Severus and Remus were worried about leaving, they knew Harry would not want to be left alone, and they were not sure how long they would be gone. They had not even considered taking him along, even at Malfoy manor there would be some risk for him. They knew he would be much safer here, he would stay with the Delacaurs and at the first hint of danger, he would be taken into the veela lands. Alberi would be coming with them, but others among his people would keep a close eye for him on his young charge, who he was overly fond of. Watchmen rarely married or had kids, and Harry had in a way, become like a son to the elf.
Harry had no idea what was going on, some of his things were being packed, but the little boy assumed he was going on a sleep over. Harry had not had a sleep over since Christmas but he was used to them, and had been asking for one, but one night.
Harry came to them. "I get to have a sleep over with Michel and Corine?"
Remus knelt down. "Harry you're going to go and stay with the Delacaurs for a while. Uncle Severus and I need to go away for a bit."
They were not surprised to see the tears in the eyes of the little boy, but before they could react, Harry turned around and bolted in tears. They were reminded they knew this was going to be hard, but seeing him so upset was hard on them, and this trip was hard enough on them as it was. They didn't like leaving, and one of them wished they could stay with him, but they both needed to see this through. For both Harry and his mother, they needed to end this.
They were about to go and find him, but they heard the wards going off, and knew it was friend, for it was not the alarms. They weren't expecting anyone, the Delacaurs were waiting for them to come, and the cycle was already in place in the UK.
Oliver, with Fleur and Fred behind him, shocked them. "Where is the little man?"
Remus looked at the three of them. "We were not expecting you."
Originally only Fleur was coming but they knew Harry would have a rough time, and Fred volunteered to come. They knew there was a risk when they went after Albus that he would target people they cared about, and the Weasleys would be on that list. Fleur was pregnant an her husband would not risk her, but it turned out though he and Charlie would not be married for a few months, Oliver was pregnant. Neither Bill nor Charlie would risk the loves of their life, or the babies, and Fred coming, also had to do with them as well. He had been sent so the two pregnant ones need not feel no one thought they could defend themselves.
They explained they had told Harry they had to go away for a bit, and he was so upset, he took off in tears. They had been about to go look for him, when the wards had gone off, and they had stopped to see who it was. The other three were worried, and offered to help.
Fred found him in the dinning room, under the table. He crawled under the table with him."I used to hide under things when I was little too."
Harry was surprised to see him."What you doing here? They send you to take me away?
Taking the little boy into his arms Fred ached for him, he knew it couldn't be easy for a four year old, and Harry was even worse. He still had much of the same instincts and intuition from when he was older, and he picked up on all the tension and fear around him. The adults were trying their best to keep Harry from being scared, but he knew something was going on, and now they were sending him away too.
He carried Harry as best as he could like he was, out from under the table, and carried him out in the gardens, rocking him. He sent a house elf to tell the others that he had found Harry, and where they were. Harry clung to him around his neck, mixed between scared to be taken away, and wanting to be with him.
Fred kissed his head. "Me and Oliver and Fleur have come to have a sleep over with you for a week or so. Oliver and I can take you flying all the time."
Harry looked up a bit. "Uncle Moony and Uncle Sev don't want to send me away?"
The other four appeared in the door, and Remus was reminded of when Harry was scared they would give him to the Fae. As often as they worked to prove they were never going to give him up, Harry still had such abandonment issues, and they always popped up. Once this was over with Albus they would put down some proper roots, and could focus on being a proper family with and for Harry. They had come together by necessity to keep Harry as a chid, but they had grown close not simply for him, and Severus could not imagine life without the two of them, any more. He didn't know it, but Remus felt the same way about him.
Remus knelt. "Harry we don't want to go either, but we have to for a bit, but we promise we will be back soon. We love you so much, please know that."
Harry clambered down from his lap and ran for Remus. "Be safe please, I need you Daddy."
The words surprised him as he took the little boy up into his arms, but they meant the world to him, he felt Harry was his son for so long. He and Severus both called Harry their son for months now, but they never touched the name issue, because of his parents. Remus knew James would have not only wanted him to raise Harry if he could not, but to offer him a family as well. He thought if the couple were watching from the after life, they would likely smile.
He turned Harry to look at Severus. "Papa and I will come back to you. Nothing will stop us from coming back to you. I promise."
00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Severus and Remus were both more reluctant to leave Harry, and more anxious to, when he said those words. He had never asked Severus if he minded the term, before he called the man Papa, but he had known Severus loved Harry as much as he did. He had not been wrong, Severus more then accepted the new title, and assured Remus he had not been wrong to use the title. They had even more incentive to make sure they came back, but also to make sure he was safe. Harry had no idea what was going on, and how much risk he was at, and they intended for him never to know.
They knew they could just run, they could keep Harry away from the man, but it would never end. Until the day the old coot died, he would come after them, and they would never be able to give Harry a normal life, or send him to school. And it would put any who knew and loved him, in danger, targets or bate. Draco was their concern right now but they gave him Harry's cloak, and Hermione had the map. They both knew there was a risk, so they would be on stand by.
Lucius saw them when they arrived at Prince Manor."The two of you look like you already went into battle."
Remus shook his head. "It was a bit rough to part with Harry. He is calling us dad."
