Shoutouts to:

Moka-girl: Heyyaa! Thank a lot for the advices you've given me. It really helps ;) I hope you will enjoy this chapter.

BeraniandSeverus4ever: Heyya girl! I'm so happy to know you've enjoyed the chapter so far, lol the expression you've written about Lucius really made my day XD. I hope you like this chapter! There's a surprise toward the end~ Enjoy!

notwritten: Thanks for your neverending support~ hope you will like this chapter :D

Chapter 21 Overdrive

AFTER the unexpected encounter with a couple of Death-Eaters at her now wrecked Sheffield home, Claire and Lucius managed to drag themselves back to the hotel where Severus and the others were staying.

It had been a miracle the guards would even let them in. Though, Claire suspected even in his injured state, Lucius had cast a spell on him.

It was Draco who opened the door to Severus' Suite Room. Boy, what a shocker the young Malfoy must have felt when he saw them in their disastrous state!

Draco immediately urged them to come inside, and while they were being given medical treatments by Willy and Severus, Claire then explained to them what had happened.

After her buzzard explanation, Rita Skeeter began her own explanation and theories about the Elementals and Elementalists and their connections with their enemy.

When she mentioned the Dark Lord's name and the possibility that he might bore a child during his lifetime, which caused both Severus and Lucius rejected the possibility almost immediately.

"Impossible! We both had been working closely with him. If say, what you're saying were the truth, Skeeter, then either Severus or myself would be the first to be aware of the Dark Lord's secret child!"

"I understand that. However, gentlemen, let's think of outside of the box for a moment, shall we?" Willy said kindly.

"Say if what were being said by Miss Skeeter here were all the truth; that the previous Dark Lord had bore a secret child. Perhaps even the Dark Lord himself didn't want anyone including you two - his most Loyal servants to know about it? Perhaps he didn't want the child in the first place? Or maybe, he did introduce the child to you two, subconsciously speaking by the way. Is there anything that you could remember it happened?"

Lucius shook his head.

"I regret to say after my mission to retrieve the prophecy had ultimately failed me, I was sent to Azkaban, before I'd escaped from there."

His eyes met with Claire's in great shame for his past's works. However, the young Muggle had simply smiled wearily at him.

Meanwhile, Severus had been thinking thoughtfully, had suddenly stood up and walked around the occupied room in circle.

"There was a time... Lucius, do you remember there had been a time where a little girl, was seen constantly by the Dark Lord's side. Years ago, sometime during the First Wizarding War. Everyone had thought the Dark Lord has taken a child bride due to his close relationship with the child. However, none of us were brave enough to ask or confront him about it. Could she be the one?"

Draco retrieved some of Rita's handy researches and put it on the table at the centre for everyone to see. He proceeded by reading out aloud the important documents which he and Severus had gathered earlier; clues that would hopefully helped them solved the identity of 'Madam R.'

"I'm sure we are all tired and ready to retreat for the night, especially you Father, and Miss Rollins. However, before we all do, please hear me out to what I have to say. Forget about who the Madam R for a moment, ye? We won't be able to find any clues about her at this moment anyway." He took a deep breath, held his gaze at Severus who had nodded his head, before he proceeded.

"Snape and I have found something interesting to share with all of you. As most of us know, Elementals are very rare amongst the Wizarding society, mainly because they would lose it when they reached their eleventh birthday. Same goes with the Elementalists. However, it seemed there were two Muggle-born Elementalists who were also the Apprentices to a great Elemental Master; Master Gou."

Draco handed them a piece of paper.

"Sofia Calham and Edward Stoney. Amongst all of the students taught by Master Gou, these two were chosen by the Master himself to learn the Art of Elements and also to become his Apprentices."

"Brilliant!" Lucius clapped his hands. "I'll take it the only thing we need to do now is to find these two and hopefully they could explain why Claire had experiencing before?"

"Well, that was the ideal, Father. However, it would takes us a week, at the very least to be able to track these two down. I shall be going with Snape and-"

Draco had being cut by the man himself who had raised a hand at him.

"No. On second thought... Perhaps, Lucius should come along with me instead."

"Pardon?"

Snape leaned himself against the desk, with his arms crossed. He looked straight into the older man's eyes.

"Your Marriage will be terminate within three months, isn't that right, Lucius?"

