A.N. – I am so very sorry for the massive wait. The bard part of me practically died after writing the last chapter and I've been writing this chap for at least six because what I had written wasn't right but I didn't know how to fix it.

Everything in my life has gone a tad hectic and confusing but I seriously hope you forgive me for the ridiculously long wait.

Chapter 16 – Look Up To The Heavens

Once again, they found themselves in the Infirmary, waiting for a member of their house to wake up from unconsciousness. Sophia's injuries had healed within minutes of being blooded by Orion but the shock kept her asleep. Draco had carried his brother after he collapsed due to the substantial lack of blood.

"Out of the way. Out of the way. I should have been called immediately," The nurse scanned the unconscious forms with her wand, "Sophia is fine, just needs a good rest. Orion however isn't. He needs blood replenishing potion."

Alerion cleared his throat, "That will not work on him anymore, being a fully grown Angel. You'll need angelic blood in the potion otherwise the human blood will poison him."

"I have an idea." Hermione announced, conjuring a cauldron and beginning to tinker with a standard blood replenishing potion.

"Muggles use a process called Fractionation to separate blood by using Centrifugal force." She said as the pewter cauldron began spinning faster than the eye could see.

Ginny looked confused, "How does this help us?"

They all jumped as a voice replied from the back of the room.

"This will help by removing the blood from the liquid and you'll therefore be able to substitute it for something less toxic. Well done Miss Granger." Snape drawled.

She flushed in embarrassment and returned to her experiment.

"I'll need blood from Draco and Professor Snape as they are direct family otherwise his body might reject it."

Ron spoke up, "But isn't Snape human?"

Hermione shook her head, "I don't believe so; I think Narcissa Malfoy was the professor's true mate."

Draco froze, knowing the fury of almost losing one's mate and knowing that he was the cause of his mother's death.

"You are correct Miss Granger." The man's tone oozed pain and revenge.

Snape noticed his mate's son shaking and wrapped his arms around him in a rare show of affection.

"I do not blame you for her death. You forget I have known Lucius for longer than you; I know of the evilness in his heart. What he did was meant to break you, never let it; use it to make you stronger. We will kill him, the three of us, and nothing will stand in our way. Your mother entrusted your safety to me when she named me your godfather, I could never hurt you." He whispered in Draco's ear.

A single tear ran down his cheek before he wiped it off. Snape let go of his ward and growled at those who were grinning at his soft side.

Hermione chuckled before asking Madam Pomfrey to draw blood from the pair. Once it was taken she added it to the cauldron over a flame and stirred clockwise three times. She let Snape check her work before pouring it into a bottle.

The nurse nodded at her handiwork and administered it to her patient. Within seconds Orion was awake.

The newly-discovered angel knelt on the floor next to his mate's bed, holding her hand. Someone had transfigured most of the furniture, in the ward, into a stretched sofa which curved around the bed. Draco sat next to his brother on the floor and placed an arm on his shoulder in comfort; Orion didn't respond to his touch yet there he stayed.

The blood on Orion's wings had started to dry and any slight movement was tugging at his black feathers, which made him groan in pain ever so slightly.

"Someone's going to have to help clean him up before it pulls out his feathers and scars." Andy said, gripping on to Orion's arm and hauling him up on to a bed.

He growled and thrashed as the grip on his mates hand broke. Draco pushed the bed closer and established the connection once again.

"Draco and I will." Hermione stated, conjuring a bowl and sponges.

"Aguamenti," Alerion murmured, "Incendio," steaming water filled the bowl.

In silence, the couple gently washed his wings, emptying the bowl, when it became more blood than water.

Orion's feathers were clean and dry when Dumbledore entered the ward.

"Mr Black, I cannot let you kill Miss Perks. As the headmaster of this school, I am entrusted with the protection of all those who reside here, her included."

The room was soon filled with cries of outrage; even Pomfrey looked to disagree with Dumbledore's statement.

For the first time since he had awoken, Orion spoke.

"We will examine her memories and see if she is sound of mind and not being compelled to act. If she is acting of her own accord she will be killed by my hand. If she isn't, then whoever is controlling her will be killed by my hand. You have no say in this Albus; this is the law and nature."

The headmaster shook his head, "Then the law is wrong."

