Disclaimer- While the plot is mine, the characters are not… I'm just playing with them.

A/N- Translations are at the bottom… (along with something extra that wasn't there before- hehe)

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Chapter 1

Harry waited on the lawn of the Dursleys' house for the messages he knew he would receive from his friends regarding the world he had been forced to leave. His Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia were the reason why he was waiting outside instead of inside the house. They had taken the news of his banishment from the Wizarding World rather gleefully, and after smugly reminding him of everything that he had lost, proceeded to kick him and everything he possessed out of the house and their life with the warning that if he was not off the property within an hour's time they were calling the police. The teen had just spent the last ten minutes gathering the few things he had left into a garbage bag that he had managed to salvage. The Order and Ministry had confiscated everything even remotely magical that he owned including his beloved Hedwig, so all that he had left were the cast-offs that the Dursleys gave him and those Harry intended to discard as soon as he was able. He was beyond sick from experiencing their hatred and the fall of the supposedly protective blood-wards mere moments earlier confirmed just how welcome he had been there.

"Darby, you're late," he quietly complained to the wind, knowing that the Dursleys would carry out on their threat if they heard him. He wanted to be gone by before the hour was up even if it meant having to wait instead at the park. His ride was usually rather punctual and the best part about it, neither the Muggles nor the Wizarding Community knew anything about Darby. Contradictory to what he had told Ron and Hermione during his second year at Hogwarts, Dobby had not the first house elf Harry had ever met. Darby was originally the house elf of his paternal grandparents and came to him shortly after Dumbledore had left him at Privet Drive following his parents' death. He was also the reason why Harry was able to see eleven and why his greatest secret had never been discovered. The little elf had also been clever enough not to be discovered.

Ron and Hermione knew a little of that secret, but that was more than what he was comfortable with them knowing. They were only human and could not be privy to some of his more extensive secrets. Unfortunately he had slipped up shortly two days ago when Ron and Hermione had caught him in the possession of a small polished blue stone of no unearthly origin that they had never seen before much less knew that he had. When he refused to answer anything about the twinkling gem, they then proceeded to sic Bill Weasley on him and forced to tell them some of what he knew about it. Harry was just thankful it was Bill and not one of the others. It certainly helped that the eldest Weasley son working for the Gringotts goblins that he was under oath and could not say anything about the stone. Gaining the promises of silence from his two closest human friends was not so easy and had left behind a foul taste in his mouth. Ron, for once, was actually the first of the two to agree. It was hard enough getting the stone back after the humans had taken everything and for that he owed Kreacher a large show of gratitude for when he next saw the Black family's house elf.

He was just fortunate that no one had connected Darby with the Potters.

'It had to be done,' he said thoughtfully as he unconsciously tightened his grip on the small stone and allowed its comforting energy to wash over him. The feel of Snape's energy was addictive and often left him light-headed. Hermione had asked him what it felt like and the only way he could describe it was to compare to it to savoring a rich peppermint-chocolate mousse. He had gotten his first taste of the Muggle dessert when Hogwarts had served it last year to make the students from Beauxbatons more welcome there during the Tournament and both of his friends knew that he had fallen for the treat on the first bite.

It finally allowed him to take the time and dream. With nothing else to do but wait, Harry let his thoughts slip back to that day in question.

"Why do you have this?" Bill asked exasperated, gripping the twinkling blue stone that Harry handed him. The four of them were presently in the privacy of the parlor of Number Twelve Grimmauld Place where they were less likely to be overheard after Ron had complained to his siblings about Harry keeping secrets from him. His brother's description alone was enough to get Bill's full attention and he immediately sought the trio out.

"Darby said I was the best one for the job," Harry had responded.

"Darby?" Bill asked, confused.

"The house-elf that gave me the stone," Harry answered. "He said that he'll come back for it in a while. Why, is there something wrong?"

