Creaturae Vindicatae

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

Charles Hector Weasley-Prewett
Born: December 12, 1972
Bearer: Arthur Bilius Weasley-Prewett
Sire: Fabian William Prewett

Siblings: William Garret Weasley-Prewett
Percival Septimus Weasley-Prewett
George Fabian Weasley-Prewett
Freddrick Gideon Weasley-Prewett

Godparents: None

Spouse: None
Children: None
Godchild: None

Creature Inheritance: Dominant Vaettir (Suppressed by Molly Anne Prewett, December 12, 1988)
Mate: Unknown Submissive

There was so much more when Charlie got down to the Blocks, Spells, and Compulsions. He just couldn’t comprehend exactly what he was reading. His mum wasn’t his mum. His dad wasn’t his dad. Everything was mixed up.

“Dad?” Charlie said as he looked at the parchment in front of him. “Is….is this real?”

“I assure you, Mr. Weasley-Prewitt that it is very real,” Axeclaw answered the shocked boy. “Albus Dumbledore and his sycophants have done a lot of injustice to many people.”

“Dad?” Bill said and knelt down in front of Arthur. “Still with us?”

“This is…I … don’t understand how something of this magnitude could have been hidden from us,” Arthur said quietly as he looked down at his own parchment.

“Perhaps it would be best to let them do a cleansing now. It will restore the lost memories and that will help put some of this into perspective for us,” Bill offered.

“Honestly, this makes so much sense to us,” Fred stated with a grin.

“Yeah, it explains why she has always favored Ron and Ginny,” George agreed.

“Are the two of you ever upset by anything?” Percy said with a sigh. He hadn’t been home last night when everything had gone down, he had been visiting with Oliver to go over their summer homework. He had been a little more than shocked when it had all been explained to him.

“Oh, we are definitely upset,” Fred responded with a feral grin.

“And making them pay is going to be fun,” George added.

The fourteen year old twins looked far more dangerous than they had any right to. Arthur seemed to shake himself of his shock just enough to frown at them.

“Do nothing, please. Not yet anyway. I have a feeling this is something that Duke Peverell was expecting. He has been encouraging people to get cleansings has opposed Albus from the moment he arrived. Once we are cleansed, I am going to write to him and ask for a meeting,” Arthur told them.

“Does this mean we get to call you mum instead?” Fred and George asked him with identical grins.

Arthur snorted and then laughed before he pulled the two of them into a tight hug. They looked up at their older brothers and smiled when they all seemed pleased that the two of them had managed to pull Arthur from his shock.

“What exactly is a Vaettir anyway?” Charlie asked.

“It is a Nature Spirit. They are Fae that belong to the Seelie Court. Your Queen, Maude, will be sending a summons to meet you soon, I am sure,” Axeclaw answered.

“Fred and George are different? Why?” Arthur asked.

“Fabian and Gideon are also Seelie Sidhe. The Queen or even the Prewett clan head will be able to explain the details of it to you. When you have parents that are two separate creatures, it is a 50/50 chance that you will take after one or the other,” Axeclaw answered.

“So, Bill, Charlie, and Percy took after me and the twins took after Fabian and Gideon. My…my Dominant Mates,” Arthur stated.

“Exactly,” Axeclaw answered.

“This says that Fabian and Gideon are both the twins fathers…together. How is that possible?” Bill asked as he looked over Fred and George’s parchments.

“Fabian and Gideon are Soul Twins. They share a soul and because of this, it is possible for the two of them to Sire children together. As long as the children are also a set of Soul Twins. Fred and George will also most likely share a Submissive Mate. It is how it works for your family,” Axeclaw responded.

“Right,” Bill stated and handed the parchments back to the twins. “I think we are ready for our cleansings now.”

“Very well,” Axeclaw answered. He stood from his desk and headed for the door. “One at a time please. Who is first?”

“Dad, why don’t you go first?” Bill prompted.

Arthur looked at all of his boys who nodded and encouraged him to go first. He was the one who had the most missing. He had been under spells and potions for decades. Love potions and too many memory charms to comprehend. He had carried and birthed five sons. Molly wasn’t his wife. Not on paper or in any other way.

The Submissive Vaettir stood up and followed the goblin to the ritual room and when he returned over an hour later he was sobbing and continued to sob as his sons held him. Memories had flooded him the moment he was free and cleansed. Memories of meeting and falling in love with Fabian and Gideon. Their bonding ceremony had been private and beautiful.

Bill had been conceived only a few months later. Arthur had been happy. So, beyond, perfectly happy. When he was seven months pregnant, Molly had come with Albus and a few others and they had taken everything from him.

Fabian and Gideon had been easy to subdue because Albus had held Arthur and their unborn child at wand point. They had taken his mates from him and then wiped everything from his memory. Suppressed his creature and hidden his pregnancy. They had glamoured Molly to look pregnant and lied to everyone about them being married.

Molly had wanted more children, but no matter how many love potions, fertility potions, or lust potions she had given him, he could not give her what she wanted. Being a Vaettir meant that once he was bonded, he would only ever be fertile for his mates. He would only ever conceive children with his mates.

So, Molly had taken him each time she had wanted another child and forced him under imperius and potions to mate with his unconscious Dominants. She had sexually assaulted them all. He regretted none of his children, but all of them but Bill were conceived by force.

“Where are my Mates? Where are Fabian and Gideon?” Arthur asked Axeclaw after he was done losing it.

“Dad? They are dead,” Charlie pointed out slowly.

“They aren’t,” Arthur insisted. He rubbed his now visible mating marks on his neck. “I would know. They are alive.”

“Plus, they aren’t marked as deceased on our Inheritance Tests,” Percy pointed out.

“They are not dead,” Axeclaw confirmed. “They are only two among many that are currently claimed as dead but are not. Duke Peverell is in the process of helping us locate them.”

“I would like to help or at least to be kept updated on what is going on with the search,” Arthur insisted.

“If you like, I can let you speak to Duke Peverell now, he is here now to settle a few things,” Axeclaw stated.

“That would be great, I wanted to speak with him anyway about something else,” Arthur agreed.

“Can we keep the cleansings going though?” Bill asked.

“We can,” Axeclaw agreed. “Who is next?”

“Charlie,” Bill answered. The second oldest simply nodded and followed the Goblin that came to the room to escort him to the ritual room.

“I will have someone let Duke Peverell know that he is needed here. Just give me a moment,” Axeclaw stated and slipped out of the room for a moment.

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

Hadrian looked between his two Submissives curled up in his arms.

