Hermione looked up as Harry entered her office. "Hello. What are you doing all the way over here?"

The Law and Justice Department was on the same floor as the Auror headquarters, but on the opposite end of the Ministry. Hermione's small office was so packed with books that it was difficult to find a place to stand, let alone sit.

"I needed a walk."

"You and Tom having problems?" she asked, shifting a stack of notes on her desk in search of something. "I thought you two were getting along again."

"We were — we are."

Hermione paused in her hunt.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," said Harry, honestly.

For the first time since the war, everything was absolutely okay. There hadn't been a single attack, Kingsley had somehow managed to smooth everything over with the Zabinis and he and Tom were good again.

Hermione folded her arms, studying him. "So why do I get the feeling that you don't believe that?"

Harry stared at her for a full second and then blurted, "Because something bad always happens."

"Maybe not this time."

"You know me," Harry replied flatly. "When has that ever been the case?"

Hermione smiled at him fondly and returned to her search.

"What are you looking for?"

"A toxicology report. I could have sworn I got it—"

A knock on the door had them both looking around.

"Hey, Eddie."

"Hi," said Eddie brightly. He held out a folder to Hermione. "You asked for this?"

"Yes!" she cried in relief. "Thank you. I was going crazy trying to find it." She flipped it open.

Eddie turned to Harry. "You going to the party?"

"I hadn't really thought about it," Harry admitted. The upcoming Ministry Halloween Party was not at the forefront of his mind.

"You should," said Hermione without looking up from her report. "Ron and I are."

"You are?" said Harry.

Hermione nodded. "Ron's looking forward to finally putting faces to all the names he keeps hearing."

"I don't know," said Harry. "I'm not really a party person."

Eddie looked surprised. "Oh, I just assumed because Tom's going that you would be too. You two do everything together."

Harry stood straighter. "Tom's going?"

Tom was going to the Ministry Halloween Party? Tom?

"Yeah. I saw him ask Maybelle. He didn't say anything?"

"No." Harry could feel Hermione's eyes on him. He cleared his throat and, as casually as he could, exited, feeling a sudden burning urge to kick something. Fully intending on questioning Tom, Harry marched back to the department, but the moment he walked into their cubicle, he found Tom in the act of pulling on the cloak he wore for travel and an entirely different question sprang from Harry's mouth.

"Where are you going?"

"Denmark." Tom wrapped a scarf around his neck. "There might be a lead on Nott and I know a few sources there that could be of assistance."

"Okay," said Harry, reaching for his own scarf hanging on a hook over the wastepaper basket.

"I'm going alone."

"What? Why?"

"Because these sources would sniff you out in a heartbeat, even if you were transfigured. I'll be quicker than anyone else. I know what questions to ask and how to ask them. Robards agrees."

"Oh." The fact that Robards was on Tom's side did not lighten Harry's mood. He found himself wondering whether Tom would have sought him out to tell him he was leaving or whether he would have just left a three word note on his desk. It bothered Harry that he didn't know the answer. "When do you think you'll be back?"

"Hard to tell."

"In time for the Halloween party?" Harry asked.

Tom looked at him oddly.

"I know you asked Maybelle," Harry clarified.

The corner of Tom's mouth twitched upward. "Word travels fast in these parts."

"Word travels fast when the messenger's Eddie."

Tom pushed his desk draw shut, locking it with a tap of his wand. "My sources are particularly suspicious individuals and they're already going to be hesitant toward me as they don't know me in this form, so I won't be able to floo-call or send owl post while I'm there."

Harry nodded, wondering why this news made his chest constrict. "Be careful," he said. "Don't do anything I wouldn't."

Tom's smile was a flash. As he walked past him out of their cubicle, his hand brushed Harry's. It was swift — just a bump of knuckles against knuckles — and the urge to reach out and grab Tom's hand caught Harry completely off guard. Tom didn't seem to notice that they'd touched. He continued walking, exiting the department and heading for the lifts without a single glance back.

.

.

It was the longest twelve days of Harry's life. He knew he was driving Hermione and Ron crazy, but he couldn't stop himself.

"Twelve days," he ranted in Ron's flat. "What's he been doing for twelve days?"

"I don't know," said Ron dully. "Working?" He was testing a fresh batch of trick wands. He gave one a wave. With a loud squeal, it turned into a rubber pig. He added it to the growing stack of farm animals on the floor. "Maybe those sources are giving him the run around. Who d'you reckon they are?"

"People that Tom Riddle knows?" said Hermione darkly, looking up from her book. "No one I'd want to meet."

Even though Tom had stated he wouldn't get in touch, Harry kept his window open, but the only feathery visitors who came were from Ginny and then, on Halloween morning, a free sample advertisement of Mrs. Skower's All-Purpose Magical Mess Remover.

