Chapter 21

Once the group was settled with drinks of their choice, Remus cleared his throat. "Ok, I'm afraid there are some things we would like to know. Firstly, how did you get attached to Tobias? Second, can you explain the creature/soul bond the boy's share? Third, why are your claws a part of the boys bonding mark? Fourth …"

"What did Mother Earth and Father Sky send you with?"

Remus glared at Tobias, who smiled innocently at him. Narcissa giggled softly.

Zog chuckled. "Okay. We were first drawn to Akzant'tra when he was on the doorstep of the muggle's house. We were on an errand for the Mother. She had felt something was off that night and sent us. We were drawn to this small sleeping babe. He was what the Mother had felt, so we gave him a gift – The ability for his magic to protect him by connecting to any predatory animal. So that we knew the little one was safe that night, we curled around him."

"Why…"

"You need to be aware, Mr Snape, that Daemon children are rare things. As such, we view all children as miracles – and this child wasn't just any child. He had the Mother's interest, so we sort of gave him our protection."

Tobias chuckled softly. "Ah, Booph, is that a blush?"

Booph growled and sneered at the now laughing Tobias and Zog. Ignoring them, he turned back to Remus.

"The bond between the two of them isn't a creature/soul bond – but it is similar. Akzant'tra and his mate are soul mates and they have been since before Merlin's time." Booph glared at Remus, who had opened his mouth to ask another question. "The 'creature' part of the bond is due to something that occurred when we first took him to see The Mother. Only two people know what happened that day, but all of The Mother's and Father's minions know the result."

He turned to face Tobias, who had his head on Draco's lap and his feet on Neville's. Both Daemons' eyes softened slightly at the look of contentment on the Raven-haired boy's face as the pale, elegant fingers gently carded through his hair. Neither of them was surprised at the soft – almost silent – purr coming from the lad.

"Akzant'tra? Do I have permission to tell them the result of your first meeting with the Mother?"

Tobias sighed and stretched cat-like. "You have permission, Booph. When it comes to my Pack and family, you don't need to ask. You know that."

Zog grinned. "Just like you know not to stand on ceremony with us." Everyone laughed as Tobias stuck his tongue out at the Earth Daemon.

Booph bowed slightly. "Akzant'tra and his mate are what you would call Demi-Daemon. When their human body dies, they will essentially be reborn into a body that will last. In essence, they are Immortals in a mortal body. That is the creature part of their bond. It ties them together for the rest of their lives, and they will not die until the both of them agree it is time for them to die once they reach that form."

Tom interrupted. "Why would she do that?"

Tobias' voice answered. "By the time Drakontas and I die, Pateras, Zog and Booph will have out-lived the time for them to serve the Mother and Father. When we die, we will be taking over from them."

Tom's mouth made a small O in understanding. "Ok, then." He looked at Tobias. "We will be talking about this Gios."

Tobias nodded and returned his head to Draco's lap, eyes half-closed.

Zog stretched and his mottled green and brown wings spread out behind him with a soft crackling of muscle and tendon. "The bond mark changes for the both of them. During the day, they have my claws. During the night, they have Booph's. Our claws are there because we are the protectors - I'm on duty during the day and Booph on duty at night.

"Now, for what we are here for," Booph stretched to his full height, causing all his tendons to snap satisfactorily. Narcissa giggled again when Lucius had to duck so he wasn't hit with the Shadow Daemon's tail. "We know that you had no plans for a honeymoon so The Mother has organised one. We will pick you up before the evening meal. Tonight, you will be introduced into the Mother's garden."

Tobias beamed at the two Daemon as the both disappeared.

Tom looked at his son and son-in-law. "What did they mean by that?"

Tobias looked at his father, and then at Draco, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Draco chuckled as his husband hid his face in his shirtfront.

"Tobias and I are going to be adding our magic to that of Mother Earth and Father Sky. This is always done in the Mother's Garden. I'm glad of it, truthfully. The first time those with magic join their magic are released – just like in the bonding. The amount of magic released depends on several things – the strength of the couple's bond and their strength to name only two."

"We already know this Draco. We want to know why you will be going there instead of staying here!" Sev growled.

Tobias glared at the man, who paled slightly and gulped. "We need to leave because what we will release when we join will be strong enough to blow up the wards here, at Hogwarts and the Ministry with no resistance to speak of. Just what we did this morning when we woke nearly blew the wards, and that was nothing compared to what will happen tonight!"

Neville laughed at the pale faces of the five adults. "I think you gave them too much information for their comfort."

Theo looked at the two of them with a slight frown. "Alpha? Just so they understand, I think you should show them."

Draco growled softly in agreement. He wanted to taste his husband again, and this was the perfect excuse to. Tobias shivered in agreement as Draco pulled him onto his lap. No one in the room missed the flame of magic burning in both of their eyes.

