Unbeta'd. Sorry about that, but will be sorted asap. Enjoy!
The two groups stared at each other, both quite startled, before Malfoy drew himself up and gave a familiar sneer.
"Do watch where you're going, Weasley. I doubt you could afford the lawsuit if you actually hurt someone."
Hermione came back to herself after the shock of seeing Malfoy on his knees and frantic about someone who wasn't himself. She bristled at the mocking tone but was pleasantly surprised when Ron ignored the blond entirely in favour of crouching down beside the girl he'd nearly knocked over.
"I'm so sorry," he began compassionately and Hermione felt her heart warm. "I really didn't see you. Are you okay?"
The girl, Hermione could now see, was Asian, tiny and clad in what looked like a Japanese summer kimono which she seemed quite worried about as she was focused on checking it for any dirt. Then she looked up at Ron, and Hermione understood why they'd bumped in to each other: Ron had been checking his watch, eyes off whatever was in front of him. However, the girl should have seen him – at over six foot with flame red hair he was hard to miss. Hermione recalled that the girl had been turned slightly away, looking back towards Malfoy and the other boy, but she should have been able to spot Ron in her peripheral vision. Now though Hermione could see the scar stretching down the side of her face, going over one eye that had a milky quality to it, the eye that she should have noticed Ron in.
It was distressing to see such an injury on one so young but the girl smiled up at Ron, seeming to take it in her stride that she was half blind and the complications that came with it.
"It's okay," she said with a slight accent. "I'm sorry too."
"Sayuri, there is nothing you need to apologise for."
The boy kneeling next to her spoke for the first time in a voice more thickly accented then the girls. Hermione craned her head to try to get a better look at him, but he kept his face turned down, hair obscuring his features as he checked the girl's small hand for injuries.
He was wearing traditional Japanese attire as well and from what she could see, his features were Asian too. She concluded that from the age difference and the similarities between them that he and the girl were likely related; brother and sister maybe.
"But I should say sorry!" The girl, Sayuri exclaimed. "I wasn't looking where I was going and mummy said I have to apologise properly when I make a mistake."
The strange boy gave a small sigh before standing and helping the girl to her feet, however he still kept his face turned away and refused to make any sort of eye contact.
"Very well, you've apologised. Now let's not take up any more of their time."
He started to lead the child past the Gryffindor's when Ron reached out to halt him.
"Hey, wait just a mi-."
In a flash Malfoy was suddenly there, grabbing Ron's hand around the wrist and halting its movement, eyes blazing with so much fury they seemed to glow.
"What is your problem, Weasley?" He snarled and Hermione couldn't help but draw back slightly. She had never seen the blond this angry and couldn't fathom what made him so.
"You don't just go grabbing at people with your grubby hands." Malfoy continued, almost spitting in his rage.
Ron wasn't able to ignore Malfoy quite so easily this time and with a growl pulled his hand free. Or at least attempted to.
Irritation faded to bafflement as he looked down at his wrist still firmly in Malfoy's grip where it hadn't moved a millimetre. Ron had several inches and at least twenty pounds on the blond but he might as well have been five foot tall and as thin as a bean pole for all the good it did him.
It only took Hermione one look into Malfoy's eyes to know that this could get very ugly very quickly. Then, just when she had been about to try to calm the situation, a slim hand came to rest on Malfoy's arm.
"That's enough, Draco. Sayuri is fine and wants her ice cream so let it go."
The effect the quiet words had on Malfoy was startling: the anger visibly drained from his eyes and his body relaxed. Slowly his hand loosened until Ron was able to pull his wrist free. Hermione had never even seen Professor Snape have such a sudden, positive effect over the Slytherin.
Malfoy turned towards the other boy who was standing with Sayuri just in front of him, both hands now resting on her shoulders. The blond raised an eyebrow and the other boy gave him what could only be described as a 'look' before Malfoy sighed and turned back to them.
"Just watch where you're going in future, Weasley," he grumbled before turning away and stalking through the door of the ice cream parlour. To say Hermione was shocked was an understatement: Malfoy never walked away from a fight with them if possible.
"I apologise for his attitude. He is quite spoiled and used to placing the blame on others."
Ron snorted.
"Oh, believe me, mate, we know."
It took Hermione a second to realize that the strange boy was speaking to them as she was still focused on Malfoy's surprising retreat. She turned her gaze from the empty door of the parlour and found herself staring into a pair of deep grey eyes. An unexpected shudder ran down her spine: something about those eyes unsettled her and yet they were somehow familiar at the same time.
To draw her mind off the effect the other teens stare had on her, she took in the rest of the boy's features now that she could finally see his face. He was very attractive in a fey sort of way – all slender limbs and high cheekbones, full lips and large eyes. Meaning he was eye-catching in a way that some girls hated because he was more beautiful than them. However, he was still clearly (to Hermione anyway) a boy with a sharp jaw and an Adam's apple. She could also see that his forearms and chest where his yukata didn't cover were toned and strong while still slim; the term 'wiry' sprung to mind.
Finally she noticed the scar and was surprised that it wasn't the first thing she'd observed about him. While it was partially hidden by his hair, it was still the rather noticeable pink of a recently healed wound, which drew the eye. From what she could make out it started at his hairline and stopped by his left eyebrow. A little lower and he would have had the same problem as his sister.
It was worrisome that the two siblings both had such brutal scars and it spoke of them receiving them at the same time in an unpleasant way. Hermione determined that there was a real possibility that they received the wounds due to the war, so why were they with Malfoy? They didn't seem dark, but perhaps they were from a dark family.
Ron continued on, oblivious to her analysis.
"Anyway, thanks I guess. Malfoy never usually backs off like that," he raised a freckled hand and rubbed it through his hair. "It's a little weird actually; you must be pretty special to be able to handle him like that."
The other boy, who was still nameless, gave a slight if somewhat cold smile. Hermione tried not to shift uncomfortably. The boy was confusing her: there was something almost achingly familiar about him although she was positive she'd never met him before in her life. Yet at the same time there was an edge to him that made her want to back away, as though beneath the polite conversation was a sharpness that was aching to get out.
"I don't believe so. We are merely guests at his home and he probably wants to give us a good impression."
Ron looked surprised.
"Er, wow, you're staying with Malfoy?"
"Yes."
"Okay, er, must be pretty tough."
The boys smile widened and warmed for a moment, making the familiarity flare even brighter in Hermione.
"Initially it was. Draco is quite the character, but he is much better now."
Ron laughed, obviously warming to the boy.
"Don't I know it. Just don't mention ferrets around him if you don't want to be cursed."
Just as the other boy looked like he was about to respond Malfoy appeared in the doorway to the shop looking slightly agitated.
"Mitsuho? Aren't you coming?"
