Back and forth, and back and forth, from Harry to Underhill to Harry to Hogwarts ^_^. Enjoy!

Part 56/?

The box that Jeri eventually pulled out showed just how much thought Lucius had put into making Harry safe. Not only did it contain full identities for Jade Jameson and Lillith Preston, but it also contained credit cards in their names, with credit reports showing almost unlimited credit-worthiness. There were passports, and even letters of reference in case they decided to rent a flat or house. They could obviously live quite comfortably for as long as necessary.

They'd already spent the past several hours explaining everything to Jeri, or at least as much as they thought she'd understand. Although she was much more 'in the know' about certain things than most of her contemporaries, there were still aspects of the wizarding world that she probably would not have been able to grasp without far more background information than Jade had planned on giving.

It wasn't long after that when the apartment buzzer announced visitors. Karen and Willow had dropped by the store to see Jeri, only to be told she'd left early with a black- haired girl.

"Jade!" Karen squealed, enveloping her in a hug. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in school?"

Jade smiled back at her friends, going to give Willow a hug. "Things happened," she said dismissively. "It was just felt best that I... lay low for a while. And not at Lucius' house."

"Ooh, problems with the old man, hmm?" Willow said compassionately. "I'm sure it will all work out."

"I'm sure it will," Jade agreed. "It just might take a week or two. Oh, everyone, this is my great-aunt Lillith."

Karen frowned. "What about..." she halted, unsure what to say in front of the girl's relative. Then again, if this one was anything like what those were purported to be, she wouldn't be sitting here with *Jade* now, would she?

Jade, meanwhile, was frowning over at her. "What about... what?" she asked, before she realized whom the blonde was probably alluding to. "Oh, the Dursleys? They're out of the picture for good. I didn't find out about Aunt Lillith until afterwards; they didn't like her either."

"Well," Willow grinned, "Anyone the Dursleys didn't like can't be all bad, now can they?"

Following that quick acceptance, Jade's friends met almost all her needs. It took only moments for Karen to offer the two rooms in her own house, accommodations that were gratefully accepted. Jade really hadn't been looking forward to living in a hotel for several weeks, but didn't feel they would be in London long enough to worry about renting a flat.

For the next several days, Madam Faire just stood back and watched. If she hadn't known better, she would have sworn that the one she watched was just a normal teenage girl, no different than her own granddaughter. Jade loved to shop and dance, although after the first night, they didn't return to a nightclub. The green-eyed 'girl' had gotten very tired, very quickly, of having to turn down people that didn't know the meaning of the word 'no'. Anytime she was left alone by the rest of her friends, she'd get accosted. Enough was enough. She'd wait until Lucius could go out with her again before she went clubbing.

Whenever the girls got together, that's what they were: girls. They traded beauty secrets and manicures with equal fervor. Most of the girls were older and worked at a job at which they could stay in the form they preferred. Denise was the only one that had to routinely change to boy's clothes during the day; the college preferred that the students come in the gender in which they were registered.

During the day, Jade and her aunt headed out and into the city. Jade enjoyed showing off the special places she'd found about town. Any other extra time was taken up with studying. Just because she couldn't practice spells or potions, did not mean she wasn't expected to have all of her homework done when they returned.

One thing she'd worried about was the absence of Cattie, and with it, the absence of the tea she'd grown to need. Luckily for her, the tea had not gotten more potent in the last several weeks; instead, her morning sickness had virtually disappeared.

It was three days into their 'holiday', that Jade burst into Madam Faire's room.

"What's the matter?" the older woman asked immediately. Even with the mood swings that still happened occasionally, Jade... Harry, she reminded herself, did not often get flustered.

"Something's wrong!" Jade said desperately. The older woman obviously was not moving fast enough, because she dashed over. She pulled off her shirt, which helped the mediwitch with the identity problem she was having. "Feel!" Harry grabbed the woman's hands and placed them on his abdomen. A stomach that was noticeably harder than it had been before.