Lucius stared back thinly at the man. Just what games was he playing? With Severus Snape one could never really tell what he was up to.

Lucius folded his own arms and puffed his chest toward his old friend.

"Yes. Shacklebolt had just confirmed with me that it will take at least three months for the marriage to be approved and terminated.."

"Good. Then, I suggest until you are officially a free man, Lucius, to keep your distant away from Miss Rollins."

"What are you saying, old friend?"

Severus sighed. "Miss Rollins has been targeted by these new enemies for some unknown reason. For all you know, the one who is targeting her is one of your die-hard fans. Be cautious, Lucius. We'll leave at dawn. I suggest you get some rest."

Severus gave his friend a slight nod before he walked passed him and discussed something with Draco.

Damn him. Lucius had planned on letting his young love know about it soon.

For her to be found out like. After what they had just reconciled their love..

Lucius looked up to Claire, who was talking to Wonka with her back facing him and had absolutely no idea what had been exchanged between the two wizards.

"Miss Claire."

Claire turned her head around.

"Yes?"

"May we have a word?"

Claire blinked a couple of times before nodding her head.

"Sure."

Lucius took her to the balcony before shutting the door. The air was cold and quiet. The time was now two o'clock in the morning.

Claire had to pull the jacket Willy had lend it to her when they had arrived earlier, closer to her body for some heat.

"What do you want to talk about?"

Lucius took a deep breath. "Claire... About what Severus had said earlier, I had never, not even once intended not to tell you about it. Shacklebolt had informed me right after we've discussed about Skeeter. I couldn't find the right time to-"

"Wait," Claire interrupted him. "Hold on for a moment here, Lucius. What are you talking about?"

Lucius took a deep breath. He looked straight into her eyes as he spoke. "Shacklebolt had just informed me that my marriage termination would only be progressed within three months."

"Oh." Claire managed to say.

Honestly, she did not know what else to say. The moment Lucius had stated he was getting his marriage to Narcissa terminated, or in Muggle's world, divorced, Claire knew things wouldn't sailed smoothly.

Thought his reasons for divorcing his wife was by far, a unique one, still there ought to be obstacles.

Claire understood clearly that she ought to be patient and thick-skinned if she really wanted to be with Lucius. So how was he looking at her like he'd just committed a horrible crime?

"Lucius?" At his name being called, Lucius straightened up. "Uh, I don't mind waiting, if that's what worries you."

His dark grey eyes looked interestedly at her. Claire pulled strings of her hair behind her left ear.

"Listen. I know getting your marriage divorced, sorry, terminated, isn't an easy task. I get that. Believe me, I do. I've watched married couples falling apart on their marriage plenty of times before... I don't know what Severus might have said to you, but I'll wait for you."

Claire smiled warmly at him.

"I'll definitely wait for you."

It all happened too fast. Before Claire could do anything, she felt herself being pulled into his arms in a tight embrace all the while thanking her for her kind words.

The next morning, Severus Snape and Lucius Malfoy left the hotel in search for the two Elementalist Apprentices.

EACH morning since that night after Lucius and Severus had gone for their mission two weeks ago, Claire Rollin's daily routine had been: waking up early in the morning, went to work with Willy until late evening, come home to the Willy's private manor (since Narcissa insisted on living at the manor until her marriage was officially being terminated), and have a private tutoring with Draco Malfoy about 'Basic Elementarily Magic' and, under Snape's strict instruction, Potions.

The ex-Potion Master believed that though Claire was a Muggle, it would benefits her in one way or another if she was to be taught about Potions.

And so, day in and out, after Claire was done with her dinner, she would spend her nights burning candles after candles in the Library, reading books about Elementarily Magic or be at the dungeon with Draco doing Potions.

The topic that she was currently studying was 'Elements and Elementalists' and how the element magic damage affinity works.

Darkness is weak against Light.

That's a given. Claire briefly thought.

Fire is weak against Wind. Wind is weak against Earth.

Earth is weak against Lightning.

Lightning is weak against Water..

Water is weak against Fire...

Claire studied them until she could no longer be able to open her eyes any more. Her feet would automatically dragged her body to the bed. She fell asleep as soon as her head touched the pillow.

Two weeks passed by peacefully. Before Claire knew, it was Sunday.

Priittt...Priiitt...Pritttt...Priiittttttttt..

