He had plenty of equipment with him, thanks to the raid on his house. He could breathe easily. The Aurors would never find him, he would start again, start a new life. The US would be a good place, easy to hide and great opportunities. Maybe he could set up a business. No, that wouldn't do. He couldn't get into the military without his real ID, and then the Wizards would find him. Best to stay put, find a flat in London perhaps. From there he could plan his next moves. Moves that would not be dictated by the arrogant fools and their blasted magic.

Weeks passed and the school year ended. Harry, Ron and Hermione searched through dozens of books, but they could not find a single thing on Vandermine. They tried every name that they could connect with Vandermine, but everything came up empty. Harry and Ron were ready to give it up, but Hermione kept insisting on looking. Once they had explained his dreams to her, she had returned to the search with renewed fury, gathering books by the armload and burning through them like they were leaflets.

Vandermine returned from his trip just in time to find out that Black had escaped. He was furious that Sirius Black had shown up, slipped through the hands of the Ministry and escaped. When Ministry officials came to Hogwarts later and blamed his team for the mistake, he flew into such a fit of rage that the Ministry officials ran from the room and kept on going, not stopping until they were off of Hogwarts' grounds.

Everyone but Dumbledore stayed out of his way for the next two days. On the third day however, Harry, Ron and Hermione were walking to the library to drop off the last set of books they had checked out when they heard Dumbledore and Vandermine in the hallway.

"Sirius' capture is no longer a concern of yours, Lucas. He will no longer pose a threat to this school, or anyone in it."

"I couldn't care less about whether or not he is a threat to the school, Albus. He got past the entire school security which, I'm not bragging, is the tightest on the planet. I know, because I've been to them all. I want to find out how he got past it."

"Then your curiosity will have to go unsatisfied, at least for now. Forget about him, Lucas. You need not bother with him anymore."

"Albus, you're not listening! I don't care. I'm going the find him."

"Lucas, I must ask you not to do this. It would be a mistake."

There was a pause in the conversation, and they heard the two adults approaching from a connecting hallway. Thinking quickly, Harry rushed into a nearby classroom. Ron and Hermione dove in right behind him, closing the door just before Dumbledore and Vandermine turned the corner.

"What are you not telling me, Albus?"

"Not telling you something? What makes you think I am leaving you in the dark?"

"Why do you not want me to find Sirius Black. Of all people, I thought you would understand that he needs to be brought in. He murdered James and Lily! How can you let that go?"

Harry exchanged looks with Ron and Hermione. He didn't know! Dumbledore had not told him.

"Lucas, what he did was horrible. Trust me when I say that he lives with that knowledge every moment of his life."

"Most people that betray their best friends to murderers feel guilty later, especially when they lose. He must have felt just awful after finding out that his new master got whacked by a baby."

"Lucas-"

"This is my last warning, Albus. I am going to go find him. My team will return to our headquarters until I return. If you need them, you know where to contact them."

One of the adults, presumably Vandermine, took off down the hallway. He had gone no more than ten steps when Dumbledore's voice interrupted his exit.

"Lucas, if you go, I will remove my protection."

The footsteps ceased, and Harry heard nothing for the next few seconds.

"Why am I not surprised?" Vandermine asked aloud. "I'm amazed it took you this long to pull that out for leverage. Blackmail does seem to suit you well."

"You know as well as I do that I do not want to do this, but if you take one more step, I will remove my voucher and you will once again be an outlaw."

"Being an outlaw never bothered me before. Why would it now?"

"You won't find out about her."

Harry shot Hermione a triumphant look. Maybe this was the mysterious woman that they had been looking for. Hermione returned the glance, smiling broadly. Harry turned to face Ron and stopped. Ron's eyes had opened wide and he pointed frantically at the door. Harry glanced at him then looked back at the door. The handle was turning slowly. They were coming into the room.

"Under the desk." Hermione pointed to a massive oak desk just across the room. It was easily large enough to hold all three of them. They turned as one and ran for it, leaping over it and huddling down beneath its cover.

The door swung open and Vandermine stalked into the room, followed closely by Dumbledore. Harry held his breath as the pair drew closer to the desk, but Vandermine abruptly stopped and spun to face Dumbledore.

"What do you want from me, Albus?"

Dumbledore sighed and shook his head like a father reproving a disobedient child. "I want nothing from you, except that you leave Sirius alone for now. You will meet him again in due time, I assure you."

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"You will understand when the time comes."

