For those of you that have read this before on my list, there is a little bit changed, trying to answer a few questions people were asking (and change one part that didn't quite make sense). It's not much, just a couple of extra lines added in part 23 and a small change in a conversation in part 24.
Someone asked again if I would consider putting the unedited part up at AF net. I've been thinking about it and I just can't make myself right now. I just got a position at an elementary school, and you hear such horror stories about teachers that have been fired because of things they put up on facebook and the like. Maybe I'm a bit paranoid, but the job is too new to stress myself out over something like that, so at the moment, I'm not going to upload the unedited parts anywhere except my yahoogroup.
Part 21/?
Aine, the Tuatha de Danaan goddess of healing, fertility, protection and prosperity, walked beside the young half-breed, Connor O'Feahr. They were on their way to meet with the newest foundling to enter Underhill. Her foster daughter, Ehlana, had already headed over to meet the boy and had had about twelve hours to get to know him. Word was, they were of an age. Perhaps there would be sparks there. She'd even get grandchildren quicker than usual. She grinned to herself.
They entered the room with a greeting on their lips, but the room was empty. "Ehlana?" she called out worriedly.
"Mother!" Ehlana screamed out from the bathroom. They raced in.
Ehlana was rubbing a wet washcloth over the back of Harry's neck as he threw up. He dropped down, panting, his eyes closed as he desperately tried to keep his stomach where it belonged. It wasn't as if there was anything left in there to come up.
"What's wrong with him?" Connor asked, concerned.
"You brought him Underhill! That's what's wrong!" Ehlana almost shouted. Only Harry's almost soundless whimper kept her from it. He really wasn't feeling well enough for an argument right then.
"What do you mean?" Connor was shocked. He had never heard Ehlana yell before and he'd known her since she was first adopted by Aine.
"Now is not the time," Aine said softly.
Harry struggled against his overwhelming exhaustion when he heard the DADA professor's voice. *There* was the one who had brought him here. Who had taken him away from his husband and father. The one whose fault his current sickness was. Using all of the energy he had, he grabbed what was nearest and flung it at the man. The wet rag might not have had the impact he wanted, but at least he'd gotten his displeasure across. He did wish that it could have at least had something slimy on it, but, oh, well.
Aine smiled slightly. Connor probably deserved that. The smile dropped from her face as she started checking over her new patient, murmuring comfortingly to him.
Harry could *feel* her voice drifting over him. It was warm and comforting, and seemed to make him feel better just from hearing it. Her hands were felt next. Warmth seemed to radiate from them, and as they settled over his stomach, he sighed in relief. The pain of abused muscles was fading, and the awful, rolling sensation was settling back down. As the pain drifted away, so did he, into a deep sleep; only his sickness had kept him awake as his body worked almost beyond it's limits to keep the embryonic entity inside alive.
"Ehlana, could you explain that remark you made?" Aine asked as she worked.
"Well, first of all, according to Harry, Connor was way off base about him. He was abused by the relatives that took care of him when he was little, but not by his new father. And he thought the idea that Snape had anything to do with him getting pregnant was sickening." She held up his hand, showing off the ring that could be seen there. "He's married. And, he's pregnant by his husband."
By this time Connor was pale, almost shaking. He couldn't have been that wrong, could he? But Dumbledore had been so certain.
"As for what's the matter with him now, from what he's said, his magic kept his body stable, dealing with a lot of the problems he would normally have had as a pregnant male. Now that his source of magic has been stripped away from him, he's got nothing protecting him, and his body is revolting."
"He's a mage?" Aine's voice was shocked as she stared at Connor.
"Yes," Connor admitted, not understanding.
"You brought a *pregnant mage* to Underhill? Mages can't use our type of magic!" She sighed angrily. "Right now, absolutely all of his innate magic is being used to keep the foetus healthy, leaving none for any part of his own body that doesn't have something to do with the baby. Even with my help, he won't be able to eat anything while he's here. I doubt he will wake up again."
"What do you mean?" Ehlana asked, distressed. "You don't mean..."
