"You don't have to do this you know."

Harry looked up from where he had been staring at his desk. He glanced at Ron, who was leaning against the wall next to his office door.

"I'm serious mate," he continued, "You look like you didn't sleep a wink last night, and there's any number of subordinates you could fob this off to."

Harry shook his head; partly to show his disagreement, partly to clear the cobwebs in his skull. It was true, he was exhausted. With debriefings, meetings and situational reports he had only gotten home around four in the morning last night.

The Wizarding World had exploded with the news of this Lord Noctis' dramatic reveal in the centre of the Ministry of Magic, not to mention the allegations of corruption that had been levelled against the Ministry itself. Harry had been snowed under with trying to avoid the press, cobbling together an information committee on this Lord Noctis, and organising a task force to aid the hastily assembled Internal Regulation Committee. And all the while trying to clean up shop within his own department. Under Veritaserum Downey, Williams and Augustus had confessed to differing degrees of professional misconduct, as well as implementing a number of other individuals. Harry wasn't even able to afford the luxury of dwelling over the betrayal, because he was just too damn busy trying to cope with the problem of a new Dark Lord in Britain.

To an outside observer, Harry was sure the Ministry looked like a beehive that someone had taken a bat to. Trying to cobble together a working unit to deal with the situation of Noctis in the midst of it all was currently nigh-on impossible. His only option was to try and soldier through and wait for the water to clear enough for him to get something done.

"You get any sleep last night?"

Another shake of the head, for the same reasons, "Only a couple hours. James woke me up this morning, demanding to know what happened."

Ron let out a low chuckle, "I suppose he's desperate to be kept in the know." He tapped his cheek thoughtfully, "Nasty character flaw that, I wonder who he got it from?"

Harry ignored the dig and sat back in his chair, absent-mindedly leafing through the stacks of paperwork that had seemingly grown on his desk overnight.

"So what did you tell him? I mean, apart from what everyone's already heard?"

Harry carried on with the paperwork without looking up, "Just a run down of what happened yesterday. That a wizard has shown up who's calling himself the new Dark Lord. As expected he was all fire and action about the whole thing. It was a nightmare to convince him stay at the house with the protective detail."

Ron snorted, "I'm not surprised. James isn't exactly a kid to sit down and do as he's told."

"Yeah well, I told him how serious this whole situation was... I think I managed to get through to him. I told him that he needs to look out for his brother and sister in the days ahead."

"No kidding," Ron sighed, "I mean we don't want to end up like Lucius."

There was a soft voice from the doorway.

"No, I can't imagine it's the ideal way to go."

Both Harry and Ron looked up as a man walked into Harry's office.

"Draco," Harry said standing up. Standing in the doorway was Draco Malfoy, dressed in an elegant black coat and looking slightly paler than usual.

"You're early," spluttered Ron, embarrassed at being overheard.

Draco pulled a silver pocket watch from his jacket and examined it, "I apologise. I brought Scorpius in with me today and it seems that I overestimated the time it would take to get through security." Harry looked out the window and saw the bright blonde head of Scorpius sitting in a waiting chair outside. Draco turned to him, "Perhaps the Daily Prophet was a touch overzealous when they said the Ministry was in 'a state of total anarchy and chaos.'"

"Only by a hair, believe me," Harry replied. By Merlin he missed the days when you could just blackmail Skita into leaving the hack jobs alone. He indicated a chair in front of his desk. "Please, sit."

"Right," Ron said as he straightened up, "That's my cue to get going. World's not going to save itself." He gave Malfoy the briefest of nods, "Malfoy."

"Weasely." Draco returned the nod politely as Ron walked past him. Harry had to repress the urge to smile. While he had buried the hatchet with Draco years ago, Harry doubted Ron and Draco would ever be more than civil with each other. It seemed that some grudges just never faded with time.

Draco took the seat in front of Harry's chair and smoothed out the wrinkles in his coat as he made himself comfortable.

"Thanks for coming in," Harry said by way of breaking the ice.

"Thanks for being the one to see me," Draco replied, "I imagine you're quite busy at the moment."

"Yeah, well it didn't feel right leaving…this to somebody else."

A humourless smile crossed Draco's face, "Lucky you."

It was standard procedure. Well, as close to a standard procedure they could get in a situation like this. The format was the same as if a witch or wizard had been revealed to be suffering under the Imperius curse, and it worked just the same for a case like this. The next of kin was brought in to answer questions pertaining to the actions and behaviour of the afflicted member in the days before.

In theory, it was supposed to help create a better picture of how the person came to be placed under someone's control. But most of the time the process failed to generate any substantial leads and so it was largely seen as a formality. As head of the Auror Office Harry wasn't exactly expected to handle such matters, but with his history with the Malfoy family he had felt it was owed.

"I'm sorry Draco, about… your father."

"Spare me the sympathies," Draco said dismissively, "My father and I hadn't spoken in two years."

Harry paused for a moment. He hadn't realised things had gotten so bad between the two. "I had no idea," he said.

"It's not exactly something you bring up over lunch. We had been growing more and more estranged after Scorpius began attending Hogwarts." Another humourless smile, "He told me I was 'a traitor to our heritage and a coward'."

"I'm sorry."

Draco waved him off, "Ah. The old man was wrapped up in past glories. I can't say I'm at all surprised he ended up siding with the Purifiers." He spoke with an air of cold detachment; aloof and dignified. Every bit the Head of the Malfoy family he had grown into.

Harry knew a fair bit about succession laws in the noble houses of Britain. It was amazing how much they ended up drawing the attention of the Auror division, not much of a surprise with the intrigue and backstabbing that went hand in hand with matters of power and wealth. As sole heir Draco had become the Head of the House of Malfoy when he was twenty five. Harry knew that Draco and his father had never seen eye to eye after the fall of Tom Riddle, but he didn't think it was so drastic.

"I never knew he was involved," Draco continued, "I told you that when you led your investigation. I always suspected him, but if I knew anything I would have told you."