.

.

Under different circumstances Harry wouldn't have gone to the Ministry party. It was the sort of event he tended to avoid, but Tom might be there, so Harry put on his dress robes, stepped into his fireplace and zoomed to the Ministry in a swirl of ash and smoke.

Packed and noisy, the Atrium seemed half its normal size. Harry felt intensely out of place. A stage had been erected in one corner and a band of tuxedo-wearing wizards played an upbeat two-step. Trays loaded with wine and finger food floated lazily on their own through the crowd. Before joining the Aurors, Harry hadn't been aware that the Ministry held yearly parties: Halloween, Christmas, New Years. Nearly everyone was there. Harry even spotted Unspeakable Braff in a tacky, orange bow tie, eating fistfuls of nuts.

Harry scanned the crowd, but he didn't see Tom. What if something had happened?

"Harry, you came!" Eddie greeted warmly.

"Yeah," said Harry. "Have you seen Tom?"

"Can't say I have. Want a drink?"

"Butterbeer's fine," said Harry, already wishing that he hadn't bothered to come and formulating possible excuses to depart. As Eddie passed him one from a tray, Harry spotted Ron's flaming red hair.

"Thanks," said Harry. "I just spotted someone. I'll see you."

Something shifted on Eddie's face. Was it annoyance? But he let Harry leave without comment. After slowly making his way along the edge of the crowd — the center being devoted to dancing — Harry reached Ron and Hermione. They both held drinks and were laughing at something Rolf had just said.

"You decided to come after all!" Hermione rejoiced, seeing him.

"Yeah."

"Rolf was just telling us about the time a crate load of invisible toads escaped in his flat," said Ron, snickering.

"Complete nightmare," said Rolf with a shiver. "Kept finding them in my sheets."

"You know, that's a great idea for the joke shop," said Ron. "Have you met my brother, George?"

Only half listening, Harry's eyes scanned the crowd for a tall, black haired figure. His heart jumped. Tom stood along the opposite wall, near the Fountain of Magical Brethren. He mumbled something to the others and took off, weaving his way across the room.

Tom spotted him as he drew near.

"You're back!" said Harry. At once, he scanned him for signs of injury, but Tom was as smooth and put together as ever. Perhaps it was the long time without seeing him, but Harry felt he looked more handsome than usual.

"Just in time to change," said Tom.

"Did you find out anything?"

Tom drank from his wine glass.

"Nott was most certainly there, posing as someone else under Polyjuice Potion, but he'd moved out by the time I'd tracked down the hotel. He could be anywhere now."

"I'm not worried," said Harry. "We'll catch him."

"If only I'd made him a Death Eater, this all would be far easier," Tom grumbled. "Which of course I have no intention of doing," he clarified. "To anyone. Ever again."

Harry couldn't stop grinning. He felt light and bright, as if he'd swallowed sunshine. The fact that Maybelle was nowhere to be seen only intensified the glow in his chest.

"Where's Maybelle?" Harry asked casually.

"Powdering her nose, or something like that."

"So, are you two together?" Harry asked.

Tom looked at him as if he'd uttered a bad joke.

"No."

"Oh." The warm bubble of happiness doubled in size. "Because you know it's fine."

"I know it's fine," said Tom. "Did Eddie convince you to come?" he asked, suddenly brisk.

Harry nodded.

"You should dance with him."

Harry, having just taken a slug of butterbeer, choked. "I don't dance."

Tom looked at him curiously. "You did with me."

And just like that, the Atrium dissolved away and Harry was back in the Carcerem: Tom's arms wrapping around him, pulling him flush, their steps moving in time to the gramophone, Harry laughing at his own awkwardness.

His voice sounded far away to his own ears. "You got me drunk."

"Then maybe you should trade that out for something stronger," Tom suggested. He exchanged Harry's butterbeer for a glass of Champagne. With a smile, Tom crossed the floor toward Maybelle, who'd just reappeared. He said something to her that made her laugh; the sound carried all the way to Harry. And as Tom pulled her onto the dance floor, one arm snaking around her waist, the glowing bubble in Harry's chest turned to lead and then, a moment later, he felt that he'd been slapped.

What was he doing?

He'd ended it with Tom. What was he doing feeling …

Jealous.

"Everything okay?"

Harry turned. Again, Eddie had found him. Maybe Tom was right. Maybe Eddie did like him that way and all this time Harry had misread it. As he took in Eddie's freckled, boyish face, Harry wondered if he really was attracted to men after all. Or if he'd only ever been attracted to one.

