Disclaimer: I own nothing but the storyline!

I'M BACK! Here is the long awatied sequel to A Consort's Loyalty. Hope everyone enjoys it. My beta has been sent this story, so if there are mistkaes they are mine and mine alone! A new chapter to 'No Other Way But To Love You' is coming up really soon as well. Hope everyone's summer was the best! See ya later and enjoy!

Desolate03

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Chapter One

The night was cold and dark. Rain cried down from the heavens as a bedraggled figure ran through the night. He didn’t have anywhere to go, much less hide as the angry voices of those chasing him came closer and closer…

The lightening strike lit up the sky and before his right brown eyes stood a Manor house nearly as large as a small palace. He looked over his shoulder at the silhouettes chasing him and immediately ran for the iron gates that lay in front of him. He could not mistake that large intricate M that was engraved into the iron bars; this was Malfoy Manor. He squeezed his emaciated body through the bars and stumbled towards the large double doors yards away. As he looked back yet again the angry voices seemed to grow stronger and fiercer. He banged on the door until his knuckles were bloody, hoping and praying that someone, anyone was hope.

The door opened, a soft light spilling for into the desolate night. “Who in Goddess’ name is…Remus?” Fathomless black eyes widened in surprise and then worry as Remus Lupin collapsed at his feet. “Remus, Remus!” Severus knelt down beside the slumped figure and then looked out into the night. At least twenty wizards and witches stood before him, held back at least fifteen feet by the powerful wards that surrounded the manor.

“Give it back to us man! You don’t know what it is.” A voice cried out. Severus narrowed his gaze and stood gracefully and then held up his hand that was glowing softly in the dim light.

“Is that you Mr. Zachariah Smith?” He said imperiously and arched a brow. “I for one would have never thought you’d degrade yourself by becoming part of an unseemly mob. And there is a man laying before you here not some thing.”

“P-Professor Snape!” The man’s voice wavered and all those present were astounded that the man before them was once the most feared man of Hogwarts. “B-But Sir, it’s just a werewolf and…”

“What of it?” Severus sneered. “Right now you are trespassing and to me all of you just look like a bunch of sniveling idiots.”

“Who cares, the Malfoy family hasn’t been here in almost a decade!” A brave soul announced. Severus saw red and as he opened his mouth to unleash something scathing a strong arm wrapped around his middle and both doors slammed open at the force of the magick oozing from every pour of the figure standing by his side.

“You are on private lands. You have been on private lands for the last thousand acres or so. Now leave or I shall sue you for every worthless insignificant galleon you all possess.” Lucius Malfoy sneered. Severus had never seen twenty wizards apparate so fast in his life.

“Thank you darling, but I think I need help with our burden here.” Severus said and he quickly kneeled over Remus’ slumped body once more. Lucius eyed the werewolf with worry as he brushed past Severus and picked up the soggy man in his arms.

“Get inside beloved before you catch a cold and wake Draco and Harry, I’m sure with his voice he could probably help heal him.” Lucius said gently. Severus nodded; taking one last looked at the man in his husbands’ arms and then hurried down the hallway. Lucius sighed sadly as he gazed down at the half dead man in his arms.

“What has happened here to warrant such hate?” He murmured, but received no answers in the silence that was left in his wake.

---

One emerald green eye blearily opened as gentle hands shook his awake. Harry Potter blinked up in the darkness and then frowned in concern when he saw Severus’ worried face. “Sev, what’s wrong?”

“Remus Lupin just collapsed onto our doorstep.” He said without preamble. Harry blinked in surprise and then he felt his entire body go numb.

“Is he dead?”

“No, but he may be if we can’t heal him quickly enough. I will need Draco’s help. I am so sorry to wake him up at this hour but…” Harry waved off his protest and then gently shook Draco awake. As always Draco’s silvery blue eyes snapped open readily and he took one look at his husband and father’s faces and was already getting his dressing robe.

“What has happened?” He asked. Harry repeated what Severus said and Draco lost his composure letting his mouth hang open in surprise. “Remus Lupin, Merlin, we haven’t seen him in twenty years almost.”

“I know,” Severus said as all three of them rushed towards one of the many guest room in the house. “That is one of the reasons why it is crucial that we get him stabilized, so that we can find out what exactly has happened since we’ve been away.”

“I agree,” Draco said. Harry said nothing but smiled tenderly at the wave of gentle understanding and love that washed over him from his Consort.

Thank you beloved.

I need no thanks, Harry, just stand back and let us work and we can save your honorary Godfather. Draco told him quite steadily as Draco and Severus rushed to the bedded figure’s side and began working diligently on him. Lucius backed away and eased Harry out into the small sitting room where he had lit a fire.

“We will sit here and wait.” Lucius said softly. Harry nodded and glared at the flames broodingly. The silence between them was comfortable yet fraught with tension. Nearly twenty minutes past by before Harry spoke up.

“Something has happened here hasn’t it?”

“Yes,” Lucius said quietly.

“Remus is in the middle of it?” Harry asked.

“No necessarily the middle of it, but some of what has happened to him has stemmed from it, yes.”

