Hmm... not many responses from last chapter. I think I got a little spoiled from the responses to the cliffhanger grin. Ah well, I know you're still enjoying it, so enjoy this part as well!

Part 25/?

Lucius and Draco Malfoy, Madam Lillith Faire, and Connor O'Feahr moved quickly through the woods towards Aine's home. Draco couldn't believe that Lucius had *ordered* Severus to stay behind and handle things. Matters were going to be very strained when they returned, but hopefully, Harry would be able to settle them down.

Probably even that order wouldn't have worked, if O'Feahr hadn't reminded them that every hour that passed in their world, would be a day for Harry in Underhill. It was only in the interest of getting help to Harry sooner that Severus curbed his argument. There were no hexes, curses or strange potions involved at all.

He looked down at the Orb he was carrying. Blaise and Blankenship hadn't had much time to talk about what they found in the Ravenclaw secret rooms, but they seemed pretty excited about it. They were looking at each other with interest as well. He wondered if this would be just another unrequited crush for his friend, or if the two actually had a chance for more. He didn't know Blankenship too well; different Houses, especially different years, tended not to have a lot to do with each other, but he had never heard anything bad about the Ravenclaw. Not that Blaise was a virgin, not by any stretch of the imagination, but Draco knew how tired he was getting of one night, or occasionally, one week stands.

Remembering Headmaster Dumbledore in the magic dampening bracelets, Draco really had to wonder if his father was doing the right thing. The Aurors had taken the elder mage away, but he was in no way beaten. That had been obvious in every move he made, every word he said, however few of them there were. Truthfully, he would have felt better if his father had been in charge of Dumbledore's care. After all, Severus had spent twenty years under his thumb, and just because they'd broken one compulsion, didn't mean that's all there was. There might yet be some deep-seated ones that they'd never considered. No, he wasn't sure this was a good idea at all.

They reached the goddess' home. Coming to visit a goddess, he was expecting something like the Manor, or perhaps more on the lines of the Castle in the Sky. Instead, the building they were headed for seemed barely a building at all, blending inconspicuously with the surrounding environment. If it had more than one floor, it was buried underground. Still, somehow, it was nearly impossible to tell how large the structure was. It almost seemed as if there were trees growing out of the middle of it, making it even more difficult to guess the dimensions.

Professor O'Feahr headed to the front door and knocked. Moments later it opened. Only long years of training in keeping his emotions hidden, kept Draco's eyes from widening and his mouth from dropping open. *This* was Aine? That she was a goddess he had little doubt, but a couple of thousand-years-old one? That wasn't possible.

"Connor, you're here!" she greeted happily. "Oh, thank Magda, you brought them with you." She addressed the group, introducing herself, "Come in, come in. I'm Ehlana, Aine's current foster daughter."

Draco smiled very slightly. So, this golden haired girl wasn't thousands of years old. Was she even Tuatha de Danaan? He would be interested in finding out; she was certainly prettier than any of the girls at Hogwarts. His interest was immediately sidetracked at his father's words.

"Where is Harry?" Lucius barked out.

The pretty little girl did something neither of the Malfoys expected. She drew herself up straight, stared him directly in the eye and barked right back. "Who are you and why do you care?"

"I'm Lucius Malfoy," he hissed back. "And I want to know where my husband is, now!"

She still didn't seem even the slightest bit intimidated. Instead she smiled happily. "Oh, so you're the handsome older man he's so besotted with. He wouldn't say who you were, but he was really not happy with being taken away from you. I know that for sure. Come on, I'll show you where he is. Are you a mage? He really needs a mage. Mother Aine said he's still okay, but she'd feel a lot better if we could wake him up. If we do that now, though, he'd just go back to throwing up, and that's the last thing he needs."

"Both I, and my son, are mages," Lucius declared as he strode after her, followed by the rest of his party.

She turned her head around and looked at Draco. "Hopefully, that means you're Harry's best friend," she said with a grin. "Because if you're his father, I'd really have to rethink my impressions of the outside world."

