Many thanks to those who reviewed, as my flow of ideas for writing have thusly been unhindered by lack of motivation. Many suggestions, ranging from quite humorous to insightful were given, and I am appreciative for them all. Enjoy the new section. ~F

Chapter Twenty Six

Prison Break

Draco was quite unsurprised when he failed to find Harry on the train as it departed the Hogsmeade Station, but he was still disappointed regardless. He did not so much as fret per say, but he did find it concerning that the powerful warlock was still more than willing to allow Dumbledore to have his way, almost as though Harry feared what the old man might do. It was too eerily familiar to the rumors that he had heard regarding the Dark Lord and his age old fear of the Hogwart's Headmaster.

Draco barely paid any attention to those around him during the journey back to London, only snapping out of his musings when the train signaled that it had pulled into platform Nine and Three Quarters. The others made no inclination whether they noticed his mood, but as he departed from them and reached his parents on the platform, Draco knew that his father spotted the concern in his eyes instantly.

Without a word regarding it, the Malfoy patriarch escorted his family home, only giving token greetings to those families that were closely allied with his before they returned to the manor. Draco knew that his mother would want an in depth description of everything that had occurred during the now ended school year, but one exchanged glance with her husband and she walked away, knowing that father and son had something important to discuss outside of her presence.

They didn't even bother going into his father's study, which implied to Draco that Lucius suspected exactly what was on his son's mind. "Potter was restricted to the castle by Dumbledore, was he not?" the older man said without preamble, to which Draco could only nod.

"He has already made me aware of his plans, and when the time is right he will return to u on his owns," Lucius stated, which sparked Draco interest. It had all been part of a larger plan? "Actually, due to a few recent breakthroughs, he may be joining us far sooner than even he suspects…" Lucius continued, smirking openly.

"Why is that, father?" Draco asked, but Lucius merely shook his head.

"You will see soon enough, be satisfied to know that we have had to make several powerful upgrades to the wards to protect Potter when he does escape the castle, changes that will make it difficult, if not impossible for Dumbledore to come here and take him back." he said, before lowering his voice conspiratorially. "This is new territory we're entering, and it's both frightening and thrilling to see the Malfoy family openly supporting a powerful figure like this boy. It brings back all the magnificence of the Dark Lord without the secrets and threats of the past. We will prosper, even if we must make a few sacrifices along the way. Always remember that."

Lucius then straightened up, and strode away with a small smile, leaving his son with more questions than answers. What were Harry and his father planning, and what did it have to do with the letter he had delivered to Harry back at Hogwarts just before the last few days of term?

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Albus could feel the building up of rage throughout the entire castle. Gratefully, the majority of the Professors that would have any inclination of what was truly going on were away for their long deserved holiday, leaving just a bare skeleton of staff here to manage things over the summer. Severus had remained, as was his normal practice, but still, the magnitude of magical backlashes when Harry was in one of his new moods would be enough that even Sybill up in her tower ought to be able to feel it, although in her state she probably thought it was ill omen coming to her through her own abilities, despite their lackluster nature.

Albus knew that Harry had good reasons to be veritably upset, as he was much more literally being kept prisoner this time, but Albus had to do what was safe for not only the boy himself, but the rest of the world. And having a powerful wild card out roaming free wherever he pleased, and doing whatsoever he liked, was both irresponsible and downright foolish on Albus' part.

To take his mind off the current predicament that he had placed the castle in, Albus threw himself into studying the boy from every aspect that he had encountered up to the present, meaning much review of his own memories in the pensieve. He knew that there could have been something else that he might've missed during one of the many interactions he had with Harry, something that the boy had let slip, meaningless at the time, but not very much pronounced with the revelation of the breadth of his dark knowledge.

Again and again, Albus dove into the past, but frustratingly he continued to find little. More and more of the times that Harry fell silent seemed to add together, painting a picture of some unknown figure that he was intentionally shielding from Albus' scrutiny. Fallen away was the idealized picture of a Merlin taught Harry, wielding magic of the ancients, and what replaced it was something all too frightening and terrible to comprehend. Could it have been some Dark Lord that had found the boy, stealing the defeater of Voldemort to raise him to up supplant him as the most dangerous Dark Wizard of their century?

