Flight of the Thestrals

by GD-7

Plagued by insomnia, Draco spends his nights soaring through the sky over Hogwarts. What happens when he runs into Ginny one night? R for reason. DMGW, some 'slash' between BZRW (but these chapters are well marked)

69. Chapter 69

OH THANK MERLIN! FINALLY I can post... been sitting on this since 4 am Monday morning since the site has been down as far as submissions is concerned. I'm particularly interested to see what you all think of this chapter. It was extremely hard-won... and I admit I strayed a bit ;P I just pray the site stays up so you can review!

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A/N - Warning: Some Adult content. Well, DUH! Look at the chapter number! I really shouldn't even have to put the warning! It would probably be like against the law to post it without at least SOMETHING adult! ;P Oh, and I added a scene to chapter 68 when I reposted it, so if you read it some time before I posted this one, check it out.

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Chapter 69

The return trip was even worse than the first. As soon as the world stopped spinning around him, Draco felt arms encircling him. The sight of the sitting room around him started blurring before it had even had a chance to come into focus properly. He felt a sudden, undeniable trill of fear go through him as his vision faded to blackness. He knew it was Blaise, and he knew Blaise would never knowingly harm him, but he wasn't entirely sure how much control he had over his actions right now. He also couldn't help but remember the sight of this raw, wild force that now inhabited Blaise's body standing before him in it's full blazing glory and wondered what it intended to do to him. The thought of something meddling with his soul... or souls really... was terrifying.

He couldn't feel his body at all anymore. It felt like he was floating. Not as if he were weightless exactly, but more like he was suspended in some kind of thick atmosphere. He suddenly became aware of another presence and knew instinctively it was Darien. They were joined together in a way, but the bond felt no stronger than thin twine looped around them.

Another presence brushed up against him. He could feel the tremendous power radiating from it and tried to pull away. It would have none of that. It wrapped itself around them both like a blanket and they could feel its presence permeate their every thought. He became aware of an odd vibration... almost like wildly discordant harmonics. There was a similar, but slightly different vibration coming from beside him and he realized it was coming from them. The overpowering presence pressed closer and he felt the vibrations changing... they were slowly evening out and losing their roughness. In moments, they were smooth and melodious. Then they changed again, slowly shifting to match eachother more closely. When it was done, they didn't match exactly, but they felt in harmony. The bond between them had drawn tighter as well, feeling like they were now stitched neatly and securely together like patches in a quilt.

The presence eased away from them and the world swam back into being around him. Draco blinked his eyes open, trying to make sense of it all. He could feel Darien as he never could before. They were both there at once, their minds still different, but somehow perfectly in sync. He could remember all of Darien's life without even asking. They were his memories as well now. Before, he'd seen everything Darien was thinking or remembering, but now it was like a whole new level. They were both there... neither dominant, neither overshadowed by the other. They both just... were. It made him feel oddly comfortable and secure. It was as if this was how he was always meant to be.

He felt completely at peace. The horrible memories of his youth were still there of course, as were the memories of Darien's less than pleasant childhood... and yet the feelings these memories had always caused when he dredged them up... the pain, anxiety, fear, anger, self doubt and most of all the self loathing... they were all things he could only remember having felt once. The memories no longer held that almost tangible, visceral power over him anymore. The scars that they had left in his heart and soul were healed over now... all but gone.

He became slowly aware of his body again. He was hanging limply in Blaise's grasp, Blaise's encircling arms the only thing that was keeping him up, his head resting against his shoulder. He knew he should get back onto his feet and move away, but he just felt so very comfortable there... the deep weariness seemed intent on overwhelming him.

"Draco? Are you ok?"

Draco blinked his eyes back open, realizing he had been drifting off. The sound of his name felt odd somehow... like when someone calls you by the wrong name... and yet it was his name... Then he realized that, in a way, it was only half his name... He had no desire to change it, but the slight disorientation of hearing it was going to take some getting used to. He could feel Ginny gently touching him, her voice full of concern.

"Just tired..." He said, trying to shift his weight off of Blaise. He managed to get back under his own power, though a bit unsteadily, and Blaise released him.

"What was he doin to ya?"

Draco blinked over in surprise at Tonks. "You tagged along?"

Tonks gave a snort, "Like I'm staying there and getting tossed into Azkaban! Those were some very high ranking Aurors that set us up, and it won't take them long to figure out who I am, and then I'm gonna be the perfect scapegoat. I was 'in charge', you're my cousin, and I led her straight to you. It'll take them all of about two seconds to pin this entire 'abduction' on me. Even without the Dementors, Azkaban isn't exactly a vacation spot, so I think I'd rather hide out until they get those bloody traitors out of the Ministry first, thanks!"

Draco looked around as he stripped off his Healer's robe, his eyes coming to a stop on the man now holding Penelope. "And just what are you doing here?"

"This woman was entrusted into my care, whether they expected me to succeed or not." Christian said evenly, "I intend to look after her for however long she requires it, no matter who's custody she is in."

"That's Christian." Blaise said softly. "Frankly, I would have been shocked if he'd let you bugger off with Penelope without tagging along."

Draco turned to look at him in surprise. "You know him? Can he be trusted?"

Blaise nodded, his eyes still shifting back to normal, "I'd trust him with my life. I already have in fact. He's the one who killed my father. That's good enough for me."

They all looked over at Christian. He studiously avoided meeting anyone's gaze. "Where should I put her? She needs tended to. That was a rather rough trip."

"Give them a moment." Harry said, leaning against the wall beside a black velvet rope pull.

"Oh..." Ginny said quickly, "Narcissa doesn't want us saying anything to the others... she'll tell them when she's ready."

The others nodded, then they all looked over as the door sprang open and three out of breath house elves scampered in. They all suddenly skidded to a stop, staring at Blaise wide-eyed.

"The young lady needs to be taken to a room and tended to. She's been stunned and jostled about a bit..." Blaise paused, furrowing his brow. The elves hadn't even looked away from him to see Penelope as he indicated her. "What?"

The house elves looked at eachother nervously.

"I see you're discovering one of the lovely fringe benefits of being a 'Dangerous Monster'." Pax said with a smirk, red blossoming behind his eyes. "Welcome to the club. I'm thinking of having matching jackets made up if you're interested..."

Blaise let out an exasperated sigh as the elves scootched forward a bit, away from Pax, but obviously unsure if they wanted to get any closer to Blaise. He snapped his fingers irritably to get their attention, too tired to have to deal with this right now. Their eyes immediately shot to him, watching him warily.

"Yes, I'm just this side of a full blown wraith now, but I still have a soul, and that soul is a Zabini soul, so if you want to keep serving this family you'll get over it. I have no plans to steal your souls, but if any of you have a problem with serving me and want to leave, fine. I'll go get you some clothes." He said in a cool voice.

They shuddered at the mention of clothes. The closest one quickly spoke up, "No... no, we is just being surprised Master. We is not meaning any disrespect..." It squeaked fearfully.

"Fine. Let's get her to a room then." He said, striding towards the door. "I'll go with you to make sure she's comfortable." He paused as the elves started to follow him. "Oh, and I'd prefer it if you didn't touch me."

Their eyes positively bugged at that, but they all nodded and two of them hurried to get the door and lead the way, giving Blaise a wide berth, the third remaining to guide the rest of the guests.

"I'll go with you. Just to make them extra nervous." Pax said with a evil grin, falling in beside Blaise as they followed Christian out.

Once they were clear of the room Blaise looked over at Harry, noting that the red in his eyes had faded away entirely. "Why are you really coming with us?" He asked softly.

Harry looked over at him. "I think he's avoiding the inevitable." He replied with a shrug. "If he needs a bit more time, I'll give it to him."

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"We should go meet them!" Molly said, wringing her hands fretfully.

"There are at least six different ways to get from that room to this." Delse said soothingly, though she looked a bit anxious herself. "Odds are we'd miss eachother along the way and end up having to return here anyway. The house elves will bring them, we just have to be patient."

Molly sighed and nodded, looking at the clock again for reassurance. Both Draco and Ginny's hands rested on 'Home' (Which is what it considered Zabini Manor at the moment since that was the current location of the clock). Charlie and Arthur's hands were still on 'Traveling', and Percy's hand still hadn't budged from 'Mortal Peril'. She was grateful that her husband and oldest son's clock hands had not joined Percy's, but the lack of change in Percy's current position had been slowly eating away at the hope that had blossomed in her heart at the sight of the letter. She had read the letter at least fifty times already, and was now clutching it distractedly in her hand.

"Are you alright?" Balthys asked Delse gently as he saw her worrying at the end of the ribbon at her waist, nearly to the point of reducing it to shreds.

She looked up at him, startled. He could be very stealthy when he wanted to be. "I'm fine." She said quickly, her cheeks coloring slightly.

He looked her over. She didn't look fine. "I can understand Molly's anxiety with her husband and children away... Are you missing someone as well?"

Her blush deepened. After a moment she hesitantly replied. "The... shadow demon Kulia mentioned. He was badly injured. That's why they went to the hospital so suddenly."

"Injured?"

She shifted uneasily. "It's a long story... he... thought I'd be better off without him. He tried to kill himself by disobeying."

He eyed her intently for a long moment. "It's been a long time since I've heard of a shadow demon falling in love." He said softly.

Her eyes widened and darted over to him. To her knowledge, no one had said anything about Pax to him at all other than Kulia's brief mention when they first arrived. "What makes you say that?"

He smiled. "It chose to die just because it felt it would be best for you? Shadow demons are not known for selfless acts without great motivation. That along with the chosen method of suicide makes it pretty apparent. The pain of disobeying ranks just shy of being staked out in direct sunlight. It's one of the most excruciating experiences they know. To chose to die that way when there are less painful methods available means it wanted to suffer. It obviously felt it deserved it. I've only ever seen that when one was in love."

She stared at him, curious despite her intense embarrassment at how obvious Pax's feelings seemed to be to everyone but her... even this man who had never even set eyes on it. "You've seen shadow demons in love before?"

He smiled again. "In shadow demons I've only seen it twice personally. Demons can love, despite what most people seem to think. I'm half demon and I've been in love a number of times. I believe my father loved my mother as well. Towards the end of her life, she admitted to me that he still visited her. Had at least every fortnight since she was seventeen. She had me when she was thirty five. Her marriage was arranged, as all the marriages were by that point. We always knew she didn't love her husband... the father of all of her children other than myself. Even he knew it... but he never knew about my father's visits, other than, of course, the one that left her with me. I've only seen my father once myself. I came upon him one night, standing vigil at her grave. He was crying. As much as I've always wanted to meet him, I couldn't bare to intrude on his grief. It almost seems like we feel it even more intensely than other creatures actually... I can't imagine a human feeling as strongly about another being as I have felt about my wives... but then again I suppose everyone thinks that they are feeling more than anyone else possibly could when they are in love. Shadow demons though... most people think they are cold and emotionless... but in truth they are nothing but emotion. It is the core of their being. Normally the emotions are dark and twisted... hatred, cruelty, vindictiveness and the like... but on rare occasion... with the right amount of compassion and encouragement they can discover emotions normally beyond their scope. I certainly hope you continue nurturing its emotional growth."

She flashed him a wavering smile, then dropped her eyes. "I'm not even sure it survived. They weren't sure how to treat it while it was trapped in its host."

"Well, one thing I can tell you is that there is a shadow demon on the premises. I certainly hope it's yours." Balthys replied.

Her eyes darted up and widened.

"Demons can sense eachother to an extent. I don't think it has sensed us yet, but then I've been 'watching' for it, and it's not expecting to encounter other demons here I'd imagine. Someone's coming by the way. The demon is not with them, but I can hear them in the corridor..."

Molly turned, the letter in her hand falling forgotten from her fingers. The door opened and she practically threw herself at Ginny as she walked in. "How dare you run off like that when you weren't given permission young lady!" She said sternly, but she she was clutching her to her desperately.

"Sorry mum... I just... I wasn't going to just leave Draco go without me!" Ginny replied, her words a bit muffled, as her mother was still clinging to her.

"Darien?"

Draco looked over, spotting Balthys standing there, staring at him as if he'd seen a ghost. Draco blinked, taking in the tail trailing down onto the carpet and the wings peeking out from behind his shoulders, then up, noting the short horns. Suddenly it clicked. "Balthys?" He asked incredulously.

Balthys swept forward and wrapped him in a big hug, literally lifting him a few inches off the ground in his enthusiasm. After a moment he set him back down and eased back to look him over at arms length. "I can't believe it... but how? You died!"

Kulia chuckled, strolling over, "If you have an hour or so we can try to go over the details, but suffice it to say it's... well kind of reincarnation... Anyone else look familiar?"

