A/N: The last chapter was a problem for some people, but I had to make a decision to escalate the plot, and this is how I chose to do it. As for Harry not fighting a 'weak' sixteen year old Tom, or finding the diary, I can only say that Harry's level of obsession with Ginny is so great that he would not put her in a situation in which she was likely to not survive. Plus, he had Dumbledore and the teachers looking for him, too. I hope you'll hang in there with me, and keep reviewing. This is a short interlude of sorts, but I'm working steadily on the next chapter.

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A lemon drop provided no comfort for an elderly man, not anymore.

Albus Dumbledore sat at his desk, rubbing his eyes with the heel of his hand. Civilized conversation and comfort were practically extinct these days, especially for a man who had the Minister on his back for wanting to alert the people to the threat of Voldemort and three missing students.

Harry Potter had proved Albus' suspicions one hundred percent correct. He had known there was something off about the snide little boy, that he would happily disregard rules and put other students in danger.

Dumbledore couldn't imagine where Potter was hiding, and why Hermione Granger, the most talented witch in her year, was as of yet unable to escape with Ginny. Unless, of course, Potter had her under some sort of spell and Granger, against her will, was helping him contain an innocent first year.

Mr. and Mrs. Brown were grieving, and had left with their daughter's body five days ago, when Poppy had confirmed Albus' suspicions and had told the parents that their daughter had indeed been involved in resurrecting the most evil wizard that ever lived. Dumbledore's problem was how to fit in Tom Riddle's return (because evidently Salazaar Slytherin had indeed created a secret chamber under the school, which had been discovered twice: first by Lavender Brown and Ginny Weasley, and then secondly by Harry Potter.) with Potter's escape from the school with Weasley and Granger.

Severus had, at first, campaigned for the idea that Potter was obviously mad and had broken numerous school rules by going to rescue the girls. After a trip to the dungeons, Snape had begun to calm himself down, and had hypothesized that perhaps Potter had found out that the girls were over their heads with the possessed diary, and that it was a twisted sense of nobility leading Potter down into the chamber.

But neither scenario really settled well with the Headmaster. He was well aware that Tom Riddle had spent the greater part of his time at Hogwarts researching the Chamber, and he could only guess that Harry had been doing the same thing – perhaps for a different, but no less frightening reason.

The attitude with which Potter conducted himself, and had since he arrived at Hogwarts, was very disconcerting. He was haughty and disrespectful to Albus, but was always courteous with other – a select few, strangely enough – teachers. He had a certain fondness for his head of house, Minerva McGonagall, and treated her with flawless manners and the upmost civility. Professor Snape, however, was accustomed to a cool indifference, a frightening rage, or a biting sarcasm depending on the day of the week. It didn't sit well with Albus, to see the boy consorting with boys like Draco Malfoy, but he also was followed around relentlessly by Ron, Molly and Arthur's youngest boy.

It reminded Albus of another student, one with the same charming good looks and intellect, a boy who became a different person if he was speaking with someone who could grant him a favor. Perhaps Harry had different goals, but he was becoming more and more like Tom Riddle.

Albus could only hope that Harry didn't become another Lord Voldemort.

If Harry came back from underground, Dumbledore would have no choice but to expel him. He had broken so many rules that Albus didn't want to even confess them to the board, which was, with the exception of Lucius Malfoy, pressuring him to welcome Potter back with open arms. The new book – which was another strike against Potter as far as Dumbledore was concerned – My First Eleven Years, was already climbing the best seller lists in the literary section of the Prophet.

The public would denounce Hogwarts and the once beloved Headmaster if he punished Potter, and there was no way the Ministry – namely Fudge – would risk his position as Minister to prosecute Harry for anything, especially expulsion.

It seemed as though Dumbledore's hands were tied, and tied tightly. Almost as if someone had planned this all along.

He had no idea how Potter was hiding – how well could a twelve year old student conceal himself? There must be someone helping him. And as a precaution, the Dursley home, where Harry's aunt lived, was being monitored on the off chance that Harry was so desperate for food and shelter that he went back to the last safe place he knew.

He and Minerva were currently at odds, mostly because they had such different opinions about Potter. She saw the boy as a true Gryffindor and a skilled student with impeccable manners. Dumbledore had tried his hardest to get her to see that perhaps Potter was not as polite as he portrayed himself, but she refused to hear a word against him. It's a feeling I have, she had told him sternly. I feel he is to be trusted.

Nevertheless, there would be an Order meeting that night, to discuss the threat posed by Voldemort, and by Harry Potter, and McGonagall would attend as his lieutenant. Their priorities included recruiting, educating the public, and searching for Harry Potter.