Okay, Okay, I know some of you are going to be annoyed. And some of you are just going to be confused. I took out Chapter 29 and 31 completely. There's two main reasons for this, number one, they're basically all sex (a bit kinky too) and number two... well, they really didn't fit. Those two chapters have always felt like just gratuitous sex scenes to me and honestly, there was no real reason for them. Sorry if that annoys anyone. Also sorry for this being extremely short with those two chapters missing, but there's really not a good stopping place for another five chapters, and that would be a bit much I think.
Part 30/?
Back at Hogwarts, Severus Snape watched as the Aurors led the ex-Headmaster out of the school. There was no way he wanted that man in the same room with him. Lucius might not have considered how long he'd been in the man's power, but he certainly had, and the best way to keep the old man from using any buried compulsions on him was to get him away. There were also some worries about the other teachers. At this point, he didn't trust Dumbledore not to have compulsions buried in their psyches as well.
The Deputy Headmistress, Minerva McGonagall, was currently very unhappy with her old boss, but she'd trusted Dumbledore and had worked with him for a long time. There was no telling when that loyalty would kick back in if he stayed here.
Severus wished he wasn't thinking that way. He'd trusted Dumbledore for many years, himself. No longer though. Years before, he'd lost his trust that Dumbledore was doing what was best for the world. Still, he'd not lost all of his loyalty until he'd realized what the older man was doing to a young boy who'd never asked for his fame and all that came with it.
He considered Harry. That boy had never wanted to be the world's savior. All he'd ever wanted was a family and friends that cared for him. And now he had it. And Severus would do everything in his power to make sure that the boy who was now his son never lost that.
He looked around the room. There were a number of little cliques spread all across the room. The most worrisome however, was the one at the Slytherin table and led by Parkinson. He slinked stealthily towards them and managed to listen for several minutes before anyone noticed him.
"Look," Pansy was saying. "I think it's obvious by now that there's something more going on than we've been told. I mean, Snape adopting Potter and Mr. Malfoy *marrying* him? You can't think that it's anything but a plot! I don't think they're trying to resurrect the Dark Lord, I think one of them is working on becoming the next one. And I, for one, am not going to get in their way. I'd far rather be seen to be on their side than as an obstacle to be removed. They got rid of You-Know-Who, they got rid of Fudge, and now they got rid of Dumbledore. There's no one left to oppose them. They've won, and they didn't even have to kill a lot of people to do so. You've got to admire their planning."
By that time, one of the younger Slytherins had seen their Head of House standing, listening to everything that was being said, with an enigmatic look upon his face. He quickly poked at the older girl, nodding towards Snape as she turned on the younger boy in a fury. Her face whitened. "P... Professor Snape!" she gulped.
"An interesting theory, Miss Parkinson," Severus murmured, before moving on.
It was an interesting theory. He had been expecting someone to come up with it, and was moderately surprised that it was Parkinson that had done so. Still, she had been surprising him all day. Perhaps now that she wasn't so focused on trying to catch the younger Malfoy, she would finally start using that brain he was sure she had. Both her parents and her older sister had shown themselves to be knowledgeable, shrewd and cunning; qualities that she, so far, had not shown.
He walked over to where Professor McGonagall, Madam Pomfrey and Madam Sprout were all gathered together. The professors were obviously comforting the medi-witch. As soon as she saw him, Madam Pomfrey started wailing. "I'm sorry! That poor boy! He was so scared. I didn't want to scare him like that but I simply couldn't fight it off."
"You fought enough," Snape admitted grudgingly. He didn't want to seem comforting; it wasn't in his job description or his personality.
She shook her head. "If I'd done as I was supposed to, he would have been out of that house years ago. Did you think I didn't know? But whenever I brought it up to Dumbledore, he always had such... reasonable justifications for not taking him away. He said he'd make sure it didn't happen any more. And Harry never looked as bad after that first year, but I knew there was something..."
"Actually, I believe he'd found concealment charms after the first year, and would use them religiously on the train to school and afterwards. He continued their use at school at least until he ate enough that he was more than skin and bones." At least Severus could be sure his reputation was intact, because that wasn't comforting to the woman at all. "What I've always wondered," Severus continued, "is why his Head of House never noticed." He walked off before anything more could be said.
His next destination was probably one of the strangest groupings currently in the room: a half-giant, two Alaspinian minidrags, a portrait, a Ravenclaw, a Slytherin and a Gryffindor. He walked over and almost sighed in relief as one of the minidrags flew over to him and settled on his shoulder. He couldn't believe how much he'd missed Spitfire's comforting weight. He might not be bonded to the snake, but he still enjoyed his company. He frowned when he realized why Hagrid was there. Flick was still unconscious.
"Is she okay?" he asked the group.
"Did you know she was pregnant?" Granger asked him, even as she looked through a book. He noticed that both Blaise and Blankenship were doing the same thing. He suddenly realized what she had asked.
"She? As in Flick?" he asked, shocked.
"We should have realized as soon as Harry introduced Spitfire. Minidrags only mate when they're in heat, and they're only in heat when they're ready to have minidragonlings."
