Chapter 5: The Bliss of Youth

Hogsmead, Wizarding World...

Snow had fallen and the students had been eager to have their fun after recovering from a lengthy war and demanding classes, it had been nice to have a little time to enjoy life. Everyone in the wizarding world knew how precious it could be. Sebastian had been walking with a lengthy dark coat, a Slytherin scarf, black trousers, black boots, and black ear warmers. Draco Malfoy launched a newly formed snowball in his direction. It hit the young wizard and he whirled around with a deadly scowl on his face. Draco busted out laughing.

"You look just like him mate!" he howled.

"Malfoy." said Sebastian annoyed the albino wizard got the drop on him.

"Take it easy mate." replied Draco. "You look right pissed."

Sebastian rolled his eyes.

Draco put a hand on his shoulder.

"You take life too seriously." he said with a sigh.

"And your too lenient." replied Sebastian.

Draco nodded.

"Perhaps." he replied.

Draco's own coat had been black and bundled up quite nicely. He wore a hat with Slytherin colors on it's trim, a Slytherin scarf, and black trousers complete with black boots, as well as gloves. The white snow had a much more pale hue than Draco's albino complexion at this point and his cheeks were red from the warmth of his clothes.

Snow fell softly as the two boys walked with Draco prattling on.

"So Pansy's got these really huge tits..." he started.

"Malfoy." said Sebastian annoyed. "I am not interested in hearing stories about your little girlfriend."

"I know...I know." said Draco. "But I have to tell you this Bastian you're the only best mate I have."

Sebastian stopped walking.

He looked at Draco Malfoy.

"Why not Crabbe or Goyle?" he asked.

"They're just flunkies who kiss up to me because of who my father is." replied Draco sadly. "More like having dogs than friends."

"I know nothing of my father." admitted Sebastian who instantly regretted being so open.

Draco had been stunned.

"You...you don't know your father?" he asked in disbelief.

"Or my mother...or any other family." replied Sebastian. "Or if they're even alive."

Draco's expression seemed sympathetic.

"W-were you attacked?" he asked trying to keep his voice even.

"Attacked?" asked Sebastian confused.

"Y-You know by them...death eaters." replied Draco trying to keep his hands from trembling as images of being in Voldemort's service raced through his mind.

"Dumbledore says so." replied Sebastian. "And that they wiped my memories."

Draco put a trembling hand on his best friend's shoulder.

"I'm sorry mate." he said simply. "You'll always be welcome at Malfoy Manor...my family would be honored to take you in."

Sebastian nodded.

"I-I would be honored to accept." he replied painstakingly.

Draco flashed him a smile. He moved his hand from Sebastian's shoulder and threw it around the raven haired wizard's neck pulling him close in a brotherly walk.

"You know...I've always wanted a brother." said Draco fondly.

Sebastian did nothing to contain the smile that filed across his face. Draco Malfoy was something else indeed. He knew the young wizard meant every word of his invitation for him to stay with his family. Perhaps it would not be so bad being best mates with a Malfoy. They continued walking with Draco finally breaking away and scooping up some snow. He had not seen Sebastian anticipate this and was treated to a snow ball smashing into his face.

Frantic from the cold Draco wiped the slush from his face in time for his gray eyes to fall on Sebastian laughing. He answered it with yet another snowball until the two were locked in a one on one snowball fight.

Laughter coming from both young wizards as they played in the snow.

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Snowed Path, Hogsmead...

Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger had been exploring the snow covered trail as they made their way further toward the trees and well away from the watchful eyes of Professor Slughorn. The question on everybody's mind had been what was happening with Professor Snape. Hermione received information that Lucius Malfoy had left town following the strange attack that took place at the diner in his honor.

"According to sources it's the last time both Professor Snape and Lucius have been seen." said Hermione seemingly worried.

"He's okay." said Harry Potter not wanting to think about something happening to the Professor after everything they had all been through. "He has to be."

