It didn't make sense. No matter how long had she thought about it, her mind refused to come up with a plausible explanation. A couple of days ago, she would have simply blamed it on the overwhelming emotions, but today, things were different. There was no pain and anger to cloud her judgement, no disappointment to make her confused... Clarisse just wanted to think everything through and find the answers to questions that wouldn't stop nagging her.

Technically, she shouldn't even be thinking about the case. Hell, if anyone found out that she still tried to solve it, she could say goodbye to her career, even before the disciplinary hearing. Fortunately, no one was going to break into her mind, so as long as she kept things to herself, her freedom was relatively safe. Except she couldn't find the answers she was so desperately looking for, and it drove her crazy.

Clarisse Bouchard didn't really believe in power of coincidences. Sure enough, sometimes things just happened, without a logical explanation. But this? This didn't just happen. Her father, who had been gone for the past twenty years, shouldn't have appeared out of nowhere in the exact same place she'd just visited. But he did. And she couldn't explain it. At least not without leaving her apartment.

Merlin, she was so frustrated. She'd already cleaned her place three times, laundered all of her clothes, including those occupying the depths of her drawers... There was literally nothing to stop her from thinking, analysing and plotting, so she spent her entire days doing just that. It resulted in at least four different scenarios that could end up giving her the answers, without jeopardizing her career completely.

Clarisse stood up with a growl and walked up to the window, gazing at the relatively calm street outside. Her heart was beating fast, like she was doing something suspicious, but she couldn't exactly help it. Controlling her impulses didn't qualify as her forte, especially not in the last couple of days. Riss preferred to act, rather than let other people do the job for her. And she knew that saying goodbye to her career wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. It was much worse to just do nothing.

With a quick turn, she decided to leave her hesitation behind. She messed up, but she could still fix it, even if she had to forget about her biggest dream of becoming a legendary Auror.


It wasn't difficult to obtain some Polyjuice potion. Actually, Clarisse considered it a child's play. Sure enough, the Ministry did everything in its power to control the distribution of that dangerous concoction, but not everyone was interested in cooperating. Some of the traders stopped selling it only officially. They were good enough, though, to make itimpossible to prove something to them, even if it didn't take much to figure out their real game.

Finding one of these traders had been easy, just as fooling them into believing she was just an ordinary civilian. They'd never seen her face before, since she worked homicides, and her acting skills were quite okay, especially when she needed to act like a deranged person. Clarisse never understood why traders considered that kind of people completely harmless. She wasn't going to start thinking about that now, though.

Next step, was to find a suitable hair, which sounded even easier. She didn't even have to search for it far from home. Clarisse decided that her safest choice would be to simply steal one from her mother. The chances of anyone from the Ministry recognizing her were pretty slim, since no one really knew what she looked like. Aedan was the only person from their team, who'd met her, and it would be pretty easy to fool him into believing that she really was Eugenia. Going as her mother would also provide her with undeniable advantage; maybe the woman didn't go there often, but she wasn't a complete stranger. If someone from the clients recognized her, they might be more inclined to help her. And Clarisse really needed some help.

The sun had set a couple of hours before, making it even easier to blend in. No one paid attention to Clarisse's make-up, which looked slightly different than her mother's usual. Merlin knew, she had absolutely no artistic skills, and using eyeliner required quite a bit of them. Instead, she opted for something she was fairly sure she could pull off –mascara and a blood red lipstick that matched her classy, black dress perfectly.

The hardest thing about going back to that place, was undoubtedly the memory of what had happened there during her last visit. Her plan may have been quite good, but she still couldn't exclude the possibility that something could go wrong. She couldn't tell what would she have done, if her father was there. Would she curse him again? Or maybe let him walk away, like he didn't mean anything to her? Clarisse certainly hoped that she could find the strength to choose the second option, because getting close to her father was completely out of question, unless she wanted to blow her so carefully prepared cover. No, she had to stay away. All she wanted, was to find some clues, and she needed to be quick about it.

There was no more room for hesitation, so she simply crossed the street and entered the club with confidence painted all over her face. It was the middle of the week, but the club was just as crowded as during her previous visit. Clarisse couldn't say that she wasn't grateful for that development, because practically no one noticed her arrival. Good. She wanted to keep a low profile, at least for now. Even watching the crowd could prove useful, and it was definitely the safest option.

Riss found an empty table and sat down gracefully, remembering to cross her legs like a lady. Her mother would rather die, than forget about something so crucial to her reputation. She didn't want to waste time, getting herself a drink. Eugenia didn't like alcohol very much anyway, since it clouded her vision. Clarisse never really tried to figure out, which vision she referred to, but it didn't matter now. Her mother's abstinence worked to her favour, after all .

Right away, Riss noticed a couple of familiar faces on the dance floor. Apparently, some people really liked the idea of spending their free time in a crowded, loud bar, getting wasted. She didn't understand it, but it certainly pleased her. If they had been here during that memorable night, there was a fair chance that they knew all about clients in this place. Right now, she had a better sense of who to ask, than she did before.

It was time to get to work.


The night was uneventful, to say the least. She had questioned so many people, that she lost count. Clarisse knew that she was running out of time, mostly because of the Polyjuice potion and its terrible taste. She truly felt for the Aurors that got stuck doing undercover missions. They had to drink that shit on daily basis, and Clarisse couldn't even stomach one night of it. Nonetheless, she had to hurry up, if she didn't want to come up with another plan to find some clues.

