Nathaniel lived in a building accessed from a narrow cobblestone lane between an apothecary shop and the Sleazy Kneazle at the end of Knockturn Alley. The blocks of wizard owned flats on each side of the lane were equally rundown and grimy, mould on their bricks dark as the inkvines latched to every crevice. As Scorpius approached the entrance, a rat scuttled too close to the inkvines. Whip like tendrils grabbed the rat. He edged around the carnivorous vines strangling their dinner and hoped the landlord enforced a no pet policy.

Enchanted torches on the verge of burning out created more shadows than light inside the building. Scorpius cast Shield and Wand-Lighting Charms before climbing the stairs. Over lunch, Nathaniel had mentioned that his flat was on the second floor. "Keeps me fit," he'd joked. The fitness likely came from running up the stairs to avoid being mugged by one of his dodgy neighbours.

Scorpius held his wand low to keep from impairing his vision and ascended the stairs, ready to cast a Body Bind Charm on any would-be robber. He encountered no one. A relief, he told himself, not a disappointment. In his current state of mind, he would have displaced his anger at Edgar and kicked his assailant down the stairs.

He knocked on Nathaniel's door and listened to half a dozen locks opening before his friend greeted him with a surprised smile.

The group approved plan was for him to use a Memory Charm to make Nathaniel think he'd fallen asleep reading a book, borrow clothing, and leave. Scorpius decided to modify it.

"I apologise for dropping by without notice," he said. "May I come in?"

"Of course. Of course." Nathaniel backed into a long room furnished with mismatched bookshelves crammed with books and comics, a sofa bed, and a small kitchen unit. "Did you hear about the sale at Warlock Comics?" He wore a black t-shirt with a Z made out of flames on the front.

"Zod t-shirts?" Scorpius guessed.

"Half price." Nathaniel eyed Scorpius's dinner jacket. "You didn't stop by because you were in the neighbourhood, did you?"

"No." There was no time to gradually broach the subject. "I need you to be my Secret Keeper."

Nathaniel gulped. "Did you use an Unforgivable Curse?" He held up a hand. "Tell me after the spell." Once the spell was cast, he asked, "Did you?"

Scorpius shook his head. "I'm trying to stop a group of Knights working to overthrow the current leadership."

"Your grandfather."

"And the others who value prosperity over war."

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it," Nathaniel said sadly. "We never win."

"So you'll help me?"

Nathaniel nodded, and then asked, "How?"

Scorpius removed the vial of Polyjuice Potion from his jacket pocket. "Tonight, I need to impersonate you to question someone. In the future, I'll ask you to do some . . . research . . . for me."

"The someone is Edgar, isn't it?" Nathaniel said.

Why did everyone insist on naming names? Nathaniel's sympathy was harder to take than Grandfather Lucius's anger. Scorpius smiled thinly. "That's why I'm going to pretend to be you."

"Because you're not his friend anymore."

He's still my friend. Scorpius said, "It's complicated."

Nathaniel gave him another pitying look, and then his eyes widened. "What if Edgar mentions the conversation later?"

"You'll tell him you don't know what he's talking about."

"I—I don't lie very well."

"You won't be lying." Scorpius cast the Memory Charm and dragged Nathaniel over to the sofa when he fell asleep standing up. "You'll only remember becoming my Secret Keeper and agreeing to search the records for me." He lifted Nathaniel's legs onto the sofa. "Thanks, mate."

Nathaniel didn't have an extensive wardrobe. Four sets of wizard robes, a decent suit, a few trousers and dress shirts. He probably spent all his extra Galleons on books. Scorpius put his shoes on the floor next to scuffed brown loafers, hung up his suit and cast Resizing Charms. He added the hair he'd taken from Nathaniel's robes to the Polyjuice Potion vial. Immediately, the muddy potion turned a pale cream colour. It didn't look bad. He drank the Polyjuice and smirked a little. Nathaniel was vanilla.

The magic kicked in.

Scorpius doubled over, clutching his stomach. His guts were writhing like bagged snakes trying to get free. His body was fighting the potion. He gave a sigh to relax and then took a deep breath, held it, and let it out slowly. The moment his mind and body accepted the Polyjuice, the magic slid through muscle and skin, reshaping him to match the hair added to the potion.

Scorpius viewed his reflection in the square mirror on the wall beside the door. Nathaniel's long face stared back at him. How odd to literally view the world through someone else's eyes. "You look like you've been dragged through a hedge," he said. Apparently, Polyjuice Charms had no hairstyling component. He opened his eyes a little wider. "Should I comb my hair?" He had the anxious tone and expression down. It came easy after being dorm-mates with Nathaniel for seven years. He shook his head: a quick, nervous shake. "N—no, I'm too rattled to fuss over my appearance." He dressed in a beige button up shirt and trousers that matched the scuffed loafers and left the flat.