It seemed plausible, but like before rang with a clarion call of doubt that made everything shrouded in mystery and questions, ones that lacked answers from the most direct of means. Albus had just leaped into the memory of his first meeting with Harry, for about the fifth or sixth time, when he paused. Something odd came to his mind as he watched the pair of wizards communicate through written words in the air. While he now recognized the fiery green of dark magic that Harry used to write, it was the contents that had caught his attention, when first contacted in the Gaelic that had been so similar to his own language.

"Who is Harry?" the counter question shot through Albus like a knife. At the time, he had felt the pain of loss that the boy had not known his own name, but had pressed on, too overjoyed at being able to communicate with him to think more on the actual words that had been said.

But now… if he had not been called by name, wherever he was, then who truly was Harry Potter? The boy seemed to have readily accepted his true name, but had admitted much later to the use of personas, especially when tricking the Tom Riddle that lived within Voldemort's diary. Had Harry merely allowed them to use his name, and adapted a new persona to fit their expectations, all the while keeping his true self shielded from their gaze. Had they fallen for the simplest of tricks, in seeing only what they had expected, or desperately wanted, to see?

Unfortunately, approaching Harry at this current moment was most unwise, as another spike of magic radiated through the castle as the soon-to-be teenager's rage peaked once again. All in all, Albus was pleased that his monitoring charm had not sounded the alarm that Dark Magic had been used yet, which was a good sign that Harry, or whatever name he used for himself, was staying in excellent control despite his anger.

Still, Albus hoped that the boy calmed down soon, within the week at least, so that he would have time to actually speak with the boy before the entire school launched into its yearly summer cleaning and reinforcement of the wards.

Not even laying the matter aside for the moment brought Albus any peace of mind, as there were still many unanswered questions regarding the moment, such as what Lucius was planning regarding the failure of the boy to arrive on the platform with his own son. It was clear that Harry, for lack of a more proper name, had indeed managed to sneak a letter through Albus' grip before the full lockdown upon his mail went in force, and the Pureblood knew that he wouldn't be receiving his expected guest, as the man made no fuss regarding it as of yet in the Ministry.

This was probably even more worrying than if Lucius had brought the matter before Fudge or the school governors, as it meant that he had partially expected it and had some sort of plan to get his way regardless. The only problem with that scenario was that Albus couldn't see how Lucius would expect to be able to reclaim Harry on his own, unless he was enlisted fellow free Death Eaters to assist him in some sort of operation.

Even that route was still fraught with peril, for them. Not only was Hogwarts well protected, but the ramifications legally would make even Lucius' overflowing vaults wither and die within a month. But then what were they up to? From what informants he had left in the Ministry, Albus knew that Lucius was meeting with many people regarding upgrades to his spacious manor house in Wiltshire, creating a powerful network of wards and defenses to secure the property to all but his expressly invited guests. Could he be planning for the return of Voldemort perhaps?

Albus doubted it. There was a reason that Lucius had jumped ship the first moment he had after Tom was presumably killed at Godric's Hollow. He had neither truly cared for his lord, nor the man's brutal tactics. In a sense, Albus had to concede that Lucius was a far better man than even Voldemort, after a fashion. The Malfoy family wouldn't be going out of their way to prepare for his return, and even when Tom did, he wouldn't find them the most faithful of his servants.

Maybe there was truth within this thought however Albus mused. Lucius could be reading the signs, and figuring that Voldemort was not as gone as he'd like him to be. Perhaps, just maybe, he was preparing his household for the inevitable return of the lord he despised to serve, so that they could hide out and withstand the summons that would no doubt be sent when Voldemort called for his slaves to return to him on their knees.

It was a long shot, but perhaps Albus had misjudged Lucius in that regard. Perhaps a few specifically worded letters were in order, to determine if Lucius would be willing to defect from Voldemort's side complete, and join the Order of the Phoenix as another spy. He would have Severus take care of that matter, as the Potions master was far closer to the Malfoys than Albus could ever hope to be.

