Chapter twelve

Year of Power part A

Demetrius looked himself over in the mirror. He had grown a bit making him a few inches above six feet. His face had gotten thinner and his piercing emerald eyes shown brighter. His skin was paler then porcelain and unblemished. His black hair remained the same length it fell in soft waves to his shoulders with auburn streaks running through it. All in all he was quite handsome.

The thing that caught his attention about his appearance the most was the fact he was literally radiating power. He was outlined by swirling hues of color. It was furiously bright yet stunningly beautiful. He could sense that all the power would go out of control relatively soon. He would need Severus to ground him again in a few hours. He didn't want to attempt anything on his own for fear of leveling Zabini manor.

Luckily for Demetrius Severus stirred and awoke a few hours later. To say he was shocked at Demetrius's glowing appearance would be an understatement. He immediately reestablished their link and helped drain off Demetrius's excess magic. With them both coherent it was a lot easier. Demetrius was soon to a level he felt comfortable enough to do a few spells to lighten the load. They were using high level conjuring and banishing charms to release the power. By the time Demetrius was back to a normal level they had conjured dozens of different things. The most difficult was a wide variety of living animals.

Demetrius continued to drain himself. He wanted to give himself more time between draining sessions. He would practice controlling his magic as his core recharged itself. When it got to dangerous levels he would call his Sire and they would work together to bring it back down again.

His friend's reactions to the first time they saw his full aura were priceless. Draco was in silent awe but was happy for his friend. Blaise felt that his brother was in for a great deal of work to control himself. Pansy had wanted to touch him and see if it felt different it took Demetrius awhile to persuade her that might be a bad idea. His parents were very proud of him but had the same concerns as Blaise.

Severus however was a completely different story. Demetrius's relationship with his Sire was no severely complicated. They moved slowly not wanting to rush or hurt each other. Severus was cautious about Demetrius's age and he still wasn't sure why Demetrius would pick him out of everyone else. Demetrius was nervous about what the rest of the wizarding world would think. He knew he would never change his mind. He was also sure his mind was far more mature then anyone else his age. They simply loved and took care of each other. No label fit what they had and they both doubted their ever would be. Theirs was not a physical love and that suited both of them fine. Neither cared if it moved in that direction but they silently agreed to wait for the right time.

The others slowly caught on to the changes in the two vampires' relationship. They had seen how the two completed each other perfectly. No one was going to ruin their happiness over technicalities. That would make them worse then Voldemort. Not to mention they were fully aware the only thing that kept Demetrius from accidentally destroying everything was Severus's grounding.

The first month with Demetrius's new power was spent with his Sire and him practicing until he could control himself for a full twenty four hours. They would be able to meet up during their vampire and dueling lessons to release the extra power. Demetrius was slowly learning to adjust the amount of power he put into a spell. He still shuddered when he thought about some of his early mishaps. He thanked his lucky stars that both his Sire and he were immortal.

They practiced in a deserted part of the estate, far way from anything else. They chose that spot so if anything bad happened they wouldn't hurt anyone else. There were several blackened craters and twisted and bent trees from his early attempts. If he was honest with himself he was thankful the damage wasn't worse.

That definitely came into play one time they were practicing and Demetrius ground out exactly what the unicorns had meant by specific powers for each emotion. Something had triggered his memories from his time on privet drive. He got angry really and truly angry over it for the first time. His aura responded by burning brighter then it ever had. All Severus's attempts at grounding failed. Finally there was an audible cracking sound and Demetrius found himself incredibly drained. He fell to his knees just as Severus saw one of the spell twisted trees burst into dancing flames.

He just gathered the exhausted childe into his arms and put out the fire. He carried Demetrius all the way back to the manor and tucked him into bed. Demetrius slept for a solid twenty four hours and didn't need grounded for another 48. Severus was the one who suggested that the fire was definitely not a coincidence. He had heard about exceptionally strong Empaths using their dominate emotion could manipulate the element associated with that emotion. Anger was commonly attributed to fire.

He wondered how they could go about testing his theory. Demetrius was so drained from the little blaze he created in relation to the amount of anger he carried. Severus shuddered to think about how bad Demetrius would get if he had to create a bigger or hotter fire. He could only hope that it took all that effort because he was not focusing on just the fire.

He could think of one thing similar though. If Demetrius learned wandless magic he would be better able to control all his magic. A wandless spell took double the power as a wanded spell. That was why most wizards and witches chose not to learn. They all have the ability but the price was too high unless you were exceptionally powerful which they had been warned Demetrius would be.