Claire groaned at the annoying sound of her alarm clock waking her up. Her hand aimlessly reached out for the alarm clock beside her bed. Once found, Claire then, threw it on the floor.

"Stupid clock... It's my day off.. Lemme sleep in dammit..." Claire mumbled, while buried her face deeply into the pillow.

"I couldn't agree more." Came a deep male voice from her left.

At first, Claire didn't move. Then, slowly, she pulled her blanket and opened one eye to look at the person who was lying down beside her on the bed.

Lucius.

He wore the pyjamas that she had brought for him last Christmas. The man looked worn out from the trip.

Claire blinked her eyes a few times before she yawned and tightened the blanket wrapped around her. She wore thin night gown and immediately felt self-conscious with him laying so close, barely touching her.

Raising one hand, she massaged his scalp and caressed softly long blonde locks.

"How long have you been here?"

Lucius softly sighed as he gave in to her touch.

"Since dawn. Came back around five o'clock in the morning. Ate an early breakfast, took a shower, and then come here."

Claire smiled. "I see. How was the trip? Good, I hope?"

Lucius sighed again. "It was hard. Fortunately, we've found what we were looking for."

"You've found Sofia Calham and Edward Stoney then?"

"Unfortunately, they both died years ago. The good news is that we've found another Apprentice of Master Gou's."

"That's a relief! Anything else?"

"Yes," Lucius opened one eye and looked at her. "We learned from the Apprentice that Sofia and Edward gotten married sometimes later and had a child. A daughter."

"Really? You've met with her? Maybe she could helps us out."

Lucius chuckled deeply. He leaned toward her, and whispered sensually at her ears.

"I'm looking at her."

Claire's eyes grown widened. Instantly she sat up on her bed and looked at him bewilderedly.

"Me?!"

Draco was reading the Daily Prophet at the dining room, seated beside Severus who was silently eating the cereal, his second round of breakfast, and Willy at the head table when Claire showed up, looking fresh and fully awake. Lucius was standing behind her.

"Is it true, Severus? My biological parents were both the Elemental Master's Apprentices?"

Severus munched his food and looked up at her. His eyes moved from Claire to Lucius.

"You've told her?"

Lucius shrugged. "She asked. Quite persistently, if I may add."

Severus put down his spoon and tapped the empty seat beside him. Claire wordlessly went over to the seat and sat down. Her gaze never left him.

Severus cleared his throat.

"If you think about it now, it explained perfectly as how you were able to create the ice shield during the assault against the unnamed Death Eater weeks ago. It's in your blood."

"B-But that's impossible! I know my birth parents' names and they are not Calham or Stoney!"

"Ah, that's another thing. You see, your birth parents were smart people. In order to protect their identities, they had created new names for themselves that was taken from their own names."

Claire looked at Severus as if he had spurt a horn on his forehead.

"What's your birth mother's full name, Miss Rollins?"

"Jamie-Ann Sophia Lacham."

And your father?"

"Teyson E. Drumble."

Severus nodded. "Good. Now make another name using 'Lacham' and 'Teyson', and it will became 'Calham' and 'Stoney'. The letter 'E' in your father's name stands for what, Miss Rollins?"

"...Edward." Claire stumbled on her seat. "OH MY GOD!"

"If you are still don't believe me, go ahead and ask you dear godfather over there. I'm sure he knows a lot more than he actually let on."

Willy stiffed at the head table as all eyes were on him. Claire suddenly remember that he was a Seer.

"Willy, is it true? Were my birth parents an Elementalists? I need to know, Willy, please."

Willy sighed deeply. "My dear child, there are things that I've been dying to tell you but I simply can't, not because I don't want to, but because I have my own responsibility as a Seer: that is to never interrupted fate's decision or destiny."

"So you knew about the attack that happened weeks ago?" Draco asked.

"I did. I knew there would be Death-Eaters attack, however I had no idea whatsoever it would involved Claire or even your father, lad."

"Why didn't you warn us beforehand then? We could have set a trap or two or something!" Severus hissed.

"Like I've just said, as a Seer, I have a responsibility not to interfer with Fate's plans or Destiny. You may be angry with me right now, but this is what supposed to happen in order for something greater to happen in the future!"

Tensions grew in the air. Claire wasn't much in a mood to eat any of her breakfast after hearing the shocking revealing about her birth parents.