'What is he thinking?' Bill wondered, shaking his head then told the confused fifteen-year old, "No, there's nothing wrong. It's just you don't see many of these outside of the forsaken realms and those you do see are either in the care of Fae-blood or are elf-friends."

"So Harry became an 'elf-friend' by helping Dobby?" Ron had said, trying to understand what he was being told.

"No, I don't think that's enough of a reason," Bill shook his head, "And this one is too wrong of a color to just be handed off."

"There are different colors?" Hermione asked, curious.

"Yes, elf-friends are usually given either yellow elf-stones used to communicate between them or green elf-stones designed to store items," Bill said, "This makes absolutely no sense…"

"So what does this blue one do then?" Hermione asked, enraptured.

"Well… first off," Bill told Harry as he gave the boy back the stone, "this is not an elf-stone. This is a soul-stone. Inside this stone is a spirit of a Fae fighting for its right to live. Soul-stones are not just given away. Even mixed fae-bloods are hard pressed to even see one." Hermione gasped in horror and even Ron was eying it up, torn between shock and envy. "Were you told what to do with the stone, Harry?"

"Just that I should keep it with me at all times until the elf comes back for it," Harry answered.

"How come you know so much about elf-stones?" Hermione looked from the stone to Bill, eagerly asking. The boys knew that the moment the eldest Weasley son dismissed them that their friend would be in the books looking for everything she could on elf-stones.

"Several magical creatures, usually Fae, use them," Bill said, pulling a small clear yellow marble from his pocket. "Gringotts have them. The goblins use them to get a hold of their employees, but we're sworn not to mention it to anyone who don't know of their existence."

He would have said more but the Weasley matriarch interrupted with, "BILL! RON! HERMIONE! HARRY! GET DOWN HERE! DINNER IS READY!"

"Go on," Bill told his brother and Hermione, and waited for them to leave before asking Harry, "What is it that you aren't telling me? You know why you have the stone, don't you?"

"Umm," Harry began then sighed, "It's kind of complicated…"

"Try anyway," Bill told him grimly.

Harry swallowed then began, "It belongs to Snape."

How he had come into possession of Snape's soul-stone was another piece of information that Harry had no intention of revealing to anyone. Snape had disappeared shortly after the Tri-Wizard Tournament at Dumbledore's command to infiltrate the newly resurrected Lord Voldemort and his followers and never returned. The members of the Order of the Phoenix would later write the missing man off as either dead or a defector when after three weeks all of his belongings vanished and like their owner, no trace of them could be found. Bill had not taken the news well and six weeks later with what he learned from Harry had come to different conclusions than his companion about their missing spy. While Bill suspected that Snape couldn't have been fully human and was probably recovering with his Fae kindred, he was wrong about not only the purity of the Fae-blood but why the Professor had to resort to such methods in order to survive.

Harry didn't have the heart to tell his friends and adopted family that he wasn't entirely human either and that was one of the reasons why Snape's life-force had been entrusted to him. The other reason had to do with the fact that the stone allowed Harry to ground the snarky man's energy so he could fully recover. Whatever Voldemort had done during that meeting six weeks ago to the man he deemed 'traitor' had completely destabilized his magic core and it had literally burned him from the inside out. The house-elves at whichever manor the soul-stone had been taken from had taken advantage of the chaos left by the unstable magical force and had gotten it (and Snape) out.

That last piece of knowledge was another point that Harry intended to take with him to the afterlife.

His instincts told him that he could not currently trust any of the members of the Order of the Phoenix nor any wizard aligned human with this information. On any other day he might have told Sirius, Lupin, the Weasleys or even the newly arrived Fleur with what he knew but at the moment it was not possible. While Lupin seemed indifferent if not tolerable of the Potion Master's antics, Sirius despised him with a passion bordering obsession and while not as vocal as his godfather, the Weasleys had made thoughts vocal as to what they thought of him. They also were too close to Dumbledore to be considered as Dumbledore had already proved that he could not be trusted. Harry's only ally amongst the Order would be Fleur but she was too new to the group and the headmaster's manipulative ways to last long once he sensed anything amiss.

