Author's Notes: Updates will come irregularly for this story as my real life is very busy. I don't ever plan to abandon the story, but I can't promise any type of update schedule. It also takes me awhile to put out a new chapter because I reread the story at least three times before every chapter looking to stay as consistent as possible. I know there are some cliches and plot gaps in the early chapters, and once the story is fully complete I plan to go back and rework the beginning to make the development of Harry and Daphne's relationship a little bit more complex. I took the easy way out of embracing Harry's canon-ness of forgiving everyone and in this story I didn't want him to be like that, but as I read the story again he kind of does where Daphne is concerned. So I'll eventually look to correct that and some basic grammar/syntax stuff.

I could feel the sweat beads slowly trailing down the side of my face as I shielded against a blasting hex. As soon as I was sure the shield had absorbed the brunt of the spell I dropped it and practically hissed out my next spell.

"Inclusio." Tracey did her best to dodge my spell but it had caught her off guard as three black strands of magic shot from my wand and wrapped tightly around her torso. Her arms were pinned to her sides and her wand fell helplessly to the floor from the sudden movement.

I walked over and picked it up before ending the spell and handing it back to her.

"That was a pretty neat spell, Potter. Care to share?" I smiled at her as she was clearly waiting for me to answer. It had been about a week and a half since I had killed Jugson and thankfully things had settled back into a normal routine.

The day after I had taken to myself. Daphne had been incredible - offering to listen if I needed to talk it through, but she didn't push me and I chose not to burden her with it. After three days of stewing in my thoughts though I was near a breaking point. My first thought had been to reach out to Tracey. Part of our agreement had been to be a confidant of sorts for each other after all. Instead though I found myself talking to Kreacher. The old elf just sat and said barely a word as I worked through what I had done.

When I was finally done talking Kreacher had popped away and then come back with a book. It was, to my shock, a book detailing the impact of killings on the soul and magic of witches and wizards. It made sense the more I thought about it that a family known for being so dark and vile like the Blacks were would be concerned with the aftermath and side effects of their actions.

What I read had set my mind to ease. While murder in the way that I had would taint my magic slightly - something I suspected Dumbledore would notice because of those damn glasses - my soul had remained intact. The difference being that I hadn't murdered an innocent the way Voldemort had so many times. The more I read of the book the more I was beginning to understand what had driven him to near insanity. After every murder of an innocent a piece of your soul was chipped away. Take into account the fact that he had been purposely splitting his soul into horcruxes and it was a foregone conclusion.

A snapping brought me out of my thoughts.

"Hey Potter you alright there? You spaced out on me."

"Yeah, sorry Tracey. I just got caught up in my thoughts." I answered her.

Her face softened and I saw just a hint of understanding but also worry in her eyes. "Jugson on your mind? Nevermind that's a dumb question. Of course he is. Let's call it for today. We've been training for a few hours now and I'd like to get some lunch."

I nodded at that. "Sounds like a plan. I'll write out some notes about inclusio for you. It's just a modified incarcerous, but as you saw it has a little more force to it."

"Thanks I'd appreciate that. You coming to lunch?"

I shook my head. "Not right now. I was actually going to go find Kreacher and spend some time with Alexa."

And that was exactly what I did. In fact this was pretty much how I spent all my days now and it was honestly the best summer I had to date. In the mornings Tracey and I, sometimes Daphne, would get up and practice our spells and duel for a few hours. After I would play with Alexa until Neville or Tracey wanted to steal her away. Evenings were great as Daphne and I had taken to going to the Black library together and studying. Sometimes we would speak and others we would work separately in a comfortable silence. A few times she had caught me stealing glances at her and would flash me that brilliant smile.

If I was being honest it was making the summer go pretty quickly, and soon enough it would be time to board the Hogwarts Express again. Tracey and I had plans for two more death eaters before we went back. One of them would be mine, and the other she made me promise would be her father.

I had been very hesitant when she initially asked. It was obviously going to be much more personal for her than what I was doing. As much of me was worried she wouldn't be able to do it as it was that she wouldn't be able to stop once she started.

I had conceded though. We are partners and I needed to be able to trust her.

A knock on the door brought me back. "Hey Harry mate, it's Neville. Mind if I come in?"

I smiled since this was the first time I had seen Neville in about a week. "Yeah mate, the door should be unlocked, it's just me and Alexa right now. Daphne and Sirius are out doing something in that courtyard."

I watched as the door was pushed open and my best friend walked in. The past year or so had been great for both of us, but you could really tell the difference in Neville. He walked with confidence and when he entered the room you could feel that he was someone to listen to.

"It's great to see you mate. You were busy with Blaise this week?" I knew he and Zabini had been working hard on their plan to win some small favour in the political world, but for now I was trying to keep clear of it. They were both much stronger and better versed in those matters than I.

"Yeah it's been incredible. We've been mostly doing some preliminary screenings on potential allies, foes, and those who could be swayed under the right circumstances. It really is amazing the intricacies of family alliances."

"I bet mate. Who would have thought that shy Neville Longbottom would turn into a political strategist?" I joked with him remembering fondly all the stuttering and fear of my best friend.

Neville tinged red in the cheeks slightly at the praise but responded to me confidently nonetheless. "Certainly not my Gran, and you're one to talk about changes. Harry Potter, the boy who lived, and now the father of the world's most precious girl." He scooped down and picked up Alexa while I smiled.

"I'll leave you to whatever you and Daphne get up to at night mate. Going to steal this bundle away for a bit and spoil her so she remembers who the best godparent is."

And so the days continued to pass until it was my birthday. Sirius had wanted to throw a big party for me but I had managed to talk him down and instead invite just my closest friends. We had decided to call it early and make a move for our second target. So about an hour after the cake had been cut and everyone was filing out through floo connection Tracey and I donned our robes and gear.

Our target for tonight was a man by the name of Scabior. I had done a little research into his history and it wasn't pretty. He would be meeting the same fate that Jugson had once I had a chance to squeeze any information out of him.

The short version of his crimes involved the murder of numerous muggles and he was also known as a Snatcher. He had led a group of death eaters that were specifically meant to kidnap valuable targets and bring them directly to Lord Voldemort. The man was responsible for quite literally delivering people to a monster. He had been imprisoned on some charges, but had recently escaped Azkaban under suspicious circumstances. I took this as the ministry's way of saying Voldemort had aided in it.

At first I had no idea where to look, but Sirius apparently had a connection to some of the seedier areas of knockturn alley. I had listened intently as a man by the name of Mundungus Fletcher described to Sirius a small inn that served as a halfway house of sorts for criminals and creatures who needed to keep a low profile for a short while until they were able to re-establish themselves.

Apparently after Scabior had been imprisoned the ministry had frozen his accounts and the goblins had seized a substantial portion of his money and assets. I had to admire the greed of the goblins - they claimed to not get involved in the affairs of wizards yet as soon as one was arrested and tried they immediately were able to invoke some old clause allowing for reparations because you were tarnishing the reputation of the bank by being a criminal.

