Mad-Eye Moody, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and Elphias Doge had come to rescue Draco from the Death Eaters. They were dressed in muggle clothing and Doge kept eyeing Draco warily. Standing beside the castle outside, Draco briefed them on what he knew, silently thankful for their appearance. He had feared he wouldn't be able to keep Lex safe, even if they changed their names and moved elsewhere.

"There's one here and five incapacitated inside," Draco said, gesturing towards the window of the castle. "We're not certain if there are any others lurking about."

"Doge and I will check it out," Shacklebolt said.

"You'll need a breathing charm of sorts," Draco told him. "There's toxic gas in the room with the Death Eaters. The canister is on the floor. Turn the knob at the top to shut the valve and disperse the gas from the air, and you should be all right."

"What about my staff?" Lex said quietly.

Draco turned to him. "There are four, right?" Lex nodded. Draco looked over at Shacklebolt again. "There should be four muggles inside, too. Hopefully, still alive and unharmed."

Shacklebolt acknowledged the information and he and Doge headed towards the front doors of the castle.

Moody finished checking the dead Death Eater on the lawn, confiscated the Death Eater's wand, and straightened with audible creaking and cracking. Lex shifted closer to Draco. Draco hid his knowing smirk. Moody was rather a horrifying sight, with his rolling false eye, missing chunk of nose, multiple scars, and wooden leg. The animated blade of grass attacked the wood and Moody stomped it dead with the blunt tip of his fake leg.

"I'm surprised to see you here," Draco said, briefly touching Lex's back in reassurance.

"Unlike the Death Eaters, our side tends not to leave allies hanging in the wind," Moody said with a grunt.

"How did you know to come?"

"Mundungus Fletcher." Moody spat on the ground. "Dung turned traitor and gave up your location yesterday. Luckily, we have other spies in the Death Eater ranks."

"Finding me here from Metropolis obviously wasn't too difficult," Draco said, glancing at the unmasked Death Eater on the ground. Draco didn't recognize him.

"You failed to cover your tracks," Moody chastised. "We fixed that before following."

"So, it's safe to remain in Smallville?"

Moody barked in laugher. "You'll never be safe until the war is over, unless you're dead."

Draco's focus remained on the fallen Death Eater, as an idea came to him. "What if I were dead?"

Moody's magic eye followed Draco's gaze while still staring at Draco with the other one. He harrumphed, catching on without Draco explaining. "It could work."

"Changing his hair wouldn't be proof enough."

"What are you thinking?" Lex asked.

"That there's really only one way they'll leave us alone." Draco looked at Moody, specifically his roving eye. "Can you make a false eye?"

"Malfoy gray in colour, eh?" Moody chuckled hoarsely. "Clever, boy."

As Moody plucked a blade of browning grass, Draco moved over to the Death Eater and pushed off his robe hood. Draco tugged a few strands of his own hair free, laid the strands on the Death Eater's forehead near his hairline, and replicated the colour. Draco had experience with hair colouring, since his own bright hair needed to be concealed on occasion for meeting with Moody. With a patterned twist of his wand and a spoken spell word, the Death Eater's hair bled from dull brown to vivid white-blonde.

He glanced up to see Lex watching him. "Don't look," he warned.

"Why?" Lex said.

"I'm going to put his eye out," Draco told him. He saw Lex pale somewhat, but he didn't turn away. Draco knew better than to tell him again, since Lex had a bullish stubborn streak. He pried apart the Death Eater's eyelids and poked the tip of his wand into the dead iris. "Lacerius."

The spell sliced through the eye like an invisible sharp blade. Draco pulled back his wand, dug his thumb into the socket, and flicked the eyeball free. It came out in bits, rather disgustingly, but it wasn't something Draco hadn't done before as a Death Eater – although, they had still been alive.

Draco held a hand out to Moody and was given the false eye. Lex appeared as though he was going to hurl, but still hadn't turned away. A hint of pride tickled Draco for Lex's refusal to do so.

Draco pushed it into the Death Eater's eye-socket and adjusted it until he was satisfied. He cast a quick setting spell, affixing it in place, and then wiped his hands on the Death Eater's robe. "That should do it. Moody, if you'll dispel the stench while I burn him."

"Ready when you are," Moody said, wand in hand.