He was startled out of his thoughts as a jolt of magic shot through his arm, coming from the monitor he had attached to Harry. Apparently the boy's patience had worn out, and he had used dark magic to destroy the charm utterly. It wouldn't matter, Albus had feared and therefore prepared for the eventuality that he would have to restrict the boy's magical ability for a time, until calm and control was learned. It was just good that it would hopefully not interfere with Harry's school work, although if he failed to prove himself trustworthy over the summer, Albus wasn't sure if he could in good conscious remove the block for the next school year.

Drawing the Elder Wand from his sleeve, just in case, Albus hurried to Ravenclaw Tower, where the blasts of angry magic had been taking place for weeks on end into the summer holiday.

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Nobu'tan had smiled as he spotted the Malfoy owl sitting on the windowsill of his dormitory one summer day. The bird had no message, but was in and of itself a message. Lucius was ready for his arrival whenever Nobu'tan was prepared to make his escape. He had been growing greatly restless, his anger and frustration at the situation creating literal explosions of magic into the leylines of the school, which he knew that Dumbledore could sense with ease.

Let the man think what he will, he would not be ready for what was about to happen this day. Working quickly, Nobu'tan gathered all his belongings and stowed them inside the multiple compartment trunk he had purchased, shrinking it to fit within his own pocket. He would have wanted to collect his other things down in the dungeons, but that would arouse too much suspicion if he suddenly came and took all of those as well, especially with Snape's charm on the door of the room telling him when Nobu'tan came and went.

It was little matter, as he had the important items from there on him at all times, his finished inks and potions, as well as his enchanting rod, so he could easily begin again at Malfoy Manor. Positioning himself at the door of Ravenclaw Tower, Nobu'tan checked the corridor to see if it was clear, and finding himself alone, acted in haste.

The charm was easily devoured by a burst of fel energy, and even as the signal sped to Dumbledore, Nobu'tan bolted for the hidden room to recover the cursed Diadem from within. Now that he was free of the monitor, he could take the object with little detection, aside from whatever dark magic had been placed upon it by Voldemort, but he would deal with that when the time was right. Locating the item quickly, Nobu'tan threw a sack over it, before shrinking it magically to join the trunk in his pocket.

He was only emerging from the corridor, a satisfied look on his face, when Dumbledore appeared between him and Ravenclaw Tower. Sensing it more than hearing the man, Nobu'tan was aware that Snape had taken up position behind him, supposedly blocking any escape down the corridor.

"I have to say I am impressed that you managed to control yourself thus far Harry…" Dumbledore said chidingly, as though to a small child. "But you know what I must do now that you purposely broke my charm with Dark Magic."

"And I suppose you have no idea about how that's not going to happen…" Nobu'tan responded with a smirk, even as he subtly build up his fel magic within himself, keeping it out of the air around him so that neither wizard could detect it before it was too late.

"Now now, Harry, you know that we cannot allow you to use such magic, especially when the students return next year, so it really is for the best." Dumbledore continued, but Nobu'tan had heard enough.

"No, I think not…" he said, still standing confidently, even as he sensed Snape starting to approach him from behind, perhaps for forcefully restrain him so that Dumbledore could perform his charm. He wouldn't allow them even that much. Shocking the pair of them, he thrust a hand out behind him and threw a jet of fel fire at the Potions Master. The man dodged, but the young warlock was already moving, unleashing demonic power to begin tearing open a hole in reality to permit his escape.

Dumbledore became a blur of motion as well, spells to incapacitate and bind flying from his wand in droves, but Nobu'tan summoned Quzkol with a flick of the wrist, and the little imp wove its own power to singe the flying bolts of magic right out of the air.

"What on earth is that?" Dumbledore said in surprise, eyes wide behind his spectacles as he watched the imp weave its tail around Nobu'tan arm and shoulder for support as he stood on his master.

