Always

Chapter Nineteen

"Harry, come with me."

Looking up, Harry frowned at Draco's tone. "Draco," Harry began while looking worriedly at Bran, who was sitting on the steps of Hagrid's hut. "What's wrong?"

"Bran, go inside and comfort the dog."

Harry frowned. Draco had been fine a moment ago with the three of them speaking of school in the slowly cooling weather. Harry had desperately wanted to spend time with one or all of his children and Bran had been available and more than happy to hog all of his parents' attention. But Draco's demeanour had suddenly become stiff and wary. Harry immediately began searching the forest.

"Father?"

"Just go inside for a few minutes. We'll come get you."

Harry's eye caught movement in the trees and he tensed before grabbing at Bran. "We need to go inside!"

"Don't frighten the boy!" Draco snapped, his eyes focusing on Harry. "Calm down and let him do as I say. Alone."

Bran saw the movement in the trees as well and Harry could feel his son's hackles rise. "Father, I can—"

"Inside." Draco walked toward Bran and removed Harry's hand from the boy's arm as he looked down at his son. "This is not for you. It's merely a conversation. Go inside and wait for us. If I need you, I will call."

Bran met his father's eye. Harry watched him absorb Draco's calm words and then nod before going inside and shutting the door.

"Draco, is that safe? To leave him? We need to get out of here! Now!" Harry hissed as he gripped Draco's sleeve.

"You are going to relax, Harry," Draco instructed evenly. "I am being asked to converse and am allowing you to come along. If you cannot do that, you may wait with Bran inside."

Swallowing hard, Harry searched Draco's eyes, trying to understand why his husband had become so cold. Draco stared back and Harry suddenly understood. Draco was in the presence of another Supero and needed to be dominant. Harry nodded and lowered his head, rubbing his cheek on his husband's shoulder.

"Yes, Draco. I'll stay with you if you believe Bran will be safe."

"He will be." Draco ran his hand through Harry's hair and leaned down to speak into his ear. "Stay beside me and don't worry. We won't go past the tree line. But if I say run, you will run back here and barricade yourself inside before immediately calling for help. Understand?"

Harry nodded.

Draco led the way toward the edge of the forest. Harry had never gotten over his distaste for thickly wooded areas and was not happy to be approaching one that he hadn't been inside in over twenty years. His eyes searched the tree line as his mind went through several curses that were nasty enough to do long-lasting damage. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Bran in the hut's small window. He smiled reassuringly and hoped that his son would be all right. He also hoped Snape still had an eye on the other two as they finished their lunches inside the castle.

A well-dressed man stepped out from behind the clump of trees directly in front of them, nearly fifteen paces away. Harry hated that he immediately flinched and grabbed at the back of Draco's cloak. How was he going to protect Maia from this threat if he nearly wet himself at the sight of another Supero?

"We mean you and your sub no harm," the stranger stated in a thick accent. Harry placed him from an eastern European country.

"Now who does the 'we' include?" Draco asked imperiously. Harry felt Draco's shoulder muscles bunch and relax. "And I have more than one sub, don't I?"