"Yeah. Yeah, everything's fine," Harry replied. "Listen, Eddie, I hope this doesn't come across as weird, but I'm not looking for … that is …"

Merlin, how did he find himself in these situations? As he tried to come up with the right words, a figure appeared in the crowd behind Eddie's shoulder. A person who looked an awful lot like—

"Harry!" Eddie shouted from the crowd, pale faced and terrified. "That's not me! It's—"

The Champagne glass shattered on the floor as Harry's hand plunged into his robes, but the impersonator was quicker. He grabbed Harry, twisting one of his arms behind his back, spinning him around so Harry's back was against his chest. Something flashed and Harry found a knife pressed to his throat.

"Nott?" Harry gasped.

"You're not getting away this time," Nott breathed in his ear.

The band abruptly halted. Alarmed, the crowd backed away, giving Nott and Harry a pocket of space as Tom, Maybelle, Ron, Hermione, the real Eddie and half a dozen others swarmed closer, Kingsley and Robards amongst them, their wands all trained on the little bit of Nott they could see around Harry.

"It's Nott, sir!" Eddie said. "He jumped me in my flat."

"Drop the knife, Nott!" Kingsley ordered.

"There's no way you're getting out of here, son," said Robards.

"That isn't how I see it," said Nott as the guests scattered, rushing the floos. The rest fanned out, trying to get a straight shot at Nott. "How I see it is that you're going to step aside and let me and Potter take a walk. Unless you don't mind me cutting his throat here and now?"

"Killing me is not going to get your father out of Azkaban," Harry snarled.

"I'm not going to kill you, Potter," Nott whispered in his ear. "I'm going to take you to the Dark Lord and let him do it. He'll rise again with me by his side and he'll tear that prison to the ground."

Harry's eyes cut to Tom.

"Voldemort's gone, Nott," Harry said through clenched teeth.

Nott laughed in his ear. "The Dark Lord isn't dead, Potter. You haven't beaten him."

"Then where is he?" Harry demanded as the knife's edge dug into his throat. Nott dragged him backward as Tom and the others pressed forward. "Where's he been all this time? He's done, Nott. He's finished. He's left you and —"

Harry inhaled sharply as Nott pressed the knife against his neck with such force that he felt blood trickle down.

"The Dark Lord is not a deserter," Nott hissed. "You shut you're filthy mouth."

"Look at the facts, Nott," Harry continued harshly, wildly. He had to keep Nott distracted. Eddie, Robards, Ron, Hermione and Maybelle shifted around his left while Tom slipped nearer the splashing fountain to the right. "He ran away from the battle. He hasn't been seen in six months."

The knife in Nott's hand trembled with fury, but Harry bit back against the pain. As long as Nott was fixated on him—

"Stop right there!" Nott shouted. Ron and Hermione froze. The entire Atrium was nearly empty, glasses and napkins scattered like confetti on the floor, instruments left abandoned on the stage. "Move any closer —"

"This isn't the way, Nott," Robards growled.

Out of the corner of Harry's eye, he saw Tom raise his wand, pointing it at Nott from around the fountain. He had a clear shot, but something shimmered behind Tom, drawing Harry's attention. Something winked into focus. A bone-white, monstrous creature with sightless, empty sockets for eyes.

"Look out!" Harry shouted. Tom turned and the monster, now as tall as a giant, leapt clean over him, over the fountain, straight at Harry.

Terrified, Nott screamed, releasing Harry and scrambling backward. Too distracted by the sudden appearance of the monster, no one stopped Nott from vanishing into the nearest floo. Harry extracted his wand from his pocket just in time –

"Protego!"

A glistening shield erupted around him seconds before the monster made contact. It hit Harry's barrier and his wand hand shook from the impact. The monster opened its formless, gaping mouth wide and placed a massive hand upon the shield, the three-foot long spines along is back standing on end. At once, Harry felt his shield weaken, the magic draining away. Gritting his teeth, he redoubled his efforts, gripping his wand with both hands and focusing everything he had to keep the barrier up. Fleetingly, Harry saw the others attack the creature, but it paid them no attention. They were like gnats to it. The monster rested its other long-fingered hand upon the shield and Harry felt every bone in his body shudder under the weight. A hoarse, rattling sound came from its mouth that reminded Harry of a dementor, but worse. A hundred times worse. Pinpricks of light appeared in the creature's empty eye sockets. They latched onto Harry, sucking him in. His wand shuddered. The shield flickered —

The monster's weight suddenly vanished. The shield collapsed and Harry crashed to the floor, his legs giving out.

"Harry!" Hermione shouted, rushing to him. "Harry, are you all right?"

"What … what …" Through a haze of exhaustion, Harry stared up at the creature, not understanding why it had stopped its attack. But then his brain caught up with his eyes. A new shield had sprung up, this one encircling the monster like a bubble. On the polished wooden floor were golden tiles that Harry had never seen before. They glowed with a faint blue light. The creature touched the barrier and the tiles turned a brighter blue. The bubble glistened. It retracted its hand as if burned.

