Disclaimer- While the plot is mine, the characters are not… I'm just playing with them.
A/N- Revisions are now complete- There's even one new chappie (complete with notes)… but still no beta!
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Chapter 5
Ron was not thrilled about following Hagrid back into the Forbidden Forest on another one of the half-giant's strange tasks. At least this time Hermione, Lupin, Sirius (in dog form), and even Neville and Luna were with them, so he felt a little bit safer from the local centaur and Acromantula populations. He trusted his friends and the adults with his life, but the forest inhabitants were another story as his prior experiences showed.
To release some of his discomfort, he asked the one question that had been on his mind since finding the pair at Hagrid's hut, "When did you and Snuffles get here?" Hagrid had only been back at Hogwarts for a couple days after cutting short whatever mission Dumbledore had him doing in light of everything happening at Hogwarts.
It didn't take a genius to know that his return had something to do with Harry's disappearance and the two remaining Marauders sudden arrival. "Only a couple hours ago," Lupin answered, before turning to ask Hagrid, "Are you certain that you will be able to help us?"
"It's all a matter of knowing the right ones," the half-giant told them. "Dumbledore told me that ye'd be needing a guide since none of you'd been there before and he'd be heading that way anyway so I just asked him to delay his trip a few days."
"So why are we going into the forest then?" Ron asked, on the lookout for anything remotely eight-legged. He did not want another run-in with one of Aragog's spawn.
"The guide is presently looking after Grawp," Hagrid answered, leaving the students to wonder what exactly a sort of creature this Grawp was. Knowing Hagrid and his love of strange and dangerous pets, it was probably not something he'd want to be alone with for any length of time.
"Grawp?" Neville asked, worriedly.
"Me little brother," Hagrid answered, ignoring the looks of shock and bewilderment from the three fifth years. "He came home with me because of… Well, um, they're both up ahead." It was then that they seen looked up to see what appeared to be a human the same height as the tree he was standing next to.
"Hagrid, that's a giant, right?" Hermione asked. "He's going to be the guide?"
"Nope, that's Grawpy," Hagrid answered, corrected her. "The guide is the other one. I decided that he would be the best one for the job since Ron and Hermione met him once already."
"Other one?" Neville asked as both questions were answered as they drew close enough to see a large brown haired man leaning next to a tree not far from where the giant was.
Ron whispered to Hermione whom shrugged, "When did we meet him? I think I would know if I ever met someone that tall before." He supposed Hermione was also trying to figure out they met the man that stood a foot taller than Hagrid.
"Them again?" The unnamed guide commented upon their arrival, "Don't tell me that you want me to watch these ones too?"
Hagrid managed to look sheepish, "They plan to go to Sifra and need help with the barriers."
"Sifra?" Neville asked, confused, looking to the others for help.
"It's one of three border cities that lay between the Mortal and Faerie Realms but also is where the Council of Races takes place," Lupin told him. "However, only someone of Fae-blood born or spend time in the Realms can safely navigate the outer barriers. Even with the stones Miss Lovegood managed to acquire, you'd still be vulnerable to the time wards. Fortunately, Sifra is close enough to the Mortal World that any time displacement will be only in mere hours. We would need a guide if we chose to go any further into the forsaken Realms."
"You don't think we'll find Harry in Sifra then?" Hermione asked, understanding whet he was saying.
"Actually, I'm not sure we'll recognize him if we do," Lupin candidly admitted. "I'm also thinking that will also be true of Severus as well. There they will have no need to hide their Fae blood." Padfoot's ears perked up at the mention of his godson but growled at the mention of the missing Professor.
"What?" Ron asked, "Harry's a Fae?"
Lupin shrugged before answering, "Sirius and James share a Fae ancestor with Tonks and the two missing Malfoys. I think Siri said that their common ancestor was originally a Bulstrode."
"They'll be in Sifra when we arrive," Luna told them, leaving her friends wondering who she meant. "They'll be there with Lord Wotan, Lady Frea and Lord Arawn."