"I know Draco, that's not why you're here. I wanted to ask if you knew anything about your father's… possession. But if you hadn't spoken to him in so long I guess that's a bust."

"I suppose it is… sorry." Draco ran his hand over his slicked back hair and leant back in his chair. For a moment the two sat in silence. "Possession," he breathed, "Who would have thought that would be a problem to look out for?"

"It's not a comforting thought."

With the connection between them, Tom had been able to take control of Harry's mind all those years ago. But the possession then had been a one off, and only worked between the two of them. Someone with the ability to do the same with anyone they wished? That was a nightmare. How do you fight something like that? How can you fight a war against an enemy you couldn't see or touch?

"No, it is not," Draco looked at the floor for a moment lost in thought, before his eyes snapped back up, "I meant to ask, has there been any change with Albus?"

Harry shook his head, "No, No change."

"Ah. Well I do hope he gets better soon."

Harry smiled politely, "Thank you, I just wish we could have an idea of what's actually wrong with him."

"Scorpius has been doing his own research into the matter. Corresponding with Amy and Keegan, I understand."

Harry was briefly reminded of his own Hogwarts years, when he, Ron and Hermione would research whatever mysteries plagued them that year over their own holidays. It was strange how the times seemed to repeat themselves. But with everything taken into account Harry would have preferred it if they had never had to go through such troubles in the first place. He wished they could have had an ordinary childhood, and only worried about ordinary problems like girls and the Quidditch league.

"That's very kind of them. But the resources of the entire Ministry failed to give me an answer," he said, "And Hermione's still on the case. I'm not sure what they'll be able to do."

"My thoughts exactly, but it makes them feel better I suppose. Nobody enjoys sitting idly by while terrible things are happening to those they care about."

"I suppose not." Harry knew the feeling all too well himself.

"A new Dark Lord," Draco sighed, "Possession. Corruption. And now it's our children who lie in the hospital beds." He turned and looked out through the glass, where the hustle of the Auror Department, noticeably more frantic and chaotic than usual, could be seen. The sound was muffled by the door and window, but the low sound of raised voices and bustling workers could still be heard.

He scoffed lightly to himself. "May you live in interesting times."

He said it almost to himself as he shook his head sadly. Harry recognised the line from Muggle China. A proverb, and not a happy one either.

Harry frowned. The Ministry he had worked so hard for was tearing itself apart, rooting out the corruption that had festered under all their noses while some new madman had just declared war on the Ministry, and Harry in particular. And all this only a couple decades after the horrors of Tom Riddle's reign. All the death, the hardship, the sacrifice… and in the end it seemed that it was only to be repeated. Interesting times indeed. Harry could understand why the proverb was considered a curse.

"I guess some of us are just born lucky," he said sourly.

Draco kept staring out the window, "I suppose so."

It felt rude to have to push the man out of his office but Harry didn't exactly have a lot of free time today, and Draco had made it clear that there was nothing to be learned regarding Lucius. He cleared his throat, causing Draco to snap back to attention.

"Well I'm sorry we had to meet like this, really I am, but I must get back to work Draco."

"Of course, I imagine it'll be a busy day."

"Oh, I imagine it'll be an absolute nightmare."

Harry made to get up, but Draco remained sitting. "There was one more thing I wanted to ask, Harry," His voice had taken a different tone. No longer the slick, cultured aristocrat, Draco looked…troubled.

Harry sat back down, "Of course, what is it?"

Draco didn't say anything for a moment. He just sat in his chair looking like he was having some kind of internal debate. Finally he looked up and spoke, but his voice cracked slightly and he coughed. He looked off to the side, avoiding Harry's eye.

"My father," he said quietly, looking uncomfortable, "Did he… did he say anything…In the end?"

Harry sighed heavily. Beneath the detachment and the uncaring demeanour, Draco was still a man who had just lost his father. It seemed Harry was not the only one who was going to be left disappointed by the meeting.

"I'm sorry Draco," Harry said for the second time. Just now realising that he only meant it this time. "But no, there was no sign of your father. There was only Noctis."

Draco ran his hand over his head and coughed again, "Of course. I just wanted to be sure…" He still didn't look at Harry. Avoiding his gaze he straightened his cufflinks and stood up. "Well, I'll let you get back to work."

He shook Harry's hand, and together they walked out of Harry's office. Scorpius jumped out of his seat and walked over to the two of them. The boy shared a marked resemblance to his father, though he had a noticeably slighter frame, giving his narrow, serious face a hawkish look. His eyes darted inquisitively around the room as he approached them.

"Hello Scorpius," Harry said warmly.

"Hello Mr. Potter," Scorpius replied in the respectful tone Harry hadn't quite managed to get the boy to knock off.

"Ginny tells me you're planning on stopping by the house this week."

"Yes sir. If that's … still ok." The boy looked about at the manic scene around them, clearly seeing that Harry would be plenty busy in the days to come.

Harry smiled, "Yes, yes I'm sure it'll be fine. You, Amy and Keegan are all welcome to stop by whenever you want."

Scorpius nodded happily, grinning in a way that made him look several years younger. "Thank you sir, I'll be sure to let them know."

Draco placed his hand on his son's back. "Well," he said politely, "We must get going. Harry has plenty of work to do, I'm sure, and we mustn't keep him. Come on Scorpius."

He nodded to Harry, "Always a pleasure, Harry."

Harry nodded back. "Till next time."

Draco turned and walked towards the exit. Scorpius smiled up at Harry again and turned to walk after his father. Watching him go Harry couldn't help but smile. Things had started out so similarly for him and Albus than they had for Harry and Draco.

It was good that the two had managed to resolve things so much better than their fathers had. He and Draco had been so at odds for pretty much their entire childhood, but Albus had managed to befriend the young Slytherin and overcome his prejudices in a way Harry had never been able to. It was that good natured sensibility that made Harry so proud of his youngest son. He returned to his office feeling a little better than he did that morning.

Leave it to the son he named after Dumbledore to be the mature one.

XXXXX

"FUCK YOURSELF MALFOY!"

