The Way Back Home

WL1031: Woo hoo! Back again with chapter 18!



Jade: YES! And now that WL is on Spring break, there will probably be a chapter up each day starting today!



WL1031: *rolling her eyes* Yeah, I’ll try and get up one chapter each day this week.



Jade: And thanks to all those patient readers.



WL1031: Yes… even the lurkers who don’t leave a review! I see you out there!



Jade: Yeah, you guys, leave a review! Jeez… *shaking her head*



WL1031: Review people!



Jade: And just so that people should know, there is a little bit of fluff somewhere in this chapter.





Disclaimer: I don’t own it. Only the story line and the characters that you don’t recognize are mine. Everything else—the main characters and the Harry Potter Universe—is the fabulous brainchild of J.K. Rowling and her publishing company friends.









The Way Back Home

Chapter 18: Discovered!







Draco Malfoy watched as the library assistant walked by again. He wasn’t even using his time to study; instead he came in, as he always did, because he knew that she would be in the library at this time of day. Of course, he made it look like he was studying—his books and parchments were scattered over the table in front of him—to put off anyone that would be walking by. It was the perfect cover to get closer to her without really doing so. It was the closest that he had been able to get to her after his unsuccessful attempt to catch her back in October. He hadn’t even told his father about it or that he was stuck with a detention for a month afterwards. No matter, he always got what he wanted in the end. He was patient—a trait that many in the school didn’t know he had—and could make his move when ready. And when he was ready, he’d pounce.



He smiled and watched her walk by again with the book cart.







Zeporiap walked by completely focused on putting the books back on the shelves. She had been at this all morning, making sure that the books got back to where they wanted to be. Up and down the aisles, she spent the hours putting things away and just doing the general upkeep that a large library required. It was easy work—this meant that her mind often strayed from what she was supposed to be doing.


ndinnding herself thinking about the events of the past few days, Zeporiap gave up again. The books could wait while she mulled over her thoughts. Sighing, Zeporiap sat down in the aisle and let herself fall into her persistent thoughts. Over the last few days, she had finally understood why she was such a nervous wreck. Severus had explained things to her a few nights ago, making her feel much better—she felt even better knowing that he understood. But, what Hermione had told her just as troubling. She had been wondering about the supposed communication link that Severus and she shared. The idea that they could transfer their thoughts to each other was a little off-putting but a little exciting as well. Well, it certaintly couldn’t hurt to try… I hope that he doesn’t mind… she thought.



Taking a deep breath, Zeporiap sat down on the floor, sittin thn the yoga half-lotus position. Focusing her thoughts, she pictured Severus in his classroom sitting at his desk. Breathing in and out slowly, she concentrated on speaking to Severus as if she was standing directly in front of him. She didn’t want to startle him, so she worked her “voice” into a whisper.



*Severus.*



Nothing. She tried again.



*Severus…papí, can you hear me?*









Downstairs, Severus was sitting at his desk grading papers. He alr had had a headache and it wasn’t even lunch time yet. The students were getting on his nerves again. Already, two students had melted their cauldrons and another one exploded when the wrong ingredient was added too early. He had to deduct points and detentions for the idiocy on top of it all. Glancing at the clock set up on his desk—a gift from Zeporiap for Christmas—he saw that it read “almost time for lunch” and sighed to himself. Putting his quill down, he rubbed at his tired eyes. His mind strayed from the classroom for a little bit as he tried to relax. He was successful—maybe too successful because he thought that he heard Zeporiap calling his name. He opened his eyes and casually glanced around the room and only saw the students cleaning up their work tables. He rubbed at his eyes again, thinking that he was probably getting a migraine—he could hardly wait to get back to his rooms to so that he could have Zeporiap message his aching temples with her soft fingers.



*Severus…papí can you hear me?*



Now, Severus was sure that he was getting a migraine because he really heard his love speaking to him. He knew where she was because the hands on the clock pointed to her being in the library working. He could hear her cute little laugh—almost as if she was right there next to him. He jumped when he heard her voice echoing in his mind again.



