.

"It's…hard to say. Other than the ordering his subordinates to locate his whereabouts he's been rather coy about the situation. It's as if he wants to see how this plays out…no doubt that might change once he the people he's sent have come back empty handed but for now he's content with just playing the waiting game…he's ordered another few attacks on muggle settlements but I'm sure you already knew about that" he finished, his monotone never wavering, his voice never changing from the bored quality it seemed to leak as it left his mouth. It was a game that no-one but Albus actually knew; his way of keeping his emotions hidden. It also served to subtly deflect people away. It was well rehearsed and well used.

"Interesting…so he hasn't made any move to really find him?" Albus asked curiously.

"Other than sending a few of his death eaters, none…it's almost as if he doesn't care whether they fail. I surmise it's probably a punishment for those who have earned his ire seeing as none of his inner circle have been tasked with this" Severus replied. He clasped his hands together and sighed, indicating he wasn't done yet.

"It seems that even the dark lord no longer cares what Potter does. Maybe we should just stop searching and admit defeat. After all it's been two weeks, and not a sign of him has been found"

Under normal circumstances there would be a bite to his words, an stab at Potters character or likeness to his father; as it was his words seemed hollow, almost forced. It felt strange for his enmity to be so marginalised, seeing as that hard been pretty much what had defined his character for the last few years. While it was good that it seemed he was letting go of his grudge a little, the circumstances were far from idea and Albus would take the petty grudge any day over this new change of character.

Molly Weasley bristled at his words though.

"Stop searching? Stop searching?! He could be dead for all we know or in the hands of death eaters-

"If he were we would know. You think the Dark Lord is just sending followers out on a whim?" asked Severus with a raised eyebrow.

"Fine then but he could be with anyone! Anyone! We stop searching and god knows what we will find when he does turn up!" Molly practically screamed. She had been awfully panicked of late and the slightest thing seemed to set her off.

"Calm down Molly we are doing all we can, in fact in a few minutes we will look at the memory from his…escape I think we can call it, seeing as he left willingly." Albus sighed in frustration.

"Well do more. I dread to think of what he's feeling, being tricked away from his relatives like that. I've told you for years how horrible those people were! He would never have left if he was given a proper home"

"I've told you before he had-"

"Yes I know, he had protections but let me ask you this, who protected him from what was inside the house. Year after year he has come to the Burrow, too thin and too withdrawn. If anything happens to Harry, this is on you and no-one else" she said, her eyes glowering.

It was true, he had made a lot of mistakes, but it was necessary. Without the protections, Harry would already been long dead since the Death Eaters would have found him almost immediately but as it was he was safe. He admitted he could have done more to check up on Harry while he was left there but in truth, the abuse the boy had suffered had hardened him up to be an individual he could influence and guide into what he needed him to be. He recognised that the way in which it had been done had been somewhat immoral but he felt he had to draw up some positive to the situation and here it was.

At the end of the day, only Harry could end this war; the prophecy had made this perfectly clear. Until one or both were dead, this war would continue to go on. He pretty much knew it was impossible to train him in such a small space of time so he had long resigned himself to the fact that in all probability Harry would have to die for there to be any end. It was another regrettable circumstance to a dire situation.

"This line of questions is irrelevant at this present time. We need to focus on finding him and bringing him back. I have brought my pencieve with me today so that we may review the events that transpired and come to a logical conclusion as to how to proceed." Albus said in his usually soothing tone, making eye contact with everyone in the room so they all got the message.

"Before that however we have other things to discuss. Has anyone identified who it was that broke into the castle a few weeks ago?" he asked, curious as to who this mysterious person was.

"No...shortly after our return to the Auror office that night, I contacted Madam Bones and asked her to do a profile on the mysterious assailant using the what little I could gather from our brief encounter and it I'll be honest with you, it wasn't much. She had black, hair, blue eyes and was in her teenage years but beyond that…we know nothing about her. Damned good fighter as well; impossibly fast and creative. She embarrassed my best team without even breaking a sweat…and this is a team that has taken down numerous dark witches and wizards" Mad-eye said with a hint of pride.

He was a man who had fought through many wars and knew the value of a good soldier when he saw one. He knew that his team wasn't embarrassed out of incompetence, they were just facing someone who was better than them. The only thing that irked him was that she wasn't even out of school from what he could tell and she was at a skill level he could only dream of. Taking a sigh and a swig of Fire whiskey he had sat in front of him, he continued.

"You've seen the memory Albus, she was extraordinary. I couldn't tell you half the spells she used and I doubt you could either. There was another thing I noticed about her as well. No fear. She didn't seem phased that she had to go through an entire team of Aurors to escape, in fact it looked like she was expecting it. If we could get her on side I'm sure she would be a valuable asset to us…the only problem is finding the woman."