Both of them seemed to be sleeping hard and he didn’t really want to disturb them but he was ready to up incase he was needed for something. So he very carefully maneuvered around until he slipped out of bed without waking them. He grinned when he turned to look back at the bed.

Lucius and Severus had shuffled around until the two of them were now cuddled close together. Hadrian let out a pleased rumble at the sight. Lucius had pressed his face into Severus’ neck and Severus had buried his face in Lucius’ hair. They had also wrapped their arms around each other and tangled their legs together as well.

Hadrian cast a mild warming charm on the bed and then covered them back up before heading for the bathroom. He would let the two of them sleep for as long as they wanted to. The Drake showered and dressed before heading to his sitting room to read a book.

He wouldn’t leave his vulnerable Submissives alone while they were sleeping. And he wouldn’t eat until they were with him. About an hour after he had sat down to read, Severus and Lucius came padding barefoot into the room and settled on the couch with him.

Hadrian was pleased that Severus had chosen to sit next to him instead of in a separate chair or next to Lucius. It was a small thing, but it was progress. He leaned over and nuzzled Lucius and gently pressed a kiss to his temple. Severus simply leaned a little heavier against Hadrian’s side.

“How long have you been up?” Lucius asked him. “Why didn’t you wake us?”

“A little over an hour. The two of you looked so comfortable that I didn’t want to disturb you,” Hadrian answered.

“Have you eaten?” Lucius asked as he forced Hadrian to wrap an arm around him and laid his head on his chest.

“Of course not. I wouldn’t eat without the two of you,” Hadrian answered with a chuckle.

“You could have,” Severus stated quietly.

“What sort of Dominant would I be if I fed myself before I fed my Darling and my Little Bird? Not to mention my Little Darling,” Hadrian responded as he caressed Lucius abdomen. “Besides, it is still early. I bet Ted and the others haven’t even made it down to breakfast yet.”

“I would like to go to the bank today,” Severus said after a few more minutes of simply sitting together.

He was ready to verify it for himself that Hadrian was his Dominant Mate. It would make him feel better about giving in to this thing between them. And he desperately wanted to give in. Severus had thought about it for a long time last night and even this morning after waking with Lucius wrapped in his arms.

He wanted the casual affection that Lucius and Hadrian shared. He wanted to be part of the family they were growing together. Part of them. Not a follower, spy, or servant. Not someone looking in.

“Of course, you are free to do whatever pleases you, Little Bird,” Hadrian responded. “If you don’t mind, I think we will come with as well. Lucius and I need to register our mating with our account managers as well as letting them document the pregnancy. And Ted has been begging to have a Test done to verify that he has a mate.”

“Besides, Hadrian has been given permission to enter the bank via their floo systems. So, you don’t have to worry about accidently being seen by someone,” Lucius pointed out.

“That would be convenient,” Severus agreed. “I also need to see about purchasing the ingredients I need in order to brew the antidote for Albus’ Liquid Imperius.”

“You will give me a list of what you need, and I will take care of it so that you are not seen purchasing any of it by someone who will report it to Albus,” Hadrian stated. “I am also going to give a copy of the ingredients to the Goblins so that they can brew it in large quantities for those that come to them with it in their system.”

“I found the book down in your potion lab yesterday when I was brewing with the boys. There are some rather old potion texts down there,” Severus said a little wistfully.

“You are welcome to any of them that you desire, Little Bird. After breakfast we can get the book with the antidote in it so that I can copy it,” Hadrian responded fondly.

Just then there was a knock on the door and Severus quickly moved to one of the chairs in the room as Hadrian stood to answer it. Hadrian was just happy the man was becoming more comfortable with him and Lucius. The others would come gradually and that was ok. Hadrian opened the door to see Teddy and Draco on the other side.

“What is it boys?” Hadrian asked them.

“Are the two of you going to come out of there any time soon? We are starving,” Teddy asked him with a whine.

“You haven’t eaten yet?” Hadrian asked them.

“No, we always eat our meals together when we are all home,” Draco pointed out. “We don’t want to eat without the two of you or Uncle Severus. We were going to wake him up next.”

“No need, he is here. He wanted to speak to your father and I about something. We will be down in a few moments. Where are Remus and Sirius?” Hadrian responded.

“They ate already and then locked themselves in Uncle Remi’s work room. I think they are almost done with the Mirrors,” Teddy answered.

“Good. I was hoping they would be done before Severus headed back to Hogwarts,” Hadrian answered and then he stepped out of the room and pulled the door closed. “Come on. I am already dressed for the day so the three of us will head to the dining room. The other two can come down when they are ready.”

“So, what’s the plan today, Pops?” Teddy asked him. “Free day?”

“We are going to head to the bank for a few things and then the rest of the day will be free,” Hadrian told them.

The Dominant Drake informed them what the plan was for the bank and that they would be leaving shorting after breakfast. Severus and Lucius joined them barely five minutes after they had settled in their chairs.

Breakfast was eaten quickly and then Teddy let Sirius and Remus know that they would be gone for a while and why while Severus got the potion book for Hadrian. Then they flooed over to the bank.

Axeclaw was busy with clients when they arrived, but they were taken to the Malfoy account manager to handle their bonding affairs and to let Teddy to his Creature testing.

Teddy was happy to learn that he did have a Dominant mate that was destined for him just like any other creature and he was so excited to meet them someday.

“Maybe you will meet them at school,” Draco offered.

“Yeah, maybe, but I will be older than most of the people in their Seventh year,” Teddy pointed out.

“That’s true, maybe you will meet them at the ball,” Draco stated excitedly. “All of the most prominent Heirs and Lords will be there.”

“Oh, I didn’t think of that,” Teddy answered with a grin. “I’ll just have to interact with everyone and then come back afterward and have the test done again.”

“I think that might be considered cheating,” Hadrian pointed out.

“Don’t care,” Teddy said with a shrug. “I don’t want to spend a decade searching for my mate.”

“Is that everything that you wanted taken care of today?” the Malfoy account manager asked.

“One more thing,” Lucius stated and handed a rolled up parchment to Draco. The twelve year old grinned and then stood up and handed it excitedly to Hadrian.

“What’s this?” Hadrian asked them curiously.

“Open it,” Draco insisted. Teddy leaned over to try and read it over Hadrian’s shoulder.

Hadrian read through the parchment and then he looked up at Draco and Lucius quickly as Teddy snatched it out of his hand to read it better. Teddy laughed and then set the parchment on the desk.