Balthys looked over, his eyes going wide as Molly finally released Ginny and he got a good look at her for the first time. "Ginevra!" he laughed, reaching out and pulling her into a hug as well. Then he released her, reaching down and placing his palm on Draco's stomach. A brilliant smile lit over his face. "It got used at last! I know none has ever yet failed to fulfill its purpose, but I feared there was no chance that one would succeed!"

"What's he going on about?" Molly asked, eyeing Balthys warily.

"Balthys is the one who created the unicorn horn talisman for the ceremony." Kulia said with a hint of pride in her voice as she smiled at her brother, "It's a very powerful magical object that few could even attempt to create. Incubi are unusually adept at creating magical objects, and in fact I don't think anyone has ever successfully created one that was not of incubus descent."

"It's probably the only reason they didn't insist mother 'dispose' of me when I was born. Back then they could afford to lose a few for the sake of their ridiculous 'purity of blood'. A great many half bloods born in that day just quietly 'went away'. Interspecies relationships were frowned upon to the point of barely concealed threats as well. Those close-minded practices continued a bit longer than they should have obviously, practically drumming the entire species right out of being. Nowadays of course any snow elves that might be born would be of half blood or less. Any of the purebloods that are left are too closely related by this point. You're lucky witches and wizards can be born to muggle parents. You have a renewable source."

Draco grinned. "Perhaps you should write a book on the decline of your species and its implications on the practices of the wizarding pureblood families."

"Not a bad idea, but since the pureblood families probably own all of the publishing companies I doubt it would ever hit the bookstores." Balthys said with a chuckle, then drew Draco in for another quick hug, "I just can't believe it's you! I know we only knew eachother for a short time before..." He trailed off, his smile fading some, "But, well, I always feel close to those I have made life binding talismans for. I finished yours just a few hours before you... died."

Draco shifted uneasily. He hadn't know the full import of the object Balthys had made for them until he had actually used it. He had only thought of it as a ceremonial object, but now he knew that Balthys could never have even created it if he and Ginevra hadn't been truly and deeply in love. If he had only known that back then, he would never have been fooled into thinking she didn't love him. He quickly brushed aside the thought. It was no use to dwell on past mistakes. "You... look just the same." Draco said, looking him over more closely. There might be a slight bit more white to his somewhat striped hair, and it was a good several inches longer, but other than that he could discern no difference.

Balthys grinned, "Snow elves age at perhaps a tenth the rate of humans once they reach physical maturity... and to my knowledge, incubi don't age. I haven't aged much since I was about a hundred... hundred and fifty perhaps."

Ginny was looking back and forth between them. She didn't remember this man... but then she didn't really remember anything from this supposed prior life. "Um... not to be rude, but what are you doing here?"

"Kulia's twins. We sensed them and came of course. Couldn't pass up seeing such historic offspring, not to mention the fact that they'll be my little sister's firstborn children. Our family didn't spread itself around that much, with the exception of myself of course, so I simply couldn't miss this."

"Kulia's your sister?" Draco asked before Ginny even got a chance.

"Half sister, yes. I don't believe you two really met back then, did you?"

"Only when he was little. It was Albus Dumbledore who got your name from me. He could be quite the little charmer." Kulia said with a smirk.

Balthys chuckled. "Alby certainly was irrepressible. Had a way of subtly wearing away at you until you gave him what he wanted. Damn impressive talent though. Whatever happened to him?"

"He's headmaster at Hogwarts. Just as irrepressible as ever." Kulia said with a smirk.

"He's still alive? That's pretty impressive for a human. Sure he doesn't have any incubus blood?" He glanced over at Draco, "But I'm being rude... let me introduce my children... The little sleeping beauty over there is my youngest, Celestial..." He said, indicating Celestial who had curled up and fallen asleep against her gargoyle's side. She had taken off her jacket and had a cute little pair of snow white wings draped over her like a blanket, looking almost like a little angel. "And that is my oldest, Carys..." He said, turning to indicate her. He sighed when he spotted her. She was draped across the recliner in a rather suggestive way, one leg looped over the arm as she slumped against the opposite arm in such a way as to make her low slung blouse show a decent amount of pristine white cleavage as she stared over at Ron in a teasingly suggestive way. Ron was studiously trying not to look, but the embarrassed flush made it readily apparent it had not passed his notice. Balthys looked back at Draco, who had noticed the little interaction between Carys and Ron and was smirking. "Please just ignore her." Balthys said tiredly, "She's in heat."

"I suggest a bucket of ice water."

Draco started slightly. Forester had snuck up beside him unnoticed and was now standing less than a foot from him.

"Ah, and this is my middle child, Forester."

Forester was looking Draco over with a gruff, but curiously puzzled expression. He shifted forward closer still, sniffing at him. He then circled around him, sniffing.

"What on earth are you doing, Forester? Other than being rude?" Balthys asked, his brow furrowed.

Forester came to a stop, folding his arms across his chest and giving a slight shrug. "He just smells familiar." He said shortly, then turned and stalked back to the fireplace.

"Sorry. I'm afraid my children haven't had the most social of upbringings. This is probably the most people they've ever been around all at once..." He looked over curiously as Forester gave a little snort at this, but the boy made no other comment, just staring into the fire silently. "Well, that said, I must admit you do smell familiar. I thought it was just from when I knew you before, but Forester of course wasn't around then... perhaps one of your relatives visited the island some time..."

Draco chuckled. "Not unless you were invaded. My family members aren't exactly the social type either."

Tonks smacked his shoulder, "Shut it, Draco!"

Draco just smirked, then spotted the curious look in Balthys' eyes. "Oh... um... Draco is my name now. Her parents still named her Ginevra... well, we generally call her Ginny, but my father insisted on Draco. He felt Darien was a weak name, and the family is disinclined towards it since they felt I disgraced the name the first time around... Of course he's a heartless Death Eating bastard, so I don't really care what he thinks. With any luck, you'll never meet him. Mother, on the other hand, I would love for you to meet once she arrives." He glanced over, noting the way Hermione was peering at the door expectantly. "Mother, Snape and Lupin stayed behind to tie up some loose ends, by the way. They're going to Apparate to the gate in a while."

"Oh..." Hermione said softly, slumping back in her chair, looking a bit dejected.

Tonks ruffled Draco's hair, "Good thing your little pet did in those Death Eaters then. Course even the practically pre-pubescent prats they stuck me with will have figured out to call for reinforcements, so I'm sure the Death Eaters weren't daft enough to send any more of their number." She then went over and settled down beside Forester. Forester looked over at her curiously, then his eyes shot wide, "Tonks?" He asked, looking her over in shock. She had started changing her form as soon as they had returned, and now looked to be in her teens with long, straight jet black hair and somewhat pouty black lips. Even the irises of her heavily lined eyes were black as well. Her bone structure had shifted, making her face narrower and closer to that of a snow elf actually, her skin nearly as pale as well. She looked like a goth in a somewhat baggy Auror's robes (being the only one who hadn't doffed her robes yet).

She grinned, displaying slightly pointed eye teeth, "How did you guess?"

"You look different... but you still smell the same..." He said, his eyes searching her, taking in her elegantly thin fingers with long black fingernails. He seemed to find something fascinating about her new appearance. His gaze kept being drawn up to her eyes and lips especially. "How did you do that?"

"I'm a Metamorphmagi. I can look however I want." She said with a negligent shrug, "Hell, I don't even need makeup!" Her eyelashes thickened and darkened, growing a bit longer. She batted them at him. She then held out her hand, the back facing up. She scrunched up her face a bit in concentration. He stared in fascination as a intertwining black lines traced their way down from between her index and middle fingers, multiplying and spreading out, weaving their way like intricate lace down the back of her hand forming a somewhat triangular shape, wrapping around as they reached her wrist. It continued down her wrist a bit before stopping, looking like nothing more than a bit of lace fashioned into a glove-like accessory. "I love tattoos..." She said, admiring her handiwork. "I can decorate myself up any way I want and then change it or make it go away any time I like. Helps keep me from getting bored..."

Forester hesitantly reached out, brushing his fingers over the design that contrasted so starkly with her pale flesh, but felt nothing more than soft, smooth skin. He caught sight of his father watching him curiously and jerked his hand back, "That's nice." he said, quickly turning his attention back to the fire.

"Tonks... what are you doing here? I thought you went off with dad and Charlie?" Bill asked, rising and walking over, staring down at her curiously.

"Oh yeah. That." Tonks said, settling back, casually resting her weight on her arms braced behind her as she looked up at Bill upside-down. "Well we ran into Penelope, an she was seriously preggars, and Aurors were after her cause the bastards switched sides, if they were ever on ours in the first place that is, so she had to make a run for it and I had to go after her to make sure the bastards didn't snuff her. They caught her in the middle of the lobby and stunned her, so I had to chat up Rita Skeeter about how the Ministry would put it's full resources towards protectin her an all, then the bastard in charge of the turncoats put me in charge of a group of runny nosed recruits and sent us off to St. Mungo's so we could be slaughtered and written off easily. We got there and I found out they were still there so I marched her off to them and the demon fried half a dozen Death Eaters right neatly, then we popped back here." She concluded with a smirk.

The others all looked a bit stunned by the amount of information she had packed into that one little offhanded spiel, but Molly snapped out of it quickly enough, predictably catching on the (to her) most important bit. "Penelope is pregnant? And you brought her back here?" She asked hurriedly.

Ginny quickly nodded, "Looked about five or six months along. They had already stunned her, and then she had to go through that rather wretched port key trip, so she's still laid up. The others took her off to settle her in and have the house elves tend to her."

"House elves! That's my grandbaby we're talking about!" Molly said a bit indignantly. She bustled over to the door. The house elf that had led Draco's group in gave a little frightened squeak and hurriedly opened it.

Bill, who had started after his mother, paused beside the couch Ron was sitting in. "Guess you weren't the first after all." He said with a mischievous smirk, ruffling his hair and hurrying out after his mother.

"We should stay here." Ginny said quickly as Ron was shifting Pansy's legs off his lap so he could follow as well. "If she wakes up surrounded by people it might be a bit of a rude shock."

He sighed and settled back down. He glanced over at Carys, then set Pansy's legs back on his lap, trying to ignore Carys once again. "So... how was the trip to the hospital otherwise?"

Ginny grinned, "Surprisingly, they told me I was pregnant!" She said with a giggle, "Draco wanted it officially recorded. But then the bloody healer just kept prattling on about how pregnancy was a big responsibility and on and on... It was quite irritating actually. She was acting like I was just sleeping around and not being careful! Then I told her I was married and I don't think she believed me, but Snape backed me. So then she starts gabbling on about eating nutritious foods and this and that like I have no clue about that kinda thing... Then Snape casually let slip that my maiden name was Weasley... and she finally put a cork in it and let me go." She said with a smirk.

The twins moved over near Tonks while the others were distracted. She looked up, catching their furtive glances. "Ya?" She asked, keeping her tone low.

"Was Penelope..." Fred started hesitantly.

"Was she alone?" George finished, both looking rather anxious.

"They got Percy. Balthys told us that already." She said sadly, lowering her tone a bit more.

"Ya... but there was no one else with her?" Fred continued doggedly.

Tonks furrowed her thin, delicate black eyebrows. "Not that I know of. Just who were you expecting to be with her?"

They sighed and looked at eachother, obviously dejected and anxious, then slouched away without another word, going over to a corner and talking to eachother softly.

> > > > >

Harry followed after the pensive house elf, keeping his pace as slow as he felt he could get away with in good conscious. He could feel Pax's anxiety at the prospect of seeing Delse again, but could do nothing to alleviate it. The demon seemed unwilling to discuss it, and whenever he tried to reassure him he felt a wall go up and got a heavy 'I'm not listening, so bugger off' vibe. The only thing that had convinced Pax that they should head back so soon was Molly's arrival in the room. She'd never, to his knowledge, had any house elves, but having over half a dozen children about the house had obviously trained her well for the experience. Within moments she had the house elves scurrying about fluffing pillows, getting extra blankets, stirring up the fire and fetching tea. The dizzying flurry of activity was enough to make both Pax and Harry want out quick. Blaise had remained, saying he'd be along shortly, but Christian had gone with Pax, appearing just as uneasy around the full blown maternal overprotectiveness.

Harry glanced over at the man as they walked side by side. "So. You killed Blaise's father?"

Christian glanced over at him, then shifted his eyes back forward again, obviously uneasy with the subject. "I had no choice. I don't like killing, even when it's a worthless piece of shite like that."

"I take it he was a Death Eater?"

"You'd have to discuss that with the Zabinis." He said shortly.

Harry nodded. "I'll take that as a yes. I kind of figured. Seems to be a common occupation for many of the fathers of the Slytherins."

