"Please remind me, Drake, why do we need to wake so early?" Sayed, almost cried, Hadrian to his boyfriend as they went out of their room, him still in pyjamas, to the family dining room in Riddle Manor.

"Because baby," Draco explained for the fifth time, somehow not annoyed, "today we are going back to Hogwarts, and therefore we need to catch a train."

"Do we have to go back?" wailed Hadrian. "We both hate that school why do we need to go back?" Instead of answering him, Draco put Hadrian in his seat and sat beside him. Today was the end of their winter vacation, which means they were heading back to Hogwarts. In a week, the second task will happen. Because of that, Hadrian and his father went over the plan all week. Currently, everything is alright. But since Dumbledore was interfering more than expected, they decided to put a backup plan so no one would get hurt.

After eating breakfast and making sure Hadrian's outfit for the day was adequate, they flued to the station and went to search for an empty compartment for themselves and their friends, again close to the teacher's side. They came early to avoid Dumbledore's minions, the press and all the students and therefore knew their friends weren't at the station yet. Luckily, the ride went smoothly. Well, almost.

By the time Ron, Hermione and Ginny found them to talk with them, the train aborted the station, their friends found their compartment, Hadrian went over the plan with the champions about the second task and it was time for lunch. Unfortunately, they forgot to put a charm around the compartment.

As you could probably guess, this conversation was a disaster. It was so bad that two Perfects and one teacher got involved and needed to push the three minions out of the compartment they forced themselves.

But alas, they got to Hogwarts alive and well.

-&-&-&-

It was the first time since the induced magic sleep that Hadrian woke up alone in his bed with only his cat to keep him company. Draco never left him alone these days. As the bond got more emphatic, it was rarer to see them separated. Thinking that his mate maybe was just hungry since he didn't eat dinner, he quickly dressed up and went to the Great Hall.

Yesterday evening, his mom called Draco to his office to discuss something. When he came to their shared room, he found a note from Draco saying to go to sleep without him as the discussion was a prolonged one. Not thinking a lot about it, Hadrian went to sleep.

Reaching the Great Hall, Hadrian saw his friends and the other champions talking about the second task that was supposed to happen this afternoon. But Draco wasn't there. Seeing Fleur, Hadrian walked fast to the Slytherin table, thinking maybe the older alpha had an idea where his mate whereabouts. But as he approached her, he quickly released Fleur herself wasn't at her best.

"Fleur, what's wrong?" Hadrian decided to ask her. "I can't find my mate," Fleur replied, looking around like she was hoping he would pop out from somewhere. "Yesterday evening Madam took him to talk. I didn't see him since then." Fleur was almost in tears now.

"That's what happened with my mate," Cedric said. "I was talking to her last night through the mirror, and then her mom called her. Saying there is someone at the door for her." Cedric's mate was a year older than him and lived in Bulgaria, arranging their wedding, which was supposed to happen a week after his graduation. She came to the ball to dance with him.

"I believe they will be in the crowd of the second task. If not, we will immediately go after the task is complete to the teacher to search for them. You will be no good to your mates if you lack your magic."

Admitting Krum is correct, they sat down to eat at the Slytherin table. Although all of them barely eat or eat at all in Hadrian's case.

An hour later, their teachers took them to get prepared for the task. Hadrian tried to ask his mom and "Mad-eye" Moody if they knew where Draco and the others were. But he only got "you will see them soon." Satisfied with the answer, Hadrian dressed quickly in his swimming outfit and went with the other Champions to the docks.

"Fleur, wouldn't it be dangerous for you to be underwater? Isn't it dangerous for Veelas' wings and their lives?" Hadrian asked, remembering something he read with Draco while they researched their inheritance.

"Well," Fleur answered, "I didn't get a Veela form or a part form, so I should be fine underwater. If I had a form, I would need to use a spell."

The champions got in position on the docks, and the students and teachers came to the shore. The witches and wizards who helped arrange the task put a spell on the Black Lake, so the audience could see what was happening.

When everything was ready, Dumbledore and the other judges came to the front deck so everyone could see them. When they were sure, Dumbledore pointed his wand to his throat and began to talk:

"Welcome to the second task. Last night something was stolen from each of our champions, a treasure of sorts. These four treasures, one for each champion, now lie on the bottom of the black lake. To win, each champion need only find their treasure and return to the surface. Simple enough. Except for this, they will have one hour to do so and one hour only. After that, they'll be on their own. You may begin at the start of the cannon."

The cannon fired, and the champions dived into the water. Underwater, Cedric, Fleur and Hadrian put a bubble spell around their mouths while Viktor changes his head to a shark one. They began to split, each one going forward but separately.