"No, dear, I don't. I simply mean that now that he is no longer throwing up and doesn't have to worry about drowning in his own sickness, he will not have the energy to wake up while he's in Underhill. Once he is returned to the outer world, he will be fine." Aine gently stroked the boy's hair off of his forehead. If what Ehlana had said was true... how could Connor have been so wrong? It wasn't like him. Certainly, he was still young, barely more than half a century, but he still should not have made such a major mistake.
"Mayhap, Harry has been brainwashed or the like? Dumbledore did be positive Snape was harming him," Connor suggested.
"Oh, Harry doesn't like Dumbledore, at all," Ehlana told them. "According to him, Dumbledore tried to murder the child he carries."
"That canna' be!" Connor disagreed.
"It is." Ehlana asserted. "He said Dumbledore knew what his relatives did to him and never did anything about it."
"If this be true," Aine said softly, distress bringing forth an accent she rarely used any more, "then things are worse than ye know. Dumbledore be the holder of one of the Treasures. It was given to him to hide because he was trusted. If he has purposefully harmed, and allowed to be harmed, one of the children under his protection, then the Treasure be no longer safe within his possession." She looked at the boy in front of her and calculated. They needed to know the truth of this. More than that, their King needed to know the truth of this.
The question then, was, could they get this young man to Silverhand and back to the outside world before it became dangerous to him. She would not risk either his life and health or that of his child, but they had to have the knowledge he contained. Of course, just getting him awake and coherent enough to talk in the condition he was in would be difficult, but she was sure she could manage that much.
Perhaps if there was some way to get him more of his type of magic? There was an artifact that held magic, but it was in the outside world and it actually held too much power. The way he was right now, the boy would try to pull too much power into him, in order to heal himself, and could possibly burn himself out in the attempt, trying to use it to support himself and the child within. What they really needed...
"Are there any other mages in the outer world right now?" she asked thoughtfully.
Connor thought for a moment. "Besides the Headmaster, I believe that Harry's new father and his best friend are mages."
"We need one of them, go get one."
Connor blanched. "They'll both want to kill me on sight!"
"Just tell them Harry needs them. If they love him like he thinks, whichever one you ask will come, whether they hate you or not." Was Aine's response. Connor made the mess, he'd have to help work it out.
Unhappily, Connor agreed.
Part 22/?
Lucius wished he could see the reactions of the people around him, but his total attention was taken up with the man he was facing. He took a savage sort of satisfaction in the flicker of surprise momentarily visible in the older mage's eyes.
"Lucius, may I speak to you for a moment?" Severus spoke softly from behind him.
Lucius turned to the Aurors he had brought with him. "Watch him," he ordered. "I state for the record that I have currently placed Albus Dumbledore on suspended status." He continued addressing the Aurors, "He is not to *move* until I get back, or your heads will roll as well. Am I understood?"
The Aurors that had come in with him nodded nervously and grasped their wands more tightly. They would not fail. They had heard rumors of what happened to those who failed the new Minister. Cleaning out a liche's charnel pit would be a far better job than what those poor saps now had to do.
Lucius followed Severus through the door and out of sight. What had taken Neville long, hard minutes to do, based on hours of studying, Severus now did within moments. The difference in power between the two was never more obvious.
Lucius sighed in relief. He'd been fighting off the compulsion for the past half-hour. Only his utter worry for the fate of his husband had allowed him to maintain resistance. Now, that the struggle was no longer necessary, it felt as if his head had been relieved of a crushing pressure.
He nodded his gratitude to his best friend and headed back through the doors. As soon as the two stepped in, they could feel it. Permeating the room was an overwhelming feeling of 'trust me, I'm harmless', mixed with a heavy lassitude. The two mages looked at each other and grinned evilly. The almost asleep Aurors and students were suddenly ripped from their somnolence by twin strikes of unadulterated rage.
"That," Lucius purred darkly. "Is what is known as 'aura magic'. It's a type of compulsion magic, dangerous because a wand is not needed, nor do words need to be said. It works best by mages, on mages, but as you can see, it works quite well on normal wizards if the mage in question puts enough power into it, and the wizards and witches are gullible enough."
"Now *Albus*, I believe I asked you a question, and I am not in the mood to wait around for the answer. Where... Is... My... Husband?" Lucius had been stalking forward determinedly with each word he said, until he was once more face-to-face with the Headmaster, or perhaps that should be *former* Headmaster of the school.
