The Raptor & The Raven

Chapter 15: Bonds Forged

-Last Time-

Toboe circled around the professors before darting into the sky. A few moments later Toboe settled between the students and the teachers, her wings open and gleaming in the morning light. "Hello Headmaster I'm back." Dumbledore could see the fire behind her eyes and nodded. "Welcome Back Professor."Toboe tipped her head back and howled her voice soothing the were-wolf within Remus. Sing with her boy! Why? The were-wolf snarled and shoved enough against the mental barriers to make Remus howl. The two professor's voices gave hope once again to the students.

-Now-

Over the last three weeks Toboe had spent a great deal of time with Clow Reed, learning how to use magic without a wand. Toboe flew nightly her black wings had changed slightly, now the tips of the midnight feathers seemed to be dipped in liquid mercury. They gleamed with a inner darkness that frightened the younger years. Clow looked to see Toboe standing at the window in his classroom, her crimson hair gleaming in the light. "You hide the fact your in pain well." his voice made her turn to look at him. "And you are the only one who notices, Clow. Its simply easier this way." Clow walked across the room to lay his hand upon her shoulder. "You love him and yet you let him go. I can't understand why you would give up your happiness for hers." She smiled a sad smile her silver ringed eyes gleaming. "Its not her happiness I did it for, It was his. But I understand that he loves her though I don't know the whole story on how they fell in love. But, I am determined never to end up the way my aunt did."

He tugged her shoulder so that their eyes met. "What happened?" He mumbled and her fingers brushed his bangs out of his eyes. "She was a lot like Hermes, a pure hearted woman who loved as fiercely as a werewolf. When the man she loved choose another she went off the barrier, she nearly killed herself. But, when the woman her mate had chosen had been stolen and was being threatened my aunt went after her alone with only her wolf. She found the man who took the woman and killed him but was mortally injured,the woman was weak from being beaten and starved so she couldn't walk. My aunt carried her down from the mountain and when her strength gave out she had her wolf carry the woman back to the man she loved, when the woman asked her why she would do such a thing for the woman who had taken her mate away my aunt only laughed and said. "For my love I would do anything." Then my aunt died. The woman dragged her body to her wolf and held her atop its back as it walked back to town, when they reached it the woman told my aunts story to the man and watched him begin to cry. His words were "I can never repay her kindness, She loved me enough to throw her own life away for the woman I love. She must be buried with honor." They buried her in a great cave that when sung too would multiply ones voice a thousand fold. And to this day at times its said that on stormy nights you can still hear her and the wolf's howls." Her eyes gleamed with tears held back my sheer force alone.

Clow Reed knew that Toboe was only a half of his age at best, but he couldn't help but see a child when he looked at her. He was glad she had agreed to help him refine and create his Clow Cards. "You love fiercely as those before you did." She only smiled before departing out the window which she came. Her black wings stroking the morning air as she flew in a gentle upwards spiral until she landed on her office window ledge, but she waived before she vanished within the stained glass window. Toboe closed the window and turned to a curtained portion of her office wall walking over she tugged a black silk rope, the emerald curtains pulled back to reveal a silver gilded frame that displayed a beautiful garden under the full moon. "Lily? Cissi?" The two women entered from opposite sides of the frame their faces smiling gently. "Hello dear-one"Lilly Evans said as she sat on one of the garden chairs, her silent best friend sitting beside her. "What troubles your heart my sister?" Narcissia Black lilted gently as she noticed the barely concealed pain and worry on Toboe's face.

"I am lost my sisters, I miss you both so. I have lost the male I chose as my own, to my best friend none the less but I can't shake the sense of loneliness."It was a veritable kept secret of the friendship between Narcissia and Lily, let alone that the two had spent their summer's together with a then four year old Toboe. A knock came at her office door just then. "Professor Wolfwalker? Are you in?" Toboe grinned and told the child to enter. "Welcome Ginny,what brings you to me this bright morning?" It was then that Ginny turned to see the two women in the massive frame that took up nearly a quarter of the professor's office wall, she gasped in shock as she recognized both women. "Ginny?"She turned to look at her professor before speaking. "Toboe how or where did you get this Portrait?" Toboe cocked one eyebrow before speaking her confusion clear in her voice. "Its mine I brought it with me the night Hermes and I fled my home. Its of my sisters Cissi and Lily, Its smaller then the full portrait but tied to the main one so they can come visit me and I can talk to them." Ginny couldn't believe her ears but she knew their was no way Toboe was lying. She could see that the two women looked younger then the portraits that both Draco and Harry had showed her of their mothers. "You should tell Harry, Draco and Mr. Malfoy." All three women's heads snapped up at the names. "Harry's here?"Lilly said astonished. "Lucius? Draco? Where?"Narcissia said as she leaned against Lily.

She could see the joy in the painted women's eyes but what startled her was the fear and panic in Toboe's eyes. The black wolf sat up from his pillow and laid his head on her leg and Ginny saw Toboe's hand shaking as she stroked the wolf's head. "Are you sure sisters?" Toboe's voice was hollow with shock. "Please, Toboe there are things we must tell both you and them." Toboe turned to Ginny and the younger red-head could see the barely controlled urge to flee in her eyes. "Find Harry, Draco and Lucius. Don't tell them anything more then I want to see them. I don't want this all over Hogwarts." Ginny nodded and left the office but when she checked Professor Malfoy's office he wasn't there. She darted down to the great hall with the speed of magic itself. She found Harry at the Gryffindor table. "Harry, There is something you need to see Professor Wolfwalker about...and do you know where Draco and Professor Malfoy are?" Harry pointed to the Slytherin table and then the head table, Ginny blushed and darted off to talk to the other two. She noticed the blond talking to Blaze."Draco, you need to go see Professor Wolfwalker its important."Draco nodded and stood to leave, while Ginny darted up to the Head Table. Lucius was sitting beside Severus."Um Professor Malfoy?" The Elder Malfoy turned to look at her his icy-blue eyes glinting in the light."Professor Wolfwalker needs to see you its important."she turned to go when his voice stopped her.