Ron sighed.

He had not seen Professor Snape's memories after his near murder at the hands of Voldemort.

"Are you okay mate?" he asked Harry concerned.

The green eyed boy with unkempt dark hair of his own looked over at his red haired friend.

"A couple of low class death eaters are no match for Professor Snape." he said trying more to reassure himself than anyone else.

"Or Lucius Malfoy." added Ron sensing his friend's distress.

"I'm sure Professor Snape and Draco's father are recuperating some where." said Hermione helpful. "Possible aiming to catch them off guard."

"That definitely sounds like Snape." said Harry feeling reassured.

"Definitely." agreed Ron.

"Of course." added Hermione for good measure.

Ron had been about to suggest going to get something to eat when he was hit rather suddenly with what appeared to be a mount of sloshed ice. He blinked fearing it had been worse than it was. Hermione and Harry had been nearly about to draw their wands when they heard the sound of laughter. They all turned to see none other than Draco Malfoy with Sebastian Prince at his side as he pointed in their direction laughing his head off.

"Malfoy!" said Ron annoyed.

He bent down into the snow and made a ball of slush of his own and threw it back at his attacker.

Draco moved rather swiftly out of the way.

"You call that a throw Weasley?" he asked as if offended. "You couldn't hit the broad side of that shack you call a house."

Hermione and Harry both bent down in the snow and launched balls in Draco's direction.

"Just like Gryffindors to gang up on a Slytherin." said Draco dodging them.

They threw more at him each missing as Draco continued to taunt. Sebastian watched them all, their anger at each other disappearing behind the bliss of youthful enjoyment. He had wondered just how easy it had been for them to simply be at peace with life.

"Gryffindor vs. Slytherin!" shouted Ron laughing.

He launched a snowball at Sebastian who had been quiet distracted by his thoughts to dodge it. The young wizard scowled in Ron's direction as everyone stopped waiting to see his reaction. He had looked very much like Professor Snape at that moment rage seething off him as they stared. Even Draco had paused.

"Well, you've gone and done it Weasley." he called at Ron with a smirk. "I'd say you right pissed him off."

Everyone except Draco had watched as Sebastian moved with a speed unheard of manifesting three perfect snow balls and launching them at all Gryffindors. Laughter came from all five of them as they proceeded to best each other in pelting.

Draco found himself on the receiving end of several balls including from Sebastian who couldn't resist the urge to pelt him as well.

"Hey!" exclaimed Draco removing slush from his ear. "Who's side are you on?"

Sebastian shrugged and continued to pelt him.

Harry burst into a laugh as Draco tackled Sebastian to the ground allowing the Hermione to pelt him with snowballs.

"Get him Granger!" he shouted laughing.

"Traitor." said Sebastian with a scowl.

Draco shrugged letting his friend up.

Sebastian briskly tried to remove the snow from his nose and ears.

Harry laughed unable to help himself.

"And what are you laughing at Potter?" asked Sebastian turning on him.

Harry froze. He had still been unable to stop his laughter from creeping back.

"You find my discomfort funny Potter?" asked Sebastian still with that scowl that only made Harry laugh more.

Before Harry could react Sebastian had advanced pulling him with an arm around his neck and smashed snow into his dark unkempt hair. Harry continued to laugh. Ron and Hermione joined in as Sebastian chased Harry pelting The-Boy-Who-Lived with snow balls.

"Hey that's my best mate your manhandling." piped Ron.

"No worries Weasley." said Draco raising his eye brows in a mischievous manner. "There's plenty to go around."

"Oh Bloody Hell." replied Ron as he found himself wrestling with Draco Malfoy in the snow.

All four boys wrestled pelting each other with snow and laughing rather pleasantly as Hermione looked on unable to stifle giggles of her own. She had not noticed that Sebastian had wiggled out of the fray and made his way over toward her.

"Something funny Granger?" he asked with a smirk.

Hermione was caught by surprise.