"Blaise's a good boy, and his mother is a fine woman!" Christian growled defensively.

Harry grinned. "I know that, trust me. Just taking the opportunity to thank you for taking care of the bastard. You can't pick your relations. I'm all too keenly aware of that fact." He said, his expression turning dark, "You should meet the Muggles that raised me. My Aunt and her family. I may just go round the twist if Dumbledore tries to force me back there again this summer. Magical protection or no, I'd rather be anywhere else but there. I would have preferred being tossed in a bloody orphanage. Even a Muggle one!"

"Living in an orphanage isn't an easy life..."

Harry looked over at him. "They kept me in a little cupboard under the bloody stairs until I was eleven! Locked me in there every night, then only let me out when they needed me to cook or clean for them. Occasionally they'd go on an outing on the weekend and leave me locked up in there! Mostly my uncle's work related picnics and such. He didn't want me around to mess up his image. Sometimes they wouldn't be back until the middle of the afternoon. I had to keep an empty bottle in my cupboard for times like that. I'll leave it up to your imagination to figure out what that was for." He said with a little shiver of disgust. "They kept that up until I was about eight. That's when things really started happening when they made me really angry or scared and the like. They came home even later than usual one saturday. They hadn't left me any food or water and it was dark already and I was afraid they'd just completely forgotten about me and left me there to die. When they finally came back, all of Aunt Petunia's brand new water goblets were shattered in the cupboard, the recliner in the livingroom had turned to ashes and the antique clock in their bedroom was running backwards. I was just sitting there crying, still securely locked in my cupboard. They couldn't really blame me outright for those things without admitting magic existed, but they still made my life even more hellish for a good several months after that. I think I would have liked to give an orphanage a try, thanks."

They walked in silence for a few minutes. Christian gave him several considering glances before speaking again. "Dumbledore couldn't have known about that. I can't imagine he would have left you there if he knew."

Harry shrugged. "I'd like to think he didn't know." He said noncommittally. He opened his mouth to change the subject, but Pax suddenly perked up.

Christian tensed, his hand slipping into his wand pocket as Harry's eyes suddenly began to glow red, shadowy talons springing from his fingertips. The house elf let out a squeak of terror and fled, but they were close enough he didn't need its guidance anymore. He darted down the corridor, pushing open the door at the end. His eyes first alighted on the young male by the fireplace. He was watching Pax warily, but didn't even bother getting up. He heard a growl and saw a small gargoyle he was unfamiliar with laying across the room with a girl half draped against it. There was a male with an ancient feel about him sitting at her side. He was watching Pax warily as well, but reached over and stroked the gargoyle's head, calming it a bit and making the growl lower and slowly taper off. His eyes traveled back again. There was a pink haired girl sitting on a recliner smirking at him. As he looked her over, she batted her eyelashes at him and wriggled her fingers in a little playful wave.

He nearly had the breath knocked out of him as Delse darted up, throwing herself against him and wrapping her arms around him.

"I was so worried..." She said breathlessly, holding onto him as if her life depended on it.

His talons instantly vanished as he wrapped his arms around her, his heart aching in his chest at the feel of her in his embrace once more. "I would never have hurt Harry." He said softly.

She let out a little laugh and smacked his arm lightly. "I know that. Doesn't mean I didn't worry. About both of you!" She shifted back a bit, looking up into his glowing eyes. "Don't ever do that to me again!" She said achingly, then pulled him down, kissing him passionately.

He sighed blissfully, kissing her back with abandon. He knew the kiss was most likely for Harry, but for some reason Harry didn't take over. He just watched silently. Pax gratefully enjoyed the moment.

"I see why you thanked me." Christian said softly from beside him.

Delse broke the kiss, looking over at him, startled. "Christian!" She said happily. She released Pax for a moment, giving Christian a hug. "It's good to see you..." She said sincerely as she shifted away again. She glanced over at Pax. "I see you've met Christian. He and my grandfather were best mates since they were in Hogwarts together!"

Christian groaned and rolled his eyes, "You're making me feel ancient again." He said with a little teasing smile.

"So..." Pax said, glancing around at the newcomers again. "What's with all the sex demons? Don't tell me, you were planning another party and weren't sure I could make it, so you picked up some extra party favors?"

She let out a little half embarrassed laugh and smacked his arm again. "This is Balthys, Kulia's half brother, and his children, Celestial, Carys and Forester." She said, indicating each in turn. Then she looked around behind him, then back at him questioningly, "Where's Blaise?"

"Trying to get away from Molly I'd imagine. He said he'd be along momentarily. He's had... a few changes you should probably know about..." Pax said, then trailed off as he saw Forester turn sharply towards him. Balthys sprang to his feet almost at the same moment as Forester, quickly moving between his sleeping daughter and the door. Even Carys scrambled to her feet.

Pax felt his talons sliding back out instinctively as the three of incubus descent seemed to bristle warily, the males half unfurling their wings as all of their eyes fastened on the door behind him.

"Hey hey now..." Tonks said, getting up, "What's the prob here? Everyone's getting awful tense all of a..." Forester's tail darted over and wrapped around her waist, jerking her around behind him as the door opened.

Blaise walked in, looking up in surprise and coming to an abrupt halt. His eyes clouded over and he felt a sudden surge of power blossom within him. It seemed to crackle through his body, waiting tensely to be released on the creatures that faced him.

Pax quickly moved in front of Blaise. "Now calm down everyone. We're all friends here. I know incubi and wraiths don't exactly get along, but this is Blaise. This is his home you are in, and I assure you, he still has his soul. He's a good little wraith. Really. He just fixes souls. He doesn't steal them."

Their stances eased slightly. Once the tension in the air had ebbed a bit, Blaise could feel the power within him recede as well. Now that his defenses weren't overriding his other senses, he looked over, his eyes drawn to the boy by the fire. Their eyes met and Forester's wings slowly started to drift down, his gaze becoming fixed on those white eyes and the mesmerizing play of color flickering through them.

Ron and Pansy had gotten to their feet as well. They worked their way over to Blaise, watching Forester nervously as they passed by. "You ok?" Ron asked as he reached him, slipping his arms around him.

Blaise pried his eyes off the young incubus with great difficulty, closing his eyes and holding Ron gratefully. He was so tired at the moment that he wanted nothing more than to curl up in bed between his two loves and sleep until New Years. He knew it was just the fact that he was still 'recharging' after Draco, and he would probably be feeling back to rights in an hour or so if allowed to just recoup, but the idea of being cuddled up in their arms had definite appeal.

"Got the carriages waiting at the gate," He said wearily to Draco, not even opening his eyes. "And extra house elves as well. Some of yours insisted on being there to collect your mum, Snape and Lupin when they arrive. Oh, and the one you sent to Malfoy Manor has returned already."

"Oh good. I was afraid he'd get waylaid." Draco said, relieved.

Blaise felt an arm slip around him and the power within him suddenly surged back to life. His eyes flew open, staring at Pansy as they blazed to their full glory.

Pansy's eyes went wide as she pulled her arm away in surprise.

"I wish you hadn't done that..." Pax said, sighing and quickly pulling her away as Blaise reached for her. "We just got them to start calming down..." He glanced around quickly as Blaise shifted himself away from Ron. "Ok... I think it's time you three went and had that little private talk you wanted to have..." He said, quickly moving Pansy over towards a door to the side that led into a study. Blaise followed, never taking his eyes off of Pansy. Ron followed after him, looking confused and a bit frightened by the way Blaise was acting.

She scampered into the study as Pax pushed her through the door. When she turned, her eyes met Blaise's again and she was caught like a deer in headlights. She just watched as he walked up to her and slipped his arms around her, feeling a strange drawing sensation.

Pax grabbed ahold of Ron's arm to restrain him as Pansy went limp in Blaise's embrace. "What's he doing to her?" He asked worriedly as Pax pushed the door closed behind them. Ron couldn't help but notice that all the little hairs on his arms felt like they were on end and his eyes seemed to blur when he tried to look directly at Blaise.

"Just a little touch up work. I imagine it was probably her little meeting with Lucius that left the scars. Hopefully Blaise's efforts will be enough. I can't remove the memory." Pax said, watching curiously.

"What are you talking about?" Ron asked, baffled, but then his eyes darted back over to Pansy as she stirred, lifting her head off Blaise's shoulder.

"Ah good. Didn't think she'd take long. I'll leave you three to your discussion now. Have fun." He said, then slipped back into the other room before Ron could ask him anything.

> > > > >

Tonks tapped Forester on the shoulder. He started slightly, pulling his eyes off of the study door and looking back at her.

"Um... you can let go now..." She said with a grin.

He blushed, snatching his tail away from her.

Carys giggled as she plopped back down on the recliner. "Awww... one tail fondling and little brother's in love... how sweet..."

Forester glared at her murderously. "She was just in my way." he growled.

"Mmhmm. Sure..." Carys said with an evil smirk. "Tonks and Forester sittin in a tree..." She started in a teasing sing-song, "F U C..."

"SHUT UP!" Forester yelled.

Carys giggled merrily, then stopped abruptly. She squirmed, then hopped up, yanked out a knife and slipped it and both hands into the waistband of her pants. "Damn you Forester!" She hissed as she seemed to struggle with something on one side, then shifted around to the other side, then grabbed ahold of something and yanked as she tucked away the knife. Much to everyone's amazement, she pulled out a small pair of lacy knickers with both sides severed. As they watched, the knickers continued to decrease in size until they would have been a tight fit on a barbie doll.

"What's the matter? Got your panties in a bunch?" Forester asked, folding his arms over his chest and smirking at her evilly.

"Why you little!" Carys raised her hand, a ball of power coalescing in her palm. Before she could cast, a bubble formed around her. The power in her hand winked out and she let out a little cry of surprise as her feet slid out from under her. She fell down into the bottom of the bubble, her feet finding no purchase on the round, frictionless surface. "Daddy!" She called out indignantly, flopping around a bit as she struggled to regain her feet. "No fair! You saw what he did!"

Balthys sighed as he came up beside the bubble he had placed around her. "You were teasing him again. You know what happens when you do that. How many times do I have to tell you? He's never learned how to control his powers properly. You make him mad and something bad will happen to you. He can't control it. I'm sure he didn't mean to shrink your knickers. Did you Forester?"

"Of course not. Why would I want to shrink her precious panties?" Forester said, rolling his eyes.

"See?" Balthys said.

"I was trying for her bra." Forester said with an evil little grin. He settled his wings back with a little flutter, then returned to his spot by the fire.

Balthys sighed deeply, scrubbing his fingers through his hair. Carys was just glaring at him significantly, arms folded across her chest. Balthys pushed the bubble over the recliner, then snapped his fingers. Carys dropped onto the recliner as the bubble popped, then settled herself a bit irritably. "Can I please have a truce here? We are guests. It's rude to sit here squabbling like this. What do you say?"

"Don't look at me." Forester said without turning. "I'm not the one who starts it."

Balthys rolled his eyes. "Carys?"

"Whatever." She growled, glaring pointedly away.

> > > > >

"You have to be joking..." Pansy said as she read the instructions on the back of the box of condoms. "They expect you to stick your hampton into a bloody balloon and then try to shag me with it?" She asked, wrinkling her nose at the prospect.

Blaise smirked. "Pretty much."

"Ack! That's just so..." She just shook her head, at a loss for words. "If I wanted to shag something rubber I'd try one of those little toys you bought me in Amsterdam!" She said with a chuckle.

His grin widened. "Why don't you? Muggle women seem to like them."

She tossed the box on the little table beside the couch and settled down, draping herself across him. "Why settle for imitations when you've got the real thing?" She said, nuzzling against his belly. After a moment she giggled. "Gee... looks like you like this almost as much as Ron did earlier..."

"Teasing him, were you?"

"Not I..." She said with a mischievous glance at Ron, who had gone beat red. "A certain Succuba he met..."

Blaise looked up at Ron, "You mean that hot pink haired totty in the other room?"

"She seems to have quite a thing for our little lover... If her father hadn't grabbed her up and dragged her away she probably would have molested him right there in front of everyone."

Ron cleared his throat uneasily. "Balthys said it was just the phase of the moon." He said, keeping his eyes from meeting Blaise's.

"If you hadn't noticed, you weren't the only male in that room. I didn't see her burying her face in any of your brothers' laps." Pansy said mischievously.

"Ya, well don't worry. I'm sure her father can keep her in line." Ron muttered, his cheeks practically glowing.

Pansy let out a snort. "A horny little thing like that, that's been cooped up on an island with absolutely no one to shag her entire life? She's in the real world now. Her days as a virgin are very soon to be over whether you give in or not. In fact I'd wager she's deflowered by morning. If it's not you, it'll probably just be one of your brothers. Or a couple, whatever..."

