A/N yeah almost done I am predicting two more chapters after this one and this story will be done. Then I will move on to the next one. I think I will work on pain of the innocent since it is the closest to being done.

Warnings: slash

Chapter Sixteen

Year of Power Part C

No one commented on their long absence when the two vampires finally returned to Zabini manor. Johnny ran to them a happy grin on his face. Demetrius caught the small boy in his arms. "Miss us did you Johnny?" He asked teasingly.

"I can't help it I am just really happy. I won't have to go back to my grandparents house will I?" Demetrius knew that Johnny was extremely worried that through everything that happened he would still have to go back.

"No Johnny, you are ours now. We won't give you up." Surprisingly that was Severus who spoke.

"Why don't we all head to the living room? We waited to open presents untill you two came back." Adaeze told them.

They all agreed and headed off to the beautifully decorated room. The tree was enormous and the lower boughs were hidden under the mountain of presents. New clothing, sweets, books, and other odds and ends were prevalent, all of the children going into sugar high mode. Everyone was laughing and happy. It was Draco who first spotted Severus and Demetrius's bonding rings. Now that they were aware of the bonding the rings were visible to them.

The day was rounded off with them sitting in front of a cheery fire sipping hot chocolate. The sense of family was nearly overwhelming. It was a time of relaxation, love, and preparation. Demetrius knew deep in his heart that the hard work had yet to begin. Their fighters were being trained but now they would actually have to fight. Demetrius knew he had the backing of the vampires and most magical creatures in this venture. Unfortunately he knew human nature. They sought to destroy what they don't understand or what frightened them. His own experience with his former house taught him that.

He knew a large portion of their power came from him. He had partaken of many long discussions with Ciaran to determine what his role would be. He was the power and the glue that kept their side together. He would have to use every bit of his vampire charisma to encourage people and creatures to side with him. He would be their light in the darkness. Not to mention he had all the power he needed to back up his claims. His way of running things was surprisingly refreshing he gave his fighters choices and honesty. They followed him because they wanted to not because they were forced or coerced.

It was time for them all to knuckle down and start fighting back. They couldn't afford to wait any longer. With every day they wait they let Dumbledore and Voldemort gain that much more of a hold. Severus sensed the change in his mates thinking and knew the war had officially begun.

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Demetrius, Severus, and Johnny were all in black dragon hide hunting clothes. For once Johnny was not in wolf form beneath that ponderous moon. Demetrius's new potion was a success. The moon no longer controlled him. The wolf was still in him but caged to the point it now had to obey Johnny. Severus and Demetrius hunted and fed quickly. Tonight their mission was much more important then ceasing the blood rage. They were off to a meeting between emissaries from both Werewolf packs and Vampire clans. The two major breed of combat creatures would be deciding who they would side with in the upcoming war.

Demetrius did not know what other offers they had received from the other sides but he knew he would give them what they wanted. They wanted freedom to live, and the same protection bestowed on humans. Laws had no contingency plans if it was a creature involved then a human. Needs were different and had to be met.

He had an advantage over the other sides. He was one of the creatures. He knew how they reacted, what they needed, and most importantly he knew what they would fight for. They were more likely to side with one of their own anyway. Plus the bonding and subsequent adoption of Johnny had been spread like wild fire throughout the magical realm. It was carefully concealed from prying wizards. The fact that two vampires adopted a werewolf was a point in their favor in getting the werewolves on their side.

Demetrius had to shack his head then. No matter how good he was with it he hated politics. He detested the fact that in the real ruler intentions mean nothing. Whoever lies the best wins end of story. He knew logically they would probably side with him. When had logic ever been a main focus in the dangerous game of war? For all he knew the clans could have fallen for Voldemort's false promises or Dumbledore's manipulations and half truths, but he doubted it. Vampires were truly some of the most powerful mind readers in the natural realm. He doubted even one of their own kind could directly lie to them. A mortal would be even easier to read.

Severus and Demetrius had already warned Johnny about that but he still wanted to be there. Demetrius didn't try to stop him. What they were doing was dangerous yes but he was also one of the best with his two daggers that Demetrius had ever seen. If they ran into any trouble Johnny was fully capable of defending himself.

As they drew closer to the prearranged meeting place Demetrius started searching more earnestly. The others would be strong enough for a fledgling to sense them for a mile. Demetrius still did not fully know his lineage the same as Severus did not. He hardly thought about the fact that Severus was not his original Sire. As far as he knew he carried the blood of three lines. He had his original Sire's, Severus's, and who ever had taken in Severus. That was one thing that was never told. Severus explained to him that the knowledge of his tutor would put them both in danger. He had never gone without his masking potion. He had no idea how strong his vampire presence was. He had vowed to himself as soon as they were ready to take the war out of Hogwarts he would stop taking it to find out.