*No, Severus… you’re not imagining things. It’s really me! Say something.*



Severus shook his head, wondering if he needed to spend some time in St. Mungo’s for hearing voices. The voice laughed again.



*Sev, will you calm down? It is really me, Zeporiap, talking to you. Hermione revealed something to me about our ability and this is one of them. We can communicate this way.*



Severus looked up again, noticing that the students were just sitting at their desks. He sighed again, irritated. “Well, what are you waiting for? Get out!” The students scrambled out of the room, slamming the door behind them.



The room was completely quiet. The voice came again.



This time he decided to answer it.



*Sev, are you there?* He released a breath.



*Yes. How are we able to talk this way?*



Zeporiap squealed in excitement. *Oh, you responded! I’m not too sure how we can do this but…*


*We may be able to use this to our advantage.* He responded after a moment. *I thought that I was just having a migraine…* He could hear Zeporiap laughing again.



*Don’t worry, Sev. I can help you relax later… if you can hold on until then?*



*I’ll manage. We’ll need to discuss this later. Keep this between us.*



*Alright, see you at lunch? I love you.*



*You have my soul, my love. Until later.*



Severus sat back and opened his eyes. This definitely put a new spin on things. He cleaned up his desk with a flick of his wand and went upstairs for lunch.



Upstairs, Zeporiap opened her eyes. She was surprised and amazed that it worked. She could hardly wait to try it out again. Quickly getting up from the floor, she dusted her pants off. Turning to the cart, she pushed it to the front of the aisle and then made her way towards the circulation desk. Stopping at one of the tables, she noticed that one student was slowly putting his books away. His head was down, so she didn’t see his face. He left some of the books on the edge of the table and was about to put them into the return rack hanging off of the side when she stopped him.



“Oh, don’t worry about those books. I’ll just take these and…” Zeporiap inhaled in surprise.



The boy looked up from what he was doing and smiled. He handed her the books and Zeporiap nearly dropped them. She began to back away, moving behind the cart.



“You….you look….just like…” She backed away with the cart as the boy frowned. “Have… have a ni-nice day.” Zeporiap beat a hasty retreat with the cart, barely stopping herself from running away.



Stumbling into the back room behind the circulation desk, Zeporiap vomited into a nearby trash can. “Ese muchacho parece exactamente él…just like him…” she vomited again.



Leaning against the wall, she slid down to the floor. Resting her forehead on her bent knees, she tried to pull air into her lungs. She couldn’t stop the thoughts from running through her mind. The man’s face kept coming up and superimposing itself over that of the boy’s.



She began to rock her shaking body back and forth, crying silently in fear.







Frowning for a little bit, Draco watched as Miss Luz, practically ran off with the book cart. Sitting down at the table, he pulled out a piece of parchment and his writing materials. Thinking for a minoverover her reaction, he began to write. A few minutes later, he folded up the parchment and put away his quill and ink pot. Packing up his things, he left the library and headed off to the owlery. He would send his letter right away.



Upstairs, Ginny was looking around for Zeporiap. She hadn’t appeared for lunch yet and now it was almost over. Looking over, she noticed that Hermione looked just as concerned. Lavender, having gotten to know Zeporiap over the last month, was looking worried.



“What’s keeping her up?” Lavender asked. She was really worried because she noticed that Zeporiap wasn’t looking well for a few days last week. “Should we go look for her?”



Ginny shook her head. “I think that something is going on, but I don’t and wouldn’t know where to look for her. Should we ask Snape?” Hermione nodded her head.



“It might be a good idea. I have the feeling that something isn’t right.” Just as she was about to signal to Snape, he got up and left the room through the teacher’s door. Lavender’s eyes widened.



“Okay, something is definitely going on.” Ginny and Hermione agreed. The group got up to try and catch Snape, but the bell for classes rung.









