They managed to research quietly for almost half an hour. Ron broke first.

"I'm hungry." he announced. Hermione sighed.

"You only finished eating an hour ago."

"I haven't though," Harry piped up "Not since breakfast."

Ron grinned at him gratefully.

"See Hermione, I'll go make dinner you don't really need me here anyway. My notes are useless."

Hermione stood and moved over to her husband and took the book he'd been working on.

"Go on then, but I'm sure your notes aren't useless."

Ron grinned and kissing his wife on the cheek promptly fled the room. Lance watched as Hermione shifted through the notes her husband had left.

"These really are useless. RONALD! None of this makes any sense half of these aren't even words!" Harry began to laugh but quieted quickly when he was pinned with a fierce glare. "Oh don't you start! Honestly Harry skipping meals and fighting with Malfoy? And I don't know what you thought you were doing keeping secrets."

"I just got busy today and Malfoy started it." Harry replied. Hermione threw up her hands.

"Malfoy always starts it Harry! Malfoy is the king of starting it you have to stop letting him." Lance smirked and turned his eyes back to his book. He had the distinct impression they'd forgotten he was there being mostly obscured by the many stacks of books surrounding them.

"It's not like you've never hit him." Harry muttered his tone petulant. Lance looked up in surprise at this statement able to catch Hermione's bright red blush before she responded.

"Once Harry! When I was thirteen you are an adult! You have to start acting like it especially if Malfoy is going to be hanging around."

Harry huffed and pointedly turned back to the book he was reading. Unable to keep silent any longer Lance finally spoke up.

"These are fascinating books. You know I wrote several papers about the Salem Witch Trials and the occult back when I was finishing up my doctorate but I never ran into any of these." For a moment no one said anything and when Lance looked up Hermione was staring at him wide eyed. Beside him Harry had his head resting on his hand giving him an amused look. After another moment Hermione spoke sounding a bit flustered.

"Yes well, they're all from a private collection. May I see what you've got so far?" Lance nodded and handed over the notes he'd kept so far. Hermione paged through them before turning to him with a warm smile.

"These are wonderful. I noticed you included both the latin and the translation for the related passages." She paused looking thoughtful "I wonder if you could take over Ron's guide. You'd have to start over none of his work is usable."

Lance nodded.

"Of course I'd be happy to help however I can. Is there anything more I need to know?" For a moment Hermione looked thoughtful.

"What we're trying to do is going to seem a bit odd. I'm going to have you read a fairy tale called The tale of the three brothers. We're working on the theory that all myths stem from truth we are looking through these books to find real world parallels to the story. Of course when I say "real world" that is imagining, for the sake of my research, that magic is in fact real." Hermione looked tense like she expected Lance to argue but he thought it sounded kind of fun.

"Awesome. Definitely I'll get started on the fairy tale right now." He told her, Hermione smiled back at him before tentatively pulling out a stack of notes.

"This is the information we already have about the origins of the story. What we're looking at now is other occurrences or similar tales. So you'll just need to read through and take notes of anything that might be similar or relevant."

Lance eagerly accepted the notes and quickly began reading through the fairy tale and notes. The story was fascinating and seemed to be a clear morality myth but the notes were far more fascinating. The detail and precision with which the notes were taken made them seem real. Much like the books many of which were huge and heavily cracked with age, it looked like history like facts but inside a fantastical world was laid out.

They worked late into the night. Even after Ron's snores had begun to puncture the silence of study Lance, Harry and Hermione soldiered on. Lance was too enthralled to mind the time and it wasn't until Hermione began to nod off onto her books that Harry called a stop. Standing he stretched before going over to Hermione and giving her a gentle shake.

"Wake up love, get Ron and climb into bed. You lot can sleep here tonight." Lance watched as Hermione nodded drowsily and moved to tug her husband into action. Harry moved over to him reaching out his hand to him.

"Come along I've got a big bed anyway and all the couches are covered in books."

Lance took his hand and allowed himself to be led down the hall and into Harry's bedroom. It was bigger than Lance expected. With an open floor plan that made it feel spacious despite the massive bed. Hermione and Ron were already lying down but there was still plenty of open space. Lance watched as Harry toed of his shoes before lying down next to his friend. Harry left a wide space for Lance beside him. Lance was exhausted and quickly fell into the bed with a sigh. His mind racing even as he went quickly to sleep.