"You want to recruit her? She breaks into a school that our children go to thinking it's safe and you want to recruit her? she could have killed someone" Molly Weasley screeched, getting a little irate. She was always protective of her children and children in general and to a man like Albus, her reaction didn't surprise her.

"She didn't though. In fact we don't even know why she was there. We did a whole sweep of the school. Nothing was stolen…and nothing seemed out of place. The only person who knows what she was doing there would be the woman herself."

"Could she have been working for someone else?" Asked Remus inquisitively. He had been quiet for much of the meeting and hearing his voice reminded them he was there. He had been unusually quiet of late, even for him

"Doubtful, he moves appeared unscripted and when she spoke I got the feeling she wasn't the kind of person that obeyed orders." Mad-eye replied with a wry smile, obviously remembering her arrogant swagger and her cryptic messages. It was obvious he admired her, even if he was rather angry with her at the time. Once he had calmed down he couldn't help but grudgingly admit that she was a worthy opponent. Being beaten so easily still smarted however no matter how much you sugar coat it.

"So you want to recruit someone that you know next to nothing about. She could be working for You-know-who and his death eaters for all we know. You should be arresting her not asking for her help!" Molly pressed obviously still unhappy with the idea.

"She's not working for him I can almost guarantee that. Your right though, we know next to nothing about her. Are there any other ways we can dig up information on her?" Mad-eye asked, pointing his gaze at Albus.

"No…without her name we have nothing I'm afraid. The only thing we can do is wait for her to surface again and try and talk with her then." Albus said gently.

"Now for the reason why I brought you here tonight" he said gesturing to the pencieve he had brought with him. At the moment he had it tucked away in the corner of the room out the way but with a quick flick of the wand it floated up into the middle of the table. With another flick of his wand, the pencieve expanded to the size and shape of the long table so everyone in the room could view the memory. I wouldn't do to have to repeat the memory over and over again for those who couldn't see it the first time. In his spare time the night before he had made a few adjustments to the device so it was able to expand and change shape depending on what the use wanted it to do. It took a while but for a wizard such as himself, he managed it in the end.

A few people in the room raised their eyes at the interesting piece of magic but they stayed silent as the penceive rested on the table ready to use. They were long used to Albus making the seemingly impossible look easy.

"I took the liberty of adjusting the pencieve so you all could view it at once and come to a joint conclusion. I myself have viewed it a few times but I've come up empty so far. The womans voice that takes Harry seems familiar for some reason I was hoping someone here would recognise who she is. I myself have pondered possibilities for the past few weeks but each theory I have is more unlikely than the next. I am hoping some fresh minds might give new insight." Dumbledore explained, poking one of the memories swimming around with the tip of his wand.

Everyone's eyes were on the silvery mist like liquid in the bowel. It doesn't matter how many times you have seen or used a pencieve, the mysterious patterns and shapes the smokey substance made was somewhat hypnotic and drew in everyone's attention.

Reaching inside his robe, he brought out a small vial containing the memory he wanted to share. Unscrewing the cap, he tipped it into the bowel and used his wand to mix it in with the surrounding liquid.

"For those who have never done this before I suggest holding on to someone near to you, as the experience can be quite disorientating." He explained with a smile and a few of the Order members in the room grasped the hands or cloths of the nearest person to them. Taking one last sweeping glance, making sure everyone was ready, he dipped his head in the liquid.

Albus and a small team of Aurors had just apparated outside Privet Drive, wands drawn. They had just received an alarm that Harry had been performing stunning spells repeatedly. They could still see from where they were standing outside the premise, the flashes of light indicating spells were being thrown. Questions were being raised to how a danger could even get past the wards surrounding the property.

The wards that used Lilys blood, Albus designed himself. The core of them may be Lilys sacrifice but the nature of the wards were designed by Albus himself, designed to be infallible. He was explaining this to his fellow aurors when logic caught up with him reminding him that he should probably go in and defend Harry. He ran a few meters towards the house but was thrown back into the air ,unexpectedly firing him back into the road.

"Damn…didn't expect that. Looks like the wards were emotionally overcharged." Bill said as he viewed what just happened with an pondering expression.

"Unusual though. This kind of thing is rare…expecially from what I know about his living situation…" he said trailing off at the end as he was lost in thought.

"I'll be interested to what you have to say after the memory is over but for how let's just watch" Albus said, gesturing back to what was unfolding.

