I thought I'd try something else for Harry and Severus it's got a kind of lord of the rings feel to it so lord knows what's going to happen here, set in the repeated 7th year and ignore the last three books. Not too sure as always were the plot bunny is going to lead me. I don't own these characters; if you don't like fluffy slashes then don't read.

Rings of fate.

Part one:

It all began with Draco Malfoy hexing Harry Potter, nothing unusual in that, or so you would think this spell however was far from usual. It was an in fact an old Elvin spell which said as follows. 'Change in to your true self.'

Professor McGonagal and Severus Snape happened across the two men, the Gryffindor was walking away from Draco obviously not intending to fight when the blond cast the spell. It was the dark wizard who spoke Elvin and cried out to late. "Draco no!" The spell however was already cast.

Harry doubled over, crying out loudly pain evident in every line of his body. Quickly Snape went over to the now pail wizard, who was hissing threw his teeth and had one hand against the wall. "What's happening to me?" The emerald eyed wizard asked the Potions master.

"I don't know." He admitted softly.

"God this hurts..." Harry said with a whimper, he lurched forward with a stab of pain. "Ugh!"

Quickly Severus thrust an arm out towards the younger man, without thinking the Gryffindor, grabbed the offered arm, gripping it firmly and panting hard. "It feels like something is trying to claw its way out from inside me! What the heck did he cast on me?"

"The spell is Elvin means, change to your true self." Snape told him quietly.

"My true... uh! Self...But I'm too old to be coming into some kind of inheritance, my birthday was over the summer...so ugh what the heck is this?" Harry asked the pale man between the hisses of pain.

"I don't know Potter, unless of cause, you had an inheritance that was somehow being magical repressed and now thanks to my nit of a godson it has been released."

Mean while the headmistress was giving Draco a lecture on how he should have known better especially since he was Elvin decent himself. (What you honestly thought he was that pretty without being related to the elves somehow?)

Slowly the black haired man stilled, his hand fell from the wall and went to his side and the green eyes closed. A wind rippled down the hallway inky leaves blew along on it, Severus watched the leaves as they seemed to swirl round Harry, the professor knew there had been no leaves or wind a moment ago. The emerald eyed man let go of his arm he stood completely still, the black hair grew longer and longer making a bid for his waist, it styled back each side with two braids forming into one larger one at the back of Harry's head.

The ears of the young man grew longer, pointing up, elf ears Severus realised suddenly. In the centre of his forehead an oval emerald stone appeared, from which wound silver vines in a circlet that arched back on his head. Snape's dark eyes grew wide, an Elvin king, this couldn't be happening, how was Harry an Elvin king? Over one of the younger man's shoulders appeared a bow and quiver of arrows.

The Potions master felt the king place a glamour spell on himself quickly, but the dark man didn't notice what had changed. 'It would appear that it is time. I am of age.' Potter said with a slight laugh to his voice.

'Yes, you are an Elvin king.' Severus confirmed.

The younger man assented his head once. 'Yes you are right I am. My Elvin name is Lordian Darkwood king of the forbidden forest.'

'There where only ever five kings which are you? North, west, south or east?' The Potions master asked dark eyes slightly wide.

'I am the king of the all.' The black eyes went wider.

'How? Of cause your mother. We need to talk about this, come with me.' The dark wizard commanded.

The now long haired wizard raised both brows at the professor but followed him down into the dungeons. When they arrived at Snape's office he whispered the pass word to the painting and the two wizards went inside. Quietly Harry looked around, the rooms, where dark but for some reason to him not imposing, the young elf king followed Severus across to some chairs before the fire and settled elegantly into one. "Do you have English back yet?" The dark wizard asked his quiet companion.

"Yes. Please would you explain this to me? I thought my mother was a muggle."

The pale man's eyes took on a distant look. "It was a secret that Lilly only trusted me with. You see, her mother you're grandmother was a foundling and if I am right was the last of the line of the great Elvin kings."

"What happened to the kings?"

With a deep sigh Severus explained to Harry. "Tom Riddle happened, why do you think the forest is so evil? Years ago when he was young he went on a killing spree to apparently cleanse the forest of its taint, that taint in his eyes was the elves. He killed most of the elves, the rest went into hiding. It was at this time the last great king died and his daughter vanished. The story was that one of the elves had managed to get her out of the forest and into the muggle world."

"How do you know so much about the elves?" Harry asked the Potions master curiously.

"They where my other favourite subject when I was at school here."

"Oh I see. So then what happened?"

"No one actually knows, but this is my guess: The elf that managed to save your grandmother, must have somehow confined her Elvin abilities so she appeared to be a normal muggle child. Then when your mother was born those powers started to come lose, elf magic is hard to repress for long periods."

Harry frowned. "But my mother and grandmother are both dead and that doesn't explain my aunt."

"Actually it does, usually only one child of a muggle elf union will actually inherit the elf magic, in this case your mother and then you. You mother was killed, and Lilies mother died when her husband did, that is not unusual for elves. As for your father, he was from an old magical family, and just like the Malfoy's it wouldn't surprise me that there is Elvin blood somewhere in his tree. The point being that this all came to head in you, now weather you like it or not you are the great Elvin king."

