Creaturae Vindicatae

Hadrian woke to the feel of movement in the bed. He opened his eyes to the sight of his mate stripped naked and grinding himself against his thigh. Lucius had apparently kicked all of the blankets into the floor and stripped out of his clothes already. Hadrian reached for Lucius who had his face buried in Hadrian's chest.

"Lucius," Hadrian called to get his attention. It took him calling Lucius' name two more times before the Submissive Veela managed to lift his face up to look at him. Hadrian could see his eyes glazed over and he was panting with need. His body never stopped grinding into Hadrians'.

"Please," Was all Lucius managed to speak before he started whimpering and grinding himself harder into Hadrian. The Drake needed no more invitation than that. He moved quickly so that Lucius was lying on his back on the bed, and he was hovering over him. Lucius reached for him, and Hadrian captured his mouth in a passionate kiss. He could feel Lucius rocking his hips trying to get friction on his aching cock. But Hadrian stayed, straddling just above him so that they were not touching anywhere except where their mouths met, and Lucius was digging his claws into Hadrian's upper arms.

Hadrian moved from Lucius' mouth and began to nibble down his neck. Lucius whimpered as the dominant Drake explored him. He was taking his time and enjoying his mate while he still had the presence of mind to do so. Lucius' heat scent was growing stronger every minute and soon he would not be able to stop his Rut from taking over. He wanted to pleasure Lucius as much as possible before they were both mindless and only seeking completion.

He started at Lucius' neck and began to pepper him with kisses and bites to his skin. All Lucius could do was moan and writhe impatiently beneath him. When he got to Lucius nipples, he sucked them into his mouth and played with them with his tongue for a few moments before he bit into it. Lucius cried out and buried his fingers in Hadrian's hair and gripped him tightly. Hadrian kissed the sting of the bite away and then licked his way to the opposite nipple before giving it the same attention. When Hadrian pulled back to look at his handy work, he could see that Lucius was already covered in bruises and small pinpricks of blood where Hadrian's teeth had pierced his skin.

Hadrian growled, satisfied that he had marked his mate in such a way and then went back to trailing hot open mouth kisses down Lucius' stomach. When he reached his hip bones he bit into them one and a time and then sucked more bruises into them. He had yet to touch the places where Lucius ached to be touched the most.

"Please, Hades," Lucius begged when Hadrian continued to tease him. The Drake grinned up at his mate.

"What do you want, Darling," Hadrian asked in a voice that was deep and held a hint of a growl. Lucius shivered at the sound of it and Hadrian rewarded him by licking him from one hip to the next.

"Need you," Lucius gasped out. Hadrian gripped Lucius' thighs tightly and began to pull them apart.

"Need me, how," Hadrian asked him as he settled more comfortably between his mate's parted thighs.

"Need you to touch me," Lucius whimpered and then gasped when Hadrian tapped a finger to his slick hole. "Please." He begged.

"Here?" Hadrian asked him. "Do you need me here, My Love?" He asked. Then he licked Lucius from base to tip. Lucius threw his head back and dug clawed hands into the sheets on either side of him. "Or do you need me there?" Lucius could do nothing but whimper. He turned lust-glazed eyes to Hadrian and the Drake could see the desperation in his eyes.

"Be a good boy for me Lucius and tell me where you need me most," Hadrian growled out.

"Inside," Lucius begged. "I need you inside me. Please please, Hadrian." The Dominant smiled up at him and then positioned his finger at Lucius' entrance.

"Good Boy," Hadrian growled out and then pressed his finger in all the way. Lucius cried out and once again threw his head back into the pillows. Hadrian pumped his finger in and out of Lucius a few times to make sure that he was slick and open enough to continue. Then he added a second and third finger. He growled in pleasure at the feeling of Lucius' hot, slick insides. He crooked his fingers and then smiled in pride when pressed into the bundle of nerves inside of Lucius that made him nearly come up off the bed.

Hadrian pressed into the spot again and watched Lucius begin to come undone. Hadrian added a fourth finger and then took Lucius into his mouth and down to the base in one bob of his head. Lucius shouted Hadrian's name and came down his throat. The Drake swallowed every single drop. When he was sure that he had sucked every drop from Lucius' cock he pulled his fingers out of him and moved back up his body so that they were face to face.

Lucius was wrecked. His eyes were unfocused, his cheeks were flushed, his lips were swollen from him biting them, and Hadrian wanted nothing more than to sink into him. He rocked his hips down and groaned when his hard, leaking cock made contact with Lucius' rapidly reswelling one.

"I am going to take you now, Darling," Hadrian growled out. Lucius looked up and locked eyes with him. "I am going to take you and then I am going to spill my seed inside of you. When I do, I am going to claim you inside and out. You will be mine, Lucius. Do you understand? I am going to mark you as mine, forever. Say yes, Darling." Hadrian had positioned himself at Lucius dripping entrance as he talked. Lucius nodded his head and tried to shift his hips down and impale himself on him.