"Something more than you can comprehend…" the warlock said sinisterly, even as his portal neared finishing. "I do have to thank you both though," Nobu'tan added to buy a few more moments, "my progress to complete the portals that will change this world forever would never have gotten as far without the advice that I received from those professors not trying to manipulate me to their own ends…"

"Harry…" Dumbledore said, but even as he attempted to step closer, Quzkol fired a small fireball at his feet, halting the Headmaster in his tracks, "what are you?" he finished slowly.

"I suppose as battle lines have been drawn at last, some level of openness is to be expected…" Nobu'tan said, sliming as the portal formed, the shadowy hands pulling the tear wider so he could pass through it. "I am Nobu'tan, warlock of the Stormreaver clan, apprentice to the most powerful wielder of Black Magic in the many worlds, Gul'dan, Darkness Incarnate himself!"

And, leaving the pair of wizards with that small flare of information that would prove useless to them, Nobu'tan stepped into the rift, turning to watch as Dumbledore rushed toward him as the gateway sealed itself closed.

Smiling widely to himself, he glanced around the spacious entrance hall of Malfoy Manor, glad that there was no one present to betray his location to the old man as the portal collapsed. But now that he was here, he reached out to touch and gain a feel for the new wards and defenses. They were good, but severely incomplete to one who was trained in the Arcane and Fel arts.

"So, this is the new digs?" Quzkol commented as Nobu'tan carried him upon his shoulder up to the same room he had dwelt in previously. For some reason it seemed that the Malfoys were out of the house for a time, so the warlock had plenty of freedom to arrange his items. The house elves kept their distance, having already once been on the receiving end of his magic when they surprised him.

After that, he chose to wait for his hosts to return, as it would be rather impolite to start making changes to their defensive network without their consent… or at least their knowledge. The main parlor was a good place to relax and wait, with the imp having strict instructions to not destroy everything around them, which the creature obeyed with great reluctance.

Soon enough, although it was edging toward evening, the sharp sound of apparation was heard out in the entrance hall, followed by the voices of the three Malfoys. Another crack signaled the arrival of a house elf to its masters, followed by the muttering speak of the elf, probably announcing his previous arrival and current location.

And sure enough, not a few moments later, the three occupants of the house entered the parlor to see Nobu'tan there, seated in one of the large, wing-back leather chairs, Quzkol dancing about his ankles. "Lucius, Narcissa, Draco… pleasant evening I presume?" Nobu'tan said, nodding to each of them in greeting.

"Ah, Mr. Potter…" Narcissa said, concern flashing across her face as to how he had entered their home without their express permission, the same as Draco, although the latter was more in awe rather than surprised. Lucius, already aware of the abilities that Nobu'tan possessed to come and go as he pleased, merely nodded in return.

"I see your plans are already in motion." He said in response, silencing both his wife and son from whatever questions they may have had to ask.

"Indeed they have, Lucius," Nobu'tan said, "and I am pleased with the upgrades you have made with your defenses. As far as wizards are concerned, this place is heavily fortified, however. There are other ways, other magic that one could use to gain entry, such as myself for example, and I hope you do not mind if I personally add to the wards to block and mitigate the power that such talents could have in breaching you most noble home, especially if they seek me personally."

Narcissa looked extremely surprised at Nobu'tan, which was to make sense as she had been kept out of any and all conversations regarding his abilities or talents, but Lucius merely nodded. "Immediately, or can we wait till tomorrow?" was all he asked.

"We ought to be safe for one evening, while Dumbledore scrambles to figure out what exactly I did to escape his precious clutches." Nobu'tan permitted, understanding that the man probably had quite a bit to discuss with his wife regarding all of these developments. "Nevertheless, I will be adding some… security, to patrol the grounds for the night, just in case the old man is quicker on the uptake than I suspect."

Lucius said nothing, but Draco paled slightly at the implications that the simple sentence indicated. Without waiting, Nobu'tan rose from his chair and departed the room, pausing momentarily to partially bow to Narcissa as he exited the room, but the woman's eyes were upon the form of Quzkol the entire time.