"You mentioned that before...I don't understand." Harry said with a shake of the head.

With a sigh the Potions master stared into the fire as he spoke. "Originally there were four great royal Elvin houses. The ice elves of the north, from which the Malfoy's are descended, then there are fire elves of the east, it wouldn't surprise me to find the Weasleies have some sort of connection to them, they have the fiery hair and temper. To the south is the land of the queens, it has always been ruled by women, the water elves come from there, it is where the Elvin orcial lives and lastly the west, the dark elves live there, but hardly anyone ever sees the dark elves. To stop themselves from going to war the south married a daughter to the a northern prince, the west married a daughter to an eastern prince, then a son and daughter of these unions wed creating the line of the great king. The role of the great king is to keep the peace between the other houses."

The green eyed man let out a deep sigh. "As if my life wasn't strange enough already... So what do I need to know?"

Severus was surprised by both the question and the intense look Harry was giving him. "You're asking me?"

"Yes, you know more that I do and after working with you during the war I know I can trust you not to lead me astray. Tell me what I need to know please." The other man said looking straight into dark eyes of the wizard sitting opposite him.

"Well I have no doubt that the elves will have felt your power come lose, which means they will come to great you." Severus looked up and instantly noticed Harry's confused but interested look. "Basically, they will want to make sure you are well, and to give their allegiance to you."

The green eyed man nodded. "I can understand that, so what will they do?"

They will find you, kneel to you state which house they represent and then you must place a hand to the top of their head and say a few words of thanks. They will also be concerned about your state of marriage, so unless you have a fated..."

"Umm fated?" Harry asked interrupting.

"Yes every so often an elf is born with someone they are meant for. Those that are have matching rings, they are always to be found on the right hand on the middle finger. Each ring is made up of six strands of mettle placed into pairs then braided as a plat, usually these strands are of several colours, but there is one other kind and they are all one colour. These however are very rare, because not only are they fated but soul mates too."

Slowly the black haired wizard sat back in his chair his emerald eyes going distant, he knew he wore such a ring, on the middle finger of his right hand, it was solid silver, the dark wizard noticed both Harry's silence and the thoughtfulness in his eyes. "Do you have such a ring?"

"Yes." The elf king admitted softly.

Instantly Snape froze, the onyx eyes went wide. "Do you know who has the companion ring to your one?"

The air of dejection that suddenly hung over the young man was almost visible. "Yes, I know who he is."

"He?" The head of Slytherin asked shocked.

The Gryffindor flushed slightly, not quite able to believe he was telling these things to Snape of all people, sure they got on better since the war but still...yet somehow, something inside the younger man was telling him that he could trust Severus and Harry decided that he would have faith in that instinct. "Yes, he, I saw him with the ring once about a year ago. I didn't know what it meant then, but I knew it was important."

"Are you going to tell him you have a matching ring to his?"

"I am not sure, we don't exactly get on and I am not sure how he would feel about this." The younger wizard admitted with a sigh.

"How do you mean?" Snape asked curiously.

"He is or was in love with someone else, and it was a she... so..." Harry made an airy hand gesture.

The inky brows of the man opposite him rose. "Oh now I understand. Since he was in love with a woman, and also because you both don't get along, you are unsure how he would take you being his soul mate."

"Yes that is it precisely." The Gryffindor said with a nod.

"It can't be that bad...my guess is that we are talking about Draco Malfoy here..." The dark wizard began but before he got any further the shorter wizard interrupted him. "No, it's not Mr Malfoy."

"I see. Well I am sure whoever this man is he will be honoured to find you as his fated."

The emerald eyed wizard let out a derisive laugh. "Yeah right, more likely he would hex me into next week and then either demand to know what fate was on that day... something I find myself wondering right now or ask me if I where joking."

"Mr Potter you don't seem to understand, you cannot fake such a ring, he would know you where not joking."

"Still...no thanks I'd rather not tell him...I rather like having all my limbs intact." Snape couldn't help it those words drew a small laugh from him. With a shake of the head the other wizard spoke to Severus again. "So if I can't have the man I am supposed to be fated for, what do I do about marriage?"

Instantly the Potions master sobered. "You chose one of those who come to woo you. However I would truly recommend approaching your fated first. I have some books you can take away to look at about elves and their traditions." Quickly Snape crossed the room to his bookshelves, he pulled some volumes out and brought them over to Harry.

The Elvin king took the books from the pale man, he stood and bowed politely to Severus. "Thank you I believe I should go look at these and thank you sir." Harry pulled out his wand glamering his ears, then with a frown of concentration the crown, the quiver of arrows and the bow vanished.

Snape bowed back to the young king and watched him leave his rooms. The dark haired wizard flopped down into a chair, he held up his right hand and let the magic on his hand fade, the silver ring caught the light. Severus sighed deeply as the king of the shadow elves, it looked like he had little choice but to go and hale the new great king. Still the dark wizard couldn't help but wonder, who Harry's fated was and why the younger elf was so obstinate in his refusal to show himself to the one he was meant for.