Albus strained against Keegan, but his friend was bigger than he was and held him back. On the other side of the hallway Gosforth did the same with Scorpius. The blonde haired Slytherin spat across the gap dividing them as a crowd of onlookers watched in mixed expressions of shock, excitement and amusement.

"COME OVER HERE AND SAY THAT!" Scorpius screamed back, his pale little face turned red with anger, "YOU'RE A COWARD, POTTER! A BLOODY COWARD!"

Albus made another attempt to get past Keegan, but was held fast. He looked across the hallway and felt his blood boil. It was only the second week after the Christmas holidays and Malfoy was already going out of his way to pick fights. Albus had hoped the pompous ass had managed to cool off over the holiday but apparently he was still sore from the detention Albus had gotten him on the last day of term. Two years they had been at Hogwarts, and it looked like nothing was going to change anytime soon.

Even if the little git was sore it didn't mean he had to ruin Albus's day. Albus reached for his wand but felt his hand get grabbed by another. He looked down and saw Amy behind him. She locked eyes and shook her head, a murderous expression on her face.

Merlin, he forgot how scary the girl could be.

Reluctantly he pulled his hand away from his robe pocket and turned back to face Scorpius.

"You know what? You're not even worth it Malfoy. After that Daily Prophet inquiry into the Purifier allegiances of your family I guess you need someway to make yourself feel like less of a scumbag." Even as he said it Albus felt horrible, but another side of him felt a sick happiness, a black rush of joy from the look on Scorpius' face. He looked stunned, like Albus had just crossed a line he hadn't been expected to.

For a moment he was frozen like that, then his face welled up with anger again and he redoubled his efforts to get past Gosforth. When that looked to be impossible, he apparently got the same idea Albus had. Unfortunately he didn't have an overprotective young witch to hold him back because before Albus knew it Scorpius's wand was in his hand.

Albus made a mad grab for the inside of his robes as the crowd jumped back around them, no one wanting to take any stray fire. Keegan and Amy were too caught up in stopping Albus to get out of the way in time. He knew he was too late, but instinct directed his hand even as his face screwed up with anticipation of a curse.

He just hoped it wouldn't be anything that would put him in the hospital wing overnight this time.

"Ten points from Slytherin! Ten points from Gryffindor!"

Everyone's head turned to face the voice as the prefect came striding down the hallway. In an instant the jeering and excited murmurs had died down to complete silence. He stepped into the circle surrounding Albus and Scorpius, placing himself between the two boys. He faced each one of them in turn, peering down his nose disdainfully at them both. Lockheed, Albus had never liked him either.

"Fighting in the hall like a pair of savages," he said icily. "You should both be ashamed of yourselves." Oh Merlin, a lecture. Did he think he was a teacher or something. He glared at the pair of them a moment longer. "Get to your classes. All of you!" he spat. The crowd immediately began to disperse with students slinking away in different directions. No one else wanted to catch themselves on the receiving end of a self righteous punishment.

Albus made to follow them but Lockheed put his hand out to stop him. "And that's a detention for you Potter, for inciting a fight with a classmate."

"What!" Albus shouted before he could stop himself. Over Lockheed's shoulder he could see Scorpius beaming from ear to ear. He gave Albus a smug grin as he picked up his bag and hurried down the corridor.

Smarmy little twerp.

"That's rubbish!" Keegan cried indignantly, "You're just saying that because Malfoy's a Slytherin!"

"Are you suggesting that I'm abusing my power as a prefect to favour members of my house?" Lockheed narrowed his eyes dangerously. "Do you want to lose your Friday evening as well?"

"Friday?" Amy stepped around to face him, "This Friday? But that's the Quidditch match against Ravenclaw!"

"So it is," Lockheed said dryly, looking down his nose at the three of them. "Well what a shame you'll have to miss it Potter. And if your friend doesn't learn not to insult his betters he can join you."

"Well that's just bullsh –" Keegan stopped abruptly when Albus shot him a glare.

Lockheed gave him a dismissive look, and then turned back to Albus. "What?" He leaned forward so he was invading Albus's personal space, "You have something you want to say?"

Yes. You're a pompous arse who thinks he's better than everyone else because your family's rich. You abuse your power to make yourself feel like a big shot and you're a chicken-shit who's happy to pick on people as long as you're sure they can't do anything back.

Albus looked at his feet. "No."

And I'm a bloody coward.

Lockheed stared at him a second longer. "I thought not. Now get to classes the three of you." He straightened his expensive robes and jerked his head down the hallway. "Now!"

The three of them scampered down the corridor without looking back. They reached the end and hurried up the staircase to the first floor and the History of Magic classroom. Around them handfuls of students went to and fro, all heading to their next classes.

"What a knob that guy is eh?" Keegan asked as they headed up the steps.

"Careful Keegan, he's a prefect," Amy admonished him. She brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear and looked at Albus. "But yes, it was totally bullshit that he gave Albus detention and not Malfoy."

Albus didn't respond. He just climbed the steps in silence with his head lowered. He was fuming. At Lockheed for giving him detention. At Malfoy for goading him into a fight. At Albus bloody Potter for not standing up for himself. "Forget it," he grumbled.

"But Albus," Amy continued, "He was totally out of line back there. That was a complete abuse of his power as a prefect. I'm sure if you went to Professor Longbottom –"

"I said forget it, I didn't want to see the match anyway!" Albus snapped, a little harder than he meant to. Shame and disappointment burned inside his gut, making him angry. He didn't want to make any trouble with the older Slytherin or any more trouble for himself. He just wanted to drop the topic, and the feeling of shame it brought only made him even angrier.

"Fine then," Amy snapped back. "Just go to detention then. It's not like I care." She shot him a big fake grin, as if to gloat over the fact that her evening remained detention free and she could go see the match when he couldn't.

"Fine."

"Fine!"

Dammit, now she was mad at him. And knowing her the silent enmity between them could last for days. The whole thing was so stupid anyway. Why was it that whenever Albus was angry he could only direct it at his friends and family?

Or Malfoy, he supposed.