"I was not aware that you were acquainted with Professor O'Feahr," Dumbledore said solidly.
The students burst into quiet whispers. It was pretty obvious to all of them, except perhaps the youngest, that the new Minister was speaking of Harry. How could the Headmaster not know that? He knew everything! Even the other teachers were looking at him askance.
"Why no, Albus, I haven't met O'Feahr. I will once you tell me where to find him, though. I'm *quite* looking forward to it."
Everyone who heard that felt a shiver go up their spine and many of the girls began to mourn their cute DADA professor.
About that time, Hermione came bursting through the doors, a dour looking Madam Faire right behind her. "I think I've got it!" she said triumphantly.
"Then I suppose *you* are not currently necessary to this war council, are you?" Lucius purred, still looking at the ex-Headmaster. "Arrest him for attempted murder, child endangerment, abetting child abuse, using compulsion magic, and abetting a kidnapping. And those are just some of the charges that you will answer for that apply to your actions with Harry. I have the feeling we will be increasing them a thousand times before we're done."
He looked thoughtful for a moment. "Then again, I've never heard of anyone that you've treated as abominably as you have Harry. Except, perhaps, Tom Riddle. Were you trying to turn him into a Dark Lord? Trying to make sure you always had an enemy to fight, so the wizarding world would always look upon you as a hero? Or was it just that they were both mages? And you didn't want anyone around that had a chance of being more powerful than yourself? Don't worry, Albus, we will be getting these answers, and more... at your trial. It should be interesting, don't you think?"
There was not so much as a glimpse of a twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes as he rose from his chair. This was the mage who had defeated Grindelwald and helped to protect the wizarding world from the ravages of Voldemort. This was a very powerful and venerable mage, and woe to he who forgets that fact.
"I believe this has gone on far enough," he said softly. "You came here in an attempt to solidify your own power base by trying to tear down mine, but it will not work. I do not know where your baseless accusations have come from, but it is over. You will leave here, now."
"You're wrong," Lucius hissed. "I came for one reason, and one reason only. To find out what happened to Harry Snape. Taking you down is only a happy coincidence. You have toyed and played with his life long enough, I will not allow you to do so any longer. You will pay for your crimes against him. Believe me on this."
The two stood facing each other in a hush that should have been impossible, considering the number of children in the room, but even the youngest and most naive first years could feel the tension and challenge inherent in this confrontation.
The one it was broken by was perhaps not the *last* person expected, but close enough. Pansy Parkinson stood up. "Slytherin House stands behind the Minister of Magic," she intoned regally.
Ginny Weasley stood up. "As does Gryffindor."
Many glances were exchanged along the length of Ravenclaw table before a seventh year, Roan Blankenship stood up. "Ravenclaw will follow Minister Malfoy."
There was some hesitation from Hufflepuff, but finally, sixth year Justin Finch-Fletchley stood up to put their House behind the Minister. In truth, most of them had no idea what was going on, but were simply going with the flow, and for many, going with what they believed Harry Potter, even if he was a Snape now, would wish.
Ginny called over to the only seventh year standing. "I'm surprised that the intellectual Ravenclaws would think this was very logical."
Roan shrugged. "What can I say, Zabini's hot."
This was said with such a deadpan delivery that it took most students a moment to realize what had been said. Several first and second years suddenly got cases of the giggles, followed quickly by most of the students. True, it had not been that funny, but anything to ease the tension was a welcome relief.
Blaise looked the Ravenclaw up and down and licked his lips. "Perhaps we could discuss my attractiveness later?" he suggested, leering. Which did nothing to help lesson the hilarity.
Only the adults were immune from the laughter surrounding them. Lucius hadn't moved a muscle from where he was facing down the Headmaster, who had just seen his school choose someone else over himself. Out of the corner of his eye, Albus watched Severus have a quiet word with several of the teachers. He noticed their looks of disbelief and disgust turn to anger, and knew what Snape had been telling them. His thoughts were born out almost immediately.
"Is this true, Albus?" Minerva McGonagall asked sternly. "Did you use a compulsion on Poppy to try to make her kill the child Harry is carrying?"