"Use your words, Lucius. Tell me you understand," Hadrian forced out. He needed Lucius' consent he wanted to make sure there were no misunderstandings later. Lucius had to work hard to pull himself out of the pleasure enough to answer.

"Yes, Hadrian. My dominant. I understand. Please, Please take me now and claim me. I am yours, forever," Lucius said in a voice that was breathy with need. Hadrian kissed him hard.

"Mine," Hadrian growled out. His eyes flashed and pulled back so that he could watch Lucius' face as he slowly breached him. Lucius' heat-slick made the slide easy and before Hadrian knew it, he was buried inside Lucius to the hilt. The submissive Veela trilled in ecstasy. Hadrian pulled out slowly and then pressed back in hard. Lucius gasped and then whimpered.

"Faster, Hades," Lucius begged. Hadrian saw no reason to deny Lucius anything. He angled his hips just a bit and then thrust back in. Judging by Lucius shout he had found the spot he had been angling for. So, with a growl he began a punishing pace. He pounded into Lucius' prostate over and over again. Lucius' second orgasm hit him fast and unexpectedly. Hadrian then pulled out and flipped Lucius over. He pressed Lucius' face into the pillows with one hand and the other hand gripped Lucius' hip hard enough that his claws began to pierce his flesh. Hadrian thrust back in.

The magic began to build between them as Hadrian's first orgasm drew close. He pulled out his Creature attributes and the magic of it pulled Lucius' out as well. Hadrian rumbled in pleasure as pure white wings burst out of Lucius back. The magic swirled between them, and Hadrian reached up between Lucius' wings and grasped his neck and pulled him up so that they were flush together while Hadrian still pounded into him. He felt himself begin to swell and when his knot finally caught inside Lucius he bit down into Lucius' neck. As Hadrian spilled his hot seed into Lucius their bond solidified between them.

Lucius shouted and came for a third time as he reveled in the feel of Hadrian's teeth in his neck and his seed in his body. Hadrian pulled his teeth out of Lucius neck and licked the claiming mark that appeared there. He pulled Lucius' face around and claimed his lips while still locked together. He rocked his hips and smiled when Lucius whimpered.

"Mine," He growled into Lucius mouth.

"Yours," Lucius breathed back at him. His heat had receded for a moment while his Dominant was still locked into him.

"Pull your beautiful wings back in, Darling," Hadrian instructed quietly. Lucius nodded and did as he was told. Hadrian did the same and then gently arranged them on their sides while they had a moment to think. "You were magnificent." Hadrian said to Lucius as he peppered kisses on his neck and back.

"So were you, My Love," Lucius said happily. They only had a few minutes before Hadrian felt his knot deflate. As it did, Lucius felt the heat in his stomach start again. He whimpered and turned around in Hadrian's arms. He looked up at his dominant Drake with eyes that were beginning to glaze again. "It is starting again."

"Don't worry, Darling. I have you," Hadrian promised as he finally succumbed to his Rut as Lucius' Heat consumed them both.

They continued on in this way for four days before they finally became aware of themselves again. Hadrian woke up first and it felt like waking up after the best sleep of his life. His body felt great, and he felt immensely satisfied. The Creature part of himself was rumbling in complete satisfaction and pride. He stood carefully from the bed and made a face at how gross his skin and hair felt. He cast a quick tempest to see that it had been four days and then headed for the bathroom to draw a bath.

He smiled happily when he walked back into the room and saw Lucius beginning to stir. His beautiful mate stretched languidly in the bed and showed off his tempting body.

"Hadrian," Lucius called out when he realized he was in bed alone.

"Here, Darling," Hadrian said from his position leaning in the doorway. He smirked when he watched Lucius shamelessly check him out. Hadrian knew he looked good. His body was tanned and tone and still looked good despite all of the scars. He finally straightened up and strode to the bed where Lucius was still sitting. "How do you feel?"

"A little sore but in a wonderful way. I feel amazing actually," Lucius said happily and then grimaced a little. "Well other than the fact that we both stink and are covered in our own spend. Please tell me that you have already drawn us a bath?" Hadrian chuckled and lifted the Veela into his arms in a bridal hold. Lucius blushed and buried his face in Hadrian's neck.

"Of course, Darling. I have already drawn us a bath and let the house elves know to bring us food," Hadrian assured him. He stepped into the bath and carefully settled into the water and situated Lucius in the water in front of him. The Veela sighed happily and leaned back into Hadrian's arms. They sat there relaxing for a few moments before Hadrian grabbed a washcloth and soap. He gently and thoroughly washed Lucius' body before turning his attention to his hair.

"My turn," Lucius insisted. He turned and sat on his knees between Hadrian's legs. He took a clean washcloth and returned the favor by washing Hadrian's body and hair. When they were done Hadrian stepped out of the tub and wrapped Lucius in a towel before doing the same for himself. Once they were both dry and in clean clothes they went back into their room and sat down at the small table to eat lunch.

"What do you think the odds are that I am pregnant now?" Lucius asked after a few minutes of eating. Hadrian looked up at him and thought about what he had read before.