Draco was startled into a laugh. "Yes, I am his friend. I'm Draco Malfoy."

"Nice to meet you," she said as she opened a door and walked in. They quickly followed her, their eyes immediately going to a familiar figure on the bed.

Lucius was beside his husband in two long strides, with Draco only a second behind, and the medi-witch bustling up immediately after.

Madam Faire pushed her way to the front, and immediately started checking the black-haired boy. She nodded over what she found. "He's almost completely drained of magic. Everything he's manufacturing is going straight to the baby." She frowned. "He's going to need a healing draught as soon as we can get one into him. He was so sick, it started burning the lining of his throat."

"We've already got something brewed up," Ehlana admitted. "We were just waiting until he could wake up. Let me go get Mother Aine, then we'll be able to do it." She darted out of the room, seemingly not noticing the eyes following her.

Draco watched her leave before turning back to his friend. However, his eyes caught the figure of a redhead standing in a corner. They had found Harry. Surely, no one would mind if he got a little of his revenge... as long as it didn't use too much of the magic Harry might need. Without even bothering to get out his wand, he shot off a small spell. More a nuisance spell than anything else; it caused boils to grow in embarrassing places. It was only the start of what he had planned for the DADA teacher.

By this time, Lucius was sitting on the bed, running his hand over Harry's hair, as he knew he liked. He was talking quietly to him, while holding his hand with the one not petting him. Draco settled down next to him and went to pick up Harry's other hand, when he felt a difference in the magic around him. It took him a moment to realize what it was. Harry was automatically trying to draw magic into himself. That wasn't a big deal, they'd shared magic before... besides, that's what he was here for. However, when Draco felt Harry trying to draw on the Orb he carried, that's when he moved. He was across the room, against the wall in mere moments.

He'd heard and understood the warnings, and was determined to heed them while Harry was incapacitated. The Orb had too much power to draw in all at once. If Harry tried it while unconscious, he could fry himself with an overload. That's why a mage had been necessary in the first place, to regulate the flow.

"Bring it over here," Lucius ordered.

Draco pulled out the Orb and walked over, frowning as he checked the magic currents around the room every step of the way. He was not going to let Harry hurt himself. As he got closer to his father, he could practically *see* the magic being pulled out of the elder Malfoy. Or... no, it wasn't being pulled, so much as being pushed. Although Harry was drawing some, Lucius was sending far more than that. He hadn't expected to need the Orb to refill his *father's* stores. But, doing it this way made sense. It would be safer, more controlled. Draco watched, sensing what was being done, as his father monitored Harry and fed the magic into him, at the rate and in the quantity he and the developing child needed.

Madam Faire was observing the magic flow, checking on the well-being of her patient. She couldn't tell what was happening, but she could tell that Harry's magic was being refilled, as more power was heading for places other than the baby and the womb.

Aine strode in with Ehlana on her heels. Draco looked over at her. This was more what he had expected. Not that she looked old, for she certainly didn't, seeming to be in her mid-thirties or so. However, there was an air about her, of competency and agelessness.

She checked Harry over as competently as Madam Faire did. Upon seeing that his magic levels were up significantly, she slowly allowed him to wake up.

Harry gradually awoke. The first thing he felt was an overwhelming lassitude. His mouth tasted as if something had died in it, and his throat was burning. But he wasn't throwing up. That was a plus. His next thought was that there was a hand in his, and another petting his hair. Only one person touched him like that. He opened his eyes slowly and smiled.

"Lucius," he murmured happily.

Part 26/?

"Harry," Lucius answered back softly. "How are you feeling?" He dropped down to steal a kiss, but was surprised when Harry turned his head away so that it landed on his cheek.

Harry smiled up at him ruefully. "My mouth tastes like I just drank a Polyjuice potion. You really don't want to kiss me right now," he said in a hoarse voice.

"I believe I can help with that," a voice said from over Lucius' shoulder.

