Alone

Chapter 10

"Well, well Potter. And here I thought you weren't going to come. Guess you missed me too much, but then again, who wouldn't?"

There was a shocked silence in the room as everyone processed the information that one of the two men standing in front of them was Harry Potter.

"Yes Malfoy, I missed you so much that I simply had to travel half way across the world to personally kick your arse," Jake replied sarcastically, leaning against the doorframe and ignoring the shocked expressions of the other people in the room.

"Well it looks like Golden Boy got himself a sense of humour," Draco drawled. Jake shrugged.

"Nah, just an attitude. That's what happens when the most important people in your life betray you. You learn not to trust so easily again, and you gain an attitude," Jake drawled back. He was secretly enjoying the flinches of the people in the room.

Draco actually laughed at this and sighed. Then he remembered Derek.

"And what is Muggle boy doing here?" Draco asked, looking at Derek. Derek meanwhile was fuming. His temper was short and being called Muggle boy by Draco Malfoy wasn't something he was going to let pass without some verbal abuse at the least.

"Muggle boy? That is the worst title I have ever heard. Even The-Boy-Who-Lived is better than Muggle boy. You watch too many superhero films. I mean thanks for thinking that I'm a superhero and all, but you really don't need to grovel at my feet. All in all, I think I prefer Derek the Invincible, Ruler of the World. Catchy isn't it?" Derek asked sweetly, obviously enjoying the look of disbelief on Draco's face.

A cough was heard from Jake, who was, at this moment, trying to mask his laughter by breaking into a coughing fit.

"Nice friend Potter. I think I've got a name for you two, Dumb and Dumber. Now which one is Dumb and which one is Dumber?" Draco asked after he recovered. Jake cocked his head to one side, as if he was really thinking about it.

Before he could answer, a small brown blob exploded from one of the chairs and enveloped Jake in a hug.

"Harry, I've missed you so much. I'm so sorry for not believing you, but-" The rest was cut off as Hermione burst into tears. Jake, instead of returning the hug as everybody thought he would, stiffened visibly and rolled his eyes. Derek grinned at the confusion and shock on everyone's faces when they saw his reaction.

"Get off me," Jake said forcefully, extracting himself from Hermione's tight grip. Hermione looked at him through tear stained eyes.

"What's wrong Harry? I'm Hermione, remember?" she asked. Jake rolled his eyes again.

"Of course I remember. You're Hermione Granger, who supposedly was my best friend, a person who was supposedly would have believed me when I said that I didn't do it, and who was supposedly the smartest witch in the year. If anyone could have figured it out, I really thought that you'd be the one," Jake said harshly as Hermione took a step back.

"Quit saying supposedly, Potter," Draco commanded as Jake turned around and glared at him.

"And how many times must I tell you, Malfoy, to stop calling me Potter?" Jake asked as Malfoy smirked.

"You can't be serious. You actually want me to call you Stevens?"

"If it stops you from calling me Potter, then yes."

Draco rolled his eyes, but complied.

"Alright, Stevens," he drawled as Jake raised an eyebrow.

"What?" he asked. Draco pointed to Hermione.

"You just broke Granger's heart," he informed Jake. Jake turned around to see Hermione in tears and being comforted by Ron.

"You didn't have to say that Harry," Ron said, somewhat accusingly.

"Yeah, I did," Jake said, nodding his head emphatically. Ron glared at his former best friend.

"What happened to you Harry?" Ron asked softly as Dumbledore finally came out of his daze. Before he could say or ask anything though, Jake answered Ron.

"I grew up," he told the red haired man coldly, before transferring his gaze on to Dumbledore.

"I didn't come to kiss and make up. I came here to make a deal with you. If I didn't need help from you, I wouldn't be here at all," he told his former headmaster just as coldly. Dumbledore nodded.

"And what would that deal be Harry?" he asked.