Soon his rampant thoughts were interrupted by the steady pulse of an exceptionally strong vampire. Demetrius followed that call easily. It was following the unicorns scent. It was deliberately sent out to guide them to safety and information.

After walking a few more minutes they finally found the source of the Presence. A large pavilion was set up in the middle of a clearing. Inside sat four creatures, two vampires and two werewolves. All were exuding presences so strong it was dizzying to the two new comers not used to feeling the presence of their own kind.

To their credit the elders were also confused. They knew from the mind scans that the creatures before them were not human. They didn't carry a presence or any trace of non-mortal scent. Seeing their confusion for what it was Severus explained the potion to them. Once that was understood the true business could get underway.

They bluntly asked Demetrius what was in it for them if they helped him. He explained that all he wanted was back up, and that if he won the battles he just wanted freedom for everyone, wizard, muggle, or creature. He had decided from the start to be straight to the point. He would give them honesty and a choice. The rest was up to them.

Finally after much deliberate the female werewolf came over to them. "We have discussed this a great deal. We agree that you have the best offer. However there is one thing. If we are truly going to be fighting together we need to know what we are dealing with. Demonstrate your power, if we find it satisfactory you will have our allegiance." She said gravely.

Demetrius knew this had been coming so he came prepared. Deciding to start out easy and work up to the harder stuff he drew his Sai. Severus conjured a practice dummy for him to use. He went through a variety of weapons, but never taken more then five minutes to dispatch the dummy.

Then it was time for the magic demo. For this he dueled one of the elder vampires. Winning by a very narrow margin, He used a combination of light spells and borderline dark. It kept his opponents off balanced and let him win easier. Now it was time for the hardest demonstration. He would access each element in turn and control it through multiple tasks.

With earth he made trees grow and trenches form. With water he called a storm and through ice balls. With fire he held it in his hands with out it burning he controlled a brush fire so it only burnt a single branch of a sapling. With Air he called down lightning to him and made a small tornado circle the clearing without disturbing anything in it, now for the hardest Light and Shadow.

It had taken him a lot of time and effort to find the triggers for these two, finally he had discovered it. It turned out the lest complicated elements were matched with the most complicated emotion. Fear was the key to shadow. Desperation was the key to Light. Calling up his fears of discovery and his worry for his family he called on shadow. He hid the entire clearing from view or just himself. Yes, all vampires could manipulate shadow but not on this level. It was an awe inspiring moment for the vampires. The next demo was more difficult. Demetrius had to bring up the only memory he had of pure desperation. This was the time the Gryffindors had tried to kill him by tying him in front of a window. With that he created all different types of light.

By the time the demo was done Demetrius felt refreshed. His magic was so strong it actually hurt him to hold it all in. he had to release it at times. He had never even gotten to the level of tired yet. In some ways this was a blessing he would need less rest then the other fighters and he could fight harder. The problem came when he couldn't release it. If he waited too long between practice sessions his first few tries would be strong and impossible for him to fully control. In those times he could just manage to keep it reined in so it didn't hurt anyone. In fact last November one of the Gryffindor boys had been messing with him on and off for days. When he finally broke through Demetrius's defenses he lost control. His magic shook the entirety of the Great Hall. Severus knew what had happened the moment he looked at his childe and saw the eyes glowing like emerald fire.

Demetrius had left the hall rather quickly. He went up to the room of requirement and attempted to exhaust himself. It wasn't working there was just too much pent up magic. He kept setting fires and causing tornadoes. Anything he could think of he tried. He never managed to tire himself he got his levels back down to controllable but nothing further. He often wondered just how far he could go without exhausting himself. He ran a small experiment, if he didn't sleep for 48 hours he didn't need to drain his magic. If he practiced hard during that day he would be classified as an above average power. If he didn't eat sleep and maintained constant magic he figured he might last two days. He knew the upcoming war would drain his reserves. Frankly if he didn't collapse with magical exhaustion when this was all over he would be very surprised.

He was brought back to reality by his husband's voice in his mind. The meeting was a success they had officially gained the allegiance of both vampires and werewolves. The first practice shots had been thrown. Demetrius had now officially declared his side in the war. Now he just had to get his fighters out of Hogwarts before Dumbledore can track down who they are.

A/N I know its short I promised three thousand word chapters and here's this one with a little over two. I need to stop this chapter here. Next chapter we have the preparation. Last chapter is battle and epilogue. Hope you like how this turns out.