Double digits. Amazing it's gone this long considering it was supposed to be a one-shot. Got to love organically evolving stories. I feel like I've said this quite a few times now… So, if you're tired of hearing me say it, just ignore it. Most people ignore my mini notes, anyway.

I'm also wondering where in my deranged mind I possibly thought I could pull a chapter like this off.

Warnings: It's shounen-ai, yaoi, slash, gay, Harry and Tom are dating. Remus and Sirius are married.

WARNING 2: This chapter contains horror and gore.

Notes: (X) is pov change and or time jump

Chapter, 10

Harry glanced at the clock. They'd been waiting for Sirius now for well over fifteen minutes, his unease growing with each moment. Tom looked distracted, but about what, Harry wasn't sure. There were plenty of things for Tom to be thinking about right now, like what the hell had he gotten himself into by dating Harry in the first place. What was going on, how had the Ministry of Magic screwed up so bad? Yes, these were all perfectly good questions and Harry wanted answers to them as well. The only one that could give him answers however had run out the door and hadn't come back yet.

A sigh escaped his lips as he took in the room again. It was nothing more than a box with carpet, a dark empty desk, and wooden chairs. Not exactly a charming place to spend any time in and even worse when you were waiting anxiously for someone to return.

It is an interrogation room, Harry thought. It not supposed to be comfortable; it was meant to make other witches and wizards uneasy. There might even be a spell on the room to cause negative feelings if you stayed in it for too long. It would be just like his godfather to forget to mention something important like that.

Maybe telling Sirius everything in this room may not have been the best idea. He didn't think someone was impersonating his godfather, but there was always that slight chance. And he'd hadn't suspected anyone of impersonating his mother.

I'm such a bad son, he thought, the grim feelings washing over him and pulling away just as fast. Sirius hadn't noticed it either, and he spent more time around his mother than he did.

"Will you sit down," Tom asked sounding irritated. "Pacing isn't going to make Sirius come back any faster."

"I'm letting off pent up energy," Harry said. He was so wound up, he felt like screaming. He didn't know what was going on anymore, no one seemed to, Tom probably had a better grasp of the situation than he did. Of course, his wonderful boyfriend hadn't uttered a single word as to his thoughts on this new twist concerning his parents. He kicked the leg of the desk.

Tom sighed. "Don't break any toes."

Harry glared at his boyfriend and turned so his pacing took him away from Tom. Why were they sitting around waiting back here, anyway? Was the backroom somehow safer than the rest of the office? If it was, no one had told him. He approached the door and wrapped his hand around the knob. His stomach twisted into a knot. What if the door was locked? If it didn't open, that meant Sirius wasn't who he was supposed to be. It also meant they were screwed. With the silencing charm on the room, no one would hear them screaming. They could be stuck in the room for days until someone happened to open the door.

"What are you doing," Tom asked.

"Panicking," Harry replied calmly. He held his breath as he attempted to turn the knob and let it out as it opened. The sounds from the Auror's office rushed into the small room. The magical defenders were running about, some holding papers, others yelling to one another. One Auror ran into another one, both cursing before they separated and went on their way.

"Looks like you infected the entire office," Tom muttered from behind Harry. He shook his head, as he took the scene in.

"I thought the door might be locked," he explained.

"Doubting your saint," Tom asked. Despite the words, there was no trace of amusement on his face.

"I just thought he'd be back sooner…"

"Something's going on," Tom muttered. He stepped out into the office. A swarm of flying notes rushed past them. They broke at the center of the room, a note landing on each desk. No one seemed to pay them any mind, instead focused on their current chaotic endeavors. Tom moved towards the nearby desk and picked up the folded note.

He opened it up, Harry letting out a gasp. His mother's photo was on the note. She was smiling brightly and waving at them, the words "Lily Potter has been kidnapped!" written on top in large bold letters. Below the photo read, "There is reason to believe someone is impersonating Lily Potter. If you see Lily, immediately take her into custody, no matter what she says."

"Looks like whatever Sirius and Remus talked about, they decided your mother was kidnapped."

"Yeah." Seeing the note and photo made everything feel surreal. How long had she been gone? Before he returned from school? After? Had he cried in front of an impersonator at the inn? His face burned at the mere thought of someone besides his family knowing how pathetic he could be.

"They'll find her," Tom said, resting a hand on his upper arm. Harry could feel the warmth through the fabric of his shirt, a smile tugging on his lips. Whatever was going on, he could get through it as long as he had Tom with him.

"I know." Tom set the note back down on the desk. While they'd been examining the note, the everyone, but a select few had left. "Do we just… stay here until Sirius comes back," Harry asked.