Blaise slipped a hand over into Ron's lap and smirked. "Doesn't feel like you want her father to keep her in line..."

"I wouldn't mind getting my hands on that tasty little brother of hers either..." Pansy said, practically purring as she continued nuzzling. "Wings..." She said with a little excited shiver.

Blaise groaned. "Either hand me one of those bloody balloons or stop it..." He said, shifting his hips up against her.

"I don't want to do either..." Pansy said petulantly.

"I think you should just forget about the condoms and shag her." Ron said, watching the throbbing tightness in Blaise's pants.

Pansy looked up at him hopefully. "Really? I mean I was leaning towards that as well, but I wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do or just that I really, REALLY want to shag him!"

Blaise just smiled. He knew the real reason Pansy hadn't wanted to use the condoms. The feel of the boy finishing inside her was her favorite part and to his knowledge had never once failed to make her peak. He still remembered how mad she had been when she returned to the Dungeon one night because the boy she'd shagged had pulled out at the last moment. It had taken Blaise a good hour to cheer her up, but he had made sure she didn't have to go to bed 'empty'. No boy who denied her that had ever found his way back into her bed.

Ron grinned. "You two might be only children, but I'm not. Siblings are murder! If we want these two to have any chance of surviving any younger siblings we really have little choice in the matter..." He said with a smirk.

Pansy let out a little groan. That was all the justification she needed. She immediately started stripping off clothes.

"You'd have to get some of the extract first... and it might take a little while to take full effect..." Blaise said reluctantly, his eyes locked on her body as she revealed it.

"I prefer getting it straight from the source..." She said in a low, lusty voice as she pushed him back and straddled him, snogging him passionately.

He broke the kiss after a minute, letting out a moan of longing. He sighed, resting his forehead against hers. "Pansy... love..." He said softly.

She looked up into his eyes, noting a slight sadness in his voice. "What?" She asked, her hands stilling where they had been in the process of releasing him from his pants.

"I... I'm really tired right now..."

She blinked, her jaw dropping slightly. "You don't want to?" she asked, completely stunned.

He let out a chuckle. "Of course I want to, but after this long of a wait I want to have the strength to shag you properly and I want you to be strong enough so I don't have to hold back..."

"Oh..." She said softly, then nodded. "Ok..." she said, looking a bit put out.

He smiled and reached out, lifting her chin so she would look at him. "There is something I would absolutely love for you to do right now... but it's not something I've ever asked for before... guess I've always thought it was a bit rude to want someone to give me pleasure without returning it..."

A smile crept over her lips as she got what he was asking for. She finished unfastening his pants, then slipped them down to his ankles as he shifted up for her obligingly. She maneuvered him around until she had him where she wanted him, then tossed a big fluffy cushion on the floor, kneeling on it and slipping between his legs.

Blaise let out an ecstatic groan as she began. He'd never found any other female who knew how to give head anywhere near as well as Pansy.

After a minute, he cracked his eyes open, looking over at Ron. Ron was just sitting there, fit to bust the stitches on his pants as he watched Pansy.

"Ron?"

Ron blinked and then blushed as he saw Blaise catch him staring. "Um.. ya?"

"What the bloody Hell do you think you're doing?" Blaise asked, his tone neutral.

Ron looked stunned by the question. Did Blaise want some privacy? He'd thought by now he'd hardly be bashful in front of him... "Um..." He didn't know quite how to reply to that.

"She's naked, Ron."

Ron shifted uneasily. "I see that."

"What the Hell kind of boyfriend are you? It's cold in here. Go warm her up before she catches her death!"

Ron let out a little laugh of relief, catching on. He slipped down to the floor behind Pansy. He quickly unfastened his pants and pulled them down. He was achingly hard by now, his choicer bits practically screaming for immediate action. He grabbed her hips and she let out a muffled groan, shuddering with pleasure as he buried himself, then started shagging her without preamble.

Blaise sighed happily, watching Ron's rapt expression as he shagged Pansy hard and fast. The Succuba must really have been teasing him. He certainly hadn't seen Ron quite so zealous in a while. Not that he wasn't a passionate lover of course, but he usually took his time. What he was watching right now was more like slaking a burning lust than making love. Not that Pansy seemed to mind. She was having a hard time concentrating on what she was doing, but it was more than enough in combination with watching Ron and feeling his ardent thrusts through Pansy.

Blaise's peak took him by surprise. He gasped and shuddered hard, clutching the couch convulsively and trying hard not to buck up against her too hard. After a moment, he let out a slightly pained breath as her amazing suction became almost excruciating. She took the queue and immediately eased up, then very gently released him. He let out a sigh of contentedness as he sagged limply against the couch, reaching up and gently stroking her hair. She shifted up slightly, resting her cheek against his stomach as Ron's thrusts started speeding up, his breath now rasping slightly in his throat. Suddenly he drove himself into her and tensed. She let out a cry, clutching Blaise as she shuddered hard in time with Ron's short, almost convulsive thrusts as his peak raged through him.

Ron slumped down over Pansy, wrapping his arms around her affectionately. "I love you..." He sighed happily as he cuddled her to him.

Pansy's eyes went wide as she turned her head to try to look at him.

He caught the surprised look. "What?" He asked, raising his head.

A little smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. "It's just... you've never really said that to me before..."

He grinned. "Well then... I love you, Pansy." He said in an official tone, then he chuckled, nuzzling the back of her neck. "I love you. I love Blaise. I love the two little lives we created together..." He said, slipping a hand down to caress her stomach. "And I plan on spending the rest of my life showing you just how much I love you... and putting babies in that pretty little belly of yours until you make me stop..."

She shifted her head around so she could look at him again, and smiled at him adoringly. "I love you too, Ron."

Ron beamed at her. It was the first time she'd said that to him as well. He kissed her neck again, making her shiver, and started running his hands over her warm flesh.

"We all secure now?" Blaise asked, obviously amused that either of them had needed to hear the words to know they loved eachother.

They both blushed and nodded.

"Good. Ease up there, Ron. Get her started again and we'll end up spending the night in here."

Ron sighed contentedly, gently massaging Pansy's breasts. "Doesn't sound like a bad idea..." He murmured softly.

"Well, no... but I wouldn't want to be rude to our newest guests. They're a right shaggable looking lot when they aren't about to kill me. Looks like Tonks will be needing a place for the night as well... it's got me thinking... we have such a big bed it seems a crime not to get more use out of it... I don't know about you, but I'm thinking slumber party..." Blaise said with a wicked smirk.

Pansy perked up eagerly. Ron was feeling a bit uneasy. Blaise smirked and shifted forward, managing to capture Ron's lips in a brief kiss. "Don't worry. I know you have dibs on the pink haired tart. Or she has dibs on you rather..."

Ron blushed brilliantly.

Pansy giggled, "He likes the idea... trust me... I can tell..." She said, pressing back against Ron.

Ron's blush reached the tips of his ears. He shifted back, pulling himself out of her and quickly casting cleansing spells and covering himself to hide the evidence of his 'interest'.

Blaise chuckled, but then it died away as he looked as if he was listening to something. He shifted around, gazing back towards the other room as his eyes went opalescent. "Something's up. Best get dressed."

Pansy quickly got up, gathering up her clothes and pulling them back on.

"What's happening?" Ron asked, rising and looking towards the door.

"I imagine it's your father and brother returning. The elves stationed at the outer ward signaled they were allowing someone past, and few but family would be allowed entrance without my consent first. Mother also appears to have sent some house elves off towards the main entrance and one towards the room I left Penelope in." Blaise said, working his pants up. "They will have been given wards and sent off in a coach. They should arrive shortly."

"Ready?" Ron asked as Pansy straightened her clothes. She nodded. Ron held his hand out to give Blaise a hand up.

"Go on without me. I'm going to stay in here for a bit." Blaise said, waving them towards the door.

"Why? They won't attack you now that they know you're alright..." Ron said, puzzled.

"Yes, well this little 'gift' I have is only voluntary to a point. If I touch someone who is damaged, I have to fix them. I mean you saw what happened when Pansy touched me... I just can't seem to stop myself. There are just too many damaged souls, even here. The house elves alone..." He shook his head. "Father wasn't the gentle type. I'll fix them... but I need rest first. Make sure to tell the elves to stay out unless called."

Ron nodded, getting a bit worried. "You sure you'll be ok?" Blaise nodded, settling down on the couch. Ron grabbed a blanket off the back of one of the chairs and unfolded it, draping it over him, then leaned down and gave him a kiss. "You rest then."

> > > > >

The hands for Arthur and Charlie had been resting on home for nearly ten minutes when the door finally opened. It wasn't them, however.

"Where are they?" Molly asked quickly, glancing at the clock. "The elf said they were home already."

"'Home' on that clock means on the grounds. You know that mum." Ginny said soothingly, "They'll probably be here soon. How's Penelope?"

"She's a bit banged up, but I think she'll be ok now. Poor thing is exhausted. She woke briefly, but she didn't look all that coherent. I tried to tell her where she was, but I'm not sure it even got through to her. She kept asking me about someone named Justin." She said thoughtfully, a slight frown on her face, obviously wondering why Penelope wasn't asking after Percy. She didn't notice the twins perk up in the corner, "I asked her who that was, but she was already fading away. A good rest, hearty meal and a spot of tea should put her back to rights."

Ron had to smirk. Food and tea was his mother's answer for everything. Didn't matter what the problem was. If you broke your leg she would mend it up, then give you tea and a biscuit. If your older brothers were teasing and picking on you... tea and a jelly sandwich.

Ron let his eyes stray over to Carys. He had been carefully avoiding looking at her since returning to the room. She was grinning at him upside-down, her legs up the back of the recliner and crossed at the ankle, her head dangling off the seat. The position made an almost indecent amount of cleavage show above her blouse's neckline. In fact, if she breathed too deep he was pretty sure her nipples would slip out. She saw him looking and giggled, making her breasts jiggle slightly. "Hey Ron..." She whispered over to him mischievously, "Can I have a 'private talk' next?"

He blushed brilliantly and quickly looked away. He had little doubt from the glint in her eye that she somehow knew what they had done in the other room. They had cast a silencing spell on the room shortly after entering it so no one would overhear their conversation, but somehow she knew. Was she just guessing? Possible, but somehow he didn't think so.

He tried to find something else to occupy himself with. He looked around and his eyes fell on Forester. The boy was still sitting by the fire, his legs drawn up to his chest as he hugged them to him, his tail coiled behind him, the tip flicking back and forth restlessly. He wasn't staring at the fire anymore however. His eyes were now fixed on the thick wooden door that led into the study they had left Blaise in. Ron felt a slightly nervous flutter in his stomach. Had the Incubi really accepted their word for it that Blaise was harmless? Or were they just biding their time and watching for an excuse to attack him? Forester certainly seemed fixated on Blaise. From what he'd heard when he and Pansy reentered the room, Draco appeared to be finishing up telling them about the hospital and what Blaise and Pax had been up to. He'd repeated the main parts for them, and they had been a bit stunned. It was hard to believe that their love... the boy who most often appeared to be so whimsical and carefree, was capable of such amazing things.

Pax, for his part, seemed to have gone back into hiding. Harry's eyes were back to their usual vivid green as he sat cuddled up with Delse in a chair. Ron was starting to recognize when it was Harry and when it was the demon, even without the eyes to tip him off. There was just something in the way he moved and held himself. Now that he was more used to it, he couldn't figure out how he hadn't noticed these things before. They seemed blatantly obvious now.

Harry glanced over at him, then past him, noting Carys' continued attempts to gain Ron's attention. He seemed to find it rather amusing.

They all looked over as the door opened. Arthur and Charlie walked in and Molly let out a cry of relief, hurtling towards them. Charlie quickly intercepted her. "Careful, mum." He said as she looked at him in surprise.

She looked over, eyes going round in shock as Arthur shifted back his cloak. The room instantly filled with the sound of a baby wailing. Justin was red faced and looking completely terrified as he squirmed in Arthur's arms.

"JUSTIN!" Two voices cried in unison. Molly looked over in surprise as the baby instantly stopped crying, looking around and sniffling. George came darting over, dodging around the people between them, while Fred took the more direct route, planting one foot on the seat of the couch, the next on the back and then springing over.

The little boy caught sight of them and twisted around, holding out his little arms and throwing his weight so unexpectedly Arthur nearly lost his grip on him. Fred snatched the boy up before there was any chance he could have fallen, holding the baby to him as if it were his own. "Oh Justin... thank Merlin." He sighed as the boy chirred happily against him, catching up a handful of Fred's coppery hair in his tiny fist.

