*Lyrics from Birthday"

They say it's your birthday

We're gonna have a good time

I'm glad it's your birthday

Happy birthday to you

Alastair was always good at keeping his face impassive, but as Lucius told him what he had seen mere minutes ago at the Ministry, his face contorted into a mix of displeasure, irritation, and eventually even a hint of calm acceptance. He trusted all of those who had been taken, and he knew they would obey his orders, through the end. He was highly upset at the lost it represented, those where some of his best followers, the Parkinson family especially, but there was no use in worrying about it now.

"What shall we do, Master?" He asked.

"Grieve for for them, and move on"

"Grieve for them? I'm afraid I don't understand"

"After what happened to Blaise, and how close we came to being uncovered, I took certain… precautions" He said coolly.

"I wasn't aware of such thing"

"You were not meant to. You do not deserve the same way out I provided for everyone else, should the necessity ever arise. You can thank your son for that"

"What exactly is this way out?" Lucius asked, sounding gloomier than he had intended.

"You will find out soon enough, I'm certain"

"And what of me, should I ever need a way out again?"

Turning to him, his eyes burning and a cruel grin on his face, Alastair replied.

"If that day ever comes, I'll see to your demise myself"

Lucius swallowed hard, under Alastair's stern gaze.

"Now" He continued, waving his hand dismissively "How are the preparations coming along? In light of recent events I daresay we will need a little celebrating"

"We have less than two weeks before then, Master, but everything will be ready"

"Perfect, I want to make sure Ms. Lewis will have a night she will never forget"

The entire walk from the Ministry Atrium to the room they were currently being held in at the Auror's office had been a blur. Every step Pansy took was a step closer to the end, and she didn't feel ready just yet. She knew what had to be done and why, but it didn't make it any easier to accept it. Their wands had been taken and they had been searched, but the one thing they truly needed wasn't taken from them. The Ministry had no idea of what Alastair had imposed on his followers, no idea they were leaving them in a room with the means they needed to make sure the Ministry never learned a thing from them. Pansy knew the other men from the short time they had spent at their Manor and, as she briefly watched them, she could tell they seemed to accept their reality better than she did. She then turned her attention to her parents, feeling her heart break at the thought of what was about to happen. Her mum and dad were looking at each other, having a silent conversation and as I watched, a tear went down her mum's eyes and her dad gently wiped it away. As if sensing her stare, they turned towards her and mum offered her hand. Pansy took it, falling into her arms as her father enveloped them both in a tight hug.

"It is time" He said solemnly, after a few seconds "Before they send someone in"

They all nodded, and reached inside their shirts. Pansy pulled the necklace out, staring at it as if really seeing it for the first time. She remembered admiring its beauty when Alastair first gave it to them, but now she resented the sigh. It hadn't been that long since the day Alastair held a meeting at their Manor, to inform them of his plan. He had given each one of his followers a small black necklace with a pendant in the shape of a claw, and to anyone else it looked innocent enough but they all knew the truth behind it. Inside the claw was an absurdly small amount of a potion known as the Never Ending Dream, a sufficient amount to ensure whoever drank it would fall into an unconscious state, shortly followed by death. It was the ultimate sacrifice for Alastair and his cause, one that she was no longer sure of now that the time had actually come.

"To Alastair" Mr. Parkinson said, raising the tiny claw in his hand in a toast

"To Alastair" They all echoed.

They drank the potion together, and Pansy looked at her parents for the last time. Her smiled at her and her dad reached for them both. In a matter of seconds their legs gave way and their bodies came down crashing, and all was darkness.

"Ron… be careful" Hermione whispered as she watched him make his way to Harry from the doorway of the conference room.

A few minutes ago, Ron had come to her department to ask for help and they had just come in to find the Auror Department in complete disarray. Orders were being shouted by several mouths, people were walking around scolding at no one in particular, there was a constant flux of people coming in and out of the retention room, and two wizards were having a very heated argument by the room's door.

And then there was Harry. Alone inside the conference room he was his own kind of chaos, throwing things around, flipping chairs, punching the walls, and screaming screams so full of anguish, pain, and anger that it hurt her just to watch and listen to him. She had never been afraid of him before, but she was a little now, and especially for Ron as he walked in and towards their best friend. And so, the minutes dragged by, Harry eventually collapsing on the floor with his back against a wall. Ron quickly sat down next to him and Hermione slowly made her way towards them. She sat, crossed legged, across from Harry and reached for him with shaky hands but he moved his away to cover his face.