"That's what he told us to do," Tom said.

"What if he doesn't come back today?" It was rather early, maybe around ten. The idea of sitting in the Auror office all day until Sirius came back, maybe came back, wasn't appealing. And that would leave Hermione sitting downstairs in the lobby by herself too.

"You want to disobey your godfather," Tom asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No," Harry said quickly. "But we could just as easily be at his house waiting."

"The Ministry is safer," Tom said.

True, but not practical. Harry wanted to be an Auror, loved spending time with his dad here, but being stuck in the office without his family, with the room empty except for a handful of witches and wizards was a different matter. The Aurors that had stayed behind were new. They wouldn't talk to Harry about anything going on. He wasn't sure they'd talk to him about the weather at this point.

"So, what can we do," he asked. He started towards his father's desk again. He didn't know what he expected to find, but hopefully there'd be something. As they arrived at James' desk Harry sighed with extreme disappointment. Scowling, he dropped into his father's chair. Someone, probably Sirius, had grabbed every single file off the desk. He couldn't remember ever seeing his father's desk so clean. Even the post-it notes sat in one corner, stacked on top of each other.

A quick look around the room told him the other desks had been cleared off as well. The only thing left showing the Aurors were after Milan was a map with some red dots on it and the magical notes on the desks with his mother's photograph.

"Do we have to stay in the office," Harry asked looking up at Tom. Why am I asking for permission? He didn't need his boyfriend's okay to leave the office. I'm still here because Sirius asked me to stay put, not Tom. But he knew that wasn't completely true. Tom had been put in a rather odd situation and he wasn't required to stay with Harry. He could leave and go back home whenever he felt like it. But Harry wanted Tom to stay, which meant making sure his boyfriend was okay with what he decided to do next.

"We should give Sirius more time before," Tom said. He sat down on the top corner of James' desk closest to Harry.

Harry sighed again, his eyes going to the ceiling.

"Your saint will figure everything out," Tom tried to assure him.

Harry glared at his boyfriend. "I just can't believe I didn't realize someone had impersonated my mum, all right? And we still don't know if my dad is being impersonated and this whole thing is just crazy," he said. "How does something like this even happen? I hadn't even heard of Milan before this."

"That's because you don't pay attention," Tom sighed. "In your defense, Milan wasn't the most dangerous wizard running around and you were maybe four when he was arrested."

"You know about him," Harry muttered, dropping his gaze to his boyfriend.

"According to you, I know everything," he said smirking.

"Because you do," Harry said, sitting up in the chair. The only sound now was the shuffling of papers by the few Aurors that'd remained. He opened his father's desk drawers just in case there was something to find, but nothing screamed out "clue!" unless his father had hidden something inside his stack of unused post-it notes.

"I don't," Tom said. He slid off the desk so Harry could open the drawers on the left side of the desk. These drawers had prank items in them, but nothing else. "Harry."

"Hmm?"

"I don't," Tom repeated, grabbing his wrist. "There's a lot I still have to learn."

"If you say so." Tom might have a few things left to master, but it probably wasn't much. Maybe he didn't know how to apply makeup to witches or something unimportant like that. "Are we missing something?"

"There's nothing to miss," Tom said snickering. "We were told to wait for Sirius and we're waiting."

"Yeah, I guess so." He didn't want to sit around and wait, but there weren't exactly a ton of choices either. He doubted Tom would be okay with them examining the map with the red tacks and looking into one of the locations. Even Harry thought that was an awful idea. He was just bored. And if he was bored, Tom was probably ready to cry. "You don't have to stay with me," Harry offered.

"And risk the Ministry of Magic being overrun just so you can get kidnapped again? Worry that the Auror office somehow exploded with you in it? Should I sit in panic at Dumbledore's only to find out you hung yourself in the office out of boredom," he demanded, his eyes flashing with anger.

"I would not hang myself out of boredom," Harry pouted. He couldn't promise the other two things wouldn't happen, because, with the way his luck had been going, those two options were possible. But he would never, ever, hang himself, not out of boredom. Even at his lowest moments, suicide had never crossed his mind.

"So, you don't refute the other two possibilities?"

"I was kidnapped by a wizard in front of a Muggle restaurant. How can I completely deny the other two possibilities to you without the risk of lying?"

Tom sighed, a smile appearing on his face as he sat down in Harry's lap. The Gryffindor immediately felt a rush of blood going to his face. Tom's lifted his hand to Harry's cheek, the other resting on the chair's armrest and leaned in kissing him softly.

"T-Tom..."

