Disclaimer: No money is made of this, that's why I am poor.

Warnings: This story will have slash

Beta: Angelhitomie and Miss888

I have two more chapters written and plan on updating once a week, that should give me the time to write a couple more chapters, I hope.

There is just some corrections in this one, since I got a second beta. Chapter 2 should be up in a few days.

If Malfoy did not show up within the next five minutes, Harry would go and find the ferret so he could make a repeat of fake-Moody's stunt back in their fourth year.

Teddy's fussing drew the wizard's attention away from the thoughts of sweet revenge to the small child in his arms. His godson easily succumbed back to sleep with a few strokes on his back and a hummed nursery song, making Harry breath out in relief. While Teddy was normally obedient and easily entertained, he was still a child. There was no way a four-year-old would be able to grasp the seriousness of their situation.

Cradling Teddy's covered body to his own form, Harry stepped forth from their hiding place, a small alleyway between two run-down looking shops, to take a quick look up and down the alley. At late evening Knockturn Alley was just as filled with people as Diagon Alley was on a normal day. It made it easier for him to hide but the same could be said for their pursuers. As two hags passed by too close for his liking, even if the Invisibility Cloak covered them both completely, Harry pulled back. Despite Voldemort's fall back when Harry was seventeen, there were still plenty of shady looking people walking around freely.

And right now Teddy's survival depended on the arrival of one of those shady types.

Harry's only free hand found his wand and was out of his pocket the moment a second party entered the alleyway. "Bloody Potter, where are you? Debt or no debt, I'm not going to stand here and talk to thin air like some Gryffindork idiot." It was impressive how good at imitating an aggravated snake Malfoy was. Instead of voicing his thought, Harry used the opportunity to sneak up on the blond.

"I would appreciate it if you didn't use that kind of language in front of my godson, Malfoy." Harry commented casually, making sure to poke Malfoy hard enough in the ribs with his wand to let Malfoy know that he was armed. And should Malfoy manage to take his wand, Harry had far more destructive means to defend them with.

Despite his negative train of thoughts Harry still smiled wryly when Malfoy jumped in surprise. "Bloo-Potter is that you?" Malfoy's eyes were focussing too much to the left to be actually looking at him. Considering that Harry had given him nothing to go by than his wand and the sound of his voice, he would say that the ferret had done it pretty well.

It didn't mean that he would let Malfoy know that. "No, I'm the Easter Bunny." The joke fell to the ground at Malfoy's complete lack of understanding what Harry had said. Sighing, Harry knew he was better off not trying to explain it. "Yes, I'm here and so is Teddy. Can we get on with this?" He was tired and afraid, and tired of being afraid. But he could not allow himself to relax before Teddy was safe.

"How stupid are you, Potter? This is not something you do in the open." Malfoy half whispered as he kept glancing back at the street. So far no one had taken notice of the seemingly lone wizard, but Harry would not count on that lasting for long.

They left the alleyway, Harry walking as close to Malfoy as possible without actually stepping on the other. With other people around them, some of them not even human, Harry kept quiet. Instead he watched Malfoy.

The years had been good to Malfoy, Harry noticed with a hint of jealousy. Just by watching the other wizard it was impossible to tell that the other had spent three months in Azkaban while waiting for his trial. Of course, it had nothing on the twelve years Sirius had spent in that place, plus no dementors to guard the place, and plenty of time to heal afterwards also played a big role. His school rival was broader and he had grown a little taller, if he grew his hair out, he would end up looking like Malfoy Sr.

"Merlin, you stink Potter. When was the last time you bathed? Or did you roll in the trash while waiting for me?" They entered a creepy looking inn. Despite the windows being clean, none of the remaining light from the outside could slip in, leaving plenty of shadowy corners for customers to hide in. The bartender behind the counter grinned at Malfoy, showing of two rows of too white fangs.

Harry turned away from the man and followed Malfoy up some creaking stairs. "Bathing facilities aren't exactly easy to use when you are on the run." He grumbled. It would have been easier if they could have disappeared into the Muggle world. But with Teddy's lack of control over his metamorphus abilities it was a risk Harry was not willing to take. But the way Malfoy stepped away when they reached the top of the stairs was unnecessary in Harry's opinion.