There was also Ginny to take into consideration. She was clinging to him like a lost puppy while the trio was at Grimmauld Place on the pretense that she was lonely. The very same instincts that warned him of the headmaster had also told Harry in no way, shape or form to trust the girl. The scent of lifelessness was too tightly shrouded around the youngest Weasley child to be anything good and the only time he ever saw any life in her was when she was trying to get his attention. He was most certainly not interested in getting involved with any mortal in the way she desired. Harry found it hard enough just being polite. Someone was using the Weasley girl for their purposes and he was not sure who or what was pulling her strings. He just knew that he did not like it but at the moment, the source still eluded him.

His thoughts were interrupted by the soft pop that had let him know that he was no longer alone. The new arrival was not Darby but another sent in his place. The little elf actually looked a bit like Winky although Harry knew that the messenger was male. "Leigheas, we can go now," the house-elf said. "The Lord wishes to see to see you after you supped and settled in."

Harry smugly grinned at his words.

The Ministry lackeys should have been a little more specific when giving him the terms of his banishment. The terms only mentioned the Wizarding World. They said absolutely nothing about the Faerie Realms.

He was finally going home.

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As one abandoned teen settled into his new home and the three most politically powerful wizards throughout the UK continued to plot for control over the Wizarding World, an slight form in a dark manor slipped unseen into memories with the potential to change everything anyone knew.

There had been fifteen standing over him that day when he fell from grace at the hands of his Lord and Master. Fourteen had escaped the confines of what could be Azkaban though only Karkaroff and Snape had slipped away from the Dark side altogether.

Igor Karkaroff had chosen to run, taking his family with him. Severus Snape, on the other hand, had known even before his arrival that it was a mistake to return. His Lord had not been pleased with him and his excuses had fallen on deaf ears.

Laughter from the others had accompanied the first of the potions forced into him by Lucius Malfoy. One of the brews was instantly recognized as Veritaserum and the other as a potion promoting fertility he had made at the request of Narcissa when there was talk of them having a second child. Neither conception nor the duration of the pregnancy had been easy for Narcissa so having Draco proved to be once in a life-time chance. It was no wonder that the Malfoy couple had spoiled their only child, his godson, rotten.

The fertility potion would have no effect on him and he did not understand the reason of being doused with it until he was held down by the fathers of the Crabbe and Goyle that he taught at Hogwarts. Malfoy had then proceeded to use his hair to force him to stare at Voldemort who held a potion that he did not recognize.

"Do you know what this is, my darling Severus?" His master's hissing rasp graced them, "This is a special blend of Strengthening Potions used with the intent of opening any and all latent abilities. Our dear Barty Crouch found it before his unfortunate demise but was able to pass it on nonetheless. At first I had thought I would keep the potion for myself but after learning some rather interesting facts, decided that it would be best used elsewhere."

He had heard of the potion before. It was a very rare and difficult potion to create called Potestas Solvo. However, his attention was more on that of the other Death Eaters present whom were trying to understand what their master was saying.

"It seems that during my short stay at Hogwarts four years ago I heard a very intriguing rumor," Voldemort said smugly. "It would seem that our dear Severus was not honest about his blood-lineage."

"But my lord," one of the Death Eaters protested, "Why would he lie about possessing filthy Mud-blood?" He closed his eyes, recognizing the voice as his old classmate Avery. The fact he was a half-blood was well known through his time as a student at Hogwarts.

"I knew it!" Another exclaimed, "He is no Prince but a filthy Mud-blood!"

Both of them were met with a "Crucio!" from Voldemort's wand followed by an enraged, "Did I give either of you permission to speak?" The two men quickly groveled when they were again able to stand while the others watched with a mixture of smug bemusement and scorn. "No, my lord!"