"What happened mate?"

"Dead… they are all dead" He said with a hoarse voice.

Ron and Hermione exchanged a look, wondering if "they" included Chloe.

"Hmm, who are you talking about Harry?" She asked, hesitantly.

His only response was a jerk of his head towards the outside.

"The Parkinsons?" Ron asked, looking past Hermione "And the other men?"

"Yes"

"How? I… what?" Ron stuttered.

"I don't know how…. No one does yet…. But they are all dead"

"I'm sorry Harry" Hermione said weakly.

"Catching them was huge" He said, running his hands through his hair "And now they are gone… and we will never get to know what they did…. I'm so… TIRED OF THIS"

"It's not over yet" Ron offered "We will get another lead; we will do it Harry. It took us a very long time to find and destroy all Horcruxes, it's only a matter of time before we get to the bottom of this"

Harry snorted, hands still running through his hair, and Ron looked at Hermione for help.

"Get up" She said, standing up herself "Both of you"

Harry and Ron looked up at her, the former with an exasperated looked and the latter with a puzzled one.

"You have punched, flipped and destroyed enough things Harry Potter, it's time to get up and walk out there. Your department is a mess and there are many things to take care off. You too Ronald, get back to work"

Ron gave her a sly smile and headed for the door while Harry stared at her without moving. Hermione held her ground, hoping she hadn't upset him even more. Finally, he broke their trance, stood up and walked past her, stopping briefly to squeeze her shoulder.

"Thanks Hermione" He said "The room…"

"I'll take care of it"

He nodded, trying his best to look resolute but the pain in his green eyes was enough to make her wince.

"Harry…."

He stopped at the door and turned to look at her. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, not sure of what she wanted to say but knowing she had to say something.

"It's okay Hermione" He said "I get it"

She watched them leave with a heavy heart. Another setback, it just wasn't fair…. But life rarely is. Pulling her wand out, she set about fixing the room her best friend had done such a wonderful job destroying, wondering the entire time how much more he could take before reaching his true breaking point.

"Chloe wake up… C'mon, get up"

"Go away Malfoy, I'm trying to sleep"

"And I'm trying to wake you up! We have visitors"

She sat up quickly, pushing her tangled hair out of the way. Ever since Ava had been killed, Chloe had at least one nightmare every night, causing her to twist and turn to the point of tangling the sheets, waking up Malfoy and knotting my hair so badly Narcissa had to help her comb it a couple of times. Tonight had been no different.

Alastair, Isla, their sons, and Jasper were standing by the door, which was translucent once again. Inside the cell, directly across from them was a small pile of gifts and a birthday cake.

"Happy birthday, Chloe" Alastair said, displaying his evil grin.

"It's my birthday?" She asked puzzled, had it been almost three weeks since Christmas already?

"It is" Jasper said "And look, we even got you a cake"

"Aren't you going to blow out the candles?" Henry asked.

Chloe looked at Malfoy and then at Narcissa, wondering if they felt just as odd and uncomfortable as she did. Untangling herself from the sheets, she walked over to the cake and picked it up.

"Don't forget to make a wish" Edward said with a wink.

"I won't" She replied coldly.

"Breakfast will be served soon Chloe, and it will be your favorite" Jasper said "Ava told me what you like"

If looks could kill, Jasper wouldn't have survived the one Chloe gave him. Instead he smiled sweetly at her, before leaving with the rest of the group.

"Enjoy your day Chloe, I'll be back for you later" Alastair added, before returning the door back to normal and disappearing down the hallway.

Chloe walked over with the cake and sat down next to Draco and Narcissa. Both wished her a happy birthday and they ate some cake while waiting for breakfast. Afterwards, Chloe opened her presents, which consisted of new books and several sweets from Honeydukes. The remainder of the day went buy as usual, including her breakdown in the loo during her shower, which was slightly worse today. If today was her birthday, it meant the one-year anniversary of her first date with Harry had already passed… she had planned something so especial for them. True to his word, Alastair came back later in the day. Two masked people stood next to him, but they walked inside the cell at his command.

"They will escort you to your room for the night Chloe. I expect you to be ready within the hour"

"Ready for what?"

"You will see. Go now"

"Let me come with her" Draco said, standing between Chloe and the two wizards.

"Not to worry Draco, you and Narcissa will be in attendance as well. Now step out of the way before I make you"

"It's okay Draco" Chloe said, going around him and carefully eyeing the wand in Alastair's hand "I'll see you soon"

"If you hurt her" He began, but Alastair's cold laugh cut him off.

