What a Terrible Mess

Chapter 4

Draco and Blaise had forgotten all about the passage by the weeping willow and had raced to Dumbledore's side, using their newfound speed but not changing forms. They weren't sure they had a handle on that newfound power just yet. Dumbledore, much to their relief, was still alive but barely. Blaise started pulling potions from his pockets, lying them next to the old man while Draco checked the wards and enchantments they'd placed to keep unwelcome visitors away and to keep Dumbledore invisible if anyone did get in. When he finished, checking his watch, he went to the old wizard's side. They had a little over an hour to get everything in his system and working. Draco hoped none of the potions Blaise had grabbed needed more time than that.

"A no bleed syrup? Blaise really? We've stopped the bleeding already." Draco snapped, looking at what he had available.

"Oh, well excuse me mini Severus, I'm not the potions king, I didn't know what to grab so I grabbed one of everything!" Blaise shot back. Draco rolled his eyes, sorting through the potions- administering them as he found ones he could use. Only a quarter of what Blaise had lifted was useful.

The boys decided to wait until everything was working together before giving the Headmaster a pepper up potion to see if he would, once again, awaken. He did.

"Boyss," he gasped, "you look so well."

"They're enchantments, sir." Blaise said, turning his head from side to side to show off their handywork.

"Your professssors would be proud. And Hagrid?"

"We haven't spoken to him yet. We were attacked. The school was attacked. No idea how they got in. We're going now to get him sir, we had to come back to make sure you were..." Draco paused, he wasn't sure how to tell the wizard he'd thought the old man would be dead, "still okay." he finished, rising to leave. Blaise followed.

"Boyssss...when you can could you," Dumbledore gasped again, fighting to remain conscious.

"Yes?" the boys said in unison.

"Could you bring me some lemon drops?" with that, he was out again.

Blaise and Draco grinned at each other before leaving. The old man really was insane. They discovered then, as they left, that they were too weak to move as quickly as before, or even change form. It took much longer to reach Hogwarts at that rate, the boys still moving faster than the average wizard. They knew they could get their faster on the road out but didn't want to risk being spotted by any unfriendlies.

When they reached the school the boys didn't bother to walk in but walked straight to Hagrid's shack. The Ministry had members and Aurors everywhere, all oblivious to the boys slipping through the shadows. They were too focused on the quidditch pitch to bother to see.

"No wonder they're so easy for you know who to attack," Blaise muttered, rolling his eyes, "they're not very observant." Draco only shrugged in reply, he was feeling the burning itch again, the pull to go to his mate- to go to Harry Potter. If he could only just touch him, just a little, maybe breathe in his scent, he'd feel a little better he knew. If he could just...

"Draco. DRACO. Hagrid's shack is *this* way." Blaise said. Draco snapped out of his reverie to find he'd been travelling toward the school and was way off course. Sighing, he returned to the path he'd been on, quickly approaching the shack. The sun would be up soon, he noted. Yet, as they reached the shack they noticed Hagrid wasn't there. Fang was sitting sentry in front of the door, drooling everywhere. Both boys turned their noses up in disgust and turned back toward the school. They were moving at a slow pace now, even for a wizard. They were just so tired.

"What do we know about them though, what do they do exactly?" McGonagall was saying to Narcissa, Rose and Snape.

"Minerva, really? It's been centuries since either one's breed was born, let alone survived to maturity. We don't know much about them other than they have bondmates and can obviously change form- unlike the Veela female. They're very powerful..."