Yeah, I know. I take forever to update, considering the story is finished other than editing. Hopefully this extra long chapter will make up for it? I'm sorry, I love you all! And I'll keep this brief to illustrate my true apologies. Let me know what you think.

Chapter Six – The Hard Part

"This. Is. Ridiculous." Harry sat at the desk they'd conjured in the research library, his face pressed into the grainy surface. "We've been at it for two months and I've learned more about Albus Dumbledore than I ever hoped to know, but absolutely nothing about what we're actually looking for. Honestly, how many spells did the bloke create?"

Pushing down her glasses to rub at her eyes, Liz sighed. "More than any single wizard should be allowed." She took a deep breath, giving herself a stern nod. "Okay. Let's start back at the beginning. Again."

Grimacing, Harry nodded slightly back at her. "Right. So. Mrs. Weasley let it slip to Hermione that Andrew Potter existed."

"After prodding them for a few weeks, she discovered that both the Weasleys could remember him and his wife Olivia, but not their child or the existence of any children, and that they vanished not long before your parents' deaths."

"She started researching, because she's Hermione Granger and that's what she does." His words were interrupted by a snort of amusement from Liz, but he ignored it. "She went to Hogwarts to consult with Dumbledore's portrait."

"He neither confirmed nor denied the theory's validity. Seriously, why did she even bother continuing at that point?"

Shrugging, Harry answered, "Again, it's Hermione Granger we're talking about. She's more determined than Hagrid attempting to convince anyone that blast-ended skrewts are perfectly harmless as long as you deal with them properly. Anyway, she was able to get her hands on a few old copies of the Prophet as well as some Hogwarts reports that vaguely mentioned an Andrew Potter and Olivia Page. It was enough information for her to contact you."

"She provided me with what she knew, which was sufficient to convince me to come and investigate myself. In the meantime, she attempted to find more information on the spell, but was only able to glean enough information to determine that it was a highly rare and supremely difficult spell, ensuring that only Dumbledore could and would have been able to perform it at the time."

Throwing his glasses down onto the table, Harry groaned. "And that's about as far as we've gotten. What are the chances we'll ever be able to best this, Liz?"

"We won't get anywhere with that kind of attitude. 'Hope can be an invaluable companion, particularly when you have little else' and all that, remember?" Pulling out her OWL, she checked the time. "We've been down here nearly eight hours. I think it's time we called it quits."

Harry rose to his feet with a groan, snatching back his spectacles and stretching his sore muscles. "Malfoy didn't need to bother with that bloody Unbreakable Vow – once this is all through, I'd rather just pretend I've never heard of this place to begin with."

They made their way to the exit slowly, Liz tugging the door closed behind them. Making their way to Draco's office, Harry excused himself, claiming he needed to speak with DeMeyers before he left. Realizing he simply did not wish to see his old nemesis again, Liz shrugged and continued on her way, knocking at the open door to the office before continuing.

Draco's head rose, his short blonde locks sticking up in various directions. There were dark circles below his expressive eyes, echoing her own tiredness and frustration. Surrounding him lay various books and scrolls, opened and marked with multicolored labels covered in hastily scribbled notes indicating their significance. He looked from her to his watch, letting out a low grunt.

"I had every intention of coming to help before the end of the day. Obviously that did not occur."

Liz shrugged again, leaning heavily against the doorframe. "It's fine. Technically our mission is not one you are being paid for; your real job should come first. It isn't as though we're getting anywhere anyway."

He sent her a small smile as he stood, stretching in a similar manner to Harry. She chose not to remark on the similarity, knowing it would greatly displease the two of them. Recalling their history, she supposed she could understand why. "You're both headed out, then?"

"Yes. Harry and Ginny have plans, and I'm on my way to George's shop. He needs some help on a potion for a new product and I promised to see what I could do."

Nodding, he reached for his emerald cloak, draping it elegantly over his arm. With a flick of his wand, the desk straightened itself, securing all of the notes in their proper positions. Grasping her elbow, he led Liz from the room before locking and warding it. They were on their way to the lifts before either spoke again.

"You don't intend to stop searching until you find an answer, do you?" he asked as they rounded a corner, their destination in sight. She gave him a mischievous half grin.

