It was early morning and the first rays of light were pouring through the windows, leaving long strips of light in the still air of the kitchen. Harry sat at the kitchen table with his hands held together resting under his chin.

Normally he would enjoy the silence of the Potter house in the early hours of the day, when the wife and kids would still be in bed and he would have these moments of peace before the day began.

But these days the silence seemed heavy, like a weight pushing down on every inch of his body. He never thought he would miss the hectic noise of three kids running around the house screaming and arguing with each other, but here he was.

His eyes gazed ahead at nothing as he ran through the day's itinerary. Nathan's owl had arrived last night, and James had run through to Harry's study to tell him that they had agreed to meet in Diagon Alley for lunch. With any luck the boy could tell them something useful and they would be able to piece together what happened to Albus.

As Head Auror, Harry didn't have as much free time as he would have wanted to follow up on the investigation. The Purifier movement had been all but broken when they had attacked Hogwarts that night, but that didn't mean there weren't some known members still out there deep in hiding.

Harry had the department monitoring all appartition, portkey and floo travel out of the country, checking all traces against each member's magical signature. That had been a particularly difficult feat to accomplish, even for the Head Auror. Luckily, having more than a few friends in powerful positions, a seat of the Wizengamot and the respect of the Wizarding World didn't hurt in getting seemingly impossible tasks taken care of. Either way, if any known Purifiers tried to leave Britain, they'd be rotting in Azkaban before their heads cleared.

But the smarter members were still hiding out somewhere, and it was still his job to bring them in. For several years he had been in a silent war with the organisation, but had met with little success as time went on and their numbers grew. Not all of them were blood purists, despite the group's reputation. The movement had started slowly, with former Death Eaters and their sympathisers meeting in secret. It had taken several years for them to do anything more than group together and whine about the lost glory that Riddle's defeat had spelled for the pure bloods. But once Rosier had taken on the mantle of leadership things had changed quickly.

Four years ago they had conducted a raid on Diagon Alley, killing six people and injuring several dozen others. They had announced their existence and their mission of eradicating the perceived Mudblood taint, and from that point Harry had been fighting his shadow war against them. Although they had had some limited success in the early days, it had gotten harder and harder for Harry to stay ahead of the organisation. In the weeks leading up to the attack Harry had been operating almost completely in the dark as he found it more and more difficult to obtain any usable information. It was as if the slippery bastards had always been one step ahead of him.

It had been a tip off from Victor Krum of all people that had alerted Harry to the fact that Rosier had begun recruiting members from outside of Britain to join the cause. Since then, they had posed a significant threat to the public as their terrorist activities began escalating despite all of Harry's efforts to track them.

It had been during one of his counter–raids that they had launched their all out attack on Hogwarts. It had been the last night of the school year. Harry had been clearing out one of their bases when he had gotten the call.

He apparated to Hogsmeade as soon as he had heard but by that point the battle was mostly over. He had met Ron and Hermione on the way up to the castle and together they had stormed Hogwarts, regrouped with the survivors and found Albus.

He had failed as Head Auror to stop the menace, and Hogwarts students had paid for that with their lives.

He had been too late to save his son, and now here he was sitting in his kitchen and fighting to find a way to fix everything.

"Still brooding?"

Harry had been so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he had completely failed to notice the arm slide over his shoulder and around his chest. Or the red topped head that had settled next to his. As such, the soft words spoken directly into his ear made him jump nearly out his chair.

Ginny ignored his shock and gave him a light hug. She was hunched down behind his chair and resting her head on his shoulder.

"Must've been a good one then" she continued softly in that tone Harry had dubbed her 'morning voice'.

"You startled me is all." Harry replied, slightly embarrassed. He put his hand on top of hers and turned around to face her. She was wearing her bathrobe - a bright yellow monstrosity - and her iconic Weasely hair was sticking out oddly. She must have just gotten up. "You're up early."

