Disclaimer- While the plot is mine, the characters are not… I'm just playing with them.
A/N- Sorry for the delay… hopefully the next chapter does not take as long to get up.
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Chapter 9
Wotan was quick to catch his unconscious son as the crystal containing the imprisoned spirit shattered under the iompróir's expanded power. His most faithful hounds were already moving to stop the spread of the damage; Geri had gone to see if the crystal could be salvaged and Freki had gone for one of the healers. He was not certain if the injuries that the two had taken were within Taibhse's capabilities, but the strongest healers in his realm served under his beloved Freya and would not be available until arrival in Sifra.
Geri and Freki were his two oldest hounds and their warg blood contributed much to the Mannau pack's strength and with Munin and Hugin as his eyes and ears, Wotan had spent the last eons unmatched on the battlefield. But having the hounds and their Cŵn descendents at his call for situations like this only ensured that the crisis was concluded sooner. Even knowledge beforehand did little to prevent a crisis from occurring.
"Are they going to be alright?' Wotan lifted his head to see that the blond human boy had followed Freki and Taibhse back and was now hovering uncomfortably in the entrance way observing. Taibhse had rushed first to the Wybir pup before checking the unconscious iompróir.
"Taibhse?" Wotan asked, also wanting to know the Mannau's findings after seeing him muttering something while shaking his head. The hound quickly pulled away before addressing his lord.
"Amadán," the hound softly cursed before answering his lord. "I'll need the healer's help in Sifra to untangle all of this but it would seem that the young prince managed to blast their asgre bound open to its widest extent."
"Is that bad?" The boy timidly asked.
"To the pup and your godfather, not in the least," The Mannau wryly answered, "But there will be a lot of angry Fae shortly after they hear of this. By forcing the bond, the young prince has taken a chosen."
The boy looked uncomprehending at him so Wotan decided to clarify, "An iompróir's expected duty is as the surrogate parent of the Fae that are unable to bear any children, as children are a very rare and precious commodity to us. It is expected that at some point in the iompróir's long lifespan that they will take a lover and create a family of their own, but this usually after bearing several children for the needy. The mate of a retired iompróir is called a chosen."
"Wait," The boy stared at them disbelieving, "Retired?"
"That's right," Taibhse answered. "There's a funny thing concerning iompróir biology; in exchange for heightened fertility, the precipitants eligible are in a very select group."
"So…," the boy thought this over, "does that mean that my godfather now can only bear the children of his chosen?"
"That's right," Taibhse said, then glared at the remains of the central crystal were the guide would have been, "Milord, there also was an Attero used here. It was used on the pup. The young master managed to deflect the worst of it, but they both should wake before we arrive in the city."
"From the energy signature, it was Arwain's doing, milord," Geri told them as he returned to his master's side. "Not that there is anything left of that lich. The unexpected outburst shattered the containment core that held it."
"Couldn't have happened to a nicer sadist," his partner chuckled.
"Gentlemen, play nice," Wotan told them. "I trust you both to finish investigating here and then report to back to me in Sifra. I will need to give those findings to the Council as soon as possible."
"Yes, milord!" Both hounds said quickly, abruptly leaving the man to his thoughts.
He needed something to tell the elders and soon. He just hoped that the fallout caused by this wouldn't be as bad as he feared it to be.
Maybe she could help.
cwn
The journey to the city was swifter that he thought it to be and although the injured iompróir and his hound did not awaken before their arrival in the Faerie capital, both were sleeping a bit easier. When they had arrived in the white city, it had been nighttime and he had been usher off to bed while the healers tended to Potter and Snape. Draco had known that the moment that he arrived that he would once again be sharing a room with someone for his own protection, but he had thought that it would be with his godfather or one of the hounds. Instead the hounds led him away from where they were being taken to a small hut surrounded by flowering shrubbery.
Shaking his head in scorn at all the feminine touches to the property, Draco marched to the door intending to fall fast asleep and then get out of there as soon as possible for another room. He barely got through the door before he froze in his tracks when pale blue eyes met his own silver gaze.
Draco swallowed before taking a step forward. Sleep was the last thing on his mind now. If he was lucky, he would get some answers instead.
cwn
Harry up the moment his head hit the bed the bed and turned to watch as the Fae settled his asgre into the adjoining bed a couple feet away. He didn't recognize the room and guessed that they were now somewhere in Sifra. The Wybir then proceeded to watch as the Fae finally departed before attempting to sit up and promptly wished he had not.
His entire body was sore; and while it did not hurt as badly as the Cruciatus, it hurt far more than simple muscle strain and after looking over at the iompróir, his heart hurt also. His asgre- no, his mate- was once again bed-ridden and it was his fault.
"Sev…," he whispered, but when his mate gave no response, sighed. He wanted his mate but the iompróir was out of reach. Deciding that there was only one way of solving that, Harry carefully rose to his feet, and after a false start, proceeded to struggle to his asgre's bedside after taking his hellhound form. The consummation of their marriage would have to happen another day.