"You're bored," Tom said. "Let's fix that."

The new Auror that'd been flirting with Tom earlier walked by. Harry shot him a smirk when he glared at them.

"You're quite possessive, aren't you," Tom asked leaning back. He looked pleased.

"I don't know, this is my first relationship," he said. "But you're one to talk." He wasn't sure if Tom wanted him to be possessive of him or not.

"I never claimed I wasn't possessive." He kissed Harry again, this time on the neck, the Gryffindor's eyes closing, his fingers digging into the chair's fabric seat cushion. "I just didn't expect it from you."

"Who wouldn't be possessive of you? You were already getting hit on when we first walked through the door," Harry said, his eyes narrowing. And it wasn't just at the Auror's office. Every time Harry was somewhere with Tom, everyone's eyes immediately went to his boyfriend.

"I will always choose you," Tom promised, kissing him on the forehead. He leaned back, his eyes dancing. "I know you're getting anxious, so how about a compromise?"

Harry looked at him questioningly. "What did you have in mind?"

"Leaving the Ministry is too dangerous and would only send your godfather into a panic," Tom said. "You're at the Ministry quite a lot, yes?" Harry nodded. "So why don't you give me a tour?"

"A tour," Harry repeated, giving Tom a look. Why would he want a tour of the Ministry of Magic? "There aren't many places we can go without my dad or my godparents with us."

"It's still better than sitting here watching you slowly lose your mind, right?"

Harry wanted to say he was not slowly losing his mind, but he knew he'd be lying if he said that. So, he just nodded instead. "Okay."

Tom climbed off his lap.

Harry grabbed a blank piece of paper and a quill from his father's desk and wrote "went to look around." He lifted the phone and set it down on the note so it wouldn't fly off the desk. "Okay. Let's go."

Tom took Harry's hand, and the two of them made their way to the elevator. No one stopped them at least, or maybe the other Aurors just weren't paying attention. Harry pressed the button, the door sliding open. They stepped inside.

"Where too," Tom asked.

Harry gave a small shrug. "I guess the Atrium. We can see if Hermione is allowed to join us yet."

"I thought you were jealous of Hermione," Tom asked, his amusement clear.

"I am," Harry said. He was no Hermione and the chances of Tom falling for her were quite possible, but Hermione was his friend. "You and Hermione will end up talking again. She's my friend. If I can't trust you two to interact, then our relationship is off to a bad start."

"That's rather mature of you." Tom kissed Harry on the cheek just as the door slid closed.

Yeah, real mature, he thought. He also kept wondering why Tom was kissing him every few sentences. It wasn't that he minded, just that they were in public, and if someone saw them….

The elevator dropped down one floor after another. Usually it was jammed pack with people, flying notes, even the occasional owl or two, but it was just the two of them right now. Which was really odd. Even if the Auror department was on high alert, the rest of the departments weren't.

Harry could feel the frown forming on his face, his stomach twisting as the elevator continued to drift down.

"M, maybe we should have stayed upstairs," Harry mumbled. Something in his mind told him they needed to go back to the Auror's office.

"You were the one who wanted to leave," Tom pointed out.

"Yeah? And when have I ever been right," he demanded, hitting the button to go back up.

"What's gotten into you," Tom asked. He sounded a little uneasy.

"I think I just feel guilty not waiting for Sirius," he said. He wasn't sure if that was true or not. It was unlikely that Sirius would get angry about them going off, but then, this wasn't a normal situation either. He'd never had a group of crazy wizards trying to kidnap him or someone impersonate his mother before.

"You realize the elevator will still go all the way down before going back up, right?" His uneasy look had turned into one of obvious worry.

Harry cursed. Maybe he was just being paranoid. It wasn't the busiest time at the Ministry. The elevator didn't need to be filled.

Still….

The elevator slowed down.

Harry dropped his hand to his pocket, ready to grab his wand should the need arise. He hoped not. But the empty elevator had nothing to do with his dark feelings he realized. So, what was it?

Tom glanced his way and shrugged, pulling his wand out. "Best to be prepared, even if we are up against a bunch of office workers," he said smirking.

The elevator stopped.

"Ground floor, main entrance, Floo powder network travel, and help desk," the familiar witch's voice said.

The doors opened painfully slow revealing... absolutely nothing. Ministry workers ran about, talked, waved to each other. The fountain still had water shooting out of it. The front desk had a line of people waiting to get in. The chairs lining each side of the walls just before the front desk were full of people waiting on others to meet them.

"Well that was anticlimactic," Tom mused slipping his wand back into his pocket.