"Oh no you don't." she said. "If you think you turning into a frog was bad..."

"I'll take my chances." replied Sebastian.

He pelted Hermione with snowballs and chased her around the trees. He had been mesmerized by her zipping in and out of the trees. She moved with a grace and speed unmatched by any but his own. Her girlish giggles filled his ears and caused his own chuckle to slip from his lips. They got to a small mound where she lost her balance and tripped dragging him down with her purely out of spite of course. She had refused to be the only one embarrassed by the situation. They tumbled until she landed on top of him. Her horrid hair in his face as her had rested against his chest. They had only spent a few seconds in this state. A precious few seconds before she realized where she had landed and shot up to her feet with her cheeks burning red. Sebastian sat up rather slowly dizzy from a feeling that he didn't quite recognize as he drank in the sight of her.

Obsidian locked on amber once more and all of time seemed to stand still.

Suddenly, a scream shook the euphoria from their moment. It shattered the easy peace that fell and the bliss of youth had faded. A familiar creeping feeling had replaced it one that could only be described as dread. Sebastian shot to his feet as Hermione spoke with terror stricken eyes. She had known the source of the scream and it had not been from innocent boys at play.

"Ron." she said almost breathless. "RON!"

In an instant she went tearing through the trees in the direction she last saw her friends. He had followed his heart pounding as the second scream filled his ears and made bile creep up into the back of his throat. It had been a different voice. A voice that sent chills down his spine and made his steps more urgent.

"Draco." he said as he ran. "DRACO!"

Both Hermione and Sebastian ran as fast as they could to aid their friends.

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Snow Path...Hogsmead...

Blood dripped onto the white snow dying it a horrid pink as Ron Weasley clutched his arm. His body had been wracked with pain as his eyes fixed a glare on Draco Malfoy. The young albino wizard had been as confused as they had when the Gryffindors turned on him. Harry drew his wand ready to hex him at the slightest twitch. Then out of nowhere Draco fell to the ground writhing in what Harry immediately recognized as an unforgivable curse.

"Draco!" he said trying his best to keep an eye out for whoever it was that attacked them. "Ron get your wand ready."

Before Harry could finish Ron found himself floored by the same curse.

Harry Potter stood alone as both Ron and Draco twitched and screamed in the snow below him. Blood everywhere from cuts and bruises that suddenly formed on their skin. Draco's had been the worst. Fearing the same had happened to Hermione and Sebastian he watched for any sign of who had been after them when Sebastian arrived.

He and Hermione had their wands drawn.

"What happened?" asked Hermione looking down at Ron and Draco in pools of blood.

"I don't know." replied Harry frantic. "One minute we were playing and the next..."

Sebastian surveyed the scene.

"Reveal yourself!" he demanded.

He had been enraged at the state Draco had been in.

"Well...well." said a gruff voice.

In seconds The Death Eater McNair revealed himself.

He gave a toothless grin in the direction of Harry Potter.

"I came for Malfoy and look at the treat I got." he continued. "Potter, Granger, Weasley, and..."

He looked over Sebastian as his grin spread wider.

"Snape's boy." he finished.

Sebastian arched an eye brow in confusion

McNair laughed whole heartedly.

"Don't that beat it all." he said laughing. "You're Snape's boy alright...only he could be so arrogant...looks like you picked up a lot from dear ol' dad."

Harry looked at Hermione who looked back at him confused.

"I assure you I know nothing of the man you speak of." replied Sebastian. "Nor do I have any interest, all I want to know is why you decided to attack my friends?"

McNair laughed again.

"Snape's boy friends with Potter." he said amazed. "Will wonders never cease?"

Sebastian glared at him.

"Why did you attack them?" he asked losing patience.

"It's simply really." replied McNair. "I came for Malfoy, his father and I have some...unfinished business."

Sebastian looked over at Draco.

"Whatever business you have with him...you have with me as well." he said looking back at McNair.