"Eugenia?!" It was hard to hear something over the roaring music, but Riss was sure that the voice behind her clearly called out her mother's name. Without hesitation she spun around, facing a man that looked somewhat familiar, even to her. It meant that he must have been her mother's good friend. "I can't believe it really is you!"

Clarisse had two choices. She could smile and pretend to know the man, or she could bail. Obviously, one option was safe, while the other could actually give her something. The decision turned out to be simple to make. The Auror smiled and forced her expression to feign pleasant surprise.

"It's been so long!" she exclaimed cheerfully and allowed the man to hug her fiercely.

"Last time I've seen you, Clarisse was running around, trying to steal your wand." The man laughed and Riss realised why did he seem familiar.

"Oh, she's definitely still running around," she said and waved her hand dismissively. "But I think she listens to me even less, than she did back then."

"That sounds like your daughter, Genie."

Clarisse had never heard anyone call her mother that, but the man must have done it before. His voice bore no signs of hesitation; it was tender and weirdly affectionate, leading her to believe that he had played a big part in her mother's past. It was certainly a strange realisation; her mother had a life, before she had become that lonely, closed-off person. Suddenly, Riss started to feel bad for treating her so poorly, but she knew that the time was not exactly right for showing some remorse.

"I've heard... about Kylian," he said, slightly hesitant, and Clarisse froze. "I wanted to come back, but... I wasn't sure if that'd make you happy."

"Why wouldn't it?" she asked, before she could stop herself. That man thought she was Eugenia. She should know those things. "It was a difficult time. Not going through it alone would have made it a bit easier," Clarisse added and averted her gaze. She wasn't sure if the man had bought her little cover-up, but it certainly seemed that way.

"You were so furious with me. I just... Well, I assumed something. I shouldn't have done it. I always thought that your place was by my side."

Riss frowned, unable to stop herself. Why would he say something like this? Her mother might have been an eccentric, but she would never cheat on her husband, just as she would never leave her daughter. What was wrong with that guy?

"My place was with my husband and daughter," she stated coldly, surprised at how similar to Eugenia she sounded.

"So you don't regret staying? Not even after Kylian left you?" the man asked with disbelief, making her even more confused and angry. What the hell happened between her mother and that bloke? Whatever it was, Clarisse started to really dislike this entire conversation.

"He disappeared, there's a distinct difference," she corrected him in a similarly harsh tone. "And no, I don't regret. I never have."

Suddenly, all of the warmth disappeared from the man's face, making shivers run up her spine. Clarisse realised that he was probably hoping for a different answer, expecting it even. Maybe it was a mistake to tell him that? Maybe there was a serious reason for her mother's fury that the man had spoken of?

"You've always been blind, Genie. You could have owned the world, but you chose to stay with your pathetic family. With Kylian, who was never home, and Clarisse, who couldn't care less for your desperate pleas, because all she could see was her father's brilliance."

Riss suddenly started to feel even worse for her mother. Just because he was angry and disappointed, didn't mean that he wasn't also telling the truth. Little Clarisse was a nightmare. She wanted to fight monsters, instead of running away from them, she wanted to learn how to duel, instead of listening to bed-time stories. For her mother, it had to feel terrible that her own daughter idolised her father, completely underappreciating her efforts.

The man mistook her discomposure for admittance that he was –indeed- right, and he smiled viciously. He no longer looked like a harmless, charming gentlemen. Actually, he looked rather predatory. Clarisse had seen too many criminals not to recognise the look. She swallowed hard, knowing that her mother wouldn't realise that the guy in front of her was dangerous. And that meant that Riss had to stay precisely where she was, pretending not to feel the tension.

"How dare you..." she started, but the man's smile grew even bigger, and even more malicious.

"Why are you here, Genie? Are you hoping to see your husband?" he mocked, forcing her to blink a couple of times, trying to connect the dots. How did he know about Kylian? How... "I'm afraid he might not appreciate your efforts very much. He doesn't really remember you, does he?"

Her mouth flew open at his words and the man laughed out loud, raising goose bumps on her skin. That laugh... That fucking laugh sounded like something taken straight out of Muggle horror movies. If it hadn't been for her shock and confusion, Clarisse would undoubtedly mock his sense of drama. Unfortunately, the situation was way too serious.

"How can you know that?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady. She didn't succeed though, as it broke a little, fuelling his satisfaction.

"I think it's hardly the best place for that story, huh?" he said and tilted his head to the side. His eyes seemed to see through her, forcing Clarisse to swallow yet again. "How about you come with me and I tell you everything, my dear Genie?"

"I'm not going anywhere," she protested, but the man gripped her forearm with such a force that she had to clench her teeth to not let out a moan of pain.

"Yes, you are. That is, if you want your daughter to live. I've heard she's feisty. It would be such a shame if something has happened to her, don't you agree?"

"You... You bastard! Stay away from her!" she called weakly, realising that he was definitely capable of hurting someone.

"Oh, I will. Although it seems that she really doesn't want to stay away from me."

Clarisse felt all of the warmth evaporate from her entire body, when the realisation hit her. She had found her killer and her plan had officially backfired. She couldn't even use her Magic to escape. Not if she wanted him to go after her mother. For now, Eugenia was safe, and that was all that mattered.

She dropped her purse to the floor, leaving behind the Polyjuice potion. If there was even a slight chance that someone might go looking for her, she needed to help them, just as she needed to pretend to be her mother, for as long as possible. It was the least she could do. She sure hoped that it would be enough.