Harry was glad to see everything was fine, but it didn't explain the sudden feeling of dread. Was he becoming paranoid when anything was a tiny bit different from usual? "I think I'm losing my mind," he sighed, putting his wand away.

Tom wrapped his hand around Harry's own. "It's called being on edge. All things considered, it's not surprising. But I am with you now, so try to relax."

Harry nodded, still feeling like a fool. He hoped this paranoia wouldn't last. Attending school would be impossible if every closed door he saw made him feel this way.

"It will pass, I promise," he said giving Harry a large smile. He placed a hand on Harry's shoulder and squeezed. "Personal experience."

"Right," Harry said, looking away his cheeks burning. Even in the most normal of situations, Tom was so cool. And supportive. And knowledgeable. Basically, everything Harry was not. He could read every book in the Hogwarts' library and it would hardly bridge the gap in their knowledge. But for the first time, he wanted to try. He wanted to learn and to somehow catch up with Tom, to prove to him he could be just as great a wizard as he was.

"Good." He released Harry's shoulder. "Let's go get Hermione."

They stepped out of the elevator and headed for the entrance. Harry held Tom's hand tighter. The further they moved from the elevator, the darker his feelings grew. "I still feel it," he whispered. A few wizards walked by them, heading for the elevator they'd just left, talking about the upcoming Quidditch game.

"That's okay."

Only it wasn't. He shouldn't be feeling like this at all. It wasn't normal or right. He wasn't even sure how to put it in words and risk sounding mad by trying to tell Tom, but something was different. He didn't know what, couldn't actually see it, but something had triggered this feeling.

They made it to the entrance where Hermione had been sitting in one of the chairs. A witch they didn't know was sitting there now holding a Styrofoam container. She was probably bringing someone their breakfast or lunch.

"I wonder where she went," Harry said.

Tom shrugged. "Probably home. It wasn't necessary for her to stay."

"Maybe." Or something terrible might have happened. "We should send a letter to make sure," he breathed, freezing as he did. "No…" He could see his breath.

Tom noticed it too and pulled his wand out, Harry fumbling for his own just as a Dementor flew towards them. There were screams from the witches and wizards as they ran from the front desk. The people in the chairs didn't hesitate to bolt. They scrambled away, rushing out the front door without looking back. Others on the first floor ran, only three near the fireplaces putting just enough distance between them and the creature to take their wands out and aim. They must have tried to cast Patronus because Harry could see the white silver smoke pouring out of their wands, but not much more.

"You said you can cast a Patronus," Tom asked quickly.

"Yeah."

"Come on."

They moved towards the Dementor, Harry's heart pounding. He'd never fought a Dementor before, just knew how to cast the spell to remove it. Facing a Dementor wasn't exactly a must know at Hogwarts. The overwhelming dark feelings that Remus had warned him about were worse than he'd imagined. Images of both his parent's dead, Milan standing in front of them smirking flashed through his mind. Remus and Sirius shaking their heads at him, expressing their disappointment in him for getting kidnapped. Reminding him how stupid he was, that he'd never be an Auror. Then Tom, leaving him because Harry could not even come close to everything that Tom was. All of it his fault because he was so worthless.

Two more Dementors rushed into the hall.

It's just the Dementors, he told himself. Shaking, he lifted his wand and aimed it at the closest Dementor. Just do the spell. He tried hard to think of a good memory, shifting through all the depressing truths that were now overwhelming him. He knew he had plenty of happy memories, but for the life of him, he could not remember one that would give him the energy he needed to cast his Patronus.

"Harry," Tom said, his voice calm. "Just remember last night." As if to prove his point, Tom pointed his wand at one of the Dementors that'd just entered the room. "EXPECTO PATRONUM!" A large snake stood tall in striking position. It held for only a second before it lunged forward, its vast mouth snapping shut over a Dementor. The scream that followed made Harry shudder.

Right, think about last night, he said, trying to focus his thoughts. Tom's hand brushed his own, Harry's face burning. He managed to focus on Tom and him making out in his bed, a warmth surging through his body.

"My turn," he said, refusing to let the happy images go anywhere. "EXPECTO PATRONUM!" A white stag stampeded out of his wand and rushed the nearest Dementor, sending it flying into the wall behind it. The three other Ministry workers that had attempted to fight gasped and ran towards them.

"Nice," a wizard panted. "James' boy, right?"

Harry nodded. He needed to focus on the Dementors, to pick the right one.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" A huge dog came bounding forward, its jaws locking onto another Dementor's throat.

"Remus found us," Harry said, managing a laugh.

