Chapter 43

Missing

Amelia was having a very eventful year. After the investigation into the miscarriage of justice done to Sirius Black, her department was flooded by work. Old cases were reopened to check for others that were imprisoned without a trial, some of the staff under Minister Bagnauld were found having taken bribes or done favours in exchange for other favours, people were being checked if they had the dark mark on their forearm. The cherry on top was however the discovery that Barty Crouch Jr. was not as dead as everyone thought. And worst still, the man had escaped when they had sent his father to prison. Yes, it had been a very eventful year, and she could blame most of it on her tentative friend Aries Black. The man had gotten the stagnant ministry to come alive. His contribution towards the financial laws passed by Fudge was undeniable and incredibly efficient. The once closed borders of the island were now open to foreign investment which made the ministry coffers full again. The unusual thing about the laws were that they were in no way discriminatory towards magical creatures of the lesser variety. She knew that Black had been aiding peaceful communities of werewolves, vampires, harpies and such by proving shelter and a chance to work the land in the little villages around Black Manor, but the new laws gave way to other opportunities for these creatures to earn fair wages and integrate themselves into magical society.

At first she thought there was a hidden agenda behind all this, and there still probably was, but she couldn't find anything wrong with the theory behind Black's decisions. Dark Magical creatures they may be, but most of them had been pushed into the darkness because of misfortune and out of necessity. Providing them with a solid network and aid was giving them less reason to be hostile towards the rest of magical world. And it was working. Since Black had returned to the island there had been fewer and fewer attacks. There was still the likes of Greyback and his pack that were still causing trouble, but Amelia's Aurors already knew how they operated and managed to stop them more often then not.

So while Amelia was buried in work day after day, it was incredibly satisfying seeing the magical community turn towards a more peaceful time. That is until Crouch Jr. and the Longbottom kidnapping.

'Madam Black here to see you, Madam Bones.' said her secretary.

What was Narcissa Black wanting with her at this time of day? The former Madam Malfoy had been aiding her uncle with Crouch's former job, and by the looks of things she had been doing a fine job at that, but Narcissa left the security detail of the Quiddich World Cup and the Triwizard tournament to her uncle. Her confusion towards the visit turned to dread when she saw Narcissa's face as the woman entered her office followed by a house elf that was trembling and crying.

'There was an attack on the Longbottoms in Croatia. Whoever it was took both the Longbottom heir and my uncle's ward. Augusta is not to be found either, also presumably taken as well as the rest of them.'

'How did this happen?'

'Dobby retell your story.'

'Dobby was sent to take care of Master Harry Potter. Dobby was supposed to keep Master Harry Potter safe and follow his orders, but Dobby failed.'

'Enough of that Dobby, tell us what happened.' Narcissa said annoyed but trying to keep her composure.

'Master Harry Potter was at the shore with Master Neville and they were talking, then Master Harry said that Dobby should go pack, because Master Harry Potter wanted to go home to Master Blacky, so Dobby left to pack and he was packing and wasn't there when Master Harry needed him to be. When Dobby came down from Master Harry's room with his luggage, Master Harry was not there. Dobby searched and searched but Master Harry and Master Neville were no in the house, or on the way or at the beach. Dobby searched for Mistress Longbottom and the rest but couldn't find them. Dobby bad elf, Dobby lost Master Harry.'

'Dobby searched the whole island in Croatia for half a day.' Narcissa explained when Dobby seemed unable to continue. 'then needed another half a day to get back home through international wards. The family will have been missing for more than 24 hours.'

'Is Aries already gone to Croatia to assist with the search?' Amelia asked as she scribbled a memo and sent it express to Kingsley.

'No, that's the worst of it. My uncle has gone away on business since yesterday evening. He only left word with Pan that he is not to be contacted until he is back.'

'What was so urgent that he had to leave?' Amelia exclaimed as Kingsley came in followed by Tonks.

'I am not sure, but if he comes back and Harry is still missing or injured...'

'Harry is missing?' Dora asked surprised and concerned.

'Dobby just arrived with the news half an hour ago. Your mother knows as well, she is trying to make contact with Aries.' explained Narcissa

'Uncle is gone.'

'Lord Black can take care of himself. We need to focus on finding the Longbottoms and Harry. Kingsley, get in contact with the Croatian Aurors, see what you can find out. Madam Black, you are deputy to Lord Black, we will need someone to navigate the international waters.'

'I already sent a fire memo to our Diplomat in Zagreb, his reply should be waiting for me when I get back in my office.'

'Good. I will notify Cornelius. Try to get Aries back here as soon as possible though.'

'Andromeda is with Pan and they are doing whatever they can.'

'Someone should notify the school.' said Kingsley.

'Dumbledore will use this to try and take Harry away from my uncle.'

'He can't take Harry away from anyone until the boy is found.' Amelia said 'I will notify Hogwarts when we know some more. There are still some days of the spring holiday left.'

They had barely started the search with the aid of the Croatian authorities when Pan had turned up with some of the missing family and Crouch knocked out.

Harry woke up next in a very white room. He felt completely rested but was immediately on high alert.