"Madam Faire?" Harry said in surprise. "What are you... the baby? Is it okay?" He sat up quickly, his arms wrapping protectively around his stomach.

"The baby is in better condition than you at the moment," she told him. She handed him a vial of the healing potion Aine had brought in. He gulped it down quickly.

"I don't think that helped my mouth any," he said, although he had to admit his throat was feeling much better.

"No, but this might," she smiled as she handed over the other drink she had.

He took one sniff and his face brightened. He immediately took a drink.

"Is that the tea Madam Faire had Hermione get?" Draco asked with interest.

"Yeah," Harry admitted after swallowing. "It's a tea that Cattie makes. It not only tastes good, it's a great anti-nausea potion."

Lucius turned Harry's head towards him. This time, when he dove down for a kiss, Harry met him eagerly.

The three females and Draco watched with indulgent smiles on their faces for a minute. Draco and Ehlana struggled not to giggle as the kiss went on and on. When hands started to wander, the elder ones decided enough was enough.

Aine delicately cleared her throat. The hands stopped moving, but that was the only acknowledgment she received.

"That's enough," she finally said firmly. "We have things that need to be discussed, and the young one needs to sleep."

Harry finally pulled his mouth away to glare at her. "I thank you for all your help, but since it was one of your people that caused my problems in the first place, forgive me for not feeling too grateful. Also, I have no need for more sleep, and I am *not* a child."

Aine just laughed. "To me, all mortals are children; some are just younger than others. I do not expect your gratitude, for you are correct in that it was Connor's unthinking actions that brought you here. However, I do expect your compliance, if for naught but the fact that I am far older than you, and have been healing both humans and others for several millennia. Irregardless of the fact that you believe yourself to be well, your body went through a fair ordeal and it has not fully recovered. Your friend will not leave your side while you rest, and Ehlana will be nearby as well."

He frowned, looking over at Draco. "How did you three get here anyway?"

Draco jerked his head towards the man waiting in the corner. "He brought us."

Harry looked over there and his expression grew hard. "Professor O'Feahr," he said, absolutely aching for his wand and enough magic to safely do what he so desperately wished.

Aine patted him on the hand, bringing his attention back to her. "Don't worry dear; it will all turn out alright in the end. Now, I'm just going to borrow your husband, we need to talk. You go to sleep. When you wake up, just go over to that wardrobe there and it will make anything you wish, and make sure it fits. You may get up *only* if you've slept yourself out. If I find you're still tired, it will be straight back to bed and I'll make *sure* you stay there." She patted him once more before sailing out of the door, pulling everyone except the three teenagers out with her.

Draco started talking of everything that had happened at Hogwarts after he had disappeared. Harry listened as well as he could, but he really was far more tired than he thought he was. Once he was asleep, Draco tested his magic levels and finding them still slightly low, opened a link between them, allowing his magic to flow through to his friend. He turned to his fellow Harry-sitter and settled in for what he seriously hoped would be an interesting conversation. It didn't matter how beautiful she was if she couldn't even hold a decent conversation. Well, okay, it mattered a little...

Lucius watched his hostess carefully while still keeping a large part of his attention on the room they had just left. "What do you want?" he asked brusquely.

"We have some questions," she answered serenely.

"As do I," Lucius agreed.

"Who harmed that boy?" she asked immediately.

"At what point?" he replied. "He was fighting Voldemort from the time he was eleven, as well as playing Quidditch and taking a serious part in the dueling club. Most of his wounds and all but one of his scars however, came from his relatives and the bullies that his cousin was friends with." Lucius decided to be brutally honest with the woman. Having the Tuatha de Danaan on his side would be well worth it.

"Why did Dumbledore not do anything about this? Did he not know?"

"Now that is the question. Did he know? With utmost certainty. Why did he choose to let Harry grow up there? That I still don't have a solid answer on."

"Ye seem sure that he knew; do ye have proof?" Connor spoke up for the first time.

