*Lyrics from Yesterday"

Yesterday all my troubles seemed so far away.

Now it looks as though they're here to stay.

Harry and Ron returned to Lewis' Manor to find Hermione, Ava and Elliot waiting for them and he quickly told them how the meeting with Lucius went.

"Do you think he is lying?" Hermione asked.

"We questioned him under Veritaserum" Ron said.

"You also questioned Draco," Hermione replied "and he claimed to know nothing, though we now have reasons to suspect that he does"

"What are you suggesting? That somehow they managed to lie under the truth serum?" Elliot asked.

"Is a possibility" Hermione said, her frown creasing as she thought.

"Hermione, you cannot lie after taking Veritaserum" Ava said, matter-of-factly.

"I know that, I'm only saying there are ways in which the Malfoy's could have tricked their way through the investigation"

"Hermione has a point" Harry conceded "We should treat the situation as if Lucius is telling the truth about Narcissa and Draco's disappearance, but we should remain vigilant"

"Harry" Elliot said, standing up "Whatever resources you might need to find my daughter, I will give them to you. Money is certainly not a problem. Just bring her home to me, safe"

Harry knew his words were true and meant to encourage, but they were like a dagger cutting through his body. His daughter, his entire world, was now gone and it was an unspoken understanding that her relationship to him was likely to blame.

"I will bring her back to you sir, back to us. You have my word"

"Thank you, Harry. I was just telling the girls and Jasper that I keep a supply of potions in the house, including the one to help one sleep without dreaming. All of you are welcome to it, and I am going to drink it myself. I know we are all eager to find her, but there is nothing else to be done tonight and we need to be well rested for later today"

"Thank you" Harry said.

"I'll have an elf bring all of you the potion. I'm meeting with the Department of Security at eight; can you join me then, Harry?"

"I'll meet you here a quarter till"

Elliot nodded, waved them bye and left. Harry watched him go, his postured diminished, another knot forming in his throat.

"I'll be in Wales tomorrow, going over my book with Alastair but if anything important happens, come for me at once" Ava said, in an almost threatening way.

They all left soon after, once the elves brought out the vials of potions. Ava went straight to her flat with Jasper and his two best friends flooed home with Harry. Ron and Hermione sat on the couch, hands intertwined as Kreacher rushed to the kitchen to fix them some tea, and Harry turned his back on them, looking at the flames on the fireplace without really seeing. Now that he had had a few hours to accept Chloe was gone, and now that he was no longer at her home, his thoughts began to drift from worrying about her and finding her to the news that she had been meeting with Draco Malfoy... behind his back.

"Harry!" Hermione cautioned, as he slammed both fists on the fireplace mantle.

"Chloe lied to me!" He yelled "She has been meeting with bloody Draco Malfoy, and she lied to me"

"She didn't lie Harry, she omitted" Hermione contended.

"Why are you defending her?" He asked, turning to face them.

"You have every right to be mad at her Harry, she shouldn't have kept this whole thing from you, but accusing her of things she didn't do won't help. She has her reasons as to what she has done and though we don't know what those reasons are, I'm certain her intentions were good"

"Are you hiding anything from me Hermione? Because you better tell me if you are" He snarled.

"Harry mate, calm down" Ron warned.

Harry shifted his gaze to Rom; he was serious about defending Hermione. Harry sighed.

"I'm sorry Mione, I'm just…"

"Tired and overwhelmed, we all are Harry. There is a lot to take in, and much more to do. And we will help you, as always" She said.

"I need to bring her back…. If something happens to her, I'll never forgive myself"

"We will find her mate"

Kreacher came in with their teas, and Harry forced himself to drink some. The warm liquid was surprisingly soothing and he sat with his friends, drinking in silence as his thoughts raced widely. Once they were done, Hermione and Ron left and Harry made his way to bed, clinging to the vial Lana had given him. He had very few hours left to sleep, before having to meet Elliot, but he hopped that with the help of the potion he would feel well rested by the time he woke up. Merlin knows he would need to be. Laying his head on the pillow, Harry breathed in, the breath catching in his throat. The faint smell of Chloe's perfume was on the pillows. Harry hurried up and drank the potion, falling into a dreamless sleep.