Once Demetrius woke up Severus explained his plan to him. Demetrius thought both his plan and theories sounded right. With that in mind Severus began to teach his childe how to focus a spell without a wand. The only thing holding them back was the fact Severus was powerful but not nearly as strong as Demetrius. He would tire and have to stop before Demetrius was even close to being ready to stop.

It was Demetrius who found the solution Severus would use the power he was siphoning out of Demetrius. He had to release the energy somehow and that energy could be put to use teaching Demetrius wandless magic. With that worked out lessons doubled in length and to use a muggle saying killed two birds with one stone.

Soon though they had to face the looming reality that was Demetrius and his friend's fifth year at Hogwarts. The only good thing about being at Hogwarts for Severus and Demetrius that year was the fact Hogwarts was warded to contain bursts of accidental magic. The only things that would be destroyed by accidental magic were glass objects within the same room as the student. So hopefully if there was ever a time when Severus could not get to Demetrius fast enough, then both he and everyone else would be safe.

One thing that was worrying Severus was that fire. He knew in his gut that was only the beginning. He didn't know if Hogwarts was warded against an elemental Empath. He had been searching in the Zabini's library since the fire incident and only a single book mentioned something like that. Elemental Empaths were exactly what it sounded like. They used their emotions to control the elements. They were often the strongest magical beings in history. It was commonly believed to be an Elemental Empath that lost control and destroyed the continent of Atlantis. Although the other side of the coin it was an Elemental Empath that hide the isle of Avalon.

At least there was some president and they weren't working blind. Usually they just controlled their dominate emotion or element, but knowing Demetrius he was likely to be able to control all of them. The problem was they had no one to teach him control. They didn't even know an Empath or an Elemental let alone both in one. Severus came to the conclusion that they needed to visit the unicorns again. They just had to figure out how to summon them.

Demetrius figured they would go to the same clearing they found the Christmas of his twelfth year. If they both used their minds to call at the same time maybe the unicorns would hear them. They dressed in their dragon hide hunting outfits that very night and followed their old path.

It was hard to navigate in the forest without the scent that had guided them the first time. Soon though Demetrius smelt something that made him halt in his tracks. "Sire, do you smell that?" he asked.

"Yes I do. Maybe this will be easier then we thought." Severus answered. They had both caught the light welcoming scent that had been the first hint of the momentous meeting that was about to occur.

With that guide they were able to move much faster. Soon both vampires saw familiar things, familiar from the crystal clear memories both still had. They entered the clearing and even though they were expecting the two magnificent beasts they were still awestruck. There was something with the two old ones that was completely unexpected. A beautiful foal not quite yearling status stood between the two adults. It had a gorgeous golden coat with a silver mane and tail, and coal black hooves horn and eyes. It was obviously a beautiful blend of the silver mare and jet black stallion.

"Welcome back Star Childe we wondered when you or your guardian would think to return here." The mare said to them both.

"We need your help again. I am afraid that I won't be able to control myself if I don't even know what it is to control." Demetrius explained.

"You already have the right idea. Your power comes from your emotions. Your Sire has found the correct explanation. You are one of a rare breed called Elemental Empaths. You are the first and history to be able to control all six elements." The stallion started to explain but was interrupted there by Severus.

"Wait Six? I thought there were four elements." Severus asked feeling very confused.

"Yes six. Mortals commonly accept four they are Fire, Water, Earth, and Air. The final two that have never before been harnessed is Light and Shadow. That is why the Star Childe had to be one of your kind. You are the only creatures on the planet that can work in Shadow. In truth every vampire is a powerful Empath you just control the same element." The mare explained to the confused vampire.

"Now back to your question. Only you can determine what emotion is tied to which element. It switches with every Elemental Empath. You have already discovered the connection between anger and fire. To learn to call the fire you must learn to harness your anger. Let yourself feel it but make sure you are controlling it don't let the anger control you. You already have the skills you need to do this. Use the same patience and heart you display in learning your other magic and you will succeed in this." The stallion told him.

Then the mare spoke again. "Star Childe, you might want to know this will not be the only thing you will gain. You have enough power to do spells wandless and wordlessly you can also learn to focus spells through your weapons giving you the element of surprise. This will not be easy. You will lose control and you will fail at some points. Never stop though with every failure learn with every stall grow stronger. You will eventually come to a choice between what is right and what is easy. I know you know what hard work and suffering can get you. Get through the pain and sacrifice and you will be rewarded, if you choose to go with the easy path everything you know and love could be gone in the blink of an eye. Keep your heart and your solid common sense. You have been given a great task and the tools to complete it. Think of it this way the heavens would not have chosen you if you were guaranteed to fail."