The mediwitch did not smile, although she wanted to. However, she knew Harry was a bit too overwrought to accept any humorous reply at the moment. "It looks like everything is going according to plan," she said soothingly.

"It's supposed to do this?" Harry asked, shocked.

Madam Faire nodded calmly. "Your womb needs more space than your body currently has; as it expands, it presses against the skin of your abdomen."

Harry's distraught expression faded as he calmed down. He gently ran his hands over the whole area. "Here…" he murmured almost ecstatically, "My baby is growing here."

"That's right," Madam Faire smiled back at him. "Go ahead and get on the bed and I'll run a quick scan, just to reassure you."

"Can I tell Lucius?" Harry said hopefully as he hopped onto the bed and lay down.

"That's up to you," the mediwitch reminded him. "You're the one who knows what the rules are for contacting him."

Harry didn't want to move his hands for long enough for the older witch to run her scan, but ultimately, it got done.

"Everything's going just as it should, dear," she smiled down at him. "Now go get dressed. Nothing too tight, though. No tight garments constricting your belly from now on."

Jade's eyes crinkled up, and suddenly he seemed a girl once more. "Shopping?" she suggested facetiously.

"As if you need any more clothes," Madam Faire muttered.

Harry just laughed. He skipped back into the guest bedroom he was staying in and picked up his contact mirror, once again settled within the compact he'd originally taken it from. A quick glance at the clock, however, showed there was no way his husband would be alone, right then, so reluctantly he put it away for later.

He went to get changed, but instead found himself standing in front of the mirror. He stared at himself as he ran his hands over his stomach. There were changes, he realized. Not enough to notice with his clothes on, but obvious when looking at himself critically in the mirror, as he was now. He'd known he was developing breasts, and they were getting larger. Still not even a girl's A-cup, but definitely... puffier than they had been. Did that mean he'd eventually be able to breast feed? And how could he not have already asked that question?

He looked carefully. The hardness was a bulge. It was very small, and he had to look closely, but it was there. In a way that morning sickness could never be, it was proof. Proof that he, Harry Potter-Snape... was going to be a father… or was that mother?

Thirty minutes later, Madam Faire peeked in, and seeing Harry still looking at himself in the mirror, smiled and walked away.

Part 57/?

Ehlana looked around and sighed happily. It was good to be home.

"Oh, wow," a voice said behind her. She spun around quickly, but not before yet another voice had spoken up.

"It's beautiful," the other voice said in soft amazement.

"Thyme, Hermione! What are you two doing here? How did you get here?" Ehlana gasped out. Only then did she realize that one of the Slytherin's hands was firmly grasping the back her school robes, while her other hand was holding onto the Gryffindor.

Hermione drew her gaze away from the unbelievable vista before her. She smiled at her friend. "You stood there and watched as Blaise went after Draco. Didn't it even occur to you that someone would be following you as well?"

"It's not necessary," Ehlana complained. "I know what I'm doing."

"So do I," Thyme spoke up. "You're taking us to see your foster mother. My grandmother said if I ever came here I had to talk to her. You're not going to make me go against her wishes, are you?"

Ehlana looked torn. Getting Madam Faire mad at her was one of the last things she wanted to do. However, she couldn't help feeling that seeing Mother Aine would not be a good idea. She was doing the right thing, she knew that... still, she couldn't help but feel the Tuatha de Danaan goddess wouldn't agree with her.

"Well?" Hermione asked when Ehlana didn't move. "Which way?"

Ehlana shook her head. "We can stop on the way back," she offered.

"How were you planning on getting to wherever Merlin is?" Hermione asked with interest. "Is there some sort of mass transport here?"

"Not as such," Ehlana admitted.

"So, you were planning on walking?" Thyme suggested.

"Not really," Ehlana prevaricated.

"Well, I'm sure the goddess Aine would be happy to help out." Hermione offered.

