JK Rowling owns the Harry Potter Universe and all the characters therein. I just like playing with her characters – especially Severus :o) Thank you to my patient readers and my lovely beta reader Ella. Please let me know if you are enjoying the story. I'm trying to ramp up the action. We are getting there. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 20

"What do you mean 'bonded with an Elemental'?" Severus' voice was deceptively calm, but beneath the surface raged a veritable ocean of frustration. The old man was always so cryptic.

"Ah, yes, well, you remember the Asian witch I told you about before?" he nodded.

"Yes, Fomorian, yes, what about her?" he rushed.

Dumbledore nodded knowingly, "Well, she and her partner shared their, rather exceptional, abilities. When I asked her about it, she told me that it was something that happened after they . . . consummated . . . their relationship. She was not aware of the extent of this bond, but she assumed it was something akin to the bindings that take place when one is wed. Only, they were not merely linked magically. They shared each other's abilities. Before bonding, as I have mentioned before, she had no talent for transfiguration. After, well, she was reasonably adept. Her partner was only fair at the skill, so it stands to reason that she wielded similar abilities. However, when they worked together, well, it was, as they say, magic. They seemed to finish each other's thoughts, and worked seamlessly. They were curse breakers, you see. They worked for the Great Eastern Ministry under Emperor of Magic Woo Tang, quite the formidable pair." The sage wizard nodded.

"And, I suppose that this," he paused, " surge of power has affected my ability to control my magic, correct?" He sat down heavily in the plush chair he had so effectively avoided earlier.

"Yes," Dumbledore nodded. "I suspect that both you and Beth will need to work diligently to control your magic for a while. Any emotional outbursts or stressors could cause either of you to react violently. Who knows what could happen, and if you were to both be put into an unnecessarily stressful situation, well, it could prove disastrous," his weathered hand fiddled with the delicate teacup.

"You mean lethal." The young Wizard's voice was low and deep as he pondered the ramifications of this bond. What would Beth say? He imagined that, if this was anything like most bonds in the Wizarding world, they were effectively linked for the rest of their lives. There was no divorce decree or magical ceremony that would sever the tie. He was perfectly content with the idea of such a bond between him and the lovely young woman he had come to care deeply for, but would she feel the same way? What would she say when she saw a different side of him. He had changed some over the summer, but when the term started, how would she feel about his teaching methods, his gruff persona?

Try as he might, he could not see that he would change the way he related to the students. She had seen some of his surliness, but would she turn from him when she saw how he related with his students, his peers? She was likely to be the only person with whom he had ever been gentle, save Lily. Was it too soon to make an offer for her hand?

The rain had continued to fall as the morning wore on. Hungry and frustrated, Harry and Millington sat under a shield charm that kept most of the rain off of them. They periodically cast warming charms as well. It was a long, bone wearying wait. Harry glanced at his pocket watch wondering if Genny had any of those wonderful biscuits left from tea yesterday. He was getting hungry. He heard the approach of a motor and quickly reinforced their disillusionment spell. They would have to be careful about casting continuously as they would become tired and ineffective if they used too much magic in an effort to keep warm and dry.

As the vehicle approached, both men hunkered down reflexively, though they could not otherwise be seen. Harry waited and tensed as the car approached his wards, and when they were triggered, he looked over to Millington, "Allright, we'll easily be able to follow them now that they've activated the tracker in the wards. Hopefully, it was subtle enough that they will not notice. Let's head back and alert Lupin, grab a bite to eat, and we'll track their progress. It's going to take a bit for them to get to Coventry. I figure we have three hours." The two men apparated back to the Ministry where Lupin was waiting for them.

"We've got a trace on them," Harry fell haphazardly on the overstuffed couch in Lupin's office, "We were planning on eating lunch and then tracking their progress throughout the afternoon."

Lupin nodded, "We've had some information in a different quarter, but I can't help but wonder if its related in some way."

"What's that?" Harry quearied.

"Lucius Malfoy, one of our operatives has passed on a really interesting bit of information. Lucius appeared at Borgin and Burkes this morning asking some really interesting questions about a reclusive wizard. His name is Ferris, and he is known for being well versed in very arcane magic. It seems odd that Malfoy should pursue this course of questioning as Dolohov and Yaxley appear on the scene. They are up to something, but until we hear from Boggleburr, we can only guess at what," he mused.

"Is there any way to get in touch with Ferris and gain his cooperation? Perhaps he would tell us just what Malfoy was seeking," said the young Wizard as he fidgeted on the couch.