Lucius' glare pinned him to the chair and made him wish he'd never spoken. Lucius waited several more seconds, making sure the man was well and fully cowed before answering the question. "As it happens, I do. In fact, that's where all of the Aurors I brought with me to Hogwarts came from. From the moment Harry was given into the keeping of the Dursleys, he was watched. The Aurors reported on everything that happened, but they were not to interfere unless Harry was in danger of dying, being seriously maimed, or being raped. There were only two copies of the reports made, one for the archives, and one sent straight to Dumbledore."

"What does that have to do with the Aurors?" Madam Faire asked.

"There were three types of Aurors that had that duty," Lucius explained. "There were those who worked there, sometimes for years, doing just what they were told to do. There were those that had to be Obliviated... but only after they found out who the child was. And there were those who had to be Obliviated almost immediately because they would not accept what they saw and that they weren't allowed to do anything about it. Those, with their memories returned, were the ones I brought with me to arrest Dumbledore."

"What happened to the others?" Aine's voice was harder than they'd heard so far.

"Either demoted or arrested," Lucius' voice was just as hard. "Unfortunately, a trial would probably exonerate them, since they were simply following their superior's orders. Fortunately, there are other options."

Aine's smile was every bit as bloodthirsty as his. Connor just gulped and tried his best to turn invisible.

"What has been done about those relatives of his?" Aine asked, now sure that Lucius would not have allowed them to go unpunished.

Lucius grinned and told her. Connor was quite pale by the time he was finished. Especially, when the Minister smiled over at him, eyes glittering with promise.

Part 27/?

Harry woke up once more. He frowned before even opening his eyes. He thought he'd felt his husband sleeping next to him, but the bed was empty. He sat up, rubbing his eyes then looking around frantically.

"What's the matter?" Draco asked worriedly.

"Bathroom! Where's the bathroom?" he asked in a tight voice.

As soon as he could tell in which direction the blurry arm was pointing, Harry was headed there. Draco grabbed the thermos of tea and Harry's glasses and headed after him.

"Are you feeling better?" Ehlana asked compassionately as he came back out after a quick shower and teeth cleaning.

"Much," Harry admitted. He frowned over at the bed once more. "How long was I asleep? I dreamt Lucius was sleeping with me."

"He was," Draco admitted. "You've been sleeping since yesterday afternoon. He got up about an hour ago."

Harry pouted, but only a little. He would have preferred to wake up next to Luc, but he was used to not getting what he wanted. He walked over to the wardrobe Aine had pointed out and opened it. The pout disappeared immediately as he looked at the wardrobe's offerings.

"That doesn't make any sense," Ehlana said, confused. "I've never seen one of the enchanted wardrobes get confused about whether a person was male or female. Maybe it's because you're pregnant? Don't worry, we can convince it to give you something else."

"Oh, no," Harry answered absently. "That's alright. This is just fine."

Ehlana looked at him strangely, but Draco just grinned.

Thirty minutes later, Ehlana walked out of the room, still looking confused.

"Is something the matter, Ehlana?" Aine asked softly.

"Well... no, I guess not," she answered. "It's just... Harry..."

"What about Harry?" Lucius asked darkly, getting to his feet to loom.

She just nodded back the way she'd come.

Before he could turn around he heard another voice.

"Who are ye?" Connor's voice was surprised.

Lucius spun around quickly, then stopped still. Finally, he smiled. "You look beautiful, Harry," he told him.

He did. The gown he was wearing was a shimmery, misty grey, puffed out a bit as if there were a single layer of petticoats underneath the skirt. The top did a good job at hinting at breasts that weren't there, while puffy, translucent sleeves were gathered together at the elbow and wrist. A pair of fairy wings would have looked completely at home, and Lucius was almost surprised to see that there were none. He did note that Harry hadn't been able to find makeup to go along with it, but his hair had been arranged so as to cover up the scar and his glasses were either absent or invisible. By the way he seemed to look at and catalog every person in the room, it was more likely the latter.

