Big and black the clouds may be, time will pass away

If you put your trust in me I'll make bright your day

Look into these eyes now, tell me what you see

Draco woke up with a start, head snapping to his left where Chloe should have been but no longer was. He sat up and his eyes immediately fell on her, sitting directly across from the beds, by the wooden door. It was disconcerting how her absence had startled him but perhaps it shouldn't have come as a surprise, she had been in bed for the vast majority of the time the past few days and he had grown more than accustomed to her body so close to his. Draco watched her for a while, debating whether or not to approach her and secretly hoping his mother would wake up and go see about it herself. Chloe was sitting with her left shoulder on the corner between the wall and the door, her figure angled towards the later, and she looked very weakened and pale. Finally making a decision, he stood up and walked over to her.

"How long?" She asked quietly, still facing the door.

"Pardon?" He said, pleased to hear her voice. She had been so silent and secluded since Ava's death.

"How long has it been since… you know"

"Three or four days, it's hard to tell"

She nodded.

"Would you like something to eat?"

She shook her head and he sighed.

"Chloe, you haven't eaten in days and you have barely had something to drink, this isn't good. You need to eat something"

"I'm not hungry"

"You should still eat… how about some water?"

She nodded and he hurried to the back of the room where the goblets and water were. He quickly poured her some and headed back. When he handed her the goblet, she grabbed hold of it weakly and he realized she was shivering. After taking a few sips, she closed her eyes and grew still. He was about to head to the loo, assuming she had fallen asleep, when her eyes opened and she looked straight at him.

"I'm going to kill him" She stated, her voice strong and steady.

"Who?"

"Alastair"

"Chloe, you cannot do that. Killing is what people like him do, you are better than that"

"He killed my best friend…. He's… he's trying to kill Harry… he wants what the Dark Lord did… he deserves to die Draco… and I'm going to do it"

"He will go to Azkaban and stay there till he dies, as he deserves. We will get out of here and the aurors will see to it that Alastair and his followers are brought to justice, you don't need to take care of it yourself"

"The aurors can take whoever they want to Azkaban, but Alastair is mine"

"Chloe"

"Don't" She said, turning towards the door again "There is nothing you can say to change my mind"

They grew quiet as she continued to watch the door and he continued to watch her. Draco knew just too well the kind of fire she had burning inside her, but he still didn't like it. Alastair deserved to die, of that he was certain, but killing someone is harder than it might seem – he would know – and Draco would hate for her to regret it later. There was no convincing her otherwise at the moment but maybe there would be a way to stop her if an opportunity ever presented itself.

"I'm sorry about my reaction that night" She said "I know you don't particularly like emotions"

"Chloe, you just lost your best friend yet you are apologizing to me about how you reacted? Are you bonkers?!"

"I'm not quite sure what I am right now" She said, with a shrug.

"Oh good, you are awake Chloe" A voice said and they both looked up.

Jasper's head was visible right above, looking down at Chloe. Draco glanced her way; she was staring daggers in his direction and her face was a deep shade of red.

"I would like for you to accompany me" Jasper said, not in the least disturbed by Chloe's open hatred "You and I need to talk"

"Bugger off" She snapped, getting up and turning her back on him.

"She is not going with you" Draco said, standing up and protectively blocking her.

"I'm afraid you don't have a choice" He replied, his eyes never leaving Chloe.

Several things happened then. With a few swift flicks of his wand, Jasper froze Draco and, judging by his mother's gasp, so was hers. Next, the door opened and Chloe's hands were tied by a rope that appeared out of thin air. She turned towards him with a growl, but he smiled and pointed his wand at her. Her entire body was lifted from the ground and he floated her towards him. She trashed and turned, but to no avail, and the last thing I saw before the door shut and the spells were lifted was Jasper's grin of triumph. Chloe grew quiet as they left, taking this opportunity to study the rooms around her and trying to memorize the turns Jasper was making. He walked for a while, without looking back at her, and they passed through several rooms on their way to wherever he was heading. He eventually stopped by one of many doors of a hallway and walked in, carefully placing her down on a chair by a small wooden table, before sitting on the chair directly across from her.

"Now, I'm going to release my spells so that you can move freely, but don't you do anything stupid" Chloe barely nodded his way, still refusing to speak, but he seemed pleased enough. Chloe soon felt the spells lift.

"One of the elves will be bringing you some food shortly; Alastair is not pleased that you haven't been eating. And don't give me that look; I'm not taking you back down until you are done"

She snorted, not at all intimidated by his comment, and he shook his head at her.

"Have you always been this stubborn or was it Ava's influence?"