"Still two more," Tom said. He moved his wand, the giant snake returning to Tom's side before striking out at another Dementor.

"Show off," Harry muttered, a grin on his face. The negative feelings were fading fast. He could do this. He was showing Tom just how capable a fighter he could be and despite how bad it was that Dementors had gotten into the Ministry of Magic building, somehow, he felt happy. It was fun standing against these creatures with Tom next to him.

"I have to make sure I keep you interested in me." He swiped his wand and the giant snake lunged at yet another Dementor.

"Right, because you're not going to decide I'm too stupid to put up with and dump me," Harry asked. His Stag rammed into a Dementor that'd just turned the corner into the main hall.

"Aren't Dementors great," Tom asked. "Sorry I didn't realize there were Dementors around. I guess you make me so happy, I couldn't feel their depression."

Harry's face turned bright red. How was he even supposed to respond to something like that?

Remus's Patronus ran into the last Dementor.

"Harry! Tom!" Remus ran towards them. "Are you two okay?" He looked them over quickly.

"We're fine," Tom said.

"Yeah," Harry agreed before he started to laugh. He felt alive and so proud of himself. He'd sensed the Dementors before Tom. He'd managed to survive his first encounter with a Dementor, and most importantly. He'd done it in front of Tom. He'd shown him he was capable of something.

"What about you guys," Remus asked looking at the other three workers.

"Fine," the wizard who'd talked to Harry before said. "James has taught this one well."

"Remus taught me the Patronus charm," Harry said.

"We can brag later," Remus said. "I have no idea how many Dementors are in here, come on."

Screams erupted from further down the hall. They all turned to look, people running towards them. As the first two witches ran past them, howls erupted throughout the ministry, the sound echoing around them and sending chills down Harry's spine.

Tom looked at Harry, his face paling.

"Go," Remus ordered. He grabbed Harry and pushed him forward, Tom and him breaking into a run. Remus followed right behind them as more howls followed, each one causing Harry more fear.

"What are they," Harry asked.

The howls grew louder, and Harry could hear a new sound, one that sounded like a herd of animals running their way. More Ministry workers were exiting from elevators, some hurt, some running, others standing their ground. The three that had tried to cast the Patronus broke off from their group to help those that were hurt.

And then Harry saw them. Giant black dogs that put Sirius's Animagus form to shame came sprinting down the hall. Large fangs protruded from their mouths, their eyes a burning coal red, bulging muscles on their legs, and jaws. Skin pulled so tight around their frames that you could see the outline of their bones with each movement where the muscles were small.

Hellhounds! One of the dogs launched themselves into the air and landed on one of the wizards who'd decided to stay and fight. The wizard hit the floor and the hellhound bit down on the back of his neck, a sickening crunch resonating towards them.

Spells began flying in every direction. Pieces of the wall fell, statues inside the fountain crumbled, and flames shot up from the front desk. More hounds bounded towards them. In a matter of seconds, the main hall had turned into a war zone.

People and dogs screamed alike, not just in fury, but in pain. The sounds of bones cracking, skin getting ripped into it, blood splattering. Harry didn't know how he heard any of it with all the noise, but he did. He heard every popping noise, every slurp. Every crunch.

"Remus! We can't let them out of the Ministry," Tom shouted.

Remus grimaced and nodded. "Keep running!"

"Yeah right," Tom muttered. He turned; wand raised. "GLACIO UMBRA!" A blue light shot out of Tom's wand, colliding into a hellhound. The creature fell, freezing in place, causing other dogs to trip over it.

More shouts from other workers filled the room. Harry saw one hellhound pounce onto a witch, its mouth grabbing at her throat. She tried to push it away, but it began shaking its head in a deadly dance. Her legs gave out, and she fell to the floor, no longer moving.

"Harry, get outside," Remus ordered.

"I'm not leaving you or Tom!"

More howling, not just from the ones nearby, but also further down the hall. Just how many hellhounds were in the building?

Remus aimed; the same blue light Harry had seen from Tom's wand coming from his wand. It hit two dogs, their frozen bodies slipping backward and causing more of the hounds to trip and fall. It bought maybe twenty seconds if they were lucky; the hellhounds getting back onto their feet faster than should have been possible.

Somehow, more continued to come. They poured out of all the fireplaces and from the back hall. Harry didn't know the spell to attack hellhounds. But he had to try something because everyone was going to die if he didn't help. Probably even if he did, but he wasn't about to go down without a fight.

Spells fired from all directions, some blue, some red, Harry even saw a pink one fly by. One horribly aimed spell flew overhead and hit the ceiling. Small pieces rained down on Harry's head. He stepped back just in case the ceiling decided to give way.