"What?" Madam Faire had obviously heard that. "Not only did you try to force an abortion on someone who most certainly didn't want it, but you tried to use mind-control to get a *medi-witch* to do it?"
Severus, meanwhile, had been working on said medi-witch. Now that he had a bit of practice breaking compulsions, he went to work on the deep seated ones in Madam Pomfrey's mind. And managed to break them. She immediately joined the other two.
Lucius found himself having a hard time holding back a grin. "I believe going with my Aurors to a nice, magic-dampened cell, would be quite preferable to letting those three get a hold of you," he suggested.
Looking at the furious faces of the three grandmothers, Albus couldn't help but silently agree.
Part 23/?
Connor stood outside the doors of the Great Hall, looking in. He'd been raised half Underhill and half in the mortal world. He'd fought some of the strongest, most magical of the Sidhe in the course of his training. He'd once stolen a fresh pie from his grandmother. To anyone that didn't know her, that wouldn't be a big thing, but his friends had celebrated that deed for years. He'd proven his bravery in a hundred small ways. He did *not* want to walk into that Hall. Peeking in the doorway, he watched a bit of the drama going on. He *really* didn't want to walk into that room.
Maybe it would be better to find the young one, Draco Malfoy, who didn't seem to be in the room. Surely, he could convince him that Harry needed his help, and they could leave *without* going in there.
Of course, he wasn't expecting Draco to find him first. The wand tip suddenly poking him in the back was the first sign he had that he wasn't alone.
The next indication that showed things weren't going well was when a red-haired boy, the older Weasley, went running into the Hall waving a piece of parchment. "He's here!"
"Harry?" Lucius asked immediately.
Ron shook his head, gasping. "The Professor!" He looked at the parchment again and his eyes widened. "He's just outside the door, and he's got Draco!" He pointed to the door he meant.
"Actually," Draco's voice came into the room before he did. "I've got him." The door pushed open and Connor walked carefully through, trying to keep an eye on the blonde boy prodding him forward so confidently.
Lucius and Severus stalked forward, looking like a pair of deadly, hungry, predators, with their prey lame before them and unable to run. Connor tried desperately to keep that picture out of his head. He really didn't need anything to make him less comfortable than he already was. All right, all right, so he was scared almost out of his mind. He wasn't quite sure why the blonde man, who had to be Draco's father, looked every bit as deadly, dangerous and completely angry with him as Snape did. All he really knew was that these two were not happy, and it was entirely his fault.
"O'Feahr!" Severus growled. "Where is Harry?"
"I'm sorry," Connor blurted out.
Eyes went wide as minds interpreted that differently than he had meant.
"What's happened?" Lucius barked. "Where is he?"
"Sorry for what?" Severus shot out. "Did something happen to him or the baby?"
Connor shook his head as fast as he could. He knew if he didn't calm them down now, he'd be cursed to The Island of Youth and back. He might not be able to keep that from happening anyway. "No, no, I'm just sorry that I took him away without getting all of the facts. I thought I was doing what was best for him. From things that had been said, I was mislead about his circumstances. Perhaps, purposefully mislead," he turned to look at the Headmaster.
"So, where is he?" Draco asked, prodding with his wand to make sure his DADA teacher didn't forget about him.
"I wanted to protect him, so I took him Underhill." Connor explained.
"You took a pregnant mage Underhill?" the shrill voice belonged to a very perturbed medi-witch.
"How come everyone *else* knows that was a bad choice?" Connor said plaintively. "He's okay though. He's under Aine's protection."
Lucius had been watching Madam Faire since her first words and saw her relax at those. "Why would taking him to Underhill be dangerous?" he asked.
"I told you he uses magic to stabilize his body's changes," she explained. "From what I understand, the magic of the Sidhe is simply too different for him to use it that way. And he truly needs that magic, especially after having it for the first six weeks. However, if Aine is taking care of him, it isn't nearly as bad as it could be."
"Who is this Aine?" Severus asked.
"Aine is a Tuatha de Danaan. To the early Celts she was goddess of healing, fertility and protection. She's probably the best of their Healers. Much better than that Dian Cecht," she explained.