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Harry lay awake as he he felt Lance and Hermione's respective bodies go lax in sleep. He hadn't needed to sleep much lately, not since the final battle. It wasn't that he couldn't either, he did have nightmares when he slept but honestly he rarely felt the need too. One or two hours a night seemed to be plenty. He'd been working really hard to pretend nothing had happened but deep down he knew something was different about him now. He was still aging thankfully and the bruises on his face showed he could still be injured but he knew perfectly well that by tomorrow they'd be almost gone. He healed fast these days.

He turned his body to face Lance, his boyish face now relaxed in sleep. Harry liked him and was almost glad that Hermione had interrupted him when she had. Despite what Hermione thought Harry hadn't been sleeping around very much. Sure he went to clubs and occasionally he'd let someone take him home but he didn't think it was excessive or anything. Though he supposed to Hermione, who had only ever been with Ron, casual sex was just too far outside her frame of reference. Somehow he didn't think Lance was really a casual sex kind of guy either and since they would be crossing paths at least occasionally it was probably good they'd ended up studying instead.

He smiled to himself as Lance began to faintly whistle with every exhale of breath. He was definitely cute and apparently very open minded. He wondered if it was too risky letting hang around. Lance was smart obviously and knew enough about the occult to be a dangerous companion for someone trying to keep a secret. Harry really didn't want to have to obliviate him if he figured out the truth. Harry tried to picture the alternative. Just sitting Lance down and explaining that magic was real. It seemed ludicrous to even contemplate. He supposed he could always just not tell him.

Harry sighed trying to imagine every scenario and wishing Hermione was awake to discuss it with. He could tell she liked Lance, anybody who could take comprehensive notes was alright by her. He tried to picture himself on a date like a normal person. Out to dinner or a movie with Lance by his side, it was easier than he expected. He could imagine talking with Lance telling him everything or rather having Lance guess things and Harry confirm them. Maybe that's what Harry should do. Just let Lance figure it out himself and if he did Harry could always let him keep it. Really if Harry didn't tell him it wasn't like breaking the Statute of Secrecy. Not really. With a smile on his lips Harry finally allowed himself to release his grip on consciousness and drifted into the grey fog of sleep.

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Sometimes Jack Hodgins forgot that he was rich. For most people that would probably be hard to believe, after all every morning he woke up in a large mansion and drove a high end car to work. Jack was so used to those things however that they simply didn't register. He still went to work everyday and worked with bugs and slime. He ate at diners and drank in seedy bars just like the rest of his friends so sometimes the fact that for him the phrase 'money is no object' was literal didn't really cross his mind.

It was because he'd forgotten he was rich that he didn't think to hire a private investigator until after his second meeting with Harry Black. Their first meeting hardly qualified as such since Jack had really only seen him leaving the lab, having arrived shortly after all the drama with the sketch and the mysterious body. He'd gotten all the details from Angela though and had been curious. Curious turned out to be not a good enough word after their second meeting. Harry Black was clearly involved in. . .something. What's worse was the man was almost laughing at him about it.

Jack was determined to find out the truth by any means necessary. He knew that hiring someone to check up on a man he didn't know and really had no right to know was an invasion of privacy. He knew that when Angie found out he'd done it there was sure to be a lecture but Angela wasn't his girl anymore so she really didn't have a say in what he did and didn't do. So after Sweets had swept Harry off to his car, Jack went home and wrote up everything he knew about Harry Black.

It wasn't much but it was more than he'd had on Angela's first husband and they'd managed to track him down. In the morning he went into the Jeffersonian and printed out the employee id picture of Harry Black and by Four that afternoon a team of highly paid private detectives were scouring the world for any details on the mysterious Dr. Black.

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When Lance woke the next morning he'd expected to see Harry but instead found himself alone. He stretched widely before slipping back on his shoes and walking out to the front room to look for Harry. Instead he found Hermione frying up eggs for breakfast. Ron was seated at the table now clear of books digging into a large plate of food. Hermione smiled at Lance as he entered.

"Harry has an urgent appointment every Saturday morning and he didn't want to wake you. He left a note." She told him sliding a folded piece of what looked like heavy parchment across the table toward him. Lance accepted it gratefully alongside a plate of eggs and bacon that Hermione placed before him. Before he ate he promptly opened the note and scanned his contents.

Sorry I wasn't able to say goodbye this morning. I would tell you to call my but my only phone is the one the Jeffersonian provides. Instead I'll tell you to stop by my office next time you're nearby and I'll buy you the drink I promised.

Thanks for your help researching

Harry

"He doesn't have a phone?" Lance asked surprised. Hermione laughed and shook her head.

"Oh no, Harry hates them. I think he has one for work but he almost always leaves it turned off."