"I wasn't planning on stopping by there; it's not exactly on the way," Ehlana told them, annoyed.

"You were going to come home and *not* visit your mother?" Thyme asked, shocked. "Girl, that is *not* a good idea, at all."

"Besides, didn't you say that Merlin lived on the Island of Youth? Doesn't that mean there's water around it? Do you have a boat?" Hermione said thoughtfully.

"Actually," a melodious voice said from a space they would have sworn was empty. "Those are all good questions. The best however, was young... Thyme's, I believe? You were planning on coming here and *not* visiting your mother?"

Hermione and Thyme blinked. There was Aine, where they would swear she hadn't been before, and yet they had not seen her appear. It was more as if their eyes suddenly adjusted to something that had been there all along, but that they hadn't been able to see.

"It is an important duty, mother, I didn't have any time to waste," Ehlana tried to explain.

"Ah, so visiting me is now a waste of your time," Aine said understandingly. "I see. And the fact that I could get it done much quicker than three children, who would be immediately noticed and brought back, is of no consequence."

"Of course not," Thyme answered her sarcastically. "And she's not compelled to do it either."

"I'm not under a compulsion!" Ehlana argued, rolling her eyes.

Her mother's eyes narrowed. In three swift strides she was beside them, looking deep into the golden-haired girl's eyes. "Who has done this?" she almost snarled. "Who has dared place a compulsion on *my* child?"

Thyme and Hermione backed up several paces. Any doubts that this woman had *earned* her place as a goddess were completely eradicated. This was most definitely not someone they wanted mad at them. Nor did they want to even be in the same place, if she was mad at someone else.

"Dumbledore," Hermione answered when she looked over at them.

"How?" Aine asked, even as her hand wrapped around Ehlana's wrist, and she started towing her towards their home. Her stride was determined enough that Thyme and Hermione almost had to run to keep up.

"He was captured in Hogsmeade this weekend. Draco and Ehlana just called in the cavalry, and were there watching. They didn't help subdue him, that was all done by Professor O'Feahr and the warriors Ehlana called. However, he said no one but Merlin would be impartial enough to be a judge at his trial. Ever since, both of them have been determined to find him."

"What about the others who were there at the time?" Aine asked a question that neither of the two had considered.

"We didn't think much of it, because no one except the group of us and Professor O'Feahr know where he is," Hermione explained.

"What I don't understand, is how he could have had the power to place a compulsion like that on them, after the fight he'd just had," Thyme admitted. "If it was just Draco, we could blame it on the idea that not all the compulsions that were placed on him earlier were found, and maybe one was just triggered. But there's no way he could have had any on Ehlana before this point."

"That is a good question," Aine admitted. "You say Dumbledore was captured?" At their nods, she continued. "Where was he taken?"

They all shrugged. "Some of our warriors took him," Ehlana spoke up, for the first time since Aine had taken hold of her.

"Good," Aine muttered. "That will give me a chance to talk to the man."

Aine didn't even bother taking them into the house. Instead, she led the way around it to a pasture out back and whistled sharply four times.

Out of the trees behind the field came four magnificent horses. Their coats were an almost incandescent white and their silver hoofs chimed with each stride. It was especially awe inspiring, considering they were walking on grass.

"Elvensteed," Hermione whispered in awe.

"I don't know how to ride," Thyme admitted, even as her eyes drank in the sight of the beautiful equines.

"It doesn't matter," Hermione said before Aine could. "No Elvensteed will ever let you fall."

"Stay here," the goddess ordered her daughter, before heading to the steeds. Hermione hurried to catch up with her.

"Can you take the compulsion off of her?" she asked as soon as they were out of earshot.

"I could," Aine admitted, "But there are others that have more experience with this, especially since it's human magic. I also want King Nuada to see it before it's taken off. It's not harming her, and she won't be able to just take one of the steeds and go. At least, not after I'm done speaking with them."