Chloe closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying her best to calm down. How dared he speak of her? How dared he act so casually after he had contributed to her death?! When she finally opened her eyes again, he was looking at her with an unease expression.

"I didn't want her to die Chloe; I did what I had to do, as ordered"

"You are still responsible for her death" She said, darkly "and I'll never forgive you for that"

"I don't expect you to. There are many things I will be a part of soon that you will not forgive me for, but I serve Alastair and whatever he says, shall be"

He looked at her expectantly but when she remained quiet, he went on.

"Would you like to know how everyone is? I've seen Harry and your dad several times since Ava went missing and when her body was discovered"

"What did you do to her body?"

"I'll tell you everything, if you promise me to eat"

I stared at him angrily just as the door opened and an elf came in holding a tray. Placing it in front of me he took the lid of and the smell of pot roast and potatoes filled the room. I reached for the pumpkin juice and took a sip, fighting with my body as I wanted to eat so Jasper would tell me things but my stomach recoiled at the idea of eating.

"Eat Chloe" Jasper commanded and I reluctantly reached for the fork.

The first few bites tasted like rubber in her mouth and swallowing was particularly awful, but she did her best to continue eating. After half the plate was empty, Jasper seemed satisfied and leaning back on his chair, began to talk. He told Chloe what happened after they left the dungeons and how Lucius and himself placed Ava's body in a coffin and took it to the Ministry over the weekend, waiting until the lunch rush to move it to the atrium and cause the commotion Alastair was looking for.

"I think you will like to know that your boyfriend was the one who told Ava's family"

Chloe nodded.

"He's holding on rather nicely…. Your father no so much, he's truly devastated though he's doing his best to keep busy"

She pushed the plate away, her stomach turning and tears threatening to fall loosely.

"Is that all you had to tell me? I want to go back now" She forced herself to say.

"Missing the traitor already? I must say it was a shock finding out you were working together, and you really should have been more careful"

"Come again?"

"It was you that gave it away, unintentionally of course. Remember that Sunday, weeks ago, when we ran into each other at Diagon Alley? You were grabbing lunch for everyone at your uncle's café and bumped into me when turning around, dropping your bag"

She nodded, that was the day she had stopped to see Draco at work to tell him about Cromwell but she still didn't see where he was going with this.

"I reached for your bag and handed it to you, and just as Paul came out to give you a hug, I noticed a piece of parchment with the Malfoy crest on the floor. I read it and recognized the address immediately, and then placed it back in your purse while you still had your back to me"

The heavy weigh in her stomach grew heavier as his words hit her. She hoped Draco wouldn't be too upset when she told him, it was her fault that they found out Draco was a traitor, even if she hadn't done it on purpose. It had been a complete accident, a random moment in time, yet it had made all the difference in the world. Life has a sick sense of irony sometimes.

"How come you recognized the address?" She asked, curious for any more information she could share with Draco.

"It's very simple, my dear" He said with a sickening smile that made her cringe "The Malfoy's winter state has been the home of Alastair followers who cannot go out in public for the past several months. We moved to the Parkinson's residence when Narcissa visited, but otherwise the State is our headquarters. I knew then, when I saw the address that you were involved with someone from that family and it didn't take me long to find out exactly who"

"Is the State where we are right now?"

"Indeed"

"And how did they know when to find us at the Manor?"

"Once I finally alerted the Master of my discoveries, he went to the Manor to confront Lucius and Draco about it. What happened next was a wonderful coincidence"

She nodded, taking in everything he had said.

"Can I go back now?"

"You haven't finished your food"

She grunted, but picked up the fork again. It took excruciatingly long for her to finish eating but when she finally did Jasper tied her hands and had her follow him out and back to the dungeons. When they arrived, they found Draco standing by the door, his arms crossed and his face contorted with anger. His expression softened a bit when we saw her, but then he looked at Jasper and his face grew livid again.

"Simmer down Draco, Chloe is fine"

Draco didn't reply, but grabbed her by the shoulders the moment she walked in and shoved her behind him. Jasper laughed, amused.

"Bye now, Chloe, I enjoyed our little time together. Maybe I'll come for you again"

With a wink to Draco and a wave to Chole, he disappeared down the hallway.

"You look better" Draco observed

"Jasper forced me to eat" She said, with a shrug.

"I want to know everything that happened since you left" Draco demanded.

"Come sit with me" She said, heading towards Narcissa "This might take a while"

"They made a big mistake by bringing us here" Draco said, once she finished telling them everything "If we managed to escape from the dungeons, I know of several places we could use to hide and then leave for good"

"Unfortunately, so does your father" Narcissa observed.