“Damn them, damn them all.” Harry said through clenched teeth. Lucius raised his steady cerulean gaze to Harry’s tormented form and said quietly,

“Do not get angry, not yet, first we must figure out just what is going on and then, only then, can you get angry; for then you will probably have something to be angry about.”

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Remus cracked open one eye and gazed blearily around himself. A smooth husky tenor was singing softly in the room and it was so beautiful that he opened his other eye and began to turn to see who it was. Remus gasped as pain lanced through every cell and every pour of his body. The singing stopped and a figure moved in front of his vision.

“D-Draco Malfoy,” He whispered hoarsely. Draco smiled and nodded his head, delicate little bells jingled softly as he did.

“Thank Merlin you are alright, we were worried about you.” He said, his voice was melodious and carried the distinct lilt of the Elves in it. “Harry was worried in particular, where have you been? It’s been twenty years since we’ve seen you.” His silvery blue eyes had dimmed with sadness, but Remus was confused, why would Draco Malfoy and Harry be on speaking terms?

A door opened outside his vision and then he saw emerald green eyes rest on his figure and a smile appear on an older yet familiar face. “Remus, it’s good to see you.” Harry said quietly as he came up behind Draco and wrapped his arms around the lithe man like it was something he did every day.

By the confused look on Remus’ face, Harry knew that where ever he had been, news of his marriage and leaving the Wizarding World hadn’t reached his ears. “Remus, this is my Consort Draco. A lot has changed my friend, in your absence, but we will get to that later. What has happened here?”

“You don’t know?” Remus asked in surprise. Harry shook his head and then kissed Draco’s temple whispering something as he did. Draco nodded demurely and swept out of the room gracefully before shutting the door behind him.

“Remus, in my Seventh year, it came to my knowledge that Draco was an Elf by birth and that I was his mate. We married and bonded to each other. We’ve been bonded for twenty years now. You do know that Voldemort is dead right?” Remus nodded carefully, finding that any movement caused all his injuries to protest. “Well, after that Draco, Lucius, Severus, and I left the Wizarding world pretty much all together. The only reason we came back for a brief period eleven or twelve years ago was because our children got their Hogwarts letters.” Harry shrugged, “We let them stay for a year but word had reach my ears that many people were giving them trouble, so we left again. We come back to the manor to have some time to ourselves usually. It is why we are here now.”

“Children?” Remus asked and Harry grinned.

“Yeah, Draco and I have a set of twins Galen and Aziza and then our youngest is Demitrius. Lucius and Severus got married and bonded as well. They too have a set of twins, Dysis and Adonia, and then their little on Sebastian. The children go to school now in the Elven realm, they are there now. Their break was last week.”

“Merlin, so many things have happened…” Remus trailed off and his warm brown eyes dulled in pain. Harry knelt by his side and took his hand in his.

“I’ve often thought about you, what happened? Where did you disappear to?”

“At first it was a mission for the Order.” Remus said sadly, “And Dumbledore just gave me more and more missions to do. By the time I realized what was happening, Voldemort was dead, you were gone, and I was handed even more missions than before. The wizarding world after the war was total chaos. So many people had lost husbands, wives, sisters, brothers…their own children. There was so much pain, and so much anger.” Remus paused and then he stared at Harry.

“Many were upset that you just left and didn’t stay to help. Others began to hate you because it became known that you aligned yourself with the Malfoy’s and Severus. Tension was high and anything and anyone just even a little bit other than wizards and witches were ostracized. The hatred has just built upon itself so much that people like me can’t even find jobs. No one will hire us. Prejudice is running rampant through Britain and Dumbledore truly is doing nothing to stop it.” Harry laid a calming hand on Remus’ shoulder.

“Rest easy now, you’re safe. You can stay with us as long as you like.” Harry said smiling. He squeezed Remus’ hand gently. “It is really good to see you.”

“It’s good to see you too.” Remus said. Harry touched his temple and let soothing magick glide over his mind. Remus’ breathing evened out into a deep sleep as Harry rose, a frown marring his handsome face as he walked out of them room.

---

Lucius looked up from his position by the fireplace as Harry walked into the small sitting room. His eyes looked haunted and Lucius felt a sense of foreboding wash over him. In a detached voice Harry relayed everything that he’d heard from Remus. Lucius was surprised it was as bad as all of that.

“But what about their trade with the Elven communities,” Severus protested, “We haven’t heard of anything of the sort through the vendors and such.”

“Perhaps it is just those that they equate to ‘dark’ magick, such as werewolves, vampires, and dark wizards.” Draco said softly. He sighed sadly, “It seems that things haven’t changed that much after all.”

“We really can’t say for sure until we venture out into it.” Lucius said gravely, “After all, Malfoy Manor is really self sustaining if you include the crops and the taxes from the village that we receive. We’ve had no need to really go into regular wizarding society.”

“I believe that we have reason to now.” Harry said, “If it is as bad as Remus says it is, there is a lot of injustice going on. And as usual, it seems to stem from Dumbledore.”

“I guess we will have to pay him a little visit tomorrow, won’t we Harry?” Lucius asked arching a regal brow.” Harry smiled grimly.

“I guess we shall.”

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Hope you liked! R/R!