"Honestly, I don't know. I have heard that a first Heat is most often not a Fertile Heat. It may actually take us about two or three Heats before you are carrying," Hadrian told him.

"Oh," Lucius said. He seemed a bit disappointed. Hadrian reached over and gripped his hand.

"Are you disappointed, Darling?" Hadrian asked gently. Lucius thought about it for a minute.

"I think I am. I know it isn't exactly an ideal time but honestly, I am ready to have another baby," Lucius answered honestly. Hadrian smiled at him and then pulled Lucius out of his chair and sat him down in his lap. He covered Lucius' stomach with their hands and pressed a gentle kiss to the side of his neck.

"Ideal time or not, Darling I would love it if you were carrying our baby. Even if you are not pregnant now, you will be eventually. Don't worry, Luc it will happen," Hadrian assured him. Lucius nodded and basked in the feeling of Hadrian caressing him. He could feel that Hadrian spoke the truth.

"How long will we need to wait before we can know?" Lucius asked after few minutes.

"Umm. I think we have to wait at least two weeks before the spell can detect it," Hadrian informed him. Lucius nodded. "Ready to join the rest of the world and see what has happened in the last four days?" Hadrian asked.

"Yeah, I guess we better," Lucius agreed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"The Goblins have refused me the right to see Black," Albus growled out. "Have you come up with any solution to any of our problems?"

"No, Albus unfortunately I am not having as much success as I would like," Severus replied. "There isn't any literature on the Elder Wand other than fairy tales. So, I cannot tell you why it would just disappear. I am still missing three of the ingredients that I need for the mystery potion you want me to make. Lucius has moved out of Malfoy Manor since his divorce, and I have not been able to reach him. No one has seen Peverell either. And I have come up with no solution to get you in to see the Mutt."

Albus growled angrily and threw his bowl of Lemon Drops at the wall. On the outside, Severus looked unimpressed but, on the inside, he was practically dancing in glee. He had never seen Albus' plans fall apart like this before.

"Well, at least the investigation into Black's poisoning has yielded nothing," Albus said after a few minutes. He smiled and sat back down in his chair. "I did a very good job of covering my tracks they have not been able to pin this on me at all. Right now, they are at a dead end. Nymphadora informs me that they followed the trail all the way to a house elf and then nothing. They know someone gave it instructions but cannot figure out who."

"You covered your tracks very well, Albus," Severus agreed. Albus perked up.

"There is a ball in a month. Peverell has sent out invitations to many people to attend a ball at his home. This is the opportunity that we have been waiting for. We need to find a way to get invited to that ball. I did not receive an invitation, but a few Order members did. They will do what they can to get personal information about the new Duke to report back to me," Albus said happily. Severus had received his invitation as well. He had been debating not telling Albus about it but if his other sycophants were going to be there then he would be found out anyways.

"I received an invitation to the ball as well. Though I do not know why," Severus informed Albus. The Headmaster looked even happier.

"Wonderful. My Spymaster inside the walls of the enemy's home. Peverell does not know what he has done. This is the beginning of his downfall," Albus cackled madly. There was a knock on the door and Albus called for whoever it was to enter the office. Minerva strode into the room smiling and with a letter in her hands. She handed it to Albus.

"I thought you would be happy to know that Peverell is sending his son to attend Hogwarts for his NEWT year. You will have the man's son under your care for an entire school year," Minerva informed him. Albus grinned and looked between Minerva and Severus.

"This is wonderful news. I need to arrange for a few 'Light' families to make themselves invaluable to the boy. We need to keep him away from Slytherin so that he doesn't have easy access to the 'Dark' families. Peverell will regret the day he sent his son into my territory," Albus said. Then he turned to Severus with that mad glint in his eyes. "It is more important than ever for you to get the potion finished now."

"Of course, Albus," Severus agreed.

"You may go, Severus. Minerva and I have a few things to discuss now," Albus dismissed Severus and turned all of his attention to Minerva. He heard names like Weasley and Wood mentioned as he closed the door behind him. He would need to get a hold of Lucius. The man would want to warn his mate about the things that were being plotted against him.

Severus, of course, knew why Lucius had been unavailable. He had moved in with his mate and then his Heat had caused them to lock themselves away. It had been four days, but he knew that Lucius or Narcissa would let him know when Lucius was available again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hey Dad, Lucius," Teddy said as he noticed the two men coming into the sitting room. Draco lifted up his head and grinned.

"Hey," Draco said happily.

"Boys, I see the house is still standing," Hadrian said with a grin and accepted a hug from both boys. Lucius did as well. Then they took a seat to listen to them talk about the last four days. A few hours later Remus came in with a parchment in his hands. He had been taking care of all of Hadrian's business while he was indisposed.

"Anything important?" Hadrian asked. Remus sat down and shrugged.

"Not really. The Goblins sent a missive that they collected Sirius' inheritance and medical reports to add to the folder for the investigation against Albus. The Unseelie Sidhe wrote you back to let you know that they are willing to begin making the charmed ear cuffs for the ministry employees and Wizengamot members, they also sent their price for such a large amount of them. The Creature council responded with a new date for the meeting with them, it is in two days," Remus rattled off the things on his list.

