So here is the next chapter it is rather short and somewhat filler but needed it to get to the next so hopefully it is somewhat satisfactory ;) I do shift pov in the first part so hope its not confusing.

*not my views on the lovely country of Britian-theses are strictly harry's and since he has been dealt so much crap from the british wizarding population it is understandable that his views on the country as a whole would not be golden. please don't take offense!

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Chap 35: A timely escape

There is no mile as long the final one that leads back home."
― Katherine Marsh, Jepp, Who Defied the Stars

The time from when Harry grabbed a hold of his now exposed arm (really his robes were a complete mess as they resembled something out of one of Draco's worst nightmares-it wasn't his fault that he was overly fashion aware, and no, that did not make him vain…though the second part of the stereotype apparently did hold true, as he was he actually gay; then again so was Harry and well from what he had seen the green eyed wizard wear in the past, not all gay men knew how to dress) to when they landed back in Severus's sitting room was over in a blink of an eye.

Somehow Severus had managed to avoid being pulled down by Harry's graceless landing (although Draco had to admit that these moments were becoming more and more rare for the immortal) while Draco ended up entangled in Harry's long limbs. Both of the young men ended up in a heap, sprawled across the floor.

After they had managed to somehow upright themselves it was of little surprise that it was Severus who was first to touch on the importance of the last hour and a half. "If you two morons could manage to actually land standing up, I would not have to now deal with trying to get blood out of the carpet" he stated in his infamous derisive drawl.

For what was probably the second time in Severus's long life, he was completely shocked by what happened next; what being getting an armful of immortal. He found himself falling silent and stiffening as Harry literally launched himself at Severus and engulfed the dour man in a hug. Before he even had a chance at processing his prodigy's sudden embracement of his Hufflepuff side, the former Gryffindor had released him and turned around to grasp Draco dragging the blond towards him.

Severus watched in shocked amusement as Harry manhandled the prim blond so that he was standing in front of the dark haired immortal and bestowed what could only be described as a passionate kiss on the other boy's lips. And from what Severus could tell Draco really didn't mind all that much.

A dry cough interrupted the rather intense exchange of saliva (for once Severus really wished he could stop thinking like a scientist/potioneer that he was—as it truly took out some of the spark in human interactions; after all who could really appreciate said interactions when they were thinking of the different body fluids being exchanged?) going on between Harry and Draco.

Harry's head shot up to see Zyren standing just inside of the door frame looking both turned on by what he was witnessing and confused as to why he was seeing it (while all three of them had gotten closer over their winter break, they had yet to really approach the physical aspect of their bond). The green eyed wizard released Draco and before words could be exchanged bound over to where Zyren was standing and gifted him with the same affections.

When they broke apart both men were slightly short of breath. "Not that I don't appreciate that greeting…but may I ask what brought this on?" Zyren asked leaning back slightly and then adding when he caught sight of the three men's appearances, "…or why you all look like you have recently been in a cheap horror film?"

Actions finally catching up with the turbulent emotions of relief and joy that had been coursing through Harry ever since they left Malfoy manor, caused the young immortal to blush at his uncharacteristic displays of affection. "er….I'm happy to see you?" he said though it came out as more of a question then a statement. "Wait when did you get back? I thought you were staying at Hogwarts for another day?"

"I was going to but with things escalating the way they have been, I thought it was pointless to continue the charade as they have already gone and smeared your name past the point of return, so what is the point of staying there and collecting information? Plus I missed you too…" He said then looked at where Draco was standing a few feet back from them, "…both of you" (which may have caused the blond to blush though he would adamantly deny that fact if you asked him later).

"I can see that we all have a lot to talk about. So why don't we use the common sense that we are—or at least some of us are bestowed with and clean up first before reconvening to discuss events?" Severus interrupted what was likely going to be a lot of questions and stuttered/confused answers. Not to mention that being coated in dried blood was starting to make even his dead immortal skin crawl.

"That sounds like an excellent idea Severus…as much as I love to hold you mon petit combatant, you smell rather atrocious at the moment. And I prefer Draco's hair his natural blond- not matted and faintly pink …" Zyren stated taking a step further back from Harry.