Now that she thought about it, Severus was right. Certain things did matched up. Amongst otherthings that made sense was when Claire had seen her younger self encountered with the Dark Lord when he tried to kill her.

"Miss Claire?"

Claire snapped out from her deep thoughts.

"Yes?"

"Do pay attention if you will, Claire. This is rather important." Severus chided her.

Claire rolled her eyes at the older man's remarks, but nodded nevertheless.

"After you are done eating, you are to go to the dungeon for a little duel with Draco." The young Malfoy nodded and excused himself.

"He will be duelling with you under my instruction, to see how well you are able to use your Elementarily ability before we send you off to meet up with Master Guo's Apprentice. After I have my rest, we shall began our tutoring lesson on Potions. There are some potions I would like you to learn as well. Do you understand?"

Claire nodded.

"Good. Very well then." Severus got up from his seat and headed to the exit. He went up the staircase and went straight to the room prepared for him.

TEN minutes later, Claire found herself in a wide and spacious white magic- proof and sound-proof room with transparent glasses. She had changed her attire earlier to a sports black tank tops and a work out pants.

Draco, who had already been waiting and had prepared something for her as well.

"What's this?" Claire pointed at a big bottle of water on the small table.

"Can't you see? It's water."

"I know it's water, Malfoy. But what have you put inside it?"

"Nothing. Look, will you just drink it? It's perfectly safe."

Claire eyed him warily before she reluctantly took the bottle and drank it. Slowly at first, when she tasted nothing was particularly wrong with it, she gulped on it.

"I reckon you drink plenty. You'll need it."

Claire drank the whole bottle before putting it back down on table. Draco urshed her to the centre with his wand, before he also took his place on the opposite side.

"Right. The key to this duel is to determine how well you can control your new found ability. We'll start with what you've already able to do: Ice." Waving his wand, Draco summoned a tiny fireball.

"Now I shall throw this fireball at you, and what I want you to do is to prevent it from hitting you by creating an ice shield; like what you had done the other day."

"I don't know if that's a great idea..."

"I'll go easy on you. Ready?" Draco gave a signal to the person who was monitoring and watching them from outside. Willy and even Rita Skeeter were there.

"Here it comes!" He send the small fireball at her. Claire nervously put her hand in the air to summon the ice shield, yet nothing happened.

The fireball vanished in mid-air.

"Let's try again." Draco coughed and got into the position. "Ready?"

Claire spent the next half an hour trying to create an ice shield, but she was failing miserably at it.

After her fifteenth attempt turned out to be frutile, Draco seemed to be giving up on her.

She was angry at herself, at her lack of ability to create the shield no matter how many times she had followed Draco's instructions:

"No, no! You've got it all wrong! Put you hands in the air as if you're touching them and then slowly try to let the magic flow from your fingers."

Of course, it was easier said than done.

Claire sighed frustratingly.

"We'll take a short break." Draco's voice echoed the room as he walked away.

No doubt he would complained to Willy on how weak she was. He didn't look happy at her last attempt.

Not that she blamed the man. Claire was frustrated herself. She sat on the white floor with her legs crossed in meditation.

With her mind at ease, she tried to recall just what had made her be able to create a sheld made from water that changed to an ice?

She pondered these thoughts for a while, when suddenly, something finally checked in her head.

At that time while she was battling with the Death Eater, she was terrified and desperate to get away.

Desperation and fear.

"Draco!" Claire looked at the transparant glasses where Draco was still talking with Willy. Both men looked up when she had called him.

Draco came out. "What?"

"I think... I know how to make my powers come. But, you ought to listen to me, okay?"

He gave her a strange look.

Lucius couldn't sleep. No matter how many times he tossed and turned, and scolded himself to go to sleep, he just couldn't. In the end, he found himself at the corridors, climbing down the staircase toward the dungeon where the rest of the mansion's inhabitants.

At the bottom of the stairs, there was a door that would lead to the "Observation Room". Lucius could very well see Wonka and Skeeter in the room, no doubt observing his son and love's duelling.

Just as he was about to head to the Observation Room, Lucius halted when he saw a shadow of a man wore a black robe, was standing beside the transparent glasses, watching intensively with a deep frown on his forehead, at the two people inside of the soundproof and magic proof room.

More importantly, he was watching her.