None followed him as he exited the front door of the manor, stepping down into the spacious grounds. Gathering what magic he felt safe to use, and feeling that the wards would shield his casting from outside detections, the young human warlock set to his work, unleashing the newest form of servants that he could command: the Felguard.

From his portals poured impressively tall humanoids, all male in appearance, with heavy armor upon them and great two handed weapons in their hands. Cruel and destructive, the Felguard were the legions first line of soldiers, intended to hammer the front lines of their foes while other, more powerful demons bided their time for the right moment. Naturally, Nobu'tan had one bound servant of this breed of demon, but for the evening he wanted the extra protection, and while taxing on his magic reserves and strength, having a larger compliment of demons would be the edge they needed if anyone came calling.

Soon they would be a permanent feature of the Manor, but that hinged upon what spells and enchantments he could safely add to the ward stones once Lucius took Nobu'tan to them. as it was so late already, the young warlock took his leave once the Felguard were given their instructions, he chose to retire to his room and regain the energy that he had used in both escaping and summoning the protection roaming outside. There would be much more to do soon, and he needed to keep his strength high. With a small shudder, Nobu'tan realized that sweets would be ideal for assisting him very soon, regardless of how awful they tasted.

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Lucius knew from the look in his wife's eye that he had quite a bit of explaining to do, although he was certain that she would approve of this alliance far more than she had to serving the Dark Lord. Narcissa had always been a true pureblood at heart, proud of her heritage and supportive of the ideals that the Dark Lord had spoken of, but she was also a strong member of the Black family, and there were ties to her relatives that extended deeper than even blood status could. Despite her own sister, Andromeda, marrying a muggleborn wizard, Narcissa still kept correspondence with her, cordially maintaining her love for her own kin. And as Nobu'tan was by blood their relative, through his own grandmother on the Potter side, Lucius was confident that he could convince Narcissa that this was a similar matter, with the added benefits to their family in particular.

Neither the Blacks nor the Malfoys ever had one so magically powerful among them of a blood relation. It was a moment of pride for them all, to watch as Nobu'tan rose to become a strong and terrible member of the Dark community, to rival even the Dark Lords of the past, and for Lucius to be on the very edge of that power, just meant all the more prestige for their family.

Naturally he made only the barest mention of the demons that the boy commanded, and nothing at all regarding the Legion or their ultimate designs for their world. Lucius would rather let that be an unfortunate accident when it occurred, rather than a looming dread for Narcissa as well, one that she would vehemently disagree with.

Still, their debate ran long into the night, and encompassed nearly the totality of what Lucius knew regarding the boy, and the involvement of the other ex-Death Eaters. That certainly pleased her to learn, as she had hardly agreed with their remaining loyal to the return of the Dark Lord when all presumed him to be dead and gone.

No, the real challenge was telling her only what was necessary regarding the plans that were set for the future, especially the acquisition of the artifacts that would open the massive gateway that Nobu'tan envisioned, and especially what dwelt beyond it. For the time, Lucius went with what the boy initially supplied him with, which was that it was a method for him to return to the world he was raised in, the one he felt comfortable in. Lucius also hinted that he was intently curious about such a place, for the boy to have become so powerful magically.

Thankfully, by the early hours of the morning, Narcissa seemed to accept what she was being told. She was still intently curious about some of the less clear points, but by and large her concerned were abated regarding the powers that Lucius and her own son were learning from Nobu'tan, and their motivations regarding such power.

However, Lucius felt that it was highly unlikely that Narcissa herself would become involved regarding the Fel magic, much as she had remained aloof of the activities of the Death Eaters. But that was merely more of the woman that Lucius had come to love with all his heart. She wanted to be there to support him in what he desired to accomplish, and that was enough for her.

Lucius felt somewhat refreshed the next day, despite a lack of actually sleep due to the discussion, but dutifully met with Nobu'tan once the morning meal had abated. "Show me to the ward stones," the warlock requested, after a brief explanation of what he desired to accomplish with them.

Lucius hadn't even bothered to hesitate. The fact that Nobu'tan himself was willing to strengthen the wards of their mutual home already placed the young warlock ahead of the Dark Lord, who had expected his servants to do everything for him, and punishing them if he was not satisfied.

