You say goodbye and I say hello

Hello hello

I don't know why you say goodbye, I say hello

"Harry!" Jasper said, both of his hands on Harry's shoulders as he lightly shook him.

When Harry still didn't respond, he took the piece of parchment from his hand and read it. Jasper looked up at Harry once he was done but Harry continued to stare straight ahead, a thousand thoughts racing through my mind. Jasper put the parchment down on the table and headed for the kitchen, and Harry reached for the letter again. He reread the words, fully aware that they were still the exact same, and at the moment he was overwhelmed by the emotions and concerns he had been trying so hard to keep under control.

Breathing hard, he blinked away salty tears. He needed her, he needed Chloe back in his life but she was gone and he had no idea where to look for her. He looked around his apartment, noticing a few things here and there that indicated Chloe had been around but it wasn't enough to calm him down…. And with a new resolve, he grabbed a handful of floo powder and stepped into the flames, stepping out several seconds later. He walked carefully but purposefully until he reached the black double doors. Leaning with his forehead against the door, he fought back more tears as anger and resentment grew stronger and stronger inside of him.

"Harry Potter?" A little voice to his right said.

"Koda" He whispered in acknowledgement, without looking up.

"Are you going in?"

Harry straightened up, staring at the doors to Chloe's room.

"Has anyone else been in there since Hermione?" He asked.

"No, Master Elliot will not come near here… and we elves don't want to either" He said with a sad voice "We miss her, Master Harry"

"I miss her too, Koda"

"Do you need Koda to get Master Elliot?"

"No, not right now. I'll come for him later" Harry said, inhaling deeply before pushing the doors open.

Koda bowed and went on his way as Harry entered the room. Closing the doors behind him with a thud, he pulled out his wand and whispered lumos, looking around fondly. It looked exactly like the last time he had been there, not even two full days ago, with the exception of the now empty bed. He walked towards it, lighting up the fireplace as he went, sitting on the edge and looking over at the pillows, a small part of him hoping to find Chloe fast asleep under the covers. He set the candles on fire, illuminating the entire room that now seemed to him a depressingly large and hollow place. Turning around from the bed, he caught a glimpse of light as the candles reflected on something partially hidden by the covers at the end of the bed.

"Well, that explains why you haven't written me back" He said dryly, grabbing hold of Chloe's fake galleon which was currently displaying his last message to her.

He began to pace around the room, wondering if she had left anything else of value behind and before long he was opening doors and drawers to peek inside. In her nightstand drawer, he found a familiar looking book, with a few pieces of parchment sticking out from the top. Grabbing the book, he sat down on the bed, recognizing it once he saw its cover. It was the book he had seen Chloe reading several times before, thought he had no idea what it was about as he could not keep up with all the books she was always reading either for leisure or work. He flipped through the pages she had marked, reading over the spells without really paying attention until he reached a page right in the middle. He had been told the description of this particular spell by Chloe, just a few months ago…. It was the spell she had claimed to have placed on her Manor and his flat, except he could now tell she wasn't completely honest about it. The instructions called for two people, and she had failed to mention that. Flipping the pages back to the front, he felt a lump of anger form in his throat. On the very front page, written just underneath the book's title, were the words Property of the Malfoy Family.

Draco must have given her the book, and he must have been the second person that helped Chloe place the spells. And that meant he had not only been here, but he had also been to Harry's place…. HIS place, without his knowledge or permission. He threw the book against the opposite wall with a growl and began to pace back and forth again. Chloe might have been working with Draco Malfoy to help them, but she had betrayed his confidence by keeping it from him, and by taking his former enemy to his place. And he was angry, so very angry at her…. He couldn't understand why she hadn't trusted him enough to let him in on whatever she was doing with Malfoy. He knew whatever it was, she was doing so out of love but he couldn't shake away the anger. He looked around the room again, thinking about the times Draco had been here with Chloe, behind his back and growled in frustration. A knock on the door startled him, followed by the appearance of his two best friends.

"What is it Harry?" Hermione asked, reaching for his hand.

He withdrew from her, walking over to the fireplace and looking into the flames. When he finally found his voice, he told them about the fake galleon, the book, and his conclusions. He didn't need to tell them about the parchment, he was sure Jasper had already seen to that. As he spoke, Hermione grabbed the book, flipping through it with much greater interest than he had. Taking out her wand, she shrunk the book and placed it in her jacket's pocket.