So once more Tracey and I were returning to Knockturn. This time we had a better idea of where we were headed, and like last time we kept careful steps to avoid straying too far from the center of the path lest we be grabbed or harrassed. It was almost weird how comfortable I felt walking in the alley. I was holding myself taller with my shoulders pushed back. I felt like I belonged here and my magic was humming. The thought sickened me slightly that I was feeling so at home in a place tainted with so much dark magic.

As we approached the inn we stopped and looked at each other. It had been agreed that we couldn't go in dressed in pristine robes as we would immediately stand out. So we started making incisions and frays using the ends of our wands. I knelt down and rubbed some of the grime from the walk onto the robe for good measure also. Once we appeared adequately dishevelled we continued to the inn.

It took my eyes a moment to adjust once inside - it was certainly a lot brighter than the alley outside. I imagined it was a clear disorientation method for any newcomers entering. There was no one lingering in the lobby, but that didn't surprise me. Being on the run the safest place was probably locked away in your room and drawing as little attention to yourself as possible.

In front of us was a gruff looking man situated behind a medium height counter. As we approached him I spoke making sure to add a gruffier tone than normal. "Room for two - we'll be gone in two days tops. Need something with…" and here I paused and cast a meaningful glance up and down Tracey "a lot of privacy."

I watched as the corners of his mouth turned down slightly and he sneered, but said nothing else. He waved his wand over the counter and I heard a clicking noise like the sound of a lock being undone. "Room number 18. Through that door on the left, all the way at the end. Payment will be now and your total is 25 galleons."

I wanted to be surprised by the price, but remembering that this was meant as a temporary shelter for criminals meant that they probably wouldn't have much on them.

I made a show of being displeased and taking time to draw my money bag like it was an inconvenience, but ultimately laid the coins out for the man and then motioned for Tracey to go ahead.

We found the room easy enough. Once we were both inside I turned to the door and began to lock it with privacy charms and spells I had researched specifically for something like this. It took me about 3 minutes of casting before I was happy, but then I turned to observe the 'room'. In truth it was really just an expanded closet. The only furniture was the single bed placed in the middle of the room. It was topped with two pillows and what appeared to be a heavy wool blanket. Two lanterns flickered - one mounted on the wall on each side above the bed and they provided the only light in the room. There was a door on the far side of the room which appeared to lead into an equally tiny bathroom.

Tracey spoke for the first time since she and I entered the inn. "Well, we're here. This guy is going to be much more difficult to grab Harry. He did this sort of thing for sport, and he most likely has his room - whichever that is - warded with some nasty things."

I nodded at her as she spoke. "You're right. It will be difficult and I'm not entirely sure how we would determine which room he is in. I think part of me had been hoping there would have been some type of ledger or book recording who stayed - if for nothing other than insurance if someone were to try and turn the owner in. I had planned to blast him, find what we needed, and grab Scabior. Unfortunately that isn't going to work now."

I laughed as Tracey rolled her eyes and muttered something about reckless impulsiveness. "Well we certainly can't just go knocking on everyone's door until we find the right one. Besides I doubt anyone is going to answer."

I furrowed my brow for a second as I thought over our options. "What about an elf? Couldn't we use one of my elves to spy on the rooms?"

Tracey nodded. "That could work since they can make themselves invisible. As long as there is no elf repelling ward we should be fine. Go ahead and give it a try."

"Kreacher, I need your help if you're able." Almost immediately there was a soft pop next to me and Kreacher was bowing.

"What can Kreacher be doing to serve the young master?"

"Kreacher we're here to find someone, but we don't know which room he is in. The man's name is Scabior and we were wondering if you would be able to check the rooms discreetly to find him. If you're unsure of what he will look like, go back to home and there is a book on my desk with his picture in it."

"Kreacher will not fail the young master." Another soft pop and the old elf was gone. "Alright well now we wait and see. Hopefully he'll be able to get into the actual rooms."

Tracey acknowledged my statement with a noise and then flopped onto the bed. I sat down and leaned my back against the wall. I don't know exactly how much time passed but eventually there was a soft pop.

Almost immediately I was standing with my wand drawn. Kreacher had returned, but he had brought Scabior with him.

"Kreacher is returning young master. Kreacher is also bringing the man the young master was looking for."

"Well...that was unexpected Kreacher. Thank you...you weren't harmed at all were you?" Nothing appeared physically wrong with him, but I wanted to make sure.

"Young master is too kind to be asking. Kreacher is okay - this man is having no idea that Kreacher could grab him."

For the first time since his arrival I took in the appearance of the man. He was dishevelled and seemed to be struggling against what I could only guess was some type of elf magic keeping him bound. I fired off a stunner from my wand for good measure and watched as the man slumped forward because of his momentum. He crashed face first into the floor and I admit it brought me a little pleasure.

While I was checking Scabior for anything he could use to escape and confiscating his wand I was partially listening to Tracey thank Kreacher.

"Kreacher you've just saved us so much time and really all the work!"

I nodded along, "Yes Kreacher this is truly a great help and I appreciate you doing this. You may return to the Black home now and please let Daphne know we'll be back sooner than expected."

The elf bowed before turning on spot and disappearing. I looked again at Tracey, "Well this was certainly easy. We've been kind of spoiled with these first two don't you think?"

Tracey once again nodded as I spoke. "Yeah I'm grateful it's been easy, but we can't get complacent. It's only a matter of time before something goes wrong and we either abort or get into a full on fight. For now let's take the victory and get going."

I pulled Scabior's still knocked out body up as Tracey walked over with a rope she pulled from her robe. That was the portkey we'd been given again and soon enough I felt the now familiar pull behind my navel as we spun out of the room.

We landed gracefully - well Tracey and I did. Scabior had no support and once again crashed into the ground. From the corner of my eye I saw Sirius come into view.

"Thanks for the back up Sirius, but we've got this one all sorted. Kreacher actually delivered him right to us if you believe it." I enjoyed the look of surprise on Sirius's face when I mentioned the elf.

"Elf really has taken a liking to you Harry. Well it looks like you two have it under control, and if you don't need me I think I'm going to head back to Grimmauld."

I looked at Tracey for confirmation, she was my equal in this after all, and she just shrugged. "Sure no problem Sirius. We'll see you back there."

Soon enough I found myself in the same room I had killed Jugson in. For just a moment I froze as I inhaled fully expecting the smell of blood to come rushing back to me. Then I was back and my head was clear. I knew what I had to do - I'd accepted the path I was putting myself on, or that was what I kept telling myself every time I had doubts. I double checked the restraints on Scabior to ensure there would be no issues before stepping back and hitting him with a spell to wake him.

I said nothing as he came to. Instead I decided to relish in the array of emotions I could see playing across his face as he groggily took in his surroundings. His face finally settled on something akin to fear before looking up at me.