Crossing the grounds to where each stone was hidden on the parameter of the wards, Lucius eyed with caution the large demons that patrolled the paths and kept a stern lookout in all directions. Impressed was an understatement, when there were close to a dozen of the hulking brutes on his property and Nobu'tan only looked mildly winded from maintaining their tethers for an entire night.

"As I suspected, Dumbledore is still reeling from my escape," Nobu'tan surmised, watching the ever lightening sky, "but that won't last long. He will come here first to try and seek me, and we must be ready to stop him and his Arcane magic."

Once they reached the location of the first stone, Lucius waved his wand in an intricate pattern, causing the outside hedge to part away, revealing a large, crystalline stone twice the size of a human head. The face of the stone was nearly covered in spiraling runes, faintly glowing as they powered the various spells that kept the manor protected.

Removing a small stylus-like instrument from his robes, Nobu'tan leaned forward to reach, and carefully started etching the orcish runes he desired into an open space on the stone. It was tedious work, and required a steady hand and precise etching, but the stone was malleable enough with all the magic within it to accept the small scratches and form the full runes based off of the language. Once the first lines were complete, Nobu'tan stowed away the tool for the next stone when he was finished, and placed both hands upon the ward stone before him, channeling fel energy into it, transforming all the runes upon its surface from glowing faintly blue to the green of demonic power. At once, a portal to the Nether erupted to life just inside the boundary of the wards, spilling out a quartet of Felhounds, along with a single hulking Felguard, who looking angrily down at the warlock who had summoned it.

"I bind you to this stone and this place, to serve in defense of the Legion's assets on this world." Nobu'tan ordered, gesturing at the grounds of the manor. "Any who come and attack the spells protecting this place are our enemies, and should be killed immediately."

The Felguard looked about for a long silent moment, before grunting in acceptance, kicking one of the hounds that was edging too close to Nobu'tan as he stomped away to examine the boarders on his new territory on the massive hoofed legs.

Repeating the process around the edges of the grounds, Nobu'tan transformed the ward schematic of Malfoy Manor completely. While the leylines still assisted in powering the wards, as before, they now drew most of their energy directly from the Twisting Nether, along with maintaining the spells keeping nearly a dozen Felguard and four times their number in hounds as physical security.

Nobu'tan would have tried to do more, but even he had his limits on what he felt safe to attempt to summon at this moment, so he dared not push his luck and wind up with something out of his control. Besides, he and Lucius had so much more they needed to plan, and the morning was already spent upgrading the wards to keep Dumbledore and his minions out of their way.

Returning inside the manor, Nobu'tan quickly washed and had a small lunch to revitalize his energy, before retiring to Lucius' study with the Malfoy patriarch. "So, that's our protection set in place then," the man began as he closed and locked the door via magic.

"Indeed, now we can plan our next move without fear of reprisal before we are ready." Nobu'tan agreed.

"I believe I have located several possible vaults within the Department of Mysteries that may contain the Grimoire we seek." Lucius stated, looking pleased with himself.

"Good, very good, but I have one better," Nobu'tan countered, pulling from his robes a silken cloth bag, within which he had wrapped the Diadem of Ravenclaw. To say that Lucius was surprised to see one of the artifacts they needed was an understatement. "Astounding…" he breathed, standing and leaning forward to get a closer look. "To think that I have the pleasure of seeing the lost Diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw… but… something feels off about it…"

"From what I've learned, it's cursed with some form of Dark Magic, something soul based if I am not mistaken," Nobu'tan explained, "It reminds me strongly of the diary that cause all the havoc regarding the Chamber of Secret this previous year. Would you happen to know anything regarding that or how I may have come to the school?"

The question was one of innocent curiosity, but Nobu'tan narrowed his eyes when Lucius flinched as though struck. "S-soul magic?" he asked, and for the first time Nobu'tan heard the immaculate man stutter, "Are you sure?"

"Quite sure…" the young warlock replied, growing more suspicious, "…is there something regarding this business that you are keeping from me Lucius?"