"How fitting," Lupin remarked, his bemusement not clearing up any of the children's confusion.
The guide had been up to this point amused by their actions but his interests had caught at the mention of their missing friend. He then asked Hagrid, "What has that green-eyed pup done now?"
"Huh? How do you know Harry?" Ron asked as Hermione gasps, "Hermione?"
"Ron, we did meet him… back in our first year at Hogwarts," she said bewildered, but when he just looked at him confused, she clarified. "Don't you remember what we learned in our research? Fae have more than one than one form."
"Hermione, what are you talking about?" Lupin asked, confused.
Hermione weakly answered, "Ron, this is Fluffy."
"No way!" Ron protested, "Fluffy was a big, three-headed dog…" He then trailed off as he saw the large man smirk at him with his golden gaze fixed intensely on him. "Um… hi?"
Luna was close enough to catch Ron as he promptly fainted.
cwn
The first thing that Harry registered upon opening his eyes was the feel of his mate's still warm body underneath him, followed by the strangely comforting presence of the stone that he refused to let go. After that was that he was no longer alone in the room. He knew that he would find Primas and Cneasaigh there even before opening his eyes but seeing Wotan and Arawn there as well as the elemental healer was an unwanted bonus.
Dealing with his failure was hard enough. He was not ready to face Snape's relatives yet.
"I failed," He whispered weakly.
"You did not," his elderly mentor that reminded him so much of Hagrid answered, showing the reluctant teen the unadorned arm where Voldemort's Death Mark once resided. "The darkness surrounding Dáiríre's soul is gone."
"But he-," Harry began again weakly.
"Merely sleeps," Cneasaigh answered, quickly reassuring him, "and a close one that was too. Any later and we really would have lost him." Harry sat up in shock.
Snape was still alive?
Now that he knew, he studied his mate and gave out a sigh of relief when he felt a faint movement associated with the breathing of one that slept deeply and his sharp hearing could now pick up a steady heartbeat as well. He still could feel nothing of his asgre's magical presence and there was still the mystery of the strange stone he had found that he wanted explained.
As the ones who could best answer his questions were already in the room, he held out his hand to reveal the iridescent gemstone and asked, "What is this?"
Four sets of eyes widened (three of which he never though was possible) in recognition before Wotan calmly reached out to close Harry's fingers once more around the stone.
"Something you should treasure with your life," the one-eyed fae said softly. "Heart-stones are very rare and never given to anyone who did not earn or value them. He trusts you and given enough time, he will love you as well. You should remember that."
Harry looked at him confused so Primas explained, "Of all the elf-stones out there, two are the most valued: Soul-stones which monitor and maintain the health of their creator and heart-stones that a physical manifestation of that soul."
Harry sat up so fast that he was unaware he even moved though from the amused looks his companions, they seemed to believe that he was just as likely to faint instead. In fact, if he had been any more exhausted, he probably would have.
'This rock was a piece of his mate's soul?' He whispered, "Believe me, I will."
More than they could ever imagine. He just needed his beauty to wake up so he could tell that to his face but was in no hurry for it.
The healer there had already begun to move, taking the position where Cneasaigh once stood. Harry could feel the powerful energy wash over not only him but the slumbering man, so he was shocked when the air elemental addressed him seconds later, "The presence of the heart-stone shields his self from me. You will have to let me see through your eyes."
Harry nods, allowing the air elemental to merge his powers with his as he reopened the spiritual world of color he used during his cleansings. He knew that Guaritore could have used any purifier to access the slumbering iompróir's core, but by using Harry it meant that he needed the grounding abilities the asgre bond would provide even more.
As the healer sought out the connection he was looking for, Harry once more turned his eyes to the menagerie of colors, looking for the signs that the cleansing had to Snape's aura now that Voldemort's taint was gone. The colors were brighter than they had been and the red had receding considerably revealing the white that he knew was also there. He was just surprised to see that the red had also revealed some pink in greater abundance than the white had been.
Its presence meant that he still had a chance to capture his mate's heart and that was something Harry intended to take.