They continued up in silence. Amy and Albus stuck in their respective huffs, neither one willing to break the silence and concede. Keegan, as usual, seemed oblivious. He gave Albus a light punch on the shoulder as they reached the top of the stairs.

"Don't worry mate, just tell your brother and he'll smash the posh git's face in." He gave a grin of his own, as if matters were settled.

"Right, 'cos that's exactly what we need," Amy droned sarcastically, "Even more trouble to come out of this."

"Just saying," Keegan sniffed, "It'd be good to see the look on that fancy git's face when old James sucker punches him in the nose."

Amy giggled before correcting herself and adopting a disapproving look. "C'mon Keegan, can you imagine the fallout that would come from James punching a prefect?"

"Yeah, well… Someone should, anyway."

Someone, but not Albus. Someone who actually had the stones to stand up for themselves. Someone who doesn't just stand there and take it while some jerk treats them unfairly.

No, not me at all.

As they rounded the corner to the classroom, Albus caught sight of a set of robes before he was struck by someone running past. He span on the spot like a drunkard and just about managed to keep from falling.

"What the hell?!" He stumbled for footing, grabbing a fistful of Keegan's robe to steady himself.

He caught a glimpse of a girl running down the stairs. Her hand was covering her mouth and her face was red and scrunched up. As she ran Albus could hear heaving sobs coming from behind her hand. From the look of her she must have been in fifth or sixth year.

Amy grabbed his arm and helped him back to standing. Two more girls came running past, making Albus, Amy and Keegan hop out of the way. They rushed down the stairs after the first girl.

"Merlin… another one?" Keegan asked as they stood at the top of the stairs and watched them go. They weren't the only ones; several other students had turned to look.

"That's the fifth this year," Amy said darkly.

There could have been any number of reasons for the girl to be run crying down the corridor, but everybody knew what it was. It had started to become a much too frequent scene in recent days. Another Purifier killing. Another child told the news every kid dreaded to hear. Another family forever shattered in the space of a morning period.

The terror was growing day by day as more and more families were caught in the dreaded Purifier raids. The teachers did their best to keep the students from discussing it, but it was never far from people's minds. All over the school, students talked in hushed voices about the most recent news. They traded gossip and rumours and wondered morbidly who might be next.

And for every talk there was always the same question. What was Harry Potter going to do about it?

They all stared grimly down the stairs in silence. Then in ones and twos students drifted away towards their respective classrooms. Amy nudged Albus' elbow and the three of them silently headed towards their room. The feelings of animosity between Albus and Amy had evaporated in the sober reality of the day, making their problems seem small and childish. They filed into the classroom with other students that had stopped to see what was going on.

"That poor girl," Amy said softly as they took their seats. As she spoke the ghostly Professor Binns floated through the wall and took his place at the front of the class. This period they were paired with Hufflepuff. All around them students paid little mind to the starting lesson as they whispered to each other.

"Did you see that?"

"…Another Purifier raid…"

"My dad told me there was another raid last night. Four people were killed…."

"Was that Carla Lowry from fifth year?"

"…how many is that now?"

"Yeah," Keegan murmured as he took his own seat, "I can't imagine what that must be like."

"You okay Albus?" Amy peered at him.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He took out his paper and quill as Binns started talking in his standard sleep inducing drawl.

"Today class we will continue our examination of the early eleventh century warlord Opeth The Unseen. Now, as we saw last week the economic development of the era allowed for a rapid expansion of…"

The truth was he wasn't fine, he was nervous. Nervous, afraid, and upset. The Purifier attacks had been getting worse since their attack on Diagon Alley, and everyone was looking to his father to do something to fix the situation.

The thought of his dad out there, hunting down those terrifying masked figures, worried Albus more than he cared to admit. He knew his dad could take care of himself but he was putting himself in the line of fire of a group that everyone was afraid of. Literally.

What if Albus was the next one who got that terrible news?

He looked up to see Keegan and Amy both looking at him. He must have shown some of what he was thinking, because they were both eying him carefully.

"Okay," he sighed, "I'm just a little worried about my dad is all."

"That's understandable," Keegan said, leaning back, "I mean your dad is the one who's spearheading the whole Ministry Purifier Taskforce."

"Keegan!"

"But c'mon Al," Keegan continued, ignoring Amy, "You know your father better than any of us. Do you know any wizard who could take care of himself better than Harry Potter?"

Albus gave the idea some thought. When Keegan put it that way things didn't seem so dire. His dad had been made Head Auror for a reason. And it wasn't like this was the first time he had placed himself in harm's way. As an Auror it was part of the job. Besides, his dad had fought Voldemort when he was not much older than Albus was himself. If anyone could be trusted to look after themselves in a tight spot, it was Albus' father. Harry Potter, The Hero of the Wizarding World. Albus let his nerves settle a little.

But what would Harry Potter…

Albus puffed out his cheeks. "I wonder -"

He stopped suddenly. He hadn't really intended to speak the thought aloud. It had just crossed his mind and without thinking he had blurted it out. He stopped speaking, feeling a warm flush of embarrassment cross his cheeks. Unfortunately that only made Keegan and Amy lean in closer. All pretence of actually paying attention to Binns' class forgotten.

"…And it was from this island that Opeth led the northern territories, as we can see from page two hundred and six in the textbook. According to the account of Bumi the Mad - page two hundred and seven - the island was impossible to reach by…"

"Wonder what?" Amy asked, looking concerned. Albus tried to ignore her, staring defiantly at his textbook. But the fair haired young witch didn't look away. Both she and Keegan pressed in on each side, waiting for an answer. Goddamit, it wasn't like he could drop it at this point.

"I wonder," Albus continued, leaning closer so that no one could overhear, "I just wonder what he would have thought if he had seen me earlier." He hung his head in embarrassment. What had made him say that aloud? He was barely even aware of the thought, let alone cognisant enough of it to bring it up with the two people he cared about since he had come to this school. Maybe he just needed a little affirmation, like a castaway desperately seeking a clue to the right direction.

To his surprise, Keegan chuckled softly.

