The walk down to the dungeons was silent, Marco having wrapped his arm around my shoulders once we had left the Great Hall. There was only one teaching position that Severus would take, and that was potions. He had been a prodigy while in school, and Remus had told me that he had been the youngest to ever receive his mastery. I was impressed to say the least. However, I was hesitant to fully trust the man yet. Even if he had been a spy, I couldn't be sure who he was truly loyal to.

I paused outside of his office/personal quarters and smiled at the portrait of Slytherin that guarded the rooms.

"Lord Slytherin. It is a pleasure to see you again," I said with a slight nod.

"Ah, you have grown into a beautiful woman, Lady Potter. The castle has been buzzing since you arrived earlier," the man stated, a glint in his eyes that reminded me of the one Thatch got when planning a prank. "You are here to see Severus, correct?"

"Thank you, and yes. I will have to catch up with you and the others soon. You will enjoy my journey, as I'm sure you have already figured out some of it."

"Indeed. You know where our other portraits are kept. I would like to meet your new family."

With that, the portrait hole opened, allowing us to walk in. My eyes immediately landed on the younger man standing by the floo, a glass of amber liquid in his hand. He had taken off his robes, leaving him in a black button up, black slacks, and dress shoes. He actually looked his age now, instead of looking ten years older thanks to whatever kept him so stressed.

I did a quick check for anything suspicious, noting Severus' small smirk. He knew I would do that. Finding nothing but his own privacy wards, I added my own before relaxing slightly and making my way over to him.

"Severus. You look well," I stated as I sat down on the couch near him. "To what do I owe your request to talk?"

Severus looked at Remus and Marco before his eyes returned to mine. He looked almost...scared. Damn, this was serious.

"Sev, you can talk to me," I said softly, wanting to reassure and remind him that I was a safe person to confide in.

"He's getting stronger. I'm not sure how, but my mark has been getting darker." I could hear the worry in his voice as he spoke, pausing to finish his drink that I assumed was Firewhiskey. I might have to ask him for a glass after this. "Hadrian being brought here was not done in concern for his safety."

I frowned. That wasn't news to me. I had figured as much already, but there was more to it.

"The Dark Lord is trying to return, isn't he?" I asked. His flinch was answer enough. "The prophecy hasn't been fulfilled yet, then. Tell me, Severus." I locked eyes with him as my magic pulsed slightly. "Who has your loyalty? And don't try to lie to me either. I've known you long enough to tell."

I watched him as he broke eye contact and turned to look into the flames dancing in the floo. He looked so young in that moment before he finally spoke, looking back into my eyes.

"My loyalty remains where it has always been, Elizabeth. To you, Lily, and my own soulmate. Only my godson has been added to that list since you left. I would do anything to keep him out of what is to come."

Weighing his words in my mind, I leaned back and crossed my legs. Marco and Remus were both standing behind me, acting as guards almost as my husband placed his hand on my shoulder. The tension in the air was thick.

"And Lucius? Where does Lord Malfoy stand in all of this?"

Severus looked away from me and sighed, running his hand through his hair that was free from whatever he used to keep it safe from his potions.

"Lucius has been trying to find a way to break free from his binds, but he knows that he's in too deep with everything. He fears that he will be forced to put his son into the same situation."

I frowned. From what I knew, Lucius had been forced to marry Narcissa Black by his father, who had also forced him to take the Dark Mark. That had been the reason for Severus taking the mark. To try and protect his soulmate. I felt for them both, but I needed to be sure before I decided to help them. If Lucius wanted out, I might have a way, but that depended on them.

"Your godson. He's Lucius' child, correct?" I asked.

He nodded. "Draco. He doesn't know about his father and I. To him, I am just his godfather.

"I see." I stood up and walked over to him, placing my hand on his shoulder gently. "I will be in Diagon Alley tomorrow to do some shopping. Maybe I'll run into a certain blonde lord while there."