The kiss started out sweet, but quickly turned into something else. By the time Draco stopped plundering his husband's very willing mouth for the second time that morning, the three girls of The Pack were flushed and fanning themselves and Severus and Remus were no longer in the room. A growl and the thud of a body being slammed into a wall gave an indication of where they were.

The rest of The Pack and the three remaining adults looked at the two of them in awe. They had all felt the strain the wards had been under to contain the magic leaking from the two before them. Tom ended up admitting that they would be best in the place the Daemon's were talking about.

Tobias picked at the food before him, finding no interest in the fried leftovers of the day before. He glared at the plate, hoping that it would somehow disappear. Bill yelped as the plate by his hand caught fire. Everyone watched as Tobias stormed out of the room.

Fifteen minutes later he returned with a large plate of cold turkey and pasta salad. Ginny, Narcissa and Pansy giggled at the hum of appreciation that came from him. Remus chuckled when he noticed that Draco couldn't keep his eyes off of his husband's face.

Tobias swallowed his last mouthful with a soft sigh of contentment. Once everyone finished and Tom left the table, Tobias gave his husband a gentle kiss and left. Draco smiled and challenged his godfather to a game of chess.

Albus sat back in his chair, sucking on a lemon drop in glee. He had a plan, now all he had to do was wait. The portraits exchanged worried looks. They knew the Headmaster was insane, but to plan on doing that to any person, let alone a student, was unforgivable.

Hogwarts herself shivered in disgust. In the Founder's rooms, a trill and a flash of black flame signalled the departure of Thanatos.

Tom was half way through a report when a flash of flame and a harsh trill appeared in his office. Intending to snap at the intruder, he stopped as image assaulted his mind. When the images stopped, Tom stood and ran from the room.

Tom, Severus, Lucius, Remus and Draco found Tobias buried in a book in the library. Thanatos followed them in and perched on the arm of the lounge his Master occupied and ran his beak through Tobias' long hair. Absent-mindedly, Tobias gently stoked the flaming feathers on the Phoenix's breast. Tom cleared his throat.

"Pateras?" Tobias asked in confusion.

Tom sat across from his son. "We've received warning that Dumbledore is planning something. We don't know what it is, but it concerns you and Draco in some way. All that we could discern from Thanatos was that it would hurt both of you."

Tobias marked and closed the book he was reading and curled up on his seat, deep in thought. Thanatos, once again, started to preen his hair – something that calmed both of them enough to think clearly.

"He can't harm me physically or magically within Hogwarts walls – Kitten wouldn't allow it. So he is either planning on attacking while I'm not within the safety of the walls, or he plans on attacking Draco. He doesn't know it, but Draco is safe magical wise in Kitten's walls, but he can be harmed physically." He trailed off, eyes glazed over as he focused on his thoughts. He looked at Remus.

"Lykos, what would you say to a quick trip into Diagon Alley with me? I think I need to obtain a few more … friends."

Remus laughed. "I'll come with you, as long as either Bill or Charlie come with us."

Tobias nodded. "Go get one of them and meet me in the floo room in five minutes."

Remus grinned and left. Tobias put his book to one side and stretched. Standing and muttering to himself, he kissed Draco on the cheek and left, leaving behind a room of amused men.

The Leaky Cauldron was quiet when Tobias and his two companions appeared. Nodding a greeting to the barman, they walked out the back and into the crowded street that was Diagon Alley.

The three men had made their way to Gringotts, where a rather large, pink body crashed into them.

"Mr Potter, do try to watch where you are going. After all, you are not above anyone else and we wouldn't want you to find yourself in Azkaban now, would we?" a familiar girlish voice announced.

"Ah, Miss Umbitch – sorry – Umbridge. I see you have recovered from your time with the centaurs. They do know how to celebrate, don't they?" Tobias stretched lazily. "How are things going in your campaign against half-breeds? Pity about the Vampire Laws not going through, I mean, how could they not see that they are dark creatures because they need blood to survive? How could they also not see that creating blood banks where they can go to get blood taken cleanly so that no one is killed will make them more dangerous as they will attack more humans?"

"I also hear that someone has the Were-Laws up for review sometime this week? Wonder who would have the audacity to do that? Oh, and Miss Umbridge? My name is Mr Black, not Mr Potter and as you can see," he held out both hands to reveal the backs of them, "I have no blood quill taint on my body. Have a good day, Miss." He bowed mockingly and walked into the building, followed by two grinning men.

An hour later, a pale Bill, an amused Remus and a hissing Tobias flamed into Tom's office. Tobias started pacing, still hissing angrily. He stopped when Tom walked to his seat with Nagini – both of them laughing.

"I didn't think it was possible for that to occur, gios. I also severely doubt that the Weasleys got their red hair by having a fire demon do that to them. I think being married to Draco has made your mind visit the gutter."

Tobias blushed. "I forgot that you would be able to understand me," he admitted.

Remus chuckled as Bill asked, "What did he say?"

Tobias' eyes widened and he blushed a brighter red.