"You want me to do WHAT?!" Draco' yelled echoed throughout the spacious room.

"Are you trying to get me killed by my father and Snape, Miss Rollins?"

He narrowed his eyes and glared at her.

"No! Absolutely not! But ponder it for a moment, will you? Why would Severus told you to duel me in the first place?"

Draco roled his eyes and crossed his arms. "Obviously to help you out with your useless mind and incapability of using magic."

Claire didn't take those insults to heart. "Right. And what's better way to make my power comes out in desperate situation like how it had that night?"

Draco pondered a little at her logic. The Muggle had a point. Desperate situation often calls for desperate measurements.

There's only one way to find out.

"Wonka, are you listening to this?"

Willy nodded from the glasses and gave them a thumb up.

Draco groaned. He wouldn't live to see the world should anything bad were to happen to her.

Sighed heavily, he turned to look at the Muggle who was waiting for his answer.

"All right. Fine! Just to be clear, you're doing this willingly and on your own."

"Yes, of course."

Draco took his place, as so Claire.

"Are you sure you won't change your mind?"

"No. I'm positively sure."

He shrugged. "Alright. Here goes nothing." Draco waved his wand in circular before casting a spell.

Instead of summoning one small fireball, he summoned fifteen of them, all in medium size.

"Again, are you positively sure about this?"

"Yes! Come now, don't be such a wuss."

"Eat this!" With an amazon cried, Draco flicked his wand and swung the fireballs at her all in once.

As the fireballs coming fast toward her, Claire took a deep breath and raised her hand in the air. Her brown eyes turned baby blue.

Summoning her power once again, a wave of something blue shoot out from her palms - heading toward the incoming fireballs.

The fireballs froze. Instead of dropping on the ground like it was expected, the fireball were scattered to pieces.

Draco watched with his mouth gawked at the scene earlier. Almost everyone who watched the scene just now had a more or less facial expression like him. Willy was grinning madly while Rita was giving her a rather less-than- impressive look.

The sound of hands clapping broke the stunning spell around them as Willy approached them.

"Well done! Very well done, my dear! I knew you could do it and I couldn't be even more proud. See, Malfoy? I told you she would get through eventually." Willy smirked.

"Congratulation Miss Rollins. I'll admit it was rather a spectacular performance." Rita said tonelessly.

"T-Thank you.." Claire was hugging herself due to the cold air. Her body was shaking and her lips were turning blue.

"Prey tell, how do you managed to make your power came?"

Claire told them what she had thought on that night; how her fear had gotten the best of her and that her power had somewhat protected her.

"I see. In that case, at least it's an improvement and a great achievement." Willy smiled at her.

"Right! Let's go upstairs and have lunch."

"Is it just me or it's getting colder in here?" Rita pondered aloud.

"I-It's me!"

All eyes turned to the Muggle who by now, was shaking tremendously with paled face and lips. Claire's baby blue eyes had not yet changed to it's original colour.

"Her power is leaking!" Rita shrieked at the sight of the Muggle and the sudden transformation of the now icy ground floor where they were all currently standing. Their legs were iced to the ground as well.

Claire looked terrified. Her power won't stop leaking out. She found herself getting dizzier by a minute.

"Claire dear-" Willy reached out a hand to her but Claire moved away.

"Don't touch me! Please.. I-I'm scared. I don't know how to stop it from leaking.." Tears were forming in her eyes.

"It's okay, love. We'll figure something out. Tell me, do you remember anything on that night that allowed you to revert back to your normal state? Some kind of a trigger perhaps?"

Claire thought for a moment before rapidly she nodded her head.

"Y-yes.. I think. W-when I saw Lucius hanging by the cliff of the collapsing flat, I was deeply in shock. By he time I tried to use my power to save him, I couldn't. "

"That's it! Shock. You need something shockful enough to trigger you."

"You'd better think of something! Or else we'll freeze till death! I can't even apparate in this state!" Draco said shiveringly as he hugged himself.

Since the weather was hot due to the Summer, they were all dressed casually wearing a thin materials to keep them from the heat.

All the sudden, they heard the sound of footsteps clunking its heels on the icy ground.

All eyes were on the person who was approaching them except for Claire, who had her back facing the stranger.

Claire's breathing was hitched when she felt someone roughly pulled her straight up from she was squatting, before a soft chapped lips crushed into hers that immediately send Claire to overdrive.