Guaritore called him over then, having located the relocated life and magic cores and was presently examining them both. To Harry's eyes, they still looked like miniature suns, but that soon changed as the sylph touched one, transforming the life core into something that strongly looked like a spider web made from iridescent threads. The elemental quickly returned it back to its star-like form before turning its attention back to the silver and gold web he made from the magic core.
"Here's our problem," Guaritore commented and it didn't take a genius to realize what he had found. The web that the life core had created had been large and almost prefect in its structure but the web that was created from the magic core was partially missing. "Dáiríre is fortunate that there is still enough mortal blood in him to keep his life and magic core separate."
"How so?" Harry asked, curious.
"Elementals and Fae only have one core, not two, and having one in this shape would have been an instant death sentence for them," Guaritore explained. "Fae are not meant to live without their magic. Dáiríre had been capped; half of his powers have been taken from him. I can regrow the lost pathways easily enough but the chances that he'll ever regain his full potential are slim. Also, without knowing the cause of this, it may happen again."
He heard Primas' voice echoing in the background as he listened to their conversation from the bedside, "Cenau, you've been with Dáiríre longest. Do you recognize the energy signal responsible for his capping?"
"I'll try," Harry said, closing his eyes to concentrate. Tracking aura signatures had been one of his first lessons as a Wybir but matching the signature to a name required familiarity. He already had a couple candidates in mind from his own cleansing and was not entirely surprised when by his reading.
"There are three distinct signatures on his core besides his," Harry told them, knowing that Primas wasn't the only one listening in on their conversation. He knew that the room would not have cleared out just because the two of them were working. "One is Guaritore, which is expected, and there seems to be some old lock that I'm thinking might be inherited. The placer of that I don't know…"
"An old lock?" Cneasaigh asked, confused.
"I believe that he means a genetic safeguard," Wotan told him, "It's a common practice amongst the Wizarding purebloods. I can only guess that it had been triggered by one of his mother's kinfolk."
"The damage left by such safeguards are always temporary and will not heed Dáiríre's recovery any," Guaritore told him, having broken such safety measures before. "The third?"
"Dumbledore," Harry said, growling.
"That one is becoming a regular nuisance," Arawn replied.
"He is not going back there," Wotan grimly stated, and there were no arguments stating otherwise. Instead there were three like minds plotting as what they would do if they managed to get their hands on the crafty old man.
In the meantime, Guaritore began his weaving.
cwn
Sleep eventually crept up on him and knocked the young Wybir out like a light. When Harry woke up a couple hours later, the room was empty of all others except for the owner of the purple eyes that stared back at him.
"Feeling better?" He asked.
"Yes… I felt your work," Snape answered, shocking with the Wybir with the small tone of awe that crept into his otherwise contained voice. "You succeeded. You freed me…"
"I had help…," The boy whispered, "but I also had my own reasons for doing it. You are my asgre, my muirnín."
""Beloved'?" Snape asked softly, looking at the human teen that lay against him. With the boy lying against him and their energies as intertwined as they were, he could not help but feel the mixed emotions the pup was radiating. The boy was a mess- a scared, confused, relieved, angry, heart-broken mess and the majority of that was his fault but he wasn't certain why. "You think of me as your mate? But why?"
"Because I want to," Harry countered. "And because I want you. I have known since my first year at Hogwarts that you were to be my mate."
"Rubbish," Snape retorted, "Do you really know what you are saying?"
"Hellhounds mature quickly," Harry countered. "I want the right to court you and I won't take no for an answer."
Snape gave him a bemused look before responding, "That's quite the Slytherin sentiment, Potter. You have obviously grown enough to become quite the little Fae, but what about your girlfriends back at Hogwarts? Won't they miss you?"
"Not going back even if allowed again," Harry answered, "and there were never any girlfriends. I won't risk losing you."
"You really are a fool," Snape sighed. "I am no worthy prize-" Harry hissed, cutting off the rest of the iompróir's words with a kiss as he pinned him to the bed. He wanted to mark each piece of his beauty's body as his own but that would have to wait until after the iompróir was strong enough to appreciate his actions more.