Malfoy Manor





The owl flew through the window and landed before the man sitting at the desk. Opening a drawer, Lucius pulled out a treat for the owl and placed it on the edge of the desk. He untied the letter from its leg and sat back in his chair. The owl quickly ate the treat and departed to a perch in the corner of the room. It would sit and wait for a reply before returning.



Turning to the letter, Lucius read through it carefully. He liked getting letters from his son because it was easier than going to the school to check on him.



Father,



I seem to be having a problem acquiring something that I want. I have tried for weeks to obtain this desired object, but to no avail. I’ll have to say that the old family charm has not been working in this case.



This girl has been out of my reach for sometime now and all of my attempts to capture her have been less than stellar—spells and charms, even a direct approach have not worked. So, now I’m stuck.



Any advice?



Draco



Lucius sat back from the letter with a slight smile on his face. His son was having a little problem the ladies, well one in particular. That problem would soon be remedied. Pulling out a piece of parchment, he scribbled out a quick note to his son. After sprinkling a drying powder onto the ink, he pressed his insignia to the bottom of the letter and rolled it up. The owl hopped forward to take the letter and flew off.



Tapping his fingers on the table, Lucius frowned. It was too bad that his problem with one particular lady couldn’t be solved as quickly. After he had seen her in muggle London, he had been unable to find her since. It was as if her appearance didn’t really happen at all—no kind of tracking spell or reverse apparation charm wor worked. It was frustrating to say the least.



Well, no matter. I will visit Draco on the Saturday in Hogsmeade. He put thoughts of the irritating matter aside and turned to the other items on his desk.









Walking down the hallway, Severus had the distinct feeling that something was wrong. It was like a cauldron of despair had been poured over him as he was eating. He knew that it wasn’t his feelings because he had no reason to feel that way at all. Moving through the school, he passed the library by chance. He had not seen Zeporiap at lunch and just could not—he stopped in front of the library doors. The feeling of despair seemed to be the strongest here and he stepped inside the quiet, cavernous room. He stalked silently around the library, but found nothing out of the ordinary.



Turning towards the circulation desk, he saw the office door open. It was strange that lig light was on because Madam Pince never left the light on—she was real prickly about leaving things out of place in the library when she wasn’t there. Pushing the door open, Severus’ sensitive ears picked up the sound of someone crying—coming around a corner he found Zeporiap curled up on her side near the wall.



“He looked just like him…just like him… Dios Mio… it was him… it was him…”



Severus instantly rushed to her side. She struggled for a little bit and then settled into his arms.



“No, no. You’re safe. It’s me, Severus.” He spoke to her over and over so that she would understand that it was him and not somebody else. A wild look was in her eyes as well as a faint glowing that lit her irises. After a few moments, she calmed down, curling onto his lap. Her hands stopped clenching at his robes as her body relaxed.



“Severus? It was him… the boy looked just like him. I could only see the man’s face… he was right there…” Severus placed his finger over her lips.
r />r />
“Shh, you’re safe now. I’ve got you.” He wrapped her in his robes and lifted her into his arms. Quickly, he left the library and made it to his rooms in record time. He placed Zeporiap on their bed and removed her clothes with a snap of his fingers. He dressed her in her nightgown and pulled the covers up around her. After having her drink down a Calming Potion and a Dreamless Sleep Potion, she drifted off to sleep.



Stepping out of the room, he closed the door quietly. Tapping his finger against his chin, he moved into the sitting room and paced up and down in front of the fire. It was almost time for the afternoon class, but he did not want to leave Zeporiap alone. Stopping at the mantle after another pass, he reached into the dish of floo powder and then threw it into the fire.



“Dumbledore’s Office.” The flamesred red green for a moment and then went back to the regular orange. He knelt down and called out to the older man. He got an immediate response.



“Severus, what is wrong? You left lunch very suddenly.” A concerned look sparkled in the older man’s eyes.



“Zeporiap is unwell at the moment. She came across something that disturbed her and went into shock. I found her in the library a few moments ago. I do not want to leave her alone, Albus.” Severus finished with a frown—one that covered his real feelings of concern. The look was not lost on the older man; however, he did not comment on it.