"In here." Harry stepped in first, every instinct from his Auror training telling him it was one of the worst beginner mistakes he could make. Usually he would suspect Malfoy of leading him into a possible ambush.

But this one time Harry knew he could trust Malfoy not to lead him into a trap.

It must be a sign of how wrong things had gone when he had to go to Malfoy for help.

The room was rather bare, which he supposed was to expect from this kind of place. There was a table with a few chairs and up against the faraway wall stood a bulky thing covered by a white sheet. Most important of it all, there were no other people in the room, strengthening Harry's belief that he had done right in contacting Malfoy.

As soon as the door closed, Malfoy breezed past them, taking a seat while gesturing for Harry to do the same. Hesitant, because those wooden chairs didn't look like they could take his and Teddy's combined weight Harry sat down opposite of Malfoy.

"Do you have what I asked for?" Now that they were out of the open, Harry shrugged the cloak off, it was a little awkward but he managed to do so without disturbing Teddy's rest. It had taken ages to get the boy to sleep and Harry preferred it, if he stayed like this until it was all over with.

"Bloody Hell, Potter!" Malfoy's exclamation had Harry halfway out of the chair and the wand ready before realising that Malfoy was staring at him and not at someone behind him. Rather confused and slightly uncomfortable he sat down, cradling Teddy's head with black and red locks like his own, closer to his chest.

Knowing that the changes in his hair colour drew attention, Harry allowed Malfoy to stare for a few seconds before clearing his throat. "So, do you have the papers?" He intriguingly watching as Malfoy produced a stack of parchments from an inner pocket of his outdoor robe, not quite meeting his gaze as he pushed them across the table. Harry supposed it had something to do with his lack of glasses. The change had started a little over three weeks after Voldemort's defeat and had continued until he no longer needed his glasses. People had commented how uncomfortable the changes made them, but for Harry it had been a great benefit when he no longer had to worry about losing his glasses when dueling.

And Ginny had been happy with the loss of the dorky glasses, which had also been an added bonus for him.

"It's all there. Your new names are Hadrian and Teddy Grey, a small, extinct Pureblood family. They were known for being neutral when members of it were still around. No one should question your appearance since it was a very private and isolated family. It leaves you plenty of room to weave your own back-story, as long as you remember the details I have provided you with." Even if they both knew that Malfoy was doing this because he had to, the blond made it sound like Harry should get down on his knees and thank him.

"You've been homeschooled. Enough Purebloods do this so you will not get any raised eyebrows. Your O. and N.E.W.T scores are the same and like all the other documents they have been goblin forged, so there will be no mistake to find."

"I found one, or several actually." Harry looked up from the birth certificate he had been looking through while Malfoy spoke.

"Where?" The parchments were snatched from his hands and shuffled through. "What are you talking about? Everything is exactly as I ordered them. With how much they've cost they can be nothing short of perfect."

Rolling his eyes Harry grabbed the papers back, careful not to jostle Teddy too much. "The dates are all wrong. I don't think that anyone will believe that I'm forty-nine years old." Apparently he couldn't trust Malfoy, he would probably have better luck dealing with the goblins personally, despite the whole dragon incident.

Malfoy's lips pulled into a thin line, reminding Harry a bit too much of their deceased Potions master. "Honestly, Potter. You called in the Life debt I owe you, don't you think I would make sure that everything goes according to the plan?" Though confused how all the wrong dates fitted in, Harry still nodded. After all, he had done the same when Mrs Malfoy had called in his debt to her to ensure that her son would not end locked up in Azkaban like Lucius Malfoy had been. "You are a bigger idiot than I thought if you think you can hide anywhere on this planet. You are the people's big hero, their Saviour, the Man-Who-Conquered." Draco listed of some of the more popular names from the Daily Prophet. "They will find you before a week is over, two if you ditch the child."

"I can't leave Teddy! Do you have any idea of what they will do if those people get their hands on him?!" He had seen pictures of those so-called camps; they were hardly fit to house living beings. It shouldn't surprise him that no one was protesting, according to the Wizarding world, werewolves weren't exactly human-beings.

