So the past month has seen a regretful return of the twice damned tension headaches of my youth. While not a migraine, tension headaches can be just as bad or infinitely worse. It starts with the feeling of the back of your head being squeezed in a vice, and if you're lucky it stay like that all day. But if you're me it progresses into a solid sheet of pain in your temples that melts down all the way into your neck. And if you're like me you stubbornly insist on staying at work because you know that if you go home you won't have anything to distract you from that pain. Medication helps, but sleep (if you can medicate yourself into a deep unconciousness) helps more. So I haven't been writing. I haven't even thought of writing, until tonight when I was so pissed at my sister that I just started typing. I can't promise that it's any good, and thankfully with this story it can contradict what's happened in other parts because I haven't even started to make sense of everything yet. So here's the big reveal on our main bad guy... and maybe you'll see why it's been so hard for me to really get this chapter out.

Again I welcome reviews and critiques, because really, you can only make this better.

Harry Potter and Numb3rs are not mine. But I wish they were... (did you hear that Anyanka?)

"You know what's funny?" The girls voice was echoing slightly in the cavernous warehouse. It gave Don a moments rest as he realized that she sounded fine. He no longer had to worry about what had happened, she was alive, now he could focus on what had to happen.

"Hostage is against north-west wall," he hissed into his mouthpiece, then nodded as more information was related to him through his ear bud.

"Shut up, stupid girl," there was a thug flipping through a deck of cards, it seemed like he was trying to do a magic trick.

"I just think it's hysterical that you kidnapped me and now we're just waiting around, in the same city no less, for some "mysterious benefactor" so you could get paid. I mean, as far as I'm able to ascertain, you didn't even get a down payment." Helene sneered as she shook her head when he lifted a card. "No, Goyle, that's not my card."

"Damn it," the guy seemed pretty low key, unlike the tensed man in the corner, watching the others with a hawk glare. None of them had an obvious weapon, though the one in the corner was gripping a stick much like the one they had found at the crime scene that Edward said was Helene's.

As Don watched, mildly amused at the girls audacity, the back door opened and six heavily armed men emerged from the back room. Each had an automatic pistol strapped to their thighs, and assault rifles hanging from straps around their necks.

Don took a deep breath and relayed what he saw to his team, even as they gave updates of their own.

"So, do you think maybe you could let me go before he comes and kills every single one of you? He gets cranky when he misses lunch. You remember, don't you?" Helene asked the new guys.

"Shut it," the new "boss" was about Helene's age, dark hair slicked back from a pale face. He looked uncomfortable with the weight around his neck, but his hand rested on the back of the rifle as if soothing himself.

"You look ridiculous," she scoffed.

There was a stillness now, like no one dared move. Breaths were held as the man stalked over to the hostage. A sharp slap echoed with a soft gasp following.

"You don't have any idea what I've gone through because of him, because of you." He gripped the front of her shirt and lifted her slightly to growl in her face. "The only reason you are still alive is so I can make him feel what it's like to watch your family die in front of your eyes."

If he was expecting her to cower before him he was immediately disappointed.

"What makes you think he's never felt that?" she hissed loud enough for the entire warehouse and those watching the confrontation to hear. "You grew up in the same school we did. You know what went on. You know who he is, and what he did. You don't think he's paid enough?"

"Ha! Potter's never paid for what he did to me!"

"He's only ever defended himself! And he did nothing to you! Those were Death Eaters!" Helene shoved her hands against his shoulders and snarled as he released her shirt.

"He should have just laid down and died, they would have stopped then," the other shrugged. "He should have known he was outnumbered, outclassed…"

"He did," Helene interrupted. "He was, and he still won. So really, what does that say about you?"

"Yikes," Colby hissed. "That chicks got some major balls."

"Smoke screen," Don muttered. "On my mark." He'd already assigned Colby to get to the hostage, the others knew how to spread out to get maximum coverage for themselves and the widest range of shots available to take down the bad guys. All that was left was Don best judgement on when to go in.

This is why he got paid the big bucks. He waited for a few seconds as the guy hissed out his displeasure and brought his fist up under the girls chin, knocking her out of the way of any potential gun fire and distracting himself as the glass windows broke and riot control smoke screens were thrown into the warehouse. A second later, before shooting was even considered, Colby ducked in counting on the tall FBI SWAT team to distract the bad guys.