"What do you mean, what would he think?" he muttered cheerfully, "A Potter scrapping with a Malfoy in the corridor of Hogwarts? I sure he'd be overjoyed."

XXXXX

"Anything?"

James looked up as he stepped into the living room. His grandfather, Arthur Weasely, was peering at him over his copy of the Daily Prophet as he sat in one of the armchairs, his feet propped up in front of him,

"Nothing usable," he replied sourly.

He walked over to the window and leant the bandaged side of his face against it, peering outside. The sky overhead was cloudy, leaving long patches of shadow across the grass and trees around the Potter house.

"I'm sick of this," he said with a small snarl.

"Hm?"

"This. Doing nothing. Waiting for something to happen while I'm sitting on my arse again. I'm sick of it."

It had been three days since Lord Noctis had made his grand debut, and the wizarding world was still caught in a storm of fear and frantic preparation for the worst. Most people remembered all too well how bad things had gotten when Lord Voldemort rose for the second time while they sat aside and did nothing. This time things were different. People were taking steps to prepare themselves against the rise of a new Dark Lord; setting up wards around the house, organising neighbourhood watches and the like. The fact that most of the population had seen what life was like under a homicidal madman twice probably helped.

And it seemed James' father was no different when it came to preparing for the unforeseen. Uncle Bill had been over yesterday with a crew of a half dozen wizards to redo the wards on the house. And a steady stream of family members and close friends had been stopping in to stay at the house while James' parents were away. People who also just happened to be past members of the old Order of the Phoenix James had heard so much about.

Undoubtedly they were there to watch over the family in case anything happened, but they also had another purpose that pissed James off to no end.

To keep him from leaving.

Harry had returned home from work the day after Noctis appeared and sat the family down. He outlined several new rules that the family was going to have to follow until 'this whole mess was sorted out'. Being Head Auror and the Saviour of Wizarding Britain apparently made Harry - and by extension his family - a likely priority target for dark wizards in times of crisis.

The one rule that James had the most problem with was the fact that neither he nor Lily could leave the house without an escort. They could floo over to the houses of one of their many relatives, but not any others without prior approval. As far as going out for a walk or stopping down the shops for some groceries went, it was forbidden. It was like they were being imprisoned in their own house.

And that was something James had no small amount of trouble coping with.

"Look James," Arthur said from behind him, "I know it must be frustrating for you to have to stay at home, but you've got to look at this from your father's perspective. He's out there, fighting against some great invisible threat the rest of us can't even begin to understand. He can't be worried about keeping you out of danger while he's doing it." Undoubtedly he had heard about James's row with his father over that very subject.

"I'm not a kid Pops. I can look after myself."

"I never said you couldn't, but your father has to look after his family anyway he can."

James turned around to face his grandfather. His feet were no longer up on the footstool. His paper was folded next to him. He was looking at James with a grave expression on his face.

"You're young James," he said sadly, "You don't know what it's like to lose family." His eyes glazed over for a moment and a haunted expression crossed his face. "I know that right now it seems like your dad is the villain here, but trust me one day you'll understand."

He continued to sit there, locking James in an inscrutable stare. James was feeling slightly off balance here. He was used to his grandfather being the kindly, laid back figure. Seeing him like this was a little unnerving.

He leaned back against the window and sighed heavily. "Fine, fine. I hear you. I'll stop giving my dad a hard time."

Arthur held his gaze a moment longer before sinking back into his chair, apparently satisfied. He picked up the newspaper again and settled back. James looked over at the empty mug on the table next to him.

"You want a refill?"

"Hm?" Arthur looked over the paper again. Following James's gaze he glanced at the mug next to him. "Oh yes, that'd be lovely. Thank you."

James picked up the mug and walked through to the kitchen, tapping the kettle with his wand as he passed.

"Milk and two sugars, yeah?"

"Milk and two," Arthur echoed from living room.

As he made up the tea, James frowned in frustration. It was all well and good to say that you're keeping your family safe. But that doesn't take into account how the family feels. Sure they might be safe, but safe doesn't necessarily mean okay. There was still the worry, and the guilt, and the feeling of helplessness that came with sitting on the sidelines. His father wasn't being responsible, he was being overprotective. And James didn't like the feeling of being treated like a child. Sure there was danger out there, but at least if he was out there he knew that he was able to make a difference. If there was a problem with the world, James would much rather be able to be in a position where he could do something to fix it.

He walked back into the living room with a mug of tea in each hand. He handed one to his grandfather and sat down in the chair opposite.

"Thank you James," Arthur said cordially as he took the mug. "You know, you're a lot like your father when he was your age. Always rushing off, never wanting to sit back and let others take care of things. It's good to see that you, at least, can restrain yourself when you need to. Your father didn't learn that lesson until it was too late." He raised the mug and took a gulp. "I'm sure he would be proud of you."

"Thanks," James muttered, looking away, "And I'm sorry."

"About what?" Arthur asked as he set the mug down, smacking his lips. Then his eyes glazed over and a dreamy smile crossed his face as he gazed away at nothing.

"That," James said as he stood up. He did feel guilty about slipping one of Uncle George's Bewildering Brewdrops into Arthur's tea. But there was no way in hell he was going to sit about and do nothing again.

"Sorry Pops," he said as he walked towards the fireplace, "Maybe you're right, one day I'll understand."

He picked up a handful of floo powder and flung it into the fireplace. "But not today." With that, he stepped into the green flames. "Takeda Manor!"

XXXXX

James took in the opulent entrance hall of Takeda Manor as he strode easily out the fireplace, the last traces of dizziness quickly wearing off.

He had always known that his father had a lot of money, but the Potters had always lived according to a fairly modest budget. Their house was large and comfortable, reminiscent of the Burrow his grandparents lived in, but a far cry from the regal extravagance of other wealthy pureblood families. They lived in simple comfort, not luxury. It seemed that the Takeda family did not follow the same line of thought, if the room James had arrived in was any indication.

