Harry- July 30th
As Harry turned around, dropping his wand into his hand from where he had hidden it in his sleeve, a spell on his lips just as he looked up into the cool calculating eyes of an older wizard. The older man was taller than Harry but slender with salt and pepper hair a and cool set of sapphire blue eyes. The man's robes were as immaculate as any respectable Slytherin would expect.
It did not take long for the seasoned politician in Cyrus to realize that the young man before him was expecting a fight. The alertness of the emerald, green eyes that looked up at him held a fire that he had not seen in several decades. Cyrus had watched as many brave witches as possible, and wizards fell in the attempt to prevent Voldemort from taking complete control of Brittain possibly even the continent. Such had been the goal of several dark wizards previously, but Voldemort was considered by many to be even more ruthless and talented than Grindelwald before him.
Cyrus's mind flittered back into another time as he leveled his gaze at the young man in front of him. Fifteen years previously he had been about to leave a dinner party when a dark and venomous cloud seemed to blanket the sky around the Wiltshire home. The celebration of the engagement of Sirius Black and Pandora Rosier hosted by Pandora's maid of honor Marlene McKinnon. Soon enough the entrance to the home was surrounded men and women all of them manic in appearance. The one in the lead appeared more wolf than man.
It was a moment of chaos that saw many falls during those first minutes. Many tried to apparate away, only to encounter anti-apparition wards, that prevented escape, at least in the immediate. The next thing that Cyrus remembered was being shoved roughly back by a man with messy black hair. He linked hands with a woman with flaming red hair if one did not no better, she might have been mistaken for a Weasley. A familiar green line of flames spang forth from their joint hands requiring the energy and intent of both to control of the path of destruction in its wake. The night was cold and bitter as Bellatrix's laugh. She was well named to be a Black for sure.
When the intruders had left, the couple allowed the flames to halt and withdraw back into their hands. The man turned to Cyrus, "I apologize for the lapse in manners. I'm James Potter, and this is my fiancé Lily." Lily stretched for her hand in offering matching James's gesture of friendship. It was the last night anyone would ever enter that home though.
Cyrus himself survived, promising that house Potter would always find assistance in house Greengrass. It would only be a year later when he would hear the whispers of what would happen that Samhain evening.
The gentleman stepped back, "Hello Harry, it has indeed been a while. My name is Cyrus Greengrass. I believe that you're acquainted with my daughter, Daphne. We have much that we need to discuss."
The younger man seemed to consider the urgency of the man's words, "I'm sorry sir, but when did we meet?" Cyrus chuckled in spite of himself, "Touche Harry, I rather knew your parents. They saved my life once. In turn we formed a sort of alliance. I think the rest of this conversation would be best to be had in private a not very many know what it is that I am about to disclose to you. "Are you open to coming and having dinner with us later this week?"
Harry nodded, "very well sir. I will await your owl with a formal invitation. I assume that is still the thing, or so Aunt Cissy says." Cyrus chuckled more openly, "leave it to a Black to insist on formalities being carried on an ongoing basis even among allies. I'll be sure to do that Harry. In the meanwhile, I suggest you keep up on current events." Cyrus handed a copy of the day's paper which Harry had not had a chance to read before coming.
With that Harry once more approached the floo to return to Malfoy Manor. As the raven-haired boy stepped out of the floo and quickly cleaned himself off, he stormed towards the door leading to Draco's suit of rooms.
The familiar platinum blonde head popped upon hearing the door slam open, "Hey, what the…?" Draco's voice trailed off before he could finish the question. Harry 's eyes held a fire that broke no arguments and took no prisoners if Draco's experience with the other boy anything was to go on. Grey eyes locked on green, and Draco took a deep breath, "how bad?" Harry plopped the paper in front of the blonde, "I'd say pretty bad."
Draco scanned the front page wearily as he learned what had happened and considered what it would mean for each of them. The headline screamed, "Dementors Rock Surrey Suburb." The article would go to describe in detail that two rouge dementors had been found a matter of blocks from Harry's former home, and a dozen muggles had been kissed before anything could be done. One of the muggles was listed as Dudley Dursley, Harry's muggle cousin.
Draco frowned, then looked up at Harry, "these changes nothing. We did the right thing getting you out of there. This proves that your location wasn't such a well-kept secret. Someone sent those things after you." The rest of the evening was filled with discussions of what this meant about who they were dealing with. The list of people who knew where Harry had been housed prior to Hogwarts was extremely short of so Harry thought. Draco confirmed as much sharing, "Dad tried to find you after that night, you know. My mum too. If my folks with all of their connections couldn't find out, who could?"
That night each boy went to bed with many questions on their mind. Questions that neither one knew the answers too for sure. It would take the arrival of an owl for more pieces of the puzzle to start to come together.