"So nothing that needs tending to right away," Hadrian agreed and leaned back in the couch again. Lucius had been roped into a game of chess with Draco. "Still want to go to the council meeting with me?"

"Yeah, I would. Are we still going to check out the island as well? It is actually a pretty decent size. I think we could build quite a few houses there for wolves to use during the full moon."

"Perfect, we will check it out in a few days. I am going to relax for today, then check on Sirius tomorrow and check-in with Narcissa about the ball, then the next day we will meet with the Creature Council, and then it will be time for Sirius' trial," Hadrian listed off. The two weeks seemed to pass by quickly. But he guessed that wasn't a surprise between Lucius' Heat and everything else that had been going on.

"Man you have been so busy, Pops," Teddy pointed out. Hadrian just nodded. He was ready for a few days of rest with nothing going on, but he was pretty sure that wasn't going to be possible in the near future. He still had to dodge Albus, gather the Horcrux, have a ball, deal with Teddy at school, get to know Severus, resurrect Tom, and so many more things. He was going to have to work hard to find a few days in between things to rest and give each of his mates the attention they deserved.

"Yeah, too busy," Hadrian finally said. He watched Lucius murder Draco in their chess match and then Remus played against Lucius while Hadrian, Teddy, and Draco played a game of Exploding snap. They spent the day together as a family doing different things. Hadrian even convinced Lucius to join him and the boys for a fly. Just after dinner an owl arrived with a letter for Lucius.

"Who is it from?" Hadrian asked. Lucius looked a bit upset. He handed the note to Hadrian.

"It is from Severus. Apparently, the old bastard is already plotting on how to use Teddy against you," Lucius spat out. "That meddling old man needs to learn that children are not pawns to be used in adult problems." Hadrian read through the note and then reached out to soothe his irate mate.

"We already knew that he would try something when he found out that Teddy was going to attend Hogwarts. Teddy and I already have protection against any spell or potion that he could try to use. I have already commissioned the same protection for you, Draco, Remus, and Sirius. Teddy is fully prepared to protect himself and Draco once they arrive at school. Draco will become a target for Albus as soon as it is common knowledge that you and I are in a relationship," Hadrian informed him.

"Protection against spells and potions? How does that work?" Lucius asked. Hadrian then removed his ear cuff and handed it to Lucius. He explained what they were and where they came from. Lucius, Draco, and Remus were impressed. "That is amazing. This should be mandatory for all Wizengamot members and Ministry workers." Hadrian chuckled.

"I agree. I have already spoken to Amelia and Rufus about it. I am going to bring it to a vote at the next Wizengamot meeting after Sirius' trial. I am also going to suggest bi-weekly or monthly cleansing to be mandatory. Britain is far behind the other countries when it comes to making sure that the Wizengamot and government is truly of sound mind," Hadrian assured them.

"You are amazing Hadrian Peverell. Truly," Lucius praised him. Hadrian grinned at him.

"So does all of this mean that it is time to start teaching me to duel?" Draco spoke up. Teddy chuckled and Hadrian just looked at Lucius questioningly. It was something that Draco had still been begging his father about recently. Lucius just laughed and nodded.

"Yes, it is time for you to start getting a true education in dueling. You can have Hadrian do it or Severus," Lucius answered. Draco grinned.

"I want Hadrian to do it," Draco answered quickly. "Well, maybe they can both do it. Hadrian is really busy most of the time." Hadrian smiled at him.

"I will never be too busy for you or anyone else in this family. Family is the most important thing in the world to me and is the reason that I am doing everything that I am doing. If you want me to teach you to duel, then that is what I will do. If you want me to teach you along with your godfather, then that is what I will do. It is your choice," Hadrian assured Draco. Hadrian was not prepared for Draco to dash around the table and hug him.

"Thanks, Hadrian. I am happy to be your family. Does this mean I get to call you Dad or Pops like Teddy does?" Draco asked while still hugging Hadrian. The Drake looked over to Lucius first before answering. Draco was still Lucius' son, and it was his choice. Lucius just smiled and nodded.

"Of course, you can Dragon. It makes me really happy that you want to," Hadrian admitted to Draco. The twelve-year-old grinned and then headed back to his seat. Teddy elbowed him.

"I told you he would say that," Teddy teased. The blonde just shrugged and grinned.

"Still had to ask," Draco replied. Then he looked up at Lucius and Hadrian. "Oh, I was wondering if it would be ok to invite a few friends over to hang out for a bit?"

"Who?" Lucius asked.

"Blaise and Theo," Draco answered. "They are really the only ones I like to hang out with. Plus, we can play two on two with me and Teddy. So, can I?"

"I don't have an issue with it," Hadrian told Lucius. "This is your home. You are allowed to have friends over."

"Just let us know when they are going to be here," Lucius added.

"Thanks," Draco said happily and went back to eating his dinner.