Severus rolled his eyes at his friend, "You know the law is just, why are you questioning it? The law was put in place to protect Angels; the threat of death is a deterrent to humans upon harming us. We as a race are so rare, after the sport-like hunting of us in the past, that this was the only way to continue our survival. Muggles have written in a book that a fallen angel is the devil, the source of evil. This is not true and is from the observations of an Angel taking revenge but not understanding why. You see Angels are not capable of evil, their hearts are pure but instinct passed through generations means that anyone who harms a mate will be punished as it is our feelings that rule us. Sally-Anne Perks harmed a mate; to be honest it's remarkable that she is still alive."

Dumbledore grinned, "Now all you have to do is explain this to her parents and the school population."

Alerion shook his head knowing how close everyone was at tearing the headmaster a new one.

A small shuffle of blankets behind them caught their attention and everyone gathered around Sophia's bed.

"Welcome back dear." Madam Pomfrey said softly, checking her vitals.

A small cheer went up as the Auror sat up in her bed. Orion's body visibly relaxed as he looked into his mate's open eyes.

The crowd shuffled awkwardly as the couple's eyes locked.

"Can't believe you let that Death Eater scum in this school." A voice shouted from the Gryffindor table.

Dumbledore rose from his seat and the hall quietened.

"Would the person who just said that please stand."

A seventh year boy stood, fuming that he had been called out.

"Why do you believe they are Death Eaters, Jamie?"

The dark haired boy turned towards En Lucem and said, "I saw Andy using the same curse that the Death Eaters that holds people in the air. That Perks girl was screaming her lungs out and you Professor didn't make him put her down."

Andy jumped up on the table and began addressing the entire school population.

"I think you'll find that the curse I used is not the same. The Death Eaters one causes pain but the one I used doesn't, it's only uncomfortable as all the blood rushes to your head because of gravity. I can prove this if you'll let me."

He nodded to his mate and Ron stepped up on to the table. Andy whispered the spell and the red-headed boy silently flew by his ankles towards the charmed ceiling.

The hall erupted into screams.

Draco jumped up on the table creating a loud bang as his heavy shoes slammed against the wood, at the same time he bellowed, "Silence! Professor Dumbledore, do you know the spell the Death Eaters use?"

The hall quietened in shock and waited for their headmaster's answer.

"No I do not. Why do you want to know?"

"Lucius has used it against me many times; use it against me to show the difference." Draco stated, facing the crowd of students.

He made his way to the head teacher and whispered the incantation into his ear.

Dumbledore shook his head, "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Draco nodded his answer and made his way back to the others.

The old man bellowed the curse and watched in horror as Draco's feet left the solid table.

Everyone watched with bated breath as he rose into the air, his eyes were closed and his arms were stretched out like Jesus on the cross. Draco's body went limp and his head rolled onto his chest. Some people in the audience laughed at his defenceless state but were soon scared into silence as Draco's head flipped back, his eyes opened and he began screaming. His body writhed violently in mid-air as the curse attacked his body.

"He's just acting." Said a sceptic.

Orion growled, "If you don't believe it come closer, look into his eyes because they say everything."

Only a few people were brave enough to come forward and actually see, but what they saw had them backing away quickly.

"Shit Albus, you need to end the curse. He's reliving it!" Alerion shouted.

"Finite incantatem."

The curse didn't end as it should have done. Leaving En Lucem looking on helpless as they watched Draco quiver in pain. He began growling as he shook; the leaded windows rattled in their frames as he got louder. A pulse of light shot out of Draco like a wave, passing through all those gathered, sending them a short burst of the pain he was in. The growling stopped and his body went limp again as he started to fall.

Andy jumped up on to the table with Alerion to catch Draco before he hit something solid. The brothers lay him down to wait for him to wake up. Hermione leant over the table and placed a kiss on Draco's forehead, her body protected him from the unwanted attention of the gathered pupils.

"Renervate."

Draco groaned, holding his head as he rose, "I forgot to tell you, the only thing that stops that curse is when the victim loses consciousness...or dies, which is usually the case."

"That doesn't prove that they aren't Death Eaters."

"We can prove that we aren't fucking Death Eaters." Andy spat.

Alerion stood as well and pointed at the famous charmed ceiling, his brother pointed his wand to his temple and drew out a memory. He cast the silver thread upwards; it flew towards the starry sky and caused a reaction that hadn't happened since the founders had built the school. The stars all shot towards to the point where the memory had hit the surface and caused a supernova. Once the light cleared, the memory appeared on the ceiling transfixing the viewers.