'Harry!' Heide became visible in front of him smiling fondly. 'You're finally awake.'

'Where am I? Where is Neville and Lady Longbottom? Where is Si-Aries?'

'You are in St Mungo's in a private ward. Your friend is in the room opposite you but hasn't woken up yet. Lady Longbottom is in a highly monitored mind healing room three floors above.' The little Fae then hesitated. 'Ar-Aries is not here.'

'What do you mean he's not here?'

'He had to go away.'

'Go away? But he sent Pan and the Circus after us. Surely he knows what happened, how could he go away at a time like this?'

It was then that the door of his private room opened and in came an unknown Medi-Wizard accompanied by Aunt Andromeda. Heide faded to invisible again before whispering to Harry to keep her presence quiet for now.

'Harry, you're awake. This is Healer Thomson, he has been taking care of you for the past 24 hours.' She immediately was at his side and gently squeezed his shoulder.

'Hello sir.'

'Hello Mr Potter. It is good to see you finally awake. I will cast some diagnostic spells to make sure everything is as it should be. Please feel free to relax and talk to your aunt.' Harry nodded before turning to Andromeda.

'Aunt Andy, where is Aries?'

He saw hesitation on her face. 'I am not sure. Pan informed us just as Dobby arrived with news of you that Lord Black left for an extended business trip that couldn't be delayed and that he had given specific instructions not to be contacted for anything until he comes back.'

'He left before Dobby? But then who sent Pan and the others after us?'

'Master Harry.' The High Elf entered the room and bowed low. The elf didn't look that he had slept in a long time. 'Master Aries left me in charge of protecting you and the Black estate on the isle.'

'But he doesn't know what happened. He has to be informed. Surely he would want to be contacted and would return here immediately.'

'Mr Potter. Please try to remain calm.' The Medi-Wizard finally spoke after concluding his diagnostic spells. 'While you have been completely healed. The mental trauma of what happened during your kidnapping can't be healed by magical means alone. Healer Tonks, you need to keep distress at a minimum for the following three months.'

'Why her? Aries will come back soon.' Harry asked rather rudely.

'We don't know when Lord Black will come back. Until he does, he has left me in charge of your well-being.' Andromeda explained. 'Harry, I am sure he will come back quickly. News of Crouch's kidnapping you and Heir Longbottom has been reported by the press. He will know and he will come back soon. He cares about you dearly.' She smiled assuredly.

Harry felt somewhat placated but he still couldn't understand how Aries-no-Sirius left like he did before Harry came back. Had he driven his godfather away with his rejection? Hadn't he been entitled to be angry at being lied to?

'How is Neville? Did they get Voldemort, Crouch and Malfoy?' he asked and saw both adults flinch at the first name.

'Mr Longbottom is doing much better but he hasn't woken up yet.' The healer paused 'He had been kept under the Cruciatus for a long period of time. While not enough to do permanent damage, his recovery is swifter while he sleeps so he has to stay in a magically induced sleep for the next 48 hours.'

'But he will recover.'

'Physically, yes, he will recover. Mentally his trauma will require healing sessions, but we can only assess this after he wakes up. There are potions that can help speed his recovery, but they alter perception and can give way to addiction. I wouldn't use them on anyone younger than 16.'

'So he won't be able to go back to school?'

'We can't say for certain until the 48 hours have passed. Then there is the problem of guardianship.'

'What do you mean?' asked Harry

'Mr Longbottom is a minor. However his appointed guardian has been rendered incapable of taking care of him. With his uncle Algerius unaccounted for and his aunt Enid found dead the list of guardians diverts to the list his parents made.'

'And is that bad?' Thomson exchanged a look with Andromeda.

'Alice and Frank named your parents as guardians after Lady Longbottom.' Explained Andy. 'Then there was a final stipulation that should all of the guardians refuse or be unsuited for the job, that Neville be raised by whoever is raising you.'

'Si-Aries then.' Harry almost gave his guardian away.

'Yes, but a Longbottom raised by a Black after what my sister did to their family. It will be frowned upon.'

'Be that as it may.' Narcissa Black said coming in the room looking regal. 'It is what the wills of Frank and Alice Longbottom state. Until our uncle comes back, sister, Minister Fudge signed the order that you, as named proxy by Mr Potter's guardian will act as proxy for Mr Longbottom too.'

'What about the decisions regarding Lady Longbottom?' asked Andy.

'Your responsibility. The political side however is blocked. The Longbottom seat is to be left in stasis until either Augusta Longbottom recovers or Neville Longbottom comes of age.' Narcissa then turned towards Harry. 'Mr Potter, while Pan was able to fill in some of the information regarding the kidnapping the DMLE would like to ask you some questions about what happened in Croatia and Albania.'

'Do I have to go to the ministry now?' asked Harry

'No, someone will pay you a visit today if that is ok with you and my sister and if Healer Thomson deems you fit enough for the effort.'

'Mr Potter is physically fit enough. However I would ask that a mind healer be present when the interview takes place.'

'Ted is a qualified mind healer. I will ask him to be here with us. If that is ok with you, Harry.'