"Whatcha want? I ain't got nothing for ya to steal!" The man had started out quiet but was screaming the last part at me and some spit flew from his mouth.

I sneered even though he couldn't yet see my face. "The only thing I want from you is information, and you are going to behave and tell me everything I want to know."

"I'll tell you nothing! I'm not afraid of you."

This time instead of sneering I laughed. "You sound so much like Jugson did before I killed him." There it was - outright panic flashed into his face and I was loving it. "It seems I have your attention now. So let me tell you how this is going to go."

I pulled the vial of truth serum from my pocket and showed it to him. "First I'm going to give you three drops to ensure what you're telling me is true. Then I'm going to ask you a series of uncomplicated questions about your past. Finally, once I feel satisfied with what I've learned...well then you die."

A door opening behind me drew my attention and I saw Tracey had stepped into the room. She waved me over and out into the connecting room.

"Just a second Scabior. It appears I'm needed." I made my way through the door making sure to close and secure it so we couldn't be heard.

"What's up Tracey?"

She lowered her hood and spoke to me, "Harry I get you're trying to scare him, but honestly you're frightening me a little as well. You sound like you're enjoying it. I know we have to do this and I agreed to help but I don't want us enjoying it the way they do."

That shocked me a little and I started to play back the conversation I had just had. She was right once I reviewed it of course. I was enjoying it a lot. "I promise I'll dial it back. You're right I may have gotten pulled in a little too deeply there, so thanks for making sure I didn't lose it."

"One other thing Harry. I want to be in the room when you...when you kill him. Last time I stood outside and it was almost like I wasn't there. Just a farway observer. The next time we do this it's my turn and you promised it, so I want to experience it this time so I'm ready."

I nodded slowly. It made sense she would want some type of up close exposure before she was in the room with her father. I would have to carefully watch that because there was no telling what could happen.

I turned without another word and walked back into the room. Scabior immediately started pleading with me to spare him. I paid no mind though and yanked his head back as I forced the truth serum onto his tongue.

I waited a few seconds before I saw the glassiness of his eyes and then the questions began. I followed much the same process as I did with Jugson asking him if he was a loyal death eater, who he affiliated with, recruits, and finally the crimes he had committed in the name of Voldemort.

I could see him trying his best to fight the effects of the potion so I steeled myself for some truly horrifying news to come.

"I'm a snatcher. I was given targets to grab and bring to the dark lord to be killed, tortured, or more likely both."

I was frustrated at the lack of detail. "Yes I know this, that is why you are here in this room with me after all. Tell me about the other things you've done that aren't common knowledge."

"Some members had an affinity for children. In order to reward them the dark lord would have me snatch muggle children for them to play with."

I wanted to be sick, but then it went away to be replaced by a burning rage.

"What do you mean to play with Scabior?" My wand was now leveled at his chest.

"Anything the death eater desired to do to them they could."

I decided that was all I needed to hear. I gave a pointed look back so Tracey knew. She entered the room and her first was balled at her side with a death grip on her wand.

I looked at Scabior and lowered my hood. He gasped as he recognized me. "This isn't going to be painless for you the way Jugson was."

I leveled my wand once again directly at his chest and with barely a whisper a jet of ruby light shot from my wand impacting the man. Instantly the effects took place. I felt the shiver of pleasure pass through my nerves as I unleashed the dark spell and momentarily let myself enjoy the feeling.

The spell is one I had seen in the book of spells used to maim and kill. It burst the blood vessels in the targeted area. I had impacted his chest and immediately his breathing became labored. It didn't take long before he was rasping and then full on coughing but as he did blood flew from his mouth. I stepped aside so as to not be sprayed. Tracey moved to stand next to me as we watched the scum suffocate in his own blood.

It took about a minute for him to fully stop moving at which point I was certain he had drowned. I moved to the chair holding him and roughly thrust up his left sleeve exposing the black mark emblazoned there. With a few careful severing charms I tore the sleeve to leave the skin exposed.

"Kreacher."

The elf appeared but before he could say anything I started. "I need you to leave this man floating in the center of Diagon Alley just the way he is now. Do not be seen doing this and then immediately return home."

The elf looked at the body, nodded, and then disappeared. I waved my wand to banish the mess of blood and then turned to Tracey who had now lowered her hood again.

"Harry. That was borderline torture…"

I went to cut in to tell her he deserved it for what he'd done, but I didn't have the chance.

"I'm not going to say anything, but people will see how he died and they will know it was dark magic. I think personally he deserved worse for what he admitted to but just be prepared for what will come now and don't get used to that."

Without another word said between us Tracey and I each took an end of our return portkey Sirius had provided and soon were safely back at Grimmauld. We said our goodnight and I watched as she entered the room her and Neville had taken to sharing when they were here. Once I was sure she was inside I moved further into the house towards the library.

Once safely inside I found the chair I had become so accustomed to sitting in and relaxed myself into my meditative state. I had been doing my best to keep it from showing, but my mind and body were practically buzzing from the feeling of ecstasy I had gotten from that one spell.

I called the memory forward in my mind and watched it again just to get a taste of the feeling. I admit at the back of my thoughts I could feel the nagging saying this wasn't right and I shouldn't get lost in the feeling. However, this was so much better than the disgust and anguish I had felt after Jugson.

I couldn't explain it but the more I watched the scene replay the better it felt and the quieter that nagging voice got. I had done the right thing, the necessary thing, in order for this war to end quicker.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and immediately pulled myself out of my meditation. I was surprised to see Daphne staring down at me.

"Daph, what are you doing up so late?" I was confused and hoped she hadn't been waiting for me to come back. The look of confusion she sent me only made it worse.

"Harry it is 9 o'clock in the morning. I got worried when you weren't there this morning and thought something might have gone wrong. Have you been in here all night?"

I immediately felt guilty. Letting Daphne catch me reliving and rejoicing in the feeling of dark magic was the equivalent of being caught with the hand in the cookie jar. I was ashamed and embarrassed for letting myself get sucked in, but also for making her worry.

"Yeah I guess I have been. When we got back Tracey went to bed, but I wanted to sort my mind. I guess I lost track of how much time I was in there as I was cycling through memories. I'm sorry for making you worry." I wasn't completely lying to her, but she was already worried so no reason for me to add to that by telling her I had temporarily lost myself.

For a long minute Daphne just stared into my eyes. "I don't think you're telling me everything Harry. If there is something wrong or you're worried about you can tell me. We're in this together and I promise I won't be upset."

More guilt washed over me as Daphne showed me again just how compassionate she could be when it was for someone she genuinely cared about. I'd tell her if it happened again, but for now I wanted this to be a one off. A simple mistake I made in my anger and desire to end Scabior.

"I appreciate it Daph. Really I do, and probably more than you know. I was just upset with some of the things Scabior admitted too. He was more disgusting than we had thought and I lost my temper a bit. I said some things and actually meant them, enjoyed them even, and Tracey had to pull me aside to reel me in. I just needed some time to process."