"Do you have some way of telling if someone is under a compulsion? We have no idea whom Dumbledore has spoken to , nor who are working for him because they wish to, or which ones don't have any choice. We need to know that." Hermione stressed.

"We do," Aine agreed. "We will talk to King Nuada about it when we meet him."

Hermione accepted that answer, and stood back to watch as Aine went to each of the horses, talking softly in a language that reminded the girl of Gaelic, but not quite. Several minutes later, they were done.

"Come and get on," Aine commanded. "We should be at the court before nightfall."

With some help to the two human witches that had never ridden before, they were all seated upon the bare backs of the steeds. If either had ridden before, they would have realized that the white ones' backs were far more comfortable than the most broken-in and well padded saddle. Even Hermione, who had read of the animals, and knew much that they could do, was a trifle apprehensive about getting on one's back, but soon forgot all about it and just enjoyed the scenery. It was certainly much more pleasant than a broom.

"How far do we have to go?" Thyme asked.

"In your terms... I believe it would be about thirty-five leagues," Aine answered.

"Thirty-five... that's over a hundred miles!" Hermione said, shocked.

"As I said," Aine answered unperturbed, "we'll be there by tonight."

"How fast do these things go?" Thyme squeaked.

"Real fast," Ehlana turned and laughed at her as the horses leapt into motion.

Part 58/?

Harry finally stopped looking at himself in the mirror and frowned. It wasn't fair! He wanted to tell someone about this! His husband and father were at work, he couldn't contact Draco or the rest of his friends and Kelly and the others didn't know. He couldn't even talk to Flick about it. Why did the snake have to choose this time to talk to the rest of the Malfoy nest about helping with her upcoming dragonlings? He chose to ignore the fact that he was the one to tell her to do so, that he had to *order* her not to come with him, believing she'd be impossible to hide for very long. He wasn't in the mood for logic.

Madam Faire had already seen, but he wanted to tell someone! Suddenly his eyes went wide. Jeri! Jeri knew he was pregnant, but didn't know about the bulge. He could go tell her! With his plans for the day made, he quickly got dressed in a loose jumper dress over a thick white sweater and white tights.

Jade practically jumped down the stairs, only taking enough care to make sure she didn't take a header down them. Her green eyes were snapping with pleasure, and she was practically glowing with happiness. Kelly asked several times what had her in such a state, but was always put off.

"I need to go visit Jeri today," Jade wheedled, practically bouncing from excitement. Madam Faire didn't even consider trying to talk her out of it, not with the way she was acting.

After a brief conversation with Kelly about dinner that night they were off. Madam Faire had been spending some time teaching the clueless cross-dresser some simple cooking; lessons which Jade didn't need thanks to her time with the Dursleys.

Jade waited impatiently until they were all done eating before heading out the door. She had news to spread! And if she couldn't spread it to everyone she wanted to, at least she had *someone* to share it with.

"Why do you want to go see Jeri?" Madam Faire asked as they waited for a cab. Kelly's house was a bit too far outside of the major shopping centers for them to comfortably walk, especially as the weather had turned a trifle nippy.

"She's the only one I can talk to at the moment," Jade explained.

"You decided against calling Lucius?" Madam Faire asked.

"Well, no," Jade admitted, "but I can't call him while there are other people around, and he won't be by himself until tonight."

"Ah," the mediwitch said understandingly. She'd been dealing with pregnant people for a long time; Harry's reactions didn't surprise the older woman at all.

They reached the store soon after it opened. Luckily, it was empty of customers at the time, since Jade grabbed Jeri's hand and pulled her into the nearest dressing room as soon as she saw her.

"What's the matter?" Jeri asked.

Jade quickly shucked out of the dress she was wearing, suddenly wondering why she hadn't worn a skirt since she knew she'd be taking it off soon. Once the dress was over her head, she lifted up her sweater and pulled Jeri's hand to her abdomen.

Jeri was watching all of this with wide eyes, wondering if her friend had suddenly flipped out, but allowed her to take her hand. She frowned as she felt the hardness under her hand.