'Us?'

'You're a minor, interviews with the DMLE have to be supervised by your guardian or his or her proxy.'

Harry's day was spent with Heide quietly watching over him. She informed him that her undetected presence was a protection measure asked for by Pan. The Circus was not allowed inside the hospital, them being dark magical creatures with no need of healing aid, so Heide was to be a silent watch dog and at the first sign of danger she was to Disapparate both of them out of St Mungo's and back home.

It was close to evening when Kingsley and Tonks came for the interview. Harry was grateful to be interviewed by people he knew and explained what happened as best he could. He tried to avoid Padfoot's involvement but saw no way out of it. Neville had seen it and Crouch too.

'It's a protection my Godfather left me.' He said 'Aries didn't explain more than that. But Padfoot saved me from the Basilisk a year ago and from Pettigrew in December. It appears whenever I am in true danger.'

'I've never heard of anything being strong enough to take on the unforgivable curses.' Kingsley said looking at Andromeda.

'Sirius was the Heir of the Black Family. He had been educated in obscure magic and our family magic since he could walk and talk. If there is something strong enough to stop the Unforgivables he would have been made aware of it.'

'I don't suppose such knowledge could be made available to everyone. It would help in fighting dark wizards.'

'You would have to talk to my uncle about it. But don't get your hopes up.'

'Why not?' Tonks asked 'Uncle Aries would want to help. He has been unlike any other lord Black before him.'

'Nymphadora, if this is Black Family Magic that is protecting Harry, then be sure that Lord Black will not share it with anyone, for everyone's sake as much as for our family. Auror Kingsley, while I do not wish to influence you or the ministry, I would ask you to keep the protection as a need to know information, at least until my uncle returns. For Harry's sake if nothing else.'

'For my sake?'

'We know the protection can take on two of the unforgivable and stop physical attacks from magical creatures. But we don't know if it can stop the killing curse. There may be people out there that will want to test the protection and attack you to see it manifest. It will put you in danger.' Explained Andromeda

'You are right Madam Tonks. I will keep this between ourselves and Madam Bones for now. Thank you for being brave Harry. I will let you rest now. Do not worry about protection here. We have Aurors stationed on this floor and at every entrance to the building. While the Minister is still refusing to believe Voldemort is still alive somehow, he has authorized a search for Lucius Malfoy and Algerius Longbottom.'

'How can he deny that Voldemort was there? Didn't you question Crouch under Veritaserum?'

'We did, however the Minister believes Crouch was delusional and influenced by Malfoy unto believing Voldemort was alive. Before the healers could confirm or infirm his theory he sent the man back to Azkaban where Crouch can't properly be questioned.'

'He couldn't have done! That is illegal.'

'It is and it is not. There have been precedences where the accused were sent to Azkaban before trial, however not while they were still under investigation. Amelia was furious when she found out. There is an extraordinary Wizengamot meeting taking place one week from now to determine if Fudge is to be sanctioned or even removed from office. I don't suppose you know if Lord Black will be back by then.'

'Unfortunately my uncle is still unreachable. But Narcissa will be his proxy should it be needed. Please have Amelia talk to her about it.'

'Is she the best option for proxy?' asked Ted.

'What do you mean?' asked Andy

'Well this involves her former husband too.'

'Ted, while Narcissa may hold a grudge against Lucius, she is representing the head of our House. She is honour bound to vote according to the law.'

'Can I help?' Harry asked. 'My testimony is the same as Crouch's. Voldemort is still alive, even if he still hasn't regained his full body.'

'Thank you for offering Harry, but your statement here will be enough for now. No matter how delusional Fudge thinks Crouch is, he shouldn't have interrupted an investigation and sent a key witness to the mosters that take away memories. If he gets suspended there will be a time when the interim position will pass to Amelia. And she believes you.'

'But what about Voldemort?' Harry insisted.

'He will still be with Lucius outside Britain. Outside our jurisdiction. But we are working with the Albanian authorities to try and get him before he can do any more harm. You don't need to concern yourself with him. Amelia is already preparing our forces for when he comes back, if we can't catch him by then.'

Harry wanted to say that Voldemort was concerned with Harry if Harry wanted it or not. But decided to drop it and try to figure things out himself until Aries returned. He continued to think of Sirius as Aries, he wanted not to, but he didn't know if his guardian wanted that information to be known by all. While Sirius had been declared a martyr and a hero, Harry didn't know if faking his own death and impersonating another person wouldn't make his guardian a fugitive of the law again. He didn't want that. He wanted Sirius back to mend things and finally be a family without secrets pulling them apart. Only there were still secrets Sirius hadn't told him. The protection was one of them. Doubt was creeping in his heart again as he was left to rest alone with Heide.

Albus Dumbledore had used all his calm and restrain not to barge in St Mungo's and whisk both Harry and Neville away. He was on thin ice still with the governors and couldn't be seen exceeding his duties. Instead he sent Fillius to gather information. Minerva would have been a better candidate for it, as she was the Head of House for the two boys but the attack had been once again against people she cared about and he tried to spare her. He thought he had made a breakthrough when Remus told him that Andromeda Tonks was to be Harry's guardian stand in until Aries' return. So he didn't waste time in asking for an audience with the healer.