"You had us so worried little man..." George said with obvious relief, snuggling up to him from behind so they surrounded the boy completely in the reassuring warmth of their embrace.

Justin trilled, catching ahold of a hank of his hair as well as George kissed his little cheek lovingly.

"Smells like someone needs a new nappy!" Fred chuckled.

"I got it. It's my turn." George said, easing Justin out of Fred's arms. Fred let him, giving the boy a reassuring little peck on the cheek as he gently pried his hair out of his hand.

Fred sighed happily as he watched George take Justin over to one of the couches to change him. When he looked over at his parents he got a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. They were both staring between him and George, their jaws hanging slightly.

"Is... is that..." Molly finally managed to stammer.

Fred folded his arms over his chest. "Percy's. Yep."

"And just how long have you two known about him?" Arthur asked a bit more sharply than he intended. The thought that two of the sons he was still on speaking terms with had known and not told him felt like a slap in the face.

"Since he was born. Penelope went into labor a couple of weeks early. She was doing a spot of shopping in Diagon Alley at the time. We saw her while she was passing the shop trying to get to the public floo link. He was a bit eager to get out it seems... she very nearly had him right there in the street. We took her to St. Mungo's through our shop link and got to watch him being born. Penelope wasn't sure how Percy would take our knowing so we left before he arrived from the Ministry."

"He doesn't even know we found out about Justin and Penelope." George said, unfolding a freshly conjured diaper.

"But you've obviously seen him a bit since then!" Arthur said suspiciously. He certainly didn't remember Molly teaching them the baby care spells George was using with practiced ease.

Fred nodded. "We watch him every Saturday night. Penelope brings him over, she and Percy get to have an evening together, then she picks him up in the morning."

"Date night." George said with a smirk.

"Percy thinks she takes him over to stay with her parents."

"They've never approved of Percy..."

"Because he's a Weasley,"

"And they're convinced that means they will wind up poor."

"So Percy tends to avoid them."

"Just like Penelope avoids our family..."

"Because she's convinced she's the reason Percy's on the outs with you."

"We've tried to tell her she isn't,"

"And so has Percy,"

"But she just won't believe it."

"Because the fight happened the day they got officially engaged..."

"Because he was finally going to be making enough money to support a family."

"He went home that day to tell you about his promotion..."

"And their engagement..."

"But he never got to that part."

Arthur sighed sadly. Why hadn't Percy told him about Penelope then? Maybe he would have understood why Percy was so angry. He'd like to think he wouldn't have tried to force the issue of him giving up the position if he'd known he was to have a wife and soon a family to support. He knew what it felt like not to be able to provide for his family properly all too well. He'd just been so shocked and angry that Fudge would have tried to burrow his way into their family in such a bold fashion. It was like a personal affront and a violation of everything he held dear... almost as if Fudge had walked right into their home and started poking around, and Arthur knew he had reacted a bit more vehemently than was truly warranted. Percy could have been a valuable resource to their side as Fudge's assistant. Even he had seen that once he calmed down, but by then the bridge had been badly burnt and he wasn't that inclined to build another.

He dropped his eyes, "Well, I'm sad to say that her parents' disapproval won't be a problem anymore. Penelope said they were killed last night. Death Eaters from the sound of it. Destroyed her family home while she was away and left the Dark Mark hanging over it."

Molly clapped her hand over her mouth. "Oh that poor dear... No wonder she's so distraught."

Arthur looked at her sharply, "You've seen her?"

"Where else was I gonna take her? What took you so long anyway?" Tonks asked with a smirk from where she sat near the fire. "Been here nearly half an hour!"

Arthur let out a deep sigh of relief as he recognized Tonks by her clothes. "Oh thank the Lord." He said softly, then took a deep breath, "We couldn't risk Apparating with the baby. From what she'd said he had probably already had to endure at least a couple such trips and they're a bit rough for a child his age. Had to get here the long way. Unfortunately, he woke about half way here and refused to be soothed, so I had to put a silencing spell on my robe to keep people from noticing him. How ever did you get Penelope all the way here so quickly?"

"Just hitched a ride on Blaise's belt." Tonks said with a shrug.

"We should take Justin to see Penelope." George said as he finished shaking baby powder from the tip of his wand and closed up the diaper. "Hopefully it will calm her some." He rearranged Justin's clothes, then picked him up, carrying him over to Arthur and Molly.

Molly was staring at the bright eyed boy breathlessly, her hands half lifted. It was obvious she was simply dying to hold him, but she didn't want to frighten him.

"This is your grammy, Justin." George said, shifting him around to face Molly.

"She's your daddy's mum." Fred added softly, stroking Justin's bright coppery curls.

"Our mum too..."

"You'll like her..."

Justin looked at them dubiously and his bottom lip pouted out worriedly as George handed him over to Molly.

Molly's eyes teared up as she held Justin. Justin stared back a bit warily, but didn't cry. She cradled him in one arm, reaching up and brushing her fingers through his downy hair, then brushing his little cheek. "You look just like your father did when he was a baby..." She cooed softly, looking like her heart was about to burst. They could see her physically restraining herself from looking up at the clock. "You poor thing. You're probably scared and starving..."

"We sent one of the elves to fetch him some milk when we reached the house." Arthur said softly.

They looked over as the door opened. As if on queue, Vincent hurried in with a cloth bag over one shoulder and holding a bottle. He hurried over to Molly, spotting the baby in her arms, and held up the bottle. "I is making this up myself, and it is being just the right temperature. The bottle is being spelled to keep it that way." He reassured her.

Molly took the bottle and eyed it. She looked as if she were about to check the temperature herself anyway, but Justin snatched it out of her hand and started sucking it down ravenously.

"Vincent is bringing some of master's old baby clothes and such too..." He said, holding up the cloth bag.

Arthur accepted it. "Thank you, Vincent." He glanced over, noting the rate at which Justin was emptying the bottle. "We may need another bottle soon."

"No you won't." Delse said, having come over with Harry to join the rest of the others now gathering around for a closer look at the new addition to the family. "That bottle has a Cornucopia spell on it. Once filled it will refill magically whenever you turn it upright once again until you take off the lid and wash it out. The liquid inside will always be fresh and just the right temperature as well. My husband didn't think it was necessary, as it only saved work for the house elves, but I insisted. Use it for as long as you need it."

"Thank you." Molly said, smiling as Justin settled down a bit in her arms, his rabid consumption slowing as his hunger eased.

Ron sighed happily as he watched the baby, his arms slipping around Pansy from behind. He gently kissed her neck as his hands came to rest on her stomach. She folded her hands over his wordlessly, a little smile playing over her lips as she watched the baby.

Draco was pulling Ginny close as well. He leaned over, whispering in her ear. "Pretty soon we're going to have our own little redheaded baby..."

Ginny chuckled softly, nuzzling up to him. "kicking, screaming, bawling, throwing up, filling its nappys..." she murmured with a smirk.

"Ya..." He he said softly, giving her a lingering kiss. "I can't wait."

She just giggled and kissed him again. Balthys watched them with a contented smile.

"Let's take you to see your mum..." Molly cooed softly, "She's been wondering where you were. She was very worried..." She said as she turned, heading for the door, Arthur and the twins falling in behind her.

Everyone else started drifting back to the places they had been sitting, talking quietly amongst themselves. Harry slipped his arms around Delse as she turned and pulled her close. "You ever think of having any more kids?" He asked with a playful smirk.

Her eyes shot wide as her cheeks flushed. It took her a moment to muster words. "I... I don't think this is the time to discuss that..."

His smile faded a bit. He'd only been playing, but the subject almost seemed to frighten her. "Why not?" He asked curiously.

"It's... getting late. It's nearly time for dinner. I really need to go check and make sure everything's ok in the kitchen..." She said quickly, giving him a peck on the cheek, then hurrying out. He just watched her go, baffled.

Tonks wandered back to the fireplace, then looked around in surprise. Forester was nowhere to be seen.

> > > > >

Blaise stirred slightly, then let out a little sigh. "I was wondering how long it would take you. Admittedly I was hoping for a bit more rest first, but oh well..."

Forester glowered at him from the shadows. "What did you do to me?" He hissed.

Blaise smirked as he cracked his eyes open. He found it oddly amusing to see that Forester's eyes took on a soft glow in low light as well, though it was more of a yellow not unlike his father's regular eye color. "Nothing yet. That's why you're here, now isn't it?"

Forester's eyes narrowed. "I don't know why I'm here. Ever since I saw you... I... I couldn't help but come. Why?"

Blaise shifted up into a sitting position, scrubbing his fingers through his hair as the blanket slid off his back. "Damaged souls want to be mended. That's what draws you to me. I feel it too... though of course with me it's the compulsion to do the mending."

"You think I'm going to let you fuck with my soul?" Forester growled.

Blaise just smiled. "I can or not. That's really up to you. You can leave now and I'll leave you be, though it is almost painful to be around you in your current condition. If you touch me, however, I will have no choice in the matter."

Forester glared at him, but didn't move to leave. "What makes you think I'm 'damaged'?" He asked after a minute.

Blaise chuckled. "I'm sure it's no great shock having it confirmed. The damage feels older... but very strong. I'd say the bulk of it was a single incident. Just what happened to you when you were little?" he asked, eyeing the dark figure crouched in the shadows curiously.

"There's nothing wrong with me!" He hissed angrily.

Blaise sighed. "Having a damaged soul isn't your fault, nor does it say anything bad about you. It just means you've had to deal with more shite than other people have. When I first gained these... 'gifts'... the first one I had to heal was myself. It wasn't an easy task, believe me. I can honestly say that I was just as fucked up as you are, if not more so... though mine was acquired through years of diligent work on my father's part. I was just a bit better at hiding it apparently. I can't begin to tell you how much better it's made me feel... and how much better I feel about myself. The memories and the pain are still there... I've just kinda... declawed them." He said with a smirk.

Forester just watched him with mute consideration.

Blaise sighed and slipped down off the couch to sit on the floor, making Forester start slightly. "I only want to help." He said softly.

"My father would kill you if you hurt me. He's more than capable of it. I may have no formal schooling, but I've read every book I've ever gotten ahold of. Father had a rather large cache of them on the island, so don't underestimate me, wraith. Incubi are one of the few creatures that can vanquish soulless creatures like you."

"Good to know, but I have no intention of hurting you. Not to mention that I, quite obviously, still have my soul." Blaise said evenly.

Forester shifted forward a bit, the light of the fire falling on him. It was obvious he was having a very hard time fighting the silent demands of his soul as it pulled him insistently forward. There was a look of barely concealed fear in his eyes. Blaise had no doubt the thought of allowing a wraith anywhere near him was terrifying for him, especially if he had read much about them. The possibility of becoming one of those soulless creatures had haunted Blaise's nightmares ever since he had been cursed, and he'd only read the vaguest references to them.

Blaise reached his hand out towards him, palm up in an inviting, but not insistent gesture. Forester looked like he wanted to flinch back from it, but couldn't quite make himself. Tentatively he reached out and took it...

> > > > > > > > > > >

Harry felt a sudden, jarring shove as Pax took over unexpectedly. Balthys had just stood up abruptly, Carys scrambling upright and standing as well. Carys looked toward the fireplace and noticed for the first time that her brother was missing. She looked at her father, then they both sprinted for the door of the study.

Pax sprang from the chair he'd been sitting in and darted across the room, over furniture and between people so swiftly he seemed to fly. He slammed his back against the door, facing them a split second before they reached it. They came to a stop, bristling.

"Out of the way." Balthys hissed.

"Not bloody likely." Pax replied evenly.

"That thing has my son. I said step aside." Balthys growled as short, but potentially lethal looking talons slid from his fingertips, his eyes taking on a definite glow.

"Whoa... what's the problem here?" Draco asked, hurrying over and trying to interpose himself between the bristling demons.

"My son's in there. Either get your little pet out of my way or I'll not be held responsible for my actions."

"I know he's in there." Draco said softly. "I saw him go in."

"And you didn't stop him?" Balthys asked incredulously, looking more than a little betrayed.

"I know you don't get along with wraiths, but Blaise wouldn't hurt him! If you hadn't noticed, your boy is just slightly messed up emotionally. Oh come on! I could tell that the minute I met him!" He said as Balthys' face darkened with anger. "I'm just saying if Blaise can help him, why would you want to interfere?" He dropped his voice, "Don't you want to see him whole again?"

Balthys dropped his eyes, obviously pained.

"Now if you promise not to do anything daft, we'll go in and check on them."

Balthys looked up, glancing between Draco and Pax. "Fine. But if he has harmed my boy... don't get in my way again." He said in a soft but utterly serious tone.

Draco nodded, then looked back at Pax, who hesitantly shifted aside. He glanced down. "You can put away your claws now."