"Thank you, I am still not sure why I was chosen but I will do the best I can." Demetrius assured them.

"Take care of yourself, and keep your anchor close. Listen to your instincts they will tell you when to move." The stallion told them.

"I have a question. What are your names? It seems disrespectful to me to just refer to you as unicorns all the time." Severus asked.

"I am Aurora lady of light." The mare told them.

"I am Ohanzee Lord of shadow." The stallion informed them.

"I am Ciaran guardian of innocents." A new voice spoke to them. It was a soft sound like a light spring rain. The two vamps knew it had to be the young one.

"Thank you Great ones." Demetrius said.

"I have waited a long time to meet you Star Childe. It was foretold on the night of my birth that my destiny and that of the Star Childe were intertwined. I will be going with you and nothing and no one will be able to stop me. In fact the only ones who can see me are the ones who are worthy of knowing about me." Ciaran told them.

"I will not try and stop you but if you ever want or need to leave you are free to go." Demetrius answered him.

"You must go now. First feed from us. You have to go back to your school on the morrow you will need our strength. Just remember don't stray too far from each other you need each other more then you know yet." Ohanzee told them.

This feeding Demetrius fed off Ohanzee and Severus fed off of Aurora. Then the two vampires and the golden unicorn left the clearing to travel back to Zabini manor. Their hearts were much lighter now that they knew what they were facing. Demetrius was wondering just how insane it was that they were more afraid of something unknown then the known fact what they had to do would be difficult and painful. Then he relaxed Aurora was right this would be difficult and painful but no more difficult or painful then hiding who you are for three years. The Dursleys had taught him work and the Zabinis had taught him reward. Now he just had to deal with this new problem in the same way as the old and he would come out on top. Little did he know his thoughts were being echoed by his Sire.

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The torture began the next day. Demetrius and his friends had a fairly uneventful train ride. Ciaran was a big hit among them and they conversed happily mind to mind. They new the special invisibility Ciaran possessed was working because everyone acted normally at the train station. They learned that he could make himself fully invisible or just visible to those he wanted to see him. It would be useful later when they were recruiting people to their side.

It was only after getting to school they learned a few things. Once they had a new ministry appointed defense teacher that looked like a large overgrown toad. Two the ministry regulations Dumbledore had been pushing for had finally been voted in. lastly they learned that Slytherins had become even more maligned over the summer. Voldemort had become quite powerful and had begun killing again. Even though the ministry never said anything everyone knew he was back. Thus the Slytherins were immediately assumed to go to the Dark Lord. The frightening part was with the Light side maligning them so much many were considering joining the Dark Side where they wouldn't be persecuted. Demetrius knew his plans needed to be speeded up.

He needed to introduce his side to the war soon or they would lose a large majority of students to the other two sides. Demetrius had to fight to control his anger again. These were just children, children that should have been able to laugh and play. Where the worst things they had to worry about were left over homework and unfair teachers. No this was a world that was forcing children to choose sides in a war. Children were fighting and dieing for something they barely understood. Demetrius knew he would be just as guilty of that as Dumbledore and Voldemort in the end. He would ask these brave children to fight for him and he knew he would have to watch as some if not most of them died.

The only consolation he gave himself was the fact he would train his army personally and every member would have a choice. He would not force anybody to do anything. Making someone do something they didn't want was exactly why people deserted or started spying. He only had to find a way of seeking out and training his soldiers without getting caught.

He also had his own nature to worry about. The new legislation made it much more likely that his Sire or him would be caught and exterminated. He was so powerful if that happened and he was separated from Severus he knew he would destroy everything. He only hoped they would be safe. They were still taking the potion they had invented to mask signatures. Every year they tested the new students and distributed the potion as needed. In fact a few of the people taking the potion were not in Slytherin but they were related to someone who was. To get there potion to them they would give it to the relative and from there they would get it.

While Demetrius was worried about the students Severus sat at the teachers table worrying over the new staff member. Dolores Umbridge, she was practically owned by fudge and Dumbledore and was a well known half blood and magical creature hater. She helped right the Anti- Werewolf and Anti-Vampire legislation. Every single member of either of those groups hated her guts and she could care less.