Voldemort was not amused but his attention had turned back to their traitor, "I believe they call your kind a winged elf, and not just any winged elf but a Royal Winged Elf, an Iompróir." He managed to keep his reaction to the news off his face; however, his fellow Death Eaters were not as fortunate as he was soon stared upon with shocked and eager expressions.

"Tell me, Severus, is your brethren as really as beautiful as the stories say?"

"I wouldn't know," he had answered honestly. He had never seen another Fae until Hogwarts when he first met the Hogwarts house-elves and his mother had sealed away his Fae-blood before his wings ever fully manifested nor had he born witness to his true face. The one that looked back at him in the mirror was a glamour created by his mother and reinforced by the headmaster in his Fifth year at Hogwarts shortly after his near fatal run-in with the Marauders' pet werewolf. He still had yet to see, much less hear of, another iompróir and that alone showed just how rare his kind was.

"Liar!" Malfoy hissed out with the rest of them, eager for blood and the need to have their master's favor.

Voldemort ignored them with an amused smirk. "Of course not. Your powers were sealed while you were still too young to resist. Dumbledore's work I believe." He neither acknowledged nor denied the claim and Voldemort did not expect him to as he moved on to another subject.

"You iompróir are androgynous, are you not? Capable of reproducing as either male or female?"

"Again, I would not know," he answered. "I have no children."

"Yes, yes," Voldemort said soothingly despite his followers' biting insults, "Of that we're well aware. Yet, if the stories are to be believed, the fertility rate of the iompróir is slightly higher than that of their gendered relatives. Slightly less than that of a human female's."

Voldemort then popped open the vial and slowly approached the restrained man, "I have decided that you will be spared, my dear traitor, as you are still worth more to me alive than not. However you will join the ranks of your lesser kin as my own personal servant. Hold him still."

As he had no desire to be a house-elf to this madman, Snape fought to break but his efforts were not enough to escape swallowing the potion contents.

The next thing he remembered was fire.

He was unaware of when the first of the glamours placed on him broke.

The next nine days Snape had spent in and out of delirium with only a house-elf able to stay near him. The Death Eaters had tried had been thrown across the room like rag-dolls when his restrained magic had erupted and had scorched whatever had been near. Narcissa had been rather amused when she learned that Goyle, Crabbe, Voldemort, Macnair, Wormtail, her husband and two other Death Eaters had to be rushed to the nearest medi-witch for 3rd-degree burns caused by his awakening. The unconscious man was then moved to Malfoy Manor to recover after Voldemort took his wrath on his followers for this latest development.

The manor wards fell like paper under the onslaught of the iompróir's out of control power and had to be replaced on a daily basis. It was ultimately Narcissa's idea to use the house-elves to nurse their iompróir prisoner back to health, but her husband's eagerness to please his Lord and Master once the elves had managed to physically stabilize him would soon set off the first of the seizures that would rack his body. His hasty actions would also traumatize his grief-stricken son and an angry wife. When Voldemort had learned of his deeds and the issued out punishment on the Malfoy patriarch, Narcissa had had enough.

The first thing she had done was have one of the house-elves deliver the iompróir's soul-stone to whichever one of the Fae that could best help her husband's ex-friend, and sent the rest out to deliver a message to the Faerie Realms to rescue Snape and take him somewhere safe to heal. By the time the messenger had arrived, Narcissa had already lowered the wards to the point where her husband would not notice their disappearance until it was too late.

Lucius did not even realize that he had even disappeared until she personally told him. He even bought her explanation that "Snape was dead" and that she had the house-elves dispose of the body where no one would ever find it.

Voldemort's actions were no less bloodthirsty than before but Lucius was not the only one to suffer his rage this time. No one noticed Narcissa Malfoy smirking in the background before she returned to the real world with her tracks already covered weeks prior.

Her plotting nonetheless continued but first she had to speak with her son.