Chloe tuned them out as they began to discuss hypothetical plans, if they ever escaped. Chloe had been right about Draco, he became very upset when she told him about the accident that lead to Jasper finding out they were working together but, to her surprise, he didn't dwell on it. Also surprisingly, she found herself looking forward to when Jasper would come back, maybe he would slip some useful information or anything that might actually help them.

"What do you think, Chloe?" Draco asked, waiving his hand in front of her face.

"About what?"

"Royston Turner"

"What about him?"

"Now that we know the Cromwells and Turners are involved, why do you recon father planted that memory?"

"Oh…. I don't know. Hmm, Alastair and Isla were very upset when news of Royston's involvement broke,"

"Yes" Draco said drily "We have already established they are good liars"

"But what if they weren't lying? What if Royston did do something that disappointed them and blaming him was a form of punishment?"

"I suppose that's possible" Narcissa joined in.

"Perhaps Royston didn't agree with Alastair's vision?" Chloe offered "Not all pure bloods are bad"

Narcissa smiled slightly at the comment but Draco remained firm.

"I don't like the idea of you being alone with Jasper" He said "but when he comes back you should find a way to bring up Royston. And are you sure of the direction he took you earlier?"

"Yes Draco, I have an excellent memory"

"That puts you in the south wing… there might be a way for you to escape if he takes you there again"

"And leave you both here? No way!"

"The aurors will come for us once you alert them, Chloe" Draco said, impatiently.

"Do you really expect them to stay here if I were to escape? That's stupid"

"It doesn't matter; you and I have something they don't know about"

"Oh" Chloe said as he placed his hand over his left pocket and she realized what he meant.

"What are you talking about?" Narcissa asked.

"You tell her, Draco" Chloe said, getting up and heading for the loo.

"Are you okay?" He asked, his eyebrow raised.

"Yes" She lied, quickening her pace as she felt her stomach twist again.

"Master Harry, wake up…. Someone is here… wake up"

"What?" He groaned, siting up and reaching for his glasses.

"Kreacher is sorry; someone from the Ministry is here"

Harry glanced at the nightstand, three o'clock in the morning.

"Who is it Kreacher?"

"Liam"

"I'll be with him shortly"

Kreacher nodded and left the room as Harry got up and looked for his robe. He could feel his heart beating fast as he headed to the living room, certain that whatever reason had brought Liam here was not a good one.

"Harry, I'm sorry to come and wake you up but the Minister has called in all off-duty aurors"

"What is it Liam?"

"A couple of hours ago, a popular underground night club east of London exploded killing and injuring several muggles"

"And why…?"

"The Minister has asked the department of Magical Law Enforcement to investigate anything suspicious in the Muggle world" He said, cutting Harry off "given the current circumstances and the threat on the letter we found on Ava's body. And one of the officials came to Kingsley with this, just a few minutes ago"

He handed Harry a small stack of pictures and he glanced through them. They were from the scene of the explosion and in all but one there was a clear message. The Dark Mark could be seen on the standing walls of the building, as if keeping watch over the destruction.

"Whoever this people are" Liam continued "They are getting bold, just like"

"Just like last time… Give me a minute to change; I'll accompany you to the Ministry"

Organized chaos met them as soon as they stepped off the lift onto the Minister's floor. Dozens of memos were flying about and small and large groups of wizards from different departments were huddle in the area, each speaking louder than the other. Together, Liam and Harry walked straight into the Minister's office, where all other available aurors and senior officials were already gathered. Their meeting lasted over three hours, mainly because of the constant flux of officials coming in and out to consult with Kingsley or one of his advisors. Harry was exhausted by then, but the meeting was very productive and in the end they had a clear outline of what was to be done and who would be doing what. Still, one recurring issue that caused more than one heated argument was the insufficient number of aurors to assist with all necessary tasks, even with the help of the Department of Security. While Kingsley left to meet with Muggle officials, Harry was dispatched to the scene with Andrew, Willa, and Ron to look for any signs of magic that could lead them to the witches or wizards responsible for the attack. They split as they arrived on scene, and after a few minutes of work, Harry's eyes could not believe what they had just spotted.

"Ron" He yelled "RON"

"What is it mate?" He said, running Harry's way.

"Look"

Harry heard him gasp even through all the commotion around them and Ron's face reflected the disbelief he also felt.

"Harry, is that a?"

"Wand? Yes, I believe so"

Taking his own wand out, Harry performed the charm necessary to let him know the last spells produced by the other wand and, just as he had expected it, the wand had been used to cast spells Harry was certain had caused the explosion. That particular wand had also casted one important spell – Morsmordre.