"Them first." Pax replied evenly.

Draco glanced over, noticing the talons on Balthys and Carys for the first time. As he watched, they vanished, looking to have been just as insubstantial as Pax's. Pax grudgingly withdrew his own. "If he's not done yet you had best not interfere! It would do far more damage to your son than it would Blaise."

Balthys just glared at him warily, pushing the door open. He strode cautiously into the room. It was lit only by the sparse flickering of light from the fireplace. He moved over towards the couch in front of the fire. He could feel his son and the wraith on the other side, though the wraith's power, which had surged strongly enough for them to feel all the way in the other room before, had ebbed, making it almost hard to discern. He tensed as he heard his son sobbing softly. He hurried around the couch, then stopped in his tracks.

Blaise was sitting there against the couch tailor fashion, Forester curled up against him. He was cradling the young incubus like a child against him. Forester had his head resting on Blaise's shoulder, his arms around Blaise, his tail wrapped around Blaise's arm. Balthys just stared. He'd never seen his son cry or allow someone to hold him, let alone voluntarily hold on to someone else. Even when he first came to him, he would always flinch away from even his father's touch. Balthys had thought it was just because he wasn't used to him and that he would eventually grow out of it, but he never had. That's why he'd been so surprised to see his son touch Tonks, even though it had been no more than a fleeting brush of fingertips.

Blaise opened his eyes, looking up at Balthys. He looked too tired to even muster a defensive response, his eyes half turned and slightly glazed. "What happened to him?" He asked softly.

Balthys stared at his son, his heart aching. "I don't know..." He said, crouching down beside them and reaching out, brushing his fingers through his son's hair. For once, Forester didn't flinch away. "I wish I did."

"Then step aside." Pax said softly, peering down at him.

Balthys eyed him for a long moment, then shifted aside.

Pax held up his hand and rolled his eyes as Balthys opened his mouth. "If I hurt him you'll rip out my claws and slice me up with them or some such thing. I know, I know." Pax said, settling down before them.

"I'll be watching." Balthys said, reaching up and placing his hand on Pax's shoulder. Pax winced slightly as he felt his claws sink in. It wasn't painful exactly, more just uncomfortable, but he knew Balthys could make it excruciating in a heartbeat if he wanted to.

"Ok, just be careful. Harry will be most displeased if you mess up his body." Pax said testily. He sighed in irritation as he felt a second set of claws sink into his other shoulder, but didn't even spare a glance. "Forester." He said softly, reaching up and brushing his fingers down the side of Forester's head, locating the right spot and sinking a single talon into his mind just above and behind his temple. He usually used at least three talons on each side of the head for a reading, but he got the definite impression that he didn't want the full force of the memory in question. "Forester, what happened to you?"

He didn't have to be any more specific for Forester to know exactly what he was asking for. Whether consciously or not, the memory rose up to the surface of his mind and Pax felt himself being pulled in...

> > > > >

He stared at the large tome in front of him, his eyes unfocused as the tv flickered on mute beside him, his stereo cranked up as loud as his mother would allow. Try as he might, he couldn't concentrate. It was nearly ten, and he knew what that meant. He reached over, edging the volume down a bit, then went back to staring at the diagram of a Kappa. After a few minutes, he finally heard what he had been waiting for. The front door. It slammed a couple of times actually. It was warped and in need of repair, but his mother never bothered. He put down the book and crawled up to the window as he heard the jingle of keys, then footsteps. He peeked over the ledge of his window and in the flickering light of the failing streetlight out front, he saw his mother making her way a bit unsteadily down the cracked sidewalk. He knew she'd be at the corner pub until the wee hours, as usual. He was willing to bet she picked this house solely because of it's proximity to a bar. She could get there any time she liked without having to deal with one of those loud, obnoxious cars like all the Muggles around them drove. He certainly couldn't think of any other reason to live here. The place was a pretty much a slum, but on the outskirts of town, so at least it was a spacious slum. He hurried over to the window that overlooked the dark back yard. Well, it was pretty much just a patch of overgrown grass that led up to the edge of a bit of forest really.

He got up on the window sill, teetering a moment as he gathered his nerve, then sprang out into open air three stories above the ground. His wings sprang out, catching the wind. It was a rough ride to say the least. It was a windy night, and he'd only started trying out his wings that summer. He couldn't do much more than gliding right now, but it was enough to get him down quickly. He had to climb to get back up again. Summer was quickly fading though, and he knew he couldn't risk going out once winter hit. For one thing, he didn't have a coat.

He landed awkwardly, falling to his knees when the wind suddenly let up, dropping him. He had to quickly pull his wings in as a fresh gust of wind tried to snatch him back up. He shivered and wrapped his wings around himself like a cloak as he hurried towards the woods. He winced as he stepped on rocks unseen in the darkness. Since his mother never let him out of the house, she'd never bothered to get him shoes. He never needed them. He didn't have anything more for his feet than a couple of knobby pairs of woolen socks for when it got cold, and he couldn't risk wearing those. She would be sure to suspect something if she found dirt on them that obviously hadn't come from the attic. He'd had to break a glass a couple of weeks ago to cover when he'd cut his foot on a sharp rock. She'd just patched him up, told him to be more careful and left. That was more interaction than he usually got out of her actually. Mostly she just stuck some food and such in the dumbwaiter once or twice a day. He even had his own bathroom, which she had installed special. Of course that was just so he wouldn't be coming downstairs and risk being accidentally seen should someone stop by unexpectedly. Not that his mother had many visitors. And the ones she did have were rarely sober enough to have noticed anything odd about him.

He ducked under a branch and spotted the light ahead. He crouched down as he got closer, easing up to the fence and looking around carefully. There was a little nylon tent set up in the back yard of a rundown slab house. There was the dim light of a lantern inside shining through, casting the dark, overblown shadow of the tent's occupant against the side. The lights in the house were out, so he carefully eased the gate open, trying to make the rusted hinges move as quietly as possible. He slipped closer, and peeked in through the tiny gap in the nylon.

Wide, sparkling blue eyes looked up from behind a book. A smiled slipped over his lips as she grinned at him. Lustrous brown curls tumbled down past her shoulders as she sat there in her long white dressing gown on her bright pink sleeping bag with yellow flowers. She set the book aside and reached over, turning down the lamp until it gave no more than a thin, wane light.

He crawled in, carefully closing the flap behind him, then slipped into the sleeping bag beside her as she giggled. They nestled down in the sleeping bag, cuddling up together. He draped his top wing over them like an extra blanket, his tail curling around her waist.

"Daddy says it's getting too cold to sleep outside." She said sadly as she held him.

He sighed. "Ya. I kinda figured he would sooner or later. Don't know if I'm going to be able to take the whole winter without seeing you..."

"Ya..."

They just lay there in companionable silence for a time. He'd only met her a couple of months before, but the thought of being without her was already unbearable. He'd never really known anyone but his mother and the people on his tv screen before. Never had anyone real to touch. His mother hadn't hardly touched him since he was potty trained and it was no longer required. She seemed to make a point of avoiding physical contact with him in fact. He suspected this little girl, his sweet little Maria, had been a bit neglected as well. She seemed to like touching almost as much as he did. For the past couple of weeks they'd spent every night together, just talking and cuddling and falling asleep in eachothers arms. She was convinced he was an angel. He'd tried to tell her he wasn't, but she was adamant, so he didn't press the subject.

He couldn't remember ever being as happy as he was when he was cuddled up with her. He imagined if heaven was real, people would be able to just cuddle up together for however long they wanted. He simply couldn't imagine anything more thrilling or fulfilling than this.

"Forester?" She asked softly.

"Ya?"

"Are you ever gonna... kiss me?" She asked tentatively.

His eyes shot open and his cheeks burnt as his stomach did an odd dance. He'd seen people kissing on the TV plenty of times... but they'd always been so much older. He always figured that was just something only grownups did. It had never even crossed his mind to kiss her. "Um... do... you want me to?" Half of him was praying she'd say no... the other half was finding the prospect inexplicably intriguing.

She lay there silently for a long moment, then he felt her tentatively nod against him.

He seemed to have a hard time breathing as he shifted away slightly and she lifted her head, looking into his eyes. He shifted forward again, his heart beating wildly in his ears.

As his lips met her sweet, petal soft lips he discovered a whole new definition of bliss. He closed his eyes, feeling light headed as she let him draw it out. He grinned and blushed even darker as their lips parted. They looked at eachother and giggled. As their giggled faded away, she bit her bottom lip bashfully for a moment, then leaned over and kissed him again. He sighed happily and they settled their heads back down on her pillow, still giving eachother little kisses punctuated by nervous giggles.

Suddenly there was a rush of air as the tent was pulled up, revealing them to the night air. Forester broke the kiss, looking over in surprise, but light blared in his eyes, blinding him.

"What the hell?" A gruff voice growled.

Forester suddenly felt a large hand grip his wing near the base and jerk him out of the sleeping bag. He let out a cry of fear and pain as he found himself dangling by his wing. He could smell bad breath liberally laced with cheap whisky.

Maria scrambled up, having been thrown to the side as Forester's tail was jerked from around her waist. "No daddy!" She wailed in alarm, "Don't hurt the angel!"

"This ain't no fuckin angel! But what the hell is it?" He asked, setting down the large flashlight and taking a firm grip on Forester's wing trying to see if it would come off, obviously thinking it fake.

Forester let out a scream of pain and instinctively sank his teeth into the man's forearm. The man let out a string of profanities and a large, meaty fist slammed into the side of Forester's head, making him see stars, followed by him being thrown hard to the ground. He tried to scramble away dazedly, but a steel toed work boot caught him in the side, knocking the wind out of him and leaving him gasping for air and retching weakly.

"Think you're getting away that easy you little bastard?" he growled.

Forester felt a painful grip on his tail and the man started dragging him towards the house. He couldn't get his body under control enough to even try to escape, catching no more than disoriented glimpses of the yard and little Maria chasing after them. Then a cement step caught him up the backside of his head and darkness fell...

>

..."It looks like a little boy..." a voice said in the darkness.

"How many little boys you seen with wings and a fuckin tail? It's got fangs too. Look at this! If I catch anything from this I'm gonna show the little fucker what his insides look like!"

"Now don't be too hasty there, Hal. I've never heard of a boy with wings... you've never heard of a boy with wings... this kid could be worth something!"

Hal made a little considering sound and Forester felt his badly bruised stomach being prodded with the tip of a boot. "Better be worth a bit! Found the little bastard messing around with Marie. It's got her all messed up in the head. She thinks it's an angel! She was actually kissing the fuckin thing! I swear that girl's going to be just as much of a slut as her mother! Kissing anything that crawls into her sleeping bag!" He said in disgust. "If I find out this thing fucked her you're going to have to sell it minus a few pieces!"

The other man chuckled and he heard their footsteps going away...

>

...He woke again, his throat feeling dry as dust. There was warmth like a blanket on his back, but he could feel no material there. He shifted around some and realized that it was a sunbeam. The room wasn't dark, he was just blindfolded. His mind seemed jumbled, his senses confused. He could hear chains when he moved. A little more wriggling revealed that the heavy weight on his chest was in fact thick chain wrapped around him as crude restraints. His wrists and ankles were securely bound as well, but at least they were done up in duct tape from the feel of it. He winced and tried not to breath too deeply as the chains pinched his skin between the links. His wings felt oddly encased, and he finally figured out that they had duct taped those as well. His tail, oddly, did not feel bound at all. He tucked it behind him as he heard heavy feet approaching. No need to remind them it was there.

"It's right in here."

He heard a key in the lock and the door opening. There was a little gasp, then footsteps approaching him. They came to a stop beside him and he sensed the new man move closer, crouching over him. He was silent for a moment, then he felt hands tugging at the knot in his blindfold, then unwinding it. He blinked his eyes open, squinting against the sudden bright light.

He and the man contemplated eachother. Forester noted the odd collar on the man's shirt and realized he was a priest. He felt a wave of relief. Surely a priest would help him! He tried to ask for help, but his throat was too dry to form words properly, and no more than an odd croaking sound escaped him. The little smile that slipped over the priest's mouth made him stop trying. There was nothing warm and fatherly about that smile. It was cold and calculating. "Excellent." He said, "Look at those eyes..." He then pulled him over so he could examine where his wings attached to his back, giving one a good tug to make sure they weren't fake. "Excellent..." He murmured. "You're just what I've been searching for." He said, a frightening smile gracing his lips.