This time Daphne didn't wait before responding. "Well I'm glad she was there to remind you then. Now come on let's get Alexa and eat some breakfast. I'm sure you're starving after being up all night and it'll give us some time together as a family."

In agreement my stomach let out a low grumble and I smiled as I hoisted myself up and out of the chair. My back popping as I did so and stretched out a bit. Sitting for hours had really left me stiff. Daphne smiled and muttered something under her breath about old man bones as I followed her out to which I responded by silently casting a tickling charm on her.

She was defenseless as the spell splashed against her back with the effect being instantaneous. I quickly moved forward and scooped her up over my shoulder to carry her downstairs. She was protesting through her fits of laughter, but I just pretended I couldn't hear her. I smiled the entire way down the stairs; all thoughts of the pleasure I had reaped from the spell leaving my mind.

This was real joy, real happiness that I was experiencing and it was better than any artificial high or pleasure that dark magic could create. From now on I'd hold onto this feeling and remember this is what I needed to come back to.

August 15th

I was sitting at the long table in Grimmauld's kitchen eating, but also keeping a careful eye on Tracey. We had agreed tonight was the night she would confront her father and I could see how tense she was. I was also partially nervous because I couldn't go with her to grab him. I had never been keyed into the wards at her family manor before and asking to do so now seemed unlikely.

My mind was also running through the conversation Daphne and I had just wrapped up for now. We were trying to decide if we wanted Alexa to come back with us at school. It was most likely safer for her to remain here with Kreacher and Sirius watching over her, but we hated the idea of being only able to see her on holidays.

Tracey started talking and brought me out of my thoughts. "I'm ready Harry. I'm going to floo to my home now - I'll grab him and meet you at the place."

I nodded. "Just be careful; if things go wrong just get out of there."

I walked her to the floo and Daphne joined us. In a rare moment of open affection I watched as Daphne pulled Tracey into a hug.

The flames turned green and Tracey stepped in.

Tracey POV

Almost as soon as I had stepped into the flames I was stepping out on the other side. I was standing in the living room and could feel the pit in my stomach grow a little larger.

I had been dealing with it all day and even the past few days leading up to this. My father...he was a horrible person. He had done terrible things to many women including my mother, but he had always treated me well.

However I couldn't bear the thought of someone else being hurt by him if I did nothing now. Swift, decisive action was the only thing that would stop him. I knew what needed to be done and I had seen Harry do it, but I just hoped I would be strong enough.

My thoughts came back to focus as I heard the heavy footfalls approaching. It would have to be my dad coming to check who had come through the floo. I knew I wouldn't be able to stun him outright, or maybe I could but it would be a lot more difficult. I'd just have to wait for an opportunity.

Sure enough I was soon staring at him as he entered the room. The first thing I noticed was his wand was held loosely at his side and he seemed slightly surprised at it being me. Was he expecting someone else? I wondered to myself.

"Oh Tracey it's just you. I didn't realize you'd be coming home tonight. Dinner is almost ready if you are hungry."

This was making it so much harder for me. "I ate already, thank you though. Who were you expecting?" I was still eyeing the wand held at his side, and he must have noticed for he quickly flicked his wrist and it snapped back into the holster.

"Ah no one dear. Just can't be too careful in these times. Well if you're not hungry I'll have the elves clean up but save some in case you change your mind. I'll be in the study if you need anything."

I watched as he turned and left the room. He was completely unaware of what I had planned and I wanted so badly to feel sorry for him. However there was no defence for the things he had done, and worse yet was he did those not because he had been ordered to. He wasn't even a death eater. He did the things he did because he enjoyed them and that simple fact was driving my resolve.

After what felt like an eternity I finally got my feet moving. I'd never really been in my father's study before. It was more of a private place for him. The one true exception was when I had come across the journals detailing all of his exploits and crimes.

Down the halls I went and soon enough I found myself at the door. I didn't bother to knock as I entered.

The door opening drew his attention. He turned from his desk where he had been scribbling away in one of his journals. I felt a sickness in my stomach. Was I too late? Had he hurt someone else?

His face was a mixture of confusion and anger at the disturbance. "Tracey, what are you doing in here? This is my private study."

He was seated and I saw his wand out of its holster and laying on the desk next to him.

Quicker than I thought I could my wand snapped into my hand and I was casting. "Petrificus totalus." He made no move to dodge probably still in shock at what was happening.

I was going to take him to his reckoning but first I needed to tell him. "I know what you did. All of it. I found your journals and I saw what you wrote about mom and the women before her. You're a monster."

I pulled the rope portkey from inside my cloak and moved across the room. I wanted to get this done and over with before I lost the nerve I had worked up. With barely a whisper of the activation phrase we were soon being whisked away.

Harry POV

Sirius and I stood a few feet apart as we waited for Tracey to arrive.

"Hey Harry I know we haven't discussed it a lot, but do you want to talk about some of this news coverage?"

I knew what he was referencing. After my kill of Scabior the media had gone into a frenzy when his body was discovered floating in the middle of the alley the next day. On the cover of the Daily Prophet there was a great shot of the man with his sleeve torn and his dark mark exposed for the world to see.

I guess people had written off the first kill of Jugson as maybe a death eater disagreement, but the second one now had people interested. Seeing the results of my spell the day after through a picture should have brought me back to reality, but truthfully I still felt nothing about it. It worried me, but also encouraged me that I wouldn't find myself caught up in emotions in future fights.

"I mean not really. Unless there is something you want to talk about?" I gave him the opening. In moments like this with Sirius I felt it was just better to let him say what he thought needed to be.

"I'm just worried. It's a lot of negative words they're throwing around. Psychopath, murderer just to name two that I saw in almost all the articles about it. Even though you're not named I don't want it to start grating on you."

I let out a small chuckle at that. "Sirius I really appreciate the concern, but I've been criticized almost my entire life by the media no matter what I do. Let's not forget they spent a year calling me crazy for saying Voldemort had returned."

"That's true I suppose. I forget or maybe I want to forget that you're not a normal kid Harry. This life you have to live and the things you have to do; it's just unfair. I wish my generation could have brought this to an end or stopped it before things got so bad. That way you could have had a normal Hogwarts experience."

I didn't know what to say really. "Truthfully Sirius I don't know if I would have wanted a normal Hogwarts life. The things I've done and had to deal with so far have all led me to where I am today and who I am. I met Daphne because of it, I got away from two terrible friends, and I even became closer with you."

I felt a hand rest on my shoulder and give a gentle squeeze. "You're mature for sure pup. We'll see this through to the end together and then you can focus on some of the normal life stuff; like maybe going to a Quidditch Cup without a death eater attack."

We shared a quick laugh together, but quieted up and drew our wands as we saw the air begin to swirl announcing the incoming portkey.

Tracey arrived and took a graceful step forward as she maintained her balance. A figure crashed onto the ground next to her since it appeared they had no use of their legs.