She smiled at him, "I felt you get up and couldn't get back to sleep." She took his hand and levelled him with that analysing gaze he had come to know very well over the years. "I've been worried about you Harry."

She called him Harry. It must have been serious.

He gave a weary sigh. He knew he hadn't been dealing with this whole disaster very well. "I'm just worried about Albus."

"We all are. But you worrying yourself to death isn't going to help anything. And things are looking up aren't they." It was a statement, not a question. "I mean, you've had a breakthrough with Hermione's new Pensieve haven't you?"

It had been a stroke of luck really. Hermione, in one of her many personal projects, had been experimenting with the enchantments on Pensieves. Harry still didn't understand a word of it when she tried to explain it to him; it was all quantum overlays and unifying runework triggers. Either way she had come up with a way to modify a Pensieve so that it could project a subject's memories while they were still in their head as opposed to pulling them out manually to be placed directly into it. The applications were limited, but for catatonic patients and sufferers of mental trauma it could allow a new avenue for insight into their damaged minds.

Neville, for obvious reasons, had been very interested in the breakthrough when he had been told. And so had Harry.

"We still don't know if we'll be able to learn anything useful," he said, hating himself for the pessimistic thought, "But you're right, we might be onto a way to help Albus."

Ginny gave a sad smile, "Exactly. Now all you've got to do is keep it together. You're no good to us half dead, love."

With a twinge Harry realised he had neglected how the rest of the family had been dealing with the whole crisis. He had been so wrapped up in the whole thing that he hadn't spent much time on how the rest of them were coping. Having your son stuck in a vegetative state was bad enough, but when your husband starts falling apart as well…

Harry remembered how Ginny had been when she had seen Albus that night. He had held her while she sobbed into his arms, and promised her over and over that he would find a way to fix it. Now three weeks later she was the one holding the family together; keeping Lily occupied so she didn't think too hard about Albus, making sure James didn't burn himself out with his frustration. And through it all putting up with Harry's melancholy.

"I know, I know, and I'm sorry. I know haven't been dealing with this very well. And I know you've had to deal with me being a mopey git." That at least earned him a smile, "But I feel better now. Really I do. I don't know how to describe it, other than I'm finally getting something done."

Ginny gave him another smile and moved to stand up, "Well I'm glad. It's been hard enough with Albus… stuck the way he is. I don't want to have to worry about you too."

Harry gave a smile of his own and nodded. "Fair enough. I'll try and do better. I love you."

"I love you too, dear."

And with that she snapped up, transforming into the cheerful witch he knew so well. She walked over to the stove and summoned a frying pan with a flick of her wand.

"Now, what do you want for breakfast?"

"I'm not really that hungry, love."

She leaned back and patted him on the head condescendingly. "Of course you're not dear, but I'm not having you shrink back into that skinny boy from Hogwarts. Besides," she continued, grinning cheerfully, "the great Harry Potter needs a full breakfast if he's going to be off saving the world."

Harry leant back and felt a much more genuine smile crossing his face. Perhaps some breakfast wouldn't really be so bad.

XXXXX

The summer sun burned furiously over the streets of Diagon Alley, making the colours of the stalls and the crowds shine more bright and vivid than normal. James Potter worked his way through the crowd with his head lowered, ignoring the cheerful calls of street vendors and the excited cries of children. He was not as famous as his father, but he still got stopped occasionally for no better reason than being the son of the great Harry Potter.

Sure it could be kind of cool, and it never hurt his chances with the ladies, but all in all he was glad that his wounds from Hogwarts still hadn't fully healed and he needed a bandage to cover a large portion of his face.

He shouldered his way past a throng of people outside Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour where the heat ensured a steady stream of customers. The sign above the shop had been charmed to call out new deals and flavours to passers by. As James walked past it called out in a squeaky voice, "Try the new Chimera Cone! Three ferocious flavours in one ice-cream! Make sure you eat it before it eats you!"