.

He Apparated to the cracked pavement across from Goyle House. No one was around. No one visible, at any rate.

"About time." The voice belonged to George Weasley. "Standing here observing the night life in this shit-hole neighbourhood isn't how I planned to spend my evening."

"We said it wasn't date night," Albus's voice came from the same area as George's. He sounded amused.

Unseen fingers clasped Scorpius's. Rose whispered, "How did it go with Nathaniel?"

"I made a few adjustments to the plan," he whispered back. "I'll tell you later."

"What was that?" George asked.

"Everything's good," Scorpius replied. He told Rose, "Wish me luck," and let go of her hand.

George's voice followed him across the street. "Fifteen minutes!"

As if he'd forget. Scorpius got into character, swallowing hard as he lifted a hand to the serpent door knocker.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

He paced the wide front step. Knocked again. When Edgar opened the door, instead of a servant, Scorpius stammered, "Oh! Hullo. I—I need to talk to you." What he really wanted to do was punch Edgar in the face, cast a Body Bind, and haul him down to the Ministry and let Aurors pour Veritaserum down his throat, but that wouldn't help Teryn or his grandfather. He wrung his hands to keep them from curling into fists. "About Malfoy." He glanced over his shoulder as if afraid he'd been followed. "May I come in?"

Edgar backed into the entry hall.

The overpowering smell of cleaning products he remembered—Millicent Goyle didn't believe anything was disinfected if she couldn't smell chemicals—now battled against a floral room freshener spell. Marianne's doing, he was sure. The clashing odours wrinkled his nose. He shut the door and followed Edgar down a corridor to the library.

Books on the shelves were bought at an estate auction by Edgar's grandfather for decorative purposes, but Scorpius, being Nathaniel, asked, "Have you read all these?"

"No." Edgar sat on the edge of the hulking desk that dominated the room. He was still wearing wizard robes. If he hadn't been home long enough to take them off, perhaps they could still track Teryn. Edgar asked, "Which Malfoy did you want to talk about?"

"Scorpius. He—uh, came to see me." Scorpius remained standing.

Edgar stretched out a hand and opened the lid of a desktop humidor. "Cigar?"

Scorpius widened his eyes and shook his head.

"No need to look like a spooked horse," Edgar said. "They're elf-made cigars, not Muggle. Keep talking," he said while he went through the steps of lighting a match and slowly turning the cigar over the flame to "toast" the outside wrapper and binder.

"He said you're in trouble if you d—don't return what you stole."

"What kind of trouble?" Edgar blew out the short match and struck a longer wooden match to light the entire end of the cigar as he held it in his mouth.

"Aurors."

Edgar shrugged as he rotated the cigar and drew in air. Aaron's memory of three men smoking and plotting in this room flashed into Scorpius's mind. Edgar displayed the same arrogant confidence now, damn him. "They'll find what you stole and lock you away in Azkaban." It was hard to stay in character, to say anxiously instead of shouting, "You have to give it back."

Edgar exhaled, and flame shot out through the cigar. A puff of smoke came from his mouth as he asked, "Why?"

Scorpius silently cast a charm and punched Edgar's jaw when the cigar exploded. "Because I can't protect you anymore!" He went for a stomach punch since his friend's jaw was as hard as his skull.

"Expelliarmus!"

Scorpius's fist struck home. "Shield Charm," he said. "Expelliarmus!" The spell blasted Edgar's wand out of his hand and his body across the desk. He fell with a thud on the library rug. Scorpius picked up the wand.

"Wh-what are you g-g-going to d-do with th-that, N-N-N-ott?" Edgar sat up. "Give it to Harry Bloody Potter?" He said tauntingly, "You stammered too much, mate."

"No, I didn't."

"I still knew it was you. Your new best mate and I had a chat the other day about what happens to people who betray the Knights of Walpurgis. He'd piss his pants if you asked him to come here." Edgar pushed to his feet. "What'd you do? Go to his flat and use a Sleeping Charm?"

"He isn't my best mate."

"And I didn't steal anything." Edgar stood beside the desk. "A wizard came in at the end of the day and bought every bottle of Incognito Potion for a company function. He paid in Galleons and didn't identify himself or the company he works for, but Weasley will find gold and the bill of sale to prove it."

"What about the Micro-Trackingbralls?"

"Teryn gave me the first one because I said I wanted to borrow it and give it back. It was defective, anyway. The recording feature didn't work. She dropped the second one in the lab and brought me the glittery remains." Edgar smiled wryly. "Compulsion Charms can't make a person do something they don't want to do. She wanted to make me happy, but she didn't want to steal from the Weasleys."

"Prove it."

"She didn't use a spell to clean up the Trackingbrall. They'll find bits of it if they look."