Every single one of them were shamelessly and openly gawked at the sight!

Rita Skeeter would do anything to get this juicy scoop of how the usually abnoxious ex-Potion Master of Hogwarts was caught kissing the Muggle belonged to the Malfoy's Patriatch right before her very eyes!

'Will it be a love triangle between them? Who would this lucky Muggle choose?' Rita frustratedly groaned at the front title of the Daily Prophet she already had in her mind.

Draco was shocked beyond words and belief. Never in a million years he would ever expect to see his Potion Master to kiss someone, let alone it was a Muggle whom his father fancied and it happened right in front of him!

Draco made a low groan and covered his face with both hands. Maybe spending time with Astoria would help him get rid of the images.

While the two people beside him was groaning painstackingly, Willy Wonka was the one who didn't say anything and simply looked at the greasy black haired man who was still lips locking with his only Goddaughter.

Severus was the first to break the kiss.

"Now we're even." He smirked before taking a step back.

Claire blinked her eyes a few times with a flushed face. The cool was gone. And her eyes, she quickly glance her reflection on the still icy ground - they were back to normal!

"Severus, thank you." Claire looked at him with a shy smile.

Severus shrugged. "You don't think I would casually kiss you all the sudden, did you? Silly girl."

Claire laughed. "You're right! To be honest, I was feeling a bit nervous when you sudden pulled me up and well, kissed me earlier. But we both know your heart only belongs to Lily right?"

For a moment, there was an unreadeable expression in his penetrating eyes, before it was gone.

"Exactly..."

Claire smiled for the last time at him got up on her feet, before dragging Draco to the staircase. Rita snapped out of her thoughts and fumed that they had taken he wand, bag and everything away from her, before she marched toward the door.

WHILE everyone was still eating their lunch, one man had excused himself early from the table and went to the library's balcony for a new breath of fresh air.

He poured a bottle of firewhiskey into a small glass cup before walking to the balcony. He took a sip of the whiskey, before gulped it all down his throat.

"It's highly unusual to see you consuming alcohol in broad daylight, ."

Snape sneered at the man who dared to disturb his peaceful mind.

"Go. Away."

"Oh, I think not." Wonka approached him by the door. Waving his hand, he lifted the fire whiskey bottle on the desk.

"Some more?"

Snape sneered at him again, before demanded another pour. He gulped the whiskey yet once again.

"Love is an interesting thing, isn't it? It comes unexpectedly when you least expected it. With the last person whom you'd never thought with."

Severus snorted aloud. "If you don't have anything else less interesting to say, may I suggest you go back to where you'd come from and stay there?"

To Severus' surprise, the man chuckled lightly.

"Oh, Snape. Here I was trying to be subtle in my words. Well, if you insist, I'll tell you straight then. You're in love with Claire, aren't you?"

His hands reacted faster than any words could sputtered out of his mouth, as Severus gripped a hold on the man's collar.

"What?"

"There's no need to denying it,Severus. I mean, it's plainly obvious you have been attracted to her for some time now."

"You have one last chance to take back your words before I blow you up to pieces." Severus pointed his wand at the latter's neck.

Instead of being intimidated by his threat, Willy chuckled again before he looked at him sadly in the eyes.

"It's okay, Snape. It's okay to fall in love again. There are no rules stating you can't fall in love after losing your one and true love. It happens unexpectedly after all."

Severus was half-tempted to send the fella to his death early, either from the effects from the alcohol or his words.

In the end, he released and shoved him to the door.

"Leave."

"Severus-"

"I said LEAVE!"

Willy sighed heavily. "You can't run away from this like you've done so in the past."

"She belongs to Lucius! I will not stand in between them just so I could satisfy to my own desire and selfishness!"

As soon as those words left his mouth, Severus groaned. He covered his face with one hand in shame.

"Oh Snape..." Willy tried to talk him out of it. But in the end, words seemed useless to the man at the moment.

So he turned around and get ready to leave the brooding man alone, when he stopped at the door.

"Contrasy to your belief, Mr. Snape, had my Goddaughter not chose Lucius, I would personally choose you to be the man who would make her happy. After all, what kind of man who went all the way across the country just to complained to her that some birds left pamplets at his doorsteps? Three months, Snape."

And then he left.