It was hard to believe that the last time he was in Diagon Alley over the Christmas Holiday the place had been almost deserted. With the Purifier's growing bolder with the success of their attacks people had been less inclined to walk the streets and stay in crowded areas. Now, people just looked happy to be alive. They had little idea of what really happened in the Purifier attack on Hogwarts, only that the leader of the movement, Rosier, was in custody and the Purifiers had mostly been wiped out. James smiled grimly to himself, ignoring the light burning sensation of his wounded skin stretching. He wondered how happy these people would be if they knew what had really happened to Rosier that night.

He worked his way through the bustle towards Madame Clearwater's, the café he had agreed to meet Nathan at. Surely enough, he could see his old friend perched in his chair at one of the outdoor tables. He was watching the crowded ambling past through his dark hair with a wistful look on his face and a pint of Clearwater Brew in his hand. From the angle he was sitting at he didn't see James approaching until he was right next to the table.

"Bit early don't you think?" he asked.

Nathan looked up and his broad face split into a wide grin. "James!" he shouted. He stood up in a hurry and gripped James in a hug. "It's good to see you mate." He held him at arms length and gave his bandaged face a look over. "You look terrible."

It was said with the casual, brutal honesty only an old friend could give, and James couldn't help but grin himself.

"Yeah, well I'm still a more of a looker than you ever were." He said as he took a seat across the table.

Nathan waved off the jab with his free hand and sat back down. "You fancy a drink?"

James shook his head, "Nah it's a tad early for me, thanks."

"Suit yourself," Nathan said with a shrug. He ran his hand over his jaw, where he had let his facial hair grow into a dishevelled stubble which he once told James made him look 'dashing' to women..

"Won't you get it any trouble with your boss at Hermes? You know… getting drunk on your lunch break isn't exactly ideal for a broomstick tester."

Nathan gave him a patronizing look, "Having a pint with your lunch isn't that unusual mate. Besides," he said with a sly grin, "If I remember correctly you weren't so impartial to a few drinks before flying yourself."

James smiled sheepishly as he reached for a menu, "That was just the one time."

In their sixth year Nathan had dared David and James to down a full mug of smuggled Firewhisky each before their quidditch match against Hufflepuff. They were all on the team; Nathan as Chaser, David as Beater and James taking the role of Seeker like his father had. They had accepted the dare and choked down the burning liquid, trying not to puke. David had performed horribly as Beater, almost knocking out their teammate Elouise with his club at one point. James on the other hand had caught the snitch in a personal best of four minutes thirty nine seconds.

"Whatever you say mate."

An attractive waitress approached the table wearing smart dress robes that ended above the knee. "So are you two ready to order?" She asked with a bright smile.

As the two gave their order to the pretty young witch James got the distinct impression that she was flirting with Nathan. She started curling her hair around her finger while he was giving his order and even laughed abruptly at a comment he made about his steak that wasn't meant to be funny. Nathan for his part did his best to ignore it and carried on with his order. After a slightly awkward pause she scampered off inside the café, looking embarrassed.

"You take one curse to the face and suddenly you're invisible to every good looking witch in London!" James said holding up his hands in mock annoyance.

"Hard lines pal," Nathan said, "Looks like your doomed to live out the rest of your days looking like the wrong end of a Blast Ended Skrewt. Still you're a sight better than when I found you, eh?"

"Ah at least its only for another couple weeks." James rubbed at his bandages again. Talking about his injury always gave him a phantom itch. "You know, I'm pretty sure she likes you."

"The waitress?"

"No, the Thestral sitting next to you. Yes the waitress you idiot. She's pretty cute too."

Nathan looked back over his shoulder at the door she had left through for a moment before turning back to the table and shrugging again.

"Meh, I'm not really looking for anything at the moment," he said as he reached for his pint.

James gave him with an incredulous look. "Seriously mate. Still?"

Nathan's eyes snapped up at James. He finished his mouthful of beer with a grimace. "Shut up man," he said in a weary tone.

"What's it been, like, two years?"

"Shut up shut up Shut Up."