“Well?” Draco asked him hesitantly. Hadrian reached out and pulled the preteen into his arms.

“Nothing would make me happier than to adopt you, Dragon. Are you sure this is what you want? Lucius? You and Narcissa are both ok with this?” Hadrian asked.

“We are,” the Veela said with a smile. “We have both already signed it. All it needs is your signature. And Draco will by officially your son.”

“Not that I needed a paper to prove that,” Hadrian insisted. “I already see you as my son just like Ted.”

“But you will sign it, won’t you?” Draco asked him.

“Of course I will, Little Dragon,” Hadrian answered and held Draco in one arm as he signed the parchment with the goblin as witness. There was a knock on the door and Severus entered the room along with another goblin.

Severus had gone to see his account manager alone to verify that Hadrian was indeed is mate. Lucius was pretty sure it was because he wanted a moment alone and to see if Hadrian would trust him alone to handle things without hovering. Hadrian had been happy to prove that he had no issues trusting Severus to handle his own affairs.

The Shadow Phoenix had quietly handed the parchment to Hadrian before standing behind their chairs. Hadiran had seen the confirmation that he knew would be there and then tucked the parchment into his robes.

“Axeclaw has requested your presence to speak with his current clients. They wish to speak with you about important things,” the goblin stated.

“Wonderful timing, we just finished up our business here,” Lucius said with a grin and the five of the followed the goblin down to Axeclaw’s office.

Hadrian was a bit shocked to see the Weasley family sitting in the office. Well, some of them. And Hadrian recognized the smell of a Submissive Creature in distress right away. He released a soothing rumble the moment the door was closed behind them and began to pump soothing pheromones into the air. Having a distressed Submissive around would upset his own Submissives.

Arthur seemed to unconsciously relax just a little while his four present sons looked at Hadrian curiously. Hadrian had not seen that coming. Arthur was not only a Creature, he was a Submissive Creature.

“Duke Peverell,” Arthur greeted with a watery smile. “It is good to see you again. I took your advice to get a cleansing done and brought my sons with me as well.”

“Yes you did,” Hadrian said and leaned against the desk so that Lucius and Severus could take the empty seats. “Are you alright?”

“Not entirely,” Arthur answered honestly with a sniffle, and he was comforted by his sons. “I would like to share something with you. But I would like your word that you will not betray us.”

Arthur’s eyes flicked unconsciously to the other four that had come with Hadrian into the room. Hadrian understood why he was wary. Arthur and Lucius had never been friends or even friendly. He was sure the twins had carried home horrible stories about Draco as well. And Severus wasn’t exactly well liked.

“We can wait in another room, Hades or even head home,” Lucius offered. “If it will make Arthur more comfortable.”

“Just by coming into this room, we are already trusting them to keep our secrets, Love. There is no need for you to leave. Is there Arthur?” Hadrian stated. Revealing the fact that Severus was with them alone was showing them quite a bit of trust.

“No,” Arthur answered quickly and sincerely. The lack of anger on both sides seemed to surprise the Weasley sons. “It is clear to me that all of you are Creatures. Just like us. Just as clear to me as the fact that the two of you are mated. Duke Peverell’s scent nearly covers all of your scents.”

“Are you sure Dad?” Bill asked him. “We won’t let them bully you into doing what they want.”

“That was not our intention, I assure you,” Hadrian stated. He waved a hand toward Severus and Lucius. “I was simply saying that the fact that we entered this room together is something that we don’t want anyone outside of this room to have knowledge of. Albus Dumbledore thinks that Severus is his man. But he is not. This knowledge could put his life at risk. Should it get out, I will find out who did it and hurt them for risking him. It is clear, to your father at least, that we are all Creatures. This knowledge could have us hunted down and cause harm to my family. We are showing you great trust simply by being here. We are only asking that you show us the same.”

“No one is threatening your father, William,” Lucius spoke up. He smiled up at Hadrian and it was obvious to them all how much love and adoration he felt for the man. “Hadrian is a good Dominant, a good father, he would never threaten a Submissive and his children without a very good reason. One that none of you have given him.”

“The world is so different than it was only hours ago. Everything is upside down and backwards. I …. I don’t know how to process all of this,” Arthur said and started crying again. Fred and George moved over and sat down next to his chair on either side and put their heads in his lap.

Bill stepped up and handed Arthur’s Inheritance Test to Hadrian. The Drake looked it over as Teddy and Draco moved up to stand between Severus and Lucius. Hadrian growled and the air in the room seemed to thicken before Teddy, Lucius, and Severus all made soothing noises toward him.

Hadrian took a deep breath to control his anger. Especially, when the distress around Arthur thickened.

“Could I make a strange suggestion?” Hadrian asked.

Arthur looked up at him and nodded slowly after a moment. Hadrian held his hand out for Lucius who immediately accepted it and let Hadrian gently pull him to his feet. Then he transfigured Lucius’ chair into a loveseat that would fit three. He carefully settled Lucius back on the loveseat and then turned to Arthur.

“Please, come and sit with my Lucius and Teddy. Both are also Submissive Creatures and having them near you will help you to settle and get control of your distress,” Hadrian offered. “You do not have to do anything your are uncomfortable with, Arthur, but I assure you that the presence of other Submissives will help you to find a little bit of peace.”

Arthur seemed shocked by the offer and even more so by the easy acceptance of it from Lucius who nodded encouragingly when Arthur looked at him. He took a deep breath and decided to give it a try. He moved over to sit next to Lucius Malfoy. His once tormentor and was surprised to find that he was in fact calmer nearly instantly. Then Teddy settled on his other side with a bright smile and threaded their fingers together.

“We Submissives have to stick together,” Teddy stated happily. “Being able to help each other is an instinct thing.”

“It’s a brave new world, Arthur. And we are happy to help you navigate it,” Lucius insisted. “What did the parchment say, Hades?”

“Any one else feel like we slipped into an alternate universe?” Fred faux whispered.

“Yeah, things are definitely feeling a bit up side down,” George agreed.

“For once, I agree with the two of you and that alone is terrifying,” Percy said as he claimed Arthur’s vacated chair. Draco chuckled and perched on the arm of Severus’ chair.

“That’s just life now that my Dad’s part of it,” Draco said and then blushed when Hadrian leaned down and kissed his head.

“So weird,” Fred and George agreed.

“Hush boys,” Arthur told them gently. He was already feeling so much better. And there was something about Lucius’ scent that seemed familiar and delicate. Like something fleeting from his jumbled memories.