'Mrs Tonks, it is a pleasure to see you again.' he said as she entered his office. 'Please take a seat. Lemon Drop?'

'No thank you Headmaster.' She said as she took the chair in front of his desk.

'Some tea then.' And the Hogwarts elves materialized a steaming pot of tea with two golden rimmed cups. The tea poured itself and after they both took a sip, Dumbledore started.

'I imagine you're curious to know why I asked you here.'

'Since the meeting is at school I can only think of two reasons. Either it is a Governor business or it concerns Harry, my uncle's ward.'

'It is about Harry.'

'Oh? What about him?'

'He has been through a horrible ordeal this past week. I was thinking that it would help him cope better if he were transferred from St Mungo's to Hogwarts. Being around friends would help take his mind off what happened.'

'I see your point.' She took another sip of tea before going on. 'However the healers want to keep him under observation. He exerted himself blasting his way out and he should not do any magic for the reminder of the week.'

'I thought that he was rescued, not that he rescued himself.'

'It was a combined effort. My uncle's elf and the search party that was with him would not have been able to get to them had the enchantments not been taken down. You can however rest easy, both Harry and Neville will make a full recovery and the healers are optimistic that the boys will return to school no later than in two weeks' time.'

'That is good news. Your uncle will no doubt be back by then.'

'My uncle will be back when he will be back. But he has left me in change of anything to do with Harry while Narcissa takes over the ministerial duties. So there is no need to concern yourself about him.'

'No, of course not. It is however rather strange that he is absent in such a trying time for his ward.'

'He left before what happened to Harry was made known to us.'

'Of course, he couldn't have known what was happening. It is odd however, that he can't be contacted no matter what. I would have thought that an emergency regarding his family is more important than his businesses.'

'What are you insinuating, Headmaster?' Andromeda's eyes narrowed.

'Merely that a busy man such as Lord Black might have other priorities than the welfare of a ward he had to take in out of duty. While he has been doing an admirable job so far, it seems that in these dire circumstances he has…what is the muggle saying? dropped the ball when it comes to Harry.'

'Harry is receiving the best medical care available in Britain. He is guarded 24/7 and he has his family around him.'

'But he doesn't, does he? The Dursleys are his closest family and while you are no doubt doing whatever you can to keep him safe, the fact of the matter remains that Harry is safer with his aunt.'

'You want him to go to Muggles? Have you lost your mind? What type of protection can Muggles provide against the likes of Crouch and You-Know-Who?'

'The best protection. Lily's protection, a mother's protection.'

'I don't understand.'

'Lily died for Harry that night in 1981 giving baby Harry the ultimate protection but it can only work if his home is with Lily's blood, his aunt and cousin.'

'Is that why you sent him there in the first place?'

'They were also his closest family.'

'They were Muggles.'

'Surely you, married to a Muggle Born, have nothing against-'

'I have nothing against Muggle Borns, Dumbledore. But I know for a fact that Muggles are not the best suited to raise a Magical child. They do not understand our world and even if they don't show it, most of them fear us. You can ask Ted how often he is in contact with his own family.'

'The Dursleys took Harry in.'

'And mistreated him! My uncle will never allow Harry to go back there.'

'Your uncle is not here, indicating to me and not just to me, that his priority is not his ward. Surely-'

'Stop right there. You know nothing, absolutely nothing about my uncle and what his priorities are. And while he may not be here now, I can assure you, even if I don't have to, that Harry is not the top of the list, he is his only priority that matters.' She got up and moved to leave.

'I think this concludes this meeting, headmaster. If there are any more concerns about Harry, I will let his head of house know and she can convey anything of import to me.'

She was at the door when she turned again.

'A word of advice. Don't try anything with Harry, headmaster. My uncle is not a patient man, nor is he forgiving. Should anything happen to his ward while he is away, Merlin help us all.'

With that she was gone, leaving Dumbledore angry and with more questions than answers yet again.

Harry and Neville finally returned to Hogwarts after a week in St. Mungo's. His friend was to have mind healing sessions thrice a week with Mr Tonks and Harry was to joined Neville for one of them. Augusta had been unresponsive to the treatment they were trying so far and while Neville wanted to be there for his grandmother, the healers explained that before she woke up on her own from the healing sleep they had put her under, there was no way for him to help her. They didn't say that there was very little hope of her waking up on her own and even less hope of her still being sane, but Neville knew. Andromeda had settled Neville in one of the many guest rooms at home where she and Ted had relocated while Aries was away. Pan had put up a Fidelius charm around the house and shared the secret from an unknown Secret keeper with them. But Harry and Neville had barely spent a night there before being sent back to Hogwarts.

