Chapter 9 Draco Sees

Severus watched her as he pulled himself away, her eyes fluttered open as she looked up at him. She smiled softly and laid her head on his chest. Cat began to ask Severus a question......

But by this point a third party had seen all he needed to see, and with all do haste made his way back to Hogsmeade. With a malicious smile on his face he entered the three broomsticks. He couldn't believe his luck, Snape had been acting strange for days and now he knew why. There were definitely people who would pay for this information, or pay to keep it quite. His smile grew even larger when he rejoined his two friends. "Well you two, I'll just bet you can't guess what I just saw?"

Crabbe and Goyle smiled at Draco, anxious for the news. "Our dear head of house has been consorting with the enemy." he said nastily "I just saw them together, and they weren't just talking, in fact, I'd have to say they're quite close."

"How do you know she's not on our side" questioned Goyle

"I know because my father warned me to stay away from her" Draco replied crossly "Dumbledore is hoping she will find Lord Voldemort and help destroy him. She supposedly knows some sort of forbidden magic or something."

"But Draco, I thought we liked Professor Snape." said a confused Crabbe.

"We don't "like" anyone you idiot, we serve the Dark Lord, same as our fathers. How many times do I have to tell you?" Draco said harshly "And as for Snape, he served his purpose, though maybe we can still use him before my father gets a hold of him." An evil glint flickered in his eye "Imagine what my father will do when I tell him about this. Severus Snape and the Sidhe Bch, I hope I get to watch. My father tends to get creative with traitors." Draco continued, his mouth drawn up in a cruel smile. "Even that fool Dumbledore won't be able to protect them from the MoM, let alone Lord Voldemort."

"First werewolves and now Sidhe, next thing you know, he'll be bringing in vampyres" said a deep voice from behind Draco. Looking at the fearful, cringing faces of Crabbe and Goyle, Draco spun around to see the man who spoke. The stranger was right on top of them. He was tall with long, silver hair, his penetrating grey-blue eyes were quite large for his face, and his skin was almost white. "You were saying something about a Sidhe woman, here in this village?"

"W-w-who are you" said a visibly disturbed Draco.

"Who I am is no concern to a creature such as you. I asked you a question boy. Where is the woman?!"

Draco was shaking now, this was no wizard, he wasn't really sure what he was. All he could see were his eyes, it felt like his eyes were swallowing him whole, drowning him.. As the man leaned closer and closer, waiting for an answer, Draco tried one last rally of courage. Sneakily grabbing his wand, he pointed it at the stranger yelling IMPEDIMENTA. Unfortunately for Draco it had no effect on the stranger, it did however draw the attention of Remus Lupin, who was in the process of shooing the last of the students back to the carriages for their return trip to school.

As the stranger narrowed his eyes, Draco began to shake. He felt as though his body was coming apart from the inside out. As Draco began to scream in terror and pain, Lupin pushed him to the floor, breaking the stranger's concentration.

The stranger turned angrily to Lupin, "You dare interfere with me" he said icily "you are no more a match for me than that." he finished pointing toward Draco's shivering frame.

"Forgive me, O wind of the sea, but to attack a child is to tarnish your honour" replied Lupin humbly, bowing his head.

For a moment the stranger looked as though he were going to attack Lupin in place of Draco. However a strange calm came over him as he looked closely at Lupin. "You know me." Said the stranger simply "I have seen you before."

"Now I remember, you are a child of Cernunnos, you have station among my people." he said regarding Lupin "She brought you to us, where is she?"

"She is safe here. I and others have sworn this to her father." Lupin stated bravely "Believe me Manann Mac Lir, I will die before I allow harm to befall her."

"You cannot protect her. If I choose, I can take her now." Manann said sombrely "Child, do not oppose me in this, she will return to her clan."

"With respect, it is for the sake of her clan that she is here. The Sidhe are as much in danger as we are," Lupin continued cautiously "and she is the only one who can do this."

As the two men faced each other Manann Mac Lir spoke first "Her father does not have the right to allow this. It is her mother's blood that is at stake here. She is the last woman born of her kind. None of her sisters have daughters. If the blood ends here, it will end badly. There are many that pledge their loyalty to her, and they will turn their hearts against the light if she dies..."

At that moment Severus Snape and Cat MacLeod entered the pub.