“Arthur is a Submissive Vaettir. That is a Nature Spirit and falls under the jurisdiction of the Seelie Queen,” Hadrian explained. “His Dominant Mates are Fabian and Gideon Prewett who are Seelie Sidhe.”

“Soul Twins,” Teddy stated. He pointed toward Fred and George. “Explains those two. They are Soul Twins as well.”

“Very good, Kid,” Hadrian praised. “What is special about Soul Twins in this situation?”

“They are always Dominant and always share a Submissive mate,” Teddy answered. “They also belong to all three parents instead of just two like the others.”

“So, smart,” Lucius offered his own praise. “No wonder you made all ‘O’s’ on your OWLS. Too bad they don’t offer a Creature class at Hogwarts like they used to.”

“Yet,” Hadrian stated. “They don’t offer it yet. Anyway, he was bonded to his Dominants and the oldest five boys were carried by Arthur and belong to the Prewett twins.”

“How is that possible? I thought Fabian and Gideon Prewett died during the first war?” Severus finally spoke up.

“They are not dead,” Hadrian answered. “They are missing. Just like James and Lily Potter as well as Regulus Black, among others.”

“That woman, Molly, knows where they are,” Bill spat out.

“How do you know?” Hadrian asked curiously. He glanced over at Axeclaw, and the goblin nodded before writing something down.

“I would prefer to tell you that part without any of the children present,” Arthur stated.

“Then Ted will take the boys all to the meeting room across the hall,” Hadrian responded. “This is important information that could help us locate the others that are missing.”

“I am staying,” Bill stated as the others stood to follow Teddy.

“Bill,” Arthur started.

“Dad, I am staying. You stood behind me without hesitation. Let me do the same for you. I am not child, and you don’t have to do this alone,” Bill interrupted.

“Let him stay Dad,” Percy spoke up.

“Yeah,” Fred stated.

“It will make us feel better,” George finished.

“Well, I guess that is that,” Arthur said with a chuckle as all of the kids aside from Bill left the room. “You aren’t going to like this, William.”

“I can guess what happened based on the potions you were given, Dad. It’s ok,” Bill insisted.

So, Arthur told them everything. From Molly being the reason Fabian and Gideon were targeted to her trying to force him with love potions and other things to have sex with him and get her pregnant. He told them about her using the Imperious coupled with potions to force him to have sex with his unconscious mates and how she wiped the memories of each pregnancy from his mind each time.

“So, she took you to where they are being kept,” Hadrian stated. “Did you ever see anyone other than your mates?”

“No,” Arthur answered honestly. Lucius had moved so that he had an arm wrapped around Arthur. The story had distressed Lucius as much as it had Arthur. Their little Darling was starting to affect his Veela’s emotions.

“Then it is entirely possible that they aren’t being kept in the same place as the others,” Severus pointed out.

“Yes, it is,” Hadrian agreed. “I don’t really see Albus allowing his pawns to be spread out but perhaps it was part of a deal he made with Molly to keep her onside and under his thumb.”

“Perhaps,” Severus agreed. “We won’t know until we find them or the others.”

“And that will be easier to do once the wards are fixed,” Hadrian stated.

“What do the wards have to do with anything?” Bill asked curiously.

“We have spies that have been following Albus to see if they can find the missing people. He has something that scrambles his signature when he apparates from his office at the school. Our spies have narrowed the area down to Ireland,” Hadrian answered.

“He shouldn’t be able to apparate from the school,” Bill insisted.

“We know. That is why we started looking into the wards. The school is currently empty while the goblins rework them and put them back to what they should have been. This will make it easier for our spies to follow him if he is forced to apparate from outside of the wards,” Hadrian revealed.

“I hope it helps,” Arthur insisted.

“So do we,” Lucius responded and patted his shoulder. “As uncomfortable as it might be, Arthur we are going to need to see at least a few of your memories of your time with your mates.”

“I don’t know if I could handle it knowing that all of you have seen my shame,” Arthur said quietly.

“If it would help, Arthur,” Severus spoke up from his chair. “I could do it. If I took the memories, I could blur or remove the images that you don’t want others to see. I am very skilled at Mind Magics. Then only I would see it and I would vow to never reveal it to another.”

“And just to be clear, Arthur,” Hadrian said gently. “Nothing that occurred is your shame or burden. Things are things that happened to you not because of you or anything that you did. Horrible people hurt you for their own purposes. It is their shame to bear. Not yours.”

“He is right, Dad,” Bill said quickly. “There is nothing for you to be ashamed of. This is Albus’ fault and Mollys.”

“Thank you,” Arthur told them both. Then he looked up at Hadrian as he patted Bill’s arm. “Just a warning, Hadrian. Albus is trying to find someone to seduce you away from your Submissive.”

“We know,” Lucius said with a chuckle. “He already sent that silly girl Auror Tonks.”

“He tried to get Molly to make Bill do it. That is what started this whole thing. She demanded that Bill whore himself to you for the Greater Good and then told him that he was never allowed in our home again if he didn’t do it,” Arthur stated. “My Bill isn’t even attracted to men, but she didn’t care.”

“I am sorry that she betrayed you both in such a horrible way. Even if Bill isn’t hers biologically, she raised him. She should feel some sort of maternal instinct toward him. Teddy and Draco are not mine biologically, but I would never allow someone to even suggest using them that way,” Hadrian insisted. “I would rip out their hearts and make them eat it for even thinking about it.”

“Such a lovely vicious Alpha,” Lucius said with a chuckle. “Do you feel safe in your home, Arthur?”

“Not entirely. Not after everything that I have learned here today,” Arthur admitted. “I have been debating trying to get into contact with my father or brothers to ask for somewhere to stay.”

“I could put you and your boys up until things have settled,” Hadrian offered. “I have quite a few properties that are currently not being used. They are simply gathering dust. It would be no hardship and would actually make me feel better to know that you and your children are protected until your Dominant’s can be returned to you.”

“They are all set up with the same protections as our home and you could set your own passwords so that not even we could enter without your permission while you occupied it,” Lucius added.

“Absolutely,” Hadrian agreed.

“We could pay your rent,” Bill stated quickly. “We don’t want charity but I would feel better if we were more protected.”

“That wouldn’t be necessary..” Hadrian started but Arthur lifted his hand.

“We will pay you something monthly for the use of one of your homes. We also don’t need anything extravagant,” Arthur insisted.

“It really just needs about four rooms,” Bill pointed out. “Percy and the Twins will be leaving for school in a few weeks so it will just be me, Charlie, and Dad.”