Not even those whom had known Teddy since he was a baby had spoken up. Not even Ron who had babysat Teddy under a full moon. Granted, his friend had ended up with a few chewmarks, he really should have known better than to have eaten bacon before coming near Teddy, but he hadn't endured bodily harm or been turned. And Harry hadn't been able to contact Hermione since she had holed herself up in the Department of Mysteries before it all started.

And of course no one was listening to him after the fire. They thought he had gone mad with grief after losing Ginny and the child. He probably would have if not because he had to be there for Teddy.

"Hawwy, hot." Big green eyes blinked drowsily up at him. The four-year-old rubbed his eyes, his hair turned blond as he looked around. "Who's that?"

Malfoy looked decidedly uncomfortable when he realised that Teddy was awake but when the child looked up at him, Harry was surprised to see the blond smiling. "Greetings, Teddy Lupin, I am Lord Draco Malfoy."

When Teddy positively lit up upon hearing Malfoy's name, Harry felt the urge to bang his head against something hard. "Uncle Won told me about you, you'we the Gweat Bouncing Fewwet!"

Malfoy also looked like he wanted to bash someone's head in, probably Ron's for telling the tale. But surprisingly, Malfoy still managed to keep smiling though it was starting to look a little strained. "But we are also cousins, of sort. My mother and your grandmother were sisters." Watching Malfoy interacting with Teddy was like stepping into a parallel universe. Where was the haughty Pureblood snob he had had to deal with back at Hogwarts?

"Gwan Andy is dead, Ginny and the baby too." Harry closed his eyes briefly, swallowing. Both of them had lost so much in the span of a few hours, and Harry doubted that the pain inside him would lessen.

The grief he saw mirroring in Malfoy's expression was surprising, but it seemed no less real than what he felt. Most of their little family had been ripped away and thought it made some things easier, he hated the fact that his godson had learned what death meant this early in his life.

Teddy shrugged, clearly not all that impressed by the relation to the villain in many of his Uncle Ron's stories. Sometimes Harry wished he could accept things with a child's ease.

"Then what do you suggest?" Harry tried to sound unconcerned with Teddy being awake and aware; he could not allow his emotions to get the better of him. Teddy had already noticed the rising temperature; Harry wouldn't allow him to become more aggravated than he already was.

Smirking Malfoy stood and sauntered over to the covered object. "I am glad that you asked. When there is nowhere on this planet you can hide, why not leave it?"

"Last time I checked, none of our brooms can go to the moon." Harry drawled. Perhaps Malfoy had lost his marbles; Ron would probably say that he had never had any to begin with.

"No matter what those Muggles claim no one can go to the moon, you can't breathe the air that high up." Harry refrained from trying to explain it to Malfoy. This was something Hermione would be better at. "No, if there is no place on this Earth to hide on, you find another one." In one sweeping motion Malfoy pulled off the cloth, revealing the object he had hidden under it.

Harry felt like this was a cruel joke as he found himself staring at the Mirror of Erised, he had thought the mirror stayed in the chamber where he had met Voldemort at eleven, how had Malfoy gotten it from there? But it looked too much like the Mirror of Erised to be a fake, despite the strange symbols Malfoy had pained on the mirror's surface that looked suspiciously like blood.

"You're serious?" Harry's mind was reeling at the many possibilities Malfoy's words offered. If they went to another world, they might not have to hide away as fugitives. Teddy could have a normal childhood, no worries about the press or Death Eaters on the run. No more trouble because they weren't exactly normally like everyone else.

It sounded too good to be true.

"What's the catch?" Harry shifted his hold on Teddy slightly. With the way his godson woke up crying last night, it wasn't hard to figure out what Teddy's greatest wish was.

"Well, it is not so much an alternative universe as it is the past I'll be sending you to." Harry's breath was caught in his throat. If Malfoy spoke the truth, this opened a whole new range of possibilities. He could stop the murder of Andromeda, Ginny and their child; perhaps even stop Sirius from falling through the Veil. Hell, if he went far enough back he could even stop Voldemort from killing his parents.