"Of course sir" replied Bill

By now the flashes of spellfire had stopped and Dumbledore and his Auror team began working on the wards, trying to get past them. After a few minutes they surmised the only way to pass them was to bring them down. In this time Albus tried repeatedly to think of another way around the situation but seemingly couldn't find out. As the uncomfortable silence continued for another 15-20 minutes, he finally agreed, fearing the worst if Harry had indeed been injured or worse. After all, they hadn't heard anything from the outside for some time now. Not even his relatives had decided to come out for their customary rant about 'freaks' in his front garden. It was unnaturally quiet and it was that atmosphere that finally forced Albus to give in and let the aurors do their job. He also after a time, decided to help.

Flicking his wand out, he pointed it at the house and started to cast various spells designed to weaken the wards he had placed. It was no easy task considering the nature of the wards. The were designed to be perfect and to withstand sieges by death eaters. He was lucky enough to have an expert ward breaker in his team but even then it was hard work, and beads of sweat started pooling on his forehead. This was a time when his old age really was a burden, since his fitness levels were not easily able to keep up with his younger brethren.

It After a while he noticed the wards start to glow a pearly white, a translucent done forming around the house. There would probably need to be an obliviation squad called in later but the matter at hand was more pressing and he put as much power in his spells as he possibly could. The unnerving thought was that the slight glow in the air indicated that only 15% of the power was being drained from the wasn't until the glow was more red in colour and more pronounced that they would be anywhere near to bringing them down. This was where using the most protection possible was a real drawback.

The Order members that were brought into the memory watched on, transfixed by the display in front of them. It was very rare that you would see the Headmaster casting spells, especially in the frantic nature he was doing here. Glowing red and green bolts of energy were shooting out of his wand into the protective ward at high speeds dissipating into the shield as the ward absorbed the energy. So absorbed were they that they nearly missed what happened next.

The front door opened slowly and out stepped two figures, one easily recognised as Harry and the other covered by a hood by clearly a woman judging by her frame. Harry had all his gear with him packed away as it seemed, and he kept glancing at the figure next to him, with a strange longing guaze on his face. This is what had stumped the Headmaster since he viewed the memory. Who could have possibly come that Harry would send that look to. The look on his face while slightly dazed, was Happy and Albus could remember the waves of happiness he could feel radiating from his Legilimency read. He couldn't read any futher however much he wanted as the ward system protected against that as well. He had implemented this so that no Death Eaters on the offchance they even found out where Harry lived, could find out anything from his relatives such as when they go out etc. It was hardly a big defense but it was just another layer to the extensive others that were in place.

Now came the moment of truth.

"Greetings, I must say I'm impressed someone could possible pass the boundaries of this house without breaking the wards. If not for the grave nature of you doing so, I would offer my congratulations on your success"

"I feel I should take that as s complement" the unidentified person said in her cool voice. As soon as she spoke you could see Remus's face pale. He knew exactly who this was...or at least who owned this voice. It was impossible...incomprehensible but he knew. He had been around it enough times. Those others around him gave him a funny look, recognising his slight intake of breath but he wasn't the only one to incite a reaction. Molly Weasley also looked a little dumbfounded, as if she knew the voice as well but was mentally trying to place it. After a few seconds though the attention was back funny on the conversation unfolding in the memory.

As the action unfolded you could see a few grins forming around the group. As dire as the situation was, they couldn't help but like the way Albus was taken down a peg in front of them. He wasn't as omnipotent as people made him out to be and you could see that here. Like the girl they saw fight in Hogwarts, here was someone who could use the tongue just as well as the wand.

Lupin's face never seemed to change though, still pale and unreadable. It was like he'd seen a ghost, which, unbenounced to everyone else, was remarkably near the the case. The group were watching the scene with enraptured attention, watching in awe as the Harry and the assailant apparated away from the scene easily and Albus could do nothing to stop it.

A few seconds later the memory ended and they were back in their seats, thinking over what they had seen.

"I...I know that voice...I...it can't be possible" Remus's voice cut through the silence, his voice barely a whisper.

"What do you mean? Who is it?" Albus asked with intrigue. It had been something that had bothered him for a while. He too knew the voice and for some reason just couldn't seem to place it. It was maddening.

"Lily...that is Lily's voice. I can recognise that from a mile off. I spent all my school years with her. I spent more time with her than James with before my 6th year. That...is her voice...but that can't be possible can it?...I mean...she's dead" Remus said with disbelief. Albus took a sharp intake of breath at that news. Of course...that was why the voice sounded so familiar. But he was right. Lily is dead, it couldn't possibly be her.