Lance nodded his understanding and returned to his breakfast to mask his disappointment.

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Originally Lance had planned to drop in on Harry that Monday figuring that would give him enough time not to look desperate while still looking interested. Booth's brain tumor derailed that plan. Instead of finding himself in Harry Black's office he waited with his friends to discover whether or not Agent Booth would recover from his surgery. When his friend and colleague ended up in a coma Lance joined the others in waiting at his bedside for him to recover. It was a week later that Lance finally made his way up to the Jeffersonian.

He moved slowly toward Harry's office his palms sweaty and his heart beating loudly in his ears. Technically he was supposed to be meeting Hodgins but he'd arrived earlier than advised specifically so he could talk to Harry. Now he was here however he began to second guess himself. Harry had made no attempt to contact him and hadn't given him his phone number. Perhaps he wasn't interested?

When Lance finally reached Harry's office he stood hesitating and was nearly resolved to turn back and leave when the door opened to expose and amused looking Harry Black.

"I figured I'd put an end to your misery," the man told him softly "and also remind you that there are glass panes on either side of my door. Like most other glass it's transparent."

Lance gave an awkward laugh as he eyed the glass panels in question. He hadn't noticed them before but now that he was looking he could clearly see into Harry's office and even see the desk where Harry had likely been sitting when he approached.

"Sorry about that. I was just. . ." He trailed off.

"Nervous?" Harry asked quirking an eyebrow. Lance nodded.

"I had intended to drop by sooner but Agent Booth is in the hospital and I was needed there." Harry nodded.

"Yes I heard about that. This may come as a shock to you but the Jeffersonian is rather big on gossip. Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan are often fodder for speculations." Lance snorted in amusement.

"I think everyone speculates about them." Harry grinned and stepped back to open his door further and allow Lance inside his office.

Lance stepped in letting his eyes sweep the office. Books crowded the walls along with several strange looking artifacts. Harry's desk was small and pushed to the far side of the room leaving space for a table and some comfortable looking red and gold trimmed chairs which Harry gestured him towards.

"Please have a seat. Would you like some tea?" Lance shook his head no but sat down in one of the chairs. They were as comfortable as they looked and Lance sunk into it with a soft sigh. Harry smirked and sat down across from them.

"They're quite nice aren't they. I spent ages trying to track them down, they're replicas of the chairs I used to use while in school."

"They're very comfortable," Lance told him. Opting not to point out that they were also rather tacky.

"So what can I help you with today Lance? I'm afraid I don't have much time. I got the strangest call from your Doctor Hodgins today and I'm to go down and meet him very soon."

"Hodgins called you?" Lance asked in surprise "That's actually why I'm here too. He wanted me to stop by at three. I came by early to drop in."

"Oh lovely we can walk down together then but since we still have some time do tell me what inspired you to stop in," Harry's eyes were twinkling with mirth and Lance couldn't fight the stutter when he began to speak.

"I umm I was actually hoping to ask you to dinner sometime. If you don't mind," Harry smiled warmly at him causing Lance to flush with embarrassment

"I'd like that Lance did you have a particular day in mind?"

"Umm tonight? I know you have an appointment tomorrow morning though so if you'd rather we could do tomorrow night."

"Awfully presumptuous of you to assume you'll be spending the night." If possible Lance turned even redder.

"I didn't mean. . .I just thought you might not want to stay up too late."

"Oh I see, tonight will be lovely. I don't need much sleep as it is. Now come along I'd hate to keep Dr. Hodgins waiting."

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Amber Kippler didn't consider herself a bad person. It was true she'd ruined a few relationships in her line of work but she didn't consider that a reflection on herself but on the people who hired her. After all if someone hadn't been keeping secrets she would have had nothing to reveal this case however did leave her feeling a little queasy.

She had been more than a little surprised to get a new job from Dr. Jack Hodgins, she'd thought that after his relationship with Angela fell apart he'd never speak to her again. Instead he'd called her in for another job one that so far was turning out easier than the last if only because he had so many more details to work with. She was meeting with him today to go over the preliminary details she had found.

She knew Hodgins suspected the man of something though he'd been unclear on what when retaining her services. Amber also knew Hodgins was probably right because she'd already found dozens of oddities that didn't quite add up about the young man's life. That didn't make her feel any better however because the oddities she'd found didn't point to a bad person and the idea of laying it all out for a man who was really just being nosy made her feel a twinge of something that might of been guilt. She forced it down and almost had it smothered before actually walking into the Jeffersonian to meet Dr. Hodgins again.