"No one has heard from Ferris in over 50 years. It is unlikely that he is going to come out of hiding and even less likely that he would cooperate with the ministry. He probably views the ministry in a rather unflattering light, as we have placed restrictions on the pursuit of magical knowledge in certain fields. As he has not registered in years and is a known alchemist, well, it is quite likely that if he is alive he has a great deal to hide. These elders like to keep their secrets, secret." Lupin hedged.

"So, how do we find him?" Millington asked.

"I'm going to send a message to Dumbledore. It is quite likely that they ran in some of the same circles when they were younger. If anyone has a clue, it would be Dumbledore," Lupin asserted.

Curious, blue eyes peered out of the vegetation and soft morning light played off the silvery blond head that ducked low under the dew covered branches. Lucius held out his cane and lifted the dripping branch before walking under it. He brushed the moisture off of his waistcoat with a pale, well-manicured hand. He studied the old mansion in front of him. It was surrounded by overgrown weeds. Borgin had assured him that the old Wizard was holed-up not far from one of Lucius' properties, a hunting lodge in Whales. He had apparated to his lodge and changed into a more sturdy set of robes before heading out to confront Ferris. Let Yaxley and Dolohov deal with that maddened, old crone. They would waste their time and likely end up with their ears hexed off for good measure.

It was silly, really. Those old hags had always been venerated, but the knowledge they passed on was made up of ridiculous folklore. It was highly unlikely that the old woman had any real knowledge of fairies much less having dealt with one. Now, Ferris had, and he knew this for a fact. The old man was said to have negotiated a treaty between the Fairy Lord Ne'hal and his consort Emmelin and the wizard Grindelwald. Evidently in his persuit of the Eldar Wand, Grindelwald had heard of an object of great power held by the Eldar. Lucius had little knowledge of what had transpired, save that Ferris had been the instrument in settling the matter. He was the only known wizard to have dealings with the Fairy. It was rumored that his mother had taken a fairy lover after Ferris' father had died. The boy had spent part of his young life in-between. It was said that he knew many of their secrets, which he never shared. His time in the other had left him with an unnaturally young countenance. It had also left him as mad as a hatter.

The last time Ferris was seen the man had to have been at least 100 years old. He had sold Borgin an old family heirloom, a necklace given to her by her lover. Borgin said that he still looked to be in his prime. Licius knew that the wily Wizard had likely set traps around his home. He took out his wand and tried to discern any hint of magic. He could detect nothing but the rustling of leaves.

Had he been much of a woodsman, Lucius might have detected the soft steps of something approaching. He might have been alerted by the soft rustling of the branches above him. However, even the most trained huntsman would have attributed these sounds to wildlife. For, Ferris had been trained by the Fairy, and he was as silent as a creeping cat. He sat observing the well dressed wizard from a perch only a few feet above the sterling blond head.

He watched carefully as the aloof wizard plowed on making enough noise to alert the entire forest of his presence. Lucius approached a tall oak and placed his next step in a pile of fallen leaves. In moments he found himself dangling by one entrapped ankle. Suspended upside down, his long hair waved like a white banner signaling a truce. Parley, it cried. The usually unruffled wizard flailed as his cloak billowed amidst the dew dampened grass. Ferris chuckled and jumped lightly from the tree. He crouched on the ground, his green garb almost camouflaging him entirely. Had he stayed crouched, Lucius might have thought his eyes tricked him.

Ferris stood and walked toward the trapped wizard. Lucius pointed his wand toward the rope that held him trapped and attempted to burn it into oblivion. However, had he known that fairy rope resisted attempts at destruction, he might have saved the wasted effort. "What is the meaning of this," red-faced he huffed at Ferris who merely cocked his head as if studying a rather strange specimen.

"Let me down this instance," Lucius commanded.

The dark haired wizard peered at the pompous man. His brown eyes glittered fiercely with intelligence and a bit of madness, "I'm not sure you fully realize the position in which you find yourself, sir" the soft voice replied.

"Perhaps, I will return when you appreciate the dynamics of the situation," he disappeared without sound into the brush from which he had just appeared. Lucius struggled futilely and released a volley of spells in an attempt to free himself from the unforgiving rope that held him prisoner.

"Very well!" He shouted. "I yield, sire, I yield!" Lucius bit his lip as he waited to hear some sort of answer. He felt the rope loosen around his ankle and he fell unceremoniously to the ground. He looked up to see a smiling face peering from a branch above him.

Beth sat up in the bed and felt the empty covers beside her. "Severus?" She sat up and noticed that the room was empty. She got up and dressed quickly. She sat on the edge of the bed waiting to no avail. "Well," she thought, " I may as well make myself useful." She headed into Severus' study where she began to work on various spells he had taught her.