Mitsuho closed his mouth and gave the Gryffindor's a slight bow of the head before turning and a glint on his neck caught Hermione's eye. Catching the light was what appeared to be a very intricate type of silver chocker; its delicate strands weaving around his throat like a second skin in a way that could only be magical. It was very odd, she'd certainly never seen any type of jewellery like it before and her unquenchable curiosity demanded she find out more about it. However Mitsuho was leading Sayuri into the shop who gave them a friendly wave goodbye.
Malfoy moved slightly to let them pass then stared at the Gryffindor's, his expression unreadable, before turning away and vanishing inside after them.
The three remaining outside were quiet for a few seconds before Ginny, who had wisely tried to stay out of the whole thing, spoke.
"That …was weird."
Ron hummed his agreement, expression distant.
Since returning to the Burrow the evening before to spend the remainder of her holiday with the Weasley's, Hermione had almost been bowled away by the change in Ron's attitude. He was still Ron, bored by homework and obsessive about Quidditch and chess, but he now tried much more to control his temper and think things through before he opened his mouth (although that was null and void when the twins were around.) He constantly went back over conversations and encounters in case he had missed something and Hermione could almost see him laying each memory out like a chess piece on a board, working out how to position them so he was always three steps ahead. He still had a way to go and fell back into his old thought pattern every now and again, but the longer he persisted the easier his temper and new way of thinking was to control. She couldn't be prouder and, if possible, fell even harder for him.
"I guess they're probably from another old wizarding family and are staying with the Malfoy's for the holiday," Ron concluded, then gave an exaggerated shiver. "Imagine being stuck with Malfoy for the whole summer: what a nightmare!"
Ginny laughed and Hermione couldn't quite supress a giggle before she glanced at her watch. The day was getting on and it was time to head back to the Burrow.
"We ought to go," she prompted and any mirth the two Weasley's had disappeared like water draining through sand. It signified that they had gone another day without finding Harry.
As they turned to head back to the floo point Hermione tried to control her mounting frustration. She had been meeting Ron and Ginny every day in Diagon Alley for the past week in the hopes of bumping into Harry as he was getting his school supplies. They'd already confirmed that Harry had not been to Flourish and Blotts since his appearance at the start of the summer, nor had anyone ordered the school books to be owl-delivered. Time was running out and if Harry wanted to have any hopes of starting the new year without any problems he needed to buy them soon.
There were other more complex ways Harry could have bought his school supplies but he had never been much for planning ahead. He was more the 'run in guns blazing and hope it all works out' type; maybe though after the loss of Sirius he was rethinking that side of himself just as Ron had.
There were so many factors about Harry's disappearance that didn't make sense: before when he hadn't been able to answer their letters it had been because the Dursley's were stopping them, but Harry had left his relatives so what was stopping him from replying now? Dumbledore genuinely seemed to have had no idea that Harry had been planning to leave his family and go into hiding and appeared to be furious that he couldn't find the boy. Ron had told her quite chilling tales of fire calls in the middle of the night with the headmaster's voice so filled with rage and power that it made the whole house shake.
Also there was the fact that Harry was bad at keeping secrets from her and Ron, yet he had given no indication on the train at the end of last term that he was planning on the vanishing act. Something must have happened to him during the first few weeks of summer.
Of course it could have something to do with his Inheritance, which was what the newspapers believed, but Harry had already been powerful before it so she doubted that it would have gone up much more: witches and wizards of Dumbledore's and Voldemort's power level were incredibly rare and really it was a miracle if one popped up in a generation. The next step down where people like McGonagall, who while very strong, and much stronger than the majority, were still miles below Dumbledore in turns of power.
The best way to describe the different in power strengths was like a ladder: at the start the rungs are all very close together and there is little to differentiate between them. But the higher you climb the wider the gap and the more noticeable the difference in power. Finally you reach McGonagall's level, something which only a few dozen achieve per generation. But there high, high, high above and out of reach to all but one or two is another rung. It was possible there was another rung beyond that, but it was so out of reach it couldn't be seen at all. Rumour had it that Merlin had achieved that level of power, but Hermione didn't believe it. To be that much more powerful than wizards like Dumbledore would take you to a near god-like level and something that was, and should be, beyond all humans.
No, Hermione believed that it was possible on gaining his Inheritance that Harry might now be near to McGonagall in terms of power, which would put him above all but a few of the teachers in the school. It would make sense as his parents were described as powerful magic users and it would explain how Harry had managed to hold his own long enough to escape each deadly situation he found himself in. So maybe he had found himself a bit overwhelmed in becoming more powerful and had hidden himself away, as she knew he despised standing out from the crowd. That would explain a lot, but why was he choosing to wait so long before returning then? And why hadn't he contacted them? Hermione expected a full explanation when she saw him next, although it was looking more and more likely that that would be on the train to Hogwarts. Oh well, she'd give him a piece of her mind then and in the meantime she's just hope he was okay.
By the time Hermione surfaced from her thoughts they were at the floo point and Ginny had already gone.
Ron gave her a grin and shook his head in fond exasperation at her before telling her to go ahead.
As she was whisked away in the green flames back to the Burrow she reassured herself that she would see Harry again soon and that things would be back to normal when they were all at Hogwarts together. Well, as normal as things could get around them with a war on.
For one so intelligent she would be alarmed if she had any idea of just how wrong she was on so many points.
X
As Lily cooed over the many different flavours of ice cream on display Harry tried to calm his racing heart.
He had most certainly not expected to bump into Ron and Hermione so soon and had in no way been mentally prepared.
Logically he knew that there was a chance that they might be in Diagon Alley at the same time as him, but it was so small that he'd convinced himself he wouldn't. So of course he did. The irony wasn't lost on him.
Draco gave him another worried look and Harry felt himself calm. The fact that he seemed to be emotionally depending more and more on the blond did not sit well with him, but a part of himself cried out for some sort of comfort so desperately that it was near impossible to deny. Lily was pure and innocent and did his broken soul so much good, but there was a wall he could not pass with her; he could not lean on her for support because, in his eyes, it would mean tainting her and giving her a burden her small shoulders could not carry.
Snape was constantly offering to share his load, but Harry found that the somewhat awkward truce that they had come to was still too fragile to test.
He couldn't explain why things were easier with Draco, so much so that he'd started letting down his guard without even noticing, but they were. Maybe it had to do with the fact that they were the same age?
Whatever the reason, knowing that Draco was worrying over him and had quite literally stepped in to stop another touching him when he had been emotionally vulnerable (even if it was Ron,) soothed him enough to be able to swallow down the panic he felt and approach Lily calmly.
"Have you decided what you want?"
Lily turned and grinned before pointing at a tub containing a pale ice cream with small pieces of what looked like chocolate mixed in.
"I'd like the cookies and cream, please."