“I believe you have two properties that might be acceptable,” Axeclaw spoke up and pushed over a file for Hadrian to look through. He handed the file to Lucius so that he could look through it with Arthur. There was a knock on the door and Charlie poked his head in.

“Hey, the rest of us have all gone through our cleansings. So, I am going to stay with dad while you go and take care of yours,” Charlie told Bill.

The two of them talked quietly together for a few moments and then Bill left and Charlie came in and sat next to Arthur carefully so that he didn’t make any sudden movements that might upset Hadrian since he was so close to his Submissive now.

“Charlie Weasley-Prewett,” Charlie stated and held a hand out to Hadrian. The Drake grinned and shook his hand.

“Hadrian. Nice to meet you,” Hadrian responded. “You graduated last year didn’t you?”

“I did,” Charlie agreed. “Was fixing to be heading out to Romania to work on a Dragon Reserve there after the Summer. But I can’t leave now with all of this going on. I will just have to see if they will give me a chance to intern with them another time.”

“Any idea what you are going to do for work instead?” Hadrian asked him.

“I am going to hit up the reserves locally and see if I can get a job at one. I want to work with Magical animals,” Charlie answered.

“Well, I wish you luck in finding something that you enjoy doing,” Hadrian told him. “However, if it doesn’t work out for some reason, please get in touch with me. I happen to know that there is going to be a very big project cultivating and building small community very soon. Very good friends of mine are going to be in need of strong young men to help them.”

“I will keep that in mind, Sir. Thank you for everything that you are doing for our family. We are strangers to you and yet you are willing to help without repayment or second thought. We appreciate it,” Charlie stated.

“I am and always have been, happy to help those who need and deserve it,” Hadrian insisted.

“Arthur has decided on a property, Hades,” Lucius said and handed the file back to Hadrian with the chosen property on top.

It was a small home in a small magical community that was actually barely a day’s broom ride from Gryffindor Castle. Hadrian actually owned the entire little town. It was where the people who used to work at Gryffindor Castle or owed allegiance to Godrick Gryffindor back in the day. It had four bedrooms, living room, kitchen/dining room, two bathrooms, and an office. As well as a small basement that Hadrian figured could also be turned into another bedroom or a potion lab if they wanted.

“I will send someone to set up the wards and other protections just like we did for your current home,” Axeclaw stated as he took the file from Hadrian.

“Arthur and I have already settled on rent as well,” Lucius told Hadrian.

“Perfect, Darling. Thank you,” Hadrian stated with a smile. “You are better at this part of things than I am. I do insist that you make it your own. Color the walls, move the furniture, change the furniture. Hell, move whatever furniture is in there into a vault and furnish it with your own if that makes it feel more like a home. I insist that you treat this home as yours while you are living there.”

“Thank you, Hadrian,” Arthur said again with a sigh and leaned back on the couch.

“It is my pleasure to help, Arthur. Now, today has been a very long day for everyone. Why don’t you let Axeclaw explain the protection that are in place for the home and how to adjust them to you personally. And then when you have had time to settle and process everything that has happened, you can contact Severus and work out a time to meet so he can take the memories to see if there is something that could help us find your mates,” Hadrian suggested.

“That sounds perfect. Thank you,” Charlie agreed quickly.

Hadrian held out a hand for Lucius and gently pulled him into his arms. He nuzzled the Veela and gently caressed a hand across his abdomen as Severus stood and joined them near the desk.

“Oh,” Arthur said with a shocked expression. Then he smiled. “I have been sitting here trying to figure out what it was about Lucius’ scent that was so soothing and familiar. He is carrying. I remember the same delicate floral smell when I carried Bill.”

“I told you that you were going to get us caught,” Lucius said with absolutely no heat. “You have no self-control.”

“Sorry, Darling,” Hadrian said with a chuckle. “Yes, my Lovely Veela is carrying our first baby together.”

“Congratulations,” Arthur said with a genuine smile.

“Thank you,” Lucius preened proudly, and Hadrian chuckled. His vain Veela would never change and he was perfectly fine with that.

“Now, if you will excuse us, it is past lunch time and I want to feed my family and spend the rest of the day relaxing with them before the new week brings new complications. Don’t forget to contact Severus when you are ready. And remember that we are happy to help you with anything you need. Don’t hesitate to owl us,” Hadrian insisted.

“We will remember,” Charlie responded.

Hadrian led Lucius and Severus to the room across the hall and was surprised to see everyone talking together without any sort of issues. They let Fred, George, and Percy know that they could go back across the hall and then used the floo room to head home.

They had lunch with Sirius and Remus and let them know everything that had happened. Sirius and Remus had been happy to let them know that they had finished the mirrors and gave a set of them to Hadrian.

“One for each of you,” Remus stated.

Hadrian handed one to each person at the table. And they followed Remus’ instructions on how to key the mirrors to each person so that no one aside from them could use them. They simply had to tap the mirror with their wands or a bit of magic and speak the name of the person they were trying to talk to.

The mirrors would connect them, and it would be like using a muggle phone. Hadrian insisted that they get started making more because he was going to inform the Creature Council about it and knew that they would be interested in purchasing them.

“This is amazing spell work,” Severus stated as he looked it over. “I would be sure to patent it with the ministry before Hadrian takes it to the Creature Council. Right now, anyone could attempt to copy your spell work without consequence. But if you patent it first, they will have to pay you directly to make it for them or pay you to be able to make it themselves.”

“I could help you with all of the legalities,” Lucius offered.

“We will take you up on that,” Sirius insisted. “It would be nice to have something associated with the Black name that isn’t Dark.”

“Didn’t Uncle Remi put in most of the spell work and stuff?” Teddy asked. “Wouldn’t it make more sense for it to be in his name?”

“He is a werewolf,” Draco stated. “Right now, the ministry would be more likely to confiscate his ideas because he doesn’t have rights than actually allow him to claim patent rights. Uncle Sirius would have to take credit at least right now so that they cant steal their idea.”

“Right,” Teddy said with a sigh. “I hate how biased the ministry is toward Creatures. I can’t wait until we change it.”

“Neither can we, Kid,” Hadrian agreed. “Remus is brilliant, and the world should know it. He should be able to show the world just how brilliant.”

They spent the rest of the day playing chess, flying, or simply spending time together. Tomorrow, Severus would return to the school and life would continue on. But for now, they were all together and that was all Hadrian was going to concentrate on.

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

Albus was nearly to his limit.