"Ron, go fetch Mr. Ollivander. I'm taking this wand to the Ministry"

While Ron went to Ollivander's home, Harry made his way to the Auror's department. After informing his superiors of his discovery and writing Kinsgley a memo, Harry sat in the conference room and waited for Ron to come back. He was soon joined by the head of the department, Mr. Marlow and one of Kingsley's advisors.

"Mr. Ollivander" Harry said, standing up and shaking his hand "Thank you for coming. I'm terribly sorry we have to bother you"

"Not at all my boy, how may I help you?"

"We need you to identify the person whom this belongs to" Mr. Marlow said, pointing to the wand on the table.

Mr. Ollivanders nodded and reached for the wand. All eyes were on him as he inspected the wand, taking his time to run his fingers over the wood.

"Oh, I remember the day I sold this one… terrible, terrible temper she had… even worse manners"

"Who's she, Mr. Ollivanders?" Ron asked.

"Pansy Parkinson"

Silence settled in the room for a whole ten seconds before they sprang into action.

"Harry, Ron, go immediately to the Department of Security for backup. Bring the entire Parkinson family for questioning, and inform me of your return timely. Do not begin the interrogation without my word. And please send me someone from their department; I would like to discuss Mr. Ollivanders protection" Mr. Marlow said.

"My protection?"

"Yes sir" I said "Once the evidence we have again Pansy Parkinson it's made available to the other appropriate departments in the Ministry your unique skills and assistance will be known by many. We have learned from the time You Know Who was rising to power that the Ministry can be infiltrated, and we are working under the assumption that it has been, once again. We will take no risks"

He nodded, looking slightly paler than before, and sat down. Ron and Harry exchanged brief looks with Marlow before heading out of the room. Several minutes later, when everyone was ready, they left. Ten members of the Department of Security accompanied Harry and Ron to the Parkinson Manor. They waited by the front iron gates before being granted entry and were met by an angry looking Mr. Parkinson at the foyer.

"What is all this nonsense about? Do you realize how early it is?"

"Mr. Parkinson" Harry said, taking a step forward "We are here to escort you and your family to the Ministry for interrogation"

"Ludicrous, interrogation for what?"

"We believe your daughter to be involved in the explosion of a Muggle building earlier this night"

"Potter, listen to yourself" He said, a warning in his tone of voice.

"We have orders to take you three with us and to search the place" Harry said, and four of the Department wizards broke off, each heading a different way

"I do not authorize such a thing" Mr. Parkinson protested.

"You don't have a choice" Ron joined in "Please ask an elf to get your wife and daughter"

"Get out" Mr Parkison demanded "GET OUT OF MY HOUSE"

"Honey, what is going on?" A woman Harry assumed to be Mrs. Parkinson asked, from the top of the stairs.

"Mrs. Parkinson, please get your daughter and"

"RUN" Mr. Parkinson yelled "Take Pansy and GO"

"All fireplaces have been sealed" Ron warned in vain.

Before they could do or say anything else, Mr. Parkinson roared and threw himself on Harry, his right fist hitting the left side of Harry's face. All others around pulled out their wands and from the floor he saw Ron and another two wizards head up the stairs. Harry stood up and wiped the blood from my forehead as one of the man handled Mr. Parkinson.

"You okay, Potter?" Kiam, asked him.

"I've been through worse…"

"Here, let me help you. I can fix that bruise, just hold still"

The spell had barely left his lips when a loud bang came from the second floor. Kiam and Harry exchanged a brief look before racing up the stairs. They followed the sounds of screams and bangs to one of the back hallways were Ron and the other two wizards were battling the two Parkinson women and three men Harry didn't recognize.

"RON" He yelled as two green flashes missed him by inches "Protego"

"Retreat" Mrs. Parkinson said "NOW, get to the fireplaces"

Everyone obeyed her but neither of them made it very far. All other Department of Security officials that had come with them, but one, were now on the second floor and they easily subdued the Parkinsons and the men. After they were all secured, they exited the by the front gate and apparated back to the Ministry were Ron and Harry offered to escort them to the aurors department with the help of two more, while all the others headed to the infirmary to get their bruises seen about.

"Good job out there everyone" Kiam said "Potter, Weasley, make sure you wait for me before the interrogation starts"

Lucius had just stepped out of one of the fireplaces in the atrium when he saw Potter and the Weasley boy by a hurdle of people. Carefully, he approached them without drawing attention to himself but quickly stopped once he recognized the people. Turning away, he immediately made his way back to a fireplace and from there, apparated to the Malfoy Estate.

"Lucius" Alastair greeted him "I was under the impression you should be at work?"

"I was Master, but something has happened. We have a problem"

"What kind of problem?" He asked, eyes narrowing.

"A very serious one"