Chapter Nineteen

Searching Hogwarts, the Forbidden Forest, the Malfoy Manor, and Snape Manor, Lucas could not find his mate. He had searched each place more than once but Draco Malfoy was missing.

Considering Draco's parents were dark, the lovely blonde had refused to bow to a psychotic wizard. What made things worse was Voldemort's idea of an initiation, making Draco his consort and breeding horse.

One night, Lucas had been wondering outside, hoping to memorize the grounds for possible future reference. Instead he had literally ran over Draco Malfoy. The blonde had been curled up in a shadowy greenhouse used for Herbology class. Curious and concerned, Lucas sat down next to him only to be hit hard with a very desirable scent. It had been the first time his heart had lashed out for its chosen mate. And struggling with that response, he tried to console the teenage blonde.

/"Mr. Malfoy You're out after curfew."

The blonde stared forward, uncaring as he lay his chin on raised knees. "I know."

The soft agreement surprised the elf. He had been introduced to the students and partially led to believe this young man was a defiant and proud Malfoy. He had seen the boy to be quite satisfied with who he was. "Mr. Malfoy?"

"Draco. I'm Draco." Silent tears began to fall. "I can't do this. I overheard my parents and the Dark Lord. By Winter Break I'll be a consort. They sold me. Sold their only heir to that vile creature like an unwanted dog. HE wants me to be his pet, and breeding horse."

"Your parents agreed to that?" Lucas was quite shocked. He had never heard of such things, nor ever seen it done. Children were very precious in his home world. A mother would die before she even thought of selling her child. But he would soon find out, after a trip to the Hogwarts' Library, that this was a common contract between pureblood families.

"They decided it. They want to remain in his favour. Wanted to overrule the Lestrange's, who started to gain even more favour with the Dark Lord." Draco tried to hide his face as more tears fell.

Lucas couldn't fight the urge to touch his chosen mate, nor did he want to. Curling his body around the younger man, he held the wizard tightly in his embrace, "Don't let them know. Don't let them get to you."

"I'm a Malfoy!" Suddenly the argument fell flat as the hushed whisper continued, "Or was. But this isn't me. I'm a Slytherin not a bloody Hufflepuff."

Before he could stop his words, which he blamed of the silky skin and soft hairs he nuzzled, "I like this new you."

Eyes wide, Draco jerked from his arms, "What?"/

Since that night Lucas had explained in more detail about a Litherian's mate. And how his senses and heart had chosen the lovely blonde. In response, Draco had remained open to the elf and his Head of House, whom he learned was a spy trying to stop Voldemort. But around everyone else he pretended to be Daddy's little boy, a true Slytherin willing to help his master in any way or to please his father.

Draco also didn't let his parents' decision stop him from growing even closer to the elf. He would spend some nights, after curfew, with Lucas in the dark, talking and cuddling close. Draco had said that he enjoyed knowing someone wanted him for him, not for just heirs or sex. He even argued being chosen as a mate to an elf was not the same.

And after seeing the proud boy fall to his weakest point while still acting, Lucas had sworn Draco would never be left alone. Nor would Draco ever feel used or abused in any way.

But now he could not find his mate. Frustrated beyond words, Lucas pulled a small blue stone from his cloak. Osiris had made his own versions of port keys for each Mage, allowing them a quicker travel to their 'special' place in the Forbidden Forest. "Sheeva."

Seconds later Lucas found himself outside a heavily warded meadow, a meadow belonging to the centaurs. But those noble creatures had been willing to leave the area for the Mages, at least until a new threat was stopped. "Hello, Mages. And guest?"

"Blaise Zambini of Slytherin. It seems our dear guest has something worthwhile for us to know."

Blaise nodded, willing to tell anyone what he had overheard. He was not willing to serve any Dark Lord, he happened to like serving himself. But then someone else decided to crash the small party. War Mage Isis, a Rare Fallen Angel, fell into the warded area, still trembling and covered in dried blood with torn skin, slowly healing. "Isis!"

"Questioned her authority. I'm healing, slowly."

Osiris raised a brow, "But?" He didn't think that had to be the only answer. Isis was very pale, almost like she lost even more blood than the usual one time torture.

"She needed more blood for her supplies. My misjudgement provided the perfect chance to be bled. She's slowed my healing and placed a shield around me. Doesn't want to chance anyone trying to steal the blood while I heal."

Seeing the pain filled eyes, tight smile, and tensed hurting body, the Mages swiftly but gently shove Isis down into the magically soften grass against a steady tree. Osiris had cast a quick spell he learned in his years at Hogwarts, a simple cushioning spell. "What does she know?"

Quiet at first, Isis struggled with the pain, "Old Cassius has been bled. Someone attacked him and She-Demon wants the traitor dead at her feet. She is not happy."

The Mages flinched. If She-Demon was not appeased, the world would soon see Hell way before their time. And if someone had Old Cassius' blood then She-Demon would become worse, even the Mages-in-Training weren't stupid enough to mess with the old Hydra King. They all knew of the ancient creature, who was rumoured to be sometimes more then an ally to the demon queen, though no one was brave enough to discover if it was true. And with his death every living being would tortoruouslydie in search of the traitor.

Left alone as the others questioned the trembling demon about someone called Cassius, Blaise began to remember his own story. He remembered that almost a month before the Dark Lord's defeat, his fellow Slytherin, Pansy Parkinson, was acting weird. She had begun to shove everyone from her. And alone, she had been up to something. He had seen the weirdly written papers and weird drawings in red ink, suspiciously like blood. But it wasn't until he overheard her, that his suspicions were proven correct.

/"Our Lord has been defeated!"

Blaise stayed still, listening to Pansy and a very familiar voice, name forgotten, as he hid in the shadows. "He'll rise again."

"How do you know?"

"He had been researching a spell. Even in death it will raise him, he'll never die."

"How do we begin!"

"The spell requires the blood of an ancient, the body of a rival, the soul of a virgin, and the mind of a childish one."

"I know the perfect students. Ronald Weasley, Susan Bones, and Luna Lovegood."

"Yes, but to invoke the dead we need a sacrifice. I already have the blood. Our Lord had helped in discovering the ancient creature."

"What about your best friend, Millicent?"

Pansy paused to think. "Perfect. She's perfect for the part and I know the perfect scapegoat. Draco Malfoy. Everyone knows he's a Junior Death Eater and would do anything to please Daddy Malfoy and our Lord."

As the voices began to fade away, Blaise froze, scared. He wasn't too sure what to do now that he overheard something big going to happen, but he was also sure that just maybe the Light would know about this suspicion./

And he never said anything. At least nothing was said until he realized that Draco had suddenly disappeared. When his friend vanished, Blaise had snuck into the girl's dorms, breaking through the wards. A Slytherin was always prepared for any ward, and it was in those dorms that he found the first of many clues. One clue in particular was a tiny vial of hissing dark blood.