A nine year old Alerion could be seen playing with the freshly fallen snow, from his brother's eyes, with two adults. All of them giggling and playing, throwing snow-balls and making snow-angels. The twins had big grins on their faces as they sipped at mugs of hot chocolate.

The Great Hall was filled with such carefree emotions, that all that felt it, were grinning like the young Alerion.

The image changed. It was the first day of secondary school, the mix of apprehension and curiosity filtered through the room before changing to anger. An older child had Alerion up by his throat against the corridor wall, demanding for money. The kid was backed up with three others, all looking happy with themselves as they inflicted terror on those smaller than them. Andy's brother was shaking with fear as his breathing was cut off.

A growl reverberated around the room as Andy stalked closer to them.

"Get off my brother!"

The child holding Alerion laughed, "What are you gunna do about it?"

The first kid disappeared from view as an invisible force blasted him across the room. Andy grabbed the second by the shoulder and spun him round. His fist met the boy's nose with a sickening crack and the kid collapsed to the floor. Tears started flowing from the third child at the sight of blood pouring from his friend's face.

"I said get off my brother."

Andy grabbed hold of the older boy's wrist, the one attached to the hand around Alerion's throat. Snarling, he squeezed the bones together; a feeling of artificial euphoria spread throughout the Great Hall as they shattered in Andy's hand. The boy screamed as his wrist was crushed.

Footsteps pounded from behind them; an arm wrapped round Andy's shoulders and pulled him away from Alerion.

Pain shot through the backs of all those watching before the vision flickered and went black.

As he came to, voices could be heard. Raised voices, angry voices at fear-inducing levels. The charmed ceiling remained blank as Andy kept his eyes closed. He was hauled up by his shoulder from his lying down position so quickly it made his head spin. The picture flickered as he opened his eyes and he saw his brother in the same position as his, i.e. being dragged down the school corridors by a man towards a car. A woman was stood glaring by the car, getting angrier the closer they got.

"Get them in the fucking car!" She snarled under her breath.

The two adults, their foster parents, stuffed them into the car. Fear overwhelmed Andy but he pulled his brother into a hug as the car sped towards home. The two adults tore out of the car, locking the brothers inside. Minutes later they returned with suitcases, they threw them in the boot and raced away. The twins shook as the car sped to an unknown destination.

The vision rippled as it changed to a different memory, this one was different. This one was blurred and disorientating as if Andy was bordering on consciousness.

"Andy. Andy. Bro...Please wake up...Can you hear me?" Alerion said from somewhere in the room.

The real Alerion drew the attention away from the ceiling.

"This memory perhaps won't make sense without the back story. Our foster parents had gotten a Hogwarts letter inviting us to come and learn magic. And then Andy managed to beat up three boys twice the size of him, something that that couple despised as they were devout Catholics, not liking violence and all that, they became scared of us. Magic is taboo in most religions so that was not a point in our favour either. They bought a new house in a different county and then locked us in the attic with no food. The next time they came up, they came wielding weapons and beat the shit outta Andy. They couldn't get to me because he wouldn't let them within five meters. I was stuck in the corner watching my brother break and bleed as he went in and out of consciousness still defending me from our carers. Even when he wasn't technically in the room with me, he was still protecting me..."

Alerion faded out and everyone's attention returned to the memories like a damn presentation.

What they could see was still disjointed but now the image was clearer. The woman stood guard at the hatch making sure the twins couldn't escape and the man was out of Andy's sight line, yet it was obvious he was still there from the agony coursing through everyone's veins as Andy was hit continuously with something solid.

Pain was the only emotion to be felt as the vision faded to black

Years of beating flashed by in a blur, merging into one long tortuous mess, making all those present flinch at the violence.

A sharp nudge in the side woke Andy up; a fifteen year old Alerion grimaced down on him. An origami paper hat balanced on his head.

"Don't get up. You're screwed to be honest; they really did a number on you this time. You really should stop putting yourself between me and them, whilst I try and push them out the door. Happy birthday to us, by the way, I'd have made a cake but you know..." Alerion gestured to where they were locked.

Andy laughed but soon started choking.