Sirius and I barely had time to approach before Tracey was already levitating the body and walking towards the building.

"All good Tracey?" I called out as we approached.

"I'm fine. Sirius can you whisper the location to him so we can get on with this?"

She didn't even turn to look at me, her sole focus seemed to be on getting inside as quick as possible. I turned to Sirius and kept my voice low so she wouldn't hear. "Do you mind sticking around for this? I'm worried about Tracey here. This isn't someone random - this is her father, the man who raised her and there is no telling how it could affect her."

Sirius looked at me and nodded before silently moving to follow me towards the door. I was doing my best to stay composed, but I was definitely worried about how this would affect Tracey. I knew what the first two had done to me and I didn't even know them personally or hold any feelings in regards to them other than disgust.

I recognized this would be a lot different, and truthfully I wasn't sure if Tracey would even be able to do what needed to be done once it came down to it.

It wasn't long before I was standing in the room with Sirius next to me as we observed Tracey standing in front of her father.

"She's shaking a bit but otherwise looks okay for now." I voiced my thoughts and I saw out of the corner of my eye Sirius nod slightly in agreement.

"I hate that you two feel like you have to do these things. I know I can't stop you from it, and I'm grateful you felt you could trust me with your plans though. I'd rather be here if things go wrong...it's just…well I'm sure you know."

I did know. I didn't want this to be my life but it was and I had to do this now if I wanted any chance at some normalcy. "I know Sirius and for what it is worth I don't think either of us wanted this either."

I turned my attention back to the room and noticed that Tracey was already talking to her father. His face seemed to be switching between anger and shock at the situation he was in. Tracey had her back to me so I couldn't see her facial expressions.

"She silenced the room. Should I undo it so we can hear what he has to say?" Sirius directed the question at me but I shook my head no.

"This is personal and she probably has more questions than what we need to know. I trust her to relay the information that will be important to us."

So we waited in silence and watched as Tracey continued to question her father. If I had to guess maybe twenty minutes had gone by before she abruptly stopped. It was fast and I wasn't expecting it but her hand raced forward and smacked him hard across the face. She then turned and flicked her wand before walking towards the door and coming into the room to join Sirius and I.

"I'm sorry I silenced the room…"

I cut her off though. "Don't apologize we understand why you did it. Was there anything useful that we should know?"

She shook her head at us. "Not really - he was never marked as a death eater. Too much of a coward probably, so he had very limited information. He did terrible things because he is an evil person."

For a moment I stood there. "So are you ready then?"

She nodded ever so slightly. "Yeah I am, but I just want to make sure we're all okay with this. He doesn't really fit with our other captures since he's not a death eater." Tracey had looked over her shoulder at her father as she spoke.

I could sense there was some hesitation, and I wanted to offer her a way out. "Tracey you don't have to do this...you could take his journals as evidence and drop him off to the DMLE. Let the officials handle it and prosecute him. He saw Sirius and I, but we were both hooded and he wouldn't be able to tell them where we were."

Once more I watched as she shook her head. "No this has to be done and I have to be the one to do it. I couldn't live with myself if I turned him and he went to Azkaban only to be broken out. Or even worse if he got off entirely and was able to hurt someone else."

"Alright then let's get to it." I moved forward and opened the door gesturing for her to go first.

As soon as she made her way through the door I followed behind and shut it. Almost immediately Mr. Davis opened his mouth.

"Tracey I don't know who this prick is but you can stop this. He's twisted your mind and told you lies to get you to bring me here." He turned his attention to me then. "You're a sick freak! Twisting innocent kids into doing your dirty work. What's the matter can't handle muddying your own hands so you get others to take care of your problems?"

The word freak rang in my ears harshly as I remembered the countless times Vernon had said it to me. However I wasn't the helpless child I was then. "No, in fact if Tracey hadn't requested to do this personally I would have ended you already. How dare you make assumptions about me after the things you've done. If there is a monster or freak in this room it is you - not me."

He opened his mouth to respond but Tracey flicked her wand and no noise came from his mouth. "Shut up! I've heard enough from you. I'm done listening to your lies. My whole life you've said you cared about me and loved me but how could you? With the things you've done you don't know how to care about anyone but yourself. I'm never going to let you hurt anyone else."

I took a step back as she resolutely leveled her wand. She looked to me for confirmation and I nodded.

"Pungo." A horizontal slash followed by a quick sharp jab of her wand and the spell left the tip and headed to its target. The spell was something I had seen in one of the texts from the Black library but hadn't used or tried as of yet. It was a simple piercing hex, but applied in the right spot and it was instantly deadly.

Tracey had aimed directly at his heart. It was in my opinion a little symbolic - he had after all broken her heart by not being the loving father she thought he was. I watched as the hex hit and then shortly he slumped forward in his chair. I could see the hole in his chest from my position, but I was more fixated on Tracey. I gingerly walked towards her and pushed her arm down as it was still extended out.

Her face was stoic, but her eyes were telling me all I needed to know about how much pain she was feeling right now.

"Tracey, I want you to listen to me. Don't speak and don't question what I'm saying. Go in the other room and have Sirius take you back to Grimmauld. Call for Kreacher and let him know I asked him to bring you anything you need. I'll clean up here and be along shortly."

Finally she looked at me as I stopped speaking. Her face was pale and I could tell she was fighting the urge to be sick the way I had after Jugson. To her credit she did as I had said and made her way to the door. Sirius must have been listening closely because he immediately opened it as she got close and ushered her inside.

Once the door closed again I took my first full on look at the body. It was a clean wound, there was some blood, but not nearly as much as I had been expecting. I lazily flicked my wand a few times and a couple of spells later the room was cleaned up and the wound was mostly cauterized so that no more blood would spill out. Truthfully I wasn't sure what to do with the body. He hadn't been marked as a death eater so there was no way for me to display that affiliation like the others.

No this would have to be a different message. This would go out to all the sympathizers who thought they could get away with hiding in the shadows.

"Kreacher." I only had to wait a moment for the elf to pop in.

"Young master is calling?" To his credit he completely ignored the body.

"Yes I need you to do like you did with the last body, but this time if you could spell the words 'We see all' above him in the air."

Finally Kreacher looked to the body. "These bad men be trying to hurt the young master and his family. Kreacher will do anything to help the young master."

I really couldn't believe how loyal Kreacher had become to me. "Thank you Kreacher. You're also to take care of anything that Tracey needs for the next couple of days please. She was the one to kill this man, and it was someone very personal to her."

With a last bow Kreacher disappeared along with the body and I knew what I needed would be done. I walked into the side room and was surprised to see Sirius there.

"Hey I took Tracey back but wanted to talk to you separately here. So how do you think she is really?"

"Honestly Sirius, I think she just killed her father and she is sick over it. You know I looked up some famous instances of wizard/witch patricide before all this. There was not a single instance where the child wasn't abused or neglected by the father. That wasn't the case for Tracey though. This is really going to mess with her, and I'm surprised she didn't take the way out I gave her."