A hellhound charged him.

"FLIPENDO!" The dog flew landing on a group coming towards them. Who could possibly control so many hellhounds, who could find this many? Harry didn't know much about the creatures, but he was pretty sure they didn't travel in packs of thirty or more. And he was even more sure that a hellhound wasn't exactly the easiest magical creature to find and round up. This is crazy. He dodged another hellhound, this one almost biting into his arm. "STUPEFY!" The hellhound collapsed.

More Ministry workers entered from the front doors. He recognized a few as Aurors. Others stood behind them as the first group rushed in.

Where's Remus and Tom? They were no longer following him. He scanned the hall behind him, but it was impossible to tell where anyone was. The hellhounds had taken over the hall, swarming over everyone and everything that got in their way. He trusted Tom and Remus to be okay, but he wanted to see them all the same. If one of them got hurt and he could have prevented it, he'd feel horrible.

A growl to his left alerted him to another attack. He sidestepped, managing to only get a scratch from the dog's front paw across his shoulder. Growling, he continued to attack each hellhound he could aim at. One, four, six. There were so many now, even if he cast spells in random directions, it was almost impossible to miss.

A massive trembling beneath Harry almost cost him his balance. His eyes widened as something blue caught his eye. His mouth fell open as he took in the giant wave of water at the end of the hall rising, the edges of it brushing against the ceiling. The width of the wave stretched from one side of the room to the other, making avoiding it impossible. He took a small step back, his breath catching in his throat.

Time Froze.

And broke free.

The wave came crashing down on everything in its path. It slammed into the walls, breaking huge chunks free, it swept the pieces of fountain forward, and chairs, and anything else in its path, the debris ramming into hellhounds and any unlucky person still inside. Glass from the windows of stacked offices shattered and sank into the water. The contents within the offices mixed into the rushing madness. Every added piece of furniture doubling the wave's deadliness.

Harry turned and bolted for the entrance. He didn't know who'd been crazy enough to cast such a spell, but they had and now it was coming for everyone. Destroying the entrance hall must have been a last-ditch effort to contain the hellhounds.

He slipped as a thin layer of water ran beneath his shoes, just managing to stay on his feet. He could see the Ministry workers who were standing just outside the door holding a shield in place to keep the hellhounds in. One of the creatures lunged at a witch standing behind the shield. It bounced off, flying back in the air. A small group of workers ran through the shield while the hellhound regained its footing.

An overwhelming amount of pain connected with Harry's back. His mouth opened to scream, but the air shot out from his lungs. He hit the floor; his arms stretched out in front of him. It felt like someone hit his back with a metal pipe. Move you, idiot, he growled at himself, but no matter how much he tried, only his fingers twitched.

More water rushed past him, slowly rising around his body. The wave was coming, and he was going to drown.

"VENTUS!"

Harry's eyes flickered to the entrance. A powerful wind surrounded him just as the wave bulldozed its way past him. The wind turned into a vortex, the water shooting away from him. I'm safe, he thought, letting out a breath. He still couldn't move, but someone, he was pretty sure Tom, had shielded him. He took in a small amount of breath and it let out, hoping the shield at the entrance would keep. It was too risky to let even a single hellhound into the Muggle city, and how would they explain the water? Why can't I move? It didn't feel like a body bind, more like an explosion had gone off behind him and thrown something into his back.

The ground beneath him began shaking again. Another wave? Had the first one really not stopped the hoard of hellhounds? He could hear the floor straining, cracks forming beneath him. Shite. What looked like white vines broke out of the ground. They rose, waiting just a second as if to make sure he was indeed their target, and then attacked. They darted towards Harry, wrapping around his wrists, his ankles, and waist. He tried to pull away, but his body still wasn't listening to him. The ropes clamped down and began pulling down. The floor cracked more. It gave way. And Harry was falling.

The foundation beneath the floor flew past his eyes as his body raced down. It gave him the sickening sensation of Appearating. It was all happening so fast.

His body hit the ground, any breath he'd regained leaving him. A choked groan escaped his lips. His body hurt, bad, bright yellow lights shooting across his vision every time he blinked. He strained his ears to pick up any noise, but all he heard was a high-pitched ringing.

He was still in Ministry at least, that much he knew, but he had no idea where. None of it looked familiar. He was inside a dimly lit circular room with multiple doors evenly spaced out around him.

"Are you okay?" Harry managed to turn his head, a tall blurry figure approaching him. "I pulled too hard, but with that wave coming, I didn't want to risk you drowning." The figure sighed.