Snape surrendered without much of a struggle as the strong glow of those beautiful green eyes drew him in. Even if he had the strength to resist the Wybir's bold seduction, Snape knew that he wouldn't have fought back. The iompróir in him desired to be claimed by this child that made his body and soul sing.
He would complain to his uncle and father about their poor choices in mates later.
There were just needed to be some ground rules with his puppy to be set down first.
cwn
Wotan and Arawn watched the interaction between the pair torn between amusement and concern. Wotan was the first to break the silence with, "This is certainly unexpected."
"Not as much as you think, Bren," his uncle answered. "Both Primas and Cneasaigh had caught signs of it shortly after their arrival. I am, however, worried as to what Madra's reaction will be the Lords that will seek out Dáiríre's attentions."
Wotan grimaced at that reminder, "It will not end well. Neither of them has yet adjusted."
"My lords?" a timid voice interrupted their conversation and they turned to see an elderly house elf standing uncomfortably in the hall with hands full of parchment. "There's someone here wanting to see Lord Dáiríre. He came with these."
Wotan sighs as his uncle had the house-elf direct someone to guide the new arrival to a room. "And so it begins…"
cwn
Draco Malfoy was not entirely certain what he was expecting when the strange little elf led him to the private chambers of his godfather, but what he found was not it. He would admit that he had never seen the inside of Snape's quarters back at Hogwarts but given the state of his Potion Professor's office and what he had been told about Spinner's End from his parents, he had been expecting something dark, dank and creepy. The large, bright and airy set of rooms was not anywhere what he had expected and decided that they were the Faerie equivalent to a sick room or infirmary. That thought left him wondering where Snape's real chambers were located and when would he be able to see them.
Something felt very wrong here and he needed to find out what.
He had expected Snape to be alone when he arrived, but what he found was a large bluish white dog laying on an equally large bed next to a lean handsome man with long black hair loosely bound back in a braid that had been tossed over his shoulder. If his mother's description was accurate, then Draco was now staring at was his godfather.
"Sir, you sent for me?" He asked carefully. His godfather's temper was legendary and he didn't have anything as a buffer this time to save him from it. As he had already been here for a full day without seeing one but a house elf, getting out his rooms had been a blessing in disguise. As beautiful as the parts of the village he had seen in his short stay, his entire stay in this place seemed surreal as if he was wandering in the midst of a pleasant dream.
Dark purple and brilliant green eyes looked up at him the moment he spoke and if he hadn't felt self conscious upon arrival he certainly was now. The dog's eyes were especially unsettling. No dog should have that level of intelligence much less possess eyes that particular shade of green. It felt as if he was looking at his own death, but that shouldn't be possible. It was only a dog.
What was more unsettling was that he felt like he was looking into the eyes of his most hated rival, Harry Potter, but that could not be possible. Potter had been banished from the Wizarding World to spend the rest of his miserable existence as a lowly Muggle.
It certainly showed the scum to never defy a Malfoy.
"Draco," the handsome man spoke with in the same satiny voice he knew as his godfather's, "I take it your trip here went well."
"Well enough I suppose. House-elf isn't the best way to travel but the floo and portkeys don't work here," Draco agreed, taking in the complete view of the chamber. He ignored the small end table where two opened letters lay, knowing that one of them was probably his mother's letter in favor for the rest of the room. He had never seen such fine quality of craftsmanship anywhere in the Wizarding World and decided that he wanted something similar for his own quarters when he returned home. The entirety of this castle had looked like it had been grown out of a single gigantic tree as the unadorned walls showed neither marks nor seams to indicate it had been manmade. The curtains on the windows are surrounding his godfather's bed, at least, he knew had created from fairy silk as the sun's rays made the delicate fabric shimmer like mother-of-pearl.
He had never seen so much of it before. Even amongst the wealthy, fairy silk was hard to come by and even when found, it was in poor quality.