Harry smiled up at his lover, happy with the response he was getting. He'd been delighted upon seeing what the wardrobe had created for him. The dress was very close to the one Ehlana had been wearing when he'd first seen her and he still thought it was beautiful.

Lucius kissed Harry gently, then guided him towards a small loveseat where they could cuddle together.

"What does this be about?" Connor wondered, completely in the dark. The glare Lucius gave him caused him to melt back into his seat while he paled.

"That's what the wardrobe gave him," Ehlana told them. "I thought it was broken, but he seemed quite happy with it."

"You know," Aine offered carefully, "if this is your wish, it is possible to make it permanent, without harming your child."

It took a few moments before Harry understood what she was suggesting. He shook his head wildly. "No way. I don't want to be a girl!" He shuddered. "That really is a sickening thought, you know."

"Who forced ye to dress as a girl, then?" Connor daringly glared at Lucius, sure he had something to do with it.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Nobody *forced* me to dress like this. Unless you count the public that wouldn't bloody leave me alone! I like looking pretty, and I like the way I'm treated when I'm dressed up. However, I have absolutely no wish to lose my..." he stopped before he said more, realizing there were real females in the room. "Well, you know," he finished quietly, blushing. He looked hard at his Professor. "You've got to stop jumping to conclusions, without first getting all the facts. At least, I'm assuming that's what this was all about. Why don't you tell me, what did start all this?"

Connor turned to look at Aine, before Harry's voice cut through the air. "That *wasn't* a request."

He turned slowly around to look at the boy. Looking into his eyes, he didn't see a boy, nor even a girl. He realized that in front of him was a man who had seen far more than he should, fought far more than he should, and was inherently capable of anything that he would try to do. A man that wanted answers, and would get them... in whatever way necessary. In that moment, he realized he was just as dangerous as his husband. Connor nodded his head and sat down.

"Where would ye want me to start?"

"Why did you come to Hogwarts?"

"Why meself in particular, or why a Tuatha de Danaan?" Connor asked, but went on before anyone could answer. "Never mind, the two go together. About three months ago, Overworld time, Headmaster Dumbledore did send a message to King Nuada. He said that there was a child in his school that he was worried about. He thought the child might be being abused, but didna' ha' proof. Knowing that our people are very... sympathetic to abused children, he asked if one of our kind could go to Hogwarts and be finding out for sure. As well as do something about it, if it be true. He didna' explain who it was until after I got there."

"Why was someone sent on that little information?" Harry asked.

"Because Albus Dumbledore sent it." Connor's reply unfortunately made sense to everyone.

"Why you?" Draco asked.

"Several reasons. It was felt that a part-blood would be better than a full-blood, not only because I look more human, and would not cause talk, but also because of time and time sense." He noticed the humans looked confused. "I be sixty-three years old. To ye, that means I be an old man, to they," he nodded towards Aine, "I'm still just a child. In truth, I be in the middle, closer to young than to old. So, it was thought I could relate to the students better. There is also the fact that the true-bloods have little concept of the passage of time. Not only does time pass differently here than it does in the outer world, but when ye be alive for close to forever, the passage of days means little. They think nothing of taking months or even years to do something. They know they have the time. In this case, there wasna' that time. Something had to be done quickly, and they be not the best ones to do that.

"Also, there would be a lot of the same problems as a pureblood wizard living full-time in the muggle world would be having. It's just so different from what they know. However, me mother was an Irish witch, and she made sure that I be every bit as familiar and comfortable in the wizarding world as I was in Underhill. Few others had that upbringing. In most cases, it is felt best that the child be raised completely Underhill, and since they usually stay here all their life, there be nothing wrong with that. But since I was raised in both, I was capable of living and interacting in Hogwarts, which few others would be."

"Well, that explains why you were chosen," Harry admitted. "Now, why did you think I was being hurt? What in the world gave you that impression?"