Hermione was concerned, Harry and Neville would be returning that evening to the castle. McGonagall had been kind enough to inform her and Harry's other friends from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. It had been too awful at school without the two Gryffindors there. She had gotten most of her information about what happened from Draco since her letter to Harry had received only a short answer that he was OK and that he was healing and waiting for Neville to wake up. It must have been torture for her friend to just wait like that. Especially after everything that had happened to Ron, now another friend had been attacked. She was however not sure if the attack happened because of Harry being there or because Crouch had an unhealthy obsession with the Longbottoms. She was shaken out from her thoughts when the portrait hole opened up and McGonagall followed the two missing boys in. Their head of house had talked to them before and asked them to be supportive and not pester the two with questions so she said nothing of the sort now, only reassured Harry and Neville that her door was always open and that they were finally safe.

Once the portrait closed behind the transfigurations teacher she and a few members of the Quiddich team came forward.

'It's good to see you too, Hermione.' Harry said as she hugged him close surprising the teen who petted her awkwardly on the back.

'Don't scare me like that again.' she whispered in his ear before turning to Neville and hugging him too, making the shy boy blush slightly. Neville had a small crush on their smartest friend and Harry knew it. He was glad to see a slight spark return to his friend's eyes if only for the second the hug lasted.

'Good to have you back, Harry.' George said next.

'Yeah, Wood was going crazy thinking he had no seeker for the final game of the season.' said Fred

'We don't want to make Hood any more crazy than he already is.' Angelina said coming to greet them with Alicia and Katie.

'The game is still two weeks away though.' said Harry

'So you can rest assured you will have Quiddich practice all day-' said Fred

'-every day until then.' added George.

'Your Firebolt is back in play, is it not?' asked Alicia

'Yeah, I have it with me.'

'That will put his mind to rest. You've missed some great lessons in Arithmancy Harry.' Katie said smiling. 'I can share my notes with you if you want.'

'That would be great, thanks.'

'Your notes were deeply appreciated Hermione.' Neville said.

'It was the least I could do. Though I didn't know if you guys had time to read anything.'

'We had nothing but time. Thank you.' Harry added.

Harry had been back two days when to his surprise Draco came to him during their Care for Magical Creatures lesson on Tuesday.

'Potter.'

'Black.' Harry greeted colder than usual. Draco looked too much like Lucius to be to Harry's liking.

'I heard what happened from my mother. I…I wanted to say I'm sorry for what my biological father did to you and Longbottom. I know it isn't much, and you probably don't care for my apology but you should know, that I do not condone his actions and if you need my help, or if I can do anything for Longbottom, just let me know.'

Harry couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was this the same Draco Malfoy who had been a thorn in his side for the better part of two and a half years?

'Thanks Draco. There is nothing really to be done until he and Voldemort are captured. I just wish Aries would come back already.'

Draco winced at the Dark Lord's name. 'Uncle sure chose a bad time to pull a vanishing act. Mother was confused when Pan informed her that Aries had left specific instructions not to be contacted until he came back on his own. She tried to reason with that elf, but Pan answers to Aries alone.'

Harry frowned at the mention of Pan.

'Isn't there any way of finding him and sending a message?'

'My mother tried to send him owls but none of them left, his location is magically protected. The only way left available is for his house elf to go to him, but Pan refuses to do so.'

'What about Dobby?' Harry asked. Dobby was also Aries's house elf.

'Dobby doesn't answer to mother or me. She tried calling him when Pan refused her orders but he didn't answer her call.'

'But he might answer mine.' Harry waited until Professor Scamander dismissed them before finding a secluded spot and calling Dobby to him.

'Master Harry called for Dobby.' The little house elf looked so happy to see Harry again. 'Dobby wanted to say how sorry Dobby is for letting Master Harry down. Dobby should not have left Master Harry alone, Dobby bad elf.'

'It's OK Dobby. I sent you to pack. You couldn't have known Crouch would use Algerius to attack Neville and me.'

'Master Harry is too kind. Dobby knows he is at fault. Master Aries ordered Dobby to keep you safe and follow Master Harry's orders. Dobby should have kept Master Harry safe first…then follow orders as Master Aries asked.'

'Did you talk to Aries after we were taken?'

Dobby shook his head.

'Dobby, I need you to go to him and tell him what happened.'

'Dobby can't, sir.'

'Did Pan forbid you?'

'High Elf Pan didn't.'

'Then why can't you?'

'Because Master Aries can't be reached.'

Harry didn't understand, how can a person not be reachable? 'What do you mean? Where is he?'

'Dobby can't say. Dobby only knows that he is not anywhere Dobby can go.'

'Somewhere unplottable? Somewhere under Fidelius?'

'Dobby can't say, Dobby doesn't know.'

'Who knows?'

'High Elf Pan will know more, Sir. But even he can't reach Lord Black.'

Harry wanted to kick something but forced himself to calm down.

'Thank you Dobby. One more thing. If you had to guess, when do you think Aries would be back from his business trip?'

Dobby's ears flattened a bit. 'Dobby fears it will be a long trip this time sir. High elf Pan is confident that Master Black will return but as to when, not even he can say.'