"Sit down," his godfather commanded, waving to one of the few chairs that had been placed in the room. The presence of the chairs didn't surprise as he knew that Snape would probably still be recovering from his ordeal at the Dark Lord's hands.
Draco warily took a seat, shuddering slightly when he noticed that the dog had yet to take its eerie stare off of him. Maybe he could get it to leave.
"How much did your mother explain to you about the situation here?" Snape asked and Draco noticed the faint smirk on his lips. So his godfather had noticed the stare-down he was having with the dog, so why wasn't he doing anything to stop it?
"Not much," Draco said bitterly, "just that it wasn't safe at either Hogwarts or the Manor anymore. Do you know what scared her so much to do something this foolish? I should be at Hogwarts or at least helping Father, but instead I'm out in the middle of nowhere doing nothing."
"Unfortunately I do know," Snape said grimly. "You mother senses trouble on the horizon and choice to act the only way she could."
"What do you mean?" Draco demanded, "Those blood-traitors and Mudbloods don't stand a chance now with Potter gone and everyone knows it. Even that fool Dumbledore knows it."
Ignoring the faint growl that escaped the dog, Snape responded quietly as he scratched the dog behind the ears which seemed to sooth it enough to quiet it down somewhat, "This has nothing to do with the Dark Lord and everything to do with blood purity. Do you know how you arrived in Ælwyd?"
Draco looked at him if he was insane before answering suspiciously. What was the man thinking now? "A house-elf brought me obviously."
"While that may be true in some respects, the answer itself is wrong," Snape answered. "There is a screen around the Outer border that prevents anyone not of some Fae blood from entering. As I rather doubt that you are in the possession of an elf-stone, how do you suppose you got here again?"
Draco knew now that this man was insane, "They must have suspended it somehow! My parents are both Purebloods. There is no way I could have Fae blood."
"In your father's case that is most likely true," his godfather agreed. "However, I do know for a fact that there is Fae blood in the Black family."
"You lie!" Draco snarled, ignoring the condescending looks both his godfather and the damned dog were giving him. He didn't want to believe those words. For the first time since leaving home he had actually felt safe. It scared him that he actually felt more secure in the Faerie Realms than he felt at home.
There had to be something wrong with him then. No, there is something wrong with them both. He shouldn't be feeling this way about this place. Neither of them should.
That dog shouldn't be here either. In fact, that dog was probably the source of what he was feeling. It needed to go.
"Put your wand away, Draco. NOW!" Snape scolded and Draco dropped it, stunned. He hadn't even realized he had drawn it, much less pointed at the bed. What was he thinking? If he cast any spell and missed, he would have hit his godfather and Snape didn't have a wand to defend himself with. In his weakened state, Draco could have killed him.
The soft growl that came from the dog showed that the dog was most definitely not amused and Snape was not either, "Stupid boy, do you actually possess a brain in that head of yours or is it just for show? You DO NOT, for any reason, pull your wand out on a hellhound unless you have a death wish. Am I understood?"
'HELL hound?' Draco mouthed, horrified. He was so dead.
"I would suggest that you don't repeat this lesson. From what I hear, there happens to be at least eight hellhound packs on the grounds at the moment and I know for a fact that at least two of those breeds have a fondness for human flesh," his grandfather concluded. "You will find that most of the hellhounds are not as forgiving of such stupidity as Madra here."
Draco opened his eyes then realizing that he was still alive. The dog, no hellhound, had not moved from its spot on the bed.
So the dog's name was Madra? Draco asked timidly, "Why is it here anyway? Shouldn't it be with the other hellhounds?"
"He is mine and is exactly where he's supposed to be right now," Snape coolly explained to him as the teen hesitantly looked back at the motionless hellhound. He did not like the look in the hellhound's eyes. They seemed to be laughing at him.
"Oh," there wasn't anything Draco could say to that.
For once he was actually glad to be unworthy of a powerful being's notice. The hard part would be staying that way.