The possibilities seemed endless and so unlikely to what Hermione had told him about Time Turners. "If it is possible, then why haven't others done it before?" Unlike with the Time Turners, there was no Ministry control to stop people from going back as they pleased.

"Because, Potter, this is a one way ticket. You can go to the past but you can not ever go back to this time. While it indeed is the past, all this has already happened. Just by travelling back you create an alternative future for you to live in." Harry had to close his eyes again for a brief moment, feeling overwhelmed.

So even if he went back in time and saved everyone, it wouldn't be his beloved ones he saved. Would it really be worth it?

His gaze found Teddy. Other than when he awoke, Teddy had been keeping quiet, somehow understanding the seriousness of the situation.

It would definitely be worth it if he could keep Teddy safe. "How are we going to do this?" he asked.

Tenseness he hadn't noticed before bled out of Malfoy's body. "I've already prepared most of it. All I need is for you to stand in front of the mirror while I lay the finishing touch." Doing as he was told, Harry made sure that Teddy's face was turned towards the opposite wall. His chin resting on Harry's shoulder. This was not something he wanted his godson to see.

Most of the mirror's surface was painted with red squiggles that looked rather like blood. But behind the symbols Harry could see an image start to take form. It was the same as the one in his first year with his parents and the rest of his family standing right behind him. His image was also holding Teddy, but in there the child was smiling and waving at him. Next to his image a living Ginny was standing, in front of an equally alive Andromeda. She was smiling, laughing and her throat was unslashed and her eyes were not empty. In her arms his wife held a small bundle with black hair.

Harry guessed it was the child she would have given birth to if she had been alive.

Through the tears gathering in his eyes, Harry was aware of Malfoy standing next to the mirror. The blond lifted something high above his head and only when he swung it against the mirror did Harry realise that it was a hammer.

When the mirror broke the glass didn't fall to the ground as Harry had expected. Those pieces with symbols on them glowed and surged forward towards them. Realising the danger they were in, Harry curled himself around Teddy. He could heal from the damage to him, and Harry refused to let any harm befall his godson.

But Harry never felt the piercing pain of the glass pieces. The light grew to the point where Harry had to close his eyes if he did not want to risk getting blinded.

He stood like that for a long while before realising that it had grown silent around him, he could not even hear Malfoy moving around any longer. Cracking his eyes open, Harry realised that the light was gone, and so was the mirror and Malfoy. The room looked the same with its table and chairs, but slightly newer, also there was no one else in there with them.

Straightening up, Harry nearly stumbled over his own two feet to get to the door. "Hawwy, where did Dwaco go?" Teddy seemed completely unaffected by all that had happened. That brought a smile to Harry's lips.

"He had something he needed to do and left as fast as he could."

Harry could feel Teddy scrunch his nose through his robes. "That's not po-pu, that's not nice."

Harry merely hummed in reply, of course Teddy would complain about lack of manners. They were out in the hallway now, also empty for people. It was darker here than it had been in the room, but he had written it off as an effect of the loss of light. It made Harry wonder how far back they had travelled, Malfoy had never gotten around to explain that part.

Reaching downstairs, Harry momentarily froze at the last step. When they had been heading upstairs there had barely been any people inside. Now there was someone at every table and the level of noise made it impossible to follow the ongoing conversations. There had to be some good spellwork in the work because none of this noise had reached him before he had come this far. But no one was paying attention to them, and for that Harry was thankful. Not only could he not explain what they had been doing upstairs when he hadn't yet, wouldn't, whatever he was supposed to call it, walked up there in the first place, but most of those people didn't even look human, or friendly.

Making sure that he had a good hold on Teddy, Harry walked to the front door, trying to look like he had every right to be there.

He passed the counter and nearly paused in his steps when he recognised the guy behind it. It was the same one that had grinned at Draco when they had come in and he didn't look a day younger. There was a chance that this man was the other guy's father, but they looked too alike to not be the same person.