"Are you certain"

"Albus it's definitely her voice...and from what I can tell her body. Same height, same build, same manerisms...it's her Albus"

"Lily died on Halloween 1981...I was there. I saw the bodies. It can't be her but at least this explains why Harry was so willing to leave. If he was approached by someone that resembled his mother, he would leave the Dursleys in a shot" he finished. He knew that it was impossible to come back from death so he was quick to shoot down any theory that it might actually be her. He didn't want them to be disappointed later and besides...there was no way back from death.

"Are you sure though? That didn't just sound like her...that embodied everything she was; witty, quick off the draw, even the way she walked."

"No...there is no way back from death. However we now know more than we did before. Anyone else have any thoughts...Bill, what did you mean by emotionally overcharged" he said gesturing towards Bill who looked to be lost in thought before Fleur gave him a sharp nudge in the ribs, snapping his attention back in the real world.

"Wha- oh yes, well from the way I heard you describe the blood wards, they are powered by his mothers love and sacrifice. It's rare but not unheard of to be found in my line of work as a curse breaker, considering the heavy protection they provide. However what I saw here goes beyond the normal design of a ward as you can tell. It should have allowed you through easily due to the way it was designed. You meant him no hard did you? So in theory it should have allowed passage. However the magic that created the conditions for the wards to be casted in the first place can sometimes use the emotions of those who live within the house to power the runes, though due to the use of blood, they can only use blood relatives and even then, only the most direct descendant. So it would be Lily, then Harry, then Petunia. Vernon isn't blood related so he doesn't count but Dudley could be used if he was the only person alive in the house at the time. It's all rather complicated and I won't bore you with the details but if I am correct, I believe in Harrys emotional state upon seeing his mother, he unconciously overpowered the wards and changed their nature. He knew he was leaving, and didn't want anyone to stop him, so magic did what he wanted, whether the results were conscious or not. That is my theory anyway I don't know for certain and I doubt we ever will...Blood magic is a very fickle think." He said shaking his head slightly

"As for why the wards fell so fast when they left, that's simply because Harry no longer saw the place as home. Once he left, the magic holding the wards together, failed and that was it. No matter what happens from here on in, you can't recreate the wards again." He finished

"I feared that. Thank you for you observation I will take that into concideration. I'm afraid as smart as I am I lack knowledge in such things. My strengths lie more in Charms and Transfiguration. I never really got into the subject of runes as much as I probably should have done. Thank you for your insight." Albus said with a smile

"No problem sir I'm glad I can help" Bill replied

"Anyone else have anything to add?"

"Surely we must find him as soon as we can. He's obviously being tricked by an imposter. Who knows what's happening to the poor boys as we speak" Molly said sternly, like it was the only course of action that should be considered. Where as the love she had for her children was something to be admired, sometimes it blinded her from the bigger picture."

"We don't know where to look, if we did, Albus himself would have gone to retrieve him himself by now. Even the tracking charms placed on him after he began Hogwarts aren't working. We are working blind. The only thing we can do is wait for a clue of some kind" said Moody in his usual rough voice. Reassurance wasn't really in his nature and this was the nearest Molly was likely to get from the grizzled Auror. Still, she didn't look happy.

"What now?" asked Tonks from the her chair, looking at her boss when she asked the question but really aiming the question to Albus.

"Now we wait. There really isn't much we can do now. I will continue to keep an ear out in case Harry turns up but I think it's safe to say that he won't be found unless his kidnapper is incredibly careless or he escapes on his own. Its sickening that someone would use the image of his dead mother to get to him but we can't do anything now." He stood up and brushed a speck of dust of his robes before walking away towards the door. It was time for him to leave. He had what he wanted and now he had planning to do.

After some effort over the last few weeks, he had discovered the likely location to one of Tom Riddles horcruxes and planning to go there the next morning. He could have gone there after the meeting but he was tired and knew that he needed his wits about him if he was about to attack one of Toms own horcruxes. There were bound to be powerful protections and he couldn't be complacent

"I'm afraid I must leave you now, as I have an appointment elsewhere. I will leave my good friend Alastor in charge of the rest of this meeting and I trust you will forward me with the minutes at a convenient time yes?". The grizzled auror nodded and everyone bidden him goodbye as he turned to leave.

While the meeting didn't yield as many answers as he had hoped, they did at least reveal some critical insight as to why Harry would voluntarily leave Privet Drive. It was perhaps more worrying than he originally thought. Merlin only knew what kind of condition Harry was in right now. He could be locked in a cell being tortured for all he knew. It was a rather unsavory thought.

He decided to put it out his mind for now, as tomorrow, he had a horcrux to find.

Hoped you liked it, read and review.

This is a double update so next chapter is...well up in a few minutes.