"Where's Teryn?" Edgar didn't answer. Scorpius said, "Aurors can legally force Veritaserum down your throat."

"And then my wife will find out and Teryn will be dead," Edgar ground out. "Because of you."

"I'm not the one who betrayed my wife."

There was an ominous rumbling noise, and then a book launched toward Scorpius with arrow swiftness, followed by another book, and another until all the books hurled across the room like missiles locked in on a target. His Shield Charm deflected material objects, but the sheer number weakened the charm and allowed Edgar to punch him in the eye. Scorpius's head rocked back. It was like being hit with a rock covered by flesh.

"You betrayed me!" Edgar wrapped his hands around Scorpius's throat. "We could've taken over the Knights, taken on the world and you threw it all away." His fingers tightened. "You filled Teryn's head with dreams of us being normal couple."

Scorpius let his body sag, but Edgar easily held up Nathaniel's slighter weight. "Tell me why I shouldn't choke the life out of you." Edgar's words were as much plea as growl.

"We're best mates."

A tear streaked Edgar's broad face as he glared at Scorpius. "Don't you ever read those fucking comics you love so much?" His face and smile twisted. "The hero and his nemesis. Most times they're friends."

Emotional pain left Scorpius reeling in a way unmatched by physical blows. He closed his eyes and used Occlumency to lock his feelings away. He said, "Aurors are standing ready to arrest you and everyone in this house. If you care for Teryn and your mother's health, you'll let me go."

Edgar dropped his hands. "Give me my wand."

"After Aurors test it to confirm you cast no Unforgiveable Curses." He pointed to the desk. "Write and sign a statement that you give permission for that test and no other."

Edgar went to the desk and opened a drawer to retrieve a quill and piece of parchment. "Worried that they'll find I've been casting Dark spells?"

Scorpius glanced around with his left eye, since his right eye was swelling shut. "Remember that time we played Quidditch in your room and knocked all the toys off the shelves?"

"We're not children." Edgar handed him the statement. "I'm not asking you to help put things to rights anymore."

"No, you're not." He turned his back on the mess in the library.

.

A chorus of gasps greeted his return. The Aurors had arrived.

Rose became visible a heartbeat before she threw her arms around him. "You're hurt!"

"A trifling quarrel over the definition of the word nemesis," Scorpius replied. He held up the wand and parchment. "Edgar Goyle denies all charges and handed over his wand to prove that he didn't use the Imperius Curse to force anyone to steal or do anything else." His voice was raspy from Edgar's chokehold.

Harry Potter countered his Disillusionment Charm. "Everyone else stay as you are. I prefer our numbers remain undetected." He asked Scorpius, "Goyle wasn't coerced?"

Didn't his appearance make that obvious? "He freely wrote and signed this statement allowing testing for Unforgivable Curses." Scorpius gave him the parchment and wand.

"What about—"

"I will answer that question at a more appropriate location." It was more important to keep Teryn's name off Auror radar than to be polite and not interrupt. He asked Rose, "Will you help me?"

"Always." She Apparated once he'd gripped her arm.

.

"Young master Scorpius is not himself," Kreacher said after opening the door.

"We can all see that," Rose snapped.

"Know any Healing Charms?" Scorpius asked. His throat had swollen to the point he could barely whisper.

"Kreacher casts them many times after he punishes himself," the elf said in a tone that combined pain with fond reminiscence. "Kreacher casts them for others Mistress punished too."

Rose slid her arm around Scorpius's waist and half-dragged him inside. "Please do whatever you can."

"It will hurt," Kreacher said.

Scorpius managed to smile. "Like cures like." Kreacher took his hand and the world exploded into red hot pain, then darkness.

.

.

A/N: Years ago, I watched a film called Unbreakable, where Bruce Willis's mild mannered character, the only survivor of a train wreck, meets a man who tells him he's a superhero, and at the end of the movie, when he's saved people and discovered that his "friend" caused fires and train wrecks searching for someone like him, he's told: In a comic, you know how you can tell who the arch-villain's going to be? He's the exact opposite of the hero. And most times they're friends, like you and me! I thought, "Oh, shit, that's Edgar and Scorpius." Edgar isn't a killer, though, so maybe Scorpius has a right to quarrel over the definition of nemesis.

I'd planned for next chapter to be the last chapter, but I'm pretty sure there will be another chapter and then an epilogue, because, well, you'll see. :)

Thanks so much to everyone who read the last chapter and special thanks to everyone who reviewed: alix33, blank, Connected-by-a-Semicolon, ctc, fynnsmom, Leena7, Needle In A Haystack, nobodysperfect2133, not used anymore sorry, Rose of the West, VandyFNP and Yami Umi.

ETA: Almost forgot! Inkvines are from the Dune universe, where they're used for whips. I made them carnivorous here, but couldn't resist giving them whip like tendrils in homage. :D