I didn't say anything else as I turned to leave. I didn't have to. He knew what I meant by that.

"Thank you, Lizzie. Please come by to see me again. I would like you to meet Draco so that he can know who to trust. You of all people know how hard it is to be a Slytherin in this school these days."

~MotP~

Once back in our rooms, I sank down onto the couch after changing into my usual attire. After thirteen years, I now preferred the pants and blouses over the dresses and robes I would need to wear while we were here. The talk with Severus worried me. Not only did I have to worry about Albus, but Voldemort as well. That complicated things. Especially for Hadrian. Prophecies had a way of fulfilling themselves even if you tried to avoid them. That put my son in danger. More so than he already was. How were we supposed to get through this? I wasn't sure on the answer yet, but I would do my best to figure it out.

"What has you thinking so hard, Liz?"

I looked up as Jozu sat down next to me, his eyes showing his worry even if his face was stoic.

"I'm worried," I told him, leaning back and staring at the ceiling. "I know that Hadrian will do fine in the tournament, but there is more going on here than I previously thought."

"I see. Have you talked with Oyaji about this?" he asked.

"Not yet. I want to discuss this with everyone and their input. If I'm right, we'll need to have a plan in place to get the girls back to the manor safely."

"A fight? Is that what you think will take place?"

"I'm not sure, but I think I need to call in the debts I'm owed." I sighed and closed my eyes. "I'll be going out shopping tomorrow. I have to stop at the bank, and there's a ledger book that will be useful."

I heard him hum before he got up. "I'll go tell the others to gather for a meeting. The boys should be back soon."

I tried to relax and let out another sigh. Everything was getting more complicated with Voldemort added in. How long would we need to be here to take care of that problem? Could we do it before the end of the tournament? I didn't know. Not yet at least. I would need to talk with the others on this and get their thoughts.

I sat there for a few minutes before I felt a kiss be placed on my forehead. Opening my eyes, I smiled up at Marco and pulled him down into a kiss.

"As much as I love you both, can you not be all mushy in the common area?"

I chuckled and pulled away, Marco sitting next to me, and smiled over at Thatch as he walked in with the kids and Haruta.

"Hello to you too, Thatch. How was your time outside?"

He walked over and sat across from us, the girls coming to sit with me and Marco as Hadrian and Ace took a spot on the floor in front of the couch. The cook waited as the others came over, signaling the start of our little meeting.

"The area is pretty open. Especially by the lake. We didn't really run into a lot of people, but the big guy who introduced himself as Hagrid stopped to talk with Hadrian about you and birth parents."

"He's the groundskeeper here. Has a love for dangerous creatures, but he's not much of a threat. He is loyal to Albus, though." I crossed my legs and sighed. I was doing that a lot today. "Just be careful to not let anything important slip. He, on the other hand, has a habit of talking about things he shouldn't if pushed in the right way. Someone to keep in mind if we need information."

Sirius nodded. "Yeah, and he'll talk more with the kids than he will with any of you unless he's had a drink or two."

"That's the vibe I got," Hadrian added. He then held something out to me. It looked like a photo album. "He gave me this, too. It has pictures of you and my other parents."

I took it and flipped through a few of the pages, smiling softly as I stopped on a certain picture. It was of me, in a rare act of childishness for being sixteen, having jumped onto James' back while drenched in water. He and Sirius had thrown me into the water from the dock, and I decided to get them back by either jumping on them or hugging them while still drenched. Closing the album, I handed it back to Hadrian.

"That was kind of him. Hagrid is a big softy, honestly. If he invites you to tea, go unless there is something else you need to do."

"Okay, mom."

"How did your meeting go?" Oyaji asked.

I hummed and then told them all about my talk with Severus. Sirius wasn't happy to hear about it, but I ignored him for now.

"So I'll have to worry about this guy too?" Hadrian asked. "How did he survive that night?"