“I will take over your classes for the rest of the afternoon. I can manage with the notes that I’m sure that you’ve already prepared. Stay with her and come see me in my office in the morning. And, I will be sure to inform her friends. They were most concerned about her absence at lunch.” Severus nodded in thanks and watched as Dumbledore’s head disappeared with a pop from the flames.



Sitting down on the couch, Severus decided to wait out the time until Zeporiap awoke. The words that she said kept on playing through his mind—as did the fear on her face. He knew exactly who she was referring to and it made him feel even more anger towards the man. Seeing his mate like that made him want to wrap his hands around Lucius Malfoy’s neck even more—it would be a pleasure to squeeze the life out of him.



An evil smile settled over his face as he thought about the numerous ways in which he could torture him before he killed him—with and without a wand.







Over the next few days, Severus watched over Zeporiap in their rooms. After two full days of sleeping, she woke up with an intense hunger gnawing at her insides. Severus slowly fed her cups of broth with small finger sandwiches to help build up her appetite and gain energy again. On the fourth day, she complained about getting out of bed and begged Severus to take her into the sitting room for a change of scenery.



On the sixth day, Severus relented and carefully laid her out on the sitting room settee and bundled her up in blankets that were charmed to stay warm. Later that evening, Albus came to visit the couple for a short time. Zeporiap drifted off to sleep as the two men began to talk seriously.



“I am very sure what set her off, Albus. From what I saw in her mind, she came face to face with Draco Malfoy. He looks almost exactly like his father.” He let out a breath as he looked over at Zeporiap—luckily she was settling into a deep sleep as he could hear the little snore that she always made. He clenched his hand into a fist, but rested it down by his side. The action was not missed by Dumbledore.



“Ah, I understand. Before when we learned of Miss Luz’ attack, it was an unnamed person. I could only assume that it was a Death Eater because of the robe that Poppy told me about later. I can correctly conclude that Lucius was the one who violated her?”



Severus nodded his head. He could feel the rage rising to the surface and almost wasn’t able to push it back. He wanted to kill Lucius and didn’t give a bloody fuck if he went to Azkaban for it at the moment. He took a deep breath and forced his body to relax back into his chair.



Albus looked at the younger man as he became angrier about the situation at hand. He could actually feel the rage pouring off of him, radiating from his body. The inhuman glow was back in his eyes, causing his black eyes to flare dangerously. It was definitely strange to witness the beginnings of a latent magical ability up close and personal—if he was any other man, he would have been frightened.



“Severus, do calm down for the moment. When the time arises, you will have your chance to avenge her honor without any repercussions from me. But, for now we need to make sure that she is well protected. Now, take the young miss to rest in bed and you do the same.” He pulled a stack of letters from a pocket in his robes. Flicking his wand, he enlarged them to their original size and placed them on the table in front of Severus. Albus smiled, his eyes were back to twinkling again. “These are letters from Miss Granger, Miss Brown, and Miss Weaseley. There is also one from Misters Potter and Weaseley, although Miss Granger claims herself as the writer for their dictations. They all are concerned about Miss Luz and since visitors were discouraged this was the best way for them to contact her; and you of course.”



Severus, now somewhat calmer, rolled his eyes. “I will pass the letters along to her when she awakes.” He stood and ushered the older man to the door. “Thank you for your concern, Albus.” He watched as the older man went off down the hallway and bid him a good night.



Closing the door—the wards automatically set, along with some new ones—Severus headed back into his sitting room. After watching the light of the fire dance over Zeporiap’s face, he leaned down and lifted her into his arms. She mumbled for a bit and then went back to sleep, turning her face into his shoulder. He deposited her in the bed and got in bedside her after stripping down to his boxers. Pulling Zeporiap into his arms, he relaxed back into the pillows and went off to sleep.