"Where is the note?" Harry asked.

"With Liam, he is working on it as we speak. But just like the false letter we received weeks ago, there's isn't much we can learn from it…. I'm sorry mate"

"Have you told Mr. Elliot?" Hermione asked, walking closer to him.

"No, I saw no reason to disturb his sleep…. It can wait till the morning"

"Don't be so miserable Harry" Hermione began, carefully "This is more than we had before. We know for certain Chloe has been taken and that she is alive. And the fact he has engaged with you likely means that he will send you clues as to where Chloe is, and that's something we can work with"

"What if I don't find her in time?"

"We will find her Harry; you have a strong group helping you"

"If Jasper is right and the same person took Ava, then they are likely together right now…And I feel sorry for whoever has to deal with them two" Ron said, lightheartedly.

Harry smiled a bit, an absurd imagine of Ava talking her and Chloe out of their predicament forming in his mind.

"Thanks mate" He said.

"Just trying to diffuse the tension" He replied and the three of them shared a smile.

"I'm so mad at Chloe" He said, turning back to the fire "I can come up with reasons as to why she lied to me about Malfoy…. But I can hardly focus on anything else because all I can think of is how much I miss her…. I need to find her… how can someone I met a year ago mean so much to me already? I had known Ginny for years before we dated, and it took you two even longer"

"Ginny was more of a little sister to you for a while Harry, and you were too infatuated with Cho to even care about other girls" Hermione said "and Ron,"

"Was a twit about" He said, finishing her sentence.

"Even so," Harry began, reaching for a small squared box in his pocket "You just recently asked her to marry you. I was planning on asking Chloe in a few days, on the anniversary of our first date"

"What?" Both Ron and Hermione exclaimed.

"I bought her ring the last time I was in Hogsmeade, wasn't really looking for it then but when I saw it, I knew it was the one for her"

He opened the box and they came closer to look at it. The ring inside was silver, with a large oval sapphire in the center, surrounded by smaller diamonds.

"It is beautiful, Harry" Hermione said, looking up from the ring "but are you sure about this?"

He nodded, closing the box and putting it back in his pocket.

"I know it seems crazy, but I haven't been this sure about something in a very long time. We have suffered so much, gone through more than some people twice our age…. I don't see much of a point in waiting to propose, if that's what I want. Hopefully, she feels the same way"

"Chloe loves you Harry, Merlin, she adores you" Hermione said "She feels the same way, no question about it. If you feel this strongly about her, it truly doesn't matter how long you have known each other"

"We all like her, and ever since you two met you have been like your old self" Ron began "She's really good to you and her father is a very nice guy! What?" Ron said when Hermione and Harry looked at him wide eyed.

"I might have the emotional range of a tea spoon, but I'm not blind" He said, defensively.

"That was… very sweet of you Ron" Hermione said, tenderly.

"Have you asked Mr. Elliot yet?" Ron asked.

"I was planning on doing it sometime this week, but there isn't much need for that just yet"

"I think you should go ahead and ask him mate, might cheer him up some"

"Ron is right Harry. If anything, it will show him that you haven't given up, that your words aren't empty promises. It will be comforting for him to know you are planning for a future with Chloe"

"I'll consider it, if I ever find the right time. We should leave now; I want to get in touch with Liam and then try and get some sleep. Where is Jasper?"

"He left for the Ministry when we headed here"

"How did you even know I was here?" He asked, the thought having just occurred.

"We thought you came to let Mr. Elliot know about the letter" Hermione said, leading the way out of the room.

Harry looked around once last time, before waving his wand and extinguishing the candles and the fireplace. The lump in his throat was a painful reminder that he was currently unable to protect the girl he loves.

Draco watched the remainders of his breakfast disappear from his plate just as Chloe helped his mother stand up. Together, they walked towards the loo, Chloe waiting outside in case Narcissa needed any help. She was doing much better now that she had eaten but she was still weak and pale. Just as the two of them headed back over, someone cleared his throat.

"Draco, Narcissa, follow me" Lucius commanded.

With a wave of his wand, the door opened and he stepped aside to clear the way but neither Draco or his mother moved.

"That was not a request" He said "The two of you are meeting with me, now"

"We want nothing to do with you Lucius" Narcissa said, her voice stronger than they had expected it to be.

