He walked into his bedroom after supervising the final preparations for the ball. Everything was just as he'd envisioned. Now what remained to be seen was that tonight went according to his plans.

He shut the door behind him and found a long, sleek white box dressed in a blood red bow atop his bed. Charles had delivered his suit. He unbound the ribbon and lifted the lid to the box to see the most beautiful and exotic black suit he'd ever laid eyes on. The trousers were loosely fitted, but the formfitting vest and billowing blouse underneath were decidedly masculine and exquisitely elegant.

And then there was the mask. He lifted the delicate creation in his hand, marvelling at the fine engravings all along its curved surface. The stark nose resembled a raven's beak, and the jet black velvet was of a quality he had never encountered. His fingers traversed its curvature, and a shiver ran down his spine at the texture of it. There was a plume of silken feathers on the right of the mask, and in that moment, he couldn't help but think that Charles had definitely outdone himself and a reward was definitely in order.

He had a feeling that tonight was going to go extremely well.

Puppets without strings twirled around below him. He could never understand why the sycophants around him were too eager for an excuse to don silken garments and wear their finest jewels to show off their unearned wealth.

He stood on the rafters above the hall as he searched the sea of covered faces for one his soul knew on a level that defied sight or sound. It took him all of an instant to realize that Tom wasn't there yet. Why hadn't he arrived yet? Was he even coming?

Just as his doubts began to gather strength, he felt his presence…The universe shifted itself into proper alignment. He found the object of his fixation standing at the end of the red carpet leading into the grand hall.

He was immaculate in full black tie. Effortless, too, nothing imprecise or overdone: just fiercely fine tailoring and the subtle sheen of matte silk from the reverse and buttons of his classic, one-button peak lapel jacket. His mask was a single strip of black satin that made everyone else look too ornate and tacky by comparison. His heart soared at the sight of him but the very next moment, it crashed to the ground when he saw who was accompanying him.

She was dressed in a satin black gown that clung to her torso and then flowed freely around her legs. Her sleek dark curls brushed her shoulders and her heavily lidded eyes laden with mascara were assessing the crowd underneath the black lace mask she wore. Her painted red lips parted as she inclined towards Tom and whispered something in his ear….

How the hell was she still alive?

The image of her staked to death played on the forefront of his mind over and over again. He had killed her… He had killed her with his hands…This wasn't possible…It just wasn't possible.

He closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath before he walked over the rafters and then jumped down into the balcony with all the grace and stealth of a panther.

The radio in his ear came alive with static before Mark spoke,

"Boss…I hope you're seeing what I'm seeing."

Harry clenched his fists as the urge to destroy veiled his vision. He gritted his teeth before speaking,

"Keep your eyes on her."

Mark affirmed his order before the static died. The balcony was shrouded in darkness so there was no chance that he would be seen even if someone looked up. He paced the balcony restlessly as he tried to understand how Tom could have resurrected her.

But…That wasn't even the most pressing matter at the moment…The most pressing matter was what this meant… He had told Bellatrix everything regarding who he was… He had told her about his connection to Tom. Was she the one that had told Tom all about him?

Now that he thought about it…The timing made sense… The way Tom had simply moved right next door to him… The way he had planted cameras all over his place… The way Tom had made it overly clear on so many occasions that he was attracted to him and wanted him… It all made sense.

Even though, it all fit together perfectly, he couldn't help but feel a sliver of doubt. There were some things that just didn't seem right to him. One of them was Tom's disguise… Why would he need to hide himself from him when he knew who he was. Why wouldn't he just tell him that he knew who he was and just get it over with. Why would Tom need to scope him out.

He sighed in frustration…It was just so confusing…

He dropped into an armchair and contemplated whether he should go down or not. He was certain that Tom wouldn't recognize him because of the mask and the prosthetics he had on but there was still a risk that he might, and he wasn't too sure about taking it now that Bellatrix had appeared out of the blue… He simply hated it when his plans went awry…

He ran his fingers through his hair before picking up his mask and adjusting it over his face. Maybe, it was time, he did make an appearance.

He made his way down the stairs and through the dark corridors towards the main hall. The ball was already in full swing and it seemed that all his guests had arrived. Arms dealers, drug lords, human traffickers and every other person who was important in the crime world was gathered here tonight. He could bet that the agencies would have a field day if they saw this gathering.

He made his way through the crowd effortlessly. No one knew who he really was. He was simply masquerading as a ransomware expert tonight. He had learnt the jargon last night so it wasn't really difficult to talk about his fictional work…Besides, these goons didn't know the first thing about cyber-terrorism anyway.

He was just conversing with a Russian drug lord when Tom appeared into his field of view, his arm loosely wrapped around Bellatrix's waist as he sipped on champagne and laughed softly at something that was said to him by a rather lecherous looking arms dealer. He excused himself from the Russian and moved ahead.

Fenrir was leaning against the bar immersed in a conversation with some man, but Harry could see that he was restless by the way, he constantly kept flexing his fingers and the way his gaze kept scanning the crowd. He knew he was worried about him and Harry deliberately stepped closer into his line of sight to put him at ease. The effect that had on Fenrir was instantaneous. Instantly, he relaxed and a smile appeared on his face as he continued to talk to the guy in front of him.

He was just about to move ahead when he became aware of someone's gaze on him…Well not just someone's… It was definitely Tom's…