Shui Xian rose from her seat and walked over to stand in front of Hu Yetao and Oscar, placing a gentle hand on her son's shoulder. "We will prove Oscar's innocence," she said with quiet determination. "Do not worry yourself over this Mr. Yetao. I have every confidence in the two of you working through this and emerging victorious. You always do, don't you Mr. Yetao?"
Hu Yetao swallowed, feeling the weight of Shui Xian's gaze. "I... I normally have help," he admitted quietly, thinking of Jing Long's tenacious intelligence and desperately wishing that he could confide in him about all of this. "But I am stubborn," he added resolutely, "and Oscar is clever."
Oscar gave Hu Yetao a faint smile and it strengthened his spirits.
Shui Xian nodded, appearing satisfied. "Perhaps it would be best if the two of you returned to school now?"
Oscar stood slowly, looking as though the weight of the world was on his shoulders. His mother embraced him, a hand on each shoulder as she pulled back to look him in the eye.
Oscar nodded, as though they were conducting a silent conversation, before reaching back for Hu Yetao's hand.
"Goodbye Mrs. Wang," Hu Yetao said dutifully to the graceful woman as he stood. "Mr. Wang," he added, nodding shortly at Xiaocheng without making eye contact.
"Goodnight Mr. Yetao," Shui Xian replied, her pale eyes warming a little as they alighted on him.
"Come on," Oscar said as he led Hu Yetao forward towards the door. "Father," he said briefly as they passed Xiaocheng. It seemed Oscar was a little miffed with his father's treatment of Hu Yetao as well.
Once upon a time, Hu Yetao would have grinned smugly at that, but he was too preoccupied with the terrible turn of events to even entertain the idea.
The two boys walked swiftly through the corridors of the large Manor, the echo of music and voices still resounding from the ballroom. They made their way out the entrance doors, past the house-elves standing guard, and down the gravel drive without saying a word. They didn't speak again until they had Apparated back to Hogwarts and were making their way across the darkened grounds to the castle.
"Did you want to be with me when I talk to Kazuma tomorrow?" Hu Yetao asked, glancing sideways at his mate. His mind was already working frantically; making plans and strategizing, trying to take control of the situation as best he could.
Oscar's eyebrow furrowed slightly. "I'm not sure..."
Hu Yetao nodded, turning front to absently watch the shadowed ground pass beneath his feet. "I don't share a room with him anymore, so I'll ask him at breakfast. Do you think we should put together a list of questions for him tonight? I don't want to miss anything."
When Hu Yetao was met with silence, he glanced at his mate. "Are you all right?"
Oscar visibly swallowed before replying. "I don't want to talk about this anymore tonight if you don't mind."
Hu Yetao stopped and turned to face Oscar, a hand on each of his arms. "Oscar, they're not going to execute you," he said firmly, desperately, eyes searching Oscar's slightly ashen expression. "You're innocent - we just have to prove it."
"That's not what I'm concerned with," Oscar replied quietly, and then amended, "well, I am, obviously, but there's more to it than that."
Hu Yetao frowned. "Such as?"
"You were right Hu Yetao, if they find me guilty and execute me, then there are certain procedures in place to ensure your continued loyalty and secrecy. You will be immediately placed with a new mate - of their choosing."
Hu Yetao's eyes widened and his stomach felt as though it had dropped right out from under him. The shock was quickly replaced with anger though. "They can't do that!" he retorted, trying to keep his voice down. "I'm not... I'm not just some piece of property that can be passed around from Alpha to Alpha."
Oscar's expression flickered with anguish. "They can and they will Hu Yetao. They will take you from me the moment a guilty sentence is passed and you will not be allowed to return to Hogwarts, or the outside world until you can be trusted enough to continue to keep our secret."
"So they'll imprison me?" Hu Yetao replied angrily. "I won't do it, I'll tell people now - tonight. I'll make it so that if I disappear on the date of your inquiry, someone will reveal the truth to the media."
Oscar shook his head, expression intensely serious. "You mustn't Hu Yetao, if I am declared innocent and they find out that you informed someone outside the clan, then it will be you who will be held accountable - and most likely executed."
Hu Yetao clenched his jaw as he dropped his grip on Oscar's arms and strode away towards the castle, needing to move, hands clenched into fists as he glared at the ground. He was furious and, worst of all, he felt a tiny flicker of regret; for blindly agreeing to be a Nundu's mate without knowing every single detail and eventuality that could come of that decision. The Nundu people were barbaric in their common practices and the trapped feeling he was now experiencing was maddening. The entire situation made him want to explode with the blatant injustice of it all.
Hu Yetao stopped his headlong flight and spun around to look for Oscar. The blond was still standing where he had left him, staring hard at the ground.
Hu Yetao instantly felt wrenching guilt in his gut; this wasn't Oscar's fault, the fact that his mate's biggest concern was Hu Yetao's welfare once he was gone spoke volumes of the kind of man his mate was.
He quickly walked back to Oscar and reached out for his hand. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I'm not angry with you, I'm just angry at... the situation."