"You will do what? Threaten me with empty words? Be quiet Draco"

As Chloe followed one of the wizards out, the other one following close behind her, she caught Draco's eyes and patted her jean's pocket. He grinned slightly, enough for her to know he understood. They took her to a room and closed the door behind her with a loud thud. She looked around and one thing immediately caught her attention: a dress, lying on the bed. It was black, with a turtle neck encrusted in black diamonds and with sleeves made of lace. It was tight on the bodice and it fell loosely from the waist down. Truthfully, it was stunning. She reached for the sickle and sent Draco several messages to tell him the way they had taken to the room she was now in. He replied by telling her Alastair had brought both Draco and Narcissa clothes as well and ordered them to also be ready within the hour.

Chloe sat down facing the dresser and combed her hair again. She applied some make up, as the wizards who brought her here told her to (or else!) and finally put the dress on, unwillingly but knowing she had no other choice. She hid her sickle inside her bra, not waiting to be without it. Once she was ready, she walked to the mirror behind the wardrobe's door and looked at her reflection, suddenly feeling very unconformable. She felt like a prey, an offering that was about to be displayed by her captors to the hungry crowd that awaited her, and she was afraid. She had always wanted to believe that, when faced with danger, she would be brave like Harry, Ron and Hermione, but now she knew it wasn't the case. The image in the mirror was of a girl whose blond locks contrasted with the dark dress she was wearing, diminished and shivering with fear. No one was directly threatening her right now, yet she was ready to crumble.

Another shaped appeared directly behind her in the mirror, causing her to blink several times into focus. She had been so absorbed in her own thoughts she never heard the door open.

"My, you look lovely Chloe" Edward said.

His hungry eyes looked down on her reflection and she swallowed hard.

"I've wanted a moment alone with you since the first time we met" He continued, stepping closer to her so that his body pressed against hers "The wait was surely worth it"

She recoiled when she felt his hand on her shoulder. Their eyes were locked on each other's in the mirror as he slowly moved her hair aside to reveal the left side of her neck. Without breaking their eye contact, he lowered his mouth and lightly brushed his lips on her shoulder, a grin momentarily flashing as he felt her cringe. She tried to take a step away from him, but he wrapped his arm around her waist and painfully pressed her closer to him, his right hand resting on her belly would surely leave a bruise if he continued to press down so hard. Ever so slowly, he began to trace his way with his mouth from her shoulder to her left ear. Chloe could feel the tears forming in her eyes and she was doing all she could not to be sick.

"Stop it…" She said weakly "Please…."

"Breath Chloe" He whispered between kisses "I'm only getting started"

"No… please…"

"Beg away, it makes me want you even more"

She quickly shut her mouth, the first tears running down her face but Edward's reflection smiled at her, his lips now on her ear.

"This will not do Chloe, what will the guests say if they see you crying?"

"Guests?"

"You didn't think we would let your birthday pass without celebrating accordingly, did you?"

"I've been given presents, and even a cake. We already celebrated"

"That? Oh, that was only the first part. The real celebration will happen now. Come"

She sighed in relief when he finally let go, turning to make his way towards the door.

"I wouldn't look so thankful" He said, holding the door open for her "You and I are far from done tonight"

Edward led the way as Chloe followed quietly. For half a heartbeat she had considered running away from him when they stepped out, but soon after they left the room a huge figure in a dark cloak and face hidden behind a mask materialized behind her and proceeded to follow them closely. They walked down a long corridor, made several turns, and eventually made it to the grand staircase she was now familiar with, but this time they turned the opposite way from where the stairs to the dungeon were. She looked around curiously, trying to retain as much to memory as possible and failing to notice at first the growing noise of conversations and laughter coming from ahead. They stopped right before two massive oak doors, and she swallowed hard. Judging by the sounds coming from behind the door a large crowd awaited her inside, and any crowd gathered by Alastair and Isla could not be a good thing.

"Ready?" Edward said, offering her his hand. When she didn't take, he reached for it and pulled her closer.

At his word, the doors opened in unity and she was temporarily disorientated by the loud noises and brightness that hit all at once. They went in, Edward halfway dragging her along, Chloe keeping her face down though her eyes were moving around taking things in. It seemed they had just entered a ball, judging by the clothes and sumptuous decorations she could see. Everyone wore the same masks the man behind her was wearing, and many stopped to watch them walk by. As they walked, she noticed tables with food, one of which contained a birthday cake, a small band playing, a group of people dancing, and beautiful windows from floor to ceiling. They stopped at the opposite end of the room, where a small platform had been raised. On it, without masks, were all three Malfoys, Jasper, Alastair, Isla, and Henry. Chloe shifted her gaze to Draco and Narcissa, both of whom looked uncomfortable and on edge.