It seemed like nothing, not one thing, had gone his way since that little Potter brat had died. He didn’t know how Tom had managed to trick the goblins or fake the magical documents to give him a new identity, but he was sure that it was a very dark ritual.

Albus just needed to find a way to prove it. To prove that everyone’s new favorite Duke was the Dark Lord Voldemort. But how? He was going to have to do something drastic. Something that would likely be illegal. But the people would forgive him when he proved that Peverell was actually the Dark Lord in disguise.

He was standing outside the Burrow and trying to figure out if there was a way to get in without alerting Arthur that he had been there snooping. Though maybe it would be ok to set the wards off. Then Arthur would come home and Albus could handle this situation quickly.

Molly and her horrible children had already worked his nerves today. Those two children were horribly spoiled and he didn’t think he could handle having them under his roof for much longer.

The girl whined about Harry’s death as if someone had murdered her husband. Whined about how she was never going to be happy again and that her life had ended already. And then in the next breath she was begging her brother to tell her about the Longbottom boy and talking about how she knew he was going to fall in love with her before Winter break.

It was insufferable.

The boy whined about everything. Everything. His clothes were worn, his books were old, his pet was missing and now he wouldn’t have one like everyone else. No one would think he was important now that Harry was dead. How he was upset that Harry hadn’t left him everything in his Will, since he was his best friend.

He couldn’t listen to it much more.

And Molly, well Molly was the worst in his opinion. She had been up early this morning cooking and cleaning. Which wouldn’t have been bad, but she had started rearranging his entire home. Nothing was where he needed it to be. She was moving through his home as if it were her own and it was grating on his nerves. She was such a pushy woman and Merlin, did she screech.

He needed Arthur to let Molly and her offspring back into the Burrow.

He gently tapped the Wards. Like a little knock and waited. He was completely surprised when the wards simply dropped. Weird. Arthur wasn’t home. He knew he wasn’t he hadn’t felt anyone in the home.

Albus stepped through and then strode up to the door and knocked gently just to make sure. When no one answered after a while he opened the door and stepped into the empty home. He looked around the first level and into Arthur’s office to see if he could find any clues as to what had happened. All he found was a not on the kitchen table.

Molly,
The house is yours. My sons and I have found new accommodations.

Simple to the point and revealed nothing. Albus was worried now. He was losing his pawns. Important players were being taken off the board right under Albus’ nose and he didn’t understand how it was all falling apart so quickly.

There was no way Arthur hadn’t gone to the bank. No way that he didn’t know exactly what had been done to him. Something like this could ruin Albus. Well, not exactly. It would ruin Molly. Albus had been careful to never be seen when Molly was working her memory charms or visiting with her brothers.

This couldn’t be tied back to him. It was still a salvageable situation as far as he was concerned. He could pretend that he knew nothing about what was happening in the Weasley home. He was as much in the dark as everyone else. He needed to write to Arthur and get Molly out of his home.

He needed to tie up some lose ends. He couldn’t keep letting things get out of his control. He was going to start with Pettigrew. The rat knew too much. Albus had been the one to sow the seeds of descent in Peter’s mind and pushed him toward the Dark. He had known Peter had given in and then encouraged the Potters to make him the secret keeper.

Albus had been growing weak and needed a little more power. It was why he had so many Wixen and Creatures taken and in potion induced comas. He was siphoning power from them. It was why he was so powerful.

Albus left the deserted house and flooed home. He handed the note to Molly and told her that she could go home now that she had one to go to and then he encouraged her to write to Arthur and try to find out where he was so that Albus could take care of him for her.

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

“What do you mean he is dead?” Hadrian demanded. He had come to the ministry first thing Monday morning just like he had planned so that he could help Amelia and Rufus question Peter. Except, there wouldn’t be any questioning today.

“The guards reported it this morning,” Amelia informed him. “When they tried to wake him up for his breakfast, he was already dead.”

“Have they been questioned?” Hadrian asked. “Who could have gotten to him? I thought we had tightened security since Lord Black’s poisoning?”

“We did,” Rufus responded with a shrug. “Someone dosed the guards. We checked their memories and at about midnight, they fell asleep and didn’t wake up again until almost time for guard change. They were tested for potions, and they were both given something with their evening meal.”

“There are several Ministry elves with holes in their memories so we cannot even pinpoint which one was used to do this,” Amelia ground out.

“Don’t you have a record of who comes and goes and when?” Hadrian asked. He knew they had a system like that set up when he had worked here but he didn’t know exactly when it had been implemented.

“We don’t,” Rufus answered. “It would be too hard to keep track. A lot of ministry workers have floo access directly to their offices.”

“Remind me to bring that up in a meeting soon. There is a way to do it. One that works very well. I believe they are currently using it in America,” Hadrian said absently. “It won’t fix problems like this but it would help in the investigations to know at least who was in the building at the time.”

“What do we do now?” Amelia asked with a sigh.

“Nothing we can do. Peter is dead. He cannot give us testimony about my suspect from the Veil,” Rufus responded.

I could help you to interrogate him, Master

And Hadrian knew that she could. But it would be considered Necromancy and that was forbidden and illegal in Britian. They would never agree to it and would likely attempt to lock him up for suggesting it.

Perhaps privately for your own investigation

Now that wasn’t a bad idea. He could always allow Death to bring him Peter’s soul and he could question him. Perhaps he could use the information somehow. That might come in handy. He felt that Death was pleased to have offered something that Hadrian could use.

“Well, I guess that is that,” Hadrian said with a casual shrug. “If the two of you don’t need me for anything else. I have other things that need tending to today.”

“I don’t believe we need anything else from you today, Duke Peverell,” Rufus answered.

Hadrian nodded and then left the ministry before apparating to Hogsmeade. Today was the third day of reworking the wards, the goblins should be finishing up today. He would see how everything was going.

“Duke Peverell,” one of the goblins greeted him.

“May your enemies fall to your axe,” Hadrian greeted back.

“And all your investments succeed,” the goblin responded. “I am Grom. Is there anything we can do for you?”

“Hello Grom, I was simply coming to see how things were moving along,” Hadrian answered.

“The wards were so corrupted that we had to completely remove the Wardstone and destroy it. There have been too many dark things in this castle that never should have been here. Rituals and corruptions that completely ruined the spellwork on the Wardstone,” Grom responded.

“And were you able to find another?” Hadrian asked.

“We have very few that are large enough to maintain the wards around a castle and property this large, but we did find one. And because it is completely new and has never been used before we were able to add a few features,” Grom stated. He waved his hand toward three glass orbs.