"I'll not tell him you said that, if you don't mind," Connor muttered.
"If you were mislead, and know it, then why did you not bring him back?" Lucius asked.
"A couple of reasons," Connor suddenly ignored all of the dangers he'd been worrying about, stood up straight, and looked both of them in their eyes. "Yes, from what Harry said to Ehlana, I was wrong. However, in the end, that is only his word. That he has been abused, there is no doubt in my or anyone's mind. He says that you, Professor Snape, were not the one to do it. He would not be the first abused child to lie about who did the abusing. He says he is married, although he is young for it, and that the child is his husband's. Again, we have no proof of this except for what he said to a girl his own age. He is not currently capable of answering questions, and we will *not* return him until all of the questions have been answered to our satisfaction."
"Also, there is something he has said of which we need confirmation. Or perhaps I should say that our King needs him to confirm the information. It is not currently dangerous for Harry to stay Underhill. Especially if another mage comes with an Orb of Wespor."
"And why should we not just declare war on the Sidhe for taking him from us in the first place?" Lucius purred.
Connor blinked. That they would do something like that, he had never even considered. Surely he didn't mean that? He was the Minister of Magic! He might be able to, but surely he wouldn't actually do such a thing! Not over a boy who, although considered the savior of the wizarding world, was, to him, just a friend of his son's. Right?
Looking deep into the almost expressionless face in front of him, he suddenly felt that maybe he *wasn't* right. There was a solid, bone-deep commitment there. This man would do what he had to do, no matter what that might be.
"Why would you do that?" he asked, totally confused.
"Simple," Lucius answered, determined. "He is *my* husband."
Connor actually managed to keep his mouth closed on his first response. Somehow he didn't think asking if he wasn't a little old to have a sixteen year old husband would go over too well at this point.
Instead, Connor dipped his head. "You could, of course, but I do not feel that would be in the best interest of either of our worlds."
"I am Lucius Malfoy," was his reply. The rest of it 'and I can do whatever I damn well please', was unsaid, but not unheard.
There wasn't really any way to argue with that.
Connor felt he had to get control of the conversation quickly. "You just got out of a war, your people do not want to enter another, especially when there is no need. Harry was not taken to harm him or anyone else. Assuming we can be assured of his safety and well-being, he will be returned in what, to you, is only hours. If Professor Snape returns with me, and we can find an Orb, Harry would be home again in six hours or less. But Nuada Silverhand must speak to him."
"And why Severus, and not myself?" Lucius asked darkly.
"A mage is necessary," Connor explained. "An Orb of Wespor contains a large amount of your type of magic. A mage would be able to safely transfer that power from the Orb to Harry without worrying about overloading him."
"That is not a restriction," Lucius admitted.
"You're a mage?" Connor burst out, parroted by another voice.
Everyone turned to look at the speaker, Dumbledore. Lucius smirked. "Your reputation as omniscient is truly taking a beating today."
"How come I have never heard of this before?" Dumbledore asked.
"Because I chose for you not to know," Lucius admitted easily. "Even Draco was not aware of my status until this summer. It had never before come up, and there was no need to speak of it. If Harry, Severus and my son had needed my magic to take down the Dark Lord, they would have had it, but I was of greater use guarding them from the Death Eaters, and three mages was enough."
"I would have thought being known as a mage would be good for your reputation," Ron commented questioningly.
"Malfoys have been mages for many years. We're not the only family that has kept that secret. It would surprise me far more if Harry and Draco were the only mages in Hogwarts at this time than if they're not. Being known as a mage when only a few are known about is far more dangerous than you would believe," Lucius answered.
Connor brought them back to the topic at hand. "In that case, your presence would be acceptable."
"And what about me?" Draco asked, having finally lowered his wand.
Connor shook his head. "By our rules, you are still a child. You could come as the mage, but we would not give him into your keeping. Either his father or his husband must be the one to retrieve him."
"That sucks," Draco sulked.
"And we need to return soon," Connor admitted. "One hour here is almost a full day back home, and it's already been a day and a half for him."
Lucius and Severus considered each other. "You're needed here," Severus reminded him.
"As are you, now that the Headmaster has been removed from his duties."