I frowned. That I didn't know.

"It had to have been some kind of dark magic," Sirius stated. "My family's library should have something. The books there contain some of the most vile acts one can commit."

"I'd say more along the lines of black magic, Siri." I looked at him and bit my lip. "The only things that come to mind fall under soul magic."

"Bloody hell..." He stood up and started pacing. "If that's the case, I might know the book to start with. My mother kept it locked away. Even she feared to delve too deep into its pages."

"I'm sorry, but can you explain more, yoi?" Marco asked.

I looked between Sirius and Remus, the three of us all looking a bit pale at the thought.

"Soul magic is a branch of black magic that is forbidden just about everywhere," Remus started. "Most of the rituals result in either death or your soul being torn apart. Doing that to yourself is the worst sin aside from breaking a soulbond."

Gasps filled the room at that. The fact that a soulmate bond could be broken was unheard of in our own world.

"Why would...just...why?" Izou cried out, clutching onto Thatch's arm.

"Power, blood purity." Siri paused and leaned back against the wall by the floo. "It doesn't happen anymore, really. Very few books speak of how to do it, and most of those are illegal to have. Besides, arranged marriages can supersede the bond if done right."

"Yes, though those contracts can be broken by the same bond if the family heads agree to it," I added.

Everyone was silent for a moment before Ace decided to speak up.

"Would the old man try that with Ri?"

I let out a slight growl as my magic spiked, my inner fox clawing to get out. "If he did, I'll kill him. As the current head of House Potter, any marriage contracts should go through me, but I've been gone for years. He has enough sway to be put as my proxy even though I never appointed him. I'll check when I go to Gringots tomorrow."

Marco's hand on my thigh calmed me slightly, though I was still fuming.

If Albus tried to enact a marriage contract with Hadrian, I was not going to hold back. He would face my wrath to its fullest. Along with whoever else signed the damn thing. The Potters were a family that believed the soulmate bond was absolute. Contracted marriages were frowned upon unless necessary. And even then, we preferred to marry for love and not money or power.

"Until then, we should all get some rest," Oyaji said.

We all nodded and dispersed to our own rooms. It was going to be a busy day tomorrow.

Marco pulled me along to our room and, after shutting and locking the door, had me sit down in the center of the bed. He settled down behind me, his legs stretched out on either side of my own. The feel of his hands rubbing my shoulders pulled a sigh from my lips.

"We'll figure everything out, yoi," he said softly. "Let me help you carry your worries, pretty bird."

"I'm scared, Marco." My voice was barely above a whisper as I leaned back into his chest. "I'm scared that I won't be able to protect our children from Albus. I'm scared that something will happen during this tournament. We don't even know what the tasks are going to be, and I doubt that Albus will tell me if I asked."

He hummed and started to run his hands up and down my sides. "It's okay to be scared, Lizzie." He leaned his head down and nuzzled his nose into my hair. "I'll be right at your side the whole way. You're not doing this alone."

I pulled away from him enough to be able to turn around in his arms, placing my hands on his cheeks. "What did I ever do to deserve you?" I asked with a small smile, placing my forehead against his as I looked into his teal eyes.

"That's my line, yoi," he teased with a lazy smirk. "Now, let's get ready for bed. My pretty bird has a long day tomorrow and needs her sleep."

I let out a laugh and got up, summoning a nightgown. "Is pretty bird your new nickname for me, love? I'm pretty sure fox is a better fit."

He chuckled and I felt him pull me back into his chest before I could pull the clothing over my head. "Ah, but you sing like a beautiful bird when we are alone, my lovely wife, yoi."

I couldn't help it, I let out a girlish giggle. It seemed like we wouldn't be going to bed just yet.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: Gah! I love the way these two just click! I had to add an alone time scene since we don't have a lot of them at the moment. Let me know what y'all think! And thank you to all y'all lovely readers! You give me the motivation to continue to write!

~Em