The anti-vampire legislation had already begun. They had rounded up the large well known tribes and branded them. Ministry workers were stalking knockturn alley anyone buying the ingredients for vampire related potions were arrested. The ministry itself was being searched anyone with vampire or werewolf blood was being fired on the spot regardless of amount. Severus made sure to get their potion to his friends in the ministry. He would send them a three month supply at once to avoid chance of being caught. He would let his Childe deal with building up their strength he would cover up the tracks from the ministry.

The thing both vampires agreed on was the fact they needed to work silently and swiftly, a vampire's specialty. Demetrius was determined to work as hard as he possibly could. He would risk burning himself out by the time he was twenty to keep people safe. He would sacrifice his free time to learn and practice. Severus silently promised to be at his side at all times. Ohanzee had been right they didn't know how much they needed each other but they never wanted to risk it. They both felt content with how their relationship was evolving.

The feast passed with carefully concealed apprehension, but Severus and Demetrius's work was not completed yet. Severus still had to welcome the first years and Demetrius still had to test each one to see if they would need the potion. They had twelve new students that year to test. Severus gave them the rules and general information about Slytherin house while Demetrius concealed himself in the shadows and scanned them for creature signatures.

Seven out of the twelve students would need the potion. Three had mild vampire blood, one was a full-blooded werewolf, 2 with Veela, and 1 half nymph. Demetrius often wondered why they had very few full blooded creatures. He asked his Sire and found out it was because parents of full blooded creatures often sent there children to either Durmstrang or Beauxbatons. It was common knowledge among creatures that Hogwarts was a fairly unfriendly place for creatures.

Severus instructed the first years to return to their dorm. As the part creatures passed Demetrius got their attention and kept them behind. They explained to the wide eyed children what would happen. That they had a means to protect them from the ministry. If they agreed arrangements would be made to get them the potion if not they would be Obliviated. All seven agreed having knowledge of the new legislation being passed. Demetrius handed them all their first dose there.

Six of the students turned to go except for the Werewolf. Once the others were out of hearing range he spoke. "I know what you are. I thought you should know that there was one thing your potion doesn't mask and that is your scent. You said you invented the first potion I can help you test it if you feel the need to change it." the small boy said hesitantly. He had light brown hair that was nearly blonde. His eyes were a rich blue flecked with amber and his voice was soft and smooth. He was also very small petite would be the right term.

Demetrius just stood there shocked. They had overlooked that part. Vampires might have a keen sense of smell but werewolves had stronger. If this young one could smell them then this was a problem. He found his voice eventually and spoke to the small boy. "Thank you for telling us we didn't think of that. I think we will be designing a better potion. You may help if you want to but no one will force you. What is your name?"

"Johnny Kilain and I want to help. It wont just protect you or me you are protecting everyone." He said simply and with that statement Demetrius knew he was talking to another that was brought up like he was.

"Johnny I think you and I need to have a little chat sometime, but for now it's getting late and we both have classes tomorrow. I will show you to your dorm. We will get in touch with you somehow when we need you. Otherwise don't hesitate to come to us if you have trouble." Demetrius said to him. He knew by the look on his Sire's face that he agreed.

With that their conversation ended and Demetrius led Johnny to his dorm before rejoining his Sire. Severus knew that he would need drained again sometime during the night. "Demetrius, you might as well stay in my quarters. It is shielded from Dumbledore and I will need to help you drain your magic soon." He told his Childe.

"Fine, we have shared a room since my birthday. I think it might actually feel weird if I don't sense you nearby." Demetrius agreed.

No further conversation happened as Severus led Demetrius to his chambers. When they got there they both noticed something at the same time. There was only one bed. If they expanded the room to fit in another the castle would inform Dumbledore. Severus asked Demetrius a question. "Are you alright with this?"

"I don't mind, Sire." Demetrius answered.

Severus then helped Demetrius drain his magic. Later that night after they had both changed into night clothes they crawled into the same bed. They started out the night on opposite sides of the bed. When they woke up the next morning they found themselves curled together. Severus was behind Demetrius with his arms around him protectively. They figured they must have gotten cold at some point during the night and moved together. It wasn't an unpleasant experience for either of them so it wasn't mentioned again.

A/N I was originally going to have this be a majorly sixth year but I decided to change that this fic will offically be in fith year although it could spill into the summer. I am going to have the year of power as a chapter title a lot just different parts. The more pressing information wil be given a different name.

Please review let me know how I am doing it means a lot.