"Why does she send you and not her Eagle?" Ginny turned to look at him. "She just got a nasty shock and I'm not sure if she could write at this moment." Both Slytherin's looked at one another and stood heading for the American's office. When they arrived they noticed the two boys sitting on the stairs seeming to wait for their arrival. "Draco? Potter? Why are you here?" It was Harry that answered for them. "Ginny said Toboe wanted to see us and that it was important." Ginny appeared from behind the two professors before going to knock on the black oak door that signaled the entrance to the woman in question's office. They heard Toboe's voice biding them to enter and Ginny opened the door to see that the women weren't in the frame at the moment but she saw the chairs before the painting. They four men could see the hollow expression on her face as she waved them to sit in the chairs Severus leaning against the wall as she bid Ginny to close the door behind them.

"Ginny brought something to my attention that I think you should see but, before you do know that I never had any idea what happened to them after I saw them last just before my fifth birthday." The four men were in shock Toboe looked ragged as she turned to the frame and spoke. "They have arrived." She stepped next to the picture as two figures appeared. Draco, Harry, Lucius and even Severus' eyes widened to see the two women standing there. "Mum?" Both Draco and Harry murmured. "Hello Harry, My baby you have grown so much."Lily said as she sat on one of the chairs. Narcissia looked at the two men she loved most in life as she smiled. "Lucius your not taking good care of yourself. My son you mustn't let my passing destroy you, I still love you and you have your father and Aunt to turn to in dark hours."Lily noticed the man in black hiding at the back of the office. "Severus its good to see you." Severus looked at his old friend and bowed his head keeping his expression behind his hair. Draco was shocked beyond words, Harry spoke as his friend recovered. "Mum how did you get here?" She pointed to the silent red-head beside the portrait.

"Toboe is Cissi and my younger sister, This image was painted during the summer between our sixth and seventh years. The night young Hermione and Toboe fled she brought this frame with her though it was shrunk. Until this morning when Ginny reacted to seeing us. Toboe would never have known you or Draco were her nephews." Toboe looked shocked as she looked at the two boys before looking back to the portrait. "I have an Aunt?" Harry was shocked but Lucius saw the look in Toboe's eyes a moment before it happened, her control snapped and she bolted for the window. She dove through it, the stained glass scattering and slicing as she went. Toboe's wings cut through the darkness as she flew blind, lost to her emotions. "TOBOE!" Lily and Narcissia screamed. "Severus go after her!" The women screamed at him. He looked up startled. "She is flying blind, her mind has completely shut down!" Severus' eyes widened as he headed for the window he summoned his broom and blasted the rest of the glass out of his way. As Severus fell he for a moment, catching a glimpse of crimson and black headed for the forbidden forest. He snatched his Nimbus Firestorm and darted after the fleeing woman.

As he flew his godson looked of astonished. " wow I never knew he could fly so well." Draco mumbled but Lily chuckled. "my boy you haven't seen him at his best." As they set into talking Severus accelerated and used his seeker reflexes to maneuver through the towers and statues after Toboe. Severus pulled abreast of Toboe, the look of utter panic on her face told him what Lily had said was true she was flying blindly. Severus realized they were about to enter a clearing and he chose a course of action knowing it was all he could to do to stop her. He pulled up to be above her seeing the edge of the clearing pass beneath her before turning upside down and slamming his body into hers, the impact of their bodies slammed them both the 15 ft into the grass covered earth. Over and over they rolled before Severus smacked into an incline and Toboe landed wings spread against a tree. Toboe shook her head she was on her hands and knees when she looked at him, he could see she was still lost to him. He got up slowly, slowly he walked towards her but when he got about three feet from her she tried to take off. He saw her muscles tense and lunged as she went to jump into flight, his slightly taller frame slamming into hers and knocking them both to the ground.

He landed between her powerful legs his hips slamming against her's. Severus could smell her blood as she wiggled and thrashed beneath him, he grabbed her thrashing head and forced her to look at him. Toboe's eyes were wild with panic. "Calm down Toboe. I won't hurt you, calm down." Then he roared her nails had dug into his sides just above his hips, Severus felt his blood flowing from the wounds. He felt his darkness rise and he bit savagely into the skin between her neck and shoulder, her felt her blood coat his tongue. Toboe screamed she dug her claws in deeper. Her mind was full of black fog. : Wake up little one you are still needed! The pain drove her from the depths of her mind and back into reality. Severus had let go when he heard her scream but didn't anticipate her instinctual reaction. Toboe's head shot up and since his frock coat had been torn in the landing the fabric had no chance of stopping her. Her teeth breached the skin of his neck, and at that moment their magic flared to life. The bond causing both to scream while back at the castle their wolves howled a powerful cry as they ran across the lawn headed for their bonded. Did you hear it Severus? Yes Mirzam they have bonded, though I am not sure it was done on purpose. I know what you mean we must find them quickly! The Wolves picked up their lope in to an all out sprint feeling the invisible bond that tied them to their bond-mates. Severus and Toboe passed out their magic for that moment drained completely, for that moment the forest around them was silent in awe of the old magic just preformed.

Little did either know the true depth of what had just transpired......

Sorry it took so long to write the next chapter My review muse kinda sputtered out....I am hoping for atleast 8 reviews before I can post the next chapter. But the next one will be a good one.....What did Severus and Toboe do and now that part of secret has been revealed what will happen to her now????????? -Cerberus