"Naturally." replied McNair. "This business includes Snape and you as well with you being his boy and all."

"I already told you I know nothing of the man in which you speak." replied Sebastian. "Why should I be linked with him?"

McNair rolled his eyes.

"A brief history lesson then." he replied. "I am a death eater, Malfoy there, his father and Snape were also death eaters...loyal followers of the dark lord...we would have been victorious if not for the treachery of the for mentioned members of our society...after the fall we were rounded up with the exception of the traitors and taken to Azkaban and now we wish retribution...starting with young Malfoy and surprisingly...you."

Harry leapt in front of Sebastian.

"You're not taking either of them." he said glaring at McNair. "You'll have to get through me first."

"Say out of this, Potter." growled Sebastian.

Harry looked at him stunned.

"I've read that my "father" as you put it was a spy for the order." Sebastian said turning back to McNair.

McNair nodded.

"A filthy half-blood traitor." he said.

Rage surged through Sebastian and his obsidian eyes flashed pure hatred.

"This fight is no longer your concern Potter." he said turning back to Harry.

"We can beat him if we work to..." started Harry.

"Stupefy." said Sebastian cutting him off then turning his attention back to McNair.

Hermione looked at him confused.

"Sebastian why did you...?" she started.

"Get them back to Hogwarts." he said not taking his eyes off McNair.

"It seems little Snape is as eager as his father to die." taunted the death eater.

At this McNair and Sebastian began to toss curses at each other both reflecting and attacking moving their battle away from the boys and Hermione. Draco looked up feeling the curse still coursing through him. He watched as Sebastian battled McNair. He groaned from the pain. Gray eyes caught a slight shimmer as Sebastian continued to best McNair in spells.

"No!" was all he could manage when he opened his mouth.

Hermione woke Harry and they looked over Ron.

Another shimmer appeared and she gripped her wand.

Harry jumped to his feet sensing her tension.

"Mione?" he said looking in the opposite direction catching a shimmer of his own.

"Granger." said Draco coming to. "Granger my wand."

Hermione couldn't take her eyes off the shimmer. Ron crawled toward Draco sliding him his wand.

The shimmers stepped forth revealing themselves.

Harry and Hermione found themselves locked in one on one battles with multiple copies of Bart Crouch Jr. The young wizard and witch seemed to be holding their own against the frantic death eaters. Sebastian continued to best McNair who taunted him with stories of Severus Snape.

"Your dear ol' dad was nothing but a coward...some weak cross between a Mud-blood and a true wizard." he taunted.

Sebastian kept his cool but his rage at the word COWARD seemed to make him seethe.

"Snape was a Coward!" shouted Bart while fighting Harry and Hermione.

"Don't listen to them Sebastian." said Harry continuing his fight.

He still felt slightly guilty about having said the same thing to the man once before.

Draco Malfoy got to his feet feeling the curse course through him.

Ron blacked out unable to do more.

Bart called his doubles to himself and took on Harry alone. Hermione attended Ron and Draco who collapsed again despite himself. He had known what they were planning but the pain. Tears came from his gray eyes and his heart raced. He had to get to Sebastian. He had to save him from these death eaters...he had to save his God-Brother.

It wasn't long before Potter found himself on the receiving end of another stupefy. He dropped to the snow silently. His wand still clutched in his hand. Hermione tried desperately to look after bother Ron and Draco who had been bleeding rather profusely. She cast a small stasis charm on their bodies to keep them from losing any more blood.

Bart Crouch turned his attention to her.

"Mud-blood!" he taunted.

Hermione glared at him.

"Time to die!" taunted Bart as he split into copies once more.

Sebastian held his own with McNair but Hermione's screams as she dodged most of Bart Jr.'s curses filled his ears. She had been alone with Harry off his feet once again. Sebastian moved swiftly as he heard the words leave Crouch Jr.'s mouth before they hit Hermione. He threw a shield over Harry, Draco, and Ron.