Lucius knew the words meant the world to both men, especially his brother as odd as it seemed, but the timing was bad. It would have made them leaving even harder then before, to know how much their love for Harry was returned so strongly. It was no wonder the two of them looked as if they had been through battle. The suggestion one of them remain behind was vetoed to the surprise of no one, but Lucius would see them back safe to France.
Alberi spoke up."It seems we can come and go from the school from the woods, but are you certain about taking it there?"
Lucius shook his head. "If we could avoid any kind of battle near students we would take it. There is too much risk for the kids in the school."
They knew the problem was that the man would not be lure from the school, there was no one there he cared enough about, to come out for. He had a brother, but he would sell his brother for some money, he had no loyalty at all to the man. He knew, or at least he believed that he was safe within the school walls, and he would have been a fool to leave them. Unfortunately he was still better off there, even if they could come unseen.
Severus shook his head. "He has a school full of innocent kids that he can and likely will use as human shields, if they need to."
Alya spoke up. "If you can get him out of the physical castle, or even contained to a certain area of the school, we can fix that."
They would be able to create wards in certain areas of the school, that would mean Albus could not get his hands on the students. If they could remove the threat the man posed to the students as human shields, then there would be no added concern when they faced the man in battle. The cycle had sworn they would protect innocent lives, and while usually that referred to the Fae alone, they would be willing to extending it for now, for the kids.
Moody had come among other members of the Order. "I would think it would be best to get the kids all in one area, to focus the magic there."
Severus nodded. "The Great Hall during mealtime, but we would have to ensure all kids came for the meal. And that Albus would not be there either."
They knew they had some allies in the school, none of the teachers would allow the kids to be hurt, but there were only a few who would defy Albus. Filius and Poppy were two there was no doubt on, and Hagrid as well. They would use Hagrid to distract the man and keep him away from the hall, and have the other two ensure the kids were all in the hall. It would make easier work even for the pixies, to protect the kids, and would ensure they could know they had them all.
Word was sent, for Draco and Hermione to see to their own houses, and Filius and Poppy could see to the other two. Poppy was not head of Hufflepuff but she had a lot of them who volunteered for her, and she would easily be able to see to them.
Tonks sighed. "We were so lucky this time around with Voldemort, that our only losses were Cedric and Sirius. I thought this was all over."
Remus put a hand on her arm. "This is not the same, Dumbledore is no Voldemort, and for once we have the power, to defeat him."
Twice they saw the end to Voldemort, the second for good, by a power they didn't know or understand at the time. It was not simply Lily's love for her son, any other mother who died would not have been able to do the same for them. It was their Fae blood which saved Harry and allowed him to win a second time around as well. Albus was a powerful man, but he was no Voldemort, and this time they had troops they never had before.
Severus looked at the humans with them."This is not Voldemort, not a war for us all. If any of you are not wanting to be a part, we will never think less of you."
Moody spoke but for all of them."Harry fought for us all before, we owe it to him to return that as well. Besides too many innocent lives need justice."
If these other species could fight for Harry, the humans would do no less, as they all owed a lot to the child. There was not one of them who didn't feel that way and while they would never have blamed any who left, not a single person left the manor that night. They knew this was a man they once called their leader, and had depended on, but he was a monster. Hearing about the Fae, they wondered who else had been victims, to the man's ambition.
Narcissa looked up from when the last word came from the school."The students will be ready. Lunch two days from now, the school will be ready for us."
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Albus had no idea what was going on, he knew something was out of place in the school, but he could not put his finger on it. He asked the other teachers, but even Minerva thought he was jumping at shadows for some reason, and told him to calm down. Of course they were fools, none of them knew what he was up to, and had no reason to think there was any danger out there. He needed to find that boy, he was starting to age again, the last of the stone elixir he stole, was long gone now.
He was about to go into the Hall when Hagrid appeared and informed him there was a problem, something was attacking the centaurs in the woods. From what he had been told there was something new in the woods, and Albus was suddenly worried about the wards.
He suddenly felt a shift in power and he turned to Hagrid. "What the hell have you done?"
Severus came out from among the tress on a centaur. "Helping some old friends, right a wrong."
The ground all around him began to shift and move as Albus began throwing hexes, not only Severus, but other members of his own order had come out. He landed a few, including a cruciatus on Tonks, but they kept coming, and every time he tried to move, either a giant hole appeared or a mountain came from the ground. The only people with such powers were either the Fae or high elves to a lesser extent. There was no way he thought that either would be here.
Suddenly a torrent of arrows came at him, both centaur and what he realized were elf arrows as well. Though he was able to keep most of them at bay, they kept coming, and they had spells on them, the elf ones, which began piercing through his shields one by one.
None pierced his flesh but pinned him to a rock and binding spells sprung out from them. "You think this will hold me? I will not be defeated by you."
Roca of the harpies came forward. "You humans, always under estimating the power of our races."
The others had used spells to block out the sound, but the harpy began to sing as they called it. Albus' ear drums burst, and as he screamed in agony, his wand dropped to the ground, and he began withering in pain. Severus and Alberi were the last, Severus using his legimency skills to help Alberi go into the old coot's mind and using his powers, Alberi snapped the connection between Albus and his magic. They were shocked when the man crumpled dead, sure he would be a squib, but realizing now that he had been living off of magic too long, to sustain life without it.
As the school and teachers poured out, Remus came to Severus' side. "He is gone. The Fae can return home, and our son will finally be safe."