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

A/N- Ooooh! New territory… but no notes….

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Chapter 6

I must say that this was certainly unexpected. Your package has arrived safely and is in good hands. You don't need to worry about that anymore.

However, whenever you are able- We need to talk.

Half-blood Prince

Narcissa merely smiled at the letter Kreacher brought back to her, somewhat relieved by the contents before torching it with a simple spell, "It's good to know that not all of my hard work has gone to waste."

It was time to start plan B.

cwn

The outside surroundings felt as if he was walking amidst a clearing just large enough to house the entire quaint village in a lush jungle forest surrounded by wildlife and majestic waterfalls yet in the back of his mind were the nagging reminder that the entire realm was deep underwater.

Draco was still not use to the village of Ælwyd although he heard and saw quite a bit of the friendly little Faerie town during his first couple days' stay there. It was from his godfather that he learned that Ælwyd was governed by a beautiful dark-haired woman named Dia, one of Arawn's youngest daughters, and that they were staying in the part of the manor reserved for her family. Dia was also responsible for housing the owners of the hellhound packs along with their respective dogs that Ælwyd was where the hellhounds converged once a year for training and recreation yet was one of the territories closest to the Mortal Realm.

It was Madra that informed Draco that Arawn, King of Annwn, was Snape's great-uncle on his father's side of the family. Madra also informed Draco that the powerful, raven-haired, one-eyed Fae that he had seen a couple times in passing was Snape's father, Brenin Wotan, the leader of the Æsir Fae from the forsaken territories of Melasgerd. Draco did not recognize the name Wotan but he did know of the Æsir. They were of Norse-blood. In fact, didn't the ancient Muggles of that region consider them Gods?

Madra was another thing Draco was having difficulty adjusting to. He very rarely saw Snape without the hellhound at his side, and it had taken him several days to acknowledge the fact that the red-eared, silver-white dog and the gorgeous green-eyed, silver-haired creature that he saw with his godfather to be the same person. Seeing anyone dating his godfather was hard to accept as he had been alone for too long. His father told him a while back that Snape's only love interest in the past had been a woman but the overly affectionate caretaker that tended to his godfather's every whim was definitely male.

Despite his circumstances, he wasn't lonely. While Snape's recovery guaranteed that he wasn't always there to keep his godson company, the Fae made certain that he was never alone. Mhen and Rui proved to be very interesting company and he frequently found himself dragged from place to place around the village by the two pretty Mannau and Inugami girls. He would never look be able to look at a hellhound in quite the same way again. All it took was one conversation with Rui to decide these "dogs" had more intelligence than his cronies Crabbe and Goyle had combined and were capable of so much more.

When he returned to Snape's living chambers that he now shared with Snape and Madra, he found the pair out on the large pillow that doubled as a chair with Snape lying on his stomach naked from the torso up as the other man seemed to massage his chest. While this was a sight Draco had witnessed often since arriving to the airy white room that he originally presumed to be just a sick room, the presence of the healers and Snape's relatives were new.

"What's going on here?" He demanded angrily, noticing that Madra was not alone with Snape on the floor next to the pillow-chair. Another man was with them, softly speaking with Madra as he worked and it took a moment to realize that this was the one they called Primas.

The painful grunt that escaped his godfather stopped anything else Draco had planned on saying at that moment. Wotan, however, decided to answer him with, "Dáiríre is finally recovering. His wings have started to emerge." Draco winced. He had forgotten about that. That certainly explained why everyone was here then.

He still was adjusting to everyone calling Snape 'Dáiríre' but at least he now knew who they were referring to. Snape also had another name for his hellhound partner which he used occasionally, but Draco was never in the same room when his godfather used it so he was never quite certain what it was that he was saying. It sounded almost like 'Potter' which was stupid because the only Potter that either of them knew- that was still alive anyway- should be nowhere near where they presently were.

"GODDAMNIT!" His godfather then belted out when Madra found a particularly sore spot, "POTTER! Watch what you are doing!"