The bartender looked at them, causing Harry's breath to get caught in his throat, before the man's gaze went away, proving that Harry was being paranoid and mistaking a bored man for an attempt to single them out.

It was still a good enough reason for Harry to get moving.

The street was just as crowded with people as the inn had been. Harry pulled both of their hoods up and made sure that both his wand and Invisibility Cloak were secure. Then he turned right and made his way up Knockturn Alley and towards Diagon Alley.

This late far more of the Wizarding World's lowlife were out, and Harry had to stop himself from reacting when a few accidentally bumped into him. No matter what, he would not attract unwanted attention.

They were close to Diagon Alley when Harry was grabbed by the arm and thrown into a side-alley not unlikely the one they had been hiding in when waiting for Malfoy to show up. "Hawwy!" At his godson's distressed call, Harry made sure that Teddy was still well covered, while not taking his eyes off the two whom had pulled them in there in the first place.

"Can I help you two with something?" It was too dark for him to see anything but the duo's outlines, but judging from the strength he had been moved with, Harry would say that they were not humans.

"That boy isn't human. Give him to us and we shall deal with it." The one to his left chuckled at his companion's words and Harry felt his hackles rise.

Glowering at the female who had spoken, Harry bared his teeth. Though they were close to Diagon Alley, Harry knew that he could expect no help from there. No respectable wizard or witch would go in here unless they had a good reason, or weren't really respectable.

In Harry's opinion, it might actually be for the best if the so-called help stayed away.

"How likely is it that you would just let us go?" Harry asked, tensing when the male moved closer but still wasn't within reach.

"Not likely kiddo. That kid stinks!" The male hissed, making Teddy stiffen against him.

Well aware that he was being watched, Harry ran a hand through Teddy's locks. The male's answer had helped him narrow down the possibilities. As far as he was aware, vampires were the only ones who thought that werewolves stank. "Hey, how about we play a game?" He asked Teddy, smiling when his godson nodded against his shoulder. "Great, then hide and seek it is. Close your eyes and cover your ears. After you have counted to ten slowly, you may come and find me."

When Teddy moved his hands the child accidentally knocked off his own hood, revealing his still platinum blond hair. Harry instantly promised himself that he would find a way to stop Teddy from having blond hair again. Not that those two would be able to tell anyone once he was done with them. But to see a combination of his and Malfoy's features was simply unsettling.

"How cute, you think making this a game will make his death easier." The woman cooed, not having moved from her original spot.

Aware that he had a short time limit to work with Harry smiled at a spot between the two shadowy figures. "Why don't you find out how easy death will come?" Harry asked, managing to sound far calmer than he actually felt.

It was terrifying to stand his ground when the two vampires hissed and jumped at them. Merlin, he hoped that this would work, otherwise the two of them were dammed.

Hunching protectively over his godson, Harry flung out his arm, letting go of the heat he had felt building up under his skin and watched as bright flames consumed the small sidewalk.

It was over so fast that the two vampires didn't even have time to scream at the sudden pain they were no doubt experiencing.

Still hunched over Teddy, Harry went through the flames. This was much bigger than he had intended to and would no doubt draw attention from several unwanted eyes.

They had gotten into Diagon Alley when Teddy reached ten. "Hawwy, I found you!" Bright green eyes shone up at him, thankfully none of the flames had gotten the chance to as much as touch Teddy, and Teddy's hair bled into Harry's mix of black and red.

"That you did, pup." Harry laughed as he pulled Teddy's hood up, hiding Teddy's abilities from possible watchful eyes, his eyes darting around to assure himself that they were not being observed and followed. It was so easy to forget all the things wrong when he had Teddy around, but Harry knew that he could not allow himself to be careless. "Now, how about we find somewhere to stay for the night?" Tomorrow he would figure out where to start. There was a lot of things that needed to be done. He had enough money to keep them going for a while, but he needed to find out what they would do after that.

Tapping the stones that made the barrier upon for them, Harry stepped through the opening, listening to Teddy babble on.

The inside of the Leaky Cauldron was just as it would be in the future. Harry knew that it was a Wizarding thing. With long lives and the belief that things worked perfectly as they were, no one hardly saw a reason to change how things were around them.