The guilt flared back up however when she realized she'd been giving her report to more than just Hodgins. Angela sat in one corner of the office scowling, a younger blond man leaned in one corner eyeing her with curiosity and Dr. Hodgins stood in the middle of the room clearly waiting to meet her.

"Are you sure you want so many people here? Some of the information I've discovered is sensitive in nature." Amber told him but Hodgins' eyes just glinted with a sort of vicious delight.

"Absolutely I want all his secrets out in the open." Amber couldn't help her frown.

"May I ask Dr. Hodgins just what this man did to warrant such treatment?"

"She's right Jack, I can't believe you did this. He hasn't done anything to you." Angela exclaimed but Amber noted she made no move to leave the room.

"He's obviously involved in something." Hodgins replied firmly " And I need to know what it is."

"You said you wanted to know everything Dr. Hodgins today I only have preliminary information. I've found several things that are. . ." Amber paused searching for the right word and Hodgins volunteered his own "Suspicious"

"I was going to say odd."

"Odd is right. I'm eager to find out what this little meeting is about." Amber turned and found herself face to face with the object of her research. The guilt flared inside her and she couldn't resist making some kind of apology. " I really am sorry about this Dr. Black but I have to do my job."

Harry Black gave her a puzzled looked and then glanced back to Hodgins. Hodgins was positively gleeful as he spoke.

"Good now that everyone is here we can get started."

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Lance recognized the woman at once and the sinking feeling in his stomach told him why she was there. He glanced at Harry and hoped desperately that this woman hadn't found anything that would prove him to be other than Lance believed. Part of him wanted to walk right out but he wanted to be there for Harry.

"I'm a little confused." Harry said his eyes shifting from one person to another. Lance noted the way he took in the obvious guilt on Angela and Amber's faces as well as the eagerness on Hodgins. Wendell Bray's expression was less easy to read but Lance knew he wouldn't be here if his curiosity weren't peaked.

"My name is Amber Kippler. I'm a private detective hired by Dr. Hodgins to research you." Lance watched Harry's face to see how he took that news. His eyebrows rose in obvious surprise but he didn't look alarmed or concerned. Harry just moved to one of the chairs placed throughout the office and sat down.

"Very well, It's lovely to meet you Ms. Kippler. Please don't feel any guilt about doing your job. It's only the burden of those who hired you." Hodgins made an indignant noise clearly not thinking he should feel any guilt for his actions.

"Let's get started tell me what you found out." Hodgins demanded. Amber Kippler gave him a tight smile.

"Of course." She said removing a file from the case in her hand and sinking into one of the other chairs. Hodgins sat as well and Amber began to speak.

"Since you asked for any details I could find I started with the parents. That was easier since I knew their names and both are deceased. Lily Evans was born to a middle class family she was the youngest of two daughters. The first years of her life were perfectly normal and I was able to find everything you'd expect. School transcripts, hospital records and even some old class pictures." As she spoke she removed a class picture from her file and handed it to Hodgins who glanced at it before moving to hand it back. Before he could Harry spoke.

"Could I see that? I've only seen one or two pictures of my mother when she was a child." Lance watched as Amber handed it over giving Harry a very compassionate look as she did so. Harry's eyes studied the class picture intensely as he searched out his mother. When he finally found her he just stared at the picture with longing obvious on his face. Amber cleared her throat and continued to speak.

"When she turned eleven Lily Evans was offered a place at a prestigious and very secretive private school. The school was simply called Private School for The Extraordinarily Gifted or P.S.T.E.G. Lily attended the school but no detailed records of her time there exist. It can be assumed that this is where she met the man who would become her husband. James Potter has significantly less documentation. I didn't find a record of his birth. However his family appears to have several business holdings throughout Europe, when his father died James Potter became the acting head of those companies but that is the first time his name appears within the public record.

About six months later James and Lily were married. They had a traditional church wedding. I have a photo here." She held out another picture which Hodgins took but this time passed to Lance. Harry's mother had flowing red hair and sparkling eyes like her son's, she was smiling happily in a flowing white dress. Her husband looked very much like his son except taller and wearing glasses. Both looked incredibly happy and were surrounded by smiling friends. Lance passed the picture to Harry who took it in with a sharp inhale of breath.

"Exactly nine months after their wedding on July 31 Harry Potter was born. A year and a half later both Potter's were killed on Halloween night. Leaving their son an orphan. Harry was placed with his Aunt Petunia who had a son only a few months older than Harry. Until Harry start's at primary school there are no records of his life. At age five Harry entered the local school that's when the police reports started." Amber paused and Lance felt Harry tense slightly in surprise.

