Fourteen

Disclaimer: It still isn't mine; if you recognise it, it belongs to JKR. If you don't, it might belong to me. There are wild theories about an "Inner Earth." No paper wastage was involved, and dragons were not put at risk either. The electrons continue to be miffed.

"Small folks?" Hermione laughed nervously. "What haven't you told me, Lucius?"

"Little people. They switch dimensions, love, so we don't generally see them unless they want us to." He pulled her closer and kissed her hair. "Fret not. We'll soon be safe and comfortable."

His voice and tone soothed her once more, but only momentarily. She started when several house-elves popped into the barn. No. Not house-elves. They were smaller, and they wore clothes. Proper clothes.

"What is so important that you felt the need to call upon an army of us?" one small person asked, his voice stern. "The redhead can go where no sun shines for all I'm concerned. He is not worth the skin he wears!"

"Greetings," Lucius said, seemingly unperturbed. "Severus told me you'd likely have that opinion. However, he asked me to convey a message to you."

The little person looked more menacing than Hermione remembered Severus during her Hogwarts years. "Yes? It better be a good one. Sir." The last word was thrown like a bone to a stray dog.

Lucius laughed. "It is not for me to judge. All I ask is that you not kill the messenger."

The little man's voice softened. "No. Not ever."

"Severus asks that you inform the redhead that his children are safe and with their mother."

The little person suddenly grinned. "Oh, yes, we can do that. No conditions?"

"No conditions," Lucius confirmed. "I would, however, ask you to make the acquaintance of said children."

The little man looked up questioningly. "Yes?"

"Rose, Hugo, come forward and meet the spokesman for the little people."

Rose and Hugo got up from their spot in the hay and gingerly walked towards the small man, their hands outstretched. "Hello. Nice to meet you."

The elf-like person took their proffered hands, first Rose's, then Hugo's. "If ever you need one of us, just call on us." He then made a waving gesture with his hand, and he and the other small folks who'd been silent throughout disappeared.

Hermione leant heavily against Lucius. "What was that?"

His deep chuckle soothed her. "There are more beings on this planet than we know. Little people amongst them. Nothing to worry about, though. Weasley will get the message that his precious offspring are safe, and Edwina will be pissed off, no doubt."

"Okay..." A deep breath escaped Hermione. "Will this be over soon?"

Again, his arms tightened around her. "Yes, love. And then we'll spend at least a couple of weeks just relaxing and doing whatever you want to do."

She felt mollified at that.

The barn was suddenly bathed in green. Hermione looked up and her eyes widened. A dragon, its colour the most vibrant grass-green she'd ever seen, its eyes as intensely sky-blue, met her eyes.

"Please, don't worry!" came Severus's voice as he jumped off the back of the dragon and hurried into the barn.

Hugo and Rose shrieked. Hugo uttered, "Bloody hell." His face turned beet-red, then he said, "Sorry. Didn't mean that." He looked at the dragon in awe and nodded. "Yes."

Rose looked at her brother from the side, frowning. "What on earth are you on about, Hugo?" Then her eyes widened, and after a moment of silence, she said, "Oh. I see."

Hermione looked from Hugo and Rose to Severus, her face a question mark.

"It's all right," he mouthed, and she nodded silently. If he found nothing wrong with her children's unexpectedly strange behaviour, then there probably was nothing to worry about.

Then, suddenly, Hermione understood.

I am an ambassador to the mountains on top of the earth. Karl asked me to meet your group to lead you safely down below. Your children are delightful. Although your he-child needs to curb his language. The concept of hell is entirely surface-earth.

Hermione swallowed. This was a new form of communication for her. Oh, Merlin, what do I do now? How do I communicate?

She heard...no, felt...a low chuckle. I am, indeed, Merlin, although I have no doubt it is not I you called upon. You communicate simply like you did just now.

She felt her knees weaken and was grateful for the support Lucius offered. "Oh, Merlin, help me..."

Severus chuckled, not unlike the dragon. "Come. A short ride, and we'll reach the parts no human, Muggle or wizard, can come after us." He led the way to the dragon's...Merlin's...back and motioned for Lucius to climb up first. Then he helped Hermione up behind Lucius. Next came Hugo, right behind his mum, then Rose, and finally, Severus climbed up to form the tail.