"Dad?"

"REPARO!" He placed Harry's glasses onto his eyes. "Better?"

"Not exactly," Harry said, grimacing. There was a chance he'd broken quite a few bones.

"Right." James held his wand over Harry, a golden light flowing out of it. It wrapped itself around Harry's body, reminding him of a warm blanket. "Crap." He grabbed the rope binding Harry's wrists just as the light vanished and jerked him back. Water cascaded down from the ceiling and began to carpet the floor. "Can you walk?"

"No," Harry said, staring at his father.

James arched an eyebrow before grinning. "Right." He tapped Harry's wrists, the ropes falling away and vanishing. "Now can you walk?"

Harry nodded. Despite his wounds being healed, he was shaking. He was never going to be able to unsee the hoard of hellhounds running towards him or the giant wave. Or forget the sounds that he'd heard. He shuddered, wishing he could at least forget how close to death he'd been. If Tom hadn't cast that spell… "Where are we," he asked trying to distract himself. If he didn't, he was sure his mind was going to go into shock.

His dad nodded to a large wooden door and started walking towards it. Harry followed him. "We're inside the Department of Mysteries, but we're not staying." He opened the door revealing a hallway maybe five feet long with nothing but an elevator at the end.

Harry walked out of the room. He was only slightly curious about what was behind all the other doors, but right now he just wanted to get out of the Ministry. James shut the door once they were standing in the hall.

"There were hellhounds in the elevators," Harry whispered. He closed his eyes and shook his head, trying to dislodge the memory of the group of Ministry workers who'd run from the elevator to the door getting ambushed.

"Yeah, a few," his dad said as he hit the elevator call button. "We'll be careful." James looked Harry over again while they waited for the elevator to come. "You look pale."

"I… It was horrible," he said wrapping his arms around himself.

The elevator doors opened, and James stepped inside. "Come on."

Harry almost followed, then hesitated. "How do I know you're not Milan?"

James smiled and took out his wand. He gave it a quick wave, his silvery Stag jumping out in front of him. "Good enough?"

"Yeah," Harry said, joining his father in the elevator. "… So now what? How do we save mum?"

"I'm going to meet Remus and Sirius and you're going into hiding until we get back," James said.

"I can help," Harry shouted, his arms falling to his side. He owed that much to his family. Hadn't he just proved himself in the entrance hall?

"I know," James said, smiling.

"Then let me!"

"If Milan catches all three of us, it's over. He won't kill anyone until he has the whole family."

"I was doing just fine fighting the hellhounds and the Dementors—"

"Dementors," James asked, cutting Harry off. "There were Dementors? Did they kiss anyone?"

Harry shook his head. "No, there was a handful in the Atrium." He tried to remember how many there had been, but even in his mind everything was a blurred rush. "Tom and I took care of a few and Remus got the rest."

For a second, the smile returned to his father's face.

"You took out your first Dementor?"

"Yeah," Harry said, a slight smile forming.

"Wish I'd gotten to see that."

"It was going okay until the hellhounds came." Harry had been sure they were going to be okay until he'd seen the hellhounds coming towards them.

"Harry." His father's voice was serious. "When these doors open, we're going to make a run for the entrance. Ignore everything else."

"Should we really go to the Atrium," Harry asked. "The Dementors left, but there were so many hellhounds," he said never wanting to see another one. "And all that water. We might drown."

"No, the water will be gone by now," James said. "Unless someone triggered the charm again."

How were they supposed to know if the charm got triggered again? The elevator could open, and water pour in—

"I'm joking," James said, patting Harry on the shoulder. "Calm down. The elevator's door won't open if the charm is being used," he explained.

"O, oh…" Harry didn't think now was the time for jokes, but he knew his father well enough to understand that he was just trying to get him to calm down. "Sorry, I'm such a coward," he muttered.

"You're not a coward," James said, looking at him in surprise. "This is the first time you've ever fought Dementors or Hellhounds and you aren't on the floor a sobbing mess."

"Yet," Harry said because that's exactly what he wanted to do right now.

"But you're not," James said. "And sometimes that makes all the difference." The elevator stopped. "Ready?"

"Yeah." The doors opened, both holding their wands. Luckily, the entrance hall wasn't flooded as his father had said. James took a step out. Harry didn't have time to react. His father flew back into the elevator, his wand falling onto the floor. Harry heard himself scream as the hellhound bore down onto James. Without thinking, he rammed the dog with his shoulder.