Upon arriving at the Ministry, Harry and Elliot made their way to the Department of Security where they met with an officer for almost two hours, going over all they knew about Chloe's disappearance, except for her connection with Draco. They had all agreed on keeping it a secret for now, until they knew more about it. It pained Harry to watch Elliot trying to keep his composure as he desperately wanted to crumble.

"Where to now?" Harry asked Elliot, as they exited the Department.

"Work my boy… I'm not sure I'll be of much help there, but I cannot go home and sit alone… I'm going bonkers as it is"

"Elliot, I… I'm really sorry. I should have stayed away from her" Harry said, finally voicing his concern.

"Nonsense Harry! You listen to me, I'm happy that my daughter has you. Of course I resent the fact that she was taken from me, and probably due to her relationship with you, but I do not blame you Harry"

He nodded, incapable of speaking through the knot in his throat.

"Take care Harry" Elliot said, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder "and keep me posted"

Harry watched him head towards the atrium, before making his way to the lift and towards the Aurors Department. As he walked, he was painfully aware of people staring his way with looks of concern and sympathy.

"Harry" Landon greeted him as he came in "You will want to stay clear of the atrium for a while. Reporters from The Daily Prophet and several magazines are waiting to speak to you. They already found out about Chloe"

"Has someone warned Mr. Elliot? He just headed that way!"

"I had Willa go after him. She will escort him out through a different way"

"Thank you Landon"

"What is the game plan Harry? How can we help?"

"I… I don't really know yet…."

"Harry" Liam called "Lucius Malfoy is here for you"

"Escort him to our meeting room, and ask Ron to join us. Please"

"Lucius Malfoy?" Landon asked, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Perhaps you and Liam should join us as well"

Liam came back shortly after, to let them know Mr. Malfoy was in the room. Harry asked him to accompany them, and the three of them walked that way. Ron was already in the room when they walked in, eying Mr. Malfoy suspiciously.

"I have filled the report Potter, as you instructed me. Now, tell me why you came for Draco"

"What we are about to discuss is to remain confidential, until I say otherwise. If anyone else gains access to this information, you will be punished Mr. Malfoy. Of all the people that know about it, there is only one person I don't trust and I'm sure you know who that is"

If he was offended by Harry's comment, he didn't voice it. Instead, he simply nodded.

"Your son and my girlfriend Chloe have been secretly meeting each other. Were you aware of that?"

"Must certainly not" Lucius said, looking frankly surprised "How do you know?"

"It doesn't matter; it came from a reliable source. The last person Chloe was with, before her disappearance, was your son. All things considered,"

"You believe whoever took my wife and son also has your girlfriend?"

"Precisely"

"Why would my son be meeting with Chloe?"

"We don't know. As I said, they were secretly meeting"

"You have nothing, then? How are you going to find them?"

"We find Blaise's killer" Liam joined in "I don't believe it to be a coincidence that three people went missing hours after we found Blaise's body and called in his friends and family for questioning"

"I've asked you this before, but I'm going to ask it again Mr. Malfoy. Is there anything you know, about Blaise's death?" Harry asked.

"As I have said before, I know nothing" he replied, his silver eyes boring into Harry's.

"And you will let us know, if that changes?" Ron asked.

"Of course. Do you believe their kidnapping has anything to do with the recent events?"

"Based on the threats you were receiving and Blaise and Draco's past involvement with the Dark Lord, we suspect so but it is too soon to be certain"

"You think Blaise was killed and my family taken because we used to support the Dark Lord?" He said, sounding affronted.

"You know what your wife has done and how Blaise and his mother, and many other pure-blooded families, worked a deal with the Ministry to stay out of Azkaban. Hardly the behavior to be commended by those who wish to continue what Voldemort started" Harry said.

"They are after revenge, then?"

"We don't know exactly what they are after, but I suppose revenge is a good guess. You may go now Mr. Malfoy" Harry said, standing up.

"I expect to be kept informed" He said, standing up as well.