~~*~~

Voldemort laughed, if you could call it that. Of course, to the people listening, it sounded more like a strangled cat than anything else. Lucius shuddered mentally, though why he did this was anybody's guess. He, a Malfoy, went as low as to kiss the ground someone else walked on.

It should be me up there. It should be me that everyone is afraid of. It should be me that has control over so many Death Eaters in Great Britain. Damn it! It should be me that is Voldemort. Of course why anyone would go and call themselves something as atrichous as Voldemort is beyond me, Lucius thought with a mental grin as he looked up at his 'master'.

One day, one day soon it will be me, Lucius thought with certainty.

"Lucius, how did the attack at that Muggle University go?" Voldemort asked his right hand man.

"My Lord," Lucius started to answer, sinking into a deep bow. "Twenty-five Muggles were killed."

Voldemort smirked, giving him, at least a little resemblance to a normal human being.

"What state is the Order in?" Voldemort asked Snape. Snape bowed stiffly before answering.

"The Order is in a state of disorder. They have no idea what to do or how to prevent your next attack, My Lord."

Voldemort smiled.

"Good," he said softly as his eyes sought out one person.

There he was.

Blaise Zabini.

"Blaise," he purred as the youth paled and stiffened visibly.

"Y-yes, My Lord?" he asked as he bowed as well.

"Have you performed your assigned task?"

Blaise swallowed before speaking.

"Yes My Lord. She was not harmed and she is in our hands."

"How is she?" Voldemort asked as Lucius fumed.

What is Voldemort talking about? Who is this 'she'? And why did he give this assignment to Zabini? He is still a child! I should've gotten this job or at least got a whiff of it, Lucius thought bitterly as he observed the black-haired man through slitted eyes.

"She is still unconscious, My Lord," Blaise said. Voldemort remained silent and looked as if he was thinking. His inhuman face making the task harder than it sounded.

"How long has she been unconscious?" Voldemort enquired in a dangerously soft voice. Blaise swallowed again, fearing that when he answered, his head would be most likely seen on a silver platter.

"About two days My Lord," Blaise answered timidly as Voldemort raised his wand.

Blaise closed his eyes, expecting pain to fill his body at any moment.

"Penadum Forevullis," Voldemort hissed as a burst of silver shot from his wand and encircled Blaise.

Blaise's eyes snapped open to see that a silver pendant in the form of a serpent was now hanging around his neck. The eyes were a sparkling green emerald and it was exquisitely carved.

"Very good Blaise. That pendant will enable you to reach me immediately when she wakes up. You'll know what to do when the time comes. And it will also prevent any attacks, shall we say, on you from anyone bearing the Dark Mark. Treat her well. If I find out that you haven't done so, then you will meet a very painful death. Also put this on her. You are dismissed," Voldemort hissed, before another pendant appeared around Blaise's neck.

Blaise swallowed, bowed and left, ignoring the jealous looks all the other Death Eaters were sending him.

Personally, I would just rather to be out of there, Blaise thought as he apparated back to his manor to check on her.

~~*~~

Jake sighed.

"Number one, stop calling me Harry, my name is Jake Stevens. Number two, I need to find out if Lucy Campbell was one of the twenty-five killed. If she wasn't, I want her here as fast as possible. In return, I'll help you all I with efforts to defeat Voldemort," he said.

Dumbledore merely nodded.

"Alright, I'll tell you by tomorrow morning," he said, taking out a piece of parchment to start writing a letter.

Derek spoke, sensing that Jake was not in the mood for talking anymore.

"If you don't mind, I would like to have a rest. Do you think you can possibly spare two rooms for us?"

Dumbledore nodded again.

"Draco, would you show these two gentlemen to the two rooms in the West tower?" he asked. Draco wrinkled his nose, obviously not happy with the job, but he stood and motioned for the two to follow him.

At the door, Jake was about to go out when Dumbledore's voice stopped him.

"Here Har- Jake, catch."

Jake turned around and instinctively caught something. It was long and made out of wood.

Jake's mouth dropped open in shock. He had been so sure it would've been snapped long ago.

It was his wand.