But that stubbornness worked well for Harry. With a few changes, he would be less likely to make blunders, as long as he stayed away from politics and Muggles.

Mustering up a smile, Harry headed straight for the counter where a still young and alive Tom stood behind, though the goatee he had growing made Harry take a second look before he was sure that it indeed was Tom. "Good evening lads. I don't believe I've seen the two of you around here before." Tom put down the glass he had been polishing, and Harry realising that he was expecting an answer to the unspoken question he had not really asked.

"Harry Grey, and this is Teddy." His godson peeked at Tom before burrowing his face back into Harry's shoulder, the hair turning bright pink as if needing to tell the whole world that he was shy. With all that had happened, Harry was thankful that Teddy wasn't screaming bloody murder.

Belatedly Harry realised that he had forgotten to use the first name Malfoy had provided him with. Inwardly shrugging, Harry decided that it couldn't be all that different from when Ron usually presented himself with the shortened version of Ronald.

Or, he would do, once he had been born, learned to speak and all that.

"Will the mother be joining you later?" Tom asked, breaking through Harry's thoughts before he could mull more over the fact that his two best friends had yet to be born.

"My wife died recently." Harry answered bluntly. Ginny had been like a mother to Teddy, he would just let Tom make his own assumption from that statement. Rumours would no doubt spread, after all these people liked nothing more than tragic gossip. But few would question what he was doing with a young child if they knew he had been widowed.

Tom looked like he greatly regretted opening his mouth. "My condolences Mr Grey. A room for two, or do you prefer a single bed?"

With how Teddy clung to him, Harry knew the answer to that, besides they hadn't slept separately since leaving their home. "A single bed will be best." He gestured to Teddy with his free hand, still warm from the flames inside him that longed to be set free again.

"Of course, you can have room 17, it will be one Sickle and seven Knuts." Harry didn't protest as he exchanged the coins for a key. Either the rooms were a lot cheaper than they would be in the future, or Tom felt bad about bringing up Ginny's death in front of what he thought to be their child.

"Thank you and goodnight."

Walking up the wooden staircase, Harry found room seventeen at the very end, meaning they would hardly be disturbed by other people's coming and going.

The inside of the room was just as pleasant as Harry remembered it to be. A crackling fire made Harry stay far away from the grate. He might be able to produce fire on his own, but it also meant that he was well aware of how dangerous it could be. What he had done tonight was only a small show of what he was capable of doing.

Harry shed them both of their robes and placed his wand and Invisibility Cloak on the bedside-table within reach of the comfortable bed. "Okay, pup, it's sleepy time." He singsonged, pausing when he found Teddy pouting at him rather than giggling like he normally did when Harry used that voice.

"But Hawwy, I just napped!" The child protested, his hair turning brown.

Harry ran a hand over his face. Of course, he had almost forgotten that Teddy had slept through a good part of their trip to Knockturn Alley. Just because of the time difference, he wouldn't be able to make Teddy go to sleep for the next few hours.

Sitting down at the edge of the bed Harry smiled at Teddy. "Then how about we play a few more games?" Harry knew that he would be tired come tomorrow, but when Teddy's hair turned from brown to an electrical blue, Harry knew that he had made the right choice.

The loss of a night's sleep was worth it if it meant Teddy would be happy.

)00(

Elementals: individuals able to control one of the four elements. Because of this power they were hunted, either to be killed or used. They had been declared extinct since the last one died back in 1581 where a-

Voldemort placed the book aside, deciding that it was an absolutely waste of his time. If Elementals were extinct, he was better of learning more about one of the other races he planned to court for his cause such as the vampires. He wanted more than the few dregs he had managed to pick up, but so far the leader of the vampires had refused his every attempt on arranging a meeting between them.

But to have some Elementals, or just a single one, within his ranks! He had read that the Dark Lord before Grindelwald had had one among his ranks, an Air Elemental if he remembered correctly. But the fool had gotten overconfident, ending up getting his Elemental killed and thus losing the war.