"You are in no position to deny speaking to me Narcissa. Now come at once, before I make you"

"If you hurt her again, I will kill you" Draco said, venom in his voice.

"Be quiet Draco, haven't you learned from your punishment? Now, come"

With Chloe's help, Narcissa walked over to Draco and grabbed ahold of his arm.

"Let's go Draco, best be done with it"

They followed Lucius to another cell, just down from the one they currently stayed at. There were three chairs in it, and nothing else, and they each took a sit in one of them. Draco knew this would happen, that his father would come and try to brainwash them to follow the Master and save themselves but his efforts were in vain. Narcissa and Draco sat with him for a very long time, mainly unresponsive as he spoke eloquently, and somewhat threatening, about the Master's future plans, how pure blood families would thrive and several other things Draco had heard before. Chloe had suggested that Draco and Narcissa pretended to repent, but he knew they would test them to ensure they were saying the truth and they would fail that test. It didn't matter how much Lucius said or how hard he tried to scare them, they didn't budge. And they wouldn't. Draco had made his choice months ago, and Narcissa had made hers as well, the moment she heard everything that had happened. They were a lost cause, whether Lucius choose to accept it or not.

The days passed and the closer they got to Christmas the gloomier Jasper, Elliot and Harry became. There had been no more mysterious letters, and things had fallen into a lethargic pace. When it became clear there was nothing further to work on, relating to the disappearances, Harry was assigned to his usual auror duties and forced himself to work longer and harder to keep from thinking about Chloe.

When Christmas arrived, Harry had wanted to stay at his flat and ignore the world; it was the most miserable one he had had since his years living with the Dursleys. The Weasleys tried their best to keep his spirits up and make it an enjoyable eve and day, but there was nothing they could do to make him feel better. His visit to Elliot and his family at Paul's house was no better, especially when Harry saw a pile of presents addressed to Chloe, sitting unopened under the tree.

In, no doubt, an effort to win over his wife and son, Lucius had brought them a set of wizarding chess, a few books and exploding snap. As much as any of them hated to admit it, they were all glad that Lucius had done so because it kept them from being too bored. In the past few days Narcissa and Chloe had many conversations, and Chloe had grown to really like her. She was a remarkable witch, though Chloe was completely biased already due to Narcissa saving Harry's life. And, this morning, they had woken up to a small pile of presents. They were mainly to Narcissa and Draco but there were a couple for Chloe as well, something that surprised her greatly. In each of the boxes, one from Edward and the other from Henry, she found a book. The first was about the art of spell casting and the other, written by none other than Alastair himself, was about pure bloods and their superiority. She immediately put that one aside.

They had recently finished dinner, which had been a sumptuous and delicious Christmas meal, and Chloe was currently reading while Narcissa and Draco played chess. Chloe looked up from her spell book at the sound of fast approaching footsteps, momentarily meeting Draco's eyes before turning her attention back to the door. Alastair came into view first, using his wand to cast a spell that made the entire door transparent. He was soon joined by Isla, their sons, and Lucius.

"Happy Christmas everyone" Alastair said, smiling wickedly "I trust you have enjoyed this day so far?"

When none of them responded, his expression grew slightly upset.

"Now, this isn't very polite of you. I see you are all enjoying some of the presents you received, aren't you going to thank us for those?"

"Thank you" Chloe said through greeted teeth, in the hopes they would leave sooner if they cooperated.

"I see you are reading the book I gave you" Edward said, smiling sweetly her way. It was very unsettling.

"I hope you did not feel left out, Chloe" Alastair said "With only two presents, but I decided to save the best for last"

"You are really going to enjoy this one" Isla joined in.

"Yes, I suspect you will enjoy seeing our visitor" Alastair said.

"Visitor?" Chloe said, standing up and walking closer to the door, Draco right behind her "Who is it?"

All of them stepped backwards as a masked figured walked over, his hand firmly pushing a person towards the door. Chloe gasped audibly when they came close enough for her to recognize the person, her heart momentarily stopping.

"Ava" She shouted, placing both hands on the door "Ava, are you alright?"

She looked up then, her eyes bloodshot. She was paled, body covered in bruises. They were close enough now that Chloe could tell Ava was shaking, and Chloe felt tears form in her eyes.