Harry nodded and faced the young lady behind the counter whose smile was a little too inviting and made him want to leave as quickly as possible.
"One small cookies and cream to take away, please."
As the lady began to scoop the ice cream into a cone, Harry attempted to reach into his pockets before he realised that the yukata didn't have any. Neither did he have any money at all. He hadn't thought he'd need any since they had just been meaning to go to the hairdressers.
There was a chuckle behind him and Draco appeared at his side giving him a slightly shrewd look, his grey eyes warm.
"Allow me; I figured you didn't have any money on you. You can pay me back later."
Brooking no argument, not that Harry had a leg to stand on anyway, the blond reached forward to take the ice cream from the girl and handed it to Lily before dropping a couple of galleons on the counter. The change was handed back and Draco led them from the store, pausing in the doorway to apparently check that Ron, Hermione and Ginny were indeed gone before stepping out.
Lily followed, licking happily away at her ice cream and trying to get it down to a manageable level before it started to melt in earnest.
Harry trotted along in the rear feeling a little foolish at not thinking to bring any money with him, but remembering to bring any change had been the last thing on his mind, so he guessed he couldn't really blame himself.
The three crossed the street to where the adults were chatting quietly and re-joined the group; then Harry suddenly found himself under the scrutiny of five gazes and froze.
"So," Snape began silkily. "How did you find yourself coping with unexpectedly bumping into the …other group?"
Harry almost scoffed at the far too significant pause before he realized that the adults were all looking at him in some form of concern, Snape and Kurai's being the most subtle but still undoubtedly there, whereas Abunai - still slightly the worse for wear from drink – looked like he was about to burst into overly-dramatic tears . They were all genuinely worried about him and Harry felt slightly thrown from being surrounded by so many reliable and supportive adults; something that had previously been very rare to him.
"I admit I was unprepared," he began, carefully choosing his words in such a public place. "I found myself startled and unsure as to how to deal with the situation which led to panic. Fortunately I managed to focus on Sayuri long enough to calm myself a little and was able to talk to them normally. When something started to happen that could have made me lose control Draco stepped in and halted it," he nodded his thanks to the blond who flashed him a brief but bright smile in return. "The other group didn't seem to notice anything amiss with me and were quite pleasant before Draco gave me an excuse to leave. At no point did they seem to think I was …" he trailed off, the words 'Harry Potter' remaining unsaid but noted.
Snape nodded, seemingly pleased with the report.
"Well, life cannot always be carefully planned out and you both dealt with the situation admirably. Mitsuho, I'm sure you will find that now this first unexpected confrontation is passed you will be able to deal with any in the future better. And Draco, while I would say you need better control over your temper you still kept a bad situation from getting any worse, so well done."
Both boys took the advice stoically, filing it away deep inside their minds so that next time they would do better.
Lily had been more focused on her ice cream than the conversation that she had little understanding of and was now nearly finished with the treat. While she had managed to keep any ice cream off her kimono the same could not be said for her hands which was covered in a sticky mess. Presently she caught Harry's attention by tugging with gummy fingers on his wrist.
"Are we going home now?"
Narcissa pulled out her wand and spelled the chaotic residue away.
"Yes, we are, dear. It's time to head back."
The group made their way companionably back to the floo point, thankfully encountering no more unexpected surprises, and headed home.
X
The trees unsettled the woman more than she was willing to admit even to herself.
She had been in forests before, forests far older than this one, but there was something about the way the trees grew here; thick, gnarled trunks twisting into tortured shapes, bark covered in strange bubbles and oozing black sap, and brittle, leafless branches reaching out like spindly fingers with swollen joints, blocking any lights from reaching the rotted forest floor and making the small paths they'd managed to create dangerous.
The worst thing of all was the silence. Nothing lived here. Nothing could with the poisons trees killing any other plants, but even creatures that thrived on rot and decay had yet to be found.
When it became too unbearable she would make the five mile trip back to a more habitable part of the forest where the trees were normal and the air was crowded with animal calls and birdsong. It was risky and if she was gone for too long her absence would be noticed but she felt it kept her sane, although there were times when she wondered if she'd gone mad the moment she'd arrived in this place.
Turning away from the sinister trees she faced the small area that they had managed to clear in the weeks she'd been there. Another, larger clearing where most of the bigger equipment was stored was roughly three hundred feet to the East, but the entrance to what they were trying to uncover had caved in there and was no longer of any use.
She watched the workers scramble about in the mud and growled to herself. Everything would be so much quicker if she could use magic, but the enchantments and curses around the place were so strong and numerous that even a simple 'lumos' in the wrong spot could bring about dire consequences. But to have to rely on muggles though, it turned her stomach.
Her partner shifted beside her but she paid him little regard. Their job was to keep an eye on the workers to see what they found and to keep an eye on each other to ensure there was no subterfuge.
The mouth to the underground temple was little more than an opening big enough to get the carts in and out of hacked into the earth. There were thick wooden joists in place to keep it all from collapsing in where the wall interiors had crumbled when the mud had been cleared out, but the workers were fearful and desperate to leave so it was a rushed job.
The muggles were superstitious and convinced the place was cursed, which was right so there was no point in denying it; however they kept trying to break it in their own pathetic way. Really, it was beyond amusing to watch and it gave all the witches and wizards on site a good laugh as they tried to appease non-existent gods with food and prayer. They moved onto animal sacrifices when they started getting desperate, taken from the small herds of live creatures they'd brought with them to eat.
When that too failed they tried 'magic' of their own, mumbling nonsense words and clutching at amulets that were nothing more than lumps of metal, rock, or bone. Every now and then one of them would make the long walk back to civilisation and return with some sort of 'spiritual' person: once a priest, another time a medium, then a monk and even once a 'witch' who was nothing more than a middle aged woman in ridiculous clothes who shuffled around with her many bracelets jangling with every step, shrieking about there having been a terrible murder made by a satan-worshipper years ago that had cursed the land and how she would purify the ground and break the curse by summoning the 'mother earth' to cleanse the taint.
The woman had been so incensed over a filthy muggle claiming to be a witch that she made sure to direct her towards the nastiest curse she'd found to date. The muggle hadn't resurfaced from the temple so she had assumed the magic had done its work and had wished she had been there to see it. The curse was horrific and inflicted a draw-out, painful death and it would have been fun to watch the light fade from the fakes terrified eyes.
As she started to dreamily imagine all of the ways the muggle might have died, a commotion from the tunnel entrance broke her concentration. Several mud-covered men came hurtling out shouting in garbled Mandarin and pointing back to the entrance.
"What is it now?" Her partner growled in annoyance. "Another death, d'you reckon?"
"Well, there's only one way to find out."
He grinned at her.
"Five galleons on decapitation again."