"I assumed they mated for life," Severus probed.
"Oh, they do," Blankenship agreed immediately. "But their first mating happens when they're in heat, and Flick wouldn't have bonded with Potter... sorry, Snape, if she was mated already."
Severus closed his eyes. "When, and how many?" he asked in a resigned voice.
"About seven months and between four and eight," Blaise told him.
Severus decided not to think about it. Obviously, there were people around who were capable and willing to research and find out everything they needed to know about minidrag births. He'd let them do the work. "Is she alright?"
"Ah, the li'le un'll be fine," Hagrid rumbled comfortingly. "She just needs to sleep it off."
"True," Salazar put in his own thoughts. "However, if Harry has not returned by the time she wakes up, she's going to be *extremely* unhappy."
Severus nodded understandingly. "Just keep her as calm as you can."
He walked off, shaking his head and muttering under his breath, not caring that he was scaring most of his students. After all, he normally did that anyway.
He spent the next hour in the same way, reassuring, or not, as the mood took him. The only ones that were safe from his wrath and annoyance with Lucius were certain students that Connor might have recognized. O'Feahr wasn't the only one that kept his eye upon the abused. The only reason he hadn't known about Harry before that day in Fifth Year, was his own willful blindness. He'd kicked himself for a long time about not seeing the signs.
He suddenly drew himself up to his full height as he saw something across the Hall. Spitfire rose off his shoulder as he picked up his person's agitation. Several of the more nervous students cried out at the sight, but Severus ignored them all as he strode quickly towards the newcomers.
"What are you doing back here?" he asked with a hiss.
The Aurors looked at him, with a slightly confused expression on their faces.
Severus scowled. "What did you do with Dumbledore?"
"Dumbledore?" one of them said. "He said it was a mistake, so we let him go."
"You... let... him... go...?" Severus bit out. He wanted to yell, scream, to curse them all! If it weren't for the almost dazed look in the Aurors' eyes, he wouldn't have hesitated; instead, he was mad at himself. He should have considered the fact that the bracelets wouldn't be enough, should have found something else to augment the magical blocking, should have realized that the old man would have more tricks up his sleeve than they could ever imagine.
Now he was free, and out there, and they had no idea where.
There was only one bright spot about all this in Severus' mind. He could blame it all on Lucius.
Chapter 32/?
"You might want to get changed, dear," Aine suggested. "King Nuada should be here soon, and I don't believe you want to explain this to him."
Harry sighed and nodded. The gowns the wardrobe had come up with were surprisingly comfortable, light, airy and not at all constricting. Still, she was correct, it was not the impression he wanted to give to the King of all the Tuatha de Danaan.
Ehlana shook her head as he walked back out some thirty minutes later. She still had a hard time believing he could so easily go from beautiful girl to handsome boy. He was dressed in black dress slacks, a shimmery shirt that was sometimes blue and sometimes green, but hugged his masculine chest nicely. His hair was pulled back into a simple ponytail and his glasses emphasized both his green eyes and the scar on his forehead.
He settled back onto the couch next to Lucius and snuggled in. Aine had started a conversation with Connor and Lucius while he'd been gone, and was able to watch the couple without seeming to. She was happy to find absolutely no difference in how Harry was treated by his husband, no matter how he was dressed.
A hard knock came at the front door. Ehlana got up quickly, straightened her dress and checked her appearance before heading to the front door. She opened it and dropped into a deep curtsy.
"Welcome to our house," she intoned. She led the way into the living room, where everyone was waiting. Following her, were almost a dozen warriors garbed in armor and wearing swords. There was no doubt that they knew how to use them.
In the midst of the phalanx of bodyguards, was one who fit perfectly the description 'warrior king'. He was tall, muscular, and dressed in rich robes that wouldn't interfere if it became necessary to fight. His hair was long and only beginning to silver. For all that he was many times Dumbledore's age, he looked like a man just entering his seniority.
The visitors from the Overworld had risen to their feet as King Nuada Silverhand entered the room. Harry couldn't keep himself from dropping his eyes to the Sidhe Lord's hands, but both of them were normal. He felt really stupid. He did know the story of how he got his hand back after the years of wearing one made of silver. It made him very glad that Aine, the healing goddess, was taking care of him, rather than Dian Cecht. He didn't think he'd get along with that particular god of healing.
"Welcome to my home," Aine murmured as she curtsied. Madam Faire followed suit. Connor bowed deeply. Lucius, Draco and Harry however, only bent their heads. Malfoys didn't bow to anyone.
Nuada stepped out from behind his bodyguards and looked at Harry. "Will you introduce yourself and your friends?" he asked. His voice was deep and rumbling, but kind.
"I'm Harry Snape," Harry answered easily. "This is my husband, Lucius Malfoy and his son, my best friend, Draco Malfoy. That," he nodded towards Madam Faire, "is my doctor, Madam Lillith Faire."
Nuada nodded to the others, but his attention never left the black-haired boy in front of him. "I was under the impression that your name was Potter."