"FBI!" They shouted as Colby silently made his way to the girl and dragged her limp form to the wall, just as quickly making their way back out of the building.

As quickly as Colby got Helene out of the building he would forever be indignant and amazed at how fast the kidnapper followed them.

Even as he was getting her to walk on her own two feet she was yanked from his arms and he was down on the ground, gasping for breath. Narrowly he noticed a green light flash over his head, missing him by mere inches, as he heard the girl scream a, "No!"

Then Don was beside him, asking him if he knew the date, which he vaguely remembered answering before David took over for his boss.

Don cursed himself round completely. He should have noticed the flinch the head guy made when he dropped to the ground. Initially Don thought it meant he was affected by the smoke, but thinking back he'd seen that the man had dropped to the ground before the grenades went off. That meant the smoke didn't bother him, or incapacitate him in any way. He'd probably been right behind Colby as he rescued the hostage. Now all he had to go on was the faint scuffling as the girl fought against her abductor. Luckily she was throwing an all mighty fit, probably knowing that if she caught someone's attention it would most likely be an officer or agent considering the FBI guys at the warehouse.

Then suddenly there was a thump and a groan, and the struggling ceased. Fearing the worst Don doubled his speed and barely managed to slow enough to duck behind a corner as he saw that the one left standing was the girl.

"Harry, do you have my wand?" She asked off to the side.

Then Don noticed Charlie's student, Edward, off to the side. To tell the truth he wasn't surprised. He watched as Edward, or Harry really, handed Helene the stick they'd found at the café.

"Thanks, I feel so weird without it by my side," She kissed his cheek and leaned into his side as he put his arm around her and kicked the unconscious man on the ground. "I don't know how you do it."

Harry shrugged, "Don't really need it anymore."

"Yes, oh great and powerful leader," Helene mocked.

"Hermione, seriously," Harry squeezed her shoulder and detached himself from her side to kneel down at his opponents face. He brushed aside the dark hair and Don noticed that he flinched a bit.

"What happened Harry?" Hermione asked.

"A group of them rushed Justin's house one night, during summer break. They killed his parents first, not slowly, then cut up his little sister, and drove him nearly insane. I watched Hermione, as they laughed. As they died when his magic flared and burnt the house around them all. His sister survived, but she's afraid of him now. Justin started getting into the dark arts, trying to find a way to make them all pay. He found that last spell I used against Voldemort. He thought that if that asshole was dead it would magically fix everything." He stared down at the unconscious man and got up to his feet. "His sister still won't talk to him. Refused to even let him know when she was getting married. It snapped something in him. He decided it was all my fault for not saving them sooner."

"Harry," Hermione gently tilted her friends face so that he had to look her in the eye. "It's not your fault."

"I know," Harry replied, but obviously it was lacking something because Hermione scowled.

"Harry, it's not your fault," she repeated.

"Hermione-"

"No. You shared a dorm with this jerk for five years. He had to have woken up after your nightmares! After that slime was in your head! He used to be an intelligent man, and it is not your fault he couldn't see that you are a victim as much as he ever was!"

"He's not in his right mind Hermione. Take him back to St. Mungo's. Get him help. Tell them it's a favor for me, he'll get the help he needs."

"I can't leave yet, you have a mess to deal with here, and they won't let it go without someone to blaim."

"Well, it's too bad for them then, that the bad guy got away."

"Harry!" Suddenly a bright flash of blue light blinked out from the alley, and when the spots in front of Don's eyes let up there were only two people left.

Harry and Hermione were approaching him, hands held loosely. Small smiles on their faces.

"Helene," Harry indicated Don. "This is Don Eppes, he works for the FBI and he's the brother of one of my professors."

"Pleased to meet you," Hermione held out a hand and Don was dazed enough to let her shake it. As he stared into her eyes he got the oddest feeling of déjà vu. It was like the past three days were slipping through his mind, and for some reason the weird events just didn't matter as much anymore. "I would like to thank you for your dedication in following me. Unfortunately the man who ordered me abducted got away after I kneed him in the crotch." She shrugged, supremely unconcerned about her recent holding.

"Ma'am, we're just happy you're safe."

So there you have it. Pretty minor bad guy really. But everything else has been done. I just have to fix everything up and maybe put it in some kind of order, really decide how I want things done... but for now, hope you enjoyed this peek into my squishy head.