Tom laughed. "He said that he bets the Weasley red hair is a unique shade of red because they were originally the bonded pets of Satan's Fire Demons."

Bill chuckled. "I don't think that's right, but it does have something to do with the status the Weasley family held in the past. The Weasley family – unlike what everyone believes – have not always been a light family, but that is a discussion for another day."

Draco crept into the room and pounced on Tobias, kissing the breath from him. When he pulled back, he paled when he found himself face to face with a snake stunned in the middle of a strike. Tobias put the snake on the ground before nodding to Remus, who re-enervated it.

Watching as the brown and yellow serpent bit into the air, Tobias started hissing. After a tense few minutes, the snake nodded and slithered to Draco.

"This is Discord. When we return to Hogwarts, she will be protection against physical attacks. Her nest mate, Chaos, will stay with me." As he spoke, a black and yellow serpent's tail waved from Tobias' sleave.

Draco was speechless as the snake wrapped around his lower leg. Silently he unwound the reptile and gently rubbed its eye-ridge. Looking up, he beamed at Tobias and put his snake into the snake tank set up for Nagini when she was a hatchling.

Together the two boys left to prepare for their night.

The group met in the sitting room an hour before the evening meal was served to wait for the two Daemon. Once they were seated, Tom looked at his son. "Now, Gios, what is this about you taking over from the Daemon and why wasn't I told about it?"

Tobias sighed. "You weren't told about it because no matter what, I'm going to take over from one of them, and Draco the other. It's been permanent since I was four. It also only comes into effect once both my and Draco's hearts no longer beat. When I said we were going to take over from them, we are. We will be first and second defenders of the Natural World. One will be night, the other day." Tobias stretched.

"We will be light and dark – Masculinity and Femininity, but we will be best working together." Tobias laid his head in Draco's lap and purred when the slender fingers started combing through his hair.

"You look comfortable there, Akzant'tra," a silky voice purred.

"If you're waiting for me to jump up, you're going to be waiting a long time. I'm quite comfortable where I am thank you, and I'm not moving til we have to go."

Zog's rockslide chuckle announced his arrival. "So now you decide to not stand on ceremony? What if we say that the Mother is here to see her Raven?"

Tobias kept his eyes closed. "If she was here, she would hit you across the back of the head for teasing me about my lack of ceremony when you know all I care about at this point in time is being close to my mate until we are bound to the other so tightly physically, mentally, emotionally and sexually that nothing can come between us, or has it been that long since you're bonding night that you can't remember it?"

His eyes flew open when a sharp smack and a yelp of pain filled the room.

"Booph, what was that for?" Zog whined, making everyone in the room laugh.

Booph lent forward and whispered something to Zog, who lowered his head and murmured an apology. Tobias nodded his acceptance and lay his head back on Draco's lap.

"So what's going to happen tonight, Zog?" Draco asked as he resumed running his fingers through Tobias' hair.

"After we leave here, we will go to the rooms you will be staying in until your schooling starts again. We will be transporting you to the train, so you have nothing to worry about, so if someone will take their things, that will be appreciated. You will have time to organise the rooms to your liking before you are taken to the Garden. There you will speak to The Mother and Father. Once that is complete, you will be led to the Sacred Lake where you will bath. Then you are given a light meal of the Mother's choosing. Then meditation time, then it will be time for you to consummate your relationship."

"You must remember that once we leave here, you are not allowed to use magic at all, not even for lubricant. I know this sounds harsh, but they are the rules," Booph cut in.

Zog nodded his agreement. "He's right. As well as this, once you are integrated into the Garden's wards, you will lose the protection we gave you as a babe. You will have the mother's protection and will therefore no longer need ours, however, one of your guardians will remain with you while another will become your animagus form. We do not know which ones they will be, but they will probably be the two that have attached themselves to you the most."

Booph and Zog tilted their head to one side at the same time. "They're ready for you now. We leave in five minutes, so say your goodbyes."

Tobias stood up and stretched to his full height. "Well, I guess this is goodbye for now." He looked towards his pack. "We'll see you at King's Cross, same time, same place – the password is Phoenix Flame and touch the green flame." He looked at the four Weasley men. "When it is time for a meeting, Thanatos will be there to flame you in." He bowed to Severus. "We will see you at Hogwarts." He hugged Remus, Lucius and Narcissa. "We'll see you next time we are home." He turned to his father. "Goodbye, Pateras. We'll speak to you soon – try to convince Fudge that the sooner we get our NEWTs, the sooner you can 'kill' me without him getting the backlash of not doing anything to prepare me."

Tom nodded and returned the hug, then watched in silence as the four beings disappeared. After several moments of silence, Remus sighed. "Why do I have the feeling that everything will change after tonight?"

He was answered with several murmurs of agreement before everyone left for the dining room.

Names:

Akzant'tra – pronounced Ack-Zanth-To-Ra

Drakontas – Dragon

Pateras – Father

Gios – Son

Thanatos – God of Death

Lykos – Wolf