"Albus Dumbledore told me of his worries about ye and yer new relationship with Professor Snape," Connor explained. "So I attempted to get to know ye. That was deflected almost immediately by yer own refusal to have anything to do with me. Not to mention yer father's threats if I got too close. I was stuck with watching. And what I saw, in the attitude I was watching it in, was worrying. First, ye were skipping meals and occasionally falling asleep, in me class, and others also from what I heard. Ye dropped yer practicals in me class, as well as dueling and Quidditch! Then ye started avoiding people. Ye stopped sleeping in yer dorm. Ye did be snappish for a couple o' days," he saw but ignored, for now, the boy's blush at that, "then ye came to me class with a black eye and said ye ran into a door! A door, for Lugh's sake! Even I know that be the most common excuse for getting hit!"

"I was snappish because 'he'" Harry nodded towards the man sitting next to him, "was being a git."

"In other words, he was withholding sex," Draco commented in a stage whisper.

Harry glared at his friend before continuing to talk. "As for the bruise, I *did* run into a door! I woke up with my bladder screaming and didn't bother grabbing my glasses before I ran for it. I was expecting it to be open, but it wasn't quite all the way, and I ran straight into it. As for the other things, they all had to do with my being pregnant and finding out I was pregnant." Harry explained.

"That'd be what happened next," Connor admitted. "The newspaper ran an article about ye being pregnant and suggested *very strongly* that Professor Snape did give ye a potion that would cause the rebirth of Voldemort."

"What!" Harry shrieked.

Lucius flinched back slightly. He was sitting much too closely for a scream that loud to be comfortable. "Don't worry, Harry, I took care of it. Though I must admit that by the time we return, practically the whole wizarding world will probably know about us."

"What? They know? Damn it!" He shot to his feet and started to pace, his arms flying around. "I didn't want anyone to know yet! I'm not ready to lose Jade! And what the Hell were those people thinking? I can't believe someone would actually believe that crap! Much less write it in the first place! What were they thinking! And how did they find out? When I find the person who let it out, I am so going to curse their arse!" He growled out the promise before turning to glare at Lucius. "And how could you tell without talking to me about it first? What if I didn't want it getting around, huh?" He turned around and slammed out of the room.

Lucius followed after him, leaving Draco looking completely confused.

"Mood swing," Aine told him comfortably. "He'll be fine."

"Your father might not be, though," Madam Faire chuckled.

Part 28/?

Lucius walked quickly through the door after Harry. He looked around, but couldn't find him. He considered using magic to find him, but finally decided against it. Instead, he stood there for a moment, thinking of what he knew about Harry. He knew that if Harry were truly upset, he'd head for either one of two types of places: somewhere small and dark, or somewhere with a lot of growing things, preferably where he could see the sky.

He doubted Harry would take the small and dark route. Not when he was angry. Hurt or scared yes, but not angry. That decided, without hesitation, he headed for the front door. He was unsurprised to find it was not closed all the way. He opened the door and walked out. He looked around carefully, then frowned and strode quickly towards the heap of gray silk puddled on the ground.

"Harry?" he asked softly, as he dropped next to the beautiful boy.

Harry turned to look at him and then threw himself into Lucius' arms, crying. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to yell at you! I didn't mean it! Please don't be mad at me!"

"Shh," Lucius murmured, petting his back. "It's okay. I'm not mad. But I didn't take Jade away from you. No one will figure out that she and you are the same person."

"But I won't be able to go out with you anymore," he muttered unhappily from where his head was buried in Lucius' shoulder. "We can't go dancing, or to a ball, or shopping, or anything."

"Of course you can. Yes, it might be better if Jade isn't seen with me, but you can go out with me as Harry. Wouldn't you like to dance with me as a boy?"

"But there would be people," Harry whined.

"So there would. But you would be with me. And I would keep you safe. You know that." Lucius said gently.

"Yeah," Harry pouted even though it couldn't be seen, his face still buried in Lucius' neck. "But it wouldn't be the same."

Suddenly Harry pulled back and glared at him. "What do you mean you took care of it and everyone knows? What did you do?"