The game against Ravenclaw had come and gone and for the first time since he had become Black's ward, Aries, no Sirius, his godfather, had not been there to watch him play. Harry played well, though his heart wasn't into it. He kept scanning the crowd for his guardian instead of the snitch which almost cost him the game when Cho spotted the flying ball before him. Only the superior broom speed helped Gryffindor win the match and Wood the championship, but Harry didn't feel like celebrating. He took his time in the showers and was walking alone towards the castle a while later when Lupin joined him.

'It was a good match for Gryffindor.'

'Not so much for its Seeker.' Harry said.

'You flew well.'

'I was only able to get the snitch because the Firebolt is that much faster than the Cleansweep.'

'That may be so, but you can also handle the higher speeds better than miss Chang.'

'Cho is a good flier.'

'And during normal circumstances you would have found and caught the snitch sooner. You went through a traumatic experience, Harry. Everyone needs time to adjust.'

'I'm sorry professor, but it's not the kidnapping.'

'I see, well if there is anything that you need and I can offer until your guardian returns.'

'There is something. But-'

'You can ask. I promise I won't get offended or say no right away.'

'Can you tell me more about my godfather.'

'Sirius?'

'I saw the memories you sent me, and the recorderorbs from Mcgonagall. But I just feel there is so much more about the man that I don't know.'

'I am not sure Sirius would agree. I was one of the pople that didn't trust him when it mattered the most.'

'Well, he's not here to complain about it.' Harry said taking Remus by surprised because of the anger in his voice. 'I have to get my information from somewhere.'

Lupin sighed. 'Very well, come by during the weekends and we can talk about Sirius while drinking some tea.'

'Thank you.'

'But Harry, you shouldn't blame him for not being here. It wasn't his fault and he would have moved mountains, even escaped from prison if he were still alive and had known you were in danger.'

He was still alive, at least Harry hoped so, Harry needed to believe that it was so, because losing his godfather and his guardian so soon after finding out who he was, was not an option his mind wanted to even contemplate. Aries was still alive, therefore Sirius was still alive and he had better come back soon, because Harry needed him to. He just didn't want to listen to the very small voice in his head that was telling him that his godfather abandoned him because he was such an ungrateful brat

It had been a month now since Aries had gone away and Harry's enthusiasm for duelling had been dimming day after day, only with him that meant he finished his matches sooner, using his incredible reflexes and top notch intuition. This led to Daphne being pushed harder than before. She didn't want to admit it, but when Harry wasn't trying to be creative, his reflexes were a split second too fast for her. Daphne was annoyed that she was barely keeping up with him for the 10 minutes that they duelled weekly. She was definitely not concerned about the Gryffindor show off (a part of her tried to point out that Harry wasn't a show off, even if he could have been entitled to it, seeing as he was the Boy-Who-Lived) and the way his once content, if not care free, exterior was turning towards anger and brooding. She told herself that beating him in duelling might snap the boy out of his stupor, though she couldn't understand completely what he had gone through with Longbottom, she understood some of it having lived thought a kidnapping herself when she had been but 10. So she decided to attempt it. She had been practising the spell for a while now and she was certain that she could pull it off. The only thing was to get him off balanced enough for the spell to catch up to what it was supposed to do.

Their duelling round was the last of the day and she was grateful for that. The spell would take a lot out of her and she would not have been able to dull after that. She thought once again if this was the right thing to do. She owed him nothing and he probably wouldn't think much about a loss the way he was going, but she had to try because wasted potential was not something she stomached.

It started like any other of their duels with a quick exchange of shields and disarming spells, a few Impedimentas or stunners flung in between, but she didn't let him dictate their rhythm this time. She fired spell after spell keeping him on the defensive until she managed to catch him off guard. Her wand buzzed with the power of her family's magic as she shot the trap-spell. Now all she needed to do was hold him off a few seconds until it took. Hard after exhausting a lot of energy on a spell she wasn't supposed to know, let alone master at her age, but not impossible. She dodged instead of shielded two of his spells when the vines sprung out of the stone tiles underneath Harry's feet and in seconds had the Gryffindor completely bound. The bell rang the ten minutes up just after the chime that she had won officially against him for the first time. The spell however wasn't stopping. The vines were tightening around Potter and she tried to stop it, but it wasn't working as it should.

'Miss Greengrass, stop this immediately.' said Professor McGonagall, who had been the guest duellist this week alongside Professor Flitwich.

'I...I don't know how.' This was no ordinary spell, this was from the Greengrass grimoire.

Before Professor Flitwich could try to stop the plant causing permanent damage to Potter a bright silver light engulfed Harry and disintegrated the vines into dust before forming into a massive dog for a split second and vanishing.

'Miss Greengrass, detention tomorrow evening and the rest of next week too. Using a spell that you can't fully control on a student is not a way to win a duel.' said McGonagall once Harry was safe again.

'I'm sorry professor.' she said meekly.

'Class dismissed.' McGonagall said making the standers by begin to disperse.

He was on the floor, breathing heavily. Padfoot's protection had saved him, but he couldn't think of his godfather in that instant. All he wanted to do was yell at Greengrass for trying to kill him.

'Are you all right Mr Potter?' asked McGonagall making Harry turn from Daphne to his head of house.