He rose abruptly and turned to a tall, slovenly looking man that Forester recognized from his voice as Hal, Maria's father. Forester just watched with a growing sense of hopelessness as they bartered for his price. Why hadn't his mother come for him yet? And he just couldn't understand why none of these people seemed to think anything of the way he was being treated! It was like he was just an animal to them... and not one they particularly cared for at that. He felt his eyes aching to cry, but they barely moistened. It felt like it had been days since he'd had a drink, and perhaps it had. He had no sense of time. It was like he was stuck in one of those nightmares that seemed to go on endlessly. He just lay there, his throat aching angrily as he let out wretched dry sobs, praying for the nightmare to end.

"Oh shut up, demon." The priest growled, prodding his side with his foot. It wasn't nearly as hard as Hal had kicked him, but it hit in the same place. The pain sent him into blissful unconsciousness once again...

>

... He felt the floor beneath him humming and shaking. He was blindfolded once again. Slowly he realized he was in one of those Muggle vehicles. He just lay there, listening. No one spoke. It was just the sound of the machine beneath him and the road passing by. He could hear the sounds of people, birds, other vehicles and things he had never seen rushing in on the air that was obviously pouring through an open window. He wondered how long they had been traveling. There was rough wool-like carpeting beneath him, and his skin already felt well abraded by it. He lay there for what seemed like hours... and it might well have been. There was nothing but the motion of the vehicle and the sound of its motor. He never knew whether it was the lull of the vehicle, lack of food and water, or damage to his body, but eventually he sank back into the dark recesses of unconsciousness...

>

..."Spawn of Satan himself!" He heard the priest's voice booming so loudly it made his head ache. He shifted around slightly and winced. His wings felt raw, but loose. He had apparently taken off the tape. His ankles and wrists were still bound, but the heavy chains had been replaced with thick rope. It didn't pinch like the chains did, but he could feel some of the rough fibers digging into his skin like little needles. His tail was still free.

His skin felt strange. He cracked his eyes open and peered cautiously down. His shirt had been removed and his skin was all bright crimson. From the feel, he was pretty sure they had covered him completely with the vivid color. It didn't feel caked on... more like some kind of dye that they had just used a bit too much of. Leaving the skin feeling slightly tacky. The bit of his hair that he could see was jet black and it felt like there was something stuck to his forehead. When he shifted his head slightly he realized the man had glued fake horns on him.

He shut the man's voice out as he went on about how Forester was evil incarnate and an obvious sign that Satan was starting his bid to take over... blah blah blah. Forester had read the Bible. If this man had actually read it as well, he was pretty sure he hadn't actually comprehended any of it. He tried to glance around without drawing any attention. There were a number of implements around on the little stage-like pedestal he found himself on that he was pretty sure he didn't want to know the use of. There was a large, almost goblet shaped bowl with a broad basin nearby and he could smell water. His throat felt like it was on fire, burning ever more fiercely and leaving him trembling as the scent filled his nostrils.

He glanced at the audience through his eyelashes, keeping studiously still. There were an awful lot of them... nearly a hundred. That jarred him. He never thought he'd see this many people in person in his entire lifetime, let alone all in one place! Many of them were staring at him with looks of fear and loathing. The priest took the microphone from its stand on the pedestal as he got into a bit of a frenzy. He went down the steps into the audience as he expounded vehemently on the nature of evil, drawing their attention.

Forester glanced around quickly, then slipped his tail out, wrapping it around the thick base of the basin and slowly started to pull it back towards him. His eyes met an intent gaze and he froze. There was a boy who looked to be in his late teens in the very back of the church staring at him with a bemused grin. He was sitting amongst a group of about a dozen leather clad punks that didn't look to have any business in a church. He was dressed head to toe in black leather, his hair bleach blond, crudely chopped and spiked up, his lips solid black and his eyes penciled darkly with thick lines leading off to the sides like the Egyptians used to do. He even had a silver loop nose ring and a metal stud in his bottom lip that matched his spiked choker. He was just sitting there watching Forester with his metal studded boots up on the pew in front of him. When he made no move to draw anyone else's attention, Forester started pulling the bowl once more. As soon as it was close enough he used his wings to wedge himself up and simply dunked his head in the bowl, gulping the water down greedily.

He had gotten over a liter of water down before the priest finally noticed. He stopped his spiel mid-sentence and ran up on the stage, stomping on his tail and pulling his head out of the bowl by his hair. He released him as he rose, holding the basin protectively. The water had tinged red from the excessive dye on Forester's skin, but hadn't washed away enough to be noticeable on his face. He glanced at his audience. The fact that this supposed demon had been gulping down holy water had obviously shaken a few. They were starting to mutter amongst themselves. He quickly retrieved the microphone as he motioned to two of his men. They hurried up onto the stage, lifting Forester by his elbows.

"You were obviously trying to take advantage of the fact that I had not yet blessed this water!" He said haughtily, obviously trying to cover his ass. "But I assure you, it was pointless. We have plenty more water where that came from!"

Forester looked up at him. "Oh good. Can I have some more please?" He asked, his small voice echoing around the church, caught by the microphone in the man's hand.

The priest's eyes shot wide and he could see a flash of panic in them. He obviously had no idea Forester could talk. Forester could hear the punks in the back pealing with laughter. The Priest snatched out his handkerchief and stuffed it unceremoniously in Forester's mouth.

"Beware the silver tongue of the beast!" He said quickly, "Make no mistake! They will twist you to their will if you let their tainted words slip into your minds! They take advantage of our very hearts! Yes, our hearts my children! So often your heart leads you truly, but even it can be misled!"

The two assistants hauled Forester back to where they had put up a makeshift false wall with a hook embedded in the top. They untied the ropes from around his chest and hooking his hands up over his head on the hook. They then pulled his wings (which he could now see were painted black) out to their full extension and pressed them against the wall. Forester looked over as one of them picked something up off the floor. He let out a muffled shriek of pain as the nail gun went off like a gun, sending searing pain through his wing. He struggled, but they were too strong. The man sent nail after nail into his wing, then passed the gun to the other man. Forester struggled in vain, staring out into the grim faces of the parishioners for help. The blond punk in the back wasn't smirking anymore. He was sitting up, watching with a horrified expression on his face, as were his friends. They were all whispering to eachother and looking up at him as if torn.

The men finally finished, having put a good dozen nails in each wing, all of which were now oozing blood, though it was barely visible against the black of the wings. Forester was sobbing in anguish, but unable to struggle without tearing his wings.

The priest came over, smirking at Forester. He flicked off the microphone for a moment. "Since you're so fond of holy water, I think perhaps you'd appreciate it if I made a more religious impression on you..." He chuckled softly, then turned his mic back on. "Satan is powerful, dear brethren, but our faith is stronger! Let us bind this demon with a symbol of our faith so that it can no longer insinuate itself into our minds!" He pronounced, taking ahold of the long thin handle of something his helper had just brought for him. He whipped it around and pressed it to the center of Forester's chest. Forester let out a shriek of agony that was only barely muffled by the handkerchief in his mouth. The priest pulled it away, admiring his handiwork. There was a two by three inch cross burnt into Forester's flesh over his sternum, the skin still steaming slightly, the red dye burnt black.

The priest looked him over, noting half of the nails had been torn free by his thrashing since they had small heads. He tisked and motioned his men over. They quickly put another round of nails in his wings to keep him still.

The priest looked back to his flock. A number of them looked disturbed, but none of them said a word. "Do you know where this demon was found my children?" He asked softly. "In the bed of an Eight. Year. Old. Girl!" He roared vehemently. "It may look like a child, but it is a devious, sick, disturbed demon that wants nothing more than to corrupt innocent souls! This cannot be allowed to continue! Many of you gathered here have been blessed with children... precious lambs of God that warm our hearts and fulfill our lives... This creature would like nothing more than to take each and every one of those precious little children and turn them into evil, demented creatures just like it! I want all of you to think of your children! Now think of this creature slipping into their rooms at night and stealing their innocence!" A wave of fear and anger rolled through the crowd. He let it grow a bit before going on. "It was caught before it could finish it's nefarious plans on the child this time, but it had already started on her mind. It took me five long hours, FIVE HOURS, MY CHILDREN, of diligent prayer to free that child's mind from this creature's control and help her see the light once again! I want us all to thank the good Lord right now for giving me the strength to save her innocent soul!"

"Thank the Lord!" They all intoned, some quite enthusiastically.

"Can this be allowed to go on? I've seen doubt in some of your eyes here today. Should we follow our misguided sympathies and let this creature go? Should we loose it on your children?" He finished with a roar that caused a slight feedback echo.

"No!" They all replied, even louder.

He smiled, his tone returning to normal. "I think, my children, that we must make absolutely sure this creature can never again molest the mind and body of an innocent child! What say you?"

There was a general roar that was definitely affirmative.

The assistants were back again. One was rolling up a small table on which lay a large chain cutter. They grabbed ahold of his pants and started undoing them. Forester forgot about the pain in his wings and started shrieking and thrashing with all his might as he realized what they intended to do.

"WHAT THE FUCK?" The blond yelled, kicking the empty pew in front of him over with a resounding crash and standing up. Everyone turned to stare at him, even the priest and his assistants. "What the fuck is wrong with you people? How can you just sit here and watch him torture a fuckin kid?"

"This is not a child! It's a demon!" The priest growled, obviously angry he would be challenged, especially by this outlandishly clad boy.

"He is a child! Anybody with fuckin eyes can see that! He can't be more than what? Seven? Who cares if he's got fuckin wings? He's a kid!"

"Satan has many forms. If you had read the Bible you would know that." The priest said evenly.

"You know what? Fuck you! You don't know shit!" The boy said, shoving another empty pew until it banged into the one if front of it. He turned to face the parishioners. "And you people! Not a single one of you said a word. He's all 'Hey, lets dress up this innocent kid and pretend he's evil so we can torture him and feel good about it' and you're all 'Ok. If you say so.' 'Lambs of God' my ass! Lambs to the slaughter more like. You people fucking disgust me! Did you hear that? Take a good fucking look. You, little Ken and fucking Barbie, disgust me! Fucking think about that! What the fuck went wrong in your heads that you somehow thought this sadistic fuck had the right to..."

"It appears that some among us have already fallen under Satan's pervasive power..." The Priest began, turning up his mic to make sure to drown out the boy.

"Oh that's fuckin it!" The blond snarled, and both speakers suddenly blew simultaneously.

There were a few screams and those closest to the aisle quickly slid away as he stormed up towards the stage, his friends following after, looking just as pissed off. They stormed up on the stage and the blond snapped his fingers, pointing at Forester. The others hurried over, a couple of them grabbing up the assistants and tossing them bodily off the stage, while the others started working on getting Forester down.

The blond sidled up to the priest, looking him over with a slight sneer of disgust on his face. "You are really fuckin sick, you know that, right?"

"I don't fear you." The Priest said, trying to look confident, "God protects his flock."

The blond smirked, flicking his lip stud with his tongue. "Right. What do you think I'm doing right now, asshole?" he asked, his voice carrying easily in the tense silence that pervaded the church.

The Priest narrowed his eyes. "How dare you insinuate..."

"I ain't insinuating nothin." The blond said with a smirk, cutting him off. "I'm flat out fuckin telling you. You fucked up. You fucked up so bad it required physical intervention. The Big Guy is really fuckin pissed."

"See? That right there proves it. No messenger of God would talk in such a crude and profane manner. And, I mean look at you..." he said dismissingly.

"Oh... you're an expert are you?" The blond chuckled, "Well you've obviously never heard of Avenging Angels. We don't have to be sweet and polite. We don't even have to be pretty. We just have to get the job done." He glanced over to check on his companions' progress. One of the girls looked over at him in frustration. The nails were embedded deep in the wood and they couldn't get them off in any Muggle fashion without damaging the wings further. "Very well... I see you still have doubts." He said, reaching into his leather jacket.

The priest tensed, then relaxed as he brought out nothing more imposing than a stick.

"See this? It was part of the cross on which Christ was Crucified. Procured it myself."

The priest gave a derisive snort.

The blond smirked, then waved it towards Forester as his friends quickly backed off. With a flick of his wrist, all of the nails wrenched themselves out of the wood, then at his direction scattered at the Priest's feet. Everyone just stared at the innocuous nails as they rolled and settled. They didn't even notice the tallest punk gently freeing Forester's wrists from the hook. He scooped him up and took him over where several of the others quickly undid the remaining bonds while Forester sobbed and trembled..