The room's elegantly carved ceiling towered over him, an ornate chandelier glistening overhead. The room seemed to have been designed to exhibit an attitude of cold superiority over visitors. The white walls were each adorned with undoubtedly priceless examples of Japanese art – intricate landscapes carved from shining ivory and jade that clashed somewhat with the distinctly European architecture of the house. The marble floor was bare except for the ebony coffee table pointlessly placed in the centre of the room. It was obviously a room designed only with the intention of receiving floo travelling visitors, as there was only one set of doors on the far side of the room.

Through these doors walked a tall Japanese man. His long dark hair was pulled back and tied behind his head, and his meticulously groomed face was pinched in a disdainful frown James recognised all too well.

"Takeda," James greeted, the name suddenly sounding awkward being that he was in the home of the Takeda family. How had he never found out the guy's name in seven years of school?

Still Takeda did not correct him, only giving him a curt bow in response and grunting, "James," in a heavy accent. He raised his hand to the door he had just walked through, "Kono yō ni."

He turned around and walked back through the doors without waiting for a response, leaving James momentarily stunned before he realised he was supposed to follow.

Well, so much for small talk.

He followed Takeda through the mansion, passing through rooms each as intimidating and extravagantly furnished as the entrance hall. Ornately kept garden rooms; magnificent halls with furniture that must have cost a fortune, all brimming with antiques and artwork proudly displaying the Takeda family heritage. Neither of them spoke as they walked, and Takeda did not so much as look back. Though James found it rude, in all honesty it suited him just fine.

Even though he had arranged to talk with Takeda, he had no intention of making a social visit. The two had never really liked each other in Hogwarts, with James not liking the Japanese boy's haughty, pretentious attitude and Takeda… well, being a stuck up git who thought James was beneath him.

Still, better spending time with someone you don't like and actually getting something done than sitting at home while the world falls apart around you.

As they walked James wondered where they were going, and whether Takeda was going to stick to talking Japanese throughout his visit. James knew full well the arrogant sod could speak English fluently, and having to conduct the impromptu interview through a game of charades could make things difficult…

Takeda passed through another set of doors, bringing them into some kind of leisure room. Wide ceiling to floor windows flooded the room with what sparse light the poor weather offered, and long leather couches circled a wide table. The room was hugely different from the rest of those James had passed so far, making him guess that it was designed to entertain visitors. On the wall opposite a glittering emerald snake slithered across an enchanted dartboard, hissing menacingly; a fully stocked and jewel encrusted bar occupied one corner of the room, the shelves behind it brimming with bottles of every colour and shape; in the centre of the room was an ornate pool table, and looking up from it was non other than-

"James! How's it going you big beautiful bastard?!"

David threw down the cue he was holding, scattering the balls across the table and hopping over to the door. He was dressed in casual muggle clothes that were ripped and worn in several places and smiling ear to ear under a mop of sandy blond hair as he gripped James in a crushing embrace.

"Hey David," he replied, slapping his old housemate on a broad shoulder, "Not too bad." He rubbed the bandaged side of his face subconsciously, "The face should be completely healed in just over a week."

"That's good to hear," said another voice, making James jolt towards the couch. Getting up from where he had been sitting was Samuel, who was putting aside a book with a polite smile.

"Samuel!" James said surprised, having not noticed the old Ravenclaw sitting there. "Good to see you."

"And you, James." He walked over and extended his hand. He gave another bland smile, speaking in a refined, cultured tone, "It's good to see that you're recovering well."

James shook his hand, slightly amused by the formality of his old classmate. He had always found Samuel likable enough, if a bit dull. He had short black hair and a pale, angular face. The only noticeable feature about him was his dark, cold eyes which coupled with his pale skin gave him an ashen, almost colourless appearance. In all their time at Hogwarts James had never spent a whole lot of times with the guy outside of classes, what with Samuel spending most of his time in the library and James avoiding the place like the plague.

"Thanks," he murmured with another scratch of his bandages, "How about you David, how's the arm?"

"Eh," David grunted, stretching out his arm and hand out and twisting them back and forth. To James' eye it was still noticeably stiff and sluggish. "About as good as it's gonna get I suppose. It's a hell of a lot better than it was though." David gave a grin that did not reach his eyes, "Been teaching myself to do spellwork with my left hand. I've been getting better at it, but I reckon my duelling days are behind me."

"Ah," James mumbled awkwardly, "That's rough buddy."

"Tell me about it."

Samuel sat back down while James took the couch opposite. David returned to the pool table while Takeda sat in silence, having taken a seat when he entered the room without another word. James was a little off balance from the fact that David and Samuel were at the manor as well. Even though he counted David as a friend, he knew the guy was closer to the others than he was with him. He floundered for something to say, suddenly feeling left out, "Wow, it's strange to see you guys together again. I wasn't expecting you two to be here." He indicated to Samuel and David.

David chuckled from the pool table as he absently lined up another shot, "Well I've not been doing a whole lot since we graduated." James could relate to that. "And when I heard Mister Grey here got back from Europe yesterday and was crashing with this miserable bastard," he jabbed a thumb at Takeda, "I thought I'd swing by and check up on them. I mean, have you seen the place? These rich cats sure know how to live."

James turned to Samuel, noticing Takeda scowling up at David out the corner of his eye, "Oh you're staying here then? How did that…" David gave a loud fake cough, a universal sign for Don't Bring It Up, but it was too late, "…come…about?"

Samuel glanced up at David, who had conveniently turned back to his solo game of pool, before looking back at James, "It's fine," he said with a sad smile, "I happened to have a falling out with my parents before I left for Europe. We haven't spoken much since then and I didn't relish the idea of returning home when I got back to England. Hayao kindly offered to put me up for as long as I needed."

Huh, Hayao. So that's what his first name was. How had he never known that?

Samuel indicated Takeda with his hand as he spoke, who nodded respectfully back in response. That was something James had never seen the old Slytherin do. Every time he had seen Takeda it was with a moody scowl on his face, a look of haughty disdain, or a derivative of the two. Seeing a civil side of him was just weird. Still, it didn't look like said civility extended to him or David. Seeing how he and James had never pretended to like each other, and how Takeda was now glaring up at David as he helped himself to drinks at the bar, examining different bottles and pouring them into one glass, it wasn't hard to understand why.