"It's about time you moved on."

"I'm not having this conversation again."

"I'm just saying –"

"Enough!" Nathan said the last word with a tone of finality. He took another swig of his drink and settled back into his chair. "That's not what I was talking about."

Suddenly he looked uncomfortable, as though he was desperate to avoid the way the conversation seemed to be going. "So how's the family?" he asked out of the blue.

James felt a stab of annoyance at his friend's ham-fisted attempt the change the topic. Any witch or wizard who wasn't living under a rock knew the current state of the Potter family and it wasn't exactly a cheerful topic.

"Well Dad's doing fine; he's just been real busy trying to clear up the whole mess with the Purifiers. Mum's been taking Lily out on shopping trips and girly days since she got back from Hogwarts. Teddy's still away on his Gringott's assignment in Sweden, but he said he'd be back in the UK soon," James took a breath, "It's Albus that we're all really worried about."

Nathan's face dropped as quickly as if he'd been told a family member had died. "Shit I'm sorry James, I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine."

"No I'm really sorry," Nathan looked uncharacteristically sombre, and James felt an illogical twinge of guilt for bringing it up. "So how is Al getting on? Any changes?"

"No." James said, making Nathan nod his head awkwardly and reach for another drink. James felt bad for his friend. He didn't like talking about his little brother's situation anymore than Nathan liked hearing about it. All of a sudden the mood at the table didn't seem at all fitting with the bright summer day and the cheerful crowds around them. Still, he had owled Nathan for a reason, and that reason had been Albus.

"But there is something," he said, making Nathan look up. "Dad's trying out something new; something we think might have a chance of working out what happened to him."

Nathan's demeanour brightened considerably. "Seriously? That's great James!" he said, "What is it, some kind of potion?"

James gave him a brief overview of the last week. Hermione's breakthrough with Pensieve technology. Harry's idea that it could be used with Albus. When he got to the memory of Albus in the Hogwarts corridor Nathan's jaw was hanging open.

"So he was there… He was right there the whole time," he shook his head sadly, "James I'm sorry, if I had known I –"

"So you didn't see him that night?" James felt the hope dying in his chest as he said the words, "None of you?"

Nathan looked miserable, "I'm sorry James I can't help you. I never saw him. As for the others I couldn't tell you, we got separated pretty early on. Things got crazy that night." He shuddered visibly.

James felt the dying spark in his chest flare back to life, "So one of the others might have seen him?"

"I couldn't tell you mate. None of them mentioned it to me afterwards. I just spent the night trying to link up with anyone and scrapping with Purifiers till I found you at the Quidditch pitch."

James nodded, barely listening, "Nathan I'm gonna need to get in touch with them. Do you know where they are now?"

Nathan held up his hand and began counting off his fingers, "Well Samuel's out the country, touring museums in Europe last I heard. Bertie's working in some robe shop in Manchester. David's not doing much of anything; big surprise that, with his injury and all…"

James waved him along, "I know about Bertie and David. Alistair too, what about the others?"

"Right, well Takeda's living on his family's estate. I guess doing nothing seems more acceptable when you're loaded. And Katherine's got herself an apprenticeship at the Department of Transport."

James blinked, "She's working at the Ministry as well?"

"Yeah, went straight into it same as Alistair."

"Huh," was all James could say. It would easy to get in touch with her then. With all of them really, except perhaps for Samuel. This didn't seem like such a difficult task after all. He looked back up as the waitress brought their plates over. Nathan thanked her as he took his plate, ignoring another pointed smile.

"Cheers Nathan," James said after a moment, "I really appreciate this."

"Don't worry about it," Nathan replied as he started cutting into his steak, "Anything that could help Al out."

James smiled at that. No, not so difficult at all. With any luck, one of them would have a better idea of what happened to Albus. It wasn't a stretch to think that bumping into James' shy little brother was not the first thing people remembered when they thought about that night. Nathan had been right, it had gotten pretty crazy in Hogwarts when the Purifiers attacked. But if he questioned them, they should know something, must know something. And then he was one step closer to finding out what happened to his little brother.