Hadrian, Lucius, and Remus talked more about what they were going to do about Albus targeting Teddy and Draco.

"Bringing Severus in would be advantageous. He already watches Draco he will watch Teddy as well. Severus hates Albus, he will enjoy screwing with his plans at every opportunity," Lucius insisted.

"I plan to talk with him at the ball, Luc. You trust him, I trust him, Darling," Hadrian replied.

"Severus is a good man. He just had it rough in school," Remus stated. Then he grimaced and frowned. "Mostly due to James and Sirius if we are being honest."

"I know Remus. But we are all adults now and I am going to insist that everyone acts that way," Hadrian stated. He wasn't giving anything away just yet, but he would be damned if anyone treated Severus like shit and got away with it. He didn't care if it was his parents or the minister himself. He would defend all of his mates with everything at his disposal.

"You are right, Hades. You are absolutely right," Remus responded.

They finished their dinner and then everyone headed separate ways. Lucius and Draco headed back to the sitting room to play a few more games of chess and wind down. Teddy went to take Akela, his cub, for a run around the property before bed. He had chosen the name because it was the name of the wolf from The Jungle Book. It was a muggle book that Hadrian had read to Teddy often. It had been his favorite. Teddy could probably still quote the book to this day.

Remus went to the library to read. The library was Remus's favorite room in the house. Hadrian knew it would be. Hadrian went to the dueling room. It had been a while since he had trained, and he didn't want to get sloppy. He stayed in there until Lucius came looking for him to head to bed. Hadrian and Lucius bid both boys a good night and then headed to their room.

Hadrian pulled Lucius into his arms and kissed him until he was breathless. Then he kissed his mating mark on Lucius' neck before the two of them fell into a very restful sleep. Hadrian may have a lot to deal with over the next few days, but he was going to rest peacefully when he held his mate in his arms. He was going to have to find time to take Lucius out for a proper date. He didn't care what society had to say about him moving on so quickly. Lucius was Hadrian's and he was going to make sure the world knew it. He just had to convince Lucius that it was the right thing to do as well.

He had to start working on his bills to give Creatures more rights and a proper place in their world. He didn't care if it took a complete overhaul of the current government. He would make the world a safe place for his family. Wixen would fall in line, or he would raze their world to the ground and rebuild it from the ground up. He would make sure that his future children grew up in a world where they didn't have to hide their Creature status or be ashamed of it in any way. He would create a world where Werewolves could own businesses and homes and attend school.

He would create a world where Vampires were given rights and allowed to feed on donated blood rather than having to hide in the shadows and risk killing people when feeding. Reapers would be known for what they really were and not reduced to guarding prisons. He would completely redo the idea of Azkaban. It was inhumane. There were so many things that Hadrian needed to do and if Lucius was pregnant like he hoped he was then it was time to start tearing Albus down and building up his Creature agenda. Teddy was a Born-Were, Draco would most likely inherit as a Veela just like Lucius, and any other children he had would most likely be Creatures, he would be damned if they had to live out their lives in a world that would condemn them just for being alive.

"You are thinking way too hard about whatever is on your mind," Lucius said sleepily. Hadrian smiled down at his mate. He kissed Lucius on the head.

"Sorry, Darling. You are right I was thinking way too hard," Hadrian admitted. Lucius just snuggled in closer.

"Whatever it is that is bothering you, just leave it alone for now. We leave all of our problems on the other side of our bedroom door. This is our safe place. This is a place for peace. I insist on it. We will handle whatever it is tomorrow. Together," Lucius said sleepily.

"You are absolutely right, My Love. That is definitely a rule that I can get behind. Good night, Lucius," Hadrian said as he held Lucius tighter.

"Goodnight, Hades," Lucius mumbled. Then they were both sound asleep. Lucius was a wonderful mate and a great addition to his life. He couldn't wait until he got to bring the others into their lives as well.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Sirius," Hadrian called as he walked into the room the Black Lord had been given. Sirius looked really good. He jumped up from the desk he had been sitting at and hugged Hadrian tightly.

"Hey, Pup. How have you been?" Sirius asked him as they sat down in his small sitting area.

"Been really good Sirius. What about you?" Hadrian returned. Sirius grinned.

"I am good. I spent a few days in a medically induced coma after my cleansing. Apparently, I was pretty bad off. But I have been eating regularly and taking my potions the way I am supposed to. I feel better now than I have since I was a teenager. So light and clean," Sirius said excitedly.

"That is so good, Siri. I am really happy that you are doing so well. You look better than I have ever seen you," Hadrian replied.

"So where were you the last couple of days? I expected you to come back and tell me how the moon went for Mooney. I am glad that I will finally be able to run with him again on the next full moon," Sirius asked. Hadrian smirked at his godfather.

"Lucius and Draco moved in last weekend, which you already knew. But Lucius had his first heat, so we were a bit busy the last four days," Hadrian said with pride. Sirius chuckled.

"I could have done without that thought in my head, Pup," Sirius stated. Hadrian just shrugged.