"It was," Harry said easily. "I was adopted by my father figure, the Potions Professor at our school, Severus Snape."
Nuada shot a glance at the redheaded half-breed. "The one that was abusing you?" he stated as much as asked.
Harry's eyes narrowed and he glared dangerously. "Severus has *never* laid a hand on me. When I get my hands on Dumbledore for starting that rumor..." he growled, leaving the threat open ended. Those who knew him knew he was not likely to be dissuaded. "Of course, I have a number of things to talk to him about."
"Dumbledore?" Nuada murmured as he settled gracefully onto the most comfortable chair in the room. Everyone else set down as well.
"Yes," Harry hissed. "That manipulative, supercilious bastard who's managed to convince everyone that he's working for the good of the world. Yeah, right. The only one he's worried about is himself."
"A little harsh there, are you not?" the king asked kindly.
"No, he is not," Madam Faire spoke up acerbically. "*That man* tried to compel a mediwitch to abort Harry's child! And when that didn't work, he manipulated your man over there, into bringing Harry here! He had to know what being Underhill would do to a pregnant mage. If he'd been here for a week without the support of other mages and that Orb thingy they brought with them, Harry and the child he bears would both be dead."
Nuada's visage darkened, his brows drew down and his posture straightened. "Are you trying to tell me that Albus Dumbledore used *my representative* to bring harm not only to a child, but to that child's unborn child?"
"That's exactly what she's saying," Lucius answered.
"What proof of this do you have?"
"Do you honestly believe that Dumbledore did not know what would happen to Harry here?" Lucius asked him.
"From all I have heard of the man..." Nuada said slowly. "I do have a problem believing that."
"Then why don't you ask O'Feahr *why* he felt the need to bring Harry to your realm," Lucius suggested.
Nuada glanced at Connor, who was doing his best to disappear into the chair on which he was sitting. "Well?" he asked impatiently.
Connor nodded slowly. "The Headmaster was the one who planted the idea in my mind that Harry was being abused by Professor Snape. Looking back, I doubt I would have looked twice at him without that prompting. His behavior was a little erratic, but he's also a teenager. I probably would have put it down as that on my own. However, he most certainly has been abused. I did the injury spell before bringing him here. After seeing the number of injuries he has had, I felt it best to bring him in."
Harry rolled his eyes. "Yes, I've got a whole lot of injuries," he admitted. "A whole lot more than can be adequately explained by quidditch or Voldemort. So of course, he thought it could all be explained as my being abused by someone who had been my guardian for an entire month."
Connor's face almost matched his hair. Put that way...
Nuada smiled tightly. "What is being done about Dumbledore?" he asked.
"I placed him under arrest before coming here," the Minister told him.
Nuada turned to one of the warriors that had come in with him. "Would you care to tell the Minister what you told me?" he ordered.
The warrior bowed slightly. "Word has come from the Overworld, that the one called Albus Dumbledore escaped from custody only hours after being arrested."
"What?" Lucius roared, shooting to his feet. "Severus would never have let him go!"
"You left dad in charge of him?" Harry asked in disbelief. "Come on Lucius, Severus has been under his sphere of influence for years! How do you know that Dumbledore didn't have other compulsions buried in his mind? Or what about the other teachers? Heck, even the students!"
"I must agree with your young husband," Nuada said, as one ruler of his land to another. "It was your responsibility as Minister of Magic to make sure he remained under your control. It was not a job I would have expected you to leave to another."
Draco spoke up. "I agree with you," he said, "and yet I don't. He left someone he trusted in charge, another very powerful mage, so he could take care of his husband. Severus might not have been the best choice for that job, but this was for his family. Which would you choose?"
Nuada smiled at the blonde-haired boy. "That is a good question," was the only answer he would give.
"Did anyone get hurt when he escaped?" Harry asked worriedly.
"No such word has come," the warrior responded.
"Dumbledore was wearing manacles that would stop him from using his magic," Lucius explained. "This shouldn't have been possible."
"Some of my people will be going with you. Dumbledore has lost our faith by his actions. He has a treasure of ours that we will now need to retrieve. We also have our own ax to grind with the man. I do not approve of my people being used in such a manner."
"Will Professor O'Feahr be returning?" Draco asked with interest. After all, he still had revenge to wreak against the man, and he knew Severus had his own plans.
"Do you wish him to?" Nuada asked in surprise.
"He's one of the best DADA Professors we've had," Draco admitted. He grinned like a shark at the professor when he was sure no one else was looking.
Nuada looked at his suddenly pale underling. "Perhaps that would be a good idea," he agreed. He turned back to the Minister. "If necessary, we have several places Underhill where we could place Dumbledore, once you have caught him. He would not be able to use much magic here, and we Children of Danu are highly resistant to compulsion magics."
"I will take that under consideration," Lucius bowed his head just slightly in gratitude to the King of the Sidhe.
"When can we go home?" Harry asked.
Nuada considered. "We have more to discuss, but I see no reason you couldn't return to your home tomorrow."
Harry nodded his agreement.