She scoffed even as they started to make their way towards the shouting men.
"Fine, I say five on a good old acid curse."
"You're on."
The ruckus the men had caused had halted all the other work and as they drew closer the uninvolved workers shied away. The curse was one thing for them, but the strange men and women, who had suddenly appeared several weeks ago, in charge and with all the legal documents to prove it, were another thing entirely. Bizarre things happened around them and they calmly dealt with any of the many unexplainable accidents without ever seeming surprised. They carried a darkness that was a much a part of them as the unusual black clothes they all wore and they seemed to find any of the workers deaths …funny.
Workers vanished regularly after being seen receiving orders from them, but if approached they all answered the same: 'he's gone back home.' Everyone knew they were hiding something but they were all in desperate enough situations that they couldn't leave. However, just because they were trapped by circumstance there, didn't mean it was wise to bring unwanted attention down on themselves from one of the 'Black Cloaks' as they were now know by. So, all but the men who had run out of the tunnel quietly turned and went back to work.
The woman looked around in frustration.
"Where has that damned translator got to?"
Almost before she had finished speaking a man appeared from the direction of the tents, running towards them: he was dressed in slightly better quality clothes than the workers and was young, no older than nineteen. He skidded to a stop before them and almost fell over in the mud before panting an apology, explaining that he'd had to go to the bathroom.
"Well, don't just stand there," the woman snarled, not even attempting to hide her dislike. "Find out what the hell is going on."
The young man gulped at the harsh tone and began to speak in quick Mandarin to the workers who responded just as fast. The man sent a sharp question back and the workers became even more animated, gesturing desperately towards the temple entrance. The translator nodded and turned back to the not-so-patiently waiting duo.
"It appears that our hard work has finally given us a result. They have found the door to a chamber and have managed to break enough of it down to see that there are artefacts inside."
This certainly got the witch and wizards attention.
"Show us," the male partner growled fiercely. The translator cowered then spoke briskly to the workers who began walking back towards the entrance, the Black Cloaks following closely behind.
As the group stepped into the gloom of the tunnel the noise of the workers outside suddenly faded to nothing behind them and there was only the squelch of their footsteps in the mud.
The temple must have once been magnificent: made from a strong, pale rock that no one had ever seen before, the walls were covered in intricate carvings and faded paintings. It was huge and must have been a massive undertaking as they had been excavating for more than a month and all they had found so far was empty rooms, hallways upon hallways and booby traps. Until now that is.
As they headed down into the temple they passed huge, cavern-like rooms, half excavated with workers digging away at the mud and rubble where the ceilings had collapsed. The gloom was only broken intermittently by weak lanterns that always seemed a second away from going out; the flame sputtering near-uselessly against the grasping strands of the dark.
The deeper they went the less people they saw until finally they were on their own.
The workers explained in hushed voices to the translator, who then passed it on to the man and woman, that they were one of the teams on point and would be sent to forge ahead to find new rooms and hallways, then leave it to the rest of the workers to clear out while they were sent on again.
The woman vaguely remembered that she had been told that the point teams had the highest death rate, so of course they had the highest pay by quiet a substantial margin. Honestly, sweeten the trap and they throw themselves on it even while knowing they were going to their death.
Finally they arrived at the lowest level unearthed so far, and were lead along several passageways that were cleared only enough for someone relatively small and slim to squeeze through, giving the woman's partner, who was a large man, quite a bit of trouble.
Ducking under a section of particularly low fallen masonry the woman found herself in an area that had been cleared out much more thoroughly, revealing an intricately carved stone door. Like all the other doors before it, it had no handle and no apparent way of opening. A hole had been broken through at about head height.
The workers gestured towards the doorway and held the lantern closer, but the woman was cautious.
"You," she pointed to the translator, who jumped. "Have a peek and tell me what you see."
The man looked hesitant and she sent him a sickly-sweet smile.
"Your eyes are better than mine in this poor light."
The compliment seem to steel his resolve and he approached the door, ordering the man holding the lantern to go with him.
As the light dimmed around her the woman subtly pulled her wand from her pocket and started to silently cast curse detecting spells one after the other. Sure enough there were several nasty ones threaded around the door, one of which had already been activated when whoever it was broke the hole through it. It was one of the more slow acting curses so the poor sap didn't even know he was a dead man walking. He would find out in the next few days though if he didn't die here first.
The translator peered through the hole and the woman noted that the activated curse didn't attach itself to him. So, it was either designed to only curse the one who initially disturbed it or it had weakened with time.
As she studied the other curses further she decided it was the latter as all of the spells seemed intended to do something more than what they could achieve with their power level.
It was but the work of a moment to deactivate them, much quicker and easier than any curses she had encountered so far, and she took a second to wonder why. If they had finally found a room with something of importance in, then the spells meant to ward people away had failed badly compared to the others. Surely whoever cast them would have made precautions against such a thing happening.
There was a scuffing of rock and some soft cursing from behind her as her partner finally managed to get under the last blockade. After dusting himself off he walked over and on noticing what she was doing proceeded scan the area himself, giving a bloodthirsty grin on realising one of the men with them was already unquestionably doomed.
"Oh my," the translators voice echoed through the room. "It's a little hard to make out but there are defiantly artefacts in the room and they look untouched by the rot and mud we have encountered so far."
"Excellent," the woman purred.
The translator pulled away from the gap and waved the men forward, ordering them to open it.
They crept forward with heavy tools and started to work on the door, but with every new crack they jumped away like startled rabbits, all too clearly remember the last door they broke down and the repercussions it had. The ones who had been standing directly in front of the door when it had been opened were now buried in the ever-growing graveyard in the forest.
Finally enough of the door broke away that someone could step through, however no one did.
Soon the woman's partner had had enough and strode forward, grabbing one of the workers at random and using brute force to throw him through the open doorway and into the room within. There was a scream as the man flew through the air, a thud and then silence for several long seconds. Just as those remaining outside were becoming convinced he was dead a quivering voice echoed out.
"H-he says he thinks it's fine," the translator said shakily, quite horrified at what he had just seen.
"Well, in you go then," the man growled and made a sudden move at the other workers that had them scurrying through the doorway, not wanting to be thrown like their colleague had.
"Cowards, the lot of them," the man spat, then pushed the translator in front of him before entering himself, showing himself to be the very epitome of hypocrisy.
The woman entered last, still silently casting every detecting charm and disarming spell she could remember, and found herself in a vast but low room lined with shelves; and on those shelves …
As the others explored the woman pulled a small bottle from underneath her cloak. Inside was a shimmering liquid which glowed a faint blue. She put the stopper between her teeth and used her now free hand to push up the sleeve of her robe on her left arm, exposing an ugly tattoo on the underside depicting a skull with a snake slithering out of its mouth. Then she used her teeth to bite down on the cork to pull it free and upended the mixture over the mark. It glowed brighter for a second before gliding up her arm until it completely covered the dark mark, then vanished into the inked skin.