"Fine" Harry bit out his tone a tad sulky, though more because he simply didn't want to admit that Severus had a good point, then the fact that he truly objected with what the man was saying "Draco?" he asked pausing before he left the room. Again the blond would deny he blushed but he was quick to follow Harry out of the room with perhaps a tad more bounce in his step than normal.

Zyren watched both of his younger mates leave the room with what could only be called a fond expression, causing Severus to huff and mutter something darkly under his breath before leaving the room in search of his own shower. Honestly, he could not wait to have his own quarters again…living in close proximity, not only with his godson and Lily's son but with a mated trio was beyond exasperating.

…

True to their words the four individual's reconvened after a thorough scrub down (well for three of them) and change of clothes.

"Okay, first things first….what the hell were you three up to while I was away that resulted in you arriving back here in that state?" Zyren asked pretty much as soon as everyone had settled down (Harry and Draco practically curling into each other on one of the sitting room's chaises, while Zyren and Severus each took one of the matching chairs).

"Well….you see…"

"I needed to…."

"supposed to be gone.."

Zyren held up his hand to silence the two teens who were literally talking over each other, although he suspected even if they weren't, that their explanations would have been somewhat lacking. When they stopped talking he looked over to where the potion master was sitting studying his stained fingernails. "Severus?"

Severus gave a loud, put upon sigh before straightening slightly and looking back up at the Daemon, "Draco got it into his head that he needed to check up on his mother to make sure that she was truly okay and that he was not simply abandoning her to her fate at the hands of the Dark lord. While I tried to talk him out of it—knowing it was a bad idea, this moron—"he said, gesturing to where Harry was sitting causing the teen to glare at him- though it was a rather half assed effort, "…chose to agree with him. Thus since I did not want either of them going in by themselves all three of us apparated to Malfoy manor…" Severus paused for a moment and held up his own hand mimicking the gesture that Zyren had just used on his two mates, "…no we did not just go waltzing in…well, not really…" Severus stated to what Zyren was about to ask.

Zyren raised his eye brow in question waiting for Severus to continue. The man did so, still looking rather crabby, "the idiots were suppose to stay hidden under Potter's invisibility cloak but somehow even that simply task was too much for them…"

Draco let out a rather feminine sounding squeak of protest to which Harry elbow him in order to stop the blond from voicing his displeasure at Severus's words. Probably smart, the man really didn't seem like he was in the mood to placate his godson at the moment.

"To make a long story short, the Dark Lord, along with a large portion of his Death Eaters happened to be present when they became visible—by the way it seems as your source was correct and Voldemort was becoming suspicious of me, as I was not summoned for whatever meeting was going on—anyway, words and spells were exchanged. The Dark Lord obviously thought he had the upper hand…he did not. We culled his troops a bit and then Harry told him we were out of this fight and we left" Severus finished.

Zyren just stared at him in disbelief, "You culled his forces and then you left?" he repeated to be sure that he had heard the man correctly.

"Yes…well, I did say that Harry told him we were done as well…" Severus answered looking nonplussed at the sputtering daemon. The daemon sat there for a few moments trying to collect his composure at the other man's words, before deciding that he was unlikely to get a better explanation from Severus, or any of them—at least at the moment, and he might as well move on.

"I see" he stated, shaking his head again…if he had not seen the state their clothes and they, themselves had been in when they first got back the explanation Severus had just given, would have led him to believe that they had all sat down for a nice cup of tea with the Dark Lord.

"That's basically what happened…" Harry inserted apparently tired of waiting for the daemon to go on, "…so now, your turn"

The daemon sighed but conceded, "As I was saying there is no point on me remaining behind to spy, as things deteriorated rather quickly after your escape….and no, Neville and the others are fine" he added when he saw both Harry and Draco's worried expressions, "…in fact they have remained under Dumbledore's radar- you have apparently chosen people who everyone underestimates; I don't think that anyone; Dumbledore and Fudge included, would believe that Neville or Luna…hell, even Blaise are capable of pulling off what they have. All of the others you've appointed outside of Hogwarts are fine as well…three separate portkey departures have already taken place and two more are planned for this week….that side of things is going as smoothly as we could have hoped for"

Harry looked relieved at the daemon's reassurances, as eager as he was to get out of this cesspool of a country*, he did not want to leave those who truly wanted no part in the war to fend for themselves. To hear that his plan was working and that the last people he actually cared about (Neville and Luna…and hell even Blaise—though more because Draco still regarded him a somewhat of a friend) were okay, help erase the last bit of guilt he felt at 'abandoning' Britain to Voldemort.