Harry could hardly wait for that moment.
cwn
Snape woke shortly after midnight to the feel of the warm body and magic of his pup, reassuring him that he wasn't alone and lulling him back to sleep for the rest of the night. He would awaken several hours later to the presence of another unexpected but calming presence that he had not experienced in a while and the missing presence of his Wybir pup. He knew that neither his uncle nor father would allow him nor his godson to be unprotected and momentarily wondered which of the hounds was on guard duty. As one of the few persons that he had regular contact was said godson, he suspected that the hound on duty was Mhen.
The one standing at his bedside was not Draco but someone equally familiar to him. His gaze quickly honed in on the object resting her dainty hands.
Before him was his missing wand.
"Hello, Cissa," he remarked warily, "to what do I owe this visit?" He knew he had invited her to talk, but wasn't expecting her so soon.
Narcissa merely smiled back at him and he immediately realized that she would not make this conversation any easier on him. He sighed and decided to play things her way for now as she finally spoke, "Well, you did invite me. Am I not allowed to pay the godfather of my only son a visit?"
"Of course, you may. I was just not expecting you so soon," he answered.
He would have said more but she had beaten him to it, "I apologize for that, but I thought you would want this back. I told the elves that came collecting your things that I would deliver this to you personally as I would be seeing you shortly."
"Indeed," He answered. If she was going to be this way, he could play also. "I must thank you for looking after me for the duration of my stay at the manor."
His response drew what was probably genuine surprise from her as the pale blue widened slightly. "You were conscious throughout that?"
He smiled smugly at her response, before answering it with one of his own. "Only during the second half of my stay, I'm afraid. It would seem that my soul stone had been delivered to a capable guardian and he was able to speed up my recovery somewhat."
"Harry Potter was a capable guardian?" She repeated in scorn and disbelief, surprising him slightly with her knowledge. He knew that he should not be surprised. The house elf that had placed the stone in his pup's care had probably reported back to her after the delivery.
He then felt a little twinge in his gut but before he could question it, the chamber door opened and his Wybir pup trotted in still in canine form. It had taken him a few days before he had figured out the hound was able to able doors but seeing it in action was always rather amusing. As it was, his pup's ears had perked up at their voices but given how swiftly his approach was, his pup obviously didn't trust the woman.
Half of the time, neither did he. There was a reason Narcissa Malfoy née Black was sorted into Slytherin and it had little to do with her pretty face. She was one of the most intelligent women he had ever known, second only to Lily Evans and Hermione Granger, but he had yet to find a match in her cunning. The only that came close to her level of manipulating circumstances to their advantage was Albus Dumbledore.
His pup has made it to the bed and just hopped onto it, rubbing his head against him as he settled down at his side. Narcissa stared at his pup in shock, whispering, "Is that… Potter?"
"Indeed," he agreed as he petted the attentive hound. "I take it that you have spoken with Draco then."
"Yes," she said immediately. "My baby will be staying with me throughout our duration here."
"I see," he responded warily. Perhaps the change of the sleeping arrangements would be for the best, especially in the next few days. He knew that his pup would not hold off wanting to consummate their marriage and he did not care much for someone viewing their activities from the shadows.
Narcissa was not through though and while her words were directed at him; her gaze remained on that of his pup, and "Kreacher spoke to me before my arrival in the Realms. Dumbledore's Order is aware of both of your presence in the Faerie Realms." Although Madra's came up at that comment, it did not surprise his mate.
"I am aware," he answered. The letter for Fleur and Bill had been most informative regarding the happenings of the Order although he had a feeling there was more left unsaid.
"He also informed me that the Order knows about your soul stone," Narcissa grimly stated. She was not surprised by the angry growl that had escaped from Madra or his own dismayed hiss. "I may not know exactly how important that information is to you, but I do not like the fact that information seemed to have pleased Dumbledore."
He could no longer afford to play, "What is it that you want in exchange for this knowledge?"
"For this, none," she answered. "Looking after my baby was more than enough and as I have my own debts to pay off to the Fae, I can not afford to be greedy."
"Then this information is payment for a debt?" He asked, now understanding her motives. She was recruiting allies and contacts and this free favor of hers was just another bid for that much needed support.
"Some thing like that," she said loftily, neither agreeing to nor dismissing the claim. "As you well know, I have no love for our dear Headmaster and would like to get back at him anyway that I can. Draco told me of Potter's ability to cleanse his soul of all spell residues.
"Would it be too much of a favor to ask if he would do the same for me?"
Now that was certainly unexpected and given his pup's rapid change to his human form, Madra thought the same. As Narcissa proceed to stare at his silver-haired mate with something that looked like a cross between awe and shock, he decided to redirect her attention back towards himself.
He did not want her interest on his pup this early in the game.
"May I ask why you want this?"