There was a crash in front of her and she jerked her head up. Not fifty yards away stood the young translator, a shattered vase at his feet, staring at her with wide eyes and shaking.
"What happened?"
Her partner suddenly loomed out of the gloom between them and she gave an annoyed snort.
"He saw me send the message. Pity - it'll be damn bothersome to get another translator out here."
He gave her a glare.
"Well you should have been more careful. Look, you made him break a vase. I'm not taking the blame for that. Honestly, did you even check to make sure no one was watching?"
With a jolt she realized she hadn't. As soon as she'd seen the artefacts and felt the magic coming off them she'd reacted, desperate to finally get away from this hell hole and back to civilization.
"Who cares?" She snapped. "The deed is done so now I'll take care of it."
"Fine, just be quick," the man grumbled before turning and walking back into the depths of the room to make sure the workers didn't touch anything they shouldn't.
The woman hadn't taken her eyes off the translator while she'd been talking and now she was finished she started forward, making the boy stumble back, holding a hand out in front of him to try to ward her off.
"I-impossible," he stammered, backing down an isle opposite to the way everyone else had gone. She followed like a cat stalking her prey, feeling a familiar tingle of excitement start to run down her limbs.
"I've been working too hard, not enough sleep, been here too long, because what I just saw was impossible!"
"Oh, but my dear," the woman purred, pushing him ever deeper into the dark. "What you just saw was quite real."
The terror in his eyes grew and he began to hyperventilate, stumbling over his own feet and bumping into shelves in his haste to put more distance between them. She revelled in it, the boys fear made all the more sweeter knowing that he had lusted after her.
"Stay away," he whispered. Then louder, more panicked: "Stay away from me!"
He fell backwards when the shelf he'd been half-leaning, half-pulling himself along on suddenly ended.
The woman stepped forward, keeping half an eye on the boy as she observed the open space.
The room she now found herself in was perfectly round with carvings depicting terrible scenes on the wall. It was completely empty apart from one ledger in the centre of the room on which there was a single, thick book bound in chains spelled with containment charms so strong she could feel them from where she was.
"Well, well, little mouse, where have you led me?"
The boy seemed oblivious to what was around him and regained his feet, backing away again, leading him closer to the centre of the room and the book.
Below the containment charms was something else, but she couldn't quite make out what. However, it seemed to stir as the boy moved closer to the book. Intrigued she took a step forward, the boy scrambled back and whatever-it-was grew, stretching out like a cat after a long sleep.
Wary now she pulled out her wand as she raised her other hand, trying to halt the boy.
"You'd not want to get too close to that, Mr translator."
He halted and in a lightning fast move glanced behind him, seeing the book.
"Why? Isn't this the sort of thing you lot have been searching for?"
The woman arched an eyebrow before nodding and he gave a hysterical little giggle.
"You – whatever you are – have been looking for books at the cost of how many of our lives?"
She tried, but she really couldn't stop the smirk that twisted across her lips.
"Countless, little mouse. You muggles are nothing more than cattle to us. We have killed so many of you for our goals and we will kill so many more."
He looked like his entire world was falling apart, which it most likely was.
"S-so, this book is one of your goals?"
She fingered her wand, going over the best spell to kill him quickly so she could focus on the great find while she absentmindedly nodded.
She should have seen it coming, should have realized what he was planning, but she didn't and so missed the way his shaking stopped and a strange type of calm settle over him.
"I see," was all he said before he turned and lunged at the book.
"No!" She screamed throwing her wand forward and sending the strongest spell she could that would stop him in his tracks.
In the split second before he had moved she had recognised the magic under the charms and knew that it had taken her so long to do so because she had been feeling a much weaker version of it for weeks already: it was the thing that had poisoned the trees and rotted the ground. The thing that snuffed out the lights and left so many to stumble into the traps, and that was only its aura. There was no way a muggle mind could handle touching something like that for certain, but what wasn't certain was what it could do with a broken mind and still living body.
Just before the boy touched it the magic seemed to roar in triumph and the chains and consequently the containment charms exploded into dust.
The wave of magic that followed lifted the woman from her feet and threw her backwards into the shelves.
As she passed out she distantly heard horrified screams.
X
Harry shut the door to the library and breathed in the smell of the books.
Unusually he was being given a few hours off as Abunai had told him that the 'thingy' he was preparing was almost complete and he wanted to get it done that evening. So instead of his normal lesson on healing and politics Harry now had some free time on his hands.
Lily had been sent to bed a while ago and he checked in on her to make sure everything was alright before heading down to the library.
It had been unusual to see what appeared to be a strange girl sleeping in Lily's bed, but that was why they'd had the spell cast on them over a week before leaving the manor; giving them time to adjust away from any suspicious eyes.
Now though he was here with a purpose.
As the weeks had drawn on something that had started off as a quite whisper in the depths of Harry's mind had grown until he could no longer ignore it. So, although he had protested against Abunai giving him the time off it gave him an excuse to tackle the frustrating thought and lay it to rest.
He'd asked Draco a few days earlier if his family's library covered law and the blond had been happy to show him the impressive section they had dedicated to it. Now it was time to find out if one of the books covered what he was looking for.
The search was exhausting and he only found the subject in question more than two hours later.
Piling up the few books he felt might be relevant on top of the one he had found, he discovered a very comfortable looking sofa hidden away in a little niche behind a bookcase and settled down to read.
The legal jargon made his head spin but he persevered and painstakingly slowly made his way through the pages. The more he understood the more agitated he became, diving into the other books to cross reference certain passages before returning to the main tome and continuing with pinched brows.
Finally he couldn't continue and the book slid to the sofa cushion beside him as he stared blankly into space, trying to comprehend the magnitude of what he had just learned.
He didn't know how long he sat like that, going over and over everything he had discovered, feeling more and more sick with each passing moment, but a sudden noise had him turning his head to see a familiar face peering around the bookshelf.
"Harry? Is everything alright?" Draco asked.
Harry really ought to remind him to use the 'correct' name but in that moment he couldn't bring himself too when all he wanted was to tell the other boy everything he had just learned.
Automatically he started to push down the urge before remembering what Snape had explained to him about the consequences of supressing sever emotional distress again and it making his alter stronger. Honestly, what was the harm in telling Draco? He'd already proven his trust and he might be able to help in some way, like Ron and Hermione always had in the past.
"Not really," Harry finally replied and watched as Draco came all the way around the shelf before looking questioningly at the space beside him currently occupied with the book that was the source of all his present problems.
He gave a consenting nod and Draco scooped the book up, sat down and read the title before his eyes widened in surprise.