'Potter?' Draco wondered as Madra responded, "Sorry, love, but there's one knot here that refuses to cooperate. Please bear with me a little longer."

Draco went very pale then as he studied the human-shaped hellhound closely. He looked closer to Snape's physical age of twenty-something and his coloring was bleached white but unless he was mistaken, the hellhound that was courting his godfather was Harry Potter.

'They knew- Snape knew and he didn't tell me. So much now is made clear,' His thoughts were at a loss as what to do now. 'All his life he had been lied to and this is what he gets? His mother had lied to them before shipping him off to what was obviously a traitor to his father's cause where he could be lied to some more…'

He refused to stand for any more and turned to Arawn to say, "Take me home."

Arawn sighed but Dia beat him to a response and said, "Let me show you something first. After then you can decide if that's what you really want. Okay?"

"Fine," he agreed, knowing that there was nothing that she could say or could change his mind about this, but was still curious enough to see what pathetic scheme she might try to win him over. Fae were accomplished liars and manipulators so he would have to be on his guard or he would once again fall under their control.

Dia led him outside to the edge of the village where one of the clear ponds fed by the smallest of the waterfalls and said, "This is Fírinne's Mirror which has been blessed by the waters of the Mímisbrunnr which feeds the Tree of Life. The river that feeds into this pool is one of the lesser arteries of the River Lethe."

"Your point?" Draco inquired, wondering what the geology lesson was supposed to do.

"Merely calm your mind and look into the water," Dia told him. "If you still want to leave after that, I will let Father know once we return."

"Fine," he groaned, wondering what the point was to the stupid request and proceeded to peer into the clean water. He pulled away horrified seconds later.

"I'm staying!" He said cursing under his breath. What was he thinking looking into waters created from the river of truth and blessed by the waters of knowledge?

There was no way he could leave after seeing all that.

Not if he wanted to live that is.

cwn

When Draco had returned to Snape's living quarters then rooms were completely empty except for Snape and Madra where the hellhound was cleaning the back of the iompróir with a large towel, a large basin of water, several smaller towels and a very extensive medical kit filled with herbs and potions at his side. Snape looked ill and to Draco it appeared that the pretender was holding him up. He immediately rushed over to grab the man's shoulders so the hound could hurry up and leave. He wanted to talk to Snape, alone.

He then froze when he saw what was left of his godfather's back. It looked like several deep wounds on the shoulder blades that were presently badly infected. What was in the wounds instead was some pus-covered round object that he didn't recognize that Madra was presently handling. Or rather, should he say, cleaning? Draco was very glad that he was no where near the room when whatever they were emerged.

Madra, however, didn't seem to mind and the teen had the strangest feeling that the hound was actually fascinated by the grotesque objects.

"I loosened this casing too," Madra told Snape softly, "so it should fall off as it dries. I'll get your back now."

Draco watched in morbid curiosity as the hound continued working, smoothing a lotion of some sort over the pink areas but his interest was suddenly brought back to those strange objects that seemed to be sagging further. Madra called them 'casings'. Were those Snape's wings then?

By the time the hound had fully finished rubbing the lotion on Snape's back, the man had resumed some life back to him and Draco realized that he must be in a considerable amount of pain. The lotion Madra had used must contain a pain reliever in it along with an anti-inflammatory agent. The casings were also on the ground now and in their place was what appeared to be a pair of long silvery ropes.

"They're beautiful," Madra said softly, and Draco had to agree. The wings were also shriveled up but they would dry and then they would see their full splendor. When he had heard the term 'iompróir' he had imaged the feathered wings of an angel simply because butterfly wings would never work on someone like Snape, but these more obviously resembled insect wings. He had heard in passing at the village that one of the names for iompróir was dragonfly but never realized what that meant until now.

Draco also knew that the wings could not he handled until they fully dried out or they could tear. Snape said softly, knowing that he wouldn't be able to see them until then. "Mind helping me to bed then?"

"Sure," Madra helped him up, "get some sleep."