The blond strolled over to Forester. He reached up and gently plucked one of the horns off his head. He looked at it, then tossed it to one of the men sitting in the front row of pews. "That look real to you?" He plucked off the other and tossed it further into the pews. "This is a child. This headfuck over here just dressed him up like a demon and you all just there and egged him on while he tortured him! In your hearts, you all knew this wasn't a demon! Let's see what he really looks like." He raised the wand and waved it at Forester. The dye on his skin and hair seemed to blow away like fine powder, leaving Forester's hair once again light blond, his wings and skin snow white, marred only by the bloody holes and tears in his wings, the cross on his chest, and a dark bruise covering most of his stomach. "I don't know about you, but I think that looks a whole lot more like an angel than a demon." He waved the wand over Forester's wings while his friends held them out, muttering softly, and the wounds healed themselves, the blood disappearing. The man holding Forester shifted him around a bit and another wave of the wand removed the blood matting the back of his head that the Priest hadn't even bothered cleaning up before slapping on the dye. The throbbing pain in his head eased and went away. Forester's mind seemed to clear some while the blond muttered some more and the dark bruising on his stomach started fading away. When he was sure Forester was no longer bleeding anywhere, externally or internally, he turned back to the awestruck Priest. "Now... on to your punishment..."

"Punishment?" The Priest asked in a terrified voice, backing up a bit and glancing around for an escape route.

"Feel free to run, but you of all people should know you can't outrun your comeuppance. Please run. Then I can fuckin smite your miserable ass with a clean conscious, and I would really enjoy that."

The Priest stood there, trembling, but rooted to the spot.

The blond sighed. "Oh well. Worth a try. Well, since you have spun your web of lies and deceit with that poison tongue of yours, tainting the minds of good people, the punishment will suit. God giveth, God taketh away..." He said, tapping his wand against the man's throat. When he pulled it away, a shimmering glob clung to it. He swished the wand and it dissipated.

"Fuck up again and I come back for the eyes. Got it?" He asked, prodding the man in the belly with his wand.

The Priest opened his mouth, but nothing came out. His eyes widened in alarm, his hand darting up to clutch his throat.

The blond chuckled. "I think you get it."

With that, he led his group back down the aisle to the doors, the only sound that of their boots and chains. As soon as the doors were closed they all burst out into boisterous laughter.

"'Hey, let's go to this church. Might be fun.' Great fucking idea, Tiny!" The tallest one said, giving the slightly shorter man who was build like a brick wall a playful shove.

"You are so fired as the entertainment director!" Another called.

"How was I sposed to know they really found one?" Tiny replied with a chuckle, "I mean how often can Muggles actually get their hands on one? I just heard some yokel shootin off his mouth and figured they were gonna strap some wings on some poor sap and call him Satan!"

"Don't listen to him, Tiny. That was a fuckin blast. You're in charge of entertainment from now on." The blond said with a chuckle.

The shortest one snorted and pulled out a somewhat battered map, handing it to one of the girls. "Care to do the honors?"

The girl rolled her eyes and snatched it out of his hand, spreading it out on the seat of one of the motorcycles gathered in the parking lot and pulling a black marker out of her jacket pocket. "Damn, Silver! You and your fuckin flair for the dramatic! Couldn't you just put a sleep spell on them and swipe the kid or something? The authorities would have just written that off under the circumstances. One more state we can't come back to! You better cut it out or we're gonna have to move to a different fuckin country!" She giggled. Glancing over at the blond mischievously, then scribbled the state off on the map. Forester saw nearly a dozen other states already marked off.

"Fuck it. It was worth it." Silver chuckled.

"You snagged his libido, didn't you?" The rail thin punk with acne asked, "I saw that last poke!"

Silver smirked with a devious glint in his eye. "A priest shouldn't need it. Think of it as safeguarding a few more choir boys! God I love fucking with the clergy!" He said as he mounted a huge, shiny Harley. He reached into one of his sidebags and pulled out a spare t-shirt, tossing it over. One of the guys caught it and they set Forester up on a bike seat, slipping the shirt on over Forester's head, working his arms through the sleeves. Forester just let them, looking stunned. His sobs had subsided, but his breath was still shuddering in his chest. The shirt was more than big enough to accommodate his wings, still falling down past his knees, but it made him look like he had a slight hunchback. "Hand him over. We gotta roll before the fuzz gets here!" Silver said, easing back in the seat.

The tallest one picked Forester up and brought him over. He set him on the bike and Forester wrapped himself around Silver, trembling and clinging to him as if his life depended on it. Silver sighed sadly, stroking his hand down his hair soothingly. He shifted his jacket out a bit, fastening it up around Forester. When it was all the way closed you couldn't see much more than the top of Forester's head. He stroked Forester's hair again. "Stay away from the Muggles, little guy. They're not for you." He said softly.

"Come on," He called to the others as he gunned his bike to life, "Let's figure out where this guy belongs."

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NOTE -according to the website for the DracoGinny awards (awards dot magicaltheory dot com), no one is voting for their favorites in the reader's choice award! She's put it on the site itself now so you just have to select your favorite from the list and press vote. At first I didn't think mine was even an option! But I just had to scroll down a bit. It's the vote button for some reason. Whether you're voting for me or someone else (cause admittedly I haven't read the competition to avoid muse-distracting, so they might be better for all I know) I really think people need to vote. I mean even if I get that, if it was because like three out of five people voted for me it wouldn't feel like that much of an accomplishment. This is a vote for the readers, so get out there and put in your two cents! (Or two knuts, whatever ;P) In case you're wondering about the main contest, the results aren't in yet. She's emailing people to get their results as we speak.

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A/N - Whoa! Ok, the 'flashback' got a bit carried away ;P it's over now, but that seemed a better breaking point than having a few summing up sentences back in the study. Sorry this took a while. Recombining the groups proved a bit more complex than I anticipated. Little hard to juggle who knows what an everything. I had intended this chapter to be a lot more adult oriented, but my muse had other ideas obviously, so I'm afraid I'm just going to have to put the scenes I had planned for this chapter in the next. This one is already long enough, and besides, some of you look to be on the edge of hunting me down to get the next chapter ;)I've been trying to write more, but real life has been rather more stressful than anticipated... All the stress from before... suddenly feeling tired all the time... other weird medical crap... horrific headaches that won't go away for days and such... and then my car broke down and I can't afford to fix it and can't work without it and sooner or later my brother is gonna want the car he's loaning me back... in conclusion: real life sux. Why can't I just move into my story and live there? Car breaks down, fuck it. Get a broom and fly there or Apparate or use the floo or grab a portkey. Even with an evil dark lord threatening constantly it looks much more enticing there.

As for the nature of the inspection, for those of you who were asking, and are obviously lucky enough not to have to deal with these... I live in America, and more specifically in an apartment... which apparently means the right to privacy is negotiable. Every like two years they inform us they're going to pop one of these... they come into our apartments and inspect them for like cleanliness and to make sure everything is well maintained and the like, and if they don't like the job you've done they can kick your arse out the next time you have to renew your lease (which would be in like just a couple months). They make sure to tell you that in no uncertain terms in the note. Then the state goes through and inspects, and if they don't like it, they can fine you for whatever they feel like. It's fucked up IMHO, but what can you do? They got the keys.

DreamDeferred - Where did I find out about these odd creatures? Well... The Incubus/Succuba info is pieced together from information found on the internet. There have been so many stories about them for centuries that I can just pick and choose what, for instance, they look like and what magical properties they actually possess. I'm going on the theory that there are actually many different varieties and sub-species of this particular type of demon, and I've made my own sub-species in effect. As for the others... Shadow Demons, Snow Elves, Gargoyles, and Wraiths... Well, they are all pretty much mine. Some stuff is loosely based on mythology - sunlight hurting the demons, the fact that they can inhabit humans and make them do their will, etc. but really, as with the Incubus/Succuba, there are so many varied descriptions I made them my own. Snow Elves and Shadow Demons I made a specific (previously non-existent to my knowledge) sub-species for that very reason. Wraiths I have only heard the most general info on, so only the soul stealing is from myth, and Gargoyles... well they have always been protectors (and been able to turn to stone, though I've made that an 'at will' ability instead of something that happens whenever it's daytime or something as some have theorized). I did make them much more attractive when they were 'alive' though. Most every description I've seen said they were hideous creatures... some say it's so they scare away the bad spirits or something, but I didn't feel they had to look that way all the time.

ShiningSilverSerpent - Actually, Incubi & Succubi pretty much live to mate with humans. It seems to be their main goal in their existence to impregnate or be impregnated by (whichever the case may be) as many humans as possible. All they want is to dredge up your darkest most secret sexual fantasies and pop out as many little half-demon babies as possible. There was one theory that they descended from Adam's first wife (I think her name was Lillith or something) who thought Adam was a lousy shag. Apparently he'd only do it missionary and she thought that he was being too dominating or something and he refused to shag her in any other position, so she ditched him and went off and shagged a whole bunch of fallen angels and spawned the whole Incubus/Succuba species. The mundane Muggle theory was that with the rise of Christianity there was of course a whole lot more sexual repression, and even masturbation was considered like a mortal sin or something, so if a guy had a little wet dream, he claimed a Succuba molested him so he didn't have to feel guilty about it. And of course if a woman found herself 'in trouble' she could say she was molested by an Incubus. Another theory is that the women were possibly drugged or merely sleeping and were actually raped by human men. To me, this seemed to be supported by the other theory that Incubi & Succubi were actually the same creatures... that it was one creature that could molest a man in the form of a Succuba and steal his seed, then go and molest a woman as an Incubus and use the man's seed to impregnate her with a half-demonic child. Personally I think that's just to cover when hey! That child the incubus put in my wife looks just like my neighbor (or my best friend, the milk man, the pool boy, the local priest, etc.)! What a coincidence! ;P

Flower4444 - Ok, from the top: Yes, Blaise 'fixed' Pax, but he can't remove memories so Pax is spiritually intact, but he's still got issues. No, Blaise isn't handing out blood. He used the essence in his blood like fuel (or if you want a more physiological simile, like calories) to give him the strength that allowed him to keep on 'fixing' people when his own resources would normally have run out already. The people he helped now have intact souls, but they aren't like stronger than normal or anything. He didn't need to lend them any of his strength just to heal them. As for Rita Skeeter not being an evil bitch... well that is, and has always been, a matter of viewpoint. Right now the Ministry probably thinks she's being quite the little bitch! As for the genders of the children, this is the very first hint I have given towards the gender of any of the children, so I'm not sure why you thought they were both supposed to be boys. If you're talking about Tobias' comment about having two brothers now, he was referring to one boy baby and Draco. It takes a while before even spells can tell the gender.

Lady Lorethei - As for the use of the Pensive, I don't think that was intended for long term use or they would simply do that instead of using memory charms. I was under the impression that they must either be returned, or might even return on their own after a time. Besides, I think Pax would need one the size of a swimming pool for all of his bad memories! As for the Death Eaters, Pax killed the whole group, and as Adrian said, they weren't willing to risk many in such a strategically bad place, and they would be daft to try a second attack, because the Aurors were alerted by the first attack and they may not be the best Aurors, but they would sure as heck send for reinforcements just in case, so a second attempt would be a death trap for the Death Eaters, AND their target isn't there anymore, so there would be no point. Besides, even if they were stupid enough to give it another go, they would be unlikely to attack a room that had Snape in it. So far as they know he's one of them undercover and they wouldn't risk exposing him.

Mealias - No, Gladys is not bad. If the cloaked figures were death eaters Pax would have killed them, not set Gladys on them. Second question, yes the dark haired woman who was leaning against the column listening to Adrian was the same who helped Arthur and Charlie. I was hoping the hair and the briefcase would tie the events together.

GlassBroomstick - First, I have no intention of abandoning this story, so don't worry yourself too much. Well, barring things beyond my control of course like catastrophe, unexpected illness, loss of computer, someone fuckin with my muse, etc., etc., so let's knock on wood here. Sometimes it takes me longer than other times (though admittedly this chapter was the longest in coming (so far - knocking on wood again!)), but I would never have started posting this if I didn't intend to finish it. I hate it when people do that. Admittedly I see now it was completely unreasonable to try to finish before the end of the contest, though I would probably have been a lot close if it weren't for that bloody inspection, but my new goal is wrapping it up before book six hits the stands. I know, promises promises... As for if Harry/Pax can hear eachothers thoughts... well Pax has had centuries of practice, so I imagine Harry is pretty much an open book to him. He could probably find out about anything he wanted that was in Harry's brain if he had a mind to. Harry, on the other hand, only sees/hears/feels what the demon wants him to so long as the demon is paying attention. He's slipped a couple times, at first only a tiny bit unconsciously. Harry could sense an emotion seeping through when Pax started falling in love with Delse, but it wasn't seeping through strongly enough for him to identify. Most notably of course was just a couple chapters ago when Pax saw Delse looking at a picture of his true form. While he was running away he was too upset to even think to block Harry, and Harry got his first real glimpse of what it's like inside the demon's mind. Chapter 64, the short paragraph or two between the kitchen and the 'aftermath'.