"Come on now" Henry said "Join us"

Edward walked her around the platform, so they could climb the steps. Then he walked Chloe all the way to the very front, and they stopped right next to Alastair.

"What do you think Chloe? Alastair said, opening his arms towards the room "Do you like it?"

"What is all this?" She asked, troubled.

"Your birthday party of course!" He replied "We are all here to celebrate you, and there is another present… for later"

"Who are all these people?"

"My followers" He replied with delight "I have been tracking those who fled for months, I have pardon them and given them another chance. I have welcome former Death Eaters who managed to trick the ministry… again. There are many more of us than your aurors know of"

"Why are they truly here?" She asked, turning from the room to face Alastair "What is this party really for?"

"Oh, my dear, I was hoping to give you your present later. Would you not like to walk around and eat first? Perhaps even dance?"

"Spare me this bogus, Alastair"

"Now, now Chloe" Edward joined in "Don't be a bummer. Last dance"

Chloe shot Draco a quick look, before Edward dragged her down and onto the dance floor. Placing one hand dangerously low on her back and taking her right hand, they began to dance.

"It is truly a pity Potter can't be here tonight" Edward whispered in her ear.

"It truly is, it would give me great pleasure to see him take you and your awful family in" She snapped back at him.

"You should learn to relax Chloe, after all this is your party. You shouldn't look so upset" Pulling her closer, he kissed her neck once more "Maybe I can help you relax"

"Stop it" She said, pulling away from him as much as she could before he snatched her back.

As they moved on the dance floor, Chloe searched for Draco. When she finally found him, still on the platform, his face was terrifyingly fuming. She bit her lower lip and looked away. They danced, mostly in silent to her great content, to a few more songs before he dragged her to a table and grabbed them some butterbeer. She ate and drank enough to keep Jasper, who was sitting right across from her, from saying anything. She wanted to go sit with Draco and Narcissa, but was not allowed so she sat quietly and waited for this nightmare to end. She was about to ask Edward how much longer she would have to endure this when Alastair took to the podium and the room grew quiet. Without a word, Edward, Henry and Jasper stood up and made their way to the podium as well, the later grabbing her by the arm. By the time they got there, Isla had joined her husband and was looking far too happy. Chloe's heart began beating out of control.

"Ah, here she is" Alastair said when she joined him "Our guest of honor"

They had her standing at the very center, and the entire room was paying attention to them. Something didn't feel right, and she was suddenly very scared.

"We are very close to bringing down the Ministry and killing Harry Potter" Alastair began "But before then, I want to inflict as much hurt and cause as much panic as we can"

His words were met with cheers and claps, before the crowd grew silent again.

"And what a better time to begin than now. Chloe" he said, looking at her now and something in his eyes made her shake in fear "I believe your father and Harry feel very bad for missing your birthday celebration, I say we do something about that. But before, I believe a certain Malfoy needs a bit more punishment for his very poor choices. Draco, do come here"

Chloe watched Draco make his way, closely followed by Lucius, his face a stone wall. When he was standing next to her, Alastair produced two wands, and next to him everyone else on the podium pulled theirs out.

"If you try and do anything stupid, we will kill you both" Alastair threatened, as he handed Draco's wand back to him "Now, use the cruciatus curse on Chloe"

"What?" Draco and Chloe asked in unison.

"You heard me" Alastair responded "Do it, now"

"I won't" Draco hissed back.

"I wasn't asking. Do it"

"I will not" Draco said, throwing his wand at Alastair, defiantly "I will not hurt her"

"What a pity, I was really counting on you to help us with this part of the plan Draco. Lucius, you have not done a proper job with your son. See that it is taken care of soon, or I will no longer have need of Draco and you know what that means"

Lucius nodded, his eyes burning with anger at his son. Next to him, Draco stood proud and bold.

"Move aside" Edward said, pushing Draco so hard he almost fell "I will take care of it, father. See Chloe, I told you we weren't done for tonight" He added with a sick smile "CRUCIO"

Edward's spell hit her like a brick wall, and she fell down screaming and convulsing in pain. A while later, the spell was lifted, and she took several long and painful deep breaths. She could feel the tears running down her eyes and her entire body hurt more than it ever had in her life. Another voice cried crucio and Draco was soon lying on the ground next to her, his screams agonizingly loud.