Vandermine swore and lunged for the desk. Harry barely had time to duck his head in before Vandermine's fisted crashed down onto the desk. The sturdy wood shuddered and groaned as his fist broke right through it and continued down, ending up right beside Ron's head. Ron swallowed hard and looked from the fist to Harry, who return his wide-eyed stare. He had just punched through six inches of hardened, sturdy oak.

"That's not enough, Albus. I want blood!" Vandermine yanked his hand free, tearing a wide hole in the wooden frame. "I want his blood, I want him dead, killed by the same curse that slew James and Lily."

Dumbledore did not reply, but instead strode over to the desk. He inspected the damage with a carefree air and waved his wand over the hole. The hole closed up and returned to the original state it had been in.

"Those are strong words, Lucas."

"Trust me, they get stronger."

"I can understand your hatred for James and Lily's betrayer. I too want him punished. He will be, by the proper authorities."

"Since when did you trust the Ministry with apprehending criminals?"

"Ever since you quit and criminals started returning alive, not as bullet-ridden corpses." Dumbledore's voice hardened, "You would be surprised with what good people can do when they try."

Vandermine swore again, but he thankfully held his fist back from the desk.

"You threatened me back in the hallway." Vandermine said after a pause. "You used her to stop me. I'll never forgive you for that."

"I didn't expect you would. Desperate times call for desperate measures, Lucas, and you forced my hand. I honestly would have preferred stopping you without bringing her into the mix, because her relation to you is complicated enough as it is."

"No kidding."

"Lucas, I understand what you are feeling right now-"

"No, you have no clue what I'm feeling."

"You are not the only one who has lost loved ones in the past."

"Don't start on that train, Albus. It's bull, all of it."

"Creating walls of anger around yourself will never give you the answers you seek. If you let it go, try to reconcile your past…"

"I can't do that, Albus. Anger is what's kept me alive for the past years."

"It is killing you."

"No, Albus. What's killing me is much worse than pure rage. You know that as well as I do."

"Perhaps. Let us continue this discussion in my office. We can get more privacy there."

"Alright, after you."

The two adults left the room quietly, but Harry could imagine the glare that Vandermine was directing Dumbledore's way. Once he was sure that the coast was clear, he edged out from under the desk. Ron gaped at the desk, running his hand over the spot where Vandermine had punched it.

"Blimey! He's as strong as a… bloody hell, that's impossible."

Hermione strode past him and checked the door. She locked it with a flick of her wand and turned to look at Harry.

"Vandermine doesn't know. What does that mean?"

Harry shrugged, unable to find a reason.

"Who knows? What does it matter, he'll never catch Sirius. Not with Dumbledore holding him back."

"You don't get it, Harry. Dumbledore hasn't told him the truth about Sirius. He still thinks that Sirius killed your parents. Why would Dumbledore do that? Why would he not tell the head of security who he appointed?"

"He's got a good reason I'm sure."

"Like what?"

"I don't know, something."

"Harry, think! Most of the staff knows the truth. If he didn't tell Vandermine, that means he didn't trust him."

"Hermione, Harry."

"Not now, Ron." Hermione glared at him and continued. "Dumbledore doesn't trust Vandermine. And if he doesn't neither should we."

"Haven't we already gone over this? He put him in charge of the school's security. That takes a lot of trust."

"Hermione, Harry!"

"Shut up! Harry, Dumbledore mentioned a girl. It's got to be the same one we're looking for. He used her to stop him. She must be important to him."

"Harry!"

"Ron," Hermione rounded on him, sighing frustratedly. "What is it!"

"The door's opening."

Harry spun and dove for the door, but it was too late. The door swung open with a bang, and Vandermine strode in, wand in one hand, pistol in the other. Hermione shrieked in surprise and pulled out her wand, but Harry cut across and placed himself between them, wand aimed at Vandermine's chest.

In a flash the door was shut again, and he had his pistol trained on Harry's forehead. Harry froze, mind racing for a spell, anything that he could use. The barrel of the pistol, floating barely a foot from his face, distracted him though, and he could not think of anything. To his relief however, Vandermine holstered the pistol and lowered his wand, a scowl growing on his face.

"What are you kids doing in here?" he demanded, half-snarling in anger. "How much did you overhear?"

"We heard everything!" Hermione squeaked. She slipped around Harry and drew her wand, pointing it threateningly at his face. "Every word. Don't you dare do anything to us."