Hadrian began to swim slowly forward, cautious of the seaweed under him. As he swam more and more forward, the darker it was around him. The cold was entering his bones, and no matter what kind of warming charm he used, he still was cold.

At some point, Hadrian saw from the corner of his eyes Fleur. Far away yet in his vision, getting caught by the seaweed around her and dragged down. Moving slightly up, Hadrian continues to swim. A moment later, Hadrian heard the message to the champions, which was to the audience by Dumbledore:

" The Beauxbatons champion Miss Delacour has unfortunately been forced to retire. She will take no further part in this task."

Something was wrong. Hadrian felt colder and alone, like someone was leaving him. The blood in his veins felt like it was freezing yet on fire. His head started to hurt.

Then his magic exploded.

The water started to swirl around him like a vortex. It's gotten immensely, till he was sitting on the bottom of the ocean surrounded by a vortex of water. The lake soared around him so far away that he could barely see the skies.

He looked down, trying to see if there was anything on himself that triggered this outburst of accidental magic. He saw his reflection in one of the poodles surrounding him.

He saw black spots around his temples begin to form and released:

Draco was dying.

His mate was one kilometre away from him underwater, his wings unprotected. Getting hold of his magic, Hadrian freed the water around him and put the bubble spell around his mouth again. Feeling for his mate, releasing the connection is weak, he used his magic for swimming as fast as he could.

Hadrian continued to search around, till he felt his mate near him. The connection is getting weaker. Swimming down, he finds a village of merpeople. In the middle of the town are Draco, Hermione, Cedric's mate and Fleur's mate. All of them are tied in place by their ankles. He arrived first.

Just then, while swimming downward, Cedric arrives and comes closer to free his mate. Hadrian is about to set Draco free when he notices Fleur's omega mate with his back black, like Draco's.He realised that even though Fleur doesn't have wings, her mate probably has, seeing his back, and that is why Fleur got caught. She felt his pain before Hadrian felt Draco's, as Fleur and her mate have a stronger connection than them. Fleur was probably dying up there.

Hadrian stopped swimming toward Draco and instead went to one of the merpeople's guards around the ring.

"I need your help," Hadrian told the guard. "The two blonds are dying as they are Veelas with a form. One of them is my mate, while the mate of the other got disqualified. No one is coming to save him. Would you please help me get them both up?"

While Hadrian talked, Cedric freed his mate and went up, and Viktor just started to free Hermione with as much distaste as a shark can present.

The guard called all merpeople whom guard the ring and explained the situation. In unison, they nodded to Hadrian, agreeing to help. They all swam to the middle of the ring, where only the two blondes were left. Hadrian began to free the two while the merpeople recycled him, beginning to chant to raise the water.

Hadrian held the two Veelas while the water around them began to raise and create a whirlpool around them. They broke through the water, the merpeople still around them. They began to move to docks. Hadrian was the last to arrive and late. The hour is over.

The merpeople departed and helped Hadrian get the two Veelas on the deck. Snape, Moody and Fleur help him lay them down, and immediately blankets were on all of them. Hadrian now only realised how cold he still was.

Hadrian went to lay down next to Draco. Fleur did the same with her mate. Draco's back and shoulders were completely black. His face was paler than usual like he was dead, his eyes were red, blue and black, and his lips took a dark shade of blue.

Hadrian started to cry. His mother was comforting him and praising him for getting them out before it was too late. The mediwitches and mediwizards came running, prepared with four stretcher spells and numerous potions.

Quickly, they connected to spells and made two big stretchers. One carried Hadrian and Draco, while Fleur and her mate were on the other.

"Albus, you promised me that they will be protected! You told me and Maxime that it is taken care of," Severus yelled after witnessing his son taken by the wizards and witches back to the castle.

The representatives from the ministry started to talk among themselves from the moment the two Veelas were on the deck. They called the Aurors, who initiated to call everyone back into the castle. One of the representatives went to Dumbledore and told him they are starting an investigation.

With that, everyone went back to the castle.

-&-&-&-

Fireflies were everywhere. They were in a clearing in the forest, surrounded by fireflies, trees and flowers of any kind, all beautifully decorated.

In the middle were two men. Both of them dressed down and got apparated there by one of them.

"What is it?" one of them asked. "Well, I was thinking about it a lot. The future wasn't clearer to us than now, and I realised that in all of those dreams we were together. Never in those visions, we are separated." The other responded, starting to crouch.

"I can't imagine this life without you, and I want to assure myself it's staying that way. Will you, Remus Lupin, marry me?"

"Yes!" without any hesitance.

And they kissed.