"Still, I do appreciate it," he said as he began to tuck into his own lunch. Nathan grunted in reply, his mouth full of food.

They ate in silence for a moment. Each of them cutting into their respective plates and once again enjoying the warm weather and cheerful atmosphere of the busy Diagon Alley. A group of excited kids ran past their table. One blonde kid in a Chudley Cannons t-shirt held a massive balloon in the shape of a dragon that was charmed to roar every few seconds. Across the street a witch could be seen chewing her husband out for some ill thought out purchase he had just made involving an enchanted piano. A busker on the corner was singing a duet with himself through clever use of repeating charms.

Everywhere around them people went about their business or just enjoyed their summer. All in all James found that it was suddenly a lot easier to appreciate the day.

"So," James asked after a minute, not quite succeeding in keeping a cheeky grin off his face, "You've been keeping in touch with Katherine then?"

"I told you to shut up."

XXXXX

Harry walked through the corridor in a daze on his way to the elevator. His meeting with the current Minister of Magic, Marcus Warden-Heggie had been a blur. He had found it hard to pay attention to what the old man had been saying but it had mostly been a reiteration of what he knew before; The Purifiers were still out there, they were still a threat, it was his responsibility as Head of the Auror Office and so on and so on.

He honestly didn't know why the man expected so much from him. Even before the attack on Hogwarts he had been outmanoeuvred by the blood purists. Now that they an estimated fewer than dozen members left it was going to be that much harder to do anything about them. Still, Harry had calmly reassured the blustering Minister that the Auror Office was doing all it could to track down the rogue wizards - locating spells, automated decoys and the like. It was only a matter of time.

Harry got into the elevator after an enormous wide set man in a bright purple three piece. Despite the size of the elevator he found himself cramped in the corner which normally would have annoyed him, but today he was too wrapped up in his own thoughts to care. He even forgot to move his head to let the flying interdepartmental memos past and ended up getting pecked in the temple by an irate note requesting more scented toilet paper for the Wizamagot Administration Department as it tried to dart past him.

He was just too caught up in what he was going to do to solve the Albus situation. Even if one of Nathan's friends had seen Albus there was no guarantee that that would lead anywhere. He should get in touch with Hermione and see if she could make any more improvements to her Pensieve enchantments and make the damn thing more… directable. They needed a way to further control what memories the thing projected. Still those kinds of enchantments were way over his head, for all he knew this was as far as the improvements could go. If only -

The soft ding of the elevator let him know he had reached the lobby, causing him to snap back to attention. He headed out into the central chamber, wading through the thick crowd towards another set of elevators that would take him back to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. A set of turnstiles separated Harry from the vast Atrium where he had witnessed Tom and Dumbledore's epic battle so many years ago. He barely paid attention to the people around him as he walked along. Maybe if he got Hermione to try and explain the runework again…

"Yo Harry, over here!"

Harry looked out over the crowd and saw the bright red top of hair amongst the milling witches and wizards as Ron walked over to him. He wore the same Auror robes Harry was wearing, but his hung off him in a much looser and scruffy looking manner that made them look like casual robes. He stopped as he reached Harry.

"Anything new from old Marcus?" he asked.

"Just the usual sit rep. Any word on the Alistair kid?"

Ron shook his head. "I've been talking to Donahue like you said. He still owes us for that rune trafficking botch up with the Haitian Ministry. He confirmed that an Alistair Lockheed started working there a few weeks ago but he won't tell me which department or set up a meeting without proper cause. He said the best he could do was pass on the message that we were looking to talk to him."

It wasn't everything they had hoped for, but nothing was guaranteed when dealing with the Department of Mysteries.

"Alright, that'll have to do for now."

"Yeah I figured as much." Ron checked his watch, "Hey I've still got a half hour left on my break. How about you?"