"This is why you asked me about the law books the other day?"
Harry sighed and settled back, pushing himself into the corner of the sofa where the back met the arm and pulled his legs up in front of him so he was facing towards Draco, his knee almost touching Draco's thigh.
"Yes. I've been doubtful about something for a while and wanted to be sure."
Draco carefully set the book on the side table, taking note of the others already resting there before pulling his longer body up into a similar position to Harry's and fixing him with a thoughtful stare.
"So tell me what you've found out."
Harry began his tale.
"Well, I was first suspicious about Lily's adoption after you all explained to me about a vampire being technically insane for the first forty-eight hours after turning. I love Lily, but I can also freely admit that I was no way in my right mind when I adopted her.
"You already know I know little about the laws, history and day-to-day working of the magical world, and I initially put the ease at which I adopted Lily down to that. I don't know, maybe I tried to convince myself there was some sort of spell that could tell if you would be a good parent or something and it had been cast on me when I was at the orphanage."
Draco made a face, validating the nonsense of his statement.
"My thoughts exactly. You see, in the muggle world the adoption process is really long and difficult with lots of interviews, record checks, house visits and so on. Even after passing all that you're still not guaranteed to be given the okay to adopt a child. But, I thought as so many other things are done differently here then why not the adoption process?"
Harry clenched his hand around his knee, squeezing in frustration at his own naivety and sheer hard-headedness at leaving it this long. Then suddenly Draco's knee was pushing gently against his and he realized what he was doing and loosened his fingers.
Draco's knee stayed where it was after Harry pulled his hand away and, after a little thought, he came to the conclusion that he didn't mind it. In fact the warmth coming from where their bodies touched felt quite nice.
"I knew something was wrong when I went to get her and the orphanage was gone, but there was so much other stuff going on at the time-"
He missed the slight wince and the pained expression that flashed across Draco's face at those words, not knowing that Draco had taken the blame entirely on himself over Harry's Blood Lust and his killing the muggles.
"So, I guess what with dealing with everything and the start of the training program and being so damned grateful that I had Lily here with me that I just pushed it to one side and kept on telling myself I'd look into it 'tomorrow.'"
Harry sighed and pulled the law book from Draco's unresisting hand, then thumbed through it to the page that had made what he dreaded abundantly clear.
"Here it lists the basic steps of the adoption process before going into each in greater detail: for starters no one under the age of twenty-one can apply to be taken into consideration for adopting a child. That's the first thing it says, so I already know I can't have adopted Lily."
His fingers creased the page slightly in his misery as he ran his eyes over the damning words again.
"The list just goes on and on and I didn't do a single one; I just signed a piece of paper after telling the owner of the orphanage that I wanted to adopt Lily."
He turned his face up to Draco's, looking utterly hopeless and lost.
"In the eyes of the law I've kidnapped Lily, Draco. I-I don't know what to do."
X
Draco was in serious trouble.
Only a few hours ago he'd been trying to come to terms with the physical changes to Harry's appearance, knowing he didn't like Harry any less for it but still finding it unsettling as well.
Now though, all he saw was Harry – he now knew it didn't and wouldn't ever matter what face Harry had – who was desperately in need of some help.
This was a huge bomb to drop such a short time before they went back to Hogwarts and would require a lot of thought and readiness for whatever demons would come out of it, and oh how they would come.
However, Draco's main problem at the moment was the way Harry was looking at him and how he wanted to just wrap his arms around the smaller teen and protect him from the world, (although he was aware that even if they were in a situation where he could do something like that, Harry would probably punch him if he thought Draco was trying to 'protect' him from anything.)
His mind flashed back to the last time Harry had really needed him and how appallingly he had failed, resulting in the Blood Lust consuming Harry and the brutal deaths of several muggles. He had nightmares about it; sometimes it played out exactly how it had happened, other times he was even slower to arrive and the Monster/Harry had gone into the club the muggles had exited from and continued to wreak his devastation. But the worst was when he'd managed to get there quicker and stop anything from happening, because when he would wake up he could fool himself for a fraction of a second before reality would come crashing back down and he would see that cursed collar around Harry's neck when he went to find him.
He blamed himself, utterly.
As a result of that his days when not involved in teaching Harry had been turned in to a brutal training regime that Kurai, Abunai and Severus had been only too happy to help with.
All three men had figured out almost immediately what was behind Draco's sudden drive, but had still agreed to help him on the grounds that he worked to a schedule of their choosing so he wouldn't push himself too hard out of guilt.
It had been vicious and there had been many a time when he had wanted to give up. His ever-loving parents had wanted to keep him out of the upcoming war as much as possible. Vampire children were considered so precious and were so long-lived that they had hoped that he wouldn't be involved in any actual combat until he was well into his fifties. Draco had known though, the second he had first seen Harry in that alleyway, that the war had been brought to him and he had no hope of hiding or blagging his way out of it.
So, every time he had wanted to give up, every time he had lost his temper and stormed off, all it took was seeing Harry, with the light glinting off his collar and working away without a word of complaint, to get him marching back to apologise or pulling himself up despite all the aches and pains from his exhausted body.
All of the training had given him a startling insight on Harry and was something he was immensely grateful for as it made him warm to the other teen even more: now that he was on a similar schedule for the first time he had an understanding of just how super-human the other boy was. Harry never ditched a lesson, never tried to get out of one, never asked for one of his teachers to go easy on him, never whinged, never slowed down, never stopped.
While at Hogwarts Draco had never been able to understand why the small, annoying and senseless human had managed to go up against such odds and not only survive, but triumph, every year. He had never really seen Harry pay much attention in class and other than Quidditch practice the irritating human never seemed to devote himself to anything more than goofing off with his friends. If this was the drive Harry had had every time he took on one of those mysteries then it was no wonder he always came out on top.
So Draco had tried to work equally as hard, but after sixteen years of luxurious living it was no easy feat. He was fit, yes, but he didn't have any long term stamina. He could fight, thanks to a couple of lesson every week since he was six, but he had no real combat experience and Kurai had theorized after thrashing him yet again that the only reason he had managed to subdue the Monster/Harry was because of how weak the other boy's body and mind had been at the time. His duelling was below par for someone of his age who had trained as long as he had, simply because he had never taken it seriously. So while he knew plenty of annoying hex's he couldn't cast any serious spells in quick succession without pausing to think, thus resulting in him being thrown on his arse more times than he cared to count. But he was a Malfoy: intelligent, stubborn and a perfectionist, so finally, finally, the hard work was paying off and he was seeing results.
The only thing he still wasn't too pleased with was his relationship with Harry. They had progressed, yes, but after a while Draco had felt like he had hit a wall and could get no further.