'I'm fine.' He said getting up aided by Terry and Tony.

'You should go to the infirmary and get checked out.'

'I'm fine. Padfoot wouldn't have allowed any real damage to come my way.' He said moving away from his teacher. McGonagall felt she couldn't speak any more at the mention of his godfather and merely nodded and backed away.

'What the hell were you thinking?' he asked Daphne angrily once McGonagall was away. 'Couldn't win any other way so you decided to kill me?'

'I...I didn't mean to.' she said trembling, but Harry didn't realize it.

'If you cared so much about your duelling title, princess, you could have avoided duelling with me, instead of choking me to death.'

Daphne's eyes flashed with anger. This had nothing to do with her being on the top.

'Excuse me for caring for something, unlike you, who seems to be going through the motions dead inside like an Inferi.'

'What the hell is that supposed to mean? I've been putting an effort.'

'Oh have you? The past month you've barely cared about anything and just muscled your way out of every encounter. If your guardian were to have seen you, he would have been disappointed.'

'You know nothing about Aries or me. Keep out of it.' he stormed off leaving Daphne to her own devices. Maybe making him lose a duel wasn't the best way to snap the boy out of his pity party state. And definitely not by almost killing him. She sat down feeling exhausted.

'Are you OK?' Tracy asked coming to her with her bottle of water.

'No, and dad is going to kill me when he finds out what I did.'

'Maybe talking to Potter would have helped more than beating him at duelling.'

'That ship has sailed.'

The next two weeks Daphne had not shown up for Duelling classes at all. Harry had not thought much about it the first time, but the second week in a row the absence of his toughest opponent got him thinking. He had been angry at her at first, but once he cooled off some he had to admit she had a point. He hadn't been himself for a while and the joy of duelling had been suppressed by his thoughts of where his guardian was. Him losing against her had been a rude awakening but he realized he needed it. Padfoot had been there, Padfoot would always be there and he realized now that wherever his godfather was, he would always be there for Harry. He just had to hold on and do his best until the man returned. So he wanted a rematch with the ice princess to show her that he was fine again. Only you couldn't have a rematch with someone absent. So after Charms with the Slytherins on Thursday he went to speak with her. She was heading towards Potions with her friend Tracy.

'Greengrass...hey...'

'What do you want Potter?'

'I've noticed you've been avoiding Duelling.'

'It's none of your business.' she said turning and walking away fast.

'hey, stop.' he caught her wrist. 'I know it's none of my business, but I...well I'm worried that, well, it's a bit boring without my best opponent there and just wanted to ask if you were OK.'

Tracy took a few steps away from the two as Daphne glared at his hand on hers.

'Let go of my hand, Potter.' her voice was deathly cold.

He put his hands up in surrender. 'Sorry, just wanted to talk...'

Daphne glared some more before turning and marching away. Harry sighed, that girl was scary.

'She never wanted to hurt you, you know.' Tracy said coming from behind the corner she withdrew to.

'Why isn't she coming to duelling anymore?'

'You'll have to ask her yourself.'

'I did, just now.'

'She's stubborn and doesn't like to make a scene on a corridor filled with other students.'

'What do you propose? I can't break in the Slytherin common room.'

'She likes to take a walk alone around the greenhouses before dinner.'

'Thanks Tracy.'

Tracy shrugged and ran after Daphne. She didn't like Potter much, but she knew her friend needed closure for what had almost happened two weeks ago. Closure she could only get by speaking with the boy she almost strangled.

Daphne loved the green houses. Her family owned some of the most beautiful green houses in the world and she felt most at home around plants of all shapes and sizes. It was her family's legacy and a lucrative industry of potions ingredients but most importantly it was the one place where her father used to shed his lordly persona and just enjoy time with his family, with her and Astoria as they planted roses and puffapods. That was until it became clear that her mother was not going to have the male heir his father needed and she was to become the next lady Greengrass. Since then her father had distanced himself from her and by extension from her sister too. He had been at least cordial with her, that is, until two weeks ago when he found out what she had almost done. Now she had restraints on her magic. And while she knew it was for her own good in a way, it was the worst punishment ever, to know, finally and irrevocably, that her father didn't trust her enough. Not to restrain herself while her core refilled, and certainly not with being his successor. And all because she wanted to help Potter get his head on straight.

Think of the devil and he shall appear. Or you almost knock into him when you turn a corner. She mused as she took two steps back and turned to put more distance between her and the Gryffindor.

'Greengrass, wait. I just want to talk.'

'There is nothing to talk about, Potter.'

'OK, then not talk, just...walk.' he said and dogged her footsteps. Five minutes later or maybe an eternity later, she was getting annoyed by his presence.

'What do you want?' she asked whirling around at him making him stop before he bumped into her again.

'As I said, just to talk.'

'Will it get you to leave me alone if you get 5 minutes to chew my head of for almost killing you?'

'I don't want to do that.'

'You don't?'

'I, no, unless you really wanted to kill me and it wasn't an accident.'

'It was an accident, and I'm sorry. I thought I could control the spell better than that. I really didn't want to hurt you.'