Draco waited until his godfather was safely in bed before addressing the hellhound. "Mind telling me what the real reason you're here, Potter, and preferably one that didn't involve the seducing our Potions Professor?"

The hellhound merely chuckled and said, "I was wondering when we were going to be having this conversation. Is it more comfortable for you in this form, or should I retake the appearance of the Boy-Who-Lived?"

Draco glared at him and demanded, "Where is Potter and who are you really?"

"You happen to be speaking to him," the hellhound answered, "but I don't think that is what you meant, huh, Malfoy?" Draco's angry glare never left him so he continued, "The story about a fifteen-month old baby boy surviving a Killing Curse to the head remains just that, a story. The Wizarding World found out that it's a good way of making a hell-hound though."

Draco went pale as that sank in and he whispered, "So everything was just a lie then?"

"Not everything," Madra told him. "Our interaction together at Hogwarts was very much real."

Draco ignored that to ask, "Then how did the Dark Lord die at Godric's Hallow? The Killing Curse was supposed to repel off of your head back at him."

"Sev asked about that too," Madra said amused. "You need to remember something, Malfoy. The story of the Boy-Who-Lived was told by people who were never there when Mum and Dad died and never saw what really happened that Halloween. The Headmaster said that my mother's love protected me, though we both know that's not true as one of the requirements for being a hellhound is being dead."

"Yeah," Draco snorts. Honestly, that story of Dumbledore's was a story for babies. "So what really happened then?"

Madra shrugged, "Voldemort made the mistake of confirming his kill. The rest of the story is true. Voldemort did send another Killing Curse at me once he realized I was 'alive' that did rebound but my scar wasn't caused by that curse. That's the mark of the Valkyrie that found me."

"But the Unforgivables don't bounce or reflect once cast," Draco protested. He found the story of Harry Potter being a hellhound easier to handle than his godfather and Head of House being a Fae. It always felt as if Potter was part of a different world.

"If cast on a Purifier they will," Madra said. "The aura of a Purifier will reflect any magic sent their way or dissolve it entirely. One of my first lessons as a human was learning how to suppress my aura enough so I could get hexed just to avoid suspicion."

Draco froze at that then looked timidly at the floor before asking, "About that- I heard about Snape's cleansing and uh, can you do that for me too?"

Madra smiled and asked, "Are you sure about that? It can get rather personal."

"Just do it," Draco growled out, and went willing when the hellhound led him over to the cushions he and Snape had used earlier. "By the way, what is going on with you and Snape? I thought he didn't like you enough to let you snog him?"

"He's my asgre," Madra told him, "and I known our first day at Hogwarts that he'd be the one I call mine. Sev still fights me on some things but won't on this. He knows that he needs me as much as I need him."

Draco didn't believe him but was nearly bowled over by the strength and purity of Potter's aura that brushed against his. The energy made him gasp and feel weak in the knees, but it also felt really nice and his classmate was barely touching him. If this was what Snape was feeling whenever he was touched by the hellhound, he didn't think he would pull away either.

"Asgre?" Draco asked, "What's that?"

"It's what bonded hellhounds calls their Fae partners," Madra said simply, "but mortals categorize the bond as shield-brothers or soul-mates."

"And Snape is yours?" Draco repeated, disbelieving. "We're only fifteen!"

Madra said softly, paying more attention to the teen's aura reading than the conversation, "Yes, but I'm old enough to take a mate of my own."

"Yet you chose Snape?" Draco repeated skeptically.

"Lord Arawn chose Snape," Madra corrected him. "I would have pursued him even if he wasn't my asgre. I think that's why my Lord chose him."

Draco grimaced but said nothing, then decided to ask, "Is that why you look like an adult instead of my age?"

"Nope," Madra answered coolly, "I look like this because my birthed self makes Sev uncomfortable. You aren't the only one that remembers what year I was born."

"What is this body anyway?" Draco asked.

"This is the half-way step between my canine and human forms," the hellhound humorously replied, "Sev thinks of it as the physical manifestation of my soul and he may be right. This form is probably the closer to my true appearance than the human shell known as Harry Potter."