"Wingardium leviosa," she intoned. And to her great surprise the quill she was trying to levitate lifted gently of the floor.

"Well," she mused, "that was certainly a lot easier than it was yesterday." She placed the quill on Severus' desk and spied the old book that Albus had given to him. She thumbed through the pages until she came to a spot marked with a ribbon. The chapter was entitled "The Early Ones."

"The Early Ones"

In the time before the Wizard's dominion, the world was ruled by the Early Ones, those whose powers were linked with that of the Earth. It is called Earth Magic or Elemental Magic. The Early Ones are composed of various races including the Fomorians, Nemedians,Fir Bolg, Tuatha de Danann, and Milesian. These beings warred for hundreds of years, when their races were young. With the coming of Wizardkind, they banded together and defended their lands from the onslaught of man who defeated them with iron. Finally overwhelmed by the sheer numbers, they left the mortal world to walk in-between. Timeless and ultimately more powerful, the races resigned to live in peace and have little dealings with troublesome humans.

Beth was absorbed in the text and read about the various societies that formed in-between or as the author called it the Summerlands, an evergreen, lush plane that these beings ruled. The author suggested that it was rare that man or Wizard ever entered the Summerlands, but it was known to happen. The fairy often took human brides because of their fertility. These babes were not always raised in the Sumerlands. There were also those of the Old Ones that settled and found a place in the human world. Strong alliances were also built between early Wizards and the Old Ones through marriage. The children of these unions were often unusually gifted and long-lived.

Beth skimmed the text until she came upon a very interesting passage about the powers of these beings. The author spoke of a deep connection with the earth. The Old Ones and those of human and fairy unions were gifted with the ability to control nature including growth cycles, weather patterns, and matters of animal husbandry. This is why many were worshiped as gods and goddesses by non-magical humans. These powers were also linked with seismic events.

Beth was curled up on Severus' sofa absorbed in the book when a flash lit the fireplace and Severus stepped out. She jumped and the book tumbled to the floor. "Severus! Where were you?"

"Albus received some news this morning. Two Death Eaters escaped from Azkaban. He wants us to stay here for the rest of the summer and into the term." He ran his hands through his hair in an impatient gesture.

"And, how do you feel about this?" she asked.

"I don't like it. I don't intend to hide behind Albus Dumbledore's robes, and I don't think that it is necessary," he huffed.

Beth nodded and looked at him pensively, "But if they are free, why wouldn't they come after you? Wouldn't they view you as a traitor?" she queried.

"Undoubtedly, but I doubt that I am first on their list, particularly Yaxley and Dolohov. I am sure that they are going to regroup before they seek out any targets. I find it hard to believe that they would risk being caught just to do me in, but perhaps I am wrong. I will be more vigilant. However, after giving it more thought, I would feel safer if you were here. Given that we are unaware of the extent of your powers, it might be best if we begin working with several of the other professors on our training before the term begins. I want you to have a hold on your abilities before the children arrive," he said, looking at her questioningly. "But, how do you feel about that? I would not wish to force you into a situation with which you were uncomfortable." He waited for her reaction.

Beth looked from Severus to the fire that flickered brightly in the grate, "Severus, I wouldn't mind moving here, but there are matters that I need to see to before we do so. Would it be possible to spend a few days packing and getting things ready before we return here?" She smiled up at him.

"Of course," he paused, "I would feel more comfortable. . ." he hesitated, "that is, would you mind if I . . . stayed with you? I would rather not take any chances. If you like, I could even stay in a guest room. I just . . ."

She giggled playfully and rose from the sofa. Lithely, she padded across the room. He watched her as she looked up at him through lowered lashes. "Severus," she ran her hands over his lapels enjoying the feel of the soft, lightweight fabric under her fingers. He really looked magnificent in his robes. She tilted her chin and ran her fingers over his angular jaw. She could feel the soft rasp of his facial hair, which he neglected to shave this morning. "I would love to have you stay with me," she ran her thumb over his lower lip and purred, "and share my bed."

He grabbed her wrist and kissed her palm, flicking his tongue out to taste her. Their eyes were locked. Beth's lips parted with a pant, and he bent down to capture her lips in his. His hands slid down her supple hips and he pulled her flush against him.

A loud "POP!" made the couple jump. The two lovers looked at the offending personage.

Winki bowed her head bashfully, "Winkie is sorry Professor, but"

"Yes, Yes, YES," Severus bellowed, "we'll be in the Great Hall shortly." Severus huffed and gave Beth a longsuffering look.