Narcissa sighed before answering him, "There are several reasons actually. My body has received a lot of curse damage between my parents and 'loving' husband, as well as his precious lord, and I fear that there might be more damage than what I know. I also fear that the spell damage is part of what shattered Bella's mind."
"Bella?" His pup asked, puzzled.
"Bellatrix Lestrange," he clarified. "She is the older sister of Narcissa and Andromeda, and cousin to your god-mutt. If you have not heard this from him already, Bella is presently serving in Azkaban along with her Death Eater husband and brother-in-law for the torture and attempted murders of the Longbottoms." His pup stared back at him wide-eyed as he continued, "She has never been what I would call stable yet she is also one of the most powerful witches I have ever met."
"Bella was also in Hogwarts unsupervised for several years before my sister and I attended," Narcissa supplied. "I was in my fifth year when Severus and your parents started attending."
His pup snorted that information but he was not so skeptical, "I see Draco told you of the spell findings as well."
"It is why I am insisting on the cleansing," Narcissa told them. "Dumbledore has always kept a close watch on the Black family. I'm not sure what he was looking for, but he seems to found it."
"You mean a follower in the 'blood traitors'?" His pup said coldly.
Narcissa met his words with laughter, not scorn, surprising them both. She then said, "You will do fine, Potter. I can see now how you were matched with Severus." She then rose from her seat, leaving his wand in her place.
"I was originally sent here to deliver a message and it about time that I carry out that part. Severus, the Lady Freya wishes to see you in the morning." She then exits the room leaving behind an angry hound and a bemused iompróir.
"I hate that woman!" His pup growled while he retrieved his wand from the chair and basked in the feel of its familiar presence. They had been separated for far too long. He then noticed that his pup was staring at him enviously.
"Don't worry, pup," he told him, "We will see to your wand as well." he knew that he should have expected the smile that followed the sappy comment, but the brilliance of it.
His puppy was making him soft.
"I will have to clean her," his pup then said sadly. "It's the only way I can make things up to you."
Now that was unexpected. "How do you figure that?" He asked, puzzled.
"Because it's my fault that they found out about your soul stone," the Wybir answered. "If Ron and Hermione had never known that I had it, the Order would never have found out."
He grimaced, as he pulled his depressed mate to him. "The stone is the least of our worries at the moment. I'm more concerned about the rest of what she has implied."
"What do you mean?" His pup looked at him confused.
"Kreacher has been supplying Narcissa with information about the Order," he answered. "There's no telling how this going on or how much of it has been related to the Dark Lord. Grimmauld Place is no longer safe. The Order has a leak."
Harry went very pale at the news. The question now is what they could do about it.
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Names & Translations
Bren- ash (welsh)
Dáiríre- serious (Gaelic)
Taibhse- ghost (Gaelic)
Cenau- puppy (welsh)
Spéir- sky (Gaelic)
Madra- dog (Gaelic)
Iompróir- bearer/carrier (Gaelic)
Asgre- heart (welsh)
Brenin- king (welsh)
Hugin- thought/mind (old Norse)
Munin- memory/mind (old Norse)
Wotan- fury/excitement/mind/poetry (old German)
Geri- greedy/ravenous (old Norse/old German)
Freki- covetous/desirous/audacious/avaricious/greedy/gluttonous (old Norse/old German/old English)
Freya- beloved lady/wife/to propose for marriage/to love (various Scandinavian languages)
Notes
Hugin(n) and Munin(n) are known better as the ravens Thought and Memory that accompanied Odin on his travels and he used their eyes to keep watch over his territories. Ravens (as scavengers frequently known for dining on carrion) are generally associated with death, not only in Norse but Native American folklore, and in both mythos do the raven and the crow have the ability to see through the veil of life and death.
Geri and Freki are the two wolves that Odin used as hunting dogs. The origin of wargs is believed to be contributed to them. Geri is often associated with Garmr, a Cerberus-like hellhound mentioned during the Ragnarok legend. (The irony of this is that the name Garmr is often used in conjuction with Fenrir/Fenris, the great wolf that slays Odin during the Ragnarok battle only to be killed by one of Odin's sons. Garmr was slain by the mortally wounded war god Tyr in this battle, but as to whom Tyr was is vague as Odin often replaced Tyr in the legends. Some legends claim that Tyr is one on Odin's sons while others say he is his grandfather but both agree that Tyr lost an arm to Fenris.)
Valkyries are the female warriors of Norse mythos serving under Odin that were charged with bringing the souls of valiant warriors to Valhalla, the banquet hall of heroes. While the legends never said exactly how many Valkyrie there are, one suggests that there were at least 27. The most famous of the Valkyries is Hildr (also known as Brunhilde or Brunhilda) but the legends also associate the war goddess, Freyja, (often interchanged with Frigg, Odin's wife) and the healing Goddess, Eir, (one of Frigg's handmaidens) with Valkyrie. In art, mythos and religion combine once more as Valkyries are strongly associated with swans and feathered wings are part of their battle costume. The end result is often angel-like in appearance.