Sirius nodded as he held his arm out for me to grab onto. "That's what I figured as well. You'll just have to help her through this. I know I say it a lot, but as much as I wish you two weren't on this path you've started and there isn't really any going back now."

I stayed silent as he apparated us back to Grimmauld place. I was careful to catch my balance so as to not fall into the umbrella stand and wake the portrait. I said goodnight to Sirius and made my way upstairs but didn't head towards my room. I wanted to check on Tracey first before I did anything else.

As I came up to the door I knocked gently so as to not freak her out. I heard a soft voice say come in from the other side and slowly opened the door.

"Tracey?" The room was pretty dark but the light from the hall illuminated it just enough for me to see a lone figure on the bed to my left.

"Harry I don't want to talk about it." The response came to my ears so quietly that if there was any other noise in the house I might have missed it.

"That's fine Tracey. I didn't want to talk right away after my first time too, but I needed to check on you to see for myself. Is there anything I can do for you though?"

For what seemed like forever I stood there and was getting ready to leave when she finally answered. "Can you cast a couple cleaning spells on the floor over there? I got sick and I would do it myself, but every time I pick up my wand I'm back in the room and want to be sick all over again." She gestured weakly with one arm towards a corner and I cast a few charms towards the direction to be sure I got it all.

"All done Tracey. I let Kreacher know he was to take care of anything you need so don't be afraid to call for him."

"Thank you Harry. Not just for this but for also letting me do what I needed to. I never really thought I would be able to put this to bed. It hurts now, but I know I did the right thing in the long term."

"What are friends for if they don't support you in your toughest decisions?" This time she didn't say anything back and I decided to leave on that last thought. I shut the door behind me and headed back down towards my room where I knew Daphne would be waiting.

I opened the door as quietly as I could so as to not disturb Daphne, but it turns out it was for nothing as when I turned around she was staring at me from the bed.

"How is Tracey?"

I grimaced a little but I hid no details from her as I recounted what happened. "Now she is in her room and laying down. She said she didn't feel like speaking tonight. I'm not going to lie to you Daph this is probably going to take her a while to get over. Which is a good thing though - it means she has a conscience and can discern between the necessary and wrong. I think I'd be more worried if she wasn't so bothered."

I set my wand down and quickly changed into some pajamas before crawling into bed. I laid on my back and Daphne curled into my side as I wrapped one arm tightly around her shoulders and pulled her close. "I just hope this is all worth it in the end. I don't want to drag Tracey down with me."

Daphne stretched up and pressed a kiss against my cheek. "You won't. I won't allow you two to be beaten by this and it's not just me. You have Neville and Sirius on your side also. Even Zabini is content to help. There are people who care and you two won't need to shoulder the burden forever."

I don't remember if I fully responded as I gave way to the comfort of sleep, but I don't think any response was really needed either. Tonight was over and the actions were done, but I was just beginning the war on Voldemort and his followers.

The next few days for me were pretty somber. To my surprise Tracey had been up and joined me for our training session the morning after. I had expected her to want some time off, but when I had mentioned it she waved off my concerns.

I remember quite well how she told me it was better to shoulder it and keep moving forward then stew in her thoughts alone. I'd nodded and taken her at her word, and true to her word she spent most of the day busy. The Daily Prophet had obviously gotten wind of her father being dead with the public display. Tracey had left to go back to her home - she had said she wanted to play the part of the grieving daughter. Undoubtedly there would be some questions about where she had been the night it happened.

She came back that night and told us she had received an official Ministry summons. She had brought with her a lot of her personal belongings and had asked Sirius if he would mind if she moved into the room that she occupied when she stayed over.

Sirius had enthusiastically offered it to her for as long as she wanted and I had watched as she thanked him with a forced smile. I knew all too well what it looked like when someone was trying fake emotions.

That was three days ago and things had still somewhat maintained the normal routine we had prior to. Tracey's summons was set for today and she had left an hour ago or so. I was sitting in the library reading when Daphne came in. I looked up from the book I was reading and gave her a small smile which she returned.

"Alexa just went down for her nap. I let Kreacher know to come get us when she wakes up."

This time I set the book down as she sat herself down on my lap and curled into me. For a few minutes neither of us said anything. It was nice to just relish in the feeling of having her in my arms, but I knew there was a conversation we needed to have.

"So what do you think we should do?"

Daphne sighed but didn't shift or make any move to look up at me. "Harry - we both know she is safer staying here and Kreacher would do a fantastic job of looking after her. However I don't know if I'm prepared to be away from her that long."

"I understand Daphne, really I do, I want nothing more than to be able to see her everyday but how selfish are we to put her in danger like that? Not to mention we'd have to figure out what to do with her during classes. We couldn't reasonably bring Alexa to them without risk or her interrupting."

Daphne finally looked up at me. "So what about a compromise then? We bring her with us, but we convince Sirius to lend us Kreacher as a caretaker elf. He can still do all of the things he does now and watch her during lessons."

I thought about it and the idea had merit. I still wasn't thrilled about bringing her into the castle and exposing her to risk, but not being able to see Alexa for months would be painful.

"What about Sirius and the others here though? Kreacher cooks for them and does some other stuff as well. I wouldn't want to put them out."

Daphne smirked at me and suddenly I realized she'd clearly had this all thought out ahead of time. I narrowed my eyes at her a bit to show that I was not amused. "You could assign one of the Potter elves to watch over this place in the meantime. I know we could theoretically use one of them to watch Alexa, but quite honestly we know and trust Kreacher more."

I nodded once and then twice as I thought it over. "Alright, but I hope you know in the future you can just lead with the plan you so clearly had worked out."

The smirk never left her face as she replied. "But it's so cute to watch you try and win an argument that you have no chance in. You may have all that magical power but I'm still able to get one over on you." She ended her statement by poking her tongue out at me.

I couldn't help it and burst out laughing at the childishness of it. Daphne was nothing if not composed almost all of the time, so to see her doing something like poking her tongue out was just hilarious.

Once I got a hold of my laughter I spoke again. "Also for the record I wouldn't count this as an argument. We both wanted the same thing, for Alexa to be safe, we just weren't sure how to go about it. It was more of a...well I don't know what you'd call it but not an argument."

I watched as she rolled her eyes. "Semantics for sure but okay not an argument. However that does not change the fact you still agreed with me in the end and so I am still the clear victor here."

I snorted. "Whatever you say Daph. Did Tracey mention to you when she was expecting to be back from her summons?"

Her face became less cheerful as she replied. "No, I don't think even she knew how long it would take. It should just be a routine questioning on where she was and if she had seen or heard anything strange. She's going to tell them she was at a friend's house and came back to find out the news. She also took the liberty of destroying her father's journals detailing what he'd done to her mother. That should help keep any suspicion off of her."