Ron and Rolf helped him stand. His legs shook.

"What is that thing?" Rolf gasped.

"What's been eating your bowtruckles," said Harry.

Rolf's eyes were huge as he took in the creature.

"That's what attacked you in Blaise's house?" said Hermione, horrified.

Harry nodded.

"Everyone get back!"

Braff marched forward, his face livid. He looked laughably minuscule beside the monster.

"What are they?" Kingsley asked, pointing at the glowing tiles. "How are they keeping it at bay?"

"Jaspis," Braff explained. "It's the only thing that keeps these things quiet. Lucky I decided to put them in my pocket tonight."

"You know what that thing is?" Harry asked.

Braff glared at him. "Oh, I know exactly what it is. We've had one before. Was a lot smaller, mind, but just as lethal. Recognized it at once from Thorne's memory. Good thing someone decided to share," he added acidly.

Tom stepped around the creature, studying it. "It's grown."

"They do that," Braff growled. "The more they eat, the bigger they get. We call them Light Leeches. They're like black holes. We've sensed their presence in our work with portals and dimensions, but the first time we made contact with one was fifteen years ago. Stumbled through a portal we'd managed to locate. Runt of a thing. Barely bigger than a house elf. But it didn't take long before it starting eating any bit of magic it could get its grubby hands on."

"Incredible," Rolf whispered. He released Harry and took a step closer. The Leech did not touch the barrier again. It merely stood and watched them all with that same tilted head of curiosity, but its eyes … its sightless eyes never shifted from Harry.

Why, Harry wondered. Why do you want me?

"How did you get rid of it?" asked Robards.

"Forced it back through the portal it came in through," said Braff. "Which is why it's not the best of news that those Elladora Works got blasted to bits."

"But you just said you study portals," said Ron. "You can open one and push this one through!"

"Do you see how big this mother is?" barked Braff, jabbing an angry thumb over his shoulder. "Even if I found a portal big enough to suck it in, I wouldn't risk it. The bigger entryways are, the more activity they have. Doors open both ways, boy. Something even worse might come through."

"So we keep it contained?" said Tom.

"The jaspis tiles will keep it locked up," Braff assured them. "Without a food source, it'll start to weaken. When it shrinks down again, I'll deal with it."

"Can we move it?" asked Kingsley.

Braff shook his head "Afraid not, Minister. If I shift a tile, the cage breaks. It has to stay here."

"In the Atrium?" said Rolf. "For how long?"

"Like I said, I've never seen one this big before. Might be days. Might be weeks. What I want to know," said Braff, turning and looking right at Harry, "is why, in a room full of witches and wizards, did it go for you, Potter? It did just the same in the Zabini cellar. They don't latch onto one food source like that."

"I told you how Potter fell into one of the Elladora Works," said Robards. "That's where he met it."

"You sure?" said Braff. "You sure that was the first time?"

"I don't make a habit of falling into artwork, Braff," Harry snapped.

"What about artifacts?" asked Braff silkily. "Because there's one in my office that's got your name all over it."

"The Carcerem was discovered by Professor Snape," said Kingsley sharply. "He confiscated it from a student as I have already told you, Braff."

"That artifact had been activated," said Braff stubbornly. "Activated at Hogwarts on the same day You-Know-Who fled. I don't believe in coincidences. Not when it comes to you, Potter. Light Leeches! Dimensional prisons landing on my desk! You-Know-Who vanishing without a trace!"

Behind Braff, Tom was very still.

"Why haven't you joined the team tasked with tracking down You-Know-Who?" Braff demanded, advancing on Harry. "You don't seem remotely interested in whether he's arrested or not."

"Braff," said Kingsley in warning.

Braff ignored him.

"Two people went into the Carcerem during the battle — I know that for a fact, Potter. It doesn't take a genius to guess who the Carcerem would deem the most volatile pair on the grounds."

"Braff!"

"Did you let You-Know-Who go, Potter?" Braff snarled, inches from Harry's face. "Have you been keeping him safe all this time? Because if you have, you're as much of a traitor as —"

"Unspeakable Braff!" Kingsley's voice was like a whip.

A sneer that would have made Snape proud twisted Braff's lips. He turned away from Harry, addressing Kingsley.

"The Ministry should be put on lock down while the Leech is here, Minister. My team will see to guarding it."

"You will have whatever resources you need," said Kingsley, though he looked upon Braff with extreme dislike. He turned to Harry who was still half supported by Ron. "Do you need to see a Healer?"

Harry shook his head.

"Go home," Kingsley ordered. "We'll see to this."

.

.

A/N: There we have it! The big reveal! This is what I'd planned all along. Hope you lot aren't too disappointed that the monster isn't a mush up of Voldemort's mangled soul, though that really is a wicked idea. Someone should jump on that.