Watching the Japanese-born wizard get up and start chastising David in angry Japanese, James wondered if Takeda was actually a nice guy to people he considered himself close to, people who actually called him by his first name and not his family name. Merlin, what would that even be like? That also raised the question of why anyone would bother to put in the effort of befriending the prick.

"Chōdo sore o shita ni oku!"

"Oh, like you're really gonna miss it; c'mon don't be a tight git!"

"So James," Samuel said, watching as David and Takeda bickered behind the bar in their respective languages, "I'm surprised you're allowed to be here. What with the big scare going up about the new Dark Lord and all."

"Yeah, it's pretty crazy out there right now, isn't it?" James replied.

"Crazy?" David cried happily as he sat heavily down on the couch, his hand noticeably absent a glass of stolen liquor, "Its awesome is what it is! Just think; some new big bad threatening to destroy the country, armies of darkness to destroy, dark wizards to fight, danger, heroism, badass battles to the death, it's exciting as hell!" The former Gryffindor was positively bouncing in his seat, "I'm just glad I'm old enough to fight this time!"

"Right, and forego the misery and the lives ruined by the whims of some power crazy madman," Samuel said disdainfully, making David's face drop. Takeda walked past him and sat down in his old place looking even sourer than usual. "Have you already forgotten how things were under the Purifiers? Families torn apart, homes and businesses destroyed?" He pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration, as though explaining to a child, "This is no game David, I thought you would have learned that after what happened to your arm. Terror, oppression and senseless waste are what we have to look forward to in the days to come, not glory and adventure."

"You really think it could get that bad?" James asked. His mouth seemed to have gotten a lot dryer while Samuel had been speaking.

Samuel turned to look at him, "It's hard to say. No one really knows what this Lord Noctis is capable of yet. But if he turns out to be anywhere near as bad as the last Dark Lord Britain had, then… yes absolutely. If things do escalate to that point I don't think I'll actually stay in the UK for much longer."

James had not been expecting that. He had thought of Lord Noctis as another problem that his dad had to solve, like the Purifiers. The idea of leaving the country had never even occurred as an option people might be considering. How many others had already packed an emergency luggage, nervously checking the papers for the news to get worse?

"Tsh, what a buzz kill…" David grumbled.

"So you wouldn't want to try and fight then?" James pressed. If there was going to be another Dark Lord, and another reign of terror, then James would be damned if he was going to sit back and not do anything about it. He was a Potter damn it.

"You've obviously never seen me duel," Samuel chuckled softly, "But back to what I was saying… with the storm around the Potter family I thought you'd be stuck at home. No chaperone then?" he added jokingly.

"Ah," James smirked mischievously, "Well technically I'm supposed to be staying at home but I kinda snuck out…"

"HA!" David clapped his hands together, always one to enjoy a spot of mischief, "So you actually had a chaperone?"

"Yeah kinda, but I slipped him one of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes's Brewdrops and snuck out. I was getting sick of being cramped up at the house like some helpless first year." James rubbed the back of his neck. It felt good to vent a little, "I figured my dad was just being overprotective as usual. I mean, it's not as though I need protection when I'm just flooing over to the house of a friend."

Unexpectedly, Takeda let out a bark of laughter.

"Nan baka!" he laughed, disconcerting for the sudden change in demeanour, "Sore wa kantan ni wa dekimasen!"

A faint smile crossed Samuel's face, though he shook his head disapprovingly. Feeling very stupid all of a sudden, James turned to David, "You understand that?"

David gave a grin of his own, "Mostly. I can't speak Japanese anywhere near as well as Samuel, so I don't get much of what Takeda's talking about most of the time. But I can catch the gist of what he's saying."

"And?"

Another grin. "Nothing complimentary."

James felt put out by that. "Just a figure of speech," he muttered ruefully. It wasn't as if he actually considered Takeda to be a friend. Not by any stretch of the imagination. The only reason he even arranged to meet with the conceited tosser was because he wanted to find out if Takeda knew anything about what happened to Albus that night.

Speaking of…

"Anyway," James said, clearing his throat, "The reason I came here was because I wanted to ask Takeda about the last day of term."

"The night the Purifiers attacked?"

"Yeah, and seeing as you're all here I can ask the same of you guys as well. I take it you've all heard what happened to Albus that night?"

There was a collective nod of heads and murmured condolences.

"Well we've been using some new advancements to try and piece together what happened to him that night, and as far as we can tell right now you guys were the last to cross paths with him. Now I've already asked Nathan but he said he got separated from you early on, so I figure my best bet is that one of you lot might have seen him."

There was an exchange of looks among the three of them, a variety of facial expressions crossing each of their faces. Surprised, confused, questioning and, unsurprisingly in Takeda's case, disinterested.

"Albus was there that night?" David asked.

"Yeah, he was using an Invisibility Cloak. We know he was with you on the third floor just after you left the Room of Requirement. We're not sure where he went after that, but it makes sense that he would have followed you guys." He felt his heart sink again, "I take it from your reactions that you didn't see him then?"

Another exchange; each of them sharing looks of confirmation.

"Sorry James," David said, "We can't help you."

"None of us saw anything," Samuel said, "But that doesn't mean Albus wasn't there. He could have been with us the whole time and we could have never have known it."

James rubbed the bridge of his forehead, "So I've been told. But I don't see that being likely, do you?"

"…I suppose not."

"No… I can't see a reason why Albus would stay with you guys but choose to stay invisible," James sighed, "How about Alistair and Katherine though? We don't know if they saw anything."

"It's possible," Samuel said, "But Alistair and Katherine were with me the whole time," He nodded to David and Takeda, "After you two got separated as well."

"Yeah, but that was quite a bit later," David added sullenly.

Takeda just nodded his head, not even making an effort to pretend to care about James' brother.