I noticed she hesitated a bit before continuing. "I'm still worried about her. She's been going everyday like nothing has changed but we both know it has. This isn't like you where I know you can fake it for all to see but then will confide in me, Neville, or even Kreacher. She hasn't talked to me about it, and from what you told me she hasn't brought it up to you since that night."

"Daphne, I'm worried as well and I'm just doing my best to not push her. I don't want her to blow up and collapse over this. However I think she needs to talk it out or at least try to before going back to school. As bad as it would be for her to break down at all if she does it here that is private. There is no telling who could see or hear her at school if it were to happen then. So I've enlisted some help with talking to her in the next couple of days. Can I trust you to handle the elf matters and getting Sirius to agree to loan us Kreacher?"

I was looking away, but I felt her nod against my chest. "Of course Harry. We're more than just a couple - we're partners and we have to be able to rely on each other."

It amazed me that only a little over a year ago I didn't even know Daphne. "Do you ever think we moved too fast, or that we forced ourselves into this?"

Daphne stirred in my arms and did her best to maneuver so she could look me in the eyes. "Are you having regrets about us Harry?" I could see the anxiousness barely concealed waiting for an answer.

It didn't take me more than a second to respond. "I don't actually. Quite the opposite really. When I think about us and what we have I can't imagine wanting anything different. When I first found out what you did and how you used me I didn't know if I would ever be able to get over it. Surprisingly it was Sirius who got serious for once in his life and told me the hard truths. He kind of helped convince me that maybe forgiving you was the best option for Alexa. I just think about how it's been such a short time and we're so close, but there are couples who date for years and never experience the feelings I have for you."

Daphne leaned up and kissed my cheek. "I guess I'll have to thank Sirius. I didn't plan on all this happening you know? When I agreed to do what I did, to use you, it was supposed to be just to keep my family safe and myself from marrying Malfoy. You weren't suppose to make me fall for you, and certainly I never would have expected you to forgive me for what I did. However knowing what I do now I wouldn't change anything I did. Just think if I tried to approach you normally. You wouldn't have given me the time of day I'm sure."

I wanted to argue her point and say I would have but part of me knew she was right. I was very prejudiced against all things Slytherin, and would have still been friends with Ron who would have kept telling me she was just going to turn me over to Voldemort.

"Can we just stay like this until Tracey gets back? I'm very comfortable." And I could start to feel my eyelids getting heavy as I relished in the closeness and warmth.

"As if I was going to let you get up and go anywhere after we just shared such a sweet moment."

It looked like my research would have to continue another time as we snuggled together and exchanged a few light kisses before settling in for a nap.

I don't know how much later it was but a gentle shaking of my shoulder woke me up. As I blinked my eyes open a few times and my vision cleared up I could make out Sirius standing a few feet away and grinning like mad.

"Sirius what's up?"

His smiled slipped for a second like I ruined some big prank but it came back in force. "Thought you should know Tracey was back. I can see you have your hands full right now though, but really Harry - in the library? I give you access to one of the greatest family libraries in existence and you use it to shack up."

He made a show of mock disappointment. "Oh please you're just mad I beat you to it." I deadpanned right back at him. That knocked the smile off his face.

"Wait...what? I was kidding! Oh no Harry please tell me you didn't play librarian with Daphne."

Before I could respond a strangled noise came from Daphne. "Alright that's enough about what Harry and I may or may not get up to in our free time. You said Tracey was back?"

Sirius looked at her like he was betrayed. "Sneaky witch been awake this whole time, but yes Tracey got back a little while ago and she said things went as well as expected. They asked her all the routine basics but it doesn't look like they have any idea otherwise."

Daphne extricated herself from and stood up from the chair. I made a show of raking my eyes up and down her body as she stretched out and capped it off with a wink. I received a light swat for my efforts. "Such a perv Harry. I'm going to go talk with Tracey and see if she wants to have some girl time."

Sirius didn't say anything to me until Daphne left the library. "You've got a good one there Harry."

I nodded my head. "Yeah I really do. So I think Kreacher is taking care of Alexa tonight which means I'm free if you wanted to hang out."

Sirius readily agreed and so we spent the rest of the night talking and generally goofing off. Sirius told me tales of his greatest pranks and more, and it was with a much lighter mind that I finally turned in for the night.

With the term approaching I finally decided on a time to confront Tracey. It had been two days since her summons and she still hadn't opened up about her feelings.

I was prepared mentally for her to explode and probably get mad at me for pushing her, but she couldn't keep it all bottled up forever. With that in mind I walked up the stairs to her room and knocked out of courtesy. I waited for her to say something before walking in.

She was sitting at her desk working on something which I presumed was last minute revisions on summer assignments for her NEWT classes.

"Hey Tracey we need to talk." She looked like she was about to say something but I held up a hand. "Don't interrupt me right now because I know you're going to say you're fine. Believe me, I spent my first 4 years telling everyone I was fine after every terrible thing that happened to me. I know what it's like and what it looks like when someone is faking it."

I heard her sigh deeply. "Harry I'm not doing this now. I don't want to talk about it."

I didn't back down though. "Tracey, honestly I wouldn't push you like this if it wasn't important. But I can't risk you going to Hogwarts and losing it there."

Finally I got a reaction from her as she spun around from her desk chair and stood up. "So now you think I'm too weak to hold it together? I can manage just fine on my own. I'm handling it."

I snorted and realized I was being harsh but this needed to happen. "If this is what you call handling it. You barely leave your room other than to train now. You just snapped on me for bringing up a concern I have which you're just proving to be valid."

Her face contorted into anger as she practically hissed out her response "What do you want me to say? That I'm not okay - that I'm struggling to sleep because every time I close my eyes all I can see is my father's face. I killed my own father Harry and not for any of the reasons I've said before. I talked a big game about how I had to do it because he could hurt more people, but you really want to know the truth Harry? I did it because I wanted to. I did it because he lied to me and hurt me. It was selfish and done out of vengeance not justice."

As she finished I saw her shoulders sag a bit and she moved to sit on her bed. I walked over and sat next to her. Gently I wrapped one arm around her and pulled her into a sidearm hug. The gentle shaking of her body let me know the tears had probably started even without looking at her face.

"Tracey I can't tell you if what you did was right. Only you can make your peace with it, but I can tell you that whether or not you did it for vengeance or justice it doesn't matter. What matters is this is clearly bothering you and in a way that is good. It means you understand that there are lines and morals in life that we shouldn't cross unless absolutely necessary. Again though, I can't tell you if what you did was absolutely necessary. Only you can figure that out for yourself ultimately, but that doesn't mean you can't talk it out with me. We made an agreement to help each other with this and I wouldn't be keeping up my end of the deal if I let you go to Hogwarts without addressing this at all."

As I finished my mini-speech to her the door creaked open and I smiled at seeing my backup had arrived. Tracey looked up at the sound too and I could see there were clearly tear stains running down her cheeks.