Merlin very gently lifted off the ground and slowly gained speed. While he gave off some heat, the wind and cold made the journey very uncomfortable. Hermione's face began to burn from the sheer force of the cold, and it felt worse the higher they went.

Then, Merlin dipped down, his pace slowing drastically. Watch!

"They have to come through here! It is the only entrance to the inner earth in this area!" one voice said.

"Well, can you see any evidence that humans have been here? Can you hear or see anyone coming?" another argued.

A third one said, "We have people stationed in the vicinity of every entrance known to us; if they don't come through here, they'll turn up at another entrance. Maybe in Kentucky; that's much closer to Arizona!"

The first one snorted derisively. "Yeah, right. I figure that would be the last place they'd try! Far too obvious. They aren't stupid, those people!"

A group of four wizards were stomping about the wilderness, all of them white and the speakers obviously English, judging by their accents.

Another wizard said, "If they'd come through here, we would see foot prints, no doubt. There are at least four of them: the children, the mother and that blond guy."

As Merlin whooshed down to pass mere inches away, Hermione realised he must have cloaked them somehow. The wizards didn't look up until he was close enough to be touched; then, they stared, shocked. She followed Lucius's example and waved at them.

"You are, as usual, late," Severus called out to the party as Merlin slowly passed them. "Feel free to give Edwina our regards!"

Merlin once more soared up and increased speed, leaving four speechless wizards behind.

Just as Hermione thought her face had finally frozen off, and Hugo had trouble staying awake, and Rose doubted she'd ever see another day because it was cold and she was so tired it was painful, the landscape changed from snow to mud to greenery, the temperature changed from unbearably cold to bearable to comfortable, and suddenly, it felt like paradise.

We have arrived.

There had been no door, no gate, and yet, the change had happened suddenly. Now they were flying over a green, deciduous forest...Hermione could make out pine trees, oak trees, beech trees, birch trees, and several clearings full of luscious grass...and the temperature was perfect. The burning sensation in her face receded fast, and soon, her clothing felt almost too warm.

Merlin once again descended and then landed softly in a clearing. You'll feel warm now. Take your winter clothes off. It is not long to go, but you may as well be comfortable.

They took off again, now back in the clothes they'd worn in Phoenix. A lifetime ago, Hermione thought.

After ten minutes, or maybe an hour or two...Hermione had no idea...Merlin landed once more. Welcome to Shambhala. I will be there for you whenever you call on me. Goodbye for now.

They climbed off their saviour and were met by Karl. "Welcome!" His smile was radiant and his joy contagious.

"Karl!" Hermione stumbled towards him, and he had to sprint to catch her.

"Hermione! Love, you need rest!" He picked her up effortlessly and greeted the others. "Rose, Hugo, how wonderful to meet you! Welcome to the inner earth!" Then he turned to Lucius. "My friend. I'm so pleased to see you here again." He handed Hermione to him; she was barely conscious.

Then he turned his attention to Severus. "Thank you. This was a close call, and I can imagine nobody else handling the situation as well as you did. Now, what do you want to do, where do you want to go?"

Severus cleared his throat. "I'm not sure Hermione will make it to my home. We're all quite exhausted."

Karl nodded. "Come. I have a house for you to stay in until you've rested." He led the way and within minutes arrived at a house typical of the area. Formed by crystals, it was light and airy, and it offered plenty of space. The beds were as soft as the light filtering through, and the furniture had no sharp edges.

"Are you hungry?"

Two young voices answered with a resounding "Yes," the others remained quiet.

Karl chuckled and disappeared for a moment. He returned with trays of fruit, which were immediately attacked by Rose and Hugo.

"There are a few bedrooms here, with various numbers and sizes of beds. Choose where you want to sleep, and I'll see you tomorrow. If you get hungry, the kitchen is through here," he pointed at a corridor leading off the main room, "and there's plenty of food." Karl nodded at Severus. "If you're not ready to collapse yet, you know where to find us. We'd love to talk to you."

"Tell Lola I'll be over shortly," Severus replied.