"Ok…so how have things deteriorated or do I even want to know?" Harry asked settling back further into the sofa, which basically meant Draco's arms.

"Well…Fudge did as we thought he would and has not only declared you a traitor, but issued a kill or capture on sight order… along with a hefty reward for anyone who does either. He also has the papers printing so much trash about you that I doubt that you could go back even if Voldemort were to suddenly decide that wiping out the British wizarding population was no longer his lives ambition—well after killing you that is" Zyren continued, "…although, I am curious as to how those two goals now rank…"

Harry sighed but didn't look all that surprised by Zyren's words, "while I am disappointed that Fudge just proved to be the idiot I always believed him to be, I can't say that I am surprised. Even If I was still human and had agreed to do what he wanted and somehow miraculously survived long enough to kill off Voldemort, I have no doubt that they would turn on me the second he was dead—if there is one thing that Fudge fears, it's those with more power than him…which is truth is odd since that means he should fear pretty much everyone with more than a third year Hogwarts education…"

Zyren ignored the quiet snigger that came from Draco at Harry's last comment, "Well then the last bit of news I bring should be a good thing…I received a letter from Leonor requesting that we return. While there will still be some issues with Draco's entrance to the realm, he said that at least for a little while Kiran will likely wave the rules for you….after all you are one of his favorites" Zyren added the last bit teasingly.

Harry sent him an impish grin back, "I know"

While Draco was a little less certain- given Zyren's vague reassurances, he held his tongue as he could see that the thought of returning to the Shadow realm obviously thrilled the other three. He would trust his mates (and the word still sounded a little strange to him) to ensure his safety…at least for now.

"So are we going? And when?" Harry asked unable to hide the eagerness in his voice.

"We are going to meet Leonor at his cabin, and he will escort all of us back home—to ensure we don't have problems trying to enter" Zyren explained glancing discreetly in Draco's direction.

Harry wasn't sure how to feel about returning to Leonor's cabin, after all it had been more than a decade since he was last there…and it was essentially where all of this had begun. He finally decided that he was both excited and nervous to see the place again.

Though regardless of how he felt about drudging up those rather confusing memories (recall he still thought Leonor was going to use and abuse him during his stay there) he knew that he was excited to head home.

And yes after only a few months back in the mortal realm, he could safely say that he considered the Shadow realm something he had never found in the mortal one….

He considered it home.

hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

To say that Kiran was floored by what he had just heard from Josephine would be an understatement….a large, vast, huge understatement. While he had more than suspected his wife of cheating on him and sleeping with another, he had never considered the fact that she was capable of murdering someone else; and not just someone else but her own brother's wife and unborn child!

Oh, he was not stupid he knew that everyone was capable of murder given the right circumstance but these circumstances certainly did not excuse his wife (soon to be ex wife if he had any say about it) for her actions. And yes, perhaps she had not carried out the murder with her own hands but she had basically convinced a rather delusional woman to do it for her (even if murder was not their intention, the results were what mattered).

After the meeting he had his guards escort Josephine to a secure room (for while he would need her testimony to make sure his wife paid for her actions, Josephine had also been responsible for Mencia and her child's deaths—regardless of whether she was remorseful or not). She would be kept safe until his wife was charged and Josephine's testimony was needed (the mortal justice system was based off of something after all), and then she would face her own trial—most likely banishment at minimum.

And while he was now sure of what he was going to do and positive of the fact that he would be both removing his wife of her titles and having her arrested, he needed to wait. He needed to tell Leonor of what was happening and what his wife and Leonor's former fiancé had done before Selene was publically arrested.

He had no desire to blindside a man who had already had so much taken from him. And he wanted to wait until Leonor has someone who could be there for him, to do so. Therefore he needed to wait until Harry was back home.

Dredging up old memories—especially one's as painful as these, not to mention telling the man that not only had his wife and unborn child been murdered, but that his sister was responsible for their deaths would devastate the old immortal.

It would not be that much longer till Harry had returned… Leonor would need something…someone to hold on for—or, Kiran feared Leonor would simply up and vanish again.

And this time he might not come back.