"I may have had a hand in… depositing, the diary onto Arthur Weasley's daughter," the Malfoy Lord admitted, as though it were a mistake anyone could have made.

Nobu'tan merely shrugged, "Well, she lives, and you were not blamed, so I care not. What was more, it gave me incredible insight for when I found this, so I think I know how I can remove the curses without damaging the Diadem, which is all well and good, as we need it to summon the Legion. Do you have a safe location that we can keep it hidden after it is cleansed?"

"I have several vaults around the Manor, but the one in the basement is the most secure." Lucius replied, watching as Nobu'tan hand's started to glow.

"Good," the young warlock replied, even as he proceeded to seek out and tear the fragment of soul that inhabited the Diadem. As he suspected, there was a partial fragment imbedded within the artifact, and as it was removed, metaphorically kicking and screaming, several pieces of a much larger puzzle started to come together.

"I believe," Nobu'tan started, even as the partial shard formed in his hand, "that that has done it. But I wonder." Taking out the shard from the diary, Lucius and the orc-raised human watched in fascination as the two shard pieces fused together, still incomplete but substantially larger than before.

"What does this mean?" Lucius asked, puzzled.

"Whomever's soul was in the diary also had secreted a piece within the Diadem." Nobu'tan replied, pocketing the larger shard and examining the Ravenclaw artifact once more, to make sure all danger was removed from it. "I suspect that Voldemort had intended for these to be his means of attaining supposed immortality."

Lucius look stunned, and suddenly very afraid, "So he is still alive, then."

"Highly likely, as these shards indicate that there is still more of his soul out there to claim. I highly doubt that he will pose that much of a threat, but finding his other soul containers might be a useful distraction if Dumbledore starts to get too far into our business…"

"I'd've never thought that I'd end up using the Dark Lord as a distraction for Dumbledore…" Lucius said thoughtfully, "I am most relieved that I seem to have chosen the best side of this new conflict."

"There is never a 'best' side," Nobu'tan countered, setting down the Diadem with a satisfied smile on his face; the item was clean, "only the one with the least to lose when they win…"

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Severus could see Albus reeling, even a day after Potter literally broke out of Hogwarts. Severus personally thought that they needed to start searching for wherever the boy had fled to, but Albus had been in shock at the wave of Dark Magic that had come when the boy created his standing portal to escape through.

Even now, watching the old man bore a hole through the carpet of his office, Severus could tell that the Headmaster was worried about the level of magic that Harry used first and foremost. "How could I have not realized how powerful he was Severus?" Albus asked suddenly, and the Potions Master could do nothing but shrug.

"Potter seems to have developed a keen sense of priority, and made hiding himself the top one." He answered directly, which didn't help the old man, but was truthful.

"Nobu'tan…" Albus corrected, and Severus looked at him questioningly.

"His name is Nobu'tan, he said so himself. It was the key clue that I missed, which lead to this entire mess… it is a word I have never encountered, which would have clearly pointed that Harry had somehow been transported to somewhere not of this world…"Albus explained, which only made Severus' head spin more.

"How is that even possible?" he demanded, but the old man had no answers for him.

"All the answers lie with Nobu'tan… and we must discover them, for I greatly fear that if I was mistaken about something as simple as a child's level of magical power, how much more have I misjudged about him?" Albus said, shaking his head.

"Then we need to start searching for him immediately," Severus insisted, but the old man infuriatingly shook his head again, never halting in his pacing.

"He will already be behind the newly warded Malfoy Manor defenses, plotting who knows what as his next move. This was no defiant act of an angry teenager Severus, it was calculated, and there was a reason that Nobu'tan allowed us to keep him that extra time into the summer. I bet anything that it was intently for the purpose of giving Lucius the time to prepare a stronghold for them, once he chose to leave."

"Then let me go, I can get into Malfoy Manor and spy out what is going on…" Severus insisted. They had to be doing something.

"It wouldn't work. Nobu'tan knows that you work for me, and he will inevitably tell Lucius, if the man doesn't know already." Albus cut across him.

