Armor of Truth

Chapter 3 – Bonds, Dragons and Veelas! Oh My!

Disclaimer: See first chapter

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:: Severus::

The night of the storm, something in my chest eased. It was if something had shattered, easing a tension inside of myself that I was quite unaware of. Even as I begin to question this feeling of freedom I feel a constricting pressure around my arm. I bare my right arm to see my dark mark. Now that is a testament to my youthful stupidity. No I look further up my arm near the elbow where another mark has fully appeared. What was once just a trace outline is now a full blown coat of arms. The Malfoy family crest in now prominent tattoo filled with vibrant colors and detail. For the first time in a ling time, I look upon my arm with something other than scorn or hate.

I know one thing was to be certain…

The Salazar bedamned heir sword had finally chosen a worth heir to inherit all the titles and lands. Such a person had not been seen in over a thousand years. The Snapes are vassals of the Malfoys, having followed them from the main continent some 700 years ago.

With a sigh of exasperation, I spell my current experimental potion in a timed stasis tube and tidied up my Lab. Merlin willing the Malfoy Lord will not take up too much of my time and actually have more than two brain cells to rub together. With a whirl of my robes, I strode from my lab to my rooms to dress for the occasion. I have already waited a week, using whatever excuses I could to put off the meeting. I had pondered the current males in the Malfoy line and came to a few conclusions. Lucius was not the new Lord nor was his brother. Both had sworn themselves to a half-blood and had become weaker from it. Idiot Dark Lord's and their half-baked plans for world domination. Nor were any of the Blacks. Hmm that just left Draco and one or two of his cousins. Humph I'll see soon enough I suppose.

I turn to my full length mirror and give my reflection a clinical once over. Perfect really. A Snape must look impressive without being garish about it. A Snape must look imposing at all times. A Snape must look blah blah blah. I had no use for that nonsense when my father was trying to beat the knowledge into my brain then I do now.

Nodding to my reflection I turn and grab the portkey, uttering the phrase "La Amour".

Romantic rubbish.

:: Draco::

Here I sit in one of the many gazebos that dot the Malfoy estates, bored out of my bloody mind. I know that I'm being impatient but I don't care. Somewhere out there, my mate awaits me to find them. To love them. To cherish them. I know exactly how Potter feels at this moment. Of course this is only made worse by the inadvertent time traveling that we did at his castle. In real time it may have been only the day after I had given my oath but really it was much longer than that.

Stupid painting which held one smirking all knowing ancestor who would tell me a damned thing!

The painting it's self was a two way door to the gates of Potter Castle. Said castle was much more impressive then Hogwarts. I wonder if we Malfoy's have one like this? After gazing at the castle in awe for a few moments, I walked up to the main doors. They soundlessly swung open at my touch; it seems my ancestor was telling the truth after all. The much lauded Potter castle or he Starlight Palace as it was known some twenty thousand years ago, was living up to the tales I had heard. According to Silvanus, the palace was built upon a natural collection of powerful lay lines called nodes. For some reason the powerful energies that gathered here where manipulated by at least ten schools of magic. Wild magic, nature magic, black arts, holy magic, High Elf magic, wizardry, Wicca, shamanism, blood magic, and Dragon magic. Perhaps more but my dear loving ancestor was unsure about that. Those mostly volatile magic where blended seamlessly together to form this palace. The tall sparkling spires, glass walls, and the magical creatures that happen to guard the place are impressive. The protections are unknown to all but the elder Dragon Lord, who is the somewhere around here somewhere. Only he would know about the wards, protection spells, curses and hexes that are emplace upon the overly, bigger-than-Hogwarts palace. I would have spent more time looking around but I was being pulled to my new Lord. A Malfoy always answers the summons of their lord and master… Not that I consider Potter my master in much.

Eventually I reached me goal. A glad located in the center of the dense forest on the far side of the bloody castle! Potter had better appreciate what I'm doing for him! These shoes are expensive!

Walking into the glade, I see my quarry. He seems distracted by something on the ground. With quick and not to mention quiet steps, I made my way towards him intending to give scarhead a small fright when, a blinding flash of light swept passed us. I hear Potter exclaim, he looks up at me with astonishment then down as the whole area lights up. Certain trees began to glow and symbols on the ground lit up. The shinning light formed a barrier, riddled with strange signals, form around and over the glade very quickly. The outside world vanished from my astonished gaze. My eyes met Harry's.

He just blinks at me, his own surprise clearly showing on his face. "Well! So that's what the inscription ment!"