“And what are these?” Hadrian asked as he picked one up.

“These are tied to the Wardstone inside the castle. It will allow you, Lord Hufflepuff, and the Headmaster to monitor the wards. It will glow black to alert you to the use of dark magic within the school, red to alert you of cursed objects attempting to pass the wards, and a myriad of other colors to indicate different things happening within the boundaries and then show you an image of the situation. We will provide you with a parchment that explains it fully,” Grom revealed.

“That sounds wonderfully convenient. This will be very helpful in monitoring the school. And what about the Wardstone itself? Will it let us know if someone attempts to alter or adjust the wards in any way?” Hadrian asked.

“It will,” Grom answered. “We have also searched out and removed every dark object within the school and have made it so that none will make it past the ward line.”

“Are the dark objects somewhere that I can look them over?” Hadrian asked. He was curious if their search had taken them to the Room of Requirement. If so, the Diadem had most likely been found already.

“They are yours and Lord Hufflepuffs to look through. The school and everything in it technically belong to the two of you as well as Lord Ravenclaw,” Grom answered. He pointed toward a large trunk that was being guarded by two other goblins.

Hadrian headed over and began to look through the trunk. He was happy to find the box with the Diadem in it and tucked it into his robes. He instructed the Goblins to put the rest of the objects into his Peverell Vault for him to look at later. If they were too dark to be allowed to exist, he would have them destroyed.

It was only another hour more before the wards were completed. Charis and Albus were called to the school and given a rundown of what had been done and fixed.

“Oh, and just so that you are aware, Albus,” Hadrian spoke up. “These orbs will inform us the moment the wards are tampered with in any way. If you or anyone else attempts to adjust them or mess with them even for the smallest reason, we will be alerted. And if you do not have a damn good reason for having messed with them, you will be removed from your position as Headmaster.”

“The goblins have done a fine job of reworking these wards and I don’t see there being any reason for anyone at all to mess with them,” Charis agreed. “The only time they should be touched is once a year when the goblins come to do maintenance on the Wardstone and make sure that everything is functioning properly.”

“Our students are so lucky to have the two of you so adamant about their safety,” Albus said through gritted teeth. “If that is everything, I need to call my professors back to the school so that we can begin preparing for the new school year.”

“Of course,” Hadrian stated with a smile. “Oh, did you still need our assistance if getting the letters sent out?”

“No thank you, we will manage,” Albus stated and headed for the school. He paused for a moment and seemed to grow even angrier before he pulled off one of his rings and banished it before stepping fully through the gates and onto the school property.

Hadrian had no doubt that the ring was somehow connected to the power he was syphoning from his captives. He wondered what Albus would do now to make up for the loss of it now that the wards were working properly. He chuckled as he and Charis along with the goblins apparated away.

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

Hadrian was currently sitting in his office going over important things for the meeting this weekend as well as making sure he had everything for the ritual Death had given him to keep his family safe. He looked over at the box sitting at the edge of his desk.

It now housed all of the pieces of Tom’s soul. He had the piece from himself, the Diary, the Necklace, the Cup, the Diadem, and the Ring. He just needed to find a good time to resurrect Tom. He wasn’t ready just yet to do it. He wanted to spend a little more time letting Severus adjust to them before introducing a new Submissive.

“Lost in thought?”

Hadrian looked up and smiled at Severus standing in the doorway. He waved the Submissive in and Severus closed the door behind him. Lucius was still at work and Sirius and Remus had taken the boys to the Island with him.

“Only a bit,” Hadrian answered and then banished the box back to his vault beneath the castle. “Did you need something, Little Bird?”

“Only…only to spend a little time with you while we have it. Albus has called us back to the school,” Severus responded with a slight blush before coming further into the room. “If you aren’t too busy.”

“I’m not,” Hadrian answered quickly. “I will never be too busy to spend time with you. Did you have anything in mind that you wanted to do?”

“Could we just sit together for a while?” Severus asked him.

“I found a few books about Phoenix in my library earlier,” Hadrian stated as he stood and moved over to the couch in his office. “I could read one to you while we sit together?”

Severus walked over and sat down on the couch next Hadrian and then did like he had seen Lucius do before. He grabbed the Dominant Drake’s arm and lifted it so that it was wrapped around his shoulders and then scooted closer to the Drake.

Hadrian gave a pleased rumble and wrapped his arm around the man tighter. He leaned down and nuzzled Severus’ cheek gently and breathed him in.

“Little Bird?” Hadrian asked.

“Hmm?” Severus responded as he closed his eyes and let the Dominant man touch him.

“May I kiss you?” Hadrian asked quietly. Severus thought about it for a moment and then nodded. He had wanted Hadrian to kiss him from the moment he had seen him and Lucius together and known that he could be part of it.

Hadrian grinned and then reached up with his other hand to cup Severus jaw tenderly. Severus smirked.

“I am not a delicate thing like our Veela, Drake. I prefer a firmer hand,” Severus stated firmly.

Hadrian answered the challenge in his dark eyes with a growl and moved his hand down to wrap firmly but gently around the Submissive’s neck. He felt Severus’ pulse pick up against his palm and could smell the little bit of arousal that was suddenly being pumped into the air.

Then he took the Phoenix’s mouth. A firm press of lips that quickly turned to more when Hadrian tightened his hand just a little around Severus’ neck and the Submissive gasped. Hadrian thrust his tongue into his mouth to explore. But Severus was not Lucius.

Lucius had Submitted eagerly when Hadrian had taken his mouth. There was no battle of wills just simple, sweet, utter Submission from his little Veela. Severus did none of those things.

Severus leaned forward just enough to add more pressure to his own neck and then his tongue tangled with Hadrian’s. He forced Hadrian to take his Submission from him instead of simply giving it. The kiss was demanding. Hadrian demanding Severus to submit and Severus demanding that Hadrian make him. It was a hard press of mouths and teeth.

But when Severus finally did submit, it was beautiful. Hadrian loosened his hand and moved it to gently hold the back of Severus’ neck as the Phoenix simply melted in Hadrian’s hold. The kiss turned from demanding to gentle.

Hadrian peppered sweet kisses across Severus’ lips, nose, cheeks, and eyes lids before claiming his mouth again. His Submission was all the sweeter because Hadrian had fought for it. When he finally pulled away, Severus was flushed and panting. Dazed and beautiful.