"What is that? Is something wrong?" she asked worriedly. She wouldn't have thought so by Jade's demeanor, but it was possible.

"That's where the baby's growing," Jade explained in a soft voice. "My womb is pressing against the walls of my belly as it's getting bigger."

Jeri's eyes gentled. "Your baby?" she said in wonder, placing her hands lightly over the bulge, the same as Jade herself had done earlier that day.

"Yeah," Jade answered softly.

"How wonderful," she murmured.

Madam Faire stepped in. "I hate to disturb you two, but there are customers out there," she told the saleslady.

Jeri nodded her understanding, and gently patted Jade's stomach one more time. "Come back after I get off work and we'll go do something."

Jade agreed and got dressed once more. She and Madam Faire wandered around downtown for the rest of the morning, stopping at a sidewalk café for lunch before stopping in at a bookstore for several hours. Finally, it was time to head back to the clothes store.

Madam Faire left them there, reminding them she had promised Kelly another cooking lesson and that Jade was to be back before eight o'clock.

"Is it true, what they say about the hormones making a person horny?" Jeri asked pruriently.

Jade rolled her eyes. "You'd better believe it," she muttered. "And there's absolutely nothing I can do about it, since I'm here and Lucius isn't."

"You *can* take care of it yourself, you know," Jeri reminded her. She suddenly changed their direction, deciding to take Jade somewhere new. Of course, Jade was a little young... but she was a married person; that made her old enough.

"But I'm married," Jade reminded her.

"What does that have to do with anything? You can bet he's doing it! There's nothing wrong with handling it yourself when your husband isn't around to *handle* it for you," Jade didn't even need to see the not at all ladylike leer on Jeri's face to get the innuendo.

"It just wouldn't seem right," Jade admitted.

"It's better than being a bear because you're not getting something you need. Ask him about it if you don't believe me. I'd bet he'd like to watch."

"No bet there," Jade suddenly blushed as she realized what she'd admitted.

Jeri considered teasing her about it, but decided against it. She'd have enough to tease her about in the place they had just reached. She quickly hustled the other girl inside before Jade could wonder what kind of place they were going into.

It didn't take long for Jade to realize the type of place Jeri had brought her. She blushed quickly and deeply and tried to back out. Jeri wouldn't allow her, instead, grabbing her hand and pulling her deeper into the store.

"Now, let's see, what do you really need?" Jeri said, almost to herself.

Jade's eyes were so wide they seemed to take up most of her face as she looked around, while trying not to see too much. She'd never been in a sex shop before, and had never planned on being in one. Not with a friend, in any case.

Jeri tried to drag her over to some shelves displaying things Jade really did not want to see any closer. Desperately looking around for a distraction, her eyes were caught on a certain item. She stopped dead.

"What is it?" Jeri asked, looking around to see if she could tell what had so captured her friend's attention.

"You know, Draco isn't the one I have to worry about," Jade said thoughtfully. "We know that."

"So?" Jeri asked, not understanding where she was going.

"Well, Draco's the only one of those we're worried about who can get into Malfoy Manor. So, I'd be as safe there as I am here," she explained, walking slowly forward.

"So..." Jeri drawled. "Does that mean you'll be moving in there?" She didn't want her to, but it was where she'd be happiest until she could go back to school.

"Well, no," Jade admitted. "Madam Faire wouldn't be able to go there. But there's no reason I couldn't... go visit." She reached up to what she had been looking at, and pulled down a piece of black leather with a swirling Celtic design done in an almost metallic black thread. "Is there?"

Part 59/?

Severus watched with well-hidden pride, as the children decided what to do without a word being spoken, and Scarborough and Granger moved after the young golden-haired girl. The group of students would be a truly formidable force if they decided to stay together after graduation. He wouldn't be surprised if they were already making plans for taking over the Ministry. He had to admit; the wizarding world could certainly be in much worse hands.