The dog slipped off James, its head snapping towards Harry. The elevator door closed, locking the two of them in with the hellhound. He took aim, but the hellhound dove at him, clamping down on his arm. He screamed as pain tore through his body. He didn't know what to do and drove his wand into the hellhound's ear. The dog yelped and jumped back, baring its fangs. He ran the foot it took him to get next to his father. "IMPEDIMENTA!" A large blue bubble surrounded them. The hellhound smashed into the shield and bounced off, its growls intensifying.

Merlin, my arm hurts. He turned to look at James. There was blood seeping out of his throat, and his eyes had taken on a glassy look. "DAD!" The hellhound slammed into the shield again. He put his wand to James' throat. "Vulnera Sanentur!" A small white ball of light shot out of his wand into his father's wound. Despite his shaking, the blood began to slow down. Thank Merlin. "Vulnera Sanentur!" 'Three times,' his mother had told him again and again when teaching him the spell. 'If it's a really bad wound and you don't want the person to die, repeat it three times, just to be safe.' James' eyes no longer seemed so dead. "Vulnera Sanentur!"

James sat up coughing, his hand going to his throat.

Harry let out a breath, the hellhound howling at them.

"Oh, thank Merlin your mother taught us first aid," James gasped before he started to laugh.

"No kidding," Harry muttered. Even if he didn't want to be a healer, knowing spells like this were a great help.

"She's going to kill me for getting so much blood on this shirt though."

"What now," Harry asked. He wasn't sure his shield was going to hold against too many more attacks.

"I'm going to teach you a new spell because I need a break." Harry stared at his father. Was this really the time for this? "Glacio Umbra is the best spell to use against a hellhound. See its eyes?"

"Yeah…" If you looked close enough you could see flames swarming around the black coal pits.

"That's actual fire. The spell freezes the hellhound's spirit, stopping it in its tracks."

"That's the spell Tom used," Harry said.

"Go ahead, before it breaks through the shield."

Harry raised his wand, letting all his anger flow into the spell. "GLACIO UMBRA!" The blue light hit the hellhound, Icicles forming across its body. The fire inside its eyes flickered and died. "Ugh." He fell back against the wall, exhausted.

"You're going to make one hell of an Auror," James grinned. He wrapped an arm around Harry's shoulders and pulled him close. "But I think we both have to admit defeat. I don't have any energy left right now."

"Me either," Harry said.

"Guess we better hope nothing else comes at us." The elevator stopped at the next floor, the doors opening. It waited a moment and when no one moved to leave or come on, the doors slid closed again. "It's going to take a while before we're back at the entrance unless someone calls the elevator back down. We might as well catch our breaths."

Harry nodded, resting against his father. He could use a break and it was comforting to know that his father was really his father and by his side.

The elevator stopped at the next floor and waited.

"I hope Tom's okay." He knew how stupid that was. Tom was the last person he should worry about given his strength and knowledge, but he still wanted him to be okay. "And Remus." He frowned, looking at his dad. "What about mum?"

"Milan has your mother," James sighed. "Sirius and I were trying to think of a way to track him when the alarms went off."

"What were you doing here, anyway?"

"I've been staying at the Ministry instead of going home. Not the safest place right now." That was an understatement. Any time James and Harry had been alone with the imposter could have been the end of them.

"Any idea how long she's been gone?"

"A few days before you came home."

Harry frowned. "Why didn't you tell me? Or someone?"

"I wasn't sure," James said. "If I had claimed your mother was being impersonated, and she really wasn't, I'd never hear the end of it." He closed his eyes. "Besides, I didn't want to risk you getting hurt."

The doors shut, the elevator moving once again.

"…When were you sure?"

"At F.A.I.R.Y. she was talking with a group of healers and got your birthday wrong. I started bringing up other things and she kept answering oddly. And when has your mother ever turned down a chance to eat ice cream with us?"

"I just thought she was mad at me, because of wanting to be an Auror and I might have failed my O.W.L.S. than Tom got involved." He was such a bad son. If he'd taken the time instead of getting wrapped up in his emotions, he could have figured it out and helped his dad.

"Are you kidding? Your mother is one of the biggest Tom Riddle fans I know. When she finds out you're dating him, she's going to demand an autograph, before she runs off and tells every single person who'll listen to her."

"She wouldn't do that, would she," he asked horrified.

"I wouldn't put it past her. At least I know she won't divorce me for him. She'd never steal your boyfriend from you."

"You are joking," Harry said, scowling.

James smiled at him as the elevator came to another stop.

"Yeah, but you feel better now, don't you?"

Harry thought about that. "Yeah," he admitted. For the moment, he wasn't thinking about the massacre he'd just survived. "Thanks."

(TBC)