"And are you planning on being absent while he still has enough power to get free?" Severus argued.
"I believe I can help with both that problem and your other one," a voice Connor had never heard before said. They all turned to look at the speaker. Connor looked around, trying to figure it out. Finally he realized it was a picture. Instead of being on the wall, like most of the portraits he had seen, it was being carried by one of the Aurors.
"What do you mean, you can help, Salazar?" Draco asked.
Salazar? Slytherin?
"Rowena had several libraries and workspaces hidden around here. I believe she not only had the Orb you're looking for, but a set of manacles that would block all magic ability," the portrait replied.
"Rowena Ravenclaw only had one main library," Flitwick, Head of Ravenclaw, spoke up. "It was found several centuries ago."
"It wasn't the only one," Salazar disagreed. "None of us had only one. Place me on the wall and I can lead someone to it. I do believe the only way to get to it would be through the Ravenclaw dormitories. If one or two students will follow me, I believe we can find it. Perhaps, Zabini and the boy who stood up?"
Blaise immediately stood up and moved to the Ravenclaw table, grabbing Roan's arm. "Come on."
Roan was a little reluctant.
"Are you telling me you *don't* want to see one of the Founders' hidden libraries?" Blaise asked in disbelief.
Well, when he put it that way...
Salazar Slytherin's portrait was placed on the wall and he almost immediately disappeared from it, promising to move to one of the portraits on the route to the blue and bronze dorms. The two students chased after him, leaving Lucius and Severus still arguing over who was going to go after the boy who was so important to them both.
Part 24/?
Aine watched over the child that had been brought to her. "Where is he?" she muttered.
"Mother Aine," Ehlana said softly. "You know time moves differently between this world and that one. Connor will be moving as quickly as he can, but they are not going to be happy to see him, nor very willing to listen to him."
"They had better," Aine answered darkly. "He needs them here, now."
Ehlana sat up straight. "I thought you said he'd be fine!"
Aine looked remorseful as she realized she had worried her foster daughter. "He will be," she reassured her. "I would simply feel better if we could get some food, or at least water, into him. Unfortunately, that's not possible right now. Now that he's asleep, we won't have to seriously worry about dehydration for several days, but that doesn't mean that I, as would you I'm sure, wouldn't feel better if he was awake, and capable of taking care of himself."
Ehlana nodded. That was certainly true. "What do you think his husband is like?" she asked thoughtfully.
That led to a gossip session such as only a mother and daughter could have. The fact they had no idea who Harry's lover might be didn't matter in the least.
Blaise Zabini, Slytherin, raced ahead of Roan Blankenship, Ravenclaw, trying to keep his House Founder in sight as they ran. You wouldn't think a guy as old as Salazar Slytherin could move that fast... even if he was just a portrait running through other portraits.
"So," he panted to the boy just behind him. "You think I'm hot?"
"Is this the time Zabini?" Roan ground out.
"Anyone who thinks I'm attractive can call me Blaise, and it's always the time," he answered back immediately, as he skidded to a stop in front of a tapestry of a man sitting in a library. "Where did he go?" he asked, looking around frantically.
Roan laughed as best he could; it had been a very fast run. He walked over to the person in the tapestry and whispered a word. The tapestry rolled up, disclosing a hole that Roan immediately moved through. Blaise followed happily behind. He would have been happier if the person in front of him hadn't been wearing a robe, but the sight was nice enough as it was.
Salazar was waiting impatiently. "Wait here, I need to check it out first," he ordered, then disappeared again.
"Where did he come from?" Roan asked curiously, "and why is he helping?"
"From what I understand, there was a secret room in Malfoy Manor that Harry found. His portrait was there. There must have been a spell keeping him, and portraits of every Dark Lord since, from leaving the room. He was the only one they brought out, though." Blaise shrugged. "I know he's usually hanging in the library. He seems to like the Malfoy family, and Harry is most definitely a member of that family."
Roan shook his head. "I still have trouble believing that. Harry Potter and Lucius Malfoy. Draco, maybe, but the Minister?"
Blaise shrugged. "You need to see them together to really understand. They are what each other needs. And they're cute together, though if you tell Mr. Malfoy I said that, I'm going to curse you straight through graduation." He sighed dramatically. "At least now I know why he wouldn't ever date me; he prefers older men."