Today though was the first time the other boy was opening up to him, giving him a golden opportunity to prove himself to Harry; that he'd become better, stronger and wouldn't let him down again. That Harry could trust him and could always trust him.
However, with Harry looking at him like that his mind went blank and all he could think of was hugging him. But maybe, if he approached it the right way, that could be exactly what the other boy needed.
Harry seemed to take Draco's silence as a sign to continue, not that he was having an internal meltdown.
"I can't lose Lily now. I mean even if I could bear to let her go think of the effect it would have on her. Just as she's starting to believe she's really wanted she's sent back? It would cripple her."
Harry glared down at the book, his eyes suspiciously bright, and seemed to be contemplating throwing it. Draco used that pause to clear his throat and bring the other boy's attention back to him.
Without saying anything he gently took the book from Harry's hands and set it on the side table, then reached slowly for Harry's shoulder and paused just before his palm touched the fabric.
Draco waited, trying to explain without words that Harry was entirely in control. If Harry wanted him to back off then he would, if he wanted him to continue then he would do so only at Harry's pace.
The moment stretched out, longer and longer, until Draco was starting to believe Harry wouldn't do anything at all. He would have to pull back on his own, disappointed, but hoping it would show Harry how much he could trust him.
Then Harry nodded.
It was barely noticeable: just a tiny dip of the chin, and if Draco hadn't of been looking for it he would have missed it entirely.
His heart leapt and his hand completed its journey, wrapping lightly around the top of Harry's arm and tugging gently.
Bemused, Harry let himself be tugged and Draco slowly and ever so carefully pulled the other boy towards him, twisting him around a little so that his back came to rest against Draco's ribs. The hand he'd used to pull Harry close now rested along the back of the sofa, even though it twitched traitorously a few times in its desperation to wrap around the other teens shoulder. As this was such a big step though, Draco wanted to give Harry a clear exit; if he did wrap his arm around him then Harry might see it as Draco trapping him in.
Draco didn't miss Harry's sudden indrawn breath as he had come to rest against his side, but was also pleased that even though he was clearly shaken he didn't just give in to his instincts and leap away.
Wanting to give Harry time to adjust he began to speak in a low, soothing tone.
"I think we've all had our suspicions about it, Harry, and I'm sure that together we can come up with the answer to keep Lily with us. It's important to remember though that the Harry Potter who thought he had adopted Lily is about to officially disappear from the world, so for now the both of you are safe."
He paused for a moment as Harry shifted slightly, thinking that he might pull away, but it appeared that Harry was simply moving to a more comfortable position.
"Now that we know for sure that you were deliberately set up we can start to accumulate a case for when the time comes. However, I'm afraid that legal battles are very different from the fights you've encountered so far."
He could have sworn he heard Harry give a soft snort of laughter and carried on, confidence rising.
"You weren't in your right mind when you adopted Lily, and you had no way of knowing that what you thought was the complete adoption procedure was nothing more than a con. Then there was the fact that when you went to pick Lily up the entire building had gone. What were you supposed to do? Just leave a six year old, half-blind girl on the street? No way in hell you'd do that."
Harry tilted his head slightly so Draco could see the one raised, incredulous eyebrow and he gave a chuckle, the sound rumbling through his chest and into Harry's back.
"C'mon, even when we were enemies I knew there was no way you'd leave someone in trouble, and whoever engineered this plan knew that too."
This time Harry stiffened and pulled away slightly so he could turn towards Draco a little more.
"You're suggesting that someone knew I wouldn't be able to leave Lily alone and made it so I would 'kidnap' her. To blackmail me you think?"
Draco nodded.
"It makes sense. There are a lot of people in this world who would give much to have you in their power. Even before Voldemort officially came back there were plenty who were aware of the high statue you could give them by either being in your good graces, or being able to control you."
Harry's forehead crinkled in confusion.
"Okay, I know I've done a few things that could be considered a bit impressive in the right light, but people seriously believe I'd be like some sort of good-luck charm or something to them? I'm not even that good at magic."
Draco had heard Harry make such allegations before, brushing off compliments like water off a ducks back. He'd always believed that Harry was doing it on purpose to look humble and noble, not that he seriously believed he wasn't worth the praise. Now, after a summer of really getting to know Harry, Draco could say with confidence that Harry genuinely had no idea of how remarkable he was, and that upset him.
"Harry, you really don't get it, do you?"
Harry sent him a confused look and Draco sighed.
"Look, you did things in your first year at Hogwarts that even the seventh years wouldn't have been able to do and that rattled a lot of people. I mean, a kid who hadn't even gained his Inheritance, more powerful than those who had? That's practically unheard of.
"Before you came to Hogwarts people were grateful to you for having banished Voldemort, but they honestly thought it was more luck on your part than anything else; how could it have been anything else? A baby actually defeating the strongest dark wizard of our time? The idea, although no one ever said it out loud, was ludicrous. But when you arrived at Hogwart's and you just kept on doing all these amazing things, people started to believe it, and then they started to see the advantages of having you be seen backing them. Why do you think Fudge was so desperate to get on your good side and when that failed, try to control you? Having you publically seen 'supporting' him would have ensured him a second term in office. Fortunately though the man was too dim to actually come up with anything as clever as this."
Harry, by this point was looking a bizarre mixture of incredulous and terrified.
"Are you seriously telling me …" he trailed off, unable to even voice the words and Draco gave him a sympathetic look.
"Harry, you're a one-man army. No one in their right mind would go up against you in terms of power apart from those insane enough or on the same level as you. However, if someone can get you to publically back them then that person could pretty much get away with anything. Having power over you, owning you, would be like owning the most powerful weapon and the most precious jewel all at once."
"But, I'm not a thing to be bought or stolen. I'm my own person!"
Harry was starting to get quite agitated and the collar around his neck started to glow faintly, showing that his alter was taking notice and pushing to have his 'say'.
Draco took a chance and moved his arm from the back of the sofa to rest lightly on Harry's shoulder, his thumb rubbing in soothing circles.
"I know that, Harry. Plenty of people know that and wouldn't dream of doing that to you, but there are others whose whole lives revolve around money and power. They forget that an 'asset' like you is something with a mind, feeling and opinions of your own. All they see when they look at you is supremacy over whatever they want; you're too good a prize to pass up. I'm sorry, but as long as you're 'Harry Potter' there will always be people like that after you."
Harry was quite for a long time and Draco didn't try to disturb him. It was a lot to go over and now that Draco knew that Harry had next to no confidence in himself, trying to come to terms with being described as 'the most powerful weapon and the most precious jewel' must be near impossible.
"I think," Harry began, haltingly. "That we should talk to Snape about this."
Draco hummed gently in agreement, not wanting to push Harry in any way.
"And it's almost time for my next lesson so I should be going," Harry continued.