A week later, Zeporiap was up bright and early—she even woke up earlier than Severus who was s sno snoring lightly. By the time he was somewhat awake she had already come out of the bathroom. Climbing back onto the bed, she snuggled up next to him, placing a kiss on his stubbly cheek. He smiled slightly, but didn’t open his eyes.



“Severus…” she sang softly. “Severus, come on wake up. It’s time to be up, lazy bones.”



He keps eys eyes closed. “Why should I? It’s Saturday. I’m going to sleep until noon.” Zeporiap giggled and slid her hand down his chest. She placed her fingers near the edge of his boxers.



“Are you going to sleep now?” She was caressing the skin just under the waistband of his boxers now, her fingers barely touching his heated skin. Seeing that his eyes were still closed, she moved down and rubbed the top of his erection. Severus groaned and his eyes flew open to see Zeporiap grinning over him.



In an instant he had her under him and was inside her.



“Dios Mio I guess you’re awake now…ooh yes…I thought you…wanted to sleep all day…” Her teeth sank into his shoulder.



“Not if… spread your legs…wider…very good… not if I’m going to wake up like this.” He gripped her hips, his fingers digging into her skin as he hammered into her.



“Ooh…well… good morning, then.” She moaned—that was the end of any conversation from her end. She locked her ankles around his lower back and thrust up to meet him. He was slamming into her so hard that her heels began to bounce on his buttocks. Severus smiled and flexed his hips, going deeper.



“Ooh yes…A very good morning.”









The group of girls was walking down the street in Hogsmeade. It was still a little cold, so they all wrapped up in their cloaks—Zeporiap bundled up in very thick sweater, gloves, a long scarf, and a hooded witch’s robe. The giggling group went from shop to shop, taking Lavender’s tips on shopping and where to find designer wear for less.



Stepping into another shop, Ginny and Hermione shrunk down their purchases. Lavender and Zeporiap did the same and they all headed to the back of the store for the clearance racks. They hit the jackpot with this store; the racks lining the back walls with all kinds of discounts on last season’s dress gowns and casual clothing.

“Oh my gods, look at this stuff! They’ve got dress robes in every color!” Ginny squealed. She immediately began to flip through the racks, picking out colors that Lavender said complimented her coloring. Hermione pulled out a brown skirt and held it up to her body.



“What do you girls, think? Too much brown for me?” Zeporiap shook her head, curls bouncing to and fro.



“Oh that would be perfect for you, ‘Mione. It’s just the right shade to compliment your lovely skin tone. I think that you should get it because it goes perfect with that cream-colored sweater that you bought earlier.” Lavender agreed.



“That would be fabulous if you wore it with those brown boots that your mum sent you.” She smiled and pulled out a light blue top. She held it up and then put it back.



After an hour, the girls left the shop and headed towards the Three Broomsticks for some butterbeer. They waited outside for a little bit, organizing their purchases again and then shrunk them down.



“I’ll go in and get us a table. I’m not sure if the guys are in there yet.” Zeporiap said. “You know how they get when they go off to their favorite little shops.” She had a hard time trying the get Severus out of the Apothecary. She put a few of her purchases in her pocket and the rest into the shoulder bag she was carrying.



“Alright. We’ll be out here on the look out for the guys and come in as soon as they get here.” Hermione said. Zeporiap nodded and went inside.



She stopped at the counter to greet Rosemerta, giggling at the outrageous shoes she had on today. They chatted for a bit as Zeporiap scanned the room for a place to sit.







Sitting at a table in the corner of the room, Draco spoke with his father about the goings on at the school. They sipped at their butterbeer as they talked, getting through the usual things before Draco got onto the letter he sent to his father.



“Father, I just don’t know what to do.” He said quietly. “I have no idea how to get this girl and I’ve tried everything, even a direct approach.” Lucius shook his silvery-blond head.



“And just what is so special about this particular girl that you have to have her, hmm?”



Draco frowned. “She’s just…she’s bloody gorgeous, Father. She’s like nobody I’ve ever seen. I have to have her.” Draco scanned the room to see if she was in the pub. His eyes widened when his gaze locked onto her. Putting down his mug, he pointed in her direction.