"You asked," He said simply. "Anyway, are you ready for your trial tomorrow? The goblins mentioned that Albus and a few of his followers have been trying to get access to you. Of course, they have all failed, but I thought it was worth mentioning. They are probably going to start getting desperate the closer we get to your trial. So, I don't know what kind of wandering you have been doing, but it might be best if you spend the next few days in your room."

"I will stay in my rooms. Though I don't see anyone getting past the Goblins to get this far into the tunnels," Sirius agreed. Hadrian nodded and relaxed.

"I know the odds of anyone actually getting to you are really slim, but you never know the kinds of things that a desperate person can accomplish," Hadrian pointed out.

"That is very true. Desperate people do manage to do the most impossible things," Sirius agreed.

"I did talk to the goblins though. They know that no matter what officials show up here to get you the day of the trial the only people they are allowed to release you to are me, Amelia, and Rufus. And not one alone. It must be all three of us together. It is too easy to use Polyjuice or other glamours," Hadrian pointed out. Sirius nodded.

"It wouldn't matter if they used Polyjuice or a glamour," Sirius said with a smirk. Hadrian looked at him suspiciously.

"Why not?" Hadrian asked. Sirius chuckled.

"I was talking to my account manager, and he let me know that the Goblins have been working with some of the other Creatures. They have come up with a rune and spell that they placed at the entrance of the bank. Anyone who comes through with anything on them that conceals their identity will immediately be cleansed of the potion or glamour so that their true self if revealed," Sirius informed him. Hadrian chuckled.

"That is awesome. Are they going to announce it in the paper or are they just going to let people figure it out on their own?" Hadrian asked mischievously. Sirius grinned and then chuckled.

"Well, I can see which you would prefer. A lover of chaos just like James and me," Sirius said with a fake sniffle. Hadrian just rolled his eyes. " They are not letting it be common knowledge right now. They are keeping it under wraps for now. They want to see the look on some Wixen faces when they realize their disguises didn't work for them."

"Nice. I am going to have to ask for some memories of that when the time comes. I hope they catch Albus or some of his loyal followers," Hadrian said with a wistful tone. Sirius laughed.

"Yeah, chaos for sure," Sirius repeated.

"Are you ready for your trial?" Hadrian asked. Sirius smiled but Hadrian could tell that he was nervous.

"I don't know. I am ready to be free so that I can be home with all of you. But I am afraid that Albus will have done something to make sure that I don't get free. I won't last in Azkaban again, Pup," Sirius said fearfully.

"That isn't going to happen, Siri. Even if Albus manages to somehow manipulate things in his favor, I will never let you go back to prison. Trust in me, Siri. I will take care of it," Hadrian said with confidence. "Even if I have to hide you amongst the Creatures until I can work something out. You will not go back to prison."

"Thank you, Pup. Now tell me more about what has been happening at home?" Sirius asked to lighten the mood. Hadrian let him and told him all about everything that was happening. Well, at least the things that he could tell him without compromising everything under veritaserum.

They visited for a few hours before Hadrian had to leave so that he could meet up with Narcissa to see about their progress for the ball. He left promising Sirius that he would be back the day of the trial and that he couldn't wait to have him home with the rest of them. He flooed home just moments before Narcissa showed up.

Hadrian spent a few hours with Narcissa going over the ideas that she had put together. She showed him the color scheme that she had decided to go with as well as her ideas for decorations. She went over the food she wanted to have there and the rest of the things she had in mind. He was glad he had hired her to do this for him. She had great ideas.

"The password for the evening was on the invitations, right?" Hadrian asked her.

"Yes. I put the password that you suggested. It will only be active starting twenty minutes before the time and becomes inactive about an hour before midnight. After that time no guests should still be arriving and they won't need a password to leave. This will keep people from accessing your home," Narcissa answered.

"Perfect. I will also be setting up perimeter wards on all of the areas that no one is allowed to have access to aside from you and the people who live here. It will make anyone who tries to cross them pass out until they are woken up by me. It is a very specific spell. It will help me see who is trying to snoop around my home," Hadrian informed her.

"That is a great idea. There are far too many people who are curious about you and who are willing to break a few laws to get what they want. Rita Skeeter being the main one," Narcissa pointed out.

"Oh, I know. All of the press that is attending is going to be forced to take a vow that they will only write or speak the truth about what happens here. No exaggeration or stretching of the truth," Hadrian let her know. She smiled at him.

"And is that when you are planning on letting the world know about you and Lucius?" She asked with a smirk. Hadrian shrugged.

"I don't know. I need to talk to Lucius about it. I want his opinion on what he thinks is a good time or way to let everyone know that we are a couple," Hadrian told her truthfully. "Lucius is a proud man and has made a name for himself in our world. I will not strip him of that. I won't do anything that he feels emasculates him or makes him feel less important. I love him and I won't hurt him, that means his reputation as well. It is important to him, so it is important to me."

"You are a very good man, Duke Peverell. I am so glad that Lucius and Draco have you in their lives to look out for them," Narcissa said honestly.