The Drake forced himself to calm down so that he didn’t attempt to take his Submissive to bed that very moment. Severus wasn’t ready for something like that just yet. Just like their kiss, Hadrian would have to earn it. And he looked forward to doing exactly that.

“That was…” Severus whispered and paused as if he just didn’t know how to finish his sentence.

“Yes it was,” Hadrian offered and then leaned back and tucked Severus back under his arm. Severus snuggled closer and wrapped an arm around Hadrian’s waist. “My offer to read to you still stands.”

“That would be welcome,” Severus answered contentedly. So, Hadrian kissed the top of his head and then summoned the book he had found. He opened it up and began to read out loud. They stayed like that for over an hour before Severus sat up reluctantly.

“I…have to go or Albus will become suspicious,” Severus finally stated with a sigh. Hadrian reached out and gently tugged on a piece of his hair.

“This isn’t goodbye, Little Bird. There is one tweak to the wards that the Goblins allowed me,” Hadrian revealed. “Any traffic to and from your floo will not register to the wards. You can come here to us anytime you want. Spend your nights here when you are not patrolling or on duty. We can come to you. We can still spend time together.”

“That makes me feel better,” Severus responded gratefully. “It was a little unsettling to my instincts to think about being separated from you and Lucius for so long. I am curious about something?”

“Ask me anything, Little Bird,” Hadrian insisted.

“I..I am your mate and Lucius is your mate but we are not mated to each other, right?” Severus asked.

“Correct,” Hadrian agreed.

“What do you expect our relationship to be like? Are we only allowed to be intimate with you? Or…or can we be intimate with each other as well?” Severus asked with a blush.

“I know that you and Lucius have been attracted to each other for a long time, Severus,” Hadrian responded. “I want you to have whatever relationship makes you happy. You and Lucius are mine, but that doesn’t mean that you cant also be with each other. It would make me happy to know that the two of you are happy. If you are asking if I am ok with the two of you also being together then the answer is yes.”

“So, it wouldn’t upset you to know that while you are away at work or something the two of us were together intimately? We haven’t, I am simply asking,” Severus stated.

“No, it would not upset me. Our home will be happier if all of us can make this work together,” Hadrian insisted.

“That’s exactly what Lucius said you would say,” Severus said with a chuckle. “He knows you very well.”

“Yes, well, our little Veela is very perceptive and has a little longer to get to know me. You will get there as well, Little Bird,” Hadrian stated.

“You let him still be his own person. He handled the things with Arthur yesterday and you didn’t even look them over to make sure that you were ok with it. He simply made decisions for your properties, and you let him,” Severus pointed out.

“Lucius and I are bonded, Little Bird. In the eyes of magic and the law we are one. Those aren’t my properties; this isn’t my home. What is mine is his, yours. Ours. I trust Lucius to handle things because I know he is capable of doing it. I don’t need to second guess him or check his decisions as if he were an incompetent child,” Hadrian stated and then he leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to Severus’ lips.

“It will be the same for you, Little Bird. I will trust you to handle things as well. I will not micro manage you or hover. If you say you can handle something then I trust that you can do it. Lucius is good with money and the law. You are good with potions and your brain is magnificent,” Hadrian added.

“He is nearly too good to be true isn’t he,” Lucius stated. He had come in right as Severus was questioning Hadrian about allowing him to handle things. He had stayed quiet near the door to allow them to talk.

“Nearly,” Severus agreed and was surprised when Lucius leaned down and kissed him on the lips before settling himself in Hadrian’s lap.

“Hello, Darling. How was work? How are you feeling?” Hadrian asked as he caressed Lucius’ abdomen. “Did you eat at lunch?”

“Work was fine. I stopped by to check in on Arthur and he looked much better today. We had lunch together when he realized that I hadn’t eaten yet. I feel perfectly fine if a little nauseous,” Lucius answered with a grin.

“Do you need something for the nausea?” Severus asked him. “I have been brewing for you while I have been here. There is a month supply of prenatal potions as well as something for nausea and other things that are safe for you to take while carrying.”

“Such a good, Little Bird,” Hadrian praised. “Helping me to look after our Darling.”

“Thank you, Severus,” Lucius agreed and reached out and linked their fingers together. Hadrian was so settled having them both here like this that he kissed them both.

“Oh,” Hadrian said and summoned a box from his desk. “I have this for you, Little Bird. It is just like Lucius’ ring. This is a gift from Lady Death so that we can make sure I am alerted the moment someone tries to harm you. Will you wear it?”

Hadrian handed the box to Severus who opened it and pulled out a necklace. He had been afraid of it being a ring. It would have been dangerous to wear when he brewed or hard to keep glamoured this was much better. He could keep it hidden under his robes.

“I will wear it,” Severus agreed and let Lucius put the necklace on him. He looked at the two of them and then sighed. “I really do have to go now. I will come back when I am able.”

“You will not have to use a password, Little Bird. I have added you to the wards,” Hadrian informed him.

“Thank you, Hadrian,” Severus answered. Lucius and Hadrian both walked him to the floo room. He would floo to the Hogshead and then head to the school. Once he was gone, Hadrian led Lucius to the sitting room and pulled him into his arms.

“It is going to suck with him being gone after being with us the last three days,” Lucius said as Hadrian nuzzled him.

“Yes it is,” Hadrian agreed. “I missed you today, Darling. You never answered earlier, do you need something for your stomach?”

“No, I am not nauseous anymore,” Lucius insisted. “I will probably take one in the morning though. I believe I am starting to have morning sickness. It didn’t start until much later with Draco. This little Darling is going to be sure to make sure that we know they are there right off the bat.”

“Sounds like perhaps you are carrying a little girl who will take after her bearer. Wanting the world to know she is coming,” Hadrian said with fondness.

“Or a little stubborn Drake just like his father,” Lucius countered.

“I can’t wait until we can find out if they are a boy or girl,” Hadrian said as he pressed a kiss to Lucius’ neck.

There was a ruckus of noise before a very muddy cat came streaking through the sitting room. It was followed by a barking wolf-pup who was equally muddy and then their boys came running in behind the pup.

Hadrian started laughing hysterically as Lucius stood to try and get control of the situation. There was mud everywhere and at least two broken items in the room before Draco stood covered in mud and grinning from ear to ear holding what was definitely not a house cat.

He had a baby lion cub cradled in his arms.

Sirius and Remus were laughing just as hysterically in the doorway and Teddy was now holding a perfectly calm wolf-pup. Draco was so excited and Hadrian knew that Lucius would never deny that child anything while he looked like that.

“So, can I keep it, Father?”