“There she is by the bar, Father—the one with the black curls. Look she just took off her robe.”



Lucius turned his head and could not believe his eyes. It was her! The woman he had been searching all over for. Here! Right here in Hogsmeade, inside the Three Broomsticks. Now, I have her. She is mine. He let his eyes wander over her figure, immediately wanting to remove the form-fitting sweater and muggle jeans. Shaking his head slightly, he turned back to his son.



“Well, it would be best to get her attention when she is completely unaware. Yes, that is the best plan of action.” Picking up his mug again, he brought it to his lips. “How long has she been at the school?”



“She came at the beginning of the school year, on a Saturday. It was the strangest thing, Father—she came down from the sky like an angel.”



“From the sky, you say? Come, come boy, surely you do not expect me to believe that. Not even in our world do things happen like that.” He raised a quizzical eyebrow. He mentally counted back the months since she disappeared to the day that Draco said she appeared. It was about right—it all added up.



“Oh, but it’s true. I was there, Father. She came down from the sky and she was whisked away into the school. Later when I saw her, she was dressed and I wanted to have her. And then at the Halloween Ball when she danced…”



“She danced? What kind of dance?”



“I’ve never seen it before, but it made me want her even more.” They both watched as she stepped outside only to come back in with a group of girls. Their eyes followed her as she laughed and joked with the little group.



“Father?”



“It will all work out in the end, my boy.” Lucius picked up his mug, formulating a plan in his mind.







The day was over and the carriage pulled up to take the children back to the school. The students filed out of the various shops and stores, their pockets full of their purchases for the day. The laughing and boisterous group piled into the carriages



The group of s wes went out into the waning daylight to get into one of the carriages. Harry, Ron, and Seamus had a secured a carriage for them and they were about to climb inside. Just then, Zeporiap looked down and noticed that she didn’t have her bag. Checking with the girls, she learned that they didn’t have it either.



“It must still be inside at the table. I’ll just run right in and get it.” Zeporiap said.



“Oh, hurry as fast as you can because the carriage is about to leave.” Harry said as he handed Ginny into the carriage.



“Okay, I’ll be right out!” She took off running to the pub.



Inside, she grabbed her bag from Rosemerta and flew back outside. A carriage was there waiting and without thinking she climbed inside. Just as she realized that something was wrong, a hand shoved her back onto the seat. The door slammed shut and she was left in darkness. A smooth voice cut into the silence.



“Ah, so we meet again. Funny, that I should be taking you for a ride, my dear.”



That voice, she thought. I know that voice. Zeporiap flicked her wand to bring a bit of light into the small space. Nothing happened.



“Oh, you can not use your wand against me, my dear.” The voice laughed. Zeporiap tried to move back into the corner of the space, trying to get away.



Suddenly, a face appeared out of the darkness as if from out of nowhere. A malicious smile lit the man’s features. He licked his lips. Zeporiap screamed in fear, her body shaking in fright.



“Oh, I do so love it when they scream. I especially liked it when you screamed.” Lucius laughed as the carriage rolled off down the street.











_,’^’,_._,’^’,_._,’^’,_._,’^’,_._,’^’,_._,’^’,_._,’^’,_._,’^’,_._,’^’,_._,’^’,_._,’^’,_._,’^’,_.



WL1031: Wow… that was something. It was super hard to stop the chapter right there!



Jade: Yeah, I had to keep WL from writing more. I know that she wanted to though.



WL1031: Yeah, I did… but I guess it would be best to leave what I had in mind for the next chapter.



Jade: So review people! And look out for Chapter 19 tomorrow! *cracks a whip* Get to work WL! Time’s a-wastin’!



WL1031: Fine, task master—there better be breaks in between writing time. *rolls her eyes* Review people!









Translations:

papí: Slang for baby



Ese muchacho parece exactamente él: that boy looks exactly like him



Dios Mio: My God