Chapter 03

• Persecutus •

"You'll need a new name." Aja said as I admired the clothing she had provided me. Once again, she'd walked into the room completely unnoticed. "…and a new face. You were right when you said Harry Potter is dead."

"Then what shall I call myself?" I questioned her. I already knew myself by another name. I was dark inside and I had chosen a new name to call myself to reflect that inner person.

She smiled, delighted that I had asked her. It was odd that she was like that, every time I looked at her I could see some of Hermione, yet they were not related and had likely never met.

"Persecutus, the name that you gave yourself in that hell. It's the thing that you are."

All her mannerisms led me towards an avenue that I was careful to follow. I had an ally and I was not sure how I should go about reacting to her when she made moves on me like that. She knew who I was, and she knew what I would respond to, I knew it the moment she drug her finger along my neck.

"You're playing with fire woman." I said throatily, all the time trying to keep myself in check. I owed her many things and did not want to violate her trust, no matter what had been done to me.

The words did not bother her. In fact they almost intensified the situation. She moved even closer, wrapping her arm around me and touching me lightly, sending shivers up my spine. "I like fire." She whispered just before her mouth closed around mine.

That was it; I couldn't stand another moment of it. I turned her roughly and pushed her onto the bed, kissing and touching her without the slightest bit of hindrance.

She purred like a wildcat.

"That's been something I've been wanting to do since I started seeing you with other woman." Aja said while I looked at myself in the mirror. A quick blink and my eyes changed color, turning from jade green to dark grey. The scar which had adorned my forehead melted away with a mere thought and a few movements of my hand and my face was different altogether. No one could recognize me now, that was a risk I wasn't prepared to take yet.

"You don't have to worry." Aja said as she moved up behind me.

No longer feeling the need to have her, I felt much more comfortable when she wrapped her arms around my stomach. "I sent the force into the Alps. They'll be busy tracking remnant magic for a month and then they'll be going to Hogwarts to find your body in the forbidden forest, horrible mauled by a werewolf. You're safe here, no one will know."

"The elves and other servants already know I have a visitor from the east, you're a friend from childhood, who's been living in the states for the past several years. You knew me at Hogwarts for the first two years before moving away. Though we haven't kept good contact we still remain good friends to this day. Understand?" She said casually as she pulled on a dress.

I lay back down in the bed, sighing in relief and closing my eyes. I was starting to feel too comfortable and was having trouble making a decision about what I wanted to do.

Aja turned around, and I could see a longing look on her face. She suddenly reminded me of Hermione and I had to brush away the thought. "When I was young and they told me you'd died I was crestfallen. But I started to understand that you hadn't, that they were lying to me, to everyone. Voldemort did that to me, he made promises that he didn't keep and he told me things I knew were lies. I don't like the ministry. So, the whole time I was at Hogwarts I worked hard, trying to find you somehow, trying to help find the place you were in. I dreamed about it all the time. Sometimes I would wake up and think I was there with you, keeping you company. You're the only one who can understand me… and I think I'm the only one who can understand you. I wanted to find you for so long, I wanted to free you, I wanted to be a part of your life."

"They fell for everything. It was easy to move through the ranks and become a perfect Auror. It did take time, and a lot of manipulation, but eventually I was able to create a special Auror division in the Department of Mysteries. I can feel people, just like you can and I picked out people that were strong, people I could use for my own purposes. The only people who know about you were a few high level ministry officials and the team who was in charge of your confinement. The men that you met today were the same men who were to keep you forever confined. I have been working and plotting this day for years now, trying to insure that you would be able to get away. Even though you didn't know of it I knew what you would do and I planned everything accordingly."

Reaching down she slipped on some shoes and stood back up, twirling and looking at herself in the mirror. "I have guests to take care of, you can come down when you're ready, but please put on something that is suitable for a formal party. I want you to be yourself, take your revenge, but for tonight everything is put on hold."

She put her hand on the door and then stopped, picking something off the desk and throwing it to me. "Don't forget your necklace; it'll keep you from being spotted should you use magic."

Cautiously I looked over the necklace, it looked like nothing special, a braided dragon hide necklace with a few small metal beads and a pendant on it, there was a feel to it though and I pulled apart the clasp and sealed it around my neck. Aja was a friend and for now I would trust her, as best as I could trust someone.

I examined myself in the mirror again, trying to remember how I should look for a formal party. I hadn't been to one in such a long time that I couldn't be sure. I did know one thing, the beard that had grown had to go I had trimmed it shorter before the shower, but now I was sure I didn't want to keep it.