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Names & Translations
Cŵn- dogs (welsh)
Dáiríre- serious (Gaelic)
Cneasaigh- healer (Gaelic)
Madra- dog (Gaelic)
Primas- chief (welsh)
Taoiseach- chief (Gaelic)
Taibhse- ghost (Gaelic)
Guaritore- healer (Italian)
Aegrotatio defaeco vel exuro- banish taint (Latin) spell
Potestas Solvo- increase ability (Latin)
Iompróir- bearer/carrier (Gaelic)
Asgre- heart (welsh)
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Notes
A/N- These are the established meanings for the colors found during an aura reading.
Red= Color of strong (life-promoting/sexual) energy, fire & primal creative force (transmutation & new birth). Indicates strong passion, mind & will & the awakening of latent abilities & talents. Reflects rage, love, hate, unexpected changes. Mostly Red indicates over stimulation, inflammation or imbalance. Muddied Red reflects nervousness, temper, aggression, impulsiveness or excitement.
Pink= color of compassion, love & purity. Reflects joy, comfort & a strong sense of companionship. Indicates a quiet, modest individual & a love of art/beauty. Muddier Pink can reflect immaturity, degree of truthfulness, or times of new love/visions.
Orange= Color of warmth, creativity and emotions. Indicates courage, joy & socialness. Reflects opening of new awareness. Can also indicate emotional imbalance or agitation. Muddier Orange reflects pride & flamboyance, worry or vanity.
Gold= reflects dynamic spiritual energy (masculine) & a true coming into one's power. Expresses devotion & restoration of harmony & shows strong enthusiasm & inspiration. Indicates a time of revitalizing. Dark/Muddier Gold indicates that the power has not yet awakened nor clarified.
Brown= color of earth. Reflects new growth, industry, organization, establishing new roots & a desire to accomplish. May also indicate lack of/need for discrimination or an energy clog.
Yellow= color of mental activity & new sunshine that represents power of ideas, awakening psychic abilities & clairsentience. Reflects new learning opportunities,lightness, wisdom & intelligence. Pastel/Light Yellow indicates optimism and reflects enthusiasm for something in life, the power of ideas & spiritual development. Dark/Muddier Yellow reflects excessive thinking & analyzing as well as being overly critical, feelings of being deprived of recognition & being dogmatic.
Green= color of sensitivity & growing compassion. Reflects growth, sympathy & calm as well as someone reliable, dependable & open-minded. Muddier/Darker Green reflects uncertainty, jealousy, possessiveness & miserliness & can indicate self doubt. Blue-Green represent healing & is the color of abundance, strength and friendliness.
Blue= color of calmness & quietness. Reflects devotion, truth & seriousness. Indicates an ability for clairaudience & development of telepathy. Light Blue indicates active imagination & good intuition. Dark Blue indicates devotion, honesty & good judgment & possibly finding one's life's work. Muddier Blue reflects blocked perceptions & can indicate melancholy, rushing & worrying, domineering, fearfulness, forgetfulness, & oversensitivity.
Purple/Violet= color of warmth & transmutation, blending of the heart & the mind, the physical with the spiritual. Indicates independence, intuition, dynamic & important dream activity. Reflects one who is searching & an ability to handle affairs with practicality & worldliness. Light Purple reflect humility & spirituality. Red-Purple indicates great passion or strength of will as well as a need for greater individual effort. Dark/Muddier Purple reflects a need to overcome something as well as some erotic imaginations. Also indicates being overbearing, needing sympathy & feeling misunderstood.
White= reflects truth & purity. Indicates the energy of the person is cleansing & purifying itself & the awakening of great creativity.
Grey= color of initiation. Indicates unveiled innate abilities. Much Grey indicates a secretive, lone-wolf personality. Silver reflects the awakening of feminine energies (illumination, intuition & creative imagination). Twinkling Silver Lights indicate that one is, has been or will be pregnant in a nine month time span). Dark Grey indicates physical imbalances & a need to leave no task undone.
Black= color of protection. Indicates a need to shield oneself from outside forces & that one has secrets. May also indicate imbalances of the body &/or mind.