'Well then, I won't say anything more about it.'

'You won't?'

'I'm sorry too. You were right about me being...well not myself. I just didn't want to admit it.'

Daphne sighed and lowered her hostility as they started to walk again, but this time side by side. 'I should have talked to you instead of duelling with dangerous spells.'

'Talked to me about what?'

'About what happened to you. I know it can be hard to accept, being helpless and seeing your friend get hurt.'

'How can you know?'

'I was 10 when my sister and I were kidnapped from a walk through Diagon alley. Luckily the kidnappers were only after money which my dad was able to pay before anything happened to us. But those three days locked inside a cellar somewhere I don't know where with Astoria trembling next to me...'

'I'm sorry. I didn't know.'

'You couldn't have. You weren't even part of our world back then. And father kept it out of the papers anyway.' she shrugged.

'Is that why you try so hard at being the best in duelling?'

'I'm never going to be helpless again.'

'Anyone who sees you duelling would never think of you as helpless, even without that spell.'

'Thanks, you're not half bad either, if you're not being an emo duelling machine.'

'Ha, ha. Seriously though, thanks for knocking some sense into me. I'd like to get a rematch though.'

'You will, don't worry about it.'

'How about this Saturday for some training.'

'I can't.'

'Why not?'

'Just stuff to do.'

'You're not avoiding me are you?'

'Are you that eager to get your wand beaten again?'

'It was a one time thing.'

'Keep dreaming Potter.'

'If you don't show up for practice, I'll think you're chickening out.'

Daphne stopped walking and sighed 'I can't this weekend. But next weekend you'll wish you didn't challenge me.'

'All right. I can wait.' Harry said, not quite understanding why, but figured they weren't at that stage of their friendship, or whatever this was, where he could push for more information.

They duelled for about half an hour without one of them giving an inch before they took a break.

'Why didn't you come to class this Wednesday again?' Harry asked knowing that she may not answer.

'I had something else to do.' Daphne answered evasively as she rubbed her wrists where the restraining braceletts had been removed one day prior.

'But you'll come next week, right?'

'Yes, I will be there.' or she could kiss her place in the top 8 goodbye.

'Good. Looking forward to some real competition.'

'Draco isn't competition enough for you?'

'He's good and getting better, but he hasn't been training with Kingsley all summer.'

'So Lord Black really got you an Auror as trainer? He must really think highly of you.'

'It's not like that. He's just...he-'

'You can say it, I've already figured out that he wants you to succeed him. It's clear by the way he treats you. He's proud of you.'

'It's not that. I don't think it's about the Black line of succession. Sorry, I can't say any more, not until Aries comes back and I talk to him.'

'Do you know when he will be coming back. Father was really confused by his disappearance.'

'I don't know.'

'You're worried about him.'

'I just...before I left with Neville to Croatia we had a huge fight. I said some things I, well, I just worry that he left because of me and what I said.'

'You think he abandoned you because of what you said?'

'I don't know.'

'Well, here is what I know. Ever since he took you in that man has been nothing but proud of you. No other student of any noble family has had the exposure to society that he has given you, nor does any other lord involves himself in every tutoring hour of their children. Wards are given protection and support, but what he is giving you is beyond what heirs get from their heads of house. He would not put that much work in your education and just turn away at the first sign of rebellion.'

'It wasn't a sign of rebellion. But I guess you're right, he wouldn't abandon me, not out of his own free will. So he'll come back and we'll patch things up.'

'I'm sure you will.'

'Does your father not tutor you personally then?'

'My father is a busy man. I have three different tutors, one of them being my mother.'

'I saw your mother at the Stonehenge Council two times.'

'Yes, she is his advisor in many things. She is strong like that.'

'Do you want to be like her, then? Is that why you train so hard?'

'I can't be like her.'

'Why not? You're strong.'

'I can't be like her because I am the Heiress.'

'So?'

'So? Didn't your guardian teach you anything about what that means for women?'

'He told me that heads of house are usually men, but women can be too. There is no limit to magical power according to sexes.'

'True, but a women's role as head of a family means she can never marry or have children. Especially if she is the head of a family like the 12 noble and most ancient families.'

'Because she will be vulnerable.'

'Exactly.'

'It's a bit unfair.'

'It is what it is. Come, we can go one more round, then I have to go finish my history homework.'

'You're bossy enough to be heiress, I'll give you that.' Harry sighed but followed her to the middle of the duelling floor. this was one way of taking his mind off of Aries missing and being worried about his friend.

A/N: And with this I am finishing this very all over the place chapter. And finally posting it. Thank you everyone for your patience. I wanted the update to happen sooner, but to tell you the truth I am not in a happy place right now. Nothing too serious, I'd like to say, but I'm not sure that's true. All I know is that I need a change in my life and I need to find a balance between work and life and you just know something is wrong when work is somehow no longer part of what you consider life. Anyway, let's just say that chauvinistic bosses and very bad project management don't work wonders on me. But the world will keep on turning and I still find joy in simple things like the new edelweiss potted flowers on my balcony. Have a nice week next week and I am looking forward to your reviews.