Personally, Voldemort could not see himself committing such a grave mistake. He wanted an Elemental, but he would never rely solely on one other person. Elementals were humans, and therefore prone to make mistakes like everyone else.

But all the things he could do with just one of those by his side!

"My Lord, the vampire, Wanda Melton, seeks your audience." Theodore Nott, like all first born sons in the Nott line were named, stood in the doorway to the library. Just out of Hogwarts he had taken the young man into his ranks after his father had been felled in a raid. So far the young Pureblood had done nothing to make him regret that decision.

"Show her inside, Theodore." Already before he had finished speaking, Wanda was next to Nott. She was one of the few stray vampires he had managed to court to his cause. Being bitten, and not even by a born vampire, she and her brother were considered lowlifes among vampires, also because they made no attempt to control their bloodlust, making both her and her brother unpredictable and dangerous.

Speaking of her brother, Voldemort was sure that this was the first time he saw one without the other.

His interest peaked, Voldemort took his sweet time simply looking at the woman, and Theodore had already left, sensing his Lord's silent dismissal.

"What has happened to you, Miss Melton?" He asked, gesturing for her to step closer, it was polite and at the same time it gave him a chance to look at her.

The vampire was one of those women who could turn a man's head as she walked past them, and she knew that. Tonight Voldemort saw nothing of that beauty. Her dress had burnt marks and holes, part of her long red hair looked like it had been burnt off. She had smudges of red on her face, no doubt this blood was from some unlucky food source she had sucked dry to kick start the healing of the wounds and burn marks littering her body.

Whoever had done this had to be quite powerful. Short of Fiendfire, Voldemort could think of no spell that would leave those marks on a vampire, and she would not be alive right now if she had been hit by that spell.

How fascinating.

Wanda glided in, trying to look like her old self. When she sat down on the edge of the chair across from his, Voldemort realised that some of the blood were tracks of the vampire's tears. "Clemens is dead." It took him a moment to recall who Clemens was, but it explained why the brother was not lurking around in the shadows.

"Explain what happened." He demanded, paying the vampire his full attention. Had they run into some of Albus' supporters? The Order of the Phoenix was giving him enough trouble as it were; he did not need them to kill his followers on sight. It could also have been someone from the Ministry, in that case he would have Abraxas tighten his hold. Several of the Heads of Departments only had their positions thanks to donations from the head of the Malfoy family, they would hardly want his support to end.

The way Wanda squirmed in her seat and avoided his gaze caught his attention. "Tell me." It was rare that he had to demand something twice, and it never happened a third time.

"Me and Clemens were out looking for some fun when we caught this horrid smell." The grimace she made did her features no favour. "Anyway, it was just a little one, no pack around to look after it." At this Voldemort got an apprehensive feeling. He had specifically told his followers to stay away from any werewolves that crossed their parts until he had finished the negotiating with the alphas. Of course he knew that werewolves and vampires did not mix well, but he had hoped that the siblings would show some self-restraint for once.

"He was carried by some cloaked, green eyed freak. But at that time we thought he was just another wizard stupid enough to take a stroll down Knockturn Alley after the dark. It wasn't even him we wanted, but the child." She said, clearly not understanding why anyone might have a problem with that. Then again, Wanda had been turned before she could have a child, so she would never understand a parent's need to protect a child.

"He acted unusual for a mortal. There was no crying, begging for his life or screaming. Instead he told that child of his that they would be playing a game. So when the kid was counting, we struck, and he killed Clemens in one move. If I had been any closer, I would have been struck with the full force of those flames. As soon as I had confirmed Clemens was dead and had fed, I came here, m'lord." She looked at him through her eyelashes, waiting for him to praise her for bringing him the news directly, and promise her revenge for her brother's death, no doubt.

Voldemort folded his hands in his lap, watching her calmly. "This man, what kind of spell did he use?" This might be the solution to his little vampire problem. If he could learn the spell it would grant him a meeting with the vampire's king, and at that point he would be able to talk his way to what he wanted.

"There was no spell, he just moved his arm and flames sprung out from it, consuming Clemens and setting the whole place on fire. Then he proceeded to walk right through it as if he could not feel the heat." Listening to her explanation, Voldemort found his eyes wandering to the book he had just disregarded. It seemed like a strange coincidence that he would read about Elementals, only to be informed about a man who could apparently create fire out of nothing.