"Professor Snape?" Neville asked in a rush.

The Potions Professor looked towards him and raised one eyebrow in question.

"Why can't you break this compulsion on Draco, like you did before?" the Gryffindor heir asked.

"I can," Severus admitted. "However, it is best that he is thinking less emotionally before I try."

"Why?" Roan asked.

Severus smirked. "Why don't you tell me?" he answered.

He looked around the now smaller group. He didn't really expect any of them to get it. Roan had not been around at the time they were working on breaking compulsions, and he was the only one he truly expected to understand. He looked over at the youngest Weasley boy. His face was scrunched up, in either deep thought or constipation. He considered offering the boy a laxative.

"Because he doesn't believe he's under a compulsion?" Ron finally said, surprising his professor.

"Why is that important?" Severus prodded.

Neville was the one that came up with the answer, based upon his own experience with compulsion breaking. "Because if he doesn't believe it, he'll fight you as you try to help him," the Gryffindor said thoughtfully. "You might not be able to break it if he fights."

"Correct," Severus admitted. "Especially as the young man is almost on a par with myself, in terms of strength. If he truly fought me, the compulsion would be almost impossible to break, and the process could even be dangerous to us both."

"Do you really think Ehlana would try to go find Merlin?" Ron asked worriedly.

"I'm not the one to ask," Severus nodded towards the DADA professor, who was still standing nearby.

Before Connor could speak, a young student came running in. "Professor!" he gasped out. "They're gone!"

"Who's gone?" Severus bit out.

"Um... that new girl, the one with blond hair, and the Slytherin girl and Miss Granger!" the child explained.

"What do you mean, they're gone?" Ron barked.

"They disappeared!" the youth explained. "The new one... McLear? Anyway, she was headed out the gates, and the Slytherin and Miss Granger were behind her, and then she pulled something from her hair and the Slytherin reached out and grabbed her robes and Miss Granger grabbed the Slytherin's hand... and they all disappeared!"

Connor groaned, but didn't look too worried.

"Aren't you going after them?" Roan asked, surprised.

Connor shook his head. "If they're not back in a couple hours I will, but the only transportation device Ehlana has will take her to her mother's land and warn Aine that she's there. Then, she'll have to explain to the goddess why she's come back. So, yes, I'm slightly worried, but it's more about what her mother will do to her," he grinned.

Ron winced, imagining what his mother would think if he did something like that.

Severus nodded to them all and headed down to try to find his best friend's son. It was time to try to do something about that spell.

It didn't take much looking to find the boy. He was in his workroom, a small, unused classroom that had been set up so he could practice some potions by himself. There were no truly dangerous ingredients in the cabinet on the back wall. This was a place for him to practice, to experiment with what different ingredients would do when put together. Normally, a spectacular mess in this room simply meant an exploded cauldron, something that happened quite often when he first started experimenting. Severus didn't know how many cauldrons his apprentice had gone through; he also didn't care. Unlike when Longbottom exploded his cauldron, Draco wasn't trying to make any particular potion, with a recipe and directions in front of him. Therefore, accidents of that nature were not nearly so annoying.

Severus nodded to Blaise, who was loitering unobtrusively near the classroom door. Without a word of warning, something he normally would never have done, he entered the room.

His unexpected entrance caused Draco to accidentally put too much armadillo bile into the cauldron he was stirring. He glared at his teacher as he quickly grabbed powdered dandelion root and threw it into the cauldron to stop the reaction. "What are you doing?" he asked, still glaring. "You're supposed to warn me before you come in here!"

"We have something to discuss," Severus said calmly, putting out the fire under Draco's cauldron and willfully ignoring the dark expression on the young Slytherin's face.

"No, we don't," Draco growled. "I'm not under a compulsion."

"Then what harm would it do to let me try to break something you're sure is not there?" Severus asked calmly.

Draco took a deep breath to argue and then blew it out in exasperation. "Because it would be a waste of time!"