"Maybe they saw something but…" Samuel held his hands out in front of him, gesturing that he did not care for the chances.

"Shit." James muttered. It looked like he had wasted a trip. Now what was he going to do? There wasn't too much point in visiting Katherine and Alistair if there was next to no chance that they saw anything. Especially if they were at the Ministry and James was pretty much on house arrest - it would be nearly impossible to reach them.

"If you want I can get in touch with them," Samuel offered, "Tell them that you are looking for information on your brother? You never know, maybe I missed something. It was… a bit hectic that night."

James nodded absently, seeing no point in refusing the offer. "Thanks."

Samuel gave a polite smile before sitting back in his chair, while James wondered what to do next.

He had some time before his mum came home with Lily, and found out that James had Bewildered his grandfather. Unless he wanted a bollicking when he got back he should probably leave before then. But James' natural predisposition to skirting trouble by the skin of his teeth stopped him from getting up straight away.

It wasn't like there was a huge rush, and there was no point in wasting a trip. He checked his watch. He had at least half an hour before they were supposed to get back, and he had been cooped up in the house for three days straight…

"Fancy a quick game before I go then?" he asked David, who snapped to attention.

"Of pool? Sure!" He jumped up off the couch and darted to the table. With a wave of his wand the various balls all rolled to their positions.

"You don't mind do you?" James asked Takeda as he got up.

"Saki ni iku" he said with a dismissive wave of his hand, turning towards Samuel.

"Uh… thanks."

He walked over to the table as Samuel and Takeda muttered to each other in Japanese.

With David deciding he should break and James seeing no reason to argue, they began playing. It was a muggle table, no enchantments or special features, which was different to most of the tables they had played on before. That gave the Muggleborn David a distinct advantage. James was used to Wizards Pool or another variation of the game, where balls could glow, shoot foul smelling liquid at the closest player, veer off at odd angles, disappear or even explode. Sure he had played the muggle version before, but he found it far less exciting. His old housemate, on the other hand, revelled in the game, which relied on aim and precision rather than intuition and fast reflexes.

"So, you been up to much lately?" James asked as he lined up a shot.

"Nah not really," David said, applying chalk to the end of his cue, "I was in recovery at St. Mungo's until last week, trying to piece the arm back together. Since then I've not been doing much. Still on physical therapy."

"It's a miracle you were able to keep it at all." James hadn't seen the state David had been in on the night of the attack, what with his own face being near burned off, but he had heard about it. If it was half as bad as the rumours said then James was amazed his old friend was still alive.

"That's what they tell me." David stretched his arm out again, peering at his outstretched hand, "But you can't help but dwell on what's lost, you know?"

That's all James had been doing since they had found Albus.

"Not exactly, but I think I understand."

"Yeah…" David sank a ball into the corner pocket, "Hey, you remember the Gainsborough twins?"

"The two Slytherins in sixth year?"

David grinned wickedly, "Yeah, them."

James couldn't help but chuckle. "Yeah I remember those two all right. I also remember you putting their little brother and his friends in the hospital wing."

"Idiot shouldn't have picked a fight he couldn't win."

"You don't think he was provoked a little bit?"

"I don't know if you can say that stating a well known fact is 'provoking' somebody…"

"No, but calling somebody's sisters the 'school brooms' is bound to set most people off."

David gave a careless shrug as James missed the pocket his was aiming for by an inch, "Facts are facts mate." His eyes glazed slightly as he looked out on nothing, "Merlin, I was quick on the draw."

"We still talking about the twins?"

"Duelling, you prat." He bent down to eye up a shot. "Four of the little bastards, waiting there as I came out of detention… Not a scratch on me," he sighed. His shot went wide by a fraction, sending the ball spinning across the table. "Now look at me. I can barely raise my arm above my head… So much for –"

His peered curiously at James' pocket. "Mate, your pocket's glowing."

"Wha -?" James peered down. So it was. A faint, red glow coming from the end of his wand. He reached down to take it out. "Huh, what do you think it – so is yours!"

David looked down at his own pocket, where his own wand was doing the same.

"The fuck?" David cried, leaning back in alarm. Samuel and Takeda had both stood up and were looking over at the pair of them.

"What is it?" Samuel said, reaching for his own wand which, like Takeda's, was unchanged.

"I don't know," James said, holding his wand up in front of him and examining it. "They just started –"

"Attention! Attention! This is a public safety broadcast!" A high warbled voice cried out from David and James' wands, making James nearly drop it in shock. "Attention! This is a public safety broadcast from the Ministry of Magic! Everybody should return to their homes at first possible convenience! Do not panic!" The sound was shrill and piercing, making James screw up his face as he held the wand at arm's length. David did the same, looking like he was holding a foul smelling Horklump

"Return to your homes as soon as you can!" the voice continued in its high pitched, painful wail, "There has been an attack! I repeat there has been an attack! Everyone return to your homes and first possible convenience! I repeat there has been another attack!"

James swallowed, looking up at David, Samuel and Takeda. They were all stood in the centre of the room, stupidly looking back and forth at each other in stunned silence, no one knowing what to say.

Well, so much for slipping home unnoticed…

XXXXXXXXXX

Author's notes:

First of all I don't speak Japanese, so if anyone does understand Japanese and sees obvious mistakes don't hesitate to let me know with a PM and I'll get it fixed, cheers.

Goddamit I don't know why but the scene with Harry and Draco was a nightmare to write. And I had some difficulty with the end of James' bit too, which is why this chapter took a bit longer to get done. I dunno why, I think its more of a planning problem than anything else. When I'm not 100% sure where the scene is going I find it much harder to get through. On a plus point though, I found that writing out later scenes helped to clear the block, which means the later chapters should come out faster and sooner, so huzzah for that I suppose.

If Albus seems a bit mopey in these chapters, it's because his memories are following a certain theme. Don't worry, the wee man will buck up in chapters to come.

'School brooms' is the Wizarding equivalent of 'school bikes' or a variation of the phrase. Basically it's saying that everyone's had a ride…

Anyway, thanks for reading.