"Chloe" She said weakly "I'm so sorry… I shouldn't have… I didn't now… I"

"Shhh, it is okay Ava. It is going to be alright"

"I wouldn't say that" Isla said, but Chloe paid her no attention.

"I'm sorry Chloe, so sorry" Ava continued to say.

"About what?" Chloe finally asked but Ava didn't answer me.

"I believe I can answer that" the masked figure said, unmasking himself.

"Jasper!" Chloe gasped, taking a step backwards and colliding with Draco "I, I don't understand"

"You see Chloe, it is very simple. Your friend here was an easier prey then any of us could have hoped for, thanks to you. She was very upset that you had kept Harry a secret from her, and her guard was down because of that. It was almost too easy for me to approach her, gain her confidence and place her under the imperious curse. I learned so much about you from her"

Chloe felt sick; she wanted to shout very ugly things at him, but her anger was so strong all she could do was snarl in his direction.

"And once I became her boyfriend, it was a matter of days before I was close enough to you and Harry Potter. My position was exactly what Alastair needed, and I was able to give him so much… still am, of course. No one suspects me yet"

"It was you" Chloe said, finally making the connection "You were the one that poisoned Landon"

"Very good Chloe. And I was also the one who killed that stupid waitress"

"You will pay for it, Jasper, all of it" Chloe promised.

"Now Chloe, we both know that isn't true. You father and Harry say hello, by the way, I have been spending some time with them lately. My dear girlfriend is missing, and I'm very sad about it" He teased.

"That is enough" Draco said from Chloe's side as she cursed Jasper.

"Yes, that is enough" Alastair agreed "We have other things to tend to. Chloe, this is the time for you to say your goodbyes"

"Leave her here, please" Chloe begged, looking at Ava "Please!"

"Oh no Chloe, you don't understand. Ms. Ava is going away, for good"

Ava and Chloe gaped, and she grew instantly paler.

"No, you can't" Chloe said "I'm begging you, please don't do this"

"She is of no use to me Chloe; she has given us all she can"

"I love you Chloe" Ava said, tears flowing down her face "and I'm truly sorry"

"No, Ava this isn't your fault…. I love you too… but please don't"

"Tell my family I love them" She said, before growing still and quiet.

From the corner of Chloe's eyes she saw Alastair raise his wand, and her heart stopped. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Alastair said the words that sealed Ava's doom, and the green flash of light was almost blinding. In the few seconds before the curse hit her, Ava's eyes met Chloe's and she knew that the look of fear in her best friend's eyes would haunt her for as long as she lived. Be it because of his abilities as a Quidditch player, or just lucky reflex, he was glad to be standing next to Chloe when her friend got killed. As Ava's body fell to the ground so did Chloe's, her knees seemingly giving in as she wrapped her arms around herself, and he barely managed to grab ahold of her and gently lower her down. Disgruntled noises were coming from her mouth, her eyes were fixed on her best friend's body, and she had begun to shiver uncontrollably.

Draco looked up. Isla was standing the closest to them, watching Chloe's reaction with a vicious smile on her face. Her sons and Jasper had a more reserved expression, though it was clear that Ava's death pleased them. Then, there was Alastair. He was watching Chloe as a monster watches its game, an expression of pure enjoyment on his face. Mother was next to them within seconds, kneeling on the other side of Chloe and whispering soothing words in her ear, or so Draco presumed. Several more minutes dragged by, but when Alastair finally decided it was time for them to leave and take Ava's body with them, Chloe blew up. With a strength and agility that astounded Draco, she tore herself from his hold and stoop up, banging on the wooden door that was no longer translucent, as if trying to break through it, all the while screaming incoherent words loudly enough he actually covered his ears. Her reaction was, of course, in vain and the group left without a second glance their way.

Draco stoop up as well and reached for Chloe, trying his best to get her away from the door. She resisted for a while, pushing him away and cranking her neck in the futile hope to keep Ava's body within her sight, but eventually she gave up and collapsed into his arms. He walked over to their mattress and sat them down, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable. He had never seen someone crumble like this before; neither had he ever tried to comfort someone, especially while holding them in his arms. He looked at his mother for guidance and she gave him an understanding smile, her right hand caressing the air. He mirrored her gesture, running his hand through Chloe's hair as she sobbed irrepressibly. It felt like a very long time before her sobbing slowed down and eventually stopped. Moving her from his arms, and with Narcissa's help, he placed her under the covers and sat by her side. She was asleep, but her expression was far from serene.