"We've known each other long enough for you to determine the answer to that, haven't we, Mr. Malfoy?" she asked, enjoying teasing him. He chuckled, a smirk at his lips.

"Ruddy Potters and their Gryffindor determination…can't even escape it when they didn't go to Hogwarts," he muttered, making Liz laugh. They were interrupted by the arrival of a quizzical Harry.

"All set, Liz – what were you two laughing about?"

At Harry's entrance, Draco's face turned stoic as he excused himself. He made for the lifts, sending them a curt nod as he retreated. Liz crossed her arms and sighed, exasperated at their inability to tolerate the other's presence. "It was nothing…just tarnishing the Potter name. Come on, we've places to be."

Protesting loudly, Harry felt himself dragged toward the lifts and home, attempting to pry further answers from his distracted cousin.

Later that evening, Liz perched on a stool at the counter of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, gasping in her attempts to catch her breath. The surviving twin's storytelling ability was outstanding, and she always enjoyed hearing tales of their time at Hogwarts; it nearly made up for the fact that she missed out on all of it. Once she had finished with his potion (which was a relatively simple fix – she suspected he'd fouled it up as an excuse to get her to the shop), they transitioned to their usual seats at the counter, passing the time until he could close up and enjoying one another's company. It had become their weekly tradition since she arrived.

"The look on Umbridge's face…I wish I'd had a camera," George continued, laughing nearly as hard as Liz. "Then Peeves just topped it off…strangely enough, I miss that bloody poltergeist."

"He sounds like a pain in the ass," Liz chortled, wiping the tears from her eyes before giving him a serious once-over. "A lot like you, actually."

Attempting to seem affronted, George brought a hand to his heart. "Why, Miss Potter. That may be the most insulting thing I've ever heard you say."

She paused at the use of her true name, a satisfied look on her face. "It's strange, hearing you call me Potter. It feels both right and wrong, in some way." Since she and Harry told the Weasleys of Madam Pomfrey's results, the entire family had taken to calling her by it, the act a lot more casual and easy to accomplish than she ever expected. It pleased her to hear it, but still didn't sound entirely correct.

He shrugged, reaching for the glass of water before him. "I suppose it is. I mean, in America, you'll always be Hogan – you grew up with it, made your mark with that name. You won't be able to escape it simply from the fact that you're famous in your own right over there. But once the truth's out here, you'll become a Potter properly. Both names eventually will apply."

"You mean if the truth comes out," she replied with a sigh, taking a sip from her own glass. "Frankly, I'm not sure if we'll ever find an answer. At least Draco's found out about my parents."

Not long after she first met the wizard, she informed him of the second half of her plan. He readily took up the case and, with time, was able to pan out the details. It seemed that a pair of Death Eaters, while on a mission for their master, stumbled upon the couple while they were away. Assuming the English couple was the target they sought, they tortured them for information, desperate to please the Dark Lord. When the Hogans could not provide anything useful, they finished them off, Vanishing the bodies to remove the evidence of their foolishness. It had been difficult to hear, even so many years later, but she was sincerely grateful to have the truth. At least one of her central missions had been a success.

Grasping her shoulder affectionately for a moment, George replied, "I wouldn't worry; you're sure to find something. Though I hate to admit it, Draco's damn good at his job, and you or Harry aren't likely to stop searching any time soon. Just give it time."

She sighed once more, but before she could speak, the faint sound of the front door's bell alerting them of a customer brought her to a stop. The wizard who stood at the entrance froze her insides in shock. The long frame was thin, leading up to dark blonde hair tied back in a ponytail along his neck. The faint outline of his scraggly beard and moustache could be seen even from their distance, and when her eyes met the familiar brown ones, she jolted to her feet in astonishment.

"Alex?" she asked incredulously, hardly comprehending the sight. He placed his hands in the pockets of his Muggle jacket, grinning at her sheepishly. With a yelp of delight, she launched herself over the counter, pulling her friend into a massive hug. "What are you doing here? How did you get here? Wait a minute…" A rush of fear ran through her as she thought of the shop she'd barely even considered since arriving. "What's happened? What's wrong? I haven't called in so long – "

"Give me a chance to get a word in, Lizzie!" he replied with a laugh, hugging her just as hard. "Don't worry, the shop's perfectly fine. I have DeAngelis and Gorton taking care of it together. They'll be all right for the few days I'm gone, don't worry." He pulled her away and noticed George, his face reddening slightly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt."