"Stop… please… stop it... please" She cried but the only response was Edward's voice yelling crucio again.

As her body continue to hurt, images of Frank floated in her head; his yellow teeth, his hollow eyes. He had warned her about this, he had told her she would think of him when they were torturing her. He had been wrong about one thing though: she was not wishing for death, thought the ceasing of the pain would have been welcomed.

The spell was lifted briefly, and she could barely swallow through her raw throat. The crowd around her and Draco were laughing, enjoying themselves; the whole thing was sick. Through the pain, at one point, she saw flashes but if those were truly happening or a result of her body and mind's pain, she couldn't tell. She didn't know how long they both laid there, screaming and jerking in pain, but eventually her body could take no longer and darkness took over.

"That is enough" Alastair cried, when both Draco and Chloe had passed out from the paint "Jasper, take those with you and see that they get to Harry and Elliot before the night is over. Edward, take Chloe back. Henry, see to Draco and Mrs. Malfoy. The three of you can rejoin us when you are done, the night is still young and we have much to celebrate"

"Thank you for having us over, Elliot" Harry said as Koda served us dinner.

"Thank you all for being here" He replied, trying to sound cheerful "It is good to have some company today"

"We will find her soon" Hermione said "She will be with us again; you won't have to spend another birthday apart"

Elliot nodded, unconvinced, and we grew quiet. Hermione, Ron, and Harry were at Manor for dinner, at his request. The elves had cooked Chloe's favorite meal and before dinner had been served, they had sat with Elliot in his study, looking at old family pictures. It was upsetting, but Harry sat through it for Elliot. And for Chloe, he knew she would want him to be here for her dad. Halfway through dinner, Ron, who had been staring off into space for the past few minutes, sat up straight and pointed at the window.

"Is that an owl?"

They all turned to look; it was in fact an owl. One Harry immediately recognized.

"It's the same owl that brought me the letter when Ava went missing" Harry said, jumping up and heading for the window.

"Petrificus totalus" Hermione said, hitting the owl.

"What are you doing?" Elliot asked, stunned.

"Harry said the owl immediately flew off the last time, but if we can attach a letter to its leg, we might be able to follow it. It might lead us to Chloe"

"That is… brilliant" Elliot said, looking at Hermione with big eyes.

"What does it have now?" Ron asked, as Harry retrieved the owl from the window.

He placed the owl on the table between them and reached for the envelops. One was addressed to Elliot, the other to him. He handed Elliot his and he immediately tore it open. Harry looked at his, a sense of dread keeping him from doing the same. He was about to finally open it when Elliot let out a cry and dropped what he was holding. Ron and Hermione reached him first; he was looking intensively at the papers now on the floor, tears flowing down from his face. Harry stopped breathing; this could only mean one thing… but it couldn't be… she can't be… She isn't…

"Harry! Mate!"

He ignored Ron and opened his own envelop. Inside were pictures, several of them showing similar scenes. First it was Chloe, convulsing on the floor, a wand pointed at her, then it was Draco Malfoy, and then it was them both. He could see several legs, as people stood around them, and the hands holding the wands, but no faces. There was no need for sound, or for anyone to tell him what spell had been used; Chloe and Draco's pain was obvious, they were being tortured with the cruciatus curse. Harry handed Ron the pictures and sat down weakly, his brain spinning around. Close by, he heard Elliot getting sick, and Hermione trying to soothe him. He had hoped that whoever had her was not hurting her, but he had been wrong. Chloe was suffering, and he was the only one to blame.

"Harry" Ron said "There… there is a note"

He jumped up again and reached for it, his stomach in knots. The message was written in the same handwriting as before.

It is a shame you had to miss the celebration of Chloe's birthday, but not to worry. I made sure she had an unforgettable time.

I have grown tired of waiting Mr. Potter. I want you to find me, and I believe you want the same thing. So here is a clue, to aid you on your search: It is wise to keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. And that is exactly what I am doing! Someone in your circle is not who you deem him or her to be. Find this impostor, and it will lead you to me. And be careful of who you trust, Ava learned that lesson far too late.

I hope you enjoyed the pictures; it is a pity you couldn't be here to hear your girlfriend scream. She screams beautifully.

I look forward to our encounter Mr. Potter, you and I have much to discuss.