Fear and pain. Screaming. Darkness. Tearing flesh. The pain lessened and Andy opened his eyes, what he saw made him shake. Alerion was equally disorientated, the blood covered wings that sprouted from his back put him off balanced and he crashed to the floor. The door opened and the foster parents charged into the attic. The man held a leather belt in his hand and advanced, while the woman guarded the hatch.

"You freaks. You are the Devil's spawn. You don't deserve to live." The man yelled whipping Andy across the back.

The metal buckle tore his sensitive wings, catching on and pulling feathers out. Red welts appeared on Andy's back, blood streamed from both his back and wings.

Alerion snarled and grabbed the attacker by the arm and pulled him back towards the hatch. The woman screamed, trying to defend herself from him but was soon pushed down the stairs by her husband. The hatch locked and Alerion went to tend his brother's wounds.

The hall was in a state of shock as their whole life zoomed past on the ceiling.

"I still have scars from that day," Andy announced taking off his shirt, "My wings are permanently disfigured because of it."

Patches of bare flesh littered his wings where feathers should have been, beside this were feathers that were torn and damaged. He lifted his wings as high as they could go but one wing was lower than the other, unable to unfold fully because of the nerve damage it had suffered.

Ron got up on the table and hugged his mate as the rest of the hall returned their gaze upwards.

The image that appeared shocked everyone; the twins were just skin and bones. They stood together leaning against a wall just staring off into space, wishing for a better life, not able to do anything else.

The hatch opened and the couple crept into the room. Andy pushed himself off the wall and stood in front of his brother.

"No...Don't..." Alerion mumbled, too weak to say anything louder.

Andy growled at the intruders warning them to get back.

"Andy..." His twin whispered as he lost consciousness.

The image of Alerion collapsing flickered as a strong arm tore him from his guard. Blood dripped from Andy's stomach as something tore through his flesh. Rage consumed his mind and a suffocating pressure built behind his eyes, making them close.

Moments later the pressure was gone but so were the couple. A thick layer of blood coated the walls, the ceiling, the floor, the twins; everything. Disorientated Andy pressed a hand to his stomach, no pain; he lifted his shirt. There was a faint scar where there hadn't been one before.

A loud gasp brought his attention away from his rapid healing but he flinched when he caught sight of the fear in his brother's eyes.

There they stood looking at each other, not moving until Andy was tackled by a man in uniform and dragged unmoving from the room.

The Great Hall was filled with silence; a suffocating, oppressing silence; one that made the twins want to turn away and run for as long as they could.

"Now you see, they are not Death Eaters. They are Angels. The only harm they cause is to those who threaten or hurt their mates or brothers; if the mate is still human then you will die. Sally Anne Perks is an exception to this as Orion had other things on his mind, his mate dying for instance. That girl pushed the Auror from the top of the Quidditch stands, something that from which no one survives; this is why she was being treated as she was.

There are different bonds between Angels that are all stronger than humans. These bonds mean that family units are closer together; so, by attacking one, you attack them all."

Dumbledore motioned to Hagrid and he stood awkwardly.

"As I have said in my lessons, attacking such a creature is stupid, attacking their mate is suicidal. They are not dark creatures, they are pure. They are not capable of evil because of this. The instinct to eradicate anyone who means them harm comes from when Angels used to be hunted and they were almost wiped out. If you don't mean them harm they are the best ally you could possibly have."

"Thank you Hagrid," Andy said, "Do you still believe we are Death Eaters?"

The question was met with unyielding silence, for once the gathered didn't have anything to say.

A second year Hufflepuff stood from his table, "I would like to be taught how to fight like they did against the Gryffindors. As a Muggleborn I believe that's the best chance of survival I have."

A murmur of agreement rippled across the hall.

"Then it's settled. En Lucem will conduct lessons for fighting using both non magic and magical means. They will be in charge of how these lessons are planned, if you have any problems see them." The headmaster bellowed, happy that the conflict within the walls was over but aware that the worst is yet to come.

A.N. – I am so sorry about the wait. The end is shitty because I have four hours till I go on 'holiday' for three weeks and I want this out before then. It's supposed to be relaxing (the holiday) but atm it's just causing hassle.

I doubt I'll have fun but I hope you all enjoy your holidays or the sunshine

For reference, I am not giving up on this story, just because there has been a massive wait between chapters does not mean I am not coming up with the next chapter