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Translations:

Darby- deer settlement/derby (old English)
Leigheas- healer (Gaelic)
Iompróir- bearer/carrier (Gaelic)
Potestas Solvo- release power (Latin)

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Notes/Sources (Mythology)

Faerie- "to enchant/enchantment" Derived from the Latin word "fatare" and French word "fée", it was used originally to describe the magic of the Fae. Although over the years there are many names for the Fay (the first spelling of Fae- means being), it is believed that the Italians were the first to associate the term with the race and modeled them after the Fates (Roman trio of goddesses that controlled the destiny of mankind) and the Furies (Greek goddesses of vengeance) spawning the first stories about fairy godparents and snake-women enchantresses (lamia/naga). Modern Theology classifies faeries as the fallen angels that had not taken the sides of either God or Lucifer during his revolt and were banished to Earth for their indifference to wait out Judgment Day.
Elf stone- In Western myth, it was any small polished stone (usually an agate or beryl) found lying on the ground that is said to be left by the Fae as a marker. Only in the recent years have elf stones been said to possess magical powers. JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and Terry Brooks' Shannara series are two of the most popular (and recent) stories to include elf stones.
Forsaken Lands- One of the names given to the lands where the Fae are said to dwell after being driven underground. Passage to the Faerie lands are said to be passing through fairy ring mushrooms, fairy hills, mist gate (a portal that appeared in a fog bank) or stepping onto a fairy island (like Avalon). Time is said to flow differently there (as unsuspecting humans that have ventured there stayed the night to return to home to find years passed and their friends old and grey or dead) and humans that eat their food while there find themselves unable to leave. The Faerie Lands of Celtic mythology closely parallel the Realms of the Dead in other cultures (the most obvious similarity being the story of Persephone from Greek & Roman myth) as fairy hills are better known as burial mounds. Each of these legends claim the Faerie lands are a place of eternal feasting and drinking, music and dancing (and just being happy).
Elf-friend- A term coined by Tolkien for any human that has done a great service to the Fae (Elves), and by doing such, gained their alliance.
House elf- JKR probably modeled these after a brownie, an elf-like Scottish house fairy that will do odd jobs around the house or farm in return for a nightly bowl of milk or cream. Giving one clothes will drive them away but angering one may result in the creation of a boggart. House fairy is the generalized term for an benevolent (or mischievous) Fae that dwells in a human home where most will freely guard the home or do domestic chores in exchange for food and/or a place to sleep. House fairies also know to be hard to please and are easily offended, resulting in many rituals around the world designed to banish or repel Fae from the home.
Elf- "white or shining spirit" Derived from the Teutonic languages, they were originally ancestral spirits that brought fertility. Norse myth separated elves into the light and dark elves but it was in Britain that they found their fame as the terms elf and fairy became interchangeable. Many English names (like Alfred) also referred to elves. Modern elves are usually described as one of two things- the little bearded creatures that work under Santa Claus, or the tall beautiful creatures that wear white and green that are associated with LotR. England classifies elves as the latter category where they are better known as trooping fairies (a company of underground elves that follow a monarch), however, them being human height actually originated from Scotland (English elves and fairies are the same height: child size). Scandinavian folklore is what associates them to the forests and groves, dancing in the moonlight, and acts of mischief along with shape-shifting powers. Female Danish elves are said to be hollow in the back but their male counterpart might be the foundation for the Santa's elves legend. (A/N- I found no concrete proof (other than a reference from the children's book that came out in that 1980's that spawned the garden gnome -statue- epidemic that still continues today) as to whether elves possess wings or not so this might be the modern divider that separates elves from fairies. It was from that book that I took the information about winged elves being hermaphrodites as there are many other stories of the smaller winged fairies being classified as androgynous.)

And finally, this little gem-

Dobby- (also spelled Dobie) An English house fairy that is fond of helping humans, or guarding treasure, but is more of a hindrance than a help. In West Yorkshire, a Dobie is an evil fairy that garrotes unsuspecting horsemen that lives in barns, farmhouses, towers or bridges. The Ghost of Morthan Tower, Rokeby, is believed to be a Dobie.