He didn't move however, and neither did Draco; both boys a little reluctant at the thought of leaving their safe little hiding place and going back to the real world.
Draco unconsciously tightened his arm around Harry's shoulder, bringing the other boy in closer to his warmth, and instead in pulling away Harry let himself sink in to it, basking in the safety and simplicity of it.
"Maybe in a few minutes," he said, resolve crumbling, and his eyes slid shut, content for the moment.
Draco smiled softly, let his head tilt a bit to the side so his cheek was resting on the top of Harry's soft hair and let his eyes close too.
They could deal with all of this mess later.
X
Lucius felt that the symbol of the Slytherin house suited him better than most.
It had been a fascination of his since he was a child to see how he could manipulate humans into doing things they normally wouldn't without them realizing he was the one, metaphorically, holding the reigns. If he got caught then the game was over.
As he got older he grew a better understanding of the consequences of his actions. Simply because he'd wanted to see how far he could push things he'd broken up friendships, split romantic relationships, crushed the confident and pushed the mild-mannered into aggressive actions.
While his manipulations hadn't been all bad; one of his 'tests' had brought Narcissa's attention to him, for instance, he had to admit that he looked back on some of his actions now with a grimace, but never full regret.
After all, his actions were the reason why he had been chosen from his vampire brethren to join Voldemort. His disregard for humanity meant he was an excellent choice as he would have little to no qualms in torturing and killing for the sake of keeping Voldemort's trust and spying for his kind.
He had to admit, though, that there had been far too many occasions where his family had been put in harm's way and there had been times where he had been on the verge of giving it all up and going into hiding from the human world to keep them safe. But each time Narcissa had talked him out of it, telling him to trust in their strength and that the cause was bigger than them.
Now though his family had quite significantly expanded and the thought preyed on his mind more than ever, even though he knew that while it might have been hard before, it would be near impossible now – not with who his son's soul mate was.
The shock of coming home one day to find none other than a turned Harry Potter in his house had still not worn off and he would catch himself staring at the boy as though he was going to vanish in a puff of smoke any second.
And with the boy had come Lily, who Narcissa adored. He couldn't say he was immune to the small girl's charms either and found himself doting on her like he had Draco when he was her age.
But there was also the immense danger that came with having Harry now so closely attached to his family.
Harry was at the very centre of the war and there was no way out for him nor those close to him. Even with the boy no longer in their lives, his former friends were still prominent targets.
Standing with Harry was like walking around with a target on your back.
The boy was powerful though, very powerful.
Abunai had even theorized that Harry's powers were currently split in half, with one side trapped with his other personality. Even if it was less than that Abunai was certain that a large portion of the boy's power was confined, and if the boy ever managed to get access to it …well, his potential was terrifying. In terms of raw power he was now almost level with Voldemort and Dumbledore, but the other's had experience. Experience, however, could be gained and the boy was already an excellent dueller. He was also displaying a brutality that few his age could show; that of an practised fighter who would not hesitate to bring down the finishing blow because he knew from experience how much it could cost if he wavered. His pain threshold was also startlingly high.
One of the things that proved the most to Lucius on how supporting Harry was the right move was that it was near impossible to manipulate the boy any more. Too many adults had betrayed him; too many friends had stabbed him in the back, so now he was suspicious of everyone and took every promise with a pinch of salt. No more was the trusting Gryffindor; almost falling over himself in his desperation to prove his worth and blindly having faith in other's because they were older than him or spoke kind words.
Maybe if he were a different man Lucius would feel sorrow for the lost trust, or be concerned of how suspicious the boy had become, but he was not. It was a time of war and Harry was a key player. Suspicion would keep himself and those around him safe.
Thankfully with the growth of that suspicion, Harry had stopped seeing the world in black and white, which Lucius was not the only one grateful to see the back of. Severus had come to him several times in an almost blissful daze and they had giggled over it like school girls as it had been the one thing that had infuriated them more than anything else about the boy in the past.
Speaking of Severus there was a knock on his study door and Lucius cast his senses out to find said man standing rather impatiently in the hall outside.
"Enter," he called and the door swung open.
Severus entered, face pinched in a way that only signified one thing: Death Eater duty.
"I've just received the signal that the excavations in China have found something."
Lucius stood while opening a draw in his desk and pulling out two small vials filled with a lilac-coloured liquid. He threw one to Severus then uncorked and downed the other before heading to a small closet that was attached to the room and pulling out a black cloak while feeling the ageing potion take effect.
He turned back to find Severus' features settle into their older countenance and the two men left the room quickly.
Casting out his senses once again he found Narcissa and Kurai in the evening parlour and headed towards them as they were the closest and most relevant in the situation. Abunai was outside with Griffin, Lily was asleep in her bed and Harry and Draco were in the library.
In short time Lucius was opening the door to the parlour, seeing his wife seated elegantly on a couch opposite Kurai deep in conversation. They rose to their feet though as soon as they saw that Lucius and Severus had taken their aging potions.
"Lucius?"
He hated the quiver of uncertainty in Narcissa's voice.
"We've just received news that the Death Eater team at the temple in China have unearthed something. We have to go. Voldemort will most likely know about it soon if not already and if there's any hope of us salvaging anything before he arrives we must leave immediately."
Instead of protesting Narcissa nodded, a fierce expression coming over her face as she marched forward and tugged him down into a hard kiss.
"Be careful," was all she said after she pulled away.
Unable to resist he leaned in to capture her lips in one more kiss, putting as much love into it as possible, before he wrenched himself away and turned to go. He and Severus would have to get beyond the boundaries of the Manors wards before they could use the portkey and they didn't have much time.
"Let's go, Sev," he said gruffly and found himself catching the end of a peculiar moment between his friend and Kurai. The two of them had simply been looking at each other, Kurai still by the sofa he had risen from and Severus by the door, but there had been a strange intensity in the air.
Though curious, Lucius had to push it aside as now was not the time.
"Sev," he barked and the other man almost jumped before focusing on him. "Time to go."
The potions master nodded and vanished through the doorway. Lucius allowed himself one last glance back at Narcissa before following.
They slipped out of a side door and began moving across the lawn, heading for the trees. Together they went from a light jog to a sprint and then even faster until the landscape blurred past, their impeccable night-vision ensuring they didn't stumble or bump into anything and a short time later they had cleared the wards and were in a small clearing.
"Ready?" Severus asked as he pulled a muggle leaflet advertising home-insurance out of the pocket of his robe.
"You know I bloody hate portkeys," Lucius grumbled while pinching down on a corner. Severus smirked.
"I do, but unless you want to apparate and re-apparate half a dozen times then this is the quickest way."
"Fine, fine," Lucius sighed, "just get it over with."
Severus's smirked widened as he activated it and a split second later there was only an empty clearing.
TBC