Lucius and Severus exchanged glances. Severus nodded imperceptibly, and Lucius carried Hermione to the nearest bedroom where he placed her on the bed and took off her shoes. Then he took off his own shoes and robe and lay down next to her. Hermione did not stir.

Severus waited for Hugo and Rose to choose a bedroom, waited until they'd fallen asleep, which predictably didn't take long, and then silently left the house. A saucer-shaped vehicle hovered a short distance from the house and opened its door when he approached. A small ladder descended to the ground, allowing him access. Once he was seated inside, the ladder retreated, the door closed, and a small whirl indicated the vehicle was moving.

A few minutes later, Severus arrived in Agharta near Lola and Karl's home and walked the short distance from the landing spot.

He gratefully took the cup of tea Lola held out for him once he sat down. "Thank you."

"Do tell, Severus. The children are fine, I saw," Karl said.

"I am so glad everything went well! But yes, I do want to hear everything," Lola said.

Severus told Lola and Karl the events from the moment he'd arrived at Taliesin West. Time passed unnoticed as he meticulously recalled every detail.

"Hermione seems to be more severely affected, which is understandable, seeing how it was her children who were kidnapped. But I'm sure she'll be perfectly fine once she's had some rest," he finished.

Lola nodded slowly, then grinned. "And Lucius took it all in stride, I take it?"

"Naturally," Severus said wryly. "A Malfoy is never bothered by mundane events such as fleeing half-way round the world." He tried to suppress a yawn. "Good god, woman, do you never sleep?" he asked.

"Oh, I do occasionally." Lola laughed. "But your tale was far too interesting to miss." Then, her expression turned into a wistful smile. "You do know why Hermione is particularly exhausted, Severus, don't you?" she asked softly.

He avoided her eyes and nodded slightly. "I have a suspicion."

Lola laughed, but quickly turned serious again. "Don't make it difficult for her, Sev. Never before has the world depended on you," she warned.

Just then, the earth seemed to shake.

Hermione woke up suddenly. It was still dark outside, although the crystal structure seemed to give off a very faint glow from the previous day's sunshine, and she could make out the shapes of furniture in the bedroom. "Lucius?" His arms were wrapped around her midriff, his leg was draped over hers, and she felt his erection press against her lower back.

"Love? What is it?" he asked sleepily.

"Make love to me..."

He did.

She relished the feel of his tongue on her neck, her shoulders, and eagerly turned onto her back to offer him further access, which he accepted as eagerly. His tongue moved from her shoulders downward, leaving no inch of skin untouched.

She relished the sensation. She relished the feel of his hair between her fingers. Even after a day of travelling half-way around the world, it was as silky, as clean, as smooth as ever. She simply appreciated, ignoring her drive to ponder any potential spells to make his hair so perfect.

His mouth had now reached her core while his hands were trailing after the path his tongue had taken mere seconds ago.

"Oh... Please... Yes. Oh... No! I need you inside. NOW!"

Lucius obliged, only just in time.

Before she even came down from her high, she could feel the shift in energy. Seismic.

"Oi!" Karl said. "I hope that didn't cause California to finally fall into the ocean!"

"Doofus," Lola said affectionately. "Sex has never caused earthquakes. Not on our side, anyway!" She smiled and turned to Severus. "Go. Now."

Severus shook his head. "No. Now is not the time."

"Severus!"

He shook his head again. "No, Lola. Really." Now he faced her. "Not now," he repeated firmly.

Karl nodded slowly. "I understand."

Severus smirked. "Besides, they've gone back to sleep."

Lola and Karl laughed. "Indeed. You bought yourself a bit of time." Lola got up and approached Severus. "Love, you only do what you want to, okay?" She messed his perfectly parted hair in an affectionate gesture.

Severus shook her off. "Keep your hands off me, woman. Yes, I want to." He stood up and got ready to leave. "Just give me a day or ten, please?"

Karl laughed. Lola grinned. "Sure," she said.

A/N: For details of the prompt, please see chapter 1.

Good heavens, I didn't credit the betas initially in this chapter! Colour me embarrassed! I... I think it was HogwartsClassof91 and kittylefish who did this one while SW69 was still out of action/internetz. *blushes with embarrassment*