"I will look out for you as well, Lady Narcissa. If you ever have need of something that I can do for you or ever need help for anything, I am here for you as well," Hadrian assured her. She smiled and inclined her head to him.

"You are most kind, Hadrian. Thank you," she said respectfully.

"You are welcome," Hadrian replied. She finished her tea and stacked all of her parchment up and stood.

"Well, I must go. I have a date this evening that I do not want to miss. I will see you again in a week or two to go over the progress of things. It was lovely to see you again," Narcissa bid Hadrian farewell.

"I will see you then. Have a good day, Lady Narcissa," Hadrian replied and then walked her to the floo room. Once she was gone, Hadrian retreated to his potion lab to go over his supplies and see what he needed to brew and restock. He couldn't wait until Severus was here so that he could take control of the Lab and potion-making. Hadrian knew he would enjoy it. He couldn't wait until his mates were here under his roof where they were meant to be. He stayed in the lab until dinner when Draco and Teddy forced him out of the lab.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hadrian was once again in the meeting room where he had first met the Creature Council. The only difference is that this time, Remus was with him. So far, they had only discussed small things like what the current Creature rights looked like and what they wanted them to look like.

"I believe we should wait until after your ball to start presenting the Wizengamot with Creature Bills," Sabrina, the Veela, suggested. Hadrian had made sure to get names this time. He thought he was quite rude not to get them last time, so he fixed that issue right away.

"I agree with that. I have already started doing the research with a few other Wizengamot members to work out the best starting point for our agenda," Hadrian replied.

"You already have a plan?" The Druid, Azriel asked. Hadrian nodded.

"Yes, we have been working on it when we have the time. Remus here has actually been putting in the most time with research on all of it," Hadrian pointed out.

"And you are a Werewolf correct?" Celeste, the Vampire asked.

"You know he is, we can all smell it," Zelenia answered. She is the Werewolf Council member. "A lone wolf. You do not run with a pack." It wasn't a question.

"No, Alpha Zelenia, I do not. Hadrian, Sirius, and Teddy are my pack," Remus replied. She nodded those were the only main scents she picked up from him.

"You claimed your first mate," Viktor pointed out with a grin. "I can sense the mating bond. Which one was it?" Hadrian grinned.

"Lucius, My Veela. He and his son have moved into my home recently and he has gone through his first heat," Hadrian answered. He was very proud of how things have gone with Lucius so far.

"He has already had his first heat?" Sabrina asked curiously. Hadrian nodded. She smiled at him. "How long was it?"

"Four days," Hadrian informed her. Her smiled widened.

"Then it sounds like he may have had a Fertile Heat," she said. Hadrian must have looked confused. "Male Submissive Veela are much more fertile than female. The longer their heat the more likely they are to conceive."

"The book I read did not say anything about there being a difference in fertility between male and female," Hadrian said questioningly.

"Believe it or not, male Submissive Veela are rare-ish. I can have books specific to male Submissives sent to you and your mate if you like," She offered.

"That would be most welcome. If he is carrying, I want to be as prepared as possible to help him through it. I know he has carried before, but I was not present at that time," Hadrian accepted.

"You and Lord Malfoy need to put aside a time to come in and fill out some paperwork about your new mate-ship," Silver Tooth pointed out.

"We will make sure to do that," Hadrian answered. Remus handed Hadrian a stack of invitations. They had all discussed the advantages of inviting major players in the Creature community to his ball to mingle with important people. "I am going to give these to you lot and let you decide the best of your people to give them to. These people are going to be the most influential people in the British Wixen Society. I want you to use my ball as an opportunity to build relations and show people that we matter too and that we aren't just mindless beasts."

Hadrian handed the stack of invitations to Silver Tooth so that they could work all of the details out between them. They would best know who to send.

"Do we have an agreement on the price and quantity of what you will need for the warded ear cuffs?" Sholto asked.

"Yes, I have talked to the Head of the DMLE and the Head Auror about it and they agree that those are fair prices and the right amount with some extra to keep on hand for new employees. I plan to bring it to the Wizengamot's attention for a vote tomorrow. It may not go to vote tomorrow but it will at least be put on the dock-it," Hadrian informed them.

"We will start working on the order as soon as we hear from you that it has been voted on. We do not want to waste the time, magic, or resources on a product that doesn't end up being used," Sholto responded.

"Well, whether it becomes mandatory or not, I know that at least half of the Wizengamot will want to purchase them anyway. But I certainly understand if you want to hold off on creating them for now," Hadrian stated. Sholto stood and offered a box. Hadrian took the box from him. Inside were four ear cuffs.

"These are the first four that you asked us to make for your family," Sholto explained. "We have already started on the next five that you asked for."

Those were for his parents, Regulus, and his other two mates. He had ordered them at the same time, but they knew they had time to get them ready since they hadn't even found Hadrian's parents and Regulus yet. As well as Severus still being under compulsions and spells and Tom not even being resurrected yet.