"You were interested in Potter?" Roan asked with curiosity.
"And you weren't?" Blaise laughed. "Please! Every gay boy and straight girl in the school has had a crush on him at one point or another. Most straight boys and gay girls too, they just won't admit it. The only difference is, I knew when all chance was lost." He looked over at the seventh year student. "Enough about Harry. Let's talk about me."
"Vain, aren't you?" Roan muttered.
"I am what I am," Blaise's eyes were now completely serious. "I know exactly what my looks are, and it's not vanity if it's true."
"With your mother..." Roan began, understanding a small amount.
Salazar's voice broke up the scenario. "It's this way."
Blaise immediately turned to follow. Roan's hand on his shoulder stopped him. "I don't know what you are, but I would like the chance to find out... once we've finished what we came here to do."
Blaise just watched him for a long moment, before nodding slowly. "I can agree to that."
Albus Dumbledore carefully watched those around him, while seeming to be looking off into the distance. He'd felt a large sense of relief at finding out Lucius Malfoy was the father of Harry's child, but if the Minister wasn't lying... if he was indeed a mage... then things were every bit as bad as he'd thought when he'd considered Severus or Draco to be the father. Why could they not see the problems that were going to arise? He had only done what was necessary, but they couldn't see that. Now, even Minerva was turning from him, something he would never have believed possible. Why didn't she understand that he had a reason? She had always trusted that he knew what was best for the wizarding world and the children they taught. Why didn't she trust him now?
Minerva McGonagall, Head of Gryffindor House and Professor of Transfiguration, found herself far more angry than she had ever been before. Even the death of her beloved husband, those thirty years before, had not made her this angry. She had trusted Albus! Even when she'd had her doubts, she had followed him. She had always believed he knew what he was doing, and was sure that he had a good reason for it all, even if he had never explained.
Now, she had to doubt all of it.
She glared at her boss as she tried to calm down the distraught medi-witch. The idea! Not only had he tried to kill Harry's child, but he'd *compelled* Poppy to help him! She couldn't help but think of both the grandchild she was waiting for, her seventh, and her first great-grandchild, the one she'd just received word of. What if something like this had happened to them? And why would he do that? That was the worst thing at the moment. Albus was still refusing to admit to anything, much less explain. She *needed* an explanation. She needed to know she hadn't wasted more than thirty years of her life, following someone who wasn't worthy of her devotion.
Draco watched, amused, as his father and professor argued. Honestly, he wasn't sure which one was going to win, he also didn't care. He'd already decided he was going along. After all, if they were only going to be gone for about six hours Hogwarts' time, then he didn't have to worry about missing any classes. Besides, an extra mage certainly wouldn't hurt.
Of course, there was also the fact that he blamed himself for Harry being taken in the first place. He'd *known* that he shouldn't have left Harry there without human back-up. He'd bloody well known it! But nooo, he'd allowed that Tuatha de Danaan to chase him off, and look what happened! It wasn't going to happen again. He wouldn't let either his best friend or his father down again. He was going, and they'd just have to get used to that idea.
He glared at Professor O'Feahr, who was standing, listening to the argument with a bewildered expression on his face. Draco wished he'd hexed him when he first saw him standing in the corridor. He didn't think he'd be able to do it unobtrusively at the moment, and his father wouldn't allow it now, at this point. As soon as the DADA professor led them to Harry, however, he'd show him exactly how he felt about what had happened.
The reporter watched in utter frustration. This was the scoop of the century! The millennium even! Just the fact that Harry Potter and Lucius Malfoy were married would make him famous. Add in the fact that the Golden Boy was pregnant with the Minister's child and it would be assured. But on top of all of that, was the fact that Albus Dumbledore, who some would say was the Light's greatest hero, being arrested for attempted murder on that child? The wizarding world would go up in flames! And he'd be known as the one with the exclusive! If only he hadn't made that contract not to write anything without the Minister's express permission! What if someone else found out about it before he had permission to write about it? The universe couldn't be that cruel!
He could see his anguish mirrored in the other reporter's eyes. Surely they'd be able to put this out soon. Surely!