He had never been a believer of coincidences, but perhaps the book was mistaken about the status of the Elementals. It made sense for them to go into hiding to avoid being persecuted and used for other's amusement.

And for one to show up right underneath his nose. "Do you have anything that can lead me to him?" A frown formed on his face when Wanda squirmed under his gaze.

"Well, he was wearing a cloak the whole time. But he was a tad on the short side and slender, I think. And, just when he started throwing fire his eyes glowed really creepy green, like that death spell of yours. The child had blond hair, and eyes like him, but they didn't glow and he stunk." She scrunched up her nose at the memory.

Voldemort leaned back in the chair. This gave him basically nothing to work with. Anyone could fit the description of the man, although the glowing eyes were uncommon it could be caused by a spell. No, if he wanted to locate this possible Elemental, he would have to find the child. Not many had that combination of hair and eye colour. And if he was a werewolf if lessened the possibilities even further.

Already planning how he could limit the search, Voldemort turned his attention to the vampire seated in front of him. Something needed to be done with her, after losing her brother, Wanda would be out for blood, he would not risk her upsetting a potential ally. "I will deal with this personally." Voldemort watched her turn gleeful, bored at how easy she fell for his words. After all, he had said nothing about how he intended to deal with this. "Meanwhile, I have an important task for you."

"Anything for you M'lord. Just say the word and it'll be done-"

Voldemort held up a hand, halting her stream of words. "I want you to create contact with other vampires. Get so deep into their community as possible and bring me as much information about them as you can. The closer you come to their king, the bigger your reward will be." His words set her eyes alight. Standing and curtsying deeply, she was out of the room faster than the eye could follow.

"My Lord, is it a wise decision?" From between the bookshelves Abraxas stepped forth, the Pureblood lord carrying a few books he had set out to find. "She will most likely mess up all your efforts."

Voldemort waved Abraxas' worries away while gesturing for Abraxas to take the seat the vampire had just vacated. "Nothing that cannot be salivated." At worst she would be discovered as a spy and then he would not have to worry about killing her himself. "What do you think of what she told?" It never hurt to get a second opinion, and the Malfoy was nothing if not a realist.

"It must have been something powerful to kill a vampire so easily, unless she was lying about the whole thing. Perhaps she killed her own brother and simply did not want to take the blame for it." Unlikely, given how much the siblings had depended on each other.

"And if she was speaking the truth?"

Abraxas was quiet for a while, considering the question. "It reminds me of a tale my mother used to tell me before bedtime. About people with the power over the elements. But they are said to be extinct." So, he was not the only one to reach that conclusion. It might be worth looking into. He would hate for Dumbledore, or anyone else, to take the Elemental because he dismissed it as a simple rumour.

"How is young Lucius doing?" He asked, knowing that the change of subject was far from subtle.

"He finishes his last exam in five days, but believes that he has done well. I believe we will see once I receive his grades. If he has done well, I have promised him a broom of his own choice. That ought to motivate him to do well." Abraxas spoke with no less than pride as he spoke of his son and only child. "However, that boy he enjoys hanging out with has been sent home by the Headmaster. Apparently, his blood traitor of a mother has died, so he is home with his father to have peace to grieve."

Eileen Prince, if he remembered correctly. She had been in the same house as them in Hogwarts, but a few years above. She had been disowned, despite being an only child, the moment she had announced her intention to marry a Muggle. "The boy has inherited his mother's skills in Potions, yes?" At Abraxas' nod, Voldemort smirked. "Encourage Lucius to deepen his connection to the boy at the next opportunity. It would be truly tragic to see such a talent waste away."

Knowing that his command would be followed, Voldemort decided that the conversation was over. Voldemort picked the disregarded book up and started reading it from the beginning. If there really was an Elemental out there, he would be fully prepared for it.

Either it would become his, or he would personally ensure that it never got the chance to oppose him.

I hope you enjoyed it, and hopefully I will see you next week