"If there is anything new that can be shared with you, you will be informed. This is an ongoing investigation, between our Department and the Security personnel"

He nodded, but the dissatisfaction was evident in his eyes. When he was gone, harshly shutting the door behind him, Liam spoke again.

"Now what, Harry?

"That is bloody stupid" Draco yelled from his side of the cell.

"It is not" Chloe yelled back, from her side.

What started as a simple conversation, hours ago, about ways in which they could escape or go for help had turned into a shouting match between them. Chloe was on one end of the cell, and Draco on the other, both of their faces red from screaming and irritation. They probably shouldn't be yelling at each other, but neither of them seemed to care about drawing attention right now. He was honestly surprised at their sudden outburst, but due to their current situation and nerves, he supposed it was only a matter of time before they got on each other's nerves.

"It will not work! How many times do I need to tell you that? They will know I'm lying" Draco said.

"Now that you are screaming it, of course they will! You are infuriating sometimes Malfoy, INFURIATING!"

"You are no better! Merlin's beard Chloe!"

"Please, stop yelling" A weak voice said.

Chloe and Draco snapped their heads in the direction of the voice and their eyes fell on Narcissa. She was sitting up, looking at the both of them with an alarmed expression.

"My head hurts terribly… you two are no helping"

"Mother, how do you feel?" Draco said, making my way towards her and reaching for her hand.

"Mrs. Malfoy, do you need anything?" Chloe asked, kneeling on her other side.

"I feel weak Draco, and my head hurts terribly. Some water would be good, umm?"

"Chloe, Chloe Lewis"

Draco watched from the corner of his eyes as Chloe made her way to the tray with a refilling jar of water and three goblets, towards the left.

"Where are we Draco? All I remember is coming into your room, and there were many people… thank you dear" She said, accepting the goblet from Chloe.

"It is a bit of a long story" Chloe said, sitting down "Perhaps it will be best if he tells you"

"Draco?" Narcissa said, turning an inquisitive look on him.

"Someone could hear us Lewis" He hissed at her.

"What difference does it make? If they want to know things, they can use occlumency or Veritaserum… torture us…. truthfully, I'm surprised they haven't already" she snapped back.

"Perhaps because they are waiting for us to slip up and willingly give them what they need" He growled.

"Or maybe you are just being an unreasonable twit!" She roared back.

"Stop it, both of you!" Narcissa pleaded "Enough is enough. What is going on here?"

"Just tell her Malfoy!" Chloe said, crossing her arms and looking away from them.

"Are you up to this mother? You just woke up, and are visibly weak"

"Thank you for your concern, but I want to know everything"

"These chapters are excellent, Ava" Alastair said "Ava?"

"Sorry, what did you say?" She asked, focusing her attention on him.

"Ava, what is it? You have been awfully distracted since you arrived"

"Oh, it's nothing" She replied, not sure if she wanted to tell him "Just worried about a few things back home"

He leaned back on his chair, attentively watching her.

"Do you think this quote from Harry looks fine at the end of the paragraph?" She asked, looking for a change of subject "I'm not so sure it looks good there and,"

"It's Chloe, isn't it?"

"Pardon me?" She asked, looking up at him again.

He was looking down at her still, but his appearance had changed. His eyes were hollow, and his mouth was twisted into a wicked grin that made the hair on the back of her neck stand.

"You should have stayed out of it, Ms. Ava, someone should really teach you not to meddle in other people's business"

"What, what are you talking about?"

"Do you miss her already? Because if you do, there is no need to worry"

"I, I think I should go" She said, standing up.

"Yes, I believe you should" He said, standing up as well.

Ava beckoned away from him, and turned towards the door but her hand had barely touched the handle when she heard him cast a spell, and everything went dark.

"Come in" Alastair said calmly.

"Father, Mr. Malfoy is waiting at home for you with news" Henry said, once he had shut the door.

"And I'm ready to torture Draco, as his punishment" Edward added, delight in his voice.

"Go home and tell Lucius I will meet with him before supper, I have things to take care of until then. And take her with you, to our dungeons"

"Her?" They both asked, looking around.