"What are you…oh!" Turning, she looked back at the somewhat dumbfounded Weasley. "I'm sorry, let me introduce you. George, this is my assistant and friend, Alex Faulkner. Alex, this is George Weasley." Shaking hands, the two said their hellos. Once they were finished, Liz turned back to her friend. "I just can't believe it. Why are you here, Al? What's going on?"

"You said it yourself – you haven't called in quite some time. I was worried. We didn't have any idea how long you'd be gone, after all."

"So you just up and decided to pop over to check in on me?" she prodded with a smile. When his only response was to smirk and shrug, she shook her head slowly. "You're really something, Alex, did you know? I've missed your randomness."

"It sounds as if you two have some catching up to do," George interjected, his voice strangely tense. He attempted to smile but only managed a half-hearted grimace. "If you don't mind, I think I'll just close things up here. It's not as though we've been terribly busy in the last hour."

Shooting him an apologetic glance, Liz grabbed Alex's arm to lead him out. "Can we finish our discussion some other time, George? I hate to just leave you like this…"

Brushing her off gruffly, he motioned them away. "Don't worry about it, Potter. Go enjoy yourself."

She sent him a final concerned look before she and Alex made their way out. The two walked side by side down the darkened street, Alex watching her with a concerned expression.

"It's official, then?" he began, attempting to pull her from her reverie. "You're actually a Potter?"

Shaking off her contemplation, she grinned broadly. "I am. Oh Alex, it was fantastic – we went to Hogwarts and met McGonagall, and the mediwitch performed the spell – it's all true. We just need a way to prove it."

"What do you mean?"

She hastily explained the circumstances and what they had been researching over the last months. As she concluded, he whistled lightly.

"I can understand why you haven't called…do you even have a chance to breathe?" She laughed quietly in response. After a slightly uncomfortable silence, he started again. "So what does this mean? You'll just stay here until you succeed and then…come home? Find a job here? Go back and forth?"

She huffed out a breath of air and shrugged. "As of right now? I don't know. I miss the shop, and you, and spending my time making potions instead of constantly researching…but I love it here too. I have family again. Harry's already lost so much; I'm not sure what would happen if he lost me too."

"But he's got to know you have a life, Lizzie," Alex countered. "One beyond him and all of this. I mean, you were successful at home, and it's where you were raised. Your parents may have been from here, but you're from the States…right?" His tone turned slightly frenzied as he considered the possibilities of his uncertainty.

She cringed as she answered. "Ah, about that…we're actually not sure. As we've gone through the documents, it's becoming increasingly more evident that my mom gave birth here, right before we left. We think the spell might not have worked properly while she was pregnant; and therefore Dumbledore kept them hidden until I was born in order to place it properly. I might not even be American at all."

"You were raised in the US, Lizzie – that makes you an American in my book. And you're willing to just give everything from there up because of all this? Your entire life? There are people back home who love you, who miss you. You're just going to come here and completely forget them?"

"Of course not! It's just so complicated, and there's still so much to uncover…" Groaning, she glanced at her OWL. "Look, can we just…talk about this tomorrow? It's getting late and we've got researching to do – "

"Right," he said curtly, his mouth a thin line. "Of course. See you tomorrow, then." He turned and began walking in the opposite direction, ignoring her calls. Soon he was completely out of sight, leaving Liz with a tight feeling of dread in her chest.

Gradually, she pulled herself together enough to Apparate to Harry's flat. She hoped he and Ginny weren't back from their date yet as she turned the key and entered. Finding it blissfully empty, she plopped down onto the couch to wait and reflect.

Less than an hour later, Harry returned, humming softly to himself as he reset the wards. He spun about and noticed Liz, instantly pausing his humming. A grim expression crossed his face as he took in her appearance.

"Who do I have to make disappear?" he asked simply. With a strangled laugh, she threw herself into his arms, sobbing stronger than she had since her parents died.