Lucius silently prayed for patience. He'd heard all about mood-swings and hormones, but from anger to crying to whiny and back to anger in five minutes? That was a little much, wasn't it? Maybe something about Underhill was making it worse; perhaps his low power levels had something to do with it? He quickly checked Harry over. He was a little empty. Lucius quickly pushed more power into him, pushing calm along with it, and hoped that would help. If not, he wasn't sure how he was going to survive the next eight months. He didn't think his previous practice, of staying away as much as possible, would work in this case. After all, he still remembered what had happened last time he'd made the mistake of ignoring Harry. He didn't think he'd get off that lightly again.

"Well?" Harry demanded when the silence went on too long.

"Draco called me and told me you'd been taken. I had already been to the Daily Prophet after seeing the morning paper. I *convinced* the editors that they did not wish to print anything else about you without my express permission. When I received Draco's mirror call, I gathered some Aurors I trusted, as well as Salazar's picture, and we headed to Hogwarts. There, I demanded to know where my husband was, relieved Dumbledore of his duties, and ordered him arrested."

Harry blinked. He had a dozen questions, but the one that popped out was "Why did you need Salazar's picture?" His eyes suddenly widened as he realized. "Flick! Where's Flick? Is she okay? What did he do to her?"

"She seemed to be fine, but was still unconscious when I left. Salazar was useful in another, unexpected way, though." Lucius continued but Harry didn't seem to be hearing.

He jumped to his feet and rushed to the door, after brushing off his skirts of course. Lucius followed, wondering what he was up to now.

Harry strode into the room and right up to Connor. "What did you do to my Flick?" he hissed.

"His Flick?" Ehlana whispered to Draco. "Does he mean his... you know? What could Connor have done to that?"

Draco looked at her in surprise before chuckling. "No, it's nothing like that."

"Your Flick?" Connor was just as confused as the golden-haired girl.

"Yes, my Flick. You know, my bonded Alaspinian minidrag? Lucius said she was still unconscious when he left! What did you do to her, and why didn't you fix it while you were there?" he growled.

"She was dangerous!" Connor complained.

"Yeah, to you! Not to me!" Harry waved his hand.

Connor suddenly found himself pinned to the wall like a bug to cardboard in an entomologist's collection.

"How dare you touch her?" he growled, stalking towards him. "She never did anything to you!"

Lucius and Draco could feel him gearing up for something magical. Madam Faire might not be able to feel it as the mages could, but she didn't reach her age by not being able to read body language. "That's quite enough, young man," she said tartly. "You will not broil him alive, or whatever you were planning. You don't have the magic to spare right now. Besides, I do believe your husband has already had a *talk* with him."

Harry looked from his DADA Professor to his husband. "Did you?"

"I believe he understands exactly what I think of what he did," Lucius admitted, his eyes glittering darkly.

Connor shuddered, not seeming to know whom he should watch. Which one was more dangerous?

"But did you get revenge for Flick?" Harry asked plaintively.

"I admit, I didn't think about it, but I do think he got the idea."

"But... Flick's delicate," Harry complained.

Draco blinked. "Um, Harry? She's an Alaspinian minidrag. I don't think I would consider her fragile."

"Of course she is," Harry disagreed. "You do realize she's mated, right?"

"Well, yeah," Draco conceded. "Considering Spitfire is living with Severus, it'd be a little hard to miss."

"And you do know that Alaspinian minidrags only mate when the female is in heat, right?"

"You have a pregnant Alaspinian minidrag?" Ehlana squealed, being the first to understand. "Oh, those babies are going to be *so* cute!"

Harry turned to grin at her. "Aren't they? I can't wait! I don't know how long it's going to be, I haven't really talked to her about it, but she herself told me that they only mated for nestlings. Luckily, there's a whole nest at the Manor, so she'll have plenty of babysitters. I think I remember reading they have communal child-rearing."

Lucius blanched slightly and turned to the goddess Aine. "Please, tell me that minidrags don't have mood swings," he begged.

Aine just laughed.