With a wave of his wand Ava's body, which was lying on the couch, became visible again and both the boys gasped.

"What is going on father?" Henry asked.

"I have decided to make a few changes to my plans; it's time to move things along more rapidly. And Ava here is the first step. Make sure one of you questions her"

"But father" Edward objected "We already obtained things from her and"

"And there might be more. Just take care of it" He said impatiently "And send an owl to your friend with this note"

He handed Edward the letter he had just finished writing while Henry made Ava float and headed towards the fireplace with her.

"I created an illusion of Ava leaving the office and the building earlier on" Alastair said "If anyone asks, she was here for our appointment and left at precisely eleven this morning though she did not say where she was heading when she left"

They nodded and flooed home. Alastair sat down, a smile spreading across his face as he wrote the first of a few notes Harry Potter would be receiving. Very soon, Harry would be finding his way to him, and he would not survive their encounter.

It was midafternoon and try as they did, none of them had found something useful from reexamining Blaise's body. Liam and Landon were still convinced Blaise would lead them somewhere, but Harry was no longer sure. He headed back to his desk, but before he could sit down and get started on the several memos already waiting for him, Kingsley came in.

"Harry, I need your help with something" He said, solemnly.

"Of course, Minister"

"The press is still in the atrium, even after I addressed them. They want to hear from you, and I believe they should. Can you do that Harry?"

"Yes sir" Harry said, with a sigh "What do you want me to say?"

After a quick conversation, in which he filled Harry in on what he had said and how much he could tell to the reporters, they made their way to the atrium. At the sight of Harry, cameras flashed and voices rose as questions were shouted his way. As he approached the podium, he thought of the last time he had been in a similar situation, and how Chloe had been right next to him. His stomach twisted painfully.

"One at a time, please" He said, stepping up.

"Mr. Potter, is it true your girlfriend is missing?" A witch asked.

"It is" He answered dryly.

"Is her disappearance connected to Blaise and Longbottom's murder and the attack in Hogsmeade?" Another witch asked.

"We have no reason to believe so, at the moment"

"Is her disappearance connected to that of Narcissa and Draco Malfoy?" A wizard asked.

"We have no reason to believe so, at the moment" He repeated.

"Do you feel responsible for what is happening to your girlfriend?" someone asked. Harry chose to ignore that question.

"Do you fear other loved ones will be taken from you?" A witch asked.

"I have no reason to fear that" He lied.

"Mr. Potter, is it true that Hermione, Ron and yourself have received threatening letters?"

"That is not true"

"Has the Auror Department found any leads on the Zabini murder?"

"I cannot discuss this; Mr. Zabini's murder is an ongoing investigation. At this moment, there isn't much I can say to any of you. As said previously by the Minister, the entire community is to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity but there is no need for alarm. And I ask that you respect the privacy of the Lewis and Malfoy families. Thank you" He said, stepping down and ignoring the shouting that resumed. He followed Kingsley to his office, where they sat alone to talk.

"Thank you, Harry, I know that wasn't easy" Kingsley said "And I'm sorry about Chloe"

"Thank you"

"I have assigned Ron and yourself to the Zabini case as well as Malfoy and Chloe's. Others will help as they can"

"I appreciate that, Minister"

"Hermione has told me what is truly happening, it is important that no one else finds out about Chloe and Draco's connection and the threatening letters to the Malfoys"

"I will see that it stays confidential, until we decide otherwise" Harry said, standing up and heading for the door.

"And Harry, I know she means a lot to you and after all you went through… just please remember that it will get better. It might take a while, but we will find her and put an end to whatever is happening"

"Yes sir"

"But we shouldn't underestimate these people Harry, whoever they are"

He nodded, fully aware that whoever had Chloe was not to be taken lightly.

There were no clocks in the dungeons, and Narcissa and Chloe didn't have watches, so they couldn't be certain of how long ago Henry and Edward had come for Draco. It felt like hours, but it was really hard to tell. They never said why they were taking Draco, and though Narcissa and Chloe did not voice it, it was safe to assume he was being interrogate, tortured, or both. Chloe stopped pacing back and forth and looked towards Narcissa, now fast asleep. She had listened to her son as he told her about everything we knew with an expressionless face, her posture elegant even in her current state. Once Draco was done, she had asked them a few questions and then grew quiet, her glaring eyes the only evidence of how she felt. Chloe had not expected her to stay alert for as long as she had, considering she was still very weak, but when Draco was taken, she looked as if ready to tear the cell open and go after them.