"Thank you so much for this," Hadrian said with a bow. The Unseelie were not charging him for the cuffs that he was using for his family. They were gifting them to him because he was championing their joint cause. He was doing the foot work and laying the groundwork for Creature Rights. "Now, do we have any leads on my parents and Regulus?"

Ailwyn, the House-elf, perked up at this point. The Elves were the ones doing the most investigation into the three missing people. Hadrian hoped they had something to go on.

"We know that they are in Ireland. We have narrowed it down to that country. We have flipped a few of the Hogwarts Elves and they are currently watching the Headmaster as closely as they can. He has something on him that scrambles their ability to follow him when he apparates away from his office specifically," Ailwyn informed him.

"He isn't supposed to be able to apparate inside Hogwarts," Hadrian pointed out.

"No, he isn't. But he has corrupted the wards at the school so badly that they aren't even close to what they were originally supposed to be. The Goblins have been trying to find a way to get near them to run scans and fix them but since he is the headmaster and none of the Heirs has stepped forward, we cannot do anything. It isn't even the Ministry's territory," Bane, the Centaur informed him.

"I am the Heir of two Founder's lines. He knows that already as well. What do I need to do to give you the permission to check and redo the wards?" Hadrian asked the Goblin King. Silver Tooth grinned and a lesser man would have backed down at the sight of it. But Hadrian was not a lesser man.

"The law states that we cannot bring it up with you. We must wait for an Heir or Headmaster to come to us. The law was voted on and changed right before Albus took over as Headmaster. However, now that you have asked, we can speak to you about it," Silver Tooth stated with a feral light in his eyes. Hadrian's began to glow as he held the Goblin King's gaze and knew this was one of the first steps to bringing Albus down.

"I will be making an appointment with you next week to schedule a full check and restructuring of the wards at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," Hadrian said with the authority of a true Lord.

"Of course, Duke Peverell we are happy to meet with you for this purpose," Silver Tooth responded.

"Once that is done it should be easier to follow the old goat when he apparates to these unknown places," Ailwyn said to the room.

"Hopefully this will give us more insight into where he is going," Kimi added. "I would like to offer the magic of my people to help with this. Kitsune are known for wonderful disguises and misdirection."

"That would be really helpful," Ailwyn thanked her.

"I would also like to point out that the three you are searching for are not the only ones missing. There are many Wixen that have been reported as dead or assumed dead that are not. We are hoping that this investigation will at least turn up some of those missing wixen as well," Silver Tooth added.

"I hope this helps with that as well. I would not be surprised to find out that Albus is responsible for many of those missing Wixen," Hadrian agreed. "Oh, can I get the Hufflepuff cup out of the Lestrange Vault? It is a Horcrux. I am going to start gathering them so that I can keep them safe from Albus and anyone else that would try to hunt them down."

"I cannot legally give you something from a vault that you are not connected with. You need to figure out who has control of the Lestrange Vaults while Bellatrix is in prison or identify the Hufflepuff Heir who can demand the cup back based on ownership since it is a Hufflepuff Heirloom," Silver Tooth educated him.

"Ok, I will start working on that information. Since I know that you are legally prevented from giving me that information as well," Hadrian replied. That would be annoying, but he would talk to Lucius and Narcissa about the Lestrange vaults and he had a few ideas about the Hufflepuff Heir that he was going to look into.

"Is there anything else that we need to discuss during this meeting? It will be a month before we have another one. Unless good information is found about the missing wixen. We will go over your plans for Creature Bills more in depth at the next meeting to make sure that we are all in agreement about them," Silver Tooth announced. No one had anything else to add to the discussion and agreed to meet in one month to discuss Creature Bills.

"Then I think that Hadrian and his Wolf may leave and the rest of us will discuss who will be given the invitations to the ball," Rhiannon, the Naga Queen stated.

"Sounds like a plan. Please let everyone know that you give an invitation to that they need reply in the positive as soon as possible. Narcissa is quite adamant that if they don't let us know they are coming she will turn them away when they arrive," Hadrian told them with a small chuckle. Narcissa was taking this ball stuff seriously. Hadrian had made a good choice when he hired her, she was amazing.

"We will make sure to pass it along," Sabrina promised. Hadrian and Remus said their goodbyes. Remus gave his information to Zelenia when the Werewolf Alpha asked for it. She wanted to talk to him about what it meant to be a wolf. She suspected that he didn't know much about the facts. He smelled like there was poison in his blood. She was pretty sure he was taking Wolfsbane and only wolves that listened to Albus or the ministry actually took that nasty shit. She never allowed her wolves to take it. They were healthy and in harmony with their true selves and when they transformed it was more like a real wolf and not the mutated thing that happened when they took Wolfsbane.

Hadrian and Remus flooed home and Hadrian was happy to have the time to relax and recharge before Sirius' trial the next day. Lucius wasn't home yet when he got there, and the boys were out flying with Blaise and Theo. Hadrian headed up to his office to go over any mail he had received and make sure that everything was in order for the trial tomorrow. He didn't care what it took.

Tomorrow, Sirius was coming home!