"Draco" Narcissa said "what is that on your shirt?"

"It is…. Blood?" He said, looking down at the small, dark red stains "It isn't mine" He added, after quickly checking.

"Look" She said, pulling the covers away.

The blood had come from Chloe's hand, which she probably hurt while violently banging against the door. Without a word, his mother went to the loo and returned with a wet, white linen cloth that she used to carefully clean Chloe's cuts, after sitting down.

"Did you see the way that woman was looking at Chloe?" She asked.

"Yes, I noticed that. I believe her to be the worst of them all…. We should be very careful around Isla"

"Indeed… We should talk about what will happen once Chloe wakes up"

"What do you mean?"

"She just suffered a disturbing loss Draco. I'm afraid that if we don't help her through it, it will destroy her"

Harry went back to work earlier than usual on the Monday following the holiday, in the hopes of tackling the large pile of work sitting on his desk. He should have worked on those before the break, but a last-minute case had taken him away until the late hours of the day and the work remained to be done. Before Chloe had been taken, he would have sighed at the tedious work it would be getting through all these files, but now he welcomed it. Anything that could keep his mind busy, and temporarily distracted him from his constant worrying, was welcomed.

He stopped a few hours later, when Ron came in with coffee, and they chatted for a few minutes before he left for Hogwarts with Hermione. Professor McGonagall had requested that they came to the school to address the fifth through seven-year students during their DADA classes, but he was in no mood to go. After Ron left, Harry sipped his coffee and looked around absentmindedly until his eyes fell on a picture of Chloe and him that she had placed on his desk a few months ago. It had been taken on the night Harry and Ron had accompanied her to watch the Irish players test the new Firebolt and he laughed, as he always did, when Ron's head popped into the picture as he had accidently walked behind them just as the photographer took the shot.

Ron had been right about asking Elliot for Chloe's hand, the man had been overjoyed. It was the first time Harry saw him look anything else other than miserable, even if it only lasted for a few minutes. Having Elliot's blessing and permission took away some of the gloominess Harry felt, as the prospect of making Chloe his gave him hope and kept him from drowning in anguish. He continued to work, vaguely aware of the people coming in and out of the department and occasionally responding to a greeting or two sent his way. Around lunch time, his stomach began to growl and as he sat contemplating where to go for food, Willa came barging in.

"Harry…. you need to…" She began, breathing heavily "come with me… right now"

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, I… just ran over here"

"What is going on Willa?"

"There is something you must see… in the atrium. C'mon"

She reached for his elbow and pulled him out of the chair, immediately speeding towards the door. He followed close by and when they exited the lift there was a large commotion on the very center of the atrium. Several aurors and officials from the Safety Department were working on keeping the crowd away from something he couldn't yet see, while the Minister and his two senior officials were standing next to whatever it was everyone was curiously looking at. Willa and Harry cut through the crowd and headed towards Kingsley but as soon as his eyes fell on what laid in the center of the room, he froze, all notions of sound, space, and time gone. There, sitting directly across from him, was a coffin. It was all black, closed and unremarkable yet it had the absolute power to destroy him. He shook my head, trying to regain some focus. There was no true reason to believe she would be in there, they wouldn't have killed her, not without giving him a proper chance to try and rescue her first. But what if they had grown tired of waiting, what if time had run out? What if…

"HARRY" Willa yelled and he actually jumped.

"What?" He managed to say.

"The Minister wants you"

He continued to walk until he was standing next to Kingsley. The Minister had a grave look on his face as he studied the outside of the coffin.

"I wanted you to be here when we open it, Harry. Once the atrium is emptied, we will proceed"

"Do we know what is in there?"

"The spells I've casted only tell me it is human…. And not alive" He said somberly.

Harry nodded, swallowing hard.

"Minister" Liam said, joining them "We are ready"

All heads in the room briefly turned towards Harry, before looking down at the coffin.

"Alohomora" Kingsley said, pointing his wand at the locks.

Once all locks were undone Kingsley levitated the lid out and over, placing it back down on the floor. Harry exhaled a short breath of relieve which was immediately followed by the feeling of being punched on the stomach.

"Is that?" Liam began.