My gaze became incredulous and one eyebrow started to tic. I put all of my Malfoy self control into NOT growling at my new Lord.

"What inscription griffendork?" Okay so maybe I need better self control.

::Harry::

I smirked at the irritated blond, knowing full well how much I was trying his patience. I pointed towards one of the stone statues and recited it from memory.

"The First, that's you by the way, shall come to the Lord and together shall become which they are not. Bend thy wills to this new born world for only together can thee break free of its loving shackles."

I've never seen Malfoy so pissed off before and my, what colorful cursing! Who knew Malfoy's could swear like seasoned sailors? Yet thanks to that we both figured out that we where stuck unless we did something about it. We tested the power of the barrier over and over again. There was no way out. We even tried meshing our powers like the inscription said yet that failed spectacularly.

The first year in there was pure hell. We fought with curses and hexes, fist fighting, and words. In that first year alone we nearly killed each other over a dozen times. We also learned the limits of the inhuman parts of ourselves. At least the mating call was turned off while we where in there. In the next three years after that, we taught each other what we knew. Sad to say I found myself lacking in a great many things, but at least I taught Malfoy a few things as well. We agreed to disagree on a lot of subjects. Shit, Malfoy sure new a lot for a spoiled brat.

I still had the few books I borrowed and the animagus book Moony had slipped me. When I had shown him the book during one of our talks he nearly killed me again; then he smacked himself. Malfoy self restraint at it's finest. Then he explained to me that this would help us meet one of the requirements because becoming animagi is becoming what we are not. Even with the book and the helpful notes from the marauders, the actual transformation still took us nearly four years to master. We also learned that we don't age in this damn place. Somehow time has been suspended.

We exchanged life stories. Wow Malfoy knows where I'm coming from and now happily mocks me for it. Heh. We exchanged spell theories, potion theories, and many other theories. During those four grueling years we managed to make a spell through creative spell theory combined with alchemy to bring down the barrier and become animagi at the same time. We're geniuses but only when we're together.

We did the spell, and the barrier finally came down.

It's been a week since that incident, and we spent a week tops in there. I can't wait to get to Hogwarts, my mate is there. Draco's, we're not sure; but I do know one thing! Dumbledore is seriously screwed. Heh heh!

::Albus::

Ahhhh lemon drops, mana of the gods. Muggles invent such interesting things. It's too bad Wizards can invent an equivalent.

Mmmm lemons drops, sweet but bitter at the same time much like a certain Potions Professor I know and manipulate. Now there was one of my sharper students. Nothing much ever gets by one of my Dark Children. Indeed, Severus is one of the sharpest tools I poses. Unlike a certain savior that is equally loved and hated by all.

Admittedly, that was my fault. I probably shouldn't have suppressed Harry's thoughts and powers but I can't have one of my more powerful tools running around thinking his own thoughts and doing whatever he felt like now could I? I know I might have subdued the "power he knows not" but that doesn't matter. When my plans come to fruition, Harry will die taking my failure as well as my Dark Children with him. He'll become a Martyr of course. Then the Wizarding world will finally be where I want it.

Soon I'll be able to right the wrongs committed so long ago by Merlin.

::Alphonse::

Well that was a strange sensation! Somehow I felt a burst of energy come my way. For the first time in centuries I felt something. The blood seal on my armor flared a little. Hey can move a little! Ah man, I'm rusty! I groan at my state wondering why I was like this in the first place. I wonder, what ever happened to the house elves of Hogwarts?

I know the old saying, speak of the devil and one shall appear. I spooked a free house elf. Oops. Now how will I ever get clean?

That house elf puffed away with a crack. I spent some minutes trying to figure out how to call one back when a true ghost appeared before me. I start a little in surprise. No it couldn't be!

"Baron Typhus?"

The Ghost known as the Bloody Baron throughout Hogwarts smiled.

"Alphonse! Your still alive. We had thought you had gone to the next life, my friend."

"I just fell asleep. The next thing I know I'm waking up here all rusty!" I complained, I hate being dirty.

The baron just nodded in understanding, "I see, perhaps it was a spell that put you under. Never the less I shall call a house elf to get you cleaned up. We have much catching up to do my friend."

And talk we did. I missed out on so much! That's when my small epiphany hit me. I'm happy!

I Know something is coming and I want to look my best for it. Why? I can feel the bonds that held me to this world lifting at long last. If I can find a way or somebody to help me and put my body back together I'll be ecstatic. I can feel it.

1000 years have passed. I can finally go home!

TBC