Hermione blinked and he had placed his body between her and an unforgivable.

His screams filling her ears as his body became wracked with pain. She hit the ground falling into the shield with the others but not before a light hex caused her to black out. Grey eyes opened to see Sebastian on the ground writhing in agony as McNair and Bart Jr. stood above him casting the much dreaded Crucio curse on him repeatedly laughing at their efforts.

"No." said Draco unable to contain his fury at his failure.

Hermione stirred at this. She saw Draco will himself to his feet despite the pain. It was an odd thing to see Draco Malfoy care so much for someone...let alone a wizard he hardly knew. The determined Malfoy made his way over toward the death eaters pain be damned.

"Expelliamus!" he shouted glaring at both Bart Jr. and McNair as the younger of the two flew through the air and into a near by tree.

Hermione scrambled to her feet and cast a binding charm on the miserable wretch.

"GET AWAY FROM MY GOD-BROTHER!" shouted Draco enraged turning his attention to McNair.

The older wretch had been about to cast something in his direction when Hermione lent a hand.

"Expelliamus!" she shouted sending the creep sailing as far as the eye could see and beyond for good measure.

Draco collapsed onto the ground just a mere inches away from Sebastian who had not moved even with the curse coursing rough him. Hermione looked around. Ron had been out cold still badly injured, Harry was out cold due to the stupefy, Draco and Sebastian were out cold as well. She had been out of breath with only a few minor scrapes and bruises.

Harry opened his eyes after Hermione hit him with a counter-spell and looked around. He had a few minor cuts but he had been well enough. His green eyes fell on Sebastian and his heart sank.

"Mione...is he?" he started.

"Everyone's alive." she replied. "We need to get them back to Hogwarts."

Harry nodded in approval.

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Hogwarts...

Professor McGonagall paced The Headmaster's office. She had not liked the idea of Sebastian going off to Hogsmead let alone with The Golden Trio and Malfoy. The Headmaster assured her it was safe. He even told her he put Slughorn in charge and that he would never let anything happen to his two most prized students.

"I don't like it." stated McGonagall plainly. "I don't like it at all Albus."

"You worry too much Minerva." assured The Headmaster.

"Albus something seems wrong." she continued. "You should never have let that boy go."

"Was I to keep him a prisoner of the castle then?" asked Dumbledore.

"You could have found a way to make him understand." replied McGonagall upset. "No good can come of this Albus."

"Minerva..." started the Headmaster.

He looked down at his desk and a strange ring that rested on it glowed bright red.

McGonagall shot him a knowing glare.

"What were you going to say Albus?" she asked in a mix of rage and smug arrogance. "That I worry too much?"

The headmaster waved her off and got to his feet.

There had been danger alright.

He just did not know to what extent.

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Gates of Hogwarts...

Filch had been stunned to see Hermione Granger and Harry Potter in a terrible state. Harry held Sebastian Prince up with one arm over his shoulder as Hermione helped Ron while Draco Malfoy levitated unconscious with their combined magic. The squib took the young Sebastian into his arms and looked over him fondly. Harry grabbed Draco's hand and held him up with his arm over his shoulder in place of Sebastian. All six of them headed down to the infirmary where Poppy couldn't believe her eyes.

Filch immediately went to fetch Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall.

The infirmary had been semi full looking as Five young bodies occupied the beds.

Draco Malfoy ignored his own agony to check on Sebastian as he was being attended to. He watched every gesture, every flick of wands, and hoped that the young raven-haired wizard had even the slightest gruff tenacity Professor Snape was famous for in the face of illness and injury. If not, he would not likely survive the encounter.

Hermione Granger found herself looking over Sebastian with just as much interest and concern. He had taken the full brunt of unforgivable curses just to protect her.

Why did he do it?...Why had he let them curse him?

What if...what if he died because he wanted to protect her?

Where had this sudden concern about her welfare come from?

Better yet why was she so concerned about him?