Draco looked over at Lex. "This won't be pretty, love. Why don't you check on the others through the window?"

Lex didn't show his relief at the excuse, but Draco could see it anyway.

When Lex had walked off, Draco nodded at Moody. "Incendio."

Flesh bubbled when it burned, and the flames melting the Death Eater's face threw Draco back to when he'd first met Lex. If things had gone differently, Lex could have been the one destroyed by the fire Draco had caused with the tip of his wand at the pub. He shivered, and not from the cold November air.

"I must say, I was surprised to find you in the muggle world, Malfoy," Moody said, casting repeated odor-masking spells. "I had bet on you lasting only a week before rabbiting back to the wizarding world."

"I had doubts that I'd be safe in the wizarding world, even here in America," Draco said. "Besides, my intended is muggle and I wanted to involve him as little as possible in the war." He kicked the Death Eater's side. "Unfortunately, that wasn't to be."

"That bloke's your intended, then?" Moody indicated with a tip of his head towards Lex.

"Yes."

"Never thought a Malfoy would hook up with a muggle."

"Neither did I." Draco looked over at Lex. Lex had left the window to stand at the corner of the castle. He leaned casually against the stone wall, his back to Draco and Moody, surveying the front yard. Draco drank in the strong lines of Lex's back and shoulders, and the perfect shape of his bald head. "We're just… right, together, somehow. My magic seems to hum when he's around."

"'S'called 'heart magic' and it's the basis for all that soul mate nonsense you young people spout." Moody snorted in derision. "It's not anything, really. A wizard's or witch's magic does that when they find someone magically compatible to them. It why some couples can use each other's wands and it dampens marking spells cast on them. Don't hear of it happening very often between a wizard and a pure muggle, so your bloke most likely has a bit of untapped magic in him."

"It's not a spell or compulsion?"

"No. It's more like a rash you can scratch or ignore."

"Pleasant," Draco said dryly, as he extinguished the fire. The majority of the Death Eater's face, neck, and a portion of his chest had burned into an unrecognizable, blackened mass. "Do you think that will do?"

Moody crouched and half-closed the charred eyelids over the false eye, with the gray iris visible. "It should pass a cursory examination."

"I'll leave the rest to you, then."

Moody nodded and straightened. "We'll be going as soon as Kingsley and Elphias ensure there aren't any other Death Eaters about. Our presence is needed back home."

Draco shook his head forlornly. "Is the war ever going to end?"

"One can only hope, boy," Moody said. "One can only hope."

Draco gave him a tight nod, cast a freshening charm over himself, and headed over to Lex. Lex jumped slightly when Draco slid his arms around Lex's waist from behind. "All done?" Lex said.

"Yes. Moody and the others will pack up the Death Eaters and ship them back to Britain. A couple will be allowed to escape with 'my' body and the hunt for me should be called off," Draco said, resting his chin on Lex's shoulder. He'd have to remember to quill a letter to the guardians of his estate prior to Moody leaving, instructing them not to divvy up his assets between them as previously told to do by his death. The browning grass of the front lawn stretched out before them, a sign of winter to come. "It might be wise if we go on holiday, though, just in case."

"Oh?"

"Hn, a trial honeymoon, perhaps, for the winter." Draco nosed Lex's ear. "Somewhere anonymous and warm, but not too sunny. I burn easily."

"That sounds nice." Lex relaxed back in his embrace. "But I have a plant to run."

"You have minions. Make them take care of things while you're gone."

"My dad won't like it."

"I don't give a fig what that crass old cozzer thinks. It's not him I'm shagging."

Lex chuckled. "True."

"I'll have Moody gull me money," Draco cajoled. "I'll treat you to a holiday fit for a king and shower you with gifts and pleasure."

"I don't need any gifts." Lex turned his head, glancing back at Draco. "But I won't say no to the pleasure part."

Draco laughed softly and kissed Lex's cheek. "I do so love you."

Lex lit up from the inside, with a slow, beautiful smile. "I love you, too."

Draco's heart sang, and he drew Lex around, lowered his head, and captured Lex's lips in a passionate kiss. Lex embraced him in return, speaking volumes with his mouth without saying a word. The tingle hummed beneath Draco's skin, flowing through him, making him feel alive. And he knew it wasn't caused by heart magic, like Moody said.

It was Lex.

End