With a few blinks, the hair on my cheeks died and I brushed it away until I saw myself as a perfect imitation of a long forgotten headmaster of Hogwarts. I never forgot anyone, and I'd had a conversation with him once while hiding from Filch in a closet. He had been moved because of a redecoration and then forgotten. It wasn't to his dissatisfaction though, he seemed he rather enjoyed the dark room.

Dressing in the clothing felt odd. The clothing fit me perfectly, no magic at all, and I smiled inside. Aja had planned more than just my escape. She was mine too; there was no doubt about it.

Clearing my throat I found that my voice has suddenly changed and I just shook my head and opened the door, starting down the hall. A young elf stood waiting me and his face grew so bright that I almost felt as if I should turn away.

"Master Ha…" he paused briefly and dropped his head almost reverently."…Persecutus, This elf is Bobby sir, Bobby's father, he was a great admirer of yours. He always talked about you and he is always saying you is a great wizard. When the people say you gone he know you isn't. He hear many things, he find out master is still alive. He finds Mistress Aja is wanting to help too and he goes with her when she leaves school. When Bobby is born he is told over and over of masters greatness."

"Dobby?" I asked, surprised that he was still alive. "Your father is Dobby, isn't he?"

Bobby nodded so furiously that it looked as if his head might fall off. "He is saying you would remember him. He is always saying these things."

Dobby, I remembered him well. He'd showed up at the oddest times, yes, but in the last three years of my life he'd saved it as well, several times. The puppeteer had often used him to keep me alive as I followed my path. I thought he'd died before I was captured, and it was a surprise that he had lived. The question that flowed through my mind cut off almost all other thought. "He's alive? Can I see him?"

Immediately after my outburst I restrained myself. It had been years, I could wait longer if necessary.

"He is waiting for you master. He is waiting for you for a long time now. Bobby thinks that is the only thing he is waiting for." Bobby said, slightly disheartened. "The mistress is telling Bobby he must take master to the party and master can retire early, when dinner is over. She is wanting to make sure you are introduced to her guests."

Whatever Aja had planned for she was fully aware of what would go on and had planned ahead. I reluctantly followed the smartly dressed Bobby down the hallway. He kept glancing back, as if to make sure I was really there, but eventually it wore off and he straightened up. The moment before I walked into the room Bobby disappeared ahead of me. I hear my name called out and I opened up the door. "Lord Persecutus, Heir to the Seventh Naln of Ernon, member of the Elite Guild of Nostradamus, and guest of the esteemed Lady Stark." The caller finished his introduction and several people clapped lightly. Most of them stared at me, uncertain of what to make of the man that was standing in front of them.

It didn't bother me anyway who looked at me, I was free and should they dare do something to offend me I would show them my true nature. For now I could restrain myself. As I stepped heavily down the stairs I wondered of that Naln of Ernon was, I'd never heard of it and was interested to know if such a thing existed.

"Good." Aja whispered as she came up behind me, never making a sound. She was more than just graceful, it was a deadly superiority that any duelist worth his salts would see right away. "You did come, I was worried that perhaps you would have decided to do something other than what I would've liked."

"I do whatever I feel is necessary." I said heavily, looking at the table beyond. The food was already tingling my nostrils and I discovered that I now had an insatiable need for food. "Creating a new life takes effort. It seems you've already created one for me," I continued, smiling to the crowd who was looking at me revered. "Lord? What brought that title?"

"Here you must have a name, it is as important as gold to them. You'll learn that every thing you do is important in the world of the nobles of the wizarding world. You've not been here before. But, with an introduction like that, no one will be ignorant of you anymore," she whispered, taking my arm into hers. "Now, follow me. We will sit and eat and then you may retire. It is only necessary for you to spend a few minutes with me. You could stay longer if you'd like."

"Not tonight. There are things… things I still must overcome," I said quietly. Then turning I smiled lightly to the people who'd already surrounded the table, waiting for the signal to seat themselves.

Aja seemed disappointed but nodded her head. "That is something I understand, I have many of the same memories you do. Just be careful, as powerful as you are it is still possible that… history will repeat itself."

I nodded, grimacing. My mother, holding me as such a precious thing had doomed my life forever. It was because of her stupid efforts to keep me alive that so many things had happened, good and bad in this world. It was why I was here now, and why I'd lost so much. I refused to allow her to control me any further, no one would.

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