Neville stood in the doorway with a small smile on his face and a box held in his arms.

"Hey Nev thanks for coming mate." Neville nodded and moved over to the desk where he set the box down.

"No problem Harry. Looks like you handled things well here - always leaving girls in tears aren't you? All the subtlety of a hammer this one, eh Tracey?"

Despite the seriousness of the situation I was grateful to see Tracey smile even a little. She made a show of wiping her cheeks as she looked at the box. "Whatcha got there?"

Neville smiled at her and opened the top of the box letting the aroma fill the room. "This is all your favorite foods and some butterbeer. Harry said you'd need some cheering up after he got done talking to you today and he asked if I could help out. So, uh, here I am?" He finished a little uncertainly I noticed as he wound down.

I decided to make my leave as I saw the predatory gleam return to Tracey. "Well on that note I'm going to leave you in Neville's very capable hands. For what it's worth I'm sorry if you think I was harsh coming in here, but you needed to hear what I said and I was the only one who could tell you it and expect you to believe them."

I patted Neville on the shoulder as I walked by and I swear I heard him gulp a bit as Tracey told him to come sit with her. Tracey loved teasing Neville and my hope had been that after I got the explosion out of her that he could cheer her up, and so far it looked like that idea was going to work.

Finally the day came for us to go back. Neville had gone back to his Gran's the night before to finish last minute packing. Since that day with Tracey he had spent the rest of the holidays with us and Tracey had started to slowly return to her normal self - at least outwardly. The addition of Neville and Tracey's mood changing did not go unnoticed by Sirius and Daphne who were relentless in their teasing of the two.

In our training sessions Tracey had confessed to me that she still wasn't okay, but that she was working towards being okay again no matter how long it took. That's all I could really ask of her, and with us going back for term we wouldn't be hunting for some time so hopefully the break would help in that process.

Our train ride back to the castle had been relatively normal. The four of us had found a compartment early and been joined later by Zabini. I had to admit it was a little weird for me to not have Malfoy stopping in with his yearly insults though.

I held Alexa most of the ride to Hogwarts and Daphne took over as we arrived to the station. I received a few odd glances as I pet the thestral pulling the carriage that everyone was currently climbing into.

It only took a few minutes for us to arrive at the gate and as we walked into the entrance hall I had to admit I was happy to be back. Hogwarts had always seemed like my first home and just being in someplace so magical felt right. My happiness was to be short lived it looked like though as I noticed McGonagall approaching us.

"Mr. Potter the headmaster has requested you in his office before you join the rest of your friends at the feast. Ms. Greengrass he also asked me to inform you that you'd have the same suite as last year."

I nodded and said goodbye to my friends before following my head of house down the all too familiar path towards the headmaster's office.

As we walked up to the stone gargoyle she muttered the password - liquorice wands - and the it began to spin. "I have to say this may be a record for a student being called to the headmaster's office Mr. Potter. The feast hasn't even started."

Despite the situation I couldn't help but smile as I walked up the stairs. In typical fashion I didn't get to knock before Dumbledore called out for me to come in.

I had been expecting this. I may not like the man but Dumbledore was smart and he could piece together things better than most anyone in the Wizarding world. It wouldn't take him long to connect my change in aura to the events that had unfolded over the summer I was sure.

I sat in the chair opposite of his desk. The man himself was currently staring at me over his steepled hands.

"Hello Harry. I am sorry for pulling you from your friends so soon into the year, but I fear that this conversation could not wait."

I nodded my head and signaled for him to continue. I wasn't volunteering anything extra for him.

"I assume you remember our discussion about how I can see magical auras and the changes that happen to them?" Once more I nodded. "I assume I do not have to tell you that yours has changed quite drastically this summer. Harry I have to say I am very disturbed and disappointed."

I was going to say something but was cut off. "Before you try and lie. Could you honestly sit here and tell me these aren't your work?" He waved his hand and the papers with each of our targets displayed on the front of them appeared on his desk.

I said nothing for a few moments as I worked to choose my words carefully. "You have no evidence that I was in anyway involved in this. If you were anyone else accusing a future lord and respected individual like myself would put you in some serious trouble."

Dumbledore didn't seem to expect anything else from me as he continued. "I once recall a conversation we had where I had expressed to you that there were certain similarities between you and Tom. I am grateful but also fearful to see that you have proved my initial comparison wrong. While there are some superficial comparisons to be made your thought process and ability to reason is nothing alike."

I found my voice again. "So I'm not the next Voldemort. That is a good thing and should make you happy that you didn't completely mess up again after leaving me with the Dursleys. Why then are you fearful?"

Dumbledore seemed to study me carefully before answering as if trying to figure out a complex puzzle. "I'm fearful Harry because you remind me much more of someone else I once knew. He too was driven by an unquenchable need to make the world better for those he cared about. Like you he also thought the ends justified the means and he lost himself along the way. His mantra was 'for the greater good'. Perhaps you've come across it before in your studies?"

I was genuinely floored. Never in my life would I have thought anyone would compare me to Grindelwald. By everything I had read the man was a monster, but the way that Dumbledore talked about him held reverence and a certain...fondness? "Sir, with all due respect, I am nothing like Gellert Grindelwald. He was a monster who killed thousands because he wanted…"

The headmaster cut me off though. "Don't presume to know more about Grindelwald then me Harry. I have more knowledge of the man than anyone else alive - including who he was and how he became the man that our history depicts him as. He too thought that if he could put enough fear into his enemies they would bow to his will. He didn't expect for it to ignite the natural rebellious side of so many and create a greater resistance to his goals."

He stopped as he seemed to get lost in thought. "You're right of course that I have no proof of what I have accused you of. As such there is legally nothing I can do and no reason for me to evict you from the school. However I will be watching you carefully this year Harry. Despite all of that our end goal is the same, to remove Voldemort, and we will need to work together. I would request that once a month we meet so that I can share a look into Tom's past with you that might prove helpful."

I considered the offer and was tempted but to put myself in a situation where I had to spend more time with the headmaster was not something I was looking forward to. "Respectfully I will have to decline the offer headmaster. At this time there is nothing that I don't already know about Tom Riddle that I want to know. If there is nothing else I'd like to get back to my friends."

"I do sincerely hope you will change your mind and take me up on my offer, but I cannot force you. You are free to go now. Please do think on what I said, it's not too late for you Harry."

I was barely listening as I walked towards the exit. The term hadn't even started and all the happiness and joy I had experienced at returning to the castle had left me. Was I really acting like Grindelwald? More importantly though, did I care if that's what it took to end Voldemort and the death eaters once and for all. I had a lot on my mind as I entered the Great Hall to join my friends for dinner. Daphne had noticed that something was off but I had simply told her we could talk later. For now I just wanted to try and enjoy the feast. I raised my goblet of pumpkin juice and noticed the headmaster staring at me. I mockingly raised my glass towards him. "Cheers to a new school year."