Draco couldn't say anything to that, but it made him wonder as to what the hellhound truly looked like if he brushed off his Wybir form as a Wizard would an animagus form. He also left him with one more question that had been puzzling him ever since he first associated Harry Potter and Madra together. "Where are your glasses?" He was surprised when the silver haired Potter started laughing. "What's so funny?"

"You Slytherins think too much alike!" the Wybir chuckled, before explaining. "I've never needed them actually, well, not in the same way humans do. Those glasses of mine were designed to limit my Wybir sight to the human norm."

Draco groaned as Madra sobered up and asked, "Speaking of sight, I heard that Lady Dia took you up to Fírinne's Mirror. See something that you liked?"

"Not really," Draco grumbled. "Scrying pools that size should be illegal." The hellhound merely chuckled. "Now what?"

"You'll never see a true Scrying pool outside of the Faerie Realms," Madra told him, "even possessing the water from one of them, such as from Fírinne's Mirror, can get a mortal into serious trouble with the Ministry of Magics all across the world. Looking into one is a reward you will never again experience."

"And one I could have done without," Draco argued.

"You saw the future then?" Madra asked quietly, receiving a nod in response from the confused teen. "Don't worry, we won't let them win."

"Good," Draco said grimly, "I want to help."

"Thank you, Draco," the soft voice that responded came from their left where they saw Snape standing there in the doorway to his bedroom.

"Should you be up?" Draco asked, concerned as Madra closed his eyes in dismay. He did not like Potter but the affection the hellhound had for Snape was obvious.

"If you wanted me to sleep then you shouldn't have been so loud then," their Potions Teacher remarked softly before shrugging, "These also need some time getting use to."

Draco wondered what the man was talking about when he saw a flash of light and realized that the wings Snape bore were now mostly dried out and flowed with him like a cloak.

"You rolled on them, didn't you?" Madra asked candidly, pulling away from Draco. The blonde teen took the hellhound's actions as the cleansing being done and gladly left for a chair. He was not a dog like Potter and saw no real point in sitting on the floor when there was furniture available.

Snape glared at him, "I most certainly did not. The pain in my back alone would have prevented such an attempt. You will either have to bind my hair before it rips them out or cut it even shorter."

"But I like it like this!" Madra retorted in good humor earning a glare from his asgre in response.

Draco watched them both in bemusement, now noticing the sarcasm mixed with affection acted out between the two. Snape said nothing in regards to Madra's true identity which sort of surprised him. It only clarified that their vendetta had been resolved.

Madra then asked him the last question he would have thought Potter would ask, "Care to fly with us? My Firebolt is around here somewhere."

Draco looked at him bewildered and stammered out, "You'd let me use your broom? Don't you need it? Or better yet, aren't you afraid I'd curse it or something?"

"I don't really need it anymore," Madra truthfully admitted, "And it's not like I'll be able to play Quidditch anymore. Well, not unless I can convince Lord Arawn to start a team here in the Annwn that is. I suppose I could play it with you but did you actually remember to bring your own broom with?"

Draco gave him his "Are you serious?" look that clearly said that leaving his broomstick behind was one of the last things he would ever do. He also had his mother send along some Quidditch as well. With Potter here, he might as well make use of it. The blonde then asked Snape, "Wait, Potter no longer needs a broom?"

"We haven't yet tested whether or not he's faster with the broom or without, " Snape replied, amused by the interaction between the two teens. "Consider it an experiment of such."

'Oh joy,' Draco thought, 'A flying dog.' before smirking at his rival and said, "Alright Potter, you're on."

Potter's answering smirk lightened his heart somewhat. Maybe a truce with the former Gryffindor could work after all.

III

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)

Iompróir- bearer/carrier (Gaelic)

Asgre- heart (welsh)

Muirnín- beloved (Gaelic)

Chéile- spouse/mate (Gaelic)

Ælwyd- home (welsh)