"Chloe's best friend, Ava." Harry replied dryly.

"She's holding something" Willa observed, pointing at Ava's hands.

"Accio parchment" Kingsley said, reading the paper in silence for a few seconds before looking up again "John, Timothy, Liam, you know what to do. I'm leaving you in charge of dealing with this situation. Harry, please follow me"

They walked in silence and once seated in Kingsley office, he handed Harry the parchment.

Jealousy is truly an unfortunate thing; it makes one weak.

Trusting the wrong person is truly an unfortunate thing; it makes one vulnerable.

Prying where one shouldn't is truly an unfortunate thing; it makes one a target.

Losing one's value is truly an unfortunate thing; it makes one disposable.

Things are about to get very interesting Mr. Potter. Ava was just the beginning.

"I want to be the one to inform her family" Harry said, folding the note and placing it in his pocket.

Kingsley raised his eyebrow at the gesture. "Landon will need that, Harry"

"I will make sure he sees it, but I'm going to keep it. He's talking directly to me Minister, this… whatever this is, is all for me"

"I still expect you to follow protocol"

"I always do, sir"

"Very well. And you have my permission to go contact the girl's family, but take someone from the Security Department with you"

"What is the strategy Minister? Obviously, there is no way to contain what just happened, as I'm sure was the intention of whoever is behind all this"

"Liam will oversee the aurors work. John will work closely with the Security Department and Timothy will help me with containing the situation and keeping the newspapers in check as much as we can. My office will draft the speech I will give in the upcoming hour"

"People are going to panic" Harry observed, leaning back on the chair and rubbing his temples.

"We are going to put an end to it Harry, it is only a matter of time"

"You sound very optimistic Minister"

"And you sound very unlike yourself"

Harry met his eyes; Kingsley's comment having caught him off guard. His expression was serious, but Harry could tell he was genuinely concerned.

"I'm going to look for an official to accompany me" Harry said, standing up "I will look for you as soon as I'm back"

"I will wait for your return before the address. Please extend my sympathies to the girl's family"

"Yes, Minister"

"And Harry?"

"Yes?"

"Don't despair, you will find Chloe"

"You should head home soon Jasper" Lucius said, as they both stood by the windows of an empty office, overlooking the atrium "Someone will come for you, to tell you about the unfortunate events of today"

"You sound far too pleased" Jasper observed.

"And why shouldn't I? Things are moving along rather nicely"

"Your wife and son are imprisoned; how come you are not more upset about it?"

"Narcissa and Draco will come around, eventually"

"How can you be so sure?"

"They don't have another choice" He replied dryly, growing tired of the conversation.

"You are misleading yourself Lucius; Draco has already made his stand very clear"

"I know my son; he will come around"

"You truly believe he will, don't you?" Jasper said, sounding surprised.

"Why shouldn't I? He's made a few bad decisions, but with the right guidance he will come around"

"Is that why you killed Blaise?" Jasper asked and Lucius head snapped in his direction.

"Excuse me?"

"Don't play fool with me Lucius, I know you killed him"

"How preposterous of you" He said, coldly.

"Is it now?" He said, ironically "Blaise suspected your son and he eventually claimed to have evidence of it. I know he was on his way to see Alastair to present his evidence on the night you killed him"

"You are lying"

"You know that I'm not, so drop the act"

"I would be more careful if I were you. It would be very unfortunate if you were to end up like Mr. Zabini"

"You don't scare me Lucius, and you failed to kill the person who actually had proof of Draco's treason. What Blaise had was fabricated; he was convinced of Draco's guilty but lacked the means to go about it so he decided to fake it"

"If such things were true, how could you possibly know about it?"

"Blaise and I had become friends; he came to me for help. I was going to meet him on the night you decided to kill him and I arrived at the outskirts of Hogsmeade, where you found and killed him, right as you casted the killing curse. You never saw me"

"What do you want, in exchange for your silence?"

"Nothing… yet" He said, with a grin "And before you think of killing me, know that I have made arrangements should such a thing happen. You are not the only one aspiring for power and grandeur, Mr. Malfoy. I should go now; unlike you, I have an important part to play"

Lucius watched him go, anger swelling inside. If Jasper thought he could talk to him like that, he was sourly mistaken. Lucius would ensure no one else tainted his image in the Master's eyes, no matter the cost.