Chloe let out a huge sigh as she slid down to the floor, sitting crossed legged. Having the Malfoys with her helped time go by faster, and helped her keep her mind from wondering about her father and Harry, but with Draco gone and Narcissa asleep she was alone and bored. She wondered what her father and Harry were doing, and then she laughed at herself for the absurdity of wondering if the Obliviaton Department was busy, and if Evelyn was getting along without her when she was locked in a dungeon somewhere, not sure if she would be alive before it was all over with. In the past few weeks, Evelyn had grown very fond of Chloe, assigning her tougher tasks and allowing her to complete them with minor supervision. She missed work, crazy as it usually was. She quickly stood up as she heard steps coming their way, and Narcissa propped herself up on her elbow as they both stared straight ahead. Soon, the three figures of Draco, Henry and Edward appeared, Draco looking paler than Chloe had ever seen. Narcissa was up and heading his way before Chloe so much as blinked and together the two of them helped Draco in and to the bed. The three of them sat on the floor in silence, Narcissa and Chloe listening to Draco's deep breathing and waiting for him so say something.

"Draco, what happened?" Narcissa finally asked.

"They… tortured me… for being… being a traitor" He said, his voice cracking "I don't want… to talk… about it"

He stood and made his way to the mattress he shared with Chloe, where he laid down with his back towards them. Chloe and Narcissa exchanged a pained look, neither of them daring to utter a word.

Lucius and Alastair were just done with their meeting when the door to his study busted open.

"Isla dear, I see you are back from visiting your mother"

"What is that girl doing in our dungeon? Henry has told me he spent an enjoyable hour torturing her for more information, and that we are keeping her here for the time being. Have you gone mad?"

"Calm down Isla, there has been a change of plans. Now that we have Chloe, I decided to move things along, faster. If you will, I can explain everything"

"Alastair, you cannot keep on kidnapping people! The whole idea was to keep from drawing too much attention at once"

"That, my dear, has changed. Come, have a sit, there is much to be discussed. And Lucius, don't forget to send the owl, when the time is right"

Harry finally gave in and went home when Hermione came to lecture him, in the Auror's department, at a quarter past nine. As he walked to the atrium and remembered he still had some of the potion that would help me sleep, he quickened his pace. Kreacher greeted him as soon as he stepped out of the fireplace, but he was surprised to see he wasn't alone.

"Harry" Jasper said "Ava is gone"

Harry sat down as Jasper told him about Ava never returning from Wales, and how no one had seen her since she left Alastair's office in the morning. Harry advised him to go file a report, and that the Security Department would handle her case but he wouldn't budge. He was almost frantic, convinced that she had been taken because of what she had shared with them the night before.

"You are implying someone in our trusted circle is a traitor, you understand that, right? Harry asked.

"Why else would she be missing? She had her suspicions about Chloe; whoever took her didn't want her talking"

"Precisely, she had suspicions, nothing more"

"Listen Harry, you know there are some dark wizards out there seeking revenge. Don't patronize me, you know that! Ava is your girlfriend's best friend, and she is writing a book on you and the fall of the Dark Lord…. I'm telling you, they have her!"

The sound of claws hitting the window caused them both to jump. A magnificent black owl was perched in the parapet, a letter next to it. As Harry stood up and made his way towards the owl, it took off. He grabbed the parchment, his name was written on it, in an elaborate handwriting he had never seen before. With a pounding heart, he opened it.

You and I shall meet very soon, until then I will keep your dear Chloe with me. If you want to save her, know that time is of essence… game on, Mr. Potter.

Harry froze, partially aware that Jasper was repeatedly calling his name, reading the small note over and over again.

If you want to save her, know that time is of essence.

Game on, Mr. Potter.

Game on.