Harry checked his own, "The meeting with the Minister wasn't as long as I thought it would be, I've still got a bit of time before I need to get back to the office."

"Sweet! You fancy grabbing some lunch then? I'm starving." Ron patted his stomach and grimaced. It was reassuring how some things never seemed to change. Harry was supposed to be taking better care of himself. Plus it wasn't like there was a whole lot they could get done in the office at the moment,

He nodded, making Ron grin like a kid who had been told he could have dinner at Honeydukes, "Yeah why not? But you're buying."

"Fair enough. How about that Turkish place round the corner? We can catch th-"

An ear splitting scream cut through the air, making everyone stop in place. Everyone's head turned toward the Atrium where it had come from as people craned their necks looking for the source of the commotion. The scream was joined by several others, and the stunned silence of the crowd shifted to a mad shuffle as some people tried to get away from the disturbance whilst others headed towards it trying to see what was going on.

Harry and Ron had taken off as soon as they heard the first scream. They ran at full pace towards the Atrium with their wands in their hands. By the time the other screams joined the first they had leapt over the turnstiles and were pushing past the crowd of people who were trying to get away. Unfortunately, years of fighting for his life from a young age made this kind of action no easier for Harry, and his heart was hammering in his throat as he pushed past. What could it be now?

As he and Ron broke free of the crowd they saw what had set people off. Standing in the centre of the Atrium, surrounded by a rapidly expanded circle of terrified onlookers were seven tall black robed figures in pale white masks. Purifiers.

They all stood in a straight line. Their wands were in their hands, each held casually at their sides and pointing at the floor. Harry kept his wand on them, looking for any sign of sudden movements. Other security staff had appeared on the scene, and slowly the circle surrounding the Purifiers was made up of more and more Aurors, each spaced out to protect the fleeing crowds. Shield charms were cast around them.

The Purifiers did not move. They just stood there motionless as they were surrounded. Was this some kind of trap?

Harry heard Ron's low voice over his shoulder, "You think they're here to surrender?"

Harry didn't respond. He kept his eyes trained on the hands of the Purifiers. They needed to buy some time as the civilians were cleared from the area before things got hairy. Still that didn't seem to be a problem. The Purifiers just stood there idly as the Atrium was hastily emptied of non essential personnel. But there were a lot of people to move…

"Nobody do anything stupid!" Harry called out. The message was to both the Purifiers and his own men. The last thing he needed was for some nervous rookie to fire off a hex and turn this into a bloodbath. Still, Harry didn't let his guard down for a second. He had fought enough of these sick bastards to know not to give them an inch.

Apparently satisfied that they had raised enough attention. The Purifier in the centre stepped forward, leaving three on either side. Harry could feel the wizards around him tense, but nobody moved.

Slowly, carefully, the centre Purifier raised his free hand up and grasped his mask. With a pull the mask came away, revealing a face Harry knew all too well. A chorus of whispers broke out among the crowd that had yet to be moved.

"I bloody knew it." Ron muttered quietly beside him.

Lucius Malfoy let the mask drop to the floor. The years had not been kind to the former Death Eater, and it showed on the elder Malfoy's face. His once immaculate, clean shaven face was now crossed with lines and creases making him look far older than he was. His hair was slightly wild and unkempt and he looked like he had missed a few more meals. Overall, the once second hand to Voldemort looked more like a tired old man than a deadly killer.

"Drop your wands!" Harry yelled, getting no response from the Purifiers.

Lucius' face was expressionless. He looked over the gathered Aurors before locking eyes with Harry. Harry thought he saw the ghost of a smirk cross the man's face, but he couldn't be sure. He felt his grip on his wand tighten.

They had always suspected the elder Malfoy of being involved with the Purifier movement. Despite the man's obvious connections and sympathies, he had always maintained he was a reformed man. Any investigations (and there were more than a few) into him had turned up nothing, even when questioned under Veritaserum, and he always had an airtight alibi whenever an incident occurred. The fact Harry had been right about him all this time but he had remained free made his blood run hot.