Vandermine barely gave her wand a second glance. His hand shot from his side like lightning, plucking it straight from her hands and tucking it into a sheathe. Hermione gaped at him for a second, staring at the spot where her wand had just been. Then she gave a terrified shriek and backed up, trembling visibly.

"You've got spunk, I'll give you that." He unsheathed her wand and handed it to Harry with a flourish. Harry took the wand silently and took a step back, placing himself out of his arm's reach.

"Fortunately for you, you're too valuable. I won't do anything, but don't do it again."

Harry let out a deep breath, and shook his head disbelievingly. "So all that he said was true. He's giving you his voucher. Otherwise you're a criminal."

Vandermine smiled darkly, eyes glittering dangerously. "One of the worst." He took a step forward and Harry took an involuntary step back, brushing against Hermione and the desk. "I've done stuff that you can't imagine, and I enjoyed every minute of it."

"You're a monster," Hermione took her wand from Harry and walked around Vandermine, never taking her eyes off of him as she headed for the door.

"And proud of it," he replied. Hermione reached for the handle, but he flicked his wand and the door handle faded from view. She grasped at it fruitlessly, trying to find the handle that was no longer there.

"So, what did you hear, Harry?" he asked casually, but his eyes glinted with danger. "Find anything interesting? Wondering why he's letting your parents' murderer go free?"

"He didn't murder them!" Harry blurted out. Hermione's eyes opened in alarm, and she shot him a warning look. Vandermine raised an eyebrow, weighing Harry's words carefully.

"True, if you're fighting for technicality." Harry sighed inwardly with relief as Vandermine shrugged. "Close enough by my standards though."

"Let us out." Hermione shook as she spoke, fighting to retain some measure of composure. "Let us out or I'll scream."

"No one would hear you, so don't bother." Vandermine waved his wand and the door handle returned to its position. Hermione grabbed the handle and yanked the door open. Sunlight flooded into the room. Vandermine winced at the light and swayed for a moment.

"You two can go," he pointed to Ron and Hermione. "Harry and I need to have a little talk. He'll be fine."

Hermione cast a worried glance at Harry and left the room, followed closely by Ron. Once they had left, Vandermine turned to face Harry. His face was perfectly calm. He pointed his wand at Harry and uttered something under his breath. The room flashed with a blue light and disappeared. Harry had a falling sensation in his stomach, and seconds later he landed on the wooden floor of Vandermine's office.

Vandermine walked around to his desk and sat down. He indicated a chair in front of his desk.

"Sit."

Harry stepped towards the chair nervously, thrown by the sudden change in his demeanor.

"Yes, I am still an outlaw," he said matter-of-factly as Harry slid into the chair. "If it weren't for Dumbledore, I'd still be an active felon, hunted by the Ministry and shunned by the Wizarding Community. The latter is still a problem, a problem that doesn't bother me in the slightest. The former however…" his voice trailed off ominously. "Killing Aurors never quite suited me, though I did get used to it after a while."

"Why are you telling me this?"

Vandermine leaned forward in his chair, cracking his knuckles quietly. The sound made Harry wince.

"Dumbledore has assigned me to provide for your security over the summer, if you accept it."

"What?"

"Trust me, I don't like it either. Guarding you would distract me from some personal business, but Dumbledore has… leverage in this issue. If you want me, I have to do it. If you don't, there's a small chance I can avoid it."

Harry sank back in his seat, mulling over the news.

"Why-"

"Dumbledore thought it best if I tell you first. If he did it, you might take it as a command or an order. If I tell you, it is clear that you've got a choice and you can say no."

"So he wants you to be my bodyguard."

"That's the gist of it, yes. We'd be invisible for the most part, but you would know that we'd be there."

"And you'd follow me everywhere?"

"Well, you probably won't be going anywhere anyway, now would you?"

"That's true."

"So it would be a boring and eventless job, so there's no need for me to be there."

"You really want me to say no, don't you."

"Obviously." Vandermine nodded slightly. "It benefit us both if you said no."

"Then no it is." Harry rose from his chair and moved for the door.

"One more thing, Harry." Vandermine stood up and motioned for him to come back. Harry nodded and returned to the chair.

"I've got a favor to ask of you."

"What?"

Vandermine's eyes hardened as he pulled out a scroll and handed it to Harry. Harry took the scroll and scanned it quickly. It was a list of the books that they had checked out from the library.

"Stop trying to uncover my past."