"Then we can do nothing?" Severus said, throwing his hands up and dropping heavily into his seat. "We just wait for the boy to do whatever he's planning to next?"

"Goodness no," Albus said, almost angry at Severus' frustration, "We need the old crowd gathered, the Order of the Phoenix will be a great asset to help monitor the Wizarding World if this new threat becomes fully realized, afterward we need to start spreading the knowledge of the Arcane arts to those we can trust, Alastor would be my first choice, as he has the diligence to make full use of it."

Severus shuddered. The thought of Mad-Eye Moody with the powers of the Arcane at his beck and call was indeed a frightening thought. "Then, after I am sure Alastor has a firm grasp of the magic, we will send him to hunt for Nobu'tan, his experience in catching Dark Wizards is second to none, and I have full confidence that, should the boy set foot out of Malfoy Manor, Alastor can find him. I will be sending some letters and Patroni to this effect. Severus I think you would be best in trying to find out what the other old supporters of Voldemort are doing."

This, Severus could understand and saw the wisdom in. Lucius had been their leader, and is his allegiances shifted to Potter, then the others may be open to a new arrangement, perhaps increasing the number of the spies should the Dark Lord return again. "I'll get to it immediately," Severus said, turning to depart just as Albus called him back.

"Severus…" he turned, frowning at the tone that Albus had used, heavy with concern and wariness. "Be careful, the others may have followed Lucius to the boy, and if they did its highly likely that they are learning his Dark Magic to bolster their own. That creature he brought to this world. I fear it and its kind greatly. That one small thing alone was made purely of Dark Magic, and even something more, a wild and chaotic energy that I have never seen before. I need to search through the Prince family library, as well as my own, to see if there is anything that could shed light on this matter."

"I understand, Albus…" Severus replied, departing moments later when the old man bent over his desk and picked up a quill to begin writing his letter. Severus was worried; he had never seen Dumbledore this frazzled, not once in his entire life of knowing the man, whether as teacher, adversary or now as mentor.

Did it truly mean that the threat Potter poised was so much more than even Voldemort to Albus' mind? Or was it more that it was a deep and hurting betrayal? Regardless, Severus chose to take the man's advice, and tread cautiously as he went about approaching the other freed Death Eaters, the ones he knew of at least, and asked them about Lucius' movements as of late.

One by one, he grew more and more worried, as each of them, including the infamously lose lipped Crabbe and Goyle Sr. stated bluntly that they knew little of what the man was up to, while giving off the air that Severus was most unwelcome among them. Reading between the lines, Severus knew the truth. They were all in on this together, working with or even for Potter to some unknown but likely nefarious end.

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The North Sea raged, wind and waves splashing across the choppy surface as the sky darkened with more than just clouds. To muggles it would appear that a flash storm had brewed over the mysterious and large body of water, but to a wizard's eyes, they would see the truth.

Azkaban, the old fortress of a mad wizard turned impenetrable prison was reeling, the ghastly guards taking to the air as they screamed their fury to the four winds. Something had happened that was until now unheard of for the wraiths of that foul island. One of their prisoners had escaped.

Far to the southeast, on the icy bank of the seaside, a figure was hurrying out of the water, shivering with the cold of the sea air and too tired to even shake the water from his fur. A massive canine, resembling a Grim right out of the fabled lore, waded through the shallows, looking for somewhere sheltered and dry so that he could recover from not only the effects of the icy water, but the madness that he had just fled.

Sirius Black stumbled into human shape once he found something, a small hollow between some rocks that offered protection from the wind and water. He could rest here for only a short while, before he had to keep moving. He was far too close to the prison and their dreaded keepers, and he would not allow himself to be caught again so soon.

He had, through a merciful circumstance, come to learn a terrible truth. "He's at Hogwarts…" he muttered through dry and cracked lipped, listing momentarily into the best sleep he had felt in over twelve years. There would be time for what was needed when he reached the Scottish highlands, and if his memory served him anything, Harry should be there as well, and whether the cause for his parents death or not, Sirius would fulfill his duty as godfather.