At some unseen signal, the six Purifiers behind him all followed suit and removed their own masks and let them drop to the floor. Harry recognised a few of their faces, some were suspected Purifiers, others were confirmed.

What was this, was it really some kind of surrender? Maybe this once things could be simple.

As one, each of the six Purifiers behind Lucius raised their wands to their chins.

"REDUCTO!"

The six Purifier's voices echoed through the hallway as their heads exploded in showers of blood. Harry froze as their bodies dropped to the floor.

Then the screaming started.

Harry had been an Auror for over fifteen years, and in that time he had seen some horrible things. He thought he had become acclimatised to the ugly side of the wizarding world, but the shock of seeing six people blow their own brains out in the middle of the Atrium was not something he was prepared for. He nearly dropped his wand in the surprise, then gripped it so tightly he thought it was going to snap. He still managed to keep it locked on Lucius, who hadn't so much as twitched.

The remnants of the crowd had erupted into panic as people who had been evacuating now made a mad scramble for any cover they could find. Bits of skull and brain matter showered around the Atrium. The circle of Aurors surrounding the Purifiers had faltered slightly. Harry could hear the sound of at least one person being sick.

"Steady, you wimps!" Ron bellowed out in a fierce roar. "Keep your wands trained on Malfoy!"

Lucius didn't react to the explosion of activity around him. He simply waited calmly for the noise to die down. In the whole time his eyes never left Harry's.

"Harry Potter," he said once the noise had faded to a level where they could hear each other. "I believe you had been looking for these people."

Harry stepped forward. His wand still held out in front of him, ready for anything. "What have you done Lucius?"

Lucius let out a burst of laughter. Harry had not expected that. This whole situation seemed so unreal. But more than that, something about the pale haired old man just seemed… off. His voice wasn't its usual cultured drawl. Nor did he wear his trademark condescending sneer. Instead his face was calm, relaxed, and somehow unnerving. Even his laugh had no trace of humour. His voice was different. It carried an edge to it that Harry couldn't place, like something out of a half remembered dream.

"Lucius?" he asked, "No Mr Potter, Mister Malfoy is not here. He's somewhere in the back," he gave his head a slight tap, "You should hear him screaming. He doesn't much like what's happening." He placed his hand on his chest like a man making a heartfelt proclamation, "No, I just wanted to have a talk with you, and this seemed like the best way to do it."

"What is this, the Imperius curse?" Harry asked, unnerved by the uncharacteristic behaviour of the man claiming to not be Lucius Malfoy. It was Lucius' face, his voice, but everything about him was different and…wrong.

"The Imperius curse? No no nothing so crude as that."

Harry narrowed is eyes at the man. So it was some kind of remote control?

True, Lucius showed so signs of Imperius, such as vacant stares and reduced motor function. No muscle twitches to indicate an Aicherus curse. What else could have done this?

"Honestly Harry I'm surprised this is taking you so long," not-Lucius said with a smile, "After all, the same thing happened to you once upon a time. Actually, if the stories are true I believe it was in this very hall."

No, that was impossible. That could only mean one thing.

Possession.

"Who are you?" Harry asked, managing to keep his voice steady. As far as he knew Tom Riddle was the only wizard who was ever capable of possessing someone else.

Lucius broke into a smile that did not fit his face at all. It was a predatory smile, the smile of a man who knows something you don't, and has no intention of telling. "I'm what you have been fearing these last few weeks Harry Potter. What you have been desperately hoping would not exist."

He spread his arms out, "I am the one who reduced the great pretender Rosier to a whimpering heap. The one who did what you could not and wiped the Purifiers from the face of Britain."

He lowered his gaze to lock eyes with Harry, uncaring of the wand Harry was aiming at his face. He looked at him for a moment, cold grey eyes on green. When he spoke his voice was low and even.

"I am Lord Noctis. And I think it's time we had a talk."