"Teachers reported Harry Potter was severely undernourished, also when he began at school the police report indicates that he did not seem to know his own name. There are dozens of reports from neighbors and educators about suspected abuse but this is where things get a bit odd. Whenever the police went to follow up no one could seem to remember reporting abuse to begin with."

Lance looked over at Harry who was staring wide eyed at Amber.

"There were reports?" he asked sounding awed. Amber gave him a sorrowful look and nodded. "I had no idea." Harry said softly. Lance could tell he was distressed so he moved over to put a comforting hand on his arm. Lance caught Hodgins watching the interaction while looking conflicted.

"When Harry was accepted to P.S.T.E.G. his relatives told everyone he'd been sent to a school for criminal boys. Most didn't believe it and when he returned for the summer the Dursley's had bars fitted to the upper window of the house believed to be Harry's. Midway through the month dozens of reports flooded the police station that some teenagers had used chains and a car to tear the bars from the house. Mr. Potter was said to have jumped from the window and fled." Amber paused as Wendell spoke for the first time.

"That's so awesome." Lance glanced over at Harry who was grinning.

"Do you remember my friend Ron?" he asked suddenly and at Lance nod he grinned fondly "It was him and his brothers Fred and George who broke me out. Vernon was intense that summer and when I didn't respond to anybody's letters they stole their dad's car and came to get me. Their mum was furious!"

Lance laughed along with Harry.

"Wait why were there bars on your window in the first place?" Angela cut in looking horrified.

"To keep me in obviously."

"I don't understand why would they do that?" Angela asked flabbergasted. Lance tried to cut in

"Angela-" But Harry cut him off.

"It's alright," He was calm and he levelled Angela with a steady look "At the beginning of the summer I accidentally ruined and important party for my Uncle. It was outside of my control but did happen because of me. As punishment I was padlocked into my room bars were installed on the windows. Partly to keep me from climbing out but mostly to keep my pet owl inside the house."

"You had a pet owl?" Hodgins asked skeptically.

"Yes she was a snowy owl. Her name was Hedwig I got her as a gift just before I started school. I quite like owls the one I have now is named Zeno he's a Cape Eagle Owl."

"I didn't know you had an owl." Lance said in surprise not having seen one when he'd stayed the night. Harry sent him a grin.

"He was out when you were there. He hunts at night you know."

"I actually have several pictures of the white owl. Hedwig you called her? One of your neighbors was a bird watcher and he knew the owl belonged to you." Harry leaned forward eagerly to accept the photo's from Amber with a soft smile.

"These are wonderful!" He exclaimed paging through various pictures. "I lost Hedwig when I was seventeen. I only had a few pictures."

"You can keep those," Amber told him with a smile "I have copies."

"Okay so he broke out then what happened?" Hodgins demanded in an annoyed tone. Amber gave him a flat look but continued on.

"Well after that information dries up I'm afraid. The car incident turned the neighbors against him I'm afraid. They stopped calling in abuse tips and started calling in suspicious behaviour reports instead. A few about lingering in the park looking malicious. Several things which upon closer inspection by the police were proved to be the acts of Harry's cousin Dudley. When Harry was seventeen the entire family moved away. If you want me to continue working I'll have more for you next week."

"Of course I want you to keep looking!" He exclaimed clearly exasperated "This isn't the stuff I needed to know! I need to know what he's doing here! What he has to do with that terrorist Tom Riddle!"

"All do respect Dr. Hodgins but your exact words were 'I want to know every single thing about him.' I started from the beginning and making inquiries. You wanted to know anything I've found so far even though it has only been a week. If you want me to keep looking I will." Hodgins glared at her.

"What about Tom Riddle?" Hodgins demanded.

"I'm still looking so far I haven't found any mention of him."

"Look for Tom Marvolo Riddle and you should be looking in the nineteen forties or so." Harry put in looking amused. He turned to Hodgins "As for you Doctor, keep digging. I can't wait to see what you find."

Without another word he stood and moved to the door briefly meeting Lance's eyes before he swept from the room. Lance didn't hesitate to follow him.

Author's note: Sorry this took so long to get out. It's extra long to make up for it! Please review and let me know what you think! PLEASE!

Also tell me how people find challenges? What I mean is I always see all these stories written for games with cute names and contests and things and it sounds fun but I honestly have no idea how to locate them. . .Does anyone know a website or a group or. . .? Anyway tell me :) Thanks a bunch.