Oscar met his gaze and nodded in acknowledgment, his expression carefully blank, but his eyes were distressed.
Hu Yetao quickly tugged him in and slid his arms around Oscar's waist, forehead coming to rest against his mate's firm chest. "Don't worry, we'll figure this out," he whispered into the cold night air.
Oscar's arms eventually came up to enfold him and Hu Yetao sighed at the welcome infusion of warmth that always came with his mate's hot-blooded body. Oscar rested his chin on top of Hu Yetao's head and sighed, his breath ruffling the strands of jet-black hair.
"Hey, if things were easy for us, I would be concerned," Hu Yetao murmured wryly into the thick fabric of Oscar's woolen cloak.
Hu Yetao felt the soft snort of laughter rather than heard it and it made him smile with relief. He pulled back and slipped his hand into Oscar's to get them moving once more. He carried a little more hope in his heart now and crossed his fingers that that spark of optimism lasted through the night.
As they crunched across the gravel towards the stone steps leading up to the large entrance doors, they spotted someone walking out of the darkness to their right.
"Good evening gents."
The two stopped as Fu Sichao came walking out of the shadows with a grin on his face, arms full of empty bottles and soil evident on his hands and beneath his fingernails.
"Hello Fu Sichao," Hu Yetao greeted in surprise. "What are you doing out so late?"
Fu Sichao shifted his awkward load as he came to a stop in front of them. "Could ask you the same thing," he countered good-naturedly.
Hu Yetao tried to smile but it felt stiff. "Just visiting Oscar's parents."
"Oh?" Fu Sichao's brow rose. "And did it go well?"
"Er, yeah," Hu Yetao replied self-consciously.
"As well as can be expected," Oscar interjected smoothly, a slight smirk on his face.
Hu Yetao looked at his mate and was immensely impressed with his stoic demonstration of false nonchalance.
Fu Sichao's easy grin instantly returned. "Yeah, I can imagine." He shifted his load again, the glass bottles clinking together. "I've been chosen by Professor Zhan to feed the Midnight Bottle Brush plants in Greenhouse Four. It's quite an honor."
"So... your job is to come out here at midnight every night and water some plants?" Hu Yetao asked dubiously.
Fu Sichao laughed. "There's more to it than that, but yeah... They're very temperamental plants and are used in loads of potions."
Oscar nodded knowingly and Hu Yetao thought with embarrassment that he probably should've known that.
The three began to walk up the steps and into the school, the massive oak doors whooshing closed behind them once they'd entered the entrance hall.
"So... how is it living together?" Fu Sichao asked with a teasing grin as they began to climb the first set of stairs. "Any domestic rows yet?"
"What?" Hu Yetao replied distractedly as the question pulled his mind away from mulling over the Nundu situation again.
Fu Sichao glanced at him. "You all right Hu Yetao? You seem a little... on edge."
Hu Yetao shook his head as though attempting to shake the thoughts clear out of his mind. "Yeah, I'm fine, just uh... just a bit tired. Not usually up this late."
Fu Sichao nodded silently but Hu Yetao didn't think he was entirely convinced. It made him wish he had Oscar's acting ability.
Oscar slipped a hand into Hu Yetao's as they paused in the corridor where the three were to part ways; Fu Sichao to head up to Gryffindor Tower and Hu Yetao and Oscar to their third-floor living quarters.
"Goodnight Fu Sichao," Hu Yetao said with as much normality as he could muster, even managing a small smile.
"Goodnight Hu Yetao," he said and then added with a nod, "Oscar."
Oscar dipped his head in return before directing Hu Yetao away and into the adjoining passageways which led to their private rooms.
"Good show Yetao," he muttered with a roll of his eyes.
Hu Yetao glared. "Sorry that lying doesn't come quite as easily to me as it does you," he retorted sharply.
Oscar looked at him as they turned the corner. "I was being facetious."
"Oh." Hu Yetao bit his lip as he withdrew his wand and touched it to their door. "Sorry."
The two walked inside and, while Hu Yetao unclasped his cloak and tossed it haphazardly over a chair, Oscar busily put up a strong silencing charm over the door in conjunction with his usual locking spells.
Hu Yetao sat down on the end of the bed, leaning back on his hands braced behind him. "I thought you didn't want to talk about it anymore tonight?" he asked, nodding at the formidable silencing spell.
Oscar finished casting and began to remove his cloak, sharp gaze on Hu Yetao's. "That's not why I placed a silencing charm on the door."
Hu Yetao's eyes widened and he promptly sat up, sudden energy stringing his body tight as he took in his mate's predatory gaze. It had been a long time since he'd felt such strong desire and he was instantly wide awake.
Oscar neatly hung his traveling cloak on the coat rack near the door before stalking towards Hu Yetao, hungry intent written all over his face.
Hu Yetao licked his lips as he tilted his head back to look up at his mate. Oscar's expression seemed to say 'your move Yetao' and Hu Yetao's lips twitched into a smirk at the implied challenge.
Oscar was right; enough talking for tonight - and what better stress reliever was there than sex?