"It is my time to waste," Severus replied. "And you don't seem to be doing anything of great import right now."

"And whose fault is that?" Draco said in exasperation. "I *was* doing something, before you decided what you wanted was more important."

Snape just looked at him expressionlessly until Draco dropped his eyes. He might enjoy being with the older man and treat him like a friend or favorite uncle, but forgetting that the older man was not only his professor, his Head of House, the acting Deputy Headmaster, and most important, his Potions Master, was simply moronic. Suddenly he realized something he should have considered much earlier. It didn't matter whether he believed he was under a compulsion or not, Severus... Deputy Headmaster Snape... did. And unless he planned on calling the Potions Master a liar, he pretty much just had to go along with what the older man wanted.

"Fine," he sighed, not bothering to hide his exasperation, but not fighting anymore. "What do you need me to do?"

Severus smiled ever so slightly. "Just think about the last few minutes that you saw Dumbledore this afternoon. And *do* *not* *fight* *me*," he ordered.

Draco did as commanded. He was paying attention to what Snape was doing, but not fighting against it. He felt the other mage's magic surrounded him. He made sure he didn't pull it in, not wanting to distract him from whatever he was doing. He might trust the man, but he didn't want to mess around while he was busy in his head, or whatever he was doing.

He suddenly felt a small shock, like something had snapped in his head. "What was that?" he complained.

"That," Severus said, semi-patiently, "was your non-existent compulsion breaking."

Draco just frowned at him.

"What do you think about Merlin?" Severus asked.

"What do you mean, what do I think about Merlin?" Draco asked. "He's a legendary mage, currently living with the Tuatha de Danaan..." his voice trailed off and he looked disgusted with himself. "Who would not be considered an impartial judge because he's Harry's ultimate ancestor," he finished unhappily. He dropped his head into his hands. "Let me guess, you told me so," he muttered.

"As if I would be so crass," Severus murmured, smirking.

"Ri-ight," Draco said sarcastically. He looked up at his professor. "How? How did he get me so fast? Especially with all those Sidhe warriors around."

"That's a good question," Severus said thoughtfully. "If it was only yourself, I would believe that you simply weren't paying attention. If you were worried about a fight, you were probably pulling in anything you could reach. In that case, Dumbledore would have had to do very little to set a compulsion within you. However, he most definitely set a compulsion on Ehlana as well. And since she is not a mage, and has never met the man before, it should have been much more difficult than it obviously was. It is something we need to be looking at much more closely, I believe."

"Wait a minute!" Draco said loudly. "It got Ehlana too? How are you so sure?"

"Simple," Severus told him. "She disappeared from in front of Hogwarts half an hour ago, along with Thyme and Hermione."

"D...disappeared?" Draco gasped. "Is she okay? Has someone gone after her? She could be going into danger!"

"I do believe that Miss MacLir is quite safe. She is, after all, heading home. Where, I have been told, her mother will immediately sense when her daughter returns to their land. Although I have not met the woman myself, I believe she is generally thought to be fairly formidable by those who have had that pleasure."

Draco thought back to some of the stories Ehlana had told him. He had to agree. "Do you think the goddess Aine will notice the compulsion on her?"

"I have little doubt," Severus said sincerely. "The only possible reason she might not, would be if human magic were too different. However, considering both Miss Scarborough and Miss Granger accompanied her, I am sure they will quickly apprize the woman of the situation."

Draco smirked in response. "I'd love to see her reaction... from a safe distance, of course."

"Of course," Severus answered, with the same expression. He decided to change the subject. There was nothing they could do about the students that were possibly dangerous, until they heard back from the Sidhe. He decided the best thing was to get the boy's mind off of the problems his friends and family were having, and he knew just how to do that. He looked around at Draco's interrupted experiment. "What were you doing?"

Draco willingly started explaining the procedure he was following as Blaise sighed in utter boredom outside. Unfortunately for the watcher, neither would remember his presence for quite some time.